CubeSats prove their worth for scientific missions WASHINGTON, D.C., April 16, 2019 -- Only a few years ago, the astronomy and heliophysics communities were skeptical about whether CubeSats could reliably obtain scientific data. But these breadloaf-size satellites have proven their ability to return useful data. During the American Physical Society's April Meeting 2019, being held April 13-16, in Denver, Colorado, Christopher S. Moore, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the Solar and Stellar X-ray Group, will describe how the twin Miniature X-ray Solar Spectometer (MinXSS) CubeSats measure soft X-rays from the Sun. These were the first solar science-oriented CubeSat missions flown for the NASA Science Mission Directorate. As he will describe at the meeting, Moore was one of several dozen graduate students who contributed to MinXSS over its lifetime. He worked on the MinXSS CubeSats as part of his doctoral research at the University of Colorado Boulder. "This work demonstrated that these small, relatively cheap -- ranging from $1 million to $2 million for MinXSS -- CubeSats can collect data that fills a specific niche and is consistent with large satellites, which are much more expensive, and contribute to major science investigations," said Moore. MinXSS-1 was launched in December 2015 on the Atlas-V Cygnus OA-4 Launch, Orbital ATK resupply mission to the International Space Station, where it was deployed for an approximately 12-month orbit around Earth. The second version, MinXXS-2, was launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express in December 2018 and deployed for a four- to five-year orbit and operation. Science-oriented CubeSats are low-cost, short-lifespan satellites built to take specific scientific observations and measurements. MinXSS, for example, features cost-saving components such as an extendable tape measure that serves as a radio antenna. Its science payload consists of a soft X-ray spectrometer that was modified for compatibility with the harsh environment of space. MinXSS is also carrying silicon-based photometers onboard for other soft X-ray and visible light measurements. The NASA-funded MinXSS-1 (the first of the twin satellites) was the initial test of the Blue Canyon Technologies XACT, which is a miniaturized attitude determination and control system. The success of MinXSS-1 and XACT resulted in the SmallSat 2016 Mission of the Year award. "MinXSS measures solar soft X-rays between 0.5 to 12 kiloelectron volts at moderate spectral resolution, which includes the sparsely observed 0.5- to 2-keV bandpass," explained Moore. "This spectral region is highly informative of the solar atmospheric plasma conditions for temperatures greater than 2 million kelvin present in solar flares and during quiescence (dormancy)." The data collected by MinXSS has been consistent with inferences from large satellites. "MinXSS data will help us understand the physics behind solar flares," Moore said. "The soft X-rays carry information about the temperature, density and chemical composition of material in the Sun's atmosphere, which allows scientists to trace how events like flares and other processes during calmer times heat the surrounding material in the corona, the Sun's atmosphere." Variations of the solar X-ray emission strongly correlate with large-scale magnetic features called active regions. "These active regions appear as bright loops in soft X-rays, but appear as dark spots at the solar surface (the photosphere), so they're called 'sunspots.' MinXSS data can help directly constrain the plasma temperature of these relatively quasi-static features," Moore said. CubeSats provide "excellent opportunities to train future leaders in technology and science, as undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs commonly have pivotal roles in design, development, testing, mission operations and science analysis," said Moore. "More than 40 graduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder contributed to MinXSS over the project's lifetime." Due to recent CubeSat successes, NASA and the National Science Foundation now offer new funding opportunities to directly fund science-oriented CubeSats. ### The presentation, "Using the Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSats to Probe HOT Plasma in the Atmosphere of a COOL Star," will take place at 10:57 a.m. MT, Tuesday, April 16, in room Governor's Square 10 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. 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Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. https:/ / www. aps. org/ This story has been published on: 2019-04-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Switch from hunting to herding recorded in ancient pee The transition from hunting and gathering to farming and herding is considered a crucial turning point in the history of humanity. Scholars think the intensive food production that came along with the Neolithic Revolution, starting around 10,000 B.C., allowed cities to grow, led to technological innovation and, eventually, enabled life as we know it today. It has been difficult to work out the details of how and when this took place. But a new study published in Science Advances begins to resolve the scale and pace of change during the first phases of animal domestication at an ancient site in Turkey. To reconstruct this history, the authors turned to an unusual source: urine salts left behind by humans and animals. Whereas dung is commonly used in all sorts of studies, "this is the first time, to our knowledge, that people have picked up on salts in archaeological materials, and used them in a way to look at the development of animal management," says lead author Jordan Abell, a graduate student at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The team used the urine salts to calculate the density of humans and animals at the site over time, estimating that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. The results suggest that domestication may have been more rapid than previously expected. They also support the idea that the Neolithic Revolution didn't have just one birthplace in the Fertile Crescent of the Mideast, but rather occurred across several locations simultaneously. At the ancient settlement of A??kl? Hoyu?k in central Turkey, archaeological evidence suggests that humans began domesticating sheep and goats around 8450 BC. These practices evolved over the next 1,000 years, until the society became heavily dependent on the beasts for food and other materials. Abell explains that it can be difficult to reconstruct the scale and pace of this evolution using bone fragments and fossilized dung. So he and his colleagues asked themselves what other clues might have been left behind by a bunch of animals onsite. "And we thought, well, humans and animals pee, and when they pee, they release a bunch of salt," says Abell. "At a dry place like this, we didn't think salts would be washed away and redistributed." As it happened, co-authors Susan Mentzer from the University of Tubingen and Jay Quade from the University of Arizona, where Abell worked on this project as an undergraduate, had previously documented some unusually high levels of salts around A??kl? Hoyu?k, and were perplexed by what they meant. Using this data and others, the new study supports the idea that the salts likely came from the urine of humans, sheep and goats. The study uses the abundance of the salts over time to track the growth of the community and its animals over a period of 1,000 years. Working with Turkish archaeologists, including Istanbul University's Mihriban Ozba?aran, who heads the A??kl? Hoyu?k dig, the team collected 113 samples from all across the site -- from trash piles to bricks and hearths, and from different time periods -- to look at patterns in the sodium, nitrate and chlorine salt levels. They found that, overall, the urine salts at A??kl? Hoyu?k increased in abundance over time. The natural layers before the settlement was built contained very low levels of salts. The oldest layers with evidence of human habitation, spanning 10,400 to 10,000 years ago, saw slight increases but remained relatively low in the urine salts. Then the salts spike during a period from 10,000 to 9,700 years ago; the amount of salts in this layer is about 1,000 times higher than in the preceding ones, indicating a rapid increase in the number of occupants (both human and animal). After that, the concentrations decrease slightly. Abell says these trends line up with previous hypotheses based on other evidence from the site -- that the settlement transitioned first from mostly hunting sheep and goats to corralling just a few, then changed to larger-scale management, and then finally shifted to keeping animals in corrals on the periphery of the site as their numbers grew. And although the timing is close to what the study authors expected, the sharp change around 10,000 years ago "may be new evidence for a more rapid transition" toward domestication, says Abell. Using the salt concentrations, the team estimated the number and density of people plus sheep and goats at A??kl? Hoyu?k, after accounting for other factors that might have influenced the salt levels. They calculated that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. By comparison, modern-day semi-intensive feedlots have densities of about one sheep for every 5 square meters. Although it is not currently possible to distinguish between human and livestock urine salts, the urine salt analysis method can still provide a helpful estimate of sheep and goat abundance. Over the 1,000 year period, the team calculated that an average of 1,790 people and animals lived and peed on the settlement every day. In each time period, the estimated inhabitants were much higher than the number of people that archaeologists think the settlement's buildings would have housed. This indicates that the urine salt concentrations can indeed reflect the relative amounts of domesticated animals over time. The researchers plan to further refine their methods and calculations in the future, and hope to find a way to differentiate between human and animal urine salts. They think the methodology could be applied in other arid areas, and could be especially helpful at sites where other physical evidence, such as bones, is lacking. The study's results also help shed light on the geographic spread of the Neolithic Revolution. It was once thought that farming and herding originated in the Fertile Crescent, which spans parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, then spread outward from there. But mounting evidence, including today's study, indicates that domestication and the transition to Neolithic lifestyles took place concurrently over a broad and diffuse swath of the region. Anthropologist and co-author Mary Stiner from the University of Arizona said that the new method could help to clarify the larger picture of humanity's relationship to animals during this transitional period. "We might find similar trends in other archaeological sites of the period in the Middle East," she said, "but it is also possible that only a handful of long-lasting communities were forums for the evolving human-caprine relationships in any given region of the Middle East." ### Gines Duru and Melis Uzdurum from Istanbul University were also authors on the paper. Scientist contact: Jordan Abell Email: jabell@ldeo.columbia.edu Office: 845-365-8454 Cell: 347-494-1602 This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. But London is the epicenter, and the city has never seen anything like it. There is such a cognitive dissonance in this world between those who are fighting to stop climate change with the Extinction Rebellion, and those who are actively encouraging it, like the Alberta politicians who were elected yesterday, ready to battle for pipelines and against carbon taxes. They should be looking instead at what is happening in London and even New York City, as people rise up to deliver the message that something must be done. In London, the police are moving in to clear out protesters from Parliament square. There seem to be thousands of them, and so far it all seems peaceful; they are not dressed in riot gear and they appear to be gently picking people up and carrying them away. But things can change. Participants are evidently prepared to be evicted. Protests in Boston are not nearly so dramatic. Freiburg, Germany, sure has a lot of bikes. And Edinburgh sure has a lot of police. In New York City, the roads around City Hall are blocked. How will the Mayor get from his gym in Brooklyn? I sit here and wonder how people in North America can elect carbon arsonists who just want to flare more gas and burn more oil and not worry about what is happening when, as Greta says, our house is on fire and we have to do something now. I give the last words to her. The words we choose affect their desire to play outside. My children and I are eagerly waiting for spring to show up. Saturday was warm and promising, but snow started falling again on Sunday, and when the time came to walk to school on Monday morning, we were trudging through an inch of wet slush, our moods reflected in the grey landscape around us. It is hard to stay positive when you haven't seen the sun much in five months, but it's necessary. Kids have to be taught to have a positive attitude toward the outdoors, or else they will be reluctant to spend time there. It all starts with the language parents use to describe it. Adults (or at least all the Canadians in my life) have a tendency to bash the weather. They complain about it to friends, at the grocery store, with the crossing guard. Not often enough do they think about how kids pick up on this, both what's said explicitly and subtly, and internalize it. It's time for adults to think about how they want kids to view the weather and outdoors and pick their words accordingly. Recently I've come across a few helpful posts on this topic. One is from a blog called How We Montessori, where a mother acknowledges her tendency to speak negatively about weather and dirt, specifically. She writes, "I often find myself using negative language around the weather and dirt! 'Oh no, you fell into the puddle,' 'Oh yuck, you are covered in mud,' 'It's raining a-g-a-i-n!'" The mother, who now lives in England and says they'd spend all their time indoors if they tried to avoid rain and cold, realizes the importance of changing this. "We want our children to explore nature, to feel with all of their senses including touch, for many children this will involve getting dirty. Positive language can lead to positive associations, we can change our attitude, outlook and mood with words." She suggests assessing one's inner dialogue about the weather. Then, try to use descriptive scientific language such as "The wind is coming from the North" or "Look at the Cirrus cloud." Neutral or positive language is good, too: "Can you feel how wonderful and squelchy this mud is?" or "This rain is so refreshing, it feels nice on my face." K Martinko A rainy forest walk Backwoods Mama is another blogger who offers a lengthy list of ways to talk positively to kids about weather. The benefits go beyond just getting them out of the house for an hour: "A positive mindset around weather helps our kids learn resilience, preparedness and flexibility which will benefit them throughout their life." Use simple, neutral, and/or positive terms to describe the day, then make suggestions for activities that ignite curiosity and enthusiasm about it. For example: "The thermometer says its below 0C (32F) outside. I wonder what Jack Frost has been up to outside? Lets go find out." "Oh my! All this rain is perfect for making mud pies." "The wind is swirling leaves through the air. Lets go see if we can catch them." "Theres fog outside! We can go walking through clouds." These are all fabulous suggestions that will hopefully inspire you to come up with your own ideas. (You could try throwing in some of these profoundly beautiful words that describe nature and landscapes while you're at it.) Fake it till you make it, and hopefully you, too, will soon realize that there's no such thing as 'bad' weather, just another wonderful day to explore. Here is another reason to hate the Hudson Yards in New York City. It is de rigueur to be critical of the Hudson Yards project in New York City. Oliver Wainwright calls it the Horror on the Hudson, and Kriston Capps complains about its financing in Another reason to hate Hudson Yards. Now we will pile on with yet another reason: all that mirrored glass, which is killing birds by the millions. One recent study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bright lights in the big cities: migratory birds exposure to artificial light, found that "in the contiguous US, annual fatal bird collisions with buildings, communication towers, power lines, and wind turbines cumulatively number in the hundreds of millions," and that a major cause is due to attraction to Artificial Light At Night (ALAN). The disproportionate relationship between the land area occupied by cities and the amount of ALAN emitted leaves little doubt where conservation action is most needed: urban centers. The study authors note that there are competing interests that have to be satisfied: Reducing nighttime lights for the benefit of migrants and other wildlife represents yet another instance of anthropogenic and environmental trade-offs, in this case among avian safety, human safety, energy expenditure, and societal and psychological expectations. It is therefore important that conservation efforts and future research are directed to the times and places where they will have the largest impact. Chicago is the worst city in USA for bird kills/ Public Domain Pictures/CC BY 2.0 This is something I have never understood, how there are societal expectations for pretty bright skylines in cities. There is really no good reason not to turn the lights out if nobody is working. There is no good reason not to design buildings with glass that deters birds. Snhetta's Ryerson Student Centre, Toronto, with bird-friendly glass/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0 Toronto, Canada, has had bird-friendly glazing standards since 2007, which have been widely copied (PDF here). They recommend: Glass can have an image or pattern screened, printed, or applied to the glass surface. Ceramic frit and acid-etched patterns are commonly used to achieve other design objectives including a reduction in the transmission of light and heat, privacy screening or branding. By using patterns of various sizes and densities, manufacturers can create any kind of image, translucent or opaque. The image in the glass then projects enough visual markers to be perceived by birds. They also strongly recommend that "mirrored glass is the most reflective of all building materials and should be avoided in all situations," which clearly is ignored in New York City, the fourth deadliest city after Chicago, Houston and Dallas. Chris6d in Wikipedia/CC BY 2.0 According to Lauren Aratani in the Guardian, New York City Audubon conducts collision monitoring studies in September and April each year, sending dozens of volunteers into the city streets to track fallen birds. The organization estimates about 90,000 to 200,000 birds are killed via building collision in the city each year.... On a national scale, the Smithsonians migratory bird center estimated the number of deaths to be between 100 million and one billion birds annually, using data from a wide variety of different groups across the country. There are many other things that kill birds, from cats to wind turbines, from oil spills to forest clear-cutting. Despite the President's worries about bird deaths from wind turbines, his Fish and Wildlife service just revised protections for migratory birds. According to Reveal, "Fish and Wildlife no longer prohibits loggers from cutting down trees with nests in them, even if it destroys live eggs or chicks." They no longer get involved when birds are killed in oil spills. But as the Cornell study noted, the action is most needed in urban centers. Building design is local and cities can regulate it. Architects can stop designing mirrored and all-glass buildings. We don't need more of these. This isn't hard. Longevity is precisely what we should be looking for in clothing, even if it means an upfront investment. When Margaret Coblentz left the fast fashion industry in 2016, she was totally burnt out. She didn't know what to do next, but she was sure of one thing there was no way she'd go back to working for any corporate retailer. It was time for a new path. That's how the Frances Austen brand was born, based in San Francisco. This collection of conscious cashmere sweaters is the antithesis of Coblentz's former world an impressive effort to use top-notch natural fabrics to create a product that will last a lifetime. The sweaters are made from Mongolian cashmere (where nearly all cashmere comes from) and spun in Italy by renowned cashmere producer Cariaggi, which holds ISO 14001 certifications for wool sustainability and is a founding member of CCMI, a group that stands for accountability and sustainability in the production of cashmere clothing. From there, the fabric goes to Scotland and is sewn into garments by Johnstons of Elgin. Frances Austen (used with permission) Brand founder Margaret Coblentz As you can imagine, having such a supply chain does not make these pieces cheap. They range from $395 for the Reversible V sweater to $595 for a mid-thigh-length cardigan. TreeHugger's obvious question for Coblentz was how she justifies such a high price point specifically, why would a customer choose a Frances Austen sweater over, say, a $100 cashmere top? It turns out, not all cashmere is created equally. "Frances Austens yarn has more 16 micron hairs (longer is better) than most other cashmere yarn, and certainly far more than what would be used to produce a $100 sweater. The higher the yarn quality, the softer the finished product. You also consider the weight of the knit. Brands literally buy cashmere by the pound, so a heavier or larger sweater with more yarn consumption will cost more than something knitted in a lighter weight. Companies typically have to go light to hit a super sharp price." Frances Austen Are shoppers willing to fork out that much money for a sweater? The short answer is yes, but Coblentz adds some interesting observations. "We have all been fed a lot of products throughout our lives that we know we are paying far beyond the true cost for, but this isnt the case with our clothing. This is a product that does not take any shortcuts in terms of the environment or labor and consumers respect that. When you produce a truly high quality product and there is a clear reason to charge a certain price for the item, the consumer understands." Curiously, the word 'sustainable' never appears on the Frances Austen website. This is due to Coblentz's frustration with its vagueness. ("What does it actually mean?" she told me.) Instead, she prefers to be specific about the practices and certifications to which the brand is committed, one of which is 100 percent biodegradability. While this is not commonly referenced in the fashion world, it's something I suspect will become a hotter topic as awareness of microplastic pollution spreads. Frances Austen's tagline is "We makes clothes with forever in mind," which I respect greatly. If we want to improve our fashion habits, then we must wear things over and over again and the longer we do that, the smaller an item's overall footprint and its price-per-wear. So, the more durable (and beautiful) an item is, the better the investment. The same logic applies to labor conditions. If we want to know that our clothing was not made under slavelike conditions, we must be willing to pay more for it, which works out over time if we can wear the piece for many years. Not everyone can afford a Frances Austen sweater, but it's a worthwhile exercise to ask oneself how many $25 sweaters have been purchased in the past 10 years or longer, and whether those could have been replaced by a single one of these. editorial@tribune.com Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 16 After their release from Pakistan jails, the second batch of 100 fishermen reached the city on Monday evening. All of them are natives of Gujarat and were nabbed by Pakistan coast guards for entering their side of the ocean. Most of the fishermen were caught for the first time, but Ballah said it was his third turn. First time, I was caught around 20 years ago. Next time, it was in 2013 and this time, I was nabbed in November 2017, he said. Having spent over four years in Pakistan jails, Ballah said, I will start catching fish as soon I go back. We do not have any other mean of earning livelihood. I will have to work as a fisherman again. But Jagish (22) has different views. He said, I will never go for fishing. Even if I have to pull a rickshaw, I will do that. I got scared when I was caught. I had feared that I would never get to see my family again. Like Ballah and Jagdish, all others in their batch were hired on contract by rich contractors. They said all fishermen worked for rich contractors who often asked them to go to various parts of the sea, which were considered to be rich in finding fish. Rupesh, another fisherman, said he, along with five others in the same boat, was arrested on November 15, 2015. Later, we came to know that a total of 23 fishermen were arrested. We had learnt the craft of making necklaces from glass beads in the jail. We were given the money earned as profit from their sale, he said. Many were seen wearing the glass beaded necklaces, which they had crafted as a memory of days spent in the jail. Many others have also kept a portion of the money they earned in Pakistani currency as the token. While we exchanged most of the Pakistani currency while entering India, everybody has kept something for their memory, said Rupesh. The third batch of 100 fishermen is scheduled to arrive on April 22. The fishermen are being taken to Gujarat by a team of officials, which came to city on Monday evening. amansharma@tribunemail.com Mumbai, April 17 After flying for 25 years, Jet Airways on Wednesday announced temporary grounding of operations after its lenders declined a Rs 400-crore lifeline, putting at stake 20,000 jobs and thousands of crores in passenger refunds, dues to vendors and over Rs 8,500 crore to banks. Founded by Naresh Goyal, who began as a general sales agent to a host of international airlines with travel agency Jetair, the full-service carrier served tens of millions of passengers for over two-and-half decades, before becoming the seventh domestic carrier to shutter operations in the past five years. However, the once-premier airline flew into deeper turbulencesecond in its history after the 2010 crisisafter four back-to-back quarterly losses, leaving it gasping for financial breath and forcing it to default on payments to nearly all from banks to lessors, to employees, and eventually leading to the shutdown from Wednesday night as its fleet strength has crimped to just about five planes from 123 in December last. Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, we will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect, we are compelled to cancel all our international and domestic flights temporarily. The last flight will operate today, Jet Airways said in an evening statement. The troubles at Jet sent airfares soaring and its pains were the gains for rival carriers like IndiGo and Spicejet which took over most its slots at premium airports. The formal grounding announcement will lead to exponential spike in airfares amid the peak summer travel demand. Under a debt resolution plan approved by the airlines board on March 25, Goyal agreed to cede control to the lenders consortium and also resigned from the chairmanship. His wife, Anita, too, quit the board. He had also agreed to halve his stake in the airline to around 25 per cent. But the April 2 Supreme Court order quashing the February 12, 2018 RBI circular (which ended all debt recast plans even on a one-day default) put paid to the resolution plan as banks were left with no leeway to restructure the loan and pay the promised Rs 1,500 crore interim funds which would have been converted into equity at Re 1 a share and also take over the management control. Before its last flight tonight from Amristar to Delhi, Jets fleet diminished to just five aircraft and 37 flights from 123 planes and some 650 daily flights till December last. This (temporary grounding) decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the airline and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from the board, the airline said, adding it has informed the civil aviation and finance ministries besides the regulator DGCA, of its decision. The carrier, however, said it will now await the bid finalisation process by the lenders. Earlier this month, SBI Caps, on behalf of the lenders, had invited bids for selling between 32.1 per cent and up to 75 per cent stake in the airline and the bids were open from April 8 through 12 after a two-day extension. The airline said the expressions of interest were in and bid documents were issued to the eligible recipients Wednesday. Banks on Tuesday identified four biddersEtihad Airways, the national investment fund NIIF, private player TPG and another fund house Indigo Partners as eligible bidders who have time till May 10 to submit the final financial bids. We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company, the airline said, adding it will continue to support the bid process initiated by the lenders. However, we must also be realistic that the sale process will take some time and will throw up several more challenges for us, many of which we dont have the answers as of today, chief executive Vinay Dube said in a communication to the employees. For example, we dont have an answer today to the very important question of what happens to the employees during the sale process, he said. Meanwhile, JetPrivilege, the company that handles Jets loyalty programme JPMiles, in a statement said, We would like to assure our members that the value of their JPMiles are secure and remain intact as members still have the choice to redeem their JPMiles to fly free across more airlines and destinations anywhere. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Wednesday it will support the resolution process within the existing regulatory framework. In its first reaction on the latest Jet Airways development, the ministry also said the DGCA and other regulators are monitoring the situation carefully to ensure that all existing rules regarding refunds, cancellations, and alternate bookings are followed strictly. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com London, April 17 Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to Indias public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crore, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time, I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when the government used 35K crore (Rs 35,000 crore) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote in his latest intervention on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become Indias largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former Kingfisher Airlines boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he made to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to PSU banks resulted in reports that claimed he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian jail. Why dont banks take the money I offered first? he questioned. On a more personal note directed at Jet Airways founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why? Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the High Court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallyas appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a USD 40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regents Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI)-led consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow-up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. PTI editorial@tribune.com Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 16 School bus fare has been hiked by Rs 1,200 per child per annum from April, despite a hike in September last. The Chandigarh School Bus Operators Welfare Association had suggested a hike of Rs 100 per child per month. Citing a surge in fuel prices, the association had raised the fare by Rs 600 per child annually in September last. Manjit Singh, president of the association, said, We had proposed a hike of Rs 125 per child per month in over 60 schools in the city. The schools agreed for a hike of Rs 100. We had to hike the fare as there have been fluctuations in the diesel prices over a long time. Those who had increased the fare by Rs 50 a couple of months ago will increase the fee by Rs 50 only. In the proposal for the hike, the association wrote: In the 2017-18 session, there was an increase in the insurance cost of a 42-seater bus from Rs 46,000 to Rs 57,0000 (24 per cent) and the per litre cost of diesel rose from Rs 56 to Rs 62 (11 per cent). In 2018, the cost of diesel jumped to Rs 72 between April and October and from November to February 2019, it dropped to Rs 63. The sharp variation in the diesel price has put an additional burden on the operators. Besides, an increase in the cost of lubricants, labour and maintenance of the vehicle has further increased the cost of running the vehicle by 10 to 15 per cent, the association said. The current bus fare in the city after the hike varies between Rs 1,300 and Rs 1,500 per child per month, depending upon the distance. However, buses ferrying children from Panchkula to Chandigarh charge over Rs 2,000 per month. The bus fare is hiked by over 8 per cent in every academic session. In April last year, the bus fare was increased by Rs 100 per month. Rs 1,200 more per annum for Each child Subir Roy Subir Roy Senior Economic Analyst The glimmer of hope that emerged for a better future for Indias debt-laden public sector banks with the introduction of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code seems to have been eclipsed, at least for the time being. This has prompted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to observe that further progress on NPAs is needed in India, and for emerging markets in general, addressing non-performing loans is of first-order importance for financial stability. The setback has resulted from the Supreme Court striking down a key circular issued by banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last year, laying down the procedure for bringing defaulting companies to book under the code. As is to be expected, there is little to find fault with the courts reasoning or the rationality behind the scope of its order. A clutch of defaulting companies, mostly in the power sector, had taken the RBI to court, challenging the legal validity of the RBI circular. Significantly, the court has upheld the legality of the relevant sections of the Banking Regulation Act, but found that the circular, which was issued under the authority of those sections, exceeded its brief. To understate what is at stake, it is critical to assert that nothing less than the stability of Indias entire financial system will be threatened if its state-owned banks do not get rid of the albatross round their neck in the form of large NPAs created by defaulting companies controlled by influential business families. This lies at the heart of the malaise of crony capitalism which was enabled by the weak governance system in the banks that kept evergreening loans instead of asking the owners to pay up or lose ownership. The NDA government earned praise for bringing in the code as a sign that it meant business. But now, courtesy the court order, continuing work under the code, fraught at the best of times, seems threatened. To understand how the RBI got where it did, it is necessary to recall recent history. It is from 2015 that the RBI under the leadership of Raghuram Rajan decided to signal the banks that it meant business. It came up with a succession of processes to recognise and then seek resolution of NPAs like corporate debt restructuring, stressed asset resolution and S4A (sustainable structuring of stressed assets). But when none of these delivered, the RBI under the leadership of Urjit Patel came up with the February 2018 circular to banks. At its core, the circular left no discretion in the hands of the banks and did not go into whose fault it was that made a particular loan go bad in the first place the government, as in the case of the power sector through its inability to get state-owned distribution companies to pay up, or promoters who were simply wilful defaulters. It stipulated that a loan had to be declared non-performing as soon as there was a failure to pay as per conditions, and if a resolution plan could not be finalised within 180 days, it had to be taken to the tribunal administering the code. The court found two infirmities with the circular. One, it painted all with the same brush, and two this is the critical part it issued a blanket procedure for bringing defaulting companies under the process of the code when the statute gave it the authority to order one company at a time as authorised by the government. So at the end of the day we have a legal framework under which the RBI will not decide which company will be taken by which bank to the tribunal under the code but the government will! That is, the same bureaucrat-politician nexus that was responsible for the rise of crony capitalism will decide on which industrialist the axe will fall! If there be a villain in the whole piece, it is the amendment to the Banking Regulation Act that brought in Sections 35AA and 35AB when the code was issued. This is when Section 35A of the original Act sufficiently empowered the RBI to take necessary action in directing banks to move against defaulting companies. It is the two new sections which restricted the powers of the RBI and which, in the view of the court, caused the RBI to exceed its remit. We do not know why the government introduced the two sections or why the RBI did not make an issue of it then. When Patel eventually tried to act firm he had to leave. The point is that the amendments happened after Rajans departure; the government wanted to clip RBIs wings. It is also worth asking if the court should have gone as far as it did. While declaring that the circular was not as per law, it could have said, for the sake of the stability of the financial system, and in order not to disrupt the process of loan resolution, it was holding the working of the judgment in abeyance and asking the RBI to come to it with a new circular in, say, two months, compliant with the law. When the court approved the new circular the orders issued under the old circular could be regularised. Then the RBI could take up with the government the idea of junking the two new sections. The present government is unlikely to give back to the RBI powers that it has recently taken away from it. But then, in two months time, a new government, of whatever complexion, will be in place with a fresh mandate from the people and the moral authority to act as it sees fit! vermaajay1968@gmail.com Prodded by the Supreme Court, the Election Commission (EC) has demonstrated that it is not so powerless and toothless after all. On Monday, the EC imposed a nationwide campaign ban for 72 hours on UP Chief Minister Adityanath and Samajwadi Partys Azam Khan and a 48-hour bar on Union Minister Maneka Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati for their provocative communal remarks which had the propensity to polarise the elections. In an attempt to preclude any allegation of bias, the poll panel has penalised two leaders each from the ruling BJP and Opposition parties. The EC has emphatically made its intent clear to go beyond merely issuing advisories and registering complaints. The action is laudable as well as timely, while the pan-country ban is perhaps unprecedented. During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Azam Khan and BJP stalwart Amit Shah had been barred from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh over their controversial remarks. The ban on Shah was lifted a few days later after he assured the EC that he would not disturb public tranquillity and law and order; since Khan had not given a similar assurance, the curbs on him continued. A canvassing ban had also been clamped on BJPs Giriraj Singh in Jharkhand and Bihar that year for saying that people who dont vote for Narendra Modi would have to find a place in Pakistan. Now that the EC has woken up, as the Supreme Court observed, it should initiate stricter action if required and not hesitate from taking to task even the most powerful leaders. There is a famous precedent, dating back to 1999. Acting on an apex court order, the EC had banned Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray from voting and contesting in any election for six years as he had repeatedly sought votes in the name of religion. Such steps can act as a major deterrent and force politicians to think twice before they make hate speeches and irresponsible utterances. More importantly, the EC needs to acquire powers to derecognise parties and disqualify candidates in case the speakers dont mend their ways. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Rohtak, April 16 Two police officials have been placed under suspension for allegedly blackmailing a youth and his girlfriend. SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa has also ordered an inquiry into the matter. Sources said the two cops, posted at the IMT police station located on the outskirts of the town, had recently spotted the couple in a compromising position at a public place. Instead of registering a case under the relevant sections of the IPC, the two allegedly made their video and demanded money. Fearing that the video might be posted on the social media, the youth lodged a complaint with the SP. After a preliminary probe, the SP placed the two officials under suspension and ordered an inquiry. A DSP-level officer has been asked to hold the inquiry, the SP said. TNS editorial@tribune.com Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 16 The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has found a plethora of irregularities at the Madhuban Children Home, which led to the dismissal of its manager Raj Singh Sangwan on Thursday. The shelter home, having a capacity of 120, had 59 children. A total of 24 of them fled on the night of March 25 and went to residence of Gharaunda MLA Harvinder Kalyan to complain about poor conditions at the shelter home, following which the commission inspected it and interviewed the children. In its report regarding hygiene dated March 27, the commission said, The bathrooms were found to be in a pathetic condition (not flushed, stagnant water, strong stink). The children complained of inadequate food being provided to them. Children are attending school at a nearby government school. Some children rescued under Operation Muskaan were neither provided any bridge course nor did they attend any special training centre run by government schools under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, read the report. Case files of children were lacking in basic documents like valid orders of child welfare committee for placement of children in an institutional care, case history, individual care plan, quarterly progress report and annual photograph, read the report. No fortnightly reports, monthly reports or quarterly progress reports on the children were found in case files, which shows that there is sheer negligence of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and Rules made thereunder, read the report. Fifteen children residing in the shelter home were from other states and had not been to their respective states till date. It was observed that the shelter home did not have a Child Welfare Officer to present cases before the Child Welfare Committee. It was observed that no efforts have been made by the staff for a child who is deaf, dumb and partially blind, read the report. The management committee meeting of the shelter home was not held for January and February and it was not working as per provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. What came out in interviews The children told the inspecting team of the commission that the manager used to give them corporal punishment and forced them to do physical labour, which was punishable under Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The manager did not maintain his movement record. As per the statements of the children, manager Raj Singh Sangwan came with his gunman several times and warned the children not to report against him, due to which the children were in constant fear, said Jyoti Bainda, chairperson of the commission. The hostel supervisor, occupying a residential post, was not present on the hostel premises when the children fled. Besides action against the manager, we have recommended criminal proceedings under Sections 75 and 82 of the Juvenile Justice Act, said Bainda. Karnal Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said the SHO concerned had been asked to initiate criminal action against the manager. What ails kids shelter editorial@tribune.com New Delhi, April 16 The Delhi High Court Tuesday restrained a trial court here from examining the CBI witnesses connected with a probe done in Himachal Pradesh in the Rs 10-crore disproportionate assets case allegedly involving former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Justice Sunil Gaur, in an interim order, noted that Section 6 of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act has been challenged and the matter is sub-judice. Section 6 of the Act deals with the consent of the state government for exercising powers and jurisdiction by CBI officials. The court was informed by Virbhadra Singhs counsel that the investigation in the case was conducted in Himachal Pradesh as well as in Delhi. To this, the high court said the trial court should make an endeavour to first examine the witnesses who are not related to the investigation done in Himachal Pradesh on the date fixed by the lower court. The trial in the DA case is pending before a lower court which had fixed May 1 for recording evidence of prosecution (CBI) witnesses. The high court listed for September 18, the pleas of Singh, his wife Pratibha and two others challenging the trial court order to frame charges against them. During the hearing, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and lawyer D K Thakur, appearing for Virbhadra Singh, told the court that if the trial court is allowed to proceed with recording of evidence collected from Himachal Pradesh, the entire process of filing the petition would be defeated. The high court had refused to stay the trial court order to frame charges against Singh and others in the DA case and had asked the CBI to respond to the pleas. The 82-year-old Congress leader and his wife have sought quashing of the December 10, 2018 trial court order directing framing of charges against them and seven others in the case filed by the CBI. The CBI prosecutor had told the court that the agency has already filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, challenging a limited part of the high courts March 31, 2017 order in which it had said that the consent issue will be adjudicated by the trial court and notice was earlier issued to Singh. Before the apex court, the CBI has sought a clarification on the nature of sanction needed from a government to probe any offence committed in the state. The CBI had contended before the high court that there was a general consent granted by the Himachal Pradesh government on August 24, 1990 to probe offences of Central government employees in the territory of the state. Singh, on the other hand, had contended in the high court that the consent order does not take within its scope a Central minister, who served as a public servant in Delhi under the central government. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 16 Deputy Commissioner (DC) Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal said today that the district administration would make elaborate security arrangements for 379 vulnerable polling booths in the district. Presiding over a meeting to review the arrangements at the District Administrative Complex here, the Deputy Commissioner, the CP and the SSP said the administration had completed the vulnerability mapping of the district as per which 379 of the 1,863 polling booths had been identified as vulnerable. They said special care would be taken to man the vulnerable polling booths across the district. The officials said for ensuring a free and fair poll, the Punjab Police, along with the paramilitary forces, would be deployed at these booths. At some booths, micro-observers would be deployed and on the others, webcasting would be ensured on the directions of the Election Commission. The officials said the administration would ensure that the vulnerable booths were either covered by the paramilitary force, webcasting or micro observers. They said it was making every effort to ensure that each and every polling booth of the Assembly segment was provided adequate checks and balances for ensuring a transparent polling. Reiterating the firm commitment of the administration to hold ensuring the Lok Sabha poll peacefully, the officials said anyone trying to disturb peace during the elections would be dealt strictly. editorial@tribune.com Sumit Hakhoo, Sanjay Pathak & Azhar Qadri Tribune Reporters Kathua/srinagar, April 16 On the last day of campaigning in the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency, various political parties and candidates held rallies to reach out to the voters. The Congress, BJP and Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan organised a series of rallies and roadshows to attract voters as the seat will go to the polling on April 18. A huge traffic jam was witnessed on the stretch of the national highway passing through the town as thousands of people swarmed roads to support their candidates. The Congress organised a rally at Barnoti, Kathua. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, senior Congress leader Karan Singh, NC-Congress joint candidate Vikramaditya Singh and NC leader Surjit Singh Slathia attended the rally. Speaking on the occasion, Karan Singh said people of the state, especially the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, have to make a choice between false promises of the BJP and progressive thinking of the Congress. Only the Congress can ensure an equitable development of all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP only makes false promises and past five years are an example of its misrule. Give Vikramaditya Singh a chance to serve you, said Karan Singh said. Vikramaditya Singh promised to work for common masses who, he claimed, had been betrayed by BJP MP Jitendra Singh. Jitendra Singh also organised a roadshow in the town and asked people to vote for the BJP. Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan founder Lal Singh organised a car and motorcycle rally here. Canvassing ends in Srinagar As the campaigning for the election to the Srinagar parliamentary constituency came to an end, political parties made last-ditch efforts to reach out to the voters by holding rallies and meetings on Tuesday. The two main political parties, National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), focused on central Kashmirs Budgam district on the last day of campaigning. The five Assembly segments of the district have accounted, in past elections, for maximum votes in the constituency that is also spread over Srinagar and Ganderbal districts. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, who has led the campaign for his party, addressed an election rally at Sholipora village of Budgam district. The partys president and candidate, Farooq Abdullah, was missing from action on the last day of campaigning as he was restricted to his home due to fever, party sources said. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti addressed an election rally for the party candidate, Aga Mohsin, at Wahabpora village in Budgam. The campaigning in the constituency, where 12 candidates are contesting, has come to an end as the voting will be held on Thursday amid heavy security presence. Weeks of campaigning has mainly focused on the promises to protect the states special status as parties raised the rhetoric against the BJP, which in its manifesto has promised to abrogate Article 370. Even as several parties have named candidates for the Srinagar seat, only the NC and PDP ran prominent campaigns as they involved three former chief ministers in their rallies. Sajad Lones Peoples Conference, which has fielded a debutant politician Irfan Ansari, held small rallies across villages of central Kashmir and also organised a boat rally at Dal Lake in recent days. On the last day, Sajad went to Kangan in Ganderbal district where he repeated his partys promise of change. Even as the election fervour is missing in the constituency, the parties were able to run a modest campaign and hold rallies in all districts. Manpreet campaigns for Cong in Kathua Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Tuesday called upon voters in Jammu and Kashmir to root out the BJP from the state for its failures to fulfil promises made to people in 2014 and following divisive agenda in its policies. Addressing an election rally, Badal said, The day people will realise the difference between chor (thief) and chowkidar (watchman), they will understand Modi and his policies better. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 16 In cases relating to terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today said that it had made the provisional attachment of properties worth Rs 6.19 crore belonging to businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency has also charged Watali and Hurriyat leaders of receiving funds from Pakistan through conduits and also from the Pakistan High Commission in India directly. The PMLA case is based on a charge-sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as part of its probe against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. The ED, in a statement, said the provisional order was issued to attach lands in the Sozeith Goripora, Narbal and Budgam areas of Kashmir belonging to Watali and his family members that are worth Rs 6.19 crore. Watali has been found to be involved in fund raising and as a financial conduit of Hurriyat leaders, the agency concluded, while claiming that the probe revealed that the Hurriyat leaders had received funds from Pakistan through conduits and also from the Pakistan High Commission directly. This was substantiated by an incriminating document seized from the house of Ghulam Mohd Bhat during search, it said, adding that the man worked as a cashier-cum-accountant with Watali. The document clearly indicated that Watali was receiving money from Hafiz Saeed (LeT and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa chief), from the ISI, from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and also from a source based in Dubai, the agency said. Watali was remitting the same to the Hurriyat leaders, separatists and stone-pelters of Jammu and Kashmir. The said document has been maintained in regular course of his business and is signed by Watali, the statement added. It said another accused in the case, Naval Kishore Kapoor, mobilised funds from unknown sources in Dubai and remitted the same to Watali and his company Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd, it said. The agency had, last month, similarly attached Rs 1.03 crore assets of Watali in Gurgaon in this case as part of a crackdown on terror funding and separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency said the NIA probe revealed that the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other separatist leaders instigated the public, especially youths, to observe strikes and issue directives to the masses to hold anti-India protests, demonstrations and processions through press releases, newspapers and social media. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service JAMMU, April 16 Three special observers, appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), have favoured holding J&K Assembly elections in June, it is learnt. In their report, submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, they have recommended that polls be held immediately after Eid. The observers former IAS officers Vinod Zutshi and Noor Muhammad and former IPS officer AS Gill met representatives of several parties, including PDP, Congress, BJP and Sajjad Lone-led Peoples Conference, during their visit to J&K last month. The special observers have favoured early Assembly elections, most probably in June. The report will be further submitted to the ECI, that will take a final call while keeping in view all security-related issues, sources said. The ECI would also take into account the challenge on the security front in view of the annual Amarnath Yatra starting from July 1. On March 10, the ECI, while announcing the schedule of Lok Sabha polls, had said that Assembly elections would not be held in J&K with the Lok Sabha elections because of security concerns. It had said a large number of security personnel had to be deployed for protection of every candidate in J&K and availability of security forces was a constraint. Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government since June 19 last year when the BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP. Currently, the state is under Presidents rule, which came into force on December 20 after the expiry of the six-month Governors rule. During the ECI teams visit to J&K, all parties had unequivocally demanded simultaneous elections. After criticism over the decision to not conduct simultaneous polls, the ECI appointed three special observers to re-assess the situation in the state. The NC, CPI(M), Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) and Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) chose not to meet the special observers. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Arun Joshi No election in Kashmir is complete without Farooq Abdullah. His name is enough because it resonates in the country and abroad with Kashmir, next only to his late father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, hailed as Sher-e-Kashmir. At 83, Farooq is contesting elections yet again, sitting pretty like a comeback kid and setting his own standards of contest. He began electoral politics in 1980 when he, as son of Sheikh Abdullah, was elected to the Lok Sabha unopposed and the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called him to Jammu to campaign for other candidates, including that of the Congress. Times have changed, observes Farooq while talking to The Tribune, perhaps reflecting on the transformation in the situation from 1980s till date a gap of 40 years and 30 of high turbulence and violence. Farooq is leaving no stone unturned, literally. He is out in the morning to campaign in different places. Life-size hoardings with his tall frame and a smiling face overlook bystanders, proclaiming: We represent aspirations of the people. Once bitten twice shy, his aides say though the clear winner (he is contesting the Srinagar seat), Farooq has not given up caution, having lost the 2014 polls to Tariq Hamid Karra of the PDP. He won the seat in a byelection in April 2017 after Karra resigned to protest against the spate of killings in Kashmir during the PDP-BJP rule. At that time, a sobriquet was invented for him Mr 4 per cent the votes polled by him in the byelection marred by violence, resulting in the death of nine persons. Farooqs political career started almost immediately after his father returned to power in 1975 following an accord with Indira Gandhi. His campaigning skills were tested in the 1977 Assembly elections when his party National Conference won a two-third majority the first election that NC contested after disbanding the Plebiscite Front of 22 years. By no means an easy task, he made it so for his father and the party and emerged as a force to reckon with. His elevation as party president and then induction into the Cabinet days before Sheikh Abdullahs death, made him the heir apparent. This was deeply resented by his brother-in-law. He became CM on April 8, 1982 , and his first call to fellow Kashmiris was to control your emotions and dont do anything that could damage the image of Kashmir and that of Sher-e-Kashmir. We are all one, the message that he keeps repeating even today when his party ideology and cadre are under attack from various quarters. Farooqs profile is not just about winning the polls. He reversed the course of violence though a large number of critics dispute that by time and again telling the people in J&K that their fate is linked with that of India. And, despite his changing political dictums, Farooq stands tallest in Kashmirs electoral politics. All elections since 1977 have borne the stamp of his humour and anger, but not without political messaging. He also carries the burden of the 1987 Assembly polls, seen as the source of militancy. But this is only a partial view the fault lies with the unwritten November 1986 Rajiv-Farooq accord share to Congress. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Pervin Malhotra Q.I have just given my Class XII exams (non-med). I wish to join my uncle who is in the seafood processing and export business. What would be the best place for me to study. Sarvesh Dogra A.Fishery science is the study of fish husbandry for commercial, ecological and recreational purposes. It also includes the management of marine life resources including fisheries. You should ideally be looking at doing a bachelors in fishery science (BFSc) from a good university. And there are quite a few of them. The 4-year BFSc course will typically cover topics such as: Core Fishery Biol, Aquaculture, Fishery Oceanography, Fishery Engg, Fishery Microbiology, Fishery Biochemistry, Aquatic Biology, Fish Processing Tech, Fisheries Extension, Fisheries Statistics, etc. However, a recent offering has cought my eye and merits checking out: n Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical & Engg Training (CIFNET), Kochi, Bachelor of Fishery Science (Nautical Science), 4-year Affl to Cochin University of Science & Tech (CUSAT), Kochi & approved by DG Shipping, Mumbai Eligibility: +2 with min 50% in all PCB /r PCM subjs Selection: Common Entrance Test along with 50% weightage of academic performance/interview. This one of its kind course is conducted by the 8-sem prog includes integrated practical & onboard training on ocean going fishing vessels Another bonus is that PCM students are directly eligible for GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress & Safety System) after BFSc (NS) degree. *GMDSS is an internationally mandated set of safety procedures, types of equipment, and communication protocols used to increase safety and easily rescue distressed ships, boats and aircraft. CIFNET functions under M/o Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (D/o Animal Husbandry Dairying & Fisheries) Admission details: www.cifnet.nic.in Better to relocate abroad after BDS Q.I am currently doing my BDS in India. I am very keen to settle in Australia. Should I complete my masters in dentistry here and then move to Australia? Yogesh Kwatra A.My suggestion would be to go there straight after completing your BDS. You wont really achieve much by doing a Masters in India, especially since you intend to practice in Australia. Of course youll have to clear the ADC exams first in order to get a license to practice Down Under. For July session, send in your applications by May. For the Feb session: apply before Dec and get a confirmation date 6-8 weeks before starting date. Allow at least 8 weeks for the visa). IELTS (6.0 score) compulsory for all students. Where should I apply for textile design course? Q.After doing my masters in Textile Design from Orissa, I have been teaching in a local design school for the past three years. I would now like to take a break and do some specialised research in my field from a reputed institution. Can you please suggest where to apply? Darpan Minocha A.Here are some very reputed courses that fit the bill: IIT Delhis Department of Textile Technology offers Ph.D. programmes in a wide variety of subjects bracketed under three key areas: Textile Engineering, Textile Chemical Technology and Fiber Science & Technology Admission to the PhD programmes is normally on the basis of an interview conducted by the Department (it may decide to conduct a written test as well, or multiple interviews etc, to screen the candidates. Admissions happen year-round. Details: https://ecampus.iitd.ac.in/ILS/help_doc/Information_Brochure_1_Sem.pdf NID (Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru) Application Deadline: 18 April 18, 2019 Selection: Design Research Test (DRT) at NID on 20 May 2019 (1 pm-6 pm) Interviews & Presentations by shortlisted candidates: 22 -24 May Results: 07 June 2019 Details: www.phdadmissions.nid.edu *NID is an autonomous institute under the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, M/o Commerce & Industry, GoI. NIFT (M/o Textiles, GoI) PhD programmes in Design, Management and Technology Apply online: www.cmsnift.com/pages/cms_forms/application_form_research_start_page.aspx Application deadline: April 18, 2019 Details: www.nift.ac.in rchopra@tribunemail.com United Nations, April 17 A total of 150 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have received medals of honour for their dedicated service and sacrifice. A glimpse beyond the dedicated Service and Sacrifice of the @UN blue beret - Indian peacekeepers receive medals of honour in Malakal -@India Be Proud, the UN mission tweeted on Monday, along with pictures of the Indian peacekeepers participating in a parade and receiving the medals for their exemplary service. The medals were given to the 150 Indian peacekeepers serving in UNMISS in Malakal during a ceremony filled with parades and performances by a piped band. Colonel Amit Gupta, deployed with UNMISS in Malakal, was among the recipients of the medal of honour. A UNMISS news article said Gupta commanded a battalion of 850 soldiers in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan. Under his command, his men have conducted highly sought-after veterinary camps and run a veterinary hospital in Malakal, with a second expected to be completed in Kodok a major town along the west bank of the Nile in a few weeks time. I want to be remembered as having left positive memories for the people in South Sudan, Gupta is quoted as saying in the UNMISS article. I also want to leave them in a better place, where they are able to generate income for themselves and build their country. Indian peacekeepers serving with the mission have undertaken numerous training sessions of community animal health workers, providing value addition training for farmers to help them make the most of their produce. If a group of volunteers in India can come together and create one of the largest milk production entities in our country, then surely, it can be done here as well, he says. If even 10 percent of our trainees apply what theyve learnt, this country will be better off for it. Gupta has previously served the United Nations in Northern Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Private Ankush Cheema, another recipient of the medal of honour, had joined the unit in 2017 when he found out that they were scheduled for a peacekeeping mission. I grew up near Kashmir where several army units have been based and so I consider myself an army boy, he says in the UNMISS article. Besides, my father and grandfather before him, were both army men. They, however, never got to participate in a peacekeeping mission. During his deployment, Cheema has participated in air and riverine patrols and is also among the distinct men who are in his Commanders quick-response force. Those I joined the army with, will probably earn their first medal of honour in another two years. I consider myself lucky. I have my UN medal and when I return home, I will get my foreign service medal, he said. Earlier in a tweet, UNMISS had said that the Indian Horizontal Mobility Engineering Company serving with the mission completed the renovation of 145 km of roadway connecting Bentiu and Leer easing the way for the delivery humanitarian aid, trade and inter-communal dialogue. India is one of the top troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions. More than 200,000 military and police have served over the past 70 years and 168 Indian military personnel have lost their lives under the UN flag. India is the second largest contributor of peacekeepers to UNMISS with more than 2,400 military and police personnel currently deployed in the mission. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Jaipur/Bhopal/Ahmedabad, April 17 Over 50 people were killed as rains coupled with thunderstorm and lightning hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra overnight, officials said on Wednesday. The unseasonal rains and storm also caused damage to property and crops in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Rajasthan witnessed the maximum casualties with 25 people killed in rain-related incidents following by Madhya Pradesh where 15 were killed. While 10 people were killed in Gujarat, three were killed in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter in the morning to express anguish over the loss of lives in the rains in Gujarat and announce relief. Soon afterwards Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath hit out at the prime minister, accusing him of being concerned only about his home state Gujarat. The PMO in a tweet later said, PM @narendramodi has expressed grief at loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country has been approved from the PMs National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved, the PMO said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is closely monitoring the situation in rain-hit areas and is ready to provide all possible help to states affected by rains and thunderstorm. Rajasthan Disaster Management Minister Master Bhanwar Lal Meghwal said 25 people died due to unseasonal rains in the state. Compensation of Rs 4 lakh each has been announced by the Rajasthan government to the families of victims. Another official said crops have suffered damage and the assessment is being done. Several cattle were also killed in rain-related incidents. Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot condoled the deaths and directed officials to carry out survey of losses and damaged caused due to the rough weather. Farmers have suffered losses due to the rains and storm and it is a matter of concern. I asked the chief secretary yesterday (Tuesday) to get the survey of losses conducted immediately so that compensation could be given on time, Gehlot told reporters on Wednesday. Rajasthan Relief Secretary Ashutosh A T Pednekar informed that 21 of the 25 deaths occurred in Jhalawar, Udaipur, Jaipur (four each), Jalore, Bundi (two each), Baran, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Alwar and Hanumangarh (one each). Heavy dust storm accompanied by moderate to heavy rains, thundershowers also lashed parts of Hadouti region (Kota division) on Tuesday causing damage to crops. The MeT Department has predicted dust storm/thunderstorm accompanied with high velocity winds and lightning at a few places during the next 24 hours. Widespread rainfall accompanied by high-velocity winds lashed vast swathes of Punjab and Haryana also, causing damage to crops. Expressing concern over the crop losses, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered urgent steps to ascertain the extent of the damage to crops so that due compensation could be awarded to the affected farmers at the earliest. Officials in Bhopal said unseasonal rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning hit various parts of Madhya Pradesh, leaving 15 people dead and injuring some others. Rains claimed three lives each in Indore, Dhar and Shajapur, two in Ratlam and one each in Alirajpur, Rajgarh, Sehore and Chhindwara districts. Nath expressed grief over the deaths and charged that Modis concerns were limited to his home state Gujarat. Modiji, you are the PM of the country and not of Gujarat. In MP also, more than 10 persons were killed because of unseasonal rains, storm and lightning. But you have confined your feelings to Gujarat only. Though your party has no government here people live here also, Nath said in a tweet. The BJP hit back, accusing Nath of doing politics over the loss caused by rains and storm. BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said in Delhi that Nath is well aware of the procedure that the state government has to first inform the Centre about the damage in such a natural tragedy to get relief but instead of doing so, he was tweeting and doing politics. Instead of informing the Centre, he chose to do politics over the tragedy, Baluni charged. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat governments Director of Relief G B Manglpara told PTI that at least 10 people have died in the rain and dust storm reported from various areas, including districts in North Gujarat and Saurashtra region. Also, a portion of a tent erected for Modis rally in Himmatnagar town of North Gujarat was also damaged in the dust storm, an official had said. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced an aid of Rs 2 lakh each to kin of the deceased in the western state. While the prime minister has already announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh, the Gujarat government will also give Rs 2 lakh to kin of those who lost their lives, Rupani told reporters in Dahod. We will also conduct a survey to assess the damage to crops and pay accordingly to affected persons, he added. Apart from rain, the storm also resulted in hailstorm in some parts of Rajkot district of Saurashtra and Banaskantha district of north Gujarat. In Maharashtra, a 71-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man and a temple priest died when lightning struck them in Nashik district during rains on Tuesday, police said. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, April 17 The talks for an alliance between the AAP and the Congress ended "inconclusively" after the grand old party refused a tie-up in Haryana, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Wednesday. However, sources claimed that the talks are very much on and a decision on an alliance might be taken in the next couple of days. Singh said he held talks with senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and PC Chacko, and proposed an alliance of 6:3:1 in Haryana on Tuesday. In Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had proposed to fight from one seat, while offering the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) six and three seats, respectively. "Congress leaders Azad and (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda have refused to form an alliance in Haryana. We were ready to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi if they had agreed to form an alliance in Haryana too," Singh said. "The talks ended inconclusively between the two parties after the Congress refused a tie-up in Haryana," he said. On Tuesday, the AAP had said it was ready to have further discussions with the Congress and that it had appointed a representative to take the matter forward. The AAP has appointed Singh to hold alliance talks with the Congress and others. The party has proposed a 10:5:3 ratio in Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh in which 10 seats are for the Congress, five seats for the AAP and three seats for the JJP, Singh said. There has been an uncertainty over formation of an alliance between the AAP and the Congress for a few months now. On Monday, amid a blame-game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Chennai, April 17 The ruling AIADMK on Wednesday approached the Election Commission with a complaint of violation of model code of conduct against DMK president MK Stalin for addressing the media during the silence period, saying it was an attempt at indirect canvassing. The party also filed a number of other complaints with Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, including seeking action against MNM founder Kamal Haasan for a specific advertisement put out by it. Stalin was giving interview to private channels and criticising the leaders of other parties and this was clear violation of the model code of conduct, the complaint filed by party spokesperson and advocate RM Babu Murugavel said. The silence period had come into effect from 6 pm since Tuesday under the MCC, he said in an apparent reference to campaigning for Thursdays Lok Sabha polls to 38 seats in the state coming to an end. The intention of Stalin is to canvas indirectly by way of addressing the press, which is against and violation of the Election Code of Conduct/Rules, the complaint said. The AIADMK requested the CEO to take action against the DMK chief, also state Leader of Opposition, by issuing showcause notice for violating MCC and also file a case against him. In a separate complaint, it alleged that during a media interaction after the Election Commission rescinded the April 18 Lok Sabha polls to the Vellore constituency, Stalin had criticized the commission for its decision, saying it was a blatant violation of the poll code. The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled on Tuesday by the EC following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The AIADMK also alleged that during a recent election meeting in Kancheepuram, Stalin had reportedly urged voters to accept money and sought action against him for his remarks. Regarding Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), the AIADMK told the EC that its poll advertisement in a regional daily dated April 16 carried some unwanted photos which was against the model code of conduct. Direct Kamal Haasan to stop further release of the advertisement and take action against him, it said. Section 126 of the Representation of People Act prohibits election campaign activities through public meetings, processions, etc, and displaying of election matter by means of television and similar apparatus during 48-hours, between the deadline for the end of campaigning and the end of voting. The prohibition is aimed at providing a period of silence for quiet deliberation ahead of the voting day. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, April 17 Nearly a month after he announced to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad on Wednesday rescinded his decision, saying his outfit will support the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the seat as the Dalit vote should remain intact to defeat the BJP. Azad's remarks come a few days after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati termed him a BJP agent and accused him of dividing Dalit votes. "I have decided not to contest from Varanasi because I do not want that my decision should strengthen the BJP or Modi in anyway. We all want to defeat the BJP," he said at a press conference. Azad also said the Bhim Army will support the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the Varanasi seat and asked it to field Satish Chandra Mishra, Mayawati's general secretary and Brahmin face of the BSP, from the constituency. He said that if the SP-BSP-RLD alliance fielded Mishra, they will also be able to get some upper caste votes. Earlier, the Bhim Army chief had accused Mishra of misleading Mayawati and conspiring against the Dalit group. On Mayawati's criticism of him, he said: "I was in jail for 16 months. While behind the bars, every day I would hope that 'behenji' would take our side, fight for us, but she did not utter a word. After getting released, I tried calling her up, but she never responded." "Our own people are calling us agents of the BJP, but I still want her to become our prime minister. I want to end this war of words with Mayawati once and for all. I want to make it clear that we did not form the Bhim Army at the behest of the BJP," Azad said. At an event to mark Ambedkar Jayanti in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow on April 14, he had said that the Bhim Army, and not Mayawati, was the "real well-wisher" of Dalits. He had earlier attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for "giving promotion to officers who inflicted atrocities on Dalits". "His father says in Parliament that he wants Modi to become prime minister again. They are agents of the BJP, not me. They call me an agent for questioning them. Yes, I am an agent of BR Ambedkar... If my own people were not in my way, I would have shown you (Akhilesh) that if we can vote you to power, we can pull you down too," he had said. Chandrashekhar had announced at a rally in the national capital last month that he would contest against Modi from Varanasi and had welcomed support of all parties, including the Congress, to take on the BJP. He had also sought the support of the SP and the BSP for his candidature, saying that the Dalit group would back their alliance in other seats. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance is yet to declare its candidate against Modi in Varanasi. The Chandrashekhar-led group shot to limelight during the May 2017 clashes between Dalits and upper caste Thakurs in Saharanpur. Chandrashekhar was arrested after the clashes. Though he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, the UP Police arrested him under the stringent National Security Act. He was released in September 2018 after 16 months in jail. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Chennai, April 17 Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday accused the income tax department of taking "autocratic and partial" action in Tamil Nadu in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. A day after income tax sleuths along with poll flying squad carried out raids at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi at Tuticorin, Chidambarm in a series of tweets said, "the news," is that nothing was found during searches in her residence. How is it that tip off on opposition leaders alone is received (by officials)," he wondered in his tweet in Tamil. He also said, "The marker of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu is the income Tax department's autocratic and partial steps." Election officials had Tuesday held searches at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuticorin in south Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. Authorities conducted a search at a store in Theni Lok Sabha constituency Tuesday night following inputs about suspected cash, during which police had to open fire in the air to disperse supporters of the TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK, who objected to the action. During the raids, cash to the tune of Rs 1.48 crore allegedly stashed to bribe voters was seized. The store was believed to be run by a supporter of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Tamil Nadu goes to polls tomorrow. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Beijing, April 17 China on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and France have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its technical hold on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue was moving towards settlement. After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. However, China blocked the bid by putting a technical hold on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said: I dont know where you get such information. He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. Chinas position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We dont believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve satisfying results, he said. On the issue of listing Azhar, Chinas position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement, he said. The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the UN Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they dont hope to bypass it to handle the issue, he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said: We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee. Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement. China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and Frances moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a technical hold. On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesmans comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 17 Congress media cell convenor Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday went public to slam her party for reinstating a group of Uttar Pradesh leaders who had allegedly misbehaved with her during a recent event at Lucknow. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get prefence in @incindia over those who have given their sweat&blood. Having faced brickbats&abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate, tweeted Congress spokesperson Chaturvedi, who had complained to the Congress leadership against a set of leaders who indulged in objectionable conduct with her when she had gone to Lucknow some days ago do hold a press conference on the Rafale matter. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get prefence in @incindia over those who have given their sweat&blood. Having faced brickbats&abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate. https://t.co/CrVo1NAvz2 Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) April 17, 2019 Chaturvedi was reacting to an order of UP Congress reinstating the suspended leaders. The order said the disciplinary action initiated against a set of UP Congress leaders was being revoked after they regretted their behaviour before AICC general secretary West UP Jyotiraditya Scindia and promised not to repeat their conduct. amansharma@tribunemail.com Bhopal, April 17 After a prolonged legal battle, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, faces an intense political fight as the BJP nominated her as partys candidate against Congress veteran Digvijay Singh from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. Saffron-clad Thakur (48), sporting trademark short hair and a rudraksh mala, became the face of right-wing extremism after being arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in the Malegaon blast case in 2008. Six people were killed and over 100 injured in the blast. Thakur got bail in 2017 after fighting legal battles from special CBI court to the Supreme Court. After taking over the case in 2016, the NIA filed a charge sheet giving a clean chit to the Sadhvi and three others -- Shyam Sahu, Praveen Takalki and Shivnarayan Kalsangra -- saying it found no evidence against them and they should be discharged. The NIA court absolved Sahu, Takalki and Kalsangra but said the Sadhvi will have to face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of the IPC, including murder and criminal conspiracy. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the RSS. A post-graduate in history, she worked with the RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga Vahini, womens wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Sources said the BJP decided to field hardline Hindutva leader from Bhopal considering two factors: the Congress candidate in the seat is viewed as an RSS-basher and of the 18 lakh-plus voters in the city, 4.5 lakh are Muslims. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won three of the eight assembly segments in the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. In the remaining five seats that were bagged by the BJP, there was a slide in the saffron partys victory margin. I am ready for a dharma-yuddh, Thakur had told PTI last month, when her name started doing rounds as a probable BJP candidate. I am ready to take on Digvijay Singh if sanghatan (organisation) asks me to do so, she had said, calling the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister an anti-Hindu leader who called Hindus terrorists. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Melbourne, April 17 Indian energy giant Adani has urged the Australian government to give its controversial coal mine project a fair go and indicated that the opposition party would not derail the proposed billion dollar project if it came to power. Gautam Adani-led Adani Group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north. The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of low-quality coal. All were asking for is a fair go and to be treated like everyone else. I think at certain point that has not been the case. Were certainly not whinging about it. We just want to get on with it now. We want a fair go, Adani Mining chief executive officer Lucas Dow told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He said the sort of scrutiny that the project was facing on the management plans was unprecedented. The Adani project which still requires to clear a few more approvals from the Queensland Government, including groundwater modelling, recently received the clearance from federal government for development. Commenting if the mine project could run any risk if the Labour Party comes to power, Dow said, I think (Federal Labour) has been crystal clear that if they are to form government they wont be in the habit of creating sovereign risk by ripping up the existing approvals. He said he was satisfied by recent assurances given by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen. Shorten and Bowen have been at pains to say...they wont be creating sovereign risk and potential compensation requirements, he said. The federal approval came just before Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the federal elections are set for next month. Dow denied directly lobbying with the Prime Minister for the final approval before the election announcement and said, 'We provided updates on both sides of politics, to be able to give people clarity in terms of exactly where our project was up to, what we need to be able to do, to be able to then step in and start delivering jobs for thousands of Queenslanders. Meanwhile, environment groups have continued their campaign against the mine. We dont really know why these approvals were granted in such a rush, Christian Slattery of Australian Conservation Foundation said, adding We have big concerns about the integrity of that process given that there was substantial pressure on the minister from other members of the government. Last year, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicated the partys skeptical stance towards the project but said the approvals would not be revoked even if they won. We dont know what theyll be up to by the time we get into government. So well deal with facts and the situation were presented with if we win the election in 24 weeks time, he said. Well be making decisions at that point based on the national interest. Of course were not interested in sovereign risk or breaking contracts. Well be guided by the best science and the national interest. Carmichael would be the largest coal mine in Australia and one of the biggest in the world. The Coalition has been split over the project--rural Queensland MPs have been strongly supportive, while urban Liberals have worried it could damage their electoral chances. The Opposition has been walking a similar political tightrope as it seeks to capture seats in central Queensland while holding off inner-city Greens challengers. Adani said last year it would fully fund the coal mine and rail project itself, but did not give an updated estimate of the cost of the mine. The mine was previously estimated at about USD 2.9 billion. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Lucknow: The Election Commission of Indias enforced ban on paternal aunt BSP national president Mayawati has hastened the political debut of nephew Akash Anand. In a barely five-minute address at the joint rally at Agra, Anand appealed to the mammoth crowd to ensure that the deposits of the BJP candidates are forfeited. This will be the appropriate response to the action of the Election Commission, he said. In recent months, the London-educated MBA nephew of Mayawati was present at all her meetings, but this is the first occasion when he addressed a public meeting. TNS Repoll in 19 Manipur polling stations Imphal: The Election Commission on Tuesday ordered re-poll in 19 polling stations of Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency following complaints of voter intimidation by militants and destruction of EVMs and VVPATs. Repolling in these polling stations spread over four districts Senapati, Chandel, Churachandpur and Ukhrul will be held on April 18, the same day of voting for Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, according to an order by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Eleven polling stations in Senapati, four in Ukhrul, three in Churachandpur and one in Chandel will witness re-polling. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Kannur, April 17 Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the most anti-national and accused him of dividing the nation. Reacting to Modis allegation of the Congress turning anti-national, Gandhi said his grand old party had an exceptional track record of fighting the forces that attacked the nation. Thousands of Congress workers have laid down their lives, fighting such forces. Today, the most anti-national act is the act of Modi who is dividing the nation, said Gandhi as he kicked off his day-long campaign here in Kerala. Crippling the agricultural system, leading to farmer suicides is another anti-national act of Modi. Youth losing their jobs is also another anti-national act. Modi has failed in all these and its time that he answers, he told the media at a presser here. Gandhi said the three key issues ruling the general election are destruction of the economy, personal corruption of Modi and the plight of the farmers. We are looking forward to forming the next government, said Gandhi as he was about to leave, when a few questions were hurled at him. The Congress leader, taking them, returned to his seat sporting a smile, and said: How come the Prime Minister does not have the guts to face the Kerala, Odisha or Delhi media? From Kannur, Gandhi will make a whirlwind visit to five Assembly constituencies in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is contesting the polls. He is also fighting from his traditional Amethi Lok Sabha seat. IANS monicakchauhan@gmail.com Mumbai, April 17 The NCP has dared the government to carry out raids at the home of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has been asking party workers to vote against the ruling BJP. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik's remarks came after the Maharashtra BJP sought to know which Lok Sabha candidate would incur expenses of the poll rallies of Thackeray, whose party has not fielded any candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. Thackeray, who supported the BJP in the 2014 polls, has already addressed a few public meetings in Nanded, Solapur and Kolhapur and is expected to hold rallies in Satara and Baramati, where the NCP has fielded its sitting MPs Udayanraje Bhosale and Supriya Sule, respectively. The MNS leader's move asking his party workers to vote against the BJP this time, is likely to help the electoral cause of the opposition Congress and NCP. "The government should conduct raids at Raj Thackeray's residence if it has guts," Malik told reporters here on Tuesday. "Thackeray backed the BJP in the last (Lok Sabha) elections. But since he is addressing rallies opposing Modi now, the details of expenses of his rallies are being sought," he claimed. The BJP on Saturday wrote Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) seeking to know, which Lok Sabha candwould incur the cost of Thackeray's ongoing political rallies. In a letter addressed to CEOAshwani Kumar, senior BJP minister Vinod Tawde said Thackeray has been holding political rallies across the state, despite the MNS not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Islamabad, April 16 Pakistani spy agency ISIs ex-chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani (retd) and two former heads of the militarys media wing have been denied permission by the army to appear on media as defence analysts. In a notification, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the military, has allowed 26 retired officers to appear as defence analysts. The prominent omissions are Brig Mahmood Shah, Lt Gen Asad Durrani, Lt Gen Talat Masood, Maj Amir and DG, ISPR, Maj Gen Athar Abbas and Maj Gen Rashid Quershi, the Dawn reported. Seven retired Lt Generals are among those allowed to appear on media as defence analysts. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority recently instructed all TV channels to seek prior clearance from the ISPR before inviting retired military officers on news and current affairs programmes. Lt Gen Durrani and Lt Gen Masood frequently appear on Indian channels. In February, the Pakistan army held Durrani guilty of violating the military code of conduct by co-authoring a controversial book with Indias former intelligence head and punished him by stopping his pension and other benefits. Durrani is also not allowed to leave the country due to his name being on the no-fly list. PTI Released Fishermen head home to Gujarat The Finnish state-owned postal service provider said the redundancies are part of its effort to reduce annual operating costs by 150200 million euros over the next three years. The cost savings, it explained, are made necessary by the drastic decline in the volume of letter and magazine deliveries. UP TO 124 PEOPLE could lose their jobs as a consequence of the consultative negotiations announced on Monday by Posti. The negotiations will affect the administrative and production staff of the postal services business of Posti. Posti also stated that it will overhaul its network of service points in response to an increase in online sales and changes in customer needs. Lasse Huttunen, the head of the retail network of Posti, said the underlying factor is a considerable change in the mobility, customer behaviour and time-spending habits of people. Our customers want to take care of their postal transactions while, for example, doing the groceries. Finns appreciate convenience, he commented in a press release from Posti. Such changes have increased the popularity of parcel lockers, which have been used by almost 60 per cent of Finns, according to Posti. The service provider said it will both install new parcel lockers, including in residential buildings, and outsource, consolidate or shut down some of its existing service points. The 20 service points affected by the plans are located in Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, Lahti, Turku, Pori, Tampere, Kouvola, Mikkeli, Lappeenranta, Lemi, Vaasa, Kuopio and Rovaniemi. Posti in March announced the completion of another round of consultative negotiations, saying it will make a maximum of 59 employees redundant. Aleksi Teivainen HT ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Manas Dasgupta Gandhinagar, April 16 It will be nothing short of a miracle if the Congress wins the Gandhinagar seat, traditionally a BJP bastion. With the BJP for three decades now, it is highly unlikely that the Congress will be able to break the chain. In all probability, it will be a cakewalk for BJP president Amit Shah. The Congress seems to have given the seat on a platter to its rival by fielding a relatively weak candidate, Dr CJ Chavda, a member of the Gujarat Assembly representing Gandhinagar North. Some sections of the party wanted a charismatic personality, such as a film star, against Shah. The party waited till the last hour to find one, but failed. Shah seems invincible, considering that he has been managing the Gandhinagar constituency since the eighties when he was a booth in-charge. Gandhinagar has always been a BJP stronghold. Then state president Shankarsinh Vaghela, now NCP vice-president, decided to contest the seat even before the party had stood on its legs in 1989. Despite a stiff challenge from the Congress, he won by over 2.68 lakh votes. Since 1991, when the Congress fielded the then Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna in Delhi, Advani looking for a safer seat, accepted Vaghelas invitation to come to Gandhinagar. He won from both, but preferred to keep Gandhinagar. Since then, except in 1996 when he made way for Atal Bihari Vajpayee to contest from Gandhinagar after his name figured in an alleged hawala scam, the BJP veteran bagged the seat every election, most of the time with an increasing margin. When Vajpayee moved to Lucknow, BJPs little known Vijay Patel won the seat in a byelection against Congress Rajesh Khanna. Even TN Sheshan, the bureaucrat who provided teeth to the Election Commission, had to taste defeat in Gandhinagar at the hands of Advani in 1999. A highly urbanised seat, Shah has n the past contested from two of the seven Assembly seats falling in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, every time winning convincingly. The BJP controls five of the seven Assembly segments in Gandhinagar with only two with the Congress. Despite the Congress relatively good show in the last Assembly elections, the BJP polled about 2.70 lakh votes more than the Congress in Gandhinagars seven Assembly segments. The Congress hope of the BJP having alienated the Patel votes in Naranpura, Ghatolidya and Vejalpur segments owing to the Hardik Patel-led reservation stir, could be misleading. Among the first tasks that Shah undertook after filing his nomination papers was to convene a meeting of the Patidar leaders and pacify them. The leaders have issued a joint appeal to the Patels to back the BJP president. Other than Patels and Kshatriyas, each with a vote share of about 15 per cents, no other community has decisive votes in the constituency with the Muslims, Backward Classes and upper castes each having a share of seven to 10 per cent. Other than the minorities, most voters have shown an inclination for the BJP. Nevertheless, Shah, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, is not taking the contest lightly. He is frequently holding roadshows covering almost every part of the constituency. BJP sources say his victory is taken as a foregone conclusion but the target for him is to win the seat by a margin of over five lakh votes to obliterate Advanis 2014 record victory margin of 4.83 lakh votes. WHAT is working for BJP CHIEF amit shah in gandhinagar gspannu7@gmail.com New Delhi, April 17 Union ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and DMKs Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi are among the 1,600-odd contestants in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 95 seats on Thursday across 11 states and the Union territory of Puducherry. Thirty eight of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will go to polls besides 18 assembly constituencies. Polling in Vellore Lok Sabha seat, which is currently represented by the AIADMK, was cancelled on Tuesday by the Election Commission following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The EC also announced postponement of polling in Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23, saying the prevailing law-and-order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair polls. Besides Tamil Nadu, polling will also be held in 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry. Elections will also be held in 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha. Of the 95 constituencies, the AIADMK holds the maximum of 36 seats, followed by the BJP with 27 seats. The Congress had won 12 of these seats in 2014, the Shiv Sena and the BJD 4 each, the JD-S and the RJD two each and the AIUDF, the NCP, the JD-U, the PDP, the AINRC, the PMK, the CPI-M and the TMC one seat each. Nearly 15.8 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase. Other prominent candidates in fray include Congress leaders Veerappa Moily and Raj Babbar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and BJPs Hema Malini. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK is contesting as part of the NDA. The alliance comprises among others BJP, PMK, DMDK and Tamil Maanila Congress of former Union minister G K Vasan. The DMK has formed a Secular Progressive Alliance comprising the Congress and Left parties, among others. The electoral battle in the state is largely among the two fronts led by the Dravidian majors and the AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran, an AIADMK rival, though parties such as the fledgling Makkal Needhi Maiam of actor-politician Kamal Hassan are also testing their fortunes. Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu are the first ever after the demise of Dravidian stalwarts J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK. In Odisha, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik is contesting from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district and Bijepur in Bargarh. Among others, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Oram of the BJP, BJDs Rajya Sabha MPs Prasanna Acharya and Achyut Samant, BJP nominee and three-time MP Kharabela Swain are in the fray in the Lok Sabha polls. Even though security was heightened, Maoists gunned down a polling officer in Kandhamal district of Odisha on Wednesday when she was leading a team of poll personnel to a booth in Phulbani assembly segment. It is a high-stakes battle for the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka as any adverse result is likely to have an impact on the longevity of the coalition government in the state. The BJP is determined to improve its tally compared to last time riding on the Modi wave. A total of 179 candidates are in the fray in Maharashtra in the 10 constituencies spread in parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde of Congress are contesting from Nanded and Solapur seats respectively. Cinestars Hema Malini and Raj Babbar are among the 85 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, whose electoral fate will be decided on Thursday. The eight Lok Sabha seats, where polling is scheduled to be held, were won by the BJP in 2014. In Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have deployed over 80 companies for election duty in the twin constituencies of Srinagar and Udhampur. Thursdays polling in Srinagar will be keenly watched within and outside Kashmir as the constituency recorded an all-time low of 7.2 per cent voter turnout in the 2017 by-election, marred by violence on polling day that left nine people dead and scores of others injured. Fate of 68 candidates will be decided in Bihar by 86.01 lakh voters across Bhagalpur, Banka, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea Lok Sabha constituencies. Five seats in Assam will see polling Thursday and one seat in Manipur. The past few days have seen hectic campaigning by top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of Union ministers. There was lot of drama during electioneering as several leaders like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Maneka Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati and SP leader Azam Khan made controversial remarks, prompting the Election Commission to bar them from campaigning for varying periods over violations of the moral code of conduct. In West Bengal, the EC has deployed 194 companies of central forces in the three constituencies going to polls to cover 80 per cent of the 5,390 booths for free and fair polling. The fight for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry is expected to be mainly between the ruling Congress, which has put up former Speaker V Vaithilingam and the opposition AINRCs K Narayanasamy. The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com United Nations, April 16 The United Nations owes India USD 38 million, the highest it has to pay to any country, for the peacekeeping operations as of March 2019, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, as he voiced concern over the world bodys deteriorating financial health. In his report on improving the financial situation of the world body, he said, as of March 31, 2019, the total amount payable to troop and police-contributing countries with respect to active peacekeeping missions was USD 265 million. Of this, the UN owes USD 38 million to India, followed by Rwanda (USD 31 million), Pakistan (USD 28 million), Bangladesh (USD 25 million) and Nepal (USD 23 million), Guterres said in his report. He said the arrears to troop- and police-contributing (TCCs/PCCs) countries could increase to USD 588 million by June 2019 in the worst-case scenario. The UN chief added that which troop- and police-contributing countries will or will not be paid depends on the cash position of the individual missions to which they contribute and is not determined by their individual capacity to shoulder that unfair burden. That has created a paradox. The United Nations is now effectively borrowing for prolonged periods from troop- and police-contributing countries. Many of them are low-income countries for which that imposes a significant financial burden. At the same time, the Organisation is asking those same countries to do more to train their personnel and improve the quality of their equipment, all while operating in increasingly challenging environments. The United Nations, however, is not fulfilling its obligation towards them in a timely manner, he said. Earlier this year, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin had said that the financial situation of peacekeeping, particularly the non-payment/delayed payment of arrears to the troop/police contributing countries, is a cause for concern. He had said that the practice of delaying payments to TCCs/PCCs, even as contractual obligations to others are met, cannot continue unaddressed. PTI World bodys cash balance in negative rchopra@tribunemail.com Muzaffarnagar, April 17 A 35-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when a motorcyclist launched an attack on her to snatch her earring when she was riding pillion on her brothers motorcycle, police said on Wednesday. They said the incident took place on Tuesday near Nawla village, under the Mansurpur police station limits, on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway in the district when Priti, wife of Lalit Kumar, was going with her brother to buy medicine. As the miscreants snatched her earring, she fell on the road and was injured. Police said she was taken to hospital and they are looking for the accused. PTI editorial@tribune.com Varinder Singh Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 16 While the row over Quebecs proposed Bill-21 has flared up as it would affect members of minority communities, including Sikhs, based in the Canadian province, Sukhman Singh Shergill (15), a Montreal-based schoolboy, has resolved to gather support against the Bill. Like thousands of others, Bill-21 will adversely affect Sukhman, who has been dreaming to become a police officer. The Bill proposes to ban wearing of religious symbols by public servants. Sukhmans mother Manpreet Shergill said her son had always been striving to create history in Montreal by becoming the first police officer in the city to wear a turban. Interestingly, it was his cousin Gurvinder Singh, a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer, who was the force behind the change of its uniform policy in 2016, whereby the NYPD had allowed its Sikh officers to wear turbans instead of traditional police cap. But the proposed Quebec Bill has threatened to shatter all his dreams for it would ban public workers like lawyers, teachers, bus drivers and police officers from wearing any religious symbols, including turbans and hizabs. Sukhman said he had resolved to campaign against the Bill. To start with, Sukhman has created a Facebook group the Quebec Association of Sikhs and hosted his video wherein he explains how the Bill would affect people like him. He is hoping to garner public support with the help of his initiative. He said he wanted the Montreal police to reflect its diversity and to know people about his religion as well. On the other hand, Quebec Premier Francois Legault has said he might consider compromising with some aspects of the Bill, but not in case of banning police officials from wearing religious symbols. The Montreal police (SPVM) has already clarified that it has not taken any position in case of religious symbols. At the same time, the Montreal Police Union has said it was in favour of the ban. Interestingly, the Canadian Prime Minister has openly said he was not in favour of the proposed Quebec ban on religious symbols as it compromised with the freedom of people. The Montreal City Council has already passed a unanimous declaration against Bill-21. Who will be affected The Bill-21, which proposes to ban wearing of religious symbols by public servants, will affect school staff, police officers, provincial justice minister, attorney general, director of criminal and penal prosecutions, crown prosecutors, provincial government lawyers or notaries, members and heads of government commissions, speaker and vice-speaker of the National Assembly, clerks, sheriffs, commissioners, doctors, nurses, daycare officials, bus drivers and bankruptcy registrars. uttara@tribuneindia.com Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, April 16 Gurdaspur Police said they had arrested four people in connection with the April 5 shooting of a Hindu leader in the city. Police said that one of the four suspects was detained at Panipat. With Wednesdays arrests, police claim they have cracked the case. Hindu Shiv Sena (Thackeray) Ajay Thakur was shot at a point blank range as he was about to board a bus near the bus stand. Police had said then that the suspects were riding a motorcycle. The partys district president Varinder Singh Munna was with Thakur when he was shot dead. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Dera Baba Nanak, April 16 India and Pakistan today held their second technical meeting to discuss modalities for the Kartarpur corridor. The focus was on construction of a 100-metre bridge over a sand dune on the Indian side and measures to ensure no flooding during monsoon. The two-hour meeting was held at the Zero Line. Ten officials from the Pakistan Frontier Works Organisation, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Foreign Ministry participated in the meeting, while the Indian side was represented by Akhil Saxena of the Land Ports Authority of India, Maneesh Rastogi and YP Jadon of the National Highway Authority of India and officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Punjab Drainage Department. Pilgrims were not allowed to pay obeisance at the raised platform from where they can view the Kartarpur Sahib shrine across the border. After the meeting, Cabinet Minister and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said now there was every possibility that the corridor will see the light of day before the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev that will commence in November. Earlier, when farmers protested against the acquisition of their land, I had some doubts about the project completion. Now, I am sure the work will be put on fast track, Randhawa added. The coordinates of the place where two roads one leading from Dera Baba Nanak to the International Border (IB) and the other from the IB to the Kartarpur shrine will meet and fencing of the corridor were also discussed at the meeting. The first technical meeting was held at the same venue on March 19. An official said 70 per cent of the work across the border had been completed. Will be completed in time: Pak president Amritsar: Pakistans President Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi has assured a Sikh delegation that work on the corridor will be executed within the time- frame. He told the Bhai Mardana Memorial Kirtan Darbar Society that large-scale celebrations had been planned on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. editorial@tribune.com Tribune Reporters Chandigarh, April 16 Rain and strong winds lashed various parts of the state late last evening, claiming two lives in separate incidents and flattening wheat crop at several places. In Fazilka, Vijay Kumar (43), resident of College Road, near Multani Chungi, died as a tree fell on him during the storm. After a dust storm at about 9 pm on Monday, the power supply to the town and surrounding areas was snapped. Vijay Kumar came out of his residence to buy a torch. Vijay Kumars brother Mohinder Kumar said during the thunderstorm Vijay took shelter under a tree along the roadside, but the strong winds uprooted the tree, which fell on him. Residents pulled him out and immediately took him to the local Civil Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Vijay Kumar, a labourer and the only breadwinner of his family, is survived by two daughters and a son, besides wife. Mohinder Kumar has asked the district administration to provide financial assistance to the deceaseds family. A large number of trees fell due to strong winds causing inconvenience to the commuters in the town. In Abohar, the power supply was disrupted, hundreds of trees uprooted, walls collapsed and a combine harvesting driver from Muktsar was killed in a roof collapse. All power grid stations in Abohar were shut as trees fell on high tension supply lines. Traffic on the Abohar-Fazilka and Abohar-Sriganganagar stretches remained disrupted due to felling of trees. The boundary wall of Nehru Park located next to SDMs residence collapsed. Some old trees at Government Senior Secondary Model School opposite Nehru Park got uprooted. Besides, fire broke out in the main garbage dump outside Shivpuri cremation ground near Indira Nagari. In Sangrur, farmers alleged that they had not received any financial compensation for the last year crop loss and the latest losses would multiply their financial woes. Last night rain has flattened around 30 per cent standing wheat crop of our village. It is likely to reduce per-acre production. We request the Punjab government to release some special financial compensation to farmers, said Darshan Singh, a farmer from Kotra village of Sangrur. Some other farmers from various villages of the district shared similar tales of woes. Some said it would delay harvesting of wheat, while others said if rain continued for some more days, their losses would multiply. I have sown wheat on five acre, but last night rain has flattened wheat in more than one acre. Like me there are many other farmers from my village who are facing similar problems. I have not received any financial compensation for the crop losses suffered last year, said Kulwant Singh, another farmer. Chief Agriculture Officer, Sangrur, Dr Baldev Singh said he had received reports on flattening of crop from the district. Though I have received reports on flattening of wheat, but there is no loss as yet, Dr Baldev said. In Muktsar, a number of trees were uprooted, mainly on the Muktsar-Ferozepur road, which affected the vehicular movement. It affected power supply in the district, which could only be restored after 18 hours. The rain, which lashed the region after the dust storm, did not affect the wheat crop much. Wheat procurement begins in Abohar Despite inclement weather, wheat purchase began at the new grain market in Abohar on Tuesday. Arhtiyas Association president Anil Nagori was joined by senior members Rakesh Kalani and Gurbachan Singh Sran in inaugurating the purchase Punjab Agro made the beginning by purchasing 100-quintal produce from farmer Faquir Chand of Dharangwala village at Rs 1,840 per quintal Deputy Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chhatwal has told farmers to transport only well-dried wheat to purchase centres to avoid inconvenience . vinaymishra188@gmail.com Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 16 More than a century after martyr Bakshish Singh, along with Kartar Singh Sarabha and five others, was hanged in the Lahore Conspiracy Case, an order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court has virtually placed in dock successive governments in the state and at the Centre for not doing enough for revolutionaries. Is this how we honour and salute a martyr who gave his life at the prime of his youth, at 26 years of age, for the Independence struggle of our nation? the High Court questioned the government of Independent India and the State of Punjab after the Bench was told that the claim of Bakshish Singhs family for the return of 33 acres confiscated by the British in 1916 was declined in 1988 by offering a meagre compensation of Rs 13,000. Enhancing the compensation to Rs 25 lakh per acre, Justice Monga asserted: He laid down his life for the country before it eventually got freedom; the freedom which would not have been possible but for the supreme sacrifice of the likes of Bakshish Singh. What homage! One must wonder, what reverence shown by the state, in appreciation and acknowledgment of the sacrifice of the martyr! Justice Monga said, adding that the compensation was not even for martyrdom, but for confiscation of property concededly owned by the martyr. Putting things in historical perspective, Justice Monga observed: King-Emperor versus Anand Kishore and others, popularly known as the Lahore Conspiracy Case, started on April 26, 1915, listing 82 individuals as criminals, including Rash Behari Bose. It continued up to September 13, 1915. The principal charge against them was that they waged a war against the King and wanted to overthrow the British Government in India. They resorted to enticement of Indian soldiers, collection of arms and ammunition, obtaining money by robbing government treasuries, committing murder of police officials, production of inflammatory literature and its circulation to fan rebellion. In the judgment pronounced on September 13, 1915, seven accused, including Kartar Singh Sarabha and Bakshish Singh, were condemned to death. On consideration of evidence, the special court convicted Bakshish Singh of murder, abetment to waging war and other offences under Sections 121, 121-A, 122, 296 and 302 and 109 of the IPC. His property at Gillwali village in Amritsar district was also held liable for confiscation. His only child Gurbachan Kaur died in the hope of getting back the property. After Independence, she submitted representations to the Government of India for restoration of the confiscated property, but to no avail. Another representation to Punjabs then Chief Minister in 1962 met the same fate. It was followed by another representation to the then Chief Secretary for compensation in lieu of the confiscated property. Finally, Rs 13,000 was sanctioned. Another Rs 40,814 was sanctioned as interest from April 1, 1926, to June 25, 1988, in December 2005. In October 2013, their claim was rejected, saying they had already been compensated in 1988. editorial@tribune.com Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, April 16 To curtail chances of default bail to former Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma in Behbal Kalan police firing incident, the SIT is working overtime to file the chargesheet before April 27 in the judicial court here. Of many nominated accused in the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing of October 2015, Sharma is the only accused in the judicial custody for the past three months. Though all his bail applications were rejected by the courts since his arrest on January 27, Sharma is sure to get bail under Section 167 of the CrPC if the police fail to file the chargesheet within 90 days of his arrest. The ousting of Inspector General Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from the SIT on the orders of the Election Commission and confusion over identifying three persons as accused or witnesses in the chargesheet is, however, slowing down the SITs speed of preparing the chargesheet. In a vital evidence against four police officers, including Sharma, the SIT claim to have found that these accused had fabricated evidence to show that they had fired in self-defence at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015. The SIT has recovered a .12 bore gun, which was allegedly used by the accused police officers in stage-managing the firing at the residence of an advocate in Faridkot. In its investigation, the SIT claimed that Sharmas escort gypsy was taken to the house of a lawyer in Faridkot where Bikramjit Singh, then Fazilka SP, had asked a car dealer to arrange for a gun. The dealer reportedly sent his companys manager and his private security guard to provide a gun to Bikramjit Singh and the latter had fired from this gun to fabricate 18 bullet marks on the escort gypsy at the residence of the advocate. Now, while preparing chargesheet the SIT is confused whether to retain the advocate, car agency owners security guard and manager as a witness in this case or bracket them as accused as they were also part of the conspiracy to fabricate evidence of self-defence. This advocate is a close friend of Bikramjit Singh. The SIT has already got the confessional statement of the trio before the judicial magistrate here. Keeping them as witness is a big risk for the success of our case, so the SIT is weighing pros and cons, a member of the SIT confided on the condition of anonymity. Accused or witnesses? SIT confused gspannu7@gmail.com Tripoli, April 17 Rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, which the UN-recognised government blamed on military strongman Khalifa Haftar, killed six people ahead of a Security Council meeting on Wednesday over a ceasefire. Diplomats have long complained that Libyan peace efforts have been stymied by major powers backing the rival sides, with Haftar ally Russia quibbling over the proposed wording of the ceasefire demand even as the bombardment of Tripoli intensifies. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the south Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets also hit the city centre, the first since Haftars Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture the capital from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the terrorist militias whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council began negotiations on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text seen by AFP warns that the offensive by Haftars LNA threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis. After Britain circulated the text late Monday, a first round of negotiations was held during which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. They were very clear. No reference anywhere, a council diplomat said. During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces savagery and barbarism. Its the legal and humanitarian responsibility of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions, Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftars prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity, he said. At least 189 people have been killed, 816 wounded and more than 18,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russias objections as a hurdle. The proposed measure echoed a call by UN chief Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to advance prospects for a political solution when Haftar launched his offensive. Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya immediately to recommit to UN peace efforts and urges all member states to use their influence over the parties to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatarwhich has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabihas called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftars hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftars battlefield successes in defeating Libyan militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftars offensive on the capital forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Qaddafi. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libyas future cannot resume without a ceasefire. AFP shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, April 17 A 71-year-old Louisiana man in the US has been arrested on 100 preliminary counts of first-degree rape, accused of sexually assaulting children in and around his hometown decades ago, authorities said. Harvey Joseph Fountain, of Pineville, was arrested eight days after a now-adult accused that Fountain raped him or her when the accuser was a child, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office said. Detectives from the Rapides Parish Sheriffs Office began investigating and found enough evidence to arrest Fountain on April 9 in connection with 50 counts of first-degree rape, the sheriffs office said. Fountain was accused of sexually abusing juvenile victims in the 70s and 80s in Pineville. Fountain was being held on Tuesday morning in the Rapides Parish Detention Centre with bail set at $1 million, the county clerk's office said. It wasn't immediately clear whether Fountain had a lawyer. The first accuser had given detectives names of other possible victims. Detectives also contacted them, and gathered evidence supporting the allegations, Phillips said. A grand jury is expected to consider the case and decide whether, and on which charges, to indict him, Phillips said. There is no statute of limitations in Louisiana for first-degree rape, the most severe charge for nonconsensual intercourse. First-degree rape in that state is punishable either by death or by life imprisonment. shalender@tribune.com Paris, April 16 Firefighters declared success on Tuesday morning in an over 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers. What remained was a blackened shell of the monument immortalised in Victor Hugos 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a building that had survived almost 900 years of tumultuous French history but was devastated amid renovation works at the start of Catholic Easter week. Its iconic twin bell towers remained visibly intact. Paris officials said the world famous 18th century organ that boasts 8,000 pipes also appeared to have survived, along with other treasures inside the cathedral, after a plan to safeguard heritage was quickly put into action. At dawn, the twin 69-meter towers swarmed with building specialists and architects, looking tiny from the ground as they conducted analysis. The entire fire is out, declared Paris firefighters spokesman Gabriel Plus, adding that workers were currently surveying the movement of structures and extinguishing smoldering residues. The task is now the risk of fire has been put aside about the building, how the structure will resist, said Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez in front of the cathedral. One of the citys five senior vicars, Philippe Marsset, said: If God intervened (in the blaze) it was in the courage of the firefighters. Notre Dame was destroyed but the soul of France was not, Michel Aupetit, archbishop of Paris, said on RMC radio. Officials consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of the restoration work taking place at the global architectural treasure, but that news has done nothing to ease the national mourning. Notre Dame has survived the revolutionary history of France, and this happened during building works, said influential former Culture Minister Jack Lang. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild the cathedral that he called a part of us and appealed for help to do so. As the country woke up in collective sadness, its richest businessman, Bernard Arnault, and his luxury goods group LVMH answered that call with a pledge of 200 million euros ($226 million). A communique said the Arnault family was in solidarity with this national tragedy, and join in the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, a symbol of France, of its heritage and togetherness. Businessman Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault also said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs. A statement from Francois-Henri Pinault said this tragedy impacts all French people and everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage. AP The artworks evacuated from Notre-Dame Cathedral during the blaze on Monday will be transferred to the Louvre Museum, French Culture Minister Franck Riester said. British Queen saddened Britains Queen Elizabeth has sent a message to French President Emmanuel Macron to say she was deeply saddened by the fire which engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday and that her prayers were with all of France, the Buckingham Palace said. Accident may have been the cause The fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral was likely to have been the result of an accident and there was no sign it was caused on purpose, Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz said on Tuesday. Pope prays for all those hit Pope Francis is praying for all those affected by the fire that devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which will always remain a symbol of French national unity, the Vatican said on Tuesday. Macron vows to rebuild church French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral, the 850-year-old Unesco world heritage, after a devastating blaze partially destroyed the Paris landmark. Speaking from the scene of the fire on Monday night, Macron described the blaze at the medieval Gothic masterpiece as a terrible tragedy, but added the worst had been avoided. Novel tops bestseller list Victor Hugos The Hunchback of Notre-Dame shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller list on Tuesday as firefighters damped down the embers of the blaze which ravaged the ancient cathedral. Its history Notre-Dame, which in English means Our Lady, has played a key role in history It is a major symbol of the Catholic faith, the cathedral also contains revered relics, including the Crown of Thorns, which is said to have been worn by Jesus before the Crucifixion Construction of the Notre-Dame in Pariss Ile de la Cite began under the reign of Louis VII in 1163 The first stone of the gothic building was laid in the presence of Pope Alexander III The construction was complete in 1345 Witness to past events shalender@tribune.com Washington, April 16 The US has advised its citizens to reconsider their travel to Pakistan due to terrorism and asked them not to travel to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces and Azad Kashmir identified as the most dangerous areas. In the travel advisory issued on Monday, the US has put Pakistan (in general) in Level 3 category, and Balochistan, KPK provinces, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas , and Azad Kashmir in the most dangerous Level 4 category. Warning the US citizens against travelling to the Azad Kashmir, the advisory said, Militant groups are known to operate in the area. The threat of armed conflict between India and Pakistan remains. Indian and Pakistan military forces periodically exchange gun and artillery fire across the Line of Control. Terrorist attacks continue to happen across Pakistan, with most occurring in Balochistan and KPK. Large-scale terrorist attacks have resulted in hundreds of casualties, it stated. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting transport hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship and government facilities. IANS Government has launched its first deep water bid round since 2014 to advance exploration for energy resources. But it comes at a time when the latest audit of the countrys natural gas reserves shows a small decline in recoverable resources. The Attorney General has asked the court to provide an interpretation of the law to determine whether or not Watson Duke is in violation of the Tobago House of Assembly Act and the Integrity in Public Life Act. The High Court is to adjudicate in the matter of the interpretation of the Tobago House of Assembly Act; the Integrity in Public Life Act and the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago between the Attorney General and the Tobago House of Assembly, Watson Duke and Farley Augustine. - The met department has ruled out any prospects of rain this season - Long rains are long overdue as they were expected to dominate most parts of the country from March at least. - But six weeks on, it is yet to rain in Nairobi and other parts of the country - The lengthy sunny spells have been blamed on climate change Farmers will have to ponder of new strategies of yielding produce as the meteorological department ruled out any chances of long rains this season. Acting Deputy Director of Kenya Meteorological Department Bernard Chanzu requested Kenyans to brace themselves for drier times as the rains which usually dominate from the months of March all the way to May will not occur in 2019. READ ALSO: Government bans Takataka song for degrading women There will be no long rains this season, met department rules. Photo: Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: Meteorological department says Kenya's rain is stuck in Tanzania Chanzu blamed the intense solar spell and lack of rain to climate change which has ruled out the slightest chance at rainfall. Kenyans should thus make do with available water resources for drinking, sanitation and industrial use. READ ALSO: Serikali yapiga marufuku wimbo wa Takataka kwa madai ya kuwadhalilisha wanawake The bigger picture about prolonged dry spell which means a drought is foreseeable is growing increasingly clear," Chanzu spoke on Tuesday, April 16. TUKO.co.ke has since observed that intense dry spells have been experienced not only in Nairobi but in most areas of the country as well. In Wajir, thousands are reportedly facing starvation as the drought menace continues to bite.' Western highlands including Kisii, Nyamira, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, Kakamega, Busia, Homa Bay, and Kericho are the only places which have recorded some spells of rain. People who were worried about flooding will have a different concern after met department ruled out long rains. Photo: Capital Source: UGC READ ALSO: Tanzanian MP hilariously asks Kenya to give Lupita Nyong'o in exchange for rain Initially, the met department had a theory that rains were "stuck" in neighboring Tanzania because low pressure made it difficult for rain-bearing clouds to make way to Kenya. Stella Aura, the department's acting director, observed the situation would remain dire until end of April 2019 but it now looks like farmers will have to make do with no rains this season. Because many farmers in the country are dependent on rains, the met department now encourages the planting of crops that require minimal rainwater. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news The vegetable vendor who made it to Parliament: Source: Tuko.co.ke - The Medical Board said those deregistered had failed to pay the annual retention fee - Doctors pay an annual mandatory KSh 4,000 in order to regularise their practice - Those seeking to be readmitted will have to apply again upon fulfilling set requirements The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board has cancelled operation licenses of at least 2, 275 practising members over over non compliance. According to information on the board's website, those affected are 2,063 Kenyan medical doctors and 212 dentists who have failed to remit the annual retention fee. READ ALSO: Kenyan doctor strongly advises men, women against shaving pubic hair Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board CEO Daniel M. Yumbya. The board has deregistered over 2,200 practising members. Photo: KBC TV. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Mwanamke aliyemwingiza box mwalimu mkuu kwa kudai DP Ruto atahudhuria harambee ajipata pabaya Doctors pay an annual mandatory retention fee of KSh 4,000 to the board in order to regularise their practice in both public and private health facilities. According to section 14 of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act, no caregiver shall act as or engage in private practice as a private practitioner or may be employed by a private practitioner, unless he holds a licence to engage in private practice. The board's Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yumbwa, however, clarified those seeking to be readmitted will have to apply again upon fulfilling requirements. The development could spell doom for the sick health sector even as the mother ministry remains at loggerheads with Kenyan doctors' union over pay. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news The Untold Story of Wamama.The King of Kilimani Mums - TUKO TV Source: Tuko - Odundo was sent on a 90-day compulsory leave in 2018 to pave way for a forensic audit - The CEO was alleged to have been fighting with the board, leading to his abrupt suspension - The hospital's board appointed the current Managing Director Christopher Abeid to replace Odundo The Nairobi Hospital's Board of Management has cut links with Chief Executive Officer Gordon Odundo with immediate effect over unprocedural tendering process. Odundo was sent on a compulsory leave in December 2018 and later extended to April 2019 to allow for a thorough financial audit into insurance supply tender awarded to the premium health facility. READ ALSO: Nairobi Hospital's leadership wrangles deepen following CEO's dramatic suspension Gordon Otieno Odundo joined the Nairobi Hospital in 2016. The board has agreed to terminate his contract over alleged misconduct. Photo: The Nairobi Hospital. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Gavana Alfred Mutua ajipata matatani kwa kudai Wakenya wengi hawawezi mudu mlo wa samaki In a statement sent to newsrooms on Wednesday, April 17, the board's chair John Simba said the management unanimously agreed to appoint the current Managing Director Christopher Abeid to replace the former University of Nairobi lecturer. The Board of Management, after due consideration of all the relevant factors pertaining to the office of the Chief Executive Officer, unanimously resolved to terminate the service contract of Gordon Otieno Odundo as the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital effective immediately, said Simba. Abeid will take charge on acting capacity as the board puts in motion the process of identifying a suitable replacement. Odundo joined the city hospital in 2016 having served as a trustee at Gertrude's Children's Hospital. It was alleged the former CEO also locked horns with the board over a multi-billion construction tender One of the board members reportedly wanted to supply insurance services but lost the bid after his firm was disqualified. He was then sent on a 90-day leave to avoid disruption of services as a section of staff openly expressed discomfort over his suspension. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news The Untold Story of Wamama.The King of Kilimani Mums - TUKO TV Source: Tuko.co.ke Specifically, for tropical agricultural products, import tariffs will be cut to zero percent and there are not many technical barriers. For textiles, leather and footwear and handbags, which now account for about 7% of Canadas total import turnover, import tariffs will be reduced to zero percent from 17-18%. Canada is committed to remove 94.5% of tariff lines after CPTPP takes effect; equivalent to 78% of import turnover from Vietnam. From the fourth year, Canada will eliminate 96.3% of tariff lines; equivalent to 93.4% of import turnover from the country. Meanwhile, agricultural and aquatic products will enjoy all import tariff elimination right after CPTPP takes effects. This information was released in a meeting discussing solutions to increase trade surplus to Canada, held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on April 10th, in Ho Chi Minh city. Canada is considered a potential market for many Vietnamese goods such as textiles, footwear, seafood products, tea, pepper, cashew, coffee and wooden products. Two-way trade turnover increased sharply over the past few years, from USD1.14 billion in 2010 to USD3.85 billion in 2018. By March 2019, Vietnams exports to the market reached more than USD506 million, a year-on-year rise of 36.6%./. 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. 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. 'It's not what you have it's how you use it'. The Armed Forces of Ukraine enjoy the highest level of well-deserved trust and respect of the society and are a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the country. "I believe that today the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the one hand, enjoy the highest level of well-deserved trust and respect of the society and, on the other hand, are a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of our country, in contrast to those memoranda on paper, which had been signed at the beginning of our country's existence," the President said during a public discussion with representatives of non-partisan initiative "Electoral Council UA" and the coalition of NGOs Reanimation Package of Reforms, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Poroshenko stressed that the Ukrainian army had been revived completely over the past five years. "I can honestly say that there were a lot of instances during the Russian offensive, when we had not a single operating military unit from our contact line, front line, up to Kyiv. We tried to significantly intensify the development of territorial defense units in 2014, we prepared for the worst scenario, and I am glad that then we have succeeded in mobilizing the state and the volunteer movement. We did our best under those circumstances. As NATO generals told me, the creation of one brigade would take at least five years, while the creation of an army would require about decades. And now they arrive and see what we have managed to do in three to four or five years," the President said. At the same time, the Head of State noted that the adoption of the law on the national security of Ukraine in June 2018 was a momentous decision for the country. "I am also ready to report on legislative changes. I think that the Law of Ukraine On National Security was the momentous decision. I am sure that the modernization of the entire security and defense sector, not just the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in accordance with NATO standards, will lead our country to full-fledged membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," Poroshenko underscored. ol NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine has asked the government to cancel the clause on the imposition of special duties, because otherwise the company will be obliged to raise the price of natural gas for households to UAH 7,184.80 per 1,000 cubic meters (excluding VAT and transportation) from May 1, the company's press service has told Ukrinform. "The price of Naftogaz for gas for retail gas suppliers for the population, heat energy producers and other protected categories of consumers will grow by 15% from May 1, 2019 to UAH 7,184.80 per 1,000 cubic meters (excluding VAT and costs for transportation and distribution). At the same time, the market price of gas for May published by the Ukrainian Energy Exchange as of April 16 amounts to UAH 6,800 per 1,000 cubic meters, including VAT, or 27% lower than the price calculated according to the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers," Naftogaz said. At the same time, according to the company, without the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to repeal the clause on the imposition of special duties, Naftogaz has no right to independently reduce the cost of the resource it supplies to retail gas suppliers, heat producers and other consumers subject to the clause. "On April 9, 2019, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the request to cancel or amend its provision on the imposition of special duties, which requires an increase in gas prices for the population from May 1, 2019. It is currently mandatory for Naftogaz to comply with the requirements of Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 867 of October 19, 2018, which approves the clause on the imposition of special duties on natural gas market players in order to ensure general interest in the functioning of the natural gas market," the report reads. The company states that resolution No. 293, approved by the government on April 3, 2019, does not exempt Naftogaz from its obligation to comply with the current resolution No. 867, taking into account the rules of direct effect of Articles 8 and 19 of the Constitution of Ukraine. It also does not impose new special duties on Naftogaz and does not cancel the current clause on the imposition of special duties. "Naftogaz has repeatedly appealed to the government with the request to cancel resolution No. 867 or to bring the price set by it to a market level. The violation of this clause threatens the company and its officials with liability for violation of the licensing terms of natural gas supply and liability for criminal offenses," the company said. In early April, the Cabinet of Ministers passed resolution No. 293, which obliged Naftogaz to sell natural gas for the needs of the population at the price of natural gas for industry, but not higher than stipulated in the clause on the provision of special duties. op Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini signed a number of bilateral agreements, in particular, on improving the cross-border cooperation and the use of airspace. The documents were signed in Bratislava as part of the working visit of Volodymyr Groysman to Slovakia, the Government portal reported. In particular, the parties signed the agreement, which amends the agreement between Ukraine and Slovakia on local border movement dated May 30, 2008. The document envisages, among other things, the right to stay within the border zone of the neighboring state for no more than 90 days. Apart from that, the prime ministers signed the Declaration of Intent to conclude an agreement to establish the conditions for the use of a certain part of the airspace of the Slovak Republic to service air traffic by the Ukrainian provider UkSATSE at the Uzhhorod International Airport for commercial air transport. Commenting on the signed documents, the sides noted that these documents were improvement and strengthening of relations between people and between countries. "The declaration on the use of airspace is very important for Slovakia and Ukraine. We will shortly sign a full-fledged agreement on this issue", the prime minister of Slovakia said. Peter Pellegrini also underlined that all agreements between Ukraine and Slovakia were reached quickly. "I want to urge our Ukrainian partners to continue making every effort to implement reforms and to strengthen the investment attractiveness. Slovakia helps Ukraine not in words but in deeds and we provide hands-on assistance," he emphasized. The chairman of Zhytomyr Regional State Administration and the ambassador of Pakistan discussed the possibilities of social and economic cooperation. Head of Zhytomyr Regional State Administration Ihor Hundych and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Ukraine H.E. Mr. Zahid Mubashir Sheikh discussed social, economic and tourism cooperation between the countries, the press service of Zhytomyr Regional State Administration reported. According to Hundych, Zhytomyr region still does not have any business contacts with Pakistan, although it cooperates with 111 countries of the world. He is sure that cultural cooperation will allow to establish economic cooperation. Zhytomyr region has a powerful agricultural sector, stone processing and mining industries, IT sector and trains specialists, and also develops tourism potential. The Pakistani ambassador adds that technical education in Ukraine is at a high level and an exchange of students should be considered in the long term, because many young people from his country get a profession in Europe. ish The 21st century is rapidly becoming known as the digital age, yet it very well could be called the machine age given that its most prominent feature has been the rise of AI capable of helping us in our everyday lives. Whether it's serving as a home assistant or helping businesses automate more of their workforce, AI has been slowly but steadily ingraining itself into the way we do business and interact with one another for years now. Only recently has AI developed to the point where it's becoming a viable tool for surgeons when it comes to increasing positive outcomes, however, a trend worth exploring. Can AI-assisted surgery increase positive outcomes for patients? Here's why intelligent machines could be the key to the future of the healthcare industry. Hospitals are already using AI To say that AI will come to reshape the healthcare industry is a bit of an understatement; after all, hospitals are already using AI in their daily operations and many medical researchers view intelligent machines as promising supplements to human medial expertise. While AI has a wide range of applications, its largely been used to cut down on the costs of providing healthcare so that providers can manage more patients than ever before. Flagler Hospital's famous use of AI to create new clinical pathways while slicing costs grabbed national headlines, for instance, because it demonstrated how this technology is already a major part of the healthcare industry. In the future, however, we'll see AI used less and less for management and streamlining purposes and more of it in the operating room. That's because modern surgeons can benefit tremendously from the inclusion of AI tech in their operations; some early trials have already produced great results that demonstrate positive patient outcomes can be sizable increased with the help of AI assistants. Microsurgical procedures in the future could very well become dominated by intelligent software that helps human experts find what they're looking for to save patients quicker. Startup companies and products like Caresyntax's qvident illustrate that web-based AI applications can be used by surgeons to prepare for surgery and to monitor and maintain patient data after a procedure has been conducted. Making the management process as easy as possible for surgeons is imperative, as it will allow them to spend more time in the operating room and focusing on unique cases that demand exceptional time and energy. AI doesn't just have to sit on the sidelines, though, as a number of AI-assisted surgeries have already been conducted to prove it has a role in the operational process. Robots are already doing surgery We may not be at the point where AI can conduct an entire operation on its own, but we're certainly at the point where robots are already doing surgery alongside of human companions. Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands recently raised eyebrows by using an AI-assisted surgery robot to suture blood vessels, demonstrating that machines can get their hands dirty, too. As one of the world's first super-microsurgery operations, it drew a tremendous amount of positive press and demonstrated that AI's applications in the field of healthcare are nearly limitless. Nonetheless, AI has to overcome a few hurdles before it can take on entire surgical operations on its own without causing medical malpractice lawsuits. The question of "would you trust a robot with a scalpel?" has plagued the public consciousness since AI became advanced enough to earn a spot in hospital operations, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Proponents of intelligent machines in the healthcare industry will need to work hard to ensure that patients aren't terrified by the rise of robots in the hospital, as the image of cold, uncaring machines tending to your when you're ill doesn't sit well with many paying patients. A comprehensive review of machine learning, robotics, and the future of surgery nonetheless demonstrates that real progress is possible when it comes to AI increasing positive outcomes for patients. Dispelling common misconceptions (like the idea that robots are conducting entire surgeries on their own) will become an important part of helping AI become a legitimate part of the healthcare industry. When patients gradually come to see AI and robots in the hospital as mere tools used by human experts to increase positive patient outcomes, they'll become much more willing to trust doctors and nurses who work hand in hand with machines. Despite all the positive press AI has been drumming up for itself in the autonomous vehicle and data analysis industries, the healthcare industry is one of the areas most impacted by its disruption. AI-assisted surgery has already occurred and will only grow more complex in the future as the technology driving it forward becomes better and more widely accessible. Don't be surprised if you see a robot staring down at you from the operating table in the future - AI-assisted surgery is rapidly proving itself capable of bolstering positive patient outcomes. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Published April 17, 2019 Clifford Tresner, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Art in the University of Louisiana Monroe School of Visual and Performing Art, has a new exhibit, at the Monroe Regional Airport. The solo exhibition of sculpture and painting is in The Gallery by Origin Bank. The shows title is Rough Around the Edges and it will run through October 6. Tresnor's show, Tripping Over Cypress, is currently showing at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette. The show runs through August 10. According to hilliardmuseum.org, Tripping Over Cypress is an examination of how the artist Cliff Tresner places himself within the literal and cultural landscape of Louisiana Tresners work, Tower of Babel is on display on the Yokna Sculpture Trail in Oxford, Mississippi, for the 2019-21 season. He is part of an invitational exhibition at Middle Tennessee State University with the creation, Intersections. In 2018, Tresner was part of an exhibition by a group of artists who attended the International Symposium: Cast Metal and 3D Print at the Atelierhaus Hilmsen Residency, Hilmsen, Germany. Tresner is the William D. Hammond Endowed Professor of Liberal Arts and director of Bry Gallery. In 2014 he won Best in Show in the Louisiana Contemporary at the prestigious Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with the Iranian government to assist ongoing efforts to support people affected by the recent unprecedented floods in the country. A plane carrying UNHCR aid items from the agencys global stockpiles in Dubai landed last week in Tehran, while supplies from existing in-country stocks were handed over to authorities, fighting unseen flood levels. Since March 19, heavy rains and flooding in the Islamic Republic of Iran have swept 24 of its 31 provinces, affecting some 10 million people including a million refugees and foreign nationals. Some 78 people have lost their lives and over 1,000 are reported injured. The floods have left over two million people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, including refugees. According to government estimates some 500,000 people have been displaced. UNHCRs efforts are in solidarity with Iran and its people who have hosted millions of refugees for four decades, said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCRs Director for Asia and the Pacific. Iran badly needs international support as it faces one of the worst natural disasters in decades. UNHCRs assistance has included family tents, sleeping mats, blankets and kitchen sets. Currently are there more than 100,000 people in emergency temporary shelters and thousands of houses have been partially damaged or totally destroyed. Six provinces in western Iran, including Ilam, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Chahar Mahal Bakhtiari remain in a state of emergency. Thousands of refugees who live alongside their hosts in these areas are also feared impacted. With the possibility of further heavy rainfall, UNHCR continues to work alongside its government counterparts to support assistance efforts, particularly in refugee populated locations. UNHCR is coordinating its efforts through Irans Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) under the Ministry of Interior. Iran currently hosts one million registered refugees. Media Contacts: Groysman described the bilateral talks as productive. Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini has announced his country and its companies could become part of a consortium that will reconstruct Ukraine's gas transportation system. "Together with Ukraine, Slovakia wants to continue to participate in the gas transit from east to west, and I'm very pleased that Prime Minister [Volodymyr] Groysman has confirmed that Ukraine wants to create a consortium in which it wants to reconstruct gas infrastructure," Pellegrini said in Bratislava on April 16 after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, according to the Slovak news agency TASR. Read alsoUkraine, Slovakia sign documents on cross-border cooperation, use of airspace Slovakia thus wants to ensure that the lower quality of the Ukrainian infrastructure cannot be used as an argument for it to be left out and replaced, for example, by the Nord Stream 2 project, which is rejected by both prime ministers. The Slovak prime minister also says it is important to him that Ukraine has been developing and that the standard of living of its citizens improves. According to him, this also contributes to the development of eastern Slovakia. The Ukrainian prime minister in turn described the bilateral talks as "productive and very concrete." "We can deepen our cooperation, including boosting bilateral trade," he said, adding that it is currently growing and is estimated at $1.4 billion now, but its potential is higher. NBU looking for asset managers for 16 banks The competition will be held through the Rialto e-procurement system created on the principle of ProZorro. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Gas talks with Gazprom could resume after presidential election Naftogaz CEO Kobolyev says negotiations will most likely be held in early May. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine's Cabinet approves bill, regulations to ratify FTA deal with Israel Following that, the documents will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for approval, the ministry added. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter The documents improve and cement relations between the two countries. Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini have signed a number of bilateral agreements, in particular, on the facilitation of cross-border cooperation and the use of airspace. The documents were signed in Bratislava as part of Groysman's working visit to Slovakia on April 16, the Cabinet's press service said on its website. In particular, a document amending the May 30, 2008, agreement between Ukraine and Slovakia on local border traffic was signed. The amendments envisage, among other things, local residents' right to stay within the border zone of the neighboring state for up to 90 days. Read alsoUkSATSE receives EASA certificate as national provider of air navigation services Apart from that, the parties signed a declaration of intent to conclude an agreement on conditions for the use of a designated part of the Slovak Republic's airspace to service commercial air traffic by the Ukrainian provider UkSATSE at Uzhgorod International Airport. Commenting on the signed documents, the Ukrainian and Slovak prime ministers noted that the documents improve and strengthen relations between the two countries and their people. "The declaration on the use of airspace is very important to Slovakia and Ukraine. We will shortly sign a full-fledged agreement on this issue," Pellegrini said. He also underlined that all agreements between Ukraine and Slovakia had been reached quickly. "I want to urge our Ukrainian partners to continue making every effort to implement reforms and to strengthen the investment attractiveness. Slovakia has been helping Ukraine not in words but in deeds and we provide hands-on assistance," he said. "We have held substantive talks and I praised the opportunity to strengthen our dialogue," Groysman said, in turn. Moscow has called on Kyiv to begin consultations. The Russian Foreign Ministry states the UN International Tribunal has no jurisdiction in the case regarding the Russian attack on Ukrainian sailors near the Kerch Strait on November 25. In connection with the process of interim measures initiated by Ukraine based on the 1982 Convention, the Russian side proceeds from the fact that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has no jurisdiction to consider the Kerch incident, in particular, by virtue of the reservations made by both the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the inapplicability of the procedures provided for by the 1982 Convention in relation to certain categories of disputes. We do not see the interim measures requested by Ukraine as an element of urgent need, which is a prerequisite for their application," reads a statement published on MFA Russia's website. The Russian ministry assures that the rights of Ukrainian sailors "are being strictly observed," and that they are able to "use the services of lawyers and receive medical assistance." Read alsoUkraine lodges request with ITLOS, seeking release of 24 Ukrainian sailors in Russia International litigation should not impede the criminal investigation being conducted in the Russian Federation, while its results should not be predetermined by the decision of an international judicial body, MFA Russia wrote. Russia also urged Ukraine to begin consultations rather than go for litigation. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine initiated a new lawsuit against Russia and appealed to the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, seeking the release of 24 Ukrainian Navy sailors and three vessels the Russian forces had captured near the Kerch Strait. The lawsuit notes that the seizure and holding of vessels and crew grossly violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ukrainian sailors and vessels must immediately be returned to Ukraine. On April 17, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow will consider the investigators' petition to extend the arrest of Ukrainian sailors. Ukraine has repeatedly stressed the illegal nature of Russia's actions and considers captured Ukrainian sailors "prisoners of war." Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko said Russia and NATO had completely ceased both civil and military cooperation. Until now, Russia had actually been in active contact with NATO. They had their strong representative office, which is still in place. In particular, in the mid-2000s, cooperation between Russia and NATO was ongoing within 11 programs dealing with the security sector, anti-terrorism, joint operations, civil control, joint exercises, and so on. Following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the beginning of the war in Donbas, the wars in Syria and other regions of the world, the geopolitical interests of Russia and NATO went astray Following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the beginning of the war in Donbas, the wars in Syria and other regions of the world, the geopolitical interests of Russia and NATO went astray. And the Alliance, which previously took the position that dialogue and developing cooperation with Russia were needed, significantly changed its stance over Russia's aggressive actions, its military operations, seizure of territories, and the conduct of special operations in various parts of the world. NATO's position has become tougher, and most of the cooperation programs with the Russian Federation are indeed being curtailed. This position on Russia was once again confirmed at the latest NATO Summit held a month ago: cooperation with the Russian Federation is ceasing on all major security, military and civil programs. This is a clear signal that the Russian Federation is no longer perceived as a partner. From now, NATO sees Russia as a threat. Both NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller spoke about this. However, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mr Grushko, has repeatedly stated and once again confirmed that Russia is curtailing out programs with the Alliance, that is, they will not function at the official level. Russia is no longer perceived as a partner However, these programs of cooperation between Russia and NATO will simply be "frozen". And in a certain way, some elementary cooperation between the two parties will still be maintained. It will remain at the operational level to address key issues, particularly with regard to international extremism, terrorism and some others, related to settling acute problems in certain regions (for example, in Syria). With regard to the issues mentioned, the dialogue between the Alliance and Moscow will be maintained. That is, the official programs are being curtailed, while cooperation remains in place at the informal level. Moreover, both Stoltenberg and other NATO officials said the Alliance was now stepping up efforts against the threat of Russia, but on the other hand, NATO was ready for further contacts with Russia to reduce the risks of global threats, to discuss specific problematic regions Ukraine, Syria, Iran so that these conflicts do not go into an active phase. Russia will not be particularly concerned over ceasing cooperation with NATO. Although for global security it is important to remove tensions and prevent the deployment of the Cold War model. Therefore, in the context of preventing global confrontation and systemic contradictions, this topic is one of the most important ones today. Besides, Russia will no longer have communication with representatives of the civilized world, because at all levels, the country no longer enjoys any trust. Reducing cooperation with NATO will affect Russia not only in the security format, but also in economic, financial and other areas. That is, there certainly will be negative consequences for Russia amid its extremely negative geopolitical perception by other countries. Accordingly, Russia is expected to face losses of economic and defense-related character. International cooperation had previously allowed Russia to have an exchange with NATO Allies, work out a new joint defense strategy, new technological developments in the defense and military spheres, which have now been completely curtailed. So it's a tangible blow on Russia but, at the same time, it's not critical. Russia is now replacing this type of cooperation and shaping new defense and security models; they have alternative projects, for example those with BRICS, with China and other states. However, an active worldwide process is underway of building-up of forces as an actual arms race has begun. Most countries are now increasing their military spending. In particular, the United States sharply raises the question of NATO Allies having to allocate at least 2% of GDP on security and defense rather than rely on the United States. The U.S. even threatens partners with demarches if they fail to raise spending. Therefore, we're facing a new round of arms race, while certain shapes of the Cold War are already evident. This will especially affect regions with ongoing conflicts: Syria, Ukraine, etc. These countries will become a theater of NATO-Russia confrontation. For example, now, as NATO warships enter the Black Sea waters, Russian navy is out there, closely monitoring their advance. This is actually becoming a local model of confrontation. This is a "cold war" thing. In a global context, this confrontation will be escalating further. And since nuclear powers are involved in the process, there are prerequisites for a nuclear-level face-off, which could lead to colossal global contradictions and problems. Ukraine in this regard is in the epicenter of developments due to its unfortunate location right between Russia and NATO. It is now a "hot" spot with hostilities underway. So, any escalation will create additional risks for Ukraine. On the one hand, NATO will support Ukraine (it is entirely in our interest), but on the other NATO's further advance in the Black Sea or deployment of bases, for example, in Poland or the Baltic States will push Russia, as they say, to an "adequate response", And the Russian Federation will further boost its resources, too. As we see, Russia has already amassed on the border with Ukraine, the Baltic countries, and in the occupied Crimea its significant military forces. It is clear that this is a threat, including for Ukraine. In this situation, Ukraine may find itself caught in the cross-fire of NATO-Russia stand-off. Besides, we already seeing a direct military confrontation on our territory. Therefore, along with building up our defense capabilities, we must work out international mechanisms for resolving conflicts. Then, NATO, Russia, and Ukraine will be able to come up with a different model not a confrontational one, but the one to protect global interests, in particular, to prevent global wars that, if they start, would pose a threat both to Russia, China, Europe, and the United States. This is the main interest of all countries: to prevent global war and the destruction of mankind. It is therefore extremely important to resolve issues that may become a detonator for such tragic developments. First of all, it is Ukraine that could become such a detonator. Therefore, Ukrainian issues need to be solved not at the level of the Normandy Four, but at that of more global players, for example, the G20. I must recall the Helsinki Accords, which at one time provided for the creation of the new world order. A road map is needed to settle the war waged against Ukraine, but it should be created under the auspices of the leading world powers, not the contact group we have within the Minsk process (such a has proved to be fundamentally unable to solve pressing issues). However, Ukraine is not the only possible detonator for a global conflict. There are many of them: it's Syria, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and the Islamic State. In all of these "hot" spots, issues should be resolved by global players. Army General Mykola Malomuzh is a former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine This ruling may be appealed to Kyiv's Court of Appeal within five days. Kyiv's Solomyansky District Court has ruled to detain former Member of Parliament and former chairman of the board of PrJSC Energomerezha Holding Company Dmytro Kriuchkov for 45 days, having alternatively set bail at UAH 7 million (about US$260,000). Having spent over four hours in the consultation room, judge Maksym Vyshniak read out the ruling, which partially met Special AntiCorruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutors' claim, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoFormer Ukrainian MP charged with grand embezzlement extradited from Germany "Kriuchkov is subject to a preventive measure in the form of 45-day detention in a Kyiv detention center. Kriuchkov's detention term shall be estimated from 18:04 Kyiv time on April 15. The detention expires on May 29. Bail shall be set at UAH 7,011,000," the ruling said. In addition, the court ordered Kriuchkov to return his travel documents in case the bail has been put up. Also, if he leaves the detention center on bail, he should wear an ankle monitor. This ruling may be appealed to Kyiv's Court of Appeal within five days. Commenting on the court's decision and bail, Kriuchkov told journalists: "We'll find [money for bail]." As UNIAN reported earlier, on March 29, journalists of the Schemes. Corruption in Detail program released materials alleging that Ihor Kononenko, a close ally and business partner of President Petro Poroshenko, is engaged in embezzling funds in the energy sector. The journalists received from undisclosed sources what they allege is records of phone conversations of a person involved in the case, ex-MP Dmytro Kriuchkov. Kriuchkov is accused of inflicting damage to the state estimated at UAH 346 million (about US$12.8 million). Kriuchkov was detained by agents of the National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport on April 15, 2019, after he had been extradited from Germany. The extradition procedure was initiated in April 2018. According to NABU, Energomerezha in 2015-2016 concluded agreements on the assignment of the right of claim for electricity, which was supplied by OJSC Zaporizhiaoblenergo to industrial enterprises. As a result, the money for consumed electricity was transferred to Energomerezha instead of state-run Energomarket enterprise. The investigation into the embezzlement of the funds started in December 2015. Two individuals are suspects in the case. Kriuchkov was elected to parliament as member of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. He was a member of the Committee on the fuel and energy complex, nuclear policy and nuclear safety. In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international research team, led from Uppsala University, discovered kin relationships among Stone Age individuals buried in megalithic tombs on Ireland and in Sweden. The kin relations can be traced for more than ten generations and suggests that megaliths were graves for kindred groups in Stone Age northwestern Europe. Agriculture spread with migrants from the Fertile Crescent into Europe around 9,000 BCE, reaching northwestern Europe by 4,000 BCE. Starting around 4,500 BCE, a new phenomenon of constructing megalithic monuments, particularly for funerary practices, emerged along the Atlantic facade. These constructions have been enigmatic to the scientific community, and the origin and social structure of the groups that erected them have remained largely unknown. The international team sequenced and analyzed the genomes from the human remains of 24 individuals from five megalithic burial sites, encompassing the widespread tradition of megalithic construction in northern and western Europe. The team collected human remains of 24 individuals from megaliths on Ireland, in Scotland and the Baltic island of Gotland, Sweden. The remains were radiocarbon-dated to between 3,800 and 2,600 BCE. DNA was extracted from bones and teeth for genome sequencing. The team compared the genomic data to the genetic variation of Stone Age groups and individuals from other parts of Europe. The individuals in the megaliths were closely related to Neolithic farmers in northern and western Europe, and also to some groups in Iberia, but less related to farmer groups in central Europe. The team found an overrepresentation of males compared to females in the megalith tombs on the British Isles. "We found paternal continuity through time, including the same Y-chromosome haplotypes reoccurring over and over again," says archaeogeneticist Helena Malmstrom of Uppsala University and co-first author. "However, female kindred members were not excluded from the megalith burials as three of the six kinship relationships in these megaliths involved females." The genetic data show close kin relationships among the individuals buried within the megaliths. A likely parent-offspring relation was discovered for individuals in the Listhogil Tomb at the Carrowmore site and Tomb 1 at Primrose Grange, about 2 km distance away from each other. "This came as a surprise. It appears as these Neolithic societies were tightly knit with very close kin relations across burial sites," says population-geneticist Federico Sanchez-Quinto of Uppsala University and co-first author. The Ansarve site on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea is embedded in an area with mostly hunter-gathers at the time. "The people buried in the Ansarve tomb are remarkably different on a genetic level compared to the contemporaneous individuals excavated from hunter-gather-contexts, showing that the burial tradition in this megalithic tomb, which lasted for over 700 years, was performed by distinct groups with roots in the European Neolithic expansion," says archaeogeneticist Magdalena Fraser of Uppsala University and co-first author. "That we find distinct paternal lineages among the people in the megaliths, an overrepresentation of males in some tombs, and the clear kindred relationships point to towards the individuals being part of a patrilineal segment of the society rather than representing a random sample from a larger Neolithic farmer community," says Mattias Jakobsson, population-geneticist at Uppsala University and senior author of the study. "Our study demonstrates the potential in archaeogenetics to not only reveal large-scale migrations but also inform about Stone Age societies and the role of particular phenomena in those times such as the megalith phenomena," says Federico Sanchez-Quinto. "The patterns that we observe could be unique to the Primrose, Carrowmore, and Ansarve burials, and future studies of other megaliths are needed to tell whether this is a general pattern for megalith burials," says osteoarchaeologist Jan Stora of Stockholm University. @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The EU has repeatedly stated its expectation that Russia immediately and unconditionally release the 24 captured Ukrainian sailors. The European Union has responded to a recent decision by Moscow's court to extend captive Ukrainian sailors' detention for another three months. "While the sailors remain detained, Russia must respect their right to legal representation, unhindered access by consular authorities, and ensure that all crewmen receive appropriate medical treatment as several of them were wounded during the capture," Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Maja Kocijancic said in a statement on April 17. Read alsoUkrainian sailors to remain in custody in Moscow for another three months The Lefortovo Moscow City Court on April 17 again extended the detention of 24 Ukrainian servicemen until the end of July 2019. Their detention was initially ordered by the court of Simferopol in the illegally-annexed Crimean peninsula. "The European Union Delegation in Moscow along with a number of EU diplomatic missions were observing the proceedings at the Lefortovo Moscow City Court until the moment when the hearings were declared closed to the public," the statement said. The EU has repeatedly stated its expectation that Russia immediately and unconditionally release the 24 captured Ukrainian sailors. The servicemen have been held since November 25, 2018, when they were captured and their vessels seized near the Kerch Strait by Russia using military force with no justification. The EU has responded to the escalation at the Kerch Strait by adding Russian officials to the list of those subject to restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. "We expect Russia to ensure unhindered and free passage through the Kerch Strait to and from the Azov Sea, in accordance with international law," the statement said. There will be consequences, the official says. In case Ukrainian nationals living in the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions obtain Russian passports, they will automatically lose Ukrainian citizenship, Deputy Minister for temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, Yuriy Hrymchak, said. Commenting to Obozrevatel on the recent reports were sources suggested Russia could start issuing passports to Donbas residents, Hrymchak said the data on those who have acquired Russian citizenship will be put in Russia's public data bases. "In accordance with our legislation, acquiring another citizenship leads to the fact that a person can lose Ukrainian citizenship," the official noted, adding that those who opt for Russian passports will "almost automatically" be stripped of Ukrainian citizenship. The deputy minister suggests Russian authorities could actually go for such a step of issuing Russian passports to residents of the pseudo-republics in eastern Ukraine as they have already done in unrecognized Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Read alsoRussian-led occupiers claim to soon start issuing Russian passports in Donbas I guess such step could be made to claim that 'we have our citizens there so we're going to protect them.' Perhaps this is an option to evacuate their people, because if peacekeepers are deployed tomorrow, we must understand that a significant number of those living there will flee to Russia, fearing prosecution for the crimes that have committed. And for them to have at least some official status, they will be given these passports," Hrymchak suggests. The deputy minister does not rule out an option that issuing Russian passports could become grounds for the Russian troops to be deployed in the area in the future. "It can't be ruled out that they will say that their citizens live there, they'll protect them, and deployed their troops there openly. This option is also on the table. Russian army still remains in Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia," the official said, adding that Russia will try to "repeat the situation that has already been many times worked out by Russian authorities." Russia has for several years been spinning rumors suggesting Russian passports could be issued to Ukrainian nationals living in the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by Russian proxy forces. The man called on for a change in the constitutional system and the territorial structure of Ukraine by force. The SBU Security Service of Ukraine has exposed an anti-Ukrainian Internet agitator in Odesa. Under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office, officers of the special services have exposed the agitator who spread anti-Ukrainian materials through the Russian social networks banned in Ukraine, the SBU's Office in Odesa region told UNIAN. Operatives established the man had regularly posted materials on personal pages and in social network communities with calls for a change in the constitutional system and the territorial structure of Ukraine by force. Read alsoUkraine's security operatives bust Russia-controlled extremist organization On April 16, during searches at the suspect's place of residence, law enforcement officers seized computer equipment and mobile devices with pro-separatist materials, as well as a large amount of Communist Party paraphernalia prohibited by law, Criminal proceedings were initiated under Part 2 Article 110 (encroachment on territorial integrity) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Several autonomous subversive and terrorist units have been deployed in Ukraine from the Russian Federation and the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" since the beginning of 2017. Head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak has said the agency has exposed and arrested members of a subversive terrorist group of Russian special services operating in the territory of Ukraine, which had been deployed to carry out political assassinations and liquidate officers of the Ukrainian special services. "The SBU officially reports that the activities of a seven-strong sabotage and reconnaissance terrorist group of the Russian special services have been prevented in the territory of our state. All [group members] have been detained and taken into custody," Hrytsak told a Kyiv briefing on Wednesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Hrytsak said this morning "we were finishing the latest stage of this operation and detained another person who was complicit in the activities of this terrorist group in the territory of our state." Read alsoUkraine's security operatives bust Russia-controlled extremist organization Several autonomous subversive and terrorist units have been deployed in Ukraine from the Russian Federation and the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" since the beginning of 2017, Hrytsak reported. "These groups were sent by Russian military intelligence to carry out political assassinations and liquidate officers of Ukrainian special services. On June 27, 2017, one of such groups committed an audacious crime a terrorist attack, which killed Military Intelligence General Maksym Shapoval. According to a similar scenario, on April 4, 2019, an early-detonation occurred during an attempt to plant an explosive device under the car of a Ukrainian military intelligence officer," Hrytsak added. Oleksandr Kharaberyush and Maksym Shapoval were both special service operatives murdered in car blasts. Head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak has said the executor of the terrorist attack, which killed officer of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, General Maksym Shapoval, is Oleh Shutov, and the organizer, like in the murder of SBU Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberyush, is Russia's FSB Lieutenant-General Dmitry Minaev. "Shutov Oleh Mykolaiovych (born on March 9, 1966), resident of the city of Donetsk. He is the one who planted an explosive device under the car of Ukrainian Intelligence General Maksym Shapoval on June 26, 2017. For the first time today, we are releasing data on the executor of this terrorist attack," Hrytsak said at a briefing in Kyiv, according to an UNIAN correspondent. According to Hrytsak, Shutov rented an apartment in the same apartment block where Shapoval lived. In addition, he rented a parking spot next to that of the victim. The SBU chief added Shutov had fled Kyiv for the Russian Federation after committing the crime, and later arrived in Donbas. Read alsoSBU captures Russian-controlled terrorist group plotting hit jobs on Ukrainian politicians, security operatives "Shutov is an operative of the so-called special operations center of the 'DPR Ministry of Civil Defense.' This center remains under constant control of FSB officers and military intelligence," he said. "The real organizer of these murders, where Oleksandr Kharaberyush and Maksym Shapoval were killed, and probably the murder of another Ukrainian intelligence officer, is Russia's FSB Lieutenant-General Dmitry Minaev, head of the FSB Counterintelligence Department, born on October 18, 1966," he added. According to Hrytsak, "during the explosions of Kharaberyush and Shapoval's cars, according to our verified data, Minaev was in Donbas in the so-called special operations center of the 'DPR Ministry of Civil Defense.'" As UNIAN reported earlier, officer of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, General Maksym Shapoval, was killed in a car blast in Kyiv on June 27, 2017. He was commander of the deep reconnaissance division and was engaged in collecting evidence of Russia's involvement in armed aggression against Ukraine. According to Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov, the terrorist act was performed according to the same scenario as the killing of the Ukrainian counterintelligence officer, SBU Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberyush in Mariupol in March 2017. The perpetrator is a Russian national working for Russian intelligence, Hrytsak said. Head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak has said a saboteur who attempted to plant an explosive device under the car of a Ukrainian intelligence officer and was heavily injured as the IED set off early, is alive and in custody. The perpetrator who goes by the name of Alexei Komarchev turned out to be a leader of the Russian sabotage and terrorist group. Earlier the official statement of the Prosecutor General's Office stated the attacker had died of numerous bodily injuries of varying severity after being admitted to a hospital. Hrytsak said on April 4, 2018, an improvised explosive device detonated early as the attacker was planting it at the bottom of the car owned by a Ukrainian military intelligence officer. Read alsoSBU accuses Russian FSB general of organizing assassination of Ukrainian intelligence operatives "As a result of this early explosion, the perpetrator, who is also the leader of the Russian sabotage and terrorist group, suffered severe injuries," he said at a Kyiv briefing, according to an UNIAN correspondent. According to Hrytsak, SBU gathered irrefutable evidence proving that the murder of Ukrainian intelligence officer Maksym Shapoval, who was killed in a car blast in Kyiv on June 27, 2017, and an attempt to blow up an intelligence officer on April 4 of this year, were planned, financed, and organized directly by Russian special services. "These were joint operations of the FSB of the Russian Federation and the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, known as the Russian military intelligence. The organization and implementation of both terror attacks were committed by the same persons from among the officers of the Russian special services. The executor of an unsuccessful attempt to blow up a car has survived, although he is now in a grave condition, at the hospital. He is in custody, he is a target of our investigation," Hrytsak said. Read alsoSBU captures Russian-controlled terrorist group plotting hit jobs on Ukrainian politicians, security operatives "He is a leader of the Russian terrorist sabotage group who directly planted an explosive device at the bottom of the car of a Ukrainian intelligence officer. He is a Moscow-based citizen of the Russian Federation, Komarichev Alexey Anatolyevich, born on January 17, 1978," the SBU chief added. According to the SBU, "during different periods of his life, Komarichev served as an officer of a regiment of the Moscow government and the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation, and was dismissed under compromising circumstances in 2016, and later started working for military intelligence under the FSB pressure." "With the assistance of the FSB, he [Komarichev] had been released from custody, as he was being detained for some time and involved in sabotage activities in the EU, as well as in Ukraine as an officer of the Russian military intelligence," Hrytsak said. Poltorak also said the financial resource and the state defense order would significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said the Armed Forces of Ukraine will get over 20 new types of military equipment in 2019. "Over the past three years, we have supplied 120 samples of new equipment and put into operation 330 samples. This year we plan to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with over 20 new types, including the Neptun, Vilkha, and Vilkha M missile systems," he said during a working visit to Lviv region, according to the ministry's website. According to Poltorak, the planning has already been completed and the construction of a missile boat has begun. "These plans are quite realistic; after all, both the financial resources and the prerequisites allow us doing this," Poltorak said. Read alsoUkrainian defense minister tells of U.S. military assistance He also said the financial resources and the state defense order would significantly increase combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "The assistance from our partners is extremely important. Over the past few years, from the United States alone, we have received assistance worth almost $400 million. These were mainly artillery reconnaissance stations, electronic warfare stations, unmanned aerial vehicles, communications equipment, boats, anti-sniper complexes, and other weapons and equipment," the defense minister said. Poltorak said after the Verkhovna Rada had adopted the relevant law, the Ministry of Defense got the opportunity to directly purchase weapons and equipment abroad. Relatives from Ukraine, Ukrainian and EU diplomats came to support the sailors. Moscow's Lefortovo District Court has satisfied investigators' motion and decided to keep all 24 Ukrainian sailors in custody for another three months, until July 24. The court hearings on the sailors were held on Wednesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent. The detainees were split into six groups of four. The court heard the cases of first three groups in the morning, then hearings on the other 12 sailors were held in the afternoon. All hearings were held behind closed doors. Read alsoUkraine pays almost US$3,600 to each family of 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia Relatives from Ukraine and diplomats from Ukraine and Western countries arrived to support the Ukrainian prisoners of war. UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, 2018, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. Moscow's Lefortovo district court in the middle of January 2019 decided to keep the Ukrainian sailors in remand until the end of April 2019. Three invaders were killed and another four were wounded on Tuesday, intelligence reports say. Russia's hybrid military forces on April 16 mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action. "Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, three invaders were killed and another four 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 April 17, 2019. Read alsoUkrainian troops post video of direct hit on enemy IFV in Donbas Russian occupation forces opened fire from 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Under attack came Ukrainian positions in the town of Maryinka, as well as in the villages of Hnutove, Talakivka, Shyrokyne, Lebedynske, Novotroyitske, Khutir Vilniy, and Zaitseve. "Since Wednesday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked Ukrainian positions yet," the report said. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe April 17 2019 The French government has invited architects to draft designs for a new spire to stand tall above Notre-Dame cathedral following a devastating fire which destroyed a nineteenth-century replica of the original medieval design on Monday. Prime minister Edouard Philippe issued a global call to arms for architects to design a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and challenges of our era as part of a rapid reconstruction effort which seeks to rebuild the Unesco World Heritage site within five years. Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Urban Realm editor John Glenday said: Buildings embody much more than the bricks and mortar which go into their construction. They tell a story over time and never stand in isolation. Notre Dame is more than the sum of its parts its about the setting and contribution to the wider cityscape, history and culture. Becoming an integral part of the city and belonging to everyone in the process as a backdrop to daily life. We tend to assume that these grand stone structures are eternal but as we see thats very much an illusion and buildings can disappear, literally overnight. French businesses have pledged a combined 692m to fund the reconstruction, sparking a debate as to whether to reconstruct the lost spire to designs by French architect Viollet-le-Duc or build a contemporary interpretation similar to the debate surrounding the Glasgow School of Art. The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are brought together by their common approach of "taking what is best from the past and having a bold vision for the future," British Ambassador Patrick Moody said here last night ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 17th Apr, 2019) The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are brought together by their common approach of "taking what is best from the past and having a bold vision for the future," British Ambassador Patrick Moody said here last night. He was addressing guests at the annual Embassy reception to celebrate the official birthday of Britains Queen Elizabeth, 93 this year. This approach "lies at the heart of what is best about both countries, and that brings us together," he said, describing the relationship as "so strong in the past and so full of potential for the future." Saying that both countries "share a commitment to ensuring a prosperous future for our peoples," the ambassador went on to note that the UK is the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, in the UAE, with over 5,000 British companies registered here and over 100,000 British residents of the Emirates. Bilateral trade, he said, now runs at a level of 17.5 billion Pounds sterling a year, around AED85 billion, while around 1.5 million British people visit the Emirates annually. Britain, Moody said, had been a trusted partner in the growth of the UAE so far, and looked forward to continued engagement in the future. "We want to be partners for the future challenges," he said, citing the examples of innovation and the new Fourth Industrial Revolution around Artificial Intelligence and big data, cleaner and more efficient energy, financial technology and education and training. Quoting a message sent by Queen Elizabeth last year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Sheikh Zayed, Moody recalled that she had described the celebrations of the Year of Zayed as a fitting tribute to his legacy of tolerance, prosperity and peace. "Security and peace," Moody said, "were at the heart of our historic relationship. Our Defence and Cooperation Agreement with the UAE is our deepest outside of NATO." Britain stands together with the Emirates, he said, "in the struggle for peace and security and in seeking stability and transformation across the region." The reception was attended by Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the British community, and other guests. Banner of the 2019 National Youth Day in the Philippines. Cebu Archdiocese is hosting the National Youth Day (NYD) of the Philippine Catholic Church from April 23 to 28. By Robin Gomes The Archdiocese of Cebu will be holding a major youth event later this month as part of the celebration of the current Year of Youth by the Catholic Church of the Philippines. Since the start of the National Youth Day (NYD) in 1986, this is the first time that Cebu will be hosting the event from April 23 to 28, in which some 12,000 young pilgrims are expected to participate. The upcoming event demonstrates the capacity of the archdiocese to hold the biggest gathering of Catholic youth of the Philippines. Addressing a press conference in Cebu City, Archbishop Jose Palma said they are anticipating a wonderful event in the archdiocese. Let us pray that this would be peaceful, joyful and fruitful and full of promise for our young people, he said. Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia will join the event on April 27 and join in a dialogue with young people. Participants More than 30 members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) led by its president, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, have pledged their participation. While 11,692 pilgrims have formally registered, the figure could reach to as many as 18,000 with the participation of priests, nuns, volunteers, and unregistered locals especially at the concluding Mass to be presided over by Archbishop Caccia. The youth pilgrims will be staying in more than 3,000 host families and common spaces like seminaries and convent dormitories. Frankel Gerard Margallo, Cebu archdiocesan youth coordinator, said around 90 percent of the pilgrims are coming from different dioceses outside Cebu. Events One of the highlights of the five-day gathering is the youth festival which will be held across Metro Cebu. Hosted in nine locations, the youth festival will engage the pilgrims in various expressions of art, music and culture. Various activities will center on the theme I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word, which was also the theme of the World Youth Day in Panama, January 22-27, 2019, which Pope Francis attended. This will be a festive, formative and prayerful gathering, said Fr. Mark Rommel Barneso , NYD Steering Team Leader. 500 years of evangelization Year of Youth 2019 is a part of a 9-year preparation by the Philippine Catholic Church for the celebration of the 5th centenary of the arrival of Christianity in the land in 2021. The preparation kicked off in 2013, with each year dedicated to a specific theme related to the faith and new evangelization. 2018 was dedicated to the clergy and the religious. (Source: CBCPNews) Born as Evelyn Eugene Turner in 1928, American pin-up model, motion picture actress, and film producer Eve Meyer was a high-profile pin-up model in the 1950s and wasmagazine's Playmate of the Month in June 1955. Her unbilled film debut was in(1955).Meyer worked frequently as a photographic model for Russ Meyer after their marriage, appeared in the film(1959), and took a lead role in Meyer's 1960 exploitation filmEve Meyer served as producer, or associate or executive producer, on Meyer's 1960s and early 1970s films, including(1970).On March 27, 1977 at Los Rodeos Airport in the Canary Islands, Meyer, onboard Pan Am Flight 1736 from New York, was one of 335 passengers killed when KLM Flight 4805 collided with the Pan Am aircraft during take-off. The disaster is the deadliest in aviation history, with 583 total fatalities.Take a look at these stunning photos to see glamorous beauty of young Eve Meyer in the 1950s. Phase 1 of Dong Hai 1 wind farm broke ground in Bac Lieu On April 15, Bac Phuong JSC the investor of the project organised the ground-breaking ceremony of the operations centre of the Dong Hai 1 wind farm phase 1 in Long Dien commune, Dong Hai district, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu. Having the total investment capital of VND130 billion ($5.65 million), the operation centre covers an area of 7 hectares and will include an office building, a functional building, warehouse, and other infrastructure. The construction will be finished within 12 months. The first phase of Dong Hai 1 wind farm has a designed capacity of 50MW and the total investment capital of VND2.5 trillion ($108.7 million). The wind farm will have 12 wind turbines, a lifting station 22/110kV with the capacity of 1x63MVA, a 110kV line, an operations centre, and other supporting works. Speaking at the ceremony, Vuong Phuong Nam, Deputy Chairman of the Bac Lieu Peoples Committee, said that the Dong Hai 1 project will contribute to creating clean energy. Once the farm comes into operation, it will be connected to the national grid with the annual capacity of 161.02 million kWh. Bac Lieu is a popular destination for both foreign and local investors in the renewable sector. Cong Ly Ltd. is a wind power developer in Bac Lieu with a VND5.2 trillion ($226.08 million) project. It has put 62 wind turbine poles with the total capacity of 99.2MW into operation, producing 320 million kWh of electricity a year. In January 2018 Cong Ly organised the ground-breaking ceremony of the Bac Lieu wind farm phase III, which will cost approximately VND8.3 trillion ($360.9 million). Notably, phase III of the Bac Lieu wind power project covers an area of 6,250 hectares at Vinh Trach Dong commune of Bac Lieu city and has a capacity of 142MW. The construction of the project is expected to be finished within 36 months. Besides, numerous foreign investors from Thailand, the US, and South Korea expressed interest in developing wind farms in this province. However, to date, no more projects have been implemented. Mai Duy Linh Due to significant changes to the intellectual property (IP) landscape, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) indeed poses major challenges to Vietnam in implementing its obligations. Most of the obligations aim to enhance protection for IP proprietors. This will have a particular impact on the life science sectors, benefitting foreign pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies but reducing opportunities, at least in the short-term, for Vietnamese companies. The obligations under the CPTPP are widespread. The IP chapter of the agreement is the only chapter with obligations affecting both CPTPP members and other member countries of the World Trade Organization. Non-bloc countries with strong IP-based economies such as the EU and the US still enjoy protection at the same level as other CPTPP members. Vietnam is turning to Industry 4.0 to drive the economy forward, and some Vietnamese companies are now developing IP-oriented products. Thus, as IP serves as an engine for the economy, Vietnam should make the most of the opportunity the CPTPP affords across various areas, including those set out below. Enforcement Under the CPTPP, Vietnam must boost the effectiveness of its fight against IP infringement. To this end, Vietnam must assume responsibility for making the enforcement system more transparent and equitable, guaranteeing public access to all its rulings. More significantly, Vietnam must additionally criminalise some IP offenses such as wilful import or export of counterfeit trademark goods or pirated copyright goods, wilful import and domestic use of counterfeit labels or packaging, recording, and trade secret infringement. Pursuant to a resolution of the National Assembly, Vietnam will amend the prevailing Penal Code in the next three years to codify these crimes. Vietnam would also leave out the requirement for a complaint from the IP owner to take criminal action against counterfeiting. Regarding border control, the CPTPP requires that a right holder be provided with specific information about a shipment at issue. The CPTPP also allows an ex officio seizure of counterfeits in transit, in a two-year transition, and exports in a three-year transition. This regulation clears up the doubt whether export of goods could constitute IP infringement. The regulation will also nullify the current relevant provision of the Law on Customs, which spares goods in transit from sanctions. The pact also requires Vietnam to either pinpoint statutory damages or provide for punitive damages. Currently, no punitive damages are available in Vietnam. As to statutory damages, Article 205.1(c) of the Law on Intellectual Property allows the plaintiff to claim damages, which are capped at VND500 million ($21,739). However, to this end, in addition to the rationale for the claim, the plaintiff must prove that it cannot establish the actual damages. Thus, in fact, this provision has never been effective in practice, and on balance of convenience, courts often refuse to apply the provision. Trademarks Under the CPTPP, within three years, Vietnam must set up a mechanism to register sound trademarks, and do its best to register scent trademarks. Currently, the country only protects visible trademarks. The country must also revisit its approach in recognising the well-known status of a trademark. Currently, authorities acknowledge the well-known status of a mark only if the mark acquires a very high degree of public knowledge from almost every walk of life, a practice that conflicts with the commitments in the CPTPP. Licence recording The CPTPP eliminates the requirement for registering a trademark licence to establish the validity of such licence against a third party. The draft bill emphasises this elimination, and also sets out that the use of the trademark by the licencee would inure to the benefit of the trademark owner. However, the bill does not specify whether the use of the trademark by companies economically related to the trademark owner, such as affiliates and subsidiaries, also amounts to authorised use. Licences for other registered IP such as patents still need to be registered to be enforceable against a third party. This presents hurdles to business transactions due to the vague definition of the term third party. Any entity other than the signatories, including banks and tax authorities, can claim to be the third party to such license agreement, which may complicate the performance of obligations under unregistered licences. Domain name disputes Currently, domain name dispute resolution is itself a matter of dispute between duelling authorities. The Ministry of Science and Technology, which administers IP matters, and the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), which administers internet matters, have thus far been unable to reach an agreement to set up effective regimes for resolving disputes involving country code top-level domains. The CPTPP requires Vietnam to set up such a regime. In line with this provision, the National Assembly passed a resolution to require an amendment to Article 130.1(d) on cybersquatting of the Law on Intellectual Property. However, the draft bill does not set out the amendment. Rather, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which took charge of drafting the bill, recommended the MIC revise the relevant provisions in Decree No.72/2013/ND-CP to reflect the CPTPPs requirement. It seems that the battle of domain name disputes between the two ministries still lingers. Other IP subject matters The CPTPP significantly expands the grace period for patent novelty, from six months to 12 months. Vietnam will need to extend the exceptions for determining novelty when assessing the patentability of an invention. The agreement also alludes to protection of geographical indications, especially in connection with trademarks, and affords protection to the translation or transliteration of geographical indications. Commitments to specific industries In the agrochemical industry, Vietnam must ensure data exclusivity for undisclosed clinical trial data or other data for agricultural products for 10 years. Particularly, Vietnams regulatory agency must not grant marketing approval to unauthorised parties, for example generic manufacturers, based on data concerning the safety and efficacy of an approved product that has been submitted by other parties in either Vietnam or in other countries. Vietnam has a 10-year transition period to implement this obligation. In the pharmaceutical sector, Vietnam must also establish a patent linkage system in connection with the marketing approval process. Balance of enforcement The CPTPP seems to create more balanced treatment for entities accused of IP infringement. When the court does not find infringement, the court can award the defendant reasonable legal fees that it spends for the suit. Under the prevailing Law on Intellectual Property, only the plaintiff is entitled to such legal fee award. In addition, the pact also allows Vietnam to punish the abuse of IP rights by the owner. The draft bill supplements Article 198 of the prevailing Law on Intellectual Property to lay down such regulation. However, the supplemented article does not go into detail about how to determine the abuse. Gulf Energy Development Plc., listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, has seen its shares rocket by 50 per cent since the groups announcement of wind and solar projects in Vietnam was unveiled last August, while billionaire founder Sarath Ratanavadis fortune has surged $1 billion since December alone, as investors cling to news of the groups movements in the country, according to Bloomberg. Gulf has teamed up with Thanh Thanh Cong, one of the leading conglomerates in Vietnam operating energy and industrial estate with assets of about $1.9 billion, to carry out three solar projects and one offshore initiative. They include the TTCIZ O1 and TTCIZ 02 solar power projects in the southern province of Tay Ninh, and a solar project and a wind scheme in neighbouring Ben Tre province, with the total installed capacity of 460 megawatts (MW). TC Green Energy Investment JSC, as associate in which Gulf indirectly holds 49 per cent of stakes, operates TTCIZ-01, which commenced the sale of electricity to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) on March 6, 2019, according to Gulfs latest report. The TTCIZ-01 solar power project is located in Trang Bang district of Tay Ninh, with an installed power generation capacity of 68.8MW and the total investment capital of around $65 million. It is the first of the Thai groups power projects to commence commercial operation in Vietnam. The second project, TTCIZ-02, in which Gulf indirectly holds 90 per cent of stakes, has an installed power generation capacity of 50MW and will supply electricity to EVN under the same terms as TTCIZ-01. To date, construction on the project has proceeded as planned and is expected to commence commercial operation as scheduled next month. The groups latest movement has been made amid a booming renewable energy sector in Vietnam, as a series of businesses race to carry out their projects to meet commercial operation date (COD) by June 30 set by the prime ministers Decision No.11/2017/QD-TTg on the mechanism for encouraging solar power development in the country. However, in its report update regarding projects in Vietnam released in March 2019, Gulf pointed out that the two remaining renewable energy ventures in Ben Tre may be put on hold, as they risk missing the deadline. The solar project is still believed to be waiting for approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, while its wind power project is still searching for an investment certificate and a power purchase agreement. Under the prime ministers Decision No.39/2018/QD-TTg to revise the mechanisms supporting the development of wind power projects from November 1, there will be a feed-in-tariff (FiT) of 9.8 US cents for offshore ventures. The new FiT applies to part of the whole of plants that reach the COD before November 2021. Besides these initiatives, Gulf has further expressed interest in developing a gas-fired power complex in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The complex is designed with four plants and a combined capacity of 6,000MW. The total investment capital is estimated at $7.8 billion. The World Bank has estimated Vietnams electricity demand to grow by around 8 per cent a year for the next decade, and said the country would need to invest $150 billion by 2030 to develop its energy sector. Vietnam is expanding its strategic partnership with the Netherlands in preventing flooding and climate change adaptation, Photo: Le Toan Last week, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung witnessed the signing of the letter of co-operation between the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources and the Netherlands Embassy to Vietnam. Also inked was an agreement on implementation of the Orange Knowledge Programme, a Dutch expertise programme for developing countries, involving Vietnams Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment and the Water Resources University, and the Netherlands Delft University of Technology, and the University of Twente. These moves, which are part of efforts for the two countries to lift their current relationship to a comprehensive partnership in the near future, were made at the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management in Hanoi, a sideline event during the second official visit to Vietnam by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This specific co-operation is also part of support from the Netherlands in helping Vietnam in adaptation to climate change and effective water management. Minister Nieuwenhuizen said that the Netherlands also wishes to support Vietnam in other areas, such as implementation of a governance system and pilot activities. Accordingly, the governance system will improve management methods, make integrated plans, and provide a long-term sponsor for water resource management challenges. Dutch universities will exchange with Vietnamese partners, and help them improve curriculums. Additionally, the Dutch side will also help Vietnam build small projects on managing water resources which can be replicated to develop policies. The Netherlands will co-operate with Vietnam in three ways. One example is in support of finance. We will invest millions of euros in infrastructure to manage water resources through our Support for Infrastructure Development and Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (DRIVE), Minister Nieuwenhuizen said. The other two support schemes are related to technology and strategic consulting. Over almost 50 years since Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations, co-operation in adaptation to climate change and water management has been the priority of the two countries, particularly since 2010 when they became strategic partners on climate change and water management. According to Minister Nieuwenhuizen, both countries recognised the deep influence of climate change since the turn of the century. Rising sea levels, strong storms, and land erosion have been increasing. River flows are also changing and droughts have become more regular in many places. The construction of upstream dams and downstream dykes can exacerbate those impacts. We have to adapt. Increasing saline intrusion wont be trouble any more if we help farmers adapt to changes in water sources. We need to continuously invest in infrastructure and solutions based on nature, ability of recovery, and protection, the minister said. She also highlighted the sea level rise attacking the Mekong River Delta. Its not simply a challenge, but a threat determining survival, she stressed. Highly appreciating the support of the Dutch government, Deputy Prime Minister Dung said, The knowledge programme, development vehicles, and pilot project on preventing plastic waste on rivers in the Mekong Delta are necessary projects which are suitable with the demand of the Vietnamese government, based on the strengths of the Netherlands. He said the Vietnamese government will further co-operate with the Netherlands to upgrade the strategic relationship between the two countries, and turn challenges caused by climate change into a chance for deeper co-operation for the common benefits of the two governments and peoples. Meanwhile, Minister Nieuwenhuizen also visited the central town of Hoi An, where a consortium of Dutch and Vietnamese companies have developed a plan to protect the vulnerable beach against erosion. The scheme is currently being discussed with the government in order to sustainably protect the coast against degradation by means of an artificial island in the sea. The minister also met with the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee to discuss water issues in the city and the Mekong Delta, how to finance water management initiatives to prevent flooding, and a public-private partnership proposal for flood prevention and solutions for land subsidence. A view of the cross and sculpture of Pieta by Nicolas Coustou in the background of debris inside Notre-Dame de Paris, in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral, during the visit of French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner in Paris Macron announced the fast timescale - for a process some experts said would take decades - in an address to the nation where he hailed how the disaster had shown the capacity of France to mobilise and unite. Pledges worth around 700 million (US$790 million) have already been made on Tuesday from French billionaires and businesses to restore the Gothic masterpiece. Most of the roof has been destroyed, its steeple has collapsed and an unknown number of artifacts and paintings have been lost. The main organ, which had close to 8,000 pipes, has also suffered damage. Plan, factfile and history of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. (AFP/Kun TIAN/Patrice DERE/Gal ROMA) But the cathedral's walls, bell towers and the most famous circular stained-glass windows at France's most visited tourist attraction remain intact. 'OUR HISTORY NEVER STOPS' Macron's defiant comments indicated he wants the reconstruction of the cathedral to be completed by the time Paris hosts the Olympic Games in 2024. "We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years," Macron said from the Elysee Palace. "And we can do it." Macron said that the dramatic fire had brought out the best in a country riven with divisions and since November shaken by sometimes violent protests against his rule. "What we saw last night in Paris was our capacity to mobilise and to unite," Macron said, hailing France as a nation of "builders". "Our history never stops and that we will always have trials to overcome," he said. 'SAVED IN HALF AN HOUR' Images from inside the cathedral on Tuesday showed its immense walls standing proud, with statues still in place and a gleaming golden cross above the altar. However the floor was covered in charred rubble from the fallen roof and water while parts of the vaulting at the top of the cathedral had collapsed. Junior interior minister Laurent Nunez told reporters at the scene that work to secure the structure would continue into Thursday, allowing firefighters access to remove remaining artifacts and artworks. He said the building had been saved within a critical time window of 15-30 minutes by a team of 400 firefighters who worked flat out throughout the night. Though "some weaknesses" in the 850-year-old structure had been identified, overall it is "holding up OK", he added. President Donald Trump relayed Americans' "condolences" to Macron over the fire, the White House said. French fire chiefs had earlier dismissed as "risible" comments by Trump that the fire should be tackled with water bombers, saying this risked destroying the entire edifice of the cathedral. The Paris fire service said that the last remnants of the blaze were extinguished on Tuesday, 15 hours after the fire broke out. Renovation work on the steeple, where workers were replacing its lead covering, is widely suspected to have caused the inferno after the blaze broke out in an area under scaffolding. Investigators interviewed witnesses overnight and began speaking with employees of five different construction companies that were working on the monument, said public prosecutor Remy Heitz. "Nothing indicates this was a deliberate act," Heitz told reporters, adding that 50 investigators had been assigned to what he expected to be a "long and complex" case. 'FOR FURTHER GENERATIONS' A public appeal for funds drew immediate support from French billionaires and other private donors as well as from countries including Germany, Italy and Russia which offered expertise. French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his LVMH luxury conglomerate, rival high-end designer goods group Kering, Total oil company and cosmetics giant L'Oreal each pledged 100 million or more. Support came from outside France as well, with Apple chief Tim Cook announcing the tech giant would give an unspecified amount to help restore a "precious heritage for future generations." But experts had warned a full restoration will take many years. "I'd say decades," said Eric Fischer, head of the foundation in charge of restoring the 1,000-year-old Strasbourg cathedral. TREASURES EVACUATED Thousands of Parisians and tourists watched in horror on Monday as flames engulfed the building and rescuers tried to save as much as they could of the cathedral's treasures. Many more came on Tuesday to the banks of the river Seine to gaze at where the roof and steeple once stood. A firefighter suffered injuries during the blaze, which at one point threatened to bring down one of the two monumental towers on the western facade of the cathedral that is visited by 13 million tourists each year. Illustration and key facts about the Paris Notre-Dame Cathedral. (AFP/Kun TIAN/Alain BOMMENEL) The Holy Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Jesus at his crucifixion, was saved by firefighters, as was a sacred tunic worn by 13th-century French king Louis IX. Rescuers formed a human chain at the site of the disaster to evacuate as many artifacts as possible, which were then stocked temporarily at the Paris town hall. Muong Thanh was voted as one of 2018's top 10 most prestigious and highest-quality brands After 10 years of launching, the campaign encouraging Vietnamese consumers to use Vietnamese goods has made great positive changes in production, business management, as well as in people's consumption habits. With as many as 60 hotels and accommodation projects across Vietnam and Laos, Muong Thanh Hospitality is one of the largest private hotel chains in Indochina. The brand is highly rated for its quality products and services with three- to five-star hotels in the four self-designated segments of Luxury, Holiday, Grand, and Muong Thanh. Its branded accommodations account for nearly 10 per cent of the entire hospitality sector. For many years, Muong Thanh has been continuously recognised as an enterprise with major contributions to Vietnam's tourism industry, with an impressive development strategy. At the awards ceremony, Muong Thanh's representative dedicated the achievement to the efforts of the more than 12,000 employees of the group. 2019 has been an especially rewarding year for Muong Thanh, with a landfall of awards and accolades, including the "Hotel with the most online bookings" title picked up by Muong Thanh Holiday Hoi An, the "Hotel serving most Korean guests by Muong Thanh Grand Hanoi, as well as the Hotel hosting the most conferences by Muong Thanh Luxury Quang Ninh. Additionally, Muong Thanh Holiday Moc Chau won the "Best business performance" category and Muong Thanh Luxury Can Tho Hotel was voted as one of the "Vietnam's top 20 golden brands for consumers' benefit in 2019." Notably, for the two consecutive years of 2018 and 2019, Muong Thanh was the only Vietnamese brand nominated for the "Asia's Leading Hotel Brand" title by the World Travel Awards. This nomination has shown that Muong Thanh Hospitality not only shines in the country but is also thriving in other parts of Asia and the world. Manufacturers like VinFast must keep pace with innovations in the automotive industry, Photo: Le Toan Lee Jae Seung, CEO of auto parts maker PHA Vietnam, said, Once our automotive parts manufacturing project comes online in September, our products will serve big car manufacturers like Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Ford, and Hyundai. PHA Vietnam is led by a group of Pyeong Hwa Automotive, YMP Plus, Dong Yang Vina Industry Co., Ltd., and MiChang Vietnam. They started construction of four automotive parts manufacturing plants with the total investment capital of $32.3 million in the northern city of Haiphongs DEEP C Industrial Zones late last year. The move aligns with the Vietnamese governments policies on promoting investment in the local supporting industries. Gaining a competitive edge Daniel Doni Sundjojo, business development manager at JATO Dynamics, which globally provides data for analysis of market trend vehicles and cars, said, When we talk about the automotive sector in Southeast Asia, most people think of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. However, soon this may include Vietnam. According to Ringier Trade Media, the organiser of the ASEAN Automotive and Motorcycle Parts Manufacturing Summit 2019 held in Hanoi recently, Vietnam is a growing automotive market and one of the four largest motorcycle markets worldwide, which reflect the enormous market potential in components and parts. Vietnam already has factories of the most recognisable international brands. With favourable government policies, easy investment, and access to the ASEAN, EU, and the APEC, the Vietnamese automotive industry is projected to enjoy the fastest growth in Southeast Asia in the next 20 years, which makes it the best place to invest right now, noted a representative of Ringier Trade Media. Vingroup deputy CEO Vo Quang Hue said, The Vietnamese automotive market is full of energy. Although motorcycles are still the vehicle of preference, the car market has been steadily growing in importance. VinFast exploded on the scene in 2017 by announcing plans to launch the first car brand fully made in Vietnam. Through localisation, it is supporting the development of the local automotive industry and already highlights Vietnamese manufacturers capability to deliver high-quality components for top-end vehicles. We are willing to pour money into the supply chain as we see opportunities, said Truong Hong Minh, director of Nhat Minh Co., Ltd., specialised in manufacturing plastic components. Minh said that Vingroups VinFast complex is not only good news for the automobile manufacturing industry, but also creates a strong pervasiveness for the supporting industry which is quite meagre for now. Chening Fan, director of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, last year said that many Taiwanese auto parts enterprises have invested in manufacturing in Vietnam, but mainly produce for exports. Currently, the enterprises are paying attention to Vietnam as well as the ASEANs more than 600 million potential consumers. By investing in Vietnam, automotive parts can go for local consumption and for tax-free export to the region, Fan said, referring to Vietnams competitive wages and attractive foreign investment environment. Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries Le Duong Quang said that motorcycle manufacturing in the country has reached maturity, mainly due to the high consumption and motorbikes role as the main transport solution. Besides, limited road infrastructure and low highway rates have caused serious traffic congestions in city areas, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, the automotive manufacturing industry is considered an emerging industry in Vietnam, entering into a phase of fast growth. In the future, Vietnamese manufacturers will need to reduce their production and assembly costs while improving product and service quality. This provides a unique opportunity for bigger Chinese suppliers to tap into Vietnams supply chain that was originally dominated by Japanese businesses, according to Ringier Trade Media. Game-changing trends The automotive industry is changing at a rapid pace and suppliers are learning to innovate in order not to get left behind. The change is putting tremendous pressure on original equipment manufacturers and automobile suppliers to evolve and innovate. Supporting this all is a strong base of digitisation. In 2018, trends pointed to a heavier reliance on plastics, and for good reason. As plastic formulations and technology develop, its application in the automotive industry expands. Vehicle interiors may be the most visible place of use, and manufacturers are increasingly turning to plastics for car parts. The corrosion resistance of modern plastics makes them ideal raw material for a number of car parts as they help reduce the weight of the vehicle. Plastics are also more weather-resistant than metal components. However, metalworking remains vital in automotive and motorcycle parts production. The global metalworking tools market is predicted to exceed $120 billion by 2020, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6 per cent, and a large portion of this growth will take place in Asia, according to Technavio, a global market research firm. The signs of manufacturing growth in the ASEAN bloc indicate a related increase in the orders and purchases of metalworking tools, which will raise the demand for high-end manufacturing equipment. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things are key trends and will have a profound influence on automotive and motorcycle parts manufacturing. Sensors are becoming smaller and easier to install in all kinds of products. Smart tooling and workholding will provide real-time feedback. Automotive and motorcycle companies will look to transform their plants into smart factories, and will require all equipment and tooling to be Industry 4.0-capable. Domestic and foreign retail chains are both busy conducting M&A to gain market share Photo: Le Toan According to market research provider Euromonitor, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continue to feature prominently in the retail market. In 2017 and 2018, Vietnamese retailing continued to become more consolidated as local players acquired smaller companies to expand their network and increase their share. During this time, Mobile World JSC completed its acquisition of pharmacy chain Phuc An Khang, and the countrys leading private conglomerate Vingroup took on both electronics and appliance specialist Vien Thong A, and supermarket chain Fivimart. In addition, VinCommerce, the retail arm of Vingroup, recently also made a big splash by acquiring 87 Shop & Go convenience stores for the nominal sum of $1. These activities have quickly cemented the leading status of the key players, while eliminating smaller groups from the competition. M&A activities are expected to continue at pace. Besides achieving outlet expansion, key players also look at these activities as a quick way to enter a new category. According to Richard Burrage, managing partner of consumer market research company Cimigo, local retailers have the edge in expanding their reach via M&A. They are closer to local consumers, far more agile, and less afraid to fail, quickly learning and moving forward, said Burrage. This agile iteration enables them to move at a speed that is far superior to foreign retailers. He further noted that local groups will continue to dominate the retail market. Looking at Vingroups retail brands, they can use new additions like Fivimart and Shop & Go to drive margin and eventual profitability. Bach Hoa Xanh retail chain, incorporated by Mobile World, accounts for 46 per cent of modern self-service outlets in 2018 with 218 new outlets opened, he said. They are yet to be profitable, but I imagine they are learning fast. Saigon Co.op has been testing new formats such as Co.op Smile. These operators will continue to dominate in this space. Meanwhile, it will take deep investment and a very long-term view for foreign retailers to succeed in Vietnams retail market, according to Burrage. Companies like AEON, Central Group, and BerliJucker Corporation have already experienced this. However, I doubt they will dominate Vietnams retail landscape. They were initially highly restricted in the number and size of stores they could operate. Over the past few years, Vietnam has also witnessed several deals by foreign retailers such as BerliJuckers purchase of Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam, and Central Groups buyouts of Nguyen Kim and Big C. Truong Thanh Duc, chairman of Vietnamese law firm Basico, attributed the rise of M&A to the fast-paced development of the retail market. As the size of the market is expanding, there will be more entrants. Inevitably, small retailers will be eliminated and M&A is one of the strategies for those small companies to withdraw from the market, said Duc. In 2017, around 44 per cent of the total value of M&A activities derived from the consumer goods and retail sector, which indicates an area that remains attractive to investors. Last year, the consumer goods and retail sector continued to lead the 2018 M&A market, according to Baker McKenzie Vietnam. Data by Euromonitor shows that Vietnams supermarket market size was valued at VND50.87 trillion ($2.21 billion) in 2018. Meanwhile, the market size of convenience stores has nearly doubled in the past few years, from VND1.96 trillion ($85.2 million) in 2015 to VND3.72 trillion ($161.7 million) last year. This segment is getting crowded, with the US Circle K increasing its outlets from 246 to 293 between 2017 and 2018. Japans Ministop expanded its footprint from 84 to 112 outlets in the same period. Meanwhile, Japanese chain FamilyMart ran 126 convenience stores in 2016 and 168 stores in 2017 before dropping eight stores last year. Bs Mart also cut the number of outlets from 159 to 143, while Shop & Go went from 121 stores in 2017 to only 95 in 2018. When selling its business to Vingroup, a representative of Shop & Go commented that the company had heavily invested in the chain, but business results have not turned out as expected. Vietnams retail market is promising but competition is stiffer so we decided to pull out of the market, he said. It is clear that the competitive landscape is intense, with losses high and risks great. Cimigo has maintained for the past four years that convenience stores have been strongly competing against independent grocery stores, but offering no greater convenience. Convenience stores will reduce in number and online shopping platforms will play a far stronger role, said Burrage. The fusion of offline and online shopping, for instance, is gaining prominence. With a $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, Amazon has proven that it is always trying to stay ahead of the curve. The tech giant now comes to possess a chain of 450 stores across 42 US states, thus branching out a physical presence and opening itself up to vast blue oceans of opportunities. Nguyen Huy Hoang, director of market research firm Kantar Worldpanel, said, The retail landscape is being revamped with the rising omnichannel trend, prompting retailers to improve themselves to satisfy consumers by offering a shopping experience whenever and wherever. The international trainees came from 10 countries which are partners of the Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP), while 7 lecturers came from Vietnam, Canada and Sierra Leone. According to Major General Hoang Kim Phung, Head of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the course helps equip trainees with specialized knowledge on ensuring logistics for UN missions, including inspection and assessment of equipment; field support; adequate healthcare, transport and maintenance; protection of civilians and children; humanitarian support; and prevention of violence and sexual abuse. Delegates at the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA) Additionally, the 12-day course will also contribute to helping Vietnam gain experience and increase ability in organizing UN peacekeeping training, looking to develop peacekeeping training foundations which are capable of international courses recognized by and reaching the UN standards. Addressing the opening ceremony, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence, stressed that throughout over 70 years, UN peacekeeping activities had shown their important role in restoring and maintaining peace and national re-construction after conflicts all over the world. Expressing his thanks to the Canadian Government and Defence Ministry for making conditions for the course, he urged the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations to increase multilateral activities and coordination with countries all over the world for organizing peacekeeping courses, especially with Asia- Pacific countries and those who had set up cooperation with Vietnam over the past years. Since 2014, Vietnam has sent 30 officers to the UN peacekeeping missions. In October 2018, Vietnams first level-2 field hospital was successfully carried out in South Sudan, while the second one and the first engineering team are being trained to be ready to join UN missions from 2020./. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Prime Minister Viorica Dancila in Bucharest, Romania on April 15, 2019. Photo: VGP She made the statement at her talks with Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Bucharest capital on April 15. At the talks, the two Prime Ministers expressed their pleasure at the fine development of the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Romania over the past nearly 70 years since the two sides established diplomatic relations in 1950. Dancila reiterated Romania attaches importance to the relationship with Vietnam and spoke highly of Vietnams achievements in socico-economic development, international integration as well as its rising role in the region and the world. Phuc extended congratulations to Romania for having taken over the EUs rotating presidency in the first six months this year, expressing his belief that the European country will successfully complete its role. The pair exchanged on a wide range of measures to further foster bilateral cooperation across fields as they shared the view that cooperation potential remains vast. At the two Prime Ministers' talks. Photo: VGP The two PMs agreed to strengthen exchange of delegations at all levels and effectively operate the existing cooperative mechanisms like the joint commission on economic cooperation. They agreed that the 16th meeting of the joint commission will be held in mid-2019. Both sides agreed to actively prepare for the celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the two countries diplomatic relations in 20202 and work together to develop a cultural cooperation program for 2019-2020 period. Regarding multilateral cooperation, both sides committed to beefing up cooperation at international fora and organizations, including ASEM, ASEAN-EU and the United Nations. The pair underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability for cooperation and development, settling differences and disputes through peaceful measures in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Phuc took the occasion to invite Dancila to make an official visit to Vietnam and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure. After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation in agriculture, veterinary and food safety. The same day, PM Phuc also attended Vietnam-Romania Business Forum in Bucharest capital. Sea-based wind parks are Germany's latest answer to its search for more renewable energy AFP/TOBIAS SCHWARZ Here are three things to know about the Arkona wind park. BALTIC'S LARGEST WIND PARK Arkona's 60 turbines tower out of the Baltic between the German island of Ruegen and the Swedish shoreline to the north. Erected in just three months last year, they are already supplying 385 megawatts of electricity - enough for around 400,000 family homes. French energy provider Engie has signed a contract to buy electricity for four years from operator OWP Arkona, a joint venture between Germany's Eon and Norway's Equinor. Electricity will be routed through a French-built substation whose 150km of cables link up the wind generators. Engineers affectionately dubbed the hardware "the multi-socket adaptor" after the familiar household gadget. The project showcased "the German contribution, also the contribution of highly developed industrial nations to developing renewable energy", Merkel said, thanking both France and Norway for their involvement. "If you look at the historical responsibility that we have, since we emitted a lot of carbon dioxide into the air, it's a question of justice and of development cooperation" to nurture climate-friendly technology for others to adopt, she added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined Norway's Minister of Petroleum and Energy Kjell Borge Freiberg (left) and the chairman of energy group E.ON Johannes Teyssen (right) and a group of schoolchildren to open the new wind park AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ "ENERGY TRANSITION" ON BACK FOOT? Germany had long been seen as a pioneer in the switch to renewable energies, but Merkel's 2011 decision to exit the generation of nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster knocked the country back. Rather than emissions-free fission plugging the gaps left by variable output from wind and sun, Berlin has had to fall back on intensely polluting brown coal and other fossil sources. Today, renewables account for 38 per cent of Germany's energy mix, and are slated to hit 65 per cent by 2030. "We must stick to that," Merkel said, recalling that "renewable energy is already the largest pillar of our energy supply, showing how it's shifted from a little niche into the centre". But the federal government has missed its targets in the past, giving up last year a goal to reduce greenhouse emissions 40 per cent compared with 1990 levels by 2020. "It will take a lot of effort to achieve our targets for 2030," the chancellor acknowledged. On land, Germany's much-lauded "Energiewende" (energy transition) policy is struggling, with subsidies for wind turbines on the way out and the cost of transmitting electricity to consumers high. One kilowatt-hour (kWh) costs 30 euro cents (US$0.34) or twice as much as in neighbouring France, still well supplied with electricity from nuclear plants. FROM LAND TO SEA While land-based turbines may be running out of puff, Germany has been building them at sea for 10 years - despite initial scepticism. Observers at first warned of high costs, and upsets like storms or construction failures plagued the early attempts. But costs have been squeezed and techniques improved in the meantime, with 20 per cent of Germany's wind energy now coming from the sea. North Sea and Baltic wind parks boast more than 1,300 windmills with a capacity of around 6.4 gigawatts. Importantly, seaborne wind power is less vulnerable to Nimbyism - "not in my backyard" - complaints from locals about spoiled views, noise or dead birds. Environment groups have warned about risks specific to the maritime generators, with birds still falling victim to them and the noise of the rotors tormenting some sea mammals, such as porpoises. Vietnam Airlines to dry lease five brand-new Regional Jet Aircraft Vietnam Airlines JSC (VNA) is planning to dry lease five brand-new Regional Jet Aircraft (aircraft type: E175Plus manufactured by Embraer or CRJ900 manufactured by Bombardier) with the tentative delivery schedule in 2020 (two aircraft in the first quarter and three aircraft in the second quarter). If there would be of your interest, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following addresses: Tran Thanh Hien, Finance and Accounting Department, email: tranthanhhien@vietnamairlines. com . Jordan Peele's recent horror blockbuster "Us" follows his 2017 directorial debut with the Oscar-winning horror film "Get Out." Critics and audiences have hailed the African American filmmaker as a pioneer of black horror films as metaphors for social, economic and racial injustice. "Us" explores the monster lurking within ourselves in the form of the evil doppelganger. Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o describes her dual characters of Adelaide Wilson, a middle-class mother and wife, and Red, her disturbing double. "Adelaide is riddled with this trauma from her childhood that she cannot explain or shake off. And she is convinced, as they are on their way to their summer home in Santa Cruz, that something bad is going to happen. And she is proven right when at the end of the day, these four shadowy figures show up at the top of their driveway, and their worst nightmare ensues." Peele explores the idea of the shadow self, "which comes up in many cultures, many mythologies. And it tends to be this sense that there is a darker self that we suppress, and we suppress it because we are afraid of what it means. It holds our guilt, and our evil, really." Peele said he uses horror to address race relations and the growing socioeconomic divide in America. His previous horror film "Get Out" was about wealthy elderly white people extending their lives by having their brains transplanted into young black people. "Us" is about the reckoning of privileged Americans by their disadvantaged selves. "It's more about what we've become as a country and a retribution of how we are treating each other, all centered around how a family deals with being attacked by themselves," said producer Sean McKittrick. "Oftentimes, we feel that the monster is from outside of ourselves, outside our borders, outside our homes. In this story, the monster is really within our very selves, and it's about embracing that or at least recognizing it," Nyong'o said. Minorities in lead roles Horror film expert Andrew Scahill said Peele epitomizes the era of black horror movies. "I think we are at an incredibly exciting time for horror right now. Minorities taking the reins of this genre, which to be honest, it has been really exclusionary, if not antagonistic, toward them in the past." Scahill said in past horror movies, such as George Romero's iconic 1968 horror flick "Night of Living Dead," black actors were either killed off within the first 10 minutes or used as tropes to save white leading characters before getting killed off. Now, he said, Peele establishes them as the main characters who are here to stay. "Jordan Peele does not plan on casting a white actor in a lead role because that movie has been done," Scahill said. Anxiety of millennials Scahill said the concept of the monster within is as old as Jekyll and Hyde or Frankenstein. The same applies to using horror as a platform for social commentary. "It goes back even further," he said. "When I show 'Nosferatu,' I show the image of that vampire against caricatures of Jewish people during the period. 'King Kong' is a metaphor for the slave trade. 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' depending on who you talk to, is about communism or McCarthyism or consumerism, or all of those things. And that is one exciting thing about horror the instability of the characters. Representing our different anxieties." Scahill said in millennial horror films, the killing force cannot be as easily identified and, consequently, controlled. He said such themes as those explored in "Us" reflect the anxiety of millennials losing control of their socioeconomic and environmental well-being, and their inability to change the system. "Bodies being puppeted against their will seems to be a strain of contemporary horror. And if you think about the anxieties of young people today entering the workforce and their crippling debt, it's an endless war. It makes sense that that's horror today." A female astronaut is due to set a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, the U.S. space agency said Wednesday, the same astronaut who was to have been in the first all-female spacewalk scrapped over lack of a right-sized spacesuit. Astronaut Christina Koch, who completed the space walk with a man instead of a female colleague last month, will remain in orbit on board the International Space Station until February, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said. Part of NASA's study of the effects of long spaceflights on the human body, Koch will spend 328 days in space. The 40-year-old astronaut has been in orbit since last month. "One month down. Ten to go," Koch wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "Privileged to contribute my best every single day of it." In late March, NASA canceled what would have been the first all-female spacewalk with Koch and astronaut Anne McClain due to a lack of a spacesuit in the right size for McClain. The walk was would have occurred during the final week of Women's History Month. On board the orbiting space station, astronauts work on a range of experiments in biology, biotechnology, health, earth, space and other sciences. The typical stay for astronauts is six months, NASA said. "NASA is looking to build on what we have learned with additional astronauts in space for more than 250 days," Jennifer Fogarty, a chief scientist for NASA's Human Research Program, said in a statement. Record holders Astronaut Peggy Whitson holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, staying in orbit 288 days in 2016 and 2017, NASA said. "It's my honor to follow in Peggy's footsteps," Koch said in a video from the International Space Station, orbiting over 200 miles (322 km) above Earth. Of the more than 500 people who have traveled to space, fewer than 11 percent have been women. But Koch graduated from NASA's 2013 class of astronauts that was 50 percent women. The overall NASA record of 340 days, set in 2016, is held by astronaut Scott Kelly in an experiment to compare his physical and mental health to his identical twin Mark Kelly, who remained on Earth. The U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday struck down a decision that had allowed some asylum-seekers to ask for bond in front of an immigration judge, in a ruling that expands indefinite detention for some migrants who must wait months or years for their cases to be heard. The first immigration court ruling from President Donald Trumps newly appointed Attorney General William Barr is in keeping with the administrations moves to clamp down on the asylum process as tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans cross into the United States asking for refuge. U.S. immigration courts are overseen by the Justice Department and the Attorney General can rule in cases to set legal precedent. Barrs ruling is the latest instance of the Trump administration taking a hard line on immigration. This year the administration implemented a policy to return some asylum-seekers to Mexico while their cases work their way through backlogged courts, a policy that has been challenged with a lawsuit. Several top officials at the Department of Homeland Security were forced out this month over Trumps frustrations with an influx of migrants seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border. Migrants crossing illegally Barrs decision applies to migrants who crossed illegally into the United States. Typically, those migrants are placed in expedited removal proceedings, a faster form of deportation reserved for people who illegally entered the country within the last two weeks and are detained within 100 miles (160 km) of a land border. Migrants who present themselves at ports of entry and ask for asylum are not eligible for bond. But before Barrs ruling, those who had crossed the border between official entry points and asked for asylum were eligible for bond, once they had proved to asylum officers they had a credible fear of persecution. I conclude that such aliens remain ineligible for bond, whether they are arriving at the border or are apprehended in the United States, Barr wrote. Barr said such people can be held in immigration detention until their cases conclude, or if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decides to release them by granting them parole. DHS has the discretion to parole people who are not eligible for bond and frequently does so because of insufficient detention space or other humanitarian reasons. Effective date delayed Barr said he was delaying the effective date by 90 days so that DHS may conduct the necessary operational planning for additional detention and parole decisions. The decisions full impact is not yet clear, because it will in large part depend on DHS ability to expand detention, said Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. The number of asylum-seekers who will remain in potentially indefinite detention pending disposition of their cases will be almost entirely a question of DHS detention capacity, and not whether the individual circumstances of individual cases warrant release or detention, Vladeck said. DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. The agency had written in a brief in the case arguing that eliminating bond hearings for the asylum seekers would have an immediate and significant impact on ... detention operations. Record detentions In early March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS agency responsible for detaining and deporting immigrants in the country illegally, said the average daily population of immigrants in detention topped 46,000 for the 2019 fiscal year, the highest level since the agency was created in 2003. Last year, Reuters reported that ICE had modified a tool officers have been using since 2013 when deciding whether an immigrant should be detained or released on bond, making the process more restrictive. The decision will have no impact on unaccompanied migrant children, who are exempt from expedited removal. Most families are also paroled because of a lack of facilities to hold parents and children together. Michael Tan, from the American Civil Liberties Union, said the rights group intended to sue the Trump administration over the decision, and immigrant advocates decried the decision. Barrs decision came after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to review the case in October. Sessions resigned from his position in November, leaving the case to Barr to decide. U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will hold a news conference Thursday morning regarding special counsel Robert Muellers report, the Justice Department announced. A redacted version of the nearly 400-page report by Mueller, on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election that was aimed at helping Donald Trump win the presidency, will be delivered to Congress between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. EDT (UTC 1500-1600). Democrats: Barr spinning report Democratic lawmakers immediately criticized the announcement, saying Barr was trying to spin the reports findings before its release. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler of New York held a news conference late Wednesday to say Barr is taking unprecedented steps to spin the report. Nadler said Barrs decision to hold a news conference before Congress has received the report will again result with the report being presented through his own words. He said it appeared that the attorney general is waging a media campaign on behalf of President Donald Trump rather than working in the interest of the American people. White House conversations Nadler was reacting to a report by The New York Times that White House lawyers have had numerous conversations with Justice Department officials about the report. The Times, quoting unnamed sources, said the conversations have helped the White House prepare its rebuttal and strategize its response. The Justice Department and the White House declined to comment on the report. Nadler said he will probably find it useful to call Mueller and his team to testify before his committee. In a radio interview Wednesday, Trump floated the idea that he, too, may hold a news conference. Attorney General Barr is going to be giving a press conference, maybe Ill do one after that, well see, Trump said in an interview with WMAL Radios Larry OConnor. Russia investigation Mueller investigated the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia and whether Trump, as president, obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe. Sparring over the report in advance of its release has been rampant. Barr released a four-page summary of Muellers findings three weeks ago, saying the prosecutor had concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia to help him win but had reached no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice. But with Mueller not reaching a decision on the obstruction issue, Barr and Rosenstein decided no obstruction charges against Trump were warranted. The chairman of the top U.S. telecoms regulator on Wednesday announced his opposition to allowing China Mobile to operate in the United States, citing risks to American national security. The statement from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai could mark the beginning of the end for the Chinese telecoms giant's eight year effort to crack the U.S. market. China Mobile the world's largest mobile operator with nearly 930 million customers as of February first filed an application for permission to operate in the United States in 2011. Composed of Democrats and Republicans, the five-member FCC next month is due to vote on an order that, if approved, would deny China Mobile's request to operate. "Safeguarding our communications networks is critical to our national security," Pai said in a statement. Evidence, including that submitted by other federal agencies, Pai added, made it "clear that China Mobile's application to provide telecommunications services in our country raises substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks." Chinese tech firms such as Huawei and ZTE have faced stiff resistance from U.S. government agencies, which have described them as security threats. Washington has barred the Chinese networking equipment company Huawei from developing the new ultra-fast 5G mobile network in the United States and has blocked U.S. government purchases of its services. American officials have sought to persuade allied countries to do likewise. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg says President Donald Trump is "kind of like a Chinese finger trap you know, the harder you pull, the more you get stuck" and warns that Democrats shouldn't get bogged down in trying to "knock him flat with some zinger." In Iowa for the first time since officially launching his campaign, Buttigieg discussed how to defeat Trump after drawing an audience of more than 1,600 people at a Des Moines rally Tuesday night. "We've got to acknowledge without giving an inch on the racism or xenophobia that played a role in that campaign we've got to also pay attention to the things that make people susceptible to that message and make sure we're addressing them," said the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. The rally was one of the biggest campaign events yet for a 2020 contender in the Des Moines area, a particularly notable feat for a candidate who just over a month ago was barely registering in the polls. Buttigieg's main task now is turning grass-roots energy into a real, sustainable movement. In an interview with The Associated Press, Buttigieg said Iowa its caucuses produce the first votes of the presidential nominating season "will be really central to our strategy." "There's a political style here that rhymes a lot with my home territory in Indiana," he said. "I think that the mechanics of a caucus really favor a style that involves a lot of engagement, which is how I like to practice politics ... of course there's a simple logistical advantage of it being the one early state that's within driving distance of my home." Asked whether Trump leaned on racial animus to win the White House, Buttigieg called the president out for playing "white guy identity politics." "By far the political movement that is most based on identity politics is Trumpism. It's based on white guy identity politics. It uses race to divide the working and middle class," he told the AP. "There are a lot of strategies to blame problems on people who look different or are of a different faith or even of a different sexuality or gender identity. ... It's a cynical political strategy that works in the short term but winds up weakening the whole country in the long term." White privilege Buttigieg has argued that he's uniquely positioned to take on Trump because he can appeal to the white working-class voters who left the Democratic Party for the Republican. But in recent days, he's acknowledged he needs to address the lack of racial diversity among supporters at his events. In the AP interview, Buttigieg said he plans to make sure that "our organization and our substance reflect our commitment to diversity." He said he'll do that by hiring a diverse staff and by addressing a range of policies that affect minorities, including but not limited to criminal justice reform, education, homeownership and entrepreneurship. "I think any white candidate needs to show a level of consciousness around issues like white privilege," he said. But when asked whether he had experienced white privilege, he said that "part of privilege is not being very conscious of it, right?" He added: "You're much more conscious when you're at a disadvantage than ... when you are on the beneficial side of a bias. But there's no question that that's a factor that has impacted people in many different ways. And we need to be as alive to it as possible." Buttigieg said that to be able to create a diverse coalition without alienating white working-class voters, issues of racial justice need to be discussed in a unifying way. "I mean being pro-racial justice should not be skin off the back of any white voter," he said. "I think there's certainly an environment where sometimes these ideas are pitted against each other, where it's suggested, for example, that connecting with white working-class voters somehow means that you have to walk away somehow from our commitment to racial justice but our commitment to racial justice is part of the bedrock of the moral authority of the Democratic Party." Marriage equality The South Bend mayor has surged from a relatively unknown candidate in the field to a media darling who's gained support in nationwide polling and posted a stronger-than-expected fundraising number in the first quarter. He's drawn attention for his plainspoken style, and the historic nature of his candidacy, as the first openly gay contender in a same-sex marriage. During the Des Moines rally, an audience member asked what he should tell his friends who say America isn't ready for a gay president. Buttigieg replied, "Tell your friends I said 'hi."' The impact of his personal life on the campaign was on striking display at both of his Iowa events Tuesday. During a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, after Buttigieg spoke about the need for marriage equality, a protester stood up and shouted, "You betray your baptism!" He was escorted out. Buttigieg joked to the crowd, "Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes," then added: "We're so dug-in, in such passionate ways, and I respect that, too. That gentleman believes that what he is doing is in line with the will of the creator. I'd do it differently. We ought to be able to do it differently." In Des Moines, another protester shouted "Sodom and Gomorrah!" The crowd drowned him out with chants of "Pete! Pete! Pete!" Asked by the AP how he would win over a protester like the one in Fort Dodge if he could sit down with him, Buttigieg said, "I'm not sure he would want to sit down with me," but that he hoped others who have concerns about his candidacy would come to his events and ask a question, "so we could have a respectful exchange." "There are a lot of positions, there's a wide range, with fringes, in our politics. That's part of how politics works, and you shouldn't be in this if you aren't prepared to deal with that," he said. The turnout at the Des Moines event was unexpected, according to Polk County Democratic Party Chair Sean Bagniewski, who said Buttigieg's team had predicted at most 200 people would show up. The campaign didn't have any volunteers to take down information for enthusiastic supporters who wanted to be a part of the campaign. "It's a very narrow window to capture momentum and energy and attention, and if you miss the opportunity to match your staff and energy with the moment, you can miss your chance," Bagniewski said. A community of Syrians who converted to Christianity from Islam is growing in Kobani, a town besieged by Islamic State for months, and where the tide turned against the militants four years ago. The converts say the experience of war and the onslaught of a group claiming to fight for Islam pushed them toward their new faith. After a number of families converted, the Syrian-Turkish border towns first evangelical church opened last year. Islamic State militants were beaten back by U.S. air strikes and Kurdish fighters at Kobani in early 2015, in a reversal of fortune after taking over swaths of Iraq and Syria. After years of fighting, U.S.-backed forces fully ended the groups control over populated territory last month. Perception of Islam Though Islamic States ultra-radical interpretation of Sunni Islam has been repudiated by the Islamic mainstream, the legacy of its violence has affected perceptions of faith. Many in the mostly Kurdish areas of northern Syria, whose urban centers are often secular, say agnosticism has strengthened and in the case of Kobani, Christianity. Christianity is one of the regions minority faiths that was persecuted by Islamic State. Critics view the new converts with suspicion, accusing them of seeking personal gain such as financial help from Christian organizations working in the region, jobs and enhanced prospects of emigration to European countries. A matter of faith The newly converted Christians of Kobani deny those accusations. They say their conversion was a matter of faith. After the war with Islamic State, people were looking for the right path, and distancing themselves from Islam, said Omar Firas, the founder of Kobanis evangelical church. People were scared and felt lost. Firas works for a Christian aid group at a nearby camp for displaced people that helped set up the church. He said around 20 families, or about 80 to 100 people, in Kobani now worship there. They have not changed their names. We meet on Tuesdays and hold a service on Fridays. It is open to anyone who wants to join, he said. The churchs current pastor, Zani Bakr, 34, arrived last year from Afrin, a town in northern Syria. He converted in 2007. This was painted by IS as a religious conflict, using religious slogans. Because of this a lot of Kurds lost trust in religion generally, not just Islam, he said. Many became atheist or agnostic. But many others became Christian. Scores here and more in Afrin. Missionaries and critics One man, who lost an arm in an explosion in Kobani and fled to Turkey for medical treatment, said he met Kurdish and Turkish converts there and eventually decided to join them. They seemed happy and all talked about love. Thats when I decided to follow Jesuss teachings, Maxim Ahmed, 22, said, adding that several friends and family were now interested in coming to the new church. Some in Kobani reject the growing Christian presence. They say Western Christian aid groups and missionaries have exploited the chaos and trauma of war to convert people and that local newcomers to the religion see an opportunity for personal gain. Many people think that they are somehow benefitting from this, maybe for material gain or because of the perception that Christians who seek asylum abroad get preferential treatment, said Salih Naasan, a real estate worker and former Arabic teacher. Thousands of Christians have fled the region over decades of sectarian strife. From Syria they have often headed for Lebanon and European countries. U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 banned entry for all Syrian refugees indefinitely and imposed a 90-day ban on travel from several other predominantly Muslim countries. Another dimension It might be a reaction to Daesh (Islamic State) but I dont see the positives. It just adds another religious and sectarian dimension, which in a community like this will lead to tension, said Naasan, a practicing Muslim. Naasan like the vast majority of Muslims rejects Islamic States narrow and brutal interpretation of Islam. The group enslaved and killed thousands of people from all faiths, reserving particular brutality for minorities such as the Yazidis of northern Iraq. Most Christians preferred not to give their names or be interviewed, saying they fear reaction from conservative sectors of society. The population of Kobani and its surroundings has neared its original 200,000 after people returned, although only 40,000 live in the town itself, much of which lies in ruins. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 17 denied the veracity of remarks by one of its former generals who has claimed to have worn Iran's Red Crescent Society's (IRCS) uniform for "military purposes" during the civil war in Bosnia. Saeed Qassemi (Ghasemi), a retired IRGC general, is an outspoken ultraconservative, renowned for his vitriolic attacks on reformist former President Mohammad Khatami and the incumbent "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani. In an interview with the state-approved internet channel, Aparat, Qassemi maintained on April 14 that he had visited Bosnia in the 1990s to train Bosnian Muslim fighters against the Serbs while wearing the Iranian Red Crescent uniform. In the same interview, Qassemi admits that he is divulging the fact since the Americans had already discovered the ruse and written about it. 'Devoid of credibility' IRGC's spokesman, Ramazan Sharif, dismissing Qassemi's remarks said, "Mr. Saeed Qassemi's remarks, who for a while was in Bosnia voluntarily and has retired a long time ago, are his personal views, devoid of credibility and are not shared by the IRGC," according to ISNA. An hour after the IRGC statement, President Hassan Rouhani's office also dismissed Qassemi's remarks, saying that his claims help "the enemy". Qassemi's remarks come just days after the U.S. State Department listed the IRGC as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization," accusing it of supporting militant groups around the world. The Iranian Red Crescent has also officially dismissed Qassemi's claims and has threatened to sue him. "If an individual or a state entity has used the logo or uniform of the IRCS for operations against the aims and principles of the International Red Cross Society, it definitely happened without the permission of the IRCS or in coordination with it," IRCS announced. Even if the IRCS permission was sought, the statement argues, it would have never been given. "Based on the four conventions ratified in Geneva, the IRCS is impartial in armed conflicts since it has the important responsibility of supporting the humanity, and the civilians," the statement has insisted. In his interview with Aparat, Qassemi, 59, revealed information concerning the presence of the Islamic Republic armed forces in Bosnia that might place the IRCS and the Islamic Republic in a tough position. 'Side by side with al-Qaida' During the interview, the former IRGC commander boasted about his role and that of his comrades in the Bosnian civil war, while they were wearing the IRCS uniforms. "In Bosnia, in the heart of Europe, there were many developments. We were side by side with al-Qaida. The members of al-Qaida learned from us. From all over the world, mujahedeen poured into Bosnia, and there was a new development. Muslim jihadi units were established," Qassemi maintained. Referring to CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour, who is of Iranian descent, Qassemi said that she was the person who found out about their deception. "This fellow compatriot of ours [Amanpour] who all of our politicians, including [ultraconservative former President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad to [President Hassan] Rouhani, love to give her interviews this dishonorable spy of the CNN, gave us away." Qassemi's comments were followed by a harsh reaction from the IRCS on Twitter, dismissing the remarks as unfounded. Moreover, the IRCS says that it has filed a complaint against Qassemi for his controversial comments. Support for Bosnian Muslims In the 1990s, the Islamic Republic widely supported Bosnian Muslims in their conflict with the Serbs and Croats. The support was orchestrated by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a mid-ranking cleric currently presiding over two authoritative bodies in Iran, the Council of Guardians and the Assembly of Experts. To assist the Muslim Bosnians, Tehran launched a Bosnian-speaking radio station, and later a TV channel, called "Sahar" ("Dawn"). Meanwhile, the Bosnian war helped the IRGC's extraterritorial arm, the Quds force, to expand and gain power. Qassemi is an Iran-Iraq war veteran who has turned into a political activist after retiring from his position in the IRGC. Notorious as a short-tempered person who loves to use vituperative words, he is one of the leading orators at the Iranian Hezbollah gatherings and assemblies. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday set the goal of rebuilding the fire-gutted Notre Dame cathedral within five years. In a passionate televised speech, Macron said France is the nation of builders and that with everyone's participation, it can be done. But experts on restoring historic structures warn it could take decades to bring the church to its former glory. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports. The recent U.S. designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization could increase tensions between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, where both countries have a strong military presence, some experts warn. The designation, which formally took effect this week, adds another layer of sanctions to the elite Iranian military force. The designation makes it a crime for anyone in the U.S. or in a U.S. jurisdiction to provide the group with material support. Following President Donald Trump's decision last week, the Iranian government made a reciprocal move and labeled the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist entity. CENTCOM is responsible for U.S. military activities in the Middle East and Central Asia. 'Reciprocal measures' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC's commander-in-chief, warned that his elite force has the upper hand in the region over U.S. forces. "If the Americans make such a silly move and endanger our national security, we will implement reciprocal measures based on the policies of Iran's Islamic establishment," he said during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week. Some analysts say that such rhetoric could escalate to a direct military showdown between the two sides. "This designation will bring the risk of confrontation to a higher level," Hooshang Amirahmadi, a professor at Rutgers University, told VOA. "The other side (Iran) is also considering this probability with scrutiny and seriousness, as IRGC has moved some of its proxies, including Iraqi PMF forces, into the Iranian border to strengthen its stance as a precautionary measure." Other analysts believe a direct confrontation is unlikely at this point. "Iran will be cautious and just respond rhetorically for now," said Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council in Washington. "The IRGC can pose a threat, but it would most likely not be direct but through an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq, Syria or perhaps Afghanistan." Over the past few years, Iran has formed and funded various Shiite militias throughout the region through which the IRGC has played a major role in conflicts such as in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Legal challenges The terrorist designation also raises some legal challenges, some experts charge. "Current and future U.S. administrations may once again find themselves in a situation, where they are in need of the IRGC's assistance fighting the next terrorist organization posing a threat to both countries. And I am certain there will be another one," said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, referring to how U.S. and Iranian forces have fought Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "In the (2014) battle of Tikrit against the Islamic State, the U.S. Air Force provided air support to Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani's Quds Force and the Iraqi Shiite militias under Soleimani's direct or indirect command," Alfoneh said. "I can well imagine this scenario repeat itself in the not so distant future." Alireza Nourizadeh, a London-based Iranian analyst, believes that regardless of whether the terrorist designation potentially leads to direct confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, labeling "IRGC as a terrorist organization would greatly affect Tehran's role in the region, and IRGC commanders would not be able to travel freely across the Middle East to oversee the dirty job being conducted by their proxies." Nourizadeh added that the IRGC has no capability to confront the U.S. in the region. Iranians "aren't in a position to do any harm (to the U.S.), as they know they cannot mess with this administration," he said. "Their decreasing of threats to the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf is a clear sign of their consternation." Tensions erupted last December between Tehran and Washington after the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, which prompted the IRGC to send vessels to tail it, launch rockets away from it and fly a drone nearby. Ever since, however, the situation has been largely calm. Iran's envoy Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's envoy to the U.K., said U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region were in a volatile situation and that it wouldn't be wise for the U.S. to take action against the IRGC. Washington would not instruct U.S. forces to confront the IRGC and treat it as a terrorist force, Baeidinejad said during an interview with CNN last week. There are "some terrorist groups on the list that the U.S. has not taken any steps against them," Rutgers professor Amirahmadi said. "For instance, the Lebanese Hezbollah has been sitting there, but the U.S. has not taken any military measures against them so far. And despite their role in the country's parliament, the U.S. continues its relationship with Lebanon and only asked the government to restrain (Hezbollah militants) or limit their activities." At a shut-down factory in the Libyan capital, traumatized men, women and children are living in cramped huts that used to house workers but are now makeshift shelter for civilians uprooted by conflict. More than 18,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, by a two-week offensive by forces from eastern Libya trying to take the capital from the internationally recognized government. Many been unable to leave the southern districts of Tripoli, trapped by non-stop shelling and gun battles where the advance has been stopped for now by Tripoli forces. Streets have been changing hands as both sides have been unable to gain significant ground, leaving families trapped near the frontline seeking shelter with neighbors. Among those who got out was 19-year-old Ali, who fled with his family and is now living in a hut built for men making truck trailers at the now defunct factory. "We were evacuated from our home after three days of clashes," Ali said. "This shirt I'm wearing is the only item of clothing I have." He is a former fighter for one of the myriad of armed groups that have dominated life in Libya since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, filling the political and security vacuum. Wounded in fighting last summer, he quit the group. "They paid me 100 dinars ($70) a day ... now I'm broke but this is better than fighting," he said. Some 47 families are housed in the camp with up to six individuals to each small room. The factory itself if a victim of the chaos that has reigned in Libya as foreign firms pulled out since 2011 and workplaces closed. One mother at the factory was away on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia when the latest fighting broke out. She came straight from Tripoli airport to the shelter to be with the rest of her family who had fled their home. "My family managed to bring the family papers but not my jewelry," she said, sitting next to her daughter on a mattress on the floor, her head in her hands. Her father, suffering from Parkinson's, only muttered: "What can we do?" In another hut, 34-year-old housewife Nabila Ayad al-Ammari prayed for the friends she had left behind. "After we left we received news that there are killed and wounded among our neighbors," she said. More families were arriving, some queuing at a municipal office a 10-minute drive away to speak to officials struggling to find places in schools or workers' huts. "Since the beginning ... the state has not provided us with aid," said Abdulfatah Mohamed Ottman, head of a local crisis council. "Some families and businesses have been offering support but under these circumstances we will be unable to help." ($1 = 1.3866 Libyan dinars) The representative of the Lebanese Hezbollah in Iran says a significant number of young Lebanese are currently in Iran, helping relief operations for the flood-stricken people. Speaking to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)-run Tasnin news agency, Sheik Mo'ein Daqiq said on Tuesday that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has called upon all young Lebanese and members of the armed group to join Iranian Armed forces, "jihadi" elements, and Iranian Red Crescent to help the flood-hit Iranians. "Currently, a significant number of young Lebanese are involved in relief operations across Iran, while many more are on their way to the flood-stricken regions in the country," Sheik Daqiq maintained. Hezbollah is almost exclusively made of Lebanons Shiites and is dependent on Irans Islamic Republic for financial and military resources. The news about the arrival of the Lebanese allies of the Islamic Republic follows Iraqi Shiite militia crossing into Iran in their hundreds since last week, which has led to passionate reactions among opponents of the Iranian regime and social media users. Meanwhile, the senior spokesman of the Iranian Armed Forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi said on Tuesday, April 16, "It is natural that the forces of Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces or PMF) are present at the front lines to help our flood-hit people." Hashd al-Shaabi is an armed group established by Iran's Islamic republic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force. "PMF members were invited by the Chief Commander of Qods Force, IRGC Major General Qassem Soleimani, to help Iranian relief operations," ultraconservative daily Kayhan reported. Furthermore, Kayhan said that the members of Liwa Fatemiyoun (Fatemiyoun Division) have also rushed to participate in relief operations across the country. The Division is an armed group of mainly Afhan Shi'ites established by Quds Force to fight against anti-Bashar al-Assad forces along with the IRGC in Syria. However, critics say that Iran, with hundreds of thousands of military personnel does not need to invite foreign militia fighters to come to help relief efforts. Some critics charge that the real reason for the presence of loyal foreign militias, under the cover of flood relief, is to prevent protests by Irans flood-stricken population. The disaster of three weeks of floods has left millions in need of humanitarian and reconstruction needs. The government has failed to react to the crisis in a coordinated and efficient manner, angering the population. Last week there were protests in the oil-rich Khuzestan province, with a large crowd marching down the streets of the provincial capital Ahvaz. On March 7, a conservative cleric warned Iranians that if they stop supporting the regime the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi, Afghan Fatemiyoun, Pakistani Zeinabiyoun Brigade, and Houthi Yemenis will come and support it." Exiled prince and the heir of the Iranian throne, Reza Pahlavi, also charged on Sunday that these foreign armed forces might be deployed for suppressing protesters in the flood-stricken regions of the country. Is your boss working for Moscow? It isnt a question any Western counter-intelligence officer wants to be asked by counterparts in agencies from allied NATO countries, but for Ferenc Katrein it wasnt such an infrequent query during his decade-and-a-half at Hungarys Constitution Protection Office. Worst of all, there were grounds for suspicions about Hungarys civilian intelligence services, doubts Katrein himself harbored. Five-and-half years ago Katrein left Hungarys counter-espionage agency, where hed risen to become executive head of operations and later chief adviser to the director. There comes a point when you have to say no, he told me as we sipped coffee in a cafe near a railway station. It was both a matter of being asked to do things I didnt think right and blocked from doing things we needed to do, he adds. The final straw for Ferenc was being obstructed from mounting operations to counter Russian intelligence activity in Hungary by, among other things, targeting Russian officers in a bid to recruit them as double agents. 'Russian' bank relocation Katrein, who now lives outside Hungary, agreed to be interviewed by VOA amid a political storm in Budapest over a controversial decision by the government of Viktor Orban to agree to the relocation to the Hungarian capital of a Russian-controlled development bank steeped in Cold War history. Known now as the International Investment Bank, formerly as Comecon, the obscure Russian-controlled financial institution is headed by Nikolai Kosov, whose parents had storied careers in the Soviet spy agency KGB. Opposition politicians in Hungary, as well as Western security officials, have expressed fear the bank will be used as cover for Russian espionage activities in Europe. Katrein shares the worries, hence his agreement to the interview and his readiness to discuss the politicization of the Hungarian intelligence services and the Russian threat to Europe. The Russians will use the bank, as they use other state-owned companies and organizations that set up shop overseas, for intelligence purposes, he says. This hurts me as a former counter-intelligence officer to see this bank being allowed to re-base in Budapest, he adds. The bank has denied it or its director is in any way linked to Russian intelligence. But Katrein says his old agency wont have the resources or manpower to be able to monitor what the bank is up to or the activities of its employees. The Orban government has extended diplomatic immunity to the bank, further shielding it. He believes Orban is anxious to play Russia and the West against each other. All the Russian [intelligence] services the GRU, FSB and SVR are highly active in Hungary and they have free rein, that was my problem. There was no effort to curtail or control them. We are a member of NATO and we have a responsibility to our allies. The question some of us started asking was, Who is our partner, NATO or the Russians? The question was being asked inside the building. We didnt understand what was going on, he says. The original sin in Hungary after the fall of communism was not to effect a root-and-branch clearing of the countrys intelligence agencies. We didnt do what the Czechs did or what happened to the intelligence services in the Baltic countries. They all rebuilt their agencies from scratch, with the help of the British, he says. One of the first triggers for Hungarian agents to question operations in their agencies was in 2007, a decade after Hungary had joined NATO. During the socialist administration of Ferenc Gyurcsany, the then-chief intelligence director Lajos Galambos invited Russian operatives to help him find the source of political leaks to Orbans party, Fidesz. Sixteen Hungarian intelligence officers were polygraphed by two Russian operatives, who pretended to be Bulgarian psychologists, according to documents declassified and released by Hungarys general prosecutor last week. Katrein says the focus was on up-and-coming younger officers, many of whom are now in leadership positions in the agency. The polygraphs were very deep and probing and they have a lot of information on those people. If I had that information on the leaders of Russian counterintelligence, Id consider that a big coup, he says. Counterintelligence in crisis The politicization, as well as demoralization, of the counterintelligence agency continued under Orban, who was re-elected in 2010 replacing Gyurcsany, says Katrein. Around 100 experienced intelligence specialists have left the agency in the past eight years, frustrated by having their hands tied when it comes to combating Russian espionage activity. Hungary is being used as a logistical base to launch operations in other European Union countries, Katrein explains. They can organize operations and missions in Hungary without many worries, he adds. Asked how he would characterize the Russian espionage and active measures threat to Europe, he doesnt hesitate in replying, It is grave. Katrein adds, I have no problems with Russians; I like the culture. But the Russian government is very aggressive against the European Union. You shouldnt underestimate these guys. Saudi King Salman welcomed the Iraqi prime minister on his first official visit to the kingdom Wednesday, as the two oil-producing giants move toward closer diplomatic and economic ties after nearly three decades of uneasy relations. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's visit came two weeks after Saudi Arabia reopened its consulate in Baghdad for the first time in nearly 30 years. The opening was accompanied with the announcement of a $1 billion aid package for Iraq. It reflected warming relations between the two countries as they seek opportunities for shared economic growth through trade, investment, and oil production. Just hours into his visit, Abdul-Mahdi announced on his Twitter account that the two countries signed 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding between their various ministries. In a telling sign of the lofty expectations for the two-day visit, Abdul-Mahdi's delegation included 12 government ministers including ministers of oil, finance, and electricity as well as several lawmakers and local officials, and a large contingent of business leaders. Abdul-Mahdi earlier this month also visited Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Iran. The Sunni-led kingdom is seeking to limit Iran's far-reaching influence in the Arab world the Shiite power holds considerable interests in Iraq's business and finance sectors, as well as among Iraqi political and elite Shiite figures. After decades of conflict, Iraq is trying to steer clear of regional conflict and chart a central course between rival powers. Abdel-Mahdi, who was confirmed to his post six months ago, says Iraq seeks friendly relations with all its neighbors, including both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the backing of a majority of parliament members on Tuesday to form a new government, after the April 9 election. Netanyahu is heading towards a record fifth term in office confident of being able to put together a bloc of religious-rightist parties. It would be a slim majority against an opposition that is likely to be led by the center-left Blue and White party. No single party has ever won an outright majority in the Knesset. Here is a quick guide to the various parties, who gained, who lost and what is likely to happen next: WHAT COALITION WILL NETANYAHU SEEK? Most likely, a replica of his outgoing right-wing government. In his victory speech, Netanyahu, 69, said he intends to form his new cabinet with right-wing and religious parties. WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP? Coalition-building. On Wednesday, Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, is expected to officially name the person he believes has the best chance of putting together a government after consulting with the leaders of each party. On Tuesday Rivlin said a majority of parliament members had advised him to have Netanyahu form the new government. Netanyahu will then have up to 42 days to form a government. If he fails, the president asks another politician to try. Past coalition negotiations have dragged on. Smaller parties will demand cabinet seats and will have their own financial and legislative demands to fulfil campaign promises made to their own voters. Netanyahu will have to balance these against his own party's priorities. WHICH PARTIES ARE BACKING NETANYAHU? Likud Thirty-five seats, up from 30 before the election. Leader: Benjamin Netanyahu. The spearhead of right-wing politics in Israel for decades. Likud first came to power in 1977. Netanyahu personifies Likud's traditionally hawkish positions on security in matters such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and foreign policy, with Iran currently the focus. Many Likud members of parliament oppose the creation of a Palestinian state and during the election Netanyahu said he would annex Israel's settlements in the West Bank. About 400,000 Jewish settlers live alongside 2.9 million Palestinians in the territory that Israel captured in the 1967 war, and has held under military occupation ever since, but never formally annexed. Netanyahu's base rallied around him, even though he faces possible indictment in three corruption cases. The Right Wing Union Five seats, no change. Leader: Rafi Peretz. Israel's national-religious party is the most prominent political representative of the settler movement. It repudiates the idea of a Palestinian state, underlining the Jewish people's biblical and religious connections to the land that Palestinians seek for a state. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited Middle East peace plan in the coming months. If the plan requires Israeli territorial concessions to the Palestinians, the Right Wing Union is likely to raise fierce objections. Israel Beitenu ('Israel is our Home') Five seats, no change. Leader: Avigdor Lieberman. A secularist, nationalist and far-right party whose base is immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Moldovan-born Lieberman is a former defense minister who seeks to out-hawk Netanyahu. His policies include swapping Arab towns inside Israel - home to the country's 21 percent Arab Palestinian minority - in return for ceding territory in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. United Torah Judaism (UTJ) Eight seats, up from six. Leader: Yakov Litzman. It represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, or haredim, of European origin. A Netanyahu coalition, like many before it, is likely to rely on ultra-Orhodox support. UTJ is primarily concerned with safeguarding state benefits for Haredi men, many of whom devote themselves to full-time religious study, do not work and do not serve in Israel's conscript military. Demands for more government payouts will make it harder for Netanyahu to rein in a growing budget deficit. SHAS Eight seats, up from seven. Leader: Aryeh Deri. SHAS represents Haredi Jews of Middle Eastern origin. Allied with UTJ and with similar demands, it has served as kingmaker in successive governments. Kulanu ('All Of Us') Four seats, down from 10. Leader: Moshe Kahlon. The party casts itself as moderate right-wing. Kahlon, the current finance minister, has met Palestinian officials on economic matters, even though the two political leaderships have not held negotiations since 2014. Kahlon wants to keep the finance ministry but his party is now much weaker in parliament, so will have less clout in coalition negotiations. Israel's economy barely featured in the election campaign, but the central bank has warned that the new government will need to cut spending and raise taxes to rein in a growing budget deficit. WHO IS THE OPPOSITION? Blue and White Thirty-five seats, in its first election. Leaders: Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. A centrist party whose figurehead, former military chief Gantz, emerged as a serious rival to Netanyahu. But the political novice failed to unseat the veteran, and lost credibility by claiming victory too soon on election night. Gantz joined forces with right-wing Moshe Yaalon, a former defense minister, and center-left former finance minister Yair Lapid. The party vowed to combine clean government with peace and security. Conceding defeat on Wednesday, Lapid said his party would "make Likud's life hell in the opposition." Labour Six seats, down from 18. Leader: Avi Gabbay. The left-wing party which ruled Israel throughout the early decades of the state was dealt a devastating blow on April 9. With Netanyahu reflecting the rightward shift of the Israeli electorate, Labour highlighted social and economic reform, and the pursuit of peace and a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Hadash-Ta'al Leaders: Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi. Six seats. The larger of two mostly Arab blocs in parliament. All the Arab-dominated parties joined forces in 2015 but split in two this year, and saw their combined seat tally fall from 13 to 10. The group has one Jewish member of parliament, and advocates an Arab-Jewish alliance to fight racism and social inequality. But Arab parties have never joined governing coalitions in Israel, and this year faced a boycott movement by Arabs dismayed at a 2018 "nation-state" law which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. By most estimates, this election saw exceptionally low turnout by Israel's Arab citizens, some of whom increasingly prefer the designation "Palestinian" to "Israeli-Arab." Raam-Balad Leaders: Mansour Abbas and Mtanes Shihadeh. Four seats. Raam-Balad's leaders are a mix of Islamist and Arab nationalists. It describes itself as a democratic movement opposed to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. Meretz Leader: Tamar Zandberg. Four seats, down from five. The left-wing party has not been part of government in the past two decades. Popular with liberal middle-class Israelis, it advocates a two-state solution with the Palestinians. WHO LOST BIG? The New Right Leaders: Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked. No seats, down from three. Once seen as rising young stars in Israeli politics, Bennett, a high-tech millionaire, was education minister and Shaked was justice minister in the outgoing government. They split from a larger national-religious faction to form a new far-right party that would appeal to more secular constituents. Shaked frequently criticized Israel's Supreme Court as being too liberal and interventionist. The party did not win enough votes to enter the Knesset. Zehut Leader: Moshe Feiglin. No seats. Soaring in pre-election opinion polls and crashing at the ballot, the new ultra-nationalist libertarian Zehut will not be part of the incoming Knesset. Its campaign demands for marijuana legalization appeared to be a huge draw for many young voters, who ultimately failed to come through for it. Its other policies included proposals to annex the West Bank, the voluntary "transfer" of Palestinians to other countries and the eventual construction of a third Jewish temple. Authorities on Wednesday arrested an Italian convert to Islam and a Moroccan resident who met over the Internet and were preparing to fight with Islamic State in Syria. Sicilian prosecutors who ordered the arrests said investigators had identified the Italian suspect, 25-year-old Giuseppe Frittatta, from social media posts. They included extremist propaganda as well as photos of himself holding a knife with a 26-centimeter (10-inch) blade calling for deaths to "'all westerners." The 18-year-old Moroccan, Ossama Gafhir, is alleged to have induced Frittatta toward extremism, and was following stringent fitness routine to prepare for combat. Frittata a Sicilian who changed his name to Yusef allegedly was in contact with extremists in Italy and abroad, including an American that prosecutors are trying to identify who provided Islamic State battlefield details. The arrests were carried out in northern Italy. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said the arrests reinforced his decision to close Italian ports to humanitarian rescue boats with migrants, "seeing that we already have potential terrorists at home." Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, who met Tuesday with the deputy premier of Libya's U.N.-backed government, Ahmed Maitig, said renewed fighting could create a "humanitarian crisis that could expose our country to the risk of arrivals by foreign fighters." Salvini told reporters that some 500 "terrorists" were in Libyan jails, adding "we don't want to see them arrive by sea." After three days in Ethiopia, White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump is in Ivory Coast, the last stop of her four-day visit aimed at increasing economic opportunities for women in the African continent. The trip by President Donald Trump's daughter is meant to signal the administration's willingness to continue decades of policies to empower women worldwide. But it also comes as President Trump has criticized foreign aid. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports. U.S. President Donald's Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, has announced a $2 million commitment to help women in Ivory Coasts cocoa industry. Speaking at Cayat, a cocoa cooperative in the town of Adzope, Trump said Wednesday the $2 million, promised by USAID and private chocolate companies, would go toward savings associations, which are a popular way for businesswomen to gain capital in the West African country. Cayat is one company that was able to grow from a savings association in an industry largely run by women, but where women are still out-earned by men. Often times women are left out of the decision making process women do a lot of the work but women often dont have the ability to own land, Tim McCoy, vice president of country relations for the World Cocoa Foundation, told VOA. So what were seeing here is a change in that and an example of women really taking responsibility and exercising really amazing leadership, he added about Cayat. Thanks for allowing us to highlight a best-in-class example, Ivanka Trump told an audience of Cayat employees after touring the facilities Wednesday. Trump was received warmly both in the town and the cocoa cooperative. Dozens of people wearing shirts with Trumps photo lined the streets to greet her. We are ready to work with them, a Cayat employee told VOA after Trumps announcement. We want our children to be able to go to school we want to be happy like other women." As part of her four-day Womens Empowerment tour in Africa, Trump visited the cocoa farm, some 90 kilometers from Abidjan, ahead of attending a World Bank policy summit Wednesday afternoon. She is in the region to promote a $50 million initiative enacted by her father in February that is aimed at encouraging women's employment in developing countries. "Fundamentally, we believe that investing in women is a smart development policy and it is a smart business," Trump said after sampling coffee at a traditional Ethiopian ceremony in Addis Ababa on Monday. "It's also in our security interest, because women, when we're empowered, foster peace and stability." A judge said Tuesday it appeared the Trump administration could identify potentially thousands of children who were separated from their families at the border in much less time than the one to two years officials want to complete the work, though he was reluctant to impose a deadline. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw asked lawyers for the administration and for the American Civil Liberties Union to reach an agreement before an April 24 hearing that will include Jonathan White, a U.S. Health and Human Services Department official who led a previous effort that reunited more than 2,700 children with their families. The judge frequently praises White, saying Tuesday he had great credibility and was nonpartisan. Two years, 47,000 cases The Justice Department has said it will take as long as two years to review about 47,000 cases involving unaccompanied children who were taken into U.S. government custody between July 1, 2017, and June 25, 2018, the day before Sabraw halted the general practice of splitting families and ordered that children in custody be reunited with their parents. The ACLU said in a court filing Monday that the governments timetable showed callous disregard for families and asked the judge to order that all separated families be identified in three months. Sabraw said he was unprepared to set deadlines and that the two sides should quickly develop a joint plan. If those efforts fail, he said he would go the old-fashioned way of entertaining competing arguments and deciding himself, calling that route a great disservice. Last year, the judge set tight deadlines to reunify more than 2,700 children, which was largely accomplished through frequent and sometimes contentious hearings in his San Diego courtroom. 'Very significant issue' In January, the Health and Human Services Departments internal watchdog reported that thousands more children may have been separated from their families since summer 2017. The departments inspector general said the precise number was unknown. Sabraw ruled last month that he could hold the government accountable for those separated before his June order and asked the government to submit a proposal. This is a very significant issue, obviously, Sabraw said Tuesday. It is as important as the initial parent reunification, and the same care and attention and energy needs to be paid to this second reunification. White said in an affidavit earlier this month that the sheer volume of 47,000 cases makes the job different than identifying who among 12,000 children in custody at the time of the judges June order had been separated from their parents. Low-hanging fruit The ACLU said the government likely has a list of families that were separated after April 2018 or that it could produce one within days. Sabraw warmed to the idea of dealing with those families first instead of waiting up to 12 weeks to design a statistical model to flag those children most likely to have been separated, as the administration has proposed. It just seems to me theres a lot of low-hanging fruit here in the April, May, June timeframe ... and the process can start right away, the judge said. At least 29 people, most of them German tourists, were killed and 27 others injured Wednesday when their bus veered off a steep narrow road on the Portuguese island of Madeira, authorities said. The white tourist bus, which was carrying 55 passengers and a tour guide in addition to the driver, overturned in a residential area in the coastal town of Canico around 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), its mayor, Filipe Sousa, told reporters. TV images showed the vehicle on its side on a bank next to a small road and surrounded by rescuers. The driver reportedly lost control of the bus on a sloping road and the vehicle plunged down, overturning next to a house, according Portuguese news agency Lusa. I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people, Sousa told SIC TV. He said the tourists on the bus were all German but some pedestrians might have been hit by the bus. Germanys Bild daily reported that many of the tourists were retirees, and those killed included 18 women and 11 men. The German foreign ministry had set up a hotline and embassy staff were in close touch with local officials about the accident, a spokeswoman said. Other members of the same group of German tourists were traveling on another bus, which was not involved in the accident, a regional civil protection spokesman told a news conference. Those injured were taken to a hospital in Funchal, the capital city of Madeira. From the 28 injured initially taken to the hospital, one German tourist did not survive the injuries, bringing the death toll to 29, a hospital spokesman told a news conference Wednesday evening. Three of the injured underwent surgery, 23 were under observation and two were discharged. There were no children among the victims, the hospital confirmed, adding that two of the injured are from Portugal while the others are foreign nationals. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told SIC TV that some of the victims were from Madeira but most were German. A regional civil protection official said the tourists involved in the accident were between 40 and 50 years old. Portugals public prosecutors office plans to open an investigation into the accident, said Lusa. Madeira is a popular tourist destination. The peak season is during the summer but it also gets many visitors around Easter. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa sent a message of condolences to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It was with deep regret that I learned about the tragic accident in Madeira, Costa said on Twitter. To all families involved I send the deepest condolences. The spokesman for the German government Steffen Seibert also expressed his condolences on Twitter. Our deep sorrow goes out to all those who lost their lives in the bus, our thoughts are with the injured, he said in a tweet. Three days of mourning have been declared by Madeiras regional government. Microsoft recently rejected a California law enforcement agencys request to install facial recognition technology in officers cars and body cameras because of human rights concerns, company President Brad Smith said Tuesday. Microsoft concluded it would lead to innocent women and minorities being disproportionately held for questioning because the artificial intelligence has been trained on mostly white, male pictures. AI has more cases of mistaken identity with women and minorities, multiple research projects have found. Anytime they pulled anyone over, they wanted to run a face scan against a database of suspects, Smith said without naming the agency. After thinking through the uneven impact, we said this technology is not your answer. Prison contract accepted Speaking at a Stanford University conference on human-centered artificial intelligence, Smith said Microsoft had also declined a deal to install facial recognition on cameras blanketing the capital city of an unnamed country that the nonprofit Freedom House had deemed not free. Smith said it would have suppressed freedom of assembly there. On the other hand, Microsoft did agree to provide the technology to an American prison, after the company concluded that the environment would be limited and that it would improve safety inside the unnamed institution. Smith explained the decisions as part of a commitment to human rights that he said was increasingly critical as rapid technological advances empower governments to conduct blanket surveillance, deploy autonomous weapons and take other steps that might prove impossible to reverse. Race to the bottom Microsoft said in December it would be open about shortcomings in its facial recognition and asked customers to be transparent about how they intended to use it, while stopping short of ruling out sales to police. Smith has called for greater regulation of facial recognition and other uses of artificial intelligence, and he warned Tuesday that without that, companies amassing the most data might win the race to develop the best AI in a race to the bottom. He shared the stage with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who urged tech companies to refrain from building new tools without weighing their impact. Please embody the human rights approach when you are developing technology, said Bachelet, a former president of Chile. Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw declined to name the prospective customers the company turned down. More than 9,500 prisoners were ordered released Wednesday in Myanmar under a presidential amnesty, but they did not include two Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters reporters. The Facebook page of the Office of President Win Myint said he has signed a pardon for 9,551 prisoners, including 16 foreigners, to be released nationwide on the occasion of the country's traditional New Year. Official lists of those to be freed are usually not made public, but activists monitor releases, especially at Yangon's Insein Prison, where most important detainees are held. Sympathizers waited outside the prison for the possible release of the two Reuters reporters jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act, but they were not freed by late Wednesday afternoon. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are serving a seven-year sentence. They say they were framed because of official displeasure over their reporting on the crackdown by security forces on members of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh following the crackdown, which began in August 2017. Critics have described the campaign as ethnic cleansing, or even genocide, on the part of Myanmar security forces. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent human rights organization, said it knew of only two political detainees, imprisoned since 2000, being released Wednesday. The group said last month that Myanmar has a total of 364 political prisoners: 45 serving sentences, 94 being held awaiting trial, and 225 awaiting trial but not jailed. Last year 8,490 Myanmar citizens and 51 foreigners received New Year's pardons. At least 36 of those freed in 2018 were political prisoners, according to the association. Nicaraguas government released 636 prisoners Tuesday as embattled President Daniel Ortega seeks to consolidate his hold on power nearly one year since the beginning of the biggest protests to shake his government. The protests erupted last April when Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, tried to cut welfare benefits. The protests soon spiraled into a broader resistance movement and became the sharpest test of his authority since he took office in 2007. The freed prisoners will finish their sentences under home arrest and be prohibited from attending protests or other public gatherings, the Nicaraguan government said. Political prisoners According to the government, the group does not include political prisoners. The Civic Alliance, an opposition group, said in a statement, however, that 18 such detainees were released. The opposition wants the government to honor a pledge to release hundreds of prisoners still in custody who were arrested during the protests of the past year. At least 324 people have been killed in the disturbances, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an autonomous arm of the Organization of American States. Ortega has called the protests an illicit plot by his adversaries to oust him. The government has prohibited an opposition march planned for Wednesday on the grounds that those behind it were involved in grave disturbances to public order in past protests. That march, as well as other opposition events scheduled for Thursday and Friday, could reignite civil unrest. Thursday will mark a year since the start of the protests. Protest anniversary The anniversary coincides with Christian feast days marking Holy Week, and the gatherings associated with them have often provided venues for public demonstrations. United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has warned that the marches this week could turn violent. In a statement on Tuesday, her office noted that some 62,000 Nicaraguans had been displaced over the past year and that hundreds more had been arrested. A Cold War adversary of the United States, the 73-year-old Ortega also served a single term as president in the 1980s. Juhyun Lee contributed to this report. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA North Korea has tested a new tactical guided weapon, the latest display of Pyongyangs military capabilities, state media reported Thursday. Kim Jong Un supervised and guided the Wednesday test, calling it an operation of very weighty significance, the official Korean Central News Agency said. The KCNA report did not elaborate on the type of weapon tested, but the phrase tactical suggests it is not a ballistic missile. Still, the test could be seen as a warning to the United States, amid an impasse in talks over North Koreas nuclear program. Kim is trying to make a statement to the Trump administration that his military potential is growing by the day, and that his regime is becoming frustrated with Washingtons lack of flexibility in recent negotiations, says Harry Kazianis, director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest. A U.S. military official said late Wednesday the Pentagon is aware of the reported test, but has no further comment. North Korea has not carried out a nuclear or long-range missile test for well over a year, since Kim began talks with the United States and South Korea. Instead, the North has carried out smaller provocations. In November, Kim oversaw the test of what KCNA also referred to as a newly developed high-tech tactical weapon. U.S. officials later played down the significance of that test. Stalled talks Nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea have been stalled since a February meeting in Hanoi between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump ended in no deal. Trump wants Kim to completely abandon his nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief. Kim has only offered limited steps toward denuclearization. Last week, Kim said he was open to another summit with Trump, but warned he would only give the U.S. until the end of the year to change its approach to the negotiations. A North Korean official said last month that Kim is considering resuming missile tests and pulling out of the talks with the United States. What did North Korea test? It isnt clear the weapon North Korea tested Wednesday was even a missile. KCNA referred only to a tactical guided weapon. Regardless, the weapon doesnt appear to have been nuclear-capable, since usually such arms are referred to as strategic, rather than tactical. The design indexes of the tactical guided weapon, whose advantages are appreciated for the peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful warhead, were perfectly verified at the test-fire conducted in various modes of firing at different targets, KCNA said. It is likely to be a new cruise missile with a limited range, says Kim Dong-yub, a North Korea specialist at Seouls Institute for Far Eastern Studies. If it is a cruise missile, then it has no relevance with the current sanctions. Existing sanctions only apply to ballistic missiles. Increase in provocations? Even though North Koreas latest test is not likely a ballistic missile, it is still meant to send a message to Trump, said Vipin Narang, a nuclear expert and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The test amounts to calibrated signaling to remind us where things can go if we dont moderate our negotiating position, Narang says. It isnt clear how Trump will respond to North Koreas latest test. Earlier this week, Trump said talks with North Korea are moving along just perfectly. Meanwhile, commercial satellite photos from last week showed increased activity at North Koreas main nuclear site, according to a U.S. research organization. The Center for Strategic and International Studies noted the presence of five specialized railcars at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. In the past, these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns, the report said. Also Wednesday, Kim carried out a public inspection of a military unit for the first time in several months, reviewing a flight exercise of the Korean Peoples Army. Kim is expected to meet next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With U.S. negotiations stalled, Kim is likely to push Putin to provide economic aid and sanctions relief. Hundreds of police prevented a march Wednesday to commemorate a year since Nicaraguan protesters took to the streets to oppose the government of President Daniel Ortega. Hours before the scheduled start, police vehicles lined a main thoroughfare in the capital where the march was to take place and more filled side streets. Officers watched from overpasses, and riot police with helmets and shields surrounded a monument where the march was planned to end. WATCH: Nicaragua's Crisis Continues a Year After Demonstrations Still more police filled a popular mall and other businesses in the area, keeping many citizens from venturing out. The opposition had sought permission to hold the march, but police denied their request for a permit. Surrounded by officers As small groups of protesters gathered near the march route, they were quickly surrounded by police who did not allow the groups to merge. The protesters, many holding Nicaraguas blue-and-white flag, chanted Freedom! Freedom! in place. Student leaders and negotiators from the opposition Civic Alliance were surrounded by police. An opposition coalition said at least 22 people, including a journalist from a Nicaraguan outlet, were detained. People are really scared to come out into the street because of this police presence. Ortega put his police in the street because hes afraid the people will rise up, said Harley Morales, a student leader. Alejandra Centeno, another student leader, said: Ortega is not complying with the signed agreements. We defend our right to free demonstration. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said in a statement that a year after protests began, the government continues to impose a police state. State repression and a strategy to silence dissident voices persist, it said. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and foreign governments have urged Ortega to allow people to peacefully demonstrate. Public protests have been effectively banned since last year. Protests against cuts to social security benefits began April 18, 2018, and were violently repressed by police and Ortega supporters. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights says at least 325 people have been killed. U.S. pressure Meanwhile, in Miami on Wednesday, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton announced that the Trump administration was turning up the pressure on Ortegas government. Bolton announced sanctions on financial services provider Bancorp, which he claimed is a slush fund for Ortega. The bank had already been sanctioned by the U.S. for its links to Venezuelas state-owned oil company. He also said the U.S. was imposing sanctions on Laureano Ortega, one of the eight children of Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo. Bolton accused him of being involved in vast corruption under the guise of leading Nicaraguas investment agency. Laureano Ortega is an adviser to the Nicaraguas state investment agency. A tenor and opera lover, the younger Ortega is rumored to be being groomed by his parents to one day assume power. Last week, members of a delegation from the European Parliament who visited Nicaragua in January sent a letter to the vice president of the European Commission arguing that it was time for Europe to sanction Nicaragua, because negotiations with Ortega were not advancing. Mario Arana, a negotiator for the Civic Alliance opposition group and president of the American Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce, said the U.S. sanctions were inevitable, given that the negotiation process has been slow and the government has not fulfilled practically any of the agreements it signed at the table. Polling groups said Wednesday that Indonesian President Joko Widodo is ahead in the countrys presidential election. The so-called quick counts based on data collected at polling stations showed Widodo about 10 percentage points ahead of challenger Prabowo Subianto. Indonesia's Election Commission is expected to release the official results next month. About 193 million people were eligible to take part in Wednesdays voting, which also included elections for the legislature in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country. A recent report that says Chinas state pension fund will run dry by 2035 has stirred up a heated discussion online. Some Chinese netizens complain that the retirees are receiving too handsome of a monthly pension payment while others are worried if the cash-strapped fund will collapse before they retire. Economists say an urgent reform is needed to address Chinas flawed pension scheme a crisis they say will be further worsen by the countrys fast-aging population, shrinking workforce and low birth rate. Chinas urban worker pension fund, the backbone of the countrys state pension system, held a reserve of 4.8 trillion yuan (US$714 billion) at the end of 2018, or a meager 5.3 percent of its gross domestic product, according to a report released last week by government-supported Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Bankruptcy in Sight The fund, established in 1997, is projected to peak at 6.99 trillion yuan in 2027 before it steadily runs out of money before 2035, the government think tank added. And the gap between contributions and outlays could reach 11 trillion yuan by 2050, which means that each retired citizen will be supported by only one worker, down from the current level of two, the academy estimated. The fact that the countrys public pension system appears to be financially unsustainable is fueling worries among the general public, particularly young workers. On Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like microblogging site, one young tech worker complained that his long work hours wouldnt even guarantee him a better pension protection in his retirement. The point of [encouraging] us to work the 996 schedule [9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week] is that we can work to death before we retire so as to perfectly save the countrys under-funded pension system a problem. Is it? he wrote. The Privileged Few Many others questioned why some of the nations retirees, especially civil servants, seem to be claiming an unfair level of pension payments. My friend is a bus driver, whose monthly wage is 3,000 yuan. But his father-in-law is paid 5,000 yuan [a month] in his retirement. What an irony!, wrote one Weibo user and another added the pension payments for civil servants are just too high! Frank Xie, an associate professor of marketing at the University of South Carolina Aiken, said that mismanagement is the biggest problem facing Chinas pension system especially when the ruling Communist Party is using public funds to pay off the privileged few in exchange for their support for the regime. The Communist Party is buying off many middle- to highly-ranked government officials and civil servants, who now live a comfortable life. For example, average workers may be receiving [a monthly pension payment of] 2,000 to 3,000 yuan in their retirement, but, in contrast, they [government employees] are entitled to 6000, 7000 or even 10,000 yuan [in monthly pension payments], Xie said. Public resentment is rising over the discrepancy of the income replacement rate between retired government employees and urban workers, the professor added. Discrimination Against Farmers and Migrant Workers Making matters worse, the system discriminates against the nations farmers and migrant workers a financially-disadvantaged group who are in desperate need of a social safety net, Professor Xie added. Official statistics show that, as of 2017, farmers and migrant workers totaled a population of 287 million, or nearly 21% of its total population. A farmer surnamed Zhou from Hebei province said that its unfair that farmers are excluded from the public pension system. And most farmers and migrant workers are so under-paid that they have no spare money to contribute to any commercial pension funds even if such service is available, he added. I will worry about my life in retirement when it comes, he told VOA. Xie of the University of South Carolina Aiken argued that China should soon initiative reform proposals to address the countrys ill-designed pension system. Reform Initiatives As a starter, the system should be made universal to all citizens, he said, adding that extending the age of retirement or raising the level of contributions from workers are two possible ways to ease the funds financial burden. But both solutions are sure to provoke public outcry, challenging the partys rule, the professor added. In China, men and women are encouraged to retire respectively at the age of 65 and 60 five years later than the mandatory age. And the countrys social security regulations require employers to pay up to 20 percent of their employees salaries into the state pension fund while employees are required to contribute 8 percent of their wages. Zhong Wei, professor of finance at Beijing Normal University, warned last year that the pension crisis and care for the elderly would pose one of five major gray rhinos or obvious dangers facing China this year. The other obvious dangers would be declining wages and tax revenues. Reuters reported recently that, after Beijing last month approved the first foreign insurer to set up pension insurance business, more foreign insurers are gearing up to tap the countrys US$1.6 trillion pension market. But professor Xie doubted the open-up policy will help ease Chinas pension fund crisis. Most people cant afford to pay for the private service. Under such circumstances, foreign insurers can only target those who are relatively wealthy as their business strategy. That wont do much to ease Chinas pension crisis, Xie said. Notre Dame in Paris is not the first great cathedral to suffer a devastating fire, and it probably won't be the last. In a sense, that is good news. A global army of experts and craftspeople can be called on for the long, complex process of restoring the gutted landmark. The work will face substantial challenges -- starting immediately, with the urgent need to protect the inside of the 850-year-old cathedral from the elements, after its timber-beamed roof was consumed by flames. The first priority is to put up a temporary metal or plastic roof to stop rain from getting in. Then, engineers and architects will begin to assess the damage. Fortunately, Notre Dame is a thoroughly documented building. Over the years, historians and archeologists have made exhaustive plans and images, including minutely detailed, 3-D laser-scanned re-creations of the interior. Duncan Wilson, chief executive of the conservation organization Historic England, said Tuesday that the cathedral will need to be made secure without disturbing the debris scattered inside, which may provide valuable information -- and material -- for restorers. "The second challenge is actually salvaging the material,'' he said. "Some of that material may be reusable, and that's a painstaking exercise. It's like an archaeological excavation.'' Despite fears at the height of the inferno that the whole cathedral would be lost, the structure appears intact. Its two rectangular towers still jut into the Paris skyline, and the great stone vault stands atop heavy walls supported by massive flying buttresses. An edifice built to last an eternity withstood its greatest test. Tom Nickson, a senior lecturer in medieval art and architecture at London's Courtauld Institute, said the stone vault "acted as a kind of fire door between the highly flammable roof and the highly flammable interior'' -- just as the cathedral's medieval builders intended. Now, careful checks will be needed to determine whether the stones of the vaulted ceiling have been weakened and cracked by the heat. If so, the whole vault may need to be torn down and re-erected. The cathedral's exquisite stained-glass rose windows appear intact but are probably suffering "thermal shock'' from intense heat followed by cold water, said Jenny Alexander, an expert on medieval art and architecture at the University of Warwick. That means the glass, set in lead, could have sagged or been weakened and will need minute examination. Once the building has been stabilized and the damage assessed, restoration work can begin. It's likely to be an international effort. "Structural engineers, stained-glass experts, stone experts are all going to be packing their bags and heading for Paris in the next few weeks,'' Alexander said. One big decision will be whether to preserve the cathedral just as it was before the fire, or to take a more creative approach. It's not always a straightforward choice. Notre Dame's spire, destroyed in Monday's blaze, was added to the Gothic cathedral during 19th-century renovations. Should it be rebuilt as it was, or replaced with a new design for the 21st century? Financial and political considerations, as well as aesthetic ones, are likely to play a part in the decision. Getting materials may also be a challenge. The cathedral roof was made from oak beams cut from centuries-old trees. Even in the 13th century, they were hard to come by. Nickson said there is probably no country in Europe with big enough trees today. Alternatives could include a different type of structure made from smaller beams, or even a metal roof -- though that would be unpopular with purists. The restored building will have to reflect modern-day health and safety standards. But Eric Salmon, a former site manager at the Paris cathedral, said it is impossible to eliminate all risk. "It is like a street accident. It can happen anywhere, anytime,'' said Salmon, who now serves as technical director at the Notre Dame cathedral in Strasbourg, France. The roof of Strasbourg's Notre Dame was set ablaze during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. It took up to five years to restore the wooden structure. Nowadays the roof is split into three fire-resistant sections to make sure one blaze can't destroy it all. Smoke detectors are at regular intervals. Still, Salmon said that what worked in Strasbourg may not be suitable for Paris. Each cathedral is unique. "We are not going to modify an historic monument to respect the rules. The rules have to be adapted to the building,'' he said. Experts agree the project will take years, if not decades. Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organization, said restoring Notre Dame "will last a long time and cost a lot of money.'' A government appeal for funds has already raised hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) from French businesses. But few doubt that Notre Dame will rise again. "Cathedrals are stone phoenixes -- reminders that out of adversity we may be reborn,'' said Emma Wells, a buildings archaeologist at the University of York. "The silver lining, if we can call it that, is this allows for historians and archaeologists to come in and uncover more of its history than we ever knew before. It is a palimpsest of layers of history, and we can come in and understand the craft of our medieval forebears.'' Two Saudi sisters appealed for help Wednesday from the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country, in the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom using social media to seek asylum. Using a newly created Twitter account called GeorgiaSisters, they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. Like other Saudi women who have fled and turned to social media, they posted copies of their passports to establish their identities. The sisters claim they are in danger and will be killed if they are forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia. They said their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them. Wafa said they fled oppression from our family without elaborating. Saudis can enter Georgia visa-free, making the country a transit point for numerous other Saudi women who have fled in recent years. Guardianship laws Saudi women who run away are almost always fleeing abusive male relatives and claim there are few good choices for them to report the abuse in Saudi Arabia. Saudi women caught running away in the kingdom can be forced into restrictive shelters, pressured to reconcile with their abusers or detained on charges of disobedience. Regardless of their age, women in Saudi Arabia must have the consent of a male relative to obtain a passport, travel or marry under so-called male guardianship laws. The sisters first post to the Twitter account was Tuesday evening. It read: We are two Saudi sisters who fled from Saudi Arabia seeking asylum. Yet, the family and the Saudi government have suspended our passports and now we are trapped in Georgia country. We need your help please. Remember us In another post, the sisters appear with their faces showing and their hair uncovered a taboo for conservative families in Saudi Arabia. The post says they are showing their faces in order for the world to remember us in case something happens to them. In a later video posted on Twitter, Maha said: We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights. Her sister posted another video calling for help from the U.N. refugee agency. We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia (are) too weak to protect us. We are seeking the UNHCR protection in order to be taken to a safe country, Wafa said. The sisters did not give further details on why they have fled. The Associated Press could not immediately reach the sisters in Georgia. A Saudi activist who goes by the name Ms Saffaa told the AP that she and other activists have had direct contact with the sisters in Georgia. Other, similar cases Their cases mirror that of 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who in January drew worldwide attention when she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok after fleeing her Saudi family during a trip to Kuwait. Her social media pleas on Twitter prompted quick action by the UNHCR and she was granted asylum in Canada. There had been speculation that al-Qununs successful getaway would inspire others to copy her, but powerful deterrents remain in place. If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for purportedly shaming the family. The issue of male guardianship is extremely sensitive in the kingdom, where conservative, tribal families view what they consider to be the protection of women as a mans duty. At least four people were killed and 13 others were injured when a car bomb exploded Wednesday on a key Mogadishu road, according to witnesses and medical services. The car was parked on the Maka Al-Mukarama road and went off about 3:20 p.m. local time near the Waberi district police station. The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility. Somali police say four people were killed and five others were injured. It was the second bombing Wednesday in the Somali capital. Earlier, a regional intelligence official survived an explosion from a device fitted to his car on the same road. The officer was not in the car when the explosion occurred, according to security sources but the explosion damaged three other vehicles. The explosion occurred at a time when traffic movement in Mogadishu is restricted by numerous security roadblocks and checkpoints. The presence of al-Shabab has increased in the city following a series of U.S. military airstrikes against the group in rural areas. Anti-LGBT+ biases dropped significantly as same-sex marriage was being legalized across the United States, according to new research looking at the link between attitudes and policy change. Biases declined both in states that legalized gay marriage and in states that did not, said research by McGill University, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004, followed by 34 others, before the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide in 2015. The researchers looked at attitudes among one million Americans over that 12-year stretch, using methods of measuring bias among volunteer participants. One method utilized positive and negative word association with gay and straight people and the other asked participants to rate their feelings toward gays and lesbians. The research, published on Monday, found rates of decreasing anti-gay bias nearly doubled in states where same-sex marriage was approved. "Our work highlights how government legislation can inform individuals' attitudes, even when these attitudes may be deeply entrenched and socially and politically volatile," said senior author Eric Hehman, psychology professor at Canada's McGill University. But because bias was decreasing or plateauing generally at the time, it is unclear whether less bias helped the legalization or if legalization led to less bias, researchers said. "Probably what's happening is a groundswell of movement leading to the law being changed in the first place," Hehman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "I speculate that if anti-gay bias was on the rise everywhere, lawmakers wouldn't be compelled to implement these laws," he said. Research released in 2017 by the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank, also showed a steady increase in approval of same-sex marriage to 63 percent in 2017 from 35 percent in 2001. Bias spiked in states that had not approved same-sex marriage after the nation's highest court handed down its 2015 ruling, the research found. "When a law is imposed upon you from afar, there's local resistance to that," Hehman said. Reports citing relatives of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir say the ousted leader has been moved from house arrest to prison. But protesters who are demanding civilian leadership, instead of the transitional military council, are skeptical. Reports on Wednesday said the ousted former president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has been moved from house arrest to federal prison. Unnamed members of Bashirs family told Reuters news agency, the BBC, and others he was moved to Kobar prison in Khartoum late Tuesday, while prison guards told CNN they saw Bashirs arrival at the facility. Kobar prison is where Bashir locked up many of his opponents during his three decades in power. But some of the thousands of protesters remaining camped outside the Defense Ministry since last Thursdays coup are skeptical. Protestor Abubakr Ali said there should be proof that the former president was arrested. He said he doesnt believe that Bashir is in prison and, even if he is in prison, they want a trial for Bashir and his people. The Sudanese Professional Association, the main protest group, also voiced doubts. Mohamed Abbas is with the SPA. He said the news remains unconfirmed unless the military council announces it in a press conference. People in the streets and the sit-in are demanding to see photos of the arrest on national TV as well, adds Abbas. A well-placed source told VOA Wednesday the reports of Bashirs move to the prison were not true and that he was still being held under house arrest. The protesters have been demanding a return to civilian rule since the military announced Bashir was removed from power and a council would rule Sudan for two years before elections. Protesters and the international community are pressing the military for a quicker return to civilian government. The African Union on Monday threatened to freeze Sudans membership if they do not return civilian rule within two weeks. The European Union echoed that sentiment on Tuesday, refusing to recognize Sudans military council and urging a civilian transitional government. But not all protest groups are demanding the military be sidelined. Sudans Gathering of Unionists in Opposition party said it would happy if the military council simply included civilians. Hashim Babiker, a spokesman for the party, said their vision is to form a presidential council with civilians but, they dont mind the military representation as well to protect the demands of the revolution. The SPA called for bigger protests in Sudan starting Thursday, until the military council hands over power to an elected and qualified civilian government. Sudans protests erupted in December over fuel and food shortages then quickly escalated to massive street protests calling for Bashir to step down. Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has been taken to a prison in the capital, five days after the military removed him from power and put him under house arrest. Relatives of the ousted president say Bashir, 75, was moved to Khartoum's Kobar prison on Tuesday and is being held under tight security. He has not been seen in public since the army toppled him in a coup last Thursday, following months of street protests triggered by escalating prices for food and fuel. Thousands of demonstrators remain outside army headquarters in Khartoum, pressing their demands for a civilian-led transitional government. Coup leaders said last week a military-run council will rule the country for two years. The African Union and several Western countries have called for a fast transition to civilian leadership and elections. Meanwhile, a rebel group in Sudan's Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile says it will cease hostilities until July 31. Rebel leader Abdelaziz Adam al-Helew says the move is to help facilitate the transfer to civilian leaders in Sudan. Bashir seized power in a June 1989 military coup and led the country with an iron fist for 30 years before his ouster. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region. The military council has said it will not extradite the president to the ICC. Uganda says it will consider giving asylum to Sudan's former president Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed by his country's military last week. "If President Omar Bashir applies for asylum in Uganda, that is a matter that can be considered by the president of Uganda," Okello Oryem, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, said Tuesday. Oryem, speaking Wednesday to VOA, added that Uganda will not be apologetic if Bashir chooses to come to the country. He also said Uganda does not recognize the International Criminal Court, or ICC, which in 2009 issued a warrant for Bashir's arrest on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. The head of the International Center for Transitional Justice in Uganda, Sarah Kasande, says Oryem's statement is an insult to Bashir's victims. Kasande noted that Uganda ratified the Rome Statute which established the ICC, and says Uganda is legally obliged to arrest and surrender Bashir, should he enter the country. But she stresses the 1951 Refugee Convention, which Uganda also signed, does not allow Bashir to enter that country. "Article 1(f), it clearly excludes persons who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity from being granted asylum or refugee status," Kasande said. "The same provision is contained in our refugee act, section five, disqualifies persons who are accused of such heinous crimes from benefiting from asylum." If anything, Kasande believes Uganda should prosecute Bashir, who it once accused of backing Lord's Resistance Army Rebel leader Joseph Kony. The LRA killed tens of thousands of people in northern Uganda before moving westward into Congo. "They still have an obligation to prosecute him. How and whether they will do that is another matter," Kasande said. "But either way, he should face justice. But also, I find it quite disturbing that Uganda would dangle asylum to Bashir. He has not asked for asylum from Uganda. It is upon the people of Sudan to determine what happens to the fate of their ex-dictator." Bashir is reportedly being held at a maximum-security prison, after initially being put under house arrest. Ukrainian authorities say they have arrested seven people they claim were sent by Russian security services to carry out political killings and other "terrorist" acts, including the slaying of Ukrainian intelligence agents. Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) chief Vasyl Hrytsak made the announcement April 17, four days ahead of Ukraine's presidential runoff vote. At a news conference, Hrytsak said the SBU thwarted "a sabotage and reconnaissance terrorist group of the Russian special services" that consisted of seven people, all of whom have been arrested. One person who assisted the group was arrested April 17, he said, but it was not clear if that was in addition to the other seven. Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and has given crucial backing to militants who hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in a war that has killed some 13,000 people since April 2014. Hrytsak alleged that since early 2017, the Russian security services had sent several "autonomously operating" sabotage groups into parts of Ukraine including the separatist-held section of the Donetsk region. He said these groups were responsible for attacks including a car bombing that killed Ukrainian military intelligence officer Maksim Shapoval in June 2017 and one that missed its apparent target, also a military intelligence officer, in Kyiv earlier this month. Prosecutors said at the time that the man suspected of planting that bomb, on April 4, was killed by the blast. However, Hrytsak said that the suspect, a Russian man, was alive and had given information to the Ukrainian authorities. Hrytsak alleged that "the true organizer" of operations that included the killing of Shapoval was an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Dmitry Minayev. SBU officials identified one of the seven suspects whose arrests were announced on April 17 as Timur Dzortov, who they said was deputy chief of staff to the leader of Russia's Ingushetia region, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, in 2015-17. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials. A new United Nations report has documented a modest decline in torture allegations in Afghan prisons, but noted its ongoing concern at the disturbingly high number of conflict-related detainees still alleging serious abuses. In its biannual report on the treatment of security detainees issued Wednesday, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has found nearly a third of conflict-related detainees interviewed provided credible and reliable accounts of having been subject to torture or ill-treatment. The abuses included severe beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, pulling of genitals and suspension from ceilings. UNAMA said its findings are based on interviews with 618 prisoners in 77 facilities across 28 of the 34 Afghan provinces between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. The report has credited the Afghan government for implementing steps under a national plan on the elimination of torture that led to a reduction in abuses during the monitoring period. But the decline in use of torture or ill-treatment is not yet significant enough to indicate that the remedial measures taken are sufficient, the report cautioned. Rule of law UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto stressed that respect for the rule of law and human rights is the best way to create conditions for sustainable peace in Afghanistan. As our report illustrates, there is still a long way to go to eradicate this horrendous practice among conflict-related detainees, said Yamamoto. The report noted the most significant decreases in abuse occurred in facilities under the control of the Afghan intelligence agency, NDS. But it said there was almost no improvement in other security institutions, especially the Afghan National Police (ANP). UNAMA reported the rate of conflict-related detainees being subjected to brutal torture and other ill-treatment in the ANP facility in southern Kandahar province was a very disturbing 77 percent. Allegations of enforced disappearances in Kandahar also persisted during the reporting period, it added. The southern Afghan region and adjoining provinces are where Taliban insurgents are in control of large territory. Overall picture remains grim While commenting on the UNAMA report, the New York-based Human Rights Watch appreciated the Afghan government for aligning its legislation on torture with international standards and ratifying related treaties. But the watchdog lamented the overall picture remains grim, citing Kabuls abysmal record on accountability. In the very few cases of torture that have been investigated, the perpetrators have faced at most only minor disciplinary sanctions. Nor have the victims received compensation as required by law. So long as torturers face no real consequences, serious abuse will continue, observed the New York-based watchdog. UNAMAs latest findings give credence to repeated Taliban allegations insurgent prisoners in Afghan jails are being subjected to brutal and abusive" treatment. The Taliban, late last summer, had briefly withdrawn its security assurances for staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, accusing the relief agency of not taking steps to deter authorities from inflicting abuses on insurgent prisoners. The Taliban last week again banned ICRC from working in insurgent-controlled Afghan districts, alleging the international aid group was not living up to its pledges. The insurgent group did not elaborate. ICRC officials say they are seeking to engage bilaterally with the Taliban to resolve the issue. We would like to reiterate that we remain committed to the people and communities of Afghanistan who are our first and foremost concern, the agency said in a statement sent to VOA. Nearly one year after anti-government protests began in Nicaragua, tens of thousands of people have fled the country in fear for their lives, the United Nations said Tuesday. About 62,000 Nicaraguans have been forced from their homes in the Central American nation, of which 55,500 have sought safety in Costa Rica, according to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR). The kinds of reasons that people have been giving for fleeing are the fear of losing their lives, being attacked or kidnapped by paramilitary groups, UNHCR spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell told journalists in Geneva. Some have received direct threats or have been persecuted; others fear for their lives because their communities have been a target of violence ... so we do feel that it is overwhelmingly a refugee flow. Protests in Nicaragua Protests in Nicaragua first erupted last April when the leftist government of President Daniel Ortega moved to reduce welfare benefits, but since then have escalated into broader opposition. Ortega, a Cold War-era former Marxist guerilla leader, has been in office since 2007. At least 300 people have been killed, 2,000 injured and several hundred detained in a crackdown on protests in the past year, according to the U.N. human rights office. Asylum in Costa Rica Since then nearly 30,000 Nicaraguans have applied for asylum in Costa Rica, many of them students, former public officials, opposition figures, journalists, doctors, human rights defenders and farmers, according to government figures. Costa Rica has maintained its open-door policy for migrants and refugees, but services are overstretched with about 26,000 Nicaraguans waiting to have their asylum claims processed, the UNHCR said. Hidden among sacks People, including families with young children, are now taking extreme measures to avoid being detected as they cross the border into Costa Rica, often walking for hours in the heat and through difficult terrain, the UNHCR said. Initially, it was mainly adults crossing the border, but families, including young children, are also now fleeing, Throssell said. The people who are fleeing are coming from different parts of Nicaragua and they are traveling to the Costa Rican border, trying to avoid contact with the police and paramilitary groups. Some are traveling in trucks, hidden among sacks, she said. Human rights violations Both the U.N. human rights office and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have reported human rights violations against Nicaraguans who have participated in anti-government protests and those who have helped them. Last month, anti-government protesters took to the street again, demanding the release of all opposition prisoners. The government said March 20 it would release within 90 days all people arrested during months of protests against Ortega, as a step to restarting dialogue with opposition groups. But without a political solution to the crisis in Nicaragua, people are likely to continue to flee, the UNHCR warned. With the anniversary of the protests looming Thursday, the U.N.s human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, called on the government to refrain from using violence against protesters. I am concerned that the protests planned for later in the week may trigger another violent reaction, she said Tuesday. The United Nations said Wednesday that the Libyan capital saw its most intense fighting overnight since the forces of Gen. Khalifa Haftar began their battle to take Tripoli earlier this month. "Tripoli witnessed the heaviest fighting since the outbreak of clashes, with indiscriminate rocket fire on a high-density neighborhood in the Libyan capital," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. He said that at least five civilians were reportedly killed and several others injured. The U.N.'s top diplomat in Libya, Ghassan Salame, condemned the shelling on Twitter: "Horrible night of random shelling of residential areas. For the sake of 3 million civilians living in Greater Tripoli, these attacks should stop. NOW!" In a statement to the media on Tuesday, Salame renewed his call for international unity to spare Libya from the devastating consequences of a civil war. To that end, the U.N. Security Council has been considering a draft resolution this week calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire. Russian objection Diplomats said Russia had objected to the naming of Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) in the text as originating the new violence. But after a revised draft was circulated Wednesday afternoon, it did not appear to satisfy Moscow, which raised objections, as did council member Equatorial Guinea on behalf of itself and the other two African council members South Africa and Ivory Coast. Negotiations continue in search of a consensus as the fighting goes on. The International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that the offensive has displaced 25,000 people in the capital, with 4,500 displaced in the past 24 hours alone. Humanitarians are also having difficulty evacuating civilians trapped by the fighting. A request for a temporary truce Tuesday to allow civilians to leave volatile neighborhoods in Tripoli was not granted. "Civilians trapped in conflict areas are reportedly running low on basic food items, as well as fuel, and experiencing prolonged electricity and water cuts," Dujarric told reporters. Libya has been in political and economic chaos since longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. The latest cycle of fighting began after forces loyal to Haftar advanced from the east on Tripoli, which is controlled by the U.N.-backed Presidential Council and Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj in a bid to capture the capital. The fighting scuttled a national conference the U.N. had planned this week as part of an effort to secure a political settlement. The Trump administration wants to open two new tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 parents and children near the southern border, as advocates sharply criticize the conditions inside the tents already used to hold migrants. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to potential contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in the South Texas city of Donna, which has a border crossing with Mexico. Each facility would consist of one large tent that could be divided into sections by gender and between families and children traveling alone, according to the notice. Detainees would sleep on mats. There would also be laundry facilities, showers, and an "additional fenced-in area'' for "outside exercise/recreation.'' The notice says the facilities could open in the next two weeks and operate through year end, with a cost that could reach $37 million. But the agency has said its resources are strained by the sharp rise in the numbers of parents and children crossing the border and requesting asylum. It made 53,000 apprehensions in March of parents and children traveling together, most of whom say they are fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Many ultimately request asylum under U.S. and international law. In a statement Tuesday, CBP said it urgently needed additional space for detention and processing. "CBP is committed to finding solutions that address the current border security and humanitarian crisis at the southwest border in a way that safeguards those in our custody in a humane and dignified manner,'' the statement said. The Border Patrol has started directly releasing parents and children instead of referring them to immigration authorities for potential long-term detention, but families still sometimes wait several days to be processed by the agency and released. The Border Patrol processing center in McAllen is routinely over capacity . Kevin McAleenan, the new acting homeland security secretary, was scheduled to visit McAllen Tuesday and Wednesday. In El Paso, hundreds of people are detained in tents set up at the center of a parking lot next to a patrol station. People detained there have complained of prolonged exposure to cold. The Border Patrol limits them to one warm layer of clothing, confiscates coats, and issues a Mylar blanket to each detainee, citing health and safety concerns. U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan, a California Democrat, visited the tents earlier this month. She said she had seen a mother with her 4-month-old child who had been there for five or more days, in conditions she said were "unhealthy.'' Border Patrol officials have declined to allow the media inside the tents in El Paso. Land near the bridge in Donna was used last year as a camp by active-duty soldiers when they were ordered to South Texas' Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol also established a tent facility at Donna to hold migrants in December 2016, in the last weeks of the administration of former President Barack Obama, in response to a previous surge of migrants from Central America. Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said she had been allowed to visit the tent facility in 2016. She said that facility had been "open and clean,'' but noted she visited before it began detaining people. "Detention is never a good idea for any family,'' Pimentel said. "I believe families are victims of a lot of abuse, and we just add to that abuse by the way we respond to handle and process them.'' Police in the U.S. state of Colorado are searching for an 18-year-old woman suspected of making threats that led to a lockout at several Denver-area schools. The threat comes just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The FBI and local police identified the woman as Sol Pais, who allegedly traveled to Colorado on Monday night "and made threats in the Denver metropolitan area," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. Officials didn't provide further details about the threats or say where Pais was from, but they did say she was considered armed and extremely dangerous. "We are currently investigating what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet. "Children are safe. Deputies are at the schools. " Among the schools targeted in the threat was Columbine High School, where on April 20,1999, two students, Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18, killed 13 people and wounded 24, before killing themselves. Since then, threats of violence have become a painful fact of everyday life for the school. On one day in December, the school received two threats, one caller claimed bombs had been planted inside Columbine High School and another reported a man with a gun. Neither was found. As the anniversary nears, officials say they have seen an increase in threats toward the school, as well as an onslaught of curiosity seekers who trespass on school grounds, sometimes dozens per day. As Zimbabwe prepares to celebrate 39 years of independence on Thursday, some white farmers are cautiously hopeful about President Emmerson Mnangagwas promise this week to give at least partial repayment for land seized from them during his predecessors administration. On Sunday, state media quoted Mnangagwa pledging partial compensation to white commercial farmers whose land was taken under former president Robert Mugabe and redistributed to blacks. Mnangagwa said the government would pay for improvements to the land, such as buildings or dams. Ex-farmers are now submitting requests for compensation at the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union's offices. One of them is Glen Johnston, whose mother, Agnes, was displaced from her farm about 17 years ago. Since then, she has been living in Harare with her son. Johnston says he is taking the presidents promise with caution. WATCH: Zimbabwe Makes Promise to White Farmers Basically, it looks like weve been promised that we have steps to be taken. So now, taking the steps, will we get the money at the end of the day? Obviously, time will tell," he said. The land seizures began in 2000 with the backing of Mugabe, who said they would correct colonial imbalances. Farm production plunged, and critics blamed the seizures for the collapse of Zimbabwes economy. Others blamed the collapse on targeted Western sanctions imposed in 2002, in response to alleged election rigging and human rights abuses. Douglas Mahiya, a senior official of the ruling ZANU-PF party, does not think Zimbabwe should compensate white farmers, who in his view, took the countrys land at the point of a gun. But we are saying that we compensate [them] for their sweat. And when that happens, then the international world must accept Zimbabwe in the global family again economically and politically, he said. The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union says it has received nearly 1,000 applications for compensation, which it will submit to the government. The union's director, Ben Gilpin, said the possibility for compensation gives his members some hope ahead of Independence Day. Zimbabwe gained its freedom from Britain on April 18, 1980. I think for many people [farmers], the last 20 Independence Days have come and gone without such promises being hinted at, and now the promise is that this is being dealt with seriously, so we appreciate that, Gilpin said. Meanwhile, Mnangagwas government said it hopes that Zimbabwes cold relations with the West will thaw and that the ailing economy will improve, so Zimbabweans can fully enjoy their political independence. As crews check the structural stability of France's Notre Dame Cathedral and work to determine the full extent of damage from a massive fire at the centuries-old Paris landmark, President Emmanuel Macron is pushing ahead with an ambitious goal of rebuilding it within five years. Macron gave the proposal to rebuild it "even more beautifully" in a nationwide address Tuesday night, and planned to spend Wednesday meeting with his Cabinet to discuss the reconstruction and funding that will be necessary to rebuild. He already has a huge head start, with wealthy French citizens and businesses having already pledged about $800 million. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a global competition Wednesday to rebuild the cathedral's spire, which was destroyed when the iconic structure's roof collapsed. He said architects from around the world would be invited to submit designs for a "new spire that is adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era." WATCH: Experts Say Notre Dame Restoration Could Take Decades Decades of work But those in charge of carrying out restoration efforts at other historic cathedrals cautioned it could take decades to complete the work. Cathedral rector Bishop Patrick Chauvet told local business owners Wednesday the famed monument would be closed for "five to six years." He said, "A segment of the cathedral has been very weakened" by the blaze, but did not specify which section. Chauvet also said it was not clear what lies ahead for the church's 67 employees. United States President Donald Trump said via Twitter Wednesday he offered condolences to Pope Francis on behalf of U.S. citizens and offered the expertise of U.S. experts to help with the renovation of the Gothic cathedral. All cathedrals in France will ring their bells Wednesday evening to mark 48 hours after the fire began. While Notre Dame's spire and roof collapsed, the cathedral's walls, iconic bell towers and round stained glass windows survived. Officials said some of the art work was damaged, as was the main organ, but that many of the works and artifacts survived and would be taken to the Louvre Museum. Also surviving are the Crown of Thorns, the site's most sacred relic that was purported to have been worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, as well as a 13th century tunic said to have been worn by French King Louis IX. Exact damage, cause not yet known The exact extent of the damage will not be known until the remaining structure is deemed safe enough for teams to go inside and access all areas of the site. The Paris public prosecutor is investigating the cause of the fire, which is suspected to be linked to renovation work on the cathedral's roof, and said it would be a "long and complex case." Authorities are interviewing dozens of people from five companies that were involved in the renovation work. A spokesman for one of the companies, Julien le Bras, said, "All the security measures were respected" by its 12 workers whom he said are "participating in the investigation with no hesitation." The fire broke out during the holiest week of the year for Christians. It occurred less than a week before Easter and during Holy Week commemorations. An Easter Mass had been planned at the cathedral on Sunday. A Vatican statement expressing shock and sadness called Notre Dame a "symbol of Christianity in France and in the world." Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Tuesday on Twitter that Pope Francis is praying "for those who are trying to cope with this dramatic situation." These days you cant swing a miniature $5,000 Hermes handbag without winding up in a political discussion, which is why I sort of love the fact that tales of our nation coming apart at the seams are rarely a part of our favorite reality-television franchise. Sure, Carole Radziwill repped Hillary Clinton for the better part of two seasons, but all of her co-workers either agreed with her or were too smart to get into a substantial debate on television. What happens between Lisa Rinna and St. Camille of Grammer is different. The hardest part of this episode for me was relitigating the case of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, because the wound is still raw. Even months later it still makes me sick to think about it, and I feel that is probably true for a lot of people, no matter which side of the debate they fell on. In this instance, Lisa Rinna believes Dr. Ford and Camille believes Brett Kavanaugh. Even though Camille says she was a victim of sexual assault, she doesnt believe Dr. Ford because Camille has been the victim of a smear campaign as well. For Camille, it seems like the untruths that were spread about her trump her being a sexual-assault victim. But is she talking about the lies spread about her by her ex-husband, or is she talking about the misconceptions about her after the first season of the show? The edit, which flashes back to Andy at the very first reunion reading all the awful names Camille had been called, makes it seem like she is referring to lies that were spread about her on TV. Is she talking about when Kyle said, Youre a fucking liar, Camille? Because, if that is the case, then its really weird that nine years later shes asking the very same person to be one of her bridesmaids. The most effective part of this scene, which is held at a dinner Lisar throws in celebration of her 90-year-old mother, Lois, is that so many women around the table end up discussing how they were sexually assaulted and whether they told anyone at the time, or if theyve even told anyone now. No matter how you feel about Kavanaugh and the politics of the situation, I think we can all agree that women should not be sexually assaulted, and whatever can bring more attention to this widespread problem is good even if it is on a stupid show like Rich Women Doing Things. What things do the rich women do this week? Well, Lisar takes her mother and her two daughters, Amelia and The Other One, to some crazy retail medical spa of Goop quackery where they get vitamin injections, go into a cryo chamber, and lie in some sort of infrared tanning bed that doesnt give you a tan at all. Lisars mom is a spry 90 years old, has never had a facial, and survived an attack by a serial killer. This either means that none of this New Age stuff works at all, or that Lisar and her kids are going to live to 137. I hope its the former. That said, the only person I want to massage my energy more than Denises husband, Aaron, is Kevin Peake, the co-founder of Goopville or whatever the hell its called. Id lie in his infrared bed any day of the week. (While Googling to find his shirtless pictures, I discovered he was a contestant on Bravos ancient male-model-hunt show, Manhunt. What a small, horny world.) While Lisar is getting vitamins put into her arm, Kyle Richards is riding around in her Vanderhall, which she describes as a luxury go-cart, but its more like a sidecar without a motorcycle attached to it. Here I thought a Vanderhall was just one of the passageways in Villa Rosa. (Not only do I have a dad bod, I tell dad jokes, too.) She takes this tiny little thing to the grocery store wearing her maroon hat that still has at least one extra Goodbye, Kyle! stuck in the dome of it. Didnt she realize that there was nowhere to put the groceries in this tiny contraption? Its just astounding to me that Kyle has a $30,000 car that is essentially a gag. Its like the worlds most expensive pair of novelty socks. The rich women also hold a wedding shower for Camille, and everyone shows up in cute outfits in pink, red, or white, except Lisa Rinna, who wears leopard print. Im beginning to think that is the only color she is capable of seeing. Her closet must look like a taxidermy outlet. I cant believe Im about to say this, but Dorit is actually wearing a killer outfit. Its a blush-pink blazer with a sheer blouse underneath, and its the chicest thing I have ever seen her wear. In fact, its one of the best outfits weve seen all season. It almost makes up for the barrettes on steroids that she wore when she went to visit Denises house in Malibu. Denise invites Dorit over because she says she likes Dorit. Well, we knew there had to be one thing wrong with Denise, and it looks like we finally found it. Dorit asks Denise how long she was in that Malibu house, and Denise says, Only a month. We wanted it more simple and Zen and just get rid of the shit. Know what I mean? Dorit says, I totally know what you mean. Um, no. Dorit does not know what Denise means. Dorit has lived her entire adult life combating the very idea of things being simpler, more Zen, and full of less shit. Dorit likes things complicated, frenetic, and with as much shit as she can fit in two armfuls. Dorit has, like, $40,000 of Hermes flatware, for Christs sake. That is not cutting the shit out. That is piling three scoops of shit on top of each other, covering it with whipped cream, pouring shit sprinkles on top of it, and calling it a shit sundae. Anyway, I got diverted from Camilles shower. The big event isnt what happens at the shower, but rather that Lisa Vanderpump doesnt show up and that somehow no one comments that Teddi looked exactly like Melania Trump for some strange reason. When Camille texts Lisa to see why she didnt show, she tells Camille she wasnt invited. Kyle, whos throwing the shower, says thats bullshit. I dont want to get into it. Cant we take a break from Lisa this week? We already had to talk about Brett Kavanaugh and, honestly, Im exhausted. Lets end, instead, with my girl Erika Jayne, who is busy rehearsing for her tour. (Ive seen the show. Its amazing.) While writhing around on the ground, she gets kneed in the jaw by one of her dancers named Locky. I am not even going to make fun of his name because, well, he looks like this. That man could knee me in any part of my anatomy that he wants. But because Erika is working so hard on her show, she doesnt have time for Camilles shower or Lisars dinner for Lois or anything. Shes just getting abused by Lucky in a rehearsal space somewhere in the depths of Hollywood, and it looks like she couldnt be happier. This is what she loves to do the most. Follow your dreams, she tells us, taking a sip of her Champagne. And have a kickass checkbook. Better advice I have never heard. Youth Director Sonia DiSanti and President Joseph Johnson sign a lease with the town to use Cheshire School. Selectwoman Carol Francesconi spoke on behalf of the board, which is expected to vote to accept the lease at a later date. Youth Center Inc. Moving to Former Cheshire School Four years ago, Youth Center Inc. said 'every inch' of the East Street Community Center was being used. The center had hoped to move into the Memorial Building. CHESHIRE, Mass. Youth Center Inc. is moving from Adams to the former Cheshire School. Members of the Youth Center attended an informal selectmen's meeting Tuesday to sign a lease agreement for eight classrooms in the new section of the former elementary school. Director Sonia DiSanti said the Youth Center has outgrown its East Street location in Adams and is excited to be able to expand and add preschool programming. "We have been wanting to expand for years ... there is more space so we can take more kids if there is a need," she said. "It is nice that the town of Adams has been able to help us out but I think that we just outgrew the building." The Youth Center services children in North Berkshire County and currently resides in the town of Adams' Community Center at 20 East St., a former nun dormitory built sometime in the 1920s or 1940s. The structure needs a significant amount of work and the town began making plans to sell the building back in 2013. It once housed the Council on Aging, which relocated to the Adams Visitors Center several years ago, and the Youth Center had expected to move to the former middle school building on Columbia Street. But the with the future of that building also uncertain, Youth Center officials decided it was time to make a move. "It is very advantageous for Cheshire and we are very pleased to have them here in our town," Chairwoman Carol Francesconi said. "I think it is a plus for the youth ... I think it is a great step forward for our town." Cheshire has been trying to lease out the former elementary school that closed in 2016. Currently the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District central office is housed in the building as well as an exercise center. Youth Center President Joseph Johnson said the school is the perfect fit and with different classrooms, it will be easier for staff to keep different groups of kids organized. He said there will also be an opportunity to open up to other communities outside of Northern Berkshire County. "We looked at several different buildings this one just happened to be a great," he said. "We will be able to expand our services and offer more to them." Johnson said he also sees opportunity with the school's grounds and its proximity to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and Appalachian Trail. "There is a lot to do on a nice day," he said. Johnson added that they will work with the school district so there is a solid transportation plan between the schools and the Youth Center. DiSanti said although they are leaving Adams, they still plan to partner with the town and will continue to hold a summer program in Adams. The lease will be for 10 years and renegotiable every four years. DiSanti said they were just responsible for paying utilities on East Street. In Cheshire, they have a flat lease of $1,500 that will be more consistent. The Selectmen were unable to officially vote on the lease because there was not a quorum. Selectman Robert Ciskowski, the only other member of the board at this time, could not attend the meeting. The Selectmen will officially vote at a later meeting. DiSanti said they plan to open at the beginning of the next school year. "This is a big step," she said. "It is very exciting." The Board of Selectmen read through the RFQ page by page on Tuesday before voting not to release it. Lanesborough Selectmen Vote Down Police Station Feasibility Study The police station dates to the 1880s. See more photos of its condition here. LANESBOROUGH, Mass. At about 7:30 Tuesday night, Chairman of the three-member Board of Selectmen John Goerlach asked for a motion. And there was silence. The board had just spent an hour and a half critiquing a request for qualifications on conducting a needs assessment and feasibility study for a police station. It included looking at potential renovations to the current station, building new on a parcel near Laston Field, or renovations to building on the existing Vacation Village property. But in a 2-1 vote, the Selectmen opted not to release the request and instead will look to hire a contractor to finish the current renovation project. "We just need to continue what we are doing over there," said Selectman Robert Ericson said. Ericson had taken on the renovation himself on a volunteer basis. He wanted to extend the life of the aging structure, preserving the history of the building while at the same time saving the town money. He wants to finish the job. Henry "Hank" Sayers objected to spending money on a feasibility study. He and Ericson feel that spending money on a study would be a waste and that it is more economical for the town to use existing free cash to finish the renovation at the station, preventing the need to take on a larger capital project. So neither Ericson nor Sayers would make a motion Tuesday night to approve moving forward with a feasibility study to help provide more insight on long-term options for the aged police facility. "I wouldn't be surprised if we are challenged on it," said Goerlach, the sole vote against moving forward with the renovation instead. The police union Lanesborough Police Officers Association MassCop Local 390 has filed multiple complaints about the condition of the building and has pushed for a feasibility study as the first step toward building a new station. The Police Department has more recently pushed for public backing to ensure the RFQ included all options in anticipation for an expected attempt to narrow the scope of the feasibility study which the Selectmen did do on Tuesday night prior to killing the request when it removed the Vacation Village property from the document. When reached after the meeting, Police Chief Timothy Sorrell said the department had gathered a petition with about 50 signatures in support of the RFQ. That was put together, and in hand, for the last Board of Selectmen meeting when word had gotten out that the board might try to limit the scope. But the Selectmen hadn't attempted to do so that night so Sorrell felt that indicated the board was willing to move forward with a review of all three options. "I feel let down by the Selectmen," the police chief said, providing only a limited comment on the vote taken earlier Tuesday night. Sorrell said he is planning on submitting the petition to get the question of funding the feasibility study placed on the town meeting warrant. Ericson has been steadfast in his opposition to a study, repeatedly urging the town to continue with the work he had begun. Goerlach has been steadfast in his support for developing a long-term option through a study. Sayers has straddled both sides during the course of the debate, weighing each option, but often leaned against taking on a building project. "I would like to see us just use the free cash and get [the current station] completed," Sayers said Tuesday night. Goerlach added that if the town does move forward with the renovation, he doesn't want Ericson doing the work. Instead, he wants to hire a contractor to get the job done in a more timely manner. "If you guys move forward, you are not doing any of the work Bob. It is going to a contractor. I don't think anything you've done is wrong but we need it to get completed faster," Goerlach said. Town Manager Kelli Robbins had proposed using $13,000 town meeting had previously voted to go toward the renovation and couple that with another $12,000 in reserves to fund the study. The hope was by the fall a contracted firm would have the reports on what the station needs, what's a possible solution, and what the potential costs would be to help guide the town's long-term solution to the station's woes. The switch in focus from being solely on a renovation to a new building took on greater urgency when the town's insurance company issued an order to halt renovations and move the officers out of the building. The town's building inspector and the police union feel any spending on the current station is throwing good money after bad, that the building has just too many problems to continue to be a police station. The renovation began in 2014 when Ericson, as a member of the town's Green Committee, identified the station as one that could use significant energy efficiency projects. The town tapped into the Green Communities state program to get money for various items. The project evolved from there. Ericson got an architect on board to craft a renovation plan and set his sights on a multiphase project to not only increase energy efficiency but significantly improve the working conditions. The Police Department shifted records out of the building and have been storing them in a trailer as the project has slowly moved along. By 2018, the first phase of the project wasn't fully completed delays Ericson mostly attributed to getting the architectural design of the renovations approved and the union filed a lengthy letter outlining the conditions of the station, calling it "unsafe and unprofessional." It had been the second time the union had filed such a complaint with the town leaders. The union leaders said that while they appreciated Ericson's effort, they felt the project was just too big for him to handle on his own. The Board of Selectmen put pressure on Ericson to complete the first phase. By October, Robbins found out that the Green Communities funds for the project had been exhausted, and that much of the materials and work Ericson had incurred wasn't going to be paid for by the grant. At a special town meeting, voters approved an additional $13,000 to continue with the renovation. But at that special town meeting, the push for a new station grew. Police urged voters to instead use that $13,000 for the study. The town owns land on Prospect Street that it had previously purchased to build a senior housing and community center on. Those plans included a police station on the property. But the funding had dried up for senior housing and the project has been in limbo since. The Police Department has pushed for its portion of those plans to be moved forward. Using the town meeting funds for a study would be the first step in helping to secure grant funds or low-interest loans for a new capital project. State Sen. Adam Hinds toured the station following the union's complaints and said he'd help find a source however, a funding source could be a few years out as there isn't much for grants available now. Hinds has turned his focus on a statewide assessment of public safety buildings that would create the justification for the creation of such a grant program. Robbins found a low-interest loan the town could utilize and said it would have minimal impact on the tax rate should the town move forward with a new station. The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association visited the station in October and in February released a report threatening to move the structure into a "high-risk category" unless the project was halted and the officers moved out. The report cited a number of concerns regarding the partially renovated buildings and at the time of the inspection, a portion of the building was very much still under construction. The Selectmen doubt many aspects of the MIIA report. Ericson laid out of a number of counter-arguments to the findings, citing issues that have been taken care of, issues that are scheduled to be addressed in the future by his plans, and a few items that he felt the insurance company had just gotten wrong. The Board of Selectmen continued to mull the options, looking for both a short-term solution and a long-term solution. The ideas ranged from laying off the officers and bringing in a contractor to repair the entire station at once, to staying in the building and continuing with the renovation, to buying the Vacation Village property and turning it into a senior center, police station, and office complex. To pay for the eventual capital project, the Selectmen kicked around offsetting some of it by selling the Prospect Street land and coupling that income with low-interest loans and any potential grants. The officers remain in the building and Robbins went to work crafting the request for a study. That was moving forward even through much of Tuesday when the Selectmen spent an hour and a half reviewing and editing the RFQ before ultimately deciding that they didn't want the study at all. The study won't be moving forward just yet, but if the Police Department does submit a petition for the town meeting warrant, the voters may have the final say. Reporter: Vietnam will be the only representative of Asia Pacific in the vote for non-permanent member of the UNSC term 2020 2021. If elected, what benefits will Vietnam have from the post? Deputy Minister Trung: Vietnam continues to maintain the external relations policy of independence, self-control, expansion, diversification and multilateralization of international relations, actively integrating into the world with the motto Vietnam is willing to be trusted friend and partner of all countries in the world community, striving for peace, independence and development. Becoming a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Vietnam will join the strongest mechanism in security, peace and stability, thus making greater contribution to major world issues. In the 2008-2009 term, Vietnam joined the UNSC with a high sense of responsibility and abiding of international laws. Therefore, as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Vietnam can show its viewpoint on important decisions that affect many countries. Besides, we can put forth our countrys issues for the international communitys support, thus helping dialogues among related parties. Holding ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020, Vietnams voice will also reflect ASEAN viewpoints, helping the UN have a clearer understanding about the region; therefore, Vietnam will contribute to regional stability. Moreover, as a UNSC non-permanent member, Vietnam will have more experience in politics, diplomacy, security and defence, as well as skills in operation and negotiation. Reporter: In your opinion, what is the highlight of the agenda term 2020-2021? Deputy Minister Trung: Peace is the greatest cause of the international community and the leading task of the UNSC. At present, peace is crucial for the development of each country, region and the world; therefore, we not only look towards peace but also strive to gain sustainable peace. As many as 70% of the agenda term 2020-2021 relates to conflicts and regional issues. Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (Photo: baodautu.vn) Reporter: What is Vietnams role in the agenda? Deputy Minister Trung: Being the country going through a long period of wars, Vietnam always has the aspiration of peace and the wish to prevent wars and conflicts, in order to contribute to peace and stability in the world. Peace is also the title that Vietnam puts forth during its candidancy as a non-permanent member of the UNSC term 2020-2021. So far, Vietnams viewpoint about large issues relating to peace suits the international community, international law, and is appreciated by partners. Over the past years, Vietnam has joined the international communitys work with increasingly high position. In the 2008-2009 term, Vietnam proved itself a responsible country, had similar viewpoint with partner nations in sensible issues, and was able to contribute to the UNSC. Vietnam has sent peacekeeping forces to South Sudan. Many places in the world such as the Middle East, South Asia and Africa have deployed peacekeeping forces to prevent conflicts, help address conflicts, and ensure stability after conflicts are addressed. These are activities carried out in accordance with resolutions of the UNSC. Joining this activity, Vietnam reflects its responsibility as a UN member and the will of a nation desiring for peace, contributing to the world peace and satisfying the hope of the world nations. Reporter: What do you think about Vietnams advantages and challenges when it carries out the mission of a non-permanent member of the UNSC term 2020-2021? Deputy Minister Trung: Vietnam was experienced as a non-permanent member of the UNSC term 2008-2009. With its efforts, Vietnam received appreciation from international friends. Besides, the successful organization of large international meetings and events over the past time contributes to heighten Vietnams position on the international arena and in multilateral relationships. However, there are challenges for Vietnam. The global situation has changed in a complex development, including security issues. Additionally, there is increasing difference and tension among large nations, which have been having influence on Vietnam. We identify that there are a lot of issues needing addressing. Meanwhile, Vietnams economic scale is still small and there is limited number of people who are experienced and skilled in operating international events and lobbying. Reporter: Thank you very much./. Rome dogs have fun at the seaside as Baubeach reopens for the 2019 season. Baubeach, Romes beach designated exclusively for dogs and their owners reopens for the summer season on 19 April and this year celebrates its 21st anniversary. The 7,000-sqm stretch of sand known as Baubeach is located near Fiumicino airport in the Maccarese area west of the city and can be reached from Via Praia a Mare. Each day from 09.00 until dusk dogs can play and run around freely, with drinking water provided, while owners are offered refreshment areas serving health foods as well as workshops in canine first-aid. Novelties this year include the Zero Plastic Project, which provides natural and sparkling water with the aim of cutting out plastic bottles. There is also a training course regarding the care and welfare of dogs, offered by certified dog trainers, beginning on 14 May, and an Ashram centre for rest, meditation and yoga. Another seasonal novelty is the BauSpa organised by professional dog groomers who ensure dogs return home all clean after a day at the seaside, using only environmental products. A few simple rules apply: only non-aggressive dogs are welcome and generally are not required to be kept on a leash, puppies under three months and female dogs in heat are not permitted, dogs must possess their required identification microchip, and owners must present an up-to-date record of each dogs vaccination history. For full details including prices see website, tel. 3492696461 or check out the groups Facebook page Baubeach Village ASD Maccarese. Climate activist met pontiff in St Peter's Square. Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist, met Pope Francis briefly following the pontiff's general audience in St Peter's Square on 17 April. Thunberg, who held a sign reading 'Join the Climate Strike', thanked Pope Francis for "speaking so clearly about the climate crisis" and said she was encouraged by the ponfiff "to keep going." Thunberg arrived by train into Rome's Tiburtina station, accompanied by her mother Malena Ernman, ahead of her participation in the Fridays For Future rally in Piazza del Popolo in Rome on 19 April. Thunberg rose to international prominence last August for organising the first 'School strike for climate', also known as Fridays For Future, a global movement of school students who swap classes for demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change. On 18 April she will be received by Italy's senate speaker Elisabetta Alberti Casellati for a discussion on climate and the environment. Photo Affari Italiani ABRAHAM: Out of One, Many at St Paul's Within-the-Walls in Rome. . Three celebrated Middle Eastern contemporary artists Sinan Hussein, Qais Al Sindy, Shai Azoulay from Muslim, Christian and Jewish faith traditions, stage an exhibition with an important message at St Paul's Within-the-Walls, the American Episcopal Church in Rome, from 3 May until 9 June. A special opening programme and reception, open to the public, will be held on 3 May at 17.30. ABRAHAM: Out of One, Many is the artists' response to todays climate of increasing prejudice and stereotyping, which is resulting in a new type of tribalism, and a recent rise of antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. The exhibition focuses on what Muslims, Christians and Jews have in common because of their shared ancestor Abraham, a spiritual figure of distinct significance within the three primary monotheistic faith traditions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. In these three faith traditions, whose followers are referred to a children of Abraham, Abraham is seen as a model of hospitality of welcoming the stranger and embracing the other. The exhibition attempts to artistically answer the question, What can Abraham can teach us today about freeing our world from sectarian strife? Each artist has created art that highlights what we can all learn from Abrahams example about living together more harmoniously. The exhibition will tour for 20 months through Europe and the USA, beginning in Rome, before travelling to Paris, Edinburgh and the US. For more details about the exhibition and the three artists, see website. The New Zealand army had developed a strong Maori culture since the First World War, so they drew on the cultures musical nature. Haka And Guitars, a television documentary released in 2017 has morphed into a feature film, Soldiers Without Guns. The film tells the remarkable story of a peacekeeping mission, staffed mostly by female personnel, that brought peace to the embattled Bougainville Island by employing music and sensitivity. The conflict on Bougainville Island started with a copper mine. The mine, owned by an Australian company and run by Papua New Guinea, opened in the 1960s but local people were angered by the pollution it caused to local water resources which made it unsuitable for local farmers. Locals were further angered by miners who had been imported from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Their dissatisfaction boiled over and by 1988, local guerrillas had taken over the mine. A decade-long conflict followed, during which an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Bougainvilleans lost their lives. In 2005 Will Watson, a young journalist who had studied the area, decided that the conflict and its special peacekeeping force was a story that the world needed to know about. He set about raising the necessary funds and preparing the required permissions to bring the documentary to life. In 2007 he accompanied his film crew to Bougainville. Brigadier Mortlock, the supervisor of this very unusual and unarmed peacekeeping force was supportive of the project and joined the team. Watsons original hour-long documentary, Haka And Guitars, took ten years to complete and was finally ready for television thanks to a grant from Maori Television. The documentary went on to win six international awards. Although the story is not widely known, it was a triumph of diplomacy. The Bougainville people had requested that New Zealand lead the peacekeeping mission, along with troops from Fiji and Vanuatu. Their request was granted, and since Bougainville culture and society is matrilineal, with land ownership passed from mother to daughter, the peacekeeping force included a high number of women. In the documentary, Major Fiona Cassidy, an army public relations manager, said that the peacekeeping force that was sent to Bougainville in 1997 was unprecedented and unusual in many ways. The peacekeepers were unarmed and instead of packing guns, they went armed with guitars and female intuition. This made the leadership of the peacekeeping force more than a little concerned as they knew they were heading into an armed conflict in a country that was far from stable. Adding to their concerns was the fact that fourteen peace agreements had already failed. Nevertheless, they hoped to broker a fifteenth peace agreement. Major Cassidy described the devastation they found when they arrived on the island. The countryside and many towns and villages had been destroyed and women and children were hiding in the jungle. It was not an auspicious start to their mission, but they continued undaunted and were determined to achieve peace. Major Cassidys role was to facilitate discussion within the community. and for the first time in all the peace talks, women were invited to the table. Major Cassidy said that the change in the negotiations was immediately apparent. The tone and culture of the discussions quickly changed for the better. She says that when the New Zealand peacekeepers entered the debate, they created a space for the talks to be held. The Bougainville people were tired of the killing but had no idea how to stop it. The Kiwi-run peace accords managed to build a bridge, and with the radically different approach taken by the New Zealand peacekeepers, trust and cooperation slowly emerged. The peacekeepers eventually managed to convince the warring parties to trust each other to the point that they handed in their guns and began to seriously trust each other. The New Zealanders also shared their culture with the Bougainville people. The New Zealand army had developed a strong Maori culture since the First World War, so they drew on the cultures musical nature. In this vein, the documentary shows the New Zealanders performing songs such as Ten Guitars, Pokarekare Ana, and the haka Ka Mate. After the short documentary aired, Will Watson was approached by a distributor who felt the documentary should be expanded into a feature film. Watson was unable to turn down the opportunity, and using unused archival footage, the feature film Soldiers Without Guns was born. The new film fleshes out the conflict and the peacekeepers efforts to stop return the island to peace. The Kiwi-brokered peace has held since, but the process of rebuilding has been slow. A referendum to decide whether Bougainville should become independent from Papua New Guinea is due to be held in October 2019. Meanwhile, Major Cassidy returned to the island 20 years later, where she was delighted to be greeted with the same warmth she received in 1997. Read another story from us: ANZACS: The Australians & New Zealanders at Gallipoli, 1915 This peacekeeping mission was like no other before. Peacekeeping missions all over the world have come and gone with little substantive changes to the underlying conflicts, so perhaps there are lessons to be learned from these New Zealand women and their methodology. After all, it worked wonders and could be worth trying again elsewhere. Iwry said he did not know the specifics of the Alden case but that federal rules on conflicts of interest generally prohibit plan managers from investing with partners in which they have a financial stake. What did [the plans managers] think they were doing and what did they think was the justification for it? he said. South Africa's performance on a range of social, economic and governance measures deteriorated more in the past 12 years than that of any nation not at war, according to Eunomix Business & Economics. The decline is likely to continue as the country wrestles with the consequences of nine years of corruption and policy paralysis under then-President Jacob Zuma, the advisory firm said. The idea of these people we admire the image we have of them might act as a tonic. But mourning their loss has nothing to do with their art. The art affects us individually, in ways that are often incommunicable. That art was the same the day before the artist died and remains the same the day after. It has nothing to do with who, meanwhile, became president. This is a disaster, and it is intentional, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who sits on the Senate panel overseeing funding for the Justice Department, told The Washington Post. Barrs decision to deny bond hearings is another attempt by the administration to use indefinite detention as a deterrent for people who are exercising their right under U.S. and international law to seek asylum. Its creating a crisis of capacity on purpose. An early responsibility will be to report not only what Barr released but also to get a sense of what he didnt reveal what was redacted and what the legal or political implications of that might be: Were the redactions necessary for national-security reasons or were they meant to protect the president politically? Notre Dames importance to the French indeed, the world cannot be overstated. It plays many essential roles at once. Presiding over the Ile de la Cite, the island in the Seine that was the site of medieval Paris, the cathedral is an enduring and beloved symbol to Christians everywhere, and its beauty and artistry is appreciated by people of all faiths. Its also a symbol of the historic city itself and marks its center; a medallion embedded in the square outside Notre Dame indicates Point Zero, the starting point for all roads leading to other cities. It has been a witness to hundreds of years of tumultuous history. And it has become the keystone of the citys tourism industry. One ray of light, perhaps, is that visitors will turn to some of the other jewel-like churches in Paris for solace. The rows leading to the overwing emergency exits usually still have the humane 36 inches of space necessary for quick egress during an evacuation. They also are often occupied by experienced air travelers who mind their own business. If youre not in a special class or in one of the bulkhead seats those in the first row of the cabin, which also have more legroom the emergency exit row is the next best place to sit. Arwell Ct., 1800 block, April 9. A 26-year-old Severn man was arrested after an investigation into a video posted on a social media account showing a young pit bull mauling a small mixed-breed puppy. The man was charged with two counts of animal cruelty, aggravated cruelty to an animal, dog fighting, and possessing and/or training a dog for fighting. Supporters of the Dixie name said it was not racist and that the ties to the Confederacy could not be firmly established. Members of We Are Dixie, the group formed in support of keeping the name, said Dixie should remain for the sake of tradition. And they argued that changing the name was caving to politically correct demands from a small cadre. Asked whether he would push for an African American speaker, Barnes said that his priorities as the chair of the Black Caucus are twofold: To make sure the next speaker is putting the African American community at the forefront of their agenda, and to find the person best-suited to lead the sometimes unruly House. The following information, provided by the Montgomery County Police Department, shows selected offenses reported to police. Crime reports may be based on preliminary information that is subject to change as a result of further investigation. The spokesman said investigators did not believe the gunfire was a random event, but he did not elaborate. The fire department described it as a large brush fire, and estimated that it involved two acres. No injuries were reported and there was no indication of any threat to buildings. A man has been arrested over a fatal shooting in December. Donnell Cato, 23, of Temple Hills, Md., was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Brian Crayton Jr., 25, of Waldorf, Prince Georges County police said. Kolkata, Apr 17 (IBNS): At a time when West Bengal is gearing up to vote in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, a member of CM Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress party was caught on camera urging workers and voters to chase away central forces with 'brooms'. "I will urge Mahila Morcha members to chase away central forces with brooms," TMC leader Ratna Ghosh Kar was quoted as saying by media. The TMC lawmaker from Chakda further was caught on camera telling people: "Nothing can be considered as fair or unfair while you want to win a war." Sharing the clip on his Twitter page, BJP president Amit Shah said people of Bengal will end TMC's rule in the state. Shah said Mamata Banerjee's 'time is up. "Finally, Mamata didis trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy. But I want to remind Mamata Didi that such destruction of democracy won't last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC at the hustings. Her time is up!," the party president tweeted. Finally, Mamata didis trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy. But I want to remind Mamata Didi that such destruction of democracy won't last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC at the hustings. Her time is up! https://t.co/65dRMnvl0K Chowkidar Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 17, 2019 Bangladeshi actors campaigning: TMC lands itself in a controversy After Ferdous Ahmed, another Bangladeshi actor Gazi Abdun Noor is in the news for campaigning for West Bengal's ruling party Trinamool Congress with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodging a complaint with the Election Commission. Ratna Ghosh Kar, a lawmaker & minister in the @mamataofficial government openly provoking TMC party workers to attack @crpfindia jawans on poll duty & lambasts democracy. This time Bengal will fight these goons by exercising their constitutional rights without fear. pic.twitter.com/Gxv3Be1jVU BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) April 16, 2019 Noor, who played the role of Raja Rajchandra in popular Bengali serial Rani Rashmoni, was found with Trinamool leader Madan Mitra who was campaigning for his party's Lok Sabha candidate from Dum Dum, Saugata Roy. In his Facebook page, Mitra shared a few images and a video where Noor could be seen. However, Noor claimed the images shared by Mitra were not recently clicked. Though he admitted to have been present in the rally, the young actor said he didn't speak a word supporting the Trinamool. "I do have a very good relation with Madan Mitra on a personal level for a long time. He had helped me for treating my ill mother. The pictures which have been shared by him on Facebook are from "Khuti Pujo" (a ritual before erecting pandals for Durga Puja) last year. The video which has been shared by Madan da is the latest one. I had no vehicle to go to Dakshineswar when Madan da offered me a lift. I agreed. Later I found there was a huge gathering. But I did not participate in the rally and didn't speak a word in favour of the Trinamool despite having multiple microphones out there. To me, India is important and I am not in favour of any political party," Noor told IBNS. But in a live video of Mitra, Noor was heard saying that he would be present to meet people at 4 pm on Apr 12. What happened to Ferdous Ahmed? India has asked Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed to leave the country immediately as he was found electioneering for the Trinamool Congress, which is headed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Union Home Ministry also asked for a report from the Bureau of Immigration after Ferdous Ahmed's presence at a Trinamool roadshow at Raiganj in north Bengal triggered controversy before the second phase polling for three Lok Sabha seats in north Bengal on April 18. The Bangladeshi actor, who was on a business visa, was also blacklisted by the Indian government and has been asked to immediately leave the country. Ferdous, a popular name in Bangladesh, campaigned for Trinamools Lok Sabha candidate Kanaia Lal Agarwal from Raiganj in North Dinajpur district. However, when asked about the Bangladeshi actor, Agarwal said: "I've no idea about the specific rally you are talking about where Ferdous Ahmed or any other actor, actress took part." Four people were standing in a parking lot when one or more shooters opened fire and then fled, the statement said. Police said that they do not know who fired on the group but that they dont think the shooting was random. Detectives began investigating Cummins in May 2018, after a juvenile revealed that he had been inappropriately touched by Cummins over several years, police said. In January, another victim came forward and disclosed he had been abused by Cummins for several years, as well, police said. The abuse occurred during lessons and at other times the juveniles were at Cumminss home, police said. Due to health privacy laws, officials did not release any information about the patients. However, officials released a list of three locations in Pikesville and times on April 14 that residents may have been exposed to the disease, which includes 4000 Old Court Rd., from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Market Maven, at 1630 Reisterstown Road, from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and Seven Mile Market, at 201 Reisterstown Rd., from 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Pike said in a statement that this review was conducted with the dual aims of being not only fair but thorough. The chief said the Capitol Police traces its heritage back more than four centuries, and we take employee conduct very seriously. We will continue to commit ourselves to providing law enforcement services to our community with the utmost professionalism. These were among reports received by the Calvert County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 410-535-2800 or 301-855-1194, the Crime Solvers line at 410-535-2880 or the state police Prince Frederick Barrack at 410-535-1400. 2019 sets the stage, ORourke, 46, said during an appearance in Fairfax County with about 200 voters and Democratic officeholders and candidates. The country rests on the shoulders of those here today. We want to do everything we can to help you by bringing attention and focus, within the commonwealth and from without, on the importance of these next elections. The controversy has made it hard for Northam to play the leading role that a sitting governor typically assumes for his party particularly in a crucial election year, when Democrats could win control of the state House and Senate by picking up just a couple of seats in each chamber. McAuliffe said he would be laser-focused on that goal between now and the November election. The project has been beset by delays over the route the waterlines should take and a request for a much larger water tank than the school needed. Callaham and James Booth, a former coal baron and chairman of the Martin County Economic Development Authority, said that they requested the tank to provide for a new industrial park, as well. Critics, including McCoy, worry that the added demand will put more pressure on a system strained to the breaking point and that the person likely to profit most is Booth, who owns gas stations, convenience stores and other commercial enterprises in the county. By David Brennan April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Former President Jimmy Carter told a church congregation this weekend that he had spoken with President Donald Trump about China on Saturday, and said the commander in chief was worried that Beijing had outpaced its global rivals. According to Emma Hurt, a reporter for NPR affiliate WABE, Carter spoke of the call during his regular Sunday School lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Carter, 94, said Trump was worried that China is getting ahead of us, and suggested the president was right to be concerned. He told the congregation that Trump feared China's growing economic strength. Economic modeling indicated that China would overtake the U.S. as the worlds strongest economy by 2030, and many experts have said that we were already living in what has been dubbed the Chinese Century. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Carter said he did not really fear that time, but it bothers President Trump and I dont know why. Im not criticizing him this morning, he added, to laughs from fellow churchgoers. Carterwho normalized diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing in 1979suggested that Chinas breakneck growth had been facilitated by sensible investment and buoyed by peace. Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody? Carter asked. None. And we have stayed at war. The U.S., he noted, has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country the most warlike nation in the history of the world, Carter said. This is, he said, because of Americas tendency to force other nations to adopt our American principles. In China, meanwhile, the economic benefits of peace were clear to the eye. How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country? he asked. While China has some 18,000 miles of high-speed rail, the U.S. has wasted, I think, $3 trillion on military spending. Its more than you can imagine. China has not wasted a single penny on war, and thats why theyre ahead of us. In almost every way. And I think the difference is if you take $3 trillion and put it in American infrastructure youd probably have $2 trillion leftover. Wed have high-speed railroad. Wed have bridges that arent collapsing, wed have roads that are maintained properly. Our education system would be as good as that of say South Korea or Hong Kong, Carter told the congregation. Before he left the pulpit, Carter noted, I wasnt comparing my country adversely to China. I was just pointing that out because I happened to get a phone call last night. The Trump administration remains locked in a costly trade war with China, though Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Saturday the end could be in sight. I think were hopeful that were getting close to the final round of concluding issues, Mnuchin told reporters, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, military tensions remain over Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea and its continued insistence that the independent island nation of Taiwan will eventually fall back under Beijings control. This article was originally published by " Newsweek" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here 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 Man gets life term: A white man who ran down and killed a young black man in Oregon two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 28 years. News outlets reported Russell Courtier was sentenced Tuesday in the 2016 death of 19-year-old Larnell Bruce. Jurors in March found the 40-year-old Courtier guilty of murder, hit-and-run driving and the hate crime of intimidation. Prosecutors argued Courtier was motivated by his white supremacist beliefs. Authorities have said that Courtier and Colleen Hunt were in a Jeep driven by Courtier and that he was encouraged by Hunt to drive into Bruce after a fistfight with him at a convenience store in the Portland suburb of Gresham. MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: The Fly in the Mueller Ointment Mr. President: April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The song has ended but the melody lingers on. The expected release Thursday of the redacted text of Special Counsel Robert Muellers Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election will nudge the American people a tad closer to the truth on so-called Russiagate. But judging by Attorney General William Barrs 4-page summary, the Mueller report will leave unscathed the central-but-unproven allegation that the Russian government hacked into the DNC and Podesta emails, gave them to WikiLeaks to publish, and helped you win the election. The thrust will be the same; namely, even if there is a lack of evidence that you colluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin, you have him to thank for becoming president. And that melody will linger on for the rest of your presidency, unless you seize the moment. Mueller has accepted that central-but-unproven allegation as gospel truth, apparently in the lack of any disinterested, independent forensic work. Following the odd example of his erstwhile colleague, former FBI Director James Comey, Mueller apparently has relied for forensics on a discredited, DNC-hired firm named CrowdStrike, whose credibility is on a par with pee-tape dossier compiler Christopher Steele. Like Steele, CrowdStrike was hired and paid by the DNC (through a cutout). We brought the lack of independent forensics to the attention of Attorney General William Barr on March 13 in a Memorandum entitled Muellers Forensic-Free Findings, but received no reply or acknowledgement. In that Memorandum we described the results of our own independent, agenda-free forensic investigation led by two former Technical Directors of the NSA, who avoid squishy assessments, preferring to base their findings on fundamental principles of science and the scientific method. Our findings remain unchallenged; they reveal gaping holes in CrowdStrikes conclusions. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter We do not know if Barr shared our March 13 Memorandum with you. As for taking a public position on the forensics issue, we suspect he is being circumspect in choosing his battles carefully, perhaps deferring until later a rigorous examination of the dubious technical work upon which Mueller seems to have relied. Barrs Notification to Congress As you know, the big attention-getter came on March 24 when Attorney General William Barr included in his four-page summary a quote from Muellers report: The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. Understandably, that grabbed headlines the more so, since most Americans had been convinced earlier by the media that the opposite was true. There remains, however, a huge fly in the ointment. Barrs summary makes it clear that Mueller accepts as a given an evidence-impoverished given that the Russian government interfered in the election on two tracks: Track 1involves what Barr, echoing Mueller, claims a Russian organization, the Internet Research Agency (IRA) did in using social media to sow social discord, eventually with the aim of interfering with the election. A careful look at this allegation shows it to be without merit, despite Herculean efforts by the NY Times, for example, to put lipstick on this particular pig. After some rudimentary research, award winning investigative reporter Gareth Porter promptly put that pig out of its misery and brought home the bacon. We do not believe Track 1 merits further commentary. Track 2 does need informed commentary, since it is more technical and to most Americans arcane. In Barrs words: The Special Counsel found that Russian government actors successfully hacked into computers and obtained emails from persons affiliated with the Clinton campaign and Democratic Party organizations, and publicly disseminated those materials through various intermediaries, including WikiLeaks. Based on these activities, the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian military officers for conspiring to hack into computers in the United States for purposes of influencing the election. We are eager to see if Muellers report contains more persuasive forensic evidence than that which VIPS has already debunked. In Barrs summary, the only mention of forensics refers to forensic accountants a far cry from the kind of forensic investigators needed to provide convincing proof of hacking by the Russian government. But They Were Indicted! Circular reasoning is not likely to work for very long, even with a U.S. populace used to being brainwashed by the media. Many Americans had mistakenly assumed that Muellers indictment of Russians whether they be posting on FaceBook or acting like intelligence officers was proof of guilt. But, as lawyers regularly point out, one can easily indict a ham sandwich easier still these days, if it comes with Russian dressing. Chances have now increased that the gullible folks who had been assured that Mueller would find collusion between you and Putin may now be a bit more circumspect skeptical even regarding the rest of the story-line of the Russian hack, and that will be even more likely among those with some technical background. Such specialists will have a field day, IF and it is a capital IF by some miracle, word of VIPS forensic findings gets into the media this time around. The evidence-impoverished, misleadingly labeled Intelligence Community Assessment of January 6, 2017 had one saving grace. The authors noted: The nature of cyberspace makes attribution of cyber operations difficult but not impossible. Every kind of cyber operation malicious or not leaves a trail. Forensic investigators can follow a trail of metadata and other technical properties. VIPS has done that. A High-Class Entity? If, as we strongly suspect, Mueller is relying for forensics solely on CrowdStrike, the discredited firm hired by the DNC in the spring of 2016, he is acting more in the mold of Inspector Clouseau than the crackerjack investigator he is reputed to be. It simply does not suffice for Muellers former colleague James Comey to tell Congress that CrowdStrike is a high-class entity. It is nothing of the sort and, in addition to its documented incompetence, it is riddled with conflicts of interest. Comey needs to explain why he kept the FBI away from the DNC computers after they were said to have been hacked. And former National Intelligence Director James Clapper needs to explain his claim last November that the forensic evidence was overwhelming about what the Russians had done. What forensic evidence? From CrowdStrike? We at VIPS, in contrast, are finding more and more forensic evidence that the DNC emails were leaked, not hacked by the Russians or anyone else and that Guccifer 2.0 is an out-and-out fraud. Yes, we can prove that from forensics too. But the Talking Heads Say Again, if Muellers incomplete investigation is allowed to assume the status of Holy Writ, most Americans will continue to believe that whether you colluded the Russians or not Putin came through for you big time. In short, absent President Putins help, you would not be president. Far too many Americans will still believe this because of the mainstream-media fodder half-cooked by intelligence leaks that they have been fed for two and a half years. The media have been playing thecentral role in the effort of the MICIMATT (the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank) complex to stymie any improvement in relations with Russia. We in VIPS have repeatedly demonstrated that the core charges of Russian interference in the 2016 election are built on a house of cards. But, despite our record of accuracy on this issue not to mention our pre-Iraq-war warnings about the fraudulent intelligence served up by our former colleagues we have gotten no play in mainstream media. Most of us have chalked up decades in the intelligence business and many have extensive academic and government experience focusing on Russia. We consider the issue of Russian interference of overriding significance not only because that the allegation is mischievously bogus and easily disproven. More important, it has brought tension with nuclear-armed Russia to the kind of dangerous fever pitch not seen since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the Russian provocation was real authentic, not synthetic. Sober minds resolved that crisis more than a half-century ago, and we all got to live another day. These days sober minds seem few and far between and a great deal is at stake. On the intelligence/forensics side, we have proved that the evidence adduced to prove that the Russians hacked into the DNC and Podesta emails and gave them to WikiLeaks is spurious. For example, we have examined metadata from one key document attributed to Russian hacking and shown that it wassynthetically tainted with Russian fingerprints. Who Left the Bread Crumbs? So, if it wasnt the Russians, who left the Russian bread-crumb fingerprints? We do not know for sure; on this question we cannot draw a conclusion based on the principles of science at least not yet. We suspect, however, that cyber warriors closer to home were responsible for inserting the tell-tale signs necessary to attribute hacks to Russia. We tacked on our more speculative views regarding this intriguing issue onto the end of our May 24, 2017 Memorandum to you entitled Intelligence Veterans Challenge Russia Hack Evidence We recall that you were apprised of that Memorandums key findings because you ordered then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo to talk to William Binney, one of our two former NSA Technical Directors and one of the principal authors of that Memorandum. On October 24, 2017, Pompeo began an hour-long meeting with Binney by explaining the genesis of the odd invitation to CIA Headquarters: You are here because the president told me that if I really wanted to know about Russian hacking I needed to talk to you. On the chance Pompeo has given you no report on his meeting with Binney, we can tell you that Binney, a plain-spoken, widely respected scientist, began by telling Pompeo that his (CIA) people were lying to him about Russian hacking and that he (Binney) could prove it. Pompeo reacted with disbelief, but then talked of following up with the FBI and NSA. We have no sign, though, that he followed through. And there is good reason to believe that Pompeo himself may have been reluctant to follow up with his subordinates in the Directorate of Digital Innovation created by CIA Director John Brennan in 2015. CIA malware and hacking tools are built by the Engineering Development Group, part of that relatively new Directorate. Obfuscation A leak from within the CIA, published on March 31, 2017 by WikiLeaks as part of the so-called Vault 7 disclosures, exposed a cyber tool called Marble, which was used during 2016 forobfuscation (CIAs word). This tool can be used to conduct a forensic attribution double game (aka a false-flag operation); it included test samples in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, and Russian. Washington Post reporter Ellen Nakashima, to her credit, immediately penned an informative article on the Marble cyber-tool, under the caching (and accurate) headline WikiLeaks latest release of CIA cyber-tools could blow the cover on agency hacking operations. That was apparently before Nakashima got the memo. Mainstream media have otherwise avoided like the plague any mention of Marble. Mr. President, we do not know if CIAs Marble, or tools like it, played some kind of role in the campaign to blame Russia for hacking the DNC. Nor do we know how candid the denizens of CIAs Directorate of Digital Innovation have been with the White House or with former Director Pompeo on this touchy issue. Since it is still quite relevant, we will repeat below a paragraph included in our July 2017 Memorandum to you under the sub-heading Putin and the Technology: We also do not know if you have discussed cyber issues in any detail with President Putin. In his interview with NBCs Megyn Kelly, he seemed quite willing perhaps even eager to address issues related to the kind of cyber tools revealed in the Vault 7 disclosures, if only to indicate he has been briefed on them. Putin pointed out that todays technology enables hacking to be masked and camouflaged to an extent that no one can understand the origin [of the hack] And, vice versa, it is possible to set up any entity or any individual that everyone will think that they are the exact source of that attack. Hackers may be anywhere, he said. There may be hackers, by the way, in the United States who very craftily and professionally passed the buck to Russia. Cant you imagine such a scenario? I can. As we told Attorney General Barr five weeks ago, we consider Muellers findings fundamentally flawed on the forensics side and ipso factoincomplete. We also criticized Mueller for failing to interview willing witnesses with direct knowledge, like WikiLeaks Julian Assange. Political Enemies & Mainstream Media (Forgive the Redundancy) You may be unaware that in March 2017 lawyers for Assange and the Justice Department (acting on behalf of the CIA) reportedly were very close to an agreement under which Assange would agree to discuss technical evidence ruling out certain parties in the leak of the DNC emails and agree to redact some classified CIA information, in exchange for limited immunity. According to the investigative reporter John Solomon of The Hill, Sen. Mark Warner, D,VA, Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, learned of the incipient deal and told then-FBI Director Comey, who ordered an abrupt stand down and an end to the discussions with Assange. Why did Comey and Warner put the kibosh on receiving technical evidence ruling out certain parties [read Russia]? We wont insult you with the obvious answer. Assange is now in prison, to the delight of so many including Mrs. Clinton who has said Assange must now answer for what he has done. But is it too late to follow up somehow on Assanges offer? Might he or his associates be still willing to provide technical evidence showing, at least, who wasnotthe culprit? You, Mr. President, could cause that to happen. You would have to buck strong resistance at every turn, and there all manner of ways that those with vested interests and a lot of practice in sabotage can try to thwart you with the full cooperation of most media pundits. By now, you know all too well how that works. But you are the president. And there may be no better time than now to face them down, show the spurious nature of the concocted evidence attempting to put you in Putins pocket, and not least lift the cloud that has prevented you from pursuing a more decent relationship with Russia. For the Steering Group, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity William Binney, former Technical Director, World Geopolitical & Military Analysis, NSA; co-founder, SIGINT Automation Research Center (ret.) Bogdan Dzakovic, former Team Leader of Federal Air Marshals and Red Team, FAA Security (ret.) (associate VIPS)Philip Giraldi, CIA, Operations Officer (ret.) Mike Gravel, former Adjutant, top secret control officer, Communications Intelligence Service; special agent of the Counter Intelligence Corps and former United States Senator James George Jatras, former U.S. diplomat and former foreign policy adviser to Senate leadership (Associate VIPS) Larry Johnson, former CIA Intelligence Officer & former State Department Counter-Terrorism Official, (ret.) Michael S. Kearns, Captain, USAF (ret.); ex-Master SERE Instructor for Strategic Reconnaissance Operations (NSA/DIA) and Special Mission Units (JSOC) John Kiriakou, former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and former Senior Investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Karen Kwiatkowski, former Lt. Col., US Air Force (ret.), at Office of Secretary of Defense watching the manufacture of lies on Iraq, 2001-2003 Clement J. Laniewski, LTC, U.S. Army (ret.) Linda Lewis, WMD preparedness policy analyst, USDA (ret.) Edward Loomis, NSA Cryptologic Computer Scientist (ret.) David MacMichael, former Senior Estimates Officer, National Intelligence Council (ret.) Ray McGovern, former US Army infantry/intelligence officer & CIA presidential briefer (ret.) Elizabeth Murray, former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East & CIA political analyst (ret.) Todd E. Pierce, MAJ, US Army Judge Advocate (ret.) Peter Van Buren,U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Officer (ret.) (associate VIPS) Robert Wing, U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Officer (former) (associate VIPS) Ann Wright, U.S. Army Reserve Colonel (ret) and former U.S. Diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War This article was originally published by " Consortium News " - 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 2 reporters not among 9,500 inmates pardoned in Myanmar: More than 9,500 prisoners were ordered released in Myanmar under a presidential amnesty on the first day of the traditional new year. But two Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters reporters jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act were not among them, said a senior prison official. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who are serving seven-year sentences, say they were framed over their reporting on the crackdown by security forces on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh amid the crackdown. The two nations will probably make a trade deal soon, patching together a working relationship that has been frayed by about a year of tariffs and economic brinkmanship. Experts predict an agreement that will boost U.S. exports to China, improve market access for American firms and reduce the power of Chinese state-owned enterprises and offer some modest new legal protections for U.S. companies whose commercial secrets have been plundered by Beijing for a half-century. As a U.S. citizen, I was horrified to discover that many of the rights we enjoy in the United States do not exist in Japan. The right to an attorney during questioning, and all the protections that come with it, does not exist in Japan. A person can be held for 23 days on suspicion of misconduct alone, without an indictment or any formal charges. I have come to learn that this treatment, widely known as hostage justice, is designed to break the spirit and coerce confessions. Those are just some of the dispiriting results of a national survey sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The poll confirms that there is a national emergency of civics illiteracy, and it is getting worse: Seventy-four percent of those over age 65 could pass the citizenship exam (which requires correctly answering just six out of 10 questions), but only 19 percent of those under 45 could do so. Even getting a college degree does not guarantee a minimal knowledge of U.S. history. In surveys of college graduates commissioned by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, fewer than 20 percent could identify the Emancipation Proclamation, only 42 percent knew that the Battle of the Bulge occurred during World War II, and one-third were unaware that Franklin D. Roosevelt had introduced the New Deal. We are a democracy at risk of being too ignorant to govern ourselves. In March, women and physicians concerned about breast implant safety spoke before a panel of the Food and Drug Administration. In February, the FDA had issued a statement saying that, in 2011, it had been the first public health agency in the world to communicate about the risks of BIA-ALCL. But none of the women with BIA-ALCL at the FDA hearing had even heard of it before it developed around their implants. Several said theyd had to inform their doctors about BIA-ALCL after finding online Facebook groups such as ALCL in Women With Breast Implants. Of course, Parisians and the French feel the loss most acutely. Notre Dame has always been part of daily life and is, as so many have said, the heart of a city that has survived revolution and wars. But, just as Notre Dame has been a place of transcendence for those who have entered there, its splendor and meaning transcended boundaries of nationality and religion. When the 300-foot oak spire toppled, the audible gasps of nearby onlookers were echoed in offices and homes in London, Moscow and Oklahoma City. Also, in Charleston, S.C. Even a trip to Notre Dame, apparently, is tourism of the ephemeral. Much of the cathedrals structure has survived, and the rest will be rebuilt no doubt, but everyone will know that it has been rebuilt. The aura of permanence that the building possessed thats gone. And that is what we craved when we visited. We live in an age of ephemerality, and the devastation of a building that had survived the Middle Ages, the French Revolution and the Second World War comes barely as a surprise. We expect such events now. Our children expect them. All that is solid melts into air. Once-stable institutions, impregnable towers, burn and topple everywhere. . The art we cherish is the art of addictive consumability rather than a celebration of the eternal. And our time will leave no Notre Dame as a memento for the future. The presents contribution to posterity will be the 620,000 square miles of disposable floating plastic trapped in the North Pacific Gyre, with a half-life of between 450 and 800 years. In such conditions, the desire to see the world can only ever be the desire to see the world falling apart. Ms. Lin was secreting packages through some of the countrys busiest airports, using her work with the Chinese government to thwart our security measures, said William F. Sweeney, assistant director-in-charge of the FBIs New York Field Office. We believe this case isnt unique and hope it serves as an example that the Chinese and other foreign governments cant break our laws with impunity. April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - On April 5, the United States revoked the visa of the International Criminal Courts (ICC) chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, for her attempts to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. in Afghanistan. A week later, judges at the ICC rejected Bensoudas request to open a probe into U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. While rights advocates condemned this move as amounting to U.S. interference in the workings of the ICC, its more alarming than mere obstruction and is rooted in the pre-existing hierarchy and embedded colonial structures in international legal order. Bensoudas visa revocation underscores the existing systematic inequality in international legal order. This is rooted in the presumed hierarchy by a group of elite nations that have dominated international order from a position of assumed racial, cultural, political, historical, material, economic and legal superiority. These developments come in light of comments made by the Trump administrations national security advisor, John Bolton, who delegitimized the role of the ICC in a speech he delivered in September 2018. He said that the U.S. will take any means necessary to overcome unjust prosecution by this illegitimate Court. Countries like the U.S. have always enjoyed dominance through this presumed superiority, enabling them to suggest other nations are like-minded when it comes to the international legal order. The U.S. and other powerful nations have not only been successful in maintaining the status quo of imbalance inherent in international law, but have also been instrumental in establishing the rules governing that legal order. With tectonic political shifts across the world, the ICCs representatives and jurists like Bensouda represent some of the last vestiges of resisting the dominant global legal order by attempting to hold the West accountable for their transgressions in the global South. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Unfortunately, however, the Courts unwillingness to move beyond its imperial roots is evident from the decision to reject Bensoudas request. The ICC has blatantly redefined the notion of justice and has been preoccupied with African states while turning a blind eye to equally serious crimes committed by the U.S. Meddling is routine Needless to say, U.S. interference and intervention in dozens of sovereign nation states is commonplace. Meddling with the functioning of one of the highest judicial bodies in the world is therefore a familiar pattern of American supremacy in the international legal order. The move by the U.S. to revoke Bensoudas visa is an expression of that supremacy through intimidation and bullying of representatives of international institutions. However, it also points to the U.S. wielding power in the age of its new-found sense of self-alienation, which manifests into ongoing imperialist tendencies that influence the decisions made by international institutions. This perpetuates the Wests practice and tendency to use global legal institutions such as the International Criminal Court to continuously persecute and demonize the global South. Bensoudas efforts have certainly not been halted by the U.S. governments move against her. However, the revocation of her visa and the Courts validation of such a move by rejecting Bensoudas request raises questions on broader justice issues, what is being considered within the purview of the ICC, and the legitimacy of international law. Such tactics should not come as a surprise. The U.S. has had a long history of supposed exceptionalism facilitated by international law when it comes to its participation in the global legal order and its violations of international humanitarian and human rights law with impunity. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006 qualified the so-called war on terror as a form of armed conflict. However, as Jeremy Waldron, a professor at New York University School of Law, pointed out, the U.S. consistently violated the Geneva Conventions during the war through extraordinary rendition techniques and unlawful detention. This was done under the pretext that the particular category of armed conflict that the U.S. was involved in lacked explicit mention in the Geneva Conventions. Disregarding international law Bensoudas role in investigating these alleged war crimes has the potential to shine a spotlight on the historical American practice of disregarding international law. By engaging in bullying tactics, the U.S. is now reaching a new level of abrogation of international legal order. This could not only prevent the Court from being able to investigate the alleged violations, but also has the potential to reinforce its hegemonic selective power when it comes to the implementation of international criminal law. U.S. dominance in the global legal order does not stop at its borders. It has a ripple effect, compelling other major powers with military, economic and political clout to follow suit. Weve witnessed similar practices by Israel as it denies United Nations Human Rights Council investigators entry to the occupied territories of Palestine as they investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. And in some cases there has been systematic pressure from the highest offices in the UN pushing for withdrawal of scholarly reports on the situation in the Middle East. While past incidents have often resulted in the resignation of the individuals who have been blocked by these forces, its refreshing to see Bensoudas resistance without fear or favour. The U.S. and Israel have been particularly effective in resisting the legitimacy of the global legal order. By recognizing Israels illegal annexation of Golan Heights, the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump is legitimizing contempt towards international legal principles. At the heart of this lies international laws deep connections to structures of power and inequality. Thankfully, international legal order is a contested space in which committed jurists like Bensouda are still fighting oppression through their unapologetic acts of resistance. It is now up to the ICC to change its role from a mechanism that facilitates inequality in international law to one that perpetuates and supports resistance for justice. Former housing secretary Julian Castro, who says the border is now more secure than ever, wants to remove criminal charges for those who cross without authorization. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), whose only mention of border security in her announcement speech was a condemnation of child separation, recently introduced a bill to let undocumented young people work in Congress. And the reintroduced Medicare-for-all plan of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), which has been endorsed by several of his rivals, would extend free health care to 11 million undocumented immigrants who were not covered by the Affordable Care Act. On Tuesday, Attorney General William P. Barr moved to make it easier for the government to detain asylum seekers by ordering immigration judges to stop allowing some of the migrants to post bail as they wait for their cases to be heard. The decision applies to those who have already established the so-called credible fear standard, which refers to a test that asylum seekers undergo as the first step in seeking permanent refuge in the United States. The move was denounced by immigrant-rights groups who have threatened legal action to challenge Barrs decision. The current statues of Uriah Milton Rose, an attorney who sided with the Confederacy, and James P. Clarke, a governor of the state who held racist beliefs, are not being removed because of their controversial past, but rather because of a decision by the state to update the statues with representatives of our more recent history, Hutchinson said in a weekly address. The statues of Rose and Clarke have been in the Capitol for nearly 100 years, he said. That reversal was welcome, Ridge wrote. But it was also incomplete. Most Americans do not know that the 2020 budget is still full of cuts that aim directly at many other programs that support people with disabilities. By James Bovard April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The arrest of Julian Assange has produced rapturous cheering from the American political elite. Hillary Clinton declared that Assange must answer for what he has done. Unfortunately, Assanges arrest will do nothing to prevent the vast majority of conniving politicians and bureaucrats from paying no price for deceiving the American public. Truth will out is a phrase that is routinely recited to keep Americans paying and obeying. Politicians and editorial writers toss this phrase out to simmer down any fears that the government might be conspiring against the people. Actually, truth will out is the biggest fairy tale in Washington. The phrase truth will out is first recorded in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice. Often in Shakespeares plays, truths come out only after almost everyone has been conned, stabbed, or screwed. Its not much better nowadays. When it comes to politics, truth will out should be confined to sarcasm and satire, not to serious pontificating. Consider the assassination in 1963 of John F. Kennedy. The Johnson administration rushed the Warren Commission to issue a verdict approving the official story of the killing. But the commission announced that the key records would be sealed for 75 years. Truth would out but not until all the people involved in the coverup had gotten their pensions and died. In 1992, Congress (responding to the uproar provoked by Oliver Stones movie on the assassination) shortened the disclosure schedule, but federal agencies are still conniving to withhold key evidence. The following year, Johnson was running against Barry Goldwater. Folks were warned back then that if they voted for Goldwater, the United States would get involved in a massive land war in Asia. Well, Johnson won and he dragged the United States into the Vietnam War on the basis of totally false claims about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The Johnson administration built entire pyramids of lies about that war actually, they were funeral pyres, not pyramids. As philosopher Hannah Arendt noted, during the Vietnam War the policy of lying was hardly ever aimed at the enemy but chiefly if not exclusively destined for domestic consumption, for propaganda at home and especially for the purpose of deceiving Congress. CIA analysts did excellent work in the early period of the Vietnam conflict. But in the contest between public statements, always over-optimistic, and the truthful reports of the intelligence community, persistently bleak and ominous, the public statements were likely to win simply because they were public, she observed. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Secrets Fast-forward a few decades to 2003. The Bush administration was claiming that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that he was tied to the 9/11 attacks. Both of those charges turned out to be complete hokum but they were enough to justify dragging the United States into another pointless war against Iraq. A few years later, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared, Ultimately the truth gets out, notwithstanding peoples efforts to the contrary. For Rumsfelds Pentagon, truth was simply another bomb to drop on opponents, at home or abroad. Los Angeles Times columnist William Arkin noted that Rumsfelds redesign of military operations blurs or even erases the boundaries between factual information and news, on the one hand, and public relations, propaganda, and psychological war- fare, on the other. As reported in the New York Times on May 24, 2006, army officers under Rumsfelds command bribed Iraqi journalists to produce favorable newspaper and television reports about U.S. military operations. The campaign was aided by psychological warfare experts authorized to use doctored or false information to deceive or damage the enemy or to bolster support for American efforts. The programs exposure spurred momentary outrage in Washington, after which it resumed on a larger scale. While some people were shocked by Rumsfelds manipulations, he was following hallowed Pentagon traditions. During the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Assistant Defense Secretary Arthur Sylvester announced, Its inherent in [the] governments right, if necessary, to lie to save itself. News generated by the actions of the government [are] part of the arsenal of weaponry that a President has. But, as the Pentagon Papers showed, that weapon cripples citizens ability to control their government. The U.S. government became far more secretive after the 9/11 attacks. The federal government made almost 50 million decisions to classify information last year. Politicians and federal agencies have long recognized that what people dont know wont hurt the government. U.S. troops are now fighting in 14 foreign nations: will the Pentagon tell us all about it? The chances are slim and none and, as Dan Rather liked to say, Slim just left town. And how about our chances of learning the sordid details surrounding the U.S. governments dealings with the Saudi regime, despite its atrocities at home and abroad? Pipe dreams For an even bigger pipe dream, when do you think well learn the facts of U.S. policy in Syria? The U.S. government has massively intervened in Syrian civil war since 2011. U.S. policy has always been a tangle of contradictions and absurdities: Pentagon-backed Syrian rebels actively battled against CIA-backed Syrian rebels. Maybe backing both factions guaranteed that the U.S. would be on the eventual winning side? When U.S.-backed rebels launch a chemical-weapons attack on civilians, the U.S. government usually simply ignores it: Oh those boys. The New Yorker reported in November that the U.S. military is building up its forces in Syria in preparation for a conflict with Iran. I dont recall that issue being on the ballot or on the radar for the congressional mid-term elections. Will Donald Trump use secrecy to drag the United States into another pointless Middle East war? Ive been an investigative journalist for more than 35 years. I have fought many federal agencies to get the facts of what they are doing. Sometimes I get some dirt, sometimes I get a smoking gun or a few whiffs but most government coverups succeed. I have been using the federal Freedom of Information Act since the early 1980s. This law is supposed to make Americans think the government is transparent federal agencies are bound by law to reply within 20 business days to requests for documents and other information. Some years ago, I sent out a bunch of FOIA requests to federal agencies to see what they had in their files about me. The FBI replied that they had nothing even though FBI chief Louis Freeh publicly condemned my articles on Ruby Ridge. No records? The FBI told a lot of lies about the Randy Weaver case enough to con much of the media but they got whupped by a brave Idaho jury. There are some federal agencies that routinely and wrongfully deny FOIA requests, presuming that people are not seriously seeking information until they sue the agency in federal court. I wrote a lot about trade policy in the 1990s and clashed at times with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. I filed a FOIA to get their files on me, including the uproar after I rattled them by acquiring a secret copy of the U.S. tariff code that they had denied existed. Their response came back We have no records on Kevin Bovard. This was not even close enough for government work, but it was typical of the charades of disclosure practiced by many agencies. I have been slamming the Transportation Security Administration for 15 years, so I sent them a FOIA request for their records on me. The TSA chief had publicly condemned an article I wrote in 2014 but their response to my request contained no information on that. Was I supposed to believe that TSA boss John Pistole had typed his retort in an online portal that the newspaper provided, leaving no internal trace? After a tussle with the TSA at Reagan National Airport back in March, I filed a FOIA request for the videos of that encounter. I have received nothing on that incident and remain sitting on the edge of my chair waiting. Admittedly, I did already whack the TSA on that ruckus in the Los Angeles Times. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reprinted that article with the headline TSA: the worlds most incompetent agency I wonder if that will show up the next time I file a FOIA request with TSA. WikiLeaks Government coverups became a hot issue in November when a Justice Department snafu revealed that the U.S. government had secretly indicted WikiLeaks whistleblower Julian Assange. We do not yet know the specific charges against Assange but the U.S. government has had him in its crosshairs ever since he released scores of thousands of documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010. During the 2016 presidential campaign, WikiLeaks released emails from the Democratic National Committee showing that its nominating process was rigged to favor Hillary Clinton. During the final month of the campaign, WikiLeaks disclosed emails from Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. At the same time, the Obama administration had been illegally denying FOIA requests for years that had sought Hillary Clintons emails from her four years as secretary of State. But there was no danger that a secret indictment would look into that trampling of the law. The ACLU warned that prosecuting Assange for WikiLeaks publishing operations would be unconstitutional and would set a dangerous precedent for U.S. journalists, who routinely violate foreign secrecy laws to deliver information vital to the publics interest. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denounced WikiLeaks as a non-state hostile intelligence service and labeled Assange a fraud, coward, and enemy. He warned, To give them the space to crush us with misappropriated secrets is a perversion of what our great Constitution stands for. But our great Constitution never intended for Washington to keep endless secrets from the American people. If Assange is going to be indicted, it should be for lese-majeste which has not formally been a crime in this part of the world since 1776. Any prosecution of Assange would ultimately rest on a presumed divine right for the federal government to deceive the American people. Assange is a heretic to people who believe the feds have a right to be trusted. Attorney General Ramsey Clark declared in 1967, Nothing so diminishes democracy as secrecy. If someone had massively leaked U.S. government documents on Iraq in January 2003, the Bush administration campaign for war might have been thwarted. If Americans had known the full extent of George W. Bushs torture regime and domestic spying, he might have failed to win reelection in 2004. If Americans had known that Obamas National Security Agency was illegally vacuuming up their email, he might have gotten tossed out by voters in 2012. Myths about truth empower liars. The more people assume that truth automatically outs, the easier it becomes to cork it up. Americans must realize that they will not receive even token disclosures without whistleblowers, journalists, and activists vigorously fighting the political-bureaucratic system. This article was originally published in the February 2019 edition of Future of Freedom. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here 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 Charles Tiefer, who served as deputy House counsel in the 1990s and now teaches at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said Trumps lawyers would have to sue the financial institutions to keep them from complying with Congresss subpoena for Trumps information. But even then, he was not sure what their argument would be for squashing such a demand. The president has grown frustrated with Congress for some of its votes that seemed designed to admonish him, such as the decision to remove sanctions on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska who has ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the pushback against Trumps declaration of a national emergency to secure funding for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. The challenger was also endorsed by Gillibrand, who held a fundraiser for her in early 2018, and by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ill.), who endorsed her after a campaign trip to Chicago. Sanderss campaign could not comment on whether he would weigh in on the race this year. GOP lawmakers leaped onto a key phrase that Barr quoted from the Mueller report, that investigators did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government and that was all they needed to hear. Their refrain ever since has been echoing Trumps no collusion mantra, and Republicans plan to stick to that plan almost no matter what details emerge Thursday. Its good to have discussions between people with honestly held opinions, Boyle told The Washington Post on Wednesday. There might have been one or two in the ERG who were extremely passionate and there might have been a few strong disagreements. It was a good, honest exchange, but there was no yelling or screaming. Mujahid said that the ongoing talks with U.S. officials have been orderly and pre-arranged in a foreign country and that they are not an invitation to some wedding or other party in a hotel in Kabul. His statement said the Taliban team in Doha had no plans to meet with such a large Afghan group. He later said any Afghan officials in the group would be met only in their personal capacity, not as government officials. To conduct the poll, the Election Commission relies on more than 11 million government employees and security personnel who temporarily become election officials. Bam, a 35-year old engineer in Arunachal Pradesh, the countrys most sparsely populated state, was one of them. His task: to set up a polling booth in Malogam, a remote hamlet in forested mountains close to the border with China and more than 1,600 miles from the capital of New Delhi. Russia can have some say in Pyongyang but only if it is going to pay, he said. Your willingness to pay does not guarantee you will be taken seriously in Pyongyang, but if you dont pay you are never taken seriously. Pompeo is Setting the Stage for a War with Iran By Real News April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that the Trump administration would not rule out going to war with Iran even though there is no explicit authorization from Congress to do so. Pompeo said this in the context of being asked whether the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) could be used to attack Iran on the basis that Iran supported the 9/11 attacks and is connected to Al Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 attack. Do you believe that the 2001 authorization to go to war with those who attacked us on 9/11 applies to Iran or Iran's Revolutionary Guard? Senator Rand Paul asked Pompeo on April 11 during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. I'd prefer to just leave that to lawyers, Pompeo said, dodging the question. So you're unwilling to state unequivocally that you, that the resolution in 2001 to have retribution and stop people who attacked us, that Iran had something to do with the attacks on 9/11? Rand asked. The factual question with respect to Iran's connections to Al Qaeda is very real, Pompeo said. They have hosted Al Qaeda, they permitted Al Qaeda to transit their country. There's no doubt there is a connection between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Al Qaeda. Then on Monday, April 15, the Trump administration's decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization went into effect. Iran is not a sponsor of terrorism, Colonel Larry Wilkerson told The Real News Network's Greg Wilpert. So to say that Iran sponsors terrorism of any sort, let alone Al Qaeda, is just preposterous. The greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the region and indeed in the world is Saudi Arabiaour ally. In a previous interview with The Real News, Wilkerson criticized Pompeos initial declaration that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was a foreign terrorist organization and called the Secretary of State a fool. Wilkerson observed that the elements in this possible lead-up to warfrom a president who does not seem to know the inner workings of his own administrations military strategy to the involvement of hawkish National Security Advisor John Boltonrecall the invasion of Iraq in 2003 under President George W. Bush, where nonexistent Al Qaeda connections were used as justification for war. We're operating in a way that's inimical to, injurious to, U.S. national security interests, Wilkerson said. To watch this as an academic and to watch it even more so, more profoundly, as a military professional is really jarring. This is truly stupid. Wilpert observed that given that all of this groundwork ... being laid with the terrorism mission for Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the claim of connections between Iran and Al Qaeda, the U.S. was likely preparing for an attack on Iran, which would fall conveniently in the months leading up to the 2020 election. President Trump wants the tension, the pressure on Iran to bring Iran back to the negotiating table so he can claimjust prior to the 2020 electionsthat he's done the impossible: He's brought Iran back to the table and we're negotiating again, and that the deal he will produce will be much better than the deal President Obama produced, Wilkerson said. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that that's the case and that at the end of the day none of this happensthat we won't go to war. Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter Transcript GREG WILPERT Its The Real News Network and Im Greg Wilpert in Baltimore. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested to Congress that the Trump administration would not rule out going to war with Iran, even when there is no explicit authorization from Congress to do so. Pompeo said this in the context of being asked whether the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force, or A.U.M.F., could be used to attack Iran on the basis that Iran supported the 9/11 attacks and is connected to al Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 attack. Here is a clip of the exchange between Senator Rand Paul and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Its The Real News Network and Im Greg Wilpert in Baltimore. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested to Congress that the Trump administration would not rule out going to war with Iran, even when there is no explicit authorization from Congress to do so. Pompeo said this in the context of being asked whether the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force, or A.U.M.F., could be used to attack Iran on the basis that Iran supported the 9/11 attacks and is connected to al Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 attack. Here is a clip of the exchange between Senator Rand Paul and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. RAND PAUL Do you believe that the 2001 authorization to go to war with those who attacked us on 9/11, applies to Iran or Irans Revolutionary Guard? MIKE POMPEO Id prefer to just leave that to lawyers, Senator. RAND PAUL Youre unwilling to state unequivocally that the resolution in 2001 to have retribution and stop the people who attacked us, that Iran had something to do with the attacks on 9/11? MIKE POMPEO You asked a factual question and a legal question there. The legal question, I will leave to counsel. The factual question, with respect to Irans connections to al Qaeda, is very real. They have hosted al Qaeda. Theyve permitted al Qaeda to transit their country. Theres no doubt there is a connection between the Islamic Republic of Iran and al Qaeda. GREG WILPERT Then on Monday, the Trump administrations decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization went into effect. This is the first time that a governmental organization has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Joining me now to discuss these developments with regard to U.S.-Iranian relations is Colonel Larry Wilkerson. Hes a retired U.S. Colonel and former Chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. He is now a Distinguished Professor at the College of William and Mary. Thanks for joining us again, Larry. LARRY WILKERSON Thanks for having me. GREG WILPERT What do you think about Pompeos claim that Iran is connected to al Qaeda? Is there any basis for this claim, as far as you know? LARRY WILKERSON As far as I know and my experience as well as my research over the last 15 years in academia, leads me to believe this is true. There is almost no contact. There have been transits. There have been criminal transits of Iran and Iran generally tries to block those transits. But like the United States and any other country in the world today, its impossible to block everyone. There have been times where al Qaeda might have made overtures to the Iranian government or to parts of that government, like the Quds Force or I.R.G.C., but theyve always been rebuffed. All we had to do is watch Irans fierce attacks on the terrorist groups in Syria and understand how Iran itself has been attacked by terrorist groups often supported moneywise by Muhammad bin Salman from Riyadh of course, and others like the Pakistani I.S.I., and so forth how Iran has responded to those attacks, fearing that its entire society will be disrupted by them, let alone the casualties they produced. So Iran has been a receptor, if you will, of terrorist attacks just like the United States, Europe, and other places have been. So Iran is not a sponsor of terrorism. With respect to Hezbollah, we understand why Iran backs and supports Hezbollah. Its the only weapon that the region offers to counter Israels massive modern military arm. Iran doesnt have an arm like that. Lebanon doesnt have an arm like that. To say that Iran sponsors terrorism of any sort, let alone al Qaeda, is just preposterous. The greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the region and indeed in the world is Saudi Arabia, our ally. GREG WILPERT Now the other notable part of this exchange between Senator Rand Paul and Secretary Pompeo was that Paul tried to get Pompei to talk about the 2001 A.U.M.F. Pompeo, though, only said that hed leave it up to the lawyers whether applying the A.U.M.F. to Iran is legal, but its not really clear whether he means that he would wait for such a determination. That is, a legal determination after an attack on Iran or if it would be made beforehand and perhaps prevent an attack. What do you think? Is the administration getting ready to apply the 2001 A.U.M.F. on Iran? LARRY WILKERSON To me this is, as I think it was Yogi Berra who said, deja vu all over again. Im looking at the same kind of trail, as it were, that happened just prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the same characters with a few new additions actually laying that trail down. The designation of the I.R.G.C. and the Quds Force holds solely as a purtenance of Iranian government as a foreign terrorist organization. And now this business of connecting Tehran with al Qaeda, just like George Tenet and John McLaughlin did in the C.I.A. with Colin Powell before he gave his presentation at the U.N., which we now know was a total lie. Up to this, A.U.M.F. provides authorization. All of these are building blocks and I think the A.U.M.F. is the last building block, in setting the stage for a war with Iran, for the use of military force against Iran. This is preposterous. The A.U.M.F. that was issued by the Congress post-9/11 was aimed at those who perpetrated 9/11. Visibly here, laughably here, preposterously here, Saudi Arabia provided fifteen of those terrorists. The U.A.E., the most staunch Saudi ally right now with M.B.Z. in its leadership role, provided two or three of the others. So were looking at the main element that attacked the United States on September 11th, 2001, having come from Saudi citizenry, accompanied by U.A.E. citizenry. And now were looking at Iran as applicable under this A.U.M.F. This shows how far we have come from the rule of law, from wise thinking, from decent strategy, from doing the kinds of things that the law and our national security interests would demand that we do. We are actually acting now under President Trump and God knows if he knows whats happening because most of this is being orchestrated by John Bolton, the National Security Adviser. Were operating in a way thats inimical to, injurious to U.S. national security interests, and ultimately, to the long-term interests of Israel in the region. To watch this as an academic and to watch it even more so, more profoundly, as a military professional is really jarring. This is truly stupid. GREG WILPERT So how serious do you see the preparations? That is, in terms of the likelihood that the U.S. would attack Iran sometime before the 2020 presidential election, given that all of this groundwork is being laid with a terrorism designation for Irans Revolutionary Guard and the claim of connections between Iran and al Qaeda. Wouldnt something else have to happen in order for an attack to happen, or is this good enough? LARRY WILKERSON Not necessarily with this administration. I would have thought the same thing in January of 2003 and then two-three months later, we were at war with Iraq one of the most catastrophic strategic decisions the United States has ever made. I take your point, though, that maybe there are some people out there and even more so, more importantly, there are people in Congress who realize that this same set of circumstances is unfolding with many of the same players yet again. I have to cross my fingers and hope that whats happening here, even though I dont think John Bolton and those like him want this; they actually want force to be used and the regime to be unseated. I think what is happening at least in Trumps mind, is that and after all he is the president- is that what were doing is bringing maximum leverage on Tehran. So thats why you have this argument right now between Pompeo and his people on the one hand and Bolton and his people on the other, as to whether or not to tighten the sanctions to the point of zero. That is to say, to keep Iran from selling any oil even under the waivers that Trump has been granting to countries like China and India. Kill those waivers, Bolton and his people say. Kill em. Dont let Iran sell a single barrel of oil. That way, we will choke them. The regime will fall or it will be easy to beat, militarily. On the other hand, Pompeo and his team are saying, dont do that because we dont want to take it to that point. So weve got that battle going on within the administration, but I think what this shows is that President Trump wants the tension, the pressure on Iran, to bring Iran back to the negotiating table so he can claim just prior to the 2020 elections that hes done the impossible. Hes brought Iran back to the table and were negotiating again and that the deal he will produce will be much better than the deal President Obama produced under the J.C.P.O.A. Im crossing my fingers and hoping that thats the case and that at the end of the day, none of this happens, that we wont go to war. But I cant bet on that because the President has the most mercurial temperament Ive ever seen of anyone at this level of power and so, anythings possible. GREG WILPERT One last point though. Dont you think that the role of the Europeans would play a role, would be important here, because after all, theyre opposed to breaking up the J.C.P.O.A., the agreement on the nuclear energy for Iran? When we went up to the Iraq War, they were actually instrumental in participating with the Bush administration at the time, at least some countries were, whereas now it seems like the U.S. has no allies in its effort to oust the Iranian government. So dont you think that that might still be a factor in holding the U.S. back from war? LARRY WILKERSON It should be and normally and naturally, it would be. But remember, even with my administration, George W. Bush, we had a coalition of the willing, as Donald Rumsfeld called it and that coalition only included substantially the United Kingdom. Germany was vehemently opposed. Chirac and Dominique de Villepin, the foreign ministers of France, were just as vehemently opposed. So that didnt stop George Bush and I dont think this administration, given its policy towards the Europeans to this point which has been just disastrous, and his policy in particular towards the most powerful member of Europe, Germany. I dont think it will stop this administration for a moment and I know for darn sure it wouldnt stop John Bolton. John Bolton doesnt think allies are even necessary, doesnt want allies. I take your point, but I dont think that would impede this administration. I still fall back on my original hope that what Trump is after here is the same thing he was after with Kim Jong-un. Call him Rocket Man. Threaten him. Tell him that youre going to destroy him, your buttons bigger than his button, and then all that kind of stuff, and then negotiate with him. I think thats what Trump wants to do with Iran too. I dont think its going to happen because the Iranians are not going to come back to the negotiating table, but I think thats what he wants. GREG WILPERT Okay. Well, were going to leave it there for now. Im speaking to Colonel Larry Wilkerson, professor at the College of William and Mary. Thanks again, Larry, for having joined us today. LARRY WILKERSON Thanks. Take care. GREG WILPERT And thank you for joining The Real News Network. This article was originally published by " Real News " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. France deeply abides by the policy of laicite, a separation of church and state that has been in place since 1905, when France broke away from the churchs grip. Although the concept might be familiar to Americans, the way it is practiced is different. A U.S. presidential candidate could easily say he believes in God. But in France, virtually all mention of religion is wiped from the public space. One French politician, Nathalie Loiseau, the former minister for European affairs, was recently criticized for advertising on her political agenda that she was going to Mass. One parliamentarian said, in turn, that faith should remain a private affair. Over the past five years, his critics charge, he has been weak on human rights and has not done enough to protect religious minorities, instead playing to those who think he will not protect Islam in Indonesia by choosing an influential cleric as his running mate. Analysts say he is trying to appeal to more moderate Muslims, rather than those who want Islam to have a bigger role in Indonesian politics. US Congress Orders President to Stop Unconstitutional Yemen War, Trump Tells It to Take a Hike The joys of imperial presidency. The idea the 1787 Constitution is still de facto in place is a joke By Marko Marjanovic April 17, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - US refuels Saudi jets on combat missions in Yemen, helps select airstrike targets for the Saudis from its satellite data, keeps the Saudi jets in flying condition, and helps enforce the naval blockade. In other words, the US assistance to the Saudis in Yemen is sufficiently hands-on that it constitutes US participation in the war. That means it is also patently illegal and unconstitutional under US law since technically by law which hasnt been followed for who knows how long only Congress can declare war (or in newer times authorize the use of military force which is in itself a perversion and dilution of the original*). Despite the letter of the law the Congress has been at least since WWII happy to cede its war making powers to US Presidents to exercise illegally. It has either not challenged the executive when it has started wars without even consulting the Congress. Or when consulted it has been happy to pass broad force authorization resolutions of questionable legality that supposedly grant the executive the legal right to start (or not) a war at a time (and sometimes against an enemy) of its choosing. However moving into Yemen to help Saudis fight the Houthis since 2015 the executive did not even go through this much easier hoop to jump.** The Congress has now voted to inform Trump they never authorized US participation in that war and that he must therefore request authorization or end it. However the way the US system work Trump is actually able to veto the order because Congress did not pass it with a two-thirds majority. Hilarious! Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get our FREE Daily Newsletter The bill, SJ Res 7, was a straightforward bill under the War Powers Act of 1973. The bill noted that Congress never authorized the US war in Yemen, and demanded an end to it. The US Constitution grants sole power to declare wars to the Congress, and by extension the power to order an end to illegal wars. It is a mere accident of the way bills work that actions under the War Powers Act, designed explicitly as a check on presidential attempts to illegally seize war-making powers, can even be vetoed by the president. Yet SJ Res 7 won such a narrow victory int he Senate that it would be highly unlikely that an override of the veto will even be attempted. Of course, Trumps argument here is that US involvement does not rise to the level of war, but thats nonsense so what we actually have here is that Congress can inform the President they never voted to allow him to start the war, and he can take that message and fold it into a paper airplane and throw it out the window like a Nero or Julius Caesar President Trump has just issued the second veto of his presidency, rejecting a resolution from Congress to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Trump calls it a "dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." pic.twitter.com/IgrxgE4943 Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 16, 2019 But really thats not the root of the problem. The root is that Congress is seated with toadies for the national-security deep state and the military-industrial complex, and sincere believers in American imperialism, and always has been. 200-year rules, no matter how clearly spelled out are of little use here. Daniel Larison (who has been excellent on Yemen throughout, constantly pointing what a humanitarian atrocity it has been): Today Trump has proven once more to the people of Yemen just how cynical he and the other supporters of the war are. Support for the war on Yemen is the most disgraceful U.S. policy today, and it is one of the most despicable policies of the last fifty years. That is what Trump chooses to continue and defend. He has chosen again and again to cater to and indulge some of the worst governments on earth, and he has done so for the basest reasons of protecting future weapons sales. If we knew nothing else about him, this would tell us all we need to know about his contempt for the law, his cruelty, and his disregard for innocent life. *The War Powers Resolution of 1973 was a check on Presidential power only in the sense that it intended to diminish very slightly the power the Presidents had grabbed for themselves by then, however it simultaneously willingly conceded to the executive far more than ever intended by the Constitution. **The ocassional airstrikes on al-Qaeda in Yemen (that is against the other side in the war) meanwhile are supposedly authorized by the ancient, 2001 War on Terror resolution which supposedly allows them albeit it was passed before there even was a civil war in Yemen or AQ held territory there. " Checkpoint Asia " - This article was originally published by 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 Since the special counsels office closed its investigation late last month, Barr and his team at the Justice Department have been reviewing the final report to determine how much of it can be made public. The Justice Department has said it plans to release the document with four categories of information shielded from public view: material from the grand jury, material that reveals intelligence sources and methods, material that is relevant to ongoing investigations, and material that could affect the privacy of peripheral third parties. Each redaction will be color-coded so readers know the reason the material is being shielded, Barr has said. Prosecutors also said some health-care professionals prescribed opioids for themselves. An orthopedic surgeon in West Virginia allegedly wrote fraudulent prescriptions for pain pills using the name of a relative and a stolen drivers license from a colleague. In Pennsylvania, a state outside the targeted region, prosecutors say a nurse filled out phony prescriptions for oxycodone in her name and in the names of others to obtain pills for herself. The heaviest measures were directed at Cuba. U.S. citizens will now be allowed to sue any entity or person found to be trafficking in property that was expropriated from U.S. citizens after the 1959 revolution. Trumps three immediate predecessors in office had suspended that right, sustaining a 1996 law containing Cuba sanctions, on the grounds that it would interfere with trade and national security. I wouldnt be surprised to see an effort in the House to go in that direction. Maybe even in a way that could get bipartisan support, said Tim Mulvey, a spokesman for Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Mulvey said he did not know what the specifics of such a measure would look like in the House but noted that the goal was to achieve something thats designed to really change Saudi behavior. Le Parisien reported on one theory, that an electrical fault in a temporary elevator may have been to blame. But the news outlet quoted a person close to the investigation as saying that the probe would be long and difficult and that it is possible that we never know what is behind this fire. On Tuesday, AKP officials, hauling suitcases they said contained evidence of electoral fraud, formally challenged the election results in Istanbul. Those officials alleged that widespread voting irregularities had tipped the balance in favor of the opposition. The election authority, known as the YSK, has about one week to rule on the appeal and could still upend the results, analysts say. I feel sorry for his family, but killing himself like that is just one more act of cowardice, said Jorge Layango, 55, a painter in Lima. Its the same as when he tried to hide in the Uruguayan Embassy. Now he will never face justice. Under the terms of the deal, which took effect in 2004, asylum seekers who try to enter Canada at an official border crossing are sent back to the United States. But theres a loophole: Those who cross the border at an unauthorized point of entry can proceed into Canada and file their claim. The General Department of Vietnam Customs has announced statistics on Vietnams two-month exports to Japan and Canada, which surged by 11.2% and 36.7%,respectively, compared to the same period in 2018. Vietnams export revenue to the Japanese market reached US$4.62 billion in the first quarter of 2019, an increase of 6.68% compared to the same period in 2018. In March alone, Vietnams export revenue to Japan was reported at US$1.68 billion, a sharp increase of 62.25% compared to February 2019 and up 2.71% compared to March 2018. In particular, the export of fertiliser has recorded a dramatic growth in the first quarter of 2019. Vietnam shipped 8,126 tonnes, equivalent to US$3.7 million,which is up 509% in terms of volume and 1,158% interms of value when compared to the same period of 2018. Other types of Vietnamese exports to Japan also witnessed considerable expansion in the first quarter of this year, including chemical products (up 70%), animal feed and raw materials (up 56.8%), ore and minerals (up 52%), iron and steel of all kinds (up 49%); plastic materials (up 43%), and others. Vietnams increase in exports to Japan in the first three months of this year was attributed to the CPTPP, under which, Japan for the first time pledged to completely eliminate import tariffs for a majority of agricultural and aquatic products imported from Vietnam. In addition, the two free trade agreements (FTA) of Vietnam Japan FTA and ASEAN Japan FTA also remove tax barriers to Vietnamese aquatic products exported to Japan. Meanwhile, Canada is also considered as one of the markets bringing the most added value to Vietnam's exports under the CPTPP. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the two-way trade turnover between Vietnamand Canada has tripled from US$1.14 billion in 2010 to US$3.85 billion in 2018; in which Vietnam has always enjoyed trade surplus to Canada, with a trade surplus of US$2.14 billion in 2018. After the effectiveness of CPTPP, Vietnams export revenue to Canada has grown strongly. Vietnams exports to Canada reached over US$506 million in the first two months of 2019, up 36.6% over the same period last year. Garments and textiles and footwear are considered the two industries that benefit the most from CPTPP as the import tax rate for textiles and garment products will bereduced from 16 -17% to 0%, according to the 4-year roadmap, while tax rate on leather shoes will be decreased from 18% to 0%, according to the 7 -11 year schedule. A lawyer described by a tribunal as "arrogant, supercilious and obtuse" has had his credit industry disqualification extended for creating a sham diamonds trade to evade consumer credit laws and sell payday-style loans. Robert Legat, who was director and legal counsel of Fast Access Finance (FAF) in Queensland, was banned from engaging in credit activities by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in September 2017 for his role in devising the scheme. Queensland solicitor Robert Legat has been banned by ASIC for five years. Credit:LinkedIn When he appealed ASIC's prohibition, Mr Legat was repeatedly chastised by Administrative Appeals Tribunal deputy president Bernard McCabe, who extended his ban from three years to five for not showing remorse and being "contemptuous" of the proceedings. Deputy president McCabe also called attention to Mr Legats courtroom antics, labelling his behaviour at the tribunal extraordinary and suggesting he believed Mr Legat wished to take the barrister acting for ASIC outside to resolve a slight Mr Legat thought was made against him. Healthscopes largest investor, AustralianSuper has declined to say whether it would support the $4.4 billion Brookfield takeover offer for private hospital operator which was deemed fair and reasonable by an independent experts report Tuesday evening. Healthscope in February recommended the bid to shareholders, subject to the findings of the independent expert's report. Your directors believe that the proposal presented here is very attractive and will realise significant value for all Healthscope shareholders, said company chairman Paula Dwyer in the transaction booklet which is being sent to investors. The document included a downgrade to the companys earnings guidance. Healthscope chairman Paula Dwyer. AustralianSuper, which owns 16 per cent of Healthscope, could potentially derail the scheme of arrangement from Canadian suitor Brookfield Asset Management if it doesnt support it. Malaysian Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin accused Lynas Corp of putting its bottom line before the environmental concerns of local Malays in a letter to the company's employees last year, and it appears that her hard line stance against the controversial rare earths group is prevailing. Malaysian Government officials told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday that Lynas Corp still needs to remove more than 450,000 tonnes of radioactive waste from the country for its licence to be renewed in September. One of the hills of radioactive residue that is causing problems for Lynas in Malaysia. Credit:Lynas Minister Yeo laid down the law in a letter to Lynas employees in December just days after her ministry effectively ordered the company to remove 450,000 tonnes of low level radioactive waste. Hopes of luring back global investors to a battered stock market are dimming by the day for Malaysia's government. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index is down 14 per cent from a record in May 2018 and it's the worst major market in the world so far this year, having slipped 3.4 per cent . That's even amid a rally in global equities spurred by the Federal Reserve's dovish pivot and a potential trade deal between the US and China. The gloomy outlook for Malaysian stocks isn't likely to end anytime soon, says Samsung Asset Management. Around $700m has been wiped off Malaysia's benchmark index in 2019. Credit:AP 'Malaysia will likely disappoint over the next year because since the new government came in power in May 2018, it has been lowering public debt with fiscal tightening,' said Alan Richardson, a regional fund manager at Samsung Asset in Hong Kong. 'This will be the theme from May 2018 to May 2020.' Euphoria about Malaysian stocks has faded after almost one year since Mahathir Mohamad's surprise election victory in May, as the new administration struggled to clean up government inefficiencies and corruption. While many people take a 10-day holiday across Easter and Anzac Day, up to half a million hospitality and retail workers will miss out on $80 million in penalty rates according to an analysis of a reduction in public holiday and Sunday rates. The Fair Work Commission approved a reduction in penalty rates implemented in July 2017 with further reductions to be phased in from July. Public holiday penalties for retail and hospitality workers were reduced from double-time and one-half to double-time and one-quarter. Hospitality worker James. Credit:Eddie Jim James, a 19-year-old hospitality worker and member of United Voice said he received no penalty rates for weekend work and public holidays in the four years he worked for a fast food outlet and a restaurant. Coalition candidates are being urged to endorse a conservative manifesto that includes selling the ABC, slashing the company tax rate and pulling out of the Paris agreement on climate change. The Institute of Public Affairs is also calling on Liberals and Nationals to repeal the ban on offensive speech in the Racial Discrimination Act and scrap the Fair Work Act including its provisions on the minimum wage. The manifesto, sent to MPs in the past four days, has infuriated union critics who say the "disastrous" ideas should be repudiated at the election because of the IPA's influence over the Coalition. The conservative think tank not only wants Parliament to withdraw from the Paris agreement to reduce carbon emissions but also abolish the Renewable Energy Target and launch a royal commission into climate change data. Leading company directors have expressed widespread concern over energy and climate change policy, and have warned the lack of clear direction is affecting investment and affordability. Directors across the private, public and non-profit sectors said climate change was the number one long-term and number two short-term issue for the federal government to address when responding to the Australian Institute of Company Directors' (AICD) half-yearly report on director sentiment. AICD chief executive Angus Armour said there was a "great deal of convergence" surrounding what was a "very serious policy issue". Australian Institute of Company Directors chief executive Angus Amour. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "In the context of the current election, the director community, which I think represents the views of the broader community, would be looking for competing parties to be very clear in what they intend to do," he said. GetUp has been forced to amend its instruction guide for volunteers after the activist group's boss was caught in an embarrassing interview in which he was unable to justify claims that Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was "part of the coup" against Malcolm Turnbull. National director Paul Oosting had defended a GetUp instruction manual that suggested volunteers tell voters Mr Frydenberg was "part of the coup that removed Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister", even if he might be "a nice person". Awkward encounter: GetUp's national director Paul Oosting. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen GetUp - which has amassed a donations war chest of $12.5 million in the past year - has now scrapped references to the coup in its guide for volunteers in Mr Frydenberg's electorate, and instead says the deputy Liberal leader was "part of the chaos in Canberra". There has been no evidence Mr Frydenberg played an active role in the push to oust Mr Turnbull. He did not support Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's tilt for the top job - he voted for Mr Turnbull in the first leadership spill and remained in cabinet while Mr Duttons backers quit. Queensland Nationals MP George Christensen missed a substantial chunk of his parliamentary work on his heartland issue of developing northern Australia because he was visiting the Philippines. Mr Christensen skipped nearly a third of the public hearings for the 2014 parliamentary inquiry into boosting economic and infrastructure development in the Top End while making some of his numerous visits to the south-east Asian nation. George Christensen missed a substantial chunk of his parliamentary work on developing northern Australia because he was visiting the Philippines. Credit:Andrew Meares He has reportedly been dubbed the "member for Manila" by colleagues, and was blasted by the opposition during campaigning on Wednesday for putting his overseas trips ahead of his electorate. Mr Christensen, who has a Filipina fiancee, spent nearly 300 days over a four-year period in the Philippines. While they were private trips that he largely paid for himself, he billed taxpayers more than $3000 for connecting flights. Labor is exposed to a Senate veto of its $30 billion plan to raise tax revenue from superannuation, as experts warn against another round of "tinkering" with the system. A Labor government would struggle to secure the votes needed from Centre Alliance, Pauline Hansons One Nation and other crossbenchers to pass the tougher rules, after the groups expressed scepticism or hostility to the changes. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen have said their super policies will raise $30 billion. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick said his party was unlikely to give support to all of Labor's proposals. "It is highly likely Centre Alliance would refer most of these changes to a Senate inquiry so that all perspectives in the proposed changes are gathered and unintended consequences are drawn out and understood," he said. From The Schools Spectacular to your bog standard school concert night, any kind of kids get up and perform event flushes to the surface the performing arts peacock parent. Dance Moms' star Abby Lee Miller and one child who has made a hit career from performing arts, Maddie Ziegle. Credit:Belinda Pratten The performing arts peacock parent is the parent who gets way too invested in their childs performing arts talent. And if my little corner of the world is any indication, they seem to be proliferating at an alarming rate. Recently, a friend of mine related to me her experience at a local kids concert event. Organised by a music teacher to give his students the chance to perform in public, it was a low key program of kids taking turns to do their thing on a small stage at the local bowling club. Being a good volunteer type, my friend had offered to man the door; taking money and stamping hands as people entered. From that unassuming perch she was privy to a veritable parade of peacocking by an alarming number of overly invested parents. In September 2018, during the tampering crisis, Brisbane Times observed the Elimbah facility still operating with more than 60 workers cars parked outside, even after every other packing plant in the district had shut down after finding no market for their fruit. But Elimbah residents said Donnybrooks success had come at a cost to the environment and their quality of life and they blamed Moreton Bay Regional Council for failing to enforce basic planning, traffic and environmental regulations at properties where Mr Cufari operated. Some of the breaches potentially carry fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Locals left frustrated Residents alleged Mr Cufaris business had cleared forest and sunk dams in a flood zone, both without permission, and was causing nuisance and traffic hazard with its 24-hour trucking operation, including running B-double vehicles that were not permitted to use local roads. Hes just doing whatever he wants and the council wont do anything, said one Elimbah resident, who complained to council officers about the land clearing and did not want to be identified. Another resident, Mick Dickinson, lives near Donnybrooks packing plant at Pates Road in Elimbah. He said he had raised concerns with his local councillor about the danger posed to locals by Donnybrooks truck traffic, including B-doubles illegally accessing the rural roads, but had been politely fobbed off. Its the nature of the business, its the impost on us ... its almost like this guy is just operating with impunity, Mr Dickinson said. Judy McDonald, who lives next door to the packing plant, said she and her two children had been forced to stay with relatives for several days each week during the strawberry season in 2017 and 2018 because the noise of the plant and associated traffic made it impossible to sleep. Some days we didnt go to work or school because wed been up all night from the trucks, she said. Ms McDonald provided dashcam video showing her being forced off the road by B-doubles and other trucks servicing the Donnybrook property, including at night. Ms McDonald, who has lived at the property for 17 years, said the noise from the plant, built in mid-2017, included workers being directed by one of the plant managers using a megaphone in the middle of the night. You never think youre going to be driven from your home when you move to a rural property for peace and quiet, she said. Ms McDonald said she had first complained to Moreton Bay Regional Council in May 2017 and despite meeting council officers along with other residents, providing diaries recording the dust and noise and hiring a planning consultant and lawyers to help argue her case, nothing had changed. You just get bounced around and you dont get answers, she said. We were never answered when we first wrote in. Then we paid good money to a lawyer to write a letter and waited three months for them to respond to it. Ms McDonald said the pattern of work at the packing plant, with almost non-stop truck traffic during the picking season, indicated it was not just handling fruit from adjacent farms but was a fully-fledged industrial facility and transport depot, meaning it required planning permission and residents consent. Donnybrook Berries neighbour Judy McDonald was forced to move out with her family during the strawberry season because of the noise and dust from the plant. Credit:Mark Solomons Ms McDonald said that in August 2017 there had been 1300 truck movements at the property. They werent even growing strawberries at the farm then, she said. And they kept packing right through Christmas last year, when every farm in the district had stopped picking weeks earlier. Moreton Bay Regional Council said in a statement it was investigating complaints regarding noise and dust associated with vehicle movements on the property. But it said no planning approval was required under the relevant scheme for the activities at the site. This site is zoned as Rural and a packing shed defined as a Rural Industry is an approved use within the Rural zone. Neighbourhood watch Ms McDonald filmed hundreds of trucks attending the packing plant each week in the 2017 and 2018 strawberry seasons, accessing the Donnybrook property via an unapproved track that crosses council parkland. They included long B-doubles that cannot lawfully use local roads without a special permit. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, the federal body responsible for monitoring large trucks, confirmed it had issued no access permits for this type of vehicle. The nearest approved route for such vehicles is about a 15-kilometre drive away. Ms McDonald said she had lodged a formal complaint with the NHVR but the regulator said it was unable to find any record of it. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads said it generally enforced the rules on heavy trucks and that court-imposed penalties of up to $6700 could apply for infringements. But the department said the roads in question were managed by Moreton Bay Regional Council. The council did not respond to questions about the truck traffic. Some of the B-doubles were marked with the Donnybrook logo while others were painted in the livery of Hernes Freight Service, a NSW-based trucking company. Donnybrook Berries did not respond to detailed questions about its activities. Hernes Freight Service did not respond to requests for comment. Surveillance footage of a Hernes Freight Service B-double truck servicing the Donnybrook packing plant at Pates Road at Elimbah on August 15, 2017, at the height of the strawberry season. Ms McDonalds footage records every vehicle movement during the 2018 picking season including up to 2000 cars and vans a month carrying fruit pickers and other workers. The McDonald family has provided it to the local council. They also offered it to Queensland police detectives investigating the strawberry tampering scandal, but they did not take up the offer. The Queensland Police Service declined to comment, citing the criminal case over the alleged tampering. 'I was only the contractor' As part of its expansion in the strawberry growing area around Caboolture, in 2016 the Donnybrook business paid $700,000 for a 40-hectare forest block on Twin View Road at Elimbah. Part of the property is zoned as endangered habitat for species including frogs and koalas. The whole site is covered by state laws protecting endangered plants, requiring a special survey to be carried out before any clearing, and it is also designated matters of state environmental significance on council maps. Any large-scale clearing work at the site requires development approval from the council. However in mid-2016, without seeking approval, Donnybrook hired local earthmoving company Alzino & Co to bulldoze the property. Alzino managing director Greg Chapman said while the tree clearing work was under way, officers from Moreton Bay Regional Council had turned up and said you have to stop. But this had been virtually at the end of all the clearing, he said. We then got called into a meeting at the council and they said we had to put in an application, Mr Chapman said. The council immediately rejected the application - lodged in Mr Chapmans name - for being improperly made, on grounds including that the project required impact assessment, meaning the local community had to be consulted. The council allowed several time extensions for a revised application to be submitted but received no such document. In September 2017 the council informed Mr Chapman the application had lapsed altogether. It has not been revived. Mr Chapman indicated it had not been his decision to put his name on the application forms. I cant understand why it [the application] was put through me, Mr Chapman said. I was only the contractor. Council documents show Donnybrook Berries promised it would revegetate the land at Twin View Road as part of a separate application for a change of use to cropping, which was approved by council. The development approval, available on the councils website, includes a map showing a revegetation area, although the only vegetation-related requirement specified in the list of conditions was that no further trees be removed. Brisbane Times visited the property, which is entirely visible from public roads, and there was no evidence of any revegetation having been carried out. Donnybrook Berries' Twin View Road property, cleared of vegetation without permission in 2016. Moreton Bay Regional Council knew of the clearing but has taken no enforcement action. Credit:Mark Solomons The business has sunk three large dams where the promised revegetation was supposed to take place and fully cultivated the property as a strawberry farm. A council spokesman said: Officers have investigated the clearing matter and are considering the most appropriate enforcement action. The Donnybrook business has for some time marketed strawberries under the Twin View Berries brand, although the berries are not from Twin View Road as the first crop has yet to be planted at that property. At Donnybrooks nearby Old Gympie Road site, where it runs its packing operation, the council issued an enforcement notice in September 2017 after the business built dams in a flood zone without permission and installed shipping containers and fencing without approval. Under planning laws the offences carry fines of up to $600,000. But the council dropped the enforcement notice in 2018 after Donnybrook lodged an appeal in the planning court. Council withdrew the notice before the appeal could be heard. Brisbane Times asked the council why: it did not respond. The Queensland Department of Environment and Science said that prior to any clearing work, the owner of the property was obliged to carry out a survey to check whether any endangered, vulnerable or near-threatened plants would be impacted. A department spokesperson said it had not been contacted by the landowner (and) has not issued any permits or exemptions for plant clearing on this site, and will look into this matter further. But in a follow-up response, the department said an inspection of satellite images appears to show that areas of plant growth likely to fall under the protected plants legislative framework remain relatively intact on the property. The department said it would further review the matter. Mr Dickinson, a former mining executive who ran a local sand mine, said he could not understand the lack of action over Donnybrooks activities in the light of his previous professional dealings with the council. The council drove me mad with its diligence, he said. You couldnt fart without them checking. I dont deny that people are entitled to run their business but I am curious as to why this guy seems to operate as a real outlaw and [the council] arent doing anything about it. The Palaszczuk Labor state government tightened land clearing laws after they were relaxed under the previous Newman LNP administration. Data captured in Perth over the past 20 years has given an extraordinary insight into how methamphetamine use among police detainees has soared over that period, while heroin use has plummeted. The state government claims the data is an indication the former Liberal state government "neglected" WA's meth habit for the eight years it was in power, something the opposition has firmly rejected. Australia's biggest ever meth bust in Geradlton in 2017. Latest data shows 65 per cent of police detainees at the Perth watch-house are on the drug. Since 1999, the Australian Institute of Criminology, in collaboration with WA Police, has funded the DUMA project, a study that measures drug use and drug market trends through interviews with people at police lock-ups nationally. Researchers from Edith Cowan University have gathered data on about 12,000 Perth watch-house detainees in that time. A Perth DJ who has been arrested and charged in the US for allegedly attempting to kidnap a two-year-old boy in broad daylight was questioned by NSW Police just two months ago. Its understood Roscoe Holyoake, 34, was in Sydney's inner west on February 27 when he tried to gain access to an apartment. Roscoe Bradley Holyoake has been set a $500,000 bail and a restraining order for allegedly attempting to kidnap a child in San Francisco. Credit:ninevms About 1pm Mr Holyoake allegedly knocked on a resident's door and said he wished to play with their infant child. A newborn baby lived at the property. Christchurch: The first armed police to arrive near Christchurch's Al Noor mosque after a gunman's massacre did not see the suspect drive away because a bus blocked their view. By the time first responders got to the Deans Ave mosque, where 43 people were fatally shot on March 15, the suspect was already a minute away from his second alleged target, the Linwood mosque. A girl carries flowers to a memorial wall following the mosque shootings in Christchurch, which left 50 dead and 39 wounded. Credit:AP In the minutes after the terror attack began at 1.40pm, police also believed they had three shooting scenes on their hands. There were reports that shots were fired at Christchurch Hospital's emergency department, but it later transpired that did not happen. Police learnt about the Linwood attack at 1.56pm, when a member of the public flagged down a police car and told them shots had been fired in the east Christchurch area. Florida education unions are planning what they call a "school walk-in" tomorrow to support additional funding for public schools. The Alachua County school board has signed a resolution with the Florida Education Association in support of a campaign that is advocating to get Florida schools more funding. There will be walk-ins across the state tomorrow in support of having more money for public schools, but in Alachua County that will not be the case. "We chose not to do the statewide walk in. The teachers felt like it wasn't really doable because parents all have to sign in. Our school are safe zones and so anyone coming into a school setting has to sign in in the front office. It doesn't leadoff to an action where we could all walk in together," stated Carmen Ward, President of Alachua County Education Association Ward says that while there will be no walk-ins in the county, teachers will be wearing red to support the Fund Our Future Florida campaign. "We also have a Florida Education Association petition that we want citizens across the state of Florida to sign our petition that says that we should make the 2.7 million students that are educated in public schools a priority and that we should ask for $743 additionally to our per-pupil funding," stated Ward. Ward says that the campaign is a positive approach to improve the education system here in Florida. The State Senate is proposing a billion dollar increase in school funding, but much of that is money for security programs. The State House is proposing a half-billion dollar increase. The two sides have to come to an agreement by the end of the legislative session on May 3rd. Samsung is launching its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, later this month. Initial hands-on impressions of the handset were pretty positive. But now, one day later, and the plastic display on the inside is already seeing some major issues. As was reported by AndroidBeat today: It has not been long since the first impressions of Samsungs first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, went live. And while the initial reactions appeared to be on the positive side, it appears that many individuals are running into display issues already. It is being reported by several different outlets that the Galaxy Fold is seeing a major issue with its display. The Verge has one of the reports, outlining that, along the crease when the display is folded open, there is something pressing up against the plastic panel. A bulge of some kind, which could be the hinge itself. Look closely at the picture above, and you can see a small bulge right on the crease of my Galaxy Fold review unit. Its just enough to slightly distort the screen, and I can feel it under my finger. Theres something pressing up against the screen at the hinge, right there in the crease. My best guess is that its a piece of debris, something harder than lint for sure. Its possible that its something else, though, like the hinge itself on a defective unit pressing up on the screen. Other publications have also come forward to say that their Galaxy Fold review unit is broken in the display. CNBC: After one day of use pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9 Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) April 17, 2019 Bloomberg: The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019 However, there are also other publications, including The Wall Street Journal, that say their review unit is just fine, but they havent taken off the screen protector yet: So far so good with mine but I havent pulled off the screen protector thingy. https://t.co/RJnjRyYz4E Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) April 17, 2019 This is what the screen protector looks like when its removed, which is what Bloombergs Mark Gurman believes may have contributed to the issue: The phone comes with this protective layer/film. Samsung says you are not supposed to remove it. I removed it, not knowing youre not supposed to (consumers wont know either). It appeared removable in the left corner, so I took it off. I believe this contributed to the problem. pic.twitter.com/fU646D2zpY Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019 This is a major issue for Samsung, and not just because this is just a day after initial hands-on impressions, or because its a $1,980 smartphone. The company itself touted the fact that the Galaxy Fold was able to last for up to 200,000 folds. Whether or not that is actually the case will now be up for debate. At the time of this post going live, Samsung has not offered a statement on the matter at hand. As noted by The Verge: Weve seen worries about scratches on expensive phones and debris breaking the keyboard on expensive MacBooks, but a piece of debris distorting the screen on a $1,980 phone after one day of use feels like its on an entirely different level. Our Take This is not great news for Samsung, a company that is hoping its first foldable smartphone will change the whole smartphone market. The company will hopefully be able to fix whatever the issue is before the handset goes on sale later this month. Not that this phone will fly off the shelves or anything, but these types of problems in a consumer device will not go over well at all. Update: Samsung has issued an official statement regarding the matter. A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter. Separately, a few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers. [via AndroidBeat WSU Celebrates Earth Day April 16, 2019 OGDEN, Utah Weber State University is dedicated to becoming a greener and cleaner campus and will celebrate Earth Day with tree planting and an electric lawn mower and trimmer exchange. Since 2009, WSU has reduced consumption of electricity by 33 percent, natural gas consumption by 35 percent and total greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent. WSU has reduced energy costs by 47 percent in the last 10 years, saving more than $11.7 million. This has all been accomplished while Weber State has added 603,183 square feet in new or renovated buildings. Tree Planting April 18, 1:30-3:30 p.m. For years, community members and students have helped plant trees around campus for Earth Day. The tradition continues this year. Volunteers will meet at the WSU practice field (south of the W8 parking lot). Trees help clean pollutants from the air, as well as beautify the campus and unite those who come together to plant. Mower/Trimmer Exchange April 27, 9-11 a.m., Weber State University Davis (2750 University Park Blvd., Layton) Weber States sustainability offices have partnered with the state Department of Air Quality and the Weber-Morgan, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah health departments to help residents switch to electric lawn equipment. Operating a gas-powered lawn mower for one hour emits the same amount of pollutants as driving a car 160 miles. Residents of Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele and Utah counties who entered and were selected from a random lottery are eligible for a $99 electric lawn mower or $49 trimmer when they trade in an old, gas-powered tool. This years lawn mower exchange program will provide 1,259 electric mowers and 972 trimmers. The exchange will take place at the WSU Davis parking lot. Ongoing Sustainability Efforts: Carbon Neutral Goal In 2007, Weber State made a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050. Weber State is ahead of schedule, expecting to meet the goal by 2040 or sooner. More Solar Power Since 2016, a seven-acre solar field has provided 100 percent of WSU Daviss electrical needs. This summer, Weber State will install its first solar covered-parking array over the W10 lot, on the north west side of the Ogden campus. The array will house 550 kilowatts of solar panels that will feed directly into Lindquist Hall and the campus electrical grid. The power produced by the array is expected to offset 80 percent of Lindquist Halls energy consumption. Campus-wide Green Department Certification Program WSUs Green Department Certification Program encourages offices and departments on campus to support university-wide sustainability efforts. The voluntary, competitive program allows participating departments to assemble a Green Team and earn points by making their departments more sustainable. Depending on the number of points achieved, the department may be certified as bronze, silver, gold or green. Currently, 70 offices and departments are involved and actively seeking certification. Sustainability Summit Weber State has hosted the Intermountain Sustainability Summit every year since 2009. This years 10th anniversary event brought more than 400 people together from across Utah and the country for two days of sustainability programming and networking on March 21-22. Awards In March, Weber State achieved a Silver rating in the national Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating (STAR) System, which is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Additionally, Weber State was awarded the Tree Campus U.S.A. recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation. This designation requires that a college campus have a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan and dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program. For photos, visit the following links. photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2019-Photos/April-2019/i-HGBvtgf/0/b6591a00/M/2018%20tree%20planting-M.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2019-Photos/April-2019/i-KVDqkGH/0/e2f6fba5/M/unnamed%20%282%29-M.jpg Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. Netiquette Die Kommentare auf weltwoche-daily.ch dienen als Diskussionsplattform und sollen den offenen Meinungsaustausch unter den Lesern ermoglichen. Es ist uns ein wichtiges Anliegen, dass in allen Kommentarspalten fair und sachlich debattiert wird. Scharfe, sachbezogene Kritik am Inhalt des Artikels oder wo angebracht an Beitragen anderer Forumsteilnehmer ist erwunscht, solange sie hoflich vorgetragen wird. 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STAMFORD With one member calling it a drop in the bucket, the Board of Finance chopped $4 million Monday night from Mayor David Martins $603 million budget proposal for 2019-20. The cut includes $2.6 million from the Board of Education budget. Finance board members went through all 447 pages of Martins operating budget, slicing it surgically to bring the July 1 tax increase down from 4.4 percent to 3.6 percent. Its not enough, longtime board member Mary Lou Rinaldi said. The mayor asked for a $30 million increase over this years budget, and we only cut $4 million a drop in the bucket, said Rinaldi, who opened the meeting expressing concern about the strain on taxpayers. This budget has kept me awake at night, more than any other budget Ive had to take action on in all my years on the Board of Finance, Rinaldi said. The more affluent in our community are selling their homes to escape rising taxes. The middle class is being forced out. They already had to see their children leave because they cant afford to live here. Home sales are sluggish. And yet the mayor has requested $1 million in new positions ... its all part of the cost creep in this budget. Her colleagues generally agreed. They cut 12 of the 19 new positions Martin requested: a computer technician, a parks and facilities operations manager, a plan reviewer in the Building Department, a GIS analyst in the Land Use Bureau, an urban designer in the Planning Department, a housing code enforcement officer, an assistant director for the 911 call center, a clerical person in the police department, a Health Department specialist, a Human Resources specialist, a Human Resources generalist, and a Citizens Service Center director. Finance board members also cut money for overtime pay and for purchases of professional services in a number of departments. Mayors proposed new positions The Board of Finance Monday voted to cut 12 of the 19 new positions Mayor David Martin requested: Computer technician Parks and facilities operations manager Plan reviewer in the Building Department GIS analyst in the Land Use Bureau Urban designer in the Planning Department Housing code enforcement officer Assistant director for the 911 call center Clerical person in the police department Health Department specialist Human Resources specialist Human Resources generalist Citizen's Service Center director The board kept the following seven positions: Assistant director of Human Resources Traffic analyst Electrical inspector in the Building Department Superintendent of Parks & Recreation Technology specialist in the Police Department Computer technician in Technology Management Services Data analyst in the Building Department See More Collapse Cutting school Chairman Richard Freedman explained their reduction of the school boards request for $286.5 million a 5 percent increase over this year. The board unanimously voted to reduce the increase to 4 percent. It means the school board so far the Board of Representatives will have its turn at cutting the budget in two weeks will get a $10 million increase instead of the requested $12.6 million. We spent a long time in the Board of Educations budget book and recommended reductions that were carefully crafted and designed to have minimum impact on the district, and still allow them to achieve the mission of educating students, Freedman said. The finance board focused on items budgeted for increases that were higher than trends, based on spending in previous years. Their reductions include $400,000 for six teacher positions, $400,000 for clerical and technical employees, $300,000 for substitute teachers, and $200,000 for pupil services. Members of the finance board have expressed their dissatisfaction with the school districts handling of a mold infestation that began last summer and forced the closing of Westover Magnet Elementary School, the leasing and renovation of an office building on Elmcroft Road to house the students through June 2020, and cleanup and repairs in about a dozen other school buildings that will amount to tens of millions of dollars. The districts contracted facilities manager, ABM Industries, at the very least should have sounded an alarm when they walked in the door that there was mold, Rinaldi said. I think the facilities management company should be fired right away. ... Over the past few months weve seen a lack of financial oversight ... I suggest that the Board of Education re-evaluate the people who are keeping track of a very big budget. Shrinking raises Along those lines, another board member, Kieran Ryan, made a proposal for the city side. Ryan proposed that, given the coming mold expenses and hefty tax hike, raises for the mayor and his top executives be cut. Ryan said the city Charter gives the finance board approval over top executives salaries, and it is time to use it. This path we are on is unsustainable, Ryan said. These salaries are on automatic pilot to the moon. There is no disinterested party watching them, he added. The people in these leadership roles have to set the example. He made a motion to cut Martins $6,405 raise, which would bring the mayors salary to $182,066. Ryan also proposed cutting the raises of Martins chief of staff and four cabinet members, each set to get $4,796 more on July 1, as well as raises ranging from about $3,800 to $4,500 for other top earners in the administration. Freedman disagreed, saying the city needs experienced professionals to manage its big, complex budget. Board member David Kooris said he sees both arguments, and proposed a compromise. Kooris made a motion to proportionately cut the raises, which total almost $52,000, by $20,000. Kooris compromise passed. Ryan voted for it. Anticipating that my motion would not pass, and having made my point, I agree that this is a small cut in a big budget but it sends a message, Ryan said. Passing something along these lines is more important than the numbers. The move roughly reduces the salary increases to 2 percent, from 3 percent, Kooris said. Risky business Finance board members sought to further ease the tax burden by making an unusual move transferring money from the health-insurance reserve for active employees into the General Fund. It was done after a long discussion with the citys health-insurance consultant, Freedman said. The consultant said the reserve is high at $10 million, Freedman said. Still, Kooris said, theres certainly risk that employees could suddenly file a bunch of large claims. The reserve is a source we havent touched in the past, Kooris said. But all six board members ultimately voted to take $500,000 from the reserve. Other than that and the Board of Education cut, the largest reductions to Martins budget were $89,159 for the Citizens Service Center directors salary, $85,471 for Recreation Services rental of the Star Center to expand a program, and $78,499 for a salary in the Human Resources Department. Martins budget faces one more cutting squad: the Board of Representatives will take it up at 8 p.m. May 1 in Legislative Chambers on the fourth floor of the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296. WESTPORT Town police said speed was a factor in a fiery crash that left a 39-year-old dead early Sunday morning. Cullen Walsh, 39, of Weston, was identified Tuesday as the person killed in the crash. Shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, Westport police and fire departments responded to Weston Road for a report of a large fire. Police Lt. Jillian Cabana said the first units on scene found a vehicle, which had hit a utility pole and two trees, fully engulfed in flames. The crash pulled down electrical wires. Preliminary information indicates speed and a failure to negotiate the roadway were factors in the accident, Cabana said. The incident remains under investigation. Repairs were lengthy, leaving Weston Road shut down until around 3 a.m. Monday. An obituary for Walsh said he was born July 19, 1979, in Whitman, MA. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in accounting and was a partner at Grant Thornton, LLP, according to the obituary. It said Walsh was an old soul who collected old books and hosted dinner parties with friends and family. Cullen was known for his compassion and soft smile, and his calm demeanor and personality put everyone at ease, the obituary said. He was often the smartest guy in the room and was known for public speaking and problem-solving. Walsh is survived by his wife Meredith (Brown) Walsh, his parents, siblings and various nieces and nephews. His family will receive friends at the Harding Funeral Home in Westport on Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. All other services will be private. In lieu of flowers, Walshs family asks for memorial contributions to the Alzheimers Foundation of America at https://alzfdn.org/, or the ASPCA at https://www.aspca.org/. Condolences for the family can be left online at www.hardingfuneral.com. WESTPORT Morale was high among Stop & Shop employees as the strike entered its seventh day. We realize were in this for the long haul and were joining together as a union and going to get through it. Were getting stronger every day, store produce manager John Merritt said outside the store around noon on Wednesday. The big thing is the communitys support is a lot greater than we thought it was going to be. Fellow employee Colin OBrien said customers have brought the striking workers pizza and doughnuts for support. Cars honked in support as workers lined the Post Road with signs and posters about the strike. Its like a bonding moment for everyone in the store, Stop &Shop clerk Pat Duphiney said. Despite the growing connection among employees, however, Duphiney said the workers are tired and ready to settle. In total, 31,000 Stop & Shop workers were on strike as of April 11 in protest of increases to out-of-pocket health care costs and cuts to workers pensions, among other concerns. Stop & Shops parent company, Ahold Delhaize, saw over $2 billion in profits last year and received a U.S. tax cut of $225 million in 2017. The company is claiming the proposed cuts are necessary but is refusing to provide financial information to verify that claim. Workers are required by the union to strike outside the store when they would previously have been on shift at Stop & Shop, and Duphiney said while shes off tomorow, she still plans to attend the strike to support her colleagues. Support has also arrived from out-of-town affiliates of the Stop & Shop employees parent union, the United Food and Commercial Workers. John Kamlowsky is a local UFCW representative based in Houston and was outside the Westport shop with the workers on Wednesday. Kamlowsky arrived in Connecticut on Tuesday and said hes here to help the strikers however he can, such as bringing extra flyers and signs as needed. On Thursday, striking workers will receive some high-profile support from former Vice President Joe Biden, who plans to speak at a rally at a Stop & Shop in Dorchester, Mass. Whatever happens here, will have a ripple effect across the country so were here to show our support because whatever happens here will domino, Kamlowsky said. Reporting contributed by Jim Shay svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1 First Secretary at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia Le Chi Loi, who is also in charge of the management of Vietnamese students in Russia, led the Vietnamese delegation comprising students who are pursuing study at the Ural State University of Economics (USUE) to the plenary session themed Russia-Asia-Africa-Latin America: The Economy of Mutual Trust. In a press conference held in the framework of the forum, Loi said that there are some 6,000 Vietnamese students in Russia, and the country grants nearly 1,000 scholarships for Vietnam each year. The graduates of Russian universities have made proactive contributions to the national construction and development cause in Vietnam. He took the occasion to thank Russian teachers and universities for creating the best conditions for Vietnamese students in the past years. USUE rector Silin Yakov told Vietnam News Agencys correspondent that the forum is a good opportunity for youth delegates and diplomats from more than 70 countries worldwide to discus and give out initiatives to enhance mutual trust. The forum focuses on current trends in national and global economy, hoping to create motives and a favourable environment for innovation in scientific research and develop startup projects among young people, he added. In the framework of the forum, there will be cultural exchanges, photo exhibitions, seminars and an international martial art festival. Federal authorities said Wednesday they have charged 60 people, including a doctor accused of trading drugs for sex and another of prescribing to his Facebook friends, for their roles in illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills containing opioids and other drugs. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman of Cincinnati described the action, with 31 doctors facing charges, as the biggest known takedown yet of drug prescribers. Robert Duncan, U.S. attorney for eastern Kentucky, called the doctors involved "white-coated drug dealers." Authorities said the 60 includes 53 medical professionals tied to some 350,000 prescriptions and 32 million pills. The operation was conducted by the federal Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, launched last year by the Trump administration. Authorities said arrests were being made and search warrants carried out as they announced the charges at a news conference. They didn't immediately name those being charged. U.S. health authorities have reported there were more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017, for a rate of 21.7 per 100,000 people. West Virginia and Ohio have regularly been among the states with the highest overdose death rates as the opioid crisis has swelled in recent years. Among those charged was a Tennessee doctor who dubbed himself the "Rock Doc" and is accused of prescribing dangerous combinations of drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone, sometimes in exchange for sex, authorities said Others include a Kentucky doctor who is accused of writing prescriptions to Facebook friends who came to his home to pick them up, another who allegedly left signed blank prescriptions for staff to fill out and give to patients, and a Kentucky dentist accused of removing teeth unnecessarily and scheduling unneeded follow-up appointments. A Dayton, Ohio, doctor was accused of running a "pill mill" that allegedly dispensed 1.75 million pills in a two-year period. Authorities said an Alabama doctor recruited prostitutes and other women he had sexual relations with to his clinic and allowed them to abuse drugs in his home. Most of those charged came from the five strike force states of Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia. One person each was also arrested in Pennsylvania and Louisiana. "The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region, Attorney General William P. Barr said. But the Department of Justice is doing its part to help end this crisis. One of the Department's most promising new initiatives is the Criminal Division's Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which began its work in December. Just four months later, this team of federal agents and 12 prosecutors has charged 60 defendants for alleged crimes related to millions of prescriptions. I am grateful to the Criminal Division, their U.S. Attorney partners, and to the members of the strike force for this outstanding work that holds the promise of saving many lives in Appalachian communities. Attorney General Barr and U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen also announced that the ARPO Strike Force will expand into the Western District of Virginia, which covers the Shenandoah Valley. The opioid epidemic has ravaged communities throughout the Western District of Virginia, U.S. Attorney Cullen stated. In order to mitigate this crisis, we are working closely with our federal, state, and local partners on targeted and impactful enforcement initiatives, including the prosecution of corrupt health-care providers, drug-trafficking organizations, and those involved in Fentanyl distribution. I am grateful to Attorney General Barr for deploying the ARPO Strike Force into Western Virginia and dedicating additional resources to help us with these critical efforts. If you or a loved one needs help, there are treatment centers . By: Paige Cline Sometimes I am asked to reprint a column from the past. Here[Read More] OTTAWA - The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that a work by an international artist can be deemed to be of "national importance" to Canadian heritage. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that a work by an international artist can be deemed to be of "national importance" to Canadian heritage. On Tuesday, the appeals court restored a decision by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board preventing a Toronto auction house from shipping a painting by French artist Gustave Caillebotte to a purchaser in London, England. "Iris bleus, jardin du Petit Gennevilliers," a painting by French artist Gustave Caillebotte, is shown in a handout photo. The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that a work by an international artist can be deemed to be of "national importance" to Canadian heritage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Heffel Fine Art Auction House MANDATORY CREDIT In a 2017 decision, the review board refused to issue the Heffel Fine Art Auction House a permit to export Caillebotte's 1892 canvas, "Iris bleus, jardin du Petit Gennevilliers," on the basis that the work was considered of "national importance" under the Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Heffel challenged the decision in federal court and won in June 2018, but the Attorney General of Canada appealed the ruling. 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. In its decision the appeals court ruled the lower-court judge erred by not deferring to the review board's "reasonable" interpretation that an object can be of "national importance" even if it or its creator have no direct connection to Canada. Several museums, who rely on similar criteria of "outstanding significance" and "national importance" to entice donations of artworks through tax credits, were granted intervenor status in the appeals case. In the March federal budget, the Liberal government moved to do away with the "national importance" requirement for donors to obtain these tax breaks. In a statement Tuesday, Heffel expressed disappointment with the appeals court decision, saying the criteria that deems a work to be of "national importance" could be interpreted "very broadly." Meanwhile, the Canadian government applauded the decision, with Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez calling it "a victory for our creators and our culture." "It provides certainty about the use of the tools needed to protect our culture and our heritage," Rodriguez said in an emailed statement. Jason Kenney and his United Conservatives soared to a majority government in Alberta's election Tuesday. ABIDJAN, Cote d'Ivoire - On a trip to Africa to promote women's economic empowerment, Ivanka Trump said Wednesday the White House should be judged by its actions toward a continent that her father has privately disparaged. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday April 17, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Trump is promoting a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ABIDJAN, Cote d'Ivoire - On a trip to Africa to promote women's economic empowerment, Ivanka Trump said Wednesday the White House should be judged by its actions toward a continent that her father has privately disparaged. In an Associated Press interview, the president's daughter and senior adviser pointed to visits to Africa by herself, first lady Melania Trump and others, and said: "Our commitment to Africa is clear." She added that she hopes President Donald Trump will visit. "I've been deeply, deeply inspired by my trip here. And I think he will be as well," she said. Ivanka Trump spoke on the last day of her four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, which has featured a mix of carefully choreographed diplomacy and visits to business ventures as she advances a White House program to give an economic boost to women in the developing world. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday April 17, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Trump is promoting a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) The trip was initially viewed with some skepticism, given the president's persistent efforts to cut foreign aid and his disparaging comments about African countries. But there no public signs of tension as his daughter posed for photos with officials and announced development grants. The president was criticized last year after his private comments referring to "shithole countries" in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. "Our actions are speaking for themselves in terms of our dedication to seeing Africa prosper," Ivanka Trump said. "I'm very excited about continuing my work to specifically focus on advocating and advancing the role of women on this continent and beyond." The president's latest proposed budget would cut money for diplomacy and development by about one-quarter. But Congress has twice rejected his administration's attempts to slash the foreign affairs budget and is likely to do so again. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday April 17, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Trump is promoting a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Travelling with the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ivanka Trump was welcomed with enthusiasm. In Ethiopia, she perched on a stool on a grass-covered floor for a traditional coffee welcome ceremony and sat behind a loom at a textile operation. In Ivory Coast, she travelled several hours outside Abidjan, the largest city, to a rural cocoa farm and attended a World Bank-sponsored policy summit. As she entered the town where the cocoa farm was located, she was surrounded by a cheering, dancing crowd. Many people waved signs and wore shirts with her picture that said "Welcome to Adzope, Ivanka Trump." "This is something we rarely see," said government minister Patrick Achi, after Trump's open-air tour of the cocoa production process. He thanked her for the visit and said residents will keep it "forever in our hearts." As she concluded the trip, Ivanka Trump made clear she relished the work she was doing. She said her father recently asked her if she was interested in the job of World Bank chief but that she decided she was happy with her current role in the administration. She worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, U.S. Treasury official David Malpass, and said he would do an "incredible job." U.S. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, speaks with wife of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara, Dominique Ouattara, center, and other attendees at a State Dinner hosted by Ouattara after the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initative, or We-Fi, event, Wednesday April 17, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Trump is promoting a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Asked if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka Trump said she would "keep that between us." But she did say she does not see a run for office in her future. She also said she had no plans to leave her White House role any time soon. A day before the Justice Department planned to release a redacted version of the special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and the 2016 Trump campaign, Ivanka Trump said she was not worried about what it would contain . "I knew that there was no collusion. I knew that there was no obstruction and this was affirmed in the Mueller report and Attorney General Barr's subsequent summary," she said. She also said she stood by a previous statement that the president had no involvement in granting security clearances to her or her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner. "I have no evidence to the contrary," she said. But she said she had not spoken to the president about the issue since reports surfaced that he had ordered officials to grant Kushner a clearance over the objections of national security officials. Asked whether she would support turning over documents to Democrats investigating the issue, Ivanka Trump said she would leave that decision to the White House counsel. 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 convert to Judaism, Ivanka Trump said she was concerned about a "rise in anti-Semitism" and said there currently was "less support for Israel than Israel has traditionally experienced." Asked if she agreed with her father's statements that Democrats had become an "anti-Jewish" party, she said: "I never make categorical statements, but certainly there are some who have said things that are not supportive of the state of Israel." Throughout the interview, Ivanka Trump stressed her commitment to her White House work, but also said it takes a "tremendous toll" on her family life and her three young children. "That's a price that we're paying together," she said. "I am looking forward to a time in the future when I can live a slightly more low-key private life and be able to spend a little bit more time with my children." Her kids, she stressed, are proud of the current family business. Ivanka Trump said her 7-year-old daughter Arabella recently used her nanny's phone to ask the Siri digital assistant how many people her father, Kushner, had helped get out of prison, after the passage of a criminal justice bill that Kushner had helped champion. "I think our kids are really proud and I share with them as many of these stories as I can," Ivanka Trump said. "I'm certainly going to share the stories of this trip." China's refusal thus far to accept a Canadian delegation to work out a solution to an ongoing canola seed trade dispute that's left farmers and exporters scrambling calls for more urgent action from Ottawa, says an industry group. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 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. The Canola Council of Canada is calling on the federal government to "consider all available options" amid a seed trade dispute with China that's suspended shipments from two exporters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh China's refusal thus far to accept a Canadian delegation to work out a solution to an ongoing canola seed trade dispute that's left farmers and exporters scrambling calls for more urgent action from Ottawa, says an industry group. The Canola Council of Canada wants the federal government to "consider all available options" as weeks have passed since China suspended the licences of two major exporters of canola seed, citing concerns about pests, and Chinese companies stopped buying the product from Canadian producers. Winnipeg-based Richardson International Ltd.'s permit to export canola was revoked in early March, while Regina-based Viterra Inc.'s shipments were blocked later that month. The government has said it wants to send a delegation to China to find a scientific solution to the dispute. Agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said earlier this month she sent a letter to her Chinese counterpart with that request. However, despite that letter being sent more than two weeks ago, the canola council has not been informed during its regular conversation with government if that request has been accepted, said Brian Innes, vice-president of public affairs for the Canola Council of Canada. "Time has ticked on without this meeting happening and that is costing the industry and growers significantly," he said. Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The group wants both governments to intensify efforts to make the meeting happen as quickly as possible, said Innes. It recommends Canada appoint an ambassador to China as soon as possible. It wants the government to review diplomatic, technical and legal tools to engage Chinese officials in resuming trade. Lastly, it wants support for producers, including helping growers pay their bills by expanding the advanced payments program, said Innes. The program provides farmers with credit, he explained. The seed dispute comes after Canadian authorities arrested Chinese tech executive, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver in December at the behest of the U.S. China's been a major market for Canadian canola and accounts for about 40 per cent of all seed, oil and meal exports, according to the council. In 2018, canola seed exports to China were worth $2.7 billion, the council said, with very strong demand until recent disruptions. Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter. RENO, Nev. - The U.S. Energy Department is asking a federal judge in Reno to dismiss the state's lawsuit challenging plutonium shipments to Nevada, adding that the material at the storage site north of Las Vegas does not threaten public safety. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2013, file photo, radioactive waste sealed in large stainless steel canisters is stored under five feet of concrete in a storage building at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C. The U.S. Energy Department is asking a federal judge in Reno to dismiss the stateAos lawsuit challenging plutonium shipments to Nevada while an appeals court considers whether to overturn the judge's earlier refusal to grant the stateAos request for a temporary injunction blocking the shipments from South Carolina. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) RENO, Nev. - The U.S. Energy Department is asking a federal judge in Reno to dismiss the state's lawsuit challenging plutonium shipments to Nevada, adding that the material at the storage site north of Las Vegas does not threaten public safety. Department officials have stepped up their explanation of why the site housing the weapons-grade plutonium north of Las Vegas isn't vulnerable to dangers posed by earthquakes despite concerns raised last month by an independent safety board that the threat of seismic activity hasn't been adequately addressed and that the facility currently is operating with "unknown risk." Bruce Hamilton, chairman of the Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, said in a March 21 letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry that "a seismically induced high explosive violent reaction could result in unmitigated" radiation exposure to the public. But Hamilton walked back those concerns in congressional testimony last week, explaining that the warning was directed at a type of testing that no longer occurs at the Nevada National Security Site's Device Assembly Facility 60 miles (97 kilometres) from Las Vegas. The state of Nevada has asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to order the government to remove the plutonium from the site pending its appeal of Judge Miranda Du's refusal to issue a temporary injunction banning any more shipments to Nevada. Over the objections of Nevada, the Department of Energy approved a plan last August to ship the material from South Carolina to Nevada for staging before it moves on to another site in the government's military nuclear complex in New Mexico. Nevada filed a lawsuit in November to block the shipments, but while the case was pending, the Department of Energy disclosed in January it already had shipped a half metric ton (1,102 pounds) of the plutonium to the Nevada site sometime before November. Lawyers for the Department of Energy said in a motion to dismiss Nevada's lawsuit last week that the claims made by the state about the threat of radiation exposure resulting from shipments of the plutonium are moot because the material already has been shipped to Nevada. "The storage is already occurring and can't be undone without transporting the plutonium out of the state, which is already planned to occur by 2027," they said. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, has been pressuring Perry to expedite the removal of the material from Nevada. During an April 2 hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, she grilled him about the earthquake concerns that Hamilton had characterized as "significant" in the March 21 letter to Perry. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I think it's safe senator," Perry told her. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the administrator of the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, reinforced that view April 9 in testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. "The scenario they've thrown out is not something that could occur as we don't conduct nuclear explosions at the Device Assembly Facility," Gordon-Hagerty said. Such tests haven't occurred there since 1992, she said. Seated next to Gordon-Hagerty, Hamilton told the panel his earlier concerns were based on the fact the facility was designed and built to conduct such high-level explosions, and that the Department of Energy has not eliminated the possibility of resuming those kinds of tests in the future. But he acknowledged "they don't do that right now." "Given the set of parameters you are designed for, you have some new seismic information that needs to be added to the calculation," Hamilton said. "But there is an erroneous perception in the press that the DAF (the Device Assembly Facility) is unsafe." "For its current mission... DAF is unequivocally not" vulnerable to an earthquake disaster, he said. "If it were, the board would have issued a formal recommendation, which we did not." OTTAWA - Jason Kenney's newly secured perch as premier of Alberta poses both a threat and a potential boon to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's re-election chances this fall, political observers said Wednesday in the wake of the United Conservative Party's resounding win in Alberta. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney addresses supporters in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh OTTAWA - Jason Kenney's newly secured perch as premier of Alberta poses both a threat and a potential boon to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's re-election chances this fall, political observers said Wednesday in the wake of the United Conservative Party's resounding win in Alberta. Kenney an outspoken and articulate former cabinet minister under ex-prime minister Stephen Harper has made it clear he plans to oppose Trudeau on issues including the carbon tax and equalization payments, and so far has made good on his word, said fellow former Tory front-bencher Stockwell Day. "He is clearly ringing their bell right now," said Day. "He's saying he's going to fight hard for those provincial areas of jurisdiction that can help a province determine its destiny." Kenney's proven skills as a communicator and his experience in the political arena are sure to make him a thorn in the prime minister's side, said Abacus Data chief executive David Coletto. But his history as a Harper lieutenant is another matter. "I think anytime you have someone who is as articulate and compelling a storyteller as Jason Kenney, who commands the stage and can communicate as well as he does, you can't not say he's a threat," Coletto said. "I just don't know yet ... whether the threat outweighs the opportunity from the prime minister's perspective." Kenney's victory, coupled with Doug Ford's win last year in Ontario, gives Trudeau a custom-made narrative: elect a federal Liberal majority as a counterweight to the proliferation of provincial Conservative governments, Coletto said. Former Liberal leader Bob Rae said Kenney may end up playing a role in helping Trudeau shape a particular narrative against certain populist policies around the environment and immigration in particular. "Sometimes it's convenient to have a foil," but at the end of the day, voters want more than that, Rae said: "I don't think it's enough to say what you're against." It's not uncommon in Canada for provincial premiers to find it politically helpful to be seen doing battle with Ottawa, since voters often view provincial and federal politics differently, he added. Trudeau was keeping a low profile Wednesday, issuing little more than pro-forma congratulations to Kenney words later echoed by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, who did little to disguise her lack of enthusiasm. "The citizens of Alberta have spoken," she said during an event in Vancouver. McKenna would not say what her government will do if Kenney makes good on his threat to scrap the Alberta carbon tax, or cut off the flow of oil to B.C. if that province doesn't back off its opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline. Without a carbon tax, a federal backstop measure would presumably kick in but the minister didn't want to discuss it. "I'm not going to speculate on any action that may be taken," she said. Trudeau, for his part, isn't shying away from doing battle with Conservatives over the environment. In an early-morning speech Wednesday to Liberal party faithful in Waterloo, Ont., Trudeau didn't mention Kenney by name, but he did frame the October vote as a choice between scary-but-necessary change and deciding instead to "hunker down in fear." 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 choice Canadians will be facing is one about striving forward confidently into the future and knowing that if we work together we can solve these big problems," he said. One of those problems for Trudeau will be some uncomfortable discussions with the incoming Alberta premier, predicted deputy federal Conservative leader Lisa Raitt. "Whether or not that's going to be a thorn in the side of the prime minister, I don't know," she said. "I know there's going to be very difficult conversations and meetings to be had." Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's connections to Kenney, who served as a Harper minister while Scheer spent much of his tenure in the Speaker's chair, could appeal to western voters, particularly on issues like pipelines and the carbon tax, said Jared Wesley, a political science professor at the University of Alberta. Other Kenney cornerstones, like a promise to hold a referendum on equalization, could be more problematic outside of Alberta: in places like Quebec and Atlantic Canada, going after equalization can be a "third rail" for federal leaders, he warned. Follow @kkirkup and @mrabson on Twitter After a dozen attempts to develop the heritage building, James Avenue Pumping Station, someone has finally succeeded. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After a dozen attempts to develop the heritage building, James Avenue Pumping Station, someone has finally succeeded. "Weve got pumps and cranes and skylights and high ceilings," said Robert Thorsten, CEO of Think.Shift Inc., the buildings tenant, while on a tour. "Its breathtaking to bring clients here." Its also a redevelopment space that fits with the advertising and marketing firms creative thinkers. "In terms of attracting the kind of people we need, its ideal," Thorsten said. After a dozen attempts to develop the heritage building, James Avenue Pumping Station, someone has finally succeeded. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Think.Shift, which moved into the building in July before construction was completed, held its grand opening on Tuesday for clients and other guests. At the top of the guest list was developer Alston Properties out of Vancouver, and Winnipeg firm, 5468796 Architecture, which won a 2018 Canadian Architect Award for its pump house design. The pump house was built in 1906 for fire suppression, prompted by a great conflagration two years earlier. The 1904 fire razed several downtown Winnipeg buildings including the Bullman block, the Rialto block and Great Northern Telegraph, and the J. H. Ashdown Hardware Company at Bannatyne Avenue and Main Street. The Woodbine Hotel and the Dufferin block were badly damaged. "There was no means to fight fires that were six stories in height," said Bryce Alston, director with Alston Properties. "It has a moment where everyone is awed when they walk in for the first time." Colin Neufeld, an architect with the 5468796 firm. So hardware mogul James Ashdown campaigned for construction of the pump house to provide pressurized water to fight future fires. His efforts carried him all the way into the mayors chair. The pump house was state-of-the-art engineering and an example of what the fledgeling city could accomplish when it pulled together. The building has a classy look, made of sandstone brick with many large windows. The glasswork lets in natural light and offers views of the Red River but also lets people see inside. It was a statement to the community that the coal-fired pumps made Winnipeg safer. Think Shift CEO Robert Thorsten. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) From its location along Waterfront Driver and James Ave., it drew water from the Red River and pumped it vertically to the upper reaches of downtown buildings and horizontally all the way to McPhillips Street. The pipe that drew water from the river is still in place but is now capped. Through an underground network of pipes, the pumping station connected to 110 fire hydrants in the city. Firefighters could go to nearest hydrant and tap it for pressurized water. No one would erect a building today with almost the entire 15,000 square feet main floor space dedicated to derelict pumps and flywheels that dont function anymore. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Developing the pump house has been a bizarre venture. No one would erect a building today with almost the entire 15,000 square feet main floor space dedicated to derelict pumps and flywheels that dont function anymore. Its why so many previous attempts failed. Earlier plans for the pumping station ranged from a brew pub to a skyscraper. Efforts often got to the permitting and blueprint stages before failing the smell test of viability. "Often the concept was driven by vanity but the economics didnt come into play until it got far along," said Alston. "We thought, How can we use this existing structure as a benefit rather than a drawback?" Alston Properties came up with a plan that included purchasing lots on either side of the pumping station to locate a four-storey and a six-storey rental apartment. The apartments will be elevated off the ground so as not to block the pump house facade or view from inside. That provided some of the economics. Then it had to find a single tenant in need of 10,000 square feet of office space. The office space is built in the rafters, held up by the buildings steel girders. It would be too expensive to try to subdivide the space into multiple compartments. But the site was ideal for Think.Shift and its 55 employees. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) The first phase of redeveloping the pump house cost $3 million. The entire project once apartment blocks are completed will come to $22 million, Alston said. Both the building and the equipment inside are protected as a designated heritage site. Amid the giant steel wheels, there are also cranes running along horizontal beams with hooks and chains dangling down. They were used to move the giant wheels into place and left behind in case equipment ever needed servicing. The geared wheels weigh up to eight tonnes. The grand opening of Think Shifts office in Winnipegs historic Pumphouse building. The ground floor of the building is under construction for a restaurant. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "It has a moment where everyone is awed when they walk in for the first time," said Colin Neufeld, an architect with the 5468796 firm. "It was a proud building for Winnipeg, and thats the moment we want to hold onto. Thats where all the glass comes in." Think.Shift is an advertising and marketing company with most of its work in the field of agriculture. The back of its business cards state, in large block letter, its mantra: Culture Drives Brand. About 40 per cent of its business is outside Canada. Some of its large customers include Cargill Canada, Bayer Canada, and Adama Global, a farm chemical company based in Israel. Think.Shift is subletting a small part of the building to accounting recruitment firm, Mercer Bradley. bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca OTTAWA - Canada and the European Union vowed on Wednesday to protect their businesses from the Trump administration's new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign companies connected to properties seized from American firms during the Cuban revolution. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The Trump administration announced that it's allowing lawsuits against foreign companies operating in properties seized from Americans in Cuba, a major policy shift that has angered European and other allies.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) OTTAWA - Canada and the European Union vowed on Wednesday to protect their businesses from the Trump administration's new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign companies connected to properties seized from American firms during the Cuban revolution. The defiant response was tempered by warnings that the landmark tightening of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba's communist government would only generate uncertainty and chaos in North American boardrooms and courtrooms. The Trump administration followed through Wednesday on a lingering threat to allow legal action a move that places Canadian resource, tourism and financial services companies at risk in American courts. About one million Canadians annually vacation in Cuba and Toronto-based resource company Sherritt International is long established there, while countries such as Britain, France and Spain have companies active in rum, cigars and tourism. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is "deeply disappointed" and reviewing options with the EU. "The EU and Canada consider the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law," Freeland, her European Union counterpart Federica Mogherini and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a joint statement. "Our respective laws allow any U.S. claims to be followed by counter-claims in European and Canadian courts, so the U.S. decision to allow suits against foreign companies can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions." Freeland said the government has regularly met with U.S. officials since January when the issue first surfaced. That included a recent trip to Washington, when she pressed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to resurrect Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which allows Americans to sue foreign companies linked to Cuban properties confiscated after the 1959 revolution. The U.S. Justice Department has certified about 6,000 claims with an estimated value of $8 billion as having merit for legal action, and believes there could be as many as 200,000 uncertified claims worth tens of billions of dollars, said Kimberly Breier, the head of State Department's Americas branch. "Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement," Pompeo said Wednesday. The Canadian company with the highest Cuban profile essentially shrugged in response. "Implementation of Title III is not expected to have any material impact on Sherritt or our operations in Cuba," Joe Racanelli, Sherritt's director of investor relations said in an emailed statement. He said it was "business as usual" for its drilling and exploration projects. The company's most recent annual information form also played down the potential risk "because Sherritt's minimal contacts with the United States would likely deprive any U.S. court of personal jurisdiction over Sherritt." But other observers warned of more dire consequences. "A massive Pandora's Box has been opened up with this," said Mark Agnew, director of international policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Many Canadian firms with links in Cuba are privately expressing fears about being targeted by a policy they haven't had to deal with for a generation, he said. Canada's Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act was amended in January 1997 to provide that any judgment under the Helms-Burton Act will not be recognized or enforceable in any manner in Canada. Other countries implemented similar ''blocking statutes'' at the time. Cyndee Todgham Cherniak, a Toronto-based international trade lawyer, urged the government to look at updating the law for the digital age, to allow Canadian companies to collect additional damages from eager American litigants who might bring unfounded claims. "Your reputation can be damaged by online allegations of inappropriate expropriation of property," she said. "We want to discourage U.S. persons from pursuing claims against Canadians." When the U.S. law went into force in 1996, then-president Bill Clinton postponed the implementation of Title III after lobbying by Canada, the EU and Mexico. Subsequent presidents followed suit and renewed the exemption every six months. President Donald Trump changed that practice. Last month, the U.S. State Department extended the Title III exemption by only 30 days. The rules allowing lawsuits take effect May 2. "The U.S. Department of Justice may not be pleased with the prospect of a potential wave of lawsuits with dubious claims clogging up the already overburdened federal court system," said Mark Entwistle, a business consultant in Cuba who served as Canadian envoy to Havana in the 1990s. On Wednesday, Pompeo said the new action is rooted in Cuba's ongoing support of Nicolas Maduro's socialist government in Venezuela. 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. "Cuba's behaviour in the Western Hemisphere undermines security and stability of countries throughout the region, which directly threatens United States national security interests," he said. Canada, its Lima Group allies and the U.S. have called for Maduro's ouster and recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim leader of the beleaguered South American country, which has been engulfed in economic and political turmoil, sparking a refugee crisis. Wednesday's announcement coincided with the 58th anniversary of the failed U.S.-backed invasion at Cuba's Bay of Pigs. The epic Cold War clash saw Fidel Castro's forces repel about 1,500 Cuban exiles who had been trained and armed by the Central Intelligence Agency with the aim of overthrowing the communist government that had taken over a country just 135 kilometres off Florida's southern tip two years earlier. Josefina Vidal, Cuba's ambassador to Canada, invoked the Bay of Pigs in a message on Twitter aimed at the Trump administration: "You were defeated 58 years ago. You have been defeated many times afterwards. You will be defeated again this time." with files from Ian Bickis Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the decision would take effect May 3. EDMONTON - Jason Kenney and his United Conservatives channelled the angst of an angry electorate to soar to a majority government in Alberta's election Tuesday and relegate Rachel Notley's NDP to the history books as a one-and-done government. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. EDMONTON - Jason Kenney and his United Conservatives channelled the angst of an angry electorate to soar to a majority government in Alberta's election Tuesday and relegate Rachel Notley's NDP to the history books as a one-and-done government. The UCP, formed two years ago by a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties, held its rural and Calgary seats and took back many of the breakthrough NDP wins in those regions in 2015. "What a great day for the province of Alberta," Kenney told cheering supporters after riding into a jammed event centre at Calgary's Stampede Grounds in a blue pickup truck. "Today our great province has sent a message to Canada and the world that Alberta is open for business." The UCP was leading or elected in 63 of 87 seats Tuesday night. The NDP held the other 24. A handful of seats were too close to call and will need to wait to be finalized until out-of-constituency advance ballots are counted later in the week. Notley's NDP held on to much of its traditional base in Edmonton, which it swept four years ago. But cabinet ministers and backbenchers went down elsewhere. THE CANADIAN PRESS/CODIE MCLACHLAN United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney speaks during a campaign rally in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday, April 12, 2019. Speaking to supporters at her Edmonton headquarters, Notley touted her government's accomplishments and said she will stay on as NDP leader. "We have fundamentally changed the politics of this province forever," she said. "It has been an honour to serve as your premier and it will be an honour to serve as the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition." Notley said she had congratulated Kenney and "assured him that we will do everything that we can to ensure the transition to a new government is smooth and productive." "I wish him and his government well. We all do. We must. Because we all love Alberta," she said, her family behind her on stage as supporters chanted "Rachel! Rachel!" Kenney, who won his riding in Calgary-Lougheed, is a former federal Conservative cabinet minister under Stephen Harper. He takes the top job after winning on a jobs, jobs, jobs message and a promise to wage war on all who oppose Alberta's oil and gas industry, particularly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney arrives at a rally before the election, in Sherwood Park Alta, on Monday April 15, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Kenney has derisively called it "the Trudeau-Notley alliance" a partnership he says has turned Alberta into a doormat for Trudeau and other oil industry foes in return for no more than a faint and as yet unrealized promise of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to the west coast. Kenney has promised to kill Alberta's homegrown carbon tax, fight the federal carbon tax in court, and do what he can to help the federal Conservatives defeat Trudeau in the federal October vote. "There is a deep frustration in this province, a sense that we have contributed massively to the rest of Canada, but that everywhere we turn we are being blocked in and pinned down," said Kenney. In a statement, Trudeau congratulated Kenney and said he will work with the new government to create jobs, build infrastructure, and grow business and industry. "Together, we will address issues of importance to Albertans and all Canadians, including ... taking decisive action on climate change while getting our natural resources to market." Once Kenney is sworn in, Canada will have no women premiers. Notley's NDP was trying to win a second mandate after toppling the wheezing, scandal-scarred 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty in 2015 by winning a 54-seat majority. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney, left to right, Alberta Liberal Party leader David Khan, Alberta New Democrat Party leader and incumbent premier Rachel Notley and Alberta Party leader Stephen Mandel pose before the start of the 2019 Alberta Leaders Debate in Edmonton on Thursday, April 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Codie McLachlan In the previous two decades, the NDP had never been able to elect more than four members of the legislature, and had been shut out of Calgary since the 1980s. Interest in the 2019 election was high as leaders launched personal attacks while promoting their platforms as the best blueprint for Alberta's fragile economy. Almost 700,000 people voted in advance polls, well above the record 235,000 who did in 2015. The province, once a money-making dynamo thanks to sky-high oil prices, has been struggling for years with sluggish returns on royalties, reduced drilling activity and higher unemployment levels. Kenney argued that Notley's government made a bad situation worse with higher taxes, more regulations and increases in minimum wage. Notley, in turn, said Kenney's plan to freeze spending and pursue more private-care options in health care would have a profound impact on students and patients. Notley also tried to make Kenney's character an issue. A number of his candidates either quit or apologized for past comments that were anti-LGBTQ, anti-Islamic or sympathetic to white nationalism. NDP leader Rachel Notley, gives a concession speech after election results, in Edmonton Alta, on Tuesday April 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson On the margins of the campaign were the centrist Alberta and Liberal parties. Both elected single members to the legislature four years ago, but failed to win any seats this time. Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel lost in Edmonton-McClung and Liberal Leader David Khan failed to win in Calgary Mountain-View. 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. Kenney now turns his attention to a spring-summer sitting and a platform that includes undoing most of the signature elements of the last four years of changes under the NDP, starting with the provincial carbon tax on fossil-fuelled heating and gas at the pumps. He has promised to repeal the NDP increase on corporate income tax and drop it to eight per cent. The minimum wage for youth is to be cut. Farm safety and injury compensation plans for farm workers are to be abolished and replaced. A $3.7-billion plan to lease rail cars to ship more oil is to be cancelled. The climate change program is to be dismantled in favour of a plan to tax the emissions-intensity of major greenhouse gas operations. A large medical lab in Edmonton, part of a plan to consolidate tests, won't proceed. Changes to overtime pay are to be rolled back. A sweeping overhaul of school curriculums is also expected to be on hold. Kenney plans to fire a shot across the bow of the B.C. government on his first day in office. He has said he will proclaim a law passed by Notleys government but never proclaimed. The bill gives Alberta the power to reduce oil flows to B.C. in retaliation for its opposition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Allegations of widespread misconduct among inspectors in Winnipegs planning, property and development department may be just the tip of the iceberg, as whistleblowers are stepping forward to sound the alarm about problems that extend elsewhere in the municipal workforce. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Allegations of widespread misconduct among inspectors in Winnipegs planning, property and development department may be just the tip of the iceberg, as whistleblowers are stepping forward to sound the alarm about problems that extend elsewhere in the municipal workforce. Two people the Free Press has agreed not to name them are speaking out about their experiences working in three departments under the public works umbrella during the past decade. One is a current employee and the other twice worked as a summer contractor for the city. Surveillance footage of City of Winnipeg planning, property and development department employee shopping at Costco. They describe a culture of short, lackadaisical workdays peppered with frequent, lengthy coffee breaks and extended lunches, and one where fireable offences including sleeping, drinking alcohol on the job and theft or misuse of equipment are rife. "Im sure that you know, and the majority of people know, what we actually do. It goes beyond the planning, property and development department... Im really tired of not feeling productive. I just want to do a good job and feel good about my day," said the current employee. The conduct of municipal workers has been thrust into the spotlight in the wake of a Free Press report on a private investigation bankrolled by a group of frustrated taxpayers of building inspectors in the planning, property and development department. The results of the investigation which was documented in video, photos and notes that were shared with the Free Press for review indicated only one of 17 inspectors placed under surveillance was consistently putting in an honest days work. The city quickly launched an internal probe into the accusations. The former summer employee agreed to speak to the Free Press after seeing the newspaper's initial report outlining the $18,000 private investigation's findings. Although he now works in the private sector, he spent two summers working for the citys parks department. He said he wasn't surprised by the findings. "Not at all," he said, laughing. "I thought it was common knowledge." During the time he was employed by the city, he said work crews would gather at headquarters at 7:30 a.m., before heading out to a coffee shop for breakfast. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The City of Winnipeg Planning Property and Development offices at 65 Garry Street. "Wed take our time there. Our actual coffee break was supposed to be at 9:30 (a.m.). But by the time we got coffee in the morning and got ready and got to the work site, it was pretty much coffee (break), so wed repeat the process again," he said. "I feel dirty even just saying this stuff. There was a lot of driving around. There were people who definitely drove around the entire day and did nothing. Or you could sleep in the back of the truck. There wasnt any supervision." What shocked him the most, however, was the number of people in multiple departments routinely consuming alcohol on the job. He said employees would go drinking every Friday afternoon during both of the summers he worked for the city. "There was a specific Boston Pizza theyd go to. Guys would go there and would easily have 10 to a dozen beers, hop right back into their city trucks, then drive back completely loaded. Youd see 10 separate trucks go out and youd know that all 10 of them are super drunk," he said. "I know some of the higher-ups were aware of this because some of them were present sometimes. Im pretty confident its just as prevalent as it was before, considering all the same people still work there." The current employee said he's also aware of colleagues who regularly drink on the job, adding some of them talk openly about it. He independently made many of the same workplace misconduct allegations as the former summer worker. City weighing need for transparency against inspectors' rights in advance of internal probe report City officials arent yet saying how much detail theyre prepared to release in the fallout from an internal probe into allegations of wrongful behaviour by its building inspectors. CAO Doug McNeil said he supports a motion that was unanimously approved by executive policy committee Tuesday calling on the release of a full and detailed report within 30 days of the investigation closing. But he said the city will be consulting its human relations and labour relations divisions as to how much detail can be disclosed, including the nature of the wrongdoing and the type of discipline imposed. click to read more City officials arent yet saying how much detail theyre prepared to release in the fallout from an internal probe into allegations of wrongful behaviour by its building inspectors. CAO Doug McNeil said he supports a motion that was unanimously approved by executive policy committee Tuesday calling on the release of a full and detailed report within 30 days of the investigation closing. But he said the city will be consulting its human relations and labour relations divisions as to how much detail can be disclosed, including the nature of the wrongdoing and the type of discipline imposed. We have to be careful in terms of what we can release publicly, McNeil told reporters. The public does need to know what happened. The internal probe was prompted by an investigation launched by about a dozen citizens and business owners who were frustrated with the poor response from the citys building inspections division. The group, whose members remain anonymous, hired a local private investigation firm to monitor the daily work routines of 17 inspectors in the planning, property and development department and found that all but one of them put in an average of just three hours of work each day. Videos, photos and notes shared with the Free Press revealed the inspectors took long lunches and spent time on personal activities including shopping and clearing their own driveways of snow during work hours. The city launched its internal probe within hours of the Free Press publishing the investigation findings on April 4. An email to council members April 5 revealed that the citys labour relations division is heading the probe, which began last week with a round of interviews of affected individuals. McNeil said that while the private investigation focused only on 17 inspectors, the city is interviewing dozens of employees because the group refuses to share its findings with city hall. The whole idea is to figure out what (the inspectors have) been doing do they go home early or whatever the case may be. A lot of probing questions to find out what their activities have been, McNeil said, adding the probe will try to verify the employees responses using data obtained from their cellphones, tablets and interviews with people and companies whose properties were being inspected during the workday. McNeil said a second round of interviews with some city staff could be held depending on the initial findings. He also said the police may be contacted at the conclusion of the probe if the findings warrant, but he said its still too early to make that determination. The group has refused to meet with city officials and release the private investigation firm's findings, out of concern members would be subject to retaliation. Mayor Brian Bowman told reporters he is urging the group to present its findings to the city but if the members continue to refuse yet insist on an independent investigation, they should take the information to the provincial Ombudsman, who could guarantee their anonymity while looking into their concerns. aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Close He stressed that anyone who speaks out against the entrenched workplace culture is ostracized by co-workers for rocking the boat, and claims management and supervisors are well aware of whats going on. "Its not just theft of time. Theres a ridiculous amount of actual theft that happens. Nobody cares because the people in charge are doing it themselves... Ive been in a department where they purposely try to do the work slower and inefficiently," he said. "What did you guys get accomplished this week? What did you do? Nobody asks those questions, because nobody cares. Anyone could come in and see the inefficiencies and it wouldnt take some big, crazy investigation." The allegations made by the current employee and former summer worker were sent to the city for comment. "The city has a workforce of over 10,000 individuals who we believe take pride in their work and the services they provide to the people of Winnipeg. We take these types of allegations seriously and we encourage people to come forward if they have concerns," a city spokesman said in a written statement. "Its important that concerns are received and responded to when presented to the city. There are a number of ways that an individual, including current or former city employees, can voice any concerns with confidence and anonymity." The situation unfolding in Winnipeg is similar to revelations that surfaced in Hamilton in 2013. After growing suspicious public works employees werent putting in a full day's work, the city hired a private investigations firm. The surveillance led to the mass firing of 29 employees after revealing they were engaging in workplace misconduct similar to whats been alleged against the Winnipeg building inspectors. That led to a two-year arbitration costing the City of Hamilton more than $500,000 that resulted in 15 of the dismissed workers being reinstated. The arbitrator ruled that while the workers were guilty of serious workplace misconduct, there was such a "culture of low expectations" due to a "failure of management" they shouldnt be singled out for punishment. The arbitrator said it was "plainly evident had anyone taken the opportunity to examine how the asphalt crews did their jobs" the extent of the misconduct would have been clear, adding the surveillance operation revealed little not available from the GPS tracking data on city trucks. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman told the Free Press hes pleased the Canadian Union of Public Employees which represents the inspectors in the planning, property and development department is taking part in the citys internal probe into the accusations. 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. "If the allegations that Ive seen are in fact true then, absolutely, there are a number of individuals who shouldnt be working for the City of Winnipeg and should find employment elsewhere," he said. The current city employee who spoke to the Free Press, however, said he doesn't expect the internal probe will lead to much action, if any. "I dont think the investigation will turn up much. Theyll find a way to justify all of these things we do. To be honest, Ive been considering quitting because the job is making me that unhappy," he said. "When you go to the supervisor and point out the inefficiencies or some of the things that are going on, they tell you, Thats not your job. Dont worry about it. Its like, technically Im a taxpayer we all are. So why am I the only one who seems to care?" ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe The spectre of Basia Sokals pending resignation hung over the Winnipeg Labour Council (WLC) on Tuesday night as the groups monthly meeting kicked off with the reading of an anti-harassment policy statement. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The spectre of Basia Sokals pending resignation hung over the Winnipeg Labour Council (WLC) on Tuesday night as the groups monthly meeting kicked off with the reading of an anti-harassment policy statement. It was the groups first meeting since Sokal, the current council president, announced her intention to resign last month, citing alleged sexual harassment and bullying by male union colleagues. She is currently on a leave of absence and wasnt present at Tuesdays meeting. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Under a large photo of mounted police charging strikers in 1919, Winnipeg Labour Council members attend the first monthly meeting since its presidents well-publicized resignation. "Complaints of harassment at all labour council functions will be taken seriously and will be investigated immediately by the representative of the Canadian Labour Congress and a member of the Winnipeg Labour Council," executive member Mike Kelly told the room of roughly 50 attendees. When Sokal announced her intention to resign last month, she said shed complained about the alleged harassment and bullying to union leaders and executives, as well as the Manitoba NDP, but that her concerns fell on deaf ears. She has been president of the WLC since January 2017 and an interim president has been named in her absence. The groups next scheduled council election is set for November. At the meeting, slips of paper were handed out inviting "WLC members, affiliates and Winnipeg-based labour activists to participate in an anonymous survey about experiences in the labour movement." Its unclear if the survey was a direct result of Sokals allegations. Basia Sokal, former president of the Winnipeg Labour Council, quit last month citing alleged sexual harassment. Not long after the anti-harassment policy was read out, a delegate from the United Steelworkers Local 9074 proposed a motion to bar any non-delegates including the media from sitting in on the meeting, as well as all future meetings. 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 people that are in this room should be duly qualified delegates from their union and nobody else. I have a concern with that, because I do not want to have this labour council have their dirty laundry aired in public anymore," he said. Seven people rose to speak against the motion and it was subsequently voted down by an overwhelming majority of the delegates present. Later in the meeting, the same delegate from the United Steelworkers Local 9074 rose again to claim hed recently reviewed the WLCs financial books and found a number of concerning "irregularities." As a result of his concerns, he said an independent forensic audit was called for. "Some of these are not legitimate expenses (A forensic audit) is not a great cost for us to go out and say, Were doing everything right. Cost should not be an issue," he said, after a number of delegates expressed concern over the potential price tag associated with such an audit. However, the motion to fund an independent forensic audit of the WLCs books was voted down by an overwhelming margin, only gaining support from a handful of delegates. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca After more than a year of negotiations, Manitoba and Ottawa formally announced a new health-care accord that will see the federal government invest $182 million over five years for home and community care, and mental health and addictions services. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After more than a year of negotiations, Manitoba and Ottawa formally announced a new health-care accord that will see the federal government invest $182 million over five years for home and community care, and mental health and addictions services. "This funding will provide families with much-needed additional support in their own communities," International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr said at an announcement Tuesday at the Manitoba Legislative Building that was attended by six Liberal MPs and 11 Progressive Conservative MLAs. SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jim Carr, Federal Minister of International Trade Diversification announces a bilateral agreement at the Manitoba Legislative Building. "Today's announcement shows what we can accomplish when we work together," he said of the two levels of government. Manitoba was the last province to sign a bilateral agreement with Ottawa, which pledged $11 billion over 10 years in its 2017 budget to fund services in several targeted areas. Health Minister Cameron Friesen, acknowledging the long delay in reaching an accord with the federal government, said Manitoba was "very pleased" with the result. SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cameron Friesen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living for the Province of Manitoba, speaks at the agreement announcement on Tuesday. "We can all agree that this day has been a long time coming, but it is here," he said. "And when it comes to making good deals, that often involves some considerable time." He added Manitoba is not losing any funding as a result of signing onto the federal program well after it was first announced. Program details will be announced in the weeks and months ahead, Friesen said. In general, the money will be used to expand home care, enhance rural supports for palliative care, increase access to co-ordinated care for mental health and addictions services, offer peer support "in formal health-care settings" for patients with mental health and addictions issues, and fund a program to help families deal with pregnancy and infant loss. According to the agreement, a total of $72.9 million will be spent in the broad area of mental health and addictions, while $109.3 million will be spent in home care and community care over a five-year period. The bulk of the mental health and addictions money $66.7 million will be spent on increasing the timeliness of mental health and addictions services for Manitobans. In the area of home care, some of the new funding will allow the province to increase the involvement of nurses in that setting as well as to expand home dialysis services. 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. Carr said the enhanced home care funding will be used to support Manitobans "who wish to stay in their homes as long as possible." The general goals of the federal program have been known publicly for about two years. Friesen said the challenge was tailoring the deal to Manitoba's needs. Until Tuesday, there was no mention for funding to help families deal with pregnancy and infant loss. According to the agreement, some $600,000 in federal money will be spent in this area beginning this fiscal year. Friesen said the money will be used to provide counselling and quicker access to services. He said the loss of a pregnancy or an infant death is a "traumatic event" in a family's life. "That loss is profound, it can be debilitating, and it is incumbent on government to do what they can do to meet people at that point of need." larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Watching images of flames bursting through the roof of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, Winnipeg artist Wanda Koop was heartbroken. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Watching images of flames bursting through the roof of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, Winnipeg artist Wanda Koop was heartbroken. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Artist Wanda Koop: 'I was just heartbroken when I saw the steeple topple' Koop's grief was personal, as the cathedral holds a special place in her heart and in her art. For six months in 1991, when Koop lived in Paris, she sketched the cathedral. Hundreds of sketches of the world-famous monument's exterior, from front to back and near to far. "I drew Notre Dame from every conceivable location," Koop said, sitting in her studio Tuesday, thumbing through a sketch book. "I was just heartbroken when I saw the steeple topple (Monday). "I did 10 books like this and I gave them away. I only kept one. I did them over a six-month period from different angles and then I used them to make my big ink drawings." MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Artist Wanda Koop in her Winnipeg Studio with one of the ten sketch books she carried with her that she filled with drawings of the Notre Dame Cathedral during her six-month Canada Council Paris Studio trip. While the ink drawings were created as large, poster-size artwork, Koop's original pencil sketches are small. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) The sketch book is so tiny about five by three centimetres with the drawings not much bigger than an adult's thumbnail, it is amazing to see so much detail in such a small space. With about 150 drawings per notebook, she did around 1,500 sketches. The small notebooks served another purpose. "I don't like people watching me at work," Koop said. "I would hold it and with my pencil, I would draw. No one could see what I'm doing. It was so personal and so private, and I was alone in Paris." Koop, who was honoured in 2005 as a member of the Order of Canada, as one of the country's most renowned visual artists and the founder of Art City, a community centre for inner-city youth, was already well-established when she moved to Paris. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Koop, who went to the the University of Manitoba's School of Art in the early 1970s, had her first solo show at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1981. Koop said when she went to Paris, she had no idea the only work she would produce there would be the series of cathedral drawings, but that's what happens when you are an artist. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "As an artist, especially when you go to a foreign place, you are looking out and observing and translating the world around you," she said. "I just found a motif that worked for me. I was a metaphor for my centre. It is the centre of Paris it became a metaphor for the heart. And I became obsessed with it. "It isn't human, it is a structure, but we still feel it." The 12th-century monument was ravaged by fire Monday, with most of the roof burning as firefighters battled to save the two towers and main structure. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) As for what happened to the artwork which came from Koop's sketches, a handful are owned by public individuals but most are still wrapped in paper, tucked away on a shelf in her studio. "I never did anything with them. I just brought them home. It wasn't to be shown. I didn't make a show out of it," she said. "I just did it." kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca 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. Now that hes retired from a job that required him to hobnob with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and other royal dignitaries, Dwight MacAulay finally has the time to be really busy. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Now that hes retired from a job that required him to hobnob with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and other royal dignitaries, Dwight MacAulay finally has the time to be really busy. MacAulay stepped down in May 2017 after 19 hectic years as Manitobas chief of protocol, a job in which, among other high-level tasks, he was responsible for overseeing roughly 12 Royal visits. Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files Dwight MacAulay served as chief of protocol for the province for 19 years and still is a presiding officer for the citizenship court. "The most memorable one, the one people identify me with, is when the Queen and Prince, sadly, got stuck on a water taxi in the middle of the Red River," he recalled this week over a hefty lunch of ribs and hot turkey sandwiches. "Its only now that I can talk about it without getting a tightening in my chest and not going into the fetal position in the corner," MacAulay, 66, joked, laughing at the memory. "I wasnt driving the boat. There were two boats involved and I was in the other boat." In retirement, the man who spent more than 36 years as a provincial civil servant starting out as a radio and TV co-ordinator in the information services branch has arguably become the hardest-working man in the volunteer business. Last week, he was one of five people honoured with community service awards for his volunteer work on the board of St. John Ambulance. "Im proud to be on the board of St. John Ambulance," he told me. "They do a lot of good work helping a lot of deserving people and Im delighted to be part of that. Getting awards for something like that I wouldnt say Im uncomfortable with it, but I certainly dont need it. I dont volunteer to be recognized or get an award." It was just the latest honour for a charming and humble man who is running out of space for awards and plaques on his fireplace mantel. In 2002, he was invested as a lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen during a visit to Manitoba. Eight years later, the Queen elevated him to the position of commander of the RVO the only Manitoban to receive that honour. In May, he will attend a gathering at Windsor Castle to celebrate members of the order. "Ive been to it twice before. This would be my third time. Its largely surreal for someone like me. I remember the first time I went I thought, I hope they dont find out theres a kid from Dunrea, Man., thats snuck into Windsor Castle, and Ill be thrown out and itll be embarrassing. " The truth is, it would likely take less time to read the weighty novel War and Peace than it takes to peruse MacAulays impressive resume. Along with being president of the Winnipeg Press Club, vice-president of the Manitoba chapter of the Royal Commonwealth Society, president of the Manitoba Intrepid Society and serving on the senate of the Fort Garry Horse regiment, he finds time to sit on (you might want to take a breath here) seven charity boards St. John Ambulance, the St. Andrews Society, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Childrens Hospital Foundation, the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba, the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural Centre and the Manitoba Historical Society. "It seems like Im as busy as I was when I was working," MacAulay agreed. "Often, a lot of days, I am busier. I like being busy. I like the causes. But the driving force behind all of it is I really like being busy and being on the go. "I enjoy volunteering. I enjoy helping people. And I think, more than anything, I enjoy being busy, and maybe thats a carryover from my job as chief of protocol for the province when youre basically going 110 miles an hour all the time." Saying MacAulay has a lot on his plate is a huge understatement. About four years ago, he became a licensed marriage commissioner and has performed ceremonies everywhere from Government House and Shaw Park to a sidewalk in Assiniboine Park. "I married my youngest son, Devin, and his wife, Carly," said the father of two and grandfather to three, with a fourth on the way. "I was honoured like crazy to officiate at their wedding. They got married at the restaurant attached to the ballpark." While we chatted over lunch, Mac-Aulay received a phone call from the group overseeing celebrations for Manitobas 150th anniversary next year. "Im helping the Manitoba 150 committee," he explained. "Im helping to come up with ideas. I dont know if Ive got a big idea. There are a lot of little ideas putting the Manitoba 150 logo on all government mail, putting it on all emails... Theres a torch in the middle of Memorial Boulevard right across the street from the legislature that Id like to see lit for the entire year. "I think its important to realize that next year is a big year for Manitobans. We have a very rich history. In the First World War, Manitoba had more casualties per capita than any other province. Manitobans have always punched above their weight." Hes also part of a movement pushing for a statue of Chief Peguis to rise on the legislative grounds. "I think its important for us to recognize the role of First Nations in the settlement of this province, and Chief Peguis is the person I think who played the most pivotal role in the early history of the province," he told me. And fighting for the creation of a Music Hall of Fame in Manitoba is also on his agenda. "I think the province deserves and should have it," MacAulay declared. "It would honour all types of music and musicians that we have from Manitoba." 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. Of all his volunteer activities and weve only scratched the surface MacAulay is most proud of his work as a presiding officer for the citizenship court, having sworn in more than 20,000 new Canadians at more than 200 ceremonies in the past seven years. "Of all the volunteer things Ive done in my life, I dont think anything has been more personally rewarding than conducting citizenship ceremonies... I give them a bit of a pep talk as to how lucky they are, and we are, to be part of Canada," he said with obvious pride. "I really believe that from the tip of my toes to the tip of my nose. Were one of the luckiest peoples on Earth. Its like weve won the lottery to become Canadians. "In each ceremony, I always tell people that unless youre a member of the First Nations, were all immigrants. Were all from somewhere else, except for the First Nations who were here long before we were. Newcomers just enrich everything. We wouldnt be the country we are without newcomers, without immigrants. This country was built by immigrants." MacAulay has enjoyed every job he has ever held, with one minor exception he hated spreading manure on a hog farmers field when he was a teenager. "At the end of the day, I told him I wasnt coming back," this longtime friend to royals told me. "Its the only one-day job Ive had in my life." doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Of all Julian Assanges undoubted talents, maybe his greatest gift is the ability to make enemies. He trusts, likes and respects almost no one. He falls out with his friends and disgusts his opponents. Now that he has been dragged, kicking and shouting, from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he was, by all accounts, the house guest from hell he may find few allies in the world outside. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Of all Julian Assanges undoubted talents, maybe his greatest gift is the ability to make enemies. He trusts, likes and respects almost no one. He falls out with his friends and disgusts his opponents. Now that he has been dragged, kicking and shouting, from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he was, by all accounts, the house guest from hell he may find few allies in the world outside. Many conservatives despise him for supposedly imperilling national security. Liberals will never forgive him for what he did to Hillary Clinton. Numerous journalists perhaps the majority scoff at his effrontery in identifying as one of them. Women can never forget the never-settled claims of sexual coercion in Sweden. He is an information anarchist dumping vast oceans of material into cyberspace with barely a thought for the consequences. Hes often portrayed as a useful idiot to Putin, an enabler to Trump. He jumped bail in Britain, costing his too-trusting supporters a small fortune in surrendered sureties. He is rude, aggressive, pompous, self-regarding, unreasonable and even or so say multiple sources smelly. There is, in short, much not to love about Julian Assange. He and I collaborated on the release of military and diplomatic documents relating to the Iraq War when I was editing the Guardian in 2010 and 2011. We spectacularly fell out. Another party to the publication was the New York Times under its executive editor then, Bill Keller. They fell out. He hired the journalist and author Andrew OHagan as a ghost writer. Spoiler alert: they fell out. Part of the problem was a deeply ingrained mistrust of mainstream media. Who decreed that they got to be the gatekeepers of information? He veered between contempt for us and a grudging acceptance that we were a necessary evil. Within the space of an hour he could go from shouting tantrums to cool-headed strategic planning. We were not alone in finding him a difficult partner. And yet, the laws protecting free speech should not depend on the lovability, mental health or personal hygiene of those in the firing line. And Assange is now very much a target being threatened with extradition to the United States to face charges relating to his collaboration with the source of the 2010 WikiLeaks revelations, Chelsea Manning. It may be that we have to suspend our complicated feelings about the man and consider the implications for free expression. It is interesting what Assange is not being charged with at least for now. To have prosecuted him for the substantive content of the stream of Manning-sourced articles about war, torture, murder and dissembling would have reopened many cans of worms that too many people would doubtless prefer remained forgotten. And if Assange was in the dock, why not the editors of the Guardian, the New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, the Hindu, El Pais and numerous others? There was a genuine public interest in publishing details of the killing of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in the American authorities turning a blind eye to systemic torture and murder by its Iraqi allies in 2009. Any mainstream news organization would have gladly broken the news disclosed in the 2010 "collateral murder" video, with its footage from an Apache helicopter showing the killing of a dozen innocent people, including two Reuters news staffers. It would be difficult to explain why Assange alone should be singled out for his role in the joint publications much as I personally disapproved of him subsequently spewing out unredacted classified material across the internet. But he is not at least currently charged with being the agent of a foreign power or of placing lives in jeopardy. No, the charge against Assange appears to be more modest, punishable by up to five years in prison. The unsealed grand jury indictment boils down to two claims, neither of them new: one, that Assange conspired with Manning to try to get hold of more material, even after she had leaked hundreds of thousands of classified documents; and two, that Assange attempted unsuccessfully, it seems to crack a government password. The benign explanation is that he sought to help Manning avoid detection as the source of the material she was downloading. Others accuse him of hacking, pure and simple. What are the implications of successfully prosecuting such behaviour? To James Goodale, the veteran lawyer who helped the Times defend the Pentagon Papers from the Nixon administrations hot pursuit in 1971, the precedent would be devastating. 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. "Should Trumps Justice Department succeed in prosecuting Assange," he wrote in Harpers last month, "the only safe course of action for a reporter would be to receive information from a leaker passively." Assange does sometimes carry out the function of a journalist, and thus should benefit from First Amendment protection, just the same as "real" reporters. But for the moment journalists should look beyond Assanges erratic character and capacity for making enemies and look at the underlying issue the indictment raises. "If the prosecution succeeds," Goodale warns, "investigative reporting based on classified information will be given a near death blow." All around the world repressive regimes are successfully reducing the glare of scrutiny that the press used to shine on them. If we believe that daylight is a necessary condition for democracy that good societies cant function without transparency and an agreed-upon factual basis for debate and governance then the defense of investigative reporters, however difficult or even wrong-headed those individuals may be, is important. Alan Rusbridger is a former editor in chief of the Guardian. He is principal of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford and chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Washington Post These are the days of miracle and wonder, as Paul Simon once sang. News of one such marvel took me on a spring morning to the paleontology labs of the University of Kansas. There, I found myself looking with awe at the fossilized bones of an ancient paddlefish. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion These are the days of miracle and wonder, as Paul Simon once sang. News of one such marvel took me on a spring morning to the paleontology labs of the University of Kansas. There, I found myself looking with awe at the fossilized bones of an ancient paddlefish. We could profitably spend time reflecting on the miracle of spring mornings, of paddlefish, of life itself for these all seem rare indeed, at least in our known corner of the universe. What had me thunderstruck, though, was not the life of that fish, but its death. Tiny beads of glass caught in its gill rakers suggest that the creature perished while gasping for air as fire rained from the sky. The composition of those beads, or tektites, further suggests that they were formed when a massive asteroid slammed into the Earth with the force of 10 billion Hiroshimas and ended the Cretaceous period. In other words, I was looking at a recording in rock of the moment when life nearly ended on Earth, arguably the biggest single event in our planets living history. This fish is one of a trove of fossils discovered by KU graduate student Robert DePalma at a site in North Dakota. Should the site prove to contain all that DePalma claims, it is among the most important finds in history, a vivid document from the very day that doomed the dinosaurs. DePalmas thesis adviser, David Burnham, was bright-eyed with excitement as he showed me the fish and other artifacts entombed in the fallout from the so-called Tanis site. A decorated veteran of the academic battlefield, Burnham appeared unworried that some scientists have expressed doubts about the extravagant claims and flamboyant character attributed to DePalma by New Yorker writer Douglas Preston in the riveting story that revealed the discovery. "We will be making the case in a number of papers over the next few years, and people will see what weve found," Burnham said. Its all there, he assured me: evidence of catastrophic flooding unleashed by seismic waves, of pulverized bedrock falling like hail, of forests burning in a worldwide conflagration, of early mammals huddling in their burrows as dinosaurs died aboveground. He reiterated what he told Preston: scientists will be unpacking the treasures of Tanis for the next half-century. One of the astonishments of these times is just how large a half-century has become. A young paleontologist working the same sparse, gray land 50 years ago could have unearthed this fossil bed without the knowledge necessary to read its story. The Apollo missions to the moon had just awakened the scientific community to the idea of space as a sort of shooting gallery in which the Earth was the target of frequent incoming shots. 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 father-and-son team of Luis and Walter Alvarez had not yet argued that a band of ash heavy in iridium, a rare metal found in space debris, had coated the Earth roughly 65 million years ago (science would later narrow the date to about 66 million years ago). Alan Hildebrand and William Boynton had not yet pinpointed the Chicxulub crater in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula as the impact site of a giant asteroid or comet. Indeed, only in 2010 did a panel of scientists weigh in to say, based on core samples of the crater, that an impact some 66 million years ago sent shock waves through the planet, raining fire and coating the Earth in ash. This catastrophe marked the end of the age of dinosaurs, extinguishing some 95 per cent of all dinosaur species and clearing the way for the rise of mammals including those large-brained mammalians who would later find this moment recorded in North Dakota. One thing to be learned in the coming years is what role Tanis might play in understanding the Deccan Traps, a group of super-volcanoes in what is now India. The geologist Gerta Keller, a Princeton professor, contends that eruptions of these volcanoes began the dinosaur die-off long before the asteroid impact. Her analysis of DePalmas findings will be eagerly awaited. Its all part of the advance of science, which has accelerated from a march to a gallop. Technology and globalization may rattle economies and inflame politics, but they are astonishing accelerators of discovery. I could see this in Burnhams face as he described the dinosaur plumage unearthed at Tanis feathers made readily comprehensible thanks to the discovery in the 1990s of feathered fossils in China. Within a short time, he said, scanning electron microscopes will access traces in the fossils that reveal the precise colours of those long-dead ancestors of todays birds. Miracles and wonders are all around us, though we might not find them trending on Twitter or driving political debates. Sometimes, we have to dig a little. Washington Post What should governments do, and what shouldnt they do? This is a central question we talk about in political science classes. And debates over this question structure practical politics. Both people and political parties disagree about what governments should be doing, and elections are won and lost on the basis of this question. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion What should governments do, and what shouldnt they do? This is a central question we talk about in political science classes. And debates over this question structure practical politics. Both people and political parties disagree about what governments should be doing, and elections are won and lost on the basis of this question. I have some personal views about things government should do. Heres one: if Canadians want to start a family, governments should legislate in such a way as to make it easier for them to both have and raise kids. Policies to support young families make sense since the government has an interest in ensuring the population replaces itself from one generation to the next. It will be hard, for example, for the state to generate enough revenue to provide support for the great mass of baby boomers entering retirement if the actual working population is shrinking. And in 2016, Statistics Canada reported that, for the first time in the history of the Canadian census, there were more seniors than children living here. There is now substantial evidence that governments are failing to make it easier for Canadians to both have and raise kids. The Canada Life project, organized by the Cardus think tank, hired Nanos Research to poll Canadian adults on a range of family-related issues in 2016. Half of the Canadians polled reported that having the number of kids they wanted what researchers call fertility intentions was very important to them. Despite this, Canadians are having fewer children than they would like to. The average number of children Canadians aspire to have is 2.76, but the average number we actually have is just over two. Thats a lot of disappointment and, left on its own, it will likely get worse over time. Why? Because when asked what the biggest challenge to having their ideal number of kids was, the most frequent response was perceived cost and affordability. The heartbreaking reality is that both increased costs and stagnating salaries have made it difficult for Canadians to build the family lives theyd like to have, and which their parents and grandparents likely took for granted. Can government do anything to help address this societal problem? Not according to Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson, who recently wrote, "Some people argue for policies enhanced parental leave, subsidized daycare, even cash payments that will encourage people to have more children Such policies are very expensive and research shows they dont work." In response, Carleton University economist Frances Woolley took to Twitter to provide evidence that, Ibbitsons claim to the contrary notwithstanding, governments can do heaps to increase the fertility rate via public-policy tools. Research, for example, demonstrates that affordable and widely available child care in Quebec allowed that province to avoid low fertility rates. 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 same is true in Germany. Researchers argued that their study of the relationship between affordable and available public child care on the one hand and the fertility rate on the other suggested that "universal early child care holds the promise of being an effective means of increasing birth rates." What about maternity and parental-leave policies? Such policies, which give women greater opportunities to spend time with their newborn babies (and may also include leave for their partners), may also positively affect the birth rate. In one interesting study, researchers compared parents in Australia who had had children both before and after the 1990 introduction of a reform that saw parental leave extended from one to two years. The researchers found that mothers who had their first child immediately after the reform were much more likely to have a second child than the pre-reform mothers. Even a policy as blunt as a baby bonus can have an impact. In 2004, the Australian government introduced a modest one-time baby bonus of A$3,000 per new child. Research demonstrated that Australians updated their fertility intentions upward as a result after learning of the bonus, aspiring parents decided that maybe they could have a larger family after all. And the overall Australian birth rate rose as well in the wake of the introduction of the baby bonus. Similarly, in 2016, the Canada Child Benefit introduced a number of other transfers to families with children. The tax-free benefit to help parents raise their kids is based in part on parents income, with the maximum payment directed to the lowest-income families. It is clear that if the Canadian government wants to increase the birth rate both for economic and family reasons it has a multitude of tools available at its disposal to do so. People may disagree, but I think helping Canadians to build the family lives they want for themselves is very clearly something governments should do. Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the political studies department at the University of Manitoba. Its disturbing that animosity between the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has inflamed to the point where the two agencies will face off in court. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its disturbing that animosity between the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has inflamed to the point where the two agencies will face off in court. The IIU is trying to fulfil its function as a police watchdog by investigating the death of Matthew Richard Fosseneuve, 34, who died on July 28 after he was hit with a Taser near the intersection of Logan Avenue and Princess Street. Five police officers and two cadets were on the scene. Despite three written requests to the police service, the IIU has been unable to get the cadets incident reports and notes, which are important to the investigation because the cadets were the first people to encounter the victim during the confrontation. Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth won't share notes written by cadets. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) Unfortunately, police refusal to co-operate isnt surprising. A Free Press investigation in November 2018 found the IIU has repeatedly had its investigations obstructed and undermined by city police, who sometimes refuse to participate in investigations. In the latest conflict, police Chief Danny Smyth says theres a gap in the Police Services Act that allows him to block access to information that could link the two cadets to Fosseneuves death. The chief may be right. It will be up to the court to decide, since the IIU filed an application to have the Court of Queens Bench force the WPS to hand over the materials. But its disappointing that the chief is relying on a possible legal loophole to shirk the forces responsibility to be accountable to the public in a matter as serious as the death of a person in police custody. The relationship of trust between police and citizens depends on co-operation from both sides. As the chief well knows, the important work of police officers would become immeasurably tougher if the public gave police as little co-operation as he gives the IIU. 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. For example, when police ask questions of citizens on the street, we dont legally have to answer in most cases unless were arrested. When police ask citizens for identification, were not legally required to give it in most cases. When police ask us for help as possible witnesses to a crime, we could invoke our right to remain silent and refuse to tell police what we know. Matthew Richard Fosseneuve died last summer after being Tasered. Five police officers and two cadets were at the scene. (Facebook) Most of us co-operate, though, because we believe the police-public relationship should be one of mutual respect and trust. But how does the chief respond when asked for co-operation by the IIU, an agency acting on behalf of the public? He refuses to go beyond the legal minimum degree of co-operation. The pattern of police refusing IIU requests should concern all Manitobans. But the WPSs obstinance should especially concern Justice Minister Cliff Cullen. It was the provincial government that instituted the IIU in 2009, and its the province that has the power to fix it. Two regular criticisms of the IIU are that it lacks the teeth to make police co-operate, and its not as civilian-led as originally intended because its currently composed largely of former police officers. Those two high-priority issues should form the focus of the provinces planned review of the Police Services Act. When the IIU must go to court to force police co-operation, the system is fractured. And its the responsibility of the province to fix the cracks. The following companies are subsidiares of Canon: Axis AB, Axis Communications, Axis Communications AB, BriefCam, Canon (China) Co. Ltd., Canon (Schweiz) AG, Canon (Suzhou) Inc., Canon (UK) Ltd., Canon Anelva, Canon Australia Pty. Ltd., Canon Bretagne S.A.S., Canon Business Machines (Philippines) Inc., Canon Canada Inc., Canon Chemicals Inc., Canon Components Inc., Canon Dalian Business Machines Inc., Canon Deutschland GmbH, Canon Electron Tubes & Devices Co. Ltd., Canon Electronics Inc., Canon Europa N.V., Canon Europe Ltd., Canon Financial Services Inc., Canon Finetech, Canon Finetech Nisca Inc., Canon France S.A.S., Canon Hi-Tech (Thailand) Ltd., Canon Hongkong Co. Ltd., Canon IT Solutions Inc., Canon Inc. Taiwan, Canon India Pvt. Ltd., Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty. Ltd., Canon Italia S.p.A., Canon Machinery Inc., Canon Marketing Japan Inc., Canon Medical Finance Co. Ltd., Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Canon Medical Systems Europe B.V., Canon Medical Systems Manufacturing Asia Sdn. Bhd., Canon Medical Systems USA Inc., Canon Middle East FZ-LLC, Canon Nederland N.V., Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Canon Prachinburi (Thailand) Ltd., Canon Precision Inc., Canon Research Centre France S.A.S., Canon Ru LLC, Canon Semiconductor Equipment Inc., Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd., Canon Solutions America Inc., Canon System and Support Inc., Canon Tokki Corporation, Canon U.S.A. Inc., Canon Vietnam Co. Ltd., Canon Virginia Inc., Canon Zhongshan Business Machines Co. Ltd., Canon Zhuhai Inc., Fukushima Canon Inc., Harbour IT Pty. Ltd., Kite, Kite.ly, Milestone Systems, Milestone Systems A/S, Miyazaki Canon Inc., Molecular Imprints, Molecular Imprints Inc., Nagahama Canon Inc., Nagasaki Canon Inc., Oce Printing Systems G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Oce-Technologies B.V., Oita Canon Inc., Oita Canon Materials Inc., Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Virtual Imaging, and lifecake. The result was attributed to the contribution of the Vietnam Value Programme and the governments efforts to promote economic growth. The information was mentioned at the Vietnam Brand Forum entitled Vietnam National Brand Strategy held by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi on April 17. According to the delegates, through the Vietnam Value Programme, corporations and enterprises have been made aware of the important role of brands, which are the key to increasing the value of products and enterprises. As many as 97 Vietnamese enterprises were recognised for having products with national brands in 2018, which reported total revenue of over VND920 trillion and export revenue of nearly US$6 billion in 2017. The Vietnam Value Programme has been implementedsince 2003 with the aim of building and promoting the image of Vietnam as a country with high quality goods and services and enhancing the prestige and competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises in both the domestic and international markets. Card Factory plc operates as a specialist retailer of greeting cards in the United Kingdom. The company designs, sources, prints, warehouses, produces, distributes, and sells greeting cards, dressings, and related gift items. It operates through two segments, Card Factory and Getting Personal. The company provides single cards for everyday occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, thank you, get well soon, good luck, congratulations, sympathy, and new baby cards, as well as seasonal occasions, such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, thank you teacher, graduation, and exam congratulations; online personalized physical cards; and boxes of various Christmas cards. It also offers gift dressings comprising gift wraps, bags, boxes, tags, bows, and ribbons; small gifts consisting of soft toys, ceramics, glassware, candles, picture frames, and homewares; party products, including balloons, banners, badges, and candles; and other non-card products, such as calendars, diaries, and stamps. The company offers its products through various retail locations, including high streets, shopping centers, and retail parks, as well as through its Websites, such as cardfactory.co.uk. and gettingpersonal.co.uk. It operates approximately 1,000 Card Factory stores. Card Factory plc was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Wakefield, the United Kingdom. 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 [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 Danaher: AB SCIEX, AB Sciex Germany GmbH, AB Sciex LLC, AB Sciex LP, AB Sciex Pte Ltd., Accu-Sort Systems, Acme Cleveland Corporation, Advanced Vision Technology, American Precision Industries, Applied Biosystems, Applitek NV, Aquatic Infomatics ULC, Aquatic Informatics, Armstrong Tools, BC Distribution BV, Beckman Coulter, Beckman Coulter Australia Pty Ltd, Beckman Coulter Biotechnology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter Biyomedikal Urunler Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited [irketi], Beckman Coulter Canada LP, Beckman Coulter Commercial Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter France S.A.S., Beckman Coulter G.m.b.H., Beckman Coulter Genomics Inc., Beckman Coulter Hong Kong Limited, Beckman Coulter Inc., Beckman Coulter India Private Limited, Beckman Coulter International SA, Beckman Coulter International Shanghai Trading Co., Beckman Coulter Ireland Inc., Beckman Coulter K.K., Beckman Coulter Korea Ltd., Beckman Coulter Laboratory Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter Limited Liability Company, Beckman Coulter Mishima KK, Beckman Coulter Nederland B.V., Beckman Coulter Nippon GK, Beckman Coulter S.L.U., Beckman Coulter Saudi Arabia Co.Ltd., Beckman Coulter Srl, Beckman Coulter Taiwan Inc., Beckman Coulter United Kingdom Limited, Beckman Coulter de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Beckman Coulter do Brasil Ltda., Beckman Finance ApS, Beckman Holdings Ltd., BioTector Analytical Systems Ltd, Biosafe S.A., Blue Software LLC, Cepheid, Cepheid AB, Cepheid Europe SAS, Cepheid GmbH, Cepheid HBDC SAS, Cepheid UK Ltd., ChemTreat, ChemTreat Inc., ChemTreat International Inc., Cispus Hong Kong Holding Limited, Cytiva, Cytiva BioProcess R&D AB, Cytiva Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Cytiva Biotechnology (Hang Zhou) Co. Ltd., Cytiva Europe GmbH, Cytiva Sweden AB, Cytiva Sweden Holding AB, DH Europe Finance II Sarl, DH Europe Finance Sarl, DH Holding Italia SRL, DH Japan Finance Sarl, DH Life Sciences LLC, DH Netherlands BV, DH Technologies Development Pte Ltd., DHKAB Company AB, DTIL Ireland Holdings Ltd., Danaher (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Danaher Hong Kong Limited, Danaher Medical ApS, Delta Consolidated Industries, Devicore Medical Products Inc., Easco Hand Tools, Esko, Esko BV, Esko Finance BV, Esko Graphics BV, Esko Software BV, FHAB Company AB, Fluke, G. Lufft Mess- und Regeltechnik GmbH, GE Biopharma, Gelman Sciences Inc., Gendex, Genetix Group, Gilbarco Veeder Root, Gilzoni Ltd., Global Life Sciences Solutions Austria GmbH & Co. KG, Global Life Sciences Solutions Germany GmbH, Global Life Sciences Solutions Korea Ltd., Global Life Sciences Solutions Manufacturing UK Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions New Zealand, Global Life Sciences Solutions Operations UK Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions USA LLC, Global Life Sciences Technologies (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Global Life Sciences Technologies Japan KK, Hach Company, Hach Lange Finance GmbH, Hach Lange GmbH, Hach Lange Sarl, Hach Sales & Services Canada LP, Hach Ultra Japan KK, Hach Water Quality Analytical Instru. (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., HemoCue AB, HyClone Laboratories LLC, Hybritech Incorporated, Hyclone Life Sciences Solutions India Private Limited, IDBS Group, IRIS International, Imaging Sciences International, Immunotech SAS, Immunotech Sro, Intabio LLC, Integrated DNA Technologies, Integrated DNA Technologies BVBA, Integrated DNA Technologies Inc., Integrated DNA Technologies Pte. Ltd., Iris International Inc., Joslyn Holding Company LLC, KVHG GmbH, KaVo, KaVo Kerr, Kaltenbach & Voigt, Keithley Instruments, Kipp & Zonen BV, Kollmorgen, Labcyte Inc., Laetus, Leica Biosystems Imaging Inc., Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty Ltd, Leica Biosystems Newcastle Limited, Leica Biosystems Nussloch GmbH, Leica Biosystems Richmond Inc., Leica Instruments (Singapore) Pte Limited, Leica Microsystems, Leica Microsystems (UK) Limited, Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH, Leica Microsystems Cambridge Limited, Leica Microsystems IR GmbH, Leica Microsystems Inc., Leica Microsystems Limited, Leica Microsystems Ltd. Shanghai, Leica Mikrosysteme Vertrieb GmbH, Life Sciences Holdings France SAS*, Lifschultz Industries, Linx Printing Technologies, Linx Printing Technologies Limited, MDS Analytical Technologies, Marconi Data Systems, McCrometer Inc., Microtest, Molecular Devices, Molecular Devices (Austria) GmbH, Molecular Devices LLC, Navman Wireless, Navman Wireless OEM Solutions, Nihon Pall Ltd., Nihon Pall Manufacturing Limited, Nobel Biocare, OTT Hydromet Corp, Pall, Pall (Canada) ULC, Pall (China) Co. Ltd., Pall (Schweiz) GmbH, Pall Aeropower Corporation, Pall Artelis BVBA, Pall Asia Holdings Inc., Pall Australia Pty. Ltd., Pall Austria Filter Ges.m.b.h, Pall Corporation, Pall Europe Limited, Pall Filtersystems GmbH, Pall Filtration Pte. Ltd., Pall Filtration and Separations Group Inc., Pall France SAS, Pall GmbH, Pall India Pvt. Ltd., Pall International Sarl, Pall Italia Srl, Pall Korea Ltd., Pall Life Sciences Belgium BV, Pall Life Sciences Puerto Rico LLC, Pall Manufacturing UK Limited, Pall Medistad BV, Pall Netherlands BV Irish Branch, Pall Technology UK Limited, PaloDEX, Pantone LLC, Pelton & Crane, Phenomenex, Phenomenex Inc., Precision NanoSystems, QHC Ireland Finance Limited, Radiometer, Radiometer Basel AG, Radiometer K.K., Radiometer Medical ApS, Radiometer Medical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Radiometer Turku Oy, Raytek, Reytek Corporation, SH Switzerland Finance Sarl, Sea-Bird Electronics Inc., SenDx Medical Inc., Shanghai AB Sciex Analytical Instrument Trading Co. Ltd., Sutron, Sybron Dental Specialties, TCIL Ireland Finance Ltd., Tektronix, Thomson Industries, Tianjin Bonna-Agela Technologies Co. Ltd., Trojan Technologies, Trojan Technologies Group ULC, VSS Monitoring, Videojet Do Brasil Comercio de Equipamentos Para Codificacao Industrial Ltda., Videojet Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Videojet Technologies Europe B.V., Videojet Technologies Inc., Viridor Waste Management Limited, Vision Systems Limited, Willett International, X-Ray Optical Systems Inc., X-Rite, X-Rite Europe GmbH, X-Rite Incorporated, X-Rite Switzerland GmbH, XOS, Yukon Hong Kong Holding Limited, and Zhuhai S.E.Z. Videojet Electronics Ltd.. 1 hour ago EXPLAINER: Must employers follow Biden's vaccine mandates? Tens of millions of workers across the U.S. are in limbo as federal courts have put President Joe Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandates affecting private companies largely on hold. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court panel lifted a nationwide ban against the administration's vaccine mandate for health care workers, creating the potential for patchwork enforcement across the country. Read Article 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. The following companies are subsidiares of Travelers Companies: 10762962 Canada Inc., 350 Market Street LLC, 8527512 Canada Inc., Aetna Life and Casualty Co, American Equity Insurance Company, American Equity Specialty Insurance Company, Aprilgrange Limited, Arch Street North LLC, Auto Hartford Investments LLC, Bayhill Restaurant II Associates, Camperdown Corporation, Constitution State Services LLC, Discover Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Discover Specialty Insurance Company, F&G UK Underwriters Limited, Farmington Casualty Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters Inc., First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, IHP Capital Partners Fund VIII L.P., Northbrook Holdings Inc., Northfield Insurance Company, Northland Casualty Company, Northland Insurance Company, Phoenix UK Investments LLC, SPC Insurance Agency Inc., Select Insurance Company, Simply Business Holdings Inc., Simply Business Inc., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company, St. Paul Protective Insurance Company, St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Company, Standard Fire Properties LLC, Standard Fire UK Investments LLC, TCI Global Services Inc., TPC Investments Inc., TPC U.K. Investments LLC, The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford Connecticut, The Charter Oak Fire Insurance Company, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, The Family Business Institute LLC, The Phoenix Insurance Company, The St. Paul Companies Inc., The Standard Fire Insurance Company, The Travelers Casualty Company, The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company of America, The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut, The Travelers Lloyds Insurance Company, TravCo Insurance Company, Travelers (Bermuda) Limited, Travelers Brazil Acquisition LLC, Travelers Brazil Holding LLC, Travelers Casualty Company of Connecticut, Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Travelers Casualty UK Investments LLC, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Europe Limited, Travelers Commercial Casualty Company, Travelers Commercial Insurance Company, Travelers Constitution State Insurance Company, Travelers Distribution Alliance Inc., Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company, Travelers Global Inc., Travelers Indemnity U.K. Investments LLC, Travelers Insurance Company Limited, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company, Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Travelers Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company, Travelers London Limited, Travelers MGA Inc., Travelers Management Limited, Travelers Marine LLC, Travelers Participacoes em Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Personal Insurance Company, Travelers Personal Security Insurance Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, Travelers Property Casualty Corp., Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company, Travelers Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Syndicate Management Limited, Travelers Texas MGA Inc., Travelers Underwriting Agency Limited, Ultramar Travel Management, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Xbridge Limited, Zensurance Brokers Inc., and Zensurance Inc.. There is not enough analysis data for China Nonferrous Gold. 4.4 Community Rank Outperform Votes China Nonferrous Gold has received 84 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes China Nonferrous Gold has received 44 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment China Nonferrous Gold has received 65.63% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about China Nonferrous Gold and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CNG will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CNG will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The Boeing Co. is an aerospace company, which engages in the manufacture of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space and Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. The Commercial Airplanes segment includes the development, production, and market of commercial jet aircraft and provides fleet support services, principally to the commercial airline industry worldwide. The Defense, Space and Security segment refers to the research, development, production and modification of manned and unmanned military aircraft and weapons systems for global strike, including fighter and combat rotorcraft aircraft and missile systems; global mobility, including tanker, rotorcraft and tilt-rotor aircraft; and airborne surveillance and reconnaissance, including command and control, battle management and airborne anti-submarine aircraft. The Global Services segment provides services to commercial and defense customers. The Boeing Capital segment seeks to ensure that Boeing customers have the financing they need to buy and take delivery of their Boeing product and manages overall financing exposure. T Read More There is not enough analysis data for Curzon Energy. 4.7 Community Rank Outperform Votes Curzon Energy has received 36 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Curzon Energy has received 16 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Curzon Energy has received 69.23% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Curzon Energy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CZN will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CZN will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next 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]at.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. Deutsche Lufthansa AG operates as an aviation company in Germany and internationally. The company's Network Airlines segment offers passenger services through a route network of 273 destinations in 86 countries. Its Eurowings segment provides passenger services through a route network of more than 210 destinations in 60 countries. The company's Logistics Business segment offers transport services for various cargoes, including living animals, valuable cargo, post and dangerous goods, and temperature-sensitive goods serving approximately 300 destinations in 100 countries. Its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services (MRO) segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for civilian commercial aircraft serving original equipment manufacturers and aircraft leasing companies, operators of VIP jets, and airlines, as well as develops and manufactures cabin and digital products. The company's Catering Business segment engages in-flight sales and entertainment, in-flight service equipment, and the associated logistics services, as well as consulting services; and operates airport lounges. As of December 31, 2020, it had a fleet of 757 aircraft. Deutsche Lufthansa AG was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. Read More Dunelm Group plc engages in the retail of homewares in the United Kingdom. The company offers furniture for bedroom, living room, dining room, and office; sofas and chairs; bean bags; bed frames, mattresses, divan beds and bases, and headboards, as well as kids beds; and bedding products, such as bed linens, duvets, pillows, protectors, and baby and kids beddings. It also provides curtains, and poles and tracks; blinds; rugs, runners, and door mats; mirrors; cushion pads, covers; throws; seat pads; pictures and frames, wallpapers, and accessories; lighting products, including ceiling and wall lights, lamp shades, floor and table lamps, and outdoor lights; kitchen products, such as cooking, dining, utility, and electrical products; and storage products for home, clothes, and kitchen, as well as travel and luggage products. In addition, the company offers towels and bathmats, bathroom accessories, and bathroom furniture; kids accessories and toys, and nursery furniture and products, as well as travel, safety, and wellbeing products; garden furniture and storage, and garden dAcor products; and Christmas trees and lights, wreaths and garlands, baubles and tree decoration, and novelty products. It operates 173 superstores and 2 distribution centers, as well as sells its products through an online store at dunelm.com. Dunelm Group plc was founded in 1979 and is based in Syston, the United Kingdom. Read More iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF's stock was trading at $37.46 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EEM shares have increased by 29.2% and is now trading at $48.40. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. SEACOR Marine Holdings, Inc. engages in the provision of offshore marine business. It offers global marine and support transportation services to offshore oil & gas exploration, development, and production facilities. It operates its fleet in five principal geographic regions: the United States, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico; Africa, primarily in West Africa; the Middle East and Asia; Latin America, primarily in Mexico, Brazil and Guyana; and Europe, primarily in the North Sea. The company involves in the operation of support and specialty vessels for and among independent oil, gas exploration, production, and emerging independent companies. It operates through the following segments: Time Charter and Bareboat Charters. The Time Charter segment offers vessels to customers based upon daily rates of hire. The Bareboat Charter segment is the support of vessels among customers where the customer assumes responsibility for all operating expenses and all risk of operation. The company was founded on December 15, 2014 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment Read More Superior Muslim School Darvaish Abad Jobs 2019 Latest Superior Montessori & School Teaching Posts Peshawar 2021 Superior Muslim School Darvaish Abad Peshawar, Pakistan are requires experienced candidates for the posts of Teacher, Math Teacher, Physics Teacher, Science Teacher, Chemistry Teacher, Biology Teacher. Get in touch by linkedin for this job. How to Apply on Superior Montessori & School 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. Hickok Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the commercial air handling, test and measurement, and industrial hose businesses in the United States. Its Test and Measurement segment primarily offers electronic testing products for the automotive and trucking industries. The segment offers automotive diagnostic products to original equipment manufacturers; and aircraft instruments to manufacturers of commercial, military, and personal airplanes, as well as indicators and gauges to manufacturers and servicers of railroad equipment and locomotives. The company's Industrial Hose segment manufactures flexible interlocking metal hoses; and distributes silicone hoses. It sells its metal hoses to heavy-duty truck manufacturers, as well as to agricultural, industrial, and petrochemical markets; and silicone hoses to agriculture and general industrial markets. Its Commercial Air Handling segment designs, manufactures, and installs commercial, institutional, and industrial custom air handling solutions under the FactoryBilt and SiteBilt brand names. It serves health care, education, pharmaceutical, and industrial manufacturing markets customers through sales representatives. The company also exports its products to Australia, Canada, England, Mexico, and internationally. Hickok Incorporated was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA. 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. iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWT shares have increased by 75.2% and is now trading at $64.30. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. KlAckner & Co SE, through its subsidiaries, distributes steel and metal products. It operates through Kloeckner Metals US, Kloeckner Metals Services Europe, Kloeckner Metals Switzerland, and Kloeckner Metals Distribution Europe segments. The company's product portfolio includes flat steel products; long steel products; tubes and hollow sections; stainless steel and high-grade steel; aluminum products; and special products for building installations, roof and wall construction, and water supply. It also provides various services, including cutting and splitting of steel strips; forming and manufacturing of pressed parts; CNC turning/milling; 2D/3D tube laser cutting; laser and water jet cutting; processing of structural steel; plasma and oxy-fuel cutting; shot blasting and primer painting; and sawing/drilling/rounding off. In addition, the company offers warehousing, logistics, and materials management services. It serves small to medium-sized steel and metal consumers, primarily from the construction industry, as well as machinery and mechanical engineering industries; and supplies intermediate products for the automotive, shipbuilding, and consumer goods industries. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Duisburg, Germany. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Lennar: 360 Developers LLC, Alliance Financial Services Inc., Ann Arundel Farms Ltd., Aquaterra Utilities Inc., Arbor Mill Veteran Project 2018 LLC, Asbury Woods L.L.C., Astoria Options LLC, Autumn Creek Development Ltd., Aylon LLC, Azusa Associates LLC, B2 Milpitas LLC, BB Investment Holdings LLC, BCI Properties LLC, BMR Communities LLC, BMR Construction Inc., BMTD LLC, BPH I LLC, Bainebridge 249 LLC, Bay Colony Expansion 369 Ltd., Bellagio Lennar LLC, Belle Meade LEN Holdings LLC, Belle Meade Partners LLC, Black Mountain Ranch LLC, Blue Horizons Estates LLC, Bonterra Lennar LLC, Bramalea California Inc., Bressi Gardenlane LLC, Breton Park Lennar LLC, CAP IL 1 LLC, CL Ventures LLC, CML INACTIVE LLC, CML-MO HAF LLC, CML-MO HAF PARKING LLC, CP Block 6aS LLC, CP Block 8aS LLC, CP Block 9aS LLC, CP Center Apartments LLC, CP Center Garage LLC, CP Red Oak Partners Ltd., CP Vertical Development Co. 1 LLC, CP/HPS Development Co. GP LLC, CP/HPS Development Co.-C LLC, CPFE LLC, CPHP Development LLC, CalAtlantic Financial Services Inc., CalAtlantic Group, CalAtlantic Group Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Arizona Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Georgia Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Texas Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Washington Inc., CalAtlantic Mortgage Inc., CalAtlantic National Title Solutions LLC, CalAtlantic Title Agency LLC, CalAtlantic Title Group LLC, CalAtlantic Title Inc., CalAtlantic Title LLC, CalAtlantic Title of Maryland Inc., Camarillo Village Park LLC, Cambria L.L.C., Candlestick Retail Member LLC, Cardiovascular Medical Specialists LLC, Carolina Blue LLC, Carson 175 LLC, Cary Woods LLC, Casa Marina Development LLC, Central Park West Holdings LLC, Cherrytree II LLC, Club Bonterra Lennar LLC, Coco Palm 82 LLC, Colonial Heritage LLC, Columbia National Risk Retention Group Inc., Commonwealth Incentive Fee LLC, Concord Station LLP, Coventry L.L.C., Creekside Crossing L.L.C., Crest at Fondren Investor LLC, DBJ Holdings LLC, DCA Financial LLC, DTC Holdings of Florida LLC, Darcy-Joliet L.L.C., Durrell 33 LLC, EL Ventures LLC, EV LLC, Eagle Bend Commercial LLC, Eagle Home Mortgage LLC, Estates Seven LLC, Evergreen Village LLC, F&R QVI Home Investments USA LLC, FLORDADE LLC, Faria Preserve LLC, Fidelity Guaranty and Acceptance Corp., Fidelity Land LLC, Fox-Maple Associates LLC, Friendswood Development Company LLC, GDI MANAGER LLC, Garco Investments LLC, Greystone Construction Inc., Greystone Homes of Nevada Inc., Greystone Nevada Holdings LLC, Greystone Nevada LLC, Greywall Club L.L.C., HCC Investors LLC, HPS Development Co. LP, HPS Vertical Development Co. LLC, HPS Vertical Development Co.-B LP, HPS Vertical Development Co.-D/E LLC, HPS1 Block 1 LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3B LLC, HPS1 Block 50 LLC, HPS1 Block 51 LLC, HPS1 Block 52 LLC, HPS1 Block 53 LLC, HPS1 Block 54 LLC, HPS1 Block 55 LLC, HPS1 Block 56/57 LLC, HSP Arizona Inc., HTC Golf Club LLC, Hammocks Lennar LLC, Harbor Highlands Group LLC, Harveston LLC, Haverton L.L.C., Heathcote Commons LLC, Heritage Pkwy East Holdings LLC, Heritage of Auburn Hills L.L.C., Hewitts Landing Trustee LLC, Hingham Properties LLC, Huntley Venture L.L.C., Inactive Companies LLC, Independence L.L.C., Independence Orlando LLC, Isles at Bayshore Club LLC, KMC Real Estate Investors LLC, Kendall Hammocks Commercial LLC, Kentuckiana Medical Center LLC, Kingman Lennar LLC, LB/L Duc III Antioch 330 LLC, LCD Asante LLC, LCI Downtown Doral Investor LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor GP LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor LP LLC, LEN - Belle Meade LLC, LEN - OBS Windemere LLC, LEN - Palm Vista LLC, LEN BPT Investor LLC, LEN Mirada Investor LLC, LEN Notarize Investor LLC, LEN OT Holdings LLC, LEN Paradise Cable LLC, LEN Paradise Operating LLC, LEN-CG South LLC, LEN-Cypress Mill LLC, LEN-Ryan 1 LLC, LEN-Touchstone LLC, LENH I LLC, LENNAR HOMES OF TENNESSEE LLC, LFS Holding Company LLC, LH Eastwind LLC, LHI Renaissance LLC, LMC 10th & Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 144th and Grant Investor LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Holdings LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Investor LLC, LMC 360 Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 410 S Wabash Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Investor LLC, LMC 8th Avenue Apartment Investor LLC, LMC 990 Bannock Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Investor LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Holdings LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Investor LLC, LMC Block 42 Holdings LLC, LMC Build to Core III Investor LLC, LMC Build to Core III LLC, LMC Burnside Holdings LLC, LMC Burnside Investor LLC, LMC Chandler and McClintock Holdings LLC, LMC Charlestowne Holdings LLC, LMC Charlotte Ballpark Developer LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Holdings LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Investor LLC, LMC Cobalt Holdings LLC, LMC Costa Mesa Holdings LP, LMC Crest at Park West Holdings LP, LMC Denver Gateway I Investor LLC, LMC Denver Gateway II Holdings LLC, LMC Development LLC, LMC Downtown Doral South Holdings LLC, LMC Durham Gateway Holdings LP, LMC Evans School Holdings LLC, LMC Gateway Investor LLC, LMC Gateway Venture LLC, LMC Gilman Square Investor LLC, LMC Horton Street Holdings LLC, LMC Huntington Crossing Holdings LLC, LMC Inactive Companies LLC, LMC Lakeside Holdings LP, LMC Leya Holdings LLC, LMC Living Illinois LLC, LMC Living Inc., LMC Living LLC, LMC Living TRS LP, LMC Millenia Investor II LLC, LMC NE Minneapolis Lot 2 Holdings LLC, LMC New Bern Investor LLC, LMC North Park Holdings LP, LMC Parkfield Holdings LLC, LMC Parkfield Investor LLC, LMC Righters Ferry Holdings LLC, LMC River North Holdings LLC, LMC Spring Street Investor LLC, LMC Stonewall Station Investor LLC, LMC Triangle Square Investor LLC, LMC Venture Developer LLC, LMC Verbena Holdings LLC, LMC West Loop Investor LLC, LMCFX Investor LLC, LMCPNW Marymoor Holdings LLC, LMI - Jacksonville Investor LLC, LMI - South Kings Development Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle Holdings LLC, LMI - West Seattle Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle LLC, LMI Cell Tower Investors LLC, LMI City Walk Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale LLC, LMI Contractors LLC, LMI Glencoe Dallas Investor LLC, LMI Lakes West Covina Investor LLC, LMI Largo Park Investor LLC, LMI Las Colinas Station LLC, LMI Naperville Investor LLC, LMI Pacific Tower LLC, LMI Park Central Two LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners Investor LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners LLC, LMI-JC Developer LLC, LMI-JC LLC, LMV 1640 Broadway REIT-DC LP, LMV 1701 Ballard REIT-DC LP, LMV 19H REIT-DC LP, LMV 2026 Madison REIT-DC LP, LMV 85 South Union REIT-DC LP, LMV ATown REIT-DC LP, LMV Annapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Apache Terrace REIT-DC LP, LMV Block 42 REIT-DC LP, LMV Bloomington REIT-DC LP, LMV Bolingbrook REIT-DC LP (DE), LMV Central at McDowell REIT-DC LP, LMV East Village I REIT-DC LP, LMV Edina REIT-DC LP, LMV Fremont WS I REIT-DC LP, LMV Glisan REIT-DC LP, LMV Grand Bay REIT-DC LP, LMV II Grand Bay Pod V Holdings LP, LMV II Kierland Holdings LP, LMV II NoMo Holdings LP, LMV II Venture Developer LLC, LMV II Wynwood Holdings LP, LMV Kirkland REIT-DC LP, LMV Little Italy REIT-DC LP, LMV M Tower REIT-DC LP, LMV Millenia II REIT-DC LP, LMV Milpitas REIT-DC LP, LMV NE Minneapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Oak Park REIT-DC LP, LMV One20Fourth REIT-DC LP, LMV QR Build to Core Manager LLC, LMV Rio Bravo REIT-DC LP, LMV Scottsdale Quarter REIT-DC LP, LMV Tysons REIT-DC LP, LMV Vallagio III REIT-DC LP, LMV Victory Block G REIT-DC LP, LMV Warren Street REIT-DC LP, LNC Communities II LLC, LNC Communities IV LLC, LNC Communities V LLC, LNC Communities VI LLC, LNC Communities VII LLC, LNC Communities VIII LLC, LNC Pennsylvania Realty Inc., LNC at Meadowbrook LLC, LNC at Ravenna LLC, LS College Park LLC, LS Terracina LLC, LV Opendoor Investor LLC, LV Opendoor JV LLC, LW D'Andrea LLC, Lagoon Valley Residential LLC, Lakelands at Easton L.L.C., Legends Club LLC, Legends Golf Club LLC, Len - Little Harbor LLC, Len FW Investor LLC, Len Paradise LLC, Len-Angeline LLC, Len-Hawks Point LLC, Len-Land LLC, Len-Land West LLC, Len-MN LLC, Len-Verandahs LLP, LenCom LLC, LenFive LLC, LenFive Opco GP LLC, LenFive Sub III LLC, LenFive Sub LLC, LenFive Sub Opco GP LLC, Lenalto CMBS LLC, Lencraft LLC, Lennar Aircraft I LLC, Lennar Arizona Construction Inc., Lennar Arizona Inc., Lennar Associates Management Holding Company, Lennar Associates Management LLC, Lennar Avenue One LLC, Lennar Berkeley LLC, Lennar Bevard LLC, Lennar Bridges LLC, Lennar Buffington Colorado Crossing L.P., Lennar Buffington Zachary Scott L.P., Lennar Carolinas LLC, Lennar Central Park LLC, Lennar Central Region Sweep Inc., Lennar Chicago Inc., Lennar Cobra LLC, Lennar Colgate Urban Renewal Development LLC, Lennar Colorado LLC, Lennar Colorado Minerals LLC, Lennar Commercial LLC, Lennar Communities Development Inc., Lennar Communities Inc., Lennar Communities Nevada LLC, Lennar Communities of Chicago L.L.C., Lennar Concord LLC, Lennar Construction Inc., Lennar Cory Road LLC, Lennar Courts LLC, Lennar Developers Inc., Lennar Ewing LLC, Lennar Financial Services LLC, Lennar Flamingo LLC, Lennar Fresno Inc., Lennar Gardens LLC, Lennar Georgia Inc., Lennar Greer Ranch Venture LLC, Lennar Heritage Fields LLC, Lennar Hingham Holdings LLC, Lennar Hingham JV LLC, Lennar Homes Holding LLC, Lennar Homes LLC, Lennar Homes NJ LLC, Lennar Homes of Arizona Inc., Lennar Homes of California Inc., Lennar Homes of Indiana Inc., Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd., Lennar Homes of Texas Sales and Marketing Ltd., Lennar Homes of Utah Inc., Lennar International Holding LLC, Lennar International LLC, Lennar Lakeside Investor LLC, Lennar Layton LLC, Lennar Living LLC, Lennar Lytle LLC, Lennar MF Holdings LLC, Lennar MPA LLC, Lennar MPA WIP LLC, Lennar Mare Island LLC, Lennar Marina A Funding LLC, Lennar Massachusetts Properties Inc., Lennar Middletown LLC, Lennar Monmouth Redevelopers LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Victory Block G Mezz LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily Builders LLC, Lennar Multifamily Communities LLC, Lennar Multifamily Venture DC LP, Lennar New Jersey Holdings LLC, Lennar New Jersey Properties Inc., Lennar New York LLC, Lennar Northeast Properties LLC, Lennar Northwest Inc., Lennar OHB LLC, Lennar PI Acquisition LLC, Lennar PI Property Acquisition LLC, Lennar PIS Management Company LLC, Lennar Pacific Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Management Inc., Lennar Plumsted Urban Renewal LLC, Lennar Point LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core GP LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core LP LLC, Lennar Realty Inc., Lennar Reno LLC, Lennar Riverwalk LLC, Lennar Sacramento Inc., Lennar Sales Corp., Lennar Sierra Sunrise LLC, Lennar Spencer's Crossing LLC, Lennar Sun Ridge LLC, Lennar Texas Holding LLC, Lennar Ventures LLC, Lennar West Valley LLC, Lennar Winncrest LLC, Lennar at Franklin LLC, Lennar at Jackson LLC, Lennar at Marlboro 79 LLC, Lennar at Monroe LLC, Lennar.com Inc., Longleaf Acquisition LLC, Lori Gardens Associates II LLC, Lori Gardens Associates III LLC, Lori Gardens Associates L.L.C., Lorton Station LLC, Lyons Lennar Farms LLC, Madrona Ridge L.L.C., Madrona Village L.L.C., Madrona Village Mews L.L.C., Majestic Woods LLC, Maple and Broadway Holdings LLC, Menifee Development LLC, Mid-County Utilities Inc., Miralago West Lennar LLC, Mission Viejo 12S Venture LP, Mission Viejo Holdings Inc., Motomic Diagnostics LLC, Multibank 2009-1 CML-ADC Venture LLC, Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venture LLC, NC Properties I LLC, NC Properties II LLC, North American Asset Development LLC, Northbridge L.L.C., OHC/Ascot Belle Meade LLC, One SR L.P., PD-Len Boca Raton LLC, PG Properties Holding LLC, POMAC LLC, PT Metro LLC, Pace Drive Holdings LLC, Palm Gardens At Doral Clubhouse LLC, Palm Gardens at Doral LLC, Palm Springs Classic LLC, Palm Vista Preserve LLC, Patuxent Infrastructure Inc., Pioneer Meadows Development LLC, Pioneer Meadows Investments LLC, Plaza Condominium Ventures LLC, Portside Marina Developers L.L.C., Portside SM Associates L.L.C., Portside SM Holdings L.L.C., Portside Shipyard Developers L.L.C., Prestonfield L.L.C., Quail Roost Lennar LLC, RCCF GP II LLC, RCCF GP III LLC, RCCF GP IV LLC, RCCF GP LLC, RES-FL EIGHT LLC, RES-FL SEVEN LLC, RES-FL VISION ONE LLC, RES-FL VISION TWO LLC, RES-GA CASCADE LLC, RES-GA DIAMOND MEADOWS LLC, RES-GA KAP LLC, RES-GA SOUTHERN PLANTATION LLC, RES-GA THIRTEEN LLC, RES-GA TWELVE LLC, RES-GA WEST LLC, RES-IL ONE LLC, RES-NC ONE LLC, RES-PA LSJ LLC, RES-PA POM LLC, RES-TX BOULEVARD LLC, RH Insurance Company Inc., RH MOA BBCMS 2017-C1 LLC, RH MOA CF 2017-C8 LLC, RH MOA LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C4 LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C6 LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 CLASS B LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 LLC, RL BB FINANCIAL LLC, RL BB INACTIVE LLC, RL BB-AL LLC, RL BB-FL ALHI LLC, RL BB-GA LLC, RL BB-GA RMH LLC, RL BB-IL LLC, RL BB-IN AA LLC, RL BB-IN KRE LLC, RL BB-IN KRE OP LLC, RL BB-IN KRE RE LLC, RL BB-MS LLC, RL BB-NC LLC, RL BB-OH LLC, RL BB-SC BROOKSA LLC, RL BB-SC CLR II LLC, RL BB-SC CLR III LLC, RL BB-SC CLR IV LLC, RL BB-SC CLR LLC, RL BB-SC CRRC LLC, RL BB-SC RACEDAY LLC, RL BB-TN BRISTOL LLC, RL BB-TN LLC, RL BB-TN RACEDAY TOWER LLC, RL BB-TX LLC, RL BB-WV LLC, RL CMBS Holdings LLC, RL CML 2009-1 Investments LLC, RL REGI ARKANSAS LLC, RL REGI Alabama LLC, RL REGI FINANCIAL LLC, RL REGI Florida LLC, RL REGI GEORGIA LLC, RL REGI INACTIVE LLC, RL REGI KANSAS LLC, RL REGI MISSISSIPPI LLC, RL REGI MISSOURI LLC, RL REGI NORTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI SOUTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI TENNESSEE LLC, RL REGI VIRGINIA LLC, RL REGI-AL HP LLC, RL REGI-AL VRC LLC, RL REGI-FL CRC LLC, RL REGI-FL ESH LLC, RL REGI-FL FT. PIERCE LLC, RL REGI-FL GDL LLC, RL REGI-FL ITALIA LLC, RL REGI-FL MRED LLC, RL REGI-FL RDI LLC, RL REGI-FL SARASOTA LLC, RL REGI-FL TPL LLC, RL REGI-FL VARC LLC, RL REGI-GA DRAD LLC, RL REGI-GA HAY DB LLC, RL REGI-GA MHU LLC, RL REGI-GA MPD LLC, RL REGI-GA RLR LLC, RL REGI-MO GMB LLC, RL REGI-MO MOSCOW MILLS LLC, RL REGI-MS Double H LLC, RL REGI-MS OCEAN SPRINGS LLC, RL REGI-NC CIL LLC, RL REGI-NC LITTLE WING LLC, RL REGI-NC MLD LLC, RL REGI-NC Mland LLC, RL REGI-NC RALEIGH LLC, RL REGI-NC SUGARM LLC, RL REGI-NM LLC, RL REGI-SC CTL LLC, RL REGI-SC LAKE E LLC, RL REGI-SC TDG LLC, RL REGI-SC TIG LLC, RL REGI-TN OAK LLC, RL REGI-TN SEVIERVILLE LLC, RL RES 2009-1 Investments LLC, RMF Alliance LLC, RMF Commercial LLC, RMF PR New York LLC, RMF Partner LLC, RMF SUB 1 LLC, RMF SUB 2 LLC, RMF SUB 3 LLC, RMF SUB 4 LLC, RMF SUB 5 LLC, RMV LLC, Raintree Village II L.L.C., Raintree Village L.L.C., Ral-Len BM LLC, Ral-Len LLC, Rannel Capital WeWork Series D LLC, Rannel Holdings LLC, Rannel Interests LLC, Rannel Investments LLC, Rannel Mortgage Investments LLC, Rannel Proprietary Investments LLC, Renaissance Joint Venture, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove II LLC, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove LLC, Reserve at River Park LLC, Reserve at South Harrison LLC, Rialto Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Rialto Credit Partnership GP LLC, Rialto Mezz Partners GP LLC, Rialto Mortgage Finance LLC, Rialto Partners GP II LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Debt LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Property LLC, Rialto Partners GP LLC, Rialto RSSF GP LLC, Riverwalk at Lago Mar LLC, Rocking Horse Minerals LLC, Rutenberg Homes Inc. (Florida), Rutenberg Homes of Texas Inc., Rye Hill Company LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada Holdings LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada LLC, Ryland Homes of California Inc., S. Florida Construction II LLC, S. Florida Construction III LLC, S. Florida Construction LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve South LLC, SPIC CPCO Inc., SPIC CPDB Inc., SPIC CPRB Inc., SPIC Del Sur LLC, SPIC Dublin LLC, SPIC Mesa LLC, SPIC NC Fremont LLC, SPIC Otay LLC, SPIC Springs LLC, San Felipe Indemnity Co. Ltd., San Lucia LLC, San Simeon Lennar LLC, Schulz Ranch Developers LLC, Seminole/70th LLC, Siena at Old Orchard L.L.C., Sierra Vista Communities LLC, Silver Springs Lennar LLC, South Development LLC, Southbank Holding LLC, Spanish Springs Development LLC, St. Charles Active Adult Community LLC, St. Charles Community LLC, Standard Pacific 1 Inc., Standard Pacific Investment Corp., Standard Pacific of Colorado Inc., Standard Pacific of Florida, Standard Pacific of Florida GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Las Vegas Inc., Standard Pacific of Orange County Inc., Standard Pacific of Tampa GP, Standard Pacific of Tampa GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Tonner Hills LLC, Standard Pacific of Walnut Hills Inc., Standard Pacific of the Carolinas LLC, Stoney Holdings LLC, Storey Lake Club LLC, Storey Park Club LLC, Strategic Holdings Inc., Strategic Technologies LLC, Summerfield Venture L.L.C., SunStreet Energy Group LLC, SunStreet Manager LLC, TCO QVI LLC, TICD Hold Co. LLC, TIH Hold Co. LLC, Talega Associates LLC, Temecula Valley LLC, Terra Division LLC, Terra/Winding Creek LLC, The Baywinds Land Trust, The Bridges Club at Rancho Santa Fe Inc., The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe Sales Company Inc., The LNC Northeast Group Inc., The Oasis Club at LEN-CG South LLC, The Preserve at Coconut Creek LLC, The Vistas Club at LEN-CG South LLC, Titlezoom Company, Treasure Island Holdings LLC, Treasure Island Member LLC, Treviso Holding LLC, Two Lakes Lennar LLC, U.S. Home Corporation, U.S. Home Realty Inc., U.S. Home of Arizona Construction Co., U.S. Insurors Inc., U.S.H. Realty Inc., UAMC Holding Company LLC, UB 2018C14 MOA LLC, USH - Flag LLC, USH Equity Corporation, USH LEE LLC, USH Leasing II LLC, USH Leasing LLC, UST Lennar HW Scala SF Joint Venture, VII Crown Farm Investor LLC, Venetian Lennar LLC, Vineyard Land LLC, Vineyard Point 2009 LLC, Vista Palms Clubhouse LLC, WCI Communities, WCI Communities Inc., WCI Communities LLC, WCI Towers Northeast USA Inc., WCI Westshore LLC, WCP LLC, WIP Lennar OHB LLC, Waterview at Hanover LLC, West Lake Village LLC, West Seattle Project X LLC, West Van Buren L.L.C., Westchase Inc., Westchase Ltd., Westfield Homes USA Inc., White Course Lennar LLC, Wild Plum JV LLC, Willowbrook Investors LLC, Winncrest Natomas LLC, Woodbridge Multifamily Developer I LLC, Wright Farm L.L.C., and YLRichards4Acres 2015 LLC. The following companies are subsidiares of Ecolab: AO Ecolab, Abednego Environmental Services, Abednego Environmental Services LLC, Abednego Mexico Holdings LLC, Abednego de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alcide Corp., Anios America S.A., Anios Diffusion SAS, Anios Manufacturing SAS, Bioquell, Bioquell Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Bioquell Global Logistics (Ireland) Ltd., Bioquell Holding SAS, Bioquell Inc., Bioquell Limited, Bioquell SAS, Bioquell Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Bioquell Technology Canada Ltd., Bioquell UK Limited, Bioxyquell Limited, CALGON EUROPE LIMITED, CALGON LLC, CID LINES HOLDING NV, CID LINES INVEST NV, CID LINES NV, CID Lines, CID Lines Beijing Animal Hygiene Co Ltd., CID Lines France Sarl, CID Lines Iberica SL, CID Lines LLC, CID Lines Mexico S.A. DE C.V., CID Lines R&D NV, CID Lines Sp. z o. o., CORPAK MedSystems, Cascade Water Services, Champion Technologies, Chamtech L.L.C., Chemlawn, Chemstaff Inc., Chemstar Corporation, Cirlam BVBA, Copal Holding NV, Copal Invest NV, DERYPOL SA, DMD, E&M Bio-Chemicals LLC, ECOLAB NL 10 B.V., ECOLAB PEST FRANCE SAS, Ecolab (Antigua) Ltd., Ecolab (Aruba) N.V., Ecolab (Barbados) Limited, Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, Ecolab (Fiji) Pty Limited, Ecolab (GZ) Chemicals Limited, Ecolab (Guam) LLC, Ecolab (Proprietary) Limited, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, Ecolab (St. Lucia) Limited, Ecolab (Taicang) Technology Co. Ltd., Ecolab (Trinidad and Tobago) Unlimited, Ecolab (U.K.) Holdings Limited, Ecolab A.E.B.E., Ecolab AB, Ecolab AP Holdings LLC, Ecolab AT 2 GmbH, Ecolab AU2 Pty Ltd, Ecolab Acquisition LLC, Ecolab ApS, Ecolab Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Ecolab B.V., Ecolab B.V.B.A./S.P.R.L., Ecolab Bahrain S.P.C., Ecolab CDN 2 Co., Ecolab CDN 4 ULC, Ecolab CH 1 GmbH, Ecolab CH 2 GmbH, Ecolab CH 3 GmbH, Ecolab CH 5 GmbH, Ecolab CH 6 GmbH, Ecolab Chemicals Limited, Ecolab Co., Ecolab Colombia S. A., Ecolab DE 1 GmbH, Ecolab Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab EOOD, Ecolab East Africa (Kenya) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Tanzania) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Uganda) Limited, Ecolab Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Ecolab Engineering GmbH, Ecolab Europe GmbH, Ecolab Export GmbH, Ecolab FR 1 SAS, Ecolab FR 4 SAS, Ecolab Finance Company Designated Activity Company, Ecolab Food Safety & Hygiene Solutions Private Limited, Ecolab G.K., Ecolab Global Business Services LLC, Ecolab GmbH, Ecolab Gulf FZE, Ecolab HK 1 Limited, Ecolab HK 2 Limited, Ecolab Hispano-Portuguesa S.L., Ecolab Holding Italy S.r.l., Ecolab Holdings (Europe) LLC, Ecolab Holdings Inc., Ecolab Holdings Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Ecolab Hygiene Kft., Ecolab Hygiene d.o.o., Ecolab Israel Holdings LLC, Ecolab JVZ Limited, Ecolab Korea Ltd., Ecolab LLC, Ecolab LUX & Co Holdings S.C.A., Ecolab LUX 1 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 2 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 4 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 7 Sarl, Ecolab LUX Sarl, Ecolab Limited, Ecolab Ltd., Ecolab Lux 10 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 12 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 13 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 14 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 15 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 9 S.a.r.l., Ecolab Lux Partner LLC, Ecolab MT Holdings LLC, Ecolab MT Limited, Ecolab Malta 1 Limited, Ecolab Malta 2 Limited, Ecolab Malta GPS, Ecolab Manufacturing IE Limited, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc., Ecolab Manufacturing UK Limited, Ecolab Maroc Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ecolab NL 11 B.V., Ecolab NL 15 BV, Ecolab NL 16 B.V., Ecolab NL 23 B.V., Ecolab NL 3 BV, Ecolab NL 4 BV, Ecolab Name Holding Limited, Ecolab New Zealand, Ecolab Peru Holdings S.R.L., Ecolab Pest Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Philippines Inc., Ecolab Production Belgium B.V.B.A., Ecolab Production France SAS, Ecolab Production Italy Srl, Ecolab Production LLC, Ecolab Production Netherlands B.V., Ecolab Production Poland sp. z o.o., Ecolab Pte. Ltd., Ecolab Pty Ltd., Ecolab Quimica Ltda., Ecolab S. de R.L. de C.V., Ecolab S.A., Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Ecolab SAS, Ecolab SIA, Ecolab SNC, Ecolab SRL, Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Ecolab Services Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Services Poland Sp. z o o, Ecolab Sociedad Anonima, Ecolab Sp. z o o, Ecolab Spain Services S.L.U., Ecolab Temizleme Sistemleri Limited Sirketi, Ecolab U.S. 2 Inc., Ecolab U.S. 6 LLC, Ecolab U.S. 7 LLC, Ecolab US 1 GP, Ecolab USA Inc., Ecolab Viet Nam Company Limited, Ecolab Water Holding LImited, Ecolab a.s., Ecolab d.o.o., Ecolab s.r.l., Ecolab s.r.o., Ecolab y Compania Colectiva de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ecolab-Importacao E. Exportacao Limitada, Ecolabone B.V., Ecolabtwo B.V., Endoclear Equipamentos Medicos Hospitalares Ltda., Enviroflo Engineering Limited, Food Protection Services, GCS Service, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., GallayTrac Pty. Ltd., Georgia-Pacific - Paper Chemicals Business, Gibson Chemical Industries, Green Harbour Mainland Holdings Ltd, Guangzhou Green Harbour Environmental Operation Ltd., HYDROSAN LIMITED, Henkel-Ecolab, Hicopla SL, Holchem Laboratories, Huntington Laboratories, Hydenet SAS, INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, INTERNATIONAL WATER CONSULTANT B.V., Immobiliare R.E.O.P.A. SRL, Instrunet Hospital SLU, Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Jianghai Environmental Protection Co. Ltd., KATAYAMA NALCO INC., Kay BVBA, Kay Chemical Company, LHS (UK) Limited, Laboratoires Anios, Laboratoires Anios-Distribution SAS, Les Produits Chimiques ERPAC Inc., Lobster Ink, Lobster Ink Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Lobster International S.A., London & General Packaging Ltd, MALAYSIA SDN. BHD, MANUFACTURING S.R.L., MOBOTEC AB LLC, Master Chemicals OOO, Meratech Rus Group LLC, Microtek Dominicana S.A., Microtek Italy S.R.L., Microtek Medical B.V., Microtek Medical Europe Limited, Microtek Medical Holdings, Microtek Medical Holdings Inc., Microtek Medical Inc., Microtek Medical Malta Holding Limited, Microtek Medical Malta Limited, Midland Research Laboratories, Midland Research Laboratories UK Limited, NALCO (SHANGHAI) TRADING CO. LTD., NALCO AB, NALCO ACQUISITION ONE, NALCO ACQUISITION TWO LIMITED, NALCO AFRICA (PTY.) LTD., NALCO ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., NALCO BELGIUM BVBA, NALCO CHINA HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO COMPANY OOO, NALCO DANMARK APS, NALCO DE MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., NALCO DELAWARE COMPANY, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND MANUFACTURING GMBH UND CO. KG, NALCO DUTCH HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO EGYPT LTD., NALCO EGYPT TRADING, NALCO ESPANOLA MANUFACTURING S.L.U., NALCO ESPANOLA S.L., NALCO EUROPE B.V., NALCO FINLAND MANUFACTURING OY, NALCO FINLAND OY, NALCO FRANCE, NALCO FRANCE SNC, NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO HOLDING B.V., NALCO HOLDING COMPANY, NALCO HOLDINGS G.m.b.H., NALCO HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, NALCO HONG KONG LIMITED, NALCO INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING COMPANY, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (NANJING) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (THAILAND) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO LUXEMBOURG HOLDINGS SARL, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO NORTH AFRICA LIMITED, NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO ZAO, NALFLOC LIMITED, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC, Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Nalco Gulf Response Corp., Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Shield Salvage Associates Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, Technical Textile Services Limited, Techtex Holdings Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, Wabasha Leasing LLC, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG. Oil States International, Inc. engages in the provision of specialty products and services to drilling, completion, subsea, production, and infrastructure sectors of the oil and gas industry. It operates through the following segments: Well Site Services, Downhole Technologies and Offshore or Manufactured Products. The Well Site Services segment consists of completion and drilling services such equipment and services that are used to drill for, establish, and maintain the flow of oil and natural gas from a well throughout its life cycle focuses on completion-focused equipment and services as well as land drilling services. The Downhole Technologies segment provides oil and gas perforation systems and downhole tools in support of completion, intervention, wireline and abandonment operations. The Offshore or Manufactured Products segment designs, manufactures, and markets capital equipment utilized on floating production systems, subsea pipeline infrastructure, and offshore drilling rigs and vessels, along with short-cycle and other products. The company was founded in July 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More 1 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Premier Oil in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" Premier Oil stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PMO, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Premier Oil or view top-rated stocks. Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. Read More Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc designs, develops, manufactures, and services integrated power systems for use in the air, on land, and at sea. The company operates its business through following segments: Civil Aerospace, Power Systems, Defense and ITP Aero. The Civil Aerospace segment offers commercial aero engines and aftermarket services. The Power Systems segment includes engines, power systems and nuclear systems for civil power generation. The Defense segment consists of military aero engines, naval engines, submarines and aftermarket services. The ITP Aero segment provides aeronautical engines and gas turbines. The company was founded in March 1906 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More SIR Royalty Income Fund, through SIR Royalty Limited Partnership, owns SIR's restaurants in Canada. The company operates concept restaurants under the Jack Astor's Bar and Grill, Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar, and Canyon Creek Chop House; and signature restaurant brands under the Reds Wine Tavern, Reds Midtown Tavern, Reds Square One, and The Loose Moose brands. It also owns and operates a Duke's Refresher & Bar in downtown Toronto; and a seasonal restaurant under the Abbey's Bakehouse name, as well as an Abbey's Bakehouse retail outlet. As of March 25, 2019, the company operated 59 restaurants and a seasonal retail outlet. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Burlington, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited. iShares MSCI Mexico ETF's stock was trading at $35.82 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWW stock has increased by 33.8% and is now trading at $47.93. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. PPDAI Group Inc., an investment holding company, operates an online consumer finance marketplace through its platform in the People's Republic of China. It provides services to match borrowers with investors and facilitate loan transactions on its marketplace through the lifecycle of loans. The company offers standard, handy cash, consumption, and other loan products; and investment services to investors and institutional funding partners. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 88.9 million cumulative registered users. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Read More TOWN OF LEE, N.Y. New York State Police and the Oneida County Sheriffs Department are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in the Town of Lee. Authorities said a state trooper was forced to draw his weapon and fire when a male subject came at EMS and the trooper with a weapon. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home along Golly Road in the Town of Lee when EMS and troopers were responding to a drug overdose. Trooper Jack Keller said the man, 24, who was shot - was rushed to Rome Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. EMS and the trooper involved in the incident were not hurt. The name of the trooper and the man who was shot have yet to be released. UTICA, N.Y. -- SUNY Poly and Herkimer County Community College signed an articulation agreement today. The two college's held a ceremony on the campus of SUNY Poly, the agreement provides eight new transfer pathways. It also helps graduating Herkimer College students by making it a smooth and seamless transition to SUNY Poly. This is the first of many ventures between the colleges, they're currently working on a dual admissions agreement. A lot of behind the scenes work went into the success for the partnership. I really have to give credit to our admissions staff, as well as our transfer counselors and all of our academic faculty and staff that identified programs that we currently offer at Herkimer and programs at SUNY Poly. So everyone getting together and saying this works and this is the right things to do, said Cathleen McColgin. Herkimer College students will be able to take advantage of the agreement beginning this fall. UTICA, N.Y. -- The weather is great to visit the Utica Zoo's newest tenants warty pigs! This species is considered critically endangered. Three "not-so-little" pigs Axl, Ace and Ozzy named after rock stars due to their Mohawk-like manes. They're native to the Philippines and feed on fruits, vegetables and roots. They've been a crowd favorite so far. Theyre very interesting looking animals. They vocalize, they squeal, they make all sorts of noise. They wrestle, they play, they run, said if you go to visit the pigs, you can find them near the camels. Schools in the greater Denver area will be closed Wednesday as authorities search for a woman whom they described as armed and "infatuated" with the Columbine mass shooting days before the 20th anniversary of the attack. Local, state and federal officials are searching for Sol Pais, 18. She made "credible" -- but unspecific -- threats after traveling from Miami to Denver on Monday night, and is considered dangerous, said Dean Phillips, the special agent in charge of the local FBI office. After she arrived, she immediately went to a store and bought a pump action shotgun and ammunition, the FBI said Tuesday night. Pais is considered a threat to the community and schools, but there is no information on any specific threat to a particular location, Phillips said. Nearly 20 school districts will be closed Nearly 20 school districts in the greater Denver area will be closed Wednesday due to security concerns just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. They include the Douglas County School District , Aurora Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools and Cherry Creek Schools. Columbine High School is in Jefferson County. "There are many people that work diligently day in and day out ... that are making the very best decisions they can for the sake of the kids who are in schools each and every day," said Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader. "We want our schools to be a safe place for kids to learn." The Colorado Department of Education recommended that Denver area schools conduct lockouts and controlled release Tuesday after the alleged threats. In a lockout, exterior doors are locked, and school continues as normal. Columbine High and several schools in the area were part of the lockout, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office tweeted. She was last seen wearing camouflage pants After Pais arrived in the state Monday and purchased a pump action shotgun and ammunition, she went to the foothills, where she was last seen, Phillips said. "Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school," he added. Officials released an image of Pais. She is about 5-foot-5 and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots, authorities said. Authorities said they are being especially cautious because Pais' statements don't express a specific plan and were mostly spoken. "She did make statements that were threatening to schools and she did purchase a firearm ... and that's why she's a credible threat," said Patricia Billinger, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Public Safety. Anniversary of Columbine shooting is this week The 20th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School is days away. On April 20, 1999, two students killed 12 of their schoolmates and one teacher in a mass shooting at the high school in the town of Littleton -- about 10 miles from Denver. "I know that this opens a wound, especially on an anniversary week, for those families who were most deeply impacted by this," Shrader said. At this point, there might not be enough probable cause to arrest Pais, but the federal and state attorneys' offices are working to develop appropriate charges, Phillips said. He said once they detain her, they will hold her for as long as they legally can. Authorities said they have not identified any connections she has with Colorado and most of her threats were spoken. They are asking for the public's help finding her, and tips can be sent to the tip line at (303) 630-6227 or emailed to denverfbitips@fbi.gov. ROMNEY, Ind. (WLFI) - Indiana Congressman Jim Baird (R)- District 4 visited Romney on Wednesday to promote the new United States Mexico Canada Agreement, also known as USMCA. This is President Donald Trump's proposed replacement to the North American Free Trade Agreement, also known as NAFTA. You may remember that Vice President Mike Pence visited Lebanon a few weeks ago also to promote the new deal. Wednesday's event was held at the Boiler Grain Facility by the Farmers for Free Trade organization. According to its website, it is a non-profit dedicated to informing the public about the benefits of free trade and mobilizing farmers to take action. The organization is traveling 3,500 miles across the Midwest in a bus promoting USMCA. The Motorcade for Trade bus started its journey in Pennsylvania on April 12th and will conclude its tour in Montana on April 26th. "I've had agriculture as a part of my life really my whole life," said Brent Bible, who is a partner with Stillwater Farms. Boiler Grain Facility is one of his facilities. "My partner and I have been farming together for about 10 years now," he said. "We farm in Tippecanoe, Montgomery and Clinton Counties, primarily producing corn and soybeans." He is a farmer who is voicing his support for USMCA. "Free and fair trade are vital and important for the Ag industry," he said. Farmers, legislators and state leaders came together in Romney to get on the same page. Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture Bruce Kettler attended the event. He said USMCA brings key modernization to NAFTA, which has been in place since 1994. He said that it will benefit Hoosier farmers. "When you look at Canada and Mexico, they are really our number one and number three trading partners out of Indiana, so we do export a lot of products," he said. "In the United States, we can produce more agricultural products than we can ever consume," said Bible, who said that his farms provide its products to larger companies who then distribute the goods internationally. "We have to have an export market to move that product out." Indiana District 4 Congressman Jim Baird also made an appearance at the event. He agrees that Indiana needs a trade deal like USMCA. "In a rural community, agriculture provides a real foundation and it helps those communities to stay solid," he said. "Then you can build on that. I don't care if you are talking about economic development or other issues, but if you have a solid agricultural base, then you have something to build on." Congress still has to ratify USMCA, and it's unclear when that might happen. Bible said he is concerned it won't be passed due to political differences. He added that he can already see the negative impacts of not having a trade agreement in his business. "We've seen a lot of price instability," he said. "Specifically for our corn and soybean prices, we've seen those move up and down drastically, mostly down and it's been because there is a lack of an agreement." He said he wants the agreement to make sure governments don't hurt trade between the three countries. "It's important for Hoosier farmers to have good trade agreements in place, not because we want government to subsidize the Ag industry, but we want government to remove barriers and allow us to freely trade." He said the other countries have put up retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. have that hurt their business and that he believes USMCA does remove those barriers. "With a ratification by Congress, we will see these trade barriers come down," he said. "That's why it's so important. It provides for us the opportunity to remove those trading barriers and get back to business as usual." Kettler wants others in support to spread the word and share their stories. "I'm encouraging farmers to continue to talk to our congressional delegations and share their stories about why this passage is important," he said. "I've yet to meet a farmer not for the new agreement." WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. health officials Tuesday warned doctors not to abruptly stop prescribing opioid painkillers to patients who are taking them for chronic pain ailments, such as backaches. The Food and Drug Administration said it will add advice to labels on how to taper opioid painkillers, such as OxyContin, Vicodin and dozens of generic pills. Federal and state officials have been fighting a nationwide opioid epidemic, which includes not only legal painkillers, but also illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. Fatal overdoses tied to opioids have dragged down U.S. life expectancy and killed more than 400,000 people since 1999, according to government figures. The new label will warn doctors that rapidly discontinuing opioids in patients who are dependent on them can cause withdrawal symptoms including uncontrolled pain, nausea, chills and anxiety. In the worst cases, these problems have been tied to suicide. The federal agency said doctors and patients should agree on a plan to gradually reduce their dosage, based on their treatment history, type of pain, psychological state and other factors. The FDA stressed the importance of a customized plan, saying no standard method "exists that is suitable for all patients." Opioid medications can be addictive and dangerous even when used under doctors' orders, though they are also an accepted tool to treat severe pain from serious injuries, surgery and cancer. Prescriptions have fallen in the U.S. by nearly a quarter since peaking at more than 255 million prescriptions in 2012. Driving the decline are new laws and prescribing limits from state and local governments, insurers and hospital systems. Those limits restrict the number of pills, refills and who can prescribe opioids. In 2016, the FDA's sister agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said opioids should not be the first treatment for chronic pain, and recommended other pain medications or nondrug options instead. The CDC said opioids should be reserved for the most severe forms of long-term pain. That narrow use was long accepted. But beginning in the 1990s some drugmakers, insurers and pain specialists called for wider use of the drugs for more common pain ailments like backaches and arthritis. ___ 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. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- Local potters and artists will donate hundreds of handmade and glazed bowls to be given out at the 18th Annual YWCA Clay Bowl Giving Project. Those who attend will be able to choose either lunch or dinner and also select one of the bowls to take home. Proceeds from the event will be used to further the YWCA mission of providing safety and hope to victims of domestic violence. Leah Giorgini is the Domestic Violence Program Director with the YWCA, and she said appreciates the time and dedication given by the potters donating to the project. I'm always blown away by the creativity and how amazingly beautiful all the pots are, Giorgini said. So they have no idea what that little bit of time and artistry they're giving, what difference this makes to peoples' lives. Giorgini emphasized the goal of the project is to help the projects and programs offered by the organization, and she encouraged those still on the fence about attending to give it a second thought. If you feel moved by justice for women, justice for survivors of crime, if you want to be a part of a bigger picture of social justice, female empowerment, and social equality in our community, then come and be a part of this event. Giorgini said. More information about the event and registration can be found here. International level For many years, at prestigious auction floors in various countries and territories such as the UK, the US, France, Singapore, and Hong Kong (China), Vietnamese paintings, with most names belonging to the Indochina Fine Art Colleges period, such as painters Nguyen Phan Chanh, Nguyen Sang, Duong Bich Lien, Le Pho, and Pham Hau are always welcome. For a long time, Vietnamese paintings have made a mark on the world art market, sought by many collectors. The market once recorded successful auctions of Vietnamese paintings, including the auction on the Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art in Hong Kong (China) on April 1, 2016 at Sotheby's Art Auction House. The auction had 168 works by famous artists of Southeast Asian Art, including some faces of Indochina Art, such as Vu Cao Dam, Mai Trung Thu, Nguyen Van Ty and Bui Xuan Phai. Accounting for 25% of the total number of auctioned works in this auction, the Vietnamese paintings attracted a lot of attention from collectors, with the price being many times higher than the starting price. As a result, 43 out of 45 the works were successfully auctioned. In fact, Vietnamese paintings cost millions of US$ on international auction floors. In the Modern art evening sale auction on September 30, 2018 at Sotheby's Hong Kong, five paintings by the famous artists Nguyen Phan Chanh, Le Pho, Nguyen Gia Tri and Vu Cao Dam were sold for a total of nearly US$2, 5 million. Earlier, the picture named Family Life by painter Le Pho was auctioned at Sothebys Hong Kong on April 2, 2017 for HKD 9.1 million (equivalent to US$ 1,171,005). Recently, on March 31, 2019, for the second time in the auction history, the picture named Nine Carps in the water of painter Pham Hau (composed in 1939-1940) reached a price of US$1,168,803 (with tax).Vietnam paintings are world-class, that is a pride of the country's painting. It can be said that the sustainable vitality of painting in the Indochina Fine Art period on the international stage is confirmed. Besides, the names of modern Vietnamese art also often appear, although they are not as impressive compared to their predecessors. After a generation of famous painters sold abroad, such as Hong Viet Dung, Le Thanh Son, Nguyen Trung, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Do Quang Em, Dang Xuan Hoa, Thanh Chuong and Pham Luan, some faces of the next generation in recent years can be mentioned, such as Nguyen Truong Linh, Nguyen Phuc Loi, Vu Dinh Tuan, and Dinh Thi Tham Poong. Typically, at the auction of Christie's Hong Kong in May, 2018, the picture named 165 W of painter Danh Vo, who is an artist born in 1975 in Ba Ria - Vung Tau and grew up in Denmark, caused a surprise when it was sold for HKD 1,625,000, equivalent to more than US$ 207,000. Helping Vietnamese art continue to shine It is worth noting that most of the high-value Vietnamese paintings on international auction floors went to domestic collectors. The main reason is that in the last 30 years (1986 - 2016), most of Vietnam's beautiful paintings were sold abroad, so domestic collectors must accept to buy through live or online auctions. It can be said that the demand of owning art works of domestic collectors has contributed to raising the value of Vietnam paintings on the international auction floor. From 2017 up to now, many Indochina fine art works have been won by Vietnamese at a high price, such as Mother and Child (composed in 1940) of Le Pho at the price of HKD 5.16 million, while The Snail Seller (1929) and Child and Bird (1931) of Nguyen Phan Chanh reached HKD 4.66 million and HKD 6.7 million, respectively. About the study of art, the trend of spending millions of US$ to own a masterpiece of Vietnamese painting is becoming popular, because this is a sure and lucrative investment channel. The paintings receiving the most interest from collectors are the work of the painter generation in the Indochina fine art period. According to Vu Huy Thong, an art researcher, the period attracted international and domestic collectors because of the rarity and stability of the painters who have been recorded with the strong, pure Asian spirit that the later lines of paintings are less available. Meanwhile, contemporary paintings of young artists have many risks in investment. Besides, reliability from international prestigious art auction addresses is also a reason for the collector to "hunt" for the paintings. Of the approximately 200 paintings owned by collector Nguyen Minh, more than half were successfully auctioned from abroad. According to him, the standard working style and transparency in the evaluation of world-famous auction houses make buyers feel secure. For a long time, fake paintings caused Vietnamese art to "lose points" both in the domestic and international market. But the successful auctions and especially some works that exceed the price of million USD in the international market recently have regained some faith and excitement of art lovers with Vietnamese painting. Recently, the Institute of Criminal Science of the Ministry of Public Security officially participated in appraisal activities and supported the detection and handling of fake paintings. The positive efforts have contributed to building a transparent and healthy art market. Besides, it is also necessary to pay attention to the investment of the State in devoting funds to buy precious works for the Fine Arts Museums and some valuable cultural and historical addresses, aiming to help the public to enjoy the quintessence of Vietnamese art, balance the market, avoid being profiteered by private. Wahhabism is a conservative movement and doctrine within the Sunni branch of Islam. Its name comes from its founder Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab who was born in Saudi Arabia in the 18th century. Wahhabism advocates for a pure form of Islam by focusing on the origin of the religion and the sovereignty of Allah. Where Is Wahhabism Practiced? The doctrine of Wahhabism was initially limited to Saudi Arabia but has since spread to other Muslim-majority states across the world. The name Wahhabism is considered pejorative, and followers of the movement prefer calling themselves Salafis in reference to the generation of people who lived during the reign of Prophet Muhammad. Some followers prefer calling themselves true Muslims implying that followers of the religion who do not concur with the ideology are not proper Muslims. The Spread Of Wahhabism Wahhabism ensured its long-span survival by gaining support and approval of the royal family since 1744 and has since then helped establish Saudi Arabia as the home of Islam. Wahhabism was rejuvenated in the 20th century by Abdulaziz ibn Saud who saw it as a force to reunite different tribes. In 1979, the royal family used it as a tactic to encourage and recruit Muslim men to fight against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Controversies Of Wahhabism Critics of Wahhabism argue that it has gone hand-in-hand with violence and terrorism since its inception. Its founder, Wahhab was expelled from his community for attacking and dismantling the tombs of early Muslims and declaring a jihad war on Muslims who disowned the movement. After the death of Wahhab, the followers reigned terror across the land forcing Mecca to surrender in 1803. The European Parliament declared Wahhabism and Salafism the primary drivers of global terrorism, linking the ideology to the attacks in Benghazi, Syria, and Iraq. The movement is also blamed for being the root of the Islamic State of Syria and Levant that seeks to establish a caliphate within Syria and Iraq. Islamic conservatives argue that Wahhabism is a movement that aims to deliver Islam from foreign accretions. Many described it as a strict form of Sunni Islam. Critics of Wahhabism say that it is a distorted version of the religion not based on the acceptable Sharia law. The doctrines of Wahhabi are visible in Saudi Arabia in the manner in which the public conforms to dressing, regulations, and the prayer schedule. The fastest mammal on land, the Cheetah, is racing to extinction. As per the IUCN, only 6,674 mature individuals of the species remain and the population is steadily decreasing. Hence, conservationists across the world are concerned about the future of the cheetah. Innovative solutions and urgent actions are needed to address the perilous decline in cheetah populations. It is here that organizations like the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Namibia, and Cheetah Outreach, South Africa, come into the scene. They are using livestock guarding dogs to save the free-ranging African cheetahs from the farmers wrath. Cheetahs Are In Serious Trouble The cheetah is one of the worlds most admired predators. Its beauty, grace, and speed are much appreciated. Despite this, the cheetah ceases to exist today in 91% of its historic range. It has been almost completely driven out of Asia. In Africa, its population has been predominantly confined to only six countries. Unsurprisingly, humans are the primary reason why the cheetah, an animal that is capable of surviving in a wide variety of habitats, is threatened with extinction. The cheetah faces habitat loss as wilderness areas once inhabited by it has been converted into agricultural or grazing lands. Farmers also kill cheetahs to protect their livestock. However, cheetahs are seldom known to attack livestock. Vehicle collisions also kill many of these animals. Adding to the threats is poaching of the cheetahs for their skin and other body parts. In some areas of Africa, cheetahs are even killed for bushmeat. Another threat to this species is the illegal trade of cheetah cubs to meet the whims of some residents of the Middle East who like to keep cheetahs as pets. It is not only the direct killing of cheetahs that is decimating the cheetah populations. A reduction in the prey populations of the cheetah due to habitat loss, poaching, and other threats also indirectly threaten the survival of the cheetah. Dogs To The Rescue Dogs may be mans best friends, but unknown to the cheetah, the dogs are also their saviors. Historically, one of the biggest threats to the cheetahs has come from ranchers raising livestock. Cheetahs that stray outside of the protected areas into farmlands become an immediate concern for the ranchers for whom their livestock is their primary source of income. It is here that they take up guns to protect their livestock from cheetah attacks. To give farmers their peace of mind and protect the cheetahs at the same time, CCF and Cheetah Outreach are busy persuading ranch owners to save their livestock by adopting livestock guard dogs. Anatolian Shepherd and Kangla have been used for this purpose. The dogs are trained since infancy to protect livestock. Farmers raise the dogs exclusively with their flock or herd. The dogs develop a sense of ownership of the flock and instinctively protects the livestock from all kinds of predators. These dog breeds also have a history of protecting livestock from wolves, bears, and other predators for over 5,000 years. The large size of these dogs, their loud barking, and their strong protective nature are bound to keep the cheetahs at bay. With the dogs acting as a buffer between humans and the cheetahs, the conflict between the ranch owners and the cheetahs have considerably reduced. A Success With Far Reaching Consequences Both CCF and Cheetah Outreach claim to have attained a great degree of success in their respective Livestock Guarding Dog Programs. By the end of 2018, Cheetah Outreach had managed to place over 300 of these dogs on South African farms in Limpopo and North West Provinces which lie in cheetah range. In other provinces, these dogs have been used to protect livestock from other predators like caracals and black-backed jackals which are also persecuted by farmers for attacking their livestock. These dogs have helped reduce livestock losses and protected over 425,000 hectares of land from predator attacks in South Africa. A similar program, the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project, is helping save the lives of snow leopards in another part of the world in Mongolia, Asia. Bankhar is a unique livestock protection dog that is native to the steppes of Mongolia. These dogs are bred, trained, and places with herder host families as part of the project. They protect the livestock against predators like Mongolian snow leopard acting as a mediator between endangered predator species and the Mongolian herders. With the dogs helping attain a certain degree of success in cheetah conservation in Namibia, South Africa, and Mongolia, it will be now interesting to see whether livestock guarding dogs in other parts of the world can save predators from death at the hands of farmers and ranch owners. For example, leopards in India are a source of great disturbance for the farmers who complain of their cattle being killed by these predators. Could dogs be the answer to their problem and come to the rescue of the Indian leopards? Only time will tell. An affidavit unsealed by US prosecutors on Monday has underscored the unlawful character of the Trump administrations request that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be extradited to the US in the wake of his illegal expulsion from Ecuadors London embassy and arrest by the British police last Thursday. The affidavit was made by Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) special agent Megan Brown on December 21, 2017, in support of two charges which had been secretly filed against Assange, under her name. The charges accuse Assange of participating in a conspiracy with whistleblower Chelsea Manning to gain unauthorised access to a US government computer. Browns document demonstrates that the Trump administration does not have a legal case against Assange that would withstand judicial scrutiny in the US, or in any other country that claims to be a democracy. It brands the US extradition request as a pseudo-legal fig leaf for an extraordinary rendition operation, aimed at silencing a publisher, for his lawful journalistic activities. The sole evidence against Assange is chat logs, in the possession of the US government, which Brown and US prosecutors claim are of online conversations between the WikiLeaks founder and Chelsea Manning. Browns affidavit, and the charge sheet, do not provide any direct evidence that the person Manning was speaking to was Assange. The case against Assange is that Manning, and whoever she was allegedly conversing with in March 2010, discussed cracking a hash, or password, that would have allowed her to access US Defence Department material on an account that was not her own. Manning, as a US army intelligence analyst, had access to the material that she leaked to WikiLeaks. She had already leaked thousands of documents, including the US armys Afghan and Iraq war logs. The only purpose of accessing the password would have been to help protect her identity. Browns affidavit indicates that the password was never cracked. It quotes Manning, allegedly asking, any more hints about the IM hash? The person Manning was conversing with replied: No luck so far. Brown then stated: There is no other evidence as to what Assange did, if anything, with respect to the password. Brown also draws attention to portions of the chat logs, in which Manning and her interlocutor discuss the contents of material she had read and leaked to WikiLeaks. All of the substantive material in the affidavit has been in the possession of the US authorities since at least 2011, following Mannings arrest the previous year. The Obama administration viciously pursued Assange and convened a secret Grand Jury to concoct charges against him. It did not, however, press charges over the alleged conversation logs, in an apparent recognition that such a prosecution would violate the US Constitutions First Amendment freedom of the press protections. As one of Assanges US based lawyers, Barry Pollack, stated this week: Encouraging sources to provide information, and using methods to protect their identity, are common practices by all journalists. Another of Assanges lawyers, Jennifer Robinson, noted that the material showed the kinds of communications journalists have with sources all the time. Browns affidavit demonstrates that the Trump administration is using the case against Assange to try and prevent journalists from speaking to any sources within the US state apparatus, who wish to disclose evidence of American imperialisms criminal operations domestically and around the world. The affidavit declares that WikiLeaks solicited submissions of classified, censored, or otherwise restricted information, as though there was something illegitimate about this centuries-long journalistic practice. It stated that Assange never possessed a security clearance or need to know and was prohibited from receiving classified information of the United States. This line alone brands the indictment against Assange as a frontal assault on freedom of the press in the US and internationally. Significantly, Browns affidavit condemns Assange for WikiLeaks publication of information that they had reason to believe would cause injury to the United States. This is nothing less than a call to establish a legal precedent that journalists must function as de facto agents of the government, including by suppressing truthful information that is in the public interest. The documents referenced in that section of the affidavit are the Iraq and Afghan war logs. Those publications exposed, for the first time, the extent of the war crimes carried out by US occupying forces in both countries. The Iraq war logs documented the deaths of almost 110,000 people, including more than 66,000 people labelled by the US military as civilians. This included 15,000 civilian deaths, which were known to the US authorities, but publicly suppressed. The war logs from both countries demonstrated that torture was a common practice for the US and its proxies. They documented extra-judicial killings and the cover-up of war crimes extending to the highest levels of military command. The affidavit further demonstrates that it is for exposing these historic crimes, as a journalist and publisher, that Assange has been pursued and charged by the US government. It is warning that if Assange is extradited to the US, espionage and other charges, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty, will likely be added to his charge sheet. Brown indicated that she became involved in the investigation against Assange, after having been assigned to an FBI counter-espionage squad in Washington. The timeline presented by Brown, also provides new evidence of the motives behind the stepped-up US pursuit of Assange. She began working with the counter-espionage squad targeting Assange in February 2017, the same month WikiLeaks announced that it was preparing to release a massive trove of documents from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), dubbed Vault 7. The documents, published over March 2017, were the most extensive exposure of the criminal methods of the CIA in more than 30 years. They detailed the activities of a secretive division within the agency, tasked with hacking computers all over the world. The documents demonstrated that the division had developed techniques to hack into computer systems and leave tell-tale markers, attributing the attacks to other countries, including Russia and Iran. Vault 7 revealed that the agency was spying on people through smart televisions and other household devices. The CIA was also seeking to develop capabilities to remotely take control of the computer systems in modern cars. Such abilities could be used in assassination operations. The US government response to the exposures was apoplectic. In April 2017, CIA director Mike Pompeo declared that Assange was a demon and that WikiLeaks was a non-state hostile intelligence service without any first amendment rights. The same month, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said arresting Assange was a priority. He told a news conference: Weve already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail. In March 2018, the corrupt Ecuadorian regime of President Lenin Moreno, acting at the behest of Washington, cut-off all of Assanges communications and his internet access, in its London embassy. In court testimony last October, challenging the Ecuadorian governments attempts to isolate and gag him, Assange explained that the escalating attacks against him had resulted from the publication of Vault 7. Browns affidavit, and the timing of the 2017 investigation into WikiLeaks, demonstrate the urgency of transforming the immense support that exists for Assange among workers, students and young people, into a mass political movement to secure his freedom. Everything must be done to prevent the extradition of the courageous journalist to the US, where he would be at the mercy of the CIA torturers and war criminals he has done so much to expose. The Socialist Equality Party (Australia) is demanding that the Australian government end its collaboration in the US-led vendetta against Assange, an Australian citizen, and immediately use its undeniable legal discretion and diplomatic powers to secure his release from Britain and return to Australia, with a guarantee against extradition to the US. Authorised by James Cogan for the Socialist Equality Party, Suite 906, 185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000 UK local councils face a black hole in funding for essential services covering the financial year 2019/2020. By the end of the year, central government funding to local authorities will have been slashed to just over a fifth of what it was in 2015. According to the Local Government Association (LGA), central government grants to local councils are being cut by 36 percent, or 1.3 billion, from April, leaving a vast 3.9 billion funding gap. This is estimated to rise to 7.8 billion by 2025. Councils have lost 77 percent of their funding from central government between 2015/2016 and 2017/18, with which they provide essential services such as education, housing, roads, waste collection, social care for the elderly, disabled, the homeless and children at risk, as well as libraries and art galleries. In 2015/16, councils received 9.9 billion in Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from central government. In 2019/2020 this will be pared down to 2.2 billion. These devastating figures give the lie to Prime Minister Theresa Mays declaration at the last Octobers Conservative conference that after 10 years austerity is over. Austerity is intensifying. Over the past five years, spending on children at risk from neglect or abuse has been cut by 26 percent. Childrens centres have seen their funding slashed by 42 percent. LGA data shows that one out of every seven old people need help which is not therean increase of 19 percent since 2015. In a letter to the government sent in December, 76 council leaders indicated the deficit different services were facinga 1.5 billion gap in funding for adult social care, 1.1 billion in childrens services, 460 million in public health, and 113 million to alleviate homelessness. Yet homelessness is rocketing, along with social problems, bound up with increasing poverty and inequality. Ten years ago, only four cities out of 62 spent more than 50 percent of their budget on social care. Today that has risen to half of all councils. The governments stated aim is to eliminate central government funding to local authorities completely. Almost half of all councils, (168) will receive no central grant this year10 times more than in 2017/2018 and three times more than last year. Councils will have to raise all their finances via the local council tax, and will retain 75 percent of business rates collected. Up to now, while taxes on businesses were collected locally, they made up a national pot and 50 percent was redistributed from the centre back to the localities. By sleight of hand, the Tory government claims the core spending power of local councils will increase by 2.8 percent, or 1.3 billion, this financial year, to an overall 46.4 billion. But core spending power is a fantasy figure, based on how local businesses will fare in the uncertain post-Brexit climateand dependent on council taxes rising by the maximum 3 percent permitted, hitting millions of people. Hardest hit are the large working-class urban conurbations, where Labour councils have followed the diktat of Jeremy Corbyns leadership and imposed draconian cuts. Since being elected Labour leader nearly four years ago, Corbyn has instructed Labour councils to enforce legal budgetsi.e., to impose Tory austerity. At the end of last year, the Institute for Fiscal Studies reported that the most deprived fifth of councils would suffer cuts of 8.6% over the four years to 201920, compared to 7.2% for the least deprived fifth of councils. The research charity, Centre for Cities, found the poorer Northern English cities were disproportionately affected by austerity, experiencing cuts to spending averaging 20 percent, compared to 9 percent in the wealthier south and east of England. Seven of the 10 worst hit areas are in the North East, North West and Yorkshire. Nearly three quarters (74 percent) of local government cuts have fallen on citiestranslated to 386 per city resident and 172 per head elsewhere. Two de-industrialised urban centresLiverpool in Merseyside and Barnsley in South Yorkshirewere singled out as the worst hit by local government cuts. Barnsley suffered a mammoth 40 percent reduction in its finances. Calculated per resident, Labour-run Liverpool council has seen its budget cut by 816, a percentage reduction of 22 percent from 2009/2010 to 2017/2018. In comparison, the residents of wealthier Oxford saw an increase per head of 115. Labour-run Birmingham City Council, the UKs largest local authority, has imposed 12,000 redundancies due to funding cuts of 700 million since 2010. From April, additional cuts of 46 million will be made, rising to 85 million over the next four years. Labour-run Manchester City Council has lost 324 per resident between 2009/2010 and 2017/2018, and seen a spending decrease of 17 percentthe 10th hardest hit in England. The council has imposed 372 million in cuts since 2010 and agreed a budget for the coming year with a further 15 million in cuts. Newcastles Labour majority-run council in north east England, will have imposed 327 million in cuts since 2010 by 2022. Residents are facing a proposed council tax increase of 3.95 percent. Working class people in London, already struggling with the higher cost of living and exorbitant rents and house prices, are particularly hard hit by council cuts. Huge cuts have been enforced by Labour controlled boroughs in the capital. Since 2010, Hackneys grant from central government has almost halved, losing 529 per resident, a cut of 140 million, with a further reduction of 30 million in spending predicted by 2022/2023. Lambeth lost 238 million in funding since 2010, and cuts have left the council with a shortfall inching towards 50 millionmore than their current spend on street cleaning and lighting, collecting the bins, and libraries. Newham lost 91 million for services over the past six years and are anticipating a further 8 million will go by 2019/2020. In the same period, central government funding to Haringey Borough Council has been slashed by 122 million in real terms. The council is now run by Momentum supporters, the left group within Labour that backs Corbyn. Before Momentum took office, Haringey, under a council run by right-wing Blairites, made 45 percent of its workers redundant and sold off 12 council buildings. This year the Corbyn council is to impose more cuts in a balanced budget and, in a measure going even further than the Blairites, will increase council tax for the first time in nine yearsto 2.99 percentwith the burden falling disproportionately on the less well off. The Labour administration in Brighton on Englands south coast is imposing cuts of 14.8 million and a 2.99 percent council tax rise. Bristol council, covering the largest city in the south west of England, laid off 3,000 employees from 2010 to 2018 and will impose an additional 34.5 million worth of cuts in 2018/2019. To oppose the decimation of all public services and reverse this onslaught by the ruling elite requires a new way forward. Public sector workers must unite with their brothers and sisters in the private sector, both in Britain and internationally. Central to this fight is the formation of rank-and-file committees in workplaces and local communities independent from and in rebellion against the trade unions who have worked with Labour, Tory and Liberal authorities in imposing social devastation over the last decade. This is the first of a series of articles on the recent Freep Film Festival in Detroit, held April 10-14. The sixth annual Freep Film Festival, an event produced by the Detroit Free Press, screened documentary films at various venues in and around the Detroit area April 10-14. All in all, the 2019 event seemed a serious one. The organizers made an obvious effort to program films oriented toward contemporary reality and recent social history, including many of their difficult and painful aspects. It would have been inappropriate to hold an event on any other basis in an area so beleaguered and devastated by the industrial decline of American capitalism. Detroit remains the poorest large city in the US, with 35 percent of the population living below the official poverty line. Of course, a serious approach to programming does not solve all the vexing political and ideological issues. Far from it. The filmmakers inevitably bring with them their own conceptions, including political prejudices and illusions. The baleful influence of identity and racial politics, the transformed character of the trade unionsthe United Auto Workers in particularand the role of the Democratic Party in corralling and strangling political opposition in the US remain questions that the artists have not solved, nor in the vast majority of cases even begun to consider seriously. Nonetheless, it would be fair to say that the 2019 film festival in Detroit provided significant glimpses of social life, and that is no small thing. The Free Press festival included both new and older works. Poletown Lives! (1983, George Corsetti, Jeannie Wylie and Richard Weiske) deals with the brutal destruction of a Detroit neighborhood to make way for a General Motors plant, which in 2018 the auto giant announced it would close down. The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (2009), directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, interviews workers affected by the closure of a GM facility in Moraine, Ohio. The same directors followed that up with a look at the subsequent fate of the Moraine plant under Chinese ownership in American Factory (2019). In Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win (2018), director Christopher Gruse chronicles the campaign against the brutality of the Detroit Police Departments notorious S.T.R.E.S.S. unit in the early 1970s. A new film biography of the late comic Richard Pryor, I Am Richard Pryor (2019, Jesse James Miller) was shown on the same program as Blue Collar (1978, Paul Schrader), in which Pryor plays one of a trio of Detroit autoworkers who rob the safe in their union local and uncover its corruption. Likewise, Otto Premingers remarkable courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder (1959) was paired with Anatomy of Anatomy (2014, David C. Jones), about the making of Premingers movie in Michigans Upper Peninsula, along with its consequences. Roberta Grossmans Who Will Write Our History, about the efforts by Warsaw Ghetto inhabitants to preserve the historical truth about the political and cultural traditions of Polish Jewry and its annihilation at the hands of the Nazis, as the WSWS review earlier this year described it, made a strong impression on viewers. The fact that Mexico City, with its vast population, has only a few dozen public ambulances is the social horror at the center of director Luke Lorentzens Midnight Family (2019), about a family that operates a private emergency vehicle. An Armenian Trilogy (2019, Dan Yessian) focuses on the composition of a musical piece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 1915. When Arabs Danced (2018, Jawad Rhalib) takes up the subject of Islamic fundamentalism and its harmful impact on Arab culture. This is a legitimate subject, but Rhalibs film fails to probe in any depth the devastating conditions prevailing in the Arab countries and the bankruptcy of bourgeois nationalism that have made possible the resurgence of religious backwardness. A number of the works at this years Freep Film Festival examined artistic figures and trends, including Bungalow Sessions (2018), by French filmmaker Nicolas Drolc, about contemporary American roots, folk and gospel music; Desolation Center (2018, Stuart Swezey), which treats, in the words of the festivals catalogue, a specific corner of Californias punk counterculture; Fire Music (2018, Tom Surgal), which considers the free jazz trend that began in the late 1950s (Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, Sun Ra and others); and God Said Give Em Drum Machines: The Story of Detroit Techno (2019), in which director Kristian Hill takes on the electronic-music phenomenon from the 1980s onward. The Feeling of Being Watched The Feeling of Being Watched Algerian-American Assia Boundaouis The Feeling of Being Watched (2018) is a chilling and telling account of mass FBI surveillance of an Arab-American neighborhood during the 1990s and 2000s. The community in question is located in Bridgeview, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. Boundaoui grew up in Bridgeview in the 1980s, and her memories of adolescence include the perpetual sensation that the neighborhood was under observation. She recalls seeing two men, in the middle of the night, outside on the street working on newly installed street lamps. When she went to tell her mother, the latter said, Its probably just the FBI. Go back to sleep. This was the general perception of the Muslim population there. None of this proved to be paranoiathe FBI was spying on them, en masse, beginning in 1993, under a counterterrorism investigation code-named, believe it or not, Operation Vulgar Betrayal. As Boundaoui told the Columbia Journalism Review, Our parents were always warning us kids about the strange cars parked around the mosque, and twice in my memory we got a knock on our front door from federal agents who questioned my parents about their friends in the community, about donations they had made to charities, and recorded everything After the FBI visits, my mom regularly checked under the kitchen table and chairs for bugs. She felt that FBI agents were following her to the library, watching her behind newspapers, and started to suspect that some of our neighbors might be informants. Vulgar Betrayal did not yield a single terrorism conviction, but it effectively intimidated and terrorized the inhabitants, and helped silence them politically, the real aim of the FBI operation. Boundaoui, a journalist, came to learn, through her investigative efforts, that the FBI had more than 33,000 pages of documents associated with this one spying endeavor. She successfully sued the FBI and Department of Justice and obliged them to hand over the documents, heavily redacted of course. Assia Boundaoui's The Feeling of Being Watched The exposure of this massive and sinister operation is entirely welcome and instructive. The Achilles heel of The Feeling of Being Watched is Boundaouis limited understanding of the phenomenon she uncovered. She treats it narrowly, largely as a matter of racial profiling. No doubt there are anti-Muslim bigots and racists in leading positions in the FBI, but racism and anti-Muslim sentiment are not the driving forces behind the governments massive surveillance programs. The spying and repression against Arab-Americans threatens and paves way for wholesale attacks on the democratic rights of the entire working class. This is the lesson of all the experiences since September 11, 2001. What began with the round-up of Muslims has extended into the systematic preparations for authoritarian rule in the US. Boundaouis decision to connect, as one review puts it, Vulgar Betrayal to a long history of FBI surveillance of communities of color is clearly limiting and even misguided. At the end of her film, she provides a potted history of FBI repression, which refers to the internment of the Japanese, the attacks on Muslims and other such atrocities. Nothing is said, however, about the FBIs century-long war against left-wing and socialist organizations. Boundaoui here is either uninformed or depends on the lack of knowledge of others. Anyone with the slightest familiarity with the history of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI knows that terror of the Russian Revolution, of Bolshevism and of left-wing workers organizations in the US fueled the organizations founding and expansion in the 1920s and 1930s. Hoover (who became FBI director in 1924) was obsessed with the threat of socialist revolution and communism his entire life. Along these mistaken lines, Boundaoui presents the FBIs infamous COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), a series of provocations, infiltrations and attacks aimed at disrupting or suppressing radical political opposition between 1956 and 1971, as merely an attack on Black and civil rights organizations. In fact, the Communist Party and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the American Trotskyist movement at the time, were prime targets. The FBI has publicly admitted, for example, that between 1960 and 1976 300 of its informants served as members of the SWP. African-American organizations and leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party, came under fire, above all, in so far as they expressed criticism of the American government and economic system. Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool Stanley Nelson is known for documentaries such as The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015), Freedom Summer (2014), Freedom Riders (2011), Jonestown: The Life & Death of Peoples Temple (2006) and The Murder of Emmett Till (2003). Nelson is a skilled organizer of valuable film footage, but he is largely non-committal when it comes to the deeper meaning of the images he retrieves and assembles. His Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, about the famed jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer, exhibits many of the same strengths and weaknesses as his previous efforts. The film treats Davis life, from his birth in Alton, Illinois, into a prosperous African-American family, to his death in Santa Monica, California, from the combined effects of a stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure. Perhaps conveying its central theme near the outset, Nelsons film cites Davis comment that music is a curse, and that it comes before everything. This is presumably meant to cover a multitude of personal sins. The film contains a great deal of fascinating footage, of Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, John Coltrane and others, and much beautiful music. It conscientiously follows Davis through his different phases and crises, including a period of half a dozen years after 1975 when he didnt pick up his instrument once. Birth of the Cool is well worth seeing simply for the facts and faces, and sounds it includes. However, Nelson does little to penetrate beneath the surface and consider the relationship, for example, between the flowering of jazz and deeper trends in postwar American life. Moreover, Davis various predicaments and contortions in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s (including his largely unsuccessful attempts to fuse jazz with rock music) were clearly not simply a personal matterthe genre itself had entered into a deep crisis. The film does almost nothing to illuminate the broader artistic and social processes at work. Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts Bill Traylor - Chasing Ghosts In Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts, filmmaker Jeffrey Wolf and producer Jeany Nisenholz-Wolf document the life of self-taught African-American artist Bill Traylor (c. 1853-1949), born into slavery before the Civil War. Traylor was homeless when he was discovered painting on the streets of Montgomery, Alabama, in his 80s. Narrated through tap dance, original music, dramatic readings and poetry, the feature documentary brings to life the different historical periods Traylor lived through. The artist was born on a cotton plantation in rural Alabama and lived through Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation with all its horrors, and the Great Migration. Traylor did not begin painting until after he had raised his family as a tenant farmer in the rural south. Only after moving to Montgomery in the 1930s did Traylor begin telling his story in art. He painted over 1,000 pieces depicting aspects of life as a tenant farmer, children at play, animals and other images that revealed brutal conditions following the period of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Unfortunately, much of Traylors art was lost, but there are images at the Smithsonian Institute and in books that can be purchased online. The documentary on this remarkable artist offers a glimpse into critical periods of American history and the impact they left on different sections of the population. While not being trained as an artist or having the opportunity to study art history, Traylor sought to put down in images the many historical and personal experiences he passed through for future generations to see. To be continued This is the fifth and concluding part of a series of articles on the wave of strikes carried out by maquiladora workers in the Mexican border town of Matamoros. PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 The rebellion of the Matamoros workers in the early months of 2019 was a strategic experience from which critical lessons must be drawn not only for workers in Mexico, but for the entire international working class. In the course of their courageous struggle, the maquiladora workers set up rank-and-file strike committees in opposition to the corporate-controlled unions, convened popular assemblies to vote on collective action across the city, and marched to the US border and issued statements to US workers to join their fight against the transnational corporations. In the face of the repressive measures of the charro union thugs, the employers, and the state and federal police and military agencies, the Matamoros workers called for support from broader sectors of the working class in Mexico, as well as internationally, and formed workers patrols to defend strikers. At Ballinger, where some workers were fired for demanding 20/32, workers spontaneously demanded administrative control over hiring and firing. This inspired support among students, teachers, other service-sector workers and layers of the lower-middle class like small business owners, who joined the strikers demonstrations and donated food and money. Amid initial struggles by teachers and hospital workers against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors attacks on health care and public education, the Matamoros rebellion inspired a wave of strikes among university professors, metalworkers and other sections of the working class. The emergence of new organizations of working class struggle has confirmed the prognosis of the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, made as early as the beginning of the 1990s, that the resurgence of the class struggle would increasingly take the form of a direct clash with the old bureaucratized and corporatist trade unions and emerge as an internationally coordinated struggle. The Matamoros workers rebelled against the gangster-ridden charro unions. But the independent unions promoted by the workers false friend, labor lawyer Susana Prieto, are aligned with US and German trade unions, such as the United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers and IG Metall, which function as industrial police forces for giant corporations such as General Motors and Volkswagen. These corporatist unions, which have for decades suppressed workers resistance to wage cuts, plant closings and layoffs, offer no alternative. In the aftermath of the Matamoros strikes, the maquiladora owners association and the US- and other foreign-owned corporations are carrying out a punitive campaign of layoffs and the blacklisting of militant strike leaders, while the AMLO government threatens to use state repression to stop workers from asserting their rights to a living wage and decent working conditions. So, what is the way forward? It is clear that the maquiladora workers would not have achieved a single thing without organizing themselves independently of the unions. That independent movement must be extended and consolidated through the formation of rank-and-file committees, democratically controlled by workers themselves, in every factory and workplace. These committees will not be new unions. As David North, the chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, explained in 1998: Standing on the basis of capitalist production relations, the trade unions are, by their very nature, compelled to adopt a hostile attitude toward the class struggle. Directing their efforts toward securing agreements with employers that fix the price of labor-power and determine the general conditions in which surplus value will be pumped out of the workers, the trade unions are obliged to guarantee that their members supply their labor power in accordance with the terms of the negotiated contract. As Gramsci noted, The union represents legality, and must aim to make its members respect that legality. In an earlier historical period, particularly during the post-World War II boom, workers were able to win certain improvements through the trade unions, despite these organizations defense of capitalist property relations and their nationalist program. However, even then, whatever gains were made were the result of mass struggles from below to which the union bureaucracies felt obliged to respond. The last four decades have seen the transformation of the trade unions from organizations that pressured the employers for concessions to the workers into organizations that pressure the workers for concessionspay cuts, speedup, layoffs and other givebacksto the employers. This transformation was bound up with objective socio-economic changes, above all, the globalization of capitalist production and the emergence of transnational corporations, which produce for the world market and scour the globe in search of the cheapest sources of labor. The unions, which are based on a national framework whether they are nominally socialist or openly pro-capitalist, are incapable of responding to globalization in any progressive manner. Instead, they jettison any resistance to the corporations and voluntarily collaborate with their own employers and governments to cut labor costs to boost the competitiveness and profitability of the nations industry against its international rivals. The subordination of the interests of the working class to the capitalist economic, legal and political set-up today means the rejection of any assertion by the working class of its social rights. These rights, including the right to a secure and good-paying job, collide with the rights of the capitalist owners to shut their factories, lay off workers, fire militants and move production anywhere in the world to get cheaper labor. Rank-and-file committees When two rights collide, Karl Marx said, then force decides. Rank-and-file committees will not bow before management rights and what the corporate owners and their bribed politicians say is affordable. The committees must vigilantly counter-pose the will of the workers to the dictates of corporate management. They must use the methods of the class strugglemass demonstrations, mass strikes and solidarity walkouts, plant occupations, etc.which bring to bear the enormous strength of the working class, without whose collective labor society would grind to a halt. Rank-and-file committees must demand the rehiring of all laid-off and victimized workers. In opposition to the shop floor dictatorship of the corporate bosses, enforced by the government and its capitalist laws, with the aid of the unions, workers must fight for industrial democracy and workers control of production, including over line speed and safety. Striking maquiladora workers frequently brought up to WSWS reporters and on social media demands relating to poor access to health care, the mounting debts to the National Fund Institute of Housing for Workers (INFONAVIT), limited child care and other broader social issues around which tens of millions of workers and oppressed people who are shaking off their illusions in AMLO and awakening to the need to oppose his capitalist government can be mobilized. Rank-and-file committees must link up workers in the factories and other workplaces with workers and young people in the neighborhoods to fight for the right to decent public education and other vital services, and against police and military repression. To unite against the transnational corporations that super-exploit the maquiladora workers, workers must fight to unite with every section of workers throughout Mexico and establish lines of communication with autoworkers and other workers in the US and Canada, to prepare a coordinated struggle to stop the race to the bottom and guarantee secure and good-paying jobs for all workers. The shutdown of production at auto assembly plants across North America as a result of the strikes in Matamoros palpably demonstrated the international character of the working class and the fact that workers all over the world face a common struggle. Through the WSWS, tens of thousands of workers internationally were able to closely follow the struggle of their class brothers and sisters in Matamoros, and these lines of communication and collaboration must be strengthened. Reform or revolution The working class cannot secure its social rights without fusing the growing resistance of workers with the international revolutionary perspective for which only the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, fights. The ICFI is confident that as the class struggle intensifies, the most advanced workers will turn to the scientific insights and revolutionary strategy of Marxism and study the lessons of history to prepare their battles. The irreconcilable conflict between the social needs of the working class and the pursuit of personal wealth by the super-rich minority poses the need for the working class to abolish the capitalist system and take political power in its own hands. Only in this way can workers reorganize economic life on the basis of collective ownership and a democratically and scientifically developed plan for the world economy to meet human needs, not private profits. In Mexico, the fight for this perspective means an irreconcilable struggle against the AMLO government and all of the petty-bourgeois and pseudo-left defenders of this capitalist regime. After stealing presidential elections from AMLO in 2006 and 2012, the Mexican and American ruling classes gave the go-ahead for his election last year in an effort to diffuse the growing resistance by the working class and channel it behind the dead end of his pro-capitalist and nationalist program. Last year, AMLO, who spent 18 years in the right-wing Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), received a green light for assuming the presidential office after personally appealing to business leaders such as Larry Fink, whose financial firm BlackRock is the top owner of Mexican stocks and controls assets totaling $6 trillion, more than the GDP of Latin America. A few months after its inauguration, the AMLO administration is already facing mass opposition from the working class. While the president is working to trap opposition in the American- and European-backed independent unions, new methods of state repression are being fast-tracked through the Morena-led Congress in response to the Matamoros strike. The nearly unanimous approval on February 28 of a law setting up the National Guard and enshrining the domestic deployment of the military in the constitution shows that every faction of the ruling class counts on the armed forces to drown the growing social opposition in blood. The threat of mass firings by the foreign-owned maquiladoras and their Mexican stooges must be answered with the nationalization of the factories under workers control, as part of a socialist reorganization of the economy. This includes expropriating the private fortunes of the super-rich, including Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, and utilizing the wealth created by the collective labor of workers to meet human needs. The irrepressible conflict between the majority of the worlds population and a tiny minority of corporate and financial aristocrats is driving the growth of class conflict around the world. The Matamoros revolt takes place alongside a record number of strikes by US teachers, many of them initiated by rank-and-file educators on social media independently of the unions, months of Yellow Vest protests in France, and upheavals in Algeria, Morocco, Sudan and other countries. At the same time, 30 years after the restoration of capitalism in China and Eastern Europe, which was supposed to usher in a new epoch of prosperity and democracy, a wave of strikes has spread across Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and in China. Under the political leadership of the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the WSWS, the Steering Committee of the Coalition of Rank-and-File Committees was founded in the US on December 9 to link up the struggle of autoworkers and other workers against General Motors plant closings and the attacks on the wages and living standards of all workers. A central theme of the fight by the Steering Committee in the upcoming contract struggle by 150,000 GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler workers is to reject the anti-Mexican chauvinism of the United Auto Workers union and fight for the unity of US, Mexican, Canadian workers. The Matamoros rebellion confirms the Marxist perspective of the world Trotskyist movement outlined in its January 3 statement, The Strategy of International Class Struggle and the Political Fight Against Capitalist Reaction in 2019: As the ICFI anticipated, the fight for social equality and world socialism will take the initial form of a global rebellion against these discredited, capitalist apparatuses What can be predicted with certainty is that the upswing in militant struggles of the working class will continue in 2019. But the transformation of this intensifying social militancy into a conscious movement of the international working class for socialism depends upon the building of Marxist-Trotskyist parties in the working classthat is, national sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International. That is the fundamental lesson that must be drawn from the Matamoros revolt. Concluded PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 Wellington bus worker Dmitri Edwards, 49, died on February 26, when life support was turned off at Wellington hospital. He had suffered a stroke five days earlier following an extremely stressful work-week. Dmitri worked as a controller for NZ Bus, organising rosters for drivers. His brother, Nik Edwards, believes his stroke was a result of the intensified exploitation of NZ Bus workers following a corporate restructure of public transport services in Wellington last year. Nik told the Dominion Post that Dmitri, who joined NZ Bus in 2012 and was a skilled and capable worker, was placed under enormous pressure to minimise service cancellations due to staff shortages. He died following a day from hell, during which he had to make 85 changes to rosters and schedules. NZ Bus is owned by Infratil, a major infrastructure, transport and energy investment company, and has operated bus services on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) since 2005. On July 15, 2018 the GWRC launched major cost-cutting of the bus services: 60 percent of the capitals routes were handed to Tranzit Group, which promised to slash millions in operating costs. NZ Buss share of services was reduced from 73 percent to 28 percent. NZ Bus made 240 drivers redundant in Wellington and nearby Hutt Valley. Many older workers retired; some moved to different areas of New Zealand or simply remained unemployed. Most refused to re-apply for jobs with Tranzit at reduced pay. Tranzit pays drivers $22 an hourcompared with $18.65 and $19.35 under NZ Busbut eliminated penalty rates of time-and-a-half on Saturday, double time on Sunday, and overtime rates. NZ Bus, meanwhile, failed to keep enough workers to cope with its much-reduced share of routes. Fairfax Media reported that the council had fined NZ Bus an astonishing 17,663 times in five months since October 2018 for breaches of contract due to cancellations, late services and the use of wrong-sized buses. Dmitri Edwards worked in the radio industry during the 1990s. His former colleague, Newstalk ZB presenter Andrew Dickens, said Dmitri told him he faced a nightmare at work. He denounced the councils restructure and said the chronic driver shortage was spurred on by NZ Buss low wages. Nik Edwards told the World Socialist Web Site his brother Dmitri was highly experienced and a hard worker who knew all the runs off by heart. He regularly worked graveyard shifts of 9 p.m. to 5.30 a.m. Nik said NZ Bus had lots of changes and there have been a lot of issues: not having enough drivers, and buses breaking down, and was losing a number of shifts a day, cancelling rides here and there. Dmitri was placed under immense pressure. He had the ability to absorb a lot of pressure but I think it was just too much for him in the end. He was trying to do an impossible job. Nik said his brother was well-liked by his co-workers but bullied by some managers who treated him as the golden boy who would fix shifts, which would save the company time and money. Nik blamed these conditions on the free market. Thats the problem. If the council was running it then the money would be coming back to the council, instead of to private enterprises and going offshore. Its ridiculous. Buses should be run as a public service for the community. he said. Nik noted that over the last three decades, under Labour and National Party governments, transport services had been privatised. Profits have gone up, the hours of work have gone up, but salaries have remained the same, he said. Following Dmitris death, NZ Bus had sent no card, no boss of his has turned up with condolences, the chief executive has no comment to make, Nik said. Everyone wants to wash their hands, no responsibility, no care. They treat the workers like a unit: like, oh well, hes gone, well just replace him with someone else. Nik understood that the government department WorkSafe was investigating his brothers death, but he had so far heard nothing from the agency, despite repeated requests for information. Nik said bus workers he had spoken to wanted to strike because they were not happy with whats going on. Some of them are barely getting enough shifts and some are not able to get enough work. Others were stressed from overwork and felt bullied following the restructure. Theyre ready to throw in the towel and some of them have thrown in the towel. Its a mess. Responsibility for the public transport chaos rests not only with the Labour- and Green Party-controlled GWRCwhich also privatised the region's passenger rail in 2016. The Labour-led government of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has refused to intervene to resolve the crisis and lift workers wages. With the support of the trade union bureaucracy, Labour has deepened the austerity agenda of the 20082017 National Party government, starving public services such as health, education and public transport of funds. Labour campaigned in the 2017 election posturing as a friend of transport workers, but has not stopped the ruthless competition between private transport operators to drive down pay and conditions. Last month Transport Minister Phil Twyford definitively ruled out any government intervention in the Wellington bus system. The Tramways Union promoted Labours false election promises. It refused to call any industrial action until after the GWRCs restructure, telling workers to put their faith in a Labour government. In October 2018, the union held a limited four-day strike by Wellington bus workers employed with Tranzit, which was called off without any settlement of the pay dispute. The union has outrageously portrayed NZ Bus as a model employer, with whom union officials have a pretty good relationship, despite the companys low wages and appalling conditions. A February 19 Tramways Union press release said it was particularly galling to see [the council] attacking NZ Bus over Wellingtons driver shortage while giving a free pass once again to Tranzit, which refused to engage with the union. Two days after this statement, Dmitri Edwards suffered his fatal stroke while working under the extremely stressful conditions imposed on him by the GWRC, the Labour government and NZ Bus, assisted by the union bureaucracy. The Tramways Union has released no public statement on Dmitris death. Millions of people in France and internationally were stunned and horrified on Monday by the sight of a centuries-old historic monument going up in flames. On Tuesday, as the wreckage strewn across Notre-Dame cathedral was still smoldering, it was clear that Mondays inferno was caused by a horrific breakdown of fire safety in the cathedrals restoration work. Responsibility for this lies with French President Emmanuel Macrons government, and ultimately with the capitalist system. Europes most widely-visited monument, immortalized by Victor Hugos 1831 novel Notre Dame de Parisand its film adaptations, has been gutted by a preventable catastrophe. Flames consumed the roof and toppled the spire, whose fall broke open the cathedrals stone vault, raining molten lead and ashes on art work below. Irreplaceable 13th century stained glass windows lie shattered, the main organ is damaged, and the cathedrals interior is a blackened hulk. Aerial view of the fire at Notre Dame International architecture experts are stressing the costly, technically challenging, labor-intensive nature of fire safety in such projects. Heat from blowtorches or power toolssometimes transmitted long distances via pipesstart fires in wood or dust far from where work is occurring. When restoring old buildings, said Gerry Tierney of the San Francisco-based firm Perkins and Will, You have to have a 24-hour fire watch if there has been any heat-source activity going on, because as soon as it breaks out, youve got to have somebody trying to get there as fast as possible. Catastrophic fires are typically bound up with cost-cutting on fire safety staffing levels, said the University of South Floridas Edward Lewis: In my experience, it starts with human error, which stems from inadequate supervision levels and disregard for fire prevention procedures On a lot of construction jobs, the ratio between supervisors and workers isnt adequate. Accounts of the fire show that this is what occurred at Notre-Dame. After a first fire alarm sounded in the roof area at 6:20 p.m. on Monday, well after construction workers had gone home, church staff hurriedly checked the vast maze of crisscrossing 13th to 19th century timber holding up the roof. They did not find the fire. At 6:45 p.m., a new fire alarm sounded. This time, within minutes, the extremely old, dry and flammable timber was blazing out of control. The renovation of Notre-Dame was financed on a shoestring. Two years ago, as church officials sought 100 million for the project, they were forced to mount an international appeal to donors and charities after the French state, which owns the cathedral, shockingly agreed to give only 2 million per year. With the image of the gutted hulk of Notre-Dame now burned into the consciousness of millions of people around the world, it is clear that the resulting levels of fire safety staffing were tragically inadequate. The burning of Notre-Dame is a horrifying manifestation of destructive processes capitalism has unleashed in every country. The period since the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and particularly since the 2008 Wall Street crash, has seen relentless austerity combined with feverish rearmament across Europe. Macron presides over multi-trillion-euro European Union bank bailouts, plans to spend 300 billion on the army by 2023, and billions in tax cuts to the rich. The spire collapsing at Notre Dame As a result, every truly vital program is under-funded and every corner is cut. The intended result, deemed perfectly natural by the corporate media and the powers-that-be, is the systematic impoverishment of working people, the slashing of social services, and the de-funding of cultural institutions. At times, however, the reckless, selfish and parasitic character of the policies pursued by the financial aristocracy find expression in the destruction of great monuments of human culture. During the illegal US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, American occupation troops encouraged the looting of the Iraqi National Museum and stood by as it occurred, leading to the loss of 50,000 artifacts dating back 5,000 years and the destruction of the museums catalog of its holdings. Then-US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld endorsed the looting, declaring, Free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes. The burning of Notre Dame is not in the final analysis separate from such bloody acts of plunder, including the looting of the old city of Palmyra by NATOs Islamist proxy militias in the Syrian war. It flows from policies carried out by the same ruling class, with the same essential aims. Macron, despised by workers in France as the president of the rich, subordinates every question to the financial aristocracys drive for self-enrichment. His tax cuts for the rich allowed billionaire Bernard Arnault to increase his personal wealth by over 22 billion last year alone. In the 1938 manifesto Towards a Free Revolutionary Art, drafted jointly by Leon Trotsky and French poet Andre Breton, the authors wrote: We can say without exaggeration that never before has civilization been menaced so seriously as today. The Vandals, with instruments which were barbarous, and so comparatively ineffective, blotted out the culture of antiquity in one corner of Europe. But today we see world civilization, united in its historic destiny, reeling under the blows of reactionary forces armed with the entire arsenal of modern technology. These lines find devastating confirmation in the fate of the Paris cathedral. Notre-Dame passed unscathed through over eight centuries since construction began in 1163. It survived the historical upheavals of the French Revolution, the Paris Commune of 1871, World War I and the Nazi Occupation. It could not, however, survive the first two decades of the 21st century and the reign of Emmanuel Macron. Today, the diktat of the financial aristocracy is encountering rising political opposition and militant strike activity by the international working class. Strikes by US teachers and symphony orchestra musicians, wildcat walkouts by Mexican maquiladora workers, and strikes by plantation workers and civil servants on the Indian subcontinent are unfolding as yellow vests in France and workers in Algeria mobilize in struggle against Macron and his allies in the Algerian military dictatorship. Yesterday, two of Frances richest billionaires, Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault, announced donations of 200 million and 100 million, respectively, to help rebuild Notre-Dame. Their donations, a small fraction of their immense wealth, were made to head off mounting public anger at their exorbitant wealth. They only underscore the waste and anarchy produced by the billionaires domination over public life. These sums, which should have been made available to renovate Notre-Dame before the fire, will doubtless be insufficient to fund what will be a multi-year, multi-billion-euro reconstruction project. Vast political lessons flow from the devastation of Notre-Dame. Only a few hundred meters from Notre-Dame lies the Louvre museum, created initially by the nationalization of the royal art collections during the French Revolution in 1793, amid the expropriation of the feudal aristocracy and the guillotining of King Louis XVI. The Louvre, the French revolutionaries proclaimed, should be a sanctuary where the peoples will elevate themselves by becoming conscious of beauty. The way forward for the emerging movement of the international working class against the financial aristocracy of the 21st century is a turn towards its revolutionary traditions and a struggle for the expropriation of the oligarchy and the breaking of its stranglehold over social and political life. The Polish government, led by the extreme right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS), is refusing to accede to demands of teachers for increased wages and better classroom conditions. Hundreds of thousands of teachers have been engaged in a national walkout since April 8 in one of largest struggles by the working class against decades of austerity that followed the restoration of capitalism 30 years ago. Some 80 percent of Polands 400,000 teachers voted in favor of the national strike. Last week, roughly three quarters of the countrys schools and kindergartens were shut down by the first nationwide teachers strike in Poland since 1993. While local news reports suggest that in some schools, and especially kindergartens, educators are returning to work, the vast majority of the teachers are still on strike. The Polish Teachers Union (ZNP), the largest of the striking unions, is demanding a 30 percent wage increase. Teachers are not receiving any salary or compensation from a strike fund and rely on donations to make up in part for their loss in wages. With teachers already living on poverty wages of between 1,800 zlotys and 3,000 zlotys (US$470 to US$780) per month, they are making significant financial sacrifices to continue the strike. Spontaneous demonstrations by students have been taking place across the country. On Friday, academics and students of the University of Biaystok, one of the most impoverished cities in Poland, located in the country's northeast, demonstrated in support of the teachers. For days, banners saying We support the demands of the teachers have been hanging at the university building. On Tuesday, parents, students and teachers demonstrated in the city center of Olsztyn, a city in the northwest. Middle- and high school students have called a protest in odz, the third largest industrial city, for this Saturday. According to polls, around 80 percent of middle- and high school students support their teachers struggle for better wages. A protest in support of teachers in the city of Koscian Parents too have expressed their support for the strike. After days of denunciations of teachers by government representatives and the media, a parent from Warsaw wrote an angry letter to the Ministry of Education, which was viewed thousands of times on Facebook. It said, You are trying to tell us parents that the teachers provoked this crisis. But the truth is that the students were abandoned not by the teachers but by you! In a comment on a video of a demonstration in Olsztyn, another mother wrote, I am for the teachers. They too deserve a worthy life. I have teachers in my family and they indeed receive starvation salaries. The broad popular support for the teachers is an expression of profound social and political discontent within the working class. Three decades after the restoration of capitalism, carried out by the Stalinist bureaucracy in conjunction with the leadership of the Solidarnosc trade union, Poland counts among the most unequal countries in Europe, with levels of social inequality similar to those in Germany and the UK. According to one report, between 1989 and 2015 the real income of the countrys top 1 percent of income earners rose by 458 percent and that of the top 10 percent by 190 percent. The income of the top 0.1 percent rose by a staggering 1,019 percent. By contrast, the income of the poorest half of the population rose by only 31 percent. A study from 2017 found that the period of economic growth in 2004-2008, after Poland joined the EU and when the pro-EU party Civic Platform (PO) was in power, witnessed the largest rise in top income concentration, with 5 percent of income earners receiving half of the total real income rise, while the bottom 95 percent captured the other half. The rise in income of the top 5 percent in Poland as compared to a number of other European countries. Source: Pawel Bukowski and Filip Novokmet: Top Incomes during Wars, Communism and Capitalism: Poland 1892-2015, LSE Working Paper, October 2017 The PiS government insists that it will not agree to any other conditions than those accepted on the eve of the strike by the Solidarity trade union, which works closely with the government. The contract accepted by Solidarity provides for a miserable, gradual 15 percent increase in salaries, while imposing an increase in the number of lessons that teachers have to give per week from the current 18 to 24. While the government has been spending billions of dollars on the US- and NATO-led military buildup against Russia, the Polish education minister, Anna Zalewska, who has publicly denied the participation of Poles in anti-Jewish pogroms after the Second World War, insisted in a press conference, There is no money in the 2019 state budget for the increases to be higher. The Polish government is determined not to give in to the demands of the teachers precisely because it recognizes that the strike is part of a broader resurgence of the class struggle internationally and the beginning of a counter-offensive by the working class against decades of austerity. It fears that any concession to the teachers would encourage other sections of the working class to go on the offensive. The strategy of the Polish government consists in smearing the teachers publicly and relying on the unions to isolate the strike and starve the teachers into submission. At the same time, the government is trying to minimize the effects of the strike by organizing for the middle school exams to proceed as planned by employing religious teachers, Catholic priests, nuns and other strikebreakers to supervise the exams. There are also indications that the government is preparing to victimize striking teachers. Last week, the Ministry of Education sent out a request to school principals to give it the names of all striking teachers. Virtually everything that the trade unions have done so far has played into the hands of this strategy. The Solidarnosc union, whose head, Ryszard Proksa, was recently revealed to earn 130,000 zlotys per year (roughly US$34,341, which is more than five times the average teacher's salary), signed a contract with the government on the eve of the strike without any authorization from the membership. It has told its members not to join the walkout. The union is now in deep crisis as countless teachers have handed in their resignation. Speaking for thousands, one teacher told the local media, He [Proksa] makes a living from our dues. If he gets paid so much, then no wonder he doesnt care about our struggle for decent wages. He cheated us for his own private interest. This is an utter betrayal. He stabbed us in the back! The ZNP union, which has supported decades of austerity policies, is working to contain the strike and shut it down as soon as possible. Knowing full well that there is broad support for the teachers, the unions have deliberately not made any appeal to other sections of Polish workers, nor have they called any large-scale national protests. Leading ZNP representatives have pursued the reactionary strategy of pitting educators against peasants and other sections of the impoverished population. The unions have complained about the subsidies, inadequate as they are, which the PiS government has given to the rural poor, saying the money should go to teachers instead. At no point have the unions demanded that the wealthy pay to fund quality public education. The ZNP has also facilitated the governments efforts to weaken the effect of the strike by allowing teachers to supervise middle school exams on an individual basis. While the teachers are confronted in the sharpest manner with the social crisis produced by the restoration of capitalism, the right-wing nationalist and historically revisionist agenda of PiS, and the bourgeoisies efforts to make the working class pay for its war preparations, the unions have deliberately blacked out all political questions from the strike. ZNP head Sawomir Broniarz announced that a new round of talks with the government would take place within the framework of the Council for Social Dialogue on Thursday. On Tuesday, April 23, the presidium of the ZNP will meet to discuss the continuation of the strike. There are signs of growing dissatisfaction among the striking teachers with the ZNP. One teacher from Warsaw told the newspaper Wyborcza, I personally think that the strike needs to be sharpened. The government is playing with us and doing whatever it wants, and we are not reacting to it. Teachers and students in Poland must be warned: The ZNP is preparing to sell out the strike. Working closely with the main opposition party, Civic Platform (PO), which as a ruling party was responsible for far-reaching austerity measures, including in education, the ZNP is hoping to use the strike as a maneuver to weaken the PiS government ahead of the European elections in May and the Polish parliamentary elections in the fall. However, just like the PiS and the entire Polish ruling class, the ZNP leadership fears nothing more than a broader movement by the Polish and European working class. The struggle of the Polish teachers can be successful only if they turn to the broadest sections of the working class in Poland and Europe as a whole, and connect their struggle with the fight against social inequality, the preparations for war, and attacks on democratic rights. This fight requires the formation of rank-and-file committees, which are independent of the unions and bourgeois parties, and the development of a mass political movement of the working class guided by a genuine socialist program. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) held a powerful demonstration and rally in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, yesterday to demand the release of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. Around 100 people, including workers, youth and housewives, attended the picket which was held outside the Colombo Fort Railway Station. A group of SEP members travelled 400 kilometres from war-ravaged northern Jaffna to participate and several estate workers came from the central hills plantation district. Part of the demonstration It was one of several demonstrations called by Socialist Equality Parties around the world and the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) following Assanges arrest by British police last Thursday. The WikiLeaks publisher faces extradition to the US on bogus charges. Demonstrators enthusiastically chanted slogans in Sinhala and Tamil, including Free Julian Assange, Free Chelsea Manning, Defend the right for free speech, Defend democratic rights, and Stop internet censorship, No to world war, fight for international socialism. Hundreds of copies of the WSWS April 12 Perspective, Free Julian Assange were distributed to those watching the event or passing through the station. Sri Lankan media outlets, including Veerakesari, Sri Lankas main Tamil-language daily newspaper, IBC radio, Dan tv, Capital fm and madhyavadiya.lk, covered the event. K. Ratnayake K. Ratnayake, Sri Lankas WSWS national editor, addressed a 45-minute rally following the demonstration. He explained the circumstances surrounding Assanges arrest by British police and his illegal removal from the Ecuadorian embassy, and the moves to extradite him to the US where he could face espionage and violation of national security charges. What is the crime Assange is being hounded for by Washington and Britain, with the connivance of pro-imperialist Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno? His so-called crime was to publish leaks by former US military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, exposing the enormous war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exposure of US imperialist crimes committed in its predatory neo-colonial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a great service to the international working class. In preparation for new hegemonic wars, the Trump administration wants to cover up Washingtons previous criminal acts, attack freedom of speech and expression, and suppress democratic rights. SEP political committee member M. Thevarajah speaking to the media Ratnayake denounced the total silence of Sri Lankas mainstream media about Assanges arrest and the attacks on freedom of the press. He pointed out that the brief reports by some Sri Lanka media were hostile to Assange and Manning. Equally, Sri Lankan pseudo-left groups, such as the Frontline Socialist Party, United Socialist Party and Nava Sama Samaja Party, have nothing to say about this dangerous attack on democratic rights. There is not a word in their press over the jailing of Assange or Manning, Ratnayake said. Like the ruling class in other semi-colonial countries every faction of the Sri Lankan ruling classfrom President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksewill use this attack of their imperialist masters as a licence to intensify their assault on the democratic rights of the Sri Lankan working class. Kapila Fernando IYSSE Convenor Kapila Fernando told the rally that the exposure of imperialist crimes by Assange and Manning had won them enormous respect from workers, young people and others who value democratic rights. Assange had been imprisoned in the Londons Ecuadorian embassy for the past seven years. Vast changes have occurred during this period. In every country, the working class has come forward to defend their rights against rising social inequality and austerity measures, Fernando said. This is the context in which Assange has been arrested. His jailing is an attack against the working class as a whole and bound up with the drive of American imperialism toward a world war, he said. SEP members and supporters from the country's north and from tea plantations The struggle to free Assange and Manning, he added, has to be carried forward through the fight for the independent mobilisation of the working class and on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. After the rally, freelance photographer Sunil Harischandra told the WSWS that he fully supported the fight to free Assange and Manning. Sunil Harischandra World imperialism is trying to make an example out of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning and are putting their lives in great danger because they have exposed war crimes. They are victims of class war and we cannot let the US and other imperialists determine this, he added. Their fate is decisive for the world proletariat and we have to demand their freedom. Lohan Gunaweera, an artist, said: The imperialist countries are preparing massively for war. This is shown by Assange being taken into custody and the jailing of Manning. The World Socialist Web Site has taken the lead in the fight against the imperialist preparations for war and in opposing the jailing of Assange and Manning. If the frame-ups of Assange and Manning go ahead then all journalists, artists and others who oppose imperialism will become victims. These attacks must be defeated, he said. Picket line at the Stop & Shop in Somerville, Massachusetts The strike by 31,000 Stop & Shop workers at more than 240 supermarkets in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island is in its sixth day. The workers walked off the job Thursday after negotiations with management broke down over proposals from the company attacking workers wages, health insurance and pension benefits. Stop & Shop workers have not been on strike in 30 years, and their strike is the largest in the retail industry since 2003. The United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) was forced to call the strike after Stop & Shop management refused to budge on demands that would make deep inroads into workers pay and benefits for both present and future full- and part-time workers. The five UFCW locals had voted overwhelmingly to authorize strike action after their contract expired February 23. Negotiations are continuing between the UFCW and Shop & Shop with a federal mediator. Stop & Shop is owned by billion-dollar Dutch-owned company Royal Ahold Delhaize NV, which also owns Food Lion, Hannaford and other grocery chains and is the third largest supermarket owner in the US. Despite reporting profits of more than $2 billion last year and spending $4 billion in stock buybacks since 2017, the multinational company is seeking to drive down the wages and benefits of Stop & Shop workers to those at nonunion grocers such as Market Basket, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and big-box stores such as BJs, Walmart and Costco. The company is seeking to drive a wedge between full- and part-time workers, and workers with higher seniority, by offering smaller wage increases for part-time workers and capping wage increases for full-time workers with less than three years on the job. When the strike began last week, some stores were forced to close, while others reopened Friday with reduced hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while keeping all in-store pharmacies and banks open. Stores are operating with skeleton staffs comprised of managers and strikebreakers brought in from other locations in vans, according to pickets. The strike has won the support of many customers, who have chosen not to cross strikers picket lines. With the Easter and Passover holidays beginning this weekend, many customers are choosing to shop elsewhere, with perishable meats, seafood and produce and other food fast approaching their expiration dates in the deserted aisles of many Stop & Shop locations. The supermarket has called in police and additional security officers across the chains 241 locations. When Stop & Shop owns the parking lot, as it does at the McGrath Highway location in Somerville, Mass., strikers have been forced to stand at the entrances to the parking lot, away from the front of the store. Pickets told the WSWS that they were not even allowed to park their cars in the lot, with management citing private property rights. Although the UFCW paid its international president, Anthony Peronne, a salary of $341,398, the union is not paying strike benefits to workers. It is also keeping tens of thousands of Stop & Shop workers in New York and New Jersey on the job, along with 60,000 Southern California workers at three major grocery chainsRalphs, Vons and Albertsonswhose contract expired last month. As a result of the decades of collusion between the UFCW and the grocery chains, the wages of supermarket workers in California have fallen 25 percent since 1999. Kayla Kayla has been working at Stop & Shop for eight years, beginning in high school as a bagger. She works in the bakery department at the Somerville store. She told our reporters, For many of us, Stop & Shop is not just a job, its our whole lives. Im from a family of four, and every one of us works [at Stop & Shop]. Many of us work here six days a week. They are talking about getting us food stamps to get us through during the strike. In my family we dont have another income, and there is no talk of strike pay yet. She went on explain what has driven the 31,000 workers to strike. We are not asking for anything crazy. We just want to be able to make ends meet. The cost of living is going up. It is impossible to live on $12 an hour. The company claims the average worker makes $21 an hour, but that is a lie. That is for people who have been working at the company for over 20 years. The real average is $13 or $14 an hour and it is not enough to live. We spoke to Kayla about how the conditions Stop & Shop workers face are the same as those of millions of workers throughout the US and around the world. She told us she had heard about the teachers strikes and feels the issues are the same. It is all about the money, she said. Kayla expressed her support for the teachers, and all other workers who are facing similar conditions. Of course, teachers deserve good pay, she said. We certainly support them, and I think they should support us too. One of Kaylas co-workers who wished to remain anonymous said, Weve got to hit them where it hurts, their profits. There are 30,000 of us out here, and it is costing them money. The real problem is that you have these billion-dollar corporations that are just messing with peoples whole lives by what they are doing. We have no income. They wont give us enough hours to make enough to live anymore, she said. They want to take away meat cutters, which means you are going to have pre-packed meat on the shelf and not have any idea what the shelf life is. It is bad for us and it is bad for customers. Both women agreed that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans had any interest in the working class. Kaylas co-worker mentioned that Senator Elizabeth Warren had visited their picket line last week. They all just do such things for the publicity, she said. They dont care. They want the photo. And its all politicians. They are all alike. They control the money, and let me tell youthey put it in their pockets. Paul, another striker in Somerville, spoke about the conditions Stop & Shop wants to impose on workers. They want to raise the medical deductible from $2,500 to $5,000, he said. They also want to make us pay more weekly on a premium. And then take away our time-and-a-half on Sunday. They dont want to contribute to the pension fund anymore. They also want to take away the pension for the newcomers. Its not just about us, its about the people coming behind us. They want to take some of our state holidays away, he added. They want to cut back on a few of our sick days. There are only nine, and they want to take away four. They want to cap vacations at three weeks, no matter how long youve been here. You could be here 30 years and they want to give you only three weeks. Paul and his co-worker pointed out that many members of other unions had come down to support the picket line. Our reporters pointed out that the UFCW has some 1.3 million members in North America, at supermarkets and many other industries, and that these workers could be brought out on strike to support the Stop & Shop workers, but that that wasnt the strategy of the UFCW. Paul responded, The other five locals from Stop & Shop are all out. But if others have a contract, I dont think legally they can walk out, He added, Our drivers from the Teamsters, they will not cross our picket lines. They are not making deliveries. He wasnt sure about organizing broader strike action but said a general strike would cripple the country. Thats what it would do. We raised that the conditions faced by Stop & Shop workers were the same as those of young workers across the country, who are struggling to get by and are forced to work two or three jobs. For instance, four decades ago in Detroit, autoworkers could own a good home and send their kids to decent schools. Now, new hires in the auto industry are earning $15 an hour, and the corrupt United Auto Workers union has conspired with the auto companies to impose these conditions. I know what you mean, Paul said. My daughters a teacher. She gets out of school and she has to go to Walmart to do part-time work just to get what she needs so they can survive. Pauls fellow striker Miguel agreed that these conditions are the same around the world. Its a global economy, he said. Im from El Salvador. So, when Walmart got to my city, everybody was happy. The mayor said, Ive got jobs, there will be jobs! Then all the small businesses around there, they all closed. Thats not good. Now Walmart is paying $15 a day. Nobody can live over there on $15. Because you go to the store and the prices are the same as before. Now all those people that had small businesses, they have to now go work at Walmart and work for nothing. Probably before they were making $80 a day, now they have to work for nothing. To rally support for their struggle, Stop & Shop workers should form rank-and-file strike committees, independent of the unions, to reach out and mobilize the support of the broadest sections of the working class for mass demonstrations and joint strike action. A call should be made for Stop & Shop workers in New Jersey and New York to join the strike and to prepare a nationwide strike of retail workers to fight poverty wages and the attack on health care and pension rights. Over 140 students and workers attended a lecture delivered Monday night at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor by Christoph Vandreier deputy national secretary of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party--SGP) on the subject of the threat of fascism and how to fight it. The meeting also featured David North, chairman of the editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site and national chairman of the SEP in the US. Both Vandreier and North will be speaking today at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and tomorrow at New York University. Previous well-attended meetings were held at Wayne State University in Detroit and in Berkeley and San Diego, California. Christoph Vandreier speaking at the University of Michigan Vandreiers lecture is an introduction to the themes of his book, newly translated into English, Why Are They Back? Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy and the Return of Fascism in Germany. The book examines in detail how the rise of the fascistic Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been facilitated by academia, the media and the mainstream capitalist parties. In his Ann Arbor report, Vandreier explained the role of the SGP and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality in exposing and opposing these developments, notably in relation to extreme right-wing historian Jorg Baberowski, chairman of the Department of East European Studies at Berlins Humboldt University. Vandreier began his remarks by denouncing the detention of WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange, who was dragged from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on the orders of the United States. When I started the tour, Vandreier said, I was of course aware that the topic of these lectures was very timely, but I couldnt imagine in what concrete manner it would be timely. On the very day of my last lecture at Wayne State University Julian Assange was arrested and his life is now in acute danger. Workers and youth listen while Christoph explains the connection between the rise of fascism and the state What Julian Assange did is what the corporate-controlled media is no longer doing; he revealed the crimes of the US government and showed the criminal character of this government. But while all the war criminals whose atrocities Julian Assange revealed remained in their positions, the whistleblowers are now brutally attacked. One of the most disgusting elements of this is the support for this brutal attack by all the media, by all the bourgeois parties, and not just in the United Sates, but internationally. There is no longer any constituency for the defense of democratic rights within in the ruling elite, quite the opposite. In our fight in Germany against the rise of the far right, and the role of the universities, we precisely showed how the ruling class once again heads toward authoritarian ways of ruling, Vandreier explained. The arrest of Assange is an expression of a far deeper development of the ruling elite toward dictatorship. David North speaking at the University of Michigan North also spoke powerfully in defense of Assange, referring to the case of Carl von Ossietzky, a famous German journalist who was arrested in 1931 for exposing national security secrets. He was released in 1932, but was subsequently rearrested by the Nazis, who tortured him, contributing to his death in 1938. Lets keep in mind how Assange got to where he presently is,' North said. 'He exposed crimes committed by the American government in wars launched on the basis of lies, wars that have cost the lives of at least a million Iraqis and Afghans over the last 18 years. He took information that was bravely provided to him by Chelsea Manning, and made Americans aware by the release of a video, that American soldiers and American airman were engaged in the murder of civilians in Iraq. North added, The absence of a response to Assanges imprisonment, among academics in particular, is disgraceful. That is part of the problem, he said. It isnt that there isnt opposition among the broad masses, but the type of information that you need to have, that your faculty should be talking about you dont hear these things, you are not taught these things. That is a major problem, because the historical questions are of such profound importance. When North asked if there were any professors or representatives of academic departments in the lecture hall, there was no reply from the audience. Im not personally insulted that they dont come; your presence is much more important. But the fact that they dont come and dont respond is a matter of extreme concern. North went on to address the complicity of academics around the world in the resurgence of fascist forces. He reviewed the support being given to Baberowski by US academics and universities, including a $300,000 research grant from Princeton University in order to justify dictatorship as an alternative political order. Christoph Vandreier signing books after the lecture Many of the students and workers in the audience followed the lectures closely, purchased copies of Why Are They Back? and stayed to discuss the issues with WSWS reporters. If I had been alive in the 1930s, I would have liked to fight fascism then, Lizzie, a social worker said. And now were going down the same path. Trump is taking children from their parents arms, she added. I am terrified of Assanges arrest. I wasnt very aware of WikiLeaks until 2016. If it happens to him, it can happen to anyone. Lizzie People who are in power really sell their soul. I will never do it, no matter how poor I have to be. Zach, a film studies student at UM said he had previously considered the international character of the re-emergence of far-right politics when Bolsanaro was elected in Brazil. One thing that I was surprised to learn was the complacency of professors. Theyre not really putting up any fight against fascism. Princeton is even funding the right-wing extremist professor Baberowski with a large research grant to study dictatorship. I have had the misfortune of being in Dresden on a Monday afternoon watching Pegida march through the streets, Tad, a reader of the WSWS explained. Im aware of the dangers of the AfD and the current events in Germany, and thats why I wanted to attend this meeting. I think a lot of good points were made, and its really disappointing that no professors were here. Emmaline, a student at UM who came to the meeting after seeing posters around campus, found the remarks of Vandreier and North to be very informative. I hadn't thought about the importance of the working class in the struggle against fascism, she said. She agreed that this essential fact has been obscured by the rightward lurch of academia, which has been either ignored or fostered the politics of the far-right. Emmaline Its shocking, but in a way it isnt, Humza, a UM student, said about the rise of the far right. The fact that academia is shifting to the right has happened in history. In a way its the same fight that were fighting again, and its coming to a head right now. Hopefully, it wont end the same way it did in the 1930s and 40s. With Assange, its a step below a political assassination, he concluded. As a member of the working class, what I would love to see is if all the workers went on strike everywhere, Debbie, a bartender at a local restaurant, explained when asked how she thought workers could fight back against the far-right. Upcoming Meetings: Cambridge, Massachusetts Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 p.m. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Building 6, Room 120 (6-120) 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 Facebook Event Page New York, New York Thursday, April 18, 6:30 p.m. New York University Global Center Lecture Hall 95 238 Thompson St., New York, New York 10012 Facebook Event Page Photo Courtesy of the The Residences at Mandarin Oriental With the brands exciting return to Honolulu since 2006, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences, Honolulu is ushering a new era of luxury in Hawaii with its elegant branded residences. Developed by Salem Partners and designed by a world-renowned team of international designers including Meyer Davis, Dianna Wong and Hart Howerton and Fluidity Design, the striking 418-foot tower will showcase a never-before-seen innovative collaboration across its 37 stories while boasting the high-end quality of the prolific brand. The iconic tower will house 125 chic and contemporary guestrooms and suites, designed to reflect the local culture while paying homage to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Groups heritage. Blurring the lines of indoors and outdoors, each residence will feature a generous lanai offering breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and spacious open floor plans. Beginning on the 19th floor, a collection of 99 exclusive homes - The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Honolulu- will represent one of the most distinguished residential offering available in the world. Residents will enjoy the perks of the world-class brand with access to a private resident-only amenity level featuring a luxury pool, outdoor lounge space complete with cabanas and fire pits, as well as a karaoke room, and Dolby Theater along with privileged access to an array of top-notch amenities and services offered at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Honolulu including the 13,000-square-foot spa, which is the largest and most lavish spa on Oahu. With an array of hotel spaces to discover, residents will have preferred access to a signature restaurant and bar, wedding chapel, expansive indoor-outdoor terrace surrounding by lounge spaces as well as a Retail Salon offering a bespoke shopping experience with high-end fashion, luxury jewelry and timepieces. The development is slated to break ground and launch sales in Summer 2019. The Pentagon has been ordered to draw up military plans aimed at deterring Russian, Cuban and Chinese influence in Venezuela, CNN reported late Monday. According to the cable news network, a Defense Department official confirmed that the planning was ordered at a White House meeting last week by national security adviser John Bolton, who has coordinated the US-orchestrated regime change operation in Venezuela. It is being carried out by the Pentagons Joint Staff, which is in charge of preparing future military operations, together with the US Southern Command, which oversees all US military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. While CNN cited Pentagon officials as stating that the US military has no appetite for using military force, Trump administration officials continue to insist that all options are on the table. It has been nearly three months since Juan Guaido, previously a virtually unknown figure in the right-wing, US-funded Voluntad Popular party, swore himself in as interim president and was immediately recognized by Washington as the legitimate government of Venezuela, with right-wing governments in Latin America and major Western European powers following suit. This international recognition was combined with increasingly draconian US economic sanctions, tantamount to a state of war, targeting Venezuelas oil and mining exports, its banking sector and, most recently, ships and cargo companies transporting Venezuelan oil. This was followed by an abortive attempt to force a small column of trucks carrying an insignificant amount of USAID food supplies across the border with Colombia. All of it has failed to produce the desired results: the overthrow of the government of President Nicolas Maduro by the Venezuelan military. With the waning of Guaido and his bourgeois-led opposition against Maduro, Washington appears to be turning toward more directly aggressive means of effecting regime change. It is also justifying its escalation against Venezuela in the name of countering the influence in the country and the broader region, particularly of China, which has become the largest investor in Latin Americalending $62 billion to Venezuela over the past decade, $42 billion to Brazil, $18 billion to Argentina, and $17 billion to Ecuadorbut also of Russia. This was the main theme of a three-day tour of Latin America by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Chile, Paraguay and Peru, ending it up with a belligerent speech Sunday in the Colombian border town of Cucutathe site of the aid provocation in February. In the course of the trip, Pompeo repeated the administrations refrain that all options are on the table, threatening US military intervention. At the same time, he denounced Beijings role in Latin America, charging that it injects corrosive capital into the economic bloodstream, presumably unlike the healthy capital flowing in lesser amounts from the United States. He charged that China was bankrolling the Maduro regime and called Chinas role in Latin America nefarious. Chinas ambassador to Chile, Xu Bu, told a Chilean newspaper that Pompeo had lost his mind. The Chinese Foreign Ministrys spokesman, Lu Kang, denounced Pompeos groundless allegations, adding that Washington has long been treating Latin America as its backyard, where it would resort to willful use of pressure, threat or even subversion. Pompeo also slammed Russia for its continued support for the Maduro government. The countrys foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, responded: Venezuela is on everyones lips. Their regime-change blitz has failed. But the Americans are not giving up their aim to topple the legitimate president. Most absurdly, Pompeo claimed that Iran was playing a major role in propping up the Maduro government and that it was funneling money into Latin America to support Hezbollah and supposed acts of terrorism throughout the region, none of which he could name. Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi responded by declaring Pompeos claims ridiculous. He went on to charge Washington with blatant meddling in Venezuelas internal affairs and acts of economic terrorism aimed at forcing the Venezuelan population to either riot against their legitimate government or face starvation. The US under Trump seeks to turn Latin America into its backyard, just like the way it was in the 19th century, he said. However, the nations of the world, particularly the people of Latin America, have woken up and the wheel of time will not move backwards. The threat of US military intervention in Venezuela was made all the more apparent by the exposure of a closed-door conference convened by the US state-connected think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on April 10, with the explicit title, Assessing the Use of Military Force in Venezuela. Samuel Moncada, the Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, called attention to the conference, which was first disclosed by journalist Max Blumenthal on the website thegrayzone.com, warning that the secret meeting would take its place in the shameful history of US wars in the world. A list of the attendees at the meeting obtained by Blumenthal included Adm. Kurt Tidd, who until last year was the chief of SOUTHCOM, current and former members of the National Security Council and USAID, representatives, including military attaches, from the Brazilian and Colombian embassies in Washington and right-wing Venezuela exiles designated as Guaidos representatives in the US. Also present was Roger Noriega, of the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, who played a significant role under the Reagan administration in the illegal operation to fund the CIA-organized contra war against Nicaragua in the 1980s. He went on to oversee the coup against Haitis elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Since then, Noriega has been a rabid advocate of regime change in Venezuela. The threat of military intervention in Venezuela is bound up with the global drive of US imperialism toward world war as it attempts to reverse the erosion of its global economic hegemony by military means. In the notification Colombia indicated, among other things, as follows (provisional translation): Deadlines and the procedure for importers, exporters and other interested parties to submit evidence and express their views On 16 April 2019 the Directorate of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism announced to the parties interested in the investigation, through the newspapers of national circulation El Nuevo Siglo and La Republica, to express their views duly substantiated and to provide the Directorate of Foreign Trade the evidence and documents that they consider pertinent, which must be presented within a period of thirty (30) working days counted from the working day following the date of publication of the announcement. Additionally, on 16 April 2019, the Commercial Practice Subdirectorate sent communications to the interested parties, informing them of the opening of the investigation and requesting the completion of questionnaires, which must be returned within a period of thirty (30) working days, counted from the working day following the date of the issuance of the communication. These questionnaires can be downloaded from the following electronic address. Regarding the public hearing, the date and place have not been set. This information will be made known to the interested parties through communications and the website of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism." Contact point is: Subdireccion de Practicas Comerciales. Calle 28 No 13A -15 Piso 16. Bogota, D.C. Telefono: (571) 6067676 Extensiones: 2225 y 1694 Fax: (571) 6069944 Correos Electronicos: [email protected] y [email protected] " Further information is available in G/SG/N/6/COL/8. What is a safeguard investigation? A safeguard investigation seeks to determine whether increased imports of a product are causing, or is threatening to cause, serious injury to a domestic industry. During a safeguard investigation, importers, exporters and other interested parties may present evidence and views and respond to the presentations of other parties. A WTO member may take a safeguard action (i.e. restrict imports of a product temporarily) only if the increased imports of the product are found to be causing, or threatening to cause, serious injury. Son expose portait sur les obstacles financiers, juridiques, reglementaires et culturels auxquels se heurtent les femmes et sur la maniere dont le droit international peut aider a surmonter ces obstacles au moyen de la technologie et, en particulier, des chaines de blocs. Les dispositions relatives a l'equite hommes-femmes dans les accords commerciaux de nouvelle generation tels que l'Accord Canada-Etats-Unis-Mexique (ACEUM), l'Accord de partenariat transpacifique global et progressiste (PTPGP) et l'Accord de libre-echange Canada-Israel ont ete examinees pour voir comment elles peuvent contribuer a l'autonomisation economique des femmes. Le principal enseignement de cet evenement est qu'il y a un besoin croissant de bourses pour l'etude de la relation entre les questions d'equite hommes-femmes et le commerce international. Etant donne l'engagement de l'OMC en faveur de l'autonomisation des femmes par le commerce et son objectif de rendre le commerce plus inclusif, les travaux de recherche et les publications sur ces questions sont extremement pertinents pour les specialistes du droit de l'OMC. L'atelier a reuni quelque 300 participants, dont des professeurs et des etudiants en droit, gestion et relations internationales de l'IMS Unison University et d'autres universites de l'Etat indien de l'Uttarakhand. Le large public et la seance animee de questions-reponses montrent l'importance de ce sujet et la necessite de lui consacrer davantage de travaux universitaires, en particulier dans les pays en developpement ou les femmes sont confrontees a de multiples obstacles au commerce. Le Programme de chaires de l'OMC a ete lance en 2010 dans le but de renforcer la connaissance et la comprehension du systeme commercial parmi les universitaires et les decideurs. Dix-neuf universites du monde entier participent au programme. Le titulaire de la chaire au Mexique est l'Institut de technologie autonome. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Budapest will again host the World Water Summit in October this year, organisers said. The summit scheduled for October 15-17 will be the third one in Hungarys capital, following similar events in 2013 and 2016. Organised by Hungarys government, the summit will focus on the global water crisis and efforts to mitigate its effects. The event is expected to bring together around 2,000 participants representing specialised international agencies and governments, as well as professionals in business, finance and science to look into the issue which poses a challenge to social and economic development. The chief patron of the event will once again be President Janos Ader. Learn more about the World Water Summit here. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sent a message of condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, president of the French bishops conference, over the fire that devastated the Notre Dame cathedral (Photo courtesy of Northfoto) in Paris on Monday. Orban said the cathedral was a symbol to every Christian and a shared refuge of our faith. The prime minister praised the heroic efforts of French firefighters in putting out the flames and saving one of the symbols of European Christianity from complete devastation. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement that we feel sympathy for our French friends when looking at the painful images from Paris. At a press conference on a different subject, Szijjarto said later on Tuesday that Hungary was always ready to aid Christians in need, and so it was naturally ready to provide aid to the reconstruction, should that be needed. Besides financial aid, Hungary offers experts to coordinate parts of the reconstruction project, he said. Three brothers are facing sexual abuse allegations in Wisconsin after police investigating reports of a suspicious car discovered several children living in squalor inside a home with no heat. According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Brian Keene, 62, was arrested earlier this month, charged with four counts of neglecting a child and four counts of failure to protect a child from sexual assault. Authorities allege he knew his three adults sons were sexually abusing children, but did nothing to stop their alleged crimes. James Keene, 29, is charged with first- and second-degree sexual assault of a child, PEOPLE confirms, while Elijah Keene, 27, is charged with four counts of repeated sexual assault of a child and one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child. Josiah Keene, 20, faces a single count of repeated sexual assault of a child, the criminal complaint indicates. According to the complaint, police were dispatched to Keenes South Milwaukee home on April 8, where they were met by a 19-year-old woman who described the home as unsafe. Police entered, and observed the house was very dirty and that children there were not going to school. There were also holes in the walls and floors, and the heating system was broken replaced by a single space heater. Officers also noticed sharp nails protruding from the floorboards. Police took the children out of the home and to the station house, where they were all interviewed. Brian Keene, according to the complaint, also spoke to police, allegedly telling them his wife left him in 2014. He allegedly further acknowledged knowing of allegations against his sons, but had chalked up their alleged crimes to raging hormones. Each of the alleged victims described being molested numerous times by the brothers. However, Elijah Keene denied any wrongdoing before eventually confessing. The complaint alleges Elijah Keene told detectives he tried to stop committing the abuse, but was addicted. Story continues Brian Keene and James Keene are being held on $50,000 cash bond. Elijah Keene is being held on $100,000 cash bond. Josiah Keene is being held on $25,000 cash bond. 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. Each is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on April 23. None has entered pleas to the charges against them. Lawyers for the four men could not be reached for comment. Former Peru President Fatally Shoots Himself as Police Arrest Him The former President of Peru died on Wednesday after shooting himself as police closed in to arrest him on corruption charges. According to multiple news outlets, including Reuters, former president Alan Garcia died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a hospital in the capital city of Lima. He was 69. Police arrived at his home at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday to execute an arrest warrant. When they arrived, Garcia asked them to call his attorney. He then went to his bedroom and shot himself, Carlos Moran told a CNN affiliate. Authorities forced their way into the bedroom, where they found Garcia with a single gunshot wound to the head. Authorities rushed Garcia to a hospital. According to Perus health minister, he was resuscitated three times, but ultimately died from his injuries. Garcia served as president of the South American country for two nonconsecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. After his presidency, he was investigated for money laundering and taking bribes. His alleged actions were part of a broader corruption scandal that has affected several Latin American leaders, CNN reports. I am devastated by the death of former President Alan Garcia,. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones, Perus current President, Martin Vizcarra, tweeted Wednesday. Consternado por el fallecimiento del ex presidente Alan Garcia. Envio mis condolencias a su familia y seres queridos. Martin Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) April 17, 2019 According to the BBC, Garcia had repeatedly denied accusations that he took bribes during his second presidential term from a Brazilian construction company called Odebrecht. The company has admitted to paying nearly $30 million in bribes since 2004. Garcia steadfastly maintained his innocence, saying that he was the victim of political persecution. On Tuesday, the day before his suicide, he tweeted his claim of innocence. He claimed that theres no indication or evidence that he committed any crime, and that the accusations were speculation. I never sold myself and its proven, he tweeted. Garcias death will not end the investigation into governmental wrongdoing. According to the BBC, four former presidents are currently under investigation. Fla. Mom Accused of Leaving Toddler Daughter to Die in Hot Van as She Slept for Several Hours Fla. Mom Accused of Leaving Toddler Daughter to Die in Hot Van A Florida father is opening up about his grief about his late toddler daughter, who died after being left in a hot van for several hours last Wednesday. My heart is broken, Donald Merritt told FOX10 News, speaking for the first time about the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Joy Monell-Merritt. Police allege Joy died after her mother left her in the van, parked in the Florida sun. PEOPLE confirms through online court records the girls mother, Jessica Monell, 36, was arrested last week and charged with homicide-neglect manslaughter, neglect of a child, three counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug equipment. Donald Merritt with Joy Monell-Merritt | Donald Merritt/Facebook She remains in custody without bail. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment. Donald Merritt said he is having a hard time coming to terms with the loss of his baby girl. She was my best friend, she loved me, she loved me a lot, she taught me a lot about life and about love and she still is, Merritt said. I dont think anyone has ever taught me that much about life in such a short time; about what love is she had a huge heart. Jessica Monell Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. An arrest report obtained by PEOPLE alleges Monell left Joy inside a van as she slept for several hours estimated to be as many as eight in her Perdido Key apartment. The arrest report alleges police discovered crystal meth and Xanax in Monells apartment. Merritt told FOX10 News he was no longer in a relationship with Monell and lived in his own apartment. But he said he saw his daughter often. I would put a guitar on her lap and she would just play it, Merritt said. A cause of death has not yet been determined for Joy. NCIS: New Orleans boss man Dwayne Pride is due to be paid a visit from dear ol Mom and playing the family matriarch will be Joanna Cassidy, TVLine has learned exclusively. In the CBS dramas Season 5 finale titled The River Styx: Part II and airing Tuesday, May 14 Pride (played by Scott Bakula) tracks Apollyon, a deadly underground spy network, to war-torn South Ossetia in Russia, where he is separated from the team and faces grave danger. In order to save Pride, the team must locate a mole who continues to feed information to Apollyon. Related stories CBS' NCIS Renewed for Season 17 CBS Bubble Shows: Latest Buzz on Renewals Cassidy will appear in the episode as Prides mother, who in previous episodes was established to be on in her years and struggling with her health to a degree that she needs a caregiver. But when Pride lays eyes on Mom in the finale, suffice to say he wont be seeing her in her current condition. In addition to recently guesting on The Cool Kids, Cassidys previous TV credits include Odd Mom Out, Body of Proof, Boston Legal, Six Feet Under, Diagnosis Murder, Melrose Place, Buffalo Bill (where she earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination), and the title role in the 1985 action drama Code Name: Foxfire. NCIS: New Orleans continues its fifth season next Tuesday at 10/9c. Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. School Groundskeeper Gets Life for Repeatedly Raping Teen Girl, Strangling Her When She Told School Employee Gets Life for Raping, Strangling Teen Girl A former Michigan school groundskeeper who was convicted of killing a 16-year-old student who accused him of rape was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday. In February, Quinn James, 43, was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and felony homicide in the slaying of Mujey Dumbuya. We are pleased justice is served, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker tells PEOPLE. It was a horrible case all around. It is kind of the stuff you see on TV where witnesses get killed and generally you say it doesnt really happen but obviously it does. Mujey and her family had moved to the US from Sierra Leone to start a new life. I feel horrible for the family having to go through this, especially when they come to this country looking for a new and better life and this happens to them, he says. A murder case is always painful, but that probably makes it even more painful. At James sentencing, Mujeys aunt, Jainya Sonnohsaid, said her niece had been looking forward to her first prom. This would have been her prom dress, that wouldve been her makeup and that wouldve been her hairdo, she said, according to MLive. She wanted to ride a limo with her friend but instead she got a casket, instead she got a hearse. Quinn James | Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP Mujeys mother Fatmata Corneh said James didnt deserve to be a part of the community. You destroyed her life and then you turn around and take her away from me forever, she said, MLive reports. It is hard for me to forgive him. People like this dont deserve to be in a community. I know Mujey is in heaven and she is smiling, because she wants him behind bars all of the time. Mujey, a student at East Kentwood High School, near Grand Rapids, disappeared Jan. 24, 2018. Her strangled body was discovered four days later in a wooded area in Kalamazoo. Her clothes had been soaked in bleach, WWMT reports. Three months earlier, in Nov. 2017, the teen had told police shed been sexually assaulted by James, her boyfriends uncle, multiple times when she was 15, Fox 17 reports. James was convicted of rape in October 2018 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Story continues During his murder trial, prosecutors argued that James and acquaintance Gerald Bennett kidnapped Mujey from her bus stop and killed her so that she wouldnt testify against him at his impending rape trial. It doesnt matter who grabbed her off the street or who squeezed the life out of her little body, prosecutor Kellee Koncki said in her opening statement, according to MLive.com. The defendant is the reason shes dead. Bennett was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder and is scheduled for trial on May 13. His attorney could not be reached for comment. Defense attorney Jonathan Schildgen said that prior to Mujeys death, James told police hed had sexual contact with the teen, though he said he believed she was older. [It] doesnt do him much good to get rid of a witness that hed already told a detective hed slept with, Schildgen said. Schildgen also said James told his fiance and his mother he had sex with Mujey. Additionally, he suggested that Mujey spoke about running away and could have been killed by somebody else during that attempt, MLive.com reports. Schildgen could not be reached by PEOPLE for comment. Jennifer Twilling, an East Kentwood High School guidance counselor, testified during the trial that she was with Mujey when she spoke to the police and that prior to that, she told me on multiple occasions she knew the right thing, but she was afraid, Twilling said, according to WWMT. Twilling also testified that Mujey was fearful that something would happen to her, WWMT reports. 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. During the trial, prosecutors played calls James made from jail to his fiancee, according to WWMT. In one call, which occurred after his arrest for Mujeys rape, James allegedly told his fiancee that the charges would be dropped if the teen didnt show up to testify against him. You know whats crazy the whole thing will be over if she doesnt show up, James said, according to WWMT. When Anastasia Soare came to America from Romania in the 90s she quickly became known as the Eyebrow Queen. Thanks to her art school education, Soare, who was working as an esthetician, realized that grooming, shaping and growing brows out could dramatically transform peoples look. At a time when women were tweezing their eyebrow hairs into nonexistence, her impeccable technique changed the way women and Hollywood thought about their brows. Since then, Soare has transformed her passion for brows into a booming business. She opened her flagship Beverly Hills salon in 1997 and launch a cosmetics line, Anastaisa Beverly Hills, in 2000. Her brow products, like the iconic Brow Wiz pencil and Clear Brow Gel, quickly became cult-favorites in the beauty community. Then over a decade after its launch, Soares daughter and ABH brand president, Claudia Soare (also known as Norvina), turned the brand into a household name though its expansion into all color cosmetics, including eye shadow palettes, liquid lipsticks, blushes, highlighters and more. As Anastasia Beverly Hills prepares to celebrate its monumental 20th anniversary next year, PEOPLE caught up with Soare and her daughter to discuss their rise to the top. Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty When did you first discover that doing brows was your calling? By working with most of the supermodels of the early 90s I realized nobody paid attention to eyebrows. When I went to art school in Romania, we learned the Golden Ratio Technique Theory, which taught us that when you draw a portrait and want to show an emotion, you change the eyebrows. They are the most important feature on the face. I remember then looking at my eyebrows and I looked surprised all the time because I realized I was tweezing them the wrong shape. So I started going to the library and developing this technique on how to shape eyebrows according to everybodys bone structure. Can you break down your brow theory? The eyebrow should begin above the middle of the inside of the nostril. The end of the eyebrow should be at the outside of the corner of the nose [lined up with] the outside corner of the eye. The middle of the iris should be lined up with the highest point of the eyebrow. Thats the general rule no matter what face shape you have, or how big or how small the eyes are. Story continues So how were you able to convince people to let you do their brows? For the first year when I was working at a salon on Melrose Place, I didnt even charge because people didnt believe that brows should be a service. Before a facial, I would remove a few hairs and talk clients through my theory. I started doing this little by little. Many of my clients were agents who represented celebrities and supermodels, which is how I started working with them. Soon, makeup artists would see what I did and noticed it was easier for them to do makeup after I did brows. So they began sending me their clients. Anastasia Soare Who was your first major celebrity client? I was fresh off the boat from Romania, and one of my clients was the agent to all of the 90s supermodels: Gail Elliott, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford. I had no idea who these girls were! They were so gorgeous, absolutely the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. Then Michelle Pfeiffer and Faye Dunaway started to become regular clients. It was all word of mouth, how everything got started. I was so lucky in the beginning to work with so many celebrities. They validated my work. Because of them, everybody else started looking into eyebrows. Now you work with Kim Kardashian West! How did that friendship start? I knew her for so many years and every time I would see her at a party, I would tell her I want to do your eyebrows! But she would say, No, I do my own eyebrows. If you look way back in older photos, you will see her brows were stronger and more square-shaped before. Once she let me finally do them, she couldnt believe herself. What changed her look a lot is her eyebrows. Now theyre cleaner, softer and compliment all her features. I think her eyebrows are one of her most beautiful features that pulls her whole look together. Kim famously visits her esthetician at 10 p.m. to squeeze in late-night facials. Does she do the same for brow touch-ups? She comes to my house in the morning, but she doesnt have any crazy requests. I have to say, she is one of the most professional clients I work with. If she says, I will be there at 9 a.m., she will be there at 8:55 a.m. I do all of [the Kardashian-Jenners] and its crazy how all of them are so on time and professional. I have to say Kris Jenner really taught all those girls well. Theyre like army generals. They know exactly what they have to do. Anastasia Soare Michelle Obama is a client of yours too. What does it take to audition for the FLOTUS? You need to know your eyebrow shaping technique! Ive been doing her for a few years. I started convincing her to let her eyebrow grow a little thicker so now theyre a bit fuller. It completely changed her look. I think her brow represents who she is: powerful and smart. How would you describe her eyebrow shape? She has a high arch eyebrow. I would call it flawless the way she is. Shes one of the most incredible people I met in my career. When did you feel like you made it in your career? Being asked by Oprah Winfrey to be on her show and do her eyebrows in 2006. To me, that was like getting an Oscar. It was a stamp of approval from a woman that is incredible. It propelled my career to a different level. Were you nervous? I wasnt nervous at the beginning until my daughter said, Mom, do you know she hates to get her eyebrows done? She said several times on her show that she doesnt like it. I thought, Oh God, but when I got there she just let me go. She saw that I knew what I was doing and she said, Oh my god. This is not painful. Did you use numbing cream? And I said, No. This is how it is! She is the one person I admire so much, so I got my Oscar by meeting her. Whats the most challenging part of your job? There are challenges, but I call business a challenge. Every day there are different problems that you need to solve. But I think the good part of being born in Romania is that Ive seen that in this country, we have access to everything. We are so lucky to have so many opportunities to learn. People dont understand how lucky we are. Whats the best part of what you do? I love every single part of it. I love to work with celebrities. I love to work with women that are mothers, which in my opinion, they are the biggest heroes. I learn something everyday from someone I work with. Anastasia Soare and daughter Claudia Soare | Anastasia Soare Whats one of the greatest lessons youve learned? Ive known Oprah since 1998 or 1999. It is incredible how amazing she is. When you are around her, you see how considerate, giving and wonderful she is with the people around her. Youre thinking, wow, if she is like that, we need to be better too. I want to be at least 10 percent of what she is. How has social media affected the beauty industry and your business as a whole? Anastasia: Id like Claudia to answer that, because she is the mastermind behind it! Claudia: Before Instagram and social media, we were just a brow brand a very successful brow brand, but pretty much only a brow brand. This allowed us to be a full-fledged makeup brand. Right around 2012, we were like, Whats next? But it was really challenging to transition and be more than what we were labeled as, which was brows. So we decided to pretty much talk to the consumers directly about our products, Anastasias method and makeup in general. It started off with the Contour Kit, and then it blew up. Dad dressed in 'Star Wars' costume visits hospital where son died of cancer originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com The Death Trooper stood in the warm Florida sun, crying behind his mask. Im glad I have a helmet on, the trooper said, choking on his words. (MORE: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' 1st teaser trailer drops, secrets revealed) This is where my son passed away, he added, pointing to the looming building behind him. I havent been back here since he passed away. Its gonna be hard because its something I want to face. I need to face it moving on. Inside the costume was Andrew McClary, a Florida resident who lost his 19-year-old son, Nicholas, to a rare bone cancer late last year. McClary and his son were both huge "Star Wars" fans and even tried building an R2-D2 robot together until it became too difficult for the increasingly weak Nicholas to help. Nicholas fought his aggressive bone cancer -- Ewings sarcoma -- for three years, and spent many long days and nights in the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. While there, a group of "Star Wars" cosplayers who visit sick children came to Nicholas bedside to entertain him. The group, called the 501st Legion, is made up of fans from around the world who dedicate their spare time to making the world a better place, all while dressing up as evil "Star Wars" characters in essence, bad guys doing good. While the 501st was initially founded to unite costumers with a penchant for 'Star Wars' villainy, one of our real-world missions is to bring good to our communities through volunteer charity work, said Jason Maston, senior public relations officer of the 501st Legion. The 501st is always looking for opportunities to brighten the lives of the less fortunate, and to bring awareness to positive causes on both a local and global scale. (MORE: 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker': What does the title mean?) Story continues After seeing so many bedridden children brighten at the sight of Darth Vader stalking the halls of a hospital wing, McClary was inspired to join the group himself. Theres a real power there, said McClary. These are kids that are fighting for their lives and cheering them up and seeing us in costume -- it means a lot. It is important. He continued his work with the charity organization after Nicholas death and just last week, with members of his own 501st garrison accompanying him in costume, McClary finally returned to the hospital where his son was transferred and later lost his battle with cancer -- the Holtz Childrens Hospital in Miami. Come on guys, said McClary, beckoning for his friends, Kylo Ren, R2D2 and Darth Vader, to follow him through the hospital doors. Around them, patients and hospital personnel stop in their tracks and whip out their phones to record the strange scene. Weaving his way through the hospital, McClary eventually found himself inside the hospital room where his son took his last breath. Its just emotional, he said, before shaking hands and exchanging hugs with the medical staff he had grown to know so well over the past year. I needed to face this. I needed to face it, he said, his helmet now removed, allowing his tears to fall freely. But weve got some kids to see. Lets cheer up the kids, he continued, putting his helmet back on. (MORE: First look at new food coming to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland) Journeying from room to room, bed to bed, the 501st members visited sick child after sick child. Darth Vader and his Storm Troopers took turns fist-bumping one young boy wearing a white surgical mask in bed. Down the hall, a teenager posed with the cast of characters. Around the corner, another child gleefully took Kylo Rens lightsaber and stared at the red sword in amazement, swinging it haphazardly back and forth. In between stops, McClary removed his helmet to catch his breath. The costumes, usually handmade by their owners, can get extremely hot inside. Like the planet Tatooine in summertime, the 501sts website advertises. McClary took his time moving through the hospital, stopping to see other children who are fighting their own cancer battles -- children his own son has gotten to know and befriend while waiting for a bone marrow match. McClary said his son spent months waiting for a bone marrow donation, which could be attributed to his ethnic background -- his mother is Latina and McClary is white. According to the national bone marrow registry Be The Match, a white adult has a 77% chance of finding a bone marrow match on the registry. That number falls to 41% for an Asian patient and even further to 23% for an African American patient. (MORE: Parents of boy with cancer who needs a mixed-race bone marrow match to save his life plead for people to register) This unfortunate fact is just one more reason McClary continues his work with the 501st -- to shed some much-needed attention to an unknown plight of bone marrow donation. McClary said most people dont realize how easy it is to register (literally a Q-tip swabbed in the mouth and sent to Be The Match via snail mail) and how much simpler it is to donate now than in years past -- a process that is similar to donating plasma, an outpatient procedure. It only takes a few hours out of your life, but you could save some kids life it literally means life and death for people, said McClary, who has set up the "Caring Like Nicholas Foundation" to help carry out his mission of educating the public. Weve got a message that weve got to get out, so thats kind of whats driving me," he added. "My way of healing is helping other people." Military dad surprises daughter after months in Afghanistan dressed as mascot originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com A military father who returned home after 10 months in Afghanistan surprised his 10-year-old daughter in the sweetest way. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Keith Cowell surprised his daughter Kindle Rose by showing up at lunch time at Legacy Elementary School in Louisiana dressed up as a bear, the school mascot. Her reaction? Pure happiness. PHOTO: Keith Cowell hugs daughter Kindle after surprising her upon returning home from Afghanistan. (Lisa Cowell) "She loves surprises," Cowell told "Good Morning America." "She'd been looking forward to [me coming home] for weeks." Cowell said the idea to surprise his daughter was his wife, Lisa's, and she started to hatch the plan with Lisa Smith, the school resource officer, and Kimmie Smith, the school's principal, a week before the event. (MORE: Army veteran adopts bomb-sniffing military dog he worked with in Afghanistan 6 years ago) "The principal wanted the whole cafeteria to be involved," mom of three Lisa Cowell said. "Her school is so supportive." Principal Smith kept everyone in the cafeteria longer than usual to make sure there was a crowd for the surprise, but didn't tell everyone what was going to happen. PHOTO: Keith Cowell and daughter Kindle hug after sweet reunion. (Lisa Cowell) Keith Cowell walked through the cafeteria dressed as the mascot, shaking hands with and high-fiving kids along the way and carrying a bouquet of balloons and a teddy bear. When he stopped in front of Kindle and presented her with the teddy bear and balloons and revealed who he was, the entire cafeteria started cheering and clapping. "My daughter and I start crying, the cafeteria workers were crying, the teachers were crying. It was a mess," mom Lisa Cowell said. "There were teachers lined up outside the wall to see it." PHOTO: The Cowell family poses together after sweet reunion. (Lisa Cowell) "It was precious. It was a sweet. Everybody was crying," Principal Smith said. "It was a tender moment. I was glad that I got to be a part of it." "I was excited to see her reaction," dad Keith Cowell said. "We just can't harp enough that the people were all excited and crying to see that Kindle was gonna get this happy moment and that was really cool to see." Story continues (MORE: Military dad feels 'blessed' to be reunited with wife and son days before Christmas) Devin Gouthiere, Kindle's 27-year-old sister, was also there to witness the heartwarming surprise. "I honestly did not expect to get emotional," she said. "But when he took off the mask, I lost it. So did everyone else." PHOTO: Keith Cowell surprised his daughter Kindle at school after returning from Afghanistan. (Lisa Cowell) Principal Smith posted the special moment to Legacy Elementary School's Facebook page and it immediately took off, with 38,000 views so far. Kindle's mom said the next day, when Kindle went back to school, all her classmates kept telling her, "You're a star!" About 150 of the students that attend Legacy Elementary School are from military families, Principal Smith told "GMA." "This was a neat way to honor them and thank their parents for their service," the principal said. PHOTO: Air Force Lieutenant colonel Keith Cowell. (Lisa Cowell ) April also happens to be the Month of the Military Child. Reflecting on this, Keith Cowell said the only downsides of the moment was that "there were other kids there with parents deployed as well in Afghanistan. But this is a nice way to remind everyone that we're still there." Social media leads adoptive parents to 2 babies in 2 months originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Adrienne and Jason Biehl will soon be the parents of two infants by two different birth families, thanks to social media. "We announced on Facebook, Instagram, and our blog that we were adopting and to have our friends share, share, share so that an expectant mom could reach out to us," Adrienne Biehl told "Good Morning America." It worked. They were connected to their daughter's birth mother within two weeks. (More: Couple hopes to raise money for adoption by organizing Easter egg hunts for neighbors) The Provo, Utah, couple are now proud parents to 5-month-old Quinley, who was adopted at birth on Dec. 6. In February, an expectant mom of a baby boy reached out and the baby will be adopted at birth in May. "We decided to adopt privately rather than using an agency," Biehl told "GMA." "This means we would find our own attorney, someone to do our home study, and the biggest thing, find an expectant mom on our own, do our own 'marketing."' After five years of negative pregnancy tests, Biehl told "GMA" she was diagnosed with unexplained infertility. But she said the couple didn't try "too many" medical interventions because it didn't feel right for them. Besides, her fertility doctor advised them to save for other options. (More: Mom's viral plea to spouses everywhere: 'Take our picture') "We had discussed adoption before and knew we would probably want to pursue it eventually, but now it was time," she said." It was always more important to me to carry my babies in my arms and heart than in my womb. So adoption was a perfect option for us." The couple is elated they will soon be parents to two babies. The Biehl's have an open adoption plan with both Quinley's "wonderful" birth parents and the baby boy's birth mother. "We are just supporting and loving on his mama in her pregnancy," she said. Story continues PHOTO: Adrienne and Jason Biehl are pictured with the birth parents of their daughter, Quinley. (Adrienne Biehl ) Biehl said being an open book on social media and her blog was crucial to being matched with birth parents. "I think our children came to us so quickly because we were so very open about our plans to adopt, and so excited to invite our friends into our journey, so we were front-of-mind when any of our friends heard about a potential situation, and they were excited for us and to help us," she said. "As for what the future holds, we are so excited to be finally raise our babies that we know were meant to come to our family. We probably will adopt again in the future, but right now we're focusing on these two sweet babes," she added. Trump vetoes resolution to end US involvement in Yemen originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President Donald Trump has vetoed a resolution to stop U.S. military assistance to the Saudi- and Emirati-led campaign in Yemen. In issuing the veto, Trump said, "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." Earlier this month, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution to stop U.S. involvement in the foreign conflict, with several Republicans joining Democrats in large part to send a message about the Trump administration's unwavering support for the Saudis. The House approved the resolution on April 4, and the Senate passed the measure on March 13. This is the second veto of Trump's presidency. Congress does not have the two-thirds majority in the House or Senate to override Trump's veto. "The President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate Americas shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement Tuesday. PHOTO: The site of an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, April 10, 2019. (Hani Mohammed/AP) (MORE: With historic vote, Congress passes resolution to end US involvement in Yemen; Trump expected to veto) Under the constitution, Congress has the authority to declare war, but it has never used the War Powers Act of 1973 to pull back American forces from a conflict. Beginning under the Obama administration in 2015, the U.S. has assisted the Saudis and Emiratis with midair refueling, reconnaissance and surveillance, and targeting. The Trump administration argued that the assistance did not constitute active engagement in the hostilities, which is why Trump called the resolution "unnecessary." Trump's veto statement also blasted the resolution as "dangerous" for imposing an "arbitrary" timeline on U.S. involvement and undermining his administration's "efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS." Story continues But the resolution explicitly provided a carve-out for U.S. military action against those two terror groups, who operate in Yemen in the shadows of the civil war that has pitted the Saudi coalition-backed government against Houthi rebels, who have become increasingly supported by Iran. Supporters of the resolution also argued that after years of conflict, U.S. withdrawal was not arbitrary, but a needed catalyst to push the Saudis to engage in peace talks. PHOTO: President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House in Washington, April 15, 2019, after visiting Minnesota. (Andrew Harnik/AP) (MORE: Frustrated by White House, Senate seeks ways to pressure Saudi Arabia, presses Trump's pick for ambassador) "The people of Yemen and the parties to the conflict are watching closely and the messages U.S. leaders send have the power to save lives. With a veto, they lose faith in the United States and see the end to their suffering a little further out of reach," said Scott Paul, humanitarian policy lead for Oxfam America, an NGO that works in Yemen. For years, Democrats in Congress had been joined by some Republicans in trying to pass a War Powers Resolution for Yemen, but similar measures were defeated in both chambers when Republicans were in charge. After the murder of Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, however, Republicans have grown increasingly concerned about Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. A broad bipartisan group passed the resolution for the first time in the Senate in December, with a vote again in this Congress once the measure passed the now-Democrat controlled House in February. The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing for five years, killing thousands and triggering a massive famine. The United Nations has described the situation in Yemen as the world's most severe humanitarian crisis, with millions starving and facing diseases like cholera. Despite the veto, the resolution's authors vowed to carry on their mission to end U.S. support for the Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition, and the veto could trigger more support for other legislation to penalize the Saudis for their role in the Yemen conflict and Khashoggi's murder. ABC News' Jordyn Phelps and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report. Edwin Fotheringham for Reader's Digest We were new to the neighborhood, so my parents invited a few couples over to play bridge. Pleasantries were exchanged, families were discussed, backgrounds compared. Youre from New England! my stepfather, a proud Connecticut Yankee, declared when he detected a telltale accent from one of the men. Yes, the man said, but I bet you cant guess where my wife is from. The woman in question smiled broadly, but before she could speak to offer a snippet of her own regional locution, my mother piped up with the answer: She must be from Scotland, Mom said, because the Scots have terrible teeth! Indeed, the woman was from Scotland, though the truth did not set my stepdad free from his embarrassment. My mother has always had a tendency to blurt out information that other people would keep to themselves. Its not that shes meanfar from it. Its just that, like a blender without a lid, she doesnt have the proper tool to keep her thoughts from spraying all over the room. Alas, this is something of a hereditary trait in our family. Her mother also provided uncensored insights to people. When I turned 16, she generously offered to pay for me to get my nose fixed. Thanks anyway, Grandma! People always laugh when I tell them stories about my familys silver tongues, but they invariably have their own tales. So we at RD decided to collect readers favorite stories. Some of them are accidental zingers, like my moms. Others are language mix-ups that produce a sort of sweet word salad. Think of them all as a tribute to helpful moms everywherea verbal Mothers Day gift! We even gave them a name: mamapropisms, after the inimitable literary character Mrs. Malaprop. Come to think of it, she was probably a mother too. Pants on Fire I confided that I was discreetly looking into other teaching positions while still employed by my current school district. Mom warned me, Now, dont go burning your britches behind you! Helene Rae Wise, San Ysidro, California Story continues Not Dressed for Success I always sat in the front row during rehearsals of the church choir, but when it was time for our big performance, I was sent to the back row. Dejected, I relayed my woes to Mom. She said, Honey, it wasnt because you cant sing. Its because you dont know how to sit in a dress. Somehow, that made me feel better. Ernestina Holt, Plainfield, Indiana. Ha! Find out more of the best pieces of advice from mom. Edwin Fotheringham for Reader's Digest Twisted Sandwich Wisdom My mother would always say Mind your PBJs when she meant to say Mind your ps and qs. Kathryn Schuller, Port St. Lucie, Florida Messy Runs in the Family Sometimes my mother would surprise us by visiting our house on Sundays after Mass. I was a busy mom with my own business and six children still at home. Housework was not at the top of my to-do list. One Sunday, my adult son, Dan, was also visiting. When Mom remarked that she hadnt yet seen his apartment, he told her to let him know when she would like to see it so he could clean. Id be embarrassed to have you just drop by, Dan said. It can be a real mess. Worse than this? she blurted. Mary Potter Kenyon, Dubuque, Iowa WaitShe Really Is a Good Girl! My preteen daughter and I were out shopping. I called her over to where I was, and she responded with the same thing she always said whenever I needed her for something: Just a sec! I didnt even think before I called back, No more secs for you, young lady. Get over here right now! Big oops as soon as it left my mouthand I noticed that people had turned around to stare at us. Bonnie Skinner, Dyersburg, Tennessee Running into Trouble When my brother, my sister, and I were little kids and we ran around outdoors, my mom would say, If you fall down and break your legs, dont come running to me!Kathy Milici, Newton, New Jersey Edwin Fotheringham for Reader's Digest White-Coat Syndrome Unless she is near death, as she puts it, my mom refuses to go to the doctor. Recently, she noticed her doctor at a church reception. The man nodded and smiled at her, and she walked over to join him at the dessert table. I really need to call you for a visit, she confided. I know its been a while. He nodded knowingly, and she leaned closer to whisper into his ear, You know, I would come see you more often if you wouldnt ask me to take off my clothes every time. A red flush crept up the mans neck, and he shook his head and smiled. I believe you must have me confused with someone else, he said. Perhaps your doctor?Jan Semple McKinney, Paris, Texas Stop the Presses My husband had just opened a printing business. He called it Alpha Thermography because he specialized in thermography, a type of raised print. One day I overheard my mom telling one of her friends, Its called Alpha Pornography. Janice Seidner, Knoxville, Tennessee Edwin Fotheringham for Reader's Digest Disaster Proof Mother was a champion worrier. It didnt matter how much my siblings and I tried to reassure her. Worrying works! she liked to say. Look at all the things Ive worried about that never happened.Elaine Benton, Hurst, Texas The First National Bank of Mom My mom spoke very little English. When I was going through my rebellious teenage years, I would often taunt her with the retort, Leave me alone! One day, I overheard her commiserating with a friend. All my daughter ever says to me is Give me a loan, give me a loan!Kris Karaban, Highland Mills, New York What Will the Neighbors Say? When my mother did her laundry on a sunny day, she liked to hang her wash on a clothesline in the backyard. I was on the phone with her when an unexpected shower popped up. She said to me, I have to go. Its starting to rain, and I have to go outside and take off my clothes. Sandra Youse, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Edwin Fotheringham for Reader's Digest My, How Youve Changed! One day, my mother ran into a woman who said they had gone to high school together. Mom insisted she didnt remember her. So the woman came to our house with her yearbook. She pointed out her photo and then my mothers. Well, of course I didnt recognize you! Mom said. You were pretty back then! Debbie Haakenson, Anchor Point, Alaska Need even more mom laughs in your life? These funny mom quotes will have you crying from laughter. The creation of the front-facing camera was the biggest thing to happen to vanity since Narcissus fell into the river. Once we could see our own faces while we photographed them, even the most sheepish, egoless wallflowers among us started to pick apart our faces and our flaws. The trend for self-perfection has birthed apps (FaceTune), portable lighting (Lumee Cases), and a trend in plastic surgery to realign noses and eyebrows and eyeballs to a more pleasing digital ratio. Concurrent to this reassessment of self is the exact opposite trend: The rise of the mask. Masks can be terrifyingsee any horror movie for proof therebut on the Instagram page @Fashion_For_Bank_Robbers, masks exist as objects of fascination and beauty. The account was founded in August of 2018 and over its 215 posts, you can find Pat McGraths delicate petals and pearls for Givenchys Spring 2015 show, James Merrys entomological masks for Bjork, and the work of a wide array of young and established designers and artists. Carina Shoshtary, an artist and mask-maker in her own right, runs the account from Germany, aggregating the most awe-inspiring facial coverings from around the globe. The subject of masks and headpieces had fascinated me for a few years already, and I started collecting images of contemporary pieces a while ago to get an idea of what is going on in that field, she says. The fact that we usually dont wear headpieces and masks in daily life, with the exception of hats, seems to give artists more freedom to create quirky extraordinary pieces. I couldnt find an Instagram page which picked up on the subject with a similar aesthetics to what I am looking for. So I started the fashion for bank robbers page to continue my research publicly. With around 33,200 followers, the account has grown from a personal research project to a rare corner of social media thats about beauty over voyeurism. Its also, thanks to Shoshtarys specific eye, pretty democratic, with established milliners like Philip Treacy displayed alongside art students and independent designers. I am looking for a strong authentic artistic expression, great craftsmanship, and a bit of myth and magic, she says of her curation style. Story continues The rise of masks is not just happening on your iPhone screen either. Shoshtary said the goal of her page is to promote the work of people who make authentic innovative wearable pieces, to connect with them for potential future projectsI have a couple of ideasand to inspire other artists to create wonderfully strange things. It seems to be working. On the Fall 2019 runways, no accessory was more essential than a perfectly strange, totally face-obscuring mask. Gucci made haunting spiked masks. Marine Serre updated the balaclava. Richard Quinn covered up his models in floral scarves. Just wait for the Met Gala on May 6 to see which ones waltz up the grand staircase. It was Susan Sontag herself who said camp art is a decorative artand whats more surreally decorative than a mask? Christopher Griffis, 31, was arrested and charged with four counts of child neglect after leaving a 10-year-old in a parking lot alone for 15 minutes because the child allegedly threw up in the car. (Photo: St. Johns County Sheriff's Office) A 31-year-old Florida man was arrested for abandoning a 10-year-old child in a parking lot after the boy became sick in his vehicle. According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the man, Christopher Griffis, has been charged with four counts of child neglect following the incident. News4Jax reports that the child was left alone in the parking lot for 15 minutes, during which a FedEx driver, who witnessed the scene, stayed with him and phoned the police. The driver told deputies that Griffis cursed at the 10-year-old and then kicked him out for throwing up in Griffis' Kia Soul. When Griffis returned to the parking lot, along with three other children who were in the vehicle ages 1, 5, and 7, deputies were at the scene with the FedEx driver. Deputies approached the car, which was pulling a boat on a trailer, and informed Griffis that they were investigating the juvenile being left alone in a parking lot. Griffis allegedly responded by rolling up his windows and yelling that the responding officers were holding the child "hostage." According to the police report, the children inside the vehicle started to scream and cry. One deputy asked a child to unlock the door, and the child nodded "yes." However, as the child attempted to unlock the vehicle, Griffis allegedly put the car in reverse and accelerated and then hit his breaks, causing his tires to screech. Griffis then sped forward through a parking lot near a daycare and ran a stop sign again, leaving behind the 10-year-old. According to the sheriff's office, "detectives were able to contact Griffis, who discussed his actions, but would not meet with them. Late Thursday afternoon, deputies learned of Griffis location where another disturbance was occurring and arrested him for the aforementioned charges." He was arrested and booked into the St. Johns County Jail. In addition to being charged with four counts of child neglect, he has also been charged with resisting arrest without violence and reckless driving. Story continues Griffis shared a comment on the St. Johns County Sherriff's Office post that included his mugshot. "I am not a perfect person. To those that think I messed up, I agree. I never should have gotten mad at him or left him at all. I regret it. I hugged and apologized to him and my other babies before I turned myself over to authorities," he wrote. "I love my children and I would sacrifice my everything for them. There is a lot to the story that was omitted. I am ashamed of my actions. I only ask for my children's and my communities forgiveness. I love you. Please forgive me. I will be taking parenting classes and continuing with my therapy. I am a loving father that needs guidance and a hard working man. I love my children. They are all I have in this world." According to Griffis, who claims to be a single father, he left his child in the parking lot of his school while he went inside for cleaning supplies. "There was vomit on the seat so I didn't want him to sit back down in it," Griffis explained in a Facebook post, adding, "The other seats were clean and he wasn't so I didn't want him to sit in those. I didn't think it was a big deal to leave a 10 year old outside of his school to get cleaning supplies." "My life has been turned upside down, Griffis shared. I've been publicly embarrassed, slandered and lynched. I didn't deserve to be slandered like this." Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Photo credit: Bryan Bedder From Oprah Magazine Its impossible not to be impressed by the dedication mega-philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates have shown in their efforts to eradicate inequality and the effects of poverty, but until I read The Moment of Lift-Melinda Gatess wake-up call in book form-I didnt fully grasp the depth of their knowledge and their passion, not to mention what it took for Melinda to go from wife, mom, and concerned private citizen to one of the worlds leading advocates for female empowerment. Many of the stories Melinda relates are about the people shes met in her travels, and how conversation accelerates change. She says that learning to feel what others feel made her see what they see. Shes witnessed radical feats of resilience, kindness, and courage everywhere shes gone. Still, for all the intimacy and inspiration the book delivers, its at times a sobering read. We learn that even today, more than 130 million girls dont get to attend school. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading causes of death among girls age 15 to 19. And while the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined, more than 700 million of us subsist on the equivalent of $1.90 per day. I had so many ahas while reading The Moment of Lift, I had to get out my highlighter. Then I needed to sit down face-to-face with the author and learn even more-which I did on a New York City stage earlier this year. Before we get to all the OMG moments in your book, lets address the elephant in the room. When your name is mentioned, people immediately think money. They think, Her problems arent like mine because she can pay to make hers go away. Great wealth, you write, can inflate and distort your sense of self-especially if you believe that money measures merit. Is it even possible to sit in the space of so much wealth and know that to be true? I guess I just dont see myself as different from anyone else. I grew up middle-class in Dallas. The whole family worked very hard to save enough to send the four of us kids to college. We knew my dads engineer salary wasnt going to pay for all of it, so my parents started a little real estate business on the side. My siblings and I helped with stuff like cleaning houses and keeping the books. And my parents sent me to an all-girls Catholic high school where I learned about social justice-about the need to stand up for causes and principles, and for those who had less than we did. Story continues You went to work at Microsoft after getting your MBA and one day found yourself seated next to Bill Gates at an event. I love that when he first asked you out, it was for a date two weeks from that day-and you told him that wasnt spontaneous enough for you. So he called you two hours later and said, What about tonight? Hed met his match! That, and I could beat him at math games and Clue. I was struck by the fact that even before the two of you married, you were already talking about how to do something meaningful with your money. Both of our families had taught us to give back-we had that in common. My mom and dad did community service work through the Catholic church, and the Gateses were active in philanthropic causes in Seattle. It was on a safari to Africa in 1993 that you worked out where you would commit your resources, right? Yes. We took our first trip to Africa a few months before our wedding. Of course, we were awed by the animals and the beautiful landscape. We loved all that, but what really stuck with us were the human scenes: a mother who was carrying a baby in her belly, another on her back, and a pile of sticks on her head. Shed clearly been walking a long distance with no shoes, while the men we saw were wearing flip-flops and smoking cigarettes with no sticks on their head or kids at their side. We observed similar dynamics everywhere we went, and also we couldnt get over the disparity between what we were going home to and what people there were living without. You write about a walk on the beach during which you decided what? That we were going to give away the vast majority of our resources to address some of the problems wed observed. When you have so much money and know there are infinite problems out there, its easy to get overwhelmed. Especially in Africa, the temptation is to throw up your hands-you just dont know where to begin. And as you know, were talking about vastly different countries with multiple cultures within each. Our approach was to first gather experts to advise us on the role of philanthropy. In terms of focus, what we kept coming back to was the simple fact that millions of children were dying because they were poor. Saving as many of those lives as we could became the goal. But we werent the government, so how ambitious could we be in terms of scale, even with our billions? Where could we have the biggest impact? Coming out of the tech sector, we were drawn to the ways science and innovation could make an enormous difference. How did you decide vaccines would be the cornerstone? Return-on-investment-wise, vaccines have a huge payoff. If you can get a vaccine in a childs arm in Africa, it can literally save his or her life. You learned it took 15 to 20 years for vaccines readily available here or in Europe-hepatitis B, for example-to make their way to Africa, and in that interval, millions died. They were dying needlessly from diseases our kids dont have to worry about or are inoculated against. If you believe, as we do, that all lives have equal value, that cant be allowed to stand. And then you tackled womens contraception. The more I traveled to see how the vaccination programs were going, the more I realized that the lack of access to contraception was also a life-and-death issue for women and their families. In Malawi, I remember asking a young mother with small kids, Are you taking these beautiful children to get their shots? What about my shot? she asked me. She was talking about Depo-Provera, a birth control injection that was commonly used in Africa to prevent pregnancy but had become very difficult to get. This came up again and again the more I spoke to women in Africa and parts of Asia-especially after I learned that if I wanted women to tell me what was really going on in their lives, I needed to wait for the men to go back to work in the fields and leave us to speak openly. You started asking how many of them knew someone whod died giving birth. And usually three-quarters did. When I asked how many knew someone whod lost a baby in the delivery process, theyd all raise their hands. Photo credit: Riccardo Gangale And many felt that continuing to have children was endangering the future of the kids they already had. A woman from Niger, Sadie, told me she had six children. Her youngest was next to her. Dont you understand, she asked, pointing to the small piece of arid land they lived on, that I can hardly feed these children? How did you respond? When I first started, I wanted to turn away, to say Im here to talk about vaccines, not birth control. It took me a while to absorb the urgency of it. When you brought it to Bills attention, what was his take? Bill is very data oriented, which is a huge gift, but when I raised the subject with him, he said, Melinda, contraceptives are stocked in. When I looked at the reports, I saw that yes, most of the clinics were well supplied with condoms, because of HIV/AIDS. But as women all over the developing world have told me, they cannot negotiate condoms, even in their own marriages, because that would be like suggesting their husbands have been unfaithful and may be infected with HIV, or that they, the wives, have been. When a woman cant control the size of her family, it can leave her feeling desperate. Youve met mothers who are so beaten down, theyve asked you to take their children. Yes, like the time I was visiting a clinic in northern India and met Meena, whod just had another child. She was breastfeeding him as we spoke. You were having a lovely conversation until you asked her if she wanted more children... All of a sudden she cast her eyes down and was silent. I thought Id made a faux pas, but eventually she looked at me and said: I cant have more children-I dont have any hope for the ones I have. Their only chance is if you take them home with you. That crushed me. Somebody says Take my two boys-what do you say to that? I begged her forgiveness. I told her I was sorry, but I had three children at home-I just couldnt. But that was a turning point. You began to see every wall as a door. She spoke a harsh truth, which took courage, and her pain burned its way into me. I finally really heard what so many women had been telling me. There was a wall that needed breaking down, so we could walk through it together. But even after you got it, you worried about the controversy youd get drawn into with conservatives and Catholics and people who thought you should just stay out of it. The church tells you Thou shalt not use contraceptives, but I had to remind myself that my kids are three years apart-so obviously Im using them. When I dug deeper, I found that the vast majority of Catholic women in the U.S. use birth control. And in any case, would I really let people die because of a religion I was raised in? And then you had to find the courage to lead on the issue. Yes, it meant taking a public position and saying: I use contraception. I have sex with my husband. I had to find the strength to be open and to stand on behalf of other women. Photo credit: Prashant Panjiar And you were moved to act by letting in their pain. Yes, its so important to let my heart break. Ive been one of those people who wants to resist the heartbreak youre describing, to push it away. But if you let your heart break and allow that to guide you to action, you can create a moment of lift. You have to let it move through you and eventually metabolize, and then ask yourself, What action is this calling me to do? It called you to raise $2.6 billion and launch a global coalition on family planning! On page 173 of the book, you write: The starting point for human improvement is empathy. Everything flows from that. I agree with you. Were all so disconnected, and its chipping away at our humanity-its at the root of so many problems. Empathy leads to listening, and listening leads to understanding. Photo credit: TKTK You mentioned wanting to be an example for your children. How do you raise kids who are responsible and kind, who grow up with a sense of grace and yet have their own ambition-when they have access, literally, to anything they want? I grew up poor. When my mother said we couldnt afford something, I knew we couldnt. But you can never say that to your kids. Ive wrestled with that. But just because you can get it for them doesnt mean you should. Our kids see Bill and me work very hard. We dont have to, but we do-every single day. Theyve also been fortunate to travel, from early ages. Theyve slept right next to us in goat huts in poor villages in Tanzania, walked miles to fetch water, cut wood with dull machetes, learned that a farmers pig is how hell pay for a sons education. They see how others live and know they are lucky to be who they are and to have grown up in the United States. What is your hope for your children? To find whatever it is that is their talent and to use it on behalf of the world. Instead of making New Years resolutions, you choose a single word to bring you guidance for the next 12 months. For example, youve chosen gentle to help you fight perfectionism. Youve also picked spacious as a reminder to make room for things in your life. In 2018, it was grace, to signify that youre part of something bigger than yourself. Do you have a 2019 word? I do. I have to say it feels very vulnerable to share this. Its shine. Ah. Its not about me, its about believing that every person has a light inside them. Every single person. If we can turn those lights on-on behalf of women, on behalf of those who dont have as much as we do, on behalf of minorities in our own country-and stand up for whats right, we will break through. Well all shine. The world will shine. For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter. The leader lauded the union for its activities to support the homeland, and expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will help the Vietnamese Government further develop the country. The Vietnamese Party and State consider overseas Vietnamese an indispensible part of the nation, and create conditions for them to invest in the homeland, he said. According to UVAE President Hoang Dinh Thang, the union was established in 2016, with an executive board of 30 members from 17 European countries. Over the past two years, the union has joined efforts to organise community activities at the regional level, he said. The union has paid attention to external affairs, he said, adding that it has maintained relations with members of the European Parliament (EP). Representatives of the Executive Board visited the EP twice in Belgiums Brussels and Frances Strasbourg, during which they called on parliamentarians to support efforts of the Vietnamese community in Europe in integrating into host countries and preserving their culture, along with some issues of Vietnameses concern like the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the removal of the European Commission (EC)s yellow card warning for Vietnamese seafood. Thang noted his hope that the Vietnamese Government will roll out better policies to encourage local companies, organisations and individuals to invest in the Czech Republic. The same day, PM Phuc met with Marcel Winter, Honorary President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) meets with Marcel Winter, Honorary President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association. (Photo: VGP) The leader applauded the association for its contributions to the friendship between the two countries, and noted his hope it will continue to coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy. He described Winter, who has visited Vietnam 48 times and worked hard to assist the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, as a symbol of the friendship. For his part, Winter expressed his hope that there will soon be a direct flight between Prague and Vietnam. While in the Czech Republic, PM Phuc visited the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in the country, during which he urged the embassy to carry forward its role in introducing Vietnams foreign investment attraction policies and helping raise trade between the two countries. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with officials and employees at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic. (Photo: VGP) The embassy was also asked to protect the rights of Vietnamese citizens in the host country, maintain relations with local authorities and relevant organisations and promote Vietnam to Czech people and businesses. Also on April 16, PM Phuc met Jiri Smejc, Group Executive Chairman of Home Credit. At the meeting, the leader said Vietnam is pushing ahead with business environment improvement efforts, which have been acknowledged by major international organisations and groups. The Vietnamese Government is ready to remove difficulties facing businesses, including Home Credit, he said. Vietnam will step up cooperation with the Czech Republic in various spheres, the PM stressed, adding this would be an opportunity for Czech investors. Jiri Smejc said since it entered Vietnam in 2005, Home Credit has become the largest Czech investor in the country in personal loans, with half a million customers. The company has decided to expand its investment in Vietnam, which has a stable investment environment, and wants to operate in the banking sector, he said. Bin 162, a bar near the University of Mississippi, faced controversy after they allegedly kicked patrons out during a tornado. (Photo: Facebook) A popular bar near Mississippi State University in Starkville is facing controversy after its security guards told patrons to "get the [f***] out and ushered them into the streets when a tornado was just a mile and a half away from the restaurant on Saturday. However, the owner of the pub, Bin 612, claims that security had a good reason for kicking the customers, including many college students, out into the storm. Dillon Richmond, a recent university graduate, told the Washington Post that around 9 p.m. it had started to rain, and many people came inside the bar to escape the weather. However, at 9:45 p.m., according to the bars owner and chef Ty Thames, his team had started to ask people to leave as the restaurant was closing due to the weather warning. At 9:56 p.m., a tornado warning for the area was issued by the National Weather Service. A minute later, the warning was updated with a confirmed tornado. Three minutes after that announcement, the National Weather Service confirmed a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" was nine miles southwest of Starkville, moving northeast at 40 mph, and it would arrive in less than ten minutes. Video circulated on social media depicted a scene of chaos as the patrons butted heads with the security guards, who were hired through a third-party company called Average Joe's Security. In the footage, people can be heard asking where they are supposed to go in the storm while the guards simply insist they leave. Thames said it was a matter of safety. "The basements can only hold about 40 to 60 people at most," Thames told the Washington Post. "Ordinarily we have about 40 or 50 people in a given night. But because it was Super Bulldog Weekend, we were pushing 250 or 300." While 15 people were taken to the cellar, Thames said it was impossible to "pick and choose more,"adding that the cellar was dangerous as it had only a "ladderlike thing to get into it." "People were too intoxicated to understand they were in danger there," Thames told the outlet. "It's basically wall-to-wall glass on the front and the back of the building. The only non-glass walls we have are the interior room-to-room walls. And those are lined with glass rack to hold glasses, over 300 liquor bottles, and tons of serving glasses." Story continues With the half-mile wide EF-2 tornado just six miles away, the evacuation process continued. According to Thames, the security guards were trying to direct people across the street to an underground parking garage. A Starkville Police Department post, shared on Facebook, stated that police were called to the scene as "approximately one hundred people were trying to fight security." "The security guard was yelling and swearing, telling people to 'Get the [expletive] out,'" Richmond said. "A few moments later the side doors swing open (from security pushing people out). I saw a lot of people trapped in the middle of the tussle." One customer took to Twitter to share what had transpired while she was inside, The Commercial Dispatch reported. "I was at Bin 612 (Saturday night) when the tornado hit and everyone inside was yelled at by the people working and shoved out into the storm," she wrote. "I was forced outside when the tornado was hitting campus and had to find another place to seek shelter after getting kicked out. Not OK. "We certainly do not condone the language or aggressive behavior of any of the security companys personnel or our staff," Thames shared on Facebook on the Bin 612 page on Sunday. "We know that the intent of the security personnel and our staff was to prevent serious injuries from occurring inside of glass enclosed rooms. The intent was for people to leave with time to get to a safe space, including the underground parking garage directly across the street." He added that the restaurant will be using a different security company in the future. Yahoo Lifestyle was not able to locate Average Joes Security for comment. Many on social media called out the restaurant for how it handled things on Saturday. "How awful [you] must be to kick people out when there's a tornado," one wrote. Another stated, "Every business should have a weather contingency plan. If they do not have a shelter, they should have closed their doors in anticipation of the weather, and not kicked patrons out last minute." However, others came to the defense of Thames and Bin 612. "Maybe choosing a business that is 75 percent windows as the place you want to shelter from a tornado that you knew was coming 14 hours ahead of time wasnt the best idea?" While another shared, "Even though a storm is coming it doesn't mean it will produce a tornado in a certain place so there was no need to close early. Once a tornado is confirmed or the conditions become very bad, only then can people decide what they will do, and normally they do not have much time. If the owner felt his building wasn't a safe place during a tornado, he has every right to evacuate his building." Thames intends to review severe weather procedures at Bin 162, and has reached out to the National Weather Service and other experts to help strengthen the severe weather plan. Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Bin 612 for comment. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. To some, Benjamin Netanyahu is a beloved leader who has consistently put their safety and security first. But to others, he is a despised ruler who has shown a flagrant disregard for international, and potentially domestic, laws. But who is Bibi Netanyahu really? Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1949. In 1963, the Netanyahus moved to the United States after Benzion, his father, accepted an academic post in Pennsylvania. The young Netanyahu attended Cheltenham High School, located in what was then a Jewish enclave in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Eventually, just days before his high school graduation ceremony, he returned to Israel to serve in the IDF, or Israeli Defense Forcesand Bibi thrived in the military. He would go back and forth between the US and Israel for some years after. His political career started to take off around 1982. A family friend of the Netanyahus, Moshe Arens, was named the Israeli ambassador to the United States. And just like that, Netanyahu went from furniture company to foreign affairs. He was asked to be Arens deputy at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Netanyahus American accent set him apart and made him an ideal voice of the Israeli government on American television. Bibi eventually went on to become Israels prime minister. In February 2019, Israels Attorney General announced his intention to indict Netanyahu on bribery and fraud charges. He won his most recent election despite the three separate corruption cases against him, making this his fifth term as the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu has spent decades in the public eye, and has rarely needed to compromise to achieve his political goals. But this started to change in the run-up to the last election, when corruption charges threatened his political position. So, who really is Netanyahu and how did he get his start? This video, "The Rise of Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu", first appeared on nowthisnews.com. Do School Shooting Drills Traumatize Kids? About 95 percent of schools undergo some sort of lockdown or intruder drill. Experts explain how this affects your child. Since last fall, Colleen Cunningham's second grader has become increasingly fearful of running errands in public. "She thinks someone is going to shoot us," says Cunningham, who lives in Olathe, Kansas. "She keeps her car door closed and climbs out through my door instead. And, she cowers behind me while we are in stores." Because the mom of three carefully screens media content in the car and avoids television news at home, she wonders if school lockdown drills have triggered her 8-year-old's fears. "She's always been an anxious kid, but this year she's got a lot more anxiety," Cunningham says. "I asked her about lockdown drills at school, and she told me they do make her, and some of her classmates, feel scared when they are happening." The students in the K-5 public school are told they are running through a drill beforehand. They are trained to focus on hiding and staying quiet while the teacher locks the doors and windows, and shuts the blinds. "Once everyone is hiding, the principal comes through the school hallways and pulls on the door handles to ensure they are locked," Cunningham says. "My daughter says this is the creepiest part." Some of the teachers are also on bathroom duty. If a student is in the bathroom when the drill begins, they are instructed to stand quietly on the toilets (where they can't be seen) with the stall door locked. When the drill is complete, the principal makes an announcement over the intercom. How are kids affected? Whether or not drills traumatize kids may depend on the individual child and the nature of the drill. "We don't have a lot of research to guide us, but anecdotally, there does seem to be a significant subset of kids who experience increased anxiety, increased fear, and other physiological and psychological symptoms from these kinds of activities at school," says Stephen Lassen, Ph.D., a pediatric psychologist at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas. Story continues Children with pre-existing anxiety disorders, a history of trauma, or those with developmental disabilities often find shooter drills particularly rattling. "For a number of other kids, they don't seem to be as affected," Dr. Lassen says. "But there is enough concern that we really need to step back and re-evaluate our policies on this because the practices have really outpaced what we know about the effectiveness." How much is too much? Mass school shootings may be statistically rare, but heart-rending stories about innocent victims make it easy to understand why school security has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. "When this sort of thing happens it violates one of our most deeply held beliefs, which is that when our kids go to school they are going to be safe," says Gerard Lawson, Ph.D., professor of Counselors Education at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Also the former president of the American Counseling Association in Alexandria, Virginia, Lawson specializes in trauma and disaster mental health and was involved in the response and recovery efforts following the mass shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Today, about 95 percent of schools undergo some sort of lockdown or intruder drill as part of their emergency response protocol. The number of drills school children practice each year varies from state-to-state. According to the Education Commission of the States, a few states don't specify a requisite number of drills, but most states mandate at least one drill annually. Others, like Cunningham's home state of Kansas, require as many as nine drills each school year, not including fire, tornado, or other natural disaster. "I think it's too many, and it's traumatizing to a lot of kids," Cunningham says. But experts say school lockdown drills, which became mainstream after the deadly shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, can be beneficial when implemented correctly. Dr. Lawson believes preparation is wise and that safety drills are effective when integrated into the school day in a calm, age-appropriate way. He cautions schools from becoming over-zealous in their efforts, which can traumatize the same population they want to protect. "Younger children can't separate a drill from reality," says Dr. Lawson. "They should not be exposed to simulated gunfire or the chaos that accompanies a full-scale exercise." And models like the run-hide-fight and ALICE training, which advocate for children to distract or confuse an armed intruder by throwing objects at them, are so new, it's unclear whether or not they're effective and if "that level of preparation is really necessary." Help reduce uncertainty It's a good idea to learn what your child's school drill will look like and then help them understand what to expect and the purpose of it. "Anxiety lives in the unknown. Anytime we are able to make the unknown known, we reduce anxiety," Dr. Lassen says. Also, request that administration alerts students and families prior to a drill to avoid anxiety-provoking situations where kids think the situation is real. Unanticipated, realistic drills carry "the greatest risk for harm," Dr. Lassen adds. Drills can be particularly stressful and confusing for preschool and kindergarten-age children and those with special needs. Ask your school how they plan to support this population during exercises. If you are uncomfortable with the drill content or facilitation, initiate a conversation with the school, offering input and suggestions. "At the very least, if your child historically doesn't respond well to stressful situations, make sure the school lets you know ahead of time when these drills will happen so you can prepare your child at home...or elect to not have them attend school during that time," Dr. Lassen advises. Talk to your kids Remind them that crisis drills help everyone practice a just-in-case scenario, much like your family's fire evacuation plan. Emphasize the importance of following their teacher's instructions. Reinforce that you trust the school staff to keep them safe. Avoid projecting any anxiety you may have on your child. Pay attention to signs of drill-related anxiety Dr. Lassen advises parents to consult with a mental health professional if a child exhibits any of the following: Canico (Portugal) (AFP) - Twenty-nine German tourists were killed when their bus spun off the road and tumbled down a slope before crashing into a house on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Drone footage of the aftermath of the accident showed the badly mangled wreckage of the bus resting precariously on its side against a building on a hillside, the vehicle's roof partially crushed and front window smashed. Rescue workers attended to injured passengers among the undergrowth where the bus came to rest, some of them bearing bloodied head bandages and bloodstained clothes, others appearing to be more seriously hurt. Local authorities said most of the dead were in their 40s and 50s. They were among the more than one million tourists who visit the Atlantic islands off the coast of Morocco each year, attracted by its subtropical climate and rugged volcanic terrain. "Horrible news comes to us from Madeira," a German government spokesman tweeted after the crash. "Our deep sorrow goes to all those who lost their lives in the bus accident, our thoughts are with the injured," he added. German holidaymakers were the second largest group after British tourists to visit the islands -- known as the Pearl of the Atlantic and the Floating Garden in the Atlantic -- in 2017, according to Madeira's tourism office. The islands are home to just 270,000 inhabitants. Filipe Sousa, mayor of Santa Cruz where the accident happened, said 17 women and 11 men were killed in the crash, with another 21 injured. A doctor told reporters another woman died of her injuries in hospital. "I express the sorrow and solidarity of all the Portuguese people in this tragic moment, and especially for the families of the victims who I have been told were all German," President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told Portuguese television. He said he would travel to Madeira overnight. - 'Profound sadness' - Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa added on Twitter that he had contacted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to convey his condolences Story continues "It is with profound sadness that I heard of the accident on Madeira," he wrote on the government's Twitter page. "I took the occasion to convey my sadness to Chancellor Angela Merkel at this difficult time," he added. The regional protection service in Madeira confirmed 28 deaths in the accident that happened at 6:30 pm (1730 GMT) Wednesday, while hospital authorities said another woman later died of her injuries. The bus had been carrying around 50 passengers. Regional government Vice President Pedro Calado said it was "premature" to speculate on the cause of the crash, adding that the vehicle was five years old and that "everything had apparently been going well". Judicial authorities had opened an investigation into the circumstances of the accident, the Madeira public prosecutor's office told the Lusa news agency. Medical teams were being sent from Lisbon to help local staff carry out post-mortems on the dead. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General William Barr will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) on Thursday to discuss the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel nearly two years ago, will also attend the news conference, the department said in a statement. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt," said in a radio interview on Wednesday he may hold a news conference after Barr. Mueller on March 22 submitted to Barr a nearly 400-page report on his 22-month investigation into whether the Trump campaign worked with Moscow to sway the election in his favor, and whether Trump committed obstruction of justice with actions to impede the inquiry. In a letter to lawmakers two days later, Barr said Mueller did not find that members of Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia. Barr also said he determined there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice, though Mueller did not exonerate Trump on obstruction. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by David Alexander and Will Dunham) Montreal (AFP) - Canada's transport minister on Wednesday called for pilots to get flight simulator training to learn how to use new software on the troubled Boeing 737 MAX, saying US-suggested computer tutorials are not enough. The 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide since mid-March, when one of the jets crashed in Ethiopia -- the second such deadly incident in a matter of months. The US aerospace giant has since proposed a fix to the plane's MCAS anti-stall system, which has been implicated in both the Ethiopia crash and one in Indonesia last October. "We have made it clear that safety will be the guiding factor in the resumption of these flights," the Canadian minister, Marc Garneau, told a press conference in Montreal. "Simulators are the very best way from a training point of view to go over exactly what could happen in a real way and to react properly to it," he said. Garneau went farther than a group of experts appointed by US aviation regulators, who have suggested that computer and classroom instruction are enough. "From our point of view, it's not going to be a question of pulling out an iPad and spending an hour on it," Garneau said. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a draft report that Boeing's proposed fix to the 737 MAX was "operationally suitable." But the actual software fix has not yet been formally submitted to the FAA. Because the 737 MAX is substantially similar to prior versions of the aircraft, pilots are not currently required to undergo extensive additional training. But the report added the MCAS to the list of items that require "aided instruction," such as videos or computer-based tutorials. Santiago (AFP) - Chilean authorities on Wednesday questioned a man suspected of involvement in the 2016 disappearance of his Japanese ex-girlfriend in France. Nicolas Zepeda was interviewed by the public prosecutor in Santiago on Wednesday morning before leaving the Justice Center just after midday without speaking to reporters, AFP journalists said. He is the only suspect in the disappearance of student Narumi Kurosaki, then 21, in eastern France. Chilean prosecutors met with French investigators on Tuesday ahead of Zepeda's questioning. Attorney General Tania Sanchez said only that proceedings had been carried out at the request of French authorities. France is hoping to provide sufficient evidence to see Zepeda arrested and extradited to face a murder charge. A Chilean judge had previously denied a request to arrest and extradite Zepeda, citing insufficient evidence. Kurosaki had been living in the university city of Besancon in eastern France when she disappeared on the night of December 4, 2016, and despite extensive searches her body has not been found. Investigators in France believe 28-year-old Zepeda, who had broken up with Kurosaki several months earlier, suffocated her in a jealous rage. He returned to Chile before French police issued an arrest warrant. Kurosaki was last seen hours before her disappearance having dinner with Zepeda in a restaurant in Ornans, near Besancon. Fellow students in her dormitory reported hearing terrified cries and banging noises later that same night, Besancon public prosecutor Etienne Manteuax said in November. No trace of blood was ever found in Kurosaki's room and Zepeda denies any involvement in her disappearance. WASHINGTON Amid ongoing international debate about how to confront the national security threats from 5G, a congressionally mandated ban on U.S. government business deals with several Chinese telecom companies, including Huawei and ZTE, is on track to be implemented by late summer, according to the Pentagon. The Pentagon, the General Services Administration and NASA members of the governments Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council are working to implement the congressional legislation by modifying their procurement regulations, according to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The new rule, which will apply to all executive agencies once complete, is needed to protect U.S. networks against cyber activities conducted through Chinese Government-supported telecommunications equipment and services, according to a published description of the change, mandated by the 2019 defense spending bill. The review is in coordination and we expect the rule to be implemented by August 2019, wrote Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, in an email to Yahoo News. However, Huawei is challenging the ban in federal court in Plano, Texas, the location of its U.S. customer service center. Its unclear whether or not the lawsuit could affect the implementation of the 2019 defense authorization bill. Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP(3), Getty Images(2). The Department of Justice declined to comment. The proposed ban on government procurement of Chinese telecom equipment demonstrates how the Trump administration has struggled to find a way to fight what it argues is the national security threat posed by Chinese companies involved in next-generation communications networks, while also dealing with economic realities that make a complete ban unlikely. The Trump administration had reportedly considered going further than the defense bill, using an executive order to ban the use of Huawei products for development of 5G, the next generation of high-speed communications networks. However, the administration appears more recently to be backing off from that plan after resistance from U.S. allies and from small and rural companies that fear the costs of cutting out Huawei. Story continues FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, right, looks on as President Trump discusses the deployment of 5G technology in the United States on April 12. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP) Even as that larger ban languishes, the 2019 defense authorization bill, signed into law last August, would be a first step toward eliminating procurement of Huawei products within the federal government. The bill includes a section that restricts federal agencies, including the Pentagon, from purchasing or utilizing covered telecommunications equipment sold by Chinese companies that qualify as government-supported. While top national security and intelligence officials have not provided any hard evidence to prove Huawei has spied for Beijing, supporters of the ban argue that the company is required by Chinese law to comply with any government orders. The bill covers Chinese companies namely Huawei and ZTE that sell communications devices and technology necessary for future 5G networks. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which is responsible for implementing the ban, has some latitude in interpreting exactly what Congress meant when passing the 2019 defense authorization, according to Robert Huffman, an attorney with Akin Gump who focuses on government defense contracts and supply chain compliance issues. The rule will have to interpret key provisions within the law, including what a substantial or essential component is, to determine if a piece of Huawei technology would qualify for restriction, he explained. If the terms are construed broadly, it would mean contractors using any Huawei etc. equipment or services anywhere in the world would be barred from federal contracts, period, he wrote in an email to Yahoo News. This is the position industry is so concerned about...Most do not believe this will come to pass, as its just too disruptive. Contractors and federal purchasers will need to pay much closer attention to the security of the supply chain, potentially including products manufactured by Huawei and sold by other companies, according to Huffman. Huawei's mobile phones are displayed at a telecoms service shop in Hong Kong, Friday, March 29, 2019. (Photo: Kin Cheung/AP) The prohibition also applies to surveillance and video recording companies in national security contexts, including Hytera Communications Corp., Hangzhou Technology Co. and Dahua Technology Co. For example, if a camera sold by one of those three companies was in use for surveillance of a government facility or for a public safety purpose, that specific use would no longer be allowed. The bill also banned purchase of Hikvision cameras for U.S. government agencies. In the United Kingdom, British politicians have already raised the alarm about the use of surveillance cameras made by a Chinese firm for surveillance in government facilities, but they have not taken formal legal action to remove the already existing cameras. This new U.S. prohibition mirrors a similar one included in the 2018 defense spending bill, making it illegal for the government to use or purchasing software from Kaspersky, a Russian cybersecurity and antivirus company. Kaspersky has been unsuccessfully trying to reverse that ban by revealing its source code for outside review and moving its lab from Russia to Switzerland. Two lawsuits brought by Kaspersky Lab alleging that the governments ban was unconstitutional and brought undue harm were dismissed in May 2018. The new restrictions on Chinese technology companies, amid an ongoing trade war with China, have encountered more international debate than the similar provision barring Kaspersky. Officials in the United Kingdom appear open to continuing to work with Huawei, and focusing on mitigating the risk of Chinese government access to data. British intelligence agencies have conducted a review of Huaweis security and concluded there are serious vulnerabilities, but its unclear whether those security risks will prompt the government to pursue a ban. U.S. officials studying Huawei and 5G suggest the company is not going away anytime soon. According to one U.S. government consultant, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, Huawei is so deeply involved in developing the international standards for 5G that even its competitors, Nokia and Ericsson, will be beholden to the Chinese company to some extent. Even if there is an outright U.S. ban Huawei is still going to have a huge role to play, the expert told Yahoo News. A man walks inside a Huawei's customer service center in Hong Kong, Friday, March 29, 2019. (Photo: Kin Cheung/AP) In the meantime, Huawei appears determined to fight back; the company sued the U.S. government over the ban in federal court, arguing that the provision is unconstitutional because it targets the company without providing due process. On Monday, Huawei and the U.S. government agreed to a schedule of legal proceedings through September 2019, unless the case is dismissed by the judge beforehand. Huawei did not respond immediately to a request for comment. But even as that legal case proceeds, the U.S. government is going forward with its rule change, which would effectively block the company from federal contracts. Congress appeared to be especially concerned by products sold by the telecommunications companies that can interact with or inspect user data, according to the bill. If the technology is incapable of routing or redirecting user traffic, or surveilling it, there may be an exception for government use. While the new rule will restrict Huaweis reach within the United States, it also gives the secretary of defense wide latitude to work with the director of national intelligence and the head of the FBI to expand the restrictions to other companies owned or controlled by a covered foreign country a power that may create uncertainty for U.S. business people and lawyers who work with firms abroad. Huffman, the attorney at Akin Gump, expects Huaweis lawsuit to go the way of Kasperskys. That lawsuit will fail on the merits, he wrote. However, even if it is not immediately thrown out, Huffman predicted, it would not affect the new rule without a decision on the merits. The only thing (other than new legislation) that would prevent or delay the rule from taking effect is if the Trump administration decides to trade it away as part of its ongoing trade negotiations with China, he said. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: As Paris and the world continued to reel from the fire that devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday, designers reacted to the blaze and shared their memories of the famed landmark, the center of the City of Light. Ralph Lauren: We always remember where we were when tragedies occur like yesterdays devastating fire in the cathedral of Notre-Dame. I was in a design meeting when one of my French team members uttered a cry and said, Notre-Dame is in flames. We watched together on her iPhone as that towering spire, a landmark of Paris for centuries, collapsed. It was difficult to return to work thinking of all our friends and colleagues in Paris and in France who have suffered this loss so personally. Our thoughts are with them and our strong belief that Notre-Dame will rise from the ashes and continue to inspire not only the strong faith and resiliency of the French people, but all of us from around the world who have been touched by the beauty and history of that remarkable edifice. Related stories Marc Jacobs Lists NYC Town House, Asking Almost $16M Fashion Illustrator Richard Haines to Debut Show That Encapsulates His Still-budding Career French Artist Claude Lalanne Dies at 93 Diane von Furstenberg: Watching it burn yesterday was heartbreaking. But it is standing and will be rebuilt. Notre-Dame de Paris is Paris. It is also the Victor Hugo book Notre-Dame de Paris. QuasimodoEsmeralda..the love story. When I visited Notre-Dame the first time I looked for Quasimodo and for the last 30 years that I have an apartment nearby, I still think of Quasimodo when I walk by. Maria Grazia Chiuri: I will never forget the images of Notre-Dame de Paris in flames. We are citizens of our time, but we need points of reference that are both part of our collective memories and our personal histories. These are eternal monuments that speak to our history as human beings, but are also linked to our emotions. Today there is great sadness, partly relieved by the enormous worldwide mobilization around this great monument of our civilization. Story continues Alessandro Michele: As many others, I, too, have a souvenir photo of a trip to Paris. Its a photo that portrays me, my sister and my mother in front of Notre-Dame. Crossing through Paris you always see Notre-Dame. I am deeply saddened by what has happened. While it was difficult to watch those terrible images, I was glued for hours in front of the television on Monday evening. Notre-Dame is the symbol of Paris, a symbol of resistance, because in all these centuries it has survived the attacks of history, It has many times been attacked, robbed, destroyed. However, every time it was born again, more magnificent than before. I hope it will be the same this time. Marc Jacobs: I made my first trip to Paris when I was 17 years old. I fell completely in love with the city and felt that I should have been born there thats how at home I felt. Like every lucky first-timer, I spent days and days just walking around Paris and made my rounds, seeing every great site and monument. Notre-Dame was one of many symbols of Paris and such a strong and majestic one. Yesterdays news was horrible. The site of her burning was actually painful. Im very happy and proud that Mr. [Bernard] Arnault and LVMH have stood up and offered such generous support to restore this great beauty. Jonathan Anderson: I could see the flame and smoke from my office in Paris. The city has become a bit like my second home and I was so sad to see such destruction of a Parisian icon. The Paris skyline wont be the same again. Josie Natori: What can I say.Paris and Notre-Dame go hand in hand in my mind and soul. Considering Paris as my second home.I cant count the number of times bringing guests to Notre-Dame was a must. Getting to Notre-Dame was always a goal for Ken and I in our walks along the Seine from our home and back with lunch in between. Going to mass at Notre-Dame was always special through the years. I will miss viewing the spire from far away and look forward to seeing the rebuilding of this historic monument sooner than soon! Pierpaolo Piccioli: Notre-Dames fire makes our soul ache, our consciousness tremble. My second metaphorical home is a few blocks away from that inestimable good. A great part of my medieval imaginary world is kept between those walls and no fire will be able to destroy it, ever. I wish Our Lady will come back to shine, as quick as a phoenix, as majestic as a dream. My heart is with her now. Tommy Hilfiger: I was shocked and saddened by the news. I could not believe such a precious cultural treasure was destroyed. It is comforting to know that generous business leaders in France and elsewhere will rebuild this historic monument. People will never forget this devastating fire in 2019. Donna Karan: My memory of that extraordinary place starts when I first saw it, when we did the French and the Americans at Versailles. The memories of being in Paris, this young girl from New York, and seeing the majesty of Paris. I always loved seeing that building when going along the river. What always amazed me about Paris, and still does, is the light, and the ancientness of it and the sophistication. It looks more beautiful every year. When I look at Paris I see the past and the present. The past shines on continuously, something that will last forever. Thats how I see Paris. I have great love and passion for all the people of Paris. I love the fact that both Kering and LVMH have [stepped up]. Its beautiful, and I celebrate that. Riccardo Tisci: I am so deeply saddened by the devastating fire that took place at Notre-Dame, a place of breathtaking beauty, history and religious significance. I hold so many precious memories of Notre-Dame from my time living and working in Paris, including spending mass there this past Christmas Eve surrounded by my family and friends. It was one of the most beautiful and poignant moments in my life and is a memory I will cherish forever. I send all my support and prayers to all those impacted and those dedicating their time and efforts to rebuilding this exceptional monument. Michael Kors: Notre-Dame Cathedral is an incredibly transportive place for me. Its one of the few spots in the world where you feel a sense of calm even in a huge crowd. Back in the Eighties, when I was in my 20s, we would be very Funny Face and go directly to Notre-Dame after checking into our hotel in Paris. Its rare when an iconic building feels like an old friend. Vera Wang: Although I have visited the cathedral on numerous occasions (and I am not of the Catholic faith), my most fond memory was of my daughter Cecilia, aged nine, climbing to the top of one of the front towers in 90 degree weather with her father and a friend. Notre-Dame was a place of sanctuary, majesty, but also fun for a young child. Narciso Rodriguez: What an unimaginable tragedy. I had to disconnect because the footage I was seeing was so upsetting. While working in Paris, I walked past and visited Notre-Dame often and grew to cherish her as much as the citizens there do. I am hopeful that all will be restored, and this will become part of her great history. Wes Gordon, Carolina Herrera: My mother took me to Paris for the first time when I was in middle school. The very first thing we did was walk to the Ile de la Cite to visit Notre Dame. Ever since that day, I would visit every time I was in town. Tory Burch and Pierre-Yves Roussel: The fire at Notre-Dame is heartbreaking on so many levels. The cathedral has been a witness to history and a symbol of timeless beauty, peace and permanence. It makes us all think about the essence of timeThis event has touched the world there is consolation in knowing that it will be rebuilt for future generations. Notre dame a jamais la plus belle Zac Posen: As I child I was mesmerized by the multicolored light beams projecting on the floor of the cathedral, I would try to move my face and feel the color changes. Joseph Altuzarra: It was heartbreaking to see images of Notre-Dame burning. Notre-Dame was a constant in my life growing up in Paris. It was a part of the history we studied, and of the literature we read. It was the landmark my friends and I would choose to use to decide where to meet to hang out, and Ive visited it countless times. I have no doubt it will rise back up, and continue to symbolize the poetry and beauty of Paris! Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Did Donald Trump obstruct justice? The presidents critics say that he did. The attorney general and deputy attorney general say he did not. Special Counsel Robert Muellers team was reportedly split on the question. And legal experts say its not an easy call either way. Theres little question about some of the basic facts: Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, dictated a misleading statement to the New York Times on behalf of his son and made a series of tweets and public statements attacking prosecutors, threatening potential witnesses and praising allies during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But the legal debate centers on whether Trump had corrupt intent, a term of art meaning that he intended to impede or thwart the investigation when he took those actions. Legal scholars and experts tell TIME that proving corrupt intent is difficult because prosecutors are required to establish the persons motives beyond a reasonable doubt. Take the firing of Comey, which Trump told NBC News was motivated by his handling of this Russia thing. That may not be enough to establish intent, according to Mimi Rocah, Pace Law Schools distinguished fellow on criminal justice. You can have other possible motivations for firing Comey, she explains. Its what he says all the time that the investigation was a political witch hunt, that he doesnt like it not because he was actually concerned they would find something in the investigation. Read More: The 270 Arguments Trump Made About the Mueller Probe But, Rocah says, that doesnt mean that Trump is off the hook, at least until the Mueller report comes out on Thursday. Were not privy to the other evidence, or what other statements he made in private or public, she says. Rocah adds that Attorney General William Barrs current explanation for why Trump did not obstruct justice may be constructed on flimsy legal grounds. She says Barrs argument appears to hinge on the idea that because Trump made statements and took actions publicly, he did not have corrupt intent because he was not trying to hide anything. But thats not necessarily legally sound reasoning, Rocah says. Story continues If it turns out that Trump dictated a misleading statement from his son, Donald Trump Jr. regarding a 2016 meeting with Russians in Trump Tower, as he allegedly did, and that he did so with the intention of misleading investigators, then that could amount to corrupt intent. The same is true of Trumps robust collection of tweets commending or condemning witnesses involved in the investigation. If Muellers team revealed evidence that Trump used those tweets to intentionally derail the investigation, a prosecutor could potentially prove that he was acting with corrupt intent. Trump doesnt care, Rocah says. He does and says things all the time that certainly people could take great issue with, and could even cross criminal lines, and because there are no consequences to it, he doesnt care. You cant assume the normal interpretive rules apply here. In a summary of Muellers report sent to Congress, Barr said most of the evidence regarding obstruction of justice has been the subject of public reporting. (A senior Justice Department official also corroborated Barrs account, telling TIME in March that much of the evidence is already known from news reports.) At any rate, its unlikely that criminal charges will follow Trump on obstruction of justice, experts say. Beyond the difficulties of proving corrupt intent, Trump likely would not be indicted under long-standing guidelines from the Department of Justice that prevent such actions against sitting Presidents. Where Trump could run into trouble is if Congress decides his actions were grave enough to be impeachable. Philip Bobbitt, a constitutional theorist and professor at Columbia Law School, says pursuing impeachment against Trump on obstruction is a little more forgiving for Congress than it is for everyday prosecutors. When it comes to a criminal case, a prosecutor would have to prove criminal intent. But impeachable offenses dont necessarily constitute a crime, Bobbitt adds, and a prosecutor does not have to show the president had malevolent intent in his actions. Trump could have obstructed justice without intending to to do anything criminal and that could still be an impeachable offense. He could just be feckless or stupid, or may have had another intent, Bobbitt says. Under the Constitution, the standard for impeachment is treason, bribery, other high crimes or misdemeanors, not all of which are well-defined, according to legal analyst Ross Garber, who teaches impeachment law at Tulane University. The release of Muellers full report may provide the evidence lawmakers need to determine whether Trumps actions were egregious enough to require impeachment. But if House Democrats decide to pursue impeachment, they would need to be able to explain why Trumps actions were impeachable, even if they did not amount to a crime, Garber says, and that could be tricky politically. In terms of defining impeachable conduct, people usually feel more secure in defining impeachable conduct with reference to the violation of criminal laws, he says. The further you diverge from the criminal statute, the shakier an impeachment case becomes. Weve never removed a President, but in two of the serious impeachment attempts, the Congress has looked closely at conduct that amounts to obstruction of justice or perjury as potentially impeachable offenses, he adds. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not taken the possibility of impeachment off the table, though she warns that such a decision would not be taken lightly because it would be deeply divisive. The fact is the President has engaged in activities that are unethical, un-American. In every way he is unfit to be the President of the United States, Pelosi told the Associated Press. Is that an impeachable offense? Well it depends on what we see in the report. I set a very high bar for impeachment because I think its very divisive in the country and one of our purposes is to unify. India's Jet Airways grounded all of its flights Wednesday, leaving the future of around 20,000 staff uncertain after lenders failed to release emergency funds to keep the debt-saddled carrier flying. Airfares on rival carriers have soared and Air France and KLM have operated additional flights to Mumbai to accommodate passengers affected by Jet's decision last week to halt international operations. As a consortium of lenders seeks to find a buyer to get the beleaguered airline back into the skies, AFP takes a look at where it all went wrong for Jet. - Costly purchase - Many aviation experts believe the start of Jet's financial troubles can be traced back to the 2006 purchase of Air Sahara for $500 million in cash. Founder Naresh Goyal reportedly ignored the advice of professional associates who said he was paying too much. Market reaction to the deal was also decidedly mixed. The budget carrier was rebranded "JetLite" but it haemorrhaged money and in 2015, Jet wrote off its entire investment. "The acquisition is still a millstone around the company's neck," Devesh Agarwal, editor of the Bangalore Aviation website, told AFP. - Budget airlines - India's aviation sector is fiercely competitive and Jet has taken a battering from a number of hugely successful low-cost airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir. Experts said the people running Jet failed to take the trio seriously when they were founded between 2005 and 2006, offering cut-price fares and previously unserved routes. "They were essentially assumed to be fringe players by the Jet management," industry analyst Amrit Pandurangi told AFP. "Jet always catered to corporates and failed to recognise that low-cost carriers were attracting customers who were price sensitive," he added. - Poor management - Experts put a lot of the blame on Goyal's management style. They say his decision to have a single management team, headed by himself, running all Jet's operations was a crucial mistake. Story continues Analysts say he should have had one team running the full-service carrier and another running the budget flyer. "Jet lacked a concrete business model and fiddled with it often, which confused investors, (and) passengers alike," said Agarwal, who believes the company's decisions lacked transparency. Goyal has also been accused of making bad investments and failing to address the company's deteriorating financial predicament while borrowing heavily. "Simply put, they spent more than they earned and kept accruing debts," added Agarwal. - Fluctuating crude - All of India's carriers are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in global crude prices because the Asian giant is a major importer of oil. When the rupee is weak, which it has often been over the past year or so, fuel -- the biggest cost burden for airlines -- becomes more expensive. Soaring oil costs and the Indian rupee hitting record lows last year affected all Indian carriers. IndiGo and SpiceJet reported massive losses but analysts say their books were resilient enough to weather the quarterly losses. Jet's, however, were saddled with debts. "Jet Airways failed to manage its balance sheets and was caught out by these cyclical changes in the industry," Mumbai-based economist Ashutosh Datar told AFP. - Failure to attract investors - Aviation analysts say Goyal's failure to find a strategic investor to pump money into Jet extended the airline's losses, contributing to the financial predicament it finds itself in today. Talks at the end of last year with tea-to-steel conglomerate Tata failed to go anywhere, while Etihad Airways reportedly refused to increase its stake because Goyal was at the helm. The 69-year-old was forced to give up control of Jet last month as part of a debt resolution deal that saw a consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India take over the airline. It is now up to them to find a buyer. If they don't then Jet is likely to become the first major Indian airline to go bust since fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines ceased operations in 2012. (Reuters) - Foxconn's Chairman Terry Gou said on Tuesday he is considering contesting Taiwan's 2020 presidential election and the company said he would withdraw from the daily operations of the world's largest contract manufacturer. - Gou is Taiwan's richest person with a net worth of $7.6 billion, according to Forbes. - Taiwan is gearing up for presidential elections in January at a time of heightened tensions with China. - Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, is due to hold its annual general meeting in June. - Founded in 1974, the Foxconn group is the world's biggest contract manufacturer, assembling goods for various global tech firms, but analysts say it relies on Apple for more than half its annual revenue. COMMENTS: YAO CHIA-WEN, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN: "I don't really think he's going to run for the presidency. Politics is different from business and Taiwan's politics are very complicated. I doubt if he's really willing to tackle such complicated matters." "If he's going to represent KMT, many leaders from the party would be upset." LO CHIH-CHENG, DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY LEGISLATOR: "As the president and chairman, how can he balance his own interests and the interests of the country? That will be the challenge if he's going to run. "First of all, if he wants to run, I don't think he will run as an independent candidate. The KMT (Kuomintang) has already said that he is still a valid member of the KMT, so if he enters the primary, then obviously he is going to represent the KMT. He'll carry some of the baggage that the KMT has. Those are things he needs to sort out." SHANE LEE, POLITICAL SCIENTIST AT CHANG JUNG UNIVERSITY IN TAIWAN: "I don't think the United States would be too happy to see him running because he is close to China and, right now, the U.S. is wary about China. "Because he has a lot of wealth in China, in other words, China has some control over him, so I think the U.S. government would have to be very cautious about him running for political office. Story continues "It's not good news for Taiwan. He has too much at stake, politically. He has too much stake in China, so I don't think he would do anything against China and this of course is not acceptable for the Taiwanese. "I'm not sure his political skills are good enough to be the president or to be dealing with China. In the business world he may be. It's quite a different arena, I don't know if he will be as successful in the political arena. As of now I don't think he'll run." STEVEN LEUNG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT UOB KAY HIAN IN HONG KONG: "The company (Hon Hai) relies very much on Gou and his way of leading the firm, it is very difficult to find someone to replace him if he leaves the company to run for the presidential election." "If he announces he will run for the election, it is bad news for the company." (Reporting by Donny Kwok in HONG KONG, Catherine Cadell in BEIJING and Yimou Lee in TAIPEI; Editing by Aaron Sheldrick) By Yimou Lee TAIPEI (Reuters) - Foxconn's Chairman Terry Gou said on Tuesday he is considering whether to run for Taiwan's 2020 presidential election, a day after Reuters reported the tycoon planned to step down from the world's largest contract manufacturer. Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Taipei, Gou declined to say which party he could represent, although any bid could shake up the political playing field at a time of heightened tensions between the self-ruled island and Beijing. If it was the opposition, China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), he would "go" with the standard procedures of the party, Gou said, adding he would make that decision "as soon as possible". "I didn't sleep last night ... 2020 is key for Taiwan. The reason for the tense situation (with China) is because it's a turning point for Taiwan's direction for politics, economy, defense for the next 20 years," Gou said. "So I asked myself the whole night ... I need to ask myself what I can do. What I can do for the youth? ... The next 20 years will decide their fate," he said, his eyes welling up with tears at times. The KMT said in a statement Gou had been a party member for more than 50 years and had given it an interest-free loan of T$45 million ($1.5 million) in 2016 under the name of his mother, a move that signaled his "loyalty" to the party. The KMT did not immediately respond to a media enquiry on whether Gou was eligible to participate in the party's already highly competitive primary election. Gou, Taiwan's richest person with a net worth of $7.6 billion according to Forbes, told Reuters on Monday he planned to step down in the coming months to pave the way for younger talent to move up the company's ranks. The company later said Gou will remain chairman of Foxconn, though he plans to withdraw from daily operations. Taiwan is gearing up for presidential elections in January at a time of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, with Chinese bombers and warships conducting drills around the island on Monday. Story continues A senior U.S. official denounced the military maneuvers as "coercion" and a threat to stability in the region. Some observers said Washington was likely to greet any presidential bid by Gou with caution. "I don't think the United States would be too happy to see him running because he is close to China and, right now, the U.S. is wary about China," said Shane Lee, political scientist at Chang Jung University in Taiwan. "PEACE IS THE BIGGEST WEAPON" China claims Taiwan as its own and has vowed to bring the island, which it regards as a sacred territory, under Chinese control, by force if necessary. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help provide the island with the means to defend itself and is its main source of arms. "We need peace. We don't need to buy too many weapons. Peace is the biggest weapon," Gou said, adding that Taiwan only needs adequate self-defence. "If we spend the money for weapons on economic development, on artificial intelligence, on investment in the United States, this would be the biggest assurance on peace." "Whose children are willing to sit in those fighter jets?" A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Gou was likely to announce his decision on the presidential bid later on Tuesday at the earliest and was due to travel to Foxconn's factory in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Wednesday. Shares of Foxconn, which is formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd and has a market value of around $40 billion, closed 0.7 percent higher on Tuesday. An official at Taiwan's stock exchange told Reuters there were no regulations related to a company executive running for the island's presidency. Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is expected to announce a presidential candidate in May, with contenders including President Tsai Ing-wen and her former premier, William Lai. FOXCONN MANAGEMENT RESHUFFLE Asked by Reuters on Monday if he would quit as chairman, Gou said, at 69 years old, he was moving in that direction, though any decision needed to be discussed with Foxconn's board. "I don't know where you got the information from. But I have to say, basically, I'm working towards that direction - to walk back to the second line, or retire," Gou said. He also signaled a major management reshuffle. "In the board meeting in April-May we will give the new list of board members to the board," Gou said without elaborating. Founded in 1974, the Foxconn group is the world's biggest contract manufacturer with T$5.2 trillion ($168.52 billion) in annual revenue. It assembles goods for a miscellany of global tech firms but relies on Apple Inc for over half of annual revenue, analysts said. (Reporting by Yimou Lee; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Muralikumar Anantharaman) Paris (AFP) - The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to stand trial in France on charges of building up a property empire in the country using funds from Syrian state coffers, legal sources said Wednesday. An investigating magistrate ordered Rifaat al-Assad to stand trial for organised money laundering in building the 90 million euro ($102 million) property portfolio in France, according to a trial order seen by AFP. The trial date has not been set. Rifaat al-Assad, dubbed the "Butcher of Hama" for allegedly commanding troops that put down an uprising in central Syria in 1982, has been under investigation in France since 2014. Casualty estimates from the Hama uprising are between 10,000-40,000 dead. In a written decision dated March 8, seen by AFP, the office of the financial crimes prosecutor called for Assad to stand trial for laundering the proceeds of aggravated tax fraud, embezzling Syrian state funds, and failing to register French security and cleaning staff. Assad, who splits his time between France and Britain, denies the charges. Formerly Syria's vice-president, Rifaat Assad left Syria in 1984 after mounting a failed coup against his brother Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father who led Syria from 1971 to 2000. After he arrived in Europe, his lavish lifestyle, four wives, and 16 children soon raised eyebrows. Assad's reported French fortune includes two Paris townhouses, one measuring 3,000 square metres (32,000 square feet), as well as a stud farm and a chateau, and 7,300 square metres (79,000 square feet) of office space in Lyon. Most of that was bought in the 1980s through offshore companies in Panama, Curacao, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Assad and his family also own more than 500 properties in Spain worth around 690 million euros. These were seized by authorities in 2017. Assad has maintained that his lavish lifestyle was made possible by gifts from the Saudi royal family that amounted to more than a million dollars per month. But despite documents from Assad's lawyers meant to justify gifts of almost 25 million dollars between 1984 and 2010, the French magistrate registered only a transfer of 10 million dollars from Saudi Arabia. PARIS Notre-Dame Cathedral was still burning Monday when the pledges began to flood in. Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back to this jewel of our heritage as soon as possible, said Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering and chairman of his familys investment arm, Artemis, as the fire continued to burn into the night. Related stories Deloitte Global Report Maps out Growth of Luxury Goods Companies LVMH's Belmond Deal Gets Regulatory Clearance Louis Vuitton Retains Star Aura As LVMH Powers Into 2019 The luxury titan added in a statement that he and his father, Francois Pinault, would contribute 100 million euros of Artemis funds, as of now to take part to the effort needed to fully rebuild Notre-Dame de Paris. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and the Arnault family also pledged funds and assistance, calling the fire a national tragedy and offering 200 million euros to a fund for reconstructing the extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity. The luxury group added it would also contribute the help of creative, architectural and financial specialists to help with the fund-raising process already under way and reconstruction. Joining the luxury titans, LOreal and the Bettencourt Meyers family, descendants of the French beauty giants founder and the groups largest individual shareholder, said Tuesday that they will pledge 200 million euros to the renaissance of Notre-Dame. One hundred million euros will be granted by LOreal and the Bettencourt Meyers family, and the other half by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. By late Tuesday, according to AFP calculations, contributions from the private sector surpassed 600 million euros, the bulk of funds coming from wealthy French families. I am very glad to see the fashion industry giving the example in funding the restoration works, said Ralph Toledano, president of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashions governing body. Notre-Dame de Paris is certainly a place of the utmost importance for Christians. But this monument goes beyond this role as it is history, art, culture, architecture, Paris, France but also a part of the world patrimony. It belongs to humanity. Story continues Speaking on Monday night in front of the cathedral, still ablaze, President Emmanuel Macron had announced that a national campaign would be launched to help rebuild the monument, as an outpouring of emotion seized social networks around the world, with people expressing shock at images of smoke and flames spilling over the gargoyles and flying buttresses of the centuries-old monument. This cathedral, we will rebuild it all together, Macron said on French television channels. Through the early hours of Tuesday morning, people thronged along the banks and bridges of the river Seine and on Ile Saint-Louis to stand vigil as flames engulfed the cathedral. Onlookers mostly remained silent, while others solemnly sang hymns, filling the night air with melodies that were sometimes punctuated with applause in support of fire trucks, which were entering or leaving the site. Speaking on Europe 1 Tuesday morning, as the city was waking up to assess the damage, Pinault recounted how he and his family were shaken by the devastation. Its a tragedy that has touched us all.I saw my 17-year-old daughter crying in the front of the imagesits something that shook us, my father as well, and we wanted to act immediately its an absolutely unbelievable challenge, he said. A lot of people would likely contribute as they could, he noted. I believe it is very important that we be united around this symbol that is the symbol of our heritage, its our history thats at stake, our culture, and, in some respects, our national pride. I think it concerns everybody, added Pinault. Public and private fundraising sites cropped up around the globe, including a crowdfunding platform dedicated to French heritage sites called Dartagnans, which generated nearly 52,000 euros by midday Tuesday, and Leetchi, which had nearly 27,000 euros of funds to finance repair work on the monument, collected on Tuesday, from more than a thousand donors. On Tuesday morning, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said her throat still felt tight. I dont think anyone can be indifferent to this cathedral, she said, speaking on French radio channel France Inter. Hidalgo pledged 50 million euros from her office, listing funds that could be tapped into for restoration work, including a city church fund set up recently. The mayor said she plans to organize an international conference of donors, hosted in the Hotel de Ville, or city hall, where rescued historic pieces from Notre-Dame have been stored for safekeeping including the Crown of Thorns and the tunic of Saint Louis, which were rushed to safety by a human chain of firefighters and city workers. After nine hours battling the flames, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire a little before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Around 400 firefighters were mobilized, and two policemen and a fireman were injured, according to Paris firefighters. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Germany has no plans to stop Chinese telecom giant Huawei from participating in the build up of ultra-high speed internet, known as 5G, in the country if it complies with security requirements. Jochen Homann, president of the country's telecommunications regulator, told the FT newspaper that no equipment suppliers, including Huawei, "should, or may, be specifically excluded." Homann told the FT that his agency has yet to see evidence that Huawei poses a security risk. Germany has no plans to stop Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from participating in build up of ultra-high speed internet, known as 5G, in the country if it complies with all the security requirements, the Financial Times reported on Sunday . The president of the Bundesnetzagentur, the country's telecommunications regulator, told the FT that no equipment suppliers, including Huawei, "should, or may, be specifically excluded." Jochen Homann told the newspaper that his agency has yet to see evidence that Huawei poses a security risk. He added that if Huawei meets the security requirements imposed by the regulator, it can take part in the 5G network roll-out. Huawei is up against mounting worries that its technology will enable Chinese espionage through those high-speed mobile networks. The United States banned Huawei from selling 5G networking equipment to U.S. firms. Other countries have followed suit, including Australia, Japan and New Zealand . Huawei claims the security concerns are unfounded. The European Union so far has shunned U.S. calls to ban Huawei. The United Kingdom, a close ally of Washington, acknowledged 'significant' security risks posed by Huawei but has, so far, not moved to ban the firm outright. In an interview with CNBC's Arjun Kharpal on Saturday, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei said his company will comply with European cybersecurity standards and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws that govern the European Union. Story continues "Germany proposed the establishment of a unified global convention that would bar all equipment vendors from installing backdoors, and require them to sign a no-spy agreement," he said, referring to a potential "no spy" deal between Berlin and Beijing . In 5G networks, the emphasis is more on software instead of hardware. That means an equipment maker may be able to install lines of code, called "backdoors," that let it access what's going on inside the network such as monitoring data transfers, tracking locations of cell phone users, or eavesdropping on conversations. "We endorse unified global standards that make installing backdoors a crime ... we want to sign such an agreement because we think it's the right thing to do," Ren said. Ren added that Huawei will invest more than $100 billion in research and development over the next five years: "We will build the simplest networks, ensure cyber security, and protect user privacy." The Trump administration, meanwhile, warned the German government it would limit intelligence-sharing if Berlin allows Huawei to build its 5G infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported last month . Read more about the German regulator's stance on Huawei from the Financial Times here . CNBC's Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report. More From CNBC Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller list Tuesday as firefighters damped down the embers of the blaze which ravaged the ancient cathedral. The original French version of the gothic novel, "Notre-Dame de Paris", became the fastest selling book in France and is also a number one bestseller worldwide in English in two sub-categories of historical fiction. The Disney animated movie version of the story also rocketed into the top 10 of family films. When Hugo began his sprawling 11-volume tale in 1829, Notre Dame -- the "majestic and sublime edifice" which he adored -- was crumbling and neglected. But his epic about the tragic fate of the Gypsy girl Esmeralda who captures the heart of Captain Phoebus, the poet Pierre Gringoire, Archdeacon Frollo -- and most of all the hunchback Quasimodo -- helped mobilise the mammoth 19th-century restoration of the monument. One passage, from chapter four of the penultimate volume of the novel, was widely quoted on social media as a prophetic description of Monday's fire, which tore through its roof, sending its spire crashing down into the nave. "All eyes were turned to the top of the church," Hugo wrote as if describing the millions of people who gathered along the banks of the Seine or watched agog on television as the great 850-year-old structure burned. - 'Gargoyles vomited fiery rain' - "What they saw was most strange. Upon the top of the topmost gallery, higher than the central rose-window, a vast flame ascended between the two belfries with whirlings sparks. "A vast flame, fierce and strong, fragments of which were ever and anon borne away by the wind with the smoke. "Below this flame, below the dark balustrade with its glowing trefoils, two spouts, terminating in gargoyles, vomited sheets of fiery rain, whose silvery streams shone out distinctly against the gloom of the lowers part of the cathedral front." Story continues French people have a tendency to turn to literature at times of national crisis. Sales of the American writer Ernest Hemingway's ode to Paris in the 1920s, "A Moveable Feast", soared after the November 2015 Paris attacks. Hugo set his high-blown romantic story in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI, but much of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is a rumination on the architecture of the building itself. Many critics have argued that the cathedral is in fact the novel's central character. In another famous passage from the novel, Hugo bemoans how the medieval landmark at the heart of Paris has been left to crumble. "Much beauty as it may retain in its old age, it is not easy to repress a sigh, to restrain our anger, when we mark the countless defacements and mutilations to which men and Time have subjected that venerable monument, without respect for Charlemagne (the Holy Roman emperor), who laid the first stone, or Philip Augustus (1165-1223), who laid the last." A tireless campaigner, Hugo -- who many regard as the intellectual godfather of the European Union -- lived to see the massive restoration of the cathedral completed by the architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. Kabul (AFP) - Afghanistan published Tuesday a lengthy list of delegates who will meet with the Taliban in Doha this week, including government officials, in what could become the highest-level dialogue between the sworn enemies in years. A massive roster published by the presidential palace comprises 250 names, including President Ashraf Ghani's chief of staff, Abdul Salam Rahimi, as well as his election running mate, Amrullah Saleh, the former head of Afghan intelligence. Other delegates named on the list come from many walks of Afghan life including youth leaders, tribal elders and -- significantly -- 52 women. The last time the Taliban met with the Afghan government was at secretive talks in Pakistan in 2015, which were quickly derailed by the news that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar had died. The three days of talks in Qatar, scheduled to start Friday, come amid a months-long push led by Washington for peace nearly 18 years after the US invasion, and as fresh violence rips across Afghanistan. Any contact between the Kabul government and the Taliban is seen as hugely significant, because the insurgents view Ghani as a US stooge and his government as a puppet regime, and have long refused to speak with them directly. They have insisted that any government officials attending this week's talks will be doing so only in a "personal capacity". The US, which has cited significant progress after holding direct talks with the militants in Doha several times since September, is not expected to attend. The militants have not announced a final list of who is headed to Doha, and distanced themselves from a report that suggested their delegation might also include women. The peace process thus far has been widely criticised for a lack of female representation, and US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has pushed for greater inclusivity. While the Taliban previously met with Afghan representatives and politicians in Moscow in February, those talks did not include members of Ghani's government. Story continues The spokesman for former president Hamid Karzai, who was at the Moscow talks, said Karzai supported the "intra-Afghan" conference in Doha but would not be attending. Kabul has also been left out of the talks with the Khalilzad and the US delegation, prompting concerns the Afghan government is being sidelined in its own peace process and underscoring the importance of this week's meetings in Doha. This month, the United Nations said it had lifted travel bans for 11 Taliban delegates so they could attend talks. That list includes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Islamist movement and its top political leader, as well as Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's chief negotiator and former deputy minister of foreign affairs. The Taliban last week announced the start of Operation Fath, this year's spring offensive, and violence has continued apace across Afghanistan despite Khalilzad calling for a ceasefire. Riyadh (AFP) - Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi met Saudi King Salman on Wednesday during his first official trip to Riyadh, days after his maiden visit to the Gulf kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran. The meeting, reported by official Saudi media, comes amid a steady warming of ties between Baghdad and Riyadh after decades of strain. The two countries signed 13 major agreements, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television said, without giving further details. Saudi Arabia this month announced a billion-dollar aid package for Iraq, pledging stronger relations as the kingdom competes with Iran for influence over Iraq. The Gulf powerhouse severed relations and closed its border with its northern neighbour after late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But a flurry of visits between the two countries in recent months has indicated a thawing of ties as Riyadh seeks to counter Iran's strong presence in Iraqi politics. Baghdad is also seeking economic benefits from closer ties with the wealthy kingdom, especially as it looks to repair the destruction left by years of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) group. Iran has been highly influential in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam in 2003, and was a key player in the territorial defeat of IS. Abdel Mahdi, named premier last October, has said Iraq now wants good relations with both Tehran and Washington. The US reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran's energy and finance sectors last year. But it has granted Baghdad several temporary exemptions to allow it keep importing Iranian gas and electricity, crucial to Iraq's faltering power sector. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli forces destroyed the home on Wednesday of a Palestinian who was killed during his attempted arrest on suspicion of carrying out a December shooting. Seven peopls were wounded in the December 9 attack near the Israeli settlement of Ofra in the occupied West Bank, one of them a pregnant woman who gave birth prematurely to a baby who later died. The suspected gunman, Salah Barghouti, was killed as security forces attempted to arrest him in a December 12 raid. On Wednesday, border police and defence ministry officials "demolished the apartment in which Salah Barghouti lived" in the village of Kobar, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah, the army said. Border police already razed the home of Barghouti's brother, Assam, in the same village on March 7. Assam Barghouti faces trial in the December 13 killing of two soldiers in a separate shooting nearby. He is also accused of helping his brother carry out the Ofra attack. The armed wing of Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, claimed Salah Barghouti as one of its "fighters." Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against its citizens. It says the measure acts as a deterrent to future attacks but human rights groups condemn the practice as collective punishment since family members suffer from the actions of relatives. By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan's economy minister said he had "frank and good" trade talks with his U.S. counterpart on Monday, but stressed that currency rates should be discussed in a different context, between finance ministers. The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed last September to start trade talks in an arrangement that protects Japanese automakers from further tariffs while talks are underway. Trump has made clear he is unhappy with Japan's $68 billion trade surplus with the United States - much of it from auto exports - and wants a two-way agreement to address it. Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters that most of the three-hour meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was centered on goods. Abe has stressed that the new framework would be a Trade Agreement on Goods, or TAG, not a more wide-ranging free trade agreement that included investments and services that Japan had resisted. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said over the weekend he sees good cooperation with Japan on exchange rates, looking to include a currency provision in any trade agreement to avoid currency manipulation. When asked about exchange rates, Motegi said on Monday that Japan and the United States have already agreed that currencies should be discussed between respective finance ministers. Motegi also said he confirmed with Lighthizer that new trade talks would proceed based on the two nations' joint statement issued last September. It said talks "will respect positions of the other government," drawing lines on autos and Japan's agriculture sector. "We had a frank and very good exchange of views on trade issues," Motegi told reporters. He declined to be more specific, but said he would explain the contents of their talks after the second day of talks on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative declined to comment. Story continues "The U.S. probably doesn't want to spend much time on trade talks with Japan and wants an early achievement," said Junichi Sugawara, senior research officer at Mizuho Research Institute. "The focus will be how Japan and the U.S. will find a common ground as Japan doesn't want to compromise on farm products and can't accept auto export restriction." Abe is scheduled to meet Trump in the U.S. in late April for talks on North Korea and Japan-U.S. trade. (Reporting by David Lawder in Washington, writing by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Malcolm Foster & Kim Coghill) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) On the cusp of an expected White House run, Joe Biden is returning to a familiar role this week as the one of the nation's top eulogists. The former vice president will speak Tuesday at the funeral of Fritz Hollings, the longtime South Carolina Democratic senator who was Biden's Capitol Hill deskmate and friend. The tribute will add to the already memorable eulogies Biden has provided for everyone from Strom Thurmond to John McCain and Ted Kennedy, reflecting his status as the go-to man to speak about the legacies of Washington's one-time titans. But his presence at Hollings' funeral also underscores Biden's unique and complicated role in American politics in 2019. It's a reminder of his decades-long presence on Capitol Hill at a time when some Democratic activists are putting a premium on fresh faces. And his relationships with Republicans, Democrats and one-time segregationists like Thurmond and Hollings come at a time when Democrats are placing greater emphasis on gender and racial diversity. In the run-up to a widely expected presidential campaign, it's these types of connections that Biden thinks make him stand out as a stabilizing figure in hyper-partisan times. But it's also what could make him a hard sell to Democrats in a presidential primary. Those close to him see eulogies like the one he's slated to deliver on Tuesday as an example of the unifying role Biden can play in polarizing times. "He grew up with these people. He learned from them, he came to become a leader with them," said Matt Teper, Biden's chief speechwriter in the first term of the Obama administration. "Republican or Democrat didn't matter. They were all living it together." Politics aside, Biden is known as a poignant eulogist. Those close to him say that's because he's someone who has known profound grief following the 1972 car accident that killed his first wife and young daughter. That sorrow was compounded by the 2015 death of his son, Beau, a tragedy that weighed so heavily on Biden that he pointed to it as a reason not to seek the White House in 2016. Story continues "There's a politician way of delivering a eulogy, and a more human way of delivering a eulogy," said Jon Favreau, a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama. "Joe Biden's eulogies are as human as they come, and I suspect that he connects so well with people who are experiencing grief because he's endured more than most." Biden acknowledged as much during a 2009 memorial service for Kennedy. The then-vice president credited the longtime Democratic senator from Massachusetts for encouraging him to remain in politics following the car accident that claimed his wife and daughter. "He crept into my heart, and before I knew it, he owned a piece of me," Biden said. "I wouldn't be standing here were it not for Teddy Kennedy. ... He sort of took over the role of being my older brother." Biden has turned to eulogies to express appreciation for those who stood by him during difficult political moments. During his 2003 eulogy of Thurmond , a Democrat-turned-Republican who once ran for president as a Dixiecrat opposed to civil rights for African-Americans, Biden praised the senator as someone who stood by him during the confirmation battle of doomed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. "Strom Thurmond stood by me when others didn't and when it was against his political interest to do so," Biden said. "When partisanship was a winning option, he chose friendship, and I'll never forget him for it." In 1972, Biden entered the Senate with Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who opposed civil rights legislation and once called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "the single most dangerous piece of legislation ever introduced in the Congress." Although he didn't eulogize the ultra-conservative Helms, Biden attended his funeral and spoke about him in a speech six months later. He also referenced Helms in a commencement address at Yale University, recounting how his perception of Helms changed once he came to know him on a personal level. "It's awful hard having to reach across the table and shake hands. No matter how bitterly you disagree, though, it is always possible if you question judgment and not motive," Biden said. He's been more coy in remembering other Republicans. In his August remembrance of McCain , Biden noted that he and the Arizona Republican drew ire from both their caucuses by regularly sitting together in the chamber rather than with their partisans. "My name's Joe Biden. I'm a Democrat," he said, sparking a chuckle from the audience in Phoenix before turning serious. "And I loved John McCain." Biden and his supporters see these moments as bipartisan flourishes, the type of overtures that could be helpful in appealing to white working class voters. And they're not going away, even after he was roundly criticized recently for declaring his successor, Mike Pence, a "decent guy" despite his opposition to LGBT civil rights measures. Last week, Biden called former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush a "hell of a governor." But Biden allies say his nature is to make deeper connections with those around him. Dick Harpootlian, a Democratic South Carolina state lawmaker who's known and advised Biden for 40 years, said the former vice president "was going to be friends with people he wanted to be friends with." ___ Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Reach Kinnard at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP and Beaumont at http://twitter.com/TomBeaumont Last month, a clip of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went predictably viral after she forcefully responded to one of her colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee when he called climate change an "elitist" concern. "Wanting clean air and water is not elitist," she said. In response, Kentucky Republican congressman Andy Barr invited Ocasio-Cortez to come meet coal miners in his state "who will tell you what the Green New Deal would mean for their families, their paychecks." His concern, he said, is that the Green New Deal would phase out U.S. reliance on coal and fossil fuel, which would wreak havoc on the lives of people who work in those industries. Ocasio-Cortez accepted, saying she'd be "happy" to go, adding that the Green New Deal was written to fund coal-miner pensions. "We want a just transition to make sure we are investing in jobs across those swaths of the country," she said. All in all, it seemed like an uncharacteristically cordial exchange for two members of Congress. And not even a month later, that cordiality is out the window: Barr has reportedly withdrawn his invitation, saying that Ocasio-Cortez has to first apologize to Texas representative Dan Crenshaw for a completely unrelated event before he brings her to meet with miners. Crenshaw was one of the first and most vociferous critics to pile on to Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar for out-of-context comments about 9/11. When he shared a tweet that falsely claimed Omar said the 9/11 attacks weren't terrorism, Ocasio-Cortez pointed out: "You refuse to co-sponsor the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, yet have the audacity to drum resentment towards Ilhan w/completely out-of-context quotes. In 2018, right-wing extremists were behind almost ALL US domestic terrorist killings. Why dont you go do something about that?" So now Barr is demanding that Ocasio-Cortez apologize to Crenshaw if she wants to accept his invitation, writing in a letter to her office that her comments "demonstrate a lack of civility that is becoming far too common in the U.S. House of Representatives." An apology's not likely to happen, though. Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, told The Courier-Journal, "Luckily, we still have open borders with Kentucky. We dont need Congressman Barr to meet with coal miners and have a town hall, though wed love his participation if we do." Story continues Uninviting Ocasio-Cortez is probably a smart move on Barr's part in the long run. For one thing, there aren't any active coal mines in Barr's district. And James Comer, another Republican representative from Kentucky, told local news that he didn't "see any upside" to having her come to Kentucky. "I think a lot of Republicans are making a mistake picking on her. I think we need to be very prepared when we debate her on issues that we're having a hard time with." That's a pretty low bar for political strategythe idea that politicians should know what they're talking about before engaging across the aislebut Comer seems to be one of the few Republicans who's figured it out so far. Instead of offering themselves up for the next of Ocasio-Cortez's viral tweet dunks, other members of his party would be smart to follow his lead. By Katharine Houreld NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan family has filed a lawsuit in Chicago against American aviation giant Boeing over a March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, lawyers and family members said on Tuesday. Siblings of 29-year-old engineer George Kabau said they wanted to force the company to release documents and emails relating to its 737 MAX 8 model, which was grounded worldwide after two major plane crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia. A preliminary report released earlier this month indicated Ethiopian Airlines pilots wrestled with a computer system that repeatedly ordered the nose down because of faulty sensor data. The same system was a focus of the preliminary report into the October Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people. Dozens of families are already suing Boeing over the Lion Air crash, and three lawsuits have already been lodged over the Ethiopian Airlines crash, by the families of two Americans, including consumer activist Ralph Nader's great niece, and a Rwandan. Lion Air's co-founder on Monday lashed out at Boeing's handling of the accidents. Kabua's sister, Esther Kabau-Wanyoike, choked up as she told a press conference that she wanted to use her brother's death to improve aviation safety. "He didn't leave a child. My mum is devastated," she said. "We can use his demise to ensure safer travel for all." U.S. lawyer Nomi Husain, who is also representing one of the American families, said the lawsuit was filed in Chicago late on Monday. The family was seeking to hold Boeing accountable, he said. "We want to let the litigation process play out," he said. "When you put profits over safety, you will be held accountable and you will pay a price." Boeing said it would not comment on the lawsuit directly. "As the investigation continues, Boeing is cooperating fully with the investigating authorities," the company said in a statement to Reuters. Kenya had the largest number of citizens on the flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. At least 32 Kenyans were on board, the airline said at the time, although that number may be larger because some of the travelers were dual nationals and the full manifest has still not been released. (Additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago. Editing by Jane Merriman; Editing by Georgina Prodhan and Jane Merriman) GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (AP) The Latest on the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in the deaths of an elderly Wisconsin couple (all times local): 3:25 p.m. Police say a 17-year-old Wisconsin boy fatally shot his grandparents and was planning to cause harm at his high school. Police found the elderly couple in their home in Grand Chute on Sunday morning. Investigators say Alexander M. Kraus of nearby Neenah was arrested at the home. They say he acknowledged shooting the couple and said he had a plan to cause harm at Neenah High School. Police identified the couple Monday as 74-year-old Dennis L. Kraus and 73-year-old Letha G. Kraus. Police confirmed they were Alexander Kraus' grandparents. Kraus is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon. ___ 11:15 a.m. Police say a 17-year-old boy has admitted he fatally shot an elderly couple he knew in eastern Wisconsin and that he was planning to cause harm at his high school. Grand Chute police officer Travis Waas told the Associated Press Monday that police responding to a 911 call for assistance found the bodies of the couple in their home in Grand Chute about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Waas declined to release details of the call. Police say Alexander M. Kraus, of Neenah, was arrested at the house. Waas says Kraus acknowledged shooting the two and that he had a plan to cause harm at Neenah High School, where he is a junior. Police and school officials haven't disclosed the nature of those plans. Kraus is being held in the Outagamie County Jail on possible charges of first-degree intentional homicide. ___ 7:06 a.m. Police have arrested a high school junior in the killing of two people at a home in eastern Wisconsin. Police officers found the victims at the house in Grand Chute during a welfare check Sunday. The 17-year-old boy was arrested at the home. The teen is being held at the Outagamie County Jail on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Authorities haven't released the victims' names, but police said in a news release that the teen knew them. No information has been released about how they died. Grand Chute police say the killings were "an isolated incident, with no danger to the public." Neenah Joint School District said in a statement Monday that the student also planned to cause harm at the high school. The district and police have released no details of the alleged plan. PARIS (AP) The latest on the fire that tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local): 11:50 p.m. For the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade, the hardest thing about the blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral was cracking the security codes to rescue its most precious relic. Fire chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier is being hailed as a hero for his role in salvaging the crown of thorns during Monday's fire. Fournier told Catholic broadcaster KTO on Wednesday that "the difficulty for us was to find the person holding the security codes to open the safe where the holy relic is kept." The chaplain was also celebrated for tending to the injured and praying for the dead in Paris' Bataclan concert hall after the 2015 Islamic extremist attack there. He also spent time in Afghanistan with the French military. ___ 8:40 p.m. The Paris prosecutor's office says the investigation into the Notre Dame Cathedral fire has not produced any indication so far of a criminal act. The probe is still in its early stages. The office on Wednesday said investigators had been able to access some parts of the building to begin their on-site work. Meanwhile, "about 10" more people have been questioned by police, bringing the total to about 40. ___ 7:40 p.m. The bells of France have tolled, ringing out from the nation's cathedrals and basilicas in commemoration of the Notre Dame fire. From Sacre Coeur in Paris' Montmartre district to Strasbourg in the east and Rouen in the west, the architectural treasures of France solemnly marked the inferno Wednesday evening, two days after it ravaged Notre Dame of Paris. The Gothic cathedral is widely regarded as the soul of France. At Saint Sulpice church, the second largest house of worship in Paris, French first lady Brigitte Macron attended a special service, the yearly blessing of the oils during Holy Week ahead of Easter Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to have Notre Dame rebuilt in five years. Story continues ___ 7:25 p.m. The cultural heritage envoy for French President Emmanuel Macron says it is realistic to reopen Notre Dame Cathedral to the public in five years. Following a meeting at the presidential palace about the cathedral's reconstruction, Stephane Bern said Macron's goal is to allow visitors coming for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris to visit Notre Dame. "No one around the table has protested saying this is unrealistic or utopian," Bern said. Bern was joined at the meeting by ministers, local elected officials, church representatives and top cultural heritage experts. Bern said Macron didn't express his views regarding the reconstruction of the roof and whether the frame should be in wood, metal or concrete. These questions, Bern said, "will be answered later." Bern also said Macron told the meeting that the new spire will hinge on the results of an international architecture competition. Notre Dame's spire collapsed soon after the cathedral caught fire Monday. ___ 6:45 p.m. The Walt Disney Co. has pledged to contribute $5 million to aid in the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral after Monday's fire. In a statement on Wednesday, Disney chairman and chief executive Bob Iger says the company "stands with our friends and neighbors in the community." The cathedral was the setting for Disney's 1996 animated adaptation of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Disney is also developing a live-action adaption. The theme park Disneyland Paris, originally named Euro Disney, is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside of Paris. ___ 6:35 p.m. President Donald Trump says he had "a wonderful conversation" with Pope Francis on Wednesday, two days after a fire ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump says in a tweet that he offered "condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire." And Trump says he offered the help of "our great experts on renovation and construction" and made the same offer to French President Emmanuel Macron in a call on Tuesday. Trump and the pope had clashed over Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the southern U.S. border, but they appeared to get along well when they met in person during the president's trip to the Vatican in 2017. Trump says he also wished both the Pope and Macron "a very Happy Easter!" ___ 5:45 p.m. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plans to donate the proceeds of an upcoming concert in Berlin to the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. The Paris landmark was badly damaged in a fire on Monday. Berlin Cathedral, which is hosting the May 2 concert, said Wednesday that the event will take place under the theme "Standing together! Solidarity for Notre Dame de Paris." The concert is being organized by the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, which promotes liturgical music and the restoration of church art. The Vienna Philharmonic had planned to stage a concert at Notre Dame in 2021. ___ 4:10 p.m. A Paris official says part of the support structure around Notre Dame Cathedral's rose windows is to be dismantled to prevent further damage following a massive fire. The Culture Ministry's fire expert, Jose Vaz de Matos, told reporters that part of the triangular structure above the central rose window is to be taken down "to limit the movement" of the stone. De Matos said the main risk to the cathedral is the gables above the rose windows, which provide crucial support to the stained glass masterpieces. He said the structure is particularly exposed to the wind, and the overall structure remains fragile. Police officials told The Associated Press that the triangular structure is leaning 20 centimeters forward toward the street since the fire. ___ 3:25 p.m. A Paris fire official says the towers of Notre Dame would have fallen if firefighters hadn't deployed massive equipment and acted swiftly. Philippe Demay denied there was any delay and said firefighters acted as fast as they could. Demay told reporters that the operation was extremely difficult and that the towers could have collapsed "if we hadn't put heavy equipment in place." ___ 3:15 p.m. Paris firefighters say Notre Dame Cathedral's rose windows are in good shape after a devastating fire, but that their support structures are at risk. Fire fighter spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters that the rose windows are "in good condition" but that "there is a risk for the gables that are no longer supported by the frame." He said firefighters took down statues inside the gables above the rose windows to protect them, and took care not to spray water too hard on the delicate stained glass. He said firefighters and experts are still closely monitoring the building to determine how much damage the structure suffered and what needs to be dismantled to avoid collapse. ___ 2:55 p.m. Hungary's deputy prime minister says the Notre Dame Cathedral fire is a "tragic symbol" of the "apocalyptic loss of values we are witnessing in the western world." In an excerpt of an interview to be broadcast on news channel Hir TV this coming Easter Monday, Zsolt Semjen, said "the French secularist, anti-church policy is also deeply responsible" for the fire. The French Republic owns churches that were constructed before 1905. Semjen, who is head of the Christian Democratic Party, said Hungary would consider contributing to Notre Dame's reconstruction, but added that "the reality is that France is a rich country, so shouldn't Macron have announced that France will rebuild Notre Dame?" Semjen said: "May God allow this tragedy to be a sign which shakes up the French nation, not just regarding the reconstruction of the church but also in terms of their own national self-esteem, their own history, their own Frenchness and their own Christianity." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the country's anti-immigrant policies and border fences, built in late 2015 to stop the migrant flow, have helped protect Europe's Christian culture. ___ 2:15 p.m. Paris merchants whose livelihoods depend on Notre Dame tourism are worried about the cathedral's stability and their own futures. The island that houses the cathedral has been closed to the public since Monday's fire, and its residents evacuated. It's literally the nucleus of Paris all distances in France are measured from the esplanade in front of Notre Dame. It's also one of the most-visited spots in France, whose economy depends heavily on tourism. Patrick Lejeune, president of the Notre Dame neighborhood merchants association, told The Associated Press that the group's 150 employees fear for the future. "No one is talking about us," he said. Bustling streets are now "totally closed. I don't have access to my office." He also expressed concern for the stability of the cathedral and its central rose window. Its spire collapsed and roof was destroyed in the fire. ___ 2:05 p.m. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says the government will take a series of measures to secure the financing and accelerate the renovation work of Notre Dame Cathedral. Speaking after a special Cabinet meeting dedicated to Notre Dame, Philippe said the government will present a bill next week to ensure "transparency and good management" during the reconstruction. He said one measure will aim at ensuring that all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame. The bill will also allow French ordinary citizens to get special tax cuts if they make a donation. Another measure will enable the French state to adapt legal procedures in order to ease the reconstruction. ___ 1:55 p.m. The organist who was playing at evening mass inside Notre Dame when flames began heading towards the iconic cathedral's roof says people didn't immediately react when the fire alarm rang as a priest was reading from the Bible. Johann Vexo says "nobody knew exactly what it was because it was the first time that we heard it inside the cathedral." People then started to leave the building but some, including Vexo, later came back. The organist says he spent another 20 minutes inside the cathedral, chatting to colleagues, before finally leaving at about 6.45 p.m. local time on Monday night. Vexo says he didn't see fire or smoke and "really thought that it was just something not working good or just a mistake, or whatever." Notre Dame's spectacular and unique great organ seemingly escaped largely intact from the blaze that destroyed the roof and spire. Vincent Dubois, another Notre Dame organist who wasn't in the cathedral, says the organ "must be completely dusted off, cleaned from the soot, the dust that is inside." ___ 1:20 p.m. Notre Dame's rector says he will close the burned-out Paris cathedral for up to six years. Bishop Patrick Chauvet acknowledged that the famed monument would close down for "five to six years" as he spoke with local business owners Wednesday, two days after a blaze torched the roof of the cathedral and brought down its spire. Chauvet said "a segment of the cathedral has been very weakened" by the devastating fire. He did not elaborate which section he was talking about. He added it was unclear what the church's 67 employees would be doing in the future. ___ 1 p.m. The French prime minister has announced an international competition for architects to see if the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral should be rebuilt and how it should be rebuilt. Edouard Philippe is speaking following a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday held by French President Emmanuel Macron, focusing on the reconstruction of the cathedral. Philippe said the competition will also assess whether the spire should be "adapted to technologies and challenges of our times." He said authorities have no estimate yet of the total cost of the renovation work. Macron said Tuesday he wants the cathedral to be rebuilt in five years. Philippe said: "This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility." ___ 12:45 p.m. The Paris prosecutor's office says investigators looking into the causes of the Notre Dame fire have still not been able to look inside the cathedral, as it remains unsafe. Investigators will continue with interviews Wednesday, saying the inquiry will go on until prosecutors uncover "the truth and identify the origin" of the blaze. On Tuesday, investigators spoke with around 30 witnesses, including employees of companies involved in the church's restoration and security personnel. ___ 12:35 p.m. The Czech Philharmonic and other major Czech orchestras will join forces to play a fundraising concert to help restore Notre Dame Cathedral, heavily damaged by a devastating fire. The Czech Philharmonic says the orchestras will perform Antonin Dvorak's "Stabat Mater" in St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, in Prague on Tuesday. The orchestras want to support France in renovating one of the most important religious buildings in Europe. "Stabat Mater" is a key religious piece by Dvorak. The oratorio was said to be inspired by the death of his three children. St Vitus is the biggest and most important Czech cathedral and the "Concert for Notre Dame" will be broadcast live by Czech public radio and television. ___ 10:40 a.m. Pope Francis has told his weekly audience at St. Peter's Square of his sadness over the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, the seat of the Paris archdiocese. The pope said Wednesday that "I take this opportunity to express to the Paris diocesan community, all Parisians and the entire French population my great affection and my closeness after the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral." Addressing those gathered, pope said, "I was very sad and I feel very close to all of you." He expressed "the gratitude of the whole church to those who did their utmost to save the Basilica, also risking their lives." The pope on Tuesday sent a telegram of condolences to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetitand and phoned French President Emmanuel Macron to express his solidarity. ___ 9:20 a.m. Nearly $1 billion has already poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to restore Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a massive fire. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site Wednesday morning. French President Emmanuel Macron ratcheted up the pressure by setting a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. Macron is holding a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday dedicated to the Notre Dame disaster. Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info on Wednesday that 880 million euros ($995 million) has been raised so far. Contributors include Apple and magnates who own L'Oreal, Chanel and Dior, as well as Catholics and others from around France and the world. Authorities consider the fire an accident. ___ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg officially announced a 2020 presidential bid. "They call me Mayor Pete," Buttigieg said at a rally inside a factory formerly owned by automaker Studebaker. "I am a proud son of South Bend, Indiana. And I am running for President of the United States." Buttigieg was elected mayor of South Bend, Indiana , in 2011 when he was 29. He won nearly 74 percent of the vote, and became the youngest mayor of U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents. "I belong to a generation that is stepping forward right now," Buttigieg said in a video announcement of his exploratory committee released in January. "We're the generation that lived through school shootings, that served in the wars after 9/11. And we're the generation that stands to be the first to make less than our parents unless we do something different." The 37-year-old wants voters to make choosing him that something different. Were he to win the nomination, Buttigieg, who is gay, would be the first out politician to vie for the presidency from a major political party. Were he to win the presidency, he would become the youngest president in U.S. history. As CNBC reported on Sunday, recent polling from New Hampshire and Iowa show Buttigieg in third among the Democratic party's voters, behind Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, but ahead of well known candidates including Elizabeth Warren and Beto O'Rourke. And earlier this month, Buttigieg announced he had raised more than $7 million since declaring his candidacy in January. While his policies are informed by his personal experiences, he's banking on the fact that voters from every part of the ideological spectrum will care more about finding pragmatic solutions to huge challenges the skill he prides himself on than any of that. Buttigieg spoke with CNBC Make It about college costs, climate change, and why someone his age could be uniquely well-positioned to take on the challenges facing the next president of the United States. Story continues "Not someone else's problem" Born in 1982, Buttigieg (pronounced "boot-edge-edge" ) is a millennial. He says his place among the oft-maligned generation, rather than being a hindrance, gives him a sense of urgency and a "personal appreciation of the stakes." "When your generation is literally the one that will be on the business end of climate change," says Buttigieg, "you just look at things differently." He thinks it's the proverbial ticking clock of crises like climate change and crushing student debt that's made younger voters more amenable to creative problem-solving and less adverse to policies that might be quickly dismissed by older voters as smacking of socialism. "In an older generation during the Cold War, you could kill an idea by saying it was socialist," he says. "I think in our generation we just want to know if it's a good idea, and the name-calling doesn't work as much because it doesn't have that same kind of horrifying connotation. It's not just like a kill switch on a substantive debate." Buttigieg says that many of the major policy decisions being made currently "are going to cash out in my lifetime." He recalls seeing a tweet dismissing the severity of a cavity under the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica that could threaten the safety of coastal cities around the world the glacier, the user argued, isn't supposed to collapse for another 50 years. "I might be here in 50 years!" he says. "I definitely will. This is not someone else's problem." He sees a similar need for immediate ways to address the mounting costs of college which he says "is too expensive for too many people" as well as the growing student debt crisis. "College is supposed to be the gateway to the middle class for a lot of Americans," says Buttigieg. "Beginning with the G.I. Bill, more people of any background could access education, and with it a better standard of living. Now, it's almost become a marker of whatever class you already come from, when you look at the disparities of who can get in and who completes college and who could afford it." Buttigieg says he would support an expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program , through which graduates could exchange public service for forgiveness of government loans, making it "a social norm that anybody would put in a year after high school with some kind of service. We would fuse those with a with a major break on college costs, tuition or debt." A personal understanding of what's at stake In 2015, as the Supreme Court prepared to release a decision on same-sex marriage, Buttigieg came out in a widely-circulated op-ed in the South Bend Tribune. "I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay," he wrote. "It took years of struggle and growth for me to recognize that it's just a fact of life, like having brown hair, and part of who I am." He wrote at the time that he was unaccustomed to viewing his sexuality as anyone else's business, but that he saw the opportunity to do good by speaking about it openly. Now Buttigieg, who married husband Chasten Glezman in June 2018 at the Cathedral of St. James in South Bend, says his identity has deepened that sense of political urgency. "When the most important thing in your life, your marriage, exists by the grace of a single vote on the Supreme Court, you have a very personal understanding of what's at stake in American politics." Another example of understanding the stakes: "I'm also one of the only people in this conversation has been sent to war on the orders of an American president." Buttigieg took an unpaid leave from the mayor's office to deploy to Afghanistan in 2014 with the U.S. Navy Reserve, in which he had served since 2009. But while his marriage and his military service drive key dimensions of his platform, Buttigieg says it's actually his Midwestern roots and time as the mayor of South Bend that have shaped his approach to government most. He says that while President Trump has tried to appeal to voters' "nostalgia" about the middle of country, cities like his find success when they focus on what's ahead. "The story of a place like South Bend you know, exactly the kind of so-called 'Rustbelt City' that was being given up on our story actually shows that there's a different way, that you can focus on the future, make your peace with the fact that there's no going back and come out ahead for it." Getting voters to bet on a newcomer A Morning Consult poll of over 150,000 registered Democrats conducted between March 4th and 10th found that just 1 percent of voters considered Buttigieg their top candidate. A majority 62 percent hadn't heard of him. That may be changing. After appearing at a CNN town hall in which he called Vice President Mike Pence a "cheerleader of the porn star presidency," he was, according to the Indianapolis Star , "the subject of more Google searches during and in the 24 hours after his town hall than were each of three top Democrats: Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris." Obama strategist David Axelrod tweeted during the televised event that Buttigieg was "crisp, thoughtful and relatable" and would be "a little less of a longshot tomorrow." Following the town hall, according to CNN , Buttigieg raised more than $600,000 from over 22,200 donations within 24 hours. After Howard Schultz said during a radio appearance that he had spent more time with the military in the past decade than any of the other presidential candidates, Buttigieg fired back, tweeting, "I don't recall seeing any Starbucks over there..." Schultz later apologized to Buttigieg and candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who served in the Hawaii Army National Guard. TWEET Still, he's going to have to work to stand out in a field that already includes over a dozen candidates including well-known legislators like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris and superstar newcomer Beto O'Rourke vying for the Democratic nomination. Several of his opponents have already built impressive war-chests in record time. But Buttigieg says the crowd is actually an advantage. "I think the more crowded it is, the more room there is for newcomers and underdogs. I think it's not an accident that with so many well-known figures in the mix, still no one has been able to consolidate even a strong plurality." He also enjoys something many other candidates do not: a record of support from voters at both ends of the political spectrum. "There are a lot of people [in Indiana] who voted for Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Mike Pence and me," he says. "Voters are not organizing all of their thinking along ideological lines." He's hoping that his experience heading up a city government, rather than coming from a state or federal office, will give him an edge among those voters. Mayors, and those working at the city level, he says, spend so much time focused on problem-solving "we almost don't have enough time to stop and check whether something reads as left or right." Will voters be willing to do the same? Buttigieg is optimistic. "I think sometimes, pragmatism actually takes you to a place that might be further out in the ideological space than people think." Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Don't miss: Report: Innovation is 6 times higher at companies where men and women are treated most equally Why experts say the $25 million college admissions scandal is 'just the tip of the iceberg' The Fortune 500 is expected to gain another female CEO More From CNBC French President Emmanuel Macron promised to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral following a devastating fire that destroyed the Paris landmarks spire and roof on Monday. Overnight, donations have been flooding in in the hundreds of millions. As of Wednesday morning, nearly 800 million ($995 million) had been raised for what is sure to be a massive rebuilding project, Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info. Much of that money is coming from some wealthy French citizens, including Salma Hayeks husband Francois-Henri Pinault, who heads Kering SA, the fashion company behind Gucci and Alexander McQueen among other luxury designers. Pinault pledged a donation of 100 million ($113 million). However, the city is also getting creative in the way theyre asking for funds. The French version of Google Maps is offering information on how to donate to the fund when you click on Notre Dame Cathedral, and many of the larger shops have an automatic question on their keypad at check out that asks customers if they want to round up their charged amount with the difference going toward the rebuild. RELATED: Hero Priest Helped Human Chain Save Artifacts from Notre Dame: He Showed No Fear Amid Blaze Bernard Arnault, who heads Kerings rival company LVMH, which is the parent company of Louis Vuitton, Moet and Hennessy pledged that he and his company would donate 200 million ($226 million) to the reconstruction. In the wake of this national tragedy, the Arnault family and the LVMH Group pledge their support for #NotreDame, LVMH posted on Twitter. They will donate a total of 200 million euros to the fund for reconstruction of this architectural work, which is an integral part of the history of France. Along with their monetary donation, the company offered to help in the rebuilding process with services from all of its teams including creative, architectural and financial specialists. Total SA, an energy company based in France, also stepped in with a 100 million ($113 million) donation. Story continues The heir of Lilliane Bettencourt, who headed LOreal and was considered the wealthiest woman in the world until she passed away two years ago at the age of 94, also announced a donation of 200 million euros ($226 million), according to Reuters. The gift will be made through the Bettencourt Foundation in the name of Lilianes daughter Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also announced a 50 million ($56 million) donation from the City of Paris, while the regional government agreed to provide 10 million ($11 million), the Washington Post reports. In 2024, Paris will host the world for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We need to do everything we can so that the Notre Dame cathedral is returned to all its splendor for this occasion, Hidalgo said. RELATED VIDEO: Salma Hayeks Husband Francois-Henri Pinault Pledges $113 Million to Rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral Martin Bouygues who runs a French telecoms construction group and has helped renovate the Louvre and Musee dOrsay, said that he and his brother Olivier would be offering 10 million ($11 million) along with their construction services to rebuild, CNBC reports. Vinci construction group also said they would be willing to help repair the landmark and called on other building firms to donate their services. Technology consulting firm Capgemini pledged 1 million ($1.1 million), advertising group JCDecaux is donating 20 million ($22.5 million), and financial firm Societe Generale offered 10 million ($11 million) in support. Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere, the CEO of investment group Fimalac, pledged 10 million ($11 million), Reuters reports. According to CNBC, Air France and KLM issued a joint statement that their teams around the world have been deeply affected and saddened since yesterday, and said they would be providing free transportation for all of the official partners who are involved with rebuilding Notre Dame. The airlines are also setting up a donation fund for the cathedral. Apple CEO Tim Cook also announced his support of the rebuilding efforts on Twitter on Tuesday, writing We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dames precious heritage for future generations. Cook did not elaborate on a monetary value of his donation. Many groups are also asking for donations from the public, including The French Heritage Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving historic buildings. It has raised over 3.7 million ($4.1 million) overnight. RELATED: Crowds in Paris Began Singing Ave Maria While Watching Fire at Notre Dame Cathedral According to a tweet from the AFP on Monday night, a fire official confirmed that the main structure of the historic building had been saved and preserved, despite the spire and roof being consumed by flames and collapsing earlier in the evening. The worst has been avoided, but the battle isnt fully won yet, French President Emmanuel Macron told crowds in a speech given outside of the church Monday night. He promised that the cathedral will be rebuilt. It is with pride I tell you tonight we will rebuild this cathedral, he said. We will rebuild Notre Dame because it is what the French expect of us, it is what our history deserves, it is, in the deepest sense, our destiny. A fire that engulfed the roof of Pariss Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday put more than the famed landmark itself at risk an important collection of artwork and Christian relics stored in and around Notre Dame also faced danger from the flames. Many of the most vital works of art and artifacts were saved from the Notre Dame fire, French Culture Minister Franck Riester said, according to the Associated Press. That includes the crown of thorns believed by some to have been worn by Jesus during his crucifixion and the tunic of St. Louis. Some works will be moved to the Louvre, where they are expected to be repaired or restored, if necessary. Firefighters and other emergency responders formed a human chain to save the crown of thorns and other relics from the Notre Dame fire, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said. Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of Pariss fire brigade, joined the chain and entered the building to save what holy relics he could, according to local media. Merci aux @PompiersParis, aux policiers et aux agents municipaux qui ont realise ce soir une formidable chaine humaine pour sauver les uvres de #NotreDame. La couronne d'epines, la tunique de Saint Louis et plusieurs autres uvres majeures sont a present en lieu sur. pic.twitter.com/cbrGWCbL2N Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) April 15, 2019 Le pere Fournier, aumonier des @PompiersParis, est alle avec des pompiers dans la cathedrale #NotreDame pour sauver la couronne depines et le Saint-Sacrement... pic.twitter.com/4IoLVdoJZW Etienne Loraillere (@Eloraillere) April 15, 2019 The cause of the blaze remains unclear; Notre Dame has been undergoing an extensive restoration process. Story continues Here are the works of art and artifacts that were saved, lost or destroyed in the Notre Dame fire: What was saved Among the most treasured artifacts that were saved include the Holy Crown of Thorns, a wreath of thorns believed to have been placed on Jesus Christs head during his crucifixion, and the tunic of St. Louis, believed to have belonged to Louis IX, who was king of France from 1226-1270. Notre Dames famed bell towers also survived the fire. Also thought to be safe is Notre Dames grand organ. Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the organ, which has about 8,000 pipes and dates back to the 1730s, was still intact following the fire. However, Culture Minister Riester said during a news conference Tuesday that the organ was quite affected by the fire. While the instrument may be intact, its unclear whether it sustained water damage as the blaze was extinguished. The rose windows three large stained glass windows for which Notre Dame is famous appear to have survived the fire as well. The Archbishop of Paris told local news outlet BFM TV that the rose windows remain intact. Riester said Tuesday that the windows are faring well. The large rose windows dont appear to have suffered catastrophic damage, he said. What was lost The first immediate loss in the Notre Dame fire came when the cathedrals iconic spire collapsed after being overtaken by flames. The fire also destroyed the cathedrals roof. The extent of the damage to other artwork and relics housed inside the cathedral is still unknown. Riester said some of the greatest paintings inside Notre Dame will be removed starting on Friday. We assume they have not been damaged by the fire, but there will eventually be damage from the smoke, he said. The fate of other relics stored in the cathedral, like a piece of wood and a nail thought to have been involved in Jesus crucifixion, are unknown. In this article: Lima (AFP) - Former Peru president Alan Garcia died in hospital on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head at his home as police were about to arrest him in a graft investigation, a party official said. He was 69. "Alan Garcia has died, long live Apra," said Omar Quesada, the general secretary of Garcia's American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Apra) party. Peru's current President Martin Vizcarra expressed his sympathy on his Twitter account. "Dismayed by the death of ex-president Alan Garcia. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones," Vizcarra wrote in a tweet. Garcia was president on two occasions, from 1985-90 and 2006-11. Police were acting on an arrest warrant for money laundering linked to the wide-ranging corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Peru's health ministry said the bullet passed straight through Garcia's head. Garcia suffered cardiac arrest three times while undergoing emergency surgery, Health Minister Zulema Tomas said. Caracas (AFP) - A second shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid will arrive in Venezuela in around three weeks, the charity organization said on Wednesday, reiterating its plea for the issue not to be politicized. "There's a shipment coming by sea that we expect to be in the country on May 8," said Hernan Bongioanni, the Red Cross commissioner for this mission. He was speaking to the press as surgical equipment, analgesics and antibiotics were delivered to a hospital in Caracas. The first aid shipment arrived by plane from Panama on Tuesday to the Maiquetia international airport that serves Venezuela's capital. Bongioanni said this delivery of surgical equipment would be used to treat 10,000 people in an initial phase of a project expected to benefit 650,000 Venezuelans. Local Red Cross president Mario Villarroel reiterated his call on Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro and his political challenger Juan Guaido not to use the aid issue in their power struggle. "Every time there's an attempt to politicize this aid it prejudices the work we're doing," said Villarroel. Desperately needed humanitarian aid has taken center stage in the stand-off between Maduro and Guaido, the president of the National Assembly legislature. Despite a highly-publicized campaign, Guaido, who launched a challenge to Maduro's authority in January, has failed to force humanitarian aid stockpiled over the border in Colombia into the country. The armed forces, which are loyal to Maduro, blockaded a bridge crossing to prevent the entry of aid, which Maduro claimed was a smokescreen to cover a US-led invasion. That aid was mostly supplied by the United States, one of more than 50 countries to have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader after rejecting Maduro's widely criticized re-election last year. The Red Cross supplies have been allowed in following an agreement reached between the international organization and Maduro. Venezuela has suffered more than four years of recession marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine. The United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid. Over the course of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation, Donald Trump and his attorneys have made expansive arguments for executive power. They have claimed that by definition the president cannot commit obstruction of justice; that he cant be subpoenaed or indicted; and that he could end the Mueller investigation at any time, fire Mueller and pardon key players in the investigation, including himself, if he wanted. But when Mueller finished his work in late March, the White House declined to use one of its most basic powers to review the special counsels report and make assertions of executive privilege to keep portions of it from Congress and the public. As he previewed the Mueller report on Thursday morning, Attorney General William Barr confirmed that Trump declined to assert executive privilege after White House lawyers reviewed the redacted version of the report. Following that review, the President confirmed that, in the interests of transparency and full disclosure to the American people, he would not assert privilege over the Special Counsels report, he said. Scholars say that decision was unusual. The waiver of executive privilege would be unprecedented for a modern presidency in its scope and depth, says Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School who previously represented Barr. The waiver is enormously significant since Trump could have claimed sweeping privilege and tied up the report in the courts for much of the remaining two years of his term. Waiving executive privilege is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. It could leave Trump exposed to potentially damaging information that could come out when the report is released, without having taken the opportunity to review it first or try to redact it with executive privilege. But it also means all the political heat for the reports redactions will be focused on Barr instead of on the president and his lawyers. Story continues Trump has long maintained that Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election wouldnt find any collusion between his campaign and Russians, and he stated publicly that he thinks the entire report should be made public. Let people see it, Trump said at the end of March. Thats up to the attorney general. Read More: The 270 Arguments Trump Has Made About the Mueller Investigation Days later, Barr sent two letters to Congress, one on March 24 which outlined Muellers principal conclusion that the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. Trump claimed complete and total exoneration after Barrs letter, and on March 29, Barr followed up and said that he wouldnt be handing the report over to the White House for review. Although the President would have the right to assert privilege over certain parts of the report, he has stated publicly that he intends to defer to me and, accordingly, there are no plans to submit the report to the White House for a privilege review, Barr wrote. With the report due to come out on April 18, Barr has not announced any changes to this plan. Trump tweeted on April 6 that he has not read the report. I have not read the Mueller Report yet, even though I have every right to do so. Only know the conclusions, and on the big one, No Collusion. Likewise, recommendations made to our great A.G. who found No Obstruction. 13 Angry Trump hating Dems (later brought to 18) given two..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 6, 2019 Part of the White Houses strategy might be to more forcefully and convincingly support the presidents quick claim of exoneration. President Trump has called this a complete exoneration without seeing the report, says Molly Claflin, chief oversight counsel at American Oversight. And I think it is difficult for [the White House] to make heavy redactions and to assert the executive privilege widespread over the report while saying that this is a complete exoneration and theres nothing to see here. In other words, it would be hard politically for Trump to argue the report exonerates him while also redacting large portions of it. Certain aspects of the report will be redacted anyway. Barr is currently working to redact four categories of information from the text: grand jury material, information that could compromise sensitive intelligence sources or methods, details related to ongoing investigations and information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties. But there are some types of details or conversations Congress and the public may get to see that could have been redacted by White House lawyers but now may be left in the text. Multiple sources cited former White House counsel Don McGahns reported cooperation with Muellers team as a key signpost of whether any executive privilege assertions are made. Some of the most damaging information is likely to come from those interviews, says Turley. Those also happen to be interviews most easily protected under executive privilege. So, if details about interactions between Trump and McGahn or other similar information remain in the public version of the report, that will be a telling signal that the White House opted for full transparency. While the White House may have relinquished the opportunity to scrub certain details from the report, they have likely gained a political advantage in the immediate aftermath of the reports imminent release. Congressional Democrats have already begun demanding the full, un-redacted report, and will be unsatisfied by any version of the document they receive that contains any blacked out portions. In previous weeks, it looked like this ire could have been directed at the White House. This is a White House that has supported I think highly implausible assertions of executive privilege, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, told TIME before Barrs March 29 letter. Whitehouse said at the time that he was worried about erroneous or exaggerated assertions of executive privilege. Now, if the White House makes no assertions of privilege, questions about redactions will be entirely focused on the attorney general. Congressional Democrats are already putting considerable pressure on Barr over redactions. As a matter of law, Congress is entitled to the full reportwithout redactionsas well as the underlying evidence, top House and Senate Democrats wrote in an April 11 letter to Barr. We have asked reasonable questions and raised legitimate concerns about your handling of this report. So far, we have received no direct response, and you have made no effort to work with us to accommodate our concerns. If the White House really did waive executive privilege, and whether that will turn out to be a politically savvy or costly move, will begin to become clear only after the report is released on Thursday. On April 10 during congressional testimony, when asked about the level of detail he would leave in the report, Barr promised, You will get more than the gist. Sol Pais, the 18-year-old Florida woman who was said to be infatuated with the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, was found dead Wednesday near Mount Evans in Clear Creek County, west of Denver, officials there said. It looks as if she was alone, FBI special agent Dean Phillips said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, adding that she was viewed as a threat to the community. The FBI said Pais purchased three one-way tickets from Florida to Denver on three successive days, and was in contact with gun stores prior to her departure. Pais was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said during a separate press conference. Clear Creek County Sheriff Rick Albers told the Denver Post that Pais was found dead on a trail about a half mile from a lodge at the base of Mount Evans at 10:50 a.m. local time. A shotgun was located nearby, Albers said. The FBI announced her death in a tweet. We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe. FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019 Earlier this week, the FBI said Pais made credible threats against Denver-area schools four days before the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, prompting schools in the metro area to close. According to police, Pais flew from Miami to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition in Littleton, Colo., not far from the school. She was considered armed and extremely dangerous and had last been seen in the foothills of Jefferson County. Authorities said they believe she had been using a ride-sharing service in Colorado, and they don't believe she ever made it onto school property. SWAT officers walk out of the woods near Echo Lake Campground in Arapaho National Forest after finding the body of Sol Pais on Wednesday. (Photo: RJ Sangosti/Denver Post) Jefferson County school officials say the district receives threats around the anniversary of Columbine every year. Story continues "The shadow of Columbine looms pretty large," said John McDonald, executive director of school safety for Jefferson County. "When this threat came in we're used to threats, frankly, at Columbine. This one felt different." According to NBC News, Pais appears to have kept an online journal that included drawings of one of the Columbine gunmen, Dylan Klebold, and alluded to "plans" she had been making. These undated photos released by the Jefferson County sheriff's office in Colorado show Sol Pais. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office via AP) "Because of her comments and her actions, because of her travel here to the state, because of her procurement of a weapon immediately upon arriving here, we considered her to be a credible threat certainly to the community and potentially to schools," Dean Phillips, FBI special agent in charge of the Denver field office, said at a press conference on Tuesday. More than 20 schools were placed on lockout. A student leaves Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., after a lockdown on Tuesday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) The April 20, 1999, shootings at Columbine High School left 12 students and a teacher dead. A weekend memorial service marking the 20th anniversary of the massacre will go on as planned. But McDonald discouraged people who want to make any "pilgrimage" to the school itself. "Columbine continues to attract people from around the world," he said. "We're not a place to come visit if you're not a student. We're not a tourist attraction. And we're not a place for you to come and gain inspiration." _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Police have contacted McDonald's Canada seeking assistance with repeated incidents at an Ottawa location. (99 Rideau McDonald's/Facebook) Ottawa police are appealing for change at an infamous downtown McDonalds. A sexual assault in the bathroom of the 99 Rideau restaurant last week was the breaking point for the police chief, who appealed to the president of McDonalds Canada to step up their safety strategy at the location. The fast food outlet is a hotspot for drug deals, brawling and panhandling, which is a reflection of the bustling neighbourhood. It is located close to the Byward Market, a busy tourist destination. This area has drawn on our resources quite heavily over the years, Insp. Ken Bryden with Ottawa Police told Yahoo Canada. Members of the force met with McDonalds reps to work on a plan moving forward. Bryden says the meeting was extremely positive and as a result of the strategizing, the restaurant has hired private security to patrol the property. Were going to put these strategies in place, keep an open mind and be innovative, and then reassess after a period of time, says Bryden. The 99 Rideau McDonalds has had its fair share of exposure. Heres a roundup of some of the more eye-raising moments in recent years. October 2016 - Video of brawl at 99 Rideau that includes a raccoon goes viral i dont know how to describe this .gif of a mcdonalds fight on rideau street except to say that at one point, someone pulls out a raccoon pic.twitter.com/auMdeHBwQK Alison Mah (@alisonmah) October 3, 2016 A GIF of a 2014 video from a massive brawl inside the 99 Rideau location goes viral. The clip shows a large group of people tussling, when suddenly a raccoon is pulled from the chaos. The original video is longer available, but shows more cameos of the raccoon, who appears to be tucked inside a mans sweater. April 2018 - Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper spotted at 99 Rideau A Facebook user posts of photo of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the infamous McDonalds outlet, where hes snapped wearing a baseball cap and looking at his phone. Despite the volatile reputation of this McDonalds outlet, the former leader seemed to keep the peace. The photo is captioned : Ran into Stephen Harper at McDonalds, and everyone ignored him. Story continues December 2018: Former manager of 99 Rideau McDonalds takes to Reddit Someone claiming to be a former manager of the 99 Rideau McDonalds signs on the Reddit to take questions. The anonymous person shared the most memorable stories of their time working there, which includes many lewd and unsanitary acts by customers. The former manager also maintains that Halloween and Canada Day are the worst times to be inside this particular establishment. They admitted that while the job was stressful, it had some beautiful moments. Youre centered in an area with a lot of darkness, and every now again you get to be a light in someones life. Especially with so many people in need in the area. People are people. Trump shook the European Union last year when he decided to slap tariffs on European steel and aluminium. Brussels retaliated immediately, putting duties on denim, peanut butter and other American goods. European countries adopted Monday a position to negotiate trade with the U.S., but Trump doesn't like it. Washington and Brussels have been at odds over trade since President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and ended trade negotiations between both sides of the Atlantic. Trump has said that Europe is "possibly just as bad as China" when it comes to trade and called it a "brutal" trading partner. However, despite U.S. threats over new tariffs on Europe and the latter's willingness to retaliate, analysts are not expecting a trade war between the economic giants for several reasons. "For us, a trade war requires trade as a share of GDP (gross domestic product) to decline," Ricardo Garcia, chief euro zone economist at UBS, told CNBC Tuesday, adding a "low probability" to this scenario. "We think the EU would be in a much better position to retaliate than China and is prepared to do so in a highly targeted fashion ahead of the U.S. presidential elections in 2020," he said. Trump shook the European Union last year when he decided to slap tariffs on European steel and aluminium. Brussels retaliated immediately, putting duties on denim, peanut butter and other American goods. The EU also took the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Tweet 1 To bridge their differences and, above all, prevent further duties on EU goods, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker traveled to Washington a couple of months later . He agreed with President Trump to work together to bring existing tariffs towards zero on non-auto industrial goods; to buy more liquefied natural gas from the U.S. and to find ways to bring their standards closer together. On Monday, the 28 European countries finally adopted a common position to negotiate trade with the U.S . The EU wants a deal "strictly focused on industrial goods," thus excluding agricultural products a proposal that President Trump does not like. Story continues "They barely take our agricultural products, and yet they can sell Mercedes Benz and they can sell anything they want in our country including their farm products, and it's not fair," Trump said Monday, threatening to impose tariffs on European carmakers if the EU does not expand its negotiating remit. Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg, said Tuesday in a research note that there will be "noisy discussions" between Europe and the U.S. "Nonetheless we do not expect an escalating dispute that could sow uncertainty and hurt global industry as much as the U.S.-Chinese trade war has done in the last three quarters," he added. Trump has challenged China over trade since taking power as well, imposing increasing rounds of tariffs on the country. At the moment, however, media reports and comments from the U.S. and Chinese administrations suggest they could be close to a trade agreement. According to Schmieding, a deal between Beijing and Washington would make an agreement with Brussels even more likely. "After all, the EU is no geostrategic rival of the U.S.," he said. Both analysts are also confident that the U.S. and Europe will avoid a trade war because political support in the United States for a trade war with the EU is much weaker than backing for a tough stance on China. "The final result (of trade talks between the EU and U.S.) remains unclear. In the end, we may even get neither a deal nor a trade war," Schmieding said. More From CNBC Trump administration officials, in response to a Friday court ruling, are poised to implement a policy that would require asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are being adjudicated. A federal appeals court in California on Friday lifted an injunction that previously blocked the policys implementation. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials responded to the ruling by instructing staff to prepare to return asylum seekers to Mexico under a policy they refer to as Migrant Protection Protocols or MPP, according to internal emails obtained by the Los Angeles Times . This means that implementation of MPP may resume pending the ongoing litigation, the memo reads. In the meantime we have staff on standby for new referrals. Authorities have not yet begun returning migrants to Mexico, according to the Times. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which temporarily lifted the injunction Friday, is expected to issue a permanent ruling on whether the administration can reinstate the so-called Remain in Mexico policy. Then-secretary of homeland security Kierstjen Nielsen first announced the policy in December and used it to successfully return 1,000 migrants to Mexico before it was blocked in court. The statute explicitly authorizing the use of the Migrant Protection Protocols has been on the books for more than two decades, Alexei Woltornist, a Justice Department spokesman, told the Times. And the Department of Justice will robustly defend our ability to use it. President Trump praised the Ninth Circuits ruling in a Friday tweet. Finally, great news at the border, he wrote. In the wake of Nielsens ouster earlier this month, Trump administration officials have reportedly considered a number of executive actions designed to transition away from a family-based immigration system toward one that is more meritocratic. The potential responses include tightening visa restrictions on countries whose nationals tend to overstay their visas as well as making it more difficult for the spouses of H-1B-visa holders to immigrate. More from National Review Oxygen Rosie Essa thought shed catch a last-minute movie with her sister when she hopped into her SUV and headed down the Gates Mills, Ohio streets to the theater. Rosie a nurse married to a successful emergency room doctor had what some might consider the ideal life: financial security, a large family home, two beautiful children, and plans for a third baby. But Rosie would never make it to the movies that day. The 38-year-old mom of two suddenly began driving erratically, hit another car in a mi Building in Revolution Square in Havana with a famous Che Guevara image / Credit: Kamira/Shutterstock.com The Trump administration will for the first time allow lawsuits to be filed in U.S. courts against companies doing business in Cuba that use properties that were confiscated from Cuban Americans and other U.S. citizens after the Cuban revolution. According to Reuters, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton will on Wednesday announce implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act. That law was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 but has been waived by every U.S. President for the past 23 years. Implementing the law could expose U.S., European and Canadian companies to legal action worth billions of dollars. The law allows Americans, including Cubans who have since become U.S. citizens, to bring lawsuits against individuals or companies that "traffic" in property confiscated by Cuba after the 1959 Cuban revolution. Full implementation of the law comes as the international community has begun warming up to Cuba, pouring billions in foreign direct investment into the country. Spain, for example, is Cuba's third-largest trading partner. Spanish hotelier Melia alone has 34 properties in Cuba, according to its website. Companies in Canada, Germany, France and the U.S. have also entered into joint ventures with the Cuban Government, in light of the Obama-era policies easing restrictions on investment, putting them at risk. But an onslaught of lawsuits is not a foregone conclusion even with full implementation, according to Akerman attorney Pedro Freyre, who is representing potential defendants. "Helms-Burton is a particularly technical and complicated piece of legislation," Freyre said. "This is not a quick claim, it requires a lot of preparation and upfront research to go forward." Nick Gutierrez, a former attorney and a Cuban American, has worked with hundreds of Cuban exile families since taking part in the bill's original passage organising legal documents proving ownership of confiscated land with the hope that one day a U.S. President would allow the Title III provision to take effect. He acknowledges that there will be "a long road ahead". Mexico, Canada and Spain passed so-called "blocking statutes" shortly after Helms-Burton's passage, barring claims from being brought in their respective countries. And even when a company is exposed to U.S. jurisdiction, there is a high standard to bring a suit. The property must be actively in use for some sort of commercial activity and be worth more than $50,000. Plus, plaintiffs must pay a $6,700 filing fee an obstacle written into the law to discourage frivolous litigation, Gutierrez said. Nevertheless, Gutierrez welcomed news that implementation may be imminent. "This is sort of the long-awaited answer to our prayers. This is the beginning as a powerful disincentive to investing in Cuba," he said. "These Spanish companies will hire big-name firms. But we hope this will spur settlements between traffickers and owners." The Trump administration in early March announced a partial implementation of the Helms-Burton Act, allowing lawsuits against 200 Cuban entities, including hotels, beverage manufacturers and tourism agencies, which were blacklisted by the U.S. because they have ties to Cuba's military and intelligence services. The move, hailed by the Cuban American Bar Association and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, was largely symbolic, because prosecuting Cuban-owned establishments is nearly impossible. Story continues Similar Stories Attorneys Prepare to File Lawsuits on Behalf of Cuban-Americans Whose Property Was Confiscated by Castro Miami (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Cuba with new restrictions on US travel and remittances and a green light to lawsuits over seized property as he vowed to rid Latin America of leftists. Defying European warnings on the long-festering property issue, Trump rolled back much of previous president Barack Obama's bid to reconcile with Cuba and also imposed fresh sanctions on Venezuela and Nicaragua, the two other hard-left nations in Latin America. John Bolton, Trump's hawkish national security advisor, said the measures were meant to "reverse the consequences of disastrous Obama-era policies and finally end the glamorization of socialism and communism." "We're standing with the freedom-loving patriots of this region," Bolton said in Miami as he addressed veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the failed CIA-backed 1961 bid by exiles to topple the Cuban regime. Bolton said the United States would bar Americans from travelling to Cuba except to visit family, reversing the loosening under Obama that had started to open the cash-strapped island to US tourism. Bolton also announced restrictions under which no individual can remit more than $1,000 per quarter to Cuba, pledging: "These new measures will help steer American dollars away from the Cuban regime." - 'Failed communist experiment' - The hard-hitting speech came hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would forge ahead with a long-delayed law that allows Cuban Americans to take businesses and the Havana government itself to court over properties seized after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Passed by Congress in 1996 with support from Cuban-American hardliners, the provision of the Helms-Burton Act will finally go into effect on May 2 after being systematically suspended every six months by successive presidents. "Those doing business in Cuba should fully investigate whether they are connected to property stolen in service of a failed communist experiment," Pompeo told reporters in Washington. Story continues "I encourage our friends and allies alike to follow our lead and stand with the Cuban people," he said. But the European Union and Canada, whose vigorous protests helped block the Helms-Burton Act from coming into force two decades ago, swiftly condemned the move. "The EU and Canada consider the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law," the EU's foreign affairs supremo Federica Mogherini and Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a joint statement with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. In a letter to Pompeo ahead of the announcement that was seen by AFP, Mogherini and Malmstrom warned that the European Union "will be obliged to use all means at its disposal" and warned of action at the World Trade Organization. Mexico, meanwhile, said it would support any of its companies targeted by the legislation, with the foreign ministry saying in a statement: "In this sense, Mexico endorses its support for the end of the economic and commercial blockade imposed against Cuba." Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the decision on Twitter as "an attack against International Law and the sovereignty of #Cuba & third States." Kimberly Breier, the top US diplomat for Latin America, said the United States would not issue any exemptions to the new law, as it has in previous controversial decisions such as its sanctions on Iran. But Breier said businesses would only be affected if they operated in properties seized from Cubans who have emigrated to the United States. "I think the vast number of European companies will not have any concerns operating in Cuba," she said. But the costs -- and hours in Florida's courts -- could still be overwhelming. The Justice Department in 1996 took note of 6,000 potential claims that reach $1.9 billion, but a US official said the number could be as high as 200,000. - U-turn in policy - The decisions mark a sharp reversal from the policies of Obama, who normalized relations with Cuba through secret diplomacy aided by the Vatican, declaring that a half-century of efforts to topple the regime had failed. Ahead of elections next year, Trump has increasingly tried to cast himself as a foe of socialism and tried to link the US Democratic Party, with its support of higher minimum wages and wider health care access, to Venezuela's crumbling economy. In the latest action to topple Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro by cutting off his cash flow, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the central bank and its director. Maduro branded the move "totally illegal and immoral." Representative Eliot Engel, the Democrat who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the decision on Cuba property lawsuits a "self-inflicted wound" that would isolate the United States just as it was working with allies on Venezuela. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council was divided Wednesday on how to address the crisis in Libya after fresh negotiations on a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in Tripoli failed to yield agreement. Germany, which holds the council presidency, called for an urgent meeting after Tripoli witnessed the heaviest fighting since commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to seize the capital nearly two weeks ago. The council was due to meet Thursday to hear a briefing on the situation on the ground and "consult on the way forward," according to a note sent by German diplomats and seen by AFP. The divisions among world powers deepened as Tripoli struggled to recover from the heaviest fighting since an offensive was launched nearly two weeks ago. At least 174 people have been killed and more than 25,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli on April 4, according to UN figures. "Tripoli witnessed the heaviest fighting since the outbreak of clashes, with indiscriminate rocket fire on a high-density neighborhood in the Libyan capital," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "In the past 24 hours, we've also seen the highest single-day increase in displacement, with more than 4,500 people displaced," Dujarric added. Britain has put forward a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation but Russia threw up concerns over language that criticized Haftar's offensive as a threat to Libya's stability. A slightly watered-down version was put forward by Britain on Wednesday but the three African countries on the council -- Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, South Africa - blocked it. Russia also said the proposed measure even after it was amended was "still far away from accommodating our concerns," according to a note from the Russian mission seen by AFP. - Grave concern - Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-recognized government and an array of militias. Story continues Haftar backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognize the authority of the Tripoli government. The revised text did not single out Haftar's forces, but instead expressed "grave concern at military activity" near Tripoli, "including the launching of a military offensive by the LNA," Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army. The three African countries insisted that there be a reference to an African Union statement on the need for all parties fighting in Tripoli to protect civilians including migrants and refugees, according to documents seen by AFP. Britain had hoped to hold a vote before Friday, but that now appeared unlikely. Diplomats said the United States appeared to be dragging its feet in pushing for a quick adoption of the draft resolution. The proposed measure would echo a call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to personally advance prospects for a political solution when the offensive was launched. Haftar's offensive forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was this week delivered of personal items claimed to belong to his brother Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, who died rescuing hostages from Entebbe airport in July 1976. But closer inspection appeared to indicated that all was not as it seemed. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The prime minister received the personal possessions on Monday from Yosef Shemesh, an IDF driver for Yoni Netanyahu, which Shemesh said had been in his possession since 1975. Shemesh claimed that the items belonged to Yoni when he was commander of the 71st Battalion in the Armored Corps on the Golan Heights. Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Yoni did indeed volunteer as a tank commander in the Armored Corps, in order to assist with its rehabilitation after it suffered many losses in the war. Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd right) with his brother Iddo Netanyahu (2nd left) and Yosef Shemesh, right, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem (Photo: GPO) Shemesh met with Benjamin Netanyahu and his younger brother, Dr. Iddo Netanyahu, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Monday and handed over what he claimed were Yoni's IDF jumpsuit, a commando knife and a Passover Haggadah that is mentioned in the late soldier's diary, which was later turned into a book. He also handed over some books, a shirt, a sleeping bag, gloves and a compass; it is unclear why Shemesh held onto the items for so long. The prime minister said he recognized the effects and that he and his brother were very excited at the prospect of owning Yoni's possessions. "It is an emotional reminder of the past; I thank you greatly," the prime minister said. However, it emerged after the meeting that Shemesh had previously tried to sell some of the items to two different auction houses but was turned down due to uncertainty over their authenticity. For example, the Haggadah ostensibly owned by Yoni was printed in 1980, four years after his death. Benjamin Netanyahu holds a Haggadah possibly owned by his brother The auction houses said that Shemesh failed to provide proof that he was indeed Yoni's driver. They also claimed that Yoni's signature in the books did not seem genuine. Shemesh apparently asked for $20,000 for the items, before reducing his price to $10,000. "We suspected a scam," said a representative of Winner's Auctions Ltd. A year ago, Shemesh told an acquaintance that he had Yoni's belongings in his possession, and was advised to give them to the prime minister. Shemesh said that he then tried to reach the Netanyahu's office via WhatsApp, with no success. Recently, however, he managed to arrange a meeting with the prime minister through an intermediary. Yoni Netanyahu (Photo: Screenshot) The Prime Minister's Office said that they had conducted an investigation with the IDF regarding Shemesh and verified that he did indeed know Yoni, but added that the items will now be examined more thoroughly. The office said that Shemesh did not ask for payment for the items. Shemesh responded to a telephone enquiry by claiming he was not the person involved in the story. During a second phone conversation, however, he changed his story and said that he was forbidden from commenting. He then referred the reporter to his attorney, who failed to respond to queries. Anwar Gargash posted his support after President Donald Trump vetoed a congressional resolution to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. Trump called the resolution "an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." The new Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday accused the United States of declaring financial war on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be born dead. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter In his first interview with the international media since taking office over the weekend, Mohammad Shtayyeh laid out plans to get through the financial crisis he has inherited and predicted that the international community, including U.S. allies in the Arab world, would join the Palestinians in rejecting President Donald Trumps expected peace plan. Mohammad Shtayyeh (Photo: EPA) There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump, Shtayyeh said during a wide-ranging hour-long interview. Shtayyeh, a British-educated economist, takes office at a difficult time for the Palestinians, with his government, the Palestinian Authority, mired in a dire financial crisis. The PA administers autonomous zones in the West Bank. The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars of aid, including all of its support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Benjamin Netanyahu with Donald Trump last month in Washington (Photo: Reuters) Israel has also withheld tens of millions of dollars of tax transfers to punish the Palestinians for their martyrs fund, a program that provides stipends to the families of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned or killed by Israel. The Israelis say the fund rewards violence, while the Palestinians say the payments are a national duty to families affected by decades of violence. Furious about the withholding, the Palestinians have in turn refused to accept partial tax transfers from Israel. Without its key sources of revenue, the Palestinian Authority has begun paying only half salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants, reduced services and increased borrowing. In a new report being released Wednesday, the World Bank said the Palestinian deficit will grow from $400 million last year to over $1 billion this year. Israel is part of the financial war that has been declared upon us by the United States. The whole system is to try to push us to surrender, and agree to an unacceptable peace proposal," Shtayyeh said. This a financial blackmail, which we reject. Shtayyeh laid out a number of proposals for weathering the storm. He said he has imposed spending cuts by reducing perks for his cabinet ministers. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with Mohammed Shtayyeh (: AFP) He said he would seek to develop the Palestinian agricultural, economic and education sectors and seek ways to reduce the Palestinian economys dependence on Israel. For example, he proposed importing fuel from neighboring Jordan, instead of from Israel, and even floating a Palestinian currency. He also said the Palestinians would seek financial backing from Arab and European donors. Despite the tensions with Israel and the U.S., Shtayyeh said the Palestinians remain committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. That includes establishing a capital in East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed and claims as part of its eternal capital. The two-state solution has enjoyed overwhelming international support for the past two decades. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-line political allies reject Palestinian independence. Netanyahu secured another term in office in elections last week and is expected to form a new coalition with religious and nationalist parties that oppose the two-state solution. On the campaign trail, Netanyahu even raised the possibility of annexing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a step that may extinguish any remaining hopes for an independent Palestine. Netanyahu has received a boost from Trump, who has given Netanyahu a number of diplomatic gifts since taking office. Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and moved the U.S. Embassy to the holy city, slashed aid to the Palestinians and shuttered the Palestinian diplomatic office in Washington. In a departure from Republican and Democratic predecessors, Trump also has notably refused to endorse the two-state solution. His peace team, led by son-in-law Jared Kushner, has repeatedly pushed back the release of a peace plan it says it is preparing, and it remains unclear if or when it will be released. Kushners team has said little about their proposal. But their limited public statements have indicated it will call for large amounts of economic investment in the Palestinians, but given no sign that it will include their demand for independence. Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem (Photo: GPO) (Photo: GPO) Shtayyeh said that after all of the U.S. moves in favor of Israel, particularly the recognition of Jerusalem, there is nothing left to negotiate. He said any proposal that ignores key Palestinian demands will be rejected by the international community. The European Union this week reiterated its call for peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state. Where are we going to have the Palestinian state? he asked. We are not looking for an entity. We are looking for a sovereign state. Palestinians are not interested in economic peace. We are interested in ending occupation, he said. Life cannot be enjoyed under occupation. It is an issue most Israelis from all sides of the political spectrum agree on. Though it cannot happen overnight, the majority agrees, change is imperative. The ultra-Orthodox must share the load and serve in the military like everyone else. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter After the Supreme Court ruled against earlier legislation attempts, because of their inherent inequality, a new proposed induction law passed its initial stages in the outgoing Knesset. Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) It is far from ideal. Still, a compromise was reached with the active support of the defense establishment, lead by Avigdor Lieberman. But ultra-Orthodox politicians remain opposed to the bill. They are now in position to foil the formation of a new government, or bring it down. Ultra-Orthodox members of Knesst (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The election campaign provided more time to legislate, but that will run out in July and if no bill is passed, there will be no exemption for Yeshiva students and they will all be required to serve. This is not an acceptable option for their parliamentary representatives. A violent minority leads the fight. They can wreak havoc in Jerusalem and elsewhere, clash with police, and block traffic. No threat of arrest will stop them and they will sweep their entire camp into the fight. Ultra-Orthodox demonstration in Jerusalem Criminal prosecution of draft dodgers is unlikely and economic sanctions, though the only remaining option to coerce ultra-Orthodox to serve, will never pass. Avigdor Lieberman, who ran on equal draft laws for all, is left with the mission to force the change his voters and much of the public call for. The ball is in his court. Israeli troops demolished the West Bank home of a suspected Palestinian terrorist in the early hours of Wednesday morning, four months after he carried out a shooting attack that led to the death of a newborn baby. The demolition was carried out by IDF soldiers, in cooperation with the Border Police and the Civil Administration. Israeli troops demolished the West Bank home of a suspected Palestinian terrorist in the early hours of Wednesday morning, four months after he carried out a shooting attack that led to the death of a newborn baby. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Salah Barghouti carried out the December 8, 2018 attack at Ofra junction that left seven people wounded. Demolishing the terrorist's home (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Among the victims was Shira Ish-Ran, a seven-month pregnant woman who was forced to deliver her baby boy prematurely after she and her husband Amichai were shot. The baby boy, named Amiad Israel, only survived three days. Hamas later confirmed that Barghouti was behind the attack. The terrorist was shot dead five days after the attack by Israeli troops. The Wednesday morning demolition at the village north of Ramallah was carried out by IDF soldiers, in cooperation with the Border Police and the Civil Administration. The home of Barghouti's brother Asam, the commander of the terror cell behind the Ofra shooting and a deadly attack on IDF soldiers days later, was demolished in March. The home in Kober village after it was demolished (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Two IDF soldiers First Sgt. Yuval Moryosef, 21, from Ashkelon, and Sgt. Yosef Cohen, aged 19, from Jerusalem, were killed in the attack at Givat Assaf junction. Asam Barghouti was arrested at the home of one of his associates in the village of Abu Shahidam, close to his own village. According to Israeli security forces, Asam Barghouti was busy preparing for further attacks. A Kalashnikov rifle, ammunition and night vision equipment were seized during his arrest. The humantarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is "at breaking point," and could trigger a new wave of attacks on Israel, a senior IDF officer warned Wednesday, citing an alarming infant mortality rate of 4,900 deaths in 56,000 annual births. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter According to Lt. Col. Khatib Mansour, who is charged with Palestinian affairs at the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), while the Israel-Gaza border is currently relatively quiet and Egyptian brokered agreements with Hamas are appearing to hold, civilian suffering in Gaza is great and the aid Israel allows into the coastal enclave brings little reprieve. Violent demonstrations along the Gaza border (Photo: EPA) Speaking to Israelis who live in the area of the Gaza border, Mansour said that 97% of water sources in the Strip are polluted and electricity is only available for eight hours a day. Suicide rates are high while anyone who can is leaving, he said. This unsustainable situation, he warned, will manifest in an increase of attacks against Israelis. Lt. Col. Mansour briefs Israelis who live near the Gaza border He told his audience that IDF forces stationed along the border have noticed many of the Palestinians taking part in the violent "March of Return" weekly protests along the security fence are under the influence of drugs. There are no prospects for the future for the youth of the Gaza Strip, Mansour said. They know no better lives, and are told by their teachers and religious leaders that Israel alone is responsible for their situation. Gaza has been under the control of the Islamist terror group Hamas since it seized power in 2007. A recent series of protests against the organization in Gaza were met with brutal suppression. Days after the start of the protests, Hamas fired a long-range rocket into central Israel, destroying a home on Moshav Mishmeret. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes targeting the organization and other Palestinian so-called resistance groups. A group of Israeli schoolboys stumbled across a shiny coin on a field trip, only to discover that it was 1,600 years old and the first such find in the country. What's more, the coin bore the face of the man who abolished the contemporaneous Jewish leadership in the Land of Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The four ninth-graders from the Jezreel Valley, Ido Kadosh, Ofir Siegel, Dotan Miller and Harel Green, found the coin during a school trip and immediately realized that they had something special and informed their teacher, Zohar Prishian. He in turn contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority, which identified the coin. Picture: The coin bearing the image of Emperor Theodosius II found by the school students (Photo: Nir Distelfeld Israel Antiquities Authority) According to Antiquities Authority coin expert Dr. Gabriela Ingrid Bijovsky, the coin was made in what is now Turkey some 1,600 years ago. "This is a solidus, a gold coin minted in Constantinople (today Istanbul) by Theodosius II, around 423-420 CE," she said. "This coin is a well-known feature from the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire, but this is the first time that such a coin has been discovered in Israel. One side of the coin shows the portrait of Emperor Theodosius II and on the other side the image is of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, holding a large cross." The coin showing the Roman goddess Victoria Theodosius II was one of the most influential emperors of the Byzantine Empire. Among other things, he published a comprehensive code of laws for the empire, known as the Theodosius Codex. According to Yair Amitzur, an Israel Antiquities Authority inspector for the Eastern Gallilee - the area in which the find was made - Theodosius was bad news for the Jewish people. "Emperor Theodosius II, who appears on the coin, is the one that ordered the cancellation of the presidency of the Sanhedrin (network of rabbinical judges) - the leadership of the Jewish people at that time - and the transfer of Jewish donations to the imperial treasury instead of the Sanhedrin," he said. "Following the abolition of the presidency by Theodosius, the Sanhedrin ceased to exist, and the leadership of the Jewish people moved to Babylon and then to the Diaspora for 2,000 years. It is symbolic that the coin with Emperor Theodosius II impressed on it was found by Israeli students near the Sanhedrin Trail, a hiking route prepared this year by Israel Antiquities Authority that follows the leadership of the Jewish people in the Galilee during the period of the Mishnah and the Talmud (written records of Jewish oral law)." Thanks to their landmark discovery, the four students were awarded special certificates by Nir Distelfeld, the inspector of the Antiquities Authority's robbery prevention unit, the coin was handed over to the National Treasures and the students received certificates of appreciation. ANKARA - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Turkey is looking into establishing new trade mechanisms with Iran, like the INSTEX system set up by European countries to avoid U.S. sanctions reimposed last year on exports of Iranian oil. Those sanctions followed President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw unilaterally from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear programme and stop backing militant proxies in the Middle East. Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey's opposition to the sanctions and said Ankara and neighbouring Iran needed to keep working to raise their bilateral trade to a target of $30 billion, around triple current levels. "Along with the existing mechanisms, we evaluated how we can establish new mechanisms, like INSTEX...how we can remove the obstacles before us and before trade," Cavusoglu told a news conference after talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif. "What is important here is the solidarity and determination between us," he added. Hungary's deputy prime minister says the Notre Dame Cathedral fire is a "tragic symbol" of the "apocalyptic loss of values we are witnessing in the western world." In an excerpt of an interview to be broadcast on news channel Hir TV this coming Easter Monday, Zsolt Semjen, said "the French secularist, anti-church policy is also deeply responsible" for the fire. The French Republic owns churches that were constructed before 1905. President Reuven Rivlin said Wednesday that he hopes the next government will be stable and will reflect the will of the people. Rivlin made the comments as the final results of the elections for the 21st Knesset were being submitted to the president. Israel's president on Wednesday formally nominated Benjamin Netanyahu for a fourth consecutive term as prime minister, officially launching a process that is expected to result in a new government dominated by religious and nationalist parties in the coming weeks. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter In one of the president's few non-ceremonial roles, President Reuven Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with assembling a governing coalition within 42 days. The move was widely expected after Netanyahu's Likud party and its right-wing allies captured a majority of seats in parliamentary elections last week. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin (Photo: GPO) In a joint appearance after the two leaders signed and presented the official nomination, Rivlin called on Netanyahu to "heal the wounds and rifts" laid bare in Israeli society by the bruising election campaign. Netanyahu said he was "moved" to accept his fifth nomination as prime minister "as though it's the first time, and in a certain way, even more than the first time." He said he would "do everything to earn the trust that the citizens of Israel have bestowed on me." In a post-election ritual, Rivlin hosted consultations with party leaders this week to hear their recommendations for who should serve as the next prime minister. Netanyahu's nationalist and religious allies all lobbied for Netanyahu to continue as prime minister. The last one to hold out, former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman of the hawkish Yisrael Beitenu party, formally confirmed his support for Netanyahu late Monday. Netanyahu's right-wing bloc - made up of Kulanu, the Union of Right Wing Parties, Yisrael Beitenu and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism - now commands a 65-55 majority in the 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu and Rivlin make a joint statement (Photo: GPO) In the coming weeks, Netanyahu will have to negotiate coalition deals with his partners, who will jockey for powerful cabinet posts with large and influential budgets. If Netanyahu fails to form a coalition within 42 days, Benny Gantz, leader of the rival centrist Blue and White party, would be given a shot at assembling a government. But that doesn't appear to be in the cards. "We will establish a right-wing government as soon as possible, likely within a month," said Yonatan Ulrich, a spokesman for the prime minister. In a matter of months, Netanyahu will officially become Israel's longest-serving prime minister, surpassing David Ben-Gurion, the country's founding father. Russia's Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected Israeli media reports claiming that Russian officials have taken the remains of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen out of Syria, where he was executed more than five decades ago. Cohen infiltrated the top echelons of Syria's leadership in the early 1960s and obtained top-secret intelligence before he was caught and publicly executed in 1965. Israeli media reported earlier this week that a Russian delegation took Cohen's remains out of Syria. The Trump administration has halted, without explanation, the recent US government practice of disclosing the current size of the nuclear weapons stockpile. Back in May 2010, the Obama administration for the first time declassified the full history of the US nuclear weapons stockpile from its beginning in 1945. By JAN TUCKER [email protected] Ontonagon Ontonagon County Equalization Director, Ann Marie Husar had some good news for the Ontonagon County Board Tuesday. Husar said the valuation of Ontonagon County in 2018 has risen by 2.5% over the previous year and the taxable value has increased by 3%. Husar gave the board the value change in each of the categories in the county, noting that Commercial Property has increased by 4.49% and residential real property by 3.04%. Husar cited the new Dollar General in Ontonagon as part of the reason for the increase. The largest negative value was seen in the Agriculture Real property which decreased by 6.13%. Husar much of that was changing class which moved into residential property. Another negative growth was in timber cutover value by 2.42%. Industrial Real Property also grew 1.41%. Total Personal Property increased 7.14%. The total real and Personal Property in the county in 2018 totaled $332,018,667 an increase of 2.5% over the $323,933,146 from the previous year. The board accepted the Equalization report. At the request of Sheriff Dale Rantala the board approved sending Jason Black and Carlo Pantti to the Northern Michigan Academy to become Sheriff Road Officers. Rantala said both men have signed contracts to pay back the county for the costs if they were to leave the Sheriffs Department prior to four years after completing the academy. He said Jason Black will need campus housing and Pantti will find his own housing. They both will need uniforms. The total cost for the academy is $9,951.20. In other action the County Board: Accepted the bid of Coleman Engineering Company for mapping services in the county for the calendar year of 2019. Purchased under a grant for $15,945 new fingerprint equipment with annual maintenance of $3,495 after the first full year. Approved continuing the collection of 51 cents for 911 surcharge on phones as requested by Michael Kocher, county emergency services director. Kocher noted that the Ontonagon surcharge is lower than many counties in the area. Pat Kitzman addressed the board on the meeting held recently in Ewen and his continuing efforts to move some of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes money to schools and townships. He said the fact that the present commissioners were not the ones who decided to have all the PILT monies to the county is no excuse for commissioners in office now not to correct a wrong. He asked the county to compromise on the issue and claimed the past commissioners who decided the issue were not as much in debt as they claimed as the reason for keeping all the monies. At the close of the session Commission Chairman Carl Nykanen read a statement from the commission. He acknowledged the effort that was made and information that was compiled and presented at the Ewen meeting. He said that the board recognized as well, the questions and contributions made by elected officials, Greg Markkanan and Ed McBroom and other members of the public. It is the boards intention and responsibility to duly consider all issues brought forward by county residents and townships. We appreciate the orderly discussion that took place and thank everyone to their contributions to this open forum. There is no immediate action to be taken on this issue and the board will retain all presented materials. Housing affordability pressures in Sydney and Melbourne brought about a serious problem as the capitals face a shortage of key workers such as nurses, firefighters, teachers, and ambulance officers, according to a report prepared by PwC Australia for Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia and Teachers Mutual Bank. The survey showed that 79% of key workers in Sydney and Melbourne believe that home ownership is not achievable for them. Nearly one in four are looking to either relocate away from these cities or change careers altogether. We are potentially looking at a drain of key workers from Australias two largest cities when demand for their services is growing and at a time when 57% of the general public believe a shortage already exists. If our key workers cant find homes, our cities cant function, said Steve James, CEO of Teachers Mutual Bank. Essential workers deem the time taken to save a deposit to secure a loan one of the major barriers to buying a home in Sydney and Melbourne. The respondents held this sentiment despite having the ability to service a home loan. Many key workers are also required to be on-call, which restricts their access to homes in more affordable, outer suburbs. Given that it takes a single-income key worker over 12 years in Sydney, and more than nine years in Melbourne, to save a 20% deposit, its clear something needs to be done to help them secure a home sooner, said Georgette Nicholas, CEO and managing director of Genworth. The report found that recent home price depreciation in Sydney and Melbourne has not been significant enough to ease the affordability crisis for key workers. A 50%-60% decline in prices is needed before key workers could contemplate buying a home within a five-year timeframe, according to PwC Australias analysis. Many key workers are making personal sacrifices to be able to own a home, according to the survey. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed are working overtime nearly twice the rate of the general population. Twenty-three percent are moving in with family or friends to save a deposit, and 29% are delaying starting a family. Key worker shortages are not unique to Australias major cities. Overseas experience shows that governments can successfully halt the loss of staff in the education, health and emergency sectors by implementing programs to assist them in buying homes in metropolitan areas, said PwC Australia Partner Jeremy Thorpe. Notably, 80% of the general population surveyed want the government to do more to help key workers in Sydney and Melbourne buy a home. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls proclaimed a local emergency at approximately 3:10 p.m. Today, April 16, due to an overwhelming release of migrants into the Yuma community. Nearly 1,300 migrant family members have been released by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) to the local shelter system in the last three weeks. Mayor Nicholls proclaimed a local emergency to urge for federal assistance, as more migrant family units continue to be released into a shelter system already at capacity and maxed on resources and volunteers. The shelter system has a maximum capacity of 150-200 people, and it exceeded capacity today. Migrants continue to be released at a rate that cannot be sustained, overwhelming the current non-profit shelter system, Mayor Nicholls said. He explained it needs to be clear at the national level that Yuma cannot sustain this humanitarian crisis. The proclamation was signed in attempt to avert hundreds of asylum-seeking migrants from being left without resources and potentially out in the greater community. Mayor Nicholls explained migrant families released to the shelter are waiting to be transported to cities throughout the nation; they are not staying in the Yuma community. Prior to arriving at the local shelter, each migrant is processed through USBP, has been issued paperwork to travel in the United States, and has been ordered to appear at a court proceeding. USBP conducts health and background screenings of each migrant family member. Local law enforcement agencies are engaged and in communication at all hours of the day to keep the community safe. To schedule time to speak with Mayor Nicholls, please email Kathy Moon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , and for media assistance please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The City has also received questions about volunteering time to assist the shelter as well as how to donate items to the shelter, which you can do by contacting Captain Jeffrey Breazeale at the Salvation Army at (928) 783-0181. To view the press conference Mayor Nicholls held on Tuesday, Apr. 16, click here to be directed to the City's TelVue site. 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. BENGALURU: The Election Commission of India will hold the bye-election for Chincholi (SC) Assembly Constituency on Sunday, May 19. Results for the same will be announced on May 23. The Election Commission of India has decided to hold bye-election to fill one clear vacancy from 42 Chincholi (SC) Assembly Constituency in State Legislative Assembly of Karnataka, said the Election Commission. The schedule for the bye-election is as follows: Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: April 22 (Monday) Last date of making Nominations: April 29 (Monday) Date of Scrutiny of Nominations: April 30 (Tuesday) Last date for withdrawal of Candidatures: May 2 (Thursday) Date of Poll: May 19 (Sunday) Counting of Votes: May 23 (Thursday) Date before which election shall be completed: May 27 (Monday) The Electoral Rolls for Chincholi Assembly Constituency has been published. The EC will use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPATs) for the bye-election in all polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available and all steps have been taken to ensure that the polls are conducted smoothly with the help of these machines, said the Election Commission. In consonance with the past practice, the Commission has decided that the voters identification shall be mandatory in the aforementioned bye-election at the time of poll. Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) shall be the main document of identification of a voter. The order issued by the Commission in this regard for the General Election to the House of People and State Legislative Assembly, 2019 shall apply for identification of voters at the time of poll in the said bye-election, added the poll panel. The Model Code of Conduct is already in force with the announcement of Lok Sabha Election 2019, in all States and Union Territories (UTs). The Model Code of Conduct shall be applicable to all candidates, political parties and the State Government concerned, said the EC. Chennai: The Income Tax Department seized Rs 1.48 crore cash during overnight raids in Tamil Nadu's Theni district, where an assembly bypoll is scheduled on Thursday. The raids were carried out following allegations of cash-for-votes being pumped in the poll-bound state. Following a clash between party workers of TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK and election officials during the raids, police opened fire in the air to disperse the supporters. No one was injured in the firing. Four AMMK volunteers were detained in connection with the incident. The I-T department along with Election Commission (EC) officers raided a store on Tuesday night based on credible inputs. The search operation continued till 5:30 am on Wednesday morning. The premises belonged to a functionary of AMMK party. Reports added that the party functioned from the ground floor of the building. Unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.48 crore sealed in 94 packets and envelops, with ward number, number of voters and an amount of Rs 300 per voter written clearly on them was seized, said I-T Director General (investigations) B Murali Kumar. AMMK workers overpowered the team of flying squad, broke open the door and snatched some cash packets, following which the police fired shots in the air. A postal ballot paper for Andipatti assembly by-election, which was already marked for an AMMK candidate, was also found on the premises and seized, said news agency PTI. Till Tuesday evening, the Income Tax (I-T) department and Election Commission (EC) had reportedly recovered Rs 135.41 crore from across the state, said TN Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo. A total of 1022 kilograms gold, 645 kilograms of silver, small items such as sarees, clothes, cookers and gifts worth Rs 8.15 crore, liquor worth Rs 37.42 lakhs, and drugs and narcotics worth Rs 37.68 lakh were also seized by the authorities during the raids. The Election Commission cancelled the election to Vellore parliamentary constituency on Tuesday after a massive cash haul. A joint squad of the Income Tax Department and the Election Commission's static surveillance team also carried out searches at DMK leader K Kanimozhi's Thoothukudi residence and office on Tuesday night. Sources in the I-T department, however, said that nothing was found and no case has been registered. With PTI and IANS inputs New Delhi: Actress Monalisa began her career by working in Bhojpuri films and has come a long way since then. She currently essays the role of an evil force in popular television show 'Nazar' and fans are loving her performance. Monalisa has a huge fan-following which is one of the reasons that her pics and videos go viral on social media. The 'Nazar' actress knows how to keep her fans entertained by regularly posting on the photo-sharing app. She took to Instagram on Wednesday and posted a few pics from the sets of 'Nazar'. Check them out here: The caption is Glow Is The Essence Of Beauty ..#goodmorning #world #lovelyday #wednesday #lovemylook #nazar Makeup and Photographed by : @yogesh_gupta4545 Styled by : @praanavsrathod The pretty actress has acted in more than 125 Bhojpuri films and acted in several language movies such as Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Oriya and Bengali as well. It was after her Bigg Boss stint that she shot to fame and became a household name. Even though 'Nazar' marks her small screen debut, Mona was seen on television prior to this. She participated in one of the most controversial yet popular reality shows 'Bigg Boss' 10 and became a household name after her stint in the show. The actress tied the knot with actor Vikrant Singh Rajput in Bigg Boss house and the two are happily married today. Their wedding was aired on national television and was one of the highlights of that season. These are elections times. This appears that unprecedented dirt-digging has been a key feature of this election. The Rafale saga goes on unending. We have had the very credibility of EVMs being challenged and proved baseless. Still, the Honourable Supreme Court's interventions prescribed the safeguard of VVPAT being benchmarked. Not satisfied with this, some political stakeholders have asked for 50% verification of EVM votes through VVPAT. Does it betray an agenda? I believe it does. Further, the content of the campaign indeed has also been not just divisive but also unchaste and acrimonious, with star campaigners being brought from across the border. Each of these may have adverse consequences for the future government in power. Let us see how? Structure of the election machinery First, let us get the structure right. Constitutionally, the Election Commission of India is an independent and autonomous body vested with the superintendence and oversight of the elections. Elections are conducted through an instrumentality of state governments. Each state government has a Chief Electoral Officer. District Magistrates and Collectors are the returning officers of the designated constituency covered by their districts. Further, the incumbency of compiling the electoral rolls is with the state electoral officers. The logistics for the elections are provided by the state government. The number of electors in each booth is the domain of the state government. How many voters shall vote in a particular booth is solely the domain of the state government. It could be anything between 500 to 1200, depending on the number of voters and resource and space availability, etc. However, as a ball park figure based on time-motion study, each voter in the normal circumstance is accorded approximately 3 minutes for voting after s/he reports to the booth, and this does not include the time spent in long queues. Effect of increasing VVPAT samples If VVPAT is insisted on and the sample size is increased, each such VVPAT procedure increases the time required for a voter to approximately 7 minutes. This will delay and dilate the pace of voting. Given the unprecedented voting percentages in certain areas in the first phase, the insistence on increasing the VVPAT sample is an attempt to adversely affect the voting percentage. The political stakeholders can play mischief by intervening to delay the voting percentage in booths which do not have their strengths. Unpleasant statements Now let me share some of the statements made by stakeholders. At the outset, let us take the case of Mayawati's direct appeal to voters of a particular community. Indeed, it was not in good taste. Rightly, the Election Commission of India intervened and banned her from campaigning for 48 hours. This concurrently happened with the Chief Minister of UP Yogiji referring to the Muslim League with not-so-kind words. It was appropriate that he too was reprimanded and sanctioned by Election Commission of India with a ban for 72 hours. Similarly, we had Maneka Gandhi, a Union Minister, giving the ABCD paradigm. my personal view is that there was nothing wrong in this. I don't hold any brief for Maneka Gandhi. But this is common in many democracies. Elected representatives always pander to their strengths. There are examples of this in many countries. After all, it is the voter who choses, and has the overriding right to extension of support on public utilities from his elected representative. Absolutely unacceptable But what took the cake is the unparliamentary utterances of Azam Khan against his co-contestant, a woman. Such condemnable remarks should have attracted exemplary sanctions, But he too was sanctioned with a 72-hour ban. On the issue of this sanction, his son has audaciously stated that Azam Khan and Mayawati are reprimanded because they are Muslim and Dalit respectively. I also hear that Navjot Singh Sidhu has again sought votes on communal lines from a particular community, which is also unpardonable should attract sanctions. Bangladeshi campaigners Another interesting episode comes to light. It has come to light that two Bangladeshi artists have been found campaigning for TMC candidates in West Bengal. This is fraught with dangerous consequences. Being an border state with huge flux of illegal immigration, human trafficking happening through its borders, this is an unacceptable situation in West Bengal. Ironically, Mr Basu, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal, has informed that the Representation of People Act does not proscribe foreigners from campaigning in Indian elections. Let us get it right, the draftsmen of the RP Act never envisaged that foreigners will be called in to campaign, and that they trusted the political parties with a benchmark of integrity. Further, from a legal perspective, the golden rule is that when a specific legislation does not cover an illegality, then the general criminal provisions relating to that offence shall cover that. This is corroborated by the fact that several provisions of the Indian Penal Code have been dovetailed in the Election Manual, as may be confirmed from Election Commission's website. Going by the spirit of this, the conditions of visa, whatever be the category of visas of these artists, is that the visiting foreigners cannot interfere in matters of state and sovereignty in the host country. Participation in elections campaign is surely an act covered under this condition. Home Ministry intervened and Bangladesh government as well The Ministry of Home Affairs should have immediately cancelled their visas and deported them, and such an action would have been legitimate and not have been prejudicial to the ongoing electoral process. Instead, the MHA sought a report from FRRO of the state, who is again an officer of the state government, whose ruling dispensation these two artists were supporting. Let me clear any doubts here that the Foreigner Regional Registration Officer of the state is under the state police, except for Delhi, where there is a separate FRRO. The report will either not come or the content of the report can be easily foreseen. However, as per last the report has come that the Ministry of Home Affairs had, relying upon the report from the Bureau of Immigration, cancelled the visa and given a leave-India notice to these two artists. Concurrently, it is reported that Bangladeshi High Commission also did a more professional job by warning these artists and asking them to report their mission office is Kolkata for further deportation. Denigrating election process in foreign lands On an earlier occasion too we have had such instances, not of the same content but all the same denigrating Indian elections processes and institutions. The so-called EVM efficacy test was conducted in UK is still fresh in public memory. But, may I also flag your memory that Salman Khurshid, before 2014 general elections, had made statements in the UK denigrating the overarching trend of the Election Commission and Supreme Court. But these are games in which political stakeholders play and although unacceptable, it is still expected. Alleged petitions by occupational groups What has been more unprecedented in this election is the fake petitions floating on social media that several groups with professional and occupational affinity appealing not to vote for A or B party. First, we had some 600 artists of Bollywood who signed an appeal not to vote for Narendra Modi. Later on, it was reported that some of the artists included in the list of signatories denied it. Later, another fake petition alleged to have been sent to the President of India by retired officers of the defence forces. The list again included names of former Army Chief, Air Force Chief, etc, who have publicly denied it. Yesterday, I received a message on Whatsapp that "A group of bureaucrats & defence officers will make a representation to the President". Fraught with dangerous consequences Such tendencies are fraught with danger for the security and economy of the country. It can be with the objective of derailing the economic strides, avenge Pulwama or tearing the social fabric to shreds. The question to the readers is, who is behind all this? Who is vitiating the poll atmosphere? Is it an evil design to manipulate the electoral process, which has stood the test of time over all these years. The nation seeks answers. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) Mumbai: With the lenders rejecting an lifeline of Rs 400 crore Wednesday Jet Airways, which has been on a wing and prayer since January, is left with no other option but to ground operations at least temporarily. Since the March 25 resolution to infuse Rs 1,500 crore into the airline is yet to fructify, the once leading airline has been defaulting on payments, forcing its lessors to retake almost all its planes and was operating just about six planes as of Tuesday. An official announcement of grounding of operations is expected anytime now as the Jet Airways board had Tuesday authorised chief executive Vinay Dube to make one last appeal to the SBI-led consortium to get a life-line of Rs 400 crore Wednesday, before taking a final call on the future. Jet will be the seventh airline to go down since May 2014 and the 13th one after East West was shuttered. During the past five years airlines like Air Pegasus, Air Costa, Air Carnival, Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Zoom Air have all gone belly up even as the government boasts of double-digits growth for more than four years in tow. "The Jet Airways management's request for Rs 400 crore emergency funds has been rejected," banking sources told PTI. A source at the Jet Airways also said the airline was likely to shutter soon as the banks have not extended it the required financial support. "The airline has failed to garner the funds it was desperately looking for to continue operations," he said. The airline is currently operating only five planes from 123 aircraft in the fleet till last December. According to sources, the government is maintaining distance from the Jet affairs citing the matter is a commercial decision of banks. New Delhi: Regulator Trai Tuesday said six cable TV players, including GTPL Hathway and Siti Networks, violated several rules, especially those related to new tariff order, and directed them to ensure compliance within five days. The other players are Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd, Den Networks, and IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) and Hathway Digital. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) found that GTPL Hathway, Siti Networks, Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd, Den Networks, and IMCL are forcing channels and package schemes to the consumers, and subscribers are not able to exercise their choice till date. Trai has unveiled the new tariff order and regulatory regime for the broadcast and cable sector to facilitate consumers to opt for channels they wish to view and pay only for them. The rule has been effective since February 1. It had said every channel should be offered a la carte, with a transparent display of rates on electronic programme guide. The regulator also clarified that DTH and cable operators cannot force consumers to go in for only predefined packages or bouquets. Trai said it has received consumers' complaint that GTPL Hathway, Siti Networks, Fastway Transmissions Private Ltd and Den Networks are not providing bill receipt of the payment made in printed form to the consumers. In case of Hathway Digital, Trai found that it is offering a bouquet of TV channels which contain both free-to-air and pay channels. It found that Hathway Digital has disconnected pay channels of customers who have paid advance amount for one year without their consent and only showing them FTA channels. Also, Hathway Digital subscribers are unable to re-excercise their choice through website or toll-free number of the company. IMCL subscribers complaint to Trai that the firm is overcharging the subscribers in the name of service charges. The regulator issued the direction after inspecting consumer premises and verifying complaints. Trai asked all the six firms to "report compliance as per the new regulatory framework within 5 days from the date of issue of this direction". At least 34 people were killed on Tuesday when rain, thunderstorm and strong winds lashed four states--Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In Madhya Pradesh, a total of 11 people were killed in several districts. In Khargone district, strong winds, rain and storm destroyed mud-houses in many villages including--Kharagone, Upadi, Bada, Premnagar, Gogavan and Bhoinanda. Three people of a family were killed and one was seriously injured due to lightning in Jamudir Sarwar village under the Hathod police station area on Tuesday evening. In another district, two people were killed in the last two days in lightning, thunderstorm and rain and one person is undergoing treatment. 15 people were also injured in six separate villages. The condition of the three people is still critical. All the injured have been given treatment in Khargone district hospital. Many trees fell and even the traffic was affected. In Gujarat, nine people--four in Mehsana, two in Banaskantha, one each in Rajkot, Morbi, and Sabarkantha-- were killed due to the storm and rain. The crops have also been damaged in most of the locations. In Maharashtra, seven deaths have been reported due to heavy rains and lightning in the last two days. Hailstorm was witnessed in Nashik and Pune along with rain. The farmers have also been affected. Lightning killed two people each in Satana and Parbhani and injured one. A person was also killed in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik. Rajasthan witnessed seven deaths. In Jhalawad alone four children were killed due to heavy rains and duststorm. Normal life was thrown off track due to the sudden rain. While in Baran, hailstorm lashed the place affecting livestock, affected crops, and destroyed mud houses, in Sriganganagar crops were destroyed by a hailstorm. At least 300 villages were affected by the hailstorm. In Kota, black clouds led to heavy rains and crops were affected. The rain lashed the region and the produce at the market was also affected. Rains also lashed Alwar, Chaksu, Ajmer and Udaipur rains destroyed produce kept in the open outside the shops in the market and a man was killed after a shade fell off burying him. A debrief of Indian Navy's Exercise SEA VIGIL, conducted in January from 22-23, took place on Tuesday. It was the maiden national level coastal defence exercise. The exercise witnessed the simultaneous activation of the coastal security apparatus across the country involving maritime stakeholders at the Centre and all the 13 Coastal States and Union Territories. The debrief was chaired by Vice Admiral MS Pawar, AVSM, VSM, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and was attended by high functionaries of the Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Central Ministries and State Governments and Union Territory Administration, including intelligence agencies. All relevant agencies from the field units in different states participated through Tele-Conference. The Chairperson highlighted the significant achievements during the exercise and complimented all stakeholders for the progress made over the last decade in the realm of Coastal Defence and Security. He complimented the strong interagency coordination and interoperability achieved during the exercise and reiterated the need for flexibility and agility to deal with security challenges. Key takeaways from the exercise debrief were deliberated and disseminated to all for further action/ follow-up. The feedback from the exercise, and the deliberations would be presented at the next meeting of the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS). Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is on a two-day bilateral visit to Thailand starting Thursday to consolidate and enhance the maritime bilateral relations between the two nations. The visit also aims to explore new avenues of defence cooperation. "The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance the maritime bilateral relations between India and Thailand and also to explore new avenues of defence cooperation," read a statement. During his visit, Admiral Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, will hold bilateral discussions with General Ponpipaat Benyasri, Chief of Defence Forces, Royal Thai Armed Forces, Admiral Luechai Ruddit, Commander-in-Chief Royal Thai Navy and other senior government officials. In addition to holding important bilateral discussions, the Admiral will visit the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters in Bangkok and the 3rd Naval Area Command at Phuket. The Indian Navy cooperates with the Royal Thai Navy on many fronts, which include operational interactions, training exchanges and hydrographic cooperation. The two nations have historical linkages that date back several centuries. The two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1947, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation in January 2012. The Royal Thai Navy is also a member of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and actively participates in the three IONS Working Groups, namely Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Maritime Security and Information Sharing and Interoperability. NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that onus to prove whether a terrorist camp was hit or not during the Balakot air strikes was on Pakistan. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sitharaman said that Islamabad was making a mockery of itself by taking defence attaches and selected journalists to a Madarsa which was not even touched by the Indian Air Force on February 26, instead of the terror training centre which was attacked. "It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed. They took 40 days to take a small group of journalists and defence attaches and limited that picnic that they had of these people only to the madrasa. I am telling you the madrasa was at the lower end of the foothill and behind the madrasa, into the dense forest was the training camp. So, Pakistan is making a mockery of itself," she said. When questioned about the Indian government maintaining silence over the outcome of Balakot airstrike, the Defence Minister said, "Before the attack took place, many Pakistani websites claimed that the targeted terror camp was recruiting youngsters. The world-renowned notorious terrorist who handled many attacks like the 2008 Mumbai terror attack was calling out to young men to join him. Not only this, recruiters of the terrorist outfit were even hiring retired trainers to train future jihadis. If you look into the websites you would know how many people were being trained in the camp. So from there, one can calculate an approximate number," Sitharaman said. Talking about her experience of handling the Balakot air strike, she said, "You are not concerned that much about the success or failure of the operation. It is your men and their lives which is the major concern. You just hope that everything goes fine. I got a call at 4 `o` clock in the morning saying that everyone was safe and it was only then that I felt relieved." In the wee hours of February 26, 12 Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets entered Pakistani airspace and dropped 1,000-kg laser-guided bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps across the Line of Control (LoC).In the airstrikes carried out at a massive JeM camp in Balakot in Pakistan`s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, India said a "large number" of terrorists, including top commanders, were eliminated. New Delhi: Refuting claims of being an 'outsider' in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress leader and Bangalore South Lok Sabha candidate BK Hariprasad on Wednesday said that his main rival in the ongoing polls is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not debutant and his BJP opponent from the seat, Tejasvi Surya. In coalition with the JD(S), the Congress leader, speaking exclusively to ANI, said he hopes that his party`s combined vote share and possible disgruntlement against Surya will take it past the halfway mark in the Bangalore South seat that has been BJP`s bastion since 1991. On being asked whether he is 'Bali Ka Bakra' (sacrificial goat) in the BJP's bastion, the Congress leader said, "People who don't know Bangalore say that Bangalore South is a bastion of the BJP. Earlier, Ananth Kumar was Urban Development Minister. He won only five seats in corporation elections. Deve Gowda ji had won 6 and we had won 56. So people who don't know Bangalore speak this way. "Hariprasad refuted reports claiming that he is an 'outsider' to Bangalore South and has not been active in politics. "I am born and brought up in Bangalore and people know me very well," he said. Speculations were rife that Modi may contest in the general elections from Bangalore South seat, due to which Congress fielded Hariprasad from the said seat. In response to this, Hariprasad told ANI, "Yes. This is true. I have been fighting him from 2002 onwards. "When asked whether he is disappointed to know that his rival is not Modi but Surya in the ensuing polls, Hariprasad said, "I am fighting Modi and his party because they do not have any other face. Every candidate says that it is not his election, its Modi's election. So, I fight Modi, I fight BJP." In response to another question of Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat grabbing eyeballs nationally because of his rival Surya, Hariprasad said, "It was popular because of other reasons not because my opponent is youngest or I am old. That's not the issue. The issue is the reasons they know better. I don`t want to say all those things." "Forget about Bangalore, anywhere in India nobody says that they are a candidate, they say it is Modi, who is fighting the elections because they do not have the face. If they had such faces definitely they would have said that people should vote for them. You can just go through the campaign, they never ask for a vote for themselves, they said vote for Modi," he added. Hariprasad questioned Modi`s silence over his development programmes and his much talked about schemes like Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation. "This election is about Delhi. People had experimented, they wanted one full term for the BJP to rule but after five years of experience, now, they are so disappointed as they just want to throw out this government in Delhi because Modi had no guts to say what exactly he has done for this country. He says that he has got 56-inch chest but not even once he dared to address a press conference. The media is the mirror of society. He should have briefed the media. He never talks of demonetisation or GST," he said. The Congress leader pitched party president Rahul Gandhi's name for the prime ministerial post for the elections. "From the Congress, it is Rahul Gandhi who would be the Prime Ministerial candidate, rest of the parties have got their own candidates. So, there is nothing wrong. It is a democratic setup, not a dictatorship," he said. Talking at length about the `mahagathbandhan` (grand alliance), Hariprasad said, "Well, we are fighting the elections under `mahagathbandhan`. There is gathbandhan between Congress and JD (S) here. In some places, there are understandings. It is called Mahagathbandhan, we might have not announced but we are all fighting against the BJP ideologically. The people are fighting ideologically against the BJP. The people ideologically fighting against Modi and the members of this `mahagathbandhan` will decide who will be the Prime Minister. "On being asked to respond on Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy`s emotional breakdown during rallies, allegedly due to the shenanigans of the Congress within his coalition, Hariprasad said, "He is saying all this because BJP is not allowing him to function."Talking about the development work in the IT hub, Hariprasad said, "I am totally against privatisation. The future of Karnataka is in the public sector. It is the public sector which has created the entire infrastructure that has created this city, not Mr Modi. It is the Janta parivaar and Congress which have contributed to one of the world`s best cities. "Bangalore South parliamentary constituency, which has been the BJP`s bastion for the last 28 years, witnessed a few turns after the demise of former union minister Ananth Kumar last November. Kumar was a six-time Member of Parliament (MP) from Bangalore South and had established a stronghold over his constituency. Karnataka will vote to elect its members of Parliament during the second and third phases of polling on April 18 and April 23, respectively. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. Bengaluru: Veteran actor Prakash Raj, who is contesting from Bengaluru Central seat as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday hit out at the Congress for posting photographs on social media platforms, which claimed he backed the grand old party. "There was a candidate debate and I met Congress candidate (from Bengaluru Central) Rizwan Ahmed. Congress has made a photograph of it (him shaking hands with Ahmed), sent it on WhatsApp groups and said it`s confirmed that Prakash Raj has joined Congress so you don`t have to waste your vote on him. It was done by Mazhar Ahmed who claims to be Rizwan`s PA," Raj told ANI in an exclusive interview. Raj said he telephoned and slammed the lack of ethics of the person, who made the "sick" claim that the photos were a forward. "Will you stoop so much? Why don`t they talk on issues, report card (on their governance performance) or a scientific temper with a vision for the problems we have in this country. It`s sick and I am really angry about it. We need to teach these people ethics," said the 54-year-old actor. The photograph of a shake-hand between Raj and Ahmed had gone viral on social media platforms, which was captioned as -- `Prakash Raj supports Congress. Don`t waste your vote by giving it to Prakash Raj`. Hitting out at opposition leaders like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mayawati for broaching the subject of religion while electioneering, Raj said, "You are speaking to a citizen to this country. If any political party says this is a minority seat, are they actually secular? This seat is a Muslim seat... how can you call it a Muslim seat?" "If you want to empower minorities, you empower them over the years to bring the leadership in them. See to it they embrace inclusiveness in this country. That is how we citizens have to look at it. You need to uplift them. You need to give reservations. That is for them (Congress) to say we are making it fair for you. But, they are not doing this, they are just using the minorities as a vote bank. This is sad," he remarked. Downplaying the Opposition`s agenda to defeat the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the actor said, "Who are you to defeat anybody? In a country`s election, parties or individuals don`t win. If you choose the wrong person, people lose. But, if you choose the right person, citizens win. We have to see it in that way." Stressing that the elections should not be linked to just a mere political battle, Raj said, "Let us not fight against political parties. Fight for your right to choose your right. Once, you choose the right candidate of your constituency, everything will fall in place." Raj underlined that the country needs parliamentarians having a vision who will take the country forward by making policy decisions. "We need to see 500+ parliamentarians who are going to make policies to 130 crore Indians, be it water or jobs. We need a vision and we need visionary leaders to come in here," he said. Raj asserted that he is not leaning towards any political party and is leaning towards the citizens, whose issues have to be taken up and solved in the long-run. "All my problems or interests is the people and their issues. There is a need to understand the political parties and their leaders` mistakes and our mistakes as citizens," said the veteran actor. Describing the 17th Lok Sabha elections as a "voice" and "festival" for the people to choose the next government, Raj underlined that it is important to see whether the administration or an elected candidate has a vision for the problems faced by electorates or not. Divulging his future course of action if he was elected as an MP, Raj said, "I will sit (in the Parliament) for the people. If any policy made is not pro-people, I will be the first person to raise my voice. A single parliamentarian is not one parliamentarian. He or she has got that many lakhs of people (who are being represented by an MP)." Commenting on instances where film actors have gone back to the industry after joining politics, Raj rebuffed that he would not follow suit, saying that he is ready to have people going against him and making him "uncomfortable". "I am not that one of those actors (who will leave politics). I am not only known for acting. I am feeling more liberated in the last few years since I stood on threatening issues by leaving the comfort zone. People see my courage to it. I am ready to be uncomfortable. I am ready to have people going against me as well," he remarked. Raj, who has been critical of the Narendra Modi government, attacked the BJP for labelling those as "anti-national" who spoke against the government. "When you talk of demonetisation, they will call you anti-national. In this country, there has been so many prime ministers and every prime minister have had dissent and people have gone against him or her. But, when you talk about Modi, you become an anti-national. What is this? `Matlab kuch bhi bolenge aap.` (Means you will say anything you wish)," he said. BENGALURU: Former Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Raju Kage stirred a controversy after comparing state Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to a buffalo. His comment comes days after Kumaraswamy took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the glow on his face is due to makeup and wax. Narendra Modi applies powder 10 times and changes 10 clothes in a day. Arre, Modi is fair and good looking. Kumaraswamy, even if you bathe 100 times, you will be like a buffalo, said Kage while addressing a rally at Bengaluru. Taking a dig at PM Modi, Kumaraswamy on April 9 said he applies "make-up" to keep his face "shining". "@narendramodi wakes up every morning, applies make-up or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras," tweeted the Karnataka CM. "As we take bath once in the morning and wash our face only the next day, our faces do not look good for cameras. That`s why even the media shows only Modi," added Kumaraswamy in Kannada when asked if believed that Modi applies wax to make his face shine. He expressed surprise on how the Prime Minister manages with such a gruelling campaign schedule, addressing three to four public rallies in a day. Kumaraswamy had also 'pleaded' with people to not trust PM Modi and his 'colourful words.' The high-voltage election campaign by political parties for 14 Lok Sabha seats in central and southern regions of Karnataka, which will go to polls during on April 18, concluded on Tuesday. Polling in the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats across coastal and northern regions of the southern state will be held on April 23. The vote count will be on May 23 for all the 28 seats. Dung, who is also Vietnamese Ambassador to Uruguay, paid a courtesy visit to Uruguay Vice President Lucia Topolansky and had working sessions with President of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) Javier Miranda, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Uruguay Juan Castillo, and Deputy Foreign Minister Ariel Bergamino. Dung and the Uruguayan leaders exchanged views on orientations and solutions to boost the bilateral relations in the coming time based on the agreements reached at the first meeting of the Vietnam-Uruguay joint committee on economic, commercial and investment cooperation in October 2018. They agreed to consider economy and trade a foundation for the bilateral relationship and the two countries will expand affiliation to culture and education. The two sides discussed the possibility of parliamentary diplomatic cooperation and shared information on the situation of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) as well as the possible signing of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the bloc. During the working sessions with leaders of the FA and the Communist Party of Uruguay, the two sides agreed to boost diplomatic ties through the Party channel, while continuously supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organisations. President of the FA Javier Miranda expressed his hope to visit Vietnam and further tighten relations with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed on some measures to strengthen ties between the FA and the CPV in the coming time, including delegation exchanges, as well as bolster cooperation in culture, education and tourism. It seems that Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decided to bank heavily on Bangladeshi actors to campaign for them during this poll season as after Ferdous Ahmed another Bangladesh actor named Gazi Abdun Noor was on Tuesday seen campaigning for the party in West Bengal. In a video, Noor can be seen campaigning for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party. The Bangladeshi actor campaigned for senior TMC leader and sitting MP Sougata Roy in the Dumdum constituency. He took part in a road show accompanied by TMC leader Madan Mitra. This incident came to light just a day after Ferdous was caught on camera campaigning for TMC candidate Kanhaiyalal Agarwal from Raiganj constituency. Ferdous participated in a road show and sought votes for Agarwal at Hemtabad and Karandighi. Talking to Zee Media, TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim tried to downplay the matter saying BJP is deliberately raising this issue becuase they are sure of their defeat in the state. Meanwhile, BJP leader Rahul Sinha expressed serious concern over the matter saying Bangladeshi actors are coming to India and are campaigning for TMC which is wrong because no foreign citizen can influence our voters. He added that these actors are coming to India on either tourist or business visa but are indulging in political activity. West Bengal BJP leaders Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sisir Bajoria on Tuesday met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab in Kolkata and demanded that Ferdous should be arrested. "We understand that foreign nationals can't participate in electioneering process in India. When TMC is using Bangladeshi nationals (actor Ferdous) for campaigning, they are breaking the rules. He should be arrested for breach of visa rules," Majumdar said. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday cancelled Ferdous' business visa and issued him a notice to leave India without any delay. The MHA also blacklisted the Bangladeshi actor from the country. The MHA took the decision after the Bureau of Immigration submitted a report that Ferdous had committed visa violations during his stay in India. Ferdous has already left India and returned to Dhaka. Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu): Following the Income Tax (I-T) department raids at premises of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K Kanimozhi, the senior leader on Wednesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot stop her from winning the upcoming poll. "BJP cannot prevent my success through this income tax raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized," Kanimozhi told reporters after the raids. "They want to intimidate us through this. They have come to stop elections in Thoothukudi. DMK volunteers will be working with more enthusiasm," she added. Amid allegations of cash-for-votes in the state, a joint squad of the Income Tax Department and the Election Commission's static surveillance team carried out searches at Kanimozhi's Thoothukudi residence and office on Tuesday night, just two days before the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu. Sources in the I-T department, however, said that nothing was found and no case has been registered. On Tuesday evening, I-T department conducted raids at a house in which Kanimozhi is staying on the information shared by the local administration," sources told news agency ANI. On the information shared by local administration, Income Tax Department searched premises related to DMK's Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi. Verification is on. Kanimozhi was there and she cooperated with the team. IT dept found nothing. Search is over, said the source, adding that there were allegations that lots of cash was stashed on the first floor of her house. Kanimozhi, sister of party chief MK Stalin, is contesting the Lok Sabha poll from Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency. She'll be facing Tamil Nadu BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan. As the news of the raids spread, several DMK workers gathered outside Kanimozhi's house and office premises to protest against it. Crores and crores of rupees are kept in Tamilisai Soundararajan's residence, why no raids there? Modi is using IT, CBI, judiciary and now the EC to interfere in elections. They are doing this as they fear losing, MK Stalin later said. Polling to all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 18 in the second stage of the Lok Sabha polls. Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday wrote to the Election Commission against the release of a movie which is purportedly based on Mamata Banerjee's life. In its letter of complaint, Joy Prakash Majumdar - Vice President of BJPs West Bengal unit, said that the EC must review the biopic before its release as was done in the case of a biopic based on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Bengali movie, named Baghini, is scheduled to release on May 3 in the middle of election season. While the director and producer of the film maintain that the film is only inspired by the life and struggles of Mamata, the timing of the film's release is being questioned by many political rivals of TMC. "We began shooting for the film back in 2016. But some edits and graphics had to be redone which took time, hence the release was delayed and finally we are releasing it on May 3," scriptwriter and producer Pinky Pal had told Zee News on Tuesday. (Read full report here) The BJP, however, has complained that the film ought to be reviewed by the EC on the lines of what was done regarding a film based on PM Modi's life starring Vivek Oberoi. This film was originally slated to release on April 11 which was also the date for voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019. The release was eventually stalled after the matter reached Supreme Court and the apex court directed the EC to watch the film and submit a report in a sealed cover by the end of this week. Films based or inspired by lives of political leaders have generated a fair bit of controversy this election season with the Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher in the lead role, being blasted by Congress. While some argue that freedom of speech and expression in films are being curtailed, others argue that such films - during election season - seek to influence voters. New Delhi: Yoga guru Ramdev on Wednesday highlighted that the Lok Sabha election 2019 will be a contest to decide between India's enemies and guardians. Lending his support to Narendra Modi, he added that the country is only safe in the hands of the BJP leader. Ramdev took potshots at opposition parties galore as he asked voters in the country to choose between right and wrong this election season. He said that while Narendra Modi has a number of achievements in the last five years, the opposition lacks a firm plan which could help the country and its people. "The people of the country have to decide if they want to send the enemies of the country to Parliament and those who have no vision but are acclaimed only in abusing the Prime Minister," he said. "The issue of security is very important and it is not just the security of the country but that of farmers, agriculture and our culture. I see no one except Narendra Modi who can best ensure security." Targeting Congress without actually naming the party, Ramdev also said that Narendra Modi has worked with any ulterior motive in the past five years. "He (Narendra Modi) has no family, no house of his own. He is a fakir. Saltanato mein zamana guzar gaya (the country has seen generations of being under dynastic rule)," he said. Ramdev also said that it had become a fashion of sorts to target Hindutva. "Some people abuse Hindutva. They are now realising that those who speak of Hindus positively will govern. At least they have realised, even if due to electoral compulsions, that Hindus cannot be sidelined." Ramdev has often expressed his support for the BJP although he has steered clear of politics. Previously, he had said that he would not want to predict the result of Lok Sabha election 2019. "The situation is unclear. There's a political battle fight going on inside the country. Who will win the political field, we cannot say anything. But this battle will be terrific." (Read report here) LUCKNOW: It seems that trouble for Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan is set to increase in the coming days as the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday issued a fresh show cause notice to him for making allegedly inflammatory remarks at various places in Uttar Pradesh during Lok Sabha campaign in the past few days. Azam Khan, who is also SP's candidate from Rampur Lok Sabha constituency, has been given 24 hours by the poll panel to respond to the notice. In its notice the EC has said that prima facie Azam Khan is guilty of violating the provisions of Model Code of Conduct. The EC said that on one occasion, the SP leader had allegedly said that fascists were trying to kill him. On another occasion, Azam Khan had also allegedly claimed that the prime minister has killed Muslims. It is to be noted that the EC had on Monday imposed a 72-hour campaign ban on Azam Khan for using very objectionable language agaisnt BJP leader Jaya Prada during election campaign. Actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada is BJP's candidate from Rampur. In its order, the EC reportedly said Khans comment was not only indecent but also derogatory and totally uncalled for. The EC had said in its order that Azam Khan was also banned from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh during the 2014 elections but he is still indulging in using very objectionable language in election campaigning. The National Commission for Women has also served a notice to Azam Khan for his objectionable comment against Jaya Prada and has urged the EC the EC to bar the SP leader from contesting in Lok Sabha poll. For his part, Azam Khan has repeatedly maintained that he never made any objectionable remarks against Jaya Prada and media had twisted his remarks to portray him in a bad light. Talking to ANI, Azam Khan had said that he did not take Jaya's name and he was ready to not contest the poll if proved guilty. "I have said that people took time to know real face in reference to a man once said that he brought 150 rifles with him and if he sees Azam, he would have shot him dead. My leaders also did a mistake. Now, it has been revealed that he has an RSS pant on his body. Short is worn by men," Khan told ANI. The stage is all set for the second phase of Lok Sabha election 2019 to be held across 95 parliamentary seats in 13 states and union territories on Thursday (April 18). After the first phase of election, held on April 11, political parties have only upped their campaign to ensure triumph for themselves. At rallies across the length and breadth of the country, politicians have left nothing to chance in highlighting their achievements while hurling muck at rivals. Often, the quality of verbal discourse has been so pitiable that the Election Commission has had to temporarily ban several leaders from campaigning for a period ranging from 48 to 72 hours. While the EC has shown that violating the Moral Code of Conduct (MCC) won't be tolerated, most politicians continue to move heaven and earth to ensure they find favour among voters. While there were 14 crore eligible voters in the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019, over 15 crore voters would be eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase. Of these, 8.02 crore* are male, 7.76 crore* are female and 11,136 belong to the third gender. The biggest state in the second phase - in terms of electorate size - is Tamil Nadu where polling would be held in all seats - barring Vellore. In Tamil Nadu, a total of 5.98 crore* people are eligible to cast their vote, followed by 2.63 crore in 14 seats of Karnataka and 1.85 crore in 10 seats of Maharashtra. The politically-charged state of Uttar Pradesh will see election in eight seats with 1.40 crore eligible voters. In all, voters will have to choose between 1,629* candidates across the 13 states and union territories participating in the second phase of voting. The bulk of candidates, quite obviously, are in Tamil Nadu while Karnataka and Maharashtra too will see key battles played out. Speaking of key battles, a number of star candidates will now get to see if their appeal for votes have made a difference in the minds of the voters. Former PM HD Deve Gowda of JDS (Tumukur), BJP's Hema Malini (Mathura), NC's Farooq Abdullah (Srinagar), Congress' Verappa Moily (Chikkaballapur) and Raj Babbar (Fatehpur Sikri) are some of the important candidates to watch out for. (Read more here) Much like before voting in the first phase, the EC has taken a number of steps to ensure that voters come out in huge numbers to the 1,81,535 polling booths* set up for the second phase. Security remains a key area of focus, even more now because of sporadic incidents of violence last Thursday. While the EC remains committed to conducting free, fair and peaceful elections, voters are once again being urged to carry the right documents to polling stations and follow the proper electoral etiquette and decorum. Electoral roll and Elector Photo Identity or one of 11 alternative photo IDs are a must before casting vote. (Click here to know more) The timing of vote would be between 0700hrs and 1800hrs in most states and union territories. (* These figures include statistics from Vellore and Tripura East, where election has been put off .) PANJIM: The parish priest of Raia has offered an unconditional apology Wednesday over the alleged hate speech given against the Bharatiya Janata Party. The apology comes a day after Goa Church expressed regret over the controversial statements made during the sermon. A video of parish priest Father Conceicao D`Silva addressing people inside Raia church in South Goa went viral on social media. In the clip, the priest is seen speaking in Konkani and criticising the BJP party president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The Election Commission also warned the priest not to repeat such things in future. It is regretted that the Parish Priest of Raia, while addressing his parishioners recently, has made some objectionable statements about a specific political party as well as individuals of that party," Goa Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media said in a statement. "Before elections to the Assembly or Parliament, the Church in Goa issues guidelines to its priests to encourage their parishioners to fulfill their duty to vote for the candidate or party that will better safeguard the interests of our state and nation," it said. The Goa Church also said that priests have been advised not to mention in public any names of candidates or political parties. "The concerned priest in this case has been cautioned to refrain from making such statements," the statement said. The Goa BJP unit lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the priest on Sunday for "creating an atmosphere of hate & fear against a particular political party & a specific religion" in an address inside a religious institution. A local resident also filed a complaint against the speech alleging it violated the model code of conduct (MCC). Following the complaints, the poll panel launched an enquiry. Polling will be held for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa on April 23. ANAND/BORSAD: Bharatsinh Solanki, the Congress' Anand Lok Sabha candidate, is confident of wresting the seat from the BJP and claims it is his party's safest bet in Gujarat. He said if the Congress cannot win Anand Lok Sabha seat, in central Gujarat, then it can't win any of the 26 seats in the state. In the 2014 polls, the BJP had blanked out the Congress winning all 26 Lok Sabha seats. Anand, known as the milk capital of India and famous worldwide for the Amul dairy brand, is expected to see a close contest between Solanki, two-time MP from here in 2004 and 2009, and the BJP's Mitesh Patel, a well known businessman making his poll debut. The BJP, possibly sensing anti-incumbency, dropped sitting MP Dilip Patel, who had defeated Solanki, a former Union minister, riding the Narendra Modi wave. Anand has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, the party having won from here ten times, while the BJP managed to wrest it in 1989, 1999 and 2014. Among the ten Congress victories, five belong to Solanki's maternal grandfather Ishwar Chavda between 1980 and 1998. While BJP's Mitesh Patel claimed people here will vote in favour of BJP as they want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister again, Solanki said basic issues such as lack of employment and farm distress would ensure a Congress win. Though Solanki, who had served as the state Congress president between 2015 and 2017, is upbeat, several voters of Dedarda village of Borsad taluka, from where Solanki is registered as a voter, feel the BJP government's developmental works and "pro-people" decisions cannot be overlooked. "The road passing from Dedarda is now a two-lane road. We have a school with classes till 10th standard. No doubt villagers have a soft corner for Solanki as he is registered as voter from this village, but we cannot ignore the BJP government's schemes, such as free treatment under Rs 5 lakhs for the poor," said Mulji Solanki of Dedarda, a part of Petlad Assembly constituency. Another villager alleged that Solanki direct contact with the public was weak and this had led to his defeat in 2014. "Congress MLA from Anklav and Solanki's cousin Amit Chavda would have been a better choice. Unlike Chavda, Solanki does not believe in keeping in touch. When he was an MP and a minister, he hardly came here," said a roadside tea seller who did not wish to be identified. Chavda took over the reins of state party unit from Solanki after the 2017 Assembly polls. A samosa vendor in Napa-Talpad village of Borsad had a similar complaint against Solanki. "Napa has a sizable Muslim population and the sarpanch is also Muslim. We normally support the Congress. But many of us have seen Solanki does not even stop here or wave his hand to us if he passes from here. This is the biggest problem with him," said Shabbir Shaikh. While Congress supporters are aplenty in the rural parts, the urban population of Anand and adjoining Vallabh Vidyanagar wants to go with the BJP to "strengthen national security". "Just look at our roads and streets. They are neat and clean. The bus connectivity is good. The BJP has done a great job both at local and national levels. Only Modi can fight terrorism and make India a strong country," said Rakesh Patel, a college student. Anand Lok Sabha seat has seven Assembly segments, namely Anand, Khambhat, Borsad, Anklav, Umreth, Sojitra and Petlad. Among these, Umreth and Khambhat are with the BJP while the rest are with the Congress. Mitesh Patel said sitting MP Dilip Patel's works at the local level and Modi's decisions at the Centre will help BJP retain the seat. "Our MP had spent his entire grant for various works in rural parts of Anand. People know him very well. Many roads in villages were built through his grants. He is constantly with me during campaigning. We have seen that people have made up their mind to make Modiji PM again," said Patel. Solanki, while admitting that he could not remain in touch with people in the past due to party responsibilities, claimed the Congress would win as people have lost trust in BJP. "When you become party president, it is obvious you can't run the party from your home in Borsad as some things change with such responsibilities. Otherwise, I am very much in touch with my people," he said. "If not Anand, then Congress cannot win any other seat," said a confident Solanki. Solanki belongs to the OBC Kshatriya Thakor caste, with over 7.5 lakh voters, while Mitesh Patel belongs to the Patidar community, with around 2.42 lakh voters. Muslim voters number around 1.70 lakh. Though caste equations are in the Congress' favour, the BJP candidate Mitesh Patel claims it does not come into the picture as his party won from here in 1989, 1999 and 2014. Solanki, on other hand, said his chances of voctory are better as there are no Muslim candidates in the fray, unlike in 2014 when there were two Independent candidates from the minority community. Polling for all 26 seats in the state will take place on April 23. NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement `that there may be a better chance of India-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power`, is a ploy by Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. "I wouldn`t know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party`s or the government's take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by Congress. I don`t know what to make of this honestly," the Defence Minister told ANI in an exclusive interview. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Reacting to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi`s claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between April 16-20, Sitharaman said, "I don`t know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him... god knows (who is his source in India) but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me." When asked whether the Supreme Court`s decision to look into the allegedly stolen documents or acquired documents in the Rafale case weakened government`s position, the union minister said, "I don`t think our position has become weaker. We are firm on our stand. The Attorney General gave an explanation the next day. Documents from the Defence Ministry are classified documents. Every time a document of this nature or even a page comes out, in my understanding, it is stealing of information. The ministry is looking into the matter as to how it came out." When questioned if she thought that the procurement of documents pertaining to the Rafale deal was illegal, the minister said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That`s what I have been harping on. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come out through a legitimate manner then it is said to be stolen. Now what has come out does not alter the discourse on Rafale. Even if we include the matter on these illegally obtained pages, it does not alter the clear process which has been adopted. We are not worried at all." Sitharaman also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his `chowkidar chor hai` remark against Prime Minister Modi, which he attributed to the Supreme Court."But then has the Supreme Court said that Modi ji gave this much money to Anil Ambani? Has Supreme Court said this? When has Supreme Court said this? Has Supreme court even remotely said that PM Modi is not chowkidar and chori ki hai? Is this not taking liberty with the institutions? That too Supreme Court, where every word is well thought out. It is putting words into the mouth of the court and therefore if the court is looking into the matter it is only fair," she said. Bhopal has been a stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party for several years now. On the other hand, Congress has not won from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency since 1989. In Lok Sabha election 2019, the contest is all set to be of titanic proportions between two candidates from the two political parties who are varyingly controversial. Congress had already named veteran party leader and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh as its candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. Desperate to get back to winning ways here, the party had made the decision last month by the party's Central Election Committee and was announced by current MP CM Kamal Nath. It is reported that Digvijaya was keen on fighting from his home turf of Rajgarh but was eventually given Bhopal to contest from because of Congress' past performances here. Digvijaya can take some solace from the fact that while Bhopal has not been a happy hunting ground for his party in Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won three seats here in the Assembly election. Facing off against Digvijaya would be Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who joined BJP on Wednesday and who has so far made news primarily for being an accused in the Malegaon blast of 2008. While there was some speculation that she would be chosen, many felt that BJP won't make a gamble of epic proportions by eventually going with her. The party, however, did just that. Digvijaya welcomed Sadhvi Pragya as his opponent. "I wish her all the luck and pray to Ma Narmada that she blesses her," he said. Sadhvi Pragya also said that she is looking forward to the electoral contest at hand. "I have already started my work," she said. A day earlier - before her party had named her as its candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, she had told Zee News that she is a nationalist while Digvijaya is not. "This is why if chosen, I would look forward to the election and defeating him." While Sadhvi Pragya may be elated at the opportunity of battling Digvijaya, her selection has raised many eyebrows because of the alleged connection to Malegaon blast. While charges against her under MCOCA have been dropped by an NIA court, Sadhvi Pragya continues to face other charges. In her defence, she maintains that it is because of a controversy that she had to spend six years in jail and in reality, people in Bhopal have been wanting to see her contest the election. Whether the people in Bhopal actually favour Sadhvi Pragya or will they put their trust in Digvijaya? The parliamentary constituency votes in the sixth phase - on May 12. A day before the second phase of Lok Sabha polls, a grenade blast was reported in Bakaliaghat in Assam's Karbi Anglong district. The explosion happened on Wednesday evening near one Anil Guptas residence in Bakaliaghat town, a part of the Diphu Lok Sabha constituency which goes to polls on April 18. No injuries have been reported, though a 407 truck was damaged. Five seats in Assam will go to polls on Thursday. Fifty candidates are in the fray. Altogether 170 companies of security forces of both the Centre and the state have been deployed for election duty in the five constituencies - Karimganj (SC), Silchar, Autonomous District (ST), Nowgong and Mangaldoi. Meanwhile, a grenade was also hurled at a CRPF camp in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Two constituencies in J&K will also vote in the second phase of national election. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he expressed his anguish only for the lives lost in Gujarat, despite deaths in other states, due to rains and thunderstorms. "PM Narendra Modi approved an ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms in various parts of Gujarat. The Prime Minister has also approved Rs. 50,000 each for those injured due to unseasonal rain and storms in parts of Gujarat," tweeted the PMO. At least 34 people were killed when rain, thunderstorm and strong winds lashed four states--Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. After PM Modi took to Twitter to express despair at the loss of lives and announce compensation for the victims of Gujarat, CM Nath trained his guns at the PM asking if he is the prime minister of the country or of Gujarat. He asserted that more than 10 lives were lost in MP due to the torrential rains and posed a question on why the PM's sympathies are only for the people of Gujarat. In a jibe, CM Nath added that though the MP government maynot be BJP-led but people still reside there, hinting that PM Modi should be concerned for them as well. , 10 ? Office Of Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) April 17, 2019 "Modi ji, aap desh k PM naki Gujarat ke. MP mein bhi bemausam baarish wah toofan ke karan aakashiya bijli girne se 10 se adhik logo ki maut huyi hai. Lekin aapki samvednaaye sirf Gujarat tak seemeet? Bhale yaha aapki paryt ki sarkar nahi hai lekin log yaha bhi baste hai. (Modi ji you're the PM of India and not Gujarat. More than 10 people died in MP due to the rains. But your symapthies are restricted to Gujarat only. Maybe your party doesn't have a government in MP but people do reside here)," tweeted Kamal Nath. Following the MP CM's jibe, within less than an hour, PM Modi again took to Twitter and expressed grief, announcing compensation at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Manipur and other parts of the country. An ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country has been approved from the PMs National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved. PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2019 PM @narendramodi has expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely. PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2019 The Prime Minister has also approved Rs. 50,000 each for those injured due to unseasonal rain and storms in parts of Gujarat. PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2019 PM @narendramodi approved an ex- gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms in various parts of Gujarat. PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 17, 2019 "PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely. An ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country has been approved from the PMs National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved," tweeted the PMO. In Madhya Pradesh, a total of 11 people were killed in several districts. In Gujarat, nine people--four in Mehsana, two in Banaskantha, one each in Rajkot, Morbi, and Sabarkantha-- were killed due to the storm and rain. The crops have also been damaged in most of the locations. In Maharashtra, seven deaths have been reported due to heavy rains and lightning in the last two days. Hailstorm was witnessed in Nashik and Pune along with rain. The farmers have also been affected. Lightning killed two people each in Satana and Parbhani and injured one. A person was also killed in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik. The western state of Rajasthan witnessed seven deaths. In Jhalawad alone four children were killed due to heavy rains and duststorm. Normal life was thrown off track due to the sudden rain. While in Baran, hailstorm lashed the place affecting livestock, affected crops, and destroyed mud houses, in Sriganganagar crops were destroyed by a hailstorm. At least 300 villages were affected by the hailstorm. Murshidabad: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government over the Income Tax raids at DMK leader Kanimozhi's residence in Tuticorin on Tuesday night. Addressing an election rally in Murshidabad, Mamata said that "Kanimozhi was harassed as her party opposed to the BJP" and added that "TMC supports DMK." "It is a shame that BJP is using central agencies against opposition leaders and parties to harass them. Yesterday the Income Tax (department) without any reason raided Kanimozhi's house. Just because DMK and its leader MK Stalin are opposed to Narendra Modi and BJP, they (DMK leaders) are being unnecessarily harassed," PTI quoted Mamata as saying. Two days ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha election, I-T officials raided Kanimozhi's Tuticorin residence, from where she is contesting. BJP has named Tamilisai Soundararajan as their candidate from Tuticorin. "For us, a leader is such a person who is loved and respected by people from various sections of the society. But for the first time since Independence, we have a leader like the prime minister who is ruling the country by a reign of fear," Mamata added. Following the raids at her premises, Kanimozhi too slammed BJP and said, "BJP cannot prevent my success through this income tax raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized." "Over the last five years, every government agency has been exploited. They've become a part of BJP. CBI, ED, RBI IT, EC all have been compromised. Only opposition leaders have been targeted repeatedly," Kanimozhi added. DMK MP candidate Kanimozhi on I-T raids at her house in Thoothukudi: Over the last 5 yrs, every government agency has been exploited. They've become a part of BJP. CBI, ED, RBI IT, EC all have been compromised. Only opposition leaders have been targeted repeatedly. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/qoRlv9hXCE ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 After the raids, I-T sources said that nothing suspicious was found at Kanimozhi's residence. DMK chief MK Stalin, who is Kanimozhi's brother, also hit out at the Narendra Modi government and alleged, "Crores and crores of rupees are kept in Tamilisai Soundararajan's residence, why no raids there? Modi is using IT, CBI, judiciary and now EC to interfere in elections. They are doing this as they fear losing." Polling to all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 18 in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election. (With PTI inputs) A Jammu and Kashmir civil officer on Wednesday sought an FIR against some Army personnel accusing them of assaulting him and several other officials on the national highway. The officer also claimed that they were obstructed from performing poll duties. "It is requested that FIR be lodged against the security personnel under the relevant provisions of law for manhandling, intimidating and resorting to violence against the undersigned and my officials and obstructing us from performing our official duties including that of election duties," read the letter. In a letter to SHO Qazigund, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dooru, Ghulam Rasool Wani, wrote that he along with his team at 10.40 am on Tuesday were on their way to Vessu in Anantnag district for resolving a traffic matter on the national highway as asked by the Anantnag Deputy Commissioner (DC). However, the Army personnel had stopped all the civilian traffic though it was not a restricted day for Army convoys, claimed Wani. Wani introduced himself to the army personnel at Ujroo after which they were allowed to move towards Vessu. At Dalwach crossing, they were stopped again by some army personnel and asked not to proceed forward unless the Army convey passed to which they complied, Wani added. In spite of complying, one of the army personnel, Viney Kumar, beat Wani's driver ruthlessly and damaged their vehicle, he wrote. Wani claimed that when he objected, he was abused, picked up by the collar, assaulted, dragged up to about 20 meters and thrashed on gunpoint. The mobile phones of Wani and his driver were broken. Further, the soldier along with two other army men brought Wani's other employees from the vehicle and thrashed them ruthlessly and broke their cell phones too, he added. Wani added that the abuse didn't stop there as all of them were taken hostage on gunpoint for about at least 30 minutes, with safety locks removed and threatened to kill them. Their vehicles and other belongings were searched, snatched and damaged. All the data about the election were deleted, damaged and removed and they were not allowed to convey the incident to senior officers. The assault ended and they were set free only after the Anantnag DC reached the site. "I was picked up by collar abused and dragged up to about 20 meters and thrashed on gunpoint. My cell phone and driver's cell phone were snatched and broken into pieces. Further, the said Army man with other two army men got my other employees down from the vehicle and thrashed/beat them ruthlessly and their cell phones were also snatched and damaged," wrote Wani. "Not only this, all of us were taken hostage on gunpoint for about half an hour and our vehicle and other belongings were searched, snatched and damaged and all the data about the election were deleted, damaged and removed and did not allow to convey the incident to our senior officers," added Wani. "The army personnel removed the safety locks of their weapons and aimed guns at us, threatening to kill us. It was only after the Deputy Commissioner Anantnag reached, we were set free," he wrote further. In Vessu, Wani had to identify parking spaces for halted trucks in order to make the National Highway free from obstructions so that both the security and civilian vehicles have a hassle free travel. After that they had to visit some polling stations, a strong room and inspect a training session of the presiding officers of Dooru Constituency. New Delhi: Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday expressed disappointment on Twitter over the party's decision to revoke the suspension of the Congress' workers who misbehaved with her. In a strongly-worded tweet, an angry Priyanka slammed Congress for giving preference to "lumpen goons over those who work hard for the party." "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in Indian National Congress over those who have given their sweat and blood. Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," read Priyanka's tweet, along with which she also shared the Congress' statement of reinstating the suspension of the workers. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get prefence in @incindia over those who have given their sweat&blood. Having faced brickbats&abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate. https://t.co/CrVo1NAvz2 Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) April 17, 2019 The incident happened in Mathura when Priyanka was addressing a press conference related to Rafale deal. As per the letter, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) had suspended some of its workers for their unruly behaviour with Priyanka, however, the orders were revoked after an intervention by Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia. It is to be noted that Mathura Lok Sabha constituency falls in Western UP. "We expect that you would not do any such act in the future to tarnish the image of the party," the letter told Congress workers. Srinagar: Terrorists on Wednesday hurled a grenade at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Tral in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving a CRPF head constable injured. Police said that an under-barrel grenade launcher was fired at the camp. Security forces have launched a search in the area for the terrorists who carried out the attack, news agency PTI reported. The attack comes on the eve of the second phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. In J&K, polling in two seats - Srinagar and Udhampur - is scheduled to take place on April 18. In Tral, a similar incident of grenade firing was reported on Tuesday. A grenade was hurled at the house of National Conference leader Muhammad Ashraf Bhat at Upper Tral by terrorists. The grenade exploded outside the house. No loss of life or injury was reported in the incident. Several incidents of ceasefire violation have been reported at the Line Of Control (LoC) since the dastardly Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14. In the attack, 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Tamil Nadu: Vellore candidate AC Shanmugam, whose party Puthiya Needhi Katchi (New Justice Party) entered an alliance with the AIADMK, will move to the Madras High Court Wednesday challenging Election Commission's decision to cancel Lok Sabha election in Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu. Following the seizure of large amounts of unaccounted cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader, the Election Commission (EC) Tuesday cancelled the Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency scheduled for April 18. A government notification rescinding the polls said the EC was "fully satisfied that the current electoral process in Vellore has been seriously vitiated on account of unlawful activities of certain candidates and some workers of the political party." Shanmugam was pitted against Suresh DMK's DM Kathir Anand from Vellore constituency. Anand is the son of DMK Treasurer Duraimurugan. Meanwhile, DMK candidate Anand wrote to the EC alleging that the election watchdog is toeing in line with the BJP to help their candidate. The raids were staged and managed by the ruling party to get a bogus report from the IT department, which acted as judge, jury and executioner. Based on this bogus report, the ECI has cancelled elections projecting as if the money seized was from me and that the said money was stored for distribution to the voters, said Anand in his letter to the poll panel. Alleging that Shanmugam is engaged in large scale cash distribution, Anand added, There was no warrant during the entry and I was illegally detained for about three days during the search by I-T department preventing me from campaigning... to help BJP-AIADMK combine candidate AC Shanmugam and also to damage the prospects of my victory. Meanwhile, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government in the state demanded that Anand be disqualified from contesting the poll instead of cancelling the election. Vellore was scheduled to go to polls on April 18 along with 38 other Parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu. MUMBAI: Two minor tribal girls, studying at a residential school for tribal children in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district, were allegedly sexually abused by two school officers. Hostel superintendent Chaban Pachare and deputy superintendent Narendra Virutkar who allegedly raped the minors have been arrested, the police said Tuesday. Two woman staff members hostel warden Kalpana Thakre and assistant Lata Kanake were also arrested for abetting the crime. The residential school, located in Rajura tehsil, is reportedly owned by former Congress legislator and run by a private organisation. The minor girls, aged nine and 10, were admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Chandrapur on April 6 after repeatedly falling unconscious, said police. During the medical examination, the gynaecologist found signs of sexual abuse and overdose of sedative drugs. The authorities were alerted, following which police complaint was filed. Another minor, suffering similar bouts of unconsciousness, has come forward. She has been sent for medical examination. Pachare and Virutkar, who were arrested on Sunday, have been booked under Indian Penal Code section 376 (rape) as well the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A court remanded them in police custody till April 20, reported PTI. During the search operation, police recovered several condoms and Viagra pills from the superintendent's office in the hostel. Sudhir Mungantiwar, the state finance minister and guardian minister of Chandrapur district, ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. Further investigation is underway, said district superintendent of police Maheshwar Reddy. The school's government recognition was cancelled after the incident came to light, a senior official said. New Delhi: The stunner of an actress and a braveheart, Sonali Bendre is slowly getting back to the grind of Mumbai. She was recently spotted at a popular joint named 'Sequel' in Bandra along with a friend. Sonali has always been a fashionista and was seen upping her summer look this time. She stepped out wearing a white flowy top and blue wide culottes. We are definitely crushing on her summer style. Check out her pictures: (Pic Courtesy: Yogen Shah) The actress returned to Mumbai some time back from New York City where she was being treated for high-grade cancer that had metastasised. Sonali put up a brave front and broke the news with fans and followers on social media. Everyone including people from the film fraternity were hit by a shock wave and prayed for her speedy recovery. Sonali while being treated in NYC documented each phase of her illness and shared pictures/videos on social media with fans and followers. From being diagnosed with cancer to getting bald and now finally being homeSonali has shared each moment with her well-wishers building a solid emotional connection with her fan army. The actress also has an active book club running called SBC (Sonali Book Club). New Delhi: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday dismissed reports about the alleged theft of data of 7.82 crore Aadhaar holders in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The report about the alleged theft was published by several portals in connection with the news relating to the FIR filed against IT Grid (India) on the basis of a complaint by Telangana Police. UIDAI in a statement said that its CIDR and servers are completely safe and fully secure and no illegal access was made and no data has been stolen from its servers. Based on a complaint by officials of UIDAI, the Cyberabad Police had filed one more case against city-based IT Grids India Pvt Ltd for alleged unauthorised use of data of voters. UIDAI clarified that service providers usually collect Aadhaar number, name, address, etc., directly from individuals for providing services. They are required under the Aadhaar Act and Information Technology Act to use these sensitive information only for the purpose for which such information has been collect ed and are not allowed to share further without the consent of the Aadhaar holders, the statement read. If they violate the provisions of Aadhaar Act in collection of Aadhaar numbers from people, their storage, usage, and sharing, they are liable to be prosecuted under the Aadhaar Act, it added. UIDAI also said that through the FIR, the police has been requested by UIDAI to investigate as to for what purpose the Aadhaar numbers were collected from the people by IT Grid (India) and is stored and used by the company and whether any provisions of Aadhaar Act have been violated. The alleged incident has nothing to do with UIDAIs data and servers. The city police had earlier registered a case against IT Grids India for illegally using and storing information of crores of voters of Andhra Pradesh through "Seva Mitra" mobile application allegedly used by the ruling TDP in AP. The Telangana government handed over the case to the SIT which seized hard disks belonging to IT Grids and sent them to Telangana State Forensic Science Laboratory (TSFSL) for forensic examination. The TSFSL in its preliminary report has stated the seized hard disks contained a database of a large number of records pertaining to Aadhaar number in a particular structural database. Based on the Telangana State Forensic Science Laboratory (TSFSL) report, UIDAI filed a complaint with police. Upon further examination of the digital evidence, it was found that 7,82,21,397 records of Aadhaar data belonging to people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were used by IT Grids India for "Seva Mitra" application of the TDP, the UIDAI said in its complaint. A senior official of UIDAI said some state government departments were permitted to use Aadhaar data for verification purpose. "Storing Aadhaar data is a crime. Some mobile companies are also given permission to use Aadhaar data for verification. But they cannot store data and they cannot deviate from the assigned purpose," the official said, news agency PTI reported. (With PTI reports) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. WASHINGTON/HAVANA: The Trump administration will allow lawsuits in US courts for the first time against foreign companies that use properties confiscated by Communist-ruled Cuba since Fidel Castro`s revolution six decades ago, a senior US official said on Tuesday. The major policy shift, which will be announced on Wednesday, could expose US, European and Canadian companies to legal action and deal a blow to Cuba`s efforts to attract more foreign investment. It is also another sign of Washington`s efforts to punish Havana over its support for Venezuela`s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump`s national security adviser, John Bolton, will explain on Wednesday the administration`s decision in a speech in Miami and announce new sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, countries he has branded a "troika of tyranny," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It is unclear, however, whether such property claims will be acceptable in US courts. The European Union has already warned it could lodge a challenge with the World Trade Organization. "The extraterritorial application of the US embargo is illegal, contrary to international law and I also consider it immoral," EU ambassador to Cuba Alberto Navarro said in Havana. Trump threatened in January to allow a law that has been suspended since its creation in 1996, permitting Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business in Cuba over property seized in decades past by the Cuban government. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of lawsuits. The complete lifting of the ban could allow billions of dollars in legal claims to move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and Europe, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that began investing in the island, an old Cold War foe, since former President Barack Obama began a process of normalizing relations between the two countries from the end of 2014. The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the country`s National Assembly, meeting over the weekend, declared the Helms-Burton Act "illegitimate, unenforceable and without legal effect." Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech on Saturday that the United States "has pushed the precarious relations with our country back to the worst level ... trying to activate the hateful Helms-Burton Law, which aims to return us in principle to ... when we were a slave nation of another empire." U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president in early 2017. A six-decade U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. LEGALLY UNPRECEDENTED, OUTCOME UNKNOWN Trump is going ahead despite protests by Canadian and European leaders to U.S. counterparts. The U.S. official dismissed the EU`s warning of a possible WTO challenge and a cycle of counterclaims in European courts as doomed to fail. Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Sherritt International Corp and Spains Melia Hotels International SA. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. Defending the decision, the U.S. official said allowing lawsuits would cause only a "bump" in the business world but send a message of U.S. resolve against Havana. In addition to halting any further waivers of Title III, the administration will begin full enforcement of Helms-Burton`s Title IV, which requires the denial of U.S. visas to those involved in "trafficking" confiscated properties in Cuba. Trump`s decision followed threats by his top aides in recent weeks to take actions against Cuba to force it to abandon Maduro, something Havana has insisted it will not do. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency. The United States and most Western countries have backed Guaido as head of state. Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup and Maduro is backed by Cuba, Russia, China and the Venezuela military. Trumps toughened stance on Cuba as well as Venezuela has gone down well in the large Cuban-American community in south Florida, an important voting bloc in a political swing state as he looks towards his re-election campaign in 2020. In Bolton`s speech on Wednesday, he is expected to announce further measures against Cuba. The administration is considering a range of options, including sanctions against senior Cuban military and intelligence officials over their role in Venezuela and the tightening of limits on U.S. trade with the island, according to two people familiar with the matter. Navarro said EU companies had the obligation of not collaborating with U.S. judgements under Title III and the possibility to make counterclaims. This is a fringe policy decision that has not been tested legally," said James Williams, president of Engage Cuba, a Washington-based lobbying group working to normalise relations with Cuba. Some 5,913 claims held by U.S. companies and individuals have been certified by the U.S. Justice Department and are estimated to be worth roughly $8 billion. Cuban law ties settlement of any claims to U.S. reparations for damages from Washington`s embargo and what it considers other acts of U.S. aggression. Cuban estimate JAKARTA: Indonesia's ruling coalition, which backs President Joko Widodo, is on course to win over half of the votes in an election for the national parliament, based on a count of 7 percent of ballots cast on Wednesday, pollster Indo Barometer said. Indonesia held simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on Wednesday. Widodo, standing against former general Prabowo Subianto after a six-month campaign, appears to be on course to win in the race to lead the world`s third-largest democracy, for a second term. The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Widodo is a member, is likely to win 25.36 percent of the votes for the national parliament, according to a quick count of a sample of votes by Indo Barometer. PDI-P leads Widodo`s 10-party coalition which controls the lower house of parliament. Ally Golkar, parliament`s second largest party, was at 14.27 percent of the vote, the findings showed. Prabowo's Greater Indonesia Movement trails with 11.10 of the vote. Indo Barometer is one of more than 40 pollsters accredited by the General Elections Commission to conduct unofficial quick counts. A quick count by pollster Kompas, based on 3.80 percent of results, also had the ruling coalition winning the majority. In previous elections, the counts from reputable companies proved to be accurate. Official results will be announced by the election commission on May 22. LONDON: Police have arrested 290 people in two days of protests after climate-change activists blocked some of London`s most important junctions including Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, causing traffic chaos. The protests, led by British climate group Extinction Rebellion, brought parts of central London to a standstill again on Tuesday. Extinction Rebellion, which generated headlines with a semi-nude protest in the House of Commons earlier this month, is demanding the government reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Police said they expected the demonstrations to continue in coming weeks and had to strike the right balance between allowing the right to peaceful protest while ensuring disruption was kept at a minimum. "At this time, ongoing demonstrations are causing serious disruptions to public transport, local businesses and Londoners who wish to go about their daily business," Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said on Tuesday. Activists had been told they must confine any demonstrations to the Marble Arch area, and police were taking action against protesters in other locations. More than a dozen activists had been arrested at Waterloo Bridge near parliament by lunchtime on Tuesday. Others were sitting in the road with linked arms, chanting at the police "Rebellion! Rebellion!" and "We are peaceful! What about you?" Five arrests were for criminal damage after the Royal Dutch Shell building near the River Thames was targeted on Monday. Two protesters on Monday climbed up scaffolding, writing "Shell Knows!" in red paint on the front of the building and three protesters glued their hands to revolving doors at the entrance. Tents littered the prime shopping area of Oxford Circus on Tuesday morning, with some activists huddled beneath a model boat with the words "Tell the Truth" across its side. One placard read: "Rebel for Life". Activist Katy Fowler, 39, from Machynlleth in Wales, said reaction from the public had been very positive. "People have come up to us to thank us emphatically," she said. "There is an awareness and a hunger for something to be done." A University of Minnesota student who said she was raped last August by Richard Liu, the chief executive officer of China's e-commerce retailer JD.com Inc, filed a civil lawsuit against him in a Minneapolis court on Tuesday, nearly four months after prosecutors declined to press criminal charges. Liu, through his lawyers, maintained his innocence throughout the law enforcement investigation, which ended in December. The lawsuit filed in Hennepin County court seeks undisclosed damages and names Richard Liu and JD.com as defendants. It also identifies the student for the first time as Liu Jingyao, a Chinese woman who is not related to the JD.com executive. "Defendant Liu was physically larger in size and significantly stronger than the plaintiff and used his superior size and strength to subdue and rape her," the court document said. Richard Liu`s attorney, Jill Brisbois, said in a written statement on Tuesday that she had not yet reviewed the complaint, but "based on the Hennepin County attorneys declination to charge a case against our client and our belief in his innocence, we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it." Peter Walsh, an attorney for JD.com at Hogan Lovells, said in a written statement while they were not prepared to comment at this time, they will vigorously defend against "these meritless claims against the company." The student first accused Richard Liu of rape in August when he was visiting the University of Minnesota to attend a doctor of business administration programme directed at executives from China. Liu, 46, who started JD.com as a humble electronics stall and expanded it into an e-commerce company with 2018 net revenues of $67 billion, was arrested on August 31, but released without charge about 17 hours later. He soon returned to China and continued his executive role, as prosecutors in Minnesota investigated the rape allegation to determine if criminal charges were warranted. In December, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman announced he was not charging Richard Liu as there were "profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." Richard Liu said subsequently on Chinese social media that while he had broken no law, he felt "utter self-admonishment and regret" for the "enormous pain" his "actions on that day" caused his family, especially his wife, internet celebrity Zhang Zetian. Also known as Liu Qiangdong, he would have faced up to 30 years in prison under Minnesota law if convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Reuters previously reported details of what happened while Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a week-long residency programme at the University of Minnesota`s Carlson School of Management, including a description of the alleged attack and the events around it given by the then-anonymous student. "We are proud of the incredible courage our client has shown revealing her name for all the world to see, so that justice may be done," Florin Roebig, P.A., one of the law firms representing Liu Jingyao, said in a statement on Tuesday. Florin Roebig declined to comment on the amount they were seeking in damages, but the court filing showed it was more than the $50,000 threshold required. Spokesmen for the University of Minnesota and the Hennepin County Attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. JD.COM `VICARIOUSLY LIABLE` The lawsuit accused Richard Liu and JD.com of a total of six counts of false imprisonment, civil assault and battery, as well as sexual assault or battery. JD.com is "vicariously liable" for Richard Liu`s behaviour because his alleged actions happened while he was "seemingly" at work-related activities, the court document said. The assault and battery also began in the presence of two other JD.com employees, Vivian Yang Han and Alice Zhang Yujia, the court filing said. Yang, when reached on her cellphone for comment, hung up. Zhang did not respond to a request for comment. "Those employees were not only present but helped facilitate" Richard Liu`s alleged assault of the student, according to the lawsuit. "The offensive contact caused the plaintiff physical and emotional injuries," the court filing said. "It also caused her to withdraw from all classes during the fall 2018 semester at the University of Minnesota and to seek professional counselling, care and treatment." The lawsuit said that when police visited the student`s apartment after being alerted to the rape allegation, Richard Liu tried to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement, according to an officer`s body camera footage. The lawsuit said Liu was "staring down" at her while being removed from her apartment, angrily saying "`What the hell?`" DENVER: Colorado`s Columbine High School and at least 20 surrounding schools were placed under a "lockout" security alert on Tuesday as authorities cited a "potential credible threat" posed by an 18-year-old woman described as armed and "extremely dangerous." The alert came four days before the 20th anniversary of the April 1999 massacre at Columbine, when two heavily armed students stormed the suburban Denver high school and fatally shot 12 classmates and a teacher before committing suicide. Tuesday`s lockout, less serious than a public safety "lockdown," means activities inside schools may continue as usual but entry and exit is restricted, the Jefferson County Sheriff`s Office said on Twitter. Officers were "investigating what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools," the sheriff`s department said on Twitter, adding that students were safe and additional deputies were dispatched to the schools. The precise nature and circumstances of the threat were not immediately disclosed. But the sheriff`s office later said that an 18-year-old woman identified as Sol Pais was being sought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and sheriff`s deputies in connection with the case. "Last night, Sol Pais travelled to Colorado & made threats. She is armed & considered to be extremely dangerous," the sheriff`s office said on Twitter, adding that Pais was wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots and was last seen in the Jefferson County foothills. The tweets included two photos of the woman. Authorities did not disclose how Pais came to the attention of law enforcement or how the alleged threats were conveyed. 22 SCHOOLS AFFECTED The Sheriff`s office spokesman, Deputy Mike Taplin, said the anniversary of the Columbine mass shooting was not a "direct" factor in the security alert. He referred further questions to the FBI. A spokeswoman for the FBI`s Denver field office did not immediately respond to queries. Jefferson County Public Schools tweeted a list of 22 elementary, middle and high schools placed under lockout. All after-school activities will go on as scheduled, except at Columbine, where they were cancelled as a precaution, the district said. The Colorado Department of Public Safety later alerted schools throughout the Denver metropolitan area to the threat, recommending they conduct a "controlled release" of students from classes in the afternoon. Security alerts and safety drills have become commonplace in public schools across the United States in the years since the Columbine shooting as campus gun violence has grown more frequent. In Denver public schools alone, there have been 22 lockdowns and 294 lockouts over the past two academic years, according to school data cited by the Denver Post. WASHINGTON: Satellite images from last week show movement at North Korea's main nuclear site that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, a US think tank said on Tuesday. Any new reprocessing activity would underscore the failure of a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in late February to make progress toward North Korea`s denuclearisation. Washington`s Centre for Strategic and International Studies said in a report that satellite imagery of North Korea`s Yongbyon nuclear site from April 12 showed five specialised railcars near its Uranium Enrichment Facility and Radiochemistry Laboratory. It said their movement could indicate the transfer of radioactive material. "In the past, these specialised railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns." the report said. "The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." The U.S. State Department declined to comment on intelligence matters, but a source familiar with U.S. government assessments said that while U.S. experts thought the movements could possibly be related to reprocessing, they were doubtful it was significant nuclear activity. Jenny Town, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Centre think tank, said that if reprocessing was taking place, it would be a significant given U.S.-North Korean talks in the past year and the failure to reach an agreement on the future of Yongbyon in Hanoi. "Because there wasn`t an agreement with North Korea on Yongbyon, it would be interesting timing if they were to have started something so quickly after Hanoi," she said. Trump has met Kim twice in the past year to try to persuade him to abandon a nuclear weapons programme that threatens the United States, but progress so far has been scant. The Hanoi talks collapsed after Trump proposed a "big deal" in which sanctions on North Korea would be lifted if it handed over all its nuclear weapons and fissile material to the United States. He rejected partial denuclearisation steps offered by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle Yongbyon. Although Kim has maintained a freeze in missile and nuclear tests since 2017, U.S. officials say North Korea has continued to produce fissile material that can be processed for use in bombs. Last month, a senior North Korean official warned that Kim might rethink the test freeze unless Washington made concessions. Last week, Kim said the Hanoi breakdown raised the risks of reviving tensions, adding that he was only interested in meeting Trump again if the United States came with the right attitude. Kim said he would wait "till the end of this year" for the United States to decide to be more flexible. On Monday, Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brushed aside this demand with Pompeo saying Kim should keep his promise to give up his nuclear weapons before then. Town said any new reprocessing work at Yongbyon would emphasise the importance of the facility in North Korea`s nuclear programme. "It would underscore that it is an active facility that does increase North Korea`s fissile material stocks to increase its arsenal." A study by Stanford University`s Centre for International Security and Cooperation released ahead of the Hanoi summit said North Korea had continued to produce bomb fuel in 2018 and may have produced enough in the past year to add as many as seven nuclear weapons to its arsenal. Experts have estimated the size of North Korea`s nuclear arsenal at anywhere between 20 and 60 warheads. WASHINGTON: Turkey expects President Donald Trump to use a waiver to protect it if the US Congress decides to sanction Ankara over a planned purchase of a Russian missile defence system, a Turkish presidential spokesman said on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that Washington had told Ankara it could face retribution for buying the S-400s under a sanctions law known as Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CATSAA). Turkey has not backed down from its purchase and said it should not trigger sanctions as Ankara is not an adversary of Washington and remains committed to the NATO alliance. Speaking to reporters during a trip to Washington, Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman to Turkey`s President Tayyip Erdogan, said Ankara hoped a solution would be found to avoid sanctions. "If it comes to that, that is the sanctions proposed to be implemented by the Congress, of course we will expect President Trump to use his power for a waiver on that issue," Kalin said. "He may have a good case to make to the Congress," he said. Asked if Trump has explicitly signalled he would issue a waiver, Kalin said he did not. "I cannot say that he did. This is a message we are conveying." US officials have called Turkey`s planned purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems "deeply problematic," saying it would risk Ankara`s partnership in the joint strike fighter F-35 programme because it would compromise the jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp. Turkey has refused to back down and said it will take delivery of the S-400s in July. Kalin said Ankara has proposed to Washington that the two countries establish a technical committee under the umbrella of NATO to determine whether S-400 system endangers the F-35 jet as the US argues and that it was waiting to hear back from the United States and NATO. "Because it really comes down to this technical issue. The main argument that we are presented with is that it will jeopardise the F-35s. Let`s find out if that`s really the case," Kalin said. The United States and other NATO allies that own F-35s fear the radar on the Russian S-400 missile system will learn how to spot and track the jet, making it less able to evade Russian weapons. The disagreement is the latest in a series of diplomatic disputes between the United States and Turkey. They include Turkish demands that Washington extradites cleric Fethullah Gulen, differences over Middle East policy and the war in Syria, and sanctions on Iran. Asked what Turkey would do if Trump abstained from providing a waiver, Kalin said Turkey would have to wait and see the scope of the sanctions but hopes it does not come to that. "Threats and sanctions would be very counterproductive, backfire and will not produce any results positively," he said. getty imagesbank By Jhoo Dong-chan Discussion on simplifying insurance claim processing is gaining momentum as politicians are taking action for an increasing number of policyholders who gave up on their claims because of the complicated procedure. The Korea Insurance Research Institute surveyed 2,440 Koreans aged over 20 throughout the country, and 14.8 percent of respondents said they did not submit an insurance claim after undergoing medical treatment in 2018 because the fee wasn't that expensive while the procedure to do so was too complicated. Considering non-life insurers paid a total 7.5 trillion won (6.59 billion) worth of actual insurance benefits last year, more than 1 trillion won wasn't given to policyholders based on the survey. Last year, Rep. Koh Yong-jin of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea proposed a bill to revise related laws to simplify the procedure for insurance claims. The bill called for the hospital the necessary documents for the policyholder's claim to the insurance company. "The bill should be ratified immediately. Actual insurance policyholders have a right to get their claims without such a complicated procedure," Rep. Koh said in a joint press statement with a consumer rights group last week. In order for policyholders to claim payouts under the current system, they have to get the necessary documents from the hospital first and must then submit them with insurance companies online or via mail. If the bill is passed, policyholders will no longer need to go through the process themselves. Upon the policyholder's request, the hospital will send the necessary documents, including doctor's notes and receipts, to insurance firms through an ATM. Financial authorities and insurance firms welcome the proposed bill, but the medical circle strongly opposes it. The Korea Hospital Association said in a recent press release that such a practice could lead to possible personal data leaks. "The practice could impose an administrative burden on hospitals," the association said. "Plus, there are not many hospitals across the country featuring such automated teller systems for insurance claims." According to the General Insurance Association of Korea, nearly 34 million people have insurance as of last year. By Lee Kyung-min Six major regional banks are reeling from rising bad loans as customer default rates have continued on an upward spiral amid the economic downturn. This has been further exacerbated by large manufacturers in provincial areas undergoing radical restructuring. According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the outstanding balance of loans in arrears at the six banks soared to a combined 165 billion won ($145 million) in 2018, more than double the 74.5 billion won in 2015. As a result, their average default rate rose to 0.34 percent from 0.21 percent over the same period. The six lenders are Busan, BNK Kyongnam, Daegu, Kwangju, Jeonbuk and Jeju Bank. This is in stark contrast to the four major national banks Shihan, Kookmin, Woori and KEB Hana based in Seoul. They mostly saw the rate under control, with their average default rate decreasing to 0.25 percent in 2018 from 0.3 percent in 2015. "The increase in both the amount of loans and the default rate is something that requires constant monitoring given the sluggish economy," said Sung Tae-yoon, an economist at Yonsei University. "The problem may take a faster, greater toll because the already slow current real economy can be compounded by declining real estate prices, which can be a factor triggering a major risk to the economy given most of the borrowers have provided real estate as collateral." Hit particularly hard were banks in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, where large shipbuilding and car manufacturing plants are based in Ulsan, Changwon and Goeje. The continued losses have been caused not only by people who invested in the property market in provincial areas but residents who took out house-backed loans and are struggling to make monthly interest payments. The delinquent outstanding loans for Busan Bank totaled 50.4 billion won last year, nearly 3 times that of the 17 billion won in 2015. Over the same period, BNK Kyongnam Bank saw the its increase nearly fourfold, from 12.3 billion won to 41.7 billion won. Jeonbuk Bank in Jeolla Province whose business portfolio includes Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province managed to keep the 2018 rate lower than the previous year. Daegu has seen the loan default amount increase to 26.1 billion won in 2018, up 40 percent from 18.7 billion won in 2017. For Kwangju, the amount jumped to 23.8 billion won in 2018, a 60 percent increase from 14.7 billion won the previous year. The financial authorities said the default rate is within manageable range given the banks have enough loan/loss reserves, among many indicators of financial soundness. The reserves are the amount banks have to set aside against a possible customer default. "The recent increase in numbers is in no way a positive sign for the banks' performances, but there is not much they can do given the incidences were triggered due to no fault of their own," a Financial Services Commission official said. "These are areas that banks don't have much discretion over. They need to wait and see until industry revives. Also, the figures for regional banks seem relatively riskier compared to Seoul-based major banks with healthier numbers," she added. Meanwhile, the situation is similar with regional savings banks. Of the 32 such entities, nearly two-thirds, or 21 have suffered an increase in their default rates. Heart patch could limit muscle damage in heart attack aftermath PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Researchers have designed a new type of adhesive patch that can be placed directly on the heart and may one day help to reduce the stretching of heart muscle that often occurs after a heart attack. The patch, made from a water-based hydrogel material, was developed using computer simulations of heart function in order to fine tune the material's mechanical properties. A study in rats showed that the patch was effective in preventing left ventricle remodeling -- a stretching of the heart muscle that's common after a heart attack and can reduce the function of the heart's main pumping chamber. The research also showed that the computer-optimized patch outperformed patches whose mechanical properties had been selected on an ad hoc basis. The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was a collaboration between computer modeling and mechanics researchers in Brown University's School of Engineering, cardiology researchers from Fudan University and material scientists from Soochow University. "Part of the reason that it's hard for the heart to recover after a heart attack is that it has to keep pumping," said Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown and a co-author on the paper. "The idea here is to provide mechanical support for damaged tissue, which hopefully gives it a chance to heal." Prior research had shown that mechanical patches could be effective, the researchers say, but no one had done any research on what the optimum mechanical properties of such a patch might be. As a result, the thickness and stiffness of potential patches varies widely. And getting those properties right is important, Gao says. "If the material is to hard or stiff, then you could confine the movement of the heart so that it can't expand to the volume it needs to," he said. "But if the material is too soft, then it won't provide enough support. So we needed some mechanical principles to guide us." To develop those principles, the researchers developed a computer model of a beating heart, which captured the mechanical dynamics of both the heart itself and the patch when fixed to the heart's exterior. Yue Liu, a graduate student at Brown who led the modeling work, says the model had two key components. "One part was to model normal heart function -- the expanding and contracting," Liu said. "Then we applied our patch on the outside to see how it influenced that function, to make sure that the patch doesn't confine the heart. The second part was to model how the heart remodels after myocardial infarction, so then we could look at how much mechanical support was needed to prevent that process." With those properties in hand, the team turned to the biomaterials lab of Lei Yang, a Brown Ph.D. graduate who is now a professor at Soochow University and Hebei University of Technology in China. Yang and his team developed a hydrogel material made from food-sourced starch that could match the properties from the model. The key to the material is that it's viscoelastic, meaning it combines fluid and solid properties. It has fluid properties up to a certain amount of stress, at which point it solidifies and becomes stiffer. That makes the material ideal for both accommodating the movement of the heart and for provided necessary support, the researchers say. The material is also cheap (a patch costs less than a penny, the researchers say) and easy to make, and experiments showed that it was nontoxic. The rodent study ultimately showed that it was effective in reducing post-heart attack damage. "The patch provided nearly optimal mechanical supports after myocardial infarction (i.e. massive death of cardiomyocytes)," said Ning Sun, a cardiology researcher at Fudan University in China and a study co-author. "[It] maintained a better cardiac output and thus greatly reduced the overload of those remaining cardiomyocytes and adverse cardiac remodeling." Biochemical markers showed that the patch reduced cell death, scar tissue accumulation and oxidative stress in tissue damaged by heart attack. More testing is required, the researchers say, but the initial results are promising for eventual use in human clinical trials. "It remains to be seen if it will work in humans, but it's very promising," Gao said. "We don't see any reason right now that it wouldn't work." ### Other coauthors on the paper were Xiao Lin, Aobing Bai, Huanhuan Cai, Yanjie Bai, Wei Jiang, Huilin Yang and Xinhong Wang. The work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the U.S. National Science Foundation (CMMI-1562904). This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. At the meeting, the two sides lauded the sound development of the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation between the two countries over the years. They agreed that the impressive development achievements in each country alongside the shared strengths between the two sides have laid a firm foundation for them to continue boosting their ties in the time ahead, especially between the two parliaments. PM Phuc thanked the parliament, government, and people of Romania for their warm welcome, affirming that Vietnam always attaches great attention to its partnership with Romania and lauding the contributions of Romanias Chamber of Deputies to the growth of bilateral relations. He spoke highly of support from Romania, including the Chamber of Deputies, towards speeding up of the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in its role as part of the current EU presidency. He also expressed his appreciation of bilateral partnerships across all fields, and hoped to continue receiving Romanias support in the future. The Vietnamese Government leader suggested that Romanias Chamber of Deputies pay more attention to the promotion of high-level meetings and exchanges, the sharing of experience between the two parliaments, and partnership among localities of the two countries. On the occasion, PM Phuc conveyed National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngans invitation to President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea to visit Vietnam, who accepted it and pledged to make the trip at a convenient time. For his part, President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea described the visit of PM Phuc as an important advancement in the bilateral relations. He stated that Romanias Chamber of Deputies treasures the Vietnam-Romania traditional friendship, while welcoming the positive developments in bilateral parliamentary cooperation and affirming that the chamber completely supports the EVFTA and EVIPA, which are expected to be signed during the rotating EU Presidency of Romania. He held that this is an important time for the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in areas of each others potential and strength, such as economy-trade, oil and gas, agriculture, education and labour, especially in the sustainable management of water resources in the Mekong River and Danube subregions. After the meeting, PM Phuc, his spouse, and the Vietnamese delegation left Bucharest for Prague to start an official visit to the Czech Republic at the invitation of its Prime Minister Andrej Babis. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made a surprise visit to an air force unit and reviewed a flight exercise, the official news agency reported Wednesday, in his first public inspection of military activities in five months. During the visit to the Unit 1017 of the Air and Anti-aircraft Force of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday, Kim ordered pilots to "take off and perform difficult and complicated air combat actions," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Noting that while passing by the unit he abruptly dropped in at the unit in order to learn about the flight drill of a pursuit assault plane group, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un said it is important to make a sudden inspection of the regular readiness of unit as a fight of the air and anti-aircraft field is waged without previous notice," KCNA said. Kim also expressed "great satisfaction over the excellent readiness to carry out any combat task irrespective of conditions and environment," the report said. The visit was Kim's first reported military activity after he supervised a "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon test" in November. Ranking party officials, including the country's newly appointed No. 2 leader, Choe Ryong-hae, accompanied Kim, according to the KCNA. Kim visited the Ministry of People's Armed Forces in February, but just delivered a speech to celebrate the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. (Yonhap) Aerial photo of the Greenland International Medical Center on Jeju Island. It would have been the country's first for-profit hospital. / Courtesy of the Greenland International Medical Center By Kim Hyun-bin Jeju provincial government has revoked the business license of what would have been the country's first for-profit hospital, as it failed to meet the deadline to launch operations "without clear reasons." The revocation follows public hearings held last month after Greenland International Medical Center, invested in by the Shanghai-based Greenland Group, missed the deadline for opening and filed a lawsuit against the local government's ban on providing medical services to Korean patients. "The regional government decided to revoke the approval of the medical center after reviewing the results of a public hearing over the issue," Won Hee-ryong, governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government, said during a press conference Wednesday. "Without proper cause, the hospital neither opened within the three months since its license was approved, the period designated by the Medical Services Act, nor did it take practical efforts to open," he said. The Jeju government granted the license on Dec. 5 on condition that the hospital provided medical services only to foreign patients. Under the law, the hospital was obliged to open 90 days after gaining approval March 4. As it failed to do so, the regional government held a hearing March 26 as the first step in the process of license cancellation. As to the causes of failing to meet the deadline, the hospital said the approval had been delayed for 15 months from the initially expected time, and it had to file the lawsuit after the approval. But experts at the hearing concluded the causes were not enough to explain the failed opening, Won said. "In its initial business proposal, the Greenland Group planned to focus on treating foreign patients and treatment of local patients was not a key factor in its operation. But the group filed the administrative suit because of this and is not opening the hospital, and we don't see this as a reasonable cause for missing the deadline," Won said. The operator also failed to explain why a large number of medical staff had left, and did not provide documents to prove it had hired enough personnel for operations, he added. "Since the approval on Dec. 5, we suggested talks numerous times but the group refused and only requested an extension of the deadline. We regarded this as the operator making little effort to open the facility." On Dec. 5, the for-profit medical center received approval from the Jeju government but its service was limited to foreign patients only, which the governor said was a "Maginot Line" to protect the nation's public healthcare system. The hospital said the ban on offering treatment to Korean patients was illegal, and filed the suit on Feb. 14 to get the local government to cancel it. On Feb 26, it also requested an extension of the March 4 deadline, but this was rejected by the local government. Initially, the hospital had hired 134 employees as of August 2017 when it first applied for a license. But the approval was delayed for more than a year and all nine doctors resigned along with other staff. The hospital is expected to file a compensation suit against the local government for its losses, separate from the current administrative lawsuit. The main suspect in the killing and arson spree at an apartment building in Jinju is escorted into a police station in the South Gyeongsang Province city, Wednesday. Yonhap A window in the apartment was blackened in the fire that took 20 minutes to extinguish. Yonhap By Oh Young-jin The suspect in an early morning arson and killing spree Wednesday exhibited signs of schizophrenia, claiming his fatal attack was in self-defense against "forces that threatened me," police said at a briefing later in the day. He reportedly had a history of mental illness. Five people were killed and 13 injured in the arson and stabbing attack at an apartment complex in Jinju. Police said that four of the dead were women including a 12-year-old girl and her grandmother. A blind high school senior was also a victim. Some of the injured were listed in a critical condition so the death toll could rise. Seven others were victims of smoke inhalation. The suspect, identified by his surname An, 42, was apprehended at the scene. The arson and murder suspect, identified as An, being escorted by police officers. Yonhap "The suspect kept changing his story and it didn't make any sense," a spokesman for Jinju, South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency told reporters. "He admitted to the arson and killing but refused to disclose what motivated his killing." An sprayed gasoline in his living room and set it alight at 4:25 a.m., police said. He then shouted "fire," flushing people out of their apartments and ambushing them on the emergency stairs with two "lethal tools," a police term for knives. Officers confronted him in the hall and fired blank and live ammunition before subduing him with a Taser. An had initially told police he was angry over back pay. But police said it was confirmed he was working as a day laborer and was not owed wages. The murder suspect is caught on CCTV throwing liquid on the door of an upstairs neighbor he had quarreled with earlier. Yonhap An is said to be on government support for the underprivileged. He has been living alone in the apartment since 2015. He is being questioned about the motive for his alleged rampage. Two police experts in crime profiling have been assigned to the case with 30 investigators. Police said An had at least five run-ins with neighbors. He was once caught on CCTV spraying soy sauce and vinegar on the door of people living upstairs over noise complaints. Some local media outlets reported that An had uploaded a posting on a portal site in 2013 that showed his resentment of children. By Lee Suh-yoonKorean and Vietnamese lawyers called on the government to investigate and provide reparations for the alleged killing of Vietnamese civilians by Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War.Several members of the Vietnam Lawyers Association came to Korea and announced a joint statement on the issue with the Seoul Bar Association (SBA), Wednesday."Finding the truth behind the civilian killings during the Vietnam War is necessary for human rights and peace, and it will also strengthen future ties between Korea and Vietnam, allowing them to develop their relationship on the foundations of historical truth," Park Jung-woo, head of the SBA, and Duong Thanh Bac, vice president of the Vietnam group, read in turn from the joint statement at a press conference at the SBA office in southern Seoul."The Seoul Bar Association and Vietnam Lawyers Association call on the Korean government to investigate the truth behind civilian killings in the Vietnam War and provide confirmed victims with proper reparation measures."Civic groups in the two countries have made efforts to find the truth about alleged massacres since 2000, such as filing suits to demand the government disclose related documents, but the administration's response has been insufficient, they said.Former President Park Chung-hee sent around 320,000 soldiers to Vietnam between 1964 and 1973 to aid U.S. forces against the North Vietnamese communist insurgency. There, Korean troops allegedly killed up to 9,000 civilians in 80 different cases, according to one estimate by a Korean researcher who interviewed survivors at over 50 massacre sites and villages, using records left by a North Vietnam war crime investigation committee. Women, children, and the elderly were no exception in the mass killings, their bodies often mutilated or burned afterward, according to the records. The motivation and the chain-of-command behind the massacres still remain unclear.So far, the government has never officially admitted the killings of civilians by Korean soldiers or made an official apology.The closest thing to this was made in March last year, when President Moon Jae-in said he "expressed regret for the unfortunate history between the two countries" during a state visit to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital. Former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun also expressed similar sentiments in the past, but like Moon, avoided directly mentioning the alleged civilian massacres.Earlier this month, 103 Vietnamese survivors submitted a joint petition to Cheong Wa Dae, calling for a direct apology from the government here."I was only eight years old at the time of the massacre but I still remember clearly everything that happened that day," Nguyen Thi Thanh, 59, whose mother, siblings, and aunt were killed by Korean soldiers at the village of Phong Nhi on Feb. 12, 1968, said in front of Cheong Wa Dae before delivering the petition on behalf of other survivors.She also testified at a mock trial organized by civic groups in April last year, which concluded the Korean government should recognize its responsibility for the tragedy and compensate victims."It is known the Korean soldiers killed around 70 civilians at the village of Phong Nhi in Quang Nam Province," Lee Yong-woo, a lawyer director for human rights at the SBA, said at the conference."Last year, Korean lawyers filed and won an information disclosure suit against the Korean intelligence agency for its records on the Phong Nhi massacre, which are the collected testimonies of Korean military commanders who were in Phong Nhi and Phong Hat on Feb. 12, 1968, but the government agency continues to withhold these documents." Models donning Bowlloon's spring collection walk down the street next to Deoksu Palace walls as part of Seoul 365 Fashion Show, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government 500 fashion shows planned at Seoul landmarks this year By Lee Suh-yoon Seoul 365 Fashion Show is back. Launched in 2016, the city-run street fashion show aims to unearth promising new designers and provide them a platform to break into new market channels. This year, the city plans to expand the project's scale and run 500 different fashion shows around the city. Last year, a total of 99 fashion shows were held at Seoullo 7017, Gwanghwamun Square and Seoul Museum of Art, attracting about 11,700 viewers. This year's first show took place at Seoul Plaza, downtown Seoul, Monday. Bowlloon, a small one-person designer brand that has been around for six months, showcased its spring casual collection at makeshift runways set up near City Hall. Models strutted down Seoul Plaza, Deoksu Palace walkway, the new Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture and finally in front of the D-Tower and Gwanghwamun Square from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., attracting lunchtime crowds. "It was better than I expected, lots of people stopped to watch," Bowlloon's designer Kim Ha-neul told The Korea Times after the show. "I can't wait for the next show in Sinchon on Thursday, where there will be more young people." PR and marketing is the weakest point for new one-person brands, Kim says. Based at a workshop in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, Kim has so far relied on her Instagram account to market her brand to the public. "The Seoul 365 Fashion Show is a big help in terms of advertising for my brand. It doesn't carry the big cost burdens associated with renting out a showroom either," Kim said. Seoul 365 Fashion Show last year at Gwanghwamun Square / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government "We do the industry research and monitor the activities of new designers. We also take nominations from industry experts and choose participants after discussions with a partner event-organizing firm," Ha Hye-jung, a city official in charge of the project, said. For a month, the chosen designer will run their collections three times a week at different locations. The street fashion shows start at noon every Monday at Seoul Plaza and every Thursday in front of Sinchon U-plex mall. On Saturdays, the fashion show will be held at 6 p.m. on a makeshift runway covering Cheonggye Stream under Ogan Bridge near Dongdaemun, followed by a 6:30 p.m. show in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza. In May, two brands that were included in recent Seoul Fashion Week events after starring in last year's Seoul 365 Fashion Shows ManG and DOUCAN will be back. ManG incorporates graffiti into its clothing designs, while DOUCAN is known for transferring the designer's own paintings onto its apparel. Seoul 365 Fashion Show last year at Seoul Museum of Art / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul 365 Fashion Show last year at Seoul Museum of Art / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government The number of South Koreans in the agrofisheries sector fell in 2018, government data showed Wednesday, amid rapid aging and urbanization trends across the country. The number of households in the farming business totaled 1.02 million in 2018, down 2 percent from 1.04 million tallied a year ago, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of farmers dropped 4.4 percent on-year to 2.31 million. In the fishing sector, the number of families fell 2.5 percent on-year to 51,500 last year, with the population retreating 4 percent to 116,900. The families involved in the agriculture sector accounted for 5.2 percent of the country's total households in 2018, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. The statistics office attributed the drop mainly to the rapid aging of the population. Many young South Koreans in rural provinces have flocked to Seoul in search of high-paying jobs over the past decades, a move that has led to the hollowing-out of rural communities. The average age of the head of farming families reached 67.7 last year, up from 67 in 2017. Those aged 70 or over accounted for 44.3 percent of the farming community in 2018, compared with 41.9 percent a year earlier. (Yonhap) By Lee Min-hyung Stephen Biegun By Park Ji-won Japanese semiconductor company Ferrotec Holdings has decided to shut down its business in Korea, reportedly citing South Korea's top court's recent ruling in favor of colonial-era forced labor victims. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed this in a media briefing Thursday, pointing to worsening sentiment among Japanese entrepreneurs about doing business in Korea. Suga said the Japanese government will closely cooperate with the outgoing firm and take measures to protect Japanese firms in South Korea. He said the South's government didn't come up with any concrete measures to improve the troubled situation caused by the forced labor rulings, and the Japanese administration is taking seriously moves by prosecutors to seize assets of Japanese firms. Suga added that Tokyo asked Seoul to negotiate over the political issue based on the two countries previous agreements. The remarks came amid strained relations between the two countries over the forced labor rulings, last year. The Supreme Court here ruled in favor of dozens of Korean forced labor victims against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, ordering the two companies to compensate the people for their damages. Politicians from the two countries have been exchanging barbs, blaming each other over the issue. "Japanese firms here are anxious about the situation caused by the forced labor rulings," a political source said. In February, three former employees of the subsidiary were indicted by South Korean prosecutors on charges of violating laws on trade secret protection and unfair competition. The Japanese company announced Tuesday it will end the business of its South Korean subsidiary citing concerns over the court rulings. "There are concerns that judicial independence may not be fully secured for Japanese firms in South Korea," Ferrotec Holdings said in a press release Wednesday. "We've concluded that it is most suitable to cut future risks at this stage," the company added. By Lee Min-hyung President Moon Jae-in agreed Wednesday to expand energy-related business partnerships with Turkmenistan during a summit with the latter's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Wednesday. "We expect more Korean companies to participate in energy and plant businesses led by the Turkmenistan government," Moon said in a post-summit joint press release there. Turkmenistan is the first destination of Moon's trip to three Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Moon will stay in the country for three days until Thursday. In particular, Moon cited a petrochemical plant at Kiyanly, located on the west coast of Turkmenistan, as a successful example of the economic partnership between the two countries. A consortium led by Korean firm Hyundai Engineering completed the construction of the plant last year. "The Kiyanly case shows Turkmenistan is the optimum partner for Korea," Moon said. "I was encouraged by the Turkmenistan president's words that he will place importance on partnerships with Korean companies. Both countries will continue making the second and third Kiyanly models." Turkmenistan is best-known for having the world's fourth-largest gas reserves. Korea believes Turkmenistan will become a crucial partner in future economic cooperation. Both sides also agreed to enhance ties in a variety of business areas, such as telecommunications and smart medical systems. "Korea has strength in the telecommunications sector, with the country recently launching the world's first commercial fifth-generation network," Moon said. "We hope Korean companies can play a part in expanding the digital infrastructure in Turkmenistan." The two countries signed six memorandum of understanding for partnerships in areas such as energy and plant businesses. This is the first time that Moon has visited the country, so the government expects the summit to build a foundation for the two countries to continue boosting exchanges in business. After the summit, President Moon was a guest at a state banquet organized by his Turkmenistan counterpart. >>> PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc begins Czech visit The visit aims to deepen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, creating a driving force to promote bilateral comprehensive cooperation in all fields. Czech maintains strong and stable economic growth in Eastern Europe. Since 1990, the country has focused on opening, privatising and restructuring the economy. Its accession to the European Union (EU) in May 2004 facilitated investment attraction and economic restructuring. Its GDP growth was at 3.5-4% per year, with about US$5 billion in FDI attracted per year. During the 2005-2007 period, its GDP grew at an average of 6% per year. From 2008-2013, Czech was severely affected by the global financial crisis but since 2013, its economy has recovered strongly thanks to exports. GDP in 2018 was at 2.8%. The current focus of Czech foreign policy is to strengthen EU integration and develop relations with neighbouring countries. In Asia, the Czech Republic prioritises developing relations with traditional friends. As a member of the EU, Czech considers Vietnam a traditional and potential trade partner, as well as a bridge to export its products to ASEAN. Nearly seven decades since the official establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and former Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic, is constantly strengthened and developed. The good relationship is marked by high-level visits between the two sides, with the recent Czech visits by Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in April 2017 and the visit to Vietnam by Czech President Milos Zeman in June 2017. Vietnamese people always appreciate the enthusiastic support and valuable help from the former Czechoslovakian Government and people, as well as the Czech Republic today, in the struggle for its national liberation and construction. Czech regularly participates in international conferences sponsored to Vietnam and is the first Eastern European country to continuously grant ODA to the Southeast Asian country, currently up to about US$18 million. The two countries always coordinate and support each other at the United Nations as well as international forums. Vietnam is pleased to see that the economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has developed well, though still modest compared to the potential. In 2012, Czech announced the Export strategy of the Czech Republic for 2012-2020, which includes Vietnam (the only country in ASEAN) on the list of its 12 priority markets. Trade turnover between Vietnam and the Czech Republic reached US$307 million in 2018, an increase of nearly 20% compared to 2017. Up to now, the Czech Republic has 38 investment projects in Vietnam, ranking 42nd out of 101 countries and territories having invested in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of US$90 million, focusing on real estate, beer, electrical equipment and construction materials. Bilateral cooperation in other fields have also developed positively. From 1999 to 2014, the Czech Government has granted multiple scholarships to Vietnamese students and researchers to follow their study in Czech. The two sides are negotiating to sign an agreement on education cooperation for the new period. Currently, the Czech Republic has become the second homeland of tens of thousands of Vietnamese citizens, with over 65,000 Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic. From July 2013, the Czech Government decided to add Vietnamese Czech representatives to its Council for National Minorities, thereby recognising the existence of Vietnamese Czech as a minority in the Czech Republic. The Vietnamese community in Czech actively contributes to the development of relations between the two countries, which has been highly appreciated by the Czech Government, and facilitated in business operation, living and integration. The official visit to the Czech Republic by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, his spouse and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation affirms the determination of the leaders and people of the two countries to deepen their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, thus creating a strong motivation to lift bilateral cooperation to a new, efficient and sustainable level, commensurate with the potential and strengths of each party. The visit also helps stimulate favourable conditions for two countries' business communities to make contact and explore each other's market, potentials, needs and strengths. By Kim Yoo-chul Air pollution has become a central political and societal issue here after the concentration of fine dust particles increased this year to record levels in many parts of the country. The government recently passed emergency measures in order to take on what it described as the "social disaster." These include a $2.65 billion emergency fund. It also wants to make citizens more aware of environmental issues. The head of a recently-launched business said he will actively promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to integrate growing environmental concerns with its business operations and aid to needy people in underdeveloped countries. "We regard the growing air pollution issue in Korea as a wake-up call in terms of focusing more attention on environmental issues not just at home but in countries which need help. We are planning to initiate lots of relevant campaigns in countries in Southeast Asia," Lee Young-jong, the founder of Action for a Clean Environment (ACE), said in a recent interview. Lee Young-jong, the founder of Action for a Clean Environment, speaks during a recent forum in downtown Seoul in this file photo. Courtesy of Action for a Clean Environment Lee, a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, near downtown Chicago, said the organization plans to launch its first "Wash Your Hands" program in Myanmar. Details have yet to be finalized, however, Lee said ACE is considering partnering with South Korean companies operating there for the program. There are few phrases that conjure metaphysical dread more vividly than the words "black hole." They have captured the imagination of humans since a German physicist used Albert Einstein's equations more than 100 years ago to theorize that black holes existed. And what an image they conjured an abyss in outer space so dense and so deep that nothing, not even light, could escape it. That's why people worldwide greeted the unveiling Wednesday of an actual image of a black hole with equal parts awe, shock and joy. When you see the unseeable and ponder the unthinkable, the mind reels. The announcement was so epic, it was made simultaneously in seven cities around the world, including Washington. As with many space discoveries, the numbers are numbing. The image of a fiery ring around a dark center was produced by 200 scientists using eight telescopes on four continents. The black hole itself in the galaxy Messier 87 is some 55 million light-years from Earth. It's 38 billion kilometers in diameter, one project physicist said, nearly large enough to swallow our solar system, and its mass is 6.5 billion times greater than that of our sun. That singular photo is the result of one of humanity's grandest explorations, and no one left Earth. But it's the very essence of humankind. We thirst for knowledge, we seek answers to questions that befuddle us, we understand that science will guide our understanding. And we look to the heavens for inspiration and imagination. Those of us who feel trapped in an earthly version of a black hole can find comfort in the writings of the late physicist Stephen Hawking, who believed it is possible to escape from such an abyss. The rest of us can gaze at this new sight, and dream. The above editorial appeared in Newsday. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Time to set up better treatment system for mentally ill It is shocking news that a 42-year-old man killed five people and injured 13 others in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, early Wednesday morning, after setting his apartment on fire. What a tragic and heinous crime it was. Residents of the apartment were gripped by extreme fear and terror. According to police, the arson and murder took place when the man set fire to his home on the fourth floor of the 10-story apartment building at 4:29 a.m. Then he attacked fleeing residents with a knife. He randomly stabbed his neighbors coming out of their homes to evacuate after hearing the fire alarm. The dead include a 12-year-old girl and a high school senior. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. May the lost souls rest in peace. Local authorities should help the bereaved families recover from their shock and sorrow. Police apprehended the man at the scene at around 4:50 a.m. They are questioning him to find out why he committed such a crime. They suspect the jobless man has a history of schizophrenia, a serious mental illness. Investigators have yet to confirm if his mental disease was the direct cause of his criminal act. However, there is a strong possibility of the suspect suffering recurrent schizophrenic attacks which might have led him to do what he did. The case is reminiscent of previous murders, attacks and other violence committed by those suffering from schizophrenia and other mental disorders. That's why authorities should make concerted efforts to provide better medical treatment for the mentally ill and help them lead healthy lives. There have been many shocking cases of crimes committed by those suffering from psychiatric problems. In May 2016, a schizophrenic man in his 30s stabbed a 23-year-old woman to death in a restroom near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul, sending shockwaves throughout the country. This case has also contributed to spreading the so-called "schizophrenia phobia." Last December, a psychiatrist at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul was killed by a disgruntled schizophrenic patient. This year there have been several reported cases of those having mental illnesses killing their loved ones. According to the National Health Insurance Service, there were 107,662 patients suffering from schizophrenia in 2017, up 6.6 percent from 100,980 in 2012. Experts say the number has continued to climb due to the socioeconomic conditions of our society. They even presume that the real number has already surpassed 500,000 as many patients hide their illness. Now the health authorities should set up an efficient system to make better treatment available for patients. It is also important to extend more support programs to them so that they can overcome their illness and rehabilitate themselves. Another problem is prejudice and discrimination against mental patients. Our society should not treat them as potential criminals only because of their symptoms. We must make all-out efforts to help the mentally ill become decent neighbors. Physically challenged persons try out call taxi services for the disabled and other services designed exclusively for them through AI speakers donated by LG Uplus and Naver during a media event in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of LG Uplus By Jun Ji-hye LG Uplus has launched a project to improve inconveniences the disabled face in their daily lives through artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technology, the company said Wednesday. "LG Uplus will help improve the quality of life for those in need through the application of AI and IoT," Ryu Chang-su, a vice president who heads the Smart Home Product Group at LG Uplus, said during a media event in Seoul. As part of the project, the telecom company, in cooperation with the nation's top portal operator Naver, delivered AI speakers equipped with Naver's AI platform Clova and free vouchers for a year of Naver's AI-based music service VIBE to 300 physically challenged persons during the event. Physically challenged persons will be able to more easily use call taxi services and other services designed exclusively for them through AI speakers, according to the mobile carrier. Before launching the project, LG Uplus conducted a survey of 100 disabled persons to listen to difficulties they face in their daily lives. The results of the survey led to the development of AI-powered services for the disabled, the firm said. Last year, the firm opened a library for the visually impaired, in which AI speakers read to them, and this year, it released a mobile phone application called Sullivan+ that provides audio guidance. LG Uplus plans to release a new service next month that will enable the disabled to dial 119 for emergency services through an AI speaker. "We will consistently offer services to promote happiness for the disabled," Ryu said. Drone demonstration LG Uplus and the Army's 31st Infantry Division demonstrated a smart drone developed for military purposes in waters off the southern city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday, the mobile carrier said Wednesday. During maritime training, the U+ Smart Drone powered by a fifth-generation (5G) network was used to search the seashore and respond to emergencies in real time. A LG Uplus smart drone developed for military purposes carries out maritime training in the sea off the southern city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Tuesday. / Courtesy of LG Uplus A bird's eye view of Yeosu Industrial Complex in South Jeolla Province / Korea Times file By Jun Ji-hye LG Chem, Hanwha Chemical and another 233 companies operating factories mostly in the Yeosu Industrial Complex have been caught fabricating test results on levels of substances causing fine dust pollution, according to the Ministry of Environment, Wednesday. The ministry said the companies colluded with firms offering services measuring air pollutants such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide to deceive the government. The environmental office tasked with managing the Yeongsangang River area has investigated 13 firms offering pollutant measuring services in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province since March last year, confirming that four of them forged the results of their tests. The four companies gave fabricated results of air pollutant emission tests to 235 companies, operating factories mostly in the Yeosu Industrial Complex, for four years since 2015. The four sometimes issued reports without actually measuring any emissions. Those in such a relationship with the four companies include SNNC and Daehan Cement as well as LG Chem and Hanwha Chemical, according to the ministry. Through the fabricated results of the tests, companies avoided fines on emissions of sulfur oxides. Choi Jong-won, who heads the environment office in charge of the Yeongsangang River area, announces the results of an investigation into companies offering air pollutant measuring services at the Government Complex in Sejong, Wednesday. / Yonhap Debate on EVs in NK to take place at International EV Expo on Jeju By Nam Hyun-woo Kim Dae-hwan, the chief organizer of the 6th International Electric Vehicle Expo Imagine electric vehicles (EVs) carrying global carmakers' logos are lined up for shipping in Wonsan, North Korea, and people clad in Mao suits are driving compact electrified vehicles to travel along the coastline of the city. This is not a distant fantasy, according to Kim Dae-hwan, the chief organizer of the 6th International Electric Vehicle Expo (IEVE) and chairman of the Global EV Association Network (GEAN), comprised of EV makers and associations in 30 countries. Kim is currently taking time to prepare the upcoming IEVE on Jeju Island, May 8, where the first open debate for launching the event in Pyongyang in the future will take place. GEAN is pursuing a Pyongyang expo in the belief that it will create business opportunities in North Korea for global EV makers. "Some say this may be a distant dream," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. "But when you look at the issue closely, both spreading EVs and setting up a manufacturing base in the North are viable plans and the North is showing interest in this as an economic growth engine." Though Kim's plan is in its infant stages and requires existing sanctions on the North to be lifted, he said it was worth preparing for. According to him, the plan is based on the fact that EVs are simpler to assemble than current gas-powered vehicles. While the latter has approximately 30,000 parts, the former has 20,000, and most are grouped into multiple modules, whose assembly is relatively easy. "If it was not an EV, I would have not even dreamed of this," Kim said. "Big name carmakers are not the only players in the global electrified vehicle market, and there are many small- and medium-size enterprises making EVs because they can produce them in batch production. For those firms, the cheap labor costs in the North will be very attractive." By setting up manufacturing bases in strategic regions, such as the port city of Wonsan, which receive orders and parts from overseas EV makers, carmakers can enjoy the benefit of low labor cost, while the North can grow its own industry, Kim said. An aerial view of Wonsan-Kalma aera in Kwangwon (?????) Province, North Korea, provided by the Korea Central News Agency. Yonhap Wonsan, some 230 kilometers northeast of Seoul, is one of the key logistics bases in North Korea due to its accessibility to the East Sea, port infrastructure, railways and roads linked to other North Korean cities. "In North Korea, it doesn't have to be fancy and complex EVs from Tesla or other luxury brands which cover 300 kilometers in a single charge and reach up to 200 kilometers per hour," Kim said. "As we have seen in the case of Jeju Island, a 100 kilometer coverage could be enough for use within a region. Electric quadricycles and other smaller but simpler vehicles can be very useful in North Korean regions and those vehicles could be easily assembled at North Korean factories." The Jeju Island government is pursuing its Carbon Free Island Jeju 2030 initiative, which electrifies all vehicles on the island by 2030. As of February, 15,258 EVs are registered on the island, accounting for 3 percent of all cars registered there, and most of these are compact EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq, which covers 200 kilometers on a single charge. "For those plans, we believe an EV expo in Pyongyang could play a critical role," Kim said. "Since the expo is not a motor show but a meeting between businesses, I believe there will be plenty of business opportunities created if the expo takes place." The Ministry of Unification has recently decided to support Kim's initiative by sponsoring a debate at the IEVE on Jeju, in the belief that an expo can serve a role in inter-Korean economic cooperation. However, the government is not directly involved in the debate, in order to prevent it from being a political matter, Kim said. During his visit to the North in December last year, he suggested preparations for an expo to the North Korean authorities, which will vary depending on the progress of international sanctions easing and inter-Korean relations, and he said they expressed a keen interest in nurturing the EV industry. "What the North Korean authorities want is independence from oil imports," Kim said. "By skipping the stage of an oil-based car industry like China the regime seeks to avoid conflicts with existing powers surrounding oil." He also said South Korean automakers should also pay more attention to the possibility of doing business in the North. "During last month's visit, I could find Mercedes-Benzes, Volkswagens and BYDs crowding the streets of Pyongyang," Kim said. "If South Korean firms neglect that, they may lose business opportunities to global rivals when sanctions are lifted and setting up a base in the North becomes possible." Participants attend the opening ceremony of the 5th International Electric Vehicle Expo (IEVE) on Jeju Island, May 2, 2018. Courtesy of IEVE organizing committee South Korea's automobile exports decreased 3.3 percent in March from a year earlier mainly due to a slump in Renault Samsung Motors Corp., currently plagued by a drawn-out labor dispute, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the country's five automakers, led by industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., shipped 213,736 cars overseas last month, with their value estimated at US$3.7 billion, also down 1.2 percent over the cited period. But their combined shipments rose 2.4 percent on-year to 587,690 units in the January-March period, with the value of shipments also moving up 4.7 percent to $10.2 billion. The ministry said among others, the suspended sales to sanction-imposed Iran and weak sales of the Nissan Rogue SUVs produced by Renault Samsung under an original equipment manufacturer contract weighed down last month's overall overseas shipments. Renault Samsung Motors, which has suffered a series of on-and-off strikes in the past few weeks, saw its exports nose-dive 62.3 percent in March from a year earlier to 7,256 units, the data showed. The exports of South Korea's No. 2 carmaker, Kia Motors Corp., fell 0.7 percent on-year last month as well despite robust sales of the K3 compact and the K5 midsize sedan due to decreased shipments of the Pride subcompact and the Morning. Kia's bigger sister, Hyundai Motor, on the other hand, enjoyed a 4.4 percent increase in outbound shipments on strong overseas demand for SUVs, such as the Santa Fe and the Kona, the ministry data showed. GM Korea Co. and SsangYong Motor Co. saw their vehicle exports move up 4.4 percent and 2.3 percent on-year, respectively, in the month. By country, shipments to the United States moved up 7.5 percent on-year in March to $1.6 billion, followed by the European Union, which posted $753 million, down 15.2 percent over the cited period. Shipments to the Middle East plunged 26 percent to $283 million in March from a year earlier, with Asian countries taking up $234 million, up 29 percent. Other European countries accounted for $275 million, up 3.1 percent. South Korea's auto production, meanwhile, moved down 5.5 percent on-year to reach 343,327 units in March. In terms of domestic sales, the figure decreased 5.7 percent to 156,927 units on the falling demand for imported vehicles. Local sales of imported cars fell 28.4 percent to reach 19,774 units due to shortages of inventories from some of the brands. (Yonhap) By Kwak Yeon-soo Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors will encourage employees to visit Gangwon Province to help struggling tourism in regions affected by recent wildfires, Korea's leading automakers said Wednesday. This comes after the group made a 1 billion won ($879,415) donation to support residents who suffered losses in the fire. The companies will distribute gift cards worth 150 million won from late April until late June to be spent in traditional markets, restaurants and supermarkets in Gangwon Province. They will also provide accommodation for two nights and three days in Sokcho, Goseong County and Gangneung to help in the recovery of regions hit hard by wildfires. The coastal forest fire broke out on April 4 and swept through Sokcho, Goseong County and Gangneung, killing two people, destroying more than 120 homes and forcing the evacuation of 4,000 residents. Earlier, Hyundai Motor sent washing machine trucks to damaged areas and shelters. Each was equipped with three washing machines and three dryers, which enabled the cleaning of an average of 1,000 kilograms of laundry a day. "We have been discussing practical measures to help the residents in the affected regions and decided to support tourism in Gangwon Province," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We hope our program will help revive the local economy, which was hit hard by recent wildfires." Executives and employees from Hyundai Motor Group have been volunteering and donating regularly, in line with the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. An artist impression of the Korea National Food Cluster in Iksan, North Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs This article is a joint project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and The Korea Times. Ed. By Nam Hyun-woo More technical support and aid is in the pipeline this year for food firms nestling at the Korea National Food Cluster, or "Foodpolis," according to the operating agency of the industrial complex. According to the agency, Foodpolis has provided consultation and other support on certification, intellectual property, home meal replacement product development and other technical issues for 21 firms operating in the food complex so far this year. The total value of the support stood at 1.47 billion won ($1.3 million). The agency said an additional 2.63 billion won is scheduled to be provided for companies there in the second half of the year. "Technical assistance from experts having illustrative careers at multiple food research institutes and companies will be provided to firms at Foodpolis," an agency official said. "Their support will be helpful for companies to accurately identify problems and easily come up with solutions." Foodpolis is a state-funded food industry complex for both Korean and international food firms in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. Occupying a 2.32-square-kilometer site, it began signing contracts with food firms in 2015 and currently houses 69 domestic firms, one international firm and four food research institutes. As the number of firms at Foodpolis increases, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which administers the Foodpolis project, plans to expand the industrial complex by 3 square kilometers, so that the complex can host over 150 businesses and 10 research centers by 2020. In January, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon visited the complex and asked the ministry to expedite the expansion. If the goal is accomplished, the ministry expects the complex will generate annual output worth $14 billion and create 22,000 new jobs. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, fourth from left, listens to an explanation during his visit to the Korea National Food Cluster in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Jan. 18. Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs By Kwak Yeon-soo SPC Group is taking steps to expand its presence in Southeast Asia by opening more stores in Singapore, while signaling plans to enter the Middle East. Best known for its Paris Baguette bakery franchise, SPC Group has opened four brand stores Paris Baguette, Maison de PB, Coffee@Works and Shake Shack at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, the company said Wednesday. This is the first time the Seoul-based company has opened stores of its multiple brands, rather than launch Paris Baguette alone. Jewel Changi, a seven-story lifestyle complex built as an extension to the airport, opened Wednesday. It houses more than 280 shops, and food and beverage outlets. The venue is expected to attract about 42 million visitors from around the world. "Singapore is a business hub for Southeast Asia, where top multinational companies set up their base to enter the Asian market," an SPC Group official said. "We plan to operate stores in Jewel Changi as flagships in the Southeast Asian market." The Seoul-based company also plans to establish a holding firm in Singapore that could serve as a platform to reinforce its Southeast Asia business and penetrate the Middle East. The company is also seeking to build a Halal certified production facility to target Muslims and the global Halal food market. "We will accelerate our global expansion in four countries China, the U.S., France and Singapore to achieve the vision of the 2030 Great Food Company," the official said. SPC Group currently operates more than 400 Paris Baguette stores in five countries France, the U.S., China, Singapore and Vietnam. In March, the company completed a bakery in Tianjin, China, and plans to build another one in Normandy, France. At a reception after the presentation, President Barrow said he hoped the ambassador would contribute to developing the two countries diplomatic ties. He praised Vietnam as the flag in the struggle against colonialism and congratulated the country on its socio-economic achievements in the Doi Moi (reform) period. The president expressed his desire to strengthen collaboration with Vietnam in various fields such as trade, investment, agriculture, healthcare and education. Gambia also wants to learn from Vietnam and have more Vietnamese investors do business in the western African country, he said. The president said both countries should push ahead with negotiations and early signing of agreements to create legal frameworks for stronger bilateral cooperation such as deals on double taxation avoidance, investment protection and encouragement and visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders. He suggested the two nations increase support and coordination at international forums and reiterated Gambias support for Vietnam to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure. Ambassador Pham Quoc Tru conveyed Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trongs regards to President Barrow, and thanked the Gambian government and people for their support for Vietnam. He affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to and hopes to enhance traditional relations with Gambia, especially in fields of their strengths such as agriculture, marine economy, tourism and trade. The ambassador said he will do his best to strengthen bilateral friendship and collaboration. In the La Jolla High School AP Art Studio class, student painters, photographers, sculptors and other free-spirited artists meet in the afternoons to create. Not too differently, some might observe, from La Jollas historic Green Dragon artist colony of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Created by Anna Held (who moved to La Jolla in 1894), the Green Dragon Colony was built on land she purchased near La Jolla Cove for $165. The colony once included 11 cottages, including a boat-shaped structure with portholes called The Ark, and the Dolls House, built to house Helds collection of 200 dolls. It was designed by her friend, Irving Gill, for $15. The Colony would soon become a mecca for all manner of artists. In honor of the artists who gathered there and their contributions to the greater art community in La Jolla the AP Art Studio class will present an open-to-the-public show, 2:30-7 p.m. Thursday, April 25 in the studio on the campus at 750 Nautilus St. Each participant was tasked with studying a Green Dragon Colony contributor and creating one piece inspired by their work, plus four unrelated pieces in their choice of media. Art teacher Suzanne Friedrich told the Light that in researching the Green Dragon Colony at the La Jolla Historical Society, students discovered writers, composers, musicians, painters, potters and more, who started there in the 1800s. Were going to have students perform musical works composed by people from the Green Dragon. Our wood shop is going to contribute works (inspired by the cottages and shelters there), and others are creating a lot of beautiful pottery, she said. Some of the artists (via student interpretations) include Anna Held Heinrich, Beatrize Heridon, Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Ellen Browning Scripps, Irving Gill, Alfred Mitchell, Maurice Braun, Charles Fries, A.R. Valentein, Guy Rose, Ammi Merchant Farnham, David C. Freeman, Franz Bischoff, Alice Klauber and Donal Hord. The iconic locations visted include the Windandsea Shack, Lifeguard Box, La Jolla Caves and the Childrens Pool. This generation has their own view of art and history, and theyre bringing it to this show, Friedrich explained. It makes the kids feel proud of being here. Im new to La Jolla, so in researching the its history, we all learned its rooted in art. We know about the Laguna Beach art community, but most people dont know La Jolla had a huge art community, too. It was part of the culture 100 years ago. Its experiencing a rebirth, especially with this generation. Student Leigh Archibald, 17, told the Light: I honestly didnt know anything about the early artist colony in La Jolla, but I learned that the art culture here is actually really rich with a lot of different types of art and artists. I think that adds to our overall culture. Leigh said she will contribute a landscape inspired by Klauber, as well as other paintings and photographs. My concentration (for AP Studio Art credit) has the theme innocence violated, so Im taking Barbie dolls and depicting them in a political manner, as a commentary on how Barbies are used as kids toys, but are over sexualized, she said. Alice Klauber, in addition to painting a lot of landscapes, helped La Jolla and created many committees, such as the YWCA. She was a big influencer, so shes right up my alley. Burkley Eggers with the Windansea Shack replica he helped construct for the show Ashley Mackin-Solomon Although not in the Art Studio class, Burkley Eggers, 17, built a re-creation of the Windansea Shack that currently stands outside the studio. The purpose of the shack is to welcome people to the show, he said. I helped rebuild the real shack when it broke down a few years ago. We built the smaller model a few weeks ago. It turned out really well. The show is coming together ... a lot of work is going into it and everyone is very into it. Roxy Shimp, 18, is still in the process of creating her project. Her inspiration is architect Irving Gill. Im deciding between whether I want to recreate one of his buildings out of clay or wood, or draw his portrait, she said. Other pieces Im contributing are drawings of the female form; some abstract and some realistic. After learning about the Green Dragon Colony, Shimp said she found an appreciation for the sense of community that art can create. Its wonderful how supportive the Colony was of its artists they would bond together and encourage one another, she said. In this class, we too, have so many incredible artists and I feel honored just to be here and see everything being created. If you just show up and just see one piece by one artist, thats reason enough to come to the show! Youll see how passionate we students are about art and our own community. The suspect has been engaged by my partner and me. In the white sedan stopped in front of us is a male who matches the description of someone who, we were informed, just robbed a bank with a loaded gun, from which he fired several rounds into the banks ceiling. As my partner calls for backup, I draw my gun and yell at the man to exit his car with his hands in the air. None of this is real, of course including our guns, which are blue plastic replicas with triggers that dont move. But nobody told my heart, which is racing furiously. And that time-dilation thing is happening where five seconds feels like 20 minutes. Today, 80 San Diego residents have enrolled in Inside SDPD, a free experience offered three times a year by the San Diego Police Foundation at the Naval Training Center in Point Loma. San Diego Chief of Police David Nisleit, who spoke as part of the pre-training classroom orientation, described it as a day walking in the shoes of San Diego police officers to open the doors and give the public an exposure to some of the things that we do, so people understand the job a little bit more and dont get their ideas from TV. In addition to the traffic stop, Inside SDPD also provides instruction in SWAT techniques, force-option simulation, working with K-9 officers and firing Tasers. The 80 members are split into five groups of 16 to cycle through the sessions, which last a total of three hours. Firefighter Aaron Brennan leads 'Light' reporter Levitan and other members of the team into a practice SWAT hostage situation. CATHARINE DOUGLASS My team includes Aaron Brennan, the La Jolla firefighter currently running for District 1 City Council, who said the program was recommended by a friend of his who found it pretty eye-opening. I work alongside SDPD all the time, but thats different because Im focused on my job, Brennan said. Now, I want to learn about theirs. Although we knew we wouldnt get hurt, turning every sharp corner in the SWAT and K-9 stations knowing that some threat was present but not knowing what it was produced some surprisingly real anxiety. And that anxiety, we were told by SDPD training officer Ken Kries during orientation, is the last thing cops can afford to pay attention to when making split-second decisions about how to react. According to Kries, there are 1,000 fatal shootings by officers in the U.S. every year, some of which are unfortunately avoidable. And were always working on that, Kries said. Youre able to make a super-sound judgement after the fact, which you cant do. A police officer judges in the moment they use force. It was a point best hammered home during forced-option simulator training, when every trainee who volunteered decided to shoot at a male in a warehouse shown lunging toward them on a giant video screen. What was that guy armed with? asked instructor Michael Belz. (The answer: nothing.) And what will the headline be tomorrow? Belz continued. (The answer: Officer Shoots Unarmed Man.) Inside SDPD enrollees make split-second decisions about the use of force during video simulations. COREY LEVITAN Back at the dangerous traffic stop, the bank-robbery suspect begins to exit his car. Inside SDPD enrollee Carol Rios and I already know what the suspect will do from watching the scenario play out with two trainees before us: He will start firing at us almost immediately which is why I will not let him do that. The suspect exits his vehicle only the gun is pointed at his own head. What?! Rios and I yell at him to drop the gun, but the suspect does not comply. This is a tough call. Does this man deserve to die for threatening only himself? The use of force is justified, I decide. I yell bang-bang! while aiming at his torso, as previously instructed, and he goes down. Officer Levi Harbin plays a perp shot by Levitan. CATHARINE DOUGLASS My call was correct, says Levi Harbin, safety coordinator for the San Diego Regional Police Academy, who portrayed the bank-robbery suspect. If someone is suicidal, theyre also homicidal, Harbin explains, demonstrating by switching the target of his fake gun from his own head to mine in a fraction of a second. If they put the gun down, well talk to them, well get all the resources, Harbin says. But at some point, youre going to have to address the person walking towards you with a gun. Harbin says the point I chose, however, was inadvisably late. I let the suspect walk behind us, Harbin explains, where we lost the cover of our police car. (I hadnt noticed.) Also, I let him inch closer to us, increasing his odds of landing a fatal shot. However many people you made that reservation for at your favorite La Jolla restaurant, add one more: Big Brother. Of the 20 restaurants the Light checked up on in The Village, 16 have security cameras mounted on their walls or ceilings. Five have more than one.Exactly who is watching you and why? One restaurant owner, who spoke to the Light only on condition of anonymity, said his camera is trained on employees working the cash register. Its to let them know theyre being watched so theres no temptation, he said. According to a study by Hiscox Business Insurance, U.S. companies lost an average of $1.13 million each to employee theft in 2016. In restaurants, the most common thefts are cash, tips and inventory. An August 2018 article in the trade magazine Full Service Restaurant offered what it speculated were the most common employee motivations for this: 1) feeling underpaid or otherwise wronged by employers; 2) harboring the false impression that theft losses are covered by insurance; and 3) not being able to resist the opportunity. Kathy Sandler, co-owner of Cruisers Sub Shop scheduled to open in early May in the former Wahoos Fish Taco space at 637 Pearl St. said Cruisers will keep the pre-installed security camera to monitor its morning deliveries. If they come at 6 in the morning, you give your delivery people and cleaners the code to enter your building, she said. So if things go missing, everything is video-recorded and you can watch it remotely from an app on your phone. Such apps typically store footage for a set amount of time (or up to a certain data limit) before recording over old footage.Another reason restaurants employ security cameras is for legal protection. Things like slip-and-falls or people challenging what happened in an altercation, said George Hauer, owner of Georges at the Cove, 1250 Prospect St. You just never know when youre going to need that, and when you do have an incident, it comes in quite handy. But isnt there a reasonable expectation of privacy when dining in a restaurant? Not at all, according to San Diego attorney Brian Burchett, who has worked on cases where video footage shot in restaurants was admitted as evidence. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy for communication or for behavior in a place like a restaurant, Burchett said. The Supreme Court would not suppress that video. What is illegal in California are cameras that are hidden or placed where people do have that reasonable privacy expectation such as in bathrooms, shower stalls and locker rooms. Cafe Milano, 711 Pearl St., is the only restaurant identified by the Light as not having a camera whose owner would explain why. This is La Jolla, said Pasquale Cianni with a big smile. Are you kidding? Theres no crime in La Jolla. Part of that statements charm is its obvious lack of truth. In fact, only a few doors east on Pearl Street, Chedi Thai Bistro, 737 Pearl St., was robbed at gunpoint on May 9, 2016. (When the Light approached its owners to participate in this story, it learned that Chedi Thai had permanently closed.)What seems apparent is that most restaurant owners would rather their customers not think about the cameras they use. (In fact, when informed of the premise of this story, the general manager of one upscale Prospect Street restaurant grew angry. Whether we have cameras or not is our business, he said. For all we know, you could be casing the place yourself.) The sense the Light got after this investigation was that restaurant security cameras are not there to monitor the average diner. Even though Big Brother is watching, he probably doesnt care about that secret dinner and bottle of Cab you shared with someone you intentionally never told your spouse, boss or parole officer about.However, as Burchett joked, if you want an iron-clad guarantee of that footage never being seen by anyone, you might want to start eating at home more. At La Jolla Village Merchants Associations (LJVMA) April 10 meeting at the Riford Library, executive director Jodi Rudick referred to her groups recent Concours dElegance merchant event, Brake in the Village, as a dress rehearsal for Enjoya La Jolla. The street festival is slated to launch 3-7 p.m. Saturday, May 11 around Prospect Street and Girard Avenue, then recur on the second Saturday of every month. Like La Jolla Nights, which ran in 2015 and 2016, Enjoya La Jolla will distribute passports to visitors that feature special offers, activities and refreshments. We went over and above to invite the merchants to participate, said Rudick, who thanked ACE parking for donating free parking to the public at 888 Prospect Street for the inaugural event. Parking program update Rudick reported being told by a rep from the Coastal Commission that, if a remote parking reservoir can be located, theyre very interested in continuing the conversation about a new discounted parking program for merchants. The parameters for a shuttle are quite stringent because of the challenge of bringing more people to The Village without causing additional parking issues, Rudick said, so if you know someone who has a parcel of land, please let us know. LJVMA president Brett Murphy added that UCSD has offered a space for LJVMA to use in the summer. All the different community groups are coming together on this and well make something happen together, he said. Elephant in the library It wasnt on the agenda, and doesnt come up often at LJVMA meetings, but J. McLaughlin store manager Natalie Aguirre Aguirre brought up the subject of how best to take on Westfield UTC, whose recent multimillion-dollar expansion seems to suggest that it is luring high-end shoppers to University Town Center at the same time that The Village appears to be losing them.Specifically, Aguirre suggested that many La Jolla real-estate brokers also deal with Westfield UTC, and that they are inclined to fill the mall with tenants before filling La Jolla and should be held accountable for it. It was a difficult topic that judging from the reaction as Aguirre spoke weighed heavily on the minds of many merchants in the audience. We dont own the buildings, we dont have any control, Murphy replied. We have discussed it with them before and havent gotten anywhere.Murphy explained that our goal is to build this great community that people want to come to, then maybe it will change their minds. Commercial property owner rep Jonathan Lipsky, seated in the audience, volunteered that theres going to be an opportunity now to start funneling (business lost to UTC) back into The Village. There was a real perfect storm with them having so much space to fill up when they opened, and a lot of stores that were not traditional mall tenants located there because it was the only game in town, and a lot of them are not making it. He added that there are places that are now on their second- and third-generation space, because of the high rents they charge. (Lipsky estimated that rents at UTC are 40 percent higher than they are in The Village, on average, and include additional common charges.) Torrey Pines traffic update The Torrey Pines Slope Restoration Project is finishing up with a combination of night and day work on Torrey Pines Road. The engineers felt that this was the best way, said Mauricio Medina, rep for City Council member Barbara Brys office. It might have something to do with the noise. There are thousands affected by day work but 29 people affected at night, replied board member Robert Mackey. Aguirre added that whenever they need to close a lane by day, its a lane exiting La Jolla instead of entering. That one difference is huge, she said. In other Merchant news Added clout: Rudick was elected secretary of the Business Improvement District (BID) Alliance Executive Committee, a coalition of business improvement districts in San Diego. That group has a lot of power in terms of how to get things done, she said. Rudick was elected secretary of the Business Improvement District (BID) Alliance Executive Committee, a coalition of business improvement districts in San Diego. That group has a lot of power in terms of how to get things done, she said. Traffic duty: Mackey was unanimously elected to fill the LJVMA seat on the La Jolla Traffic and Transportation Board recently vacated by Aaron Goulding, whose business is no longer located in La Jollas BID. Mackey was unanimously elected to fill the LJVMA seat on the La Jolla Traffic and Transportation Board recently vacated by Aaron Goulding, whose business is no longer located in La Jollas BID. Firefighters for flowers: On April 27, local firefighters will remove 140 flower baskets from the tops of lamp posts in the BID, then bring them to a parking lot where the old flowers will be replaced by the La Jolla Rotary Club, after which firefighters will rehang the pots. On April 27, local firefighters will remove 140 flower baskets from the tops of lamp posts in the BID, then bring them to a parking lot where the old flowers will be replaced by the La Jolla Rotary Club, after which firefighters will rehang the pots. Changes were made to the LJVMAs lajollabythesea.com website, making it easier for visitors to find what they need. The La Jolla Village Merchants Association next meets Wednesday, May 8 in the Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. La Jolla Town Council (LJTC) passed a motion at its April 11 meeting protesting the San Diego City Councils recent repeal of its ban on living inside vehicles parked on City streets. Passed with only board member Michael Dershowitz dissenting, the motion called on City Council to recognize the public-safety issues brought forth by vehicle habitation on public streets and request that City Council enact City codes to regulate such activity. The action item, which was not on the meetings agenda, followed a forum on the state of San Diegos homeless crisis and whats being done to combat it. A jam-packed audience of 60-plus heard talks by Regional Task Force on the Homeless board member Karen Brailean, San Diego Mayors Advisory Board on Police and Community Relations member Rachael Allen, and officers from the San Diego Police Departments (SDPD) homeless outreach team. Efforts being undertaken to address the crisis including the construction of 488 units of permanent supportive housing by Father Joes Village were highlighted, but pats on the back were in short supply considering how much more work, and money, everyone agreed was needed to reverse the growing problem. Helping La Jollas homeless people, in particular, is uniquely difficult, said Brailean. We have to say, Come with me and Ill take you downtown, she explained, and they say, Downtown? (Brailean said that services, shelter and permanent supportive housing are required in every district in the community.) It fell to SDPD community relations officer Larry Hesselgesser to deliver the message repeated often during community discussions about San Diegos homeless population that being homeless in San Diego is not a crime and that homeless people must be observed committing a crime by police in order for police to take action. (Videoing a homeless person committing a crime is not good enough.) When a member of the audience asked what to do about a homeless person trespassing on his property, Hesselgesser recommended obtaining a letter of agency that will allow us to go on the property and enforce the trespassing laws. Who are van-lifers Panelist Glen Volk, a Sunset Cliffs resident who founded the Coalition Opposed to Vehicle Habitation on Residential Streets, presented a YouTube video introducing most people in the audience to the concept of van-lifers, a growing class of homeless people who live in vans parked in beach lots. (Filmed in Ocean Beach by KPBS News, the video showed people discussing how much they love living rent-free with views of the ocean. When one was asked if he would ever give up the lifestyle, he replied no.) Following the video, some online posts from van-lifer Facebook groups were displayed, in which the discussions included how to defecate without a bathroom nearby. (I use a bucket with the bottom cut out, read one post. That way, I can sit with the stability I need but no waste to worry about. You can dig a hole but I dont bother, I usually go out far enough.) Volk claimed that repealing the vehicle habitation ban was a veritable welcome mat for thousands more van-lifers, who cant ever hope to afford coastal rents, to drive to San Diego from other parts of the U.S. and join the lifestyle. Homeless advocate Michael McConnell (standing) confronts La Jolla Town Council president Ann Kerr Bache about inclusivity during the April 11 meeting. (COREY LEVITAN) Protest During a Q&A session following the forum, four attendees threw the meeting briefly into chaos, standing up one at a time without being called upon to loudly state their disbelief that a panel about homelessness did not include any homeless people. This has been the most biased presentation I have ever seen, said homeless advocate Michael McConnell. When LJTC president Ann Kerr Bache asked him to be seated, McConnell responded: Just keep spewing your nonsense then. John Brady, advocacy director for Voices of our City Choir, then stated, Im concerned why you dont include people with lived (homeless) experience on your panel, adding that only in places like San Diego do you not practice inclusion. Kerr Bache replied that the purpose of the panel was not to convey how it felt to be homeless, but what the police are doing, what the Citys doing and what Council members are doing, and how we can help. Nevertheless, Kerr Bache added, a homeless panelist was scheduled but dropped out at the last minute due to rude and inflammatory comments made on the LJTCs website. Its as inclusive as we can be with people who dont want to come on the panel, Kerr Bache said. When one of the protestors questioned the legality of an action item being voted on without first appearing on the agenda, Kerr Bache explained that LJTC is not subject to Brown Act requirements. Then she made a self-deprecatory joke that broke the tension and placed her back in control of the proceedings. The good thing about us is that we have no power, Kerr Bache said of Town Council, laughing along with most members of the audience. The aforementioned motion was eventually crafted with input from Brady, who apologized to Kerr Bache for his outburst. (After the meeting, Kerr Bache said that an apology during Town Council was unheard of.)In other Town Council news... La Jolla resident Treger Strasberg explained her company, Humble Design, which decorates homes with donated furniture for people who have recently emerged from homelessness. La Jolla Town Council next meets 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9 at the La Jolla Rec Center, 615 Prospect St. lajollatowncouncil.org Sewage spill closes Windansea beach A section of the beach near Windansea was closed for more than 48 hours from Friday morning (April 12) to Sunday afternoon (April 14) due to a 130-gallon sewage spill from a local sewer line. The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health announced on Sunday that it had lifted the water contact closure for the beach shoreline 900 feet north to the 7000 Block of Neptune Place. Water test results received this afternoon have confirmed that water quality is now meeting State health standards. Signs warning of contamination will be removed, a statement read. Phone scam hits La Jolla resident A new telemarketing scam is making its way to area cell phones, and has reached at least one La Jolla resident. She reported the incident to La Jolla Light Monday afternoon. The phone rings with what looks like a local number, it had an 858 area code. When you answer, the person on the other end says your credit card has been and then the call cuts out, the resident said. When I called the number back, I got this cheery voice telling me my credit was fine, but she wanted to sell me some product. I blew up because Im on the Do Not Call List and felt manipulated because I assumed it was my bank or that something was wrong with my credit card or bank account. Angered because it worked, the resident added she often gets robocalls (spam or telemarketing calls that uses an auto-dialer to deliver a pre-recorded message), but nothing like this. Linda Karimi, PR director for the Better Business Bureau Pacific Southwest region, said variations of this scam have been reported. The sole purpose is to get you to call back, she told the Light. They want you to call and get your information or get you into some high-pressure sales tactic. They play on fear that your credit or your finances are in jeopardy. Karimi advised people never give out their social security number, maiden name, credit card or other personal information during unsolicited calls. She added if the calls appears to be from a bank, call the bank directly, not the number from which the call came. If they hurry you to do something, that is a red flag, she said. Report the scam at bbb.org/ask/scams or ftccomplaintassistant.gov Locally, victims can also call the San Diego District Attorneys office: (619) 531-4040. Teen hurt in scooter accident A 15-year-old boy suffered a compound fracture to his ankle after he was hit by a car while riding a scooter, 11:37 a.m. Sunday, April 14. Police report the teen was riding across Via La Jolla Drive, in the crosswalk with a green light. A 23-year-old male, driving a Honda Civic southbound on Via La Jolla Drive, ran the red light at Via Mallorca and collided with the scooter rider. Traffic Division is investigating. Multiple battery cases reported in La Jolla Battery is defined as an intentional offensive or harmful touching of another person done without his or her consent. The first of several battery reports in La Jolla took place around 10:15 p.m. March 29 on the 6000 block of Camino de la Costa, where a verbal argument escalated to physical violence. Police report a group of friends were hanging out, and were approached by a group of males. The males started arguing with the victim. During the argument, they began punching and slapping him in the face, said SDPD communications officer Billy Hernandez. The victim was able to get away with no visible injuries. The suspects are not in custody. Around 2 p.m. April 3 on the 7900 block of Girard Avenue, a victim was selling a car and got into an argument with a potential buyer. Hernandez said that during a text message exchange, the victim insulted the potential buyer, who later showed up to where the victim was and pushed him several times. He fled before police arrived and is not in custody. At 5:53 a.m. April 4 at the Shell gas station at 2204 Torrey Pines Road, a suspect threw a rock at the window twice, causing damage. When officers arrived, the suspect fled and resisted police trying to take him into custody. The suspect was arrested and booked into County jail for felony vandalism, resisting a peace officer and delaying a peace officer. The same day, at 12:33 p.m. on the 5000 block of La Jolla Boulevard, a construction worker intervened in a fight between a victim and a suspect. The suspect battered the victim with his head, Hernandez said, and the construction worked pushed the suspect away from the victim, punched him in the jaw and knocked him unconscious. The suspect was on scene when police arrived and cited for battery. At 6:45 p.m. April 7 on the 2800 block of Torrey Pines Road, a victim and a suspect got into a verbal argument over the suspect blocking a trail. During the altercation, the suspect hit the victim multiple times. The victim sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention. The suspect fled before officers arrived and is still outstanding. Police Blotter March 26 Petty theft, 8300 block Paseo del Ocaso, 6 a.m. Petty theft, 7500 block Fay Ave., 8:30 a.m. March 29 Vehicle break-in/theft, 900 block Coast Blvd., 10 p.m. April 3 Vehicle theft, 300 block Kolmar St., 1:51 a.m. Grand theft over $950, 8600 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 4:20 p.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 8600 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 5:15 p.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 8600 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 6:15 p.m. April 4 Petty theft, 8800 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 6:15 p.m. April 5 Shoplifting, 8700 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 3 p.m. April 6 Vehicle break-in/theft, 5100 block La Jolla Blvd., 11:45 a.m. Vandalism ($400 or more), 200 block Palomar Ave., noon Vehicle theft (felony), 7600 block Girard Ave., 5 p.m. Residential burglary, 8500 block Ruette Monte Carlo, 5:40 p.m. April 7 Vehicle break-in/theft, 7900 block Princess St., midnight Vehicle theft, 7200 block Via Capri, 4:45 p.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 8500 block El Paseo Grande, 5 p.m. Vandalism ($400 or more), 2800 block Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, 7:12 p.m. April 9 Petty theft, 8100 block El Paseo Grande, 12:10 a.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 10000 block North Torrey Pines Road, 2 p.m. April 10 Fraud, 700 block Agate St., 12:20 p.m. April 12 Vehicle break-in/theft, 6600 block La Jolla Scenic Drive South, 1 a.m. Petty theft, 9400 block La Jolla Shores Drive, noon Vehicle break-in/theft, 6800 block La Jolla Blvd., 7 p.m. Residential burglary, 1400 block Park Row, 11 p.m. April 13 Residential burglary, 5700 block Waverly Ave., 2:30 p.m. Residential burglary, 700 block Wrelton Drive, 4 p.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 8500 block El Paseo Grande, 5:45 p.m. Vehicle break-in/theft, 8500 block El Paseo Grande, 6 p.m. April 14 Vehicle break-in/theft, 8500 block El Paseo Grande, noon Compiled by Ashley Mackin-Solomon from police reports and others For the last few months, members of the La Jolla Shores Association (LJSA) have taken it upon themselves to monitor whether the gates to the Kellogg Park parking lot are locked at 10 p.m. Funds to assure the safety practice came through City Council member Barbara Brys office in 2018. The gates were supposed to be locked nightly as of Jan. 1, via metal arms across the lot entrance, which have signs on both sides indicating it would be closed at night. But at the Jan. 9 LJSA meeting, trustee John Sheridan reported he had walked past the gates after hours and found them wide open. (Brys field rep Mauricio Medina said at the time the gates being open may have been attributed to human error and that the staff tasked with locking the gates might not have been properly supervised.) In the months that followed, trustees and volunteers continued to check the gates, and created a log recording the time they visited the parking lot and whether the gates were locked or open. LJSA chair Janie Emerson said in the last few weeks, the gates were only on locked by 10 p.m. March 26 and April 8. (There are two nights on the log when no one checked.) I went one time at 2:14 a.m. (and they were not locked), Emerson said at the April 10 meeting on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus. I almost went again last night when I went up to go to the bathroom and thought, no, Im not going to do that. I cant do this anymore. Fellow trustee Joe Dicks commended her, bless your heart for doing that at all! Emerson continued, We fought long and hard to get the gates locked at night. If you have been down there, you see the parking lot is supposed to be locked from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Council District 1 was kind enough to allot money to hire someone to do this. The funds were passed to the Department of Park & Rec, who has told us they have hired someone to do it. She said on one of the nights that she went to check the gates, she observed 68 cars in the parking lot, five bonfires, and a family seemingly living in a van. With summer approaching, she added, we are at the beginning of something that could mushroom really fast. My feeling is that these people need to be fired and should return the money for all the nights they didnt do their job. When asked about what the board can reasonably expect going forward, Medina explained, You can expect the gates to be locked. Park & Rec has told us they have other gates to lock, and they try to get there before 11 p.m. Amidst all the questions, it became clear that the board did not have the actual contract in which the City engaged that outlines the terms that must be met (for example, the gates shall be locked by 10 p.m. or simply that the gates will be locked without specifying a time). The board then asked for a copy of the contract to see what the terms are, and whether they are being met. A motion to have Dicks request the contract from the City, review the terms, see if there are enforceable provisions in it; and a second motion that, if there are enforceable terms, email the board and contact the City, both passed. In other LJSA news Board takes up Senate Bills: Real estate broker James LaMattery, who has been making the rounds at local community planning groups, spoke at length about SB 330, a proposed senate bill that he said could remove the coastal height limits for new development. However, the overall purpose of his presentation was to encourage attendance at a meeting 5:30 p.m. Thursday April 18 at REBA La Jolla, 908 Kline St. (coverage of which will be in a future La Jolla Light issue). James LaMattery shows the La Jolla Shores Association a map of areas that would be impacted by Senate Bills currently making the legislative rounds. Ashley Mackin-Solomon Additional meetings will be held in the coming weeks and months to discuss the bills more and to get La Jollans involved. SB 330 is dubbed the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 and was introduced in February. If passed, it could work in concert with another housing related senate bill, SB 50, which could remove height limit and parking requirements in select areas east of I-5. SB 50 removes height restrictions east of I-5 and minimal parking requirement in Transit Priority Areas (TPA) on either side of the 5 freeway LaMattery said. SB 330 gets rid of (height restrictions in) the rest of the State. He claimed any area in The Shores that is designated as a TPA on SANDAGs map, would be affected immediately if SB 50 was enacted. In addition to the TPAs (those within half a mile of a major transit hub or within a quarter mile of a bus line), he said SB 50 proposes increasing development in job rich areas, which according to a map he produced, includes all of La Jolla. No action was taken at the April meeting, to allow the board to review the bill and attend the April 18 meeting. Emerson advocated for continued attention to this, and opined, This is not something that is going away any time soon and is certainly will change our lives dramatically in The Shores. Those wishing to track the status of these bills can visit leginfo.legislature.ca.gov and search for SB 330 and/or SB 50 to receive updates as they are heard and amended. Learn more about future meetings at raisetheballoon.org The board also discussed SB 946, called the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, which went into effect Jan. 1 and decriminalizes sidewalk vending and selling merchandise in public parks and beaches. The La Jolla Parks & Beaches advisory group had already formed a sub-committee to address this, and LJSA voted to join in their efforts to come up with a strategy for dealing with SB 946. LJSA trustee Dede Donovan noted, One possibility would be to request the adoption of new regulations another option is to modify the (applicable) sections. We can try to get it amended at the state level, or we can get our City Council to come up with local regulations that conform with SB 946 but regulate selling in public parks. She said the latter of which was more likely, given the number of loopholes in the law. LJSA would continue to report on this issue as updates become available. Election update: Following the most recent election which left the board with 13 of 16 seats filled Robyn Leary agreed to become a member, and current trustees are seeking additional members to complete the board. A slate of officers was elected: Emerson continues as chair, Mary Coakley-Munk was appointed vice-chair, Pam Boynton agreed to continue as chair, and Charlie Brown stepped in as a temporary secretary. City on notice for Via Capri: Trustee Dicks reported the entrance from Via Capri onto La Jolla Scenic South to get to Torrey Pines Road is falling apart and a solution is beyond the reach of the Citys Get It Done App. The edges are falling apart, so this is not just a pothole anymore. The edges are eroding, so if you are not careful and your car is on the edge, your car will leave the roadway. The City is on notice, because someone is going to get hurt. Pam Boynton added the condition was just atrocious. Medina said he would meet with City staff on the issue and report back. The Scripps Park Pavilion leads the way in terms of La Jolla projects to be funded through San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconers Fiscal Year 2020 proposed budget. The Mayor released his budget Thursday, April 11 and touted it as a structurally sound plan that keeps the focus on core services like road repair, homeless solutions, libraries and parks while we expand programs that will keep our communities clean and safe. The proposed $4.15 billion budget is a 19.5 percent increase over the Citys fiscal year 2019 budget. Despite the spending hike of nearly $700 million, Faulconer praised the budget for its balance due to an estimated $15.3 million in cuts to various departments like storm water channel maintenance and tree-trimming services. The budget lists the Scripps Park Pavilion project at $5,070,792, and more than $1 million toward that pricetag was added to the 2020 budget. The project provides for the design and construction of a replacement comfort station, aka restroom facility, in Ellen Browning Scripps Park adjacent to La Jolla Cove. The project also includes the demolition of the existing comfort station and installation of associated paths of travel improvements. According to the budget: The existing comfort station was constructed in the 1960s and has reached the end of its useful life. The salt air from the ocean has accelerated the deterioration of the metal structural components within the building. The projects preliminary design was initiated through community efforts. The design was completed in Fiscal Year 2019. Construction is anticipated to begin in Fiscal Year 2020 and is anticipated to be completed in Fiscal Year 2023. A start date for construction has not been announced. The groundbreaking and subsequent 440 days of construction was originally expected in the first part of 2019, but an unexpected redesign of certain features pushed the date back, according to project managers. The project will further construct a new facility with unisex toilet stalls (and more toilets than at the current facility), showers, storage space and more. During construction, there will be 10 portable toilets, two that are ADA-compliant, and no showers. Other continuing items include the La Jolla View Reservoir project, for which designs began in Fiscal Year 2013 and the completion date is Fiscal Year 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 2021 and will be completed in Fiscal Year 2023. The only new project for 2020 is the UC San Diego Fire Station construction. This project provides for the design and building of a new permanent three-bay fire station of approximately 10,500 square feet. The facility will accommodate three fire apparatus and a crew of 9 to 11 fire personnel, and onsite surface parking for Fire-Rescue personnel apparatus bays, the budget states. In addition, the offsite improvements include, but are not limited to, site grading, utility, and street/traffic improvements within the public right-of-way along Torrey Pines Road to allow for emergency response apparatus bays. Smaller projects in the budget include pipeline replacement and rehabilitation projects; funding for new sidewalks, including on La Jolla Mesa Drive; and completion of the Torrey Pines Corridor Project Phase II, including the slope restoration project set to be complete later this year. Citywide, Mayor Faulconer said the budget provides funding for homelessness services, infrastructure, the environmental Clean SD initiative and others. The cover of the 530-page San Diego Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget. In May, the Mayor will release his Revised Budget and the Independent Budget Analyst will make recommendations. The Adopted Budget is finalized in June by vote of the City Council. Courtesy The Fiscal Year 2020 Proposed Budget includes $9.4 million in funding for homeless programs and services, with $9.2 million budgeted in the General Fund and $250,000 budgeted in the Low to Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund, a statement from Mayor Faulconer reads. Proposed funding includes $3.1 million for the three bridge shelters to provide up to 674 beds a day and supply meals, showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, 24-hour security, alcohol and substance abuse counseling, job training and mental health services. There is $550,000 in funding for Housing Navigation Center operations, which is expected to open in the Summer of 2019, and funding to add three positions to support the Chief of Homelessness Strategies. The Proposed Budget expands the Clean SD initiative by increasing funding by $6.3 million for constant presence in the highest demand areas throughout the City, including canyons. The additional funding increases contractual services to include litter removal 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and waste abatement associated with illegal encampments on two shifts, seven days a week. Two additional code compliance officers and a supervisor will monitor contractor performance. In addition, this funding includes $3.5 million in additional police department overtime for the Neighborhood Policing Division. (See related story, page A27.) Bry Budget Town Hall, May 4 Following the release of the proposed budget, District 1 City Councilmember Barbara Bry will host a Budget Town Hall meeting, 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 4 at the La Jolla Village Community Center next to AMC Theater, 8657 Villa La Jolla Drive. City representatives will be on hand to answer questions, collect feedback, explain the process and give a walk-through of the general fund. Soon after, the Mayor will release his Revised Budget along with the Independent Budget Analyst recommendations. In June, the Adopted Budget will be established. What about the La Jolla MAD? In late March, the San Diego Department of Economic Development announced: Along with all City of San Diego Maintenance Assessment Districts (MADs), staff will be requesting that the La Jolla MAD annual report be approved for Fiscal Year 2020, along with anticipated revenues and expenditures If approved by City Resolution during the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget approval hearing, it is anticipated the City will enroll all MAD assessments including the La Jolla MAD to the County of San Diego prior to August 10, 2019. And while the La Jolla MAD is not listed in the Mayors just-issued Proposed Budget, City spokesperson Anna Vacchi assured La Jolla Light that the funding for the La Jolla MAD will be included in the May revision. At the event, delegates highlighted the role of political parties in Asia-Europe cooperation, affirming that the parties expansion of relations has contributed to tightening ties between countries and kick-starting initiatives to improve regional connectivity. Participants signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed to intensify cooperation among political parties, develop inter-parliamentary collaboration, and increase the efficiency of the Asia-Europe connectivity process. Speaking at the seminar, Quan said that the Asia-Europe partnership has become the worlds largest inter-regional cooperation model. To ensure that cooperation results match the two continents full potential, he suggested that both sides maintain efforts and diversify cooperative methods to lift the ties to a new height, with attention paid to collaboration between political parties. The CPV believes that cooperation between political parties will contribute to stability and development in each country, as well as to peace and prosperity in the two continents and the wider world, he added. On the sidelines of the seminar, the Vietnamese official held meetings with representatives of participating parties. He also had working sessions with representatives from the Prosperous Armenia Party and other political parties in Armenia, during which he affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State, and people always attach great importance to consolidating friendship with traditional friends, including Armenia. Bamboo Airways and Pragues international airport inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the matter on April 17. Under the MoU, the Prague airport will apply various incentives for the Vietnamese carrier in approval of flight schedule, market research and promotion, policies on take off and landing, and cost of passenger services. Upon the operation of the Hanoi-Prague direct route, travelling time from Vietnam to the Czech Republic is expected to be reduced down to just 12 hours. In addition, the Czech Republics Ministry of Transport has voiced its attention to and support for the carriers plan to launch direct flights linking the two nations. It also vowed to work with relevant agencies of the European country and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to help Bamboo Airways complete procedures for flight permission as regulated. Vice President of Bamboo Airways Duong Thi Mai Hoa said that the airlines new direct flights are hoped to serve as a bridge, fostering bilateral economic cooperation as well as travel and trade activities of people of the two countries. The direct route linking the two nations will be an important step for Bamboo Airways plan to expand to Eastern Europe in particular and the European market in the future, she added. Bamboo Airways also announced its first charter flights to the Republic of Korea and Japan earlier this month. By the end of this year, its fleet is estimated to rise to 40, including Airbus A320, A321 Neo, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Apr 17, 2019 | By Jonathan Ho The fire at famed Parisian Cathedral Notre Dame began at 6.50pm on Monday 15 April 2019, even as 400 firefighters converged on Ile de la Cite, one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine on which the cathedral stands to control the blaze, it was announced by Fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet at 9.05pm that it was unclear if Notre Dame de Paris could be saved. Even under threat of losing their lives from falling debris and the encroaching inferno, rescue and fire fighting officials formed a human chain to save the artworks housed within the hallowed grounds, carrying out irreplaceable, invaluable artefacts like the Mays of Notre Dame paintings. Meanwhile, as if divinely ordained, Father Fournier (his name is also amazingly providential translated to English, it means Fire Tender), chaplain of the Paris Firefighters no less, is credited in saving relics of Christendom, one of the greatest of all the crown of thorns, believed by French king Louis IX to be the crown worn by Lord Jesus during his passion and crucifixion. Well rebuild Notre-Dame together. I am solemnly telling you tonight: this cathedral will be rebuilt by all of us together. We will rebuild Notre Dame because that is what the French expect, because that is what our history deserves, because it is our destiny. French President Macron As of Tuesday 8.30 am, the worst was over. And now the arduous task of rebuilding one of the worlds most significant monuments to Gothic Architecture and Christianity begins in earnest. Bernard Arnault, the worlds third richest man and owner of LVMH group, has pledged 200 million to the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral, following Kering Group owner Francois-Henri Pinaults own pledge of 100 million. They are joined by the Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns one third of the LOreal cosmetics empire, French Oil corporation Total and KKR private equity group co-founder with donations o 200 million, 100 million and 10 million respectively, bringing the total Notre Dame rebuilding fund to 600 million. Everything you need to know about the restoration and rebuilding of Notre Dame As much of a priceless monument and symbol of French artistry and engineering the Notre Dame was, the lives of the parishioners (and visiting tourists) were paramount, they were saved first. Next, came the art, after that, the altar, and then the furniture and some of the furnishings within the cathedral. The Grand Old Dame was last. Simply because some things can be rebuilt but others would be lost forever. Built as one of the greatest beacons of Christianity in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and largely complete a 100 years later, the procedure for rescue and recovery has been a codified process for the Paris Fire Department since the French Revolution when Notre Dame was sacked and damaged in the 1790s. In fact, 160 years ago, French officials had already planned for the repair and replacement of the Oak beams within the cathedral that they planted trees in Versailles for that sole purpose. Even then, you can have the money (complete restoration of Notre Dame cathedral is projected to be in the multi-billion dollar range) and the materials, but most importantly, if you dont have the blueprints, one wouldnt know where or how to start. Notre Dame took two centuries to build, and in less than an hour, its roof, spire and some of its interior was destroyed. In its entirety, Notre Dame cathedral possesses some of the most intricate architectural and furnishing details in history thanks to its Gothic artistry. Gothic architectural style first appeared at Saint-Denis, near Paris, in 1140, and within a century it had pioneered cathedral design throughout Western Europe. Gothic architects radically transformed the interior to make it an immense visual experience. Evolved out of Romanesque art, Gothic architects were the masters of detail if you ever felt overwhelmed or overcome whenever you visit a Gothic cathedral in Europe, the perspective of vaulted high ceilings, ornate pillars and over-the-top facades all enhance architectural dramatism. These were meant to be the most awe-inspiring expressions of architecture. But details, revisions and renovations come at a price. It was desecrated in 1790s during the French Revolution, neglected to the point of being condemned in 1820s, rejuvenated between 1844 to 1864 thanks to the popularity of Victor Hugos Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even the spire which burned down two evenings ago, isnt its original. It was added between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, who added the cathedrals iconic spire. Hence, there lacks a certain rigour in tracking the architectural plans and changes throughout the cathedrals over 800 years history. Gods Angel Art Historian Dr. Andrew Tallon Business Insider reported that digital information chronicled during the creation of the Assassins Creed Unity computer game set in Paris could be used to re-create the iconic cathedral because its creators had catalogued Notre Dame right down to its bricks for perfect virtual replication. However, theres a more rigorous and academic option A tech-savvy art historian named Dr. Andrew Tallon had used lasers to scan Notre Dame cathedral right down to the millimetre in an effort to understand how medieval builders constructed their architectural masterpieces. It was only in the last five years that the technology had advanced enough that Dr. Tallon was able to use the latest VR technology a combination of laser plotting devices and panoramic 3D cameras. By placing these set ups in over 50 locations throughout Notre Dames entirety, he has created a virtual replica accurate down to the millimetre. In a story for National Geographic, Dr. Tallon says it best, Every building moves. It heaves itself out of shape when foundations move, when the sun heats up on one side. Yes, contrary to popular belief, buildings appear static but environments change its original design, the ground shifts, the buildings move, walls expand and contract with the weather, some, because of the imprecise ratio of building elements, more so than others and recover even less than others. His laser scans also revealed that as with all human endeavours, humans take shortcuts. When things couldnt be fixed, the workmen took shortcuts or built around the errors and what results is that some of the columns dont really line up nor do some of the aisles (what would really bake your noodle later as Tallon discovered and now you will too, is that some of these errors and imperfections were actually incorporated by design. Some asymmetry in otherwise perfect symmetry is what makes things beautiful, to wit Cindy Crawfords mole, but this is another story unto itself). Indeed, consider the technology available to medieval craftsmen string, rulers, pencils, weight bobs each ancient device was not only time-consuming but in the resulting tedium, error prone. Multiply that by hundreds of workmen and labourers, each cumulative error adds up. Dr. Stephen Murray, Tallons Ph.D. adviser at Columbia, tells NatGeo that (Tallon is) able to combine that astonishing grasp of technology with the big humanistic vision that one hopes that art historians have. Tallon died of brain cancer on 16 November 2018 at his home in Poughkeepsie, New York. His lifes mission complete and his work, likely instrumental in the rebuilding and restoration of Notre Dame de Paris. The Eiffel Tower may be the most widely recognised symbol of Paris and the French nation but would it surprise you to learn that at 13 million visitors per annum, Notre Dame de Paris is the most toured monument, almost double of the Eiffels 7 million visitors per annum. Special thanks to: Image credit: European Medieval Heritage/Getty, Knowledge leads Developer & Technopreneur Michael Slavitch and Entrepreneur & Futurist, Roger James Hamilton The Notre Dame Cathedral is on fire in central Paris, capital of France, on April 15, 2019. A blaze broke out on Monday afternoon at the Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris where firefighters were still fighting to put the fire under control, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) President Xi Jinping sent his condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday after a fire ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, with the Chinese leader expressing sincere sadness to all French people. Noting that Notre Dame Cathedral is an iconic symbol of French culture as well as an outstanding treasure of human civilization, Xi said Chinese people feel deeply saddened by the fire, just as the French people do. Xi said he believes that with the efforts of the French people and support from the international community, Notre Dame Cathedral will be repaired well and regain its glory. The fire broke out about 6:30 pm on Monday around the roof of the cathedral, which was surrounded by scaffolding. It spread quickly and destroyed the wooden interior before toppling the spire. It took more than 400 firefighters hours to extinguish the fire, with the main structure and two towers standing. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but is believed to be linked to renovation work. Investigators are preparing to question the team of workers as they look into the cause of the fire. China can be a helpful partner in rebuilding the 850-year-old Gothic structure, said a historian from Cambridge University. Alan Macfarlane, historian and professor emeritus at King's College, Cambridge, said that given China's widely acknowledged engineering and construction expertise in the world, "it would be a very appreciated gesture if the people of China offered their help in whatever way the French thought appropriate to rebuild". "The Chinese have built the largest airport in the world a far larger job than rebuilding Notre Dame in less than three years," Macfarlane said. "They could be of immense help." At the scene of the fire in Paris, Macron vowed an immediate fundraising drive to rebuild the landmark, calling for international talent to contribute to the effort. "We will rebuild this cathedral all together and it is undoubtedly part of the French destiny and the project we will have for the coming years. A national subscription will be launched, and well beyond our borders we will appeal to the greatest talent, and there are many who will come to contribute and rebuild us. We will rebuild Notre Dame, because that's what French people expect, because it's what our history deserves and because it's our deep destiny," said Macron. Already, two of France's wealthiest men pledged massive donations. Billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Kering Group, which owns the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion brands, pledged 100 million euros ($113 million) to help rebuild Notre Dame, AFP reported. Shortly after, Bernard Arnault, chief executive of LVMH Group owner of fashion labels including Louis Vuitton and Bulgari said he would donate 200 million euros. Notre Dame, which was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, receives around 13 million visitors each year even more than the Eiffel Tower. The cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and sits at the heart of the nation's history. "If you think of France as a body, then Notre Dame is in many ways its heart Its partial loss is a terrible blow to a proud country and to the world more widely," Macfarlane said. The Cambridge professor said rebuilding efforts will pose a huge challenge, but he remains optimistic as the main structure has survived. "It is an immense building and the result of centuries of fine craftsmanship," he said. "But as the structure, made of stone, has survived, so it is as if a body had been badly damaged, but the legs, trunk, arms and even head are still there. Modern techniques of restoration are amazing and it is probable that what has to be replaced is well documented. With patience, money and care it can be done, and though it will not be the same, it will be Notre Dame." A woman named Marie, who has lived in Paris for 20 years and works at an art gallery, said,"Paris without Notre Dame is not Paris." Commissioning of 2nd aircraft carrier likely to happen in 2019 The PLA Navy's new destroyer, the Type 055, a 10,000-ton domestically designed and manufactured vessel, was launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in East China's Shanghai on June 28, 2017. It is equipped with new anti-air, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons. Photo: 81.cn As a scheduled maritime parade in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on April 23 edges closer, military observers are eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the Chinese naval fleet that is expected to feature aircraft carriers, advanced destroyers and submarines. The PLA Navy opened an official Sina Weibo account on Thursday and launched a 10-day countdown toward the anniversary by introducing weapons, equipment and naval history. Whether the Type 001A, China's second aircraft carrier (the first one built domestically), and the first Type 055, a 10,000 ton-class guided missile destroyer, will take part in the celebration is the main point of interest among Chinese military enthusiasts. The Ministry of National Defense has been tight-lipped over the two warships' potential participation. Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said at a routine press conference on March 28 that the new carrier is "making steady progress" and will be commissioned "based on the progress achieved and the specific conditions of the trials," and that he is "looking forward to the commissioning date [of the Type 055 destroyer] the same as all of you." According to Chinese media reports, the Type 001A carrier is still at the Dalian Shipyard, Northeast China's Liaoning Province. Photos taken over the past three weeks show the aircraft carrier undergoing deck coating paint jobs. Although the painting seems to be progressing smoothly and the scaffolding around the superstructure is already removed, based on photos made available on Chinese image provider IC on Friday, some reports said the carrier would not make it to the parade. Whether the second carrier will appear in Qingdao will likely remain a mystery until the official announcement, Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, said. "It might take one or two more sea trials before the domestically made carrier can be commissioned, which will likely happen within 2019." The Type 055 destroyer, on the other hand, is more likely to join the maritime parade, military observers said. Reports said the warship, with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, has put up many colors in late March, which some analysts said is an indication of imminent commission. Photos taken by local residents and commercial satellites, whose authenticity cannot be immediately verified, show the destroyer has left the Shanghai-based Jiangnan Shipyard, and has arrived in Qingdao, where the parade is scheduled to take place. Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times that the destroyer has been fully tested following many sea trials, and will likely be commissioned soon and join the parade. Some military enthusiasts also say they hope to see the public debut of the Type 095 nuclear-powered attack submarine as a surprise, as the next generation of attack submarines has remained mysterious for a long time. Both Li and Wei said there is a chance, but it is hard to tell for now. China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning will very likely participate in the fleet review, after returning to its base in Qingdao in February following months of maintenance at Dalian Shipyard, analysts said. Other PLA Navy vessels, including Type 052D and Type 052C destroyers, Type 054A frigate, Type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and other types of ships that are already in naval service will also likely show up, military analysts predicted. Navy airborne divisions might conduct a fly by with JH-7A fighter bombers, H-6 bombers, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, early warning aircraft and helicopters, as unverified photos of rehearsals of these types of aircraft in Qingdao taken by local residents have surfaced on social media. China held a maritime parade in the South China Sea in April 2018. It featured 48 warships, 76 aircraft and more than 10,000 personnel and was hailed as the biggest naval parade since the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the PLA Daily reported then. Wei said this year's parade could be even bigger, as other countries are invited to join. Foreign guests China's Defense Ministry revealed at the March press conference that more than 60 countries have confirmed delegations to participate in a set of multinational naval activities, with multiple countries having confirmed they will send naval vessels to the international fleet review. While a full list has not been released by the Chinese side, foreign vessels, including the Japanese destroyer Suzutsuki, Indian destroyer Kolkata, Philippine amphibious landing dock Davao Del Sur and two frigates from Vietnam will take part in the fleet review, with Russian ships also participating, according to media reports. Friendly neighboring countries, Asian and European countries, major and developing naval powers and those who have procured China-made naval vessels are all potential participants, Wei noted. In 2009, the PLA Navy held a similar parade in Qingdao to celebrate its 60th founding anniversary. Delegations from 29 countries and 21 vessels from 14 countries were parts of the parade. This year's planned participation of more than 60 countries shows the PLA Navy has become more confident and more open to the world, thanks to its significant capability boost in the past 10 years, Wei said. Li said that the PLA Navy's opening-up has gone in tandem with the country's opening-up, with the aim of more exchanges and friendly cooperation with other countries. The US, however, will reportedly not send any warships this time while it sent the destroyer Fitzgerald to Qingdao 10 years ago. The US now sees China as a strategic competitor, so it does not want to lend any support to the Chinese military, especially as it sees the latter grow stronger, Chinese experts said, noting that by not participating in the parade, the US will lose opportunities to boost mutual understanding, prevent misjudgments and get to know the PLA Navy better. Top Easter Holiday Tips on how to Save Cash Abroad As the Bank Holiday weekend draws near, many holidaymakers will be looking to use this break for a trip abroad so now is the perfect time to revisit their financial checklist to see if they have everything organised. Whether consumers feel fully prepared for a trip away or have yet to make a start, Moneyfacts.co.uk has drawn up some top tips on how consumers can save a bit of cash. Rachel Springall, Finance Expert at Moneyfacts.co.uk, said: Holidaymakers might be caught up in the excitement of a trip abroad but it would be wise for them to take some time out to ensure they are going to make their cash go as far as it can for their break. Whether taking some spending money or relying on a debit or credit card, its important that consumers take the necessary steps to avoid wasting their hard-earned cash. Gather foreign currency sooner than later Avoid airport currency exchange kiosks, as the convenience will come at a cost. Instead, even with just a few days to go, consumers would be better off checking online for current exchange rates to find the best deal. It is worth keeping in mind that click and collect rates are usually more rewarding than just popping into a branch as you can secure the rate of exchange. As an example, M&S Bank offers 227.98 per 200 for click and collect, but only 224.96 for home delivery or as a bureau rate. Be wary when using a debit or credit card Using a debit card abroad to withdraw cash may seem convenient, but its at a costly expense. A typical debit card can charge as much as 9.50 (NatWest Select Account) for the equivalent of a 200 cash withdrawal abroad, while a typical credit card can charge 11.96 (HSBC Classic Credit Card) for the same transaction*. Clearly, it pays to be more prepared. Its also wise to inform the bank of the upcoming trip too. Pack a more cost-effective card To avoid paying out on unnecessary fees, holidaymakers would be wise to apply for a credit card designed specifically for use abroad, or even switch their current account to a cheaper alternative. There are even credit cards that do not charge a usage fee when used overseas, such as the Creation Everyday Credit Card and Halifax Clarity Credit Card. Those customers looking to save on interest charges will also find the Santander Zero Credit Card appealing, as it offers an introductory purchase deal of 0% for 12 months. Download an app to save a transport headache There are free apps such as Citymapper that list public transport and can help consumers avoid relying on last-minute taxis when travelling. Not only this, but these types of apps allow consumers to plan any sightseeing tour of their choosing, without the expense of a tour package. Transport apps also have the added benefit of allowing holidaymakers to change their plans last minute, due to unpredictable factors like the weather for example, giving them peace of mind that a new route is close to hand. Check your travel insurance cover Consumers dont always have to pay for travel insurance, and not all travel insurance policies will cover everything, so it is important to carefully check all the terms and conditions before travelling abroad. There are current accounts that offer worldwide travel insurance cover as an add-on to their package, with Barclays Bank charging 12.50 per month on its Bank Account with Travel Pack and Nationwide charging 13 per month on its FlexPlus, some of the cheapest on the market and they include baggage and delay cover. The latter also includes worldwide mobile phone insurance and UK and European breakdown cover, plus the debit card allows free cash withdrawals abroad too. *Typical debit card example is the NatWest Select Account, which charges a transaction fee of 2.00% and a conversion fee of 2.75% on cash withdrawals. Typical credit card example is the HSBC Classic Credit Card Visa, which charges a 2.99% usage fee and a 2.99% cash withdrawal fee. moneyfacts.co.uk is a financial product price comparison site, launched in 2000, which helps consumers compare thousands of financial products, including credit cards, savings, mortgages and many more. Unlike other comparison sites, there is no commercial influence on the way moneyfacts.co.uk ranks products, showing consumers a true picture of the best products based on the criteria they select. The site also provides informative guides and covers the latest consumer finance news, as well as offering a weekly newsletter. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Watch The Financial Sector For The Next Stock Market Topping Pattern A very interesting price pattern is setting up in the financial sector that could lead to a very big move in the US & Global markets. Remember how in 2008-09, the Financial sector and Insurance sector were some of the biggest hit stock sectors to prompt a global market crisis? Well, the next few weeks and months for the financial sector are setting up to be critical for our future expectations of the US stock market and global economy. Right now, many of the financial sector stocks are poised near an upper price channel that must be breached/broken before any further upside price advance can take place. The current trend has been bullish as prices have rallied off the December 2018 lows. Yet, we are acutely aware of the bigger price channels that could become critical to our future decision making. If there is any price weakness near these upper price channel levels and any downside price rotation, the downside potential for the price is massive and could lead to bigger concerns. Lets start off by taking a look at these Monthly charts This first Monthly Bank Of America chart is best at showing the price channel (in YELLOW) as well as a key Fibonacci price level (highlighted by the MAGENTA line). Weve also highlighted a price zone with a green shaded box that we believe is key support/resistance for the current price trend. As you can see from this chart, since early February 2018, the overall trend has shifted into a sideways bearish trend. The price recovery from December 2018 was impressive, yes, but it is still rotating within this sideways/bearish price channel. Our belief is that this YELLOW upper price channel level MUST be broken in order for the price to continue higher at this point. Any failure to accomplish this will result in a price reversal that could precipitate a 30% price decline in the value of BAC. In other words, it is do-or-die time again. This Monthly JPM chart shows a similar pattern, yet the price channel is a bit more narrow visually. We have almost the same setup in JPM as we do in BAC. The same channels, the same type of Fibonacci price support level, the same type of sideways price support zone (the shaded box) and the same overall setup. As traders, we have to watch for these types of setup and be aware of the risks that could unfold with a collapse of the financial sector over the next few weeks. We believe the next few weeks could be critical for the financial sector and for the overall markets. If weakness hits the financial sector as global growth continues to stagnate we could enter a period where the global perception of the future 12~24 months may change. Right now, perception has been relatively optimistic in the global stock markets. Most traders have been optimistic that the markets will recover and a US/China trade deal will get settled. The biggest concern has been the EU and the growth of the European countries. What if that suddenly changed? We are not saying it will or that we know anything special about this setup. We are just suggesting that the Monthly charts, above, are suggesting that price will either break above this upper price channel or fail to break this level and move lower. We are suggesting that, as skilled traders, we need to be acutely aware of the risks within the financial sector right now and prepare for either outcome. This last chart, a Weekly FAS chart, shows a more detailed view of this same price rotation and sideways expanding wedge/channel formation. Pay very close attention to the shaded support channel shown with the GREEN BOX on this chart. Any price rotation within this level should be considered within a support channel and not a real risk initially. We want to see price break above the upper price channel fairly quickly, within the next 2 to 5+ weeks, and we can to see it establish a new high (above $78 on this chart) to confirm a new bullish price trend. Once this happens, well be watching for further price rotation and setups. If it fails to happen, then the RED DOWN ARROW is the most likely outcome given the current price setup. Any downside price move in the Financial sector would have to be associated with some decreased future expectations by investors. Thus, our bigger concern is that something is lurking just below the surface right now that could pull the floor out from under this sector. Is it a surprise Fed rate increase? Is it some news from the EU? Is it a sudden increase in credit defaults? What is the other shoe so to say. Be prepared. If all goes well, then well know within a few more weeks if the upside price rally will continue or if we need to start digging for clues as to why the support for the financial sector is eroding. This really is a do or die setup in the financial sector and we urge all traders to pay very close attention to this sector going forward. We believe it will be the leading sector for any major price weakness across the global markets. Do you want to find a team of dedicated researchers and traders that can help you find and execute better trades in 2019 and beyond? Please visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com to learn how we can help you prepare for the big moves in the global markets and find better opportunities for greater success in the future. Our team of researchers and traders continue to scan the markets for new trades and incredible research for all our members and followers. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. The Public Banking Revolution Is Upon Us As public banking gains momentum across the country, policymakers in California and Washington state are vying to form the nations second state-owned bank, following in the footsteps of the highly successful Bank of North Dakota, founded in 1919. The race is extremely close, with state bank bills now passing their first round of committee hearings in both states senates. In California, the story begins in 2011, when then-Assemblyman Ben Hueso filed his first bill to explore the creation of a state bank. The bill, which was for a blue-ribbon committee to do a feasibility study, sailed through both legislative houses and seemed to be a go. That is, until Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed it, not on grounds that he disapproved of the concept, but because he said we did not need another blue-ribbon committee. The state had a banking committee that could review the matter in-house. Needless to say, nothing was heard of the proposal after that. So when now-Sen. Hueso filed SB 528 earlier this year, he went straight for setting up a state bank. The details could be worked out during the two to three years it would take to get a master account from the Federal Reserve, by a commission drawn from in-house staff that had access to the data and understood the issues. Sen. Hueso also went for the low hanging fruita proposal to turn an existing state institution, the California Infrastructure and Development Bank (or IBank), into a depository bank that could leverage its capital into multiple loans. By turning the $400 million IBank currently has for loans into bank capital, it could lend $4 billion, backed by demand deposits from the local governments that are its clients. The IBank has a 15-year record of success; experienced staff and detailed procedures already in place; low-risk customers, consisting solely of government entities; and low-interest loans for infrastructure and development that are in such high demand that requests are 30 times current capacity. The time is also right for bringing the bill, as a growing public banking movement is picking up momentum across the U.S. Over 25 public bank bills are currently active, and dozens of groups are promoting the idea. Advocates include a highly motivated generation of young millennials, who are only too aware that the old system is not working for them and a new direction is needed. Banks now create most of our money supply and need to be made public utilities, following the stellar precedent of the Bank of North Dakota, which makes below-market loans for local communities and businesses while turning a profit for the state. The Bank of North Dakota was founded in 1919 in response to a farmers revolt against out-of-state banks that were foreclosing unfairly on their farms. Since then it has evolved into a $7.4 billion bank that is reported to be even more profitable than JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, although its mandate is not actually to make a profit but simply to serve the interests of local North Dakota communities. Along with hundreds of public banks worldwide, it has demonstrated what can be done by cutting out private shareholders and middlemen and mobilizing public revenues to serve the public interest. The time is right politically to adopt that model. The newly elected California governor, Gavin Newsom, has expressed strong interest both in a state-owned bank and in the IBank approach. In Los Angeles, the City Council brought a measure for a city-owned bank that won 44% of the vote in November, and City Council President Herb Wesson has stated that the measure will be brought again. Where there is the political will, policymakers generally find a way. Advocates in eight Golden State cities have formed the California Public Banking Alliance, which co-sponsored another public banking bill filed just last month. Introduced by Assembly Members David Chiu and Miguel Santiago, Assembly Bill 857 would enable the chartering of public banks by local California governments. The bill, which has broad grassroots support, would authorize the lending of public credit to public banks and authorize public ownership of stock in public banks for the purpose of achieving cost savings, strengthening local economies, supporting community economic development, and addressing infrastructure and housing needs for localities. The first hearing on Huesos Senate Bill 528 was held in Sacramento last week before the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance, where it passed. The bill goes next to the Senate Banking Committee. With momentum growing, California could be the first state in the 21st century to form its own bank; but it is getting heavy competition in that race from Washington State. Washingtons Public Bank Movement: The Virtues of Persistence Like Sen. Hueso, Washington State Sen. Bob Hasegawa filed his first bill for a state-owned bank nearly a decade ago. The measure is now in its fifth iteration. Along the way, his Senate State Banking Caucus has acquired 23 members, just three votes short of a senate majority. As Sen. Patty Kuderer explained at an informational forum held by the Caucus in October, their bills kept getting stalled with the same questions and concerns, and they saw that a different approach was needed; so in 2017, they advised the state to hire professional banking consultants to address the concerns and to draft a business plan that would move the concept forward from the theoretical to the concrete, so that legislators would have a solid idea of what they would eventually be voting on. They could bypass the studies and go straight to a business plan that laid out the nuts and bolts. The maneuver worked. Senate Bill 6375 was the first public banking bill to be advanced out of the policy committee with bipartisan support. In another bill, SB 6032-Supplemental Budget, the fiscal Ways and Means Committee committed $480,000 to assessing risk and developing a business plan for the effort. The form of the proposed bank was also modified: A bank that simply would have received the states tax funds as deposits evolved into a co-op that would be open to membership not just by the state but by all political subdivisions that have a tax base. Opening the co-op banks membership would allow it to generate substantially more credit than could be made from the states revenues alone, since it would have the ability to hold as deposits the combined revenues of cities, counties, ports and utility districts, as well as of the state itself. Those entities would also be able to borrow at below-market rates from the co-op bank and to leverage the tax dollars they collected. The concept was similar to that being advanced in Californias SB 528, which would allow the IBank to expand its lending capacity to local governments by taking the demand deposits of those same governments and affiliated public entities. The Washington State business plan is due no later than June 30, 2019, and legislators expect to vote on the bill no later than 2020. Whenever it happens, says Sen. Hasegawa, I see a public bank as almost inevitable because of the current financial structures were required to live under. State infrastructure needs are huge, and the existing funding optionsraising taxes, cutting services and increasing debt levelshave been exhausted. Newly-created credit directed into local communities by publicly-owned banks can provide the additional funding that local governments critically need. Whichever state wins the race for the next state bank, the implications are huge. A century after the very successful Bank of North Dakota proved the model, the time has finally come to apply it across the country. Ellen Brown developed her research skills as an attorney practicing civil litigation in Los Angeles. In Web of Debt, her latest book, she turns those skills to an analysis of the Federal Reserve and the money trust. She shows how this private cartel has usurped the power to create money from the people themselves, and how we the people can get it back. Her earlier books focused on the pharmaceutical cartel that gets its power from the money trust. Her eleven books include Forbidden Medicine, Natures Pharmacy (co-authored with Dr. Lynne Walker), and The Key to Ultimate Health (co-authored with Dr. Richard Hansen). Her websites are www.webofdebt.com and www.ellenbrown.com and http://PublicBankingInstitute.org Copyright Ellen Brown 2019 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. 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. BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department touted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent visit to Latin America as an opportunity to "deepen U.S. partnerships in the Western Hemisphere." Instead, it was an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Latin America through groundless accusations. Washington's agenda to turn several Latin American countries against China came as no surprise, and Pompeo's "utterly irresponsible and unreasonable" remarks -- in the words of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang -- would not be the last. While China's detractors never sleep, the diatribes won't stand the test of reason and reality in a global era of win-win cooperation and common development. Pompeo calls Chinese investments "corrosive" while "eroding good governance" in Latin American countries. But experts and officials in the region disagree. They have long spoken positively of the Asian country's investments in the region. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the Chile-based United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, praised China for showing its willingness to support growth in the region and elsewhere beyond the Asian continent. During last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Papua New Guinea, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera stressed deepening cooperation with China regarding investment, trade and infrastructure. The list of countries -- both in Latin America and beyond -- that welcome Chinese investment continues to grow. Nothing could better exemplify the widespread acceptance of Chinese investment than the significant traction enjoyed by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Among the 125 countries and 29 international organizations taking part in BRI projects are those from the developing world aspiring to improve their dilapidated infrastructure. While the BRI well meets such needs for development, false claims have emerged of a so-called "debt trap." No participating country so far has complained of falling into a so-called "debt trap" of Chinese loans. In fact, if there is any trap, blame the one set up by self-serving western countries who wish to keep the developing world in poverty and backwardness. On various occasions, officials and scholars from the developing world have refuted bizarre western claims by citing facts and underscoring how China's investments help to advance local development. In February, Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, said China and the pan-African bloc have enjoyed an "unprecedentedly dynamic" partnership in various areas. Dushni Weerakoon, a Sri Lankan scholar, and Sisira Jayasuriya, professor of Economics at Australia's Monash University, wrote that Sri Lanka's debt repayment problems had very little to do with Chinese loans, which comprise roughly 10 percent of Sri Lanka's total foreign debt. In the case of Pakistan's participation in the BRI, Shandana Gulzar Khan, Pakistan's parliamentary secretary for commerce, said earlier this month at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has created tens of thousands of jobs and revived the economy of an entire region. "You will not find China an unfair partner," he said. It is not just in the realm of investment and infrastructure that China is pursuing fair, win-win and sustainable development with its partners. In recent years, many countries have been cooperating with China on 5G technology, another thorn in Washington's side. However, the U.S. campaign to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei on the pretext of national security isn't gaining much traction beyond its own borders, with an increasing number of nations now welcoming China's development in 5G technology. With protectionism and unilateralism rearing its ugly head, humanity is standing at a crossroads. Wisdom and courage are needed for the world to grow together. Washington's barrel of lies against China is failing to sway global public opinion. A growing China is good for the world, a truth that even the U.S. cannot change. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will send his special envoy Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. In a news conference held by the Japanese embassy in China on Monday, Takeshi Osuga, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Nikai will visit China from April 24 to 29 to attend the forum and give a speech. In a previous conference at LDP's headquarters in Tokyo, Nikai said his party called for increased exchange between Japan and China. As the Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono just ended a three-day visit to China, Osuga said the visit was "very positive" and further strengthened bilateral ties between Beijing and Tokyo. "In the fifth China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue, China and Japan achieved agreement to cooperate in such areas as energy conservation and environmental protection, science and technology innovation, high-end manufacturing, finance, sharing economy, medical care and elderly care industries," Osuga said, adding Japan and China will push forward cooperation in more areas this year. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the dialogue on Sunday that China hopes the two sides can make steady headway in promoting bilateral investments and trade cooperation, and actively explore third-party market cooperation as well as local cooperation. Osuga said the Japanese government's position on the Belt and Road Initiative remains unchanged, as it expects to conduct cooperation with China in a third market, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation and uphold a business environment of fairness, justice and non-discrimination. GUANGZHOU, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have identified a tomb within which a young woman has been squatting for 13,500 years. The tomb, part of the Qingtang ruins in southern China's Guangdong Province, hosts a female aged between 13 and 18, who was placed in a squatting posture with her head missing for unknown reasons. It has been confirmed as the oldest tomb found in China whose owner's body was deliberately placed in a specific posture, said Liu Suoqiang, who heads the Qingtang ruins excavation project. Apart from the squatting posture, the discovery of burial items, including a bone pin, inside the tomb suggests burial practices at that time already followed a set of procedures and rituals, said Liu, a senior researcher with the Guangdong Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology. "It (laying the dead in a certain posture) points to the emergence of the concepts of life and death and of primitive religious beliefs," Liu said. The practice of burying the dead in a squatting posture has been found in prehistoric tombs in southern China and southeast Asia, a major difference from northern China where early tomb owners were usually found lying on their backs with stretched limbs. Archaeologists are still debating on the symbolism of the squatting posture, with some suggesting it was a simulation of a baby in the womb. Liu said they were also studying whether the women's head was missing due to natural causes or was removed before the burial rite for some reason, an assumption that needs proof from more discoveries of similar tombs. The Qingtang ruins, whose excavation finished earlier this year, has been listed as one of the top 10 Chinese archaeological discoveries in 2018. Archaeologists have found pottery fragments dating back about 17,000 years ago at the site, providing more proof that southern China might be the first region where pottery was ever produced. NRG Oncology SDMC awarded NCI funding for next 6 years with 'outstanding' score The NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC) was notified that the center will be awarded six more years of funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and will continue to serve the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group NRG Oncology. The total amount of funding requested for the six year effort was $68.9 million. During the peer review grant renewal process, the NRG Oncology SDMC was ranked within the "Outstanding" range with a score of 18. "We are honored to receive this funding and scoring for the SDMC which is such an integral part of the NRG Oncology organization. Our SDMC consistently strives to ensure that scientifically relevant cancer research is developed, conducted, interpreted, and presented in a way that maximizes the impact on evidence-based medicine," stated Joseph P. Costantino, DrPH, the current Group Statistician and Director of the NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center and Professor of Biostatistics at University of Pittsburgh. The summary statement from the peer review panel which selected the grant recipients indicated, "The SDMC is well organized to operate at high capacity. The combined statistical group has enormous depth of experience and complementary areas of expertise. The overall impact of the proposed SDMC is high with strong organizational structure, scientific and leadership experience and governance ensuring continued success". "We look forward to the next six years as we continue to support the clinical trial research effort of NRG Oncology through our work at the SDMC," added James J. Dignam, PhD the current NRG Oncology SDMC Deputy Group Statistician and Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Dignam will assume the role of Group Statistician and Director of the SDMC for the new grant cycle. The six year grant cycle started March 1, 2019. ### About NRG Oncology NRG Oncology conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research to improve the lives of patients with cancer. Founded in 2012, NRG Oncology is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit corporation that integrates the research of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). The research network seeks to carry out clinical trials with emphases on gender-specific malignancies, including gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers, and on localized or locally advanced cancers of all types. NRG Oncology's extensive research organization comprises multidisciplinary investigators, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists, pathologists, and statisticians, and encompasses more than 1,300 research sites located world-wide with predominance in the United States and Canada. NRG Oncology is supported primarily through grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is one of five research groups in the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network. http://www. nrgoncology. org This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The State Council General Office has released a regulation to improve elderly care services and meet the multilevel and diverse needs of the aged. The regulation, with six sections and 28 measures, stressed the need to establish a supervision system on elderly care services, deepen reform of public-funded elderly care organs, and improve precise investment by the government. The regulation requires the extending of channels for investing and financing, and achieving expanding employment and entrepreneurship. A system will be formed to recognize the skill of caregivers and provide them with more education and training opportunities, it said. It also demanded the protection of the elderly rights and interests, while dealing with illegal fund-raising in the elderly care sector. Efforts should be made to advance high-quality elderly care and improve elderly care facilities, it added. KINGSTON Work has begun on the last two of the initial five homes being upgraded in the Kingston City Land Banks pilot program. Both BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has set up a surveillance network to monitor coarse particles in 1,020 sites, to help reduce 6.5 tonnes of dust per sq km every month this year, local authorities said Tuesday. With the surveillance network, the environmental protection bureau can monitor dust density in the city around the clock, according to Beijing municipal ecological environment bureau. Authorities will also rank regularly villages and towns based on their air quality. Dust in Beijing is mainly from construction, road and bare land. Beijing has been making efforts to curb air pollution, including tightening supervision on car emissions, encouraging new energy vehicles and shutting down polluting companies. Last year, the city reduced an average of 7.5 tonnes of dust per sq km every month. Few subjects are likely to spark a disagreement at local school board meetings so much as the subject of the mask mandate. For more than a year, parents, administrators and school board members have been contending over the subject, each side offering up what they consider to be the definitive medical, logical or legal argument [] 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, China builds landmark projects along the Belt and Road The construction site of the Central Business District (CBD) project in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt (Photo by China State Construction Engineering Corporation) Chinese enterprises have built several landmark projects in countries participating in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Central Business District (CBD) project in the New Administrative Capital, about 45 km east of Cairo, Egypt, is one of them. The project is currently being carried out by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). The 385.8-meter-high Iconic Tower, as part of the CBD project, is expected to become the tallest tower in Egypt and Africa. The Iconic Tower base, made from 18,500 cubic meters of concrete and reinforced iron bars, was poured in late February over a period of 38 hours, a milestone in Egypts construction history. To ensure smooth construction, CSCEC developed self-compacting concrete suitable for the desert climate and introduced Chinas advanced techniques in Egypt. Tian Wei, a chief engineer of the Iconic Tower project, said that he and project managers had inspected construction in those 38 hours to guarantee quality, adding that CSCEC was the right choice for the CBD project due to its excellent brand image. The Moscow subway project is another example. China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), a state-owned construction firm, won the bid to build the southwestern sector of the Moscow metro railway and station projects on Jan. 24, 2017. Chinese staff work at the construction site of the Moscow subway project undertaken by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (Photo provided by CRCC) It was the first time that Russia had invited a foreign company to participate in its subway construction. CRCC developed five shield tunneling machines for the project, predominantly used for construction in icy conditions, said Chen Zhencheng, head of the Engineering Technology Department of CRCCs Moscow subway project. Thanks to their outstanding performance in project progress, safety and quality, the team have since won bids for more projects in Russia. Chinese and Russian staff work at the Moscow subway project undertaken by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (Photo provided by CRCC) The Belo Monte hydropower project is also a landmark project for the BRI in Brazil. Phase II of the project will implement the first ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission overseas line, which the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) invested in independently. The 2,500 kilometer-long power transmission project is also the longest 800 kW UHV line in the world. Cai Hongxian, head of SGCC's Brazil branch, said that it was Chinas UHV technology that made the Brazilian government chose SGCC for the project. The project will promote the development of upstream and downstream sectors such as electrical equipment and raw materials, and create direct employment opportunities for 16,000 people in Brazil. A large tunnel-boring machine developed by China Railway Construction Corp. dispatched for the subway project in Moscow in June, 2018. 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. Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (C) attends the ceremony celebrating the breakthrough of the 12.2 km tunnel of Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) in Surkhet district of Karnali Province in western Nepal, on April 16, 2019. Celebrating the breakthrough of a national project constructed by China, Nepali leaders and officials said here Tuesday that the project has supported the country's determination to realize its national dream "Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali." As the first of its kind of inter-basin water transfer project, the main part of Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) has been completed almost one year earlier than its original duration. (Xinhua/Zhou Shengping) SURKHET, Nepal, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Celebrating the breakthrough of a national project constructed by China, Nepali leaders and officials said here Tuesday that the project has supported the country's determination to realize its national dream "Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali." As the first of its kind of inter-basin water transfer project, the main part of Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) has been completed almost one year earlier than its original duration. The 12.2 km tunnel on the bank of Bheri River, which is famous for its resourceful water, is located in Surkhet district of Karnali Province in western Nepal. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said at a ceremony attended by Chinese ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi and U.S. ambassador Randy Berry that "Nepal is now ready to walk and work together with the international community towards the new direction of development." Expressing gratitude to the Chinese contractor for the successful completion of the project despite of geographical challenges, Oli shared that Nepal welcomes the use of new technology in other multipurpose projects as well. According to the Chinese ambassador, the success of the project is a result of international cooperation, characterized by the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) manufactured by America and the design and construction completed by Chinese contractor, China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd. Through a 12.2 Km long tunnel constructed by TBM technology, the first practice in one of the least developed countries, this 107 million U.S. dollar project will provide irrigation facility to 51,000 hectares of land in Banke and Bardiya districts. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun termed the use of this globally advanced technology as a historical revolution for the tunnel construction. "The project has boosted the confidence of our government to expand this technology in other multipurpose projects for the speedy completion," Pun told around 2,000 participants, requesting the development partners to provide technical and financial assistance. The irrigation-cum-hydroelectric project is one of the strategic projects of the country that is in dire need to ease the food crisis in the region by increasing agricultural yield. Mahnedra Bahadur Shahi, Chief Minister of Karnali Province expressed that this province enriched with many natural resources, is hopeful to resolve both the food insecurity and poverty, alarming issues with the full completion of the multipurpose project which includes a 48 MW hydro power plant that is supposed to be built in the second phase. Speakers of the program highly praised the Chinese contractor as the project, which was inaugurated in 2015, has been able to be done one year before the deadline. Sanjeeb Baral, project director from Nepal side, said that the early success has opened a new dimension for other development projects despite of fragile geography. According to the project's supervision contractor based in Italy, the dedication of the Chinese contractor, besides the TBM technology, is the major reason behind the successful story. "It is the good attitude and willingness of the Chinese company, which made the project complete early," Arun Sharma, a Nepali engineering consultant serving the Italian company, told Xinhua on the spot. BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China will pilot a new training and appraisal system at its vocational schools to breed more talents with technical skills. A circular jointly issued by four ministries including the Ministry of Education and the National Development and Reform Commission has proposed a "Diploma plus Certificates" system in vocational education. New training and appraisal institutions will be established to take charge of a new skill certificate system. The institutions will set standards, develop training materials, issue certificates, and assist vocational schools in training students. The new certificates will grade students more scientifically based on their ability to meet "social and corporate needs" with specific vocational skills, according to the circular. Vocational schools at secondary and post-secondary levels are asked to train students based on appraisal standards set by the new certificates. Certificate-oriented training will be incorporated into the school curriculum, according to the circular. Students trained in the new system are expected to hold a diploma and updated certificates after graduation and will be better prepared to meet market demand. Five kinds of vocational skills have been selected as the first batch of reform areas, including information and communication technology, logistics and elderly care. A new trend has been gaining momentum in the media and in legislatures: presidential tax disclosure bills. These bills would require a presidential candidate, and often their vice-presidential counterpart, to disclose their tax returns for the previous five years to be able to gain access to the states ballot. Continue > By Online Desk Fugitive businessman and owner of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya on Wednesday attacked the Modi government for allegedly discriminating between state-owned and private airlines while extending his sympathies to Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and his wife Neeta. In a series of tweets, Mallya asked why the government roped in public sector banks to save the crisis-hit Air India but failed to bail out private airlines. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Referring to his offer to repay 100 per cent of his loans to Indian banks and government, Mallya said, "I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma?" Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 percent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the U.K. to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why dont Banks take the money I offered first ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Last month, Mallya had urged the banks to take his money and save the cash-strapped Jet Airways. Mallya expressed solidarity with the Goyals in another tweet. Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 "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 said. "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," read another tweet. What we know about the Jet Airways crisis so far: By Express News Service MUMBAI: Unable to secure interim funding from lenders, embattled airline Jet Airways on Wednesday announced temporarily suspending operations late from tonight. Reports say that the last flight is expected to be a 10.20 pm Mumbai-Amritsar flight. Late last night, Jet Airways was informed by the State Bank of India (SBI), on behalf of the consortium of Indian Lenders, that they are unable to consider its request for critical interim funding. Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect, Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today, the carrier said in a statement. ALSO READ | Naresh Goyal opts out from bidding for cash-strapped Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube reportedly had approached the lenders one last time yesterday with an appeal for Rs 400 crore. The banks refused to release any funds without additional collateral. Jet Airways will now await the bid finalisation process by SBI and the consortium of Indian Lenders. In its response to the airline, the lenders have said, The Expressions of Interest (EOI) have been received and bid documents have been issued to the eligible recipients today. The bid documents inter alia have solicited plans for a quick revival of the company. The bid process will conclude on 10th May 2019 We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company. ALSO READ: Jet Airways likely to shut shop briefly as Goyal opts out of bidding Jet said it will inform all guests about the temporary suspension of flight operations via text message or email to the contact details listed in their bookings. Essential services needed to support guest services and the re-commencement of the flight operations will be kept onboard until further notice. It also expressed its gratitude to employees, most of whom havent received salary of three months. This is the first time that the 25-year old full-service carrier has halted its operation. Founded in 1992 and starting full-fledged operations in 1995, Jet Airways till last year was the second biggest carrier in the Indian aviation industry with market share over 17 per cent. However, from September last year it ran into financial trouble and since February it had to ground almost its entire fleet over non-payment of dues to lessors. ALSO READ: Five things that went wrong for Jet Airways The airline said that this decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the company and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from its Board of Directors. Jet has informed the DGCA, and the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Finance and other relevant government institutions, of this course of action. Over the last several weeks and months, the company has tried every means possible to seek both interim and long-term funding. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the airline has been left with no other choice today but to go ahead with a temporary suspension of flight operations, Jet Airways said. By Express News Service CHENNAI : The SRM Joint Entrance Examination for Engineering SRMJEEE (B.Tech) and SRM Joint Entrance Examination for Health Sciences (SRMJEEH) for undergraduation and post-graduation will be held till April 25. The All India Rank obtained in SRMJEEE (B.Tech) will be the basis for admission to all the four campuses of SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST), SRM University, Haryana in Sonepat, and SRM University AP in Amaravati. Around 1,40,000 candidates from India, and from Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have applied for SRMJEE 2019, and it will be held at 128 test cities in India and in the Middle East. Andhra Pradesh (21,002 students), Tamil Nadu (18,663 students), Uttar Pradesh (13,215 students), Telangana (12,636 students) and Maharashtra (10,120 students) have contributed to 55.26 % of total applications. The results of SRMJEEE will be released on April 27. Based on the All India Rank in SRMJEE, candidates will be called for the counselling scheduled from May 3 to May 10 (except May 6 due to elections in some states). In order to relieve candidates from the hassles of travelling long distances and spending money, the on-campus counselling will be held concurrently at the six campuses Kattankulathur, Ramapuram, Vadapalani, Ghaziabad, Sonepat and Amaravati. Candidate can travel to any campus of his/her choice on the scheduled counselling date, can choose any university (SRMIST, SRM-Haryana, SRM-AP), any campus and any branch/specialisation, depending on the counselling schedule, SRMJEEE rank order and availability of seats. Candidates securing top 100 SRMJEEE rank will be eligible for Founders Scholarship with full waiver on tuition fee, hostel and mess fee. Scholarships are also available under various categories like sports, socio-economic, differently-abled persons, low-income states, and SRM Arts & Culture.For further details, visit: www.srmuniv.ac.in By PTI NEW DELHI: The AAP is digging in its heels on the issue of alliance and is not ready to give more than two seats in Delhi to the Congress if the alliance is limited to the national capital, sources said. A meeting was held at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Tuesday and was attended by senior party leaders of Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Kumar Jain. Following the meeting, the party said it is ready to have further discussion with Congress and has appointed a representative to take the matter forward. AAP has appointed Singh to hold alliance talks with Congress but no representative has been hired by Congress yet. AAP sources said if Congress wants alliance only in Delhi then it has to be in the 5:2 ratio and if an alliance is sealed for both Delhi and Haryana then the ratio can be 4:3 in the national capital and 6:3:1 in Haryana. ALSO READ | Lok Sabha elections 2019: Congress offers four seats during alliance talks, AAP says make that five In the 6:3:1 ratio, Congress would contest six seats, Jannayak Janata Party three seats while AAP one seat, the sources said. "The talks of alliance between AAP and Congress are presently stalled," the sources said. "Alliance talks cannot be carried out on Twitter. It has to be discussed properly between the two parties and for that we have appointed our representative," said AAP's Rai. "It was decided (in the meeting) that we would convince Congress that contesting together on 18 seats of Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh would mean a definite loss for BJP," Rai added. Kejriwal has clearly said that the Modi-Shah duo "is a danger for the country and till the end, we will try to stop it," Singh told reporters after the meeting. ALSO READ | AAP leaders are confused on coalition: Congress "An alliance with Congress would send the message that Modi would not be becoming the prime minister again," he added. Amid a continuing blame game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal Monday engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. The Congress has offered the AAP a 4:3 seat-sharing formula four Lok Sabha seats for the ruling party and three for itself while the AAP has proposed 5:2 ratio( five for itself and two for the grand old party). The Congress said its proposal is based of the vote share of both parties in 2017 civic polls here. The Congress has accused the Kejriwal-led outfit of backing out on its commitment, as it is demanding seats in Goa, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, besides Delhi for a pre-poll understanding with the Congress. In response to Gandhi's tweet, AAP's Singh said, "Congress is not giving even a single seat to AAP in Punjab where it has four MPs and 20 MLAs and in Haryana. " "In Delhi, where the Congress has zero MPs and MLAs, it is demanding three seats. Is this how agreement happens? Why do not you want to stop the BJP in other states," he asked. The AAP has announced its candidates on the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, while the Congress has finalised names of its candidates which could be announced soon. Meanwhile on Tuesday, AAP said its Lok Sabha candidates would file their nominations from Thursday. Rai said the party's west Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar would file his nomination on Thursday while Chandni Chowk candidate Pankaj Gupta, East Delhi candidate Atishi and North West Delhi candidate Gugan Singh would file their nominations on Saturday. On Monday, South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha, North East candidate Dilip Pandey and New Delhi candidate Brajesh Goel would file their nomination, Rai said. PTI UZM UZM ABH ABH 04162039 NNNN By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The AAP on Tuesday announced that its candidates would start filing nominations from April 18, leaving just two days for the Congress to hammer out a pact for the Lok Sabha elections. Party insiders said the AAP will try to convince the Congress for a formula of 5:2 seats, if the alliance is limited to Delhi. On the other hand, the Congress insists no other option is acceptable, other than a 4:3 seat-sharing formula (four for the AAP and three for itself). In a meeting held at Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodias residence on Tuesday, the AAP deputed its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to negotiate alliance talks with the Congress leadership. Singh is in touch with AICCs in-charge of Delhi unit PC Chacko for weeks. The move comes a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi broached the subject of alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on social media which led to a war of words between the two sides. As talks of a tie-up are not moving in desired directions, the Congress is focusing on finalising the names of candidates for East, South, and West Delhi, which were to be ceded to the AAP in case of an alliance. Last week, the Congress finalised four candidates Jai Prakash Agrawal (Northeast Delhi), Ajay Maken (New Delhi), Kapil Sibal (Chandni Chowk), and Rajkumar Chauhan (Northwest Delhi). The AAP has already announced its candidates for all seven seats. A senior Congress functionary said the list of all seven candidates could be announced in two days. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has advised us to make best efforts for coalition and to go alone for the polls in Delhi if the results are not encouraging. In a meeting, the AAP decided to refrain from writing posts on social media. It was decided that alliance talks should not be held on the social media. We will again approach the Congress and hope that it drops its ego of being a bigger party and listen to our reasoning. All the opposition parties want to stop the BJP from returning to power. We want to utilise our presence in three states for achieving this aim together with the Congress, said AAP leader Gopal Rai. Meanwhile, the Congress is already looking for a Purvanchali celebrity, who may be fielded from West Delhi due to the presence of a significant number of voters from the community. A senior Congress leader said Sheila Dikshits name was finalised for East Delhi in case a tie-up with the AAP does not materialise. Wrestler Sushil Kumar is likely to be the South Delhi candidate, said the leader. The 4:3 formula is not negotiable. We have explained to the AAP leaders the rationale behind it, said the Congress leader. The Congress wants to limit the alliance in Delhi alone by having three seats for itself while leaving four to the AAP. But, Sanjay Singh said the Congress cannot be given more than two seats if it wants to have an alliance in Delhi alone. The AAP has declared dates for filing of nomination of its candidates on all seven seats. The nomination process concludes on April 23. But, other seat-sharing formula remains AAP sources say if the Congress wants alliance only in Delhi, then it has to be in the 5:2 formula and if an alliance is sealed for both Delhi and Haryana, then it is willing to go for 4:3 option in the national capital and a 6:3:1 arrangement in Haryana. In the 6:3:1 understanding, the Congress gets six seats, the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party have three and the AAP will contest on a single seat in the northern state By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A BTech drop out, who posed as a doctor on the dating application Tinder, is accused of sexually harassing a woman doctor for the past three years. He was arrested by the Cybercrime wing of Cyberabad on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Gollaladoddi Abdullah (28), had initially befriended the victim, a doctor working for a reputed hospital. Later, he started blackmailing her. Abdullah had extorted from her more than Rs 4 lakh, said police. According to police, Abdullah is working as a civil engineer for a private electrical firm in the city. He registered himself on Tinder with the identity Dr G Karthik Reddy, claiming to be working as an anaesthetist at a reputed hospital. The victim believed this and accepted his Tinder request. QUITO, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian state agencies have suffered more than 40 million hacking attacks since the government stripped WikiLeak's founder Julian Assange of political asylum last week, an Ecuadorian official said on Monday. Most cyber attacks started Thursday and came from Britain, France, Romania, the United States, Brazil and Ecuador, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications Patricio Real told a press conference. State-run websites that have come under attack include the President's Office, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior, and the Central Bank. "There were a couple of (online) pages belonging to Decentralized Autonomous Governments that were hacked, but have been reestablished. The problem didn't spread further because the situation was resolved in a few hours," said Real. The international hacking campaign was aimed at disabling government websites, he said. Ecuador ranked No.31, up from No.51, on the list of countries suffering the most cyber attacks in just four days, the deputy minister said. Assange was arrested on Thursday by British police in London after the government of Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno stripped him of political asylum granted to him by the previous government in 2012. Assange, who at the time was being pursued by Swedish authorities for sexual misconduct, argued he was being politically persecuted for his role in revealing U.S. war crimes. Ecuador on Monday said it received assurances from the British authorities that Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could face the death penalty. Since Assange's arrest, the global hacktivist group "Anonymous" has issued a threat saying "Free Assange or you will pay," said Real. Ecuador has accepted Israel's help in fending off cyber attacks, officials said. Toby Antony By Express News Service KOCHI: With school vacations starting, the outbound tourism sector is reaping the riches with many in the city preferring to spend their holidays with family abroad. This time, Central Asian nations are turning a popular destination for travellers from Kerala.Outbound tourism had taken a hit after the floods last year. But, the situation has improved drastically with tour operators introducing new and attractive packages. "We can say that outbound tourism has fully recovered post-flood crisis. More families are choosing foreign tours during the vacation. Most flights starting from April first week are fully booked. People are choosing both expensive and pocket-friendly options. Packages ranging from `30,000- `3 lakh are provided by the tour operators now," Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Kerala Chapter chairman Paulose Mathew said. Usually, most popular packages are to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. However, now the shift is evident with people keen on exploring destinations in Central Asia and Eastern European countries. This includes Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazhakstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Similarly, expensive tour packages to Japan are also gaining popularity. "The countries split from USSR were unexplored by the travellers for a long time, compared to South East Asian Countries and Sri Lanka. The tour operators are now providing packages which start from `50,000. Similarly, Japan is also promoting its tourism industry. This year, more travellers are preferring to visit Japan. But, they are quite expensive," he said. The outbound tourism will witness further growth once the election gets over. Currently, several government officials are stuck with election-related duties and long leaves are not sanctioned.A Tourism Department official said another promising trend is that more Keralities are preferring to travel in cruise liners. "The cruise liners to China, Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai are mostly preferred by outbound tourists from Kerala. Several cruise liners are providing packages to the Maldives early this year. They travel to tourist destinations on the ship and return on flights. This segment is growing at a rapid pace now," an official said. `30k-`3L are the cost of various packages provided by the tour operators now to Georgia, Kazhakstan and Uzbekistan. By Express News Service We recently reported that Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi has joined the sets of the Jayarams new Malayalam film, Marconi Mathai. The actor is currently in the middle of shooting his portions in Kerala, at the films Ernakulam set. In an interaction with the media on Vishu day, the actor said he was delighted to be working with an actor of Jayarams stature. No matter how many youngsters come and go, your first lessons always come from your seniors. They deserve ones respect and time, even if there is a date issue. I have seen some of Jayaram sirs films and, naturally, I wanted to meet him in person. In an earlier conversation with Express, the films director Sanil Kalathil had told us that Jayaram plays a man who loves everyone without expecting anything in return and when he encounters a problem, the entire world will come to his aid. READ HERE | Shilpa is pure and taught me how to be her: Vijay Sethupathi on 'Super Deluxe' I always believe that there are two things that can bind the world art and love. These two can break all barriers, continues Sethupathi. Mathai (Jayaram) is a pure and soulful character, someone we all would like to meet. On his character in the film, Sethupathi says its a guest appearance. Im playing myself in Marconi Mathai, and Im getting the same amount of love on set that Mathai gives everyone. Im enjoying this experience. Avinash Ramachandran By Express News Service CHENNAI: After warming our collective hearts as Shaalu Gupta in Masaan (2015), actor Shweta Tripathi followed suit with a brilliant portrayal of a conflicting character in Haraamkhor (2017). This Friday, she will make her Tamil debut with Mehandi Circus, in which she plays the human target in a knife-throwing act of a travelling circus. Shwetas script choices are clearly anything but run-of-the-mill. I want people to believe that if I am part of a project, then it must be interesting. I dont care about tags like commercial cinema and independent cinema. All I want is to experiment, and not get bored with what I do, says the actor, who is now basking in the success of her web series, Laakhon Mein Ek Season 2. Not too keen on getting slotted into categories, straddling the worlds of cinema and the digital space offers Shweta the right opportunities to experiment. If a project excites me, I become a part of it. I do not look at the length of the role. It could be just a role with two dialogues. As long as my eyes light up after hearing the narration, she says, adding that working with the right team is equally important for her. Shweta and Nawaz in Haraamkhor. That is one of the primary reasons why I became part of Mehandi Circus. When I knew that Raju Murugan had written the film, and when the director and producer came to meet me in Mumbai, I just knew I wanted to do this film. I am all about recognising vibes, and when I like the people, the story, and my character, I just say yes. What about difficulties with Tamil? As an actor, I am greedy, and dont want to limit myself to a single language. The downside with being brought up in Delhi though is, we speak only Hindi or English, and picking up another language becomes difficult. However, when I started acting, I decided that exploring different languages is as important as exploring different roles, she says. READ HERE | Shweta Tripathi was smiling in the face of danger during 'Mehandi Circus' shooting Impressively, Shweta has dubbed for her role as Mehandi in this Saravana Rajendran directorial. Right from finding herself a Tamil tuition teacher to attending workshops in Mumbai and Chennai, the actor has apparently done her best to ensure authenticity. We rehearsed a lot. I used to sit with anyone who was available, and say my written lines again and again. When you are acting in a language you dont know, you tend to concentrate more on lipsyncing, and not on what you are saying, but I wanted to be sure of the meaning of my dialogues as well, she says. Also, I didnt want to throw my co-actor (Madhampatty Rangaraj) off by saying something random. She further adds that being a part of Mehandi Circus helped fulfill her childhood dream of being part of the fascinating world of circuses. When I point out that this is her second love story since Masaan, Shweta quickly interjects saying her film with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Haraamkhor, was a love story too in its own way. Both Mehandi Circus and Haraamkhor are love stories. But Mehandi Circus has more lighter moments. It is a beautiful love story about how a guy with a music shop makes a difference to this circus girl, and how society, caste system, and family comes in the way. It is a reflection of the world you live in, says Shweta, who is now in talks with filmmakers for more Tamil projects. Shweta Tripathi in 'Laakhon Mein Ek'. In her career so far, Shweta has been part of many offbeat projects that have run into hot water due to their controversial and bold themes. Do the acerbic reactions on social media affect her choices? I dont really care about reviews or trolls. I am here to do my job. Tomorrow, if you tell me you didnt like Mirzapur or the Trip series, I am okay with that. I dont get affected by peoples right to their opinions. Did she ever wonder what made a Tamil filmmaker go to such lengths to get her on board for Mehandi Circus? The makers were pretty clear that their titular character be played by the Masaan girl. After being signed up for the film, I called up director Neeraj Ghaywan and thanked him, because there are so many projects I have got because of Shaalu Gupta and Masaan. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Purnia, Banka, Bhagalpur, Kishanganj in Seemanchal region of Bihar may be some of the most economically backward districts of state, but 21 out of a total 68 candidates contesting from these seats are crorepatis, as per their poll affidavits. However, two candidates dont have property worth even a single penny. The elections for these seats are schedule on April 18. In these areas, poverty has always been a bliss to the politicians, who continue enriching their own finances while the electors remain languishing in poverty, remarked Rajiv Kumar, a social activistcum- medical practitioner in Bhagalpur. According to a report by Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms, 33 out of 68 candidates in fray are independents. Among the crorepati candidates, former BJP MP Uday Singh, who is contesting from Purnia on a Congress ticket this time, is on the top position, followed by Raj Kishore Prasad, JMM candidate from Banka, and Tariq Anwar, Congress candidate from Katihar. On the other hand, Basukinath Shah, who is contesting from Katihar on the ticket of Bharatiya Bahujan Congress, has declared a total asset value of `4,000. Mohd Akhtar Ali, an independent candidate from Purnia, is marginally richer, with assets worth Rs 20,000 while Manoj Kumar, another independent in fray from Banka, owns assets worth Rs 41,500. Shukul Murmur, JMM candidate from Kishanganj, and independent Sanjeev Kumar Kunal from Banka are the two candidates who dont own property worth even a penny. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stirred up a political storm in the state when he reportedly made comments on President Ram Nath Kovind while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday. Gehlot, at the conference, had claimed the BJP was indulging in caste politics and added that there is a public perception that Kovind might have been made the President because he is a Dalit. He went on to say that senior leaders like LK Advani were being neglected. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to criticise him. They said Gehlots words were against the President who hails from a poor and Dalit background. The saffron party added that the Congress had stooped too low and that it had violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that in currently in effect in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots rhetoric about the countrys President is wrong. The Congress is against the President who hails from a poor and the Dalit society. Despite him being a capable and a knowledgeable person, the Congress is defaming society along with the President, BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said at a Press conference in Delhi. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE He went on to ask the Election Commission to take action against the Congress. We appeal to the EC to intervene in the matter and send Ashok Gehlot a notice, Rao added. The party then trained its guns on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. In a gathering in Nanded (Maharashtra), Rahul Gandhi called all the people of the Modi community thieves! Why is the Congress worried about the Prime Minister coming from a poor backward class? Does Congress think only a family should be ruling the country and disrespect all the Dalit, backward politicians? Rao questioned. Later in the day, Gehlot said that he had been misquoted and iterated that he had the utmost respect for the office of the President and Kovind. It is very unfortunate that my comments during the PC have been misquoted by few media houses. I have the greatest regard for the President of India, and personally for Sh. Ramnath ji whom I have met in person and highly impressed with his simplicity and humbleness. read the statement released by the CMO. Sibal speaks Asked about Gehlots remarks, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, We feel that people of all castes have elected Kovindji as President of India and we should respect that. The BJP also hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. By PTI NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh Wednesday met Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Ghulam Nabi Azad to take alliance talks forward in the state, sources said. According to the sources, Singh has proposed 6:3:1 seat sharing in Haryana in which Congress would fight from six seats, while the Jannayak Janata Party would field its candidates for three seats and one candidate would be fielded by the AAP. But the Congress has proposed a 7:2:1 seat-sharing formula in which seven Congress candidates, two JJP candidates and one AAP candidate would contest the polls, the sources added. On Tuesday, a meeting was held at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence during which senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Kumar Jain were present. Following the meeting, the party said it is ready to have further discussion with the Congress and has appointed a representative to take the matter forward. The AAP has appointed Singh to hold the alliance talks. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE AAP sources said if the Congress wants alliance only in Delhi then it has to be in the 5:2 ratio and if an alliance is sealed for both Delhi and Haryana then the ratio can be 4:3 in the national capital and 6:3:1 in Haryana. Amid a continuing blame-game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal Monday engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. Abhijit Mulye By Express News Service MUMBAI: Fragmentation on the party and ideological lines and failure to unite into a vote bank has led to decline on Maratha politics in the state, which worries the community leaders in Maharashtra. In 15 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the community has witnessed straight contests between Maratha or Kunbi candidates. This will defuse the Maratha factor in this election, community leaders gathered at Solapur for a state-level meeting told the New Indian Express. The community that had gathered in 58 mammoth rallies across the state two years back, has gone back to its state of utter fragmentation. This reflected in the meeting of Sakal Maratha and Maratha Kranti Morcha leaders and hence the meeting ended on a note of remaining neutral, said Ram Jadhav of Maratha Kranti Morcha in Solapur. ALSO READ | Lok Sabha elections 2019: Edge-of-seat tussle to capture Western Maharashtra's Maratha belt While some of the leaders say that the community is completely opposed to the current dispensation in Maharashtra, others say that the community cant forget the betrayal it suffered due to the Congress and the NCP. Quota, educational schemes, loan waiver, rape of a minor at Kopardi are some of the issues over which the community is agitated. All these issues go against the BJP-Shiv Sena. Though the anger over these issues and hence the ruling dispensation may not directly beneficial to the opposition, the community wont be easily deceived henceforth is for sure, said Balasaheb Sarate, an expert on the issue of Maratha quota. Politically complete neutral, followers of a particular leader, progressives and those who align with the Hindutva ideology are the four distinct groups in which the Maratha community is currently divided. There are several subsets and cross sections of all these groups within the community. Due to this kind of fragmentation the community fails to pursue one single agenda and on another hand it has lost its position from the agenda of political parties, said Rajendra Kondhare of Maratha Mahasangh. As far as the current election is concerned, the community is split between the ruling and the opposition parties, he added. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE According to Shivanand Bhanuse of Sambhaji Brigade, the biggest failure of the community was to be able to transform itself into a vote bank. Though the community gathered and displayed its united strength during quota agitation two years back, it didnt transform into a vote bank. This is the reason why the Maratha community is still confused on whom to lend the political backing, he said. Bhanuse also pointed out that the quota agitation was deliberately kept faceless by the established leaders thereby avoiding the rise of new leadership within the community. This factor also failed the community in electoral politics, he said. Representatives from 28 districts gathered at Solapur on Tuesday that they will give a window of 60 days for the new government at the centre to fulfil its promises and if the government fails to deliver, the community would take a firm stand against the dispensation during assembly election, which is scheduled in October this year. The 2014 assembly election in the state was seen as the end of Maratha politics in the state as the Congress and the NCP the two ace parties that always nurtured the Maratha politics lost the power. However, in the form of mammoth rallies two years back, the community appeared to have revived it. But, now, the communitys decision not to pledging support to any single dispensation or party, is being seen as yet another nail in the coffin of Maratha politics. In this Lok Sabha election, 42 Maratha and 6 Kunbi (which is considered to be a sub-caste of Maratha community) candidates are in the fray. Congress-NCP has fielded 16 Maratha and 5 Kunbi candidates, while the BJP-Shiv Sena has 23 Maratha nad one Kunbi candidates with them. Apart from the 3 candidates are trying their luck entirely on the community backing. They are Sanjiv Bhor from Ahmednagar, Harshawardhan Jadhav from Aurangabad and Nilesh Rane from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Among all these candidates, in 15 seats Maratha-Maratha or Kunbi-Kunbi contests would be witnessed. According to political observes Suhas Palshikar, the old rural ecosystem had developed the Maratha politics along with the power network of the Congress and it is withering away as the rural ecosystem is collapsing. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Apprehending violence, the Election Commission (EC) has postponed polling to the Tripura East seat in Tripura from April 18 to April 23. Voting in six other constituencies of Northeast, however, will be held as scheduled on April 18. The constituencies are Mangaldoi, Autonomous District (Diphu), Nagaon, Silchar, Karimganj (all in Assam) and Inner Manipur in Manipur. While saying that the law and order situation prevailing in East Tripura constituency was not conducive for the holding of free and fair polls, the EC shunted out Additional Director General of Police, Rajiv Singh, for his alleged failure to thwart some incidents pertaining to law and order in the lead up to the polls. The Opposition parties in the state have welcomed the ECs decision to defer the polls to the Tripura East seat. We welcome this. In fact, we were demanding this. We had also demanded that Central forces be deployed to all polling booths under Tripura East seat, CPI-M state general secretary Bijan Dhar told this newspaper. FOLLOW OUR ELECTIONS COVERAGE HERE He alleged that a lot of incidents had taken place during voting in the Tripura West seat on April 11. There were altogether 1,679 polling booths in Tripura West seat. We demanded re-polling in 464 of them. The EC will possibly take a call after examining CCTV footages, he added. The Congress said it was the first to lodge a complaint with the EC. We were the first to go to Delhi and file a complaint with the EC. Based on it, the EC directed the state election department to postpone polling to Tripura East seat and ensure free and fair elections, Tripura Congress president Pradyut Kishore Manikya said. He was confident that the EC would order re-polling in a large number of polling booths where voting took place in the first phase. Congress and BJP are the two key players in the six seats that will go to polls on Thursday. In Assam, the contest between the two parties is expected in Mangaldoi, Nagaon, Autonomous District and Silchar seats. It will be a triangular fight among BJP, Congress and minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Karimganj. Similarly, the Inner Manipur seat braces for a straight contest between Congress and BJP. In the third and last phase polls in the Northeast on April 23, voting will take place in five constituencies such as Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri, Kokrajhar (all in Assam) and Tripura East. By ANI BENGALURU: Veteran actor Prakash Raj, who is contesting from Bengaluru Central seat as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday hit out at the Congress for posting photographs on social media platforms, which claimed he backed the grand old party. "There was a candidate debate and I met Congress candidate (from Bengaluru Central) Rizwan Ahmed. Congress has made a photograph of it (him shaking hands with Ahmed), sent it on WhatsApp groups and said it's confirmed that Prakash Raj has joined Congress so you don't have to waste your vote on him. It was done by Mazhar Ahmed who claims to be Rizwan's PA," Raj said in an exclusive interview. Raj said he telephoned and slammed the lack of ethics of the person, who made the "sick" claim that the photos were a forward. ALSO READ | Interview | Enough of the tamasha! We need new leaders, says Prakash Raj "Will you stoop so much? Why don't they talk on issues, report card (on their governance performance) or a scientific temper with a vision for the problems we have in this country. It's sick and I am really angry about it. We need to teach these people ethics," said the 54-year-old actor. The photograph of a shake-hand between Raj and Ahmed had gone viral on social media platforms, which was captioned as -- 'Prakash Raj supports Congress. Don't waste your vote by giving it to Prakash Raj'. Hitting out at opposition leaders like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mayawati for broaching the subject of religion while electioneering, Raj said, "You are speaking to a citizen to this country. If any political party says this is a minority seat, are they actually secular? This seat is a Muslim seat... how can you call it a Muslim seat?" ALSO READ | Era of alternative politics in Karnataka has arrived: Prakash Raj "If you want to empower minorities, you empower them over the years to bring the leadership in them. See to it they embrace inclusiveness in this country. That is how we citizens have to look at it. You need to uplift them. You need to give reservations. That is for them (Congress) to say we are making it fair for you. But, they are not doing this, they are just using the minorities as a vote bank. This is sad," he remarked. Downplaying the Opposition's agenda to defeat the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the actor said, "Who are you to defeat anybody? In a country's election, parties or individuals don't win. If you choose the wrong person, people lose. But, if you choose the right person, citizens win. We have to see it in that way." Stressing that the elections should not be linked to just a mere political battle, Raj said, "Let us not fight against political parties. Fight for your right to choose your right. Once, you choose the right candidate of your constituency, everything will fall in place." FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Raj underlined that the country needs parliamentarians having a vision who will take the country forward by making policy decisions. "We need to see 500+ parliamentarians who are going to make policies to 130 crore Indians, be it water or jobs. We need a vision and we need visionary leaders to come in here," he said. Raj asserted that he is not leaning towards any political party and is leaning towards the citizens, whose issues have to be taken up and solved in the long-run. "All my problems or interests is the people and their issues. There is a need to understand the political parties and their leaders' mistakes and our mistakes as citizens," said the veteran actor. Describing the 17th Lok Sabha elections as a "voice" and "festival" for the people to choose the next government, Raj underlined that it is important to see whether the administration or an elected candidate has a vision for the problems faced by electorates or not. Divulging his future course of action if he was elected as an MP, Raj said, "I will sit (in the Parliament) for the people. If any policy made is not pro-people, I will be the first person to raise my voice. A single parliamentarian is not one parliamentarian. He or she has got that many lakhs of people (who are being represented by an MP)." Commenting on instances where film actors have gone back to the industry after joining politics, Raj rebuffed that he would not follow suit, saying that he is ready to have people going against him and making him "uncomfortable". "I am not that one of those actors (who will leave politics). I am not only known for acting. I am feeling more liberated in the last few years since I stood on threatening issues by leaving the comfort zone. People see my courage to it. I am ready to be uncomfortable. I am ready to have people going against me as well," he remarked. Raj, who has been critical of the Narendra Modi government, attacked the BJP for labelling those as "anti-national" who spoke against the government. "When you talk of demonetisation, they will call you anti-national. In this country, there has been so many prime ministers and every prime minister have had dissent and people have gone against him or her. But, when you talk about Modi, you become an anti-national. What is this? 'Matlab kuch bhi bolenge aap.' (Means you will say anything you wish)," he said. By Express News Service BHOPAL: Accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, firebrand saffron leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur joined the BJP in presence of senior party leaders at state headquarters in Bhopal on Wednesday. The 48-year-old Thakur later told journalists that she would contest against Congress candidate and ex-Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal and win the battle. With the 48-year-old Thakur joining the BJP formally and announcing she will fight against Singh, the suspense on who would be BJP candidate from Bhopal seat is nearly over. BJP releases list of four candidates for #LokSabhaElections2019 in Madhya Pradesh; Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur to contest from Bhopal against Congress's Digvijaya Singh. pic.twitter.com/mSiSX8Xfsz ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 Hum Ladenge bhi aur jeetenge bhi, said Thakur, after joining the BJP in presence of senior party leaders, including national general secretary (organization) Ram Lal in Bhopal. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Though Thakur hasnt contested any major elections till now, the post-graduate in History has been associated with RSS student wing ABVP and the VHPs women wing Durga Vahini in the past. Thakur, who is among those accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case is presently out on bail. Six persons were killed and over 100 injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) strapped on a bike went off at Malegaon on September 29, 2008. In December 2017, the Special NIA court had dropped Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act charges against Thakur and other accused in the case, but trial continues against her under provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Bhopal seat has been a BJP bastion since 1989 and the notable BJP winners from seat, include ex-CMs Uma Bharti and Kailash Joshi. On March 23 only, the Congress had announced ex-CM Digvijaya Singh as the candidate from Bhopal. Besides, possible candidature of Thakur from Bhopal, the BJP has finalized candidates for four other remaining seats in the 29 seats strong MP. While Indore Development Authority (IDA) chairman Shankar Lalwani is likely to be fielded from Indore, ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhans close aide Ramakant Bhargava is likely to be the candidate from Vidisha seat, while new faces could be fielded from Guna and Sagar seats also. Out of the 29 seats, BJP had won 27 seats in 2014 polls in MP. TAIPEI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 106 cases of imported dengue fever have been reported in Taiwan this year, including 34 cases from Indonesia, 26 from Vietnam, and 12 each from the Philippines and Malaysia, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday. The number of imported dengue fever reached the highest level for the same period in nearly 10 years, according to the CDC data. The latest infection cases included three tourists who just returned to Taiwan after participating in a 110-person group tour to the Maldives archipelago from late March to early April. Two of the travelers developed a fever, headaches and muscle aches in the Maldives, while the other patient showed the same symptoms two days after returning to Taiwan, according to CDC. Tests results confirmed that the three persons were infected with dengue fever and all three patients have recovered, the CDC said. By PTI FATEHPUR SIKRI (UP): Residents in the historical city of Fatehpur Sikri in western Uttar Pradesh say problems related to farmers, most of who grow potato and sugarcane, have dominated the issues during the campaigning in the constituency. And these will likely decide the winner in the Lok Sabha poll scheduled here Thursday. Congress has pinned its hopes on its state chief Raj Babbar, shifting the actor-turned-politician from Moradabad after he was said to be not keen on contesting from the seat. He had unsuccessfully contested from Fatehpur Sikri in 2009. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE BJP has fielded a Jat leader and farmer's son, Rajkumar Chahar, denying ticket to its sitting MP Chaudhary Babulal and BSP has shown faith in Shreebhagwan Sharma, also known as Guddu Pandit. Anshul Agarwal, who owns a hardware shop in the main market of Fatehpur Sikri, said the main issues plaguing the area are related to potato farmers and a lack of industries and water for irrigation and drinking purposes. "In western UP, sugarcane farmers are aggrieved. Here it is (also) potato farmers who are not getting their dues. Due to the historic importance of the walled city, no industries have come up. But certainly non-polluting, processing industries can be set up here," he told PTI. The BJP has pitched the development agenda and "Modi factor" to the electorate. "Vikas and Modi ji's face are two key factors for us," said Prahlad Garg, a local BJP leader. ALSO READ | Ali is ours, so is Bajrang Bali, says Mayawati in riposte to Yogi He cited Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Ujjwala Yojna, and construction of toilets under a government scheme to make his case and said people have benefitted from these programmes. Babbar, on the other hand, is banking on his local connection; he was born in Agra. Projecting his image as "Aapka Apna Raj Babbar", he said, "This is the land where I was born, which made me the Raj Babbar who earned name in Mumbai. This is the land that elected me to Lok Sabha also." "How much blessed I am will become clear tomorrow," he told PTI. Babbar said he had initiated work to bring the potato-processing industry and ensure potable water to the region but that could not fructify after he lost the election in 2009. "We need to mobilize resources to resolve this problem," he said. Asked about Congress's performance in western Uttar Pradesh, he said, "Don't see it as the revival of Congress through me. Congress is in the hearts of people. They have faith in our central leadership in Priyanka ji. "The previous UPA government had showed it can work for all sections of society," he said. ALSO READ | Lok Sabha polls historic, will restore respect for poor: Akhilesh Yadav Both BJP and Congress see this poll battle as a fight between them, dismissing any threat from Sharma, who hails from Bulandshahr and is fighting the "outsider" tag. Sharma has also been reportedly booked for violating the model code of conduct at least four times for his indecent remarks in the run-up to the campaigning that ended Wednesday. The BJP had wrested the seat from BSP in 2014. Have things changed since then? "When the GST and the note ban were implemented, they caused chaos. But now the situation is almost back on track," Agarwal, the shopkeeper, said. Babbar asserted the schemes implemented by the Congress party have been for welfare of the people at large. "For example, we brought NREGA, farmer loan waivers in the three states where we recently formed government or our new proposal of minimum income guarantee (NYAY)," he said, and apparently referring to BJP added, "Those who lose people's trust are set to lose the throne." Around 17 lakh voters are eligible to cast their vote in Fatehpur Sikri. The constituency comprises Agra Rural (4 lakh voters), Fatehpur Sikri (3.25 lakh voters), Kheragarh (3.25 lakh), Fatehabad (3.5 lakh) and Baha (4.5) assembly segments. The region is dominated by Thakur and Brahmin voters, and Jats, Scheduled Castes, Kushwahas and Muslims are also in significant numbers. In 2014, BJP's Babulal had polled over 4.26 lakh votes, 44 per cent of all votes cast that year. BSP's Seema Upadhyay had come second with 2.53 lakh votes, while Samajwadi Party's Rani Pakshalika Singh had got over 2.13 lakh votes. Babbar had moved to Ghaziabad in 2014 general election and lost to BJP's V K Singh. By PTI GUWAHATI: The Election Commission of India has ordered repolling in one booth in Dhemaji district, where election was held in the first phase, for not erasing the mock poll data. The repoll will take place along with the second phase of polling on April 18 from 7 am to 5 pm, an official release said. The polling booth falls in the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency where election took place on April 11. According to the election department, the officials of the polling station number 165, Dhemaji Town High School did not erase the test data of the mock poll conducted in the presence of the agents of different parties. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE The actual election on April 11 had begun with the mock poll date intact in the EVM, which was pointed out later by Congress' polling agent, officials said. Replacement of the EVM was ordered immediately but the replaced voting machine did not reach on time, the officials said. In the first phase of polling, 78.23 per cent votes were cast. Karimganj (SC), Silchar, Autonmous District(ST), Nowgong and Mangaldoi seats will go to the polls in the second phase. Richa Sharma By Express News Service SURAT: It seems the sparkle of Gujarats diamond city, Surat, is intact for the BJP. The city, which is Indias biggest diamond and textile hub, was badly hit by the central governments economic policies such as demonestisation and GST, but people and traders, by and large, are still rooting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP is confident that people will once again vote for the party, keeping its 30-year winning streak on the seat intact. On the ground, there is anger among people against two-time sitting MP Darshana Jardosh. But, they concur that the Lok Sabha vote is not for her but for Modi, and issues dont matter when it comes to electing the PM from their state. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Surat was a major centre of the Patidar movement, led by Hardik Patel, who has now joined the Congress. But even then, people here had voted for the BJP in the 2017 Assembly polls, with the saffron brigade winning all seven seats. All the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat go to polls on April 23. Driving through the textile and diamond markets across the city, one can spot hoardings of PM at prominent locations. Such is the dominance of the ruling party in Surat city and nearby areas that a hoarding of Congress or even a flag was nowhere to be found. Surat Lok Sabha seat, with a dominance of Patel voters, has been a BJP bastion for the last three decades, with Jardosh winning in 2014 by over 5,00,000 votes. It has a huge migrant population as well, which is employed for labour work in the textile and diamond businesses. Office bearers of the Surat Diamond Association (SDA), which has around 5,000 merchants as members, explains that their business was impacted due to demonetisation and GST, but people who were already paying taxes and trading legally did not suffer losses. Though the association continues to face issues with the GST, they have had several meetings with the central and state governments and have been assured these will be addressed. The impact of demonetisation was temporary. We want the Centre to relax the norm of five per cent GST on labour work. These are big decisions taken by Modi and it will take some time to settle. He has taken some big decision on national security. There is no doubt that he committed some mistakes, but people have forgotten them and will give him another chance. Here, we only vote for Modi; the candidate doesnt matter, said Babubhai B Viradiya, joint secretary, SDA. He was accompanied by half-a-dozen other diamond traders who discussed BJPs possible gains and losses in others states. However, they were unanimous that the BJP has no competition in Surat. The textile business, too, suffered due to GST and demonetisation as many labourers lost their jobs. Jaylal, director in the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association, said the implementation of GST has brought down the business by 50 per cent and increased unemployment as many small scale businesses were forced to shut down. We closed the market for 17 days to register our protest against GST. But despite facing all the problems, people in Surat will vote for the BJP only, said Jaylal. Even among the common people, there is a strong pro-Modi sentiment. There are 12 Assembly seats in Surat region and the BJP won all of them in 2017 despite the difficulties faced by the people due to GST and demonetization and also the fact that the Patidar movement was at its peak. We are confident of sweeping the state, said Surat Mayor and BJP leader Jagdish Patel. By PTI NEW DELHI: Officials of the Election Commission, drawn from its model code and legal divisions, Wednesday watched the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the directions of the Supreme Court. The EC had asked the producers of the film to arrange for screening for its committee. The screening was "longish" as officials also discussed various aspects, sources said. Now the EC will take a considered view on whether the ban should continue and submit its decision to the Supreme Court by April 19 in a sealed cover. The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the EC to watch the full biopic on Modi and take an informed decision on banning its pan-India release. ALSO READ | Ban on PM Modi biopic: Watch full film, submit decision in sealed cover to court, SC directs EC A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna had said it will consider the EC report and hear the matter on April 22. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for film producers who challenged the EC's ban, said the poll panel had taken the decision after watching just the promo and it did not watch the entire movie. The EC had on April 10 stalled the release of the film until the Lok Sabha polls end, saying any such film that subserves the purpose of any political entity or individual should not be displayed in electronic media. Acting on the complaints of political parties, including the Congress, the poll panel had asserted that any biopic material with the potential to disturb the level-playing field should not be displayed in areas where the model code of conduct was in force. The Modi biopic, starring Vivek Oberoi in the lead, has been the most-talked-about movie in this election season. Directed by Omung Kumar, it tells the story of Modi's rise to power from his humble beginnings. By PTI SATARA: MNS chief Raj Thackeray Wednesday continued his diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, and appealed to people to ensure that they did not remain in power after the Lok Sabha election. He was addressing a public rally in Satara. "I had earlier said that last time, Maharashtra was incautious. However, I appeal to the people of the state to remain alert now as this election is very important since it will decide whether the country will move towards democracy or dictatorship," he said. "If these people (Modi and Shah) come to power again, the lives of the people will be destroyed," he added. "You will not be able to ask questions. Journalists will not be able to report the incidents that would take place before their eyes and if you feel that this situation should not arise, make sure that these people should remain out of the political horizon," Thackeray said. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Thackeray said that if these Modi and Shah remain at the helm of affairs, the country will collapse. "Adolf Hitler is on their mind. Hitler used to work in a similar way. He also used to speak on the radio. Modiji, too, started speaking on the radio once a month to push his ideology. Hitler made feature films, these people are also making feature films," he said. He added that ahead of the election, they wanted to screen the biopic on Modi. "It was said that the Election Commission took objection and stopped the screening. But the reality is that they themselves halted the screening fearing that no one will come and watch the movie," the MNS chief said. Playing on the big screen Modi's statement - 'If farmers die, then it is an election issue, but when soldiers die then it is not an election issue?' - Thackeray said that looking at his recent statements regarding soldiers, there was a room for doubt whether the Pulwama attack was planned. He also accused Modi of taking political advantage of the soldiers' martyrdom. Playing another video of the comments made by BJP-backed MLC, Prashant Paricharak, against the wives of soldiers, Thackeray said the legislator shared the dias with Modi during his rally in Akluj earlier in the day. Anil Srinivasan By As an educator working with almost 500 schools in South India today, I am frequently drawn into conclaves and conferences on school education and occasionally on higher education as well. Several topics come up for analysis, and specifically the performance of the powers-that-be in terms of understanding the needs and aspirations of students and institutions of learning across the country. Nothing conclusive ever comes out of these deliberations. All of them end with a sigh, a whimper and a wishlist of things that can be done, but aren't yet. I have no doubt, though, that the hurdles can be overcome with the right approach. But first, several tough questions need to be answered. Education, in my view, has always deserved a bigger budgetary allocation and several systemic bolsters. This year, the Congress manifesto carries a budgetary promise of 6% of the GDP in the next five years (by 2023-24), a transference of school education to the States (now on the Concurrent List), increasing the number of seats in higher education by as much as 50%, increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) and of course, free and compulsory education up to Class XII in public schools. Most significantly for a state like Tamil Nadu, this manifesto carries with it the promise of a total scrapping of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for the medical degree, a burning and contentious issue. Already, two suicides (Anitha and Pradeepa), and a beleaguered student population has further alienated voters in the Southern State over this issue. In comparison, the BJP manifesto seemingly promises more achievable targets including the opening of 200 Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodayas, a medical school in every district, and of course the opening up of universities in Music, Hospitality, Tourism and the Police. It promises freeing up the regulations of institutions for higher education. On the face of it, the Congress manifesto seems to be slightly more in favour of the autonomy that many state governments seek and actively ask for. However, as with NYAY, I wonder (along with my fellow laymen) where the budgetary allocation promised by 2023 will materialise from. Further, transferring school education to the State, while desired by many of the more progressive states, may backfire in the case of those States that are fund-strapped. Neither manifesto successfully addresses these concerns at the moment. Both of them make promises that have been echoed before, but we are far from achieving. While the current dispensation has made progress on some of these parameters, sustained effort and more drastic solutions are needed across the spectrum of learning. The current budgetary allocation has been far less than desirable (less than 1% of the GDP), making Education one of the domains accorded less importance than was due. India's place in the HCI (Human Capital Index, calculated by the World Bank, placing India at Rank 115 out of 157 countries, as a measure of how productive a child born today will be by the time he/she reaches adulthood, measured across health, quality-adjusted education and survival) is worrying. So, is our poor showing on Global Research rankings among educational institutions. Despite this, the ruling dispensation is confident of making a turnaround. All indices are fraught with errors, but it still leaves us with the first of the basic questions. Tough Question # 1: What will the budgetary allocation be for primary, secondary and higher education in the immediate to short-term future and what would the rationale be? To be fair, the Modi administration inherited an education portfolio beset with several problems, not all of which could be systemically corrected in the 2014-19 term, and understandably so. To be equally fair, some welcome moves have been executed including the creation of the NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework, a one-stop system for all institutions of higher learning), the removal of price tags for Vice Chancellor positions in universities, setting up the IoE (Institutes of Eminence) mechanism which brings in a substantive corpus for research funding over five years and almost complete autonomy for the institution receiving the status. Notwithstanding the inconsistency on the policies regarding the IIMs and IITs (the Smriti Irani era was wrought with fee caps on these institutions and a loss in autonomy in the way they were run; the Prakash Javadekar era has been more temperate and has restored some of these freedoms back to the said institutions), we must concede that steps towards more sustainable change are indeed encouraging. The contentious issue of slashes in research funding among a number of institutions for higher education, and the seemingly arbitrary idea of what constitutes research that will receive government funding vs. what will not are key issues for the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development to address. A transparent decision process that looks specifically at how we can encourage the talent pool in these institutions to contribute towards truly groundbreaking research will be welcome. Does the Government's intervention truly facilitate progress in this, or is there painful over-reach? Tough Question # 2: How will the government create, sustain and motivate high-quality research across disciplines, without undue interference in the running of institutions of higher learning? At the other end of the spectrum, the situation in primary education continues to be worrying. So far, we are still far from addressing the problem of securing good teachers for public schools. There is then the need for continuous and ongoing training for these teachers and equipping the heads-of-schools with leadership skills to handle 21st-century complexity. Perhaps these are ideas that will be expounded upon later and delegated to others to ponder about and plan! However, several questions remain, not least of which will concern the Pay Commissions and their recommendations as an important factor. Already, studies indicate that in many states, public schools are wrought with dysfunction. There are schools that are grossly understaffed. The facilities on offer in many of these schools are dismal too. Exceptions become news items. This in itself will have to change. The issue of what could be desirable learning outcomes, and ways to measure them with a no-detention policy from Class I to VIII have been addressed by the current regime, including a drastic revision of the methods to evaluate progress on these outcomes. One could argue that again this is a point in favour of the current dispensation. However, we still need to ask... Tough Question #3: How do we make enrolment in public schools desirable rather than merely mandatory? The worldwide craze for technology finds resonance in our policies in Education. While the intent and the plan to use technology at even a primary-school level is necessary, there is a yawning gap when it comes to implementation and quality control. The BJP manifesto, for instance, promises smart classrooms under the Prime Minister Innovative Learning Programme. Installing smartboards is a means to an end. What will be fed into it or through it? Who decides on this content (NCERT? State-run agencies? Private Educators or Education Companies?). The recent controversy over perceived overreach on the part of the CBSE in terms of altering syllabi (notably in History, where crucial topics have been made redundant for the public examinations) has already raised eyebrows over what the role of the NCERT should be? Equally fuzzy is the status of the National Education Policy despite the recommendations of the TSR Subramaniam report, commissioned by Smriti Irani. Which leads us to - Tough Question # 4: Where does the Government's role end and that of expert educators and scholars (or agencies that represent them) begin in school education? Like me, many professionals investing in Education in our country want to enable progress and change. However, the emphasis on education needs to be piped up enormously, and fast. Till then, here is to progress! Anil Srinivasan is a well-known musician, educator reaching over 3 lakh children, and an Associate Professor of Practice at KREA University Kaleeswaram Raj By Judges do not have an easy job. They repeatedly do what the rest of us seek to avoid; make decisions, said the famous British lawyer David Pannick in his celebrated work Judges (Oxford University Press, 1988). The point, however, is not somehow to make decisions. A society needs fair, just and timely decisions for which an impartial and independent judiciary is a democratic imperative. A committed judiciary is a threat to the constitutional ethos and in the Indian context it demonstrated the darkest era after Independence. All is not well with the Indian courts. We have a faulty and opaque system for selection and appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. Lack of judicial accountability has sometimes led to patent arbitrariness in adjudication. Instances of judicial misbehaviour and corruption are not uncommon. The laws delays are notorious. Litigation becomes the privilege of the rich, especially in societies where socio-economic inequality is the rule. Lawyers are sometimes assessed by the money that they earn, rather than the quality of their work. A new legal plutocracy has emerged in the country. As former SC judge J Chelameswar once put it, mediocracy remains to be a great threat to Indias legal system, when the choice for the Bench and selection of the leaders of the Bar are done based on impressions rather evaluation. The country is now about to choose its lawmakers and rulers. The question during the Lok Sabha election is how far our political parties are able to address the topics of judicial independence and standard of justice. An examination of the poll manifestos reveals interesting contradictions and disturbing deficits. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, by its historic move to introduce the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC), had at least attempted to put an end to the Collegium system in the country, whereby the judges are essentially appointed by judges, by not following a fair procedure. The proposed NJAC, though not adequately representative or participative as it should have been, was a radical step to put an end to the vices of Collegium. But the 99th Constitutional amendment that aimed at a relatively independent Commission was stalled by the top court by its judgment of 16 October 2015. The legislation was struck down. The verdict does not, however, mean that the Parliament or the political executive at the Centre needs to abandon the reformative agenda forever. There is a need to reconceptualise the Commission, by erasing the possibility for political domination which was perceived as threat to judicial Independence. Strangely, the BJPs present manifesto makes only a casual reference to judicial reforms. Ironically, it is silent about the present method of appointment of judges. By way of Chapter 9 clause 7, it says: We will work towards simplifying procedure laws, encouraging mediation and strengthening judicial and court management system in order to increase accessibility. The manifesto of the Congress is richer in details but poorer in terms of credibility. Chapter 29 of its poll manifesto promises a National Judicial Commission (NJC). It says: The NJC will be comprised of judges, jurists and parliamentarians and will be serviced by a Secretariat. Names of suitable candidates will be placed in the public domain. Also, it offers to constitute a Judicial Complaints Commission to investigate complaints of misconduct against judges and recommend suitable action to Parliament. The fact of the matter is, the Congress, while in power, could not make any successful legislation to bring in any significant change. It did not thrive for any independent selection committee at all, while its effort by way of the Judicial Standard and Accountability Bill passed in Lok Sabha in March 2012 lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014. In Canada, a new system is designed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that enabled all qualified persons to apply for judicial posts in the top courts. That ensured equality of opportunity in judicial appointments by way of a fair and transparent process. Equality leads to quality. At present, the judges of the constitutional courts are predominantly selected from among the advocates. A lawyers job is fundamentally different from that of a judge. A change could be worth considering. Article 124(3)(c) of the Constitution contemplates selection of Supreme Court judge from among distinguished jurists as well. This provision is yet to find its proper implementation. At the least, instead of selecting lawyers from the same state as judges of the High Court, those from the other states could be a better option. But the method of selection needs to be democratised, by ensuring equality of opportunity. Juridical reform is no longer a legal issue pertaining to a few lawyers or judges. It is a political issue that concerns the public in the republic and therefore, should find a place in the electoral discourse. The political parties in India need to address the deficits in the legal system more comprehensively with a sense of statesmanship. As put by Justice Warren Burger, The notion that ordinary people want black robed judges, well-dressed lawyers and fine panelled court rooms as the setting to resolve their disputes is not correct. People with problems, like people with pain, want relief, and they want it as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Kaleeswaram Raj Lawyer practising in the Supreme Court Email: kaleeswaramraj@gmail.com K Shiva Kumar By Express News Service MANDYA: There was no shortage of drama on the last day of Karnatakas flashiest election campaign this year. Mandya, which is almost central to the 2019 poll theme, climaxed in a colourful mega rally as Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh pleaded for alms in the form of self-respect, to elect her as MP. The rally, which defied the rising mercury level, proceeded from Kalikambha temple to Silver Jubilee Park in Mandya, almost as massive a showing as on the day she filed her nomination papers. It set the mood for the countdown, as people from all age groups, castes, political calling and parties walked, waving Congress, BJP, Raitha Sangha, DSS, and Kannada flags, dancing to drumbeats. It was a carnival, no less. It was also a reply to the harsh criticism that Sumalatha, son Abhishek, actors Yash and Darshan had faced through the four hard weeks of campaigning across the constituency, driven down the middle by emotion and loyalty. The atmosphere was charged with emotion as a tearful Sumalatha accused CM H D Kumaraswamy of playing politics over her husband Ambareeshs grave to build the political career of his son Nikhil in Mandya. She said that he had taken credit for his funeral procession, and bringing his body to Mandya. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE It was a no-holds-barred speech. My husband was not an ordinary man. He was a renowned actor, MP and minister and had the qualities that deserved state honour. But Kumaraswamy, who assured us he would be a family member, changed his colours when the elections came up, she said. If they call my tears after losing my husband drama, are their tears for promoting their sons and grandsons genuine? she asked, and hit out at the use of unparliamentary words, defamation of women, farmers and the poor. It is against the character and culture of Mandya. I dont want to stoop down to such low levels, she ended. Adding more drama, she suddenly switched to Urdu, and declared that Ambareesh had never cheated Mandyas Muslim brethren, and his wife wouldnt do it either. I need the wishes and blessings of Allah to serve the people, she said, appealing to them not to get carried away by propaganda -- a loaded message for both the BJP and JD(S). She also hit out at D K Shivakumar, saying he had always opposed Ambareeshs political success. Commuters stranded Traffic on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was hit for more the seven hours, as Sumalatha and actors Yash and Darshan took out a procession. Commuters were stranded and had to take narrow bylanes to reach their destinations. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Karnataka police is all set to provide tight security for the Lok Sabha elections, which will be conducted in two phases on April 18 and 23. Around 90,000 officials, including police, Home Guards and jail wardens, will be guarding on the poll day. DG&IGP Neelamani N Raju has assured of taking necessary measures to ensure smooth elections without any untoward incidents. She said Karnataka is free from naxal activities, and no untoward incidents have taken place in Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Kodagu too. Mandya is considered the most sensitive constituency and necessary measures are in place to ensure a fearless environment for the voters. Except two to three minor incidents, campaigning has been peaceful. IGP southern range has stayed in Mandya and taken the necessary security measures, she added. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE Additional Director General of police (law and order) Kamal Pant said, with limited central forces, the state police force is well prepared well to provide security on poll days using the state police, Home Guards and other forces. 10 coys of Central Armed Police Forces have been provided to the state. There are 58,225 booths across the state and 20 percent of it are declared as critical booths, for which 90,997 officers were required. But, the state police force has only 49,476 civil policemen, so the services of home guards, civil defence, jail warders and forest guards are being used. In the critical booths, a head constable and a home guard will be deployed and in normal booths, one police constable and one home guard will be deployed. Apart from it, sector mobiles and supervisory mobiles will be in place. Pant said, around 18 cases have been registered across the state in connection with election and all the cases are under investigation. Sumalatha gets security Sumalatha Ambareesh had sought security after she accused the JD(S) leadership of using the state intelligence department officials to keep an eye on people visiting her residence. A DySp rank officer, a police sub-inspector and three constables and KSRP policemen are always with Sumalatha. Policemen have also been deployed at her home, said Kamal Pant. K Krishnachand By Express News Service KALIYIKKAVILAI : With only a day left before Tamil Nadu (TN) goes to polls and barely a week remaining for polling in Kerala, the booth-level officers in the areas bordering Thiruvananthapuram district and Kanyakumari district in TN have launched efforts to prevent dual voting since a section of voters is included in the electoral list of both the states. Neyyattinkara taluk tahsildar K Johnson has already handed over a list containing 73 persons, who have votes in Kerala and TN, to the Election Commission (EC) of India. The EC is also keenly watching the dual voting technique in select borders. If the public or political parties lodge complaints about dual voting, action will be initiated against the offenders, Johnson said. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE According to Johnson, efforts are on to collect the details of the remaining voters included in the voters lists in Parassala, Kunnathukal, Vellarada and Karode panchayats and also in Tamil Nadu, to remove them from the list before the elections in Kerala. Booth-level officers at Parassala and Vellarada village offices said the details of more than 150 persons who have residences in Neyyattinkara taluk in the state and Vilavancode, Killiyoor and Padmanabhapuram taluks in TN are being verified to prevent dual voting. We will verify the details with TN counterparts after the completion of elections in TN on Thursday. If we find that people with two addresses have cast their votes in TN, they will be removed from the list in Kerala to avoid duplication and bogus voting. We will also ensure the electorate who did not cast their votes in TN get an opportunity to vote in Kerala, Johnson told Express. Verification under way The verification of the voters list in TN is under way. The local residents said many of the voters have a tendency to cast votes in TN. There is a considerable amount of Malayali population in Vilavancode, Killiyoor and Padmanbhapuram taluks. BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The office of the education supervision commission of the State Council on Tuesday issued a warning, asking education administrations and schools nationwide to prevent students from drowning. The warning was released due to a number of student drownings across the country, as the temperature has been rising and students have been engaging in more outdoor activities. The office asked educational administrations and schools to remind students of the extreme danger of going into water without permission, and telling them to stay away from dangerous bodies of water. Schools should carry out various forms of safety education based on their local conditions to improve students' awareness of danger and self-protection, as well as their families' and guardians' sense of responsibility. Moreover, education administrations should work with departments on public security, water resources, meteorology and others to eliminate hidden danger in rivers, lakes and ponds, and carry out more patrols, according to the warning. By PTI CHENNAI: Swaraj India National President Yogendra Yadav Tuesday claimed the AIADMK, DMK, national parties and others in Tamil Nadu have reached a "dead end" and backed actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), saying it offered "clean politics". Seeking votes for MNM candidates here on the last day of campaign for the April 18 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, he said Haasan's party "represented a new force for alternative and clean politics. " "I believe that political establishment of TN which includes the DMK, AIADMK and national parties they all have reached a dead end," Yadav said. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE He alleged the country was facing 'unprecedented' challenge from the NDA regime at the centre and said the proposed "Mahagathbandhan" of opposition parties was in no position to counter it. "Therefore, this country needs new forces, new energies and new ideas - which should this time come from the south. New concept of nationalism should travel from south to north India," he said. Yadav, who recently campaigned for actor Prakash Raj contesting in Bengaluru Central constituency as an independent, invited Haasan to take his politics to the rest of the country. The MNM is contesting the polls on its own. By Express News Service NEW DELHI/VELLORE: Elections to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency has been cancelled following the seizure of crores of rupees from the district by the Income Tax Department. President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday accepted Election Commissions recommendation to countermand the polls, even as the State is set to vote on April 18. At a whopping Rs 204 crore, Tamil Nadu tops the list in cash seizures since March 10, when the model code of conduct came into force. The value of total seizures from the State, including precious metals and liquor, is Rs 510 crore, just behind Gujarat. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE In Vellore, officials seized over Rs 11 crore from a cement godown allegedly owned by a local DMK functionary linked to the partys candidate Kathir Anand. Officials also raided Anands father and DMK treasurer Durai Murugans house and seized `10 lakh excess cash. While the poll panel recommended countermanding the polls as such a vitiated atmosphere would mar the conduct of free and fair elections, DMK has termed the official action as witch-hunt to sabotage its prospects. The news dampened the mood of politicians in the Fort City, who toiled in scorching summer heat to garner votes for their partys candidates. DMK cadre in Thoothukudi gathered in hundreds in the dark lanes around their Lok Sabha candidate MK Kanimozhis house, minutes after hearing the news of Income Tax raids at her residence. They raised slogans against the BJP and Union government for using the I-T department for political gains. As the crowd got restive, police strength in the area was boosted. Speaking to the media after the raids, Kanimozhi alleged the checks were a handiwork of the Union government. There is crores of rupees stacked at BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundararajans house. Will the IT dare raid her? Kanimozhi alleged. In an interesting development, the investigating officials were mobbed by the supporters and were unable to leave the venue. They were then sent home in cars belonging to MLA Geetha Jeevan and her brother along with heavy police protection. Reacting to the development, DMK president MK Stalin reiterated the allegations made by Kanimozhi against BJPs Tamilisai Soundararajan. He also alleged there was video evidence of money being distributed in Theni by AIADMK workers. Samuel Merigala By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Limited Corporation (TASMAC) has recorded Rs 500 crore in sales over the last three days. This twofold increase in alcohol sales may indicate that large amount of alcohol had reached voters during the campaign trails. With the election commission mandating closure of TASMAC outlets from Tuesday, it looks like political parties waited till the last moment to stock up on alcohol for distribution on poll day. It is learnt that TASMAC sold over Rs 140 crore worth alcohol on Saturday and over Rs 160 crore worth alcohol on Sunday. On Monday, the States sole liquor distributor and seller recorded sales of Rs 215 crore. Usually, TASMAC records anywhere between Rs 80-90 crore in sales in a day. This time, the sale of alcohol before the polls is unusually high. Alcohol has always been associated with the polls but the extent to which it has come to, is worrying, said N Periyasami, president of TASMAC employees association affiliated with the AITUC. While Periyasami attributed the absence of speeches proposing complete prohibition by political parties as one of the main reasons behind increase in alcohol sales, cadre of political parties indicated that the sales have increased not because of quantity but because of quality of alcohol that is being procured for distribution. Voters want only quality alcohol In the previous elections, we used to distribute the cheapest alcohol that was available in TASMAC. People used to take it without complains and vote but things have changed, said a ground-level AMMK functionary. Cadres of other parties reveal that this trend has forced parties to stock up on alcohol which costs at least Rs 120 for a quarter as compared to the sub Rs 100 quarters that were distributed during previous elections. We can buy Monkey Blood (cheap alcohol) ourselves, political parties should respect us by treating us to nice alcohol if they want our support, said K Seenu, a roadside vendor in Tambaram. R Sivakumar By Express News Service VELLORE: The countermanding of Vellore Lok Sabha polls dampened the mood of politicians in the Fort City, who toiled in scorching summer heat to garner votes for their partys candidates. This is murder of democracy, said Durai Murugan, reacting to the development. He alleged the elections were being countermanded due to political pressure. People will teach the Modi-led government a fitting lesson. Puthiya Needhi Katchis AC Shanmugam, who was fielded from the constituency by the AIADMK combine, refused to react to the development. After spending over a month campaigning in Vellore, he returned to Chennai only on Tuesday evening. But the news broke just as he left and he returned to Vellore, said sources. Voters in the Fort City seemed disappointed with the countermanding of elections to Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. Many questioned the rationale behind only Vellore being targeted by the officials. Hundreds of crores have been seized across the country. Why has elections not been stopped elsewhere? This is not fair, said RB Gnanavel, traders association leader in Vellore. If their decision was to stop the election, it should have been made clear much earlier. Why did they wait till the last minute? Seizures happened much earlier, said S Mahesh of Bagayam. An AIADMK leader said countermanding polls just two days ahead of the date is like stopping a marriage just before tying the knot. Speaking to Express, he said: We are completely disappointed with the development. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said the EC had taken the decision considering all aspect. The DMK candidate, however, should have been disqualified before the polls were rescinded. Huge amounts have been seized from him, the minister alleged. Election officials clarified that bypolls to Gudiyatham and Sholingur Assembly segments, which fall under Vellore Lok Sabha Constituency, will happen as scheduled. DMK president MK Stalin has warned the EC that the party will resort to a protest against the cancellation of the election to Vellore constituency. Samuel Merigala By Express News Service KALLAKURICHI: The Kallakurichi parliamentary constituency is witnessing a high-pitched and high-profile battle between DMDK founder-president Vijayakanths brother-in-law and party candidate L K Sudheesh and veteran DMK leader Ponmudys son Pon Gautham Sigamani. While Sudheesh, a film producer, unsuccessfully contested the seat in 2009, Gautham Sigamani, a doctor, is now taking a political plunge. Of the four seats that the DMDK managed to get in the AIADMK-led mega alliance, it is no secret that Kallakurichi offers bright prospects of success to the DMDK because of the presence of loyal followers in that region despite its horrible show in the previous Assembly polls. In the 2011 Assembly polls, Vijayakanth contested from the Rishivandiyam Assembly constituency in Kallakurichi and won with a margin of over 30,000 votes. Though the constituency now has a DMK MLA, important villages such as Thiyagadurgam have a strong DMDK presence. This is our Captains fort and we will support his candidate for the parliamentary polls, said T Rajayam, a resident of Rishivandiyam, adding that there is a hatred among voters in the region for both AIADMK and DMK. The DMDK is also popular in the nearby Sankarapuram constituency from where Captains wife Premalatha Vijayakanth is hailing. Regardless of manifestos and schemes of other parties, the people will always look at the fact that Premalatha is from Moongilthuraipattu, said P Saravanan, a resident of Mayannur village, claiming this sentiment only will count because she is taking care of the day-to-day affairs of the party. Though the DMK too has loyal supporters in the constituency, DMK functionaries claimed that their eight years as the opposition party might cost them dearly. In this high-profile race, the DMDK, AIADMK and DMK functionaries have agreed that cash will play an important role in the outcome and the DMKs hesitation to spend might affect their chances. Annan (Ponmudi) said at a meeting that if I go to each village and greet the people, theyll vote for my son. This wont work anymore, said a senior DMK leader, explaining that people want money and not the leaders vanakkam. The community factor will also work against the DMK in Yercaud, Attur and Gangavalli, which are AIADMK strongholds and have a high Schedule Tribe and Scheduled Caste population. DMDK-AIADMK coordination Despite the last-minute alliance, the AIADMK and DMDK seem to be coordinating well across the constituency. This unity is especially seen in Kallakurichi town. The DMDK cadre approached us after the alliance was finalised and we have been working with them actively for campaigns, said C Annadurai, a grassroot-level functionary from Kallakurichi, claiming that Sudheesh also spoke to the AIADMK cadre, soliciting their support. This is in stark contrast to the situation in the adjoining Viluppuram constituency where the AIADMK and PMK functionaries are acting on cross purpose like oil and water. The deputy general-secretary of the AMMK, TTV Dinakaran, too, has made inroads into the Kallakurichi constituency, with many village walls carrying the Gift Box symbol barely a day after it was awarded to the AMMK. However, his biggest impact is likely to be felt in Kallakurichi town whose AIADMK MLA A Prabhu, a loyalist to Dhinakaran, has been actively campaigning for AMMK candidate Komuki Maniyan, who himself is a former MLA. Agricultural issues Sugarcane is a major crop in Kallakurichi, one of the most backward towns in the State. But six of the seven sugar factories are in Viluppuram district, and there are demands for more sugar factories in Kallakurichi district which is being formed. In addition to cutting travel costs, farmers said it would provide employment for youth. Like Viluppuram, there is a high level of unemployment in the district and there is a cry for education loan waivers. Irrigation is carried out from wells and borewells, and the monsoon failure has raised demands for the government to provide capital for non-water intensive irrigation methods for crops such as turmeric. The government has introduced drip irrigation schemes for farmers in Viluppuram but they are yet to take steps here, said S Manivel, a farmer in Sankarapuram. New district to help AIADMK Carving out Kallakurichi district from Viluppuram district has been received well by people in the district and will definitely play a key role in the polls. The Viluppuram Collectors never used to come all the way to Kallakurichi because of the distance. And we also find it difficult to go all the way for Monday grievances. Now we will have our own Collector, so it will be easier for us to air our grievances, said K Periyasami, a resident of Thiyagaduram, which is more than 100 km from Viluppuram. Residents have also welcomed the other benefits that will come with the formation of a district such as a district hospital and other civil machinery. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Hours after announcing the election to the Vellore Lok Sabha seat would not be held, the Election Commission of India issued a detailed notification explaining what had led to the decision. The ECI said it had received a preliminary report dated March 30, 2019 from the Nodal Officer of Election Expenditure Monitoring of the Income Tax Department. According to this, Rs 10.57 lakh of unexplained cash was seized from the residence of DMK treasurer Durai Murugan, father of DMKs Vellore candidate DM Kathir Anand. Subsequently, on April 5, the commission received a report from Director General, Income Tax, which said searches had unearthed cash of Rs 11.48 crore on the premises of Damodaran, brother-in-law of DMK functionary Poonjolai Srinivasan. The department found the money had come from the cash chest of Canara Bank, Vellore. Officials said the cash had been given at the behest of M Dayanidhi, Senior Manager at Canara Bank Regional Office, Vellore. Dayanidhi admitted to having facilitated the exchange of currency for Srinivasan, the ECI said. The report from DGI-T said the unpackaged portion of the cash and unused labels seized clearly indicated the candidate was making preparations to cover all target voters in the constituency. The ECI said it considered Kathir Anands representation. It said TN Chief Electoral Officer filed a report on April 12 citing the cash seizures and stating free and fair elections could not be held for Vellore LS seat at the juncture. It is apparent... that inducement and allurements to electors by the candidate, political party and their associates by distribution of money has been going on at a large scale and in a clandestine manner, vitiating the purity of the electoral process and disturbing the level playing field in Vellore Parliamentary Constituency, the ECI said, noting that it frowned at acts of bribery during elections. By PTI CHENNAI: Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo Wednesday urged voters in Tamil Nadu to brave the summer heat and cast their votes and that all arrangements have been made for free and fair conduct of the April 18 Lok Sabha polls. "Though it may turn out to be a hot day, I request all voters to cast their votes. The entire election machinery is ready to hold free, fair and peaceful elections tomorrow," the CEO said. Elections to 38 Lok Sabha seats and polls to 18 assembly constituencies will be held Thursday. On the DMK's charge that the poll panel was targetting only opposition parties, Sahoo said more than 4,400 FIRs have been filed till date for various irregularities and action was being taken in all these cases. FOLLOW OUR ELECTION COVERAGE HERE "The IT department takes up raids based on various reports submitted by officials such as general observers, DEOs (District Electoral Officers), Income Tax, expenditure observers. Wherever we have received information, we have taken action impartially," he said. On the allegation of Chief Minister allegedly bribing a voter, a clip of which went viral on the social media, Sahoo said the commission was given a report by the District Election Officer within an hour, stating that the video was doctored. The report said the Chief Minister paid the money for products he had purchased from the vendor, the CEO said. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Malaysia-based DXN company announced on Tuesday that it would invest around `250 crore near the international airport area in the agriculture and allied sectors. This will be their second unit in the State. DXN founder and CEO Lim Siow Jin announced this in Kuala Lumpur at a press conference on Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy was also present at the press meet. The Agriculture Minister held talks with DXN founder and invited him to tour in Telangana. Lim Siow Jin explained that the proposed facility would create 1,000 to 1,500 job opportunities in Telangana and it was expected to be completed by 2020. DXN, through its subsidiary unit - DXN Manufacturing India Private Limited had an investment of 25 million US dollars to purchase 50 acres of land in Siddipet to facilitate the construction of the factory in 2.27 lakh square ft area for the production of coffee, beverages, household and cosmetic products and Ayurvedic herbs for the use of local and international consumer market. Lim Siow Jin expects the proposed facility in Telangana to be double the size of its factory in Malaysia. Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). KIEV, April 16 -- A concert marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was held in Kiev on Tuesday with the participation of artists from China and Ukraine. Staged at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the concert was performed by the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine (NAONI), the chorus of students of the National Music Academy of Ukraine (NMAU) named after P.I. Tchaikovsky and solo artists from the two countries. The concert was directed by Dong Junjie, the music director at the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater in north China, and Oleg Kuntyy, the music director at the NAONI. The concert featured a wide range of musical genres, with selections ranging from Chinese and Ukrainian folk melodies to rhapsodies and classical arias. Renowned music pieces, such as Chinese song "Jasmine Flower" and Ukrainian song "Dark brows" were played at the concert. The melody "Butterflies" performed by the Chinese violinist Julia Wang won thunderous applause from the Ukrainian public. While addressing the event, Maksym Tymoshenko, the head of the NMAU, expressed congratulations and best wishes to Chinese people on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, saying that the joint concert is helping to promote ties between China and Ukraine. "I think this is a very big event for our states. This is a bridge of friendship, a bridge of art," Tymoshenko said. In the framework of the concert, an art exhibition was held to celebrate the anniversary. The exhibition featured 25 pieces of artworks painted by Chinese and Ukrainian artists in different genres, such as portraiture, landscape and still life. 'The Court warns (owner Dennis) Toeppen that its patience has worn thin and admonishes him to cease his resistance to complying with the consent decree,' U.S. Judge Andrea R. Wood said Monday. Reporter Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 The Hong Kong delegation was awarded with 57 gold medals, 51 silver medals, nine bronze medals and nine special awards at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Switzerland. Hong Kong once again won the top Grand Prize at the exhibition. The delegation of more than 100 participants exhibited more than 100 projects this year. The Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Berlin (HKETO Berlin) together with the Hong Kong Federation of Invention & Innovation hosted a reception for the exhibition on April 12. Speaking at the reception, Director of HKETO Berlin Bill Li emphasised the city's strength as an innovation and technology hub. He also highlighted the most recent government policies to further transform Hong Kong into a knowledge-based economy. Secretary for Security John Lee called on lawmakers to discuss the extradition law amendments rationally. The Bills Committee on Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 held its first meeting today. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mr Lee expressed disappointment over the slow progress of the meeting. I am extremely disappointed and I regret that it has taken two hours for the Bills Committee to hold a meeting without even appointing a chairman. In my memory, it hasnt happened before. The Government is very serious about this proposal because there is an urgency of this matter. Mr Lee said the suspect involved in the Taiwan murder case has pleaded guilty to the charges of money laundering in Hong Kong and the court will mention the case again on April 29. The Government hopes the amendment bill can be passed as soon as possible to provide a legal basis to deal with the case, he added. We urge every member of the Bills Committee to allow a rational discussion at the Bills Committee, so that views will be heard and explanations can be given for the final decision by the Legislative Council. Mr Lee warned similar cases could happen again so an effective and feasible system for the extradition of fugitive offenders needs to be established. Chief Executive Carrie Lam (right) meets Commander-in-chief of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Major General Chen Daoxiang at Government House. Chief Executive Carrie Lam met Commander-in-chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Major General Chen Daoxiang at Government House today. Secretary for Security John Lee was also present. Mrs Lam welcomed Major General Chen's assumption of office in Hong Kong this month. She said the Hong Kong Garrison has been performing its functions and responsibilities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in strict accordance with the Basic Law, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the HKSAR and other relevant laws, serving as a solid backup for maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the HKSAR. The Chief Executive said the Hong Kong Garrison has always been well-disciplined and law-abiding. It also actively participates in community and charitable activities and organises activities such as open days for its military sites and summer camps for youths, she added. Mrs Lam said she believes the Hong Kong Garrison under the leadership of Major General Chen will continue to uphold its excellent tradition and contribution to the HKSAR. (Photos/Changchun Evening News) CHANGCHUN, April 16 -- An explosion-proof light rail train that will be exported to Israel rolled off the assembly line in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun on Tuesday. The train, manufactured by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd., will be used for the red line of the light rail system in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. The 23-km line is schedule to be put into operation in 2021. As required by the Israeli side, the train was designed with explosion-proof features of the highest security standards, according to the Chinese train maker. The train's underframe structure is made of non-ferromagnetic material, which can prevent magnetic bombs from being attached to it. The windows are equipped with explosion-proof glass that can withstand the impact of stones and burning bottles. Inside the train, the door of the driver's room is designed in accordance with Israel's anti-intrusion safety standards. In terms of fire resistance, the underframe structure will remain intact within 15 minutes of combustion, giving passengers enough time to evacuate. In 2015, CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles signed an agreement with Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd. in Tel Aviv to provide trains for the city's light rail system. A Chitungwiza woman appeared in court yesterday for allegedly duping Pastel Paints Manufacturer of over $1 800 by using a cloned card. Vongai Majoko (40) appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Learnmore Mapiye charged with unauthorised use or possession of a credit or debit card. It is alleged that on April 13, Majoko hatched a plan to steal from Proud Mutizwa Mudengezi, the managing director Pastel Paints. Pursuant to her plan she manufactured, copied or duplicated Mudengezis CABS debit card which was linked to his account number and cellphone. Armed with the duplicated card, Majoko allegedly went to Spar Supermarket at Queensdale Shopping Centre where she bought 6 bottles of gold blend whisky, 36 Castle lager cans, 24 Carling black labels, 6 by Two Keys Whisky, 28 by Hunters Dry, 1 by 20 Madison toasted, 1 by Everest menthol, 1 by Castle Lite, 11 by Castle Lite all valued at $441.18. Mudengezi received a confirmation on his phone that his card had been used to buy goods at Spar Supermarket. He then rushed to the shop and upon his arrival, he was advised that Majoko had already left the shop with the groceries. Due to Majokos actions, Mudengezi lost $441.18 and nothing was recovered. On the second count, on the same day, Majoko armed with the duplicated card went to Ok Supermarket, Queensdale where she bought groceries in bulk totalling $1 372, 34. A 79-YEAR-OLD man from Matshobana suburb in Bulawayo allegedly committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a moving train following a dispute with his 54-year-old son. Manonoka Mponda was on Monday afternoon found dead along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls railway line near Matshobana suburb. Mpondas tragic death comes four months after his grandson fatally stabbed his uncle with a kitchen knife following a dispute revolving around a protection order granted against him. In December, Desmond Phiri stabbed his uncle Jonathan Phiri (39) after he tried to restrain him from violating a protection order barring him from visiting his grandfathers home. Mpondas daughter, Ms Norah Phiri, whose son fatally stabbed his uncle in December, yesterday said her father wrote a short suicide note and gave it to her son to deliver to her. My son brought a letter from my father. Initially I didnt think it was urgent but when I opened it I got worried as it was saying sengihamba alisangiboni futhi (Im leaving and you wont see me again, said Ms Phiri, who resides in neighbouring Mpopoma suburb. She said she panicked and informed one of her brothers and they rushed home to find out what their father meant. Ms Phiri said Mponda was missing and the children told them that it had been a while since they last saw him. We started searching for him and we heard that an old man had been found dead near the railway line across the road. We rushed to the scene where several people were already gathered. We positively identified him although he was badly injured on the face and leg. He was bleeding through the nose and mouth, she said. Ms Phiri said she did not expect Mponda to commit suicide, although she knew that he was troubled. She said the elderly man was having a dispute with one of his sons aged 54. Although I do not know what really happened, I think he had a misunderstanding with my brother. They lived together here at home. I couldnt ask him (her father) what was troubling him but he was definitely not himself of late. We also avoided asking my brother what could have happened as tension is still too high. But we will ask him when things settle down, Ms Phiri said. She said her fathers death cannot be linked to the incident where her son fatally stabbed his uncle. National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Public Relations Manager Mr Nyasha Maravanyika confirmed that Mponda threw himself in front of a moving train near the depot in Mpopoma. The train driver said the man threw himself in front of a moving train and died on the spot. Its a suspected suicide, said Mr Maravanyika. He urged members of the public to desist from throwing themselves onto railway infrastructure. President Mnangagwa says his administration does not believe in price controls and urged businesses to have a human face by desisting from increasing prices without justification. The Head of State and Government said price hikes should be regulated by market forces, not the spirit of profiteering. He made the remarks in an interview with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) ahead of todays Independence Day celebrations. The interviewed was aired last night. With regard to the issue of prices, I made an appeal a few days ago to our compatriots in industry and commerce that prices are coming up but there is no justification in many areas why they are coming up, he said. Its just a question of perception, fear of the unknown that we want to cushion ourselves today for possible challenges tomorrow. We dont think that is the way we should operate. Last time we had the same phenomenon of prices just being increased and I asked captains of industry to come and meet me here at State House. When we met, the majority said we are reducing by half whatever has happened before we can talk about it and the prices went down. That is how we must go. Businesses have been wantonly increasing prices and the recent spate saw the prices of bread and maize-meal being increased by over 50 percent. Government has since appealed to millers to reconsider their position and allow for consultations. President Mnangagwa said Government would not be forced to introduce price controls. We do not want to go to a situation where Government is forced to regulate prices. I am against the regulation of prices. I would want prices to be regulated by market forces. However, our compatriots in business should have a human face when they are making their profits. Its not going to be business for them to make super profits the same day they begin their businesses. I think it is necessary that they have a human face in dealing with the public and communities so that when they make their money they also realise that they are serving the community to which they belong. Turning to the creation of jobs, the President said Government was on track and the One-Stop Shop Investment Centre had approved 59 projects that were set to create over 780 000 jobs over the next two years if implemented. For jobs to come, the first thing is to declare Zimbabwe open for business and secondly you engage in order to attract investment into the country, he said. Yes domestic investment is also critical but our people are so constrained as a result of the past. Their capability and financial muscle to expand and create jobs is constrained as a result of the sanctions which were imposed on us. I am happy that there has been a reasonable, positive response worldwide in the areas of mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Variably cloudy with snow showers. High 3F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%.. Tonight Occasional snow showers. Low near 0F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%. Snowfall around one inch. Study compares colonoscopy polyp detection rates and endoscopist characteristics Wednesday, April 17, 2019, CLEVELAND: Previous research has suggested that specific factors about the doctor performing colonoscopy - for example, a gastroenterologist versus a surgeon, female versus male - were associated with different rates of detection of precancerous polyps. However, a Cleveland Clinic-led research team found that those previously described differences among endoscopists are not true. Adjusting for a myriad of both patient- and doctor-related factors not previously accounted for, Cleveland Clinic researchers concluded that the previously cited differences disappeared in adenoma detection based on the endoscopist features - except when it comes to the detection of sessile serrated polyps, which are difficult to detect and a known precursor of colorectal cancer. The study data - published in JAMA Surgery - showed that lower sessile serrated polyp detection was only associated with endoscopists who had a lower annual volume of colonoscopies and longer years since completion of medical training. A colonoscopy is a common endoscopic procedure, with more than 14 million examinations performed in the U.S. annually. The efficacy of a colonoscopy to prevent colorectal cancer depends on the quality of the endoscopist to detect and remove lesions that can turn into cancer, such as adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. "There are national benchmarks that define a high-quality endoscopist. Asking your endoscopist about their personal colonoscopy quality metrics can empower patients to make informed choices about their colonoscopy provider," said Carol Burke, M.D., vice chair of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study. Cleveland Clinic's research team conducted a large, single-center retrospective study that analyzed data from 16,089 average-risk, screening colonoscopies performed by 56 providers (gastroenterologists, 60.7 percent; surgeons, 26.5 percent; advanced endoscopists, 12.5 percent) between January 2015 and June 2017. Twenty-five percent of endoscopists were female and 25 percent were international medical graduates. The providers' median time from training was 16.3 years and they performed a median of 267 colonoscopies per year. Provider characteristics considered in the study included endoscopist specialty, gender, location of medical school, years since fellowship, number of colonoscopies performed per year, practice setting and presence of trainee during colonoscopy. The analysis also accounted for numerous patient characteristics not considered in some studies, including age, gender, smoking status, comorbidities such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, medication use, and colonoscopy-related factors, including timing of procedure (month and time of day), location where colonoscopy was performed, cecal intubation rate, number of polyps found, quality of bowel preparation and withdrawal time. Using natural language processing, the researchers were able to extract and read large amounts of textual data from the electronic medical records of the 16,089 patients that would otherwise have been difficult to access. Only endoscopists performing more than 100 colonoscopies per year were included. In the study, the average adenoma detection rate was 31.3 percent, which was above the minimum national standards suggested by the ASGE-ACG quality task force guidelines. The results of this analysis showed that no endoscopist characteristics - including medical specialty and gender - are associated with adenoma detection rate. Regarding the proximal sessile serrated polyp detection rate, the overall rate of 4.6 percent was similar to other recent studies. The only endoscopist factors associated with a lower proximal sessile serrated polyp detection rate included endoscopists who perform lower volumes of colonoscopies and who are further from their medical training. "Sessile serrated polyps were characterized in 2005. They are often in the proximal colon, very subtle with their flat appearance, and thus difficult to detect. These features are probably why proximal sessile serrated polyps are a major cause of interval colon cancer - cancer that occurs between two colonoscopies. Our findings reinforce the need for endoscopists to stay abreast of current resources to improve their detection and resection of sessile serrated polyps," Dr. Burke said. ### About Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Among Cleveland Clinic's 66,000 employees are more than 4,200 salaried physicians and researchers and 16,600 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic's health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 11 regional hospitals in northeast Ohio, more than 180 northern Ohio outpatient locations - including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers - and locations in southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2018, there were 7.9 million total outpatient visits, 238,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 220,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic's health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CCforMedia and twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org. Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request. This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. No evidence at this stage shows Notre Dame cathedral's fire deliberate act, says Paris prosecutor PARIS, April 16 -- Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz on Tuesday said the blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral was probably caused by accident as no signs "at this stage" pointed to a criminal purpose. "I say very clearly that nothing at this stage is going in the direction of a voluntary act," Heitz told reporters, adding that they are favoring the theory of an accident. "At this point, experts can not have access to the site. The investigations are just beginning," he said. The inquiry to determine how the fire broke out would be "long and complex", he warned, pledging that "all means are implemented to know the truth, to know the origin of this terrible fire." The Paris prosecutor added about 15 workers of five companies that participated in the cathedral's massive renovation project were questioned by police. The devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris has been put out after burning for 15 hours, local media reported on Tuesday. According to the official Paris fire service Twitter account, nearly 400 firefighters attended the scene, while "2 police officers and a firefighter were slightly injured." Moonlit drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks, made all the mountains so majestic at 23 degrees below! Thanks to Bernice Nickoli, of North Pole, for sending along this shot. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. One week after an F-35A stealth fighter jet crashed off the northeastern coast of Japan, U.S. and Japanese military vessels are struggling to find the wreckage and protect its valuable "secrets." The Japanese jet vanished from the radar on April 9 over the Pacific as it was conducting a training mission with three other aircraft some 135 kilometers east of Misawa, Aomori Prefecture. A defense ministry spokesman told AFP that the remains of the jet's tail had been found but they were still hunting in vain for the rest of the fuselage, as well as the pilot. "On average two aircraft, including a helicopter, and two patrol vessels are constantly deployed in the around-the-clock search operations," said the official, who asked to remain anonymous. Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has also dispatched an unmanned submersible vessel. Separately, the U.S. military has dispatched one military aircraft and one vessel to join the mission, said the official, adding that the search has not yet been scaled back. Japan's Hoshino Resorts will open a luxury hotel in Okinawa next year based on the ancient fortresses that dotted the subtropical islands. The Hoshinoya-branded resort hotel will be built in Yomitan, a village on Okinawa's main island. It will be modeled on the Okinawan gusuku castles, which began to be built around the 12th century. A wall replicating the stone barricade of the fortresses will encircle the resort. Each of the 100 rooms will have an ocean view, with 200-sq.-meter suites featuring their own pools. Though Hoshino runs one other Okinawa location farther south on Taketomi Island, the company has never opened a facility on the prefecture's biggest island. "The fact that we have not opened in the famous tourist spot had been an issue," CEO Yoshiharu Hoshino said Tuesday. This hotel will be priced at the high end of Hoshino's luxury portfolio. A room will cost 80,000 yen to 300,000 yen ($715 to $2,700) per night, compared with the average of 50,000 yen to 80,000 yen for the company's premium offerings. The location will target tourists from home and abroad. Hoshino has contended with a rush of foreign competitors building luxury hotels domestically. Both Marriott and Hyatt of the U.S. opened resort offerings last year. Hawaiian rival Halekulani will open a new destination in Okinawa later this year, and Hilton has brand-new facilities in the works. Hoshino plans to differentiate itself by providing a unique cultural experience found only in Japan. Meanwhile, the company this year will open a hotel north of Tokyo remodeled from a defunct rustic resort. The site will include farming grounds so that visitors can experience the agricultural lifestyle of harvesting and cooking fresh produce. BEIJING, April 16 -- A new trial program on centralized medicine procurement and use has reduced the financial burdens of patients, according to a senior official with the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA). The agency's deputy head Chen Jinfu told a press conference Tuesday that the trial program in 11 cities had brought better-than-expected results in general, and patients with major diseases such as cancer, hepatitis B, hypertension and mental illness had access to high quality medicines and low prices. The program, updated from a preview version, was launched on April 1, and more than 438 million pills or drug doses were procured within two weeks. "The quality and supply of the selected drugs were reliable and the quantity of prescriptions was also better than expected," Chen said. In the previous trial in 2018, an average price reduction of 52 percent was seen in 25 selected medicines. In the next phrase, the NHSA will work with other authorities to strengthen the monitoring and supervision in the trial program, safeguard the quality, supply and prioritize use of the selected drugs, according to Chen. He also pledged to launch evaluations on the program in a timely manner, improve the policies and systems for centralized procurement, and study the feasibility of expanding the trial. Popular Ghanaian Pastor, Kumchacha of Heavens Gate Ministry has stated that any woman who screams the name of God or Jesus Christ duri... Popular Ghanaian Pastor, Kumchacha of Heavens Gate Ministry has stated that any woman who screams the name of God or Jesus Christ during s3x will end up in hell. The vocal prophet noted that whether the woman is making love with her husband or boyfriend, once the person screams the name of Jesus Christ during the act, she will not miss hell. He made this known during a TV interview: Whether you are making the love with your husband or your boyfriend, once you scream the name of Jesus Christ while in the act there is no way you will not go to hell. Speaking further, he said specially trained angels will subject such people to all forms of severe beatings on judgment day before throwing them into hell because shouting the name Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit under such instances constitutes a grievous punishable by being thrown into hell. A coalition of Federal Capital Territory indigenous groups on Tuesday carried out a protest at the National Assembly gate over recent ki... A coalition of Federal Capital Territory indigenous groups on Tuesday carried out a protest at the National Assembly gate over recent killings of its native people allegedly perpetrated by the Nigerian Army. The protest which lasted for hours resorted to traffic gridlock at the various entry point of the National Assembly around the Eagle Square, Presidential villa and Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government thereby leaving many whose offices are situated there stranded. The protesters said they have already written to the presidency. They further threatened to storm the presidential villa soon if the Army is not called to order. They revealed that no less than Seven of their kinsmen, women and children have been killed, adding that their crops destroyed and lands had been forcefully taking over the Army. Giri, Kpakuru, Ido Garki, Zuba and Tugan Maje are amongst affected areas the group claimed that the Army is committing the genocide. Speaking at the protest, Dalhatu Ezekiel, who led the group expressed dismay that they were at a loss over why the FCT natives will continue to suffer just for relinquishing their ancestral lands to the government to build the capital territory. we are helpless, we want Justice that is why we are here, Ezekiel decried. He disclosed further that they have also written to the Villa and would visit there, notwithstanding today protest which they have carried to the doorstep of the National Assembly. According to him, the Army were illegal occupants and were laying false claims to the lands they dont have or own titles. Each time we demand their allocation letters, their responses usually are the allocations letters have been burnt He noted that the natives will keep on demanding justice through every legal and constitutional means. Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Committee on FCT, Dino Melaye, while addressing the protesters in the company of other senators, said a committee will be set up by the Senate leadership to interface with groups leaders. The House of Representatives on Tuesday has resolved to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the incessant issuance of fish imp... The House of Representatives on Tuesday has resolved to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the incessant issuance of fish importation licence by Ministry of agriculture. It also urged the federal ministry of agriculture and the bank of Agriculture to provide incentives to local fish farmers that would boost up production. The decision is a sequel to a motion of Urgent Public importance moved by Jonathan Gaza (PDP, Nasarawa) during plenary. Leading the debate on the motion, Mr Gaza stated that in the last few years, Nigeria has gone through a recession and has resurfaced and this recovery can be largely attributed to the diversification at our economy especially in the field of agriculture: He noted that Fisheries which is on important subsector of Nigerian agriculture with the country being rich in perennial rivers (Benue. Niger, Ogun, Osun etc) and takes like kanji and other dams and ponds, and has also attracted a large influx of fish farmers using latest technology has led to an increase in fish production and employment; in the past, the minister of state for agriculture during a meeting with the Ijebu initiative on poverty reduction (IDIPR) in Abuja sometime in August 2017, stated that the Federal Government wit stops issuing fish importation quota to importers saying the venture was no longer sustainable. Frantic calls have been made by various quotas including this hallowed chambers to ban the importation of fish into the country as it has a negative effect on our economy and also on our health as we cannot ascertain the total health status of all the fish imported into this country all the time. The lawmaker also noted that the situation is turning Nigeria into a dumping ground for Fish products, at the detriment of local fish Farmers. Contributing to the debate on the floor, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Lasun Yusuf (APC, Osun) noted that the importation is meant to fill the gap as a result of the inability of Nigerian farmers to meet the demand of consumers. We have a production capacity of 1.2million tonnes, but our need is about 4million tonnes. adding, That is the gap those given licences are supposed to fill. As legislative, all we can do is to talk, in the area where bills are being returned with speed of light. The executive must show commitment. Lasun, therefore, called on the federal government to subsidize the Agricultural sector by a minimum of 50%. For Nicholas Osas (PDP, Delta), the motion requires investigation to understand the situation. Is there a shortage of fish in this country? Do we have a national plan to fill this gap? This is an investigative matter. If demand is greater than supply, there is a shortfall, and we need to investigate. When you suggest a ban, its for local industry to thrive. This motion will unravel a lot. Policy formulation should start from the House. Muhammed Monguno (APC, Borno), the Chairman of the House committee on Agriculture while explaining the situation said that there is plan by the federal government to end importation of fish. It is true that there is a deficit in our production, hence importation. Over the years the fishery sector has been neglected by successive governments. It is true that licences have been given by the Ministry of Agriculture, steps are being taken, as steps are taken to fill in the gap and stop importation in the next few years. He noted. To this end, adoption on the motion was made by the House when put up for a vote by the presiding officer, Speaker Yakubu Dogara. Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has faulted Nigerias electoral system which h... Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has faulted Nigerias electoral system which he says has been under assault. Jega also alleged politicians used university lecturers to commit irregularities during the elections, particularly in Kano state. According to Guardian, the former INEC chairman spoke at the annual conference of the Fulbright Alumni Association of Nigeria at Bayero University Kano (BUK). He said the BUK lecturers who worked with politicians to perpetrate all sorts of irregularities betrayed the confidence reposed on them by compromising the electoral process. A former vice-chancellor of BUK, Jega oversaw the 2015 election which was widely described free and fair. I think the major crisis in Nigerias democracy is that our electoral integrity has been under assault, compromised and undermined by those who have control over the process, he said. Look at what happened during the last elections, and the story of irregularities being spread even in the four walls of BUK. The politicians, through crooked means, got alliances with lecturers in the university to compromise the system and they perpetrated all sort of irregularities, which pave way for a faulty process for the continued entrenchment of bad people in governance. Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, has declared his intention to run for a second term in office. According to Mohammed Onogwu,... Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, has declared his intention to run for a second term in office. According to Mohammed Onogwu, chief press secretary to the governor, Bello declared his interest during the inauguration of the Kogi state house of assembly commission in Lokoja. The governor said he took the decision after consulting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the state and national levels. He explained that it became necessary to declare his bid following the release of the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). from the state, the local government areas down to the wards and polling units, as well as various stakeholders, opinion molders, families and friends of my interest to run for a second term in office as the Executive Governor of Kogi state, Bello said. I would like to inform the good people of the state, the All Progressive Congress family and supportersfrom the state, the local government areas down to the wards and polling units, as well as various stakeholders, opinion molders, families and friends of my interest to run for a second term in office as the Executive Governor of Kogi state, Bello said. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with the Secretary General of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry Muhammad Shahrul who is in Beijing for strategic talks between the two countries, in Beijing, capital of China, April 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes the participation of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which is to be held in Beijing in late April. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks here Tuesday while meeting with Muhammad Shahrul, the secretary general of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry, who is in Beijing for strategic talks between the two countries. China appreciates Mahathir's promotion of Asian values and Malaysia's support for the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang said, adding that he is fully confident in the future of bilateral ties. Mahathir looks forward to participating in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, said Shahrul, adding that this shows the Malaysian side attaches importance to and supports the Belt and Road Initiative. He also expressed the Malaysian side's hope for stepping up high-level exchanges and deepening cooperation in various fields with China. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects Wuxiang forest farm in Hanzhong City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April, 15, 2019. Han made a three-day inspection tour to Shaanxi from Sunday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) XI'AN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Han Zheng has called on officials in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to break new ground in reform and development. Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a three-day inspection tour to Shaanxi from Sunday to Tuesday. Han visited local companies, where he asked questions about tax cuts, industry development and tech innovation. At a local tax bureau in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, Han stressed the implementation of tax and fee cuts to reduce the corporate burden. "Authorities should listen to the suggestions and demand by companies to tackle the issues in reforms, and gauge the effectiveness of the reforms based on the evaluation by these market entities," Han said. While inspecting the local forestry industry, Han stressed that forestry management should be strengthened while law enforcement should be enhanced. Han also stressed that Shaanxi Province should continue to push forward construction under the Belt and Road Initiative. (Photo/Xinhua) CHENGDU, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Baoxing, a quiet town hidden in steep mountains and desolate canyons in southwest China, hummed as 47 French guests arrived Monday to honor the man who first discovered the giant panda. About a century ago, Father Armand David, a French Catholic priest, zoologist and botanist, came across a black and white fur hide in Baoxing County, the city of Ya'an, Sichuan Province, which was found to belong to a species totally new to science -- the giant panda. With respect to David and curiosity about China, a group from David's hometown, Espelette, France, came to the village 150 years later, including the descendants of David's brother. The active promoters of the journey, the Darraidou couple, however, were not among the visitors. Andre Darraidou, also a former mayor of Espelette, died of illness Wednesday last week. FIRST AND FOREVER GUEST Andre Darraidou was among the very first French to visit the village. He made four trips to China, the first in 2000 to follow in the footsteps of David and the most recent in 2017, actively planning for the 150th anniversary of the giant panda's scientific discovery. During his trip in 2004, Darraidou worked temporarily as a chef in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, using peppers from his hometown to cook chili chicken, a traditional Sichuan dish. He donated the proceeds from the food to Baoxing for the construction of a giant panda exhibition hall. On Monday morning, beside the giant panda exhibition hall in the county's Catholic church where David lived, two glasses of wine were set up next to Darraidou's picture, as these wines were his favorite. His Chinese friend Gao Fuhua told others that Darraidou was a tall, friendly man who was able to speak simple Mandarin like "nihao" (hello) and "xiexie" (thanks) and was able to eat with chopsticks. He added that in Sichuan, the province famous for its spicy cuisine, the foreigner never showed any discomfort at the table but ate what the locals ate. (Photo/People's Daily Online) BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Chen Peiyu, a 27-year-old office worker in Beijing, deeply regrets that she may not have the chance to visit the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this May due to the fire that engulfed the gothic church Monday. A huge fire broke out at the historic cathedral, located in the heart of Paris, destroying the spire of the building on Monday afternoon. Online footage showed flames pouring from the roof, sending thick smoke into the sky. "Such a pity! I didn't even have the chance to see it," Chen said. The blaze simultaneously ignited concern across China, with many Chinese netizens expressing their sadness on social media. The catastrophe soon became the hottest topic on China's social media platform Sina Weibo, with more than 1.2 billion reads. Broken hearts are everywhere. "It is the landmark of Paris, as well as the cultural heritage of all humankind, the accident should ring the alarm," said Ma Weidu, a celebrated Chinese antique collector, on his microblog. "The destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral will be the loss of all humankind, it is heartbreaking," read a comment by a Weibo user named Qiandaixi Rebecca. The iconic cathedral is one of the city's most recognizable symbols, and listed as one of the top three tourist sites in Paris on Chinese travel services platform Mafengwo. Built in medieval times, the world heritage attracts 13 million visitors from all over the world every year, according to its official website. "Fires have always been a threat for historic relics," said Dai Jian, professor of Beijing University of Technology, who specializes in historic architecture protection. The accident of Notre Dame is not an individual case. Before the world mourned for Paris, disasters have also caused devastation on a number of priceless cultural treasures, including the National Museum of Brazil and the Iraqi national museum. Though different in identity and location, every loss of a human treasure saddens people in China and evokes more attention for the protection of human civilizations. Dai said that it was important to record cultural heritage for restoration, and that advanced monitoring system and pre-warning techniques were also necessary to conduct better protection of old buildings. "Exchange of ideas, technology and experience on protecting cultural relics between countries and regions should be strengthened to further protect the cultural heritage of all humankind," said Hou Weidong, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage. "These cultural relics only live once, those that have gone won't come back again," Ma said. (Photo/Weibo) Ye Luying, an illustrator from eastern Chinas Zhejiang province has reworked the prestigious Chinese literature An Ode to the Goddess of Luo, or Luoshenfu, which narrates the authors encounter with a water nymph, creating a dreamland for readers one thousand years later. The story is about author Cao Zhi from the Wei Dynasty (220-265) and his admiration for a water goddess. In his narratives, Cao used flowery language to describe this beautiful fair and their sincere love. This romantic story has inspired and resonated with thousands of artists in China for one thousand years. The literature expresses the authors sorrow and loneliness when he found it difficult to realize his pursuit, Ye said, adding that she shared a similar experience after finishing her exchange study in Norway. Everything changed when I returned to China. I was confused about my future, Ye told Guangming Online. To bring this fairytale to life, Ye threw herself into its creation and introduced traditional elements such as murals and patterns into the painting. She combines traditional skills and modern techniques to create a more energetic girl from the fantasy. Her efforts paid off. After it was published, it won many prizes, including the best illustration award at the 13th Golden Dragon Award for Chinese Animation held in 2016. Ye said she is willing to share the beauty and affection of more traditional Chinese culture with her audiences and wants to take it to an international platform. (Photo/Xinhua) After a blaze erupted at Paris Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday afternoon, destroying the spire of the building, concerns were reignited across China on the fire prevention measures of the nations countless ancient architectures many of which are built from wood. Specifically, the iconic Palace Museum, the worlds largest existing wooden palace complex, once again drew attention for standing centuries without major destruction caused by fire. Apart from the ancient method of laying gigantic jars filled with water in front of each palace in case of fire, the 49 years of fire-free security naturally benefits from restless endeavor from the fire brigade. The grand architecture of the complex has been divided into 10 protected areas, and customized firefighting plans are in place for each part. Newcomers are required to run alongside the walls every day to remember the exact location of each palace, and arrive at the site within 3 minutes when a blaze occurs. The firefighters have water hoses, mobile water tanks, and other means to fully protect the Hall of Supreme Harmony, also called Tianhe Dian, within 10 minutes. A powerful modern fire prevention system has also been set up. Some 5,674 intelligent smoke detectors and 113 aspirating fire detectors have been installed at booths and security gates, which can receive early warning and reduce the rate of false alarms. In addition, there are 94 underground fire hydrants and 4,866 fire extinguishers are scattered across the complex. A total of 308 large and small water tanks can also contribute nearly 3,000 liters of water for firefighting. During daily inspections, weeds and fallen leaves on the roof are brushed off. As much of 100 tons of combustibles are removed annually and over 900,000 square meters of area are humidified each year. Since 2013, the museum has banned any kind of open fires in its compound, including smoking and even cafeterias and vehicles, which are prone to fire accidents. Even its own employees are required to ride a bike to their office, according to news portal Guancha.cn. The cautiousness taken at the Palace Museum is essential as the country has suffered great losses in catastrophic fires in past years, as most of the nations ancient buildings were made of wood. For example, a fire in the town of Dukezong in southwest Chinas Yunnan province lasted 10 hours, and burned down a heritage-listed Tibetan shop along with 242 houses. The blaze of Notre Dame Cathedral sounded an alarm for us. Targeted firefighting exercises and raising public awareness are needed to prevent a similar tragedy, a neitizen commented on his Weibo account. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is beneficial for the global economy, as it is expected to help eradicate poverty worldwide, offering more job opportunities and significant economic growth to developing nations, noted the World Bank. According to a report released by the World Bank in April, in countries like Kenya and Tanzania, an additional million poor people are expected to be lifted from extreme poverty by 2030, while thanks to BRI projects, South Asia and Pakistan are expected to raise an additional 1.3 million people above the extreme poverty line. Bangladesh and India are expected to see a similar but smaller number of people lifted out of poverty, i.e. 430,000 and 650,000, respectively. In Nepal, BRI infrastructure investment alone will lift an additional 52,000 people out of extreme poverty compared to the baseline. BRI related investments could contribute to lifting 8.7 million from extreme poverty and 34 million from moderate poverty on a global level. Through infrastructure investments, the BRI can raise an additional 8.7 million people from extreme poverty. These benefits extend to both BRI and non-BRI countries: 5.1 million from BRI related countries and 3.7 million from non-BRI countries. First launched in 2013, the BRI has become the world's largest platform for international cooperation, with a total of 123 countries and 29 international organizations signing BRI agreements with China. New York Universitys Taub Center for Israel Studies will host Human Geography of the New State: Population and Planning in Israel, 1947-1952, a one-day conference on the decades preceding the nation and its early years of existence, on Sun., April 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at NYUs Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, Grand Hall, 238 Thompson Street, 5th Floor [between West 3rd Street and Washington Square South]. The conference will focus on the evolution of Israeli population policy and planning in the period following the UN Partition Resolution, 1947, until the suspension of mass immigration at the end of 1952. Attaining a Jewish majority through immigration, in a viable state with both Jewish and Arab citizens, had long been an objective of the Zionist movement, say the organizers. The conference, they add, will explore the policy debates on how this objective was to be implemented and how the outcome of the Arab-Israeli war in 1947-1949 created a different set of facts on the ground, following the flight and also expulsions of Palestinian communities. The event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, please visit: https://bit.ly/2FR71ye. For more information, please call 212.992.9797 or email rsvp.taub@nyu.edu. Space limited to availability. PANEL ONE: Immigration and Planning, 10 a.m. Gur Alroey, University of Haifa This national enterprise cannot be built on compassion and mercy: The Zionist Policy Migration, 1882-1939 Gil Rubin, Harvard University Zionism, Demography, and Democracy Avi Picard, Bar Ilan University Immigration of North African Jews and the Population of the Israeli periphery in the mid-1950s PANEL TWO: Demographics, 1 p.m. Anat Kidron, Ohalo College of Katzrin Population in Mixed Cities in the Transformation from Yishuv to Statehood: The Case of Haifa Nimrod Lin, University of Toronto Demography in Zionist Political Planning Itamar Radai, New York University Planning the Future of the Arab Population PANEL THREE: Post-1948, 3 p.m. Moshe Naor, University of Haifa The First Census: November, 1948. Areej Sabbagh-Khoury, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Arab Population Displacement and Land Issues Ahmad Amara, Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Politics of Bedouin Demography in the Negev Subways: A, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th St.) Editors Note: The Taub Center was established with a gift from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation. The gift supports an endowed professorship and two graduate fellowships in Israel Studies, and funds lectures, seminars, scholarly colloquia at the Center, and other special programs for students, faculty, and the community. In addition to offering its own programming, the Taub Center works closely with NYUs departments to create cross-disciplinary programming, serving to broaden NYUs offerings in Judaic and Middle Eastern studies. For more, go to http://taub.as.nyu.edu/. LONDON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Politicians in London expressed fears for Britain's most famous building, the Houses of Parliament, in the wake of the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire. The Palace of Westminster as the home of British politics is known to be in line for a multi-billion-dollar facelift and refurbishment, on fears that the building, which dates back 1,000 years, is a potential fire risk. Proposed works are not due to start until the mid-2020s when the House of Commons and the House of Lords both move to temporary homes in London. Labour politician Chris Bryant, a member of a joint committee of parliamentarians from both the Commons and the Lords which examined the state of the building, said: "We have taken far too long already putting our fire safety measures in place." "Parts of the Palace are as old as Notre Dame and we must make sure that every fire precaution is taken as the major work goes ahead. God knows we've had enough warnings," Bryant added. A joint committee report in 2016 cited a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace of Westminster. Main opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn said the Paris fire was a warning for MPs about the state of the Palace of Westminster. He said: "The state of the building is very poor in Westminster and a fire risk is obviously huge with a building that has so much wood within it." Labour MP Anna Turley said she was shocked by the state of the building when she was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015. "On my induction an engineer showed me the electrics (in the Houses of Parliament). It looked a health and safety disaster and fire waiting to happen," she said. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, who is regarded as Prime Minister Theresa May's deputy, said a water leak in the Commons earlier this month was a stark reminder of the need to deal with the building's problems. "With each year that passes, the risk of a catastrophic fire grows," Lidington said earlier this week about the Houses of Parliament. A UK Parliament spokesperson said: "Fire safety is a key priority for Parliament and protections are constantly reviewed and updated including at our active construction sites. "Last year, we completed a major program of works to enhance fire safety measures in the Palace of Westminster, and while this work continues we stand ready to learn any lessons that emerge from the fire at Notre Dame to ensure we do everything possible to protect our people and buildings on the Parliamentary Estate. Health, safety and well-being, including fire safety, will remain the highest priority," said the spokesperson. The Palace of Westminster was built in the mid-1800s after a fire in 1834 destroyed large parts of the old building. The oldest part of the building, the 1,000 year old medieval Westminster Hall survived and remains a busy part of the parliament estate. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Scientists find evidence Mercury has a solid inner core WASHINGTON--Scientists have long known that Earth and Mercury have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid. Now, in a new study, scientists report evidence that Mercury's inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's solid inner core. Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. This large core -- huge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar system -- has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core. The findings of Mercury's solid inner core, published in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters, help scientists better understand Mercury but also offer clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time. "Mercury's interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet's weak magnetic field, relative to Earth's," said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Mercury's interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet's. Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools." To figure out what Mercury's core is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. The team used several observations from NASA's MESSENGER mission to probe Mercury's interior. The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet's spin and gravity. The MESSENGER spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury in March 2011 and spent four years observing this nearest planet to our Sun until it was deliberately brought down to the planet's surface in April 2015. Scientists used radio observations from MESSENGER to determine Mercury's gravitational anomalies (areas of local increases or decreases in mass) and the location of its rotational pole, which allowed them to understand the orientation of the planet. Each planet spins on an axis, also known as the pole. Mercury spins much more slowly than Earth, with its day lasting about 58 Earth days. Scientists often use tiny variations in the way an object spins to reveal clues about its internal structure. In 2007, radar observations made from Earth revealed small shifts in Mercury's spin, called librations, that proved some of the planet's core must be liquid-molten metal. But observations of the spin rate alone were not sufficient to give a clear measurement of what the inner core was like. Could there be a solid core lurking underneath, scientists wondered? Gravity can help answer that question. "Gravity is a powerful tool to look at the deep interior of a planet because it depends on the planet's density structure," said Sander Goossens, a researcher at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. As MESSENGER orbited Mercury over the course of its mission and got closer and closer to the surface, scientists recorded how the spacecraft accelerated under the influence of the planet's gravity. The density structure of a planet can create subtle changes in a spacecraft's orbit. In the later parts of the mission, MESSENGER flew about 120 miles above the surface, and less than 65 miles during its last year. The final low-altitude orbits provided the best data yet and allowed for Genova and his team to make the most accurate measurements about the internal structure of Mercury yet taken. Genova and his team put data from MESSENGER into a sophisticated computer program that allowed them to adjust parameters and figure out what the interior composition of Mercury must be like to match the way it spins and the way the spacecraft accelerated around it. The results showed that for the best match, Mercury must have a large, solid inner core. They estimated that the solid, iron core is about 1,260 miles (2,000 kilometers) wide and makes up about half of Mercury's entire core (about 2,440 miles, or nearly 4,000 kilometers, wide). In contrast, Earth's solid core is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) across, taking up a little more than a third of this planet's entire core. "We had to pull together information from many fields: geodesy, geochemistry, orbital mechanics and gravity to find out what Mercury's internal structure must be," said Erwan Mazarico, a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. The fact that scientists needed to get close to Mercury to find out more about its interior highlights the power of sending spacecraft to other worlds, according to the researchers. Such accurate measurements of Mercury's spin and gravity were simply not possible to make from Earth. New discoveries about Mercury are practically guaranteed to be waiting in MESSENGER's archives, with each discovery about our local planetary neighborhood giving us a better understanding of what lies beyond. "Every new bit of information about our solar system helps us understand the larger universe," Genova said. ### Founded in 1919, AGU is a not-for-profit scientific society dedicated to advancing Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. We support 60,000 members, who reside in 135 countries, as well as our broader community, through high-quality scholarly publications, dynamic meetings, our dedication to science policy and science communications, and our commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as many other innovative programs. AGU is home to the award-winning news publication Eos, the Thriving Earth Exchange, where scientists and community leaders work together to tackle local issues, and a headquarters building that represents Washington, D.C.'s first net zero energy commercial renovation. We are celebrating our Centennial in 2019. #AGU100 Notes for Journalists This paper is freely available through May 31. Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) can download a PDF copy of the article by clicking on this link: https:/ / agupubs. onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ pdf/ 10. 1029/ 2018GL081135 Journalists and PIOs may also request a copy of the final paper by emailing Lauren Lipuma at llipuma@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number. Neither the paper nor this press release is under embargo. Paper Title "Geodetic evidence that Mercury has a solid inner core" Authors Antonio Genova: Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Sander Goossens: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.; Erwan Mazarico, Frank G. Lemoine, Gregory A. Neumann, Weijia Kuang, Terence J. Sabaka: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Steven A. Hauck II: Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber: Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; Sean C. Solomon: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, U.S.A. AGU press contact: Lauren Lipuma +1 (202) 777-7396 llipuma@agu.org Contact information for the researchers: Antonio Genova, Sapienza University, Rome antonio.genova@uniroma1.it This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (Photo/Xinhua) BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese play "Rhinoceros in Love" will return to the stage to mark its 20th anniversary since its debut in 1999. The play will be performed at the Fengchao Theater in Beijing from April 17 to 28 and will tour Shanghai and Guangzhou in May and June. "Rhinoceros in Love" tells the tale of a rhino feeder, Ma Lu, who is in love with his pretty neighbor Ming Ming, for whom he does everything he can. The rhinoceros, with poor vision, serves as a metaphor in the story, symbolizing those who are deeply in love and blinded by the sadness of unrequited love. Directed by Meng Jinghui, the play has been performed more than 2,500 times and seen by over 1 million people. In 2012, it became the first domestic play to hit the stage 1,000 times since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A painting competition, which attracted hundreds of children in the San Francisco Bay Area, aimed to encourage the younger generation to better understand the U.S.-China relationship through depicting their own stories, said an organizer on Tuesday. The competition, with the theme of "U.S.-China Story," sees entries by students aged between four to 17. Most of the contestants live in California with some of them coming from other states, according to Ming Dai, organizer of the event. As a result of the competition, more than 300 pieces of works, from oil paintings, traditional Chinese paintings, to watercolor painting or drawings, were exhibited on Tuesday at two classrooms and a corridor at University of East-West Medicine in Sunnyvale, California. Almost all of the students received some honors ranging from "Gold Award" to "Merit Award," said Dai, founder of World Association of Young Artists, a Redwood City, California-based organization committed to promoting youth art. An award presenting ceremony took place on the sidelines of the exhibition. "We hope the children can develop an interest in U.S.-China relations at an early age, because we believe friendship is the foundation of the relationship between the two countries," said Dai. Whether beginners or skilled young artists, the participants demonstrated comprehensive genres and styles with great creativity, he said. The rooms and the corridor were full of the participating students and their parents, appreciating the works while trying to locate their own art pieces. "I think I could have done better if I have more time," said Monica Chen, 14, a student from San Francisco, after viewing other participants' works. Her pencil drawing depicts the U.S. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in a bamboo forest. She said the natural environment in her drawing was actually from a Chinese landscape picture book. Jake He, a seven-year-old boy won a "Merit Award" with his crayon drawing which combines a Golden Gate Bridge at day with a cityscape at night. The cityscape was inspired by a trip to China, said He. In October this year, some of the works will be selected for an exhibition at Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco, Dai said. Everyone helplessly watching something beautiful burn is 2019 in a nutshell, wrote TV critic Ryan McGee on Twitter the day a significant portion of Notre Dame burned to the ground. He might have included 2018 in his metaphor, when Brazils National Museum was totally destroyed by fire. Before the Parisian monument caught flame, people watched helplessly as historic black churches burned in the U.S., and while the museum and cathedral fire were not the direct result of evil intent, in all of these events we witnessed the loss of sanctuaries, a word with both a religious meaning and a secular one, as columnist Jarvis DeBerry points out. Sanctuaries are places where people, priceless artifacts, and knowledge should be safe and protected, supposedly institutional bulwarks against disorder and violence. They are both havens and potent symbolsand they are also physical spaces that can be rebuilt, if not replaced. And 21st-century technology has made their rebuilding a far more collaborative and more precise affair. The reconstruction of churches in Louisiana can be funded through social media. The contents of the National Museum of Brazil can be recollected, virtually at least, through crowdsourcing and digital archives. And the ravaged wood frame, roof, and spire of Notre Dame can be rebuilt, though never replaced, not only with millions in funding from Apple and fashions biggest houses, but with an exact 3D digital scan of the cathedral made in 2015 by Vassar art historian Andrew Tallon, who passed away last year from brain cancer. In the video at the top, see Tallon, then a professor at Vassar, describe his process, one driven by a lifelong passion for Gothic architecture, and especially for Notre Dame. A former composer, would-be monk, and self-described gearhead, wrote National Geographic in a 2015 profile of his work, Tallon brought a unique sensibility to the project. His fascination with the spaces of Gothic cathedrals began with an investigation into their acoustic properties. He developed the idea of using laser scanners to create a digital replica of Notre Dame after studying at Columbia under art historian Stephen Murray, who tried and failed in 2001 to make a laser scan of a cathedral north of Paris. Fourteen years later, the technology finally caught up with the idea, which Tallon also improved on by attempting to reconstruct not only the structure, but also the methods the builders used to build it yet did not record in writing. By examining how the cathedral moved when its foundations shifted or how it heated up or cooled down, Tallon could reveal its original design and the choices that the master builder had to make when construction didnt go as planned. He took scans from more than 50 locations around the cathedralcollecting more than one billion points of data. All of the scans were knit together to make them manageable and beautiful. They are accurate to the millimeter, and as Wired reports, architects now hope that Tallons scans may provide a map for keeping on track whatever rebuilding will have to take place. To learn even more about Tallons meticulous process than he reveals in the National Geographic video at the top, read his paper Divining Proportions in the Information Age in the open access journal Architectural Histories. We may not typically think of the digital world as much of a sanctuary, and maybe for good reason, but Tallons masterwork poignantly shows the importance of using its tools to record, document, and, if necessary, reconstruct the real-life spaces that meet our definitions of the term. via the MIT Technology Review Related Content: Notre Dame Captured in an Early Photograph, 1838 A Virtual Time-Lapse Recreation of the Building of Notre Dame (1160) Wikipedia Leads Effort to Create a Digital Archive of 20 Million Artifacts Lost in the Brazilian Museum Fire Take a Virtual Tour of Brazils National Museum & Its Artifacts: Google Digitized the Museums Collection Before the Fateful Fire Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness The European Union (EU) was the largest market of Vietnamese shrimp in the first two months of 2019, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Entrepreneurs (VASEP). During January-February, export value of Vietnamese shrimp fell year-on-year by 15.2 percent to 373.6 million USD. Accounting for 20.5 percent of total export turnover, the EU secured its position as biggest buyer of Vietnamese shrimp. Within the EU, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany were the top purchasers. White-leg shrimp continued to occupy a key position in this market, making up 82 percent of total shrimp shipments. Spending 67.7 million USD on Vietnamese shrimp in the period, Japan was the second largest buyer. Experts have said that shipments to the East Asian country have shown audacious signs from the outset of the year, with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) taking effect from January, and completion of tax reduction progress under the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA). Local firms may bolster exports to the market as Japan has applied a zero percent tariff on Vietnamese seafood. Meanwhile, China ranked third by spending 62.3 million USD on Vietnamese shrimp. Currently, Vietnam is the sixth largest shrimp supplier for China with 5.7 percent of the market share. VASEP eyes more than 4 billion USD in shrimp exports this year thanks to free trade agreements. It said the shrimp sector would make a breakthrough in exporting to 28 EU countries enjoying low import tariffs once the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement takes effect for an estimated export value of 1 billion USD.-VNA www.winemag.com by WINE ENTHUSIAST17/04/2019 Photo by Ennevi-Veronafiere Some 125,000 trade members attended this years Vinitaly, held in Verona from April 710, including 33,000 international buyers. More than 4,600 companiesthe most that has ever attended the eventfilled the 1,076,391-square-foot exhibition space, according to Maurizio Danese, president of Veronafiere. Almost all of Italys wines are represented at the fair, including Cantina Traminproduced in Alto-Adige, Michele Chiarlo from Piedmont, and Firriato and Vigne Surrau from Sicily. And the shows gala dinner, Ornellaia was honored with the Vinitaly International Award for their excellent production of Italys cult classic, Ornellaia Bolgheri Rosso. Aimed to honor the top names in wine, the Vinitaly International Award was also granted to Leon Liang, a passionate promoter of Italian wine and co-founder of GRAPEA Institute, an important wine school in China. Demei Li, Chinas leading enologist credited with improving quality at Chinese wineries and an associate professor at Beijing University of Agriculture, also received the honor. Ornellaia, Liang and Li are in distinguished company. Previous honorees include Marchesi Antinori, Vittorio Moretti, the Biondi Santi Family and Livio Felluga. Past international award winners include E & J Gallo Winery, Hugh Johnson, Zind Humbrecht and Kendall-Jackson. But the big news at the show? Veronafiere SpA, the company that produces Vinitaly, announced it had struck a deal with Shenzhen Taoshow Culture & Media to launch a multi-channel platform called Wine to Asia. The platform, which will support marketing, sales, road shows, trade shows and events both on- and off-line, will be up and running in 2020 and is expected to reach a $7.2 billion Asian market. It only need be mentioned global demand for wine in the Far East is worth 6.4 billion euros ($7.23 billion) of imports and is moving close to North American, where imports come to 6.95 billion euros ($7.86 billion), said Danese. Shenzhen was the selected because they have achieved the highest rates for economic growth in China over the last 20 years, said Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere. He noted the city was home to 30 percent of Chinas wine importers. DS Smith to Sell Two Packaging Businesses to International Paper for EUR 63 Million April 17, 2019 - DS Smith announced that it has reached an agreement for the proposed sale of two packaging businesses in North Western France and Portugal to International Paper for EUR 63 million. The sales of the packaging businesses would fulfill the commitment made to the European Commission in relation to the clearance of DS Smith's acquisition of Papeles y Cartones de Europa, S.A., known as Europac, which was completed on January 22, 2019. I am delighted that we are on track to meet our commitment to the European Commission with both an attractive price and a good home for the businesses in International Paper, said Miles Roberts, Group Chief Executive of DS Smith. Completion of the sales is subject to customary closing conditions including works council consultation and regulatory approvals and expected to take place in the first half of DS Smith's fiscal year 20119/2020. DS Smith is a leading provider of corrugated packaging in Europe and present in 37 countries, employing around 26,000 people. To learn more, please visit: www.dssmith.com . SOURCE: DS Smith Just like last years announcement by the Swatch Group that it would be leaving Baselworld, the press release announcing Breitlings absence next year was issued early on a Sunday morning. One might argue that this is the perfect way to attempt to bury bad news. But the news was not entirely bad, since it coincided with a confirmation that the worlds biggest and best-known watch company, Rolex, is extending its presence at the show next year and allocating a brand-new space for its sister brand Tudor. WorldTempus spoke to Baselworlds Managing Director, Michel Loris-Melikoff, about what this means for the future of the exhibition. Mr Loris-Melikoff, people seem to be focusing on the negative side of your recent announcement (the fact that Breitling is leaving), but what about the positive news regarding Rolex and Tudor? Indeed, I think that this is a very strong signal. Rolex is the first company to make such an announcement in a very clear way and they allowed me to inform the media accordingly. But there will be others. We are in discussion with around 30 brands who had left Baselworld who have got in touch with us about coming back to the exhibition, so that is also very positive. We hear a lot about experience, from yourself representing Baselworld but also from other brands. Isnt Baselworld the best-placed to offer the best experience for customers and visitors on a multi-brand level? My job is to try to bring brands together and offer them a strong platform. That was the reason I wanted to coordinate the dates between the SIHH and Baselworld. But there are other ways of bringing brands together, and there are other events that we should try to integrate into our schedule so that these two weeks in April become the two weeks where the entire watch and jewellery industry meets up in Switzerland. At the closing press conference at Baselworld this year we saw the slogan Baselworld goes global. Can you tell us more about your specific plans under this slogan? I will very soon start travelling the world The Baselworld brand is strong enough for us to take things beyond the city of Basel. We already have a strong presence in Miami and Hong Kong thanks to Art Basel and we already have teams in place there. The growth of the watch and jewellery industries is strongest in Asian countries, so just as the brands themselves are doing, Baselworld is going to start looking at these markets and we will be making some announcements along these lines in the next few months. At the local level in the city of Basel, a lot of watch brands are present in the city but not at Baselworld. How can you combat this problem? First of all, whenever an event is faced with ambush marketing we have to consider that the event is a success. So, I believe that the presence of brands in hotels surrounding the exhibition is a sign that Baselworld still has its place in the industry and that these brands want to take advantage of Baselworld, which is quite positive. We do, however, need to look at why these brands prefer to book these hotel rooms rather than have a stand at Baselworld. There are two things to consider here: the first is our relationship with the hotels and their willingness to accept these brands. To some extent they are impacting our sales even though we are bringing them the business! So we need to find solutions with them. Second, we have seen cases this year of hotels which have accommodated brands who might have been presenting counterfeit versions of watches from exhibitors at Baselworld! We have a legal platform in place to combat this inside Baselworld, but if a company is exhibiting outside the exhibition and we are made aware of it, we are obliged to get the police involved. In such cases the hotel runs the risk of becoming a platform for illicit trade. Unfortunately, the hotels dont have the knowledge to determine whether their customers are legitimate or not. What about the price differences between the hotels and a stand at Baselworld? Of course there is a significant price difference, but we also see hotels selling space at prices that are far in excess of the framework agreement we reached last year with our hotel partners. Here too, we have to find solutions that appeal to these brands. With the incubator that we introduced this year, many brands have seen that we can offer attractive ways for smaller brands to make their debut at Baselworld. The incubator seems to have been a resounding success. Are you considering expanding it for next year? Yes, of course. But we dont want a thousand exhibitors in the incubator either! We plan to extend it to jewellery and gemstones as well. What are the next major steps for you apart from your world tour? We will start our sales much earlier this year because we only started them last year after I had arrived, which was in early July, and we started the negotiations with exhibitors in September and October. I now have a sales manager, so we can share the task and I can concentrate on other tasks, like the gemstones section. Do have an objective for the number of exhibitors next year? More than this year! [laughs] But seriously my objective is between 600 and 700 exhibitors. I think that is a reasonable figure. The days of celebrities riding horses into Studio 54 and club kids striking fear into the hearts of stay-at-home moms can often feel like a far cry from the sweaty, up-to-code functions that now lie at the heart of New York nightlife. No longer locked in a bitter rivalry between the Uptown and Downtown crowds, ever rising rent prices have since pushed the scene deeper into Brooklyn bringing with it a more diverse, politically active generation to carry the torch forward. As a part of a new campaign promoting the launch of the '90s dad sneaker-inspired, Adidas FYW S-97, Sneakersnstuff turned to the contemporary Brooklyn scene for an update. Tapping four trailblazers that sit at the vanguard of New York nightlife, Dylan Ali, Jose Girona, Maya Margarita Mones and Elvin Tavarez delve into what they love about Bushwick's DIY club culture and what they are doing to push the community forward. "Nightlife is driven by socioeconomic status and social currency (social media engagements/followings, proximity to power and fame, aesthetic appeal, etc)," Ali explains, citing venues like h0l0, Cafe Erzulie, and Dumbo House. "Many venues prioritize catering their experiences to the demographic spending the most money above creating an overall fun party space." Related | Alexander Wang x Adidas Originals Season Five Is Here Colleague and friend Tavarez echoes a similar sentiment, underscoring the importance of collectives like local staples Bubble T, Papi Juice, Club Glam, and Shock Value that prioritize people of color and queer voices. "[C]ommunity is very important to me because, in order to build strong ones, you need respect and support. If the world's inhabitants respected and supported one another more, we'd be in a very different place today." This deeper understanding of nightlife can be used to effect change and create a network of support for otherwise institutionally disadvantaged individuals. "It feels like folks are holding each other tighter and dancing with more passion than ever before," says Maya Margarita Mones, aka br0nz3_g0dd3ss, giving a shoutout to venue and cultural hub, Elsewhere, in the process. "Nightlife spaces are sometimes the only place we get to release and just be, which in the world we currently live in, is so essential." Scope out the full campaign, below; the Adidas FYW S-97 goes on sale starting April 17th online and at all Sneakersnstuff locations. PAPER is pleased to report that Kim Kardashian's legal studies are going well, in spite of her haters. She sat a test for her most difficult subject yesterday, and has shared on Twitter that she "aced" it. Kardashian West: 1, Torts: 0. The law of civil wrongs, torts is a notoriously tricky subject, and in a recent Vogue profile Kardashian West revealed that she was finding it more "confusing" than contracts law and criminal law the two other subjects she's currently studying. It's unclear whether Kim has actually received her grade back, or is merely confident that she did well. Either way, the heavy book-filled backpack she wore on her way to the exam indicates she's pretty serious about this whole Elle Woods thing. Although she lacks an undergraduate degree, the state of California allows students to attain legal qualifications by apprenticing to practicing attorneys so Kardashian West has enlisted two mentors to supervise her studies for eighteen hours each week. She's aiming to take the state bar exam in 2022, and is currently preparing for a "baby bar" exam taking place later this year. The career pivot isn't super surprising. Her father was a prominent attorney, after all. And last year Kardashian West successfully campaigned for the freedom of non-violent offender Alice Marie Johnson the 63-year-old had been put behind bars in 1996 for a drug offence. As activist and CNN commentator Van Jones described it to Vogue, Donald Trump found Kardashian West's rhetoric extremely persuasive. Iranian Hijab Protester Vida Movahedi Remains Detained Despite Eligibility for Release 04/17/19 Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran Movahedi Has Served Five Months of Her One-Year Prison Sentence Vida Movahedi, the woman whose public display of peaceful protest against Iran's compulsory hijab law was captured in a viral photo, remains detained in Gharchak Prison for women south of Tehran despite being eligible for release. On April 14, 2019, her attorney, Payam Derafshan, told the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that Branch 1091 of the Guidance Court in Tehran on March 2, 2019, had sentenced Movahedi to a year in prison for that action under the charge of "encouraging people to corruption and prostitution." Her request for temporary release has been approved but not yet enforced for unknown reasons, according to Derafshan. "The reason for publicizing this case is that this prisoner is being unlawfully held in detention even though she's eligible for conditional release," the attorney said on a post on Instagram on April 15. He added that Movahedi, having already served five months of her sentence in detention, had also been granted a special pardon on the occasion of the anniversary of Prophet Mohammad's prophethood, "So why hasn't she been freed yet?" Derafshan also noted that Movahedi's two-year-old daughter "is feeling sick from not being with her mother" and "naturally mother and daughter desire being together as soon as possible." For her December 2018 protest, "Vida was held at the Vozara Detention Center for 24 hours and then released," a source with knowledge of her case told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on condition of anonymity. "Later she was slapped with a fine that was paid in full by her family." "The second time ([October 23, 2018] she was again taken to the Vozara Detention Center and after a few days they transferred her to Gharchak Prison," the source added. "She's currently in a ward with dangerous inmates and not in a suitable situation at all," said the source. "But like all other prisoners in the public ward, she's allowed visitation." Article 638 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code specifies penalties for women caught not wearing the government-mandated hijab in public, "Women, who appear in public places and roads without wearing an Islamic hijab, shall be sentenced to ten days to two months' imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousand to five hundred rials." However, the defendants can also be issued harsher sentences for not abiding by the hijab law under different charges. Movahedi has been detained in Gharchak Prison since her second public compulsory hijab protest on October 23, 2018, when she waved her hijab along with white and red balloons while standing on a dome in the middle of Revolution Sq. in Tehran. Initially identified on social media as Vida "Movahed," Movahedi publicly protested against the hijab law for the first time on December 27, 2018. She did so while standing on a utility box on Revolution St. in busy central Tehran while waving her white headscarf with her hand. A photo of her doing so went viral on social media networks and made international headlines. Dozens of Iranian women followed suit in the coming months and at least 30 were arrested in 2018. They came to be referred to as the "Girls of Revolution Street." Iran to host World Health Summit regional meeting in Kish Island 04/17/19 Source: Tehran Times Iran will host The World Health Summit (WHS), one of the world's most prominent forums for addressing global health issues, announced the Iranian deputy health minister for research and technology. The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2019 is organized by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and will be held in Persian Gulf's Kish Island on April 29-30, IRIB quoted Reza Malekzadeh as saying. www.worldhealthsummit.org/regional-meeting.html According to World Health Organization (WHO), the event will bring global health experts from different sectors to Iran's Kish Island, where they'll work together to strengthen cooperation and improve health worldwide. Health in uncertain situations, global health in a transitional world, sustainable health development, noncommunicable diseases (NCDS) and mental health, planetary health and medical education are among the main topics of the event. According to Malekzadeh, WHS will also address other Innovative topics, such as Silk Road and different religions' view toward health. "A scientific report about Iran's progress in health issues, published by The Lancet medical journal will be unveiled over the event as well," he said. "The event will majorly focus on strategies for removing obstacles in providing minimum healthcare for all the people around the world, despite political, social and religious differences, that is among the WHO's most important goals," added Malekzadeh. Student pre-event to address academic cooperation For the first time in the history of WHS, the upcoming regional meeting will be preceded by a student pre-event. This pre-event is a full-day program which is going to be held on April 28th. The student pre-event will provide a platform for discussion of M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies, said Pouria Rouzrokh, the head of the Student Organizing Committee. The M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies is a unique network of 25 leading international academic health centers, universities and research institutions, and includes the InterAcademy Partnership, which represents all National Academies of Medicine and Science. The M8 Alliance acts as an academic think-tank for the World Health Summit. The main WHS event will also include a new program, that is a two-hour scientific panel for students, said Rouzrokh. According to Rouzrokh, 900 Iranian and foreign students have applied for attending the WHS, and 150 students will be accepted based on their scientific and academic background. 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. The hullabaloo surrounding the newly drafted Public University Bill has been described by the Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper as premature. Kweku Baako said there is the need for one to take time in reading the drafted document before drawing any conclusion. "It is too early; the truth is that there is too much premature ejaculation . . . there is no cause for alarm," he indicated. The Minority in Parliament has urged lecturers of the various public universities to rise up against the Public Universities Bill aimed at diffusing their autonomy. According to the Minority, the Public Universities Bill is an attempt to kill academic freedom at the various public universities. Some of the proposals in the Bill grant; a) the President power to dissolve the university Council; b) Allow the university Council to appoint a Chancellor and c) Allow unions to appoint only one representative on a rotational system to serve on the Council at each cycle. The minority has described the proposals as worrisome. According to them, the bill, which is yet to be laid in Parliament has severe consequences as far as academic freedom and the autonomy of universities are concerned. Watch video below 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 Sudan's powerful intelligence service announced Thursday it was freeing all the country's political detainees, state media said. "The National Intelligence and Security Service has announced it is releasing all political detainees across the country," the official SUNA news agency said. Search Keywords: Short link: The Government has saved GHC36 million within two years for the prudent management of the pre-mix fuel and halting the diversion of the commodity. Additionally, the 286 Landing Beach Committees had accumulated over seven million Ghana cedis in their Community Development Fund accounts from the sale of pre-mix fuel allocated to the community. Consequently, the National Pre-mix Fuel Secretariat had installed tracking devices at the Secretariat to monitor the movement of the trucks that cart the commodity from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to the intended destination to check diversion and other corrupt practices. Madam Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, announced this at the Meet-the-Press Series in Accra on Tuesday, to update the public on the Ministry's activities and achievements and solicit ideas to enhance its policies. She said the accumulated amount in the Community Development Fund of the LBCs were being used to fund various developmental projects including market centres, drainage systems, toilet facilities, community-based health planning systems (CHIPS) compounds and hostels, which were at the various stages of completion. Madam Afoley Quaye said hitherto, the 53 percent of the proceeds from the sale of pre-mix fuel meant for community development ended up in individual pockets, for funding the construction of political party offices and party activities at the expense of the people. Explaining how those successes were chalked, the Minister said upon assumption of office by the ruling NPP Government, it constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising the Energy, the Finance, Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, National Petroleum Authority and the National Premix Fuel Secretariat and outlined strategic measures to halt the corruption in the pre-mix fuel sale and management. The measures implemented by the Inter-Ministerial Committee resulted in the reduction of the number of Landing Beach Committees from 475 to 286, while daily and monthly returns book were introduced for proper record keeping and accountability of the sale of the commodity. The Minister gave a rundown of the various projects being implemented by her outfit to boost fish stock production, including Aquaculture for Food and Jobs, which would create 80,000 direct and indirect jobs, rehabilitation of fish hatchery centres, construction of more cold stores and ice-making plants for fish preservation, supply of inputs to fishermen at subsidised rate, plans to construct Jamestown Fishing Harbour Complex and vaccination of Volta Lake to avert mass death of tilapia. She said for the first time in the history of the country, the inshore and artisanal fishers would observe the closed fishing season from May 15 to June 15, while the industrial trawlers would observe theirs from August 2 to September 30, 2019, to allow the mother fish stock to spawn and enable the fingerlings to grow. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Democratic Congress has strongly told government in the face that the latter's "partisan prosecution" of the opposition party's National Chairman and a Deputy Communications Officer, cannot in any way "divert attention" from the clear "dismal display in government and maladministration that is fast driving the country into a ditch". The NDC, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, condemned in no uncertain terms, "the politically-motivated persecution of our officials, cynically disguised as lawful prosecution." According to the NDC, the country has witnessed scores of "instances of harassment, intimidation, criminality, lawlessness and plain terrorism by hoodlums operating at his behest", yet none of the principal actors involved have been prosecuted by the government of the day. "How can a President fail so outrageously to act against terrorists belonging to his party who attacked a Court in Kumasi and pretend that a tape of dubious authenticity in which innocuous commentary is made, can form the basis of any serious prosecution? What kind of thinking went into this frivolous prosecution when the Presidents Spiritual acolyte, Owusu Bempah, walks free after attacking a radio station with armed thugs?" portions of the statement read. The statement further described as "curious", the trial of Samuel Ofosu Ampofo by a Commercial Division of the High Court. "We hope there is no sinister motive behind it," it said. The opposition party further vowed not to "cede an inch of Ghanas political space to a leader whose only approach to dissent is persecution," adding that come 2020, the NDC will regain power "to right his wrongs and restore confidence and integrity into state institutions while promoting a climate of freedom and respect for all shades of opinion". Read Below A Copy Of The Statement For Immediate Release NDC DECRIES HARRASSMENT AND MALICIOUS PROSECUTION OF NATIONAL CHAIRMAN AND DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER The National Democratic Congress takes note of the scheduled commencement of the trial of our National Chairman, Hon Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and our Deputy National Communications Officer. We wish to condemn in no uncertain terms, the politically-motivated persecution of our officials, cynically disguised as lawful prosecution. The NDC finds it curious that the Chief Justice having created the divisions for the High Court with fully constituted Criminal Division, the case of our National Chairman would be assigned to a Justice at the Commercial Division of the High Court. We hope there is no sinister motive behind it. We are aware that the frivolous, trumped up and illogical charges brought against our officials form part of a grand scheme by an increasingly intolerant and vindictive Nana Akufo-Addo to gag the political opposition. Mr. Akufo-Addo is under the misguided belief that this partisan prosecution will divert attention from his dismal display in government and the maladministration that is fast driving Ghana into a ditch. Fully aware that he cannot fulfil the legion of utopian campaign promises made to Ghanaians, the President has devised a scheme to use malicious prosecutions of NDC functionaries to curry favour with the electorate. We had however never thought that such crudeness and blatant disregard for the rights of our members would be the weapons of choice in this political vendetta. We have witnessed countless instances of harassment, intimidation, criminality, lawlessness and plain terrorism by hoodlums operating at his behest. Yet, he has not found it fit to prosecute the blood-thirsty bandits who have carried out these crimes against innocent citizens of Ghana, but is quick to sanction the abuse of prosecutorial powers to intimidate opponents on the flimsiest of premises. How can a President fail so outrageously to act against terrorists belonging to his party who attacked a Court in Kumasi and pretend that a tape of dubious authenticity in which innocuous commentary is made, can form the basis of any serious prosecution? What kind of thinking went into this frivolous prosecution when the Presidents Spiritual acolyte, Owusu Bempah, walks free after attacking a radio station with armed thugs? How does the President reconcile his refusal to prosecute the terrorists who unleashed violence against innocent citizens of Ghana at the Ayawaso West Wuogon, with this victimization of our officials? We are also outraged, that the Ghana Police Service, has become a laughing stock and are willing to be made a plaint tool in the political persecution of Akufo-Addos opponents. We wish to make clear, that contrary to the Akufo Addo governments belief that the maltreatment of our members, hasty media trials and the peddling of outrageous falsehoods against them will meet with a docile party, we will take every reasonable step to assert the innocence of our members and insist on respect for their fundamental human rights. We demand fair and lawful treatment for all our members and an immediate end to this harassment. Despite our strong disagreement with this partisan prosecution, we demand fairness in the judicial process and it is our expectation that historical hostility to the NDC, whether real or perceived, will play no role in the determination of all cases and that only the facts of each case, the position of the law and the objective assessment of same will inform any outcome. Finally, we assure President Akufo-Addo that his hypocrisy and quest to muscle the opposition through the misuse of security agencies and manipulation of judicial processes will fail. We will neither permit nor allow the erosion of all the gains made in our democratic dispensation only to satisfy the whim of a President whose actions appears to portray dictatorial tendencies. We are unwilling to cede an inch of Ghanas political space to a leader whose only approach to dissent is persecution. We are comforted that his disastrous performance as President will lead to his dismissal from office by the people of Ghana at the 2020 elections. This will afford the incoming NDC government the opportunity to right his wrongs and restore confidence and integrity into state institutions while promoting a climate of freedom and respect for all shades of opinion. Meanwhile, we invite all well meaning Ghanaians to join the NDC in solidarity to defend the fundamental human rights of our citizenry, during this moment of unbridled political persecution by the Akufo Addo led NPP government. Signed Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah (General Secretary) NATIONAL SECRETARIAT P.O BOX AN 5825 ACCRA-NORTH, GHANA Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, is attending a Freedom Forum in Rabat, Morocco. He is currently leading a seven-member delegation from Ghana to the North African country. The delegation included Aziz Futah, NPPs Nasara Coordinator and Mohammed Alhassan, NPP Youth Organizer for Northern Region. Amma Frimpongmaa Dwumah, member of the Young Appointees Forum and Abukari Braimah, Ablekuma North Constituency Youth Organizer are also there. Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Administrator of National Youth Wing and David Nkansa Anto, Administrator, IYDU-Ghana are also part of the delegation. Nana Boakye, aka Nana B and his team would join youth leaders from other countries to discuss key international issues concerning the youth. Issues regarding youth development and democracy would take center stage during the five-day conference. The conference officially started on April 10 and Nana B and his delegation are expected in Ghana today April 16. Nana B, who is also the Vice Chairman, International Young Democratic Union, told DAILY GUIDE that his delegation would make an impact at the conference. He said fundamental issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and 2063 agenda of the African Union (AU) would be discussed. Nana B disclosed that issues affecting migration and how the acceleration of population mobility can represent a demographically challenge would be thoroughly discussed at the forum. 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 Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Chairman for Affigya Kwabre South, has proposed military training for District Chief Executives (DCEs). DCEs are key agents for development at the grassroots level so there is the need for them to be active at all times, hence the need for military training for them, he said. There should be a law that stipulates that people that are appointed as DCEs must go for military training for two months before they take office. This will make them efficient and active. Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, who is outspoken, insisted that assembly members, who are also crucial to development in the various localities, should also undergo military training as well. With the military training, DCEs and assemblymen would be punctual to work and this would eventually lead to the transformation of our country, he said. Odeneho Kwaku Appiah made the disclosure while addressing the DCE, assemblymen, NPP executives and coordinators at Affigya Kwabre South in the Ashanti Region on Sunday. The meeting, a brainchild of Mr Appiah, was geared towards enhancing peace and unity among the assembly members, DCEs and NPP executives and coordinators to boost development. Odeneho Kwaku Appiah said the current Akufo-Addo administration is committed to transforming Ghana and urged assembly members to partner the NPP executives. The Affigya Kwabre South NPP Chairman also admonished assembly members to be disciplined at all times to help promote development. Development cannot take place in an indiscipline society and so I urge the various assemblies to formulate laws that would boost development. 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 A member of the communication and legal teams of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba says the state must as well put before court the NPP vigilante group who caused mayhem during the Ayawaso bye-election. According to him, their actions are relatively equal to what NDCs National Chairman, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo is alleged to have said. The sword must cut in both ways, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Amaliba who was in court to defend two of his party leaders said charges leveled against Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and Kwaku Boahen are questionable - adding that, the Gh100,000 bail granted them was a sad day for prosecution in Ghanas history. The Accra High Court granted bail to Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo and Anthony Kwaku Boahen, who are the Chairman and Deputy National Communication Officer of the opposition, National Democratic Congress [NDC] respectively. Ofosu-Ampofo and Kweku Boahen were each granted bail in the sum of Gh100,000 with one surety after they pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to cause harm and assault on a Public Officer. The NDC Chairman has come under strong criticism after an audio in which he was allegedly inciting violence leaked. On the tape, the NDC Chairman allegedly urged the partys communicators to target the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa. He is also heard allegedly inciting them to insult the Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Emmanuel Asante. Listen to interview Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com /Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Accra High Court has ordered a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Salaga South, Ibrahim Dey Abubakari, to pay GH1.5 million in damages to a former National Security Advisor, Alhaji Baba Kamara, for defaming him. Abubakari is said to have accused Alhaji Kamara of inflating contract costs in the renovation of the Vice-Presidential Mansion and pocketing the money meant for a water project in Salaga. He also claimed that the former National Security Advisor diverted state vehicles and other items for his personal use. Dissatisfied with the former legislators comments, Alhaji Kamara, on March 20, 2017, sued him for damages and also sought a perpetual injunction restraining him from further making defamatory statements about him. Abubakari liable After more than two years of legal tussle, the court presided over by Justice Patience Mills-Tetteh, found Abubakari liable and held that the former MP had the intention and that he deliberately set out to damage Alhaji Kamaras reputation. Apart from the damages, the court also awarded costs of GH5,000 against Abubakari. Incivility is gradually creeping into our society; people give bad reports about other people on our airwaves without checking the authenticity of the facts and this must be controlled; public servants of this country must be lifted up and be respected after services to this nation. It is not right to accuse people of wrongdoing when it has not been established by any means that they have committed those offences. This nation must not encourage the dissemination of false news and provocative vocabulary on our airwaves because it can cause irreparable damage to the image of the persons who are the subject of discussions. It does not pay to use words to tear up people in authority, the presiding judge said in her judgement GH1.5 million The Accra High Court has awarded GH1.5 million in damages against Ibrahim Dey Abubakari, a former MP for Salaga South, for defaming Alhaji Baba Kamara, a former National Security Advisor. Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A member of the Communication and Legal teams of the National Democratic Congress [NDC], Abraham Amaliba says his party will officially file an application to the court in an appeal to withdraw charges against their deputy Communication Director who has been linked with Chairman Ofosu-Ampofos leaked tape. Kwaku Boahen on February 27, 2019 day after Mr Ofosu-Ampofos leaked tape surfaced the net confirmed that indeed the voice and very utterances heard on the tape are that of Mr Ofosu-Ampofo. In an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie, Kweku Boahen who claimed was at the said meeting said We the party [NDC communication] members are very happy of what our Chairman said and we will do exactly that. What he said is dear to our hearts that is why we clapped for him during the meeting which was recorded and leaked. His comments landed him into troubles which he later denied his presence at the meeting. He has together with his party Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo charged of conspiracy to cause harm and assault on a public officer - but, both granted bail in the sum of Gh100,000 with one surety. Speaking on the issue on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie, Abraham Amaliba described Kweku Boahens utterances as unfortunate. According to him, What he [Kweku Boahen] said is just a political talk. Listen to interview 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 The Governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is scheduled to hold extraordinary regional delegates conference in all the six newly created regions to elect persons to occupy vacant regional executive positions. A statement issued by the NPPs General Secretary, John Boadu, said the conference would be held on 18 May, 2019, in all the newly created regions. According to the statement; The conference shall be attended by the following delegates as provided for in Article 9(25) of the Party Constitution; All Members of the Regional Executive Committee in the Region; All Members of Parliament in the Region; All Members of the Constituency Executive Committee in the Region; All Regional Representative on the National Council from the Region; One TESCON member from each of the recognized tertiary institution in the Region, All Founding Members from the Region who were signatories to the registration documents of the Party at the Electoral Commission. It also said; The Special Regional Executive Committee Meetings shall be held in strict compliance with Article 9(24) of the Party Constitution, which provides clear GUIDELINES in respect of how to fill vacant positions in the regional executive committee. Article 9(24) states that: any vacancy, which may occur for whatever reason in the membership of the Regional Executive Committee, shall be filled in the case of the Regional Chairperson by the 1st Regional Vice Chairperson; in the case of the 1st Vice Chairperson by the Regional, by the 2nd Regional chairperson, and in the case of the Regional Secretary and the Treasurer, by election of the Regional Executive Committee of another officer to hold such office. In the case of any other officer, the Regional Executive Committee shall appoint someone to act. Any person elected or appointed to fill a vacancy shall vacate his or her office at the same time as the other Regional officers at the end of the term of four (4) years, the statement stressed. Read full statement below Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press We have invited you here primarily to officially spell out the GUIDELINES and MODALITIES for the conduct of the party's forthcoming Extraordinary Regional Delegates Conferences and special Regional Executive Committee Meetings which are being held in pursuance to Article 18 and Article 9 respectively, of the Partys Constitution. The essence of these conferences and meetings is to elect or appoint (as the case may be) persons to occupy vacant regional executive positions in accordance with the partys constitution and guidelines of the National Executive Committee and National Council. The decision to hold these extraordinary regional delegates conferences and special regional executive meetings have been necessitated by the need to fill vacant regional executive positions, occasioned by the recent regional reorganization witnessed in the country. In the light of this, these regional conferences and special regional executive committee meetings shall be held ONLY in regions affected by the regional reorganization. For the avoidance of doubt, the extraordinary regional delegates conferences shall be held in the newly created regions comprising the Oti Region, Western North Region, Bono East Region, Ahafo Region, Savanna Region and North East Region, whereas the traditional regions from which these new regions were carved, comprising the Volta Region, Western Region, Bono Region and Northern Region, shall hold special Regional Executive Committee Meetings. SPECIAL REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO FILL VACANT POSITIONS IN THE TRADITIONAL REGIONS The Special Regional Executive Committee Meetings shall be held in strict compliance with Article 9(24) of the Party Constitution, which provides clear GUIDELINES in respect of how to fill vacant positions in the regional executive committee. Article 9(24) states that: any vacancy, which may occur for whatever reason in the membership of the Regional Executive Committee, shall be filled in the case of the Regional Chairperson by the 1st Regional Vice Chairperson; in the case of the 1st Vice Chairperson by the Regional, by the 2nd Regional chairperson, and in the case of the Regional Secretary and the Treasurer, by election of the Regional Executive Committee of another officer to hold such office. In the case of any other officer, the Regional Executive Committee shall appoint someone to act. Any person elected or appointed to fill a vacancy shall vacate his or her office at the same time as the other Regional officers at the end of the term of four (4) years. The special regional executive committee meetings shall be held under the supervision of a National Representative, and shall come off on the following dates: Bono Region 3rd May, 2019 Northern Region 4th May, 2019 Western Region 5th May, 2019 Volta Region 5th May, 2019 EXTRAORDINARY REGIONAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE TO ELECT OFFICERS FOR THE NEWLY CREATED REGIONS As indicated, the extraordinary regional delegates conference shall be held in all the six newly created regions comprising Oti Region, Western North Region, Bono East Region, Ahafo Region, Savannah Region and North East Region, to ELECT persons to occupy vacant regional executive positions subject to the following Rules and Regulations or GUIDELINES: The extraordinary regional delegates conference shall be held on Saturday, May 18, 2019, in all the newly created regions The conference shall be attended by the following delegates as provided for in Article 9(25) of the Party Constitution All Members of the Regional Executive Committee in the Region;All Members of Parliament in the Region; All Members of the Constituency Executive Committee in the Region; All Regional Representative on the National Council from the Region; One TESCON member from each of the recognized tertiary institution in the Region All Founding Members from the Region who were signatories to the registration documents of the Party at the Electoral Commission. The presence of at least one-third (1/3rd) of the delegates shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the Extraordinary Regional Delegates Conference There shall be constituted, the Regional Elections Committee (REC), which shall conduct the Regional Executives elections on May 18, 2019 at a Venue as the REC may determine. The Regional Elections Committee (REC) shall be constituted as follows; A National Representative, appointed by the National Steering Committee who shall be the Chairperson; One (1) Regional Representative One (1) Representative appointed from the Regional Council of Elders The composition of the Regional Elections Committee for all the six newly created regions is as follows: Oti Region Omari Wadie (Chairman) Isaac Attah Anane (Member) Abunyaa Magdalene (Member) Western North Region Kwesi Nkrumah (Chairman) Captain Aidoo (Member) Dr. Isaac Segoh (Member) Bono East Region Nana Obiri Boahene (Chairman) Prince Donyinah (Member) Judith Agyei (Member) Ahafo Region Sammi Awuku (Chairman) Owusu Bempong (Member) Cecelia Amoah Gyan (Member) Savannah Region Rita Asobayire (Chairperson) Dr. Clifford Braimah (Member) Alhaji Adam Zakari (Member) North East Region Evans Nimako Seth Boyoyo (Member) Amidu Abdul Karim (Member) A member of the Regional Elections Committee shall not be eligible to contest for any position in the Regional elections. Only delegates to the Extraordinary Regional Delegates Conference shall have the right to vote by proxy. Applicants who wish to contest in the Regional Executive Elections shall pay to the Chairperson of the Regional Elections Committee a non-refundable nomination fee of One Thousand Ghana cedis (GHC1,000.00) for the Chairperson position and Five Hundred Ghana cedis only (GHC500.00) for other positions. Only prospective aspirants are entitled to purchase Application Form from the Regional Elections Committee. Prospective aspirants shall NOT be denied access to procure the Application Form. If for any reason, an applicant is unable to procure Application Form from the REC, he/she may petition the General Secretary, for an Application Form at the National Secretariat. Nomination shall open on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 and close on Friday April 26, 2019 from their respective Regional Elections Committees. Vetting shall be held between April 29 and 30, 2019, and the Vetting Report should be ready on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Disqualified aspirants may petition the National Secretariat for redress by Friday, May 3, 2019 and decision on such petition shall be communicated by Monday, May 6, 2019, which decision shall be final. An aspirant for any of the Regional Executive position shall be nominated by one (1) member and seconded by ten (10) registered members of the party who are known, active and reside in that Region, all of whom shall be in good standing. Three (3) quarto-sized photographs with red background shall accompany each Application Form. The Constituency Albums within the Region shall be used as the Register for the conduct of the election. The delegates to the conference shall vote with their party Membership Identity (ID) Cards but where same is unavailable, the National Voters ID card may be admitted by the REC for the purpose of voting. The term of office of the officers shall be coterminous with all regional executives. No member shall be eligible to apply for nomination as a Regional Officer unless such a member is a known and active member for at least two (2) years and in good standing [Article 9(6)]. No member shall be eligible to contest an election, or to be appointed to the position of a Regional Officer, if such a member is a Polling Station, Electoral Area Coordinator, Constituency or National Officer, MMDCE, MP, Minister or Deputy Minister of State. THE VACANT ELECTIVE POSITIONS TO BE CONTESTED FOR AT THE EXTRAORDINARY REGIONAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE IN THE NEWLY CREATED REGIONS INCLUDE: Oti Region Regional Chairman, Regional Second Vice Chairman, Regional Secretary, Regional Organizer, Regional Youth Organizer and Regional Women Organizer. Western North Region Regional Chairman, 1st Vice Chairperson, 2nd Vice Chairperson, rESecretary, Treasurer, Organizer, Youth Organizer and Nasara Coordinator. Bono East Region Regional 1st Vice Chairperson, Regional 2nd Vice Chairperson, Regional Treasurer, Regional Secretary, Regional Assistant Secretary, Regional Organizer, Regional Youth Organizer and Regional Women Organizer. Ahafo Region Regional Chairman, Regional 1st Vice Chairperson, Regional 2nd Vice Chairperson, Regional Secretary, Regional Assistant Secretary, Regional Treasurer, Regional Organizer, Regional Women Organizer and Regional Nasara Coordinator. Savannah Region Regional Chairman, Regional 1st Vice Chairperson, Regional 2nd Vice Chairperson, Regional Secretary, Regional Treasurer, Regional Organizer, Regional Youth Organizer, Regional Women Organizer and Regional Nasara Coordinator. North East Region Regional Chairman, Regional 1st Vice Chairperson, Regional 2nd Vice Chairperson, Regional Treasurer, Regional Assistant Secretary, Regional Organizer, Regional Youth Organizer, Regional Women Organizer and Regional Nasara Coordinator. INAUGURATION OF NATIONAL COUNCIL STANDING AND ADHOC COMMITTEES OF THE PARTY The party wishes to use this opportunity to once again announce that all standing committees of the National Council and Ad-hoc Committees have been duly formed and approved at the last National Council meeting which was held on March 12, 2019. The committees include Finance Committee, Constitutional and Legal Committee, Vetting Committee. Others include Organizational Committee, Research Committee, National Disciplinary Committee, Dispute Resolution Committee, ICT Committee, Welfare Committee, Elections Committee, Events Committee, and Communications Committee. These committees would be inaugurated on Wednesday, May 24, 2019. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the party wishes to appeal to all stakeholders especially the would-be candidates for the various positions in the extraordinary delegates conference and their supporters to respect the rules of engagement and conduct this exercise with the necessary candour. We wish all the aspiring candidates the best of luck in the elections. God Bless the New Patriotic Party and thank you all for coming. 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 Things nearly got out of hand during Wednesday's panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo'. The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi having a heap of documents before him, had insisted that an amount of GH17,548,377.20 belonging to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has been locked up at All Time-Capital Limited. Incontrovertible evidence to us indicates that despite repeated efforts by the scheme since November 2018 to retrieve the invested funds and accrued interest, All Time-Capital Limited has failed to pay back. In a recent twist which has angered some workers at the NHIA, All Time-Capital Limited informed the NHIA Chief Executive that it could only attempt some payments if the invested funds were allowed to run for an additional year, he indicated during a press conference. He repeated similar sentiments during a panel discussion on Peace FM. But New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Secretary, Sam Payne sharply disagreed describing Sammy Gyamfi's submission as 'childish'. Sammy Gyamfi responded in equal measure calling him a "liar". The simmering exchange was however doused by host of the show, Kwami Sefa Kayi. Watch video below Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An arrangement of peanuts in New York is shown in a Feb.20, 2015 photo. A new study suggests preschoolers who are allergic to peanuts can be treated safely by eating small amounts of peanut protein with guidance from a specialist. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Patrick Sison A high-level Egyptian delegation is visiting Sudan on Wednesday to offer support for the Sudanese people, state news agency MENA said, almost a week after Sudan's leader Omar Al-Bashir was ousted following months of street protests. The officials will assess current developments in the country and "affirm Egypt's support for the choices and the free will of the Sudanese people," MENA said. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday called the head of Sudans transitional military council, Abdel Fattah A-Burhan, to offer his backing, a presidential spokesman said. El-Sisi had affirmed Egypts full support for the security and stability of Sudan and its support for the will and choices of the Sudanese people," the spokesman said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: A Cairo criminal court acquitted former tourism minister Zuhair Grana on retried corruption charges on Wednesday, a judicial source said, in the final trial the ex-minister was a defendant in. Garana was initially sentenced to three years in jail for granting illegal licences to tourism companies in a case that dates back to 2011, following the revolution that ousted president Hosni Mubarak. He was arrested shortly after the uprising but was later released pending trial. He has been acquitted in two other corruption cases: in November 2017, a Cairo court acquitted him of charges of illicitly gaining around EGP 19 million (approximately $1.1 million at current rates) during his tenure as minister from 2005 to 2011. Earlier that year, Egypt's top appeals court overturned a five-year prison sentence against the ex-minister in another case where he was convicted of corruption and violating laws by illegally granting lands to businessmen in the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Ain Sokhna. Several Mubarak-era figures arrested following the 2011 uprising have been cleared of charges. Search Keywords: Short link: Hungary's central bank gets new Deputy Governor Janos Ader, President of the Republic of Hungary, has on Wednesday appointed Mihaly Patai Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB). Patais appointment was recommended by Prime Minister Viktor Orban in March, and his nomination was endorsed by Parliaments economic committee on 27 March with 10 in favour, 1 against and 1 abstention.During his committee hearing Patai said the 0.9% base rate would remain sustainable in the coming period, and so will be Hungarys economic growth in the next two to three years, although growth will decelerate both in the European Union and in the world economy.Mihaly Patai is currently the President of the Hungarian Banking Association, a post he gave up when he was nominated to become Deputy Governor of the MNB, and previously he was Chairman-CEO of UniCredit Bank Hungary for 13 years.The six-year mandate of Deputy Governor Ferenc Gerhardt will expire on 21 April. Patai will join Deputy Governors Marton Nagy and Laszlo Windisch. Amid Operation Flood of Dignity waged by the Libyan National Army (LNA) against militias in Tripoli, army commander Khalifa Haftar landed in Cairo on Monday for a meeting with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. A statement by Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi confirmed Egypts support of efforts to combat terrorism and extremist groups and militias in order to achieve security and stability for the Libyan citizen. Cairos support of Haftars military operation is based on the notion that eradicating Libyas terrorist environment will help establish the basis for a stable, civil state. Cairo also understands the urgency of sealing this chapter in Libya to embark on rebuilding and developing the country to meet its peoples aspirations, the presidential statement said. Haftars visit to Egypt is telling in a number of indicators, particularly due to its timing. That the LNA commander arrived in a foreign country amid his ongoing military operation, launched on 4 April, is proof of critical developments on the battleground. However, anti-army parties will exploit the visit politically much as they did after Haftar visited Saudi Arabia prior to launching Flood of Dignity giving rich material to the media orchestrated by the Qatar-Turkey axis that is hostile to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Possibly Haftars visit to Cairo aimed at providing a clear picture of the nature of the military operation. This was felt in Cairos reaction to developments in Libya. On 6 April, following a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Shoukri said at a press conference: Egypt supports a political solution in Libya and setting aside a military solution to reach a climate conducive to holding elections. Shoukri described Libyan events as clashes and an escalation, saying Egypt is extremely worried about clashes that erupted in parts of Libya, and calling on all parties to exercise self-control and halt the escalation. The tone, and wording, of the presidential statement on Monday following the Al-Sisi-Haftar meeting were somewhat different. It is believed Haftar was in Cairo to provide a comprehensive picture of the military operation, report an assessment of what it has accomplished in its first 10 days, and evaluate international reaction towards Flood of Dignity, particularly those of European countries of influence on the Libyan stage. It is clear Cairo considered the motive of Haftars operation exactly as he stated it in his first statement released following the launch of the operation. Haftar said Operation Flood of Dignity aimed at fighting terrorism and cleansing Tripoli of the militias controlling it. The operations motive won it Cairos support, as clarified in Mondays presidential statement. An anti-terrorist operation in Libya would definitely win Egypts support for strategic reasons, obliging Cairo to be updated on security developments in its neighbouring country, and more so now because Egypt has suffered from the deterioration of security conditions in Libya. Terrorist networks functioning in eastern Libya are in close proximity to Egypts western border through which terrorist elements entered Egypt. The majority of terrorist organisations based in the east of Libya were eliminated thanks to successful LNA operations and Egypts logistical support. In the same context, Cairo stressed it supported the anti-terrorism operation in western Libya, especially after LNA figureheads revealed terrorist leaders from Al-Qaeda and other militias on Egypts list of terrorists were camping in west Libya. Cairo also declared its intention to intensify its efforts towards uniting the Libyan army and security apparatuses to minimise the chances of division within their ranks, exacerbated after the spread of militias and legitimising their presence on the security and political fronts. Haftars visit in Cairo was also aimed at winning the support of allies for the operation. This required listening to Egypts vision regarding the operation and exchanging views, especially since the operations field developments have revealed it was different than military operations the LNA conducted in the east and south. In light of the likely scenarios for Flood of Dignity, it is important to determine whether it will go all the way or seize a certain point by which to push the warring militias towards a serious settlement. After all, the operation will cast a political shadow on the following transitional phase, raising the concern of Egypt, being a principal party in Libyan settlements since Libya signed the UN-backed Skhirat Agreement in Morocco on 17 December 2015, all the way to the Palermo and Paris talks held on 13 November 2018 and 29 May 2018, respectively. Worth noting, Haftars reception in Cairo was attended by head of Egyptian General Intelligence Major General Abbas Kamel, indicating the current situation in Libya concerned Egypt politically. Haftar did not receive a military reception. If anything, the manner in which Cairo received Haftar stressed that the capital is striking a balance between its political support of Haftars military operation and other political considerations related to the path of a Libyan political settlement. This could not have been more evident than in the presidential statement that stressed the goal of establishing a civilian state in Libya. *A version of this article appears in print in the 18 April, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Why Haftar was in Cairo Search Keywords: Short link: 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: Three weeks into her hunger strike, Marwa Kenawi tells Ahmed Morsy she wants retribution for her son who was shot and killed For the past 18 months, Marwa Kenawi has been seeking legitimate paths but has so far failed to avenge the death of her son by an errant bullet. Hence, I decided to go on a hunger strike to shed light on my case, Kenawi told Al-Ahram Weekly. Kenawi is the mother of 13-year-old Youssef Al-Arabi who died when a stray bullet struck him in the head two years ago. Al-Arabi was standing with his friends in front of a popular restaurant in 6 Octobers Al-Hosari Square when he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. It was discovered later in the hospital that he had sustained a bullet wound to the head which put him in a coma for almost two weeks before his death on 29 May 2017. According to the Interior Ministry, an investigation into Al-Arabis death showed that some people were firing guns from the rooftop of a nearby building during a wedding celebration at the time of the incident. A year after Al-Arabis death, a Cairo criminal court sentenced four defendants to five years in prison for possessing illegal firearms and sentenced three of them to another two years for manslaughter. The verdict was in absentia for two of the defendants: a police officer and the son of a parliament member. I started my hunger strike on 31 March and I will continue until the arrest of the two murderers, although I was shocked that the suspects were given only two years in jail for killing and five years for possessing unlicensed guns, Kenawi said. She said she lodged many complaints to the prosecution-general and the Interior Ministry but to no avail. She, however, said that her strike had recently born fruit. MP Anissa Hassouna submitted a briefing request to the interior minister, calling for the implementation of the courts ruling to arrest the two fugitives. Moreover, Kenawi said that her story drew headlines in various media outlets. Another purpose of my strike is shedding light on and eliminating this social phenomenon which is randomly shooting firearms at weddings to celebrate, Kenawi said. Samia Khedr, a professor of sociology at Ain Shams University, said that the shooting off of guns at weddings has been in our society for many years but we havent succeeded in addressing or eliminating it. The reasons why this is still in our society is that there is a lack of discipline in Egyptian streets. There is a lack of law enforcement in such cases in light of the joyous atmosphere in which such acts occur. Consequently, the citizen no longer respects the law which criminalises such acts, Khedr told the Weekly. Khedr said there must be media campaigns to raise the awareness of the seriousness of this phenomenon, resulting in popular pressure to reject it. The most important of all is the enforcement of the law that criminalise such acts to achieve deterrence, she said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 18 April, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Seeking justice Search Keywords: Short link: Springfield, MO -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/17/2019 --The Missouri Association of Manufacturers (MAM) announced today, their Mid-America Safety, Health and Environmental Conference & Expo (MASHE) will take place on May 1-2 at the Ozark Empire Fair Grounds E-Plex in Springfield, Missouri. Deadline to register to attend will be April 30 at 5:00 pm. Registrations will be available for purchase on the day of via card ONLY. Missouri Association of Manufacturers' MASHE is designed to provide training in the areas of general safety, environmental compliance, occupational medicine, workers' compensation and safety leadership. May 1, day one, Keynote Presentation will be presented by Kimberly Stille, Regional Administrator, Region VII Kansas City, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Stille will update attendees on all of OSHA's new and ongoing activities in the areas of cooperative programs, enforcement and standards as well as other OSHA activities. On May 2, day two, Keynote Presentation will be presented by Don Harkey, Chief Executive Officer of People Centric, in Springfield, MO. Harkey will discuss the importance and impact of having a high-performance culture that creates empowerment and alignment and its impact on safety. Learn what leaders can do inside of a company (from the top to the bottom) to create a high-performance culture through engagement, focus, and accountability. Attendees will honor those who have lost their lives by participating in the OSHA Worker's Memorial. During the breakout sessions, attendees will hear speakers from companies including: - EaglePicher Technologies - Springfield ReManufacturing Corp (SRC) - Paul Mueller Company - Positronic - Todd Safety Consultation LLC - Connell Insurance - Tyler Pipe & Coupling - CNH Industrial - Ramboll - Environmental Works Inc. - 06 Environmental LLC - JobFinders Employment Services - GeoEngineers - ErgoMethods - Polsinelli Law - MoDOT - DOL - OSHA (10) Attendees will have the advantage of earning Continuing Education Credits (CEU) from Missouri State University (MSU). With the changing environment of workplace safety, human resources, health and environmental regulations, employees will stay up to date and improve their skills and personal development by attending this annual event. Event agenda is available online or to download. This event is open to the public. Register online to attend at www.mamstrong.org/MASHE or call 417-863-7262 About Missouri Association of Manufacturers Missouri Association of Manufacturers (MAM) strives to instill interest and enthusiasm among elected officials and the public in general, by advocating policy that promotes regional economic growth and worldwide competitiveness. Missouri Association of Manufacturers (MAM) serves as the manufacturers advocate in Missouri and works to educate policy makers at all levels of the importance about issues important to manufacturers. MAM utilizes its strength in numbers to develop strategic partnerships and create exclusive benefit programs. The goal of each program is to offer lower pricing or greater advantages than members would be able to obtain on their own. MAM is focused on bringing manufacturers together to address common issues and challenges, and to learn from one another. MAM conferences, workshops and networking events provide a non-competitive environment for developing these beneficial relationships. For more information visit us @ www.MAMstrong.org XavierMarchant/iStock(NEW YORK) -- The National Transportation Safety Board is launching an investigation into an accident that occurred last week when an American Airlines jet struck a runway distance marker upon take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, the agency announced Wednesday. On April 10 at 8:40 p.m., the Airbus A321 scheduled to fly to Los Angeles with 110 people on board took off from the New York airport and struck the object with its left wingtip, according to the airline and investigators. The flight returned to the airport and landed safely 29 minutes later, with no injuries to passengers or crew, American Airlines said in a statement. NTSB investigations typically last 6-12 months and culminate with the independent agency determining a probable cause of the accident. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Uganda will consider offering asylum to ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court, a foreign affairs minister said on Wednesday. "Uganda would not be apologetic at all for considering an application by Bashir," Okello Oryem, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters. Search Keywords: Short link: Vijay Mallya (File photo) Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya has once again attacked the government for discriminating between public sector and private airlines while extending solidarity with crisis-hit Jet Airways and its founder Naresh Goyal. In a series of tweets, Mallya said he was sorry that so many airlines had bitten the dust in the country. "Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used (Rs) 35K crore of public funds to bail out AirIndia. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination," Mallya tweeted. For want of cash and saddled under heavy debt, Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had shut down in October 2012. Mallya currently owes about Rs 9,000 crore to a clutch of public sector banks. Once the "King of Good Times", Mallya is now a fugitive economic offender living in London and facing extradition. The controversial billionaire has extended full sympathy to Naresh Goyal who was recently forced by the public sector lenders to quit the airline board. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine airline providing vital connectivity and class service," he wrote. The BJP on Tuesday hit out at the Congress over its accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi about "omitting" certain details about his property in his affidavits, saying there was bankruptcy of issues in the opposition parties and the number of the amalgamated plot is different from the separate individual numbers. The party accused the Congress of falsehoods and said there was a limit to trivialisation. "The caravan of falsehood moves on. There is a bankruptcy of issues in the Congress party. Today's election issue was that the number of plot owned by the PM (his only asset) is now shown differently numbered from what was shown earlier. "Similar charge is made against the Finance Minister. There is a limit to trivialisation. Four plots purchased by four different persons were amalgamated into one on 25.4.2008. Obviously, the number of the amalgamated plot is different from the separate individual numbers," the party said in tweets. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had alleged at a press conference here that Modi was "hiding something" about a property in Gandhinagar. Khera said the Election Commission should take "thorough cognizance of the seemingly deliberate omissions" in the Prime Minister's affidavits and take appropriate action. BJP leaders said that "false and misleading" allegations were being levelled against Modi who was working on the principle of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" and noted that he had donated Rs 21 lakh from his personal savings to the corpus fund for the welfare of sanitation workers of Kumbh Mela. They said he had also contributed prize money of Seoul Peace Prize and that amount received from auction of mementoes during his tenure as prime minister to Namami Gange mission and had made contributions earlier as chief minister of Gujarat for education of girl child. The Election Commission (EC) has barred Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan from campaigning for 72 hours starting 10 a.m on Wednesday for making objectionable comments during the the ongoing election campaign. Restrictions were imposed on Khan after he was found guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct by making objectionable remarks against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, who is contesting against him in Rampur on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. He has been barred from holding public meetings, processions, rallies, road shows and interviews, and making public utterances in the media for three days. The poll panel in a notice issued on Tuesday said that as per the "General Conduct" section of the "Model Code of Conduct for the Guidance of Political Parties and Candidates", parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Also, criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided. Azam Khan had also been censured before the 2014 general elections. The EC in the notice said: "...the Commission is prima facie of the opinion that you have violated the aforesaid provisions of the MCC, the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and also wilfully disobeyed the aforesaid order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court by making the highly objectionable and provocative aforesaid statements." On Monday, the poll panel had also barred Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP chief Mayawati from campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for varying durations. While Yogi Adityanath was barred for 72 hours for calling Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) a "virus", Mayawati was barred for 48 hours for asking Muslims to vote for their coalition in Uttar Pradesh and "not split votes between the BSP and the Congress". The EC has sought Khan's explanation within 24 hours of the receipt of the notice. Congress President Rahul Gandhi (file photo) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the "most anti-national" and accused him of "dividing the nation". Reacting to Modi's allegation of the Congress turning anti-national, Gandhi said his grand old party has an exceptional track record of fighting forces that attack the nation. "Thousands of Congress workers have laid down their lives, fighting such forces. Today the most anti-national act is the act of Modi who is dividing the nation," said Gandhi as he kicked off his day-long campaign here in Kerala. "Crippling the agricultural system, leading to farmers suicide is another anti-national act of Modi. Youths loosing their jobs is also another anti-national act. Modi has failed in all these and it's time that he answers," he told the media at a presser here. Gandhi said the three key issues ruling the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are destruction of the Indian economy, personal corruption of Modi and the plight of the farmers. "We are looking forward to forming the next government," said Gandhi as he was about to leave, when a few questions were hurled at him. The Congress leader, taking them returned to his seat sporting a smile, and said: "How come the Prime Minister does not have the guts to face the Kerala, Odisha or the Delhi media?" From Kannur, Gandhi will make a whirlwind visit to five assembly constituencies in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is contesting the polls. He is also fighting from his traditional Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- The report "3D Printing Gases Market by Type (Argon, Nitrogen), Technology (Stereo lithography, Laser Sintering, Poly-Jet), Storage & Distribution (Cylinder, Merchant Liquid, Tonnage), Function (Insulation, Illumination, Cooling), End User (Design & Manufacturing, Healthcare) - Forecast to 2020", The 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market is projected to reach USD 45.12 Million by 2020. Browse 215 market data Tables and 42 Figures spread through 214 Pages and in-depth TOC on "3D Printing Gases Market by - Forecast to 2020" Download PDF brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=202250567 The 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market size is estimated to grow from USD 26.92 Million in 2015 to USD 45.12 Million by 2020, at a CAGR of 10.88 %. Factors such as increasing demand from design & manufacturing sector and growing demand from the healthcare sector drive the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market. Growth of the health care, consumer products, and automotive industries in the developing and under-developed regions provides an opportunity to the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market to grow even further. Design & manufacturing segment to gain maximum traction during the forecast period. The design & manufacturing segment is projected to be the fastest-growing end-use industry in the next five years. Furthermore, due to the growth of the 3D printing/additive manufacturing industry, its gases such as argon, nitrogen, and gas mixtures are extensively used. The 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market is also projected to witness growth in the health care, consumer products, automotive, aerospace & defense and education & research sectors during the forecast period. Argon to play a key role in the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market. The report defines and segments the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market on the basis of type, technology, storage & distribution & transportation, function, end-use industry, and region along with providing an in-depth analysis and market size estimations. The argon gas is estimated to contribute the largest market share whereas, gas mixtures, at the highest CAGR, is expected to play a key role in changing the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases landscape during the forecast period. Cylinder & packaged gas distribution contributes maximum market share. The cylinder & packaged gas distribution mode is projected to account for the largest market share in the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market. As 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases are used in smaller quantities to perform smaller and specialized applications, so cylinder & packaged gas distribution mode is widely preferred by the suppliers. Cylinder & packaged gas distribution mode offers cost-effective and safer mode to supply smaller volume of 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases. Verticals such as merchant liquid distribution and tonnage distribution will be key growing distribution modes during the forecast period. The report also covers the geographic markets of 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases. Get 10% FREE Customization on this Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=202250567 North America is expected to attain the largest market share in the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market North America is estimated to have the largest market share, while Europe is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020. The largest market share of North America can be attributed to the increase in demand from end-user industries such as design & manufacturing, health care, consumer goods, automotive, aerospace & defense, and education & research. The major vendors in the 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing gases market include players such as BASF SE (Germany), The Linde Group (Germany), Air Liquide S.A. (France), Praxair Inc. (U.S.), and Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (U.S.). Other players in the market include Iwatani Corporation (Japan), Airgas Inc. (U.S.), Matheson Tri-Gas Inc. (U.S.), Messer Group (Germany), and Iceblick Ltd. (Ukraine). The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies such as new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, joint ventures, and recent developments associated with the 3D printing/additive manufacturing gases market. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". 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Contact: Mr. Rohan Singh Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India 1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Agricultural adjuvant are used to enhance the effectiveness of pesticides such as herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and other agents that are used to control or eliminate the unwanted pests. Adjuvant plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of agrochemical and also for increasing the yield or productivity of the crop. Agricultural adjuvant includes ammonium fertilizers, surfactants and oils. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-331 Agricultural adjuvant plays a key role in the global agrochemical market. The market has grown exponentially over the recent few years and this growth is expected to continue over the forecast period. Various factors such as ease of application, innovative product contributions, advanced production practices, increased accessibility and increasing attack of pests and diseases play a vital role in driving the overall agricultural adjuvant market. Adjuvants are slowly making their mark as the best tool for farmers used to improve application, achieve more cost-effective solution, facilitate the dosage, better-targeted and more environmentally acceptable pest control. A significant amount of the demand for agricultural adjuvants market is anticipated from countries such as France, India, Australia, Italy, U.S., Brazil and Germany among others. The global agricultural adjuvant market consists of activator adjuvants and utility adjuvant. Activator adjuvants include ammonium fertilizers, oils and surfactants while utility adjuvants consists of water conditioners, buffering agents, compatibility agents, buffers, anti-foam agents and drift control agents among others. Agricultural surfactant chemicals are the most dominating product which captures the maximum market share of the overall agricultural adjuvant market. North America is expected to be the largest market for agricultural adjuvant. Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-331 The leading players of agricultural adjuvant market includes Akzonoble N.V. (Netherlands),Adjuvant plus Inc. (Canada), Brandt Consolidated (U.S.),Momentive Performance Materials (U.S),Clariant International Ltd. (Switzerland), LambertiSpA (Italy),Solvay SA (Belgium), Croda Chemicals (India), Dow Croning (U.S.),Helena Chemical Company (U.S.) andTanatex Chemicals (Europe) among others. This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data and statistically-supported and industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. It provides analysis and information by categories such as market segments, regions, product types and distribution channels. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Market Outlook Alcoholic dairy bases are those cream bases which are mixed with little quantity of alcohol such as rum, whiskey, etc. This addition of an alcoholic ingredient gives a strong flavor to the dairy-based cream. Alcoholic dairy bases contain sodium caseinate, which acts as an active emulsifying agent and holds almost 45% fat into it. Alcoholic dairy bases are widely used to make alcoholic beverages such as cream liqueur. Alcoholic dairy bases are also used in the bakery and confectionery industry for making cakes, chocolates, etc. An increasing number of individuals across the globe are consuming alcoholic drinks and alcohol-based products, due to which the demand for alcoholic dairy bases has increased, owing to this, manufacturers are also focusing on launching of alcoholic dairy bases associated with variety of flavors in order to enhance their sales over time and attract a large consumer base. Request For Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=63984 Alcohol-based confectionary consumption: A tradition People in European countries are familiar with the collective taste of alcohol and toffees. Many countries in Europe have a ritual of consuming liquor-filled or liquor flavored chocolates, during vacations. The consumption of these chocolates among European families is so typical that for children these confectionary item means festival. In Northern European countries, chocolate is often used to promote alcoholic beverages. One of the very prominent examples for consumption of alcohol flavored food is 'Malibu-flavored' chocolates, by Turin, which are available across the Netherlands. Some varieties also come with a Jack Daniels flavor. People of Netherlands have a tradition of consuming ice cream containing alcoholic dairy bases, which includes 3.9% alcohol and is available in a variety of flavors, including Tequila & Lime, Red Vodka Energy, among others. Therefore, the global alcoholic dairy bases market is expected to grow in Europe, which is strongly supported by culinary traditions. Although the government in the region have made attempts to ban confectionary containing alcoholic dairy bases as it runs the risk of familiarizing children with the taste of alcohol, a total ban could not be implemented. Therefore, the content of alcoholic dairy bases in these food items is highly regularized. For instance, in the Netherlands, ice creams containing an alcohol content of above 14.5% are not allowed to sell in the market. Opportunities for Market Participants There are different types of consumers, who prefer products as per their need of consumption such as young population around the world would prefer fusion flavors and products, which are trending in the market, while the elderly population would always prefer those products, which are vintage, specifically which are traditional and healthy. Thus, manufacturers could focus on a particular consumer segment to serve the products containing alcoholic dairy bases. Likewise, a combination of alcoholic dairy bases flavors or fusions is gaining popularity, currently. These alcoholic dairy bases flavors are a mixture of two or more flavors combined in one product. Such alcoholic dairy bases flavored products are gaining popularity among consumers to a significant extent. Consumer preference is shifting towards a unique blend or new combination such as alcoholic lemon drink, alcoholic grapefruit flavor, alcoholic raspberry flavor, almond milk and vanilla, and others. Owing to changing consumer habits and demands, manufacturers should also concentrate on whether to make branded goods, private-label products or both of them. The companies could also focus on distribution channels and which channel to prioritize. Obtain Report Details @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/alcoholic-dairy-bases-market.html Global Alcoholic Dairy Bases Market: Key Players Some of the major manufacturers and suppliers operating in the global alcoholic dairy bases market are Koninklijke FrieslandCampina NV, Dohler GmbH, Frutarom Industries Ltd. Firmenich International SA, Kerry Group plc, Sensient Flavors International, Inc., and Symrise AG among others. Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council ordered the central bank to review financial transfers since April 1 and to seize "suspect" funds, state news agency SUNA reported on Wednesday. The TMC also ordered the "suspension of the transfer of ownership of any shares until further notice and for any large or suspect transfers of shares or companies to be reported" to authorities. Search Keywords: Short link: San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Global Calcined Petcoke Market: Overview The global calcined petcoke market has flourished noticeably from the changing demand dynamic in end-use industries. Sizeable revenues for the market come from the profuse demand from the aluminum industry, where the high purity carbon material is used in the fabrication as well as utilization of smelter anodes. Substantial demand for calcined petcoke also comes from the steel industry, where it is notably used as a recarburizing agent. Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=5148 Moreover, it has found in the manufacturing of titanium dioxide pigment in the chemical industries. Over the past several years, the demand in the end-use industries has changed markedly. These factors have led to the rapid evolution of the global calcined petcoke market. As a result, suppliers, world over, have been producing the petroleum coke with new chemistries to meet the wide diversity of that demand. Global Calcined Petcoke Market: Notable Developments Suppliers focus on Emerging Markets to get Better Foothold For several years, a growing number suppliers in the global calcined petcoke market shifted their attention to emerging markets. They have been active in constructing new production units in countries that can offer a robust and cost-effective supply chain. A case in point is China where prominent players benefit from the competitive pricing of high-quality and low-content sulfur calcined petcoke. Bagging Large Projects for Construction of Production Plants in Calcined Petcoke Market helps A prominent engineering and construction firm L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited has bagged a large order from Tawfiq Coke Products, Oman for the construction of a petcoke calciner project in Sohar. The company intends to actively help in expansion of the industrial facilities in the region. Such projects of substantially high valuation will add up to the regional production of commercial calcined petcoke in the next few years. Some of the prominent players planning to attain prominent shares in the global calcined petcoke market are Oxbow Corporation, Rain Industries Limited, BP p.l.c., AMINCO RESOURCES LLC., Asbury Carbons, and Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=5148 Global Calcined Petcoke Market: Key Growth Dynamics Rising production of green petcoke has a direct bearing on the growth dynamics of the global calcined petcoke market. This rides on the back of ever rising demand for oil in several countries across the world. Rapid strides made by the paints and coatings industries has been spurring the demand for calcined petcoke, where the material is used in the production of TiO?. The strides are fueled by extensive consumption of paints and coatings in end-use industries across the globe. Extensive worldwide application in the aluminum smelter industry is also propelling the growth of the calcined petcoke market. Growing demand for a cost-effective feedstock for the steel industries is boosting the calcined petcoke market. However, the glut of oil refining output in some countries in recent years has squeezed the profits of players in the refining industry. Nevertheless, the growth will be catalyzed by the growing demand for calcined petcoke among large aluminum smelters in emerging economies, such as in India and China. Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/calcined-petcoke-market Global Calcined Petcoke Market: Regional Assessment Some of the regions likely to occupy prominent positions in the landscape of the global calcined petcoke market are the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe. In particular, there has been spikes in the consumption of calcined petcoke in the U.S. and parts of Europe. However, the calcined petcoke market will see a vast attractive avenue in Asia Pacific, most notably in emerging economies of Asia. The revenues for this the Asia Pacific calcined petcoke market come majorly from the primary aluminum industry. Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- China outbound tourism market is expected to reach US$ 365 Billion by 2025. Tourism, especially outbound tourism, has become more and more popular among Chinese residents who increasingly emphasize high quality services and better shopping experiences. The major factors driving the growth of the market includes; rising affluent & middle-class population, liberal tourism policy such as Approved Destination Status (ADS), open door policy, other relaxed government agreements and increasing number of passport holders in the country. The top five destinations (Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea) accounted for over 35% share of the total Chinese outbound tourists in 2018. The skyrocketing numbers of Chinese outbound tourism represents immense opportunities of revenue growth for destinations and travel and related brands outside of China. Many destinations and local businesses around the world are making great efforts to attract a larger share of China's outbound travelers. For example, about 20 nations - including Mauritius, Morocco and Tunisia - now offer visa waivers or landing visas as perks to Chinese travelers. Earlier in November 2014, the United States began a 10-year mutual visa validity policy with China. Recently, Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport and Sentosa Development Corporation have launched a joint promotion campaign to attract more Chinese tourists. China Outbound Tourists Visit, Spending and Forecast - By Country - Hong Kong captures highest share of the total China outbound tourists, followed by Thailand and Japan. - United States, Hong Kong and Japan captures highest share of the total China outbound tourists spending in 2018. - In 2016, visitors from China made up 46.8% of tourists in South Korea. - From the year 2016 onwards, the number of Chinese tourist visits to Taiwan is falling quickly. - Japan's tourism boom stems from a relaxation of visa requirements, particular for visitors from China. China Outbound Tourists Visit & Spending - By Purpose - A large proportion of Chinese tourists travelled abroad mainly for the holiday purpose. This segment also accounted for lion's share of the total Chinese outbound tourists spending. - Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) is the second most popular purpose for Chinese to travel abroad followed by business travelers. - Hong Kong is the most popular VFR and business destination for Chinese tourists. - Thailand, Vietnam and United States are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th most popular business destination for Chinese tourists. - Japan and United States captures highest share of the total Chinese outbound holiday tourists spending in 2018. - United States captured highest share of the China outbound business tourists spending. - Hong Kong accounted for maximum share of the Chinese outbound VFR tourists spending. China Outbound Tourists Visit and Spending (Top 12 Countries), Purpose of Visits & Spending (Holiday, Business, VFR & Others) - Forecast to 2025 report provides a comprehensive analysis of the China Outbound Tourism Market. China Outbound Tourists Visit & Spending - By Purpose - Holiday - Business - Visiting Friends & Relatives (VFR) - Others China Outbound Tourists Visit, Purpose of Visit, Spending & Spending Types - Top 12 Countries 1. United States 2. Canada 3. Australia 4. New Zealand 5. Japan 6. South Korea 7. Singapore 8. Thailand 9. Hong Kong 10. Taiwan 11. Malaysia 12. Vietnam 13. Others Research Methodologies Primary Research Methodologies: Questionnaires, Surveys, Interviews with Individuals, Small Groups, Telephonic Interview, etc. Secondary Research Methodologies: Printable and Non-printable sources, Newspaper, Magazine and Journal Content, Government and NGO Statistics, white Papers, Information on the Web, Information from Agencies Such as Industry Bodies, Companies Annual Report, Government Agencies, Libraries and Local Councils and a large number of Paid Databases. Spanning over 292 pages "China Outbound Tourists Visit and Spending (Top 12 Countries), Purpose of Visits & Spending (Holiday, Business, VFR & Others) - Forecast to 2025" report covers Executive Summary, Global - China Outbound Tourists Visit, Spending and Forecast (2013 - 2025), Global - China Outbound Tourists Visit Share, Spending Share and Forecast (2013 - 2025), Top 12 Countries - China Outbound Tourists Visit & Spending, Purpose of Visit & Spending by Travel Types (2013 - 2025), China Outbound Tourism Market - Growth Drivers, China Outbound Tourism Market - Challenges. Please visit this link for more details: https://www.marketresearchreports.com/igate/china-outbound-tourists-visit-and-spending-top-12-countries-purpose-visits-spending-holiday Find all Travel and Leisure Reports at: https://www.marketresearchreports.com/travel-leisure Read our Interactive Market Research Blog About MarketResearchReports.com MarketResearchReports.com is world's largest store offering quality market research, SWOT analysis, competitive intelligence and industry reports. We help Fortune 500 to Start-Ups with the latest market research reports on global & regional markets which comprise key industries, leading market players, new products and latest industry analysis & trends. Contact us for your market research requirements: https://www.marketresearchreports.com/contact Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Market Outlook Growing consumer preference towards flavored food has fuelled the demand for coffee emulsion in recent years. The coffee emulsion is the liquefied extracts of coffee beans which provide the aromatic flavor of coffee. The coffee emulsion is the water-in-oil type food additives which have blending nature with high homogeneity. The coffee emulsion has various applications in food processing industries to provide professional coffee flavors in processed foods. As coffee emulsion is alcohol-based it won't lose aromatic integrity even when exposed high-temperature baking. Coffee emulsion plays a vital role in processing baked foods such as cakes, cookies, sweet bread, and frostings. Coffee emulsions are manufactured using micro-encapsulated technology which enables the longer shelf life than alcohol-based extracts. Due to the presence of high potent flavor, the coffee emulsion is also used in fondants, fillings, etc. The allure of drinking coffee and coffee flavored drinks is increasing over the years which is one of the major driving factors of the global coffee emulsion market. Bound to these factors, the coffee emulsion is expected to remain positive during the forecast period. Request For Report Brochure For Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=64137 Convertible Applications of Coffee Emulsion Coffee emulsion is not only used in food processing but has adequate demand for food services too. In food processing, the coffee emulsion is used for flavoring beverages and desserts. The coffee emulsion is often combined other flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, pistachio and others due to easy blend nature. As coffee emulsion is equally concentrated as coffee extracts, it is used in minimal quantities for large-scale baking and dressing. The coffee emulsion also plays an integral role in both alcoholic and non- alcoholic beverages such as tequila, mocktail, flavored rum, and others. The coffee emulsion is used as an aromatic flavorant in these beverages without affecting its taste and consistency which drives the demand for coffee emulsion in recent years. Coffee emulsion is also in the household for domestic flavoring in Europe and North American countries to bake delicious cakes and bread. Due to such convertible applications, it is anticipated that global coffee emulsion market would proliferate in terms of volume and value during the forecast period. Global Coffee emulsion: Market Segmentation On the basis of end use, the global coffee emulsion market has been segmented as: Food Processing Desserts & Dressings Confectionaries Bakeries Others Food Services Households Global Coffee emulsion: Key Players Some of the major key players include Flavormatic Industries, Inc, Sovereign Flavors, Synergy Flavors, LorAnn Oils, Bake King., Xi'an Natural Field Bio-technique Co., Ltd., OliveNation, WineStyle Inc. Watkins, Dunkin' Donuts, etc. More product developers and industrialists are showing a keen interest in coffee emulsion due to emerging global demand for food services and food processors. Opportunities for Market Participants: As a versatile flavorant, the coffee emulsion has great demand among the food processers. In the present condition, there is a huge demand for coffee emulsion across the world due to the increasing preference, for flavored coffee. Key developers and manufacturers are showing keen interests on coffee emulsion, as the global flavored food market is expanding in terms of value, hence it can be anticipated that there would be greater market opportunities and higher returns for the investors of the coffee emulsion market during the forecast period. Obtain Report Details @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/coffee-emulsion-market.html Global Coffee emulsion: A Regional Outlook The coffee emulsion is predominantly processed in North America, due to augmenting flavored beverage brands. In the US, consumers show a huge interest in coffee emulsion due to inflating flavored mocktails. In Latin America, the coffee emulsion is highly utilized in bakeries and confectioneries for flavoring food such as bread and cookies. In Europe, particularly in countries such as U.K, Spain, Italy, and France, the coffee emulsion has well-developed supply chains and higher consumption in households for baking flavored bread and muffins. In the region of Asia Pacific, the coffee emulsion is used as flavorant in food servicing as coffee emulsion blends instantly with any dressings. In Middle-East & Africa, the coffee emulsion is imported for developing processed food. Due to escalating demands and distributions, the growth of the global coffee emulsion market is expected to remain positive over the forecast period. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- The latest market evaluation report on the Croscarmellose Sodium market explores how the Croscarmellose Sodium market will continue to expand for the forecast period 2019 - 2026. The study further serves as a unique research for stakeholders, product owners, and field marketing executives looking for actionable data and unique resource on market size, share, and growth. The market intelligence report gives business evangelists an authority to review the major trends, opportunities, and challenges expected to shape the future of the industry during the estimated period. Importantly, the study not only helps spot the major vendors but also their winning strategies. The real-time data accumulated through qualitative and quantitative research technique further help business owners determine where they stand in comparison to their region, country, and product category. Request free sample to get a list of companies @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/35594 Leading players of Croscarmellose Sodium including: - ASHLAND INC. - FMC CORPORATION - ASAHI KASEI CORPORATION - THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY - NIPPON SODA CO., LTD. - HUBER CORPORATION - DFE PHARMA - ROQUETTE - BASF SE - JRS PHARMA Major Regions that plays a vital role in Croscarmellose Sodium market are: - North America - Europe - China - Japan - Middle East & Africa - India - South America - Others Ask for discount on the report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/discount-enquiry-form/35594 Understanding the market size The size of the Croscarmellose Sodium market is viewed in terms of the Share of Market, Total Available Market as well as Served Available Market. Not only does the study present the combined revenue for a particular market but also the market size for a specific geographic region. Analysis of percentage or the size of the Total Available Market based on the type of product, technology, regional constraints and others form an important part of the Croscarmellose Sodium report. Knowing the trends influencing the industry performance Stakeholders, marketing executives and business owners planning to refer a market research report can use this study to design their offerings and understand how competitors attract their potential customers and manage their supply and distribution channels. When tracking the trends researchers have made a conscious effort to analyze and interpret the consumer behaviour. Besides, the research helps product owners to understand the changes in culture, target market as well as brands so they can draw the attention of the potential customers more effectively. Our trend analysts look for the crucial connection between consumer trends, behaviour and values, to provide context for the sectors, demographics and global themes that matter to you. Market by Type - Cotton - Wood Pulp Market by Application - Neurology - Cardiology - Infectious Diseases Purchase full Croscarmellose Sodium report through this link and get 15% free customization on the report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/35594 The research provides answers to the following key questions - What is the expect growth rate and market size of the Croscarmellose Sodium market for the forecast period 2019 - 2026. - What are some of the prominent factors influencing the progress of the Croscarmellose Sodium industry worldwide? - What are the winning strategies that differentiate the major market players operating in the industry from the rest? - What are the past and future market trends influencing the development of the Croscarmellose Sodium market? - What threats likely to hinder the development of the Croscarmellose Sodium market during the estimated period? - What are the opportunities major vendors are relying heavily on for the forecast period 2019 - 2026? Key Points from TOC: 2 Industry Chain Analysis 2.1 Upstream Raw Material Suppliers of Croscarmellose Sodium Analysis 2.2 Major Players of Croscarmellose Sodium 2.2.1 Major Players Manufacturing Base and Market Share of Croscarmellose Sodium in 2018 2.2.2 Major Players Product Types in 2018 2.3 Croscarmellose Sodium Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis 2.3.1 Production Process Analysis 2.3.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure of Croscarmellose Sodium 2.3.3 Raw Material Cost of Croscarmellose Sodium 2.3.4 Labor Cost of Croscarmellose Sodium 2.4 Market Channel Analysis of Croscarmellose Sodium 2.5 Major Downstream Buyers of Croscarmellose Sodium Analysis Continue Browse the report description @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/croscarmellose-sodium-market About MarketExpertz Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.com News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-news Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Global Cryptococcosis Market: Snapshot One of the key factors driving the global cryptococcosis market is the increasing incidence of cryptococcosis infections across the world. The number of patients suffering from cryptococcosis has been found to be on the rise at a faster rate than previously thought. The patients suffering from the fungal infection are found to be in high numbers among HIV positive patients. Consequently, the growing number of HIV patients is also spurring the demand for advanced and effective treatment for the disease. Rising initiatives by government and non-government organizations is also putting the pipeline development in the global cryptococcosis market on the fast track in many countries, especially in developed ones. However, the global cryptococcosis market is currently being affected by restraining factors such as the increased mortality among cryptococcosis infected patients, which reduces the overall scope of testing and diagnostics, and the imminent patent expiry of key drugs which will result in the large scale entry of cheaper generics. The global cryptococcosis market was valued at US$4.12 bn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$6.27 bn by 2024, after expanding at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2016 to 2024. Middle East and Africa HIV Numbers Boost Demand for Cryptococcosis Treatment The global cryptococcosis market is segmented into the key regions of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America accounted for the leading share on the global cryptococcosis market for 2015, due to the rising prevalence of the infection in endemic areas of the U.S., coupled with a higher penetration of healthcare services across the country. The region is projected to continue to dominate the global cryptococcosis market till 2024, a fact attributed to the rising numbers of the HIV infected population in the region, a highly structured and advanced healthcare industry, and well-defined reimbursement policies from public as well as private health insurance firms. Request A Sample Copy @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=14984 The cryptococcosis market in the Middle East and Africa is projected to expand at a substantial growth rate owing to the contribution of Sub-Sahara African countries in terms of demand, where the count of HIV patients is exceptionally high. North America and the Middle East and Africa are projected to be highly lucrative regions in the global cryptococcosis market, while Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America expected to remain relatively smaller in terms of demand and growth rate. Larger Demand for Cryptococcosis Treatment Generated from Retail Pharmacies Based on the distribution channel, the global cryptococcosis market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, drug store, and mail order pharmacies. Retail pharmacy was the leading segment in the global market on the basis of revenue, for 2015. This segment is also expected to continue dominating the market till 2024, owing to the growing contribution of long-term medication needed for successful cryptococcosis treatment. Online purchase of drugs has been highly popular in a lot of developed economies, including the U.S. and Japan. Online pharmaceutical retailers are also generating a high volume of preference in in emerging economies such as Brazil, China, and India as well, further increasing the scope of growth for the global cryptococcosis market over the coming years. Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=14984 The global cryptococcosis market is segmented on the basis of treatment, primarily into Amphotericin B, Flucytosine and Fluconazole. Amphotericin B further segmented into Amphocin, Fungizone, and other products. Flucytosine is further segmented into Ancobon and other products. Fluconazole includes Diflucan and other products. In terms of treatment, Flucytosine was the leading segment in the global cryptococcosis market in terms of revenue for 2015, driven by its large scale adoption in the U.S. The leading players in the global cryptococcosis market so far, have included Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), Abbott Laboratories, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Sigmapharm Laboratories LLC. 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 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 Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- This report provides in-depth country wise analysis of the heparin market in Europe. Stakeholders of this report include manufacturers of heparin products, crude heparin suppliers, heparin processing companies, and new players planning to enter the market. Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/europe-heparin-market.html The report provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of the heparin market in Europe. Qualitative analysis comprises market dynamics, trends, product overview, and country-level market information. Quantitative analysis includes market share held by companies in 2015, market size, and forecast for the heparin market in major countries in Europe such as Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Greece, Slovakia, and Rest of Europe from 2014 to 2024. Market revenue is provided in terms of US$ Mn from 2014 to 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2016 to 2024 for all the segments, considering 2015 as the base year. The executive summary of the report provides a snapshot of the heparin market in Europe with information on leading segments, country wise market information with respect to the market size, growth rate (CAGR %), and growth factors. Request A Sample Copy @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4815 The market overview section comprises impact factors such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities for the heparin market in Europe. These factors would aid the stakeholders in establishing a strong foothold in Europe. Furthermore, the market overview section comprises key industry events, product overview, mortality rate of CVD in Europe, leading causes of death, and country-wise pharmaceutical expenditure. The market attractiveness analysis provides a graphical view comparing the growth and market dynamics in various segments to identify the most attractive market. Market share analysis is also provided in the competitive landscape section of the report for the year 2015 in terms of value (%). Furthermore, the report analyzes different heparin product types such as unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin, and ultra-low molecular weight heparin. The product type section provides market analysis for different types of heparin in Europe. This includes an overview of product types, indications for use, presence of any biosimilars, market drivers, issues, and regulations amended for its production and use. Prices of products vary based on product type and formulation. Moreover, the heparin market by end-users such as hospitals, blood and stem cell banks, and others has also been analyzed in the report. The report provides average pricing analysis (based on the current prices) to offer an overview of prices of heparin-based pharmaceutical products in the EU (2015 & 2024). Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4815 The report provides market analysis for heparin in the major countries in the EU: Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Greece, Slovakia, and Rest of Europe. Market analysis for each of these countries has been provided from 2014 to 2024 along with the CAGR from 2016 to 2024. The market has been estimated for finished heparin formulation and has not considered its APIs. Major factors such as aging population and increasing prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) that propel the market for heparin in Europe are elaborated in the report. This report also covers certain regulations governing the manufacture and import of heparin in some countries. Major players operating in the heparin market in Europe such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi SA, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. are profiled in this report. 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 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 Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Europe Neurological Disorders Drugs Market: Snapshot Several government initiatives across various countries to educate masses about the rise of various diseases and increasing healthcare sector producing new drugs are the prime reasons for growth of neurological disorder drugs market. European Parkinson's Disease Association, in Europe is actively supporting research and development by campaigning to raise awareness, and providing medication to patients is boosting the overall neurological disorder drugs market. This region is also witnessing rising focus on research and development programs that will help in producing affordable and effective drugs. The countries are collectively spending on developing neurological disorder drugs thus, improving the revenue of the market during the forecast period. Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/europe-neurological-disorder-drugs-market.html Staggering increase in brain altering disorders such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy, Parkinson's, cerebrovascular, and sclerosis are promoting the pharmaceutical firms to tap into the significantly growing neurological disorder drugs market. This will potentially supplement the market growth in the coming years. Rise of several innovative drugs to manage these diseases will swell up the investments in the market. Increasing number of clinical trials are another reason boosting the market. Rise in geriatric population along with patients with strokes, migraines, and headaches leading to cerebrovascular diseases are likely to augment the growth of the market. The treatment for neurological disorders can be expensive due to several additional expenses related to sedatives and hypotonic, antiepileptic and anticholinergic drugs. There has also been decline in development of drugs due to expensive cost of research and development. Maturation of product portfolio can also cause decline in innovation. Strict policies to prescribe sedatives act as the major restrain in the market. However, increasing prevalence of neurological disorders have the potential to create growth opportunities for the Europe neurological disorders drugs market. Rise in awareness regarding the diseases along with government's support will boost the growth of the Europe neurological disorders drugs market. Request A Sample Copy @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=17567 The Europe neurological disorder drugs market is anticipated to rise at a healthy CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2024. The Europe market was worth US$18.3 bn during 2015 and is expected to attain a valuation of US$32.0 bn by the end of the forecast period. Europe Neurological Disorders Drugs Market to Rise Owing to Increased Prevalence of Cerebrovascular Diseases The European neurological disorder drugs market is segmented according to disorder into cerebrovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's diseases, Parkinson's diseases, and epilepsy. Among these, cerebrovascular diseases are dominating the market with a rising CAGR of 6.9% and is expected to rise by the end of 2024. This segment held the largest shares in the market during 2015. The drug class segment of Europe neurological disorder drugs market are Anticoagulants, Antihypertensive, Analgesics, Hypnotic and Sedative, Antipsychotic, antiepileptic, and anticholinergic. The major distribution channel segment of the neurological disorder drugs in Europe are retail pharmacy, Ecommerce, and hospital pharmacy. Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17567 Germany Providing Lucrative Growth to Market Due to Rise of Geriatrics Population The Europe neurological disorder drugs market is geographically segmented into Poland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, U.K., Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and other parts of Europe. Among these, Germany held significant shares in the market during 2015. Germany is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This was followed by France. The market is rising in these regions due to increasing neurological disorder and improved awareness regarding the disease by government initiatives and support groups. Rising number of geriatric population in Germany is one of the leading factor for the rise of neurological disorders drugs in this region. The other leading regions in neurological disorders drugs market are Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and the U.K. Switzerland is also anticipated to provide several opportunities for growth to the overall neurological disorders drugs market. Some of the leading companies operating in the Europe neurological disorders drugs market are GlaxoSmithKline plc., Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Astra Zeneca, Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and Merck & Co. These players are involving in expanding their outreach geographically to reserve their dominance in the market. 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 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Flare monitoring is used to determine the size of flare and the level of thermal radiations generated by the industry. Flaring can occur across the oil & gas, petrochemical, or other manufacturing industries owing to unit malfunctions, equipment testing, or any unsuccessful circumstances, which makes the flare monitoring, a mandatory step. Flare monitoring is necessary because, the flaring of gas contributes to global warming, weather change and also influences the environment through the emission of black carbon, CO2, and other hazardous pollutants. Hence the governments across the globe are imposing the laws on flare monitoring system and the strict implementation of flare monitoring. The flaring can be classified as continuous production flaring, initial startup flaring, unplanned operational flaring, planned operational flaring, and safety flaring, owing to these flaring conditions, the flare monitoring becomes a mandate for the industries. Absence of gas utilization infrastructure, protective maintenance tasks associated with power plants, and any kind of constructions or modifications on power plant, failure of the safety devices such as fire detectors & gas, failure due to corrosion, or miscellaneous stoppages can cause flaring. The flare monitoring system is capable of automatic generation of the signal, and flare size tracking, so that the hazard can be avoided. Hence the flare monitoring market is gaining the pace worldwide. Strict Environmental Regulations Supporting Growth of Flare Monitoring Market Strict environmental regulations from various governments associated with the industrial gas radiation, constraint of real time flare monitoring system, and obligation of increased & enhanced safety norms and global industry regularization, are fueling the growth of the global flare monitoring market. Various governments from across the globe are taking the crucial steps to control the air as well as water pollution and its dangerous effects on global environment. Controlling and restricting the emission of the hazardous elements in the environment to sustain the global environment and prevent the global warming and climate change is need of an hour. These factors are boosting the growth of the global flare monitoring market. Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-9286 Global Flare Monitoring Market: Segmentation The global flare monitoring market has been segmented on the basis of mounting type, end use industry, and region The flare monitoring market is segmented on the basis of mounting type: In Process-Mass Spectrometers Remote-IR Imagers MSIR Imagers Gas Chromatographs The flare monitoring market is segmented on the basis of end use industry: Refineries Onshore Oil & Gas Production Sites Chemical and Petrochemical Global Flare Monitoring Market: Competition Landscape The prominent vendors of the global flare monitoring market are focusing on acquisitions and partnerships. Along with that, the vendors are engaged in providing the enhanced and technologically improved flare monitoring systems for better performance. For instance, in 2018, Emerson Electric Corporation, one of the prominent United State based vendor of the flare monitoring systems has announced, acquisition with Advanced Engineering Valves (A.E. Valves), a leading vendor of innovative valve technology which helps LNG customers operate more professionally. The transaction will enable Emerson, a global leader in automation solutions and technology, to provide its customers with the world's broadest portfolio of valves to improve process performance and reliability. Some of the prominent manufacturers operating in global flare monitoring market are Ametek Incorporation, ABB, Emerson Electric Corporation, Eaton Hernis Scan Systems, Endress + Hauser AG, Oleumtech Corporation, Fluenta AS, MKS Instruments, FLIR Systems Incorporation TKH Security Solutions, and others. Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-9286 Global Flare Monitoring Market: Regional Overview On the basis of the geography, North America is expected to capture the significant share in the field of the flare monitoring systems. Due to, increase in the industrialization and power plants in the North American countries, such as US and Canada. Furthermore, the rapid growth in the chemical and petrochemical industries is ultimately fueling the growth of the flare monitoring market in the region. Asia Pacific excluding Japan and Europe are also estimated to capture substantial share in the field of the flare monitoring market due to, increasing number of power plants, rapid growth in chemical industries, and other related industries in the region. Also, strict government regulations associated with the industrial gas radiation is one of the key factor which is boosting the growth of the flare monitoring market in the region. These parameters are propelling the demand for the flare monitoring market across the globe during forecast period. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- The Fluorocarbon Elastomer market research for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026 cannot be underestimated for the reason that it offers a real-time data on the target market; identifies customer problems and outlines the immediate competitors. The simplified document speaks about how company owners plan to keep up with the market trends. A conscious effort is made by the subject matter experts to analyse how some business owners succeed in maintaining a competitive edge while the others fail to do so makes the research interesting. A quick review of the realistic competitors makes the overall study a lot more interesting. Opportunities that are helping product owners' size up their business further add value to the overall study. Market segment by geographical Regions, this report covers: Global (Asia-Pacific[China, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea, Western Asia], Europe[Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland], North America[United States, Canada, Mexico], Middle East & Africa[GCC, North Africa, South Africa], South America[Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru]) Sample copy of Fluorocarbon Elastomer Market Report @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/35620 Get to know the business better: The global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market research is carried out at the different stages of the business lifecycle from the production of a product, cost, launch, application, consumption volume and sale. The research offers valuable insights into the marketplace from the beginning including some sound business plans chalked out by prominent market leaders to establish a strong foothold and expand their products into one that's better than others. Subject matter experts conducting the study also take a closer look at the products at their development stage and in the pipeline to help business owners conclude on the business strategies that can lower their cost and promise great returns or profits. Strong emphasis on new launches, acquisition and mergers, collaboration, import and export status and supply chain management empowers the business evangelists, manufacturers and business owners build a robust strategy when it comes to making an investment. Market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including: Zeon, Dupont, Shanghai 3F New Material, Asahi Glass, Gujarat Fluorochemicals, Lanxess, Saint-Gobain, 3M, Daikin, Solvay, Chenguang Fluoro & Silicone , Elastomers In market segmentation by types of Fluorocarbon Elastomer, the report covers- - Type 1 - Type 2 - Type 3 In market segmentation by applications of the Fluorocarbon Elastomer, the report covers the following uses- - Application 1 - Application 2 - Application 3 Buy Full Report of Fluorocarbon Elastomer Market @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/35620 Create an everlasting reputation: The report on global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market is intended to offer business owners, stakeholders and field marketing executives a broad overview of the business they should be focussing on for the estimated period. The research further holds vital information on the size of market and data on the prominent leaders' product owners have to compete with, in the coming years. Assessments of the broad strengths, as well as weaknesses too, add value to the overall research. Products details not only cover the popular applications and its performance, but it also unveils certain trends and value of specific products within specific regions. Estimating the potential size of the Fluorocarbon Elastomer industry Industry experts conducting the study further estimate the potential of the Fluorocarbon Elastomer industry. Such information is important for firms looking to launch an innovative service or product on the market. Industry experts have measured the total volume of the given market. Researchers have calculated the industry in terms of sales by the competitors and end-user customers. Data on the entire size of the Fluorocarbon Elastomer market for a particular product or a service for the forecast period, 2019 to 2026 covered in the report makes it valuable. This information reveals the upper limit of the Fluorocarbon Elastomer industry for a specific product or service. The global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market report answers some important questions for you: - What will be the market potential as well as the concentration of the global Fluorocarbon Elastomer segment for the forecast period? - What will be the avenues for access to the global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market for the newly added range? - How are business owners planning to meet the production demand and sales requirements to gain a competitive edge over others? - Which demographic regions will witness a greater demand during the estimated period? - What will be the composition of the target market? What are the gaps? Where do most new opportunities lie? - What will be the consumers' attitude towards the business during the forecast period, 2019 to 2026? There are 14 Chapters to deeply display the global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market. The report is distributed over 14 Chapters to display the analysis of the global Fluorocarbon Elastomer market. Chapter 1: covers the Fluorocarbon Elastomer Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2: talks about the top manufacturers and analyses their sales, revenue and pricing decisions for the duration 2019- 2026; Chapter 3: displays the competitive nature of the market by discussing the competition among the top manufacturers. It dissects the market using sales, revenue and market share data for 2019- 2026; Chapter 4: shows the global market by regions and the proportionate size of each market region based on sales, revenue and market share of Fluorocarbon Elastomer, for the period 2019- 2026; Continue Browse Full Report Summary of Fluorocarbon Elastomer Market @ https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/fluorocarbon-elastomer-market About MarketExpertz Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development Market Expertz | Web: www.marketexpertz.com Direct Line: +1-800-819-3052 E-mail: sales@marketexpertz.com News: www.marketexpertz.com/market-news Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Latest Research Report On USB Drive Market: Global USB Drive market research report from Garner Insights covers market overview defines characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for the USB Drive industry. The market size section gives the market revenues, covering both the historic data of the market and forecasting the future. Drivers and restraints are studied with respect to external factors influencing the growth of the market. Industry segmentations break down the key sub-sectors which make up the market. USB Drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB Drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than an optical disc. Avail the inside scoop of the Sample report @ http://bit.ly/2XhPbv5 Global and Regional USB Drive Market Research for a Leading company is an intelligent process of gathering and calculating numerical data regarding services and products. This research focuses on the idea to aim at your targeted customer's needs and wants. The report also indicates how effectively a company can meet their requirements. This market research collects data about the customers, marketing strategies and competitors. Some of the key players in the USB Drive market are Revlon, Kingston, SanDisk, Toshiba, Netac, aigo, TECLAST, ADATA, HP, . Market forecasts are served for each of the following submarkets, product-type and by application/end-user categories: By Product Types: ?8G, 16G, 32G, ?64G. By Application/ End-user: Enterprise, Personal. Regional Markets: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia & Australia. USB Drive Market Effect Factors Analysis chapter precisely give emphasis on Technology Progress/Risk, Substitutes Threat, Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Changes, Technology Progress in Related Industry, and Economic/Political Environmental Changes that draws the growth factors of the Market. Any Query or Discount? Ask to our Expert @ http://bit.ly/2Xi2M5Y The fastest & slowest growing market segments are pointed out in the study to give out significant insights into each core element of the market. New market players are commencing their trade and are accelerating their transition in USB Drive Market. Merger and acquisition activity forecast to change market landscape of this industry. This report comes along with an added Excel data-sheet suite taking quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report. Research Methodology: The USB Drive market has been analyzed using an optimum mix of secondary sources and benchmark methodology besides a unique blend of primary insights. The contemporary valuation of the market is an integral part of our market sizing and forecasting methodology. Our industry experts and panel of primary members have helped in compiling appropriate aspects with realistic parametric assessments for a comprehensive study. What's in the offering: The report provides in-depth knowledge about the utilization and adoption of USB Drive Industry in various applications, types, and regions/countries. Furthermore, the key stakeholders can ascertain the major trends, investments, drivers, vertical player's initiatives, government pursuits towards the product acceptance in the upcoming years, and insights of commercial products present in the market. Full Report Link @ http://bit.ly/2XexUTK Lastly, the USB Drive Market study provides essential information about the major challenges that are going to influence market growth. The report additionally provides overall details about the business opportunities to key stakeholders to expand their business and capture revenues in the precise verticals. The report will help the existing or upcoming companies in this market to examine the various aspects of this domain before investing or expanding their business in the USB Drive market. About Garner Insights We at Garner Insights.com provide a comprehensive analysis by providing in-depth reports of the various market verticals. Our Mission is to provide a detailed analysis of the vast markets worldwide backed by rich data. Decision makers can now rely on our well-defined data gathering methods to get the correct and accurate market forecasting along with detailed analysis. Contact Us: Mr. Kevin Thomas +1 513 549 5911 (US) +44 203 318 2846 (UK) Email: sales@garnerinsights.com Amid international pressure to hand over Al-Bashir, discord is growing among Sudans opposition forces, albeit united on the need for civilian government No sooner had protesters caught their breaths to celebrate the ouster of president Omar Al-Bashir than events took a worrying turn in Sudan Monday. Demonstrators camped outside the army headquarters in Khartoum spent the day trying to protect their sit-in as troops attempted to disperse the crowds. Once tractors started removing the metal barriers the protesters erected to protect their sit-in, the Sudanese people joined hands to foil attempts to disperse them. Eyewitnesses told Reuters that demonstrators numbered approximately 5,000. Meanwhile, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which has been spearheading demonstrations since their onset four months ago, called on the people to join the sit-in. We hope that everyone will head immediately to the areas of the sit-in to protect your revolution and your accomplishments, a SPA statement said Monday. Eyewitnesses present at the sit-in told Al-Ahram Weekly that masked men attempted to disperse the crowds Monday morning. In the afternoon, military forces requested protesters remove the barriers. Other Sudanese sources, however, reported to the Weekly that assistants of former defence minister Awad ibn Aouf plotted the dispersal attempt. Anti-revolutionary forces have started making their moves, said Mohamed Dawoud, spokesman of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party, a liberal bloc headed by Omar Al-Digair, and on the list of names the opposition announced would conduct negotiations with the transitional military council. There is electronic jihad on social media platforms. Its elements belong to the ruling Islamist movement that was led by Al-Bashir for 30 years, added Dawoud. Some of the social media accounts the Weekly saw of those belonging to electronic jihad appeared fake, calling for jihad against the communist and secularist protesters, and vowing to not leave the country for them. The meeting between opposition forces, who signed the Declaration of Freedom and Change, and the transitional military council resulted in little but forming a government led by an independent figure. This is barely a result. Everyone agreed on the necessity of handing over rule of the country to a civilian government, said Khaled Mahmoud, a researcher in Sudanese affairs. Disagreement is brewing between opposition forces because leftist figures announced the elimination of members from the Sudanese Communist Party and the Popular Congress Party from the list of names delegated to negotiate with the transitional military council, added Mahmoud. All opposition parties should work on calming each others fears. Disputes will only stall the process of announcing a civilian government and its leader, since this step is the most critical in this phase, he stated. For the meantime, the transitional military council was being formed, particularly with the appointment of head of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hassan Hamdan Daglo, aka Hemeti, as deputy to Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Borhan. It is widely known Darfurs armed opposition had accused Hemeti of committing crimes against humanity in the westernmost part of country when he was leader of tribal Janjaweed forces, also charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. It is also no secret that Hemetis troops make up the Sudanese forces fighting alongside the army of the internationally recognised government in Yemen and the Saudi-led Arab coalition. That Al-Borhan supervised Rapid Support Forces in Darfur for a long time won him strong Gulf connections, said Mahmoud. It is bewildering the opposition welcomed Hemetis membership in the [transitional military] council, he added. The opposition cant reject all the names on the council. In addition, it was Hemeti who distanced Ibn Aouf from the scene when he refused to join the council Ibn Aouf wanted to form before his resignation, explained Dawoud. At the same time, social media pages of the Justice and Equality Movement, the largest amongst Darfurs armed opposition, announced their rejection of Hemetis role in this transitional phase. Otherwise, Al-Borhans other appointments in the transitional military council passed uncontested. He appointed General Hashim Abdul-Mutalleb Babacar as chief of staff, and Mohamed Osman Al-Hussein as his deputy. Al-Borhan also approved the appointment of the councils inspector-general, head of the Operations Authority, and chiefs of staff of ground, marine, and air forces, as well as head of the Military Intelligence. Galaleddin Al-Sheikh was appointed head of the security and intelligence apparatus after Salah Abdullah Saleh, aka Salah Qosh, with Abu Bakr Demblab as deputy to Al-Sheikh. Other names sitting on the council include Omar Zein Al-Abidine, Al-Tayeb Babacar, Salah Abdel-Khalek, Yasser Al-Atta, Mustafa Mohamed Mustafa, Ibrahim Gaber and Shamseddin Al-Kebashi. Still with the new formation, the transitional military council is facing a set of international pressures to hand over the country to a civilian government. The US, the UK and Norway have been pushing the council and a number of political parties to dialogue to speed up the process of handing over authority to civilian rule. The embassies of the three countries released a joint statement warning against resorting to violence in dispersing protests, saying that the legitimate change that the Sudanese people are demanding has not been achieved. It is time for the transitional military council and all other parties to enter into an inclusive dialogue to effect a transition to civilian rule. This must be done credibly and swiftly, with protest leaders, political opposition, civil society organisations, and all relevant elements of society, including women, the troika statement added. The international community wants more. The UN has demanded the immediate handover of Al-Bashir and officials charged with committing war crimes in Darfur to its affiliate International Criminal Court (ICC). A number of members in the transitional military council refused to hand over Al-Bashir to the ICC. Lieutenant-General Omar Al-Zein declared, We dont have a problem trying any defendant in Sudan courts and applying [national] laws in their trials. Al-Bashir is kept somewhere safe but his whereabouts are unknown. Photos circulated of the former president in hospital were said to be old. Protests led by the SPA and forces signatory to the Declaration of Freedom and Change demanded in the statement they presented to the transitional military council the immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government for four years to be followed by elections. They also requested disbanding the ruling National Congress Party, headed by Al-Bashir, and presenting its leading officials and the former president to trial, in addition to sequestrating Al-Bashirs properties. Opposition forces demanded the reinstatement of the 2005 constitution, which the military council suspended after Al-Bashirs overthrow; releasing civilians arrested during protests as well as the police and army personnel apprehended for refusing to shoot at demonstrators; and putting an end to the state of emergency Al-Bashir enforced on 22 February. Why Sudans differs from the Arab Spring revolts The association is Sudans alternative to political forces, said Atef Ismail, a leftist leader and member of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), reports Haitham Nouri. Ismail was referring to the bloc leading protests in Sudan. This is not the first time the SPA has stood in the front line, leading the nation through its struggle. The SPA had previously led the demonstrations following the Graduates Conference in the 1940s, the Associations Assembly in the 1960s, and the Syndicates Association in the 1980s, said Ismail. For the past four months, since the Sudan revolution broke out, protesters have been toeing the line of the SPA, despite not knowing the identity of the associations leaders. The only known SPA figures until recently were its spokesman in France, Mohamed Al-Asbat, and its representative in the UK, Sarah Abdel-Galil. The SPA has acted like the mysterious warrior fighting against a powerful regime that has been at the helm for decades. The SPA makes Sudans revolution different from other Arab Spring revolts, said Khaled Mahmoud, a specialist on Sudanese affairs. The latter were not led by people or groups. In Sudan, the SPA led the popular movement since day one. Ismail stated that, Despite the ambiguity surrounding the SPA leadership, the apprehension of physician Mohamed Nagi Al-Assam was the incident that introduced the people to a number of the associations figureheads. On 12 April, the head of the SPA appeared on Arabic and international satellite channels as Mohamed Youssef Al-Mustafa, a professor of anthropology at Khartoum University. The SPA said it rejected the participation of eight military personnel in a transitional government. Later, on Saturday night, the association revealed the list of SPA members delegated to negotiate with the transitional military council. The list is made up of Al-Assem, Taha Osman, Ahmed Rabie, Ibrahim Hassaballah, Gamrea Omar and Mohamed Al-Amin. All the names of SPA members cannot be revealed until stability is restored in Sudan, explained Ismail, justifying the fear and caution by saying, Things may turn ugly. Everybody fears assaults against SPA members. Since the turn of the 20th century, the Sudanese regarded their educated children as their lifeline, be it during their struggle against the occupation, or while ushering in a new era every time the people revolted against military rule. Following the failure of a number of popular revolts against occupation in 1908 and 1924, high school graduates founded a body of their own, the Graduates Conference, in the early 1940s. Despite its success in pressuring the colonisers and receiving a promise of independence after World War II, the Graduates Conference was disassembled due to political differences, said Ismail. The break-up of the Graduates Conference didnt stop its members from exerting further pressure to gain seats in parliament until 1989, added Ismail. During the October 1964 revolution that overthrew the first military rule, the Associations Assembly was formed. The body resembled a wide-ranging syndicate that included labourers, professionals and farmers, he continued. The assembly was dismantled after regular political parties won the 1965 legislative elections and the communists snatched the Graduates Conferences parliamentary seats. President Jaafar Nimeirys clutch on power he ruled from 1969 to 1985 led the Sudanese people to resort to their syndicate, which spearheaded the revolution against the May regime (the name given to Nimeirys rule). The Islamists learnt the lesson. They sought to control syndicates to prevent them from revolting against the regime they established with the Omar Al-Bashir-led coup. Independent syndicates were founded seven or eight years ago. They assembled in 2013 and continued to function despite their illegality, since the law states that a syndicate should embrace all workers in its profession, noted Ismail. Today, the SPA comprises eight non-official professional groupings including the committees of physicians, pharmacists, and teachers, the Lawyers Coalition, the Journalists Network and the Engineers Association. The SPA has not been the sole leader of Sudans revolution but its mover and shaker. It managed to break the circle of mistrust between the younger generations and weak political parties. The question remains, though, will the SPA meet the same fate of its three predecessors? Declaration of Freedom and Change On 2 January, four major opposition forces signed the Declaration of Freedom and Change in Khartoum. The declaration, gathering the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the Sudan Call, the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the Unionist Alliance, is not a political body, but rather a set of general guiding principles to which the signing parties adhere. The SPA is a grouping of non-official professional bodies, created after Al-Bashirs regime took hold of every official syndicate. The NCF was founded in 2009 and comprises 17 parties, prime among which is the National Umma Party, led by former Prime Minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi (1986-1989) whose government was overthrown by Al-Bashir. Other NCF parties include the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), led by Yasser Arman, the Sudanese Communist Party, and the Popular Congress Party, founded in 2000 by late Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi who assisted Al-Bashir in his coup. Made up of a large number of parties, the Sudan Call is not united on the goals of the declaration, save for toppling Al-Bashir. The alliance is expected to be dismantled following the current phase. The Unionist Alliance is a group of opposition blocs that agreed 30 January 2018 to not negotiate with Al-Bashirs regime no matter the circumstances. The alliance has sought toppling Al-Bashir through directing and motivating the people. Historically, the alliance had called for Egypt-Sudan unity. By the late 1980s they called for unity among the Sudanese. Nowadays, they seek close relations with Cairo. Since Osman Al-Mirghani, leader of the alliance, signed an initiative with John Garang in 1988, the Unionists have been calling for the unity of Sudan before moving one step towards foreign relations, said Moetassem Hakem, a former Unionist Alliance member. The present alliance of the forces that signed the declaration will not last long. Some parties will deviate to achieve their own interests following the removal of Al-Bashir, opined Fayez Al-Selik, editor of Change, a Sudanese website. The declaration will remain, and the parties will pretend to adhere to its principles, but the alliances will not remain the same, he added. Maybe the Communist Party will stay united with the Popular Congress Party, and the National Umma with the SPLM-N, for a while, Al-Selik said. But the fact that many new parties agreed to dialogue with the transitional military council makes it likely the alliances will be disassembled, except for the civil alliance, he added. The Declaration of Freedom and Change calls for the immediate step-down of Al-Bashir and the formation of a national transitional government comprising qualified people based on merits of competency to be tasked with ending Sudans civil wars by addressing the root cause(s) of each and seeking remedies to their disastrous manifestations. Other goals stated in the declaration include to apply the brakes on the current state of economic freefall, and work to improve the livelihood of all Sudanese citizens; reach out to warring parties to address lingering issues, and security arrangements. These agreements should be fair, just and comprehensive; oversee efforts to dismantle the structure of governance set up by a totalitarian one-party regime, and transition it to institutions based on a constitution and the rule of law. The goal is to create the conditions for a thriving state in which the people of Sudan elect their representatives freely; and to restructure civil services and the armed forces to be representative of the nation, ie national, diverse, and independent; empower Sudanese women and strive to end all forms of discrimination and oppressive practices against them; improve Sudans image globally, and work on fostering regional and global relationships based on mutual respect and common interests. In that light, special attention will be given to the relationship with the Republic of South Sudan; ensure the state commitment to human development, social welfare, and the environment through programmes and subsidies in areas of health, education and housing; convene a Comprehensive Constitutional Conference to address key national issues, with the objective of forming a National Constitution Committee. Stated Al-Selik: These are general principles demanded by the entire nation, but the devil is in the details. *A version of this article appears in print in the 18 April, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Sudanese demand legitimate change Search Keywords: Short link: Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Automotive industry outlook, stringent environmental regulations, changing consumer preferences, and electrification of automobiles are few of the prominent factors influencing growth of the Global Automotive Catalytic Converter Devices Market. In an attempt to reduce the emission levels, several technology advances have been implemented in the design of converters to achieve efficient emission control. Request TOC of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=694 Exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine comprises of toxic gas and pollutants; automotive catalytic converter devices are used in vehicles to convert these gases into less harmful emissions by catalyzing a redox reaction. Two types of catalyst operate the function of automotive catalytic converter devices that consist of ceramic structure coated with metal catalyst. Due to high costs of material, manufacturers of automotive catalytic converter devices are focusing on developing a structure that exposes large surface area of to the exhaust stream, while reducing the amount of catalyst required. With increasing number of vehicle parc, the amount of pollution that all the vehicles produce together can create big environmental problems. This had led surge in the demand for automotive catalytic converter devices in the recent years. Large scale production of automobiles in emerging economies is the key factor driving automotive catalytic converter devices market. To meet stringent regulations of exhaust emissions, most gasoline-powered vehicles must be equipped with catalytic converters which in turn accelerates growth of the automotive catalytic converter devices market. In addition, the automotive catalytic converter devices market is expected to witness a significant growth in the coming years with growing need for enhancement of safety features in vehicles. FactMR has published a new report on the global automotive catalytic converter devices market. An in-depth analysis of the trends, drivers, restraints, as well as opportunities makes this report the most credible source to understand the global market scenario. Among all the automobile exhaust emission technologies, catalytic converter is observed to be more efficient in reducing emission levels of CO, HC, NOx, and diesel particulates. The converter is placed in the exhaust systems of the automobiles to control emission. According to the technology, they are found as three-way catalytic converter, diesel oxidation catalytic converter, selective catalytic reduction, and lean NOx trap. The catalysts used in the converters are usually palladium, rhodium, platinum, and other noble metals. As palladium has low cost and better selectivity and activity for hydrocarbons, it is the most widely used catalyst in automotive converters. Apart from general automobiles, catalytic converters also find application in mining, forklifts, electric generators, and other commercial vehicles. To know more about the Automotive Catalytic Converter Devices Market Visit the link- https://www.factmr.com/report/694/automotive-catalytic-converter-devices-market Due to improved economic conditions and expanding middle class, past decades have witnessed increased subscriptions of automobiles, in particular cars. Along with increased vehicle ownership, introduction of ride-sharing concept by technology titans such as Uber has further supported growth of the automotive industry. International trade has also significantly contributed to the growth of automotive fleet industry. As catalytic converters are indispensable component of every automobile, demand for automotive catalytic converter devices is estimated to remain steady in the future. In 2007, Mazda Motor Corporation launched the very first catalytic converter with nanoparticles. Implementation of nanotechnology significantly declined use of large particles of cost-intensive noble metals. Since then, multiple OEM manufacturers have introduced modifications in nanoparticles to achieve efficient gas emission. In 2017, at Stanford University and SLAC National Chemical Laboratory, researchers have used nanotechnology to enhance catalytic performance of cerium oxide during emission control. The observation included stretching and compression of cerium that increases metal's oxygen storage capacities. Ceria is used in converter to remove air pollutants from the vehicle exhaust system. Recently, DESY NanoLab has revealed one of the study results regarding use of nanoparticles with more edges and better emission control in catalytic converters. Through X-ray analysis the researchers at PETRA III DESY lab observed efficient real-time conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide on the surface of nanoparticles with more edges. With the aim to reduce harmful substances in exhaust emissions and to exploit sustainable energy sources, development of electric vehicles is very well received across the globe. As major industry titans have seriously implemented manufacturing of electric and hybrid electric vehicles, roads of major world regions are increasingly driving the same vehicles. As these vehicles do not use fuel source for energy, they exempt the use of catalytic converters. With the increased adoption of electric vehicles, market for catalytic converter devices may experience timid growth. As the environmental regulations regarding exhaust emission tighten, automotive giants are trying to align their products to meet the global emission standards. M&A activities and adoption of smart strategies such as international competitiveness, race to the bottom, or early mover advantage, automotive OEMs of catalytic converter devices have successfully established their positions in the global market. For instance, BASF Catalyst had acquired catalytic converter technology from Engelhard Corp. and has recently celebrated manufacturing of its 400 millionth automotive catalytic converter at Huntsville, Alabama site. Key stakeholders in the global automotive catalytic converter devices are Benteler International AG, Tenneco Inc., Faurecia SA, BASF Catalysts, Calsonic Kansei Corporation, MagnettiMarelliSPA, Clean Diesel Technologies and Katcon among others. In conclusion, above discussed points are elaborately discussed in the report making it a comprehensive resource for industry professionals who are interested in business expansion. This analytical research study imparts an all-inclusive assessment on the market, while propounding historical intelligence, actionable insights, and industry-validated & statistically-upheld market forecast. Verified and suitable set of assumptions and methodology has been leveraged for developing this comprehensive study. Information and analysis on key market segments incorporated in the report has been delivered in weighted chapters. Request Brochure of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=B&rep_id=694 About FactMR FactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us FactMR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Our latest research report entitled Automotive Thermal System Market (by component (compressor, HVAC, powertrain cooling and fluid transport)) Industry Analysis, Trends, Market Size, Forecasts to 2024 provides complete and deep insights into the market dynamics and growth of Automotive Thermal System. Latest information on market risks, industry chain structure Automotive Thermal System 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 Automotive Thermal System growth factors. The forecast Automotive Thermal System Market information is based on the present market situation, growth opportunities, development factors, and opinion of the industry experts. An in-depth analysis of the company profiles, Automotive Thermal System on global and regional level and applications is conducted. The analysis of downstream buyers, sales channel, raw materials, and industry verticals is offered in this report. According to the report the global automotive thermal system market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% over the forecast period of 2018-2024. Ask for Sample Copy of Research Report with Table of Content @ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample-request/1415 Use of Advanced HVAC to Promote Growth in the Automotive Thermal System Market Over 2018 to 2024 Increased in the usage of advanced HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems in automobiles is anticipated to be the key factor driving the growth of the automotive thermal system market. Additionally, rising demand for thermal systems that run on alternative fuels such as propane, bio-alcohols, ethanol and P-Series fuels is expected to fuel the growth of the automotive thermal system over the forecast period. On the other hand, adoption of green initiatives to minimize loss and promote effective and clean distribution of energy by various countries is expected to further offer lucrative growth opportunities for the key players in the automotive thermal market over the upcoming years. Ask Discount for the latest research report @ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/request-discount/1415 Asia Pacific Region to Contribute to Growth in the Tubeless Tire Market Over the Next 6 Years The Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the largest region in the automotive thermal system market due to demand for the automotive thermal system in countries such as China, Japan, and India. Omkar Harne a research analyst at Infinium Global Research quoted that the US and Europe are expected to further provide several growth opportunities with the rise in demand for eco-friendly technology based thermal management systems in the upcoming years. Omkar Harne further stated that huge infrastructural developments are driving the construction equipment and heavy vehicles market, which in turn is driving the automotive thermal system market growth in the North American regions. Mergers and Acquisitions to Remain Key Expansion Strategies of the Leading Players in the Automotive Thermal Market Between 2018-2024 The leading companies identified in the market are Valeo, Mahle GmbH, Grayson Thermal Systems, Gentherm Inc., and Denso Corporation. Additionally, Modine Manufacturing Company, in order to expand their global reach and gain strong footholds into the market offers power train cooling systems such as oil and air coolers. Moreover, established players in the automotive thermal system market can afford huge investments on research and development activities enabling innovations. For instance, Denso Corporation expanded its operation in Silicon Valley, to focus on research and development activities in different regions. Browse Detailed TOC, Description, and Companies Mentioned in Report @ https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/automotive/global-automotive-thermal-system-market Reasons to Buy this Report: - Comprehensive analysis of global as well as regional markets of the Automotive Thermal System. - Complete coverage of all the product type and applications segments to analyze the trends, developments, and forecast of market size up to 2024. - Comprehensive analysis of the companies operating in this market. The company profile includes analysis of product portfolio, revenue, SWOT analysis and the latest developments of the company. - Infinium Global Research- Growth Matrix presents an analysis of the product segments and geographies that market players should focus to invest, consolidate, expand and/or diversify. Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- The Electrostatic Chucks (ESC) is a tool that clamps an object with the force generated between the electrode and the object by applying a voltage to the electrode. There are two different types of electrostatic clamping methods. One is Coulomb force type that utilizes an insulator as a dielectric material, and the other is Johnson-Rahbek force type that utilizes an attractive force induced by dielectric polarization caused by minute electric current flow across the boundary between an object and a dielectric material. ESCs which are widely used for wafer processing (etching, CVD, PVD, Ashing), FPD Process etc. Currently, the Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) industry is dominated by Japan and USA companies. Especially, Japan companies master the mature technology. Many countries and Region need import from Japan. Such as China, Southeast Asia etc. Get PDF brochure of this report: https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/1092231/global-electrostatic-chucks-escs-market SHINKO, TOTO and Creative Technology Corporation the top three production value share spots in the Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) market in 2017. SHINKO dominated with 43.83% production value, followed by TOTO with 17.09% production value share and Creative Technology Corporation with 8.87% production value share. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry has a greater impact on the demand for electrostatic chuck. With the huge investment in the semiconductor industry, we are optimistic about the future of the electrostatic chuck industry. The global Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) market was 210 million US$ in 2018 and is expected to 290 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 3.9% between 2019 and 2025. This report studies the Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) market size (value and volume) by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2014-2018 and forecast data 2019-2025; 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 Electrostatic Chucks (ESCs) in these regions, from 2014 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) 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 SHINKO TOTO Creative Technology Corporation Kyocera FM Industries NTK CERATEC Tsukuba Seiko Applied Materials II-VI M Cubed By the product type, the market is primarily split into Colulomb Type Electrostatic Chukcs Johnsen-Rahbek(JR) Type Electrostatic Chucks By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments Semiconductor (LCD/CVD) Wireless Communications Electronics Medical 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 Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Rest of Asia-Pacific Europe Germany France UK Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Central & South America Brazil Rest of Central & South America Middle East & Africa GCC Countries Turkey Egypt South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Get Complete Report in your Inbox within 24 hours ($3350): https://www.qyresearch.com/settlement/pre/90e1119861f2fc5af3fcd71b3e6bab5d,0,1,Global%20Electrostatic%20Chucks%20(ESCs)%20Market%20Report,%20History%20and%20Forecast%202014-2025,%20Breakdown%20Data%20by%20Manufacturers,%20Key%20Regions,%20Types%20and%20Application 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 Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Rest of Asia-Pacific Europe Germany France UK Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Central & South America Brazil Rest of Central & South America Middle East & Africa GCC Countries Turkey Egypt South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa The study objectives of this report are: To study and analyze the global Electrostatic Chucks market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2025. To understand the structure of Electrostatic Chucks market by identifying its various subsegments. To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks). Focuses on the key global Electrostatic Chucks manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Electrostatic Chucks with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market. To project the value and volume of Electrostatic Chucks 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. In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Electrostatic Chucks are as follows: History Year: 2014-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025 Click to view Tables, Charts, Figures, TOC, and Companies Mentioned in the global GaN Devices market Report: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/1092231/global-electrostatic-chucks-escs-market This report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K sqm). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Electrostatic Chucks market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets 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, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources. For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered. Key Stakeholders Raw material suppliers Distributors/traders/wholesalers/suppliers Regulatory bodies, including government agencies and NGO Commercial research & development (R&D) institutions Importers and exporters Government organizations, research organizations, and consulting firms Trade associations and industry bodies End-use industries Available Customizations With the given market data, QYResearch offers customizations according to the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report: Further breakdown of Electrostatic Chucks market on basis of the key contributing countries. Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players. 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 the 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 a brand of quality assurance in the consulting industry. Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Air Drills Market: Overview Air drill is used for most robust pneumatic applications in construction, agriculture, and mining industries. Due to the durability and versatility, the air drills are in massive demand across sectors. Also, the air drills are low cost and more efficient as compared to conventional drills. The increase in the need for reversible air drills in industrial as well as agriculture applications is boosting the growth of air drills market. The air drills are most widely used in agriculture, forestry, mining, and other industries. The air drills are operated by air pressure that is used for breaking hard surfaces. The air drills are flexible and lightweight and are used mainly for high-pressure pneumatic applications. Also, the air drills have a longer service life as compared to conventional drills. This is one of the factors that can create demand for air drills for industrial and other applications. The air drills used in agriculture enables to plant seed and fertilizer faster and efficiently. It delivers accurate seed placement with on row packing. It is primarily used for more extensive operations. Pneumatic drills are for daily use in various industrial applications. The key vendors in air drills market are focusing on developing a variety of air drills such as inline air drills, pistol grip air drills, right angle air drills, etc. The reversible air drills are robust and are used for manual drilling into wood, steel, other materials, therefore, the increase in the introduction of innovative air drills that are used for various industrial applications is driving the growth of air drills market. Request Free Sample Report@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2631 Air Drills Market: Dynamics The air drills are adjustable, flexible and efficient which are the key factors driving the adoption of air drills across the globe. Also, these air drills are offered in a variety of configurations such as a pistol, right angle, inline, grip etc. This factor is highly contributing to the growth of the air drills market. High maintenance cost is the crucial factors that can hamper the growth of air drills market. The high adoption of air drills in agriculture and aerospace is one of the latest trends in the air drills market. Global Air Drills Market: Segmentation Segmentation Overview The air drills market can be segmented on the basis of type, chuck type, end use, and region. On the basis of type, the pneumatic and reversible air drills are most widely used in various applications. The inline air drills are mainly used in oil field, refineries, and aerospace. The right angle drills are used for daily use in different industrial applications. By Type Right Angle Air Drills Reversible Air Drills Heavy Duty Air Drills Pistol Grip Air Drills Pneumatic Air Drills Inline Air Drills Others By Chuck Type Keyed Keyless Threaded By End Use Aerospace & Defense Agriculture Oil & Gas Mining Others Global Air Drills Market: Competition Landscape Examples of some of the key players in the global air drills market are Flexi-Coil, Ingersoll Rand, Mazergroup, APEX Tool Group, Morris Industries Ltd, Salford Group, Inc., Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., W.W. Grainger, Inc, Cervus Equipment Corporation, Bourgault Industries, AGCO Corporation, CNH Industrial, Deere & Company, Gasweld Tools, Pacific Pneumatic Tools, Inc, Climax, etc. Request/View TOC@ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2631 Air Drills Market: Regional Outlook North America is expected to dominate the air drills market followed by the Europe region owing to the availability of advanced technologies and the vast presence of air drills providers. The air drills market in Europe is also increasing due to the technology advancement in this region. Also, the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow significantly in the air drills market due to increase in demand of air drills in agriculture and defense applications. Latin America and MEA are expected to witness significant growth rate in the air drills market. In June 2018, Morris Industries, which is one of the leading air drills providers launched Quantum air drill with interlocking frame technology for the durability of seeding equipment in Australia The report covers exhaustive analysis on: Global Air Drills Market Segments Global Air Drills Market Dynamics Historical Actual Market Size, 2013-2017 Global Air Drills Market Size & Forecast 2017 to 2028 Supply & Demand Value Chain for Air Drills Market Global Air Drills Market Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Competition & Companies involved in Air Drills Market Air Drills Technology Value Chain of Air Drills Global Air Drills Market Drivers and Restraints Regional analysis of Global Air Drills Market includes North America Air Drills Market U.S. & Canada Latin America Air Drills Market Brazil, Argentina & Others Eastern Europe Air Drills Market Poland Russia Rest of Eastern Europe Western Europe Air Drills Market Germany Italy France U.K. Spain Nordic BENELUX Rest of Western Europe Asia Pacific Air Drills Market Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Greater China India ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Japan Air Drills Market Middle East and Africa Air Drills Market GCC Countries Other Middle East North Africa South Africa Other Africa The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators, and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics of the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and product offerings Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective towards market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint Report Analysis@ https://www.factmr.com/report/2631/air-drills-market About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Blog: https://factmrblog.com/ Read Industry News at - http://theguardiantribune.com Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- According to the new market research report "Gunshot Detection System Market by Application (Commercial, Defense), Installation (Fixed Installations, Vehicle Installations, Soldier Mounted), System (Indoor, Outdoor), Solution (Systems, SaaS) and Region - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Gunshot Detection System Market is estimated at USD 564 million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 1,008 million by 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.30% from 2019 to 2024. Gunshot detection systems for homeland security were first used in the US. These systems are primarily used by law enforcement agencies. They are installed at a height of more than 30 feet above the ground at select locations of the coverage area. These include walls, poles, streetlights, and buildings, among others. Increase in the incidents of mass shootings in educational institutions is a prime concern. These systems installed at educational institutions places provide real-time updates on shooting events to security personnel, along with individuals inside these places on their electronic communication devices. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=58054729 The fixed installation segment to grow at a higher CAGR in the gunshot detection system market during the forecast period The gunshot detection system market has been segmented and analyzed in terms of installation type, namely, fixed installation, soldier mounted, and vehicle installation. The market is dominated by the fixed installation segment and this segment is also projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Fixed gunshot detection systems use the acoustic sensor node detection technology to detect a gunshot event. Fixed installations are installed at a specific height from the ground. High-security areas, such as restricted military infrastructure are high potential fixed installation sites for gunshot detection systems. Military installations use fixed installations on walls, poles, or border crossings. Fixed electro-optic systems are used by military personnel for enemy sniper localization. Increasing investment in Subscription as a Service (SaaS) is expected to drive the gunshot detection system market during the forecast period Based on solution, the SaaS segment of the gunshot detection system market is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The increasing demand for subscription-based services by public safety authorities is driving the market for this segment. North America region shows the highest potential for implementation of gunshot detection North America is expected to drive the growth of the gunshot detection system market in the coming years, and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, 2019 to 2024. The gunshot detection system market in North America is expected to witness growth, owing to the high number of firearm-related deaths in the region, especially in the US where firearm-related death rate is 25 times higher than other countries. Major US cities are planning to install indoor gunshot detection systems at universities, corporate office locations, and financial facilities, among others, over the next 5 years. Browse in-depth TOC on "Gunshot Detection System Market" 105 Tables 35 Figures 145 Pages Request Sample pages of the Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=58054729 The major players in the gunshot detection system market include SST, Inc. (US), Raytheon (US), QinetiQ North America (US), Shooter Detection Systems, LLC. (US), Acoem Group (France), and Thales Group (France), among others. SST, Inc is one of the key market players engaged in securing contracts to increase the sale of gunshot detection systems. 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: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- With seaborne trade gaining importance in terms of economic development of a nation, government organizations are largely investing in harbor deepening activities worldwide. A deeper harbor can accommodate heavy and large container ships allowing expansion of trading activities in the respective region. This has gained higher significance against the backdrop of a beleaguered scenario of international trade due to the China United States trade war. Although the possibility of improving this condition is true, it is also likely that this scenario can have a throwback on the harbor deepening market, given the likelihood of reduction in shipping activities. Requirement for harbor deepening in urban development is rapidly increasing however is overpowered by trade maintenance activities, according to a recent Fact.MR study. The study envisages that the harbor deepening market is projected to grow at a steady CAGR of 3.0% in terms of value during the period of forecast, 2018-2028. Request Sample Report @ https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=1257 Shipping industry has permeated the international trading space. The International Chamber of Shipping revels that more than 50,000 merchant ships, accounting for around 90 percent of worldwide trading via international waters have been in operation. This has led to increasing number of large vessel anchoring, consequently increasing the need for harbor deepening. Expanding oil and oil gas sector has remained influential in increasing the harbor deepening activities, especially after the removal of trade restrictions on crude oil exports across major countries. This has translated into an increase in oil exports to an average of 1.1 million barrels per day from the United States alone in 2017. Implementation of technologies also have accelerated the global oil trade, thus raising the need for harbor deepening projects across nations. Browse Full Report @ https://www.factmr.com/report/1257/harbor-deepening-market Higher cost associated with harbor deepening has had a deepening impact on the overall market. However, this is likely to be offset by favorable government encouragement in terms of budget allocations. The steadily rising harbor deepening activities will coattail rising government funding as a consequence. The Charleston Harbor Deepening project and Savanah Harbor Deepening project are few of the major activities heavily funded by the government, with a large funding of US$ 509 million for the former and additional US$ 100 million for the later. Rising support from government organizations have shored up the harbor deepening projects that are likely to expand at a 2.1% by 2028. Harbor deepening activities have also penetrated the cruising space, wherein various projects are being undertaken for facilitating navigation of large cruise vessels. The CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) has estimated that the cursing industry has seen its pink with increasing number of passengers opting for cruising. The association expects that the passenger count is likely to cross 27 million only for cruising. This math has shaken few of the major ports worldwide, which are increasingly investing in harbor deepening, such as PortMiami. You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.factmr.com/checkout/1257/S United States have remained dominant in the North America region, wherein increasing harbor deepening projects are being undertaken funded by the U.S government. The harbor deepening of ports in the country has largely been influenced with the increasing oil exports. Likewise, in terms of freight logistics, Germany holds an upper hand in the European Union. The harbor deepening scenario in the United Kingdom is also a significant one with increasing harbor redevelopment projects such as the Peter Harbor Redevelopment initiative. Harbor deepening in Japan has taken a rapid upswing on back of increasing foreign trade. The country's container shipping and seaborne vehicle shipping are other aspects adding fuel to the activity of harbor deepening. Recently, Japan and Singapore have announced a joint feasibility study to promote LNG bunkering for car carriers functioning between these two countries. That said, the country is likely to present lucrative growth opportunities for harbor deepening in the forthcoming years. About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Read Industry News at - https://theswisstimes.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- A heat meter is an instrument used to determine the thermal energy distributed to a sink or provided by a source. The heat meter helps for determination of the flow rate of the heat transfer and the adjustment in its temperature between the return back and outflow of the system. The heat meter is generally used in the power plants for testing boiler output. Along with that, the heat meter is also used to determine the cooling or heating output of a chiller unit as well as heating output of a boiler. The key purpose of a heat meter is to deliver the data required for optimization and billing. Nowadays, various governments have set the mandatory rules and regulations for installation of heat meters. These rules and regulations are playing the vital role in driving the heat meter market globally. Moreover, governments across the world are developing policies to boost the use of heat saving, owing to, energy import that is taken place in several emerging economies. According to the regulatory guidelines of the International Energy Efficiency (IEE), heat meter installations hold a vital role in warming de-carbonization. Low carbon district heating providing better flexibility can decarbonize warming in constructions by installing heat meters, which is another strong factor assisting growth of the global market. Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-9364 Global Heat Meter Market: Segmentation The global heat meter market has been segmented on the basis of product type, conductivity type, end use, and region. The global heat meter market segmentation on the basis of product type: Mechanical Turbine Multi Jet Static Ultrasonic Electromagnetic The global heat meter market segmentation on the basis of conductivity type: Wireless Connection Wired Connection The global heat meter market segmentation on the basis of end use: Commercial & Public Residential Chemical Refinery Industrial Global Heat Meter Market: Competition Landscape The prominent manufacturers of the heat meter are focusing on acquisitions and partnerships. Along with that, the manufacturers are engaged in providing the technologically improved and enhanced heat meter for better performance. For instance, in 2019, Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG, one of the German based perominent manufacturer of the heat meter has acquired, NEW ENGINEERING AND SUPPORT CENTER (ESC) IN DEBRECEN, HUNGARY, for expanding regional footprint and to provide better quality of the products to the global customers. Also, in 2018, Schlumberger Limited, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Shearwater to acquire the marine seismic acquisition assets and operations of WesternGeco, the geophysical services product line of Schlumberger. These merges, acquisitions, partnerships by the key manufacturers is ultimately expanding the product portfolio of the company, and boosting the growth of the heat meter market across the globe during the forecast period. Some of the prominent players in the global heat meter market are Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG, engelmann, Kamstrup A/S, Schlumberger Limited., Ista, Itron., Qundis, Landis+Gyr, Sontex, Zenner, Trend, WEIHAI PLOUMETER CO., LTD, Wecan Precision Instruments, Sensus., Huizhong Instrumentation Co., Ltd., and SUNTRONT TECH CO., LTD. Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-9364 Global Heat Meter Market: Regional Overview On the basis of geography, the governments with a strong economy, such as U.S. in North America is estimated to capture the significant share in terms of revenue in the field of heat meter market. The strong presence of chemical industries as well as refineries in the North America region is considerably fueling the demand for heat meters. The stringent regulations regarding the heat meters and their installations in the region, is another prominent factor influencing the demand for heat meters in the market. The Asia Pacific is expected to hold the prominent share in the field of heat meter market during the forecast period. Owing to, the countries in the Asia Pacific region, such as Japan, China, and India are having the most significant industrial output as compared to the other countries in the world. Thus, Asia Pacific also expected to capture the considerable share in the field of the heat meter market. Looking at strong growth of the automobile industry in the European countries such as Germany and the UK, the market for heat meters is anticipated to grow at significant CAGR in the forecast period. These parameters are potentially boosting the growth of the heat meter market across the globe during the forecast period. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Importantly, examination of various facets of the industry including but not limited to production volume, product sales, demand and supply assessment and forecast for the period, 2019 - 2025 aim at offering business owners a competitive edge over their rivals. The study further conducts a qualitative evaluation of various driving forces expected to shape the future of the industry during the estimated period. The Top key vendors in Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market include are General Electric, Gladiator Technologies, Honeywell, Lord Microstrain, Northrop Grumman, Bosch, Safran Electronics & Defense, Stmicroelectronics, Teledyne Technologies, Thales, Trimble Navigation, Vectornav Technologies Get Free PDF Sample Copy of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market at https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/sample/17549 Apart from this, the valuable document weighs upon the performance of the industry on the basis of a product service, end-use, geography and end customer. The industry experts have left no stone unturned to identify the major factors influencing the development rate of the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) industry including various opportunities and gaps. A thorough analysis of the micro markets with regards to the growth trends in each category makes the overall study interesting. When studying the micro markets the researchers also dig deep into their future prospect and contribution to the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) industry. A high focus is maintained on factors such as demand and supply, production capacity, supply chain management, distribution channel, product application and performance across different countries. The report not only offers hard to find facts about the trends and innovation driving the current and future of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) business, but also provides insights into competitive development such as acquisition and mergers, joint ventures, product launches and technology advancements. A quick look at the industry trends and opportunities The researchers find out why sales of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) are projected to surge in the coming years. The study covers the trends that will strongly favor the industry during the forecast period, 2019 to 2025. Besides this, the study uncovers important facts associated with lucrative growth and opportunities that lie ahead for the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) industry. Purchase the report :- https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/checkout/17549 On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, and market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into - Accelerometers - Gyroscopes - Magnetometers On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including - Aircraft - Missiles - Space Launch Vehicles - Marine - Military Armored Vehicles - Consumer Electronics - Automotive - Survey Equipment Region wise performance of the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) (DCS) industry This report studies the global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market status and forecast, categorizes the global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia India and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America). Key points from TOC 1 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Overview 1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) 1.2 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Segment by Type (Product Category) 1.2.1 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025) 1.2.2 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017 1.2.3 Accelerometers 1.2.4 Gyroscopes Magnetometers 1.4 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Segment by Application 1.4.1 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025) 1.3.2 Aircraft 1.3.3 Missiles 1.3.4 Space Launch Vehicles 1.3.5 Marine 1.3.6 Military Armored Vehicles 1.3.7 Consumer Electronics 1.3.8 Automotive 1.3.9 Survey Equipment 1.5 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market by Region (2013-2025) 1.5.1 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025) 1.5.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.5.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.5.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.5.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.5.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.5.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025) 1.6 Global Market Size (Value) of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) (2013-2025) 1.6.1 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025) 1.6.2 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025) 2 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Competition by Manufacturers 2.1 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018) 2.1.1 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018) 2.1.2 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018) 2.2 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018) 2.3 Global Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018) 2.4 Manufacturers Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type 2.5 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Competitive Situation and Trends 2.5.1 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Concentration Rate 2.5.2 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers 2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Continue.. Browse Full RD with TOC of This Report @ https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/17549/inertial-measurement-unit-imu-market Besides exploring the company profiles of prominent market leaders, the research gather and analyses raw data on the regulatory framework, cost structure, import and export status, supply chain management and supply chain management expected to shape the trajectory of the business landscape. The researchers behind the study have further leveraged the industry-leading assessment tools to gauge the growing level of competition, recent acquisition and mergers, product launches and new entrants. There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Duty-Free retailing market. The report is Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) over 15 Chapters to display the analysis of the global Duty-free retail shop market. Chapter 1 covers the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Market Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2 talks about the top manufacturers and analyses their sales, revenue and pricing decisions for the duration 2019 and 2025; Chapter 3 displays the competitive nature of the market by discussing the competition among the top manufacturers. It dissects the market using sales, revenue and market share data for 2015 and 2019; Continue.. People also viewed:- High-performance Inertial Sensors and IMU Market Insights - Global Trends, Opportunities, Analysis and Forecast by 2025 @ https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com/25835/high-performance-inertial-sensors-and-imu-market About Market Growth Insight Market Growth Insight is a one stop solution for market research reports in various business categories. We are serving 100+ clients with 10000+ diverse industry reports and our reports are developed to simplify strategic decision making, on the basis of comprehensive and in-depth significant information, established through wide ranging analysis and latest industry trends. We are striving to provide the best customer friendly services and appropriate business information to accomplish your ideas. Contact 502, Sai Radhe, Kennedy Road, Behind Hotel Sheraton Grand, Near Pune Station, Pune 411 001, Maharashtra, India Contact No- + 91 8956 049 020 Sales@marketgrowthinsight.com Website- https://www.marketgrowthinsight.com Follow Us:- LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+ | Facebook Sarasota, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Global Ink Additives Market: Overview Ink additives are the products generally used for printing on various materials, such as rubber, cardboard, papers, and metals. Global Ink Additives Market: Growth Factors With printing sector flourishing across the globe, the ink additives market is anticipated to gain momentum in the years ahead. The growth of the market can also be attributed to rising product applications, technological breakthroughs, and escalating demand for product from Asia Pacific region, primarily from countries such as India, China, and Southeast Asia. In addition to this, the thriving e-commerce business activities in APAC are expected to enhance the demand for corrugated boxes and boards, thereby driving the ink additives market size. Currently, solvent-based technology is used across the globe as a result of its low costs as well as for gravure and flexographic processes and this in turn will proliferate the demand for ink additives. With thriving packaging sector and massive applications of the product in this sector will spur the expansion of ink additives market over the forthcoming years. Today, flexible packaging has become a growing trend and this will further elevate the growth graph of the ink additive market in the ensuing years. Request Free Sample Report @ http://bit.ly/2KHpKlw Global Ink Additives Market: Segmentation The global ink additives market can be divided into type, process, technology, and application. Based on the type, the market is sectored into Dispersing & Wetting Agents, Foam Control Additives, Slip/Rub Materials, and Rheology Modifiers. On the basis of application, the market is sectored into Packaging, Publishing, and Printing. Global Ink Additives Market: Regional Analysis Based on regions, the global ink additives market can be divided into five main regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific is likely to contribute notably towards the global ink additives market over the estimated timeframe. The escalating popularity of flexographic printing inks in the packaging industry for corrugated containers, flexible packaging, folding cartons, labels & tags, and metal cans is driving the ink additives market in Asia Pacific. Massive demand for the products in countries such as India, China, and South East regions will create lucrative growth avenues for the ink additives market in the coming years. North America and Europe are anticipated to contribute massively towards the global ink additives market share in the coming decade. Latin America and the Middle East and African markets have huge growth potential and are likely to account majorly towards the market growth in terms of both size and revenue. Download Free PDF Report Brochure @ http://bit.ly/2KHntXu Global Ink Additives Market: Competitive Players Some of the major players operating in ink additives market include ALTANA AG (US), BASF SE (Germany), Evonik Industries (Germany), Elementis PLC (UK), Dow Corning (US), Shamrock Technologies (US), Munzing Chemie GmbH (Germany), Solvay S.A. (Belgium), Harima Chemicals Group (Japan), and Lubrizol (US).New product launch and merger & acquisition were among the key growth strategies adopted by these leading players to enhance their product offering and regional presence and meet the growing demand for ink additives from emerging economies. Global Ink Additives Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America The U.S. Europe The UK France Germany The Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ http://bit.ly/2KHEpgB What Reports Provides Full in-depth analysis of the parent market Important changes in market dynamics Segmentation details of the market Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value Assessment of niche industry developments Market share analysis Key strategies of major players Emerging segments and regional markets Testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market. Inquire more about this report @ http://bit.ly/2KVmD9N About Zion Market Research Zion Market Research 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. Zion Market Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading industry 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. Manheim, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Kreider Farms, Pennsylvania's largest egg producer and one of the state's favorite makers of farm fresh milk, ice cream, and more, recently kicked off the Farmers for Free Trade coalition's Motorcade for Trade tour in Manheim on Friday, April 12th. A ceremony featuring remarks by several local officeholders, farmers and producers, and other notable individuals who support the significant U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was held at 9 a.m. at Kreider Farms' facilities. The purpose of the event was to launch the Motorcade for Trade's 25 foot RV, which prominently displays key facts and messages on the importance of agricultural trade with Mexico and Canada, as it began its 11-state, 3,500-mile tour to rally for USMCA. Notable VIPs in attendance included: - The Honorable Blanche Lincoln (former U.S. Senator and Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee) - The Honorable Lloyd Smucker (Congressman, PA 11th District) - Jim Bair (President & CEO, U.S. Apple Association) - Brett Davis (Brand Leader for North America, New Holland Agriculture) - Christian Herr, (Executive Vice President, PennAg Industries Association) - Angela Marshal Hofmann (Executive Co-Director, Farmers for Free Trade) - Ron Kreider (Owner/CEO, Kreider Farms) "As farmers, our livelihoods depend on predictable and open access to trading partners throughout North America, which is why we support the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that will potentially update NAFTA in the near future," said Ron Kreider, President and CEO. "Demonstrating our commitment by hosting this important event to kick off the Motorcade for Trade was a true honor." The Motorcade for Trade will continue its tour throughout the current two-week April Congressional recess (April 12th-26th). Additional tour stops still remaining include: - Fair Oaks, Indiana Wednesday, April 17th Location TBD - Woodstock, Illinois Thursday, April 18th Location TBD - La Crosse, Wisconsin Tuesday, April 23rd Location TBD - Iowa Wednesday, April 24th Location TBD - Minnesota Thursday, April 25th Location TBD - North Dakota Friday, April 26th Appert Farms, Hazelton, ND - Billings, Montana Friday, April 26th Erickson Farm/Gooseneck Land and Cattle, Broadview, MT Updates can be found by checking in with the tag #MotorcadeForTrade on social media. Kreider Farms will also continue to update its followers, as well. Connect with Kreider Farms: Facebook | YouTube | TripAdvisor | Instagram About Kreider Farms Noah and Mary Kreider started small with 102 acres of land, a dozen dairy cows, and 200 chickens when Kreider Farms was born in 1935. Now under the leadership of third-generation President and CEO Ron Kreider, Kreider Farms is still very much a local, family-owned farm, but it has expanded to over 3,000 acres in Lancaster, Lebanon, and Dauphin Counties. The 450-employee enterprise has more than 1,600 cows and over 7 million layer hens. To learn more, visit https://www.kreiderfarms.com. The impact of Algerias pro-democracy movement appears to be expanding beyond the massive street protests that have been seen in the country over recent weeks to other forms of dissent, including within state institutions. The governments ability to proceed with the presidential elections that Acting President Abdelkader Bensalah has scheduled for 4 July is being questioned. Since 22 February when the popular protests began in the form of weekly demonstrations opposing ousted former president Abdel-Aziz Bouteflikas bid for a fifth term in office, the dynamic between the growing opposition movement and the authorities has been largely confined to a series of concessions by the regime in response to the massive outcry against it. Apparently overwhelmed by the momentum of the protests, neither side has been able to generate a mature vision of meaningful change in the country. But while the protest movement is still leaderless and thus incapable of negotiating directly with the government, it has expanded beyond the streets and anti-regime slogans in ways that could sabotage the governments plans. On Saturday, members of Algerias judiciary announced a boycott of the presidential elections in a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Justice in Algiers. A spokesman for the Magistrates Club, which organised the rally, said the countrys judges refused to be false witnesses for a poll whose results had been decided in advance. The magistrates, who also called for an independent judiciary, said that the existing electoral laws gave them little control over the polls. They denounced what they described as pressure on judges by the authorities, but they did not name specific cases. The escalation echoed a similar stand taken by over 1,000 Algerian judges in March, who announced their refusal to supervise the elections should Bouteflika continue to stand. The ailing 82-year-old ex-president, in power since 1999, was forced to submit his resignation after Army Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Saleh issued an ultimatum earlier this month. However, the protests, which had earlier defied a ban on demonstrations in the capital Algiers, did not stop even after Bouteflikas resignation, and they have continued to demand genuine change in the form of dismantling the entire regime. Saleh, 79, the face of Algerias army which has been the countrys most powerful political player since the countrys independence from France in 1962, had previously called the protestors agents acting to destabilise Algeria before shifting to support the apparently unstoppable protest movement. His ultimatum to Bouteflika contained hostile references to the ex-presidents associates, whom Saleh pledged he would uproot in order that they could face justice. As the protests raged on following Bouteflikas departure, there were demands for the ouster of all the officials associated with his regime. Algerias parliament proceeded to name speaker Abdelkader Bensalah, formerly a staunch supporter of Bouteflika, as acting president for 90 days until new elections could be held. By replacing Bouteflika with the man who tops the B4 group rejected by the protestors, also including Tayeb Belaiz, head of Algerias Constitutional Council, Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, and Moad Bousharb, head of the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN), the opposition movement has reason to believe that the establishment and the army will attempt to maintain the status quo. Belaiz, however, resigned from his position on Tuesday. For the first time since February, the 12 April protests were met with efforts by anti-riot police to disperse the demonstrations with water-canons and tear gas. By the end of the day, some 180 people have been arrested. In response, the protests continued throughout the week on an almost daily basis. Students from Algerias largest university, Bab Ezzouar, announced an open-ended strike on Sunday until Bensalah stepped down and in protest against Salehs roadmap for change. On the same day, 40 of the countrys mayors announced their refusal to participate in the presidential elections. The secular Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) Party said the 37 municipalities under its control in the Kabylie region of Algeria would boycott the poll. RCD founder Said Saadi issued a statement calling on Saleh to resign owing to his shifting allegiances and his failing the people. The question is not if, but how and when you will step down. The age of military dictatorship is over, Saadi said. Several cabinet ministers reportedly had to cancel local trips when roads were blocked in southwest Algeria. Ali Benflis, a candidate in the 2004 and 2014 presidential elections, said he would not participate in any new elections under the conditions now in place when the same men, institutions, and mechanisms of the Bouteflika era still obtained. Algerian political analyst Abed Charef said that next Fridays protests on 19 April could overthrow the 4 July presidential elections. This objective seems largely within the reach of the protesters in view of the dynamic that has taken place, which is clearly favourable to them, he wrote in a column published on the Eye Website. The authorities had hoped to drag the country into election gear, but that had not happened, he said. Instead, only one former general, Ali Ghediri, had announced his intention to run in the elections amid a growing boycott trend. All this would mean that the presidential elections scheduled for 4 July would be unmanageable, Charef predicted. No candidate can campaign under normal conditions. The protesters promise not to let things happen. To complete the process, the government will have to toughen the crackdown, which may further discredit it and accelerate its downfall, he said. On Tuesday, Saleh, who had remained silent for two weeks, made vague statements accusing Algerias former spy chief general Mohamed Mediene of conspiring against the will of the people and placing obstacles before efforts to find a solution to the crisis. The army chief did not comment on police efforts to disperse Fridays protests or the growing calls to boycott the July elections. While the opposition movement appears to have the upper hand for now, some observers warn that the situation in Algeria might prove to be unstable in the absence of compromise. According to Algerian political analyst Zoheir Boumama, the military establishment in the country may intervene to prevent complications in the crisis, but without engaging in the political process. Agreeing on a compromise will become impossible if the crisis is allowed to continue, Boumama said. Representatives of the protest movement will need to emerge in order to negotiate with the military to allow the latter to exit, he said, adding that it is impossible to expect any form of democratic transformation without the involvement or agreement of the army. *A version of this article appears in print in the 18 April, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Algerian roadmap challenged Search Keywords: Short link: Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Global Lipolyzed Butter Fat Market: Overview Lipolyzed butter fat is a yellow smooth fluid that has a typical enzymolysis butter fat smell. This product is regularly utilized in dairy products, bread shop products, and so forth. Lipolyzed butter fat is determined by breaking butter fat utilizing microbial lipase protein with the end goal to give flavor to the dairy and pastry kitchen products. The utilization microbial lipase protein is basic in lipolyzed butter fat, accordingly it is considered as halal. The utilization of the lipolyzed butter fat is expanding in the food products particularly countries like Israel and GCC nations. Aside from this, the rising health cognizance among the along with diverse product applications saw crosswise over the food industry is expected to boost the growth of the lipolyzed butter fat market in the years ahead. Request Sample For More Information @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=55038 The report offers various perspectives into the various factors boosting market segments, competitive analytics, the market's leading trends, and the restraints of the global lipolyzed butter fat market. The study analyzes the various steps of progress witnessed by the industry considering current models that would impact the lipolyzed butter fat market over the forecast period of 2018 and 2026. Global Lipolyzed Butter Fat Market: Trends and Opportunities Regulatory approval for lipolyzed butter fat by the certified bodies, for example, Halal, Kosher, and so forth prompts expanding demand for the product among the Muslim populace. Organizations fabricating lipolyzed butter fat products can foresee growth opportunities in regions, like North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, credited to rapidly developing demand for low-fat food products, and the pattern is expected remain dominant over the coming years. Obtain Report Details @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/lipolyzed-butter-fat-market.html An extra favorable position is that by the present standards, a refined, lipolyzed butter fat product is acquired which in numerous occasions will have a thickness much lower than a comparable butter fat product which has experienced just lipolysis. This is an imperative preferred standpoint from the business packaging stance. The surge in disposable incomes, rising populace, and high demand for ready-to-eat food are the key factors impacting the development of the lipolyzed butter fat market. Global Lipolyzed Butter Fat Market: Regional Outlook Geographically, North America and Europe are anticipated to lead the global lipolyzed butter fat market. Additionally, the region of Asia Pacific is anticipated to demonstrate high potential for growth in terms of both revenue and opportunity for vendors. The regional market is prognosticated to grow at a brisk pace in countries such as India, China, and ASEAN countries in the coming years. Global Lipolyzed Butter Fat Market: Competitive Landscape Leading vendors operating in the global lipolyzed butter fat market are Flavorjen Group, Shanghai Fuxin Fine Chemical Co., Dairyland Laboratories Inc., and Cargill Inc. San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Marine VFD Market: Introduction The marine VFD market is experiencing a significant growth since past few years. The marine variable frequency drive market is anticipated to undergo even more developments in the span of coming years. The major factors contributing in the rising demand in global marine VFD market are decreased energy price and low energy consumption. It operates an electric engine and can control slow down and increase of engine during starting or stopping, respectively. Marine VFD Market: Notable Developments Invertek Drives in 2018, April, launched another range of IP66 outdoor rated variable frequency drives at Hannover Messe, Germany, in 2018. The Optidrive E3 IP66 drives is a perfect answer for pumps, external fans, HVAC, and marine equipments. The drive range has power o/p up to 22 kW and is intended to give exact engine control and energy reserve funds. Get Brochure of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=5133 Yaskawa America, in February 2019, came up wiith GA800 variable speed drive. It is present in 480 VAC 3-stage (1 600 HP) models and 240 VAC 3-stage (1 150 HP). Mitsubishi Electric in June 2017, was granted an agreement by Sanssouci Star to give FR-F800 inverter drives to the motor room HVAC framework in its pricy Yacht. GE Marine Solutions, in September 2016, a subsidiary of General Electric Company, got into a tie-up with Sembcorp Marine to supply electrical parts for a propulsion and power and framework, comprising 8 units of 5.5 MW propulsion engines, 12 sets of 8 MW generators, transformers, mid voltage switchboards, and MV7000 drives. ABB came up with another all-perfect DCS880 drive. The drive provides in-built security functions and is additionally designed to be IIOT compatible. The drive has numerous readymade application projects, for example, a control program committed for harbor, industrial, tower, and marine deck cranes. Key players operating in the global marine VFD market are GE (US), ABB (Switzerland), Eaton (Ireland), Siemens (Germany), Rockwell Automation (US), WEG (Brazil), CG Power and Industrial Solutions (India), Danfoss (Denmark), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), Parker Hannifin (US), and Yaskawa (Japan). Marine VFD Market Dynamics Minimal Efforts for High and Medium HP Applications to Propel DC Drive Segment The report sections the marine VFD market, by region, DC drive, application, AC drive, and type. The segment of DC drive is foreseen to develop at the most astounding CAGR within the forecast period from 2018-2026. The fundamental points of interest of DC drives incorporate magnificent speed control, minimal effort for high and medium HP applications, and great speed guideline. Every one of these elements are probably going to propel the marine VFD market. The global marine VFD market, based on application, is divided into fan, pump, propulsion/thruster, compressor, and hoist and crane. The pumps utilized in marine vessels provides liquids inside various systems and machines for heating, cooling, and oil, subsequently, devouring most extreme energy amid their task. Henceforth, the pumps are introduced with VFDs so as to build energy effectiveness, which is probably going to affect the development of the marine VFD market in the upcoming years. Request TOC for Detailed Facts & Numbers @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=5133 Strong Economic Development to Bolster Asia Pacific as Leading Region Asia Pacific is estimated to be the biggest market in the forecast period. The development of the region can be ascribed to the solid financial development and steady government approaches for the shipbuilding business. South Korea, China, and Japan are among the quickest developing nations in Asia Pacific. The marine business in Japan, in the course of recent decades, has been the biggest shipbuilding country with items being assembled utilizing trend setting innovations. In South Korea, government is attempting to integrate FDI in the marine segment; this move has assisted the Korean shipbuilding industry in attaining the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) innovation. Every one of these activities are probably going to support the development of the shipbuilding business, and, resultantly, the marine VFD market. About TMR Research TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today's supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients' conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Persistence Market Research's new market study titled "Metallurgical Coke Market: Global Industry Analysis 20132018 and Forecast 20192027" provides in-depth analysis on the global Metallurgical Coke market and offers an in-depth examination for the forecast period 2019 to 2027. The Metallurgical Coke market report evaluates the macro & micro economic factors supporting the growth of the global and regional level market. This research study on the Metallurgical Coke market also offers insights on the market dynamics and competition landscape in the global as well as the regional markets. A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/24394 The global Metallurgical Coke market is estimated to be valued at US$ 186 Bn by the end of 2018 and is forecast to reach US$ 241.1 Bn by the end of 2027. The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9% during the forecast period. Some factors influencing the growth of the concerned market are growth of construction industry, increasing automotive production and positive global steel production outlook. Factors Influencing Growth of Metallurgical Coke Market Iron and Steel production is one of the main application areas of Metallurgical Coke. Hence, the dynamics of the steel industry will directly impact the Metallurgical Coke market. Increasing steel demand from various industry verticals is expected to push the growth of steel production, which in turn, is expected to drive the growth of the Metallurgical Coke market. Growth in infrastructural spending and growing residential and commercial construction are other important factors projected to fuel the demand for Metallurgical Coke over the forecast period. Moreover, increasing protectionist government stance owing to over production of Metallurgical Coke and steel by Chinese manufacturers is also expected to significantly influence the global Metallurgical Coke market during the forecast period. The growing construction industry is expected to have a positive impact on the global Metallurgical Coke market. Construction industry is the biggest consumer of steel and any growth in the construction industry pushes the demand for steel, thereby in turn driving the growth of the Metallurgical Coke market. Developing countries, such as India and ASEAN countries, are expected to create significant opportunities for the Metallurgical Coke market owing to increasing government initiatives to promote the domestic manufacturing industry. Further, recovering economic growth and increasing industrial and institutional investments in Latin American Countries, such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, will create an optimistic outlook for the growth of the Metallurgical Coke market. Metallurgical Coke Market Forecast The global Metallurgical Coke market is estimated to witness healthy growth over the forecast period. The global Metallurgical Coke market is segmented on the basis of product type, ash content and end use and region. On the basis of product type, the blast furnace coke segment is estimated to have dominated the global Metallurgical Coke market in 2017 and is expected to maintain its prominence throughout the forecast period. The Technical coke segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR owing to growing demand from the chemical industry. Among source ash content segments, the low ash content segment dominates the Metallurgical Coke market owing to high demand from steel manufacturers. Furthermore, low ash content coke is used in cupola furnace to produce casting products. By end use, the iron & steel segment accounts for a significant share in the global Metallurgical Coke market. In 2017, iron & steel segment is estimated to have accounted for more than 87% of Metallurgical Coke demand. The segment is expected to create incremental $ opportunity worth US$ 39.1 Bn between 2019 and 2027. To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/24394 Key Players in the Global Metallurgical Coke Market Some of the key market participants reported in this study on the global Metallurgical Coke market include OKK Koksovny, a.s., SunCoke Energy Inc., Ennore Coke Limited, Hickman, Williams & Company, MECHEL PAO, Sino Hua-An International Berhad and Drummond Company, Inc. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/16/2019 -- Transparency Market Research (TMR) has published a new report titled, "Orthopedic Devices Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20182026". According to the new report, the global orthopedic devices market was valued at US$ 46,900 Mn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of over 3.0% from 2018 to 2026. Rise in the global geriatric population which is more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders is likely to boost demand for orthopedic devices during the forecast period. North America and Europe are likely to dominate the global orthopedic devices market due to favorable reimbursement for orthopedic procedures and rise in focus of key players on the development of new devices in the market in these regions. Increase in geriatric population and rise in prevalence of osteoporosis in countries such as Japan and China are likely to boost the orthopedic devices market in Asia Pacific from 2018 to 2026. Product Recalls to Hamper Market Incidences of product recalls due to device inefficiency or manufacturing errors affect the adoption rate among surgeons and patients, which in turn affects sales. The recalls and associated lawsuits have criticized orthopedic companies leading to loss of reliability in the minds of customers. For example, in December 2016, Greatbatch Medical, a subsidiary of Integer Holdings Corporation, recalled standard offset cup impactor device which is used for hip joint replacement. The device failed the sterility test which can lead to infection in patients during surgery. Request A Sample: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1781 Join Reconstruction to Lose Market Share The report offers detailed segmentation of the global orthopedic devices market based on product and end-user. Based on product, the joint reconstruction segment is projected to dominate the global market due to presence of major players in the segment. However, the segment is expected to lose market share during the forecast period owing to stringent FDA regulations for product approvals and high investments. The spinal devices segment is anticipated to gain market share during the forecast period from 22.0% in 2017 to 25.0% by 2026 due to increase in the number of patients suffering from osteoporosis fracture every year. Hospitals and Orthopedic Clinics: Top End-users of Orthopedic Devices In terms of end-user, the hospitals segment is projected to account for dominant share of the global orthopedic devices market during the forecast period. The segment is likely to expand at a CAGR of 3.0% from 2018 to 2026. However, the segment is expected to lose market share during the forecast period due to rise in hospitalization costs. The orthopedic clinics segment accounted for 28.0% share of the global orthopedic devices market in terms of value in 2017. The segment is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period. The segment is likely to gain market share to reach 29% by 2026. Shorter hospital stay, quality of procedures and care, availability of emergency minimal invasive surgeries, and advanced devices are likely to propel the segment during the forecast period. Request Brochure of Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1781 North America to Expand at Considerable Pace and Create High Incremental Opportunity In terms of value, North America held a major share of the global market in 2017. This is due to high health care expenditure and rise in awareness about the advantages of different orthopedic devices in the U.S. Furthermore, presence of several players such as Stryker and Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. with significant investment in research & development of advanced devices is projected to propel the orthopedic devices market in North America from 2018 to 2026. Rise in incidence of orthopedic diseases and improving economy in China, India, and other countries in Southeast Asia resulting in high per capita health care expenditure are anticipated to drive the orthopedic devices market in Asia Pacific. Moreover, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, in 2013, the rate of incidence of hip fractures among the people of Asia increased 4-fold to 5-fold. This is also likely to fuel the growth of the market in Asia Pacific. Economic growth in countries such as Brazil is increasing research & development activities and expenditure on treatment in Latin America. These factors are likely to propel the global orthopedic devices market in Latin America. The market in the region is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.2% from 2018 to 2026. Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., DePuy Synthes, and Stryker to Dominate Market The report provides profiles of leading players operating in the global orthopedic devices market. These include Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., DePuy Systhes, Stryker, Smith & Nephew, Medtronic Spinal, DJO Global, Arthrex, Inc., NuVasive, Inc., and Globus Medical. Expansion of product portfolio by developing new products or through acquisition and licensing agreements to develop products is a key strategy adopted by these players. For instance, in September 2016, Stryker entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Instratek, Inc., an U.S.-based orthopedic implants and endoscopic instrumentation manufacturer. This acquisition strengthened Stryker's presence in the forefoot and upper extremity business segment. Other key players are also adopting similar strategies. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations. Contact us: Transparency Market Research 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- The report "Perlite Market by Form (Expanded Perlite and Crude Perlite), Application (Construction, Agriculture & Horticulture, and Industrial), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America) - Global Forecast to 2022", size is estimated to grow from USD 1.51 Billion in 2017 to USD 2.20 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 7.78%. The market is projected to witness significant growth over the next few years with the increasing demand for new constructions due to rapid urbanization and industrialization with large-scale investments in the commercial and infrastructural sectors. The rising demand for perlite in emerging economies and the increasing inclination toward sustainable construction methods are increasing the reliance on modern construction materials, thus creating growth opportunities for the perlite market. Browse 126 Tables and 25 Figures spread through 133 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Perlite Market - Global Forecast to 2022" Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=219145595 Construction segment to gain maximum traction during the forecast period The construction sector dominated the market in 2016 and is projected to be the second-fastest growing application in the next five years. As a result of rapid urbanization and industrialization, this market is mostly driven by the upward surge in demand for new constructions across the world. The increasing public and private investments in the construction sector of the emerging economies of Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and South America drive the growth of this market. The expanded perlite segment, by form, is estimated to account for a larger market share in 2017 Expanded perlite finds application in several sectors, which drives its demand. This segment dominates the perlite market and is projected to grow at a higher rate during the forecast period. Expanded perlite possesses high insulation, acoustic, and excellent water retention, and higher water density properties. Hence, the expanded perlite form accounted for a relatively larger market share than the crude perlite segment. The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the perlite market in 2016 Asia Pacific contributes a major market share in the global perlite market. Due to the increasing industrialization as well as the large population in China, Japan, and India, these countries are experiencing high demand for building & construction. The rapid urbanization in these countries demands faster and cheaper construction of buildings and facilities without compromising on quality. Additionally, the increasing government investments in infrastructural constructions provide the potential for the growth of the perlite market in these countries. Speak to Analyst @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=219145595 The major players in the perlite market include Imerys Minerals (UK), Keltech Energies (India), Dupre Minerals (UK), Amol Dicalite (India), IPM Group of Companies (Philippines), Bergama Mining Perlite (Turkey), Supreme Perlite Company (US), Genper Group (Turkey), The Schundler Company (US), and Whittemore Company (US). About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : 1-888-600-6441 sales@marketsandmarkets.com Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Retail clinics are a convenient way for patients to visit a walk-in health care clinic. These clinics are located inside retail stores such as supermarkets and department stores. They are sometimes referred to as convenient care clinics. These clinics offer benefits similar to that offered by traditional clinics. They are usually staffed by nurses and physician assistants. Retail clinics provide medical services such as treatment for flu, cold, dehydration, fever, cough, diagnostic services, vaccination, laboratory tests, physiotherapy, and treatment for injuries. Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/retail-clinics-market.html The first retail clinic was opened in 2001 in Minnesota. Retail clinics are experiencing a commendable growth due to patient preference for convenient care options, cost effectiveness, easy accessibility, and multiple services offered. Furthermore, factors contributing to the growth of this market are increase in shortage of primary care physician, growth in health care expenditures, and rise in incidence rate of communicable diseases. Also, several retail clinics are providing treatment and management for chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol disorders. This factor is likely to propel the market growth during the forecast period. However, retail clinics are a secondary choice for many patients, which limits customer volume in these clinics. Low patient population visiting retail clinics and regulations in some countries are impacting the growth of the retail clinics market. Request Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=18335 The retail clinics market can be segmented on the basis of location, types of suppliers, and geography. Based on location, retail clinics are further segmented into stores, malls, and other retail locations. Geographically, this market is further divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East Asia and Africa. North America accounted for a significant growth rate due to factors such as large population base turning toward convenience care, adoption of electronic medical and chart records, and introduction of digital tools. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 18 million adults suffered from asthma in 2012, which was one of the factors that had driven the growth of the retail clinics market. South East Asia, Middle East, and Latin America are projected to be the potential markets in the near future due to higher adoption rate of retail clinics, rise of disposable income, increase in disease burden, shortage of physicians, and ease of usage. Star Dental Care, a U.S. based institute, is aiming to open up retail dental clinics in India by 2017, which is estimated to enhance the growth of the market in this country. Request for TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=18335 Major players operating in the retail clinics market include Kroger, Rite Aid, Doctors Care, Clear Balance, CVS Health's MinuteClinic, NEXtCARE, RediClinic, Target Brands, Inc., The Little Clinic, U.S. HealthWorks, Inc., Urgent Care MSO, LLC, and Walgreen Co. Growth of retail clinics and the companies are related to initiatives aimed at patient's satisfaction. With growing experience, companies are expanding their services and experiment with new methods such as telemedicine integration, point-of-care technologies, and offering new services. For example, Minute Clinic (CVS) launched a digital tool in May 2016 which helped patients to estimate the wait time at several locations. 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 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Stone paper is neither pulp nor synthetic made paper but it is a kind of extremely durable, highly strong and eco friendly paper which is also known as rock paper, rich mineral paper, paper from waste marble. Density range of stone paper is 1.0-1.6, which equals to or more than ordinary paper, and a texture somewhat like peel of a boiled egg. The stone paper can be recycled re-formed into stone paper again, which is not recyclable but is photo degradable and compostable under commercial conditions. Stone paper is appropriate for packaging, bags, stationery, wrappers, adhesives, grease proof paper, containers and many other applications. Stone paper market has positive outlook as a result of packaging industries. The escalation in packaging industry attributed by need for effective labelling and high-quality option, to improve the aesthetics of the packaged product. Global Stone Paper Market: Dynamics Stone paper is a new type of paper making technology that can be recyclable with modern technology in high polymer interface. Its main raw material is the most abundant in mineral resources calcium carbonate with high polymer material and variety of inorganic matter as auxiliary material. The increasing application scope of the product in the packaging, labeling, and self-adhesive paper is attributed to the slight ecological impacts, with regards to usage of energy, water, carbon emissions, and deforestation. The new product development along with investment in R&D for the advancement in manufacturing techniques have been the major strategy adopted by the manufacturers. The major issues faced by the industry are related to environment regulation on mining activities. The market is highly competitive owing to the presence of large number of suppliers worldwide. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2133 Global Stone Paper Market: Segmentation The global market of stone paper market can be segmented on the basis of material type, application and region. On the basis of material calcium carbonate, high density polyethylene and others. On the basis of application labeling papers, packaging paper, self-adhesive paper and others. Among all application, paper packaging is major application of respective product. After packaging application self-adhesive paper segment are expected to register impressive growth during forecast period. On the basis of region North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. Global Stone Paper Market: Regional Overview Due to technology advancement in North America, this region is expected to witness higher growth rate during forecast period. Europe is also expected to account for second highest growth after North America due to demand of packaging application in European countries such as Russia and Germany. Asia pacific, dominated by China is expected to register highest growth in term of volume in global stone paper market during forecast year due to high demand of ecofriendly packaging, easy available raw material in this region, low cost of production and large numbers of manufacturers. Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2133 Global Stone Paper Market: Key Players The main player of this market such are Stone Paper Company Ltd, Soluz Stone Paper S.A, Kapstone Paper, Taiwan Lung Meng Technology Co. Ltd., Gaia-Concept BV, Parax Paper, packaging corporation. Huntingdon Valley, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Joseph Bograd and his team of professional real estate experts are encouraging first-time homebuyers to reach out to them this spring season. The homebuying industry can be a minefield for inexperienced buyers, and with many bargain homes for sale in Montgomery County and surrounding areas, the experts at The Joseph Bograd Real Estate Team are at hand to help buyers navigate the real estate market. The team of realtors at the Joseph Bograd Real Estate Team are intimately familiar with the greater Philadelphia area, offering personal insight that is unrivaled by any other realtors in the area. They have a reputation for dedication and unparalleled customer satisfaction. They also help first-time buyers to determine precisely what they are looking for in a new home, finding a community that is a perfect fit for a new professional couple or family. Their award-winning team includes top real estate agents that love nothing more than matching first-time buyers with the ideal home. The Joseph Bograd Real Estate Team has been ranked as a number one ReMax team in the Philadelphia area. They commit to selling and purchasing properties that set them leagues ahead of their competitors. They also have an incredible track record of getting their listings off the market within 45 days of purchase. This is a dream opportunity of all first-time buyers looking to purchase excellent Montgomery County real estate. To find out more about the team at Joseph Bograd or to see some of their current Montgomery County home listings, please visit them on the web today at https://www.josephbograd.com/. About Joseph Bograd A realtor for RE/MAX, Joseph Bograd has been serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties for over 15 years, helping residents find an affordable home or rental property. He takes customer service very seriously and is dedicated to exceeding expectations. As a reputable realtor in the area, he is available to communicate with and assist in any issue his clients are dealing with. For more information, or to get in touch with Joseph Bograd or his team, please visit https://www.josephbograd.com. Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Wearable cardioverter defibrillator is an external defibrillator which is non-invasive it is used to prevent sudden cardiac attack. It has two parts A light weight vest that is worn under regular clothes A small portable unit that includes recorder and generator Sudden cardiac attack happens when there is an issue with the heart's electrical system. The electrical system guides the heart to relax and contract. Condition where there is abnormal rhythm in the ventricles of the heart is Ventricular Fibrillation. If VF occurs, a defibrillator sends an electrical current to the heart which is used to re-start a normal heart rhythm. Defibrillators are utilized for the treatment of life-threatening heart dysrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia. They control irregular heartbeat, prevent heart failure, and treat patients affected by sudden heart failure. Defibrillators can be internal (inside the body) and external (outside the body). The wearable defibrillator is a treatment given for patients who are at high risk for sudden heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Basically the wearable cardioverter defibrillator is used for outpatient. The global wearable cardioverter defibrillator market is categorized on the basis of condition type, end user and geography. The market is driven by some key factors such as future advancement in technology which help in introducing patient friendly devices by reducing the size and weight of the wearable cardioverter defibrillator, introduction of rental services for wearable cardioverter defibrillators and reducing the cost and making it affordable in developing countries, enhancing patient education and training. Wearable cardioverter defibrillator is used for the conditions like Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Congenital heart disease and Inherited Arrhythmias. Request Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1222 Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market: Drivers and Restraints Factors contributing to the growth of wearable cardioverter defibrillator marketincludes the rise to prevalence of diseases, growing geriatric population, increasing number of training and awareness among the population base results in growth of market, technological advancements to propel the growth of the market, providing producers with future growth opportunities to bolster the growth of the market However factors such as lack of knowledge about sudden cardiac arrest, problems related to the use of wearable cardioverter defibrillator devices, and the wearable cardioverter defibrillator does not monitor atrial arrhythmias therefore this hinders the growth of the market Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market: Overview The wearable cardioverter defibrillator market is expected to have tremendous growth during the forecast period (2016-2026), with rising incidence of cardiac disorders, advancement and innovations in technology in medical field, and government initiative by increased spending in research and development Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Region- wise Outlook North America holds the largest market share of the overall industry and is liable to keep ruling the business sector asrising incidence of diseases, improvement in healthcare industry and extended growth. USA and Canada contribute to the overall defibrillator market in the region as lot of awareness about the sudden cardiac arrest and defibrillators. Europe has second largest market for defibrillator devices. The Market is appeared to be driven by increase in demand from emerging countries in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, where more workstations and business environments are introducing advancement in defibrillators. It is estimated to benefit the defibrillators market in upcoming years Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1222 Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Segmentation Global wearable cardioverter defibrillatormarketis segmented on the basis of condition, end use and geography as following: By Conditions Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Congenital Heart Disease Inherited Arrhythmias By End User Hospitals Home Care Settings Cardiology Clinics Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Key Player ZOLL Medical Corporation is the key player operating in this segment. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/17/2019 -- Wood cement board is an interior and exterior building material made from wood wool and cement. It is also known as wood wool cement board. Key characteristics of wood cement boards include fire resistance, wet and dry rot resistance, freeze-thaw resistance, termite and vermin resistance, and thermal insulation. Wood cement boards are known for excellent acoustic performance and sound absorption, especially in non-residential applications such as swimming pools and gymnasiums. Wood cement boards are primarily used in developing countries in energy efficient and durable economic housing. Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/wood-cement-boards-market.html Wood Cement Boards Market: Development & Trends Rise in demand for energy efficient and durable economic housing is the key factor driving the wood cement boards market across the globe. Growth in urbanization, increase in disposable income, and rise in construction activities are additional factors boosting the market. High cost of wood siding grades, stringent government regulations associated with the cutting of trees, and maintenance are some of the factors estimated to hamper the market. However, rise in demand for wood cement boards in emerging economies such as China and India and product development are expected to offer opportunities to the wood cement boards market. Wood Cement Boards Market: Segmentation The wood cement boards market can be classified based on type, application, and region. In terms of type, the market can be divided into wood wool cement boards, wood strand cement boards, and others. The wood wool cement boards segment can be sub-segmented into standard wood wool cement boards, fine fiber acoustic & decorative boards, reinforced roofing boards, and others. The wood wool cement boards segment accounted for major share of the market in 2018, as these offer better properties over other types of boards. These properties include termite & vermin resistance, thermal insulation, wet & dry rot resistance, and fire resistance. Based on application, the wood cement boards market can be segregated into flooring & underlayment, external siding, permanent shuttering, prefabricated houses, exterior & partition walls, acoustic & thermal insulation, roofing shingles, fire resistant construction, and others. Wood Cement Boards Market: Regional Outlook In terms of region, the global wood cement boards market can be classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is a key region of the market. The region is expected to continue to dominate the global market during the forecast period, as expansion in economy and rapid growth in the infrastructure sector have significantly impacted the wood cement boards market. Asia Pacific is projected to experience the highest number of new constructions and infrastructure activities in the near future, especially in India China, and Thailand. The market in North America is estimated to expand at a substantial pace during the forecast period. Request to view Brochure Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=63864 The construction industry in the region is a key consumer of wood cement boards owing to its inherent benefits and wide applicability. The U.S. is anticipated to account for major share of the market in North America during the forecast period. In Middle East & Africa, Qatar plans to develop the highest number of buildings across the country by 2030. This is driving the wood cement boards market in the region. Wood Cement Boards Market: Key Players Prominent players operating in the global wood cement boards market include Eltomation B.V., Fibretex India Pvt. Ltd., Foshan Tiange Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Titan Building Materials Co., Ltd., Nichiha USA, Inc., Right Angle Interior Pvt. Ltd., Shahsahib Woodwool Enterprises, Smart Wood Boards, Trusus Technology (Beijing) Co., Limited, and VIVALDA. After the shocking loss of major cities in local elections, Turkeys Justice and Development Party (AKP) took steps to block the electoral outcome After it lost the biggest three cities Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir in Turkish local elections 31 March, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) continues its attempts to block that reality from being formalised. Meanwhile, opposition parties are revising their resources and capabilities in order to achieve even better results in future elections. For Aykan Erdemir, a former parliamentarian of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will use different tactics in trying to prevent the opposition from running local governments effectively in Turkeys leading cities. Between 2014 and 2019, he removed over 100 mayors from office and appointed trustees, in complete disregard of voters preferences. There is nothing to prevent him from repeating a similar power grab this time around, said Erdemir, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies. The Turkish president knows that his electoral base is eroding fast, and needs scapegoats more than ever. This tactic, however, will only exacerbate Turkeys economic woes, as it will further harm the business climate in Turkey and scare away global investors, triggering brain drain and capital flight. Erdemir said that Turkeys battered political parties think of the local elections as a lifeline, seeing that when united they still have the ability to defeat Erdogan, despite the uneven playing field in the country. He added that as opposition municipalities now control over two thirds of the Turkish economic activity they will be able to boost the opposition parties ability to mobilise resources and followers more effectively. Given the imminent economic crisis, it is highly likely that Erdogan will be forced to call early elections before the end of his mandate in 2023. He can expect a significant challenge from a highly-motivated opposition bloc, he said. The opposition political parties also objected to the results in other provinces. For example, the CHP challenged the results in five provinces, while the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Good Party (IYI), Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) and the Democrat Party (DP) did the same in six, four, five provinces, and one province, respectively. Ironically, the AKP though gaining the majority of the votes had the highest number of objections, contesting the outcome in nine provinces. As an example, the AKP officially demanded a recount of votes in Ankara, establishing its request on basis of irregularities, including the non-registration of some votes in the system of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). We have applied to the Provincial Election Council with our request to recount votes in all 12,180 ballot boxes, said Hakan Han Ozcan, the partys provincial head. Ozcan claimed that 1,807 votes went to the AKP candidate Mehmet Ozhaseki, while the CHP candidate Mansur Yavas won 688 votes. The loss was shocking for the AKP, especially amid a narrow margin in votes in cities such as Istanbul, argued Mohamed Abdel-Kader, Turkey expert at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. By objecting to the results, Erdogan hopes that the process of recounting votes will help his party to become the winning side in big cities. The results caused a shock for Erdogan, especially that he participated in the campaigning process himself, and he is now afraid about the domestic image of the AKP, explained Abdel-Kader. The situation will escalate, and a confrontation will happen. This is a recipe for a new type of political crises in Turkey, added Abdel-Kader. He pointed out that Erdogan has been acting in a nondemocratic manner for long time, imposing a strong grip over the state and media and excluding other actors from the political scene. The Turkish president made multiple moves in the past years that negatively influenced his popularity, including the detention and arrest of people across different state institutions and media outlets, claiming they are closely connected to Fethullah Gulen. The US-based cleric was a strong supporter of Erdogan, providing him with the support of his Hizmet Movement in consecutive electoral races. Yet their relationship deteriorated after a corruption scandal in December 2013 that led three ministers to resign. Erdogan accused Gulen of being behind the scandal and seeking to weaken the AKPs position ahead of local elections. Arrests continued after a failed coup in 2016 against Erdogan. He also banned Twitter and YouTube in March 2014, but the Constitutional Court reversed the decision one month later. The ban decision faced criticism by international rights bodies, as well as Ankaras NATO allies. Moreover, 52 per cent of the people voted for a new constitution in April 2017 that removed the position of prime minister, allowing the president to decide on states of emergency and to directly appoint top government officials and ministers. It also limits the powers of the judiciary, which Erdogan claims is influenced by Gulen. Regarding the 2019 local elections, the EU Commissions first vice president, Frans Timmermans, in interview with Welt Am Sonntag, called on Turkish authorities to independently verify the election result and the AKP to finally recognise the result. The CHP was the winner in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, winning 48.8 per cent, 50.9 per cent and 58 per cent of the votes respectively. *A version of this article appears in print in the 18 April, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Rejecting the vote Search Keywords: Short link: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government following last week's elections. In a televised ceremony, Rivlin told Netanyahu that in consultations with all parties elected to the incoming 120-seat parliament, "65 MPs recommended you". Search Keywords: Short link: Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing division of the US tech mogul, will always make security its number one investment area, the Amazon CTO said on Wednesday. In a keynote speech delivered to the AWS Summit in Dubai, Werner Vogels highlighted the growing role of AWS in the Middle East and North Africa, and said the division aims to continue its dynamic presence in emerging countries in the region. Vogels spoke about security, saying it was the priority of customers who rely on cloud computing. The kind of threats we see is continuously evolving, said Vogels, who also embraced the online multiplayer phenomenon game Fortnite shirt in front of over 2,500 participants and AWS customers. We all need to take responsibility in security and only then we will be able to deal with the current modern threats, he said. AWSs cloud computing platform, a growing home for hundreds of thousands of customers and entrepreneurs, offers on-demand delivery of compute power, database storage, applications, and other IT resources through a cloud services platform, with pay-as-you-go pricing. Vogels also spoke about the importance of a direct relationship between AWS and customers, saying that 95 percent of delivery sales came from this belief. The biggest reason for [the growing customer base] is that we are strongly connected to our customers, he said. AWSs cloud-based products including compute, storage, databases, analytics, networking, mobile, and developer tools, management tools, IoT, security and enterprise applications. He also talked about the upcoming Middle East Infrastructure Region, which will see Bahrain as its home, and is set to be inaugurated soon. The Infrastructure Region will be the 22nd AWS region worldwide, with an existing 44 Availability Zones across 16 geographic regions. A number of growing businesses from the region, including Careem and Anghami, also spoke about their experience with AWSs products at the event. Co-founder and Chief Xperience Officer at booming Dubai-based ride-hailing service Careem Magnus Olsson said it has used a number of AWS services since its launch in 2012. It has now reached 30 million customers and 1 million drivers across 120 cities in 15 countries. According to Olsson, Careem, which was recently acquired by US ride-hailing mammoth Uber in a deal worth $3.1 billion, leveraged its artificial intelligence from 2017 to now through Amazon RDS, Amazon ElasticSearch, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon S3. Careem is scaled to support 10 times the annual growth for the next three years in a row, and is able to focus on building and operating its applications through cooperation with AWS, according to the divisions website. Elie Habib, co-founder of Anghami, a popular music streaming hub across the Arab world, also shared the platforms experience with AWS. We didnt have any experience about cloud [products] until we got to move everything into the cloud in a month, Habib said. According to Habib, reliability was the main challenge for the hub, launched in 2011, as traffic spiked on ads and new music releases, with the company seeking to log all interactions. He said that scaling the app though AWS has helped traffic grow beyond Anghamis wildest dreams. We currently have 75 million users, with 1.7 million subscribed users; those are my favourite, he said. He also pointed to the platforms hosting of the first episode of the new season of global television phenomenon Game of Thrones earlier this week. Search Keywords: Short link: Leading female entrepreneurs operating in the Middle East spoke of their purpose-driven businesses in the region, exchanging insights into evolving technology, during a panel held on the sidelines of the Amazon Web Services Summit in Dubai. On Wednesday, five businesswomen sat for a discussion of their journeys, sharing with the audience their hopes and dreams in the next phase of growth, in a panel organised by Womena and AWS. The entrepreneurs included founder and CEO of Ureed Nour Al Hassan, co-founder and head of stakeholder engagement and communication at Little Thinking Minds Lamia Tabbaa, co-founder and COO of The Tempest Mashal Waqar, co-founder and CEO of Nabta Health Sophie Smith, and co-founder and CEO of Now Money Katherine Budd. The female business leaders agreed that technology was growing through personalisation, providing their journeys in focusing on womens health, education, and others through their businesses. Technology allows you to address education in ways that traditional education cant tackle [in terms of teaching style, etc], said Tabbaa, the co-founder of Little Thinking Minds. The edtech startup, which is based in Amman, serves as an educational technologies and products provider for school-aged children in the Middle East and North Africa through online Arabic literacy solutions and platforms for educational institutions, teachers, and students. The co-founder of Nabta Health, a hybrid healthcare platform for women using artificial intelligence, Sophie Smith, said that technology is generally now seen as a vital utility like electricity. There is a misconception between non-tech businesses and others; we are in a business that focuses on improving peoples outcomes, Smith said. She also tackled the challenges of businesses today, which give more data on her business, which provides traditional and digital support to women, which mirror the concerns and challenges that accompany important events, including fertility, pregnancy and menopause. The five women agreed that it was a constant challenge for businesses to remain unaffected, as investors seek growth and profit. Its a constant struggle, investors want growth and profit, while you have to keep up with your numbers: How do we scale it without hurting the business? said Nour Al Hassan, the founder of Ureed, a platform for delivering freelance services in translation among other services. Mashal Waqar, the co-founder of The Tempest, which identifies itself as the global next-generation womens media company, said such a battle was why it is important to get the right investors on board. Search Keywords: Short link: Brightoil Singapore, wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, owned a debt of over $30m to Petrolimex Singapore. Brightoil Singapore had difficulty making payment for the invoices issued in April 2018 by Petrolimex Singapore. As such, Sit undertook a personal guarantee for Brightoil by confirming payment to Petrolimex Singapore with a deadline of 30 August 2018. However, Brightoil Singapore still failed to pay the invoices, prompting Petrolimex Singapore to seek a winding up of the Singapore unit in November 2018. Read more: Petrolimex seeks to wind up Brightoils Singapore unit Sit intends to take necessary actions and make an application to the High Court of Hong Kong to appeal against the bankruptcy order and seek re-appointment as a director of the company. Sit is a co-founder of Brightoil and had been the companys chairman since 2008. The board of the company will consider replacement candidate for the position of the chairman of the board and ceo in the shortest possible time, the Hong Kong-listed company said. Brightoil has been plagued by financial issues in recent years. The company had to suspend its stock trading in 2017. Several ships of the company had also been detained under its creditors' request. Read more: Another Brightoil VLCC detained in China Currently the company is under the process of debt restructuring and the board considers that the departure of Sit will not affect the ongoing restructuring process. During January to March 2019, a total of 10 incidents comprising nine actual incidents and one attempted incidents were reported in Asia, the lowest among the period of January-March since 2007. The first quarter incidents were also down compared to 21 reported in the same period of last year. Amongst the nine actual incidents reported in the first quarter, they were of less severe nature of mainly petty theft. ReCAAP ISC pointed out that the area of concern was an increase in the number of incidents at some anchorages in China and incidents of theft of scrap metal from barges while underway in the Singapore Strait during January-March 2019. "ReCAAP ISC reiterates the need for enforcement agencies to enhance surveillance, increase patrols and respond promptly to the reports of incidents, it stated. Read more: Piracy incidents in Asia down, crew abduction remains serious threat: ReCAAP On the other hand, the area of improvement was seen at the ports and anchorages in Indonesia with three incidents reported compared to nine in the year-ago period. There were also improvements at the ports and anchorages in Bangladesh, India and Vietnam. A further positive note is that there was no incident of abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah during the first three months this year. Despite the improvement of the situation in the Sulu-Celebes Seas, the abduction of crew for ransom remains a serious threat in the area, ReCAAP ISC cautioned. Len Dewaelsche says "some things were taken away" from his wife, Sharon Dewaelsche, after her second open heart surgery resulted in brain damage and memory loss. Sharon no longer drives and she's lost her interest in cooking and some of the other hobbies she had pre-surgery. However, the Belleville couple have found support and strength in the We Care Connect Memory Cafe, a monthly support group at the Ypsilanti Senior Center for people with dementia and their caregivers. Sharon Dewaelsche enjoys the sense of camaraderie the events provide. "Not being able to drive has made a big difference in our lives," she says. "(Memory Cafe) is a place for me to meet people who have the same problems I do with memory loss. Everybody is really nice, and we have things in common, so I feel (comfortable) talking about it." Sharon (in black) and Len Dewaelsche (in blue). The Memory Cafe takes place from 2-4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the senior center, 1015 N. Congress St. in Ypsilanti. Around 20 people usually attend. The first 15 minutes allow participants to put on name tags, grab snacks, and settle in. Next up are announcements, followed by a "getting to know you session" that's run a little like a speed dating event to give each participant a chance to interact with someone other than the person with whom they came. Memory Cafe at the Ypsilanti Senior Center. Senior center director Monica Prince says the center hosted a series of talks in early 2018 about the signs of dementia and how to tell the difference between normal aging and medically-diagnosed dementia. The talks spurred several senior center members to confess to Prince that they'd noticed signs of dementia in their spouses but they didn't know what to do about it. "We started looking at things we could do and saw this model of the memory cafe," Prince says. Monica Prince. That model originated in the Netherlands in 1997 and has since become popular in other countries including the U.S. Prince and the center's administrative assistant, Shonda Gibbs, wrote a grant proposal and were awarded enough funds through an Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation grant program for seniors to run the program for three years. Prince calls the first year of the program, which kicked off in September, "the building year" when organizers will get the word out and shape the program to local participants' needs. Prince says she chose the memory cafe model because it emphasized not just practical resources and emotional support, but also social interaction. "That is one of the major things that frustrates both caregivers and people with dementia," she says. As people develop dementia, they often realize they're not remembering things and become uncomfortable with the idea of doing simple things like going out to lunch and trying to decide what to order off the menu. "With caregivers, it's really exhausting to have to make all the decisions and make sure nothing offensive is going on or making people around them wonder what is going on with (the partner who has dementia)," Prince says. CarolynRose Stone speaks at Memory Cafe. The memory cafe model allows both the person with dementia and the caregiver to relax, knowing they are with other people who understand their situation. That was the case for one caregiver and Memory Cafe attendee whose husband was exhibiting a new behavior she thought was related to his dementia. During a recent Memory Cafe, she asked for feedback to help her better understand the new behavior. Several participants and organizers all suggested that the woman try another local support group for caregivers, but it took place at night, when the woman didn't like to drive. Participants suggested the woman ask one of her adult children to take her husband out to dinner and drop the woman off at the support group on the way. That way, the adult child would have quality time with the father and have a chance to observe the new behavior the caregiver was noticing, while the caregiver could get a little reprieve from caretaking. "She started doing that, and it's just changed her mentality," Prince says. "She's much calmer about things now and she started understanding better what was going on with her husband." Those insights and creative suggestions often can only come from other people living daily with dementia and memory loss, and that kind of support is one of the big benefits of the memory cafe model. Gibbs says the thing she has loved best about helping to facilitate the Memory Cafe is seeing participants talking to each other even before the official programming begins. "Caregivers have a chance to build peer relationships, and it's a safe environment for you and your loved one to step out for a couple hours, enjoy refreshments, get to know each other, and laugh," Gibbs says. "It's important to provide a safe place to have a respite together and talk to other individuals on the same journey." Shonda Gibbs. Organizers frequently check in with participants to see if there are activities or topics they are especially interested in. Past activities or talks have included playing with musical instruments, learning exercises for improving the mind-body connection, and an arts and crafts project. Future sessions will include relaxation exercises and a talk about legal issues that caregivers of people with dementia face. Traveling with someone who has dementia can be complicated, and participants recently requested information on that topic. In response, the main program at the April 9 Memory Cafe was a livestream presentation by Kathy Shoaf of Elite Cruises and Vacations, a travel agency that specializes in supportive cruises and vacation experiences for people with dementia or other health issues and their caregivers. Len Dewaelsche says that after all his wife has lost, the Memory Cafe is one way to add something new and positive to her life. He feels it's important to attend the Memory Cafe regularly and support her. Sharon and Len Dewaelsche. "I don't want her to fall by the wayside, and she needs to feel like she still has some worth, to be social and communicate with everybody," he says. "It's beneficial for me as well. If she's sad, I'm sad. If she's happy, I'm happy. If she's doing well, I'm doing well. Whatever I can do to help her through these times." More information about the Memory Cafe is available by calling (734) 483-5014 or visiting www.ypsiseniorcenter.org. Additional resources for caregivers are available through a memory care support group from 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at The Gilbert Residence, 203 S. Huron St. in Ypsilanti. For more details, email Debi Lowry at debilowry@comcast.net. Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She has served as innovation and jobs/development news writer for Concentrate since early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to Driven. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com. All photos by David Lewinski. Eat My Lunch, the buy one, gift one social enterprise supplying lunches for school kids, is looking to raise $2 million through crowdfunding platform PledgeMe. The company wants to use the money to open an Auckland store, trial a programme with parents, and investigate expanding the concept overseas. Eat My Lunch will launch the fundraising campaign in May. Its not the companys first foray into crowdfunding - its used Pledge Me twice before. But its the first time its gone the equity crowdfunding route - where supporters get to own a share in the business. Details of the offer arent yet available, but Eat My Lunch chief executive Lisa King says she also investigated more traditional private investment, but that was problematic. We were looking at private capital, particularly given the fact that impact investment funds are starting to emerge in the private market - something that wasnt available even 18 months ago. But we found they expect a higher percentage return from us than they would from a normal company - presumably because they see us as a bigger risk. King says one of the problems facing social enterprises - companies set up to make money but also do good - is they arent recognised in the 1993 Companies Act. And investors are wary. Theres no clarity around the legal structure and what they expect. King was one of the company leaders interviewed for a report released yesterday by social enterprise development organisation Akina and the Department of Internal Affairs, funded by the Law Foundation. Businessman and philanthropist Neville Jordan says in the introduction to the report, 'Structuring for impact: Evolving legal structures for business in New Zealand' that New Zealands legal structures and financial expectations "are hindering social enterprises being able to reach their full potential. By dismantling the barriers that the current legal structures present for social enterprise, we can catalyse private sector-led solutions, and demonstrate how impact through enterprise can be achieved across the entire economy." PledgeMe chief executive Anna Guenther says the equity crowdfunding model is a good one for social enterprises because it allows investors to support companies they believe in. "Half of the companies that come through us have social or environmental goals." While the average amount raised through PledgeMe is $800,000, Guenther says there have been several $2 million campaigns in the past - mostly led by women. These include Otago chocolate company Ocho, and food and cafe business Little Bird Organics. King says Eat My Lunch wants the money to expand. Plans include opening a store at Aucklands Britomart, so people can come in to buy their lunch, rather than ordering online. She also wants to explore a franchise model. Weve had some interest from overseas to take the concept abroad. (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: NZME Limited (NZX: NZM) Share Buyback to Commence in February 2022 17th December 2021 Morning Report Evolve Education Group Limited (NZX: EVO) Guidance and Trading Update Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) $600m Bank Refinancing Completed Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZX: VHP) Vital expects ~$140m property revaluation gain for 1H FY22 16th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKT) Confirms Sale of Mt Wellington Properties for $56m Gentrack Group Limited (NZX: GTK) Facility Loan Agreement Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Prices $200 million Wholesale Bond Issue 15th December 2021 Morning Report The real significance of what has just happened in Sudan is not the departure of Omar Al-Bashir, but rather exposure of the ruin that Muslim Brotherhood rule brought to the country The failed Muslim Brotherhood organisation is attempting, through its tentacles in Qatar and Turkey, to make former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir a scapegoat in order to save the organisations face and pull off a grand escape from bearing responsibility for the failure of the state in Sudan. This state was marketed by the Muslim Brotherhood for two decades as the first experiment to achieve empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation to rule a state the size and significance of Sudan. Attacking President Al-Bashir with such cruelty, especially from Muslim Brotherhood leaders and instruments who escaped from Egypt, recalls a complicated case of betrayal, treason and void of ethics. Because Al-Bashir's regime had sacrificed the entire history and deep relationship with the Egyptian state and sided with the Muslim Brotherhood since 25 January 2011 until its downfall. Smuggling operations of terrorists from and into Egypt were executed at the southern borders with the knowledge and aid of Al-Bashir's regime. Most of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood members living in Turkey and Qatar arrived there through escaping from the borders with Sudan via the support and backing of Al-Bashir's regime. Although Al-Bashir's regime had credit in saving their lives from execution or imprisonment, they vented their fury at his regime. All this was done for the sake of whitewashing the failed organisation and creating a scapegoat to be sacrificed at the Muslim Brotherhood's altar, so as not to attribute the failure to the Muslim Brotherhood organisation but to Al-Bashir's regime. This stance from failed Muslim Brotherhood leaders and instruments signifies the highest degree of treachery, villainy, treason and backstabbing to the person who did them a favour and helped them with all his might, putting his state's interests with its sister Egypt on the line. The Sudanese people uprooted the Muslim Brotherhood organisation's state, not Al-Bashir's regime. President Al-Bashir was a facade of the organisation's state. Since the 1989 coup, which the failed Muslim Brotherhood organisation called the Salvation Revolution, Sudan was ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood organisation in its revolutionary version, formulated by Hassan Al-Turabi, may God rest his soul. Every move made was an implementation of the Muslim Brotherhood's governing theory and vision. The state was transformed into a Mulsim Brotherhood unit since day one of the 1989 coup and the organisation dominated all state posts, even in the army and the security forces. I remember that I attended the first anniversary of the Salvation Revolution in August 1990. I went among guests at the time to visit Al-Qatina Camp of the popular forces, which were fighting in the south of Sudan. We were welcomed by a colonel from the national Sudanese Army accompanied with a first lieutenant officer, who was one of the organisation followers. The surprise was that the colonel didn't utter a word except after a signal from the first lieutenant who was supposed to stand to attention in the presence of his commander. Afterwards the leading ranks in the army, police and security were monopolised by the Jugs, or organisation followers. The Jugs and the Pitchers in the dialect of some parts of Egypt were names given to the organisation's followers. Al-Turabi described the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood organisation and Islam saying: "Religion is a sea and we are the Jugs." He meant that they are the sole way to quench the thirst of the people, and he is the only way to religion. Such a vision made the Jugs monopolise religion and then all public life. Instead of ladling from religion in order to quench peoples spiritual thirst, they kept scooping from the state and public funds, so the rich Sudanese people starved. Since the 1989 coup, the empowerment state regime claimed to be Islams representative and leader in the world. Al-Turabi founded the Popular Arab and Islamic Conference (PAIC) to be an alternative to the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the time. He gathered representatives from Islamic countries and Muslim communities and appointed himself leader of the Islamic world. This regime opened Sudans doors to the followers of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation worldwide, especially those from countries that treated them the way they deserved. Sudans foreign relations were shaped according to the failed Muslim Brotherhood organisations vision, starting with giving Iran a foothold in the Red Sea and granting Turkey control over the boundaries of Suakin Island and engaging in the civil war in Libya so as to back the Muslim Brotherhood organisation there. Since 1989 until 2019 Sudan was ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood organisation where all the leaders were from the Muslim Brotherhood and Sudans wealth was looted by Muslim Brotherhood members. Those who divided the Sudan and gave up half of it were the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, and those who launched wars in east, west and south of the Sudan were the symbols of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation. Thus, to put things straight and not to be carried away by the failed Muslim Brotherhoods propaganda and deal with what happened in Sudan as uprooting of Al-Bashirs regime. Because the truth is that what has been uprooted is the empowerment state founded by the Muslim Brotherhood that turned into the most failing and corrupt form of government in the entire history of Arabs and Muslims. They lost half of the states territory, disintegrated the rest, looted the countrys wealth and turned Africas most rich country into a state of poverty that drove its people to be in need of aid. Search Keywords: Short link: The Commerce Commission has warned a Christchurch pipeline maintenance firm over attempted price-fixing after a Fletcher Building unit blew the whistle on two former staffers who shared pricing with a rival. Quik-Shot Limited and its director, Raad Al-Karbouli, have been issued formal warnings for trying to fix prices relating to pipe rehabilitation services in Christchurch, the Commerce Commission said in a statement. Taking into account the lack of harm caused by Quik-Shots unsuccessful bid and the limited duration of the anti-competitive conduct, we considered a formal warning was sufficient in this instance. However, this case is a useful reminder to businesses to maintain strict oversight of their tender and pricing processes and avoid discussing pricing information with competitors, commission chair Mark Berry said. The investigation was opened after Fletcher Construction raised concerns about the conduct of two now former employees of its subsidiary company Pipeworks. The investigation ultimately focused on quotes requested by a business seeking pipe rehabilitation services in November 2017. According to the commission, the investigation found the Pipeworks employees had provided Al-Karbouli with the price Pipeworks would be submitting for the contract through WhatsApp, and recommended a price range that Quik-Shot should quote to win the work. Al-Karbouli confirmed his receipt of this information and submitted a price for Quik-Shot within this range. These communications between competitors were unknown to the business and it ultimately awarded the contract to Pipeworks, the commission 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: NZME Limited (NZX: NZM) Share Buyback to Commence in February 2022 17th December 2021 Morning Report Evolve Education Group Limited (NZX: EVO) Guidance and Trading Update Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) $600m Bank Refinancing Completed Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZX: VHP) Vital expects ~$140m property revaluation gain for 1H FY22 16th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKT) Confirms Sale of Mt Wellington Properties for $56m Gentrack Group Limited (NZX: GTK) Facility Loan Agreement Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Prices $200 million Wholesale Bond Issue 15th December 2021 Morning Report Eighteen New Zealand food and beverage brands have joined forces to launch the first Country Flagship Store on the Tmall Fresh, Alibabas fresh produce e-commerce platform. An initial group of nine, including Pics, Babich Wines, Vogels, Rockit apple, Future Cuisine, Pamu, Zealong Tea Estate, Fiordland Lobster and Oha Honey, will begin sales tomorrow, the group - New Zealand Food Basket - said in a release. The rest - Zespri, Sanford, Kapiti, Lewis Road Creamery, Sealord, Pure South, Shott Beverages, New Zealand Wild Catch, and Cherri - will begin sales in June, This agreement creates a single doorway that directly connects us to affluent Chinese consumers. It will significantly improve our reach and shorten the supply chain in a way that each brand simply couldnt achieve alone, said Nicola ORourke, chairperson of New Zealand Food Basket. Its no secret that even big, successful New Zealand companies can struggle to get brand recognition on Chinese e-commerce platforms, said Lewis Road Creamery founder Peter Cullinane. A collective approach, with Alibabas backing, is a huge opportunity. In a test live-stream targeted promotion this week, Tmall Fresh received 1,200 orders for a New Zealand product in two minutes on the New Zealand Country Flagship Store. Normal sales for the same product in China average 200 units per month, according to O'Rourke. Alibaba has also committed to partnering to market and promote the New Zealand Country Flagship Store, providing special access for 200 products in the New Zealand Food Basket to participate in targeted promotions and campaigns, she added. Tmall is China's largest third-party platform for brands and retailers and its physical goods GMV or, gross merchandise volume - the amount of sales on the e-commerce platform - grew 29 percent year-on-year in the quarter ended Dec 31, 2018, Alibaba said. In the 12 months to March 31, it was 2.1 trillion yuan versus 1.2 trillion yuan in the year to March 2016, according to Alibaba's annual report. It currently hosts more than 20,000 brands in over 4,000 categories from 77 countries and regions. New Zealand Food Basket has the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. (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: NZME Limited (NZX: NZM) Share Buyback to Commence in February 2022 17th December 2021 Morning Report Evolve Education Group Limited (NZX: EVO) Guidance and Trading Update Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) $600m Bank Refinancing Completed Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZX: VHP) Vital expects ~$140m property revaluation gain for 1H FY22 16th December 2021 Morning Report Sky Network Television Limited (NZX: SKT) Confirms Sale of Mt Wellington Properties for $56m Gentrack Group Limited (NZX: GTK) Facility Loan Agreement Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Prices $200 million Wholesale Bond Issue 15th December 2021 Morning Report Japan: From gadgets, Sony is moving into taxi-hailing service. The company announced the launch of its taxi-hailing service, S.Ride app, in Tokyo. The Sony S.Ride is a joint venture of Sony and its payment service with five taxi companies in Tokyo. The service offer area is Tokyo 23 wards, Musashino City, Mitaka City, the company statement notes. RuslanDashinsky/iStock(NEW YORK) -- From what to eat to how to exercise to what position in which to sleep, there's a lot for pregnant women to think about. Thanks to a new study, now they can add commutes to that list. The longer the commute for a pregnant woman, the worse outcomes her child may face, according to a study published last month by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Lehigh University. Women who travel at least 100 miles roundtrip between their homes and workplaces were found to be at "much greater risks" of having low birth weight babies and fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction. Increasing the distance a woman commutes during pregnancy by 10 miles raises the probability of low birth weight by .9% and the probability of intrauterine growth restriction by .6%, the study found. Long commutes, defined by the Census Bureau as 50 miles or more to work, during pregnancy are also linked to the "under-utilization of prenatal care" and increased maternal stress, according to the study -- so think missed doctors' appointments and delayed treatments. Among the women studied, 15% with longer commutes skipped their first pre-natal checkup and were more likely to have their first pre-natal visit very late in their pregnancy -- as late as their third trimester. The study, which looked at pregnant women in New Jersey, also found long commutes increase stress in pregnant women. High stress in pregnancy is associated with poor fetal outcomes, like the low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction also found in the study. Male fetuses are at higher risk than female fetuses when it comes to pregnancy stress, a fact that has been known for quite some time. A mother's maternal stress can also increase their children's risk of mental health issues later in life, possibly more in female kids, recent research has found, because it, in a sense, hard-wires the stress system. A long commute is a necessity of life for many working moms, but there are things they can do to lessen the burden of it, experts say. Dr. Joanna Stone, director of maternal fetal medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, recommends women make sure the commuting option they're using, whether train or car or bus or boat, is the least stressful option possible. Meditation methods can also be helpful for pregnant women to use to de-stress during their commute, according to Stone. Finally, Stone advises pregnant women, even in difficult circumstances, take the time they need, whether it's asking to work from home, if possible, or making other parts of their lives at home less stressful. "You need to take some time for yourself," she said. In terms of lessening the burden for pregnant women, the study's authors wrote that they believe their research has "important implications" for maternity leave. "Our study has important implications for public policy proposals that consider expanding maternity leave to cover the prenatal period, which is particularly relevant in the context of the United States," the authors wrote. "Even today, compared with other high-income industrialized countries, the United States is ranked last on every measure of family-friendly policies." The U.S. is the only advanced industrialized nation without a guarantee of paid leave for new parents, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Good souls should not only point business to an exchange of human development for profit. Curative marketing should be the next step to help create an environment of global responsibility and growth. by Michael R. Czinkota A good soul promotes quality of humility, empathy and reflections for human developments at a time when society often perceives business as soulless. Today, concern over the lack of soul in business life creates a fine layer of transparent filigree which negatively shadows and biases public impressions. Eventual fossilization may turn out to be very costly since it influences societys willingness to allocate, spend, play, and nudge. People and society generally seek pursuits which advance wealth and good feelings. But nowadays, wealth seems to have won out. Concurrently, technology and artificial intelligence may contribute to further alienate business from the soul. The environment appears to weaken the overall qualities of a soul. Two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8 planes have faltered public confidence in the aviation giant. Volkswagens teutonic attraction to honesty was deflected by its cheating on the emissions of diesel engines. Church child abuse scandal reveals a faiths failure to govern human behavior. All these cases may lead to a separation of business and society, where business becomes a mere supply chain member without influence or respect. The events are not just contemporaneous. More than a century ago, the Chinese Empress Dowager Tzu-hsi, in order to renovate her summer palace, impounded government funds that had been designated for Chinas shipping and its navy. Almost totally isolated from world trade, China missed out on knowledge transfer, the inflow of goods, global innovation and the productivity growth that derive from international trade. Passage of time may lead to the forgiveness of misdeeds but such mercy does not exempt one from recognising their responsibility. Curative marketing may well be the upcoming direction to restore the good soul by raising wonderment about the triple helix linkage of business, faith, and society. Business must look back and accept responsibility for past errors. A more emotionally appealing approach, for example, should have been taken by the Boeing company in recognition of its responsibilities. Merchants should be reliable, trustworthy, and bridge-building partners. For now, American firms, when compared to their global competitors, should strive for a transparent, humble, and discerning leadership. Since the 1990s, governments again has begun to play a growing role in business. New global regulations and restrictions have emerged because markets dont always succeed with constraints and self-regulation. Today, the traditional role and effectiveness of the World Trade Organization are challenged. Multilateral agreements appear to be at a standstill or even in retrenchment. At the same time, the Trump administrations deregulation brings confidence to the domestic economy. A 2018 survey by the National Association of Manufacturers showed that more than 92 percent of respondents suggested a positive outlook for their firms. Nearly a half-million new manufacturing jobs were created in the past two years. The new and crucial joint responsibility of humanity, business, and faith can and should be used to humanize behavior, expectations and cultivation. Religious connectivity with commerce has had an important role for ages. There is, for example, the ejection of the money changers from the synagogue by Jesus and the creation of the honorable merchant, developed by the German Hanse Trading Group in the 13th century. Curative marketing helps overcome past shortcomings and leads to a healthier economy. China, for example, tries to heal past wounds in areas such as food safety, environmental protection, and medical security. In the preface of my book In Search for the Soul of International Business, Dr. Szabo, the Hungarian ambassador to the United States, states that one of my goals is to strengthen business ties between Hungary and the United States. I would like to see businesses flourish that have multidimensional levels of depth and a natural concern for a good soul so that these connections can be meaningful, long-lasting, and honorable." Good souls should not only point business to an exchange of human development for profit. Curative marketing should be the next step to help create an environment of global responsibility and growth. Professor Czinkota (czinkotm@georgetown.edu) teaches international marketing and trade at Georgetown University and the University of Kent in Canterbury. For peoples seeking identity and reinventing ethnicity, enemies are essential by Alexander Azadgan Western nations have dominated much of the world for nearly five centuries. During this era, European nations and later, the United States gained power and spread the influence of Western civilization over much of the globe. China and Japan were forcibly opened to European and American trade. Africa, India, and much of Asia were overwhelmed and carved up by Western powers. The Russian Empire fell to the communists and then lost the Cold War to the West, at least for those ten horrible years of 1990s under President Boris Yeltsin. Yet, in recent decades, the pages of history have begun to turn, and we have entered a new era. Scholars note that in the twentieth century, the expansion of the West came to an end and the challenge against the West began, as other civilizations re-emerged on the world stage (The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P. Huntington, p. 53). Today, we face another major turning point in history one of those rare moments in history when the political and economic axis of the world is shifting away from the West and toward the East (The Dawn of Eurasia, Bruno Macaes, p. 1). But how will this major shift impact the world, as civilizations in the East emerge to challenge once-dominant Western powers? As stated in Wikipedia, the Clash of Civilizations is a hypothesis that peoples cultural and religiousidentities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures. It was proposed in a 1992 lecture [1] at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled The Clash of Civilizations?,[2] in response to his former student Francis Fukuyamas 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The phrase itself was earlier used by Albert Camusin 1946,[3] by Girilal Jainin his analysis of the Ayodhya dispute in 1988,[4] by Bernard Lewis in an article in the September 1990 issue of The Atlantic Monthly titled The Roots of Muslim Rage[5]and by Mahdi El Mandjrain his book La premiere guerre civilisationnelle published in 1992.[6][7]Even earlier, the phrase appears in a 1926 book regarding the Middle East by Basil Mathews: Young Islam on Trek: A Study in the Clash of Civilizations (p. 196). This expression derives from clash of cultures, already used during the colonial period and the Belle Epoque.[8] Huntington began his thinking by surveying the diverse theories about the nature of global politics in the post-Cold War period. Some theorists and writers argued that human rights, liberal democracy, and the capitalist free market economy had become the only remaining ideological alternative for nations in the post-Cold War world. Specifically, Francis Fukuyama argued that the world had reached the end of history in a Hegelian sense. Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his thesis, he argued that the primary axis of conflict in the future will be along cultural lines.[9] As an extension, he posits that the concept of different civilizations, as the highest rank of cultural identity, will become increasingly useful in analyzing the potential for conflict. At the end of his 1993 Foreign Affairs article, The Clash of Civilizations?, Huntington writes, This is not to advocate the desirability of conflicts between civilizations. It is to set forth descriptive hypothesis as to what the future may be like. [2] In addition, the clash of civilizations, for Huntington, represents a development of history. In the past, world history was mainly about the struggles between monarchs, nations and ideologies, such as seen within Western civilization. But after the end of the Cold War, world politics moved into a new phase, in which non-Western civilizations are no longer the exploited recipients of Western civilization but have become additional important actors joining the West to shape and move world history.[10] RE-EMERGENCE OF RUSSIA The current leader of Russia is Vladimir Putin, a dedicated nationalist and former KGB officer with strong Orthodox Christian beliefs. Disheartened by the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the failure of Marxism, his goal has been to unite a fractured country, and as a modern Peter the Great restore the national pride of Russia. He reminds Russians that they successfully repulsed invasions from the West launched by Napoleon and Nazi Germany. Under his watch, the Orthodox Church has replaced the communist party as the foundation of Russian society. As Samuel Huntington argues,For peoples seeking identity and reinventing ethnicity, enemies are essential(Huntington, p. 20). For many, such as President Putin, America and other nations of Western civilization are ready candidates for that role. As the leader of one of the core nations of Orthodox civilization, President Putin is concerned about the precarious spread of NATO into Eastern Europe and about Chinas economic and cultural advances into western Eurasia. His alternative plan is to create a zone of Russian influence, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), that will counter the pull of the European Union and the influence of Chinas New Silk Road Initiative even though China and Russia share a communist past and a historic alienation from Western values. As Russia has grown, Russia is misperceived as a threat. This effort is being led by those in Washington who are resisting a multi-polar world order at any cost. They accuse the 2014 reunification of Crimea with Russia, which they mischaracterize as annexation and eastern Ukraine (both of which are primarily Russian and Orthodox) to justify their antagonism towards Russia. This provides insight into how a more aggressive Washington and her NATO allies will behave in the future. CHINA AWAKENS Eurasia is the worlds largest landmass and the location of a vast portion of the worlds population and resources. This region contains several of the worlds largest economies. The most formidable and dynamic country in Eurasia is China. Chinas current [life-long] leader, President Xi Jinping, seeks to restore Chinas greatness after more than a century of humiliation at the hands of Western powers. Like Russia, the Chinese government correctly views the West, albeit up to now a solid economic partner in the case of US, in order to bolster its appeal to Chinese nationalism and legitimate its power- a role filled by America and the West (Huntington, p. 224). Under President Xis guidance, Chinas goal is to assume its historic role as the leader in Asia and to become a major player on the world stage. To this end, he is promoting a Belt and Road Initiative that devotes immense resources to the building of roads, railways, harbors, power plants and pipelines across Asia and around the world. He seeks to enhance trade and open markets for Chinese labor and products, and to give China access to resources oil, gas, coal, and minerals that its expanding economy desperately needs. However, President Xis aggressive leadership has raised concerns among Chinas neighbors and other world powers. Massive loans to less-developed nations will make those countries more amenable to supporting Chinas interests. Some fear its developing infrastructure and transportation projects could be used to move Chinese troops. President Xi has also shown a willingness to crack down hard on internal dissent, and he has pledged to protect his nations interests and citizens living abroad. China recently established a military base on the Red Sea in Djibouti to protect Chinese interests. While some see Chinas military buildup and activities in the South China Sea as provocative, China views these actions as defensive meant to ensure it is never again threatened by foreign powers. China and Russia have conducted joint military exercises, and neither has any intention of being under the thumb of Western nations anymore. Bruno Macaes argues that Russia and Chinas goal is to overtake and replace the West as they work to establish a new political order more amenable to their own interests (Macaes, pp. 121122). I fundamentally disagree with Macaes assessment. It is too simplistic in a much larger multi-polar world order which is shifting and shaping continuously. Today, as we see the age of Western dominance and suppression coming to an end and the worlds center of gravity shifting to the East, conversant observers such as Samuel Huntington warn that the rise of China is the potential source of a big inter-civilizational war of core states (Huntington, p. 209). While some nations will try to prevent or contain this shift, other nations will want to join forces with the rising civilizations. In his book Chinas Asian Dream, economic analyst Tom Miller reminds readers that Napoleon once described China as a sleeping lion that will shake the world when it awakes. If this coming clash of civilizations that Samuel Huntington and Tom Miller discuss ever comes to full manifestation, the roar of that lion and its allies will indeed be heard around the world. References 1) U.S. Trade Policy Economics. AEI. 2007-02-15. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. 2) The Clash of Civilizations?, Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993 3) le probleme russo-americain, et la nous revenons a lAlgerie, va etre depasse lui-meme avant tres peu, cela ne sera pas un choc dempires nous assistons au choc de civilisations et nous voyons dans le monde entier les civilisations colonisees surgir peu a peu et se dresser contre les civilisations colonisatrices. 4) Elst K., Some recollections from my acquaintance with Sita Ram Goel in Elst, K. (2005). Indias only communalist: In commemoration of Sita Ram Goel. Also: Elst, K. Indias Only Communalist: an Introduction to the Work of Sita Ram Goel, in Sharma, A. (2001). Hinduism and secularism: After Ayodhya. Basingstoke: Palgrave. 5) Bernard Lewis: The Roots of Muslim Rage The Atlantic Monthly, September 1990 6) Elmandjra, Mahdi (1992).Premiere guerre civilisationnelle (in French). Toubkal. 7) Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations (1996), p. 246: La premiere guerre civilisationnelle the distinguished Moroccan scholar Mahdi Elmandjra called the Gulf War as it was being fought. 8) Louis Massignon, La psychologie musulmane (1931), in Idem, Ecrits memorables, t. I, Paris, Robert Laffont, 2009, p. 629: Apres la venue de Bonaparte au Caire, le clash of cultures entre lancienne Chretiente et lIslam prit un nouvel aspect, par invasion (sans echange) de lechelle de valeurs occidentales dans la mentalite collective musulmane. 9) Mehbaliyev (30 October 2010). Civilizations, their nature and clash possibilities (c) Rashad Mehbal. 10) Murden S. Cultures in world affairs. In: Baylis J, Smith S, Owens P, editors. The Globalization of World Politics. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2011. p. 416-426 Alexander Azadgan is a multi-awarded American professor of Strategic Global Management & International Political Economy and a senior geopolitical analyst. Professor Azadgan is an Editor-at-Large with United World International (UWI), where this essay was originally published The power of ritual comes from repetition, not its content. Day after day, the repetition of poses and movements gradually seeps into the depth of consciousness by John Stanton In what is arguably one of the most craven opportunistic moves by a business/media group to increase its circulation/profitability, on 10 April the New York Times (NYT) embarked on what it describes as its Privacy Project . A day later on 11 April, no doubt with the NYTs foreknowledge of what was to come thanks to an unofficial US government tip, Ecuador revoked Julian Assanges (Wikileaks founder) asylum in its UK Embassy and fed him to the British Police dogs eagerly awaiting to arrest him and dump him in jail. In May 2017 I wrote that Assange was doomed from the get-go to be arrested and handed over to the US Government and that it would only be a matter of time before Edward Snowden befell a similar fate. Chelsea Mannings leaked information made WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, a household name. It also made them permanent enemies of the US State. In 2010, Assange released a video that he called Collateral Murder. The video shows an airstrike in which Iraqi journalists are killed. Other releases based on Mannings leak were known as the Afghan Diary and Iraq War Logs. The diplomatic cables exposed some of the silly machinations of the US State Department and the over classification of documents. Meanwhile, mainstream media (MSM) outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post feasted on the leaks and gave them prominent coverage daily, even as they excoriated Assange and his merry band of leakers. The MSM believes that WikiLeaks is not real journalism even as they used the classified material Assange provided to bolster their subscription numbers. Arent they accessories to Assanges crime? Apparently they are not. Assange has been living for the past five years under diplomatic protection in the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom. He has been accused of rape in Sweden and, if he leaves the embassy, would be arrested by UK authorities and, ultimately, end up in the USA. To make matters worse, now he is a target of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director. Pompeo once praised WikiLeaks. Whatever data he has seen that made him go ballistic cant be good for Assange, obviously. [Former] Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions over at the Justice Department has hinted that an arrest warrant is in the works. He will never get a get out of jail card and is trapped in Ecuadors Embassy in London. The trip from the UK to Sweden to the USA would be swift if he capitulates. Its time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: A non-state, hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia, [then] CIA director Mike Pompeo said at a May event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Assange is a narcissist who has created nothing of value and he relies on the dirty work of others to make himself famous: Hes a fraud. Assange continues to dig a hole for himself with the CIA Vault leaks even as he enlightens us all, apparently, about the machinations of governments around the world. Hello Clipper The New York Times Privacy Projects mission statement is essentially a rehash of a privacy and encryption issue that began on 16 April 1993 over the National Security Agencys proposal to embed a Clipper Chipin the nations communications networks and nascent Internet/World Wide Web (WWW). The chip would have allowed NSA and US Law Enforcement Agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation to easily access foreign and domestic public communications. The proposal was the brainchild of President Bill Clintons administration but a wide awake American public and anti-Clipper Chip groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) opposed the technology and by 1996 the US government gave up on the technology. There is grave doubt whether the American public or pro-Assange interest groups have the voice and staying power of those like the EFF that a couple of decades ago opposed the Clipper Chip. According to the New York Times project mission statement,The boundaries of privacy are in dispute, and its future is in doubt. Citizens, politicians and business leaders are asking if societies are making the wisest tradeoffs. The Times is embarking on this monthslong project to explore the technology and where its taking us, and to convene debate about how it can best help realize human potential. Privacy in Dispute? Convene a debate? Youre Kidding! Only those in cryogenic freeze or in solitary confinement for the past couple of decades would not know that privacy is already dead, a quaint relic from a time long since past. In todays world, the price of participating in society is the sacrifice of privacy and self. It is not so much that technology is the culprit, its that a networked world, whether through stories told around a campfire that are passed on in an oral tradition, or instantly via Facebook/Twitter, appears to be a necessary human craving. Wanting to belong to something or some group, to be able to identify with an ideology or fad is apparently irresistible. What do you really have to trade with your fellow human beings other than your deepest secrets, knowledge and individuality? Humans are merrily merging with machines or rather the software and interfaces that allow textual and vision immersion, and the light speed acquisition of knowledge that the networked world provides. The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution be damned. Who needs it? The government or marketplace will always find a workaround to that relic of a bygone era. All of this seems preordained by some Universal Machine God. We bow our heads whilst on the mobile device. The Internet/WWW is a sort of public confessional where there is no mediating priest to talk to God for you. It is straight talk with the Public God who dispenses likes or dislikes like the number of prayers a priest tells you to recite to regain a clean soul. And the Internet/WWW is a vengeful God with a long memory. Past sins from youth, or once though well hidden, find their way onto the network with punishment meted out by a hash tag with a name linked to it. Sickness of the Future The NYT Privacy Project, or even my musings here, are not necessary to understand future diseases at work right now in 2019. For a better description of that we can turn to a short story written by Chinese Sci-Fi writer Chen Qiufan titled A History of Future Illnesses.The story is located in the book Broken Stars, Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation (Ken Liu translator). Technology allows ritual to become an indivisible part of everyday life. Its implanted into you and becomes part of your genetic heritage to be passed on to your children and they children multiplying and mutating, more vigorous that its host. You cannot control the impulse to refresh the page. Information explosion brings anxiety but can fill your husk of a soul. Every fifteen seconds you move the mouse, open your social networking profile, browse the comments, retweet and reblog, close the page, and do it all over again fifteen seconds later. You cant stop. You no longer talk to people in real life. Air has lost its role as the medium for transmitting voice. You sit in a ring, your eyes glued to the latest mobile device in your hand as though worshiping the talisman of some ancient god. Your thoughts now flow into virtual platforms at the tips of your fingers. You are auguring, laughing flustering joking. But reality around you is a silent desert. You cannot free yourself from the control of artificial environments. Ritual is omnipresent. It is no longer restricted to sacrifice, sermon, mass, concert, or game performed on a central stage where the classical unities hold. Ritual itself is evolving, turning into distributed cloud computing, evenly spread out to every nook and cranny of your daily life. Sensors know everything and regulate the temperature, humidity, air currents and light around you; adjust your heart rate, hormonal balance, sexual arousal, mood. Artificial intelligence is a god: your think it is there for your welfare bringing you new opportunities, but youve become the egg in the incubator, the marionette attached to wires. Every second of every minute of every day, you are the sacrifice that completes the unending grand ritual. You are the ritual. Radical thinkers obsess wove how to withdraw from all this. The power of ritual comes from repetition, not its content. Day after day, the repetition of poses and movements gradually seeps into the depth of consciousness like a hard drives read-write-head repeatedly tracing the patterns of an idea, until the idea becomes indistinguishable from free will itselfRomantic love is rituals most loyal consumer along with patriotism. The radicals try to imitate the Luddites of old [but]the only thing that can be done is nothing. John Stanton is a Virginia based writer. Reach him at jstantonarchangel@gmail.com. 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(0x7f3fe97ee418)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe97ee2b0)', '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(0x7f3fe97ee418)') 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(0x7f3fe97ee2b0)') 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(0x7f3fe97d85c8)') 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(0x7f3fe97ee2b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe97ee2b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe92a8168)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe9c6c388)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe9c6c388)') 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(0x7f3fe9780178)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fed26d528)', '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(0x7f3fe9780178)') 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(0x7f3fed26d528)') 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(0x7f3fe97d05d8)') 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(0x7f3fed26d528)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fed26d528)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe92aa528)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fee24f630)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fee24f630)') 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(0x7f3fe9b56d70)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe9bbf4e0)', '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(0x7f3fe9b56d70)') 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(0x7f3fe9bbf4e0)') 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(0x7f3fe9b57148)') 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(0x7f3fe9bbf4e0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe9bbf4e0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe92a8288)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe9c39ad8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe9c39ad8)') 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(0x7f3fe9c4c388)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff176ae68)', '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(0x7f3fe9c4c388)') 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(0x7f3ff176ae68)') 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(0x7f3fe9c4c6a0)') 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(0x7f3ff176ae68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff176ae68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe92a8138)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff6ab7af8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff6ab7af8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Guest Commentary Stacey Hatcher Canada can, and should, supply our responsibly produced energy to the rest of the world. Being allowed to do so would allow us to obtain fair value for our natural resources, and help the world meet growing energy demand. Yet we continue to impede on our own ability to get our energy products to market. Market access constraints, along with regulatory and fiscal policy barriers, are holding us back. Globally, one billion people do not have electricity and three billion people use fuels like wood or biomass to cook, impacting their health, quality of life and environment. By 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects there will be another 1.7 billion people in the world, mostly added to areas still pulling themselves out of poverty. Along with this population growth, global energy demand is expected to increase by 27 percent. Oil and natural gas will remain the dominant sources of energy well into the future. Canada has an opportunity to meet this demand with responsible energy produced the Canadian way. Demand for natural gas is expected to increase 43 percent in the next two decades, and by 2040, the IEA projects it will supply one-quarter of total energy consumed in the world. Canada should capitalize on the coming growth for LNG, not only for our own benefit but also for an important global benefit. Canadian LNG can play a key role in reducing global GHG emissions by displacing coal-fired electricity generation in China, India, Southeast Asia, and parts of Europe. Seventy percent of Chinas emissions which account for more than one-quarter of global emissions are generated from coal-fired power production. Canadas contribution to reducing global GHGs must be recognized domestically and internationally and count toward our commitment under the Paris Agreement through offset credits. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement must be finalized to enable countries to share offset credits, called Internationally Transferable Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), between participating nations. This was debated extensively in December 2018, but the United Nations Conference of the Parties only reached draft decisions. The discussion will continue at their next meeting later this year. The Canadian government needs to take a leadership role in finalizing the negotiations on ITMOs, and look beyond our borders to take a global perspective on emissions reduction. Through global offset credits, Canada could still meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement, while growing our LNG industry to meet global market demand. If Canada received 50 percent credit on global offsets, five Canadian LNG facilities would meet or exceed our commitment under the Paris Agreement. It is time for Canada to unlock the potential of our energy industry to achieve full domestic and global benefits. The world needs more Canada. The path forward must include a clear government commitment to resource development, a competitive fiscal environment, and an efficient regulatory system enabling new projects to be approved and constructed in a timely manner. CAPP is calling for the government to withdraw Bill C-48, which proposes a tanker moratorium on a significant portion of Canadas West Coast. It would block Canadian petroleum products from traveling those waters and getting out to new markets. Ironically, Bill C-48 will only block the export of Canadian-produced petroleum products; it cannot stop foreign vessels from carrying the same products through the same waters. Bill C-48 also creates new barriers to Indigenous economic opportunity and self-determination. Groups such as the Eagle Spirit Chiefs Council, the Indian Resource Council, and the National Coalition of Chiefs have all expressed concerns. The federal governments proposed Bill C-69 under Senate review is also problematic. This overhaul of the regulatory approvals process will only make the system more complicated unless significant changes are made to Bill C-69. New pipelines and the expansion of existing infrastructure are critical to the future of the industry. Market access constraints must be resolved. We need to seize opportunities to diversify Canadas oil and natural gas markets. The bottom line is, we need to be competitive on a global scale to achieve the things we all value responsibly produced resources that benefit Canada and the world. Stacey Hatcher is vice-president, communications, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. By Catherine Sas, Q.C. Special to The Post This past February 23, 2019, Canadas Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen announced the Interim Pathway for Caregivers program to provide a means to permanent residence for in home care-givers for children and the elderly who may not otherwise qualify due to changes to the program in 2014. Historically Canadas caregiver programs have always provided a path to permanent residence and caregiver applicants were always assessed as potential immigrants when applying for their work permits. However, changes to the Caregiver program revised the criteria and caregiver applicants were assessed as temporary foreign workers and not as future permanent residents. Recognizing that there was considerable confusion about the new program requirements and that many caregiver workers had come to Canada believing they would be able to qualify for permanent residence after meeting the two year work experience threshold, Minister Hussen introduced the Interim Pathway for Caregivers Program allowing caregivers to apply for permanent residence between March 4 - June 4, 2019. There are specific criteria to be eligible to apply under the interim program. Most notably, applicants must be in possession of a valid work permit issued under the temporary foreign worker program (TFW) as a caregiver. This means that at the time of obtaining your work permit, you were assessed under the existing caregiver criteria. Persons with other types of work permits such as working holiday, young professional or post-graduate work permits are not eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Interim Caregiver program notwithstanding that you may have work experience as a caregiver. Applicants must also demonstrate one year of full-time work experience as a home childcare provider or home support worker or a combination of both. In addition, applicants must provide a valid language test with a CLB 5 score for each of the four language proficiencies and an Educational Credential Evaluation (ECA) confirming the equivalent of a Canadian high school education or higher. If you have not yet received the results of either your language test or your ECA, you must include proof that you have applied for them. Please refer to our recent blog describing the interim program in detail- https://canadian-visa-lawyer.com/caregivers-interim-program-opens-route-.... It is the goal of our blog to cover a wide variety of immigration topics for our readers. However, the Interim Pathway for Caregivers Program has a very short three-month window and applicants must submit a complete application between March 4 and June 4, 2019 so we felt that this topic warranted repetition. Canadas TFW caregivers provide a valuable service to the Canadian families that they work for while sacrificing time apart from their own families. If you have come to Canada as a caregiver after Nov. 30, 2014 and have not yet qualified for permanent residence through the existing program criteria, be sure to see whether you qualify for this program not to miss the deadline. Full program details can be found at the IRCC website at: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2019/02/caregivers-will-now-have-access-to-new-pathways-to-permanent-residence.html. Catherine Sas, Q.C. has over 25 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected]. Nearly 300 arrested at London climate protests London, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Nearly 300 people have been arrested in ongoing climate change protests in London that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill, police said Tuesday. Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on Monday at the start of a civil disobedience campaign that also saw action in other parts of Europe. The protests were organised by the campaign group Extinction Rebellion, which was established last year in Britain by academics and has become one of the world's fastest-growing environmental movements. London's Metropolitan Police said that by Tuesday evening, 290 arrests had been made. "We expect demonstrations to continue throughout the coming weeks," the police statement said. The arrest figure includes three men and two women who were detained at the UK offices of energy giant Royal Dutch Shell on suspicion of criminal damage. Campaigners daubed graffiti and smashed a window at the Shell Centre building. The majority arrested were seized for breaching public order laws and obstructing a highway. The protest saw more than a thousand people block off central London's Waterloo Bridge and lay trees in pots along its length. Later, people set up camps in Hyde Park in preparation for further demonstrations throughout the week. - Police restrictions - The police have ordered the protesters to confine themselves to a zone within Marble Arch, a space at the junction of Hyde Park, the Oxford Street main shopping thoroughfare and the Park Lane street of plush hotels. "We so far have 55 bus routes closed and 500,000 people affected as a result," the police said. London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "extremely concerned" about protesters' plans to disrupt the underground on Wednesday. "Targeting public transport in this way would only damage the cause of all of us who want to tackle climate change," he said in a statement. Campaigners want governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice". Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Fox said the group had attempted to maintain a blockade overnight at four sites in central London before the police came to impose the new restriction. Protesters attached themselves to vehicles and to each other using bicycle locks, said the spokesman. "We have no intention of leaving until the government listens to us," he said. "Many of us are willing to sacrifice our liberty for the cause." bur/aph/gle Intel withdraws from 5G smartphone modem business San Francisco, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 US electronics giant Intel said Tuesday it was withdrawing from the 5G smartphone modem business, hours after Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm announced they had clinched an agreement to end a battle over royalty payments. The modems that connect smartphones to telecommunications networks were at the heart of the battle between Apple and Qualcomm. Intel said it will "complete an assessment of the opportunities for 4G and 5G modems in PCs, internet of things devices and other data-centric devices," while pursuing investment opportunities in its 5G network infrastructure business. "5G continues to be a strategic priority across Intel, and our team has developed a valuable portfolio of wireless products and intellectual property," CEO Bob Swan said in a statement. "We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world." The company said it would meet commitments to customers for its existing 4G smartphone modem product line, though it has no plans to launch 5G smartphone modem products, including those previously set to premiere in 2020. Currently under deployment, ultra-fast 5G wireless networks require terminals equipped with 5G models and specific network infrastructure. Apple, which had fought a multi-front brawl with Qualcomm for two years, had turned to Intel before reaching the agreement with Qualcomm. jc/oh/wd INTEL APPLE INC. 'Unpatriotic' Afghan war film angers Russian veterans Moscow, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Russian veterans want to ban a film about Soviet troops in Afghanistan they say is "unpatriotic," while the director insists it is an honest account of a disastrous conflict. "Brotherhood" is distributed by the local arm of Walt Disney and is sharply different in tone from recent patriotic war blockbusters. Shot by renowned Russian director Pavel Lungin, it shows Soviet soldiers getting drunk and looting during the chaotic final months of the Soviet-Afghan war. The conflict with the Mujahideen lasted from 1979 to 1989 and led to the deaths of more than 14,000 Soviet soldiers. The movie's release date was set for May 9, a public holiday when Russia celebrates victory over the Nazis in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square. But this is now uncertain after protests from veterans and relatives of those killed in the war, who say the film insults those who fought. The movie is a "classic example of mud-slinging Russophobia," wrote Boris Gromov, the former commander of the main Soviet contingent in Afghanistan, in a letter to the culture ministry, which controls cinema releases. "Brotherhood" depicts Soviet troops as "a rabble of degenerates, thieves, swindlers, murderers and scoundrels," complained Gromov, the head of an association of more than 10,000 veterans, who is demanding the ministry deny permission for the film's release. Another former combattant, Igor Morozov, now the head of the Russian upper house of parliament's culture commission, told AFP that Lungin "has made an unpatriotic film that deters young people from serving in the army." The film "shows our troops looting caravans, fighting and drinking on every street corner," he complained, saying it "sullies the memory of Soviet dead" and "damages the country's image." The war ended with Moscow's humiliating withdrawal from the country and was denounced even by Soviet leadership at the time as a foreign policy blunder. - Wounds of Afghanistan, Chechnya - Russia's culture officials have massively stepped up efforts to fund and promote cinema that positively depicts Soviet history including World War II. Other recent state-funded pictures have highlighted sporting triumphs and the space race, and have put a positive spin on the annexation of Crimea. Last year the culture ministry banned British director Armando Iannucci's black comedy "The Death of Stalin". And this year the director of a Russian comedy set during the World War II Siege of Leningrad opted to release his film online rather than apply for a cinematic release, after it prompted outrage from lawmakers. "Brotherhood" director Lungin told AFP that he was "shocked by this new type of censorship from below" -- led by influential veteran groups rather than culture ministry officials. "I wanted to make an honest film for young people so that they could identify with those guys who were lost in the middle of the war," he said. Lungin stressed the fact that the idea for the film came from a former director of Russia's security service, Nikolai Kovalyov, who was involved in episodes of the conflict. Shortly before his death aged 70 this month, Kovalyov "congratulated me on the result and gave his blessing to the film," said Lungin. "We have to stop glorifying our history and start talking about the wounds left by the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya." The controversy over the film comes shortly after the 30th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal in March. Some former combatants have attempted to recast the painful historic episode as having been justified by the interests of national security. Amid worries over Russia, Sweden returns troops to Baltic island Visby, Sweden, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Under an icy rain, camouflage-clad Swedish soldiers crouched behind a log pile, aimed their machine guns towards the Baltic Sea and, at their officers' barked orders, opened fire down the snow-covered range. A few kilometres away another group wrapped in thick winter jackets, body armour and helmets fired anti-tank missiles, throwing up sprays of ice and snow behind them as instructors watched the orange rockets streak down the range. It was routine training for the young recruits based on the Baltic island of Gotland, but these troops are at the forefront of Sweden's efforts to bolster its military as Stockholm worries about Russian intentions in Europe and the Baltic. Following the annexation of Crimea, the conflict in Ukraine, incidents of Russian military jets approaching Swedish aircraft around the Baltic and the 2014 sighting of a mystery sub -- suspected to be Russian, which Moscow denied -- near Stockholm, Sweden has scrambled to beef up a military that was cut back after the end of the Cold War. The Nordic nation, which has not been to war in two centuries, reintroduced limited conscription in 2017, stepped up defence spending and placed a garrison on Gotland in January 2018. Taking a break from the target practice by a campfire on the icy ground near the firing ranges, Ida Delin, a young lance-corporal from Gothenburg who is a part of the new garrison, was upbeat about her posting to the island. "Everybody feels it's very important, what we're doing really matters for Sweden," she said, the collar of her camouflage smock pulled up around her ears to protect against the cold. - Rebuilding the garrison - Gotland's location in the Baltic has long given it a high strategic value, giving its owner the ability to dominate nearby air and seaways, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said. But regional developments, from Russia's 2008 conflict with Georgia to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, prompted a rethink in Sweden. "I don't talk about the threat directly to Sweden, I talk about a security situation that is worse today than 10 years ago," Hultqvist told AFP. "Because of that we have upgraded our national military capability." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has long denounced the "myth of a Russian threat" in Europe and accused Western powers of destabilising the continent. Down the road from the firing ranges, the regiment paraded under a leaden sky to mark the anniversary of the creation of the first unit on the island in 1811, presided over by the unit's mascot -- a ram named Harald V -- and its commander, Colonel Mattias Ardin, a powerfully built native of the island tasked with rebuilding the garrison. The 50-year-old started his military career at the garrison in the twilight years of the Cold War, when non-aligned Sweden eyed the USSR warily -- its navy chased suspected Soviet submarines from its waters and it maintained a conscript army to watch its borders. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Sweden cut defence spending, doing away with its regiment on Gotland in 2005 and selling its barracks. But with the conflict in Ukraine and rising tensions between Moscow and the European Union, Sweden's parliament voted to return troops to the island again in 2016. "We have a strong Russia that has a lot more military activity than before and we see what is happening in Ukraine, so we see a deteriorating security situation," Ardin said after the ceremony. Nearby, bulldozers and diggers worked on new facilities for the 282 full-time soldiers that make up the garrison and that will shelter the several dozen tanks and armoured vehicles based there. - 'Everyone will be affected' - Sweden's decision to boost its presence in the Baltic can also be seen as a message to its neighbours. NATO has deployed troops to the Baltic states and Poland as part of its response to Russia's involvement in Ukraine and although Sweden is not a member of the alliance it has increased cooperation with it, dispatching troops to take part in military exercises in Norway last November. "The official view is also that if any war does take place in the Baltic region, then we will all be affected," said Robert Dalsjo of the Swedish Defence Research Agency. The tall stone walls around the island's medieval capital Visby testify to Gotland's turbulent history -- it was fought over by Swedes, Danes, Germans and Teutonic Knights and it was even briefly occupied by Russia during the Napoleonic wars. News of the army's return prompted some objections from the community, but other residents were more sanguine about the changes. Outside his office on a street leading up to the Old City walls, Niclas Bylund, a project manager, saw unexpected positives for the island. "We have people moving here with their families, more people to spend money in the shops," he shrugged. "A more lively island in the low season," he smiled. Israeli defence sales topped $7.5 bn in 2018: ministry Jerusalem, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Israel's defence exports exceeded $7.5 billion (6.6 billion euros) in 2018, with the bulk going to Asia and the Pacific region, the government said Wednesday. A defence ministry spokeswoman told AFP that the total was down from $9.2 billion in 2017 but that had been an exceptionally strong year. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute put Israel in eighth place in its 2017 top 10 of global arms exporters and said its largest clients that year were India, Azerbaijan and Vietnam. The Israeli government does not comment on individual arms sales, but Wednesday's ministry statement said missile and air defence systems accounted for 24 percent of 2018 sales. UAVs and drone systems amounted to 15 percent, radars and early warning systems 14 percent and aircraft and avionics 14 percent. Other areas included "land systems, ammunition and weapon stations", intelligence and cyber systems and naval systems, it added. "Over the past year we have signed dozens of contracts with various countries around the world," the head of the defence ministry's international cooperation directorate, Mishel Ben-Baruch, said in the statement. "This serves as further evidence of the desire of more and more countries to cooperate with the state of Israel, and a sign of their confidence in the excellent capabilities of our defence industries," he added. Sales to Asia and the Pacific region were 46 percent of the total, the statement said, with 26 percent going to Europe, 20 percent to North America, six percent to South America and two percent to Africa. Iraq PM lands in Riyadh after Tehran visit Riyadh, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi met Saudi King Salman on Wednesday during his first official trip to Riyadh, days after his maiden visit to the Gulf kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran. The meeting, reported by official Saudi media, comes amid a steady warming of ties between Baghdad and Riyadh after decades of strain. The two countries signed 13 major agreements, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television said, without giving further details. Saudi Arabia this month announced a billion-dollar aid package for Iraq, pledging stronger relations as the kingdom competes with Iran for influence over Iraq. The Gulf powerhouse severed relations and closed its border with its northern neighbour after late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But a flurry of visits between the two countries in recent months has indicated a thawing of ties as Riyadh seeks to counter Iran's strong presence in Iraqi politics. Baghdad is also seeking economic benefits from closer ties with the wealthy kingdom, especially as it looks to repair the destruction left by years of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) group. Iran has been highly influential in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam in 2003, and was a key player in the territorial defeat of IS. Abdel Mahdi, named premier last October, has said Iraq now wants good relations with both Tehran and Washington. The US reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran's energy and finance sectors last year. But it has granted Baghdad several temporary exemptions to allow it keep importing Iranian gas and electricity, crucial to Iraq's faltering power sector. N.Korea's Kim oversees new 'guided weapon' test: state media Seoul, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the test-firing of a new type of "tactical guided weapon," the country's state media reported on Thursday. It said the "advantages" of the weapon are "the peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful warhead," which the test verified. The KCNA report did not provide further details about the weapon, but said Kim described its development as one "of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People's Army." KCNA added that Wednesday's testing was "conducted in various modes of firing at different targets" and that Kim "guided the test-fire." The announcement came the day after a US monitor, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said activity has been detected at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a February summit with Washington. That meeting, the second between US President Donald Trump and Kim, ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Since then, North Korea has said it was mulling options for its diplomacy with the US, and Kim said last week he was open to talks with Trump only if Washington came with the "proper attitude". The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. 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The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce organized a presentation on the theme Explore South Africa, for the private sector business community recently. The event featured the South African High Commissioner R.P. Marks, and two representatives from South Africas Department of Trade and Industry. Speaking at the event, the High Commissioner spoke of services offered, of South Africas focus areas, and how their government would facilitate trade and investment from Sri Lanka. We dont focus on the region, we focus on the sector across the country, she said. The sectors we focus heavily on are green, service-based, resource-based, in manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing industries.We look to invite key companies to South Africa that we think would make a difference. Ambassador Sadick Jaffer, Chief Director of Investment Promotion at Invest South Africa ran the private sector business community through the benefits of investing in their country. He stated that South Africa had the most developed economy in the region, and had a robust democracy, press, and judiciary; thereby making it attractive to foreign investors. We have an open economy, and raise about a billion each in exports and imports both ways. Were also the 37th largest economy in the world. He stressed that South Africas eight open economy seaports provided investors with easy access to the rest of the country along with its large road and rail transport system. South Africa is an enabling environment for investment, patents, and trademarks. Our disputes legislation is in line with international norms and conventions, where foreign investments are protected, he added. Furthermore, those interested in expanding trade and investing in South Africa would receive export assistance, incentives, funding assistance, and an Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) strategies which would benefit the economic sector. For peoples seeking identity and reinventing ethnicity, enemies are essential by Alexander Azadgan Western nations have dominated much of the world for nearly five centuries. During this era, European nations and later, the United States gained power and spread the influence of Western civilization over much of the globe. China and Japan were forcibly opened to European and American trade. Africa, India, and much of Asia were overwhelmed and carved up by Western powers. The Russian Empire fell to the communists and then lost the Cold War to the West, at least for those ten horrible years of 1990s under President Boris Yeltsin. Yet, in recent decades, the pages of history have begun to turn, and we have entered a new era. Scholars note that in the twentieth century, the expansion of the West came to an end and the challenge against the West began, as other civilizations re-emerged on the world stage (The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P. Huntington, p. 53). Today, we face another major turning point in history one of those rare moments in history when the political and economic axis of the world is shifting away from the West and toward the East (The Dawn of Eurasia, Bruno Macaes, p. 1). But how will this major shift impact the world, as civilizations in the East emerge to challenge once-dominant Western powers? As stated in Wikipedia, the Clash of Civilizations is a hypothesis that peoples cultural and religiousidentities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures. It was proposed in a 1992 lecture [1] at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled The Clash of Civilizations?,[2] in response to his former student Francis Fukuyamas 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The phrase itself was earlier used by Albert Camusin 1946,[3] by Girilal Jainin his analysis of the Ayodhya dispute in 1988,[4] by Bernard Lewis in an article in the September 1990 issue of The Atlantic Monthly titled The Roots of Muslim Rage[5]and by Mahdi El Mandjrain his book La premiere guerre civilisationnelle published in 1992.[6][7]Even earlier, the phrase appears in a 1926 book regarding the Middle East by Basil Mathews: Young Islam on Trek: A Study in the Clash of Civilizations (p. 196). This expression derives from clash of cultures, already used during the colonial period and the Belle Epoque.[8] Huntington began his thinking by surveying the diverse theories about the nature of global politics in the post-Cold War period. Some theorists and writers argued that human rights, liberal democracy, and the capitalist free market economy had become the only remaining ideological alternative for nations in the post-Cold War world. Specifically, Francis Fukuyama argued that the world had reached the end of history in a Hegelian sense. Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his thesis, he argued that the primary axis of conflict in the future will be along cultural lines.[9] As an extension, he posits that the concept of different civilizations, as the highest rank of cultural identity, will become increasingly useful in analyzing the potential for conflict. At the end of his 1993 Foreign Affairs article, The Clash of Civilizations?, Huntington writes, This is not to advocate the desirability of conflicts between civilizations. It is to set forth descriptive hypothesis as to what the future may be like. [2] In addition, the clash of civilizations, for Huntington, represents a development of history. In the past, world history was mainly about the struggles between monarchs, nations and ideologies, such as seen within Western civilization. But after the end of the Cold War, world politics moved into a new phase, in which non-Western civilizations are no longer the exploited recipients of Western civilization but have become additional important actors joining the West to shape and move world history.[10] RE-EMERGENCE OF RUSSIA The current leader of Russia is Vladimir Putin, a dedicated nationalist and former KGB officer with strong Orthodox Christian beliefs. Disheartened by the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the failure of Marxism, his goal has been to unite a fractured country, and as a modern Peter the Great restore the national pride of Russia. He reminds Russians that they successfully repulsed invasions from the West launched by Napoleon and Nazi Germany. Under his watch, the Orthodox Church has replaced the communist party as the foundation of Russian society. As Samuel Huntington argues,For peoples seeking identity and reinventing ethnicity, enemies are essential(Huntington, p. 20). For many, such as President Putin, America and other nations of Western civilization are ready candidates for that role. As the leader of one of the core nations of Orthodox civilization, President Putin is concerned about the precarious spread of NATO into Eastern Europe and about Chinas economic and cultural advances into western Eurasia. His alternative plan is to create a zone of Russian influence, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), that will counter the pull of the European Union and the influence of Chinas New Silk Road Initiative even though China and Russia share a communist past and a historic alienation from Western values. As Russia has grown, Russia is misperceived as a threat. This effort is being led by those in Washington who are resisting a multi-polar world order at any cost. They accuse the 2014 reunification of Crimea with Russia, which they mischaracterize as annexation and eastern Ukraine (both of which are primarily Russian and Orthodox) to justify their antagonism towards Russia. This provides insight into how a more aggressive Washington and her NATO allies will behave in the future. CHINA AWAKENS Eurasia is the worlds largest landmass and the location of a vast portion of the worlds population and resources. This region contains several of the worlds largest economies. The most formidable and dynamic country in Eurasia is China. Chinas current [life-long] leader, President Xi Jinping, seeks to restore Chinas greatness after more than a century of humiliation at the hands of Western powers. Like Russia, the Chinese government correctly views the West, albeit up to now a solid economic partner in the case of US, in order to bolster its appeal to Chinese nationalism and legitimate its power- a role filled by America and the West (Huntington, p. 224). Under President Xis guidance, Chinas goal is to assume its historic role as the leader in Asia and to become a major player on the world stage. To this end, he is promoting a Belt and Road Initiative that devotes immense resources to the building of roads, railways, harbors, power plants and pipelines across Asia and around the world. He seeks to enhance trade and open markets for Chinese labor and products, and to give China access to resources oil, gas, coal, and minerals that its expanding economy desperately needs. However, President Xis aggressive leadership has raised concerns among Chinas neighbors and other world powers. Massive loans to less-developed nations will make those countries more amenable to supporting Chinas interests. Some fear its developing infrastructure and transportation projects could be used to move Chinese troops. President Xi has also shown a willingness to crack down hard on internal dissent, and he has pledged to protect his nations interests and citizens living abroad. China recently established a military base on the Red Sea in Djibouti to protect Chinese interests. While some see Chinas military buildup and activities in the South China Sea as provocative, China views these actions as defensive meant to ensure it is never again threatened by foreign powers. China and Russia have conducted joint military exercises, and neither has any intention of being under the thumb of Western nations anymore. Bruno Macaes argues that Russia and Chinas goal is to overtake and replace the West as they work to establish a new political order more amenable to their own interests (Macaes, pp. 121122). I fundamentally disagree with Macaes assessment. It is too simplistic in a much larger multi-polar world order which is shifting and shaping continuously. Today, as we see the age of Western dominance and suppression coming to an end and the worlds center of gravity shifting to the East, conversant observers such as Samuel Huntington warn that the rise of China is the potential source of a big inter-civilizational war of core states (Huntington, p. 209). While some nations will try to prevent or contain this shift, other nations will want to join forces with the rising civilizations. In his book Chinas Asian Dream, economic analyst Tom Miller reminds readers that Napoleon once described China as a sleeping lion that will shake the world when it awakes. If this coming clash of civilizations that Samuel Huntington and Tom Miller discuss ever comes to full manifestation, the roar of that lion and its allies will indeed be heard around the world. References 1) U.S. Trade Policy Economics. AEI. 2007-02-15. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. 2) The Clash of Civilizations?, Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993 3) le probleme russo-americain, et la nous revenons a lAlgerie, va etre depasse lui-meme avant tres peu, cela ne sera pas un choc dempires nous assistons au choc de civilisations et nous voyons dans le monde entier les civilisations colonisees surgir peu a peu et se dresser contre les civilisations colonisatrices. 4) Elst K., Some recollections from my acquaintance with Sita Ram Goel in Elst, K. (2005). Indias only communalist: In commemoration of Sita Ram Goel. Also: Elst, K. Indias Only Communalist: an Introduction to the Work of Sita Ram Goel, in Sharma, A. (2001). Hinduism and secularism: After Ayodhya. Basingstoke: Palgrave. 5) Bernard Lewis: The Roots of Muslim Rage The Atlantic Monthly, September 1990 6) Elmandjra, Mahdi (1992).Premiere guerre civilisationnelle (in French). Toubkal. 7) Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations (1996), p. 246: La premiere guerre civilisationnelle the distinguished Moroccan scholar Mahdi Elmandjra called the Gulf War as it was being fought. 8) Louis Massignon, La psychologie musulmane (1931), in Idem, Ecrits memorables, t. I, Paris, Robert Laffont, 2009, p. 629: Apres la venue de Bonaparte au Caire, le clash of cultures entre lancienne Chretiente et lIslam prit un nouvel aspect, par invasion (sans echange) de lechelle de valeurs occidentales dans la mentalite collective musulmane. 9) Mehbaliyev (30 October 2010). Civilizations, their nature and clash possibilities (c) Rashad Mehbal. 10) Murden S. Cultures in world affairs. In: Baylis J, Smith S, Owens P, editors. The Globalization of World Politics. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2011. p. 416-426 Alexander Azadgan is a multi-awarded American professor of Strategic Global Management & International Political Economy and a senior geopolitical analyst. Professor Azadgan is an Editor-at-Large with United World International (UWI), where this essay was originally published English16/04/2019 RENEWED ATTEMPT TO FIND EARTHLY REMAINS OF SERBS AT ALIPASINO POLJE SARAJEVO, April 16 /SRNA/ - Upon orders from the Prosecutors Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, members of the Federation of BiH Civil Defence Administration have been digging in Alipasino Polje in Sarajevo since Tuesday morning for the purpose of finding earthly remains of Serbs killed in the 1990s war, Milan Mandic, head of the Association of Sarajevo-Romanija Region Missing Persons Families, confirmed to Srna. "The digging is done in the vicinity of the Radio and Television Centre according to tips from eyewitnesses who saw a huge hole dug there during the war, but do not know what happened later that day. The day after that, they saw a burnt Gras van driven to the spot and then they saw the van battered down with an excavator bucket, thrown into the hole and covered up with dirt. After that, medium-size locust trees were planted there, said Mandic. He recalls that during the last exhumation an amusement park was installed at the site, so it was not possible to do any digging then. Mandic says the Civil Defence are preparing the field with a metal detector and that, according to the findings so far, the tips have proved true. After checking the terrain, Mandic says minutes will be made of what has been found and that if evidence is found, acting prosecutor Vesna Ilic is then supposed to seek an exhumation order from the BiH Court. "We are hoping to find all Serbs who went missing from Alipasino Polje, Cengic Vila, Nedzarici and other nearby locations where Sarajevo Serbs went missing, emphasised Mandic. The Association of Sarajevo-Romanija Region Missing Persons Families is still searching for around 180 missing Sarajevo Serbs. /end/ds New data from these statistics will be published on the home page of the Students and qualifications. Published: 17 April 2019 Education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree increased further Corrected on 28 October 2019. The corrections are indicated in red. According to Statistics Finland's Education Statistics, around 128,500 students attended education leading to a university of applied sciences degree and almost 13,500 students education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree in 2018. The number of students attending education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree continued its around 10 per cent annual growth and the number of degrees grew by nearly 14 per cent from the previous year. The number of students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree remained more or less the same, but the number of degrees grew by over five per cent from the year before. In all, 24,800 university of applied sciences degrees were completed, which is over one thousand more than in the previous year. Students and degrees of higher university of applied sciences degree in 2002 to 2018 Over one-half of students in the field of health and welfare or engineering, manufacturing and construction It has been possible to study for a university of applied sciences degree in education arranged as daytime or multiform studies from 2015 onwards. A total of 103,400 students studied in daytime programmes and 25,100 in multiform programmes in 2018. Women made up slightly over one-half, 51 per cent, of students attending education leading to a university of applied sciences degree. Around two out of three students in education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree were women. Fifty-five per cent of new students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree and 65 per cent of new students in education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree were women. At 29 per cent of all students, there were most students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree in the field of health and welfare. More than four out of five of them were women, 83 per cent. The field of engineering, manufacturing and construction was the second biggest, where slightly under 24 per cent of students were studying. Of them, 83 per cent were men. The third biggest field of education was business, administration and law, where around one-fifth of university of applied sciences students were studying. In total, around three-quarters of all students in education leading to a university of applied sciences degree were in these three fields. In education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree the number of students was also highest in the field of health and welfare, around one-third of all students. Slightly more than every fourth student in education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree was studying in the field of business, administration and law and slightly under every fifth in engineering, manufacturing and construction. The number of students was highest at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, 16,400. The numbers of students were next highest at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and the Turku University of Applied Sciences, both with over 10,100 students. The smallest universities of applied sciences by number of students were Aland University of Applied Sciences, which had a little over 500 students, and the Police University College with good 1,000 students. More new foreign students than in the previous year The number of new foreign university of applied sciences students grew in 2018 by 7 per cent after the drop in the year before, but it did not, however, reach the level of 2016. Of foreign students, around 2,400 students started education leading to a university of applied sciences degree and 325 students education leading to a higher university of applied sciences degree. Of all new students, the share of foreigners was about seven per cent, having been slightly under seven per cent in the previous year. In the 2010s, the share has mostly been between seven and eight per cent. The share of foreigners was also around seven per cent among all university of applied sciences students. There was no growth from the previous year and the amount remained almost unchanged. New foreign students of universities of applied sciences in 2009 to 2018 More detailed time series data on university of applied sciences students and degrees according to education, sex and university of applied sciences, for example, are available in the database tables . More detailed data can be found on foreign students in the database tables of the statistics on Students and qualifications of educational institutions. Source: Education. Statistics Finland Inquiries: Jukka Jalolahti 029 551 3588, koulutustilastot@stat.fi Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma Publication in pdf-format (223.2 kB) Updated 17.4.2019 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): University of applied sciences education [e-publication]. ISSN=2489-3196. 2018. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 17.12.2021]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/akop/2018/akop_2018_2019-04-17_tie_001_en.html 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. While cigar companies are well-known for never missing an opportunity to commemorate an anniversary with a special cigar, not many companies can claim a milestone as old as 125 years. Gurkha, despite only being introduced in the U.S. in the mid-1990s, has a better claim than most. The companys 2012 125th Anniversary series was meant to celebrate the first association of Gurkhas name with cigars, as opposed to the anniversary of the cigar company itself. It is made at the Tabacos Don Leoncio/PDR Factory in Tamboril (many of Gurkhas recent offerings are made at this Dominican factory). The cigar employs a dark, reddish-brown Brazilian Habano wrapper with some black discolorations but a consistent sheen. Beneath, it has an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. I smoked four of the Rothchild size (6 x 54) for this review. This vitola retails for around $10 but, since it has been on the market for a few years now, youll be able to find it for significantly less online if you shop around. The large toro features a complex mix of flavors: medium-roast coffee, toast, pine nuts, slight citrus, and clove. And while there are myriad flavors, the complexity is in the Rothchilds depth, not its changes from start to finish (which are minimal). It is medium-bodied with a long, leathery finish. Construction is excellent with an even burn and sturdy ash. (Though I did discard one additional sample that had cigar beetle holes beneath the band; fortunately, thanks to improved quality control industry-wide, this is a rarity these days.) In certain circles, I think its safe to say Gurkha has amassed a reputation as a brand with more marketing skills than cigar-making chops. That said, the Gurkha 125th Anniversary rightfully is seen by many as a turning point. (It was also introduced shortly after the company brought in cigar veteran Gary Hyams to assist in establishing Gurkha in the premium cigar market, a space to which Gurkha has always aspired.) Complex, well-constructed, and (now) priced around $6-8, this cigar offers good value. That earns the Gurkha 125th Anniversary Rothchild a rating of four out of five stogies. [To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.] Patrick S photo credit: Stogie Guys BMG Earlier this month, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder released his first solo album in more than six years, American Rock 'n' Roll, an 11-track collection that's packed with famous guest musicians. Kicking off American Rock 'n' Roll is the album's title track, which finds Felder lyrically and musically saluting the history of U.S. rock music, from the 1969 Woodstock festival through the grunge era. "[T]o me, [Woodstock] was sort of the birth of modern rock 'n' roll," Felder, who was at the historic gathering, tells ABC Radio. "So I thought that would be a great premise to set an album up on, and invite friends of mineto play and sing with me on it that had that same experience and that same influence." "American Rock 'n' Roll," the song, features guitar work from Slash and drumming from Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith. Other musicians featured on the album include Peter Frampton, Rush's Alex Lifeson, Sammy Hagar, Bob Weir, Joe Satriani, Richie Sambora, Orianthi, and members of Toto. Hagar, Weir and Satriani all appear on "Rock You," which Felder describes as "a big stadium rock 'n' roll anthem." Don says he wanted to duet on the song with "a big rock 'n' roll voice," and Sammy fit the bill perfectly. While Felder was working on the track at Hagar's studio in Sausalito, California, Sammy's pals Satriani and Weir paid separate visits to the facility, and wound up contributing guitar and backing vocals, respectively. As for Frampton, Felder tapped him to add the "ethereally beautiful" sound he gets playing his Les Paul through a Leslie speaker to the love song "The Way Things Have to Be." Here's the American Rock 'n' Roll track list, along with select guests featured on each song: "American Rock 'n' Roll" -- featuring Slash, Mick Fleetwood and Chad Smith "Charmed" -- featuring Alex Lifeson "Falling In Love" -- featuring Steve Porcaro "Hearts On Fire" -- featuring David Paich and Joe Williams "Limelight" -- featuring Richie Sambora and Orianthi "Little Latin Lover" -- featuring Abe Laboriel Sr. "Rock You" -- Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Bob Weir "She Just Doesn't Get It" -- featuring Styx drummer Todd Sucherman "Sun" "The Way Things Have to Be" -- featuring Peter Frampton and David Paich "You're My World" Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office. [Photo/Xinhua] Tensions and security risks may be rising across the Taiwan-Straits, but the situation cannot be called a crisis. Since taking office in 2016, the island's leader Tsai Ing-wen has refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus that there is only one China and, instead, pursued the "Taiwan independence" line, which has deteriorated cross-Straits relations. In order to use the worsening Sino-US relationship last year to her advantage, Tsai tried to join forces with Washington against Beijing and seek advanced weapons and security protection from the US administration, further straining cross-Straits ties. Over the past two years, the US Congress has approved or discussed a number of Taiwan-related moves, including exchange of senior officials' visits, and proposals to hold joint "military drills" and normalization of arms sales to the island. These moves have raised serious questions on the United States' pledge to honor the one-China principle. Beijing determined to foil 'pro-independence' forces In the face of policy changes in Taiwan and the US, the Chinese mainland has intensified its countermeasures. Besides holding military exercises, it has increased the number of flights by military aircraft and naval navigation around the island to deter pro-independence forces on the island and warn foreign forces against intervening in its internal affairs. These exercises also serve as a form of military training to prepare for a possible military action to prevent the island authorities from declaring "independence". The Tsai administration has drastically changed the trend of peace and development across the Straits, which started in 2008 when Kuomintang was voted to power on the island, into one of rising tensions and volatility. The coming years could witness three possible scenarios. First, tensions could continue. If Tsai wins next year's election on the island and Sino-US relations remain unstable but without deteriorating further, this is the most likely scenario. Cross-Straits crisis can't be ruled out Second, a crisis could emerge across the Straits, due to several factors. If Washington were to implement any of the Taiwan-related acts-enhancing the quality and quantity of arms sales to Taiwan, holding a live-fire joint military drill with the island, a US navy vessel calling on a port in Taiwan or a senior US official visiting the island-it will generate a huge storm across the Straits. "Taiwan independence" forces making desperate attempts to remain in power during the election next year pose another major risk to which the mainland has to respond. Also, with all the three parties increasing military activities in and around the Straits, the possibility of a conflict caused by an accident, miscalculation or misjudgment cannot be ruled out. And given the current tensions, an emergency could quickly escalate into a serious crisis. Since its founding, the People's Republic of China has gone through three crises with the US over the Straits. All three involved the mainland's military forces targeting the island. A crisis could lead to a new Cold War But, compared with the three previous instances, a future cross-Straits crisis will be much more difficult to control and have a much greater impact on cross-Straits and Sino-US relations. This is because the context and status of Beijing-Washington ties have undergone major changes. A new crisis could push the two countries into a new Cold War or, worse, a military conflict. Either way, the impact on cross-Straits and Sino-US relations would be disastrous. The third possibility is the easing of tensions across the Straits. If a crisis can be avoided in the near term, and if the Kuomintang or a "third force" that acknowledges the 1992 Consensus wins the 2020 election, the situation across the Straits may again become peaceful. Needless to say such a scenario is most conducive to peace and stability across the Straits. Maintaining peace and stability across the Straits serves the long-term interests of Beijing and Washington, as well as the two sides of the Straits. For the Taiwan authorities, they must remember two critical points. The ruling party must not use cross-Straits tensions to garner votes in next year's election. And the leader who wins the election should accept the basic position that both sides of the Straits are part of China, in order to ease tensions across the Straits. Mainland should pursue peaceful reunification As for the mainland, its firm belief that time is on its side is critical. Proceeding from this belief, the mainland should pursue its basic policy of peaceful reunification and common development across the Straits in order to bring tangible benefits to Taiwan compatriots while intensifying the fight against "Taiwan independence" forces. This will greatly influence the move to pursue peaceful development across the Straits. The US, on its part, would better serve its interests by sticking to its pledge to honor the one-China principle. It should not give any signal to the "Taiwan independence" forces or try to play the Taiwan card against Beijing. This is to say that to stabilize Sino-US relations, Washington should avoid creating a crisis across the Straits. And the two sides should also make greater efforts to better manage their disputes so as to prevent potential new crises from emerging across the Straits. The author is director of research, China Foundation for International Strategic Studies. Source: chinausfocus.com Effective May 2, under Title III of the LIBERTAD Act, U.S. citizens will be able to bring lawsuits against persons trafficking in property that was confiscated by the Cuban regime. After more than 22 years of delays, Americans will finally have a chance at justice. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) 17 de abril de 2019 El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Mike Pompeo, anuncio hoy la activacion de una ley de 1996 que permitira demandar ante cortes del pais a companias extranjeras que operan en propiedades en Cuba confiscadas a estadounidenses tras la revolucion comunista."La Administracion de (Donald) Trump no suspendera mas el titulo III (de la ley Helms-Burton), una decision que entrara en vigor el 2 de mayo", dijo Pompeo en una rueda de prensa.La decision activa un titulo que ha sido suspendido por todos los presidentes de Estados Unidos desde la aprobacion de la norma, en 1996.El cambio posibilita que los estadounidenses puedan imponer demandas en su pais contra empresas de todo el mundo, entre ellas las cadenas hoteleras espanolas Melia, Iberostar, o Barcelo; asi como la compania canadiense Sherritt, dedicada al sector minero y una de las principales inversionistas extranjeras en la isla. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT According to CNN on Tuesday, the US State Department has approved a possible deal with Taiwan to renew a $500 million training program for Taiwan's F-16 pilots and maintenance crews. It is also worth noting that April 10 marks the 40th anniversary of the US' unilateral creation of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). To commemorate the piece of legislation that lays down how Washington was supposed to deal with the island, the US acted quite conspicuously. The American Enterprise Institute issued a report calling for strengthening US relations with Taiwan, and likely, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Brookings Institution as well as senior officials in the US government participated in commemorative seminars. Moreover, former House speaker Paul Ryan will lead a delegation to visit Taiwan for TRA events. How is one to understand the US' eagerness to deepen its ties with Taiwan? First, it needs to be understood in the broader context of a change in the US policy toward China. The US regards China as a "strategic competitor." It has tried to raise the heat on China in the fields of economy, people-to-people contacts, international order and military security. Due to the US' stubborn Cold War mentality, China-US relations face severe challenges. The US' policies toward China are aimed at undermining the international environment for China's rapid development. The Taiwan question is a key component of the US' overall policy toward China. It is noteworthy that the US observed the 40th anniversary of relations with China pretty quietly while similar commemorative events over Taiwan have been designed to steal the spotlight. Second, in the past two years, the US' Taiwan-related policies have been chipping at its "one China" policy. The US is gradually changing its earlier way of obscuring "one China" connotations, and dangerously trying to promote its "one China, one Taiwan" leaning. To the US, "one China" more and more refers to the Chinese mainland. In 2018, the US Congress and the government have used the Taiwan Travel Act and the National Defense Authorization Act to promote relations with authorities on the island, enhance Taiwan's so-called international activity space, and encourage reciprocal visits between warships. All this has diluted the "one China" consensus on Taiwan-related issues formed since the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations 40 years ago. From 2018, the US has on several occasions broken the convention of maintaining only unofficial links with Taiwan, manifested in its State Department officials' high-profile and frequent visits to the island. The US' arms sale and possible warship visits to Taiwan make it more difficult to solve the Taiwan question in a constructive way. The US proclivity for changing its approach to Taiwan verges on the dangerous and can lead to instability in the Taiwan Straits. Third, the US is trying to retard China's development momentum by intensive policy adjustments on Taiwan-related issues. There is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. This should form the crux of stable China-US relations. The US has been constantly making trouble on the Taiwan question. It amounts to interference in China's internal affairs. Social stability and economic prosperity in China have come about thanks to the country's reforms and opening-up, which is inseparable from its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The US is bent on provoking tensions in the Taiwan Straits and stirring up disputes. Aggravating internal strife, triggering chaos and queering the pitch for China's prosperity and development is what the US wants by raking up the Taiwan question. Since the late 1940s, the US has never given up attempts to use Taiwan to intervene in China's internal affairs. The US way of dealing with Taiwan-related issues smacks of a colonial mind-set. The times are changing. China has undergone profound changes. Hence, the US approach to Taiwan will end in complete failure. Fourth, it is likely that this year the Taiwan question will be the focus of China-US disputes, like last year's trade friction. The US is very likely to raise the number and frequency of US officials visiting Taiwan. It is also likely to carry out the so-called mutual warship visits to Taiwan in a disguised manner. Given Trump's personality, using the Chinese island as a bargaining chip with Beijing on other issues such as China's participation in the US-Russia nuclear disarmament agreement can't be excluded. The Taiwan question involves China's core interests and is the political foundation for stable China-US relations. Any changes in the US policy on Taiwan will have a huge impact on this relationship, which is closely related to regional and global order. Therefore, the US needs to exercise prudence on Taiwan and abide by the one-China principle based on the three joint communiques between China and the US. Any US provocative move in the Taiwan Straits is detrimental to the interests of all parties. We hope to form a mutually beneficial China-US relationship, which needs efforts by both sides. The author is a professor with the Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University. Netflix added 9.6m new subscribers in the first quarter of 2019, reaching 148.2m overall. The streamer added 1.74 million new subs in the US and 7.86 million internationally, according to its first quarter earnings report. The company reported total revenue of $4.5 billion for the quarter, in line with internal forecasts and consensus estimates of analysts, which was up 22% from the same quarter a year ago. For the second quarter, Netflix is projecting that it will add another 5 million with 300,000 in the US and 4.7 million for the international segment. Netflix says expects to see some modest short-term churn effect as it implements a price increase. It also highlighted a strong slate of shows for the second half of the year including new seasons of Stranger Things, which has been dated July 4, 13 Reasons Why, The Crown, Orange Is The New Black and Money Heist as well as Michael Bays Six Underground and Martin Scorseses The Irishman. The report also revealed that the company is actively looking for a new chief marketing officer to replace the departing Kelly Bennett. That new hire will report directly to chief content officer and pitch master Ted Sarandos. Share this story Indonesia polls close as 'everyman' president battles firebrand ex-general Jakarta, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Across 17,000 islands, from the jungles of Borneo to the slums of Jakarta, millions of Indonesians voted Wednesday as polls drew to a close in one of the world's biggest exercises in democracy. Horses, elephants, motorbikes, boats and planes were pressed into service to get ballot boxes out across the vast archipelago. More than 190 million voters were asked to choose between an incumbent president lauded for his infrastructure projects and a fiery nationalist with links to a brutal dictatorship. The vote officially ended at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) in Sumatra, although some of the 800,000 polling stations across the volcano-dotted nation remained open late due to delays and long queues. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. Earlier, the call to prayer had rang out as voting began at first light in restive Papua province in the east. Almost 90 percent of the population of the 4,800 kilometre-long (3,000 mile) country are Muslim. The campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online -- much directed at the presidential contenders. Leading in pre-vote polls, President Joko Widodo, 57, has pointed to his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But Widodo, a political outsider with an everyman personality when he swept to victory in 2014, has seen his rights record criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate has also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Widodo -- a practising Muslim who has battled doubts about his piety -- jetted to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam, for a brief, pre-election pilgrimage Sunday. "There's clearly less enthusiasm for Widodo now," said Kevin O'Rourke, an Indonesia-based political risk analyst. "His popularity is still up there ... but he is not the inspiring figure that he was five years ago." - 'Indonesia First' - Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to rival Prabowo Subianto, 67, a strongman who has courted Islamic hardliners and promised a boost to military and defence spending. Echoing US President Donald Trump, Subianto has also vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. Subianto's long-held presidential ambitions have been dogged by a chequered past and strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago and opened the door for what is now the world's third-biggest democracy. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. Subianto -- who has moved to soften his image with an Instagram account featuring his cat Bobby -- insisted he was poised to pull off an upset victory, alongside running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy financier. "I'm very confident," he told throngs of reporters in vote-rich West Java after casting his ballot. He narrowly lost to Widodo in the 2014 polls. A record 245,000 candidates ran for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all were held on the same day. Voters punched holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dipped a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. In Palu, which was devastated by a quake-tsunami six months ago, one woman who lost her 10-year-old daughter and her home in the disaster voiced hope that the poll could help bring some relief. "Hopefully the president or the new legislative candidate will help people like us still living in evacuation shelters," said Laila, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "All this time we've been living on handouts from volunteers." Thousands of survivors are still living in makeshift tents in the affected region of the island of Sulawesi. - 'Path of our nation' - About two million military and civil protection force members were deployed to ensure the vote went smoothly, including in mountainous Papua where rebels have been fighting for decades to split from Indonesia. Papua election officials dressed in traditional headgear and grass skirts, as others strapped on superhero costumes to entertain voters in other parts of the country. "I'm very happy I can still cast my vote at this old age," 79-year-old Suparni told AFP at a polling station in Papua's Merauke city. "But it's very confusing because there's so many ballot sheets." The country of more than 260 million people is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. "This only happens once in five years, so we have to exercise our (voting) rights," I Gusti Ketut Sudarsa, 65, said from holiday hotspot Bali. "This will determine the path of our nation." Indonesia's 'everyman' leader on track to beat firebrand ex-general Jakarta, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Indonesia's Joko Widodo was on track to be re-elected leader of the world's third-biggest democracy with pollsters giving him a wide lead over rival Prabowo Subianto, a firebrand ex-general, hours after voting closed Wednesday across the 17,000-island archipelago. While official results are not due until next month, a series of so-called "quick counts" by pollsters showed Widodo holding a strong lead with around 55 percent of the vote to Subianto's 44 percent. The vote officially ended at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) in Sumatra, although some of the 800,000 polling stations across the volcano-dotted nation remained open late due to delays and long queues. From the jungles of Borneo to the slums of Jakarta, Wednesday saw millions of Indonesians cast their ballots in one of the world's biggest exercises in democracy. Horses, elephants, motorbikes, boats and planes were pressed into service to get ballot boxes out across the vast country that is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. More than 190 million voters were asked to choose between the incumbent Widodo, lauded for his infrastructure driven economic push, and his fiery nationalist rival, who has strong ties to the country's three-decade Suharto dictatorship. - Roads, airports - The call to prayer had rang out as voting began at first light in restive Papua province in the east. Almost 90 percent of the population of the 4,800 kilometre-long (3,000 mile) country are Muslim. The campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online -- much directed at the presidential contenders. Leading in pre-vote polls, President Joko Widodo, 57, pointed to his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But Widodo, a political outsider with an everyman personality when he swept to victory in 2014, has seen his rights record criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Widodo -- a practising Muslim who has battled doubts about his piety -- jetted to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam, for a brief, pre-election pilgrimage Sunday. - 'Indonesia First' - Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, 67, a strongman who courted Islamic hardliners and promised a boost to military and defence spending. Echoing US President Donald Trump, Subianto vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. His long-held presidential ambitions, however, have been dogged by a chequered past and strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago and opened the door for what is now the world's third-biggest democracy. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. Subianto -- who has moved to soften his image with an Instagram account featuring his cat Bobby -- has warned he would challenge the results if he lost this year. He narrowly lost to Widodo in the 2014 polls. A record 245,000 candidates ran for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all were held on the same day. Voters punched holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dipped a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. In Palu, which was devastated by a quake-tsunami six months ago, one woman who lost her 10-year-old daughter and her home in the disaster voiced hope that the poll could help bring some relief. "Hopefully the president or the new legislative candidate will help people like us still living in evacuation shelters," said Laila, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "All this time we've been living on handouts from volunteers." Thousands of survivors are still living in makeshift tents in the affected region of the island of Sulawesi. In mountain-ringed Bandung city, flooding didn't stop people from wading through knee-deep water to cast a ballot, or turning up at polling stations on inflated tyre inner tubes. - 'Path of our nation' - About two million military and civil protection force members were deployed to ensure the vote went smoothly, including in mountainous Papua where rebels have been fighting for decades to split from Indonesia. Papua election officials dressed in traditional headgear and grass skirts, as others strapped on superhero costumes to entertain voters in other parts of the country of 260 million. "This only happens once in five years, so we have to exercise our (voting) rights," I Gusti Ketut Sudarsa, 65, said from holiday hotspot Bali. "This will determine the path of our nation." Illustration: Liu Rui/GT Given its desire for strategic autonomy in international affairs, India's foreign policy can be characterized as non-aligned. However, in recent years, its deepening politico-military ties with the US have somewhat altered its foreign policy. The US-India Enhanced Cooperation Act (HR 2123) re-introduced last week by US Congressman Joe Wilson seeks to amend the US Arms Export Control Act and allow India a status on par with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members. In 2017, the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) recognized India as a major defense partner. High-end military security agreements between India and the US were accelerated after the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement on October 10, 2008, which allowed India to break free of its nuclear apartheid and was hailed as the most important achievement of the United Progressive Alliance (2004-14) government under former prime minister Manmohan Singh. Apart from military commerce which has increased in both scale and quality, the institutionalization of Indo-US military relations within the paradigm of the Indo-Pacific strategy challenges India's notion of strategic autonomy. One dimension of US military support is its focus on strengthening India's naval power, second to none in the Indian Ocean. According to Admiral Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, India operates US sourced weaponry such as P-8s, C-130Js, C-17s, AH-64s, CH-47s, and M777 howitzers. The Indian government also signed off on a $2.6 billion deal involving MH-60R multi-role sea-based helicopters and is considering additional US defense technology including maritime-ready unmanned aerial vehicles. In March, according to Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, renaming the US Pacific Command as the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2018 is an effort designed to "reflect the rising importance of India to our [US] role in the region." Rooted in humble beginnings in the form of bilateral naval exercises since 1992 and reflective of major geopolitical shifts of the time, Indo-US military relations are poised to transform four previously established agreements: Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement, General Security of Military Information Agreement and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation. At the first 2+2 ministerial-level dialogue last September, positioning an Indian naval attache with US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain was decided. Quoting American poet Walt Whitman, ". the orchestra have sufficiently tuned their instruments, the baton has given the signal," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address to US Congress almost three years ago and added "there is a new symphony in play" noting that "the constraints of the past are behind us and foundations of the future are firmly in place." The transformation of Indo-US defense relations can be attributed to multi-dimensional causes and has faced strong criticism from Indian strategic circles. According to Bharat Karnad, a research professor with the Center for Policy Research, New Delhi, the US is traditionally an unreliable partner, but a closer partnership with them will only cap India's true military potential in the near to long term. There are three main drivers of the current Indo-US military partnership. First, the US needs a major maritime partner that fits with its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region with significant naval combat capabilities. This need is born out of its threat perception as a global maritime power. According to John Richardson, US chief of Naval Operations, in his briefing to the House Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing, "China is trying to create its own globally decisive naval force." Second, China's deepening military ties with countries located in proximity to India is a cause of concern for India. Third, simultaneous deterioration of US relations with Pakistan and China has allowed India to develop a strategic role for the US in South Asia. While it appears that constraints from past Indo-US relations have diminished, the consequences for India's strategic autonomy over the short and long term remain uncertain. Developing military ties with a distant power while neglecting relationships with countries in the surrounding region is not a sustainable strategic policy. Two events in 2017, the China-India border standoff and the announcement of the largest ever Malabar series of US-India-Japan trilateral naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal, continue to serve as a reminder of the strategic trap that India could find itself in the near and distant future. The author has a PhD degree from Jilin University and was a former researcher at the New Delhi-based National Security Research Foundation. Indonesia's 'everyman' leader on track to beat firebrand ex-general Jakarta, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Indonesia's Joko Widodo was on track to be re-elected leader of the world's third-biggest democracy as unofficial results put him in a comfortable lead over firebrand ex-general Prabowo Subianto after voting closed Wednesday across the 17,000-island archipelago. While official results are not due until next month, a series of so-called "quick counts" by pollsters showed Widodo as much as 11 percentage points ahead. The vote ended at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) in Sumatra, although some of the 800,000 polling stations across the volcano-dotted nation remained open late due to delays and long queues. The quick counts have proven reliable indicators in past elections, but Widodo held off declaring victory. "We've all seen exit poll and quick count numbers, but we still need to wait for the official results," he told cheering supporters in Jakarta. His 67-year-old rival -- who lost to Widodo in their 2014 presidential contest and warned he would challenge this year's results if he lost -- insisted that exit polls suggested he was in the lead. He did not cite specific evidence. "I'm calling on my supporters to keep calm and don't get provoked," he said. The campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online -- much of it directed at the presidential contenders. "I hope after this that there will be a call for reconciliation because ... we've been living in a very polarised atmosphere," political analyst Gun Gun Heryanto told Kompas TV. - Papua to Sumatra - From the jungles of Borneo to the slums of Jakarta, Wednesday saw millions of Indonesians cast their ballots in one of the world's biggest exercises in democracy. Horses, elephants, motorbikes, boats and planes were pressed into service to get ballot boxes out across the vast country that is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. More than 190 million voters were asked to choose between the incumbent Widodo and his fiery nationalist rival, who has strong ties to the country's three-decade Suharto dictatorship. The call to prayer had rang out as voting began at first light in restive Papua province in the east of the 4,800 kilometre-long (3,000 mile) Muslim majority nation. Leading in pre-vote polls, Widodo, 57, pointed to his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But Widodo, a political outsider with an everyman personality when he swept to victory in 2014, has seen his rights record criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. - 'Indonesia First' - The soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, a strongman who courted Islamic hardliners and promised a boost to military and defence spending. Echoing US President Donald Trump, Subianto vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. His long-held presidential ambitions, however, have been dogged by a chequered past and strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago and opened the door for what is now a flourishing democracy. Subianto -- who moved to soften his strongman image with an Instagram account featuring his cat Bobby -- ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. A record 245,000 candidates ran for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all were held on the same day. Voters punched holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dipped a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. In Palu, which was devastated by a quake-tsunami six months ago, one woman who lost her 10-year-old daughter and her home in the disaster voiced hope that the poll could help bring some relief to thousands still living in makeshift tents. "Hopefully the president or the new legislative candidate will help people like us still living in evacuation shelters," said Laila, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "All this time we've been living on handouts from volunteers." - 'Path of our nation' - About two million military and civil protection force members were deployed to ensure the vote went smoothly, including in mountainous Papua where rebels have been fighting for decades to split from Indonesia. Papua election officials dressed in traditional headgear and grass skirts, as others strapped on superhero costumes to entertain voters in other parts of the country of 260 million. "This only happens once in five years, so we have to exercise our (voting) rights," I Gusti Ketut Sudarsa, 65, said from holiday hotspot Bali. "This will determine the path of our nation." Indonesia's 'everyman' leader on track to beat firebrand ex-general Jakarta, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Indonesia's Joko Widodo was on track to be re-elected leader of the world's third-biggest democracy as unofficial results put him in a comfortable lead over firebrand ex-general Prabowo Subianto after voting closed Wednesday across the 17,000-island archipelago. While official results are not due until next month, a series of so-called "quick counts" by pollsters showed Widodo as much as 11 percentage points ahead. The vote ended at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT), but some of the 800,000 polling stations across the volcano-dotted nation remained open late due to delays and long queues. The quick counts have been reliable indicators in past elections, but Widodo held off declaring victory -- while his rival insisted he had won. "We've all seen exit poll and quick count numbers, but we still need to wait for the official results," Widodo told cheering supporters in Jakarta. The 67-year-old Subianto -- who warned of street protests and legal challenges if he lost -- insisted that he was Indonesia's next leader, without citing specific evidence. "We will not use illegal tactics because we have won," Subianto said. "For those who defended (my rivals), I'm still going to defend you. I'm the president of all Indonesians," he added. Subianto, who has long had his eye on the country's top job, lost to Widodo in 2014 and then mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to the election. This year's campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online -- much of it directed at the presidential contenders. "I hope after this that there will be a call for reconciliation because ... we've been living in a very polarised atmosphere," political analyst Gun Gun Heryanto told Kompas TV. - Papua to Sumatra - From the jungles of Borneo to the slums of Jakarta, Wednesday saw millions of Indonesians cast their ballots in one of the world's biggest exercises in democracy. Horses, elephants, motorbikes, boats and planes were pressed into service to get ballot boxes out across the vast country that is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. The call to prayer had rang out as voting began at first light in restive Papua province in the east of the 4,800 kilometre-long (3,000 mile) Muslim majority nation. Leading in pre-vote polls, Widodo, 57, pointed to his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But Widodo -- a political outsider with an everyman personality when he swept to victory in 2014 -- has seen his rights record criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. - 'Indonesia First' - The soft-spoken Widodo stood in stark contrast to fiery nationalist rival Subianto, a strongman who courted Islamic hardliners and promised a boost to military and defence spending. Echoing US President Donald Trump, Subianto vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. His presidential ambitions, however, have been dogged by a chequered past and strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago and opened the door for what is now a flourishing democracy. Subianto -- who moved to soften his strongman image with an Instagram account featuring his cat Bobby -- ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. A record 245,000 candidates ran for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all were held on the same day. Voters punched holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dipped a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. In Palu, which was devastated by a quake-tsunami six months ago, one woman who lost her 10-year-old daughter and her home in the disaster voiced hope that the poll could help bring some relief to thousands still living in makeshift tents. "Hopefully the president or the new legislative candidate will help people like us still living in evacuation shelters," said Laila, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "All this time we've been living on handouts from volunteers." - 'Path of our nation' - About two million military and civil protection force members were deployed to ensure the vote went smoothly, including in mountainous Papua where rebels have been fighting for decades to split from Indonesia. Papua election officials dressed in traditional headgear and grass skirts, as others strapped on superhero costumes to entertain voters in other parts of the country of 260 million. "This only happens once in five years, so we have to exercise our (voting) rights," I Gusti Ketut Sudarsa, 65, said from holiday hotspot Bali. "This will determine the path of our nation." Lightning strike at Acropolis, Greece, injures four Athens, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 A lightning strike injured four people Wednesday at the Acropolis in Athens, which was closed for the rest of the day, the Greek culture ministry said. The bolt hurt two tourists and two Greeks when it struck a lightning rod near the small Erechtheion temple to the north of the famous Parthenon, a ministry spokeswoman told AFP. A local ambulance service official had said earlier that the bolt struck a ticket booth. The two tourists, a Korean man and a Scandinavian woman, both under 30, suffered light injuries and were checked briefly at a hospital, the ministry spokeswoman said. Two Greek staff members who were in a guard booth suffered cuts from flying glass, and were hospitalised as a precautionary measure, she added. The Acropolis itself suffered no damage, but the site was closed for the rest of the day since the strike knocked out electricity and the entry system at the site, the spokeswoman said. Sitting in the historic centre of Athens, the Temple of Parthenon on the rock of the Acropolis dates back to the classical period of antiquity -- the 5th century B.C. It is one of the most-visited tourist sites in the world. Athens itself has been swept by several violent storms in recent days. Two students fined 27 million euro for Italy forest fire Rome, April 17 (AFP) Apr 17, 2019 Two Italian students have been told to pay a joint fine of 27 million euros ($30 million), Italian media reported Wednesday, after being accused of letting a barbecue start a forest fire. Prosecutors say the two 22-year-olds, who dispute the case, lit a barbecue with a group of friends near Lake Como in the north of Italy on December 30 to celebrate New Year. The wildfire was started by the embers of the barbecue, eventually ravaging 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of forest, according to the findings of an investigation. Several buildings were destroyed, including one in which all the domestic animals died, according to the daily La Repubblica. The huge fine for the two students was calculated in accordance with a decade-old formula which determines the financial penalty depending on the scale of the damage. It was unclear how the two students were expected to afford the fine. Their lawyers have three weeks to challenge the amount in an administrative court. http://vv.chinamil.com.cn/asset/category3/2019/04/17/asset_355958.mp4 According to the latest white paper in 2015, China's navy will be shifting its focus from "inshore defense" to a combined strategy of "inshore defense" and "open seas protection, and is building a multi-functional and efficient maritime combat force structure. How well the navy has managed this challenge is hard for outsiders to know. But the routine operations on the sea can offer some insight. We were given exclusive access to fleet formation training and a live-fire drill in the East China Sea. Training is combat This flotilla maneuver training included two 052C type destroyers and two 054A type frigates, as well as a supply ship for replenishment training. The new-generation guided missile destroyer, Changchun, is the command warship. The sessions mainly focused on joint operations, search and rescue, air defense, anti-missile, and remote precision strikes. "The aim is to continuously enhance the comprehensive operational capabilities of the fleet formation, upgrading the contribution rate of new combat forces in overall system operations," says Wang Sheqiang, Fleet Training Formation Commander. Live fire drill of destroyer Changchun during a flotilla maneuver training. /CGTN Photo Besides joint operations, training is heavily combat-oriented, with an emphasis on live-fire drills. And distant-seas training is a priority under the "going blue" strategy. Hardware and software Hardware defines the limits of what technology can bring to the navy, while combat capability rests on proficiency in mastering the equipment at hand and the people who understand their function. The scope of the change in strategy requires naval commanders and sailors to fully exploit new high-technology weapons and the way of thinking under the joint-operation structure. "Now both the naval and air battles are relying on joint operations, with shared information on the platform," says Hu Jie, Captain of the PLANS Changchun. Joint operations need information sharing and efficient coordination. We see how commanders insist on every last detail to standard and practicing again and again. This is to strengthen awareness of danger and the willingness to accept risks. Wei Jinfu, Political Commissar and Wang Sheqiang, Commander of Fleet Training Formation, supervising a live fire drill at the commanding warship of destroyer Changchun/CGTN Photo Determination to win The rapid improvement of weaponry is changing the culture of command and operations, with a new system of information and modernization. A new generation of naval commanders and sailors is emerging. We see how they use English for communicating with foreign vessels, how they research the best training methods in other navies, and how they learn from mistakes through evaluating the drills. Trainee Captain Wei Huixiao directs live-fire drill aboard the Changchun destroyer. She will be the PLA Navy's first female captain. /CGTN Photo The Chinese navy has a growing percentage of young sailors and officers. The change of generation of personnel goes along with the equipment upgrades. We see their eagerness to learn and potential to advance. They take on the challenges of hard work and risks to make rigorous training become routine. It's all part of a determination to win if called to war. Several projects are attempting to archive the history of AIDS activism -- there's the ACT UP Oral History Project, Visual AIDS' Archive Project, and a number of LGBT archives, including the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's LGBT archive. And yet much of what has emerged as public memorials of the AIDS epidemic and its heroes has focused on a handful of mostly white activists and organizations. The long history and impact of black AIDS activists, particularly during the early years of the epidemic, are less known. Dan Royles, a writer and assistant professor of history at Florida International University, wants to make sure we know about those stories. Royles is finishing his book, To Make the Wounded Whole: The Political Culture of African American AIDS Activism, which is part of the Justice, Power, and Politics series at University of North Carolina Press. He also created an oral history project among African-American AIDS activists, as well as an online archive about HIV/AIDS and African-American communities. The book and other projects grew out of information Royles gathered for his research seminar while studying for his Ph.D. in History at Temple University. "I wanted to write about AIDS in Philadelphia, and one of the stories I found was about BEBASHI," Royles said, referring to the organization Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues. "It was the first, or one of the first, black gay service organizations in the country." Right away, Royles recognized the sometimes fraught relationship between white activists and organizations within African-American communities. "I thought it was a very interesting story and a really important story, because you have these tensions among people who are in marginalized groups, and it was different from the popular narratives I've seen about the AIDS epidemic," Royles said. As he kept digging, Royles found that the narratives around the response from African-American communities to the HIV/AIDS epidemic needed to be interrogated. "The book is important because even today, so many decades into the epidemic and having known for so long that AIDS has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and black communities in particular, a lot of those narratives frame black communities either as ignorant or passive, or as powerless," Royles said. "It's about how homophobic the black church is ... all these ways that black communities are inadequate in response to the AIDS epidemic." "And I think that all those narratives are rooted in ignorance of what black communities have actually done." Through his historical research, Royles has found a vibrant legacy of black AIDS activism going back to the beginning of the epidemic. And various groups were approaching the issue with a "really diverse and creative set of approaches." Inside the archives and oral histories, readers will find pamphlets for AIDS actions and rallies, along with handouts and flyers about fundraisers. It's a plethora of information across time about the active participation of black AIDS activists concerning AIDS. Royles, who is white, thought hard about telling this very complex story about another culture. "I think I've actually become trepidatious about it over time," Royles said. "As you dig deeper, a lot of the story is about white people not getting it -- then it's like, trepidation about, "What are my own blind spots?'" "But the way I think about it is, the story was not out there. I'm happy to be doing a project that I think is important and speak to really fundamental issues about justice and American society today." The book is not meant to be the definitive tome on the subject, Royles added. "I don't want my book to be the final word on any of this," he said. "It absolutely should not be. I see it as the start of a conversation, rather than 'the' conversation. I hope that people will respond to it, will grapple with it. I hope people will critique it and point out things I got wrong." Royles added, "There's a whole other set of sources, some of which are not even touched by the book, that people can use, whether they are scholars or people in the general public or activists or people with living HIV. The hope is that they can use them [the archive and oral history project] as a point of point of entry to this much bigger story." While the book won't be released until late next year, the archive and oral history project grow every day. And what is the goal for all the dedicated people who offered their stories to Royles? "I hope that those people get to see their work being recognized as important," Royles said. "And what I found in talking to people is there is a really palpable awareness among black AIDS activists that their work has not been recognized." "I hope they at least get the sense of being seen and hailed for the important work they've done." Stay on the top of all the latest markets movements! Subscribe to The Bull free weekly newsletter to receive our best tips, offers and promotion... SUBSCRIBE label http://vv.chinamil.com.cn/asset/category3/2019/04/17/asset_355962.mp4 The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy is celebrating its 70th anniversary on April 23 with a large maritime parade off the coast of Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province. But how much do you know about the PLA Navy? The Chinese PLA Navy is composed of five branches: The Submarine Force, the Surface Force, the Coastal Defense Force, the Marine Corps and the Naval Air Force. The Surface Force consists of units of aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, missile boats, torpedo boats, submarine chasers, gunboats, mine countermeasures, landing craft, supply and auxiliary vessels. All the warships are serving in three fleets - the North China Sea Fleet, the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet. It was the only force on water when the PLA Navy was founded in April 1949, and has developed to one of the navy's backbone forces to strike and support. Brigadier General Diodato Abagnara, Commander of the UNIFIL Sector West, presents awards to Chinese peacekeepers. (Photo by Meng Zhuolin) By Meng Zhuolin BEIRUT, April 17 (ChinaMil) -- Chinas peacekeepers won the top three places in a Military Obstacle Competition held recently at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Sector West. The Competition was held by the Command of the UNIFIL Sector West on April 13. Hundreds of peacekeepers from 11 teams including China, Italy, Ireland and Malaysia participated in the competition. The 17th Chinese peacekeeping construction engineer contingent to Lebanon sent three teams to the competition. The competition was organized in form of teams composed of five players respectively. The players completed seven obstacle courses such as orienteering, casualty escort, vehicle pushing, special situation management and rock climbing, etc. Brigadier General Diodato Abagnara, Commander of the UNIFIL Sector West, said at the award presentation: Chinese peacekeepers are very brave and excellent in fulfilling missions entrusted to them as well as in the competitions of UNIFIL. I am proud of your achievement. Prominent leaders of the Catholic Church in the Philippines have criticized an aid moratorium by Canadian bishops on at least four Philippine associations suspected of "violating the social teachings of the Church." The funding has been halted as the Filipino groups are being investigated for alleged connections to abortion, artificial conception and other possible conflicts with Catholic teaching. The Catholic Register reported that a seven-page letter addressed to the Canadian bishops and the leaders of Development and Peace, the four Philippine partners affected by the moratorium have said they have never been told why the funds raised from a Share Lent campaign, was being withheld. Development and Peace (The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace) is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis. It is a membership led organization supported by parish collections, individual donations and government grants, principally from Global Affairs Canada. "We regard this as deeply unfair and inconsistent with the partnership principles and practices to which D&P proudly declares itself adherent," said the letter, obtained by the French Canadian Catholic news agency Presence. Development and Peace's temporary moratorium, the letter added, is already affecting "peacebuilding, agrarian reform, urban shelter and community development work in the Philippines." "For a distant and anonymous committee with no knowledge of our circumstances, our lived experiences, or the challenges facing us, to make summary and unilateral judgments of us at a time of growing authoritarianism is deeply dangerous," said the letter, noting that the Catholic Church has recently been threatened by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The April 3 letter was sent by email to Bishop Lionel Gendron, CCCB president, and Evelyne Beaudoin, president of the national council for Development and Peace. All members of the national council also received it, as well as all Canadian bishops. The letter was sent a few days ahead of April 7, when Canadian parishes were actively promoting the Share Lent Campaign. Among the signatories to the Philippine letter were Fr. Edwin Gariguez, secretary-general of Caritas Philippines, and Redemptorist Fr. Leo Armada, chairman of the board of Francesco Inc., a consortium that recently inaugurated the Village of Pope Francis, where 1,300 survivors of 2013 Haiyan typhoon now live. Philippine groups also have "no way to know the charges against them," said the signatories, upset that "the truth of the charges is determined by an opaque ad hoc committee." In 2018, information about Development and Peace partners prompted some Canadian bishops to withhold donations raised during the Share Lent campaign. Allegations that 52 of approximately 180 partners were not acting in accordance with Church teaching were made in an unreleased document called "2018 CCCB Research Findings on D&P Partners." Development and Peace staff responded last fall in a 290-page document rejecting the vast majority of the allegations, except for five partners which needed a more in-depth review. Most of the 52 partners are in Latin America (25) and Asia (15). Only when Development and Peace agreed to withhold donations to the 52 partners targeted by the allegations was it able to receive all the withheld funds (about $2 million). At the beginning of April 2019, the organization announced that the moratorium affecting the 52 organization would be maintained during the 2019 Share Lent campaign. More than 300,000 immigrants and refugees come to Canada each year, many with top credentials in their professional fields. Many more thousands come on temporary work permits in hopes of staying permanently one day. Some may be fleeing war, while others are seeking new opportunities and a better life. But they all have one thing in common: they need information and guidance after they arrive to help them in their immigration journey. Thats where the cross-country Canadian Immigrant Fair, in association with Public Mobile, comes in. On April 29, 2019, the free fair comes to the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby, B.C. This tradeshow and speakers series for newcomers is all about providing the information and inspiration people need as they look for jobs, go back to school and settle into their new home. The free fair will feature a tradeshow of diverse exhibitors, including career advisors, education institutes and social service agencies, plus hiring companies, a resume clinic and more. The events popular speakers series includes career and job search workshops, communications skills class and a networking session. Settling into a new country is both exciting and challenging, particularly when also trying to secure employment. To that end, we are thrilled to provide resources to assist with the challenges of todays job market through free professional photos. We look forward to participating in this cross-country fair and connecting with new members of our community, says David MacLean, director of Public Mobile. Through the Canadian Immigrant Fair, we offer information on the three pillars of success for immigrating to Canada: careers, education and settlement, says Sanjay Agnihotri, group publisher of Canadian Immigrant, a national magazine, website and events producer that has been a guiding star for newcomers since 2004. More newcomers are coming to Canada every year, either as skilled immigrants, refugees or temporary workers looking to stay permanently, and its our responsibility to help them settle into this great country and succeed. Learn more and register at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/careerfair. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Moscow this week to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearization, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Tuesday. Biegun will meet with Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," the department said, but gave no further details. The Trump administration is still seeking to reach a denuclearization deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following two summits between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump that have so far failed to solidify an agreement. Trump administration officials have floated the possibility of a third summit. Credit: Jon ChuIf you're in the mood for an incredibly chill song that's possibly about lizards, then we've got just the thing. Bear Hands has released a laid-back new track called "Reptilians," which you can download now via digital outlets. The new tune will appear on the band's upcoming album Fake Tunes, which also features the singles "Blue Lips" and "Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide)." Fake Tunes, the follow-up to 2016's You'll Pay for This, is due out May 10. Bear Hands will hit the road next month as the openers on Twenty One Pilots' upcoming North American tour, kicking off May 12 in Vancouver. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Last week, Maduro and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) came to an agreement to allow in the humanitarian aid. Venezuela has suffered more than four years of recession marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine. The United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid. The shipment, which arrived at the airport serving Caracas, includes desperately needed "medication and medical supplies," the official confirmed on condition of anonymity. The first shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid arrived in crisis-wracked Venezuela on Tuesday following approval from President Nicolas Maduro's government, an official told AFP. Supplies destined for Venezuela's long-suffering population formed the basis of a stand-off between Maduro and parliament speaker Juan Guaido, who launched a direct challenge to the president's authority in January. Guaido has since been recognized by more than 50 countries, including the United States, as Venezuela's interim president. But despite a highly publicized campaign, he failed to force humanitarian aid stockpiled over the border in Colombia into the country as the military -- which remains loyal to Maduro -- blockaded a bridge crossing. Maduro claimed the aid was nothing more than a smokescreen to cover a U.S.-led invasion. Cardboard boxes bearing the symbols of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement were loaded by forklift onto trucks at the Maiquetia international airport, according to images shared on social media. Maduro has repeatedly denied Venezuela is suffering from a humanitarian crisis and blames the U.S. for the oil-rich South American country's economic woes. But last week he said on national TV and radio that his government and the Red Cross had agreed "to work together with UN agencies to bring into Venezuela all the humanitarian aid that can be brought." Guaido blames government incompetence and corruption for his country's crisis. Last month, the ICRC announced it would begin in early April a first phase of aid distribution to help 650,000 people. The UN estimates that 3.7 million Venezuelans are malnourished and 22 percent of children younger than age five suffer from chronic malnourishment. It also claims that more than 2.7 million citizens have fled Venezuela since 2015. French President Emmanuel Macron promised Tuesday to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral "within five years" after a fire caused extensive damage to the Parisian landmark. Macron said in a nationwide televised address the 850-year-old structure would be rebuilt "even more beautifully" and called on citizens to "change this disaster into an opportunity to come together." The fire is out and experts are assessing the damage. Paris fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus said building specialists and architects are "surveying the movement of structures and extinguishing smoldering residues." Although the fire caused massive damage to the famed Gothic edifice in central Paris, the city's fire chief, Jean-Claude Gallet, said firefighters saved the building's two iconic towers and stone structure. The flames, which at one point burned 10 meters into the air above the roof, destroyed much of the cathedral's roof and caused its central spire to collapse. Cathedral spokesman Andre Finot said Monday the entire wooden interior of the cathedral was likely to have been destroyed. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Windy. A steady light rain this evening with showers continuing overnight. Low 14C. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Windy. A steady light rain this evening with showers continuing overnight. Low 3C. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible. Indonesia has entered the final stage of a three-day cooling down period before Wednesday's national election, with officials removing political billboards across the archipelago amid a ban on election broadcasts after months of rowdy campaigning. The incumbent, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, made a brief trip to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where he performed the umrah, or minor haj, with his wife and two sons, while his rival, Prabowo Subianto, made a pilgrimage to the grave of his father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, a renowned economist. The pair had squared off in five nationally televised debates, with most political pundits judging the contest about even, although Prabowo remains up to 20 percentage points behind in opinion polls. The Prabowo camp has already complained about "ghost voters" and the potential for rigging. But National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian told the Jakarta Post he had not received reports about incidents impeding the electoral process. "Two days to go; we are convinced that we have security measures under control," he said. Kevin O'Rourke, an analyst with PT Reformasi Info Sastra, said there were still major issues with voter registration, despite this election being the fifth ballot since democratic reforms were instituted, following the downfall of President Suharto in 1998 and the outbreak of deadly protests. "Theoretically the system could be susceptible to people voting multiple times, but in practice it really hasn't been a problem in past polls and I really wouldn't expect it to be so this year," he said. O'Rourke said Prabowo, following his defeat to Jokowi at elections in 2013, had launched a legal campaign challenging the result when he lost by six percent of the overall vote. "I think it's an attempt by the Prabowo campaign to justify a basis for making an electoral dispute, but I think that's only going to be feasible for them if the margin of victory for Widodo is more narrow than expected," he said. That puts pressure on Jokowi to secure a comfortable victory with a margin of around eight to 10 percent. Of Indonesia's 264 million people, about 190 million are expected to vote, with 60 million under the age of 30. MBABANE Government has been ordered to pay Fidelity Security Services Swaziland (PTY) Limited a sum of E177 096.30. The order directing the State to pay comes after the security company instituted legal proceedings for services it rendered in 2016. High Court Judge Cyril Maphanga ordered government to pay the aforementioned amount with interest at a rate of 13.5 per cent accruing on the outstanding balance from time to time to date of final payment. In the combined summons issued by Fidelitys lawyers from Magagula & Hlophe Attorneys, the security company was demanding payment for its services provided, where the latter guarded the government weighbridges at Matsapha and Siteki. The security company alleged that on June 1, 2015, it entered into a written agreement with the Government of Eswatini through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport for the provision of security services. However, in an email annexed to the summons, government acknowledged its indebtedness to the security company further assuring that they were giving the matter the urgency it deserved. We appreciate that it has taken too long to reach a solution with regards to payment, read the mail that was written by a lawyer representing government. When the written agreement was entered into, the security company was reportedly represented by its Principal Executive, Malcolm Barlow-Jones, while government was represented by Nathaniel Dlamini. It was alleged that Fidelity would provide at least two security guards at each of the premises in Matsapha and Siteki respectively. Terms It was further the terms of the agreement that the defendant (government) would remunerate the plaintiff (Fidelity) for the security services rendered in the sum of E16 099.54 per month in respect of each of the premises in the aforementioned places. The cost for the monthly services according to the summons would be paid in advance and that any arrears would attract interest at the prime rate ruling at that point in time at two per cent. The plaintiff provided the aforesaid security services for the periods between August 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 in the business of the defendant and duly delivered the invoices reflecting the agreed date, read part of the particulars of claim. Fidelity, in its claim, asserted that in breach of the agreement between the parties, government failed to pay for the services rendered. The breach, according to Fidelity, resulted in government terminating the contract. Notwithstanding demand, government reportedly failed to pay the security firm the arrears in the sum of E177 096.30. The defendant is liable to the plaintiff for interest on the sums outstanding from time to time at the rate of 13.5 per cent per annum constituting the bank prime lending rate plus the additional two per cent in line with the agreement between the parties, contended the plaintiff. Meanwhile, during argument of one of the matters against the State, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg disclosed that government had accumulated more than E3.5 billion in arrears (invoices for service rendered and goods supplied that has not been paid). We are in a financial crisis. Road projects are on suspension (costing us more than E10 million per month), building projects have been stalled, suppliers are suing us and medical supplies are in short supply, government submitted. MATSAPHA - Ideas for developing cultural and creative industries in the country were shared as the second instalment of the African Union workshop kicked off. The Honourable Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Harries Bulunga officially opened the second workshop for the review of the African Union (AU) Action Plan on Cultural and Creative Industries yesterday. The workshop, which is hosted by Eswatini in conjunction with the AU Cultural Unit, is held at Bethel Court in Matsapha and will run until tomorrow. Speaking at the opening ceremony yesterday, the minister thanked the AU for choosing Eswatini as hosts of the review workshop. Important This review therefore becomes hugely important for our country because it will help us align our efforts with those of the rest of the continent in terms of developing the cultural and creative industries in order to maximise all benefits we can extract from them particularly by offering our people opportunities to living better and fulfilling lives, Bulunga said. The minister further stressed the importance of the review not just for Eswatini but for the rest of the African continent. Status This review will map out the current status of the creative economy sector in each of the AU member-states. This information will enable countries and regions to get updated information on the value chain of the sector and promote intra-African trade in line with the protocol of the African Continental Free Trade area recently adopted by the AU assembly. The workshop was attended by some of the brightest minds in the African cultural and creative industries with experts coming from countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Also in attendance during the opening ceremony were the Director of Arts and Culture in the Ministry Phinda Nkosi and Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) CEO Stanley Dlamini. MANZINI Guard Alert Security Services and SATU are at each others throats over alleged victimisation of the unions shop stewards by the security company. This comes after the security company dismissed two shop stewards of the Swaziland Amalgamated Trade Unions (SATU), while another is awaiting a disciplinary hearing. Following this, SATU petitioned Guard Alert Security Services and demanded that the company should unconditionally reinstate all the shop stewards within seven working days. According to the petition, on December 5, 2018, the security company allegedly verbally dismissed Thokozani Simelane, who was working a night shift for the Matsapha Branch. The union said Simelane was dismissed based on allegations that he committed misconduct in 2016. There was no disciplinary hearing conducted and the nature of the alleged misconduct is not known, reads part of the petition which was signed by SATU Secretary General Frank Mncina. Again, the union alleged that on March 22, 2019, the security company allegedly dismissed Lifa Mofokeng, a shop steward who was also on a night shift and that his dismissal was based on allegations that he committed gross misconduct. Furthermore, SATU said on April 16, 2019 (yesterday), the company was intending to conduct a disciplinary hearing against Elijah Dlamini, who was a shop steward for Manzini Cash in Transit Department. It said the company alleged that Dlamini absented himself from work as he did not get permission. This is despite the fact that Dlamini produced a genuine sick sheet, which was signed by a registered medical practitioner when he came back, the union alleged in the petition. On that note, the union said it viewed the companys actions as a demonstration of its continued arrogance in victimisation of shop stewards who were elected to represent the interest of workers in the workplace. The union said it understands that shop stewards, like the rest of all employees, could be subjected to a disciplinary process. However, it argued that the company should follow detects of the law. As a union, we have been calling upon the company on several occasions to observe the right procedure as outlined in the Industrial Relations Act of 2000 as amended when dealing with shop stewards who have committed misconduct, the union said in the petition. On that note, the union said it was clear to it that the company was out to victimise shop stewards and ultimately get rid of them in the workplace. However, after talks, which were held in the presence of the police, the union and Guard Alert Security Services management agreed that they would have a meeting today to discuss the issues. MBABANE Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development David Cruiser Ngcamphalala has read the riot act to the newly-appointed regional administrators (RAs). He reminded them to be punctual when attending meetings or else explicitly explain why they arrived late. The minister was speaking during a meeting with the RAs and staff of the ministry. The meeting was held at the ministrys offices yesterday. Ngcamphalala said they should all emulate the Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who had seemingly played a crucial role in keeping time since the beginning of his term. The minister stated that Dlamini had arrived 10 minutes before time in all the meetings held at the ministry. We should all follow suit and go after the PMs steps. Let us make sure we arrive early in our meetings and anyone who arrives later than the stipulated time will have to answer, said Ngcamphalala. Strategy He added that this was according to the strategy discussed in their previous meetings. The minister highlighted that he would like to meet all RAs monthly to discuss the ministrys administration issues. It was in this regard that he explained that following the government strategy, regional secretaries were expected to attend a weekly heads of departments meeting every Monday. He again harped on the importance of keeping time, as in most developing countries, respecting time played a vital role in the countries development. Ngcamphalala stated that the PM had also requested to meet with RAs on dates still to be decided. He appreciated His Majesty the King for the appointment of the RAs into their positions. He said he trusted they would all work towards improving their regions. Ngcamphalala welcomed them and conveyed that the ministry hoped they would all have a fruitful term in office. The minister also expressed his gratitude to the regional secretaries for holding the fort during the absence of the appointed RAs. Ngcamphalala requested the collaboration of the RAs in executing their mandate as a ministry which was heavily dependant on developing the lives of the people in their various communities. He mentioned that the new government had brought in a strategic plan which he assured that the ministry would create time to present. Several conglomerates are tipped as bidders in the selloff of Asiana Airlines based on their financial stability and deep pockets. SK, the nation's third-largest conglomerate, is among them, but the telecom and chip giant has denied all rumors of being interested in taking over the troubled carrier. But market analysts note SK's sizeable capital resources, including SK Hynix, as the main reason it could be interested. The acquisition would make SK the second-largest conglomerate by assets, another tempting reason. Hanwha could also join the fray since it already owns an aircraft engine manufacturer. For Shinsegae, buying Asiana could help grow its duty-free business. Pundits say the denials are a common business strategy to keep the price from spiraling. Lee Dong-geol, the chairman of the airline's main creditor Korea Development Bank, has suggested that Asiana affiliates like Busan Air will be included in the sale, and that parent Kumho Asiana's creditors will come up with detailed financing plan before April 25. Since any plans to take over the carrier are still in their infancy, it will take at least six months to find out who is really in the running. A group of GCSE students have been told by a Dubai-based young business leader that the only thing holding them back from future entrepreneurial success is their state of mind. Omar Jackson, partner at international private equity firm Berkeley Assets, spoke to Year 10 and Year 11 students at Safa Community School ahead of their upcoming GCSE exams about turning passions into profits and the importance of goal setting. Waking up every morning with gratitude for where you are in life is the best way to start every day, said Jackson. Adopting a positive attitude and state of mind will make it almost impossible for you to focus on the negative. The way you communicate with people, the way you sit, stand, talk it all has an impact on your wellbeing. An entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word, Jackson is one of the most innovative business leaders under the age of 30 in the UK and Middle East, becoming a multi-millionaire by 24. His leadership skills were apparent from an early age, setting up his first business at the age of 13 selling cakes to fellow school pupils, soon earning Dh1,000 ($272) a week, and he has always sought ways to turn hard work into profits. Now 27, Jackson spoke to the Safa Community School students for two hours and took questions from the youngsters on topics ranging from business motivations, entrepreneurial ideas, goal setting, the passions driving him to succeed, and how to come back from failures. Failure helps you to learn, he said. But you have to understand why you fail in order to move on. Be willing to accept youve made a mistake and we all make them, sometimes over and over again but you need to take ownership of what went wrong before you can harness that failure to develop. A year into his Bachelors of Arts degree at University College London studying History, Philosophy of Science with Economics, Jackson decided to leave higher education to pursue a career in business and finance. I promised my mum I would get into university and I was accepted into one of the best in the country, but I quickly knew it wasnt the right path for me. And I didnt promise Id complete the course! It was a risk to leave and a difficult decision to make at 18 years old, but it was a calculated risk and it paid off for me. He set up numerous businesses while living in London, sourcing vital investment for an electronic smoking brand, securing various property development deals in the UK and USA, and investing in a restaurant & bar, before branching out to Dubai, UAE in 2011. Some of the students highlighted the challenges they face in securing part-time work in Dubai, due to the employment rules in the UAE. Theres nothing stopping you being entrepreneurial, said Jackson. More than half of you raised your hands when asked if you want to run your own businesses; harness that drive and learn what passions you have to help you succeed. Michael Davies, head teacher of Secondary at Safa Community School said: It was a fantastic experience for our GCSE students to welcome Omar into the classroom. The students were inspired by his innovative approach to all aspects of his life. We hope to welcome him back to the school shortly. As a partner of various financial businesses in the Middle East and acting on behalf of a portfolio of private investment clients, Jackson capitalized on the Blockchain technology movement by acquiring Cryptech World, a firm which provides investment opportunities to individuals and institutions wishing to explore the potential of Blockchain. Berkeley Assets is currently expanding its reach from the current London and Dubai offices into six overseas markets to drive the companys strategic growth on a global level. A new office in Marbella, Spain opened this month, while Mexico City, Moscow, Cape Town, Hong Kong and Singapore are planned to follow throughout 2019. TradeArabia News Service A senior delegation from Investcorp, a leader in alternative investment products, recently toured four emerging Asian economies as the firms Asian based investors assets under management (AUM) grows to 10 percent (over $2.5 billion) of its global AUM. The delegation from Investcorp, led by executive chairman Mohammed Alardhi, included co-CEO, Hazem Ben Gacem, and head of Placement and Relationship Management, Timothy Mattar. The team met with several business partners, prominent family offices and next generation investors in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Dhaka and Singapore. During the tour, the Executive Chairman, along with the visiting Investcorp delegation, were honoured to be hosted by Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, where they had the opportunity to hear about the nations economic success story - one of the fastest growing economies in the world which continues at an unprecedented rate. Investcorp has been actively expanding its presence in Asia as part of its strategy to diversify its geographic presence and expand its offering to investors. Since 2015, the Firm has grown its AUM relating to Asian based investors from near zero toover$2.5 billion and has opened offices in Singapore and India, employing30 professionals to service clients in the region and is looking to become an active alternative investor in the region. Investcorp has also recently invested in Chinas flourishing technology sector, through partnering with China Everbright. In partnership with Singapores Business Families Institute (BFI), Investcorp is now facilitating a reciprocal Arabian Gulf tour for Asian investors of Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, enabling participants to learn from some of the most successful transgenerational business families, meet with key economic policy makers and network with Bahrains growing start-up community. Mohammed Alardhi said: As Investcorp is expanding its presence and offering Eastwards, our recent visit to a number of dynamic Asian countries has reinforced two very crucial points; first, there are several attractive investment opportunities for Investcorp to strongly consider across multiple sectors including infrastructure and technology. Second, appetite for alternative investments is growing amongst Asian institutions and family offices. We believe we can harness our strengths and expertise in the alternative asset management space to grow our AUM derived from Asian based clients, from the current $2.5 billion. Alardhi added: We are delighted to be able to reciprocate and welcome a delegation of next generation Asian investors to the Gulf so soon after the conclusion of our own visit and look forward to further expanding our footprint and commitment in Asia by forging strategic partnerships, scoping attractive investment opportunities and growing our client base. Hazem Ben Gacem said: During our time in Asia, we saw first-hand economies from Indonesia to Bangladesh undergoing significant investment to help close several gaps, including infrastructure, investment and trade. Emerging Asian economies are expected to grow between 4-7 per cent per year for the next five years and key drivers of growth include resilient private consumption and positive FDI inflows. We believe that Investcorp is in a strong position to be a key player in Asia for the long term because of our expanding presence in Asia, our deep knowledge of the Gulf and our successful investments in the West. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain Polystyrene Factory (BPF), a leading industrial group in the kingdom, will be launching its pioneer thermal insulation products at the upcoming Gulf Construction Expo in Manama, Bahrain. The largest showcase for building and construction sector, the Gulf Construction Expo is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, from April 23 to 25 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre, said the event organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE). Located at The Bahrain International Investment Park, the BPF is a first-of-its-kind plant that produces expanded (EPS) and Extruded (XPS) polystyrene using the state-of-art technology. The new thermal insulation product will be one of the finest being manufactured in the GCC with the latest technology delivering a fire-retardant composition for both residential and commercial buildings, said a top official. "Bahrain Polystyrene Factory, aims to meet the growing demand for thermal insulation products in Bahrain. Our extruded polystyrene plant, looks to support this for thermal insulation of roof and walls to provide savings on energy costs and protect from climate change," remarked Mohammed Jassim Zayani, the managing director. "Insulation of buildings is essential for consumers. Extruded polystyrene for roof and wall insulation are vital when considering higher thermal conductivity," he added.-TradeArabia News Service A delegation of 70 businessmen from the UAE led by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently concluded a trade mission to Panama which aimed to explore business opportunities emerging in Latin America that can be accessed through the regional trade hub. The visiting delegation met with key stakeholders from the Panamas public and private sectors, including Juan Carlos Varela, President of Panama; Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Vice President and Foreign Minister of Panama; Nestor Gonzalez, Minister of Industries and Commerce, Panama; and other top government officials and businessmen from the country on the sidelines of the 3rd Global Business Forum (GBF) on Latin America in Panama City which coincided with the week-long trade mission. During a private meeting, Varela highlighted the key areas of progress where Panama and the UAE have aligned their efforts, such as easing of visa restrictions, the opening of embassies and the hosting of GBF Latin America 2019 in Panama which he described as important developments that will pave the way for continued business exchange and commerce between the two countries. Varela stressed the importance of leveraging Panamas strategic position to boost connectivity between the Latin America and GCC regions, and pointed out the attractive advantages that his country can offer UAE companies, such as its advanced logistics sector, sound financial infrastructure and business-friendly environment. He called on government and business entities in Panama to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai which he described as an ideal opportunity to enhance the countrys cooperation with the UAE and expand its reach in the Middle East. For his part, Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman of Dubai Chamber, explained that the chamber had organised the trade mission to Panama and GBF Latin America 2019 with the intention of exploring new avenues of cooperation between the GCC and Latin America, which can be accessed via the strategic hubs of Panama and Dubai. Dubai Chambers chairman noted that there is plenty of scope to expand Dubais cooperation with Panama in key sectors such as logistics, infrastructure, finance, tourism, renewable energy, manufacturing and innovation-focused industries. Panama is an ideal trading partner to Dubai as the country shares many synergies with the emirate. With its strategic geographic location and excellent logistics facilities, Dubai can serve as a gateway for Panamanian and other Latin American businesses that want to access a market of over 2 billion consumers across the GCC, Africa, and Asia, said Al Ghurair. For her part, de Saint Malo de Alvarado noted that future governments in Panama have the resources to establish infrastructure projects such as new port facilities near the Panama Canal which are creating new opportunities for foreign companies and investors and enhancing the countrys competitiveness. UAE delegates participated in site visits to the expanded Panama Canal, City of Knowledge and the Colon Free Trade Zone, the largest free port in the America and the worlds second largest free trade zone. During the visits, the delegates learned about new investments and technologies that are being allocated and adopted to improve ease of doing business in Panama and expand the countrys services sectors. The visiting delegation was led by Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman of Dubai Chamber and joined by Engineer Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, undersecretary for Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Economy of the UAE; Eduardo Fonseca Ward, ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the UAE; Hisham Abdulla Al Shirawi, second vice chairman - Dubai Chamber; Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber; Essa Abdullah Al Ghurair, chairman - Essa Al Ghurair Investment; Abdul Hamied, Seddiqi vice chairman, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons; Engineer Mahmood Al Bastaki, chairman of Dubai Trade; Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), UAE; and Dr Juma Almatrooshi, deputy CEO - Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, along with other representatives from the UAEs diplomatic and business communities. TradeArabia News Service Dentons, a global law firm and the first international law firm to establish a presence in the UAE, is celebrating 50 years in the country this month. The celebration of half a centurys worth of service to the Emirates began today with a roundtable at Dentons Dubai office, hosted by Paul Jarvis - the firm's Middle East managing partner, Alastair Young - Dubai Office managing partner, Mhairi Main Garcia - partner, Projects & Energy, and Ziad Saad - partner, Corporate & Commercial. They discussed Dentons rich history and outlook, highlighting the firms growth here in the Emirates and its commitment to supporting the continued development of the UAEs legal framework and economy. Building a nation all begins with having a vision. As we look back 50 years, we can admire how far the United Arab Emirates has come and be proud of the part Dentons has played in its success through many of its key milestones. As a law firm, we are also forward looking and already we see the pillars and foundation for a thriving nation being set in place for the next 50 years and beyond, said Paul Jarvis, Middle East managing partner at Dentons. In 1969, Dentons' predecessor firm Fox & Gibbons first established an office in Dubai, having opened its first UAE office in Abu Dhabi in 1968. These offices marked the beginning of 50 years in the UAE, paving the way for Dentons to facilitate Middle Eastern and international business from the heart of the Emirates. The firm was subsequently involved in landmark events in the UAEs history, with Dentons lawyers acting as the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyans legal counsel and helping to draft the treaty that united the Emirates. Other projects Dentons was involved in include the establishment of the Hilton Al Ain, one of the Emirates oldest hotels, and other major construction projects such as the Dubai World Trade Centre, which was the first sky scraper in the Arab World, and Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1982. Dentons also acted for Emirates Airlines on its establishment in 1985. In the 1990s, once Islamic Banking started to take shape, and with the UAE playing a central role, Dentons worked with many pioneering banks including the Dubai Islamic Bank and the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, helping to drive a new era of economic prosperity through the development of a world-class financial services industry. Even after the global financial crisis, the UAE has continued to drive progress through initiatives such as the Atlantis hotel which again saw Dentons involved in delivering a global landmark. Alastair Young said: Going back through Dentons' history becomes quite a lesson in the UAEs history as well. You look back at all these projects and even the founding treaty that we played a role in and it really is the most incredible story. Even after the financial crisis of 2008, the UAE was determined to come back stronger than ever and Dentons has also worked towards this mutual goal. Today we have over 125 legal staff in the Middle East with our team continuing to grow. And like the nation, we aim to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration continuously challenging the norm and growing in new ways, overcoming the unexpected and staying prepared no matter what. TradeArabia News Service PAN Emirates Home Furnishings, a leading home-grown indoor, patio and outdoor furniture brand in the region, has launched a new store at The Mall at World Trade Center Abu Dhabi (The Mall at WTCAD). The store, officially launched on April 15, is the brands 12th store in the UAE.The home-grown furniture brand is looking to enhance its presence in the UAE and in the GCC with Dh4 million ($1.089 million) investment towards setting up a new store spanning across 29,000 sq ft in area. It aims to be a one-stop solution to glam, transitional and modern home and decor furnishings from the brands varied collections. Mohammed Katawalla, group finance director, said: PAN Emirates is known for its popular product offering and hence is looking to reach out to its customers across Dubai through five new stores over the next six months. We will have again a new store opening in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi this year, in addition to two in Dubai, and two in Salalah, Oman. We are also investing in expanding and refurbishing of our existing stores in Dubai. We have also recently renovated our store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and are looking to expand our store in Oman as well. The new store launches and store expansion plans in 2019 are expected to drive the brand forward and help achieve new milestones, both in sales and brand preference. In fact, we are delighted that the year 2018 results have been great with a significant 10% increase in sales as compared to 2017 and the first quarter of 2019 has been promising and we are expecting the rest quarters to be great as well, Kattawalla said. The Mall at WTCAD is surrounded by large commercial as well as residential developments, catering to an urban expat population, apart from being perfectly positioned in heart of the city. It is accessible for the residents of Corniche, Khalidiya, and Zaab areas. The new store is looking to serve the residents of neighbouring areas as well with an exceptional range of furnishing collection that caters to their distinct needs and preferences. The store features an extensive range of collection, including Glamorous, Modern, Chic, Traditional, Classic, Rustic, and Country that is very much suitable to their needs and taste. TradeArabia News Service Marriott International and Le Mirage Real Estate, a member of Sharaka Holdings, have signed an agreement to debut the Four Points By Sheraton brand in Doha. Previously known as the Amari Hotel, the hotel will be converted to the Four Points by Sheraton Doha in Q3 2019 and will boast the brands approachable design and excellent service at an honest value. The hotel is a franchise property which will be managed by Le Mirage Property Management, the property management company of Le Mirage Real Estate. On the occasion of the signing, Amer Fares, CEO of Sharaka Holdings, the parent company of Le Mirage Real Estate, said: Le Mirage Real Estate believes in associating with brands which share our passion for building beautiful lives. We strive to enhance the quality of life in every community we serve. With Dohas inbound tourism market set to grow rapidly in the coming years, we are constantly looking for ways to enhance the travel experiences of visitors to our country. The hotels very strategic location in the heart of Doha, adjacent to the metro station and minutes away from key landmarks in the country together with the strong brand appeal of Four Points by Sheraton will ensure it remains a destination of choice for all business visitors to Doha. On his part, Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International, commented: We are excited to debut the Four Points by Sheraton brand in Doha and further strengthen our relationship with Sharaka Holdings. We continue to see great opportunities to expand our brand portfolio in Qatar and support the countrys robust tourism strategy. The Four Points by Sheraton Doha will feature 120 well-appointed guestrooms and suites, all featuring the Four Points Signature Bed. Reflecting the brands promise to provide what matters most to todays independent travellers, the hotel offers the brands defining touches including complimentary bottled water in all rooms and fast and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Food and beverage outlets at the hotel will include a juice bar, an all-day dining restaurant, lobby cafe and a rooftop lounge with a cigar bar overlooking the exceptional Doha skyline. Other facilities include a banquet hall and two meeting rooms, along with a fitness centre and The Breeze Spa, one of Dohas most popular and well-reputed spas, offering a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. Chadi Hauch, vice president, Lodging Development, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International, added: Four Points by Sheraton is one of the fastest growing hospitality brands in the world and continues to gain great traction with developers across the region. The brand resonates with todays independent traveller and will be a great fit in Doha with its excellent service and comfortable hospitality experience. The Four Points by Sheraton Doha will be located in the heart of Musheireb, Doha, with the Doha Metro at its footsteps that directly links to the airport in just 10 minutes. - TradeArabia News Service A South Korean tanker suspected of carrying out illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers for North Korea never made the port calls in Singapore it regularly reported as its final destination, Voice of America said Tuesday. The Lunis was the first South Korean ship to be put on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of vessels suspected of carrying out illegal ship-to-ship transfers with the North last month. Records show that it steamed out of South Korean ports on 27 occasions since 2017, carrying a total of 165,400 tons of refined oil. But the Lunis has not docked in Singapore since April 9 last year, a spokesman for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore told VOA, and since then it left South Korea ostensibly bound for the city state on 12 occasions. Instead, the tanker was repeatedly spotted near Zhoushan Island in the East China Sea and other spots where the U.S. Treasury believes these illegal ship-to-ship transfers often take place. "As a floating gas station, the Lunis has sold oil to fishing boats and barges in those waters," the operator of the tanker said. "We reported a nearby port as its destination because of these characteristics." The medium-sized shipping company, which posted W18.2 billion in revenues last year, also owns the P-Pioneer, which has been detained in Busan on suspicion of transferring more than 4,300 tons of diesel oil to North Korean ships (US$1=W1,137). A government spokesman here said the company leased the P-Pioneer and Lunis to Singaporean firms and there is "no proof" that they were involved in illegal ship-to-ship transfers. Meanwhile, some 26,500 tons of North Korean coal worth about US$3 million was unloaded recently from the North Korean ship Wise Earnest, which had been detained in Indonesia since April last year on suspicion of illegal ship-to-ship transfers, and a Panamanian-flagged ship is currently traveling to Malaysia with the coal, according to VOA. It is expected to arrive around Wednesday. Africas vast aviation potential as the continent continues to increase airline frequency to the GCC will be explored at the inaugural Connect Middle East, India and Africa co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre on April 30 and May 1. With up to 300 delegates, the forum will include a packed conference programme, panel discussion and airline and industry briefings as well as unlimited one-to-one meetings pre-scheduled for airlines, airports and suppliers all combined with endless informal opportunities for networking throughout the two days. The potential for the aviation sector in Africa is immense. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) projects that the African continent will become one of the fastest growing aviation regions within the next 20 years, with an average annual expansion rate of almost 5 per cent. Currently, there are 731 airports and 419 airlines on the African continent, with the aviation sector supporting around 7 million jobs and generating $80 billion in economic activity. In terms of passenger numbers, 47 million passengers departed from Africas top five airports, which included Cairo, Addis Ababa and Marrakesh in 2018, according to the latest Anker report. Emirates and Saudia were only responsible for 8 million of those passengers, highlighting the potential for new routes throughout the continent and between the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, Iata reckons if just 12 key Africa countries opened their markets and increased connectivity, an extra 155,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual GDP would be created in those countries, said Nick Pilbeam, divisional director, Reed Travel Exhibitions. The international aviation industry has been monitoring developments in Africa closely, especially since the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement was drawn up in January 2018. The aim of SAATM is to open up Africas skies, allowing airlines to fly between any two African cities without having to do so via their home hub airport, boosting intra-Africa trade and tourism as a result. To date, 28 countries out of 55 member states have signed up to SAATM representing over 80 per cent of the existing aviation market in Africa. However, despite its rosy outlook, the sector still faces significant challenges, indeed, protectionist trends have resulted in a rather lacklustre response from many members, concerning competition rules, ownership and control, consumer rights, taxes and commercial viability. These mechanics are integral to an open sky treaty and necessary to resolve existing differences between airlines and provide an equitable way forward. Sixteen countries in Africa are landlocked, so the pent-up demand for affordable air transport must be considerable, said Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency. These, as well as other salient issues, will no doubt be discussed at length between senior network planning teams and high-level executives representing the aviation and tourism industries, in Africas as well as the Middle East & Asia, through unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled networking appointments, added Butot. Participants include Emirates, Etihad, China Southern Airlines, Jordan Aviation, Air Asia, flydubai, Gulf Air and Oman Air, EgyptAir, Royal Air Maroc, Air Senegal, AfriJet (Gabon), and Arik Air (Nigeria) amongst others which are already registered for the event. With a focus on the African aviation market, a panel titled Regional Focus: Analysing the opportunities and threats for the African Market will take place between 11.30am 12.30pm on May 1. This panel will look at the growth potential of Africas aviation industry, while discussing strategies in place for the development of airports and airlines within the region as well as evaluating business development opportunities between the Middle East and Africa. Another highlight will be a session titled How do airports and their regions work together to attract new airline services and open up new markets: what can be learned from engaging case studies?. This panel will discuss the fundamental cooperation of an airport and its region to successfully grow passenger throughput while ensuring the success of both new and existing routes. Connects online meeting system is also open, so that delegates can now start planning and booking their onsite appointments in advance. Connect Middle East, India & Africa will form part of the newly launched Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows including ATM 2019; ILTM Arabia and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper. Arabian Travel Week will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 27 May 1. - TradeArabia News Service The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan hosted a conference marking the 20th anniversary of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat. It brought together representatives of the international organizations, such as UN and OSCE, heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, as well as heads and specialists of a number of establishments, public organizations and associations and the mass media of Turkmenistan. Speaking at the conference, the participants noted that the OSCE Center in Ashgabat established partnerships with more than fifty public organizations and associations of Turkmenistan. The ongoing joint projects in the country include the Sustainable Development Agenda until 2030, the establishment of mechanisms to ensure regional and global energy security, the system of sustainable transport, addressing the Aral Sea problems, the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and others. The conference participants emphasized that Turkmenistan and the OSCE attach great importance to the further expansion of the fruitful partnership based on the principles of mutual respect and understanding and promote a full-scale dialogue on pressing issues of our time. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021 A new scholarship program will assist students at the four University of Houston System universities who are still struggling to recover from the long-term devastation of Hurricane Harvey. A $500,000 donation from the Rebuild Texas Fund via the Qatar Harvey Fund will provide scholarships of up to $5,000 per student to a minimum of 300 students at the University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, University of Houston-Clear Lake and University of Houston-Victoria. The average scholarship is expected to be $1,667 per student. The lasting impact of Harvey forced 279 students across the four UHS universities to fully withdraw from classes and 880 others to partially withdraw. The Qatar Harvey Fund Scholarship program at the University of Houston System will help students during the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters with unmet costs of attendance such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and educational supplies, and transportation expenses. Hurricane Harvey tested our resilience as a university system and as a city, but together we stood strong. However, like so many others in our region, some students continue to struggle, said Renu Khator, University of Houston System chancellor. I am extremely grateful to the Rebuild Texas Fund and Qatar Harvey Fund for supporting these students and giving them an opportunity to pursue their educational goals. The Qatar Harvey Fund Scholarship program at UHS is the third such program created by the Qatar Harvey Fund and Rebuild Texas Fund to assist students in southeast Texas. The two funds also jointly established similar scholarships at Houston Community College and Lamar University in Beaumont, TX. Qatar has deep ties in Houston and southeast Texas through many years of economic and educational exchange, said His Excellency Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatars Ambassador to the U.S. When we understood the scale of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, there was no question that Qatar would help this regions long recovery process. Hurricane Harveys catastrophic flooding and wind devastated the city of Houston and Southeast Texas in August 2017. The broad destruction along the Gulf Coast significantly impacted all four UHS universities. Flooding inundated buildings, roads and natural wetland spaces in and around each campus. Each of the four universities has already contacted students who may be eligible for this assistance and invited them to apply. Students will be notified of any scholarships granted beginning April 16 through June 15. While priority will be given to students who have exhausted all other forms of aid and/or are nearing graduation, the following students are eligible for a scholarship under the program: Students who withdrew in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and have not re-enrolled. Students who have reduced their credit hours as a result of Harveys impact. Students facing financial challenges in maintaining their current enrollment due to ongoing hardship. The Rebuild Texas Fund, a collaborative project of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the OneStar Foundation, was created to support the rebuilding of Texas communities hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. The State of Qatar created the Qatar Harvey Fund in 2017, pledging $30 million to support the people of Texas in the aftermath of the hurricane. Chancellor Khator is a member of the Qatar Harvey Funds Advisory Board. A soldier who fled North Korea through a hail of bullets in November 2017 made his first TV appearance on Monday in an interview with the U.S.' NBC. Oh Chong-song said his decision to escape was "spontaneous." "I crossed the border at 3:15 p.m., but even that morning I had no thought of going to the South," he added. Asked if he is enjoying his new-found freedom, he said yes. Oh admitted to being "extremely terrified" when he drove through the inter-Korean border at Panmunjom in a jeep. "I watch this video [showing the escape] once in a while and every time I see it, I realize the fact that I am alive is a miracle. Even I can't believe something like this happened... I can't believe it's me in the video." If he had been caught, he "would have been either sent to a concentration camp for political prisoners or, worse, executed by firing squad," he said. But he has forgiven the North Korean soldiers who riddled him with bullets. "If I were in their shoes I would have done the same thing." Oh was in critical condition for several days, and made further headlines when a large number of parasites were found in his intestines, which highlighted chronic malnutrition and substandard medical care in the North. Police are now investigating charges that Seung-ri supplied prostitutes to clients as early as December of 2015. At the time, Japanese investors and other acquaintances were visiting Seoul, and the floppy-fringed teen idol is accused of setting them up with a dozen prostitutes. Seung-ri of boy band Big Bang's sideline as an eager pimp for rich friends and investors had allegedly been going on for much longer than initially thought. Police obtained testimony from some of the women that they had sex with the men, while financial records show Seung-ri sent money to them. "The women he invited make their living from providing sex for money," an investigator said. "There is no way of escaping the charges by claiming that the sex was spontaneous and based on mutual attraction." Another strand of the investigation focuses on a lavish party Seung-ri, who is notorious for his ostentatious lifestyle, threw in Palawan, the Philippines in 2017. He is accused of flying out a gaggle of Gangnam bar hostesses to pleasure his guests. Earlier this week, police said they will seek an arrest warrant. Seung-ri's lawyer declined to comment, explaining "Police are shamelessly leaking information to the media. We are no longer making public comments about anything related to the police investigation." Diana Kennedy traveled 892 miles from her home in Mexico, to San Antonio to hand-deliver her archival collection to UTSA Libraries. Photo credit: Alejandro Mendoza (April 17, 2019) UTSA Libraries Special Collections is now home to a new collection of rare cookbooks and archives from one of the worlds most famous Mexican food experts and Mexican cookbook authors. Diana Kennedy, the 96-year-old ethno-gastronomer, traveled 892 miles from her house in Michoacan, Mexico, to San Antonio to hand-deliver her archival collection to the UTSA Libraries. Kennedys archives includes a collection of 11 Mexican cookbooks from the 19th century and eight linear feet of personal papers documenting her lifes work. Additional material such as Kennedys working library and her remaining research papers will also transfer to the UTSA Libraries. The acquisition complements UTSA Libraries Special Collections existing 1,900-volume Mexican cookbook collection, one of the nations largest of its kind. The university now preserves Kennedys rare books and archives, and will foster the scholarly use of its rich, personal and original contents. The collection will open for research once cataloging and preservation work is complete. I think it seems to be a natural bridge between Mexico and the U.S., said Kennedy, when she selected UTSA to house her collection. San Antonio has always been a good crossing point, and I think it would be used here. Kennedys personal papers include her culinary and botanical research notes from each state in Mexico that document culinary traditions, cooking techniques, ingredients and diary-like written observations and accounts of her travels and interactions with residents and cooks across the region. The collection also consists of photographs, scrapbooks, menus and original correspondence with prominent chefs such as Julia Child, Paula Wolfert and Daniel Maye. Her 19th century Mexican cookbooks include a copy of the 1828 Arte Nuevo De Cocina y Reposteria Acomodado al Uso Mexicano, possibly the only existing copy. The acquisition of Diana Kennedys archives further advances the UTSA Libraries in the direction of being the national model for Latinx-serving libraries, said Dean Hendrix, dean of UTSA Libraries. We thank Diana for her generosity and entrusting UTSA to bring her passion for Mexico and its food to the rest of the world. The UTSA community and San Antonio will have the opportunity to study and deeply understand the ever-evolving foodways of Mexico and make connections to our region of the world. A native of Britain, Kennedy built her expertise in Mexican cuisine through 50 years of documented travel throughout Mexico, eventually leading to nine published cookbooks and the honor of Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor awarded by the Mexican government to foreign nationals, and the Order of the British Empire. "The addition of Dianas library and archives demonstrates our ongoing commitment to growing an in-depth collection to support the study of Mexican cookery and cuisines, said Amy Rushing, head of UTSA Libraries Special Collections. It's a perfect fit for San Antonio and its distinction as a Creative City of Gastronomy. The collection will allow students, researchers and the community to explore Mexicos diverse culinary traditions and regional recipes in new ways." Kennedy will be UTSA Libraries featured guest this May at its annual culinary event, Ven a Comer. The event will honor Kennedy as renowned Mexican chef Juan Cabrera, local San Antonio chefs Elizabeth Johnson, Sergio Remolina, John Brand and Jaime Gonzalez, and UTSA alumna Silvia Hernandez McCollow, pay homage to Kennedy, developing a menu inspired by her lifes work. UTSA Libraries is comprised of four library locations-the John Peace Library, the Downtown Library, the Applied Engineering and Technology Library, and Special Collections at the Hemisfair Campus. UTSA Libraries is a hub for research and discovery for our Main and Downtown campuses, where students, faculty and staff gather for study and collaboration in a welcoming environment. The UTSA Libraries Special Collections preserves and provides access to the legacies of UTSA, San Antonio, and South Texas through a rich array of rare books, photographs and primary sources. Strengths of the collections include UTSAs institutional history, women and womens history, activists/activism, Mexican Americans, San Antonio authors and artists, Mexican and Tex-Mex culinary history, and urban development and growth. Anthropology Workshop to Focus on Storytelling April 25 at UW The Work of Storytelling: Theory, Practice, Play, Persuasion is the focus of a Department of Anthropology workshop Thursday, April 25, at the University of Wyoming. The event, free and open to the public (registration is requested), will begin with a light lunch at 12:45 p.m. in the American Heritage Center Stock Growers Room. The workshop is made possible through a Wyoming Humanities grant. Audience members will respond to each scheduled talk in small groups and bring key questions for the speaker back to the whole group, says Sarah Strauss, UW anthropology professor. This kind of interactive seminar format helps bring audience members into engagement together, instead of relying on the typical one-on-one questions and linearity of a standard symposium format, she says. Strauss will give opening remarks at 1:20 p.m. and then will lead a panel discussion with the presenters following the presentations. Speakers are: -- 1:30-1:50 p.m.: Carole McGranahan, University of Colorado anthropology professor, will discuss theoretical storytelling. She will discuss if ethnography is a form of theoretical storytelling. In both the classroom and in our writing, anthropologists and other scholars use stories to make theoretical points, McGranahan says. However, stories do not just illustrate theory. Instead, stories can constitute and generate theory. This shift in our practice opens new possibilities for thinking about the world, especially perhaps in this current political moment. -- 2:05-2:25 p.m.: Kaatie Cooper, UW communication and journalism assistant professor, will discuss documentaries. She will talk about how documentaries persuade and what makes them different from other types of stories. I offer practical advice to fiction and nonfiction storytellers about how to use narratives effectively to promote healthy behavior, to alter public opinion and to increase citizen engagement about the environment, Cooper says. -- 2:40-3 p.m.: Paul Taylor, director of the Yubulyawan Dreaming Project and UW Honors College lecturer, will discuss a variety of topics surrounding Aboriginal creation. I will present Aboriginal creation story pieces and insights with songs and rock art, Taylor says. He will draw on the dreaming concept; the caring, beauty and sophistication of the Aboriginal connection to all the living world; and give insight on how the creation story informs their cosmic worldview. -- 3:30-3:50 p.m.: Alyson Hagy, UW Creative Writing Program professor, will discuss writing and revising a piece of fiction. I will talk about how I did research and incorporated interviews and current events into the stories collected in Ghosts of Wyoming, Hagy says. -- 4:05-4:25 p.m., Paul Stoller, West Chester University anthropology professor, will discuss the narrative, connection and social power of stories. He also is of the keynote speaker of the Department of Anthropologys 23rd annual Mulloy Lecture, at 4:10 p.m. Friday, April 26, in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources auditorium. I will recount several narratives to demonstrate how stories can become the force for social solidarity, profound change and boundless creativity, Stoller says. I hope to show, rather than tell, how stories define our common humanity. A light lunch and dessert will be provided; because there is limited space, participants are urged to register with Strauss by email at strauss@uwyo.edu no later than Wednesday, April 24. 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. Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho, who died suddenly on April 8, was laid to rest on Tuesday after a funeral ceremony at Severance Hospital in Seoul. Speakers commemorated his contributions to the Korean airline industry and winning the bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Some 300 people joined Cho's scandal-plagued family for the funeral, mostly staff of his Hanjin Group empire. A country can never be too rich, too beautiful or too full of people Just before Milan design week starts, my inbox gets overloaded with invites from different brands to come and see their new collections, special events and installations. My favourite invites though, are the events in the private homes which always gives you a perfect chance to meet people you otherwise would not have met and get a peek into their life and homes. Openhouse is a magazine printed in San Sebastian, Spain filled with beautiful photography, interesting interviews of people who open special places around the world that the reader can visit and join in with the activities. Openhouse is also a guide to their secret loved places in their towns, and some favourite recipes. During Milan design week, issue 11 was launched with a special event at the home of Christian Pizzinini and Antonio Scolari, their house in Puglia is featured in the new issue and for the occasion they opened up their home in Milan together with Openhouse, which was an unique occasion to meet them and see their collection of design pieces from the 20th century. A New Take On Tradition A recent hagiography of Kim Jong-un hails the tubby North Korean leader as a "gift from heaven" in an apparent push to complete his deification now that he has cemented power at home. Kim's newly consolidated status also became evident at last week's meetings of the Workers Party Central Committee, which he chaired alone for the first time, and the rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly. The official [North] Korean Central News Agency also first used the title "supreme commander of the armed forces" when Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Monday to mark nation founder Kim Il-sung's birthday. It is a subtle switch from "supreme commander of the Korean People's Army," but to boffins it makes all the difference. "We are keeping a close eye on whether his title has changed completely," an excited government source here said. "If it has been replaced, we believe Kim Jong-un's stature has been strengthened." State media went into overdrive and apostrophized him as "supreme leader" of North Korea as well as "supreme representative of the people." In March 2019, Katarzyna Banaszek, Head of the RILO ECE in Warsaw/Poland, and Daniela Dettmann, Head of the RILO WE in Cologne/Germany, were invited by the Romanian EU presidency to inform the CCWP Experts Group on their regional activities and involvement in WCO operations. The CCWP Expert group is working on operational cooperation between national customs administrations and on strengthening their enforcement capacity, defining strategic and tactical objectives for Joint Customs Operations (JCO), and finding outcomes related to seizures, identification of new threats and disruption of criminal gangs. 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. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 16, 2019 | 07:47 PM | CARLISLE COUNTY The Carlisle County Sheriffs Department, Bardwell City Police Department, and the Carlisle County Jailer responded to the area. A perimeter was established and a K-9 response was requested. The man was identified as 32-year-old Joshua Harris of Carlisle County. His wife, 32-year-old Ashley Harris, exited their home on Mathis Road and was detained by the Sheriffs Office. She stated that she did not know where her husband was located and stated that he was probably hiding in the woods. She confirmed that he was armed and upset about people trespassing. A deputy and K-9 established a track was and led the deputies through the wooded area to the rear of a property on Mathis Road. A nearby home on Mathis Road was checked and Harris was located there attempting to hide. The weapon, .45 Derringer, was located hidden at the home. Harris stated that he has video evidence of people being in his attic. It was pointed out to Harris that he lives in a mobile home and does not have an attic for people to fit into. He admitted to the Sheriff that he had been smoking methamphetamine since the previous day. A search warrant for the Harris home was obtained and, during the search, multiple items of drug paraphernalia were recovered. In addition to the drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, and approximately 4.5 pounds of marijuana. Harris and his wife were arrested and taken to the Ballard County Jail. Joshua Harris was charged with first degree wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, possession methamphetamine, trafficking in marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ashley Harris was charged with possession of methamphetamine, trafficking in marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A husband and wife in Carlisle County are facing drug charges.On Tuesday, the Carlisle County E911 Center received a phone call from a resident on County Road 1219 in Carlisle County regarding a man waving a handgun. The caller stated that the man was walking on the roadway, screaming about people being in his attic and on his property. At some point he threatened the callers with the handgun and entered their property. The caller lost sight of him when he entered a tree line near their property. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 17, 2019 | 07:37 AM | GRAVES COUNTY Two people were arrested on methamphetamine charges in Graves County Tuesday night. The Graves County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to a home in the Dublin Community off KY 339. They had received a tip that 48-year-old Christy Hunter, who had an active warrant out of Graves County, was staying at the home. Deputies found Hunter inside the home, as well as 62-year-old Stephen Dunevant. A search of the home was conducted and deputies reportedly found methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, electronic scales containing suspected meth residue and packaging material. Hunter and Dunevant were both arrested and lodged at the Graves County Jail. Hunter was served the warrant, and was also charged with trafficking in meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. Dunevant is charged with possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. Overseas firms to provide elder care From:ChinaDaily | 2019-04-17 07:10 Guideline will allow equal treatment to increase supply, quality of services A new guideline on promoting nursing homes for the elderly in China offers overseas investors national treatment when they join the sector. Overseas capital will get treatment equal to that of domestic investors, according to a guideline disclosed by the State Council General Office on Tuesday. An exhibition will be included for nursing home care at the China International Import Expo to attract more foreign investment, the document said. "Nursing homes for the elderly, founded by overseas investors on the Chinese mainland, will get treatment equal to domestic companies as long as they admit disadvantaged seniors whose care would be covered by the government," Gao Xiaobing, vice-minister of civil affairs, said at a policy briefing on Tuesday hosted by the State Council Information Office. The requirement is the same for domestic companies. Equal treatment was one of the guideline's 28 clauses that aim to generate a greater supply of nursing services and improve quality as China faces the increasing pressure of an aging population. Gao said the market access threshold will be further lowered with cancellation of administrative approvals to enter the nursing home market. More capital, including government funds, will go to the sector to help upgrade rural nursing homes, improve firefighting facilities in privately run nursing institutions and renovate community facilities, she said. By 2022, at least 55 percent of social welfare lottery funds will be used to support nursing care for the elderly, Gao said. Large eligible companies in the sector will be encouraged to go public, she said. Favorable policies in land and taxes will be offered, the vice-minister added. Last year, China had 249 million people aged 60 or older, accounting for about 17 percent of the total population. As of the end of 2018, the country had about 30,000 nursing institutions for the elderly with 3.92 million beds, along with another 3.53 million beds in community institutions. Ou Xiaoli, director of the department of social affairs of the National Development and Reform Commission, recognized the gap between demand and supply, saying the government is focusing on key groups, including the impoverished and those with disabilities. But the supply of such services cannot meet the increasingly diverse demand, and it's very hard to find high-quality beds at acceptable prices, Ou said. As a result, the central government has been working on a plan to offer affordable nursing care, he said. The central government provides some financial support to nursing homes and social welfare institutions in urban areas and nursing homes in rural areas, Ou said. With support of the central government, city governments and enterprises will join in to provide care for the elderly to expand the supply of such services, he said. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 16, 2019 | 05:11 PM | HICKMAN KYTN reports that on Monday, officers received a call of a stolen vehicle on West Washington Avenue in Union City. The resident told officers that he went outside around 5:30 in the morning to start the vehicle for his wife. When his wife was ready to leave for work, the vehicle was gone. Police later located the missing vehicle in Hickman, and it was towed back to Union City. An investigation into the theft is continuing. Union City police say that a stolen vehicle has been recovered in Hickman. Marshall County traffic stop leads to search of home; drug trafficking charges for two Foreign policy priorities South Africa should pursue South Africa continues to enjoy an unusual degree of international prominence normally accorded to states that are more powerful, or strategically located. Following its first democratic election in 1994, the country quickly went from being an apartheid pariah state to one of the worlds most active and leading multi-lateralists. For example, its the only African member of the G20. This international forum of governments and central banks is responsible for 90% of the gross world product and 80% of world trade. South Africa was also invited to join Brazil, Russia, India and China to form the BRICS group. The pattern hasnt ended, yet. For the third time in 12 years it has been elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, for 2019 and 2020. Next year it will concurrently chair the African Union. South Africas prominence may be partly explained as the afterglow of the countrys generally peaceful democratic political transformation. Last July former US President Barack Obama extolled the enduring virtues of this process in the first public lecture of his post-presidency, delivered in Johannesburg. Two months later a Mandela Peace Summit was held in New York at the start of the UN General Assembly. In my view there are three urgent issues at the interplay of foreign and domestic affairs that will be of strategic long-term importance to South Africa and Africa. These are what it should do to avoid being hurt by bilateral trade disputes between the US and China; mitigate and adapt to effects of climate change; and, defend South Africas liberal values and policy of pressing for multilateral solutions short of regime change in countries where human rights abuses are rampant. Trade Expanding South African trade and attracting greater foreign investment for jobs and development was the only major international issue in President Cyril Ramaphosas State of the Nation Address. The foreign policy and diplomatic aspects of trade have become more pronounced in the wake of the dispute between the US and China. South Africa has already suffered collateral damage. For example, the US has unilaterally raised duties on steel and aluminium imports. Theres also a potential collateral threat from brewing disputes over domination and regulation of the digital economy, use of robotics and artificial intelligence. Another top long-term priority on the trade front must involve ensuring the World Trade Organisation is modernised and empowered to mediate these disputes by democratic consensus. More immediately, South Africa is rightly pursuing economic integration with its neighbours. Its also celebrating the imminent establishment of an African Continental Free Trade area. Such cooperation should benefit the country and strengthen Africas position in global trading negotiations. Climate change South Africas biggest and broadest long-term diplomatic challenge is climate change. It must engage in the politics of dealing collectively with climate issues regionally and globally. The aim must be to ensure secure resources for the benefit of the most seriously affected. The recent Cyclone Idai was symptomatic of the extreme weather events linked to global warming. It was close to home for South Africa. Both the government as well as citizens responded quickly and effectively to help alleviate the suffering in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Preparing for and dealing with such disasters portends huge international political and diplomatic challenges for South Africa. ## Responsibility to protect A third strategic issue is whether, when, and how to act in defence of whats known as the Responsibility to Protect. This is the obligation states have to protect their own populations and those of in other countries against the risk of genocide and other mass atrocities. The approach stipulates three pillars of responsibility. First, every state must protect its populations from four mass atrocity crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Secondly, the international community must encourage and assist individual states in meeting this responsibility. And finally, if a state manifestly fails to protect its population, the international community must be prepared to take appropriate collective action in accordance with the UN Charter. Twenty-five years ago UN members could celebrate their efforts to help end apartheid. But they also mourned their failure to prevent or halt the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Since then, when and how to invoke this responsibility has posed several daunting diplomatic challenges. This has been particularly true for South Africa, given its history of domestic repression and prominent advocacy for human rights. Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, explained recently that Pretoria opposes regime change, especially if done unilaterally. An example was the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. South Africa hasnt always got its ducks in a row on this issue, as Sisulu candidly acknowledged. For example, it regrets initially backing a UN Security Council resolution to intervene to protect Libyan civilians. The reason for this was that the mission abruptly escalated. And it culminated in ending the regime of Muamar Qaddafi. Another example cited by Sisulu was Myanmar. She admitted that South Africa was initially wrong not to back stronger UN action to defend human rights. One recent and rare instance of unilateral diplomatic action was South Africas decision to protest against Israels extreme human rights abuses of Palestinians. It did so by withdrawing its ambassador and downgrading its embassy to a liaison office. Foreign policy controversies inevitably arise over how to redress the abuse of basic human rights within a sovereign state. A case in point was the worlds response during the struggles to end apartheid. Now democratic, South Africa enjoys special respect for its political achievements. But it also carries an added burden in upholding these values locally and globally. Its history teaches us the wisdom which can be applied to multilateral relations among states as much as to the wellbeing of people within them of Rev Martin Luther Kings statement that: True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. John J Stremlau, Visiting Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Chen Enhui (front), deputy director of the Nanyin department at Quanzhou Normal University, her colleagues and students stage Feng Qiu Huang (Phoenix Courting His Mate), a hit play since its debut in 2015. [For China Daily] Allure of ancient music form reverberates again as it strikes a chord with young people. It's the sound of music but also a chance to listen to the melodic echoes of culture, lovingly passed down through the generations. Dubbed "a living fossil of Chinese musical history," Nanyin was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Ten years on, its ancient sound is still winning over enthusiasts. When Zhang Yongjie, a college student from Ningde city, Fujian Province, visited Quanzhou, another city in Fujian, in 2016, she was enchanted by a scene at an elegantly-decorated teahouse. Situated deep in an alley was a five-member band playing Nanyin music, with clappers, a flute and stringed instruments including the pipa (Chinese lute) on stage. The audience relaxed on wooden chairs, sipping their drinks and were mesmerized by the songs of the Minnan dialect of southern Fujian. "In the exquisitely-decorated place I felt relaxed with melodic tunes lingering in my ears. And I saw the audience simply indulged in pleasure," says Zhang, 27. "I was surprised to see the traditional music form could be so integrated into local people's daily life." Wandering the streets and lanes of Quanzhou, a historical port city and a starting point of the ancient Silk Road, one will often hear enchanting snatches of the slow, soft and pleasant melodies emanating from a newsstand on a street corner, a grocery store in a brisk marketplace or a residential house with its door tantalizingly ajar. That's the sound and ethos of Nanyin, an ancient music genre of Minnan, or southern Fujian province, which can be traced back to the Tang dynasty (618-907). One of the country's oldest music styles, Nanyin (literally meaning "music of the south") came into being and thrived as the culture of central China spread to Quanzhou and integrated with local arts. Although its melody was often associated with the lofty dignity of royal court music, it gradually melted into local folk life, and was passed down from generation to generation. Nanyin became "the sounds of hometown and motherland" in the minds of many overseas Chinese who left Quanzhou. Its aficionados would collect Nanyin cassettes and albums, organize regional associations of Nanyin enthusiasts, hold salons and set up musical theaters. In Quanzhou alone, there are about 500 music associations dedicated to Nanyin's soothing sounds, and more than a dozen festivals and competitions are held annually both at home and abroad. Zhang, who majored in music engineering in college, was enchanted by the tunes she heard and felt a stirring curiosity about the unfamiliar genre. She found a tutor and learned how to play the pipa. She then enrolled as a postgraduate student on Nanyin music at Quanzhou Normal University in 2017, the only university in China that offers such a course. Charms at the Start Cai Qingya got to know about Nanyin's musical allure when she was just 9 years old. From Xiangzhi town in Quanzhou, Cai, led by her music-loving grandfather, often went to an activity center where an amateur Nanyin performer gave free music lessons. "About 30 kids sat in the class, learning to sing the tunes and play the instruments. My grandpa asked me to join in, and I did so," recalls Cai, now 22, who majored in the genre at QNU. Cai entered contests and other activities. "My parents would prepare beautiful costumes for me and my tutor would help me to rehearse over and over again. I cherished each opportunity to take the stage and perform," says Cai, who later studied at Peiyuan High School and performed with the school's ensemble at events in China and overseas, including a festival in Indonesia. Yang Xueli, head of the Xiamen Nanyin Troupe, a leading municipal troupe specialized in Nanyin music, says it's best to learn the art when young. "Most of our troupe's newcomers have learned the music from childhood," says Yang, 45. "It's better to sow a seed of Nanyin in the children's hearts." According to Yang, a number of primary and middle schools such as Quanzhou's Peiyuan High School and Xiamen's Guoqi High school offer Nanyin classes. Yang, an award-winning performer, says the municipal troupe also often sends its veteran performers to tutor students in training courses at local schools and conduct workshops and summer camps for young enthusiasts. Wang Jinxin (first from left), a pipa player of the Xiamen Nanyin Troupe, collaborates in a concert with the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing in 2018. [For China Daily] Yang Yajing (first from right) performs with her students at an event in Shanghai.[For China Daily] Students of the Liubin Primary School in a rehearsal in Jinjiang city, Fujian Province.[For China Daily] Yang Xueli, head of the Xiamen Nanyin Troupe, teaches a local girl to sing in the Nanyin style.[For China Daily] (Source: China Daily) A female student at a vocational school. [Tuchong] China will pilot a new training and appraisal system at its vocational schools to breed more talents with technical skills. A circular jointly issued by four ministries including the Ministry of Education and the National Development and Reform Commission has proposed a "Diploma plus Certificates" system in vocational education. New training and appraisal institutions will be established to take charge of a new skill certificate system. The institutions will set standards, develop training materials, issue certificates, and assist vocational schools in training students. The new certificates will grade students more scientifically based on their ability to meet "social and corporate needs" with specific vocational skills, according to the circular. Vocational schools at secondary and post-secondary levels are asked to train students based on appraisal standards set by the new certificates. Certificate-oriented training will be incorporated into the school curriculum, according to the circular. Students trained in the new system are expected to hold a diploma and updated certificates after graduation and will be better prepared to meet market demand. Five kinds of vocational skills have been selected as the first batch of reform areas, including information and communication technology, logistics and elderly care. (Source: Xinhua) Kuzma/iStock(PINEVILLE, La.) -- A Louisiana man was charged with 100 counts of rape for multiple sexual assaults that included children under the age of 13, according to police. Harvey Fountain, 71, was arrested and charged last week in connection with a string of rapes that allegedly date back to the early 1970s, police said. Authorities have not disclosed the suspected number of victims, but they said the alleged assaults occurred in and around his hometown of Pineville, Louisiana, located just outside of Alexandria. Officers with the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office said investigators were made aware of the accusations on April 1, when it received a complaint about sexual misconduct involving children, according to a statement. "Fountain perpetrated the sexually based crimes upon juveniles while at various locations that he resided in the Pineville area," the statement said. "The crimes allegedly began in the early 1970s and continued through the early 1980s." Fountain was charged with 50 counts of first-degree rape on April 9 and 50 additional counts on April 12. The sheriff's office said it added the second round of charges after identifying additional victims. "Through their investigation, detectives were able to gather evidence that supported the original allegations which lead to sufficient probable cause being established," the office said. "As Fountain remained in jail, detectives continued their investigation and additional victims were identified." Fountain was being held on a $1 million bond as of late Tuesday. It's unclear if he has retained an attorney. Police said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information about other possible victims to come forward. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Kathmandu, April 17 The United Nations has called on the government of Nepal to ensure that the countrys peace process moves forward smoothly, maintaining impartiality, independence and transparency. The UN Office of the High Commission on Human Rights sent a 10 page letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali through Nepals Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva last Friday, demanding that the government pay attention to multiple concerns raised by national and international stakeholders. Stating that the UN received information about the reported lack of impartiality, independence and transparency in the existing procedure for the appointment of the members of the Turth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearance (CIEDP), which may affect the selection of new commissioners in April 2019, the letter has expressed doubts over the independence of the panel formed to recommend the commissioners. Likewise, fearing that the government may introduce blanket amnesty for those involved in gross human rights violation cases during the conflict era, the global agency has called on the government to ensure that all procedures of the peace process are moved forward in compliance to the international norms and values. The UN has also told the government to address the demand of civil society organisations to make substantive amendments to the TRC act with broad-based consultations with stakeholders. We further call on your Government to ensure fairness, impartiality and transparency in the appointment of members of the commissions. Hao Xiang, an inheritor of Teng's handicraft, introduces one of her works featuring cranes and pine trees.[China Daily/Wang Ru] A vivid depiction of mice at a wedding was recently unveiled in Fengning County of Chengde City in North China's Hebei Province to a visiting UNESCO delegation. The work was created by painting on paper and cutting shapes out to piece together the scene, with cloth and other materials, following a handicraft known as the "cloth-pasted painting," developed on the basis of traditional Manchu applique art in 1990. But the craft faced a challenge then as works lacked the desired three-dimensional effect. Teng Teng (1932-2018) came up with a new method to make up for the deficiency and applied for a national patent in his name for this craft. His granddaughter-in-law Hao Xiang, who is also an expert in the craft, told the story behind the Chinese intangible cultural heritage to the foreign visitors. Such handicraft works feature bright colors, vivid scenes and fine workmanship. They are created by painting the patterns on paper, dividing them into different parts, and making the parts separately into three-dimensional contours by filling them with cloth and other materials. Finally the parts are pasted on a surface and assembled as a painting. "They have the artistic characteristics of traditional Chinese painting, Tibetan thangka, sculpture, cloisonne and some others," says Hao. Styles of this handicraft are not limited to paintings. Some can be put up on the wall with a relief sculpture effect, others are made by using this craft on the surface of an object like a bottle or a plate and can be set on the table. Each work must go through at least nine processes before they are created. Silk is used as a major material, complemented with timber, sponge, paperboard and jewels. According to Hao, Teng once told her that he hoped his works would please viewers as "old and skillful," which means that they also show traditional elements and techniques. Born in a Manchu family in Fengning in 1932, Teng was good at drawing, weaving and other handwork from childhood. "My grandfather said he especially liked painting and drew on any surface he could touch as a child. He was also able to weave mats, straw hats and small cages soon after he saw how other people made them," Hao says. "He endured many difficulties as an adult. To earn a living, he went from his hometown to many places and did many jobs. Many of them were hard." Teng was injured in a traffic accident in 1990 and had to take an early retirement. When he was recovering from his injuries, he made toys with some pieces of leftover silk for his grandson. The cloth work won praise from people around him and then he was invited to participate in a cultural exhibition in Chengde. "He wanted to make an innovative pasted painting to take part in the exhibition. Since he was too poor to buy new cloth, he took some parts off the clothes of my grandmother and aunts to use as a material. My grandmother and aunts also helped him to paste the patterns he had designed," says Hao. Teng and his family members spent a whole month on this work, and it later proved to be a success. It was brought to Beijing for an exhibition in 1990 after being shown in Chengde. "Someone wanted to buy the work at 12,000 yuan ($1,800) then. My grandfather was shocked since he could only earn dozens of yuan each month," says Hao. Teng then applied for a patent and started a business. He first spent five years improving the handicraft and training people before he began to promote it. He took his works to many competitions. "He always aimed to win the first prize at such competitions. When he didn't, he would look for weaknesses in his works and see how to improve them." In this way, his works would gradually improve, winning many prizes and became known. A remarkable work of Teng is a nine-dragon screen that he led many other craftsmen to make in 1997 to welcome the return of Hong Kong to China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Fengning Manchu autonomous county, his hometown. The work is 9 meters long and 3 meters high, depicting dragons in rich colors. Two of his works have been chosen to be displayed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and two others have been collected by the National Museum of China. More exhibits are at Longteng Museum in Fengning. UNESCO conferred the title of "master of industrial folk art" on Teng in 2003. After Teng passed away in 2018, his daughters, grandson, granddaughter-in-law and his students continue his work. Some have developed it further. Teng's business has also helped poverty alleviation. According to Hao, who is the deputy director of Longteng Museum, local people, mostly women, are being recruited to assist with the work. "This job enables us to work in the vicinity of our homes. We don't have to migrate to other places to seek employment, and we can still take care of farming work, as well as our children and the elderly people," says Fu Yanhua, 50, who works part-time at the museum. A decorated bottle [China Daily/Wang Ru] A local woman assists with the cloth work in Fengning's Longteng Museum. [China Daily/Wang Ru] (Source: China Daily) Home Office plans 15-metre-high mast in rural village as part of new emergency services network This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Apr 17th, 2019 Proposals have been put forward to build a 15-metre-high mast in a rural area of Wrexham as part of a new communication system for the emergency services. The application would see a device with three antennas set up on land at Glas Aber in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog to form part of the Emergency Services Network. The Home Office is working with commercial network operator EE to create 700 new masts across the UK to aid the police, fire and ambulance services. The aim is to route emergency service radio communications through 4G mobile phone masts instead of a physically separate network. A representative from Clarke Telecom has written to several community leaders in Wrexham to inform them of the plans. In her letter, consultant planner Dianne Perry said a number of sites were considered before choosing the village in the Ceiriog Valley. She said: The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme aims to provide an integrated critical voice and broadband data communications services for the three emergency services that meet the public safety requirements for functionality, coverage, availability and security. The chosen technology will be based on enhancing a commercial 4G network, configured to give the three emergency services priority over other users. The new service, to be known as the Emergency Services Network, will be delivered across England, Scotland and Wales via a mixture of existing and new greenfield sites. A number of options have been assessed in respect of the site search process and the preferred option is as follows: land at Glas Aber, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Wrexham. All Home Office installations are designed to be fully compliant with the public exposure guidelines established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The new network was originally due to be completed by the end of 2019. However, last September the Home Office announced that it would pay for use of the current Airwave system until the end of 2022 amid a series of delays. EE has separately said it intends to have the system up and running by 2020. The plans to install a mast in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog will be considered by Wrexham Council at a future date. Picture: Planning document By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme). (Click for large) Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-16 23:58:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Belgian comic series "The Adventures of Tintin" officially opened its Shanghai flagship theme shop on Monday after a two-month trial run. Located in central Shanghai, the shop, the first in China, sells more than 1,000 products surrounding the iconic figure in over 50 categories. Diaries of the Shanghai architect Zhang Chongren, an archetype of the character "Chang Chong-Chen" in the book, and letters between Zhang and the Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi have been presented at the store for the first time globally, thanks to Zhang's daughter Tchang Yifei who brought them from Belgium. "The letters and diaries show that my father and Georges Remi talked a lot about Chinese culture, history, calligraphy and porcelain back then," Tchang said. Attracted by these valuable historical materials, hundreds of Tintin fans swarmed into the shop every day to learn about the long-ago friendship between the two artists. In 1934, Georges Remi, known by his pen name Herge, met Zhang, a then architecture student in Belgium, and created his story "The Blue Lotus," the fifth volume of the Tintin series, which took place in Shanghai. With the help of Zhang, "The Blue Lotus" features authentic Chinese streetscape and beautiful Chinese calligraphy. The character "Chang Chong-Chen" is the only one with a real-world origin in the Tintin series. "My father suggested Herge learn about local customs and practices in each place where the story is set, which helped present authentic details in the book that stand the test of time," Tchang said. Hua Xue, a Tintin fan from Shanghai, said he has already visited the store three times during the soft opening. "Every time I'm here, I feel at home," Hua said. "I've been reading Tintin since my childhood. Though I'm in my thirties now, I'm still constantly inspired by Tintin's courage and integrity." To meet more customers' demands, an official online Tintin shop will open soon, and a Tintin exhibition is also expected to be held within two years. "The Tintin store in Shanghai is not only a platform for global Tintin fans but also a symbol of sincere friendship between China and Belgium," Tchang said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 00:03:44|Editor: zh Video Player Close Liu Qin (1st L on stage), director of social good department of Ant Financial, speaks at the Climate Sustainability Working Group (CSWG) meeting of G20 2019 held in Nagano, Japan, April 16, 2019. China's Alipay, a leading digital technology corporation and payment platform, on Tuesday urged the international community to pursue a greener lifestyle at the CSWG meeting of G20 countries by presenting how digital technology help fight against climate change. As the only philanthropic project from China invited to the second CSWG meeting of G20 2019, Ant Forest, a green initiative piloted by digital technologies of Alipay, shared its practices and exploration in using digital technologies to spur individuals to make contributions to the fight against climate change. (Xinhua/Hua Yi) NAGANO, Japan, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Alipay, a leading digital technology corporation and payment platform, on Tuesday urged the international community to pursue a greener lifestyle at a working group meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) countries by presenting how digital technology help fight against climate change. As the only philanthropic project from China invited to the second Climate Sustainability Working Group (CSWG) meeting of G20 2019, Ant Forest, a green initiative piloted by digital technologies of Alipay, shared its practices and exploration in using digital technologies to spur individuals to make contributions to the fight against climate change "We believe that many people have good intentions to protect our planet as they want to do what they can for a greener future. We believe that innovative technology can help turn these good intentions into tangible results," said Liu Qin, director of social good department of Ant Financial, at the CSWG meeting held in Nagano, Japan from April 15 to 17. Delegates from G20 countries governments, international organizations, think tanks, enterprises and non-governmental organizations gathered at the meeting to discuss solutions to combat climate change. As an innovative model for environmental protection from China, Ant Forest grabbed the attention of the G20 audiences with its various attractions and business patterns on mobile phone applications which motivate average people to live a greener life. Launched in August 2016 on the digital payment tool of Alipay application, Ant Forest encourages individual users to conduct low-carbon activities in their daily lives, such as paying utility bills online, walking to work instead of driving, and refusing disposable chopsticks when ordering food online. The environmentally conscious behavior is recorded and converted into virtual "green energy" points in the users' mobile phones, according to the company, who will then grow real trees for users with high green energy points and give them virtual certificates for tree planting. According to Liu, over 400 million Chinese people have joined Ant Forest's initiative by the end of 2018. "This contributes to the fight against climate change by mobilizing the enthusiasm of over 400 million people in the pursuit of a greener lifestyle," Liu said. The concerted efforts have resulted in over 55.5 million trees planted in China, reducing carbon emission by over 3 million tons, according to Liu. "We are glad to see Alipay's digital technologies applied in our Ant Forest project to help create a greener world and we'll continue to explore more innovative ways to improve user experience," Liu said at the CSWG meeting. By enabling average person living in China to engage in the fight against climate change, Ant Forest has also created a large platform for individuals to record their carbon footprint in its carbon-emission reduction campaign. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 00:49:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A promotional event for north China's Tianjin municipality was hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Tuesday. As the 18th presentation of the MFA's Chinese provinces initiative, the event in Tianjin was themed "China in the New Era: a Dynamic Tianjin Going Global." Tianjin will strengthen communication and cooperation with other countries and regions in various fields, to jointly write a new chapter of cooperation, development and win-win in a new era, said Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee. Tianjin is a forerunner of industrial civilization in modern China, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "As a crossroads of land and sea routes for the Belt and Road Initiative as well as a main node of the new Eurasia land bridge economic corridor, Tianjin is standing again at the forefront during a new round of reform and opening-up." The development of Tianjin has clearly proved the success of the policy of reform and opening-up, said Andrey Denisov, the Russian ambassador to China, who made his first trip to Tianjin in 1979. The MFA hosted its first provincial promotional event in March 2016 in order to serve national development, facilitate regional opening-up and offer foreigners a platform to learn more about China. More than 500 people, including diplomats from over 150 countries, representatives from international organizations, business people, scholars and journalists attended the event. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 01:04:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The 16th Arab Media Forum will kick off next Sunday at Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait City, the Kuwait News Agency said on Tuesday. Madhi Al-Khamis, secretary-general of the forum, said in a statement that holding the forum will give a vision on its prominent role in presenting vital media issues. The forum is always keen to involve the youth in this event, he noted, adding that 150 students from local and Arab media colleges will participate in the forum. Oman was chosen to be the guest of honor for this forum, he said, hailing the distinguished media relations between Kuwait and Oman at various levels. Since 2003, the event brought together many ministers, editors-in-chief of local and regional newspapers, media executives, journalists, academics, authors, actors, businessmen, and social figures from all around the Arab world. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 01:24:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's National Petrochemical Company's export revenues reached 10.6 billion U.S. dollars in the last Iranian fiscal year ending on March 20, local media reported Tuesday. Taqi Sanei, an official with Iran's petrochemical industry, was quoted as saying by the Eghtesadonline news website that the bulk of Iranian petrochemical shipments went to Asia, Europe and South America. Iran's petrochemical sector generates 35 percent of non-oil export revenues, Sanei added. With abundant hydrocarbon resources and new investments by private sector, Iran is working hard to expand its global status in the petrochemical industry. There are 56 petrochemical plants in Iran, of which 36 are in Bushehr and Asalouyeh in Iran's southern Bushehr province, and the rest are scattered across the country. Besides, there are 105 incomplete petrochemical projects in Iran, requiring 55 billion U.S. dollars of investment, the report said. Iran's installed petrochemical production capacity has increased 22-fold over the past four decades, with the production and exports climbing by 33 and 37 times, respectively. With the falling costs of renewables and aggressive dam building in South Asia, Nepals plans to develop hydropower for export look increasingly precarious Acute energy shortages has been one of South Asias major challenges. And given the distribution of natural resources, regional electricity trade has long been touted as the obvious solution. This has been a hot topic at regional forums in South Asia including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative (BBIN). Nepals domestic debate Opinion is split on how Nepal should develop its hydropower resources. Some advocate that Nepal should harness as much of its potential 83,000 Megawatts (MW) of hydropower for local use, and export the surplus to other countries to generate revenue. Others argue that Nepal should only harness enough electricity for its own consumption and avoid exporting power since the environmental costs and risks of hydropower are so high. The Nepal governments white paper on the energy, water resources and irrigation sector aims to increase production capacity to 15,000MW. The current peak load electricity demand of Nepal is around 1,500 MW, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). This is expected to increase to 2,379 MW by 2022 and 4,280 MW by 2030 in a business-as-usual scenario. But if there is reliable electricity for 24 hours per day then peak electricity demand would reach 2,744 MW by 2022 and 5,371 MW by 2030. In addition, around 95% of households in Nepal have access to electricity, out of which around 60% of households are connected to the grid, 10% by community rural electrification schemes, 18% by off-grid electrification schemes and 7% by stand-alone solar systems. The increase in household energy demand under surplus energy scenario is yet to be explored but we can assume that it wont skyrocket. However, it will take more than a decade for all the households to have access and consume around 1,250 kWh annual per capita. In the past Nepal has suffered severe electricity shortages with almost 18 hours of power cuts during the winter season when river flows are low. Now, after importing around 300 MW from India, at least the city areas are not facing long power cuts. However, industries and rural areas still face power cuts. Hydropower projects currently under construction are expected to add 3,000 MW by 2020 and soon Nepal will be able to become an energy surplus country. Nepal should then seek to export its surplus energy. But is Nepals hydroelectricity still lucrative enough to export to its power hungry neighbours? Shifting energy demand in South Asia In Bangladesh, 90% of the population had access to electricity in 2017/18. Present installed power generation capacity is around 15,300 MW and 660 MW is imported from India. The government plans to expand its capacity to around 24,000 MW by 2021. Demand is expected to reach up to 50,000 MW by 2040 under a business-as-usual scenario. Natural gas is the major source of electricity generation in Bangladesh, accounting for around 61% of power is generated. The rapid depletion of natural gas is one of the biggest challenges for Bangladeshs energy sector. Bangladesh needs to diversify its source for power generation by increasing the share of renewable energy and decreasing share of natural gas. But instead, Bangladesh plans to build a large number of coal plants. In 2017, Indias peak electricity demand was 162 GW, and it is expected to reach 226 GW and 299 GW by 2022 and 2027 respectively. The peak power demand in Indian states sharing a border with Nepal (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) was 21 GW in 2017 and is expected to increase by 33 GW in 2022 and 45G W in 2027. India plans to increase power generation from renewables by 175 GW by 2022, which would make the energy mix 50% from renewable energy, and 50% from conventional sources. Indias energy demand forecasts are overestimated, in contrast to Nepal and Bangladesh where forecasts are underestimated. The overestimation of 30-40% over the past two decades has led India to experience a 1.1% energy surplus and 2.6% peak energy surplus. Indias energy production increased by over 240% during the last decade; 87 GW of thermal capacity was commissioned in just five years from 2012 to 2017. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Indian states bordering Nepal, are yet to be 100% electrified but ongoing rapid installation of power plants and aggressive rural electrification expansion activities will soon help them achieve this. Indias has almost achieved its target for universal energy access. Though controversial, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that all the villages in India are electrified. Even if this ignores some details, they are like to be soon electrified under the rural electrification scheme. Hydropower the uneconomical option On the other hand, the power distribution companies in India are operating at a loss. There have been several government bailouts to clean up their finances over the past two decades. For the distribution companies, the surplus power means no more additional power is required. Even if they need power, they will the seek cheapest options i.e. either coal or solar. For hydropower, the estimated average cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in India is around 9 cents, compared to 7 cents in Nepal, and 6 cents in Bhutan. Coal and solar are much cheaper in India; it is only 4.6 cents per unit, almost half the cost of electricity generated by hydropower. For Bangladesh, the average the per unit energy generation cost from coal is around 7 cents. The cost of power generation in India is much lower than in Nepal and Bangladesh. Even the production cost of renewable energy such as solar is lower in India. It is clear that from the Indian perspective it makes no economic sense to buy Nepals hydropower. For Bangladesh, investing in Nepals hydropower doesnt look price competitive, but it will support the long term strategy of increasing the clean energy mix. However, Nepal alone cannot sell electricity to Bangladesh. It will need to sign an agreement to use Indias distribution system or to sell it to India and then to Bangladesh. Nevertheless, Nepal and Bangladesh has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for power exchange cooperation. But whether it can be implemented all depends on India. A better way forward It is clear that even under the high economic growth scenario Nepal wont be able to consume 10,000 MW in the next decade and Indias rapid power generation plan and low cost renewables are making the Nepals hydropower less attractive in the region.Even if an MoU for regional energy trade is implemented in the near future, Nepals hydropower may not be attractive to the regional market as the cost of electricity is higher in Nepal compared to the India and Bangladesh. On the other hand, the cost of solar power is declining. It is increasingly clear international investors are not interested in investing in large hydropower in Nepal because domestic electricity demand is not high, and the future for regional power and regulatory mechanisms are still unclear. Therefore, Nepal should instead focus on diversifying its energy mix by combining peak run-off-river and a medium sized storage hydropower, grid interconnection with renewables, upgrading the transmission and distribution system and reducing its energy loss. Dipendra Bhattarai is a researcher in the energy and environment sector, with a decade of experience in South and Southeast Asia. His work focuses on rural access to energy, off grid technologies and mini grids and climate adaptation in the hydropower sector. He tweets at @bdipen. This article was first posted on the Third Pole. Read the original article. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 02:25:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A new jumping spider discovered in a Hong Kong park has been named in honor of famous American author Eric Carle, an expert at Manchester Museum in Britain said Tuesday. Carle is famed as the author of the ubiquitous children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The book celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the same year that Carle turns 90. Dr. Dmitri Logunov, curator of entomology at the Manchester Museum and a recognised expert on jumping spiders, confirmed the new species of jumping spider discovered in a park in Hong Kong. The academic said the unique spider bears a striking resemblance to a caterpillar leading it to be named "Uroballus Carlei", after author Eric Carle. A spokesman at the University of Manchester said Tuesday: "This new species was discovered on the outskirts of one of the most densely settled places on Earth, within sight of the high-rises of Wan Chai in Hong Kong's Eastern District. "Naturalist Stefan Obenauer made the exciting observation and contacted Dr Logunov who examined this species and confirmed it to be previously unknown to science." Explaining the link with Carle and caterpillars, the spokesman said:"It is most likely that the new Uroballus species imitates these 'lichen moth' caterpillars, as they are commonly found on the very trees and shrubs the spider inhabits." Logunov said: "Jumping spiders belong to the most diverse spider groups on Earth, accounting for more than 6,100 described species worldwide. They are particularly notable for their complex courtship behaviour." Jumping spiders have evolved superior vision, aiding them greatly in their unusual mode of hunting. Apart from a battery of larger and smaller eyes on their foreheads, they typically have at least one other pair of eyes on the back edges of their thorax, giving them all-round and binocular vision and a precise judgement of distances. As typical for the jumping spider family, they spin no web to entangle their prey, but rather stalk small insects and similar animals on foot, and jump at them from quite some distance, in a similar manner to cats. This is why they are often called 'eight-legged cats'. Among their victims are many nuisance and pest species, in particular flies and bugs. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 03:10:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOSCOW, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) signed a contract with a local company on Tuesday to build a section of a subway line in southwest Moscow. CRCC Rus held a signing ceremony here with the Bureau of Construction Technology Development, a subsidiary of the Moscow Engineering Projects company owned by the Moscow government. The project involving about 6.4 km of metro line will cost 27 billion rubles (some 419 million U.S. dollars). It will connect downtown Moscow with a suburb, and it is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion in the metropolis. Since August 2017, CRCC has been building a 4.6-km section and three stations on the "Large Circle Line" in Moscow, which will be completed by the end of 2020. In February this year, CRCC won another metro construction contract and will start tunneling in December 2019. At Tuesday's ceremony, CRCC Rus chairman Meng Tao said these projects are proceeding smoothly and the signing of the new contract showed a higher level of cooperation. Natalya Otsepova, CEO of the Bureau of Construction Technology Development, said she hopes the project will be a success and later generations will appreciate it. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 03:10:36|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The White House is talking to a few candidates who could potentially replace Stephen Moore and Herman Cain, recently selected by President Donald Trump for the Federal Reserve Board, a senior White House official said Tuesday. Larry Kudlow, the director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House that the administration still supports Moore and Cain for the Fed seats, but are interviewing several other candidates. "We are talking to a number of candidates. We always do," said Kudlow, who is also the president's top economic advisor. Cain, the former pizza company executive who served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in the 1990s, ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. His campaign ended after he was accused of sexual harassment. Cain, who had co-founded a pro-Trump political action committee, America Fighting Back PAC, said earlier this month that he faced a "cumbersome" vetting process for the Fed position, and hinted that he might be considering withdrawing from it. In March, Trump offered a Fed board seat to his former campaign adviser Stephen Moore, who recently published an opinion piece he co-authored on The Wall Street Journal, arguing that the Fed's tight-money policy is a threat to U.S. economic growth, which echoed the view of the president. Moore, a visiting fellow for Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation, and the founder of the conservative Club for Growth, has faced mounting criticism after court documents filed in 2018 surfaced a few weeks ago showed that he owes 75,000 U.S. dollars in unpaid federal taxes, interest and penalties. "Stephen Moore is in the process. We support him. We support Herman Cain. We'll just let things play out in the vetting," Kudlow said. There are currently two vacancies on the seven-member Fed board, and nominations have to be approved by the Senate. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 04:36:19|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BAGHDAD, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Barham Salih on Tuesday confirmed Iraq and the United States should play a major role in stabilizing the Middle East region and achieving peace and prosperity. Salih's comments were made during his meeting with the visiting U.S. Senate delegation, a statement by the presidency's media office said. Salih "emphasized the importance of developing bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation at various levels to serve the interests of the two friendly peoples," the statement said. He also called on the U.S. businessmen and companies to invest and redevelop the Iraqi liberated cities which were destroyed during the fight against the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants. For their part, members of the visiting delegation reaffirmed the U.S. support to Iraq in order to recover and restore its strategic regional and global role, according to the statement. Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly by providing training and advising services. The troops were part of the U.S.-led international coalition that has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 07:07:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close YAOUNDE, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon organized a workshop in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the capital on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Government officials said the two-day workshop gives Cameroon the opportunity to assess what the country will benefit from the agreement. "We are talking about a continent of over 1 billion people and there are 25 million of us in Cameroon. The advantages of the free trade zone are so many for an economy like ours. It is necessary for us to work day and night to be part of the advantages and not disadvantages. We are confident that it will bring a lot of prosperity and stability to our economy," Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, told reporters. The workshop, the first of its kind, brings together more than 100 stakeholders from the private sector, academia and civil society to evaluate Cameroon's readiness to ratify the agreement. Twenty two African nations have already ratified the agreement, the minimum threshold expected to approve the deal among the 55 members of the African Union. According to ECA, AfCFTA represents a potential market of 1.2 billion consumers today, and nearly 2.5 billion in 2050, and is a powerful lever to stimulate exports, industrialization, job creation and economic diversification of the African continent. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 07:12:15|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The 18th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency and cultural contest for college students from Northern California will be held here this weekend, organizers said Tuesday. Jiaxin Xie, director of Confucius Institute at San Francisco State University (SFSU), said 22 candidates selected from the University of California system, the SFSU system, Stanford University and other colleges, will compete to showcase their Chinese language proficiency, including a three-minute speech in Chinese, and other talented skills. They will demonstrate their Chinese cultural talents such as dance, martial arts (Chinese Kong Fu), Xiang-sheng (or Chinese style crosstalk), Chinese poetry, skit, song-singing and instrumental music. The top two winners will be recommended to compete in a regional competition scheduled for May 4 with tho top winners from the Confucius Institutes in the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The regional competition will select two university students and two middle school students for the final contest to be held in China later this year. The 18th "Chinese Bridge" contest for Northern California college students, sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), will be hosted by Confucius Institute at the SFSU. This general view shows debris inside the Notre-Dame-de Paris Cathedral in Paris on April 16, 2019, a day after a fire that devastated the building in the centre of the French capital. (Xinhua/AFP) WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron for the damage caused by a devastating fire at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. "The Cathedral has served as a spiritual home for almost a millennium, and we are saddened to witness the damage to this architectural masterpiece," the White House said in a statement. "We stand with France today and offer our assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization," the statement added. Speaking at a roundtable event in the U.S. state of Minnesota on Monday, Trump said the fire was a terrible sight to behold, touting Notre Dame Cathedral as "greater than almost any museum in the world." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also expressed his sorrow on Monday. "My sincere condolences to the people of France, to Catholics, and to those around the world who have long admired its beauty and history," he tweeted. On Monday night, a fire broke out in the famed cathedral. Online footage showed thick smoke billowing from the top of the cathedral and huge flames between its two bell towers engulfing the spire and the entire roof which both collapsed later. In a brief televised speech on Tuesday, Macron told the nation "we will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years." The blaze was thought to be linked to renovation works being carried out at the medieval cathedral, and an investigation has been launched by Paris prosecutor office to determine the cause. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 08:22:27|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return during the singles second match against Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, April 16, 2019. Novak Djokovic won 2-1. (Xinhua/Nicolas Marie) PARIS, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic was made to sweat for his 850th tour-level win by overcoming Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in full sets in the second round of ATP Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday. Facing the opponent that had beaten him at last month's BNP Paribas Open, the two-time former champion Djokovic triumphed at 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 36 minutes, setting up a third-round clash with Diego Schwartzman or Taylor Fritz. "I had ups and downs and in a way felt a bit rusty on the court. Hopefully I can play slightly better in the next round, because if I want to go deep in the tournament, I definitely have to up my game," the world No. 1 pointed out. Losing the opening set 6-0 and going 5-4 down in the second, No. 11 seed Marco Cecchinato managed a comeback of 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 on 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka. "I was 0-6, 0-2 down and I thought maybe it's going to be 6-0, 6-0. I started the match so tense, and then I started to play way better because I started to play with my serve, with my forehand," Cecchinato pointed out. Seventh-seeded Marin Cilic had to bid early farewell after losing the duel to Guido Pella of Argentina 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. The Croatian was joined by the eighth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, who was defeated by Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (4), 6-4. The 11-time champion Rafael Nadal will kick off his campaign this year against Spanish countryman Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 08:42:42|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close PARIS, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Paris Saint-Germain family provides long-term support for rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris engulfed by a major fire on Monday, the Ligue 1 club announced on Tuesday. "In the aftermath of the fire that ravaged part of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, Paris Saint-Germain shares the immense emotion of all Parisians, the French people and those around the world who have been shocked and saddened by this disaster," it said in a statement. The blaze broke out at around 1645 GMT on Monday. It was put out after burning for 15 hours. The club said that it has already started to bring together all its key stakeholders, main partners and huge community of fans both in Paris and abroad, aiming to start or participate in a series of initiatives such as fundraising events that will be part of the tremendous campaign to rebuild the cathedral in the following years. The 850-year-old Gothic building Notre Dame Cathedral has attracted millions of visitors annually. The Paris fire service said on its official Twitter account that nearly 400 firefighters attended the scene, while "two police officers and a firefighter were slightly injured." "Paris Saint-Germain would also like to express its admiration and solidarity towards the Paris Fire Brigade, whose commitment and bravery made it possible to overcome the flames and limit the extent of the damage. The club will also provide support to the firefighters," added the club statement. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 09:02:54|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TOKYO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan booked a goods trade surplus in March, the government said in a report on Wednesday. According to the Finance Ministry, the trade surplus in the recording month stood at 528.5 billion yen (4.71 billion U.S. dollars). The ministry said that exports in March dropped 2.4 percent from a year earlier. Imports, meanwhile, increased 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the ministry's data showed. Japan logged a trade deficit of 1.59 trillion (14.18 billion yen) for fiscal 2018 through March, the Finance Ministry said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 09:07:57|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Romanian President Klaus Iohannis (R) shakes hands with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Yu after receiving the latter's letter of credence in Bucharest, Romania, April 16, 2019. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that his country is willing to work together with China to promote development of bilateral relations within the framework of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) cooperation. (Xinhua/Chen Jin) BUCHAREST, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that his country is willing to work together with China to promote development of bilateral relations within the framework of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) cooperation. Iohannis made the remarks in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Yu, after receiving the latter's letter of credence. According to him, the traditional friendship between Romania and China covers all aspects of bilateral cooperation and that he himself is satisfied to see that the scale of cooperation in politics, economy, trade, culture and other fields has continuously expanded in recent years. Jiang said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Romania as well as the 15th anniversary of the establishment of their comprehensive partnership of friendship and cooperation. She called on the two sides to seize the historical opportunity and take the Belt and Road Initiative and China-CEEC cooperation mechanism as platform to transform the bilateral traditional friendship and political mutual trust into more pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, thus benefitting the two peoples. The Chinese side appreciates the achievements Romania has made since it took over the EU presidency at the beginning of this year, voicing hope that Romania will continue to play a positive and constructive role in the development of China-EU relations, said Jiang. Iohannis said that as the EU's rotating presidency, Romania is willing to expand and deepen EU-China relations. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 09:53:22|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and eight others were injured late Tuesday in heavy shelling of unknown source in the Libyan capital Tripoli amid violent clashes between the east-based army and the UN-backed government, local official has said. "The number of victims of the indiscriminate shelling on Abusalim (southern Tripoli) is two dead and eight injured," Osama Ali, spokesman of the Heath Ministry's Emergency Department, told Xinhua. Other areas in the city were also hit by the shelling, yet the casualties have not been confirmed, Ali added. The army and the government exchanged accusations with regard to the shelling. The east-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based. The clashes between the two sides so far killed and injured hundreds of people, and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 09:58:26|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close by Lu Huaiqian WELLINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Lorrayne is a Maori woman in the North Island town of Kerepehi who witnessed the prosperity and decline of the town. After the closure of the Kerepehi cheese factory, the economic pillar of the town, Lorrayne's neighbors lost their jobs. Many families, including Lori's family, are unsustainable. People applied for government subsidies, or left their homes to make a living, so the population has flowed out for many years. Lori and her friends felt hopeless and desperate. However, with the arrival of a food company from China, Lorrayne saw hope. Lorrayne said, "When I first came here three years ago, we had no machines. So watching everything get put together has been amazing. In my life. I'm from here, from Kerepehi. The factory bring big changes to the local, I think. When they (old factories) were closed, a lot of families moved away. So now we've got a lot coming back home and working here, and it's good." The arrival of the Chinese investment has brought a new life to this century-old cheese factory, and 50 full-time jobs have sowed seeds for the new dreams of 50 families. Baxi is a brand of Beijing Capital Agricultural Group's Allied Faxi Food Company, and the ice cream series products are sold well in Beijing, Shanghai and many other Chinese cities. Arthur Yan, general manager of Ailei New Zealand, said that the first factory of Baxi was located in Beijing and the second factory was located in Shanghai. The New Zealand plant, built in the deserted cheese factory, is its third factory, which uses locally sourced milk and hire local employees. "Quality ice cream comes from high-quality ingredients," Yan said, "New Zealand was chosen because the air and water is among the purest on earth and the dairy industry is world-leading. The factory is equipped with the best quality milk, cream and fruit resources in New Zealand. The 50 employees of the factory are all locally." On September 26, 2016, New Zealand's Baxi factory was put into production. Some people saw the busy production plant on the assembly line, and they could not help but shed tears. Their childhood memories were connected with the century-old factory, and the rebirth of the old factory also means a new economic pillar for the town. After extensive experimental testing and continuous formulation improvement, the New Zealand Baxi factory has produced three kinds of classic ice creams of vanilla, double raspberry and chocolate, under the brand of G'nature. In May 2018, at the "22nd International Ice Cream Contest" held in New Zealand, G'nature's double-berry flavor and super chocolate-flavored ice cream won the Gold and Silver Awards seperately. In the international ice cream market, the ice cream is also a blockbuster, letting the world have a taste of a high quality ice cream from a Chinese firm and made in New Zealand, Yan said. A year after, G'nature ice cream was launched in China's Shangchao and catering outlets, China's first G'nature flagship store opened on Nanjing Road in Shanghai's CBD. New Zealand's consumers can buy G'nature ice cream at local supermarkets. Because the products are sought after by the market, the company achieved profitability in the second year of production. In the previous fiscal year, its net income exceeded 20 million New Zealand dollars (13.4 million U.S. dollars), and it is expected to exceed 30 million New Zealand dollars (20.1 U.S. dollars) this fiscal year. "This is a big business," said John Tregidga, Mayor of the Hauraki District, to which Kerepehi belongs, "this is a labor-intensive industry." "What the Chinese company is doing is not only helping of employment for our people, but also giving confidence to our community. So what we had in New Zealand, which is no different from Australia and some other countries, is that we have a lot of young people going into the big cities to get jobs," said John Tregidga. "I've been working hard on getting companies to settle in, to attract young people to stay here and have their families and be a part of the culture and the community, and it's now being successful. We are seeing unemployment go down. We are increasing the GDP above the national average," Tregidga said louldly and proudly. About 50 kms west away from Kerepehi, lays Yashili New Zealand Dairy Co, a leading producer of infant milk formula for the domestic market in China. Linda, who worked here for Yashili for the last three and a half years, is a purchasing officer in Yashili. "Before coming to work here, I worked in Auckland City, and it used to take me an hour and a half in the morning to go to work and an hour and a half every night to get home from work. Now I work locally. It takes me only five minutes to get to work and five minutes to get home. When they first started to develop down here, I can see the plant from my house and I leaned on my kitchen bench when they first started to count the ground, and I said to my husband: 'If they need a purchasing officer, the job is mine.'" "When they advertised the job and I applied and I got the job. My daughter goes study in a local school and they have a very extensive robotics program. Yashili has donated money in that robotic program," said Linda. The projects of Allied Faxi and Yashili in New Zealand are two microcosms of Sino-New Zealand dairy cooperation. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, New Zealand dairy products have become a major part of the dairy products exported to China. China's increasing dairy demand is having a strong pulling effect on New Zealand's dairy production. New Zealand's exports of all goods and services to China were worth 16.6 billion NZ dollars (11.4 billion U.S. dollars) for the year ending in September 2018, 2.6 billion NZ dollars more than Australia and almost double the sales to the United States, Stats NZ said. Of all the goods exported to China, dairy products accounted for the largest proportion. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 10:08:38|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a congressional resolution calling for an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia-led coalition's war in Yemen. In a veto statement to the Senate, Trump called the resolution "an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members." The resolution, which was approved by the Senate last month in a vote of 54 to 46 and the House early April in a vote of 247 to 175, directs the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al-Qaeda. Neither the House nor the Senate vote was enough to override the veto. "With this veto, President Trump shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement. Trump's Tuesday move also marks the second veto of his presidency. He issued the first veto last month on a resolution that would have blocked his national emergency declaration to build a border wall. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile and seized much of the country's north, including the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah. The four-year civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million others, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 10:59:25|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Tuesday met with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar over mutual interests, said the Pentagon. Shanahan and his Turkish counterpart discussed "the importance of U.S.-Turkish cooperation bilaterally and as NATO Allies in achieving mutual security and economic prosperity for both countries and the region", according to a Pentagon statement. The statement also emphasized that the two defense chiefs met as strategic partners and "focused their discussion on interests, rather than positions," but without providing further details. The United States is in a feud with Turkey over the latter's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system. On April 3, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned Turkey against purchasing the S-400 air defense system from Russia, despite Ankara's firm stance on the deal. "The S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. During a congressional hearing in March, General Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command, suggested that the United States should cut the sale of F-35 fighters to Turkey if Ankara adopts S-400 air defense system. Pentagon announced early this month that it halted "deliveries and activities" related to Turkey's procurement of the F-35 fighter jets program if Ankara insisted on the S-400 deal. "If we don't have F-35, I need to take the plane elsewhere," Cavusoglu said last week, adding that Russian fighter jets -- Su-34 and Su-57 -- could be alternatives to meet Turkey's demand. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov this past Sunday spoke highly of Turkey's tough stance on the purchase of Russian S-400 system despite U.S. opposition. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 11:09:29|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday reiterated its full support for the peace process in Colombia. "The members of the Security Council reiterated their full and unanimous support for the peace process in Colombia. They agreed with the secretary-general's assessment that the peace process stands today at a critical juncture," said a UNSC statement. They "acknowledged the very significant challenges involved in overcoming the legacy of five decades of conflict, and stressed the importance of building on achievements so far to ensure that the process remains a success," the statement said. In the meantime, they reiterated their concern about the current pace of the reincorporation process, and the killing of former FARC-EP (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army) members. The UNSC members "stressed the importance of swift action on the ground, including, in this regard, through the 'Action Plan for the Protection of Social and Community Leaders, Human Rights Defenders, and Journalists,'" said the statement. The UNSC members also "reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with Colombia to progress in implementation of the Peace Agreement in order to secure a lasting peace," the statement said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 11:14:38|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close CAIRO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held Beijing is expected to provide a platform for think tanks to exchange ideas on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for multinational development, a senior Egyptian researcher has said. "There is consensus that launching the BRI in 2013 is a game changer in the international scene, as more than a hundred countries joined this future-oriented project," said Hisham el-Zimaity, secretary general of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA), in a recent interview with Xinhua. In light of growing protectionism and unilateralism, the initiative is facing challenges, including unreal reports by some Western media. Thus closer cooperation among researchers of the BRI countries are required to address the challenges and exchange relevant research and visions, said Zimaity, also Egypt's former ambassador to Japan, Hungary, Slovenia and Pakistan. The BRI refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and seeks to revive ancient land and sea trade routes to connect China and participating states via win-win trade exchanges, joint investments and infrastructure projects for multilateral development. It has been gaining growing popularity ever since, and so far has attracted 124 countries and 29 international organizations to sign BRI cooperation agreements with China. "Developing countries, especially those in Africa and the Middle East, are all supportive of the win-win approach of the gigantic BRI project," he said. Zimaity said that BRI-based cooperation between China and Egypt is reflected in the progress of Egypt's development process through massive infrastructure projects in various fields, including construction, energy, trade, industry and others. "Egypt was among the first states to join the BRI and was also the first African state to sign cooperation agreements with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. So, there's massive cooperation between Egypt and China in this regard," he said. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is scheduled to open in Beijing in late April. Representatives from over 100 countries, including about 40 government leaders, have confirmed their attendance. Representatives and heads of think tanks and research centers are also expected to show up at the international forum, including from Zimaity's ECFA, which was founded 20 years ago and currently is one of the most prominent think tanks in Africa and the Middle East. ECFA's studies and recommendations are constantly passed on to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be considered by decision makers, said Zimaity, noting that the institution is in constant communication with all state ministries. ECFA has relations with several think tanks in China, including those in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and other cities, and representatives exchange visits and engage in discussions about each BRI development stage, he said, adding that he hoped this year's Belt and Road forum could establish a mechanism that gathers researchers in BRI states to share their studies, views and visions. "All the recommendations raised by ECFA urge Egypt to further engage in the BRI and utmost cooperation with China in the light of the initiative," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 11:44:53|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close YANGON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's government on Wednesday granted amnesty to 9,535 prisoners of Myanmar nationals unconditionally, according to an order of the President's Office. The amnesty was extended on the occasion of Myanmar's traditional new year and on humanitarian ground, the order said, adding that further scrutiny will be made to the remaining prisoners who deserve to be granted so. The order also gave amnesty to 16 foreign prisoners unconditionally and deported them on humanitarian ground and in view of relations between respective countries and Myanmar. On previous new year's day, Myanmar's government also released 8,490 domestic and 51 foreign prisoners under similar unconditional presidential amnesty order. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 11:55:02|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close HAVANA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The national flags of Cuba and China fly side by side atop a 60-meter-high oil derrick along the coast of the Caribbean island, a symbol of their bilateral cooperation in offshore oil exploration. Some 160 seasoned employees of China's Great Wall Drilling Company, an affiliate of China National Petroleum Corporation, are working on the island as part of a joint venture with state-owned oil firm Cuba Petroleum Company (CUPET). "Our deposits extend out to sea, so increasingly, wells are longer and to reach them we need cutting-edge technology that we have accessed through the Great Wall Company," Julio Jimenez, CUPET's director of drilling, told Xinhua. Great Wall Drilling, which began operating in Cuba in 2005, has been commissioned to drill most of Cuba's oil wells, using high-tech equipment capable of accessing shallow offshore oil deposits from land. Located very close to the coastal town of Boca de Camarioca, about 120 km east of Havana, a 1,475-meter-deep well extends 4,692 meters out to sea after gradually modifying its trajectory to an angle of 89 degrees. Workers aim to reach 6,950 meters, where geological studies show a hydrocarbon deposit is located. The company uses four drilling rigs of two different types in Cuba. Safer and faster oil-based mud drilling is used as it cools and lubricates the drill bits. Meng Fanji, 42, is the company's deputy manager and superintendent of Health, Safety and Environment. Born in central China's Henan Province, he has been working in Cuba for nine years. "We have increased the efficiency of drilling, lowered the cost of building the wells, and drilled several highly productive wells, in addition, we have supported the finding of new deposits," said Meng. The Chinese company is now working on another exploration well in Celimar, about 15 km east of Havana. This well is 2,141 meters deep and, after reaching an angle of 79 degrees, runs for 5,100 meters out to sea. The objective is to reach a crude deposit estimated to lie 6,300 meters offshore. According to Cuban engineer Elber Smith, who heads operations at three wells along Havana's north coast, Chinese cooperation has been "fundamental to the success of this effort." Cuba's local crude output meets about half the island's energy needs, while the remainder is purchased abroad, mainly from Venezuela at preferential prices. In addition to its own oil exploration, Cuba also opened 59 blocks of its 112,000-square-km exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico to foreign investment two decades ago. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 12:40:20|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he neither can nor wants to interfere in the pricing policies of state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras, Brazilian presidential spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros said Tuesday. The president made the remark during a meeting earlier in the day, according to Barros. Bolsonaro said right at the beginning of the meeting that "I do not want and I do not have the right to intervene in Petrobras," Barros said. Last week, Petrobras announced a 5.7-percent rise in the diesel fuel price, but suspended the rise shortly after Bolsonaro's orders. The move was considered against the president's campaign promises and caused the company to lose 32 billion reals (around 8.19 billion U.S. dollars) in market value on Friday only. When asked about the decision, Bolsonaro said he first called Petrobras' directors to ask about the justification for the rise, and then met with the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Castello Branco to discuss the matter on Tuesday, together with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes and Mines and Energy Minister Bento Costa Lima Leite de Albuquerque Junior. The president said it was reaffirmed that Petrobras will be in control of its pricing policies at the end of his meeting with the CEO. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 12:50:24|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BRATISLAVA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Slovakian politicians expressed sorrow Tuesday over the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, saying the fire was an enormous cultural loss for France. Slovakian President Andrej Kiska said on Facebook that the destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in the fire is a national tragedy, bringing losses to not only French people but also Europe and the whole world. "It's as if parts of our own stories disappeared in the flames," he said, adding that he sent a message of condolences to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. He also said he hoped the cathedral will be soon rebuilt to its former glory and he will gladly join the national collection initiated by Macron. Slovakian President-elect Zuzana Caputova also grieved for Notre Dame Cathedral, tweeting, "I am heartbroken by the sight of Notre-Dame Cathedral burning. Slovakia stands with Paris and France tonight." Slovakian Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said any catastrophe that destroys the work of people is regrettable. "I am very saddened to see flames over Notre Dame. This is a huge loss to the whole humanity. I pray the firefighters stop this disaster as soon as possible," he tweeted. The Notre Dame Cathedral fire broke out at around 1700 GMT on Monday, causing the spire and roof collapsed, with no casualties reported. Visiting the burnt site on Tuesday, Macron launched a fundraising campaign and vowed to rebuild the cathedral within five years. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 13:10:32|Editor: ZX Video Player Close U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (R) meets with Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi outside of the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington D.C., the Unites States, April, 16, 2019. A statement released by Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday said the negotiators from the United States and Japan would continue their talks on a bilateral trade agreement. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A statement released by Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday said the negotiators from the United States and Japan would continue their talks on a bilateral trade agreement. According to the statement, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Washington on Monday and Tuesday. The two sides reaffirmed "their shared goal of achieving substantive results on trade" in furtherance of the joint statement issued by U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it said, adding that the two partners discussed "trade issues involving goods, including agriculture, as well as the need to establish high standards in the area of digital trade." Without mentioning any specific progress in the statement, the USTR said the trade talks would continue and the two countries' negotiators "will meet in the near future." The joint statement issued after the Trump-Abe meeting in September last year underlined that the two countries would "respect positions of the other government." The White House requested more access to Japan's agricultural market in order to benefit its own farmers, while Japan expected to avoid auto tariffs or quotas that could be imposed by the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 13:40:45|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Qualcomm and Apple announced an agreement on Tuesday to dismiss all litigation between the two companies worldwide. The settlement includes an unspecified payment from Apple to Qualcomm. The two companies also have reached a six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a two-year option to extend, and a multiyear chipset supply agreement. All worldwide litigation will be dismissed and withdrawn, including claims involving Apple's contract manufacturers. The two companies appeared in court on Monday in a multi-billion-U.S.-dollar patent trial, which was expected to last until mid-May in San Diego. According to media reports, Apple previously accused Qualcomm of engaging in illegal patent licensing practices, and was seeking up to 27 billion dollars in damages. Qualcomm, for its part, argued Apple and its business partners had stopped paying royalties and was seeking up to 15 billion dollars in damages. Qualcomm stock soared 23.21 percent following the settlement, and closed at 70.45 U.S. dollars apiece, boosting its market cap to exceed 85 billion dollars. The company had its biggest one-day gain since 1999. Meanwhile, Apple shares were up slightly to close 0.01 percent higher. Over the past two years, the two companies have sued one another in courts around the world, and each has seen some victories along the way. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 13:50:51|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close NEW YORK, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Two New York City landmarks were lit in the colors of the French national flag Tuesday night to show solidarity with the French people over the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire. When dusk fell, One World Trade Center, (One WTC), the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, started to shine in blue, white and red on its 408-feet (124 meters) spire as a tribute to the severely damaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The lighting was directed by New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier on Tuesday, according to his office. "The Notre Dame Cathedral's centuries of history, art and iconic architecture are irreplaceable, and we are deeply grateful to the brave first responders who worked diligently to extinguish the flames and save portions of this significant piece of French and Catholic history," said Cuomo in a statement. Meanwhile, some 3 miles (4.8 km) north of One WTC, the top parts of the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan were also illuminated in the French tricolor to show support for France and Paris in the wake of the cathedral fire. The fire, which broke out in the famed Paris cathedral on Monday, caused colossal damage to the medieval architecture, destroying its roof and iconic spire. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 14:16:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close GHAZNI, Afghanistan, April 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 militants have been killed and 21 villages have been recaptured over the past 24 hours as security forces operations against Taliban fighters are going on in parts of Afghanistan's Ghazni province, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said Wednesday. Nine militants including their commander Qazi Hasan have been killed in Hasan Abad village in the outskirt of provincial capital Ghazni city and law and order were returned to the area, the official said. More than a dozen militants have been killed in Gilan, Qarabagh and Khawja Omari districts and 20 more villages have been cleansed of the Taliban fighters in Khawja Omari district over the past 24 hours, the official said. Over a dozen insurgents have been injured, the official added. However, the official didn't make assessment on the possible casualties of security personnel. The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report yet. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 14:21:19|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Intel announced Tuesday its decision to withdraw from 5G smartphone modem business, but will continue to invest in its efforts to build 5G network infrastructure. The company said it will complete an assessment of the opportunities for 4G and 5G modems in PCs, internet of things devices and other data-centric devices. Intel will no longer launch 5G modem products in smartphones, including those originally planned for launches in 2020. "We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the 'cloudification' of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns," said Intel CEO Bob Swan. Swan said 5G will continue to be a "strategic priority" for Intel. "We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world." Intel's announcement to quit the business of 5G modems for mobile devices came on the heels of a settlement agreement unveiled by Apple and Qualcomm earlier Tuesday. The two companies reached an agreement to dismiss all litigation between them worldwide. They also have reached a six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a two-year option to extend, and a multiyear chipset supply agreement. As one of the suppliers of Apple products, Intel has lagged behind its rival Qualcomm in the development of 5G modems for mobile phones. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 14:31:37|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close SUVA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government received medical equipments from China on Wednesday, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, to help health experts to detect and cure cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. Huang Xuehu, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Fiji, said the equipment will greatly assist the Fijian government with providing primary health care to combat non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Fiji. "The primary focus for the ministry is to focus on new directions to accelerate wellness through antenatal care and school health services," Fiji's Minister for Health and Medical Services Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete said. He said a wellness passbook is now undergoing a consultation process and this will be available to all Fijians from conception to 70 years old, adding that key wellness indicators include nutritional status, dental status and immunization status. He said the 36,000 Fijian dollars (17,000 U.S. dollars) equipment will help them ensure the early detection of the NCD. The equipment includes blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes, weigh scales and blood glucose monitors. Waqainabete encouraged all Fijians to undergo cardiovascular risk screening each year through this Packaging of Essential Non-Communicable diseases model. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 15:37:01|Editor: zh Video Player Close SHENZHEN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei has announced it will invest 300 million U.S. dollars every year over the next five to ten years for funding research in basic science and technology. Huawei establishes the Institute of Strategic Research to focus on research into cutting-edge technology, and the company will invest 300 million U.S. dollars each year to fund academic research in basic science and technology, said William Xu, director of the Huawei Board, at the annual global analyst summit at its headquarters in Shenzhen in southern China. According to Xu, Huawei is moving into the era of "Innovation 2.0", in which the company will overcome bottlenecks in theories and basic technologies hindering the development of information and communication technology. Xu, also president of the Huawei Institute of Strategic Research, said the establishment of the research facility would help make Innovation 2.0 a reality. In Innovation 1.0, Xu said, the Chinese telecommunication giant focused on providing innovative products, technologies and solutions that meet customer needs. In innovation 2.0, innovation will be steered into theories and basic technologies that can promote social progress. Xu said Huawei is facing theoretical and engineering bottlenecks like the inevitable slowdown of Moore's Law. It says that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit double about every two years, but the rate of progress is expected to reach saturation in recent years. He noted that universities make significant contributions in these areas and collaboration between businesses and universities can bring mutual benefits. According to Xu, the company plans to build labs, work with industry peers and universities and make investments to drive innovation in theories and basic technologies which will inspire revolutionary changes and benefit the industry and the world. More than 700 partner representatives, analysts and reporters attended Huawei's annual analyst summit that will wrap up Thursday. Headquartered in Shenzhen, privately-owned Huawei is a world-leading telecommunication solution provider and also one of the world's major smartphone brands. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 15:47:06|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China will promote aerospace development, strengthen international cooperation and contribute Chinese wisdom, plans and strength in man's peaceful utilization of outer space, said an official with China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Wednesday. Zhao Jian, deputy director of the Department of System Engineering of CNSA, said at a press conference that "Forum on Space Solutions: Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals" will be held in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, from April 24 to 27. The forum, co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and CNSA, aims to bring together space application users and solution providers to forge new partnerships, enhance international space cooperation and contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals, according to Zhao. Since 2016, China has set April 24 as the country's Space Day to mark the launch of its first satellite into space on April 24, 1970. About 200 space officials, engineers and scientists from nearly 50 countries will participate in activities for Space Day in China this year. During the same period, the CNSA and the European Space Agency will jointly organize a forum on Earth observation while a Sino-Russian Moon observation forum will also be held. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 15:57:12|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The sixth China Agricultural Outlook Conference will convene from April 20 to 21 in Beijing, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The conference is set to highlight the outlook of market trends of major agricultural products for the next 10 years in China, Tang Ke, an official with the ministry, told a press conference Wednesday. The China Agricultural Outlook Report (2019-2028) will also be released during the conference, featuring high-quality development of the sector, Tang said. Seminars will focus on hot topics including international agricultural trade, smallholders and modern agriculture, and digital agriculture during the two-day conference, according to Tang. "The conference is an important outcome of China's development in agricultural monitoring and early-warning systems, which play a significant role in regulating agricultural markets," Tang said. China has held the Agricultural Outlook Conference and launched the China Agricultural Outlook Report for five consecutive years since 2014. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:07:26|Editor: zh Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition celebrating the long-standing friendship between China and Mongolia kicked off here on Wednesday. The exhibition entitled "Friendship-70 years" is organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in Ulan Bator and Mongolia's Choijin Lama Temple Museum. "This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Mongolia. The exhibition is part of a series of activities to celebrate the friendship between the two countries," Khasbagana, deputy director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Ulan Bator, said at the opening ceremony. Within the framework of cultural cooperation between the two countries, Chinese workers renovated the Choijin Lama Temple Museum in 1961, said Dugarsuren Otgonsuren, director of the temple museum, adding that this is the most extensive renovation work in the history of the temple museum. "So, we are organizing the photo exhibition to remember the historic work done by Chinese workers and celebrate 70 years of solid friendship between Mongolia and China," she said. The three-day exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Center features more than 50 photos, showcasing the temple museum's history and the renovation work done by Chinese workers. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:17:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Liwa desert, some 240 kilometers southeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE, located at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative, is an important partner for China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative. (Xinhua/Li Zhen) SHANGHAI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 17 Arab states have signed cooperation documents with China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xinhua reporters learned from the second China-Arab Forum on Reform and Development held in Shanghai on Tuesday. To date, China has established strategic partnerships or comprehensive strategic partnerships with 12 Arab states, according to the forum. The forum, themed "Build the Belt and Road, Share Development and Prosperity," has attracted more than 100 representatives from political, academic and business circles in China and over 10 Arab states, including Egypt, Lebanon and Oman. Khalil Ebrahim Mohammed Saleh Althawadi, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, said at the forum that the BRI covers cooperation and exchanges in the fields of trade, infrastructure and culture, and the initiative is in line with the development goals of China and Arab states. He hoped China and Arab states would cooperate in more areas and promote win-win cooperation under the framework of the BRI. According to data released by the forum, the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has provided jobs for more than 3,000 Egyptians. China and Arab states have also worked together to connect industrial parks in Abu Dhabi, Suez and Jazan with nearby ports. The forum was jointly hosted by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development. Its first edition was held in Beijing last April. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:17:39|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China is expected to see pork prices continue to rise in the second quarter of this year, the country's agriculture ministry forecast Wednesday. Average wholesale prices of pork came in at 19.48 yuan (about 2.9 U.S. dollars) per kg in March, up 6.3 percent on a monthly basis, ending a declining streak since the outbreak of African swine fever last August, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs told a press conference. The figure in March saw a 2.1-percent increase from the pork prices recorded before the outbreak of the disease and jumped 7.6 percent year-on-year. Affected by the African swine fever, the stocks of hogs and breeding sows slumped 18.8 percent and 21 percent year-on-year, respectively, in March, the latter of which reached its largest decline over the past 10 years, said Tang Ke, an official with the ministry. Tang said the possibility of a dramatic increase in pork prices in Q2 is small, considering the increasing supply of frozen pork and relatively stable seasonal consumption. "A rapid rise in pork prices is likely to appear in the second half of the year with the further decline of pig supply and the rising demand during holidays," Tang noted. Growth in pork prices is expected to exceed 70 percent from the previous year in H2 based on experts' primary estimates. Farmers are encouraged to raise more pigs under better disease control so as to meet market demand and stabilize pork prices, the ministry said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:17:40|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Citcon, a leading cross-border mobile payment and commerce solution provider, said Tuesday it has raised 5 million U.S. dollars in the Series B funding round led by a California-based independent bank. Silicon Valley-based Citcon, a major overseas partner of China's mobile payment giants including Alipay and WeChat pay, said the funds will be used to drive its rapid global growth, broaden its suite of product applications and expand teams across technology, product, marketing and sales. East West Bank, a subsidiary wholly owned by East West Bancorp, which is the largest independent bank headquartered in Southern California, led the fund-raising round as a strategic investor and brought the total financing to 15 million dollars. "In the past few years, mobile wallet and mobile payment have profoundly changed how merchants interact with consumers, and the digitization of all walks of life has continued at a rapid pace," said Chuck Huang, founder and CEO of Citcon. Founded in 2015, Citcon introduced China's largest QR-based mobile wallets Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay to North America."The China market has been a growth engine for global brands," Huang added. Last month, Citcon helped introduce for the first time mobile payment service to the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco to facilitate its customers to pay for visa processing and passport application or renewal, as well as other consular services. Citcon said, by the end of 2019, the number of merchants running their business with Citcon-powered mobile payment solutions is expected to reach 50,000 across all major metropolitan cities in the United States, Canada and Europe. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:32:40|Editor: zh Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on April 8, 2019 shows a view of Medog County, Nyingchi City of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Medog, meaning "Secret Lotus" in the Tibetan language, is located in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet. Being on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and the south of the Himalayas, Medog County boasts of amazing natural landscapes due to its unique geographical position. Before the traffic opened, people could not arrive in Medog except for walking. Getting in and out of Medog was a dangerous journey. Frequent natural disasters such as avalanches, landslides, and mudslides blocked visitors from the outside world. The construction of roads to Medog is a tough task because of the complicated geological conditions and disastrous weather. With several attempts thwarted in the last decades, a 117-kilometer highway connecting Medog with neighboring Bomi County finally opened on Oct. 31, 2013. The completion of the Medog highway not only promoted the communication between Medog and the outside world, but also benefited the poverty relief of border ethnic minorities. Crude stilted houses have been replaced with modern houses consisting of complete facilities. Commodity prices have been lowered to a level similar with the outside world. The local economy especially tourism develops fast in recent years, unfolding to the world a new Medog with its mysterious beauty. (Xinhua/Li Xin) Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:37:58|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan NEW YORK, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. automobile industry insiders continue to express grave concerns about Washington's tariff threat on imported automobiles and parts from Europe and elsewhere at industry meeting Automobile Forum and New York International Auto Show 2019 on Tuesday. "If the tariffs happened with all the industry, quite frankly, that's pulling the pin down the grenade," warned Bob Carter, executive vice president of Toyota Motor North America at a discussion with Peter Welch, president and chief executive officer with National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). "I can't express enough. And it's just a bad idea for the entire industry," said Carter on possible imposition of 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and components. There is no such thing as a 100 percent U.S.-produced vehicle and all the manufacturers need to survive the global supply chain, said Carter. Carter estimated that the costs of Toyota Camry, which now has 72 percent U.S. content and 28 percent content relying on imported parts, would go up by 1,800 U.S. dollars per unit once its 28 percent content is subject to 25 percent of tariffs. The price of imported vehicles would rise more than 17 percent, or an average of around 5,000 dollars per unit and the price of U.S.-made vehicles would grow by about 5 percent, or 1,800 dollars if 25 percent tariffs were imposed on imported parts and vehicles, including that from Canada and Mexico, according to earlier study by the global information provider IHS Markit. Carter said such possible tariffs would make buying drop, leading to lower capacity utilization, unemployment and ripple-effect on dealers of automobiles. "It's just a bad situation for the industry and the industry drags economy," added Carter. U.S. automobile imports would drop 10 percent in 2020 and 14 percent in 2021 if 25 percent tariffs were imposed on finished vehicles and auto parts in the second quarter of 2019, according to a recent analysis by independent maritime research consultancy firm Drewry. "At the end of the day, we'd like to see lower tariffs, not higher tariffs, because it affects the affordability of vehicles. It affects jobs, and it affects your ability to sell cars. And it affects, quite frankly, consumer choice and the different types of cars that they'll be able to buy," said Welch to Xinhua on the sideline of the meeting. Research by NADA shows that the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and parts would lead to over a million job losses in the United States. The threat of tariffs by Washington also weighs on investment by automobile manufacturers. "We're committed to a higher and additional 4,000 jobs in direction in our facilities. But that's based on where we see the market and the confidence of the United States and the confidence of North America," Welch said. In the latest show of Toyota's commitment to the United States, the automaker said last month that it would expand investment in the world's largest economy by 30 percent to 13 billion dollars by 2021. The decision on billions of dollars investment in plants is made on the long-term viability in confidence of the market, said Carter. "We're educating everybody in Washington, D.C. about what we believe to be a very destructive force in the overall order of the automobile industry," Carter told Xinhua. Carter added that he actually supports President Donald Trump's overall philosophy about bringing investment and employment into the United States and just doesn't want to see a disruptive force as the economy is in very good place. "We're in good shape right now. Let's not throw the baby out," said Carter. Thomas King, senior vice president of data and analytics division with market information service provider J.D. Power, said it's more anxiety than reality so far, and from consumers' perspective, people aren't really paying attention to it. "They get to experience a meaningful impact. So this is more of an industry issue, sort of a back-office set of concerns. But in terms of consumers, we haven't really seen any meaningful impacts," said King. In February, the Commerce Department submitted a report to the White House on whether to impose tariffs on imported cars and auto parts on national security grounds, drawing backlash from auto makers, suppliers and industry groups. The president has 90 days to decide whether to adopt the commerce department's recommendations and introduce tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts. The United States imported 178.5 billion dollars of cars in 2018 with Japan, Canada, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom as the top suppliers, according to WorldsTopExports.com. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:43:03|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SEOUL, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of farmers and fishermen in South Korea kept falling last year amid the fast aging population, customs office data showed Wednesday. The number of farm households was 1,021,000 as of Dec. 1, 2018, down 2 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. The population of the farm families declined 4.4 percent to 2,315,000. The figure for fishery households fell 2.5 percent to 51,500 in the cited period, while the number of fishery families reduced 4 percent to 116,900. It came as young people in rural areas continued to flock to the capital Seoul for attending universities and getting jobs for the past decades. The combined number of farmers and fishermen accounted for 4.5 percent of the country's total population as of Dec. 1 last year, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. The rural communities were hollowed out amid the aging population, which increased the number of aged farmers and fishermen giving up their farming and fishing. The biggest age group in the farm households was those aged 70 or higher, which stood at 745,000, or 32.2 percent of the total, in 2018. Those aged 65 or higher made up 44.7 percent last year, up 2.2 percentage points from a year earlier. For the fishery households, the biggest age group was those in their 60s which accounted for 28.6 percent of the total. Those aged 65 or older took up 36.3 percent of the total last year, up 1.1 percentage points from a year ago. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:48:08|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians marked the national prisoners' day on Wednesday, expressing support to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The Palestinians called for international support to prisoners who face ill treatment and inhumane incarceration conditions. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged the High Contracting Parties to the four Geneva conventions to shoulder their legal responsibility and honor their obligation under the international law to provide the Palestinians, especially children, with protection. The ministry also called for taking necessary measures to hold Israel, as an occupying power, accountable for its crimes and continued violation against the Palestinian people. According to the latest statistics released by the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC), there are currently 5,700 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including 250 children, 47 women, and 500 under administrative detention. The PPC said in its latest report that Israeli ill treatment of Palestinian prisoners is "grave and systematic violations of international laws," adding that Israel neglects fair trial in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights principles. It urged the international community to "immediately intervene to fulfil its legal and ethical obligations towards Palestinians and hold Israel accountable for its daily crimes." It said the total number of Palestinians arrested since 1967 has reached one million, adding that Israeli "systematic medical negligence" of prisoners has led to the death of 218 Palestinians in custody since 1967. The Palestinian National Council, which is considered the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) parliament, has declared April 17 as national prisoners' day since 1974, a day to unite efforts in support of the prisoners plight for freedom. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:48:11|Editor: zh Video Player Close URUMQI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- On a highway in Horgos, drivers speaking different languages transport goods in and outside China. Meanwhile, China-Europe trains pass through customs and go directly into Kazakhstan, bringing vitality to the city that once thrived on the ancient Silk Road. Positioned on the forefront of China's western areas, Horgos, a major land pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has seen robust increase in foreign trade. A total of 2,055 inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains passed through Horgos Port last year. Xinjiang borders eight countries and has a host of ports involved in international trade on the ancient Silk Road. The authorities have enhanced opening-up efforts in recent years amid the Belt and Road Initiative. In the first month of this year, Xinjiang's total foreign trade stood at 13.94 billion yuan (about 2 billion U.S. dollars), up 11.7 percent year on year, according to Urumqi Customs. Meanwhile, three comprehensive bonded zones, located in Xinjiang's Alataw Pass, Kashgar, and the regional capital Urumqi, saw their combined foreign trade value rising more than 40 percent year-on-year in January. Last year, imports and exports between Xinjiang and 36 countries along the Belt and Road increased by 13.5 percent year-on-year to about 291.5 billion yuan. Behind all the prosperity is the Belt and Road Initiative, which is gaining steam. An international Belt and Road forum will be held in Beijing later this month, with representatives from over 100 countries, including about 40 government leaders, having confirmed their attendance. The forum is expected to boost people-to-people connectivity among countries participating in the development of the Belt and Road. Over the past few years, China has signed 171 cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative with more than 150 countries and international organizations. In Xinjiang, the Kemen Noodle Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a major foreign trade company located within the comprehensive bonded zone in Urumqi, exported a total of 163 million yuan worth of products last year. "The company will further expand production under the dual advantages of preferential policies and shortened customs clearance time," said the company's deputy general manager Wei Yujun. Benefits of opening up in the region have extended beyond the economic sector. In the past few months, many foreign officials and media delegates visited Xinjiang farmers, artists and people involved in religious affairs, as they got to know the region's opening-up efforts. Senior diplomats from permanent missions of eight countries to the United Nations Office at Geneva visited Xinjiang from Feb. 16 to 19 at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The diplomats from Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt, Cambodia, Russia, Senegal and Belarus spoke with trainees at vocational education and training centers, teaching clerics and other members of the public during their visit. Enhanced communication has also strengthened emotional bonding between people from China and its neighboring countries. In recent years, an increasing number of international students are pursuing education in Xinjiang. In Xinjiang Normal University, Kazakhstani student Irbay Lahat is studying Chinese, calligraphy and martial arts with his classmates from countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as a new semester started. "Learning Chinese can help me find a better job in Kazakhstan," he said. "I want to pursue further education in another city in China after graduation." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 16:53:15|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft announced on Wednesday to offer a grant to the Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Institute for Future Environments and the Australian Institute for Marine Science, to design an artificially intelligent (AI) system that can quickly process data from the nation's iconic Great Barrier Reef using cloud computing services. Although aerial drones have been used in Australia for the past two years to monitor the environmental health of Great Barrier Reef, which covers an area of over 2,300 square km with about 3,000 reefs, the sheer size and scale of the operation has made it difficult for researchers to evaluate the data. Known as the Microsoft AI for Earth program, the project uses specialized hyperspectral cameras that correlate information with underwater data to identify the presence of threats like algae and coral bleaching. "Processing Gigabytes of hyperspectral imagery is time-consuming," QUT's aeronautical engineer and Associate Professor Felipe Gonzalez said. "On a regular desktop PC, processing the data will take months." "You really need to scale up, with the help of cloud services and tools services provided by Microsoft AI for Earth and Azure we can do this within days or hours for the smaller reefs." A standard camera captures images using just three bands of the visible spectrum -- red, green and blue. Soaring above the reef at about 60 meters, the hyperspectral cameras can process 270 bands of spectral light as well as near-infrared capabilities. "You could never get this level of resolution with a satellite or an aircraft," Gonzalez said. With the application of the system also being used across other industries as well, such as agriculture to detect invasive weeds, Microsoft Chief Environmental Officer Lucas Joppa said "the world is seeing rapid advancements in cloud and AI solutions that are unlocking new possibilities to solve the world's most challenging problems." "But the uptake of those solutions to understand and protect the planet is proceeding slowly, and as such, we are essentially flying blind when it comes to understanding how our planet is changing and how to best solve environmental challenges. AI can change that." "Time is too short and current human resources are too few to solve urgent climate-related challenges without the exponential power of AI." "By putting AI in the hands of researchers and organizations we can use important data insights to help solve issues related to water, agriculture, biodiversity and climate change," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:13:33|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BEIRUT, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's public sector employees, including teachers, municipalities' employees and other state workers, went on strike on Wednesday to protest against a possible cut in wages aimed at reducing budget deficit, local media reported. Teachers at public schools in Nabatieh, Zahrani, Akkar, Batroun, Jezzine and several other areas stopped working while public sector employees in other areas, such as Amioun's Serail in Koura, restricted their work to dealing with urgent matters only, according to the National News Agency. The head of the Lebanese General Labor Union Bechara Asmar said that public sector employees will not accept any reduction in their salaries or retirement wages. "We will not remain silent to any of such measures. What we are witnessing in the streets is just the beginning of several other measures to be taken if the government resorts to cutting public sector employees' salaries," he was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. The general strike came after Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil last week said that unpopular measures will be taken in a bid to reduce the 2019 state budget. "If we do not reduce salaries, there will be no salaries, no economy and no Lebanese pound," Bassil said. Retired military personnel started the strike on Tuesday by blocking several roads across the country. The Lebanese government will convene on Thursday to discuss the 2019 state budget which is expected to be endorsed within the coming few weeks. Endorsing a state budget that slashes the deficit is among the measures the government has pledged to take as part of the key financial and economic reforms recommended at last year's CEDRE Conference. To curb Lebanon's budget deficit, which has increased to over 11 percent of GDP, the cabinet will seek to reduce the deficit by 1 percent each year over the next five years by limiting government expenditures. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:18:37|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NANNING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Custom officials in southern Chinese city of Nanning said Wednesday that they had detained nine suspects for smuggling edible bird's nests. Around 36 kg of the edible bird's nests, which are highly prized due to nutritional value, have been seized in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Custom police said a gang led by two suspects surnamed Jin and Li had been purchasing edible bird's nests from a supplier in Indonesia since 2018, and smuggled the nests into China through the border city of Chongzuo in Guangxi. The gang was involved in smuggling around 160 tonnes of edible bird's nests, with an estimated value of over 2 billion yuan (about 300 million U.S. dollars). They are suspected of evading taxes worth 320 million yuan. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:23:43|Editor: ZX Video Player Close COLOMBO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday expressed solidarity with France after a major fire engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In a statement, Sirisena said Sri Lanka stands in solidarity with the people of France and the noble mission to rebuild this world heritage. A fire which broke out in the upper part of the cathedral on Monday evening engulfed the spire and the entire roof which both collapsed later. The French government said the main structure of Notre Dame had been saved and preserved. Notre Dame is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture which receives tens of millions of visitors every year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:28:50|Editor: ZX Video Player Close TOKYO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan logged a goods trade deficit in fiscal 2018 marking the first such shortfall in three years, the government said in a report Wednesday. According to a preliminary report by the Finance Ministry, Japan's deficit in the year through March stood at 1.59 trillion yen (14.18 billion U.S. dollars). From a year earlier, Japan's exports increased 1.9 percent to 80.71 trillion yen (720.33 billion U.S. dollars), while imports in the same period climbed 7.1 percent to 82.29 trillion yen (734.43 billion U.S. dollars). The Finance Ministry said the rise in exports was owing to an uptick in orders for automobiles and ships, and that imports jumping was down to a rise in energy prices, including those for crude oil and liquefied natural gas brought into resource-poor Japan from overseas. Japan's economy is still heavily reliant on its export sector, but overseas demand has waned of late amid increased regional competition for technological goods. A backdrop of slowing demand as the outlook for the global economy has been hazy in recent months, has also led to major economies reining in their capital spending, which has also led to a slump in exports from Japan, economists here said. Japan's trade surplus with the United States dropped 6.7 percent from a year ago at 6.53 trillion yen (58.29 billion U.S. dollars), the Finance Ministry said, with exports from Japan to the United States rising 2.9 percent to 15.63 trillion yen (139.52 billion U.S. dollars) in the recording period. Japan's trade deficit with China increased for the first time in three years to 3.58 trillion yen (31.95 billion U.S. dollars), the ministry said, with both exports and imports rising 2.9 and 3.5 percent, respectively. Japan's trade surplus with Asia plummeted for the first time in five years, falling 14.4 percent to 5 trillion yen (44.63 billion U.S. dollars), with exports rising 1.3 percent and imports expanding 3.7 percent, the Finance Ministry said. Japan logged a trade deficit with the European Union for the seventh successive year, the ministry said, at 421.7 billion yen (3.76 billion U.S. dollars), with imports reaching a record high in the recording period at 9.69 trillion yen (86.49 billion U.S. dollars). Japan booked a goods trade surplus in the month of March, with the balance standing at 528.5 billion yen (4.71 billion U.S. dollars). The ministry said that exports in March dropped 2.4 percent from a year earlier, while imports increased 1.1 percent from a year earlier. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:33:55|Editor: ZX Video Player Close RAMALLAH, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army raided the West Bank village of Kobar Wednesday morning and demolished the home of Saleh Omar Barghouti, who was accused by Israel of carrying out a shooting attack last December. Saleh was gunned down in a military ambush on Dec. 12, 2018 after a manhunt over allegedly carrying out a shooting attack that killed an infant and injured seven settlers on Dec. 9 last year. Kobar Mayor Izzat Badwan told Xinhua that this was the fourth house demolished by Israel during the last two years, saying "such demolitions are considered crimes under the international law, but it won't stop the Palestinian people's determination and commitment to their rightful cause." Local sources said that the Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters towards residents while no major causalities were reported. In March, Israel demolished the home of Saleh's brother Assem Barghouti a few weeks after detaining him, saying he is suspected of killing two Israeli soldiers near Ramallah on Dec. 13, 2018, a day after the killing of Saleh. Israeli Army Spokesperson Avichai Adrei affirmed in a tweet that "the demolition targeted the home of Barghouti, who carried out with his brother an attack in Ofra settlement on Dec. 9, 2018 that killed an infant and injured seven others," and "the Israeli army will continue to work to halt terrorist activates and maintain security in the region." Rights groups say Israel's policy to demolish the family homes of Palestinians does not serve as a means of deterrence, but provokes vengeful acts by both sides. While Israel demolished homes of entire families of individuals accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, it does not apply the same measures to Israeli settlers who were involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians, the groups noted. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 17:39:00|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Wang Xu, Annie Cheung, Hong Xuehua HONG KONG, April 17 (Xinhua) -- New deputy chief of China's national anti-drug commission Tsang Wai Hung promised to launch a drug control campaign with Chinese characteristics. "You will know why China has zero tolerance for drug offenses if you know our history well," Tsang, the former head of the Hong Kong Police Force, said in a recent interview with Xinhua. With rich experience in handling with drug offenses, Tsang was recently appointed as the deputy director of China National Narcotic Control Committee. He became the second person from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) to hold a senior vice-ministerial position in the Chinese government. "Our people had been greatly harmed by drugs in the past. It was a painful experience," Tsang said, noting that this year marks the 180th anniversary of Lin Zexu destroying opium at Humen in south China's Guangdong province in 1839. Lin was a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official, who led the fight against opium smuggling. He ordered the destruction of more than 1,000 tons of smuggled opium confiscated from British dealers at Humen. Tsang, 61, had served the police force for 38 years before he retired in 2015 from the top post -- Commissioner of Police. In the 1980s, he mainly engaged in criminal investigations and took up one of the most dangerous tasks which was fighting against drug trafficking. "At that time, Hong Kong was plagued with drug offenses when tens of thousands of drug addicts were recorded," Tsang recalled, adding that most drug dealers in Hong Kong belonged to transnational criminal groups. "Law and order in Hong Kong was poor and we dealt with several serious violent cases every year," Tsang said. Tsang described the fight against drugs as an "extremely hard yet satisfying" mission. Thanks to joint efforts of different circles in the society, drug offenses dropped substantially with law and order largely improved by the time he retired. In 2015, less than 9,000 drug abusers in Hong Kong were registered and the number of criminal cases continued to decline. Hong Kong is now ranked as one of the safest places in the world, Tsang said with pride. Talking about his responsibilities in the new position, Tsang agreed that the Chinese government should fight against drugs with Chinese characteristics. With regard to the current situation of drug control in China, Tsang said it was rather grave. According to National Narcotics Control Commission, there were 2.55 million drug abusers nationwide by the end of 2017. Although the ratio was relatively low, Tsang said that drug offenses were a pressing matter to be solved immediately. "The problem of drug abuse will lead to serious consequences as China is a big country with a large population," he said. China has seen a rapid economic development in past decades with increasing exchanges between China and the rest of the world, which has put more pressure on drug control. The production of new drugs also poses a serious challenge, which, Tsang said, has become a new trend of drug cases and should not be neglected. "We have the obligation and ability to join hands with our neighboring countries to fight drugs," Tsang said, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration in drug control. Tsang said Hong Kong has achieved results in combating drugs and the key was source control, which could be achieved by pushing ahead with international collaboration. Social cooperation was another important factor, he said, adding that the Action Committee Against Narcotics in Hong Kong includes community workers, teachers, doctors and businessmen who can help mobilize people from all walks of life to enhance awareness of drug control. Tsang, however, agreed that the situation of the mainland is not the same as that of the Hong Kong SAR, so he would suggest the mainland not to simply copy from Hong Kong. "The mainland has been doing quite well in some aspects in regard of drug control and we can further enhance them," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:04:14|Editor: ZX Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, April 17 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong Province saw a boom in electric vehicle charging services in the first quarter, according to local electricity authorities. The Guangdong branch of China Southern Power Grid Co. Ltd. said Wednesday that from January to March its charging facilities provided more than 1 million charges for electric vehicles, increasing 456 percent year on year. Electric vehicles charged 30.3 million kWh of power in the first three months through the company's charging facilities, year-on-year growth of over 840 percent. Xu Yanhao, an official of the company, attributed growth in power consumption and charging services to the increase of electric vehicles including buses, taxis, and cars which offer online ride-hailing services, as well as improvements of charging devices in the province. The number of users of provincial charging services has increased rapidly, with around 108,000 registered users in total. Newly registered users in the first quarter increased 790 percent compared with the same period last year. The surge in power consumption from electric vehicles not only reflects the vigorous growth of electric vehicles in Guangdong but shows the province's pursuit of green development, Xu added. Guangdong reported GDP growth of 6.8 percent last year to 9.73 trillion yuan (about 1.44 trillion U.S. dollars), about 10 percent of the national total. The province has introduced a variety of policies for green growth and high-quality development, and the electric vehicle industry has seen a significant improvement over the past few years. The provincial government stipulated that from 2016, of the renewed or newly-added buses in the Pearl River Delta region, the proportion of pure electric buses should not be less than 90 percent. The proportion of pure electric taxis should increase gradually, and at least 95 percent of newly-added vehicles should be pure electric ones for government agencies and public institutions. Guangdong plans to invest 54 billion yuan to build charging facilities from 2016 to 2020, with nearly 1,500 charging stations and around 350,000 charging points built. Around 5,000 charging points will be put into operation this year in Guangdong, said Xu, adding that charging facilities will be installed along the province's main expressways by 2020. As of March, Guangdong had about 90,000 charging points. "It is estimated that the annual power consumption by electric vehicles will exceed 220 billion kWh since 2020, which is expected to reduce more than 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions," said Qu Dapeng, an official of Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau. Meanwhile, the manufacturing hub has been promoting clean energy. The electric consumption of Guangdong was more than 630 billion kWh last year, with nearly half from clean energy. The provincial ecology and environment department said people in Guangdong would embrace a better environment since the province has paid more attention to green development. Last year, the province reported the annual average for the major air pollution index PM 2.5 dropped 6.1 percent from a year earlier, while the figure in industrial districts, concentrated in the Pearl River Delta region, dropped 5.9 percent. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:04:16|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Sub-Saharan African countries should scale up adoption of drought tolerant crops to contain food insecurity that has worsened against a backdrop of climate change, a Kenyan scientist said on Wednesday. Stephen Mugo, African regional representative at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) said that greater adoption of drought tolerant seeds combined with improved soil and water management is key to cushioning African small-holders from hunger and malnutrition. "Farmers should shift to planting stress-resilient varieties, like early maturing maize varieties that just need 90 to 95 days to mature, instead of over four months for late maturing varieties," said Mugo. He said that early maturing seed varieties are readily available from seed companies and agro-dealers operating in maize growing areas. "If majority of small scale farmers in Africa's drought-prone regions grow drought-tolerant varieties of maize and other staple crops, the farming communities will be better prepared for prolonged dry spells and inadequate rainfall," said Mugo. The scientist said that to improve soil fertility and structure and avoid soil compaction, farmers must practice crop diversification and sustainable soil and water conservation practices. Mugo said that the practice helps reduce run offs when it rains and enables the soil to develop capacity of retaining moisture. "Our research shows that conservation agriculture, combined with a package of good agronomic practices, offers several benefits that contribute to yield increases of up to 38 percent," said Mugo. The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned that abnormally dry condition might lead to massive crop failure across eastern African region. Mugo noted that this year's El-Nino, the second in a period of three years, has led to large pockets of drought across eastern and southern Africa, whose economies still rely heavily on rain-fed smallholder farming. "To ensure large-scale adoption of sustainable and climate resilient technologies and practices, farmers should have access to drought-tolerant seeds, as well as information and incentives to shift to climate smart agricultural practices," said Mugo. CIMMYT works with the African seed sector and national partners to develop and deploy stress resilient maize and wheat varieties through initiatives like stress tolerant maize for Africa and the wheat rust resistant seed scaling in Ethiopia. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:14:20|Editor: ZX Video Player Close WINDHOEK, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A renowned Namibian economist and University of Namibia academic on Wednesday applauded the strengthening economic ties between Namibia and China. Omu Kakujaha-Matundu told Xinhua that financial ties between Namibia and China are bearing fruits as indicated by an increasing export earnings from Namibia from the Asian power house. "Of late Namibia is exporting more to China." "Namibia's exports to china have actually increased significantly. Recently the Namibian Statistics Agency confirmed that Namibia's exports and imports with China have swelled by more than 17 percent," he said. He reiterated that the two countries have benefited immensely from trade diversification as well willingness to actualize deals that were signed in the past. "Unlike in the past where most of Namibia's exports to China were coming from the mining industry, of late we are now exporting agriculture products including our highly rated beef." This is one of the major reasons why trade arrangements between the two countries are improving and will continue improving, he said. Kakujaha-Matundu said China is turning out to be the all-weather friend that most African countries have been looking for. The economics specialist added that China is a key trade partner because its policies are set on enhancing trade. "China has also realized that engagements with Africa should be based on trade relations that are mutual," he said, adding some countries are keen on giving donor aid which in some cases does not develop Africa. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:29:29|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China will promote aerospace development, strengthen international cooperation and contribute Chinese wisdom, plans and strength in man's peaceful utilization of outer space, said an official with China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Wednesday. Zhao Jian, deputy director of the Department of System Engineering of CNSA, said at a press conference that the "Forum on Space Solutions: Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals" will be held in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, from April 24 to 27. The forum, co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the CNSA, aims to bring together space application users and solution providers to forge new partnerships, enhance international space cooperation and contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals, according to Zhao. Since 2016, China has set April 24 as the country's Space Day to mark the launch of its first satellite into space on April 24, 1970. This year's theme is to "pursue space dream for win-win cooperation." About 200 space officials, engineers and scientists from nearly 50 countries will participate in activities for Space Day in China this year. During the same period, the CNSA and the European Space Agency will jointly organize a forum on Earth observation, while a Sino-Russian Moon observation forum will also be held. Zhao mentioned that China and France had deepened space cooperation in recent years. China successfully sent an ocean-observing satellite into space in October of 2018, a joint mission pursued under close Sino-French space cooperation that enabled scientists for the first time to simultaneously study oceans, surface winds and waves. China's Chang'e-4 mission, which made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon earlier this year, embodies China's hope to combine wisdom in space exploration, with four payloads developed by the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia. In February 2018, a seismic-electromagnetic satellite, jointly developed by China and Italy, was launched to study seismic precursors, which might help establish a ground-space earthquake monitoring and forecasting network. China and Brazil had conducted space cooperation for more than 30 years, with a new Earth resources satellite, jointly developed by the two countries, to be launched this year, Zhao added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:29:31|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Military Council Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan on Wednesday issued a decision ordering the Central Bank of Sudan to freeze any suspicious funds and review funds movement as of April 1, 2019. "Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Military Council Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan issued a decision concerning combating corruption and holding corrupt persons accountable," said the council in a statement. The decision directed the Central Bank of Sudan to freeze any suspicious funds and report to the concerned authorities, it noted. It added that the decision stipulated reviewing the movement of funds as of April 1, 2019 by the Central Bank of Sudan and reporting any suspicious big funds or funds movement through clearing or transfers. The decision further directed the General Commercial Registrar to stop ownership transfer of any assets until further notice and report transfer of any big or suspicious assets or companies as of April 1, 2019, the statement said. Sudan's Transitional Military Council is tasked with running the country's affairs following the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir's regime. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:39:39|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close Staff members count the votes after the voting process in a poll station in Jakarta, Indonesia. April 17, 2019. Polls to elect Indonesia's president and parliamentarians closed across the vast archipelagic country on Wednesday. The "quick counts" for preliminary results started at 3:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0800 GMT) and the unofficial results are expected by late Wednesday, while official results will be announced by the election commission in May. (Xinhua/Du Yu) JAKARTA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Polls to elect Indonesia's president and parliamentarians closed across the vast archipelagic country on Wednesday. Voters in western parts of the country ended the polling at 1:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0600 GMT). The country has three time zones with difference of one hour. The "quick counts" for preliminary results started at 3:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0800 GMT) and the unofficial results are expected by late Wednesday, while official results will be announced by the election commission in May. Windry Joana, a voter who arrived at a polling station in the country's capital Jakarta on Wednesday to cast her ballot, said she expected improvement in the country's economy. "I hope the candidates will keep their promises during their campaigns, such as ratcheting off prices. And they should heed on the fate of low income groups," she said. Around 193 million people are eligible to vote in some 810,000 polling stations across the country to elect their new president and members of the parliament. However, in the eastern Papua Province voting at 744 polling stations in Abepura and Japsel were put off for one day as ballots and ballot boxes have not arrived, Ocotavianus Injama, chairman of electoral commission in the provincial capital Jayapura, was quoted by local media as saying on Wednesday. The presidential election pits incumbent President Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, a former commander of Indonesian special forces and chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party. Widodo, 57, a former furniture businessman who started his political carrier as mayor of Surakarta in Central Java and then as governor of Jakarta, defeated Prabowo in the 2014 polls. Prabowo, 67, has strong ties with Islamic groups. His father was one of Indonesia's most prominent economists during the era of Indonesia's first President Soekarno and the second President Soeharto. Widodo cast his ballot at a polling station in Jakarta on Wednesday, stoking upbeat stance in the polls. "We are always optimistic at works," the president said after casting the ballot. Prabowo cast his vote at a polling station in Bogor district of West Java province, also expressing his optimism to win the race. "Optimism, we are optimistic to win 63 percent, that is our calculation," he said after casting the vote. For legislative polls, over 245,000 candidates backed by 16 national political parties and four local parties are vying for more than 20,000 legislative seats. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:49:45|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has vowed to strengthen protection of the Great Wall, which has a total length of more than 21,000 km. The protection and restoration work should ensure that the Great Wall relics remain where they originally existed and maintain their original look, said Song Xinchao, deputy head of the administration, at a press event on the Great Wall protection and restoration Tuesday. Noting the importance of both routine maintenance in general and urgent repair of some endangered sites on the Great Wall, Song said his administration would urge local authorities to check and find sites in need of repair and improve their protection work. "Some key sites suitable for visits can be opened to the public on a moderate scale," Song said. The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls, some of which date back 2,000 years. There are currently more than 43,000 sites on the Great Wall, including wall sections, trench sections and fortresses, which are scattered in 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Hebei and Gansu. In January, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Cultural Heritage Administration jointly released a comprehensive conservation plan to establish a long-term mechanism for the conservation and utilization of the Great Wall. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:54:49|Editor: zh Video Player Close by Ren Ke DUISBURG, Germany, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Suad Durakovic, a German citizen of Bosnian origin, runs a logistics company that also trains truck drivers in the western German city of Duisburg. "We are short of truck drivers! The whole country needs more drivers," Durakovic told Xinhua while overseeing a training course. The booming logistics industry in the city, driven up by the Silk and Road construction, brings Durakovic real business. "Duisburg is a logistics center. The new Silk Road is definitely a reason for the growth of logistics," he said. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Duisburg is the world's largest inland port and a hub for transportation in west Europe. As the city has become a key terminal of the freight trains from and to China, changes are taking place. CLOSER CONNECTIONS In Duisburg Intermodal Terminal (DIT), freight trains carry beer, wine, machinery, milk powder and auto parts to China and textiles, machinery and toys to other countries in Europe. The freight volume involving China accounts for nearly one third of the total in DIT, which has had to hire more drivers and workers to handle the containers and build more warehouses. Near the Duisburg Port, the German national railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) is building another freight terminal to be put in operation this year. Nicole Brandenburg, a staff there, told Xinhua that the shipment volume in Duisburg will further increase as she expected more trains from or to China. Duisburg Port is expanding. A deserted paper mill has been converted into new port facilities and the new container dock near the Rhein River has increased the capacity of the whole port. Through those changes, Durakovic found opportunities for his company: he will train as many as 1,000 truck drivers per year in the future instead of 400 at present. The freight trains, named China Railway Express, is a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China. With an average journey time of two weeks, cargo trains between Europe and China are faster than container ships and cheaper than cargo planes. The project's contribution to the local industry is visible, with the Railway Transportation Service Broker (RTSB) as a case. The company previously focused on transportation between West Europe and former Soviet Union states till 2013 when it operated the first train from central China's Zhengzhou to German city of Hamburg. As the route succeeded and attracted more customers, RTSB operated more freight trains between Duisburg and Hamburg and Chinese cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Hefei and Changsha. In the past three years, the turnover of the company tripled to 300 million U.S. dollars, and the freight volume doubled in 2018 from a year ago. "It's all because of the China Railway Express. It has become the focus of our company," said Kateryna Negrieieva, business development director of RTSB, adding that more jobs are created in other parts of Europe as a result of increased cargo flows on the routes. In the Polish city Malaszewicze bordering Belarus, RTSB's office expanded from five staff members in 2016 to 30 at present. Johannes Pflug, a former German parliament member and now Duisburg's China representative, told Xinhua that the China Railway Express in Duisburg has increased from three trains per week to 35 to 40 per week right now, stimulating the growth of port industry and creating over 6,000 jobs. Yu Kai, China business development manager at the Economic Promotion Agency of Duisburg, told Xinhua that Chinese companies registered in Duisburg have increased from about 40 in 2014 to over 100 now. Duisburg has also attracted investors in neighboring countries. Yu said the agency is promoting a project in Rheinhausen area on the west bank of Rhein, which used to be an administrative center of the steelmaker Thyssen. The plot and building have been bought by an investor from the Netherlands, who believed that more Chinese companies will come here after the complex is converted to office facilities. Although the renovation has not yet finished, over 10 Chinese companies have already registered here. REVIVAL OF DUISBURG Many parts of Duisburg are under construction. Besides the port and the DB terminal, a business center is being built on the square in front of the main railway station. Roads are being built or expanded. In the city's southern suburbs many urban facilities have been planned. But in the north, a large landscape park reminds the people of the rise and fall of the city. The iron and steel work of Thyssen built at the dawn of the 20th century was converted to a park about 90 years later after it was deserted. The factory's facilities still stand there, abandoned, rusty and overgrown with weeds. Markus Taube, a professor at East Asian economic studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen, told Xinhua that Duisburg had experienced 20 dire years of stagnation, as the old heavy industry had gone for quite a long time and the business model did not work anymore. The city's population has shrunk from 600,000 in the 1970s to around 500,000 right now. Its unemployment rate was among the highest in Germany after all of the coal mines and many large steelworks were closed. "Until five or six years ago, Duisburg found logistics as a new engine. It is catching up and regaining strength, and luckily the Belt and Road is really stimulating the city, which is becoming a logistics center," said the life-long Duisburger Taube. "Our economic transformation has started quite early, but the relations with China has promoted the transformation," said Volker Mosblech, executive deputy mayor of Duisburg, who believed that the city's relations with China has been making great strides forward in the past years and it has in a sense "become a China city in Germany." "We used to be a city of iron, steel and coal...We are now a gateway for China to enter Europe," said Mosblech. (Xinhua reporter Lian Zhen also contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 18:59:53|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close GHAZNI, Afghanistan, April 17 (Xinhua) -- At least four militants including a local commander named Salar have been confirmed dead after the fighting aircraft pounded a Taliban hideout outside Ghazni city, capital of Afghanistan's Ghazni province, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said Wednesday. According to the official, the airstrikes were conducted late Tuesday in Mangor area outside Ghazni, killing commander Salar and three of his armed men on the spot. Both the Taliban outfit and government forces have stepped up operations and counter-operations in Afghanistan since launching the annual offensive by the Taliban group last week. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 19:10:05|Editor: zh Video Player Close SHENYANG, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 950 firefighters have been battling a fire near Qipan Mountain in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, local authorities said. The fire broke out at about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday and spread fast with the help of strong winds, according to local authorities. Two hundred more firefighters are on their way to the scene. No casualties have been reported so far, and an investigation is underway. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 19:40:30|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close MUMBAI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- India's Reliance Industries Ltd has entered into a pact with Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL), to offer strategic stake in its 100 percent controlled six limited liability companies (LLPs) owning very large ethane carriers (VLEC), a Reliance Industries press release said Wednesday. "Given MOL is currently the operator of all the six VLECs, investment by MOL will deepen our relationship with them and ensure continued safe and efficient operations of the VLECs. We welcome MOL as a strategic partner into the SPVs as they move beyond the current operator role to joint owner and operator role in the SPVs," said P.M.S. Prasad, executive director of Reliance Industries. Reliance Ethane Holding Pte. Ltd, incorporated in Singapore and a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries has 100 percent controlling stake in these six LLPs. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and the LLPs will be jointly controlled by two companies. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "This investment would enable MOL to add six unique VLECs, which we have been operating for some time now, as owners to its existing fleet of over 850 vessels which include LNG carrier, other tankers, dry bulkers, car carriers, ferries and coastal RoRo ships and cruise ships," Takeshi Hashimoto, member of the board, executive vice president of MOL said. MOL owns and operates a fleet size of over 850 vessels including tankers, dry-bulk vessels, car carriers, RoRo ships and is also the largest LNG carrier in the world. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:00:43|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a leading global conservation organization, on Wednesday commended the government of Tanzania for taking a strong action towards the reduction of plastic pollution by introducing a ban on single use plastic bags in the country. WWF said in a statement issued in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam that the use of plastics, which was introduced in Africa a generation ago, has been reported to pollute both the seas and land at an alarming rate. "WWF is quite impressed with the government's decision to ban the use of plastic bags and carriers. This will be a big boost in the bid to protect the environment in Tanzania," said WWF Tanzania Country Director Amani Ngusaru. "Plastic is a number one polluter of environment and a silent killer of our natural environment and living resources than most people understand. It takes more than a hundred years for a single plastic bag to decay, and that creates a huge problem," said Ngusaru. He said WWF was committed towards supporting the government in the fight against plastic pollution. "We understand that the control of plastic pollution calls for all stakeholders' participation in raising awareness and making sure that the ban is being effectively observed," he said. Ngusaru said WWF will work with the government and partners to give expert advice whenever needed and conduct awareness raising initiatives. Marco Lambertini, the Director General for WWF International, said the conservation organization applauded Tanzania's leadership for taking the initiative. "We witness over eight million tonnes of plastics entering the oceans every year and an additional 104 million tonnes of plastics is expected to pollute our ecosystems by 2030 unless immediate action is taken," he said. In his budget speech in parliament last week, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced a total ban on production, importation, sell or use of plastic bags with effect from June 1, 2019. Tanzania joins countries in Africa that have either banned or introduced a levy on plastic bags to control and eventually stop its use. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:05:48|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close Supporters celebrate presidential candidate Joko Widodo's advantage from "quick counts" after the voting process of the presidential election in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 17, 2019. Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo was leading his rival Prabowo Subianto in the presidential election on Wednesday as the results of "quick counts" rolled in. The "quick count" surveys were conducted by five leading pollsters about four hours after the voting ended at 1:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0600 GMT) with 75 percent of total votes counted. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri) JAKARTA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo was leading his rival Prabowo Subianto in the presidential election on Wednesday as the results of "quick counts" rolled in. The "quick count" surveys were conducted by five leading pollsters about four hours after the voting ended at 1:00 p.m. Jakarta time (0600 GMT) with 75 percent of total votes counted. Indo Barometer said Widodo secured 53.94 percent of the votes while Subianto got 46.04 percent. Outranking Indonesia showed Widodo was leading Subianto by 54.84 percent to 45.07 percent. Volvox Center gave Widodo an advantage of 15 percentage points with 57.71 percent against Subianto's 42.29 percent. Charta Politika said Widodo got 54.28 percent while Subianto took 45.72 percent of the votes. LS Denny JA saw Widodo securing 55.25 percent while Subianto garnering 44.75 percent. The official results will be released in May. Subianto rejected the results of the "quick count" surveys, saying "exit polls showed we take the lead of 52.2 percent and 55.8 percent for a quick count." Meanwhile, President Widodo expressed his gratitude to all sides, including the military, the electoral commission and others, for their efforts to ensure the successful elections. "We have seen the results of the 'quick counts,' but let's wait for the official results that will be announced by the electoral commission," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:10:53|Editor: zh Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania on Wednesday pledged continued support to Chinese investments at the 2019 Tanzania-China High-level Investment and Business Environment Dialogue in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Investment, Angellah Kairuki, said Chinese investment has had, and will continue to play an important role in helping us reach our goal of attaining a middle income country status by year 2025. She said as the two countries marked 55 years of diplomatic relations this year, Tanzania was committed to continuing working closely with China, particularly through mechanisms within the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that promote government and private investments. However, it is unavoidable that some misunderstandings may occur in the rapidly growing and wide ranging economic relations and trade, she told the event. "Even so, it is my sincere belief that cooperation and common development will continue to represent the main trend." "I wish to use this opportunity to urge all of us here present that when problems occur, we should not hesitate to seek appropriate solutions as equal partners through consultations and dialogues with the view to further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation," said Kairuki. The minister said Tanzania will strive to ensure ease of doing business by addressing delays in the issuance of work permits and residence permits. Wang Ke, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said the dialogue was a good beginning for the two countries to strengthen communication on investment and business policies. "If such dialogues can be institutionalized, the Tanzanian government would know better the wishes and appeals of Chinese enterprises in Tanzania, and the Chinese enterprises would better adjust themselves to the new policies of Tanzania," she said. She said recent years have witnessed steady development of bilateral relations between China and Tanzania, especially the fruitful cooperation in economic and trade fields. The bilateral trade volume in 2018 reached about 3.976 billion U.S. dollars, registering a year-on-year growth of 15 percent, said the Chinese envoy, who added that China has been the largest trading partner of Tanzania for three consecutive years. Up to now, she said, China's total investment in Tanzania has exceeded 7 billion dollars, which made China the largest foreign investor in the east African nation. Wang said at present, over 200 Chinese companies were making investments and operating in Tanzania, adding that China was also the largest project contractor in Tanzania with investments ranging from infrastructure, mining, agriculture to manufacturing, hotels, real estate and banks. Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-Tanzania diplomatic relations, Wang said the Chinese embassy in Tanzania will continue fulfilling its obligations by building connections and facilitating participation in China-Tanzania cooperation. The China-Tanzania high-level dialogue on investment and business environment was aimed at providing a platform for the Tanzanian government to publicize, introduce and promote its investment policies and business environment and to facilitate investment, project contracting and trade business operations of Chinese companies in Tanzania. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:10:56|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Ten people, including three children, were killed when a passenger van collided with a bus in Mahiyanganaya, in Uva Sri Lanka on Wednesday, police said. Police said the van had veered off the road and crashed head on into the bus which was heading towards Trincomalee, in the east from Diyatalawa, in the central highlands. According to the police, two injured are in critical condition. The driver of the bus had been arrested. Initial investigations revealed that the driver of the bus had fallen asleep. Police are conducting further investigations. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:16:00|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon officials said Wednesday they are concluding arrangements with neighboring Nigeria for the return of 4,000 Nigerian refugees to their country by April 29. The refugees from Minawao camp, the only official refugee camp in Cameroon's Far North region, voluntarily opted to return home, according to the region's governor Midjiyawa Bakari. "We have agreed with the Nigeria government that 4,000 refugees from Adamawa state in Nigeria will be returned. They are the first ones to return but the process will continue after that. They will return by air. Cameroon will provide the security from the refugee camp to the airport," Bakari told reporters. "We (Nigeria and Cameroon) are discussing how we will do with their children that have been going to school here and the property they have obtained here," he added. The majority of the refugees at the camp are from Borno state in Nigeria but only those from Adamawa asked to be taken home because "there is calm and security" there, officials said. In early April, Cameroon assisted 40,000 out of about 60,000 Nigerians who fled into Cameroon before Nigeria's February elections to return home. According to the UN, Minawao camp hosts over 57,000 Nigerian refugees who fled from the atrocities of terror group Boko Haram. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:16:02|Editor: ZX Video Player Close YINCHUAN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of rechargeable electric taxis has hit the road in the city of Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, according to the Ningxia branch of China's State Grid. A total of 50 new energy taxis were put into operation Tuesday, which is expected to save 38,000 liters of petrol every year, said Ji Hongliang, chief engineer with the company. He said the electric cars were zero emission vehicles, more environmentally-friendly and economical compared with traditional fuel and gas ones. "The new energy auto could save me more than half of the cost every month compared with my phased-out gas car," said taxi driver Wang Tianwu. Facial recognition and real-time monitoring will be added to electric taxis in the future, Ji said. Ningxia will gradually replace traditional cabs with new energy vehicles to help meet the region's environment protection goals, he added. A total of 280 charging piles have been installed in Ningxia so far and the number will reach 5,000 by the end of 2020. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:16:03|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A major Sudanese rebel group on Wednesday declared a unilateral three-month cessation of hostilities. "I declare the cessation of hostilities at all the areas under the control of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM/northern sector)," said Abdel Al-Aziz Al-Hilu, SPLM's chairman, in a statement. "The cessation of hostilities continues for three months as of April 17 until July 31, 2019," he noted. He instructed all forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the SPLM/ northern sector's military arm, to abide by this declaration and stop any hostile acts unless in self-defence or in defence of the citizens. Al-Hilu regarded the declaration of cessation of hostilities as a goodwill gesture towards the peaceful settlement of the Sudanese issue and to avail the opportunity for immediate and smooth transition of power to the civilians. Sudan's Transitional Military Council, chaired by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, is tasked with running the country's affairs following the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir's regime. The SPLM/northern sector has been fighting the central government in Khartoum at South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas since 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:26:11|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close ROME, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Industrial production has seen dramatic changes in recent months, that included the sector's temporary dropping of a rank among European countries to being the sector contributing most to growth in the European industrial output. Italy's industrial sector finished 2018 on a low note, with a slowdown severe enough that France briefly replaced Italy as the European Union's second most important industrial power, according to data from Eurostat, the European Commission's statistical directorate (Germany remained in first). But since then, industrial output in Italy has recovered to the point that the country contributed nearly 36 percent of the growth in the European Union's overall industrial production so far this year -- more than any other country. How should the up-and-down performance of the sector be interpreted? "Recent months have been a real mixed bag for Italy," Riccardo Puglisi, a political economist with the University of Pavia, told Xinhua. "But it's too early to draw a conclusion about what has been happening." Puglisi explained that the slowdown last year could be attributed to nervousness over political issues such as the Italian government's long battle with the European Commission over the country's 2019 budget. "It's possible that companies were worried by the political situation and that they decided to sit back to see how it would play out," he said. The strong industrial figures in January and February (March figures have not yet been released) could just be what Puglisi called "a regression to the mean", taking advantage of the weak comparison figures. The early 2019 figures could also be bolstered by companies working to fill orders that built up the previous months. "We won't know for a few more months whether we're seeing true growth in the industrial sector or some kind of statistical anomaly built on weak expectations," Puglisi said. "For now, I am cautious. I think the next few months will tell the true story." Andrea Montanino, chief economist and the director of the research center for Confindustria, Italy's main industry association, agreed with Puglisi that it is premature to interpret data from such a short period. But he also said there were reasons to believe the strong performance so far this year could last. "The pharmaceutical sector has performed strongly, and after a lull of a few months, the automobile sector is also performing well," Montanino said in an interview. He went on: "All that said, the next few months will be a challenge because the overall European economy is slowing," he said. "It will be hard for industrial output to continue to strengthen if orders from European trading partners are reduced." Both Puglisi and Montanino said that if the trend in industrial output continues it could be good news for Italy's wider economic prospects. The Italian economy slipped into recession in the second half of 2018, and most indicators predict the economy could have its third consecutive economic quarter of slow growth when figures for the first quarter of this year are released. "A healthy industrial sector would go a long way toward pulling the economy back to positive growth levels," Puglisi said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:26:13|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj pledged to bring the commander of the eastern-based Army General Khalifa Haftar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over indiscriminate shelling in the capital Tripoli. Later on Tuesday, residential areas of Tripoli were attacked by indiscriminate shelling of unknown source, killing and injuring several people, and destroying houses and properties. Both Serraj's government and Haftar's army exchanged accusations of the shelling, as both parties continue fighting for control over the city. "It is a savage attack by Haftar on the district of Abusalim and Hai al-Intisar (southern Tripoli), confirming his brutality. Such an act can only be committed by someone who has no humanity," Serraj said during a visit to the shelling site earlier on Wednesday. On the other hand, the army on Wednesday accused "terrorist militias controlling the capital" of the shelling, pledging to hold them accountable. The army has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli where the government is based. The clashes between the two sides have so far killed and injured hundreds of people, and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:46:26|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close RIGA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's trade union of teachers Wednesday decided to call a strike on Sept. 2, as it doubted the government can keep promises to raise their wages as scheduled, local media reported. The strike, which will continue indefinitely, can still be called off if the government meets the teachers' demands by mid-May, the union said. "We will go on strike in September if the legislative amendments necessary to ensure the wage increase are not passed in a month's time," said Inga Vanaga, the leader of the teacher's trade union. The union leader said that although an agreement had been reached with the government on raising the teachers' wages starting from September 2019, the government's action plan suggests that the pay increase will only be provided next year. The government called this a technical error and tried to reassure the teachers that their wages would increase this year. "We will wait for a month, and if the promise is not kept, an indefinite strike will start on September 2," Vanaga said. The trade union demands amendments to the government regulations on teachers' wages and Latvia's 2019 budget that would guarantee compliance with the pay rise schedule approved by Latvia's previous government. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 20:51:28|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Photo taken on March 18, 2018 shows the Jiankou Great Wall after snowfall in Huairou District of Beijing, capital of China. China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has vowed to strengthen the protection of the Great Wall, which is more than 21,000 km long. The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls, some dating back 2,000 years. (Xinhua/Bu Xiangdong) BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has vowed to strengthen the protection of the Great Wall, which is more than 21,000 km long. The protection and restoration work should ensure that the Great Wall relics remain where they originally existed and maintain their original look, said Song Xinchao, deputy head of the administration, at a press event on the Great Wall protection and restoration Tuesday. Noting the importance of both routine maintenance and urgent repair of endangered sites on the Great Wall, Song said his administration would urge local authorities to check and find sites in need of repair and improve protection work. "Some key sites suitable for visits can be opened to the public on a moderate scale," Song said. The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls, some dating back 2,000 years. There are currently more than 43,000 sites on the Great Wall, including wall sections, trench sections and fortresses, scattered in 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Hebei and Gansu. At the Tuesday event, reporters from a number of media outlets were invited to visit the Jiankou Great Wall, which is under repair until the end of June, in the northern Huairou District of Beijing. With a total length of 7,952 meters, the Jiankou Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on steep mountains and is left with incomplete walls and ruins after erosion and wars over the past hundreds of years. According to Shu Xiaofeng, director of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Administration, the repair will only renovate walls that are likely to fall or endanger people passing by, while the appearance of other safe walls will not be changed. "We always follow the principle and idea of minimum intervention, insisting on solving problems harming the Great Wall's safety, especially the stability of its structure, by minimum human intervention," Shu said. The existing relics of the Great Wall are results of human activity and natural factors over the past thousands of years, said Song Xinchao, who stressed preventing improper interventions and putting an end to "rebuilding the Great Wall." In January, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Cultural Heritage Administration jointly released a comprehensive conservation plan to establish a long-term mechanism for the conservation and utilization of the Great Wall. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:01:34|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close KABUL, April 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 40 militants have been killed elsewhere in the conflict-battered Afghanistan over the past 24 hours as both the Taliban group and government forces have intensified operations, officials said Wednesday. The government forces in latest crackdown stormed a Taliban hideout in Arghandab district of the southern Zabul province killing five armed insurgents and injuring six others, said an army statement released Wednesday. Afghan forces, according to army spokesman in the northern region, Mohammad Hanif Rezai, have killed 11 insurgents and injured 21 others in Dawlatabad district of the northern Faryab province since Tuesday. Two Taliban important commanders Mawlawi Omari and Mawlawi Naem are among those killed, Rezai said, adding the operations against militants in Dawlatabad district and adjoining areas would last until the militants are wiped out. Similarly, the government forces have killed 25 militants elsewhere in the restive eastern Ghazni province and recaptured 21 villages over the past 24 hours, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said Wednesday. Moreover, people in the northern Kunduz province in a gathering held in provincial capital the Kunduz city on Wednesday morning, appreciated the security forces for fighting back the Taliban and thwarting their designs to overrun the city. Taliban outfit launched its annual offensive on April 12 and since then the militant group has attacked government interests across Afghanistan. Rejecting the claims made by officials, Taliban militants in counter-claims insisted the armed group had inflicted casualties on security forces and gained ground. Afghan warring sides often exaggerate the casualties and gains of opponents, it is difficult to verify with independent sources. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:01:36|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan have agreed to arrange exchanges and visits for 30,000 young people of the two countries in the next five years, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. The arrangement will be a part of the China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year, spokesperson Lu Kang told a press briefing. "Amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states," Lu said. "Friendship between China and Japan ultimately relies on friendship between the two peoples, and youth exchanges play an important role in people-to-people connections." "We sincerely hope that the youth of the two countries will carry out various activities with their creativity and wisdom, enhance mutual understanding and become the most active force in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," he said. The opening ceremony of the China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year was held in Beijing last weekend with the attendance of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:26:47|Editor: zh Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Tezeru Adeba, who leads local efforts in the immunization of children in a rural town in central Ethiopia, reckons the hardships local healthcare personnel endured to protect their children from chronic healthcare perils before a Chinese company set up innovative devices. Even though some 35 health posts were established over the past years across small towns in Lume District of Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state, some 100 km South of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Adeba said that a lack of adequate electricity supply in the area had posed a major challenge. The situation has affected the vaccination of local children to cope with deadly diseases including Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, and Polio, among others. "We have tried various ways to effectively protect children's health through timely vaccination services," said Adeba, who is also Mother and Children Health Coordinator of the district. She called for concerted efforts by the Ethiopian government and its partners so as to sustain the safety of children from various diseases. "Despite the different attempts, none of the initiatives were able to mitigate the serious challenge posed by power-shortage," Adeba told Xinhua on Wednesday. "Power-interruption for just a short period of time while the vaccines were stored inside a refrigerator at the health posts often forced us to discard the much-needed vaccines imported from abroad with higher government expenditure," she added. Frustrated by the huge waste of important vaccines, the local government had also applied various safety measures, which include storing vaccines in major towns of the district, where relatively better power supply was available. The move, however, created another challenge on residents as they were forced to travel miles to vaccinate their children on a monthly basis. "We are 45 km from the nearest city," said Mulunesh Herma, resident of Tiliti Gerbi town, as she described the huge challenge she had to undergo to vaccinate her child. "Many people often tend to stay home and abandon vaccinating their children due to the difficulty in accessing the access," she added. "It was very discouraging as we were not able to immunize the vulnerable children due to power-shortage, while the vaccines were already available," Adeba said. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), despite Ethiopia's significant improvements over the past decades, only 38.5 percent of children between 12 and 23 months receive all basic vaccinations. UNICEF, which revealed "great disparities in terms of access to vaccination services between rural and urban areas," also advised that one of the key strategies to improve access and utilization of immunization services is to improve the cold chain system, especially at the health post level. While Adeba and other local government officials consider access to uninterrupted power supply, which requires huge investment, the only option to solve the daunting challenge, the installation of high-end vaccine refrigerators that operate solely with solar power have now solved the huge burden. "The huge burden is now a distant reality," Adeba said, adding mothers in our area are relieved from commuting long distance to vaccinate their children. The Solar Direct Drive (SDD) vaccine refrigerators - an innovation of the Haier Biomedical Ltd. Company, under the Chinese multinational consumer electronics and home appliances giant Haier Group Corporation -is now considered as an "ideal solution" for thousands of healthcare facilities across the East African country. The Chinese biomedical company, in partnership with its Ethiopian partner Gedion Alula General Trading Company, also provided delivery of spare parts, training of supply chain and immunization focal persons both at federal and regional levels, as well as 10 years of warranty for its products, company representative Wang Wenming told Xinhua. Officials of Gedion Alula General Trading Company, an Ethiopian company which installs Haier's high-end SDD products throughout the East African country, told Xinhua on Wednesday that "Haier products are constantly witnessing the user experience." "We have so far provided 4,000 Haier vaccine refrigerators, with the potential of benefiting close to 5 million families and 15 million people," said Kassa Hailegiorgis, general manager of the company. In addition to its innovative solar vaccine refrigerators, Haier also engages through awareness creation endeavors in an effort to create awareness on the importance of vaccination for local community members. Solomon Chale, Head of Selam Children's Village in Oromia regional state, who noted local community's "weak" awareness concerning the importance of vaccination, said that Haier has been helpful through the provision of technical courses for students at the village. "Now students know the benefits of vaccination," Chale said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:31:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a symposium about solving prominent problems including meeting the basic needs of food and clothing and guaranteeing compulsory education, basic medical care and housing in southwest China's Chongqing, April 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) CHONGQING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for greater efforts to win the battle against poverty on time and realize the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement during an inspection tour to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Monday to Wednesday. During the inspection, Xi also presided over and delivered a speech at a symposium to address the problems concerning the basic living needs of rural poor populations and their access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing. VISITS TO THE POOR After arriving in Chongqing, the president took an over-three-hour trip, by train and then by road, to a mountainous village in Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County on Monday. When visiting a primary school there, Xi promised to ensure children in poor mountainous regions go to school and have a happy childhood. Stopping by the house of Tan Dengzhou, an impoverished villager, Xi learned that Tan and his wife were unable to work due to illness and thus faced financial difficulties. People who still live under the poverty line or slip back into poverty due to illness should be the priority of poverty alleviation projects, Xi said, adding that they should receive support such as minimum-living allowances, medical insurance and medical aid. At the home of Ma Peiqing, a veteran CPC member who has shaken off poverty, Xi sat in the yard, chatting with the villagers, primary-level officials and village doctors. "Not a single person should be left behind in the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects," Xi said. "Socialism means development. Development must serve the common prosperity for everyone." He told the CPC members and cadres to work on the frontline in fighting poverty. POVERTY RELIEF PRIORITIES At the symposium Tuesday afternoon, Xi said that the basic requirement and key indicator for the poverty alleviation goal by 2020 are that rural poor people have no worry about food and clothing and have access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing. At the crucial stage in winning the battle against poverty, heads of Party committees and governments at the provincial level should take up their responsibilities, he said. Efforts should be made to work out detailed and concrete measures, target genuinely poor households, and prevent the reoccurrence of poverty to those who had been lifted out, according to Xi. In addition to deepening the campaign against corruption and improper conduct in poverty alleviation, Xi also called for timely compensation and long-term support to families of officials who have sacrificed their lives to the cause. DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN REGION After hearing the work reports from Chongqing's Party and government officials Wednesday morning, Xi hoped that Chongqing will act as a major drive in boosting the development of China's western region in the new era, play a leading role in promoting the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and become a model in advancing green development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Xi asked Chongqing to take the lead in the western region to firmly promote the reform and opening-up and meticulously prepare for and carry out the events celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The officials were told to address issues closely related to people's lives, such as education, employment, social security, healthcare, housing, environmental protection, and public security. They were also instructed to foster high-caliber officials that are loyal, clean and responsible, and crack down on the practice of formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:31:57|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close RIYADH, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia will hold a financial sector conference next week in Riyadh with the participation of top regional and international experts, said a statement released by Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) on Wednesday. To be held from April 24 to 25 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, the conference will be organized by partners of the Financial Sector Development Program, represented by the SAMA, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Ministry of Finance. SAMA Governor Ahmed Al-Kholifey highlighted in a statement released by Saudi Press Agency that the kingdom offers many real investment opportunities in the sector. He pointed out that the conference has attracted financial decision makers and senior executives in financial institutions, making it one of the largest financial conferences at local and regional levels. The conference seeks to review opportunities of foreign investments in the financial sector and raise the contribution of the Saudi financial sector to GDP in accordance with the kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims at building a diversified and stable economy. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:31:58|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Beijing plans to build 10 food streets for night owls to eat in the next three years, said the city's commerce bureau. By the end of 2021, about 10 business streets in Beijing will be upgraded and built for "midnight canteens," as part of the city's efforts to enrich its nightlife. Beijing sees a strong late-time spending and a big market for late-night dinners, according to China's major food delivery platforms. According to the city's government work report, Beijing will also urge malls, supermarkets and convenience stores to stay open later at night. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:37:02|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission published on Wednesday for public consultation a list of U.S. goods worth 20 billion U.S. dollars that it might target for additional tariffs, as counter measures against what Brussels says are American subsidies to Boeing. There has been a decade-long fight in the World Trade Organization between Brussels and Washington over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, the world's two leading large aircraft makers. On March 28, the WTO's Appellate Body made a ruling regarding the European Union's complaint that the U.S. illegally subsidized Boeing. Washington called the ruling at the time a "major win" for the United States, saying the ruling rejected "28 of 29 EU claims" and rejected "arguments by the EU that the U.S. federal and state programs gave more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in subsidies to Boeing large civil aircraft. But the European Commission said "EU scores final victory in the WTO Boeing dispute", saying it vindicates "the EU's long held position that the United States has taken no steps to comply with WTO rules on support to Boeing." The European Commission added at the time that "the ruling concludes definitively that the U.S. has continued to subsidise the company illegally despite previous rulings condemning this behaviour. This has caused significant harm to its European competitor Airbus." At an earlier stage of this dispute in 2012, the EU made a request to the WTO to authorise the adoption of countermeasures against the estimated damage caused to Airbus by the U.S. support to Boeing. "Based on this request, it is however for a WTO appointed arbitrator to determine the exact appropriate level of countermeasures. The EU is taking steps towards requesting the arbitrator to resume its work," the European Commission said on Wednesday. The list published Wednesday serves as a benchmark as how the EU would retaliate against the U.S. subsidies to Boeing. "A final list, based on the products included in today's list, will be drawn up by the EU taking into account the arbitrator's decision in the near future," the European Commission said. The list published covers a range of items, that overall represent around 20 billion U.S. dollars of United States exports into the European Union, from aircraft to chemicals and notably agri-food products such as frozen fish, citrus fruits and ketchup. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:37:04|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is likely to import about 200 million liters of milk from the East Africa Community (EAC) in 2019 in order to bridge the production deficit, the dairy industry regulator said on Wednesday. Margaret Kibogy, managing director of Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) told Xinhua in Nairobi that Kenya is not itself sufficient in milk production due to rising consumption fueled by rising incomes and urbanization. "We typically rely on the EAC trading bloc which has a liberalized trading regime to meet milk consumer demand," Kibogy said during the AgriFi Food Safety Program forum. Kibogy said that imports from outside the EAC economic bloc are limited to specialized dairy products that are not available in the region in order to cushion the local dairy sector. According to the milk regulator, Kenya processed approximately 648 million liters of milk in 2018. Kibogy said that Kenya is implementing a number of measures to ensure that annual processed milk reaches the one billion liters mark by end of 2022 in order to stop milk imports. She added that Kenya's milk production increased in January compared to a similar period last year but production has been declining since February due to the ongoing drought. KDB is currently training farmers on pasture conservation techniques in order to ensure they maintain milk production despite the ongoing dry spell. Kibogy noted that Kenya's milk sector is susceptible to changing weather patterns due to over reliance on rain for livestock pasture. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:37:06|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel has launched a plan to encourage entrepreneurship in the northern and southern peripheral regions at a cost of 180 million new shekels (50 million U.S. dollars), the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) said Wednesday. The plan aims to promote an innovation-oriented economy in the Israeli periphery by establishing hi-tech incubators, while the IIA will provide up to 1.5 million new shekels per year for each incubator. In addition, the companies operating in the incubator will each get an annual support of up to 1 million new shekels, alongside the benefits granted by the IIA. The franchisees chosen to operate the incubators will work to develop the innovation system in their environment, while promoting cooperation with academic institutions, industry centers, investors, partners and potential customers. "The plan will lead to the addition of hi-tech companies in the periphery, which will increase the employment centers in these regions," said Israeli Minister of Economy Eli Cohen. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:42:08|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Wednesday warned the United States against potential moves that would impact European interests in Cuba. U.S. media reported earlier that the Trump administration might later on Wednesday reverse waivers which had previously been in place to protect foreign companies from lawsuits in the U.S. for their dealings with Cuba. There have been for years waivers for a provision in a 1996 domestic law of the U.S., known as the Helms-Burton Act, that safeguarded foreign companies from U.S. lawsuits, but the Trump administration will reportedly do away with the waivers, potentially opening foreign businesses including those from Europe to lawsuits. A spokesman for the European Commission told a briefing in Brussels that "the European Union reiterates its strong opposition to the extraterritorial application of unilateral restrictive measures which it considers contrary to international law." "The EU is ready to protect European interests including European investments and the economic activities of EU individual and entities in their relations with Cuba," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:47:12|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Presidency Milorad Dodik (L) speaks at the opening ceremony of the 10th International Investment Conference Sarajevo Business Forum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on April 17, 2019. The 10th International Investment Conference Sarajevo Business Forum (SBF) officially started in Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH's) capital Sarajevo on Wednesday under "One Region One Economy" slogan. During the opening ceremony, Chairman of BiH's Presidency Milorad Dodik emphasized that BiH is a stable country for business. (Xinhua/Nedim Grabovica) SARAJEVO, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The 10th International Investment Conference Sarajevo Business Forum (SBF) officially started in Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH's) capital Sarajevo on Wednesday under "One Region One Economy" slogan. During the opening ceremony, Chairman of BiH's Presidency Milorad Dodik emphasized that BiH is a stable country for business. "You can develop your business here with certainty," Dodik said, calling on the businessmen to invest in BiH. He said that BiH is becoming, as well as the entire region, a place of Chinese investments. Under the auspices of the BiH Presidency, the SBF was organized by Bosna Bank International (BBI), whose Board Chairman Bukvic stressed during the opening that the international conference is "recognized as one of the most significant business and investment events in Southeast Europe." "The forum will, for three days, gather almost 2,000 participants, and 300 projects will be presented," Bukvic added. Slovenian President Borut Pahor in his address stated that EU's enlargement policy in the next few years should be more flexible, but that governments of Western Balkans countries should accelerate reforms as well. The Conference was initially organized in 2010 and since then, has been held every year. This year, SBF gathered large delegations from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Albania, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Libya, Kuwait, and Oman. During the forum, there will be business presentations, meetings aiming for networking of participants and development of new business opportunities, and special attention will be paid to the economic potential of BiH and its young people. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:52:15|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close HANOI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- As one of the vulnerable countries to today's more and more sophisticated and large-scale cyber attacks, there is a growing challenge facing Vietnam to keep national cyber security safe, Vietnamese and foreign delegates said at the 2019 Vietnam Security Summit held here Wednesday. At the summit themed "Cyber Security in the Age of Digital Transformation", with the participation of over 700 Vietnamese and foreign delegates, officials from the Vietnamese ministries of Information and Communications, and Public Security said that in 2018, Vietnam encountered 3,818 deface attacks, 1,800 phishing attacks, and 949 malware attacks, and that cyber crimes caused losses of 642 million U.S. dollars to the country. Representatives of Vietnamese and foreign cyber security firms also said that in Vietnam last year, over 1.6 million computers lost data, 60 percent of network systems were infected with ransomware, and there were more than 15,700 security breaches in software and applications. During the summit, hosted by the Authority of Information Security under the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, delegates focused their discussions on cyber security management and data center protection, and prevention of malware, backdoor attacks and information breaches. They also attended live security demos. The summit also included an expo with the participation of 26 Vietnamese and foreign information technology firms, including global giants such as China's Huawei, the United States' RSA, Israel's Check Point and South Korea's Samsung. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:52:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close 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, visits a place of religious activity in Xihua County, during an inspection and research tour to central China's Henan Province, April 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) ZHENGZHOU, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Wang Yang has called for better work to unite religious figures and believers around the Party and the government. Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks during an inspection and research tour to central China's Henan Province. The three-day tour ended on Wednesday. Highlighting the special significance of religious work to the overall development of the Party and the country, Wang urged CPC committees at various levels to comprehensively enhance the political and service functions of primary-level Party organizations. He called for greater efforts to help the public solve practical difficulties, enrich their spiritual and cultural life, guide them to view religious beliefs in a rational way and enable them to consciously resist all kinds of illegal activities under the guise of religions. It is also necessary to actively explore effective ways of localizing religions and guide religions to better adapt to China's social system, morality and culture, said Wang, adding that various measures should be taken to support the healthy and orderly development of religions. During the tour, he also stressed efforts in winning the battle against poverty. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:57:19|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame on Wednesday condemned the "indiscriminate" shelling in the Libyan capital Tripoli as the UN-backed government and the eastern-based army are fighting for the control of the city. Late on Tuesday, residential areas of Tripoli were attacked by shelling of unknow source, killing and injuring several people, and destroying homes and properties. "Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Ghassan Salame condemns in the strongest terms the overnight heavy rocket shelling on the high-density residential neighborhood of Abu Slim in Tripoli which resulted in scores of civilian deaths and injuries," the UN Support Mission in Libya said in a statement. "The use of indiscriminate, explosive weapons in civilian areas constitutes a war crime," Salame said. "Liability for such actions lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially with those who ordered them," he added. The statement also urged all parties to fully respect international humanitarian and human rights laws and adopt "all possible measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure." Both the government and the army led by Khalifa Haftar exchanged accusations on the shelling. "It is a savage barbaric attack by the criminal Haftar on the district of Abu Slim and Hai al-Intisar (southern Tripoli). Such an act can only be committed by someone who has no humanity," Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj said during a visit to the attack site earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the army accused "terrorist militias controlling the capital" of carrying out the shelling, vowing to hold them accountable. The army has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over western Libya, particularly Tripoli where the UN-backed government is based. The clashes between the two sides have so far killed and injured hundreds of people, and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:57:21|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close KIGALI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's national carrier RwandAir on Wednesday launched direct flights to Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The airline's aircraft took off from Kigali International Airport in Rwandan capital city Kigali on Wednesday morning to Kinshasa's N'Djili International Airport, making Kinshasa the airline's 23rd destination in Africa and the 27th globally. RwandAir will operate three direct flights per week from Kigali to N'Djili International Airport on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays by a Boeing 737-800NG which offers 15 seats in business class and 136 seats in economy class, RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo told reporters at the airport shortly before the inaugural flight. "We are proud and excited to add Kinshasa to our network and to offer both passenger and cargo services. This new route will support our growth and increase our footprint in Africa," said Makolo. The flight will play a vital role in the expansion of trade, tourism and investment between Rwanda and DRC, she said. The airline also plans to operate three additional night flights a week to Kinshasa, according to RwandAir. "We are excited to witnessing new successes at RwandAir. The government of Rwanda will continue to support the growth of the airline," Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Transport said at the same event. With a fleet of 12 aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330, the airline currently reaches out destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It plans to add Luanda, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa and Guangzhou to its network this year. The airline also plans to enter the American market with flights to New York. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 21:57:22|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close ROME, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Two men, one Italian and one Moroccan, were arrested in northern Italy on Wednesday for allegedly training to fight for the Islamic State (IS) radical group in Syria, Italian authorities said. The operation was ordered by prosecutors in the Sicilian city of Palermo, who charged the two suspects for incitement to terrorism and terrorism self-training, according to police. The Italian suspect was a 25-year-old truck driver, Giuseppe Frittitta, who was born in Palermo and lived in the northern province of Monza. According to investigators, he met 18-year-old Moroccan Ossama Gafhir, residing in northwest Novara province, over the Internet, where the two allegedly shared intense propaganda activities in favor of the IS. "They have trained for months to carry out terrorist attacks, practicing in the use of weapons and sabotage of public services, and they aimed at reaching the necessary physical and military skills to fight alongside ISIS militiamen in Syria," anti-terrorism DIGOS police said in a statement. Investigators also explained they believed it was the young Moroccan to convert the Italian suspect to radical Islam in 2017, inducing him to train for combat in the territories where IS fighters are operative. On various social media, the two allegedly shared radical posts, photos and video of terror attacks, along with material in support of radical Islamic forces (of ISIS in particular), including maps, combat instructions, and propaganda texts. On the Internet, Frittitta also posted a picture of himself holding a knife with a 26 cm long blade, and calling for "the death of all Westerners", Ansa news agency reported. The Italian would also have made contact with other Islamic extremists in Italy and abroad, according to Ansa. However, the two men were believed to be "lonely wolves" and not members of any larger radical organization or network, according to prosecutors. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:07:27|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A Kenya Airways plane was forced to abort take-off on Wednesday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi after a false bomb alarm by a passenger. The police said the airport was temporarily closed after a commotion on a Johannesburg-bound Kenya Airways flight where a passenger was detained over 'false bomb' alarm. A senior police officer at the airport confirmed the arrest of a passenger for allegedly raising a false alarm. Police said commotion began after an argument between the said passenger and a flight attendant after the passenger mentioned the word 'bomb' during the argument, causing a scare in the plane, which was taxing ready for take-off. This forced the pilot to abort the take off as the passenger was later arrested and handed over to police for interrogation. "We have arrested the suspect and handed him to the anti-terrorism police officers for further interrogation," said the police officer who did not want to be identified. He said JKIA which is a crucial transit point for various airlines coming in and going out of Africa, remains on temporary lock down after flights were grounded for screening. Many affected passengers expressed their anger over the delays since several landing flights were diverted to other airports. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:07:29|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Wednesday urged its member countries to join hands in the fight against forced displacement in the African continent. The call was made by AU's Director of Political Affairs Khabele Matlosa, who noted that African countries represent the largest share of forced displacement as compared with the rest of the world, according to an AU statement on Wednesday. "Globally, there are currently 68.5 million forcibly displaced persons. Of this, 40 million are internally displaced persons, 25.4 million are refugees and 3.1 million are asylum seekers," Matlosa said, adding "Africa is home to more than one-third of global displacement." The African continent currently hosts 14.5 million internally displaced persons as well as 6.3 million refugees, according to figures from the AU. "The social groups that tend to be the hardest hit by forced displacement include women, the youth, children and people with disability," Matlosa said. "Particular attention needs to be paid to these groups during humanitarian response initiatives," Matlosa added. Matlosa also stressed that the operationalization of the African Humanitarian Agency (AfHA), which is currently under scrutiny by AU member countries, "will enhance effective AU response to humanitarian crises such cyclone Idai in future." Matlosa, who noted that the phenomenon of statelessness is "another aspect of displacement, which often gets forgotten," said that the number of stateless persons across the African continent is currently estimated at 712,000. According to the AU, AfHA is part and parcel of the new humanitarian architecture adopted by the AU as enshrined in the Common African Position on Humanitarian Effectiveness. The new humanitarian architecture, which includes the establishment and operationalization of the AfHA, is expected to leverage regional and national arrangements in addressing structural and proximate causes of humanitarian crises, it was noted. The AU also noted that the African Humanitarian Agency "will play a strategic role in exploring durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa." The AfHA was endorsed by the AU assembly, which also adopted the Common African Position in January 2016 aiming at achieving effective humanitarian action in the continent by 2025. Amid growing displacement related concerns, the AU assembly of heads of states in February this year had declared 2019 as "The Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa." Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:12:31|Editor: zh Video Player Close HANOI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will conduct Vietnamese tourism promotion in the three Chinese cities of Chengdu, Chongqing and Shenzhen on May 15-24. The promotion program, which will feature tourism policy and destination introduction, and art performances, is expected to attract the participation of some 300 Chinese travel companies, airlines and tourism management organizations, Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday. According to the Institute for Tourism Development Research under the administration, Chinese visitors often account for 28 to 30 percent of the total international arrivals to Vietnam, and they often travel to central Khanh Hoa province, northern Quang Ninh province, central Da Nang city, southern Kien Giang province, Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City. The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam is forecast to increase in the coming time, mainly due to low cost, short travel time and high frequency of flights between Vietnam and China, Vietnam News Agency said, noting that over 10 Vietnamese and Chinese airlines currently operate 30 air routes between 20 Chinese cities and Vietnamese localities with a total of more than 500 flights a week. Vietnam hosted 4.5 million international arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up 7 percent against the same period last year, said the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Specifically, the country welcomed roughly 1.3 million Chinese visitors, or nearly 28.5 percent of the total international arrivals. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:17:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Li Zhanshu (R), chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, holds talks with Radhames Camacho Cuevas, president of the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Deputies, in Beijing, capital of China, April 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, held talks with Radhames Camacho Cuevas, president of the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Deputies, in Beijing on Wednesday. The Latin-American country forged diplomatic ties with China on May 1, 2018, joining the mainstream international community of more than 170 countries that adhere to the one-China policy. Li said it was a significant historic decision made by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Dominican Republic Danilo Medina. China stands ready to enhance cooperation with the Dominican Republic in all areas under the guidance of the two presidents and consolidate the foundation of friendship so as to usher bilateral ties into a brighter future, Li said. In the face of the rise of unilateralism, protectionism and populism, President Xi has stated in many international occasions that China firmly upholds multilateralism and liberalization of trade and investment, and takes an active part in global governance, according to Li. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing next week. Li said the forum will provide more opportunities for countries to realize common development and help to build a community with a shared future for humanity. He welcomed the Dominican Republic to participate in the forum. The NPC is willing to enhance cooperation with the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Deputies on affairs concerning legislation and governance, Li added. The government, the congress, all political parties and the people of the Dominican Republic supported the establishment of diplomatic ties with China, Camacho said, calling the decision "conducive to both countries and the peace and stability of the world." He said his country will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and be committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with China. Camacho is paying a five-day visit to China from Sunday at the invitation of Li. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:22:44|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BRUSSELS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Liege Airport in southern Belgium is the latest city to benefit from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as the launch of new direct flights and freight rail connections to China is driving growth and opening up new doors in relations between both countries. With an ever-growing number of Chinese tourists and entrepreneurs benefiting from new transport routes to make their way to the Belgian city, Liege is fast turning into a vibrant commercial hub thanks to its flourishing e-commerce and Digital Hub (eHub) platform. As things stand, Liege Airport is Belgium's largest cargo airport and one of the most important air cargo hubs in continental Europe. Luc Partoune, CEO of Liege Airport, believes that Liege, because of the central location in Europe, "has developed a strategy regarding full cargo freighters that is the seventh largest cargo airport in Europe and ranked in the top 30 in the world". In April 2015, an Airbus plane carrying about 400 Chinese tourists landed at Liege Airport, the first Chinese passenger charter flight in Europe. Later that year, three new Chinese passenger charter flights were launched between Liege and several Chinese cities including Xi'an, Shenyang and Tianjin. In 2016, direct flights were added from more Chinese cities such as Taiyuan, Changsha and Chongqing to Liege. During a three-year period, the project brought more than 50,000 Chinese tourists to Europe in one year, allowing for further business opportunities between Belgian and Chinese entrepreneurs. On top of flights, freight trains are also becoming a much heralded means of transport connection. On Oct. 24, 2018, the freight railway line linking Liege and central China's Zhengzhou city was officially opened, offering new opportunities for future trade. In December 2018, Chinese multinational conglomerate Alibaba Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Belgian federal government and the Walloon District Government at Liege Airport, marking the first entry of Ali Group's World Electronic Trading Platform (eWTP) into European markets. An agreement was also signed to include Liege's "Digital Hub (eHub) to facilitate the entry of SME products into the Chinese market." "I think that the initiative of China has to be followed by other initiatives from other countries. Liege Airport is connected with 80 cities in Europe, whereas we are connected with countries all over the Middle East and beyond. I think that this new road can connect all these countries to each other," said the CEO of Liege Airport. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:27:46|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to strengthen its food safety systems in order to boost public health, officials said Wednesday. Robert Kilonzo, head of food safety at ministry of health, told journalists in Nairobi that changing food preferences as well as emerging technologies have necessitated the modernization of the public food safety regime. "Kenya is developing a new regulatory framework that will modernize the way all players in the food production value chain handle food," Kilonzo said during the AgriFi Food Safety Program forum. AgriFi Food Safety Programme is a five year program that seeks to enhance Kenya's national food quality safety system. Kilonzo said Kenya is currently developing a law that will form the Kenya Food and Drugs Authority that will spearhead the country's food safety standards. He noted that the food safety control system is undertaken through a multi-sectoral approach and is implemented by various government ministries and regulatory agencies. "However, the coordination mechanism among these institutions is currently inadequate which could have an impact on food safety in the country," he added. The ministry of health said that Kenya is prioritizing investment in the national food safety control system to eliminate the recurrence of food borne illnesses in the country. Kilonzo said that there will be increased focus on food safety by having sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards being adopted by value chain actors in food sector. He observed that the bulk of players along the food chain have not established traceability systems in their operations. RTHK: Nearly 300 arrested in London climate protests More than 290 people have been arrested in ongoing climate change protests in London that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill, according to police. Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and central road junctions on Monday at the start of a civil disobedience campaign that also saw action in other parts of Europe. The protests were organised by the campaign group Extinction Rebellion, which was established last year in Britain by academics and has become one of the world's fastest-growing environmental movements. London's Metropolitan Police said that by Tuesday evening, 209 arrests had been made. "We expect demonstrations to continue throughout the coming weeks," the police said. The arrest figure includes three men and two women who were detained at the UK offices of energy giant Royal Dutch Shell on suspicion of criminal damage. The majority arrested were seized for breaching public order laws and obstructing a highway. The protest saw more than a thousand people block off central London's Waterloo Bridge and lay trees in pots along its length. Later, people set up camps in Hyde Park in preparation for further demonstrations throughout the week. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2019-04-16. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:32:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SHENYANG, April 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 4,000 people have been battling a fire near Qipan Mountain in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, local authorities said. The fire broke out at about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday and spread fast due to strong winds, according to local authorities. Two helicopters, six unmanned aerial vehicles and over 150 fire trucks have been mobilized in the operation. As of 8:55 p.m. Wednesday, a total of 122 rainmaking rockets had also been fired to quench the fire. More than 11,000 locals had been evacuated to safe areas as of 9:40 p.m. Wednesday. No casualties have been reported so far, and an investigation of the cause of the fire is underway. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:48:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A representative of the Vatican will participate in the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition at the invitation of the event's organizing committee, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, will attend relevant activities as the Vatican's chief representative for the expo, spokesperson Lu Kang told a press briefing. A total of 110 countries and international organizations will attend the expo, which will kick off in late April, Lu added. "We hope to work with all participants to promote green development through the expo." On the ties between China and the Vatican, Lu said the two sides "have maintained contact and consultations" to push forward the improvement of their relations since they signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops last September. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:53:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Jet Airways aircrafts are parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 18, 2019. India's beleaguered airline, Jet Airways, has decided to temporarily suspend all flights from Wednesday night on dry running of cash to operate any flights further with the Amritsar-Mumbai flight at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday night would be the last. (Xinhua/Stringer) MUMBAI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- India's beleaguered airline, Jet Airways, has decided to temporarily suspend all flights from Wednesday night on dry running of cash to operate any flights further with the Amritsar-Mumbai flight at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday night would be the last. Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operation going. Consequently, with immediate effect, Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights and the last flight will operate Wednesday, said a Jet Airways release. This decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the Company and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from its Board of Directors, the airline release said. This follows rejections from lenders to the airline's request to infuse urgent funding. Lenders rejected the request as they did not find visible cash flows that Jet Airways could generate to service any incremental loans, Banking sources said. Meanwhile, in its response to the airline, the lenders said "The Expressions of Interest (EOI) have been received and bid documents have been issued to the eligible recipients today. The bid documents inter alia has solicited plans for a quick revival of the company. The bid process will conclude on 10th May 2019 ... We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company." Jet Airways has informed the DGCA, and the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Finance and other relevant government institutions, of this course of action, the release said. Jet Airways would be the seventh airline going down since May 2014. The others are Air Pegasus, Air Costa, Air Carnival, Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Zoom Air, industry sources said. After 25 years of sharing the Joy of Flying with Indian and international guests, Jet Airways has been forced to take this extreme measure as prolonged and sustained efforts with lenders and authorities did not yield the desired results, the release said. The suspension of all flights that the airline is operating with its five remaining aircraft would mean a significant value erosion to the bidding process initiative undertaken by the bankers, analysts said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 22:53:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Ronald Ssekandi KAMPALA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- In Uganda, China is among others financing the transformation of the African country's customs department, a key factor that the World Bank says is critical in financing the country's economic development in the face of dwindling donor support. The World Bank said in its 2018 Uganda Economic Update that tax collections currently account for 14 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), lower than regional peers, and short of the government's target of 16 percent. Informality, tax exemptions, and inefficiencies in revenue collection deny the country up to 40 percent of revenue, according to the report. CHINA'S ASSISTANCE China is Uganda's major trading partner with imports from the Asian country amounting to 24 percent of the total imports to Uganda, according to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), the government tax body. Uganda also ranks third in Africa as the destination of China's Foreign Direct Investments, according to China's ministry of commerce. All this calls for an efficient tax system that will further facilitate the trade and investment between the two countries. In June last year, Uganda got assistance from China to modernize the customs department. According to Uganda's finance ministry, China would provide non-intrusive scanners, modernized customs risk management, supervision and communication system, capacity building, customs service and enforcement support, among others. Dicksons Kateshumbwa, Commissioner Customs at URA, told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday that Uganda is already reaping benefits out of this cooperation. Kateshumbwa said URA sends some of its officers to China for further training, especially in new areas of technology. Chinese customs officials also come to Uganda and share their expertise with their Ugandan counterparts. "We have had increased capacity building for our staff but also we have acquired some of the latest technology from China," he said, noting that seven new scanners from China will arrive at the Kenyan seaport of Mombasa this week destined for Uganda. He said the scanners would be installed to supplement the existing ones at the country's critical borders. The scanners will strengthen URA's capacity to detect any concealment, which would directly result into increased revenue and management of risks and security, according to the Commissioner. URA and China's customs are piloting an electronic system where they will exchange the certificates of origin of goods instead of doing it manually. "We are cooperating on integrating our certificates of origin. When you export goods, you have certificates of origin which confirm the origin status of goods for purposes of tax treatment," Kateshumbwa said, noting that the move would quickly facilitate trade and investment. Uganda and China through the World Customs Organization (WCO), last year signed an agreement on mutual Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status. Kateshumbwa said the move aims at strengthening trade facilitation between the two countries. Under the agreement, companies that obtain the AEO status in the two countries will enjoy simplified customs procedures, such as reduced examination or prioritized clearance, when they export products to the other country. According to WCO, an AEO is an organization or company involved in the international movement of goods that has been certified by, or on behalf of, a national customs administration and complies with WCO or equivalent supply chain security standards. To boost domestic tax revenue collection, URA has procured the services of Chinese firm Aisino Corporation to provide electronic tax solutions. The Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution, according to URA, seeks to mitigate tax administration shortfalls while promoting efficiency. URA faces challenges in tax administration including poor record keeping, fabricated tax invoices and incomplete disclosure of business transactions. "This is an initiative that is meant to strengthen our domestic taxes ability to detect the correct income that is declared," Kateshumbwa said, noting that the service will start next financial year 2019/20. "The idea is that we want to increase our revenues because as a country we have moved a long way from donor reliance to more of getting our revenues. You cannot expect foreigners to give you money to develop your country," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 23:18:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SOFIA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation between China and Central and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) is among the foreign policy priorities of Bulgaria, the country's deputy foreign minister Georg Georgiev said here on Wednesday. "I must point out here that cooperation between the CEEC and China" is one of the priority axes in the foreign policy of Bulgaria, Georgiev said while addressing the experts roundtable themed "Bulgaria and China: Development in the New Age and New Spheres of Cooperation". For Bulgaria, it was a great responsibility to be an active part of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism and contribute to the initiative with its geopolitical and geostrategic location in the Balkan region, and as a country linking Asia to Europe, Georgiev said. Meanwhile, Bulgarian participation in the initiative reflected the country's willingness to make better use of the opportunities provided by the cooperation mechanism, he said. Bulgaria had the pleasure of hosting the last year's China-CEEC leaders' meeting, and he believed that the arrangements achieved at the meeting "showed the practical dimensions of the cooperation". The China-CEEC mechanism corresponded largely to Bulgaria's policy in the Balkans and across Central and Eastern Europe, namely a policy of infrastructure, transport and energy connectivity, leading to acceleration and further intensification of trade and economic relations, Georgiev said. The eighth China-CEEC leaders' meeting in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik several days ago, which he attended as part of Bulgaria's delegation led by the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, "is also very encouraging with regard to the way and methodologies on which we develop our relationships," Georgiev said. He also recalled the launch of the Global Partnership Center of CEECs and China during the summit in Dubrovnik. The Global Partnership Center of CEECs and China is an important outcome made at last year's China-CEEC leaders' meeting in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. It is also an initiative of innovation within the China-CEEC cooperation framework. It demonstrated the seriousness of the intentions of the CEECs and China to cooperate in all areas of mutual interest, while respecting their national legislation, Georgiev said. Gao Peiyong, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism provides conditions for better development of the BRI for both sides. Jointly organized by the Diplomatic Institute to the Bulgarian Foreign Minister and the CASS, the one-day roundtable was held as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 23:33:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LIMA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday to avoid a preliminary arrest ordered by the justice authorities for his alleged links to the corruption scandal of Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, his lawyer confirmed to the local media. Peru's Health Minister Zulema Tomas Gonzales said the Peruvian politician is hospitalized in an intensive care unit and his state of health is critical. The attempted suicide occurred when police officers tried to apprehend him in his house, where he locked himself in a room and shot himself. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 23:38:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States on May 2 would lift a ban on U.S. lawsuits against foreign firms operating on the property in Cuba seized from Americans. The Trump administration will no longer suspend Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act on May 2, Pompeo said at a news conference, adding he has informed Congress about the decision. The LIBERTAD Act, which became effective in 1996, is a U.S. federal law which aims to strengthen the embargo against Cuba. The Title III of the act authorizes U.S. nationals with claims to confiscated property in Cuba to file suit in U.S. courts against persons that may be "trafficking" in that property. But since 1996, successive U.S. presidents have exercised the authority to suspend the lawsuits provisions. In response to the intensification of U.S. pressure on Cuba, the European Union on Wednesday warned the United States against potential moves that would impact European interests in Cuba. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 23:54:19|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. arms sale plan unveiled Monday is a dangerous move that will only aggravate the already complex and grim situation across the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. government has approved a possible 500-million-U.S. dollar military sale to Taiwan, claiming that the move will help to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient. Subsequently, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen expressed "gratitude," saying that the arms sale was "timely." The situation across the Taiwan Strait, which is already complicated and grim, is worsening as the United States has been using Taiwan to contain China while the Taiwan administration kept seeking foreign intervention. The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. arms sales to Taiwan constitutes a serious violation of international law, the basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and undermine China's sovereignty and security interests. China's firm opposition to such arms sales is consistent and firm. Since the current U.S. administration took office, it has constantly played the "Taiwan card" to contain China, especially in arms sales to Taiwan and military exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. This has seriously damaged China-U.S. relations and jeopardized peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan question, which concerns China's core interests and the national bond of the Chinese people, brooks no external interference. The U.S. administration has once again stirred up sensitive nerves in the Taiwan Strait. Its gross interference in China's internal affairs has aroused the strong indignation of the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. Some Taiwan organizations and people protested outside the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in Taipei, condemning U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and demanding "no war, only peace," and "Taiwan is not a pawn for the United States." Therefore, we would like to advise the U.S. side to clearly recognize the high sensitivity and serious harm of arms sales to Taiwan, correct mistakes, honor its commitments and handle Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and proper manner in accordance with the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques. Taiwan's current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, which is teetering on the brink of collapse, was overjoyed at the U.S. arms sales as if it had been given a "straw to save its life." Tsai Ing-wen and the DPP administration have escalated provocations against the Chinese mainland, created disturbances recently and cooperated with the United States in vigorously clamoring the so-called "military threat" from the mainland. In the face of next year's general election on the island, Tsai and the DPP will not hesitate to let Taiwan serve as a pawn for forces of external interference in order to protect their power, regardless of the safety and well-being of the Taiwanese people. This party has not only misjudged the situation but also deviated from the people's heart. U.S. weapons cannot guarantee Taiwan's security. Tsai and the DPP cannot secure their power and position by seeking foreign interference or threatening the people. Tsai, the DPP and "Taiwan independence" separatist elements should not play with fire or even think about it. They are doomed to be alone in the face of the pressure of their own actions. On April 17, 124 years ago, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, securing foreigner's occupation of Taiwan for half a century. It left lasting, painful memories for all Chinese. Today's China will never allow the historical tragedy of national division to repeat itself. No one and no force should underestimate the determination and capability of the Chinese in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:04:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan airport authorities said Wednesday normal flight operations at the country's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have resumed hours after a false bomb alarm forced Kenya Airways to abort take-off. Earlier on Wednesday, a commotion began after an argument between a passenger and a flight attendant. The passenger mentioned the word 'bomb' during the argument, causing a scare in the plane, which was taxing ready for take-off. Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said the 1 pm incident has since been resolved after the passenger was arrested. "We would like to clarify to the general public that flight operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport are up and running," KAA said in a statement. Kenya Airways said it was notified of a possible bomb threat on one of its flights. "The unfortunate bomb scare incident was reported on flight KQ 762, which was departing from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for OR-Tambo International Airport Johannesburg," Kenya Airways head of communications Dennis Kashero said in a statement. Kashero said the passenger who raised the bomb scare has been taken into police custody, noting that all other passengers and crew had to disembark for security re-screening. He said the aircraft had also to undergo extensive security checks. Kashero said the national carrier's core value is the safety of its passengers. "We work closely with the relevant law enforcement agencies, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Kenya Airports Authority to counter any security threats to our passengers and the country," he said. The latest incident comes after the Kenya Airports Authority received intelligence that al-Shabab terror group was planning to attack airports during the Easter holiday. The intelligence brief indicated that the terror group has dispatched four attackers with improvised explosive devices which were to be delivered to four of its operatives in Garissa County in northeast Kenya. "The smuggled IEDs are small, round and magnetic and are intended to be attached to vehicles. Measures shall include screening for both persons and vehicles using Explosives Trace Detectors where available, explosive canines where available, random searches, enhanced patrols within public areas," KAA said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:09:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close WUHAN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official has called for greater prominence given to intellectuals who are not CPC members in the patriotic united front work. You Quan, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection and research tour to central Hubei Province, which ended on Wednesday. At universities, scientific research institutes and companies, he asked for targeted and meticulous ideological and political work on intellectuals who are not Party members in the new era. They should be supported in their endeavors to make further achievements in their careers, to play their advantages in offering advice and suggestions and to play a bigger role in society, You said. . . , 10 , ... Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:14:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close YAOUNDE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Wednesday urged Cameroon to ratify the African Continental Free trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. The agreement is the tool that is going to help Cameroon overcome "the storms" of the global economic environment, ECA Executive Secretary Vera Songwe said at the opening of the National AfCFTA Information and Sensitization Forum co-organized by ECA and the Government of Cameroon in partnership with the European Union in the capital, Yaounde. "We are really hoping that Cameroon ratifies this AfCFTA because I think there is no doubt that our country and many others on the continent needs additional investment. With the AfCFTA you get investments that you need to be able to revamp your economy and more importantly create jobs," said Songwe, who is also a Cameroonian. Cameroon was among the first African countries to sign the agreement last year but it's still laying the groundwork for the entry into force of the AfCFTA. "If we are able to ratify this AfCFTA, Cameroon will start having value addition. We will be able to process our cotton and sell to Ethiopia. I think the big story of the continental free trade agreement is that value addition, which essentially means that value and quality of the goods and the resources that are put into making the goods, stay on the continent," she added. Twenty-two African nations have already ratified the agreement, the minimum threshold expected to approve the deal among the 55 members of the African Union. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:14:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay an official visit to China from April 25 to 28 to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. During the visit, the prime minister will be accompanied by a ministerial delegation and will deliver a keynote speech in the opening ceremony of the forum and participate in the leaders' round table meeting, said the ministry. The ministry said that Imran Khan is also expected to hold meetings with the Chinese government officials and business leaders. Pakistan and China will also sign several MoUs and Agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in diverse areas, the ministry said. Following the forum, Imran Khan will attend the Beijing International Horticulture Exhibition 2019 and address the Pakistan Trade and Investment Conference in Beijing. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:19:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DUBAI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- OPPO, a Chinese leading global smartphone brand, has officially launched its newest smartphone series, Reno, in the Middle East, said a company statement Wednesday. The selection of Dubai as the location for the premium series' first international launch highlights the strategic importance of the region to OPPO's global brand strategy, the statement said. The Reno series includes two new smartphones: OPPO Reno 10x Zoom Edition and the Reno Edition. Both are stunningly designed, with notch-free full view OLED displays, a breakthrough side-swing, pop-up selfie camera, and powerful hardware capabilities. During the launch ceremony, OPPO also announced a joint "OPPO MEA 5G Landing Project" in cooperation with leading regional carriers Etisalat and Zain, which will further enhance 5G development in the region after the first 5G smartphone commercial co-test from both parties earlier this month. OPPO's global 5G Landing Project aims at bringing 5G products and services to users as soon as possible. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:35:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NICOSIA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus is in general satisfied with the contents of the report by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, which clarified the UN chief's intention to continue the effort in seeking a peace settlement of the split Mediterranean island, a presidential spokesman said on Wednesday. "We take note, as particularly important, the fact that despite the difficulties taken account of in the report, it highlights the clear intention of the UN Secretary-General to continue the effort with a view to achieving progress in the process," the presidential spokesman said. The report was also handed to the other parties in the Cyprus problem, namely Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as to the member states of the Security Council. The report was prepared after a shuttle diplomacy mission over the last six months by Guterres' personal envoy, UN diplomat Jane Holl Lute, in Cyprus, where she consulted with the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot Communities. She also visited the three "guarantor powers" of Cyprus, namely Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union (EU), since Cyprus is an EU member, in a bid to draft the terms of reference for further peace negotiations. The UN chief said that though some progress was made in taking confidence building measures, mostly in the form of additional crossing points between the two parts of the split island, "there are low expectations for real progress or agreement on the terms of reference." The Cypriot spokesman further said that the government was pleased with references in the report regarding natural gas exploration carried out by the government in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone. "Regarding the enduring tensions surrounding hydrocarbons exploration, I reiterate that the natural resources found in and around Cyprus should benefit both communities and can constitute a strong incentive to find a durable solution to the Cyprus problem," Guterres said in his report. Guterres said in his report that he would request Lute to continue discussions on his behalf, adding that the way ahead must be well prepared, with a sense of urgency and focus. He noted that prior to the final collapse of the negotiations in Switzerland in July, 2017, he had submitted a six-point outline of a Cyprus solution, and urged all parties to build on that, expressing hope that the ongoing consultations will lead to a return to negotiations. He pledged that he could devote "the full weight" of his good offices with the aim of reaching a lasting resolution of the Cyprus issue. "In that respect, I call on the two leaders, their communities, the guarantor powers, and other interested parties to engage in these efforts constructively, creatively and with the necessary sense of urgency," Guterres said. The Cyprus issue will come up for discussion at the Security Council, most probably in June, ahead of the extension of the mandate of the UN Peace Force in Cyprus for a further six months. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:40:12|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MADRID, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Spain's political maturity will be put to the test in the general election which will be held on April 28 in the midst of an increasingly complicated political panorama. This will be Spain's third general election since 2015, highlighting the political uncertainty in a country where opinion polls predict another hung parliament where five different parties could have a say in the formation of the next government. According to the majority of recent opinion polls, the center-left Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) will win the elections, followed by the right wing People's Party (PP), Ciudadanos (center-right), the left wing Unidos Podemos and the extreme right wing party Vox. However, polls also predict that no single party will get close to an overall majority, meaning the next government will almost certainly be a coalition, although it is still difficult to say whether either the left or right wing block will win enough seats to be able to form a government in the 350 seat Congress. "Everything depends on the political class. The times of single party governments are over and we will have to prepare for a time of alliances or coalitions," Pablo Martin de Santa Olalla, a professor at the Universidad Europea de Madrid explained to Xinhua. The Vice-Deacon of the Universidad San Pablo CEY de Madrid, Ainhoa Arbizu, shared Martin de Santa Olalla's belief. "It will be difficult to govern," she said. "Spain needs a change in its democratic culture to be like other European nations where it is easy to find governments made up of different parties. There is a custom in Nordic countries to invite all parties into the government in order to form a wide consensus," she added. The elections held in December 2015 and June 2016 showed the difficulties of forming a government with the newly emerged four-party system (PSOE, Ciudadanos, PP and Podemos) but since then the political scene has changed with the eruption of Vox, which could further complicate matters after April 28. The far right wing party led by a former PP member, Santiago Abascal, was virtually unknown a year ago, but its ultra nationalist, anti-immigration, anti-feminist and anti-abortion policies saw them claim over 10 percent of the vote in the elections for the Andalusian regional assembly held in December 2018. The party's rise can in part be put down to the PP losing followers due to continued corruption scandals and also Ciudadanos' lack of clarity on certain social issues and a reaction to the problem of Catalan separatism. "Vox is here to stay," warned De Santa Olalla, although the party's appearance need not necessarily strengthen the right wing. Vox's arrival has further fragmented the right wing vote in Spain, with Vox, PP and Ciudadanos all fighting for the same political space and the same votes. "There has been a change in the political model; left wing votes will mainly be for the PSOE, but those for the right will be split between three options and that is likely to damage them," explained the political analyst Rafael Barbera. Another key in the elections will be the role of Basque and Catalan nationalist parties. Sanchez was able to gain their support in order to push through the censure motion which ended the government of Mariano Rajoy (PP) and make him Prime Minister at the start of June 2018. Nevertheless the refusal of Catalan parties Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana to support his budget plans at the start of the year was the reason he had to call this general election. There currently appear to be three possible scenarios for post electoral pacts after April 28th: the first of these is a coalition government made up of the PSOE, Unidos Podemos and Basque and/or Catalan nationalists; a three-way alliance between PP, Ciudadanos and Vox (such as that which now governs in Andalusia), or a pact between PSOE and Ciudadanos. Although the numbers probably add up to make the third option possible, this looks to be the least likely outcome, after Ciudadanos leader, Albert Rivera commented he would not form a coalition government with the PSOE due to Sanchez's willingness to talk to Catalan and Basque nationalists. This could harm Ciudadanos on April 28 if many prospective supporters consider a vote for Rivera's party to be the same as voting PP. A good result for the PSOE, PP and Ciudadanos (and even Unidos Podemos) would maintain Spain's strong pro-EU stance in the face of Vox's eurosceptic views. There is also a danger of 'election burnout' in Spain given that on May 26 the country will return to the polls to hold elections for local and regional authorities and also for the European Parliament. "This is where the question of the 'useful vote' comes into play. It is possible that in the general elections people will vote for the traditional parties (PSOE and PP) thinking about the need for stability, but on May 26 they are more likely to follow their convictions," said Arbizu. Whether or not this is the case, April 28 promises to be a key day in Spanish history, firstly because of all of the parties have young leaders, with Sanchez the only party leader to be born before the death of former Spanish leader, General Franco in 1975. Secondly, the tone of the current election campaign has so far been based on tension and accusations, with very little focus on the actual policies the various parties will carry out if they win power. Whoever finally forms a government will have the task of lowering the tone of the political debate in order to find consensus and lasting solutions to the country's current problems, such as the question of the Catalan region, rising inequalities in society and justice for the tens of thousands of victims of the Franco regime. Thirdly, the Spanish economy is currently slowly, but surely recovering from the deep and long-lasting effects of the 2008 crisis and the country is expected to enjoy higher rates of growth over the next two years than other countries in the European Union. Be there two parties or five parties jostling for power, Spain needs stability in order to ensure that this growth continues uninterrupted. The 2008 crisis led to the rise of Unidos Podemos and Ciudadanos as alternatives to what many saw as an outdated two-party system. Vox's rise can also in part be put down to the crisis and any economic slowdown could open the door to further extremism and xenophobia. April 28 will show whether Spain will choose stability or whether the country runs the risk of falling into the spiral of populism which has affected other countries in Europe. For that reason, this election is truly a test of political maturity. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:45:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NAIROBI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya to use satellite technology in order to map and survey the entire landmass of the country, officials said on Wednesday. Farida Karoney, cabinet secretary in the ministry of lands and physical planning, told a forum in Nairobi that currently less than 40 percent of the country has been mapped and surveyed. "We hope to complete the mapping process by end of 2020 so that we can give land owners security of tenure through land titles," Karoney said during the Ease of Doing Business Stakeholders Forum. Karoney said that the mapping process is being undertaken by a multi-agency team drawn from all relevant government departments. She noted that Kenya is keen to reduce the time its takes to conduct land transactions through use of technology, adding that the entire land registry will soon be digitized through the Land management information system. Karoney said that the robust information system will also ensure that it will not be susceptible to cybercrime, noting that digitized land records will also eliminate fraud in land transactions. She observed that once the land records are automated, registration of property will take 12 days down from 73 working days currently. The government officials noted that speed of land transactions is one of the parameters used in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. She revealed that Kenya is keen to improve its ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Index so that it enhances the country's attractiveness to foreign and domestic investors. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:45:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RIYADH, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have sent a plane carrying 95 tons of humanitarian aid to the flood victims in Iran, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday. The humanitarian aid including food and shelters could help ease the suffering of the victims in Iran, said Mohammed Al Qassim, president of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority. An estimated 2 million Iranians, one in every 40 people, need humanitarian assistance as a result of the unprecedented floods that have swept more than 2,000 cities and towns across almost all 31 provinces in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:45:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ZHENGZHOU, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Long afflicted with gripping poverty, Qianhe Village in central China's Henan Province was once left empty as residents moved out, but ceramic arts light the hamlet up. Arts and crafts including colorful enamel paintings of door gods and wall art using thousands of ceramic bowls to depict the cosmos shine, giving the village's old bungalow residences a due facelift. The once worn-out countryside in Luoling County now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to its exhibition hall of ceramic arts and tranquility of life, all because of an artist. Four years ago, senior ceramic artist Guo Aihe, 51, came to the village for inspiration as it is located in the core area of the origin of Chinese ceramics. About 62 km away from the Yangshao ruins renowned for its painted pottery, the Qianhe Village is also not far off from two of five famous ancient Chinese kilns. Guo decided to revitalize the village's history of ceramic arts by using a total of 9,999 big pottery vats. CARVE NATURE AT ITS JOINTS Flowerpots, guardrails, garbage cans, benches, booths, signposts and trails were all decorated with ceramics in the village. The shabby cave dwellings and crooked wheat straw piles that seem useless and burdensome in the eyes of the villagers are Guo's inspiration. The ceramic artist believes that the countryside itself can provide inspiration for art. In harmony with the village's over 85 percent forest coverage rate, Guo also planted flowers such as orchids, sunflowers and chrysanths in the valley. The village is veiled in shades of purple, yellow, pink and evergreen throughout the year. "The aesthetic appreciation of nature rewards the artists with a bigger stage to create," said Guo. CARVE ARTS IN SOULS The ceramic arts breathe new life into the unadorned village. Every winter, Guo holds exhibitions to invite artists from home and abroad to create, exhibit and auction their artwork. The revenue from such auctions will be used for the aesthetic education of school-age children in the nearby villages. Since 2015, the number of artists that have participated in the exhibitions has grown from 23 to 100, raising a total of about 648,000 yuan (96,536 U.S. dollars). Six classrooms where music and fine arts classes are taught by art majors and professionals have been set up, benefiting around 1,200 local students. Students' works created in the art classes, after being beautifully decorated by the artists, are given to them as surprise gifts on Children's Day. Guo believes that art can inspire students. "Art education should be given the same attention as math, physics and chemistry lessons," said Guo. Guo's efforts are also making a difference among the villagers. Ji Jingtao from the Qianhe Village recently invited Guo to design an art piece for his newly furnished house -- a wooden artwork made out of a tree root. "I would have burned it as firewood before, but now they see it as materials for art pieces," Ji said. "Only by understanding and learning about beauty can we create and discover the beauty," Guo said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 00:50:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close JUBA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Personal commitment coupled with unwavering determination to learn Chinese language (mandarin) has opened enormous opportunities for Isaiah Ajueny Mabil, a former child refugee from Duk County of northern Jonglei state of South Sudan. The 25-year-old Mabil together with his family, once fled his home area to Kakuma refugee camp in neighboring Kenya to escape the conflict during the second Sudanese civil war that broke out in 1983 between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). He described his tortuous journey to earn an education in Kakuma refugee camp, where his parents struggled to keep him in elementary school. Mabil now the deputy project manager with PowerChina in South Sudan told Xinhua on Wednesday in Juba, that it was a combination of his hard work in search of menial work and help from his relatives that he managed to complete his high school studies later in Uganda. "In 2011 when I finished my high school I came back to South Sudan and also struggled because there was no support for my university education. I stayed for two years without university education. So later on I got opportunity in 2013 and went to China's Tianjin University on government scholarship," said Mabil who completed his level four of Chinese Proficiency Test, also known as HSK. The former refugee studied Mandarin at Tianjin University for eight months which initially started with difficulty but his commitment to learn finally paid off as he excelled with top honors in Chinese language. "I was under immense pressure because in the same year, we found that the Chinese were trying to evaluate the level of the language to strengthen it. I passed that level successfully and was chosen to continue with my degree in petroleum at Xi'an Shiyou University," he revealed of his four years spent in Shaanxi province. Armed with a degree in the coveted petroleum field and fluency in Chinese language, Mabil is encouraging more South Sudanese to take up Chinese language lessons to boost their career. "Chinese language is historical language. It is like something imaginable. This language is very interesting and spoken by a large population around the world," he said. "The language has helped me a lot in this company. Now I am the deputy project coordinator and I got this right away. When I first came, the position I was given was the health, security and environment engineer of the project," said Mabil. Mabil is highly regarded by his colleague Ma Liansheng, a senior project manager who recruited him in 2018. Ma told Xinhua that Mabil has contributed immensely to their work as he helps in translation since he communicates in both local Juba -Arabic and Mandarin. "When we have problems during work with locals he comes in and solves the problem," he said. Ma disclosed that PowerChina is hoping to finish by June, the ongoing Juba power distribution system rehabilitation and expansion project, which was funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It comprises five different lots, including rehabilitation of diesel plant substation, rehabilitation and expansion of medium voltage network, low voltage network, and rehabilitation and expansion of street lighting and improvement of customer care. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 01:00:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Peerzada Arshad Hamid NEW DELHI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in rain related incidents across several Indian states during the last 24 hours Wednesday rose to 54, officials said. The deaths were reported in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra and Manipur. "The number of deaths due to rain, thunderstorm and lightning in affected parts across five Indian states have risen to 54," a statement issued by India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said. Officials say three deaths have been reported from Maharashtra during last 24 hours. However, as per NDMA, in Maharashtra 14 deaths were reported in state since April 4. According to officials the unseasonal rains also left many people injured. The rains accompanied by winds, thunderstorms and lightning damaged crops, houses and uprooted trees. The Indian government said it was closely monitoring the situation. Reports said three deaths were reported in Manipur on Monday because of the rains. "The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely," read an official statement issued by the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Manipur, Gujarat and various parts of country. "The prime minister has approved an ex-gratia of INR 200,000 (2880 U.S. dollars) each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms in various parts of country. The prime minister has also approved INR 50,000 (720 U.S. dollars) each for those injured in the incident," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said. Reports pouring in from India's northeast said torrential rains triggering landslides and flash floods have affected thousands of people in Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Assam. Meanwhile, the Meteorological department on Wednesday evening warned of Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph) accompanied with hail and lightning across many places in India. According to weather warning issued by the department similar conditions will prevail in coming two days. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 01:55:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HELSINKI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- A local court in Finland on Wednesday sentenced a 23-year-old man of foreign background to three years and two months in prison for aggravated rape and brutal sexual abuse of a child. The accused was also obliged to pay 7,300 euros to the victim for mental illness and pain, decided the Oulu District Court, according to Finnish national broadcaster, Yle. The victim was an underage girl when the crime took place in November 2018 in Oulu, a major city in northern Finland. Yle said the victim came from another place to Oulu and had no place to stay. For spending the night, she went to a private residence, where the defendant went into. The court said the man took advantage of the defenseless state of the victim. The offender and the victim didn't know each other before. A series of suspected sexual offenses in Oulu were disclosed at the end of last year. The Oulu police reported earlier that they were investigating 29 criminal offenses suspected of serious sexual assault against minors. Some of suspects were Finnish citizens and some with foreign backgrounds. After the series of sexual crimes had been uncovered, Finnish interior minister Kai Mykkanen called for tougher punishment for non-Finnish criminals in January this year. He reiterated his position that dual citizens who are found guilty of aggravated sexual offenses should have their Finnish citizenship deprived. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 02:41:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TASHKENT, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's security forces have started military trainings and tactical exercises to strength border protection in the Surkhandarya region bordering Afghanistan, the state news agency UzA reported on Wednesday. The forces of the defense ministry, internal affairs and the state security service, as well as representatives of the state tax committee and local governing bodies are talking part in the military drill, the report said. During the exercises troops and local governing bodies will implement plans to protect the state border and examine the current state of border protection measures, according to the report. Uzbekistan shares 137 kilometers of border with Afghanistan along the Amu Darya river. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 02:46:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TASHKENT, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has signed a protocol of intention with France on the purchase of 34 Airbus helicopters to be used in emergency medical care purposes, a visiting French minister said on Wednesday. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, minister of state attached to the minister for Europe and foreign affairs, said at a briefing held following his two-day visit to Uzbekistan that the Central Asian nation plans to buy 34 single-engine light utility helicopters from Airbus. Lemoyne is visiting four Central Asian countries - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan - from April 15 to 20 to discuss economic cooperation. He also said that French development agency will finance a 73-million-euro project to modernize the Charvak hydro power plant near Tashkent. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 05:33:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close By Stefania Fumo ROME, April 17 (Xinhua) -- As Notre Dame Cathedral burned in Paris, Italians wondered about the safety of their country's churches, works of art, and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Italy has 4,000 museums, 6,000 archeological parks, 85,000 protected churches, and 40,000 historical homes, according to the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI), known in English as the National Trust of Italy, a non-profit foundation founded in 1975. A highly seismic country, Italy has suffered a number of destructive earthquakes, and in recent memory, fires destroyed three landmark buildings -- the La Fenice opera theater in Venice in 1996 and the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari in 1991, both of which were eventually rebuilt, and the baroque Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin in 1997, which was restored and reopened in 2018. Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the Vicar General of the Vatican City, told RAI News 24 public broadcaster on Wednesday that St. Peter's Cathedral, whose construction began in the early 1500s, has very little wood inside it of the kind that caught fire in Notre Dame. "The choir is made of wood, but the rest is all marble and stucco," he said. "So there is no risk of a fire such as the one in Paris." "Our firefighters are very well trained and very well equipped, and it would be very hard for a fire to spread here," the cardinal added of St Peter's, one of the largest churches in the world, which houses Michelangelo's famous La Pieta statue, among other treasures. Another of Italy's famous cathedrals, the Duomo in Milan, whose maintenance costs 15 million euros (16.9 million U.S. dollars) a year, also has less wood than Notre Dame: just the choir and the organ, which has 15,800 pipes. However authorities there are overhauling the electrical system and improving smoke sensors in the massive basilica, which has caught fire twice so far in its history: once in the 17th century and once in 1969, when a worker left a burning cigarette on a scaffold, RAI reported. Rome-based "Il Messaggero" newspaper wrote: "according to national security regulations, church buildings are exempt from the obligation of obtaining the so-called Fire Prevention Certificate (CPI) from the fire department". "However, according to the culture superintendent of the southern cities of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto, Maria Piccarreta, churches considered to be monumental buildings that contain protected works of art must follow regulations that apply to technical installations (such as electrical wiring)." Culture Ministry Security Director-General Fabio Carapezza Guttuso told the same paper that "the fire protection plan must be designed like a tailor-made dress", and this is the concept that is being worked on in Italy in the wake of the Notre Dame disaster. "If the Florence cathedral and Giotto's bell tower don't have a CPI, we still request a consultancy from the fire department," the security director for the Opera del Duomo, Samuele Caciagli, explained. The Opera del Duomo is the Cathedral Workshop or "works commission" and was founded by the Republic of Florence in 1296 to oversee the construction of the city's cathedral, which was finished in 1436. Since then, the main task for the Opera del Duomo has been the conservation of these monuments. In 1891, the Opera del Duomo Museum was founded to house the works of art which, through the course of the centuries, had been removed from the cathedral. "We started with an analysis of present risks, in order to eliminate them with new protection systems," Caciagli explained. "From lighting sensors under the roofs, to the activation of a large-scale lightning rod that can involve the entire cathedral, making it into a Faraday cage," he said, in reference to the 19th-century device invented by British scientist Michael Faraday, which encloses a space and protects it from lightning and electrostatic discharges. As far as worksites, Caciagli explained, "When the staff is gone, we turn off the power supply. We are also studying the condition of the wood in the basilica, including the covering of the Giotto bell tower, which has wooden scaffolding." Vatican Fire Department Major Paolo De Angelis told Il Messaggero that "we have regular meetings" on security because "the timing of the intervention once a fire breaks out is key" and the Rome culture superintendency said that "all the fire protection protocols at active restoration worksites will be reviewed". In Milan, where the Duomo cathedral is also equipped with sensors and lightning rods, Superintendent Antonella Ranaldi told Il Messaggero that "attention is high" and that authorities have set up a permanent commission made up of engineers, firefighters and culture ministry experts to oversee security. As well, Duomo authorities have launched a project to network Italy's cathedrals in order to share security-related information. Documentary filmmaker Alberto Angela, who has filmed on the roof of Notre Dame, told La Repubblica newspaper in an interview that the speed with which the fire tore through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame on Monday night "is a warning to us all: we must be aware of how fragile our cultural treasures are". "Disasters such as this one (the Notre Dame fire) must push us even more to promote their protection and conservation," said Angela, whose award-winning documentaries have explored the worlds of nature, art, archeology, and science. In an interview also with La Repubblica, art historian Antonio Paolucci, a former culture minister, Vatican Museum director, and commissioner for the restoration of the Assisi basilica after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1997, said that Notre Dame should be rebuilt exactly as it was, "like La Fenice in Venice and the Petruzzelli Theater in Bari". Italian starchitect Renzo Piano agreed with Paolucci. In an interview with Corriere della Sera paper, he said the burned-out roof of Notre Dame, which was first built around the year 1160 with the wood of 13,000 trees from medieval forests, should be rebuilt exactly like the original -- in wood. "People think wood structures are dangerous because they burn, but this is more likely to happen with very ancient wood that has not been treated to be fire-retardant," Piano told Corriere. "Whoever reconstructs Notre Dame, will use wood that has been treated with scientifically modern methods, maintaining continuity with history." Piano added that "we must stop talking about fatality, because worksite accidents are not fatalities -- they can be avoided. What happened in Notre Dame...is a dramatic thing, and tragedies can be avoided." Giuliana Cardani, who teaches restoration at Milan's Polytechnic University, told ANSA news agency in an interview that Italy's experience of rebuilding after earthquakes "has taught us that modern technology must adapt itself very carefully to ancient structures". "Everything can be rebuilt: history has taught us this many times," Cardani told ANSA. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-18 06:18:33|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DUBLIN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- There will be no chance of a U.S.-British trade agreement if the Brexit deal undermines the Good Friday Agreement, including but not limited to, the seamless border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, said a top U.S. politician here on Wednesday. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, made this remark while delivering a speech at the lower house of the Irish parliament on Wednesday afternoon. Pelosi is in Dublin for a two-day visit with a U.S. congressional delegation. "We must ensure that nothing happens in the Brexit discussions that imperils the Good Friday Accord (Agreement), including but not limited to, the seams border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland," she told the members of the Irish parliament, both from the lower house and the senate, as well as former politicians who attended the meeting. In her speech, Nancy Pelosi also voiced her support for Ireland's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 term. The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement is a set of agreements signed between the British and Irish governments as well as the major political parties in Northern Ireland on Good Friday, April 10, 1998, which is viewed as a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. After the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, all the customs houses and checkpoints along the border between Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland have been removed and people and goods can travel freely across the border. Ireland is concerned about the possible threat to the Good Friday Agreement if a hard border returns between Ireland and Northern Ireland after the Brexit. Pelosi's remarks are viewed here as a strong support for Ireland over the Brexit issue. Pelosi arrived here on Tuesday with a congressional delegation comprising eight other members from the U.S. House of Representatives. During her stay in Dublin, she held meetings with the Irish President Michael D. Higgins, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and other senior officials and politicians including members from the major opposition parties. Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-17 23:33:49|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BRUSSELS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission published on Wednesday for public consultation a list of U.S. goods worth 20 billion U.S. dollars that it might target for additional tariffs, as counter measures against what Brussels says are American subsidies to Boeing. There has been a decade-long fight in the World Trade Organization between Brussels and Washington over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, the world's two leading large aircraft makers. On March 28, the WTO's Appellate Body made a ruling regarding the European Union's complaint that the U.S. illegally subsidized Boeing. Washington called the ruling at the time a "major win" for the United States, saying the ruling rejected "28 of 29 EU claims" and rejected "arguments by the EU that the U.S. federal and state programs gave more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in subsidies to Boeing large civil aircraft. But the European Commission said "EU scores final victory in the WTO Boeing dispute", saying it vindicates "the EU's long held position that the United States has taken no steps to comply with WTO rules on support to Boeing." The European Commission added at the time that "the ruling concludes definitively that the U.S. has continued to subsidise the company illegally despite previous rulings condemning this behaviour. This has caused significant harm to its European competitor Airbus." At an earlier stage of this dispute in 2012, the EU made a request to the WTO to authorise the adoption of countermeasures against the estimated damage caused to Airbus by the U.S. support to Boeing. "Based on this request, it is however for a WTO appointed arbitrator to determine the exact appropriate level of countermeasures. The EU is taking steps towards requesting the arbitrator to resume its work," the European Commission said on Wednesday. The list published Wednesday serves as a benchmark as how the EU would retaliate against the U.S. subsidies to Boeing. "A final list, based on the products included in today's list, will be drawn up by the EU taking into account the arbitrator's decision in the near future," the European Commission said. The list published covers a range of items, that overall represent around 20 billion U.S. dollars of United States exports into the European Union, from aircraft to chemicals and notably agri-food products such as frozen fish, citrus fruits and ketchup. On the other side of the Atlantic, Washington is requesting to impose approximately 11 billion U.S. dollars in annual countermeasures in response to what it says are the damaging trade effects of the EU subsidies to Airbus. A WTO arbitrator is currently evaluating the U.S request. POSSIBLE DIALOGUE? "Our ultimate goal is to reach an agreement with the EU to end all WTO-inconsistent subsidies to large civil aircraft. When the EU ends these harmful subsidies, the additional U.S. duties imposed in response can be lifted," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on April 8. Whether additional tariffs will actually come into effect remains to be seen, but Brussels is clearly seeking to resolve the issue through dialogue. Brussels doesn't want a "tit-for-tat," the European Commissioner for trade Cecilia Malmstrom said in a Wednesday statement, "while we need to be ready with countermeasures in case there is no other way out, I still believe that dialogue is what should prevail between important partners such as the EU and the U.S., including in bringing an end to this long-standing dispute. The EU remains open for discussions with the U.S., provided these are without preconditions and aim at a fair outcome." But the transatlantic trade ties have been under pressure for some time, especially since the Trump administration slapped tariffs on EU's metal exports in the name of national security, where Brussels hit back with tariffs of its own. U.S. President Donald Trump also threatened the EU with fresh levies on cars made in the EU. Este bine sa cumperi produse refurbished? In ofertele magazinelor online am intalnit de multe ori produse refurbished la preturi atractive. De cele mai multe ori ne-am ferit, poate, de ele, doar pentru ca nu am inteles prea bine ce inseamna termenul refurbished. Prima data am auzit de refurbished in tehnica de calcul, iar de acolo termenul a inceput sa fie [citeste mai departe] Ukraine's presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky, April 2019 etcetera.media Experts of the Ukrainian Committee of Voters analyzed a number of public speeches made by representatives of the presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskys team. They checked the accuracy of the speeches of Dmytro Razumkov and Ruslan Stefanchuk (headquarters representatives) as well as the adviser of Zelensky on legal issues Iryna Venediktova, and also considered the election program of the candidate. Of the nine assertions analyzed, three were true, six were not true or manipulative. What is written in the first paragraph in your "Minsk" (agreements. Ed)? What is the first point, maybe a ceasefire? Dmytro Razumkov, Volodymyr Zelenskys Headquarters Speaker, March 29, 2019, Zik TV channel, the People Against show. True. In the Minsk Protocol and the Complex of measures for its implementation, the first points say on a ceasefire in certain regions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. This can be either one format (debates in the Suspilne Channel studio), or another (on the NSC Olimpiiskyi stadium, - ed.). First, there is no venue. Our colleagues often say "this should be in the studio." This is not the law. In the law we read about who should be the organizer of this event and who pays. Colleagues refer to the CEC resolution, but the CEC resolution is still slightly lower than the law. Dmytro Razumkov, Volodymyr Zelenskys Headquarters Speaker, April 5, 2019, radio "NV". Manipulation. The obligatory TV debate before the second round of elections is provided by the law On the election of the president of Ukraine. The law does not really establish the venue for television debates; however the venue was established by CEC Resolution No. 472 of May 5, 2014. According to the decree, candidates who participate in TV debates, no later than 30 minutes before the start of the broadcast, arrive at the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine at 42 Melnikova Street, Kyiv. When you start to go through falsifications and a lot of other things, on which the law enforcement bodies are talking about today, this can plunge the country into chaos. Dmytro Razumkov, Volodymyr Zelenskys Headquarters Speaker, March 29, 2019, Zik TV channel, the People Against show. Manipulation. International observers said that elections in Ukraine were free and competitive, the rights to freedom of choice were respected. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov reported that there were minor violations, but the elections were "calm, well and in order." Under the current system of government, there is actually no procedure when, by appointing a president or a people's deputy, I can oblige him to resign. Ruslan Stefanchuk, member of the headquarters of Volodymyr Zelensky, April 5, Radio Liberty, Your Freedom show. True. Ukraine has not adopted a law on impeachment. We didnt see such an effect from other politicians as from the political activity of Zelensky. We saw that the youth came to the polls. When did you saw it earlier? Iryna Venediktova, legal adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky, April 4, 2019, UA: First Channel, Topics of the Day show. Not true. According to the deputy director of the Razumkov Center Mykhailo Mishchenko, the level of activity of young people in these elections was lower than in the presidential elections of 2014, when 46% of people aged 18 to 29 came to the polls, and in 2004, when 71% of youth vote. At the current elections, this figure was 40%. Read original article at detector.media There are long-established causal relationships in the world, which in many cases work in the automatic mode. War is a war, terrorism is a terrorism. None of the states will declare a formal war against terrorists. But a term called hybrid war has recently become very fashionable. Most likely, it hides conceptual chaos rather than a real meaning. After all, military conflicts of low intensity and without a declaration of war occurred earlier. Just nobody called them hybrid. Chinas attack in 1969 on Damansky Island, which belonged to the USSR, in which regular troops from both sides participated, also took place without any official notification from Beijing. That did not prevent Moscow to use jet artillery. And also without a declaration of war. And there are plenty of such examples in the world history of the last fifty years. Modern man is too far from understanding the need to call a spade a spade. After all, we live in the era of simulacrum, and this means that with the help of media you can construct any reality. As the famous philosopher Jean Baudrillard said back in 1976, "the principle of simulation rules us today instead of the former principle of reality." In this system, signs point to other signs, not to real things, and the relationship between them is lost. Baudrillard calls this phenomenon emancipation of the sign or simulation, and it covers the whole of modern human history. In this paradigm of constant simulations, neither representative democracy, nor a social revolution is possible. This does not mean that real shells do not kill real people or do not destroy real houses. This means a change in the attitude of society towards all this. Relatively speaking, one big simulacrum took place in February 2015, when the daughter of the country's prime minister sang a funny song at The Voice: Children competition, and at this time dozens if not hundreds of soldiers died in the Debaltseve. And society perceives this simulacrum as a reality, not noticing the terrible abyss between the two poles of reality. Given the simulativeness of political processes, the task of which is to lead people into a virtual "simulacrum" and divert them from the banal redistribution of the gross product, the importance of "naming" things by their proper names becomes unusually high. We illustrate this with an example. In recent years, at the official level, illegal military formations DNR / LNR were called terrorist in our country. But how should the state act so that, following the naming of the phenomenon, the implementation of international causal relationships takes place? First of all, the main focus of the state sanctions policy in 2014 should have been to curb the systems and mechanisms for financing terrorist activities. Based on the official position of our state, an ordinary American family, whose relative Lucas Schansman died as a result of the MH17 crash, most recently filed a lawsuit against the US payment systems Western Union Co and Western Union Financial Services, MoneyGram International Inc and MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc., and also against Russian banks: Sberbank of Russia, VTB Bank. The lawsuit is formulated in accordance with the US Anti-Terrorism Act. We will never return our son. But we want to shed light and bring to justice all those involved in his murder, said the deceaseds father, Thomas Schansman. Among the victims of the tragedy, Lucas Chansman was the only American and, in accordance with US law, his relatives can file claims against all persons directly or indirectly involved. But neither the DNR nor the LNR figure in the FATF reports as terrorist organizations. One of the reasons for this is that we did not initiate consideration of this issue within the FATF Group, although Ukraine and the Russian Federation are full members of this organization. Regarding the above-mentioned ISIL, in 2015, FATF even released a special methodological brochure in which it stated that the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) agreed to launch a four-month project to study the financing of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant terrorist organization. This study reveals ways to attract, transfer and, finally, use of ISIL funds. This report aims to identify ways of obtaining and transferring funds to ISIL in order to shut off financial flows, deprive organization of its resources, and to prevent abuse in relation to the financial and economic sectors. It is noteworthy that in 2017, the FATF excluded Russia from the list of states with imperfect legislation in the context of the fight against dirty money. For complicity with terrorism and its financing in the Russian Federation one can get from 10 years imprisonment to life sentence. In fact, we have two realities. In one "DNR / LNR" are recognized as terrorist organizations, but at the same time Ukraine does not do anything under the FATF line to stop their financing. In the other, the same FATF notes the Russian Federation as a country that fully complies with all global anti-terrorism requirements, and therefore indirectly does not see anything illegal in the chain of financial transactions in favor of the unrecognized republics. This once again proves that it is not enough just to name some organizations "terrorist". It is also important to carry out a certain sequence of actions. Otherwise, we risk getting just another simulacrum, when American citizens are filing lawsuits against Russian banks, which have been working all these years in Ukraine. Open source Russia-backed militants violated the ceasefire regime seven times in the Donbas combat zone today on April 17. The Joint Forces Operation (JFO) HQ reported this on Facebook. The enemy violated the ceasefire regime seven times using the Minsk-banned weaponry twice. The Russia-backed militants fired at the positions of Ukrainian Armed Forces with the 82 mm mortar, infantry fighting vehicle, grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms, the report said. Besides, all the shells were in Donetsk region. In particular the enemy fired with 82 mm mortar and anti-tank grenade launcher near Mykolaiivka village, with 82 mm mortar near Vodiane settlement, with infantry fighting vehicle BMP-2, automatic easel grenade launchers and heavy machine guns twice near Pisky settlement, with automatic easel grenade launchers near Lebedynske and Shyrokyne villages, and with heavy machine guns and small arms near Novoselivka-2 settlement. No casualties have been spotted among the Joint Forces operation soldiers. The Armed Forces of Ukraine stopped the fire by opening fire as well. The enemys casualties have been checking, the report said. According to the report, the situation in the JFO is under control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Commander of the Joint Forces operation tells about the attacks near Krymske village in Luhansk region The Mariupol direction, Avdiivka, Popasna and near Krymske in Luhansk region are the most dangerous spots at the demarcation line in Donbas. Commander General of the Joint Forces operation, Serhiy Nayev, stated this during the interview to BBC News Ukraine. The Sabotage Reconnaissance group actively attack the Mariupol direction, near Spartac of Donetsk region and near Avdiivka, Popasna nd Krymske near Luhansk region, Serhiy Nayev said responding to the question, which are the most problematic areas in Donbas conflict zone. Earlier, Since the beginning of April 16, illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian outposts in Donbas five times. On four occasions, the enemy used Minsk-banned weapons. In Donetsk region, the enemy opened fire on Ukrainian positions in the areas of Hnutove, Talakivka, and Mariinka. In Luhansk region, the occupants used small arms to attack Zaitseve. The illegal armed gangs of Russian mercenaries used mortars, grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms over the day. Nayev said that the Russian military men consider the trips to the east of Ukraine as an obligatory stage for their promotion Joint Forces Commander Open source Over 2,000 regular Russian soldiers stay on the territory of occupied Donbas as BBC News Ukraine reported citing Serhiy Nayev, the Commander of the Joint Forces Operation. According to our information, the Russians occupy the leadership positions of the republican bodies of state government, bodies of the military administration of the operative and tactical level, command positions of particular detachments. Besides, the regular Russian military officers are the military advisors, instructors, commanders of the detachments of the military and operative provision. Their number estimated as over 2,000 people, Nayev said. According to him, the tendency for the decrease of the presence of the regular Russian military men in Donbas is observed; however, the Russian officers and general make the core of the command staff from battalion up to army corps. Serhiy Nayev emphasized that the Russian military men consider the trips to the east of Ukraine as an obligatory stage for their promotion. Earlier Nayev revealed the most dangerous spots at the demarcation line in Donbas. As we reported, since the beginning of April 16, illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian outposts in Donbas five times. On four occasions, the enemy used Minsk-banned weapons. The movement was observed after the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine Open source Russia moved another battalion task group close to the border with Ukraine. Stepan Poltorak, the defense minister of Ukraine said that, specifying that the movement was observed after the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine. UNN news agency reported that on April 17. According to the minister, Russia has been increasing the number of troops deployed near the border with Ukraine. 'There were 28 [task groups], and now it's 29', Poltorak said. The Ukrainian official added that the Russian occupant forces changed their tactics in Donbas. They got back to firing Minsk-banned weaponry and using saboteur groups. The security measures will be increased during the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine on April 21. The National Police, the State Security Service, the National Guard and the State Border Guard will be working in the enhanced security mode. He stressed that earlier the representatives of illegal armed formations violated the ceasefire Open source Ukraines Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak expressed hope that the militants in Donbas would adhere to the so-called Easter ceasefire, as he said at the briefing broadcasted by 112 Ukraine on April 17. Speaking of the prospects of the ceasefire, I believe that they will finally fulfill the commitments as this position was agreed with the terrorist groupings concerning the ceasefire, but earlier, they always violated it, Poltorak said. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire if the enemy does the same. On April 16, illegal armed formations attacked Ukrainian outposts in Donbas five times. On four occasions, the enemy used Minsk-banned weapons. In Donetsk region, the enemy opened fire on Ukrainian positions in the areas of Hnutove, Talakivka and Mariinka. In Luhansk region, the occupants used small arms to attack Zaitseve. The Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to regain control from 2-5 km in some places, according to the Commander General of the Joint Forces operation Ukrainian servicemen have managed to take under control almost 20 km square in Donbas since the beginning of the Joint Forces operation. Commander General of the Joint Forces operation, Serhiy Nayev, stated this during the interview to BBC News Ukraine. Totally, we have managed to improve the situation in several places of the Joint Forces operation, from two to five kilometers. The whole territory, which we have managed to return under control of Ukraine, is almost 20 square kilometers, Nayev said. According to the JFO Commander, the Armed Forces of Ukraine retook control including over territories near Horlivka, in particular near Pivdenne (former Leninske) and Shymy settlements. In such a way, we are returning the situation in accordance with the Minsk agreements, in other words, the Joint Forces operation soldiers do not cross the line set by the Minsk deal. We also create an opportunity to restore the infrastructure and safe conditions for the civilians, Nayev said. The Government insists on 8,55 hryvnias ($0,3) per one cubic meter since May 1 Ukraines Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman stated that he initiated resignation of the Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev if gas prices for the population do not decrease since May 1, as he said at the Governments session on April 17. Or Naftogaz-Ukraine leaves the price lower than 8,55 hryvnias ($0,3, - ed.) per one cubic meter since May 1 and reports on that on April 24 Otherwise, I initiate resignation of Naftogaz CEO and I will ask the Government to support me, Groysman said. Earlier, Naftogaz-Ukraine demands the Cabinet of Ministers to cancel the order No. 867 as of October 19, 2019 on the regulation of gas prices. The companys representatives stated that for now Naftogaz has to observe these special duties according to which since May, 1 gas prices will increase by 15% to the level of $276 per one cubic meter (without VAT and expenses for transportation and distribution). Vladimir Putin and Viktor Medvedchuk The Financial Times For years Viktor Medvedchuk was one of a select few Ukrainians allowed to fly direct from Kiev to Moscow, where he led back-channel negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the proxy war in Ukraines south-east. But after another visit last month to promote closer ties with Russia during Ukraines election campaign, Mr Medvedchuk found himself accused of treason by President Petro Poroshenko. Not only was Mr Medvedchuk made the target of a secret service investigation, Mr Poroshenkos cabinet also changed a regulation to ban him from any further attempts to cross the border. Mr Medvedchuk, a prominent advocate in Ukraine for rapprochement with Moscow and the leader of a pro-Russia party, admits his cause is a hard sell. In the last five years Poroshenko has made Russophobia and anti-Russian hysteria state policy, he said in an interview this week at his Kiev headquarters. Mr Medvedchuks ties to the Kremlin the US once described him as a longtime proxy and close personal friend of Mr Putin give him a rare vantage point ahead of a Ukrainian presidential election over which Russia looms heavily. Putin wants Ukraine to be a normal country, he said. Public opinion in Ukraine has swung firmly against Moscow since it annexed Crimea in 2014. The war Russia began soon after has claimed more than 10,000 lives and spread to a new theatre late last year when Moscow arrested 24 Ukrainian sailors following naval clashes in the Sea of Azov. In the run-up to the election and with his negative ratings well over 50 per cent Mr Poroshenko has ramped up hardline anti-Russian policies, accused his opponent, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, of being a Russian puppet and put up billboards depicting a decisive choice between himself and Mr Putin. Mr Zelenskys surprise surge polls predict he will coast to victory in Sundays second round has been greeted with glee on Russian state television in recent weeks thanks to his animosity to Mr Poroshenko and more conciliatory policies towards Russian speakers. The Kremlin, no fan of Mr Poroshenko, was initially resigned to his re-election: one senior Kremlin official described him as someone we know, and know we cannot work with. But it is cautious about prospects for reconciliation under Mr Zelensky. Even though both Mr Poroshenko and Mr Zelensky say they plan to exclude Mr Medvedchuk from further peace negotiations, he said he continued to advocate for Ukrainian prisoners in a private capacity and was hopeful for the release of the 24 sailors after flying via Belarus to meet Mr Putin this month. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin didnt tell me at our last meeting that he supports Zelensky or is against Poroshenko. He said we will work with whoever is elected. But it depends on who is elected and what views they have, Mr Medvedchuk said. Mr Medvedchuk, whose party had a candidate in the presidential election first round, and the leader of a rival pro-Russian party, each accuse Mr Poroshenko of engineering a split in their ranks to help his own chances. Mr Poroshenko scraped into the second round but if the pro-Russia vote had been combined, a single candidate could have made the run-off along with Mr Zelensky. Mr Medvedchuk fears the comedians popularity in the east, where he carried six of the eight predominantly Russian-speaking provinces in the first round, could harm his own partys chances in parliamentary elections this year. But he cautiously endorsed Mr Zelenskys calls for peace. Poroshenko doesnt want peace, Mr Medvedchuk said. If Zelensky really wants peace and wants to restore Ukraines economic potential, then our party . . . will support his actions. A former presidential chief of staff, Mr Medvedchuk was a surprise choice as liaison to the Kremlin shortly after war broke out in 2014. He had campaigned heavily against a trade deal with the EU and the pro-western revolution that brought Mr Poroshenko to power. The US imposed sanctions on him for violating Ukrainian sovereignty once Russia annexed Crimea. Despite the fallout from his Moscow trips, Mr Medvedchuk says he met Mr Poroshenko as recently as last week. News channels owned by a close friend have covered the presidents entourage favourably, fuelling criticism that Mr Medvedchuks continued prominence points to a modus vivendi for Russian interests in Ukraine. He always came to me with requests, I always fulfilled them, Mr Medvedchuk said. We are still talking about what we can get done now. Mr Medvedchuk said he was able to secure the release of 485 prisoners before he fell out with Mr Poroshenko last year over what he claims was the presidents violation of Ukrainian commitments. The exchange deal collapsed. He laments that the business ties that once bound Ukraines oligarchs to Moscows have frayed since the country deepened its relationship with the EU. Its still in the interests of our country for Russia to invest and grow business in Ukraine, he said. Now thats gone . . . We lost $20bn in export potential, he said. Read the original text at Financial Times. The politician expressed the necessity to pay enough attention to the situation in Ukraine Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union dw.com Ukraine has changed a lot for the last five years, has become stronger and has remained in the center of the international policy. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said this during the session of the committee of the foreign affairs of the Europarliament in Strasburg on April 17, as Ukrinform reports. Obviously, Ukraine has changed. Today I am convinced that it has become a stronger and more stable country than it was five years ago, Mogherini emphasized. The politician expressed the necessity to pay enough attention to the situation in Ukraine and to keep this issue at the highest level of the European and international agenda. According to Mogherini, the European Union is actively cooperating with Ukraine in the field of security, countering cyber threats and misinformation, developing human potential, developing infrastructure, creating new job places, fighting corruption and ensuring greater independence of the energy sector. Earlier, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini refused to comment on the words of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko that Ukraine would apply for EU membership in 2024. Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, the Kremlin will keep applying pressure on Ukraine, Andriy Kobolev says Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev RBK-Ukraine The result of the presidential election in Ukraine will not affect Russia's position in the provision of the gas transit across Ukraine. Andriy Kobolev, the head of the Board of NJSC Naftogaz-Ukraine said this as quoted by TSN. He assumed that the trilateral talks between Ukraine, EU and Russia will most likely take place in early May. 'I guess they have things to discuss with us. They are in the tough spot with the Nord Stream II now, and they should be considering options of how to transport gas after 2019; they are interested in this for sure. Will they be negotiating before the final announcement of the results? I don't think so. But as soon as the outcome is clear., they will agree for negotiations', Kobolev said. At that, he added that if there will be a new president in Ukraine, Russians will still not change their manner of speech. According to Kobolev, regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, the Kremlin will keep applying pressure on Ukraine. The official assumed that Russia might go for another gas crisis to persuade Europe in the necessity to complete the Nord Stream II construction. The tickets for the fan zone in the middle of NSC Olimpiysky stadium are available now, the candidate said in his video message Volodymyr Zelensky, the presidential candidate of Ukraine zn.ua Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reported that free tickets for the fan zone at NSC Olimpiysky stadium are now available. Thus, some viewers will be able to watch the debates between Zelensky and the incumbent president Petro Poroshenko on the stadium for free. The comedian who runs for the presidency posted the respective video massege on Facebook. 'The opportunity appeared to check in for the main event of the country! The free tickets for the fan zone in the middle of the stadium is now available!', he said. Two free tickets can be registered for a single viewer. Previously, the teams of presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky signed the agreement with the NSC Olimpiysky stadium. The deal foresees that the presidential debates would take place on the arena on April 19. Oleg Medvedev, the speaker of Poroshenko's HQ said this as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda news agency. It was unclear where the churchs 67 employees would work Open source The Notre Dame Cathedral could be shut down for visitors for six years in Paris, as Associated Press reports, referring to Pope of the Notre Dame Cathedral Patrick Schoe. According to the Pope, the half of the cathedral was damaged due to fire. However, he did not specify. Besides, he added it was unclear what the churchs 67 employees would be doing in the future. President Emmanuel Macron promised that Notre Dame would be restored within five years. At the same time, the French restorers claimed it would take up to 10-15 years in order to restore the monument. As it was reported earlier, the spire and the roof of the Notre Dame cathedral fell in a fire. The press service of the President of France reported that Macron canceled the planned speech in the Elysee Palace in order to come to the cathedral. The law enforcers order all the people to leave the streets near the cathedral and to go to safe places. The firefighters were trying to extinguish the fire. The medical workers arrived at the spot as well. It is still unknown, whether there are victims. It is about changing the time of debates from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM Open source The Central Election Commission of Ukraine will review the propositions of the authorized representatives of presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky concerning amending the protocol on debates. Head of CEC Tetiana Spivachuk said this, as RBK-Ukraine reports. The session will be held on April 18, at 12:00. I notify both authorized representatives of the presidential candidates that CEC will hold the session concerning this issue tomorrow at 12:00. It is about changing the time of debates from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We are waiting for the documents from both candidates. We have already got the documents from the one candidate and are waiting from another one, Spivachuck said. Thus, Ruslan Kniazevych, the authorized representatives of presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko, applied to the CEC asking to add amendments once to the CEC protocol 472 as of May 5, 2014. The candidates made an agreement to conduct pre-election defense on the NSC Olympiskyi from 7:00 PM and approximately to 8:00 PM. I am asking to take into account the distance between the places (the NSC Olympiskyi and the Suspilne TV studio red.). It will be the peak time on Friday after the working week. Obviously, it will not be enough time to get to the studio before the beginning of the broadcast for both candidates ... Please, postpone the beginning of the debate from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM and hold them for 60 minutes, Kniazevych said. According to CEC, the authorized representative of Volodymyr Zelensky should send the written document with the proposition to postpone the debates. Earlier, the teams of presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky signed the agreement with the NSC Olimpiysky stadium. The deal foresees that the presidential debates would take place on the arena on April 19. NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv Open source Ukraines Internal Minister Arsen Avakov supposed that 60,000 people will come to the political debates at Olimpiyskiy stadium, as he said at the briefing, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine. We expect up to 60,000 people, Ukrainian citizens, who will come to list to and support their candidates. This situation is rather tense, it requires more attention to security. In this regard we realize that every headquarter has its view of the debates, we invited the representatives of the headquarters to meet today at 5 pm and make final decision, the Minister stated. Avakov assured that the fan-zone at the stadium will be completely used. We will think how to place people safely, to provide it with frames, clear inspection. We did it many times, he stated. At the same time, some 10,000 law enforcers will maintain order at the stadium. It is a large number, as when we talked about events at the stadium, the police did not go in, as a rule. In this case we will have to work inside and outside and provide additional flows. Therefore, we gather more people just in case, Avakov noted. In total, NSC Olimpiyskiy accommodates around 70,000 people. Presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reported that free tickets for the fan zone at NSC Olimpiysky stadium are now available. Thus, some viewers will be able to watch the debates between Zelensky and the incumbent president Petro Poroshenko on the stadium for free. Previously, the teams of presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky signed the agreement with the NSC Olimpiysky stadium. The deal foresees that the presidential debates would take place on the arena on April 19, said Oleg Medvedev, the speaker of Poroshenko's HQ. Related video: The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will consider the lawsuit of Ukraine on the immediate release of three Ukrainian vessels and 24 members of their crews in two weeks on April 29-30 as Ukrinform reported. According to the procedure, the hearing (on the lawsuit of Ukraine to Russia) should take place in two weeks after the filing of the appeal to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. In other words, on April 29-30. After the hearing, there will two weeks for the making of the decision, Olena Zerkal, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said. Zerkal noted that the Russian side may try to delay the beginning of the hearings due to the Easter holidays but the hearing will take place not later than May 2-3. As ITLOS makes a decision, we expect for the immediate release and return to Ukraine of the sailors and ships within the applying of the temporary measures, Zerkal added. Besides, she reported that on April 23, the consultations between Ukraine and Russia can take place within the Ukrainian lawsuit to the International Court of Justice on the release of the Ukrainian vessels and captured sailors. But the fact of the holding or non-holding of these consultations does not influence the procedural actions, Zerkal said. According to her, Ukraine informed Russia on the beginning of the obligatory arbitration proceeding at ITLOS after a few months of efforts, which aimed at the provision of the release of the military vessels and 24 members of their crews. The Foreign Ministry used all diplomatic means of influence and we prepared all materials mentioned in our lawsuit to make the process to be more intensive, she emphasized. On November 25, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy attacked the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian ships were rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 sailors on board were captured and delivered to Moscow 21 of them were delivered to Lefortovo remand center, the rest came to the hospital of Matrosskaya Tishina prison. Facing an extension of the sentence term, Ukrainian POWs detained in the Kerch Strait refused to testify in Lefortovo court. Sailors were distributed into six groups, four people in each. On January 15, 2019, Moscow's Lefortovo district court decided to keep 20 Ukrainian sailors in remand until April 24. On January 16, the court extended the detention term for another 4 sailors. Open source Naftogaz-Ukraine demands the Cabinet of Ministers to cancel the order No. 867 as of October 19, 2019 on the regulation of gas prices, as the press office of the company reported. On April 9, 2019 Naftogaz-Ukraine appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine asking to cancel the order on the imposition of special duties which requires gas prices increase for the population since May 1, 2019 or amend it, the message reads. The companys representatives stated that now Naftogaz has to observe these special duties according to which since May, 1 gas prices will increase by 15% to the level of $276 per one cubic meter (without VAT and expenses for transportation and distribution). It was emphasized that the market gas price for May published as of April 16 by the Ukrainian power exchange, makes $261 per one thousand cubic meter with VAT, which is by 27% lower than the price calculated by Ukraines Government. The order No. 293 which the Government adopted on April 3, 2019 does not remove Naftogazs obligation to perform the current order No.867 despite the directly applicable norms of the articles No. 9 and 18 of the Constitution of Ukraine. It also does not impose new special duties on Naftogaz and does not cancel the current order on the special duties, Naftogaz reported. It was informed that if the orders No. 967 are violated, the company and its officials will be punished for the violation of the gas supply and for crimes. Totally, almost 72,400 police officers will be involved to provide order and security during the second tour of the elections Open source The National Police of Ukraine will switch to the enhanced regime of work on April 18 before the second tour of the presidential elections as Communication Department of Police reported. Head of the National Police Serhy Khiazev noted that the law enforcers should consider the problematic moments, which occurred during the first tour of the voting and prevent them. Each of them should responsibly treat the fulfillment of the tasks. Tomorrow we switch to the enhanced regime of work. I want everyone to remember that the interaction with the representatives of the public organization OPORA is one of the most important components of the democratic elections, Kniazev emphasized. Totally, it is planned to involve almost 72,400 police officers in the provision of the order and security during the second tour. According to Deputy Chairman of the National Police Oleksandr Fatsevych, over 50,000 police officers with guard the district and local electoral commissions and almost 11,000 law enforcers will secure the streets. According to First Deputy Interior Minister Serhy Yarovy, the police officers have registered 976 application and messages connected with the election process since April 1. 66 criminal proceedings were opened during two weeks. Generally, since the beginning of the election campaign, since December 2018, 8,800 messages on the violations were sent to the police. 378 criminal proceedings were opened and 763 protocols were compiled, Yarovy added. The first tour of the presidential elections finished in Ukraine. After the processing of 100% of the protocols it was announced that Zelensky got 30,24% of the votes, Poroshenko has 15,95% and Tymoshenko gained 13,40%. The second tour of the elections is appointed for April 21. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed the subversion and reconnaissance group of Russian origin. It is involved in the organization of murder of Maksym Shapoval, the officer of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry as 112 Ukraine reported citing SBU Head Vasyl Hrytsak. I officially report that the SBU stopped the activity of the subversion and reconnaissance group of the Russian special services consisting of seven people at the territory of our state. All of them were detained and arrested. Today in the morning we finished another stage of this operation and detained one more person, who facilitated the activity of this terrorist group at the territory of our state, Hrytsak said. According to him, since 2017, a few autonomous subversion and reconnaissance groups were sent to Ukraine from Russia and the Donetsk Peoples Republic. These groups were sent by the Russian military intelligence for the commitment of the political murders, elimination of the officers of the Ukrainian special services. One of such groups committed a daring crime, terrorist act on June 27, 2017, and it results in the death of General of Military Intelligence Maksym Shapoval. According to the similar scenario, on April 4, 2018, the self blowing up took place during the attempt of the planting of the bomb under the car of the Ukrainian military intelligence officer. In the result of the self blowing up, the performer and head of the Russian subversion and reconnaissance group sustained severe injuries, Hrytsak added. The car exploded in Solominsky district of Kyiv in the morning of June 27, 2017. The accident occurred at the intersection of Solomenska and Mekhanizatorov street. The driver died in the car blast. The police opened the criminal investigation upon the article 'Terrorist Attack'. Later it was reported that the victim is the officer of of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Maksym Shapoval. The mass media specified that the he was the head of the guard service of the former Russian State Duma Denis Voronenkov citing the source in the Ministry of Defense. With involvement from World Wildlife Fund and The Yield Lab Institute, The Manure Challenge is exploring how technology can help us find an expedited pathway to making better use of manure. North Carolina is the second largest pork-producing location in the US, home to roughly 8.9 million hogs across 2,300 industrial pig farmsand their manure. To manage this massive amount of animal waste, farmers have designed hog houses with slatted floors that allow the manure to fall through the slats and into drains that carry it out of the house into massive pools called hog lagoons. The manure slowly decomposes in the open-air pit becoming fertilizer over time. When Hurricane Florence pummeled North Carolina in September 2018, hog farmers raced to drain their lagoons for fear that the extreme winds and flooding would cause massive spills. When a hog lagoon ruptures, it can cause major human and environmental health problems including poisoned drinking water, phosphorous blooms in local waterways, spoilage of cropland, and the spread of pollutants like fuel residue. The damage from a single hog lagoon rupture can be devastating, resulting in dead wildlife and livestock. North Carolinas hog farms and other confined animal feeding operations produce 10 billion gallons of fecal waste each year, which could fill more than 15,000 Olympic-size swimming pools, according to Environmental Working Group. North Carolinas 100-year floodplain still contain 62 confined animal feeding operations with over 235,000 hogs and 30 other operations house more than 1.8 million chickens. To capture the animals manure, 166 open-air lagoons sit directly within the floodplain while 366 more lagoons sit within 100 feet of the floodplain. Hurricane Florence wasnt the first time that North Carolina suffered a massive statewide manure spill. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc on the state pouring as much as two feet of rain in some regions causing lagoon walls to rupture and killing over 20,000 pigs. But the widespread media coverage of Florences threat to North Carolinas hog farms drew the publics attention to a very smelly and very dangerous problem in agricultural production not the massive amount of manure that farmers manage each year, but the way in which the manure is collected, handled, and disseminated. Last year, North Carolina residents filed public nuisance lawsuits against Smithfield Foods and Murphy Brown alleging that the operations hog manure lagoons created a major nuisance in the form of odors and potential health concerns. Three of the lawsuits ended in more than $500 million being awarded to the plaintiffs. Where Tech and Manure Collide Farms used to be more integrated systems, with pasture for animals to graze, crop production, and byproducts that went to the livestock. The manure was applied back to the land. It was a more balanced system compared to nowadays where crops are grown in other places, sometimes very far away. Liquid manure is too expensive and too hard to haul to a crop site and it may not consist of the right ratios, Sandra Vijn, director, dairy, of sustainable food at World Wildlife Fund, tells AgFunderNews. Circular farming is what we would like to see, which consists of many farmers applying manure back to the land and growing crops to feed humans, and the byproducts go to the animals who produce more manure to feed the crops. Nowadays, its broken. We want to bring those systems back and to bring back the nutrients to the farmland so that we can utilize them to the fullest extent. WWF is joining forces with The Yield Lab Institute, Newtrient, and Dairy Farmers of America to organize a startup competition for solution providers that market manure-based products and services. Through The Manure Challenge, the group is hoping to put manure-based product marketing on the map by selecting a group of solution providers and guiding them through a commercialization curriculum coupled with mentorship and introduction to sources of capital. Manure: a sacred input for some For many farmers, especially those who rotationally graze their livestock and finish animals on grass instead of on feed in a feedlot, manure is a sacred input that replenishes pastures, provides insight into each animals health, and feeds organic matter in the soil making for rich and fertile ground. But as the livestock industry became heavily consolidated, so did the animals manure. Like hog production, poultry production is particularly rife with concentrations of manure as laying hens and meat birds are confined in large houses until the day they are shipped to the processor. Even in nearly emerged free-range production, the birds are kept in large houses and provided with limited access to the outdoors if that. But manure management isnt necessarily an issue of mega farms versus small farms either. Even small-scale dairy farmers have manure pits and lagoons with excess manure particularly in seasons where it cannot be applied to land. They have to find solutions to deal with that, so this challenge is also trying to help small-scale farmers. Many states have adopted manure management regulations to ensure that manure is handled in a safe and environmentally conscious manner, forcing farmers to take certain actions regarding their animals daily output. These laws adopt a variety of solutions, reflecting essential steps to manure management: collection, storage, treatment, transfer, and utilization. Manure can be stored dry and handled as solids, or liquified. Liquid manure can be digested anaerobically to produce biogas for energy production. Without a cover, however, the liquid manure releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The most common use of manure is as fertilizer on cropland or pastureland, but the industrialization of food production has put thousands of miles between the places where livestock are raised and row crops are grown. There are also health considerations when applying manure to human food crops. Because farmers face regulatory pressure to manage manure and in light of the environmental implications, there have been a few industry-led tech-driven efforts, as well. California recently awarded a $90 million grant to dairy tech startup CalBio to help the major dairy producing state meet its goal of reducing methane emissions from the dairy and livestock industry by 40% by 2030. The funds will be used to help advance the use of manure digesters on California dairy farms by building and operating an interconnection pipeline. The pipeline will transport biogas produced on farms to conversion facilities, where its turned into Renewable Compressed Natural Gas. In 2018, Smithfield Foods, the worlds largest pork processor and hog producer, launched a partnership with Florida startup Anuvia Plant Nutrients to convert the hog manure created by the companys farming operations into fertilizer. A Lot of Livestock Means a Lot of Manureand A Lot of Untapped Value AgriFood Tech has become a distinct and growing sector, attracting a record $16.9 billion in venture capital funding last year according to AgFunders 2018 AgriFood Tech Investing Report. With all that capital, its hard to understand why more startups havent set their sights on bringing innovation and disruption to manure management. Its certainly not sexy. Its not the latest food trend coming out of Silicon Valley. Its something hidden in the supply chain, but it is a valuable resource and its a pollutant, so theres an urgent need to bring this on the radar, Vijn says. The amount of manure produced through agricultural enterprises in the US is staggering. Although there are existing manure management systems and practices that are designed to make some use of the waste, there is undoubtedly untapped potential floating in hog lagoons and poultry litter piles. In 2017, the meat and poultry industry processed 9.4 billion livestock animals according to the North American Meat Institute. Thats a staggering amount of meat, but its also a staggering amount of manure considering to account for, too. Manure isnt an issue unique to one particular region over another, either. Nearly half of the 2.1 million farms in operation as of the 2012 Census of Agriculture reported having cattle and calves, according to the USDA. To put it on a more tangible scale, the manure from a 200-cow dairy produces as much nitrogen as the sewage from a community of 5,000-10,000 people according to the National Resource Conservation Service. The annual litter produced from a typical meat-bird house containing 22,000 birds produces as much phosphorous as the sewage from a community of 6,000 people. The waste products that animals produce dont only consist of manure, either. Bedding, spilled feed, and other substances that have become contaminated with manure are also often swept into the lagoons or other holding areas. NRCS took the research even further to determine how much manure each species produces on a daily basis. The research project calculated the average daily output for each species based on a 1,000-pound animal unit to account for the major size differences between a large-framed dairy cow and a slight laying hen. The study concluded that a 1,000-pound beef cow produces 59.1 pounds of manure per day. A dairy cow of the same weight produces 80-pounds. Hogs and pigs produce 63.1-pounds of manure per day per 1,000-lb animal unit while laying hens produce 60.5-pounds and broilers produce 80-pounds. Turkeys produce the least amount at 43.6-pounds. We know there are a lot of programs and practices that farmers are using to manage and apply manure but we also see a need for farmers to better manage the lagoons and storage that they have on their farms, Vijn said. Even with the programs from the government and other sources, there are still accidental manure spills, runoff, and GHG emissions. If manure is managed well, theres a big opportunity to improve food production efficiency, soil health, clean water, and GHG reductions. The Manure Challenge Through The Manure Challenge, Vijn and the partners hope to identify new solutions that are not on existing manure management companies radar. They also want to raise awareness among supply chain partners about the possibility or reducing farm level impacts through better manure management. A lot of companies have set goals to reduce GHG emissions by 30% in by 2030 and they have dairy in their supply chains. Theyre all turning to their supply chains saying what solutions can help us get to our goal. This challenge could raise awareness about some of these solutions and bring together parties to invest them and bring them to scale. Vijn explains. This can help us look beyond traditional biogas digesters that require a lot of investment and that are really hard to maintain because they require external experts. We are really hoping to find smaller scale solutions that are more user-friendly and that take less investment. The road to making manure matter is littered with some challenges. Getting farmers to adopt new technologies is always a challenge, especially when it requires an initial investment without a clear sense of when the returns will arrive. The trick to marketing manure tech will be the same as most other on-farm innovations: leading with the value proposition. I grew up on a farm and my dad was hesitant to invest in stuff like this, but if there is proof of it working, bringing in money, and making life easier in terms of complying with laws or staying ahead of the laws and it isnt so hard to implement, then farmers will be interested, Vijn explained. I also know farmers love to visit with other farmers and to understand what they are doing, so if there is room in this challenge for demonstrations of the technologies it would really help. Runs through 05/18/2019. Named after the wounded Fisher King of Arthurian Legend, A Prairie Fisher King espouses the notion of home as both a site of idealization and a locus for wounding. Drawing from memory, a narrative is woven in the form of photographs and text of the rural Iowa countryside where my family has lived for generations. A Prairie Fisher King is an ongoing body of work reflecting on the nature of familial hardship and generational connection through the lens of place. An undertone of violence embodies the emotional distress accumulated with age as well as a looming threat posed upon the landscape. Initially conceived as a bittersweet love letter to home, A Prairie Fisher King considers the various myths we construct in order to survive in the face of inevitable change. Through the accumulation of intimately described detail a search for reconciliation becomes palpable. I assume the role of reluctant hero and return to seek the damaged king, to seal old wounds and to salve the land. __________________________________________ Chelsea Darter received her MFA at Columbia College Chicago in 2018 and her BFA from The University of Iowa in 2013. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and featured online by Light Leaked, Aint-Bad, and Fraction Magazine. Her personal work explores themes of place attachment, class, familial connection and local mythologies. She lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Eric Williams Photography Its certainly not a matter of repeatedly using a cudgel to convince ones opponentsor contrarians for that matterof the climate emergency humanity is facing right now. When global climate change threatens our entire species, there has to be some effect on the denizens of The Duke City. Of course, you count on Weekly Alibi to get involved. Thats why I went out on assignment on Saturday, April 13 to investigate and report on the Climate Disruption Film Festival being held at South Broadway Cultural Center. Last week, our main man, managing editor Devin OLeary wrote a preview of the festivals program. Later that week, festival organizers rang me up with a reminder. They reiterated that several key New Mexico politicos and leaders were going to speak at the event. Among them, newly minted District One Representative Deb Haaland and State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard were going to speechify. New Democratic state representatives Abbas Akhil and Melanie Stansbury were scheduled to lead a panel discussion on state legislative efforts meant to stem the tide of global warming, too. Clearly the best and brightest minds are on the case. Thinking it would be great to get an overview from our leadership about the nature and intensity of the coming storm, I decided to go hunt for a story out there. I arrived at 11am, just ahead of Haalands presentation. When I walked through the doors, I decided to focus on the new Representatives turn at the micsince the election, a lot of the hopes, dreams and expectations of the states progressives have flown to Washington on Debs wingsand came and went curiously through the rest of the festival. In case you want to know, the films screened there definitively demonstrated that global warming is affecting New Mexico in bad ways that are bound to get worse. In particular, CAVUs Is New Mexico Ready to Be the Next Saudi Arabia explores the oil boom in Southeast New Mexico in great depth. The documentary investigates the environmental and geopolitical implications of drilling in the Permian Basin with deliberately stark cinematography that emphasizes how the built/capitalized environment is changing rural New Mexico. There were about 150 people in attendance, moving through the south wing of the cultural center with a sense of urgency and focus. The thing was that, most of the folks I saw at this super-important gathering of minds were between the ages of 50 and 80. Certainly there was a visible group of Gen Xers like myself about but there were only a handful of millennials amongst the whole group. As for the citys youth, they were largely absent, though a group of children would soon appear onstage with Haaland to help guide the film festival audience through environmental policies emanating from the District One Congressional offices. The lack of young people was startling and should give us a reason to pause. Global warming is being presented to audiences citywide, statewide and worldwide as a catastrophic event, as an emergency and nothing less. Yet its main bell-ringers and harbingers seem to be baby boomers whove already lived most of their lives on an Earth that their culture did much to damage and that we all inherit as a result. Its essential to involve youth and millennials in conversations about global climate change, just as it is essential to convince many in America that the words and research of scientists, policy makers and technocrats is correct: We are on a precipice of our own devising but we can still walk it back. We suggest expanding education and enlistment efforts toward humans aged 16 to 36. Its basically their world now anyway, and they should be major contributors to a solution. If anything, Haalands presentation hopefully countered the demonstrated demographic of festival attendees. As I entered the theater for her speech, I noted that the program had already begun and that Weekly Alibi Staff Photographer Eric Williams was already in place and snapping away. Onstage, Haaland sat surrounded by a group of elementary school-aged children. They appeared to be between 8 and 12 years old and each had questions to ask and stories to tell about how the world is dramatically and dangerously changing. One child spoke about global warming, plastic pollution and debate over a proposed city ordinance that would ban some single use plastic products; she urged Haaland and those gathered to support the bill. Another child named Adina said she was part of a group called the global warming emergency. She told the adults in the room that the polar ice caps are melting, saying, Everything gets off balance, and you cant go back. When Haalands turn to speak came, she told those gathered that I love the global we. I want to make sure that everybody realizes that we all have to be part of the solution. Its about all of us working together to fight climate change. The US Representative then told those gathered in the auditorium that small changes in personal usage can make a big impact if enough individuals change. In particular, Haaland singled out the elimination of single-use plastic water containers as a way to make a personal impact. By neatly stitching together her individual environmental ethos with a progressive city platform that will begin the process of banning much consumer single-use plastic items, Haaland signaled she is on board with concrete, quantitative efforts to stem the tides of consumerism and pollution that are driving global climate change. By the end of the talk, our new voice in Congress was nearing tears as she explained the intensity of the problem at hand. It was a remarkable and humbling moment for those gathered at South Broadway Cultural Center. Yet, ultimately, Haalands message, emotional content and all, has yet to be effectively transmitted and absorbed by those noticeably absent from the proceedings. That terrifying conceitthat there are still nonbelievers and the nonchalantmakes the global climate change emergency even more daunting for those watching storm clouds gather on the horizon. Chmiel/iStock(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) -- A Fort Carson soldier, missing since Monday night, has been found alive and in good condition after a 24-hour search, the Army announced on Wednesday. The soldier, whose name has not been released, was last seen on foot around 9:45 p.m. local time on Monday at the Army post's land navigation site near Pueblo West, while participating in the Expert Field Medical Badge competition, according to Fort Carson spokesperson Lt. Col. Christina Kretchman. Search-and-rescue teams on the ground scoured the area where the soldier was last seen, while helicopters searched from above. The soldier was located on the west side of the installation on Wednesday morning by a passing motorist on U.S. Highway 115 and then ground transported by emergency personnel to a local hospital, according to the Fort Carson release. "The Soldiers of our brigade are tremendously relieved that our Soldier has been recovered safely," Col. Dave Zinn, commander of 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, said in statement. "The Soldier has displayed physical and mental toughness as a Soldier and persevered through a challenging situation. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to all of the Soldiers of Fort Carson, along with the Colorado Springs community, for their diligent work while searching for and bringing our Soldier home." Last July, two Army ROTC cadets were rescued after spending a night missing from a land navigation exercise in Hawaii, according to Honolulu's Star Advertiser. A few weeks earlier, in June, an Alabama Army Reserve soldier was found dead in a wooded area of Camp Blanding in Florida, after he went missing during a similar exercise. Spc. Calyn McLemore's body was found two days after the training course began. Officials said that extreme heat and tough conditions could have been a factor in his disappearance and death, according to the Alabama Media Group. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. From the Realm of Death, the Nighthaunt hordes rise stronger than ever to destroy you, Lord-Arcanum. Salvation of the lost souls of your brethren rests in your hands. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Special counsel Robert Mueller has conducted his nearly two-year investigation shrouded in secrecy, choosing to speak through indictments and court records with few if any leaks despite intense national scrutiny. But on Thursday, the American people will finally have a chance to read Muellers findings for themselves. Here are five things to watch for when the redacted version of the special counsels report is made public: Redactions: Who is a peripheral third party? One of the biggest questions ahead of Thursdays reveal could have major implications on how its read: how heavily will Attorney General William Barr redact information? After repeatedly pledging to handle the report as transparently as possible, Barr has described four realms in which information must remain secret: grand jury materials, evidence related to ongoing investigations, classified information, and potentially disparaging information about peripheral third parties. The premise of a peripheral third party leaves Barr with ample room to interpret who falls into that category. During his testimony before senators last week Barr shed some light on the matter, suggesting that he only intends to redact information about people in private lifenot public officeholders. Obstruction of justice and evidence on both sides of the question In his first letter to Congress, Barr wrote that the special counsels report sets out evidence on both sides of the question of whether President Trumps actions amounted to obstruction of justice. Mueller declined to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment on the matter, according to that letter. But is there any evidence to suggest Trump had, indeed, obstructed justice? Barr said in the letter to Congress that when a redacted version of the Mueller report is released on Thursday most of the evidence supporting obstruction claims within have been the subject of public reporting, but that presumably leaves at least some new instances worth examining. Assuming that evidence clears the aforementioned requirements for redaction, it could make for compelling new information. What did Don McGahn tell the special counsel? "There is significant concern on the president's team about what will be in this report," ABC News Jonathan Karl reported last Sunday, and "what worries them most is what Don McGahn told the special counsel." News of the former White House counsels extensive cooperation with the special counsels office sent shockwaves through Washington when it was revealed last summer. Outwardly, at least, White House officials have presented an air of calmness in the West Wing leading up to the reports release, but what about McGahns testimony has them so worried? According to the New York Times, which first reported on his cooperation in August 2018, McGahn provided detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice. Another White House attorney, William Burck, who was present for McGahns 30 hours with investigators, later penned a memo insisting that McGahn did not incriminate the president, but ABC News has reported that McGahns testimony remains a point of issue for the presidents current legal team. Manafort, Kilimnik, and a meeting at the heart of Muellers probe Despite its characterization as striking at the heart of what the Special Counsel's Office is investigating by one of Muellers top prosecutors, relatively little is known about former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts tete-a-tete with Konstantin Kilimnik, a man described as a former Russian intelligence officer, in August of 2016. What might be learned Thursday about this meeting, which took place at the Grand Havana Club in New York a high-end cigar bar located near Trump Tower just weeks before Manaforts dismissal from the campaign? Aside from knowing where, when, and the apparent significance of this meeting, the content of Manafort and Kilimniks discussion remains a secret. The relationship between Manafort and Kilimnik, who was also indicted in the Manafort case but has been beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement, has remained a low-profile but persistent element of the special counsels probe. In fact, the most illuminating revelation came to light as a result of a mistake. In January, defense attorneys for Manafort inadvertently revealed that their client stands accused of sharing polling data with Kilimnik. What about WikiLeaks role in Russias meddling? The special counsels office has already revealed much about Russias efforts to meddle in the 2016 campaign by way of its indictments of 34 people and three entities. But one notable omission from Muellers patchwork narrative is the role of WikiLeaks and its mercurial founder, Julian Assange, who disseminated hacked documents from the DNC and Hillary Clintons campaign. Will anything more be learned about WikiLeaks hand in tipping the balance of the 2016 presidential election? The whistleblower organization was referred to in the indictment of Russians accused of hacking those documents as Organization 1, but has not itself been the subject of charges. Assange and his lawyers have denied having any involvement with Russian state actors. Federal prosecutors in the United States unsealed a computer hacking indictment against Assange last week just hours after authorities in the United Kingdom arrested him, but those charges related to an alleged conspiracy dating back to 2010 completely unrelated to Muellers probe. WikiLeaks advocates and Assanges legal team leapt to his defense, decrying his arrest and prospective extradition to the U.S. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Estamos en una lucha firme contra la corrupcion y la reforma del sistema judicial y politico. Queremos tener una administracion de justicia eficaz, un sistema politico renovado, mas representativo, agil y con equilibrio de poderes. pic.twitter.com/jiiOyA5UmZ Sharon Que, Violin Restorer She's carved her niche in a highly specialized world. by Chris Hippler From the April, 2019 issue On a bitterly cold morning in early February, Sharon Que drove to Dearborn to keep an appointment with a very, very old friend: a Stradivarius violin, built in 1703 by master luthier Antonio Stradivari. Known as "Rougemont," it is one of seven classical Italian violins in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford. The eighteenth-century Cremonese violins are among the best in the world. For six years, Que has been called on to assess, conserve, and optimize the museum's collection. "Each of these instruments has a personality," she says with a smile, "and I know them very well." She's been called in today to optimize the instrument acoustically for a concert by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) later in the month. Mary Fahey, the museum's chief curator, meets her at the entrance of the conservatory and leads her to a small secluded work area. A security guard enters the room carrying the violin in a hard-shelled case with a soft-cushioned interior. Que gingerly removes the instrument. Optimizing the acoustics of a violin is painstaking work. The instrument expands and contracts with temperature changes, affecting the sound. Que adjusts the bridge, where the strings rest, and, using a dental mirror and a light, examines the internal sound post. As she works, she runs a frequency analysis program on her laptop to measure the effect of every change. "I've been trained to be methodical," Que says. "But when I hold a Strad, I fall in love with how the light accentuates the sculptural aspects of the instrument." --- Que is fond of saying, "I went to school at U-M, but I got my education in the GM-UAW wood model-making program." Born in Detroit the second of five children, Que (pronounced like the letter) was raised in Shelby Township. "We shortened our family name, Querciagrossa, which in Italian means 'the most robust oak tree on the mountain,'" she says. With a strong, independent mother, and a father who was a mechanical ...continued below... engineer at GM, Que was curious about how things worked even as a child.That curiosity led her to Ann Arbor, where she waitressed at the Fleetwood and the Old Town while studying art at the U-M. With her BFA in hand and no job prospects, her father suggested she apply to a model-making apprenticeship.She passed a rigorous timed test that included algebra, geometry, and trigonometry and began her training at the sprawling GM Tech Center in Warren. Hundreds of woodworkers shared a single, cavernous room, all wearing gray smocks designating their trade. Most were men, and some were wary of her--but more because of her BFA, she says, than her gender. After a full day of work, she attended mandatory evening trade classes at Macomb Community College."We didn't make scale models," she recalls. "We made full-sized parts out of mahogany laminated with epoxy," which were used to create metalworking dies. The intense focus on accuracy helped develop her woodworking skills and honed her ability to analyze forms in two and three dimensions.She earned her journeyman's card but eventually tired of the long hours. After six years, she began exploring other job opportunities. A 1989 Observer article about local violin makers Joe Curtin and Gregg Alf piqued her interest."When Sharon approached us, we were not looking for anyone," Curtin remembers, "But she had an artistic eye, and we saw that her precise woodworking skills would be valuable in our shop."Que started as a woodworking assistant, designing jigs and tools to aid in the violin-making process. She also developed a core knowledge of the violin and how it functions.After seven years at Curtin & Alf and another five at Joseph Curtin Studios, she was ready to solo. In 2001 she opened Sharon Que Violin Restoration and Repair. Today, she has numerous clients throughout the U.S. and Europe.---Que and her husband, Tom Phardel, who recently retired as ceramics chair at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, share a home filled with artwork on a wooded lot on Dhu Varren Rd. Her violin workshop is on the second floor of a cinder-block barn next door. It's bathed in light that pours in through a skylight and large south-facing window, and classical music plays softly in the background as she repairs a damaged button, the section where the neck of the violin attaches to the body. After precise measurements, her strong hands guide a razor-sharp chisel to carve away the damaged wood. As tiny, tight curls of shavings rise from the edge of the chisel, she gently blows them away.A specially made mold holds the instrument secure and stable as she works. After carving for a few minutes, she measures the thickness of the wood with a caliper then continues carving.She keeps detailed handwritten notes and measurements for every instrument she works on. "When she went off on her own, I was struck by how much she continued to learn," Curtin says. "Her self-directed pursuit is very impressive. She has that rare ability to keep learning and understanding things."Que's speaking style is much like her work: precise and exacting. "In museums, conservation of the instruments is the focus," she explains. "In the performance world, my work is restoration and repair."She teaches classes and lectures at Violin Society of America conferences, and writes technical articles for The Strad magazine. "Most of my work is restoration and repair, but I bring conservation ideas into the work," she says. Que also restores violins that she buys at auctions then sells through her website, sharonque.com The most difficult part of her journey was learning to play the violin. With no frets to follow or keys to hit, playing a violin is all about feel and ear. "I had to overcome fear!" she says. She's not a performer but uses her playing as a tool in her work.Que keeps a hand in the art world as well. She has a sculpture studio across the hall from her violin workshop, and her work is exhibited in galleries in Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago, and Venice.In late February, Kimberly Ann Kaloyanides Kennedy, the DSO's associate concertmaster, played the Rougemont violin in a concert at Orchestra Hall. Que has optimized violins for Kennedy for a number of years."Sharon is a miracle worker," Kennedy says. "She figures out how to get the best out of the violin."At the concert, "the Rougemont filled the concert hall, and the sweet soprano sound soared above the orchestral music," Kennedy says. "It was magical." [Originally published in April, 2019.] Like all elections, the focus is not so much on the peoples plight and their needs, but more on the power struggle of the politicians. As usual, the peo... YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Transportation, Communication and Information Technologies Hakob Arshakyan has briefed on the ongoing activities on introducing a nationwide single transportation system. He said the ministry is focused on this matter because the transportation network has failed to develop sufficiently for many years. He said theyve created a database that shows the current state of the transportation network in Armenia, the active routes, the operators, as well as planned new routes. Arshakyan said there are numerous new settlements that will be covered by the new network. Now an adjustment of passenger flow calculations is taking place in order to have a more adjusted picture of the new network, in terms of what type and in what quantity passenger transportation vehicles are required and in what frequency they should operate, Arshakyan said, adding that it will be followed by a tender to chose an operator. At this moment the entire information is in the stage of collection and processing. The minister said they will have the complete picture of passenger flow in May, and then will start modeling. He said the single network envisages a single ticket system. When we say single we mean an entirely integrated ticketing and logistical system. The distribution of operators depends on the degree of profitability of concrete routes. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is in France on a working visit, visited the cathedral of Notre Dame which has been damaged by a major fire on Monday, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress. The Armenian FM gave a brief interview to the reporters, stating: Like everyone in the world, we in Armenia as well are deeply saddened by the news of the fire that caused a great damage to this huge building of historic heritage, of more than 850-year-old heritage that symbolizes so many people. It is the French contribution to the collective civilization of humanity, and I am confident that France will be able to preserve this unique example, this wonderful building of the humanitys historical, cultural and civilizational heritage by the support of all of us. We express our solidarity to the people and government of France. I came here to reaffirm our support to work jointly to see this wonderful monument fully restored, renovated so that the future generations will also experience the feeling of pride on what achievements the humanity has recorded, what heritage the talk is about. We are obviously committed to working jointly on this direction. A major fire broke out in the cathedral of Notre-Dame on April 15. Firefighters managed to save the 850-year-old Gothic buildings main stone structure, including its two towers, but the spire and roof collapsed. The fire was declared under control almost nine hours after it started. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte has assessed the cost of restoring the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris around 1,000,000,000 Euros. The iconic Paris landmark was badly damaged by a massive fire in the eveing of April 15. Wilmottee said in case all promised donations are indeed transferred to the restoration fund they will be able to cover the cost. Earlier Le Parisien newspaper reported that the amount of promised donations for the restoration has reached 1 billion Euros exactly as much as Wilmotte has assessed the cost. The donations mostly come from major corporations and businessmen, as well as NGO funds. The inferno badly damaged the iconic Paris landmark, but relics and works of art have been saved. Authorities have said they do not suspect foul play and the fire was caused by an accident. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Healthcare of Armenia Arsen Torosyan has held a meeting with members of the Board of Directors of the Pathology Cytology Development (PCD) NGO at the EU in Yerevan. During the meeting the organization presented its humanitarian projects in Armenia. It is a great honor for us that within the framework of the French-Armenian intergovernmental humanitarian medical cooperation projects, by uniting several other French organizations around us we had achievements and successes since 2006 through joint efforts, said Doctor Aytsemik Harutyunyan from PCD. PCD expressed desire to contribute to the development of oncology in Armenia, namely in cancer prevention and early detection directions. Torosyan welcomed the offer and expressed hope that the project will soon be implemented because the oncology area is among the priorities of the Armenian healthcare ministry. Several agreements were reached between the ministry and PCD. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory letter to President of Syria Bashar al-Assad on the countrys National Day, the PMs Office told Armenpress. I cordially congratulate you and the good people of Syria on the National Day of the country. I am confident that the Armenian-Syrian relations, which have centuries-old history, will continue developing and strengthening for the benefit of our countries and peoples. I am full of hope that Syria will overcome the difficulties of the current crisis and will soon enter a stage of restoration and prosperity. I wish you good health and success, and peace and stability to the good people of Syria, reads the congratulatory letter. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of the Board adjunct to the defense minister of Armenia was held today in the defense ministry, the ministry told Armenpress. The representatives of the commanding staff of Artsakhs Defense Army also attended the meeting within the framework of the mutual partnership of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Artsakh. During the meeting issues relating to the renovation works of the ammunition and military equipment were discussed. Heads of several departments and services delivered reports. At the end of the session Armenias defense minister Davit Tonoyan gave instructions to the heads of responsible subdivisions. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Prosperous Armenia Party of the Armenian parliament will vote down the bill on amending the law on the structure and activities of the government, Prosperous Armenia MP Michael Melkumyan said today in parliament. The bill is introduced by the ruling My Step faction and envisages having 12 ministries instead of the current 17 by merging and dissolving. You failed to prove and cannot even prove to what extent we will progress with this structure. You have repeated the same mistake that you made in the governments action plant in this structural changes plan also, because you did not include a mechanism of measurability. You cannot make an economic revolution with this structure. Prosperous Armenia faction will definitely vote against this bill, Melkumyan said. The bill envisages the Cabinet being comprised of the following ministries: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Defense Ministry of Emergency Situations Ministry of Justice Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Ministry of Nature Protection Ministry of Healthcare Ministry of Finance Ministry of Economy Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Ministry of High Tech Industry Instead of the Diaspora Ministry there will be High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs within the PMs office. Below is a list of the current composition of the Cabinet: Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Culture Ministry of Defense Ministry of Diaspora Ministry of Economic Development and Investments Ministry of Education and Science Ministry of Emergency Situations Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Ministry of Finance Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Health Ministry of Justice Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Ministry of Nature Protection Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenias delegation led by Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan will visit St. Petersburg on April 18-20 to take part in the CIS IPA Council and the 49th CIS IPA plenary sessions, the sessions of the standing committees on political affairs and international cooperation, defense and security, legal affairs, as well as the conference on countering international terrorism, the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress. During the visit the Speaker of Parliament is expected to have meetings with his colleagues and the Armenian community representatives. The Armenian parliamentary delegation includes chairmen of the standing committees and MPs. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rules out that any mass media representative can be subjected to political persecution in Armenia. The PM was speaking in parliament today in response to opposition MP Edmon Marukyans question. I rule out that any news media in the Republic of Armenia can be subjected to political persecution, the PM said. Marukyan raised a question about an incident concerning the GALA TV of Shirak province. The PM said he will examine the case and give a response. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. A Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction has launched proceedings over the illegal acquisition and possession of firearms case concerning former MP Manvel Grigoryan and his wife Nazik Amiryan, according to the DataLex online judicial proceedings platform. Grigoryan is currently jailed in pre-trial detention while his wife is banned from leaving the country. This particular case accuses Grigoryan and Amiryan in illegally acquiring and possessing firearms, ammunition, explosives, as well as having committed various types of embezzlement. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, 17 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 17 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.93 drams to 483.40 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.28 drams to 546.58 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 7.56 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.10 drams to 630.50 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 182.98 drams to 19836.61 drams. Silver price down by 0.29 drams to 232.27 drams. Platinum price up by 51.30 drams to 13801 drams. YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. A regular session of the National Assembly of Artsakh took place on April 17. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Artsakh, President of the Republic Bako Sahakyan gace a speech at the parliament. As the priority task of the state, President Sahakyan highlighted the continuation of ensuring the security of the country and the people, as well as preserving the high level of combat readiness of the army. Afterwards, Bako Sahakyan spoke about the achievements in the economic sphere, the future activities and priorities. Referring to the foreign policy of the country, Artsakhs President noted that the works will be continued for the settlement of Artsakh-Azerbaijan conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs format. The position of official Stepanakert remains unchanged. Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict settlement should go on peacefully in the sidelines of the OSCE Minsk Group with the participation of Artsakh as a full-fledged party of the negotiations, Bako Sahakyan emphasized. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan proposes parliamentary factions of Prosperous Armenia Party and Luminous Armenia Party to nominate candidates for positions at the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC) and Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC). ARMENPRESS reports during a regular Cabinet-parliament Q&A session MP Sergey Bagratyan from Prosperous Armenia Party addressed a question to the PM, noting that during the period when PM Pashinyan was an opposition MP he often announced that the opposition has no levers to conduct oversight of the activities of the authorities. He asked if now, when the SCPEC and PSRC and soon the Audit Commission are to be replenished with new cadres, the PM remains committed to his earlier approach that the opposition should be able to conduct oversight of the authorities. PM Pashinyan proposed parliamentary factions of Prosperous Armenia Party and Luminous Armenia Party to nominate candidates for positions at the SCPEC and PSRC. So far we have no decision. If you have ideas, please share with us and we will be glad to meet your needs. MP Bagratyan noted that the involvement of opposition figures will make the activities of the commissions more effective. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received on April 17 the delegation of the U.S. congressmen, comprised of both Republicans and Democrats. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia, greeting the guests, the Head of the legislative highly assessed the role of inter-parliamentary relations. Ararat Mirzoyan hoped that the visit of the congressmen, as well as the activities of the parliamentary friendship groups will foster the future strengthening of Armenian-U.S. relations. The President of the National Assembly presented to his U.S. partners the revolutionary changes in Armenia, and the reforms following it. The early elections that took place as a result of the revolution were assessed as free, fair and democratic by all the observer missions, Mirzoyan said, emphasizing that the democratic path of development for Armenia is irreversible. Referring to the foreign policy agenda of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan presented the position of Armenia on exclusively peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the sidelines of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs format. Thanking for the warm reception, congressman Davis Price noted that they followed the developments on Armenia, and welcome the democratic reforms process. On behalf of his colleagues he expressed readiness to support the initiatives presented by the Armenians partners. Another congressman Vern Buchanan noted that currently there are favorable conditions for further deepening and expanding the bilateral relations. In this context he highlighted the role of the U.S.-Armenian community, which, according to him, has a significant contribution to various spheres of the life of the USA. The congressman particularly emphasized the importance of activating the economic cooperation. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan thinks that following the revolution the heads of the communities where there are mass protests should resign and early elections should be scheduled, Pashinyan said during Cabinet-parliament Q&QA session. MP from My step bloc Taguhi Tovmasyan presented the situation at Vanevan community in Gegharkunik Province, noting that the situation does not calm down there because of the protests against the head of the community. The head of the community says he will never resign. Moreover, he says that if he has abused his powers, law enforcement bodies should deal with him, she said, reminding the case of Zartonq community of Armavir Province, where shootings occurred a few days ago. Nikol Pashinyan said that he has expressed his position on similar issues several times. He thinks that following the revolution the heads of the communities where there are mass protests should resign and early elections should be scheduled. If they know that they enjoy the trust of the people, they will run again and will win, Pashinyan said, ruling out the possibility of any electoral frauds. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Along with everyone else, I was also taken by surprise. However, with some insight into the reasons surrounding Marapes sudden resignation (an insight coming from his own resignation announcement) and having known James personally for most of my life, I am able to understand why. No one saw it coming. Certainly not the Opposition, although I am that I don't speak for them Opposition and an official statement is yet to be released by opposition leader Patrick Pruaitch as far as I know. [It was eventually released four days after the event KJ] No one anticipated the resignation of one James Marape, senior government minister, Peoples National Congress stalwart, favourite Hela son, leader and loyal lieutenant and confidante to prime minister Peter O'Neill. PORT MORESBY - Once more Papua New Guinea, the land of the unexpected, delivers. Yet again in politics. Surprise, surprise. Many words have already been written by knowledgeable insiders and expert outsiders about former finance minister James Marapes resignation from the ONeill government a week ago. But to me independent national parliamentarian and Oro governor Gary Juffa provided the best commentary of them all - KJ Gary Juffa - "When a Huli man pledges his friendship and loyalty, it is of utmost importance to him and is the most precious of gifts" This will be a short opinion. It is merely one of a minimum of eight million potential perspectives by other Papua New Guineans. James Marape is a leader of the Huli people, possibly the largest tribe in Papua New Guinea. The Huli are steeped and immersed very much in a 30,000 year old culture that promotes honour and fearlessness in the protection of their tribe and its interests. In Huli culture, the word of a leader is everything. When a Huli man pledges his friendship and loyalty through his word, it is of utmost importance to him and is the most precious of gifts and undertakings he can make to anyone. It is never given lightly. That is what transpired when James Marape gave his word to Peter O'Neill in 2012 to serve him loyally as the prime minister of his government. In exchange for his word, Marape sought trust. He remained a faithful and loyal subject because he felt it secured that trust. But recently he was stunned to find out that after seven years of loyalty given, he didn't have the friendship and trust of the prime minister he had so loyally served. Marape has been a stalwart pillar of the O'Neill government, not simply within the government or within Peoples National Congress but within the inner core of decision-making of the O'Neill government since 2012, serving loyally and with no complaint or rebuke. He has been a loyal defender of the O'Neill government and has promoted the O'Neill Government with vigour and without exception. So why now the sudden change of heart? The answers are in his resignation announcement where, at a media conference, Marape informed his shocked staff and the nation that he was tendering his resignation, citing two fundamental reasons. One, the prime minister's refusal or apathy towards his advice on issues of policy upon which they differed. Two, a sense of distrust and a feeling of worthlessness. We can only speculate on the first issue and assume that, since Marape had been by O'Neill's side since 2012, he had ample time to be offended by rejections of any advice he may have proffered. The fact he had not made a move previously would suggest Marape did not take this to heart. However the issue of his word being discarded flippantly and a sense of distrust of his loyalty and commitment had possibly never before emerged. Huli culture dictates that distrust triggers immediate withdrawal. The fact that Marape remained with O'Neill for seven years confirms that distrust was never an issue until the certain recent events that led to his resignation. Marape found his word was no longer of any value to O'Neill in possibly the most terrible manner: through rumours and political corridor gossip. This was evident when he became aware there was a letter in circulation, purportedly from O'Neill's office, which explicitly indicated his prospective demotion as finance minister to a lesser ministry, possibly education. To have ones trust flippantly discarded after years of loyalty is no light matter for a Huli leader. It means that the word of all the people he represents is no longer of any value. No one likes to feel that their loyalty and friendship is unwanted. No one likes to feel unwanted or rejected in any relationship. Marape really had no choice. He had to leave. As a Huli man it was unthinkable to remain after this. What would his people think? How would this affect his standing in Hela and in Huli culture? What would his family think? There was only one thing to do. Leave. So now what? Well in rapid succession a few interesting developments took place that are worth noting. Philip Undialu, the governor of Marapes Hela Province, openly criticised the recent Papua LNG deal between the O'Neill government and a consortium of developers led by Total citing that issues remain unresolved and declaring that the deal significantly marginalises Papua New Guinean interests. Further, in an unprecedented mutiny, all four Western Province parliamentarians, of which two are in government and one a minister, applauded the win against the ONeill government in a Singapore court by the PNG Sustainable Development Program, and urged O'Neill to refrain from further court action. Could it be that government MPs are no longer willing to silently sit, watch and allow one man to control the entire government as he sees fit? Marapes statement begins with the statement "For God and Country.", a clarion call for other politicians - and they are heeding this. They cannot be content to sit and watch the entire nation's future managed by one man who obviously does not trust them enough to heed their advice. ONeills trust is placed elsewhere, in a select crew of friends and cronies and minions who do his bidding. None of them are elected by the people nor do they care about the people. Review their every decision that has cost this nation a fortune and there is no other conclusion a person of reasonable intelligence can draw. It is a sad fact. Many, if not all, ministers silently resent the fact they are treated as cosmetic faces of leadership. The fact is their departments are run by a small trusted elite of non-elected leaders. Ministers have had to endure the humility of pretending they matter and are in charge and have had to swallow their pride and watch as their ministries were run by a master remote controller. Everyone knows this. The ONeill crew is exceptionally powerful and trusted to advise the prime minister on what ministries ought to be doing. This cannot be lost on the ministers who must surely be frustrated from having their decisions undermined and hijacked. It must also be a source of much bitterness to have to endure this humiliation of knowing they are trusted only to accept NEC [Cabinet] decisions and pass them but not have the power to manage their own ministries. James Marape is a leader they trust and have held in high regard. His presence has managed to cool their tempers and sooth their frustrations. Many are good friends of Marape and, unlike the prime minister, they trust his word and hold it in high regards. If O'Neill can distrust his most loyal member of cabinet, obviously other ministers can now be assured that their positions are inconsequential and their advice, intellect and intelligence are worthless to him. Surely they would be feeling foolish. No one likes to be made to feel that way. I am confident that the coming weeks will see more resignations as further ministers refuse to carry on with this charade that they are actually part of the O'Neill government. The fact is they are not part of this government, they never were. It was actually a government of a small elitist crew of non-elected people, packaging PNG and selling it off as quickly as possible. Taking out huge loans, mortgaging the future and ensuring our children and their children will be shackled by debt. As the days wear on, the ministers will realise that Marape's resignation is confirmation of the grim fact that they have been used - just as he was. To remain now would be to deliberately ignore this fact and accept a horribly demeaning situation. No man is bigger than this country. Not even Peter O'Neill. Long live Papua New Guinea! The Tuke people worried that soon there would be little left of the forest they had tended for so long. In hopes of finding a solution, three members of the community set out on a three-day walk in August 2016 to ask for help. The community watched as trucks moved through the once-pristine area, laboring along muddy, newly created logging roads. Their valuable tropical hardwood was leaving the rain forest for distant lands. Lush forests that had surrounded ancestral generations for centuries were being cleared to make room for palm oil plantations. NAKANAI - For months, members of the Tuke community in Papua New Guinea had watched the destruction around their village in the Nakanai Mountains of New Britain. "When our forest is gone we will have nothing left," said Thomas Telgonu, a Tuke community spokesperson. The men met with local tourism expert Riccard Reimann, a Papua New Guinean who owns Baia Sport Fishing Lodge on the island of New Britain. After hearing their story, he studied the area and realised how integral it was to the country. Determined to help the Tuke people protect their land, Reimann contacted his friends Mark and Sophie Hutchinson, from the not-for-profit WildArk, to see what they could do. The Hutchinsons immediately agreed to help. WildArk works to protect species and ecosystems by embracing local partnerships and community engagement to create safe havens for biodiversity. Joining with the Tuke community and Reimann, WildArk created the Tuke Rainforest Conservancy to protect the people and forests of Tuke. The area within the conservancy covers some 42,000 acres and includes rainforests, waterfalls, volcanoes and underground rivers. It teems with wildlife, from estuarine crocodiles and leatherback turtles to an array of bats and birds. Thanks to the collaboration sparked by that fateful hike in 2016, these creatures and their habitat are now protected from logging and palm oil activities. According to Conservation International, the location is "one of the last major tropical island wilderness areas in the world, and one of the least explored" on Earth. In late 2018, a WildArk team visited the Tuke Rainforest Conservancy accompanied by plant ecophysiologist Joseph Holtum and scientist Terry Reardon, who has studied bacteria, fungi, insects and mammals, with a special interest in bats. This team began preliminary research on the local biodiversity. According to WildArk, New Britain may be one of the most biologically significant places on the planet, with old-growth forests, deep sinkholes, mountain caves and hidden rivers. Because the plants and animals are not well-known due to the area's remote location, the group plans to complete a full diversity study to learn more about the region's significance. In order to protect the land, WildArk says it needs to support the people who have looked after the rainforests for many generations. Health care is one of the most urgent requirements of the Tuke people. Pregnant women are in dire need. According to WildArk, expectant mothers must hike for 24 hours through dense, steep jungle with multiple river crossings to reach a hospital. Since many must make this trip while in labour, some die along the way. WildArk wants to help build a medical facility in the village, and work to make sure there are trained medical staff available when people are in need of health care. Tuke village has an elementary school that was built by German missionaries, but it rarely has teachers. Young would-be students who show up for class, often find no one there to provide the knowledge they want. Older children must take a three-day trek to reach a boarding school. WildArk is providing funding for 27 students to attend boarding school, something many families have been unable to afford. The group's next mission is to raise funds for local teachers who can provide education in the Tuke village. The cost is $5 per hour for a teacher. Education and health care go hand-in-hand with preserving the region's biodiversity, empowering the people of Tuke to protect their environment and their way of life. "I want to see this area protected forever," Reimann says, "maintaining not just the rich ecosystem but as importantly the culture of the people. Cruelty-Free Mens Grooming Products 15 Mens Skin Care Products That Dont Test on Animals The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. When it comes to sacrificing our comfort for convenience, many people can be pretty reluctant to actually do it. We much prefer to have all the effort go on behind the scenes so we can walk away with the final product unphased. Easy peasy. Examples of such ... inconveniences, well call them, can be found behind the tech we use, the clothing we wear, and of course the food we eat. RELATED: Best Natural Deodorants for Men However, a part of our lives that is often forgotten when it comes to animal testing is our grooming products. Awareness is on the rise, but there is still a lot of confusion about what actually goes into making your favorite products. Countries around the world have banned animal testing Norway, India, New Zealand, South Korea, and the 28 countries of the European Union but the United States isnt on that list. Part of the issue is that China, a major purchaser of American cosmetic and skin care products, requires animal testing for most beauty and personal care goods sold. According to 2013 poll data provided by the Humane Society, 73 percent of Americans are in favor of banning animal testing. So why are we still testing on animals? Do we really need to? The short answer: No. What Is Cruelty-Free? Before you start filling up your cart, heres what you should know. In the U.S., there is no single legal definition of the term cruelty-free, and the FDAs website even states that this allows for the unrestricted use of the term, says Amanda Nordstrom, company liaison for PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies Program. Unfortunately, this means that some companies may state that they dont test on animals even while theyre paying for tests on animals in China. Companies and brands on PETAs cruelty-free list have all verified that their policy against tests on animals applies not only to their finished products, but also their ingredients, raw materials, and formulation, Nordstrom tells us. Tara Foley, founder and CEO of clean skincare and beauty store Follain, adds, You can also look for third-party certification seals like the Leaping Bunny Many cruelty-free products dont yet have these seals since it takes a lot of time and in some cases, money, for the brands to get and use the seal, but [they] are a sure-fire way to know that something is cruelty free. That means every ingredient from beginning to end didnt get tested on an animal. Is Cruelty-Free Less Safe or Effective? According to Foley, cruelty-free products are just as safe as those that are tested on animals. In fact, maybe even more so. If a company is so certain about the safety of its ingredients for the consumer, they dont need to test the ingredients on animals, she tells us. You can assume cruelty-free products are generally safer than products that have been tested on animals. On efficacy, Nordstrom says these products may actually do more: A product that has not been tested on animals [isnt necessarily less effective] than products tested on animals, since there are many scientifically validated sophisticated non-animal methods companies can use in the research and development phases to perfect their products for their target efficacy and shelf life. Simply put, products that have been developed using non-animal test methods may be even more effective when used by consumers. Some brands use all-natural ingredients that are gentle and known to be safe. Most others use ingredients that have been in use for many decades without endangering humans, Nordstrom explains. RELATED: 11 Surprising Ways to Add CBD to Your Life The numbers are starting to show that consumers are paying more attention than ever before. Sixty-three percent of women and 44 percent of men would be very or somewhat likely to stop purchasing a brand that was reported to test on animals. Foley supports these stats, adding, While historically, smaller, newer, clean indie brands have launched with cruelty-free status, established brands ... have now recently made the move to cruelty-free certification based on growing consumer demand. Cruelty-Free Grooming Products to Try If you think youre ready to try grooming products that work great while leaving animals out of the equation, then we have a list 15 grooming essentials ready to take the place of those other, less friendly options. Maapilim This gentle cleanser is suitable for all skin types and includes argan, rosemary, and jojoba oils plus witch hazel and aloe vera. All sourced from the rich coastlines surrounding the Great Sea, Maapilim products are all-natural and dont have anything they dont need. This cleanser doesnt leave your face feeling tight or itchy, only handsome. Maapilim Face Cleanser, $18 at Maapilim.com OZNaturals The older guys get, the more they tend to notice sun damage and want to try and fix it. The quick answer is to start using a Vitamin C serum. The problem? These serums usually cost $100 or more. OZNaturals packs the punch of its higher priced counterparts, but does so at a much lower cost to you, and to the world around you. OZNaturals Vitamin C Facial Serum, $17.95 at Amazon.com Brickell Men's Products This anti-age duo is made with all natural, organic, plant-derived ingredients. Together, these creams take advantage of the potent antioxidant properties of caffeine which helps protect your cells against UV radiation and hyaluronic acid, a key molecule involved in skin moisture due to its superior ability to plump skin through moisture retention. Brickell Men's Ultimate Anti Aging Routine, $75 at Amazon.com Drunk Elephant Drunk Elephants new vegan retinol cream stands apart from others thanks to its lack ingredients from their Suspicious Six: essential oils that can irritate skin, alcohols that dry out skin, silicones that can clog pores, and SLS (or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), which is a harsh skin-stripping detergent. When using a Vitamin A retinoid, the more natural and less irritating, the better. Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream, $74 at Sephora.com RELATED: Ultimate Guide to Dumping Expired Products and Drugs From Your Medicine Cabinet ASARAI The white Australian kaolin clay, red Australian clay, and aloe vera work together to detoxify and clear up clogged pores while soothing and keep it hydrated. This brand from the Land Down Under also donates a portion of sales to better the environment through 1 Percent for the Planet. Asarai Earth Tones Mask, $28.95 at Asarai.com Abbott NYC With fragrances inspired by the founders favorite destinations think clean cold water, crisp dry grass, and open fires for Big Sky, Montana, or the crisp mountain air, rushing water, old wood, and leather of Telluride, Colorado their latest fragrance Voyagers is inspired by the waters, grasses, trees, and wildflowers of Minnesota Voyageurs National Park. AbbotNYC Voyageurs Eau de Parfum, $65 at Amazon.com Oribe Luxury and cruelty-free arent often used together, but in the case of Oribe, they are. The signature Cote dAzur fragrance is paired with the rich ingredients including coconut oil, coconut fatty acids, and vegetable glycerin to make a bar of soap so good, we gave it an AskMen Grooming Award. Cote dAzur Soap, $28 at Oribe.com Captain Blankenship This new one-of-a-kind gel feels much better than those crispy, crunchy ones full of alcohol, fragrance, artificial everything (that bright blue color isnt natural you know that, right?). Even after dry, it still feels like its you hair under there instead of a shell of shellac holding it in place. All the better that its from Captain Blankenship, a certified B Corp that is Leaping Bunny Certified. Captain Blankenship Sailor Jellyfish Hair Gel, $15 at CaptainBlankenship.com Jack Black This body scrub uses the Jack Black fan-favorite Turbo body wash fragrance, but in a more-bang-for-your-buck scrub. Still offering a rich sulfate-free lather, this includes sea salts, arnica, and eucalyptus to both clean as well as buff away rough, dry skin. Jack Black Turbo Body Scrub, $32 at GetJackBlack.com RELATED: Dog Owners Are Happier Than Cat Owners, Survey Says Bulldog Skincare for Men British-born Bulldog Skincare delivers a non-greasy face lotion that manages to leave all animals out of the equation. Free from parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colors, and synthetic fragrances, this lightweight face lotion certified by Cruelty Free International and simply put, works really well. Bulldog Skincare for Men Original Moisturizer, $6.99 at Amazon.com Summer Fridays Paraben- and sulfate-free, vegan, and made in America, this hydrating mask from the young brand Summer Fridays prides itself on its all-natural ingredients. Currently focusing on their three distinct masks, we picked the original Jet Lag Mask for an AskMen Grooming Award. Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, $48 at SummerFridays.com John Paul Mitchell Systems John Paul Mitchell has been against animal-testing for almost 40 years, and this Skin and Beard Lotion is all you need if you crave some lightweight moisture after a shave. It also works in place of a shave, instead of lathering up with a thick face cream or greasy beard oil. MVRCK Skin and Beard Lotion, $11.25 at PaulMitchell.com Method AskMen Grooming Award winner Method Men body wash in naturally derived with a fresh forrest fragrance. It lathers up quickly and rinses clean. Theyre a Certified B Corp and Leaping Bunny Program approved, and they use all recycled plastic in their packaging thats a lot for a brand that can clean everything in your home, including you. Method Men Juniper and Sage Body Wash, $5.99 at Amazon.com Dr. Dennis Gross Looking at the innovative, technology-driven, dermatologist-formulated products from Dr. Dennis Gross, you may think the brand couldnt possibly be completely cruelty-free, but not only can it say that, but PETA certifies it. This dark spot correcting serum is one of the latest launches straight from the doc using ingredients that together are shown to be a viable alternative to hydroquinone, a controversial and potent skin lightening ingredient. Clinical Grade IPL Dark Spot Correcting Serum, $92 at DrDennisGross.com James Read We appreciate how well this fine spray tanning mist from James Read works. It has aloe vera, witch hazel, and chamomile, which means its perfect to help soothe post-shave. We like it so much we gave it our AskMen Grooming Award for best tanner for oily skin. James Read Tan Hydra Tan Mist, $24.15 on Amazon.com Whereas this is a great list of mens cruelty-free grooming products, by no means is it all of them. As consumers pay more attention to what goes into making their favorite products, brands are being held more accountable. Whether its for the environment, the animals, or simply for your own skin, using products that try to be better should make you feel better, and that will help you feel great, every day. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Image: supplied Woolworths has installed large security cameras and screens on the top of self-serve checkouts in Sydney, following Coles lead in Melbourne last week. Yahoo Finance understands the new Woolworths supermarket at Gregory Hills in south-western Sydney opened last week with the cameras already installed, along with monitors that show the shopper what theyre doing. We know the vast majority of our customers do the right thing at self-serve checkouts. Were trialling security measures at Gregory Hills for those that dont, said a Woolworths spokesperson. The store has eight manned checkout lanes, and weve hired 40 customer service team members, for customers who prefer to interact with our team as they checkout. Image: supplied Yahoo Finance understands the cameras are aligned so that they cant record customers entering PINs. Rival supermarket chain Coles made headlines last week with a similar trial in a dozen stores in Melbourne. The Woolworths screens seem to be slightly smaller than Coles tablet computer-sized ones. A Reddit user suspected the cameras, with their big screens, are a deterrent rather than an actual device that catches thieves red-handed. There is a thought that people see themselves on screen it can reduce theft, said the commenter. Coles are more about prevention than apprehension. Having cameras at checkouts is the same as having cameras down the aisles and in the entrances of buildings. The tech deployment by both major supermarket chains have come after a Coles in northern Sydney earlier this year installed similar security devices on top of baby formula shelves. The cameras were installed in order to enforce the per-customer limit on such products, which can sell out in seconds as entrepreneurial types snap them up and on-sell them to Chinese customers for profit. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. Under an icy rain, camouflage-clad Swedish soldiers crouched behind a log pile, aimed their machine guns towards the Baltic Sea and, at their officers' barked orders, opened fire down the snow-covered range. A few kilometres away another group wrapped in thick winter jackets, body armour and helmets fired anti-tank missiles, throwing up sprays of ice and snow behind them as instructors watched the orange rockets streak down the range. It was routine training for the young recruits based on the Baltic island of Gotland, but these troops are at the forefront of Sweden's efforts to bolster its military as Stockholm worries about Russian intentions in Europe and the Baltic. Following the annexation of Crimea, the conflict in Ukraine, incidents of Russian military jets approaching Swedish aircraft around the Baltic and the 2014 sighting of a mystery sub ?- suspected to be Russian, which Moscow denied -- near Stockholm, Sweden has scrambled to beef up a military that was cut back after the end of the Cold War. The Nordic nation, which has not been to war in two centuries, reintroduced limited conscription in 2017, stepped up defence spending and placed a garrison on Gotland in January 2018. Taking a break from the target practice by a campfire on the icy ground near the firing ranges, Ida Delin, a young lance-corporal from Gothenburg who is a part of the new garrison, was upbeat about her posting to the island. "Everybody feels it's very important, what we're doing really matters for Sweden," she said, the collar of her camouflage smock pulled up around her ears to protect against the cold. - Rebuilding the garrison - Gotland's location in the Baltic has long given it a high strategic value, giving its owner the ability to dominate nearby air and seaways, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said. But regional developments, from Russia's 2008 conflict with Georgia to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, prompted a rethink in Sweden. "I don't talk about the threat directly to Sweden, I talk about a security situation that is worse today than 10 years ago," Hultqvist told AFP. "Because of that we have upgraded our national military capability." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has long denounced the "myth of a Russian threat" in Europe and accused Western powers of destabilising the continent. Down the road from the firing ranges, the regiment paraded under a leaden sky to mark the anniversary of the creation of the first unit on the island in 1811, presided over by the unit's mascot -- a ram named Harald V -? and its commander, Colonel Mattias Ardin, a powerfully built native of the island tasked with rebuilding the garrison. The 50-year-old started his military career at the garrison in the twilight years of the Cold War, when non-aligned Sweden eyed the USSR warily -- its navy chased suspected Soviet submarines from its waters and it maintained a conscript army to watch its borders. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Sweden cut defence spending, doing away with its regiment on Gotland in 2005 and selling its barracks. But with the conflict in Ukraine and rising tensions between Moscow and the European Union, Sweden's parliament voted to return troops to the island again in 2016. "We have a strong Russia that has a lot more military activity than before and we see what is happening in Ukraine, so we see a deteriorating security situation," Ardin said after the ceremony. Nearby, bulldozers and diggers worked on new facilities for the 282 full-time soldiers that make up the garrison and that will shelter the several dozen tanks and armoured vehicles based there. - 'Everyone will be affected' - Sweden's decision to boost its presence in the Baltic can also be seen as a message to its neighbours. NATO has deployed troops to the Baltic states and Poland as part of its response to Russia's involvement in Ukraine and although Sweden is not a member of the alliance it has increased cooperation with it, dispatching troops to take part in military exercises in Norway last November. "The official view is also that if any war does take place in the Baltic region, then we will all be affected," said Robert Dalsjo of the Swedish Defence Research Agency. The tall stone walls around the island's medieval capital Visby testify to Gotland's turbulent history -? it was fought over by Swedes, Danes, Germans and Teutonic Knights and it was even briefly occupied by Russia during the Napoleonic wars. News of the army's return prompted some objections from the community, but other residents were more sanguine about the changes. Outside his office on a street leading up to the Old City walls, Niclas Bylund, a project manager, saw unexpected positives for the island. "We have people moving here with their families, more people to spend money in the shops," he shrugged. "A more lively island in the low season," he smiled. Young recruits based on the Baltic island of Gotland, seen here undergoing routine training, are at the forefront of Sweden's efforts to bolster its military as Stockholm worries about Russian intentions in Europe and the Baltic Sweden has scrambled to beef up a military that was cut back after the Cold War. Here, soldiers wrapped in thick winter jackets, body armour and helmets are seen firing anti-tank missiles during a training mission The regiment staged a parade to mark the anniversary of the creation of the first unit on the island in 1811, presided over by the unit's mascot -- a ram named Harald V -? and its commander, Colonel Mattias Ardin "We have a strong Russia that has a lot more military activity than before and we see what is happening in Ukraine, so we see a deteriorating security situation," said Gotland regiment commander Colonel Matthias Ardin The garrison is made up of 282 full-time soldiers and will house several dozen tanks and armoured vehicles. The unit's flag is shown here Wearing gold-embroidered silk outfits, faces thick with makeup, a line-up of seven Laotian beauty queens greet a sea of cheering supporters at the annual new year beauty contest in Luang Prabang. But this is no regular pageant: the contestants are stand-ins for the seven blessed daughters of Laos' legendary heavenly King Kabinlaphom competing for top honours at the country's most famous beauty contest. "Everyone wants to be Miss Laos New Year," said spectator Kini, who was cheering on her sister, Mila Douangmixay. "If she wins she will be famous for a whole year! It's very special for Laos girls," Kini told AFP, standing in the massive crowd of cheering fans holding placards featuring numbers in support of their preferred competitors. Entering the contest is no easy feat. Contestants must be under 18 and are chosen by a local committee that first selects up to 30 girls. Numbers are then whittled down to seven contestants -- all symbolising the King's daughters -- by a panel of judges and voting fans who size up the contestants on stage. The pageant is a highlight of days-long Buddhist new year celebrations that draw thousands of worshippers and tourists to the normally sleepy city of Luang Prabang. The city is taken over by holiday events: elephants are paraded through the streets, sand stupas are carved on the banks of the Mekong River, and masked men dressed as the country's sacred protectors lead the main new year day procession. For many, the hottest ticket in town is the new year pageant, known as "Nang Sang Khan", where some fans who don't make it inside clamour to peek over fencing around the event. Everyone gets a chance to see the girls again at the mainstay parade on new year day, when the girls are accompanied by bodyguards to walk to the shimmering golden Wat Xien Thong temple, one of Laos' oldest and most sacred, to make offerings. But only one winner will hold the honour after festivities die down, and she will spend the following 12 months making public appearances until the next blessed "daughter" takes over. As for Kini, her campaigning to see her sister win paid off; Douangmixay was crowned Miss Laos New Year at this year's pageant. "I feel very proud," a beaming Douangmixay told AFP. The seven finalists representing the daughters of Laos heavenly King Kabinlaphom vying for the title of "Nang Sang Khan", or Miss Laos New Year in Luang Prabang Supporters of the Miss Laos New Year pageant hold numbers representing their favourite contestant in Luang Prabang Miss Laos New Year winner Mila Douangximay leads her fellow contestants -- each symbolising one of King Kabinlaphom's seven daughters -- at a pageant in Luang Prabang Miss Laos New Year contestants line up in Luang Prabang A dog that was found swimming in waters 220 kilometres away from land broke hearts this week when photos of him wet and shivering went viral online. He had just been hauled from the sea onto the platform of an oil rig off the coast of Thailand. His rescuers had no way to tell how long the golden-brown dog had been swimming for, nor how he got into such a predicament, but it was impossible not to notice his exhaustion. Boonrods rescuers have no idea how long he was in the water for or how he got so far out. Source: Vitisak Payalaw via AP His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, please help me, rig worker Vitisak Payalaw told CNN. He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didnt move much He was shaking and he couldnt stand, he had to sit all the time. The dog was named Boonrod, the Thai word for survivor. Moments after Boonrod was pulled from the sea more than 220 kilometres from shore. Source: Vitisak Payalaw via AP The crew fed the trembling animal food, water and electrolytes, bathed him and wrapped him in a blanket to rest, with Mr Payalaw sharing every update about the dog to his personal Facebook page. That original post, which was shared on the afternoon of April 12, has since amassed 53,000 likes, 23,000 shares and more than 7,000 comments initially in Thai, and then in English and other languages as international outlets picked up the pups miraculous story. Boonrod before he was pulled from the water. Source: Vitisak Payalaw As Boonrod regained his strength, his proud rescuers kept the world updated with the photographs being a testament to how he was recovering. By the time Mr Payalaw and the rest of the oil rig crew delivered Boonrod back to dry land three days after he was pulled half-dead from the sea, the dog was a vision of health and happiness. To further complement the dogs thriving health, the workers draped a yellow garland of marigolds around the smiling dogs neck; a symbol of welcome and good fortune. A very happy Boonrod with his rescuers after being brought back to the Thai mainland on Monday local time. Source: Vitisak Payalaw Boonrod in his garland of marigolds a symbol of welcome and good fortune. Source: Vitisak Payalaw An oil rig worker carries Boonrod across the gangplank. Source: Vitisak Payalaw Boonrod safe at last. Source: Vitisak Payalaw On the mainland in Songkhla, Boonrod was examined by a vet and given to animal rights group, Watchdog Thailand. In the charitys latest Facebook post, Boonrod is shown is smiling and happy, getting bathed, fed and lots of cuddles with an additional post that adds: Boonrod, beautiful life rescued from gulf of Thailand. Story continues The Thai animal rights group shared photos of their charge being cuddled and cared for much to the delight of his many new fans. Source: Watchdog Thailand To further enhance Boonrods happy ending, Mr Payalaw has told CNN if he is not claimed by his owner he will adopt him. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. A witness has described the moment he chased down an Australian DJ who allegedly attempted to snatch a two-year-old boy on a busy San Francisco street. Roscoe Bradley Holyoake, a 34-year-old from Perth known as DJ Roski, has been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment after he was caught by bystanders. Police say a mother reported Holyoake tried to grab her son while they were walking near the corner of Market and Noe streets just after midday (local time) on Friday. Perth man Roscoe Bradley Holyoake has been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment after allegedly trying to snatch a two-year-old boy on a busy San Francisco street. Source: San Fransisco Police The mother was holding her sons hand and carrying a baby in a front pack. Bystanders described to San Francisco TV station KTVU how Holyoake had the toddler in his arms and the mother, who was screaming police, police, help me, refused to let her son go. Couple Adam and Sabrina Walker were in the vicinity with their own four-year-old son and said they watched as Holyoake released the boy after the struggle, smiled and then attempted to run away. Mr Walker, a dentist, said he and other bystanders chased after Holyoake on foot. I think my fatherly instincts kicked in and I did what I thought was right, Mr Walker told KTVU. Holyoake gave up after a short chase, the dentist said. The Perth DJ, 34, is also known as DJ Roski. Source: Roscoe Holyoake/Facebook He put his hands up, and said, All right, Im done, and he didnt fight back, didnt struggle, just obeyed my commands, walked to the sidewalk and put his hands on the wall and got on his knees, Mr Walker said. Ms Walker stayed with the distraught mother and her children. Out in broad daylight, when its so crowded, this was a very, very scary experience, Ms Walker said. Holyoake, who was a resident DJ at Connections Nightclub in Perth, has worked on RTR FMs All Things Queer program and performed at other LGBTIQ+ events in Australia. In December, he performed at the wrap party for entertainer Tim Minchins new mini-series Upright, describing it on his website as an absolute pleasure. He is being held at the San Francisco County Jail on US$500,000 (A$700,000) bond. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7:00 am local time (2200 GMT Tuesday) in restive Papua. The vote is slated to end at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) in Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted archipelago. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 percent Muslim. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite -- but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes -- as well as elephants and horses -- to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. - 'Indonesia First'- The poll has been punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online that threatens to sway millions of undecided voters. Widodo has campaigned on his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But his rights record has been criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate has also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, whose strongman image is underscored by a penchant for slamming lecterns as he accuses Jakarta of selling the country off to foreign interests. Subianto -- joined by running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy financier -? has courted Islamic hardliners, promised a boost to military and defence spending and, taking a page from US President Donald Trump, vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. Subianto's long-held presidential ambitions have been dogged by strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago, and a chequered past. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo is a clear favourite in the elections More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot Officials are moving ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, with Subianto the main presidential challenger to Widodo Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government following last week's general election. In a televised ceremony, Rivlin told Netanyahu that in consultations with all parties elected to the incoming 120-seat parliament, "65 MPs recommended you". Rivlin had sounded out delegations from political parties on Monday and Tuesday. Only 45 members supported his main rivals from the Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz, with the 10 members of the Arab parties recommending nobody. "This is the fifth time I am taking on the task of putting together the government of Israel," Netanyahu said at Wednesday's ceremony. "There is no greater privilege in democratic life." In his remarks Rivlin referred to the election campaign, which candidates and commentators agreed had been exceptionally brutal. "Things were said that should not have been said, from all sides," he said. Netanyahu then pledged to serve all Israelis, opponents as well as supporters. "I am well aware of the size of the responsibility placed upon my shoulders and shall act as the envoy of all of the people, those who voted for me and those who did not," he said. He now has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of a further two weeks. The results from the April 9 election put Netanyahu on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year, surpassing the state's founding father David Ben-Gurion. - Coalition demands - The 69-year-old's first task will be to reconcile divergent demands from his likely coalition partners. They include ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and the strongly secular Yisrael Beitenu of former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman. Netanyahu's outgoing government was seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history, and the next is expected to be similar if not further to the right. Lieberman has said he would condition his joining the coalition on the adoption of a law aimed at drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military like their secular counterparts. Ultra-Orthodox Jews studying at religious seminaries are currently exempt from mandatory military service, a situation many Israelis see as unfair. But attempts to change the law have met with strong opposition from ultra-Orthodox political parties, which won 16 seats in the incoming parliament. On Tuesday, United Torah Judaism -- one of the two ultra-Orthodox parties -- stressed they were not prepared to compromise over Lieberman's demands, even at the risk of Netanyahu failing to form a coalition. "We have already proven we won't have a problem to face another election," the party said in a statement. Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up some 10 percent of Israel's population of nearly nine million. The coming months are also expected to see the unveiling of US President Donald Trump's long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Trump has shown no sign so far that he would be willing to make significant demands of his close ally Netanyahu in connection with his plan, though even minor concessions to the Palestinians could spark opposition from the Israeli premier's far-right coalition partners. Before the election, Netanyahu pledged to annex West Bank settlements in a move that would make Palestinian statehood all but impossible if done on a large-scale. He will now face pressure to follow through but Israel's UN ambassador said Wednesday that nothing would be done on the issue before the Trump plan is revealed. "We will wait. We will see the plan. We will engage and I don't know where it will lead us," Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. But the biggest danger hanging over Netanyahu is his potential indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Israel's attorney general has announced his intention to indict Netanyahu, pending an upcoming hearing. He would be the country's first sitting prime minister to be indicted. Netanyahu is not legally required to resign if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted, but political pressure would likely be intense. Many analysts said one of Netanyahu's main motivations in calling early elections was to be able to confront the charges with a fresh electoral mandate behind him. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin minister (R) has appointed outgoing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the next government The election was seen in many ways as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has been prime minister for a total of more than 13 years. Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned from Netanyahu's last government over concessions to Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas Australian Associated Press Even during the first year of COVID-19, $85 billion made its way into poker machines in NSW.Authorities don't know for sure how much of that money was spent by criminal syndicates engaging in money laundering, but the NSW Crime Commissioner Michael Barnes says "it is reasonable to suspect some level of criminal activity". The death toll from rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, blamed by the UN-recognised government on strongman Khalifa Haftar, climbed to six on Wednesday as thousands more civilians fled the violence. The latest bombing came as world powers wrangled over the wording of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, with Russia blocking criticism of Haftar, according to diplomats. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the southern Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UN's humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets hit the city centre, the first since Haftar's Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture Tripoli from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the "terrorist militias" whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. UN envoy Ghassan Salame condemned "in the strongest terms" the overnight shelling, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He added that "responsibility for actions that may constitute war crimes lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially those who ordered them." The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council debated a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text, seen by AFP, warns the Haftar offensive "threatens... prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." - No Haftar criticism - After Britain circulated the text late Monday, diplomats held a first round of negotiations in which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces' "savagery and barbarism". "It's the legal and humanitarian responsibility of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions," Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftar's prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said. At least 189 people have been killed and 816 wounded since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. More than 25,000 people have been displaced, including 4,500 over the last 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. As consultations continued in New York on Wednesday, Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters "we need to have a nice document" but declined to give details on the areas of disagreement. Asked if the draft could be adopted this week, he said: "It depends on them, not us," without elaborating. - Proxy war - Haftar, seen by other allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to recommit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive forced the UN to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster and Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed rebellion. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army launched an assault on Tripoli earlier this month Libya's UN-recognised unity government is demanding that the Security Council hold military strongman Khalifa Haftar to account for deadly rocket fire on the capital Tripoli which it blames on his militia The head of Libya's unity government, Fayez al-Sarraj, says the assault Haftar launched on the capital on April 4 is an act of "savagery and barbarism" Allies like Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi view Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar as a bulwark against Islamists, who are among the the UN-backed unity government's supporters Sudan's military rulers have transferred ousted president Omar al-Bashir to prison, a family source said Wednesday, as crowds of protesters flocked through Khartoum in vans and buses to join a sit-in at the army complex. Following the dramatic end to Bashir's rule of three decades last week, he was moved late Tuesday to Kober prison in the capital, the source said without revealing his name for security reasons. Witnesses near the prison in north Khartoum said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of a paramilitary group outside. The 75-year-old's whereabouts have been unknown since a military takeover on Thursday, when the country's new rulers said he was being held "in a secure place". Late on Wednesday the military council announced it had detained two of Bashir's five brothers -- Abdallah Hassan al-Bashir and Al-Abbas Hassan al-Bashir. It said the council had also decided to integrate the Popular Defence Force into the army. The PDF is a type of reserve unit frequently used to support units of the regular army. Amnesty International called for Bashir to be "immediately handed over to the International Criminal Court" in The Hague where he faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the conflict in Darfur. He denies the charges. "His case must not be hurriedly tried in Sudan's notoriously dysfunctional legal system. Justice must be served," said Amnesty's Joan Nyanyuki. Bashir's detention has failed to pacify protesters, who launched anti-government demonstrations in December and have for days been camped out in front of Khartoum's army headquarters. Scores of doctors in white robes marched from Khartoum's main hospital towards the sit-in, carrying banners and chanting: "freedom, peace, justice." Journalists held a separate rally, along with university students and scores of women from a Facebook group who call themselves "the Information Network of the Revolution". The women -- who include doctors, lawyers and teachers -- are renowned for monitoring security agents who target protesters and publishing their information online in order to hold them to account. - Tension at protest site - Later in the evening crowds of protesters flocked through Khartoum to join the sit-in chanting "revolution, revolution", an AFP correspondent reported. Sudan's military rulers have made some concessions, including the sacking Tuesday of prosecutor general Omer Ahmed Mohamed, but demonstrators fear their uprising could be hijacked. "We faced tear gas, many of us were jailed. We have been shot and many have died. All this because we said what we wanted to," Fadia Khalaf told AFP. Khalid Mohamed, a medic, said: "We got Bashir out, but we still have to get rid of the regime". Officials say at least 65 people have been killed in protest-related violence since December, with some of the dead memorialised in a Khartoum mural. While there have been scenes of celebration -- with demonstrators singing and waving their national flag -- the protest site has grown more tense amid concerns the army will try to clear the sit-in with force. "Now we fear that our revolution could be stolen, which is why we are keeping our ground here. We are staying here until our demands are met," said Khalaf. Earlier this week witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. On Wednesday thousands of protesters remained at the site, cheering each other on despite looking fatigued. "I feel those people who are doing the sit-in are like my sons and daughters. I have suffered under this regime," said a woman serving tea at a makeshift checkpoint set up by protesters. On taking power the army said a military council would run Sudan for two years, sparking a backlash from protest leaders. Just a day later former defence minister General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down as council chief, sparking jubilation on Khartoum's streets. His successor General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan oversaw weekend talks with political parties, which failed to make headway. - EU urges civiiian rule - On Wednesday, a rebel leader ordered a three-month suspension of hostilities in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states where his forces have been fighting government troops. Abdulaziz al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), issued the command as a "goodwill gesture... to give a chance for an immediate transfer of power to civilians". European Union chief Federica Mogherini in a statement called on the military rulers for a "swift and orderly handover to a civilian transitional body" to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people. Sudan's foreign minister has said Burhan is "committed to having a complete civilian government" and has called on other nations to back the council. While the EU and Western powers have backed the protesters' demands for a civilian administration, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have thrown their weight behind the military. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Burhan and the two discussed "bilateral relations", SUNA state news agency said Wednesday, adding Burhan also received a letter from South Sudan President Salva Kiir offering support for the council. Thousands of protesters kept up their sit-in outside the army headquarters in Khartoum Scores of doctors in their white robes marched from Khartoum's main hospital towards the sit-in on Wednesday Protesters have kept up their rallies despite some concessions from the new military rulers The United Nations has appointed a new envoy to work with the African Union on mediating an end to the crisis A teacher has been arrested for allegedly being drunk while teaching a class. Brook Ellen West, 32, was arrested at Royal Spring Middle School in Kentucky on Monday after she allegedly admitted to drinking four shots of vodka at 11am, CBS-affiliate WKYT reports. A student alleged West was swearing and yelling at students aged between 11 and 13. West, a substitute teacher, returned a blood alcohol level of 0.317, police told the station. Brook Ellen West has been arrested for allegedly teaching a classroom of children while drunk. Source: Scott County Detention Center/ WKYT Scott County Schools said the 32-year-old is no longer employed by the district after demonstrating erratic behaviour. Shes been charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place and endangering the welfare of a minor. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. Russian war veterans want to ban a film about Soviet troops in Afghanistan they say is unpatriotic, but which the director insists is an honest account of a disastrous conflict. "Brotherhood", distributed by the local arm of Walt Disney, is sharply different in tone from recent patriotic war blockbusters. Shot by renowned Russian director Pavel Lungin, it shows Soviet soldiers getting drunk and looting during the chaotic final months of the Soviet-Afghan war. The conflict with the Mujahideen lasted from 1979 to 1989 and led to the deaths of more than 14,000 Soviet soldiers. The movie's release date was initially set for May 9, a public holiday, when Russia celebrates its World War II victory over the Nazis with a massive military parade on Red Square. But veterans and relatives of those killed in the war, who say the film insults those who fought, have forced a change. On Wednesday, a marketing representative for Disney in Russia, Yelena Brodskaya, told Russian agencies that the film would come out one day later than originally planned, as agreed with the culture ministry. Disney's official Russian website also announced a May 10 release. Boris Gromov, former commander of the main Soviet contingent in Afghanistan, denounced the film in a letter to the culture ministry, which controls cinema releases. It was a "classic example of mud-slinging Russophobia", he wrote. "Brotherhood" depicts Soviet troops as "a rabble of degenerates, thieves, swindlers, murderers and scoundrels," he added. Gromov heads up an association of more than 10,000 veterans, which is demanding the ministry deny permission for the film's release. Another former combattant, Igor Morozov, now the head of the Russian upper house of parliament's culture commission, told AFP that Lungin "has made an unpatriotic film that deters young people from serving in the army". The film "shows our troops looting caravans, fighting and drinking on every street corner," he said. It "sullies the memory of Soviet dead" and "damages the country's image". The war ended with Moscow's humiliating withdrawal from the country and was denounced even by Soviet leadership at the time as a foreign policy blunder. - Wounds of Afghanistan, Chechnya - Russia's culture officials have massively stepped up efforts to fund and promote cinema that positively depicts Soviet history including World War II. Other recent state-funded pictures have highlighted sporting triumphs and the space race, and have put a positive spin on the annexation of Crimea. Last year the culture ministry banned British writer-director Armando Iannucci's black comedy "The Death of Stalin". And this year the director of a Russian comedy set during the World War II Siege of Leningrad opted to release his film online rather than apply for a cinematic release, after it prompted outrage from lawmakers. "Brotherhood" director Lungin told AFP that he was "shocked by this new type of censorship from below" -- led by influential veteran groups rather than culture ministry officials. "I wanted to make an honest film for young people so that they could identify with those guys who were lost in the middle of the war," he said. Lungin stressed the fact that the idea for the film came from a former director of Russia's security service, Nikolai Kovalyov, who was involved in parts of the conflict. Shortly before his death aged 70 this month, Kovalyov "congratulated me on the result and gave his blessing to the film", said Lungin. "We have to stop glorifying our history and start talking about the wounds left by the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya." The controversy over the film comes shortly after the 30th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal in March. Some former combatants have attempted to recast the painful historic episode as having been justified by the interests of national security. 'We have to stop glorifying our history and start talking about the wounds left by the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya,' says Russian director Pavel Lungin Russian veterans of the war in Afghanistan complain that the film 'Brotherhood' disparages the those who fought there Aghan forces forced Soviet troops to withdraw after a 10-year struggle Russian soldiers have formed influential veterans groups that practice 'censorship from below' says 'Brotherhood' director Lungin The US special envoy for North Korea was due in Moscow on Wednesday as the Kremlin said it was preparing for possible talks between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Media reports said the first summit between the two leaders could come as early as next week. "Active preparations for a potential meeting are underway," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments reported by news agencies. The US State Department said Stephen Biegun would be in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to meet with Russian officials to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea." Russian, South Korean and Japanese media reported that Kim and Putin were set to meet in Russia's Far East, though Ushakov would not be drawn on the location or date of a potential summit. Quoting diplomatic sources, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported Wednesday that the meeting would take place in Vladivostok before the Russian leader heads to China for an April 26-27 summit. One of the sources warned that the plans could change, however, noting that Kim was an "impulsive person". South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted diplomats in Seoul this week saying a meeting was being prepared. On Wednesday, the agency reported that North Korea's flagship carrier Air Koryo had scheduled a special flight to Vladivostok on Tuesday next week. Japan's Jiji Press, quoting a Russian diplomatic source, said it was "99 percent" certain that Putin and Kim will meet next Wednesday in Vladivostok. Russia is keen to play a stronger role in international talks over North Korea's nuclear programme, which have seen Kim meet US President Donald Trump for two summits over the last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to play a stronger role in international talks over North Korea's nuclear programme A diplomatic source said plans for an April summit could still change, noting that Kim Jong Un (L) was an "impulsive person" Two young sisters upset over a mass of plastic in their favourite harbour in Perth have taken matters into their own hands to help clean up the area. Isobel, 6, and Stella, 4, from Hamilton Hill in the citys southwest, were on their way into Fremantle when they spotted dozens of plastic items covering the waters surface at Fishing Boat Harbour. A place the sisters like to visit often to watch the local marine wildlife, they were quick to ask their mum Danielle if they could stay and do something about it. Isobel and Stella assess the rubbish they pulled from the water. Source: Supplied We go past lots of times when we go to Fremantle. We saw heaps of rubbish in [the harbour] where the crabs and fish live, Isobel told Yahoo News Australia. Their mother agreed and helped her daughters onto the rocks below to fish out the waste. Footage shot by Danielle shows the piles of rubbish the girls pulled from the water after one hour. This is what we found and we dont like it. Theres straws, plastic bottles, Isobel can be heard saying as they assess the plastics. Isobel said the plastic, which she sees on a regular basis, made her and her sister feel sad before issuing a message for those littering in the area. The sisters revealed they are upset over finding the rubbish in the water. Source: Supplied Can you please stop doing that because I dont want the animals to die, she asked. While the sisters managed to pull out large amounts of plastic, including a dog poo bag, they said there was still large amounts left, mainly smaller pieces. There was still some small bits that the fish were eating, Isobel revealed. Conscious effort from the community Danielle, who predicted the spike in plastic was due to the school holidays, said her daughters are often concerned over the amount of plastic in the water and they regularly stopped to pull rubbish out of the water. She said the girls friends and their parents often discuss the affects of plastic waste and that there is a conscious effort to help out. I think where we live the community is quite aware and discusses it, including Bellas friends and parents, she told Yahoo News Australia. Story continues The girls said there was still plenty of plastic in the water by the time they had finished. Source: Supplied The kids have an awareness and talk about it so when they see it, they think its their responsibility to pick it up. Danielle said the masses of waste was especially upsetting considering the harbour was a protected marine area. She said her young family had made a conscious effort to eliminate single use plastics from their lives, and urged others to do so. Having some of the most incredible coastline which is relatively undamaged in WA, we have a responsibility to protect it, she said. She asked WA residents to take part in Environment Minister Steve Dawsons plastics survey to shape the state governments next steps on reducing plastic waste. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. A program that helps families of military service members killed in combat pay for college will be expanded after all, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Cuomo directed the state Higher Education Services Corporation to extend the Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute scholarship to families of service members killed or disabled while on active duty. Prior to the executive action, the program was available to spouses and children of those killed or disabled in combat or training for combat operations. The expansion will be funded within the 2019-20 state budget, Cuomo noted. "We're not going to wait until next April to make sure we honor our obligation," he said at a press conference in New York City. "This is truly the least that we can do." The announcement was in response to a backlash after state Assembly Democrats rejected a bill in committee to expand the MERIT scholarship. Democrats explained that due to the fiscal impact it would need to be dealt with during the next budget process in 2020. Cuomo, a spokesperson said Wednesday, disagreed with the Assembly's action. Republicans who support the bill criticized the decision and accused Democrats of prioritizing undocumented immigrants over Gold Star families. The 2019-20 state budget included $27 million to implement the Dream Act, a new law that allows immigrant students to seek state tuition aid for college. Some GOP state lawmakers began circulating a petition this week to build support for legislation to expand the Gold Star scholarship program. Students awarded the MERIT scholarship, according to the Higher Education Services Corporation's website, are eligible to receive up to $24,250 if they live on campus or $15,750 if they commute during the 2018-19 academic year. Through the MERIT scholarship, tuition is covered at an amount equal to the actual tuition or the SUNY in-state tuition rate, whichever is less. The program also covers additional education-related costs, such as books and transportation, and a room and board allowance. Cuomo's office said the scholarship was awarded to 111 students at a cost of $1.8 million in 2018. Since the scholarship was created in 2003, it has been awarded to 387 spouses or dependents of military service members killed in action. Mecca Nelson, whose husband Mario was killed in Iraq in 2006, emphasized the importance of supporting Gold Star families. Many military spouses and families, she said, struggle to make ends meet after the loss of a loved one. "I can't even imagine the frustration and challenge of paying for college tuition on top of that. It would seem impossible," she said. Cuomo's executive action to expand the MERIT scholarship, Nelson continued, is "life-changing for families like mine." Cuomo's order requires the state Higher Education Services Corporation to expand the program immediately. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb called the governor's action a victory for veterans. He noted that the Assembly Republicans have pushing for the expansion since 2006. "It took far too long for New York Democrats to do the right thing; but what matters most is that the MERIT scholarship program will finally increase, and the children of deceased and disabled veterans will receive the benefits they truly deserve," Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SYRACUSE Dana Balter is back. The Syracuse Democrat who lost to U.S. Rep. John Katko by five percentage points last year is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge the incumbent Republican again in 2020. Balter launched her second congressional bid at the PressRoom Pub in Syracuse Tuesday. The event began with a slideshow featuring photos from her 2018 campaign and recognition of the 1,900 volunteers who supported her candidacy. "We're going to reignite the movement," Balter said. Balter is the third Democrat to join the 24th district race. Two Navy veterans, Francis Conole and Roger Misso, announced their candidacies this month. There was no acknowledgment of the other Democrats in the race at Tuesday's event. Balter focused on Katko, R-Camillus, and panned his legislative record many of the same criticisms she used in the 2018 campaign. Katko, she said, insisted during the last election that there wasn't a threat to the Affordable Care Act. She accused the Trump administration and congressional Republicans of "working aggressively to undo the entire Affordable Care Act." Balter also chided Katko for opposing H.R. 1, a Democratic proposal in the House that would overhaul the campaign finance system and bolster ethics rules. She pledged again to not accept corporate PAC donations during the campaign. On a myriad of issues, she linked Katko's positions to his acceptance of donations from various industries. On health care, she said Katko and the GOP are aligned with the insurance companies and pharmaceutical lobbyists. "This is a time for moral courage," she said. "We need leaders who do what's right, not what's easy." Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey welcomed Balter and other Democrats to the race Tuesday. "We are more excited than ever to kick off a robust discussion on the issues and our future," he said. "Until then, Congressman John Katko is focused on delivering for central New York." Democrats have named Katko as a top target in 2020. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats' campaign arm, has listed the race as a priority. The group also added Katko to a "retirement watch list," although the Republican congressman has said he intends to run next year. Katko raised more than $284,000 in the first quarter of the 2020 election cycle an indication he is seeking re-election. He also submitted a statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission. Balter spent months considering another run for Congress. Since the election, she founded a nonprofit, Enter the Public Square, to boost civic engagement in central New York. At the time of the organization's launch, she said it wouldn't affect her decision on whether to run again. In an interview after her announcement event, Balter said she plans to hire a staff to run the nonprofit an indication that will be focused solely on her congressional bid. To face Katko again, Balter must secure the Democratic nomination. There could be other candidates in the race by the time the county Democratic committees in the 24th district meet early next year to make a designation. A primary is possible. Balter is prepared for a primary, but she's eager to run against Katko. Last year, polls showed Balter trailing by double digits. But both campaigns acknowledged that the race was much closer. Balter reported raising $1.5 million in the third fundraising quarter of 2018 a record for a Syracuse-area congressional candidate. Her fundraising prowess and voter outreach strategy wasn't enough to win the race, but there was a consolation prize. She received more votes in Onondaga County. It was the first time Katko lost a county in three elections. With much of her campaign infrastructure still in place, Balter hopes her second attempt at unseating Katko will be successful. "We're going to finish the job we started," she said. Love 7 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 3 A proposal in the state Legislature would make certain inmates who reach the age of 55 eligible for release from prison, even if they're serving life sentences without parole. The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblyman David Weprin. The state Board of Parole would be required to conduct a hearing to determine if an older inmate should be released. To be eligible for parole, an inmate must serve at least 15 years of their sentence. The parole board could release an individual if "there is a reasonable probability that ... he or she will live and remain at liberty without violating the law and that his or her release is not incompatible with the welfare of society." Hoylman, D-Manhattan, and Weprin, D-Queens, assert that the legislation would address the aging inmate population in state prisons. The number of inmates who are over age 50 is up 81 percent since 2000, according to the bill. In 2007, there were 1,572 inmates who were at least 60 years old. The total number of inmates over age 60 increased to 2,389 in 2016. The average age of the inmate population also rose from 36.5 to 38.2 during the same time period. The sponsors say a greater number of older inmates will require prisons to open additional geriatric nursing care units and expand services for inmates with certain medical conditions, such as dementia, diabetes and heart disease. The bill notes that crimes are "largely committed by young people" and older inmates who have served long prison sentences have the lowest risk of recidivism. Several Republican lawmakers oppose the bill. State Sen. Bob Antonacci, who represents parts of Cayuga and Onondaga counties, criticized the measure after William Wood, who killed two people at a Chili's restaurant in the Syracuse area, was sentenced to life in prison without parole. If the bill is signed into law, Wood could get a parole hearing when he reaches age 55. "I am opposed to this bill," Antonacci said, "passage of this bill will not make us safer." The state Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction committee approved the bill by a 5-2 vote last week. Two Republican members, state Sens. Fred Akshar and Patrick Gallivan, opposed the measure. It now must be considered by the Senate Finance Committee. The Assembly Correction Committee advanced the bill in February. It is awaiting review by the Assembly Codes Committee. The bill was introduced during the last legislative session, but it didn't receive a vote in the Assembly or Senate. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 12 A red bench on an Auburn trail became Jacqueline Cioffa's battle cry in her fight with mania and depression. A former international model and celebrity makeup artist, Cioffa moved back home to Auburn from her loft apartment in Harlem after having a nervous breakdown about 10 years ago. She said her life, as she knew it, was gone. Some days, all Cioffa could do was get out of bed, get dressed and go for a walk past the red bench. For Cioffa, 50, the bench became a reminder that she could hold herself together. "The red bench was not just a physical bench I would walk by. It became a metaphor for getting up," she said. A decade ago, Cioffa wrote "The Red Bench: A Descent and Ascent Into Madness," a book that details her battle with mental illness and her attempts to make peace with it. Even though it was the first book she wrote, she didn't publish it until April 2 as her third book. Writing "The Red Bench" "was a way for me to cope with what was happening and it was a safe space, and it was an actual place," Cioffa said. "I was battling mania and depression. When you battle mania and depression, there's never really a break. "I knew that it was going to be something big, for me," she said. "But when I wrote it, I wasn't completely ready to publish it." Cioffa borrowed pieces of it for her first two books, The Vast Landscape and Georgia Pine. In the former, Cioffa said, she "wrote the real me for half of it and then made the rest of it up because I wasn't ready." It wasn't until Cioffa spent some time getting in touch with her soul at the beginning of this year, she said, that she felt something deep in her gut tell her that she was ready to publish "The Red Bench." She said publishing the book goes along with her chosen theme for the year: radical acceptance. "The time is now for me to own my identity and myself and my issues," Cioffa said. "I keep suicide in my back pocket. It's always there. I wake up every day and have to make the choice to live. And it's not easy, but if I don't accept it it's just a bigger fight. This is sort of my accepting and embracing (that), no shame." When it comes to treating her bipolar diagnosis, Cioffa said, she's tried everything. But she hates the word "bipolar," she added: "Manic depression, for me, is a better term." As someone who's had three psychotic breaks, Cioffa said, she's treated her illness with lithium, Xanax, electroconvulsive therapy ("shock treatment"), alternative medicine, exercise and more. Cioffa described her book written in part to honor her cousin and father, who lost their battles with mental illness as "raw." "I'm completely exposed I didn't leave anything out of living and battling the illness," she said. "What I really wanted to do was take the reader inside of what it feels like." Cioffa said the book is also a message of hope and resilience, because she kept on battling her illness. She tried to create a beautiful world in "The Red Bench" because "life is beautiful and it's worth living and fighting for." Cioffa said she hopes her honesty helps others feel like they have permission to share their own stories, and acts as a resource and life tool for others battling things no one else sees. "It's my gift and everybody can take what they need from it," she said. "My goal is for people to not feel so alone inside the illness." The self-published book is available on Amazon. Cioffa is proud of the feedback she's gotten so far, and said people are telling her the book is like a hug. In the future, she plans to offer the book for free for a few days, and also to donate some proceeds to mental health causes. "There's nobody that (mental illness) excludes. It didn't matter that I worked for the best designers in the world. It didn't matter that I had a lot of money or that I was living in Paris or Milan none of that mattered. It doesn't discriminate." Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 10 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 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. One day recently, a first-year student was shown to her room at Princeton University, and was informed that it had once been the room of Adlai Stevenson. She smiled, tried to seem impressed, but then admitted that she had no idea of who that was. Should the student have known? Should we? Many who follow politics do. Stevenson, governor of Illinois, ran for president twice against Dwight Eisenhower, in 1952 and 1956, losing both times, but nevertheless leaving an impression on American policy. Harry Truman, who had become president in 1945 on Roosevelts death, could have run again in 1952, but chose not to. By 1952, he had already served almost two terms as president, and had not managed to end the Korean War, which had begun in June 1950. Stevenson, born in 1900, came from a political family. He was named after a grandfather who had been vice president during Clevelands second term. Stevenson had spent years in government when he was elected governor of Illinois in 1948. After Truman decided not to run, Stevenson was drafted by his party to run against Eisenhower, who had defeated Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio for the Republican nomination. For his running mate, Stevenson chose Sen. John Sparkman, of Alabama; Eisenhower chose Richard Nixon. The issues were serious: the war, business/labor relations, communist sympathizers in the government. But for many, the contest boiled down to personalities. On one side was Ike, conquering hero of the war in Europe, but down to earth, and with a winning smile. On the other was Stevenson, a lawyer and an intellectual. Looking back today, many observers think that Eisenhower would have easily beaten anyone who ran against him: Truman in 1952, had he chosen to run, or Kennedy in 1960, had Eisenhower been constitutionally able to run. But it was not apparent at the time. Eisenhower could be garrulous; his handlers had to keep his statements short and focused. And Eisenhower, a native of Kansas, had to be photographed in just the right way or he could appear like any balding, aging Midwestern politician, like Robert Taft. Stevenson was different. He was divorced and had not remarried. Divorce counted against a politician in those days. Had he been elected, his sister Buffie would have taken the role of first lady. Stevenson liked to discuss ideas and issues in detail. This may have been a mistake on the campaign trail. Stevenson, too, was mostly bald, and two conservative columnists, the Alsop brothers, coined the term egghead for him. The term had the force of elitist today. Stevenson quipped, Eggheads of the world, unite: We have nothing to lose but our yolks. Stevensons wit did not appeal to everyone. During the second campaign, Stevenson proposed a ban on testing atomic weapons in the atmosphere, and abolishing the draft. Richard Nixon attacked him, accusing Stevenson of jeopardizing national security. But later, under Kennedy, the limited nuclear test ban treaty went into effect, and in 1973, Nixon abolished the draft. Secretly, the Republicans had been considering both ideas. On civil rights, Stevenson must be termed a minimalist. As governor, he desegregated the Illinois park system. He influenced the 1957 Civil Rights Act, which made it slightly easier for blacks to vote and serve on juries. He thought that if the issue had been calmly discussed beforehand, Eisenhower would not have had to send troops to Little Rock in 1957 to enforce integration. (Actually, Eisenhower had talked with Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus, thought he had a deal, only to have Faubus renege.) In both presidential elections, all of Stevensons electoral votes came from the Deep South and border states. Again in 1960, Stevenson tried for the nomination, and after Kennedy won, he hoped to be secretary of state. Dean Rusk got the job; Stevenson was named chief delegate to the United Nations, with cabinet rank. On Oct. 25, 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis, Stevenson scored a diplomatic coup when he showed that the Soviet Union had installed missiles in Cuba, despite the denials of the Soviet representative Valerian Zorin. Perhaps this was his best moment. On July 14, 1965, female partner at his side, Stevenson dropped dead of a heart attack on a street in London. So, what about our Princeton student? I think her instructors failed her; Stevenson was one of the remarkable runners-up of American history, behind Henry Clay and William Jennings Bryan. Ed Rossmann lives in Aurora and has been an educator most of his life, including 17 years in high school. Biographies of Adlai Stevenson by Porter Mckeever and Bartlow Martin were useful in writing this essay, as was David Halberstams "The Fifties," and the New World Encyclopedia. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy AUBURN A Cayuga County Legislature Committee approved the formation of a volunteer board to advise the county's Veterans' Service Agency and help ensure local veterans' needs are met. The Legislature's Ways and Means Committee approved the formation of a Veterans Services Advisory Board to act as an advocacy and liaison group for the Legislature on local veteran's issues, according to the resolution. VSA Director Jessica Strassle said she proposed the board primarily so its members could bring issues that are important to them and their fellow local veterans to Strassle's attention in order to "really make sure we are encompassing the need of our veteran community," she said. "Those individuals can say to me 'Hey, Jessica, our veterans need A, B, or C,' and if I don't know about it I can go and advocate for it" Strassle said. For larger issues, members could also accompany Strassle to Legislature meetings in order to essentially lobby as a unified group. According to the resolution, the board's membership would be made up of nine to 12 veterans with staggered, three-year terms appointed by the Legislature. Each branch of the military, as well as the northern, central and southern regions of Cayuga County would be represented on the board. Additionally, the board would include up to three at-large veteran representatives from affiliated government agencies or nonprofit veteran services organizations. The board would also have a chairperson and a legislative liaison, and the Director of Veterans Services would serve as an ex-officio member. "I just think it's a good way for that department to be attuned to the needs of the county's veterans," Legislator Joseph DeForest, D-Venice, who chairs the Government Operations Committee that previously approved the resolution, said. Strassle, an Air Force veteran and an Air National Guard member, recently returned from maternity leave, and has since been particularly focusing on reaching out to the community, both to educate veterans about existing resources and to learn about possible gaps at the agency. In his state of the county address last month, County Administrator J. Justin Woods described Strassle as having been "bounding across the county" connecting with veterans. In addition to coordinating with local town and village clerks to meet with veterans at the clerk's offices, Strassle said she had been making many home visits for homebound veterans. "It's very important that I show my respect to those that have served before me, so if they can't get to me I'm going to them," Strassle said. Legislator Charles Ripley, R-Summerhill, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he'd gotten lots of positive feedback from veteran constituents about Strassle's performance. "She's been doing a great job out there," Ripley said. Some of the ideas Strassle said she's planning on pursuing based on her outreach efforts include developing a homeless shelter for women veterans, providing more case management to ensure veterans know about all the programs available to them, and possibly hosting a resource fair in July. The resolution must now be approved by the full Legislature, which meets at 6 p.m. April 23 at the Cayuga County Office Building. Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Former radical activist Judith Clark was granted parole Wednesday after serving more than 37 years behind bars for her role as getaway driver in a 1981 Brink's armored truck robbery that left two police officers and a security guard dead. "We are grateful that the Parole Board affirmed what everyone who has interacted with Judy already knows - that she is a rehabilitated, remorseful woman who poses no threat to society," said Michael Cardozo, who represents Clark pro bono as co-counsel with Steve Zeidman. "My great hope is that the Parole Board continues to honor the work people do to transform their lives while in prison and lets more families' loved ones come home," said Clark's daughter, Harriet Clark, in a prepared statement. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised Clark's behavior as a model prisoner when he commuted her 75-years-to-life sentence in 2016 to make her eligible for parole. The 69-year-old inmate has earned a master's degree, trained service dogs, founded an AIDS education program and counseled mothers behind bars during her time in prison. At her April 3 parole hearing, Clark presented support statements from more than 2,000 people. Those with statements included former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, 11 members of New York's congressional delegation and Elaine Lord, a former superintendent of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where Clark is incarcerated. A letter signed by more than 70 elected officials said the correctional system exists for rehabilitation as well as punishment. But some law enforcement officials and families of victims opposed her release. The $1.6 million Brink's heist at a mall in suburban New York led to the shooting deaths of Brink's guard Peter Paige and Nyack police officers Edward O'Grady and Waverly Brown. "Releasing Clark would be an atrocious travesty of justice and an affront to our criminal justice system," the Rockland County District Attorney's Office said in opposing parole. Clark participated in the robbery as a member of the Weather Underground, an organization of violent revolutionaries that grew out of the anti-Vietnam war movement. "I look at the world differently now," Clark said in her letter asking Cuomo for clemency. "Instead of abstract slogans, I see and am moved by flesh-and-blood people." Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said despite being the getaway driver and not at the scene of the robbery and shooting, Clark was sentenced to die in prison. "Since being incarcerated, she has expressed deep remorse for her role and used every opportunity to better herself and those around her." The parole board first denied Clark's release in 2017, saying she was "still a symbol of violent terroristic crime." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 4 SKANEATELES John Irving Edwards passed away Monday, April 15, 2019, at St. Josephs Hospital. Born in Syracuse, on May 20, 1933, John was a lifelong resident of Skaneateles, graduating in the class of 1951. After completing a degree in architectural drafting, he served in the Army and played in the 266th Army Band at Fort Hood, Texas. Upon his return he resumed his position at the Skaneateles Supply Company, becoming a co-owner after several years. Later, his expertise and talent for connecting with people led him to a successful sales career. John married the love of his life, Shirley Mason, in 1955, and together they chose the lot on which John built the family home that has been their residence ever since. John had many talents and interests, including building, which he learned from his father, cooking, community service and travel. John loved engaging with people everywhere he went, and he had a heart for service to his community. He volunteered for many years as an EMT, and later as a driver for SAVES. He also drove for the Laker Limo. John served on the vestry and sang in the choir at St. James Episcopal Church, where he was a lifelong member. He was a past master of the Masonic Lodge. For John music was a lifelong pleasure and avocation. He started playing the tuba in 7th grade. The next year, he became a member of the Auburn Civic Band, a position he held for 71 years. He also played in the Auburn Chamber Orchestra for many years and the Skaneateles Community Band from its inception. John is survived by his four children, Kim Edwards (Thomas Clayton), John Edwards (Cindy), Mark Teasdale-Edwards (Katherine), and Amy Wenner (James); as well as by 10 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren; also by his sisters, Rena Pasternak, Nora Brown and Nancy Smith. He was predeceased by his brother, Herb Edwards. The family is grateful for the excellent care John received at St. Josephs Hospital, with special thanks to the nurses and to Dr. Nishith Amin. A funeral Mass will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 18, in St. James Episcopal Church, Skaneateles. Burial will be in Lakeview Cemetery, Skaneateles. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. James Episcopal Church. Condolences may be left at www.robertdgrayfuneralhome.com. Under a recently introduced bill, teachers would be directly responsible for using $400 to buy school supplies through the N.C. Classroom Supply Program, but not everyone is sold on the proposal.During a news conference Wednesday, April 3, Republican lawmakers and State Superintendent Mark Johnson unveiled Senate Bill 580 to give teachers direct purchasing power over their classroom supplies. Now, $47 million is allocated to school districts for items such as reams of paper and packs of pencils, but under S.B. 580, about $37 million would go directly to the state's 94,000 teachers. The remaining $10 million would go to school districts for larger schoolwide purchases.If the bill becomes law, teachers would have to make purchases through ClassWallet , an e-commerce app that can also collect and digitize receipts for reimbursement. Any purchases made before Aug. 31 would be reimbursed, but anything bought after that date would be through ClassWallet.Sen. Andy Wells, R-Catawba, said he introduced the bill after hearing stories about some local school districts misspending money meant to go toward classroom supplies and leaving teachers to buy what they need out-of-pocket.Wells said during the news conference.The N.C. Association of Educators opposes the bill, calling it aNCAE President Mark Jewell said in a news release,No new funds would be allocated for classroom supplies, which soured some to the proposal, including Lisa Godwin, the 2017 N.C. Teacher of the Year.Godwin said, EdNC reported.Meanwhile, some State Board of Education members and advisers have concerns about the bill.During the April 4 SBE meeting, Tabari Wallace, the N.C. Wells Fargo Principal of the Year Advisor, said districts can get bargains when they buy in bulk. But, under this bill, teachers wouldn't have the same negotiating power to bring down prices.Board member Patricia Willoughby said most people would want teachers to have more money to buy supplies, but how the state goes about it is important.Willoughby said.The bill may address some of those concerns. It allows teachers to combine their buying power and "crowd-fund" supply purchases. And the $400 supply allowance shouldn't be considered taxable income, unlike the stipend Jewell suggested, which would be.Terry Stoops, the vice president of research and director of education studies at the John Locke Foundation, said teachers should have greater leeway to buy the classroom supplies they need.When asked about the concerns raised by board members, Drew Elliot, the DPI communications director, said that bill filings are just the beginning of the legislative process, not the middle or the end.Elliot said. to offer to American readers, young and old alike, an accurate, responsible, coherent, persuasive, and inspiring narrative account of their own country-an account that will inform and deepen their sense of the land they inhabit and equip them for the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. Columbus had trouble seeing America for the new thing that it was, and could be, and eventually would become. He was not first, and he would not be the last. It is part of the human condition, and a recurrent feature of human history, that what we find is not always what we were looking for, and what we accomplish is not always what we set out to do. Hence, too, the reality that Columbus's journeys were also the beginning of a great collision of cultures, a process that nearly always entails tragic and bitter consequences. Hence the cruel irony, as we shall see, that the settlement of America by newcomers would also produce a profound unsettlement for those who were not newcomers. The fresh start for the world came at a heavy price for those who were already settled on the land, men and women for whom San Salvador was not a New World being discovered but an old and familiar world about to be transformed. This book is THE antidote to abysmal levels of historical knowledge our high school graduates possess. History bores them; the textbooks are dreary; lessons play up guilt and identity politics. It turns them off. They want powerful tales and momentous events, genuine heroes and villains, too-an accurate but stirring rendition of the past. This is Bill McClay's Land of Hope, a superb historian's version of the American story, in lively prose spiced with keen analysis and compelling drama. Every school that assigns this book will see students' eyes brighten when the Civil War comes up, the Progressive Era, the Depression, Civil Rights...The kids want an authentic, meaningful heritage, a usable past. McClay makes it real. From the very beginning, it's clear that Wilfred M. McClay'sisn't a typical textbook. The title alone alerts readers that McClay's book will not be the kind of history text that has become so popular in today's high school and college courses-a diatribe against America's many sins. Instead, it is an accurate, but loving, story of our country and our shared culture. McClay describes his book asIn his introduction, McClay explains that the purpose of his text is:McClay is just the person to provide such an account. He is the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma and the Director of the Center for the History of Liberty. His other works includeand. The text will be available on May 21 and published by Encounter Books, a non-profitAfter a beautifully written introduction, "Beginnings: Settlement and Unsettlement" starts with the first human settlers in the new world-twenty to thirty thousand years ago-and ends with Christopher Columbus' four trips from Spain to the Americas starting in 1492.McClay's treatment of Columbus and his discoveries is illustrative of his even-handed approach:The book then catalogs American history from "The Shaping of British North America" to "The World Since the Cold War" over 22 chapters. The text ends with an epilogue on "The Shape of American Patriotism." It also includes an excellent list of works for further reading.McClay also focuses on America as a story-something that is more than the sum of its parts-with threads that run through the narrative and tie it together: individual liberty, self-reliance, and relentless optimism. Because of this focus,is more than just a list of dates, battles, and important people. It also contains poetry (including Robert Frost's "And All We Call American"), excerpts from literature (a large section on the American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, for example), and even music (including the lyrics of "WPA," a satiric song by the Mills Brothers and jazz great Louis Armstrong).Of course, it also includes all the obligatory history book stock features: maps of the country as it evolved from 13 colonies to 50 states, excerpts from famous speeches, and important political changes. They are woven into America's story to provide the rich detail that makes history interesting.is the kind of book I wish I'd had for my own Advanced Placement U.S. History course back in high school. I don't remember now which book was used, but it was dull and uninspiring. It distilled the great American story into boring lists of facts and "concepts" to memorize.includes the same material, but in a much more engaging and naturally memorable way. Reading it is inspirational rather than merely a chore.Unfortunately, it's unlikely thatwill be widely adopted. With today's politicized and "internationalized" AP U.S. History curriculum,would be a poor fit.Instead, parents and grandparents who care about their children's understanding of their own country and culture should purchaseas a supplement to the history that students learn in school.Professor Mark Bauerlein puts it better than I can in his panegyric to the book:Every home should have a copy. If anyone hasn't seen the movie UNPLANNED, I urge you to do so. There are several take-home messages from the movie, as expressed by the woman not only who wrote the book on which the movie was based (Abby Johnson) but on whose experiences the story was based. Three of those messages are:(1 Most abortions are carried out in the earlier part of a pregnancy (up to 12 weeks; the first trimester). Planned Parenthood does an ultrasound on each woman/girl seeking an abortion to determine as closely as possible how far along the pregnancy is. How far along determines the type of abortion the clinic will perform to terminate that pregnancy. Abby had two abortions (each in the first trimester; within the first 8 weeks, if I remember correctly). She had the first abortion in college when she found out she was pregnant. It was a bad time, she wasn't married yet, and her boyfriend also didn't want her to have it. The second was a bit more troublesome. She ended up marrying her college boyfriend but after she found out he cheated on her, she filed for divorce. Just after she filed, she found out she was pregnant. She said she didn't want anything to connect her to the man she was divorcing and so she had an abortion. In short, each abortion was for one primary purpose - Convenience. Planned Parenthood took care of each abortion. She was told the fetus was just a mass of cells and not a baby yet and she shouldn't think twice about aborting it. As the movie shows, she eventually went to work for Planned Parenthood, as a counselor. She counseled women/girls using the same logic that helped ease her conscience when she sought to terminate her pregnancies - It's your right to control your fertility, an unwanted pregnancy is a crisis and abortion allows a woman to deal with that crisis, and the fetus is only a mass of cells and so no one is killing a baby. About 7 years into her employment at Planned Parenthood, she was promoted to its director. One day, they were short-staffed and she was called in by the abortion doctor to assist. It was the first time ever that she had been in a room during a procedure (other than when she was the patient). The doctor told her to keep an eye on the ultra-sound (as he was doing a procedure guided by ultrasound) to make sure he was directing his equipment to the fetus. At 8 weeks, she saw for the first time that the growing fetus was not a mass of cells but already had the full form of a baby, with 10 fingers and 10 toes, with a heartbeat, and already capable of moving. She was immediately touched by what she saw. It was a baby. She watched as the doctor aimed his needle and suction equipment at the baby and how the baby frantically tried to avoid them. It twisted and turned and tried very hard to move as far away from them. Abby realized that the 8-week old baby had already exhibited one of the essential characteristics of all life - the ability to respond to stimuli and especially the ability to protect and preserve its life from threats to it. THOSE SEEKING AN ABORTION MUST SEE AN ULTRASOUND and must watch an observe how "human" and full of life" their yet unborn (yet fully-formed) baby is.(2) Planned Parenthood DOES NOT SHOW the woman/girl the ultrasound. That is their policy. Why? First, because it is afraid that seeing the ultrasound will cause the patient to change her mind. After all, Planned Parenthood is in the business of performing abortions. Second of all, Planned Parenthood needs to perform abortions; after all, that's how it makes its money. That is how it pays its employees, is able to provide them with benefits, and to have the money it needs to lobby for its continued existence. The more abortions it can provide, the better. That is why it doesn't show those scared, confused, tormented women/girls seeking an abortion an ultrasound. That is why its counselors only counsel "for" an abortion and never the other way around. The numbers of abortions would drop considerably if only Planned Parenthood had the decency to show those women/girls who come through its doors the ultrasounds of the life growing inside them.(3) What you believe in defines you. If you truly believe in something and are true to your convictions, then you will conduct your life in accordance to your beliefs. That is what Jack Phillips, the Christian cake artist from Colorado did. That is what Barronelle Stutzman, a creative florist from Washington state did. That is what Martin Luther King Jr did, and that is what Rosa Parks did on a Montgomery city bus ("I was tired of giving in"). John Winthrop, who led the Puritans to Massachusetts urged his followers to be the salt of the earth, as Jesus had spoken about in his Sermon on the Mount, so that their new community would be "as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." President Reagan referenced the "city on a hill" metaphor in one of his speeches hoping that the country would see a re-birth of those values on which many of her colonies were founded. The point is that if we believe strongly enough, we must DO something about it to show others what we stand for.I urge everyone to see UNPLANNED. Take your children. Use it as a teaching moment. My friends and I were profoundly touched by the movie. 100+ Million Cameras AI and Video are Changing the Edge Learn how the drastic increase in network cameras and use of AI is causing organizations to rethink their edge architectures. 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If France heeds calls to rebuild the cathedral as a reflection of what modern French people want, the new structure may be flooded by their tears. The fire, whose origins remain under investigation, was initially reported to have left little more than medieval stones, rose windows, and make of this what you will its golden altar cross untouched. Donations nearing $1 billion have already poured in from around the world, without government compulsion. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild the church within five years, a timeline as ambitious (and potentially, as unrealistic) as his plans for the eurozone. We will rebuild the cathedral to be even more beautiful, Macron said. But what shape will the cathedrals renovation take? Who will decide which alterations improve on the original? The answer came earlier today, when Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an international competition for architects to submit proposals for a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era. As the litany says, Good Lord, deliver us. Increasingly, secularists are demanding a voice in the reconstruction of a Roman Catholic cathedral and sanctuary. While some want the cathedral restored to its original condition, others say the government should reimagine Notre Dame as a multi-faith monument or a tribute to European secularism. Rolling Stone reports that John Harwood, an architectural historian and associate professor at the University of Toronto: believes that it would be a mistake to try to recreate the edifice as it once stood Any rebuilding should be a reflection not of an old France, or the France that never was a non-secular, white European France but a reflection of the France of today, a France that is currently in the making. The idea that you can recreate the building is naive. It is to repeat past errors, category errors of thought, and one has to imagine that if anything is done to the building it has to be an expression of what we want the Catholics of France, the French people want. What is an expression of who we are now? What does it represent, who is it for?, he says. Harwood justified redesigning Notre Dame as a reflection of modern zeitgeist, because [i]ts literally a political monument. All cathedrals are. Au contraire, Monsieur Harwood. Christians built cathedrals as earthly embassies of the kingdom of Heaven. These architectural wonders were created as expressions of faith. Their beauty and wonder provide a foretaste of the splendor and order of eternity. Like everyone else, I was glued to the unfolding drama. As the fire devoured the building, I wondered what Paris would look like if the citys forefathers had been as secular as their descendants if the original building had been an expression of who we are now, rather than who we were then. The answer I came up with is simple: The spot would be vacant. Or it would be used as yet another ugly government building or overregulated business. They would pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Atheism erects no cathedrals. It has no Psalms or hymns. Secularism has sterilized the imagination of the West. Even etymologically, the term atheism is fundamentally destructive. A French political class clinging to laicite the secular we Harwood wants to unleash like locusts on the decimated ruins cannot rebuild the cathedral, because modern Europe lacks any cohesive morality. European values amount to little more than a hollowed-out shell of Christendom devoid of everything except tolerance and pluralism. Atheism and polytheism have led to an embrace of polylogism. Atheism, like the fires of Notre Dame (or the fires that surely burn more brightly elsewhere), destroys all it touches. The greatest treasures of architecture, artwork, poetry, and literature created by the West were inspired by the Christian faith. The Scriptures deeply penetrated the European mind and burst out into a million triumphs of artistry. Their reason and rhythm shape the mind of everyone born into the culture to this day (albeit less than one may hope). The burning of Notre Dame broke the heart of the West, because its symbolism goes deeper than politics, pop culture, or other bits of intellectual flotsam and jetsam. It stood as a monument of the permanent things that created Western Civilization, the things that still define each of us in the dormant, and the best, parts of our hearts. The belfries of all Christendom echo its message of hope, redemption, and peace. Only those ablaze with the fiery flame of divine love can rebuild Notre Dame, or Europe, from the debris. Government lacks the inspiration and unifying vision necessary to build a cathedral. Politicians should assure that that the State does not assert itself into the Churchs reconstruction plans. For more than eight centuries, Notre Dame as it stood to reflect a Europe of faith so perfectly represented the Wests greatest aspirations that its loss still tears a hole in the even the most secular heart. (Photo credit: Stefano Zaccaria / Shutterstock.com.) The ancient Chinese philosopher Meng-Tzu is usually known to Westerners by his Latinized name Mencius, if he is known to them at all. Though not famous outside his native China, Meng-Tzu left us many ideas worthy of consideration, and these often have unexpected parallels with more modern and familiar thinkers. Alejandro Chafuen, Actons Managing Director, International, examines some of these parallels in a piece published today for Forbes. Chafuen argues that Meng-Tzus ideas are worth remembering not only for their own sake but for the potential guidance they can offer regarding China in our own day. A couple of years ago I learned with surprise that the China-Italy Association for Economic and Cultural Development (SECIC) wanted to give me an award named after the great Italian explorer Marco Polo (1245-1324). My life has not been as adventurous and dramatic as his, but I do spend considerable time globetrotting trying to find treasures and innovations in different corners of the world. While Marco Polo looked for industrial and commercial assets, I mostly look for intellectual talents and policy ideas. Carlo Lottieri, the libertarian professor who was president of SECIC, soon learned that there already was a Marco Polo award, so the organizers changed its name to the Marco Polo-Meng-tzu Award, after Meng-tzu, also spelled Mengzi (or the Latinized Mencius). I also feel somewhat connected to Marco Polo for what he meant to trade and because some of my family roots are from the Veneto region. I am a strong believer in free trade as a tool to bring cultures together and make better use of Creation. (By free trade I mean voluntary exchanges between free peopletrade between government entities is free for them but not for taxpayers, who end up as subsidizers of last resort and stakeholders without rights.) I had, however, no knowledge of Menciuss contributions or relevance prior to learning of the award. I have studied political and economic philosophy going back to the Greeks, such as Plato and Aristotle, who were contemporaries of Mencius. But I had never studied Asian philosophies. Out of respect to my Italian-Chinese hosts, I delved into his teachings. I liked a lot of what I read. Why Mencius? I kept asking myself. It seems that in search of a philosophical narrative for the current communist or state-capitalist China, those in charge of the cultural agenda thought that it would be helpful to resurrect his contributions. Mencius (c. 371 BC c. 289 BC) was one of the most important students and followers of Confucius (Kung Fu-Tse, 551 BC 479 BC). When Lin Yutang (1895-1976) published his acclaimed anthology The Wisdom of China and India, he chose to name his chapter on Mencius The Democratic Philosopher. Lin Yutang has been regarded by some, such as economist Mark Skousen, as a Christian and a libertarian. Thanks to his outstanding command of English, Chinese and philosophy, Lin Yutangs summary of Menciuss views captures his essence much better than other authors. Can todays China look back to Menciuss writings as a guide for its economic model and trade relationships? I hope so. Yahoo! JAPAN Yahoo! JAPAN Oleksii Liskonih/iStock(SEOUL, South Korea) -- A month and a half after President Donald Trump ended his summit with Kim Jong Un without a deal, the young North Korean leader is preparing to step out again on the world stage. This time, it will be for his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit comes at a critical time and the relationship with Russia has become increasingly important, according to analysts, as Kim seeks to maintain his nuclear weapons stockpile while loosening the economic pressure on his country. That means the U.S. will be watching closely, with its chief negotiator Stephen Biegun heading to Moscow this week for meetings. It's the special representative for North Korea's first visit to Russia since October, and he is likely to take the Kremlin's temperature ahead of the Putin-Kim summit, as well as reinforce the importance of the United Nations Security Council sanctions implementation, according to a State Department official. "The United States is committed to working with interested parties, including Russia, on the robust and sustained implementation of U.N. sanctions in order to move forward with denuclearization," the official told ABC News. The Kremlin confirmed Monday that a meeting was being planned, but declined to provide any details. South Korea's Blue House -- the office of the president, which is in steady contact with North Korea -- told ABC News that "preparations are underway," but had no further comment. The meeting could come as soon as the end of next week, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. While China has long been North Korea's most important ally, Russia has played a key second role as an economic partner and tried to assert itself as a political player, often by playing a foil to U.S. interests. The summit would be Kim's first trip to Russia. It's unclear in what city the two will meet, but the most likely option is the far eastern port city Vladivostok, where Kim Jong Il, visited in 2011. That was the most recent meeting between the two countries, when Kim's father met then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Ulan-Ude -- near the border with Mongolia, thousands of miles east of Moscow. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Intercept has just released "A Message From the Future," a short science fiction movie narrated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and drawn by Molly Crabapple, describing the coming "Green New Deal Decade," when Americans pulled together and found prosperity, stability, solidarity and full employment through a massive, nationwide effort to refit the country to be resilient to climate shocks and stem the tide of global climate change. It's an astonishingly moving and beautiful piece, and deploys a tactic that has been surprisingly effective at mobilising large groups of people: creating a retrospective describing the successful project to inspire people to make it a success. Famously, this is the tactic that Jeff Bezos insists on at Amazon for the launch of new internal projects: ambitious internal entrepreneurs must submit a memo describing the project as a fait accompli, and if the description is compelling and exciting enough, they get the resources to make it happen. But it's not just Amazon: as anthropologist Gabriella Coleman describes in Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy, her seminal 2014 study of Anonymous, this is how Anon ops get started: an individual Anon makes a video announcing victory in some op that hasn't taken place yet, and if enough other anons are inspired by it to make it happen, then it happens. In her article accompanying the video, Naomi Klein describes the audacity of other projects on this scale, like FDR's New Deal, and how much skepticism they were met with at their outset and how, as the vision caught on, it spread like wildfire through the population, so that something that was once impossible became inevitable. One reason that elite attacks never succeeded in turning the public against the New Deal had to do with the incalculable power of art, which was embedded in virtually every aspect of the era's transformations. The New Dealers saw artists as workers like any other: people who, in the depths of the Depression, deserved direct government assistance to practice their trade. As Works Progress Administration administrator Harry Hopkins famously put it, "Hell, they've got to eat just like other people." Through programs including the Federal Art Project, Federal Music Project, Federal Theater Project, and Federal Writers Project (all part of the WPA), as well as the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture and several others, tens of thousands of painters, musicians, photographers, playwrights, filmmakers, actors, authors, and a huge array of craftspeople found meaningful work, with unprecedented support going to African-American and Indigenous artists. The result was a renaissance of creativity and a staggering body of work that transformed the visual landscape of the country. The Federal Art Project alone produced nearly 475,000 works of art, including over 2,000 posters, 2,500 murals, and 100,000 canvasses for public spaces. Its stable of artists included Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Authors who participated in the Federal Writers Program included Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and John Steinbeck. A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [Naomi Klein/The Intercept] Ola Bini is a Swedish free/open source software developer who lives in Quito, Ecudaor; as he prepared to depart for a long-planned (and previously publicly announced) vacation in Japan, he was seized by Ecuadorean police, who claimed he was fleeing the country after the arrest of Julian Assange; authorities had a warrant for a "Russian hacker" (Bini is neither Russian, nor a hacker) and they have held him without reading him his rights, offering him a translator, or allowing him to contact his lawyer. Bini is a former developer for Thoughtworks, a global, justice-oriented IT consultancy, and has contributed to many privacy and security tools, including OTR. Bini is still in custody, being held on absurd charges and on the thinnest of evidence. The charges against him, when they were finally made public, are tenuous. Ecuador's general prosecutor has stated that Bini was accused of "alleged participation in the crime of assault on the integrity of computer systems" and attempts to destabilize the country. The "evidence" seized from Ola's home that Ecuadorean police showed journalists to demonstrate his guilt was nothing more than a pile of USB drives, hard drives, two-factor authentication keys, and technical manuals: all familiar property for anyone working in his field. The Ecuadorean Authorities Have No Reason to Detain Free Software Developer Ola Bini [Danny O'Brien/EFF] (Image: @olabini) Book Review Policy I am very interested in receiving review copies from authors and publishers. Each book I complete will receive an honest review from me. If you would be willing to send me a copy of a book, please contact me at ristaut@gmail.com Business / International by Tidi Kwidini LONDON Trade opportunities in Zimbabwe Trade opportunities in Zimbabwe Doors of opportunity opening up in Zimbabwe - Business forum, Zimdaba concluded its two-day conference on a very productive note, with high-profile business leaders and governmental officials continuing discussions on social and economic reform in parrallel with real investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.Held at the Royal Geographical Society in London, a place aptly providing historical context as a nod to the past and a long relationship between the UK and the people of Zimbabwe.In attendance was the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando who appealed to the prospective investor market, reiterating that the country's mining sector is rich in mineral resources and required, not only skills and human capital but, business leaders willing to uncover its true potential with commensurate financial capital.This is the added continuity from attending last year's inaugural Zimdaba, where government promises made then have been shown to have now been enacted, demonstrating their commitment to the reform agenda to unlock true value for Zimbabwe and investing partners alike."There are opportunities for infrastructure and for mining related activities but the government is aware and understands that in order for investment to flow, the environment itself needs to be conducive.""Capital requires policy clarity, transparency and consistency. These are key to the sector's economic development.Zimbabwe is under-explored and has not been subject to modern exploration techniques. As a result, investors who are interested in exploring this area will find that investing and coming up with a suitable commercial structure will make good returns," he added.The Zimbabwe mineral sector alone generated $2.7billion in mineral revenue in 2018 and this year the sector is targeting $4billion, with the aim of reaching $12billion by 2023 on current projects already identified and at various stages of being brought to life by then.Mr Chitando said that a strategic plan is currently being put in place and specific policies have been drawn up to solidify the country's mineral development plan and this includes, among others, a diamond development policy. There are also plans for a value management centre to be operational by the end of the year and working with, and adjacent to, the artisanal or small-scale miners to ensure a proper balance of resource benefit alongside the requisite training for safe and environmentally sound mining practices.With parliament's recent ratification of the trade agreement and it joining the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), there are prospects for the country to enjoy the benefits of the agreement that will open up competitive target markets in Africa.Zimtrade chief executive, Allan Majuru said that Zimbabwe is the hub of southern Africa and that now is the time for the diaspora to invest and do business there."We are a land-linked country but we need investment in infrastructure to take advantage of place competitiveness.We need the necessary support infrastructure - rail, roads and air to make sure that we fill the SADC region," he said.Majuru said there is a need to generate value and enhance Zimbabwe's trade development by increasing the ease of doing export business, particularly trading across borders."The climate gives us a good comparative advantage. Furthermore, investing in horticulture is key in Zimbabwe and we are working closely with the Dutch. Similarly, our exports have increased because our supply to the EU and Middle-East is big.There is potential to increase the export volume in Zimbabwe as we go forward, especially between us and the United Kingdom, and l believe that through export and even agro-processing, we can, in turn, empower the local communities, and we want the international market to be part of the growth trajectory."There have been several success stories that are beginning to boost the Oil, Farming and Agricultural sectors.Ankit Jain, CEO of Raha cooking oil outlined his journey since 2012 and how in the last few years, with the support of the government to create policy for the cooking oil industry, over 2000 jobs have been created; and a sector that was down 20% in production capacity is now three times over the capacity, with five major operational plants meeting the demand of the country.Similarly, Steward Founder and CEO Dan Miller, with the creation of the crowdfarming initiative, has generated opportunities for funding sustainable farmers and agriculture, and through their outreach programme, it has successfully made its way into the country. Steward now has two people in Bulawayo and Chitungwiza supporting farmers on the ground and farmers are starting to benefit from the programme in Marondera and Bulawayo.Investment bankers, Brigg Macadam, who in the last 12 months have worked to bring in global credit funds into the country, have said they are optimistic about the future and that now is the time that the West consider investment prospects, as there is scope to bring in advance irrigation and technology that will revitalise the agriculture sector and restore Zimbabwe as the breadbasket of Africa.Key panel discussions made up part of the overall conference agenda and members from the government and private sector outlined their success stories and plans to boost Zimbabwe's economy through investment in tourism and Special Economic Zones (SEZ)Zimbabwe's Special Economic Zones are being established to fulfil objectives that include restoring the economy's capacity to produce goods and services competitively, and to create an economy that has inclusive growth and that will contribute to the international agenda.Now in its second year, Zimdaba London has continued to support Zimbabwe to establish foreign direct investment and help it regain its rightful position as a world class economy, with a booming agricultural sector amongst the plethora of multi-sector opportunities abounding in this re-emerging, re-engaging and reforming Zimbabwe.Chairman for Consolidated Africa Services Edward Holme concluded: "We believe in a bright future in Zimbabwe and we are prepared to keep our shoulders to the wheel to contribute, in our small way, to the overall effort of driving policy and economic reform so walk the ground, see for yourselves, join us," was his message to the investor community.The conference was sponsored by Vamara Group,Imara, Steward, Zamco,RAHA, Brigg Macadam, De la Rue and Khaya Defero and highlighted investment opportunities in sectors that include Energy, Tourism, Mining, Transport, Manufacturing, Retail, Finance and ICT. News / National by Staff reporter The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Tuesday kept mum about Afriforum's claims that the NPA has applied for the extradition of Zimbabwe's former first lady Grace Mugabe.The purported extradition is in connection with the alleged assault of model Gabriella Engels in Johannesburg in 2017.The NPA's spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku responded, "No comment" when asked if this was true.Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya said he did not know anything about it, and recommended a call-back on Wednesday when he may have some information.Said Afriforum: "AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit was, on inquiry, informed that the [NPA] has applied to have Grace Mugabe extradited to South Africa. Grace Mugabe [allegedly] assaulted and seriously injured Gabriella Engels, a Johannesburg model, with an extension cord in 2017."The case relates to the alleged assault of Engels while in the company of one of Mugabe's sons Bellarmine Chatunga at a hotel. Engels alleged that Mugabe hit her with an extension cord. Mugabe said it was the other way around, that Engels came at her with a knife. However, Mugabe never answered to the case due to her being granted diplomatic immunity which enabled her to leave South Africa.Afriforum said the NPA's decision follows the Gauteng High Court's ruling last year that the decision by Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, former Dirco minister, to grant Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity, should be set aside."Afriforum said that Engels and various other parties brought the rescission application in this regard."Advocate Gerrie Nel, formerly a prosecutor with the NPA and now head of AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit, would apply for a nolle prosequi certificate should the NPA fail to prosecute. The certificate means that a private prosecution could be possible.The group said the Foreign States Immunities Act (1981) excludes the granting of immunity to heads of state who are guilty of the death or injury of people in South Africa."Grace Mugabe, as the wife of a former head of state, could therefore in no way claim the diplomatic immunity to which she appealed," Afriforum stated. News / National by Staff reporter Leon Abednigo Mbangwa, real name Lionel Moyo, was tasked with running Nathi Nhleko's police ministry as a chief of staff.He is a Zimbabwean.He had not been naturalized. Was arrested for false ID. Was convicted and served custodial sentence, he also recently appeared in court for false documentation. No security clearance.At the time of applying for security clearance, McBride was on suspension.Mbangwa was found guilty of fraud and jailed for four years on December 13, 2002, police spokesperson Sergeant Ann Poortman has confirmed to News24.Despite this, he managed to secure a senior position as chief of staff in the police ministry.Mbangwa admitted to having spent some time in Pretoria Central Prison for fraud. He was released in August 2003."I was released following talks between home affairs, my family and the MKMVA (Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association)."According to his LinkedIn profile, he took up the post of chief of staff in March 2016, following a spell in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature and the provincial health department.Mbangwa said his conviction related to an issue regarding his place of birth and his South African citizenship. He said, according to his ID, he had been born in South Africa, when he had in fact been born in Zimbabwe."That was the issue, but I was not using a fake South African ID," he told News24.Mbangwa said he received security clearance for the job that granted him access to some of the country's top secrets and resources."I am always cleared when they do their vetting."Minister's prerogativeNhleko had asked for clearance for Mbangwa through the Independent Police Investigative Directorate [Ipid], instead of the SAPS itself. Both the Ipid and Nhleko's spokesperson Musa Zondi said this was not unusual."Mr Mbangwa joined the police ministry on a transfer from KwaZulu-Natal legislature. So this was not a brand new appointment, and the presumption is that the person being transferred would have been cleared," Zondi said in an email to News24."In this particular case, Mr Mbangwa declared the conviction on [the] citizenship matter to both the national [police] commissioner and the minister. They were satisfied. Remember that there is no law that says you can't be hired because of a conviction. The requirement is that you need to declare, which happened in this case."On this basis, the minister did not see a problem with acquiring the services of Mr Mbangwa, who has extensive experience in government," Zondi said.Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu told News24 that it was the minister's prerogative to ask for any entity under him to facilitate security clearance."The vetting unit only facilitates the process. The State Security Agency (SSA) is responsible for the final clearance. I can confirm that that Ipid facilitated the clearance of the chief of staff."The SSA refused to divulge the outcome of the process as it was an issue between the person vetted and the ministry.'Who said a person with a conviction cannot be employed?'Mbangwa first told News24 that those making claims about him were trying to assassinate his character and that his record had always been clean. He said those who hired him were aware of his conviction and sentence."Who said a person with a conviction cannot be employed? You are wasting my time. Show me any law that says a person can't be employed. I have declared and everyone knows about it," he told News24, before ending the phone call.While Zondi explained that the minister could use either the Ipid or SAPS for clearance checks, he refused to answer questions about why the department would hire a convicted criminal."He wanted to call you himself. Whatever he told you is the comment," Zondi told News24.Mbwangwa initially claimed his record had been expunged, but later admitted that he was working on getting it erased.According to a report in the Natal Witness, he had been involved in a battle for South African citizenship with home affairs since 2005. Authorities however refused to accept the results of a DNA test used to try prove that he was the biological son of a South African woman.His attorney, Michelle Naidoo, said he and his family were being prejudiced by the delay in finalising the matter.No evidence had been provided to back up subsequent claims that there was something irregular about the test, or that Mabel Mbangwa was not his mother, she said. News / National by Staff reporter President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sent off 28 buses out of the 800 that were ordered by government to Zupco, to start operating and once again make the parastatal the transporter of choice.Speaking during the commissioning of the buses, President Mnangagwa said government will continue to work round the clock to ensure that the transport challenges are addressed."These challenges of public transport will now be a thing of the past. Government will ensure that more buses come in and ease these challenges especially in urban areas where commuter omnibus operators were causing untold suffering to the people by wantonly hiking their fares," he said.This comes on the backdrop of private operators having been roped in by Zupco to provide buses following the events of January 2019 which saw the withdrawal of transport services by commuter omnibus operators a situation which greatly affected the public."Today we rolled out the first batch of new ZUPCO buses, which will make life better, easier and more affordable for Zimbabweans, both urban and rural. Our journey of progress is just beginning, and we will work to ensure all the people of Zimbabwe are on board!," President Mnangagwa said.In conjunction with the send off of the buses, a new engineering model of controlling, managing the fleet developed by Dr Talon Garikai who is the Director of Technology Transfer at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) was also unveiled.This will be rolled out as more and more buses come into the country.However, local industry players in the bus manufacturing sector said, in future, government must think of bringing the knockdown kits of the buses so that they can be assembled locally.Of the 800, 500 are from Belarus, 200 from South Africa and 100 from China. Los Angelesbased home furnishings and textiles manufacturer J. Robert Scott, the company founded by esteemed designer Sally Sirkin Lewis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 5. The filing indicates both assets and liabilities in the $1 million to $10 million range, and indicates that funds will be available for distribution to the companys unsecured creditors. J. Robert Scott's D&D showroom Dennis Scully Among the top 20 unsecured creditors are several employees, including CEO Richard Chilcott (owed more than $2 million), Lewis (owed $366,000), and Chilcotts assistant Nancy Preller (owed almost $33,000). Other creditors include landlords490 Oak Street Properties in Inglewood, California, for its factory and headquarters, and the D&D Building in New Yorkas well as tax agencies in New York State, California and Florida; credit card companies; and suppliers and service providers. The companys debts to those top 20 unsecured creditors exceed $5 million. In the last two years, the industry, and consequently [our] business, has been more erratic, with more peaks and valleys, as compared to historical activity, wrote Chilcott in a supplemental declaration filed on April 16. In the document, he outlined how management had made attempts to cut operating costs, including the closure of its Dallas showroom in 2017 (in favor of a multi-line showroom) and its Chicago showroom in 2018 (in favor of an outside sales strategy). The move into a new Los Angeles showroom, also in 2018heralded as a new flagship in the heart of the La Cienega Design Districtwas also an effort to downsize: from 8,600 square feet to 4,000 square feet. The company still operates its showrooms in Los Angeles, New York and London, and is represented in 16 cities in 11 countries. The declaration also detailed the companys ongoing attempts to downsize its factory, which currently occupies 76,000 square feet. The company has identified new locations in the 35,000 square foot range that will reduce monthly rents while still leaving capacity, through operational efficiencies, for growth, wrote Chilcott. Though the document noted that the company is poised for an effective turnaround, bankruptcy will help to pay accrued liabilities, which increased while the Debtor was making its operational changes, over time. Chilcott indicates that one of the companys key growth areas in 2019 and beyond is contract manufacturing: [Our] management recognized the need for change and optimization back in 2015 and modified the business model to begin manufacturing not only for [J. Robert Scott], but to leverage the [companys] manufacturing capabilities to produce for other design trade brands. Lewis founded J. Robert Scott in 1972, and remains the companys president and creative mastermind. Since its inception, the company has patented more than 150 of her designs; she has also received a utility patent for a unique ombre finish process. The companys products are manufactured by hand, and its factory is known for both its custom capabilities and its use of traditional, often labor-intensive techniques. Chilcott joined J. Robert Scott as COO in 2009, and was named CEO in 2014. Working closely with me for these past five years, Richard has distinguished himself as a creative partner in both the launch of new textiles collections, and the introduction of new furniture items, said Lewis in a statement at the time of his appointment. His business acumen and his appreciation of the J. Robert Scott aesthetic give me great confidence and security in his leadership. At press time, representatives from J. Robert Scott had not responded to requests for comment. - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." Gold bullion on a chart Marijuana and tech stocks maybe the hottest new investments that have created multiple millionaires in recent years, but it is junior gold miners that offer similar if not more potential with less risk for investors seeking outsized returns. The heady days of the 70s and 80s when massive mining booms were minting millionaires virtually overnight may have come to an end, but there are many gold projects under development that are poised to deliver considerable value. Continental Gold (TSX:CNL) One of the least appreciated is Continental Gold, which is developing the Buritica gold deposit in Colombia. The miner has attracted the attention of senior miner Newmont Mining, which has made considerable investments to the tune of US$159 million as mixture of equity and debt. In a recent press release, Continental Gold stated that the project was 56% complete and scheduled for commercial production in 2020. The Buritica ore body is one of the largest high-grade gold deposits under development globally. It has forecast all-in sustaining costs (AISCs) of around US$600 per gold ounce mined and will produce at least 300,000 ounces annually once commercial operations commence. That will see it become a cash flow-generating machine in an operating environment where gold is trading at over US$1,270 an ounce. Since an attack on its Berlin property, in which three geologists were murdered, and the revelation of cost blowouts at Buritica, which required additional funding, the stock has been roughly handled by the market. Over the last year it has lost 20% compared to golds 6% decline, creating an opportunity for investors seeking exposure to a stock that could triple once the Buritica mine successfully commences commercial operations. Lundin Gold (TSX:LUG) It hasnt all been smooth running at Lundin Golds Fruta del Norte project in Ecuador. A recent work-site fatality and concerns over looming cost overruns have weighed heavily on its stock; it only gained a mere 4% over the last year. The project is an impressive asset to own. Fruta del Norte has gold reserves of five million ounces with an impressive grade of 8.74 grams of gold per tonne of ore. It budgeted to have AISCs of US$583 per gold ounce produced, which are some of the lowest in the industry. Story continues The mine has a forecast 15-year life with the first gold pour scheduled for the end of 2019 and commercial production expected to be achieved during the second quarter 2020. Underground mine development reached the ore body by the end of 2018 and overall engineering was 85% complete. Fruta del Norte is an extremely attractive asset which has similar characteristics to the Continental Golds Buritica property. Ecuador is in many ways a lower-risk jurisdiction than Colombia, thereby enhancing its appeal. A short payback period of under five years, along with increased gold reserves and lower AISCs compared to the original feasibility study, highlights Fruta del Nortes considerable profitability. If Lundin Gold and Fruta del Norte deliver as anticipated, the miners stock could double. Fortuna Silver Mines (TSX:FVI)(NYSE:FSM) Fortuna is a leading silver miner in Latin America, operating the Caylloma mine in Peru and the San Jose property in Mexico. It isnt the miners silver assets that make it an attractive proposition for investors. While Fortuna consistently reports low AISCs of less than US$10 per ounce produced, declining silver and gold production as well as the stagnant outlook for the white metal doesnt make its silver assets an appealing reason to invest. The key attraction is Fortunas Lindero project in Argentina. The open-pit mine is currently under development and was 40% completed by the end of February 2019. A range of issues triggered cost blowouts and forced Fortuna to reschedule the commencement of commercial production for some time during the first quarter of 2020. Pre-production capital costs rose by 20% compared to initial estimates to US$295 million. These events, along with disappointing fourth-quarter 2018 results, saw Fortuna punished by the market, losing 40% over the last year, creating an opportunity for investors. Lindero is a very attractive asset to own. It has forecast AISCs of around US$802 per gold ounce mined, highlighting its profitability in the current operating environment. The mine has an estimated 15-year life and annual average gold production of 96,000 ounces with a payback period for the capital invested of less than four years. When it is considered that those estimates are based on an assumed gold price of US$1,250 an ounce, which is lower than the current spot price, it is easy to understand Linderos appeal and considerable potential. More reading Fool contributor Matt Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2019 Gold medal Stocks that clear or break out above their respective 200-day moving average lines often garner the lions share of attention among investors. Thats because when a stock crosses above that critical 200-day threshold, its often viewed by many in the market as a major turning point. In many cases, these types of events have tended to confirm or indicate that a stock is on the verge of embarking on a major bullish move. The good news for investors is that three TSX-listed stocks each cleared their respective 200-day moving averages in Tuesdays trading. The even better news is that each of these three companies has a lot going for it right now beyond just technical indicators, so whether you believe in the merits of technical analysis or not, there are a lot of reasons to get excited about the three stocks below. The summer months have historically been a strong seasonal period for oil refiners, as families tend to load up their kids along with their gear in the family car, truck, van, or RV and head out to the great outdoors. And more demand for travel means more demand for gas, and you know the oil-refining companies are all too happy to raise their respective prices in accordance. Refiners have rallied in recent weeks. It would appear as though Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO)(NYSE:IMO) is the latest stock to join that party. IMO shares are up just shy of 8% so far this month, including a cross above the stocks 200-day moving average yesterday. Still, IMO shares are trading well below their 2014 all-time highs, so this is certainly a stock that could have some legs behind it if things continue to head in their current direction. BlackBerry (TSX:BB)(NYSE:BB) surprised everyone with strong fourth-quarter earnings that nearly doubled Street expectations just a couple of short weeks ago, thanks to a superb performance coming out of the companys software and security business division. BB stock shot up more than 13% on the day the fourth-quarter results were released but have given back some of those gains in the weeks since. Story continues Yet in recent trading sessions, at least, BB shares have appeared to exhibit strong support just above their 200-day moving average line. Thats an encouraging sign for BlackBerry bulls and could indicate a bright future for patient shareholders who have demonstrated the perseverance to stick with the Waterloo-based IT companys multi-year turnaround strategy. Laurentian Bank (TSX:LB) has faced its fair share of challenges over the past 12 months, including a tumultuous labour battle with some of the companys unionized workers. While uncertainties have kept LB shares from keeping up with the pace of the rest of the market, its also what has created the current opportunity in the stock today. Laurentian Bank stock currently yields a 6.23% annual dividend payout, which is considerably higher than what any of the Big Five Canadian banks are willing to pay. Sure, theres some added risk in that Laurentian Bank isnt nearly as diversified as the Big Five or as large, but you get what you pay for. In my opinion, I dont know that climbing up the proverbial risk ladder when youre talking about Canadas financial sector is necessarily a bad idea. More reading Fool contributor Jason Phillips has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of BlackBerry. BlackBerry is a recommendation of Stock Advisor Canada. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2019 One minute they were close to winning $100,000, and the next, they were at an ATM being ordered by guards to take out thousands of dollars. Jay Lush and Steve Bungay say their relaxation vacation quickly turned into chaos, as they fell victim to a popular scam at resort casinos in the Dominican Republic. "You feel safe and you feel secure, and then that's ripped away from you and you're 3,000 miles from home in a country, in a third-world country, where you don't speak the language," Lush told The St. John's Morning Show, from a hotel room in Punta Cana. Trouble started when the couple from Holyrood, N.L., headed into the casino at the Hotel Riu Bambu resort near Punta Cana. Jay Lush A woman greeted them at the door, Lush said, and handed them complimentary $25 chips before leading them to a table. Neither man was familiar with the game being played an eight-ball roulette, which moved quickly and left little time for them to understand the rules. Bungay sat down at the table, while Lush stood behind him and watched. "Within about six minutes, he was one point away, they told him, from winning $100,000 and if he kept rolling he was guaranteed to win," Lush said. "At that moment we realized something wasn't right." The dealer told him the next bet would cost $1,200. "We kind of panicked and said stop," Lush said. "Immediately they brought Steve over to the cashier and demanded the payment. This turned out to be $6,500 Canadian." Ordered to pay by any means necessary They had taken his driver's licence as a form of ID when he sat down at the table, and refused to return it until he paid up, Lush said. Guards surrounded them and escorted them out into the street, to an ATM. "They demanded we withdraw the money from the bank," Lush said. "The bank machine would only let us take it out in $200 increments. Within a couple of transactions, our cards shut down and they figured something was up." Story continues That's when he said the guards took out their phones and began demanding they call their banks and credit card companies to get the money wired. "We were so intimidated, we figured we could rectify this the next morning. Just give them the money and get back to our rooms and lock the door," Lush said. I felt like we got assaulted. I was embarrassed. - Jay Lush After three hours in the street making phone calls, the money was transferred, Lush said, and they were allowed to leave. "They gave us Steve's ID back and then they gave us two free bags of coffee and thanked us for coming," he said through tears. "I just kept saying to Steve, 'Let's just go to the room, I don't want to talk about this.' I felt like we got assaulted. I was embarrassed. I was horrified. I felt so stupid that we fell for something like this." Search shows many similar stories Back at the hotel, they went online and started looking for people with similar experiences. They found plenty. An internet search turns up dozens of results for scams at the casino near Riu Bambi Hotel. CBC News has made attempts to contact the hotel but has not heard back. According to vacation company Sunwing which Lush and Bungay booked through the casino is run by a private company separate from the hotel. I would be that skeptic myself. But it happened to us. - Jay Lush Lush said the hotel manager laughed in their faces and asked them to leave the premises after they complained about being scammed. Sunwing moved them to a different resort, where they are trying to make the best of the time left on their trip. Lush said they also spent a full day at the police station in Punta Cana, where they were put in a queue to speak with a judge. After four hours passed, they left the station and returned to their new hotel. Listen to Jay Lush describe an ordeal at a Dominican Republic casino Lush said he understands if people believe they were intoxicated, ignorant or somehow at fault for what happened, but insists that's not the case. "I've heard horror stories happening to other people and I would be the same as anyone else, and say, 'Well, maybe they were drunk,' or 'Did they just lose their money and now they're sore losers?' I understand that completely and I would be that skeptic myself. But it happened to us. And it happened so quickly." www.riubamburesort.com Lush worries about what might have happened if they hadn't had enough money to pay up, and is worried for his daughter, who is going on a resort vacation next month. "What if this happened to her? Would she have called me from this darkened street? Would they have done something? Would she get assaulted? Would I never hear from her again? Like, what happens to the people who can't afford it when you're being scammed like that and bullied by security guards?" The couple has no hope of getting any money back. Sunwing, meanwhile, says it believes authorities in Punta Cana are looking into their case. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles just confirmed their next royal outing, and it appears Prince Harry and Meghan Markles first child is arriving sooner rather than later. It all started yesterday when the Duke of Cornwall, 70, announced that he and his wife, 71, will embark on a royal tour of Germany next month. The three-day trip will begin on May 7 in Berlin and take the couple to Leipzig and Munich. While there, they will attend a series of events and chat with officials in an attempt to strengthen the relationship between the U.K. and Germany. So, why is it such a big deal? Both Charles and Camilla are expected to be present for the childs birth, which leads us to believe that Baby Sussex is arriving any day now (aka before their trip). Back in January, the Duchess of Sussex, 37, told fans that her due date was in late April/early May. Although the royal family has yet to announce any further details, we cant help but wonder if Prince Charless travel plans were delayed due to the babys impending arrival. Unlike Kate Middleton, who welcomed all three of her childrenPrince George (5), Princess Charlotte (3) and Prince Louis (11 months)at the Lindo Wing at St. Marys Hospital in London, Markle is expected to give birth at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey county. The medical center is a 30-minute drive away from the couples new home at Frogmore Cottage in Berkshire, England. In the meantime, well be taking final baby name predictions. RELATED: Listen to Royally Obsessed, the Podcast for People Who Love the Royal Family By Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's former president Alan Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday to avoid arrest in connection with alleged bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht, taking his own life, in the most dramatic turn yet in Latin America's largest graft scandal. Garcia, a towering and charismatic figure who played a central role in Peruvian politics for more than three decades, died in a hospital at age 69 after shooting himself at his house in Lima when police arrived with a warrant for his arrest. Garcia's death shocked the Andean country that had watched his transition from a fiery leftist who was elected president at age 36 to a free-market crusader who won a second term in 2006. A pugnacious politician considered one of Latin America's best orators, Garcia had long been dogged by graft allegations that he brushed off as baseless political smears. But prosecutors investigating Odebrecht gathered enough evidence to secure a judicial order this week to hold Garcia in pre-trial detention while they prepared charges against him, arguing that he might flee or obstruct their work. Odebrecht, a family-owned construction conglomerate, spurred probes across Latin America after it admitted publicly in late 2016 that it had secured lucrative contracts in the region by bribing politicians. Former Odebrecht executives are now cooperating with prosecutors as informants. The investigation in Peru had picked up speed in recent months, with a judge ordering another former president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, to jail before trial in connection with the company last week. The scandal had already touched the highest levels of Peru's ruling political class. Ex-President Alejandro Toledo is fighting extradition from the United States after a Peruvian judge ordered him jailed in 2017, while another former leader, Ollanta Humala, spent nine months in pre-trial detention before he was released last year on appeal. "Others might sell out, not me," Garcia told a local broadcaster in some of his last public comments on Tuesday, repeating a phrase he used frequently as his political rivals became ensnared in the scandal in recent years. He said in the interview that he was not afraid of the investigation because "I believe in life after death." A CLOSED DOOR, A SHOT HEARD After police arrived at Garcia's house to arrest him early on Wednesday, Garcia told them he had to call his attorney, Interior Minister Carlos Moran said. "He entered a room and closed the door behind him," Moran told a news conference shortly before Garcia's death was confirmed. "Within a few minutes, a shot from a firearm was heard and police forcibly entered and found Mr. Garcia sitting with a wound in his head." Garcia's supporters prepared for a wake at the headquarters of his once-powerful party APRA as condolences poured in from regional leaders, including Chile's conservative Sebastian Pinera and Bolivia's leftist Evo Morales. "APRA never dies!" his supporters chanted to news cameras. Garcia's death will likely throw cold water on the Odebrecht probe in Peru. It may also deepen the divide between centrist President Martin Vizcarra and the rightwing opposition that controls Congress, where Garcia had influential allies. Late last year, Garcia asked Uruguay for political asylum after he was banned from leaving the country while under investigation, calling Vizcarra a "dictator." Uruguay rejected the request. Some of Garcia's supporters called his suicide a heroic act. "Garcia made a decision as a free man. It was a decision of dignity and honor," Mauricio Mulder, an APRA lawmaker, said in broadcast comments. Vizcarra took office a year ago to replace Kuczynski after he resigned in a graft scandal, and has made fighting graft the centerpiece of his government. He has said he does not interfere in the constitutionally independent prosecutors' office. But criticism of the use of pre-trial detention in the Odebrecht probe has grown following several high-profile arrests in recent years. In Peru, criminal suspects can be held in jail without trial for up to three years if prosecutors can show they have evidence that would likely lead to a conviction and the suspects would likely flee or obstruct their work if free. The attorney general's office announced an internal probe into lead prosecutors on the Odebrecht probe on Wednesday after Garcia's supporters accused them of irregularities. Vizcarra ordered flags flown at half staff and declared a three-day national period of mourning for Garcia. Garcia's family members opted to break with protocol and not have Vizcarra or a government representative preside over his funeral, local media said. (Reporting by Mitra Taj and Marco Aquino; editing by Daniel Flynn, Marguerita Choyand Leslie Adler) Windsor police announced a partnership Tuesday with the 'Bolo Program' to find one of Windsor's most wanted. The program aims to use social media and technology to make sure communities are 'on the lookout' for Canada's most wanted. BOLO: In law enforcement, 'bolo' is an acronym that stands for 'be on the lookout' In Windsor, Mohamud Hagi is wanted for the 2007 murder of Luis Acosta-Escobar, with a reward offered up to $60,000. Windsor Police Services board fronts $10,000 of that reward, with the Bolo Program kicking in the other $50,000. The amplification program means that "millions of Canadians will view the Hagi most wanted notice as they read the news, check social media feeds or simply walk or drive past posted signage," according to a release from WPS. A spokesperson for Bolo urged Hagi to turn himself in. Windsor police are also asking the Somali-Canadian community to be especially alert in looking for Hagi. Calls for indoor sprinklers to be a part of all new home construction have been heating up, and one Saskatoon firefighter is hoping to see the change become part of Canada's building code. Assistant fire chief Wayne Rodger said he believes that having indoor sprinklers would reduce the number of fire deaths. That view is echoed by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. The call was amplified following the deaths of seven children in a Halifax house fire this past February. "We're seeing the growth of fires in homes happening faster, which is compounded by newer construction methods, which are made of lighter materials, less dense materials, which, of course, then burn faster as well," Rodger told CBC's Saskatoon Morning. He said furniture is also increasingly made of synthetic material that is more flammable than what was used in the past. That, along with open-concepts in newer builds, can make for a combustible combination. People may mistakenly believe that all the indoor sprinklers in a home will go off in the case of a fire or smoke, causing water damage everywhere, but Rodger said only the sprinkler head closest to the heat is automatically activated, meaning damage is limited to the immediate area. Gorb Andrii/Shutterstock Swift Current mandates sprinklers in certain areas The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes has been examining the costs and benefits of residential sprinklers as it updates the National Building Code for 2020. Swift Current, Sask. already has a bylaw that mandates the installations of residential fire sprinklers in new builds in certain areas on the outskirts of the city. The city's website notes these properties are farther from the fire hall and that it can take longer for firefighters to get to emergencies in those areas. It also offers a financial incentive for people to install residential sprinklers, with a return on property tax over five years to a maximum of $4,000. Rodger said he's heard estimates that installation of indoor sprinklers on a new build is equivalent to floor covering costs, but it's not always an investment people want to make. "It's a matter of economics. If you don't have to add to the cost of your home, you won't, unless it's something you really want to enjoy," he said. "The reality is these sprinkler systems in a residential home, they're really just an extension of your plumbing system." ORLEANS Climate change was very much in the foreground at Saturday's town hall on environment and energy issues at the Nauset Regional Middle School auditorium. Some 130 people heard the latest updates on actions being taken to adapt to or mitigate climate change from government and non-government leaders who in turn called on the audience to become more actively involved in efforts to make the towns, institutions and residents of the Cape green. The event was hosted by two of Cape Cods state legislators, Senator Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and Representative Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, and co-sponsored by 13 environmental advocacy and activist organizations. The first hour was devoted to presentations by Peake and Cyr regarding current or proposed legislation related to climate change, followed by a question and answer session focused on inquiries submitted by the audience. Peake mentioned bills that would reduce carbon footprint by preserving natural carbon producers in the Commonwealth, implement aspects of the climate management report by requiring the assessment of potential climate risks for projects submitted for state approval and permitting, and the enhancement of off-shore wind projects to further energy diversity. While believing that Massachusetts is doing a lot in this area, Peake urged a more robust federal partnership in addressing climate change. In his comments, Cyr named community empowerment as a goal, allowing towns to have a greater say in entering into local municipal contracts for the purchase of renewable energy. He acknowledged the potential conflict between the desire for more environmentally sensitive sources of energy and other social goals, leading to an effort to update existing historic preservation laws. While calling for greater funding of state environmental initiatives to insure climate resiliency, Cyr also mentioned the other primary ecological issue facing Cape towns, degradation of water quality, which is being addressed through the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund, paid for by a 2.75 percent short-term rental tax in all Barnstable County towns. He called this a significant accomplishment. In the Q&A period following their presentations, Cyr and Peake addressed carbon pricing, a tax on existing carbon discharge emissions, and the need for meaningful revenue discussions related to the environment. They pointed out the economic advantages of renewable energy, stating that in the United States more people are now employed in that industry than in the coal business. Both affirmed that the environment is key to the economic viability of Cape Cod. The second hour was devoted to a panel discussion featuring representatives of four of the programs sponsoring organizations. Maggie Downey of the Cape Light Compact discussed its ongoing efforts to make Cape homes more energy efficient while offering electricity generated by renewable resources. Applying a concept called strategic electrification, the Cape Light Compact is seeking to create resilient, self-generating, renewable homes heated by stored or generated electricity, while creating a special provision for low income people who may not benefit from the plan. Nate Mayo spoke on behalf of Vineyard Wind on its plans to create a wind farm that he said will produce renewable and less expensive electricity for Cape Cod, the Islands, and southern Massachusetts as a substitute for existing commercial electrical generation. Mayo expressed the belief that the wind farm will combat climate change, lower energy costs, and add to the local economy through new employment. Andrew Gottlieb of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod addressed the key environmental issues facing the Cape, water quality and climate change. He encouraged members of the audience to educate local leaders, calling on them to address the issues locally in order that local decisions can be made by local people. Finally, David Fox of Outer Cape Energize spoke about the success of his organization and recent regional developments. Lets be a green Cape a green country, he said. In support of the initiatives of Cyr, Peake, and others in government, he encouraged a comprehensive approach to actions that mitigate the effects of climate change. In their final comments during the Q&A session, all four urged those attending to become actively involved in local efforts to address climate change, whether by town governments, the organizations that sponsored the town hall or their own actions. The English poet Dorothy Sayers once said, if we really want a Christian society, we must teach Christianity. For many long-time Christians, this would be the obvious case. But as culture moves in not just a post-modern but post-Christendom society, we must be churches that welcome and embrace every age group. This includes tackling the challenge of young people having the most substantial rate of church dropouts once they graduate high school in their transition to university and work. Often churches have acted in reactionary fear of falling attendance and have begun working like the world to align themselves more with the times. But the unforeseen consequence is often the result that such an approach opens such churches up to comparisons with worldly alternatives. The new progressive and hip churches may include a range of fancy lights and loudspeakers that play secular music to attract young people. But in the minds of many young people, such church has lost its sanctity and is now just another music event they have on their list of activity options for the weekend. But lets dig deeper, beyond the facade of the lights and sounds and look at what some faith leaders are doing to young evangelicals. As young people trade in traditional Christian convictions for a gospel filled with compromise, theyre trying to update what it means to be evangelical. But this change is for the worse. In trying to get with the times to be mainstream and socially acceptable, many have forgotten that the Gospel is a timeless truth. On being evangelical The understanding of what it means to be a Christian, let alone an evangelical Christian, is changing. There have been countless headlines declaring that Christianity is doomed because of the exodus in church attendance over past decades. It is also no secret that especially in the West, the contemporary modern values have drifted far from traditionally mainstream Christian teachings. But an unfortunate trend is even within many churches in the West, what is acceptable as evangelical Christianity is widening between the generations. Although not a new phenomenon, traditional churches are increasingly unfairly targeted for preaching the Gospel faithfully. With accusations of having too many rules, being homophobic and bigoted, these are the excuses that the secular world throws at Christians to narrow the Overton window in the public sphere. Its all too common for the post-Christendom society to attempt to keep Christianity imprisoned within the walls of the chapel. Christians ought not to be helping the popular discourse that demands that we change our message to coexist, tolerate, and keep out of it. This is a compromise that is being marketed to a new generation of young Christians at the expense of being evangelical. The world will always be against Christ, let us not aid and abet it by doing things such as keeping Jesus to locked up within the confines of the Sunday service. Goodbye evangelicalism? Being evangelical means holding Gods word as the authority for Christian doctrine. It is unfortunate that even in some congregations, the truth has been made relative. Bible passages that mention anything that could be vaguely deemed offensive are avoided. Ultimately it is the assertion of Gods supremacy that is diminished to market the church to as wide an audience as possible. By the comprising of doctrine to draw a crowd, we have removed the poignant nature of Scripture. The trajectory of faith and culture will not only intersect but will continue to collide. However, the reality is that our countrys economic and political future will remain dependant on our convictions and faith (or the lack of). The future rest of the church especially in the West relies heavily on the worldviews of young Christians. The popularity of the feel good doctrine is playing a big part in the Wests moral decline with Millennial and Generation Zs religious practices dependent primarily on how it makes themselves feel or how others feel, regardless of whether such activities are Biblical or not. The truth is that following Christ is not merely about love, but it also about living in a way that is set apart by God. That is why Jesus said: Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them (John chapter 14 verse 23). Its no secret to Christians that popular culture deliberately gets truth wrong, especially when it comes to faith. The apostle Johns warning remains as relevant as ever, even in the twenty-first century today. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully (2 John chapter 1 verse 7 to 8). The Living Word Evangelism in real life often isnt going around handing out Christian tracts, but rather being able to give a faithful Christian response on the spot during a conversation to someone desperate for help. Make no mistake: the trend away from Biblical truth is not concentrated in the hipster city limits. It is up to each one of us as followers of Jesus to change the trajectory of faith and culture, starting in our churches, workplaces, and communities. Lets take a moment to ponder about Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 to 12: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Therefore, if we as evangelicals shy away from the public square and fail to equip the rising generation of Christian leaders, then we risk losing our public voice, followed by our religious freedoms. Should the young Christians in our churches choose either the couch-potato-route that espouses that we ought to stay out of it or the cafeteria-style version of the belief that says pick and choose what feels good, then Australia is in serious trouble. Both paths lead to Christians handing over our religious freedoms. Both paths give up on our being a salt and light to the world. We must hold fast and return to the Christian principles that our country has been founded upon. By doing this, can preserve prosperity and freedoms. But we do this not for ourselves but to the glory of God as Matthew chapter 5 verse16 reminds us: let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Roydon Ng is a Christian writer from Western Sydney. Roydon Ngs previous articles may be viewed at: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/roydon-ng.html This week Debonaire House has announced details on the Indian Motorcycle Connecticut Shade, an exclusive release that will be for Canadian Retailers through distribution partner Brigham 1906. The Indian Motorcycle Connecticut Shade is the third blend to be released under Debonaire Houses Indian Motorcycle brand. The brand of cigars was launched in 2015 after Debonaire House co-owner Phil Zanghi re-acquired the rights to Indian Tabac, a brand he founded with Rocky Patel. Rather than re-launch Indian Tabac at that time, he opted to enter into a licensing agreement with Polaris, the owner of Indian Motorcycles, to create an all-new cigar brand. The Indian Motorcycle brand of cigars followed that year with the release of the Indian Motorcycle Habano and Indian Motorcycle Maduro. A Connecticut Shade offering under the Indian Motorcycle brand had been long-awaited by fans of the brand. It will be released in two sizes Robusto (5 x 50) and Toro (6 x 52). Each size will be packaged in a 20-count box that has a slightly lighter leather top than the Habano and Maduro offerings. Each cigar will have a special Canada foot ring. In a press release, Zanghi commented Firstly, this is a super exciting project with Brigham [Debonaires Canadian distributor], a great company filled with great people! Ive known Dan and team for what seems like 20 years or so, once we began distribution in Canada we all felt the fit was perfect right away: Indian 1901 with Brigham 1906; Connecticut Shade was a no-brainer for Canadas favorite motorcycle company! I am excited to visit with and enjoy this great cigar with the fine retailers and consumers of such a fine outfit in Canada when we launch in May. Details of the period of exclusivity of the project were not announced. Drew Estate has announced it is releasing six of its signature Flying Pig releases to its Drew Diplomat retailers. The company also announced it will now be going to a cycle where Flying Pigs will be released twice a year. The Flying Pigs being shipped include the Liga Privada No. 9, Liga Privada T52, Undercrown (Maduro), Undercrown Shade, and Undercrown Sun Grown blends as we as the return of the Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig. The Flying Pig is a 3 15/16 x 60 (100mm x 60) ring gauge perfecto that is based off an 1895 cigar salesmans size selection stake. Drew Estate describes it as one of the most difficult cigars Draw Estate has made as it requires specialized training by the buncheros at rollers at the La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate facility in Esteli, Nicaragua. In a press release announcing the return, Drew Estate President and co-Founder Jonathan Drew commented, The Flying Pig franchise has become an iconic Drew Estate vitola. In addition to the flavor, taste and aroma, theres something unexplainably exciting about smoking a DE pig it simply commands your attention when you open your humidor at home and makes your mouth water. Its psychological warfare, the pig versus everybody. We are changing the distribution process to release piggies twice a year, Spring and Late Fall. At a glance here is a look at the six Flying Pigs: Liga Privada No. 9 Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $181.17 (12 Count Box) Liga Privada T52 Wrapper: Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut and Sun Cured Habano Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $181.17 (12 Count Box) Undercrown Maduro Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro Binder: Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut Filler: Nicaraguan, Brazilian Mata Fina Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $153.17 (12 Count Box) Undercrown Shade Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper Binder: Sumatra Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $153.17 (12 Count Box) Undercrown Sun Grown Wrapper: Sumatra Binder: Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $153.17 (12 Count Box) Kentucky Fire Cured Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Binder: Not Disclosed Filler: Kentucky Fire Cured, Nicaraguan, Brazilian Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate) Flying Pig: 3 15/16 x 60 Price: $115.17 (12 Count Box) Photo Credit: Drew Estate Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram New York, April 17, 2019 Bahraini authorities must immediately clarify whether they are detaining Akhbar al-Khaleej columnist Ibrahim al-Sheikh and, if so, release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In an April 14 Instagram post, the public prosecutors office announced that it had detained an unnamed journalist on charges of spreading false news and rumors. The prosecutor alleged that the journalist had cast doubt on the capabilities of the defense forces and the coalition, regarding the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. The post followed an April 11 statement by the Bahraini Council of Representatives Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security condemning an April 10 column about the military campaign by al-Sheikh, a columnist for the privately owned Bahraini daily Akhbar al-Khaleej. In the statement, the council called on the public prosecutor to investigate the column. Bahrain Mirror, a dissident-run website that operates outside of the country, published an article on April 15 stating that al-Sheikh had been arrested. The Bahrain Press Association, a London-based press freedom group, condemned al-Sheikhs arrest in a statement on Twitter, as did two former members of the Bahraini parliament. The Bahraini Public Prosecutor did not respond to CPJs email requesting comment. An email sent to Akhbar al-Khaleej did not receive a response. Bahraini authorities must immediately clarify whether the journalist in their custody is Ibrahim al-Sheikh and if so, release him without charge, CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington, D.C. Casting doubt on the capabilities of the defense forces or any part of the government is a journalistic exercise in scrutiny, not a crime. In al-Sheikhs column, the journalist criticized Bahraini news commentary on the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. He compared the coverage to Egyptian state media proclaiming victory amid Egypts defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War and former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahafs claims of Iraqi victory during the 2003 U.S. invasion, according to a CPJ review of the article. CPJ could not determine Al-Sheikhs whereabouts. Detainees are often initially held at the Dry Dock Detention Center in Manama, the capital, as a temporary measure, according to CPJ research. At least six journalists were detained in Bahrain at the time of CPJs latest prison census. CPJ has documented how Bahrain has stamped out most independent reporting since its 2011 uprising, and in 2017 shuttered the islands last remaining opposition newspaper. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Berlin, April 17, 2019 Finnish authorities should drop criminal defamation charges against investigative journalist Johanna Vehkoo on appeal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 12, a court in Oulou, in central Finland, found Vehkoo guilty of criminal defamation of Oulou City Councilor Junes Lokka. The suit relates to comments by Vehkoo in a private Facebook group, in which she referred to Lokka as racist and a Nazi clown, according to local news reports, a statement by the Union of Journalists in Finland, a local media workers union, and Vehkoo, who spoke with CPJ. Vehoo considers the case as retaliation for her reporting, according to the statement. Vehkoo reports on the far right and writes a fact-checking column for Finnish public broadcaster Yleisradio Oy, and co-founded the investigative website Longplay, according to the union statement. Junes Lokka should stop trying to intimidate Johanna Vehkoo, and Finnish authorities should drop these charges rather than enable a politicians campaign of harassment against a journalist, said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said in New York. Finland should scrap its criminal defamation laws; they have no place in a democracy. Vehkoo was sentenced to pay a total of 150 euros ($170) to the state and 200 euros ($226) to Lokka for damages, and was also required to reimburse Lokkas legal fees, which amounted to 6,000 euros ($6,800), Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat reported. Vehkoo intends to file an appeal, according to the news reports. Vehkoo told CPJ that she made the Facebook comments on November 2, 2016. At the time, Lokka was an activist who had run for various elected posts since 2012 on an anti-European Union platform, according to his personal website. Lokka filed the defamation suit against Vehkoo in October 2018, after being elected in March 2017 and nearly two years after her original comments, according to Yleisradio Oy. Lokka, who co-hosts the YouTube show Monokulttuuri FM (Monoculture FM), has repeatedly targeted Vehkoo on social media since late 2016, calling her reporting lies on Twitter and making her the subject of several of his YouTube broadcasts, according to a CPJ review of Lokkas social media activity. According to the district court of Oulu, one cannot call anyone a racist or a Nazi, as it is always defamation, Vehkoo told CPJ. I was describing the ideology and tactics of a far-right activist and politician. This should definitely be within freedom of speech. CPJ emailed Lokka with a series of questions. He responded, after the initial publication of this article, with one sentence dismissing Vehkoos account. According to Helsingin Sanomat, Lokka has denied harassing Vehkoo. Editors note: The final paragraph has been updated to include Lokkas response. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram On April 12, 2019, at least two journalists were injured while covering clashes between police and protesters in Gabrovo, a town in central Bulgaria, according to local media reports. Veselin Tsvetanov, a reporter, and Daniel Stefanov, a cameraman, who both work for Bulgarian internet broadcaster Radio 999, reported that they had been hit by the police while they covered a demonstration, according to those media reports. Stefanov told Radio 999s affiliated TV station, TV 999, that that he was hit by a police baton above his left eye and required four stitches, according to a transcript of the interview by Bulgarian news website dir.bg. Tsvetanov was also hit on the head but did not require medical attention, according to Stefanov. CPJ emailed questions to the press center of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, but did not immediately receive a response. The Gabrovo police chief resigned on April 12 after Prime Minister Boyko Borissov criticized the police for mishandling the protests, according to the Bulgarian News Agency, the countrys public news agency. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram New York, April 17, 2019 The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Afghan government to deliver justice through a fair and transparent process after two suspects were sentenced to death for the killing of Kabul News journalist Abdul Manan Arghand. The verdict was announced on April 16 by the Afghan attorney generals office, following the courts decision on April 6, according to local independent broadcaster TOLO News and Jamshid Rasooli, a spokesperson for the attorney generals office, who spoke to CPJ. The names of the two suspects have not been released, and the trial was not open to the public, according to Rasooli. We applaud the governments efforts to end impunity in the murder of journalists in Afghanistan, which is one of the deadliest places in the world to be a journalist, said Robert Mahoney, CPJs deputy executive director. But justice delivered in darkness is not justice, especially when the state decides upon capital punishment. We urge the Afghan authorities to try suspects in open court in accordance with international human rights standards. The primary courts decision will be reviewed by a secondary court and by the Afghan supreme court, Rasooli told CPJ. Arghand, a reporter with the privately owned Kabul News television channel, was shot and killed by two unknown gunmen on April 25, 2018, while he was driving to work, according to CPJ reporting. He had previously received anonymous death threats and the Interior Ministry said the Taliban had marked Arghand as a target for assassination, CPJ reported. The two men who were sentenced to death were associated with the Taliban, Rasooli said. A court also convicted three men for killing Ahmad Shah, a reporter with the BBCs Afghan service who was killed in 2018, the BBC reported in January; one man was handed a death sentence, and the other two were sentenced to 30 years and six years in prison. The motive for Shahs killing remains unclear, according to the BBC and CPJ. CPJ is continuing to investigate the case. Afghanistan was the deadliest country for journalists last year and ranked sixth on CPJs Impunity Index, which highlights states with the worst records of prosecuting the killers of journalists. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a Central Monitoring Committee to prepare and enforce a national plan to make over 350 river stretches pollution free across the country. River pollution has caused a serious threat to the safety of water and environment. Order of NGT The committee would comprise representatives of NITI Aayog; secretaries of Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Urban Development and Ministry of Environment; the director general of National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Central Pollution Control Board chairman. The Committee will also coordinate with the River Rejuvenation Committees of the states and oversee the execution of the action plans, taking into account the timelines, budgetary mechanism and other factors. Chief Secretaries of states would be the nodal agency at the state level. NGT directed the Ministry of Environment to consider a policy for giving environmental awards to outstanding persons (natural and juristic) and institutions or states and introducing dis-incentives for non-compliant states. The Central Monitoring Committee may consider identifying experts, best practices and models for use of treated water, including plan to supply untreated sewage for a price or otherwise so that the concerned needy party can treat and utilise such water as is reportedly being done at Surat in Gujarat, Nagpur in Maharashtra and Bhilwada in Rajasthan or any other place. Use of polluted water in irrigation is a threat to the health of human beings apart from the aquatic flora and fauna. Hence it is necessary to have a regular hygienic survey of the rivers particularly with reference to pathogenic organisms having an impact on human health directly or indirectly and It is necessary to note that biological health of the rivers is an important aspect. There has to be a regular study of the Indian rivers with regard to biological health and its diversity. The NGT has issued the order after taking note of the article More river stretches are now critically polluted: CPCB in the Hindu. Indonesians are voting to pick a president and parliament after a six-month campaign in the sprawling equatorial archipelago dominated by economic issues but also marked by the growing influence of conservative Islam.Wednesday's eight-hour vote across a country that stretches more than 5000km from its western to eastern tips is both a Herculean logistical feat and testimony to the resilience of democracy two decades after authoritarianism was defeated.President Joko Widodo, a furniture businessman who entered politics 14 years ago as a small-city mayor, is seeking re-election against former general Prabowo Subianto, whom he narrowly defeated in 2014.Most opinion polls give Widodo a double-digit lead, but the opposition says the race is much closer and Prabowo said before voting in Bogor he was optimistic about winning with a big margin.President Widodo, accompanied by First Lady Iriana Widodo, voted in the capital.'I feel relieved,' said Widodo, after casting his ballot and displaying a finger dipped in indelible ink, part of the process of avoiding fraudulent voting.But the opposition has already alleged voter list irregularities that could affect millions and has vowed legal or 'people power' action if its concerns are ignored.Widodo's running mate, Muslim cleric Ma'ruf Amin, called a for a peaceful vote 'because the presidential election is not a war, but a search for the best leader'.The election is being billed as the world's biggest single-day vote and is certainly one of the most complicated, with voters contending with five paper ballots for president, vice president, and national and regional legislative candidates.Several videos appeared online last week apparently showing thousands of voting papers stuffed in bags at a warehouse in neighbouring Malaysia, with many apparently already marked.The country's election supervisory board has recommended a re-vote for Indonesians in Malaysia and in Australia, where several hundred registered voters were still standing in line after the polls closed there on Saturday. A decision will be taken by the elections commission.Widodo touted his record on deregulation and improving infrastructure, calling it a first step to tackling inequality and poverty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.A moderate Muslim from central Java, Widodo had to burnish his Islamic credentials after smear campaigns and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia.Prabowo, a former special forces commander who has links to some hardline Islamist groups, and his running mate, business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno, say they will boost the economy by slashing taxes and cut food prices.Political analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar said the 'instrumentalisation' of religion had become much more visible in Indonesian politics in recent years with both candidates trying to appeal to conservative Islamic groups.More than 192 million people are eligible to cast ballots in national and regional legislative elections being contested by more than 245,000 candidates.'Moving from authoritarianism to democracy is a very difficult process but Indonesia has developed a good track record for holding free, fair and peaceful elections,' said Ben Bland, an analyst at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute.Unofficial 'quick counts', based on samples from polling stations, will be released hours after voting ends. The winning presidential candidate could be known by late on Wednesday.Official results will be announced in May. The unthinkable happened a few hours agowhen someone posted a huge Avengers: Endgameleak on YouTube that delivers almost five minutes of scenes from the movie that were not shown in any of Marvel's official promo clips. The bad quality clip was immediately removed from YouTube, but not before it was downloaded and re-uploaded around the internet for everyone who wanted to see it.Meanwhile, Marvel's Endgamepromotion marches on at full steam ahead, and we have three new short ads to show you that feature a brand new Captain America-Tony Stark scene. On top of that, Marvel released a sort of recap of the 21 films that precede Endgame, which also contains a few scenes from the new movie. Before we explain everything, you should know that some spoilersfollow below.The first clip, shared on Marvel Canada, is just 15 seconds long, squeezing in plenty of scenes from other Endgameteasers, as well as a new scenes that fans will recognize. Of those, two stand out because of very different reasons. You'll have to click through to the tweet to see the video, but it's worth it:"You know your teams, you know your missions." Marvel Studios' #AvengersEndgamehits theatres in 10 days do you have your tickets? Additional screens and showtimes have been added in Canada Marvel Canada (@MarvelEntCA) April 15, 2019The first scene is the Cap-Tony moment that I mentioned above. It's not the scene that we all want to see, the one where Steve and Tony reunite for the first time since their fight in Captain America: Civil War. Rather, it's a scene that takes place later in Endgame, well after they've put aside their differences.'We are getting the whole team, yeah?' an older Tony asks, just as Steve smiles.A previous Endgametrailer showed Tony meeting Captain America and asking Cap whether he trusts him. At the time, we speculated that the scene is purposely misleading, and, soon enough, the Russo brothers confirmed the scene isn't in the movie. The second scene is around the 0:07 mark, where Rocket is hanging down while working on something. If you've been following Endgamenews closely, then you know why it's important. Otherwise, it's just Rocket hanging down from whatever it is that he's holding on to.Moving on to the second Endgameclip of the day, this one was posted on Instagram as an ad and is similar to the previous one. The ad is longer, however, and features additional scenes and an extended version of the same Cap-Tony conversation. You can watch the ad below:New IG ad with new scenes!from marvelstudios'I'm trying to pull off something damn near impossible,' Tony says, 'and to not die trying would be nice.' We also get a few great Captain Marvel shots, as well as a scene where Stark flicks Ant-Man off his shoulder, and we discover Tony is actually wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, which seems to confirm they're going back in time.Finally, the third ad delivers a different mix of scenes, including more Hawkeye/Ronin fighting in Hong Kong (with Hawkeye doing the voice-over), as well as a different version of the next scene that was first shown months ago:Image Source: MarvelAt the time, Marvel fans speculated a character was digitally removed from the frame. It turns out it's Pepper Potts. Also, there's a hilarious scene featuring War Machine and Scott Lang, or 'regular sized man' at the Avengers HQ. Finally, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Cap-Tony scene is also hinted at in the clip above.This brings us to the new To The Endspot that Marvel just released, which contains scenes from all the other MCU titles to get us ready for Endgame. Whatever it takes:Avengers: Endgamelaunches on April 26th, in just 10 short days. Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging think tanker, aspiring novelist, hanger on of academia, parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, Speedboat, proudly banned from Twitter so officially more dangerous than the Taliban, eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me. Madhya Pradesh: Narmada has been killed in Gujarat, say activists by Rajat Ghai April 17,2019 | Source: Down to Earth The Narmada river, central Indias mightiest, has been deliberately killed in its last stretch, with grave consequences for farmers, village residents and especially fisher folk, allege members of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, a Vadodara-based non-profit. The Narmada originates in the Amarkantak hill in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh. It flows for 1,077 kilometres (kms) within Madhya Pradesh. The next 35-kms stretch of the river forms the boundary between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The next 39 kms form the boundary between Maharashtra and Gujarat, and the last stretch of 161 kms is in Gujarat before the river empties into the Gulf of Khambhat just downstream of Bharuch. "In its last 161 kms, the Narmada, instead of being a perennial river has been converted into a seasonal one, is dry and carries seawater with some industrial pollutants and untreated sewerage, has high chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS) and low dissolved oxygen (DO) and the groundwater near it has deteriorated," reads a letter the Samiti wrote to a number of nodal agencies including the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Union Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). The Narmada has been killed. An irreversible situation had been reached, despite repeated complaints, despite assurances. It is a deliberate failure by the state. We will fight with legal means and take this matter to its logical conclusion, Rohit Prajapati, activist and member of the Samiti told Down To Earth. The non-profit also mentioned that it had carried out an investigation April 6, 2019, testing the water of the river between Nand village, upstream of Bharuch and Bhadbhut village downstream, just before the river estuary in the Gulf of Khambhat. The study found TDS in the river between Nand and Bhadbhut to be in the range of 6475,00020,00025,500 milligram per litre (mg/l). The normal level, according to river norms is 500 mg/l. COD in the same stretch was in the range 40100150 mg/l, whereas it should be nil. DO was between 4.49 and 7 mg/l, whereas it should be greater than or equal to 5 mg/l. Our present investigation reveals that the Government of Gujarat and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change have grossly abdicated their responsibilities, the letter read. The non-profit attributed a number of actions on part of the agencies to be behind the sorry state of affairs. The non-profit blamed various completed and upcoming projects on the river including the Sardar Sarovar Project, Garudeshwar Weir, Statue of Unity and tourism projects near the statue for diminishing the flow of the river downstream. The concerned authorities assumed, without any credible study, that 600 cusecs (Cubic Feet per Second) of water released would be enough for the downstream river. NCA, MoEF&CC and MoWR strangely agreed to this assumption and allowed water release, that too from the Godbole Gate and NOT the dam, as it should be, noted the Samitis letter. It continued, Moreover, the authorities agreed that this quantum would not be from Gujarats share for Narmada waters. Which means the Gujarat Government today is releasing no water for the downstream river and goes through the motions of writing letters to MoEF&CC asking for more water, rather deciding to release water from its own share, as it should have been. The lack of water has had a number of effects. The Narmada in Gujarat is known for its fish stocks including the famous Palla fish (known as Hilsa in eastern India). The lack of water threatens sea water ingress which could cause the fisheries to be destroyed. It could affect as many as 10,000 fishing families, the letter noted. The sea water ingress also threatens the water supply and irrigation use of over 210 villages and towns and Bharuch city. The members of the study group also took a ground water sample near Nikora village, just 100 metres from the river bank. The sample was taken at 110 feet below the ground surface. It had a TDS of 1,610 mg/l. This indicates sea ingress in the Narmada that does not have any fresh water in the river, the letter noted. The letter enumerated a number of demands including immediate discharge of 4,000 cusecs of water from the SSP to the river downstream, an immediate stop on the discharge of effluents into the river, monetary compensation to farmers and fisher folk, stopping of work on projects like the Garudeshwar Weir and the Bhadbhut Weir and implementing the February 22, 2017 order of the Supreme Court as well as National Green Tribunal order dated August 3, 2018 in letter and spirit. India: Norway body to help rid sea of plastic by Swati Deshpande April 17,2019 | Source: The Times of India Norwegian Shipowners Association on Tuesday committed to work together with Mumbais Afroz Shah to pioneer more efforts to tackle plastic pollution in oceans and the increasing problem of marine debris. Harald Solberg, CEO of the association said, "We will work together" after commending Shah for successful and inspiring initiative at clearing plastic from Versova beach in Mumbai, at its annual conference, Ocean Pioneers, in Oslo. The UN earth champion, Shah, an advocate, said, emphatically to a packed hall, "It cannot be about humans all the time." "Humans dont live alone on the planet. They share it with other species, who too have a right to be left alone and not have their habitats polluted," he said. India and Norway has for the first time, signed a MoU to tackle marine pollution as a three year initiative from 2019 to 2021. A former minister for international development and ocean, Nicolai Astrup, now the digitalization minister in Norway , also expressed his intention to assist with scaling up of the initiative in Mumbai that focuses on adopting circular economy from ocean waste. "The future belongs to those who stay ahead," said Astrup adding how "autonomous ships built by a fertilizer firm Yara could be a game changer. "We need to break down silos. Collabortive initiatives is what we need." Meanwhile Norways finance minister Siv Jensen, told TOI that the two nations had "good relations" and were "working towards common future goals" with the Norwegian government having launched an "ambitious strategy global in scope, to problem-solve and create jobs. "It stretches from green technologies, digital solutions, new uses for marine resources to international diplomacy and fight against illegal fishing and plastic pollution." Added , Industry minister T R Isaksen, "we need to push now more than ever for bilateral free trade policy." The importance of relying on older technologies that caused less harm to nature stressed by NSA President Lasse Kristoffersen, while a technologist Ade McCormack reminded that as digitalization takes over, it is important to to look beyond and maintain the human cognitive quotient. Jensen, warned that Norways maritime success at building the first gas-driven or electric ferries and fishing boats, "should not become a comfortable pillow" but act as a stepping stone. Also addressing the ship owners and other stake holders Baroness Brynei worthington from the British House of Lords who has been working on Climate change issues for 20 years said, "We are facing an unprecedented challenge. "Last week a study indicated concentration of greenhouse gasses was highest in 3 million years. She added, "We are in uncharted territory and echoing a sentiment expressed even by ship owners association chief, she said, "We need to look back to look forward. Need to to look at ways to decarbonise. India: IIT Madras to study climate change impacts in coastal regions by Dinesh C Sharma April 17,2019 | Source: India Science Wire A new DST Centre of Excellence in Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Infrastructure and the Adaptation Strategies was launched at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras on Monday. The centre will conduct studies on predicting impacts of climate change on coastal communities as well as infrastructure like ports and power plants. It will also undertake research to evaluate intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones and extreme rainfall events and their effect on coastal infrastructure. In addition, studies will focus on impact of sea level rise on availability of water and its quality due to enhanced saltwater intrusion as well as waste management. This is probably the only centre of in South Asia dedicated to studying climate change impacts and vulnerability in coastal areas. We need greater collaboration among institutes in Tamil Nadu and their functional linkages with society and policy makers to tackle climate change, Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Head of Strategic Programmes Large Initiatives and Coordinated Action Enabler (SPLICE) Division at DST. Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT Madras, said, climate change impacts on coastal infrastructure requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The centre will be part of the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) already functioning at IIT Madras. The major topics to be taken up for research in the centre include climate modelling to evaluate intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones and extreme rainfall events under futuristic warming scenarios in the Bay of Bengal region; estimation of extreme waves and the resulting morphological changes to the coast and estuaries; storm surge modelling to predict extent of surge into land through estuaries. The design guidelines to protect vital coastal infrastructures such as ports, power plants and major industries along the coastal region due to climate change scenarios will be formulated under this centre. This would form the basis of structural designs along the coastal regions in near future, pointed out Speaking about some of the important projects this new centre will take up, Prof. S.A. Sannasi Raj, Head, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras. A South Dakota case reflects the national debate on whether execution should be banned for the mentally ill. Aleesha DeKnikker was grocery shopping, her phone set to silent, when the voicemail from her mother, Carol Simon, came in: Oh, its just Mom. Your brother has really lost it, Aleesha.... Hes just having a mental breakdown and he wont even believe where hes from. He wont even believe that I gave birth to him. I dont know what to do. 6 weeks later, Simon was found dead, along with her 7-year-old grandson, Brayden Otto. Her son, Heath Otto, 24, admitted to investigators in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that he had strangled his mother and nephew with a phone cord and then slit their throats. Soon after, Otto was ruled incompetent to stand trial, and he was sent to a state hospital. Doctors hired by his defense lawyers diagnosed him with schizophrenia. The Minnehaha County states attorney, Aaron McGowan, told DeKnikker that her brother could face the death penalty. A trial will take place as soon as Ottos mental condition stabilizes, unless the prosecutor agrees to let him be committed to a hospital permanently rather than face prison and potential execution. The case is gearing up amid a broader decline in the death penalty, as lawmakers around the country are considering bans on death sentences for people with certain serious mental illnesses. Some prosecutors have pushed back, seeing these bans as a backdoor effort to abolish the punishment entirely. Otto was close to his mother growing up, and he began experimenting with drugs as a teenager. After a discharge from the Marines in his early 20she was caught using steroids, his sister saidshe started to notice moments of paranoia. Unless you were close to him you wouldnt see it, Simons friend Maddie Borah said. He was going to school to be an electrician, and hed be convinced people were going into his toolbox. He began drinking heavily, and occasionally Simon would call a detox facility to hold him until he sobered up. I think she was lenient because deep inside she knew there was something going on, beyond him being an addict, Borah said. Simon and DeKnikker, Ottos mom and sister, were both nurses, so they recognized a turning point around January 2016he was more paranoid than ever, repeating himself and retreating into isolation. I knew he had schizophrenia, DeKnikker said. I knew he would need to get in trouble to get help, but I never thought he would do something violent. He was not formally diagnosed. Twice, in May and August of 2016, he was arrested at a bank where he was refusing to leave, as he talked about applying to work for the CIA, and in September, he set off his mothers home alarm system, with the aim of making a CIA recruiter show up. Simon wanted her son to be committed to a mental health facility, but South Dakota laws required that he be a danger to himself or others, and as in much of the country there were few resources for those needing mental health treatment. He never saw a therapist. DeKnikker offered him money if he agreed to seek treatment on his own, but he said shed need to give him a large sum, to pay for the voices in his head. Finally he agreed to treatment, but when it came time to check into a hospital, he changed his mind and refused to stay. He didnt verbalize intent to harm himself or others, Borah said, so he was not committed. That was on a Tuesday in November. On Sunday, his other sister, Cassandra Otto, left her son Brayden with him and their mother. When she called to check in, she could tell from his tone that something terrible had happened. She sped home. Hed set off the home alarm, so law enforcement officers had already arrived. They asked if anyone needed medical attention, and Otto responded: Not anymore. He went on to claim, falsely, that his mother and nephew had medical conditions and he wanted to put them out of their misery. He later told DeKnikker, in her recollection, It was an order from the CIA, and then he said stuff about Hillary Clinton, and if he didnt do it it was going to be World War III. His defense lawyers hired experts who diagnosed him with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Prosecutors may contest these diagnoses at trial, but they did not take issue with the judges decision that he was incompetent to stand trial. According to reporting by the Argus Leader, Otto had to wait several months for a bed to open up at the states only public psychiatric hospital. In December 2018 a doctor at that hospital told the court there was a substantial probability Otto would be able to face trial within a year. Aaron McGowan, the states attorney, does not need to formally announce yet whether he is seeking the death penalty, but the case is proceeding as though he will; the defense team is more robust than it typically would be in a non-capital murder case. McGowan declined an interview, saying in an email that our rules of professional responsibility preclude me from commenting on the case. DeKnikker has written him a letter asking him not to seek the death penalty. Please know that killing another member of our family in no way honors my moms life, she wrote, and doesnt reflect anything my mom stood for. But Cassandra Otto, Braydens mother, wants her brother to be executed for the killing of her child. I do forgive him, in a way, because I know my mom tried getting him help, she said when I reached her by phone. Im in a phase where I dont know if hes faking it or hes really mentally ill. But, she added, I think he should get the death penalty no matter what, because my family doesnt deserve what happened to us. My sister disagrees, because that wasnt her kid. She said her brother knew what he was doing, pointing out that he got a knife only after he failed to kill Simon and Brayden with the phone cord. It is easy to imagine prosecutors making a similar argument at trial. Earlier this year, the South Dakota state legislature rejected a proposal to ban death sentences for people with serious mental illnesses, though it had passed such a proposal through one chamber last year. The Virginia state senate approved a similar bill three months ago. Other bills are gaining traction in Texas, Ohio, Tennessee and Missouri. Some include post-traumatic stress disorder, while others are limited to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Many require active psychosis at the time of the crime. Some would let a judge decide who should be exempted, before the trial begins. The Texas bill would let a jury decide during the trial. The Tennessee bill requires a documented medical history before the crime, which might exclude someone like Otto. Supporters of these bills, with the backing of the American Bar Association, argue that the insanity defense tends to be very narrowly defined, and juries are skeptical of it. The Supreme Court has already banned the death penalty for people with intellectual disabilities and those who committed their crimes before the age of 18. Both bans were based on the idea that society views these murderers as categorically less culpable than the average criminal. The high court has ruled that death row prisoners must be competent to be executed, though lower courts are still debating exactly what that means. Defendants who have a mental illness are particularly vulnerable in our criminal justice system, Amanda Marzullo, director of the Texas Defender Service, told a panel of legislators in her state last month. They are very likely to fire their defense lawyers, or not cooperate with them, or even try to represent themselves. Prosecutors have been wary. The version of this legislation that is pending in Ohio would effectively end the death penalty, said Louis Tobin, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. He predicted that everyone facing the punishment would be able to obtain a diagnosis. A defendant can already mount an insanity defense, he pointed out, and then tell the jury about mental illness as a way of persuading them to vote for life without parole instead of death. Ohios bill, as of now, would apply retroactively, potentially setting up lengthy legal fights over old cases. If Heath Otto goes to trial, the state and the defense will battle over how well Otto understood what he was doing, and what his drug and alcohol use says about his culpability. In the meantime, he lives in a psychiatric hospital. Maddie Borah, his mothers friend, said she doesnt visit, because she fears she might trigger him: If he understood what he did to his mother, he would probably try to commit suicide. She sees the entire situation as an indictment of the way our society treats those with severe mental health problems: Its much easier to kill a mentally ill man than to admit your mental health system, your law enforcement, your policies and procedure are so inept. | 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 Marshall Project, Staff, April 16, 2019 FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue... 1 month ago 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 I was happy to see that Emerson has started including Marianne Williamson in their polling. People with casual interest in the 2020 presidential primaries probably don't know she's running, thanks to a virtual blackout by most sources of election information. But even better than the polling inclusion was CNN's big Marianne Williamson prime time town hall on Sunday. The damn assholes at CNN keep taking down the videos of the town hall so the clip above clip above is the only one they've allowed YouTube to keep online. Dicks! What's so weird about the mass media, particularly MSDNC MSNBC, ignoring Marianne's campaign, is that she's sold millions of books and has a built-in audience eager for news of her campaign. Yes, she's not "part of the club," but that's one of the most important thrusts of her campaign. Dana Bash was a good host and she gave Williamson all the space she needed to get her message out. Marianne on a rising American oligarchy: During my 35-year career working with individuals and groups going through traumatic experiences, I have helped people navigate the consequences of an irresponsible political establishment. As a result, I have strong ideas about some of the things that have gone wrong in America and how to help us heal. While I have spent my career empowering people and turning them into leaders, Washington has been disempowering people and turning them into followers. The stress and anxiety that has become so endemic in American society, due to chronic economic and social despair, has fostered a population disconnected from civic engagement. Today, this chronic disempowerment represents a threat to our democracy. Relatively few Americans have abused their rights at the expense of the many, turning the US government into their own personal playground. From tax cuts that benefit only the wealthiest among us, to corporate subsidies that aid industries (oil, big pharma, agribusiness, etc.) already profiting to the tune of billions, money has been sliding for decades away from expenditures that support the public good to expenditures that support the lucky few. Though American politicians continues to say we are a democracy, we are sliding ever more dangerously into a veiled aristocratic system. The mindset of the new aristocracy has not only imbued our politics-- it has hijacked America's value system, leading us to swerve from our democratic and deep human values. We have forgotten that public morality even matters. We need to remind ourselves that economic injustice is a moral transgression. Neglecting the medical, educational and social needs of millions of people so that a few can swell their bank accounts is a moral transgression. And until we bring our political policies back into alignment with our moral core, then nothing will fundamentally heal this country. The political establishment has had 40 years to correct itself. And so, it is time for the American people to step in, to stage an intervention and to disrupt the status quo. When millions of American children live in chronic trauma, trapped in schools that do not even have adequate school supplies to teach a child to read (a child who cannot read by the age of eight has not only a drastically decreased chance of high school graduation but also a drastically increased chance of incarceration) and our government does little more than normalize their despair, that is a moral outrage. That is why I propose creating a Cabinet-level US Department of Children and Youth. When mass incarceration, racial disparity in criminal sentencing and rampant layers of systemic racism are responded to with incremental changes-- as opposed to the fundamental recognition of a racial debt that is yet to be paid-- that is a moral outrage. That is why I propose that the United States pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved Americans. When the US spends billions more on preparing for war than promoting peace, that is a moral outrage. It is why I have proposed a more robust and equal relationship between humanitarian efforts by the State Department, and legitimate needs for war preparedness by the Defense Department. I would also create a US Department of Peace to address violence here in the United States. People have been trained in this country to ask for far too little, and it is time to not only ask, but to demand, that the powers of the US government be returned to advocacy for the health and wellbeing of the American people over advocacy for short-term corporate profits. While some politicians might know a bit more about how Washington works, I know enough to know that how Washington works is contributing to what is wrong with the world. Americans are waking up to the deep corruption that has taken hold of our government, and we need a president who is not afraid to name it. Those who see the world through the limitations of the corrupt system that got us into this ditch are not necessarily those best qualified to get us out of it. In the words of Franklin Roosevelt, the primary role of the president is "moral leadership." We need a political visionary as much as we need a political mechanic. A massive uprising of consciousness among the American people, backed by the personal motivation to take their passion to the polls, is the only force strong enough to override the threats to our democracy. Someone with a well-established and well-developed knowledge of the American people, and deep faith in our abilities, is the best qualified candidate to lead us into the next chapter of America's history. It's not enough to just water the leaves of our democracy; we must water the roots-- and those roots are within us. The skill of the moral awakener is the skill most needed in an American president today. It is a skill that I have, with which I have helped move the lives of millions of people from trauma to transformation. I am prepared to do that for this country. Agrico has been growing fruits since 2016. Photo by Reuters Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) is planning to acquire a 7.86 percent stake in rubber and fruit producer Agrico. The car and truck manufacturer registered Wednesday on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, and the transaction is expected to be completed within a month from April 23 through either deals or order matching. Based on Agrico's (HNG) price Tuesday morning, Thaco will have to pay an estimated VND1.05 trillion ($43.36 million) to acquire the shares. In August 2018 Thaco paid VND3.8 trillion ($168.8 million) to buy one-year convertible bonds issued by Agrico, equivalent to over 221 million shares when converted, which will give the carmaker a 35 percent stake. Under the terms of the investment, Thaco will assist with a comprehensive restructuring of Agrico and expanding its area under fruits from 12,000 hectares to 30,000 hectares. Thaco has also pledged to help Agrico arrange the restructuring of VND14 trillion ($603.63 million) worth of debts to creditors. Thaco has injected nearly VND22 trillion, or nearly $1 billion, into the agriculture company in form of equity and loans. Last March Thacos chairman, Tran Ba Duong, advanced VND1.58 trillion ($67.4 million) to repay debts owed by Agrico besides investing an undisclosed amount in Agrico's banana plantations. Agrico has been growing fruits since 2016. Last year passion fruit, banana, chili, and dragon fruit fetched it VND1.4 trillion ($60.37 million), or around 84 percent of total revenues. Its main markets are China and Thailand. Agrico reported revenues of VND1.66 trillion ($71.59 million) in 2018 and losses of VND171.75 billion ($7.41 million) against a profit of VND9.16 billion ($395,000) the previous year. A cybersecurity powerhouse is like a military powerhouse in real life, Minister of Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said on April 17, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Kham Vietnam has one of the best human resources in this world to become a cybersecurity powerhouse, says information minister. Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung also said Wednesday that Vietnam will soon announce a national digital transformation strategy to build a digital economy and a digital society. He told the Vietnam Security Summit 2019 that in order for the country to be successful in digital transformation, cybersecurity and cyber-safety are fundamental conditions. "Making the Internet safe is making the nation thrive," Hung said. A cybersecurity powerhouse is like a military powerhouse in real life." The ministry released data at the forum showing that last year, none of the 90 ministries and departments in the country had the highest cybersafety rating, grade A. Just 17 percent had a grade B rating, while the majority, 70 percent, were in grade C and the remaining 13 percent had grade D. None of them had grade E, the lowest security grade. Half of these organizations do not have a unit in charge of cybersecurity and have not engaged a cybersecurity firm to do so. Therefore, when there is a cyberattack, they dont know how to react, the conference heard. 52 percent of the agencies admitted they havent set the correct priority for cybersafety, and 49 percent said they dont have an adequate cybersecurity budget. Do Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Department of Cybersecurity under the Ministry of Public Security, said that Vietnam was among the countries with the highest growth in number of Internet users. But this growth has led to negative consequences, such as the spread of unethical information, fraud and illegal weapon sales, he said. The country needs to make its cybersecurity laws more specific to tackle these violations with proper punishment, he added. Vietnam has been making efforts to tighten its policy on cybersecurity. Its cybersecurity law, which took effect at the beginning of this year, bans Internet users from organizing, encouraging or training other people for anti-state purposes. They are not allowed to distort history, negate the nations revolutionary achievements, undermine national solidarity, offend religions and discriminate on the basis of gender and race. The law also requires foreign businesses to open representative offices in Vietnam and store their Vietnamese users' data in Vietnamese territory. Businesses will have to provide users data to the Ministry of Public Security upon receipt of requests in writing, in cases where any infringement of the cybersecurity law is being investigated. In November, the information ministry said it wanted half of social media users on domestic social networks by 2020 and plans to prevent "toxic information" on Facebook and Google. Da Nang- Quang Ngai expressway, the first expressway in central Vietnam, opened to traffic in September last year. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh A proposed new law envisages offering sovereign guarantees to attract private investment in large transport infrastructure projects. Government guarantees are among the 10 points the Ministry of Planning and Investment listed in a document it recently sent to relevant ministries and agencies to collect opinions for its public-private partnership (PPP) bill. It said the absence of guarantees related to minimum returns and foreign exchange risks have kept investors away from large projects like the Dau Giay Phan Thiet and Tan Van-Nhon Trach road projects. Thus, the MPIs proposal on government guarantees, if approved, might help remove some bottlenecks in the participation of foreign investors in major transport infrastructure projects like the North-South Expressway. There are signs the Ministry of Finance supports such a proposal. In a report submitted to the government last September, it had said sovereign guarantees are necessary to encourage private investment in PPP projects. But since they might contravene the Public Investment Law, the State Budget Law and the Law on Public Debt Management, such guarantees should be included in a new PPP law, the ministry had said. Under the MPI bill, projects considered for minimum revenue guarantees will be those that need National Assembly and prime ministerial approval. The guarantees will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For projects entitled to guarantees, for the first five years the guaranteed minimum revenue will equal 75 percent of revenue estimated in the contract. It will come down to 65 percent for the following five years. However, if the revenue exceeds 125 percent of the estimated revenue in the first five years of operation and 135 percent in the following five years, the investor must hand over the excess portion to the government. The State Bank of Vietnam has said many times it is very difficult to create a foreign exchange guarantee mechanism since the countrys forex reserves are not stably good, in fact warning against issuing foreign exchange guarantees on a large scale. But in its latest draft, the MPI has sought recommendations from relevant agencies on exchange rate and currency conversion guarantees. It envisages fixing a cap on exchange rate fluctuations for a certain period of time, for instance five years, and the government compensating the investor if the actual rate exceeds it. The bill also proposes a government guarantee to meet 30-50 percent of investors foreign currency requirements. In a paper released at the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) last December, Tony Foster, head of the VBFs Infrastructure Working Group, said there is still no clarity on the mechanism for the state to provide financial viability gap fillers to PPP projects in high-risk sectors such as transport where there is often no offtake agreement to guarantee a revenue stream. "Without a guaranteed revenue stream, investors and lenders will have no means to assess and manage risks of these projects and will be deterred from participating in PPP projects in these challenging sectors." Tony also noted that a number of financial issues remain unresolved both in the legal framework and in the actual implementation of projects causing concern to potential lenders, such as narrowing government guarantees on foreign exchange risks and offtake risks, restrictions on the mortgage of land use rights to foreign lenders and taxes on interest on foreign loans. According to the Ministry of Transport, construction of the eastern section of the North-South Expressway in 2017-2020, which includes eight subprojects in PPP mode, has drawn little interest from foreign investors or creditors. Agencies responsible for the sub-projects cited foreign investors as saying they would only consider them if there are government guarantees on minimum revenues and foreign exchange. In a meeting with the Standing Commitee of the National Assembly in late last year, the Government proposed that the PPP Law should be submitted to the legislative body for debate during its working session in May this year and be approved in the following session in October. PPP is a form of investment between a government agency and a private investor for projects in areas like construction of infrastructure and provision of public services. Through PPP, governments can leverage efficiencies and expertise in the private sector to achieve their development goals. Fast-growing Vietnam is facing an infrastructure bottleneck. With the state lacking the budgetary might to finance the nations much-needed highways, tracks and airports, the Government is increasingly looking towards the private sector to fill in the financial shortfall. It is estimated that the country needs about $480 billion for infrastructure investment by 2020, but the state budget can only meet one third of the actual financial needs. Vietnams tourism sector has been growing rapidly in recent years. Photo by Shutterstock/Phuong D. Nguyen Vietnamese tourism employees productivity is way lower than Singapore, yet its a struggle to find people to work. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department, said that each tourism employee in Vietnam contributes $3,477 a year to the countrys tourism revenue. This is 15 times lower than that of Singapore ($47,713) and 2.5 times lower than Thailand's ($8,369), Vu said at a recent forum, citing data from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Vietnam ranked 67th in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2017 compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF), lower than Indonesia (42nd), Thailand (34th) and Singapore (13th). The country needs 40,000 skilled tourism employees a year, but only 15,000 are hired; and among these only 12 percent are highly-skilled employees, Vu said. Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of tourism company Vietravel, said that the number of employees fluent in foreign languages was very low. "Places like Nha Trang and Da Nang receive a large number of tourists from South Korea, Japan and China, but tourism companies still have to provide 6-12 months of language training for recruits before they are able to communicate." Vu said that the reason for low labor productivity was a lack of training for professional tourism employees in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, at least 10 percent of tourism employees are working without any training, he added. Ky and other industry insiders proposed that the government start early vocational training for high school students and provide more practical training for university students majoring in tourism. Vietnams tourism sector has been growing rapidly in recent years. Last year, the country welcomed 15.5 million international visitors and 80 million domestic visitors, up 19.9 percent and 9.3 percent respectively, according to official figures. Revenue from tourism grew by 21.4 to $23 billion, contributing 7.5 percent of GDP. Special response team of police put on astounding show of strength They use ancient techniques to smash rocks on their body and prevent sharp objects from penetrating their body. The 45th anniversary of the mobile police force was recently celebrated by its officers with an incredible exhibition of qigong and other physical skills. Lying on broken glass when a rock on ones abdomen is being smashed with sledgehammers is a feat that requires using qigong techniques to prevent penetration by the glass pieces not to speak of withstanding the blows. The head is a vulnerable part of the body. However, through rigorous training, an officer manages to withstand the blow of a sledgehammer to break bricks stacked on his head. An officer drops a knife on a colleague. It is is a dangerous exercise but useful in the force since officers sometimes come up against criminals with sharp pointed objects. Another test of strength where a officer uses his neck to bend and straighten an iron rod. An officer breaks wooden staffs with his body. An officer uses qigong techniques and weak pulses in his body called acupoints to twist an iron bar with his eye. An officer places an iron bar against his larynx and pushes a 4.2-ton van with it. Another uses his abdominal muscles to pull a van. This officer holds a sword against his neck while pulling a 12-seat, 4-ton vehicle. Using bare hand to break the bottom of a plastic bottle takes practice. An officer carries 80 kg with his teeth while standing barefoot on broken glass. A strain of the dangerous E. coli bacterium has been found to be resistant to carbapenems, used against multidrug-resistant bacteria, in Vietnam. Carbapenems are antibiotic agents commonly used in the treatment of severe or high-risk bacterial infections. It is currently the final solution against E. coli, Dr. Doan Mai Phuong, head of the microbiological sciences department at Hanois giant Bach Mai Hospital, said. "If not controlled, the antibiotic resistance will spread among bacteria and it is possible that carbapenem-resistance could increase rapidly." E. coli is a coliform bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestines of warm-blooded organisms. Most strains are harmless, but virulent strains can cause serious food poisoning, urinary tract infections, neonatal meningitis, and hemorrhagic colitis. In January a study by bi-annual medical publication Infectious Disease Special Edition found that 70 percent of 7,730 people in a rural Vietnamese community were carrying colistin-resistant E. coli in their stool samples, Yoshimasa Yamamoto, a professor emeritus at Osaka University, Japan, who conducted the study with his colleagues, said. The World Health Organization has designated colistin a last-resort antibiotic to treat multidrug-resistant bacteria. While not commonly used for humans, it is frequently given to livestock and poultry. The WHO has listed Vietnam among the countries with the highest rate of antibiotic-resistant infections. This conclusion was also reached by IMS Health, a U.S.-based healthcare data company, in a 2015 report on global antibiotics usage. The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Vietnam has been attributed to the countrys increased antibiotics sale in recent years. Indiscriminate and unnecessary prescription and use of antibiotics are partly to blame, experts said at a health conference in Hanoi last year. Phuong said part of the reason is the habit of buying medicines at drugstores without prescriptions and even doctors sometimes letting patients take too many antibiotics. Officers attend the United Nations logistics officer training in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/PV A training course for United Nations logistics officers began in Hanoi on Tuesday, with 13 Vietnamese and 15 foreigners attending. Vietnam and Canada are organizing the training and the foreign trainees are from 10 nations that are partners of the latters Military Training and Cooperation Program. The trainers are from Canada, Sierra Leone and Vietnam. Maj Gen Hoang Kim Phung, head of Vietnams Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said the course would equip the trainees with comprehensive logistics knowledge and skills for U.N. missions, including the examination and evaluation of devices and equipment needed, deployment on battlefields, healthcare, humanitarian aid, principles of protecting civilians and children, and prevention of violence and sexual abuse. Since 2014 Vietnam has deployed personnel for U.N. peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic on 30 occasions, Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh said. Last October it sent its first ever medical team to a U.N. field hospital in conflict-ridden South Sudan. A second team is receiving training for another U.N. peacekeeping mission in 2020. The signs of activity at North Korea's main nuclear site come after Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear program during their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam on February 28. Photo by AFP/Saul Loeb Activity has been detected at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a summit with Washington. The possible signs of fresh reprocessing activity last week come after a February summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear program. Since then North Korea has said it was mulling options for its diplomacy with the U.S. and Kim said last week he was open to talks with Trump only if Washington came with the "proper attitude." The Center for Strategic and International Studies said satellite imagery of the Yongbyon nuclear site on April 12 showed five railcars near its uranium enrichment facility and radiochemistry laboratory. "In the past these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns," the Washington-based monitor said. "The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." Trump and Kim held their first landmark summit in Singapore last June, where the North Korean leader signed a vaguely-worded deal on the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But their failure to reach agreement at their second summit in Hanoi on walking back Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for relaxation of sanctions has raised questions over the future of the wider process. The U.S. president walked away from a partial deal proposed by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle the Yongbyon complex. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for the North's weapons programme. Yongbyon is not believed to be the North's only uranium enrichment facility and closing it down would not in and of itself signal an end to the country's atomic programme. North Korea suspended nuclear and missile testing during the diplomatic process in 2018 but the International Atomic Energy Agency has said there were indications that Yongbyon has been in use as recently as the end of February. Malaysian authorities have arrested two suspected poachers from Vietnam and seized body parts from tigers and bears, a minister said Tuesday. The Southeast Asian nation is home to swathes of jungle and a kaleidoscope of rare creatures from elephants to orangutans and tigers, but they are frequently targeted by poachers. Two Vietnamese men, aged 25 and 29, were arrested Monday by a wildlife enforcement team in a national park in eastern Terengganu state, said Xavier Jayakumar, water, land and natural resources minister. The men were in possession of claws and teeth from the Malayan tiger, he said. The species once roamed the jungles of Malaysia in the thousands but is now critically endangered, with just a small number believed left in the wild. They also had teeth and claws from bears, teeth from wild boars, as well as hunting equipment including machetes, axes and wire for setting traps, the minister said. "The two suspects have been arrested and will be remanded for three days to assist in the investigation," he said. Tiger pelts are prized collectors' items and fetch a high price on the black market, while many animals' body parts are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, including Vietnam and China. Join us at our 18th ECPM General Assembly in Moldova! Join us at our 18th General Assembly that will take place in Chisinau, Moldova. What you can expect during the assembly: meeting representatives of ECPM member parties all over Europe presentation of our newly elected MEPs financial report 2018 discussion and voting of resolutions concerning political issues that promote Christian democracy The General Assembly is strictly meant for the ECPM members and associates. Representatives from external organizations interested in participating are required to firstly contact the ECPM office. Prior to the GA there will be a free lunch for all participants, from 13.00. Should you whish to participate in the lunch please mention during your registration. Should you wish to participate in the conference the next day, please mention during the registration and you don't have to register again! Hope to see you in Moldova in June! 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. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Aena will be working together to improve the environmental impact of Spanish airports. Under the finance contract signed by EU bank Vice-President Emma Navarro and Aena Executive Director Maurici Lucena today (4/16) in Madrid, the EIB will grant an 86m loan to the company. This contract was made possible by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe that makes it possible for the EIB to provide financing on favourable terms to support investments whose structure or nature means that they contribute to boosting economic growth and employment. In this case, the EIB-financed investments will facilitate the creation of 635 indirect jobs during the project's implementation phase. The credit line will be available for use by Aena for the next two years and will enable it to finance 75% of the investments set to improve energy efficiency and promote the use of renewable energy in Aena's network of 46 airports and two heliports across Spain. These investments are planned in the Spanish Airport Regulation Document (DORA) 2017-2021. In concrete terms, the EIB's Juncker Plan financing will make it possible to replace airport lighting systems with low-energy alternatives, optimise thermal insulation in terminals and renovate ventilation systems and boilers. In addition, the creation of a solar photovoltaic plant for on-site use is planned in Madrid - generating 13 600 MWh of clean energy a year and avoiding the emission of 2 980 tonnes of CO2 - as is the installation of around 2 700 electric vehicle recharging points in the network's car parks. All of these improvements will help cut the CO2 emissions of Aena airports by 30% taking into account expected air traffic. EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete commented: "This agreement shows once again how the Juncker Plan is delivering on our climate action objectives across the EU. It also shows that investing in energy efficiency measures is one of the fastest and most effective ways to achieve a low-carbon economy, while also creating new jobs and driving economic growth. I would also like to congratulate Spain for being one of the Juncker Plan's largest beneficiaries, with more than 46 billion of additional investment mobilised." At the signing ceremony in Madrid, EIB Vice-President Emma Navarro highlighted "the importance of this agreement for reducing the environmental impact of Spanish airports while simultaneously fostering economic growth and jobs. The investments the EIB is supporting with this financing are in line with one of our main priorities: climate action. This action brings real benefits for our economy, in this case by helping Aena airports - which welcomed over 263 million passengers last year - to access the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies." Aena Executive Director Maurici Lucena emphasised that "environmental sustainability is one of the key objectives outlined in Aena's Strategic Plan for 2018-2021, and to this end the company is taking various actions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and environmental footprint. This defines our plan to improve our energy efficiency and use of renewable energies over the next few years." The EIB is Aena's main lender, and as the relationship between the two organisations is permanent, Aena shares its long-term investment plans with the EIB. About the EIB The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy objectives. The Investment Plan for Europe, known as the "Juncker Plan", is one of the European Commission's top priorities. It focuses on boosting investment to generate jobs and growth by making smarter use of new and existing financial resources, removing obstacles to investment, and providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects. The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the main pillar of the Juncker Plan and provides guarantees enabling the EIB to invest in more projects with added value. EFSI has already yielded tangible results. The projects and agreements approved for financing under EFSI are expected to mobilise almost EUR 393bn in investment (including more than EUR 46bn in Spain) and support some 945 000 SMEs in the EU Member States. About Aena Aena is the world's leading airport operator by number of passengers. It manages 46 airports and two heliports in Spain and participates in the management of 17 airports across Europe and the Americas. Over 263 million passengers passed through its airports in Spain in 2018. Since 2015, Aena has been listed on the IBEX-35, the main benchmark index for the Spanish stock exchange. It is a leading company thanks to its experience, capacity and team of airport service management professionals. It offers its customers a comprehensive service of the highest quality. Aena is also a responsible company; it is aware of the importance of its role as an economic driver in the areas of influence of its airports and has an ongoing commitment to development and sustainability. Peak Power Inc. announced today (4/16) that it has been awarded a contract by Diamond Generating Corporation ("DGC") to provide software services for a behind-the-meter energy storage system (1MW/4MWh) to be installed in San Diego, California. "DGC has been excited to work with Peak and has a high expectation with Peak's software and overall capabilities." said Yuichiro Matsui, Assistant Director, Diamond Generating Corporation. "We were looking for the best solution to maximize the value of our energy storage asset in California." Peak, using it's AI-powered SynergyTM platform, will optimize the operation of the energy storage system for both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter value streams. In addition to increasing resiliency and reducing greenhouse gas, the system will provide relief to the CA electricity grid. The project is expected to reach commercial operation in 2019. This represents Peak's 4th ISO region in the past 6 months demonstrating the adaptability of the SynergyTM platform across jurisdictions. "Peak Power is excited to work with DGC to enter the California market which is a leader in North American energy storage market", said Peak Power CEO, Derek Lim Soo. "California's leadership in energy storage policy and aggressive renewables targets make is a natural fit for market expansion for our company." About Peak Power Inc. Toronto-based Peak Power provides intelligent software and technology solutions for the evolving energy marketplace. Through their SynergyTM platform, Peak Power empowers building and business owners to achieve long-term savings by targeting expensive moments of peak demand. The Synergy platform uses forecasted and real-time data to optimize operation and adjust real-time asset schedules to changing market and weather conditions. Furthermore, these solutions help companies reach sustainability goals and increase onsite resiliency, while aiding utilities in addressing aging infrastructure. About Diamond Generation Corporation DGC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation and is a developer, owner and operator of privately owned power generating assets in the United States and Mexico. It currently has ownership interest in 13 operating power generating facilities, having total output capacity of approximately 7,800MW, with net equity of 3,400MW. The arbitral tribunal, administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, issued interim and partial awards in favor of Chevron in 2012 and 2013 in proceedings brought by Chevron to hold the Republic of Ecuador accountable for the fraudulent and corrupt litigation against the company in that country. The arbitral awards ordered the Republic of Ecuador "to take all measures necessary to suspend or cause to be suspended the enforcement and recognition within and without Ecuador" of the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron. The decision by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands upholds the rulings of two Dutch lower courts that rejected the Republic of Ecuador's attempts to annul those awards. "The highest court in the Netherlands confirmed that Ecuador is required under international law to prevent enforcement of the corrupt Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron anywhere in the world," said R. Hewitt Pate, Chevron's vice president and general counsel. "The Dutch Supreme Court joins the courts of the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Gibraltar in rejecting the Ecuadorian fraud against Chevron. Chevron urges Ecuador to honor its obligations under international law, comply with the lawful orders of The Hague tribunal and put an end to the fraud and extortion against Chevron." The Dutch Supreme Court found that the challenged arbitral awards are consistent with public policy and justified to prevent irreversible harm to Chevron. The court rejected the Republic of Ecuador's argument that the awards should be annulled because they violated Ecuador's sovereignty and the rights of the Ecuadorian plaintiffs who procured the fraudulent judgment against Chevron. Last August, the arbitral tribunal in The Hague also ruled in favor of Chevron in its final award on liability, finding the Republic of Ecuador liable for violating its obligations under international treaties, investment agreements and international law. The tribunal ordered the Republic of Ecuador to permanently render unenforceable the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron Corporation. In a unanimous ruling by a panel including an arbitrator chosen by the Republic of Ecuador, the tribunal held that the $9.5 billion judgment rendered against Chevron in Ecuador in 2011 was procured through fraud, bribery and corruption and was based on claims that had been already settled and released by the Republic of Ecuador years earlier. The tribunal concluded that the Ecuadorian judgment "violates international public policy" and "should not be recognised or enforced by the courts of other States." The award also declared the Republic of Ecuador responsible for reparation to Chevron under international law should the Ecuadorian judgment ever be enforced anywhere in the world. Ecuador has been petitioning the Dutch courts for nearly a decade to set aside arbitral awards favorable to Chevron, and it has failed at each turn. "The decision from the Supreme Court of the Netherlands reinforces the integrity of the arbitral proceedings against Ecuador and ensures that Ecuador will be held to account for violations of international law," Pate said. The decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands follows on the footsteps of last week's decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in favor of Chevron's indirect Canadian subsidiary. On April 4, 2019 the Supreme Court of Canada rejected a request to review a decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario holding that the $9.5 billion Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron Corporation cannot be enforced against Chevron Canada Limited, an indirect subsidiary in Canada. As a result, all claims brought by the Ecuadorian plaintiffs against Chevron Canada Limited were dismissed and its shares and assets cannot be seized by those seeking to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment. In 2011, the Ecuadorian plaintiffs obtained a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron in an Ecuadorian court, but in 2014, a U.S. federal court found that the Ecuadorian judgment was the product of fraud and racketeering activity, including extortion, money laundering, wire fraud, witness tampering, judicial bribery, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and obstruction of justice. The court prohibited enforcement of the Ecuadorian judgment in the United States and established a trust to reimburse to Chevron any enforcement proceeds obtained by the plaintiffs anywhere in the world. That decision is now final after having been unanimously affirmed by a U.S. court of appeals and denied review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The plaintiffs' other attempts to enforce the judgment in jurisdictions around the globe have also failed: In November 2017, Brazil's Superior Court of Justice unanimously rejected the attempt to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment in Brazil. Brazil's Deputy Prosecutor General stated the judgment was "issued in an irregular manner, especially under deplorable acts of corruption." The Brazilian decision followed a ruling by a court in Argentina in October 2017, which also denied recognition of the Ecuadorian judgment. An Argentine appeals court upheld this decision in July 2018, citing a lack of jurisdiction. In December 2015, the Supreme Court of Gibraltar issued a judgment against Amazonia Recovery Ltd., a Gibraltar-based company set up by the plaintiffs' attorneys and investors to receive and distribute funds resulting from the Ecuadorian judgment, awarding Chevron $28 million in damages. The Court also issued a permanent injunction against Amazonia prohibiting the company from assisting or supporting the case against Chevron in any way. The court issued a similar ruling in May 2018 against the directors of Amazonia, Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia, and Ecuadorian attorney Pablo Fajardo for their role in attempting to enforce the ruling, this time awarding $38 million in damages to Chevron. These failed efforts to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment were led by adjudicated racketeer and suspended lawyer Steven Donziger. In 2018, Donziger was suspended from practicing law in New York State and Washington, D.C. after having been found by U.S. federal courts to have engaged in a longstanding pattern of racketeering activity in procuring the Ecuadorian judgment, including multiple acts of fraud, bribery and judicial corruption. "It is time for Ecuador to come into compliance with the orders of The Hague tribunal," Pate said. "Ecuador has been in breach of international law by continuing to defy the awards, issued unanimously by all three members of the tribunal, including Ecuador's appointed arbitrator. The court's decision puts to rest Ecuador's argument that it needed not comply with the awards pending the Dutch annulment proceedings, an argument that the Dutch Supreme Court has now shown was meritless from its inception." Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company's operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com. Peel Regional Police(TORONTO) -- Canadian authorities have released surveillance footage of a suspect who shot a woman with a crossbow on her front porch while posing as a delivery person. The video, released Monday, showed a masked man approaching the 44-year-old woman's home near Toronto with a large cardboard box in his hand and a hidden crossbow. He rang the doorbell, chatted with the woman for a few moments and fired an arrow into her chest, leaving her with life-threatening injuries. Officers with the Peel Regional Police are investigating the November 2018 attack as an attempted murder and asked for the public's help with identifying the suspect, who ran and fled the scene in a vehicle parked nearby. He is still on the run. "The victim suffered massive trauma that was both life-threatening and life-altering," Peel Regional Police Superintendent Heather Ramore said at a news conference Monday. "It is clear that this attack was meant to end the victim's life." Ramore said the suspect may have been hired to carry out the attack. "Comments that were made to the victim by the suspect indicate that the victim was targeted and that the suspect may have carried out the attack at the request of another individual," Ramore said. "This was not a random act." Investigators declined to offer details about the victim, citing the ongoing investigation, but said she did not know her assailant. Peel Regional Police Detective Sgt. Jim Kettles said the woman spent several months in the hospital and will be "in a recovery phase for the rest of her life." "The injuries that she sustained were absolutely devastating. It involved damage to a lot of her internal organs," Kettles said. "She'll be still undergoing medical treatment for her injuries. Her life will never be the same." The department said it released the video in the hopes that someone may recognize the suspect. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. How did a dean from Complutense University in Madrid end up with his arm inside a cows rectum in Lebanon? There is actually a simple explanation. It was a house in which the cows basically lived in the same space as the old couple. I put my hand in, and everyone stared at me with great curiosity. I confirmed that the cow was pregnant, and the best thing was the look of happiness on their faces. We hugged and everything, explains Pedro Lorenzo, the dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Madrid university. Lorenzo is part of a group of specialists from different Spanish campuses who travel each year to the Miguel de Cervantes military base located in Blat, Lebanon. For one week, the veterinarians are granted permission by mayors and religious leaders to visit various farms and take care of the animals. For the majority of the farmers, it is the only annual medical check-up available to their livestock, which serve as their main source of income and food. One of the farms visited by the Spanish veterinarians. Librado Carrasco, a former dean at the University of Cordoba in southern Spain, started this mission 10 years ago. In 2009, the military stationed at the base came from my province, so they invited some faculty members to take a look at the facilities and the country, and they asked us if we could do something to strengthen ties. A month later I was on my way back to Lebanon with two colleagues and 60 kilos of medicine, says Carrasco. We went there with the idea of saving the world, but we realized that this notion was pathetic. Over there you have to start from scratch, there are situations and illnesses that weve forgotten about in Spain a long time ago. Two years after that impromptu expedition, the project began to pick up steam. Kilos of medicine began to arrive in Lebanon in military crates, and veterinarians were able to start staying at the base for prolonged periods of time while the soldiers got permission from mayors. That year, the project expanded to other universities and brigades around Spain. And the Defense Ministry and the Association of Veterinarians signed an agreement. Since then, the project has not stopped growing specialists from Zaragoza, Murcia, Caceres, Valencia, Barcelona and Seville have joined in in the past few years. Carrasco diagnosing a lamb with enteritis. In the same day, the team can go from idly listening to music at the base to risking the loss of a leg. On one occasion, the cars left us at a spot and we had to meander to get to the farm. We could think of nothing better than just cutting across a field to save time. The soldiers got out of the car looking very alarmed, saying we had to get out of there. It was an area filled with mines, explains Lorenzo. The veterinarians are always escorted by soldiers who follow predetermined routes. They were able to overcome farmers initial misgivings with a portable ultrasound they brought with them. At the beginning they didnt trust us, but when they saw that with [the ultrasound] we could see if the animals were pregnant or not, they started to trust us more. Access to these kinds of devices is made possible by donations from pharmaceutical companies, while the expeditions to Lebanon are paid for by the universities and the vet association. In the last mission, which took place in mid-March, the vets brought 30,000 worth of medicine with them and brought along around 20 veterinary students from Beirut. We bring with us above all antiparasite medication and disinfectants. We dont use antibiotics as much, and vaccines not at all because we don't want to interfere with the national health programs, explains Lorenzo. Pedro Lorenzo and Librado Carrasco with a calf. The locals talk about the people who come take care of their animals as the Spaniards. Once a translator told us that a cow had yellow fever. We were very confused. It is a human disease so we asked ourselves how it was possible for a cow to have contracted it. After some confusion we arrived at the conclusion that the farmers had detected that the animal had a fever and was turning yellow, and thus determined that it had yellow fever, says Carrasco. In Lebanon you see levels of scabies that you rarely [see in Spain], or an entire livestock full of ticks. Other times it's a funny situation because you are working in the same room where a donkey, a sheep and a bunch of turkeys are running around. A group of soldiers wait for the veterinarians to finish a check-up. Some veterinarians have had to overcome other kinds of challenges. Some of the farmers dont want a woman touching their animals. We try to deal with it as best we can. Sometimes we dont insist, and other times we convince them that [the woman] is the one who will fix the problem, that she knows more than us and will help the animals get better, says Carrasco, who since 2015 has been prolonging the duration of his stays in Lebanon. On one occasion, a farmer asked Carrasco to take a picture with his son, which Carrasco agreed to on the condition that the boys sister also be included. Now this girl wants to be a veterinarian. Its the best gift. English version by Asia London Palomba. Uber plans to launch the Uber Shuttle pilot project, a servicing to book a seat in a minibus that will drive from one pre-arranged location along a fixed route to another pre-arranged location within the city, in Kyiv in May 2019, the press service of Uber has told Interfax-Ukraine. This service is also available in Cairo (Egypt) and Monterrey (Mexico). Uber said that during the pilot project, customers will be able to book a seat in the minibus via the Uber application. "Uber strives to become a multimodal platform for personal mobile services, giving users access to various modes of transport with the click of a button, so that they can move around the city without need of having their own car. With the pilot launch of Uber Shuttle in Kyiv, we offer the experience of using this service to users here in Ukraine," the press service said, citing Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Head at Uber Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty. The company said that the main goal of the pilot project is the use of Uber technology, to offer Ukrainian users another alternative way to travel around the city. "This pilot project is part of Uber's mobility strategy available on the platform," Uber said. Gore-Coty also said that Ukraine is very important for Uber, and the company will continue investing in the country, promoting new products on the Ukrainian market. More than 30 representatives of NDI from 11 countries to observe second round of Ukraine's presidential elections The U.S.-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization, has said it will send an international delegation of 31 persons from 11 countries to observe the second round of Ukraine's presidential elections between showman Volodymyr Zelensky and incumbent President Petro Poroshenko on April 21, a press release received by the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday says. The delegation will present its preliminary findings at a press conference on April 22. "The delegation includes political leaders, diplomats, former elected and government officials, and regional and electoral experts, including: William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); Audrey Glover, chairman of the Foreign Policy Centre and former director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR); Laura Jewett, NDI Regional Director for Eurasia; and Mary O'Hagan, global associate and NDI senior resident director in Ukraine," the press release says. The delegation will build on the work of NDI's mission to the first round on March 31, the findings of long-term analysts who have been in Ukraine since January, and a pre-election assessment conducted in November 2018. "On March 31st, for the second time since the Revolution of Dignity and despite Russian aggression, Ukraine held an election that broadly reflected the will of voters," said Taylor. The delegation will rely on the work of the NDI mission, conducted during the first round of elections on March 31, on the findings of long-term analysts working in Ukraine since January, as well as on the work of the NDI's electoral mission. The aim of the delegation's work is to demonstrate long-term support by the international community of democratic processes in Ukraine and to give an objective assessment of the electoral process and the political environment. Members of the delegation will meet with representatives of political parties and election headquarters, government officials, representatives of civil society, the media and the international community in Kyiv and 12 regions of Ukraine. On election day, NDI observers will visit polling stations at the opening, voting, closing and during the counting of votes in certain areas The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has stopped the activities of the sabotage and reconnaissance group from the Russian Federation and detained seven of its members, head of the SBU Vasyl Hrytsak has said. "The SBU stopped the activities of the Russian sabotage and reconnaissance terrorist group of seven people. They were detained and arrested," Hrytsak said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday. Television Radio Company Studio 1+1 LLC on Tuesday filed a criminal case in Kyiv's Pechersky district court against incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and Publishing House Media-DK LLC, to defend the business reputation and to demand retraction of incorrect information and compensation for moral damages as a result of spreading false information. According to a post on the site of Television News Service (TSN), the media group is asking the court to rule statements by incumbent President Petro Poroshenko on his official Facebook page and during meeting with citizens, appearing as well on the Media-DK on https://nv.ua/, are false and harm the business reputation of the claimant. The complaint calls for a retraction of the remarks within seven days of a ruling on the matter. Media 1+1 Group also asks for moral damages in the amount of UAH 1 million, which the group said it would transfer to the Povernys Zhyvym (Back and Alive) foundation. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'The public demanding that Head of Main Directorate of State Fiscal Service in Kyiv region Oleksiy Kavilin be brought to criminal liability' On Thursday, April 18, at 14.20, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "The public demanding that Head of Main Directorate of State Fiscal Service in Kyiv region Oleksiy Kavilin be brought to criminal liability." Participants include Chairman of the Ukrainian Coordination Council, organizer of the press conference Andriy Khoma; Chairman of the NGO "State of the Future" Serhiy Zdomyshchuk, Deputy Chairman of the NGO "Anti-Corruption Bureau in Ukraine" Ihor Kurylenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Registration requires press accreditation. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on April 17 denied the veracity of remarks by one of its former generals who has claimed to have worn Iran's Red Crescent Society's (IRCS) uniform for "military purposes" during the civil war in Bosnia. Saeed Qassemi (Ghasemi), retired IRGC General, is an outspoken ultraconservative, renowned for his vitriolic attacks on reformist former President Mohammad Khatami, and the incumbent "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani. In an interview with the state-approved internet channel, Aparat, Qassemi maintained on April 14 that he had visited Bosnia in the 1990s to train Bosnian Muslim fighters against the Serbs while wearing the Iranian Red Crescent uniform. In the same interview, Qassemi admits that he is divulging the fact since the Americans had already discovered the ruse and written about it. IRGC's spokesman, Ramazan Sharif dismissing Qassemi's rmarks said, "Mr. Saeed Qassemi's remarks, who for a while was in Bosnia voluntarily and has retired a long time ago, are his personal views, devoid of credibility and are not shared by the IRGC", according to ISNA. An hour after the IRGC statement, President Hassan Rouhani's office also dismissed Qassemi's remarks, saying that his claims help "the enemy". Qassemi's remarks come just days after the U.S. State Department listed the IRGC as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization", accusing it of supporting militant groups around the world. The Iranian Red Crescent has also officially dismissed Qassemi's claims and has threatened to sue him. "If an individual or a state entity has used the logo or uniform of the IRCS for operations against the aims and principles of the International Red Cross Society, it definitely happened without the permission of the IRCS or in coordination with it", IRCS announced. General Qassemi's remarks in his TV interview Even if the IRCS permission was sought, the statement argues, it would have never been given. "Based on the four conventions ratified in Geneva, the IRCS is impartial in armed conflicts since it has the important responsibility of supporting the humanity, and the civilians," the statement has insisted. In his interview with Aparat, Qassemi, 59, has revealed information concerning the presence of the Islamic Republic armed forces in Bosnia that might place the IRCS and the Islamic Republic in a tough position. During the interview, the former IRGC Commander boasted about his role and that of his comrades in the Bosnian civil war, while they were wearing the IRCS uniforms. "In Bosnia, in the heart of Europe, there were many developments. We were side by side with al-Qaeda. The members of al-Qaeda learned from us. From all over the world, Mujahedin poured into Bosnia, and there was a new development. Muslim Jihadi units were established," Qassemi maintains. Referring to the CNN reporter, Christiane Amanpour of Iranian descent, Qassemi said that she was the person who found out about their deception. "This fellow compatriot of ours (Amanpour) who all of our politicians, including (ultraconservative former President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad to [President Hassan] Rouhani love to give her interviews, this dishonorable spy of the CNN, gave us away." Qassemi's comments were followed by a harsh reaction from the IRCS on Twitter, dismissing the remarks as unfounded. Moreover, the IRCS says that it has filed a complaint against Qassemi for his controversial comments. In the 1990s, the Islamic Republic widely supported Bosnian Muslims in their conflict with the Serbs and Croats. The support was orchestrated by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a mid-ranking cleric currently presiding over two authoritative bodies in Iran, the Council of Guardians, and the Assembly of Experts. To assist the Muslim Bosnians, Tehran launched a Bosnian speaking radio station, and later a TV channel, called "Sahar" (Dawn). Meanwhile, the Bosnian war helped the IRGC's extraterritorial arm, Qods Force, to expand, and gain more power. Saeed Qassemi is an Iran-Iraq war veteran who has turned into a political activist after retiring from his position in the IRGC. Notorious as a short-tempered person who loves to use vituperative words, he is one of the leading orators at the Iranian Hezbollah gatherings and assemblies. World crude oil prices have hit their 2019 highs, above $72, as growth in China and falling U.S. stockpiles helped tighten supplies. At the same time, Venezuelan and Iranian exports were reduced, contributing to stronger demand for oil. Irans crude exports in April dropped below one million barrels per day, as tanker traffic showed and as expected by analysts. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports last November, cutting exports by half to just above the one-million-barrel mark. But the U.S. has extended exemptions or waivers to eight friendly countries for a reduced amount of oil purchases from Iran. The waivers however end in May and it is not clear to what extent Washington is willing to renew exemptions. In March Iranian exports increased to 1.7 million barrels, as countries with waivers, such as Japan, rushed to buy their unfilled quotas set by the U.S. waivers. This meant that Iran would export less in April. OPEC and allies including Russia reached a pact to set limits to exports this year, which started to push oil prices higher. The next meeting of OPEC and partners is scheduled for June, but Russias willingness to stick with the cuts now looks less clear. Reporting based on Reuters The Iranian parliament (Majles) has approved new regulations that will impose further restrictions on Iran's strictly controlled media ahead of parliamentary elections slated to be held on February 21, 2020. The regulations, which are part of the bill to amend the election law, defines new punishments for those who might ignore or undermine them. The punishments particularly target the media and election administrators, Iranian media reported on Tuesday April 16. According to new regulations, the media should not publish any statements against candidates and avoid reporting possible withdrawal of candidacies. This applies to all audio-visual, print, and electronic media including social media, reported the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). Political groups and parties are no longer allowed to publish separate lists of their candidates if they are part of a coalition, in which case, it is the coalition that does all the publicity. Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have called for an election devoid of unnecessary excitement. Khamenei said in March he anticipates that foreigners may engineer social unrest in Iran in the election year. Veteran conservative politician Mohammad Reza Bahonar said recently "It is worrying that some of those who wish to enter the next Majles election as candidates want to ride the waves of dissent running across society." Ali Mohammad Naeeni, an adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief Mhammad Ali Jafari said in December 2018 that he anticipates widespread civil disobedience in the run-up to the Majles elections. He added that in the meantime "the enemies" will focus on economic pressures Iranians feel. Iran's already chaotic economy is expected to come under more pressure in the aftermath of the floods that have damaged farmlands, industry, infrastructure as well as homes and businesses all over Iran during the past three weeks. Preliminary estimates put damages as high as $7 billion for country besieged by sanctions. Last week, Khabar Online website wrote that political figures and organizations have already started low-key campaigning for the Majles elections and the 2021 presidential elections. According to Khabar Online, unlike their political rivals, conservatives are not concerned about "disqualification," as the Guardian Council favors conservative candidates. No one can register as a candidate unless his ideological credentials are approved by the council. The website also wrote that conservative figureheads such as former Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former IRGC Commander Mohsen Rezai and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili might be willing to run for president although they have repeatedly lost in previous elections. They are also willing to create a solid power base at the Majles by arranging like-minded individuals to run for seats. After a series of defeats in previous elections, conservative figureheads formed an alliance to end the problem of non-constructive competing candidacies during the months prior to the 12th Presidential elections in 2017. Although they did not win the election, yet winning 16,000,000 votes by hardline Ebrahim Raisi was some kind of a victory for them. There is every indication that Iranian conservatives are going to benefit from the lessons they learned in the 2017. Currently the Majles is a combination of conservatives on one side and reformists, moderates who support President Hassan Rouhani. The next Majles may be a predominantly conservative Parliament as the reformists and moderates record in the past three years has disappointed many people. On the other hand, according to Khabar Online, there is every likelihood for a low turnout in the February election because of the political disillusionment created by reformists and moderates' inaction. These groups raised expectations that they would moderate the regimes social restrictions and allow more freedoms, but failed to take any meaningful action as the conservatives and the military managed to suppress more dissidents and even harmless civilians such as ecologists. Public disappointment might lead to low turnout and traditionally, since the 1980s, Iranian conservatives have won every election where there has been a low turnout. Adding to the likelihood of a low turnout is grassroots disillusionment with the Rouhani administration which has failed to deliver on promises made during the past 6 years. Anti-regime protests since December 2017 indicate that many ordinary Iranians reject both factions of the establishment as Neither reformists nor conservatives rang out in dozens of cities and towns. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 21 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said April 17, Trend reports. The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Head of Azerbaijans State Border Service, Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev checked the combat readiness of the checkpoints of the Gazakh border guard squad on the state border with Armenia, Trend reports. Reports were read on the progress of activities to fulfill instructions by Azerbaijani President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the situation with the execution of instructions on operational conditions in the service territory of the Gazakh border guard squad, strengthening defense positions, engineering and fortification measures. Familiarization with the work was implemented on the formation of modern defense infrastructure at the state border, construction of new office buildings at the border checkpoints, the laying of new roads, industrial electric and gas lines, and instructions were given to enhance this work. Guliyev personally handed medals For merits in the field of military cooperation to local residents Anar Dunyamaliyev, Safarali Abishov, Huseyn Shakhverdiyev and Zaur Yusifov, who distinguished themselves during the construction work at the border checkpoints, and expressed gratitude for the work on the state border together with the border guard squad. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: The ceasefire monitoring exercise on the Azerbaijan and Armenia state border in the direction of Kazakh region held in accordance with the mandate of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Aprel 17, ended with no incident, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. The Personal Representative's field assistants Ghenadie Petrica and Martin Schuster carried out the monitoring exercise from the territory of Azerbaijan. The Personal Representative's field assistants Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic carried out the monitoring from the other side of the border. 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, April 17 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: The lack of reaction from the OSCE Minsk Group to the statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh may negatively affect the negotiation process, Grigory Trofimchuk, Russian expert in foreign policy, defense and security, told Azernews, Trend reports. He was commenting on Pashinyans proposal to change the format of talks. This is not just protraction of the settlement, he said. In fact, this is an attempt to change the format of the negotiations, and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs should first pay attention to this. It is strange that they try not to notice Pashinyans statements. This may end very badly, because Azerbaijan can conclude that it is deliberately provoked to take drastic actions, not to mention the resumption of the war. Id like to remind that the other key statement by Pashinyan was the following: we dont exchange peace for territories. Therefore, a question arises: what all these people from many countries have been discussing since 1994, and what did they strive for, if not for peace in exchange for territories? Further, Trofimchuk noted that Pashinyans administration has fundamental differences in the vision of the Karabakh process, compared with the Sargsyans administration. It was enough for Sargsyan to just sit quietly at the negotiating table, he said. This is clearly not enough for Pashinyan, and the Karabakh issue is one of the main issues for him, and he began to demonstrate this immediately after coming to power. The expert also touched upon a meeting that has been recently held between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He noted that Russia has never been aloof from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement process. Therefore, immediately after the Vienna summit, the ministerial meeting in Moscow on the same issue also took place in order to start preparing the meeting at the highest level between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trofimchuk said. Nevertheless, Moscow doesnt separate itself from the Vienna event and declares that it acts considering all previous discussions, he noted. At the same time, the same problem remains the main point of contention: Azerbaijan isnt going to get involved in a long, fruitless negotiation process and wants to clearly understand when it will start getting back the territories. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The important points of humanitarian cooperation to which the conflicting parties must adhere were stressed at the recent meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers as part of the negotiation process for the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, well-known Azerbaijani political analyst Arzu Naghiyev told Trend. Naghiyev was commenting on the results of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in Moscow. Three important points in the humanitarian sphere were determined during the meeting of foreign ministers in Moscow, he added. "In fact, the foreign ministers agreed to fulfill three main points in the field of humanitarian cooperation. First, they agreed to take measures on a reciprocal basis for the families with members being prisoners of war to be able to meet with their relatives who are in custody, in the corresponding detention centers of the conflicting parties, Naghiyev said. Secondly, the foreign ministers expressed their readiness to begin certain work on establishing contacts between the residents of the two countries through mutual visits of media representatives, he added. Thirdly, they agreed to observe the stable situation in the conflict zone while carrying out the agricultural work, Naghiyev said. These three points are important components of substantive negotiations relating to the humanitarian cooperation. Following the meeting, steps were taken towards resolving the humanitarian issues, but in a global sense, the conflict still remains unresolved. "I think that following this meeting the next meeting must be held, but after the implementation of all these three agreements, he said. As for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijans position remains unchanged. We think that the long-term problem may be resolved if the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Azerbaijani borders are restored through the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of refugees to their ancestral lands." Naghiyev stressed that this fact has always been confirmed in the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which support Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity and all these points specified in the documents of international organizations are not fulfilled by the Armenian side, which is contrary to the requirements and principles of the international law. Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a working meeting in Moscow upon the initiative of the Russian side on April 15. OSCE Minsk Groups co-chairs (Igor Popov of Russia, Andrew Schofer of the US and Stephane Visconti of France), as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also joined them. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Ambassador Parvin Mirzazade, the Head of the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, received the newly appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of San Marino Rasim Gasimov, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the meeting Gasimov presented his patent credentials as Honorary Consul. Parvin Mirzazade wished every success to Gasimov in his future endeavors. The sides exchanged their views on the current status of relations between Azerbaijan and San Marino. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding measures to construct Jibir-Hazra-Mujug-Sudur road in Gusar district. Under the presidential order, the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency is allocated 3 million manats for the construction of the road connecting fourteen residential areas with a total population of 8,000 people. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: On the sidelines of his official visit to Poland, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov took part in the opening ceremony of a memorial plaque dedicated to the recognition of the independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) by the Republic of Poland in 1920, Trend reports referring to the press service of the Foreign Ministry. The event was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz. Speaking at the ceremony, Elmar Mammadyarov noted the existence of historical ties between Azerbaijan and Poland, adding that, as a result of research conducted by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Poland, interesting documents on the relations between the two countries were found in Polish archives. In this context, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov brought to the attention that on February 13, 1920, the Polish Foreign Minister Stanisaw Patek sent a telegram to the government of Azerbaijan, which expressed the recognition of the de-facto ADR by Poland. Moreover, it was noted that in 1918, Polish diplomat Waclaw Ostrowski was appointed as the diplomatic representative of Poland to Azerbaijan. Expressing his high appreciation of the activities of Polish diplomats with regards to Azerbaijan 100 years ago, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stated that there are close ties between the two countries today, also noting the existence of strategic ties between the countries. Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz praised the opening of the memorial plaque. He stressed that Poland already actively supported the sovereignty of the states 100 years ago, and noted that this policy continues today. Referring to the contribution made by Polish specialists during the 20th century to the social and political life of Azerbaijan, the Polish minister highlighted oil production in Azerbaijan, the development of the architecture of Baku and other areas. The ministers stressed that a detailed exchange of views on the Azerbaijani-Polish relations will be continued during the bilateral meeting. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: As part of his official visit to Poland, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz, Trend reports on April 17 with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. After tete-a-tete discussions between Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, the talks continued with the participation of the national delegations. At the beginning, speaking about the negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the importance of resolving the conflict based on the principles of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions. Having stressed the necessity of withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov extended his gratitude to Polish government for the support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, giving a brief information about large-scale energy and infrastructure projects implemented upon an initiative and with participation of Azerbaijan, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov underlined the importance of the South Gas Corridor. Speaking about the Trans-Caspian and South-West transport corridors, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that Azerbaijan, which cooperates with Poland in this field, is interested in enhancing the existing relations. Minister Jacek Czaputowicz highly appreciated relations between the two countries. He underlined that Poland supports the cooperation of the European Union with the Eastern Partnership countries and emphasized that his country is interested in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sector. The ministers discussed the issues related to exchanging mutual visits, increasing trade turnover and expanding the legal framework between the two countries. At the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Furthermore, the joint press conference of the ministers was held. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The next meeting of the High-Level Working Group on the Caspian Sea (HLWG) will be held in July 2019 in Iran, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. This is stated in the communique of the second meeting of the working group, which was held on April 16-17, 2019 in Kazakhstans capital city Nur-Sultan. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Kazakh Foreign Minister Beibut Atamkulov emphasized the importance of the tasks faced by the HLWG and the need to intensify work on the drafts of five-sided agreements on a wide range of issues of cooperation and implementation of activities in the Caspian Sea that are under consideration by the parties, the statement reads. The significance of holding the first Caspian Economic Forum in 2019 in Turkmenistan was also noted, according to the Foreign Ministry. It was noted that delegations from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan took part in the negotiations. "The parties continued discussing the draft agreement on the methodology for establishing direct baselines in the Caspian Sea and agreed on a number of its conditions. Discussion of this document will be continued at the next meeting. The parties also discussed various aspects of cooperation in the Caspian Sea during the meeting, and exchanged views on the implementation of the agreements, following the results of the 5th Caspian Summit. The delegations positively assessed the outcome of the negotiations and expressed deep appreciation to the Republic of Kazakhstan for the high level of organization of the meeting," the statement reads. Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Within the framework of his official visit to Poland, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting with Krzyshtof Szczerzki, Secretary of State Chief of the Cabinet of the President of Poland, Trend reports on April 17 with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. K.Szczerzki underlined the importance of political relations between the two countries and their strategic nature. He said the Polish side intends to do its best to develop these ties. In this regard, it was recalled that in the time of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski the bilateral relations developed at a very high level, and added that the Polish side wishes to upgrade these relations again. Touching on the meetings held during his visit to Poland, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that he discussed perspectives of economic cooperation, including energy, transport, and other fields between the two states. Meanwhile, Minister briefed K.Schersky about the negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and thanked the Polish side for supporting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. At the meeting, the Polish side once again expressed interest in the development of energy cooperation with Azerbaijan. The sides also exchanged views on the future prospects of the Eastern Partnership, as well as the EU's strong support for the development of this program. The sides also discussed the situation in Eastern Europe and other issues of mutual interest. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: In the framework of his official visit to the Republic of Poland, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the Minister of Marine Economy and Inland Navigation of Poland, Marek Grobarczyk, Trend reports on April 17 with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. Minister Marek Grobarczyk gave detailed information on the activity of the Ports of Poland and stressed the existence of great potential for economic development between the two states. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the importance of cooperation among the ports of Azerbaijan and Poland and informed the other side about the Baku International Sea Trade Port and all three phases of the construction of the port. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov also noted that the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Baku International Sea Trade Port and the Gdansk Sea Port has already been agreed. Marek Grobarczyk expressed interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in shipbuilding and stressed the importance of exchange of experience in the field of technology between the two states. Minister Marek Grobarczyk also highlighted his countrys interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the production of seafood. During the meeting, the sides discussed transit and intermodal transport issues between the two states. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov invited Marek Grobarczyk to visit Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Demographic transition is expected to be one of the smoothest in Azerbaijan, Robert Ivan Gal, who will be responsible to build capacity of relevant government agencies to create National Transfer Accounts (NTA) in Azerbaijan, said in an exclusive interview with Trend. National Transfer Accounts (NTA) add the age component to the national accounting system. NTA deals with the entire economy, but it describes the economy as flows among people of different age. Attention is paid to old people. We are working on NTA project in Azerbaijan. Some policy proposals will be based on the results of that project. Then it is up to the Azerbaijani authorities to decide on future plans, he said. Talking about the process of creating NTA in Azerbaijan, Robert Ivan Gal said that it is about rearranging the relevant statistical data. We rely on official statistics, which is provided by the State Statistical Committee. I am advising the local team here. What they will do, is to rearrange the existing Azerbaijani data. They will not produce new data. Azerbaijan in this respect is an easy place. The administrative capacities of the statistical services are at very high standards. They produce a wide range of statistical output and at a very high quality. We had the basic training in the last two days. We expect the first results and the first draft report by the end of the year, he said. The expert also pointed out that for the foreseeable future, the demographic transition seems to be one of the smoothest in Azerbaijan. He congratulated with the birth of the 10 millionth citizen of Azerbaijan. Further, he talked about the demographic situation in the world with special focus on population aging. Population aging is a natural process. It is frequently described as a threat. Less people in active age have to support more of the elderly, because the population is shrinking, it is aging and so it is described frequently as a threat. Sometimes proposals are aimed at preventing it. But population aging brings a lot of benefits and it reflects very positive developments. It means that we live longer and healthier. That seems to be something good. When population was young, that was because people died young. Even in the most developed countries 200 years ago many people didnt reach the age of 1 or 5, because they died as infants or small children. Now most people, who are born, reach the age of 60. This is a very positive development, but it creates an aging population, said Robert Ivan Gal. Meanwhile, he noted that the population aging is the result of better technology and better education system. For the same reason, not only the average length of life increases, but the time that people can spend in useful employment. If we are faced with the extended life time, we can design policies that would extend the working life, too. Then we would have older societies, high-age societies, but the proportion of those, who are vulnerable and need support would not increase, the expert added. Robert Ivan Gal went on to add that population aging is the combination of two factors: longer life and declining fertility. At the same time, life expectancy is increasing and this does not necessarily mean threat for social balance. Decreasing fertility also creates an opportunity. If fertility decreases, people save the labor, and the revenues that were spent on children. They can decide to use that amount in three ways: one is that they consume that and have an easier life. That is a short-sighted strategy. That will definitely lead to problems on the long run. However, they can also decide to invest more in children. They have less children, but those children will be more productive in the future, because they get better education, they will be raised in better health and the human capital will not decrease. The third way is to invest for the future in financial or physical capital. Then you will have resources to finance your old age, he explained. Retuning to NTA, he noted that it gives a kind of statistical framework for wise policy-making and allows for the development of new indicators, with one of them being the support ratio. In fact, the currently used version of the support ratio that compares only the sizes of age-groups, such as the number of people between the ages of 20 and 64 to the number of those above the age of 65, is very artificial. It changes across the countries. In some countries people become old later and in some other countries they become old at the younger age; and this cutting age changes over the time. If you have less children, but they are better educated, then they work more efficiently, have higher wages and can support the elderly more easily. The NTA-based version of the support ratio takes that into account as well. With the help of NTA, we can develop indicators that describe the aging process much better. And all such calculations show that if human capital investment is increasing, we keep people longer in the schools and give them the chance for more efficient work, said the expert. He pointed out that there are numerous cases when advisory bodies recommended this strategy of preparing for population aging and use the numbers of this accounting. Twenty years ago it started as a small working group in the US and now, it covers about 80 countries around the world. The statistical standard of NTA was adopted by the UN. There is already a country, South Korea, which puts this statistical practice into the annual official routine, Robert Ivan Gal concluded. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Azerbaijani MPs Rauf Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev visited Jojug Marjanli village, Trend reports. The MPs met with a representative of local executive authorities who informed them about living and employment conditions of the residents of the village. Then the MPs were familiarized with the conditions created in the rural school, kindergarten and medical center. At the meeting with the rural youth, the MPs answered their questions. During the meeting, Rauf Aliyev noted that Azerbaijani people recently celebrated with encouragement and enthusiasm the anniversary of the great victory of Azerbaijani army in the April battles. He reminded that in April 2016, as a result of a successful counterattack of the Azerbaijani army, the Lala-Tepe height was liberated from the Armenian occupation, and a safe life was ensured in the Jojug Marjanli village of the Jabrayil district. In accordance with the relevant order by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the necessary infrastructure was created, and a new life began in the village, he noted. Rauf Aliyev continued by saying, Returning to Jojug Marjanli is the beginning of a great comeback. As a result of the far-sighted and wise policy of President Ilham Aliyev, all the occupied Azerbaijani lands will soon be liberated and all IDPs will return to their homes. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: First Students National Scientific Conference dedicated to the 96th anniversary of the National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev started at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS). The BHOS management and faculty as well as the representatives of SOCAR and Azerbaijan National Academy of Science (ANAS) joined the opening ceremony of the conference. The event also gathered the academic and administrative staff of the national higher education institutions, including such partners of BHOS as SOCAR Complex Drilling Works Trust, SOCAR Polymer, Huawei, Maire Technimont, ABB, Microsoft, Emerson Process Management and Avandsis Group. Welcoming the guests the BHOS Rector Mr. Elmar Gasimov stated that organization of the student scientific conferences dedicated to the anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev has become a tradition as a sign of esteem to his personality. Underlining the essential role of the science and education in the society, the Rector touched upon the measures taken by the Higher School in order to develop this field and the achievements made, as well as the correlation between the development of the national science and education policy with the direct involvement of the youth in research activities. The opening ceremony continued with the speeches made by ANAS Vice President Academician Irada Huseynova, ANAS Active Member, Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Academician Vagif Abbasov, ANAS Active Member, Director of the Institute of Petrochemical Processes, Iskandar Shirali, Head of SOCAR Complex Drilling Works Trust and Professor Aydin Kazimzade, ANAS Corresponded Member and Vice Rector on Science and Innovation of Baku State University who underlined the importance of integrating science and education to support and facilitate the development of the students research potential. It should be noted that BHOS annually hosts the student scientific and technical conferences. For the first time this year the conferences, each comprising a number of sections, are taking place under three large headlines: Perspectives in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Quality Energy, Quality Service and High Technologies Innovative Applications. The students representing other higher education institutions of Azerbaijan also participate at the Conference. In general, 177 students and young scientists representing the national higher education institutions and ANAS institutes applied to join the conference. The students have the opportunity to make presentations in Azerbaijani, English and Russian languages. The BHOS partner companies such as SOCAR Complex Drilling Works Trust, SOCAR Polymer, BP, Huawei, Maire Technimont, Schlumberger, ABB, Baker Hughes, Schneider Electric, Halliburton, Microsoft, Emerson Process Management and Avandsis Group will award the winners their corporate gifts, which eventually encourage them to more actively engage in such events. The conference will finish on April 19, 2019. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Citizens in Zardab and Fizuli have contributed time and money to improve community infrastructure by building a new medical facility, a feed-grinding and seed-cleaning facility, and renovating a kindergarten. These projects were implemented through the Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In Zardabs Huseynkhanli village, the renovated kindergarten will provide a warm, safe, and a healthy learning environment for more than 30 of the communitys children. In Godakgobu village, residents worked with local and regional governments to replace an aging medical point with a new facility that is better able to meet the communitys healthcare needs. The new facility, which includes an examination room and a waiting room, will improve the day-to-day access to healthcare for nearly 1,700 people from Godakgobu. In Fizulis Alkhanli village, the new feed-grinding and seed cleaning facility allow local farmers to make their own affordable animal feed for their cows and poultry and to clean disease-free seeds for planting crops. They no longer would need to travel long distances to the nearest city to grind their clover, corn, and barley crops into feed and purchase seeds. This facility will benefit nearly 1,500 people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. These projects are part of a collaboration between USAID, the Azerbaijani government, and local communities to support citizen-led efforts to improve rural livelihoods. USAIDs SEDA is implemented by the East-West Management Institute with support from the Ministry of Economy. Since 2011, SEDA communities have implemented 139 projects that include activities supporting local economies, medical facilities, roads in rural areas, water and irrigation systems, and local school renovations -- benefiting nearly 225,000 people in 109 communities. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: The opening of the Azerbaijan-Belarus tractor producing plant took place on April 15 in Turkey, a source in the Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association told Trend. The cost of the plant Belarus built by the Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association is $17 million. At the opening ceremony of the plant, held April 15 in Turkeys Kirikkale city, it was reported that so far, a total of $5 million had been spent on the work done. It was also noted that the creation of this plant is a good embodiment of bilateral and trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Turkey and Belarus. The construction of this plant, which has great prospects, created a more serious basis for the trilateral Azerbaijani-Turkish-Belarusian cooperation. Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Automobile Plant, Azerbaijani MP Khanlar Fatiyev informed the participants about the success achieved in the Azerbaijani economy under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, including in the field of machine engineering. He noted that as part of a bilateral agreement concluded in October 2006 during the visit by President Ilham Aliyev to Belarus, cooperation between the Ganja Automobile Plant and the Minsk Tractor Works OJSC was started. At the same time, since 2007, about 3,000 MAZ vehicles have been produced at the Ganja Automobile Plant. In accordance with the bilateral agreement signed in 2013 with the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, since 2014, the plant has started producing tractors. The opening ceremony of the plant was attended by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey Bekir Pakdemirli, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Lyashenko and other officials. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Azerbaijani alcoholic beverage producer Ismayilli Sharab has begun to export wine to China since the beginning of the year, the company told Trend. The wine is expected to be further supplied to this country in the second half of the year, the company said. "The first volumes of wine exported to the Chinese market were small, but taking into account the demand for our products, we hope for stable supplies, the company said. The company's products are also supplied to Russia. Several export operations have been carried out to the market of this country since the beginning of the year." The Italian and French equipment has been installed in the company located in the Azerbaijani Ismayilli district. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend: GM Uzbekistan will launch the production of the Chevrolet Equinox crossover and the Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV this year, Trend reports with reference to Uzavtosanoat. "In 2019, the Chevrolet Captiva crossover will be replaced with: Chevrolet Equinox crossover and Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV. The production of cars will be implemented on GM Uzbekistans plants," Uzavtosanoat noted. Earlier GM Uzbekistan announced two new models - SUVs in the SUV segment, which were planned to be presented at the end of the third quarter of this year. "In the coming years, we will be mastering a new global platform. Moreover, this year, we are working on the start of a large-assembly of two cars in the SUV segment - off-road vehicles. We removed the Captiva production last year and presented 2 new cars instead," Deputy Chairman of Uzavtosanoat Aziz Shukurov said. Chevrolet Equinox is a mid-size crossover, the prototype of which was first introduced by the Americans in 2003 at the Detroit Auto Show. In 2008, a new version of the Chevrolet Equinox called Sport was introduced. The technical equipment of the crossover was thoroughly revised. Chevrolet Trailblazer began to produce in September 2001 in Ohio. In 2013, General Motors introduced a completely new generation of this SUV. Trailblazer 2013 is equipped with a 3.6-liter gasoline engine (239 horsepower). The engine comes in a pair with a 5-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed Hydramax automatic transmission. Up to 100 km / h, the Trailblazer with a gasoline engine accelerates in 9.7 seconds (in diesel with an automatic transmission - 11.8 seconds). --- Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Officials of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) have announced that the country is ready to export onions to Iran for about $0.35 per kilogram, Trend reports with reference to Fars News Agency. As the FPCCI officials reported, the cultivation of onions in Pakistan is at a good level. In his turn, Chairman of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Gholamhossein Shafei said that Iranian economic condition is very fragile and that decisions are to be made for the benefit of the people. Economic problems alongside heavy rains in Iran since mid-March have led to an increase in the prices for onion crop, which rose to 150,000 rials (about $3.57) per kilogram. In the meantime, the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has banned the export of onions and potatoes since April 4, 2019. However, this prohibition has not seriously impacted the onion prices. In the cities of Iran, onions are sold at around 120-150,000 rials (about $2.85-$3.57) per kilogram. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Azerbaijans Gilan Textile Park LLC intends to export textile products to the new markets in the CIS countries, chairperson of the Azerbaijan Textile Products Manufacturers and Exporters' Association Mehriban Akhundova told Trend. "The negotiations on the export of the company's textile products are underway with Russian partners," she said. "Besides Russia, we also intend to supply textile products, namely, terry products, bathrobes, blankets and others to Belarus," Akhundova said. "In the future, we plan to supply our textile products to other CIS countries." She stressed that Gilan Textile Parks products are environmentally friendly and meet all international quality standards. Taking into account the production potential, Gilan Textile Park is considered one of the biggest processing enterprises not only in Azerbaijan, but in the entire region. Gilan Textile Park, which uses cotton grown in Azerbaijan as a raw material for the production of various products, renders great support to the development of the Azerbaijani industry and agriculture. The weaving, dyeing and sewing factories operate on the basis of the Gilan Textile Park, which launched its activity in Azerbaijans Sumgait city in 2012. The National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy issued a preferential loan worth 15 million manats for the construction of three factories in the textile park worth 46 million manats. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: Azerbaijans Food Safety Agency will start online registration of business entities working in the nutrition sector on May 1, a source in the agency told Trend. According to the source, for this purpose, the agency has developed an automated information system for food safety, which currently operates in the test mode. The registration will no longer require visiting the agencys departments; it is necessary just to log into the agencys official website to register. "This can be done using ASAN Imza, an electronic signature, as well as a PIN code, the source said. It will also be possible to pay state fees through a personal account. In accordance with the decree by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the agency began operating in January 2018. In the future, the agency will ensure introduction of innovative solutions for rapid development of cooperation between the agency and entrepreneurs. There are also plans to automate import and export processes and conduct online information exchange in real time with the State Customs Committee. This will minimize contacts between citizens and officials, thus preventing waste of time of the entrepreneurs and further simplifying export and import processes. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The New Zigana Dagi road tunnel will connect Trabzon and Gumushane provinces in northeastern Turkey in 2021, a source from Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure told Trend on April 17. According to the Ministry, the construction of the tunnel has been completed by more than 60 percent. The total length of the tunnel is 29 kilometers and the width is 12 meters. This tunnel will be the longest in Turkey." The construction work was launched simultaneously from two points, the source says. "The construction works in Gumushane and Trabzon provinces were launched in April 2016 and in August 2016 respectively. The tunnel will be also equipped with six ventilation systems. Currently, there are 39 road runnels and three railway tunnels in Turkey, while the New Zigana Dagi, Kop Dagi, Sabuncubeli and Dolmabahce-Fulya tunnels are being constructed. Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Sara Israfilbayova Trend: The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) intends to implement a project of providing six Azerbaijani districts with water till the end of 2020, the bank told Trend on April 17. "The implementation of the project depends on a number of factors such as climatic conditions, the process of tenders and other factors, the bank said. However, the project is expected to be implemented till late 2020." The additional funds are not expected to be allocated and the project may be implemented within the approved budget, the bank added. No appeals concerning the new projects have been received from the Azerbaijani government yet. Azerbaijan joined the Islamic Development Bank in 1992. During this period, the bank's portfolio amounted to about $1.2 billion. The bank is mainly interested in such sectors in Azerbaijan as energy, irrigation, road construction and agriculture. ----- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsrafilbekovaS Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: In the last Iranian year (March 21, 2018-March 20, 2019), the non-oil exports of Iran's Bushehr province to Qatar increased by 62 percent in terms of value, Deputy Governor General of Bushehr Province in coordinating economic affairs and development of human resources Saeed Zarrinfar told reporters, Trend reports via IRNA. Zarrinfar noted that in the last year, Bushehr exported 678,000 tons of goods for $117 million to Qatar. Compared to the preceding year, Bushehr's exports to Qatar increased by 47 percent in terms of weight, he said. Main exports to Qatar were agricultural products such as watermelon, melon, cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, as well as cement, clinker and other mining products, Zarrinfar said. In the last year, Bushehr exported goods to Qatar via eight customs points, he added. Dayyer Customs of Bushehr accounted for $46 million of the exports, while the special customs zone at Bushehr Port accounted for $45 million. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: A meeting was held with representatives of large grain farms and agroparks at the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to the ministry. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ilham Guliyev, was devoted to the issues of harvesting and technical support, among other topics. During the meeting, representatives of large grain farms were informed that starting from this grain harvest season, preference will be given to plots of up to 50 hectares in harvesting with combines and equipment owned by Agroleasing, and only after that will the large grain farms be served. Representatives of agroparks were advised to purchase their own combines via leasing. It was emphasized that in accordance with the new rules, large grain farms can now buy agricultural equipment at a discount of 40 percent, subject to payment of 20 percent of the cost of equipment. They can pay the remaining amount for a long period and without interest. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The Azerbaijani ICT market is rapidly developing, new technologies are being introduced in the country, director general of Nokia company in Russia Rashid Ismailov told Trend on April 17. Ismailov took part in the 6th meeting of the High Level Working Group on the Development of the Information Society in Baku. He stressed that the quality of mobile communications in Azerbaijan is quite good, there is high-speed Internet that meets modern requirements. There are no problems with the work of mobile communication operators in Azerbaijan, he added. "The mobile communication network is being constantly expanded, which testifies to the growing demand of the population for the services of all three mobile communication operators - Azercell, Bakcell, Nar. Of course, this direction should be more developed to further increase the quality level and even more to meet the needs of the population for the qualitative mobile communications and high-speed Internet," Ismailov said. While speaking about the event in Baku, he emphasized the importance of the fact that the Executive Committee of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications invited representatives of Nokia company, one of the important players in the digitalization market, to participate in today's meeting. Ismailov stressed that this event is important for the company in terms of discussing the issues of digitalization in the post-Soviet area. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 Trend: Azerbaijan has always closely followed the events taking place in Kazakhstan, said Azerbaijani MP Aydin Mirzazade, Trend reports referring to the Kazinform. "The extraordinary presidential elections in Kazakhstan will provide an opportunity to elect a new head of state with the continuation of the progressive course followed by Nursultan Nazarbayev," according to Mirzazade. "There is no doubt that the elections will be held democratically and will comply with legalities and generally accepted legal norms. In this election, Kazakhstan will open a new page in its modern history. We wish Kazakhstan to hold these elections at the highest level, show the world its democratic foundations," Mirzazade said. He noted that Kazakhstan is a great friend of Azerbaijan. After gaining independence, the country has done a lot for the establishment of peace, security and stability in the region. The steps taken by the country allowed for creating a strong, independent and democratic state. "The deputies of Azerbaijan reacted to the announcement of early presidential elections in Kazakhstan with respect and understanding. This is an internal political process in Kazakhstan, which takes place in compliance with the country's constitution. We will follow the processes and there is no doubt that they will be held within legal frames, in a democratic atmosphere, and the people will choose a worthy candidate," concluded the deputy. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 17 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Thomas Greminger in Ashgabat on April 16, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmenistan State News Agency. An exchange of views took place on the prospects for cooperation, and the formation of new international transport routes on the Eurasian continent became the subject of special attention. In this context, the importance of the multimodal transport and transit corridor Lapis Lazuli (Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey) was emphasized, the report said. In particular, the Turkmen president expressed confidence that the functioning of the new port in Turkmenbashi city will have a positive impact on the situation in the region and beyond, and will promote cooperation among the Caspian-littoral states. Ensuring energy security and stable energy supplies, issues of environmental protection, rational use of water resources and settlement of the situation in Afghanistan were also mentioned as priority aspects of cooperation. The OSCE secretary general drew attention to the importance of the Turkmen initiatives on laying power transmission and fiber optic communication lines on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route, as well as the commissioning of the Serhetabat-Torghundi (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan) railway. The Lapis Lazuli transit project envisions railways and highways connecting the city of Torghundi in Afghanistans Herat Province with Ashgabat, and further with the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi. The corridor will continue to Baku, then through Tbilisi to Ankara with branches in Poti and Batumi, and then from Ankara to Istanbul. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 17 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The State Customs Service of Turkmenistan hosted a meeting with the delegation of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under the US Department of Defense, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen State Customs Service. The parties discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of security and the exchange of ideas regarding the management of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergency cases, disaster response as a result of man-made and natural disasters, as well as problems associated with weapons of mass destruction. Turkmenistan, having the status of positive neutrality, has a long border with Afghanistan and has repeatedly offered to hold talks in Ashgabat under the auspices of the UN to restore peace in the neighboring state. Ashgabat provides humanitarian aid to the neighboring state and builds social infrastructure facilities, supplies of electricity and fuel are carried out on preferential terms. Turkmenistan started carrying out a major project, the implementation of which will make it possible to increase the export of electricity to Afghanistan five times. A large-scale project to lay gas pipeline to India and Pakistan for the supply of Turkmen gas is also related to the territory of Afghanistan, where unstable situation has remained for a long time. Observers believe that the implementation of this project may contribute to the restoration of Afghanistan, as it will allow creating jobs and provide the country with guaranteed income from transit. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 17 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan and South Korea signed a package of bilateral intergovernmental documents on April 17 following the talks at the highest level in Ashgabat, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmenistan State News Agency. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the presidents of Turkmenistan and South Korea Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Moon Jae-in. The Economic Cooperation Program, the Protocol on Amendments to the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technologies were signed. The heads of state also put their signatures under a joint statement. The signed memorandums and agreements are aimed at developing fruitful partnership in the textile industry, transport, the oil and gas sector, healthcare and the medical industry, education and training of qualified professional personnel. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, April 17 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan is ready for close cooperation with Korean companies in building ships for use in the Caspian Sea, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary state agency. This initiative was announced on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 during negotiations with the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In, who is on a state visit in the Turkmen capital. The Balkan shipyard in Turkmenbashi city near the Caspian Sea is a basis for development of domestic shipbuilding. Dry cargo ships and oil tankers are repaired at the plant. It is planned to build ships of various classes and types in the future. Among them, there are the RO-RO ferries for transportation of wheeled vehicles (cars, trucks, trailers and wagons). In addition to assembling ships, a full cycle of repairs of tankers, dry cargo ships, tugboats, etc. can be carried out here. The technological lines of the plant allow for processing 10,000 tons of steel a year. It is possible to build a minimum of 4 vessels and carry out maintenance and repair work of 20 vessels or more annually. The shipyard was designed according to the requirements of IACS (International Association of Classification Societies). The shipyard occupies a total area of 166,000 square meters. Its construction project was implemented by the Turkish company Gap Insaat. With the commissioning of an additional international sea port in Turkmenbashi in May 2018, optimal opportunities emerged for sending goods that enter the port along the Silk Road route from the countries of Asia and the Pacific, and further to European countries through the ports of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The annual throughput capacity of the port is 17-18 million tons. Together with the previously operating port, this figure reaches 25-26 million tons. Shareholders of the Balkan Shipbuilding and Repair Plant are the Turkmendenizderyayollary (Turkmen Seaways) agency and Turkmenbashi International Port. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: In accordance with the schedule for the 11th parliamentary elections in Iran, the preparations for the elections will begin on May 23, 2019, Mohammad Javad Kulivand, Chairman of the Councils and Interior Affairs Committee of the Iranian Parliament, told Tasnim News Agency, Trend reports. According to Kulivand, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Iran has prepared a schedule for the parliamentary elections and has submitted it to the Supervisory Board. Kulivand said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Supervisory Board have held many discussions on the timeline so far, and the discussions are ongoing. "According to the schedule of the 11th parliamentary elections, officials who want to nominate their candidacy at the first stage of the elections should resign from their post," he said. The next Iranian parliamentary elections will be held on February 21, 2020. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif issued a letter to his international colleagues on the US adding Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (more commonly known as Sepah) to its list of designated terrorist organizations, Trend reports referring to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran. Zarif stated that naming a part of the official armed forces of an independent state a member of the UN and a signatory of international conventions on humanitarian law as a terrorist organization can have dangerous legal and political consequences. "Certainly, various countries have differing views on a number of international issues. But after the Second World War, we all agreed that any conflict that threatens international peace and security is to be resolved peacefully within the framework of the UN Charter and international law," he said. The latest act of the US is one of the most serious threats to the international peace, according to him. "The negative consequences of this dangerous act will lead to the complete destruction of the international order in the long run. At the same time, the strengthening of the tension between Iran and the US, the destruction of all the mechanisms that can reduce them, is part of a major effort aimed at eliminating the option of peace and political options for the resolution of the conflict so that, in the end, there are no choices and no solutions left other than making a mutual step." On April 8, the US added Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (more commonly known as Sepah) to its list of designated terrorist organizations. Irans accredited Ambassador to Andorra Hassan Qashqavi submitted his credentials to French President Emanuel Macron and co-prince of Andorra late on Tuesday, Trend reports citing IRNA. During the meeting, Qashqavi, who is also Iran's ambassador to Spain, referred to Irans adherence to all its commitments under the JCPOA and verification of the international pact by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and stressed the need for all the parties to the deal to comply with it. He also called for operationalizing the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEXT). Macron, for his part, highlighted the role of Iran in the Middle East, and said that France is determined to save the JCPOA and tries to execute INSTEX at the earliest. Instagram has blocked the pages of commanders of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), over a week after the United States blacklisted the elite military force, Trend reports citing Press TV. The blocking spree by Facebooks sister photo and video-sharing networking service began after the US designated the Corps as a foreign terrorist organization last week. The targeted pages include those of the IRGCs chief commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Major General Qassem Soleimani, who commands the Corps Quds Force, Commander of the IRGCs Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Brigadier General Moussa Kamali, and Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, a former commander of the IRGCs Air Force. Instagram has, according to media reports, confirmed the measure and said it acted on Washingtons sanctions law. Several world countries have censured Washingtons designation and said targeting another countrys military force breaches international regulations. In response to the designation by US President Donald Trump, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic reciprocally designated the US administration as a supporter of terrorism and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization pursuant to a decision by Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the countrys top security body. Early results from Indonesias election on Wednesday showed President Joko Widodo with a comfortable lead, in line with opinion polls that had predicted the low-key reformist was heading for a second five-year term, reports Trend citing to Reuters Private pollsters data based on a partial count of samples from polling stations showed that Widodo was winning more than half of the vote and his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, was more than 10 percentage points behind him. One of the pollsters, the Jakarta-based CSIS, showed Widodo with 56.7 percent and Prabowo at 43.3 percent, after just over half of the votes were counted. We are not claiming anything yet, CSIS Executive Director Philips Vermonte told Reuters. The data will likely stabilize at 90 percent. Our staff are validating the data. Asked to comment on the quick count results, Prabowo campaign spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said that numbers based on 50 percent of votes was not enough. We will wait, he said. The one-day elections for both the presidency and legislature seats followed a campaign across the sprawling equatorial archipelago that was dominated by economic issues but was also marked by the growing influence of conservative Islam. The eight-hour vote across a country that stretches more than 5,000 km (3,000 miles) from its western to eastern tips was both a Herculean logistical feat and testimony to the resilience of democracy two decades after authoritarianism was defeated. Widodo, a furniture businessman who entered politics 14 years ago as a small-city mayor, narrowly defeated Prabowo in the last election, in 2014. A senior government official close to the president said before the election that a win for Widodo with 52-55 percent of the vote would be a sweet spot, and enough of a mandate to press on with, and even accelerate, reforms. The winner may be known by late on Wednesday, though official results will not come until May. Any disputes can be taken to the Constitutional Court where a nine-judge panel will have 14 days to rule on them. FRAUD CONCERNS More than 10,000 volunteers crowd-sourced results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud. However, even before the election, the opposition alleged voter-list irregularities that it said could affect millions and vowed legal or people power action if its concerns were ignored. Widodo campaigned on his record of deregulation and improving infrastructure, calling his first term a step to tackling inequality and poverty in Southeast Asias biggest economy. Bread-and-butter issues were at the forefront of the minds of many voters. I hope in future prices of staple foods will be cheaper, especially as we are heading into Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, said Nurani, a 41-year-old mother of three, voting in Bandar Lampung in Sumatra. But religion was also a factor in the election in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country, where conservatives have been increasingly influential. Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Java island, had to burnish his Islamic credentials after smear campaigns and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia. He picked Islamic cleric Maruf Amin, 76, as his running mate. Prabowo, a former special forces commander who has links to some hardline Islamist groups, and his running mate, business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno, pledged to boost the economy by slashing taxes and cutting food prices. Shells slammed into a Tripoli suburb overnight, piling on the suffering to civilians from a two-week assault by commander Khalifa Haftars forces to take Libyas capital from an internationally-backed government, reports Trend referring to Reuters The rockets, just before midnight on Tuesday, hit the southern residential district of Abu Salim near a disused airport, killing at least four people and adding to a death toll the United Nations puts at more than 800. This is a senseless war against civilians, one man, Mohamed in his 40s, told Reuters among angry people in the area, where houses and cars were damaged. Both sides blamed each other for the attack. Haftar and his eastern Libyan forces have cast their advance as part of a campaign to restore order and defeat jihadists in nation gripped by anarchy since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. But the internationally-recognized Tripoli government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj - which has kept him at bay in the southern suburbs - views the 75-year-old general as a dangerous would-be dictator in the Gaffafi mould. The United Nations humanitarian agency the OCHA said thousands of civilians were trapped in southern districts of Tripoli due to the fighting. Rescuers and aid workers were having difficulty reaching them and electricity, water supplies and telecommunications have been badly disrupted, it said in a statement. Nearly 20,000 people have now fled their homes, some seeking shelter elsewhere in the capital but most heading out of the city. At least 14 civilians had been killed and about 36 wounded during the offensive, the OCHA said. Prime Minister Serraj toured the damaged area on Wednesday morning, his office said. Abu Salim lies about 8 km (5 miles) from the city center, behind the front line of pro-Serraj forces blocking LNA troops to their south. I saw the rockets fall. This is a crime by Khalifa Haftar, said one man who gave his name as Abdelrazaq. ITALY FEARS TERRORIST INFILTRATION International powers are aghast at the flare-up in Libya, which has scuppered a United Nations peace plan, threatens to disrupt oil supplies from the OPEC nation, and may unleash a new wave of illegal migration across the Mediterranean to Europe. But no common position has emerged given different sympathies towards the factions round the Gulf and Europe. Italys Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Haftars offensive had heightened the risk of militants joining migrant boats in the Mediterranean heading for his country. Islamist terrorist infiltration is no longer a risk, it has become a certainty: it is therefore my duty to reiterate that no docking will be allowed on Italian shores, Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League party, said in an interview with Radio Rai 1. Rome has blocked charity boats that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean from docking at Italian ports, saying the ships are aiding people smugglers and encouraging mass, unregulated immigration. The charities have denied breaking any laws. The government has also accused the European Union of leaving Italy isolated in dealing with the migration crisis of recent years. Since Salvini took office last June, the number of new migrant arrivals has fallen more than 90 percent. Italy is working day and night for peace, dialogue and a ceasefire, so common sense might prevail, added Salvini of the Libya conflict. Rome is pushing for Haftar to halt his advance. Italy, with considerable oil interests in Libya, supports Serraj, bringing tensions with France which has backed Haftar in the past. Indias embattled Jet Airways Ltd is set to temporarily halt operations from Wednesday onward after its lenders rejected the airlines plea for emergency funds, reports Trend citing to Reuters The airline, saddled with roughly $1.2 billion of bank debt, has been teetering for weeks after failing to receive a stop-gap loan of about $217 million from its lenders, as part of a rescue deal agreed in late March. Separately, two sources at state-run banks told Reuters on Wednesday that the banks had rejected the 4 billion rupees ($58 million) that Jet had sought to keep itself temporarily afloat, while its lenders attempted to identify an investor willing to acquire a majority stake in the airline and attempt to turn it around. Bankers did not want to go for a piecemeal approach which would keep the carrier flying for a few days and then again risk having Jet come back for more interim funding, said one of the bank sources directly involved in Jets debt resolution process. All five sources declined to be named as they have not been authorized to discuss the matter with media. Jet and its lead lender State Bank of India (SBI) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. LESSORS FLEE At its peak, Jet operated over 120 planes and well over 600 daily flights. The airline, once Indias largest private carrier, has been forced in recent weeks to cancel hundreds of flights and to halt all flights to overseas destinations. The crisis at Jet, which owes vast sums to suppliers, pilots lessors and oil companies, has deepened in recent weeks as its lessors have scrambled to de-register and take back planes, in a sign the bailout plan had failed to assuage their concerns. Indias aviation regulator said on its website on Wednesday that lessors had applied to de-register another four Boeing Co 737 planes. An analysis of the latest data disclosed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that Jets lessors have, so far, sought to deregister and repossess at least 48 planes operated by Jet. Once deregistered, lessors are free to reclaim a plane and lease it to another airline. The rapid exodus of planes risks further eroding value from the carrier, even as lenders scurry to find an investor willing to buy a majority stake in the debt-laden airline and attempt to turn it around. Its lenders, led by SBI, have been seeking expressions of interest for an up to 75 percent stake in the airline. Initial expressions bids were submitted last week. Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders' summit on November 21-22, 2020, in its capital, Riyadh, Trend reported citing Al Jazeera. "Saudi Arabia is fully committed to the G20's objectives and to the stability and prosperity of the international economic system," it reported on Wednesday. The G20 is made up of 19 of the world's biggest economies, as well as the European Union. It formed in 1999 to discuss policy matters and financial stability. Japan will host this year's G20 summit in Osaka, which will be held June 28-29, as well as ministerial meetings in eight cities. In 2018, the conference was held in Buenos Aries, Argentina and focused on the global economy, the future of labour markets and gender equality. At least three people were wounded when a US military truck caught fire in Polands southwestern Province of Lower Silesia, Trend reported citing Sputnik. The vehicle was moving in a convoy, according to the radio station. A military fire brigade is working on the site. The United States has around 4,000 troops in Poland. At a meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in September, US President Donald Trump said that the United States was considering establishing a base in Poland. Trump also stated that Warsaw agreed to pay more than $2 billion toward the cost of the base. The Polish president, in turn, suggested that the base be called Fort Trump. US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher said in February that Washington could increase its military presence in Poland by hundreds of troops. Israel's president appointed on Wednesday night incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the country's 35th government, following the April 9 elections, Trend reported citing Xinhua. In live broadcast statements, President Reuven Rivlin announced he had decided to task Netanyahu with forming Israel's next government following two-day consultations held with the parliament parties elected in the recent elections. The consultations are an official procedure in Israel after elections, in which the 120 newly-elected members of the parliament, or the Knesset, give their recommendations on which leader should form the government. The president then selects the candidate with the best chances of forming a government. At no time in Israel's history, any party won an outright majority to form a government. A coalition needs at least 61 members of the 120-member Knesset. "My Excellency, incumbent prime minister and designated prime minister," Rivlin addressed Netanyahu, "65 members of the Knesset recommended you." Netanyahu vowed to serve as the prime minister "of all Israelis," after being criticized over a divisive and inciting election campaign that included placing hidden cameras inside polling stations of Arab towns. The appointment means Netanyahu will now begin the process of coalition-building. He is likely to form a narrow right-wing government composed of pro-settler, far-right, and ultra-Orthodox parties, which already announced their support to him. He has up to 42 days to form his government. Coalition-building in Israel usually drags on as smaller parties demand cabinet seats and financial and legislative changes to fulfill the promises they gave to their voters during the election campaign. Official results released on Tuesday night showed that the Netanyahu's Likud party gained 35 seats, similar to Blue and White, his main challenger led by Benny Gantz, Israel's ex-military chief. However, Netanyahu was tasked with forming the next government since the right-wing bloc won the majority of the parliament seats. The hawkish leader is heading a record-breaking fifth term in office, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel. A person was killed and two other people were injured after about 60 prisoners escaped from jail in Venezuela's Nueva Esparta state, media reported citing local authorities, Trend reports citing Sputnik. The inmates, who seized arms from a guardhouse, attacked and injured two prison guards, the Noticias Venezuela news website reported. According to preliminary data, one of the prisoners was killed. Police are now searching the area. Last year, a fire at the Venezuelan prison in the northern state of Carabobo killed 68 people overnight, including two female visitors. Rescuers found four bodies on Tuesday in the rubble of two collapsed buildings in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, bringing the death toll to 16, but there are eight people still missing, firefighters said, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The body of a woman was found in the early morning and later rescue crews found the bodies of a pregnant woman, her mother and a child. They were on the list of the missing persons, firefighters said. The rescue efforts continue for the fifth day in an attempt to find the missing people amid the rubble. More than 100 firefighters, 30 military engineers as well as rescue dogs are conducting the rescue operation. Four injured people remain hospitalized with two of them in critical condition. The cause that led to the Friday collapse has yet to be determined. The Rio de Janeiro mayor's office cordoned off the 13 buildings next to the two collapsed ones and evacuated all the inhabitants in them. Authorities are only allowing residents of these buildings to enter for a few minutes to retrieve their belongings. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The US must not think that Turkey will accept all its requirements, Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kilic said, while commenting on Washingtons requirements to abandon purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. "Ankara is not obliged to fulfill Washingtons all requirements to be a reliable partner of the US in NATO," Kilic added, Trend reports on April 17 referring to Turkish media. He also stressed that the two countries greatly need each other. Turkey is a key country in Washingtons Middle East policy, the minister added. Earlier, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that the US believes that Turkey would be unable to have both American F-35 fighter-bombers and Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at the same time, as this is technically impossible. According to Pentagon sources, it is impossible to launch the F-35 in the space where the S-400 is operated, he said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country may receive the S-400 missile systems earlier than scheduled. In his words, Turkey expects to receive the first supplies of the S-400 missile systems in July 2019. The President noted that despite appeals from the US, Turkey will not abandon the purchase of S-400. "This issue has been already resolved by Turkey," Erdogan added. Initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the supply of S-400 appeared in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on September 12, 2017. Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 air defense systems would be deployed starting from October 2019. The supply of the S-400 air defense systems to Ankara cost $2.5 billion, Head of the Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov informed in December 2017. Turkey is the first NATO member country, which will receive the S-400 air defense systems from Russia. Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey has not refused from membership in the EU and the work on joining full EU members is underway, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The EU must demonstrate a sincere attitude towards Turkey, President Erdogan added, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media on April 17. He said that full EU membership is still one of the priorities for Turkey. The Association Agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for EU membership in 1987, but accession negotiations began only in 2005. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The Turkish Nationalist Movement Party has officially appealed to the countrys Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to hold the repeat elections in Maltepe district of Istanbul city, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media. The party said that the holding of the repeat elections is not contrary to the country's laws. The Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party has recently officially appealed to the YSK to hold the repeat elections in Istanbul. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the results of the municipal elections in Istanbul may be annulled. Meanwhile, Yavuz said that the ruling party demands to hold the repeat municipal elections in Istanbul. He added that the ruling party has all the evidence of falsification of the election results. The ruling party will present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul soon, he said. The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, President Erdogan said earlier. He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu. Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bagmsz Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (IYI Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklarn Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti). Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while candidate from the ruling party Binali Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul. The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country. Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: No one has the right to interfere in Turkeys affairs regarding its position in NATO, said Ibrahim Kalin, the press secretary of the Turkish president, Trend reports via Turkish media. Kalin noted that Turkey is one of the NATO members and is responsible for all decisions that it makes. Regarding the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system, he said that no country has the right to tell Turkey what to do. Russian S-400s do not pose a threat to NATO, and the US know it very well, he added. Earlier, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that the US believes that Turkey would be unable to have both American F-35 fighter-bombers and Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at the same time, as this is technically impossible. According to Pentagon sources, it is impossible to launch the F-35 in the space where the S-400 is operated, he said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country may receive the S-400 missile systems earlier than scheduled. In his words, Turkey expects to receive the first supplies of the S-400 missile systems in July 2019. The President noted that despite appeals from the US, Turkey will not abandon the purchase of S-400. "This issue has been already resolved by Turkey," Erdogan added. Initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the supply of S-400 appeared in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on September 12, 2017. Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 air defense systems would be deployed starting from October 2019. The supply of the S-400 air defense systems to Ankara cost $2.5 billion, Head of the Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov informed in December 2017. Turkey is the first NATO member country, which will receive the S-400 air defense systems from Russia. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The decision taken by the US to include the elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces - the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the list of terrorist organizations is a mistake, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Trend reports via Turkish media. Turkey, as before, is in favor of lifting all the sanctions adopted by the US against Iran, Cavusoglu said. Turkish foreign minister noted that Turkey and Iran have established close ties and intend to increase trade to $30 billion. Earlier the US declared its intention to include the IRGC in the list of foreign terrorist organizations. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Tehran is pleased with Ankaras position on the US sanctions against Iran and Iran is grateful to Turkey for such support, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said. Zarif made the remarks in Ankara during a joint press-conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey has once again proved that its relations with Iran are very important and are aimed at the welfare of the two peoples, Zarif added, Trend reports on April 17. Zarif paid a working visit to Turkeys Ankara city. The US other sanctions against Iran came into force on November 5, 2018. The sanctions covered the oil export. Washington intends to bring the export of Iranian oil to zero, calling on all its buyers to abandon such purchases. US President Donald Trump announced in May 2018 that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on a nuclear program with Iran. He also spoke about the restoration of all sanctions against Iran, including secondary ones, that is, against other countries doing business with Iran. The US has re-imposed some sanctions against Iran since August 7, 2018. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) will issue a mandate to the candidate from the opposition Republican Peoples Party, Ekrem Imamoglu, as the head of the Istanbul municipality, Trend reports via Turkish media. Reports earlier noted that Imamoglu would receive a mandate to be the head of the Istanbul municipality on April 17. Earlier, the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) of Turkey had appealed to the YSK demanding to issue a mandate to Ekrem Imamoglu to head the Istanbul municipality. The Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party has recently officially appealed to the YSK to hold the repeat elections in Istanbul. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the results of the municipal elections in Istanbul may be annulled. Meanwhile, Yavuz said that the ruling party demands to hold the repeat municipal elections in Istanbul. He added that the ruling party has all the evidence of falsification of the election results. The ruling party will present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul soon, he said. The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, President Erdogan said earlier. He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu. Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Bagmsz Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (IYI Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklarn Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti). Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while candidate from the ruling party Binali Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul. The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country. Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The Trump administration wants to open two new tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 parents and children near the southern border, as advocates sharply criticize the conditions inside the tents already used to hold migrants, Trend reports with reference to The Associated Press. US Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to potential contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in the South Texas city of Donna, which has a border crossing with Mexico. Each facility would consist of one large tent that could be divided into sections by gender and between families and children traveling alone, according to the notice. Detainees would sleep on mats. There would also be laundry facilities, showers, and an additional fenced-in area for outside exercise/recreation. The notice says the facilities could open in the next two weeks and operate through year end, with a cost that could reach $37 million. But the agency has said its resources are strained by the sharp rise in the numbers of parents and children crossing the border and requesting asylum. It made 53,000 apprehensions in March of parents and children traveling together, most of whom say they are fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Many ultimately request asylum under US and international law. In a statement Tuesday, CBP said it urgently needed additional space for detention and processing. CBP is committed to finding solutions that address the current border security and humanitarian crisis at the southwest border in a way that safeguards those in our custody in a humane and dignified manner, the statement said. The Border Patrol has started directly releasing parents and children instead of referring them to immigration authorities for potential long-term detention, but families still sometimes wait several days to be processed by the agency and released. The Border Patrol processing center in McAllen is routinely over capacity . Kevin McAleenan, the new acting homeland security secretary, was scheduled to visit McAllen Tuesday and Wednesday. In El Paso, hundreds of people are detained in tents set up at the center of a parking lot next to a patrol station. People detained there have complained of prolonged exposure to cold. The Border Patrol limits them to one warm layer of clothing, confiscates coats, and issues a Mylar blanket to each detainee, citing health and safety concerns. US Rep. Nanette Barragan, a California Democrat, visited the tents earlier this month. She said she had seen a mother with her 4-month-old child who had been there for five or more days, in conditions she said were unhealthy. A man crashed his car into a group of people following an altercation in Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon, injuring six people, police say, Trend reports citing Sputnik. The 44-year-old driver, who was not identified, suffered head and facial injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he was charged with aggravated assault, Fox News reported. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI that the driver was pulled out of his car and attacked by passers-by at the scene before he was taken away. No deaths were reported as a result of the incident, yet according to police, a 37-year-old man was in critical condition after suffering head and body injuries. The other 5 five victims, including 17-year-old girl, suffered minor injuries. Police were investigating what caused the initial altercation. KYODO NEWS - Apr 17, 2019 - 12:30 | All, World Japan said Tuesday it has started talks with the United States for cutting tariffs on agricultural and industrial products and that the two sides agreed to include digital trade as part of new negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement. During the first round of talks with Japanese economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer raised the "very large" trade deficit with Japan, urging the country to address the trade imbalances between the world's biggest and third-largest economies. (Toshimitsu Motegi) Speaking to reporters after the two-day meeting in Washington, Motegi said he and Lighthizer agreed to start talks on digital trade, an area including e-commerce and music distribution services, at an appropriate time. Separately, the Office of the USTR said the two ministers "discussed trade issues involving goods, including agriculture, as well as the need to establish high standards in the area of digital trade." "In addition, the United States raised its very large trade deficit with Japan -- $67.6 billion in goods in 2018," it said. The ministers reaffirmed they will conduct negotiations and achieve substantive results in line with an agreement struck between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump last September. The agreement said the two governments "will enter into negotiations...for a Japan-United States trade agreement on goods, as well as on other key areas including services, that can produce early achievements." Besides digital trade, Lighthizer did not refer to specific areas in services and other key areas that the United States wants to be included in the trade talks, according to Motegi. "The U.S. side said Japan and the United States share views on digital trade, and that the two sides could produce results at an early date," Motegi said. Motegi said he is planning to have another meeting with Lighthizer ahead of a summit between Abe and Trump that is likely to be held April 26 in the U.S. capital. Motegi quoted Lighthizer as saying the Trump administration wants to cut the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, and that the administration has a strong interest in increasing access to the Japanese market, especially for agricultural products. A revised Trans-Pacific Partnership -- an 11-member free trade agreement including Japan and farming nations such as Australia and Canada -- as well as an FTA between Japan and the European Union have put American farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage. Motegi said he told Lighthizer that Japan will not reduce tariffs on American farm products beyond levels the country has agreed in other trade pacts such as the revised TPP and Japan-EU FTA. The Japanese minister said he has won the USTR's assurance that Washington will refrain from imposing tariffs on automobile imports from Japan while negotiations are under way. However, Lighthizer's reference to the "very large" trade deficit with Japan signaled that Washington may push Tokyo to set quotas for restraining automobile exports, as well as to address nontariff barriers to facilitate imports of American cars. Trump regards automobiles as a symbol of the trade imbalance with Japan, because automobiles and auto parts accounted for about 75 percent of the U.S. deficit with the country as of 2017. Motegi also told Lighthizer that a currency provision, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said must be included in a trade deal with Japan, should be handled by the respective finance ministers. U.S. industry lobbies pushed the Trump administration to take swift action for a trade deal with Japan so American workers, farmers and businesses will not be left behind in a longtime top market for U.S. exports. "The rising tide of trade between Japan and its new trade agreement partners has meant lost sales for Americans," said Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "U.S. pork exports to Japan, the top export destination, have dropped by 35 percent so far this year." Donohue also said in a commentary posted Tuesday to U.S. business news network CNBC that Tokyo and Washington must reject managed trade practices such as voluntary export restraints. "We must also end the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from Japan and the threat of tariffs on autos and auto parts," he said. Situated on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, Dubai is the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, considered as one of the leading cities in the world. It is so developed and sophisticated city of United Arab Emirates. Here are 10 interesting facts about Dubai. also read: Amazing facts: facts about YouTube you probably dont know 1. Located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf with a population of 2,327,000 residents (at the end of 2014), Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 2. In addition to being a leading global city, Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the country known as the United Arab Emirates or simply the Emirates or the UAE. 3. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two of the seven emirates to have veto power 4. Although English is widely used, Arabic is the official language of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. 5. The crime rate in Dubai is so low. Virtually it is 0% across Dubai. That is why this city is considered one of the safest cities on earth. 6. Dubais Burj Khalifa rising to a height of 2,722 feet is the worlds tallest building 7. The Dubai International Airport (DXB) was the seventh busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in 2014 8. Kissing in public in Dubai is strictly illegal and can result in deportation 9. Only non-Muslims are allowed to consume alcohol 10. Visitors to Dubai are prohibited from wearing indecent clothing that reveals too much skin. also read: Amazing facts: Interesting facts about India that most Indians dont know MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--If heroin is coffee, fentanyl is espresso. Just as a miniscule cup of espresso can hype you up more than a whole mug of coffee, a single exposure to fentanyl can get a user vastly higher than injecting the same volume of heroin. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin. In a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health, West Virginia University researchers Gordon Smith, Marie Abate and Zheng Dai found that fentanyl-related deaths are on the rise in West Virginia, even as deaths related to prescription opioids decline. By analyzing all drug-related deaths in the state from 2005 to 2017, the research team--which included medical examiners from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources--discovered that between 2015 and 2017, deaths from fentanyl were 122 percent of what they were between 2005 and 2014. In contrast, prescription opioids played a role in 75 percent fewer deaths between 2015 and 2017 than over the previous 10 years. Why did fentanyl-related deaths skyrocket in 2015? One factor was a surge in illegal fentanyl imports from China. "Up until then, people who were shifting from legal prescription drugs to illegal drugs were shifting to heroin and opioids coming in from Mexico and other places. But then people started manufacturing fentanyl in China, setting up clandestine labs, staying one step ahead of drug-enforcement agencies," said Smith, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health. "The big thing about fentanyl--and now carfentanil, a fentanyl analog that's a thousand times stronger than morphine and heroin--is that it's very easy to export. Instead of having to smuggle truckloads of heroin in, someone can send small packages through the mail," he said. Another contributor is fentanyl's potency itself. Smith explained, "You might need to take--let's say--200 Tylenol before you get into some serious trouble, but with some other pain reliever, you might only need four of them because it's so much stronger." Drug users may take fentanyl or one or more of these potent fentanyl analogs without meaning to. Unbeknownst to them, it can be sold as counterfeit "prescription opioids" or blended into the heroin they buy, even from a dealer they've used without issue before. Accidentally drinking four ounces of espresso instead of drip coffee can make you jittery. Taking a fentanyl/heroin mix instead of unadulterated heroin can kill you. Another problem is that the amount of fentanyl in any sample sold on the street can vary widely. For example, dealers may mix fentanyl with adulterants at the local level on their kitchen tables. If they improperly mix their product, a spoonful in one small bag may have much more fentanyl that another, even in the same batch. In addition, illegal labs in the United States can make chemical modifications to fentanyl fairly readily to produce other very potent analogs. West Virginia's increase is fentanyl-related deaths is part of a national trend. As the CDC reported, deaths from fentanyl overdoses spiked across the United States in 2015 and, as of 2017, continued to climb. West Virginia, however, leads the nation in fentanyl-related deaths. It also has the highest per capita rate of overdose deaths overall. Yet West Virginia is exceptional for a more optimistic reason: its medical examiners pinpoint the cause of every drug-related death, and the relevant facts populate a statewide forensic drug database maintained at the WVU Health Sciences Center. The database includes such information as the decedent's demographic information, cause of death, toxicology testing results, other medical conditions present and recent prescriptions for controlled substances. This database gives scientists, healthcare providers and law enforcement officers insight into drug-misuse trends as they unfold. Abate, who directs the School of Pharmacy's West Virginia Center for Drug and Health Information, established the database in collaboration with the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in 2005. "The extent of decedent information found in this database is unique nationwide," said Abate, who--along with Smith--received prior funding from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the WVU Injury Control Research Center and the National Institute on Drug Abuse for research into drug misuse. The database can help direct public-health resources to where they can do the most good--and promptly enough that they're worthwhile. For instance, the data may suggest which towns need greater access to naloxone to treat a preponderance of overdoses. They may even help scientists decipher the chemical makeup of brand-new fentanyl analogs as soon as they hit the street. "One of the proven ways to reduce overdoses is to decrease the number of people who are addicted and using. But with fentanyl, you could halve the number of addicts in West Virginia, and the overdose rate could still go up because the strength of the drug coming in is so much stronger and can vary widely from one day to the next," Smith said. "This is an absolute quandary." He recommends more widespread naloxone distribution, including to both injection drug users and their families. It's also important to make sure first responders--such as paramedics, firefighters and police--have adequate supplies of naloxone as usage has increased dramatically in recent years. "Multiple doses may be needed to reverse opioids toxicity," he said, "especially if more potent or long-acting opioids are involved." ### Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers 1R21DA040187 and 1UG3DA044825, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Award Number R49CE002109 and the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute. WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, under Award Number U54GM104942, to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to impact health disparities in West Virginia Kim Kardashian has started a law apprenticeship. Reality television celebrity Kim Kardashian West surprised fans with news that she is following in her father's footsteps by studying to become a lawyer. But rather than attend law school like most aspiring attorneys today, she's pursuing the profession by reading the law with mentors, an old-fashioned technique akin to an apprenticeship. Read on to learn more about this process and other famous people who read the law. Sources include the University of Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, William & Mary Law School and United Farm Workers of America. What does reading the law mean? Before the proliferation of law schools, people who wanted to become attorneys often asked respected lawyers in their communities to serve as their mentors while they studied for the bar exam. The arrangements were sometimes similar to apprenticeships. Today, four states permit people to read the law rather than attend law school: California, where Kardashian West is studying, plus Virginia, Vermont and Washington. Thomas Jefferson Before he was governor of Virginia and the third president of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson read law in his home state of Virginia with prominent legal scholar George Wythe. Wythe later became the country's first law professor, at the College of William & Mary. John Adams As a young man in Worcester, Massachusetts, future U.S. president John Adams read law with a prominent local attorney. He went on to successfully defend the British soldiers charged with murder during the Boston Massacre. John Marshall As chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Marshall established the court's power to judicially review whether state or federal laws adhere to the principles of the Constitution. Long before he presided over the highest court in the land, Marshall read law and briefly studied with George Wythe. Andrew Jackson Future U.S. president Andrew Jackson was best known for his military career, but he also read law in North Carolina and worked as an attorney on the frontier. Story continues Abraham Lincoln The nation's 16th president taught himself law in Illinois before passing the state bar exam in 1836. Abraham Lincoln's success inspires the Sustainable Economies Law Center blog LikeLincoln.org, which chronicles life as a legal apprentice. Mary Mecartney Prominent agricultural union United Farm Workers of America trains law apprentices to study for the bar. Attorney Mary Mecartney, former executive board member for the union, is among the program's successful alumni. People who have read law like Kim Kardashian include: -- Thomas Jefferson. -- John Adams. -- John Marshall. -- Andrew Jackson. -- Abraham Lincoln. -- Mary Mecartney. More From US News & World Report Airbnb Leads New $160 Million Funding for Short-Term Rental Brand Lyric Airbnb is leading a $160 million funding round for Lyric, a San Francisco-based company that manages multifamily apartment complexes and rents out those units on platforms that include Airbnb, HomeAway, and Booking.com, among others. The Series B investment confirms an earlier report from December when The Information originally reported Airbnb was planning to lead a $75 million investment round in the accommodations brand. The $160 million round on Wednesday is led by Airbnb, as well as new investors that include Tishman Speyer, RXR Realty, Obvious Ventures, SineWave, and former top Twitter executives Dick Costolo and Adam Bain. Current investors Barry Sternlicht, NEA, SignalFire, FifthWall, and Tusk Ventures have also participated in this latest round of funding, bringing the companys total funds raised to a grand total of $185 million. What Lyric Is And What It Represents Lyric is one of a crop of newer professional accommodations operators whose competitors include companies like Sonder, Stay Alfred, and others. They are essentially serviced apartment businesses that are licensed to run as a hotel (avoiding regulatory challenges), and they use marketplaces like Airbnb to advertise their accommodations and they rely on technology to wring out efficiencies, manage the guest experience, and eventually grow to scale. Were not a hotel. Were not an Airbnb. We basically design and operate what we call creative suites,' explained Joe Fraiman, president and co-founder of Lyric. Those suites, he said, are spacious studios, one-bedroom or two-bedroom suites on full floors of premium, either multifamily or mixed use buildings, in 13 U.S. markets. To date, Lyric has more than 500 rooms across 400 units nationwide. Lyrics target audience, Fraiman said, is the modern business traveler, often in their late 20s to early 40s and working in a variety of industries, who is looking for travel thats much more experience rich. He continued, So, as opposed to a standard hotel room where youre kind of just getting a bed and a TV, this traveler is looking for a lot more than that its being integrated into the community and having a higher quality experience. Story continues Lyrics units are master leased from landlords and are operated full time as accommodations for travelers, and the company has also been a part of the Airbnb Plus program, which highlights listings that have been vetted for quality assurance by Airbnb. In the simplest sense, Lyric represent a newer generation of serviced apartments who are bridging the gap between what we think of as traditional accommodations (hotels) and what we typically think of when it comes to private accommodations (Airbnb and other short-term rentals). Products like these are what the alternative accommodations industry needs to evolve and to reach more mainstream audiences. These new business models are really trying to make a big wave and the fact that they are getting into a new aspect of overall hospitality is representative of the convergence thats happening in the space, said Simon Lehmann, CEO and founder of AJL Consulting and the former CEO of Interhome, a Swiss home rental platform. He continued, Lyric, Stay Alfred, and Sonder are building consumer-facing hospitality brands with a different type of product from hotels that is more structured, and their appetite in raising capital is quite phenomenal. Theres an appetite from an investment standpoint, and the margins seem to be a lot healthier than just doing private accommodations like renting out second homes and managing those. In the economic upturn were at right now, this seems to make a ton of sense. With this latest $160 million round in funding, which is half equity and half debt, Lyric intends to grow its team and its portfolio. Fraiman said the company hopes to get to 2,500 rooms over the next 12 months and to eventually expand beyond the U.S. Lyric is still relatively smaller than its competitors when it comes to its inventory, but with this new funding round, it leapfrogs ahead of its peers in terms of total funding, which now amounts to $185 million. Stay Alfred raised $47 million in funding last fall, and is the next largest venture-backed company, by inventory, behind Sonder, which has raised a total of $135 million. Other rivals include The Guild, which raised $9 million last fall and whose investors include current Airbnb strategic advisor Chip Conley; Domio, which raised $12 million in the fall last year; and others that include WhyHotel, Zeus, Lokal, 2nd Address, MagicStay, AtHomeHotel, and Homelike. What Airbnbs Investment Means Here Now that Lyric is among the most well-funded of these types of accommodations providers, however, therein lies a bigger conundrum for Airbnb: By choosing to invest in Lyric, does Airbnb risk alienating Sonder, Stay Alfred, Domio, The Guild, and others? Does this investment cannibalize its larger business? A source close to the deal said that Airbnbs investment in Lyric does not include exclusivity; Lyric can and still will advertise its inventory not only on Airbnb but on other platforms as well. That source also said that Airbnb is eager to work with other companies similar to Lyric and that the companys decision to invest in lyric may not be the only investment it makes in this space. Fraiman confirmed that Lyric will continue to advertise its listings on a variety of platforms, but also noted that there could be room for some partnership going forward. One of the reasons were excited to partner with Airbnb is, obviously, they are a great distribution partner for us, and were excited to collaborate with them more in the future, he said. Going forward, well have more to share here. Some things might be exclusive, some may not, but Airbnb has always wanted Lyric to grow as an independent company. As Airbnb works on its larger vision of evolving into an end-to-end travel platform as company executives have described, as well as fending off competitors such as Booking.com and Expedia, having access to more exclusive inventory, especially in the accommodations space, will be crucial. Exclusive inventory adds value for consumers and for distribution, Lehmann noted. And thats ultimately what platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway and Booking.com are all striving to have. In a press statement about the funding round, Airbnb President of Homes Greg Greeley said, At Airbnb, we have seen how hospitality entrepreneurs like the team at Lyric can help deliver amazing experiences and help guests feel like they can belong anywhere in the world. Lyric has combined the latest technology, strong partnerships with the real estate community and cutting-edge design, and we are excited to support their work. But is there any particular reason why Airbnb chose to invest in Lyric first? It seems like they want to have their hands in different pies of fast-growing hospitality brands, said AJLs Lehmann. I dont see a particular difference in terms of some of these players from a value proposition standpoint, like technology, growth rate, etc. I dont see a particularity as to why they would choose this one over another, but its interesting enough that they want to have a hand in this type of business. Fraiman alluded to the fact that he and his co-founder, Andrew Kitchell, have known Airbnbs co-founders for most of the last decade and he said that Lyric had been working with Airbnb for the past 14 or 15 months on a larger endeavor to better understand this particular serviced apartment sector. Airbnb launched a pretty detailed effort to understand all the professional operators in the category, and they ultimately picked someone they want to work with, Fraiman said. We spent a lot of time with that team developing and sharing our vision for where we thought the ecosystem was going, and to identify what would ultimately matter most to guests and how to do it in a regulatory compliant fashion. And along the way, too, to think about the ideal rest of the investor syndicate in the round. In the same press statement announcing the funding round, Rob Speyer, president and CEO of Tishman Speyer, one of the investors, wrote, Lyric is at the intersection of hospitality and real estate, which we are seeing as increasingly interconnected. We quickly recognized not only Lyrics great technology and commitment to quality, but also its strong customer orientation and people-focused operations, which we value tremendously in our own business and thats what attracted us to the company. That same release also touts that Lyric has partnered with 20 of the National Multifamily Housing Councils (NMHC) top 50 real estate developers. Airbnb has been investing in a variety of companies as of late. Just yesterday, the company closed its acquisition of HotelTonight, and a few weeks ago, the company invested up to $200 million in India-based Oyo Rooms. Last year, it also acquired a French property management company called Luckey Homes for an undisclosed sum. And while Airbnb continues to emphasize its desire to be an all-encompassing travel brand, it still isnt always entirely clear how these recent deals will ultimately add up toward achieving that goal. What the Future Holds for This Space Its clear, given the amount of funding pouring into companies like Lyric and its peers, that the investment community is banking on these hospitality disruptors. But what happens when the cycle ends and there is an oversupply where the types of margins that we see today dont quite exist anymore? That, Lehmann, pointed out, is the bigger question that companies like Airbnb and Lyric and their investors have to ask themselves. He also said he thinks its dangerous for startups like Lyric, Stay Alfred, Sonder, Domio, and others, to formulate exit strategies that bank on their ability to sell themselves to Airbnb, who is actively developing a number of preferential distribution partnerships with a variety of property management companies and accommodations brands worldwide. And for Airbnb, too, striving for exclusive inventory makes a lot of sense, but at what cost to its business? I dont think this is a very sustainable model, he said. Either you are a marketplace or you go deep in value proposition to own the technology and property management and lock in the inventory. To Lehmann and other industry observers, you can either be a marketplace or a supplier its impossible to be both. As for Lyrics plans for the future, Fraiman said, Its critically important that we be able to build a large, independent, beloved hospitality company. We think that the market is thirsty for it. We know travelers want it, and thats our goal. Were obviously spending a lot of time talking with not only Airbnb but all of our investors about that. We have deep alignment among our stakeholders and that the goal and thats what we are building toward. He continued, What people used to think of as a niche within travel is going to become one of the main ways people live and travel in the world in the future, and I think Lyric has a huge opportunity to be a key part of that story. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. In the past week, Delta Air Lines DAL kick-started the first-quarter 2019 earnings season for the airline space on a solid note. This Atlanta, GA-based airline heavyweight not only delivered better-than-expected earnings and revenues but also issued an upbeat view for the second quarter. On the traffic front, Alaska Air Group ALK, JetBlue Airways JBLU and Copa Holdings CPA disclosed their respective traffic figures for March. While load factor (% of seats filled by passengers) improved at Copa, the metric declined at Alaska Air and JetBlue as capacity expansion outweighed traffic growth. The update is not favorable as woes related to capacity overexpansion had hurt airline stocks previously as well. Apart from releasing traffic numbers, JetBlue and Alaska Air tweaked their projections for the first quarter of 2019. While JetBlue is scheduled to release first-quarter results on Apr 23, Alaska Air will do the same on Apr 25. (Read the last Airline Stock Roundup here). Recap of the Past Weeks Most Important Stories 1. Deltas earnings (excluding 13 cents from non-recurring items) of 96 cents per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 90 cents and increased substantially on a year-over-year basis. Higher revenues aided the quarterly results. Operating revenues totaled $10.47 billion, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10.38 billion. The metric also compared favorably with the year-ago number. For the second quarter, Delta expects earnings (excluding special items) between $2.05 and $2.35 per share. Moreover, the company projects 2019 revenues to grow 5-7%, up from its prior guidance. (Read more: Delta Air Lines Up on Q1 Earnings Beat, Upbeat View). Delta carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 2. At JetBlue, traffic (measured in revenue passenger miles or RPMs) improved 7.9% year over year to 4.72 billion. On a year-over-year basis, capacity (or available seat miles/ASMs) rose 12.6% to 5.53 billion. Moreover, the carrier expects first-quarter revenue per available seat miles (RASM: a key measure of unit revenue) to decline 3.1%, with higher-than-expected completion factor hurting RASM to the tune of approximately 0.75 points. Previously, RASM in the soon-to-be-reported quarter was anticipated to decline 1.5-3.5%. Story continues Additionally, the carrier now expects consolidated operating cost per available seat mile, excluding fuel, to increase at or below the lower end of the 1.5-3.5% range. JetBlue also announced its intention to start operating flights to London from 2021. (Read more: JetBlue March Traffic Increases, Load Factor Down). 3. At Alaska Air Group, consolidated traffic inched up 0.5% to 4.68 billion and capacity expanded 1.3% to 5.56 billion. The carrier now anticipates RASM in the range of 12.08-12.10 cents, reflecting an increase of 2.1% year over year. The previous view was in the band of 11.97-12.07 cents. Alaska Airs non-fuel unit cost guidance for the first quarter has also improved on account of solid cost-control measures among other factors. Cost per ASM, excluding fuel and special items, is now projected between 9.06 cents and 9.08 cents (representing 3% increase year over year) compared with 9.16-9.21 cents expected earlier. (Read more: Alaska Air Group Load Factor Dips in March, Q1 View Upbeat). 4. Copa Holdings reported a 0.2% decrease in March traffic. However, load factor improved 160 basis points to 83.3% in the month as traffic decline was less than the capacity contraction (2%). 5. Updates on Boeing 737 MAX jets have been flooding the aviation space ever since the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash on Mar 10. In fact, this was the second accident involving Boeing 737 MAX jets within a span of five months as the same model went down in Indonesia last October, killing 189 people. Southwest Airlines LUV, which has 34 such jets in its fleet, extended the period of grounding the 737 MAX jets. The carrier, which had previously said that the jets in its fleet will not operate until the end of May 2019, stated on Apr 11 that it will ground the jets through Aug 5. In a similar development, American Airlines AAL extended the grounding period of Boeing 737 Max jets until Aug 19, 2019, from the previously announced date of Jun 5. Currently, the carrier has 24 such jets in its fleet. 6. Spirit Airlines SAVE now expects first-quarter total revenue per available seat miles (TRASM: a key measure of unit revenues) to increase approximately 4% year over year (the earlier view had called for this metric to increase approximately 5%). The view has been trimmed on lower-than-expected yields in March and increased capacity due to higher-than-expected completion factor. In the to-be-reported quarter, the carrier expects capacity to expand 16.9% and non-fuel unit costs (adjusted) to increase approximately 2.5%. Economic fuel cost is now projected to be $2.09 per gallon. Detailed results are expected to be revealed on Apr 25. Performance The following table shows the price movement of the major airline players over the past week and during the last six months. The table above shows that airline stocks exhibited a mixed trend with respect to price in the past week. The NYSE ARCA Airline Index remained flat at $101.75 over the period. Over the course of six months, the NYSE ARCA Airline Index depreciated 4.7%. What's Next in the Airline Space? Investors will keenly await first-quarter 2019 earnings reports of key airline players like JetBlue and Hawaiian Holdings HA in the coming days. Hawaiian like JetBlue will report on Apr 23. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> 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 your free report. Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) : Free Stock Analysis Report JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Copa Holdings, S.A. (CPA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fiduciary Trust Company International, a global wealth manager and wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, proudly announces that Amed Avila, managing director, has been elected affiliate vice chair of the Georgia Association of Public Pensions Trustees (GAPPT), a nonprofit organization formed solely to promote education and development for trustees of Georgias public pension plans. The GAPPT fosters a network for the advancement, training, and accreditation of public plan trustees and personnel, said Mr. Avila. I am honored to be joining the Association as we continue to promote discussions pertinent to the current economic climate that our trustees need to better serve their constituents. The GAPPT exists to promote education for public pension trustees in the State of Georgia. The organization offers a forum for the discussion of benefit plan matters; a network for the sharing of benefit plan issues, solutions, and resources; and support and information for education, training, advancement, and accreditation for public pension plan trustees and personnel. Elected or appointed individuals who serve on the board of any of Georgias many pension and benefit plans, or as fund administrators, may become members of the Association and enjoy the benefits of participation. The GAPPT also welcomes those affiliates who serve the public plans and trustees of the State of Georgia. Mr. Avila has over 15 years of securities industry experience and has in-depth experience managing custodial relationships for individuals, trusts and estates, corporations, IRAs, Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), and Florida and Georgia municipalities. He joined Franklin Templeton in 2005 and has been part of the Fiduciary Trust team since 2007. Amed has been instrumental in helping our dedicated relationship management team deliver highly personalized master custody and benefits payment-processing services that meet consumer demand for more transparency, ease of use, and flexibility, said David Lederer, director and head of custody at Fiduciary Trust Company International, who is also a certified member of the GAPPT. I am confident that he will translate this knowledge and expertise to enhance the education and advancement of public plan trustees and personnel in Georgia. Story continues Mr. Avila earned his Certified Public Pension Trustee (CPPT) designation from the GAPPT and the Florida Public Pensions Trustee Association (FPPTA), of which he is a member. He also currently sits on the executive board, and serves as treasurer, of the Broward Alliance for Neighborhood Development (BAND), a non-profit organization that advocates for affordable housing and community economic development in Broward County, Florida. About Fiduciary Trust Fiduciary Trust Company International, a global wealth management firm, has served individuals, families, endowments and foundations since 1931. With over $70 billion in assets under administration and management as of December 31, 2018, the firm specializes in strategic wealth planning, investment management and trust and estate services, as well as tax and custody services. The firm and its subsidiaries maintain offices in New York, NY, Coral Gables, FL, Boca Raton, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Los Angeles, CA, San Mateo, CA, Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, and Arlington, VA. For more information, please visit fiduciarytrust.com, and for latest updates follow Fiduciary Trust on LinkedIn and Twitter: @FiduciaryTrust. About Franklin Templeton Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton. Franklin Templetons goal is to deliver better outcomes by providing global and domestic investment management to retail, institutional and sovereign wealth clients in over 170 countries. Through specialized teams, the Company has expertise across all asset classes, including equity, fixed income, alternatives and custom multi-asset solutions. The Companys more than 600 investment professionals are supported by its integrated, worldwide team of risk management professionals and global trading desk network. With employees in over 30 countries, the California-based company has more than 70 years of investment experience and over US$712 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2019. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com. Copyright 2019. Fiduciary Trust Company International. All rights reserved. Contacts: The U.S. launches bi-lateral negotiations for a trade agreement with Japan. The move comes months after the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) entered into force last December, without the U.S. The rising tide of trade between Japan and its new trade agreement partners has meant lost sales for Americans. We need to write the rules of global trade, or they will be written for us in ways that won't favor the U.S. When you stand still on trade, you fall behind. Nowhere is this more apparent for the United States than in Japan, the world's third largest economy and long a top market for U.S. exports. It's also why the U.S. just launched negotiations for a trade agreement with Japan. Like many other countries in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan has been striking new trade deals and tearing down barriers to global commerce. It's imperative that we act quickly so that our workers, farmers, and companies are not stuck on the outside, looking in. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a case in point. The U.S. led the way in negotiating this 12-country trade pact, but when Washington withdrew in 2017, Japan and the other participating countries chose to implement it without us. The TPP finally entered into force last December. Thanks to the agreement's tariff cuts, Japan imported 60% more beef from Canada, Australia, and other TPP countries in January than it did the previous year. And since a new EU-Japan trade pact entered into force in February, European farmers and manufacturers are also benefiting from tariff cuts in Japan. However, the rising tide of trade between Japan and its new trade agreement partners has meant lost sales for Americans. U.S. pork exports to Japan, the top export destination, have dropped by 35% so far this year. U.S. wheat and barley sales to Japan are also suffering. The trend extends to manufactured goods as well. In response, the U.S. is poised to launch negotiations with Japan for a bilateral trade pact. This is good news, and the Chamber strongly supports this move. Story continues U.S.-Japan trade topped $300 billion last year, and Japanese firms, which have invested nearly $500 billion dollars in the U.S., employ nearly 1 million Americans. However, the logic behind a trade deal with Japan goes beyond the size of the market or the mounting tariff disadvantage faced by American farmers and manufacturers. Japan boasts a capital-rich, technologically sophisticated economy, and Japanese companies share many of the concerns of U.S. firms about the challenges of global trade, innovation, and digitalization. Given these shared concerns, the U.S.-Japan trade negotiations represent a chance for our countries to write the rules of global trade in the 21st century. Take business services, which today employ 50% more Americans than manufacturing. The Internet is making more of these services tradeable every day, and with the right trade rules, the U.S. and Japan can reap substantial benefits. Negotiators can also build on the recently completed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which raised the bar for global trade rules. To illustrate, when NAFTA was negotiated a quarter century ago, there was no e-commerce, so it's no surprise the agreement did not address this booming sector. Here, USMCA's digital trade chapter sets a new, high standard, and the agreement establishes a framework for cooperation against cyber threats. Similarly, USMCA modernizes protection for intellectual property. The cutting-edge medicines known as biologics are a case in pointthe old NAFTA did not protect them for the simple reason that they had not yet been invented. In addition, USMCA includes strong rules blocking "behind the border" barriers against U.S. exports. All too often, foreign governments deploy regulations or standards in an arbitrary way to block imports. USMCA prohibits this kind of protectionism in disguise. It's also worth underscoring what a new agreement between the U.S. and Japan should not include. Both sides must reject so-called "voluntary export restraints" and "orderly marketing agreements," which are just fancy names for managed trade. Our countries are champions of free enterprise and free markets, not the socialist mindset that believes government bureaucrats should steer the economy. We must also end the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from Japan and the threat of tariffs on autos and auto parts. These "Section 232" tariffs are based on a determination that these imports threaten U.S. national securitywhich the Japanese understandably reject. In fact, since World War II, the U.S. and Japan have become increasingly close allies, and we share a strong commitment to democracy, peace, and stability. Building on that foundation with a trade agreementas the U.S. has already done with other Asian alliesis critical to managing the challenges of tomorrow. We can't allow ourselves to fall behind on trade. Working with partners such as Japan, we need to tear down trade barriersnot erect new ones. We need to write the rules of global trade, or they will be written for us in ways that won't favor U.S. jobs. For all these reasons, the time is now for a U.S.-Japan trade agreement. Commentary by Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. More From CNBC Apple (AAPL) and Qualcomm (QCOM) have officially reached a settlement in their long-running and acrimonious patent dispute. The move came as a surprise to nearly everyone who has followed the years-long drama, as the companies announced their decision to settle shortly after wrapping up opening arguments in a California trial that was just one front in their patent dispute. The fight between the two tech titans came down to Apple's assertion that Qualcomm was gouging it over patent royalties and requiring fees for technologies included in phones even when they werent using Qualcomm products. Qualcomm, meanwhile, accused Apple of patent infringement. The settlement which resolves several cases around the world means that Apple will pay Qualcomm an undisclosed amount and pay an undisclosed amount of royalties on Qualcomms patents for six years. It's the chip agreement, though, that is most important for Apple, because it means the company may be able to sell 5G-capable iPhones sooner than previously expected. But Apple is also notorious for holding off on adding new technologies to its devices until all of the kinks are worked out. In other words, don't expect this settlement to get you a 5G iPhone any time soon. Apple and Qualcomm come together Apple and Qualcomm settling their dispute seemed unthinkable a few months ago. The companies' bitter fight stretched from the U.S. to as far as Germany and China. Suits in those countries led to certain models of the iPhone being banned from stores, though China never seemed to really enforce the ban. Berlin, Germany - April 12: Symbolic photo on the topic of mobile radio standard 5G. The lettering 5G stand on a table behind a smartphone on April 12, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images) The U.S. International Trade Commission also sided with Qualcomm in a patent dispute, and recommended that some iPhones be banned from being imported to the U.S. A second, separate ITC ruling, however, did not call for a ban on iPhones. But the settlement puts an end to all of those disputes, meaning both companies are finally in the clear. What's more, Apple can now begin using Qualcomm's 5G modems to produce 5G iPhones, something that has vexed Apple since the legal tug-of-war broke out. Story continues Using Intel's 4G LTE modems in iPhones was an easy solution for Apple when the patent fight with Qualcomm broke out. But Intel didn't have any 5G options available, and was developing the new chips from scratch. Apple also had the option of building its own chips, but that would have proven costly and taken too much time. Qualcomm, meanwhile, is well on its way in the 5G race, meaning it was the only real choice Apple ever had for quickly getting 5G modems into its iPhones. Sure, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei said that his company was open to working with Apple, but there was no chance Apple was going to risk working with the Chinese firm, and potentially fall out of favor with the U.S. government. Santa Clara, USA - March 26, 2012: intel headquarters in mission college blvd of santa clara. Intel is the top chip maker who provide cpus for all kinds of computers. So Apple now has its gateway to 5G connectivity, but that doesn't mean we'll see a 5G-capable iPhone any time soon. When we'll see a 5G iPhone 5G connectivity is touted as a kind of wonder technology that will change the world. And that's not much of an exaggeration. The increased bandwidth and reduced latency of 5G will open new doors to innovation similar to how 4G LTE launched the app economy. But Apple won't necessarily jump to put 5G in into their next iPhones just because it will have access to them. Apple has never been the kind of company to charge headfirst into the latest tech trend. And with the company likely finishing up its 2019 iPhone already, the soonest we'd see a 5G iPhone would be 2020. Apple, however, could still let that slip to 2021, and it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Remember, Apple debuted its first 4G LTE-equipped iPhones much later than many of its rivals launched their own LTE devices, in order for the company to work out any potential issues with its modems. And there's a good chance that's what we'll see with 5G, as well. "Apple has the influential power to drive and accelerate trends," explained Tuong Nguyen, a senior principal analyst at the industry research firm Gartner. "This means its possible that we see an earlier introduction of an 5G iPhone, but [that's] unlikely." Nguyen points to the fact that Apple prides itself on providing customers with the best user experience, which won't be possible until the nation's carriers dramatically expand the rollout of their 5G networks. Think of it this way: If you buy a 5G smartphone, but you can't get on a 5G network when you want, you're likely going to blame your phone before you blame the carrier running that network. By that line of thinking, Apple would likely benefit by holding off on releasing a 5G iPhone right away. "If you look at what Apple did with 3G and 4G, the story unfolds the same wayother phone vendors launched their devices first and Apple launched their version when they felt the networks were ready to deliver the experience they wanted for their users," Nguyen said. So while the Apple and Qualcomm settlement is good news for both companies, don't expect consumers to see the benefits quite yet. More from Dan: Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@oath.com; follow him on Twitter at@DanielHowley. Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, andLinkedIn.finance.yahoo.com/ What if our Russian Doll timeline is just a loop of Squibb Bridge being built and rebuilt over and over again? The pedestrian bridge was first erected back in 2013, and connected Columbia Heights to Brooklyn Bridge Park via a scenicalbeit bouncywalkway. Of course, there was already a no-cost way to walk from Columbia Heights to Brooklyn Bridge Park, and it took the same amount of timewe tested it. However, given the rapid development in the park (which now hosts a number of amenities on a series of piers, as well as a luxury hotel and condominium), maybe an alternate route made sense. Or it would have, if the actual design of the bridge made any sense. It didn't, and so it has been closed for longer than it's been open, due to safety concerns. It's story isn't over yet, though! Now an entirely new bridge will be constructed in place of the original. Eric Landau, Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation's president, told Gothamist this morning, "We've switched engineers and have been working with them on the retrofit... Arup are designing the new bridge, which you can see from the renderings pretty much looks like the previous bridge." The basic design "and geometry" will be the same, Landau says, but the material will be different this time around. The problem with the original bridge was the wood that was usedby the time of the last bridge closure, in 2018, "multiple pieces of wood, including the structural wood, either had high levels of moisture or had already significantly deteriorated or decayed," Landau told us. This time, the bridgewhich has a span that hangs over Furman Streetwill be constructed of steel. "We expect the current bridge will be removed this fall, and the new bridge will be open by the summer of 2020," Landau noted. Which leads us to... the BQE rehabilitation project. The bridge is in the zone where the BQE is currently crumbling. Currently, there is no plan in place showing us what the BQE reconstruction will look like, but there are a number of proposals, all wildly different. Earlier this month, Mayor de Blasio hit reset on the BQE project, as he works with a team of experts, the DOT, and the community on a new plan. So couldn't the project, whatever shape it takes, wind up impacting the new Squibb Bridge? "We've been in close coordination with the DOT," Landau told us, "and we don't think there is a specific impact to the Squibb Bridge project related to the BQE, just based on the way the BQE curves, and where the curve happens... the bridge is just slightly north of that. So at this time we do not believe that there will be any impact." The pool planned for Squibb Park, however, would be much more likely to be impacted by the BQE construction. Landau says they would put out a design RFP for the pool now, but they are continuing to talk to the DOT about this, while also raising more funds for that project. If you, taxpayer, are asking who is paying for all these bridges, Landau said the original bridge was funded with $4 million in city capital; i.e., taxpayer money. Doug Turesky at the Independent Budget Office notes, "Its money the city borrowed and taxpayers are footing the bill for principal and interest." After closing the bridge due to what Landau described as "structural and design issues," the not-for-profit Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation [BBPC] spent another $3.4 million retrofitting the bridge, which reopened in 2017, only to close again soon after. At this point, BBPC sued the original engineer (Ted Zoli of HNTB) for the $3.4 million in damages, and settled for just under $2 million. "The cost of rebuilding the new bridge will also come out of [the BBPC] reserve fund," Landau told us. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. put its flagship product, the iPhone, ahead of distaste for the way Qualcomm Inc. does business in settling a bitter, two-year legal dispute with the chipmaker. Apple needs chips that will connect the iPhone to the new, fifth-generation wireless networks being introduced now or risk falling behind its rivals. The company had bet on Intel Corp., but recently decided its would-be 5G supplier wasnt up to the task. That led Apple back to Qualcomm -- and spurred a sudden end to a long-running court fight over patents, component costs and royalties for one of the most critical parts of an iPhone. Modems, or baseband processors, are what connects all iPhones and some iPads and Apple Watches to cellular networks and the internet on the go. Throughout the fight, which centered on Apples accusations that Qualcomm overcharges for patents on its technology, the iPhone maker played down the importance of the modem and Qualcomms inventions. Just before the settlement was announced on Tuesday, Apples lawyers were in a San Diego courtroom saying the component was just another method of connecting to the internet. In reality, Qualcomms modems are leading a potential revolution in mobile internet -- and Apple could have been forced to play catchup without them. Intel, which dominates the market in personal computer chips, has struggled for decades in mobile. The company pledged that its 5G part was coming in phones next year. But within hours of Apples deal with Qualcomm, and with it the loss of its prime mobile customer, Intel announced it would end its effort to produce a 5G modem for smartphones. Apples rival Samsung Electronics Co. already has a 5G-capable phone on sale using Qualcomms products. The San Diego-based chipmaker has also said it will have a better 5G modem ready by the end of the year -- plenty of time for Apple to introduce a 5G phone in September 2020. If they didnt settle with Qualcomm soon theyd miss next years product, said Mike Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity. Building their own baseband will take years and Intel is behind. Maybe that was the final thing that got this done. Story continues Apple already faces falling iPhone sales and a saturated global smartphone market. The company in January reported that holiday revenue declined year-over-year for the first time since the iPhone was introduced in 2007. As it pushes more services tied to its smartphone, Apple cant afford to lose potential customers because its technology wasnt up to speed. As in previous generations of wireless technology, Qualcomm is the market leader in 5G, which will let phones and tablets download videos and music, and open web pages much faster than the current 4G LTE standard. Its also being heralded by its backers as the gateway to connections for a flood of new devices and services. Amid the litigation, Apple and Qualcomm ended their chip relationship. Intel was given exclusive orders for all new model iPhones. Apple also held off paying Qualcomm billions of dollars in licensing fees. That high-margin revenue fuels Qualcomms industry-leading research and design budget, helping it field the most capable parts. The settlement with Qualcomm clears Apples path to launching a 5G phone as early as next year. Given that the settlement occurred in April, or about five months before Apple plans to introduce the next iPhones, its unlikely the company would be able to unveil a 5G device this year. Apple and Qualcomms agreement is a six-year pact, according to the joint statement from the companies. Gene Munster, a longtime Apple analyst and now co-founder of Loup Ventures, believes Qualcomm won the showdown, but it may be a short-term victory. Munster said the chipmaker may lose Apple as a customer in three years because the Cupertino, California-based company will be able to manufacture its own modems by then. The settlement is a boon for Qualcomms financial results. Its stock had its best day since 1999 on the news. Earlier on Tuesday before the deal was announced, a lawyer for Qualcomm blamed the dispute for the companys job cuts and reduced revenue over the past several quarters. The agreement will contribute $2-a-share to Qualcomms earnings when shipments to Apple kick in, the company said, without providing any more specifics. Apples decision to cut a deal with Qualcomm was an indictment of Intels modem efforts. Once Apple decided Intel wasnt capable of serving as a single supplier of high-quality 5G modems, the iPhone maker viewed a settlement with Qualcomm as the necessary conclusion to the multiyear dispute. This is a home run for Qualcomm, said Jerome Dodson, a fund manager at Parnassus Investments in San Francisco, which owns Qualcomm and Apple shares. It really gives them a monopoly position which Apple wont like. To contact the reporters on this story: 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: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Peter Blumberg For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco, the world's largest crude oil producer, is in "serious discussions" to acquire up to a 25 percent stake in Reliance Industries' refining and petrochemicals businesses, the Times of India reported on Wednesday. A minority stake sale could fetch around $10 billion to $15 billion, valuing the Indian company's refining and petrochemicals businesses at around $55 billion to 60 billion, the report http://bit.ly/2v5wzCL said. The agreement on valuation could be reached around June, the Indian newspaper reported, citing people with knowledge of the development. Goldman Sachs is said to have been mandated to advise on the proposed deal, the report added. Aramco's interest in the operator of the world's biggest refining complex comes after Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Delhi in February when he said he expected investment opportunities worth more than $100 billion in India over the next two years. Separately, Saudi Aramco's Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser had met Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani to discuss the Saudi state-owned company's businesses including crude, chemicals and non-metallics. Aramco and Reliance were not available for comment outside business hours. (Reporting by Supriya Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel) Sen. Bernie Sanders saw strong backing for his Medicare for All plan at a Fox News town hall in Pennsylvania. The proposal to set up a government-run health care system to cover all Americans is the senator's signature proposal and has gained more traction in recent years. Republicans have criticized Medicare for All proposals as the fight off attacks on President Donald Trump's attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Bernie Sanders spent much of a Fox News town hall Monday discussing his signature "Medicare for All" proposal, which has energized liberals and fueled conservative backlash. The Vermont independent should be encouraged by the Bethlehem, Pa. crowd's reaction to his plan. At one point in the event, Fox's Bret Baier asked attendees if they get private health insurance from work. A majority of audience members raised their hands. Baier then asked whether people would be willing to transition to a government-run health system as described by Sanders. Roughly the same number of attendees raised their hands. Some audience members cheered. Baier noted during the town hall that the crowd included Democrats, Republicans and independents. Sanders tweet: Raise your hand if you're sick and tired of your private health insurance company. We need Medicare for All. #BernieTownHall Trump, a frequent Fox viewer who often shares supportive talking points from the network's conservative hosts, tweeted Tuesday that it was "so weird to watch Crazy Bernie" on Fox News. Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist and a frequent target of the network. "Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the 'audience' was so smiley and nice. Very strange, and now we have @donnabrazile?" Trump added, referencing the former interim Democratic National Committee chair who recently joined Fox as a contributor. Sanders vaulted to national prominence in the 2016 presidential election in part by arguing for insuring all Americans through a single-payer system. Now, Medicare for All has gained traction among Democrats in both the House and Senate, as well as among Sanders' rivals for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Story continues As Democrats try to thwart President Donald Trump's re-election bid in part by criticizing his efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the president and congressional Republicans have cast Sanders' proposal as a radical, expensive plan that would dismantle the private insurance market. During the town hall Monday, Baier pressed Sanders about the prospect of his proposal forcing people off the private insurance plans they currently have. "Millions of people every single year lose their health insurance," Sanders responded. "You know why? They get fired, or they quit and they go to another employer." He continued: "Every year, millions of workers wake up in the morning and their employer has changed the insurance that they have. Maybe they like their doctors. ... So this is not new. Every year. Now, what we're talking about is stability. That when you have a Medicare for All, it is there now and it will be there in the future." It should not come as a surprise that Sanders' plan fared well in presidential swing state Pennsylvania. In March, 56 percent of people surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation said they support a "national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan," while 39 percent said they oppose such a proposal. Support for a single-payer system climbed from 50 percent in a Feb. 2016 Kaiser poll. However, support for Medicare for All drops significantly if poll respondents are told it could require most Americans to pay more in taxes or eliminate private health insurance companies, according to separate Kaiser polling. Last week, Sanders introduced a new version of his Medicare for All legislation . It would cover a wide range of health services and let Americans see any doctor with no deductibles or copays. Four other senators running for president Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts co-sponsored the bill. Among contenders in the Senate, only Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., did not back the plan. She supports an optional government health care buy-in. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. More From CNBC HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BJs Restaurants, Inc. (BJRI) today announced that it will release its first quarter 2019 results after the market closes on Thursday, April 25, 2019. The Company will host an investor conference call at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific) that same day. The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet. To listen to the conference call, please visit the Investors page of the Companys website located at http://www.bjsrestaurants.com several minutes prior to the start of the call to register and download any necessary audio software. An archive of the presentation will be available for 30 days following the call. BJs Restaurants, Inc. (BJs) is a national brand with brewhouse roots and a menu with over 140 offerings where craft matters. BJs broad menu has something for everyone: slow-roasted entrees, like prime rib, BJs EnLIGHTened Entrees including Cherry Chipotle Glazed Salmon, signature deep dish pizza and the often imitated, but never replicated world-famous Pizookie dessert. BJs has been a pioneer in the craft brewing world since 1996, and takes pride in serving BJs award-winning proprietary handcrafted beers, brewed at its brewing operations in five states and by independent third-party craft brewers. The BJs experience offers high-quality ingredients, bold flavors, moderate prices, sincere service and a cool, contemporary atmosphere. Founded in 1978, BJs owns and operates 204 casual dining restaurants. All restaurants offer dine-in, take-out, delivery and large party catering. BJs restaurants are located in 27 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. For more BJs information, visit http://www.bjsrestaurants.com . For further information, please contact Greg Levin of BJs Restaurants, Inc. at (714) 500-2400 or JCIR at (212) 835-8500 or at bjri@jcir.com. HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BJs Restaurants, Inc. (BJRI) today announced the opening of its restaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The new BJs Restaurant & Brewhouse opened on Monday, April 15, 2019, and is situated on an out parcel of the super-regional Lakeside Mall fronting Hall Road. The restaurant is approximately 7,500 square feet, seats approximately 230 guests and features BJs extensive menu, including BJs signature deep-dish pizza, award-winning handcrafted beer and famous Pizookie dessert. BJs unique, contemporary decor provides the perfect environment for all dining occasions. Hours of operation are from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. We are excited to open our 2nd restaurant of 2019 in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, commented Greg Trojan, Chief Executive Officer. Sterling Heights joins our two successful Michigan restaurants in Livonia and Taylor. Our 2019 restaurant pipeline is in excellent shape and we expect to open our next restaurant in mid-June in Toms River, New Jersey. As with all of our new restaurant openings, BJs invited members of the Sterling Heights community to attend a soft opening event prior to our grand opening. As our team members put the final touches on the restaurant, invited guests were treated to complimentary food and had the opportunity to make a voluntary donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a very important charity to BJs. Additionally, BJs donated the proceeds of all alcohol purchases during the soft opening event to the BJs Restaurants Foundation. About BJs Restaurants, Inc. BJs Restaurants, Inc. (BJs) is a national brand with brewhouse roots and a menu with over 140 offerings where craft matters. BJs broad menu has something for everyone: slow-roasted entrees, like prime rib, BJs EnLIGHTened Entrees including Cherry Chipotle Glazed Salmon, signature deep dish pizza and the often imitated, but never replicated world-famous Pizookie dessert. BJs has been a pioneer in the craft brewing world since 1996, and takes pride in serving BJs award-winning proprietary handcrafted beers, brewed at its brewing operations in five states and by independent third-party craft brewers. The BJs experience offers high-quality ingredients, bold flavors, moderate prices, sincere service and a cool, contemporary atmosphere. Founded in 1978, BJs owns and operates 204 casual dining restaurants. All restaurants offer dine-in, take-out, delivery and large party catering. BJs restaurants are located in 27 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. For more BJs information, visit http://www.bjsrestaurants.com . Story continues About BJs Restaurants Foundation BJs Restaurants Foundation (the Foundation) is a registered 501(c)(3) qualified non-profit charitable organization principally dedicated to supporting charities that benefit childrens healthcare and education, with a primary focus on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In addition, the Foundation supports volunteer efforts of BJs team members across the country as they help give back to the communities in which our restaurants do business. Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer Certain statements in the preceding paragraphs and all other statements that are not purely historical constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Such statements include, but are not limited to, those regarding expected comparable restaurant sales and margin growth in future periods, total potential domestic capacity, the success of various sales-building and productivity initiatives, future guest traffic trends, construction cost savings initiatives and the number and timing of new restaurants expected to be opened in future periods. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially different from those projected or anticipated. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) our ability to manage new restaurant openings, (ii) construction delays, (iii) labor shortages, (iv) increases in minimum wage and other employment related costs, including compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and minimum salary requirements for exempt team members, (v) the effect of credit and equity market disruptions on our ability to finance our continued expansion on acceptable terms, (vi) food quality and health concerns and the effect of negative publicity about us, our restaurants, other restaurants, or others across the food supply chain, due to food borne illness or other reasons, whether or not accurate, (vii) factors that impact California, Texas and Florida, where a substantial number of our restaurants are located, (viii) restaurant and brewery industry competition, (ix) impact of certain brewing business considerations, including without limitation, dependence upon suppliers, third party contractors and distributors, and related hazards, (x) consumer spending trends in general for casual dining occasions, (xi) potential uninsured losses and liabilities due to limitations on insurance coverage, (xii) fluctuating commodity costs and availability of food in general and certain raw materials related to the brewing of our craft beers and energy requirements, (xiii) trademark and service-mark risks, (xiv) government regulations and licensing costs, (xv) beer and liquor regulations, (xvi) loss of key personnel, (xvii) inability to secure acceptable sites, (xviii) legal proceedings, (xix) other general economic and regulatory conditions and requirements, (xx) the success of our key sales-building and related operational initiatives, (xxi) any failure of our information technology or security breaches with respect to our electronic systems and data, and (xxii) numerous other matters discussed in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on current assumptions and expectations, and BJs Restaurants, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information, please contact Greg Levin of BJs Restaurants, Inc. at (714) 500-2400 or JCIR at (212) 835-8500 or at bjri@jcir.com. By Julia Payne LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - Global commodities house Trafigura Group said on Wednesday it is entering petrochemicals trading by teaming up with Houston-based Altis Group International to take advantage of an expanding sector. Geneva-based Trafigura estimates the value of the global petrochemical market at $729 billion and growing. Oil majors have been beefing up their presence in the sector by investing billions of dollars in new plants from Asia to the United States, betting on growth in plastics demand from a growing middle class in emerging markets. The joint venture will have two units - one in Houston and the other in Geneva - with a focus on bulk liquid chemicals such as sulphur byproducts from smelting rather than typical petrochemicals that are used in plastics. Trafigura's Chris Clarkson, head of gasoline trading, and Tom Jay, previously head of the deals desk for refined metals, bulk and concentrates, will be on the boards of the new venture. As a result, the move serves the trader as a bridge between its industrial metal interests and oil business. For instance, Trafigura has a major investment in Finnish nickel and cobalt miner Terrafame that will also build a plant to produce chemicals for use in electric-vehicle batteries. A new, lower cap on sulphur content in shipping fuels by the International Maritime Organization will also create more chemical needs when the rule comes into effect next year, as well as more unwanted sulphur. Petrochemicals are created by units called crackers that heat at extreme temperatures refined products such as naphtha or gases like ethane, propane or butane into more complex carbon molecules such as ethylene, propylene or butadiene. These are in turn further altered to make everyday objects including plastic bags, car parts and clothing. Chevron is building a petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania that will process ethane from shale gas. In Saudi Arabia, France's Total and state firm Saudi Aramco signed a $5 billion deal to build a giant petrochemical complex at the Jubail Satorp refinery. Elsewhere, BP and Azerbaijan's state oil firm SOCAR have teamed up to build a petrochemical plant in Turkey next to the 200,000-barrels-per-day STAR refinery that SOCAR recently completed. BP has also said it agreed a major expansion at its Lotte BP Chemical facility in Ulsan, South Korea. (Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Dale Hudson) The MTA is plowing ahead with its promised crackdown on fare beatersthough police won't say who, exactly, they are targeting. According to an NYPD spokesperson, a total of 21,112 summonses were issued to fare beaters in the first three months of this year, compared to 10,522 summonses during the same period in 2018. The more than twofold increase comes after the MTA's own survey of the issue found that the number of subway fare beaters remained "relatively flat" last year. Still, NYC Transit President Andy Byford continues to trumpet the difficult-to-assess fact that fare beaters cost the MTA approximately $215 million annually. During a board meeting on Monday, Byford thanked the NYPD for their increased presence inside subway stations, and spoke of the need to "get people in the mindset that...you may be intercepted." Byford, who previously drew the ire of policing reform advocates for blaming an uptick in fare beating on the Manhattan D.A.'s decision to stop prosecuting the charge, was quick to add that such interceptions could be accomplished through civil summonses: "Just to be crystal clear, and for the avoidance of doubt, we actually don't want to arrest anyone, we don't want to criminalize people." (The summons carries a $100 fine, and does not require a criminal court appearance.) The NYPD seems to be coming around slowly to this viewshared by advocates and now some prosecutorsthat the penalty for fare evasion does not need to be criminal charges. In the first quarter of this year, police arrested 1,144 people for misdemeanor theft of services, compared to 2,599 in the first three months of 2018. At the same time, the number of overall stops for fare beating has skyrocketed, and the racial disparities that have long plagued subway enforcement don't appear to have gone away. According to David Jones of the Community Service Society, the NYPD has proven "singularly resistant" to releasing the relevant information that would show the scale of the problem. A spokesperson for the police department did not respond to multiple inquiries from Gothamist requesting a breakdown of the arrest and summons data by race and subway station. In theory, the NYPD is legally obligated to make this information public. A city law passed in 2017 requires the department to share quarterly data on fare evasion-related arrests and summonses broken down by age, sex, race, and location. But the department has routinely flouted key aspects of that law, and are currently being sued for their refusal to comply. When the NYPD did eventually release the demographic breakdown of last year's stops, it showed that 90 percent of fare evasion arrestees and 65 percent of those who received a summons were people of color. "You've got communities that are largely white communities, but every single arrest is a person of color," said City Councilmember Rory Lancman, who sponsored the disclosure law, and is currently running for Queens District Attorney. "The reason police refuse to show [arrest data] by station is because it will have the same effect of the 911 call data on marijuana enforcement: the disparities are shocking." Lancman told Gothamist that he is filing a second lawsuit against the department to demand that it release the fare arrest data. In the meantime, he says, the MTA leaders calling for a crackdown on fare beating should consider the "racially discriminatory manner" in which the law is currently enforced. That view was echoed by Danny Pearlstein of the Riders Alliance, who told Gothamist that the MTA's focus on fare evaders seems to be diminishing its own credibility among New Yorkers. He noted that the agencys effort to clamp down on the offense has not addressed the fact that riders are often unable to pay for MetroCards because of busted MTA machinery. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that many fare beaters are students, who have a limited amount of swipes to get between class and extracurricular activities. "The unfortunate part of the discussion around fare evasion is that it tarnishes riders as a group," said Pearlstein. "It blames riders for a wider social phenomenon, and really it harks back to some dark periods like the Giuliani era, where blame was the mainstay of politics." Loading... FRANKLIN, Tenn., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) today announced that it will provide an online Web simulcast and rebroadcast of its first quarter 2019 conference call. The Company will issue a press release announcing its results on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, after the regular close of trading. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. Central time, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available online at www.chs.net . To listen to the live call, please go to the web site at least 15 minutes early to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. The online replay will follow shortly after the call and continue for approximately 30 days. During this call, Community Health Systems will review the Companys financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. About Community Health Systems, Inc. Community Health Systems, Inc. is one of the largest publicly traded hospital companies in the United States and a leading operator of general acute care hospitals in communities across the country. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns, leases or operates 106 affiliated hospitals in 18 states with an aggregate of approximately 17,000 licensed beds. The Companys headquarters are located in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb south of Nashville. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CYH. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.chs.net. Investor Contacts: Thomas J. Aaron Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 615-465-7000 or Ross W. Comeaux Vice President Investor Relations 615-465-7012 Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today. A big revenue slide at IBM (IBM). Income came in $900 million below a year ago, even though earnings posted a small beat. It's the third straight quarterly revenue miss for the company. Cloud and business services both delivered results below expectations. IBM says the results reflect "fundamental changes" that will give them more leverage moving forward. A weak quarter as well at Bank of New York Mellon (BK). It missed on the top and bottom lines, hurt by increasing costs and reduced fees. The CEO blames a "changing mix and cost" of the deposits they handle there. And he called it "difficult" to compare the 2019 results with a year ago because of how strong the markets were in Q1 of 2018. A mixed picture at United Continental, the parent of United Airlines (UAL). Profit more than doubled from a year ago. However, revenue per passenger was only up about 1%, as the airline grapples with the grounding of those Boeing Max jets. It's likely we won't be seeing a T-Mobile (TMUS), Sprint (S) merger anytime soon. The Justice Department warns that the $26 billion deal between two of the largest telecom companies in the U.S. is unlikely to be approved in its current form. Antitrust staff says the current structure poses a potential threat to the competition. T-Mobile and Sprint are trying to take on larger rivals AT&T and our parent company, Verizon. The FAA is backing Boeing's (BA) software updates to its 737 Max airplanes. A review from an FAA panel into Boeing's grounded 737 MAX aircrafts found software updates and training revisions to be "operationally suitable." More than 300 Boeing 737 MAX jets have been grounded after nearly 350 people died in two crashes, one in Indonesia in October, and the other in Ethiopia last month. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CSX Corporation (CSX) today announced first quarter 2019 net earnings of $834 million, or $1.02 per share, versus $695 million, or $0.78 per share in the same period last year (an earnings per share increase of 31 percent). CSXs operating ratio set a company first quarter record of 59.5 percent, significantly improved from 63.7 percent in the prior year. The CSX team of exceptional railroaders continues to execute across all aspects of our business, delivering new all-time high service levels, said James M. Foote, president and chief executive officer. These results reflect the strength of our Companys operating model and our commitment to providing a best-in-class service offering to our customers. Revenue for the first quarter increased 5 percent over the prior year to $3.01 billion, driven by Merchandise volume growth and broad-based pricing gains. Expenses decreased 2 percent year over year to $1.79 billion, driven by continued efficiency gains. This combination yielded operating income growth of 17 percent for the quarter to $1.22 billion compared to $1.04 billion in the same period last year. CSX executives will conduct a conference call with the investment community this afternoon, April 16, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Investors, media and the public may listen to the conference call by dialing 1-888-327-6279 (1-888-EARN-CSX). For callers outside the U.S., dial 1-773-756-0199. Participants should dial in 10 minutes prior to the call and enter in 3276279 as the passcode. In conjunction with the call, a live webcast will be accessible and presentation materials will be posted on the company's website at http://investors.csx.com . Following the earnings call, an internet replay of the presentation will be archived on the company website. This earnings announcement, as well as additional detailed financial information, is contained in the CSX Quarterly Financial Report available through the companys website at http://investors.csx.com and on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Story continues About CSX and its Disclosures CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides. It also links more than 230 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike. This announcement, as well as additional financial information, is available on the company's website at http://investors.csx.com . CSX also uses social media channels to communicate information about the company. Although social media channels are not intended to be the primary method of disclosure for material information, it is possible that certain information CSX posts on social media could be deemed to be material. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in the company to review the information we post on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/CSX ) and on Slideshare ( http://www.slideshare.net/HowTomorrowMoves ). The social media channels used by CSX may be updated from time to time. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com and on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX ). Non-GAAP Disclosure CSX reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). CSX also uses certain non-GAAP measures that fall within the meaning of Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation G and Regulation S-K Item 10(e), which may provide users of the financial information with additional meaningful comparison to prior reported results. Non-GAAP measures do not have standardized definitions and are not defined by U.S. GAAP. Therefore, CSXs non-GAAP measures are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The presentation of these non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or as superior to the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. Forward-looking Statements This information and other statements by the company may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act with respect to, among other items: projections and estimates of earnings, revenues, margins, volumes, rates, cost-savings, expenses, taxes, liquidity, capital expenditures, dividends, share repurchases or other financial items, statements of management's plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, and management's expectations as to future performance and operations and the time by which objectives will be achieved, statements concerning proposed new services, and statements regarding future economic, industry or market conditions or performance. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as will, should, believe, expect, anticipate, project, estimate, preliminary and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. If the company updates any forward-looking statement, no inference should be drawn that the company will make additional updates with respect to that statement or any other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual performance or results could differ materially from that anticipated by any forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by any forward- looking statements include, among others; (i) the company's success in implementing its financial and operational initiatives; (ii) changes in domestic or international economic, political or business conditions, including those affecting the transportation industry (such as the impact of industry competition, conditions, performance and consolidation); (iii) legislative or regulatory changes; (iv) the inherent business risks associated with safety and security; (v) the outcome of claims and litigation involving or affecting the company; (vi) natural events such as severe weather conditions or pandemic health crises; and (vii) the inherent uncertainty associated with projecting economic and business conditions. Other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are specified in the company's SEC reports, accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and the company's website at www.csx.com . Contact: Bill Slater, Investor Relations 904-359-1334 Bryan Tucker, Corporate Communications 855-955-6397 PRESS RELEASE 17 April 2019 EDF Group launches the 2019 employee reserved offer "ERO 2019" Paris, April 17, 2019 - EDF Group announces today the launch of "ERO 2019", an employee shareholding plan[1]. Encouraged by the sharp upswing in performance in 2018 and by the progress made with respect to its Performance Plan, the Group continues its commitment to the energy transition and the implementation of its strategy Cap 2030. The approach adopted by the government concerning the Multiannual Energy Plan (PPE in French), the main focus of which is on carbon-free electricity, currently provides us with a new impetus for this strategic roadmap. In this context, the Board of Directors of EDF decided, on April 4, 2019, the principle of an employee shareholding operation. This will be carried out by way of a transfer of up to 7 704 974 existing shares handed over by the State to EDF who will immediately transfer them to eligible employees, former employees and pensioners. This plan is reserved for employees who have at least three months of seniority[2] in the workforce of the company, in one of its French subsidiaries which is a member of the EDF Group savings plan ("PEG") or in its foreign subsidiaries which are members of the EDF International Group savings plan ("PEGI"), directly or indirectly majority owned, as well as former employees and pensioners who still have holdings in the PEG or the PEGI and had an employment contract or remunerated activity for a period of at least five years with the company or one of these subsidiaries. The offer will include a so-called "leveraged" formula with a guaranteed personal contribution in euros and a so-called "classic" formula. It will be carried out through a French employee mutual fund (Fonds commun de placement d`entreprise, or FCPE). An employer matching contribution will be offered to employees for the "classic" formula. The shares offered are ordinary shares, listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A), with current dividend rights. Being acquired through the subscription of shares of a FCPE of the PEG, they will be subject to a mandatory holding period of 5 years ending [July 16, 2024], subject to the cases of early release provided for by the regulations. Voting rights will be exercised by the Supervisory Board of the FCPE. It is expected that the sale price of the shares will be fixed on June 20, 2019. It will include a discount of 20% compared to the reference price determined on the basis of the average rate weighted by the daily volumes of EDF shares traded on the Euronext Paris stock market over the twenty days preceding the day of this decision. Story continues The reservation period will run from 6 to 21 May 2109 inclusive and will be followed by a cancellation period from 21 to 24 June 2019. The shares will be delivered by 16 July 2019 at the latest, subject to the prior condition of the authorization granted by decree from the French Minister of the Economy and Finance following the issue of a favorable opinion by the French Government Commission on Shareholding and Transfers (Commission des participations et des transferts). The dates indicated above are indicative and subject to change. For any questions relating to this offer, the beneficiaries may consult the information brochure and other documents made available to them, in particular on the website [www.ors2019.edf.com]. The employees may also contact their Human Resources manager. Eligible former employees and pensioners must contact their custodian account holder for the terms and conditions of the subscription to the offer. Hedging operations The implementation of the leveraged offer is likely to generate from the financial institution counterparty to the swap agreement (Credit Agricole CIB) - and possibly other financial institutions counterparties of Credit Agricole CIB - hedging transactions (in particular purchases and sales of shares, share borrowing/lending and entering into purchase options), in particular before the implementation of the plan (in particular during the reference price fixing period) and throughout the duration of the plan. Other information This press release is made in accordance with the exemption from publication of a prospectus of Article 4(1)(e) of the European Directive 2003/71/EC as amended. It constitutes the document required to meet the conditions of exemption from publication of a prospectus as defined by the European Directive 2003/71/CE as amended, transposed into the internal law of each member state of the European Union, and with regard to French law, Articles 212-4 (5) of the General Regulations of the French Financial Markets Authority ("AMF") and Article 19 of Instruction No. 2016-04 of October 21, 2016, as amended on January 15, 2018. It also constitutes the press release required by article 221-3 of the AMF General Regulations. Specific mention for the international offer This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy EDF shares. The EDF share offering reserved for employees will be made only in those countries where such an offer has been registered or notified to the relevant local authorities and / or following the approval of a prospectus by the competent local authorities, or in consideration of an exemption from drawing up a prospectus or from registering or notifying the offer, where such a procedure is required. More generally, the offer will only be made in countries where all the registration procedures and / or required notifications have been made, the authorizations obtained, and the procedures for consultation or information of the staff representatives carried out. This press release is not intended and should not be copied or sent to countries in which such a prospectus has not been approved or such an exemption would not be available or in which all procedures for registration, notification, consultation and / or information required have not yet been made or the authorizations have not been obtained. Contact For any question relating to this plan, eligible former employees and pensioners should inform themselves on the website www.ors2019.edf.com. Employees will be informed of the terms and conditions of the subscription to the offer by means of internal communication. A key player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated electricity company, active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading, energy services. A global leader in low-carbon energies, the Group has developed a diversified generation mix based on nuclear power, hydropower, new renewable energies and thermal energy. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 39.8 million customers(1), 29.7million of which are in France. It generated consolidated sales of 69 billion in 2018. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. (1)The customers were counted at the end of 2018 per delivery site; a customer can have two delivery points: one for electricity and another for gas Only print this message if absolutely necessary. EDF SA French societe anonyme With a share capital of 1 505 133 838 euros Registered lead office : 22-30, avenue de Wagram 75382 Paris cedex 08 552 081 317 R.C.S. Paris www.edf.fr CONTACTS Press: +33 (0) 1 40 42 46 37 Analysts and Investors: +33 (0) 1 40 42 40 38 [1] Pursuant to the provisions of Article 31-2 of Ordinance No. 2014-948 of 20 August 2014, as amended by law n2015-990 of August 6, 2015, 7,704,974 shares must be offered to eligible employees and former employees of EDF and its subsidiaries following the capital increase with maintenance of preferential subscription rights for shareholders carried out by EDF in March 2017. [2] on the last day of the cancellation period EDF Group launches the 2019 employee reserved offer "ERO 2019" 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: EDF via GlobeNewswire HUG#2241971 FILE PHOTO: U.S. and European Union flags are pictured during the visit of Vice President Mike Pence to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is ready to starts talks on a trade agreement with the United States and could conclude a deal before the end of the year, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Monday. Malmstrom spoke after EU countries approved two negotiating mandates proposed by the European Commission. Of the 28 EU countries, only France voted against, while Belgium abstained. The Commission will start two sets of negotiations -- one to cut tariffs on industrial goods, the other to make it easier for companies to show products meet EU or U.S. standards. It needed backing from the EU member states to do so. Malmstrom said she would now reach out to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to see when talks could begin. "We are ready as soon as they are," Malmstrom told a news conference. She added Brussels would strive to agree what amounted to a limited deal before the Commission's term ends on Oct. 31. "If we agree to start, I think it can go quite quickly." Malmstrom stressed that the potential tariffs deal was far less ambitious than the previous "TTIP" negotiations, which stalled after three years and have now been rendered obsolete. The two sides are each other's largest trading partners. Flows between the two represent 30 percent of global trade. A Commission survey estimates an agreement on industrial tariffs would increase EU exports to the United States by 8 percent and U.S. products bound for Europe by 9 percent. The European Union and the United States reached a detente last July when U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to hold off imposing punitive tariffs on EU cars as the two sides sought to improve economic ties. That included removing tariffs on "non-auto industrial goods". The Commission has said it is willing to discuss cars, but will not include farm products, a key demand of the United States, which wants comprehensive agricultural market access. "Agriculture will certainly not be part of these negotiations. This is a red line for Europe," Malmstrom said. Story continues AIRCRAFT SUBSIDY DISPUTE EU governments agreed the bloc would not conclude negotiations until Washington removed tariffs it has applied to EU steel and aluminium and would suspend negotiations if the Trump administration impose new tariffs, such as on cars. Germany, whose exports of cars and parts to the United States are more than half the EU total, has been among those most keen to press ahead with talks. France, with very few U.S. car exports, wants climate change provisions in any deal-- a difficult demand given Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. The United States and the European Union have meanwhile begun preparations for measures related to a long-running dispute over subsidies given to U.S. planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus. The Trump administration last week proposed targeting a list of $11 billion (8.3 billion) worth of EU products for tariffs, ranging from large aircraft to dairy products and wine. Brussels has drawn up a 13-page list of some $20 billion of U.S. products, including fish, tobacco, suitcases, planes and video games, EU diplomats say. The Commission will publish its list on Wednesday as part of a public consultation. In both cases, WTO arbitrators have yet to set an amount. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Alastair Macdonald and Alison Williams) TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images(ROME) -- Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg met the pope in Rome Wednesday ahead of a youth rally against climate change this week. Thunberg, 16, met Pope Francis at the end of his weekly audience in St Peter's Square, shaking hands with the pontiff and showing him a banner adorned with the slogan "Join the Climate Strike." "The Holy Father thanked and encouraged Greta Thunberg for her commitment in defense of the environment, and in turn Greta, who had requested the meeting, thanked the Holy Father for his great commitment in defense of creation," the director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, told reporters about the meeting Wednesday morning in the Vatican. The teenage climate change activist rose to worldwide fame after addressing the United Nations climate change summit in Poland at the age of 15 in August. She has since become one of the most influential leaders in the worldwide School Strike for Climate movement, also known as Fridays for Future. After Thunberg embarked on a solo climate change protest at her school in Sweden in August, a movement spread. Thousands of students have joined her in protesting in over 1,325 places in 98 countries over the past six months, according to Thunberg. Thunberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by three Norwegian lawmakers in March for her services to environmental campaigning. In response to the news, she said she was "honored and grateful." Thunberg is in Rome ahead of another youth climate strike scheduled for Friday, which is expected to draw huge crowds as her activities garner more and more media coverage around the globe. Over 1.6 million people from 131 countries took part at the last "School Strike for Climate" global protest on March 15, in which schoolchildren boycott their school day, according to the Fridays for Future website. "Youth throughout the world are voicing what many people are feeling: that national leaders simply must do more if we're going to have any chance at achieving our collective goal under the Paris Agreement of limiting climate change to 1.5C.," Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of UN Climate Change, told ABC News. "These youth understand just how urgent it is that we find solutions; after all, our window of opportunity is closing rapidly." Thunberg's meeting with the Pope followed a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, where she told European politicians that "cathedral thinking" was needed in order to tackle climate change, in apparent reference to the fire at Notre Dame. "It is still not too late to act," she told lawmakers, according to The Guardian. "It will take a far-reaching vision. It will take courage, it will take fierce, fierce determination to act now . I ask you to please wake up and make changes required possible." Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Over 60 protesters were arrested at a climate change demonstration near City Hall this morning. Organized by Extinction Rebellion, an international protest movement demanding dramatic action on climate change, todays action kicked off a planned Week of Rebellion in New York City. The group, which started in England in late 2018, has been using roadblocks and glue to disrupt parts of central London for three days. The New York City chapter began today's demonstration with a rally including chants, signs, chalk writing on the sidewalk, and a band. Approximately 60 protesters, including a six-month pregnant woman, joined in a symbolic die-in on Centre Street. Two men also climbed light poles to tie a large sheet reading Declare Climate Emergency with the Extinction Rebellion logo on the bottom. In January, Extinction Rebellion protesters held a smaller demonstration at the rink at Rockefeller Center, resulting in nine arrests. Activists at todays protest called upon the City of New York to formally declare a climate emergency with an aggressive target for reaching zero greenhouse gas emissions and drawdown, along with an immediate emergency mobilization to ensure a safe climate. Globally, the Extinction Rebellion has four main demands, including reducing greenhouse gases to net zero by 2025, making a citizens assembly to instigate the changes put forth to prevent climate change, and establishing climate justice. Obviously the government has not done enough within the amount of time theyve had to do something," Christina See, the press liaison for Extinction Rebellion NYC, told Gothamist. "Weve known about this for years, scientists have known about this for years, and yet nothing has happened." Protester Ellie Irons brought her 9 week old daughter to the demonstration. There are moms around the world right now who dont have the privileges I have in terms of being able to feed my child, having a home thats not under threat from flooding or erratic climate, Irons said. I cannot imagine the pain of not being able to provide for [my daughter] and so Im out here in solidarity with this movement here in New York City to pressure our elected officials and our government." Nydia Leaf, a member of the Granny Peace Brigade, said, I am a grandmother and I feel a responsibility that my generation has not done what it could to wake up the world. An NYPD spokesperson told Gothamist 62 people were arrested at the die-in, which blocked motor vehicle traffic on Centre Street. The demonstration wrapped up around 11 a.m., as the arrested protestors lined up for the NYPD bus. 60 protesters were charged with disorderly conduct and two were charged with reckless endangerment, the spokesperson said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports the last five years have been the hottest ever recorded. In an alarming report issued last year, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that "global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050 to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming. People in over 80 cities in 33 countries are participating in Extinction Rebellions International Week of Rebellion, the organization claims. There will be other events taking place in New York City including a Rebellion Week Picnic and an Earth Love Fest this week. Also today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released a powerful new video explaining what the Green New Deal proposal would mean for future generations: BRUSSELS, April 15 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process: APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS -- 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 which will remain under joint control with Cyprus Cooperative Bank (approved April 12) NEW LISTINGS -- Dutch infrastructure investor Omers Infrastructure and U.S. bank Morgan Stanley to jointly acquire German logistics company VTG (notified April 11/deadline May 23/simplified) -- Private equity firm Equistone to acquire British catering services provider CH&Co (notified April 11/deadline May 23/simplified) -- Italian pipe maker Tenaris (TENR.MI ) and Russian steel producer Severstal to set up a joint venture (notified April 10/deadline May 22/simplified) -- Australian bank Macquarie, China Investment Corp, German insurer Allianz, UK fund manager Dalmore and UK infrastructure investment company International Public Partnership to jointly acquire British grid operator National Grid's gas distribution business (notified April 10/deadline May 22/simplified) EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES -- Swedish telecoms provider Telia Company to acquire Bonnier Broadcasting which includes brands such as Swedish TV4 and streaming service C More and Finnish MTV (notified March 15/deadline extended to May 10 from April 24 after Telia offered concessions) FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE 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 -- 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) Story continues 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) -- 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) MAY 3 -- Gemany's Daimler and China's Geely Technology Group to create a ride-hailing joint venture in China (notified March 25/deadline May 3/simplified) MAY 6 -- Electricity company Sev.en Energy Group and Chinese peer China Huaneng Group to acquire joint control of electricity provider InterGen B.V. (notified March 26/deadline May 6/simplified) MAY 7 -- U.S. plastics maker Berry Global Group to acquire British packager RPC (notified March 27/deadline May 7/simplified) MAY 8 * Danone drops after results, drags down Nestle * Chip stocks, Ericsson power tech stocks * Banks rally as China data lifts German bond yields (Adds details, quote; Updates prices) By Medha Singh and Susan Mathew April 17 (Reuters) - European shares eased from eight-month highs on Wednesday, weighed down by healthcare and mining stocks while investors looked past better-than-expected first-quarter economic growth in China. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.2 percent by 0930 GMT after five straight days of gains. All country indexes were flat to higher except London FTSE 100 . China's economy unexpectedly steadied in the first quarter, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. Analysts said it was too early to call a sustainable turnaround there, and further policy support would be needed to maintain momentum. "The reaction in equity markets was muted after the data release, probably because much of the positivity has already been priced in," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at FXTM. The positive China data spurred demand for auto stocks , the most among European sectors, as concerns over global growth eased. The data also pushed Germany's 10-year government bond yield to a four-week high. Banks rallied 0.6 percent and drove a 0.3 percent gain in Italy's bank-heavy. However, losses in basic resources and healthcare stocks outweighed. BHP Group PLC fell 3 percent, bringing down London's FTSE and the STOXX 600 as the world's biggest miner cut its forecast for iron ore output, a day after rival Rio Tinto slashed its output guidance. The healthcare sector also dropped 1.3 percent as Novartis fell after Jefferies reduced price target on its shares. Danone slipped 1 percent after the French food group's first-quarter sales slowed on weaker demand for infant formula products in China and a consumer boycott in Morocco. Its peer Nestle SA dropped about a percent ahead of its quarterly report on Thursday. Bunzl was the worst performer on the pan-European index, down nearly 9 percent after the business supplies distributor said first-quarter growth slowed as the grocery and retail business in its biggest market - North America - remained sluggish. Story continues Also capping losses was the tech sector, helped by a climb in chip stocks and Mobile telecom equipment maker Ericsson . ASML Holding rose more than 2 percent after the semiconductor equipment maker reported better-than-expected first quarter earnings and repeated it expects growth to accelerate through the year. European chip stocks - AMS, STMicro, Siltronic, Infineon Technologies - were up between 1.5 percent and 5 percent as U.S. peer Qualcomm Inc surged on Tuesday on an iPhone modem chips deal with Apple Inc. Ericsson ticked about 3 percent higher after beating first-quarter result forecasts and raising full-year outlook for the global networks market. Commerzbank shares rose 3 percent after a media report that Dutch bank ING added its name to a list of merger suitors. That followed approaches by Deutsche Bank and Italy's UniCredit (Reporting by Medha Singh and Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet and Angus MacSwan) FILE PHOTO: The corporate logo of Repsol is seen in their office in Caracas, Venezuela April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo By Collin Eaton and Marianna Parraga HOUSTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Spain's Repsol has suspended its swaps of refined products for crude with Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA, people familiar with the matter said, as U.S. officials weigh penalties for foreign firms doing business with Venezuela. The Spanish oil company has been swapping fuel and waiving payments due from a joint venture with PDVSA in exchange for crude, even as the United States rolled out new sanctions aimed at ousting Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The arrangement made Repsol one of the OPEC-member nation's main fuel suppliers, alongside Russia's Rosneft and India's Reliance Industries, according to three sources and vessel-tracking data. The Trump administration blames Maduro for a severe economic crisis that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The United States and dozens of other countries recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nation's interim president. Maduro considers Guaido a U.S. puppet. A final decision on whether Repsol will cancel the Venezuelan swap deal altogether, after it was first arranged in late 2018, has not yet been made, the sources said. A Repsol spokesman declined to comment on the petroleum swaps. But one of the sources said the company had been communicating with the Trump administration through the U.S. embassy in Spain, which declined to comment. Repsol has said previously that it was complying with U.S. sanctions on PDVSA, which bar any use of the U.S. financial system or subsidiaries based in the United States for oil deals with Venezuela. Companies have been given until April 28 to wind down their existing transactions. Repsol's most recent shipment of gasoline arrived in Venezuela on March 25 aboard the Torm Laura, according to vessel-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon and consulting firm Kpler. As of Wednesday, the Achilleas, a Suezmax tanker chartered by Repsol, remained anchored off Venezuela's Jose oil port, after loading about 1 million barrels of heavy crude on April 6, the Refinitiv data showed. Story continues Another Suezmax chartered by Repsol has been anchored off Jose for at least a week after loading Venezuelan oil, according to shipping sources and Refinitiv data. The tankers are awaiting directions from Repsol before they set sail, according to one of the sources. A separate group of 11 loaded tankers, chartered by U.S. firms Chevron Corp, Valero Energy and Citgo Petroleum have been anchored off Jose for over two months following payment complications from sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton told Reuters last month the administration was considering imposing sanctions on any companies outside the United States that do business with Venezuela. On Wednesday in Miami, Bolton announced a series of new sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela, ratcheting up pressure on Maduro and the countries that support him. In February, Spain imported some 75,920 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan oil, down from 84,650 bpd the month before, when arrivals were boosted by the Repsol-PDVSA swap. The European country imported an average of 12,630 bpd of the crude during 2018. (Reporting by Collin Eaton in Houston, Marianna Parraga in Mexico City and Isla Binnie in Madrid; Editing by Tom Brown) Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM announced that its unit and an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum have won three exploration blocks in Argentinas first offshore bid round. The three blocks augment ExxonMobils existing holdings in Argentina by about 2.6 million net acres. Located in the Malvinas basin, the blocks lie about 200 miles (320 kilometers) offshore Tierra del Fuego and comprise MLO-113, MLO-117 and MLO-118. ExxonMobil, as the operator of the blocks, has a working interest of 70%. The remaining 30% is held by an affiliate of Qatar Petroleum. The initial program will comprise 3-D seismic data acquisition. The public tender results will be substantiated by a resolution to be issued by Argentinas Secretariat of Energy. On Apr 16, a statement issued by the Argentina government confirmed that it had received offers for the exploration of three offshore oil and gas basins from 13 companies for a total of $995 million. The country's energy secretariat was expected to validate the companies that were to be awarded areas in May. ExxonMobils existing holdings in Argentina includes 315,000 net acres spanning over seven blocks in the onshore Neuquen Basin of the Vaca Muerta unconventional oilfield and a business support center in Buenos Aires. In June 2018, Qatar Petroleum had inked an agreement to acquire a 30% stake in two of ExxonMobils affiliates in Argentina. The deal provided Qatar Petroleum access to oil and gas shale assets in the Latin American country. Currently, ExxonMobil has made huge investments in U.S. shale operations and in Guyana. However, the companys growth in Argentina has been hindered due to several reasons, including the geographic distance of the country from U.S. shale operations as well as government regulations on natural gas prices. Throughout 2018, ExxonMobils focus on Brazil's prolific offshore oilfields yielded results. The oil major secured several blocks in partnership with other companies. ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum International won Brazil's Tita area, located in the high-quality Santos basin. The companies have also teamed up for three of ExxonMobils offshore exploration blocks in Mozambique's Angoche and Zambezi basins. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Currently, ExxonMobil carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked players in the energy space are Antero Resources Corporation AR, CrossAmerica Partners L.P. CAPL and SEACOR Holdings, Inc CKH. While Antero Resources and CrossAmerica Partners sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), SEACOR Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2 (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. SEACOR Holdings is a diversified holding company, mainly focused on domestic and international transportation, logistics as well as risk management consultancy. The bottom line for 2019 is expected to inch up 1.7% year over year. The company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 20.5% in the trailing four quarters. Breaking News: Cryptocurrencies Now Bigger than Visa The total market cap of all cryptos recently surpassed $700 billion more than a 3,800% increase in the previous 12 months. Theyre now bigger than Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and even Visa! The new asset class may expand even more rapidly in 2018 as new investors continue pouring in and Wall Street becomes increasingly involved. Zacks has just named 4 companies that enable investors to take advantage of the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies via the stock market. Click here to access these stocks. >> 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 your free report. CrossAmerica Partners LP (CAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report SEACOR Holdings, Inc. (CKH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Antero Resources Corporation (AR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Google offices in Santa Clara, California. Photo by Jason Doiy/The Recorder Google offices in Santa Clara, California. Photo by Jason Doiy/The Recorder In a tense hearing Tuesday morning, representatives from Google and Facebook joined advocacy group members to discuss the impact of white nationalism's spread online, in the wake of violent hate crimes in the U.S. and New Zealand sparked, in part, by groups on social media. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing got off to a rough startone that inadvertently highlighted the need for a discussion on online hate speech. Before a YouTube livestream of the hearing even began, accounts filled a live comment section with calls to "end Jewish supremacy," spewing racist and anti-Semitic hate speech. After about a half hour, YouTube suspended the chat. When the hearing did begin, representatives spent the much of the four-hour session in partisan arguments over which party was racist or anti-Semitic. Many Democrats questioned the selection of conservative commentator Candace Owens as a witness. Nearly halfway through the hearing, Georgia Rep. Henry Johnson asked Facebook and Google the first question about social media's role in spreading a video of the shooting of 50 Muslims in New Zealand mosques last month. The shooter mentioned YouTube, which has been criticized for spreading flat-earth and other conspiracy theories, during his Facebook livestream of the attack. "Many white nationalists have used misinformation propaganda to radicalize social media users. How is YouTube working to stop the spread of far-right conspiracies intent on skewing users perceptions of fact and fiction?" Johnson asked. Alexandria Walden, counsel for free expression and human rights at Google, responded that YouTube does not allow content that promotes or incites violence or hatred. She added the platform does not delete "content on the border" that could be considered harmful, but said they "no longer include those videos in our recommendation algorithm and comments are disabled." Yet an investigation published by Bloomberg last week found that YouTube executives purposefully allowed extremist views to spread throughout the platform because it drummed up engagement and, based on the platform's business model, more money, findings no representatives mentioned in Tuesday's hearing. On Facebook's end, public policy director Neil Potts said the shooter's video was uploaded around 1.5 million times in various forms, with edits that made it difficult for the platform's automatic filter tools to detect and remove each copy. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond said Google, Facebook and other tech platforms should better coordinate content moderation of white nationalism hate speech and violent content such as the New Zealand shooter video, hinting regulation could come if tech companies don't shape up. "Figure it out because you dont want us to figure it out for you," Richmond said. Potts also faced questions about Facebook's recent decision to classify white nationalist and white separatist content as banned hate speech that is indistinguishable from white supremacy. Fellow hearing witness Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, noted that despite the change, many white nationalist groups still appear on the platform. According to Potts, the latest policy change is one Facebook has "been looking at for a long time" as it has promised to increase safety on the platform. He said Facebook now has around 30,000 safety and security staff. For some representatives, Facebook's policy change is too little, too late. Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia shared the story of a Houston-area resident targeted and attacked for being Mexican-American, and who later committed suicide. She shared her concern over rising hate crimes against Latinos and asked how platforms are being "more proactive in stopping some of this language" online. Walden said Google and YouTube track trends on hate speech to identify dog whistles and slurs. Potts said Facebook uses automation and partnerships with academics and advocacy groups, as well as policy updates. "Well, I hope you do more," Garcia said. If youre feeling inspired by John McAfees decision to stay at sea for the next two years to avoid the IRS, you probably shouldnt. The IRS and cryptocurrency are no longer strangers. Just because you think your digital assets cant be tracked doesnt mean you dont have to pay taxes for the money you make on the blockchain. On the contrary, the US government aims to ensure that traders, owners, and investors pay their dues. After a federal judge in California forced Coinbase to hand over details of over 14,000 users to them, the IRS has proven that it has no intention of leaving tax evasion attempts unpunished. So, here are five things you should know about the IRS and If youre feeling inspired by John McAfees decision to stay at sea for the next two years to avoid the IRS, you probably shouldnt. The IRS and cryptocurrency are no longer strangers. Just because you think your digital assets cant be tracked doesnt mean you dont have to pay taxes for the money you make on the blockchain. On the contrary, the US government aims to ensure that traders, owners, and investors pay their dues. After a federal judge in California forced Coinbase to hand over details of over 14,000 users to them, the IRS has proven that it has no intention of leaving tax evasion attempts unpunished. So, here are five things you should know about the IRS and cryptocurrency to make sure you report your earnings correctly and avoid potential prosecution. 1) IRS and cryptocurrency: a compliance priority The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published the first guide on cryptocurrency taxes in 2014. It has updated its policy several times to stay up to date with the market and clarify how to report taxes on crypto income. By now, you probably know that digital assets, tokens, and coins are treated as investment property (not as currency). This means that users should pay taxes on their profit every time they sell their crypto, trade one coin for another coin, or use cryptocurrency to make purchases. The good news is that, at least for now, owners of virtual currency accounts dont need to file for FBARs (Reports of Foreign Bank Financial Accounts). However, the IRS now has a team of cryptocurrency experts collaborating to reduce tax avoidance. The authorities are taking crypto pretty seriously, and more rules and regulations are sure to emerge in the coming years. 2) J5 to combat non-compliance The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) is an alliance of tax enforcement agencies from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. Its goal is combatting transnational tax crime. And this collaboration may have effects on the cryptocurrency market as well. Story continues Not only will it fight against tax crime and money laundering, but it will also collaborate internationally to counter the growing threat to tax administrations posed by cryptocurrencies and cybercrime. More and more governments are working on cryptocurrency regulations regarding data storage and legal ways of gaining access to the transaction history of cryptocurrency exchanges. So, be sure to know the rules wherever you live. 3) Forms for reporting cryptocurrency Despite the high number of questions still surrounding the IRS and cryptocurrency, one thing is for sure: as long as theres a form you can file for reporting cryptocurrency on taxes, theres no legal way you can escape your obligations. As a guideline, traders should file form 8949 for short and long-term capital gains and losses, followed by form 1040 Schedule D. Also, for payments using cryptocurrency for service providers or independent contractors, employers should issue form 1099. Note that, according to the IRS rules, stock transactions use the FIFO method of accounting (first-in, first-out) as default. However, you are allowed to use other accounting methods as well, with different effects on your gain on crypto transactions. 4) Digital coins received as income For most cryptocurrencies, you only pay taxes when selling or using them to make purchases. But things are a little different when you receive cryptocurrency as a wage. In this particular case, you should report employee earnings using W-2 forms in dollars. Thats why its essential that you keep accurate records of the value of your digital coins in USD on the date of each payment you receive. 5) Crypto losses Since cryptocurrencies are treated as investment property for federal tax purposes, you can write off your losses to pay less tax. You can also use your losses to offset gains from other trades, including stocks, and even regular income. For net capital loss under or equal to $3,000, you can use the entire amount in one year. If your loss is higher than $3,000, the exceeding amount can be rolled forward to the next year. Final thoughts on the IRS and cryptocurrency Theres no doubt that the US government isnt kidding around. The IRS and cryptocurrency may not have a long history, but things are going to change. More traders and investors will have to respect the law, and anonymity on the blockchain wont always work as a shield for tax evaders. For now though, most exchanges arent compelled to send tax forms to you or the IRS. According to the rules, youre the only person responsible for reporting your income and transactions and for paying taxes on them. This will likely change moving forwards. So, if youve been flying under the radar, its probably a good idea to start keeping logs of your transactions from now on to avoid getting on the wrong side of the IRS. The post Five things to know about the IRS and cryptocurrency appeared first on Coin Rivet. New York Citys Board of Health has unanimously voted to uphold the Health Departments emergency order announced last week that requires everyone in four Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant zip codes to be vaccinated for measles. The board also extended the order indefinitely until the current outbreak is over. Though no one has been fined the $1,000 penalty so far for refusing to comply, Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said the mandatory vaccination order was already having its intended effect. An estimated 500 children aged one to five in Williamsburg got the measles vaccine in the last week, she said. The purpose of this emergency order isnt to fine people, Barbot said. Its to stress the urgency and the importance of getting vaccinated and to enlist as many people as possible spreading the message that these vaccines are safe and effective. Despite that uptick in immunizations, the Citys Health Department estimates about 14 percent of Williamsburg toddlers aged one to five, totaling 3,350 children, still have not been immunized, according to data from the Citywide Immunization Registry. As of October, New York City had seen confirmed 329 measles cases, the majority in Williamsburg. Twenty-five people needed to be hospitalized and six of those were admitted to intensive care units. (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Demetre Daskalakis told the Board of Health Wednesday about some of the obstacles the department has faced while trying to control the six-month-long outbreak. Theres a lot of things were working against, Daskalakis said. Parents choosing not to seek medical care for infected children, measles parties to intentionally expose children to the virus, spreading of misinformation including by some pediatricians. Parents of five unnamed parents of unvaccinated children have sued over the citys vaccine mandate, and both parties are due in court on Thursday. Department of Health officials track a recent spike in measles cases to a January incident where an unvaccinated child who had the measles but wasnt showing symptoms went to school at Yeshiva Keliath Yakov and exposed other unvaccinated children to the virus, resulting in more than 41 new measles cases. Since then, infections have been on the rise, though last week there were fewer new infections than in prior weeks. [That] really [provided] the spark to the kindling to result in these soaring numbers that you see, Daskalakis said. (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) Beyond the mandatory vaccination order, the city has ramped up enforcement of its requirement that yeshivas exclude unvaccinated children, officials said. Department of Health officials have found 23 Williamsburg yeshivas were violating the order; earlier this week, the city forced a day care program run by the United Talmudical Academy with 250 kids to close down for failing to provide adequate immunization records after repeated attempts to gain access to them. Most people are not staunchly anti-vaccination forever and ever, said Malkey Rosin, a school nurse in a yeshiva who is working with a group of other nurses to fight anti-vaccination propaganda targeted at the ultra-Orthodox community which has created fears that the vaccines causes autism, among other misinformation. Most people are just confused moms, and theyre holding a tiny little baby and being, like, but why am I doing this? Gwynne Hogan is an associate producer at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @GwynneFitz. Game of Thrones. Courtesy photo: HBO. Game of Thrones. Photo: HBO. Westeros might appear as a chaotic medieval landscape devoid of the rule of law, but it's actually a land of unwritten laws rife with conflicts that parallel modern-day struggles. That's according to a small but growing cohort of law professors who are harnessing the popular television show "Game of Thrones"soon to return for its eighth and final seasonto spark discussions about ethics, conflict resolution, immigration, climate change and other areas of the law. The show is now the basis of an ethics course at the University of Virginia School of Law; the focus of an upcoming research workshop at Durham Universitys law school in the United Kingdom, and the topic of a recent law review article. Academics who bring the show into the classroom say students are especially engaged when discussing "Game of Thrones" and that the sprawling story lines offer ample fodder for analysis and insight into our own world and legal structures. Anytime you can make the law come alive for students, they tend to sit on the edge of their seats, said David Weber, a professor at Creighton University School of Law who has written what appears to be the first law review article centered on "Game of Thrones." The 'Game of Thrones,' to me, epitomizes where our cultural zeitgeist is right now. Its the one show on television that really drives that water cooler discussion the following morning. Webers article, titled Legal Structures In Game of Thrones: The Laws of the First Men and Those That Followed, appears in the South Carolina Law Review and argues that more similarities exist than we may prefer to acknowledge between our world and Westeros. Analyzing the legal structure of is a useful avenue to reflect on our own laws and traditions, he argues. Mila Versteeg. Mila Versteeg. University of Virginia law professors Mila Versteeg and Toby Heytens, who is also Virginias solicitor general, break down the many parallels they see between "Game of Thrones" and modern society in a new podcast put out by the law school. The pair co-teaches a one-credit ethics seminar based around the show. (The class is part of a seminar series that takes an informal approach, with small classes often meeting in professors homes.) There is no law in this lawless world, but then if you look closer, there are many places where we do see these seemingly all-powerful figures be constrained by certain norms, or other peoples reputationscertain rules that are not written, but theyre there, Versteeg said in the podcast. The threat of an army of undead dubbed the white walkers is an obvious analogy to climate change, with the warring houses of Westeros standing in for international leaders jockeying for power among themselves while ignoring the true threat, Versteeg argues. Westeros faces a collective action problem, just as we do with climate change, Heytens adds. The professors also muse about what Westeros constitution would look like, were the dragon-wielding Daenerys Targaryen to write itassuming she lands in the coveted Iron Throne. "Games of Thrones" consistently comes up in Webers immigration class, with students mentioning the wall of ice that divides Westeros from the north and the others who reside there. Every time we talk about a wall on the southern border, someone invariably will bring up the 'Game of Thrones,' Weber said. Its very much an interesting dichotomy in language. We have all the people in Westeros, and the others. We talk about it from that lens: When we are building this type of wall, who are we dividing and why are we dividing? Theres an interesting debate and dialogue that happens. Not everyone is convinced that "Game of Thrones" is a useful tool to teach law, however. University of Pennsylvania law professor David Hoffman said using the show in the classroom is a little gimmicky and could make nonwatchers feel left out of the discussion. Hoffman, however, has a unique vantage point of the legal landscape of Westeros. In 2006 he interviewed George R.R. Martin, author of "A Song of Ice and Fire," the book series from which "Game of Thrones" is adapted, about the laws of the fantasy world he created. The interview was part of a podcast series in which fantasy authors and science fiction television writers discussed the role of the law in their creations. (Hoffman recalled that he simply emailed Martin and asked for an interviewsomething that would be unlikely in 2019 now that Martin is more than a minor celebrity.) Hoffman, who teaches contract law, said he had hoped Martin would have insight on private law in Westeros. But the author had little to say on the subject. He was more focused on public law, Hoffman recalled. He was really focused on the intricacies of inheritance law. He spent a ton of time in the interview talking about French inheritance law, which I think he was trying to work into his books. I think he hadnt thought as much as a contracts professor would have wanted him to about, What does it mean to have a contract when theres magic? But Weber sees potential for a semester-long law course based on the show, not unlike existing law courses centered on another popular HBO show"The Wire." You could almost do 'Game of Thrones' as a bar review course, he said. It would cover aspects of criminal law, constitutional law and criminal procedure. You could absolutely have a seminar-type course where you are looking at all the different legal structures in that universe. HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Gold is expected to garner safe-haven interest as investors look to protect themselves against an impending recession, according to Joe Foster, Portfolio Manager and Strategist for the VanEck Gold and Precious Metals Strategy. Looking at gold stocks that could benefit, Inception Mining, Inc (IMII) stood out. IMII, which owns and operates a producing mine with the capacity to produce 1000 tons per day, looks like it may be heating up. Let's begin research today. The 5 Gold Stocks we are highlighting: Inception Mining, Inc. (IMII), YAMANA GOLD INC. (AUY), Hecla Mining Company (HL), McEwen Mining Inc. (MUX) and U.S. Gold Corp. (USAU). Inception Mining, Inc. (IMII) (Market Cap: $19.438M; Share Price: $0.344) announced in March that the company has completed a National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report that includes an estimate on its Clavo Rico 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 company's 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. Inception Mining is a producing gold mining company engaged in the identification, exploration, acquisition and development of mineral properties. IMII owns and operates the Clavo Rico mine. Story continues Now's a good time to start your research on IMII. YAMANA GOLD INC. (AUY) (Market Cap: $2.178B; Share Price: $2.29) announced on Monday it has agreed to sell the wholly-owned Chapada mine to Lundin Mining Corporation for total consideration of over $1.0 billion. Chapada, located in the State of Goias, Brazil, is a copper mine with additional gold production that was developed by the company and began production in 2007. Under the terms of the agreement with Lundin, Yamana will receive cash consideration of $800 million at closing, additional consideration of up to $125 million based on the price of gold, a $100 million payment contingent on the development of a pyrite circuit to optimize the operation, and a royalty on the adjacent Suruca gold project. The Sale Transaction provides a significant improvement to the company's financial flexibility going forward due to annualized interest savings in excess of $35 million. The up-front cash consideration of $800 million provides for significant deleveraging benefits. The improved balance sheet and interest savings will enable the company to increase its dividend significantly thereby improving its returns to shareholders and allowing the company flexibility of further capital returns, including a share buyback. Yamana Gold Inc. engages in operating mines, development stage projects, and exploration and mineral properties primarily in Canada, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. The company primarily sells precious metals, including gold, silver, and copper. Its principal mining properties comprise the Chapada and Jacobina mines in Brazil, the Canadian Malartic mine in Canada, and the Cerro Moro mine in Argentina and the El Penon and Minera Florida mines in Chile. The company was formerly known as Yamana Resources Inc. and changed its name to Yamana Gold Inc. in July 2003. Hecla Mining Company (HL) (Market Cap: $1.106B; Share Price: $2.29) announced 2 weeks ago it is filing a National Instrument (NI) 43-101 Technical Report on the Greens Creek Mine in Alaska and the Casa Berardi Mine in Quebec. Some of the highlights for the Greens Creek mine include: Reserves are calculated at price assumption of $14.50 per ounce silver. The current Proven and Probable Reserve of 107.1 million silver ounces is the highest since 2008, the year Hecla acquired 100% of the mine. The Life of Mine Plan (LOM) extends production to 2030 without including any resources. Measured and Indicated Resources are 97.4 million silver ounces. Significant exploration potential. For Casa Berardi Mine, the key highlights include: Reserves are calculated at price assumption of $1,200 per gold ounce. Gold Proven and Probable Reserves increased approximately 28% to 1.91 million ounces. Substantial reserve increases occurred in the proposed West Mine Crown Pillar and Principal pits, Casa Berardi's highest-grade pits. The LOM extends production to 2034 without including any resources. Measured and Indicated Resources are 1.2 million gold ounces. Significant exploration potential. Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, acquires, develops, and produces precious and base metal properties worldwide. The company offers lead, zinc, and bulk flotation concentrates to custom smelters and brokers, and unrefined gold and silver bullion bars to precious metals traders. It owns 100% interests in the Greens Creek mine located on Admiralty Island in southeast Alaska, Lucky Friday mine located in northern Idaho, Casa Berardi mine located in the Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec, Canada, and San Sebastian mine located in the city of Durango, Mexico. It is a leading low-cost U.S. silver producer with operating mines in Alaska, Idaho and Mexico, and is a growing gold producer with operating mines in Quebec, Canada and Nevada. McEwen Mining Inc. (MUX) (Market Cap: $496.781M; Share Price: $1.38) reported last week consolidated production for Q1 2019 of 26,789 gold ounces and 703,217 silver ounces, or 36,166 gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs"). McEwen has the goal to qualify for inclusion in the S&P 500 Index by creating a profitable gold and silver producer focused in the Americas. McEwen Mining Inc. engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold and silver. It also explores for copper deposits. The company owns 100% interests in the El Gallo and Fenix projects located in Mexico, and the Black Fox Mine and Stock Mill, Grey Fox, and Froome and Tamarack properties in Canada. It also owns interests in the Fuller, Davidson-Tisdale, Buffalo Ankerite, and Paymaster exploration properties located in Canada, and a 49% interest in the San JosA mine located in Argentina. U.S. Gold Corp. (USAU) (Market Cap: $19.725M; Share Price: $1.05), a gold exploration and development company, announced as recently as last month, the completion and compilation of additional district-wide geochemical surveys on the Keystone project. Commensurate detailed geological mapping has also been completed with potentially significant new Carlin-type deposit target characteristic implications. The geochemical data, combined with earlier gravity and other geophysical survey assessments, and scout drilling programs to date, have provided the necessary information to identify, and zero in on, site-specific discovery opportunities in 2019. Today, it announced that the Honorable Ryan K. Zinke has been appointed to the Board of Directors. U.S. Gold Corp. operates as a gold exploration and development company in the United States. It has a portfolio of development and exploration properties. The company's properties include the Copper King project, an advanced stage gold and copper exploration and development project located in southeast Wyoming; Keystone project, an exploration property on the Cortez Trend in Nevada; and the Gold Bar North project, a gold exploration property located in Eureka County, Nevada. It is a publicly traded U.S.-focused gold exploration and development company. 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 IMII signed 02/12/2019. The agreement calls for $25,000 in cash and 10,000 restricted shares of IMII per month. All payments were made directly by Inception Mining, 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. IMII 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/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/542261/This-Gold-Stock-Could-Help-Weather-the-Potential-Storm Countries around the world are still awarding Huawei contracts to develop 5G networks, despite repeated warnings and pressure from the U.S to ban the equipment maker. The Chinese telecom giant has won more than 18 new 5G commercial contracts in the past five months, half of which come from Europe, according to data Yahoo Finance compiled from Huawei announcements. With 40 commercial contracts in total, Huawei is leading 5G installations worldwide. None of Huaweis 40 5G commercial contracts come from its home turf, mainland China (Huawei has one contract from Hong Kong). Surprisingly, Chinas top carrier, China Mobile, handed over a 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) contract to Finnish telecom company Nokia last year. Nokia has scored 34 5G contracts so far. Ericsson, the other leading telecom equipment maker, has won 18 commercial contracts globally, including the U.S. and Australia markets, where Huawei has been banned by governments. Chi Lo, senior economist at PNB Paribas, thinks Europeans are more practical. If you look at the tech area, they are much more intertwined with the Chinese Huawei and 5G technology. If they shut out Huawei, they'll probably shut themselves out of the 5G market for at least two or three years. Obviously the governments there are considering how to make a choice of that. Huawei is winning more 5G contracts. (David Foster) Huaweis growth in 5G is against the backdrop of a U.S. campaign to limit the role of Chinese telecommunication firms in the build-out of 5G networks, citing national security concerns. Some European countries, including the UK, have vowed to tighten security on Huawei products to make sure there are no security vulnerabilities. German intelligence even said Huawei isnt a trustworthy partner to build the countrys fifth-generation mobile networks, although Chancellor Angela Merkel decided not to ban Huawei from bidding for 5G contracts. The U.S. will continue to push its allies to adopt shared security policies that will limit their partnership with Huawei in a meeting next month, according to Reuters. Benefits outweigh the risks Story continues To some countries, the ability to get one of the best next-generation technologies at a cheaper price outweighs the potential risks. A government minister in Poland told Reuters that the Eastern European country may not be able to exclude all Huawei equipment from its 5G mobile networks as it previously pledged, due to cost concerns. That shift in attitude followed the arrest of a Huawei executive in Poland on charges of spying for China in January. It also reflects a growing dilemma that many countries face when having to choose partners to keep up-to-date in the 5G game. In its latest analyst meeting, Huawei said it is optimistic about further expanding its 5G dominance. We have voluntarily given up the U.S. market. We are still participating in Australia's 4G expansion, Wang Tao, Huawei's executive director, said on Tuesday. Although we are under pressure from geopolitical restrictions, we believe that carriers in each country will make wise choices. In 2019, Huawei will not face great changes or deterioration in terms of operating areas. 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, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hudbay Minerals Inc. (Hudbay or the company) (TSX, NYSE: HBM) today announced that Waterton Global Resource Management, Inc. (Waterton), which is currently waging a proxy contest against the company, has commenced a legal proceeding in the Ontario Superior Court against Hudbay. Waterton alleges that the companys management information circular in respect of its annual and special meeting of shareholders to be held on May 7, 2019 contains misrepresentations and seeks to constrain the companys ability to solicit proxies. Hudbay believes that the litigation is frivolous and will vigorously defend itself. The company will seek to recover its legal costs from Waterton and will provide further updates on this matter as developments warrant. Proxy Voting Information Time is short and the stakes are high. In order to ensure that your vote is counted at the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, shareholders are urged to vote only the GREEN proxy FOR the nominees recommended by Hudbay, and ensure that your proxy is received prior to the proxy voting deadline of 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on Friday, May 3, 2019. For assistance voting your proxy, shareholders should contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 (toll-free for Hudbay shareholders in North America) or 1-416-304-0211 (collect call for Hudbay shareholders outside North America) or assistance@laurelhill.com . Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by us at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks generally associated with the mining industry, such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations, energy prices and general cost escalation), as well as the risks discussed under the heading Risk Factors in Hudbays most recent Annual Information Form. Story continues Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Hudbay does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. About Hudbay Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is an integrated mining company primarily producing copper concentrate (containing copper, gold and silver), molybdenum concentrate and zinc metal. With assets in North and South America, the company is focused on the discovery, production and marketing of base and precious metals. Directly and through its subsidiaries, Hudbay owns three polymetallic mines, four ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Canada) and Cusco (Peru), and copper projects in Arizona and Nevada (United States). The companys growth strategy is focused on the exploration and development of properties it already controls, as well as other mineral assets it may acquire that fit its strategic criteria. Hudbays vision is to be a responsible, top-tier operator of long-life, low-cost mines in the Americas. Hudbays mission is to create sustainable value through the acquisition, development and operation of high-quality, long-life deposits with exploration potential in jurisdictions that support responsible mining, and to see the regions and communities in which the company operates benefit from its presence. The company is governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act and its shares are listed under the symbol "HBM" on the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Bolsa de Valores de Lima. Further information about Hudbay can be found on www.hudbay.com . For investor inquiries, please contact: Laurel Hill Advisory Group 416-304-0211 or 1-877-452-7184 assistance@laurelhill.com Candace Brule Director, Investor Relations (416) 814-4387 candace.brule@hudbay.com For media inquiries, please contact: Joel Shaffer Longview Communications and Public Affairs (416) 649-8006 jshaffer@longviewcomms.ca Canadian Mining Company Deleted Its Accusation that Activist Waterton Seeded Article with Bloomberg By John Jannarone When companies face criticism from an activist, its common for them to resort to aggressive tactics. But spreading potential mistruths is a dangerous game with possible ramifications for a companys board of directors. Consider the recent action taken by Hudbay Minerals, a Toronto-based mining company under pressure from 12% shareholder Waterton Global Resource Management, a private-equity firm that seeks to replace the majority of the companys board directors. Chief among Watertons concerns are misguided acquisitions and poor shareholder returns over the last decade since current chairman Alan Hibben joined the board. As part of its defense campaign, Hudbay on April 4 published an information circular (including an introduction letter signed by Mr. Hibben) with a thorough attack on Waterton, including a caricature of the private-equity fund in the form of a snake on the cover page. More striking, however, was a description on page 32 of the circular that read Bloomberg Article Seeded by Waterton referring to this report detailing Hudbays discussions with Chiles Mantos Copper about a possible acquisition. The apparent insinuation was that Waterton had planted a negative article with Bloomberg in order to depress the share price and build on its stake, which at the time was roughly 4.8% of the company. Initial Version of Circular Its unclear how long the words Seeded by Waterton remained in the circular, but as of late last week, they had quietly disappeared without any announcement from the company. Asked about the change, a Hudbay spokesman told CorpGov on Monday that the company will be commenting publicly in due course. Modified Version of Circular The accusation and its removal are troubling on multiple counts. First, the initial version of the page suggests a top-tier media outlet such as Bloomberg would report merger talks without strong sourcing. More importantly, the revision of the slide indicates the company made a serious public accusation against Waterton but later decided to retract it without explanation. Story continues Corporate governance experts say board directors may bear direct responsibility for such actions, given the significance of the information circular. Lawrence Elbaum, a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP in New York, isnt a Canadian lawyer, but is a leading corporate governance attorney and says it is part of a boards duty to monitor communications such as an information circular. Generally, as a principle of good governance, if a board and company are issuing a letter, presentation, or email, they should be responsible for every bit of it down to punctuation, Mr. Elbaum said. As a fiduciary, a company and its board should provide timely, complete and accurate information to investors so they can make proper decisions. He added that Hudbay still owes shareholders an explanation for just why it altered language in the circular. The company has some explaining to do, he said. Either they admit they did it and acknowledge they tried to deceive shareholders or try to explain why they didnt deceive shareholders. For its part, Waterton commenced a legal proceeding Monday against Hudbay in Ontarios Superior Court of Justice. Waterton argues that the information circular was designed to discredit the fund and to mislead shareholders regarding Watertons activities to sway their vote. The company issued a statement Tuesday, which said Hudbay believes that the litigation is frivolous and will vigorously defend itself. In addition to the alteration Hudbay made to the circular, other items of possible concern remain. One in particular is page 43, which concerns Daniel Muniz Quintanilla, one of Watertons director nominees. The pages headline reads Waterton Nominees Have Alarming Environmental, Social, and Governance Track Records. Curiously, the slide also contains a block of text regarding Southern Copper, where Mr. Muniz Quintanilla was a director from 2008 to 2018. The first two sentences of the text read [Southern Copper] is involved in severe ESG controversies. A mining accident in 2006 that led to the death of 65 workers has resulted in long-running strikes at three of its other mines in Mexico. A cursory read of the slide might make someone think Mr. Muniz Quintanilla was somehow responsible for that accident. But in fact, he was not a director of the company until 2008, two years later. Asked why the accident was included in the circular, Hudbays spokesman said the accident wasnt meant to be emphasized because it wasnt highlighted. So far as I know the block of text was from the report noted, he told CorpGov. The information in red, within the block, was meant to be the focus. In fairness, there are no outright inaccuracies on slide 43. But the possibility of confusion was enough for Waterton to point out in its legal filing that Mr. Muniz Quintanilla was actually practicing law at a boutique law firm at the time of the accident. The controversial circular is a reminder of just how serious investor communications should be to a board, especially in the context of a proxy fight. As Mr. Elbaum points out, a company that actually lies to investors may be committing securities fraud. But even short of that, it would behoove board directors to tread carefully when they play hardball with an activist. Contact: John Jannarone , Editor-in-Chief www.CorpGov.com Editor@CorpGov.com Twitter: @CorpGovernor Rent regulations are considered a birthright by New Yorkers, and increasingly popular in Albany as well, where a slew of new bills are considering expanding tenant protections. Mainstream economic theorists, though, have long belittled such laws, arguing that they reduce both the quality and quantity of housing and make housing problems worse in the long run. A new Columbia Business School study, though, argues that opponents of rent control and other affordable-housing measures are missing a key benefit of such programs. Where previous studies have focused narrowly on such negative effects as reduced housing supply and increased market rents, they've failed to account for one major positive: reduced fear for low-income workers that loss of a job will lead to loss of a home. "In the New York City market there is a lot of inequality and very little insurance provided through the tax code," Columbia Business School real estate and finance professor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, the lead author, explained to Gothamist. "Housing affordability can add value as an insurance mechanism. My message is yes, there are distortions [to the market], but the benefits are also there." So, is economics as a field catching up to what everyone already knows is true, or what? "Economists typically have taken a narrow view towards rent control...but we've found that expansion of rent control in major cities provides real benefits," https://t.co/KpE8SuFVuC Oksana (@OksanaMironov) April 9, 2019 The authors of the study built what they call a "workhorse" mathematical model of the New York City housing system, incorporating rent-controlled housing units, public housing, Mitchell-Lama housing, and all other government-assisted or regulated housing in New York City. (It did not, however, include rent-stabilized units.) They then applied changes to rent control and zoning policies to see what would happen. As it turned out, the city's total overall welfare went up when rent control was increased. The negative effects of reducing housing supply, the model showed, were outweighed by the positive effects of reducing the fear of losing a home if you lost a job. (Van Nieuwerburgh explained he converted less tangible measures into the equivalent amount of cash value that people would be willing to give up to obtain them: "A welfare gain of 1 percent from a policy change means that this household would be willing to give up 1 percent of consumption every year to live in this new world with the new policy.") However, Van Nieuwerburgh and his co-authors concluded that rent control policies in New York City would work better if they were more narrowly targeted to poorer residents, who benefit more from the increased security of a guaranteed low-rent home. He also would encourage establishing a system where people had to re-qualify every few years. "The message is if you increase rent control, you have modest welfare gains, but if we fix the system we can get large welfare gains," he said. Although rent control has been used for decades in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, the policy tool has been relatively rare elsewhere. That may be changing. In February, Oregon became the first state to establish rent control statewide. The Columbia study comes at a critical time in Albany. Progressive state lawmakers are pushing a plan to expand rent regulation and, in the process, reviving a debate about whether such price-setting policies can depress a citys economy. Upstate Democrats have specifically pushed back against a proposal backed by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to expand the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974 (ETPA), which regulates rents in buildings larger than six units that were constructed before 1974, according to a story in the Albany Times Union. Municipalities would have the ability to opt in to the program, as long as they can show that their housing vacancy rates are below 5 percent. Aside from New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Rockland counties are the only places currently eligible for ETPA. "Our initial reaction is thanks but no thanks," Assemblymember John McDonald, who represents Cohoes, a city in Albany County, told the Times Union. "What works for Brooklyn may not work so well in Watervliet." Assemblymember Pat Fahy of Albany worried that ETPA would have a chilling effect on development. But Brooklyn Assemblymember Steve Cymbrowitz, who chairs the chamber's Housing Committee, argued that the real estate lobby has used scare tactics to drum up opposition to rent protections. "Rent regulation has helped hundreds of thousands of people to live in [New York City], he said. MILAN, April 16 (Reuters) - Atlantia is not in talks with railways group Ferrovie dello Stato over a possible involvement in the rescue of flagship carrier Alitalia, the chairman of the Italian infrastructure group said on Tuesday. "As far as I know there have been no meetings over this," Atlantia Chairman Fabio Cerchiai told Reuters. Cerchiai added he was only aware of "technical" meetings between Ferrovie and representatives of Atlantia's Aeroporti di Roma unit, which manages Rome's Fiumicino airport, which is Alitalia's hub. Ferrovie dello Stato is in talks with Delta Air Lines over the rescue of Alitalia, but it is struggling to find partners ready to inject funds into the airline. The carrier was placed under special administration in 2017 after workers rejected the latest in a long line of rescue plans. (Reporting by Valentina Za, writing by Maria Pia Quaglia, editing by Davide Barbuscia) (Bloomberg) -- A former JPMorgan Chase & Co analyst, whod been critical of Autonomy Corp., said that founder Mike Lynch tried to have him removed and dangled the possibility of a merger advisory role if the bank agreed. Autonomys management waged a vendetta against Daud Khan, that culminated in Lynch offering to hire JPMorgan as an adviser on its next transaction if he was replaced, Khan told a London court Wednesday. Khan, who worked for JPMorgans Cazenove unit until 2011, was testifying on behalf of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. in its $5.1 billion suit against the British software founder. JPMorgan senior management did not ultimately bow to Dr. Lynchs pressure and I remained the analyst covering Autonomy," Khan said. The mammoth fraud lawsuit is now in its fourth week, with the court hearing how HPs board was riven with conflict as it pursued the $11 billion Autonomy acquisition. The company wrote down the value of what was then the U.K.s second biggest software firm by $8.8 billion just a year later. "Dr. Lynchs account of that meeting differs and he doesnt accept it," said Sharif Shivji, a lawyer for the Autonomy founder. Earlier Khan was questioned about the effectiveness of the Chinese wall between investment banking and research. He said there were no concerns. Khan said it wasnt the only time JPMorgans investment banking group raised concerns about him. A relationship banker who covered Autonomy also suggested to him that another analyst should take over coverage of the firm, he said. JPMorgan was among the banks that later advised Autonomy on its sale to HP. A spokesman for JPMorgan declined to comment. The trial has focused on how Lynch and his chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain hustled to hit or exceed quarterly earnings figures. HP has argued that Autonomy artificially inflated its revenue by adding undisclosed hardware sales or booking "contrived" reseller transactions. Story continues The rhetoric coming from Autonomy management didnt make sense when it came to the financial statements," Khan said. Khan said that Lynch turned against him when he changed his recommendation on the stock at the beginning of the banking crisis. Khan and another analyst, Paul Morland, were one of a small number of analysts that were skeptical of Autonomy. Khan was temporarily banned from attending management presentations after Autonomy questioned inappropriate" calls with fund managers. Lynch had a very good grasp of accounting principles," Khan said. "Mr. Hussain, by contrast, came across as shy and reserved and invariably looked to Dr. Lynch to field analysts questions." To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Browning in London at jbrowning9@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. TORONTO, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K; NYSE: KGC) (Kinross) today announced changes to its senior leadership structure. The Company is streamlining its senior leadership team, with Lauren Roberts, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, and Gina Jardine, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources, leaving the Company by mutual agreement. Paul Tomory will now be Executive Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer and broaden his portfolio to take on leadership of regional operations. With the goal of increasing efficiency and cost management, we have streamlined our senior leadership team to ensure we are well positioned to continue delivering on our commitments and building value for the future, said J. Paul Rollinson, President and Chief Executive Officer. Paul Tomory, who led the successful completion of the Tasiast Phase One expansion, and development of our project pipeline and strategic business optimization, will assume additional responsibility for regional operations. I am confident Paul will continue to maintain the excellent safety and operational track records that we hold as core Company strengths and deliver on our project development goals. The Senior Vice-Presidents of the Companys three operating regions the Americas, Russia and West Africa will also have increased accountability for the operational success of their respective regions, in particular, safety, cash flow, production and costs. On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Lauren and Gina for their significant contributions to Kinross, said Mr. Rollinson. During his long and successful career at Kinross, Lauren was a relentless champion of safety and delivered many accomplishments, including achieving our annual production and cost guidance over the past two years. He provided strong operational leadership and was instrumental in the success of our sites across all regions, from permitting, operations and closure. As head of HR, Gina strategically advanced our approach to talent, executive development and succession. She provided strong leadership to our HR functions across Kinross and headed the development of our culture and employee engagement through the launch of our People Commitments. I wish both Lauren and Gina the very best in their next roles. Story continues The Kinross senior leadership team now includes: Paul Rollinson, President and CEO; Geoff Gold, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development and External Relations, and Chief Legal Officer; Paul Tomory, Executive-Vice President and Chief Technical Officer; and Andrea Freeborough, Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. Human Resources has been re-structured to align more closely with operations and corporate responsibilities. To support the streamlined senior leadership team, the Company is pleased to announce that it has created a leadership advisory team that will consist of experienced Kinross leaders with diverse perspectives and functional expertise to provide direct input and insight on organizational issues, corporate strategy and key business decisions. The leadership advisory team is indicative of the deep and talented bench strength at Kinross, said Mr. Rollinson. By formalizing this team, we are leveraging our talent and expertise to increase operational effectiveness, transparency, and communication between all aspects of the business so we are better equipped to make and implement decisions quickly and successfully without adding another reporting structure layer. The strategic functions represented in the leadership advisory team includes safety and sustainability, technical services, operations, exploration, finance, legal/compliance, human resources, government relations, investor relations and corporate development. For more information on Kinross senior leadership, click here: kinross.com/about/senior-management . About Kinross Gold Corporation Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mauritania, Chile and Ghana. Kinross focus is on delivering value based on the core principles of operational excellence, balance sheet strength, disciplined growth and responsible mining. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol:K) and the New York Stock Exchange (KGC). Media Contact Louie Diaz Senior Director, Corporate Communications phone: 416-369-6469 louie.diaz@kinross.com Investor Relations Contact Tom Elliott Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development phone: 416-365-3390 tom.elliott@kinross.com Source: Kinross Gold Corporation BEIRUT, April 17 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Prime Minister on Wednesday told parliament that "we are certainly in a difficult time" as his government attempts to bring the country's public debt burden - one of the world's heaviest - under control. Saad al-Hariri added that the government had promised to issue a 2019 state budget in one or two months, but was trying not to harm anyone. In a February policy statement, the new government committed itself to launching fast and effective reforms that could be difficult and painful to avoid a worsening of economic, financial and social conditions. (Reporting By Tom Perry and Angus McDowall; editing by John Stonestreet) FILE PHOTO: Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of e-commerce company JD.com, leaves the Great Hall of the People after the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo By Koh Gui Qing and Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) - A University of Minnesota student who said she was raped last August by Richard Liu, the chief executive officer of China's e-commerce retailer JD.com Inc, filed a civil lawsuit against him in a Minneapolis court on Tuesday, nearly four months after prosecutors declined to press criminal charges. Liu, through his lawyers, maintained his innocence throughout the law enforcement investigation, which ended in December. The lawsuit filed in Hennepin County court seeks undisclosed damages and names Richard Liu and JD.com as defendants. It also identifies the student for the first time as Liu Jingyao, a Chinese woman who is not related to the JD.com executive. "Defendant Liu was physically larger in size and significantly stronger than the plaintiff and used his superior size and strength to subdue and rape her," the court document said. Richard Liu's attorney, Jill Brisbois, said in a written statement on Tuesday that she had not yet reviewed the complaint, but "based on the Hennepin County attorneys declination to charge a case against our client and our belief in his innocence, we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it." Peter Walsh, an attorney for JD.com at Hogan Lovells, said in a written statement while they were not prepared to comment at this time, they will vigorously defend against "these meritless claims against the company." The student first accused Richard Liu of rape in August when he was visiting the University of Minnesota to attend a doctor of business administration program directed at executives from China. Liu, 46, who started JD.com as a humble electronics stall and expanded it into an e-commerce company with 2018 net revenues of $67 billion, was arrested on Aug. 31, but released without charge about 17 hours later. He soon returned to China and continued his executive role, as prosecutors in Minnesota investigated the rape allegation to determine if criminal charges were warranted. In December, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman announced he was not charging Richard Liu as there were "profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." Story continues Richard Liu said subsequently on Chinese social media that while he had broken no law, he felt "utter self-admonishment and regret" for the "enormous pain" his "actions on that day" caused his family, especially his wife, internet celebrity Zhang Zetian. Also known as Liu Qiangdong, he would have faced up to 30 years in prison under Minnesota law if convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Reuters previously reported details of what happened while Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a week-long residency program at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, including a description of the alleged attack and the events around it given by the then-anonymous student. "We are proud of the incredible courage our client has shown revealing her name for all the world to see, so that justice may be done," Florin Roebig, P.A., one of the law firms representing Liu Jingyao, said in a statement on Tuesday. Florin Roebig declined to comment on the amount they were seeking in damages, but the court filing showed it was more than the $50,000 threshold required. Spokesmen for the University of Minnesota and the Hennepin County Attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. JD.COM 'VICARIOUSLY LIABLE' The lawsuit accused Richard Liu and JD.com of a total of six counts of false imprisonment, civil assault and battery, as well as sexual assault or battery. JD.com is "vicariously liable" for Richard Liu's behavior because his alleged actions happened while he was "seemingly" at work-related activities, the court document said. The assault and battery also began in the presence of two other JD.com employees, Vivian Yang Han and Alice Zhang Yujia, the court filing said. Yang, when reached on her cellphone for comment, hung up. Zhang did not respond to a request for comment. "Those employees were not only present but helped facilitate" Richard Liu's alleged assault of the student, according to the lawsuit. "The offensive contact caused the plaintiff physical and emotional injuries," the court filing said. "It also caused her to withdraw from all classes during the fall 2018 semester at the University of Minnesota and to seek professional counseling, care and treatment." The lawsuit said that when police visited the student's apartment after being alerted to the rape allegation, Richard Liu tried to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement, according to an officer's body camera footage. The lawsuit said Liu was "staring down" at her while being removed from her apartment, angrily saying "'What the hell?'" (Reporting by Koh Gui Qing and Lawrence Delevingne in New York; editing by Grant McCool and G Crosse) New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Netflix Earnings Beat Netflix NFLX just released its earnings today after market close with an EPS of $0.76 beating the $0.57 EPS estimate by 33% and showing 19% growth YoY. Sales were $4.52 billion vs the $4.49 billion estimate. Making this the best quarter that Netflix has seen to date. Share still traded down after-hours falling 0.5%. It appears that the price action associated with earnings for NFLX is strongly correlated with the number of subscriptions added, which has recently been driven primarily by international consumers. They reported 1.7 million new subscriptions domestically vs. expected 1.6 million and 7.9 internationally vs. an expected 7.3 million, totaling 9.6 million new net subscriptions (6.6% above estimates). The actual price action will not be realized until the markets open tomorrow and the real share volume for NFLX starts trading hands. The subscription streaming space is becoming increasingly competitive with Apple AAPL announcing its own streaming service and Disney DIS announcing Disney+. This saturation is concerning investors who have priced in large growth numbers for Netflix. The details of Disney+ were released after-hours on Thursday and when trading opened Friday Netflix sunk 4.5% and Disney trading up over 11%. Competition from Disney Disney+ is leaving Netflix investors quite uneasy. For one, Disney+ is being offered to consumers at $6.99 per month, which is roughly half of Netflixs standard HD package thats priced at $12.99. Disney offers a library of almost 100 years of content that consumers around the world know and love. Disney+ is offering Disney Classics along with all of its new hit Blockbusters like Black Panther, Star Wars, and the Avenger movies. It also has a library of decades of television content from The Disney Channel and Disney Television Studios. Disney is going to continue to come out with box-office hits that will wow consumers worldwide. All of Disneys fantastic content is also getting pulled from Netflixs library leaving them with less to offer consumers but a still continuously inflated subscription rates. Dont get me wrong Netflix is still producing quality original content but is it up to the same prodigious standard that Disney has held itself for decades? Story continues The international markets are driving over 80% of new subscriptions and will be the main growth driver for the future expansion of Netflix. This is where Disney is likely going to take market share. Disney has been a house hold name around the world for years with their internationally film releases and Disney theme parks in Tokyo (opened in 1983), Shanghai, Hong Kong and Paris. Netflix just expanded its services worldwide in the beginning of 2016. Cash strapped international consumers with a choice would likely choose a familiar name like Disney that offers its service for almost half the price of Netflix. This is obviously all going to be contingent on Disneys implementation of Disney+ which is expected to be available this November. Watch NFLXs trade tomorrow as investors weigh positive earnings results and potential future risks in the competitive subscription streaming market. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> 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 your free report. The Walt Disney Company (DIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research FILE PHOTO: Japanese Fiscal Policy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi answers a question at Upper House's budget committee session at the National Diet in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 27, 2019. (Photo by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan's Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that no agreement had been reached on individual trade issues with the United States after two days of talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Motegi told journalists in Washington he hoped to reach a "good result" on the talks "at an early stage." He said he may accompany Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when he visits the United States next week for talks with President Donald Trump on North Korea and trade. The two-day trade talks came after Trump and Abe agreed last September to start trade talks in an arrangement that protects Japanese automakers from further tariffs while talks are underway. Abe has stressed that the new framework would be a Trade Agreement on Goods, or TAG, not a more wide-ranging free trade agreement that included investments and services that Japan had resisted. Motegi said on Monday he confirmed with Lighthizer that new trade talks would proceed based on the nations' joint statement issued last September. It said talks "will respect positions of the other government," drawing lines on autos and Japan's agriculture sector. (Reporting by David Lawder in Washington; Writing by Malcolm Foster in Tokyo; Editing by Richard Chang) Danske Bank was investigated by the US Department of Justice in $200bn money laundering case in October. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/AFP/Getty Images Financial regulators in Nordic and Baltic states are mulling an in-depth data sharing agreement as they look to rebuild reputations damaged by a huge money laundering scandal. Marius Jurgilas, a board member at the Bank of Lithuania, told Yahoo Finance UK that regulators from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are in talks about sharing transaction-level banking data as part of anti-money laundering efforts. We have to prove to the general public that we are not only speaking, we are doing things, Jurgilas told Yahoo Finance UK at the Paris Blockchain Week summit on Tuesday. The backdrop for the talks is a huge money laundering scandal that has engulfed the Nordic and Baltic states. Estonia, Lativa, and Lithuania are hugely reliant on Nordic banks, which control up to 80% of the market in the Baltics. However, these Baltic branches proved to be weak spots when it came to money laundering. Last year it emerged that the Estonian branch of Denmarks Danske Bank had processed as much as 200bn of suspicious payments originating from Russia and former Soviet states. Swedens Swedbank has faced similar issues. Its CEO was fired and its chairman resigned in recent weeks amid questions over transactions at its Baltic branches. Lithuanias Ukio is said to be one of the counter-parties being looked at. Does it make us feel uncomfortable? Yes of course it makes us feel uncomfortable, Jurgilas said. But maybe all things happen for a reason and it will be a push for regulators in the region to create something better. Better is something that other jurisdictions dont feel the need to create, which is sharing of data across the regulators, identifying illicit transactions by using transaction-level data across the region, and all of a sudden that region becomes the best ever in terms of risk management. This is exactly what were looking at. Swedbank CEO Birgitte Bonnesen was fired last month for her handling of a money laundering crisis at the bank. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/AFP/Getty Images Jurgilas said discussions were happening as we speak, right now between the relevant authorities but declined to give more details. Story continues Theres a very good rapport and exchange of information among the regulators right now but we are thinking about what we can do extra to assure our colleagues across the globe that these guys here are doing a much better job than everyone else in the world, he said. He added that regulators were prioritising a joint investigation into all the banks involved in the scandal. We are helping our Swedish counterparts to investigate the alleged illicit transactions, which by the way happened more than 10 years ago, Jurgilas said. He added that the Lithuanian banks named so far are no longer operational. I believe that all institutions operating in Lithuania and across the region right now are fully abiding with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing guidelines, Jurgilas said. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/Pool/Files ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China next week to meet its leaders and deliver a keynote speech at the vast Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, the South Asian nation's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as economic anxiety grows at home. China has pledged about $60 billion in infrastructure loans for Pakistan, touted as a success story of its Belt and Road initiative, which aims to build road and maritime trading routes across the globe. But Pakistan's economy has hit serious turbulence over the past year and Islamabad is now finalising a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stave off a balance of payments crisis, despite more than $10 billion in short-term loans from allies such as China and Saudi Arabia. Khan will visit China from April 25, and give a keynote speech at the three-day Belt and Road Forum that starts the following day. The high-profile gathering is one of China's biggest annual state events. "In addition to participating in the Belt and Road Forum, the Prime Minister would also hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang," the ministry said in a statement. The two countries will sign several pacts to enhance cooperation, and Khan will meet corporate and business leaders, it added. Khan's visit to Pakistan's all-weather friend China comes as his government, in power since August, faces a deepening economic crisis, with a ballooning current account deficit and fast-depleting foreign reserves. It initially tried to avoid an IMF bailout by securing loans from friendly countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates but has since changed tack and said it had agreed in principle to turn to the IMF. The long-delayed rescue package would be Pakistan's 13th IMF bailout programme since the late 1980s. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) (Bloomberg) -- Pinterest Inc.s message to investors: dont compare us to social media or a search engine. But as it wraps up a short roadshow and gets ready to list shares as soon as Thursday, such a comparison could help Pinterest drum up demand amid a flood of new listings this year. Pinterest operates in a crowded digital marketing space, where Google and Facebook Inc. get the lions share of ad dollars, and a smattering of smaller platforms like Twitter Inc. and Snap Inc. get the rest. The San Francisco-based startup, which serves as a sort of digital bulletin board for pictures and ideas for furniture, fashion, weddings, recipes and more, has a direct line to millions of people who are online looking for specific things to buy. That gives it an edge in making money from its user base compared with some of its peers. Chief Executive Officer Ben Silbermann likes to project a more virtuistic, less competitive vision of Pinterest, but investors will still be scrutinizing its advertising model when they decide whether to buy in. There are a lot of options to place bets on hot technology companies: Ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. made its debut earlier this month and IPO heavyweight Uber Technologies Inc. is likely to list its shares in May. Videoconferencing company Zoom Video Communications Inc. is pricing its shares Wednesday and will begin trading Thursday along with Pinterest. Slack Technologies Inc. and Postmates Inc. are expected to follow soon. Pinterest is seeking to raise as much as $1.28 billion, selling shares for as much as $17 apiece. At that price, the company would be valued at about $9 billion, less than the $12 billion valuation it had in its last private funding round in 2017. Zoom boosted its IPO price to as much as $35 a share. A rare example of a profitable tech startup launching a public listing, Zoom could seek a market valuation of almost $9 billion. Pinterest has taken a slow and steady approach to growth and making money from the service, compared with the faster expansion rates of Facebook, Twitter, and Snap when they went public. Analysts expect revenue will likely come more from squeezing additional ad dollars from the base of users Pinterest already has, rather than growing its total audience.Despite Pinterests efforts to distance itself from the label of a "social media company", analysts say it can be a useful benchmark for valuation. According to James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, Pinterest is worth as much as Snap, about $16 billion, and could be much more. Story continues The ability to monetize that audience is much higher, Cordwell said of Pinterest. When you're at Snap you're in the business of communicating with friends or wasting time; when you're going to Pinterest there's high purchasing intent: you're planning something, looking for a product. That's exactly what advertisers are looking for. Cordwell gave Pinterest its first bullish review last week with the equivalent of a buy rating. He set a 12-month price target of $23, implying the company may return as much as 53 percent if the IPO prices at the low end of its expected range, or $15. Pinterest calls itself a visual discovery platform for people to get ideas for different aspects of their lives, whether thats curating a wardrobe, planning a vacation or wedding, or furnishing a new home. In a video to investors, Silbermann illustrates why Pinterest is unique. He describes social media platforms as a way to document the past and entertain oneself; while Pinterest is a utility for future activities. Social media at its best makes you feel socially validated, while Pinterest at best makes you feel creative and empowered to act, Silbermann says. Its not like Google either. Silbermann says Pinterest users often dont have exact words to describe what theyre searching for. For instance, if someone is looking for inspiration for home design, they may not know what to type into Google, but if they were to see images proposed to them in Pinterest, theyd be able to identify what they liked, and ``pin it to their online board of ideas. Pinterest said in its IPO filing that it reaches more than 250 million monthly active users, two-thirds of whom are female. That includes 43 percent of internet users in the U.S. and 8 out of 10 moms. Pinterest highlights that statistic as an advantage over other platforms, given that mothers are primary decision-makers when it comes to buying products and services for their household. Ali Mogharabi, an analyst at Morningstar Research, says Pinterests appeal can help it attract more online ad dollars and ``opportunities exist for it to gradually increase its share of the $500 billion global digital advertising market. ``While we don't expect Pinterest to displace online advertising behemoths Google and Facebook or up-and-coming Amazon, we do expect it to attract a small pinch of digital ad spending, he said. Mogharabi says he expects a 35 percent compound annual growth rate for Pinterest through 2023, partly driven by the digital advertising market. In a dig to social media services, Pinterest made it clear in its video to investors that ads are a tax to the user on social media. Even if the item is relevant, people aren't interested in seeing an ad for a pair of shoes they may have looked at casually a while back when they were trying to talk to their friends. In contrast, when people are looking to make a purchase, the ads can be helpful. If a mother were browsing through baby carriages, an ad for one would be useful, not invasive. Plus, it means theres a higher likelihood she will click on the ad. Pinterest should have among the most valuable ad impressions, second only to the Google search ad, said Andrew Lipsman, an analyst at EMarketer. You could argue that Facebook is also an amazing ad unit, but the fact that I'm talking about Pinterest in the same breath as Google means it has real potential. One of the primary criticisms of Pinterest is that the majority of its user growth is coming from international markets, where the average revenue per user is much lower than in the U.S. In 2018, more than 80 percent of new users were from outside the U.S. however, they generated about 25 cents per person compared with $9.04 for those based in the U.S. Investors will have to decide whether the company will be able to bring its international revenue in line with that in the U.S. For comparison, Twitter now generates about half of its revenue from foreign countries. Investors are also aware of the potential threat that Instagram poses. The company just started testing a new shopping feature that allows people to buy things they see directly through the Instagram app. On the other hand, Pinterst may also benefit from the heightened global scrutiny of Facebook, Googles YouTube and Twitter as those platforms struggle to remove hate speech, violent content and misinformation from their services. Advertisers are very dependent on Google and Facebook, but I think youll see brands reduce their spend and diversify, when you see how sentiment has shifted against those platforms. Lipsman said. Pinterest is one of the few friendly corners of the internet, he said. (Updates with pricing on Zoom in third paragraph.) To contact the authors of this story: Selina Wang in San Francisco at swang533@bloomberg.netOlivia Zaleski in San Francisco at ozaleski@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Molly Schuetz at mschuetz9@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. ST. LOUIS, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Post Holdings, Inc. (POST), a consumer packaged goods holding company, today announced it will hold a conference call on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. EDT to discuss financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2019 outlook and to respond to questions. Robert V. Vitale, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jeff A. Zadoks, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will participate in the call. Post also announced it plans to release its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2019 after market close on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Interested parties may join the conference call by dialing (877) 540-0891 in the United States and (678) 408-4007 from outside the United States. The conference identification number is 4016209. Interested parties are invited to listen to the webcast of the conference call, which can be accessed by visiting the Investor Relations section of Posts website at www.postholdings.com. A replay of the conference call will be available through Friday, May 17, 2019 by dialing (800) 585-8367 in the United States and (404) 537-3406 from outside the United States and using the conference identification number 4016209. A webcast replay also will be available for a limited period on Posts website in the Investor Relations section. About Post Holdings, Inc. Post Holdings, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a consumer packaged goods holding company operating in the center-of-the-store, refrigerated, foodservice, food ingredient, and active nutrition food categories. Through its Post Consumer Brands business, Post is a leader in the North American ready-to-eat cereal category offering a broad portfolio including recognized brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Great Grains and Malt-O-Meal bag cereal. Post also is a leader in the United Kingdom ready-to-eat cereal category with the iconic Weetabix brand. As a leader in refrigerated foods, Post delivers innovative, value-added egg and refrigerated potato products to the foodservice channel and the retail refrigerated side dish category, offering side dishes and egg, sausage and cheese products through the Bob Evans, Simply Potatoes, All Whites, Bettern Eggs and Crystal Farms brands. Posts Active Nutrition platform brings good energy to a wide range of consumers looking to live healthy lives through brands such as Premier Protein, PowerBar and Dymatize. Post participates in the private brand food category through its investment with Thomas H. Lee Partners in 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, a leading, private brand centric, consumer products holding company. For more information, visit www.postholdings.com. Contact: Investor Relations Jennifer Meyer jennifer.meyer@postholdings.com (314) 644-7665 By Sonali Paul KIDSTON, Australia (Reuters) - At an abandoned gold mine in Australia's outback, plans are being laid for a large-scale renewable energy project generating continuous power, but its fate may sway on the outcome of next month's national election. A push for cleaner energy to fight global warming versus the need to cut soaring power prices is a hot issue ahead of Australia's May 18 election, after a decade of climate policy flip-flops that cost three prime ministers their jobs. Amid the climate wars, one technology winning support is pumped hydro, which acts like a giant battery, pumping water uphill when energy is abundant and releasing it to create power at night or on a windless day. It is seen as crucial to balance power generation after a string of blackouts in big cities in Australia's south, and to help soak up excess wind and solar energy. Australia's biggest proposed pumped hydro project is Snowy 2.0, a massive 2,000 megawatt expansion of the 70-year-old Snowy Hydro scheme, which the conservative Coalition government has backed with A$1.4 billion ($1 billion). But a smaller 250 MW project, Kidston pumped hydro, proposed by Genex Power, looking to complete construction by 2022, two years ahead of Snowy 2.0, could be more viable, say experts. "Of all the pumped hydro projects out there, I think Kidston is in pole position," said Gero Farruggio, an analyst at consultants Rystad Energy. RENEWABLE HUB Kidston is an abandoned gold mine in northern Queensland with two massive empty pits, just 400 metres apart. Genex has built a 50 megawatt solar farm at the site and is looking to use that power to pump water from the shallower pit to the deeper one and then release it back to generate electricity when the sun goes down. When running, water equal to some 270 Olympic-size swimming pools per hour would flow under huge pressure from one pit to the other to drive hydro turbines. "It enables us to store renewable energy when it's in surplus and dispatch it at times of peak demand," said Genex Chairman Simon Kidston, the great great grandson of the former state premier after whom the project and nearby town are named. The project will be the world's first to use a mine for the upper and lower reservoir, he said. Story continues The Coalition's Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) is considering lending up to A$516 million for Kidston, which energy experts see as a template for projects that could be developed all over Australia at old dams and mine sites. "It's really important for demonstrating how variable solar and wind can be integrated into the grid in a way that provides reliable baseload power," said James Pittock, a professor at Australian National University. HURDLES Analysts say Labor's more aggressive targets for renewable energy and cutting carbon emissions - including 50 percent renewable power by 2030 - mean an opposition victory next month could boost the project's chances. "If Labor wins, then we've got a higher renewable energy target to achieve," said Farruggio. However, the project's fate lies in the hands of EnergyAustralia, the country's third-largest power company, owned by Hong Kong's CLP Holdings. Genex signed up EnergyAustralia as a potential 50 percent partner and is looking to seal a deal to sell the power from the project and secure financing by June. "We're on track to do that, we believe," Kidston told Reuters. A power purchase agreement (PPA) will be essential to securing debt finance, as lenders including NAIF would be reluctant to back a project exposed to market prices, said an independent energy analyst. "The project has no chance of getting off the ground without a PPA," said David Leitch at energy consultancy ITK, pointing to what he said were "modest" profit margins. EnergyAustralia believes Kidston has good potential, but a spokesman said more work is needed before it can commit to the project. Analysts say it is still the best of the current crop of pumped hydro power projects on the drawing board. "If they pull the plug on this, there's certainly questions if any project will go ahead in Australia," said Farruggio. (Reporting by Sonali Paul; additional reporting by Melanie Burton; editing by Richard Pullin) In EUR millions Q1 2019 pro forma Q1 2019* Q4 2018 Q1 2018 pro forma Q1`19 -`18 Revenues 324.6 324.6 317.0 316.2 3% Results -excluding exceptional items- Group operating profit before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) 214.6 202.4 180.7 190.2 6% Group operating profit (EBIT) 137.0 133.8 110.6 122.9 9% Net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares 83.3 85.2 78.8 73.0 17% Earnings per ordinary share (in EUR) 0.65 0.67 0.62 0.57 18% Results -including exceptional items- Group operating profit before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) 215.7 203.5 183.0 190.2 7% Group operating profit (EBIT) 138.1 134.9 110.8 122.9 10% Net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares 84.4 86.3 80.4 73.0 18% Earnings per ordinary share (in EUR) 0.66 0.68 0.63 0.57 19% Cash Flow from operating activities (gross) ytd 158.8 141.6 144.4 Cash Flow from investing and divesting activities ytd -180.0 -180.0 -71.4 Additional performance measures Occupancy rate subsidiaries 86% 85% 87% Storage capacity end of period (in million cbm) 37.9 37.0 35.9 Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) ** 12.6% 12.6% 10.8% 12.3% Average capital employed 4,250.7 4,250.7 4,095.5 3,981.8 Net interest-bearing debt 2,454.1 1,883.8 1,825.0 1,453.1 Senior net debt : EBITDA (frozen GAAP) 2.58 2.58 2.49 1.99 * Pro forma excludes the IFRS 16 effects to allow comparison of the results to prior year ** ROCE definition has been applied consistently for all periods presented and is not affected by the application of IFRS 16 Highlights for Q1 2019 -excluding exceptional items-: EBITDA of EUR 215 million (Q1 2018: EUR 190 million) increased by EUR 25 million, including positive IFRS 16 effects of EUR 12 million, increased contributions from joint ventures and positive currency translation effects Occupancy rate of 86% (Q1 2018: 87%) reflected ongoing market conditions at oil hub terminals whereas other product-market segments remained solid EBIT of EUR 137 million (Q1 2018: EUR 123 million). Adjusted for positive currency translation effects of EUR 4 million and IFRS 16 effects of EUR 3 million, EBIT increased by EUR 7 million Return on Capital Employed of 12.6% (Q1 2018: 12.3 %) Net profit attributable to holders of ordinary shares of EUR 83 million (Q1 2018: EUR 73 million) resulting in earnings per ordinary share (EPS) of EUR 0.65 (Q1 2018: EUR 0.57), reflecting strong results from joint ventures The associate industrial terminal PT2SB in Malaysia commissioned additional capacity of 718,000 cbm, bringing the total commissioned capacity to 1,460,000 cbm The greenfield terminal Bahia Las Minas in Panama commissioned an initial capacity of 120,000 cbm. The remaining capacity of 240,000 cbm will be commissioned before the end of 2019 Vopak`s strategic review and testing of the market value has been successfully completed. Early April, Vopak reached agreement on the sale of the terminals in Algeciras, Amsterdam and Hamburg and completed the divestment of its ownership in the terminal in Tallinn Looking ahead: Story continues Vopak`s expansion program will add 3.2 million cbm in 2018 and 2019. At the end of Q1 2019, 1.9 million cbm was commissioned and 1.3 million cbm is expected to be delivered in the remainder of 2019 The sale of Algeciras, Amsterdam and Hamburg, with a combined capacity of 2.3 million cbm, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2019 Growth investments amount to approximately EUR 1 billion for the period 2017-2019 Vopak is well positioned to grow its global terminal portfolio in line with long-term market developments and targets 1 to 3 industrial terminal opportunities and 1 to 3 gas investment opportunities in 2019-2020 Subsequent events: On 3 April 2019, Vopak completed the divestment of its 50% share in the Estonian terminal Vopak E.O.S. resulting in an exceptional gain of EUR 16.8 million, which will be fully recognized in EBITDA in the second quarter of 2019. This divestment is the outcome of the earlier announced strategic review On 5 April 2019, Vopak reached an agreement with First State Investments on the sale of the terminals in Algeciras, Amsterdam and Hamburg, subject to certain customary closing conditions. The transaction value of the terminals is EUR 723 million and the total expected exceptional gain before taxation will be around EUR 200 million, to be recorded upon completion, expected in the second half of 2019. These terminals were classified as held for sale as at 31 March 2019 The analysts` presentation will be given via an on-demand audio webcast on Vopak`s corporate website www.vopak.com, starting at 8:45 AM CEST on 17 April 2019 For more information please contact: Vopak Press: Liesbeth Lans - Manager External Communication, Telephone: +31 (0)10 400 2777 | e-mail: global.communication@vopak.com Vopak Analysts and Investors: Laurens de Graaf - Head of Investor Relations, Telephone: +31 (0)10 400 2776 | e-mail: investor.relations@vopak.com Profile Royal Vopak Royal Vopak is the world`s leading independent tank storage company. We operate a global network of terminals located at strategic locations along major trade routes. With over 400 years of history and a strong focus on safety and sustainability, we ensure safe, clean and efficient storage and handling of bulk liquid products and gases for our customers. By doing so, we enable the delivery of products that are vital to our economy and daily lives, ranging from chemicals, oils, gases and LNG to biofuels and vegoils. Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange and is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Including our joint ventures and associates, we employ an international workforce of over 5,700 people. As of 17 April 2019, Vopak operates 68 terminals in 24 countries with a combined storage capacity of 36.8 million cbm, with currently another 1.5 million cbm of capacity growth under development This press release contains inside information as meant in clause 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation. The content of this report has not been audited or reviewed by an external auditor download full press release 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: Royal Vopak via GlobeNewswire HUG#2241799 (Adds details, lawyer comment) MOSCOW, April 16 (Reuters) - A Russian court found a Norwegian man guilty on Tuesday of gathering espionage about nuclear submarines and jailed him for 14 years in a verdict that could strain ties between Moscow and its NATO-member neighbour. Frode Berg, a 63-year-old retired former guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, was detained in Moscow in December 2017 and tried behind closed doors this month. He pleaded not guilty to charges of espionage on behalf of Norway. Berg will not appeal the verdict and plans to request a presidential pardon from Vladimir Putin that would see him freed, his lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said. Berg, who was wearing a suit and was handcuffed as he watched proceedings from a glass cage, has admitted to being used as a courier for Norway's military intelligence but said he had no knowledge of the operation he took part in. Putin last week appeared to leave the door open to the possibility that Berg could be pardoned or possibly exchanged as part of a prisoner swap. Asked during talks with Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg about the possibility of a pardoning, Putin said: "We must wait for the court proceedings ... We will take a look at what we can do with this depending on the court's decision." State prosecutors had asked the court to jail Berg for 14 years. The maximum penalty for espionage is 20 years. Defence lawyer Novikov said ahead of the hearing that he was expecting a guilty verdict and a lengthy sentence, and that the defence was hoping diplomatic talks would now possibly lead to Berg's freedom. "The question is how successful diplomatic efforts will be to secure his release," Novikov said. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Peter Graff) (Bloomberg) -- The University of Minnesota undergraduate student who accused Chinese billionaire Richard Liu of raping her filed a civil suit against the chief executive officer of e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. and the company itself, seeking monetary damages almost four months after prosecutors decided not to press criminal charges. Jingyao Liu, a 21-year-old student at the time of the incident, charged the Chinese company and its employees played a key role in the alleged August rape while Liu was attending a doctor of business administration program at the university. A public relations executive allegedly purchased 32 bottles of wine for more than $3,600 with a company credit card at a dinner leading up to the incident, then paid the dinner tab with the same corporate card, according to the complaint. Another woman affiliated with JD rode in the limousine while the CEO allegedly groped and pressed himself on the student. Jingyao Liu claims he forcibly assaulted her in her apartment after plying her with alcohol at the business networking dinner with more than a dozen Chinese male executives, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in Hennepin County court in Minnesota. After police arrived at the apartment to investigate, Liu allegedly tried to intimidate her in an exchange recorded on the officers body cameras, according to the suit. What the hell? Liu said in Mandarin, leading the plaintiff to fear not only for her own safety but also for the safety of her family in China. Liu, his attorneys and JD have denied wrongdoing. We have not yet reviewed the complaint and are not going to comment on pending litigation, Jill Brisbois, an attorney for Liu, said in an email. But based on the Hennepin County Attorneys declination to charge a case against our client and our belief in his innocence, we feel strongly that this suit is without merit and will vigorously defend against it. The rape accusations have hung over JD.coms stock since they were made public in September. Lius outsize control of voting rights closely linked the firms fate to his own. In China, hes seen as a visionary founder and the driving force behind one of the countrys most successful internet companies. Bloomberg reported this month that JD.com Inc. is preparing deep cuts to its workforce and rescinding some job offers as the Chinese e-commerce giant struggles to revive dwindling morale and rein in losses. Story continues JD.com Founders Rape Accuser Says She Was Lured to Liu Dinner In the civil suit, Jingyao Liu and her attorneys restated many previously reported allegations of the controversial night in Minnesota and added a few new ones. Just before the start of classes for the fall 2018 semester, the student was asked to participate as a volunteer for the universitys doctor of business administration, or DBA, program, which caters to wealthy and influential executives from China. She was invited by Tony Haitao Cui, deputy associate dean for the global DBA program, who didnt explain that nearly all the volunteers were young and female while nearly all or all of the student executives were male and middle aged, according to the suit. Jingyao Liu was working as a volunteer at the front desk of the universitys Carlson School of Management on Aug. 29 when she was invited to a group dinner the next night by Charlie Yao, also known as Qiyong Yao, an executive in the DBA program, according to the suit. Yao had gotten to know her through university jogging sessions and had offered her a job in China, but he did not tell her that JDs CEO had specifically asked for her to join the dinner. On the afternoon of Aug. 30, Liu, who had been staying in the penthouse of the tony Hotel Ivy with his wife, Zhang Zetian, accompanied her and other family members to the local airport for a private flight out of Minneapolis, the suit said. He later joined the dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Origami, where Jingyao Liu was instructed by Yao to sit beside the JD CEO at a table of about 15 all-male executives. In addition to alcohol purchased at the restaurant, the group drank more than 30 bottles of wine purchased by Vivian Yang, or Han Yang, a public relations and communications executive for JD, according to the suit. The document also details the store where the wine was bought and the last four digits of an alleged company issued credit card. Jingyao Liu was purportedly pressured to drink during toasts by Liu who said she would dishonor him if she resisted in front of his guests; she soon grew impaired. As the dinner concluded around 9:11 p.m., Jingyao Liu was directed into a limousine JD had hired for the week for about $18,000 and she was accompanied by the CEO, Yang and the other woman, Alice Zhang. Yang instructed the driver to take them to a mansion that had been rented by another executive in the DBA program and during the trip, the CEO began to grope and physically force himself upon the plaintiff, according to the complaint. When they arrived at the mansion and Jingyao Liu realized she hadnt been taken to her residence, she pleaded in English I want to go home. During the trip to her apartment, the CEO allegedly groped her while the student pleaded with him to stop. Zhang allegedly turned the rearview mirror so the chauffeur couldnt see what was happening behind him. When the CEO and the student reached her apartment, he entered, took off his clothes and lay on her bed naked, according to the suit. She never consented to any sexual acts and repeatedly asked him to stop, but he allegedly overpowered her. She then secretly sent a message over WeChat to another volunteer to say she had been sexually assaulted; he called 911 to report the emergency and the Minneapolis police arrived at about 3:10 a.m. After the student answered her door, the officers found the CEO lying on the bed, wearing a T-shirt but naked from the waist down, according to the suit. While he was handcuffed and removed, Liu clearly tried to intimidate the student by staring and angrily stating to her what the hell? in Mandarin. Jingyao Liu said at the time she had been raped and that the CEO was very wealthy and powerful. She told the officer she was concerned both for her immediate safety and about what might happen to her in the future when she is legally required to return to China. The foregoing all appears on body camera footage, the suit said. In December, the local prosecutor who declined to charge Liu said he made his decision after reviewing surveillance video, text messages, police body camera video and witness statements. It became clear that we could not meet our burden of proof and, therefore, we could not bring charges, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at the time. Jingyao Liu is seeking significant compensatory damages and will also pursue punitive damages against both Liu and JD.com, according to a statement issued by her attorneys. The case is Jingyao Liu v. Richard Liu, 27-cv-19-5911, District Court, Fourth Judicial District, County of Hennepin, Minnesota --With assistance from David Ramli. To contact the reporter on this story: Selina Wang in San Francisco at swang533@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg, Peter Elstrom For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. * Fuel queues grow in Syria * Explaining shortage, Pro-Damascus daily cites Iranian credit * U.S. sanctions broadly prohibit any trade with Damascus * Assad has said Syria under "siege" by enemies BEIRUT, April 17 (Reuters) - Syria has suffered oil shortages since an Iranian credit line was halted six months ago and not one oil tanker has reached the country since then, a pro-government newspaper said on Wednesday, as a fuel crisis worsened. Syrians say shortages grew more acute a week ago: hundreds of cars waited in line at one Damascus petrol station on Wednesday, a witness said. State news agency SANA showed a photo of snarled traffic and said Syrians faced an "economic war". President Bashar al-Assad, speaking in February, said the crisis was part of a siege imposed by governments that oppose him, including the United States, which has imposed sanctions that broadly prohibit any trade with Damascus. A front page story in al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the Syrian government, said the government "wanted to present the picture as it is". The amount of oil produced in parts of Syria recovered by government forces stands currently at 24,000 barrels per day, well short of the 136,000 barrels required, it said. "Therefore we need imports, and here specifically, came the crisis of the halt of the Iranian credit line", it said, adding that this had been the "fundamental support in this framework". It did not give any explanation for the halt in Iranian credit. Tehran is itself the target of U.S. sanctions reimposed since President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers. Military support from both Iran and Russia has been critical to Assad in the eight-year-long conflict. Iran has sent its own forces to Syria while Tehran-backed Shi'ite militias spearheaded by Lebanon's Hezbollah have also played a big role. Since the Iranian credit line was halted on Oct. 15, al-Watan said "Syria has been in need of oil ... and according to the oil ministry, not one oil tanker reached Syria from that date". Trying to secure supplies, the government met with private sector importers at the start of 2019, asking them to make contracts to import refined products. But these also hit obstacles linked "to logistical measures". Ships had been prevented from reaching Syria after entering regional waters. Story continues The United States has warned of significant U.S. sanctions risks for parties involved in petroleum shipments to the Syrian government, and has detailed "deceptive shipping practices" used to deliver oil to Syria. Washington says its sanctions aim to isolate Syria's leadership and its supporters from the global financial and trade systems in response to atrocities, including use of chemical weapons. The government denies using such weapons. Watan said the oil ministry was working to boost supplies from northern Syria, an apparent reference to oilfields under the control of Kurdish-led forces. Oil from these areas has been supplied to government-held areas throughout the war. "But this will not be easy if not accompanied by rationalisation measures," it said. Work in "the coming period" would also include "following up on the Iranian credit line". (Writing by Tom Perry; editing by David Evans) (Adds comments, prices, background) By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell unexpectedly last week as imports dropped, while gasoline and distillate inventories decreased less than forecasts, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 1.4 million barrels in week to April 12, compared with analysts' expectations for an increase of 1.7 million barrels. A majority of the decline came from the Midwest region, where inventories fell 2.4 million barrels to 135.3 million barrels. Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 659,000 barrels per day (bpd). Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub for U.S. crude futures fell by 1.54 million barrels, EIA said. Oil prices edged higher on the day as the markets focused on the inventory declines across the energy complex. U.S. gasoline prices were up nearly 1 percent near the highest levels since October. Gasoline stocks fell by 1.2 million barrels, less than analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.1 million-barrel drop. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell 362,000 barrels, also not as much as forecasts for a 846,000-barrel drawdown, the EIA data showed. "With the refinery runs coming in a little higher, this is a very supportive report," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. Refinery crude runs fell by 22,000 barrels per day, EIA data showed. Refinery utilization rates edged up 0.2 percentage point to 87.7 percent of total capacity. "We still saw a big build in Gulf Coast crude supplies, so it shows you there are still some issues on the Gulf Coast a little bit. Were easing but not as much as you might think," Flynn said. Last week, Lyondell Basell Industries was holding production 9 percent below the 263,776-bpd capacity of its Houston refinery because of shipping restrictions following a late March chemical spill in the Houston Ship Channel. Royal Dutch Shell's 275,000 bpd joint-venture Deer Park, Texas, refinery returned to normal production late last week after cutting production and came within days of shutting down due to constrained crude shipments. (Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; additional reporting by Stephanie Kelly Editing by Marguerita Choy) U.S. Major Airlines Restart Fight Over Open Skies After simmering on a back burner for more than a year, the fight between the U.S. major carriers and the Persian Gulf airlines is heating up again, this time over Air Italys new routes to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Milan. But why should Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines care about a European airline flying from Italy to the U.S.? After all, the U.S. has an Open Skies agreement with the EU, which allows any U.S. airline to fly anywhere in Europe, and any European airline to fly anywhere in the U.S. The U.S. airlines and their unions, through their lobbying group the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, claim Air Italy is a proxy for Qatar Airways expansion in the U.S. and is not legitimately a European carrier. Qatar Airways owns a 49 percent stake in Air Italy. This is a claim Qatar vehemently denies and says its investment in Air Italy predates the 2018 agreement and is compliant with the terms of the deal. And several U.S. carriers agree with Qatar. A coalition led by JetBlue Airways, cargo operator Atlas Air, and FedEx which operates a large cargo hub in Dubai say Air Italy is a legally certified European carrier and therefore has every right to expand in the U.S. In 2015, the U.S. carriers launched a multi-pronged lobbying and public relations effort arguing that Emirates, Etihad and Qatar benefit from illegal subsidies from the governments of the UAE and Qatar and were dumping flights on the U.S. market, making it impossible to compete. Then, like now, the fight began when a Gulf carrier started flying between Europe and the U.S., in that case Emirates Milan-New York flights. These flights, called fifth freedom flights for the way theyre defined in the UN treaty that governs all international flights, are permitted in Open Skies agreements. The U.S. majors pushed the Obama administration to freeze new flights by the three Gulf airlines and to amend the Open Skies agreements. This would have abrogated Open Skies, the Gulf carriers and their U.S. allies said. The Obama administration did not act on the matter. Story continues But last year, the UAE and Qatar governments signed deals with the U.S. promising more financial transparency from their carriers and, in side notes, not to launch new fifth-freedom flights. The Trump administration has signaled that it will listen to the complaints of the U.S. major carriers, but, other than the deals signed last year, has not pushed for more change. The Partnership for Open and Fair Skies applauded the administrations stance and the new understandings with the UAE and Qatar governments. But Air Italys new routes were a march too far. In a letter published as a full-page ad in The New York Times and the New York Posttwo newspapers President Donald J. Trump is known to readthe CEOs of American, Delta, and United said Qatar is ignoring the 2018 agreement your administration signed by using massive government subsidies to launch new routes to the United States through its stake in Air Italy. Simply put, Qatar Airways represents a grave threat to American jobs and the health of the airline industry, American CEO Doug Parker, Delta CEO Edward Bastian, and United CEO Oscar Munoz said in their letter. We respectfully encourage your administration to hold Qatar accountable for violating its agreement with the United States and affirm that we will not tolerate these continued infractions. This is nonsense, argue JetBlue, Atlas, and FedEx. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the Robin Hayes, William Flynn, and Frederick Smithchief executives of JetBlue, Atlas, and FedEx, respectivelynote that both the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and the European Commission have certified Air Italy as a European carrier. Therefore, its new flights to the U.S. are perfectly legal per the U.S.-EU Open Skies agreement. And the three CEOs accuse their counterparts at Delta, American, and United of hypocrisy. Delta owns a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic. Does that mean Virgin Atlantics London-Dubai flight is similarly a proxy for Delta to serve Dubai from Europe, they ask? Delta, American, and United have many such investments and joint ventures around the world, including in China and Latin America in addition to Europe, and therefore their objections to Air Italys expansion are illogical and would turn aviation law on its head, JetBlue and the cargo carriers argue in their letter. The three CEOs raise a point brought up in 2015 when the Open Skies fight first began: that the U.S. abrogating its agreements could result in retaliatory measures by governments worldwide. Should this scenario occur, consumers would suffer, as competition would decrease and fares would rise. JetBlues recently announced intention to fly to London could be imperiled if the EU retaliates against the U.S. by refusing to approve the service. The Trump administration has not yet suggested which way it will lean on this matter other than to say it is studying the issue. But Hayes, Smith, and Flynn have a stark warning for the U.S. government. Should the U.S. breach the U.S.-Qatar agreement by restricting Qatar Airways rights into the U.S., or the U.S-EU agreement by restricting Air Italy flights, we can expect to see a rapid unraveling of hard-fought aviation rights around the world when other governments take similar action to shield their state-owned airlines from competition. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. * Both nations aim substantive results on trade * Two nations to discuss digital trade at appropriate timing * Motegi, Lighthizer plan to meet again next week (Recasts, adds quotes from USTR and Japanese minister, details) By David Lawder WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The United States has raised concerns over its "very large" trade deficit with Japan in the first round of negotiations between the two nations on a new bilateral trade deal. No agreement was reached on individual issues after two days of discussions, Japan's economy minister said, but the two sides discussed trade issues focusing on goods, including farm products, both nations said. Japan's Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his counterpart U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer agreed that digital trade would also be discussed "at the appropriate timing." "The two officials reaffirmed their shared goal of achieving substantive results on trade," said the USTR statement issued after the talks on Tuesday. The two-day meeting came after U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed last September to start trade talks in an arrangement that protects Japanese automakers from further tariffs while negotiations are under way. Trump has made clear he is unhappy with Japan's trade surplus with the United States - much of it from auto exports - and wants a two-way agreement to address it. During the talks this week, Washington highlighted the "very large trade deficit with Japan $67.6 billion in goods in 2018," according to the USTR statement. Abe, meanwhile, has stressed that the new framework would be a Trade Agreement on Goods, or TAG, not a more wide-ranging free trade agreement that included investments and services that Japan has resisted. "We have not reached an agreement on individual issues," Motegi told reporters after the talks. "Japan wants to carry out trade talks which will produce win-win results." Motegi said the two nations have not agreed on auto issues and declined to comment on details. Japanese officials have said Tokyo would not accept auto export restrictions if the U.S. makes such demands. The United States also indicated interest in agricultural products, Motegi said, but he told Lighthizer that Japan could make no concessions beyond what Tokyo has agreed on other economic partnerships. Story continues Motegi also said that currency exchange rates should be handled by respective finance ministers. Motegi and Lighthizer plan to meet again in Washington next week ahead of the summit between Abe and Trump. Motegi may also accompany Abe, who is expected to discuss North Korea and trade with Trump. Motegi said on Monday he confirmed with Lighthizer that new trade talks would proceed based on the nations' joint statement issued last September. It said talks "will respect positions of the other government," drawing lines on autos and Japan's agriculture sector. (Reporting by David Lawder in Washington; Writing by Malcolm Foster and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Richard Chang and Jacqueline Wong) PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Uptick Newswire Stock Day Podcast welcomed CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH) ("the Company"), a diversified cannabis company that acts as an integrated cannabis producer and retailer through its Oasis Cannabis subsidiaries in Nevada, and plans to expand to other states. President and COO, Andrew Glashow, joined Stock Day host, Everett Jolly. To begin the interview, Jolly asked Glashow to provide further insight on the Company's revenue growth since 2018. Glashow explained that the Company's operating divisions, City Trees and Oasis Cannabis, have seen revenue increases of 25% for the quarter ended February 28, 2019, compared to the same quarter of 2018. In addition, their gross margin has experienced an increase of 56% compared to the same quarter of 2018. With this growth, the Company also increased its overall cash flow. Jolly then asked how the Company has achieved such steady growth. "People, process, and purchasing", shared Glashow. He expanded by stating that the Company has a great operating team in place that is following an effective process. "We're really proud of the results we're seeing", stated Glashow. Glashow shared that the Company produced $2.4 million in revenue and 39% gross margins during the quarter ended 2/28/19, versus the quarter ended 2/28/18 which saw revenue of $1.9 million and Gross margins of 29%. Glashow then explained that the Company has been implementing a few key changes in terms of their process, including the addition of a new sign package for their Las Vegas dispensary and a completely new remodel of the interior. These changes have already led to increased daily customer count and revenue. Glashow also gave listeners an update on City Trees, the Company's wholesale division. Over the past year, this segment of the Company has grown to service 70% of all of the dispensaries in Nevada along with substantial revenue growth. Jolly asked about the Company's Massachusetts expansion, which includes a cultivation opportunity and a medical dispensary. Glashow shared that the Company expects to close on the CannAssist cultivation opportunity in June, meanwhile, the medical dispensary is due to close in November of 2019. The Company has also invested substantial funds into the medical dispensary, In Good Health Inc., which has allowed for its expansion and improved development. Both sites represent exponential revenue potential, especially given their location in Massachusetts. Glashow adds that currently, the Company expects revenues from these projects to be reflected in November of 2019. Story continues Glashow then explained that the Company has been able to raise $18 million in the last quarter, which has allowed them to remain in a positive position for expansion and the necessary investments needed to improve their assets. "We're in a pretty good position from a balance sheet perspective", stated Glashow. To close the interview, Glashow shared his excitement for the Company's current strategy, which includes an efficient growth plan and the improvement of their current operations. He also shared that the Company's current buildout of their North Las Vegas cultivation center, which specializes in their proprietary conversion and extraction methodology is a perfect example of their strategic process. To hear Andrew Glashow's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://upticknewswire.com/featured-interview-coo-andrew-glashow-of-cls-holdings-usa-inc-otcqb-clsh-2/. Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day", and Uptick Newswire encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/. About CLS Holdings USA, Inc. CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH) is a diversified cannabis company that acts as an integrated cannabis producer and retailer through its Oasis Cannabis subsidiaries in Nevada and plans to expand to other states. CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences", in recognition of the Company's patented proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into products with a higher level of quality and consistency. The Company's business model includes licensing operations, processing operations, processing facilities, sale of products, brand creation, and consulting services. http://www.clsholdingsinc.com Twitter: @CLSHusa About Oasis Cannabis Oasis Cannabis has operated a cannabis dispensary in the Las Vegas market since dispensaries first opened in Nevada in 2015 and has been recognized as one of the top marijuana retailers in the state. Its location within walking distance to the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas in combination with its delivery service to residents allows it to efficiently serve both locals and tourists in the Las Vegas area. In February 2019, it was named ''Best Dispensary for Pot Pros'' by Desert Companion Magazine. In August 2017, the company commenced wholesale offerings of cannabis in Nevada with the launch of its City Trees brand of cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused products. http://oasiscannabis.com About City Trees Founded in 2017, City Trees is a Nevada based cannabis cultivation, production, and distribution company. Offering a wide variety of products with consistent results, City Trees is one of the fastest growing wholesale companies in the industry. Its products are now available at 33 dispensaries. https://citytrees.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain ''forward-looking information'' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and ''forward-looking statements'' as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, the ''forward-looking statements''). These statements relate to anticipated future events, future results of operations or future financial performance, and anticipated growth, including the timing of anticipated construction and implementation of our expansion plan. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to whether and when certain transactions will be completed, including the proposed In Good Health acquisition and the CannAssist joint venture. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "might", "will", "should", "intends", "expects", "plans", "goals", "projects", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential", or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the risk that the conditions precedent contained in the agreements for the acquisition of In Good Health and CannAssist are not satisfied. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance and we cannot guaranty that the proposed transactions described in this press release will occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered together with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. See CLS Holdings USA filings with the SEC and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for additional details. Contact Information Corporate: Chairman and CEO Jeff Binder jeff@clsholdingsinc.com 888-438-9132 Investors: Adelaide Capital Markets Deborah Honig deborah@adelaidecapital.ca 647-203-8793 About Uptick Newswire and the "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Uptick Newswire is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Uptick provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. Uptick is the sole producer of its "Stock Day" Podcast, which is the number one radio show of its kind in America. The Uptick Network "Stock Day" Podcast is an extension of Uptick Newswire, which recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. Uptick Newswire 602-441-3474 https://upticknewswire.com/ SOURCE: Uptick Newswire View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/542215/Uptick-Newswire-Hosts-CLS-Holdings-USA-Inc-on-The-Stock-Day-Podcast-to-Discuss-Quarterly-Revenue-Increases CALGARY / ACCESSWIRE / April 17,2019 / Valeura Energy Inc. (TSX: VLE) ("Valeura" or the "Company"), the upstream natural gas producer focused on appraising and developing an unconventional gas accumulation in the Thrace Basin of Turkey in partnership with Equinor, is pleased to announce the approval by the UK Listing Authority and publication of a prospectus dated April 17, 2019 (the "Prospectus"), in relation to the proposed admission of the Company's common shares (the "Shares") to the Standard Segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority ("Admission") and trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange ("LSE"). A copy of the Prospectus has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and is available for inspection (subject to securities laws) at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM. A copy of the Prospectus has also been made available on the Investors section of the Company's corporate website: www.valeuraenergy.com/investor-information/lse-listing/. Subject to final approval by the UK Listing Authority, the Company expects that Admission will become effective and that unconditional dealing in the Shares on the LSE is expected to commence on or around April 25, 2019 under the ticker symbol VLU. The Shares will also continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"). All Shares will become fully fungible between the two exchanges. For clarity, the Company is not issuing any new equity at this time, and accordingly, the additional listing is non-dilutive. Rationale Valeura's management and directors believe that the United Kingdom provides an opportunity for the Company to attract greater shareholder interest than is presently available through only its TSX listing. In particular, a listing on the LSE provides access to investors who are mandated to invest in European regulated markets, in addition to generating appeal with a broader range of equity research analysts. Accordingly, Valeura expects this move will elevate its profile amongst its international oil and gas peer group and increase trading liquidity. Story continues The Company believes its 10.1 Tcfe of estimated working interest unrisked mean prospective resources of natural gas, which includes 236 MMbbl of condensate, attributable to its licenses in the Thrace Basin of Turkey will be attractive to European investors. Early results from the Equinor / Valeura drilling programme at Yamalik-1 and Inanli-1 are encouraging and the Company's efforts are squarely focused on further de-risking the play with a view towards commercial development. Many European investors the Company has met have demonstrated a strong understanding of Turkish gas market dynamics (including the fact that Turkey imports over 99% of its gas supply), and have expressed a willingness to invest. Sean Guest, Presidentand CEO commented: "We are delighted to pursue this additional listing on the London Stock Exchange. Our goal is to provide a platform for European and UK investors to participate seamlessly along with our North American shareholders in the next phase of Valeura's exciting story as we, alongside our partner Equinor, de-risk our unconventional basin-centered gas accumulation play in the Thrace Basin." Advisers Valeura has retained GMP FirstEnergy to act as Financial Adviser to the Company on the listing and will act as corporate broker post-admission. In addition, the Company may appoint additional joint brokers at a later date. London law firm Memery Crystal is acting as legal adviser on the listing. About Valeura Energy Valeura Energy Inc. is a Canada-based public company engaged in the exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas in Turkey. Since Valeura was established in 2010, the Company has executed a number of transactions and currently holds interests in 20 production leases and exploration licences in the Thrace Basin of Turkey totalling 0.46 MM acres (gross) or on a net basis 0.37 MM acres of shallow rights and 0.26 MM net acres of deep rights. Valeura is appraising an unconventional basin-centered gas accumulation play in the Thrace Basin on its deep rights, which has been evaluated by DeGolyer and MacNaughton to hold, effective December 31, 2018, 10.1 Tcfe of estimated working interest unrisked mean prospective resources of natural gas, which includes 236 MMbbl of condensate. By applying 3D seismic, modern reservoir stimulation technology and horizontal and deeper vertical well drilling, Valeura is aiming to achieve commercial scale operations from this tight gas resource. In addition, the Company owns an extensive network of gas gathering and sales infrastructure to support direct marketing of natural gas to end users, and in 2018, produced an average of 4.3 MMcf/d of natural gas from conventional gas accumulations in its shallower rights. Additional information relating to Valeura is also available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's corporate website at www.valeuraenergy.com. Hard copies of the Prospectus will also be available during normal business hours at the offices of the Company's UK legal adviser, Memery Crystal LLP, 165 Fleet Street, London EC4Q 2DY, UK. For further information please contact: Valeura Energy Inc.(General and Investor Enquiries)+1 403 237 7102 Sean Guest, President and CEO Steve Bjornson, CFO Robin Martin, Investor Relations Manager Contact@valeuraenergy.com, IR@valeuraenergy.com GMP First Energy(Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker)+44 (0) 20 7448 0200 Jonathan Wright, Hugh Sanderson CAMARCO (PublicRelations, Media Adviser) +44(0) 20 3757 4980 Owen Roberts, Billy Clegg, Monique Perks, Thayson Pinedo Valeura@camarco.co.uk Oil and Gas Advisories& Definitions Prospective resources are those quantities of petroleum estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. Prospective resources have both an associated chance of discovery and a chance of development. There is no certainty that any portion of the prospective resources will be discovered. If a discovery is made, there is no certainty that it will be developed or, if it is developed, there is no certainty as to the timing of such development or that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the prospective resources. Please see the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2018, which is available under Valeura's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, for more information with respect to the Company's prospective resources, including details regarding risked estimates. Forward-LookingStatements and Cautionary Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking information") including, but not limited to: the proposed Admission and unconditional dealing in the Shares on the LSE (which are subject to the approval of the UK Listing Authority), the timing of such potential Admission and commencement of dealings and the belief that such proposed Admission may bolster value for the Company's shareholders; the belief that such proposed Admission will provide access to additional investors and that it will generate appeal with a broader range of equity research analysts; the expectation that such proposed Admission will elevate Valeura's profile amongst its international oil and gas peer group and increase trading liquidity; the potential of the Company's unconventional basin-centered gas accumulation play in the Thrace Basin; and the Company's intention to achieve commercial scale operations. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "target", "potential", "could", "should", "would" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. The Company cautions readers and prospective investors in the Company's securities to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, as by its nature, it is based on current expectations regarding future events that involve a number of assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company. Statements related to "prospective resources" are deemed forward-looking statements as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the prospective resources can be profitably produced in the future. Specifically, forward-looking information contained herein regarding "prospective resources" include volumes of prospective resources and the ability to finance future development and, the conversion of a portion of prospective resources into reserves. Forward-looking information is based on management's current expectations and assumptions regarding, among other things: continued political stability of the areas in which the Company is operating; continued safety of operations and ability to proceed in a timely manner; continued operations of and approvals forthcoming from the Turkish government and regulators in a manner consistent with past conduct; future seismic and drilling activity on the expected timelines; the continued favourable pricing and operating netbacks in Turkey; future production rates and associated operating netbacks and cash flow; decline rates; future sources of funding; future economic conditions; future currency exchange rates; the ability to meet drilling deadlines and other requirements under licenses and leases; and the Company's continued ability to obtain and retain qualified staff and equipment in a timely and cost efficient manner. In addition, the Company's work programmes and budgets are in part based upon expected agreement among joint venture partners and associated exploration, development and marketing plans and anticipated costs and sales prices, which are subject to change based on, among other things, the actual results of drilling and related activity, availability of drilling, fracking and other specialised oilfield equipment and service providers, changes in partners' plans and unexpected delays and changes in market conditions. Although the Company believes the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Exploration, appraisal, and development of oil and natural gas reserves are speculative activities and involve a degree of risk. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company including, but not limited to: the risks of currency fluctuations; changes in gas prices and netbacks in Turkey; uncertainty regarding the contemplated timelines and costs for the deep evaluation; the risks of disruption to operations and access to worksites, threats to security and safety of personnel and potential property damage related to political issues or civil unrest in Turkey; potential changes in laws and regulations, the uncertainty regarding government and other approvals; counterparty risk; risks associated with weather delays and natural disasters; and the risk associated with international activity. The forward-looking information included in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information included herein is made as of the date hereof and Valeura assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. See the AIF for a detailed discussion of the risk factors. Additional information relating to Valeura is also available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com This announcement doesnot constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buysecurities in any jurisdiction, including where such offer would be unlawful.This announcement is not for distribution or release, directly or indirectly,in or into the United States, Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Japan orany other jurisdiction in which its publication or distribution would beunlawful. Neither the TorontoStock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined inthe policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for theadequacy or accuracy of this news release. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Valeura Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/542263/Valeura-Energy-Inc-Announces-Publication-of-prospectus-proposed-LSE-admission VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / BTU METALS CORP. ("BTU" or the "Company") (BTU-TSX:V) announces the appointment of Mr. Victor Bradley to its Board of Directors effective immediately to assist in guiding the Company with regards to both the Dixie Halo gold project located in Red Lake, Ontario as well as its project portfolio located in Ireland. Educated in England, Vic is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 50 years experience in the mining industry, including more than 15 years with Cominco Ltd. and McIntyre Mines Ltd. in a wide variety of senior financial positions from Controller to Chief Financial Officer. Over the past 30 years Vic has founded, financed and operated several mining and advanced stage exploration and development companies, including the original Yamana Gold Inc., Aura Minerals Inc. and Nevoro Inc. (sold to Starfield Resources). Vic founded the original Yamana in early 1994, and served as President and CEO and then Chairman of the Board and Lead Director until 2008. He served as Chairman of Osisko Mining Corp from November 2006 up to its sale for $4.1 billion to Agnico Eagle and Yamana in June, 2014. Osisko unlocked the porphyry gold target at Malartic and, in 6 years from first drill hole to commercial production, created the largest open pit gold mine in Canada. He served as a director of Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. (spun out of the Osisko Mining sale) from June, 2014 to May, 2018 and as chairman of Nevada Copper Corp. from February, 2012 to February, 2017. He now serves as Chairman of Osisko Bermuda Ltd., Osisko Gold Royalties offshore subsidiary that controls all of its assets outside of North America. Vic has significant experience in corporate acquisitions and has participated in numerous equity and debt financings for projects around the world. In accepting this position Vic said "I take great pleasure in joining Mike England and Paul Wood to help in unlocking the value in BTU's significant land position in what looks to be a new Red Lake gold discovery district." Story continues "We welcome Victor to our Board and look forward to his contributions and guidance to advance BTU's substantial land position in the exciting new Dixie area in the Red Lake district." stated Paul Wood, CEO of BTU. The Company has granted Mr. Bradley 400,000 stock options exercisable at a price of $0.11 per share for a period of two years from the date of grant. The options have been granted in accordance with the company's stock option plan. BTU Metal's is a TSX Venture listed junior mining company with a focus on its Dixie Halo gold project in Ontario. Investors are urged to visit www.btumetals.com for more information on our projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Paul Wood" Paul Wood, CEO, Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Telephone: 1-604-683-3995 Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770 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. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance 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. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM). SOURCE: BTU METALS CORP. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/542253/Vic-Bradley-Joins-BTU-Board President Donald Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, says that the White House is "talking to a number of candidates" to fill two open seats on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Kudlow insists that controversial Trump picks Herman Cain and Stephen Moore are still in the running. Cain in particular has faced resistance from GOP senators, four of whom have already said they would vote against him to join the central bank's seven-member board of governors. President Donald Trump 's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, said Tuesday that the White House is "talking to a number of candidates" to fill two open seats on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, while insisting that controversial Trump picks Herman Cain and Stephen Moore are still in the running. Asked Tuesday whether the White House was interviewing anyone else for the two Fed seats in case Cain and Moore drop out, Kudlow said: "We're talking to a number of candidates. We always do." The potential nominations of Cain and Moore, which would need confirmation in the Senate, have been met with lukewarm reactions from economics experts and some Republicans. Both men have faced controversies a messy divorce in Moore's case , and allegations of sexual misconduct in Cain's . Cain has denied the accusations. Critics also say the two men are too politically biased toward Trump to serve on the independent Fed board. Cain in particular has faced resistance from GOP senators, four of whom have already said they would vote against him to join the central bank's seven-member board of governors. North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer's announcement of opposition to Cain last Thursday effectively doomed his nomination, assuming Democrats in the chamber would vote against him. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Utah's Mitt Romney have also said they would vote against Cain. "Herman's going through the vetting process, for now, that's where we are on that," Kudlow said of the former presidential candidate and ex-CEO of the Godfather's Pizza restaurant chain. Cain had previously served at the Kansas City Fed before moving into politics. Story continues "At the end of the day, it'll probably be up to Herman Cain if he wants to stay in that process or not. As far as we're concerned he's in that process. And it's proceeding in an orderly way," Kudlow told reporters at the White House. Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, pushed back when pressed by reporters whether that tepid endorsement was meant as a hint for either Cain or conservative think tank fellow Moore to get out of the running for the Fed seats. "Stephen Moore is in the process. We support him. We support Herman Cain. We'll just let things play out in the vetting process," Kudlow said. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Kudlow's remarks. More From CNBC Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 9:20 a.m. Pacific Time AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wright Medical Group N.V. (WMGI) announced today that it will present at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2019 Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas. Robert Palmisano, president & chief executive officer, will present at 9:20 a.m. Pacific Time. A live audio webcast of the conference presentation, along with the accompanying presentation materials, will be available on Wrights corporate website at www.wright.com , under the Investor Relations link. The audio webcast and accompanying presentation materials will be archived on this site under the Investor Presentations link following the conference. Internet Posting of Information Wright routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the Investor Relations section of its website at www.wright.com . The company encourages investors and potential investors to consult the Wright website regularly for important information about Wright. About Wright Medical Group N.V. Wright Medical Group N.V. is a global medical device company focused on extremities and biologics products. The company is committed to delivering innovative, value-added solutions improving quality of life for patients worldwide and is a recognized leader of surgical solutions for the upper extremity (shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand), lower extremity (foot and ankle) and biologics markets, three of the fastest growing segments in orthopedics. For more information about Wright, visit www.wright.com . Investors & Media: Julie D. Dewey Sr. Vice President, Chief Communications Officer Wright Medical Group N.V. (901) 290-5817 julie.dewey@wright.com Differences between Afghanistans hard-line Taliban and the Afghan government hang over a planned weekend gathering in Qatar seen as a stepping stone toward eventual negotiations between the two. After publicly criticizing the size of the 250-member government-backed delegation on April 17, Taliban representatives said they are considering a boycott of the talks, slated to begin in the Qatari capital, Doha, on April 20. Requesting anonymity, a Taliban source in Doha told Radio Free Afghanistan on April 17 that they might boycott the meeting if the Afghan government insists on bringing such a large delegation. Earlier in the day, purported Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the event was "an orderly and prearranged conference ... not an invitation to some wedding or other party at a hotel in Kabul." The Taliban also said they will be talking to delegates as private individuals and not as representatives of the Kabul government. The Taliban source in Doha said they were also dismayed the delegation does not include anyone from the list of 240 Afghans they had given to Qatari officials to share with the Afghan government. This list has been dictated by the government, so this conference can achieve no results, the source said. But the Afghan government seems determined to dispatch the delegation to Qatar. You are undertaking a mission for which our nation has waited almost for 40 years, and that [mission] is a dignified peace, President Ashraf Ghani told members of the delegation at Kabuls presidential Arg-e Shahi Palace on April 17. For the first time, we have the opportunity to hold comprehensive debates with the opposite side [Taliban], he said, flanked by former President Hamid Karzai and other prominent members of Afghanistans often-divided political elite. The planned discussions had raised hopes and marked the most significant pubic interaction between senior Afghan political figures and Taliban representatives since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime in 2001. But it now appears to be in danger. Some prominent politicians are avoiding the gathering. Atta Muhammad Noor, a former governor and senior leader of the Islamist Jamiat-e Islami party, will not be participating. Ghanis ally and the first vice presidents candidate on his ticket, Amrullah Saleh, said he too will not be going to Qatar due to technical and personal reasons. Hamid Azizi, a Kabul-based political commentator, says the controversy over the governments list shows Kabul is not ready to embrace peace before the presidential elections in September. Choosing a 250-member delegation was like pressuring the Taliban, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. But the Taliban thwarted it with a strong diplomatic maneuver, so now the government is under the pressure of public opinion and various [political] factions. Azizi predicts that the event might be canceled or postponed. Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on Ikramullah Ikrams reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan. If youve got a few years history with the local craft scene, youve probably shared a beer with Aly Hartwig whether you know it or not. Maybe she poured you a pint and you talked suds back in 2012, during her time as a beertender at Brewers Republic (which is how I met her). Or perhaps you enjoyed a beer she helped create at Monuments Pikes Peak Brewing Co., where she worked for almost two years starting in July 2013. Or maybe it was through Brewers Broads, the regions first beer group for women. Or the sold-out 2014 mini-beer fest she founded and organized to celebrate Colorado Springs Craft Week. Since The Gazette caught up with Hartwig for a summer 2014 profile, shes added a few more bullet points and major air miles to her bio. Those adds include prestigious industry scholarships, an internship at Chicagos Goose Island Beer Co., and her current gig as brewer and barrel manager at Borg Brugghus brewery in Reykjavik, Iceland. She also celebrated her 28th birthday. Hartwig left her gig as the Springs areas youngest professional brewer, at Pikes Peak Brewing Co., in 2015 for a three-month internship at Goose Island, a temporary assignment that ended up lasting the better part of a year. She then returned to Colorado and ultimately landed at Auroras Dry Dock Brewing Co. Thats where she was when she was awarded the 2017 Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Siebel Brewing Scholarship, which included three months in Chicago at the World Brewing Academy and three months in Germany, as well as an International Diploma in Brewing Technology. In less time than it takes some barrel-aged imperial stouts to mature, Hartwig has gone from front of the bar on the Front Range to international craft-creator with a CV thats barleywine-dense. I heard her speak as part of a panel on women in brewing at Februarys Rocky Mountain Brewing Symposium at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Last week she talked with me by phone from Iceland to answer a few questions about how she got to where shes at, and what craft brewing is like in the land of fire and ice. Q: How did you go from Germany to Iceland? A: I had come to Iceland as a tourist, and just fell in love with the country, the way of life. ... While I was in Germany, I started applying for positions here and chatting with different breweries. I got the job and moved here in March 2018, so Ive been here almost exactly a year. Iceland had beer prohibition until 1989, so they were a really late bloomer as far as their beer culture. But they have great support for the new craft breweries popping up everywhere and theres a lot of support from beer drinkers. Q: Whats big in Reykjavik? A: Ive never seen a culture so crazy about hazy IPAs. Walk into a bar and over half the taps are IPAs. Icelanders tend to walk into a bar and say, What IPAs do you have on tap? Q: Whats craft beer awareness, overall, like in Iceland? Are they still catching up? A: Theyre definitely keeping track of whats going on the world of craft beer, and not just in Iceland. A lot of Icelanders, with all the time they have off, theyre so close to U.S. and to Europe, they travel quite a bit so theyre drinking pilsners in Germany, lambics in Belgium and New England IPAs in New England. I just didnt see that in the U.S.: people coming in and just knowing right off the bat what they wanted. Q: Any interesting or unusual ingredients youve worked with or want to use brewing in Iceland? A: Iceland isnt necessarily the best climate to be growing things, so farming is mostly done in greenhouses. There are no Palisade peaches or Pueblo chiles. What they do have is a lot of great things you can forage that grow wild. I would say that March isnt the best time of year to be foraging, but theres always something. Some of the ingredients are really exciting and I definitely want to explore using them in a beer. I really enjoy birch. Ive had some great birch spirits made here in Iceland and I would really like to explore using that in a beer. Q: Come again about that beer brewing being illegal in Iceland before 1989 thing. That doesnt seem ... right? A: Homebrewing is actually still illegal here. But even before beer was made legal ... people were making beer, moonshine, wine at home ... and some of these farm breweries would be open to tourists if they were there and they were brewing. But as far as taprooms go, there was no official place to visit. Now, more and more, breweries here are exploring this taproom thing. Reykjavik got its first brewery taproom last year. The beer industry is at a very exciting point right now. After the experience of presenting to other students and zoo guests, our hope is that students will have an increased awareness of the current biodiversity crisis and become better stewards of the ecosystems they live in. -Amy Bales, Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School teacher and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Board member Pull Quote Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, offered dating advice to hundreds of women who filled a gym at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. If you hear a man saying, I dont even know how to date in the era of #MeToo, dont date that man, she said, inspiring laughter and applause. But most of her 90-minute presentation Tuesday night did not draw laughter. Burke spoke with wisdom and passion and honesty and nuance. She founded the movement in 2007 to offer healing to women and men who had been sexually violated. A decade later, actress Alyssa Milano promoted the #MeToo hashtag and asked that those who had been sexually harassed or assaulted share the tag. Over the next 24 hours, it was shared or posted 12 million times, according to The Associated Press. In an instant, Burke transformed from diligent, little-known New York City crusader to international celebrity. She was on the cover of Time magazine. She signed a contract to write a book. She became the face of a burgeoning movement. The movement helped topple Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and singing star R. Kelly. The movement also headed in directions Burke never intended. Its not, she emphasized, solely a womens movement. It is, as it always has been, for male victims, too. Her message remains simple and powerful. Sexual abuse victims should not carry a burden of guilt or shame. They should, Burke said, place the burden at the feet of those responsible. And, she emphasized, each persons road to recovery is different and intensely personal. Shes uncomfortable with the current emphasis on public disclosure. The victims are talking about the worst thing that ever happened to them, she said. People are talking about their deepest, darkest secrets. Public disclosure is not necessary. She realizes this view clashes with that of other advocates. Shes heard some suggest that disclosure is not valid unless its made public. Its not the pathway for everyone, she said. Be careful who you tell your story to. We own the stories. We get to say who gets to know and who doesnt. Her path to fame has included uncomfortable lessons. She had spent her life out of the spotlight. When she was out in public, she didnt worry about anyone taking photos of her. She worries now. She groaned Tuesday when a large image of her face flashed across a screen. I hate that photo, she said, as shed been caught without makeup. And her words carry new weight, which is blessing and burden. Burke recently publicly supported Lucy Flores, who caused a firestorm when she revealed that former Vice President Joe Biden made her uncomfortable by smelling her hair and kissing the back of her head. Burkes explanation is complicated. I adore Joe Biden, she said. I consider him an ally. And yet No one is above rebuke, she said, not even a true advocate. A woman must be able to tell any man his actions are inappropriate and make her uncomfortable. Even, Burke said, the best guy in the room. 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 Gov. Jared Polis signed one of the legislative sessions biggest and most controversial bills Tuesday, remaking state regulation of oil and gas by giving local governments more control. Polis said the measure will end the oil and gas wars in Colorado. Supporters say it will improve Coloradans health and safety. Opponents say it will harm an industry that employs tens of thousands in the state and pumps billions into the economy. Senate Bill 181, which took effect immediately, changes the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, replacing two industry experts with one environmental specialist and an expert on public health. It also changes the panels mission, from being an industry cheerleader to putting public health and safety first. Local governments now can weigh in on new oil and gas activity in their communities. Opponents say that will dramatically cut such development and its tax revenues, which support rural schools. The Colorado Oil & Gas Association, a trade group, last month said the industry and its workers pay almost $1 billion in annual state taxes. The industry says it contributes $32 billion annually to the Colorado economy, including 89,000 direct and indirect jobs. Polis told a packed room that the bill signing should end the back-and-forth ballot measures as well as great uncertainty and political risk for the industry. There will be skirmishes, he said, but those will be around specific projects in particular areas, and local decision makers such as city councils, mayors and county commissioners will be deeply involved as they would for any land use issue. Residents will be heard, and clearly health and safety will come first, including worker safety on the sites. Front and center for the signing: Erin Martinez, formerly of Firestone, her two children and other family members. Martinezs husband and brother died in 2017 when their home exploded because methane leaked into its basement from a cut gas line. Martinez had never spoken about the tragedy until SB 181s first committee hearing. The Colorado Petroleum Council later issued a statement criticizing a threat to one of the foundations of Colorados economy. The states energy future is too important to be wielded as a partisan weapon, and all Coloradans deserve to know the consequences of this bill, both intended and unintended. While Senate Bill 181 remains deeply flawed, Governor Polis and state officials have pledged to work with industry to create a reasonable regulatory framework that works for all Coloradans, and we are committed to that process. The bill traveled through six committees, garnering more than 40 hours of hearings and public testimony and 33 amendments. Sen. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, was one of the bills sponsors. He noted that local government regulatory changes are optional, not mandatory. Footes district includes Boulder County, which has sued the COGCC and several oil and gas companies to keep them from launching drilling operations in east Boulder County. Broomfield County residents also have sued to block oil and gas activity in their neighborhoods. Supporters testified for dozens of hours that the industry needed tighter reins, as the Firestone explosion showed. Now local governments can inspect oil and gas operations and impose fines for leaks, spills and emissions. The law also changes forced pooling requirements. If owners of land and its mineral rights refused to sign leases to allow drilling for oil or gas, the previous law could force those owners to accept the leases. SB 181, however, requires the consent of landowners who hold most mineral rights in a pooled area. Previously, only one mineral rights owner had to agree for the pooling to start. The bill was amended dozens of times during its trip through the General Assembly. But it wasnt enough to win over the industry, which remains firmly opposed to this bill because it threatens one of the pillars of Colorados economy, said a statement by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the Colorado Petroleum Council. Colorado Rising, which backed last years failed Proposition 112 to push oil and gas drilling farther from buildings, said while the law does not address all of the concerns and threats associated with industrial fracking activity, it is a desperately needed tipping back of enormously unbalanced scales SB-181 is the most substantial shift we have seen in decades and puts communities on much better footing The bill passed on a party-line vote in the Senate and picked up four Democratic votes against it in the House, from Reps. Bri Buentello and Daneya Esgar, both of Pueblo; and Reps. Brianna Titone of Arvada and Don Valdez of La Jara. Opponents are threatening recalls of lawmakers who voted for the bill, including Senate President Leroy Garcia of Pueblo and Rep. Rochelle Galindo, D-Greeley, and already are working on a ballot measure for 2020 to try to repeal the law. A Florida teen accused of threatening schools in the metro area the week of the the 20th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday morning. - Sol Pais, 18, flew to the city and bought a gun after becoming "infatuated" with the mass shooting that killed 12 students and a teacher April 20, 1999. The FBI said she is "considered to be extremely dangerous." She was last seen near Columbine in the foothills of Jefferson County wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. - Pais is from a small oceanside town in southern Florida called Surfside, a heavily Brazilian community with a household income lower than the national median. She attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where she was enrolled in AP and honors classes, the Miami Herald reported. Her classmates described her as "smart and unassuming, if socially awkward at times." She didnt seem any type of way, Justin Norris, 18, a senior said to the Herald. She was just bad at starting conversations. - Her family reported her missing Monday night. The case was turned over from Surfside police to Miami Beach officers, who found her "deeply disturbed" online postings and notified the FBI, the Herald reported. With records of her boarding a plane to Colorado, the manhunt began. The situation is "like a bad dream," her father told NBC 6 in South Florida. "We don't know, we don't have any idea," he said to the TV station. - Pais' father also believes she has a mental problem. A blog by a person identified as Sol Pais is "replete with journal entries dripping with angst and drawings of guns," the Herald wrote. I am the face of loneliness and misery, the blog says. - Pais also may be behind a series of posts on the National Gun Forum. Under the same screen name as the blog, the person asked how they could buy a shotgun in Colorado. The problem is i have no friends in FL who are into guns like me so its not as fun having to do all of this alone, according to one post found by the Herald. - Pais turned 18 in February, according to public records, and has no apparent adult criminal history. - In Colorado, a non-resident over the age of 18 is allowed to purchase a long gun a shotgun or rifle from a federally licensed firearm dealer pending a background check. Private sellers do not require background checks. Only those with a valid Colorado ID can purchase a handgun. The controversial "red flag" bill was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis Friday but will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2020. Once active, it would allow a family member or law enforcement official to petition a court for a temporary extreme risk protection order if they can show a person poses a significant risk to themselves or others by owning a gun. - Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin said the threats she made were general and not specific to any school. - All schools in the Denver area were urged to tighten security because the threat was deemed "credible and general," said Patricia Billinger, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety. Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver lock their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon before Wednesday's complete closures were announced. QTD wrote: In most everything I've read, GMAT prep is the most accurate mock test. However, I've taken 3 test and I'm seeing a big difference in my Verbal scores. I know everyone regards mocks as the toughest on quant, does this apply to on verbal? My goal is 720+. I've put 90% of my time towards quant and I'm seeing big improvements in that area. However, given my large score range in verbal, I want to know which is a more accurate picture of my verbal ability to get a better gauge on my preparedness for the actual test. Mock test GMAT prep 1: 640 (36Q 41V) GMAT prep 2: 650 (36Q 42V) Mock 1: 650 (44Q 35V) Mock 2: 670 (46Q 37V) Mock 3: 700 (50Q 38V) GMAT prep 3: 730 (46Q 44V) GMAT prep is the most accurate as it tunes your brain to the type of questions that come on the GMAT, but still, I would suggest you drill down further and try to assess section wise. It would help if you list individual scores or accuracy details for each section (SC, CR, RC) to analyse further. Estimados amigos, Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia. Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro. Gonzalo Raffo de Lavalle Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras. Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada. Helenio Herrera History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Karl Marx If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. Paulo Coelho Macrons Great Debate Finds What France Wants: Lower Taxes, No Cuts to Services By Adam Nossiter President Emmanuel Macron of France speaking last week during the last meeting of his Great National Debate in Corsica, France.CreditCreditLudovic Marin/Agence France-Presse Getty Images PARIS The moment of truth approached on Monday for President Emmanuel Macrons strategy for sucking the wind out of the Yellow Vest protest movement, as his prime minister presented the conclusions of a three-month national consultation in which some 1.5 million French citizens let the government know what they wanted. The answer? Lower taxes, in a country with the highest tax burden 46 percent of gross domestic product of any developed nation. But where, and how, to do so, presents the French government with a tricky conundrum: The same citizens did not come out for any reduction in Frances expansive social safety net or generous provision of public services. Whether the governments formula for resolving the dilemma, which has yet to be determined, will be enough to satisfy the for-now quiescent protest movement is uncertain. The Yellow Vests rejected the Great National Debate from the beginning, though the protest movement has hit its lowest ebb in numbers and public support. Mr. Macrons subordinates insist that they have heard the message. Weve reached zero fiscal tolerance, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told an audience of officials at the Grand Palais in Paris Monday, presenting the conclusions of the Project. Weve got to lower taxes, Mr. Philippe said. There is an immense fiscal exasperation. It is now up to Mr. Macron himself to find concrete measures to translate the citizens demands in the coming weeks. The Yellow Vest protest itself began as an uprising over a raise in gas taxes, which Mr. Macron rescinded soon after. Mr. Macron came up with the Great National Debate idea as the Yellow Vest demonstrators were wreaking havoc in French cities, smashing in store windows and prompting some in the presidents own circle to fear for his future. Half in desperation, he reached for a surefire national sedative: Let the French talk it out. Local talk-fests, spearheaded by the president himself, aired citizen grievances, with the hope of stifling a principal Yellow Vest complaint, that the French were not being heard. Plenty now have been, though how representative the talkers were has itself become a matter of debate. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, second from right, delivered the findings of Frances Great National Debate in Paris on Monday.CreditPhilippe Lopez/Agence France-Presse Getty Images Many of those who attended around 10,000 local debates were elderly or retired, in a country where the retirement age is a mere 62, and there are many, many citizens with lots of time on their hands. But the endless hours of meeting with local officials, often with Mr. Macron doing most of talking, may have more successfully bludgeoned the Yellow Vests into submission than any number of riot police. Only 22,300 people marched in the Yellow Vest protest across France Saturday, the lowest turnout yet, and less than a tenth of those who took part in the first marches on Nov. 17 last year. And only about 35 percent of the French still support them, less than half the figure at the movements peak. Mr. Macron, by going week after week deep into the country and standing for hours on end lecturing and taking questions, has clawed back some of the popularity he lost at the height of the Yellow Vest movement. He is now supported by some 29 percent of the French, according to an IFOP poll last week, around his level of support at the beginning of the protests. After weeks of trailing Marine Le Pens far-right Rassemblement National party, formerly the National Front, in polls for Mays elections to the European Parliament, Mr. Macron has finally crept out in front. Renewing dialogue and deflating the anger in one sense, hes succeeded, said Chloe Morin, a public opinion expert at the Ipsos consultancy in Paris. But, it was just one part of the French who participated in the Great National Debate, said Ms. Morin. It was a certain category of the population, and not necessarily a representative one: city-dwellers, those who are reasonably off. So, its been a relative success, she said. Hes managed to regain his base of popularity with his electorate, and with the right. But the large segment of the population that once identified with the Yellow Vests is another matter. I have a fear that whatever decisions Emmanuel Macron takes, even if they are strong ones, that knowing the Yellow Vests as I do, there is a kind of suicidal tendency, a tendency to say, All politicians are rotten, said Sonia Krimi, a 36-year-old member of Parliament in Mr. Macrons party. Yellow Vest protesters at La Defense, Pariss financial district, on Saturday. Only 22,300 marched across France, the lowest turnout yet for the movements mass protests. Yellow Vest protesters at La Defense, Pariss financial district, on Saturday. Only 22,300 marched across France, the lowest turnout yet for the movements mass protests.CreditIan Langsdon/EPA, via Shutterstock In a National Assembly where dissent from the presidential line is rare, Ms. Krimi, a Tunisian-born lawmaker who represents part of Cherbourg, is known for sometimes opposing the president, and she has in the past expressed sympathy for the protesters. Its like two parallel lines, she said, referring to the government and the Yellow Vests, and the lines never join. Others also expressed concerns about the representativeness of the governments sample. The problem is, who actually came to the debates, in relation to those we never hear from? asked Jean-Michel Clement, a parliamentarian who left Mr. Macrons party last year. It was people who were already in the know. Those who werent either didnt come or didnt talk. Whatever the source, the government insisted it has heard. Weve gotten the message loud and clear, Mr. Philippe, the prime minister, said at the Grand Palais Monday. The message as received by Mr. Philippe translated into a series of abstractions that could be difficult to translate into concrete policy. He said the French who took part had also expressed concerns about isolation, abandonment and indifference from public officials, about having a democracy that is more representative and efficient, and about climate change. As for the conclusions that are to be drawn, Im waiting to hear them, said Mr. Clement. Were faced with some contradictions. Were hearing less taxes on one side, and on the other more public services. So its going to be a complicated equation, he said. A delicate exercise. On the streets of Paris there was skepticism all around, as there often is. The Great National Debate wont put an end to anything, said Marc Flandrin, 48, a butcher in the suburb of Alfortville. Soon it will be the turn of the retired people to demonstrate. I think that in September it is going to get worse. Marc Denis, a 51-year-old auditor for the national railway company, the S.N.C.F., approved of the debate, but wondered whether it would change anything. I dont think the Yellow Vest movement will end, he said. It is now rooted in France. Ms. Krimi, the parliamentarian, said, Its too early to talk of success or failure. Its a complex situation, and it needs a complex response, she said. There has to be a political vision. People are sick of politicians and their promises. Constant Meheut contributed reporting. In addition to the fact that limousine travel is very glamorous, it is also the most comfortable trip you can... Of course, in terms of challenging the U.S. for supremacy in Chinese littoral waters, these forces matter little. If conflict erupted with the U.S., its possible that theyd play an asymmetric role conducting, say, swarm attacks on U.S. warships and supply lines. But theyd be easily outgunned otherwise and could do little to solve Chinas ultimate strategic dilemma: the U.S. ability to establish a blockade at a string of regional chokepoints . But China has no appetite for war anytime soon. And its use of paramilitaries has allowed it to engage in a salami slicing strategy, asserting de facto control over the waters bit by bit without firing a shot or, most important, provoking a clash with the looming U.S. Navy. Indeed, by flooding the South China Sea with these paramilitaries, China has established, as the chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command put it last year, control over the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the U.S. In other words, it can effectively dictate terms to Southeast Asian states like the Philippines and Vietnam on where their fishermen can fish, where their oil companies can drill, what they can build on their own contested reefs, and so forth. If regional states want access to the natural gas or the fish or the atolls, they have to ask nicely. Naturally, this gives Beijing leverage on any number of other matters and opens opportunities to forge political agreements reducing the scope of military cooperation with the United States and its allies . And by cementing its presence around its new bases on reclaimed islands in disputed waters, it leaves the U.S. with few options short of direct confrontation to roll back Chinas militarization of the disputed islands on behalf of these allies, straining their faith in U.S. security commitments . Is There a Role for the U.S. White Hulls? The U.S. Coast Guard is considered the most sophisticated in the world, and it too has very big vessels, including its 4,600-ton Legend-class National Security Cutters. From time to time, it deploys these on deepwater assignments far from home. The Bertholf, for example, was sent to the region after the collapse of the Hanoi summit primarily to monitor North Korean smuggling. Coast Guard cutters can also be placed under U.S. Navy command under certain conditions, as was the case with the Bertholf while it paraded down the Taiwan Strait. In 2012, the cutter even participated in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific exercises the worlds largest annual multinational naval drills helping track missile threats and providing gunfire support for onshore troops. U.S. warships arent particularly well suited for maritime policing tasks like sanctions enforcement; theyre designed to wage war, not to board smuggling vessels or break up squabbles between foreign anglers. And in the shadow of potentially hostile countries like China and North Korea, the last thing the U.S. Navy wants is its already overstretched crews confronting Chinese fishermen especially if theyre armed and taking orders from the PLA. Doing so could force China to respond in kind, risking a conflict the U.S. would rather avoid. And since the U.S. generally doesnt take an official position on which parts of the disputed waters belong to which country, intervening on behalf of one claimant or another would undermine its core goal of upholding the so-called rules-based order. This is why some argue for a U.S. Coast Guard role in the region. If (and this is a big if) the U.S. were keen to intervene on behalf of a regional claimant at least in scenarios where it could do so in compliance with international law Coast Guard cutters would be more adept than U.S. warships for doing so without dragging the PLA-Navy into the fray or bolstering Chinese claims that the U.S. Navy is the true aggressor in the region. The Coast Guard, in other words, lends itself better to U.S. messaging that itd merely be helping other claimants enforce the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (which China ratified) with forces proportional to those of the Chinese. The Coast Guard would be in position to document and make public harassment by Chinas maritime forces, puncturing the veneer of plausible deniability that the little blue men give Beijing and stiffening international pressure. This wouldnt be enough to convince Beijing to fully scale back, but it would arguably pose a bigger deterrent to China than anything else the U.S. has tried. Moreover, to regional states like Vietnam and the Philippines that have refrained from provoking Beijing by conducting joint patrols with the U.S. Navy or giving U.S. warships extensive base access, embracing the U.S. Coast Guard may be more feasible. Indeed, since the U.S. is keen to offload regional security responsibilities to friends and allies across the globe, and since few Southeast Asian states have much hope of building up robust naval capabilities anytime soon, focusing on coast guard training and assistance instead makes sense for the U.S. This was a core goal of the Pentagons 2015 Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative, which has languished under the Trump administration. Its also an area where the elite Japanese coast guard has been increasingly pitching in. Beijing evidently has the same idea, with joint Chinese coast guard training with Southeast Asian states becoming more common. But while an increase in coast guard training, and perhaps limited multinational patrols, is certainly possible, thats likely to be the extent of any expanded presence of U.S. white hulls anytime soon. For one, the risk of a clash between a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and a Chinese counterpart escalating cant be ignored. The U.S. cutter could be quickly overwhelmed and overmatched, even by Chinese paramilitaries, requiring the U.S. Navy to step in. In that sense, their very presence in hostile waters is a potential liability. The Bertholf wouldnt have been in the Taiwan Strait if the Navy thought there was any chance of a hostile Chinese response. For another, the U.S. Coast Guard presently isnt big enough to make much of a difference in the waters, anyway. As noted, it currently has just a single cutter in the Western Pacific. Its already overstretched at home, and its budget just $9.3 billion requested for 2020, $1 billion less than it was allotted this year doesnt exactly suggest that the U.S. is gearing up for a substantial overseas force. (Nor has the U.S. been ramping up security assistance to regional partners, as often pledged.) It has just eight Legend-class cutters and more than 3,000 square miles of the worlds largest exclusive economic zone to patrol. Washington evidently just doesnt see enough strategic rationale to devote more resources to maritime policing in the disputed waters. Regional states may chafe at the lack of U.S. interest in going to bat on their behalf, and this may help Beijing make important political inroads. But Chinese bases in the Spratlys and Chinese oil rigs across the South China Sea pose little threat to the U.S. position in the big picture . So long as the U.S. can control the chokepoints, it has the upper hand in the Western Pacific. And it thinks this reality, along with public anger about Chinese aggression in claimant states plus growing support from allies like Japan, India and Australia, will be enough to keep regional states from throwing their lot in fully with the Chinese whether or not the U.S. white hulls are there to challenge China at its own game. Be the first to know: SUBSCRIBE HERE To add this ANIMATOR CLICK HERE ORANGE INSIDE Unified Schools Independent insight into OUSD a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/ moves Board Agendas to BoardDocs cloud-based platform OUSDmoves Board Agendas to BoardDocs cloud-based platform Orange Unified School District has moved its online Board of Education Agenda publishing to the BoardDoc's platform. OUSD has published this week's Thursday April 19, 2019 Agenda under the new platform and back posted the March 14, 2019 Agenda. No Board of Education minutes have yet been posted using BoardDocs. BoardDocs is the largest paperless agenda management system for school boards and corporation boards. The cloud-based record management system was developed by Emerald Data Solutions based in Georgia. BoardDocs was acquired by its New Zealand competitor Diligent Corporation. The BoardDocs website boasts 3,000 customers nationwide. Two versions are marketed, the basic BoardDocs LT and the advanced BoardDocs Pro. BoardDocs costs start at $3,000 a year For more information comparing BoardDocs LT and Pro Click on LT vs PRO BoardDocs closest competitor is Boardable. Boarddocs dominated the niche school board market with an emphasis on appealing only to school district's agenda needs. In comparison, Boardable's main features include its lower price point and "integration" ability with Google's Docs and Calendar, Microsoft's OneDrive and Outlook and Dropbox. According to GetApp, BoardDoc does not offer any integration with other platforms. Currently, OUSD uses both Microsoft Outlook for its district email service and has been moving toward Google Docs and Calendar as well as Google Classroom. To compare BoardDocs to Boardable, Click on: GETAPP COMPARE The biggest problem with cloud-based management systems are internet connectivity. BoardDocs cites this on its website section, "Resolving Performance Issues with BoardDocs". For more information Click on: BoadDocs Performance Issues The BoardDoc's format is geared to "authentic users"- district staff and Board Members. The BoardDoc's website explains: While we find that most authenticated users and administrative staff no longer print the agenda, there is an easy to use provision for Board members and the administration to print the agenda, any individual agenda item or the entire packet (except attachments, which can be printed individually). Both BoardDocs services provide the ability to customize the printed materials with headers, footers and logos. The biggest drawback of the new format is for the community. Attachments must be opened and printed individually and separately from the agenda items. The BoardDoc's website explains: Can I print the entire packet? Yes, although without attachments. Attachments would need to printed individually. In practice, we have found that most authenticated users will focus most of their attention on one or two agenda items and prefer to selectively print agenda items and attachments rather than print the entire agenda. Community members can get a "detailed" version of the OUSD Agenda, slightly similar to the old agenda (see below) by hitting the "print" icon. This brings up a page with three tabs in the upper left. From this screen select the "Detailed Agenda" tab and a fuller agenda similar to the old agenda can be viewed ( or printed): "Detailed Agenda" view from print page BroadDoc does include two features that could prove worth the investment for community transparency. The "Scoreboard" feature projects the agenda as on the screen at a Board Meeting showing the progress and status of the meeting. A second feature are audio and/or video recording files of meetings can be tagged so users can access any part of the meeting directly from the tagged agenda item or from a video player featuring the meeting agenda. The BoardDoc's website explains: All of this is done within our 100% Web interface without the need for special hardware or expensive video hosting servers. BoardDocs also supports native audio playback of any associated MP3 file. Video and audio management and playback is available on all supported devices and requires no special plugins or browser extensions. View of old OUSD on-line agenda format: Webpage when Agenda is opened Click on February 12, 2019 View of new OUSD on-line agenda format: Webpage when Agenda is opened Click on April 18, 2019 OUSD Public Relations costs In February 2018 OUSD Trustees voted $219,424 for a Public Relations contract (Click on): OUSD VOTES $219,400 for PR Here is what spending $219,424 of educational tax dollars on PR buys (For the latest in OUSD News on the web Click on): OUSD in the NEWS NEXT OUSD BOARD MEETING April 18, 2019 Next OUSD Board Meeting -OUSD BOARD ROOM 6:00 pm 6:00 pm CLOSED SESSION- OUSD Regular Session Board Room : 7:00 pm For AGENDA- CLICK ON : OUSD AGENDA For more information call the OUSD Superintendents office at 714-628-4040 For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015 ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found at: Greater Orange News Service http://greaterorange.blogspot.com/ the ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE and the Greater Orange News Service /O/N/N/ are independent news services of 1. Fill in your name or an alias. Do not leave blank or use the name 'guest' or 'anonymous'. 2. No Nivul Peh. Profanity will be deleted. " " What's it like as a latchkey kid today? David Young-Wolff / Getty Images Although the term "latchkey kid" first appeared in the 1940s to describe young children taking care of themselves after school while dad fought in the war and mom went off to work, the anxiety over latchkey kids really exploded in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Higher divorce rates and more job opportunities for women left a reported 3 million 6- to 13-year-olds fending for themselves after school in 1982. The kids were often recognized by the house key they wore on a string around their necks. That year, People magazine ran an interview with two education researchers under the headline, "The Lonely Life of 'Latchkey' Children, Say Two Experts, Is a National Disgrace." The experts, Tom and Lynette Long, interviewed 300 latchkey children and noted that one in three reported "high fear" when their parents were late coming home, which triggered recurring nightmares. Among the other "perils" faced by latchkey kids, the Longs said, were "break-ins, weather emergencies, injuries from falls... an 8-year-old riding a bike might get hit by an automobile." Which made us wonder: What's the impact of the "latchkey kid crisis" 35 years later? Do latchkey kids even exist anymore? Like many other issues, it often comes down to economics. Advertisement 'I loved my free childhood' Growing up in the suburbs of Madison, Wisconsin in the mid-1970s, Julie Lythcott-Haims didn't know she was a latchkey kid. All she knew was that mom and dad both worked, so it was up to her to come home from school, let herself in, make a snack and get started on homework before running out to play with the neighborhood kids. "I don't recall ever feeling neglected," says Lythcott-Haims. "I felt trusted, competent, it was very normal." Lythcott-Haims sees great psychological value in the freedom she was afforded as a latchkey child of the 1970s, especially compared with what she views as the hyper-controlled and over-monitored existence of kids today. Her book, "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success," is a rebuke of this overinvolved parenting style prevalent today in upper-middle-class families that she says produces young adults who can't think or act for themselves. "I loved my free childhood," says Lythcott-Haims, who witnessed the ill-effects of overparenting as dean of freshman at Stanford University. "I loved the fact that my parents weren't involved in the minutia of every playdate, that they didn't feel they had to take me everywhere and stand on the sidelines of my life." In contrast, Lythcott-Haims says, many of the students she met at Stanford were brilliant on paper sky high grades and test scores, endless lists of activities "But they couldn't think for themselves. They couldn't solve a simple problem without checking in with a parent. They couldn't make a choice." Lenore Skenazy didn't grow up as a latchkey kid, but is a vocal advocate for the type of unsupervised, unstructured time that kids enjoyed 30 to 40 years ago. Her organization (or movement, some say) is called Free-Range Kids and her mission is to combat what she terms as the "hysteria" among parents that their children are constantly in danger and should never be left alone. "When my mom let me walk to school by myself, she couldn't name ten children who had been kidnapped by strangers the way all of us can today," says Skenazy, "and therefore she wasn't burdened with the idea that what she was doing was irrational bordering on dangerous letting me have any unsupervised time." Both Skenazy and Lythcott-Haims see overparenting as the enemy, not latchkey kids. They cite studies linking intrusive parenting with stunted psychological development, particularly in the area of "self-efficacy," the feeling that you have control over your life and that your actions lead to outcomes. Lacking that sense of control leads to anxiety and depression, conditions that are on the rise among young adults. Advertisement 'Something could have easily gone disastrously wrong' Although millions of people now in their 40s and 50s look back fondly, even nostalgically on their latchkey experience, that's not the case for everyone. As we mentioned before, there appear to be some significant differences between the latchkey experiences of poorer and wealthier American households. Back in 1982, when the Longs conducted their study, they found that a third of kids in a poor, inner-city school they visited were latchkey kids (in one sixth-grade class, 24 out of 28 students were unsupervised after school). In contrast, when they visited a suburban school with higher family incomes, only 1 in 9 kids were latchkeys. Deborah Belle is a psychology professor at Boston University focusing on the psychology of families. Her 1999 book, "The After-school Lives of Children: Alone and With Others While Parents Work," followed 43 families from different socioeconomic levels over four years as they navigated the shifting economic realities of employment in America, including the decision to leave kids alone at home. "Some of the families had the kind of community, neighborhood, financial and social resources to make sure that it wasn't a problem," says Belle, "but many of these families did not." She remembers a particularly tough situation in which two parents working low-wage jobs tried to set their work schedules so that someone would always be home with their three children, but that wasn't always possible. There were times when the oldest, an 8-year-old, was left in charge of both a 4-year-old and an 18-month-old toddler. "And this was terrifying to the child and to the parents. In no way was this a good situation," says Belle. "Whether it had lifelong consequences for the child, I have no idea. Something could have easily gone disastrously wrong and it would have been a tragedy." On the flip side, she met kids who did better when they had time to themselves. One 13-year-old girl complained about the noise at the after-school program meant to provide adult supervision. None of her friends were there, either. She begged her parents to let her go home instead, where she could get her homework done and even have a friend over. "What our research demonstrated was the tremendous variety of experiences that children had," says Belle. "While some kids suffer terribly and tragedies occur because they can't be with their parents after school, we shouldn't be stigmatizing all kids or all families whose kids are unsupervised, because sometimes it's the best choice for that child." Advertisement Latchkey kids today You don't really hear the term "latchkey kid" much anymore, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. According to the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for after-school programs, there were 11.3 million unsupervised school-age kids in 2014. That's roughly 20 percent of the entire K-12 population in the United States. Jen Rinehart, vice president of policy and research at the Afterschool Alliance, says that the demographics of unsupervised kids has shifted over the decade that her organization has collected data. The total number of unsupervised kids in 2014 is down from 2004, when 14.3 million kids (or 25 percent of all K-12 students) went home alone. But the numbers are mostly down among wealthier families, not the poor. The latest numbers show that among kids who qualify for free or reduced price lunch, 19 percent are unsupervised compared with only 12 percent of kids from higher-income families. Back in 2009, those numbers were flipped. A full 29 percent of kids from higher-income families were unsupervised, while only 26 percent of kids on reduced priced lunch went home alone. Advertisement Latchkey or helicopter? The Onion, the brilliant satirical website, ran a story in 2011 with the headline, "Study Finds Every Style of Parenting Produces Disturbed, Miserable Adults." You could make the same claim or its opposite about the latchkey experience. Many people loved their latchkey experience and wish their kids could have the same freedom. Others would have undoubtedly done better with more parental support. Anecdotally, it seems that the rise in helicopter parenting isn't because people had miserable experiences as latchkey kids. It seems to be more because of the parental "fear factor" extensive news coverage about child kidnappings, concussions and killings. It's also about making sure that kids have every opportunity to succeed whether it's endless activities or close monitoring of schoolwork, even through high school and college. Hara Estroff Marano wrote a book lamenting the psychological damage inflicted by overparenting. In "A Nation of Wimps," Estroff Marano argues that overinvolvement in our children's lives the opposite of the latchkey experience "weakens kids from within." But she's quick to acknowledge that overparenting isn't a universal problem. "We can all recognize that the type of overparenting I'm talking about is largely a middle and upper middle-class phenomenon," says Estroff Marano. "There is a large segment of kids who are underparented." So which is worse, leaving your kid alone with a TV and a box of Count Chocula cereal, or parenting him to death? Presumably there's a middle ground. But as well-meaning parents have discovered for decades, it's not always an easy one to find. Now That's Interesting Most unsupervised kids today are in high school. Interestingly, the Afterschool Alliance found that the number of unsupervised kids in elementary and middle school in 2014 was a little over 3 million, around the same as the Longs estimated back in 1982. one of the most unusual referrals to the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) of the EPO, this Kat tries to take a step back to answer both: (1) why the highest judicial instance of the organization has to weigh in on a question of geography and (2) what arguments may guide the EBAs decision. Is Haar Munich or is it Haar? A few weeks after, this Kat tries to take a step back to answer both: (1) why the highest judicial instance of the organization has to weigh in on a question of geography and (2) what arguments may guide the EBAs decision. Looking carefully at the municipal border The Referral German) and now pending before the EBA as G2/19, would warrant several Katposts. This one will only focus on the geography aspect. The unusual aspects of the interim decision, published under case number T 831/17 (available in) and now pending before the EBA as, would warrant several Katposts. This one will only focus on the geography aspect. After being summoned to oral proceedings at the building of the Boards of Appeal in Haar (a suburb near the city of Munich but a formally separate municipality), the appellant filed a request that the oral proceedings be held in Munich instead. Haar, as the appellant claims, is not mentioned in Art. 6(2) EPC (The European Patent Office shall be located in Munich. It shall have a branch at The Hague) and summoning parties to a location not foreseen by the Convention violates the parties right to be heard. The Board of Appeal referred three questions to the Enlarged Board of Appeal, of which only the last will be discussed here: can the Board of Appeal conduct oral proceedings in Haar, when the appellant considers that the place of the hearing does not comply with the EPC and requests that the oral proceedings be held in Munich instead? Power of the EBA to Review Geography R 13/14, relating to oral proceedings in examination, the appellant requested that the hearing take place in Munich instead of The Hague. The EBA indicated that there was a general principle that the organisation of oral proceedings lies within the competence of the President and cannot be reviewed by the board of appeal pursuant to the principle of the separation of powers. This will not be the first time the EBA is being asked to review a question of where oral proceedings should take place. In, relating to oral proceedings in examination, the appellant requested that the hearing take place in Munich instead of The Hague. The EBA indicated that there was a general principle that the organisation of oral proceedings lies within the competence of the President and cannot be reviewed by the board of appeal pursuant to the principle of the separation of powers. This is not necessarily a sign that the EBA will decline to review the question now put before it. The Hague is a branch explicitly foreseen by Art. 6 EPC, but Haar is not. In addition, R 13/14 was about where examination should take place, while this case is about where an appeal should be heard. What happens in Haar does not necessarily stay in Haar enacted in 2016 [even Merpels insistence to leave the Boards in Munich did not help]. The official reason given, namely reinforcing the Boards of Appeals organizational and managerial autonomy by geographically separating the judges from the examiners, was dismissed by some who saw the move against the backdrop of the sometimes charged relationship between the Boards of Appeal and the President. That the Boards of Appeal currently sit in Haar is a legacy of Benoit Battistellis tenure as President of the EPO. It was Mr. Battistelli who proposed to the Administrative Council to move the Boards of Appeal to Haar, which the Administrative Council[evens insistence to leave the Boards in Munich did not help]. The official reason given, namely reinforcing the Boards of Appealsby geographically separating the judges from the examiners, was dismissed bywho saw the move against the backdrop of the sometimes charged relationship between the Boards of Appeal and the President. Was the move within the powers of the President and the Administrative Council? It could have been argued that this necessitates an amendment of the EPC. The Board of Appeal itself indicates in the referring decision that it does not know the precise reasons that allowed the President to claim that moving the Boards of Appeal to a place outside the municipal borders of the city of Munich was compliant with the EPC. The question before the EBA involves the interpretation of the EPC: First, does Munich in Art. 6(2) EPC refer to the City of Munich or another (broader) geographical area? Second, if Munich refers to the city, does the Administrative Council have the power to relocate the Boards of Appeal to a location not foreseen in Art. 6 EPC? What does "Munich" mean? Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (which the Boards of Appeal regularly refer to when interpreting the EPC). It seems an uphill battle to argue that Munich, understood in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in the light of its object and purpose, actually designates the Landkreis and not the city of this name. London, France rather than London, UK may formally solve the problem, but it would unlikely be compliant with what the drafters had originally in mind.] [Merpel observes that the same creative argument could solve the conundrum around the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPCA) in spite of Brexit: Art. 7(2) UPCA provides that one section of the Courts central division shall be in London setting up a Central Division inrather thanmay formally solve the problem, but it would unlikely be compliant with what the drafters had originally in mind.] With regard to the first question, the Board of Appeal suggests in the referral decision that Munich may refer not to the city, but to the administrative region ("Landkreis") of the same name, located to the east of the city and which contains the municipality of Haar. This argument is certainly creative, but it is unclear whether it withstands the interpretation of the EPC under Art. 31 of the(which the Boards of Appeal). It seems an uphill battle to argue that Munich, understood in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in the light of its object and purpose, actually designates the Landkreis and not the city of this name. Rijswijk, outside of the boundaries of the city of The Hague. Is one single case a "subsequent practice"? The lack of any challenge over a period of several decades to the location of this branch may in any event be interpreted as a sign that the locations mentioned in Art. 6 can be understood to be broader than just the municipal boundaries. Art. 31(3)(b) of the Vienna Convention requires taking into consideration [a]ny subsequent practice in the application of the treaty which establishes the agreement of the parties regarding its interpretation. One relevant subsequent practice under the EPC is likely the Hague branch itself, located in the municipality of, outside of the boundaries of the city of The Hague. Is one single case a "subsequent practice"? The lack of any challenge over a period of several decades to the location of this branch may in any event be interpreted as a sign that the locations mentioned in Art. 6 can be understood to be broader than just the municipal boundaries. The Haar coat of arms How Broad are the Powers of the Administrative Council? as recently underscored by the Boards of Appeal). If Munich was understood to refer to the city only, it is doubtful that Haar would be in compliance with the EPC, given that the Administrative Council does not have the power to enact a rule that deviates from the EPC (). Art. 7 EPC grants the power to the Administrative Council to create other "sub-offices [] for the purpose of information and liaison". The EPO actually operates sub-offices in Berlin, Vienna and Brussels. However, the Boards of Appeal are far more than a "sub-office" and they do not serve the purpose of "information and liaison". As a result, the powers of the Administrative Council to move the Boards to Haar could hardly be derived from this provision. Haar in other Jurisdictions Universal background checks are all the rage with the anti-gun left these days. Nevermind that not a single high-profile criminal appears to have gotten a firearm through a face-to-face transfer that I can recall, nor the fact that we haven't seen a single one get a firearm in such a way that couldn't have gotten it with a standard background check. They're still a major focus of the anti-gun left. In New Mexico, there's been an ongoing battle between lawmakers and county sheriffs. It got to the point where the attorney general has demanded the sheriffs enforce the law as written. However, it seems that some people--journalists, even--understand the challenges behind Attorney General Hector Balderas's demands more than lawmakers do. ..... The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman. SUNY Cobleskill will award Thomas J. Vilsack, former Secretary of Agriculture, and current President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, a SUNY Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree at the Colleges 101st Commencement on Saturday, May 11. Secretary Vilsack will deliver the keynote address at the ceremony. It is with great appreciation for his 30-plus years of service, especially to and for rural and agricultural communities such as our own, that SUNY Cobleskill will award Secretary Vilsack an honorary degree from The State University of New York, says SUNY Cobleskill President Marion A. Terenzio. Given his impact on issues at the heart of the education we provide, and academic ties to our region as an Albany Law School alumnus, Secretary Vilsack serves as an inspiration to our graduating students, and all who will be attending our 101st Commencement. In January 2009, Secretary Vilsack was confirmed as the 30th United States Secretary of Agriculture. His tenure in the position saw him become the longest-serving member of President Obamas original cabinet, over which time he advocated on behalf of American farmers and agriculturalists, and pioneered initiatives aimed at environmental defense and food security. He has been recognized for his contributions by Congressional Hunger Center, Global Child Nutrition Foundation, and American Farm Bureau. Secretary Vilsack served two terms in the Iowa Senate before his election to the governorship in 1998. As two-term Governor he advanced the role of education in rural community innovation, business, and technology, and increased cooperation between farmers and biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and energy companies. In his current position as president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, Secretary Vilsack oversees and implements programs to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products. He has previously chaired the Democratic Governors Association, Governors Biotechnology Partnership, and National Governors Associations Natural Resources Committee, and served on the board of directors of Feeding America. Secretary Vilsack was GENYOUths 2017 Vanguard Award recipient, for exemplary courage, compassion, and leadership in the service of youth. He earned a bachelors degree in history from Hamilton College prior to his J.D. from Albany Law School. About SUNY Cobleskill: With an emphasis on applied learning and experiential, interdisciplinary education, SUNY Cobleskill prepares students for successful careers, advanced studies, and engaged citizenship. An accredited, baccalaureate, residential college, SUNY Cobleskill fosters a rich academic tradition that spans more than 100 years. Today, students are enrolled in 58 baccalaureate and associate degree programs offered through two schools The School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and The School of Business and Liberal Arts and Sciences. A contiguous farm, with an equestrian center and 200-cow dairy facility is housed on the modern, 902-acre campus, that features outstanding educational facilities including cold and warm water fish hatcheries, specialized classrooms and laboratories, two state-of-the-art culinary arts teaching kitchens, a student-run restaurant, child development and child care centers, and an art gallery and graphic design center. More information about SUNY Cobleskill can be found at Cobleskill.edu. The Ag Career Exploration (ACE) experience had a new look this year! With the help of a few more organizations, the ACE event took on the goal of preparing for the future by investing in today. As high school and college students poured into the International Agri-Center in Tulare, Calif., businesses and organizations anxiously awaited their opportunity to talk to these young people. The goal of the day: To educate our future workforce about all the diverse career and educational opportunities that agriculture has to offer. In the past, students were able to meander freely around booths setup by businesses and colleges. This year we took a different approach and scheduled rotations where students were able to pick three different sessions that meant the most to them. With 15 different session areas where businesses hosted groups of students, the diversity was incredible! As the day progressed, the students got the opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest business representatives around. They heard about everything from energy production conservation, logistics in agriculture, technology careers, animal science opportunities, and so much more. As you could imagine, all this learning sure builds up an appetite! Around noon the students and presenters were all treated to a hand-prepared meal at no cost to them. Yes, a free lunch, too! With the great sponsors and awesome volunteers, we were able to once again provide not only a free event for the students but also an exceptional lunch. After lunch, we had the great privilege to hear from our keynote speaker of the day, Land OLakes CEO Beth Ford. With no hesitation, Ford made the commitment to invest in our future workforce. She understands how important it is that we all work together toward a stronger future together. After the keynote, we had a panel of college and trade school representatives engage in a conversation about what each school has to offer and how they could help students achieve their career goals. Understanding that college is not for everyone, trade school classes were part of the conversation as well. All-in-all, the 2019 Ag Career Exploration day was a success. Students were engaged and businesses felt a sense of accomplishment with the opportunity that they had with the students. If you would like to learn more about the Ag Career Exploration day, you can find a recap of the event, including all our sponsors, at https://www.facebook.com/AgCareerExploration. Tyler Ribeiro is a fourth-generation dairy farmer born and raised in California. He is currently partners with his father at Rib-Arrow Dairy in Tulare where they proudly ship their milk to Land OLakes. Tyler is actively involved in the dairy industry, holding leadership roles in various organizations locally and across the United States. A total of eight Hope College students or recent graduates have been recognized with either fellowships or honorable mention through the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) this year. Senior Rebecca Johnson of Midland received a fellowship. Seniors Brandon Derstine of Midland; Jason Gombas of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Max Huffman of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, received honorable mention. Fellowships were also awarded to 2018 graduates Garrett Fogo and Philip Versluis. In addition, 2017 graduate Sarah Petersen and 2015 graduate Meghanne Tighe received honorable mention. Hope students or graduates have received fellowships or honorable mention through the program every year for more than a quarter century. The NSF awarded 2,050 of the fellowships nationwide this year, and recognized another 1,581 applicants with honorable mention. The awards are for graduate students pursuing a research-based masters or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field. The fellowships provide support for up to three years, and pay the student a $34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the graduate institution. Johnson is a double-major, earning an ACS (American Chemical Society-approved) Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. She will pursue a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis on chemical biology and medicinal chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has participated in collaborative research at Hope with Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, professor of chemistry. Her other activities have included serving as a teaching assistant for organic chemistry, volunteering in the diabetic education program at the Holland Free Health Clinic, participating in the colleges May Term to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, and Hopes chapter of the Mortar Board honor society. She is a 2015 graduate of Midland High School. Derstine is majoring in chemistry and minoring German. He will pursue a doctorate in organic chemistry at Stanford University. He has participated in collaborative research at Hope with Dr. Jason Gillmore, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Amanda Eckermann, assistant professor of chemistry, and he also participated in research while in Freiburg, Germany, through a DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service. Hope named him a Beckman Scholar in 2017 in support of his participation in research, and he also received awards through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. He is a 2015 graduate of Herbert Henry Dow High School. Gombas is majoring in physics and minoring in mathematics. He will pursue a doctorate in nuclear physics at Michigan State University. He has participated in collaborative research with Dr. Paul DeYoung, who is the Kenneth G. Herrick Professor of Physics. In 2017, he received honorable mention in the scholarship competition of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. His activities at Hope have also included the Phelps Scholars Program, a residential initiative in which freshmen explore topics related to diversity, and the colleges chapter of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics honor society. He is a 2015 graduate of Carroll High School. Huffman is majoring in geology and minoring in environmental science. He will pursue a doctorate in geology in the field of fluvial geomorphology at the University of Delaware. He has participated in collaborative research with Dr. Edward Hansen, professor of geology and environmental science, and has presented at the Geologic Society of America and American Geophysical Union conferences. He is a member of the Phi Betta Kappa honor society, Mortar Board and ODK leadership honor society, and president of the colleges Geology Club. He is a 2015 graduate of Moon Area High School. Fogo is in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Versluis is pursuing graduate study in the life sciences-biochemistry at Cornell University. Petersen is pursuing graduate study in the mathematical sciences, focusing on algebraic topology, at the University of Notre Dame. Tighe is pursuing graduate study in sustainable chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. bell hooks (1952-2021) passed away yesterday at age 69. She was one of the leading Black feminist thinkers in the US. 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They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country. However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia. "Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination. Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia. They should be lovingly helped. Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948. To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts: While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 : Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell. The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites. A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught. The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers. Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites." Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers. There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks. This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work. It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter. In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam. In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir. " The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life." An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir . In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance). Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed). Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance). Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam. It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way. A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah. Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs). Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life". Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology. Islam is a supremacist ideology. Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism. Islam is a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization. Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life. It has a say about every conceivable human act . Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam. The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic. Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111). A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44) Muhammad himself said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30) Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Such a dose reduced side effects and enables regular daily dosing. That is in contrast to the conventional application of ED drugs (Viagra, sildenafil), which is "on demand". not at the outset know there was a therapeutic plateau at 25 or 10mg not initially know that tadalafil had a longer half-life would have had no reasonable expectation that 5mg would have had a clinically-relevant effect, or one with minimal side effects He considered that the Court of Appeal had been right to carry out its own evaluation of obviousness since Birss J had committed an error of principle in failing to appreciate the logical consequences of his finding, that it was likely the skilled team would continue testing. Lord Hodge then carried out his own analysis of the facts, which supported the conclusion of Kitchen LJ. He noted that the claim was not limited to administration once per day and also covered on-demand use. On obviousness, Lord Hodge considered that both the UK and EPO case law were glosses on the statutory test, and neither the Windsurfing nor "problem solution" approaches should be applied mechanistically. He then set out at paragraphs 64 77 ten factors that were relevant in the context of the case: key ones being relied upon by Lilly being 'surprising result' (#7) and 'bonus effect' (#9), the latter not being referred to (sadly) as 'the Brucie Bonus'. The EPO and other European courts' approaches did not change this assessment: Although the patent had been litigated elsewhere in Europe (Belgium and Portugal, and Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic) with mixed results, he did not find the judgments helpful. Where the law was the same, courts may nonetheless come to different conclusions. Even where the evidence is the same, a court's findings of fact based on that evidence may not be the same. The EPO's problem solution approach is not the only method used by the EPO and is also a gloss. Nor was Lord Hodge convinced that the problem solution approach would necessarily have given a different answer. (With the 'necessarily' being rather compacted and an acknowledgement that there will sometimes be different answers) On selection patents, Lord Hodge was keen not to rule them out. Efficacious drugs discovered by research involving standard pre-clinical and clinical tests should be rewarded with a patent if they meet the statutory tests, even if the inquiries made as to it are otherwise well-established or routine inquiries. Further, inventive step may occur "if the selection is not arbitrary and is justified by a hitherto unknown technical effect". Yet, Tom noted, the EPO has granted patents in very similar circumstances to these: see G02/98, and T91/98 in which the unexpected and advantageous result was that the compound was effective at such low concentrations. Do we have a new ground of appeal: that the judge failed to appreciate the logical consequences of his finding? If so that is likely to make it easier to get an appeal up and running in the future. It is also hard to distinguish the Supreme Court's reasoning from straightforward interference with a judge's finding on a multifactorial test, which could have some significant consequences. The English courts appear to be drifting further from some other European courts and the EPO. In Actavis v Lilly, Lord Neuberger was keen to follow Germany, which was subsequently watered down in Warner Lambert and, now, more so. There are some parallels in current affairs, right there. It hasn't really changed the law all that much. We now have a list of '10 factors' that will be quoted for ever more, but no guidance as to any relative weighting to be applied to them. The Supreme Court has not given us much help in resolving similar issues in the future. The decision was very different in tone to Warner Lambert and Lilly v Actavis. It was more conservative, and less certain in its rightness. There was a hint of Lord Neuberger in it. It will be interesting to see how Lord Kitchin's voice affects the overall tenor when he is able to start opinion on IP decision in the Supreme Court (i.e. hearing cases where he did not sit on the case at the Court of Appeal). This is the Supreme Court stressing the statutory test for obviousness, all the rest being gloss and not obligatory. Lord Hodge will no doubt be disappointed when in five years' time we are all quoting his 10 factors. The most interesting of the factors is the interaction with the surprising and unexpected finding that efficacy could be achieved without big side-effects. Birss J had in mind that efficacy and side-effects would be expected to go hand-in-hand and that the realisation that they did not was capable of producing invention. In paragraph 92 of the decision, Lord Hodge says that Conor v Angiotech "is not authority for the proposition that, in all circumstances, obviousness must be assessed by reference to the precise wording of the claim." This sentence is likely to cause problems if it is used to dilute the basic proposition in Conor. thought the claim inventive, notwithstanding that it was the result of a clinical programme with many routine and obvious steps from a starting point of a 50mg tablet. Some key (to this guest Kat at least) factors on the path for the skilled team were that they would:disagreed. He thought that, on the judge's findings, the invention lay at the end of a familiar path through pre-clinical and clinical trials. The skilled team "would embark on that process with a reasonable expectation of success and in the course of it they would carry out Phase IIb dose ranging studies with the aim of finding out, among other things, the dose response relationship. It is very likely that in so doing they would test a dose of 5mg tadalafil per day and, if they did so, they would find that it is safe and efficacious. At that point they would have arrived at the claimed invention."Lilly argued that the Court of Appeal had not applied the test of obviousness correctly under the UK law or the EPO's approach of finding invention where there was an unexpected technical effect (here, reduced side effects at a dose that worked). Actavis supported the CA's view: as a matter of policy, routine work cannot be patentable.(with whom the other Lords agreed) upheld the CA's decision.To this guest Kat the outcome feels rather tough on the patentee. Consider Kitchen LJ's "familiar path" through trials. Is a path really "familiar" when it takes unexpected turns (therapeutic plateau, long half-life) and ends in a surprising location (efficacy at 5mg daily with reduced side effects)? One could hardly describe as 'familiar' a path through woods if the features it passed were unexpected and the destination a surprise. Unexpected technical effects are often good enough at the EPO but were not good enough here, in this case.Tom then picked up the following points:Mark, this guest Kat thinks, recently returned from court, chipped in with the following:In summary, one could define the case (as Tom did) as "MOVE ALONG, NOTHING TO SEE HERE" . We will have to wait to see how it is applied, and whether anything more exciting arrives when the Supreme Court looks into sufficiency for." This is not the Regime finally deciding to act on this pressing problem. In fact, it is the Regime trying to quash the protests that have erupted as a result of government inaction. The militias are only there to suppress the people, not to help them, and the presence of the militias has only increased public anger. After all, most countries would reach out to international aid organisations, like the Red Cross, or accept offers of help from wealthier countries, like the US. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) wrote: While the devastating floods affect more regions of the country, such as Khorasan, Hormozgan, Kerman, and other provinces of the country, the religious fascism ruling Iran has resorted to suppressive measures against the people of these areas and preventing popular protests instead of helping flood victims. To be clear about the intentions of these militias, IRGC Colonel Shahin Hasanwand said that 24 people had been arrested over the weekend for posting online about the flood, the lack of help from the mullahs, and even the Regimes agents destroying flood barriers so that the water would hit homes rather than oil wells. The people of Iran, including literal children, were doing more to rescue people, coordinate relief efforts, and build flood barriers than the IRGC and their militias, even though the armed group had access to things that could have been beneficial, like heavy machinery and engineering facilities, boats and helicopters. The day after the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Zeinbaiyoun, and the Fatemiyoun were deployed to the area, the state-run media launched into factional infighting, which is common among the Regime, where those affiliated with the government blamed the IRGC and the Supreme Leader and vice versa. They also put forth the narrative that the PMF were helping to prevent the flood reaching the Iraqi city of Amara. The troops left Iraq this weekend, as confirmed by IRGC Colonel Jamal Shakarami and Irans ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi. These are not just the front line militants that have been sent in either. Top officials from the Quds Force, including IRGC General and US-designated terrorist Qasem Soleimani and the Head of the Quds Executive Council, have gone to the areas specifically to monitor these repressive measures. The thing is that the Regime has a viable alternative in the form of the oldest, largest, and most popular resistance organization in Iran, which has fought two separate regimes since it was founded in 1965. That is the Peoples Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). In order to help you earn more about the MEK, we have created an in-depth series. In this part, we will learn about the Regimes attempts to destroy the MEK. Make no mistake about it. The Iranian Regime knows that the MEK is the biggest and most consistent threat to their rule, which is why the mullahs try every trick in the book to destroy the MEK. Thats why Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini declared the MEK as the main opposition and banned the MEK in the 1980s. In fact, in 1985, when the US asked Iran for help to free US hostages held in Lebanon, the mullahs demanded that the US declare the MEK to be a Marxist and terrorist organisation in exchange. In 2003, the Regime convinced France to raid the Paris headquarters of MEK parent coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and claim that the MEK was intent to prepare acts of terrorism. Why? Well, as discovered in a subsequent court case, there was no evidence to support the claims against the MEK and the raid was completed in order for French companies operating in Iran to gain lucrative business contracts Since the beginning, the Regime has also tried to undermine the MEK using a major propaganda campaign to promote the idea that the MEK is not popular in Iran or that there is something shadowy about them. Some former MEK members have even been bribed/tricked/coerced into leaving the group or acting as undercover agents. They spread Regime-sponsored lies about the MEK to government officials, NGOs, and the media. There are countess Regime lies about the MEK kidnapping and torturing Iranians or killing US soldiers in Iraq (oddly enough, both things that the Regime does), but why would the Regime need to do this? Surely, if the MEK were not a popular force domestically or internationally, there would be no need to run an expensive campaign against them. Surely, if the MEK were responsible, the US and international human rights organisations would be blaming them, rather than the mullahs. Through vilifying the MEK, the Regime is able to dismiss their opposition and blame them for the mullahs crimes. But the only reason they do that is because of great public support for the MEK and their ideas for a free, democratic, republic. The MEK is still the main opposition in Iran and public support for them is only growing by the day. In our next piece, we will look at MEK support in Iran. Early breakthrough in Bheri Babai tunnel sets a milestone--and a lesson for other lagging national projects The tunnel with a capacity to divert 40 cubic metres of water per second will be used to irrigate 51,000 hectares of land throughout the year in Banke and Bardia districts and generate 46 megawatt electricity. Wednesday, April 17, 2019 House Speaker Pelosi Endorses Lujan Candidacy; No Money Bomb For Ben Ray But No Trouble Either; MTO Carefully Eyes His Totals, Plus: Torres Small's Difficult Immigration Dance Lujan and Pelosi Wednesday afternoon US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi officially endorsed the Senate candidacy of Rep. Ben Ray Lujan. ABQ Dem US Rep. Deb Haaland also endorsed Lujan. The dual endorsements delivered a blow to the possible Dem Senate candidacy of Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. There was no Ben Ray money bomb but neither did he bomb in his That's an ample sum but not a seven figure "money bomb" some insiders speculated could come and would have all but shut the door on a primary challenge. You had heard BRL will "blow the doors off" and have "at least seven figures." Well he came up very, very short on that. Pretty disappointing considering the fanfare. And when you dig into the money, it doesn't really get better for him. It's overwhelmingly corporate money: pharma companies, Walmart, fossil fuels and coal...to name a few. Not a good showing for all the bluster and what he did raise is a tough pill to swallow with the Dem primary base. Point taken but no one is sneezing at the $650,000 the northern Dem congressman has banked. And he remains far and away the heavy favorite to take the June 2020 Dem nomination. Still. . . BRL VS. MTO? While Ben Ray won't be seen at any payday loan stores, the fund-raising report could give a bit of encouragement to Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver who is thinking about challenging Lujan for the nomination. MTO's fund-raising would start at ground zero. The little she has in her state campaign account could not be directly shifted to a Senate race. Her hope is that national women's groups will rally to her side and kick in the cash needed to make a respectable run. But if she can't line that up it won't matter much if Ben Ray is at 650K or $1 million. Meanwhile, the BRL camp would be wise to line up a formal Pelosi endorsement before MTO has a chance to jump in. (He rolled out his first endorsement this week--from the NM Professional Firefighters Association). A contested Dem Senate primary would cost in the area of $3 million or more, say the consultants. As Assistant Speaker with national connections BRL has the ability to get there. MTO probably does not. The SOS has little to lose if she does make a run at the Dem nod and comes up empty--except perhaps her pride. She is not up for re-election until 2022 and if she gets in and something out of the blue happens that changes the narrative for a BRL win, she is there to take advantage. She is already indicating those are enough reasons to get her on the campaign trail. But none of them have dollar signs besides them and therein lies the rub. R'S JOIN IN The Republicans have their first Insiders are starting to conclude that the GOP is not prepared to field a top tier candidate in the Senate race and won't. And that makes the Dem nomination all the more valuable. STAYING SOUTH Torres Small wants more people to come into the country legally, and she supports issuing more work visas and simplifying the asylum process. But she also wants to secure the border. The best way to do that, she says, is not by building a continuous wall, but by hiring more Border Patrol agents and making sure they have all the resources they need. . . When talking to Torres Small about border security, there is one particular phrase that comes up a lot: We need a clear and moral immigration system. In a 30-minute conversation, she says it three times. The tag line, taken straight from a campaign ad, is hard to argue with. Its also extremely vague, somehow appealing to many on both sides of an issue where the sides agree on almost nothing. There arent many of those types of phrases. So Torres Small says it again, and again and again. As we blogged yesterday, GOP southern hopeful Yvette Herrell had $285,000 at the end of the quarter. Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys, the other GOP hopeful, did no fund-raising but loaned himself $76,000. THE BOTTOM LINES Well join veteran radio personality T. J. Trout at 5 p.m. today and kick around the latest La Politica on 770 KKOB-AM and 94.5 FM. Hard to believe that after all these years we have not met him in person. Heck, maybe we should wear a tie. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) We were told by a close friend of Lujan's to look for his coffers to get to $1 million during the quarter because his new leadership position in the US House would attract national cash for him to disburse to fellow Dems. We took the bait and blogged it, but now that Lujan has not reached that mark, deserved or not, he gets an Alligator strike:Point taken but no one is sneezing at the $650,000 the northern Dem congressman has banked. And he remains far and away the heavy favorite to take the June 2020 Dem nomination. Still. . .While Ben Ray won't be seen at any payday loan stores, the fund-raising report could give a bit of encouragement to Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver who is thinking about challenging Lujan for the nomination.MTO's fund-raising would start at ground zero. The little she has in her state campaign account could not be directly shifted to a Senate race. Her hope is that national women's groups will rally to her side and kick in the cash needed to make a respectable run. But if she can't line that up it won't matter much if Ben Ray is at 650K or $1 million.It's reported that MTO has been in contact with Emily's List as she mulls over her Senate decision. But that powerful group is aligned with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who is an ardent backer of Ben Ray and who could be expected to run interference for him, but you don't know until you know.Meanwhile, the BRL camp would be wise to line up a formal Pelosi endorsement before MTO has a chance to jump in. (He rolled out his first endorsement this week--from the NM Professional Firefighters Association).A contested Dem Senate primary would cost in the area of $3 million or more, say the consultants. As Assistant Speaker with national connections BRL has the ability to get there. MTO probably does not.The SOS has little to lose if she does make a run at the Dem nod and comes up empty--except perhaps her pride. She is not up for re-election until 2022 and if she gets in and something out of the blue happens that changes the narrative for a BRL win, she is there to take advantage. She is already indicating those are enough reasons to get her on the campaign trail. But none of them have dollar signs besides them and therein lies the rub.The Republicans have their first official US Senate candidate on the campaign trail, but you're not hearing yelps of delight from them. That's because Gavin Clarkson, a Las Cruces business law professor who served in the BLM in the Trump administration, is not seen as a first-tier contender. He was the GOP nominee against SOS Toulouse Oliver in '18 and was easily defeated. He says he will hammer hard at the the immigration crisis on the border. That will help him with the GOP base, but this candidacy has narrow casting written all over it.Insiders are starting to conclude that the GOP is not prepared to field a top tier candidate in the Senate race and won't. And that makes the Dem nomination all the more valuable. Let's keep in the south and with Rep. Xochtil Torres Small. She reports raising $452,000 in the first quarter and had $519,000 in cash. It was a solid quarter and she needs each of them to be equally good or better. The R's will work hard to take this seat back and they will use immigration as their lever. Here's an interview Torres Small did with the WaPo that shows just how tricky this issue is for a southern Dem:As we blogged yesterday, GOP southern hopeful Yvette Herrell had $285,000 at the end of the quarter. Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys, the other GOP hopeful, did no fund-raising but loaned himself $76,000. There was no Ben Ray money bomb but neither did he bomb in his first quarter fund-raising . Lujan, the only announced candidate for the 2020 Dem US Senate nomination, reported that as of March 31 he had $650,000 cash on hand after raising $500,000 in the January-March quarter which came before he announced his Senate candidacy April 1.That's an ample sum but not a seven figure "money bomb" some insiders speculated could come and would have all but shut the door on a primary challenge. Links HOME E-MAIL ME About Joe Google News Real Clear Politics Huffington Post Drudge Report The Politico NM TV stations Gov. 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Some five million students study in around 29,000 state-run schools across the country. - President Rodrigo Duterte blamed Mar Roxas for the death of the SAF 44 in Mamasapano - He said that he was with Roxas and former Pres. Noynoy Aquino during the incident - The President expressed his dismay on how Roxas and Aquino handled the operation PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was the reason for the death of 44 commandos of the Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. KAMI learned that the President slammed Roxas for not explaining what happened in January 2015 up until now, during his speech at the campaign rally of PDP-Laban in Tuguegarao on Tuesday. He wasted 44 lives for nothing. They could not even explain. Why were the police the ones who went when they were totally ignorant of the topography and the physical arrangement of the mountain there? he said, as reported by the Inquirer (author Nestor Corrales). This is what I want to ask him: Why use the police? And why did the Army not come in when the battle lasted for a day? Why was there no air support when there was a lot of air assets around the area? the President added. According to a report by the GMA News (author Dona Magsino), President Duterte shared that he was with Roxas and former President Benigno Noynoy Aquino III when the incident in Mamasapano happened. "Nag-upo na kami doon, andyan 'yung mga general, tinanong niya [former President Aquino] 'yung mga general... tapos tinanong niya, 'Kung ikaw general kung ikaw ang nandoon, anong gawin mo?' P*****I**, the President said. Tumindig ako sabi ko Mr. President I have a flight, I have to... tumindig ako because it was a very stupid... magtanong ka ng ganun, natapos na ang araw, patay na ang mga sundalo ko... tumindig ako," he added. 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! On January 25, 2015, 44 commandos of SAF and some civilians died when they had an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. In August 2015, Roxas went through the Senate probe to explain his role during the operation as he was the Interior Secretary that time. However, he said that he was not fully aware of the operations details. POPULAR: Read more news about President Rodrigo Duterte! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Now imagine: you are a young aspiring actress and you are going to appear on a great show and then you tell all of your friends and relatives about it. They gather in the specified time in front of the TV but then... The Incredible Bea Alonzo shares embarrassing moments she experienced throughout her career. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - Florin Hilbay responded to the claim of President Rodrigo Duterte that he is gay - Hilbay shared on social media his thoughts and defended his relationship with Agot Isidro - He also challenged the President to defend the Philippines against China PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Former Solicitor General and Otso Diretso candidate Florin Pilo Hilbay responded to the claim of President Rodrigo Duterte that he is gay and that he just used actress Agot Isidro as his front. KAMI learned that Hilbay shared his comments on Twitter and answered the Presidents allegations about him. Hindi ako na-inform na sumasideline pala siyang chismoso sa kanto. Daming free time, ser? Hilbay wrote. And to use sexuality as an insult? He's no LGBTQIA ally, cyst, he added. Hilbay shared his official statement to set the record straight about his sexuality and questioned President Dutertes support to the LGBTQIA community. For the record, I am straight. But, unlike the President, Agot and I are secure in our relationship and we dont believe that anybody has to prove their gender and sexuality to anyone, he stated. If Duterte is a real LGBTQIA ally, he would know that coming out is the most personal and momentous decision an LGBTQIA person could make, Hilbay added. PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! The Senatorial aspirant also challenged the President to fight against China whom he claimed, is invading the territory of the Philippines. Hilbay also urged President Duterte to investigate the Chinese triad, narco-list, and the controversial tattoo of Presidential son, Paolo Duterte. In an earlier report by the GMA News (author Dona Magsino), President Duterte claimed that Agot Isidro's boyfriend, Hilbay, is homosexual. "Hilbay, isang bak--, ang girlfriend niya, si Agot Isidro. 'Yun namang boyfriend niya, bakla," the President said. As previously reported by KAMI, President Duterte also said during his speech at the campaign rally of PDP-Laban that opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes is gay. KAMI also reported before that the President defended the LGBT community and said that they have nothing to be ashamed of since God also created them. POPULAR: Read more news about President Rodrigo Duterte! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Now imagine: you are a young aspiring actress and you are going to appear on a great show and then you tell all of your friends and relatives about it. They gather in the specified time in front of the TV but then... The Incredible Bea Alonzo shares embarrassing moments she experienced throughout her career. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - President Rodrigo Duterte recently claimed that Florin Hilbay is gay - Hilbay finally addressed the allegation - According to Agot Isidros rumored partner, he is straight but sees nothing wrong with people being gay PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Senatorial candidate Florin Hilbay, the rumored partner of Agot Isidro, addressed the allegation made by President Rodrigo Duterte that he is gay. KAMI learned that Hilbay denied Dutertes claim. The Philippine Daily Inquirer (authored by Gabriel Pabico Lalu) reported that Hilbay said he is straight although he does not believe that there is anything wrong with being gay. For the record, I am straight. But, unlike the President, Agot and I are secure in our relationship and we dont believe that anybody has to prove their gender... Unlike the President, Agot and I dont see being a member of the LGBT community as a mistake or a source of shame, Hilbay stated. Netizens had varied reactions on Hilbay's denial: "pag kayo nambatikos sa pangulo ok lang? pero pag kayo binawian puro issue agad" "Yan ang Presidenteng walang galang sa mga Babae at sa mga Kaparean!" "Wala na talaga ito sa katinoan ang santo ng davao." "Sa kapapanira nyo sa pangulo... ayan masakit pala ang ganti.. hahahaaa..mas lalo kayong aasarin nyan." "C duterte kilos sanggano,,kung magsalita parang d tinuruan ng magulang,parang d naka tuntong ng iskwelahan." PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! KAMI reported earlier that Duterte denied that her daughter Veronica has anything to do with criminal activities. President Rodrigo Duterte is the 16th President of the Philippines. Around 16 million people voted for him in the 2016 elections. His presidential term will end in 2022. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Now imagine: you are a young aspiring actress and you are going to appear on a great show and then you tell all of your friends and relatives about it. They gather in the specified time in front of the TV but then... The Incredible Bea Alonzo shares embarrassing moments she experienced throughout her career. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: Kami.com.ph - The studio of Its Showtime was recently filled with laughter once again - This is after Vhong Navarro and a daily contender threw a prank on Vice Ganda - Many social media users commented on the hilarious moment PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed A hilarious moment once again happened on the Its Showtime stage when Vhong Navarro and a contestant in Tawag Ng Tanghalan decided to prank Vice Ganda. KAMI learned that this happened when the comedian was interviewing the contender in the aforementioned segment of the noontime show. Vice initially expressed his appreciation to kundiman songs, following the contenders impromptu song number on the stage. The Unkabogable Star then decided to let the madlang people and his co-hosts hear his version of a kundiman song titled, Kalesa. It was evident in the face of the comedian that he was internalizing the message of the song as he was seen closing his eyes while delivering the lines. This prompted Vhong and the daily contender to leave the stage and let Vice be alone while feeling the song. When the Phenomenal Star opened his eyes, he got surprised and he funnily stated that he recalled the time when he woke up alone. Natakot ako Naalala ko yung pangyayari sa buhay ko na nagising ako na nag-iisa na lang pala, he quipped. 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! Because of this, many social media users expressed their reactions through the comment section of the video that already has more than half a million views. Here are their comments: Mas maganda sana kung pinatay lahat ng ilaw nung pumikit si Vice. Hahahahaha! Hay naku Meme, kahit naririnig ko lang ang boses nyo ni Vhong, tawang tawa pa rin ako. Napaka-candid ng reaction ni Meme Vice! Feel ko si meme. Sana talaga di na siya masaktan kay Ion kung sila nga talaga. Laprip talaga! Kumakain pa naman ako. Natawa ako, naibuga ko tuloy yung nginunguya ko! Here is the video: In a previous article by , the reactions of Vice when Vhong accidentally spilled ketchup on his wig drew various reactions from netizens. Vice Ganda is one of the most prominent artists in the Philippines. He starred in several high-grossing films including Praybeyt Benjamin, Petrang Kabayo, and Sisterakas. He is one of the regular hosts in the noontime variety program, Its Showtime. POPULAR: Read more news about Vice Ganda! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Which food delivery app is the best? We tested three famous food delivery apps: Panda, GrabFood and Honestbee - to check which of them is the coolest. What is your experience with ordering food using these apps? on HumanMeter! Source: Kami.com.ph This organisation is helping Nepali street dogs build a new life overseas There is a long list of dogs still waiting for their turn to fly to a better life, such as Captain and Ambu. Captain has one eye and was found in a terrible state at Swayambhunath, while Ambu, a Himalayan mastiff, was found starving and weak in Kalimati. - The showbiz industry is mourning due to another death of a former artist - Josephine Estrada, an actress and beauty queen, died in Kingman, Arizona - She was the candidate of the Philippines in the 1962 edition of Miss Universe PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Josephine Estrada, a former actress and representative of the Philippines in Miss Universe, has passed away on April 13. KAMI learned that the aforementioned celebrity was 75 years old. The cause of her death is still not disclosed but it is said that she underwent dialysis treatment when she was still alive. It was also reported by INQUIRER.net USA that Josephine was scheduled to undergo an operation but she died in Kingman, Arizona just few days after her birthday. The late actress was the representative of the Philippines in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in 1962. She signed a contract with Sampaguita Pictures and this paved her way to become the favorite leading lady of veteran actors Joseph Estrada, Dolphy, and Tony Ferrer. 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 her stint in showbiz from 1960 to 1983, she had done about 70 films including Apat Na Kagandahan, Octavia, and Prinsipeng Tulisan. Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Which food delivery app is the best? We tested three famous food delivery apps: Panda, GrabFood and Honestbee - to check which of them is the coolest. What is your experience with ordering food using these apps? on HumanMeter! Source: Kami.com.ph - Fumiya Sankai served as the guest in Tonight With Boy Abunda - He made a lot of people laugh because of his actions in the studio - The Japanese housemate also revealed the real status of his love life now PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) housemate Fumiya Sankai willingly exposed to public the current status of his heart now. KAMI learned that he made the confession during his guesting in Tonight With Boy Abunda yesterday, April 16. The Japanese heartthrob was first tasked to do a quick vlog with Boy Abunda inside the programs studio. Fumiya tried to utter some Filipino words in the video and it became the reason why the people in the room were laughing. The host then asked the foreigner housemate if he has a girlfriend now and he immediately replied wala. However, being in a romantic relationship is not new for Fumiya since he disclosed that he already had two girlfriends before. 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! Here is the video of the interview: In a previous article by , the fast talk of Fumiya and Yamyam in TWBA went viral on social media. Fumiya Sankai is a pure Japanese vlogger who decided to go to the Philippines to study the English language and experience its culture. He joined Pinoy Big Brother Otso and got a slot in the adult Big 4. He is famous now in the country because of his tandem with Yamyam Gucong called FumiYam. POPULAR: Read more news about PBB Otso! Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Which delivery app for food is the best? We tested three famous food delivery apps: Panda, GrabFood and Honestbee - to know which of them is the coolest. What is your experience with ordering food using these apps? on HumanMeter! Source: Kami.com.ph Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe About 8 million people live within 50 miles of San Onofre, the now-defunct, beach-adjacent nuclear plant located between Oceanside and San Clemente. Inside the plant is 1,600 tons of radioactive waste. Much of the spent nuclear fuel is currently sitting in cooling pools waiting to be moved to a safer location -- specifically, one that's less vulnerable to earthquake faults and rising sea levels. On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Levin and Orange County Rep. Harley Rouda spoke to reporters at Southern California Edison's decommissioned facility about a proposal to speed up the removal of that waste. There are two moves needed. One is to get it out of the cooling ponds at San Onofre and into the dry concrete bunkers. That will enable the defunct plant to be dismantled. But the members of Congress want to accelerate another move of the spent fuel out of state to "interim" storage and eventually to permanent storage Nuclear waste cleanup at the San Onofre nuclear power plant has been on hold since last summer after a mishap involving a 50-ton container of radioactive material. Rep. Mike Levin says Congress should set new priorities for which power plants get top priority to ship the fuel elsewhere. The oceanfront San Onofre plant within his Oceanside Congressional district would be right at the top of the list, according to his proposed new criteria. "We probably shouldn't have had a nuclear power plant here in the first place," Levin said. "But now that we do, and we're stuck with 1,600 tons of spent radioactive nuclear fuel, we better do everything we can do to prioritize." He wants plants that are closed, and located near near large population centers and at risk from earthquake faults and rising sea levels to get priority permits to transport the waste out of state. Levin said he would introduce a bill when he returns to Congress that would change the criteria. He said he disagreed with current policies that call for the oldest fuel to be shipped to remote storage first, citing the higher risk to dense nearby populations. Rouda and Levin were among 15 members who called on Congress earlier this month to spend $25 million hurrying the development of interim storage spots. Two locations, in West Texas and New Mexico, are in the process of getting permits to store nuclear waste on an interim basis while the federal government seeks a permanent home for it. Ron Pontes, manager for environmental permitting for the de-commissioning work at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station describes the concrete storage bunkers where nuclear waste will be stored until it can be taken out of state. (Sharon McNary / LAist) WHAT WENT WRONG AT SAN ONOFRE LAST AUGUST? Spent nuclear fuel is being held in cooling ponds and being transferred in giant canisters to new concrete bunkers about 100 feet from the ocean. A 28-foot high seawall is meant to keep seawater out of the bunkers. Edison contractors had already transferred 29 of 73 containers of nuclear waste to the new location. But on August 3, a 20-foot tall canister containing more than 50 tons of radioactive waste was left suspended on a metal flange 18 feet above a storage bunker floor during its transfer. Safety slings to keep the canister from falling were disabled, so the danger was that the canister could have fallen. SCE spokesman John Dobken said SCE did not properly disclose the incident that day. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that from Jan. 30 to Aug. 3, 2018, workers loading the canisters into the bunkers "frequently" knocked the canister against components of the vault, potentially gouging the steel container. Again, Edison did not document the contacts as it should have, Dobken said. The NRC cited "apparent weaknesses in management oversight" of how the waste canisters were stored, and fined Edison $116,000 for the violation. The company did not sufficiently oversee its contractor doing the work of moving the canisters, the NRC said. The company is waiting for the green light from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to resume the work of transferring the waste. Here is the NRC's November 2018 report that criticized Edison's handling of waste. SAN ONOFRE CLOSED DUE TO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS The August incident highlights the ongoing search for a safer place to store spent nuclear fuel at the plant located between the beach and I-5 on Navy-owned land between Oceanside and San Clemente. The plant closed in 2012 after radioactive water was found leaking from a fairly new steam tube. Two massive steam generators had been recently installed, but some 3,000 steam tubes were showing premature wear. Edison retired the nuclear plant's two power generators in 2013. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, or SONGS, was capable of putting out 2200 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1.4 million homes. Southern California Edison owns 78 percent of the plant, 20 percent is owned by San Diego Gas and Electric (sister company to SoCal Gas, parent company of both is Sempra), and City of Riverside Utilities Department owns 1.8 percent. Correction: An earlier version incorrectly described the party responsible for the NRC violations. 41 MW added to national grid in first nine months The Nepal Electricity Authority commissioned six medium and small hydropower projects and one solar plant in the first nine months of this fiscal year, adding 41 MW to the national grid. 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 The Writers Guild and the group representing the four big talent agencies have been in a feud that slowly simmered for a long time, but now it's hitting full boil. The WGA, which represents screenwriters, announced Wednesday that they've filed a lawsuit. The goal: for a court to declare talent agency "packaging fees" illegal, now and forever, and to get repaid for those alleged illegal profits. What's a packaging fee? The short version is that it's money the agencies charge studios for "packaging" talent together. A simple example could be saying that they represent X writer, Y actor, and Z director -- want them all? Give us 5% of the project's budget. (It's a lot more complicated than this, because lawyers, money, etc., but you get the idea.) File: The headquarters of the Creative Artists Agency in Century City. (Minnaert/Creative Commons) The named plaintiffs include several high-profile TV writers, including Meredith Stiehm, who created CBS's Cold Case. According to the release, she didn't learn that her show was packaged by her agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), until six years after the deal was made. "It turned out that on the show I created, and worked on exclusively for years, CAA ended up making 94 cents for every dollar that I earned," Stiehm said in the release. "That is indefensible. An agency should make 10% of what their client makes -- not 20, not 50, not like in my case, 94%. 10% is enough." According to the Writers Guild, the big four agencies receive more than 80% of the packaging fees paid by Hollywood studies and networks. The WGA, and many of its members, argue that agencies are now making substantially more money via the packaging fees on the overall project, rather than on the traditional 10% agent cut -- and that making so much money on packaging fees de-incentivizes agents from negotiating more money for writers. "Packaging fees are not a new practice in Hollywood, but they have always been controversial," WGA West general counsel Tony Segall said in a press release. "It is time to put an end to the egregious conflict of interest that they pose." You can read more of the agencies' responses to the Guild's claims here. You can also watch the Writers Guild's argument for what they see as agency conflicts of interest here: In addition to both the West and East Coast outlets of the Writers Guild, the inclusion of high-profile guild members as clients may help to establish the lawsuit's legal standing. "All of the writer plaintiffs have been hurt financially by packaging deals," Segall said. "They are creators and writers of television shows that have shaped a generation, yet their agents have profited at the expense of their own clients." They're looking for a court to declare that packaging fees are illegal, along with an injunction keeping talent agencies from entering into future packaging deals, according to the release. "The suit will also seek damages and repayment of illegal profits on behalf of writers who have been harmed by these unlawful practices in the past," Segall said. This follows the Writers Guild requiring its members to leave their agents if they haven't agreed to a new Code of Conduct. The new code bars agencies from behaviors that the Guild sees as conflicts of interest -- which they argue de-incentivizes agents from trying to get writers more money in their deals. Thousands of writers are leaving their agencies, according to the Guild. The suit includes two claims. The first is that packaging fees violate California fiduciary duty law. They argue that talent agents are required by law to represent writers without conflicts of interest, and that packaging fees violate that. The other claim is that packaging fees violate the state's Unfair Competition Law. As part of that, they argue that packing fees violate part of the federal Labor-Management Relations Act, known as the "anti-kickback" provision -- it prevents representatives of employees from receiving anything of value from that employee's employer. The WGA's overall deal with studios is up for negotiation soon as well -- and observers note that the dispute with agencies may make a strike by the Writers Guild during those negotiations more likely. The dispute between writers and agents could also expand to include actors and directors re-examining their own relationships with agencies. Editor's note: Mike Roe is not a paid screenwriter, but has written scripts and participates in the screenwriting community in his free time. Fish imports sink 30pc as domestic production swells Fish imports from Birgunj customs point has dropped 30 percent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year largely due to strict enforcement of quarantine rules by Indian authorities. Cal State LA Students Dedicate Spring Break to Civil Rights Service Trip A spring break service-learning trip brought civil rights history to life for a group of Cal State LA students. The 17 students and five faculty and staff chaperones traveled more than 2,000 miles to Montgomery, Alabama, during the first week of April. Their days were spent volunteering with local youth and seniors at Resurrection Catholic Missions and touring historical landmarks in communities at the center of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The entire trip emphasized the importance of getting an education and setting a foundation for generations to come, that the work that youre doingeverything that you dois not just for yourself, but for those who are on the outside looking in, those who are inspired by you, said Isis Davis, a fourth-year communication and Pan-African Studies major at Cal State LA who attended the trip. ADVERTISEMENT Tait Brooks, resident director for the Office of Housing and Residence Life, planned the trip for Cal State LAs Halisi Scholars Black Living-Learning Community, a joint initiative of the Department of Pan-African Studies and Housing and Residence Life. Brooks was inspired by the book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative. The memoir chronicles Stevensons work representing low-income, wrongfully convicted clients in the South. Since August and leading up to the trip, the students read and discussed the book and related criminal justice issues and attended programs as part of a three-unit independent study course developed by Brooks through the Department of Pan-African Studies. The service-learning course is one of many that offer students an opportunity to practice community service and civic engagement. A service-learning trip like this, especially rooted in a historical context, is really important because it delivers the information to students in a different way and makes the experience with the history more intimate, said Arcadia Le Vias, an adjunct professor in the Department of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA. During a tour of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Cal State LA group walked by a portrait of Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist best known for leading the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. Their guide asked if they knew who was first arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her seat on a bus. A faculty member answered: Claudette Colvin. When she was 15 years old, Colvin was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a Montgomery busnine months before the 42-year-old Parks launched her infamous bus boycott. Before the students knew it, their tour guide had pulled out her cellphone and was calling Colvin, who is now 79 years old. ADVERTISEMENT Colvin imparted words of inspiration. She told them to get an education, to do better and not forget this history, Brooks said. That was just monumental. The students walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the site of Bloody Sunday in 1965, when peaceful protestors marching from Selma to Montgomery for civil rights were tear-gassed and beaten by Alabama state troopers. The students visited museums and memorials, including those commemorating the Freedom Riders, who traveled on interstate buses to the South to protest segregation. Its one thing for the students to learn this in class and be able to read about it, but I think it creates more of an urgency and a deep understanding when theyre in the physical spaces, Le Vias said. Inside Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held his first job as a pastor, the students stood inside the same office and behind the same lectern where King penned and delivered sermons. I have chills just thinking about it, Brooks said. The group also explored the Equal Justice Initiatives Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, grappling with topics of slavery, lynchings and mass incarceration. Thousands of incidents of lynchings are etched on steel columns as part of the display, some with names and many identified as unknown. Seeing the rows upon rows of names, for many of us, not only was it a moment of reflection, but we cried and we got to build community just thinking about those lives that were lost, said Frederick Smith, director for the Cross Cultural Centers at Cal State LA and one of the chaperones on the trip. During the days, the students volunteered with local youth in kindergarten through eighth grade at Resurrection Catholic Missions, helping them with homework and inspiring them to dream of going to college. They assisted seniors in nearby low-income apartments, having deep conversations with the residents, many of whom lived through the civil rights movement, and listening to their stories of participating in events like the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. The trip was the first for the Halisi Scholars Black Living-Learning Community, but Brooks hopes to plan more in the future for the housing residents and the wider campus. For the students, it was a week of reflection on the past, present and future. Its about honoring the importance of the legacy that our ancestors have already started and continuing that legacy, Davis said. Momentum Builds for Public Banks: Los Angeles City Council Endorses AB 857 On Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution introduced by LA City Council President Herb J. Wesson in support of AB 857 a bill to give California cities and municipalities the option to start their own public bank. Arguing for the measure, City Council President Wesson had this to say: This mornings vote is for the people that too long have been underbanked and overcharged. The reality is our financial system is not working for a large majority of people, in particular communities of color. A public banking system in our state is a much-needed first step to bring economic justice to Californias most disadvantaged communities. ADVERTISEMENT Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), who is a joint-author of the Public Banking Act, responded, saying: Californians from the grassroots to the halls of power are weary of a corporate banking system that doesnt work for them. Wall Street needs people-powered competition, and a public bank for public good is the right place to start. Council President Herb Wesson has been a bold champion of public banks for many years, and I couldnt be more grateful for his leadership and the support weve seen from so many others across the state. The City of San Francisco home district of AB 857 joint author Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) will consider a substantively identical resolution in support of the bill this afternoon. The publics money should serve a public purpose, not line the pockets of Wall Street investors, said Assemblymember Chiu. Time and time again, we have seen big banks invest billions of dollars of our money in institutions most Californians are opposed to. I am grateful to see such broad support for our efforts to reinvest the publics money in our local communities. Trinity Tran, founding member of the California Public Banking Alliance said, This is an unprecedented multi-city coordination among the biggest local governments, representing over 6 million people in the state of California. Wall Street Banks have proven that their interests are not aligned with Californias communities. Local governments have essentially been a captive market for mega-banks and now with this legislation, we have the opportunity to build a new alternative banking system through locally-controlled, socially and environmentally responsible public banks, enabling cities and counties to recapture public dollars and have a say over the financing of our own localities. Resolutions supporting AB 857 have been either introduced or passed in seven other cities and counties across California, including: The City of Oakland The City of Berkeley The City of Richmond The City of San Francisco The City of San Jose The City of Santa Rosa The County of Santa Cruz Reps. Ilhan Omar Leads Letter to Trump Administration on Efforts to Undermine the International Criminal Court Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) WASHINGTONRep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Jim McGovern, Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, led a group of House Democrats in requesting information on the Administrations decision to restrict visas of International Criminal Court staff. ADVERTISEMENT The legislators were joined by Rep. David Cicciline (D-RI), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI). The United States should be a leader in promoting justice and rule of law around the world. But with this decision, the Administration is actively undermining accountability for some of the most heinous and egregious crimes in the worldincluding rape, torture, and genocide, Rep. Ilhan Omar said. The staff of the ICC have dedicated their lives to upholding justice and human rights. They should be able to do their jobs with support, not interference. The International Criminal Court exists because far too often, countries are unable or unwilling to punish authorities responsible for terrible crimes like massacres, torture and forced disappearance, Rep. Jim McGovern said. This ideologically-driven attack on the ICC is a gift to perpetrators while robbing victims like the people of Sudan of their hopes for justice. The United States should assert its global leadership in promoting the rule of law and collaborate and cooperate with the ICC, not attempt to subvert it. The Administrations policy should be reversed. In the fight for justice and accountability across the globe, we cannot allow efforts to be undermined, Rep. Rashida Tlaib said. The ICC plays a critical role in the fight for justice and the Administrations restrictions of visas of ICC personnel puts the U.S. on the wrong side of justice. I urge the administration to reverse these restrictions and sanctions on the ICC staff. You can view the full letter below and here: Dear Mr. Secretary, ADVERTISEMENT We write to express our serious concern regarding your March 15th announcement that the Administration would enact U.S. visa restrictions on certain staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is prepared to take additional steps, including economic sanctions, if the ICC does not change its course. According to news reports, that announcement was followed by the deeply unfortunate decision to revoke the visa of Fatou Bensouda, the chief ICC prosecutor. The United States has a long and proud history of supporting mechanisms of international justice and the rule of law, beginning with the Nuremberg Trials and including, as mentioned in the March 15th announcement, the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the Former Yugoslavia. In line with that history, and with some of our most cherished values, it is absolutely essential that we strongly support the work of the ICC. The Court is a critically important institution in the global fight against impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It is a mechanism by which some of our most important American values including the rule of law, the right to redress, and the principle that no one is above the law can be put into practice. Support for the ICC is consistent with not only our values, but also our national interests, as demonstrated by the cases brought by the courts prosecutor against defendants associated with al-Qaeda in the Maghreb. In the past, under multiple, bipartisan Administrations, the U.S. has recognized this alignment of interests by supporting the ICCs efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of genocide in Darfur (Bush Administration) and the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya (Obama Administration). We are concerned that the Administrations new policy of stigmatizing and punishing ICC staff, who have dedicated their lives and careers to upholding justice and human rights and are simply doing their jobs, puts the United States squarely on the side of the perpetrators who have committed some of the most heinous and egregious crimes in the world. Rather than demonstrating our clear commitment to justice and accountability, this policy aligns the United States with the likes of Joseph Kony, Omar al-Bashir, and Saif al-Islam Qaddafi. We are equally concerned that the Administration seeks to apply its policy to ICC staff involved in investigations characterized as taking place without allies consent. The ICC is a court of last resort that can only open investigations in countries that are states party to the Rome Statute, or where a state, even if it has not joined the treaty, gives the court jurisdiction, or by resolution of the UN Security Council, and, in all cases, only if national authorities themselves fail to investigate and prosecute. We greatly value and strongly support Americas alliances around the world, but a countrys status as an ally must not preclude accountability for atrocities or grave human rights abuses committed by its authorities. In your March 15th announcement you stated that the new policy has been put in place out of concern that American personnel could be unjustly or illegitimately targeted for prosecution and sentencing if the ICC were to initiate an investigation into alleged crimes occurring in Afghanistan, where allegations include the deaths of thousands of civilians at the hands of the Taliban, as well as instances of detainee abuse by Afghanistan national forces and United States personnel.. However, on April 12, the ICC judges found that there were grounds to investigate and that there were no relevant national investigations but declined to authorize the inquiry for several reasons, including that, in their view, a lack of cooperation by Afghan and other authorities could impede successful prosecutions. But because the ICC is a court of last resort, if the U.S. has undertaken a genuine investigation of the relevant incidents, held those responsible accountable as appropriate, and made appropriate reparations, it should have had no concerns about an ICC investigation. There are more than 120 states party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Administrations new policy appears to seek to undermine the efforts and commitments of all of the countries that have consented to ICC jurisdiction. The policy could disrupt the ability of the ICC to do its work including the Prosecutors preliminary examination of allegations of the use of excessive force and torture in Venezuela. Six U.S. allies in the Americas have formally requested the International Criminal Court Prosecutor to investigate the situation in Venezuela. Many of our closest allies have already expressed their regret and concern over the Administrations new policy. Although you have not specified how many ICC staff will be unable to enter the United States, it is likely that some of them will be nationals of allied countries. This will provoke unnecessary and counterproductive tensions with countries whose friendship we rely on. A crucial part of the post-World War II order has been the growth of international justice mechanisms. While the ICC is not a perfect institution, it is a key mechanism for achieving justice for mass atrocities, an objective that is in line with both U.S. interests and U.S. values. We betray our historical leadership in promoting justice and rule of law around the world by actively punishing the people at the ICC who are working tirelessly to ensure accountability for those responsible for atrocities. Given that the ICC judges have now declined the Chief Prosecutors request to open an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan, we request that you provide us with the following information no more than 60 days after receipt of this letter: Does the State Department plan to reverse the visa restrictions already in place on ICC personnel, including Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda? How many ICC staff were sanctioned, and what were their nationalities? Who in the Administration and State Department was involved in the decision to place visa restrictions on ICC personnel? Under what legal authority did you place visa restrictions on ICC personnel, including Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda? What is the Administration doing to ensure justice for the victims of atrocities committed by the Taliban, ISIS/ISIL and other armed actors in Afghanistan? Sincerely, Ilhan Omar Member of Congress James P. McGovern Member of Congress David N. Cicilline Member of Congress Jamie Raskin Member of Congress Rashida Tlaib Member of Congress Andy Levin Member of Congress Supervisors Propose LA County Youth Advisory Body Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Sheila Kuehl recommended creating a permanent Youth Advisory Body to give young people a voice in the creation and implementation of County policy matters that impact them. Young people must have a seat at the table whether we are reshaping our probation system, improving opportunities for foster youth, or improving access to mental healthcare at our schools, said Board Chair Supervisor Janice Hahn. Young people with lived experience are the best possible advocates for their peers. A Youth Advisory Body would finally allow us to elevate their voices and incorporate their ideas and feedback into our efforts in a consistent and long-term way. There are numerous organizations and advocates that work on behalf of young people involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems in Los Angeles County. Many of them have established forums for these young people to be heard. However, the County does not yet have a formal and institutionalized youth advisory body for these young people to help shape County initiatives and policies that impact them. ADVERTISEMENT I am happy to support this motion which will explore the creation of a permanent Youth Advisory Board to provide input in every program that involves County young people, said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. If we are developing programs for youth, youth must be at the table. Its so important that our policy solutions be created with, not just for, youth. Supervisor Janice Hahn credited her commissioner to the Commission on Children and Families, Tiffany Boyd, for being the inspiration behind the Youth Advisory Body proposal. Boyd, a resident of Long Beach, is a long-time advocate for foster youth as well as a former foster youth herself. It is both an honor and a privilege to be presenting this motion to the Board today, said Tiffany Boyd, who testified at todays meeting. As a Commissioner I am excited to support this motion to the supervisors because I know how important this is. As a foster youth I am thrilled to see how far we have come and humbled to see the support that we received today. This has been a long time coming and I am thankful to be a part of the County of Los Angeles paving the way and setting the standard of what it looks like to support the foster youth community. The proposed Youth Advisory Body would be comprised of young people who have been part of the juvenile justice or child welfare system, including those who represent marginalized populations such as LGBTQ youth, and they would be tasked with providing valuable insight to the Board of Supervisors, County departments, relevant community-based organizations, and other stakeholders on how to improve our Countys policies and programs for youth and families. The Board voted unanimously to pass todays motion. The Department of Children and Family Services will work in consultation with the Probation Department, the Office of Child Protection, the Office of Diversion and Re-Entry, the Departments of Mental Health, Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services and Health Services, the Center for Strategic Partnerships, key organizations serving foster and probation youth, current and former foster and probation youth, and other relevant stakeholders and report back in 120 days on the feasibility of establishing a permanent Youth Advisory Body in Los Angeles County. Their report back will include a recommendation as to where the body should be housed in the County as well as recommendations from County Counsel as to how best to compensate youth for any work they do for the County as a part of this body. Wednesday, April 17, 2019 As expected, President Trump yesterday vetoed Congress's War Powers Act resolution calling for the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities in Yemen that haven't been authorized by Congress. We posted here, with additional links and resources, when the House passed it. The president's veto message mostly objected to the resolution based on policy. But it contained some constitutional complaints, too: Since 2015, the United States has provided limited support to member countries of the Saudi-led coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and, until recently, in-flight refueling of non-United States aircraft. All of this support is consistent with the applicable Arms Export Control Act authorities, statutory authorities that permit the Department of Defense to provide logistics support to foreign countries, and the President's constitutional power as Commander in Chief. . . . S.J. Res. 7 is also dangerous. The Congress should not seek to prohibit certain tactical operations, such as in-flight refueling, or require military engagements to adhere to arbitrary timelines. Doing so would interfere with the President's constitutional authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, and could endanger our service members by impairing their ability to efficiently and effectively conduct military engagements and to withdraw in an orderly manner at the appropriate time. https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/conlaw/2019/04/trump-vetos-wpa-resolution-on-yemen.html Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Rhode Island Supreme Court dealt with the fallout of a 23-year marriage that ended The parties to this appeal are former spouses who, in the written terms of their divorce, had agreed that the plaintiff would have full ownership and control of the two dogs they had acquired during their marriage, but that the dogs would spend two days each week (Tuesday to Thursday) with the defendant. After a few months, the plaintiff withheld the dogs from their weekly visitations with the defendant, and the defendant sought a court order to enforce the agreed-upon schedule. The plaintiff also filed a motion for relief, claiming that the defendant had not been properly caring for the dogs while they were in his control; she requested that the Family Court find the relevant term of the Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) to be inequitable and restrain the defendant from having any further time with the dogs. After a daylong hearing, the Family Court justice found that both parties loved the dogs and wanted to care for them and that the defendant had always acted in good faith with respect to the dogs. The Family Court justice granted the defendants motion for relief and ordered the parties to continue with the schedule set out in the MSA. The plaintiff appealed from the order, arguing that the Family Court justice had misconceived material evidence before her, was clearly wrong to conclude that the defendant had acted in good faith, was clearly wrong to conclude that the MSA was not inequitable as written, and that she erred by not reforming the MSA. The Supreme Court held that the Family Court justice neither misconceived the evidence nor was clearly wrong in her findings of fact. The Court also held that it was not inequitable to enforce the visitation term in the MSA as written, and, therefore, affirmed the order of the Family Court. The objects of affection Paragraph fourth of the MSA gave Diane all right title and interest in and to [the two dogs:] the greyhound Marox and the Chihuahua Winnie. [Paul] [was] permitted to take the dogs for visits from Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. through Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. All went well for about six months Diane claimed that Paul had not properly cared for the dogs when they were with him and had attempted to keep the dogs away from her, thereby breaching the MSA. Diane sought to enjoin and restrain Paul from having any time with the dogs. Evidence at hearing She testified that Marox returned from one visit with one of his claws damaged, hanging and bleeding. Marox returned from another visit with a huge bubble on his lip. Diane took Marox to the vet both times. According to Paul, the MSA gave Diane complete control over the care of the dogs, such that he could not take them to the vet or make any decisions about their care. He testified that all he could do was play with them. He also testified that he heard about the damaged claw for the first time while in court and that the bubble on Maroxs lip had appeared while he was away for a two-week work-related trip. According to Diane, the final straw for her occurred on March 29, 2017, the last day she allowed Paul his visitation with Marox and Winnie. That afternoon, Paul had contacted Diane because the dogs were acting strangely and Winnie was whimpering. Paul testified that he knew something was wrong with Winnie because he let out a cry when Paul picked him up to put him on Pauls bed. Paul called Diane and held the phone close to Winnie so Diane could hear the tone of the whimper. The erstwhile spouses argued through text messages about whether Diane would pick up only Winnie to take him to the vet or whether she would pick up both dogs because, according to Diane, the dogs became anxious when they were separated. Diane and Paul eventually agreed that Diane would pick up both dogs so she could take Winnie to the vet. When Diane arrived at Pauls house, however, Marox was missing. Paul testified that he had let the dogs out to relieve themselves and he thought both dogs had returned inside the house, but then he could not find Marox. Diane testified that Maroxs disappearance was posted on Facebook and that she, friends, and neighbors spent an hour and a half looking for the greyhound. Paul testified that his sister helped in the search as well. Diane testified that she was so upset and hysterical during the search effort that she was puking on the side of the road. Eventually, Paul found Marox, who had apparently been in his house the entire time, stuck in a closet. Paul had been tipped off by Winnie, who was sitting outside the closed closet door. According to Diane, when she saw Marox, the dog was in Pauls arms, violently shaking, like it was traumatized. Diane testified that she was already hysterical at that point[,] [but] then [she] went right over the top, screaming and yelling and swearing at the top of [her] lungs. Paul also testified that he was emotional on March 29, crying over Maroxs disappearance both before Diane arrived and throughout the search for Marox. He stated that he had not tried to trick Diane by hiding Marox in a closet and then claiming Marox had run off, and that he had been genuinely confused because, after he had spoken with Diane on the phone, he had let the dogs out to relieve themselves and thought that both dogs had come back inside. He testified that he had tried to see the dogs in the weeks following March 29, but Diane had not responded to his communications. During his testimony, Pauls distress about the litigation over the dogs was palpable. At the end of the hearing, Diane argued that the hearing justice should withdraw the courts approval of the MSA because, in light of the incidents described during the testimony, the MSA provision allowing Paul weekly visitation was inequitable. For his part, Paul argued that Diane had breached the terms of the MSA, which she had effectively admitted when she stated that she had not allowed him to see the dogs since March 29. Diane lost and appealed Diane contends that, because the dogs are chattel, Paul had an obligation to return the dogs to her in an undamaged condition. Because he did not meet this obligation, she asserts, allowing Paul to have the dogs two days a week is inequitable. Diane further argues that, pursuant to Gorman v. Gorman, 883 A.2d 732 (R.I. 2005), the hearing justice should have withdrawn the courts approval of the MSA and reformed the MSA. Paul briefly responds that the hearing justice did not either overlook or misconceive any of the testimony she heard or evidence she reviewed. Winners can lose As Paul points out, his victory in this case may be pyrrhic because of Maroxs and Winnies advanced ages. Some of us are reminded of the remark that: Dogs lives are too short. Their only fault, really. Agnes Sligh Turnbull, The Flowering: A Novel 69 (Houghton Mifflin Company 1972). If they had had children? (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2019/04/the-rhode-island-supreme-court-the-parties-to-this-appeal-are-former-spouses-who-in-the-written-terms-of-their-divorce-had.html Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended an already-suspended attorney for 60 days Attorney Grass was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin in 2003. He has no prior disciplinary history. Effective May 22, 2018, his Wisconsin law license was suspended for failure to comply with mandatory continuing legal education reporting requirements. Effective October 31, 2018, his license was suspended for failure to pay state bar dues and provide OLR trust account certification. On November 13, 2018, his law license was temporarily suspended by this court for failure to cooperate with three OLR investigations into his conduct. His law license remains suspended. The charges On December 27, 2018, the OLR filed a complaint alleging that Attorney Grass had engaged in 14 counts of misconduct arising out of his representation of five clients. On February 15, 2019, the OLR and Attorney Grass filed their stipulation. The benefit of stipulation we accept the stipulation and impose the jointly requested sanction of a 60-day suspension of Attorney Grass' law license. Because Attorney Grass entered into a comprehensive stipulation, thus obviating the need for the appointment of a referee and a full disciplinary proceeding, we impose no costs in this matter. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2019/04/the-wisconsin-supreme-court-has-suspended-an-already-suspended-attorney-for-60-days-attorney-grass-was-admitted-to-practice.html Read about the qualifications you'll need to work in logistics and supply chain management. Get to know some of the best universities for logistics and supply chain management and learn what students in their programs typically study. View Schools Logisticians and supply chain managers are found in almost every industry. They manage the acquisition, distribution, allocation and delivery of goods between suppliers and consumers. Read on to see what you'll need to study to work in this field. What Kind of Qualification Do I Need to Work in Logistics and Supply Chain Management? Most employers require at least a bachelor's degree. Many bachelor's programs that focus on logistics and supply chain management lead to a degree in business administration with a concentration or major in this field. Some master's degree programs follow the same route, with logistics and supply chain management study being part of MBA programs. For some positions, an associate's degree or some related work experience, especially in the military, may be sufficient to start a career in this industry. What Will I Learn at the Bachelor's Degree Level? Students learn how goods move in a supply chain, be it on water, through the air or over land. They also explore topics such as distribution, warehousing, logistics, demand management and freight forwarding. Other topics typically covered are procurement, buyer behavior, finished goods distribution, customer service and materials planning and management. In addition to these specific subjects, students in a business administration degree program will study other related topics such as accounting, marketing and statistics. Which Are Some of the Universities Offering Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Bachelor's Level? These universities each offer study in this field as part of a business administration degree program: The University of West Florida has a bachelor's degree in business administration program with a major in supply chain logistics management. Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant, offers a BS program in business administration where students can major in logistics management. Students at Portland State University, in Oregon, have a choice of a BA or a BS degree in business administration: supply and logistics management. Anderson University, in South Carolina, has an online bachelor's degree program in business administration with a concentration in supply chain management. Which Topics Are Covered in a Master's Program? Students at the master's level can expect to learn about transportation strategies, the principles of project management, the role of information technology and risk management. Other topics covered are strategic sourcing and finance, international negotiations, cost management, sustainability, emerging markets and humanitarian supply chains. Where Can I Study Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Master's Level? These universities offer master's programs in this field: The University of San Diego's School of Business has an online master's degree program in supply chain management. U.S. News and World Report ranked it in the top 20 best online graduate programs in the USA. ranked it in the top 20 best online graduate programs in the USA. DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, offers an MS in Supply Chain Management. The Sawyer Business School, at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts, offers an MBA degree with a concentration in supply chain management. Must I Get Certified Before I Can Start My Career in Logistics and Supply Chain Management? No certification is required. However, there are various certifications available to demonstrate your competence and enhance your job prospects. The American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), who are renaming themselves the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) during 2019, offers a certificate in production and inventory management, as well as in logistics, transportation and distribution. The International Society of Logistics (SOLE) has several multi-tier certification programs. What kind of education and training is required to become a polygraph examiner, meaning a professional who administers lie-detector tests? The information below outlines the degree requirements, special training and licensing required for this profession. View Schools Job Description Polygraph examiners administer sophisticated tests called polygraphs to determine the truth or falsehood of statements made by job applicants, criminal suspects and others. These so-called ''lie-detector tests'' are virtually never used as the basis for criminal convictions, but they are considered a valuable investigative tool by police and potential employers. More info on this career appears below. Educational Requirements Bachelor's degree, polygraph training Fields of Study Education, nursing, criminal justice, biology Licensure State or federal licensing/certification is usually required Job Growth (2018-2028) 14% (forensic science technicians)* Average salary (2019) $54,757** Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **Payscale.com What Kind of Education is Required? With rare exceptions, polygraph examiners (or polygraphers, or polygraphists) need a bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field. The CIA, which administers polygraphs to determine a candidate's suitability for security clearances, lists the following fields of study as appropriate: political science, international relations, psychology, biology, nursing, education and criminal justice. The CIA's Polygraph Examiner Program provides training and certification to meet its hiring requirements. What's Involved in Polygraph Training? The American Polygraph Association maintains a listing on its website of accredited polygraph training programs throughout the United States and the world. Accreditation requires at least 400 hours of instruction at an approved facility (not online). As an example, a typical program at the Polygraph Institute in San Antonio, Texas, offers a 400-hour basic course that includes instruction in the history of the detection of deception, polygraph test question construction, validated polygraph formats, the mechanics of instrument operation, pre-test and post-test procedures, data analysis, a practical exam and research project, and more. The same institute offers a 40-hour course in ''Screening of Supervised and High Risk Clients,'' which focuses on sex-offender, parole and probation programs, plus a 40-hour advanced polygraph training course and a 6-hour continuing education course. What Kind of Licensing is Needed? Federal, state and local authorities often require licensing or certification for polygraph examiners. Typically, the requirements include education, specialized training, an internship with a qualified authority and a passing score on a licensing exam. ''Good moral character'' is a common requirement, and disqualifiers may include criminal convictions or the use of illegal drugs. Not surprisingly, you may have to pass a polygraph to become a polygraph examiner. What Jobs Skills are Needed? Polygraph examiners must have excellent verbal and interpersonal skills to interact with test subjects and parties seeking the results of the test. They must have excellent analytical skills to score their tests correctly, and written skills to describe the results. Polygraph examiners are expected to be truthful, trustworthy, law-abiding professionals who hold themselves to the highest ethical standards. How Much Do Polygraph Examiners Earn? Polygraph examiners earned an average salary of $54,757 in 2019, according to Payscale. Salaries at that same time ranged from $38,000 to $83,000. The CIA's posted polygraph examiner job openings in 2019 paid between $57,510 and $108,422. ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Wednesday, April 17 Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (April 17, 2019). Lee Dong Kils daughter was born on December 31, 2018. She arrived late in the night two hours before the start of the New Year. But two hours later, the baby girl became 2 years old. She was not alone in aging quickly. Every baby born in South Korea last year turned 2 on January 1st, 2019. Based on an unusual system for calculating ages, South Koreas babies become 1 on the day of their birth. They become an additional year older on January 1st. Lee Dong Kil remembers sharing news about his daughters birth on social media. His friends immediately sent him messages to congratulate him. "An hour later, when the New Year began, they phoned me again to say congratulations for my baby becoming 2-years-old," said Lee. "I thought, 'Ah, right. She's now 2 years old, though it's been only two hours since she was born. What the heck!'" By the way, Lee is 32 years old internationally, but 34 in South Korea. Exactly how this aging system developed is not clear. Defining a full-term pregnancy as one lasting 40 weeks is one way to explain why babies are one when they are born. But becoming a year older on January 1st? That is even harder to explain. Jung Yon-hak is with the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul. He suggests that perhaps ancient Koreans cared about the year in which they were born in the Chinese 60-year cycle. Without modern methods of measuring time, they did not care much about the specific day they were born. Officially, South Korea has used Western-style calculations since the early 1960s. But many South Koreans still use the old system in their daily lives. The government has done little to get people to change over to the Western system. In January, lawmaker Hwang Ju-hong proposed a bill that would require the government to put international ages in official documents. The bill also urges citizens to go with their international ages in everyday life. It is the first legislative attempt to end "Korean age." The goal of the bill is to end confusion caused by the mixed use of age-counting systems," Hwang said in the proposed legislation. His office said a parliamentary committee discussion and a public hearing on the issue are expected in coming months. Opinion studies in recent years showed more South Koreans supported international age. It was not clear, however, how seriously they wanted a change. "If we use international age, things could get more complicated because it's a society that cares so much about which year you were born," said Lim Kyoung Jae, head of the Seoul-based Miko Travel agency. "We should also definitely count the time of a baby being conceived and growing in its mother's womb." Lim's employee Choi Min Kyung, who is 26 internationally and 28 in South Korea, disagreed. "It's good to be two years younger ... (especially) when you meet men" on blind dates, Choi said with a laugh. "There is a big difference between 26 and 28." I'm John Russell. Hyung-Jin Kim reported on this story for AP. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story calculate v. to find a number or answer by using mathematics What the heck! -- expression informal an expression of shock or misunderstanding style n. a way of doing things or expression cycle n. a period of time complicated adj. hard to understand, explain, or deal with conceive v. to become pregnant blind date n. when two people who do not know each other meet and decide if they may want to have a relationship We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. It took 15 hours for 400 French firefighters to put out the fire at the 850-year-old Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. The cathedral, one of Paris's most famous landmarks, lost its spire and roof, but still has its iconic bell towers. The Crown of Thorns, one of the cathedrals treasures, was rescued. The crown is believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ at the time of his crucifixion. Other religious statues were removed last week from the cathedral roof as part of the restoration of the churchs spire. Officials said the world famous 18th century organ that has 8,000 pipes also appeared to have survived. But no one can tell whether it has been damaged by water or will need to be restored. There is also little information on the condition of the cathedrals stained-glass windows and its many paintings. A spokesman for Paris's firefighters said on Tuesday morning, "the entire fire is out." He added that workers were "surveying the movement" of the structure and the contents in it. The Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit told RMC radio, Notre-Dame was destroyed but the soul of France was not. Officials consider the fire to be an accident, possibly as a result of the restoration work at the cathedral. However, investigators will be interviewing people who worked on the cathedral's roof, where the flames first started. French President Emmanuel Macron visited the site on the River Seine Monday night. He pledged that Notre-Dame would be rebuilt. He called the structure "a part of us," referring to the country of France, and he asked for help repairing it. Germany and Poland were among the countries that offered assistance. We are united in sorrow. Notre-Dame is part of the cultural heritage of mankind and a symbol for Europe, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter. French businessmen have also pledged hundreds of millions of euros for reconstruction, including Bernard Arnault, France's richest businessman, and Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault. Even so, repairing the cathedral including the wooden beams that made up its roof presents problems. Bertrand de Feydeau is the vice president of preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine. In an interview with the Associated Press, he noted that the cathedral's roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire because we dont, at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were cut in the 13th century." He added that the roof restoration work would have to use new technologies. For Olivier Lebib, who has lived in Paris for 40 years, it is necessary for the cathedral to be restored to its former glory. Notre-Dame is our sister, it is so sad, we are all mourning Parisians, French people, tourists, the Chinese, the whole planet, he said. Thank God that the stone structure has withstood the fire. I'm John Russell. This story was based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story spire n. a tall, narrow, pointed structure on the top of a building iconic adj. a widely known symbol organ n. a musical instrument that has a keyboard and pipes of different lengths and that makes sound by pushing air through the pipes crucifixion -- n. an act of killing someone by nailing or tying his or her hands and feet to a cross : an act of crucifying someone restoration n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc. preservation n. the act of keeping something in its original state or in good condition often + of mourn v. to feel or show great sadness or unhappiness about (something) We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. If you want to make sure that you understand this story as fully as possible, you might consider printing the article and reading it on paper. That is one of the findings of a recent study of research done on the differences between paper and screen reading. Virginia Clinton carried out the research examination. She is a professor of Education, Health and Behavior at the University of North Dakota. She found what she called a small but significant difference in reading text from screen versus paper. Researchers have been investigating for years the ways in which screens affect the quality of a persons reading. The magazine Scientific American reported that at least 100 studies have been published on the issue since the 1980s. Until the early 1990s, most studies found that people read more slowly and with less accuracy on screens than on paper. However, later studies show more mixed results. Some continued to report findings similar to those earlier studies. Others suggested technological improvements over the years had improved reading quality on screens. Clintons aim was to bring together some of the most recent findings on reading performance, reading speed and a skill known as metacognition. Clinton looked at 33 past studies that examined paper versus screen reading. All of the studies were done between 2008 and 2018. The studies collectively had 2,799 study subjects, including both children and adults. All were native English speakers and had usual reading skills for their age. Clintons examination found that reading from paper generally led to better understanding and improved a persons performance on tests connected to the reading material. And, she found no major differences in reading speed between the two. In other words, paper reading was found to be more efficient. Such differences were notable only when the reading materials were expository texts-- or explanatory and based on fact. Clinton said she found no major difference when it came to narrative, fictional texts. Clinton also found that paper readers usually have a higher recognition of how well they have understood a text than screen readers. This skill is called metacognition. The word cognition means the mental action of increasing knowledge and understanding. Metacognition simply means thinking about ones own thinking. Clinton and other researchers have found screen readers often believe they understand a text better than they really do. And, they are more likely than paper readers to overestimate how well they would do on a test of the materials they have read. Clinton said this is common among all readers. She said, We think that were reading the story or the book better than we actually are. We think we understand what we are reading better than how we are actually reading. Yet, this inflated sense of understanding, or overconfidence, is especially common among screen readers. Clinton said there are many possible reasons for such findings. Overconfidence of screen readers, for example, could be the result of a distracted, less focused mind. Reader preference is also important, she said. Research shows the majority of people -- of all ages -- prefer reading from paper. But, if someone prefers screen reading to paper reading, that persons understanding of the material is not likely to suffer. Clinton said, If you are enjoying the reading process, youre going to be more involved. Youre going to be paying better attention. Preferences are a key issue here. Several studies have found that people often think of paper materials as more important and serious. If you are reading from paper, your mind thinks, This is something important. I need to pay attention to it', Clinton said. Readers might connect computer screens with fun, less serious activities such as checking social media or watching Netflix. That, Clinton said, could explain why most studies find no major difference in screen and paper among narrative, fictional reading materials. Clinton described this kind of reading as enjoyment reading. Dont stop reading from screens Although her findings may support paper reading over screen reading, Clinton says she does not believe screen reading should be avoided. Instead, she points to new and developing tools that can be used to improve a screen readers understanding and focus. For example, when youre reading off of a screen, it can be programmed that you have to answer questions and get them right before you can continue. Paper cant make you do that. Other tools in development will offer students reading at a lower level more simple texts while providing their other classmates more complex versions of the same text. Clinton said, I think the answer, or appropriate response, to seeing findings like mine...is to think of Okay, what can screen do that paper cant do? Clintons findings were published earlier this year in the Journal of Research in Reading. She also presented her results this month at the American Educational Research Associations yearly meeting, held in Toronto, Canada. Im Caty Weaver. And Im Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Which do you prefer -- reading from screens or reading from paper? Why? Let us know in the comments section! QUIZ: Study Finds Paper Reading More Efficient Than Screen Reading Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story significant - adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect text - n. the original words of a piece of writing or a speech efficient - adj. capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time, or energy distracted - adj. unable to think about or pay attention to something : unable to concentrate focused - adj. giving attention and effort to a specific task or goal appropriate - adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation response - n. something that is said or written as a reply to something LINGUIST List 30.1657 Tue Apr 16 2019 Confs: Applied Ling, Comp Ling, Gen Ling, Psycholing, Translation/United Kingdom Editor for this issue: Everett Green ***************** LINGUIST List Support ***************** Fund Drive 2019 29 years of LINGUIST List! Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at: https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/ 10-Apr-2019Maria J. Arche Launch of Centre for Research & Enterprise in LanguageLaunch of Centre for Research & Enterprise in LanguageShort Title: CRELDate: 01-May-2019 - 01-May-2019Location: London, United KingdomContact: Maria J. ArcheContact Email: < click here to access email > Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Computational Linguistics; General Linguistics; Psycholinguistics; TranslationMeeting Description:This event marks the launch of the Centre for Research & Enterprise in Language (CREL) at the University of Greenwich. CREL has been created to foster interdisciplinary research in language and to promote enterprise and outreach activities to collaborate with the industry, schools and wider audiences. The Centre comprises scholars from linguistics, applied linguistics, translation, psychology, speech and language therapy, mathematics, computing, education and sociology from within and outside the institution.Programme for the eveningWelcome to CREL:- Professor Javier Bonet, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise- Professor Karen Bryan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic- Professor Mark O'Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences- Dr Maria J Arche, Director of CREL- CREL MembersAcademic Address:- Professor David Adger, President of the Linguistics Association of Great BritainFollowed by drinks receptionTo register, please click below: 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. Original drawing on oilskin of a device used to raise the propeller of the HMS Esk, an early-use example of a modern screw propeller, 1854. 32x24", in original color. There are some nicks and short tears, but in overall GOOD (or better) condition. $1250 "HMS Esk was a 21-gun Highflyer-class screw corvette launched on 12 June 1854 from J. Scott Russell & Co., Millwall...She served in the Mediterranean Station between 1854 until 1856 and was in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. She was part of the East Indies Station between 1856 until 1863, where she participated in Second Opium War at Canton. Afterwards she went to the Australia Station, where she participated in the attack on Gate Pa during the Tauranga Campaign in New Zealand. Her commanding officer Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton was killed in the attack. She left the Australia Station on 2 July 1867.--wikipedia The words of the Admiralty Order stated she should be "a wood screw vessel complete of Highflyer's... In common with other screw corvettes of the time, she was envisaged as a steam auxiliary, intended to cruise under sail with the steam engine available for assistance. Commensurately she was provided with a full square sailing rig. Her oscillating two-cylinder inclined single-expansion steam engine...drove a single screw. --28 October 1854-25 February 1856: commanded by Captain Thomas Francis Birch in the Baltic during the Russian War. --1 March 1856-26 June 1861: commanded by Captain Robert John le Mesurier McClure, East Indies and China (Pacific). --22 May 1863-29 April 1864: commanded by Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton, New Zealand. Ronald Reagan The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Albert Einstein If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. Winston Churchill It isnt so much that liberals are ignorant. Its just that they know so many things that arent so. With integrity nothing else counts; Without integrity nothing else counts. Winston Churchill Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself. Harvey S. Firestone It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office. H. L. Menken Referenda insure all have a voice in land use decisions. U.S. Supreme Court Listen carefully to first criticism of your work. Note just what it is about your work the critics don't like - then cultivate it. That's the only part of your work that's individual and worth keeping. Jean Cocteau The sultan of Brunei has been on the throne for 52 years, making him the second- longest reigning monarch in the world, after Queen Elizabeth II. In Brunei a rather traditional, deeply Muslim Southeast Asian country the sultan is known for leading a decadent life. Vanity Fair once dubbed Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, constant companions in hedonism. They spend lavishly on luxury cars, yachts and real estate, and according to the magazine, allegedly sent emissaries to comb the globe for the sexiest women they could find in order to create a harem the likes of which the world had never known. Now, Bruneis sultan appears to have found religion. He has implemented a harsh interpretation of Sharia Islamic law in his country, taking aim at LGBT people, women and even children with some of the worlds harshest penalties for homosexual conduct. Under Bruneis new laws, gay sex and adultery can result in death by stoning, and having an abortion is punishable by public flogging. Dressing in clothing associated with a different sex may incur a fine and imprisonment up to three months. Younger children can be whipped for these offenses. DIVERSION FROM ECONOMIC WOES These laws represent serious breaches of international human rights law, my field of academic expertise. Thirty-six countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina and Australia recently issued a joint statement expressing profound dismay at Bruneis penal code, which the United Nations has deemed cruel and unusual. Why is Bruneis sultan suddenly so keen to enforce Sharia across this island nation of 430,000? One of the main reasons may be plunging global oil prices. For the first time, the oil-rich nation of Brunei is grappling with economic crisis. Other countries have similarly whipped up hatred against LGBT people to distract the publics attention from economic crisis or corruption allegations. The sultan may also be seeking to rehabilitate his reputation as a party boy. This is obviously not coming from a place of religious devotion, since the sultan himself is in violation of every single rule of Sharia you could possibly imagine, religious scholar Reza Aslan told the New York Post in 2014, when the sultan first flagged his intention to impose strict Islamic law in Brunei. Perhaps the Sultan thinks that implementing Sharia will enable him to leave a religious legacy that outweighs his decades of very public excess and indulgence. DO BOYCOTTS WORK? As a way of trying to get the Sultan to change his mind about imposing these harsh penalties within Brunei, many celebrities and gay rights advocates are calling for boycotts of the sultans international hotels and of Royal Brunei Airlines. But evidence suggests that boycotts are not the most effective way to influence foreign governments. For one, they can cause the offending government to harden its position to show it will not give in to foreign pressure. That can make it harder to work collaboratively with leaders of that country to actually improve the situation. Thats what happened in Uganda in 2014, when President Yoweri Museveni introduced some of the words toughest anti-gay laws. I advise friends from the West not to make this an issue, because if they make it an issue the more they will lose, he said. Outsiders cannot dictate to us. This is our country. This risk is compounded by the evident double standard of an international boycott of Brunei and the sultans businesses. Other countries that impose the death penalty for same-sex sexual conduct including Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia are not subjected to similar global condemnation. WHO CAN STOP THE SULTAN? The United Nations may stand a better chance of curbing Bruneis behavior. Bruneis human rights record will be reviewed by the U.N.s Human Rights Council next month, as part of a regular assessment called the Universal Periodic Review a relatively new process described by the International Bar Association as the most progressive arena for the protection of the LGBTI community internationally. Though the Universal Periodic Review has no power to enforce its recommendations, it has shown some success in advancing human rights in U.N. member countries. Its method is to foster dialogue with and between governments and civil society, create a plan for improving rights and closely monitoring progress. Bruneis allies and neighbors are also well placed to put pressure on the sultan. Research has found that if a state is criticized by one of its strategic partners, it is more likely to accept that criticism than if it comes from a state with which it has fewer ties. Brunei is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 53 sovereign states, most of them former British colonies. Its biannual Heads of Government Meeting, set to take place in Rwanda next year, is a potential forum for meaningful dialogue about the state of LGBTQ rights across the Commonwealth of Nations, since Brunei is one of 35 Commonwealth countries that still criminalize consensual same-sex sexual conduct. If negotiations with Brunei are unsuccessful, the Commonwealth of Nations can take the powerful step of suspending its membership. That would prevent Brunei from participating in group meetings and events including the popular Commonwealth Games, which have been described as sport with a social conscience. This step was previously taken in response to grave human rights violations committed by Fiji, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Over 100 LGBTQ and human rights groups from Southeast Asia have also called on the Association of South East Asian Nations ASEAN, a regional intergovernmental organization to take a hard line against member state Brunei, saying its new laws legitimize violence. But ASEANs non-binding 2012 declaration of human rights which does not explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and contains imprecise language that significantly dilutes its power seems unlikely to demand an institutional response. DOES THE SULTAN MEAN IT? There is concern that Bruneis imposition of hard-line Sharia will embolden its Muslim majority neighbors, Malaysia and Indonesia, to follow suit. Malaysia already applies Islamic law in some states. Last September, two women found guilty of attempting to have sex were sentenced to be, and were, caned. In nearby Indonesia, gay sex is legal in all but one province, but homophobia and transphobia are rising nationwide, and recent talk of criminalizing gay sex has LGBTQ Indonesians worried. Brunei, its important to note, has not actually used the death penalty since 1957. An optimist could conclude that the new laws are mostly symbolic designed to beef up the sultans Islamic credentials and garner favor with other Muslim countries to boost trade and tourism. That interpretation, however, is unlikely to diminish the fear of the vulnerable minorities targeted by Bruneis Sharia laws. Paula Gerber, Monash University, AP Nepal's government is aggressively pursuing journalists and it could get worse under a new legislation The detention of and subsequent charges filed against journalist Arjun Giri earlier this week under the Electronic Transaction Act for publishing a story about a local businessman has reignited the conversation about existing and proposed laws in Nepal, which media advocates say could be used to stifle press freedom. Lawmaker Sulu Sous appeal to the Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary in relation to a proposal to amend the electoral law of the Chief Executive (CE) election has been scheduled to be addressed during next weeks plenary meeting on Tuesday. Yesterday, during a press conference organized by the New Macau Association on the topic, the lawmaker said he expects and is ready to face the criticism of the other lawmakers on the topic, as he has on other occasions. I am prepared to face their criticism on the matter at the next general meeting. I think this is [part] of a process [that occurs] in many societies. We need someone to try new things and raise discussion and reflection from the public. This is a necessary process [on the path to] democracy in many societies, Sou said, adding that he expects heavy criticism from other lawmakers. Both the president of the AL, Ho Iat Seng, and the Executive Board of the AL found that the proposal was not in accordance with the Macau Basic Law when justifying their refusal. PREPARED TO LOSE In the words of lawmaker Sou, the main purpose of his appeal was not to win but to get people to think more and talk more [about democracy-related topics]. Sou added he thinks that legislators should exercise the powers attributed to them by law. We are just chopping up what government wants [and proposes]. Thats not acceptable, not just for this bill, but for every bill, Sou said, pointing out the lack of legislative initiative from most of his peers. Acknowledging that his bill would probably gather more criticism than support, Sou said that he would at least like to try and gather support from the democrats. I havent talked to them yet, but I will. I want to explain my purpose and intentions clearly so I can get their support, said Sou. I know the others probably wont even listen. He hopes that the CE election topic will start a reasonable and rational discussion among all lawmakers at the Tuesday debate. NOT A BATTLE AGAINST HO Commenting on the constant strife between him and the president of the AL, Ho Iat Seng, Sou said: I disagree with the idea that I saw aired by some media that I am in a battle against Ho. I am just doing my work and my duties [as a lawmaker]. When asked if he thought Ho would be present to lead the debate at Tuesdays session, Sou said, I predict Ho will attend the plenary, because they [the president and the Executive Board] didnt think he was [in a situation] of conflict of interest to discuss the bill. I disagree, and so I suggested that he should not participate. If he were absent from the meeting, [then] this means that he agrees [with what I previously stated], that he had a conflict of interest to decide on my bill previously. DEMOCRACY IS A LONG ROAD According to Sou, although there is little hope of passing the bill that would enforce multiple-candidacy elections for the Chief Executive position, there is nevertheless a need for it to be discussed. Although Sou continues to stress that universal suffrage is a fundamental right, it is not his top priority for the time being. The lawmaker prefers a softer strategy, progressively adding democratic elements to Macaus electoral system. We have been calling for universal suffrage since at least 2017 [for the 2019 Chief Executive election]. Now we know that is not possible, but we still insist on the development of the system to increase the choice. The last time a Chief Executive election had more than a single candidate was Macaus first, in May 1999, in which Edmund Ho emerged victorious. For Sou, it is unacceptable to have uncontested elections for Macaus top post. He pledged to continue to work on the direction of democratization in Macau. MISUNDERSTOOD BY THE MEDIA Earlier this week, law expert Antonio Katchi said that in his interpretation, lawmakers should be granted the power to amend the election law. When questioned on this, Sou said, I will talk to him in the near future to explain the exact purpose and scope of my proposal. I am not aiming to change the political structure, neither the election committee composition nor the way that the election is done. My proposal only focuses on the fact that there should be some competition and one candidate should not run alone, added the lawmaker. I think that political structure, as stipulated in the Basic Law, should be not be interpreted so broadly, he said. Sou further noted the fact that lawmakers cannot change the law concerning AL elections is precisely due to their conflict of interest, since they are voting on something that affects them directly, though this does not occur in the Chief Executive election. Macaus Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) has informed the Times that it has received two noise complaints about various Hengqin construction projects since the start of the year. Zhuhai is carrying out 24-hour construction in order to finish several projects in time for the 20th anniversary of the Macau handover. However, as Hengqin spends all its efforts on celebrating the 20th anniversary of Macau, and transforming itself into a new high- technology center, the new Chinese medicine zone, the new birthplace of entrepreneurship, and the new transportation hub for the Greater Bay Area, some citizens and Macau residents are suffering from the effects of noise pollution. In response to a Times enquiry on the matter, the DSPA wrote that it has received just two reports from Macau inhabitants concerning the noise. The DSPA notes that, in view of the fact that the site is located in Zhuhai, it has informed its relevant counterpart via the Zhuhai-Macau Environmental Cooperation Mechanism. The Macau bureau said that its counterparts in Zhuhai were following up on the noise problem and that the individuals who submitted the complaints have received official responses. DB The Liaison Office Director in Hong Kong, Wang Zhimin, recently criticized the fact that there are some people in Hong Kong colluding with anti-China politicians and organizations. Wang said that these people are despised by both the Hong Kong people and the entirety of China, according to reports by media in the neighboring Special Administrative Region. Wang made his remarks on April 16 during his appearance at the National Security Education Day Hong Kong Symposium. According to Wang, these anti-China Hong Kong citizens hold closed-door meetings, badmouth Hong Kong and beg for the intervention of foreign countries. In Wangs opinion, the badmouthing of Hong Kong, begging for foreign intervention, as well as the selling of Hong Kong for glory would be despised by their Chinese ancestors. In his speech, Wang stated that Hong Kongs security is part of national security, and that maintaining national security is an important constitutional responsibility for Hong Kong. There is only responsibility for the one country; there is no distinction between the two systems, said Wang. In Hong Kong, a court set the sentencing date for nine of the Occupy protest leaders as April 24; the latest step in a trial that follows the China-backed governments effort to punish the movements organizers. When talking about the nine protest leaders case, Wang said that the group were found guilty in a just trial, which is a victory for Hong Kong and for the rule of law. Wang stated that the groups actions threatened public security and undermined social stability. Wang emphasized that the illegal Occupy movement was wrapped in a so-called justice package, which was not only hypocritical and an insult to justice, but also caused deep harm to the core value of the rule of law. Wang pointed out that the Occupy movement has awakened society and must face up to the shortcomings and risks of Hong Kong in maintaining the national security system. Earlier this week, a National Security Education exhibition was also held in Macau. Speaking at the event, Macau Chief Executive Chui Sai On called on the Macau local community to contribute to maintaining national security. Specifically, he said that there was an obligation to recognize that the concept of one country on national security issues is not at odds with the two systems principle. JZ Russia is preparing for North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns first summit with President Vladimir Putin, setting the stage for consultations between the long-time allies after Kims nuclear talks with the U.S. broke down. Russian officials told a South Korean diplomatic delegation visiting Moscow this week that plans were being made for a summit but offered no details on a time or place, South Koreas Foreign Ministry said yesterday. South Koreas Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Putin and Kims summit will likely take place April 24 in Vladivostok, before Putins April 26-27 visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Maeil didnt say where it got its information. South Koreas Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Russian First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Vladimir Titov. Cho told reporters both men thought the collapsed February summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in Hanoi was not a failure and that denuclearization talks should be pursued, South Koreas Yonhap News reported. Russia, which wields veto power on the United Nations Security Council, has expressed repeated support for the reduction of sanctions that have crippled North Koreas economy. POWER BROKERS It would be Kims first visit to Russia since taking power in 2011, as he calls for an end to the sanctions intended to punish North Korea for its nuclear arms program. The severity of those penalties was a major factor in the collapse of his summit with Trump, who wants Kim to make greater disarmament commitments before receiving economic rewards. Trump-Kim Summit Breakdown Renews Doubts North Korea Will Disarm The U.S. and its allies have balked at allowing the development of projects long sought by North Korea and currently blocked by sanctions including an energy pipeline that would extend into Russia and regular train service across the Russian-North Korean border until Pyongyang agrees to reduce its security threat. South Korean President Moon Jae-ins office said it wasnt its place to confirm the date and location of any upcoming summit between Putin and Kim. Jihye Lee, Bloomberg A police officer has been killed and ten people injured after shots were fired from the Libyan Peoples Bureau in central London. WPC Yvonne Fletcher had been helping control a small demonstration outside the embassy when automatic gunfire came from outside. She received a fatal stomach wound and some of the demonstrators were also severely injured. WPC Fletcher, 25, died soon afterwards at Westminster Hospital. Her fiance, another police officer who was also at the demonstration, was at her side. After the shooting people were cleared from surrounding offices in St James Square. Some had witnessed events from their workplace. Film maker Ray Barker said people were stunned by what had happened. Several of my colleagues burst into tears. It was unbelievable that sort of thing could happen at such an insignificant demonstration, he said. Journalist Brian Cartmell was in St James Square just feet away from Yvonne Fletcher when she was hit. She crumpled to the floor clutching her lower stomach and groin and rolled on to her right-hand side with a look of total surprise on her pretty face, Mr Cartmell said. The Libyan building is now surrounded by armed police officers including specialist marksmen. However, Home Secretary Leon Brittan has said the police are prepared to wait and deal with the situation in a peaceful way. Police officers are in touch with those inside the Libyan Peoples Bureau via a special telephone link. The Libyans, led by Colonel Gaddafi, are blaming Britains police and security forces for attacking their embassy. Libyan soldiers have now surrounded Britains embassy in Tripoli trapping 18 diplomats inside. Courtesy BBC News In context Diplomatic relations with Libya were severed on 23 April. British diplomats in Libya who had been trapped in their embassy were allowed to leave. The Libyans were ordered out of UK and left peacefully but due to their diplomatic immunity police were unable to question suspects before they went. However, in 1986 a British businessman who had worked for Colonel Gaddafis regime reported WPC Fletchers killer had been hanged as soon as he returned to Libya. Britain restored diplomatic relations with Libya in 1999 after the Libyan Government admitted it bore general responsibility for WPC Fletchers death. It also paid a six-figure sum in compensation to her family. Tax authorities give Ncell seven days to pay Rs39 billion in dues The Large Taxpayers Office on Tuesday set the capital gains tax for Ncell and Axiata at Rs62.63 billion and gave the company seven days to clear the dues. Thapaliya endorsed for Chief Election Commissioner The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has endorsed Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya for the post of chief election commissioner. The committee approved his name after conducting a hearing on Wednesday. by Janis Patterson How on earth did it get to be the 15th of December of 2021? In contrast to last year, which seemed to go on for aeons wit... 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 Different localization of the proteins involved in apoptosis in basal (Ctrl) and upon death receptor induction with TRAIL. Credit: Saska Ivanova, IRB Barcelona Cancer cells are characterised by the ability to evade apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death that allows the organism to remove damaged cells. Many studies devoted to new chemotherapy treatments aim to induce apoptosis and thus remove cancer cells or reduce the size of the tumour. Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine(IRB Barcelona) have demonstrated that the protein TP53INP2 plays an important role in the induction of cell death. This finding could be relevant in the treatment of certain types of cancer. "We observed that when cells have high levels of TP53INP2, apoptosis is accelerated when specific receptors on the cell membrane are activated. In contrast, the cells that did not express this protein were more resistant to apoptosis,"comments Antonio Zorzano, head of the Complex Metabolic Disease and Mitochondria Lab at IRB Barcelona. Published in EMBO Journal, this study describes how this protein increases the efficacy of certain chemotherapy treatments, such as TRAIL."We demonstrate that TP53INP2 makes cancer cells more sensitive to death signals, including TRAIL,"explains Saska Ivanova, postdoctoral fellow at IRB Barcelona and first author of the study. TRAILholds great promise for the treatment of cancer because it can selectively induce the death of cancer cells. Since its discovery in 1995, many clinical assays have been devoted to this drug. However, not all patients with cancer respond to this treatment. Researchers at IRB Barcelona have confirmed the relation between high levels of TP53INP2 and an enhanced response of liver and breast cancer cells to TRAIL. One of the issues regarding TRAIL is the need to identify patients likely to respond to this treatment, as TRAIL can enhance tumour progression in some types of cancer."We propose the protein TP53INP2 as a potential marker to identify patients that could benefit from treatment with TRAIL,"explains Zorzano, full professor at the University of Barcelona and CIBERDEM researcher. Personalised medicine, an approach that allows treatment to be adapted to the characteristics of each patient, emerges as one of the health care strategies with most potential. Knowledge of the type of cancer and selection of the most efficient treatment in each case will increase patient survival. However, biomarkers are needed. In this regard, this study offers a new approach to support physicians in the selection of personalised treatments. "We are now extending the study to other types of cancer, such as lung cancer, to confirm whether TP53INP2 also improves the response to treatment with TRAIL,"adds Ivanova. Explore further Researchers discover potential attack strategy for aggressive breast cancer More information: Saska Ivanova et al. Regulation of death receptor signaling by the autophagy protein TP53INP2, The EMBO Journal (2019). Journal information: EMBO Journal Saska Ivanova et al. Regulation of death receptor signaling by the autophagy protein TP53INP2,(2019). DOI: 10.15252/embj.201899300 Stenosis: Comics can help patients feel less anxious before cardiac catheterization. Credit: Brand, Gao, Hamann, Martineck, Stangl/Charite Before undergoing surgery, patients must be fully informed about what the procedure entails. The complex nature of the information involved means that patients often feel overwhelmed rather than well informed. Researchers from Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin have shown that patients scheduled to undergo cardiac catheterization may find comic-style information helpful. The researchers' comic-style booklet was shown to enhance patient comprehension and reduce anxiety. Results from this study have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The purpose of the informed consent procedure is to enable patients to make an autonomous decision for or against a specific type of treatment. As part of this process, patients are provided with details of what the procedure entails. They also receive advice regarding expected medical benefits and potential risks involved. However, patients with coronary heart disease often do not fully grasp the basic procedural steps involved in cardiac catheterization, even after undergoing this informed consent procedure. Thus, patients were also unable to evaluate the benefits of the procedure. "Inspired by the notion that 'a picture is worth more than a thousand words,' we wanted to use graphical representations to help patients understand the procedural details provided as part of the informed consent procedure," explains Prof. Dr. Verena Stangl of the Medical Department, Division of Cardiology and Angiology on Campus Charite Mitte. Prof. Stangl worked alongside Dr. Anna Brand, the study's other lead investigator and a fellow cardiologist to develop a 15-page comic-style booklet that explains the most common procedure in the field of cardiologycardiac catheterization, followed by (where required) the insertion of a stent to open a narrowed or blocked artery. "What our pilot study showed was patients who received this comic-style felt better prepared for surgery," explains Prof. Stangl. Contrast medium: Comics can help patients feel less anxious before cardiac catheterization. Credit: Brand, Gao, Hamann, Martineck, Stangl/Charite The team of researchers recruited a total of 121 patients scheduled to undergo cardiac catheterization. Patients then either underwent the standard informed consent procedure or standard informed consent with additional comic-style information. Using a range of questionnaires administered both before and after the informed consent procedure, the researchers then assessed levels of comprehension and anxiety as well as satisfaction with the consenting process. The comic-style booklet proved useful in all three categories. When presented with questions on procedural details, risks and postoperative advice, patients who also received the comic-style information booklet were able to provide correct answers to nearly 12 out of a total of 13 questions on average. This compared with a mean score of approximately nine out of 13 questions in patients who had undergone standard informed consent alone. Patients in the comic-style information group also reported feeling less anxious after their informed consent procedure. Overall, approximately 72 percent of participants were satisfied with the comic-based information booklet and reported feeling well-prepared for cardiac catheterization. This compared with only 41 percent of participants in the standard informed consent group. "A comic-style presentation enables the simultaneous visual and textual processing of complex information. This has been shown to enhance comprehension in different learner types," says Dr. Brand. "The comic-based approach also enables readers to process the information presented at their own speed." Dr. Brand adds: "For the first time, our study showed that comic-based medical information can be a highly effective addition to the medical consenting process. We want to use future research to test whether similar positive effects can be achieved in patients undergoing other medical procedures." Chest pressure: Comics can help patients feel less anxious before cardiac catheterization. Credit: Brand, Gao, Hamann, Martineck, Stangl/Charite Comic-based information on cardiac catheterization Both the concept and manuscript for the comic-based information booklet were developed by science communication specialist Alexandra Hamann, who worked in close consultation with the two medical experts, Prof. Stangl and Dr. Brand. The illustrator Sophia Martineck used the manuscript to develop the comic-style booklet. The project was funded by the Friede Springer Foundation. The comic-style information will be used as part of the informed consent procedure prior to cardiac catheterization. Explore further Study shows patients prefer iPads to doctors when discussing surgery More information: Anna Brand et al, Medical Graphic Narratives to Improve Patient Comprehension and Periprocedural Anxiety Before Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Randomized Trial, Annals of Internal Medicine (2019). Journal information: Annals of Internal Medicine Anna Brand et al, Medical Graphic Narratives to Improve Patient Comprehension and Periprocedural Anxiety Before Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Randomized Trial,(2019). DOI: 10.7326/M18-2976 Innovative adhesive structures of the INM are examined for their medical suitability for eardrum injuries. Source: Iris Maurer; free within this content. Full size. Credit: Leibniz Institute for New Materials More than 30 million people worldwide suffer from eardrum injuries every year. If inadequately treated, the resulting hearing loss can severely restrict the patients' quality of life. Smaller injuries can be treated by applying silicone or paper stripslarger cracks even require tissue transplantation. However, the tissues can slip. Inflammation can lead to premature dissolution of the transplants or permanently impair the auditory canal as a result of scarring. Then, subsequent surgery becomes necessary, which puts the patient under renewed strain. In cooperation with the Saarland University Hospital, the INM has developed bioinspired adhesive structures for the treatment of eardrum injuries. The adhesive structures are now to be transferred into a biomedical product. "In a feasibility study with the University Hospital in Homburg, Germany, we tested our Gecko-inspired adhesive structures on ear drums of mice: They adhered reliably without peeling or slipping," explains Eduard Arzt, head of the Functional Microstructures Program Division and Scientific Director at the INM. "Thanks to the exceptional adhesive properties, the patch can be removed after successful healing without causing new injuries to the eardrum," explains biologist Klaus Kruttwig. The gecko structures not only bridge the cracks, the micropattern is also expected to improve the healing process. "The new material is soft and adaptable. It is easy and quick to apply to the eardrum. We expect that hospital stays will be significantly shorter and complications will be rarer," said Professor Schick, Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University Hospital. "We are therefore very confident that we will find a market for this product". For the next step, INM now received an ERC Proof of Concept Grant (PoC): The one-and-a-half year project STICK2HEAL serves to conduct technical and pre-clinical assessments and to prepare the approval of the adhesion structures as a medical product. In addition, potential markets for wound dressings are to be analysed and cooperation partners in industry and hospitals identified. In addition to eardrum repair, the PoC project opens up a broad field of application when materials are to adhere to the body without glue for a limited period of time. Explore further Adhesive gel bonds to eye surface, could repair injuries without surgery Credit: Unsplash La Trobe University researchers have found the heaviest drinking 10 per cent of Australians drink over half the alcohol consumed in Australia, downing an average of six standard drinks per day. Published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the study also found Australia's heaviest drinkers are more likely to consume cheap alcohol, such as beer and cask wine. The study was led by La Trobe's Centre for Alcohol Policy and Research (CAPR), and funded by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE). Lead author from La Trobe University, Dr. Michael Livingston, said the findings are concerning. "We found that the heaviest drinking 10 per cent of Australians drink 54.4 per cent of all alcohol consumed in Australia", Dr. Livingston said. "This group are drinking well above the NHMRC's low-risk drinking guidelines, which not only jeopardises their health, but has negative flow-on effects for families and communities." Dr. Livingston said the study also showed that heavy drinkers are more likely to be middle-aged men living in rural and regional areas. "We know that rural areas have disproportionately high levels of consumption and alcohol-related harm compared to metropolitan areas." "We found that 16 per cent of this heavy-drinking subset live in outer regional and remote areas, compared with 10 per cent of other drinkers." The study also found that the heaviest drinkers were more likely to drink cask wine and beer as their main drinks, and they were more likely to drink at home. Significantly, cheap alcohol is the standout common factor among Australia's heaviest drinkers. "Surprisingly, we found drinking patterns didn't correlate strongly with other socio-demographic factors such as employment status and neighbourhood disadvantage," Dr. Livingston said. FARE Chief Executive, Michael Thorn said the CAPR study reinforces the important role of regulating alcohol prices as a population-wide measure to reduce alcohol harm. "This research provides important evidence that addressing cheap alcohol is a highly targeted way to reduce harm among Australia's heaviest drinkers," Mr Thorn said. This study further supports governments overseeing or considering introducing a floor price on alcohol, which is one of the reforms underway in the Northern Territory. "The trend towards packaged liquor sales continues apace, with more than 80 per cent of the alcohol consumed in Australia now sold as packaged liquor," Mr Thorn said. The alcohol industry maximises profits through this business model, which includes discounting, special offers and other point-of-sale promotions like shopper-dockets. "This is concerning as packaged liquor stores are linked with high rates of assaults, domestic violence, chronic disease and road crashes," he said. Mr Thorn said chain superstores such as Woolworths' Dan Murphy's contribute to this harm, particularly in relation to the risk of trauma. "An earlier study found that each additional chain outlet is associated with a 35.3 per cent increase in intentional injuries (including assaults, stabbing, or shooting) and a 22 per cent increase in unintentional injuries (including falls, crushes, or being struck by an object)," Mr Thorn said. Mr Thorn said the superstore model enables Woolworths to sell as much alcohol as possible, as cheaply as possible, to the most vulnerable people in our country. "Clearly government has a responsibility to address the problem of cheap alcohol by fixing the way alcohol is taxed, introducing floor prices and halting the proliferation of harm-causing packaged alcohol sales," Mr Thorn said. Data for the study came from the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey and the 2013 International Alcohol Control Study. Explore further Reducing Australia's cancer death rate (HealthDay)Older adults (aged 75 years) undergoing antihypertensive treatment with systolic blood pressure (SBP) >150 mm Hg have less cognitive decline than those with SBP <130 mm Hg, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. Sven Streit, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Bern in Switzerland, and colleagues used data from the Integrated Systematic Care for Older Persons population-based prospective cohort study to assess whether SBP in older patients (average age, 82.4 years) undergoing antihypertensive treatment is associated with one-year changes in cognitive/daily functioning or quality of life (QoL). The researchers found that among 1,057 participants undergoing antihypertensive therapy (83.5 percent of the study population), crude cognitive decline was less in those with SBP >150 mm Hg versus those with SBP <130 mm Hg (0.76-point less decline using the Mini-Mental State Examination; P for trend = 0.013). The relationship was modified by complex health problems. The association between SBP and cognition was seen in those with antihypertensive treatment (P for trend < 0.001) but not in those without (P for trend = 0.13). There were no significant differences in daily functioning/QoL across SBP measurements or antihypertensive treatment. "Our results suggest that SBP thresholds for treatment should be redefined, especially for frail older persons," the authors write. Explore further Application of blood pressure guidelines ups treatment Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Michael Boyle and Kathy Georgiades led the 2014 OCHS research team of the Offord Centre for Child Studies of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Boyle is a professor emeritus and Georgiades is an associate professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences of McMaster and holds the David R. (Dan) Offord Chair in Child Studies. Credit: McMaster University One in five Ontario children and youth suffer from a mental disorder, but less than one-third have had contact with a mental health care provider, says the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS). Although those overall results echo a similar study from 1983, the new study found a much larger proportion of children and youth with a disorder had contact with other health providers and in other settings, most often through schools. The new study, called the 2014 OCHS for when data collection started, found that the patterns of prevalence among different sexes and age groups have changed. Hyperactivity disorder in boys four to 11 years old jumped dramatically from nine to 16 percent, but there has been a substantial drop in disruptive behaviour among males 12 to 16 years old from 10 to 3 per cent. There has been a steep increase in anxiety and depression among both male and female youth from 9 to 13 per cent. At the same time, there was a significant rise in perceptions of need for professional help with mental health disorders, rising from seven per cent in the original OCHS in 1983 to 19 per cent in the 2014 OCHS. However, the study authors say it is difficult to estimate whether it is tied to the growing prominence of anti-stigma and mental health awareness campaigns over the past three decades. In 30 years, the prevalence of any disorder increased in communities with a population of 1,000 to 100,000, rather than large urban areas, and there is strong evidence that poor children are more likely to have a disorder if their neighbourhood is one where violence is more common. The study also found that in the past year more than eight per cent of youth thought about suicide, and 4 per cent reported a suicide attempt. The 2014 OCHS study included 10,802 children and youth aged four to 17 in 6,537 families. It replicated and expanded on the landmark 1983 Ontario Child Health Study of 3,290 children in 1,869 families. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has simultaneously published eight papers on different aspects of the 2014 OCHS results. "This is a very robust study we feel represents the situation in Canada," said Michael Boyle, co-principal investigator of the study. "That means there are more than a million Canadian children and youth with a mental health problem. This needs to be addressed." Co-principal investigator Kathy Georgiades added: "This study underscores the continued need for effective prevention and intervention programs." Explore further Surge in cannabis use among youth preceded legalization in Canada More information: Scott Patten, The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (2019). Journal information: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry Scott Patten, The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study,(2019). DOI: 10.1177/0706743719834483 Saiya Dhaliwal, 5, responded well to peanut OIT treatment. During an oral food challenge, she ate 10 peanut M&Ms without experiencing an allergic reaction. Credit: Ravinder Dhaliwal New data published this week in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice suggests that oral immunotherapy is safe for preschool-aged children with peanut allergies. The research, led by scientists and pediatric allergists at the University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, is the first to demonstrate the safety of peanut oral immunotherapy for a large group of preschool-aged children when offered as routine treatment in a hospital or clinic rather than within a clinical trial. "Although there have been many clinical trials of peanut oral immunotherapy in older children, and one trial in preschoolers, there has been a lack of real-world data due to safety concerns of offering this treatment to preschoolers outside of a research setting," said Lianne Soller, the study's lead author and allergy research manager at BC Children's Hospital. "But our findings confirm in a real-world setting that this treatment is not only safe but is well-tolerated in a large group of preschool-aged children." Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a treatment protocol in which a patient consumes small amounts of an allergenic food, such as peanut, with the dose gradually increased to a determined maximum amount. The goal typically is to reach desensitization, where a patient can ingest more of the allergenic food without triggering a dangerous reactionprotecting them in the event of accidental exposure. Patients must continue to consume a determined amount of the allergen regularly as maintenance. Preschool children likely less fearful of their food allergens Allergists from across Canada followed 270 children who were given OIT for peanut allergy from April 2017 to November 2018. Children were between the ages of nine months and five years, and all were required to have a convincing diagnosis of peanut allergy made by an allergist. Children were seen by a pediatric allergist in a community or hospital clinic approximately every two weeks, where they were fed a peanut dose that gradually increased at every visit. Parents also gave children the same daily dose at home, between clinic visits, until they reached a maintenance dose of 300 mg of peanut protein over eight to 11 clinic visits. Symptoms and treatment of allergic reactions at clinic visits and at home, including epinephrine use, were recorded in the patient's medical chart. Parents were also provided with instructions on how to manage at-home allergic reactions, when to administer epinephrine, and when to hold off on an OIT dose, such as during a severe cold or flu. Most children given OIT reached maintenance stage The researchers found that 243 children (90 per cent) reached the maintenance stage successfully, while 27 children, or 10 per cent, dropped out. Reasons for dropping out included repeated allergic reactions, the child refusing to consume the daily dose, and parental anxiety. It took an average duration of 22 weeks of oral immunotherapy for patients to reach the maintenance stage. Although nearly 68 per cent of preschoolers experienced at least one allergic reaction during the build-up phase, the researchers found the majority of reactions were mild (36.3 per cent) or moderate (31.1 per cent). Only 0.4 per cent of children experienced a severe reaction and 11 children (four per cent) received epinephrine. This study's findings build on a 2017 randomized clinical trial of 37 preschoolers receiving OIT. None of the children involved in that study experienced a severe reaction. However, the smaller study may have been too small to enable detection of a severe reaction, which the researchers believe may account for the 0.4 per cent experiencing severe reactions in this new study. "The goal of our project was to confirm the safety of preschool peanut OIT in a much larger sample of patients in the real world," said Dr. Edmond Chan, the study's senior author. "We were impressed that among over 40,000 doses of peanut that were administered, only 12 resulted in reactions requiring epinephrine." Chan, a pediatric allergist who is also the head of the division of allergy and immunology at UBC and a clinical investigator at the BC Children's Hospital, said he hopes the findings provide guidance to health-care practitioners treating preschool children in their clinics. "Many allergists do not believe OIT should be offered outside of research settings, and have not routinely offered it as a therapy for peanut allergy in their clinics due to safety concerns," he said. "We hope that our data demonstrates that the treatment is safe in preschoolers, and could be offered to families of preschool children with peanut allergy who ask for it. There appears to be a big difference in outcomes in preschoolers compared to older children." 'Having a child with serious allergies can be very socially isolating' Ravinder Dhaliwal's daughter Saiya was one of the patients offered OIT as part of this research. At 10 months old, Saiya broke out in hives when she tried peanuts for the first time. As a pediatric nurse, Dhaliwal immediately knew her daughter likely had a peanut allergy. Further testing confirmed Saiya was allergic to peanuts along with many tree nuts. Last year, Saiya received OIT for peanut allergies with Chan at BC Children's Hospital. She responded well to the treatment, even asking Chan to put her on an accelerated schedule, and he agreed because she was responding so well. "Saiya shows why OIT works so well in preschoolers," said Dhaliwal. "She's very fortunate to have never had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut, so she has no fear or anxiety. She was excited to go through the program. She'd ask me all the time, 'when can I eat a peanut butter sandwich?'" Now five years old, Saiya is also in the final stages of OIT for tree nuts, for which there is even less experience in clinical practice. "It blows my mind to think about how far we've come," said Dhaliwal. "Having a child with serious allergies can be very socially isolating. Now we can go to potlucks, we can go to restaurants, we can go to friends' houses, and we don't have to worry about accidental exposure. It's been very freeing." 'We don't have to live in fear anymore' Clementine Cheng knew her daughter Tryphaena was at a high risk for food allergies because her older child had serious allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. When Tryphaena developed hives after eating a granola bar when she was a year old, Clementine's concerns were confirmed. "I didn't have much hope," said Cheng. "I assumed she'd be allergic for the rest of her life." More than a year ago, Tryphaena, now six, started the OIT program at BC Children's Hospital and has responded well. Soon, she'll have one more test of eating a large amount of peanuts in the clinic (an oral challenge) to see if she reacts. If she doesn't, she'll be considered fully desensitized to peanuts. "It's very emotional to see your child ingesting nuts without having a reaction," said Cheng. "It's been really exciting to be able to offer her different foods without worrying about an accidental exposure. We don't have to live in fear anymore." Future goals of the research The data were collected as part of a Canada-wide collaboration between allergy researchers and community allergists called the Canadian Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy (CPP-OIT) project. The group now hopes to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of peanut OIT desensitization and sustained unresponsiveness for patients who choose to stop daily peanut OIT. Explore further Eating small amounts of peanut after immunotherapy may extend allergy treatment benefits More information: Lianne Soller et al, First Real-World Safety Analysis of Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (2019). Lianne Soller et al, First Real-World Safety Analysis of Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.04.010 A traumatic brain injury happens in an instant: a battlefield blast, a car crash, a bad fall. But the effects can last a lifetimeand can leave the survivor dependent on daily care from their loved ones for decades. Now, a new tool seeks to give a voice to those caregivers, who spend countless hours tending to the daily needs of family members whose moods, thinking and abilities seemed to change overnight. Developed by researchers from across the country who worked with hundreds of caregivers of people with TBI, it provides a new standard way to measure the physical, mental and emotional effects of caring for survivors of TBI. The researchers hope it can form the basis for a new wave of research that could inform clinical care for patients and their caregivers, as well as, caregiver training and support programs, and even caregiver reimbursement policies. They've published the results of a rigorous evaluation of the tool in a special supplement to the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and are sharing the tool on several platforms for researchers. They also hope the tool, called TBI-CareQOL Measurement System, could be useful to researchers who want to study caregivers of other patients whose "new normal" is very different from the one they had before, and isn't likely to change. Many TBI survivors suffered their injury in the prime of life, and many during service to the nation. TBI is the most common injury among service members who returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with nearly 384,000 service members and veterans affected. One-third of them, and another 90,000 civilians who sustain TBIs each year, are left with moderate to severe disability from their injury. "Caregivers of persons with TBI are underserved and overlooked," says Noelle Carlozzi, Ph.D., the University of Michigan Medical School psychologist who led the effort. "The medical system treats the patient and sends them home, but behind many of our severely injured patients are family caregivers who we don't do enough to train, support or study in a scientific way." Carlozzi heads the Center for Clinical Outcomes Development and Application, based in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center. A team effort In the new papers, she and her colleagues from Northwestern University, Wayne State University/the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center/Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Baylor College of Medicine/TIRR Memorial Hermann, and the University of Delaware lay out how they developed and tested the TBI-CareQOL tool. The team worked with 560 caregivers who took care of 344 civilians and 216 military service members or veterans who had suffered a TBI more than a year earlier. They found the caregivers through their own institutions and through outreach efforts from the Hearts of Valor caregiver support network run by the Operation Homefront nonprofit organization, and by the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. By taking time out of their already busy schedules to fill out banks of computerized questionnaires that the research team developed, the caregivers made it possible to create the new tool. The researchers also got permission to look at the medical records of the patients the caregivers were taking care of, so they could know the severity of the injury and other information. Thanks to this help, Carlozzi says, the TBI-CareQOL tool should enable a much stronger form of research on caregivers' health and quality of life. This could help bring new resources to this field of study. Capturing many measures The tool includes measures of how much of a sense of loss the caregiver feels for themselves or the loved one they're caring for, how much anxiety they feel about their ability to tend to their loved one's needs, how trapped they feel in their role as caregiver, and how much strain the daily demands of their loved one's care places on them. This latter measure includes feelings of being stressed, overwhelmed or even downtrodden by caregiver responsibilities. Carlozzi notes that in addition to these new measures, the new tool includes standard measures of health-related quality of life used to study patients with many conditions. Called PROMIS measures, they have been previously validated in other studies; the new papers validate them among caregivers of people with TBI. The team envisions that most caregivers who take part in future studies that use the TBI-CareQOL tool will do so on tablets, smartphones or computers. They've designed it so that caregivers answer questions most pertinent to them based on their answers to previous questionswhich means it takes up the shortest time possible but still gets complete information. A paper form will also be available. The computerized version will be available through Assessmentcenter.net, as well as other online data capture systems. They will also make it available through a website that the team is developing. In the meantime, paper forms are available by contacting Carlozzi. Potential uses Measuring caregivers' current state, and how it changes over time, could become part of the routine clinical care for patients with TBI, she says. How well a caregiver is faring can affect how well the patient does, for instance with therapy, medications and behavioral health issues. "We hope that in addition to the TBI-CareQOL being used for research, clinicians will adopt these measures to screen caregivers during office visits by patients with TBI, and figure out who needs additional services," she says, noting that caregivers usually attend their loved ones' appointments because patients with TBI can have trouble remembering or accurately reporting what their clinicians said or recommended. Assessing caregivers could also help fine-tune the financial, social and service support they receive from various sources. Currently, some family caregivers who have lead responsibility for caring for current and former military service members with TBI can receive compensation for their time. So can some caregivers of people injured in automobile accidents in states with no-fault auto insurance. But often these payments are not enough to provide a level of income similar to what they could receive in the workplace, even though many caregivers have to leave their jobs or cut back on their hours in order to care for a loved one with serious lasting issues from their TBI. That financial stress can often compound the emotional stress caregivers feel. In upcoming papers, Carlozzi and her colleagues will report their findings from measures related to disruption of family lifea topic that has special importance to military and veteran caregivers, who often have small children to care for at the same time they're caring for a TBI-survivor spouse. They also hope to do more to measure sleep and activity levels in caregivers. "Thanks to the efforts of all our partners, and our funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, we're glad to share this validated, rigorous tool for assessing the quality of life of caregivers of persons with TBI, which we hope will provide a much-needed understanding of their lives and opportunities to help improve their care," says Carlozzi. Explore further Caring for an older adult with cancer comes with emotional challenges for caregivers, too More information: Noelle E. Carlozzi et al, The TBI-CareQOL Measurement System: Development and Preliminary Validation of Health-Related Quality of Life Measures for Caregivers of Civilians and Service Members/Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2018). Journal information: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Noelle E. Carlozzi et al, The TBI-CareQOL Measurement System: Development and Preliminary Validation of Health-Related Quality of Life Measures for Caregivers of Civilians and Service Members/Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.08.175 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Plague is an endemic disease in Madagascar. Each year, there is a seasonal upsurge between September and April, especially in the Central Highlands, which stand at an elevation of more than 800m. In 2017, an unprecedented pneumonic plague outbreak hit the main island, primarily affecting the capital Antananarivo and the main port city of Toamasina. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, in collaboration with the Malagasy Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization and international experts, have described the scale and transmission dynamics of the 2017 pneumonic plague outbreak in Madagascar. The scientists' analysis reveals a dominance of the pneumonic form, which represents 78 percent of the 2,414 reported suspected clinical cases. The number of confirmed or probable cases of pneumonic plague doubled on average every five days after the initial stage of the outbreak. The results of the study were published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on March 28, 2019. Plague, considered in other countries as a disease of the past, is endemic in Madagascar, with 75 percent of the world's cases of plague reported to WHO occurring in the country. Every year Madagascar records between 200 and 700 suspected clinical cases, mainly of bubonic plague. From September to April each year there is a seasonal upsurge in this zoonosis, which primarily affects rural areas of the Central Highlands at an elevation of more than 800m. Between August and November 2017, an urban outbreak of pneumonic plague was declared. This outbreak can be traced to a patient who died of respiratory distress while traveling by bush taxi from the Central Highlands to the port of Toamasina on the eastern coast. The outbreak was unusual in its scale (nearly 2,500 reported or suspected cases), the date on which it began and its geographical distributionit primarily affected two cities, the capital Antananarivo and the port city of Toamasina. Madagascar's National Plague Control Program requires every suspected clinical case of plague to be reported to the Ministry of Public Health's Central Plague Laboratory (LCP, hosted at the Antananarivo-based Institut Pasteur de Madagascar), where all the clinical and epidemiological information is recorded. The LCP is also where suspected cases of plague are confirmed by laboratory tests. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar and the Institut Pasteur in Paris and their colleagues investigated the epidemiological and sociodemographic details, clinical characteristics and fatality of the cases reported between August 1 and November 26, 2017 (the official end date of the pneumonic plague outbreak). During this predominantly urban outbreak, 2,414 suspected clinical cases were reported, a quarter of which were classified as confirmed or probable cases of plague. The majority of reported cases, 78 percent, were of the pneumonic form of plague. The number of confirmed or probable cases of pneumonic plague doubled on average every 5 days between September 13 and October 9, 2017. The fatality rate was higher for confirmed cases of pneumonic plague (25 percent - 8/32) and bubonic plague (24 percent - 16/66). The capital city, Antananarivo, and the main port on the island, Toamasina, were most affected by the pneumonic plague outbreak. An outbreak of this scale had not been seen in Madagascar for 20 years. Several challenges were successfully dealt with, not only in terms of the response from the country's health authorities and the activities carried out by the LCP, but also with regard to the management and analysis of epidemiological data by the teams at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar. Overall, this outbreak highlighted the risks of reemergence and rapid spread of pneumonic plague in urban areas. Important lessons were learned in terms of clinical and biological diagnosis, case definition, surveillance and delivering a coordinated response, and these will serve as a valuable basis to improve the investigation and response during future outbreaks in Madagascar or elsewhere in the world. Explore further Seasonal plague kills two more in Madagascar More information: Rindra Randremanana et al, Epidemiological characteristics of an urban plague epidemic in Madagascar, AugustNovember, 2017: an outbreak report, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2019). Journal information: Lancet Infectious Diseases Rindra Randremanana et al, Epidemiological characteristics of an urban plague epidemic in Madagascar, AugustNovember, 2017: an outbreak report,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30730-8 The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Paul Black (left) and Concetta DiRusso have co-authored a new study that could improve the treatment of malignant tumors. Led by researchers from the Wistar Institute, the team identified a protein that maliciously rewires immune cells and impedes cancer therapies. Inhibiting that protein with a compound developed by DiRusso's lab helped slow or even reject tumors associated with four different cancers. Credit: Craig Chandler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Locking a biochemical gate that admits fuel into immune-suppressing cells could slow tumor progression and assist the treatment of multiple cancers, says new research from the Wistar Institute, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and others. Published April 17 in the journal Nature, the study found elevated levels of fatty acid transporter protein 2, or FATP2, in a type of cell known to muffle immune responses and impede cancer therapies. After isolating tumorous cells from humans and mice, the researchers also discovered substantially higher numbers of an energy-granting lipid that FATP2 helps produce and traffic into cells. Collectively, the study's findings implicate FATP2 in maliciously rewiring the body's most common white blood cells, which otherwise act as first responders in fighting infections. When the researchers knocked out a gene linked to FATP2, they found that the tumors of several cancerslymphoma, lung carcinoma, colon carcinoma and pancreatic cancergrew markedly slower in mice. Administering the FATP2-inhibiting compound Lipofermataidentified by Nebraska's Concetta DiRusso in the mid-2000slikewise helped slow and even reject tumors when paired with a drug that disrupts cellular replication. The study suggests that targeting FATP2 in the immune-suppressing cells could block the resulting buildup of lipids and mitigate tumor progression without significant side effects, the team said. "I think the unique thing, and why this will cause some excitement, is that this is not specific to one cancer," said DiRusso, a study co-author and George Holmes University Professor of biochemistry. "Being able to target some of the cells that are common to different cancers is something that's highly desired. "It doesn't wipe (tumors) out totally, but it's a piece of the picture. We're now more interested in combination therapy. It's not one target but (instead) targeting in multiple ways, because cancer is smart. Cancer finds a way around our best drugs, which is why these combinations of drugs are so powerful and, we expect, more effective." The Wistar Institute's Dmitry Gabrilovich and colleagues first noticed an uptick of FATP2 in solid tumors several years ago. Their observation prompted Gabrilovich to contact Nebraska biochemist Paul Black, who has studied the fundamentals of how fat molecules cross cellular membranes. The Black Lab's early research in yeast identified a gene segment and associated protein that activate and carry fatty acids into cells, where they get metabolized for energy or embedded into membranes. That protein? FATP2. "If you've got a gate sitting on the membrane that controls the amount of fat that gets in, and then you start screwing around with that gate, it's going to impact things downstream," said Black, Charles Bessey Professor and chair of biochemistry. "And if a cancer cell needs to be fed lipid so it can undergo metastasis and really become a nasty disease, it has to up-regulate that protein. So this gate is playing a very pivotal role in all of these metabolic systems." Black's prior research also helped determine that there were two genetic variants of FATP2: one to prime fatty acids for metabolism, another to actually transport them across cellular membranes. That important distinction informed the efforts of DiRusso's lab, which screened more than 100,000 anti-FATP2 compound candidates to suss out which might help combat obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The blue-ribbon candidate, Lipofermata, essentially eliminates fat accumulation in tissue cultures and reduces the absorption of lipids in mice by more than 60 percentleading DiRusso to patent the drug's use in treating metabolic diseases. So when Black was contacted by Gabrilovich, he quickly touched base with DiRusso. The duo ultimately supplied Gabrilovich with the biochemical insights, samples and Lipofermata needed to carry out his team's experiments. "Whether it be cancer biology or diabetes or whatever you're going after in this biomedical world, you can't do it by yourself anymore," Black said. "Long gone are the days where we can just sit up and be a little silo somewhere, just doing our own things. Some of our early mechanistic work was done that way, but the work (now) is far too complicated. It's just a ton of information. "We don't know the full story yet, but the data that's coming out is going to really drive this stuff forward very, very quickly." Explore further Tapeworm drug targets common vulnerability in tumor cells More information: Fatty acid transporter 2 reprograms neutrophils in cancer, Nature (2019). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1118-2 Journal information: Nature Fatty acid transporter 2 reprograms neutrophils in cancer,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1118-2 "Clubbing" of the fingers is a classic features of Cystic Fibrosis, although not present in many patients. Credit: Jerry Nick, M.D./ Wikipedia Chronic bacterial infections in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients are worsened by a previously unappreciated biological agent: a group of viruses that infect the bacteria. The viruses form a biofilm that sequesters antibiotics away from bacteria, potentially contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in CF patients' lungs, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found. A paper describing the study, which involved 110 children and adults with CF, will appear April 17 in Science Translational Medicine. It is the first to explore how filamentous phages, which are stringy bacteria-attacking viruses, can contribute to lung disease. Understanding how the viruses work could lead to better CF therapies. "Phages haven't been thought of as pathogens that affect humans," said lead author Elizabeth Burgener, MD, an instructor of pediatrics at Stanford. "This is a whole new paradigm of thinking about them." The study's co-senior authors are Paul Bollyky, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology, and Carlos Milla, MD, professor of pediatrics. Milla and Burgener are pediatric pulmonologists at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, where they treat CF patients. Because phages infect only bacterial cells, scientists have assumed that the viruses do not act on human health. The new study's findings contradict this assumption: CF patients with phage-infected bacteria in their lungs fared worse than those with uninfected lung bacteria. "We saw that phage infection of the lung bacteria is associated with more antibiotic resistance in patients," Burgener said. Scientists have struggled to understand how an aggressive bacterial species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, persists in the lungs of CF patients who are receiving antibiotics, she added. "We think the virus is helping Pseudomonas to establish chronic infection in CF patients' lungs and potentially making patients sicker over time." Sticky substances Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the lungs to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus. Over time, patients tend to develop chronic bacterial infections, which can lead to respiratory failure and death. By adulthood, the lungs of about half of CF patients are infected with Pseudomonas. The infection is linked to worsened prognosis. "When somebody first grows Pseudomonas, we try to eradicate it with antibiotics," Burgener said. Patients inhale high doses of antibiotics directly into their lungs. But the bacteria often keep growing. To see how the phages and bacteria might work together, the researchers took advantage of a quirk of the biology of filamentous phages: When these phages infect the bacteria, they do not kill them; rather, the still-living bacteria incorporate the phage DNA into their own DNA and begin churning out lots of viral particles. The researchers looked at genetic analyses of Pseudomonas bacteria from the lungs of 34 CF patients in Denmark. The patients had had their bacterial DNA sequenced repeatedly over time, allowing the researchers to see whether phage DNA had been persistently incorporated into the bacterial genomes. Patients were more likely to develop consistent phage infections as they got older, supporting the idea that the virus-infected bacteria come to dominate CF patients' lungs over time. The average age of patients without the phages was 13, while the average age of phage-infected patients was 19. Burgener and her colleagues also collected sputum samples from 76 people with CF, both adults and children, who were receiving treatment at Stanford. The team tested the sputum for genetic signatures from Pseudomonas and filamentous phages and found that 58 people had Pseudomonas infection. The researchers studied information from the patients' medical records on lung function, what bacteria had been growing in their lungs over time and other health indicators. Among the Stanford patients, carrying phage-infected Pseudomonas was more common as patients got older. Phage-infected Pseudomonas bacteria were more likely than bacteria without the virus to be resistant to three antibiotics commonly used to treat CFaztreonam, amikacin and meropenembut not to another antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. "The thing that really stood out was that patients with phage and Pseudomonas had significantly more antibiotic resistance than patients that didn't have phage," Burgener said. How does antibiotic resistance happen? The researchers previously showed that phage particles glom together into a liquid-crystal structure, a slimy biofilm, which grabs onto antibiotic molecules. In the new study, they tested whether this could prevent antibiotics from diffusing to bacteria. The phage biofilm sequestered aztreonam, amikacin and meropenem away from bacteria, the team showed. "We think the biofilm is protecting Pseudomonas," Burgener said. As the biofilm sequesters antibiotics, the bacteria sees sub-therapeutic levels of the drugs, allowing individual drug-resistant bacteria to grow and gradually take over in the lung. The researchers think the physical properties of the different types of antibiotic moleculessuch as whether the drugs have charged or neutral surfacesmay explain why some antibiotics get stuck in the phage biofilm and others do not. "If we're able to confirm these results, it may affect how we choose antibiotic therapy for patients who have CF and Pseudomonas," Burgener said. The next step is to understand how CF patients' bodies respond to the phages, Burgener said, adding, "It's shocking how much effect the phages have on the host immune system." Bollyky recently led another study that suggests it may be possible to vaccinate against the phage. "Ideally, we'd be able to give a vaccine to CF patients when they're young," Burgener said. "Hopefully we can prevent Pseudomonas infection." Explore further Phage therapy shown to kill drug-resistant superbug More information: E.B. Burgener el al., "Filamentous bacteriophages are associated with chronic Pseudomonas lung infections and antibiotic resistance in cystic fibrosis," Science Translational Medicine (2019). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine E.B. Burgener el al., "Filamentous bacteriophages are associated with chronic Pseudomonas lung infections and antibiotic resistance in cystic fibrosis,"(2019). stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/ scitranslmed.aau9748 The retail giant Amazon was one of the first online companies to start collecting sales tax in Florida five years ago. Now, Florida lawmakers want Amazons competitors to catch up. A potential Senate tax package ( Senate Bill 1112 ) would require nearly all online retailers start collecting Florida sales taxes, netting the state roughly $700 million in revenue it currently doesnt collect. But much of the money would be given away by other tax breaks. Currently, Floridians who buy products from sites like Wayfair, Etsy and Amazons third-party sellers usually dont pay Floridas 6 percent sales tax. Instead, Floridians are supposed to pay the sales tax directly to the state, which they usually dont do. Were making our average, everyday citizens guilty of not paying their taxes, Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, who is sponsoring the bill, said Tuesday, before it passed its second committee. Requiring nearly all online retailers collect the tax would fix the problem. But Gruters, who is also chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is careful not to call it a tax increase. Some people say this is a tax increase, he told fellow senators on Tuesday. Its not. Its a tax thats currently owed. The idea is in response to a Supreme Court ruling last year that threw out the idea that a company had to have a physical presence in a state before the state could require it to collect sales taxes. It would net an estimated $700 million for the state, according to Gruters. Online companies that sell at least 200 items or $100,000 worth of items in Florida would have to collect the tax. But under Gruters bill, much of the money would be given away through a slew of tax cuts, including: Cutting the tax on rent for commercial properties from 5.7 percent to 3.5 percent, eliminating the ad valorem tax on heavy equipment rented by a dealer, creating a 14-day sales tax holiday for disaster preparedness supplies, and providing a tax cut to insurers that cover remote visits with doctors, known as telehealth." Just how much of the $700 million would make it into state and local coffers is unclear, though. The bill still has another committee stop to go before making it to the Senate floor. Michael-in-Norfolk disclaims any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, reliability, operability, or availability of information or material displayed on this site and does not claim credit for any images or articles featured on this site, unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies, and Michael-in-Norfolk does not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the images or articles, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact Michael-in-Norfolk via e-mail and they will be promptly removed. Michael-in-Norfolk contains links to other Internet sites. These links are provided solely as a convenience and are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information or content in such site has been endorsed or approved by this blog. 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 mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog with posts about random eating places in and around San Diego and the world. Today's post is in San Diego. It's written by Cathy. On one of those rainy days earlier this year, a client and I decided to meet at Charlie's Best Bread (instead of the usual Starbucks) in Pacific Beach. I hadn't been here since the 'expansion'. In 2011, I had posted about a second Charlie's Best Bread location in Point Loma, which has since closed and is currently Point Loma Fish Shop. This is the same location in the mall on Garnet between Lamont and Kendall as has been for more than 30 years...but it used to just be a small walk up joint where you could get a sample, order and pay and go. Now, you can walk in, see displays, still get samples AND you can have a seat, some artisan (Cafe Moto) coffee and... order one of the sandwiches or toasts, displayed behind the glass there and enjoy yourself and a quick meeting with a friend. On this visit I did grab a loaf of raisin cHalla to go (it's Challah; a 1.8 lb loaf ($8)). This Jewish egg bread is always a favorite for The Mister and I at home; just with butter, sometimes toasted and occasionally made into French toast. One of the sandwiches this day was turkey, on a (fresh baked) ciabatta loaf ($6.75). A good quality turkey, Swiss, arugula, tomato, avocado and spicy aioli was just the right size and combination of flavors to satisfy. I brought half home for The Mister and we will be going back soon. Charlie's Best Bread 1808 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109 Open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 8-7 Website " " If you love to travel and write, you're in luck. Travel writing is an important aspect of journalism and readers are waiting to hear your thoughts on Madagascar, Thailand and more. AdamRadosavljevic/Thinkstock Cocktails by the pool, living it up in luxurious tropical resorts, seeing some of the world's most popular sites, and getting paid for it what's not to love? Of course, the real life of a travel writer looks nothing like the image you probably have in your mind, and the competition for even the smallest gig is much tougher than you could possibly imagine. That doesn't mean it's impossible someone has to write those travel guides and online reviews that people use to plan their trips but getting paid to do it will require a serious commitment on your part. First and foremost, know that the field of travel writing is largely a world of freelancing, which means taking on a contract for a single article, book or review. You probably won't have any of the standard benefits that come with a 9-to-5 job, and don't expect any consistency either you might be able to scrounge up quite a few gigs one month, only to find yourself pinching pennies the next month as you scramble to find your next assignment. Advertisement Still think this is the job for you? Many well-known travel writers recommend becoming both a traveler and a writer before attempting to do both at the same time. Rick Steves spent six summers bumming around Europe before he ever made a dime from travel writing. He spent this time building the interpersonal, budgeting and traveling skills required for success in the field. Seth Kugel, who arguably has one of the most recognized travel writing gigs on the planet as The New York Times' Frugal Traveler, still says that he considers himself a writer who travels, not necessarily a travel writer. Even budget travel books still strive to find the most well-traveled people they can when hiring for new publications. As you add stamps to your passport, practice your writing. Try building a blog or website to showcase your work and fine-tune your craft you never know who will read it and offer you work. Lonely Planet writer and former editor Alex Leviton suggests finding an underserved niche he got his job thanks to his website, where he wrote about travel in Afghanistan. When you think your traveling and writing skills are up to snuff, reach out to publications that may pay for your work. Try travel sites, guidebooks, magazines and newspapers. Writer and editor Katka Lapelosova from the Matador Network suggests emphasizing what you can do to help the publication grow or meet its goals ask for its editorial calendar and see where you can provide the perfect piece. Lonely Planet editor Sam Sellers suggests simply submitting samples it's how he got his travel writing gig and anyone is welcome to do it. The downloading and distribution of pirated software is a global phenomenon, but it is particularly prevalent in African countries such as Botswana, Kenya, and South Africa. Downloading pirated software in South Africa can not only expose you to legal repercussions, but can also harm economic investment and cost more in the long run, according to Tarsus Distribution Dell and Microsoft general manager Justine Louw. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) Global Software Survey for 2016 shows that Sub-Saharan African countries such as Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe have unlicensed software installation rates of 75% and above. This means that around one in four pieces of commercial software in use is fully compliant and licensed, with the rest being pirated or unlicensed. In some cases, software is unlicensed because end-users knowingly copy an application from a friend or colleague without paying for a licence, or download it from a free site on the Internet, Louw said. In other cases, users are not aware their software is unlicensed until they need technical support or a software update. Louw added that some resellers might copy the software and sell it as the original product with convincing counterfeit packaging, or load unlicensed software onto a clients PC without mentioning that it is unlicensed. Risks of piracy Louw said that South Africans should avoid counterfeit software for a number of reasons, not least of which is the illegal nature of the practice. In most parts of the world, software piracy is illegal and users who knowingly or unknowingly make use of unlicensed software can be subjected to fines and other penalties, Louw said. She added that counterfeit software also has a high risk of containing malicious tools like spyware, viruses, and other malware. Often, criminals distribute malware-infested software with the goal of using it to gain access to a victims computer, so that they can steal their data or identity, Louw said. A software license not only allows you to use an application legally, but it also buys you support from the original vendor or official reseller. You can call or email someone for help if you run into a technical issue or simply need some assistance using the software, Louw said. You will usually be able to get the latest feature updates and security patches, and youll have access to instructions and other official resources from the software vendor. That, in turn, allows you to get the most from your software. Users with unlicensed software are often left with no support or authority to turn to for technical assistance. Long-term problems Louw said that using pirated software could reduce economic investment in countries like South Africa, with software vendors becoming discouraged from investing in the country due to being deprived of revenues. It also harms the bottom line of local tech businesses, like official resellers and distributors, and denies government tax revenues, Louw said. In turn, this harms job creation in the IT industry, discourages investment in localising software for the market, reduces choice and competition, and takes money out of the economy that could fuel growth. Using pirated software can also be more expensive than buying an official product if the user runs into technical problems due to bundled malware. Far from being the cheaper option, using counterfeit or pirated software can be the more expensive choice in the longer term, Louw said. In addition to the legal and reputational risks, fixing serious problems caused by counterfeit software (such as malware or downtime) can be expensive and time-consuming. The lost productivity alone can be costlier to the business than the cost of legitimate software licence, she added. The incoming Cybercrimes Bill is another threat to pirates in South Africa, as it aims to crack down further on the distribution of unlicensed software. Once passed into law, the Bill could require ISPs to report instances of piracy by clients to the relevant authorities and could face fines if they are aware of piracy and do not report it. The new legislation also includes provisions which provide for a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment for cybercrimes. The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) issued a report last year portraying the digital banking crime landscape in South Africa. The statistics noted that the number of digital banking crime incidents had increased signifcantly, with SIM swop fraud more than doubling over the course of a single year. If this trend continues this year, it would mean that a great deal more South Africans would lose money to online scams, SIM swop fraud, and other attacks. Criminals have also increasingly begun relying on social engineering to compromise user credentials as the level of security at major institutions has increased. The selection of weapons at an online attackers disposal is quite varied, and we asked SABRIC what attacks South Africans should look out for in 2019 and how they should defend themselves. SABRIC CEO Kalyani Pillay told MyBroadband that the organisation urges its clients to protect against a variety of attacks by practicing good online security habits and remaining aware of possible scams. A summary of common and potentially dangerous attacks is listed below, along with tips on how to combat them. Phishing, Vishing & SMishing These attacks try to trick users into giving up sensitive information such as online banking login details or other data through email, cellphone, or SMS requests. Many of these are easy to spot as scams, but others can be far more convincing. Pillay recommends that users never click on icons in unsolicited emails and delete them immediately. Do not believe the content of unsolicited emails blindly. If you are concerned about what is being alleged in the email, use your own contact details to contact the sender and confirm, Pillay said. Users should also always type out the URL or domain name for your bank in the address bar of your internet browser if you need to access your banks website, and to make sure that you are not on a spoof site, you can also click on the security icon in your browser tool bar to see that the URL begins with https rather than http. If you receive an OTP on your phone without having transacted yourself, it was likely prompted by a fraudster using your personal information, Pillay said. Do not provide the OTP telephonically to anybody. Contact your bank immediately to alert them to the possibility that your information may have been compromised. Banks will never ask you to confirm your confidential information over the phone. SIM Swops SIM swop fraud is when an attacker gains access to your number by impersonating you to a mobile operator and fraudulently performing a SIM swop operation. This allows them to receive OTP notifications from various platforms, and the only warning you will usually receive is a sudden loss of reception. If reception on your cell phone is lost, immediately check what the problem could be, as you could have been a victim of an illegal SIM swop on your number, Pillay warned. If confirmed, notify your bank immediately. She added that users should inform their bank should their cell phone number change so that their contact number is updated on its systems. Register for your Banks cell phone notification service and receive electronic messages relating to activities or transactions on your accounts as and when they occur, Pillay advised. Regularly verify whether the details received from cell phone notifications are correct and according to the recent activity on your account. Users should memorise their PIN and passwords and never write them down anywhere, she added. Change of Bank Details This is a devious type of attack which can be devastating to businesses. Attackers use a method such as email spoofing to assume the identity of a receiving party in a business transaction and convince a user making a payment to send the money to them instead of the real recipient. This can be conducted as a man-in-the-middle attack or just a legitimate-looking notification that a payees payment details have changed. Ensure that you confirm any change of banking details with someone you usually deal with at the organisation before making any changes to beneficiary accounts, Pillay said. When calling the organisation to confirm the changes to banking details, use a number from the telephone directory and not the number on the letterhead or email as you will most likely be calling the fraudster. Pillay added that staff responsible for paying invoices should be instructed in the potential dangers of this scam and made aware of the consequences. Ensure that your companys private information is not disclosed to third parties who are not entitled to receive it, or third parties whose identities cannot be rightfully verified, Pillay said. Rather shred your business and suppliers invoices or any communication material that may contain letterheads, than to discard in rubbish bins. Email Hacking This type of attack is relatively self-explanatory and comprises of an attacker somehow gaining access to your email account. This can be done through malware, viruses, or exploitation of data breaches and bad password security. An email account can be valuable to gain access to a users bank account, to verify online banking login attempts, or even to reset the users password. If you are targeted by this attack, you may have to do some serious damage control by contacting all email recipients who were spammed by your hacked mailbox and advising them that these communications were not legitimate. Pillay said that you should use different and strong passwords for each account and each should be at least six characters long and a combination of letters, numbers and capitals/lowercase. Set up several email addresses. Use your original email address for personal or business communication as youd normally do and use an alternative email address to communicate with your service provider, since many now ask for a different address for added protection, Pillay said. Then, use yet another email address for registering for websites, newsletters, online shopping and other services. In this way, the risk of a possible compromise is spread. Never list your main email address publicly anywhere online in forums, in online advertisements, on blogs, social media or any place where it can be harvested by spammers, she added. Use a separate email address for the internet which is not linked to your personal or business email account. Now read: Powerful spyware targets iPhone and Android users Angola Cables has launched its data centre in Fortaleza, Brazil, opening a South American hub for its undersea cables connecting Africa and the Americas. The new data centre is the second of the companys AngoNAP units, the first being in Angola. Its Fortaleza data centre will have an IT area of three thousand square metres and a total power capacity of 12.5 megavolt-ampere. This capacity will be built in five phases, as space in the data centre is sold. Angola Cables said the data centre is the result of a partnership between Angola Cables and the government of Ceara, one of Brazils 27 states, located in the north-east of the country. The objective of this partnership with the municipal government is, in a few years, to make Fortaleza one of the main technological and telecommunications hubs in Brazil, said Angola Cables CEO Antonio Nunes. Founded in Luanda, Angola in 2009, Angola Cables is a telecommunications company that specialises in operating submarine fibre optic cables for data and voice services. With a staff complement of 100 employees, Angola Cables is the result of the Angolan governments desire to put the country on the map of international telecommunications. Angola Cables is a consortium formed by the five largest telecommunications operators in Angola, with state-owned Angola Telecom the main shareholder. Its South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) connects Sangano in Angola to Fortaleza in Brazil, and it launched commercial services in September 2018. Sangono, in turn, is connected to South Africa via several undersea cables. Angola Cables also has a stake in the West Atlantic Cable System (WACS), which has landing points in Angola and Yzerfontein in the Western Cape. In addition to landing in 11 African countries, WACS also lands in Las Palmas (Spain), Seixal (Portugal), and Highbridge (UK). From Fortaleza, Angola Cables offers a route to North America via the MONET consortium cable, in which it has a stake. Other investors include Google, Antel (Uruguay), and Algar Telecom (Brazil). Angola Cables has access to two of the six fibre pairs on MONET. Points of presence Since starting construction on SACS and MONET, Angola Cables has opened points of presence in South Africa and is peering at Teracos NAPAfrica Internet exchange points. Specialist fibre Internet service provider Cool Ideas has already started using capacity on SACS, and traceroutes to Fortaleza in Brazil and Miami in the United States reveal that the cable offers much lower latencies than the alternatives. On the West Africa Cable System (WACS), pings to Brazil from South Africa measured 223ms. On SACS, traffic between the same locations had a latency of 116ms. Between South Africa and Miami the latency on WACS is 265ms, while on SACS it is 222ms. Angola Cables said that the cable will also contribute to reductions in data traffic costs between South America and Africa. Angola Cables Systems MONET SACS Length 10,556km 6,500km Fibre pairs 6 4 Wavelengths per fibre pair 100 100 Capacity per wavelength 100Gbps 100Gbps Design capacity 60Tbps 40Tbps Supplier NEC TE SubCom Finish date Mid-2017 Mid-2018 Ownership Angola Cables Angola Cables Algar Telecoms ANTEL Google Landing points Santos (Brazil) Fortaleza (Brazil) Fortaleza (Brazil) Sangano (Angola) Miami (US) Jan Vermeulen is a guest of Angola Cables in Fortaleza, Brazil. Two Cape Town police officers have illustrated that eating hot cross buns can increase your breath alcohol results. In the video, an officer blows into the breathalyser and is shown to have a reading of 0.00mg indicating that there is no alcohol in his system. However, after eating a hot cross bun, the officers breathalyser reading is shown as 0.21mg, just below the ordinary legal limit of 0.24mg. Speaking to BusinessTech, Justice Project South Africa chair Howard Dembovsky said that this reading is actually well over the professional driver limit of 0.10mg and could lead to possible jail time. He added that this is a well-known issue, and that he had been presenting on the flaws of these types of handheld breath alcohol screener systems for several years. People dont realise that these systems are not of evidential quality and that they detect mouth alcohol as breath alcohol, he said. This particular Drager model is used at roadblocks. The proper evidential breath testing equipment costs twice the amount and is a massive machine. Dembovsky warned that this is not the only fault with this type of machine and that some people may be prejudiced if they consume foods that deliver naturally higher ethanol levels which could set off these systems. When faced with these machines, Dembovsky offered the following two tips: If you have eaten garlic, dont spray breath-freshener in your mouth as it makes the machines go haywire; If you have been eating food that you suspect has alcohol in it, keep a bottle of water in your car to wash your mouth out before taking the test. New system Minister of Transport, Blade Nzimande, launched the 2019 Easter road safety campaign on Monday (8 April) at an event in KwaZulu-Natal. As part of the launch, Nzimande demonstrated the new Evidential Breathalyser Alcohol Test (EBAT) system which will begin being implemented on the countrys roads. First launched by the Western Cape in 2016, the system aims to combat drunk driving by providing immediate, accurate information on a drivers intoxication level. Speaking to BusinessTech, Department of Transport spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, said that the new system is a keystone of the Easter campaign with mobile EBAT offices being rolled out from now until the end of October. Mnisi said that the department already had four centres in place including one in KZN and the Western Cape, and two in Gauteng with plans to open one in every province going forward. Because the results of an EBAT test are instant the case can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Below is a brief outline of how it works: The EBAT system uses a machine that can read the amount of alcohol in a persons breath; When tested, two breath samples must be taken. If the lower of the two EBAT test results is not less than 0,24 mg of alcohol per 1,000 ml of breath, the driver will be charged; The instrument will be fitted with a temperature sensor in the hose to regulate the exhaling breath of the subject.; It is called evidentiary as the reading can be produced as evidence to prosecute people accused of drinking and driving. The results are immediate; This machine, the people who operate it, and the location it operates in, must all pass a very specific and demanding set of tests in order to be used to prosecute suspects. Now read: New breathalyser means drunk drivers in South Africa can be arrested immediately Covid-19: This is not the right ... Half of all moviegoers are women, but only four of the 100 top-grossing films of 2018 were directed by women. Lunafest is a nonprofit traveling film festival that tackles that under-representation head-on by highlighting short films directed by talented women who lack the funding and connections they need to make their mark in Hollywood. Lunafest returns to Napa at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center, 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway. Tickets are $55 ($20 for students) and benefit the event host, Soroptimist International of St. Helena Sunrise, and two other nonprofit beneficiaries, Girls on the Run Napa & Solano and NEWS Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Services. Soroptimist started hosting Lunafest 10 years ago at the urging of new member Edie Kausch. She proposed it as a fundraiser to replace the annual Soroptimist crab feed, which by then was being organized solely by the citys other Soroptimist club. The Sunrise clubs first Lunafest, held at the Cameo Cinema, drew only 30 people, but attendance grew steadily to as many as 340 people when the festival was being held at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville. Kit Crawford of Clif Bar was the driving force behind Lunafest, which was established in 2000 and named after the companys Luna bar, the first nutritional bar intended specifically for women. Lunafest promotes womens stories and voices in film. The careers of women directors often never progress past the short film stage, and Lunafest is intended to give them the exposure and buzz they need to progress to feature-length films. Lunafest also enables local nonprofits oriented toward women to raise money through its fundraiser in a box model, said Suzy Starke German, national program manager for Lunafest. The brand was there to lift up women from the beginning, Starke German said. Lunafest now includes 180 screenings per year around the country. This years festival is 85 minutes and includes eight films. Last years Lunafest, the first held at Napa Valley College, was the clubs most lucrative yet, said Maggie Friedrich of Soroptimist Sunrise. At 267 people, attendance was down from the festivals Lincoln Theater days, but lower overhead enabled Soroptimist, Girls on the Run Napa & Solano and NEWS to raise more than $5,000 apiece. Under Lunafests latest fundraising model, local hosts keep all the proceeds from their events and pay registration fees to Lunafest, which in turn donates to Chicken & Egg Pictures, a nonprofit that mentors and provides financial support to female nonfiction filmmakers. This years eight featured films, ranging from three to 17 minutes in length, were selected from about 1,200 submissions. The longest film, War Paint, is about a girl who learns what it means to be young, black and female in South Central Los Angeles. While fictional, its depiction of racism and sexism was inspired by director Katrelle N. Kindreds own experience growing up in South Central. The film has a good message, but its drawn some controversy from people who said it perpetuates stereotypes about South Central, Starke German said. However, festival organizers have defended the film because it reflects the viewpoint of a director who grew up under similar circumstances. This is (Kindreds) story, and we have the platform to help her share that story, Starke German said. For the first time this year, each featured director will give a taped introduction to their film. Friedrich said the introductions are helpful. First, you get to see them, because you dont ordinarily see a director, Friedrich said. And then they tell you why they made their film. It gives them credit and recognition for creating these wonderful films, but it also helps you as an audience member digest that this is their perspective, Starke German said. It also leaves you wanting to know a little more of their story as a filmmaker. The films are unrated, but some feature graphic imagery and mature themes. Starke German assigned the festival an informal rating of PG-16 so that parents can make up their own minds about whether to bring their teens. We want parents and guardians to be prepared to talk about these films with their children, Starke German said. After last years record-setting numbers, there are signs that the 2019 Lunafest will be a success. Its already generated $7,750 in cash sponsorships, as well as in-kind contributions from presenting sponsors Clif Family Winery, which is providing wine, and Tre Posti, which is providing appetizers and dessert bites. There will also be a 10-lot silent auction put together by Soroptimist members Holly Mason and Janet Todd. For tickets and more information, go to lunafest.org and look for the Napa screening or go to eventbrite.com. 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. St. Helenas updated General Plan has cleared its last hurdle before heading to the City Council for adoption. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to recommend that the council adopt the revised plan, which is 12 years in the making. The council could review the plan as soon as May 14. The commission recommended adoption of a previous draft back in 2010, but the City Council decided to table it in order to work out some water-related issues. After almost nine years of rewriting, updating and wordsmithing, theres a new push to adopt the plan as soon as possible and fix its flaws through the amendment process. Commission Chair Lester Hardy proposed that the commission revisit the plan in a few months. We need to get this on to the City Council, agreed Commissioner Bobbi Monnette. We can parse it later. The whole commission agreed with that approach, acknowledging that the plan isnt perfect. This thing has bounced around so much that its definitely developed some rough edges, said Commissioner John Ponte. Some of it is so old that yes, it meets code, but it may not be relevant to whats going on now. The commission endorsed the plan with the same changes it discussed at a March 20 hearing. The most significant edits call for extending Oak Avenue over Sulphur Creek and eliminating a proposal to rezone several residential parcels on Church Street to Mixed Use or convert them to parking. 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. The opposition to the rent stabilization ordinance (Measure F) is being paid for by a statewide political action committee (PAC) located in Sacramento. This statewide PAC paid $12,178.85 to gather signatures for the referendum petition in St. Helena within weeks of the City Council passing the ordinance. This wasnt a local volunteer effort to get the referendum petition on the ballot for a special election. Some people opposing Measure F would like you to believe they received a grant to gather signatures. There was no grant. What happened was a direct payment by the statewide PAC to gather signatures to qualify the referendum petition. This PAC spent more than $24 per signature trying to overturn a municipal ordinance designed to protect senior housing in St. Helena. Thats a lot more than has been spent elsewhere to gather signatures. In 2016 the average cost-per-required signature statewide was $6.20. The highest cost-per-required signature that year was $11.31 for a single measure. This was hardly a local volunteer effort and the outside PAC was willing to spend a lot of money to get it on the ballot. You may have seen the Save Our St. Helena, No on Measure F signs and thought someone from St. Helena paid for those signs. Take a closer look. Immediately under the title is Ad paid for by Save Our St. Helena, No on F, a project of Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association. Who is the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association? Well, theyre an organization of mobile home park owners looking to improve the business climate for themselves. That Association is located in Sacramento and not St. Helena. They have a statewide PAC, which has the stated purpose of protecting their own property rights. They arent at all interested in protecting the interests or rights of the seniors living in our St. Helena. So what does this all mean? It means an outside statewide PAC is actively working to hijack our local election and governmental processes. Working on behalf of the interests of the mobile home park owner, last month the Association created another PAC focused specifically on overturning our rent stabilization ordinance, dropping $49,000 into the new PAC and then having the audacity to call it Save Our St.Helena, No on F. Apparently, the PAC is also paying Tom Vences legal expenses while he sues the city and while he works for the owner of the mobile home park. We believe theyre willing to spend a lot more money to take over our election. As of the last financial reports filed with the state, this outside Association still has another $339,518.62 in cash available to them to spend. The problem here, of course, is its more Sacramento money trying to tell St. Helena voters what to do. To make things worse, this newly formed PAC failed to file the required documents with the City of St. Helena, as if St. Helena really was an afterthought and not worth their effort. But this isnt the first time the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association stepped in to try to stop local communities from trying to protect their seniors with rent stabilization ordinances. Theyve tried to crush these efforts in other towns, particularly those that are smaller and in more rural communities. Perhaps they think we arent sophisticated enough to figure out what theyre doing. Their campaign strategy is built on misinformation and deceit. No on F refused to participate in a League of Women Voters forum on Measure F, killing the opportunity for St. Helena voters to question both sides in a neutral forum. Their ballot arguments against Measure F are misleading and, in some instances, absolutely false. Anyone who actually reads the ordinance would know their statement saying residents cannot opt in or out, is untrue when the ordinance itself requires the park owner to offer such an option. Theres no doubt whos paying to overturn St. Helenas rent stabilization ordinance and it isnt the voters of St. Helena. No on F is being paid for and run by a Sacramento political action committee, which has the stated and sole purpose of protecting the rights of the mobile home park owner. That hardly seems fair. Vote YES on Measure F! Michael Merriman St. Helena By Benjamin Jumbe. The army court has released on bail two UPDF soldiers, bodyguards of Ugandas Ambassador to Burundi, Maj Gen Matayo Kyaligonza, who are accused of assaulting a female Police traffic officer in February. The two soldiers Corporal Peter Bushindiki and Private Robert Okurut were arraigned before the Unit Disciplinary Committee of Military Police Brigade Chaired by Lt Col Richard Okum. They were charged with common assault contrary to Section 235 of the Penal Code Act Cap 120, a charge they both denied. It is alleged that on Feb 2 at Seeta Trading Centre, the two accused soldiers unlawfully assaulted Sergeant Esther Namaganda and a TV journalist Peter Otai. The Court Prosecutor informed court that investigations into the case are not yet complete and requested for an adjournment. Court was adjourned to 26 April 2019 for prosecution hearing. Related Stories Second summons issued for Kyaligonza and his two body guards It is time to wake up, step up and vote yes on Measure F. It is time to Save our St. Helena from No on F and its outside money, election influence and meddling. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff; separate the valuable from the worthless. Who is behind No on F? An outside PAC - the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association's Issues PAC - formed Save our St. Helena-No on F. In case you havent noticed, our St. Helena is their latest project. They are pouring tens of thousands of dollars into false and misleading advertising, a website, robocalls, and more, urging you to vote No on F in order to fulfill their mission to support mobile home park owners across the state. Given the funds this PAC has at its disposal, we can be sure that we havent seen or heard the last of their false statements and misrepresentations. No on F falsely claims that residents cannot opt in or opt out of rent stabilization. They want you to believe that Measure F will jeopardize our financial future and wont improve access to housing in St. Helena. Who can you believe when you are faced with No on F claims that directly contradict the Yes on F Ballot Statement, Argument and Rebuttal? Thankfully, we have the Napa County Superior Court to weigh the evidence and law and make that decision. On April 11, Napa County Superior Court Judge Monique Langhorne rejected No on F claims that the citys Ballot Statement is false, misleading and argumentative. Judge Langhorne also rejected No on F claims that the Citys Ballot Argument and Rebuttal are false and misleading. According to Judge Langhorne, the ballot question does in fact state the true nature of what this ordinance is about." Shall Ordinance No. 2018-9 be adopted to 1) establish a rent stabilization program for St. Helena mobile home park residents who opt into the program by signing a lease of twelve months or less; 2) provide mobile home park owners a just and reasonable return on investment; and 3) create a dispute resolution process for the park owner and residents if the owner proposes an annual rent increase that is above the permissible limit? The ruling affirmed that if Measure F passes, Vineyard Valley residents would have a choice ... -- St. Helena Star, April 11, 2019. Measure F is a critical component of St. Helenas housing strategy. If you want to do something about our housing issues, vote yes on Measure F. If you want to have our voices heard when it comes to local governance, vote yes on Measure F. If you want to tell this outside PAC to pack up, go back to Sacramento, and leave our St. Helena to those of us who actually live and vote here, vote yes on Measure F. Doug Barr St. Helena Napa Live Musics second Band in the Bay showcase returns to the Blue Note stage in downtown Napa on Saturday, April 20, featuring a fresh lineup of Bay Area bands. Among the bands performing are: Native Elements from San Francisco (reggae); Unlikely Heroes from Oakland (pshychadelic/hip-hop); The Afrofunk Experience from San Francisco (funk); and The Trims from San Jose (rock). Performing between acts as well as closing out the night will be DJ Scotty Fox from San Francisco. I thought (the first Bands in the Bay show) was very successful, said Ken Tesler, owner of Blue Note Napa, referring to Napa Live Musics first production at the venue on Jan. 5, which sold out. We were pleased to have them at Blue Note, and I thought it was a great way to showcase local bands. Napa Live Music is a platform dedicated to raising the bar and enhancing live music experiences in the Napa Valley. The group was founded by local husband-and-wife duo, Ferdinand and Misty Piano. They are celebrating their first year in business this month with their second live production. Were changing a number of things this time, says Misty Piano. While the previous showcase sold out, patrons were coming and going throughout the night, often leaving the venue considerably below capacity. To fix this problem, Piano says they will be selling additional tickets at the door and implementing a one-for-one system at the door, meaning once the building has reached capacity if one person leaves another can come in. Its an opportunity for the bands to make more money by selling more tickets, Piano said. Were excited to be able to take everything weve learned together working with Blue Note and enhance this experience for everyone involved. We want to give these bands the best experience playing in Napa that we can, while making sure that the Blue Note team has a great experience as well. We want it to not just be profitable, but fun and successful. Bands in the Bay is a unique show for Blue Note in the sense that it features all local bands on a Saturday night. Generally, local artists are reserved for Tuesdays, which are the clubs Locals Nights. According to Tesler, while the Blue Note focuses on bringing in internationally renowned acts, being part of the community is of equal importance. Providing a venue for both Bay Area and Napa artists is one way Blue Note Napa chooses to support their community. We do two shows per night, six nights a week, year-round, Tesler said. We feature a wide variety of music, and as a result we have different nights that will appeal to different audiences. The idea with Bands in the Bay is were hoping to introduce a lot of people to the Blue Note who might not otherwise think to come. And when they see our advertisements theyll realize that we have a lot more going on. We want to offer a venue that has something for everybody almost every week. While the show is sold out, interested fans have the opportunity to win reserve tickets by engaging in giveaway contests on the performing bands respective social media handles. For more information and direct links to these handles, follow @BandsInTheBay on Instagram. Doors for the show open at 6 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. Blue Note Napa is located at 1030 Main Street in Napa. Call (707) 819-6868 for reservations. Luna Fest, mini-festival that showcases women filmmakers and by, for and about women in a male-dominated industry, will take place at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center on April 25. This years festival includes eight short films on a wide range of themes a coming-of-age story, one about a woman whos deciding what to take along on her journey to eternity. In one film, the years hot topic of immigration surfaces as the director reflects on her own path to American citizenship. These are just a few of the stories these award-winning women filmmakers tell. Luna Fest Napa Valley is a fundraiser for local organizations. This years recipients are Girls on the Run Napa and Solano; NEWS Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Services; and Soroptimist International of St. Helena Sunrise. Soroptimist International of St. Helena Sunrise is celebrating 10 years of sponsorship of Luna Fest. A reception with wine by Clif Family Winery and small bites by Tre Posti Events & Catering begins at 6 p.m.; the films begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $55 general and $20 for students. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Tickets are sold at the door or in advance at eventbrite.com/e/lunafest-napa-ca-tickets-53304779029. Already facing criticism over a proposed bonus plan for thousands of employees, PG&E plans to pay its new chief executive at least $6 million a year to run the bankrupt utility. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, PG&E Corp. said Tuesday that new CEO Bill Johnson receive $6 million a year in base pay and stock awards. The stock awards will be based on a performance scale heavily weighted toward the utility's safety record -- an apparent nod to critics who have ripped PG&E over the deadly wildfires of 2017 and 2018. Johnson, 65, also will receive a "one-time transition payment" of $3 million on his first day on the job, May 1. He could have to cough up that payment if he leaves or his fired for cause within his first year. Besides those payments, Johnson, who signed a three-year employment contract, will receive stock options. The monetary value of those options wasn't immediately apparent. PG&E is based in San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in the world, where the median income hovers around $88,000 a year for residents. The average pay for CEOs at major U.S. companies is $13.9 million, according to 2017 data from the AFL-CIO. As head of the government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority, he made $8.1 million last year in total compensation, making him the highest-paid federal employee in the country. His predecessor at Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Geisha Williams, made total compensation of $8.6 million in 2017, the last year for which records are available. Johnson's compensation with PG&E is subject to approval of the judge overseeing the utility's Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Next week Judge Dennis Montali is expected to rule on a separate request by PG&E to pay an estimated $235 million in incentive bonuses to thousands of employees this year. Lawyers for wildfire victims are objecting, saying the money should be spent paying their clients. PG&E canceled its bonus plan for 2018. Mindy Spatt of San Francisco consumer advocate The Utility Reform Network called Johnson's compensation "outrageous" in light of PG&E's difficulties in paying wildfire victims. PG&E spokesman Andrew Castagnola said the utility doesn't plan to pay Johnson with ratepayer dollars. PG&E filed for bankruptcy in early January, citing the weight of $30 billion in wildfire liabilities. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week raised the possibility of changing the California law to give PG&E and other utilities greater protection against liabilities from future wildfires. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The New Tech Network, the national school support nonprofit organization that includes New Technology High School, in Napa, announced on April 8 that the 2019 Best in Network Award has been awarded to Lisa Gottfried, Digital Design instructor at the Napa campus. Gottfried was recognized for her "Napa Lighted Art Project". It was a semester-long project creating a six-minute lighted art piece for the estimated 20,000 people who visited downtown Napa for the Lighted Art Festival in January. Working with mentors from the United Kingdom on projection art, developers, marketing and education people from Adobe, and leaders from the Napa Parks and Recreation Department, students created original artwork and sound design. The final piece was projected on a 70- foot wall over the course of a week, alongside the work of professional artists. The New Tech Network Best in Network Award recognizes projects across the national network that create learning experiences for students and that can challenge and inspire the practice of project-based learning. Gottfried and two of her students will attend the New Tech Annual Conference in July in Orlando, Florida to present their project at the conference. "This engaging project is a gold standard example of the real world learning we want our NVUSD students to experience in school," said Rosanna Mucetti, superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District. "When students see their work impact the world beyond their classrooms, their learning feels relevant. NVUSD is very proud that our staff and students at New Tech High received this distinction." The Digital Design class at New Tech is a Career Technical Education course offered in partnership with the Napa County Office of Education. According to Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent of Schools, "Lisa Gottfried is a rock-star teacher. She is talented, creative, and very experienced in the real world of digital media. She motivates her students with exciting projects and teaches them the skills that will get them hired for high-wage, high-skill jobs. She absolutely deserves this honor." 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. YOUNTVILLE For now, Yountville remains devoid of stores offering marijuana products. But officials have begun to ponder where to place future dispensaries should the town legalize cannabis retailing or if California requires it to do so. What areas of the Napa Valley resort town could host dispensaries, and which places are too close to youth gathering spots to allow cannabis sales, was the subject of a Tuesday discussion by the Town Council on the future of local laws that currently require marijuana users to buy the product elsewhere. The talks played out amid recent efforts by state lawmakers and regulators to widen the availability of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use. Whether the sale of cannabis products arrives on Yountvilles timing or the states or not for a while more council members sought to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the outcome. Theres no guarantee that were welcoming a dispensary, Mayor John Dunbar said during the workshop at Town Hall. Weve committed to you and to the community to discuss the pros and cons of a dispensary. Up in the air is what balance Yountville will strike between keeping marijuana outlets far from childrens gathering places and other locales, and providing enough possible business sites in a compact town only a few blocks wide from east to west. The 600-foot radius around Yountville Elementary School will be a no-sale zone according to state law, but town leaders also discussed creating similar buffers around venues like Yountville Park to the north which contains playground equipment and the Community Center on Washington Street, which hosts kid-friendly programs as well as activities for older residents. More aggressive exclusion zones of 1,000 feet could put much of Yountvilles business district off limits, including the V Marketplace between Washington and Highway 29. Other cities differ in how rigorously they oversee dispensary sites beyond schools. An 11-city survey by Yountville staff from smaller towns like Cloverdale to metropolises like San Diego showed a variety of rules ranging from simply adopting the states 600-foot school buffer to extending that zone to 1,000 feet, or extending their sales bans to the vicinity of parks, libraries and houses of worship. Meanwhile, adding urgency to the debate in Yountville and elsewhere is a state Assembly bill that would leave local governments little choice but to license cannabis outlets in proportion to the number of alcohol licenses within their boundaries. Introduced April 11 by Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, Assembly Bill 1356 is intended to make cannabis more accessible across California, where 76 percent of cities and counties do not allow marijuana retailing despite voters approval of non-medical use in a 2016 ballot measure. The bill is scheduled to be heard April 23 by the Assemblys Business and Professions Committee. Napa County was a no-retail zone for marijuana products until the December opening of the Harvest of Napa medical dispensary on Second Street, where customers must produce a doctors recommendation. The county remains without a seller of non-medical cannabis. Tings legislation would require local governments to issue one cannabis retail license for every four on-site liquor consumption licenses, like bars and restaurants. That minimum would apply to jurisdictions where a majority of voters supported Proposition 64 back in 2016, legalizing recreational adult cannabis use a clause that would cover Yountville, where more than 63 percent of town voters favored the measure. Supporters of AB 1356 say a lack of access results in people who use cannabis, like caregivers and those who suffer from a variety of ailments like cancer, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder among others, having to travel far to get it. Many cities and counties are currently not providing this access to their medically challenged constituents, even when a majority of their constituents voted for Prop. 64, said Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer, D-South Los Angeles, a co-author of the bill with Ting. Banning and limiting access to cannabis in these jurisdictions only fuels the illicit market in our state. Cities that dont want to meet the 1-to-4 ratio can write a local ban and place it on the ballot for the next scheduled election. Among the hotels, fine restaurants and wine-tasting rooms catering to Yountvilles high-end tourism, some 30 businesses in town are licensed to serve alcoholic beverages onsite, according to Town Manager Steve Rogers an unusually high number for a population of less than 3,000. However, the Assembly bill sets a lower minimum of dispensary licenses for towns where the 1-in-4 formula would result in more than one cannabis retailer for every 10,000 residents. In such cases, the minimum is set by dividing the population number by 10,000 and rounding down to the nearest whole number. Information from Bay City News Service was used in this report. 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. In a revelation of misery and unfair treatment, a Facebook post by an Assam police constable exposed the agonizing hardship he and his collegues are, allegedly, facing while being posted in Silchar and Hojai for election duty. The post which has gone viral presents a number of pictures exposing the absolutely disgraceful condition the security personnel, deployed in the areas, have been made to stay in, according to a report by Pratidin Time. One look at the photos is proof of the dingy and unhygienic accommodation the police forces have been provided with. Having to sleep on the floor next to a dirty puddle of water; given the option of a few damp, shabby mattresses or no mattress at all to lie on, staying in a gloomy place surrounded by clogged water and mud everywhere, the post raises questions on the kind of respect our jawans are shown in return of the commendable service they are offering. Also read: Assam police recover lifted car in record 57 minutes! Arent those who are posted for election duty human beings? reads the bitter remark the police constable wrote in the post. The constable further wrote, in Assamese, that one should see the condition the jawans are in in Silchar. The constable lamented that it is because of the terrible administration of Silchar, the jawans have been made to stay in such a pathetic condition during election duty. The constable further talked about the unlivable condition of the accommodation, due to the place being filled with rain water clogging. The post also shows pictures of accommodations given to the police force in Hojai posted for election duty. The post reads, Hojai ot election duty r babe aahisu. Kintu anedore thakibo pari janu. Soudixe buka pani. Ki joghonyo poribekh. Aamiu aku akujon manuh. Bah Hojai proxaxan bah. 2nd time aru ai thailoi aahiboloi mon nai (Have come to Hojai for election duty but is it possible to live in such a condition? Theres mud water everywhere Such a terrible environment we are human beings Bravo, Hojai administration Bravo! Would never want to come back here again. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said his government would appeal to the Supreme Court to call off the ongoing rescue operation to retrieve bodies of the the remaining 13 coal miners who have been trapped inside a coal mine at Khloo Ryngksan in East Jaintia Hills district. It has been 125 days now since the miners were trapped on December 13 last year. The incident took place at a time when the ban on rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is still in place since April 17, 2014. Also read: Navy locates fifth body of miner in Meghalaya coal pit Out of 15 trapped miners, divers of the Indian Navy have managed to retrieve two bodies so far. The Navy has detected three more bodies by using the Underwater Remote Operated Vehicle, but till date, the bodies have not been taken out. We are still trying but it looks very difficult and we will approach and see if Supreme Court allows us to discontinue with the operations. Right now, since the matter is in court, it will be inappropriate for me to make any comment, Sangma said on Tuesday. Also read: Meghalaya: Do you want miners bodies to be recovered, SC asks families But he informed that the state government would appeal the Supreme Court to allow to call off the rescue operation. We have been maintaining that this operation is very difficult. Even in the first few days after the incident had happened, we have shared that it looks like a difficult operation but nonetheless, the government continued to work and agencies from across the country came in and helped us, but we did not get the desired results, the Chief Minister said. Sangma said that based on the Supreme Court orders, the rescue operation has been continuing, but without fruitful results. By Ruth Anderah. A man living with HIV has been charged and further remanded to Luzira prison where he has been since 2016 for allegedly defiling a five year old girl. Paul Tebajabumu has appeared before High court judge Flavia Anglin Senoga who read the charge of aggravated defilement to him and denied the same. Prosecution led by Annet Namatovu states that on March 7th 2016 at Mayinja zone in Kawempe division Kampala district, the accused defiled a five year old girl well knowing that he was HIV positive. Justice Senoga has now set the May 13th 2019 to start hearing the matter. Armen Ashotyan: No provision on use of force against Armenia, Artsakh in Eastern Partnership Summit resolution "My Step" faction of Yerevan Council of Elders nominates deputy mayor to replace Hayk Marutyan Stratfor: Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations will essentially increase Turkey's influence in the region Head of ruling faction of Yerevan Council of Elders: Mayor left Civil Contract Party a year ago Armenia Parliament Speaker announces end of second sitting of 8th convocation of National Assembly Armenia-Russia Interparliamentary Committee holds 33rd session, regional issues touched upon as well US releases about 1,500 John F. Kennedy assassination documents Armenia government to pay salaries and benefits of employees of Nairit Factory Armenia government to provide assistance to citizens having lost property in Shurnukh and Vorotan for 5 more months Armenia Deputy PM Hambardzum Matevosyan receives Russia Ambassador Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker discusses return of POWs, Artsakh status with Poland Ambassador Armenia citizen tries to approach PM, apprehended Mayoral candidate of Armenia's Vanadzor Mamikon Aslanyan is arrested NEWS.am daily digest: 16.12.21 Armenian MP: Armenia accepts as a basis the map of 1926, but Russia offered the one of 1974 to stabilize situation Armenia PM arrives at Civil Contract Party's headquarters to meet with ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders Armenia President receives Belarus ambassador Armenia representative in ECHR: UN court did not equate Armenia and Azerbaijan Armenia PM congratulates serving, first Kazakhstan presidents Vanadzor residents hold rally in defense of arrested mayor Ameriabank signs $20M loan agreements with responsAbility and Global Climate Partnership Fund Garo Paylan: Armenian-Turkish relations will be normalized more quickly than expected Dollar continues losing value in Armenia Armenia representative: European Court is considering lawsuit against Turkey participation in last year's war Opposition 'Armenia' Faction secretary accuses ruling majority of violating Constitution Armenian army's General Staff deputy chief sacked Armenian NGO head Narek Samsonyan is released Armenia Ombudsman discusses with UNDP Representative return of Armenian POWs, their treatment Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte elected Westbrook City Council president Macron: Armenia, Azerbaijan, together Russia official: Observer status in Eurasian Economic Union will be beneficial for Azerbaijan Wings of Tatev named winner of World Travel Awards in World's Leading Cable Car Ride 2021 category Haberturk: There will be new Armenian-Turkish roadmap, corridor will be key issue Armenia premier receives Artsakh President Azerbaijans Aliyev pleased with absence of criticism from Armenia at Eastern Partnership Summit Armenia PM to meet with members of ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders soon Armenia economy minister: Ruling power has no consensus yet on opening borders with Turkey Armenia official: $1.2bn will be spent on construction of 2 sections of railway with Azerbaijan Overchuk: Active work being done to unblock transport communications in South Caucasus 25 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh Armenia MP released from custody calls on releasing other heads of communities of Syunik Province in parliament Armenia President, China diplomat discuss regional security, stability Deputy of opposition 'Armenia' Faction Mkhitar Zakaryan takes oath after release from custody Russia peacekeepers help deliver 10 tons of humanitarian aid to Artsakh children Armenias Pashinyan: We agreed with Azerbaijans Aliyev to continue contacts Armenia PM: Yeraskh-Julfa-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadis railway will be built 180 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Macron: We will never abandon Armenians Yerevan mayor signs petitions for purchase of 100 more new public transport buses, 100 elevators Turkey considering airlines bids for Istanbul-Yerevan flights US National Security Adviser expresses concern over tensions between Armenia, Azerbaijan Armen Grigoryan, Jake Sullivan discuss security environment around Armenia Newspaper: Western-funded public sector of Armenia becomes active with new topics Azerbaijans Aliyev calls talks with Armenias Pashinyan in Brussels productive and pragmatic EU to provide 2.3bn to Eastern Partnership countries, including Armenia EU welcomes recent signature of common aviation area agreement with Armenia US embassy in Armenia issues travel update EU remains committed in its support to territorial integrity within their internationally recognised borders EU, Eastern Partnership countries leaders call Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels very positive step Armenia PM, Cyprus President exchange views on developments in South Caucasus Pashinyan-Macron-Aliyev trilateral meeting held in Brussels Irakanum.am: Armenia PM to meet with members of ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders tomorrow French Senate to set up group for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia PM attends 6th Eastern Partnership Summit Turkey's ex-Ambassador to US to be appointed special envoy for normalization of relations with Armenia Aliyev on Armenian POWs: We returned them to Armenia, and they were detained there Aliyev claims that Baku has managed to convince Yerevan about 'inevitability of opening of road to Nakhchivan' Zelensky offers to host summit of leaders of Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Turkey in Kyiv Armenia Security Council Secretary to meet with National Security Advisor to US President Jake Sullivan Democratic Party of Artsakh members meet with representatives of Republican Party of Armenia Armenian army generals submit recommendation letter for release of detachment commander Ashot Minasyan Mitsotakis: Turkey's financial crisis presents danger for stability in the whole region Germany declares two officials of Russian Embassy persona non grata Armenia justice minister discusses sector-specific meetings with Croatian, Irish, Greek counterparts Ruling faction of Yerevan's Council of Elders launches procedure to express lack of confidence in mayor Moldova's special services arrest and conduct search against founder of Wargonzo Semyon Pegov Zakharova: Moscow welcomes direct contacts between Yerevan and Baku Russian MFA: Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations would contribute to recovery of general situation in region NEWS.am daily digest: 15.12.21 Georgia justice minister accepts Armenian counterpart's invitation to visit Armenia during meeting in Venice Candidate for Mayor of Armenia's Vanadzor is detained, charged under 3 articles Armenia Migration Service: Russia has adopted and has yet to adopt new rules for migrants Armenian, Slovenian premiers confer on Armenia-EU relations Candidate for Vanadzor mayor taken to Investigative Committee in Yerevan Armenia's Ambassador Viktor Yengibaryan presents credentials to Germany President Artsakh President chairs Security Council meeting Armenia deputy PM in Brussels, meets with EU Commissioner Court rules to arrest opposition 'Armenia' Alliance member Narek Mantashyan for two months EU heralds Schengen Area reforms Turkish opposition parties have decided to put an end to 'monstrous' presidential system 5.0-magnitude earthquake hits Iran Dollar still falls noticeably in Armenia Turkish opposition member insists that Erdogan has decided to go to snap elections Legislature vice-speaker from opposition: Secret agreements can lead to new capitulation of Armenia Brother of North Korea's founder Kim dies at 101 Artsakh ombudsman: Azerbaijan does not allow Taghavard village residents to visit their community cemetery Armenia opposition MP: People have collective will to not let Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem implement idea of corridor Armenia National Assembly fails to ensure quorum in 4 hours Armenia parliament to convene special session tomorrow Armenia opposition 'With Honor' Faction head summoned to National Security Service, interviewed as witness The salaries of police officers have increased by an average of 20 percent, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted in a Facebook post. By the way, in the video about April 16 of last year, it shows that, standing before the barbed wire, I had clearly promised that the salary of the police would increase, he wrote, in particular. Let me stress that the promise has been fulfilled, and the salary of the police officers has been increased by an average of 20 percent. Besides this, with a new bonus system, now there are police officers who are getting a salary that surpasses twice, sometimes three times their salary; this is when specific crimes are solved thanks to their personal efforts. Let me remind [you] that the salary of polyclinics workers has increased by up to 30 percent, the salary of about 208 thousand people has increased since July 1 last yearas a result of changes made in the accumulated pensions system, the salary of the military will increase as of July 1 this year, the salary of teachers will increase as of September 1 this year, the pensions and benefits of 82 thousand beneficiaries and pensioners have increased. The revenues of the state budget were overfulfilled by 4 percent in the first quarter; the number of registered jobs has increased by about 50 thousand, which is about 9 percent of the labor market [of Armenia]. YEREVAN. We see the grounds for keeping second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan in custody, Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan on Wednesday told reporters. And due to it, the body conducting the proceedings has filed a motion [with the court] to extend the period of [Kocharyans] detention, he added. () we have noted that there exists the grounds for [his] detention prescribed by law. We have especially emphasized the possibility of [his] unlawful influences [on witnesses], [and] which was also confirmed by the court. On March 15, the capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction granted the Special Investigation Services (SIS) petition to extend Robert Kocharyans pretrial measure of custody for two more months, and denied the defenses motion for releasing their client on bail. The court found, however, that there was no reasonable suspicion on the bribery charge that is brought against him. On January 18, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction granted the SIS petition with a request to extend Kocharyans confinement for another two months, but denied the motion by the legal defense team of Kocharyan, and to the effect that their client be released from custody on bail. The defense, however, appealed this ruling to the Criminal Court of Appeal. But on February 7, the court denied this appeal. On February 15, the SIS announced that it completed the preliminary investigation into the criminal cases connected with the incidents of March 1 to 2, 2008. The SIS assessed that there was sufficient evidence to file charges against second President Robert Kocharyan, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and former CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, and former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Gevorgyan. Accordingly, Kocharyan has been charged with breaching the constitutional order and taking a particularly large bribe; Ohanyan and Khachaturov are charged with breaching the constitutional order; and Gevorgyan is charged with aiding in breaching the constitutional order, taking a particularly large bribe, and legalizing unlawfully acquired property. But solely Robert Kocharyan is remanded in custody in connection with this criminal case. Seyran Ohanyan and Armen Gevorgyan have been released on a signature bond, while Yuri Khachaturovon bail. On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown capital city 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. By Moses Kyeyune. Members of the House Committee on National Economy have unanimously supported the move for the government to borrow up to USD 104m (Ushs 389b) from the Standard Chartered Bank, to fund the extension of national CCTV Camera cover. The request presented in September 2018 is aimed at financing the second phase of installing the cameras. The CCTV cameras and related security equipment for installation will be supplied by a Chinese company Huawei and Ply Technologies. While appearing before the committee early today, the minister of state for Internal Affairs Mario Obiga Kania, has defended the need to have the loan cleared so as to expand the CCTV Camera cover. Key priorities, Obiga says, include highways and municipalities, in the bid to reduce crime. Our road construction projects are divided into several parts, including medium renovation, capital renovation and additional capital renovation, as well as projects supported by donors. This is what Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of the Republic of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan said during an April 17 press conference. The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies doesnt deal with community roads under renovation, but it does deal with state and interstate roads. I have to ask citizens to address the regional governors offices or community councils with issues regarding roads within communities, he stated. Arshakyan attached importance to the role of technologies in the activities of the ministry and stressed that the to-be-established Ministry of High Technologies will also be accountable for digitization. Talking about capital renovation, the minister said a 78 km road will be capitally renovated with funds from this years budget. According to him, medium renovation works will be carried out on the Yerevan-Aparan road and in the areas of Jermuk and Sevan. Armenia will have a two-way high-quality road stretching from Yerevan to the border with Georgia. The section stretching to Meghri will also be renovated. Compared to the past five years, this year, there will be an unprecedented number of road construction projects, he said, adding that the main emphasis will be on turning Armenia into a transit zone towards Georgia and Iran. Talking about construction of the M6 road (Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgia), the minister stated that construction of the sector stretching from Vanadzor to Tumanyan station is over and Armenia will have a high-quality road stretching from Armenia to Georgia next year. As for the North-South Road Corridor, construction of the Talin-Lanjik and Lanjik-Gyumri sectors was supposed to end this year, but it wont end this year due to delay in the past. The minister stated that construction is underway in Tranche-3 and that the Talin-Lanjik-Lanjik-Gyumri sector will be built throughout the year. The ministry has a big construction project in the Sisyan-Kajaran sector. We will reduce the duration of traffic by two hours by building a large, 8.7 km long tunnel and three bridges. Armenia is holding talks with the European Union over this, but they are still in progress. This is a major project for the government and will be implemented. We have a clear notion of the price as well. Nearly $350 million will be required for project implementation. The Prosperous Armenia Party will unequivocally vote against the package of bills on making amendments and supplements to the Law On the structure and activities of the Government proposed by the government. This is what deputy of the Prosperous Armenia Party Mikayel Melkumyan said during a discussion on the packages of bills on making amendments and supplements to the Law On the structure and activities of the Government and related laws during the session of the National Assembly on 17 April. According to him, there has to be some logic in the structure of the government. The government hasnt proved and cant prove how much more the government will work with the new structure that it is proposing. The mistake that the government made in the program of the government is the same mistake that it made when changing the governments structure, and the reason for this is that there is no calculation mechanism, Melkumyan clarified. Moreover, the deputy stressed the fact that an economic revolution will be impossible with the structure proposed by the government. Sudans deposed president Omar al-Bashir has reportedly been moved to Kobar maximum security prison in the capital Khartoum where he is being held in confinement. According to Reuters News Agency, since his removal by the military last Thursday, Bashir had been detained under heavy guard in the presidential residence inside the compound that also houses the Defense Ministry. The military ousted Bashir after weeks of protests against his regime that culminated in a sit-in outside the Defense Ministry compound that began on April 6th. Protests are still going on despite his removal, with calls for civilian and not military rule. Related Stories Uganda ready to offer asylum to Bashir Oryem Sudans President Omar al-Bashir ousted and arrested by the military Either the 50,000 employees now paying taxes are in no way reflected in the entries of the military servicemens insurance fund or you have the wrong figures. This is what deputy of the Bright Armenia faction Armen Yeghiazaryan said as he addressed Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a question-and-answer session with government officials at the National Assembly. Armen Yeghiazaryan particularly said the following: During your speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, you declared that 50-51,000 shadow workers are already working by law. As you know, AMD 1,000 is sent to the military servicemens insurance fund every month, and based on my information, the monthly indicator rose by AMD 5,026,000 prior to December 2018, meaning only 5,026 workers are no longer shadow workers. I believe it is necessary to mention that nearly 6,451 citizens have applied to the fund to retrieve their money by law. So, either the 50,000 employees now paying taxes are in no way reflected in the entries of the military servicemens insurance fund or you have the wrong figures. In response to the deputys observation, Pashinyan said that the figures cant be wrong because they are shown in the data of the State Revenue Committee and the National Statistical Service, which have released the figures. As far as the fund is concerned, I will receive additional clarifications, but I must say that everyone knows that there are problems with the payments, and the government needs to take actions to make sure the fees are paid, Nikol Pashinyan concluded. As for the essence of these proposals, they are in line with the approaches enshrined in numerous statements made by the heads of the co-chair countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. "We held a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers here, Lavrov said. I also participated in the meeting and later three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office joined us. If I understand correctly, following this meeting in one of his interviews Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov mentioned that the proposals of 2016 were discussed, he added. Therefore, I have nothing to add here. As for the essence of these proposals, they are in line with the approaches enshrined in numerous statements made by the heads of the co-chair countries, namely, Russia, France and the US." As for the humanitarian measures, Lavrov stressed that they have been also clearly outlined in a joint statement, which was published following this meeting. They [humanitarian measures] cover the need for the parties and consent of the parties to make additional efforts to stabilize the situation, especially during the period of agricultural work, Lavrov said. They include an agreement to assist the individuals to meet with their relatives and friends who are held in places of detention. They cover approval of the contacts between people, especially between media representatives. I think that this is a very useful agreement, he said. Following the meeting in Moscow, I have reason to think that Baku and Yerevan are interested in these agreements not to remain on paper this time. We will help in this issue. By Moses Kyeyune. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft President, Fred Cromer, has hailed the government of Uganda for her decision to purchase the Bombardier for the revival of the national airline. Cromer made the call last evening ahead of the official signing ceremony that preceded the official handover of two Bambardier planes to the government of Uganda. President Cromer described Uganda as a new operator who has come in a new relationship for the Canadian plane maker, which choice is un-regrettable. It is now six days left for the air crafts to touch down at the Entebbe Entebbe International airport, marking an end to the two decades without a national airline. Related Stories.. Eight days to the Grand touch down of Uganda Airlines Demographic issues are in the focus of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. This is what Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Avinyan declared as he responded to the question of MP of the Bright Armenia Party Taron Simonyan during a question-and-answer session with government officials at the National Assembly on 17 April. According to him, the government has set up a council for demographic issues adjunct to the Prime Minister, and the council has already held its first session. Avinyan assured that the government has a very good picture of the situation and added that the government is developing a strategy for the solution to demographic issues. He also stated that the government will make serious efforts in this direction over the next five years. During its April 17 session, the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) expressed solidarity with the friendly people of France on the occasion of the fire that broke out at the Notre-Dame of Paris on behalf of Speaker of the National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan and informed that the parliament would specify the type of assistance during the upcoming session of the Artsakh-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, reports the Department of News and Public Relations of the National Assembly of Artsakh. After making changes in the agenda for the session and approving the agenda, pursuant to part 17 of Article 93 of the Constitution and Article 114 of the Law of the Republic of Artsakh On the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the parliament listened to the report of the President of the Republic of Artsakh on the course of implementation and results of the program of the previous year and on the program for the year to come. The President of the Republic emphasized the continuity of ensuring of the security of the country and people and maintenance of the high level of efficiency of the defense army as the major task of the country. The President also touched upon the achievements made in various sectors of the economy and indicated the priorities of the country. Talking about the countrys foreign policy, the head of state mentioned that the Republic of Artsakh will continue to work with the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. The position of the official Stepanakert remains unchanged, that is, the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict must be a peaceful settlement and with the participation of the Republic of Artsakh as a full-fledged party to the negotiations within the scope of the OSCE Minsk Group, Bako Sahakyan stressed. The President also attached importance to the activities for making the decentralized cooperation with foreign countries practical. He also touched upon the efforts for and results of the enhancement of inter-parliamentary relations with Artsakh and expansion of partnerships with international organizations in the parliamentary formats. The MPs asked the President questions related to the countrys foreign policy, the agriculture sector and programs that are of strategic importance for the country. During a question-and-answer session following the break, government officials answered MPs questions regarding oversight over state guarantees, increase of teachers salaries, the conditions of homes granted to multi-member families, assessment of the environmental situation near abandoned ores and tailings, improvement of the roads in Stepanakert, purveyance of milk in the countrys regions, continuity of activities in the area near the newly built church and other topics. On 17 April, Armenias Minister of Nature Protection Erik Grigoryan met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaymaktchieva, reports the press service of the Ministry of Nature Protection. The parties attached importance to the deepening of cooperation in the nature protection sector and pinpointed the steps for effective realization of the current potential between the countries in that direction. They also discussed exchange of experience in the sectors of specially protected natural areas and water resource management. Minister Erik Grigoryan informed that the Ministry of Nature Protection is making a radical change in the policy on nature protection fees based on the principle of prevention of environmental pollution and considered observation of Bulgarias experience helpful. Issues on the course of implementation of the actions for approximation of the directives related to the nature protection sector within the scope of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement were also discussed with the ambassador, who represents a country that is a member state to the European Union. Canada is considering its options in response to the decision of the United States to allow its citizens to file lawsuits against foreign companies that use properties seized by Cubas Communist government since the 1959 revolution, said Canadas foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, Reuters reported. Canada is deeply disappointed with todays (U.S.) announcement. We will be reviewing all options in response to this U.S. decision, noted Chrystia Freeland. According to her, Canada will fully protect the interests of Canadians conducting legitimate trade and investment with Cuba, and that she had discussed the issue with her counterparts in the European Union. Earlier it was reported that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the administration lifts a long-standing ban on US citizens to sue foreign companies using property that was nationalized by the Cuban government after Fidel Castros revolution in 1959. Trump threatened in January to allow a law that has been suspended since its creation in 1996, permitting Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business in Cuba over property seized in decades past by the Cuban government. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of lawsuits. By Moses Kyeyune. The minister of State for Foreign Affairs Okello Oryem has told MPs on the committee of Foreign Affairs that the Rwanda-Uganda stand-off is not a big issue. The minister has been responding to a question by Mbale Municipality MP Jack Wamanga Wamai on the continued closure of the Katuna border, Ugandas main supply route to Rwanda. Whereas the minister acknowledged that Uganda has an issue with the government of Rwanda, the issue is not on Ugandas side and [that] it is not a major issue. The minister says that the matter will be addressed diplomatically. He maintains that Ugandas borders remain open to all Rwandans who come for trade and business and that they are free to come and trade and even visit their relatives. The minister however cautions that whoever comes here must respect the laws of Uganda, and that no one will be spared when he or she violates the laws of this country. Hepatitis A, a contagious viral infection of the liver often spread through people-to-people contact or through the consumption of contaminated food or water, is on the rise in Florida, with more than 700 cases reported this year. That number already exceeds the 549 total cases reported in the Sunshine State in 2018, which saw a near doubling of the cases reported in 2017. The number of reported cases between 2016 and 2017 more than doubled, jumping from 122 to 276. Florida health officials have not determined the cause of the outbreaks, which were concentrated in Central Florida, but began making their way from Martin and Palm Beach counties to Broward County last week. But the uptick in Florida reflects a national trend that the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified in 15 states in 2016, primarily among people who used drugs or were homeless. Since then, the CDC reported, there have been more than 15,000 cases, 8,500 hospitalizations, and 140 deaths across the nation linked to hepatitis A, which is preventable by vaccination. In fact, since the hepatitis A vaccine was introduced in 1996, the number of new cases has dropped dramaticallyby 95 percent. John M. Clochesy, vice dean and professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, discusses hepatitis A. How is hepatitis A transmitted and what are the symptoms? Hepatitis A usually involves ingesting something contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Vaccination and good hand washing, especially after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food, are important to decreasing the risk of hepatitis A. The symptoms for adults include fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice, which are usually resolved within two months of infection. Children under 6 usually do not have symptoms. So far, Florida health officials report that three people in Florida have died from hepatitis A this year. Is that common? Dont most people recover from it? Most people do recover from hepatitis A. Those who develop complications from hepatitis A often have other health conditions. Who should get the vaccine? Those with chronic liver conditions, those whose immune systems are compromised or are traveling to developing countries, men who have sex with men, and those using street drugs should get the hepatitis A vaccine. Vaccination for both hepatitis A and B is recommended for children. Whats the difference between hepatitis A, B, and C? While Hepatitis A, B, and C are all viral infections of the liver, hepatitis A causes a serious infection that usually resolves on its own within two months. Hepatitis B and C, on the other hand, commonly result in chronic infection of the liver and increase a persons risk of developing cancer of the liver. Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through blood and body fluids. There is also a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B and there is now an effective treatment for hepatitis C. 09:52 Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement 'that there may be a better chance of India-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the Bharatiya Janata Party is voted back to power', is a ploy by the Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. "I wouldn't know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party's or the government's take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by the Congress. I don't know what to make of this honestly," the defence minister told ANI. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Reacting to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between April 16-20, Sitharaman said, "I don't know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him... god knows (who is his source in India) but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me." When asked whether the Supreme Court's decision to look into the allegedly stolen documents or acquired documents in the Rafale case weakened government's position, the Union minister said, "I don't think our position has become weaker. We are firm on our stand. The Attorney General gave an explanation the next day. Documents from the defence ministry are classified documents. Every time a document of this nature or even a page comes out, in my understanding, it is stealing of information. The ministry is looking into the matter as to how it came out." When questioned if she thought that the procurement of documents pertaining to the Rafale deal was illegal, the Minister said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That's what I have been harping on. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come out through a legitimate manner then it is said to be stolen. Now what has come out does not alter the discourse on Rafale. Even if we include the matter on these illegally obtained pages, it does not alter the clear process which has been adopted. We are not worried at all." Sitharaman also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark against Prime Minister Modi, which he attributed to the Supreme Court. -- ANI SIU Sustainability Celebration recognizes Green Fund grant recipients, Environmental Ambassadors and more by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. In conjunction with the worldwide Earth Day celebration the previous week, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is having a big Sustainability Celebration from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 30 at Morris Library. During the celebration, the spotlight turns to SIUs longstanding commitment to sustainability and its many ongoing and new green initiatives. Chancellor John M. Dunn will speak and make an exciting announcement. In addition, awards will be presented to the 2018-2019 Environmental Ambassadors. The chancellor and Sustainability Council give the awards annually to students who donate at least 30 hours of community service to environment-related causes. The campus Sustainability Collaborators also will be recognized by Geory Kurtzhals, SIUs sustainability coordinator. She will acknowledge the SIU faculty, staff, organizations and units that contribute toward making Saluki country an environmentally friendly place. Green Fund grant winners announcement In addition to recognizing sustainability contributions and accomplishments, there will be a big message affecting future green efforts at SIU. Winners of the 2019 Green Fund grants will be announced, giving those in attendance a sneak peek at the projects and activities that are planned at SIU in the year to come. As the result of a student-led initiative, in 2009 the university adopted a student Green Fee of approximately $10 per semester, now a part of the General Student Fee. Since that time, more than $2.1 million has been awarded to a wide variety of sustainability projects, focusing on areas as diverse as renewable energy, transportation, food, waste, education and outreach and energy efficiency. Each year numerous funding applications are submitted by students, faculty, staff and campus units/organizations. Preference is given to projects that involve students and those that are cross-campus collaborations. The Sustainability Council, comprised of students, faculty and staff, carefully reviews all submissions and chooses the winners. The council is looking for members for the 2019-2020 year. Applications are being accepted through April 22. Celebration has several facets After the grant winners are announced and awards presented in the John C. Guyon Auditorium, visitors will want to stop by the first-floor rotunda and check out the numerous displays, demonstrations and activities each with a focus on various aspects of SIU and global sustainability. Find ways to get involved Visitors can also find out about the Saluki Green Action Team, the campus organization thats committed to increasing awareness and making the community more sustainable. Check out a variety of interactive activities, demonstrations and informational displays and enjoy refreshments, too. The annual Sustainability Celebration is an opportunity for campus and community members to get connected with a growing group of sustainability advocates, Kurtzhals said. As we face the ongoing changes in our global climate, now is the time to get involved. We need every person to join us to help create a healthy future for us all. (Adds Sprint comment) April 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has told T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp it has concerns about their proposed $26 billion merger in its current structure, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, although no final decision has been made. Sprint shares fell about 9 percent after the bell as investors increased bets the deal would not be completed following a Wall Street Journal report the merger is unlikely to be approved as currently structured. Shares of T-Mobile fell 4 percent. The deal had been criticized by consumer advocates and some lawmakers because it would reduce the number of national wireless carriers available to consumers to three from four. T-Mobile has defended the proposed merger, saying the combined company would be better and faster at building 5G, the next generation of wireless, to compete with industry leaders AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc. A final decision on the deal is likely near the end of the 180-day Federal Communications Commission review period that expires in June. T-Mobile US Chief Executive John Legere was in Washington on Tuesday and has meetings later this week at the FCC, two people briefed on the matter said. Legere said on Twitter it was "simply untrue," as had been reported, that Justice Department staff had told the companies the deal was unlikely to be approved in its current form. The Justice Department declined to comment. Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure said the Wall Street Journal report was not accurate. "We continue to have discussions with regulators about our proposed merger with @TMobile. That process is ongoing," Claure wrote on Twitter. A third person familiar with the investigation said the probe was going along as expected, adding there had been no serious discussion of any divestitures of spectrum or other assets and that much of the conversation with regulators had been about proposed efficiencies in the development of 5G. Story continues The agreement to combine the carriers, struck in April 2018, was approved by both companies shareholders in October and has received national security clearance, but still needs approval from the Justice Department and FCC. A number of state attorneys general are also reviewing the deal. LAWMAKERS QUESTION DEAL Executives from both companies faced tough questions from lawmakers in February about how the companies' planned merger would affect prices and jobs, especially in rural America. A group of eight Democratic U.S. senators and independent Senator Bernie Sanders urged the Justice Department and FCC to reject the deal, saying monthly bills could rise as much as 10 percent. To win support for the deal, T-Mobile had said it would not increase prices for three years and has pledged to use some spectrum for wireless broadband in rural areas. Legere has also pledged to build 5G without using networking equipment from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or ZTE Corp , two Chinese telecommunications firms distrusted by U.S. national security experts. (Reporting by Liana Baker in New York, Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru, Diane Bartz in Washington and David Shepardson in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney) By Moses Kyeyune. Works and Transport Minister, Monica Ntege Azuba has asked players in the Western market to come and tap into lucrative investment opportunities in Uganda. MrsNtege was last evening addressing a gathering of a section of the business community in Quebec, Canada at the sidelines of the official handover of Bombardier aircrafts purchased by Uganda. The minister asked the investors to come and witness the countrys rich soils as well as flora and fauna. One of the key drivers for the restoration of the national airline, is to boost tourism while tapping into global markets. Related Stories. Uganda has made the best choice in Bombardier, says Plane maker Eight days to the Grand touch down of Uganda Airlines (Adds details on revenue, costs and capacity) By Tracy Rucinski April 16 (Reuters) - United Airlines on Tuesday reported a better-than-expected jump in first-quarter profit as it sold more tickets and cut costs, standing by its 2019 profit target even as its Boeing Co 737 MAX jets remain grounded. Chicago-based United has removed its 14 MAX aircraft, which were suspended worldwide in March following two fatal crashes, from its flying schedule through early July, eating into U.S. airlines' peak summer travel season. Still, the airline's parent United Continental Holdings Inc reiterated its estimate for adjusted earnings of $10 to $12 per share in 2019, and said its strategy for scheduling more flights out of its hubs was continuing to win customers. Adjusted earnings per share rose to $1.15 in the first quarter, ending March 31, from 49 cents a year earlier, overcoming a U.S. government shutdown and severe winter weather earlier this year that curtailed flights. Wall Street analysts on average had forecast 95 cents per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Its shares rose 2.8 percent in after-hours trading. United has largely avoided canceling MAX flights by servicing those routes with larger aircraft, but President Scott Kirby warned last week that the strategy could not last indefinitely. The airline, which has been adding seats at a faster pace than rivals, trimmed its 2019 capacity growth target to between 4 percent and 5 percent from 4 percent to 6 percent previously, but did not say whether the decision reflected the effect of the grounded MAX. Total operating revenue rose 7.1 percent to $8.73 billion in the quarter, while closely watched revenue per available seat mile rose 1.1 percent. In the second quarter, United said it expects unit revenue to rise between 0.5 percent and 2.5 percent while unit costs, which fell 1.8 percent in the first quarter, were expected to be flat to 1 percent higher. The No. 3 U.S. carrier is the first of three U.S. 737 MAX operators to report first-quarter results. Southwest Airlines Co and American Airlines Group Inc, which have removed their MAX jets from schedules into August, report on April 25 and April 26 respectively. A Federal Aviation Administration review board said on Tuesday that it found a Boeing software update for the MAX to be "operationally suitable," suggesting the lengthy regulatory process to get the planes back in the air was underway. Rival Delta Air Lines Inc, which does not operate the 737 MAX, lifted its 2019 revenue forecast last week after reporting better-than-expected quarterly profit. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago Additional reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru Editing by Bill Rigby) On a crisp fall evening last year, California Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, stood before a glamorously dressed crowd at a fundraising gala for the India-focused education nonprofit Pratham at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan. The nonprofits New York chapter had brought together many of the regions well-heeled and well-connected residents of Indian origin, including Wall Street high rollers, wealthy physicians, community leaders and media personalities. Over the years, the charity, which counts CNN's Fareed Zakaria as a board member, has hosted galas studded with boldface names such as comedian Hassan Minhaj, Google CEO Sundar Picahi and Chelsea Clinton. Harris, who is the daughter of an Indian immigrant mother and a Jamaican immigrant father, was introduced as the first senator of Indian American heritage in the history of the U.S. Senate by Deepak Raj, the Pratham chairman. For Kamala Vittal, of Scarsdale, New York, who not only shares the candidates first name but also hails from Chennai, Harris mothers hometown in India, it was a proud moment. Finally, people are saying my name properly, said Vittal, who sought out Harris and her saree-clad aunt after the speech. If she wins, Im going to be trumpeting the fact that shes Indian everywhere. Bijal Jani of Nanuet, photographed April 3, 2019, is proud to have two women with East Asian connections running for President. She says that for her, one of the challenges of growing up in the United States was a lack of role models, something she hopes that Kamela Harris and Tulsi Gabbard will provide for young woman of East Asian descent. In the growing field of Democrats seeking the nomination to run for president in 2020, Harris shares one thing in common with another woman vying for the party nod: A Hindu first name. The other is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, a presidential contender who is the first Hindu member of Congress to take her oath on the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu religious text. Hinduism is practiced by 80% of Indians. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 18: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) attends a meet-and-greet at United Way of Southern Nevada on March 18, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gabbard is campaigning for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Tulsi translates to holy basil in Sanskrit. Kamala means lotus." The rise of Indian American candidates to national prominence is a natural progression for a community that has more than doubled from 2000 to 2017, experts say. At more than 700,000 strong, the New York City region is home to the largest Indian American population among metropolitan areas, according to the 2013-2017 U.S. Census American Community Survey. Story continues New Jersey and New York, at 4.1% and 1.9% respectively, have the highest numbers of Indian Americans as a percentage of the states population in the nation. The Cipriani event raised more than $3.6 million that September evening for Pratham. The next day, the nonprofits L.A. chapter gala was headlined by another 2020 presidential hopeful, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and raised $2.5 million. For Harris and other politicians, like Nikki Haley, who is the former Republican governor of South Carolina and who headlined the event in 2016, it is the perfect place to hobnob with potential high-dollar donors. NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 5: Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks at the National Action Network's annual convention, April 5, 2019 in New York City. A dozen 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are speaking at the organization's convention this week. Founded by Rev. Al Sharpton in 1991, the National Action Network is one of the most influential African American organizations dedicated to civil rights in America. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Based on their income, Indian Americans have the potential to give $3 billion to $5 billion for charitable causes, according to a survey by Indiaspora, a nonprofit leadership group of Indian Americans. A 2018 study by Indiaspora also found that since 2000, people of Indian origin had donated $1.2 billion to U.S. universities. You can also say that some of that money can go to politics and other causes, said M.R. Rangaswami, co-founder of Sand Hill Group, one of the earliest angel investment firms who established Indiaspora in 2012. So the pool of money available is very large. Khyati Joshi, author of "New Roots in Americas Sacred Ground: Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in Indian America," and co-chair of the New Jersey Democratic Committee's South Asian caucus, said having Gabbard and Harris run would increase political engagement among South Asians. From left, Bella Sheth, her son Kiran, 16, daughter Serena, 18, her husband Haresh, and Rashmi Sheth, Hareth's father, put together a Mexican dinner at their home in Chappaqua April 1, 2019. The family spoke about the fact that that there are two Democratic candidates for President with Indian and Hindu connections. "Names like Tulsi and Kamala will increase awareness, especially among South Asian women, who are constantly discounted. When I do voter outreach, I'm always trying to target the baas (grandmas) and maasis (aunts) because they are smart women who make things happen," said Joshi. "Regardless of their policies, the names make me happy. Growing up with a name like Khyati in the 1980s in Atlanta, Georgia, was hell." For Asian Indians, one of the countrys wealthiest subgroups, political engagement had largely meant writing checks to candidates who looked nothing like them. 2020 fundraising: Celebrities back Kamala Harris in 2020 fundraising, MAGA hats power Trump's haul in FEC reports More: Democrat Tulsi Gabbard announces 2020 run for president to take on Trump So for Bijal Jani, of Nanuet, New York, the importance of her 19-year-old son watching two female candidates of Indian and Hindu heritage run for the highest office in the land can not be overstated. "When I was growing up, straight, white males basically controlled everything," said Jani, an attorney. "And now my son is watching these ladies on social media and it is fantastic because he is being influenced by seeing women of color, women of diverse backgrounds rise up in the political arena." Indian Americans in politics Between 1992 and 2012, campaign contributions by Asian Indians increased by more than seven times, according to a demographic study on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders conducted by the University of California at Riverside. During the same time, census data show the Indian American population had grown by less than half that rate. Dinyar Devitre, who works in finance, has donated $340,287 to political candidates since 2002, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Devitre, a former chairman of Pratham, described himself as party agnostic. I look at the individual. Someone who speaks sensibly and is a moderate candidate. I dont like anyone on either extreme, said Devitre. Indians running for office obviously energizes Indians to contribute more. You want to participate in the democratic process and you can participate in many ways by voting, volunteering. In my case it is by writing checks. Loading... A Journal News/lohud analysis of the federal election filings from both presidential campaigns financial reports found that Gabbard relied more on the financial support of Indian Americans than Harris does. Of Gabbards top 50 individual donors, 37 had an Indian name. For Harris, only two of her top 50 individual donations came from someone with an Indian name. More Indian Americans running for office can lead to what Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of public policy and political science at the University of California at Riverside, who oversees the AAPI survey data, called a virtuous circle. With each election cycle, you have more Indian American candidates running and then they attract more Indian donors and so you have a bigger Indian donor base and when you have some of the candidates win, you have more candidates say Hey I could (do) that too, Ramakrishnan said. So success breeds success. Loading... Dr. Hetal Gor, a gynecologist who lives in Tenafly, New Jersey, has raised funds for many political candidates over the years, including Gov. Phil Murphy and Booker. A fundraiser she held at her home for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign, where Clinton schmoozed with guests for two hours, raised about $100,000. The community is very excited, and they want to be supportive, said Gor. But finally, it will depend on what they bring to the table. Gor, who is a Hindu married to a Muslim, said shed met Gabbard a few times and heard her talk about Hindu philosophy. The fact that Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, is a proponent of vegetarianism is something she believes will also resonate with the Hindu community. For Bella and Haresh Sheth, of Chappaqua, New York, holding on to their Hindu and Indian culture has been important. Its more cultural than religious for me, said Bella Sheth, who grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the '70s and '80s. Theirs was the only family of color in the neighborhood. We were the darkest people on the block. It was a very Irish Catholic neighborhood, where every Friday, they had fish and were very observant, she said, elaborating on the couple's decision to send their kids to a two-week Hindu heritage camp every summer. Raghu Rao, a tech entrepreneur who moved to the United States in 1984, said Indian Americans seeking elected office was a step in the right direction. We are only 1% of the population, but if you look at STEM fields or the corporate world, we have an outsize presence, said Rao. But politics is one area where we need to step up and give back. Part of giving back is to participate in the political process. Indian campaign donations don't necessarily pour in just because someone is of Indian heritage, according to Ramakrishnan, of the University of California at Riverside. Case in point: Bobby Jindal, who sought the Republican nomination to run for president in 2016. There were a few things going against him. One, he was a Republican and most Indian Americans in the U.S. are Democrats. On top of that, he was very conservative on a range of issues, Ramakrishnan said. If someone like Nikki Haley had run, she might have had more support because shes a moderate Republican. But the biggest impediment might have been Jindals distancing himself from his Indian American identity. Its not that he converted to another religion but that he actively tried to deny his Indian American or racial identity, said Ramakrishnan. And so most donors and voters thought he was ashamed of his Indian heritage. The fact that neither candidate had sought to westernize their names, (unlike Jindal, whose first name is Piyush, and Haley, whose first name is Nimrata) was brought up time and time again in the more than 20 interviews conducted for this article. Most took it as a sign that Harris and Gabbard were taking pride in their culture. Hetal Gor and her daughter Anya, 16, prepare dinner at their home in Tenefly, N.J. April 1, 2019. The two spoke about the fact that that there are two Democratic candidates for President with Indian and Hindu connections. Anya will be eligible to vote in the 2020 general election. Haresh Sheth, who works in finance, said watching Jindal and Haley change their names and convert their religion always made him wonder about their authenticity. I always look at that as how true are you to your culture and your beliefs? You are so easily swayed that you give up on something for political expediency to get elected, said Sheth. I think staying true to who you are is important. This is a nation that accepts all people. Last year, Raj, Pratham chairman and founder of the New Jersey-based investment firm Raj Associates, and Raj Goyle, a former two-term member of the Kansas State Assembly, founded the Indian American Impact Project, a nonprofit initiative aimed at increasing political participation in the community. The initiative also has a separate political action committee the Indian American Impact Fund focused on getting more Indian Americans elected through training, recruitment and help with fundraising. Together, the two entities are known as IMPACT. The IMPACT organization looks at candidates that are progressive, pluralistic and represent our values. Theres no doubt that our organization is very excited about Sen. Harriss candidacy, said Aruna Miller, executive director of IMPACT. In a statement released on Wednesday, IMPACT announced they were endorsing Harris. In a large, talented, and diverse field, Senator Kamala Harris is our best choice for President of the United States," said Raj. "She is a tested leader who has demonstrated throughout her career a strong commitment to our communitys progressives and pluralistic values." Loading... When M.R. Rangaswami founded Indiaspora in 2012, the community had no representation in Congress. While as a nonprofit the group couldnt make political contributions, the network of individuals rallied around and raised funds for Indian American candidates running throughout the country. Two election cycles later, in 2017, when five Indian Americans were sworn into Congress, Indiaspora organized a gala in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the occasion. For the first time in the nations history, Indian Americans, who at 3.6 million constitute 1% of the U.S. population, had proportional representation in Congress. America, we are better than this: Kamala Harris launches presidential campaign In 2018, we had 100 people running for office at all levels of government throughout the country. Each step builds on itself. We have lots of Republican Indian Americans serving in the current administration, said Rangaswami. What you are seeing now is the acceptance of this small minority in high places, on both the Democratic and Republican side. For politicians looking for support from Indian Americans, their stance on issues such as higher education, comprehensive immigration reform and U.S.-India relations are key, said Rangaswami, who has attended town halls and rallies of both Gabbard and Harris. Wed like to see candidates from both parties come to the community for endorsement, the way both parties now go to AIPAC or other Jewish organizations for their support, said Rangaswami. We would love for them to say, You have our unequivocal support for you and all that you stand for.' This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 2020 presidential hopeful Kamala Harris symbolizes Indian Americans' growing political power A bus carrying German tourists plunged off an embankment on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Wednesday and slammed into a house, leaving 28 people dead, according to the local mayor. Portugal's RTP News quotes Filipe Sousa, the mayor of the city of Santa Cruz, as confirming the deaths of 11 men and 17 women. The report was also carried by the national news agency Lusa. About 22 others on the bus were hospitalized. It was not immediately clear whether all the fatalities were aboard the bus. "I have no words to describe what happened," Sousa told broadcaster SIC TV. "I cannot face the suffering of these people." Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started The Portuguese island is a popular tourist site. The year-round resort is a Portuguese archipelago located about 400 miles off the coast of north Africa and is known as the Pearl of the Atlantic. The news agency said Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was flying to the island to survey the tragedy. The tourist bus left the road after failing to make a curve near the town of Canico, tumbling down an embankment alongside the Atlantic Ocean and slamming into the red-tiled roof of a house, according to Diario de Noticias, the Madeira newspaper. The newspaper said bodies were strewn along the slope and that more fatalities were feared. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 28 killed on Portuguese island of Madeira as tourist bus plunges off embankment and hits a house 70% of people worry about the impact fake news has on politics and referendums. (GETTY) The majority of people in the UK believe that fake news should be a crime, according to an Ipsos MORI poll. The survey revealed that a huge 39 percent of citizens strongly agree that it should be a criminal offence to spread fake news deliberately. Another 36 percent of people say that they tend to agree it should be illegal, 14 percent neither disagree or agree, nine percent disagree and two percent did not know. Although fake news was an unknown term a few years, it is now seen as a problem to our democracy and free debate. The survey, also carried out by Kings College London, defined the term fake news as deliberately untrue information disguised as news stories with the intention of deceiving people. The poll revealed the UK is concerned about fake news. (IPSOS) Roger Mortimore, Professor of Public Opinion and Political Analysis at Kings College London, said: In the month that the government published a white paper on stricter regulation of online companies to protect the public from harmful content, these findings should give everybody food for thought. The British public is worried about fake news, and sees no reason why it should be expected to tolerate it. If Parliament can find an effective way to ban the spreading of fake news, they can hope for support just as strong as they will get in their quest to block other online harms. Seven in ten people questioned said they were concerned about the impact of fake news on politics agreeing with the statement that they were worried that fake news could influence the result of an election of referendum in Britain. Read More on Yahoo News How to avoid falling for fake news about the Notre-Dame fire Yahoo Poll: Will the proposed fake news law make you more careful about what you post and share? In 2017, fake news was named word of the year as following the 2016 US presidential election, many people expressed concern about the number of false stories were circulating, particularly through social media. The survey questioned 1,084 adults online between the ages of 16-75 in February. It also revealed that Labour and Remain voters were most fearful of fake news and social media and online news sites are seen as the least trusted news sources. Almost a third, 31%, agree that Fake news is easy to spot, and should never fool you if you are careful, but 36% disagree. Following a few simple rules could mean more cash at your next job (Getty) New hires are likely leaving money on the table by not asking for a higher salary because Canadian employers are actually open to paying up for top talent. According to a recent survey by Robert Half, only 33 per cent of Canadian workers polled said they negotiated pay with their last job offer. Meanwhile, 65 per cent of employers said they expect some back-and-forth on salary. More than half are open to negotiating compensation as well as perks and benefits. In a separate survey by Hays Canada, 61 per cent of employers said they have increased salaries outside their budgeted range to land a candidate. Rowan OGrady, president of Hays Canada, says new hires should be patient and negotiate once an offer is on the table. This puts you in a position to see what theyre offering, decide if that aligns with your expectations and put your case together for negotiation, if necessary, OGrady told Yahoo Finance Canada. The mutual fit between yourself and the company should be the first goal. OGrady says its best to wait for the hiring manager to bring up salary. When it does come up, reiterate your excitement about the role. Subscribe today Its important to do your research before rolling up your sleeves though. Tools, such as Indeed salaries, let you find the average salary for the position youve applied for. Jodi Kasten, managing director at Indeed Canada, says you should consider where the job is based and the cost of living when comparing. Kasten says it's important to have a well-formulated data-backed answer, but dont be afraid to pad expectations. By aiming higher, you can make sure that, even if they offer the lowest number, youll still be making your target number, Kasten, told Yahoo Finance Canada. For example, if you want to make $45,000, dont say youre looking for a salary between $40,000 and $50,000. Instead, give a range of $45,000 to $50,000. Kasten says it's important to be confident because it shows youre not going to accept less than you deserve. But dont be overconfident, explain your reasoning. Story continues While you dont need to get too detailed in explaining how you arrived at your salary expectations, it doesnt hurt to share why youre giving the number, said Kasten. Highlighting your experience or educational level can add additional justification for your salary, especially if youre aiming for the higher end of the local average. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. By John Revill ZURICH (Reuters) - ABB Chief Executive Ulrich Spiesshofer has quit the Swiss industrial group as the board and major shareholders look for a speedier turnaround at the maker of industrial robots and supplier of factory automation. Spiesshofer's abrupt exit follows the launch of the biggest overhaul in ABB's 31-year history to reposition the company more toward digital industries and agreeing to activist shareholder demands to sell its power grids business. But the latest revamp by the former management consultant failed to revitalize ABB's stock, which has flatlined under his tenure while profits fell last year. Time ran out for Spiesshofer, who has led ABB since September 2013, following a conference call between board members on Tuesday evening. ABB said Spiesshofer's exit was mutually agreed, with Chairman Peter Voser taking charge while a successor is found. "If the board, including Mr. Spiesshofer and the executive committee look at our performance over the last few years on a competitive basis, we are not where we would like to be," Voser told journalists on a call. Voser said following ABB's latest reorganization into four divisions and the $11 billion deal to sell power grids to Japan's Hitachi, it was time to look to the future. "It is normal when you do such big transactions like we did with Hitachi in December... and the way we launched the new business in April that a board looks ahead for the next few years," Voser said. "As part of that discussion, you talk about leadership and discussions with Uli have taken place. He is happy after 14 successful years in executive positions and five-and-half years as CEO to move on and do something else." Voser, the former Royal Dutch Shell CEO who was ABB's finance chief from 2002 to 2004, said there would be no change in strategy at ABB, which is looking to introduce a simpler structure. Spiesshofer, 55, had repositioned ABB and built up growth momentum, Voser said, although he said there had been some frustration at the company's performance. Story continues Spiesshofer's attempts to shift ABB more toward automation had little impact on the share price.ABB's stock has lost 6 percent over the five years Spiesshofer has led the company, lagging rivals like Germany's Siemens and the Stoxx 600 Industrial Goods & Services price index that has gained nearly 33 percent in the same time. The decision to give in to activist shareholder demands to sell power grids and return the money to shareholders failed to halt the slide. ABB said first-quarter net income dropped 6 percent as profitability fell due to the integration of the low-margin General Electric Industrial Solutions business. Big ABB shareholders said the time was right to make a change. ABB shares gained 5.5 percent on the news. Investor AB, ABB's largest investor with a 10.7 percent stake, said it supported the ABB strategy of focusing on digitalization, electrification, automation and robotics. "We support the board's decision that now is the right time for a new person at the helm in order to speed up the execution of the new strategy and deliver on the key financial targets," an Investor spokeswoman said. Cevian Capital, ABB's second-largest shareholder with a 5.3 percent stake, said: "We support the strategic direction of ABB, and have full confidence in Peter Voser and the management team to continue implementing the transformation of ABB." (Reporting by John Revill; Editing by David Holmes and Jane Merriman) The pro-choice group Center for Reproductive Rights is filing its petition with the Supreme Court Wednesday requesting that the court hear and strike down a Louisiana law that the group says would make abortion virtually impossible to obtain in the state. The law, Act 620, would require physicians performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics. In February, the court temporarily blocked the law from going into effect after an emergency request was filed by CRR. The group says that if the law is permitted to stand it will shut down two of the remaining three clinics in Louisiana. Today, we asked the Supreme Court to step in to stop Louisiana from blatantly ignoring the Courts most recent ruling on abortion rights. In 2016, the Court was crystal clear that states may not use medically unjustified restrictions to shut down abortion clinics, said Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. The stakes in this case couldnt be higher for Louisiana women, where abortion access is hanging by a thread. If states are allowed to disregard Supreme Court decisions, the constitutional protections of Roe v. Wade are in peril. CRR Press Release The United States Supreme Court in Washington D C USA Restrictive state abortion laws intended to provoke a challenge that could lead the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade have picked up speed since the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh gave the high court a presumed anti-abortion majority. Since January, more than 300 anti-abortion bills have been introduced in state legislatures, with many of those directly challenging existing court rulings protecting abortion rights. There are two possible paths for abortion foes. The first is to prompt an out and out rescinding of Roe. Six states have passed so called fetal heartbeat bills, which ban abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy before most women even know they are pregnant. In total, the number of such laws introduced at the state level this year has increased 63 percent from the year before. To uphold these bills would mean directly overturning Roe, which allowed for the procedure until the point of viability, which at the time was considered the start of the third trimester. Story continues The second is to leave Roe in place, but add so many regulations that access is effectively impossible for most women. It is one such bill Act 620 in Louisiana that is likely to be the first piece of abortion legislation to reach the court since Kavanaugh replaced the swing vote on reproductive rights, Justice Anthony Kennedy. FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump, center, listens as retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, right, ceremonially swears-in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, left, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Kavanaugh's wife Ashley watches, second from right with daughters Margaret, left, and Liza. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) Rather than aiming at the right to abortion itself, Act 620 is what is known as a TRAP law targeted regulation of abortion providers. For decades these laws, creating obstacles such as mandatory waiting periods, ultrasounds, counseling, fees and licensing requirements, have made abortion more difficult and steadily reduced the number of clinics in the country. CRR senior counsel T.J. Tu told Yahoo News, This is a very well calculated strategy pursued over decades, and we're now up to over 400 laws throughout the country. In 2014, Act 620 passed and was signed into law by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindhal. The law was immediately challenged by CRR, which said it placed an undue burden on abortion providers. Hospitals give admitting privileges to doctors who send them lots of patients. It's a business relationship. Abortion providers dont send patients to hospitals because the procedure is so safe, Tu says. The bill was introduced by Democratic state Rep. Katrina Jackson, who told Yahoo News, When I ran for office I told everyone that I'm going to pray, I'm going to hear from God, I'm going to let my Christian values direct me. When asked if she stands with President Trump on abortion, she said, Although the president and I disagree on a number of issues, trust me. I do support his stance on abortion and being pro-life. Before Act 620 was passed, there were three clinics in Louisiana, down from seven in 2006, requiring many patients to travel long distances and incur the expenses of transportation, childcare and lodging. Supporters of laws like Act 620 say this is all about women's health, and that's just a lie. These laws are about shutting down clinics, Tu says. Amy Irvin, executive director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, told Yahoo News, Ive testified on many bills in front of many of the same legislators. I don't think that they really appreciate both the need for abortion as health care, but also the impact these restrictions have on specific communities. Restrictions like these impact marginalized communities, women of color, immigrant women, youth the most. NOAF Rally to oppose 5th Circuit Court ruling upholding Louisiana's Act 620 abortion law. October 5th, 2018. Upholding the legislation would not mean overturning Roe, but would mean overturning precedent. The court has repeatedly rejected as unconstitutional regulations that would constitute an undue burden on women seeking abortion access. Three years ago the court struck down a Texas law that was almost identical to the current Louisiana one on the grounds that the licensing requirements presented such an undue burden in that they limited access with no apparent benefit to the health or safety of the patient. Should the current justices rule otherwise in this case, they would effectively usher in a post-Roe world without actually overturning Roe. Video Produced by Samantha Feltus Seoul (AFP) - Activity has been detected at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a summit with Washington, a US monitor said Wednesday. The possible signs of fresh reprocessing activity last week come after a February summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Since then North Korea has said it was mulling options for its diplomacy with the US and Kim said last week he was open to talks with Trump only if Washington came with the "proper attitude". The Center for Strategic and International Studies said satellite imagery of the Yongbyon nuclear site on April 12 showed five railcars near its uranium enrichment facility and radiochemistry laboratory. "In the past these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns," the Washington-based monitor said. "The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." Trump and Kim held their first landmark summit in Singapore last June, where the North Korean leader signed a vaguely-worded deal on the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But their failure to reach agreement at their second summit in Hanoi on walking back Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for relaxation of sanctions has raised questions over the future of the wider process. The US president walked away from a partial deal proposed by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle the Yongbyon complex. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for the North's weapons programme. Yongbyon is not believed to be the North's only uranium enrichment facility and closing it down would not in and of itself signal an end to the country's atomic programme. North Korea suspended nuclear and missile testing during the diplomatic process in 2018 but the International Atomic Energy Agency has said there were indications that Yongbyon has been in use as recently as the end of February. Alliance Data Systems Corporation ADS has agreed to sell its Epsilon business to Publicis Groupe for $4.4 billion in cash. Net cash proceeds, after taking into account tax obligations and fees associated with the transaction, are estimated to be $3.5 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2019, subject to closing conditions. Shares of Alliance Data dropped 9.3% following the news release. Sales Consideration Valued at $4.4 billion, the sale price equates to 10X 2018 adjusted EBITDA. The net sale price equates to 8.2X trailing 2018 adjusted EBITDA. Alliance Data intends to use the sale proceeds to buy back shares and pay debt. Rationale Behind the Transaction Alliance Data had acquired Epsilon Data Management, a leading provider of integrated direct marketing solutions, in 2004 for $300 million to ramp up its marketing capabilities and fortify presence in North America. Conversant, a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, was acquired by Alliance Data in a cash stock transaction in 2013 and merged with Epsilon. Epsilon built assets in technology, data and platforms at an impressive scale. However, the business has been witnessing declining sales for some time. The top line in 2018 decreased 4% attributable to a decrease in agency and site-based display product offerings. In fact, the segments contribution to revenues has also declined. Also, Epsilons operations differ from the Card Services business (contributing the lions share of Alliance Datas total revenues). Thus, the divestiture of Epsilon is a strategic fit for the company. Alliance Data estimates the divestiture to be accretive to 2019 core EPS of $22 and be highly accretive on a GAAP basis. On its part, Publicis can leverage its position to be an ace player of data driven personalized experiences in the wake of digital advertising. Publicis Groupe estimates double-digit accretion to bottom line as well as free cash flow from 2020. Publicis will also form a strategic partnership with Alliance Datas remaining business. Shares of Alliance Data have gained 9.3% year to date, underperforming the industrys increase of nearly 24%. It estimates core EPS for 2019 to be $22, down 3% from 2018 due to the divestiture of non-strategic held-for-sale portfolios. However, it expects revenues of $8.1 billion, up 4% from 2018. Organic growth strength, a realigned portfolio and effective capital deployment should help the stock turn around. Story continues The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks from the business service sector are Accenture plc ACN, WEX Inc. WEX and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP. Each of these stocks carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Accenture provides consulting, technology, and outsourcing services in Ireland and internationally. The company delivered positive surprise of 10.19% in the last reported quarter. WEX provides corporate card payment solutions in North and South America, the Asia Pacific, and Europe. The company delivered positive surprise of 0.96% in the last reported quarter. Automatic Data Processing provides business process outsourcing services worldwide. The company delivered positive surprise of 13.56% in the last reported quarter. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> 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 your free report. WEX Inc. (WEX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Accenture PLC (ACN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alliance Data Systems Corporation (ADS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Andrea Norton died after taking photos with friends A university student has died after falling off a cliff at a famous hiking spot while taking photos with classmates. Andrea Norton, a 20-year-old university student from South Dakota, died on Saturday after falling 30 metres off a cliff in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. She had been readjusting herself for a picture with friends from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, when she fell. Andrea Norton, a 20-year-old university student from South Dakota, died on Saturday after falling 30 metres off a cliff in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. Source: Briar Cliff University Ms Norton was at Hawksbill Crag, also known as Whitaker Point, when she fell a popular spot often frequented by couples to taking photos together. A 5km trail dotted with wildflowers and a waterfall leads to the rock formation, which is shaped like a birds beak. The Buffalo Outdoor Center warns on its website of the dangers of the area. Caution: Please be careful in this area. A bluff line can be a pretty thing, but also a dangerous one, their website reads. Whitaker Point is a popular spot for photos. Source: Getty We cannot stress enough the importance of remaining cautious and staying back from sheer drop-offs, as well as keeping a vigilant eye on children, even teenagers. A Briar Cliff spokesperson told Yahoo the student, a popular member in the universitys volleyball team, would be sorely missed. It is with very heavy hearts that we confirm the sudden passing of Briar Cliff Universitys Andrea Norton, the spokesperson said. Andrea embodied BCUs values in everything she did including her compassion for all, a love for the environment and an openness to everyone she met. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to Andreas family and friends during this very difficult time. Counsellors are currently assisting Briar Cliff students, faculty, staff and all who knew Andrea. The school posted a photo of Ms Nortons memorial, writing on Facebook Ms Norton was a passionate environmental science major, exemplary student, and dedicated athlete. The biggest beer story of 2019 so far has been a battle between Americas two largest brewers. Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors began tussling over corn syrup after the former launched an unsolicited attack ad on the latter during the Super Bowl. The reason Bud Light picked this fight with its biggest competitors is about more than old rivalries. Beer sales are shrinking, especially for the largest brands; independent local breweries are one of the industrys few bright spots, but old-school beer brands are unlikely to steal away drinkers from these small purveyors of handcrafted brews. As a result, its beginning to look like big brewers best opportunity to expand their market share is at each others expense meaning Bud Lights corntroversy might just be the tip of the iceberg. Along those lines, as Bloomberg reports, the worlds two largest brewers have recently launched a legal battle over the right to use new draft beer systems in the United States. Both Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken have developed smaller draft systems that take up less space, are easier to maintain, waste less beer, and keep it fresher. The reason for these systems is clear: Both brands are looking to penetrate spots where larger, sometimes unwieldy keg systems (you ever tried to lift a keg?) have been impractical be it in smaller bars and restaurants or even consumers' homes. What isnt so clear, however, is whether these two brewing behemoths have infringed on each others patents in creating these patently similar systems. Both Heinekens Blade system and AB InBevs Nova system (which is marketed under the Stella Artois brand) use canisters that, beyond being less cumbersome, also dont require outside gas to be served. AB InBev reportedly claims that it has patents on these canisters and is trying to, therefore, ban Heineken from importing its system into the U.S. But meanwhile, Heineken apparently believes that it holds patents on the machinery behind the dispensing system, claiming they actually have reason to block AB InBevs system. Story continues This argument has now gone before the U.S. International Trade Commission. But Bloomberg points out a potentially more interesting wrinkle in this fight: At one point, the two companies were reportedly in discussions to license each others patents before AB InBev decided to move forward with legal proceedings. Similarly, at one point, it looked like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors might work together to promote beer on a unified front until MillerCoors backed out of the deal after ABs Bud Light Super Bowl ads. Though legal battles over patents are a common occurrence between big companies (look no further than the recent news of a patent settlement between Apple and Qualcomm), at the same time, these recent examples of big brewers unwillingness to work together have a sense of desperate times call for desperate measures. Unless overall beer sales start to rebound, dont be surprised to see further fights brewing in the future. ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) On a trip to Africa to promote women's economic empowerment, Ivanka Trump said Wednesday the White House should be judged by its actions toward a continent that her father has privately disparaged. In an Associated Press interview, the president's daughter and senior adviser pointed to visits to Africa by herself, first lady Melania Trump and others, and said: "Our commitment to Africa is clear." She added that she hopes President Donald Trump will visit. "I've been deeply, deeply inspired by my trip here. And I think he will be as well," she said. Ivanka Trump spoke on the last day of her four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, which has featured a mix of carefully choreographed diplomacy and visits to business ventures as she advances a White House program to give an economic boost to women in the developing world. The trip was initially viewed with some skepticism, given the president's persistent efforts to cut foreign aid and his disparaging comments about African countries. But there no public signs of tension as his daughter posed for photos with officials and announced development grants. The president was criticized last year after his private comments referring to "shithole countries" in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. "Our actions are speaking for themselves in terms of our dedication to seeing Africa prosper," Ivanka Trump said. "I'm very excited about continuing my work to specifically focus on advocating and advancing the role of women on this continent and beyond." The president's latest proposed budget would cut money for diplomacy and development by about one-quarter. But Congress has twice rejected his administration's attempts to slash the foreign affairs budget and is likely to do so again. Traveling with the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ivanka Trump was welcomed with enthusiasm. In Ethiopia, she perched on a stool on a grass-covered floor for a traditional coffee welcome ceremony and sat behind a loom at a textile operation. In Ivory Coast, she traveled several hours outside Abidjan, the largest city, to a rural cocoa farm and attended a World Bank-sponsored policy summit. Story continues As she entered the town where the cocoa farm was located, she was surrounded by a cheering, dancing crowd. Many people waved signs and wore shirts with her picture that said "Welcome to Adzope, Ivanka Trump." "This is something we rarely see," said government minister Patrick Achi, after Trump's open-air tour of the cocoa production process. He thanked her for the visit and said residents will keep it "forever in our hearts." As she concluded the trip, Ivanka Trump made clear she relished the work she was doing. She said her father recently asked her if she was interested in the job of World Bank chief but that she decided she was happy with her current role in the administration. She worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, U.S. Treasury official David Malpass, and said he would do an "incredible job." Asked if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka Trump said she would "keep that between us." But she did say she does not see a run for office in her future. She also said she had no plans to leave her White House role any time soon. A day before the Justice Department planned to release a redacted version of the special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and the 2016 Trump campaign, Ivanka Trump said she was not worried about what it would contain . "I knew that there was no collusion. I knew that there was no obstruction and this was affirmed in the Mueller report and Attorney General Barr's subsequent summary," she said. She also said she stood by a previous statement that the president had no involvement in granting security clearances to her or her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner. "I have no evidence to the contrary," she said. But she said she had not spoken to the president about the issue since reports surfaced that he had ordered officials to grant Kushner a clearance over the objections of national security officials. Asked whether she would support turning over documents to Democrats investigating the issue, Ivanka Trump said she would leave that decision to the White House counsel. A convert to Judaism, Ivanka Trump said she was concerned about a "rise in anti-Semitism" and said there currently was "less support for Israel than Israel has traditionally experienced." Asked if she agreed with her father's statements that Democrats had become an "anti-Jewish" party, she said: "I never make categorical statements, but certainly there are some who have said things that are not supportive of the state of Israel." Throughout the interview, Ivanka Trump stressed her commitment to her White House work, but also said it takes a "tremendous toll" on her family life and her three young children. "That's a price that we're paying together," she said. "I am looking forward to a time in the future when I can live a slightly more low-key private life and be able to spend a little bit more time with my children." Her kids, she stressed, are proud of the current family business. Ivanka Trump said her 7-year-old daughter Arabella recently used her nanny's phone to ask the Siri digital assistant how many people her father, Kushner, had helped get out of prison, after the passage of a criminal justice bill that Kushner had helped champion. "I think our kids are really proud and I share with them as many of these stories as I can," Ivanka Trump said. "I'm certainly going to share the stories of this trip." The cliche almost writes itself: Barbara Bush, with her white hair and pearls, often appeared to be the American ideal of a home-making grandmother, a woman who supported one president in marriage and raised another. There is some truth to that idea. But only some. In my view, she stands as the most underestimated First Lady of modern times. And perhaps the most interesting, Susan Page writes in The Matriarch , a biography of Bush published this month. Pages book includes five interviews with Bush before she died last year, as well as access to her lifelong diaries. Its only the latest example to lay out the ways in which Bush, though never a political candidate, was nonetheless a prominent political figure. Bush, who died one year ago at 92, helped shape husband George H. W. Bushs policies and worldview and, by extension, American life. Page writes: I discovered that there was more about Barbara Bush, and her role in some of the most important events of our age, than I would have even guessed. Educating the World In the early days of HIV/AIDS, a time when those with the deadly virus were widely shunned, Mrs. Bush cradled babies who had been abandoned after their diagnosis and visited ailing patients in the hospital. It was notable compassion from the first lady and it was forged from decades-old grief: the death of young daughter Robin, from cancer, in 1953. She never forgot what happened when her three-year-old daughter, being treated for leukemia, came home to Midland from Sloan Kettering for one last visit, Page writes in The Matriarch. When Robin got sick, people avoided us like the plague. Even my close friends, Bush told Page years later, her voice marked more by sorrow than anger. When her husband was the vice president, Mrs. Buch would come home from visits with AIDS patients or from time spent with the homeless and tell him all about it. He was then considered behind the curve on those and other issues, such as civil rights, according to TIME. The magazine described Mrs. Bush as being instrumental in her husband appointing a black person to his cabinet. Story continues While pushing to increase literacy is what Mrs. Bush is best remembered for, she also helped normalize Soviet-American relations and the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. In 1990 her husband banned discrimination against those with the virus as part of the Americans With Disabilities Act. As TIME detailed in 1989, It was Barbaras visits to AIDS hospitals in Harlem that nudged her husband into endorsing additional federal funds for fighting the disease when the Reagan Administration was still balking. Similarly, after an early debate when her husband brushed aside a question about the homeless with boilerplate about housing, according to TIME, Barbara exhorted him to make homelessness a campaign issue. She really talked hard at him, said an aide, and rode him until he got it right. RELATED VIDEO: George W. Bush Cries During Emotional Eulogy of Father George H. W. Mrs. Bushs behavior toward HIV and AIDS patients was markedly warmer after years of disdain and disinterest from Reagan administration officials, and her husband made some progress in helping patients. But activists have long said neither he nor his predecessor did nearly enough. If one was being charitable one could say it was a mixed legacy, but in truth it was a bad legacy of leadership, Urvashi Vaid, a former head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, told the New York Times last year. He did not lead on AIDS. Still, Mrs. Bushs high profile and public actions taught compassion at a time when a diagnosis alienated victims from family, friends and proper medical care. People often ask whether the famous picture of Barbara Bush cuddling one of the babies at our care home for children with HIV/AIDS was staged by White House photographers or handlers, the founders of Grandmas House, a residential care home for children with HIV/AIDS, wrote in The Washington Post days after Mrs. Bushs death. It was not, co-founders Debbie Tate and Joan McCarley recalled. It was a caring grandmothers genuine instinct to comfort and soothe a sick baby. They added: At the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, she [Mrs. Bush] single-handedly educated the world, saying that it is okay to support places such as Grandmas House. From left: George H. W. and Barbara Bush in 1993 The Toughest Issue The Bushes split on abortion if only, in some ways, by necessity. In 1980, when President Bush was not yet in the White House, he opposed abortion but he also opposed passing a constitutional amendment to ban it, Page wrote. He was against federal funding for abortion in general but supported exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to preserve the health of the mother, according to Page. But the Republican Party was calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Courts decision to legalize abortion and Bush agreed to support that position when he joined Regans ticket. For Mrs. Bush, daughter Robins death deeply informed her pro-choice thinking on the highly personal decision to undergo the procedure. Having decided that the first breath is when the soul enters the body, I believe in Federally funded abortion, Mrs. Bush once wrote in a letter to herself, where she worked out how she felt about the issue. Why should the rich be allowed to afford abortions and the poor not? According to Page, Mrs. Bush was not against some possible restrictions on abortion but felt it wasnt a Presidential issue. In all our years of campaigning, abortion was the toughest issue for me, Mrs. Bush once said. In 1992, while her husband was running for re-election, she said abortion (and being gay) were a personal choice and her party should remove its strident anti-abortion policies from its platform, according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper described her comments as in stunning contrast with the position her husband has maintained for the last 12 years. (For example, according to Page, Mrs. Bush had refused to discuss her support for abortion rights during the primaries [in 1980].) In her 94 memoir, she wrote, Let me say again: I hate abortions, but just could not make that choice for someone else. Barbara Bush (left) and Raisa Gorbachev in June 1990 | REX/Shutterstock Helping Thaw the Cold War Mrs. Bushs influence on her husbands good relations with the president of the former Soviet Union proved more successful than her influence on Republican abortion politics. Her rapport with Raisa Gorbachev, the wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, was an act of will that the German chancellor and Canadian prime minister credited with helping ease the superpower negotiations that closed the Cold War, Page writes in The Matriarch. Barbaras connection with Raisa was valued by Gorbachev, who relied on the counsel of his wife, writes Page. If the First Ladies are on pretty good terms and trusting terms, if you will, then its much more likely that the husbands will be pillow talk and all that, Jim Baker, then the secretary of state for President Bush, told Page. Writes Page: It obviously helped tremendously to have a good relationship between the wives. WASHINGTON From legal services and family resource centers to scholarships and employment preparation, many big cities have set up a dedicated infastructure, costing millions a year, to help immigrants. So when President Donald Trump threatened to ship undocumented immigrants who crossed the border illegally to various sanctuary cities across the nation, big cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago weren't detoured. "Not only does hate have no home in Chicago, but, as a welcoming city, we would welcome these migrants with open arms, just as we welcomed Syrian refugees, just as we welcomed Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria and just as we welcome Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Myanmar," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed similar thoughts: "New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants the Presidents empty threats wont change that." And Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city wasn't afraid, calling Trump's proposal "a needless distraction and a waste of time" that seeks to "demonize immigrants." Sticking by their guns was a relatively easy feat for those larger sanctuary cities, communities that generally do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. But for smaller sanctuary communities, taking in an unknown number of immigrants could prove to be more challenging. "The official designation as a sanctuary city just puts a target on our back for the current administration in Washington," said Robert Moon, the mayor of Palm Springs, Calif. He added that he's been worried about "unintended and unforeseen consequences" of officially dubbing the community of 48,000 a sanctuary city. Moon, who was the sole member of the city council opposed to making the community a sanctuary for migrants, said Trump's proposal worried him as the city did not have a plan in place for a sudden influx of migrants and would likely lead to city leaders dipping into emergency funds. Story continues More: Why Donald Trump's sanctuary cities plan faces roadblocks More: Trump 'likes the idea' of sending migrants to sanctuary cities, spokeswoman says More: In speech to mayors, Trump says sanctuary cities are the 'best friends of gangs and cartels' "Even if we identified the funding, it would be a challenge as to where to physically house them," Moon said, noting the city is already struggling to house its current homeless population. "We would also have to be concerned with the costs and logistics of feeding them, providing necessary medical care, and the many other expenses of caring for people who have very little if any funds to support themselves." Moon's concerns were overruled in February when the city voted the dub itself a sanctuary city, which was largely a symbolic gesture since the state of California is considered a sanctuary state. He added that in any event, Trump's proposal "would be a very challenging situation for us." Lisa Middleton, a Palm Springs city council member who voted in favor to make the community a sanctuary city, saw things differently than Moon. She said "it would be a mistake" to take the plan as a "serious policy proposal" but said nonetheless, the city's mission to open its arms to immigrants would not be detoured. "It is time for the leader of the free world to stop playing to the crowds. This is a test of leadership," she said. "My city and our people will do our part." The concerns, though, aren't unfounded. Other smaller sanctuary cities, while noting that Trump's proposal was a longshot in becoming a reality, said shipping undocumented immigrants to their community could put a strain on the city. In the college city of Boulder, Colo., which voted days before Trump's inauguration in 2017 to dub itself a sanctuary city, Mayor Suzanne Jones conceded that while the city is proud to welcome immigrants, if Trump's plan came to fruition it would put a strain on her community. The college city of 322,000 doesn't boast big immigration centers and hasn't set aside money for such programs like larger cities. "I agree that larger cities already have the systems and scale of services in place to help absorb more people than a community like ours," Jones said. "We would rely on the faith community and non-profits to step up and fill gaps because we have strong moral values that say we should take care of the most vulnerable parts of our population." Jones said a lot of effects the proposal could have on her city come down to the unknowns of Trump's proposal: how many immigrants could be sent to her community, would the federal government help with funding, would the immigrants go through background checks as refugees have in the past? She noted that if it meant a large influx of migrants suddenly showing up in the city, the community would get through it and simply have to "roll up its sleeves." Despite the political attacks to sanctuary cities, Jones said it does not scare her or her community. "I think being a sanctuary city is a badge of honor," she said. "It's standing up for the values of our community and the values that our country was founded upon, and we do so proudly." Both Jones and Ithaca, N.Y. Mayor Svante Myrick said they believed that Trump's proposal could actually be part of the solution to the flow of immigrants who cross the border illegally, which hit a 12-year high in March. "I actually think this is the solution," Myrick said. "It's all we've asked for from the federal government, which is to take a more humane approach to immigration." The problem, he and Jones agreed, was how the administration approached the idea, treating it as a threat and using people as political pawns, they say. If the idea was rolled out as a partnership between federal, state and local communities, it could help alleviate detention centers and provide a better way of life for immigrants. More: 'A new level of inhumanity': Democrats denounce White House idea to release migrants in sanctuary cities More: Sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants? Here's what you need to know He noted that the city of 31,000 has a long history of accepting immigrations, relying on the faith community to help migrants and refugees who traveled everywhere from Iraq, Afganistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Vietnam, get resettled in the U.S. Myrick said his community could easily take a few dozen undocumented migrants but if that number was a few thousand, it could put a strain on resources. "It was was something like 5,000 immigrants sent to our city then we would treat it like a natural disaster," Myrick said, noting that his community, like others, has plans in place for residents when it comes to tornadoes, floods and other disasters that could be used to help immigrants for a short period. "[Becoming a sanctuary city] did put a circle and a target on our backs," Myrick admitted. "But, we have a duty to stand up and draw fire away from those who can't take it." Asked whether allowing undocumented immigrants to settle in sanctuary cities would potentially increase the number of immigrants illegally crossing into the U.S., Myrick pointed to Trump's harsh policies and rhetoric and the stark rise in migrants crossing the border. In March, 92,607 immigrants were apprehended at the border the highest monthly total since April 2007, when 104,465 immigrants were stopped trying to enter the country illegally. "We know the president's target might be to hurt us but we also know he has poor aim as he's lost time and time again in court over his policies," Myrick added. "He thinks he's calling our bluff like we're just virtue signaling, but that couldn't be farther from the truth." Contributing: Julie Makinen, The Desert Sun This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'A target on our back': Trump's sanctuary city proposal could strain smaller communities WASHINGTON President Donald Trump formally vetoed a measure that would force his administration to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The veto, the second of Trump's presidency, overrode a bipartisan measure earlier this month that would have stopped the U.S. from providing logistical, intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia in the conflict with Yemen. The resolution served as a rebuke to Trump and Saudi leaders and highlighted a growing unease with America's role in the grisly conflict, which has left thousands of civilians dead and millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation. Currently, the U.S. provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said in a letter to the Senate. The war in Yemen is a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as the two regimes battle for influence in the region. The Saudis, along with the United Arab Emirates, have engaged in a deadly bombing campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. An estimated 85,000 children have died of starvation over the last several years, according to Save the Children. An 'ultimately immoral' war: Senate approves measure to force US withdrawal from Yemen despite Trump's veto threat More: In rebuke to President Trump, House approves measure to force U.S. withdrawal from Yemen Trump defended the U.S. role in the war, highlighting that no Americans were physically in Yemen fighting the conflict and that U.S. citizens live in the surrounding countries that have been targeted by attacks from Yemen rebels. He wrote that abandoning the conflict would allow an "inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia." Story continues Trump also blamed the Senate for the pace in which his appointees have been confirmed, arguing that vacancies in his administration have impeded helping end the conflict. "Peace in Yemen requires a negotiated settlement," Trump said. "Unfortunately, inaction by the Senate has left vacant key diplomatic positions, impeding our ability to engage regional partners in support of the United Nations-led peace process." The president also pointed out the move would hurt relations with foreign powers and "its efforts to curtail certain forms of military support would harm our bilateral relationships, negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran's malign activities in Yemen." Over the last several months, lawmakers have grown uneasy with Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time earlier this month to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try to stop U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict, despite a threat that Trump would veto the measure. House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. Congressional support for ending the U.S. role in Yemen gained momentum last year amid bipartisan outrage over the Saudi government's role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist who was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Lawmakers in both parties believe that Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was complicit in Khashoggi's killing. Rep. Ro Khanna, the lead author of the House's Yemen bill, called Trump's veto "a painful missed opportunity," noting that the measure was bipartisan. He vowed to continue putting pressure on the president to end U.S. support in the conflict. "From a president elected on the promise of putting a stop to our endless wars, this veto is a painful missed opportunity," the California Democrat said. "The Yemen War Powers Resolution was a bipartisan, bicameral effort to end the worlds largest humanitarian crisis and supported by some of the presidents most trusted Republican allies." Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who authored the Senate version, was also disappointed with Trump's decision. "The people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs," he said on Twitter. "I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bi-partisan resolution to end U.S. involvement in the horrific war in Yemen." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the president to "put peace before politics" and work with Democrats in the House to "advance an enduring solution to end this crisis and save lives. "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. "Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate Americas shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis." Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'An unnecessary, dangerous attempt': Trump vetoes resolution to end US support in Yemen Good morning. I spent the last two days in the South Bronxjust a few miles but a world away from my usual perch in lower Manhattanas a guest of Jim Ziolkowski, founder and CEO of buildOn. BuildOn is a nonprofit that runs youth service learning projects in tough urban high schools and constructs schools in developing countries. My guide for the two days was a high school senior named Michael, who moved from the Dominican Republic two years ago with no English-speaking skills, has struggled with a bout of homelessness since then, but has somehow emerged as one of buildOns bright leaders. We did two days of service together, entertaining children in an after-school program and serving free meals in Morrisania. What makes buildOnand Michaelof interest to me, and to the business world, is how they demonstrate the tight link between service and leadership. By showing young people the contributions they can make to their communities, the program empowers them. The first indication of that efficacy is an 18-day increase in their school attendance. But Michael showed that the benefits go far beyond that, building confident leaders out of the most challenged raw material. Its that piece that has attracted companies like Salesforce, McKinsey, Pitney Bowes and Synchrony Financial to engage with the organization. With me this week were Synchrony CEO Margaret Keane and Ogilvy CEO John Seifert. Its not just an opportunity for them to give back. Its an anvil for forging a new level of empathy, leading to what Ziolkowski calls constructive leadership. Here are some words Michael left with me: Jobs can come and go. Physical beauty fades. Relationships can end. Markets rise and fall. But the benefits of service last a lifetime. Not bad for a kid who couldnt speak English two years ago. News below. Alan Murray @alansmurray alan.murray@fortune.com Directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Credit: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) The Russo Brothers have appealed to fans not to spoil Avengers: Endgame, after footage from the movie leaked online yesterday. It appears that the footage was filmed covertly at a screening, and then posted on sites including Reddit and YouTube. According to reports, a series of what seem to be pivotal scenes have been cut together from the poor quality footage shot at the screening. Read more: Marvel fans warned of Endgame leaks This follows news of trolls leaking apparent spoilers on social media and in comment threads yesterday too. Responding to the leaks, the Russos reminded fans that Thanos still demands you silence, harking back to a similar appeal made on the release of Avengers: Infinity War. In a letter published on Twitter, they said: The two of us, along with everyone involved in Endgame, have worked tirelessly for the last three years with the sole intention of delivering a surprising and emotionally powerful conclusion to the Infinity Saga. Read more: Which characters are alive or dead ahead of Endgame When you see Endgame in the coming weeks, please dont spoil it for others, the same way you wouldnt want it spoiled for you. Remember, Thanos still demands your silence. Avengers: Endgame (Credit: Marvel/Disney) Though theres no mention of the leaked footage, with the onus placed on fans keeping schtum after theyve seen the movie legitimately, the timing would suggest that Marvel is tacitly acknowledging that some potentially damaging information is now out there. Additionally, after the opening 20 minutes of the movie was shown during the press tour in Seoul last weekend, detailed descriptions of that have emerged online too. Story continues As a result of all this, fans are being warned to tread carefully online particularly in comments threads and adjust settings on social media to mute certain keywords and phrases. Looks like there have been some #AvengersEndgame spoilers leaked already. You know what that means kids! pic.twitter.com/dE6m7w0uli Swarley Underhill (@SwarleyU) April 16, 2019 The movie lands in the UK on 25 April. The RAC has asked people to plan well for their travel to avoid the worst traffic. (Getty) Drivers are being warned they could face severe traffic jams over Easter weekend with more than 25 million car journeys expected and railways disrupted across the country. Good Friday will be the busiest day with delays of up to an hour on the worst affected roads between 11am and 4.30pm, RAC research suggests. According to the RAC's research, some of the worst affected roads will have delays of up to an hour. Some of the worst jams are expected on the M5 southbound, passing west of Bristol (J16 to J19), which is part of the popular holiday route towards Devon and Cornwall. Other roads that are expected to be busy are the M25 anticlockwise from Bromley through the Dartford Tunnel to the A13, the M6 north between Preston and Lancaster, and the M62 west between Leeds and Manchester. Highways England said it will remove more than 450 miles of roadworks in time for the Easter bank holiday, meaning 99% of motorways and major A-roads in England will be clear of cones. RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said he expected a "significant" wave of Easter getaway traffic to cause problems on Britain's highways. He said: This will mean the coming week and the bank holiday will likely be characterised by lengthy queues in some spots. Traffic jams are frustrating at the best of times and while we can predict where some of these will crop up, it only takes a single bump or breakdown for huge tailbacks to form. Worst delays expected on Good Friday North West M62 west J27 to J18 at 12.45pm, 56 minute delay expected North West M6 north J31 to J34 at 3.30pm, 39 minute delay expected North East A64 north Fulford to Barton Hill at 1.30pm, 32 minute delay expected Greater London M25 anticlockwise J4 to J30 at 11.45am, 30 minute delay expected South West M5 south J16 to J19 at 11.45am, 21 minute delay expected Dan Croft, incident group operations manager at traffic data firm Inrix, said: During peak hours over Easter, journeys could take UK drivers three times longer than usual. We are predicting Good Friday will be the worst for traffic from late morning into the afternoon. Story continues The problem will be made worse by disruption on the rail network with over 400 engineering works planned across the country. Euston train station will be closed during Easter weekend as it prepares for HS2. (Getty) According to Network Rail trains only carry half their normal travellers at Easter compared to the rest of the year. London Euston the fifth busiest station in the UK will be closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday as the station prepares for HS2, affecting most West Coast services. There will also be no trains at London Fenchurch Street, an amended service between Preston and Glasgow Central, and some lines through Wimbledon will be closed. Bernie Sanders, the left-wing Vermont senator, is running for the Democratic 2020 presidential nomination - REUTERS Bernie Sanders and his wife made more than $1 million in both 2016 and 2017, newly released tax returns have revealed, shining a light on the wealth of the Left-wing presidential hopeful. Mr Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who sits as an independent in the US Senate, enjoyed the surge of income in part thanks to books he has written about politics. The 77-year-old released 10 years of tax returns on Monday, following similar moves by rivals who are also seeking the Democratic Partys 2020 presidential nomination. The revelation is politically challenging for Mr Sanders given he has railed against the millionaires and billionaires and their influence over the political system. Mr Sanders said in a statement: These tax returns show that our family has been fortunate. I am very grateful for that, as I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and I know the stress of economic insecurity. The 2018 tax return, the most recent released, showed Mr Sanders and his wife Jane OMeara Sanders receiving an income of $561,293. That puts the Sanders in the top 1 per cent of US earners, according to the Economic Policy Institute, which said families receiving more than around $422,000 a year were in that bracket. About $393,000 of the Sanderss 2018 earnings came from book income. The pair reported giving $19,000 to charity though other charitable gifts may have gone undeclared. The pair paid an effective tax rate of 26 per cent in 2018, according to the Sanders campaign. Mr Sanders said in his statement: "I consider paying more in taxes as my income rose to be both an obligation and an investment in our country. "I will continue to fight to make our tax system more progressive so that our country has the resources to guarantee the American Dream to all people. Bernie Sanders ran Hillary Clinton close in the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination race, but ultimately fell short Credit: REUTERS/Brian Snyder Mr Sanders, a Vermont senator, sprung to worldwide prominence when he ran a closer than expected race against Hillary Clinton for the Democrats 2016 presidential nomination. Story continues He ended up losing to Mrs Clinton but his unashamed left-wing policy pitch inspired scores of young Americans and drew comparisons to Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader. Shortly after the 2016 election, Mr Sanders book Our Revolution: A Future To Believe In was published. It was eventually translated into five languages. A young-adult book called Bernie Sanders' Guide to Political Revolution was published the following year and another, titled Where We Go From Here, came out last year. Given Mr Sanders left-wing policy program free government-funded healthcare for all, a $15 minimum wage, no tuition fees he has been challenged to square his new-found wealth with his political stance. I wrote a best-selling book, Mr Sanders said in an interview with The New York Times last week. If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too. During a town hall debate run by Fox News on Monday, Mr Sanders acknowledged he had increased his income by publishing a book and declined to apologise. I guess the president watches your network a little bit, right?" Mr Sanders said to the moderators. "Hey, President Trump. My wife and I just released 10 years. Please do the same." Mr Sanders had held up publishing his full tax returns during his 2016 bid for the White House, releasing just his 2014 return. Leading rivals for the 2020 nomination have released years of tax returns. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator, has released 10 years worth and Kamala Harris, the California senator, has released 15 years of returns. Mr Trump is yet to release any of his tax returns, despite promising to do so during the 2016 presidential campaign once an audit was complete. Committees in the House of Representatives which are controlled by the Democrats are attempting to force their release with subpoenas. The White House is fighting the move. Some of us are more introverted -- more introspective, people who expel energy to be in large groups of people -- while others are more extroverted, more talkative and social, and energized by being around others. And these personality proclivities don't just inform our decisions about what to do on a Friday night; an inclination toward more introversion or extroversion can also help us choose the best careers for our unique personality types. Here, according to a career expert, are the best career options for introverts and extroverts. A computer technician works on a laptop amidst rows of mainframes. Image source: Getty Images. The Best Jobs for Introverts Creative fields: "Introverts who are creative can be well-suited for fields and positions that require lots of room for imagination and inventiveness," working as entrepreneurs, marketers, or graphic designers, for example, says Alexandra Clarke, ForceBrands' director of recruiting. For example, introverts might love being a content writer, she says. "Writing well requires both creativity and close attention to detail. ... Writers often prefer to work alone so they can concentrate their efforts on researching, writing, and editing." Freelance work: "Introverts who are self-starters and need less external motivation and validation than extroverts often excel in freelance positions," says Clarke, "or roles that require long stretches of working alone or unsupervised," such as graphic designers. Highly technical work: According to Clarke, "Some introverts prefer to think things over and take a more thorough approach to their work. These kinds of introverts tend to find success in industries and roles that require a lot of problem-solving or involved processes." For example, an introvert might like to work as a food scientist, a job that "requires a lot of creativity, research, and problem solving -- all skills that play to an introvert's strengths." The Best Jobs for Extroverts Story continues Risk-driven work: Extroverts might have a higher tolerance for risk than introverts. And so, "Extroverts who enjoy trying new things, taking calculated risks, and driving innovation and company growth will likely thrive in roles like stock traders and investors," Clarke says. An extrovert might be happy as a sales representative, she says, because "Relationship building and persuasion lie at the heart of sales -- both strong suits among most extroverts. Negotiating and spur-of-the-moment decision-making are also major demands of this role." Network-heavy work: According to Clarke, "Some fields require more networking than others, so extroverts who prefer social settings and enjoy talking to others often excel in these types of jobs." A human resources position could also be perfect for an extrovert. "Human resources is a social field," she says. "The job demands working well with others -- from facilitating new hires to handling conflicts and providing mentorship and guidance." Quickly changing fields: "Extroverts who are excited by change tend to do better in fields that are continually evolving -- think cannabis -- or require learning new things as they arise -- think beauty tech," says Clarke. A job that could be appropriate for an extrovert might be working as a financial advisor -- as the financial industry often revolves around change and offers other opportunities for extroverts to excel. "Extroverts can sometimes be more confident in their own assessments of others," Clarke says. "While some introverts may struggle to give someone advice in an area as significant as money, many extroverts have the self-assurance to help others with financial planning. Additionally, financial planners often grow their business by conducting seminars, workshops, and networking." Of course, "Regardless of whether you identify as an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert," says Clarke, "career possibilities are endless. And connecting with an executive recruiter -- or someone who knows the nuances of a particular job and its respective team -- can go a long way in helping to identify the role and the environment that's just right for you." This article originally appeared on Glassdoor.com. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Bags of chewy Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookies are being recalled in the United States after an "unexpected solidified ingredient" has been found in some of them. Mondelez Global LLC, the parent company of Nabisco, released a recall notice for consumers on April 13 for the limited and voluntary recall of the cookies. Mondelez Global has not specified what the solidified ingredient in the cookies is, but said there have been reports of potential adverse health effects. The 13-ounce pack of cookies containing the UPC 044000032234 and use by dates on Sept. 7, Sept. 8, Sept. 14 and Sept. 15, should not be eaten. The dates are located on the top left of the packaging near the lift tab. Anyone who may have purchased these chocolate chip cookies should not eat them and reach out to Mondelez Global, which is headquartered in East Hanover Township, New Jersey. Mondelez International issued a voluntary recall for certain packages of Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies. For more information about the recall, consumers can call Mondelez Global at 1-844-366-1171. Ben & Jerry's recall: Chunky Monkey, Coconut Seven Layer Bar flavors recalled for unlisted tree nuts Sushi fans: CDC and FDA investigating multi-state salmonella outbreak linked to frozen tuna This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: Chewy Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookies recalled By Kevin Yao and Lusha Zhang BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy grew at a steady 6.4 percent pace in the first quarter, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. The upbeat readings, which included faster growth in investment, will add to optimism that China's economy may be starting to stabilize even as Beijing and Washington appear to be edging toward a trade deal. Investors have ranked China's slowdown and the trade war as the biggest risks facing the faltering global economy. But analysts warn it is too early to call a sustainable turnaround, and further policy support is needed to maintain momentum in the world's second-largest economy. Many had expected a recovery only in the second half of 2019. Beijing has ramped up fiscal stimulus this year, announcing billions of dollars in additional tax cuts and infrastructure spending, while Chinese banks lent a record 5.8 trillion yuan ($865 billion) in the first quarter, more than the economy of Switzerland. "We need more evidence to call a full-fledged recovery. Our view for the economy is still cautious," said Jianwei Xu, senior economist, Greater China at Natixis in Hong Kong. "We think it (the stronger-than-expected data) is somewhat linked to the stimulus, but we can't attribute it all to it." Analysts polled by Reuters had expected GDP growth to slow slightly to 6.3 percent in January-March from a year earlier. Share markets and most currencies in Asia rose in relief, as China's slowdown has increasingly weighed on its trading partners from Japan to Germany. The yuan currency rose 0.4 percent to a 7-week high. Government support is gradually having an effect, though the economy still faces pressure, Mao Shengyong, spokesman at the National Bureau of Statistics, cautioned on Wednesday. Quarterly growth was supported by a sharp jump in industrial production, which surged 8.5 percent in March on-year, the fastest in over 4-1/2 years. That handily beat estimates of 5.9 percent and 5.3 percent in the first two months of the year. Story continues Output of building materials such as steel and cement, as well as machinery, showed strong gains. Prices of steel reinforcing bars used in construction hit 7-1/2 year highs this week on firm demand. Industrial output growth will likely remain steady, with exports expected to keep expanding, Mao said. Exports rebounded more than expected in March, but analysts say the gains could have been due to seasonal factors rather than a rebound in tepid global demand. Long holidays in February likely pushed some production into the following month. The jump in output was also somewhat at odds with trade data last week, which showed imports shrank for the fourth straight month, suggesting domestic demand is still sluggish. "We don't think the strength in industrial output is sustainable, said Nie Wen, an economist at Hwabao Trust. "At home, the huge amount of social financing might ease as the central bank is wary of reigniting property market bubbles, while abroad the global economic recovery is expected to slow down," Nie said, penciling in more moderate output growth of 6.0-6.5 percent for the rest of the year. The OECD on Tuesday sounded a warning about the dangers of prolonged stimulus, saying China's support measures will shore up growth this year and next but may undermine its drive to control debt and worsen structural distortions over the medium term. Analysts polled by Reuters expect China's growth to slow to a near 30-year low of 6.2 percent this year, as sluggish demand at home and abroad and the trade war weigh on activity despite support measures. The government is aiming for growth of 6.0-6.5 percent. IMPROVING RETAIL SALES Wednesday's data also helped ease fears of weakening consumer confidence in China. Retail sales rose 8.7 percent in March, beating estimates of 8.4 percent and the previous 8.2. Sales were led by stronger demand for appliances, furniture and building materials, reflecting a resurgence in the residential property market, a key economic driver. Real estate investment rose slightly to 11.8 percent in the first three months, while construction starts jumped in March. Data on Tuesday showed March new home prices rose at a quicker pace after months of cooling. But auto sales extended their decline in March, falling 4.4 percent on-year. Fixed-asset investment expanded 6.3 percent in January-to-March on-year, in line with estimates but picking up from the previous period as new road, rail and port projects gathered steam. Local governments will be allowed to issue 2.15 trillion yuan ($321 billion) of special purpose bonds in 2019 to fund infrastructure projects, a jump of 59 percent from last year. NO SHARP REBOUND EXPECTED On a quarterly basis, GDP in the first quarter grew 1.4 percent, as expected, but dipped from 1.5 percent in October-December. However, many analysts do not expect a sharp rebound in China's economy like its recoveries in the past, which produced a strong reflationary pulse worldwide. Most say its stimulus has been relatively more restrained this time around, given concerns about high levels of debt left over from past credit sprees. Earlier support measures will take time to fully kick in, and corporate balance sheets are expected to remain under stress if profits are slow to recover from their worst slump in more than seven years. Some analysts such as Nomura warn there is a risk of a "double dip", where growth appears to improve only to falter soon after. In particular, it noted there was further heavy drop in land sales for future development, which could drag on construction and local government revenues later this year. The central bank has already slashed banks' reserve requirement ratios (RRR) five times over the past year and is expected to ease policy further in coming quarters to spur lending and make borrowing costs more affordable. However, some analysts said authorities could be more cautious about further stimulus if data remains solid. China has rolled out many policies to support growth - the key is to implement them, Mao said. (Reporting by Kevin Yao and Lusha Zhang; Additional reporting by Stella Qiu and Cheng Leng; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Kim Coghill) By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German car parts maker Continental and French rival Valeo have joined Daimler and Bury Technologies to seek an EU antitrust investigation into Nokia's patent licensing practices for cars, the Finnish tech company said on Wednesday. Last month, German carmaker Daimler and Bury complained to the European Commission about Nokia's patents essential to car communications. The complaint highlights ongoing disputes between tech companies and the car industry on royalties paid on technologies used in navigation systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and self-driving cars. Nokia was notified of the Bury, Continental and Valeo complaints at the same time that the Commission told the company of Daimler's complaint, a Nokia spokesman said. The EU competition enforcer confirmed Continental's complaint and said it was assessing this as well as those from Daimler and Bury. "The reason for this complaint is that we believe Nokia is not exercising fair practices regarding the licensing of their alleged standard essential patents," Continental said in a statement. Companies with key patents are expected to offer these on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Valeo confirmed filing an EU complaint on the basis of abuse of a dominant position by Nokia. Nokia, which has a highly lucrative portfolio of patents inherited from the time when it was a leading mobile phone maker, said it had started talks with carmakers and their primary suppliers in 2015 on the use of its patents. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Jan Schwartz in Hamburg and Gilles Guillaume in Paris. Editing by Jane Merriman) RTHK: Indonesians vote in landmark elections Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 percent Muslim. Southeast Asia correspondent Luke Hunt told RTHK that the youth vote held the key to the outcome. "It is a massive undertaking, there's 190 million people who are going to vote; 60 million of these are the youth vote, millennials," he said. "They're going to have a big say in how the country's run and there are big fears that a lot of them won't turn up. They're talking about 20 or 30 million. If that were to happen, the victory margin for [Widodo], who is widely expected to win, would be narrowed." A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots to make clear their candidate choice and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes as well as elephants and horses to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later on Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. (AFP/RTHK) ______________________________ Last updated: 2019-04-17 HKT 08:52 This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hwang Yoo-no, third from left, global president of Hyundai Capital, and Banco Santander Brasil CFO Angel Santodomingo, fourth from left, pose with other officials at their joint venture launch event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 20. Courtesy of Hyundai Capital By Park Hyong-ki Hyundai Capital and Spain-based Santander Group have launched a joint venture in car financing in Brazil, the financial arm of Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday. The venture will be named Banco Hyundai Capital Brasil with an equity capital of $81 million. Hyundai Capital and Santander Brasil each hold a 50 percent stake in the entity, which will be "the exclusive" consumer car financing service provider in Brazil for Hyundai Motor. "The joint venture will be Hyundai Capital's first step into the Latin American market, and it has received authorization by the Central Bank of Brazil. Banco Hyundai Capital Brasil started operating April 15," a Hyundai Capital spokesman said. Hyundai Capital said it sees great potential in the Brazilian automotive sector amid growing demand for cars in the region. The demand is expected to reach 2.7 million cars in 2019, with the automobile market growing 11 percent on average annually over the past three years. Brazil's car financing saw an annual growth of 48 percent on average in the same period. Hyundai Motor has a nine percent market share in the country, according to Hyundai Capital. Santander Bank in Brazil has been offering retail credit services for 49 years and has been a local partner of Hyundai Motor since 2012. Banco Hyundai Capital aims to combine Santander's strength in local network operations and Hyundai Capital's expertise in automobile finance. "Hyundai Capital is supporting Hyundai Motor's sales with a localization strategy based on the expertise that the company has accumulated in the market over many years," Hwang Yoo-no, global president of Hyundai Capital, said in a press release. "The newly launched joint venture will back the growth of Hyundai Motor with differentiated products and services, and will contribute to expanding the automotive group in Central and South America." Santander said the company will actively seek to attract new customers with Hyundai Capital. "We will be able to support Hyundai, its dealers and customers with dedicated products and services, operating as a bank," said Angel Santodomingo, chief financial officer of Santander Brasil. Currently, Hyundai Capital offers automotive financial services to Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors customers in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. It is also considering making inroads into Southeast Asian markets with its parent group for new growth. Hyundai Motor has said it could have Hyundai Capital establish its base in Vietnam. Bangkok (AFP) - An American bitcoin investor could face the death penalty after Thailand's navy accused him of violating the country's sovereignty by building a "seastead" home off the coast, which he insisted was simply in pursuit of a vision of "freedom". Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet, known as "Bitcoin Girl Thailand", are facing charges of threatening the kingdom's independence after authorities found their ocean-based home about 12 nautical miles from shore. But Elwartowski told AFP their home was 13 nautical miles out, which he said is just outside Thailand's territorial waters. An official complaint was filed to a Phuket police station, police colonel Nikorn Somsuk confirmed Wednesday. "The navy and its team... found a concrete tank floating on the sea but there was no one on it," Nikorn told AFP. "So they filed a charge citing criminal code article 119." If they are officially charged and found guilty, the maximum sentence Elwartowski and Supranee could face is the death penalty. Nikorn said the navy would have to meet with provincial officials "to consider what to do next". The Royal Thai Navy said on Facebook the couple "did not seek permission from Thailand" before constructing their home. Putting a call out to other interested investors also shows "they do not care about Thailand as a sovereign state." But Elwartowski, who worked as a software engineer for the US military in Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea, told AFP he and Supranee just wanted to live somewhere free. "I like the idea of being able to vote with your home. If you don't like how your community is being run, you just float to a new one," he said. The bitcoin-rich couple are part of Ocean Builders, a community of entrepreneurs who aim to build permanent homes in waters outside of government territory. They had recently called for 20 interested investors for new seasteads to be built around their maiden platform, which is "just outside of Thailand's territorial waters," said Elwartowski. Story continues On April 10, he put out a call for people to invest in an "Initial Seastead Offering" which would have launched on April 15. The "ISeaO" is now postponed, and Elwartowski said he and Supranee, whose English name is Nadia, just want to live together in peace. "We didn't do anything on the seastead that was not legal on land but the feeling of being free is just amazing." Some advocates of "seasteading" believe in creating "competing governments on the high seas", he said. But Ocean Builders "never took a political stance" on the homes' purpose. "That was for the customers to decide," he said. The couple is now hiding in "a fairly safe place". A statement published Monday on Ocean Builders' website said Elwartowski and Supranee were not responsible for construction of the seastead. Landen Hoffmann plunged nearly 40ft in the Mall of America; Emmanuel Aranda has been charged The man charged with throwing a five-year-old boy off a third-floor mall balcony told police he was looking for someone to kill, according to prosecutors. Emmanuel Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, has been charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder in Fridays attack at the Mall of America. He told police he was angry at being rejected by women. Aranda made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, in which he confirmed he lived in a shelter. Landen Hoffmann plunged almost 12 metres and is fighting for his life in a Minneapolis hospital with head trauma and multiple broken bones. Aranda has two past convictions for assaults at the mall, both in 2015, including one in which he threw a glass of water and glass of tea at a woman who refused to buy him something. Aranda at one point was banned from the mall. Police say Emmanuel Aranda admitted he had come to the mall a day earlier seeking to kill someone but it did not work out. Source: AP Court records show that Aranda had been ordered to undergo psychological evaluation or treatment after the earlier mall assaults. The boys mother told police that Aranda came up very close to her group as they stood outside the Rainforest Cafe restaurant. She said she asked him if they were in his way and should move, and he picked up the child without warning and threw him off the balcony, according to the complaint. Police caught Aranda on a light rail train at the mall waiting for it to leave. They said he admitted throwing the child from the balcony and said he had come to the mall a day earlier seeking to kill someone but it did not work out. Aranda originally said he planned to kill an adult before choosing the child instead, the criminal complaint said. The boy was thrown from the third-floor balcony of the mall and chosen at random. Source: Getty/fileBloomington Defendant indicated he had been coming to the Mall for several years and had made efforts to talk to women in the Mall, but had been rejected, and the rejection caused him to lash out and be aggressive, the complaint said. Aranda was born in Chicago, where Cook County court documents showed a 2014 arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon at a Golden Nugget restaurant in the city. Story continues A case summary said Aranda beat a restaurant employee with a telephone when she threatened to call police about his bill, and pulled a knife on a bystander who intervened. He ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Five-year-old Landen Hoffmann is fighting for his life in a Minneapolis hospital. Source: Facebook The family of the Minnesota child has asked for privacy. A GoFundMe page set up for Landen had attracted more than 500,000 in donations as of Monday. The pages creator, Noah Hanneman, posted Sunday that Landen had a peaceful sleep and is still fighting his courageous battle. Arandas bail remains at $2million. He returns to court in May 14. (This April 16 story refiles to fix typo in paragraph 7) By Alexander Cornwell and Hadeel Al Sayegh DUBAI (Reuters) - Etihad Airways Group Chief Financial Officer Mark Powers has stepped down after roughly a year in the job as the Abu Dhabi state-owned carrier overhauls its business after years of heavy losses. Powers, who joined in January 2018, resigned for personal reasons and has decided to return to the United States, Etihad said in a statement confirming an earlier Reuters report. He has been replaced in the interim by senior Etihad finance executive Adam Boukadida, the airline said on Tuesday. Etihad said it was searching for a permanent replacement. Etihad did not say when Powers left the airline. Boukadida has served as interim Group CFO since March, according to his LinkedIn profile. Powers was hired as the airline embarked on a five-year turnaround plan after a strategy of buying stakes in other airlines collapsed, contributing to billions of dollars in losses. Group Chief Executive Tony Douglas said in 2018 Powers would "play a pivotal role in helping to guide Etihad onto the next stage of its development". Etihad reported a $1.28 billion loss for 2018, down from a $1.52 billion loss in 2017. It has lost $4.75 billion since 2016. Powers, a former JetBlue CFO, was hired by Etihad following a major shake-up of management that included the departure of long-serving Group CEO James Hogan and Group CFO James Rigney. The airline, which launched a five-year turnaround strategy in 2017, trimmed its ambitions and started reorganizing as a mid-sized carrier focused on point-to-point traffic in 2018. This year, it canceled dozens of Airbus and Boeing aircraft orders worth tens of billions of dollars. Powers headed the finances of Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) which oversees Etihad Airways, engineering, airport, travel services units, and its investments in other carriers. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Hadeel Al Sayegh; editing by Christian Schmollinger) Brussels (AFP) - The European Union and Canada warned Wednesday of reprisals after the United States for the first time allowed lawsuits against foreign companies operating in Cuba, including EU and Canadian firms. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Washington will on May 2 end routine wavers to the 1996 Helms-Burton act and allow for lawsuits over property seized by Cuba. "The EU and Canada consider the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law," they said in a joint statement from Brussels. It was signed by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, along with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. "We are determined to work together to protect the interests of our companies in the context of the WTO", the Geneva-based World Trade Organization. "Our respective laws allow any US claims to be followed by counter-claims in European and Canadian courts," the three officials said. "The US decision to allow suits against foreign companies can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions," they warned. Mogherini and Malmstrom had previously sent a similar warning to Pompeo in a letter dated April 10, according to a copy of a letter obtained by AFP. "Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement," Pompeo told reporters in the US. Under the Title II provision of the Helms-Burton Act, any companies that operate in property seized by Cuba during Fidel Castro's 1959 communist revolution could starting next month face lawsuits in US courts from the vast and politically powerful Cuban American diaspora. - EU counter-claims threatened - Pompeo called on all businesses that own buildings in Cuba to "fully investigate whether they are stolen in service of a failed communist experiment". In their letter, Mogherini and Malmstrom urged Pompeo to stick to what they said was an agreement on managing policy differences over Cuba under which the US waived Title III and the EU suspended a threatened case at the World Trade Organization against Washington. Story continues They said they were calling on Washington "to maintain a full waiver of Title III for EU companies and citizens", the letter said. "Failing this, the EU will be obliged to use all means at its disposal, including in cooperation with other international partners, to protect its interests," they said. "The EU is considering a possible launch of the WTO case," the letter added. Mogherini and Malmstrom warned that "any claims in US courts would likely be followed by counter-claims by EU companies in EU courts", according to their letter. Kimberly Breier, the top US diplomat for Latin America, said the United States would not issue any exemptions to the new law. But Breier said businesses would only be affected if they operate in properties seized from Cubans who have emigrated to the United States. "I think the vast number of European companies will not have any concerns operating in Cuba," she said. Another senior US State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity that "any European company, any American company, any company around the world that trafficks in property that was confiscated by the regime does have the possiblity of being hit by this legislation". But the official could "not give an assessment on how many companies that applies to". Hyperloop Transport Technologies co-founder and chairman Bibop Gresta has revealed that plans are in place to utilise blockchain technology as an underlying solution to the broken transportation system. Transportation is broken Transportation is broken. The way in which we travel sucks, Gresta told Coin Rivet at the Paris Blockchain Week Summit. Hyperloop, which was conceptualised by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is looking to launch an intercity transportation method that will take passengers from city to city in relative comfort while traveling at 760 miles per hour. The company launched the first two miles of a hyperloop in Los Angeles in 2018. Reports claimed that the cost of the project stood at $10 billion, but Gresta refuted those figures by stating that it cost $150 million. Hyperloop to use smart contracts What do we need in the future? Gresta continued. We need a technology that allows us to get what we need in that particular moment. We have imagined this future. A passenger will be identified by the system and as soon as the system intercepts you, it will create a smart contract. This smart contract will stay in the cloud and will identify your biometry. The Hyperloop co-founder went on to reveal that the future of transportation will rely on cloud-based blockchain technology to verify passengers and make traveling more streamlined and efficient. The HyperloopTT team, along with our Chairman and Co-Founder, Bibop Gresta, have held talks with the Australian government to discuss first steps towards Hyperloop in Australia. And with it, the potential to travel from Sydney to Melbourne in just over an hour. #HyperloopTT pic.twitter.com/ki0Lc3AaO0 HyperloopTT (@hyperlooptt) March 22, 2019 80% of the operations we analysed at airports can be done before you arrive there, he added. Story continues Its not complicated. This technology existed in the 90s. We have to think about what the passenger wants. We need to redesign the space of the passenger. The moment you are intercepted by the system, it will be verified through a blockchain that is there in the cloud. Its not owned by anyone, so all the privacy concerns are gone. Gresta explained how smart contracts can do magical things that so far have not been utilised in the transportation sector. When a passenger has been verified it will generate a smart contract. A smart contract can do amazing things. Magical things. Not only in and out of the station, but the entire journey. A smart contract will be able to give you the best sleep of your life. It can entertain you or teach you new information. This is not the future, it is the present. We are working with the top companies in the world like Sony. In this 12-15 minute journey we can do amazing things. Why blockchain is a viable solution Gresta explained: Blockchain is not only the underlying technology, it is the vision we have for a better future. It will solve one of the biggest issues we have in transportation right now: the price issue. The price of things is silly. Its childish. We are looking at the price of travel. Lets take a car for example. We take into consideration the fuel, the energy if its an electrical car, insurance, and thats it. Well, I wish it was that easy, because how much is the cost to the planet? Lets count it, lets count the carbon footprint and pollution. Whos going to dismantle this thing when its not usable anymore? Factor in all of these factors and all of a sudden you not only have a different price, but a different economy. The future is one step closer. After a three day, 1,500 km journey beginning in Southern Spain, the #Hyperloop passenger capsule has successfully arrived at @hyperlooptt 's test facility in Toulouse. Now the final tests are underway for #HyperloopTT. #transportingthefuture pic.twitter.com/Qp33rjVKPQ HyperloopTT (@hyperlooptt) January 22, 2019 He continued: Blockchain for us is not only an opportunity to actually get the read of all the problems, but it can introduce new elements to actually save this planet. Tokenisation When asked about whether Hyperloop would tokenise any aspect of the business, Gresta replied: We already have. 70,000 skilled engineers hours have gone into Hyperloop. In exchange for this, we give them stock options. In 2013, that was very naughty. Right now, its easy. If you think about it, we tokenise it already from the inception of the company. The problem we have right now is that after seven years of work, people will love to see these stocks become fluid and create a market because if we can do it, were not only making our people rich (which is the less interesting side of it), but we are also demonstrating that the concept of work and the concept of company itself is disrupted. Now you dont need to raise money, you can raise brains. This is the most exciting promise that we are working on. Its even bigger than the hyperloop. Thank god we are killing the banks. We dont need intermediation anymore. Brains and action can be working together and I dont have to struggle to survive. I can do my passion and live with it. To succeed, we are seeing in blockchain and eventually the tokenisation of it a very nice solution. We are not saying right now that we are doing an ICO or STO we dont want to go into these details right now. What we want to say is that we, as Hyperlopp, are looking seriously to actually embrace this vision and bring it to fruition. For more news, guides, and cryptocurrency analysis, click here. The post EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musks Hyperloop set to use blockchain technology to revolutionise transportation appeared first on Coin Rivet. A massive fire on Monday ravaged the 850-year-old Gothic building, destroying much of its roof and causing its spire to collapse. (Getty) Architects have said it could take up to 15 years to restore Notre Dame after French President Emmanuel Macron promised it would be done in five. In an address to the nation days after the famous 800-year cathedral suffered severe damage from a fire, Mr Macron said the renovations to restore the iconic 19th-century spire, vaulting and two-thirds of its roof of the building would be completed in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics. We will rebuild the cathedral to be even more beautiful and I want it to be finished within five years, he said. President Macron said he wanted to see the Cathedral restored within five years and for it to be more beautiful than ever. (AP) French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who officially supported Mr Macron's timeframe, acknowledged that it would be difficult. This is obviously an immense challenge, a historic responsibility, Mr Philippe said. Experts have questioned if five years is enough time for such a massive operation. France's prime minister Edouard Philippe admitted restoring Notre Dame in five years would be challenging. (AP) Prominent French conservation architect Pierluigi Pericolo, who worked on the restoration of the 19th century Saint-Donatien basilica which was badly damaged by fire in 2015 in Nantes, told Inrocks magazine it could take triple that time. No less than 15 years its a colossal task, Mr Pericolo said. He said the first stage of the operation would take two to five years and that would just be to check the stability of the massive cathedral that dominates the Paris skyline. Its a fundamental step, and very complex because its difficult to send workers into a monument whose vaulted ceilings are swollen with water, Mr Pericolo told France-Info. Much of the roof was damaged in the fire, and experts say it will take years to access the stability of the church. (Getty) The end of the fire doesnt mean the edifice is totally saved. The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside. Notre Dames rector said he would close cathedral to all tourists and services for five to six years acknowledging that a segment of the near 900-year-old edifice may be gravely weakened. As more news of the disastrous fire emerges, people are taking heart in all of the objects that were saved from the inferno, especially the Cathedral's ancient rose windows. Story continues Much of the roof was damaged in the fire. (Getty) Spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters the rose windows were in good condition but that there is a risk for the gables that are no longer supported by the frame. He praised firefighters who took down statues inside the gables above the rose windows to protect them and took care not to spray water too hard on the delicate stained glass. In a sign of how big the operation to restore the building will be Mr Plus said firefighters and experts are still determining how much damage the structure suffered and what needs to be dismantled to avoid collapse. The famous rose windows inside the cathedral were saved from the fire, although concerns have been raised about the supports that keep it in place. (PA) A Paris fire official said the towers of Notre Dame would have fallen if firefighters had not deployed massive equipment and acted swiftly. Philippe Demay denied there was any delay and said firefighters acted as fast as they could. Mr Demay told reporters that the operation was extremely difficult and that the towers could have collapsed if we hadnt put heavy equipment in place. Bernard Arnault, the billionaire owner of L'Oreal, pledged 200m to help pay for the restoration of the cathedral. (AP) Almost a billion euros has poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to help fund the restoration. Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info on Wednesday that 880 million euro (762 million) has been raised in just a day-and-a-half since the fire. Experts have been quick to estimate the restoration would cost into to the hundreds of millions and not billions, although it is too early to be certain. Fortunately, many of the copper statues that were usually inside the cathedral had been removed for planned renovation works. (GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images) Mr Philippe said a competition will be held to see if the spire should be rebuilt. The international competition will allow for the question to be asked, should the spire be rebuilt? he said. Should we rebuild the spire envisaged and built by Viollet-le-Duc under the same conditions (or) give Notre Dame a new spire adapted to the technologies and the challenges of our times? Viollet-le-Duc was a famous French architect who restored many of Frances medieval buildings in the 1800s, including Notre Dame, that had suffered centuries of neglect. By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the backing of a majority of parliament members on Tuesday to form a new government, after the April 9 election. Netanyahu is heading towards a record fifth term in office confident of being able to put together a bloc of religious-rightist parties. It would be a slim majority against an opposition that is likely to be led by the center-left Blue and White party. No single party has ever won an outright majority in the Knesset. Here is a quick guide to the various parties, who gained, who lost and what is likely to happen next: WHAT COALITION WILL NETANYAHU SEEK? Most likely, a replica of his outgoing right-wing government. In his victory speech, Netanyahu, 69, said he intends to form his new cabinet with right-wing and religious parties. WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP? Coalition-building. On Wednesday, Israels president, Reuven Rivlin, is expected to officially name the person he believes has the best chance of putting together a government after consulting with the leaders of each party. On Tuesday Rivlin said a majority of parliament members had advised him to have Netanyahu form the new government. Netanyahu will then have up to 42 days to form a government. If he fails, the president asks another politician to try. Past coalition negotiations have dragged on. Smaller parties will demand cabinet seats and will have their own financial and legislative demands to fulfill campaign promises made to their own voters. Netanyahu will have to balance these against his own party's priorities. WHICH PARTIES ARE BACKING NETANYAHU? LIKUD Thirty-five seats, up from 30 before the election. Leader: Benjamin Netanyahu. The spearhead of right-wing politics in Israel for decades. Likud first came to power in 1977. Netanyahu personifies Likud's traditionally hawkish positions on security in matters such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and foreign policy, with Iran currently the focus. Many Likud members of parliament oppose the creation of a Palestinian state and during the election Netanyahu said he would annex Israel's settlements in the West Bank. About 400,000 Jewish settlers live alongside 2.9 million Palestinians in the territory that Israel captured in the 1967 war, and has held under military occupation ever since, but never formally annexed. Netanyahu's base rallied around him, even though he faces possible indictment in three corruption cases. THE RIGHT WING UNION Five seats, no change. Leader: Rafi Peretz. Israel's national-religious party is the most prominent political representative of the settler movement. It repudiates the idea of a Palestinian state, underlining the Jewish people's biblical and religious connections to the land that Palestinians seek for a state. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited Middle East peace plan in the coming months. If the plan requires Israeli territorial concessions to the Palestinians, the Right Wing Union is likely to raise fierce objections. Graphic - Israel 2019 parliamentary elections: https://tmsnrt.rs/2D916Uv ISRAEL BEITENU ('Israel is our Home') Five seats, no change. Leader: Avigdor Lieberman. A secularist, nationalist and far-right party whose base is immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Moldovan-born Lieberman is a former defense minister who seeks to out-hawk Netanyahu. His policies include swapping Arab towns inside Israel - home to the country's 21 percent Arab Palestinian minority - in return for ceding territory in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. UNITED TORAH JUDAISM (UTJ) Eight seats, up from six. Leader: Yakov Litzman. It represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, or haredim, of European origin. A Netanyahu coalition, like many before it, is likely to rely on ultra-Orhodox support. UTJ is primarily concerned with safeguarding state benefits for Haredi men, many of whom devote themselves to full-time religious study, do not work and do not serve in Israel's conscript military. Demands for more government payouts will make it harder for Netanyahu to rein in a growing budget deficit. SHAS Eight seats, up from seven. Leader: Aryeh Deri. SHAS represents Haredi Jews of Middle Eastern origin. Allied with UTJ and with similar demands, it has served as kingmaker in successive governments. KULANU ('All Of Us') Four seats, down from 10. Leader: Moshe Kahlon. The party casts itself as moderate right-wing. Kahlon, the current finance minister, has met Palestinian officials on economic matters, even though the two political leaderships have not held negotiations since 2014. Kahlon wants to keep the finance ministry but his party is now much weaker in parliament, so will have less clout in coalition negotiations. Israel's economy barely featured in the election campaign, but the central bank has warned that the new government will need to cut spending and raise taxes to rein in a growing budget deficit. Interactive graphic: Israeli election - number of votes won by party - https://tmsnrt.rs/2IeButC WHO IS THE OPPOSITION? BLUE AND WHITE Thirty-five seats, in its first election. Leaders: Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid. A centrist party whose figurehead, former military chief Gantz, emerged as a serious rival to Netanyahu. But the political novice failed to unseat the veteran, and lost credibility by claiming victory too soon on election night. Gantz joined forces with right-wing Moshe Yaalon, a former defense minister, and center-left former finance minister Yair Lapid. The party vowed to combine clean government with peace and security. Conceding defeat on Wednesday, Lapid said his party would "make Likud's life hell in the opposition." LABOUR Six seats, down from 18. Leader: Avi Gabbay. The left-wing party which ruled Israel throughout the early decades of the state was dealt a devastating blow on April 9. With Netanyahu reflecting the rightward shift of the Israeli electorate, Labour highlighted social and economic reform, and the pursuit of peace and a two-state solution with the Palestinians. HADASH-TA'AL - Leaders: Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi. Six seats. The larger of two mostly Arab blocs in parliament. All the Arab-dominated parties joined forces in 2015 but split in two this year, and saw their combined seat tally fall from 13 to 10. The group has one Jewish member of parliament, and advocates an Arab-Jewish alliance to fight racism and social inequality. But Arab parties have never joined governing coalitions in Israel, and this year faced a boycott movement by Arabs dismayed at a 2018 "nation-state" law which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. By most estimates, this election saw exceptionally low turnout by Israel's Arab citizens, some of whom increasingly prefer the designation "Palestinian" to "Israeli-Arab." RAAM-BALAD - Leaders: Mansour Abbas and Mtanes Shihadeh. Four seats. Raam-Balad's leaders are a mix of Islamist and Arab nationalists. It describes itself as a democratic movement opposed to Israels occupation of Palestinian territory. MERETZ - Leader: Tamar Zandberg. Four seats, down from five. The left-wing party has not been part of government in the past two decades. Popular with liberal middle-class Israelis, it advocates a two-state solution with the Palestinians. WHO LOST BIG? THE NEW RIGHT - Leaders: Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked. No seats, down from three. Once seen as rising young stars in Israeli politics, Bennett, a high-tech millionaire, was education minister and Shaked was justice minister in the outgoing government. They split from a larger national-religious faction to form a new far-right party that would appeal to more secular constituents. Shaked frequently criticized Israel's Supreme Court as being too liberal and interventionist. The party did not win enough votes to enter the Knesset. ZEHUT - Leader: Moshe Feiglin. No seats. Soaring in pre-election opinion polls and crashing at the ballot, the new ultra-nationalist libertarian Zehut will not be part of the incoming Knesset. Its campaign demands for marijuana legalization appeared to be a huge draw for many young voters, who ultimately failed to come through for it. Its other policies included proposals to annex the West Bank, the voluntary "transfer" of Palestinians to other countries and the eventual construction of a third Jewish temple. (Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Robin Pomeroy) By Lee Kyung-min Woori Bank has signed an agreement with SK Telink to boost cooperation in expanding their global businesses in Vietnam, the bank said Wednesday. Services provided by Woori Bank Vietnam and Vietnam's SK Telink include financing for those who buy a cellphone in a monthly installment plan. Only those who buy them on a non-face-to-face platform will be eligible. The two firms will use big data including payment and purchase history to better target customers that might be in need of new phones or better financing plans. "We plan to strengthen cooperation with IT firms with an overseas presence to expand digital marketing. Our extensive overseas network in 26 countries will help us with the joint business." This is the latest of the bank's efforts to strengthen its overseas business. Woori received a green light from the financial authorities in Europe, and the European Central Bank, to set up a corporate body in October 2018. NEW YORK (AP) Sen. Amy Klobuchar agreed on Wednesday to become the second Democratic presidential candidate to hold a town hall meeting on Fox News Channel, and others are soon to follow. Sen. Bernie Sanders was the first to venture onto Fox this week. His Monday town hall reached 2.55 million viewers, the biggest audience of any such event in the 2020 campaign cycle, despite not being aired in the prime time hours when most people are available. One of Fox News' most loyal viewers, President Donald Trump, indicated on Twitter that he wasn't happy seeing Sanders on his screen. Fox says it's looking forward to hosting Klobuchar's next town hall. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg's campaign confirmed that it is in talks with Fox about a town hall. Jenn Fiore, an aide to Julian Castro, said that campaign is in the process of scheduling one. Sen. Cory Booker also said he's considering one. During an appearance in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Wednesday, Beto O'Rourke said that while he disagrees with the practices of Fox News, he will appear on the network. He said he wasn't sure whether it would be on a town hall or some other program. "I don't write anybody off in this country for their choice of cable programming," O'Rourke said. The Democrats have had to weigh possibly angering a liberal base that holds Fox News in contempt versus reaching a large audience, many of whom wouldn't be likely to see them in action elsewhere. Before the newfound interest, Fox News faced the prospect of watching the Democratic nomination process from the sidelines. The Democratic National Committee announced in February, and reaffirmed this week, that it would not hold any of its upcoming candidate debates on the network. On Twitter, Trump has seemed like a spurned man. He tweeted Tuesday that it seemed "very strange" to see Sanders on Fox. Trump, who rarely complains about Fox, also said that many of his supporters couldn't get into the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, event that was "stuffed" with Sanders fans. Story continues Fox has said it reached out to various political and local groups in the Bethlehem area to help fill the audience for the Sanders town hall. Besides the president, Fox News also has to wonder how the large number of his fans in its audience will take to the Democratic visits. The online activists Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, who often appear as commentators on Fox under the name Diamond and Silk, tweeted that it was "sickening to see Bernie Sanders on a Fox News town hall disparaging our president." Fox did receive praise for its handling of the Sanders town hall from some unlikely sources, including panelists on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," which has been relentless in its criticism of Trump. The Klobuchar town hall will be held May 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The hour-long event will have a similar blueprint to Sanders' session: Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will be the anchors, and it will start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. ____ Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe in Des Moines, Iowa, and Will Weissert in Fredericksburg, Virginia, contributed to this report. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A German-led bid to step up efforts to combat sexual violence in conflicts has run into resistance at the UN Security Council, diplomats said Wednesday, just days before Nobel laureate Nadia Murad is to appear before the UN body to issue a call for justice. Germany is pushing for the adoption of a draft resolution next Tuesday during a council debate that will feature Nobel Peace Prize winners Denis Mukwege and Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist. Murad, who was held by the Islamic State fighters for months after they overran her home town in northern Iraq in 2014, is expected to call on the council to take action against perpetrators of sexual violence. The German-drafted resolution would establish a working group of the Security Council that would develop measures to address sexual violence and strengthen prevention, according to the draft text seen by AFP. It would encourage commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions set up by the United Nations to address rape and other sexual crimes in their investigations of human rights violations in war zones. The measure would also urge UN sanctions committees to apply targeted sanctions against rapists and other perpetrators of sexual violence. UN diplomats said negotiations on the text were complicated, with Russia, China and the United States raising objections. Russia has questioned the need for the working group while the United States has taken aim at references to the International Criminal Court, which it does not support, and those that deal with reproductive health for rape survivors, according to diplomats. "There are several outstanding issues with the United States, Russia and China," said a diplomat. Some council members argued that the working group could undermine the UN envoy for sexual violence, Pramila Patten, who has been tasked by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with stepping up action to prevent the use of rape as a weapon of war. France, which backs the German draft, had proposed that there be an alert mechanism set up for cases of mass rape during conflicts. A GoFundMe campaign for a 5-year-old boy who was tossed over a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota has raised over $700,000. Landen Hoffman was with his family at the famed shopping center in Bloomington on the morning of April 12 when Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, allegedly threw him off the balcony. Hoffman dropped 39 feet and landed on the first floor, according to NBC News. He is still in critical condition, a family attorney told reporters on Tuesday. Noah Hanneman, whose wife is close friends with Hoffman's mother, created the fundraising campaign with an initial goal of $500,000. As of this morning, the page has received more than $752,000 from nearly 22,000 donors. "The family cannot express how grateful they are for all of the prayers, love and support that they are receiving," Hoffman wrote in an update on Monday. "His condition has very little change at this point, but we are hoping to get some good news back from some upcoming tests in the next few days." Aranda, who had been banned from the mall before, told investigators that Hoffman was not his original target. He had planned to kill an adult the day before he attacked the boy, but it "did not work out," a criminal complaint noted. Aranda had been angry that women at the mall were rejecting his advances and admitted that he knew he was in the wrong. Aranda has a lengthy criminal record, WCCO notes. In July 2015, he was arrested for reportedly causing damage in stores at the Mall of America and resisting arrest. The next month, he was charged with destroying computers at a Minneapolis library. In October of the same year, he was arrested a third time for throwing drinks at a woman in a restaurant after she refused to buy him food. Court records revealed that judges had ordered Aranda to undergo mental health counseling, stay away from alcohol and drugs and take medication, the Star Tribune reports. Aranda's mother had apparently tried to get him treatment before, his uncle told WCCO in an interview. "My nephew, he had mental problems for a long time, for a very long time," he said. "He needed help for a really long time." Following last Friday's incident, Aranda was charged with attempted murder. He is being held on a $2 million bond and is expected to appear in court in May. Jo Hannaford is one of the most senior technology leaders in British banking. With a career at Goldman Sachs spanning more than 20 years, Hannaford was named a managing director in 2008, a partner in 2014, and she currently serves as Goldmans head of EMEA technology and global head of quality assurance engineering. Before joining Goldman, Hannaford worked at NatWest Markets and UBS Investment Bank. Speaking on Yahoo Finance UKs new premium video show, Global Change Agents with head of Yahoo Finance UKs Lianna Brinded, Hannaford discussed her storied career, how her role has evolved and how shes encouraging more women in the company to consider programming. She also discussed the phenomenal take-up of Goldman Sachs new consumer savings account Marcus, and offered advice for people looking to follow a similar career path. Hannaford on what attracted her to Goldman Sachs When Hannaford first embarked on her career, computers were so expensive what you run on your smartphone would cost millions there were only really two options for a budding computer programmer: the city, or the Ministry of Defence. Joanne Hannaford, head of EMEA technology at Goldman Sachs (right), appeared on Yahoo Finance UKs Global Change Agents with Lianna Brinded. Photo: Yahoo Finance UK I have no interest in programming missiles, but banking offered access to interesting programming work, Hannaford said. This year we celebrate 150 years at Goldman Sachs, Hannaford said. Throughout that 150 years theres been constant innovation so you never feel that youre done, theres always something more interesting to do. Hannaford said she was drawn to Goldman Sachs 22 years ago due to the company operating a meritocracy. One of the smartest moves I ever made in my life was to actually seek out a company where I could be valued not because Im a woman, but because I just wanted to have a career there based on meritocracy, Hannaford said. I think thats all women want, ultimately, is to be treated the same way you dont stay at a company for 22 years if you dont feel as if your work is valued or youre valued. Story continues Photo: Getty Images She went on to describe Goldmans informal and collective engineering environment. Hannaford still starts most days with a code review and discusses the piece of code with the developer who authored it. I do that because it sends a message that we really care about that but also because it makes me happy, Hannaford said, adding that she can even now recognise which of her colleagues wrote individual segments of code. Its a bit like when you pick up a [novel] and you recognise who that novelist is: I now can pretty much on certain pieces of code, know who wrote them: I actually know the characteristics, Hannaford said. Marcus, Goldmans online consumer savings account Hannaford said Marcus, Goldmans online consumer savings account that launched in the UK in September 2018, is one example of the banks collective approach to the engineering shop floor. When we built Marcus, the very first thing we did was to create a new kind of department that took the experts from other areas and put them together and said to them: We want you to solve this problem, Hannaford said. The consumer response to Marcus has been phenomenal, Hannaford said. Marcus had reached more than 200,000 UK customers and generated more than $10bn (7.6bn) in UK deposits by March this year, according to a Goldman Sachs spokesman. Around 6,000 people signed up for accounts within the first hour of Marcus launch, Hannaford said. It just proves to show that something like Goldman Sachs, who is traditionally an investment bank, pivoting towards a new type of consumer interface, that there is really appetite to do that. Goldmans free coding lessons for women Meanwhile, the bank is encouraging more women within its ranks to take up programming. Goldman offers its female analysts free lessons in the Python and Ruby scripting languages as part of its partnership with the Code First Girls charity. Those classes are oversubscribed and have helped give those women confidence to take up new skills, Hannaford said, adding that many women wrongly feel programming is an unobtainable career. Fundamentally, programming is about an instruction set that you learn that you provide to a computer to do certain actions, Hannaford said. I think that its easier than Spanish, or French, or German you dont have to worry about emotion, youre doing instructions. Yet for many women, Spanish is a lot easier than Python and I just dont understand that. Joanne Hannaford. Photo: Goldman Sachs Hannaford also shared her advice for others looking to progress in their careers: Mimic people around you that you respect. Study them and think about how you can actually change your behaviour. Hannaford said she is constantly adapting and changing her behaviours, depending on the environment she is in. I think it takes four weeks after you execute a certain behaviour in a particular way for that behaviour to become routine to you, Hannaford said. I think thats my message. Global Change Agents with Lianna Brinded is a new premium video series from Yahoo Finance UK. The show explores the stories of some of the most inspirational women across business, tech, and academia. Catch up on all the latest episodes here. Republican Sen. Rick Scott takes a shot at Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, "If you like Bernie Sanders, why don't you go ahead and move to Caracas?" Scott says. Sanders is a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Rick Scott , R-Fla., on Wednesday took a shot at Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt., saying people who intend vote for the Vermont independent in 2020 should just move to Venezuela instead. The comment came as Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who is proposing a "Medicare for All" health care system, attempts to appeal to voters in states that President Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Sanders scored big ratings and positive reactions from the crowd during a Fox News a town hall Monday night in Pennsylvania, a state that Trump won by some 44,000 votes. Along with former Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to declare whether he is running, Sanders is a favorite among Democratic primary voters, according to polls. Sanders also led the crowded Democratic 2020 field in fundraising during the first quarter, when he pulled in $18 million. Scott, who predicted that Trump would win his reelection bid next year, told CNBC's " Squawk Box " that Sanders has a "legitimate shot" at winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Scott also acknowledged that anything can happen, arguing that a Sanders win would mean a risk to the free market. "I'm going to the Venezuelan border next week. I'm going to Colombia. I'll be at the Venezuelan border. If you like Bernie Sanders, why don't you go ahead and move to Caracas?" said Scott, who has been an outspoken critic of Venezuela and its socialist policies. Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. A spokesperson for Sanders did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Scott's remarks. Scott's state is home to more than 100,000 Venezuelans and Venezuelan-Americans, the largest concentration in the country. Story continues The Republican Party has used once-wealthy Venezuela, which is now in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis, as a cautionary tale about socialism. Trump has said that " Socialism has so completely ravaged " Venezuela "that even the world's largest reserves of oil are not enough to keep the lights on." He added: "This will never happen to us." The Associated Press contributed to this report. More From CNBC Athens (AFP) - Greek lawmakers on Wednesday voted through a resolution demanding the payment of German war crime reparations, an issue long disputed by Berlin. A parliamentary committee last year determined that Germany owes Greece at least 270 billion euros ($305 billion) for World War I damages and looting, atrocities and a forced loan during the Nazi occupation in World War II. "These demands are always active. They were never set aside by Greece," parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis told reporters this week. With cross-party support, the chamber approved the resolution to call on the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras "to take all the necessary diplomatic and legal steps to claim and fully satisfy all the demands of the Greek state stemming from World War I and World War II." Speaking in parliament, Tsipras said that making the demand "is a historic and moral duty and a duty in memory of the heroes of the past ... above all at a time when the extreme right, nationalism and racism threaten Europe." He said Athens would now send a "verbal note" to Germany which "will allow the opening of a dialogue on this question". Reclaiming war reparations has been a campaign pledge by Tsipras since 2015. He faces multiple electoral challenges this year, with his party trailing in opinion polls. During a visit to Greece in January, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country "recognised its historical responsibility". "We know how much suffering we, as Germany in the time of Nazism, have brought to Greece," she said. In 2014, the then president Joachim Gauck sought public forgiveness in the name of Germany from relatives of those murdered by the Nazis in the mountains of northern Greece. But when it comes to actual payments, Berlin has always insisted that the issue was settled in 1960 in a deal with several European governments. Germany's government spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated Wednesday that "the reparation issue is judicially and politically settled". Story continues He said Berlin is doing "everything it can so Greece and Germany maintain good relations as friends and partners". During the Greek economic crisis, there was further tension in Athens over draconian EU austerity and bailout terms seen to be imposed by Berlin hardliners. Relations have improved over the last three years after Tsipras' government endorsed conditions linked to satisfying its creditors to exit the bailout programmes. Tsipras, who insisted it would be "repugnant" to conflate the issue of war reparations and Greek debts, and Merkel have also worked closely on finding common ground on migration and Balkans security. By Renee Maltezou and George Georgiopoulos ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek parliament voted on Wednesday to launch a diplomatic campaign to press Germany to cough up billions of euros in damages for the Nazi occupation of the country in World War Two, an issue Berlin says was settled long ago. Greece suffered hugely under Nazi German rule and a parliamentary commission in 2016 put the cost at more than 300 billion euros, though Wednesday's proposal - backed by both ruling coalition and opposition lawmakers - mentioned no figure. The vote, the first official decision by parliament on the emotive reparations issue, is likely to further strain ties with Germany, blamed by many Greeks for painful austerity measures imposed in return for bailout loans during its financial crisis. The proposal, which comes ahead of national elections due in October, calls on the government to take "every appropriate legal and diplomatic action to satisfy Greece's demands". "This claim is our historic and moral duty," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the end of a nearly 12-hour debate which concluded with the vote on the proposal submitted by parliamentary speaker Nikos Voutsis. "To build a better future we need to close the open cases of the past and Germany needs to do the same," he said, adding that Athens would raise the issue diplomatically with Berlin. ISSUE "CONCLUSIVELY SETTLED" Germany has in the past apologized for Nazi-era crimes but has not been willing to reopen talks on reparations. Then-West Germany paid Greece the sum of 115 million deutschmarks in 1960 as reparations for its wartime suffering. "The question of German reparations has been conclusively settled, both legally and politically," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday. "We are, and I hope you can believe us, aware of our historic responsibility." Greece has emerged in the past year from a decade of austerity imposed by international lenders in return for bailouts that kept it afloat after the debt crisis erupted in 2010. Tsipras, a leftist, said his government did not want to link the two issues, responding to criticism over the parliament's delayed response to the report on the matter issued in 2016. "We could never put the absolute evil of Nazism... on a scale," he said. "No slaughter, no monstrosity, not even one drop of blood could be balanced against any bailout." Nazi Germany invaded Greece in May 1941, raising the swastika over the Acropolis in Athens. About a thousand Greek villages were razed during the war, thousands died of starvation and tens of thousands of people killed in reprisals by German forces trying to crush Greek resistance. The parliamentary committee in 2016 assessed the occupation cost as at least 269 billion euros ($304 billion), rising to over 300 billion euros with the inclusion of an amount the Nazis forced the Bank of Greece to hand over in 1942. That "occupation loan" also helped bankroll Hitler's military campaign in North Africa. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the conservative New Democracy Party which is leading in opinion polls, said any future government led by him would seek to recoup that occupation loan. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke and Thomas Escritt, editing by Michele Kambas and Gareth Jones) Halle Berry gets hungry at night, just like the rest of us. She just looks a lot better when it happens. The Oscar-winning actress shared a photo Tuesday that showed her lookin for a late night snack. Halle Berry's sexy selfie earned rave reviews. (Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for CDGA) The image showed Berry, 52, wearing a light wash denim jacket unbuttoned with nothing no bra, no shirt underneath, along with black pants and a smile. Fans filled her page with compliments and quips: Giiiiiiiiiiiiiirl your damn snack just burst into flames Ageless beauty More like lookin like a late night snack Im not sure if Ive ever seen such beauty. My goodness I was thinking that you're looking LIKE a late night snack Around the same time, Berry shared a photo from the Morocco set of her new movie, John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum, which arrives in theaters on May 17. All the training Berry put in ahead of filming that action sequel, alongside Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Angelica Huston, means she probably doesnt have to feel guilty about eating a late-night snack... maybe ever. Earlier this month at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, she recalled the movies director, Chad Stahelski, had warned her that shed have to train harder than anything in your life for the role. And it was the hardest thing ever done in my entire life, Berry said. She and Reeves trained six days a week, doing martial arts and learning to handle firearms. If I get attacked on the street, God bless them, because I know some stuff that will f*** them up, Berry said. Shes also got some serious social media skills. Read more on Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyles newsletter. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Do you know which type of hay fever you are suffering from? [Photo: Getty] Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is a common allergic reaction in the UK. Its something 10-30% of adults and 40% of children have to contend with, according to statistics from Allergy UK. Hay fever is characterised by symptoms including itchy eyes and throat, sneezing or a blocked nose, watery, red eyes headaches, shortness of breath, tiredness and mucus in the back of the throat, according to the health body. We often talk in general terms about hay fever, but there are actually three different types of the condition. Different types of hay fever According to Allergy UK, there are three main types of hay fever from three types of pollen: grass, ragweed and tree (sometimes referred to separately as oak and birch pollens). READ MORE: Everything you need to know about hay fever You may be affected by one or more of these at different points during the year. While some people with hay fever react to one type of pollen during the season, and then feel better later in the year, it is also possible to be affected by more than one type of pollen or airborne allergen, leading to many months of rhinitis, Allergy UK states. Understanding which type of hay fever you have (i.e., which pollen is causing it) can help you prevent and treat your condition. Pollens affect hay fever sufferers at different times Grass pollen is the most common hay fever causing allergen, and it affects most sufferers between May and June, explains Allergy UK. This can affect children at school with their examinations, since most exams are taken in the summer months, when grass pollen levels are at their highest, it adds. Meanwhile, tree pollen induced hay fever is more likely to strike during the February to June period, when this type of pollen from oak or birch trees becomes highly allergenic. Weed pollen induced hay fever is more common during the June to September period. How to avoid pollen Check pollen counts before you leave the house avoid going out if they are high. Shower and change clothes when you get indoors. Avoid drying clothes outside. Keep windows closed, particularly in early morning and evenings when pollen counts are high. Wipe pets coats with a damp microfibre cloth when they come inside. How to treat hay fever Story continues Early prevention is best, according to Allergy UKs nurse advisor Holly Shaw so start taking medication preventatively if you think you are susceptible to hay fever. READ MORE: Why hay fever season is starting early this year If people start to become symptomatic they should start taking their medications early so they will be most effective when the pollen levels really peak, she tells Yahoo UK. The below medicines are usually recommended, but ask your pharmacist to recommend which is best for you. The goal of this article is to teach you how to use price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:3689) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Based on the last twelve months, Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare's P/E ratio is 10.24. That corresponds to an earnings yield of approximately 9.8%. See our latest analysis for Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare How Do I Calculate A Price To Earnings Ratio? The formula for P/E is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency) Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare: P/E of 10.24 = CN5.14 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, CNY ) CN0.50 (Based on the year to December 2018.) Is A High P/E Ratio Good? A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each HK$1 the company has earned over the last year. That is not a good or a bad thing per se, but a high P/E does imply buyers are optimistic about the future. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Earnings growth rates have a big influence on P/E ratios. Earnings growth means that in the future the 'E' will be higher. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. A lower P/E should indicate the stock is cheap relative to others -- and that may attract buyers. Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare saw earnings per share improve by -7.2% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 3.2%. How Does Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. If you look at the image below, you can see Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare has a lower P/E than the average (18.3) in the healthcare industry classification. SEHK:3689 Price Estimation Relative to Market, April 17th 2019 Its relatively low P/E ratio indicates that Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare shareholders think it will struggle to do as well as other companies in its industry classification. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling. Story continues Remember: P/E Ratios Don't Consider The Balance Sheet It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth. Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof). How Does Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio? Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare has net cash of CN682m. This is fairly high at 38% of its market capitalization. That might mean balance sheet strength is important to the business, but should also help push the P/E a bit higher than it would otherwise be. The Bottom Line On Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare's P/E Ratio Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare's P/E is 10.2 which is below average (12.1) in the HK market. Recent earnings growth wasn't bad. And the net cash position gives the company many options. So it's strange that the low P/E indicates low expectations. Since analysts are predicting growth will continue, one might expect to see a higher P/E so it may be worth looking closer. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock. You might be able to find a better buy than Guangdong Kanghua Healthcare. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). 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. Jet Airways employees protest delays in their salaries outside IGl Airport. Photo: Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times/SIPA USA/PA Images Jet Airways has temporarily cancelled all flights, after efforts to save the struggling carrier fell through. The company, which reportedly owes various lenders up to $1.2bn (900m), had been in talks with a consortium of lenders through the State Bank of India (SBI) for several weeks, following a bail-out request from the Indian government. However, it announced on Wednesday that it will operate its last flight for the time being as these lenders have declined to provide the emergency interim funding needed to pay for fuel and other critical services that would keep operations going. READ MORE: Should airline shares belong in my portfolio? With 123 planes, Jet Airways is Indias biggest airline. However, it was forced to cease international flights on 12 April, as its operational fleet dwindled below the Indian requirement of five. Passengers have been left stranded around the world, in locations including Paris, Amsterdam and London, as a result of these cancellations. Many of the companys 23,000 employees, including pilots, engineers and ground staff have reportedly not been paid for one to two months. READ MORE: Ryanair is first airline to become a top-10 polluter in Europe Jet Airways called the decision to ground all flights difficult and an extreme measure. Its prolonged and sustained efforts with lenders and authorities did not yield the desired results, it explained. The SBI, on behalf of the consortium of Indian lenders, told Jet Airways they were unable to consider its request for critical interim funding, according to the statement. The airline said: This has been a very difficult decision, but without interim funding, the airline is simply unable to conduct flight operations in a manner that delivers to the very reasonable expectations of its guests, employees, partners and service providers. READ MORE: Wow Air grounds all flights as cash lifeline sought After 25 years of sharing the joy of flying with Indian and international guests, Jet Airways has been forced to take this extreme measure as prolonged and sustained efforts with lenders and authorities did not yield the desired results. The company will now wait for the SBE and lenders to finalise the bid process on 10 May. Essential services needed to support guest services and the re-commencement of flight operations will be kept on board until further notice, it said. In response to the airlines statement, the lenders said: We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company. India's top court Tuesday dismissed an appeal to delay the release of a Bollywood biopic about Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the opposition says is propaganda, until after India's mega-election. The Supreme Court threw out the petition from the opposition Congress party, saying the biopic was not even certified yet and the matter should be considered by the election commission (EC). 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. Congress says the film is flattering of Modi and has slammed the timing of its cinematic release as hundreds of millions of Indians prepare to start voting in a national election this week. It has lobbied for the movie -- which tells the story of the Hindu nationalist leader's ascent to power from his days selling tea at a train station -- be withheld from cinemas until voting in the mega-elections ends on May 19. But in its ruling, the three-judge bench said "too much of court's time was being wasted on non-issue". "It will be premature for this court to decide since the film is yet to be certified." it said. India's election commission was expected to announce last week whether it would block the film's release because of the election. A spokesperson for the commission declined to comment after the court's ruling. Filmmakers postponed the scheduled release from April 5 after failing to get a censor's certificate on time. The film's producer, Sandip Ssingh, thanked the court "for the much deserved justice". "Our film, 'PM Narendra Modi' to release on 11th April 2019. Jai Hind (Hail India)," he posted on Twitter after the ruling. Voting in the first phase of the Indian election begins the same day. Congress told the election commission that the film was "no artistic venture. It is a political venture". Meanwhile the first five instalments of a 10-episode television series on Modi's life have already gone live-to-air. By Fanny Potkin JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's ruling coalition, which backs President Joko Widodo, is on course to win more than half the votes in an election for the national parliament, based on a count of more than 60 percent of ballots cast on Wednesday, two pollsters said. Indonesia held simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on Wednesday. Widodo, running against former general Prabowo Subianto after a six-month campaign, appears to be on course to win the race to lead the world's third-largest democracy, securing a second term, "quick count" results from private pollsters show. Prabowo, as he is known in Indonesia, has disputed those findings and said internal polls show he is set for a win. A quick count of a sample of votes by pollsters Kompas and Indo Barometers show the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Widodo is a member, is likely to win 20.48 percent of the votes for the national parliament. PDI-P leads Widodo's 10-party coalition which now controls the lower house, which is the main parliamentary chamber. However, both pollsters find that Prabowo's Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) is on track to become parliament's second largest party, with 13 percent of the vote. "PDI-P will take first, with better results than 2014, as expected, riding on Jokowi's coat tails," said Achmad Sukarsono, an Indonesia analyst at Control Risks, using the president's nickname. "Gerindra will also enjoy a coat tail effect and is very likely to replace Golkar as the second party, which has suffered from corruption scandals." Kompas and Indo Barometer are two of more than 40 pollsters accredited by the General Elections Commission to conduct unofficial quick counts. In previous elections, the counts from reputable companies proved to be accurate. Islamic parties also appeared to have done well. The moderate National Awakening Party (PKB), which is part of the Jokowi coalition, is on track to get 9 percent of the vote. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which is aligned with Prabowo, also had about 9 percent of the vote, according to the quick counts. Story continues The smaller National Mandate party, which is part of Prabowo's coalition, had less than 7 percent of the vote. The poll followed a campaign dominated by economic issues but also marked by the growing influence of conservative Islam in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation. Official results will be announced by the election commission on May 22. There are 575 seats in the lower house of the national parliament up for grabs and 136 in the upper house. (Reporting by Fanny Potkin; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Sino Land Company Limited (HKG:83). Do Insider Transactions Matter? It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' View our latest analysis for Sino Land The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Sino Land In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Chairman & CEO Chee Siong Ng bought HK$1.9m worth of shares at a price of HK$12.34 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is HK$14.18. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Sino Land insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 158k shares for a total of HK$1.9m. While Sino Land insiders bought shares last year, they didn't sell. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues SEHK:83 Recent Insider Trading, April 17th 2019 There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insider Ownership Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Sino Land insiders own 0.09% of the company, worth about HK$88m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Sino Land Insiders? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Sino Land shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Sino Land insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Sino Land, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. By Noor Zainab Hussain and Paul Arnold (Reuters) - Major European insurers expect France to bear the bulk of the cost of rebuilding the Notre-Dame Cathedral after a fire tore through the eight-centuries-old Paris landmark on Monday. The cost of a likely multi-year restoration project could itself take a year to become clear, industry experts said. "It is really going to be up to the French state and benefactors to help to restore and rebuild this," Robert Read, head of art and private client at Lloyd's of London insurer Hiscox told Reuters, adding it could take up to 20 years to restore the cathedral. "The scaffolding costs are going to be enormous, actually securing the building is going to be enormous. The cost of renovating the (British) Parliament is a similar sort of number," Read said. The cost of repairs and upgrades to the neo-Gothic fronted parliament building on the banks of the River Thames has been estimated at up to $8 billion. French President Emmanuel Macron has said France would launch a fundraising campaign to rebuild Notre-Dame, which ranks among the finest examples of French Gothic cathedral architecture. Several of France's business elite have already pledged money to help, including a 200 million euros ($226 million)donation from Bernard Arnault and 100 million from Francois Pinault, heads of luxury goods groups LVMH and Kering respectively. "Rebuilding would be very tricky as some of the craft required to rebuild, the stone-masonry craft would probably have to be relearnt," Hiscox's Read said. Reinsurer Swiss Re said works of art in buildings such as the cathedral are generally not insured because they are often priceless. Any art works on loan from third parties would, however, be insured, Read added. While some of the large paintings at Notre-Dame could not be taken down in time, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said at the scene of the fire that a number of the many artworks in the cathedral had been rescued and were being put in safe storage. Notre-Dame was in the midst of renovations and industry sources said the contractor would have its own liability policy. "Typically that would be for tens of millions of euros. But effectively that is going to be a drop in the ocean compared to what the actual cost of restoring the cathedral is," Read said. "If they are deemed to be liable they would be carrying some cover, but it's not unlimited and it's definitely not going to be enough to rebuild the Cathedral." (This story has been refiled to fix incorrect reference to "stone-masonry" craft in paragraph eight.) (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru and Paul Arnold in Zurich; Additional reporting by Inti Landauro in Paris; Editing by David Holmes) Tehran (AFP) - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the United States' reaction to floods that killed dozens of people had revealed Washington's "vicious" nature. At least 76 people have died after torrential rainfall which has also caused billions of dollars worth of damage since March 19. Iran's Red Crescent has repeatedly complained that US banking sanctions re-imposed last year make it impossible to receive donations from outside the country. Washington "always claimed that it is on very good terms with the people of Iran (and) it is the Iranian government that it has a problem with," Rouhani said. But by blocking aid to the Red Crescent, the US had given lie to that claim, he said. "The heads of the American regime have revealed their true vicious and inhuman nature," he said at a cabinet meeting screened live on state TV. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have estimated two million people need humanitarian aid following "the largest disaster to hit Iran in more than 15 years". The floods were a "historic test" for the American leadership, Rouhani said. US President Donald Trump last year withdrew Washington from a multilateral agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, later re-imposing sanctions focusing on oil exports and financial transactions. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused the US of "economic terrorism", saying its unilateral sanctions were impeding aid efforts to flood-stricken cities. Iran has received material aid from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Kuwait as well as from Germany, France and Japan. WASHINGTON ISIS-affiliated terrorists in Afghanistan, noted for their brutality in a brutal land, pose the top threat for spectacular attacks in the United States, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. The group known as ISIS-K, like al-Qaeda, which plotted the 9/11 terror attacks from Afghanistan, also has designs on striking targets in Western nations, said the U.S. intelligence official, who is not authorized to speak publicly. ISIS-K has hundreds of fighters and has shown increasing effectiveness in its tactics and recruiting in Afghanistan, said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee who recently visited Afghanistan. "It's growing in sophistication and numbers," Reed said. The making of an American terrorist Hoda Muthana joined ISIS. Now she cant come back ISIS bride: Should Hoda Muthana be allowed to return from ISIS for trial in the U.S.? Trump says no. Inspiring, financing and directing attacks abroad is a key goal. A chief worry: a terrorist recruit, for example, driving a truck through a crowd in the United States, the intelligence official said, citing the type of assault the group aspires to. The K in ISIS-K stands for Khorasan, the Islamic State's affiliate in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces have fought Taliban and al Qaeda militants since 2001. About 14,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, half of them assigned to counter-terrorism missions, including combating ISIS-K militants. About 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan. More than 140,000 Afghan troops, militants and civilians have died in the fight, according to a study by Brown University. In the last three years, ISIS-K has been emboldened by success in Afghanistan, said the senior intelligence official. Sen. Jack Reed, Democrat from Rhode Island. For instance, it mounted six major attacks in the Afghan capital of Kabul in 2016. That grew to 18 attacks in 2017 and 24 in 2018, the official said. The group is on pace to match or exceed that total this year. Story continues ISIS-K has sought recruits among disaffected college graduates in Kabul, the official said. Doing so allows them to tap into their expertise gained in school and their ability to obtain visas and travel the world as terrorist operatives. U.S.-led counter-terrorism strikes and law enforcement efforts have prevented ISIS-K from attacking targets in the United States, the official said. Gen. Joseph Votel, the recently retired commander of U.S. Central Command, said the group was not reconcilable and required eradication. Preventing 'lone wolf' attacks: Why a seemingly unplanned terrorist attack in Maryland is the hardest kind to prevent 'An unnecessary, dangerous attempt':Trump vetoes resolution to end US support in Yemen To that end, U.S.-led airstrikes have pounded ISIS-K strongholds in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, most notably the use in 2017 of the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also known as the Mother of All Bombs. The explosion killed an estimated 96 ISIS-K fighters. The group, however, has shown its resilience matched by toughness and brutality. ISIS-K has lured the hardest of the hard core, he said. Afghanistan allows them the chance to kill their top targets: western troops, a corrupt local government and Taliban fighters who are not sufficiently committed to their cause. Afghanistan's harsh terrain and lack of governance is an ideal environment to train fighters to shoot and communicate, the intelligence official said. Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started The group considers the Taliban, whose harsh rule of Afghanistan ended in 2001 and has mounted an 18-year insurgency, to be too lax in its interpretation of Islam, the official said. ISIS-K fights the Taliban daily and has seized territory from it. ISIS-K fighters decapitated a local imam, sympathetic but insufficiently devout, and put his head on a pike as a warning to villagers, the official said. As evidence of their commitment, the official pointed to intelligence gathered over the winter that showed that ISIS-K fighters stranded in mountain passes surviving on a dwindling supply of pine nuts. They preferred starving to profiting from the lucrative trade in opium, he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ISIS offshoot in Afghanistan willing, able to strike US, says intelligence official Abidjan (AFP) - Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US president, unveiled Wednesday $2.0 million in aid for women working in Ivory Coast's key cocoa sector. Trump visited a cocoa plantation in Adzope, north of Abidjan, before taking part in the first West African summit on female entrepreneurship in the country's economic capital. Ivory Coast is the world's leading producer of cocoa. "When you empower women, they uplift their families, their communities, and the whole country prospers," Trump said. The aid was meant to "catalyse private sector investment" in the sector, according to a statement released by the US embassy in Abidjan. Trump said the money would help "create 300 new saving associations, in the cocoa space across Cote d'Ivoire," and benefit "500 existing saving associations to connect them to the financial market place." She was welcomed by women cocoa farmers, and joined briefly in dancing with them. The aid is to be managed by USAID's Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative and the World Cocoa Foundation. The W-GDP's goal is to allow 50 million women to achieve economic autonomy by 2025, and Trump had come to Ivory Coastafter pitching the initiative in Ethiopia. Jason Kenney will be Albertas next premier with a majority victory for the United Conservative Party (UCP) over the existing NDP government. Rachel Notleys party will transition into the the role of official opposition in the province. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney address supporters Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh What a great day for the province of Alberta. Today our great province has sent a message to Canada and the world, Alberta is open for business, Kenney said in his victory speech, using a slogan familiar to Ontario premier Doug Ford. Albertans have elected a government that will be obsessed with getting this province back to work, Kenney added. Tonight we send a message to our fellow Canadians from coast to coastwe Albertans are proud Canadians and tonight we elected a government that will stand up and secure a fair deal for Alberta in this great country. The UCP was created in 2017 as a joining of the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties. NDP leader Rachel Notley, gives a concession speech after election results, in Edmonton Alta, on Tuesday April 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson In her concession speech, Notley expressed pride in her partys leadership to date, including climate change actions and poverty rate in the province. I am enormously proud of our record, Notley said. To every girl and every young woman watching tonight, I believe in you and never stop believing in yourself. I hope that we have shown you that in your life, anything is possible. As leader of the opposition I will do the job to the best of my ability and with the utmost integrity, Notley stated as she formally accepted the role as the official opposition. I will make sure that our vision of Alberta enduresholding government to account and making sure the voices of all Albertans are heard. The province of Alberta has seen an election full of personal attacks. Incumbent Notley ran on a platform focused on highlighting her successes as the provinces leader, most notably her track record on economic issues. Kenney has sent a message that he is fighting back against those opposing Alberta, such as the federal government and environmentalists. Story continues After Kenny appeared to the public in a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck following his victory, the UCP leader stressed the importance of the energy sector and pipeline efforts. The world needs more Canada, the world needs more Canadian energy, Kenney said. There is a deep frustration in this provincethat everywhere we turn we have been blocked in and pinned down. But both parties have also done a fair share of name calling: Kenney has been accusing Notley of being too cozy with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while Kenneys anti-abortion stance and track record with LGBT issues has been used to try and turn Albertans away from him. To every Albertan out there who identifies as LGBTQ2SA+, know you will always have a champion in me and in the Alberta NDP, Notley said in her concession speech. We have fundamentally changed the politics in this province forever. Jean Grey turns to the dark side (Credit:: 20th Century Fox) The latest X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer sees Jean Grey descend further into darkness. Sophie Turners mutant hero takes centre stage in likely the final film in this run of X-Men movies, as she transforms into the terrifying Phoenix. The switch comes after she and the X-Men, led by Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) head into space to help NASA out by rescuing some stranded astronauts. While on the mission, a powerful force of energy sweeps through and encompasses Jean who seemingly absorbs its power. Read more: Turner reveals she had depression filming Game of Thrones According to Jessica Chastains villain Shiar, that power destroys everything it came into contact with, until you. The X-Men fear you and what they fear, she continues. They seek to destroy, Jean replies. Once again the mutants are split into factions led by Charles and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as they tussle on whether to save or kill the Phoenix but its not going to be that easy to do either. When I lose control bad things happen, Jean says, but it feels good. The new X-Men: Dark Phoenix is darker than ever (Credit:Fox) Read more: X-Men wont appear in MCU for a long time, says Marvel boss This is the fourth movie featuring the younger generation of the X-Men cast including Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops) and Alexandra Shipp (Storm). Now that Disney has acquired 20th Century Fox, including the rights to the X-Men its unlikely another movie will be made with this line-up. Even Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige says the superheroes wont appear in the MCU for a while. Heres the official synopsis: This is the story of one of the X-Mens most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic DARK PHOENIX. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. X-Men: Dark Phoenix is released in UK cinemas on 5th June Imagined and created at Kias California design studio, the company calls it "The Everything Car." What do you get when you mix a hot chili pepper with Kia's 2019 Niro crossover? A HabaNiro. Get it? While Hyundai debuted its new subcompact SUV, the Venue, on Wednesday at the New York Auto Show, the South Korean carmaker's sister brand, Kia, rolled out the "spicy" HabaNiro concept car. The all-electric, four-seater SUV has butterfly wing doors and all-wheel drive, Kia says, with a range of more than 300 miles. We wanted this concept to be comfortable navigating city streets, carving turns on a coastal road and off-roading with confidence to remote wilderness adventures, said Tom Kearns, vice president of design for Kia. The HabaNiro has a three-tone color scheme, including dark grey on the lower front end, silver on the mid-body and a firey rear end that the company calls "lava red." More cars: Follow our New York Auto Show coverage Pickups: Volkswagen reveals compact pickup concept that may come to U.S. The front foregoes Kia's tiger nose-inspired grille in favor of a mouth that looks more like by a shark's snout, with a slit-like gap full of what the company calls "black aluminum teeth." The car has a red interior that's home to a front windshield display controlled by a touchpad rather than traditional knobs and buttons. The outside lacks side mirrors. We couldnt be more proud of our design center, says Michael Cole, KMA chief operating officer and executive vice president. Not only does its beautiful design incorporate the needs of future mobility, but its engineering and technology anticipate the way people will want to move in the near future. For those of you who want to take the HabaNiro for a spin, you may one day be able to. In the past 18 months, Kia released two vehicles that were inspired by concepts, the Stinger and the Telluride. Kia unveiled a special edition Stinger GTS at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday. Only 800 units of the redesigned sport sedan are being made. Story continues The new Stinger is orange colored with the signature tiger-nose grille. Since its debut nearly two years ago, the Kia Stinger quickly become a crowd favorite, according to the company. Limited to just 800 units, the special edition Stinger GTS has an all-wheel-drive system. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kia reveals its HabaNiro SUV. What exactly is hot and spicy about it? Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon is set to impose austerity measures to combat its bulging fiscal deficit, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Wednesday, warning of an economic "catastrophe" if public spending keeps rising. "As a government, we are required to issue the most austere budget in Lebanon's history because our financial position doesn't allow us to increase spending," Hariri told reporters after a session of parliament. "If we continue like this we will reach a catastrophe," he said, one-year after his government committed to slashing public spending in order to unlock billions in aid pledged by international donors. Hariri did not specify what measures his government was mulling but hinted the package may include wage cuts for soldiers. "The soldier is prepared to pay with his blood for his country," he said, noting that Lebanon now requires "sacrifices". Lebanon is one of the world's most indebted countries, with public debt estimated at 141 percent of gross domestic product in 2018, according to credit ratings agency Moody's. The budget for 2019 has yet to be finalised, but public sector workers fear that austerity measures may mean cuts to their salaries. Hundreds of civil servants protested in central Beirut on Wednesday to denounce any such move. The demonstrations came as part of a nationwide public sector strike that affected schools, universities, state-run media outlets and the tourism ministry's offices. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Saturday proposed to reduce public sector wages, warning that "there will be no salaries for anyone" otherwise. On Wednesday, Bassil said the proposed cuts "would be temporary and would not effect low wage employees". Lebanon's economy has looked on the brink of collapse for some time but a Paris conference dubbed CEDRE last April made aid pledges worth $11 billion. At the Paris conference, Lebanon committed to reforms including slashing public spending and overhauling the electricity sector. Story continues In exchange, the international community has pledged major aid and loans, mostly for infrastructure projects that need to be signed off by the new government. As part of its commitments to CEDRE, parliament on Wednesday approved a plan to reform Lebanon's ailing electricity sector, one week after it passed in cabinet. The plan would improve power supplies, raise electricity tariffs and reduce the fiscal deficit resulting from government transfers to state-run Electricite du Liban (EDL). According to the World Bank, government transfers to EDL averaged 3.8 percent of GDP from 2008 to 2017, amounting to about half of Lebanon's fiscal deficit. Athens (AFP) - A lightning strike injured four people Wednesday at the Acropolis in Athens, which was closed for the rest of the day, the Greek culture ministry said. The bolt hurt two tourists and two Greeks when it struck a lightning rod near the small Erechtheion temple to the north of the famous Parthenon, a ministry spokeswoman told AFP. A local ambulance service official had said earlier that the bolt struck a ticket booth. The two tourists, a Korean man and a Scandinavian woman, both under 30, suffered light injuries and were checked briefly at a hospital, the ministry spokeswoman said. Two Greek staff members who were in a guard booth suffered cuts from flying glass, and were hospitalised as a precautionary measure, she added. The Acropolis itself suffered no damage, but the site was closed for the rest of the day since the strike knocked out electricity and the entry system at the site, the spokeswoman said. Sitting in the historic centre of Athens, the Temple of Parthenon on the rock of the Acropolis dates back to the classical period of antiquity -- the 5th century B.C. It is one of the most-visited tourist sites in the world. Athens itself has been swept by several violent storms in recent days. By Matt Spetalnick and Sarah Marsh WASHINGTON/HAVANA (Reuters) - The Trump administration will allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the first time against foreign companies that use properties confiscated by Communist-ruled Cuba since Fidel Castro's revolution six decades ago, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The major policy shift, which will be announced on Wednesday, could expose U.S., European and Canadian companies to legal action and deal a blow to Cuba's efforts to attract more foreign investment. It is also another sign of Washington's efforts to punish Havana over its support for Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, will explain on Wednesday the administration's decision in a speech in Miami and announce new sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, countries he has branded a "troika of tyranny," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It is unclear, however, whether such property claims will be acceptable in U.S. courts. The European Union has already warned it could lodge a challenge with the World Trade Organization. "The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal, contrary to international law and I also consider it immoral," EU ambassador to Cuba Alberto Navarro said in Havana. Trump threatened in January to allow a law that has been suspended since its creation in 1996, permitting Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business in Cuba over property seized in decades past by the Cuban government. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of lawsuits. The complete lifting of the ban could allow billions of dollars in legal claims to move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and Europe, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that began investing in the island, an old Cold War foe, since former President Barack Obama began a process of normalizing relations between the two countries from the end of 2014. The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the country's National Assembly, meeting over the weekend, declared the Helms-Burton Act "illegitimate, unenforceable and without legal effect." Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech on Saturday that the United States "has pushed the precarious relations with our country back to the worst level ... trying to activate the hateful Helms-Burton Law, which aims to return us in principle to ... when we were a slave nation of another empire." U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president in early 2017. A six-decade U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. LEGALLY UNPRECEDENTED, OUTCOME UNKNOWN Trump is going ahead despite protests by Canadian and European leaders to U.S. counterparts. The U.S. official dismissed the EU's warning of a possible WTO challenge and a cycle of counterclaims in European courts as doomed to fail. Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Sherritt International Corp and Spains Melia Hotels International SA. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. Defending the decision, the U.S. official said allowing lawsuits would cause only a "bump" in the business world but send a message of U.S. resolve against Havana. In addition to halting any further waivers of Title III, the administration will begin full enforcement of Helms-Burton's Title IV, which requires the denial of U.S. visas to those involved in "trafficking" confiscated properties in Cuba. Trump's decision followed threats by his top aides in recent weeks to take actions against Cuba to force it to abandon Maduro, something Havana has insisted it will not do. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency. The United States and most Western countries have backed Guaido as head of state. Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup and Maduro is backed by Cuba, Russia, China and the Venezuela military. Trumps toughened stance on Cuba as well as Venezuela has gone down well in the large Cuban-American community in south Florida, an important voting bloc in a political swing state as he looks toward his re-election campaign in 2020. In Bolton's speech on Wednesday, he is expected to announce further measures against Cuba. The administration is considering a range of options, including sanctions against senior Cuban military and intelligence officials over their role in Venezuela and the tightening of limits on U.S. trade with the island, according to two people familiar with the matter. Navarro said EU companies had the obligation of not collaborating with U.S. judgments under Title III and the possibility to make counterclaims. This is a fringe policy decision that has not been tested legally," said James Williams, president of Engage Cuba, a Washington-based lobbying group working to normalize relations with Cuba. Some 5,913 claims held by U.S. companies and individuals have been certified by the U.S. Justice Department and are estimated to be worth roughly $8 billion. Cuban law ties settlement of any claims to U.S. reparations for damages from Washington's embargo and what it considers other acts of U.S. aggression. Cuban estimates of that damage range from $121 billion to more than $300 billion. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Sarah Marsh in Havana; Additional reporting by Susan HeavEy and David Alexander in Washington and Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank in Havana; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney) (Reuters) - A Minnesota judge on Tuesday ordered a man accused of critically injuring a 5-year-old boy by throwing him off a balcony at the Mall of America held in lieu of a $2 million bond until a hearing next month, prosecutors said. In his first court appearance since Friday's incident, when he allegedly dropped the boy nearly 40 feet (12 meters), Emmanuel Aranda was charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder, Hennepin County Attorney's office spokesman Chuck Laszewski said. Prosecutors had asked for bail to be set at $2 million, but Hennepin Country District Court Judge Jeannice Reding reserved her decision on the request, ordering Aranda held in lieu of $2 million bond until a May 14 hearing, Laszewski said. Aranda, 24, who lives in Minneapolis, did not enter a plea, Laszewski added. It was not immediately clear if Aranda had a lawyer. Asked by the judge if he had any questions, Aranda standing behind a glass partition in the courtroom replied: "Not at all." Police have not identified the boy, but said he suffered life-threatening injuries from the fall at the Bloomington mall, a major tourist attraction in the state. On Tuesday they said his condition remained critical. A posting late Monday on a GoFundMe page set to help pay for his medical expenses gave the boy's first name as Landen. "His condition has very little change at this point, but we are hoping to get some good news back from some upcoming tests in the next few days," wrote Noah Hanneman, a family friend who launched the GoFundMe drive. By Tuesday afternoon, the campaign had raised $711,000, well over its $500,000 goal, since it was launched on Saturday. Police said Aranda had a history of mental issues and arrests on relatively minor charges. He told investigators he had been visiting the mall for years to try talk to women, but their rejection "caused him to lash out and be aggressive," prosecutors said in a complaint. Story continues Aranda said he had initially intended to kill an adult the day before the incident, according to the complaint filed with the court on Monday. He did not follow through but returned to the mall Friday still intending to kill an adult. He chose the boy instead, and admitted throwing him from the building's third tier, the complaint said. (Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) Close up of credit cards, Master card. Photo: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Mastercard (MA) faces the possibility of a 14bn ($18.2bn) lawsuit after the Court of Appeal in London made a surprise ruling. And nearly every British adult could get a payout of up to 300. That court said that the Competition Appeal Tribunal must reconsider the class action against the payments firm after it initially threw out that lawsuit two years ago. The claim, which was brought on by the former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks, alleges that 46 million people unduly paid higher prices in shops due to high card fees. The class action was brought on behalf of people who were resident in the UK for at least three months between 1992 and 2008, we aged over 16, and who bought an item or service from a UK business which accepted Mastercard. Mastercard said in a statement it continued to disagree fundamentally with the basis of the claim and added, this decision is not a final ruling and the proposed claim is not approved to move forward; rather, the court has simply said a rehearing on certain issues should happen. It also said it was seeking permission to appeal against the ruling. If the lawsuit is successful, the 14bn would be split among the 46 million individuals, amounting to just 300 each. Meghan pictured in Birkenhead earlier this year [Photo: PA] The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly looking to hire an American nanny for her forthcoming child. California-born Meghan, 37, is said to have instructed a recruitment agency in Kensington to find a suitable candidate to start within the next three months. The mum-to-be and husband Harry, 34, are also said to be open to the idea of having a male nanny for their first child. READ MORE: Meghan will fill her home with nannies, says Samantha Markle A source told The Mirror: Meghan and Harry have clear ideas on how to bring up their children. Meghan was clear in telling recruiters she favours an American over a Brit and wants them to feel part of the family rather than a uniformed member of staff. That is important to her, shes never hidden the fact she is fiercely proud of her American roots. They are keen to explore the possibility of a male nanny. The source added the employee will earn up to 70,000-a-year, depending on experience. It is understood that the successful candidate will live at Meghan and Harrys new 10-bedroom home Frogmore Cottage in Windsor and will have use of a car. The Cambridges nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo with the Queen and Prince George at Princess Charlottes christening in 2015 [Photo: PA] The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hired Spain-born Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo in 2014 to look after Prince George and then additionally Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis following their births. The Norland-trained nanny is fluent in six languages and her job is to educate and guide the youngest royals through life. Its not known how much Kate and William pay their nanny, but she does get to call Kensington Palace home and travels on royal tours with the family. Training at the prestigious Norland college in Bath will set you back 12,000 a year and as a newly qualified Norlander, you can expect to earn a starting salary of 26,000 a year. Norland nannies wear distinctive brown uniforms and bowler hats with a N on them. Baby Sussex is set to arrive within the coming weeks, but the duke and duchess have taken the decision to keep details around the birth private. Melania Trump had some choice words for Anna Wintour after the Vogue editor-in-chief reportedly vowed the first lady would never find herself on the cover of the fashion magazine again. Ms Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement on Monday that being on the cover of Vogue doesnt define Mrs. Trump, shes been there, done that long before she was First Lady. Her role as First Lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover, she added. This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is. Last week, Ms Wintour appeared in an interview with CNN where she subtly revealed that the magazine is not impartial when it comes to politics. I believe and I think that those of us that work at Conde Nast believe that you have to stand up for what you believe in and you have to take a point of view, Ms Wintour said. Former first lady Michelle Obama has appeared on the cover of Vogue three times throughout her husbands presidency. The magazine also featured New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former first Hillary Clinton. Obviously these are women that we feel are icons and inspiring to women from a global perspective, the Vogue editor said, referring to Ms Obama, Ms Ardern and Ms Clinton. While Ms Wintour did not explicitly mention Ms Trump in the interview, she said hint that she feels passionately about taking the right political stance. I also feel even more strongly now that this is a time to try and I think that one has to be fair, one has to look at all sides but I dont think its a moment not to take a stand, Ms Wintour added. I think you cant be everything to everybody. Ms Trump, a former model, has not yet been asked to appear on the cover of the magazine since her husband won the 2016 election. The first lady, however, did appear on the cover in February 2005 after wearing her wedding dress after marrying Donald Trump. WASHINGTON Not one, but two versions of special counsel Robert Mueller's report are planned to be released. After the public is given a redacted version of the nearly 400-page report on Thursday, a less-redacted version would go to a "limited number of Members of Congress" for their review. It's unclear when lawmakers would be able to view the more transparent report. "Once the redacted version of the report has been released to the public, the Justice Department plans to make available for review by a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff a copy of the Special Counsel's report without certain redactions," prosecutors wrote in a court filing on Wednesday. The revelations were made by prosecutors in a legal filing when they replied to a request from President Donald Trump's longtime friend and political adviser Roger Stone, who was arrested in January on one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of making false statements and one count of witness tampering. Stone has pleaded not guilty. Last week in a flurry of legal filings, Stone's defense team argued that he and his team should be allowed an exclusive look at the Mueller report, while also arguing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation was unconstitutional. More: Roger Stone tells court he alone is entitled to see the Mueller report More: AG William Barr to hold news conference Thursday on special counsel Robert Mueller's report "The Special Counsel Report may be of political interest to many," the defense team argues in a motion to dismiss the entire case. "It may be of commercial interest to others. It may be of public interest to some. But for Roger Stone, the Special Counsels Report is a matter of protecting his liberty. Only by full disclosure to him, can he determine whether the Report contains material which could be critical to his defense." Prosecutors replied, telling Stone of their plans for the report and its decimation. They wrote that the less-redacted version would not be made public or made available for all members of Congress. Story continues "Rather, the Justice Department intends to secure this version of the report in an appropriate setting that will be accessible to a limited number of Members of Congress and their staff," prosecutors wrote. While seeing more of the secretive report is a goal of lawmakers, it's likely not to appease House Democrats who have said they would subpoena the full report without any redactions. Earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee voted to authorize a subpoena for Muellers full report and the evidence his investigators gathered, setting up what could be a historic legal clash with the Justice Department. Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will hold news conference Thursday to discuss Mueller's report, according to a spokeswoman. Barr had previously said he would release the long-awaited report on Thursday. The news conference will be at 9:30 a.m., according to spokeswoman Kerri Kupec. President Donald Trump, who has claimed "total exoneration" from a summary of the report, said Wednesday he may hold a news conference as well. He is scheduled to leave for a three-day weekend in South Florida by mid-afternoon Thursday, but he may speak with reporters upon departure. "Youll see a lot of strong things come out tomorrow," Trump told WMAL radio's Larry O'Connor show. "Attorney General Barr is going to be doing a press conference. Maybe Ill do one after that, well see. Contributing: Doug Stanglin, Kevin Johnson and Bart Jansen This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Some members of Congress will see a less-redacted version of Mueller report, DOJ says Microsoft joined a growing list of major corporations this week that have thrown their weight behind a proposal to create a federal carbon tax. Its the latest indication that corporate America is beginning to take seriously potential climate change legislation on Capitol Hill. It comes from a deep sense of impatience, says Lucas Joppa, Microsofts Chief Environment Officer, in describing why his company announced a handful of new climate initiatives. No matter how green we are inside of our four walls, if we dont start to act outside of our four walls, were just not doing enough. There are a slew of explanations for why corporate America appears to be embracing legislative action now. Consumers are increasingly concerned about climate change, the effects of warming are posing a risk to the operations of some companies, and major investors are demanding that companies act. In addition, some executives have been spooked by prominent Democrats embrace of a Green New Deal, which suggests newfound interest in stringent regulations on many sectors. In an effort to get ahead of such sweeping legislation, theyre willing to push for more corporate-friendly solutions now. For years, many of the countrys biggest corporations have said they support action on climate change, rallying in support of the Paris Agreement and announcing their own sustainability initiatives, including commitments to rely on renewable energy. In 2009, the last time the U.S. seriously considered sweeping climate legislation, many executives helped draft a framework for a bill to cap carbon dioxide emissions. The business community has been unequivocal about the need to solve the climate crisis for literally decades, with a few exceptions, says Miranda Ballentine, the CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), a trade group that represents some of Americas largest companies. Ultimately, what we want is a zero carbon energy future. Story continues But since 2009 the issue has remained a low priority for corporate lobbyists in Washington. Despite business leaders public commitment to action on climate change, they often chose to avoid the fight. If you did a poll of Business Roundtable executives, you would be hard pressed to find someone who didnt believe climate was a major problem in America, says Heidi Heitkamp, a former Democratic Senator from North Dakota. But its not the top of their issues. Theyre going to talk about regulatory reform, theyre going to talk about taxes and theyre going to talk about the things they always talk about. Some of the most influential trade associations also worked to slow progress on climate change legislation. Even as their members touted their own sustainability commitments in speeches and advertisements, these trade groups, which spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying each year, hesitated to act. One reason is that multi-industry trade groups have long tended to defer to their members areas of expertise. An energy company is much more likely to help dictate a trade groups climate policy than, say, a tech company. Another reason, observers say, is that on issues like climate change, the groups position most often represents the lowest common denominator for consensus. Others suggest a more nefarious explanation: corporations have long wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They attract positive attention and appeal to consumers by promising to act on climate change while using lobbying groups to muddy the waters. In 2009, several corporations helped shape an ambitious climate change bill so that it was favorable to their interests before ultimately fighting against it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spent close to $100 million lobbying last year, came under fire in that 2009 fight for calling for a debate about the science of climate change. In recent years, the group has focused on questioning the costs of various climate regulations. Similarly, the American Petroleum Institute fought cap-and-trade in 2009, and more recently has argued that oil and gas companies can police themselves to slow emissions. Still, the major trade groups have not been immune to the shift in public opinion and the evolving positions of their membership. Hugely influential groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and API now say they accept the science of climate change and support reducing emissions. Last week, the Chamber launched a lobbying campaign called Cleaner, Stronger, citing internal polling showing that voters are concerned about climate change. The risks of climate change are real, said API President and CEO Mike Sommers in a January speech. Industrial activity around the globe impacts the climate. But these groups have yet to answer questions about what concrete measures they back. On a January press call, Sommers declined to identify any climate regulation the organization supports. Similarly, the Chambers new campaign focuses on innovation and warns against too much climate regulation. Many remain skeptical that the change in rhetoric will amount to anything on Capitol Hill. I see zero change in any of that machinery, says Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who wrote a book about corporate influence on Capitol Hill, adding that the Chamber of Commerce, API and other trade groups remain captured. The light-touch approach from trade groups has contributed to a divide among members. Shell, for instance, has sought to stake out a position as a leader on climate change among the worlds oil and gas majors. The company released a review of its trade association memberships earlier this month that criticized API, the Chamber and others for misalignment on climate change policy. At the same time, Shell announced that it would leave another trade group, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, over its position on climate change. Still, Shell remains an outlier and many trade groups remain defined by the views of corporations opposed to most climate change measures. In the oil and gas industry, for example, independent drillers, whose companies often lack the resources of the majors, are most sensitive to climate regulations and compliance costs. There are a whole lot of independents who potentially have much more political clout than people give them credit for, says Heitkamp, referring to the smaller oil and gas companies. Despite challenges, there are reasons to believe this time could be different. Unlike in 2009, when the effects of climate change were less apparent and an economic downturn occupied Washingtons attention, corporations today face a number of immediate climate-related risks, including threats to physical infrastructure and supply chains. A landmark report released last October from the United Nations climate science body warned of devastating societal effects if temperature rise exceeds 1.5C. Companies also now face renewed prospects of bold legislative or regulatory measures, particularly if a Democrat occupies the White House in 2021. Theyve assumed for so long that they can control the regulatory agenda and they can lobby to keep it at bay, says Dylan Tanner, executive director of InfluenceMap, a non-profit that tracks corporate lobbying. This may not be the case anymore. Unexpectedly broad support among Democrats for a Green New Deal last year created a lane for a corporate-backed alternatives. Measures like a carbon tax would reduce emissions while giving these companies business certainty and wiggle room to continue operating. One specific proposal, the Baker-Shultz Plan named for former GOP Secretaries of State James Baker and George Shultz has been endorsed by a number of corporations, including ExxonMobil and AT&T. It would put a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and then give the money back to taxpayers as a dividend. Notably, the proposal also includes provisions that would limit big greenhouse gas emitters liability for the impacts of climate change and chop other environmental regulations. A lobbying group connected to the proposal, known as Americans for Carbon Dividends, has received millions in funding, including from oil and gas giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. Theres a large diverse group of industries coming together, says Christopher Crane, the CEO of Exelon, a Fortune 100 energy company that has endorsed the proposal. The push for a carbon tax follows years of efforts that have been more narrowly focused on promoting renewable energy. Just last month, for instance, major corporations including Walmart, General Motors and Google launched REBA with the goal of helping companies buy renewable energy. Its really about making access to clean energy ubiquitous to everybody, says Michael Terrell, head of energy market development at Google, whether its a bakery or a big box retailer or a data center. Whether existing energy policy advocacy can be ratcheted up to back a more comprehensive solution like a carbon tax remains to be seen. Increasingly, though, as activists take to the streets, progressive Democrats rally for a Green New Deal and scientists warn that the window to fix the problem is closing, concerns about climate change are seeping into company strategy. A push for legislation could follow. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government following last week's general election. In a televised ceremony, Rivlin told Netanyahu that in consultations with all parties elected to the incoming 120-seat parliament, "65 MPs recommended you". Rivlin had sounded out delegations from political parties on Monday and Tuesday. Only 45 members supported his main rivals from the Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz, with the 10 members of the Arab parties recommending nobody. "This is the fifth time I am taking on the task of putting together the government of Israel," Netanyahu said at Wednesday's ceremony. "There is no greater privilege in democratic life." In his remarks Rivlin referred to the election campaign, which candidates and commentators agreed had been exceptionally brutal. "Things were said that should not have been said, from all sides," he said. Netanyahu then pledged to serve all Israelis, opponents as well as supporters. "I am well aware of the size of the responsibility placed upon my shoulders and shall act as the envoy of all of the people, those who voted for me and those who did not," he said. He now has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of a further two weeks. The results from the April 9 election put Netanyahu on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year, surpassing the state's founding father David Ben-Gurion. - Coalition demands - The 69-year-old's first task will be to reconcile divergent demands from his likely coalition partners. They include ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and the strongly secular Yisrael Beitenu of former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman. Netanyahu's outgoing government was seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history, and the next is expected to be similar if not further to the right. Story continues Lieberman has said he would condition his joining the coalition on the adoption of a law aimed at drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military like their secular counterparts. Ultra-Orthodox Jews studying at religious seminaries are currently exempt from mandatory military service, a situation many Israelis see as unfair. But attempts to change the law have met with strong opposition from ultra-Orthodox political parties, which won 16 seats in the incoming parliament. On Tuesday, United Torah Judaism -- one of the two ultra-Orthodox parties -- stressed they were not prepared to compromise over Lieberman's demands, even at the risk of Netanyahu failing to form a coalition. "We have already proven we won't have a problem to face another election," the party said in a statement. Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up some 10 percent of Israel's population of nearly nine million. The coming months are also expected to see the unveiling of US President Donald Trump's long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Trump has shown no sign so far that he would be willing to make significant demands of his close ally Netanyahu in connection with his plan, though even minor concessions to the Palestinians could spark opposition from the Israeli premier's far-right coalition partners. Before the election, Netanyahu pledged to annex West Bank settlements in a move that would make Palestinian statehood all but impossible if done on a large-scale. He will now face pressure to follow through but Israel's UN ambassador said Wednesday that nothing would be done on the issue before the Trump plan is revealed. "We will wait. We will see the plan. We will engage and I don't know where it will lead us," Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. But the biggest danger hanging over Netanyahu is his potential indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Israel's attorney general has announced his intention to indict Netanyahu, pending an upcoming hearing. He would be the country's first sitting prime minister to be indicted. Netanyahu is not legally required to resign if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted, but political pressure would likely be intense. Many analysts said one of Netanyahu's main motivations in calling early elections was to be able to confront the charges with a fresh electoral mandate behind him. PARIS Notre Dame Cathedral was perhaps only minutes away from total destruction when Monday's blaze swept through the medieval building, authorities said. At least 30 firetrucks, vehicles and even boats on Paris River Seine responded quickly to the blaze most reaching the scene within 11 minutes, according to French firefighters. One of the first firefighters on the scene said the fast response was related to the deep knowledge of the inside of the 850-year-old house of worship. We knew the church really well because we had done a lot of drills there, Chief Cpl. Miryam Chudzinski said Wednesday at a news conference. Chudzinski recounted that when she arrived at the scene and saw large crowds watching, and in many cases filming the fire with their phones, she realized the scale of what they were dealing with. We are proud of how we handled it, she said. Gabriel Plus, a representative for the Paris Fire Brigade, said Wednesday that at least 60 members of his organization remain at Notre Dame to check the cathedrals structural integrity. When the fire reached the center of the cathedral, a robot was brought in, and my firefighters were pulled out, to douse the flames, Plus said. It was too dangerous for them once the flames reached the spire. Donations neared the $1 billion mark and recovery efforts ramped up Wednesday at the charred cathedral. Priceless relics and historical treasures were saved from a devastating fire that left Paris and much of the world in shock. Engineers and historians are likely to put up a temporary roof to protect the cathedral from the elements, assess damage and salvage materials before beginning repairs that may take decades. Plus said the buildings outer buttresses are secure, but some damaged stonework will be cleared. Scaffolding damaged in the fire part of renovation work before the blaze will be removed. Structural engineers, stained-glass experts and stonemasons from across the globe are likely to head to Paris to help with restorations in the next few weeks. Story continues Photos from inside the building give a glimpse of the herculean task ahead: They show piles of burned and blackened debris on the cathedral floor. Outside the landmark Wednesday, there were fewer onlookers than in recent days, but crowds of residents and tourists were still snapping selfies and taking pictures of what they could glimpse of the church's exterior from outside a security zone. "It's like something you see in the movies," said Liam Mcilduff, 15, a student from a nearby school who marveled at all the activity. The cost to completely repair the church will reach $1.13 billion to $2.3 billion, according to Stephane Bern, who heads heritage renovation programs across France. Bern said about $995 million was raised in just a day and a half from French business leaders and ordinary worshipers at home and abroad. The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with them. Analysis: Why Notre Dame didn't completely crumble in the blaze. And why it could take decades to repair. Heroic: Notre Dame fire: Paris Fire Brigade chaplain braved the blaze to rescue cathedral treasures French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to "make the cathedral of Notre Dame even more beautiful," calling for the building to be rebuilt in five years. France, he said, would "convert this disaster into an opportunity." Macron is holding a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday dedicated to the Notre Dame. "It's such an exceptional monument. It's precious, made by our ancestors," said Aime Cougoureux, the owner of Ma Bourgogne, a popular restaurant near the Victor Hugo museum. Hugo, one of France's most celebrated writers, played a large role in popularizing Notre Dame. His 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is about the cathedral's deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo who falls in love with Esmeralda. The book saw a serious spike in sales on Amazon in France this week. "Paris needs Notre Dame," Cougoureux said. "The tourists love it, too, especially Americans. When there are no Americans in Paris, it's an economic crisis." Emily Bessie, 43, a tourist from Maine, took photos Wednesday from a vantage point that gives a view of where 400,000 firefighters doused water on the cathedral's destroyed spire. She said her friends in the USA shared images on social media of their own visits to the cathedral. "Even though the circumstances are clearly very different, we in the U.S. know what it feels like to lose a symbol of your country," she said, referring to the collapse of the twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz said Tuesday the cause of the fire that tore through the cathedral, causing its wooden roof and spire to collapse, was not known, although investigators are "favoring the theory of an accident" possibly linked to extensive renovation work. There were no signs of arson, Heitz said. About 30 people have been questioned in the investigation, which Heitz warned would be long and complex. Among those questioned are workers at the five construction companies involved in renovating the church spire and roof when the fire broke out. 'Soul of France': The cross still stands and votives remained lit. Signs of hope out of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire Conspiracy theories: The cause of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire remains unknown. Everything else is a rumor The cathedral's 18th-century organ suffered some burn damage but has not been lost, Olivier Latry, one of the church's three organists, told USA TODAY. French Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said efforts to save the cathedrals stone structure and two towers "came down to 10 to 15 minutes." Nunez said fires were stopped before they had an opportunity to spread and it was only this "small window" and the heroic efforts of firefighters who formed a human chain to save relics that staved off more damage. American art historian Andrew Tallon used laser technology to completely digitally map Notre Dame in 2015, creating a replica that could help architects and engineers rebuild the Gothic cathedral. Pope Francis, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, used his weekly audience Wednesday at St. Peters Square in Rome to express his sadness over the fire at Notre Dame, the seat of the Paris archdiocese. "I feel very close to all of you," he said. Some weren't thrilled by the idea of contributing money toward the cathedral's reconstruction. "I already pay my taxes. Why should I give any more?" said a bookseller who runs a stall on a quay alongside the Seine opposite Notre Dame. He would be identified only by his first name, Matthias. Contributing: Kristin Lam This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Paris needs Notre Dame': Donations to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral near $1 billion More than 800 million euros ($920 million) has already been pledged for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral, according to French Culture Minister Franck Riester. The normal annual budget for restoring national monuments is about 300 million euros, he said. The immediate priority is to secure Notre Dames vault, which has a gaping hole in the middle after its spire collapsed during Monday nights fire, Riester said in an interview on France2 television. Other quickly needed steps are removing melted statues that are weighing on fragile parts of the outer structure. Donations can be made via http://www.rebatirnotredamedeparis.fr, which has links to four approved organizations, Riester said. Wealthy individuals and companies already have pledged hundreds of millions of euros for the project. President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday night said the cathedral will be rebuilt in five years. Its a nice ambition, Riester said. We will mobilize all our know-how, all the donations. He said it was too early to talk about how the cathedral will be restored and with what materials and techniques. The massive fire that engulfed Paris landmark Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday, causing the monuments iconic spire to collapse, highlighted the difficulty in protecting historical buildings from fire. The cathedral is just one of many famous historical sites around the world that have been damaged by fire and required repair and restoration work to be returned to their former glory. Notre Dame sustained colossal damage, Cathedral spokesman Andre Finot told reporters. Firefighters are still surveying the full extent of the damage. Many other historical buildings were able to re-open their doors after being successfully restored. With the work of skilled architects and builders, some sites were reconstructed in such a way that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between original features and their replicas. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England a governmental body that protects historical sites tells TIME that, despite the pain of seeing a beloved landmark burn, these disasters can present opportunities of their own. Building restorations, he says, can create jobs, strengthen the craftwork industries, and inject modern day creativity in architecture. Heres a look at other historical structures that were ravaged by fire, only to be rebuilt: Windsor Castle, England, 1992 The Inside Of St George's Hall, Windsor Castle on January 14, 1993, after the fire in November | Tim Graham Getty Images In 1992, a fire broke out in Windsor Castle, an official residence of Queen Elizabeth II and the largest inhabited castle in the world. The blaze damaged more than 100 rooms in the gothic estate. Wilson said that out of the destruction came an opportunity, as it helped to encourage the development of craft skills and a first class restoration of 19th century interiors that had been degraded. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, 1906 Grace Cathedral is located on Nob Hill in San Francisco, 2009 | George Rose Getty Images The Grace Cathedral the third largest in the U.S. burnt down in 1906 after a fire erupted in the city following one of the most significant earthquakes in history. Story continues The cathedral (originally built in 1849) was rebuilt, beginning in 1928 and completed in 1964, in the French Gothic style of Paris Notre Dame Cathedral. Graces spire looks almost identical to the one that collapsed in flames in France on Monday. Slane Castle, Ireland, 1991 Slane Castle in County Meath ahead of the Oasis concert on Saturday June 20, 2009. | Julien Behal - PA Images via Getty Images In 1991, a fire took hold of Slane Castle, located in the town of Slane, in Irelands County Meath, destroying one-third of the 18th century building. For 10 painstaking years, craftsmen and architects worked to restore the castle and reproduce the interior features in the style of that time. All the windows and plasterwork in the ballroom are brand new, and I defy you to tell me the difference, said Slane owner Lord Henry Mount Charles after it was rebuilt. The Castle is now a thriving venue for music concerns, weddings and other events, with room for 80,000 guests. The castles open air concerts have featured an array of big artists, including Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Queen. Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, World War II During World War II, the cathedral the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe was hit by 14 aerial bombs. Luckily, some of the treasured items inside were protected by sandbags, and the medieval windows were removed before the attacks. An emergency repair was carried out in 1944 with poor-quality brick taken from other buildings destroyed in the war; they remained visible for over 50 years as a reminder of the conflict. In 2005, the cathedral was fully reconstructed in line with its original appearance. Old St. Pauls, London, 1666 St. Pauls Cathedral, considered the mother church of London, was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The reconstruction took 33 years and spanned the reigns of five monarchs, partly due to the challenge in getting supplies of Portland stone. National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil A worker walks inside Brazil's National Museum as journalists make their first visit since the building burnt down last September, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 12, 2019. | Mauro Pimentel AFP/Getty Images In September 2018, Brazils oldest museum and most important history and science museum was burnt down. Much of its collection of 200 million items was lost in the blaze. The 200-year-old museum was the largest in Latin America. It is currently undergoing restoration. Whats next for Notre Dame? A faithful restoration of a destroyed building rests on the availability of public records and photos, Wilson said. If you havent got those, you rely very carefully on your salvage operation an archeological approach, he explains. Once the fire is out and the cathedral is stable, he says that leftover artifacts will be carefully recovered and studied so that they may be replicated during the restoration process. Wilson adds that reconstruction projects sometimes make use of a creative response from the present day. He believes a combination of public records and the archeological approach will be used to restore the damaged parts of Notre Dame. The iconic nature of Notre Dames representation of the French state and Catholic church will cause leaders to restore Notre Dame in a way thats faithful to the landmark as it stood before the blaze, he adds. Nicolas Liponne/Getty As politician Christopher J. Hale watched the Notre Dame cathedral burn on Monday from Washington, D.C., he heard from a Jesuit friend in Europe who claimed that the blaze had been deliberately set. Hale, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Democrat in Tennessee last year and writes opinion columns for Time Magazine, tweeted his friends claim to his few thousand followers. "A Jesuit friend in Paris who works in #NotreDame told me cathedral staff said the fire was intentionally set, Hale wrote. Hale quickly tweeted that his friend had zero evidence for the claim beyond a purported conversation with cathedral staff, and he deleted the original tweet minutes later. But it only took those few minutes for his tweet to become a core piece of proof for right-wing conspiracy theorists who are convinced, without any actual evidence, that the fire was set by terrorists. With one tweet, Hale became sucked into a right-wing media machine eager to both rile up its audience and earn more traffic on social media. In retrospect, I absolutely never should have tweeted it in the first place, Hale told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. I dont think I had the foresight about how much the worst parts of the internet will grasp for straws in their conspiracy theories. Before he deleted the post, Hales post caught the eye of Jack Posobiec, a former promoter of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory who now works as a reporter at pro-Trump cable channel One America News. Posobiec highlighted Hales claim that the fire had been deliberate to his own followers, which number more than 450,000. Suddenly, Hale saw Twitter users across the world citing his tweet as proof that fire was committed by terrorists. I almost immediately said I was deleting the tweet, Hale told The Daily Beast. It was clear to me, though, that any record of the tweet was going to be weaponized very quickly. Hales tweet has become one of the most cited pieces of evidence for Notre Dame conspiracy theorists, even after French investigators said Tuesday that they found no evidence of arson and even though Hale was thousands of miles away from the fire when he sent his tweet. Story continues Screenshots of Hales deleted tweet spread across Twitter. InfoWars wrote an entire article based on Hales tweet, citing it a headline as proof that the fire was deliberately set. Far-right activist Pamela Geller highlighted Hales tweet on her blog in a post entitled Notre Dame Cathedral Inferno Intentionally Set. Gellers post spread on social media, earning hundreds of retweets on her Twitter account alone. Other right-wing blogs, including The American Mirror and talk radio host Michael Savages site, also picked up and portrayed Hales unintentional error as fact. The tweet itself did not mention Islam whatsoever, Hale said. But immediately it was right-wing provocateurs, Islamophobes, who used it. A day later, Hales Twitter interactions are filled with people who see the deletion of his tweet as proof of a cover-up. Should I use the Obama, Its a teachable moment? Hale said. The big thing I would say is the weaponization of Twitter has evolved in such a way that no errant word, particularly in the midst of a crisis, is warranted. Read more at The Daily Beast. Less than a day after French President Emmanuel Macron made a call for donations to help rebuild the landmark Notre Dame cathedral which was severely damaged in a blaze on Monday night, nearly $1 billion has been received in pledges. Experts say that restoring Notre-Dame, which took a century to build after construction started in 1160, will take years, or even decades. The director of UNESCO, the U.N.s culture agency, told the Associated Press that work to protect the 12th Century stone and wood structure from water damage should start immediately, saying the first 24, 48 hours will be crucial to the buildings future. Stephane Bern, presidential cultural heritage envoy, told France Info that about 880 million (about $995 million) had been raised as of Wednesday, the AP reports. The bulk of the money has been promised by Frances wealthiest individuals and companies. Francois-Henri Pinault, the 56 year-old C.E.O. of Paris-based luxury goods group Kering, which owns brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, said Tuesday morning that his family would give around $113 million. The largest pledge came from Bernard Arnault, 70, whose family owns the luxury conglomerate LVMH. The Arnault family and LVMH will give $226 million to show their solidarity at a this time of national tragedy, the company said in a statement. LMVH, which owns Louis Vuitton, also offered the French state the use of its creative, architectural and financial specialists to assist in fundraising and reconstruction efforts. More pledges have rolled in following announcements by Pinault and Arnault. Patrick Poyanne, CEO of French energy company Total, said his firm would donate 100 million (about $113 million) for reconstruction efforts. The French cosmetics company LOreal pledged 200 million ($226 million) along with the Bettencourt-Schueller foundation and the Bettencourt Meyers family, which founded both organizations. The Walt Disney Company pledged to donate $5 million to aid in reconstruction efforts on Wednesday. Story continues Fundraising campaigns of all sizes have sprung up online. The Fondation du Patrimoine, which funds French heritage projects, said it had already collected around 2 million (around $2.3 million) by Tuesday lunchtime in France. Mobilisation incroyable pour Notre-Dame ! C'est avec emotion que nous traitons vos dons et vos messages de soutien. Nous avons deja recolte environ 2 millions deuros pour sauver Notre-Dame. Faire un don sur https://t.co/M6x5tOvavY pic.twitter.com/zdhCVdELXT Fondation du patrimoine (@fond_patrimoine) April 16, 2019 Another campaign, on crowdfunding site dartagnans.fr under the title Notre-Dame de Paris, Je Taime! (Notre-Dame de Paris, I love you!) has raised some 54,000 ($61,000). The New York-based French Heritage Society, a non-profit supporting French heritage in the U.S. and France, also launched a donations page, inviting American lovers of the cathedral to contribute. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a Europe-wide effort to rebuild the cathedral, saying that [Notre-Dame] is not only a great building, it is a great European landmark and that footage of it burning would probably leave no one in Europe untouched, the AP reports. A former paramedic has filed a lawsuit against the medical center where he was employed before his supervisor fired him allegedly for respecting the wishes of a patient who refused an emergency medical procedure. Michael Senisch told CBS Philly that in February 2016, he was called to the Mays Landing, N.J., home of Wendy Johnson, who was suffering from a severe infection. Johnson was too frail for Senisch to properly insert an IV into her arm, so he informed her that hed have to resort to inserting an IO intraosseous infusion, which would require using a drill-like device to insert the IV into her bone instead of her vein. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoos newsletter. But Wendy, who believed in holistic healing, refused the treatment. She said, IV yes, IO no, period,' Wendys husband, Brian Johnson, told CBS Philly. And I said, Well, thats my wife. The paramedic decided to respect Wendys wishes denying recommended treatment is referred to as informed consent and called off the IO procedure. Instead, he offered to administer a holistic treatment called Reiki, as he is certified in the practice, and she accepted. She was so happy that [Senisch] was somebody who understood her belief system, Michelle Douglass, one of the attorneys representing Senisch, told Yahoo Lifestyle. It calmed her and made her feel better, and Brian was grateful. But the doctor who treated Wendy when she arrived at AtlantiCare did not see the situation the same way. Senisch said he was reprimanded for not following medical protocol. The doctor then administered the IO to the patient despite her protestations, which Douglass claims was a violation of the Patient Bill of Rights, a state law that requires medical professionals to give a full explanation of any invasive procedure they plan on performing, detailing the pros, cons and risks. The patient then has the right to consent or refuse, said Douglass. Story continues Three days after the incident, Senisch said he was fired and because paramedics in New Jersey are required to practice under the license of a supervising doctor, he currently cannot practice. Douglass told Yahoo Lifestyle that Senisch is currently working as a physicians assistant, making a lower wage, and can possibly miss out on his pension benefits after 34 years as a paramedic. Senisch is now suing AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for wrongful termination, and the case will go to trial May 13. Even Brian defends Senischs decision to treat his wife with Reiki, and does not believe the paramedic deserved to be fired. He did everything correctly, Brian told CBS Philly, according to what they should do to service the community that theyre going to service. Douglass added that the IO was not a life-or-death situation, as it was meant to administer saline, not medication, to Wendy. Brian confirmed that Wendy died of complications from stage 4 cancer about a month after Senisch responding to her emergency call. The husband is now working with Senischs attorneys to help clear the paramedics name and to make him whole again, said Douglass. And Senisch stands firm in his decision more than three years later. I thought I did the right thing, he told CBS Philly. Douglass said that even if Wendy had not been a holistic practitioner, its reasonable to believe she would have refused the IO. A representative for AtlantiCare called Senischs claims of wrongful termination untrue, and released the following statement: The lawsuit filed in 2016 by a former paramedic contains a number of claims that are simply untrue, a statement from AtlantiCare reads. It is unfortunate that the former paramedic and his attorney waited until now, only weeks before jury selection, to publicize his false allegations in the media. We look forward to presenting the actual facts of the case to a jury in a few weeks. The care and safety of our patients is always our highest priority. Until we have the opportunity to share the facts of this case in an impartial court of law, we will refrain from commenting further. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. QUITO, Ecuador (AP) The parents of a Swedish programmer suspected of plotting to blackmail Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno over his abandonment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made an anxious plea Tuesday for authorities to release their son. Dag Gustafsson acknowledged that his son, Ola Bini, had a friendship with Assange but said his ties with the hacker who lived in Ecuador's London embassy while evading U.S. and British authorities for nearly seven years ends there. "Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more," he said, sitting before a screen with an image of his son, dressed in cap and smiling slightly. The 36-year-old was arrested last Thursday at the airport in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito as he prepared to board a flight to Japan. The arrest came just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, ending a prolonged ordeal over what do with one of the world's highest-profile fugitives. Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo contends that Bini traveled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She said he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Moreno's ex-mentor turned arch enemy, former President Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum in 2012. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini for hacking-related crimes and had him ordered detained for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Relatively little is known about Bini. Friends and loved ones have described him as a computer geek who felt most at ease solving complex programming problems. Though he had defended the WikiLeaks founder's free speech rights in an online blog, his Ecuadorian girlfriend couldn't recall him ever expressing strong support for Assange. Gustafsson said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit organization and has a "burning passion" for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. Story continues "For us, it's surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations," he said. Carlos Soria, Bini's lawyer, said several of his client's judicial rights had been violated. He said authorities failed to swiftly notify the Swedish embassy of his detention, provide access to a lawyer or a translator. He said Bini also spent his first night of detention without access to food or water. "That are a lot of irregularities that happened in his detention," he said. Moreno moved to swiftly end Assange's asylum as relations between the silver-haired Australian and the South American nation grew increasingly tense. Ecuadorian authorities have accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing feces on the embassy's walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing in Britain for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. The U.S. is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Long a party hot spot, Rio de Janeiro has not had much to celebrate after a series of deadly disasters rocked the Brazilian city, exposing the dire state of its infrastructure and official negligence. Flooding, landslides and the collapse of illegal apartment buildings following torrential rain last week left more than 25 people dead and the "Marvelous City" in shock. The havoc caused by the unusually heavy downpour was amplified by rampant construction in neighborhoods controlled by heavily-armed gangs and militias, where emergency workers are wary of entering because of the threat of violence. "It's not the rain that kills, it's the incompetence of the leaders of the city and our country," wrote Brazilian columnist Miriam Leitao in the powerful daily O Globo after the predicted torrential rain on April 8-9 left 10 people dead. Independent risk analyst Moacyr Duarte said Rio officials had made the postcard-pretty city, which has a "complex" topography of verdant hills and granite peaks, even more vulnerable to natural disasters through their lack of preparation. "We had very intense rain which would have caused damage anywhere, but the impact here would have been much less if everything had worked properly," Duarte told AFP. - Mayor under fire - Much of the blame has been heaped on Marcelo Crivella, a former Evangelical pastor who is halfway through his term as Rio's mayor. Already unpopular for his frosty attitude toward the city's Carnival, Crivella faces impeachment over allegations he illegally extended advertising contracts. Now he is being skewered for failing to invest enough money in the city's creaky infrastructure. In response to claims Rio has not spent anything on drainage works since the start of the year, a city government official told AFP that 103 million reais ($26 million) had been allocated for prevention works against flooding so far this year. Story continues But she admitted that the figure for the entire year was down more than 33 percent from 2016, the year before Crivella took office. - 'Absence of the state' - Beyond the numbers, the roots of Rio's problems go much deeper. For decades, authorities have been unable to tame the city's wild expansion as illegal construction proliferated in high-risk areas. Analysts say the problem has been aggravated by the lack of efficient public transport, which leaves many commuters stuck in traffic for hours. "Many people often prefer to live in precarious conditions near their place of work when they could live better further away," said Mauricio Ehrlich, a civil engineering professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. "If we want to avoid deaths, we need to remove populations from risky areas and relocate them elsewhere, but often the public authorities do not act in this direction for fear of losing votes in the next election," he said. Ehrlich also denounced the "absence" of the state in areas where residents live under the yoke of drug traffickers and shadowy militias. Such militias control Muzema favela, where the two buildings collapsed on Friday, killing at least 16 people. Another eight were still missing on Tuesday. They sell land rights and control access to city services such as water and electricity. Government officials have tried and failed to stop illegal construction in the city, where some estimate that 50 percent of homes have been built without proper permits. The state, according to Ehrlich, "is only looking from afar with binoculars." When Lacey Trezza learned that her parents couldn't afford the horse camp she wanted to attend during the summer, she took matters into her own hands. The 8-year-old hashed out a deal with the co-owner of JL Performance Horses in Poughquag, New York, offering to help with chores on the farm throughout this school year in exchange for a summer spot that costs $3,780. "They came up with this agreement,'' says her mother, Michele. "She sometimes doesn't go to friends' houses or birthday parties because she has a commitment to go to the farm,'' where she washes pails, stacks hay and feeds ponies three or four afternoons a week. Summer camp conjures images of days spent swimming, hiking, and taking part in other fun activities as kids take a break from the pressure-filled school year. But for parents who have to fork over fees for summer-long programs that can be as costly as a year in private school, paying for the experience can be significantly more stressful. Sometimes, as in Lacey's case, the campgoer may even need to pitch in. "I save all year for camp for my two children,'' says Pamela Perry, of Pleasant Valley, New York, whose sons are 6 and 8. "Every time I go food shopping, I take an extra $10 or more if I can that week (in) cash back, and stick it in an envelope for summer camp.'' Putting money aside is necessary even if the kids stick to a local, less expensive summer program, says Perry. Cars in the spotlight: These cars are dinosaurs: Pickups, minivans, hot rods that haven't been updated in ages Meatless on menus: Vegan and meat-free fast-food options are growing. Here's where to find them. "Even sending my children to the town camp will cost almost $1,000,'' says Perry, director of consumer development for Hudson Valley Parent, a magazine that provides resources for families in the region north of New York City. "So its easier to save up all year versus putting the money out at once." Story continues Camp sessions run the gamut in length and in price. They can be as short as one week or as long as two months. The weekly tab for overnight camp can vary from under $200 for programs that are heavily subsidized by the government or private donations, to over $1,500, according to a 2018 survey by the American Camp Association, which accredits such programs across the U.S. The average weekly tab is $768. Day camp, meanwhile, ranges from under $100 a week to over $500, with an average fee of $314. The good news is that 93% of the programs that responded to the association survey offer some form of scholarship assistance. "Affordability is one of the top issues, barriers to ... every child having the experience,'' says Tom Rosenberg, the American Camp Association's president and CEO. "But there are a lot of avenues to seek scholarships and financial aid.'' Types of aid Types of aid vary, from need-based grants based on a family's income to scholarships given regardless of income. The key is to start making inquiries in the fall for the following summer. "Start early, and don't be shy" says Rosenberg. "Don't just surf the internet. Get on the phone and absolutely ask the camp's director and leaders how you might find assistance to go to their camp. Middle-income families shouldn't assume they won't get help. "There's definitely(a) recognition that middle-income families may have trouble affording camp,'' Rosenberg says, noting that many programs give financial assistance based on a sliding income scale. "A great number of families today need assistance, so dont be embarrassed to ask for help.'' Camp Pemigewassett in Wentworth, New Hampshire, takes boys ages 8 to 15, and it has a financial aid committee that reviews applications for assistance to defray costs, which range from $9,500 for a full seven-week session to $6,250 for a half session this summer. "By the end of January each year, we're able to send emails to let families know what we're able to offer,'' says Danny Kerr, the camp's executive director, who adds grants may range from $1,000 to full scholarships. "There are a handful of boys ... who pay nothing or close to nothing.'' Sarah Seward, director of Camp Neshoba North in Raymond, Maine, says that since she and her sister started the camp 32 years ago, it's been part of their mission to help children attend whether or not they can afford the full price. "It was important for us to always be able to give back,'' she says, adding that her father was able to go to camp as a child because a neighbor paid his fees. The overnight co-ed camp, which hosts up to 190 children between the ages of 7 to 15, ranges in cost from $6,200 for three weeks to $10,000 for eight. One-week sessions for day campers are $500. Weve had kids come for 50% off. Weve had kids whove fallen on hard times and weve not charged anything,'' Seward says, adding that free sessions were a frequent offering in the wake of the 2008 recession when many returning families were struggling. The camp also offers discounts for siblings. Recently Seward has noticed families registering later, perhaps to gain a clearer picture of their budget. But she recommends applying early, in the fall, if you need financial help. "We really like to know who's coming ... in October, November and early December,'' she says. The American Camp Association lists programs on its site that can be filtered based on location, whether you prefer an overnight or day program, a child's special needs and activities the camps offer. New Walmart service: Walmart will drop kids' clothing at your door Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started Setting cash aside Jackie Curry, who lives in Burlingame, California, says that she typically pays up to $3,000 for her 10-year-old daughter Alexandria to attend summer camp. But she has learned that if she applies early, she may be able to get grants to shave the weekly cost. "Im a single parent, and I have to go to work every single day,'' says Curry, who works for the biotechnology company Genentech. "So although I may take a week off in the summer, having child care and an experience for my daughter where she's not only playing but also learning ... is something thats important to me.'' Curry checked with a camp that her daughter attended last summer to see if she might be able to get a discount based on her income and her daughter being a returning camper. That yielded major savings, cutting the fee she will pay from $450 a week to $99, she says. But that's just for four weeks. A second camp where Alexandria will likely spend the remainder of the summer wont start accepting financial aid applications until the session starts. If Curry cant get any assistance, she says she will just have to pay the full tab of $391 a week. To deal with such scenarios, Curry sets aside roughly $200 a month to cover not only camp activities but the inevitable extras, like lunches, summer clothes, and possible day trips. "I know I have to plan for the summer, so it's really not an option,'' Curry says. Very personal treats: Vasectomy cakes are a thing Clubs, religious groups can help There are other potential sources of assistance, says Rosenberg. Civic organizations, as well as churches, synagogues and other religious institutions, may help pay for children to go to camp. Some programs give discounts to those who have a family member who served in the military, And some employers may help pay for a day camp or provide child care for staffers. There are also camps that focus on children with serious illnesses. "Part of their mission is to provide the experience, knowing that the campers can't begin to afford what theyre offering,'' Rosenberg says. For those who get a late start making inquiries, "heading into spring, a lot of programs find they have last-minute scholarship dollars available and spaces have opened,'' says Rosenberg, so "they might be able to help.'' Experience worth the sacrifice Summer camp is a child care necessity for Lacey Trezza's mother, Michele, who is an office manager for a chiropractic center, and her father, who works in construction. Michele says it's difficult to pay for programs for both Lacey and her 14-year-old sister Emma. "Last year, it cost me $3,500 to send both of my kids to camp, and it's not something that can happen every year, all summer,'' says Trezza who lives with her family in Hopewell Junction, New York, and typically relies on her and her husband's tax refund to cover the tab. When Lacey expressed interest in the nine-week camp at the nearby horse farm, Michele says it was difficult to tell her the family just didn't have the money. "Of course you never want to tell your kid that you can't afford something,'' she says. But that's when Lacey worked out her agreement with the farm's co-owner, Leah Struzzieri, to work on the farm during the school year in exchange for attending. Her mother says Lacey's year-long effort to pay her own way has been valuable. "It teaches them a level of commitment, and you have to work for what you want,'' she says. "I don't think kids should have to be shielded from that.'' Curry, of Burlingame, California, says all the planning and saving needed for her daughter Alexandria to attend camp is worth it in the end. "She has a great experience and learns a lot,'' Curry says, "and thats more important to me than having to figure out how to get it all together." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is paying for summer camp a challenge? Here's how to cover it without breaking the bank By Anna Koper and Joanna Plucinska WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland is unlikely to exclude all Huawei equipment from its next generation mobile networks, a government minister told Reuters, in part to avoid increased costs for mobile operators. Huawei, the world's largest maker of mobile network infrastructure equipment, faces intense scrutiny in the West over its relationship with China's government and denies U.S.-led allegations that its 5G equipment could be used for spying. Polish officials told Reuters in January that the government was prepared to exclude China's Huawei from 5G networks in the wake of the arrest of a Chinese Huawei employee and a former Polish security official on spying allegations. Karol Okonski, Poland's deputy digital minister in charge of cyber security, said Warsaw is considering raising security standards and setting restrictions for fifth generation, or 5G, networks, with a decision likely in the coming weeks. "When it comes to new investments, we are quite determined to set clear government expectations when it comes to the security of used equipment," Okonski said. This would bring Poland in line with the approach of the European Commission, which late last month shunned U.S. calls to ban Huawei from 5G networks, calling instead for tougher rules. Poland's telecommunications infrastructure relies heavily on Huawei equipment, in part because it offered lower prices than competitors. Operators are also using its gear in 5G trials. Okonski said Warsaw is talking to operators about potential changes to existing telecom equipment, although the cost of eliminating existing Huawei equipment means the government could allow some of it to remain. "Poland is not able to finance the replacement of Huawei equipment by the (telecoms) operators," Okonski said. COST OF BAN Banning Huawei would increase prices and delay the implementation of new technologies, Poland's biggest mobile operator Play has told Reuters and said it had not seen any evidence of security issues with its equipment. Story continues Other Polish mobile operators, such as T-Mobile Polska, Orange Polska and Polkomtel, also use Huawei gear. The U.S., one of Poland's closest allies, has for months lobbied Warsaw and other European governments to ban Huawei. In February, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed the dangers of purchasing from the Chinese firm while in Poland and central Europe. Robert Strayer, a U.S. State Department official responsible for cybersecurity, told reporters last week that the U.S. was happy with the EU's recommendation on 5G networks, which does not call for an explicit ban on Huawei's equipment. U.S. officials said Poland needed to ensure the security of telecommunications infrastructure if it were to increase the presence of U.S. troops on Polish soil, pushing Warsaw to institute a Huawei ban, several officials have said. The government is keen to have more U.S. troops stationed in Poland, in part to deter potential Russian aggression. In September, Polish President Andrzej Duda asked President Donald Trump for a permanent U.S. military base in Poland and the countries could reach a deal guaranteeing a larger rotating presence of U.S. soldiers on Polish soil in the coming weeks. Michal Baranowski, director of political think tank the German Marshall Fund in Warsaw, said how the United States responds will depend on whether it is willing to accept what it could view as "an imperfect solution." (Reporting by Anna Koper and Joanna Plucinska in Warsaw, Additional reporting by Sarah Lynch in Washington and Jack Stubbs in London. Editing by Cassell Bryan-Low, Justyna Pawlak and Alexander Smith) A photo of a gilded cross gleaming through the smoke and haze after a fire ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has proven to be a symbol of hope following an unspeakable tragedy. The world watched in horror on Monday as a massive blaze ripped through the centuries-old church, gutting and destroying the roof of the French landmark, including its iconic spire. As firefighters worked tirelessly to save the historic structure, a photograph was taken of the altar, in which a large, golden cross can be seen reflecting light amid charred debris and rising smoke. Promises to rebuild the landmark began even before the fire had been extinguished, with French President Emmanuel Macron announcing an international fundraising effort to pay for reconstruction. We will rebuild Notre Dame, because that is what the French expect," he said Monday evening. As of Tuesday afternoon, millions of dollars in small donations have poured in to fund the project via multiple French and American charities. French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, husband of actress Salma Hayek, pledged to donate 100 million euros ($113 million) to help reconstruct the cathedral. A "long and complex investigation" into the origin of the fire will be conducted, according to Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz, but for now, it is being considered an accident possibly related to an ongoing construction project at the cathedral. 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. London (AFP) - Britain's Prince William will "bring comfort" to survivors of last month's Christchurch massacre when he visits the city next week, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday. The Duke of Cambridge will make a two-day trip starting on April 25 to the tragedy-scarred country, and is also set to meet first responders to the March 15 mosque attacks in which 50 people were killed. "We welcome this visit by His Royal Highness and know it will bring comfort to those affected," Ardern said in a statement. "The Duke has a close connection with New Zealand and in particular Christchurch," she added. "His visit provides the opportunity to pay tribute to those affected by the mosque terrorist attacks and show support to the local and national community." The British royal visit will come six weeks after a self-avowed white supremacist killed 50 people in a shooting rampage at two mosques in Christchurch. After arriving and attending engagements in Auckland, William will then head with Ardern to the South Island city, where the remainder of his programme will take place. He will represent his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, the official head of state of the former British colony of New Zealand. The royals have previously expressed sympathy for the attacks, which stunned New Zealand's small, tightly-knit Muslim community. Diyarbakir (Turkey) (AFP) - A pro-Kurdish deputy was injured on Wednesday during protests in southeastern Turkey over a ban on her party's candidates taking up their posts after winning in last month's election, an AFP correspondent said. Around 100 people had gathered in Baglar district of Diyarbakir in the mostly Kurdish southeast to demonstrate against the decision by electoral authorities affecting the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). When HDP officials started to read a declaration, police fired water canon to break up the demonstration, an AFP correspondent said. Pro-Kurdish lawmaker Remziye Tosun was hospitalised after falling on a concrete slab and losing consciousness. Doctors later found a fracture in her back, the AFP correspondent said. Officials had banned several HDP winning candidates from taking up their posts after the March 31 local election. Officials said they were included in a list of hundreds of thousands of people dismissed from public service jobs after a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. HDP has demanded electoral authorities reverse the ban in six districts where its candidates won over Erdogan's ruling AKP candidate. More than 140,000 people were fired from public sector jobs and public institutions by a decree after the 2016 failed coup, which Ankara blames on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Officials said the purge was needed to clear out Gulen supporters. Critics say it was a crackdown on dissent in general. Some of those fired were accused of having ties to pro-Kurdish PKK militants fighting a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The PKK is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies. The HDP has long been accused by Erdogan of close ties to the PKK and several of its leaders and mayors are in prison on terror-related charges. The party dismisses those allegations. UNITED NATIONS (AP) A proposed U.N. resolution demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the fighting and commit to a cease-fire. The British-drafted resolution, circulated to Security Council members and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, also calls on all parties to immediately re-commit to attending a U.N.-facilitated political dialogue "and work toward a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Libya." The draft resolution expresses "grave concern" at military activity near Tripoli, which began after Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army aligned with a rival government in the east launched its offensive April 3. The internationally supported U.N.-backed government, which is weaker, is based in Tripoli. The draft says the offensive "threatens the stability of Libya" and prospects for the national dialogue and a political solution in Libya, and has had a "serious humanitarian impact." The Security Council is divided over Hifter's offensive. Hifter is supported by Russia, France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see him as the best hope of stabilizing the troubled country and combatting extremists. A proposed press statement soon after the offensive began that urged the Libyan National Army to halt the offensive was blocked by Russia, one of the permanent council members. Such statements require approval by all 15 council members. Britain's proposed resolution stresses the need for the parties to engage with U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame "with the aim of achieving a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political solution to bring security, political and economic sustainability, and national unity to Libya." U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "would welcome a strong and united response from the Security Council." The U.N. chief was in Tripoli promoting a national conference of all Libyan parties when Hifter announced the offensive. The conference has now been postponed, and Dujarric said that since he left he has been calling for a cease-fire to deliver humanitarian aid and "for first responders to be able to do their work without getting shot at." APPLETON, Wis. (AP) A 17-year-old typed out pages on how he planned to fatally shoot his grandparents and law enforcement found those notes with a book on an executioner in the teen's backpack after he called 911 and confessed to the killings, prosecutors in Wisconsin said Tuesday. Alexander M. Kraus was charged Tuesday in Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wisconsin, with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus. Each charge carries a life sentence. Police found the bodies Sunday at their home in Grand Chute, a small city about 110 miles (180 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, after a male called the police and said he needed to be arrested in the deaths, according to a criminal complaint. An autopsy found that Dennis Kraus was shot once in the head and Letha Kraus suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the right forearm. There were "several pages" in a red folder outlining how Kraus would kill his grandparents, investigators said in the complaint, which provided no motive for the shootings. The complaint mentioned a book found in Kraus' camouflage backpack about an executioner, but provided no details. Police have said Kraus also told investigators he was planning to cause unspecified harm at Neenah High School, where he was a junior. No details of the nature of that plot have been revealed and it was not mentioned in the complaint released Tuesday. The school district said police determined there is no danger to students or faculty. Messages left at a number listed for Kraus' home address in Neenah were not immediately returned Tuesday. Kraus told detectives he shot his grandfather in the head first then "tried to shoot his grandmother in the head," according to the complaint. Police said Letha Kraus' body was found lying on top of Dennis Kraus' body in the kitchen of the home. Officers found a shotgun with a knife taped to the end of the barrel and a knife sheath on the bed of a downstairs bedroom. A search of an upstairs bedroom uncovered a shotgun on the bed with two gun cases and ammunition, a "large amount of various ammunition" on the floor, and several more guns in a gun cabinet, the complaint said. Kraus told police he stayed at his grandparents' home the night before the killing. Wisconsin is one of six states that treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has included provisions in his state budget that would move 17-year-olds back into juvenile court. A sweeping settlement agreement Tuesday to end billions of dollars in disputes between Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) and Apple Inc. (APPL) over licensing fees may not end an overlapping antitrust dispute against Qualcomm filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. According to a joint statement from the parties, the agreement settles all litigation between the two companies worldwide, and includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm for an undisclosed figure, a six-year license agreement with a two-year option to extend, plus a multi-year chipset supply agreement. The FTCs action, filed against Qualcomm in a San Jose federal district court in 2017, alleges anti-competitive practices similar to those brought by Apple against Qualcomm in the now settled lawsuits. A decision from Judge Lucy Koh, who presides over the FTC case, could come at any time. In its complaint, the FTC claims Qualcomms wireless chip business is a monopoly used to force Apple and other mobile phone manufacturers to pay excessive licensing fees. At issue is Qualcomms patented technology that controls whether mobile device chips can connect to wireless systems. The technology is part of Qualcomms portfolio of standard-essential patents, which cover technology required to implement a standard used by the general public. Qualcomm suggested that the FTCs action would instead hurt U.S. innovation and potentially aid Chinese tech giant Huawei in its efforts to dominate the global 5G ecosystem. Credit: David Foster In November, Koh granted a partial summary judgement in the FTCs favor, ruling that Qualcomm must issue licenses to rival chip makers for some of its standard-essential patents. Still to be decided is whether Qualcomms fees charged to use its patented technology are excessive. As the FTC sees it, Qualcomms fees amount to an anticompetitive tax on users of rival company processors, which in turn reduces innovation and inflates consumer prices for mobile phones and tablets. In a pre-trial brief, Qualcomm suggested that the FTCs action would instead hurt U.S. innovation and potentially aid Chinese tech giant Huawei in its efforts to dominate the global 5G ecosystem. Story continues In its zeal to hobble a quintessential American technology companywithout a shred of evidence regarding anticompetitive effectsthe FTC risks providing an opening for Huawei to dominate 5G technology, and stifling innovation just when its needed most, Qualcomm wrote in the brief. Apples settlement with Qualcomm is expected to boost its ability to bring 5G mobile phones to market. During its disputes with Qualcomm, Apple ceased purchasing the companys chips, and instead opted to purchase components from Intel, which does not yet offer 5G chips. Yahoo Finance requested a response from the FTC concerning how Apple and Qualcomms settlement will impact the FTCs decision. The FTC did not respond before publication of this article. Alexis Keenan is a New York-based reporter for Yahoo Finance. She previously worked for CNN and is a former litigation attorney. Follow on Twitter @alexiskweed. Shares of Radius Health, Inc. RDUS have gained 35.3% in the year so far, outperforming the industrys growth of 12.4%. The company primarily focuses on the development of endocrine therapeutics in the areas of osteoporosis and oncology. Radius Health got a significant boost with the FDA approval of Tymlos (abaloparatide -SC) injection for the treatment of postmenopausal women with high risk osteoporosis for fracture defined as history of osteoporotic fracture multiple risk factors for fracture, or patients, who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapies. The drug was approved in 2017 and continued to gain traction in 2018. In October 2018, the FDA approved a labeling supplement for Tymlos to include additional information from the ACTIVExtend study. The labeling now reflects that after 24 months of open-label alendronate therapy, the vertebral fracture risk reduction achieved with Tymlos therapy was maintained. The drug captured, on average, 20% of the U.S. anabolic osteoporosis market (based on Patient Months on Therapy, TRx PMOT) in 2018. In the first six weeks of 2019, the drug captured a 29% share of the U.S. anabolic osteoporosis market and more than 40% of new anabolic patient starts. The company is also developing an abaloparatide transdermal patch (abaloparatide-patch) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Apart from Tymlos, Radius Health is working on the development of elacestrant. The company initiated the phase III EMERALD study on elacestrant in November 2018. This is the first phase III study to evaluate treatment benefit for second- and third-line breast cancer patients following CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy and compare outcomes in patients whose tumors harbor estrogen receptor 1 gene (ESR1) mutations. The study is open to enrollment, with a planned recruitment period of 18-21 months and potential data read-out in 2021. Story continues While the market for postmenopausal osteoporosis provides significant commercial potential, it is pretty crowded given the presence of products like Amgens AMGN Prolia and Lillys LLY Forteo, among others. The recent approval of Amgens Evenity will further intensify competition for Tymlos. Novartis NVS Reclast is also approved for osteoporosis. Hence, it remains to be seen what the growth trajectory will be for Tymlos in 2019. Moreover, the drug has been refused approval in Europe. Zacks Rank & Stock to Consider Radius Health currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> 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 your free report. Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novartis AG (NVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Radius Health, Inc. (RDUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A massive manhunt ended Wednesday after authorities confirmed that Sol Pais, an 18-year-old woman who made "credible threats" against Denver-area schools, was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said Pais traveled to Colorado on Monday night ahead of the 20th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School and was infatuated with the deadly shooting. She purchased a pump-action shotgun and ammunition from a gun shop in Littleton, not far from Columbine, authorities said. Here's what we know about Pais: Florida connection Pais is from South Florida and lived in Surfside. She traveled to Denver from Miami on Monday night, authorities said. Ms. Sol Pais took her own life. I would like to express the familys grief for this situation. They are grateful that no one else is hurt, Surfside Police Chief Julio Yero said Wednesday. Tragic anniversary: For Columbine survivors, life is about finding 'that new normal' 20 years later Where she was found Dean Phillips, special agent in charge for the FBI in Denver, said Pais was found dead in the Mount Evans area near the Echo Mountain ski resort west of Denver on Wednesday morning around 10:30 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. He said she was last spotted there Monday after being dropped off by a ride-share vehicle. The FBI had been searching for her in the foothills outside of Denver. It is unclear when she killed herself. Acted alone, FBI says It's too early to say when she killed herself, Phillips said, adding that the investigation is ongoing to ensure there were no additional participants or sign of foul play. Her body awaits an autopsy. He said it looks as if she was alone and took her own life with the weapon she had bought. Three one-way airplane tickets In addition to Pais's threatening comments regarding Columbine, the FBI says that she purchased three one-way airplane tickets from Miami to Denver for flights that departed on consecutive days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Story continues It further drew the attention of law enforcement. "Very unusual activity that caused us great concern that obviously we worked very quickly to identify and address," Phillips said. Reported missing Monday Pais was reported missing by her parents on Monday night, according to the Surfside Police Department. FBI agents entered her home Tuesday at 8:20 p.m. This combination of undated photos released by the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriff's Office on Tuesday shows Sol Pais. Senior in high school Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that Pais was a senior at Miami Beach High School. Pais was enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, according to the Herald, and was known to wear dark, baggy clothing that hung off her thin frame. Online blog Someone who identified herself as Sol Pais ran an online blog that included pictures of guns and journal entries filled with angst. "The purpose of this site is for me to give insight into the thoughts I rarely, if ever, share with others, while remaining somewhat anonymous. Everything from journal entries to my personal interests I want to leave a record of myself before I, well..." the blog reads. In the about me section, the individual wrote that I am the face of loneliness and misery. There is a picture of the individual as a young girl with the writing "In this tiresome reality that i do not belong in, i take the form of Sol" typed underneath the image. USA TODAY has not been able to independently confirm that the blog belongs to Pais. Individual described gun-purchase plan on message board A person with the same screen name, "dissolvedgirl," posted on a National Gun Forum message board about living in Miami and traveling to Colorado to buy a gun. Law enforcement has not said whether the person was Pais. The individual wrote: "Florida resident here. I am planning a trip to Colorado in the next month or so and wanna buy a shotgun while I'm there and I was wondering what restrictions apply for me? I've found a few private sellers I might want to purchase from; is it legal for me as a Florida resident to purchase a shotgun in Colorado? I'm 18 years old too, if it's important. thank you for reading, i appreciate any response! Another post says: "the problem is i have no friends in FL who are into guns like me so it's not as fun having to do all of this alone (hence the trip to CO to see these more knowledgable friends), but hey, it's my damn choice what hobbies i wanna pick up and i don't need anybody else (save for everyone on this forum, lol)." 'Infatuation' with Columbine mass shooting Dean Phillips, special agent in charge for the FBI in Denver, said Pais had made many "concerning comments" in the past about the deadly Columbine shooting, which drew their attention. He described Pais as having an "infatuation" with the mass shooting. 'Armed and dangerous' Phillips said Pais stopped at a store and legally purchased a shotgun and ammunition after arriving in Colorado. She was considered a "credible threat." But law enforcement did not identified any specific threat against any school, Phillips said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Sol Pais? What we know about the woman infatuated by Columbine who killed herself Riyadh (AFP) - Eleven Saudi women's rights activists were due back in court Wednesday in a trial that has drawn international criticism, just days after campaigners reported a new crackdown on their supporters. The 11 activists, among them Loujain al-Hathloul who has accused her interrogators of sexual abuse and torture during nearly a year in custody, face charges that include contact with foreign media, diplomats and human rights groups. A panel of three judges at the Riyadh criminal court was expected to respond to the defence case, submitted by the women earlier this month. Western diplomats and media have been barred from attending the high-profile trial. The women are expected to attend separate court hearings, according to people with access to the trial. Riyadh has faced pressure from Western governments to release the women, most of whom were detained last summer in a wide-ranging crackdown against activists just before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on female motorists. Three of them -- activist Aziza al-Yousef, blogger Eman al-Nafjan and preacher Rokaya al-Mohareb - have been granted bail. In an apparent crackdown on the women's supporters earlier this month, Saudi authories arrested at least nine writers and academics, including two US-Saudi dual nationals. Aziza's son, Salah al-Haidar, is among the two Americans detained. Last Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had pressed Saudi Arabia - a close ally of President Donald Trump's administration -- to release the US citizens. The crackdown is the first since the brutal murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record. Loujain's siblings, based overseas, have said they are being pressured by people close to the Saudi state to stay silent over her treatment in detention. People close to the Saudi establishment have warned that public criticism by family members could prolong their detention. At one emotionally charged court hearing, some women broke down as they accused interrogators of subjecting them to electric shocks, flogging and groping in detention, two people with access to the trial told AFP. A Saudi prosecutor roundly rejected the accusation, witnesses said, reiterating the government's stance. Security forces shut down roads and stepped up patrols Wednesday in the restive Indian state of Kashmir, a day before voters in the region go to the polls. Tens of thousands of security forces have poured into the state ahead of Thursday's vote, which is the second phase of India's massive elections. Tensions have skyrocketed in Kashmir since a February suicide attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitaries and led to India and Pakistan exchanging cross-border strikes. The two countries, which both control part of divided Kashmir, briefly appeared on the brink of war after the exchange of fire, though a more serious clash was averted. But Indian authorities are taking no chances during voting, deploying tens of thousands of security forces to the state to join the half a million soldiers already stationed there. "We have made elaborate security arrangements for peaceful polling," Swayam Prakash Pani, inspector general of the local police force, told AFP. All civilian vehicles have been banned from the city's main boulevard, which leads to a poll material distribution centre. Across the city, police and paramilitary troops in combat fatigues and wielding automatic rifles have been deployed, including along the banks of the Jhelum river that winds through Srinagar. Barbed wire barricades have been erected and police have issued traffic advisories asking residents to avoid parts of the city. Many residents have simply opted to stay home, with the traffic in the city dominated by troops and polling staff moving in military vehicles. A local private transport operator said the government had hired more than 3,000 vehicles to ferry polling officials around parts of the state during the vote. Security measures taken after the February attack have stirred some resentment, in particular new restrictions on a 200-kilometre stretch of key highway that runs north-south in the state. After the attack, the stretch of road was ordered closed every Sunday and Wednesday while government forces move along it. Story continues Earlier this month, a patient died inside an ambulance that was forced to stop on the highway as a police convoy moved along it. On Wednesday, authorities briefly lifted the restrictions, but they are otherwise expected to remain in place until the elections are over. - War of words - India and Pakistan have disputed control of Kashmir since the two countries won their freedom from British rule in 1947. The rivals have fought two wars over the Himalayan territory and came close to waging a third with cross-border air raids in February. But the vote also comes against the backdrop of a bitter war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party and pro-India politicians in Kashmir over two contentious constitutional articles. Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has long sought to repeal Articles 370 and 35A, which give residents of Kashmir exclusive access to local land, state government jobs and higher education spots. Opponents argue that the articles give Kashmir a status that sets it apart from the rest of India. But supporters of the articles in Kashmir say their repeal would risk changing the demographics of the Muslim-majority state. They also accuse Modi of exploiting tensions in Kashmir in a bid to pander to nationalist Hindu voters. The prime minister -- who is seeking a second term from the country's 900 million voters in the record-breaking election -- campaigned only in Hindu-majority parts of the state. Another five days of voting strung out over several weeks will follow Thursday's polls, with results expected on May 23. ALADIN * weird wizard1* User ID: 493119 04-17-2019 12:33 PM Posts: 5,423 Post: #1 Russian Parliament Approves National Internet Firewall Sparking Censorship Fears Advertisement The Russian Duma has given its final approval to a bill creating a domestic internet. Lawmakers say it aims to protect Russia from cyber threats but the law has sparked protest: Critics worry it will allow censorship. Russian Duma deputies on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a bill allowing Russia to create its own autonomous internet. The law will create an independent infrastructure for the Russian internet, or "Runet," which will essentially allow Russia to pull up its virtual drawbridges in case of attack. A total of 307 lawmakers voted in favor of the law, while only 68 voted against it. In the coming days it will likely be approved by the upper house of parliament the Federation Council and signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will then come into force on November 1, 2019. The law has consistently received near unanimous backing from Duma deputies. Its authors say Russia's national security is at stake. The project will allow the domestic internet to continue working even when it is disconnected from non-Russian root servers. That means that the country would be prepared should other countries attempt to cut Russia off from the internet. "If we see that others have the technical capabilities to carry out attacks on the Russian internet then we must have the technical capability to resist those attacks," Andrei Klishas, one of the authors of the law, told DW ahead of the vote. Klishas, a member of the Federation Council, makes no secret of where the authors of the law think the attacks on "Runet" might come from: "We have no doubt that the United States is technically able to turn off the internet wherever they deem it necessary to do so." The bill itself explicitly states that it aims to counter "the aggressive character of the US strategy on national cybersecurity," a 2018 document that categorizes Russia as one of Washington's "strategic adversaries." https://www.dw.com/en/russias-parliament...a-48334411 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a ma s k on their nose and mouth ... Russia's parliament votes to unplug internet from worldThe Russian Duma has given its final approval to a bill creating a domestic internet. Lawmakers say it aims to protect Russia from cyber threats but the law has sparked protest: Critics worry it will allow censorship.Russian Duma deputies on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a bill allowing Russia to create its own autonomous internet. The law will create an independent infrastructure for the Russian internet, or "Runet," which will essentially allow Russia to pull up its virtual drawbridges in case of attack.A total of 307 lawmakers voted in favor of the law, while only 68 voted against it. In the coming days it will likely be approved by the upper house of parliament the Federation Council and signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will then come into force on November 1, 2019.The law has consistently received near unanimous backing from Duma deputies. Its authors say Russia's national security is at stake. The project will allow the domestic internet to continue working even when it is disconnected from non-Russian root servers. That means that the country would be prepared should other countries attempt to cut Russia off from the internet."If we see that others have the technical capabilities to carry out attacks on the Russian internet then we must have the technical capability to resist those attacks," Andrei Klishas, one of the authors of the law, told DW ahead of the vote. Klishas, a member of the Federation Council, makes no secret of where the authors of the law think the attacks on "Runet" might come from: "We have no doubt that the United States is technically able to turn off the internet wherever they deem it necessary to do so."The bill itself explicitly states that it aims to counter "the aggressive character of the US strategy on national cybersecurity," a 2018 document that categorizes Russia as one of Washington's "strategic adversaries." By Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Shells slammed into a densely-populated district of Tripoli overnight, piling misery on civilians from a two-week assault by commander Khalifa Haftar's forces to take Libya's capital from an internationally-backed government. About 10 GRAD rockets hit the southern residential area of Abu Salim just before midnight on Tuesday, witnesses and authorities said, killing at least seven people, mainly women, and wounding 17. Some of them lost limbs. Both sides blamed each other for the attack, the most intense yet on a residential area. Abu Salim is near a main point of entry into the city of about 2.5 million people. Retired public servant Hadia al-Hariri was sleeping next to his wife when a shell hit the dining room of their two-storey house in Abu Salim, wounding her and their three-year-old son in the head. He rushed his other five children to a relative. "We've heard gunfire every night, but now I'm really afraid," Hariri said as neighbors consoled him in a narrow street where remains of a GRAD could be seen by his front door. "This war can go on for months...I don't know what to do next," he said, clearing debris from burned shelves and shattered window glasses in the dining room with a gaping hole in the front wall. Haftar and his eastern Libyan forces have cast their advance as part of a campaign to restore order and defeat jihadists in nation gripped by anarchy since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. But the internationally-recognized Tripoli government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj - which has kept him at bay in the southern suburbs - views the 75-year-old general as a dangerous would-be dictator in the Gaffafi mould. The United Nations says thousands of civilians are trapped in southern districts of Tripoli due to the fighting. Rescuers and aid workers are struggling to reach them and electricity, water supplies and telecommunications have been badly disrupted. "LOST TRACK OF WHY WE FIGHT" Nearly 20,000 people have fled homes, some seeking shelter elsewhere in Tripoli but most heading out. At least 14 civilians have been killed - along with scores of fighters - and about 36 wounded during the offensive, according to U.N. tallies issued prior to Tuesday night's barrages. U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame, who lives in Tripoli and has been pushing a peace plan, condemned the shelling. "Killing innocent people is a blatant violation of international laws," Salame said in a tweet. Abu Salim lies about 8 km (5 miles) from the city center, behind the front line of pro-Serraj forces blocking Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) fighters to their south. It is home to more than 100,000 people and was once famous for hosting a notorious prison under Gaddafi. The area was a battleground during the rebellion against Gaddafi in 2011 and again during battles for Tripoli in 2014 and 2017, given its strategic location next to a highway leading to an old airport that is the gateway to Tripoli from the south. Younes Blis lives in an apartment building on the airport road, where a Grad landed nearby destroying several cars. He fears further destruction given Haftar has amassed thousands of troops in the biggest mobilization since 2011. "I lost track of why we are fighting," Blis said, shrugging. On the other side of the road, four women died when three rockets hit buildings sandwiched between narrow streets. "They didn't stand a chance," said Essam Taha, a neighbor. "We are not safe here but we can't leave. We have 150 families in the area but who has space for so many?" International powers are aghast at the flare-up in Libya, which has scuppered a United Nations' peace plan, threatens to disrupt oil supplies from the OPEC nation, and may unleash a new wave of illegal migration across the Mediterranean to Europe. But no common position has emerged given different sympathies toward the factions round the Gulf and Europe. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli, Alessia Pe and Crispian Balmer in Milan, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Thomas Westwood killed Susan Westwood after a row broke out about milk in tea (PA) A man who killed his mother after arguing with her over the amount of milk in a cup of tea has been ordered to be detained indefinitely. Thomas Westwood initially claimed he had stabbed 68-year-old Susan Westwood after she threatened him with a knife at their home in Coventry on December 1 2017. The 47-year-old, who inflicted nine stab wounds using "severe" force, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility during a previous hearing at Warwick Crown Court. Westwood has suffered from mental health problems since the late 1980s (PA) Opening the facts of the case against Westwood on Tuesday, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith QC said Westwood's claim that his mother had a knife was thought to be a symptom of his mental illness. Mr Grieves-Smith told the court Westwood asked to speak to a solicitor while on remand at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire and had expressed regret and admitted he had not acted in self-defence. Judge Andrew Lockhart QC was told Westwood, who is 6ft 3ins and weighs 18 stone, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Climate change protesters plan to disrupt Tube services Scientists find brain area related to angry dreams Priest 'rushed into Notre Dame' to save Crown of Thorns Shortly before the killing at his one-bedroom home in Cavendish Road, Tile Hill, where Westwood slept on the sofa, he was seen outside by a neighbour in an agitated state. Westwood then dialled 999 at 8.35pm, suggesting his mother, who had mobility problems and had done all she could to support him, had wanted to slit his throat. Police and paramedics attended and the victim's body was found on a sofa as Westwood continued to claim he had acted in self-defence. Susan's family said they were left devastated and heartbroken by her death (PA) The court heard Westwood, who has suffered from mental health problems since the late 1980s, told a police officer he had made his mother a cup of tea but she had threatened him because the drink "wasn't milky enough. Passing sentence over a video-link to a secure mental health unit, Judge Lockhart told Westwood that he had left his sons without a grandmother and "torn apart" his family's lives. Story continues As well as being made the subject of an indefinite hospital order, Westwood was sentenced to a 16-year prison term with an additional extended licence period of five years. The judge ruled that Westwood's condition was certainly not the sole cause of the offence but had affected his ability to control his anger. Westwood was detained indefinitely at Warwick Crown Court (Flickr) This case is a tragedy for all involved, the judge told Westwood. "I am clear that whilst you have long-standing mental health problems, you felt great anger towards your mother - anger was the primary and driving reason why you killed her. In a statement issued by police last year, Susan's family said: "We as a family have been left devastated and heartbroken. "She was a kind, funny, generous warm loving person. To lose someone in your life is bad enough, but for Susan to be killed by someone she loved and supported endlessly is the cruellest blow." By Khaled Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Deposed ex-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Khartoum's grim high-security Kobar prison from the presidential residence, family sources said on Wednesday, as military rulers announced steps to crack down on corruption. Sudan's military ousted Bashir after weeks of mass protests that climaxed in a sit-in outside the Defence Ministry compound. Protest leaders say demonstrations will not cease until the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) hands power to a civilian-led authority ahead of elections. The Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), leading the revolt, has called for sweeping change to end a violent crackdown on dissent, purge corruption and cronyism and ease an economic crisis that worsened during Bashir's last years in power. Representatives of the Sudan protesters and main opposition groups known as Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change submitted a two-page document to the TMC calling for the establishment of a civilian-led ruling council with military representation, a member of the team told Reuters. The document, which was seen by Reuters, also calls for setting up a government comprising no more than 17 ministers and a transitional parliament consisting of 120 members to supervise the work of the government. The TMC had said it was ready to meet some of the protesters demands, including fighting corruption, but indicated it would not hand over power to them. On Monday, the African Union urged the TMC to hand power to a transitional civilian-led authority within 15 days or risk Sudan being suspended from the AU. Among a series of measures, the TMC announced that two of Bashir's brothers, identified as businessmen Abdallah and al-Abbas, were the most prominent among several people who have been detained. TMC spokesman Shams El Din Kabbashi also said in a statement read out on state TV that irregular forces that operated outside state institutions under Bashir, including the Popular Defence Forces, the National Service and the Popular Police, had been brought under direct military or police control. The forces had been accused by protesters of being linked to Bashir's ruling National Congress Party. The council had earlier announced initial moves to tackle graft, including ordering the central bank to review financial transfers since April 1 and to seize "suspect" funds, state news agency SUNA said on Wednesday. SUNA also said that the TMC also ordered the "suspension of the transfer of ownership of any shares until further notice and for any large or suspect transfers of shares or companies to be reported" to state authorities. The TMC also decreed that all state entities disclose financial holdings within 72 hours, and warned that officials who failed to comply could be fined and face up to 10 years in prison, SUNA reported. The decree applies to bank accounts and holdings of foreign currency as well as precious metals and jewelry inside and outside Sudan, according to the TMC. BASHIR IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Bashir, 75, had been detained under heavy guard in the presidential residence inside the compound that also houses the Defence Ministry, before being transferred to Kobar prison late on Tuesday, the family sources said. He was being held in solitary confinement at Kobar, a prison source said. Kobar, just north of central Khartoum adjacent to the Blue Nile river, housed thousands of political prisoners under Bashir's nearly 30-year rule and is Sudan's most notorious jail. At least some political prisoners have been freed since Bashir's overthrow, including several SPA figures. Awad Ibn Auf, an Islamist like Bashir, initially headed the TMC before stepping down after one day in the post. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has engaged in impromptu dialogue with protesters in the streets of the capital, now heads the council and has promised to hold elections within two years. REBELS SUSPEND HOSTILITIES The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a rebel group fighting in the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, announced it was ceasing all hostilities until July 31 as a "goodwill gesture" following Bashir's overthrow. In a statement conveyed to Reuters in Khartoum, the group's leader Abdelaziz Adam al-Helew said the move was to help facilitate "the immediate and smooth handover of power to civilians" in Sudan. The SPLM-N had sought to overthrow Bashir and pushed for autonomy for Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and a redistribution of wealth and political powers in the country. Bashir ruled Sudan with an iron hand after he seized power in an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989. UGANDA MAY OFFER ASYLUM TO BASHIR Uganda will consider offering asylum to Bashir despite his decade-old indictment by the International Criminal Court, state minister for foreign affairs, Okello Oryem, told Reuters. But Oryem said Bashir had yet to make any contact with Kampala. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has in the past criticised the ICC, calling it a tool of Western justice against Africans. Bashir faces ICC arrest warrants over accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region during an insurgency that began in 2003 and led to the death of an estimated 300,000 people. He denies the allegations. Fighting in Darfur has subsided over the past three years. The head of the TMC's political committee, Omar Zain al-Abideen, said on Friday the council would not extradite Bashir for trial, suggesting he could be tried in Sudan instead. In The Hague, an International Criminal Court spokesman declined comment "on hypothetical situations". ICC member states, which include Uganda, are legally obliged to hand over indictees who enter their territory. Bashir has defied the ICC by visiting several ICC member states. Diplomatic rows broke out when he went to South Africa in 2015 and Jordan in 2017 and both declined to arrest him for extradition to the ICC in the Netherlands. London-based Amnesty International called for Bashir to be immediately extradited to ICC custody. "His case must not be hurriedly tried in Sudan's notoriously dysfunctional legal system. Justice must be served," said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty director for East Africa, the Horn and Great Lakes. On Tuesday, TMC chief Burhan fired Sudan's three highest-ranking public prosecutors after the SPA-led protest movement demanded an overhaul of the judiciary. (Additional reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Kampala and Anthony Deutsch in the Netherlands; Writing by Yousef Saba; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Toby Chopra and Grant McCool) Khartoum (AFP) - Ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has been transferred to a Khartoum prison following his toppling by the army last week, a source from his family told AFP on Wednesday. "Last night, Bashir was transferred to Kober prison in Khartoum," the source said without revealing his name for security reasons. Bashir was ousted by the army last Thursday after four months of protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule. The country's new military rulers had said he was being held "in a secure place". Witnesses said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Force outside the prison in north Khartoum. "There are troops in vehicles mounted with machine-guns near the prison," a witness told AFP. Kober prison was built by the British during colonial rule and is located on the east bank of the Blue Nile in a northern district of the capital where Bashir grew up. The area was previously known as Kober, taking its name from the prison, but Bashir later changed the name to Omar al-Mukhtar after a hero of Libya's struggle against Italian colonial rule. The brick-built prison, which is surrounded by a high concrete wall, holds hundreds of inmates at any one time, many of them crammed in tiny cells. It has a special wing for political prisoners where several opposition leaders and activists were held during the four months of protests which led up to Bashir's overthrow. The wing is run by the feared National Intelligence and Security Service rather than the police. "In those small cells, they keep six to seven people, mostly smugglers, black marketeers, human traffickers and petty criminals," said an AFP correspondent who was detained in the prison during previous protests against Bashir's rule in January 2018. "There is a bathroom in each cell but no beds -- only mattresses and mosquitoes." By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-Mobile said on Wednesday it has launched a call protection feature with Comcast Corp to help protect customers from answering robocalls and spams, as robocalls have swollen into a tide numbering in the millions every day. Robocalls, automated telephone calls that deliver a recorded message, typically on behalf of a political party or telemarketing company, are on the rise. T-Mobile said its new feature identifies authentic calls across the networks with the sign "Caller Verified" appearing on phone screens. The feature will be available to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers on certain smartphone devices by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and LG Electronics Inc, the mobile carrier said, adding that it is working with other phone makers like Apple Inc to launch the feature in the near future. Last month, 5.2 billion robocalls were placed, an average of 168.8 million per day, according to YouMail, a robocall management company that tracks the volume of calls. Scams make up about 40 percent of all robocalls. T-Mobile said its new feature will be available for Comcast Xfinity Voice home phone service customers later in the year. The feature uses an industry standard, called "Secure Telephony Identity Revisited (STIR) and Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs (SHAKEN)," or STIR/SHAKEN, to identify authentic calls across the networks. In February, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai told major telecommunications providers that the agency would step in if they failed to implement the standard to fight robocalls this year. "Robocalls and spam calls are an industry-wide problem, and weve got to join forces to keep consumers protected. Today, were the first to cross industry lines to do just that, said John Legere, chief executive of T-Mobile. While T-Mobile claims to be the first to implement the feature across two networks, AT&T in March announced that it had successfully tested what the company believes to be the first STIR/SHAKEN-authenticated call between two different telecom networks with Comcast. (Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Leslie Adler) A sign for a T-Mobile store is displayed, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, in New York. T-Mobile is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. New plans at T-Mobile USA helped the struggling No. 4 carrier stabilize its business in the third quarter after dismal results earlier this year. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) T-Mobile (TMUS) and Comcast (CMCSA) announced new robocalling protections on Wednesday, saying calls made to and from each others networks will be able to be verified as legitimate. To rid the world of scam calls, the FCC and telecom industry are banking on a forthcoming technology called STIR/SHAKEN, which would authenticate calls by exchanging certificates so that your phone knows if an incoming call is legitimate or spoofed. The timeline for industry adoption is slow, with most large carriers testing the technology in 2019 and implementing it widely in 2020. But in Wednesdays announcement, T-Mobile said its verified program with Comcast is fully ready and is built upon these STIR/SHAKEN standards. Essentially, you just exchange certificates, said Grant Castle, VP Engineering Services at T-Mobile. Exchanging them between us [means] we know the traffic we carry is our own and when we send it to Comcast, theyll know it came from us. Currently, most other carriers are in the test phases. In March, AT&T announced that it had exchanged test calls with Comcast. Even in its partnership with T-Mobile, Comcast wont be able to provide its own verification from T-Mobile to its Xfinity phone landline customers until later this year. T-Mobiles announcement means that all calls made from Comcast Xfinity customers to T-Mobile customers should prompt a Caller Verified icon on the receiving T-Mobile phones screen, if they have the right type of phone which as of now is limited to Android phones. (A lot of the functionality is not up to phone carriers, but rather the hardware and software providers like Samsung, Apple, LG, and Google.) If a T-Mobile phone calls Comcast, Comcast will technically have the authentication certificate, but customers will not see any verified icon yet. T-Mobiles Castle said to expect more announcements in the next few months as carriers partner with each other to exchange verifying certificates. Story continues The value of that [Caller Verified] icon will increase as other carriers connect with us and work with us, he said. Eventually, youre going to realize that nearly everyone calls you with a Verified icon and if someone calls you without one, youll be more wary. T-Mobile and other carriers will reach more similar agreements, bringing this technology to more people across the country. But instead of a web of bilateral agreements, the goal is to have one third-party clearinghouse for the exchange of STIR/SHAKEN certificates. This, however, is likely to be a slow process. The end goal for all of this technology is that most of the robocall scammers quit, which could happen if most phones get STIR/SHAKEN capabilities, and every call that is legit has an icon that pops up saying so. For now this is not the case, and carriers must rely on complicated algorithms through which all calls pass as caller ID can easily be changed or spoofed by scammers if they want to. Unfortunately, Castle said, its totally legal because a long time ago this was made explicitly possible as doctors offices or other organizations wanted to call out from various lines but redirect to a main number. But of course scammers figured that out, Castle said. Now, You have to inspect a lot of data associated with the call when it enters our network. - Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, personal finance, retail, airlines, and more. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. U.S. Justice Department tells T-Mobile, Sprint it opposes merger Its an arms race: Inside the war on robocalls Username: Password: or Register Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization ALADIN * weird wizard1* User ID: 493119 04-17-2019 12:46 PM Posts: 5,423 Post: #1 Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization Advertisement The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has been designated as a terrorist organization by the Iranian parliament, in a mirror response to Washingtons blacklisting of Tehrans Revolutionary Guard. All organizations, institutions and forces under CENTCOM command were acknowledged to be terrorists by the overwhelming majority of the Iranian MPs, who approved the contents of the bill, which also condemns the US move to blacklist the IRGC, an official military branch of the Islamic Republic of Irans Armed Forces. The Islamic Republic of Irans government and Armed Forces are required to adopt preventive actions and preemptive defensive measures whenever necessary, to deter any hostile US forces use of any possibilities against the Islamic Republic of Irans interests, the bill states, according to Fars news. Anyone offering military, intelligence, financial, or any other support to CENTCOM and its affiliate forces will be considered supporters of terrorism. The 13-article legislation also mandates the general staff to begin gathering intelligence about CENTCOM activities so that the material can be used in Iranian courts to prosecute specific individuals. The bill, however, does not mention the exact mechanisms through which Americans are expected to be brought to justice under Iranian laws. Last week the US, for the first time ever, designated an official foreign military institution the IRGC as a terrorist organization, as tensions between the states were pushed to the limit following President Donald Trumps unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian Nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the reintroduction of sanctions that followed. https://www.rt.com/news/456772-iran-cent...anization/ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a ma s k on their nose and mouth ... Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organizationThe US Central Command (CENTCOM) has been designated as a terrorist organization by the Iranian parliament, in a mirror response to Washingtons blacklisting of Tehrans Revolutionary Guard.All organizations, institutions and forces under CENTCOM command were acknowledged to be terrorists by the overwhelming majority of the Iranian MPs, who approved the contents of the bill, which also condemns the US move to blacklist the IRGC, an official military branch of the Islamic Republic of Irans Armed Forces.The Islamic Republic of Irans government and Armed Forces are required to adopt preventive actions and preemptive defensive measures whenever necessary, to deter any hostile US forces use of any possibilities against the Islamic Republic of Irans interests, the bill states, according to Fars news. Anyone offering military, intelligence, financial, or any other support to CENTCOM and its affiliate forces will be considered supporters of terrorism.The 13-article legislation also mandates the general staff to begin gathering intelligence about CENTCOM activities so that the material can be used in Iranian courts to prosecute specific individuals. The bill, however, does not mention the exact mechanisms through which Americans are expected to be brought to justice under Iranian laws.Last week the US, for the first time ever, designated an official foreign military institution the IRGC as a terrorist organization, as tensions between the states were pushed to the limit following President Donald Trumps unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian Nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the reintroduction of sanctions that followed. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497846 04-17-2019 12:47 PM Post: #2 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization inching closer to the end...should we let the world live? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497863 04-17-2019 02:22 PM Post: #3 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization LoP Guest Wrote: (04-17-2019 12:47 PM) inching closer to the end...should we let the world live? Not if you let the greedy, powerful, warmongers live in it. Not if you let the greedy, powerful, warmongers live in it. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497806 04-17-2019 02:27 PM Post: #4 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization There is no intention by the Satanists in contol to 'let the world live'. They want it destroyed. JohnPrewett Registered User User ID: 497824 04-17-2019 02:27 PM Posts: 2,279 Post: #5 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization Keep screaming "Death to Great Satan America" so such as the US Central Command can claim your destruction is justified ! Also keep painting it on your downtown buildings. Lopinator Registered User User ID: 496554 04-17-2019 02:29 PM Posts: 7,659 Post: #6 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization USCENTCOM is notoriously secretive. I am still trying to obtain certain information from them. Maybe there PSYOPS could be considered terrorist in nature to some whom they are targeted against? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497806 04-17-2019 02:35 PM Post: #7 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization The US has no business outside it's borders. All that America is doing in conquering the wirld for Zion is terrorist activity. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497625 04-17-2019 02:55 PM Post: #8 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization JohnPrewett Wrote: (04-17-2019 02:27 PM) Keep screaming "Death to Great Satan America" so such as the US Central Command can claim your destruction is justified ! Also keep painting it on your downtown buildings. Like that would make a difference if they were restrained; theyd like to destroy it regardless. And if god forbid theyre going to get the big fist; big hurt on them; you might as well go out yelling profanities against your killers. Like that would make a difference if they were restrained; theyd like to destroy it regardless.And if god forbid theyre going to get the big fist; big hurt on them; you might as well go out yelling profanities against your killers. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497726 04-17-2019 02:57 PM Post: #9 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization Looks Like We Found Another USE For MOAB! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497871 04-17-2019 03:47 PM Post: #10 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization LoP Guest Wrote: (04-17-2019 02:55 PM) JohnPrewett Wrote: (04-17-2019 02:27 PM) Keep screaming "Death to Great Satan America" so such as the US Central Command can claim your destruction is justified ! Also keep painting it on your downtown buildings. Like that would make a difference if they were restrained; theyd like to destroy it regardless. And if god forbid theyre going to get the big fist; big hurt on them; you might as well go out yelling profanities against your killers. fuk me wat tha fuk did I just watch fuk me wat tha fuk did I just watch LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 497751 04-17-2019 03:51 PM Post: #11 RE: Iranian parliament declares US Central Command a terrorist organization LoP Guest Wrote: (04-17-2019 02:35 PM) The US has no business outside it's borders. All that America is doing in conquering the wirld for Zion is terrorist activity. And the whole world knows it. While Obummer was in office, sixteen U.S. military intelligence agencies concluded that Iran posed no danger, is closer to our dealings with them, and that Israel was no friend because of their spying on our gov't. Now, under Trump, Iran is the big boogie man while Israel is our "best friend". And the whole world knows it. While Obummer was in office,concluded that Iran posed no danger, is closer to our dealings with them, and that Israel was no friend because of their spying on our gov't. Now, under Trump, Iran is the big boogie man while Israel is our "best friend". Back to Forum Reply to This post Post New Thread Kabul (AFP) - An upcoming conference between Afghan representatives and the Taliban appeared to be in trouble Wednesday even before it begins, with the militants deriding Kabul's plan to send 250 delegates -- several of whom have already dropped out. President Ashraf Ghani's administration had announced Tuesday a list of people from all walks of Afghan life, including some from the government, that it wants to send to the so-called intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha this weekend. But the Taliban poured scorn on the lengthy list, saying it was not "normal" and that they had "no plans" to meet with so many people. "The creators of (the) Kabul list must realise that this is an orderly and prearranged conference in a far-away Khaleeji (Gulf) country and not an invitation to some wedding or other party at a hotel in Kabul," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. The Taliban -- who see Ghani as a US stooge and his government as a puppet regime -- also continue to insist they will not be negotiating with Kabul at the conference, and any administration officials are involved merely in a "personal capacity". Further doubts were cast when some of those Ghani said would attend the conference announced they would not go. Ghani's own running mate Amrullah Saleh, the former head of Afghan intelligence and a longtime Taliban critic, was among them. The Taliban "should agree to direct & focused negotiations with the Afghan government", he tweeted. Atta Mohammad Noor, a key opposition figure and former governor of Balkh province, had also been included on the list, which was meant as an inclusive representation of Afghan society. But Noor slammed the delegation as politically biased toward Ghani. "We won't be attending the talks with this running order," Noor tweeted Wednesday, adding he viewed the list as Ghani's "intentional act to sabotage the peace efforts". Story continues - 'Pick and choose' - A senior Taliban commander based in Pakistan told AFP that the mammoth delegation showed the "Americans and their puppet Afghan government are not serious about the peaceful settlement of the issue". Ghani met with the delegates Wednesday, giving no indication of any trouble, saying: "We and the Afghan nation expect you to return home successfully and proudly from meeting with the Taliban in Qatar." The US has been holding separate bilateral peace negotiations with the Taliban in Doha as part of a months-long peace push led by Washington. The intra-Afghan dialogue comes as part of the effort, but the US is not believed to be attending. Taliban expert Rahimullah Yusufzai told AFP that while the Afghan government needs to be inclusive in who it sends to Doha, "this is not realistic". "I have seen in the list people who have no influence. You have to pick and choose, 250 is not manageable," Yusufzai said. "The Afghan government is under pressure. With the elections coming, they don't want to make anyone angry. There are alliances to keep in mind," he added, referring to presidential elections set for September. Yusufzai predicted the conference would be postponed, and that finding a new date might be tough before Ramadan begins next month. The developments come as fresh violence rips across Afghanistan with the Taliban launching their so-called spring offensive. The militants now control or influence about half the country, and last year was the deadliest yet for civilians. Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate change activist, brought European Union lawmakers to their feet in applause on Tuesday during an EU Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee meeting in Strasbourg, France. My name is Greta Thunberg, I am 16 years old, I come from Sweden and I want you to panic, Thunberg began her speech in front of the standing-room-only meeting, which was open to all members of the European Parliament. I want you to act as if the house was on fire, she continued. I have said those words before, and a lot of people have explained why that is a bad idea. A great number of politicians have told me that panic never leads to anything good. And I agree, to panic unless you have to is a terrible idea. But when your house is on fire and you want to keep your house from burning to the ground, then that does require some level of panic. Thunberg recently rose to fame after creating the school strike movement, aptly named #FridaysForFuture, in which thousands of students walk out of school every Friday to urge politicians to take action against global warming. The 16-year-old first began striking last August by herself. Eight months later, thousands of students from over 70 countries have joined in on the #FridaysForFuture movement. Last month, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, Thunberg said. The extinction rate is up to 10,000 times faster than what is considered normal, with up to 200 species becoming extinct every single day, she continued as she became visibly emotional. Erosion of fertile topsoil, deforestation of our great forest, toxic air solution, lost of insects and wildlife, the acidification of our oceans. These are all disastrous trends being accelerated by a way of life that we, here in our financially fortunate part of the world, see as our right to simply carry on. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg reacts during a debate with the EU Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee during a session at the European Parliament on April 16 in Strasbourg, France. (FREDERICK FLORIN via Getty Images) In her usual blunt fashion, Thunberg did not shy away from calling out greedy politicians and other powerful figures reticent to fight against climate change. She also shamed British lawmakers who are too busy dealing with Brexit to address the pressing issues of global warming. Story continues Our house is falling apart, and our leaders need to start acting accordingly. Because at the moment they are not, she said. If our house was falling apart, you wouldnt hold three emergency Brexit summits and no emergency summit regarding the breakdown of the climate and environment. The room erupted with applause after Thunbergs Brexit comment, with many giving her a standing ovation. Well, our house is falling apart. And we are rapidly running out of time. And yet basically nothing is happening. Everyone and everything needs to change so why waste precious time arguing about what and who needs to change first, she added. Everyone and everything has to change but the bigger your platform, the bigger your responsibility. The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your moral duty. By Divya R and Ankit Ajmera (Reuters) - Cessna business jet maker Textron Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, benefiting from robust aircraft deliveries, sending its share up 1.6 percent in early trading. Business jet demand has been growing steadily in the United States, the world's biggest market, on the back of an expanding economy and rising corporate profits. Textron said it delivered 44 jets in the first quarter ended March 30, up from 36 last year. Commercial turboprop deliveries rose to 44 aircraft from 29 last year. "We think this quarter has pretty much ticked all the boxes for Textron. Aviation growth has continued, with a positive book to bill in the quarter," Vertical Research Partners analyst Robert Stallard said. Textron has faced delays in final certification of its newest super mid-size Longitude jet, which is expected to contribute a 'big chunk' to the company's revenue growth in 2019. Analysts have warned that the certification delays from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration due to partial government shutdown followed by the regulator's intense focus on re-certifying Boeing Co's 737 MAX aircraft might impact sales growth at the company in the short. Though the aviation business was among the drivers for a profit beat, Textron's revenue missed Wall Street estimates, hurt by lower sales in its systems unit, which makes tactical armored patrol vehicles. Textron re-affirmed its full-year profit outlook range of $3.55 to $3.75 per share. Sales in the company's aviation business, its biggest, rose 12.3 percent to $1.13 billion in the first quarter, while sales in the systems unit fell more than 20 percent to $307 million. The company's net income fell to $179 million in the quarter ended March 30 from $189 million a year earlier. Textron earned 76 cents per share, above analysts' average estimate of 68 cents, according to Refinitiv data. Textron's revenue fell 5.7 percent to $3.11 billion, below analysts' estimates of $3.17 billion. (Reporting by Divya R and Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE to see todays piping-hot, fresh-outta-the-oven episode of THE RUSH with Jared Quay! Well let you know everything you didnt know you needed to know about sports. Other stuff too. But mostly sports. Its Wednesday April 17th, 2019 and heres what Jareds cooking up: Russell Wilson gets paid! Kyler Murray turns down even more money from the Oakland As The top seeded Tampa Bay Lightning got swept by an eight seed J.J. Watt has to make adjustments to his upcoming commencement speech THE RUSH with Jared Quay will be back tomorrow. Until then, you can check out the archived episodes here. And THE GOLD RUSH with Jared Quay will be back next week so if you like winning money, be on the lookout! Tripoli (AFP) - The death toll from rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, blamed by the UN-recognised government on strongman Khalifa Haftar, climbed to six on Wednesday as thousands more civilians fled the violence. The latest bombing came as world powers wrangled over the wording of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, with Russia blocking criticism of Haftar, according to diplomats. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the southern Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UN's humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets hit the city centre, the first since Haftar's Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture Tripoli from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the "terrorist militias" whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. UN envoy Ghassan Salame condemned "in the strongest terms" the overnight shelling, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He added that "responsibility for actions that may constitute war crimes lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially those who ordered them." The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council debated a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text, seen by AFP, warns the Haftar offensive "threatens... prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." - No Haftar criticism - After Britain circulated the text late Monday, diplomats held a first round of negotiations in which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. Story continues During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces' "savagery and barbarism". "It's the legal and humanitarian responsibility of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions," Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftar's prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said. At least 189 people have been killed and 816 wounded since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. More than 25,000 people have been displaced, including 4,500 over the last 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. As consultations continued in New York on Wednesday, Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters "we need to have a nice document" but declined to give details on the areas of disagreement. Asked if the draft could be adopted this week, he said: "It depends on them, not us," without elaborating. - Proxy war - Haftar, seen by other allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to recommit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive forced the UN to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster and Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed rebellion. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Mike Trout is back in the Los Angeles Angels lineup after missing three games because of a right groin strain. Trout was listed as the designated hitter and batting second for the Angels' series opener Monday night at Texas. After missing a weekend series at the Chicago Cubs, Trout was seen by Dr. Steve Yoon in Los Angeles for the second time in three days Sunday. The team said ultrasound images showed further improvement to his groin and that Trout reported continued improvement. The two-time AL MVP has five home runs this season, all of those coming in a four-game home series April 4-8 against the Rangers. He is hitting .406 and also has 12 RBIs in his 12 games. Trout, who signed a record $426.5 million, 12-year contract near the end of spring training, first felt discomfort after working out before last Tuesday's home game against Milwaukee. The injury flared up while he was running to second base in the second inning that night ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports By Stephanie Kelly and Jessica Resnick-Ault (Reuters) - At a truck stop in Ridgefield, New Jersey, driver Paul Richards reviews a notebook where he tracks miles driven and what he is hauling. His paycheck is down about 25 percent from the same period a year ago, and his weekly miles have dropped as well. "This hasn't been a very good week," said Richards, who carries building materials and recycled goods through the U.S. Northeast. "Last week wasn't, either." Across the United States, drivers, regional operators and industry officials say the $700 billion U.S. trucking sector slipped in late 2018, with the fall continuing into this year. While the decline in freight rates and hauling does not suggest the United States is headed into a recession, that softness is consistent with slippage in the economy as a whole. The effects have been uneven nationwide, with weaker orders and miles in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast than on the West Coast, economists and regional officials said. Trucking accounts for 70 percent of U.S. shipment tonnage, and is key to supplying the manufacturing, construction and retail sectors, all of which showed sluggishness in the first quarter. The most common factors for the decline include the U.S.-China trade war and weakness in the Farm Belt. An ACT Research index of truck carrier volumes that surveys about 60 fleets crossed into negative territory in November for the first time since July 2016. It briefly returned to positive territory in January but dipped again in February. It matches forecasts for a soft first quarter for U.S. gross domestic product, which is expected to come in at 1.8 percent growth, according to Reuters polling. "Clearly, the economy is slowing down," Kenny Vieth, president of ACT Research, said in a recent interview. "When the economy moderates, the trucking industry can be exceptionally worse than the overall economy because of the deep cyclical trend that characterizes the industry." Story continues To be sure, another indicator, the American Trucking Associations tonnage index, is at a healthy level at 117.4, still far above recession-era levels between 2008 and 2012, when it remained below 90. (GRAPHIC: Truck tonnage and U.S. real GDP: https://tmsnrt.rs/2OjFgls) REGIONAL SOFTNESS The industry's softness is not uniform nationwide. Reuters spoke to 47 out of 50 state trucking associations, and of those that responded, 16, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee, said activity had slowed. Another 16 said there was little change, and the rest could not say one way or another. Shipments in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States have been hit harder than other regions, according to Bobby Holland, vice president and director of Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank Freight Data Solutions. In the Midwest, export tariffs on crops have hurt agricultural sales, and auto production is also moderating, he said. Neal Kedzie, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, said activity started to slow at the end of 2018. Brokers had been connecting trucking companies known as carriers with requests from those who needed to haul freight. Now, though, carriers are starting to reach out to brokers to find loads. "Carriers are having to do more searching on their own versus the brokers, who (before) had so much to deliver that they couldn't find enough trucks," Kedzie said. Northeast shipments were strong last year, U.S. Bank said, but state officials in Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island all told Reuters that early 2019 has been weaker. A year ago, Larry Hobson was driving 14 hours a day hauling refrigerated food from Tennessee to New England. Now he is working eight or nine hours a day, and his paycheck has dropped by about $1,000 a week because of the decrease. "I am a lot less busy," he said at a service center in Darien, Connecticut. Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2HP3V0ZMidwest, Southeast see shipment growth contract, click (GRAPHIC: regional shipment growth: (https://tmsnrt.rs/2NRPt8O) PROFIT WARNINGS Spot total rates for freight have slumped as well, averaging $1.85 per mile in March, according to DAT Solutions, a freight exchange company. That's the lowest seasonally since 2017. That weakness is starting to show up in company results. In mid-March, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Covenant Transportation Group Inc warned of weak first-quarter results, saying average freight revenue per tractor was down 5 percent in early 2019 from the year-ago period, with average miles down more than 11 percent. "The truckload freight environment has been weaker this year from late January through mid-March," CEO David Parker said in a statement last month. Covenant shares are down more than 20 percent in the last six months. Analysts have lowered quarterly per-share estimates for J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc, Covenant and service company Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc by 9 percent, 40 percent and 5 percent, respectively, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. "There's no doubt that we have been seeing a deceleration in volumes," said Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations (ATA). "This is an indication that the economy is decelerating." (Reporting by Stephanie Kelly and Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York; Writing by Stephanie Kelly; Editing by David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis) WASHINGTON President Donald Trump called Pope Francis to offer his condolences Wednesday for the Notre Dame fire and said the U.S. would offer "our great experts on renovation and construction" to help France rebuild the iconic cathedral. "Just had a wonderful conversation with @Pontifex Francis," Trump posted on Twitter, referring to Francis' Twitter account, "offering condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral." Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron a day earlier to discuss the blaze that roared 850-year-old house of worship on Monday. Donations to help rebuild Notre Dame neared the $1 billion mark Wednesday as recovery efforts ramped up. Engineers and historians are expected to put up a temporary roof to protect the cathedral from the elements, assess damage and salvage materials before beginning repairs that may take decades. Just had a wonderful conversation with @Pontifex Francis offering condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. I offered the help of our great experts on renovation and construction as I did.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 Trump has had a complicated relationship with Francis. During the 2016 election, the Pope criticized tough immigration policies embraced by both Trump and several European leaders. Trump responded with a fiery post on Facebook suggesting that "if and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISISs ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President." More: As President Trump meets Pope Francis at the Vatican, a timeline of their history Story continues The two appeared to put aside their differences during a meeting in 2017, Trump's first visit with the Pope as president. "I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue peace in our world," Trump tweeted after their encounter. President Donald Trump says that he is "strongly looking at" the idea of transporting migrants to so-called sanctuary cities that don't cooperate with federal immigration authorities. (April 12) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump calls Pope Francis to offer condolences for Notre Dame fire, offers 'our great experts' President Trump has pledged his support to the people of France after the iconic Notre Dame cathedral suffered a devastating fire last night. On Twitter, the president noted it was horrible to watch the scenes from Paris, and suggested flying water tankers could be used to put it out. It was confirmed this morning that the fire had been entirely extinguished. The White House said it will offer France assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization. The United States stands with French citizens, the city of Paris, and the millions of visitors from around the world who have sought solace in that iconic structure, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. Closer to home, Trump is also facing his first Republican challenger for the 2020 presidential election in the form of Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, although is it deemed unlikely that anyone will seize the partys nomination from the incumbent. I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff weve had out of the White House the last two years that would be a political tragedy, and I would fear for the Republic, Mr Weld told CNNs Jake Tapper on Tuesday. I would be ashamed of myself if I didnt raise my hand and run. It was also announced late yesterday that the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election, and any links to the Trump campaign, would be released in a redacted form to the public this Thursday. The president also defended his attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar despite an onslaught of death threats the Muslim congresswoman received recently. In an interview with a local news station in Minnesota, Mr Trump continued to disparage Ms Omar. Its unfortunate, he said. Shes got a way about her thats very, very bad, I think, for our country. I think shes extremely unpatriotic and extremely disrespectful to our country. Read The Independents updates as they happened below. Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump during a phone call on Tuesday expressed condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron over the Notre-Dame fire that devastated the Parisian landmark and offered U.S. assistance in rehabilitating the cathedral, the White House said. "Notre Dame will continue to serve as a symbol of France, including its freedom of religion and democracy," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "We remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dames bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again." Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral, which is considered among the finest examples of European Gothic architecture and visited by more than 13 million people from around the world a year. Within 24 hours of Monday's blaze, French companies and local authorities had pledged more than 700 million euros to rebuild the cathedral, including 500 million from the three billionaire families that own France's luxury goods empires Kering, LVMH and L'Oreal. The fire has also promoted fundraising among Americans, with New York-based French Heritage Society and the Go Fund Me crowdsourcing platform among the first to offer help. The heritage charity Fondation du Patrimoine said it was too early to estimate the cost of the damages. Authorities say they suspected the fire was caused by accident. (This story has been refiled to correct figure in paragraph four to 700 million, not 700 billion) (Reporting by David Alexander; Writing by Meredith Mazzilli) MIAMI, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton announced a series of new sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela on Wednesday as the Trump administration sought to boost pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the countries that support him. Bolton, in a speech to an association of veterans of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, said the United States was adding five names linked to Cuba's military and intelligence services to its sanctions blacklist, including the military-owned airline Aerogaviota. Bolton said Washington planned new limits on remittances to Cuba and changes to end the use of transactions that allow Havana to circumvent sanctions and obtain access to hard currency. He also announced new sanctions on Venezuela's central bank to prohibit its access to U.S. dollars. "Under this administration, we dont throw dictators lifelines. We take them away," Bolton said. Bolton's announcement of the new sanctions came just hours after the Trump administration said it was lifting a long-standing ban against U.S. citizens filing lawsuits against foreign companies that use properties seized by Cubas Communist government since Fidel Castros 1959 revolution. The major policy shift, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, could draw hundreds of thousands of legal claims worth tens of billion of dollars. It is intended to intensify pressure on Havana at a time Washington is demanding an end to Cuban support for Venezuela's Maduro. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Writing by David Alexander; editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot) WASHINGTON Thursday, at least a dozen attorneys and staff members for President Donald Trump will plunge into special counsel Robert Muellers 400-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Their mission? Distill the document into a quick response for the waiting political world. The president and his advisers are getting ready for the release by the Department of Justice of the findings by the special counsel whose investigation Trump called a hoax and a witch hunt. Staff and lawyers will be assigned sections of the report to digest as the team looks to develop official statements and talking points. The descriptions of the Trump teams preparations are based on interviews with five sources familiar with the plans. A summary of the report released last month by Attorney General William Barr said Mueller did not find evidence of collusion between Trump or his campaign and Russia, but the document will give a much fuller picture of the investigation. Mueller report: Investigation found no evidence Trump conspired with Russia, leaves obstruction question open Barr's summary: Read the AG's summary of the Russia investigation As of last week, Trump said he had not read the Mueller report, but he and his aides predicted its main takeaways: There was no collusion with Russia, no obstruction of justice and no basis for the inquiry to have begun in the first place. Getting out that message in the chaotic world of social media and cable television will be a chief aim of Trump's team and advisers. They will comb through the report on the same day that lawmakers, journalists and members of the public will see it for the first time. "We're going to respond in a prompt and appropriate manner," said Jay Sekulow, one of the president's private attorneys. "We'll provide analysis throughout the course of the day." It's a process that will probably play out in stages, the Trump aides and advisers said. Story continues President Donald Trump Job one: Read the report, quickly Sekulow has a team of a half-dozen lawyers and staff members who will split up the report, scan their assigned sections quickly and issue summaries to help develop statements and talking points to be used by communicators throughout the day. At the White House, the immediate review of the report is headed up by Emmet Flood, the lawyer representing the White House in the special counsel investigation. Some officials joked that they hope the report includes an executive summary or a list of key findings at the front, to speed along the process. 'Multiple offers' from Russians: 6 takeaways from AG William Barr's letter summarizing Mueller's report 'Off the rails': Pelosi says AG Barr acting like 'the attorney general of Donald Trump' In developing their message, Trump and his aides are buoyed by Barrs statement that Mueller found no evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. White House officials are less likely to dwell on claims that Trump sought to obstruct justice. Barr said Muellers report left "unresolved whether Trump sought to obstruct justice during the course of the investigation. Trump and his attorneys declared Barr's summary an exoneration. "No Collusion - No Obstruction!" Trump tweeted Tuesday, a message he is apt to echo after the release. Job two: Put out responses quickly Expect short written statements a half-hour or so after the Mueller report surfaces from both the White House and the Trump legal team. That's how Trumps team responded to Barrs letter last month. Trump's legal team will probably issue a longer and more detailed statement an hour or two after that, depending on how much new information Mueller presents. More: As the Mueller report looms, Democrats find voters would rather talk 'kitchen table' issues More: Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia, Trump to be released Thursday, Justice Department says Trumps attorneys have been developing a counter report on legal issues involved in the investigation and may release that Thursday. As attorneys and aides assess the Mueller report, the public is likely to hear from the top White House communicator: Trump himself. He may tweet or speak to reporters (or both). Job three: Prepare for new details In reading the report, teams of Trump supporters at private law offices, the White House, the Republican National Committee and the president's reelection campaign will look for new items that have not been made public. They will probably be playing defense. Trump's reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee have "war rooms" and "rapid response teams" ready to monitor media coverage and push back accordingly. "Real time" talking points are planned to be distributed to surrogates on television news programs. 'I am concerned': Attorney general says he will review government 'spying' on Trump campaign 'A mountain gave birth to a mouse': Putin mocks Mueller investigation, again denies interference Pro-Trump organizations such as the Tea Party Patriots are prepared to weigh in, officials said. We know that President Trump will, once again, be vindicated," said Tim Murtaugh, communication director for Trump's reelection campaign. "No collusion and no obstruction." He said, "The tables should turn now, as it is time to investigate the liars who instigated the sham investigation in the first place. The document released Thursday will include redactions. Democratic lawmakers pushed for the full document. "We should see and judge for ourselves," Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "And that's for Congress to judge whether the president obstructed justice or not, and for the public ultimately." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Trump team's Mueller report game plan: Read the report quickly and put out responses Sanaa (AFP) - Yemen's Huthi rebels on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump's veto of a Congress resolution directing him to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen as proof Washington was behind the conflict. The veto "proves that the United States is not only involved in the war on Yemen but also was behind the decision to go to war," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted. "Others followed that decision and execute the wishes and ambitions of the United States," Abdelsalam added, referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies. Abdelsalam, who heads a rebel delegation involved in ongoing UN-led peace talks, held the US responsible for "massacres, crimes and the unjust siege of Yemen". Yemen and Mexico are the only two countries to have been targeted by a Trump veto. The president overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March. Congress' Yemen resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers -- a step he condemned in a statement announcing his veto. Democrats argue that US involvement in the Yemen conflict, which includes intelligence-sharing, logistical support and now-discontinued aerial refuelling, is unconstitutional without congressional authority. Trump said US support for the devastating war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, was necessary to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries". Trump also said the veto would harm "bilateral relations" with key US allies. These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes Saudi Arabia's air force either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether. Story continues Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen during the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although human rights groups say the toll could be five times higher. The country stands at the brink of famine. Both the Saudi-led alliance and the Huthis have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children. Critics of the Yemen war warn Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities. Paris (AFP) - French fire chiefs on Tuesday dismissed comments by Donald Trump on how to tackle the fire which engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral, with one describing the US president's advice as "risible". As the fire raged on the roof of the iconic Paris landmark Monday, Trump tweeted that "perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" But doing that would have brought the ancient cathedral crashing down, the fire chiefs said, in comments backed up by experts in Britain. "Everything would have collapsed," said Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Bernier, a fire chief who speaks for France's civil defence organisation and who described the suggestion as "risible". Releasing even one load from a Canadair water bomber used to fight forest fires on Notre-Dame would be "the equivalent of dropping three tonnes of concrete at 250 kilometres per hour (155mph)" on the ancient monument. "It would have been like bowling at the cathedral... the two towers might have fallen. "It was technically impossible, undoable and most of all would have been utterly useless" to douse the flames from the air, Bernier added. Such a move would also have put the lives of firefighters and anyone in the area at risk, he added. "Neighbouring buildings would have been hit by flying blocks of hot stone, and the whole area would have had to be evacuated." - 'Attention-grabbing' - Even using a helicopter to drop 1,500 litres of water would have left only the towers standing, Bernier insisted. "The nave would have collapsed, the flying buttresses would have gone," he said. Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus of the Paris fire brigade said that "everything was against" the first firefighters on Monday. "Time and the wind were against us and we had to get on top of it fast. We had to make a rapid choice... and the priority we gave ourselves was to save the two bell towers, and both were saved," he added. Story continues "Imagine if the woodwork in the belfries had been weakened, the huge bells would have collapsed" and that might have brought the towers down." While armchair critics have suggested more could have been done to slow the fire, tough choices had to be made, said Plus. Guillermo Rein, Professor of Fire Science at Imperial College in London, praised the work of the French firefighters. "The Fire Brigade had to be aggressive fighting the big roof fire with the aerial ladders designed for high-rise buildings, but at the same time be gentle with the vulnerable structure of the stone vaults and walls. They did a fine job, and how they tackled this fire will probably be studied in the years ahead." Consultant Martin Kealy, a member of the UK Institution of Fire Engineers, called Trump's advice on tackling the Notre Dame blaze "attention-grabbing". "While dumping huge quantities of water may be an effective way to fight huge forest fires, it is unlikely to be an effective tactic on a city-centre building." Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Iran's foreign minister, who arrived in Ankara to brief him on his meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey supports Syrian opposition rebels and Iran backs Assad in Syria's long war, but the two sides have been expanding contacts amid international efforts to end the fighting. Kazakhstan will host a fresh round of Syria talks on April 25-26 in its capital, recently renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan. "I had a long interview with Bashar al-Assad. I will be giving details of these discussions to Mr. Erdogan," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in translated comments. Ankara broke ties with Damascus in 2011 after the start of the Syrian war, and Erdogan has in the past described Assad as an "assassin". But Erdogan acknowledged in February that low-level contacts have been taking place and his rhetoric has also softened in tone in recent months. "In Syria, from the start, on the ground, we do not agree with Iran on many issues," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday. "But we have decided to cooperate with Iran for a political solution." Repeated rounds of UN-backed Syria peace talks have failed to end the bloodshed, and Iran, Russia and Turkey have sponsored the parallel so-called Astana negotiations since early 2017. Talks among the three countries have focused on the jihadist-held bastion of Idlib in northwestern Syria, local Syrian media have reported. That region bordering Turkey, is mostly held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and is in theory protected from a massive Syrian regime offensive by a Russia-Turkey deal. The September accord aimed to set up a buffer zone around Idlib, but was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw. By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As Qualcomm's major victory against Apple sent semiconductor stocks to record highs on Wednesday, the sector's strong recent rally may be at odds with uncertainty about an ongoing downturn in global demand. With the Philadelphia Semiconductor index jumping 1.4% on Wednesday to its second straight record high and now up 35% year to date, upcoming March-quarter reports could become a make-or-break moment for investors. For a graphic on Chip stocks outperform, see - https://tmsnrt.rs/2VQxvql "People in the industry we speak to seem incredulous at the stock prices but are obviously more than willing to accept the benefit. Very simply, business is not as good as the stocks would imply and we would challenge someone to suggest their business has improved as much as their stock has," Semiconductors Advisors wrote in a client note. Announced on Tuesday, Apple's surprise settlement with Qualcomm calls for its iPhones to once again use Qualcomm's modem chips. As a result, Qualcomm's stock has seen its strongest two-day gain since 1999, up 35% and adding $26 billion to the chipmaker's market capitalization. "The resolution caps a multi-year period in which (Qualcomm's) stock has broadly been viewed as virtually uninvestible, and the resolution will likely go a long way toward assuaging investors who have been terrified of the potential for negative legal and regulatory outcomes," Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon wrote in report. Intel surged 3.6% to a record high after it said hours after the Apple settlement was announced that it would stop making modem chips, an unprofitable business that some investors believe the company is better off without. Despite Tuesday's seismic shift for the two California semiconductor makers, uncertainly blankets the global industry, with chipmakers yet to reach consensus that a downturn that started last year has touched bottom and little agreement about when and how strongly a recovery will occur. Story continues That uncertainty will increase the focus on Texas Instruments Inc when it kicks off March-quarter reports for major U.S. chipmakers on April 23. Analysts on average expect an 8% drop in revenue for Texas Instruments' first quarter and a 5% drop for 2019, although bullish investors argue that industry estimates could rapidly rise as strong signs of a recovery emerge. Intel reports on April 25, with analysts calling for a 0.3% revenue dip in the first quarter and a 3.7 percent slide in non-GAAP net income to $4.02 billion. Qualcomm reports on May 1. (Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda will consider offering asylum to ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a foreign affairs minister said on Wednesday. "Uganda would not be apologetic at all for considering an application by Bashir," Okello Oryem, Uganda's state minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters in Kampala. Bashir, 75, who had ruled Sudan for 30 years after seizing power in a military coup, was toppled by the military last week after months of street protests. Bashir faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the death of an estimated 300,000 people during an insurgency in Sudan's western Darfur region over a decade ago. Oryem said Bashir had yet to contact Kampala for possible refuge, but added that there was no harm in considering the fallen Sudanese leader for political asylum. There was no immediate comment from the ICC in The Hague. ICC member states, which include Uganda, are obligated to hand over indictees who enter their territory. Though Bashir is under ICC indictment for suspected genocide in Darfur, the transitional military government in Khartoum has said it will not hand him over and instead may try him in Sudan. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has in the past criticised the ICC, describing it as a tool of Western justice against Africans, and he once vowed to mobilise African countries to pull out of the court's founding treaty. Oryem said the ICC indictment would not be deemed an obstacle to any application for political asylum in Uganda by Bashir. Relations between Sudan and Uganda, where Museveni has in power since 1986, were frosty in the 1990s and early 2000s. Uganda accused Bashir-led Sudan at the time of supporting warlord Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) while Sudan alleged Uganda was offering assistance to an anti-Khartoum rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The SPLA later led South Sudan to independence from Khartoum while the LRA, still undefeated but mostly dormant, is believed to be hiding out in a patch of jungle between the borders of Uganda, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. After South Sudan's independence in 2011, Museveni and Bashir gradually reconciled and have since jointly championed efforts to end fighting in the newest African country. (Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Editing by Omar Mohammed and Mark Heinrich) London (AFP) - Britain in July is set to become the first country in the world to introduce age-verification to access online pornography, the government said on Wednesday. Child protection groups welcomed the move but digital rights groups warned of the possibility of data leaks and the implications for online privacy. The new law, which comes into force on July 15, will require commercial providers of internet pornography to check on users' ages to ensure that they are 18 or over. Different sites will use different verification methods ranging from online passport or credit card checks to special vouchers that can be bought in shops. "Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online," Minister for Digital Margot James said in a statement. Websites that fail to implement the verification technology could have payment services withdrawn or be blocked for British users, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). - Parents support controls - It is the latest move by British authorities to crack down on the spread of online abuses and crimes. The government announced earlier this month proposals to make social media bosses personally liable for harmful content and shut down offending platforms. The latest step to bring in age-verification for pornography follows public consultation and parliamentary debate on the issue last year. Research conducted as part of that outreach found that 88 percent of parents with children aged seven to 17 supported new controls, DCMS said. The department insisted the range of checks to be carried out by providers would be "rigorous" and go beyond users simply entering their date of birth or ticking a box. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be responsible for ensuring compliance. The government said it had "listened carefully" to privacy concerns and was clear the arrangements should only be concerned with verifying age -- not identity. Story continues The BBFC will therefore also create -- in cooperation with industry -- a voluntary certification scheme to assess the data security standards of the providers. Internet Matters, a non-profit organisation concerned with online child safety, said it was "delighted" that the government tackling the issue but also sounded a cautionary note. "We must recognise that digital solutions aren't the only answer," said its CEO Carolyn Bunting. "There is no substitute to having regular and honest conversations with your child about what they're getting up to online." - 'Dangerous and irresponsible' - Will Gardner, chief executive of Childnet, welcomed the move, saying it brings in "the same protections that we use offline to protect children". But the Open Rights Group said age verification was "dangerous and irresponsible". Jim Killock, executive director of the campaign group, said privacy standards should be enforced alongside the legislation. "Data leaks could be disastrous. And they will be the government's own fault," he said. "The government needs to shape up and legislate for privacy before their own policy results in people being outed, careers destroyed or suicides being provoked," he said. United Airlines Plays Hardball With Expedia and JPMorgan Chase United Airlines has had relationships with JPMorgan Chase and Expedia Group for years, but on Wednesday the airlines executives suggested both companies may need to improve their offers to maintain the carriers business. Simply put, its not 2009 anymore. Then, with airlines facing higher fuel costs and a recession, they would take cash anywhere they could find it, often by accepting mediocre deals with credit card issuers and online travel agencies. After consolidation, and with a healthier economy, U.S. carriers are strong now. They consistently make money. In the first quarter, even as it wrestled with operational challenges, including the Boeing 737 Max grounding, United reported net income of $292 million, roughly double compared to last year. Now, it can be more aggressive with its partners. On the credit card side, executives have been negotiating with JPMorgan Chase on a new contract, asking for terms as generous as Delta Air Lines received earlier this month from American Express. The United relationship is important to Chase, and eventually, the airline likely will get its own rich deal. Expedia is another matter. In February, United said it has been unable to reach a new agreement with the online travel agency, and on Wednesday executives confirmed they plan to pull their flights from the groups consumer sites by Sept. 30. United executives said Expedia no longer provides enough value, given its cost. This is time to change, said Andrew Nocella, Uniteds chief commercial officer, on the airlines first quarter conference call. Companies need to evolve and innovate, and we here at United changed a lot. We have invested in our own website and our app and continue to develop much more cost-effective and transparent and optimal sales abilities to distribute our content. As with Chase, United could be trying to force better terms from Expedia. But this could also be real, with United ready to have a closer relationship with customers. Story continues Chase Negotiations Almost since he joined United as president in August 2016, Scott Kirby has been working to reach a new deal with Chase with more favorable economics. Uniteds current agreement puts it at a considerable disadvantage to its peers, said Joseph DeNardi, an analyst with Stifel who follows loyalty closely. Uniteds previous management team had announced the agreement in 2015, and while the airline has not said how long it lasts, DeNardi said he expects it goes through 2021. That was, to be polite, a really bad deal for United, DeNardi said. After Delta announced on April 2 it had extended with American Express for 11 years, Uniteds negotiations took on new urgency. By 2023, Delta could make $7 billion, and Kirby wants similar economics for United. He called it the airlines single biggest margin growth opportunity. The co-brand component of our program underperformed relative to our peers, and this disparity only widened after recent announcements, Kirby told analysts on Wednesday. Were negotiating with Chase opportunities for improved economics for our card partnership to ensure that our deal delivers industry-competitive value. Kirby acknowledged United carries fewer passengers than Delta, but said the two airlines have roughly the same revenue. He also stressed United has hubs in the largest U.S. business centers, including New York, Chicago and San Francisco, where prospective credit card holders may have more money. Theres no question that we have the best set of markets and the best potential for cards for total spend, Kirby said. They are the premier markets for the premium card demand. Kirby appears confident hell reach an extension deal. But in a note, DeNardi said he expects United will engage in a request for proposals process, if only to pressure on Chase. United, he said, could solicit proposals from Wells Fargo or Bank of America. When Kirby was president of American, DeNardi noted, the airline shopped its card business. Eventually, it split it between Citibank and Barclays, both of which had already done business with the company. (Citibank with American and Barclays with merger partner US Airways.) We would be shocked if United doesnt go through the RFP process with its card portfolio this time around, DeNardi said, adding that certain current United executives believe this was a very lucrative strategy by American. Expedia Saga With Expedia, Kirby may also be posturing. In 2014, when he led American, Kirby pulled the airlines fares off of Orbitz during a contractual dispute. The fares returned. But this time might be different. Nocella, who worked with Kirby at American and US Airways, said airlines no longer need sites like Expedia as they once did. Expedia has historically been a very good in selling our lowest fares but quite obviously, we think we can sell our lowest fares just as well, he said. We look forward to having a direct relationship with our customers going forward, and thats really where we are with Expedia. Kirby told analysts losing Expedias distribution wont be a material hit to Uniteds 2019 earnings. The airline is still predicting it will earn between $10 and $12 per share for the full-year, assuming the Expedia relationship ends on Sept. 30. For Expedia, the exposure likely is also minor, Jake Fuller, an analyst with Guggenheim, wrote in a recent report. He said he Expedia likely sells about 8.5 million domestic United tickets per year, for about $2.8 billion in bookings. He said Expedia makes $10.56 in revenue per ticket, so he guessed Expedia could lose about $90 million per year, or about 0.8 percent of total global revenue. Of course, thats only if United follows through with its threat to leave. The big question is whether United intends to walk away from Expedia following the contract expiration, or whether it is simply playing hardball in search of better terms, Fuller said. Ultimately we do not know the answer. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. An 18-year-old University at Buffalo freshman who was involved in a possible hazing incident last week at a college fraternity died Wednesday, university officials said. The student, Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, from Port Chester, New York, had been on life support since Friday evening. "Our hearts go out to Sebastians family for the devastating heartbreak they are experiencing," UB president Satish Tripathi said in a statement announcing his death. "As we grieve Sebastians passing today and well beyond, it is my hope that each of us pauses to remind ourselves that we can only uphold our humanity by treating each other with dignity, compassion and kindness." More: University at Buffalo suspends all fraternities and sororities after student critically injured by potential hazing The report of a possible hazing-related incident last Thursday had prompted Tribathi to suspend all Greek life activities at the university in western New York. The purported incident occurred at the Sigma Pi house, according to WKBW-TV in Buffalo. The nature of the alleged hazing was not immediately clear. Police officials told the Buffalo News that Serafin-Bazan was performing exercises from Thursday night into Friday morning when he began to experience physical distress. The Buffalo Police Department said at the time that it was investigating the matter and that a student had been rushed to the hospital with a "serious medical condition" believed to be the result of "potential hazing." More: Federal lawsuit filed against Penn State frat in Tim Piazza death The Buffalo News reported that Serafin-Bazan had no alcohol or drugs in his system but went into cardiac arrest during possible hazing that included forced exercises by fraternity brothers. Serafin-Bazan had been recently treated for a respiratory ailment, the newspaper said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: University at Buffalo student dies 6 days after injury in potential hazing CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries whose leaders national security adviser John Bolton dubbed the "three stooges of socialism." "The troika of tyranny Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua is beginning to crumble," Bolton said in a hard-hitting speech near Miami on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of the island, an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. The measures seem likely to hit hardest in Cuba, which is at a moment of severe economic weakness as it struggles to find cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Bolton announced a new cap on the amount of money that families in the United States can send their relatives in Cuba. The Obama administration had lifted limits on remittances, but the new limit will be $1,000 per person per quarter. Remittances to Cuba from the United States amounted to $3 billion in 2016, according to the State Department. Washington also moved to restrict "non-family travel" after a broad loosening of so-called purposeful visits under Obama led to soaring numbers of American trips for cultural and educational exchanges. Details on the restrictions were not immediately clear, but tourism is a key lifeline of hard currency for Cuba. Bolton called such visits "veiled tourism." Bolton spoke hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new policy allowing lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. The United States has enforced a trade embargo against Cuba since the early 1960s. Cuban officials met the announcements with defiance. "Nobody will snatch away from us, neither through seduction nor force, 'the Fatherland that our parents won for us by standing up,'" President Miguel Diaz-Canel said via Twitter. "We Cubans will not surrender." Story continues Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called it an attack on international law, Cuban sovereignty and countries that would do business with the island: "Aggressive escalation by (hashtag)US against Cuba will fail. Like at Giron, we will be victorious," he tweeted, referring to a Bay of Pigs beach where invaders landed. "We will always be willing to have a dialogue based on absolute respect, but if the U.S. government has chosen a confrontational path we will not hesitate to defend the gains of the revolution at any cost," Rodriguez later said on state television. On Venezuela, Bolton said Washington was sanctioning the country's Central Bank, which the Trump administration says has been instrumental in propping up the embattled government of President Nicolas Maduro. The sanctions do not bar humanitarian aid or private remittances and aim to ensure reliability of debit and credit card transactions, which have become essential amid skyrocketing inflation and a shortage of cash notes. Maduro called the move the latest example of "imperialist aggression." In a nationally broadcast TV appearance, he said any nation's central bank is "sacred" and deserves respect. "I see imperialism as crazy, desperate," Maduro said. Bolton also announced sanctions against financial services provider Bancorp, which he claimed is a "slush fund" for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. "The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, and in Managua," Bolton said in South Florida, which is home to many thousands of exiles and immigrants from the three countries. He said Obama administration policies had given the Cuban government "political cover to expand its malign influence" across the region, including in Venezuela. Cuba has trained Venezuelan security forces to repress civilians and support Maduro, Bolton said, calling Maduro "quite simply a Cuban puppet." Bolton's pledge to "never, ever abandon" the people of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in their fight for freedom also might ring hollow in light of the historical events he sought to highlight at the event hosted by the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. Many Cuban Americans to this day resent the late President John F. Kennedy for not deploying American troops at a critical moment in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Meanwhile, with the high stakes of the Cold War a fading memory, some critics of U.S. policy toward Venezuela worry the Trump administration's stance that all options are on the table, including a military one, to oust Maduro is an empty threat that will only serve to ignite the streets and geopolitical tensions with Russia, compounding the misery of Venezuelan citizens. "Honoring one of U.S.' greatest military fiascos from 60 years back suggests U.S. policy to Latin America owes more now to a perverse Cold War nostalgia than practical benefits for people of the region," said Ivan Briscoe, the Latin American director for the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank. Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel, said in a statement that the measures on remittances and travel threaten the economic survival of Cuban families and the viability of thousands of independent small businesses allowed to operate since 2010 under reforms implemented by former President Raul Castro. "The only winners here are a handful of members of Congress and those stuck in the past that support them," Laverty said. "The losers are millions of Cubans on and off the island and the overwhelming majority of Americans that support engagement with Cuba." Many of the 400 or so who paid $100 to attend Bolton's speech at the Biltmore in South Florida were of Cuban descent. Rafael UsaTorres, a member of the 2506 Brigade that worked for the CIA at the time of the invasion, said he has faith the measures will bring down Diaz-Canel's government, though he wished it had been done sooner. "Today is a big day," the 78-year-old said. "But I feel very sad too many years waiting." Others said Washington isn't going far enough. Manuel Menendez-Pou, 79, said the Cuban government had confiscated some $63 million in property from his family, once one of the wealthiest on the island, mainly in the sugar industry. "The problem is not the money," Menendez-Pou, also a former member of the brigade, said minutes before the speech. "They stole our life." In Havana, homemaker Odalis Salazar worried about the future of remittances she receives from two children living abroad, including one in the United States. "It hurts everyone and Trump is absolutely criminal, because he knows that ... (the remittances) help us a lot," Salazar said. "We Cubans have families there and we get by largely with that help that they send us." Pompeo's decision on allowing lawsuits lets Americans, including Cubans who became naturalized citizens, sue companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. Pompeo said he would not renew a bar on litigation that has been in place for two decades, meaning lawsuits can be filed starting May 2, when the current suspension expires. The Justice Department has certified roughly 6,000 claims as having merit, said Kimberly Breier, the top U.S. diplomat for the Americas. Those claims have an estimated value of $8 billion: $2 billion in property and $6 billion in interest, she said. An additional 200,000 uncertified claims could run into the tens of billions of dollars, she said. Breier said there would be no exceptions to the policy, but foreign companies "will have nothing to worry about if they are not operating on properties taken from Americans." Nonetheless, companies in the European Union and Canadian companies stand to lose tens of billions in compensation and interest, and the decision prompted stern responses and vows to protect businesses from lawsuits. In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called the decision to remove the longstanding waivers "regrettable" and said it "can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions." In Spain, which has large investments in hotels and other tourism-related ventures on the island, a senior government official said Madrid would ask the EU to mount a challenge at the World Trade Organization. "The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal and violates international law," said Alberto Navarro, EU ambassador to Cuba. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Weissenstein in Miami, Andrea Rodriguez in Havana and Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report. Washington (AFP) - The US trade deficit in February fell to its lowest level in eight months, thanks in part to rising aircraft and auto exports, according to government data released Wednesday. It was the second month in a row that the trade deficit had declined -- after hitting a 10-year high in December -- which also was helped by the steady rise in exports of US services, according to the Commerce Department. The narrowing trade gap should support GDP growth in the first quarter and offers relief from what had been a frustrating data point for President Donald Trump since his aggressive tariff strategy was aimed at reducing the deficit. Trump views the deficit as a job killer and he has launched a multi-front trade offensive with all major US trading partners. The trade gap fell 3.4 percent to $49.4 billion, seasonally adjusted, well below the $54 billion that economists had been expecting. The result, which is subject to revision, put the first two months of the year 7.6 percent below the same period of 2018. At $70 billion for the month, services exports were the highest on record, helped by a $200 million increase in exported transport services. Meanwhile, crude oil imports fell to their lowest volume in nearly 27 years, according to the report. - Gap narrows with China - Jim O'Sullivan of High Frequency Economics said the new data puts the trade deficit "down significantly" from the final quarter of 2018. At this pace, trade could boost first quarter GDP, he said, "probably by close to a full point on the growth rate," he said in a note to clients. That would be a welcome development for Trump as the US economy slows. In a particularly positive point for Trump, the goods deficit with China fell $3.1 billion to $30.1 billion compared to January, helped in part by a recovery for the month in soybean exports. Total exports of the crop rose $190 million to $1.4 billion. Meanwhile, the deficit in goods alone with Japan, which just opened talks on a new trade agreement with the United States, jumped $1.3 billion to $6.7 billion due to a slump in US exports to the Asian economy. Story continues The goods deficit with the EU -- which is planning to open trade talks with Washington -- fell 5.3 percent to $12.4 billion. Total exports of US-made goods rose $2.1 billion to nearly $140 billion for the month, with the volatile civilian aircraft exports up $2.2 billion and auto exports up $600 million. The February numbers, however, will not reflect difficulties suffered by Boeing, which last month suspended deliveries of its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft following fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia in recent months. US imports were largely stable for the month, with a decrease in imports of industrial supplies partly offsetting a $2.1 billion gain in imports of mobile phones and other household consumer goods. Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's Margarita Island in the Caribbean, a magnet for tourists around the world, was on lockdown Tuesday after 65 inmates escaped from a local prison, officials said. The inmates broke out from a prison in the town of La Asuncion overnight Monday to Tuesday. Vice-admiral Alexander Velasquez, head of the Nueva Esparta military zone, said that 159 people were being held at the prison. "Of those 65, five have been recaptured, and they executed one during the escape," Velasquez said. Breakouts are common in the Venezuelan prison system due to poorly trained and corrupt guards, overcrowding and weak security. Some 2,200 security personnel were deployed across the island to search for the escaped prisoners, Velasquez said. Two prison guards were wounded with knives during the escape, local media reported, adding that ahead of the breakout the prisoners had stolen shotguns, a revolver, ammunition and a motorcycle. Margarita Island is Venezuela's premier destination for foreign tourists and is especially busy during Holy Week festivities. "The whole community is on lockdown, with road checkpoints" to maintain and guarantee security, tweeted Morel Rodriguez, mayor of the nearby town of Maneiro. Carlos Nieto, head of the prisoner-rights group A Window to Freedom, said the prison "had no type of security conditions, and had weak surveillance" over the prisoners. The inmates had been transferred from the San Antonio prison, also located on the island, which the government closed three years ago. In 2018, some 470 people escaped in 70 prison breaks in Venezuela, according to A Window to Freedom. Of those, 105 were recaptured. Just when we thought we'd seen it all, a photo of a woman whose swollen, overgrown gums look just like strawberries surfaced on the interwebs. A rare manifestation of a very rare disease caused the 42-year-old's gums to appear red, puffy, and granular. You have to see it to believe itbut don't worry, there's a photo below. A case report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which was published in 2017 but recently started going viral again, tells us the Iranian woman went to the dermatologist complaining of a strange mix of symptoms. She had been experiencing a painful case of gum overgrowth for about six weeks as well as recurrent nosebleeds and necrotic ulcers on her face (meaning her skin cells were dying). Gum overgrowth itself is called gingival hyperplasia, but when it has a "granular and hemorrhagic appearance" (as the author of the case report puts it), it's called strawberry gingivitis. RELATED: 4 Things Your Mouth Can Tell You About Your Health NEJM Gingival hyperplasia can be caused by four things, Sally Cram, DDS, a Washington D.C. periodontist and spokesperson for the American Dental Association, tells Health. The first, and most common, is poor oral hygiene. It can also be caused by certain medications (such as drugs that prevent seizures or those that lower blood pressure), genetics, or underlying medical conditions. Strawberry gingivitis is actually a rare manifestation of an also rare vascular disease, Cram says. The disease, which the woman in this case was indeed diagnosed with, is called granulomatosis with polyangiitis. It's a condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels. The woman was diagnosed not only because of the symptoms mentioned above, but also because doctors found certain antibodies in her system as well as multiple growths (called pulmonary nodules) in her lungs. RELATED: The Best Mouthwash for Gingivitis, According to a Dentist Doctors treated the woman with a medication to suppress her immune system called cyclophosphamide, which is also sometimes used to treat cancer, as well as a steroid called prednisolone, used to treat inflammation. Unfortunately, doctors didn't hear from the woman after she began treatment, so they can't be sure what came of her case. Story continues Cram says gingival hyperplasia often subsides after the underlying cause is treated or changed. For those who have gingival hyperplasia because of genetics, the condition can usually be managed by being extra hygienic. In severe cases, the gums can also be trimmed back, she adds. If you notice anything out of the ordinary happening with your gums, it's important you see a dentist or doctor as soon as possible. Cram says the earlier you catch it, the better it can be treated. RELATED: The 5 Best Electric Toothbrushes, According to Dentists By Kanupriya Kapoor and Tabita Diela JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesians began voting in the world's biggest single-day election on Wednesday as polling stations opened in the east of the sprawling equatorial archipelago following a six-month campaign to choose a new president and parliament. President Joko Widodo, a furniture businessman who entered politics 14 years ago as a small-city mayor, is seeking re-election against former general Prabowo Subianto, whom he narrowly defeated in the last election, in 2014. The economy dominated the hard-fought campaign, though the rise of political Islam loomed over the contest in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. Most opinion polls give Widodo a double-digit lead but the opposition says the race is much closer. Images on social media showed voters in the eastern province of Papua, which is two hours ahead of Jakarta, lining up to cast their ballots. Papuans in six regional legislative elections will use a traditional "noken" system, where a village chief collects votes from residents and casts one collective vote on their behalf. Around 100 worshippers, mostly supporters of Prabowo dressed in white, gathered at a central Jakarta mosque for prayers at dawn before casting their votes when polls open at 7 a.m. local time (0000 GMT). "We ask the Muslim people to pray together before heading to the polling booths. The idea is to gather not just here but at many mosques (across the country)," said Ustad Al-Khathath, leading prayers at the Al Falah mosque. The opposition has alleged data irregularities that could affect millions of voters and has vowed legal or "people power" action if its concerns are ignored. "The system is not foolproof, but there are enough checks and balances in place," Kevin O'Rourke, a political analyst and author of the newsletter Reformasi Weekly, said this week. He said problems with voter lists "are not so bad that it can affect the outcome of the election". Story continues An unexpected win for the challenger could trigger a brief selloff in financial markets that have priced in a Widodo victory, analysts say. "Should Prabowo win, this would literally be the end of opinion polling in Indonesia ... and a major, major upset," said Marcus Mietzner, associate professor at Australian National University. "The question is what the margin of victory will be," he said, predicting Widodo's re-election. 'GAME OF THRONES' Poll-related hashtags trended on Twitter in Indonesia during a three-day quiet period in the run-up to voting day. Social media users compared the presidential race to the HBO series "Game of Thrones" - with one online meme showing Widodo sitting on its coveted Iron Throne. Widodo touted his record on deregulation and improving infrastructure, calling it a first step to tackling inequality and poverty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. A moderate Muslim from central Java, Widodo had to burnish his Islamic credentials after smear campaigns and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia. He picked Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin, 76, as his running mate. Prabowo, a former special forces commander who has links to some hardline Islamist groups, and his running mate, business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno, say they will boost the economy by slashing taxes and focussing on infrastructure. QUICK COUNTS Nearly 350,000 police and soldiers will join 1.6 million paramilitary officers stationed across the country of 17,000 islands to safeguard the vote. More than 192 million people are eligible to cast ballots in national and regional legislative elections being contested by more than 245,000 candidates. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (2200 GMT on Tuesday) in the east and will close at 1 p.m. (0600 GMT) in the west. Voters will have five paper ballots for president, vice president, and national and regional legislative candidates. Unofficial "quick counts", based on samples from polling stations, will be released hours after voting ends. The winning presidential candidate could be known by late on Wednesday. Official results will be announced in May. Any disputes can be taken to the Constitutional Court where a nine-judge panel will have 14 days to rule on them. (Additional reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor and Tabita Diela; Writing by Ed Davies and John Chalmers; editing by Diane Craft) "Sorry, we don't accept that card," can be frustrating to hear. And American Express cardholders tend to run into it more often than Visa or Mastercard cardholders. Why? It has a lot to do with the fees credit card companies charge merchants when you make a purchase. Swipe fees aren't the same across the board. They can vary depending on the type of card you're using. Some merchants choose to not accept cards that charge higher swipe fees than others, like American Express. While the notion that American Express swipe fees are significantly higher than other credit card companies' swipe fees may be a bit of a myth, the fact is American Express has a lower acceptance rate than other card networks. Here's what you need to know about why American Express isn't accepted everywhere and what you can do about it. [Read: Best Rewards Credit Cards.] The Cost of Swiping a Credit Card One way credit card issuers make money is through fees -- but not just fees charged to the consumer, like annual fees. Every time you make a purchase with your credit card, the merchant has to pay a fee to the credit card issuer on that transaction. Usually, these fees are a small percentage of the transaction amount. Some merchants opt to accept payment only from the card companies that charge lower swipe fees than others. Merchants may choose not to work with American Express since its fees are higher. According to data from The Nilson Report released in 2017, Visa and Mastercard merchant card fees had a weighted average of 2.12%, and American Express had a 2.36% weighted average. "This might not seem like a lot," says Michael Outar, owner of personal finance site Savebly.com, "but these fees do add up, and some retailers can't afford to accept American Express credit cards because it is eating into their profits." Why Does American Express Charge a Higher Merchant Fee? It might seem strange that American Express would charge higher swipe fees at the expense of losing some merchants. "The reason that American Express charges a higher average merchant fee than Mastercard and Visa is due to the fact that they operate on a different business model," Outar says. Story continues Some major American Express cards are charge cards, which means cardholders pay their balance in full each month and aren't charged interest. Other issuers primarily offer credit cards, which generate revenue from interest charges. With less interest income, American Express relies more on revenue from merchant swipe fees. [Read: Best Cash Back Credit Cards.] Is It Worth Using American Express? As an American Express customer, you might wonder if it's worth keeping your card when there's a possibility you won't be able to use it everywhere. Even though it can be frustrating to have your form of payment denied at some businesses, you don't have to necessarily give it up. " American Express cards remain popular among consumers because they offer great perks," Outar says, like rewards and cardholder benefits. And according to Melanie Backs, vice president of public affairs at American Express, merchant coverage in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the last few years for the card issuer. She says more than 3 million locations in the U.S. started accepting American Express cards in 2017 and 2018. "We have said publicly that we expect to be a virtual parity with Visa and Mastercard's merchant acceptance in the U.S. by the end of this year," Backs says. There are a number of reasons for this, Backs says. One is improvements to the fee structure for merchants. "We've made changes like introducing OptBlue, a program for small merchants that allows them to accept American Express cards just like they do other card brands through a third party." Backs adds that when it comes to U.S. swipe fees, the notion that accepting American Express is always much more expensive than the other networks is a misperception. "There is little cost difference on average between accepting American Express cards and those on the Visa/Mastercard networks," Backs says. According to The Nilson Report, the average cost difference is less than a quarter of a percentage point. Where American Express Is -- and Isn't -- Accepted American Express cardholders tend to be more affluent, so merchants may be willing to pay the slightly higher swipe fees to capture purchases from wealthy customers. But that's not always the case. Most major retailers are inclined to pay the higher swipe fees charged by American Express. Usually, you will only run into trouble with smaller, independent businesses and international merchants. Costco is one exception; it only accepts Visa. [Read: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.] What You Can Do Though American Express seems to be making strides in encouraging more merchants to accept its cards, there's always a chance you'll run into one that doesn't. To avoid the hassle of dealing with this situation, there are a few things you can do. Ask ahead. Before you head out for some shopping or when planning a big-ticket purchase, it's a good idea to contact the business ahead of time and verify that it does, in fact, accept American Express. Knowing in advance that you can use American Express with a retailer will uncomplicate your shopping experience, says Stephanie Hammell, a financial advisor with LPL Financial of California. "Focus on creating habits ahead of time. When you do your grocery shopping, know ahead of time which stores will accept American Express and it will make your day run smoother. It will become habit to know when to pull it out and when to leave it in your pocket." Carry a backup card. In addition to your American Express card, it can be a good idea to carry another credit card from a different issuer. Mastercard and Visa have the highest acceptance rate, but Discover isn't far behind. If you have a card that's exclusively used as an American Express backup, Outar recommends avoiding an annual fee. Paying an annual fee for your American Express card might be worth it, but there's no reason to pay for a card you might not use often enough to offset the fee with rewards or benefits. Use a different form of payment. Though it's nice to earn cash back or travel miles on money you have to spend anyway, sometimes a credit card isn't the best payment option. If necessary, consider using a debit card, cash, check or another form of payment when American Express isn't accepted. Casey Bond is a seasoned personal finance writer and editor. Her work has appeared in a number of major national publications including U.S. News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Forbes and others. Follow her on Twitter @CaseyLynnBond. To see how the phages and bacteria might work together, the researchers took advantage of a quirk of the biology of filamentous phages: When these phages infect the bacteria, they do not kill them; rather, the still-living bacteria incorporate the phage DNA into their own DNA and begin churning out lots of viral particles. The researchers looked at genetic analyses of Pseudomonas bacteria from the lungs of 34 CF patients in Denmark. The patients had had their bacterial DNA sequenced repeatedly over time, allowing the researchers to see whether phage DNA had been persistently incorporated into the bacterial genomes. Patients were more likely to develop consistent phage infections as they got older, supporting the idea that the virus-infected bacteria come to dominate CF patients lungs over time. The average age of patients without the phages was 13, while the average age of phage-infected patients was 19. Burgener and her colleagues also collected sputum samples from 76 people with CF, both adults and children, who were receiving treatment at Stanford. The team tested the sputum for genetic signatures from Pseudomonas and filamentous phages and found that 58 people had Pseudomonas infection. The researchers studied information from the patients medical records on lung function, what bacteria had been growing in their lungs over time and other health indicators. Among the Stanford patients, carrying phage-infected Pseudomonas was more common as patients got older. Phage-infected Pseudomonas bacteria were more likely than bacteria without the virus to be resistant to three antibiotics commonly used to treat CF aztreonam, amikacin and meropenem but not to another antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. The thing that really stood out was that patients with phage and Pseudomonas had significantly more antibiotic resistance than patients that didnt have phage, Burgener said. How does antibiotic resistance happen? The researchers previously showed that phage particles glom together into a liquid-crystal structure, a slimy biofilm, which grabs onto antibiotic molecules. In the new study, they tested whether this could prevent antibiotics from diffusing to bacteria. The phage biofilm sequestered aztreonam, amikacin and meropenem away from bacteria, the team showed. We think the biofilm is protecting Pseudomonas, Burgener said. As the biofilm sequesters antibiotics, the bacteria sees sub-therapeutic levels of the drugs, allowing individual drug-resistant bacteria to grow and gradually take over in the lung. The researchers think the physical properties of the different types of antibiotic molecules such as whether the drugs have charged or neutral surfaces may explain why some antibiotics get stuck in the phage biofilm and others do not. If were able to confirm these results, it may affect how we choose antibiotic therapy for patients who have CF and Pseudomonas, Burgener said. Its shocking how much effect the phages have on the host immune system. The next step is to understand how CF patients bodies respond to the phages, Burgener said, adding, Its shocking how much effect the phages have on the host immune system. Bollyky recently led another study that suggests it may be possible to vaccinate against the phage. Ideally, wed be able to give a vaccine to CF patients when theyre young, Burgener said. Hopefully we can prevent Pseudomonas infection. Other Stanford co-authors of the study are graduate students Johanna Sweere, Michelle Bach and Naomi Haddock; former postdoctoral scholar Xiou Cao, PhD; Lu Tian, ScD, associate professor of biomedical data science; and biostatistician Laurence Nedelec, PhD. Bollyky is a member of Stanford Bio-X and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford. Bollyky and Milla are members of the Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute. Scientists from the University of Montana, Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen also contributed to the research. The Stanford scientists involved in the research were supported by the Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute; the Stanford Training Program in Pulmonary, part of a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (grant T32HL129970); Stanfords Translational Research and Applied Medicine Program; the Ross Mosier Laboratories Gift Fund; the National Institutes of Health (grants R21AI137432 and R01AI12492093); the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; and the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust Bank of America. Stanfords departments of Pediatrics, of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology also supported the work. More than two years after the two titans of the smartphone era, Apple and Qualcomm, went to war, peace broke out suddenly and surprisingly on Tuesday. Apple and Qualcomm announced that they had settled all of the patent and royalty lawsuits they had filed against each other. They also said they had agreed to a six-year deal for Qualcomm to supply Apple with chips for its mobile devices and for the associated licensing rights. At issue were some of the most important features of smartphones. Qualcomm has been a pioneer in making the modem chips that allow the devices to connect to 3G and 4G wireless networks. But Apple, along with some other phone makers and antitrust regulators around the world, accused Qualcomm of abusing its dominant position to thwart competition and charge excessive royalties. In 2017, Apple sued Qualcomm and a few months later stopped its contract manufacturers from paying the billions of dollars a year it owed Qualcomm for the modem chips in iPhones and iPads. Apple then started dropping Qualcomms chips from its devices, relying increasingly on Intel for mobile modem features. Now, Qualcomm is back in Apples supply chain. And Intel says its quitting the mobile modem business altogether. Here are some of the winners and losers of the settlement: The biggest winner: Qualcomm Qualcomms stock was headed for $70 a share in the fall of 2016, but then a series of antitrust lawsuits filed by regulators and Apple pushed it below $50 within a year. Shareholders got a brief reprieve when the low price attracted bargain hunter Hock Tan, CEO of rival chipmaker Broadcom, who attempted a takeover of Qualcomm while it was wounded in the Apple battle. But when Tans bid ultimately was blocked by the Trump Administration on national security grounds, Qualcomms stock again dropped below $50 and had since bounced around in the mid-50s. As soon as the settlement was announced on Tuesday, Qualcomm shares shot up more than 20% and rose even further on Wednesday to $80, their highest price since 2014, the year smartphone sales were near their peak. Story continues The reasons are straightforward. Apple had supplied $2 billion or more annually in revenuerevenue with big profit margins, since most of the money was for royalties on patents. Now Apple has agreed to pay back royalties it withheld over the past two years, plus it will pay future royalties and again buy modem chips from Qualcomm. In a brief note to investors on Tuesday, Qualcomm said its earnings per share, which amounted to $3.69 last year on an adjusted basis, could increase $2 annually under the deal. The resolution will likely go a long way toward assuaging investors who have been terrified of the potential for negative legal and regulatory outcomes, Bernstein Research analyst Stacy Rasgon noted. Still, details of the settlement have yet to be disclosed and the legal case filed by the Federal Trade Commission is still pending, he added. Also winners: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint The four major wireless carriers are spending billions of dollars to build 5G networks, but about half of U.S. wireless customers use an iPhone. With Intels 5G efforts lagging, the carriers were looking at a possible two-year delay before Apple could sell a 5G-compatible iPhone. Now that concern should be resolved and Apple will be able to offer devices that can run on all four carriers 5G networks. The carriers may even have been pressuring Apple behind the scenes to settle. Ronan Dunne, president of Verizons vz consumer group, in February told Fortune he was planning to get his customers massively excited about 5G. We have a great relationship with Tim and Im his biggest customer in the U.S., Dunne said. Im doing my bit. Another winner: iPhone users As noted, Intels efforts on 5G modems were falling far behind Qualcomms. Samsung and some other Android phonemakers are starting to sell 5G-compatible phones as soon as next month, while Apples 5G phone lagged. The settlement means a 5G iPhone is likely coming next year. But even customers with no interest in 5G should benefit from the return of Qualcomm chips to the iPhone. Long before 5G arrived on the scene, 2017 iPhones with Intels current 4G modems lagged the performance of similar iPhones with Qualcomm chips. And Qualcomm said that the gap would have been even bigger had the iPhone maker not throttled some of the features of its 4G chips. The 2018 iPhones used only Intel 4G modems and, again, some tests showed the devices performed worse than 2018 Android phones with the latest Qualcomm 4G chips. Kind of a winner: Apple Apple was involved at the early stages of the antitrust investigations of Qualcomm because it felt cornered by the mobile chipmakers dominance. If anything, that domination is now reinforced, as Qualcomm will likely be the sole supplier of 5G modems in the iPhone next year. Of course, Apple is rumored to be working on making its own modem chips, perhaps in time for the iPhones of 2021. Apples stock price barely budged on news of the settlement, but some analysts said Apple was a winner because it has at least removed the uncertainty and possible delay of 5G- compatible iPhones. Apple is better positioned for the upcoming push to 5G, Morgan Stanleys Katy Huberty wrote in a report on the deal. The settlement itself will have a relatively insignificant impact on Apples balance sheet, she added. Probably a loser: Intel Intel, the dominant player of the PC era, has struggled to profit from the rise of mobile devices. It lost billions of dollars in a failed effort to sell mobile processors for phones. So in the past few years, Intel focused just on competing in mobile modem chips, though attracting just one significant customer: Apple. Now, not only is Apple aapl apparently going back to Qualcomm qcom for modem chips, but Intel intc said on Tuesday it would shutter its modem effort completely. That leaves it even further out of the mobile market, though some investors were obviously relieved that the likely money-losing effort to compete with Qualcomm is over. Intel shares gained 4% on Wednesday. Another loser: MediaTek The Taiwanese mobile chip maker MediaTek also saw its stock fall after the Apple-Qualcomm settlement. The company could have been a beneficiary of Apples need for 5G modem chips if Intel had faltered. At a trial in January weighing the Federal Trade Commissions antitrust case against Qualcomm, an Apple executive said the iPhone maker was considering MediaTek as a supplier. By Karen Pierog and Caroline Stauffer (Reuters) - Wisconsin's governor said on Wednesday he wants to renegotiate the state's contract with Foxconn Technology Group for investment incentives because the Taiwanese company is not expected to reach its job creation goals for the state. Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who took office in January, inherited a deal to give Foxconn around $4 billion in tax breaks and other incentives that was championed by Scott Walker, Evers' Republican predecessor. Announced at a White House ceremony in 2017, Foxconn's 20-million-square-foot campus marked the largest greenfield investment by a foreign-based company in U.S. history and was praised by President Donald Trump as proof of his ability to revive American manufacturing. Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple Inc, has pledged to eventually create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, but said earlier this year it had slowed its pace of hiring. "The present contract deals with a situation that no longer exists so it's our goal to make sure that the taxpayers are protected and environmental standards are protected, and we believe that we need to take a look at that contract," Evers told reporters. He said it was premature to discuss specific changes to the contract. Foxconn representatives did not immediately comment. Evers' comments came hours after Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou announced he was running for president of Taiwan. Gou told Reuters on Monday he planned to step down from Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, to pave the way for younger talent to move up the company's ranks. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, said in a statement on Tuesday that Gou would remain chairman, though he planned to withdraw from daily operations. Evers said the footprint of the project is going to be much smaller than the original, but the scaled-back project is expected to advance "whether Mr. Gou is part of that enterprise or not." Story continues AN "IRONCLAD" CONTRACT The company has wavered on its goals for the $10 billion project this year. Louis Woo, special assistant to Gou, told Reuters in January that Foxconn was reconsidering plans to make advanced liquid crystal display panels. He said Foxconn would hire mostly engineers and researchers rather than the manufacturing workforce originally promised in Wisconsin. Days later, the company said it would build the factory after Gou spoke with Trump. Evers had criticized the Foxconn deal during his campaign for governor. "Since the election, I have been concerned that Governor Evers would try to undermine the state's contract with Foxconn," Robin Vos, speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly and a Republican, said in a statement. He said the existing contract negotiated by the state's economic development arm was "ironclad." The head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), an organization created by Walker in 2011, said he has frequent discussions with Foxconn. "These ongoing discussions include consideration of the effect the companys evolving plans may have on WEDCs contract and our steadfast commitment to protect the taxpayers of Wisconsin," WEDC Secretary and Chief Executive Mark Hogan said. To qualify for tax credits Foxconn must meet certain hiring and capital investment goals under the current contract. It fell short of the employment goal in 2018 - hiring 178 full-time workers rather than the 260 targeted and failed to earn a tax credit of up to $9.5 million. Foxconn has a history of walking back on investment plans in the United States and elsewhere. His track record for promising investments and then not following through is real," Douglas Paal, who served as U.S. representative to Taiwan from 2002 to 2006, said of Gou. "His current investment plans for Wisconsin have generated a level of controversy, but he has people who seem sincerely trying to make it come about. (Reporting by Karen Pierog and Caroline Stauffer; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; writing by Caroline Stauffer; editing by Tom Brown and Leslie Adler) Liverpool advanced to the Champions League semifinals with a 6-1 aggregate win over Porto, but the Premier League title remains the Reds primary goal. (AP) To the surprise of nobody, Liverpool advanced to the final four of the UEFA Champions League after dismantling overmatched Porto, 6-1 over two games, including Wednesday 4-1 blitz away from Anfield. The Reds path back to the semis for a second consecutive year felt inevitable the moment they drew the weakest of the quarterfinalists, and it became even more of a forgone conclusion once the Reds took a commanding lead in the opening leg of the series last week. From this point forward, though, luck is no longer on Liverpools side. Not only must Jurgen Klopps team face off against Lionel Messi-led Barcelona in a home-and-home that begins later this month, progressing to this late stage of the top club competition against the prohibitive might just spread the Reds too thin. Liverpool would love to add a sixth European title, no doubt Theyre already the most successful English club in the competitions history, and they might feel like they have some unfinished business to handle after dropping last years finale to Real Madrid in a match where just about everything that could go wrong did. Still, its no secret that the Premier League title is the trophy the Reds and their fans want the most. Its been 30 years since Liverpool last won a domestic title. The Premier League wasnt even called that back then. Ending that drought has become an obsession for obvious reasons. Over the last three decades, the clubs supporters have watched as a historic rival, Manchester United, overtook them in the silverware department. Nouveau riche Chelsea and Manchester City went from also-rans to perennial contenders; theyve combined for nine league wins since 2004. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp might have to juggle the Reds lineup over the final four Premier League games. (Getty) This reality leaves Reds manager Jurgen Klopp with decisions to make. While some might argue that fixture congestion is the price that the biggest clubs have to pay to satisfy their ambitions, Liverpool, for all its glorious but mostly ancient history, has only just regained its status among the global elite in the years since Klopp arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2015. Story continues They still cant match the financial muscle of United, City, or Chelsea, not to mention Barca or Madrid. These financial limitations turned the club into a tournament team in the decade before Klopp arrived. They won their last Champions League crown in 2005 and lost in the final two years later. Two runner-up finishes was the best they could muster in the Prem over the same span. So as much as winning the double is technically possible, few truly believe that these Reds, for all their ability and considerable depth, are good enough to knock off Barcelona and end the domestic drought. Surely upsetting Barca will require an all-feet-on-deck approach. That in turn would force Klopp to rotate his lineups over the final four league matches, all of which Liverpool could win and still not take the title given Manchester Citys one game in hand. Even worse, richer, deeper City will be well rested now that theyre out of the Champions League following Wednesdays epic against Tottenham. The league schedule for Liverpool is kind. With games against bottom feeders Cardiff City and Huddersfield and beatable foes in Newcastle and Wolves, the Reds could probably run the table by sprinkling reserves into the lineup. Theres no guarantees, though. The second leg against Porto marked the Reds 46th contest this season. Injuries to key players have already taken their toll. Devoting anything less than their best to the league effort is bad juju. This particular year, reaching the semifinals of the planets best club competition might have to be good enough. More from Yahoo Sports: By Bernadette Christina Munthe and Cindy Silviana JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo appeared set for a second term as "quick count" results from Wednesday's election rolled in, but his challenger claimed that he had won the popular vote and urged supporters not to let his victory be snatched away. Data from private pollsters based on counts of vote samples were in line with opinion polls that had predicted a win for Widodo, a former furniture businessman and low-key reformist. They showed him winning the popular vote with about 54 percent, with a lead of between 7.1 and 11.6 percentage points over former general Prabowo Subianto, who was narrowly defeated when he took Widodo on in the last election five years ago. In previous elections, the counts from reputable companies proved to be accurate. But Prabowo, a former son-in-law of military strongman Suharto who was overthrown in 1998, told a news conference that - based on internal exit polls and "quick count" numbers - his campaign believed his share of the vote was in a 52-54 percent range. "We have noted several incidents that have harmed the supporters of this ticket," he said, without giving detail. "The truth will win." In 2014, Prabowo had also claimed victory on election day, before contesting the results at the Constitutional Court, which confirmed Widodo's win. Widodo said the results indicated he had regained the presidency of the world's fourth-most-populous nation, but urged supporters to wait for the election commission to announce official results. Kevin O'Rourke, a political analyst and author of the Indonesia-focused newsletter Reformasi Weekly, said that Widodo's re-election was now clear but his victory over 67-year-old Prabowo was not resounding. "He failed to attain the psychological 60 percent level that had seemed within reach," O'Rourke said. "Prabowo performed better than expected, which may embolden him to run yet again in 2024, if he is sufficiently fit." Widodo grew up in a riverside slum and was the first national leader to come from outside the political and military elite. Popularly known as Jokowi, his everyman image resonated in 2014 with voters tired of the old guard. 'NO BURNING' The eight-hour vote on Wednesday for both the presidency and legislature seats across a country that stretches more than 5,000 km (3,000 miles) from its western to eastern tips was both a Herculean logistical feat and testimony to the resilience of democracy two decades after authoritarianism was defeated. The poll followed a campaign dominated by economic issues but was also marked by the growing influence of conservative Islam in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation. A senior government official close to the president said before the election that a win for Widodo with 52-55 percent of the vote would be a "sweet spot", and enough of a mandate to press on with, and even accelerate, reforms. The official election results will not be published until May. Any disputes can be taken to the Constitutional Court where a nine-judge panel will have 14 days to rule on them. More than 10,000 volunteers crowd-sourced results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud. However, even before the election, the opposition alleged voter-list irregularities that it said could affect millions and vowed legal or "people power" action if its concerns were ignored. Ferdinand Hutahaen, a spokesman for the Prabowo campaign, sought to soothe concerns this could mean a violent response. "Don't consider 'people power' as a form of violence," he told reporters. "There will be no burning, killing. We will see what kind of 'people power' and revolution society wants. We don't want conflict in this country." Prabowo's supporters would march in central Jakarta after midday prayers on Friday, campaign officials said. REFORM AGENDA Analysts are trying to assess whether Widodo will accelerate the cautious reform agenda of his first term and open up more areas to foreign investors, or even try to free up restrictive labor laws. This will partly hinge on his ability to get laws through a newly elected parliament and to take on nationalist forces. Widodo campaigned on his record of deregulation and improving infrastructure, calling it a step to tackling inequality and poverty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. But religion has also been a factor. Conservative Muslim groups have been increasingly influential. Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Java island, had to burnish his Islamic credentials after smear campaigns and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia. He picked Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin, 76, as his running mate. Prabowo, a former special forces commander who has links to some hardline Muslim groups, and his running mate, business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno, pledged to boost the economy by slashing taxes and cutting food prices. (Graphic: President Joko Widodo's achievements - https://tmsnrt.rs/2CRgHYC) (Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo da Costa, Maikel Jefriando, Tabita Diela, Kanupriya Kapoor, Jessica Damiana and Cindy Silviana in Jakarta, Tommy Ardiansyah in Bogor, Mas Alina Arifin in Bandar Lampung; Writing by John Chalmers and Ed Davies; Editing by Robert Birsel) The manufacturers hope the Flaris LAR 1 will be on sale early next decade. (CEN) The worlds smallest commercial jet has taken to the skies for the first time and is attracting interest from all over the world including reportedly from Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson. Pilot Wieslaw Cena tested the five-seat Flaris LAR 1 at the Zielona Gora Airport near the town of Babimost in south east Poland. The small jet only weighs 700KG and is powered by a single Williams FJ33-5A turbofan engine. Reportedly, the jet only needs 100 metres of runway to take off. (CEN) It has been deliberately designed to look like a traditional car on the inside and also comes with detachable wings to help with storage. The manufacturers say it will be the cheapest passenger jet on the market at just over two million euros (1.7m). The jet has been designed to look like a standard car on the inside. (CEN) They plan to produce several models next year and hope to have it on the market early next decade. The plane is being developed by the Polish company Metal Master and is the only single-engined light jet being made outside of the United States. The manufacturers say it will cost 1.7m, making it the cheapest commercial plane on the market. (CEN) Rafal Landinski, the founder of Metal Master, said: The aircraft performed and handled very well in difficult conditions. According to reports, the jet only needs 100 metres of runway and can reach an altitude of 5,900 feet in a minute. The plane only weighs 700kg and comes with detachable wings to make it easier to store. (CEN) The company said it is confident the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will certify the Flaris LAR 1 to fly by the end of 2020. British rocker and Iron Maiden lead Bruce Dickinson is reportedly interested in buying one of the jets. Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson inside the FLARIS LAR-01. (CEN) He is known to be a keen pilot with over 10,000 flying hours under his belt and owns an aviation maintenance company. President Donald Trump will open the way for lawsuits in US courts over property confiscated by Cuba, enforcing a controversial law that angered European allies and could rattle the island's economy, after more than two decades of delay. Ever since Congress passed the Helms-Burton Act in 1996, US presidents starting with Bill Clinton have used their power to suspend the key provision every six months, mindful of the international consequences. Those once-routine waivers are now over. A senior administration official said National Security Advisor John Bolton will formally unveil the shift Wednesday in a speech in Miami in which he will also outline actions on Venezuela and Nicaragua, two other countries in Latin America with leftist governments opposed by Trump. Bolton "will announce the enforcement of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act," the official said. The hawkish adviser will be speaking to veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the failed CIA-backed attempt by Cuban exiles to depose Fidel Castro's communist regime in 1961. The European Union was swift in condemning the move. "This will create even more confusion for foreign investments that are helping create jobs and prosperity in Cuba," EU envoy to Havana Alberto Navarro told reporters. With the change, Cuban exiles will be allowed to head to US courts to sue both private companies and the Havana government for profiting from properties nationalized after Fidel Castro's 1959 communist revolution. While US courts cannot directly enforce decisions inside Cuba, the Helms-Burton Act is meant to send a chilling message to foreign investors -- including Americans -- who may increasingly decide to exit or steer clear of the island. When it was initially passed, the law had been strongly opposed by the European Union, which worries about legal repercussions for its businesses in the United States. With some 200,000 potential lawsuits in the making, US officials feared the law would flood the World Trade Organization with complaints. A related provision restricts entry into the United States of anyone who is connected to an unresolved claim in Cuba over confiscated property. - Rash of lawsuits expected - Republican lawmakers who have long pushed for tough action on Cuba have rejoiced at the Trump administration's signals since January that it was moving to fully enforce the Helms-Burton Act. "Years of consecutive extensions may have lulled some into a false sense of impunity," said Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican of Cuban descent. "Yet now companies which willingly entangle themselves in partnerships with the anti-American, illegitimate and oppressive regime in Cuba are on notice that they will be held responsible for their part in callously benefiting from the extensive losses suffered by victims of the regime," he said in a recent statement. Spanish Economy Minister renewed the European concerns Saturday during a visit to Washington for IMF and World Bank meetings, saying Spain has "clearly expressed its rejection" of Helms-Burton. The implementation "would be clearly detrimental to the smooth running of international business," she told reporters. Among potential targets of the law are the Hotel Habana Libre, the former Hilton which is now run by Spain's Melia chain. The US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York-based group that supports commercial ties between the longtime adversaries, said that companies with combined revenues of $678 billion could be targeted in Helms-Burton lawsuits. According to the group, companies that have been mentioned for potential lawsuits include major international airlines, including US-based American, Delta and United, hotels chains such as Marriott and Accor and companies as diverse of French liquor maker Pernod Ricard and Chinese telecom giant Huawei. - Drastic turn in US policy - Trump's move marks a drastic shift from his predecessor Barack Obama, who had normalized relations with Cuba, saying that a half-century of US efforts to topple the regime had failed. Obama eased travel restrictions for Americans and himself visited Cuba, signaling to many US businesses that the time had come to return to the island. Trump has also been pushing for the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist firebrand who presides over a crumbling economy that has sparked a massive exodus. It is the latest time that Trump has moved ahead with a policy long seen as too disruptive. In 2017, he moved the US embassy in Israel to bitterly divided Jerusalem, similarly ending years of waivers of a US law. The Helms-Burton Law is named for far-right Republican senator Jesse Helms and congressman Dan Burton. They drafted the law passed by Congress after Cuba shot down two aircraft flown by exiled activists, putting an end to tentative efforts by Clinton to try to repair relations. sms-an-sct-mav-ka/oh Old American cars are seen in February 2019 near the Habana Libre Hotel, the former Havana Hilton, which could be the focus of legal action as the US Helms-Burton Act comes fully into effect A group of tourists walks in February 2019 past a billboard with revolutionary slogans in Havana, which had become increasingly attractive to US visitors amid a thaw led by president Barack Obama US National Security Advisor John Bolton is set to announce tough new measures against Cuba Arch-conservative senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, seen here in 2002, spearheaded a tough law on Cuba that is being enforced after more than two decades The changes US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has proposed in the wake of two deadly accidents of its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft were deemed "operationally suitable," according to a draft report released by US regulators Tuesday. However, Boeing has not yet submitted a planned software fix to the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency said in a statement. Boeing has been working on a software fix for its anti-stall system following crashes in Ethiopia last month and Indonesia in October that killed nearly 350 people, both shortly after takeoff. All 737 MAX aircraft have been banned from the world's skies since days after the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, and the FAA has said it will not rush to approve the proposed fixes. Crash investigators have zeroed in on the planes' anti-stall system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, which may have erroneously forced the planes down. Boeing said it has been working on a software upgrade since late last year, and announced additional changes after last month's deadly crash. The FAA said a Flight Standardization Board evaluated "the modified Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS)" and said the "system was found to be operationally suitable." - 'Aided instruction' - The report, which notes the differences in the MAX compared to prior 737 models, and any new training requirements, will be open for public comment for 14 days. "After that, the FAA will review those comments before making a final assessment. Boeing Co. is still expected in the coming weeks to submit the final software package for certification," the agency said. Because the 737 MAX is substantially similar to prior versions of the aircraft, pilots are not required to undergo extensive additional training, however the report added the MCAS to the list of items that require "aided instruction," such as videos or computer-based tutorials. The grounding has put Boeing under increasing pressure, forcing it to halt deliveries of the aircraft. And US airlines are facing hundreds of daily flight cancelations through the summer, the peak travel season. The MCAS was developed specifically for the 737 MAX, because its heavier engines created aerodynamic issues. But it apparently was designed to engage when alerted by a single sensor. US pilots complained after the crash in October that they had not been fully briefed on the system. The Ethiopian probe appeared to confirm suspicions about the MCAS, with data echoing that from the crash of the Indonesian Lion Air flight. The full report has not been publicly released but, according to a draft copy seen by AFP, shortly after take-off a sensor recording the level of the plane began transmitting faulty data, prompting the autopilot system to point the nose downward. Southwest Airlines and other carriers face a challenging summer after the entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft were grounded The MCAS system on 737 MAX 8 planes is designed to prevent engine stalls Two second-year medical students, Harriet Kiwanuka and Shamik Mascharak, have been awarded 2019 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. Paul Soros, who died in 2013, and his wife, Daisy Soros, established the fellowship program in 1997 to support graduate study for immigrants to the United States and their children. Each fellow receives as much as $90,000 for tuition and living expenses over two academic years. Recipients are selected for fellowships based on merit, with an emphasis on creativity, originality, initiative and sustained accomplishments. They can study in any degree-granting graduate program in any field at any university in the United States. Kiwanukawill use the award to support work toward her medical degree. Her parents emigrated from Uganda, and she was born in Norwood, Massachusetts. She traces her passion to pursue medicine to the time her parents were severely injured in a house fire. Kiwanuka is a member of the Gurtner laboratory, which is interested in the mechanism of blood vessel growth following injury, and how pathways of tissue regeneration and fibrosis interact in wound healing. Her research is focused on CRISPR-cas9 engineered stem cell burn therapy. She hopes to become a plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in burn management. Yemen's Huthi rebels on Wednesday slammed President Donald Trump's veto of a Congress resolution directing him to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen as proof Washington was behind the conflict. The veto "proves that the United States is not only involved in the war on Yemen but also was behind the decision to go to war," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted. "Others followed that decision and execute the wishes and ambitions of the United States," Abdelsalam added, referring to Saudi Arabia and its allies. Abdelsalam, who heads a rebel delegation involved in ongoing UN-led peace talks, held the US responsible for "massacres, crimes and the unjust siege of Yemen". Yemen and Mexico are the only two countries to have been targeted by a Trump veto. The president overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March. Congress' Yemen resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers -- a step he condemned in a statement announcing his veto. Democrats argue that US involvement in the Yemen conflict, which includes intelligence-sharing, logistical support and now-discontinued aerial refuelling, is unconstitutional without congressional authority. Trump said US support for the devastating war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, was necessary to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries". Trump also said the veto would harm "bilateral relations" with key US allies. These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes Saudi Arabia's air force either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether. Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen during the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although human rights groups say the toll could be five times higher. The country stands at the brink of famine. Both the Saudi-led alliance and the Huthis have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children. Critics of the Yemen war warn Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities. Trump said US support for the war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Huthi rebels was necessary to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries" The U.S. shale boom is upending global oil markets as far as crude flows from West Africa to Europe and other parts of the world, and is squeezing in particular Nigerias struggling oil industry. As one of Africas top producers, Nigeria is contending with increasingly stiff competition from U.S. light grades on the global market in order to keep its traditional sales destinations. Moreover, Nigerian exports to the U.S. have been declining in recent years because the U.S. pumps growing amounts of comparable light crude grades. As a result, Nigerias crude must compete with U.S. oilnot only in America, but also in Europe and Asia. Immediate future demand for Nigerian oil is expected to hold up at least for now, as European refiners are buying more light crude to process and export to America as the driving season approaches, and as demand in Southeast AsiaIndia and Indonesia in particularsupports the prices of the key Nigerian crude grades, says Fotios Katsoulas, Liquid Bulk Principal Analyst, Maritime & Trade, at IHS Markit. However, Nigeria faces stiff competition in Europe from U.S. crude, Caspian crude, and North Sea crude, and European refiners are not particularly happy with higher Nigerian crude prices. Nigeria must also fight for market share in oil-thirsty India, where an Indian state-owned refiner has just signed a first-term contract to purchase American oil. Despite signs of steady demand for Nigerian oil in the coming months, going forward, Nigeria may have to look for new markets for its oil, according to traders. Related: Think Tank: Mexicos New Refinery Already Doomed Nigerian exports of crude oil to the U.S. have been on a downward trend for nearly a decade, and the drop became even more pronounced last year when U.S. shale production was beating production records week after week. This summer, Nigerian oil flows to the United States may find some hope as the market is starting to show some interest in Nigerias Bonga grade, and as U.S. drillers cut spending and scale back production, this could also benefit Nigerias oil, according to IHS Markit. Moreover, the US might experience some further decline in terms of oil well productivity in the Texass Permian basin, which could be good news for Nigeria, IHS Markits Katsoulas says. Nigeria must also compete with U.S. oil for another of its key markets, Europe. While European refiners could buy more of Nigerias light oil ahead of the summer driving season, traders are not happy with the premium of key Nigerian grades to dated Brent, especially when there is cheaper available light oil from the United States, the North Sea, and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) crude. We have many options that mean Nigerian wont work for us at these prices, a trader told Reuters last week, when Nigerias key export grades Bonny Light and Qua Iboe were being offered at or above a $2 a barrel premium over dated Brent. Related: Its Stupid: German Professor Slams Berlin Battery Play Steady demand for Nigerian crude in Asian countries like India and Indonesia have propped the prices of Bonny Light and Qua Iboe to a near five-year high, according to shipping and trading sources quoted by Reuters. Nigeria, however, should follow closely how its U.S. competition will play on the Indian market, as the US have started targeting Indian refiners, IHS Markits Katsoulas notes. In February this year, Indian Oil finalized a US$1.5-billion term contract to import U.S. crude grades as a part of its strategy to diversify term crude sources. This was the first term contract that an Indian public sector undertaking (PSU) in the oil industry had signed to import American crudes. If the U.S. presses on with more oil sales to the Indian market, Nigeria will have another front on which it must compete with what is now the worlds top oil producer and what was a big buyer of Nigerian crude just a decade ago. Facing competition in nearly every corner of the oil market, Sooner or later Nigerian oil is going to need to expand into new markets, a trading source told Reuters last week. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Higher oil prices are justified in the short-term because of the sharp fall in OPEC crude output, which according to S&P Global Platts Higher oil prices and weak economic growth are not conditions that will stimulate oil demand. What growth there is will be captured mainly by US producers, raising the cost in terms of market share to OPEC and Russia of their current production curbs, complicating their decision on whether to extend current policy beyond the end of June. There has been some loosening of monetary and fiscal policy in the US, China and Europe, and Chinese-US trade talks appear to be inching towards some kind of resolution, but the world economy continues to skirt recession. The IMF warns that the prospects for recovery remain fragile, but financial markets appear to be taking a glass-half-full attitude. Although the IMF sees something of a recovery in 2020, the OECDs composite leading indicator has been below its long-term average of 100 since July 2018 and remains on a downward trend, reaching 99.10 in February, again the lowest level since 2009. Brent crude moved over $70/barrel in the first half of April, despite a weak global economy. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF reduced both its estimate of global growth in 2018 and its forecast for 2019, which fell from 3.7% to 3.3%. If realised, this would be the weakest expansion of global GDP since the 2009 financial crisis. Brent crude moved over $70/barrel in the first half of April, despite a weak global economy. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF reduced both its estimate of global growth in 2018 and its forecast for 2019, which fell from 3.7% to 3.3%. If realised, this would be the weakest expansion of global GDP since the 2009 financial crisis. Although the IMF sees something of a recovery in 2020, the OECDs composite leading indicator has been below its long-term average of 100 since July 2018 and remains on a downward trend, reaching 99.10 in February, again the lowest level since 2009. There has been some loosening of monetary and fiscal policy in the US, China and Europe, and Chinese-US trade talks appear to be inching towards some kind of resolution, but the world economy continues to skirt recession. The IMF warns that the prospects for recovery remain fragile, but financial markets appear to be taking a glass-half-full attitude. Higher oil prices and weak economic growth are not conditions that will stimulate oil demand. What growth there is will be captured mainly by US producers, raising the cost in terms of market share to OPEC and Russia of their current production curbs, complicating their decision on whether to extend current policy beyond the end of June. Supply tightening Higher oil prices are justified in the short-term because of the sharp fall in OPEC crude output, which according to S&P Global Platts monthly survey, dropped 570,000 b/d from February to 30.23 million b/d in March, the lowest level in more than four years. Further declines may well be on the cards as a result of General Khalifa Haftars offensive against the Libyan capital Tripoli, which has raised fears that Libyas crude production will again face disruption. OPEC and its non-OPEC partners agreed in December to reduce oil supply by a total 1.2 million b/d in first-half 2019 from October 2018 levels. By over-complying with its own share of the cuts, Saudi Arabia is indeed leading by example. Saudi production in March was 440,000 b/d lower than required under the deal, a position which flies in the face of Trump administration concerns that higher pump prices in the US will undermine US President Donald Trumps re-election chances in November 2020. Meanwhile, the huge fall in Venezuelan output by 360,000 b/d to just 740,000 b/d in March appears to herald a new level of crisis in the countrys oil industry as it struggles to maintain adequate power supplies and deal with shortages of the diluents necessary to keep its heavy oil operations functioning. US sanctions against the country are taking their toll and closure of the countrys heavy oil upgraders further limits naphtha availability as they play a key role in recycling the diluents necessary for lifting oil from the Orinoco Belt. The drop in exports may be exaggerated Lloyds list has reported suspect shipping movements off Trinidad and Tobago but the complexity of Venezuelas heavy oil supply chain makes it particularly vulnerable to sanctions. Venezuela remains an unpredictable oil market flashpoint, particularly if the countrys growing humanitarian crisis increases the pressure for outside, particularly US, intervention. Developments in Libya also increase upside price risks. Although Libyan crude output rose by 190,000 b/d in March to an average 1.06 million b/d as the El Sharara field came back on stream, Haftars advance on Tripoli creates an untenable situation in which most oil production is under the control of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, or militias, while financial payments continue to flow through the National Oil Company (NOC) based in under-siege Tripoli. With Libyan crude production reported by NOC to have reached 1.2 million b/d by end-March, there is now little further supply upside amid growing downside risk. Sanctions decision These threats to oil supply heighten the risk of a further rise in oil prices, if the US tightens sanctions on Iran. Washington is poised to decide on the extension of waivers by May 2 for key importers of Iranian crude China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey. A failure to extend Chinas sanctions waiver could impact progress in the two countries trade talks. A more accommodative stance by Saudi Arabia would support Washingtons toughening of sanctions against both Iran and Venezuela by reducing the upward pressure on oil prices. So far, Riyadh is not playing ball, but events in Venezuela and potentially Libya create the conditions for some loosening of its current level of over-compliance. However, the real fissure in OPECs position may be with its partner Russia, which has been sending mixed signals over its willingness to extend its production cuts beyond June. Russian crude production fell to 11.3 million b/d in March, according to the countrys energy ministry, down from February, but was still 116,000 b/d higher than its promised reduction of 228,000 b/d from October 2018 levels under its agreement with OPEC. Russian energy ministry and industry sources suggest the countrys oil companies are champing at the bit to raise output, but the cost to Russia of the OPEC+ deal so far is much smaller than the gain. Russia is enjoying higher oil prices on near record output, while Saudi Arabia and US sanctions deliver the majority of supply curbs. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela are certainly losing market share to US producers, but Russia much less so. The ultimate decision on whether to extend Russias cooperation with OPEC lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose calculations are complex. He has assiduously been asserting Russias influence in the Middle East, a strategy in which cooperation with OPEC plays a major role. He has expressed concern that the US may be able to use regime change in Venezuela to its own advantage. He has had to contend with an extension of US sanctions against Russia under Trump, but almost certainly has more to fear from a Democrat victory in the US presidential election in 2020, so he may also have an eye on US pump prices. Tougher US sanctions against Russia could prove a direct threat not just to long-term oil production, but Russias growing LNG ambitions, which remain dependent on foreign technology imports. There are too many moving parts to make firm predictions, but while acting tough with the US foreign adversaries is good electioneering for Trump, it works less well if it results in tougher economic conditions at home. Trumps focus is likely to turn increasingly to the domestic economy as the presidential election nears, which suggests keeping US-China trade talks on track and oil prices under control, but not low enough to reverse US production gains. So - no tightening of sanctions on Iran. Saudi Arabia and Russia will watch events in Venezuela and Libya closely before deciding on their options in June. One of Africas brightest LNG prospects, Tortue FLNG is edging increasingly closer to its estimated commissioning date, 2022. It is one of the largest deepwater gas find of recent years discovered in 2015, the field complex in total is estimated to contain 20 TCf of gas, of which the Tortue West field takes up around 15 Tcf. The feed for the LNG project, the Grand Tortue/Ahmeyim gas field straddles the border between Senegal and Mauretania, both countries heretofore largely irrelevant on the global LNG (or natural gas) map. It also represents one of those rare occasions when two developing nations have agreed to a fair and equitable distribution of resources, well, unless the departure of Kosmos Energy puts all the above in jeopardy. The Tortue field will have four subsea wells at a depth of 2850 metres, tied back via an 80-km long pipeline to an FPSO vessel which would be located in shallow waters, and from there the marketable gas volumes would be sent a further 30km away to the FLNG vessel. The primary function of the FLNG would be to market the gas volumes abroad, however a pipeline connection to the shore is also envisaged to provide the two home states, Senegal and Mauretania, with some gas if need be (according to market rumors 10 percent was raised as a national gas market allocation threshold). Holding a 47.6 percent stake, BP is the operator of the complex, with Kosmos Energy owning 42.4 percent of the project and the two relevant national oil companies, the Mauretanian Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier (SMHPM) and the Senegalese Petrosen. Following the December 2018 final investment decision, there has been quite a buzz around Tortue FLNG. The right to market all the first-phase Tortue FLNG volumes was allotted to BP Gas Marketing, which in turn struck an agreement with Golar LNG on a 20-year lease of the Gimi LNG tanker, to be converted into a FLNG vessel for an estimated cost of $1.3 billion. The subsea production system was awarded to BHGE, whilst the French TechnipFMC will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the FPSO, the vessel for which will be most likely built by the Chinese Cosco shipyard. Now, against this background, comes the rumor that Kosmos Energy seeks to bring its ownership in Tortue FLNG to about 10 percent or even quit the project altogether. Related: Scientists Find Oil-Eating Superbacteria On Bottom Of The Ocean Kosmos intention is understandable and odd at the same time after all, it was the Dallas-based firm that pioneered the appraisal of the Mauretanian deepwater offshore, having held three blocks there for seven years already. Kosmos was the one to discover the Tortue field in 2015. It was only in December 2016 that BP joined the project, after Chevrons attempts to establish a foothold there yielded no palpable result. The reasons for leaving the project might be very much similar to the considerations that led Kosmos to the BP farm-out and be of primarily financial character. Kosmos would not be able to launch Tortue FLNG on its own (upstream development costs of some $6 billion) and perhaps it sees the pre-commissioning period as the best period when it can sell the asset. If carried through, the decision is all the more interesting as Kosmos Energy is looking forward to exciting developments on another MSGBC hotspot, the Yakaar field, several dozen kilometers to the south of Tortue. The Yakaar wildcat, drilled in the spring of 2017 to a total depth of almost 5km, discovered a net pay of 45 meters, estimated to contain up to 15 TCf of natural gas. Now BP has brought the Ensco Ds-12 drillship into Senegalese waters to drill firm wells at the Yakaar field. Since the field is not a transborder one, it should most likely compel the shareholders to go for another LNG hub, remains to be seen whether an onshore or offshore one. Yakaar is operated by Kosmos BP Senegal (50.01 percent Kosmos, 49.99 percent BP), having a 65 percent stake, whilst BP also has a standalone stake of 25 percent, giving the British major the potential chance to own up to 90 percent of the project should it decide to buy out Kosmos. Yet it has to be pointed out that the arrival of a new, potentially heavy-weight, partner might widen the maneuvering possibilities of the project. It was initially expected that Tortue FLNG will see another FLNG added some 2-3 years after the startup of Phase I or the shareholders might even opt to construct an onshore liquefaction plant. In this, the entry of LNG-positive majors like Shell, ENI or Rosneft recently, might be of tremendous help. Related: Oil Could Fall To $40 If OPEC Abandons Its Deal Generally, if Kosmos leaves in a somewhat messy situation, it would be indubitably bad news for both Mauretania and Senegal. First of all, Tortue FLNG is a ground-breaking development for Africa in that two nations decided to launch a cross-border project instead of the usual way of settling these things, decade-long contention. Both have decided to fast-track the project despite having no official border delineation agreement, a rare sign of trust and constructive approach. A lengthy vacuum in the ownership structure might compel the Mauretanian and Senegalese national oil companies to demand a larger share of the pie, which would render the operation and financing much more burdensome and would slow down Tortue LNGs development. Since Tortue FLNG is the flagbearer of the Mauretania-Senegal-Gambia-Guinea Bissau-Guinea Conakry (MSGBC) Basin, its floundering would cast an adverse shadow over many constructive developments in neighboring countries. A number of international majors, like ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, have joined the race to drill for oil and gas in the offshore waters of Mauretania, Senegal and potentially other countries. Guinea saw the inauguration of a Petroleum Ministry, together with its neighbors started to shape up its own petroleum code a process which Senegal should be finalizing these upcoming weeks. Lets see how one of the planets hottest wildcat drilling region manages to handle the temporary inconveniences. By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The President of Venezuelas National Assembly and opposition leader Juan Guaido will try to win an annulment for an US$8.7-billion compensation awarded to U.S. supermajor ConocoPhillips by an arbitration court for the forced nationalization of the companys Venezuelan business by the Hugo Chavez government. This is what Guaidos chief legal representative said as quoted by Reuters, adding that his team also plans to dispute the size of the compensation, which was awarded to Conoco by the World Banks International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. It is the largest compensation for asset nationalization in Venezuela awarded by a court, but not the only one, as several companies are suing Caracas for taking their business away from them. Conoco, however, does not seem willing to follow Washingtons lead and help Guaido take the reins in Venezuela. A company spokesperson told Reuters that Guaidos teams request for annulment bore no merit and added that the company would strongly defend itself in case such a request was made. Conocos opposition to any potential annulment is not the only problem Guaidos team is facing. As Reuters notes, the World Bank has yet to recognize Juan Guaido as the legal leader of Venezuela before his team of lawyers can make any requests for annulments of compensation rulings. Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January following the inauguration of incumbent Nicolas Maduro for his second term in office. The opposition leader based his declaration on the constitution, calling for new elections. Three months later, there is little Guaido can show for his efforts, except continuing but sporadic protests that evidently lack the strength to oust Maduro and his government. More than two dozen governments have recognized him as the legitimate, albeit interim, leader of Venezuela, and Washington has granted him control over Citgo, PDVSAs U.S. business, but this, too, has failed to strengthen the opposition enough to overthrow the government. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads from Oilprice.com: Kuwait will start this year the first phase of a heavy oil field production, aiming to boost heavy crude output to 430,000 bpd from 60,000 bpd by January, the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reports. Heavy crude oil production from the first phase of an oil field in northern Kuwait, known as Al-Ritqa is forecast to hit 11,000 bpd in August this year, KUNA quoted Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) as saying. The Al-Ritqa oil field project is aimed at boosting heavy crude oil production to 430,000 bpd from 60,000 bpd via multiple production phases by January, Fatama Al-Kanderi, who is responsible for project planning at KOC, said at a recent panel discussion organized by the Kuwaiti oil ministry. Increasing heavy crude output in northern Kuwait is one of the pillars of the Kuwaiti 2040 oil production strategy, KUNA quoted Al-Kanderi as saying at the panel. Nearly two years ago, Kuwait announced plans to increase its crude oil production capacity to 4.75 million bpd by 2040, compared to a current capacity of 3.15 million bpd. In early 2018, the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said that it would spend around US$500 billion by 2040 to boost the Arab Gulf states oil production capacity. KPCs chief executive officer Nizar al-Adsani said in January 2018 that KPC expected to spend US$114 billion over the following five years and another US$394 billion after the five-year period through 2040. While Kuwait plans to boost its heavy crude oil output and production capacity in the future, it is currently cutting its oil production as part of the OPEC and allies deal to remove a total of 1.2 million bpd from the market between January and June, in a bid to rebalance the market. Kuwaitlike another Saudi ally, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)is strictly adhering and even over-delivering in its production reduction under the OPEC+ deal. Kuwaits crude oil output in March stood at 2.709 million bpd, according to OPECs secondary sources, compared to a 2.724-million-bpd cap under the deal. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabias oil giant Aramco is in serious discussions to buy up to 25 percent of the refining and petrochemicals businesses of Indias largest company, Reliance Industries, The Times of India reported on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the developments. Aramco first showed interest in Reliances downstream business four months ago, but discussions have sped up since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited India in February, according to The Times of India. The two sides could reach an agreement on the value of a possible deal around June, the Indian outlets sources said. A stake of 25 percent could fetch around US$10 billion-US$15 billion for Reliance, which would value the Indian companys total refining and petrochemicals business at some US$55 billion-US$60 billion. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been pursuing downstream deals in Asiathe most prized market for oil exporting nations, aiming to lock in future demand for Saudi crude oil. India, for its part, is a fast-growing demand center and the worlds third-largest oil consumer after the U.S. and China. During the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to India two months ago, Saudi Arabia announced plans to invest US$100 billion in Indias infrastructure and energy industry as it seeks to strengthen its position in the country. Related: The U.S. Is Losing Influence In The Worlds Biggest Oil Region India is an investment priority for Saudi Aramco, the chief executive of the Saudi oil giant Amin Nasser said in New Delhi in February, noting that Aramco is in talks with Reliance Industries for potential investments and is looking at other opportunities as well. In June last year, Saudi Aramco and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed a framework agreement and a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of Indian national oil companies to join a project for a mega refinery and petrochemical complex in India worth US$44 billion. However, the huge project has faced setbacks because farmers have been unwilling to give up their land for the site of the plant, and earlier this week the Maharashtra state announced that the project would be relocated to another site. Earlier this week, Aramco said that its subsidiary Aramco Overseas Company would buy 17 percent in South Koreas Hyundai Oilbank for around US$1.25 billion, an investment that will support Saudi Aramcos crude oil placement strategy by providing a dedicated outlet for Arabian crude oil to South Korea. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As the ruling APC endorsed Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila as candidate for the House of Reps Speakership, a rep form the APC-Imo hasraised his head in opposition, and will be contending the position in spite of the partys decision. Hon. Chike Okafor formally declared his intention to run for the position on Tuesday when members of Good Governance and Transparency Initiative (GGTI) visited him at his National Assemblys office, Abuja. The GGTI, an association of different youth organisations , endorsed Okafor as its preferred candidate for the speakers slot. The leader of GGTI delegation, Abdulbasit Abubakar, said after the groups congress meeting at Arewa House, Kaduna, Mr Okafor was unanimously endorsed by members as most qualified person to lead the 9th House. The lawmaker, who represents Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/Obowo Federal Constituency, said he had already written to the partys National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, on his intention. The issue of zoning and election of principal officers of the National Assembly is about the most important talking point for most legislators and politicians, presently, he said. While the position of the Senate President has been zoned by our party, the APC, to the North-East, we are aware that the party is yet to zone the Speakership of the House of Representatives to any zone. You are already aware of the clamour from across the country for equitable distribution of the principal offices of the National Assembly. Most importantly, the recent push by several APC support groups from across the northern states and the South-East calling on the partys leadership to zone the speakership of the 9th assembly of the House of Representatives to the South-East, he said. Okafor said he was slated for the deputy chief whop in 2015, but because he was a first timer, and there were no ranking members from the southeast in the APC caucus, he was shoved aside. Now, I am back and ranking! And I am the appropriate vehicle for an equitable compensation to the South-East, he said. Challenging the APC, Okafor said a ruling party doesnt just look at the numbers alone; it also looks at national interest; it looks at social justice; it considers political stability and harmony in the body polity. It feels the pulse of the nation and weighs in on equitable inclusion of federating units of the country in line with the provisions of the constitution of the country and the party, even as it affects sharing of political offices. Post Views: 31 A Kenyan family says it has filed a lawsuit in Chicago against aviation giant Boeing over the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people. Siblings of deceased 29-year-old engineer George Kabau said they want to force the American Aircraft manufacturing company to release documents and emails relating to its 737 MAX 8 model. Kabaus sister, Esther Kabau-Wanyoike, told a press conference that she wanted to use her brothers death to improve aviation safety. He didnt leave a child. My mum is devastated, she said, adding, We can use his demise to ensure safer travel for all. U.S. lawyer Nomi Husain, who is also representing one of the American families suing Boeing, said the lawsuit was filed late on Monday in Chicago. He said the families were seeking to hold Boeing accountable. We want to let the litigation process play out, he said. When you put profits over safety, you will be held accountable and you will pay a price. Three lawsuits have already been lodged over the Ethiopian Airlines crash, by the families of two Americans, including consumer activist Ralph Naders great niece, and a Rwandan. Dozens of families are also suing Boeing over the October Lion Air crash in Indonesia, which killed 189 people. File Photo The Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Dr. Christian Madubuko, has said that the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria will soon open a Consular office in Awka, the state capital. He said that the Consular office would lessen the stress and cost of obtaining Chinese visa by traders in Anambra State and the entire South East. Madubuko who disclosed this in Onitsha while addressing traders at the weekend during his ongoing visit to the markets in the state said the Consular office will reduce the stress of going to Lagos or Abuja to obtain Chinese visa. He said Governor Willie Obiano and the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria struck the deal when the ambassador visited the Governor in Awka recently. The commissioner said the consular office in Awka will equally reduce the cost of procuring Chinese visa for Anambra state traders. He said this was one of the manifestations of Governor Obianos commitment to improving the welfare of traders in the state. He restated the determination of the state government to flush out touts who engage in illegal collection of revenues in the state. The commissioner accused the traders of being part of the extortion and intimidation in Anambra markets but warned them against the dire consequences of such action which he said would impinge on the success of their businesses. He threatened to sack any market leader who allowed extortion and illegal revenue collection to thrive in their markets, saying we can corrupt angels in Nigeria. He also told the traders and their leaders that those who steal government money would not be allowed to go scot-free, regretting that traders in the state do not pay tax. Meanwhile, three hoodlums who engaged in illegal levy collection have been arrested in Onitsha by the commissioner and his team. One was arrested at Bridgehead market, while the other two were arrested at Tracas, Upper Iweka, Onitsha. Pwani University student Naomi Chepkemboi has spoken about her relationship with the man who left her for dead last Sunday. The third-year Bachelor of Science in Public Health student says she left her ex-boyfriend Henry Kipkoech last December. She cited irresponsibility as one of the main reasons why she left their troubled relationship. Speaking for the first time since the attack, Ms Chepkemboi recalled the events leading to the incident at her rented room in Kilifi. He came at 6 am and knocked on my door. I peeped [through the window], and saw him. I went back to bed because I did not want to open the door for him. He pleaded with me to open the door, saying he came with an aim of restoring peace between us, said Naomi Chepkemboi. I let him in. When we were done talking to each other, he rose and started walking out. I, thereafter, changed into my sleeping gown; and was in the process of locking the door, when he stormed in and locked the door from the inside, Chepkemboi told Citizen TV. Kipkoech then pulled out three knives he had hidden in a paper bag and stabbed Chepkemboi in the chest and neck several times. Doctors at Kilifi Hospital say Naomi Chepkemboi is now in a stable condition. The victim added that Kipkoech was a dead beat dad who never took care of their 4-month old daughter. When I told him that I have moved on, he couldnt believe it. He wasnt a responsible man. His parents helped me and the baby for only two months. I saw it unwise to stick with him yet he wasnt looking after his child. He was the type of a man who would forcefully take my money when he found me in possession of some cash, said Ms Chepkemboi. Koech, a student at Kenyatta University, was arraigned in a Kilifi court on Monday. He is set to undergo mental tests after the court granted the police eight days to detain him. From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As... " " Agnostics and atheists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Freethought Festival hold a rally for the separation of church and state outside the Wisconsin State Capitol. Box5/Getty Images The "rise of the nones" it is called the rapid increase in Americans with no religious beliefs that has taken place in the last decade or so. When Pew's Religious Landscape Study came out in 2015, it showed that the percentage of atheists in America had doubled from 1.6 in 2007 to 3.1 in 2014. Meanwhile, the percentage of agnostics had also doubled from 2.4 to 4.0. But what's the difference between agnostics and atheists? Is agnosticism just "atheism-lite"? People choose to identify as religiously agnostic for a variety of personal reasons philosophical, psychological, theological or even political. But it's wrong to think of all agnostics as "spiritual fence-sitters," unwilling to state whether they believe or don't believe in God. True agnosticism, it turns out, has nothing to do with belief at all. Advertisement Agnosticism Defined The term "agnosticism" was first coined by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), a fierce defender of Charles Darwin against religious critics who accused him of denying God's role in creation. As a scientist, Huxley didn't bother himself with "beliefs." He sought after the truth. And the truth of any proposition that God created the vast diversity of nature or that it evolved from natural selection could only be proven by the evidence. Huxley said that agnosticism itself wasn't a "creed" or set of beliefs, but a principle, namely "that it is wrong for a man to say he is certain of the objective truth of a proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty." The word itself was a combination of "a" (against or opposite) and "gnosticism," which comes from a Greek word meaning "knowledge." Gnosticism was a religious movement that flourished in the first and second centuries, that held, among other things, that the spirit world was good and the material world was evil. And although the principle of agnosticism doesn't exclusively apply to the question of God's existence you can be agnostic about any proposition it's been wrapped up in religion since the beginning. Huxley wrote a friend in 1860: "I neither affirm nor deny the immortality of man. I see no reason for believing it, but, on the other hand, I have no means of disproving it... Give me such evidence as would justify me in believing in anything else, and I will believe that." Advertisement The Difference Between Agnosticism and Atheism Atheism, according to its classical definition, is the lack of belief in God. (Whether that "God" is the biblical, Judeo-Christian God or some other "higher power" is a separate question.) The opposite of atheism is theism, the belief that God exists. Atheism and theism are "metaphysical claims," says Paul Draper, a professor at Purdue University who specializes in the philosophy of religion, because they deal with a fundamental question of the nature of reality. Agnosticism, on the other hand, doesn't take a position on whether God exists. Instead, it takes a position on whether or not we can know if God exists. This, Draper explains, is an "epistemological" question, not a metaphysical one (epistemology is the study of knowledge). Agnosticism claims that we cannot know if God does or does not exist, because there's no compelling evidence that either proposition is true. At least not yet. You might think that agnosticism is nothing more than a handy way to dodge the question of whether you believe in God. Instead of saying yes or no, the agnostic chooses a third position: neither. But this is where things can get hairy, explains Draper, who wrote the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Atheism and Agnosticism. "People get so angry about this," he says, referring to testy exchanges between atheists and agnostics online. "The atheists will say, 'You call yourself an agnostic but you're really an atheist!'" And you can see the atheists' point. At face value, it seems like there's a razor thin line between saying "I don't see any evidence that God exists" and "I don't believe that God exists." But the truth is that you can be an agnostic and an atheist, just as you can be an agnostic and a believing Christian (or Buddhist or Muslim). That's because agnosticism, as its core, is separate and unrelated to questions of faith. Let's explain. Advertisement Agnostic Theism? Agnostics are nearly always lumped together with atheists as a type of "non-believer." The Pew Research Center, defined religious "nones" as being either atheists, agnostics or not affiliated with any particular religion. But the fact is, you can be agnostic and also a true-believing, church-going religious dude. "You could believe that God exists but not think you have enough evidence to make a knowledge claim," says Draper. In other words, you could believe on faith that God exists, but ascribe to the agnostic position that God's existence cannot be proven by physical evidence or rational arguments. Such a person would be an agnostic theist. There's even a school of theology called apophatic theology that claims that God is inherently unknowable. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century philosopher and theologian, wrote, "Now we cannot know what God is, but only what God is not; we must therefore consider the ways in which God does not exist, rather than the ways in which God does." While it's technically true that you can be both an agnostic and a faithful believer, it's far more common for agnostics to highly doubt the existence of God, even if they can't ultimately prove it. Bertrand Russell, the brilliant British philosopher and mathematician, wrote an excellent treatise on agnosticism in which he explained why the agnostic and atheist positions often overlap: "The agnostic suspends judgment, saying that there are not sufficient grounds either for affirmation or for denial. At the same time, an agnostic may hold that the existence of God, though not impossible, is very improbable; he may even hold it so improbable that it is not worth considering in practice. In that case, he is not far removed from atheism. His attitude may be that which a careful philosopher would have towards the gods of ancient Greece. If I were asked to prove that Zeus and Poseidon and Hera and the rest of the Olympians do not exist, I should be at a loss to find conclusive arguments. An agnostic may think the Christian God as improbable as the Olympians; in that case, he is, for practical purposes, at one with the atheists." As we said at the beginning, the reasons for identifying as agnostic are myriad and different for every person. Draper, who has participated in high-profile debates with Christian philosophers, calls himself a "local atheist" and "global agnostic." "I'm an atheist about the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God," says Draper. "I'm agnostic about God in a broader sense. Is there some being that qualifies for the title God? There could be such a thing." Learn more about agnosticism in "Agnosticism and Christianity and Other Essays" by Thomas Henry Huxley. You may also like "Why I am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects" by Bertrand Russell. 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 According to Pew, 72 percent of religious nones a group that includes atheists and agnostics believe in a "high power." " " Men play games on computers in an internet bar in Beijing. 'Freedom and order' are both necessary in cyberspace, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Dec. 16, 2015, as he opened a government-organised internet conference condemned by campaigners as an ... GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images On a recent trip to China, the Great Wall took my breath away. And then the Great Firewall took my internet away. The most extensive surveillance system and censorship tool in the world, China's Great Firewall blocks everything from popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to search engines like Google to respected news sites like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and BBC.com. But just as the Mongols, Turks and Manchus once breached the Great Wall, I was able to tunnel under the Great Firewall with one simple tool a VPN. Advertisement A VPN is a virtual private network. Available free or for a monthly cost (generally $5-$10), the network service can elude the constrictions of the Great Firewall by changing the IP address on your computer, laptop or mobile device into one of many offered by your VPN provider. So when you're tapping away at your laptop in a hotel room in China, your VPN can make it look like you're in Japan or Hong Kong, where there is unrestricted internet access. In addition, once you activate a VPN, you're connected to one of its servers via a dedicated, encrypted link, ensuring all of the data flowing back and forth between your device and the VPN server is private. Internet Censorship Around the World VPNs are popular among international businesspeople and travelers gotta get that mountaintop selfie posted on Facebook, stat! But they're also popular among citizens living in countries where the internet is restricted. And internet censorship occurs in numerous countries around the globe. A 2015 Freedom House study looked at 88 percent of the world's internet users and found one-third faced heavy censorship, while nearly one-quarter had only partial internet freedom. China topped the list of most-restrictive governments, followed by Syria, Iran, Ethiopia, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. The research company Global Web Index found about 25 percent of internet users worldwide access the net via a VPN. But in restrictive countries such as Turkey and Thailand, the percentage rises to 35 to 40, with users largely trying to access banned or restricted content. In free locales such as Western Europe, in contrast, VPN usage dips to 15 percent; there, people use the servers mainly to ensure privacy. While VPNs are often banned in countries with restrictive internet service, citizens are generally not fined or jailed for using them. As the world's largest country, China makes an interesting VPN study. Its Great Firewall, which China calls the "Golden Shield," began operating in 1996, shortly after the internet's debut there. Its purpose then and now is to block all content the Chinese government deems undesirable, along with all technologies designed to circumvent it. It does so via "a massive network of Chinese web, email and content filters, network firewalls and other equipment, which inspects internet traffic entering and exiting China," says Dave Schroeder, an information technology strategist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Chinese government also limits internet access points (central routing systems which all outside internet traffic must pass through before diverting to individual IP addresses) to a mere three. These access points, Schroeder says, act as "virtual choke points" that allow easy snooping into the content entering and leaving the country. Indeed, China has 30,000 to 50,000 cyber cops monitoring all internet traffic. Why China Allows VPNs Yet despite the Great Firewall's sophistication it's supposedly the best such system in the world VPNs regularly get around it. This is partly because VPN computer geeks are constantly working to outfox the system (although their Great Firewall counterparts are continually trying to strengthen the wall as well), and partly because Chinese officials accept the fact that some VPN usage is necessary to be a global citizen. And the country can always step in if necessary, says Schroeder. For example, in 2008 officials shut down access to YouTube during Tibetan riots. "Regional crackdowns are common when the Chinese government perceives any kind of social unrest," says Schroeder. Indeed, nearly all the major VPNs are blocked in the Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang, the Washington Post reported. Another reason Chinese officials don't lose sleep over VPNs is the perhaps-startling fact that the vast majority of its 700 million citizen internet users who comprise one-quarter of all internet users in the world are content surfing a censored web. That may be partly because China has created its own social media sites, and they're wildly popular. More than 90 percent of Chinese internet users are frequently on social media, versus 67 percent in the U.S. They use sites like Tencent QQ and WeChat for instant messaging and playing games and Weibo, a sort of combination of Twitter and Facebook, for posting pictures and comments. Schroeder predicts VPNs will be around for the foreseeable future as China, for one, isn't giving any indications it will loosen its grip on internet. So if you're planning to travel to a foreign country for business or pleasure, it may be wise to add "VPN" to your packing list. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Heading to China and wondering if you'll be able to access your favorite websites? The website Blocked in China compiles a list of what's censored. Foxconn billionaire chairman Terry Gou will make a run for Taiwans presidency, aiming to challenge incumbent Tsai Ing-wen in a race analysts said would pile more pressure on the islands leader. Gou, Taiwans richest man with a net worth of US$7.6 billion, said on Wednesday that he would take part in the opposition Kuomintangs (KMT) primaries for the 2020 race. I am willing to [join others] in taking part in the partys primary, and do not want to be selected to run under any special arrangement, Gou said after a meeting with the KMT in Taipei. If I win [the primary], I will represent the party to run for president, and if I lose, I will give my full support to the winner during his campaign. Gou, 68, said that regardless of whether he remained an entrepreneur, he strongly believed Taiwan needed to maintain peace, stability, the economy and the future. He called on the KMT to rebuild its core spirit to serve the country and the people, regain its honour and support young people. [It] is about duty and responsibility rather than making money. The peoples interests are always bigger than the partys interests, he said. Also at the meeting, Gou accepted a citation from the KMT in recognition of his strong support for the Beijing-friendly party in recent years. In 2016, Gou offered a no-interest loan of NT$45 million (US$1.5 million) to the cash-strapped party to help it through financial difficulties. Earlier in the day, Gou said he was inspired to do more things for Taiwan after he dreamed of the sea goddess Matsu, a deity said to protect fishermen and sailors in the Taiwan Strait. Several days ago, I dreamed of Goddess Matsu, who asked me to do more things for the people in Taiwan ... and I will follow her instruction, he said during a visit to a temple, hinting of his intention to run. Gou shook the political landscape in Taiwan on Tuesday by suggesting that he could run for the islands top post against Tsai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Story continues While Tsai declined to comment on his bid, politicians across the political spectrum were divided over his plan. Former president Ma Ying-jeou said he was happy that Gou was willing to join other KMT aspirants in the primary. As a world-class entrepreneur whose business spans the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as well as Europe and America, he has made great contributions to Taiwans economic development, Ma said. He said Gous involvement in the primary would help strengthen the party system and prevent internal disputes that could arise from simply drafting a candidate. Ma confirmed reports that he had several meetings with Gou to discuss relevant issues. Taiwanese news outlets had reported that Gou finally decided to run after Ma told him he would not seek another term. Analysts said that if Gou was endorsed by the KMT, it would add to the pressure on Tsai, who also faces a challenge from one-time confidant William Lai, a former premier and fellow DPP member. Tsai has trailed other potential candidates in various opinion polls. Gous ability to run a business operation with more than a million staff in Taiwan, China, and other parts of the world proves that he knows how to deal with trade and economy, which is Tsais shortcoming, political analyst Shen Fu-hsiung said. That sentiment was echoed by fintech analyst Kirk Yang, known for his coverage of Foxconn. A successful businessmen like Gou can be a good president as evidenced by US President Donald Trump and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Yang said. But Hu Yu-wei, head of the journalism department at Taipeis Chinese Culture University, said Gou would have to step aside from his business empire to run for president. Hu said Gou would also have to say whether he supported Beijings one country, two systems model to bring Taiwan back into the mainlands fold. Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province that must returned to mainland China, by force if necessary. Since she became president in 2016, Tsai has not heeded Beijings demands to accept the one-China principle, an understanding that there is one China but that each side can have its own understanding of what constitutes China. She also rejected Chinese President Xi Jinpings call in January for cross-strait unification under one country, two systems, a model applied in Hong Kong. Raymond Burghardt, former head of Washingtons de facto embassy in Taipei, has said that if the KMT came to power in 2020, Taiwan could face more pressure from Beijing. [Beijing would] put in more requests and exert more pressure, putting more political matters on the negotiating table and attempting to clarify the one-China issue, Burghardt said. Gou founded Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, in 1974 with US$7,500 and 10 staff in Taiwan. The company has factories in a number of countries, employing more than a million workers, mostly in mainland China. In 2017, he visited the White House and met Trump before announcing a plan to increase investment in the United States. He said that in a phone conversation with Trump in February, the US president suggested that Foxconn hire military veterans to meet the demand for tech workers. More from South China Morning Post: This article Pressure mounts for Taiwans Tsai Ing-wen as Foxconns Terry Gou reveals run for 2020 presidential race first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson (Courtesy: pinglacson.com) Senator Panfilo Lacson believes it is high time for the government to focus its peace talk efforts with those who do not listen to Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison. Lacson stressed that the strength of the New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels differs depending on their localities and that a localized peace talks is a much better way to stop the problem with communist rebels. The senator said, such a move is long in coming. I have always believed that this is the better way to deal with the five-decade insurgency problem. Lacson made the statement following President Rodrigo Dutertes plan to create a new peace panel tasked to oversee localized peace talks. Lacson added that he had dealt with the NPA when he was still with the Philippine National Police which he headed from 1999 to 2001 and had been battling for localized peace talks since then up until now as a member of the Senate. I have been batting for localized peace talks and in fact strongly suggested the same to former Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in one committee hearing of the Senate Committee on Peace and Unification chaired and presided by Senator Gregorio Honasan II, he added. Lacson also suggested that local government officials negotiate with guerilla leaders in areas where the NPA is not that influential, while the military focuses on areas where the NPAs are a threat. So it is better that governors and mayors and other LGU officials be the ones to talk to local communist guerrillas, under the guidance and direction of a government peace panel that will provide the parameters for such localized peace talks but with enough flexibility in handling such peace initiatives, he said. Lacson believes that it is useless to deal with Sison, as he does not have control over the NPA. Experience has shown that while Sison asks for a ceasefire and government accommodates his request, NPAs continue conducting ambushes and raids. This shows Sison no longer has control over the NPAs armed regulars, Lacson added. The NPA, the armed wing of the CPP, had been declared by the Philippine government, as well as the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, as a terrorist organization. Maris Federez The post Lacson pushes for localized peace talks; urges govt to exclude Sison from talks with Reds appeared first on UNTV News. Tawilis MANILA, Philippines The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Calabarzon reminds the public that the closed fishing season for tawilis remains in effect until April 30. Thus, the agency urges the public to report restaurants or establishments selling the endangered freshwater sardine endemic to the Philippines. Sardinella tawilis is the only freshwater species of Sardinella and is found exclusively in the waters of Taal Lake in Batangas. READ: Fishing ban eyed to save the Philippines endangered tawilis This is to allow the fish to breed as it is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to its red list of endangered species. Tawilis, commonly known as Bombon sardine, is facing major threats such as overexploitation, pollution and competition or predation with introduced fishes, resulting in continuing declines in habitat quality and number of mature individuals, according to the IUCN. The Philippine Society for Freshwater Science (PSFS) expressed support for the implementation of the closed fishing season for the endangered freshwater sardine set by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) from March to April. READ: Scientists Support the Closed Season for Tawilis from March to April The group also supports the implementation of a proper mesh size and establishment of sanctuaries within the Taal Lake. Marje Pelayo The post Report restaurants selling tawilis DENR appeared first on UNTV News. South Korean President Moon Jae-in kicked off a trade and investment-focused tour of Central Asia on Wednesday with a visit to Turkmenistan, as he seeks to ease reliance on China and the US. Moon met authoritarian Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in the gas-rich nation's capital Ashgabat, in the first stage of a trip that will also take in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Berdymukhamedov said following talks that his country considered South Korea "a reliable business partner". Turkmenistan is seeking to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons that account for over 90 percent of exports. Moon expressed hope for "further participation of Korean companies in the development of the energy sector of Turkmenistan, as well as infrastructure projects," in comments translated into Russian. Moon's office earlier confirmed that economic affairs would dominate talks during the eight-day regional tour. Presidential economic adviser Joo Hyung-chul said Central Asian markets would grow "even more significant on a global scale" in coming years, in comments published on the presidential website Monday. Moon is looking to ease the reliance of the world's 11th-largest economy -- stuttering on 2.7 percent annual growth -- on traditional partners Beijing and Washington. The US special envoy for North Korea was due in Moscow on Wednesday as the Kremlin said it was preparing for possible talks between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Media reports said the first summit between the two leaders could come as early as next week. "Active preparations for a potential meeting are underway," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments reported by news agencies. The US State Department said Stephen Biegun would be in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to meet with Russian officials to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea." Russian, South Korean and Japanese media reported that Kim and Putin were set to meet in Russia's Far East, though Ushakov would not be drawn on the location or date of a potential summit. Quoting diplomatic sources, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported Wednesday that the meeting would take place in Vladivostok before the Russian leader heads to China for an April 26-27 summit. One of the sources warned that the plans could change, however, noting that Kim was an "impulsive person". South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted diplomats in Seoul this week saying a meeting was being prepared. On Wednesday, the agency reported that North Korea's flagship carrier Air Koryo had scheduled a special flight to Vladivostok on Tuesday next week. Japan's Jiji Press, quoting a Russian diplomatic source, said it was "99 percent" certain that Putin and Kim will meet next Wednesday in Vladivostok. Russia is keen to play a stronger role in international talks over North Korea's nuclear programme, which have seen Kim meet US President Donald Trump for two summits over the last year. Art professor Andrew Tallon's laser scan of the Notre-Dame cathedral At Vassar College in the United States, a university team gathered the week before the devastating fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris to plan an ambitious project: inventorying about a terabyte of 3-D modeling data of the famed Gothic masterpiece. The precious data is the work of Andrew Tallon, a Francophile American art professor who loved medieval architecture and was passionate about Gothic cathedrals. He died in November. His technique was nothing new, but his application of the tools was innovative. In 2011 and 2012, funded by a foundation, Tallon used a laser device to accurately measure the interior and exterior of the cathedral, which was ravaged by flames this week. He placed the device in about 50 places to measure the distance between each wall and pillar, recess, statue or other formand to record all the imperfections intrinsic to any centuries-old monument. The result is over a billion points in the "point cloud." The final computer-generated images reconstruct the cathedral down to the smallest detail, including its tiny defects, with a precision of about five millimeters (0.1 inches). These images, for example, confirmed how the west side of the cathedral was a "total mess... a train wreck," Tallon told National Geographic in 2015, pointing to the misalignment of the interior columns. He wanted to get "into the mind of the builders," said his former student Lindsay Cook, a Francophile like Tallon who is now a visiting assistant professor of art at Vassar. Art professor Andrew Tallon at his office at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in November 2009 "He was interested in using laserscan data to find moments like small ruptures in the construction, places where things were not exactly straight or in plumb, where you could see the hand of an individual architect at work, and in that case the hand of individual masons," Cook told AFP. 'A fitting memorial' From these measurements were born the images published in a book in 2013 and shown in an exhibition at Notre-Dame in 2014. But the bulk of the data remains untapped in the form of 1s and 0s on some hard drives. Several French firms have also digitally mapped Notre-Dame bit by bitnot for historical research but for conservation purposes. Art Graphique et Patrimoine, which assisted Tallon in his work, says that over 25 years, they have collected 30-50 billion data points, notably of the destroyed 19th century spire and the ravaged roof. Tallon "has a complete model, but it is not exhaustive," Gael Hamon, the CEO of Art Graphique et Patrimoine, told AFP. His firm is now trying to piece the data "puzzle" together. Notre-Dame can probably be reconstructed without this data, but laser modeling brings precision to the photographs and drawings held by architects in France. A general view shows debris inside the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on April 16, 2019, a day after a fire that devastated the famed structure This is particularly useful for elements such as roofing and the spire, which were more difficult to measure physically. The modeling will help restorers to identically recreate the part of the vault that has collapsed inside. "If eventually the authorities wish to use this, then of course it would be shared with them," said Cook. The data is currently on external hard drives at Vassar, with copies at Columbia University, where academics collaborated with Tallon as part of the "Mapping Gothic" project. If architects ask for the data, it would have to be delivered in person, as it is too large to be transmitted over the internet. If Tallon's "scholarly work can somehow inform those who will be taking on the daunting task of restoring a cathedral to its former glory, it will be a fitting memorial for a very wonderful scholar who devoted so much to Notre-Dame," said Vassar dean Jon Chenette. On other hard drives, historians will also find, if they wish one day, another inheritance from Tallon: laser modeling of the cathedrals of Beauvais, Chartres, Canterbury and even the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Explore further Rebuilding Notre Dame will be long, fraught and expensive 2019 AFP Depiction of fusion research on a doughnut-shaped tokamak enhanced by artificial intelligence. Credit: Eliot Feibush/PPPL and Julian Kates-Harbeck/Harvard University Artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science that is transforming scientific inquiry and industry, could now speed the development of safe, clean and virtually limitless fusion energy for generating electricity. A major step in this direction is under way at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, where a team of scientists working with a Harvard graduate student is for the first time applying deep learninga powerful new version of the machine learning form of AIto forecast sudden disruptions that can halt fusion reactions and damage the doughnut-shaped tokamaks that house the reactions. Promising new chapter in fusion research "This research opens a promising new chapter in the effort to bring unlimited energy to Earth," Steve Cowley, director of PPPL, said of the findings, which are reported in the current issue of Nature magazine. "Artificial intelligence is exploding across the sciences and now it's beginning to contribute to the worldwide quest for fusion power." Fusion, which drives the sun and stars, is the fusing of light elements in the form of plasmathe hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nucleithat generates energy. Scientists are seeking to replicate fusion on Earth for an abundant supply of power for the production of electricity. Crucial to demonstrating the ability of deep learning to forecast disruptionsthe sudden loss of confinement of plasma particles and energyhas been access to huge databases provided by two major fusion facilities: the DIII-D National Fusion Facility that General Atomics operates for the DOE in California, the largest facility in the United States, and the Joint European Torus (JET) in the United Kingdom, the largest facility in the world, which is managed by EUROfusion, the European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy. Support from scientists at JET and DIII-D has been essential for this work. The vast databases have enabled reliable predictions of disruptions on tokamaks other than those on which the system was trainedin this case from the smaller DIII-D to the larger JET. The achievement bodes well for the prediction of disruptions on ITER, a far larger and more powerful tokamak that will have to apply capabilities learned on today's fusion facilities. The deep learning code, called the Fusion Recurrent Neural Network (FRNN), also opens possible pathways for controlling as well as predicting disruptions. Most intriguing area of scientific growth "Artificial intelligence is the most intriguing area of scientific growth right now, and to marry it to fusion science is very exciting," said Bill Tang, a principal research physicist at PPPL, coauthor of the paper and lecturer with the rank and title of professor in the Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences who supervises the AI project. "We've accelerated the ability to predict with high accuracy the most dangerous challenge to clean fusion energy." Unlike traditional software, which carries out prescribed instructions, deep learning learns from its mistakes. Accomplishing this seeming magic are neural networks, layers of interconnected nodesmathematical algorithmsthat are "parameterized," or weighted by the program to shape the desired output. For any given input the nodes seek to produce a specified output, such as correct identification of a face or accurate forecasts of a disruption. Training kicks in when a node fails to achieve this task: the weights automatically adjust themselves for fresh data until the correct output is obtained. A key feature of deep learning is its ability to capture high-dimensional rather than one-dimensional data. For example, while non-deep learning software might consider the temperature of a plasma at a single point in time, the FRNN considers profiles of the temperature developing in time and space. "The ability of deep learning methods to learn from such complex data make them an ideal candidate for the task of disruption prediction," said collaborator Julian Kates-Harbeck, a physics graduate student at Harvard University and a DOE-Office of Science Computational Science Graduate Fellow who was lead author of the Nature paper and chief architect of the code. Training and running neural networks relies on graphics processing units (GPUs), computer chips first designed to render 3-D images. Such chips are ideally suited for running deep learning applications and are widely used by companies to produce AI capabilities such as understanding spoken language and observing road conditions by self-driving cars. Kates-Harbeck trained the FRNN code on more than two terabytes (1012) of data collected from JET and DIII-D. After running the software on Princeton University's Tiger cluster of modern GPUs, the team placed it on Titan, a supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and other high-performance machines. A demanding task Distributing the network across many computers was a demanding task. "Training deep neural networks is a computationally intensive problem that requires the engagement of high-performance computing clusters," said Alexey Svyatkovskiy, a coauthor of the Nature paper who helped convert the algorithms into a production code and now is at Microsoft. "We put a copy of our entire neural network across many processors to achieve highly efficient parallel processing," he said. The software further demonstrated its ability to predict true disruptions within the 30-millisecond time frame that ITER will require, while reducing the number of false alarms. The code now is closing in on the ITER requirement of 95 percent correct predictions with fewer than 3 percent false alarms. While the researchers say that only live experimental operation can demonstrate the merits of any predictive method, their paper notes that the large archival databases used in the predictions, "cover a wide range of operational scenarios and thus provide significant evidence as to the relative strengths of the methods considered in this paper." From prediction to control The next step will be to move from prediction to the control of disruptions. "Rather than predicting disruptions at the last moment and then mitigating them, we would ideally use future deep learning models to gently steer the plasma away from regions of instability with the goal of avoiding most disruptions in the first place," Kates-Harbeck said. Highlighting this next step is Michael Zarnstorff, who recently moved from deputy director for research at PPPL to chief science officer for the laboratory. "Control will be essential for post-ITER tokamaksin which disruption avoidance will be an essential requirement," Zarnstorff noted. Progressing from AI-enabled accurate predictions to realistic plasma control will require more than one discipline. "We will combine deep learning with basic, first-principle physics on high-performance computers to zero in on realistic control mechanisms in burning plasmas," said Tang. "By control, one means knowing which 'knobs to turn' on a tokamak to change conditions to prevent disruptions. That's in our sights and it's where we are heading." Explore further Artificial intelligence helps accelerate progress toward efficient fusion reactions More information: Julian Kates-Harbeck et al, Predicting disruptive instabilities in controlled fusion plasmas through deep learning, Nature (2019). Journal information: Nature Julian Kates-Harbeck et al, Predicting disruptive instabilities in controlled fusion plasmas through deep learning,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1116-4 Another candidate has entered the fray for the Presidency in 2022. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is banking on his track record to clinch the highly coveted seat. Oparanya says he has since held talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta and is currently engaging top candidates DP Ruto and Raila to back his presidential bid. According to Oparanya, he has asked Raila not to run in 2022 and support him instead because the AU envoy has failed four times. I have talked to President Uhuru Kenyatta and asked for his support but he asked me to talk to Raila. I am talking to him and even Deputy President William Ruto because I am not closing the door on anyone, he said. The most important thing is for them to agree to support me because you know they are in the extreme ends. Any of them would divide this country. So it is important they have a compromise in a candidate so they can be one, he stated. The Kakamega County Chief hopes his flagship projects like the Sh10 billion Kakamega County Referral Hospital and upgrading of Bukhungu stadium will boost his presidential bid. I have been elected to chair the Lake Region Economic Bloc. President Uhuru made me co-chair of the sugar task force and lately I was elected CoG chairman. This means my track record is clear and nothing will stop me becoming the fifth president of Kenya, he said. He spoke when he condoled with the family of Michael Mukolwe in Emabola village, Butere sub county, on Monday. Artificial intelligence can be used to create deep fakes - audio, pictures and videos that make people say and do things they never did. Credit: PxHere Fake news has already fanned the flames of distrust towards media, politics and established institutions around the world. And while new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) might make things even worse, it can also be used to combat misinformation. Want to make yourself sound like Obama? In the past, that might have required physically imitating his voice, party-trick style. And even if you were very good at it, it almost certainly wouldn't present a danger to our democracy. But technology has changed that. You can now easily and accurately make anyone say anything through AI. Just use the service of an online program to record a sentence and listen to what you said in a famous person's voice. Programs like this are often called deep fakesAI systems that adapt audio, pictures and videos to make people say and do things they never did. These technologies could launch a new era of fake news and online misinformation. In 2017, Hany Farid, a computer scientist at Dartmouth College,US, who detects fake videos said the rapid proliferation of new manipulation techniques has led to an 'arms race." Just imagine what elections will be like when we're no longer able to trust video and audio. But some researchers are now fighting back and showing that AI can also be used for good. "AI has many ethical problems," said Francesco Nucci, applications research director at the Engineering Group, based in Italy. "But sometimes it can also be the solution. You can use AI in unethical ways to for example make and spread fake news, but you can also use it to do good, for example, to combat misinformation." Fact-checkers He is the principal researcher on the Fandango project, which aims to do just that. The team is building software tools to help journalists and fact-checkers detect and fight fake news, says Nucci. They hope to serve journalists in three ways. The first component is what Nucci calls content-independent detection by using tools which target the form of the content. Nucci explains that today, images and video can easily be manipulated, whether through simple Photoshop or more complex techniques like deep fakes. Fandango's systems can reverse-engineer those changes, and use algorithms to help journalists spot manipulated content. As these tools look at form, they don't check whether the content itself makes false claims, which is what Fandango's second line of research does. Here they link stories that have been proven false by human fact-checkers, and look for online pages or social media posts with similar words and claims. "The tools can spot which fake news stories share the same root and allow journalists to investigate them," said Nucci. Both of these components strongly rely on various AI algorithms, like the processing of natural language. The third component allows journalists to respond to fake news. A fake story might, for example, make the claim that a very high percentage of crimes in a European country are committed by foreign immigrants. In theory that might be an easy claim to disprove because of large troves of available open data, yet journalists waste valuable time in finding that data. So Fandango's tool links all kinds of European open data sources together, and bundles and visualises it. Journalists can use, for example, pooled together national data to address claims about crimes or apply data from the European Copernicus satellites to climate change debates. "This way journalists can quickly respond to fake stories and not waste any time," said Nucci. Their tools are currently being tested by Belgian public broadcaster VRT, ANSA, the main Italian news agency, and CIVIO, a Spanish non-profit organisation. Fake news detection Yet spotting fake news might not only be a question of finding untrue claims, but also of analysing massive amounts of social media sharing patterns, says Michael Bronstein, professor at the University of Lugano in Switzerland and at Imperial College London, the UK. He leads a project called GoodNews, which uses AI to take an atypical approach to fake news detection. "Most existing approaches look at the content," said Prof. Bronstein. "They analyse semantic features that are characteristic of fake news. Which works to a certain degree, but runs into all kinds of problems. "There are, for example, language barriers, platforms like WhatsApp don't give you access to the content because it's encrypted and in many cases fake news might be an image, which is harder to analyse using techniques like natural language processing." So Prof. Bronstein and his team turned this model on its head, looking instead at how fake news spreads. Essentially, previous studies show that fake news stories are shared online in different ways from real news stories, says Prof. Bronstein. Fake news might have far more shares than likes on Facebook, while regular posts tend to have more likes than they have shares. By spotting patterns like these, GoodNews attaches a credibility score to a news item. The team has built their first prototype, which uses graph-based machine-learning, an AI-technique in which Prof. Bronstein is an expert. The prototype is trained on data from Twitter where the researchers trace stories fact-checked by journalists and shown to be false. Journalists in this way train the AI-algorithm by showing it which stories are fake, and which are not. The GoodNews team hopes to monetise this service through a start-up called Fabula AI, based in London. While they hope to roll out the product at the end of the year, they envisage having customers such as large media companies like Facebook and Twitter, but also individual users. "Our bigger vision is that we want to become a credibility rating house for news, in the same way that certain companies rate a person's consumer credit score," said Prof. Bronstein. Solve Of course that leaves a bigger questioncan technology really solve fake news? Both researchers are sceptical, but convinced technology can help. Nucci emphasises that the concept of fake news is contested, and that stories are often not entirely true, but also not entirely false. "Fake news is not a mathematical question of algorithms and data," he said. "But a very philosophical question of how we deal with the truth. Nevertheless our technology can help improve transparency around fake claims and misinformation." Prof. Bronstein says it would be naive to expect technology to solve the problem of fake news. "It's not just about detecting fake news. It's also a problem of trust and a lack of critical thinking. People are losing trust in traditional media and institutions, and that's not something that can be mitigated only through technology," he said. "It requires efforts from all stakeholders, and hopefully our project can play a part in this larger effort." Explore further EU tasks experts to find ways to fight fake news This colorful view of Mercury was produced by using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's primary mission. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington How do you explore the interior of a planet without ever touching down on it? Start by watching the way the planet spins, then measure how your spacecraft orbits itvery, very carefully. This is exactly what NASA planetary scientists did, using data from the agency's former mission to Mercury. It has long been known that Mercury and the Earth have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid. Now, in a new study, scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland have found evidence that Mercury's inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's inner core. Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. This large corehuge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar systemhas long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core. The findings of Mercury's solid inner core, described in Geophysical Research Letters, certainly adds to a better understanding of Mercury, but there are larger ramifications. Just how similar, and how different, the cores of the planets are may give us clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time. "Mercury's interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet's weak magnetic field, relative to Earth's," said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at the Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard. "Mercury's interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet's. Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools." To figure out what the core of Mercury is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. The team used several observations from the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission to probe the interior of Mercury. The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet's spin and gravity. The MESSENGER spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury in March 2011, and spent four years observing this nearest planet to our Sun until it was deliberately brought down to the planet's surface in April 2015. A graphical representation of Mercury's internal structure. Credit: Antonio Genova Radio observations from MESSENGER were used to determine the gravitational anomalies (areas of local increases or decreases in mass) and the location of its rotational pole, which allowed scientists to understand the orientation of the planet. Each planet spins on an axis, also known as the pole. Mercury spins much more slowly than Earth, with its day lasting about 58 Earth days. Scientists often use tiny variations in the way an object spins to reveal clues about its internal structure. In 2007, radar observations made from Earth revealed small shifts in the spin of Mercury, called librations, that proved some of Mercury's core must be liquid-molten metal. But observations of the spin rate alone were not sufficient to give a clear measurement of what the inner core was like. Could there be a solid core lurking underneath, scientists wondered? Gravity can help answer that question. "Gravity is a powerful tool to look at the deep interior of a planet because it depends on the planet's density structure," said Sander Goossens, a Goddard researcher who worked with Genova on this study. As MESSENGER orbited Mercury over the course of its mission, and got closer and closer to the surface, scientists recorded how the spacecraft accelerated under the influence of the planet's gravity. The density structure of a planet can create subtle changes in a spacecraft's orbit. In the later parts of the mission, MESSENGER flew about 120 miles above the surface, and less than 65 miles during its last year. The final low-altitude orbits provided the best data yet, and allowed for Genova and his team to make the most accurate measurements about the internal structure of Mercury yet taken. Genova and his team put data from MESSENGER into a sophisticated computer program that allowed them to adjust parameters and figure out what the interior composition of Mercury must be like to match the way it spins and the way the spacecraft accelerated around it. The results showed that for the best match, Mercury must have a large, solid inner core. They estimated that the solid, iron core is about 1,260 miles (about 2,000 kilometers) wide and makes up about half of Mercury's entire core (about 2,440 miles, or nearly 4,000 kilometers, wide). In contrast, Earth's solid core is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) across, taking up a little more than a third of this planet's entire core. "We had to pull together information from many fields: geodesy, geochemistry, orbital mechanics and gravity to find out what Mercury's internal structure must be," said Goddard planetary scientist Erwan Mazarico, who also helped Genova reveal Mercury's solid core. The fact that scientists needed to get close to Mercury to find out more about its interior highlights the power of sending spacecraft to other worlds. Such accurate measurements of Mercury's spin and gravity were simply not possible to make from Earth. Additionally, this result used data collected by MESSENGER over several years, information that's available for all scientists to use. New discoveries about Mercury are practically guaranteed to be waiting in MESSENGER's archives, with each discovery about our local planetary neighborhood giving us a better understanding of what lies beyond. "Every new bit of information about our solar system helps us understand the larger universe," said Genova. Explore further Mercury studies reveal an intriguing target for BepiColombo More information: Antonio Genova et al. Geodetic Evidence That Mercury Has A Solid Inner Core, Geophysical Research Letters (2019). Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters Antonio Genova et al. Geodetic Evidence That Mercury Has A Solid Inner Core,(2019). DOI: 10.1029/2018GL081135 Dr Alan Jamieson, Chief Scientist on the Five Deeps Expedition and a senior lecturer at Newcastle University. Credit: Newcastle University Dr. Alan Jamieson, Chief Scientist on the Five Deeps Expedition and a senior lecturer at Newcastle University, UK, was part of the team to reach one of the most isolated points on the planet: the deepest point of the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean. Led by deep sea pioneer Victor Vescovo, the team travelled 23,596 feet to the bottom of the trench and captured footage of what are believed to be entirely new species, yet unseen by humans. This included a new species of hadal snailfish and an extraordinary gelatinous animal thought to be a Stalked Ascidean, otherwise known as a Sea Squirt which does not resemble anything seen before. This is the third time the Five Deeps team has successfully dived to the previously-unvisited bottom of one of the world's five oceans. Spending an incredible 8 hours underwater2.5 hours down, 3 hours on the bottom and 2.5 hours to return safely to the surfacethe team the mission is being filmed by Atlantic Productions for a five-part Discovery Channel documentary. The series is due to air in late 2019. "Significant moment" Dr. Jamieson, a senior lecturer in marine ecology, said, "It is not often we see something that is so extraordinary that it leaves us speechless. Amongst many other rare and unique observations, the stalked Ascidean was a really significant moment. At this point we are not entirely sure what species it was, but we will find out in due course. This was a big moment for hadal science and really demonstrated the scientific capability of the submersible. It has now proven that we can now do more, and access more places, than with any other marine vehicle in the world including remotely-operated vehicles at these extreme depths." Newcastle University scientists and engineers have been pioneering technology for the exploration of these ultra-deep environments for the last five years and have to date completed more than 250 deployments of their novel 'lander' systems. Using two full-ocean depth (11,000 m) capable landers equipped with HD cameras and traps the Newcastle team have been able to explore the deep sea, discovering three new species of Snailfish in the Atacama Trench.The team also discovered the first evidence of man-made fibres and plastic in the guts of crustaceans taken from Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trenchsome of the deepest living organisms on earth. Five Deeps Expedition The Five Deeps Expedition is the first oceanic journey to take a manned, commercially-certified submersible vessel further and deeper than any in history. So far, the expedition has resulted in: First descent to the bottom of the Indian Ocean The most solo divesthreedeeper than 7,000m have now been made by a single individual, Victor Vescovo First manned descent of any significant depth (below 2,000 meters) in the Java Trench and the first descent to the absolute bottom of the trench (7,192m) Deepest dive by a British citizen (Scottish) in that country's history, by Dr. Alan Jamieson to 7,180 meters, and first to visit a hadal zone First seabed lander operations including biological sampling and depth confirmation at the bottom of the Diamantina Fracture Zone in the Indian Ocean, 800 miles west of the Australian coast Discovered at least 4 new species of life, including one significantly-sized, stalked Ascidean, previously unseen by any member of the expedition science team Completed the third dive of the Five Deeps Expedition and thus 60 percent complete with the overall mission, and remaining on schedule for completion in September 2019 "Among other things, the Five Deeps Expedition has finally settled the debate about where the deepest point in the Indian Ocean is," says Vescovo. "Our Kongsberg EM124 multibeam sonar the most advanced sonar currently mounted on a civilian vessel provided detailed maps of the Diamantina Fracture Zone sea floor off the coast of Australia, as well as the deepest parts of the Java Trench. Together with physical visitation from unmanned landers and the DSV Limiting Factor submersible, we believe we have built the most precise maps possible of the deepest places in the Indian Ocean. The deepest point is in the central part of the Java Trench not the east as was widely assumedand that's exactly where we dove." Explore further Sequencing of snailfish from Mariana Trench reveals clues on how it adapted to live in such deep water Drone imagery of coral patches along the coast of Maunalua Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i where researchers in the Marko Lab at the University of Hawai'i use coral DNA from filtered seawater to assess coral cover on local reefs. Credit: Patrick K. Nichols Scientists at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa Department of Biology have developed a technique for measuring the amount of living coral on a reef by analyzing DNA in small samples of seawater. The new research by Patrick Nichols, a graduate student in the marine biology graduate program, and Peter Marko, an associate professor in the Department of Biology, was published in Environmental DNA. Underwater visual surveys are used widely in coral reef ecology and are an important part of any coral reef monitoring program. However, visual surveys are typically conducted using SCUBA, which can be both time-consuming and logistically challenging. As an efficient complement to visual surveys, the analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA), DNA sloughed or expelled from organisms into the environment, has been used to assess species diversity, primarily in aquatic environments. The technique takes advantage of the fact that all organisms constantly shed DNA into the environment, leaving behind a genetic residue that can be detected and analyzed with molecular biology tools. Despite the growing use of eDNA to catalog the presence and absence of species, a reliable link between the abundance of organisms and the quantity of DNA has remained elusive. In their paper, Nichols and Marko demonstrate that this new method tested on coral reefs in Hawai?i is a quick and cost-effective way to measure live coral "cover," the amount of a coral reef occupied by living corals. Because corals facilitate the presence of many other species on a reef, coral cover is one of several important measuring sticks that scientists use to characterize the status of a reef, an urgent task on reefs that are declining worldwide as a consequence of global climate change. Patrick Nichols handling processing filters used to capture eDNA samples from seawater samples processed in the field. Credit: Patrick K. Nichols "It still amazes me that in a tiny tube of water, there is enough information to track the relative abundance of entire communities," said Nichols. "Increasing the breadth and scope of surveys is exactly what makes the future of eDNA so exciting!" "Metabarcoding" The project used "metabarcoding," a technique in which all of the DNA in a water sample is analyzed in one step with DNA sequencing. Coral DNA sequences are then identified and counted to determine the abundances of different types of corals at each reef. Degraded reefs have very little coral eDNA whereas reefs with more living corals have a much stronger coral eDNA signature. Reef in a tube: researchers in the Marko Lab at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa use DNA from filtered water to quickly assess relative abundance of corals on local reefs. Credit: Patrick K. Nichols The authors explain in their paper that this new technique can be used to track changes in coral reef health and community composition over time, as well as detect rare species that can otherwise be missed by traditional visual-based survey methods. "If you asked me 10 years ago if this was possible, I would have said, 'No way,'" said Marko. "But advances in technology and falling costs of highly-sensitive DNA sequencing methods have opened the door to all kinds of important ecological questions." The researchers are currently applying what they learned from the project to the most compelling applications of eDNA monitoring in communities that are much more difficult to visually assess, such as deep reefs that provide potential refuge from climate change for temperature-sensitive species. Explore further Healthy coral populations produce a surprising number of offspring Credit: CC0 Public Domain Research published in the International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy shows how a neural network can be trained with a genetic algorithm to forecasting short-term demands on electricity load. Chawalit Jeenanunta and Darshana Abeyrathna of Thammasat University, in Thani, Thailand, explain that it is critical for electricity producers to be able to estimate how much demand there will be on their systems in the next 48 hours. Without such predictions, there will inevitably be shortfalls in power generation when demand is higher than estimated or energy and resources wasted if demand is lower than expected. The team has used data from the electricity generating authority of Thailand (EGAT) to train a neural network via a genetic algorithm. The results are compared with the more conventional back-propagation approach to prediction and show that the system is much better and predict the rise and falls in electricity demand. The genetic algorithm neural network (GANN) approach takes about 30 minutes to train for prediction compared with 1 minute for back-propagation training of a neural network. However, the added value of much more accurate predictions far outweighs this additional time and effort. Explore further Improved hybrid models for multi-step wind speed forecasting More information: Chawalit Jeenanunta et al. Neural network with genetic algorithm for forecasting short-term electricity load demand, International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy (2019). Chawalit Jeenanunta et al. Neural network with genetic algorithm for forecasting short-term electricity load demand,(2019). DOI: 10.1504/IJETP.2019.098957 Drexel University and Trinity College researchers have developed a conductive ink that can be used to inkjet print energy storage devices. Credit: Drexel University Researchers from Drexel University and Trinity College in Ireland, have created ink for an inkjet printer from a highly conductive type of two-dimensional material called MXene. Recent findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that the ink can be used to print flexible energy storage components, such as supercapacitors, in any size or shape. Conductive inks have been around for nearly a decade and they represent a multi-hundred million-dollar market that is expected to grow rapidly into the next decade. It's already being used to make the radiofrequency identification tags used in highway toll transponders, circuit boards in portable electronics and it lines car windows as embedded radio antennas and to aid defrosting. But for the technology to see broader use, conductive inks need to become more conductive and more easily applied to a range of surfaces. Yury Gogotsi, Ph.D., Distinguished University and Bach professor in Drexel's College of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, who studies the applications of new materials in technology, suggests that the ink created in Drexel's Nanomaterials Institute is a significant advancement on both of these fronts. "So far only limited success has been achieved with conductive inks in both fine-resolution printing and high charge storage devices," Gogotsi said. "But our findings show that all-MXene printed micro-supercapacitors, made with an advanced inkjet printer, are an order of magnitude greater than existing energy storage devices made from other conductive inks." While researchers are steadily figuring out ways to make inks from new, more conductive materials, like nanoparticle silver, graphene and gallium, the challenge remains incorporating them seamlessly into manufacturing processes. Most of these inks can't be used in a one-step process, according to Babak Anasori, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in Drexel's department of Materials Science and Engineering and co-author of the MXene ink research. "For most other nano inks, an additive is required to hold the particles together and allow for high-quality printing. Because of this, after printing, an additional step is requiredusually a thermal or chemical treatmentto remove that additive," Anasori said. "For MXene printing, we only use MXene in water or MXene in an organic solution to make the ink. This means it can dry without any additional steps." MXenes are a type of carbon-based, two-dimensional layered materials, created at Drexel in 2011, that have the unique ability to mix with liquids, like water and other organic solvents, while retaining their conductive properties. Because of this, Drexel researchers have produced and tested it in a variety of forms, from conductive clay to a coating for electromagnetic interference shielding to a near-invisible wireless antenna. Adjusting the concentration to create ink for use in a commercial printer was a matter of time and iteration. The solvent and MXene concentration in the ink can be adjusted to suit different kinds of printers. "If we really want to take advantage of any technology at a large scale and have it ready for public use, it has to become very simple and done in one step," Anasori said. "An inkjet printer can be found in just about every house, so we knew if we could make the proper ink, it would be feasible that anyone could make future electronics and devices." As part of the study, the Drexel team, working with researchers at Trinity College, who are experts in printing, put the MXene ink to the test in a series of printouts, including a simple circuit, a mirco-supercapacitor and some text, on substrates ranging from paper to plastic to glass. In doing so, they found that they could print lines of consistent thickness and that the ink's ability to pass an electric current varied with its thicknessboth important factors in manufacturing electronics components. And the printouts maintained their superior electric conductivity, which is the highest among all carbon-based conductive inks, including carbon nanotubes and graphene. This all amounts to a very versatile product for making the tiny components that perform important, but often overlooked functions in our electronics devicesjobs like keeping the power on when the battery dies, preventing damaging electrical surges, or speeding the charging process. Providing a higher-performing material and a new way to build things with it could lead not only to improvements to our current devices, but also the creation of entirely new technologies. "Compared to conventional manufacturing protocols, direct ink printing techniques, such as inkjet printing and extrusion printing, allow digital and additive patterning, customization, reduction in material waste, scalability and rapid production," Anasori said. "Now that we have produced a MXene ink that can be applied via this technique, we're looking at a world of new opportunities to use it." Explore further Expanding the use of silicon in batteries, by preventing electrodes from expanding More information: Additive-free MXene inks and direct printing of micro-supercapacitors, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Additive-free MXene inks and direct printing of micro-supercapacitors,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09398-1 Trajectory of the January 8, 2014 meteor (red), shown intersecting with that of Earth (blue) at the time of impact, ti = 2014-01-08 17:05:34. Credit: arXiv:1904.07224 [astro-ph.EP] A pair of researchers has found possible evidence of an extrasolar object striking the Earth back in 2014. In their paper uploaded to the arXiv preprint server, Amir Siraj and Abraham Loeb describe their study of data in the Center for Near-Earth Object studies database and what they found. Abraham Loeb is the Harvard University astronomer who made headlines recently when he suggested that the space object known as 'Oumuamua might have been part of an alien spacecraft. 'Oumuamua was believed to have come from outside of the solar system because its trajectory showed it was not gravitationally bound to the sunalso, it traveled faster than traditional space objects. In this new effort, Loeb and his undergraduate assistant Siraj claim to have found evidence of another object from outside of the solar system. Loeb and Siraj had reasoned that space objects traveling faster than normal might be evidence enough of an extrasolar visitor. That led to them to perform searches in the Center for Near-Earth Object studies database for objects that traveled faster than normal. They report that they found three hits, two of which they dismissed because of incomplete data. The third described a meteor that was believed to be slightly less than a meter wide that had been observed disintegrating in the atmosphere on January 8th, 2014, at a height of 18.7 kilometers near Papua New Guinea. Its speed had been measured by a government sensor at 216,000 km/h. By looking at its trajectory and tracing backward, the researchers report that it likely came from somewhere outside of our solar system. If the evidence pans out, the sighting would be the first known instance of an extrasolar object striking the Earth. The researchers suggest that the object's high speed indicates that it was likely flung out of another star system. And if that were the case, it would have been reasonably close to its star at some point, deep in the interior of a planetary systemperhaps in its "Goldilocks zone," which means there was some chance it carried life. The researchers have written a paper describing their findings, which they have submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Explore further Interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua probably crash into the sun every 30 years More information: Amir Siraj and Abraham Loeb. Discovery of a Meteor of Interstellar Origin, arXiv:1904.07224 [astro-ph.EP]. Journal information: arXiv , Astrophysical Journal Letters Amir Siraj and Abraham Loeb. Discovery of a Meteor of Interstellar Origin, arXiv:1904.07224 [astro-ph.EP]. arxiv.org/abs/1904.07224 2019 Science X Network The two bright stars are (left) Centauri and (right) Centauri. The faint red star in the centre of the red circle is Proxima Centauri. Credit: Wikipedia A team of researchers studying the nearest star to our solar system, Proxima Centauri, has found possible evidence of a second planet in its system. Team members Fabio Del Sordo with the University of Crete and Mario Damasso with the Observatory of Turin gave a presentation of their findings at this year's Breakthrough Discuss conference held at the University of California, Berkeley campus. Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf, was first observed by Robert Innes back in 1915. It is located approximately 4.2 light years away, making it the closest star to our solar system. Three years ago, a team at the European Southern Observatory discovered a planet orbiting the star, which was promptly named Proxima Centauri b. In this new effort, the researchers reported that they had found evidence suggesting that there might be another planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri b was identified by the slight wobbling of its host star. Del Sordo and Damasso reported that they have been studying data received by HARPS, a telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. They further reported that data covering the past 17 years revealed similar signs of the star wobbling, suggesting another planet. The pair went on to suggest that if their findings pan out, they believe the exoplanet would have a mass approximately six times that of Earth, putting it in the category of a super-Earth planetand would orbit approximately 1.5 AU from its star. It would also take the planet approximately five Earth years to make one orbit around its star. They note that such a long distance from a cooling star would likely mean very cold temperatures on the exoplanetperhaps as cold as -234 degrees C. The researchers also noted that they are confident that they have found a new exoplanet, but remain cautious. The team has written a paper outlining their observations, which has been submitted for publication but has not yet been peer reviewed. There is also the possibility that confirmation of the planet could come from the orbiting Gaia space-based observatory, which should be able to provide more evidence of an exoplanet if it is truly there. Explore further Breezing through the space environment of Barnard's Star b More information: Mario Damasso & Fabio Del Sordo, "Things Behind the Sun: Proxima Strikes Again" Mario Damasso & Fabio Del Sordo, "Things Behind the Sun: Proxima Strikes Again" breakthroughinitiatives.org/ev iscussconference2019 2019 Science X Network In an informal demonstration similar to the published research, Alumni Weekend attendees were invited to sample various wines made from grapes irrigated with conventional or recycled water and later joined a discussion on consumer response to water use in food production. Credit: University of Delaware With a diminishing supply of safe freshwater in many areas, and increasing periods of drought that further limit that supply, we are facing a dilemma. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farming uses consume nearly 80 percent of our available water. Now, producers and agricultural researchers are searching for alternative irrigation sources to limit this consumption and extend our water supply. One solution is to irrigate crops using treated wastewater, otherwise known as reclaimed or recycled water. This recycled water, highly purified though perhaps not as pristine as drinking water, could be the key to a successful crop yield during times of drought when conventional freshwater is unavailable. But, while recycled water is widely used in some countriesby 2012, 85 percent of the effluent in Israel was recycledit has yet to be widely adopted in the U.S., due at least in part to concerns about consumer response. According to Kent Messer, professor of applied economics and director of the Center for Experimental and Applied Economics at the University of Delaware, current trends suggest that consumers are taking more and more interest not only in the nutritional value of food but also how it was produced. Grocery stores are lined with foods touting free range, organic, or shade grown production. Food labels soon could include the type of water used to irrigate and grow the product and, indeed, some blueberries and cut flowers already include information about irrigation sources. To explore responses to water use in food production, Messer and his team of researchers from UD's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources looked at consumers' willingness to pay for wine made from grapes irrigated with both conventional and recycled water. The research was recently published in the journal Ecological Economics. Armed with an array of French and California wines, the team attended the Philadelphia Food and Wine Festival, attracting more than 300 research participants in one day alone. The team then watched to see which wines people would buy and how much they would pay when faced with different information about the production of the grapes used in the wines. One group of consumers was given only the location of origin for each wine. Another group was given information about the location and the type of water used in grape irrigation but received no other information about the potential benefits of recycled water. A third group was provided positive information about recycled water and the environmental benefits of its use, particularly to sensitive ecosystems. A final group received the same information about recycled water along with information about the positive impact recycled water use could have on California vineyards. "The interesting thing that popped out that we weren't quite expecting," said Messer, "was that people preferred not to know anything about the water." Participants paid more for wines that used conventional water to irrigate the grapes versus those using recycled water, but were willing to pay the most for wines that did not reveal the water source, offering insight for the future of wine marketing. These findings suggest that, while it may be best to use recycled water in irrigation to mitigate water shortages, there is little incentive for winemakers to promote this process as an eco-friendly alternative in an effort to attract consumers. Yet, there is also little detriment to using recycled water, as those using conventional water do not benefit from advertising that fact. As Messer pointed out, "Reducing the amount of water used to irrigate foods and using treated recycled water can have benefits for the environment and agriculture. This research shows that for wine drinkers, when it comes to source of the water that helped create their wine, ignorance is bliss." Forthcoming research examines consumer response to recycled water use in production of fresh foods and whether there are ways of using recycled water in agriculture that do not induce a negative consumer response. Explore further Water in space More information: Tongzhe Li et al. Ignorance Is Bliss? Experimental Evidence on Wine Produced from Grapes Irrigated with Recycled Water, Ecological Economics (2018). Tongzhe Li et al. Ignorance Is Bliss? Experimental Evidence on Wine Produced from Grapes Irrigated with Recycled Water,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.07.004 United Airlines still expects to receive new 737 MAX planes in 2019 despite a global grounding following two crashes involving the Boeing plane United Continental still expects to receive new Boeing 737 MAX planes in 2019 and does not expect a fight with the manufacturer over recovering costs from the planes' grounding, United executives said Wednesday. Boeing's 737 MAX planes have been grounded globally since mid-March following two deadly crashes involving the planes in less than five months. United, parent to United Airlines, currently has 14 of the 737 MAX planes in its fleet and had been scheduled to receive five more planes in the second quarter and 11 additional planes in the third. The company has temporarily suspended deliveries of new 737 MAX aircraft. United executives said Wednesday some of their 2019 deliveries may lapse later in the year but that they still expect to receive all of the planes in 2019. US aviation regulators say they will closely review Boeing's proposed fixes before allowing the planes to resume service. United executives, who have removed the planes from scheduled flights through early July, were asked by an analyst whether Boeing has offered compensation to make up for moving planes and other costs due to the MAX situation. "Right now we're focused on assisting every way we can with regulators and with Boeing on solving the problem," said Chief Financial Officer Gerry Laderman. "Boeing has been a great partner of ours for decades," Laderman said, adding that the two parties had reached agreement a few years ago after a grounding of the 787 plane crimped some business. "We'll have a conversation with Boeing and I expect like we always do to resolve whatever that conversation is in a way that works for both of us," he added. United has been somewhat less affected by the 737 MAX grounding than two other US carriers, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which have 24 and 34 737 MAX in their current fleets respectively. Shares of United rose 4.7 percent to $89.18 near mid-day after the company reported better-than-expected first-quarter profits. Explore further Boeing reports 19% drop in Q1 plane deliveries on MAX grounding 2019 AFP A High School student was shot dead on Tuesday by a stray bullet fired by a police officer at Onger market in Nyatike Sub County, Migori County. Davis Lango Okumu, a Form Two student at Akala Secondary School, was reportedly gunned down by a female police officer. The officer was among security officers dispatched to control a mob that wanted to lynch a woman accused of pickpocketing a trader at the market. According to the deceaseds uncle Mr Odira Okumu, his nephew was just taking a stroll within Onger market in the evening when he was shot in the abdomen. The boy died while being rushed to Migori Level Four Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was moved to the same hospitals mortuary. Migori Police boss Joseph Nthenge said he was yet to receive a brief on the incident hence could not comment on the matter. Nyatike Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner Moses Mugambi issued a similar statement saying he is yet to confirm the information. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The federal government is best at protecting consumer data and the health care sector is the worst, according to a new study by the not-for-profit Internet Society's Online Trust Alliance. The 10th annual Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll analyzed more than 1,200 consumer-facing websites to determine which industry values security and privacy the most. Here's how the seven industries the Online Trust Alliance examined ranked: U.S. government91% of audited U.S. federal government sites made the Honor Roll) consumer services (everything from social media to travel-booking websites to tax-prep services)85% news and media78% banks73% internet retailers65% internet service providers, carriers, hosters and e-mail providers63% health care57% The health care companies examined include pharmacies, health insurers, hospital systems and genetic-testing businesses. The Online Trust Alliance evaluated the websites based on how well they protected their e-mail, whether they encrypt sessions with their users and what they say in their privacy statements. "What do you collect, what do you do with it and who do you share it with?," the group's technical director, Jeff Wilbur, said. "By far, the biggest tactic bad guys use is someone steals your credentials. E-mail represents a starting point of 90% of attacks." The Online Trust Alliance's overall list of the most vigilant about protecting consumer data includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, PayPal, the First National Bank of Omaha and DNA-testing company 23andMe. Ranked first on the list was Google Play. USA TODAY is on the Online Trust Alliance's news and media industry's honor roll. This year marked the first time the survey included the health care sector, but according to Wilbur, it's a vital industry. A person's private medical data could be used for everything from blackmail to insurance fraud. "Hackers prize medical information to round out the profile of individual they already have information on," he said. "It makes it worth more when they sell it. It gets to the person more deeply." But there's plenty of exposure all around, and with that, victims. For example, in March, the parent company of the Planet Hollywood and Buca di Beppo restaurant chains said diners' credit and debit card information may have been exposed and in December, the question-and-answer website Q&A site Quora said a data breach could have affected 100 million users. David Holtzman has been ensnared in three data breachesthe 2015 U.S. Office of Personnel Management breach from his days as a federal-government employee, the 2017 Equifax breach after he'd applied for a home mortgage and the Marriott breach, the result of two decades as a hotel guest. "I feel like I can't protect my funds and my identity. I'm very fearful of what this portends," said the 60-year-old health-information privacy attorney from Germantown, Maryland. Holtzman has put credit freezes on his accounts, remains vigilant about monitoring day-to-day activity in his banking accounts and 401(k) and is careful about what he posts on social media. "When I was a kid, your bank issued a passbook to you and no transaction could take place (without it)," he said. "In today's electronic business environment, as a consumer, the only way I can access my money and monitor my financial well-being is by conducting it through the internetthe same Internet that was used by hackers to steal my information." Explore further So you stayed at a Starwood hotel: Tips on data breach 2019 USA Today Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. View from the rooftops of reconstructed Askl houses from the 8th and 9th century BC. Credit: G. Duru The transition from hunting and gathering to farming and herding is considered a crucial turning point in the history of humanity. Scholars think the intensive food production that came along with the Neolithic Revolution, starting around 10,000 B.C., allowed cities to grow, led to technological innovation and, eventually, enabled life as we know it today. It has been difficult to work out the details of how and when this took place. But a new study published in Science Advances begins to resolve the scale and pace of change during the first phases of animal domestication at an ancient site in Turkey. To reconstruct this history, the authors turned to an unusual source: urine salts left behind by humans and animals. Whereas dung is commonly used in all sorts of studies, "this is the first time, to our knowledge, that people have picked up on salts in archaeological materials, and used them in a way to look at the development of animal management," says lead author Jordan Abell, a graduate student at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The team used the urine salts to calculate the density of humans and animals at the site over time, estimating that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. The results suggest that domestication may have been more rapid than previously expected. They also support the idea that the Neolithic Revolution didn't have just one birthplace in the Fertile Crescent of the Mideast, but rather occurred across several locations simultaneously. Students working on the western Section of Askl Hoyuk, where the evidence was found. Credit: G. Duru At the ancient settlement of Askl Hoyuk in central Turkey, archaeological evidence suggests that humans began domesticating sheep and goats around 8450 BC. These practices evolved over the next 1,000 years, until the society became heavily dependent on the beasts for food and other materials. Abell explains that it can be difficult to reconstruct the scale and pace of this evolution using bone fragments and fossilized dung. So he and his colleagues asked themselves what other clues might have been left behind by a bunch of animals onsite. "And we thought, well, humans and animals pee, and when they pee, they release a bunch of salt," says Abell. "At a dry place like this, we didn't think salts would be washed away and redistributed." As it happened, co-authors Susan Mentzer from the University of Tubingen and Jay Quade from the University of Arizona, where Abell worked on this project as an undergraduate, had previously documented some unusually high levels of salts around Askl Hoyuk, and were perplexed by what they meant. Using this data and others, the new study supports the idea that the salts likely came from the urine of humans, sheep and goats. The study uses the abundance of the salts over time to track the growth of the community and its animals over a period of 1,000 years. Study authors Jay Quade (left) and Jordan Abell (right) looking for optimal samples at the site of an ancient Turkish settlement where salts left behind by animal and human urine give clues about the development of livestock herding. Credit: Gunes Duru Working with Turkish archaeologists, including Istanbul University's Mihriban Ozbasaran, who heads the Askl Hoyuk dig, the team collected 113 samples from all across the sitefrom trash piles to bricks and hearths, and from different time periodsto look at patterns in the sodium, nitrate and chlorine salt levels. They found that, overall, the urine salts at Askl Hoyuk increased in abundance over time. The natural layers before the settlement was built contained very low levels of salts. The oldest layers with evidence of human habitation, spanning 10,400 to 10,000 years ago, saw slight increases but remained relatively low in the urine salts. Then the salts spike during a period from 10,000 to 9,700 years ago; the amount of salts in this layer is about 1,000 times higher than in the preceding ones, indicating a rapid increase in the number of occupants (both human and animal). After that, the concentrations decrease slightly. Abell says these trends line up with previous hypotheses based on other evidence from the sitethat the settlement transitioned first from mostly hunting sheep and goats to corralling just a few, then changed to larger-scale management, and then finally shifted to keeping animals in corrals on the periphery of the site as their numbers grew. And although the timing is close to what the study authors expected, the sharp change around 10,000 years ago "may be new evidence for a more rapid transition" toward domestication, says Abell. Using the salt concentrations, the team estimated the number and density of people plus sheep and goats at Askl Hoyuk, after accounting for other factors that might have influenced the salt levels. They calculated that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. By comparison, modern-day semi-intensive feedlots have densities of about one sheep for every 5 square meters. Although it is not currently possible to distinguish between human and livestock urine salts, the urine salt analysis method can still provide a helpful estimate of sheep and goat abundance. Over the 1,000 year period, the team calculated that an average of 1,790 people and animals lived and peed on the settlement every day. In each time period, the estimated inhabitants were much higher than the number of people that archaeologists think the settlement's buildings would have housed. This indicates that the urine salt concentrations can indeed reflect the relative amounts of domesticated animals over time. Drone photo of Askl Hoyuk: The site originally would have measured around 7 hectares before it was cut and eroded by the Melendiz River. It stands higher than 16 meters above the modern river terrace. No other site this large and spanning a single period exists in the region similar to the subsequent site of Catalhoyuk in the Konya Plain. Askl contains multiple developmental stages of humans establishing a new way of life, showing how the community modified their environment and themselves. Credit: Gunes Duru & Askl Research Project The researchers plan to further refine their methods and calculations in the future, and hope to find a way to differentiate between human and animal urine salts. They think the methodology could be applied in other arid areas, and could be especially helpful at sites where other physical evidence, such as bones, is lacking. The study's results also help shed light on the geographic spread of the Neolithic Revolution. It was once thought that farming and herding originated in the Fertile Crescent, which spans parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, then spread outward from there. But mounting evidence, including today's study, indicates that domestication and the transition to Neolithic lifestyles took place concurrently over a broad and diffuse swath of the region. Anthropologist and co-author Mary Stiner from the University of Arizona said that the new method could help to clarify the larger picture of humanity's relationship to animals during this transitional period. "We might find similar trends in other archaeological sites of the period in the Middle East," she said, "but it is also possible that only a handful of long-lasting communities were forums for the evolving human-caprine relationships in any given region of the Middle East." Explore further Mound excavation reveals transition from hunting to herding in Neolithic settlement More information: J.T. Abell at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, NY el al., "Urine salts elucidate Early Neolithic animal management at Askl Hoyuk, Turkey," Science Advances (2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw0038 , Journal information: Science Advances J.T. Abell at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, NY el al., "Urine salts elucidate Early Neolithic animal management at Askl Hoyuk, Turkey,"(2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw0038 , advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/4/eaaw0038 Credit: ESAS. Corvaja In preparation for his Beyond mission, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano was at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, in March 2019. Here he is strapped to the Partial Gravity Simulator to practice repairing the dark-matter hunter AMS-02. AMS-02, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, consists of seven instruments that monitor cosmic rays from space. The 6918 kg instrument was installed in 2011 and results hint at a new phenomenon that may reveal more about the invisible 'dark matter'. The facility was only meant to run for three years, but it has been so successful that the International Space Station partners and scientific community wish to extend its working life. Despite this, three of the four cooling pumps have stopped working and need to be repaired this is where Luca comes in. At the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility in 'Building 9' Luca is testing tools, procedures and techniques to replace the cooling system during a series of spacewalks planned for this year. AMS-02 was never designed to be repaired in space so each aspect of the spacewalk needs to be considered and practiced in detail. Explore further Shining light on elusive dark matter Credit: Yavas et al. In quantum materials based on transition metals, rare-earth and actinide elements, electronic states are characterized by electrons in orbitals d and f, combined with the solid's strong band formation. Until now, to estimate the specific orbitals that contribute to the ground state of these materials and determine their physical properties, researchers have primarily relied on theoretical calculations and spectroscopy methods. In a recent study published in Nature Physics, a team of researchers at Max Planck Institute Dresden, Heidelberg University, University of Cologne, and DESY- Hamburg attempted to image a material's active orbitals directly in real space, without any modeling. The imaging technique they devised is based on s-core level and non-resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. "We are interested in how materials attain their properties," Hao Tjeng, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "We want to know how these can be explained on the basis of the behavior of the electrons in the materials. We are mostly interested in transition metal (3d, 4d, 5d) and rare-earth-based (4f) materials, since they offer a wealth of fascinating and tunable properties, important for fundamental science and for numerous other applications." When they first started working on their study, Tjeng and his colleagues knew that the quantum mechanical equations that they would need to solve were unsolvable, as the relevant calculations would take an infinite amount of time. They thus realized that it would be far more practical and useful to image the orbitals in practical experiments. "Usually, in order to determine what type of quantum mechanical states are realized in a material, one carries out spectroscopic measurements," Tjeng explained. "These have their merits, but also their limitations: one still need to do calculations to extract the information, and quite often the results are not accurate or reliable. We were thus looking for a new method that can provide a direct image of the quantum mechanical state straight for the experiment. Maurits Haverkort and I realized that inelastic x-ray scattering could provide such an opportunity." Using X-rays and large momentum transfers, the researchers were able to observe atomic transitions in the sample that would otherwise be forbidden in standard experiments, such as x-ray or optical absorption spectroscopy. Haverkort and Tjeng realized that by making a transition from a spherical atomic state (e.g. 3s) they could attain the shape of a 3d orbital with respect to the photon momentum transfer. Credit: Yavas et al. "Initially, all of this was theory," Tjeng said. "We then set out to do the experiment, investing and upgrading an existing instrument at the PETRA-III synchrotron facility, in order to have sufficient signal, considering that this is a very photon hungry experiment. After some efforts, we were indeed able to observe the signal and the results that we had envisioned." In their experiment, Tjeng ad his colleagues used synchrotron radiation as an 'undulator' beamline, to deliver monochromatic x-rays with high intensities. They directed the x-ray beam at a sample, specifically a single crystal; then they detected and analyzed the scattered x-rays. "By looking at the intensity of a particular atomic process (in our case 'the 3s-to-3d excitation') as a function of the orientation of the sample with respect to the transferred photon-momentum and by displaying these intensities on a polar plot, we obtained a direct image of the 3d orbital.," Tjeng said. In their study, Tjeng and his colleagues were able to demonstrate the effectiveness, both in terms of power and accuracy, of the imaging technique proposed by them. They successfully applied their method on a textbook example, the x2y2/3z2-r2 orbital of the Ni2+ ion in a NiO single crystal. "By being able to directly image the orbitals that are active in a material, we will have a better and more precise insight in the behavior of the electrons that are responsible for the properties of the material," Tjeng said. This is especially important for the design of new materials with new or optimized properties, which is highly desired by both the physics and chemistry research communities." Tjeng and his colleagues have presented a tangible and efficient alternative to current methods for studying orbitals in quantum materials, which could ultimately enhance research in both physics and chemistry. In their future work, they plan to use their technique to study other complex materials. In addition, they would like to improve the apparatus and instruments employed by their method, so that it can become a standard source of measurement, such as single crystal x-ray or neutron diffraction measurement. Explore further A first for quantum physics: Electron orbitals manipulated in diamonds More information: Hasan Yavas et al. Direct imaging of orbitals in quantum materials, Nature Physics (2019). Journal information: Nature Physics Hasan Yavas et al. Direct imaging of orbitals in quantum materials,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-019-0471-2 2019 Science X Network A huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia. Credit: Alejandro Vila/Wildlife Conservation Society Scientists report the first cases of foot disease for endangered huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia in a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of California, Davis' One Health Institute, with partnering institutions in Chile and the United States. In the study, published April 17 in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers found foot lesions in 24 huemul deer in Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins National Park between 2005 and 2010. The park remains one of the few strongholds for the species, which lives in the rugged mountainous terrain of southern Argentina and Chile. The foot disease causes severe pain, swelling, partial or complete loss of the hoof and in many cases, death. Affected animals become unable to move and forage, leaving them susceptible to starvation and predation. Researchers identified parapoxvirus as the likely cause of the disease. About 40 percent of the 24 affected deer died, suggesting the virus could pose a considerable conservation threat to the already vulnerable species. "We knew that deer were getting sick and dying from this disease for many years, but we didn't know what was causing it," said corresponding author Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian with the UC Davis One Health Institute and director of the Latin America Program within UC Davis' Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. "We're really excited that we found a potential cause for this disease. Now we need to learn from it so we can be better prepared to help this species." Iconic species Culturally iconic, the huemul deer appears alongside the condor on Chile's coat of arms and symbolizes biodiversity in the region. While only about 2,500 remain in the wild today, huemul deer were once widespread in Patagonian forests. Then, in the 19th century, habitat loss, poaching and livestock disease began contributing to their decline. Today, the huemul deer is the most endangered deer in South America. A painful virus is affecting huemul deer, an iconic and endangered animals in Chilean Patagonia. Credit: Alejandro Vila/Wildlife Conservation Society "Considering the critical situation of huemul deer, this finding is a significant first step toward identifying and implementing solutions," said lead author Alejandro Vila, the Scientific Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Chile. "We will continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders for the recovery of this flagship species." Cattle considerations The lab analysis provided some indication that this disease may have originated with livestock, as well, but more research is needed to confirm. Parapoxvirus DNA present in the sample was highly associated with bovine viruses. Three-quarters of the deer affected by the foot disease were found in the Huemules Valley, where cattle were introduced in 1991 before being removed in 2004. The remaining quarter of affected deer were found in the more isolated Bernardo and Katraska Valleys, which were always free of cattle and had no cases of the foot disease until six sick deer were found between 2008 and 2010. Better monitoring could help The study said a better system for monitoring the population, collecting high-quality samples and ensuring their delivery for lab analysis could help researchers, land managers and wildlife veterinarians more quickly identify problems huemul deer face and find ways to help them. "It's very rare to link an endangered species with the cause of a disease," Uhart said. "Disease is one reason this species is not doing well. A collaborative framework that involves the different stakeholders can help us put the right pieces in place to diagnose and help the species." Such a framework requires collaboration among academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and government agencies, the authors emphasize. "We are very pleased with the outcome of this collaborative investigation," said Alejandra Silva, Regional Director of the National Forestry Service (CONAF) for Magallanes and Antarctica. "Given how complex it is to work in remote and isolated locations and the costs involved in pursuing sophisticated diagnostics, we recognize the value of partnering with academia and the non-governmental sector to solve problems threatening our wild species." Explore further Resurgence of endangered deer in Patagonian 'Eden' highlights conservation success Looking out from Ontong Java settlement at the mouth of the Mataniko River, Honiara. Credit: Alexei Trundle (2017), Author provided The impacts of climate change are already being felt across the Pacific, considered to be one of the world's most-at-risk regions. Small island developing states are mandated extra support under the Paris Agreement. Many are classified as least developed countries, allowing them special access to development funding and loans. Analysis of climate change adaptation projects in the Pacific shows most focus on rural areas, heavy infrastructure and policy development. Climate change planning for the cities and towns has been limited, despite their rapid growth. Port Vila, for example, has far outgrown the municipal boundary set out when Vanuatu became independent in 1980. Migration to the urban fringe has resulted in the wider metropolitan area accounting for 26.8% of Vanuatu's population. These areas are growing at an average rate of 6.6% a year. The capital of Solomon Islands, Honiara, is experiencing similarly rapid growth. More than a third of its residents live in informal settlements on the city fringes, without legal tenure. There are few rural economic opportunities and climate change is threatening outer island subsistence crops and fisheries. This means Pacific cities are likely to keep growing for many years to come. 'Not drowning, fighting' Despite being exposed to extreme weather and rising seas, many inhabitants of Small Island Developing States resist being framed as "climate vulnerable". For corresponding spatial boundaries see 'Governance and agency beyond boundaries: Climate resilience in Port Vila's peri-urban settlements' in https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315174815. Credit: The Conversation High exposure to extreme weather and little responsibility for the emissions that are making such events worse mean these states often regard characterisations of fragility and weakness as counterproductive. Pacific leaders regularly avoid describing their citizens as vulnerable to climate change, even during international negotiations. As president of the 23rd UN Climate Conference, Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama emphasised that Pacific vulnerability was recognised "not to present our people as victims but to emphasise that their interests are your interests". Kiribati's former president, Anote Tong, recently in Australia advocating for stronger climate action, similarly insists that I-Kiribati "must not relocate as climate refugees but as people who would migrate with dignity". Communities also focus on their strengths in the face of natural disasters. In March 2015 Tropical Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu. In the capital, Port Vila, it destroyed 30% of dwellings. The losses were equivalent to 64.1% of national GDP. In the aftermath local musician Bobby Shing released a single titled "Resilience". The song relates the roles of culture, religion and "standing strong". "Resilience" echoed a national mood to rebuild and move forward. It also acknowledged the wealth of traditional knowledge for dealing with natural hazards in the world's most disaster-prone country. Koa Hill informal settlement in central Honiara is prone to landslips and flash flooding. Credit: Alexei Trundle (2017) Rethinking climate resilience Climate change adaptation in Pacific island cities is challenging for a number of reasons. The United Nations Human Settlements Program, UN-Habitat, focuses specifically on adapting developing cities to climate change. As the UN's peak body for cities it is responsible for implementing the New Urban Agenda. It is also spearheading Sustainable Development Goal 11, the "urban" SDG. Working with Australian academics, local government and civil society, UN-Habitat is developing urban resilience and climate adaptation plans in Honiara and Port Vila. Recently published research reflecting on these two projects sheds light on the ways that "climate-resilient development" in Pacific cities needs to be done differently. Graffiti on the fence of a damaged house in Blacksands, Port Vila, two years after Tropical Cyclone Pam. Credit: Alexei Trundle (2017) 1) Target those who need help most Informal settlements are the most vulnerable parts of Pacific cities. These vulnerability hotspots often occupy hazardous land such as floodplains where formal development is prohibited. They usually lack basic services such as piped water and electricity. When disaster strikes, the impacts are worst for these communities. A lack of formal recognition can also stand in the way of disaster relief, voting rights and access to facilities such as health clinics. This further reduces the capacity of these communities to recover from disaster. Climate change planning should therefore prioritise the most vulnerable settlements at a sub-city scale. Initial efforts to understand the most vulnerable can then provide a baseline for wider city planning. This can ensure scarce adaptation resources are distributed more equitably. 2) Take land tenure into account "Informal" encompasses many different ways of urban living beyond the renter/owner norms of developed nations. Artists Tujah (Bobby Shing), KC and ALA of Port Vila express their views on resilience following Tropical Cyclone Pam. Some households informally subdivide their land for extended family members. Other communities hold collective leasehold. Some have arrangements with traditional owners, renting through cash or customary payments. Each type of informality modifies which climate adaptation options are feasible. For instance, communities might share sanitation facilities or water sources, making communal infrastructure preferable. Customary owners might restrict the "permanence" of structures built in an area. 3) Allow for 'bottom-up' resilience Formal and informal communities in the Pacific often rely heavily on their own networks and capabilities when hit by a natural disaster. Without understanding these systems, international development efforts can undermine "bottom-up" resilience. Participatory approaches ensure communities can determine their own adaptation needs. This also prevents outside actors from imposing their own assumptions and worldviews about how Pacific cities work. A spatial assessment of Honiaras climate vulnerability shows the overlap between hotspots and informal settlements. Credit: Honiara Urban Resilience & Climate Action Plan (UN-Habitat 2016) Sovereignty, agency and aid Much has been made of Australia's Pacific "step up", with a bipartisan commitment to supporting the region's adaptation efforts. Nonetheless climate change remains a major point of tension between Pacific island states and the region's largest fossil fuel exporter. A starting point for development partners like Australia should be recognising the importance of sovereignty and identity to Pacific Islanders. Calls for "constitutional condominiums" with low-lying countries serve only as reminders of Australia's 20th-century colonial past. Helping communities with engineering, geographic information systems (GIS) and climate analysis can enable them to make their own informed adaptation decisions. Support to train construction specialists, urban planners and climate scientists will provide a platform for resilience building. The cities of the Pacific are sometimes referred to as hybrid spaces. They blur traditional culture and customs with the global opportunities that lie beyond the "Sea of Islands". As Pacific Islanders urbanise, so too should adaptation efforts and finance. But, first, climate resilience must be understood as the most vulnerable understand it. Leveraging endogenous climate resilience: urban adaptation in Pacific Small Island Developing States was published as part of a Special IPCC Cities Edition of Environment and Urbanization, which will be Open Access from the 15th of April15th May 2019 Explore further US remains stagnant in climate change vulnerability and readiness, new data show This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Left, undergraduate student Holly Nuffer, from Slapout, Alabama, works with microgreens with Jiannan Feng, research associate and lab manager for Dr. Lingyan Kong. Credit: University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa While helping small farms in Alabama, researchers at The University of Alabama and the University of West Alabama hope to provide agricultural solutions that assist a class of nutritious vegetables to last longer in supermarkets and kitchens. The project aims to help microgreens, young and tender vegetables packed with flavor and nutrition, extend their freshness after harvesting, along the way improving their value as both a food and agricultural product. "The demand for microgreens steadily increases along with considerable profit margins, but they are highly perishable and have a short shelf life," said Dr. Lingyan Kong, UA assistant professor of human nutrition. "This limits adoption by farmers." Kong, a food scientist, is working with Dr. Libo Tan, UA assistant professor of human nutrition, and Dr. King Tiong, assistant professor of microbiology at the University of West Alabama. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Alabama Department of Agriculture support the work. During the research, the trio of scientists is partners with Spencer Farms and Alabama Microgreens, family-owned, organic farms in rural Alabama that grow microgreens and other plants. The farms sell microgreens to farmer's markets, supermarkets and restaurants in the cities and areas around Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Selma and Tuscaloosa. "Just extending the shelf life of the microgreens by one more day will improve profitability of microgreen farmers," Kong said. Microgreens are younger than sprouts and are sold, and sometimes eaten, whole with the seed, root and shoot. Farmers harvest microgreens before the plant reaches maturity, cut just after the first true leaves grow and sold with stems. A specialty crop of common vegetables, microgreens are nutrition-dense with intense flavor and vivid color. They are usually more expensive than full-grown, fresh produce because they are delicate to grow, harvest and transport with a shelf life of less than 10 days. "They look cute," said Tan, a nutritionist. "Right now, people are not as aware of these microgreens as they could be, so helping more people realize they are available is one of the reasons for this study." Microgreens are young and tender vegetables packed with flavor and nutrition. Credit: University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa The idea of shelf life for fresh produce generally refers to sensory qualities, such as smell, taste and appearance, along with nutritional value, which declines after harvesting. Not surprisingly, customers want fresh microgreens since they are often eaten raw. The study looks at post-harvest interventions, such as temperature control, packaging and washing, to extend shelf life, evaluating changes to see the effects. "Every type of microgreen is different, so we want to see how these treatments affect the shelf life," Kong said. Washing microgreens can be difficult because of their tenderness, but a wash that rids the plants of possible harmful microorganisms could help them last longer. Dr. Tiong, a food microbiologist at UWA, is examining the bacterial and fungal safety and spoilage of microgreens. "These two variables are the limiting factors of microgreen shelf life and quality," Tiong said. Tiong's group, which includes three undergraduate students, has tested fresh and refrigerated microgreens from supermarkets and the family-owned, organic farms. The testing showed a difference in microbial counts between fresh and refrigerated greens, but further analysis is needed to determine how the increased presence of microbes and fungus affect spoilage. The UA team is also researching nutritional value, including comparing the microgreens from local farms to microgreens from larger, commercial farms found in supermarkets. They are also performing an analysis to understand consumer perception and preference of locally grown and commercially grown microgreens. Early testing shows chlorophyll in the microgreens, which gives plants their green color and converts sunlight into complex carbohydrates for energy, is more abundant in the samples from local farms than those bought at a supermarket. It could suggest the microgreens from the family farm are more nutritious, but more work is needed, Kong said. Kong hopes the findings encourage this specialty crop among farmers in Alabama, while helping local farms improve their product, and offer information to improve microgreens at any size farm. Explore further Red cabbage microgreens lower 'bad' cholesterol in animal study Argo float being deployed off a ship. Credit: CSIRO Alicia Navidad However, researchers have identified that this processthe biological gravitational pump (BGP) - cannot account for all of the carbon reaching the deep ocean, and a range of additional pathways that inject a much wider range of particles have been explored. Led by IMAS Professor Philip Boyd and including scientists from France and the US, the Review article in the journal Nature proposes that the additional pathways known as particle injection pumps (PIPs) move just as much carbon as the BGP. Professor Boyd said the research, based on a review of previous studies and new modelling, could reshape understanding of how carbon reaches the seafloor and what happens while it is there. "Our study goes a long way to finally solving one of the real puzzles that oceanographers have grappled with for a number of years," Professor Boyd said. "The ocean stores huge amounts of carbon indirectly absorbed from the atmosphere and in doing so plays a major role in moderating the climate impacts of anthropogenic carbon emissions. "We can measure the sinking flux of carbon-rich particles and compare it with the gradient of dissolved inorganic carbon from low levels near the surface to high levels in the deep ocean. "But until now we haven't been able to 'balance the books' in explaining the mechanisms that transport and store carbon, as the BGP only explains around half of the carbon that is present." Professor Boyd said new ocean observation technologies and the datasets they provide have shown in unprecedented detail the way in which PIPs contribute to the carbon cycle. "PIPs are a range of physical and biological mechanisms that move carbon, including ocean eddies and zooplankton which feed on phytoplankton and excrete carbon-rich faeces as they migrate to deeper water. "By combining the effects of the biological gravitational pump with PIPs we can, for the first time, balance the books and fully account for ocean carbon storage. "This breakthrough is vital in allowing us to establish a baseline against which we can measure and understand future changes in ocean carbon and its effects on the global climate. "It also highlights a number of areas that require further research, so we can better understand the mechanisms involved and their relative contribution to the ocean carbon cycle. "The more we discover about the ocean the more we are coming to appreciate how complex and four dimensional it is, with multiple processes interacting and feeding back on each other over time. "As the ocean is such a major influence on global climate it is vital that we improve our understanding of the multi-dimensional mechanisms at work," Professor Boyd said. Explore further Southern Ocean is less efficient at exporting carbon than thought More information: Multi-faceted particle pumps drive carbon sequestration in the ocean, Nature (2019). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1098-2 Journal information: Nature Multi-faceted particle pumps drive carbon sequestration in the ocean,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1098-2 Drop test of microlauncher first stage. Credit: PLD Space Spain's PLD Space, supported by ESA, has demonstrated the technologies for a reusable first stage of their orbital microlauncher, Miura 5. Miura 5 (formerly Arion 2) is aimed to provide dedicated launches for small satellites of up to 300 kg to low Earth orbit, in 2021. It weighs 14 t at liftoff, and is powered by liquid oxygenkerosene engines. This drop test was carried out yesterday from El Arenosillo Experimentation Center in Spain. Watch it here. A Chinook CH-47 helicopter lifted the 15 m long 1.4 m diameter Miura 5 demonstration first stage to an altitude of 5 km then dropped it over a controlled area of the Atlantic Ocean, 6 km off the coast of Huelva in southern Spain. During the descent, electronic systems inside the demonstrator controlled a carefully timed release of three parachutes to slow it down until its splashdown at a speed of about 10 m/s. A team of divers recovered the demonstrator and hoisted it onto a tugboat, which returned to the port of Mazagon. The demonstrator looks to be in good shape and will now be transported to PLD Space, in Elche, for inspection and further analysis. The same parachute system will also be used on their Miura 1 suborbital microlauncher, on track for a first launch this year. Recovering the first stage demonstrator. Credit: PLD Space In a next step, PLD Space intends to develop a propulsive landing system in addition to the parachutes. These technologies are being developed with support from ESA's Future Launchers Preparatory Programme. Explore further ESA paves way for new space transport services The ETH spin-off Archilyse developed a software that allows the analysis of real estate down to the smallest detail. Credit: Archilyse ETH spin-off Archilyse promises nothing less than the "world's most comprehensive architecture analysis" on its website. The young entrepreneurs are attracting a lot of interest in the real estate sector. Is a four-room apartment family-friendly or more suitable for a couple? How can office space be optimally divided so that its users feel comfortable? Archilyse helps to answer these kinds of questions. Based on address information, floor plans and 3-D models, the ETH spin-off's platform delivers various simulations and analyses of a property and makes them available to project developers, architects and real estate companies via an interface. "A young family, for example, might be interested in the soundproofing between the children's rooms and the living room, whether you can see the play area from the living room and whether the children's rooms are bright enough to not impair the children's cognitive abilities," explains Archilyse founder Matthias Standfest. The key to the architectural analysis is linking together as much available data as possible. To this end, the plan of a building is set in relation to a geographical space and transformed into a virtual model. This object is then placed in a model of its environment. This not only enables the Archilyse team to calculate how much water or how many mountain peaks can be seen from each square centimetre, but also lets them convey the spatial perception of the room. "We are able to determine what types of people will feel comfortable in these spatial configurations," says Standfest. This last point is of particular interest to potential customers: "The relevance of such factors, for example, is being examined in Credit Suisse's current real estate study with our help." The information that Archilyse delivers is not new, but it previously required a lot more effort to get because it had to be brought together. Thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence, architects, fitters and advisors can now plan more quickly and efficiently, and focus on their creative work rather than routine tasks. Insufficient data Matthias Standfest had the idea for the ETH spin-off during his doctoral studies: in his doctoral thesis at ETH, he examined how to recognise and evaluate architectural geometries using machine learning. His research also took him to the Future Cities Laboratory in Singapore. "There, I observed how little architecture-relevant data there is," he explains. This insight was the trigger for Archilyse. Things then happened quickly: "With my doctoral thesis, I was able to show that it's now possible to comprehensively measure architectural quality quickly and with little effort. This makes risks and opportunities visible earlier." This potential was quickly recognised by investors: "I was able to secure the first round of funding before I'd even defended my thesis," says Standfest. Today, Archilyse is made up of nine people with backgrounds in computer science, astrophysics, architecture, electrical engineering, business administration and cultural studies. From a financial point of view, the company is an atypical start-up. "We are all able to live off our work with the company. We pay normal salaries and have normal working hours," says Standfest. This is partly due to the fact that Archilyse's customer segment is financially strong. It includes pension insurance companies, land managers, real estate portals and developers, and companies with their own property management units. "Our target group is mostly in the multi-billion segment," says Standfest. International focus The signs are now pointing towards Archilyse becoming an internationally active company. "We are currently signing on to major projects and are looking into entering the market in Germany, Scandinavia and Asia," says Standfest. The team are also continuing to work on new products: "In May, for example, we're launching a tool to automatically check Swiss building zone regulations." The young entrepreneurs have now been nominated for the ZKB Pioneer Award. "The nomination is a great accolade that confirms our current course," says Standfest. Explore further Machine learning algorithm automatically sorts zebrafish eggs More information: Archilyse website: Archilyse website: www.archilyse.com/ "Art is anything you can get away with." ~ Marshall McLuhan I find it interesting that nearly everyone who hears the above quot... The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, which is leading a squadron of Northern Fleet warships and vessels in a long-distance voyage, has crossed the Strait of Malacca and the Singapore Strait and has entered the South China Sea, the Northern Fleet said. The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, which is leading a squadron of Northern Fleet warships and vessels in a long-distance voyage, has crossed the Strait of Malacca and the Singapore Strait and has entered the South China Sea, the Northern Fleet said. The Russian Admiral Gorshkov frigate (417) of Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov-class during Russian Navy Day 2018, Saint Petersburg (Picture Source: Vitaly Kuzmin) "The Russian sailors are heading for Qingdao, a seaport on the Yellow Sea. It will host the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy on April 23. The Admiral Gorshkovs crewmen are getting ready for the festivities," the fleets press service said. The squadron of Northern Fleet warships and vessels led by the Admiral Gorshkov GM frigate of project 22350 set off on its long-distance voyage on February 26. It is the first long-distance voyage for the Admiral Gorshkov, which has made business calls at Djibouti and Colombo port in the island Republic of Sri Lanka. The frigate has covered about 11,000 nautical miles and held a number of general ship drills designed to defend the squadron of warships and employ missile weapons since the start of its long-distance voyage. Copyright 2019 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I'm not on Facebook and do not post to Medium. Twitter has suspended me. I don't know why. mscriver@3rivers.net COMMENTS WELCOME unless they are anonymous. PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- As Ukrainians prepare for runoff presidential elections on April 21, three Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Ukrainian Service journalists from eastern Ukraine and Crimea remain subject to restrictive regimes imposed by Russia-backed authorities to suppress their independent reporting. Stanislav Aseyev, a blogger from Donetsk whom the U.S. Congressional Freedom of the Press Caucus described as "one of the few independent journalists to remain in the region under separatist control to provide objective reporting," has been held incommunicado by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since June 2017. International rights groups have expressed concern about his whereabouts, and that he has been subject to threats and possibly torture during his detention. Crimean journalist Mykola Semena was barred from leaving the peninsula and practicing journalism for 2 1/2 years after being convicted in 2017 by a Russian court for acting against the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. The conviction was based on an opinion piece Semena had published in 2015 protesting Russias 2014 forcible annexation of the region. Semena, together with RFE/RLs Crimea unit, received the prestigious Andrei Sakharov Order For Courage in 2018, an award recognizing modern publicists who stand on the side of truth. In February 2019, Alina Smutko, a photojournalist with the Crimean unit, was barred by Russian security services from entering the peninsula for ten years. Since 2016, Smutko had photographed the lives of ordinary Crimeans, focusing on the changes that have taken place since the annexation, as well as the natural landscape and deeply rooted traditions that remain steadfast. Volodymyr Prytula, editor in chief of Crimea Realities, as the RFE/RL Crimean unit is known, spoke last month on the 5th anniversary of the annexation and lauded his journalists, who, despite unrelenting pressure, report "content otherwise not available from local media outlets. Crimea Realities reporting is relied on by local audiences, but also draws a following among Russians in Russia who seek objective news about developments on the peninsula. RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, with a monthly average of 5 million visits to its website in 2018, sets a standard in the Ukrainian media market for independence, professionalism, and innovation. About RFE/RL RFE/RL relies on its networks of local reporters to provide accurate news and information to 34 million people in 26 languages and 22 countries where media freedom is restricted, or where a professional press has not fully developed. Its videos were viewed over 2.6 billion times on Facebook and YouTube in FY2018. RFE/RL is an editorially independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. ---- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Joanna Levison in Prague, levisonj@rferl.org, +420.221.122.080 Martins Zvaners in Washington, zvanersm@rferl.org, +1.202.457.6948 April 17, 2019 in Illustration (E) [prMac.com] Odessa, Ukraine - CS Odessa announces the newest addition to Solutions. A new set of vector libraries provides a wide range of objects to support graphics documentation that deals with social and medical generic-based interactions. Genograms being used to visualize complex interactions between individuals allow to determine various family behavior patterns and even can help to recognize some hereditary diseases. A new solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is intended for specialists in a variety of professions including medicine, psychiatry, genetic sciences, psychology, sociology, and education. It is used to apply the visual analysis of heritable and psychological factors of family and kinship relations. The Genogram solution enables one to assemble easily various types of genograms using the set of standard symbols. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM and its solution make short work of visually communicating sociological and medical information to any audience. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 12, supported by the ever-growing collection of business solutions is compatible with Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows. It is featured with improved compatibility with MS Visio 2003-2016. Operating Systems Supported * macOS 10.12, 10.13 and 10.14 * Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 (64-bit certified) Pricing and Availability: The new addition to Solutions is only $25 (USD) for current users of latest ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 12. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 12 retails separately for $199 per end user license. It is included in ConceptDraw OFFICE 5 which retails for $499 (USD). Founded in 1993, Computer Systems Odessa supplies cross-platform productivity tools and graphics technologies to professional and corporate users around the world. With headquarter in Odessa, Ukraine, CS Odessa sells products internationally through resellers in over 150 countries, both directly and through resellers. The ConceptDraw line of products has won numerous awards and is used by hundreds of thousands, including Fortune 500 companies, U.S. Federal Government agencies, small and medium businesses, and students and educators around the globe. ConceptDraw is a registered trademark, and ConceptDraw Office, ConceptDraw Solution Park, ConceptDraw PRO, ConceptDraw MINDMAP, ConceptDraw PROJECT, and ConceptDraw STORE are trademarks of CS Odessa. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. ### About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile Indonesia's Ministry of Defence recently awarded an IDR 360 billion (US$ 25 million) contract to supply the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) with two more landing ship tanks (LSTs). Those two vessels are to be built by Indonesian shipbuilder PT Bandar Abadi. Indonesia's Ministry of Defence recently awarded an IDR 360 billion (US$ 25 million) contract to supply the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) with two more landing ship tanks (LSTs). Those two vessels are to be built by Indonesian shipbuilder PT Bandar Abadi. KRI Teluk Bintuni, the first Landing Ship Tank (LST) of the Teluk Bintuni-class during its sea trials (Picture Source: PT Daya Radar Utama) The vessels will be the eighth and ninth ships of the Teluk Bintuni-class and will mainly be used as amphibious transport vessels for the TNI's amphibious armoured vehicles, such as the BMP-3F infantry fighting vehicles. It can actually carry and launch up to 15 BMP-3F vehicles from a roll-on/roll-off ramp located at its bow. As a reminder, the BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry vehicle, the successor of the BMP-1 and BMP-2 and the abbreviation BMP stands for "Boevaya Mashina Pehoty" which means "Infantry Combat Vehicle" in English. The "F" variant has been specially designed for amphibious operations and is capable of moving afloat at sea state 3 and of firing with the required accuracy at sea state 2. Such LSTs are also capable of accommodating and deploying a 10-tonne helicopter from its flight deck. And such vessels are armed with up to two 40mm naval guns on the foredeck and some 12.7mm machine guns on different parts of the whole ship. The length of the LST is of 120m, as its beam is of 18m. It is powered by two diesel engines and can reach speeds up to 16 knots. Its cruise speed is of 12 knots and by maintaining this speed, the vessel can reach standard ranges of 7.200 nautic miles (16.000 km). Both vessels, KRI AT-8 and KRI AT-9 (with AT standing for "Angkut Tank", which means "Tank Transport" in English) will be closely similar to the previous ones that were under construction at PT Daya Radar Utama. Though, some improvements or variances will be made, in order to satisfy the customer's needs. Secretary General of INTERPOL, Jurgen Stock, has commended the zeal and concerted efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in ridding Nigeria of all forms of economic crime. Working with the EFCC will help in building a strong network in the fight against corruption across the globe, he said. Stock, who made the remarks during a visit to the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, on Tuesday as part an official visit to the agency, was received by the EFCC acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu. According to Stock, the fight against corruption will help in the fight against terrorism as the main source of terrorism financing comes from corruption. While emphasizing the need for collaboration between international law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption, he stressed that the Interpol was establishing a link with the EFCC in achieving the mandate of the anti-graft agency. Magu, who expressed great delight at the visit, commended Stock for finding time out of his busy schedule as the Secretary General of Interpol, to visit the EFCC. Magu stressed that corruption had become an organized crime in Nigeria, and it needed a concerted effort within and outside of the country, to combat. EFCC and Nigerians in general are delighted with the visit by the Interpol, and this visit gives the Commission hope in partnering with the Interpol, he said. He further gave assurances that the EFCC will remain unrelenting and resolute in its fight against corruption. The EFCC deals with partnership with other countries in order to address the issue of terrorism financing, he said. He further highlighted the importance of exchange of information, stressing that it was key to winning the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing. 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For most of us, the mandatory monthly tax deductions (MTD) set by our employers would have already covered our income tax payments for the year, and filing our taxes means getting an income tax refund from the government. But, for those who has a secondary income or run their own businesses, that isnt always the case. If you have filed your income tax and there is a deficit to be paid, the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB) offers a wide range of methods to pay for your taxes ensuring there are no excuses for not paying your income tax on time. Here are all the ways you can pay for your income tax in Malaysia. Over-the-counter at IRB Malaysia counters This option is available for registered businesses only, and does not apply for individuals. There are three IRB payment counters in Malaysia: Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim Payment Counter for Peninsular Malaysia, Kuching Payment Counter for Sarawak & Kota Kinabalu Payment Counter for Sabah. Every payment needs to be attached with CP 207 payment slip which has been sent to the company. Over-the-counter at Banks and Pos Malaysia outlets Both individuals and businesses can pay their income taxes over-the-counter at selected banks and Pos Malaysia outlets. The list of banks are: CIMB Bank Public Bank Maybank Affin Bank Bank Rakyat RHB Bank Bank Simpanan Nasional Note that only cash payments are accepted at Pos Malaysia outlets. For individual taxpayers, ensure that the following information is included in the payment slip: Payment Code Name of Taxpayer/Employer Income Tax Number/Employer number IC number Year of assessment Payment amount For businesses, use the CP 207 payment slip as a guide to fill up IRBMs Bank In Slip provided at the bank to make payment. The customers copy of the bank in slip must be kept as a proof of payment. Online By far, online payment is the easiest and most efficient way to pay income tax in Malaysia. The best would be via the IRBs own online platform, ByrHASIL. Its the only online platform that supports payment by credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express), so you can earn some points or cashback for paying income tax just note that there is a processing fee of 0.8% imposed for credit card payments. You can also pay via FPX on ByrHASIL. Besides ByrHASIL, a host of online banking platforms can also be used to pay for income tax, including: ATM This option is available for individual taxpayers only, and does not apply for registered businesses. Payment of individual income tax via auto teller machines (ATM) can only be done at three banks: Public Bank Maybank CIMB Bank You are required to have an ATM card from the respective banks ATM to proceed with payment. You must also provide your income tax reference number to complete the transaction. Cash & Cheque Deposit Machines This option is available for individual taxpayers only, and does not apply for registered businesses. Likewise, payment of individual income tax via cash or cheque deposit machines (CDM) can only be done at two banks: Public Bank (cheque) CIMB Bank (cash) Payment by post This option is available for registered businesses only, and does not apply for individuals. Payment of income tax by post must only be made with crossed cheques or bank drafts, and made payable to THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF INLAND REVENUE. The cheque or bank draft must contain the name of the company, the tax reference number, installment number, year of assessment and the address on the reverse side. While sending cash via post isnt illegal, the IRB does not accept cash sent by post to pay for income tax. Neither are post-dated cheques, and cheques issued by banks outside Malaysia. All cheques and bank drafts must be submitted to the Kuala Lumpur Payment Centre or the collection unit in Kuching or Kota Kinabalu. Tele-banking This option is available for individual taxpayers only, and does not apply for registered businesses. The only reason why were listing this option is because it remains one of the supported channels to pay for income tax. Maybanks Kawanku Phone Banking service can be used to pay for individual income tax, if you have a savings account with Maybank. But seriously, there are better avenues to pay for income tax listed here. Overseas money transfer If you happen to be overseas and have no other means to pay for your income tax, you can still do so via electronic money transfer as well as bank draft. a) Electronic Money Transfer via TT, IBG, & EFT If the taxpayer wishes to pay tax via Telegraphic Transfer (TT), Interbank GIRO Transfer (IBG) or Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), they will have to call the HASIL Care Line to receive the payment procedure at 03-8911 1000 (call within Malaysia) or 603-8911 1100 (call from oversea). Alternatively, they can also drop an email at [email protected] Taxpayers who made their payment via TT/IBG/EFT must provide the additional information to enable the IRB to update their tax accounts: Payer name Tax reference number Transaction reference number for the TT/IBG/EFT Year of assessment Payment code (refer to table below) Installment number, if any. If not stated, IRBM will consider current month as the installment number Date of payment Payment amount (Image: IRB) For this mode of payment, an official receipt will be issued after the amount is received by the bank, and after the complete payment information has been received by the IRB. Any incomplete information will result in a delay in the receipting process, and a late payment penalty could be imposed, so be sure that the information is furnished accurately. b) By Bank Draft Payment of income tax from oversea by monetary transfer using bank draft requires the payer to submit the following instrument: Payable to: Director General of Inland Revenue Name and address of payer bank must be local paying bank or local correspondence bank so that the draft becomes a local cheque. In addition, the taxpayer may buy a bank draft in currencies other than Malaysian Ringgit (RM), but must ensure that the amount paid is accurate based on the exchange rate on payment day, because payment will be recorded based on the exchange rate on the day the funds are credited. Also, taxpayer as well as payment details must be clearly written on the back page of the bank draft. Completed bank drafts are to be posted to: Inland Revenue Board Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Payment Centre Ground Floor, Block 8A, Government Offices Complex, Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim, 50600 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA No excuses With an extensive list of payment methods both offline and online available, the IRB ensures that paying your taxes is an easy process, no matter where the taxpayer may be. While paying our taxes is a necessary thing, it doesnt mean we cant get a little out of it. Credit cards that offer cashback and/or rewards points could be worth paying the extra 0.8% processing fee, as long as you get something better in return. Check out our list of best credit cards for online transactions for more details just be sure that the cards fine print allows for cashback and/or points accumulation for tax- or government-related payments. Check out the RinggitPlus Income Tax page for more helpful guides and tips. 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE China's economy continued to grow steadily in the first quarter, exceeding expert expectations notwithstanding the continuing tariff dispute with the United States. Data revealed Wednesday showed that China's economy outperformed forecasts as growth steadied in the first quarter of the year in spite of moderate global interest, a United States trade war and a battle versus the country's growing financial obligations. The country's economy expanded by 6.4 percent in the January to March period, faster than the 6.3 percent projected by economic experts in an AFP survey. Investors have been following the strength of the Chinese economy carefully amidst China's ongoing battle with the United States. Chinese officials' GDP figures are followed closely, however, as many analysts have long exhibited suspicion about the accuracy of China's reports. Is Chinese development slowing? Recovery of Chinese growth and demand for imports might help to reinforce declining global economic activity. China is the most critical export buyer for its Asian neighbors and a leading market for automobiles, mobile phones, consumer goods, food, and technological innovation. Chinese officials stepped up basic federal government expenses in 2018, directing banks to grant more after monetary growth flatlined, raising the threat of politically painful job losses. Related: Americas Biggest And Most Profitable Actually Got Tax Rebates New credit spilled into the commercial system last month, with the development of bank loans and overall impressive credit hastening, though analysts estimate it will take about six months to spark a true economic rebound. The trade war carries on The trade war between China and the U.S. has weighed on monetary activity internationally, especially in the second half of last year. That put more pressure on China as the country was striving to detach its economy from excessive dependence on debt to expand, triggering issues that suggested Beijing might be heading towards a rough patch. The two sides have gone back and forth on tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, leaving manufacturers in China and farmers in the United States reeling as a result. And while progress is being made in the trade war, up until now, no date has been set to unite President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping for a final solution. By Michael Kern for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com Education Reporter Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe. Brianna Cea is a research and program assistant in the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Thomas Wolf is counsel in the same program. " " The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is a bandicoot relative currently facing habitat struggles due to human activity and a changing climate. Auscape/UIG/Getty Images Consider the humble bandicoot. Or, if you don't know what a bandicoot is, consider a small, pointy-nosed Australian marsupial that looks a little like a furry armadillo, but that gives off the distinct vibe of a weirdly designed stuffed animal intended to be either rabbit, a mouse, or a kangaroo. One can't be sure. Then, consider that this creature you may have heard of for the first time 30 seconds ago comes from a group of animals not only nearing extinction, but unthinkably ancient and the survivor of several extreme climate change events. More than 20 species of bandicoot and bilby, members of the order Peramelemorphia, live in Australia and New Guinea. They fill the ecological niches occupied in other places by rodents and rabbits some live in the desert, others in the rainforest, some are herbivorous, while others dine mostly on insects. Advertisement " " An Eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) forages for food. Steve Kaufman/Getty Images But none of the species is doing very well at the moment because of pressures from habitat loss, introduced predators, and poaching by humans. A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that bandicoots are not only more ancient than anyone thought, they're probably no strangers to the pressures and shifts brought on by climate change. Which makes the fact that they're struggling now, after making it through so much for millions of years, even more pressing. Based on fossils of extinct bandicoots and DNA of modern species, the researchers discovered that between 5 and 10 million years ago, drier conditions on the Australian continent resulted in the extinction of some very ancient bandicoot species and the rise of the species found there today. And by "very ancient," we're talking some some isolated fossilized bandicoot teeth that may be as old as 50 million years, and entire fossils that may belong to 25-million-year-old species. For comparison's sake, none of today's bandicoot species date back more than about 5 million years. "While retreating rainforests and spreading grasslands did provide a backdrop for ecosystem change 5-10 million years ago, the Australian fauna likely adapted via changing its distribution rather than undergoing wholesale extinction and replacement," says Dr. Michael Westerman of La Trobe University in Australia, in a press release announcing the study. "This agrees with our results from DNA, which indicate that modern desert-living bandicoot groups pre-date the onset of aridity by as much as 40 million years." The new study shows that climate change killed off many bandicoot species way back then. And though several made it to today, Australia's mammals and marsupials are vulnerable to human-caused climate change. And it's all about saving the bandicoot, which seems to be having a very difficult time surviving the changes it's currently facing, which also include human hunting, introduced predators and habitat loss: "Bandicoots, like other Australasian marsupials, probably occupied a range of different habitats over many millions of years," says the study's main author, Dr. Benjamin Kear from the Museum of Evolution at Uppsala University, in the press release. "However, our study has further implications for future conservation. Arid zone bandicoots are amongst the most vulnerable mammals in Australasia today, with multiple species having gone extinct within the last 100 years. By demonstrating their profound evolutionary antiquity we can thus serve to highlight how extremely urgent it is to protect these living fossils as part of Australia's unique biodiversity." " " In the face of climate change, preserving Australia and New Guinea's bandicoot species will require more than just roadway vigilance. Steve Kaufman/Getty Images Now That's Interesting Australia is home to about 150 marsupial species, including kangaroos and wallabies, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, possums, gliders and bilbies in addition to bandicoots. " " Mathematicians have been trying for 64 years to express the number 33 as the sum of three cubes. Andrew Booker, Reader of Pure Mathematics at the University of Bristol in the U.K., has cracked the equation, leaving the number 42 as the last number unsolved for three cubes. Wikimedia Commons If you're a trivia junkie, you may know of 33 as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's old jersey number, or as the mysterious notation on bottles of Rolling Rock beer. If you make a lot of international phone calls, you might know that it's the country code for France. Chances are, though, that unless you're really, really into 33, you probably don't know that mathematicians have been trying to figure out for the past 64 years whether it's possible to come up with 33 as the sum of three cubes (as an equation, it's 33 = x+ y+ z). (For a more sophisticated explanation, try this Quanta Magazine article.) Advertisement It's an example of something called a Diophantine equation, in which all the unknowns must be integers, or whole numbers. With some numbers, this sort of thing is pretty easy. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Bjorn Poonen explained in this 2008 paper, the number 29, for example, is the sum of the cubes of 3, 1 and 1. For 30, in contrast, the three cubes are all 10-digit numbers, and two of them are negative integers. Math is strange like that. Expressing 33 as the sum of three cubes has proven devilishly elusive. That is, until recently. A solution was worked out by Andrew Booker, who holds a doctorate in mathematics from Princeton and is a reader (a research-oriented faculty position) in pure mathematics at the University of Bristol in the UK. In this YouTube video from Numberphile, Booker explains that after he saw a video on the solving of the three cubes problem for 74, he got the inspiration to tackle 33: Ultimately, he devised a new, more efficient algorithm than mathematicians had been using up to this point. "It probably looks like I've made things a lot more complicated," he explained in the video, as he wrote out calculations on a big brown sheet of paper. To crunch the numbers, he then used a cluster of powerful computers 512 central processing unit (CPU) cores at the same time known as Blue Crystal Phase 3. When he returned to his office one morning after dropping his children off at school, he spotted the solution on his screen. "I jumped for joy," he recalled. The three cubes are 8,866,128,975,287,5283; - 8,778,405,442,862,2393; and -2,736,111,468,807,0403. Now That's Interesting In the Numberphile video, Booker explains that he now intends to apply the same system to finding the three cubes that add up to 42, another number that's so far eluded solving. "42 is the next 33," he jokes. " " That's not a Dropa stone but rather a jade bi disk from the late Zhou dynasty. Such disks are relatively common in Chinese history. Heritage Images/Corbis Nope! Moving on. What else can we talk about for a page? Advertisement Eh, OK. Not entirely fair. But let's just get it out of the way: The Dropa stones (sometimes called the Dzopa Stones) are not a real archaeological or historical discovery. To make it even plainer, they aren't a discovery of any kind, because no one has proven they exist, period. So forewarned is forearmed: We're discussing a made-up thing with no academic or scientific proof. That means that while we might see sources claiming otherwise, those sources have an agenda separate from evidence-based reporting. But hey, this doesn't mean we can't learn about the Dropa stones and the story that has grown around them. It all starts in China, where a Chinese archaeologist found some caves that were apparently being used as a kind of graveyard for the remains of short little beings with large, oval heads. Along with the bodies, 716 stone discs were found, lined with spiral grooves. The discs were sent to various people, including a Chinese professor, who said the grooves were actually written characters. But no worries: He translated the text. It told the story of the Dropa aliens, who crashed their spacecraft in the region 12,000 years ago and tried to make a go of it on Earth until the locals hunted down and killed them. Tragically, the hero professor had to resign in disgrace when no one believed him, and the stones were shuttled about -- maybe to Russia, maybe not -- and disappeared forever [source: Fitzpatrick-Matthews]. Now, keep in mind that the story we've told here is vague and nonspecific; the full myth also provides names and places attached to all these people and the stones they allegedly found. But the big problem? There's absolutely no evidence that the Chinese archaeologist, the professor or the stones ever existed, period. The story was published a couple of times (in piecemeal form) in 1960, before getting the full treatment in a 1962 write-up (in a German magazine for vegetarians -- the place for breaking archaeological news). The author got the story published again in 1964, but this time, at least, it appeared in a UFO magazine. Both stories credited their source to a made-up news agency. It was republished from there, and the legend grew [source: Fitzpatrick-Matthews]. None of the names of the people checked out: The Chinese archaeologist was never on record anywhere, and the Chinese professor -- and his university -- seemed to be made from whole cloth. (Also note that the name given him -- Tsum Um Nui -- isn't even a real Chinese name.) There is indeed an indigenous group in Tibet called the Dropka, but they appear to be completely human. So, are the Dropa stones authentic? Nope! Moving on. Looking for recipes for the foods in season in Ontario? This is the place! I aim to hit 80% local produce in my recipes. Find also notes about my experiences as an organic vegetable and fruit gardener and breeder, and visits to growers, processors and vendors of all kinds of good foods of Ontario. The European Commission confirmed that has no evidence of issues associated with using products designed by Kaspersky Lab. In June 2018, European Parliament passed a resolution that classified the security firms software as malicious due to the alleged link of the company with the Russian intelligence. The call for a ban on Kasperskys software among the members of the European Union was part of a report on cyber defense written by Estonian MEP Urmas Paet of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Calls on the EU to perform a comprehensive review of software, IT and communications equipment and infrastructure used in the institutions in order to exclude potentially dangerous programmes and devices, and to ban the ones that have been confirmed as malicious, such as Kaspersky Lab. stated the report. The European eurocrats adopted the A8-0189/2018 motion that could ban the products of the security giant from European Union institutions. Kaspersky was accused of working for the Russian intelligence, many EU states including the U.K., the Netherlands and Lithuania banned its products. In response to a March 2019 inquiry from Gerolf Annemans, European Parliament member from Belgium, the European Commission confirmed that it is not aware of problems with the products of Kaspersky Lab. Citing the experience of Germany, France, and Belgium, that never found any issues with the use of Kaspersky Lab solutions, Annemans asked further clarifications to the European Commission. Annemans asked it the European Commission knows any reason other than certain press articles that justifies the labelling of Kaspersky as dangerous or malicious. He asked for technical proof of problems and any reports or opinions of cyber experts or consultancies about Kaspersky Lab. The Commission is not in possession of any evidence regarding potential issues related to the use of Kaspersky Lab products. reads the response of the Commission. The Commission is following closely debates and developments concerning the security of IT products and devices in general, including discussions about potential measures related to access to the EU market. Regarding reports or opinions published concerning the issue raised by the Honourable Member, the Commission did not commission any reports, Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs European Commission, Kaspersky Lab) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On Notable account of similar states now having different approaches to parole and sentencing reforms | Main | Spotlighting how reduced support for the death penalty is now a bipartisan reality The title of this post is the title of this interesting-looking new paper recently posted to SSRN and authored by Alex Kornya, Danica Rodarmel, Brian Highsmith, Mel Gonzalez and Ted Mermin. Here is its abstract: Increasingly, Americans who have contact with the criminal legal system find themselves deprived not just of their liberty but also of their property. In recent years, advocates have shed light on the court-imposed fines and fees levied on low-income individuals who have contact with the criminal legal system. But less attention has been paid to the charges imposed on these individuals and their families by the private companies that now administer components of the American criminal and immigration legal systems. Much criminal legal debt is now owed not to the state, but rather to the vast network of private companies profiteering from the criminalization of poverty and communities of color. As a result, a person in jail who wants to make bail or to call their family, or a parent who wants to make sure their child has basic necessities while in prison, or a teenager who has just been ordered to attend a rehabilitation program, all face the potential trauma not just of incarceration but also of spiraling indebtedness. This Article seeks to illuminate the commercial abuses occurring in the shadows of the criminal legal system to draw attention to the problem of crimsumerism. The Article also seeks to ameliorate the problem. In addition to traditional civil rights-focused claims like 1983, the Article proposes the application to private correctional businesses of a different set of laws entirely: consumer protection statutes. If bail bond companies and private debt collectors are routinely engaged in abusive, predatory behavior with respect to individuals who have contact with our criminal legal system, then those businesses should be held accountable through the same laws that would apply were they operating in any other corner of the marketplace. Holding bail bond agents and debt collectors to account through the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or state Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices laws means that some of the most vulnerable consumers in our society will have access to additional protections, while advocates simultaneously work to end mass incarceration and criminalization in the United States. Over the long term, vigorous enforcement of consumer protection laws will reduce the predatory practices that are currently widespread in the modern corrections industry and ultimately, perhaps, help to eliminate exploitation and other abuses from our criminal legal system altogether. Spotlighting how reduced support for the death penalty is now a bipartisan reality | Main | Reviewing Ohio's (now-suspended) execution realities April 17, 2019 Lawyers, guns and vagueness: how will SCOTUS look to get out of this Johnson mess? With apologies to the late great Warren Zevon, I cannot help but riff on the all-time greatest song with lawyers as the first word of its title as I think about the Supreme Court's scheduled oral argument this morning in United States v. Davis. Over at SCOTUSblog, Leah Litman has this extended preview of the argument under the title "Whos afraid of the categorical approach?," and it provides some context for my pop-culture reference: Davis is the latest in a string of cases stemming from Johnson v. United States, the 2015 decision invalidating the Armed Career Criminal Acts residual clause (Section 924(e)(2)) as unconstitutionally void for vagueness.... [T]he now-defunct residual clause defined a violent felony as an offense that otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.... And last term, Sessions v. Dimaya invalidated a provision worded similarly to ACCAs residual clause Section 16(b), the federal criminal codes general definition of crime of violence. Section 16(b) defined a crime of violence as any other offense that is a felony and that, by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense. That brings us to Davis. Davis involves a provision, Section 924(c)(3)(B), that is identical to Section 16(b). Section 924(c) creates a graduating set of penalties for using a firearm during and in relation to any crime of violence. But why would the two statutes, Section 16(b) and Section 924(c), be interpreted differently if they are worded the same way? In arguing that Section 924(c) is not void for vagueness even though Section 16(b) was, the government makes a few points. None of them completely distinguish the two provisions. For example, the government invokes the canon of constitutional avoidance, which says that courts should interpret statutes in ways that avoid the statute being unconstitutional. That argument also applied to Section 16(b) in Dimaya. The government also maintains that the best interpretation of Section 924(c) is that it calls for a circumstance-specific determination about whether a defendants actual offense conduct satisfies the substantial-risk test because Section 924(c) applies only to the conduct for which the defendant is currently being prosecuted. That claim would ostensibly apply to Section 16(b) as well, or at least some applications of it. Because Section 16(b) is the general definition of crime of violence, it is incorporated into many different criminal statutes, some of which use the term to refer to the conduct for which the defendant is currently being prosecuted. But distinguishing Sections 16(b) and 924(c) may not be necessary if the court thinks that upholding Section 924(c) is more important than sensibly distinguishing 924(c) from 16(b).... There is also the more important question of how courts would interpret Section 924(c) if they didnt use the categorical approach. In Dimaya, Thomas and Alito said they wanted to adopt a circumstance-specific approach that assessed the defendants actual offense conduct (i.e., the specific facts about what the defendant did). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the government urges the court to adopt that approach to interpreting Section 924(c). The respondent, Maurice Davis, counters that the governments interpretation of Section 924(c) would be both unpredictable and sweeping, and would leave matters to the whim of juries, generating conflicting results. Davis also argues that the governments proposed interpretation of Section 924(c) is inconsistent with the statutes text, which directs courts to determine whether an offense by its nature involves a substantial risk, not whether the facts underlying the offense involve a substantial risk. Another preview of this case and today's argument is available here from Jordan Rubin at Bloomberg Law under the headline "Guns, Violence, Gorsuch in Spotlight in Supreme Court Dispute." Because Justice Gorsuch was the key swing vote in Dimaya, these previews sensibly highlight his importance in the resolution in Davis. But I will also be interested to see if Justice Kavanaugh has anything notable to say during oral argument today. Because his predecessor, Justice Anthony Kennedy, was not a big fan of Johnson jurisprudence, and because his pal Chief Justice Roberts also seems to favor the government in these cases, I am inclined to guess Justice Kavanaugh will be resistant to extending Johnson. But you never know how his extended history as a circuit judge might shape his views on these kinds of cases. April 17, 2019 at 09:21 AM | Permalink Comments "Lawyers, Guns and Money"? Good to know that we can agree on at least one thing... Posted by: Cal. Prosecutor | Apr 17, 2019 1:28:32 PM It seems to me that the categorical approach or in some cases the modified cayegorical approach are the appropriate method of determining whether or not a crime is a " crime of violence". For this Instance 18 USC Sec 1951 (a) Interference with Commerce a.k.a Hobbs Act has alternative elements built into the statute I.e. attempts, conspires or obstruct it is up to the government to spwcify what element is being charged. While a completed Hobbs Act robbery may pass muster unber the force clause conspiracy does not because it is inchoate. If the alternative element is not specified then the court must uae the modified categorical approach because the statute is divisible. Certain documents arw reviewed to see what alternative element the conviction was based on. The court cannot be a fact finder. That is whu we have juries. So that is where fair notice is requiered and allowing judges toake such determinations invites arbitrary enforcement. If a crime is in the violent category class you can tack on the enhancement. .if its not then you cannot because you would have sentences enhanced foe crimes that are not violent. A judge should not make the determination whether a crime is violwnt or not. That is a legislative prerogative. Posted by: Sam Anton | Apr 17, 2019 3:05:06 PM Congress should amend the law so that it is based on criminal history points, rather than past crimes of violence. The "Crime of Violence" idea makes sense in the abstract, but the definitional problems are too great. Criminal history score already has to be decided for Federal sentencing, so using it here should not be particularly burdensome. Posted by: William Jockusch | Apr 18, 2019 8:52:59 AM I am a law student at Georgetown and have spoken with Shown Hopwood. Even if the residual clause is found unconstitutionally vague for 924 (c) it's only going to effect a limited number of cases because most crimes will still qualify as violent under the statute's force clause. So this will not be a floodgate case and hundreds of violent offenders will not be released. Only the cases that are deemed non-violent I.e. conspiracy etc. So the governments "fear" tactic is really without merit. Robbery, Bank robbery, carjacking etc will still be considered violent under 924 (c)'s force clause. Posted by: Sam Anton | Apr 18, 2019 9:35:05 AM Excellent point, Sam, and say hello to Shon for me! Posted by: Doug B. | Apr 18, 2019 5:50:23 PM Post a comment Thailand's spy agency is set to be handed carte blanche powers to obtain information believed to threaten the country's security using "any methods", according to a bill announced Wednesday. The bill, published by palace mouthpiece the Royal Gazette, comes less than a month after disputed elections which saw both the ruling junta and an opposition coalition claim the right to form a government. The law, which was last discussed by Thailand's rubberstamp parliament in early February but has largely escaped public notice, is to be enforced from Thursday, the announcement said. It empowers the National Intelligence Agency -- which handles the country's counter-intelligence and security operations -- to "order government offices and individuals" to turn over any information affecting the country's security. This process is to be run under the approval of the country's premier -- currently junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha. If the initial order to turn over information is ignored, the prime minister will be informed and the NIA "may use any methods, including electronic, telecommunications, or science equipments to gain the information or documents". The bill, which consists of 17 articles, will replace the 1985 intelligence law which is currently "not relevant with the security threat and technology that has changed", said a note at the end of the bill. Since the junta came into power in 2014 after ousting then-premier Yingluck Shinawatra in a coup, a raft of laws have been passed that rights groups say restricts dissent. The intelligence bill will join a recently passed cybersecurity law, which had triggered pushback from rights groups and companies worried about privacy breaches as it allows authorities to seize any computers or devices without a court warrant if there are "critical threats" to cybersecurity. A committee will determine these threats in cases of "reasonable suspicion". Junta leader Prayut is currently tipped to return to power as a civilian premier under his military-aligned Palang Pracharat party, which won the popular vote in last month's election. But the anti-junta coalition says it has the majority of seats in the lower house, and Thailand's Election Commission has been dogged with criticism over bungled vote counts, inconsistent tallies and more than 2.1 million invalidated ballots. The poll body had previously said a final tally would be announced by May 9, has warned complete results may take even longer. Neo Kian Siong, 63, pleaded guilty to 26 charges of graft and 28 counts involving criminal proceeds. (Photo: Getty Images) SINGAPORE A former senior procurement officer with Keppel Shipyard who pocketed more than $740,000 in kickbacks over 14 years was on Wednesday (17 April) jailed for one year and nine months. Neo Kian Siong, 63, used part of the criminal proceeds to pay the outstanding loan on a condominium, and buy two cars. He pleaded guilty in February to 26 charges of graft and 28 counts involving criminal proceeds. He also admitted to another 52 charges of corruption and 289 counts involving criminal proceeds, which were taken into consideration for his sentencing. Facts of the case Neo joined Keppel Shipyard in 1981 as a clerical assistant. He took his first kickback of $4,000 in 2000, when he was a senior purchasing/stores coordinator. He was then responsible for procuring supplies, including raw materials, pipes and pipe fittings. Neo was heavily involved in the purchasing of items. In 2014 alone, he handled 8,000 purchase orders. He had the discretion to choose suitable suppliers for a given need and to issue requests for quotations to these suppliers. He also had access to prices quoted by suppliers, which was confidential information. But Neo took bribes from suppliers in return for revealing quotes submitted by other suppliers to Keppel Shipyard. This allowed complicit suppliers to submit the lowest quote and thereby obtain orders from the shipyard. He admitted that he would also try to invite corrupt suppliers to bid for the companys orders and then award the orders to them. Sometime in 2000, the founding director of Kim Seng Huat, Ong Chim Sum, told Neo that he needed help to expand his business with Keppel Shipyard. Ong said he would give Neo a share of profits obtained from sales to the shipyard. Neo pocketed $56,000 from Ong over 10 occasions between 2000 and 2009. Neo also took $97,500 from Ongs son, Ong Tong Yang alias Andy, over six occasions from 2011 to 2014 in return for revealing the lowest quotes from other suppliers of Keppel Shipyard. Story continues He also received bribes from the founders of two other companies in return for providing similar information. He got $30,000 from First Hydraulic over 29 occasions between 2007 and 2014, and $27,600 from Athical Engineering over 10 occasions between 2008 and 2014. The total sum of bribes in all the charges Neo faced amounted to $265,000. But anti-graft investigators found a joint bank account that belonged to Neo and his wife, with large deposits that could not be traced to either of their salaries. Neo admitted to investigators that a total sum of $740,162.56 that was deposited between July 2007 and April 2014 consisted of bribes. In February 2014, Neo used part of the kickbacks he pocketed to pay the outstanding loan of $54,010.58 for a Hillview Avenue condominium, which he had bought with his wife for $846,400 in 1998. He also used the ill-gotten money on a Honda Odyssey, a Volkswagen Passat, insurance premiums, shares and time deposits. Defence lawyer Raymond Lye pleaded with District Judge Ng Peng Hong to impose a 15-month jail term, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Sng asked for one year and 10 months jail. Lye said Neo has made full restitution. Neo could have been jailed for up to five years and also fined up to $100,000 for each count of graft. More Singapore stories: PUB serves Tuaspring notice to take over desalination plant, terminate water purchase agreement Daughter of woman left in vegetative state after brain operation sues NUH, head neurosurgeon No more date stamping on passports of departing foreign travellers from 22 Apr: ICA Tickets for opening month of The Bicentennial Experience available from 17 April Thundery showers expected until end of April, but weather will remain warm in Singapore Reuters India test captain Virat Kohli confirmed his availability for the one-day leg of the team's South Africa tour on Wednesday and said he was "tired" of explaining there was no rift between him and the team's new white-ball captain Rohit Sharma. A month after his own decision to relinquish 20-overs captaincy, Kohli was stripped of one-day leadership in a shock move with Rohit put in charge of both the limited-overs squads. Kohli will lead India in a three-test series, beginning in Centurion on Dec. 26, in South Africa and rumours were rife that the 33-year-old would skip the three ODI matches that follow. "You should not be asking me this question, honestly... I am available for selection for the ODIs in South Africa and I'm always keen to play." French investigators met with prosecutors in Chile Tuesday, the day before the planned questioning of Nicolas Zepeda, a Chilean man who is the sole suspect in the 2016 disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, a Japanese university student, in eastern France. "We expect Mr. Zepeda to respond to all of the evidence we have," Besancon public prosecutor Etienne Manteaux, who arrived in Santiago earlier in the week, told reporters. "It's possible that Mr. Zepeda will respond tomorrow in a way that makes us doubt his guilt (in killing 21-year-old Narumi Kurosaki) ... The question of extradition could come later," Manteaux said. The meeting between Chilean authorities and the French delegation -- which included a judge overseeing the case and two police investigators, along with Manteaux -- lasted an hour. "We were asked to carry out several operations following the investigation in France," said Antonio Segovia, director of the International Cooperation and Extradition Unit in the Chilean prosecutor's office. "The French delegation is here to assist in the execution of these operations, which will be carried out by a Chilean public prosecutor." In this case, it is only the Chilean prosecutor who can decided whether or not to arrest the suspect after his interrogation. The outcome of that decision would then determine whether or not France would submit an extradition request so Zepeda could be tried in France. A Chilean judge had previously denied a request to arrest and extradite Zepeda, citing insufficient evidence. Japanese student Kurosaki had been living in the university city of Besancon in eastern France when she disappeared on the night of December 4, 2016, and despite extensive searches her body has not been found. Investigators in France believe 28-year-old Zepeda, who had been broken up with Kurosaki for several months, suffocated her in a jealous rage. He returned to Chile before French police issued an arrest warrant. Kurosaki was last seen hours before her disappearance having dinner with Zepeda in a restaurant in Ornans, near Besancon, Fellow students in her dormitory reported hearing terrified cries and banging noises later that same night, Manteuax said in November. No trace of blood was ever found in Kurosaki's room and Zepeda denies any involvement in her disappearance. The governments bid to fast-track a controversial extradition proposal got off to a rocky start on Wednesday after the pro-democracy bloc managed to stall the first meeting of the bills committee without even electing its chairman. The weekly Legislative Council meeting, which is debating the appropriation bill, was also suspended for an hour and a half on Wednesday afternoon, following four rounds of the quorum bell requested by the pan-democrats. The clock is ticking for the administration to push through the bill which would allow the transfer of fugitives to any jurisdiction which Hong Kong does not have an extradition treaty with, including mainland China, Macau and Taiwan so it can extradite Chan Tong-kai, a Hongkonger accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taipei, to the self-ruled island. Chan, who has been remanded in Hong Kong, pleaded guilty last week to money-laundering charges. He could be freed and thus leave the city by the end of this month. Security minister John Lee Ka-chiu deplored the lack of progress in the first meeting. Im extremely disappointed and regretted that the bills committee ended without evening appointing the chairman [to preside over the meeting] in my memory, this hasnt happened before, Lee said afterwards. Lawmakers were supposed to scrutinise the bill after electing the committees chairperson in the two-hour meeting on Wednesday a procedure that usually takes no more than half an hour. But in an apparent filibustering attempt, the pan-democrats successfully stalled the meeting by challenging the meeting arrangement and no nomination was tabled. Democratic Party veteran James To Kun-sun, the most senior lawmaker, who was presiding over the meeting until a chairperson was elected, took a 20-minute break to consult the Legcos legal adviser and secretariat staff to clarify if he had the full power to chair the meeting. Story continues He got caught up in an argument with pro-establishment lawmakers, who accused him of filibustering the supposedly simple election process. To was also asked why he threw out pro-Beijing lawmaker Aron Kwok Wai-keung from the meeting, who protested Tos ruling and told the veteran democrat to stop acting like trash. He has no power whatsoever to eject me from the meeting, an angry Kwok said. Im going to move an amendment to the standing order, to scrap the arrangement of having the most senior member to chair the election process. Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu accused To of having hidden intentions in chairing the meeting. Youre only a presiding member, not the chairman; you have no residual power to decide how the meeting is conducted, said Ho, banging the desk in front of him. Kwoks party, the Federation of Trade Unions, said it would consider launching a legal challenge against the ejection to clarify the ambit of Tos authority. But To insisted he was only following the legislatures standing orders and house rules. My decision will withstand any legal challenge, To told reporters. I have no doubt that I have the power as chairman to conduct the meeting, including having the authority to order a member to leave, if they show delinquent behaviour of violating the rules of procedure we have a lot of precedents for that. It was not immediately clear when the next committee meeting might be held to elect the chairman. One of the earliest possible dates would be next Thursday, but some pro-democracy lawmakers have privately said they want to delay the meeting until May. The pro-establishment camp have found themselves in an unfavourable position, due to Tos presiding over the meeting. Sources in the camp say that he could arrange an earlier meeting next week, as is his prerogative, while 19 pro-establishment lawmakers are away on a visit to the Yangtze River Delta from Monday till Wednesday. The Legco secretariat confirmed that the power to set the date of any meeting rests with To. Co-convenor of the pro-establishment camp Gary Chan Hak-kan said most of the lawmakers would continue with the visit, but conceded that it would heavily depend on Tos final decision. His ally Paul Tse Wai-chun, who is widely tipped to be elected chairman of the committee, also admitted the pro-establishment camp could do little until the election takes place. We just have to bide our time until the next meeting, Tse said. And we may not even be able to elect the chairman then. The pan-democrats also forced a 90-minute adjournment of the weekly Legco meeting, and there could be more filibustering if the government presses on with the existing extradition proposal. We would try to compress the meeting time for the weekly meeting that may postpone the passage and tabling of the fugitives law [amendment] to the chamber meeting, said Claudia Mo Man-ching, the convenor of the pro-democracy camp. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Business Community Joint Conference an umbrella group of 100 trade associations on Wednesday called on the government to further water down the bill by allowing extraditions only for cases punishable by at least seven years imprisonment. The local and international business communities in Hong Kong have warned the bill could hamper the citys reputation as a safe haven to do business. Lewis Luk Tei, convenor of the group, said the court should be given a bigger role to be the gatekeeper when scrutinising extradition requests. The court should be allowed to estimate the length of imprisonment, if the suspect is convicted, based on the prima facie evidence, he said. Only serious cases with an expected imprisonment of seven years should be surrendered, Luk added, claiming this would not only protect the businessmen but also Hongkongers. The group said it would back the bill on condition the government makes the concession. Lee the security minister however dodged the question if the government would consider the proposal. He only reiterated that all views could be expressed during the upcoming scrutiny of the law by the legislature. Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam This article Hong Kong extradition bill hits a stumbling block at Legco as first meeting of committee scrutinising it fails to elect a chairman first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. Millions of voters across India cast ballots in the second round of the world's biggest election Thursday amid violence and protests that highlighted the intensity of animosity in the campaign. With more than a month to go before the marathon ends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept up a punishing schedule of rallies as he seeks a second term, while opposition leader Rahul Gandhi maintained attacks on the right wing Hindu nationalist government. Voting went ahead in 95 of India's 543 constituencies, most of it peacefully, but with noticeable blackspots. Security forces fired shotgun pellets and live bullets on protesters in Indian-Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, injuring three people, a police officer told AFP. Police in West Bengal fired tear gas and baton-charged groups in Darjeeling district protesting because they said they had been prevented from voting. A woman poll worker was killed by suspected Maoist rebels in the eastern state of Odisha hours before polling opened. And in central Chhattisgarh state, security forces raided a Maoist jungle camp, killing two insurgents allegedly involved in an attack on an election convoy before the first round of voting that left five dead, police said. More than 157 million of India's 900 million electorate were eligible to vote on the second of the seven rounds of voting. The last is on May 19 and final results will be released on May 23. Polls in the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu could prove decisive in choosing the next prime minister and long lines formed outside polling stations. But voting was cancelled in one Tamil Nadu constituency after about $1.5 million in cash -- believed to be intended as bribes -- was seized by police. At some polling stations in tense Kashmir state, security forces outnumbered voters with tens of thousands of troops, paramilitaries and police deployed to the region for the vote. Authorities closed down mobile internet services and set up barricades to block roads to thwart any attack. Groups of youths still hurled stones at them. Outside one polling station, a 55-year-old man said he would not vote. "Our leaders have called for the boycott of all Indian elections," he said. Kashmir surged into Modi's campaign after a February suicide bomb attack that killed 40 paramilitaries and brought India and Pakistan -- which each control part of Kashmir -- to the brink of war. - Helicopter search storm - Modi is seen as the favourite but faces an increasingly tough challenge from opposition Congress party leader Gandhi. He was also caught up in a firestorm Thursday over an election official who was suspended after he insisted on searching Modi's helicopter. The election commission said the search violated their rules on VIPs, but the Congress party slammed the decision on their official Twitter account. "What is Modi carrying in his helicopter that he doesn't want India to see?" Congress asked in a Twitter statement. In New Delhi, the spokesman for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) narrowly dodged a shoe thrown at him by a protester at a press conference at the party's headquarters. Modi swept to power in a 2014 landslide with a promise of "achhe din" ("good days"), and as prime minister he has simplified the tax code and made doing business easier. But despite growth of about seven percent a year, Asia's third-biggest economy has not provided enough jobs for the roughly one million Indians entering the labour market each month. And in rural areas, thousands of indebted farmers have killed themselves in recent years. Modi sought to counter critics of his campaign in a television interview this week when he said: "If farmers die, then it is an election issue, but when soldiers die then it is not an election issue? How can that be?" Gandhi fired back in an interview with The Hindu daily, published Thursday, saying Modi's party was deliberately ignoring economic problems. "The fact is that the biggest national security issue is unemployment," he said. Gandhi, seeking to become the fourth member of his family to take the prime minister's office, has pledged to end abject poverty by 2030 and give cash transfers to 50 million families. The BJP has promised a $1.4-trillion infrastructure blitz to create jobs. A wrought copper statue of a rooster that sat atop Notre-Dame has been found "battered" in the debris of the Paris cathedral following its devastating fire, France's culture ministry said. The statue is considered all the more important because it contains three holy relics -- including a fragment of the Crown of Thorns believed by Christians to have been worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, placed there to protect Parisians. The sculpture of the bird -- which is an unofficial symbol of France -- was recovered Tuesday by a restorer picking through the rubble left when the spire on which it had sat toppled at the height of the inferno that ravaged Notre-Dame on Monday, a ministry spokesman told AFP. The head of the French Builders Federation, Jacques Chanut, posted a picture of the restorer holding a green-coloured rooster statue in the street. The ministry spokesman said the statue had been handed over to religious officials, without elaborating. A ministry official separately told Le Parisien newspaper that the statue was "battered but apparently restorable". The official was quoted saying that, when the 19th-century spire had collapsed into the cathedral, the rooster statue had detached "and fallen on the good side... away from the seat of the fire". Because of the statue's damage, it was not yet possible to verify if the Crown of Thorns fragment or the other relics were still inside, the official said. In a stroke of good timing, sculptures of the Twelve Apostles and four New Testament evangelists that adorned the cathedral had been lifted off the building last week, before the fire, for restoration work in the southwestern city of Perigueux. Those statues had been fixed to the cathedral in the mid-19th century when the spire had been built to replace the original 13th-century one that had been dismantled in the late 18th century because of weather damage. The death toll from rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, blamed by the UN-recognised government on strongman Khalifa Haftar, climbed to six on Wednesday as thousands more civilians fled the violence. The latest bombing came as world powers wrangled over the wording of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, with Russia blocking criticism of Haftar, according to diplomats. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the southern Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UN's humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets hit the city centre, the first since Haftar's Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture Tripoli from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the "terrorist militias" whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. UN envoy Ghassan Salame condemned "in the strongest terms" the overnight shelling, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He added that "responsibility for actions that may constitute war crimes lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially those who ordered them." The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council debated a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text, seen by AFP, warns the Haftar offensive "threatens... prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." - No Haftar criticism - After Britain circulated the text late Monday, diplomats held a first round of negotiations in which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces' "savagery and barbarism". "It's the legal and humanitarian responsibility of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions," Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftar's prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said. At least 189 people have been killed and 816 wounded since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. More than 25,000 people have been displaced, including 4,500 over the last 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. As consultations continued in New York on Wednesday, Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters "we need to have a nice document" but declined to give details on the areas of disagreement. Asked if the draft could be adopted this week, he said: "It depends on them, not us," without elaborating. - Proxy war - Haftar, seen by other allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to recommit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive forced the UN to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster and Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed rebellion. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar is not ready to return to Juba and wants to postpone the formation of a unity government until security issues are resolved, an official from his party said Wednesday. Machar was meant to return to South Sudan in May and join a power-sharing government as vice president with President Salva Kiir after the signing of a peace deal in September last year. The deal is the latest effort to end almost six years of conflict which erupted due to a fallout between the two men in 2013. Observers, though, have been warning that implementation of the deal has stalled. "We are saying extend the period for more months, say six," said Puot Kang Chol, representing Machar's SPLM-IO rebel group at the National Pre-transitional Committee (NPTC), the body charged with implementing the peace agreement. Machar "will not come to Juba without security arrangements," he said. Machar fled Juba in a hail of gunfire in 2016 after the collapse of a previous peace agreement saw his troops clash with Kiir's. The latest deal has largely stopped fighting in the country. However, crucial steps such as establishing a unified army and discussing security control of the capital have yet to take place. "We have not done even training of few people, and it is a pre-requisite for forming the government," said Chol. The independent radio station Eye Radio reported Wednesday that 3,000 opposition and government troops were being trained together, although Chol denied this. The other key issue yet to be addressed is the contentious matter of internal boundaries. "You cannot form a government without knowing the number of states," said Chol. "Basically what we are saying is extend the time, provide the resources ... and we will have the government in place." The government has asked foreign donors to fund much of its $285-million (252-million-euro) budget to implement the deal. But diplomats argue they have yet to take important budgetary steps and improve transparency. Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Eye Radio that other opposition figures were already in Juba, and this should tell Machar "that his security will be taken care of while the government is formed." Members of Sudan's secret service described the capture Wednesday of an alleged people trafficking kingpin, who insists he is a victim of mistaken identity. Eritrean national Medhanie Yehdego Mered is accused of being "the General" of one of the largest migrant trafficking networks, with branches in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Europe. But the man on trial in Sicily, arrested in Sudan in 2016 and extradited to Italy, insists he is carpenter Medhanie Tesfamariam Berhe. Italy, Sudan and Britain at the time hailed his capture as the stellar result of a joint operation which had dealt a significant blow to the people smuggling business. Berhe -- or Mered -- told Wednesday's hearing in Palermo he was beaten during his arrest and interrogation by policemen who took away his identity papers and threw him in jail, where "an official asked me for money in exchange for my release". Mohamed Elnour Abdelrahman, one of the arresting officers and who says he worked for Sudan's feared secret service, denies using violence, as does Mir Ibrahim Abdelsadig, who interrogated the suspect. They insisted they were following orders from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). - Tracked to Khartoum - "I received a photograph and phone number (from the NCA) which we tracked to a Khartoum neighbourhood," Adbelraham said. "We showed him the photo and he said it was him, but he said his name was Mered Tasmafarian Behre, and not Medhanie Yehdego Mered." Abdelsadig told the court that he had not informed his superiors that the man they had in the cells went by a different name. "When he said he was called Mered Tasfamarian Behre I didn't tell my superiors when I passed on his file, because the name he gave was not very different from the one we had been given," he said. Abdelsadig admitted that he had not asked him whether he wanted a lawyer present during the interrogation. Mered ended up on an international wanted list after being identified as the man who organised the packing of migrants onto a boat that sank off Italy's Lampedusa island in 2013, killing at least 360 people in one of the worst such disasters in the Mediterranean. The defendant's lawyer, Michele Calantropo, said his client had ended up a suspect because he had had contact with a people trafficker. "During the interrogation he said he knew a trafficker who had helped three friends emigrate to Europe, and who had promised to do the same for him in exchange for 1,800 dollars," he said. Calantropo said the only thing his client shares with "the General" is his first name: Medhanie. This was the name flagged by Britain's NCA in 2016 when it heard someone going by that name calling the tapped phone of a suspected smuggler in Libya. The holidays are a special time of the year. Along with all the food, presents, word of Jesus and family, there is a ton of joy and happiness. Although COVID still may be lingering, I dont think this Christmas will be any different from any of my past Christmas experiences. United Nations Security Council diplomats began negotiations Tuesday on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya after forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli. The proposed text seen by AFP warns that the offensive by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) "threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." The council "demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the situation, commit to a ceasefire, and engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities throughout Libya," the draft says. After Britain circulated the text late Monday, a first round of negotiations was held during which Russia raised objections to references criticizing Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. Britain was hoping to bring the measure to a vote at the council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. At least 174 people have been killed and more than 18,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli on April 4, according to UN figures. A rocket attack on the city killed two people and injured four on Tuesday. Last week, Russia blocked a draft council statement that would have called on Haftar's forces to halt their advance on Tripoli. - Influence in Libya - The proposed measure echoed a call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to personally advance prospects for a political solution when the offensive was launched. Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-recognized government and an array of militias. Haftar backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognize the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to re-commit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member-states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two permanent council members, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating Libyan armed groups aligned with the Islamic State in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive on the capital forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi. Guterres has said that serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. US and China in ideological battle for the future, defence official says The United States is in an ideological battle with China and needs to devise an effective, coordinated strategy with its allies to counter the rise of the Asian giant, according to a senior US defence official. Chinas use of predatory economics and its growing military clout threatened to worsen corruption, undermine the sovereignty of smaller nations, erode human rights and weaken free trading systems, said Randall G. Schriver, assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs at the US Department of Defence. We dont want to see any coercive approach to resolving disputes, Schriver told a conference on US-China-European Union relations sponsored by the Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank. While some of these concerns also touched on Russia, North Korea and non-state actors, were particularly concerned about the trajectory of China, he said. Beijings Belt and Road Initiative an ambitious investment and infrastructure programme as well as its island building and military expansion in the South China Sea, were key areas of concern, Schriver said, before outlining several cooperative steps the US was considering to counter Chinas expanded footprint in Asia and Europe. These included greater intelligence sharing with European and other allies, closer coordination on freedom-of-navigation voyages in the Indo-Pacific region, stronger safeguards on proprietary technology and intellectual property, and more help for smaller nations in protecting their 200-mile exclusive maritime zones. China and the US were engaged in ideological battles making this a consequential time, he said, referencing a speech made at the Hudson Institute by US Vice-President Mike Pence in October. It is a very different regional architecture and order if China is successful, he said. And its model of governance is an ascendant one. Officials at the Chinese embassy in Washington were not immediately available for comment, although in past statements Chinese officials have rejected similar claims, calling on Beijing and Washington to work for non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. The worlds two largest economies are involved in a trade war that has seen tariffs slapped on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of manufactured goods. Story continues But analysts and EU officials concede that forging effective working strategies among allies is easier said than done, particularly when it involved European Union nations. While Beijings size and one-party state allowed it to act with focus and purpose, Western countries had varied and competing interests. Beijing in recent months has convinced Italy, Hungary and Greece to join its belt and road plan, even as other European nations remain wary. Europe has been slow to respond to Chinas rise in part because of its many internal distractions, including economic problems, a refugee crisis and Britains 2016 Brexit vote to leave the EU. During those five, 10 years when we were navel gazing, the world changed, said Jeppe Tranhold-Mikkelsen, secretary general of the European Council of Ministers and Denmarks former ambassador to China. While we were fighting our way out of the crisis, the GDP of China doubled. At the same time, he said, Chinese industries had made giant strides in mastering the most important technologies of the future. Last week, China and the EU wrapped up their annual summit in Brussels, papering over differences in areas such as trade and intellectual property protection. According to Tranhold-Mikkelsen, the EU sees China as a partner, albeit an increasingly challenging one, that it is very happy to work with, provided Beijing operates in a fair, rules-based manner. Tranhold-Mikkelsen said Brussels also faced challenges on the US side, with the Trump administration not always taking its allies into account. The US is very insistent on its own interests, he said. Another challenge in this increasingly complex environment is the race to develop 5G technology. The US, Japan, Australia and other nations are wary about the use of Huawei equipment and standards in their next generation telecommunications systems. They are concerned that close ties between the company and the Chinese government will allow Beijing to gain access to sensitive information, an allegation Huawei has strongly denied. Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute Thomas Duesterberg said one problem was the lack of companies with the size and reach to compete with Huaweis technology, prices and low-cost financing. We dont, jointly or individually, US or EU, have a really good economic alternative yet for Huawei, he said, adding that one option was for both sides to help their companies to create competing offers. Duesterberg said Hungary, Greece and Italy had latched on to the belt and road programme because their economic needs were not being met elsewhere. The US shouldnt try to lecture the Europeans about how they handle their internal economic problems, he said, even as he called on the two sides to explore economic development as a way of providing an alternative for countries in need. More from South China Morning Post: This article US and China in ideological battle for the future, defence official says first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. A man visits Chillida Lantoki, a former ironworks factory where Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida worked his iron pieces in the northern Spanish Basque city of Legazpi A museum devoted to Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida's monumental works re-opens on Wednesday in the northern Basque Country, eight years after the financial crisis forced it to close its doors. And its new Swiss backers have pledged to get his work a wider following around the world. Around 40 of Chillida's steel and stone sculptures are on show in the grounds of the museum in the town of Hernani, with others displayed at a traditional Basque 16th-century farm. Regarded as one of the leading sculptors of his time, Chillida was known for his colossal abstract forms. Before he died in 2002 aged 78 in his hometown of San Sebastian, he and his wife set up "Chillida Leku" (Basque for The Place of Chillida) in nearby Hernani. Today, it is a private museum owned by the family, director Mireia Massague told AFP. To mark the re-opening, the museum is hosting a retrospective charting Chillida's artistic journey from the 1940s to 2000. It brings together 90 of Chillida's iron, granite, alabaster, plaster and paper works for the occasion. Another exhibition will be devoted to "The Comb of the Wind" sculptures that have been braving the elements in San Sebastian's Concha Bay since 1977. Chillida inaugurated his museum in 2000 in the presence of hundreds of guests including then king Juan Carlos and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. But the museum's struggles to make ends meet were exacerbated by the financial crisis, and it closed in 2011. While Chillida enthusiasts were still able to visit, it was only on appointment. The re-opening to the general public was made possible thanks to private funding from the powerful Swiss gallery Hauser & Wirth, which reached a deal with the family to manage the estate. "Our decision isn't only philanthropic," Iwan Wirth, co-founder of the gallery, told the El Pais daily. "The work of Chillida is admired in Europe and Japan and has huge potential to be even more admired in the United States and in the rest of Asia," he said. "But compared to that of other big artists, we think it's still under-valued." Massague, meanwhile, said the Chillida Leku museum -- coupled with Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum and the Botin Centre in Santander -- could contribute to making northern Spain an important draw for art-lovers. 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. The Moroccan security services, in coordination with their Spanish security peers, announced on Tuesday the dismantling of a criminal network, which embezzled large sums of money from accounts in several international banks. According to Moroccos Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), the equivalent of the FBI, the scammers used malwares to carry out their fraud with the connivance of some call center employees who illegally provided the criminals with personal and banking data on some victims. Sixteen persons were nabbed in the cities of Casablanca, Meknes, Khenifra, Oujda, Marrakech and El Hajeb for their involvement in this fraud operation and their associates installed in Spain, said the Moroccan authorities. The search carried out by the police in the homes of the culprits led to the seizure of electronic equipment and large sums of money. The dismantling of the network with international ramification shows Moroccos firm commitment to cooperate with its European partners in the fight against terrorism and transnational crimes. Morocco wants a realistic solution to the Sahara issue, said on Tuesday in Moscow Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in a statement to Russian news agency Sputnik on the sidelines of his participation in the 5th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum. In his interview, the minister urged all parties to the Sahara conflict to show realism and a genuine willingness to reach a solution to this issue. From the outset, Morocco, which has adopted a clear position on this process (meetings on the Sahara issue), wants to put an end to this regional conflict, which has lasted too long, said Bourita, noting that if the other parties had a real will to settle this issue, Morocco has already presented its autonomy initiative for the Sahara. The minister deplored that some parties still cling to their obsolete positions while the North African Kingdom offers solutions, and insisted that Morocco is not willing to pursue discussions on non-practical and non-consensual issues. Regarding the latest Geneva round table meeting held on the Sahara, Bourita said that it is part of this new path, calling on all parties to the Sahara conflict to show a genuine desire to move towards a realistic, practical and consensual solution During his visit to Moscow, Bourita conferred with Russian peer Sergei Lavrov on bilateral relations and latest developments in North Africa and the Arab world. The two ministers said cooperation between the two countries gained momentum thanks to the strategic partnership sealed between Rabat and Moscow during the historic visit paid by King Mohammed VI to Russia in March 2016. During their talks, Mr. Bourita and Lavrov agreed to set up a mechanism for regular diplomatic dialogue between the two countries foreign ministries. Who would have guessed that Beto ORourke was a total Scrooge? The Democratic 2020 hopefuls have started releasing their tax returns in the name of transparency (how quaint!), and among other information about their finances, its giving us an opportunity to learn a bit about their charitable giving habitswhich in some cases are frankly a bit stingy. Credit to the Washington Post for scouring the candidates returns for this info, which they published on Tuesday. First, heres how much of their total income candidates gave away, from most generous to least. All numbers are for last year, unless otherwise noted. Advertisement Elizabeth Warren: 5.5 percent. The senator from Massachusetts and her husband gave $50,000 on $906,000 in income. Jay Inslee: 4.1 percent The Washington governor and his wife gave $8,295 on $203,000 in income. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bernie Sanders: 3.4 percent The Vermont senator and his wife gave $19,000 on $566,000 in income. Sanders told the Post that total did not include proceeds he gave away from his book but did not claim as deductions on his taxes. Well have to take him on his word. Amy Klobuchar: 1.9 percent The Minnesota senator and her husband gave $6,600 on $338,500 of income. Kirsten Gillibrand: 1.7 percent The New York senator and her husband gave $3,750 on $215,000 of income. Advertisement Advertisement Kamala Harris: 1.4 percent The California senator and her husband gave $27,000 on $1.9 million of income. Beto ORourke: 0.31 percent. No, you are not reading that wrong. In 2017, the most recent return hes released, the former Texas representative and his wife gave just $1,166 on $370,412 of income, less than 1 percent of what they earned. So, ORourkes number is self-evidently terrible. I thought maybe it was just one bad year, but alas, no. In 2016, he and his wife donated $857, or 0.25 percent of their income. In 2015, they gave $867, or 0.24 percent of their income. Not great, Beto. Advertisement But as for the other candidates? For their income, Sanders, Inslee, and Warren are all somewhat above average givers by U.S. standards. The others are a bit below average. Based on IRS data, the Tax Policy Center shows that Americans who earn between $100,000 and $500,000 contribute about 2.9 percent of their adjusted gross income to charity; those who earn between $500,000 and $2 million give about 3.1 percent. (The Posts calculations are based on total income, not AGI, which is your income after subtracting away certain deductions. The candidates giving would probably be slightly higher as a percentage of AGI, but you still get the idea.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These figures do need a few caveats. First, they only cover people who itemize their taxes and took the charitable deduction, which is only about a quarter of taxpayers. There are lots of people who give to charity but take the standard deduction who wont show up in these figures. Also, you might notice that people who make under $50,000 seem to donate the most in this table relative to their income. But the figures in that income bracket are probably a bit skewed, since it includes some relatively well-off business owners whose companies have a bad year, with the losses showing up in their personal taxes. So take that bit with a grain of salt. Advertisement Advertisement Point being: ORourke needs to up his giving game. I know. Maintaining a dual residence in Washington and Texas is probably expensive. But offer some money for your local food bank or homeless shelter, man. Also, in case youre looking for a quick, more detailed guide to what you should give to charity each year, heres a more detailed list of average charitable contributions by income bracket drawn from the IRSs data. See if you measure up better than the ORourkes. Youve probably heard of the idea of a queer scene, perhaps most often from people who dont care for it. But what, exactly, is this scene? Whos a part of it? Who isnt? Who decides? Is there more than one? What happens when a scene evolvesor when it doesnt? These are the questions weve gathered a group of writers to consider for an Outward special issue on the Scene in LGBTQ life today. You can read all of the stories in the issue here, and you can listen to a full episode of the Outward podcast covering more of the queer scene by subscribing on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. Advertisement Its around five oclock on a Saturday afternoon at the Eagle LA in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Outside, the sun is bright and people are swigging beer on the patio, and in a way the ambiance is similar to that at any day drinking eventnoisy but also relaxed. The space is filled with an unusually diverse group of queers: trans men, butch lesbians, genderqueer folks, femmes, and a scattering of cis men, one or two of whom are straight and overwhelmed. The unifying theme is leather; people wear leather harnesses that fall loosely around their clothing, leather jackets, leather skirts. Eagle LA is, after all, a leather bar, and this is the first ever Saturday iteration of Cruisethe monthly event when Eagle LA opens itself specifically to women and people who arent cis men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a lesbian- or dyke-looking person in there, I was mainly invisible. Pony Lee, co-founder of Cruise Inside, things are a little more intense. Onstage, Bettie Bondage, a self-described Kinkucator and sadist, is piercing whiskers into a persons face with needles. I watched, mesmerized, wondering if and when the piercee would bleed. Bettie eventually began to remove the needles one at a time from the inside of her subjects mouth, and blood did run down their face, but, a model of efficiency, Bettie licked all of it off.* Pony Lee, one of the founders of Cruise, says the mixture of atmospheres is intentional. He says that the leather scene was like a natural calling, for him but that he was intimidated by most of the spaces he found in L.A. when he first started looking for community in the 90smost of them dominated by cis gay men. Pony identifies as a trans POC leathermxn from East L.A., an unincorporated city thats primarily Latino. But Lee says that back then as a lesbian- or dyke-looking person in there, you know, I was mainly invisible. Play parties and dungeon parties were also an intimidating point of entry into the leather world, but Lee, along with his business partner Vanessa Craig, have created a space in Cruise where people can dip their toe in the kink scene without any pressure to get whipped or spanked or really do anything besides hang out. Advertisement Advertisement The leather kink aesthetic was encapsulated in the 1940s erotic drawings of Tom of Finland, which featured white queer men sporting over-the-top muscles and crotch bulges. Since that time, the leather scene for cis queer men has become widespread and well-known, and it imitates that aesthetic in a less exaggerated formvery white, very masculine. There are leather bars all over the country, and there are leather pride parades in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but these spaces are not especially diverse. Advertisement Advertisement A few years back, Lee approached Craig, a butch lesbian with a knack for throwing parties (including You Dont Know Dick: Lesbian Trivia Night and the Grind 90s Dance Party) about starting a monthly night geared toward women at the Eagle LA. Craig made a few changes to the ambiancefor example, finding 70s lesbian porn to play, replacing the usual selection of gay porn running over the bar. Cruise launched in 2016, and for more than two years, primarily lesbians and queer women would take over Eagle LA on the second Wednesday of every month. Cruise is now on Saturdays, because, according to Lee, it became too difficult to run an event after a workday (he also runs Folklore Salon in Echo Park to make money). Neither Lee nor Craig makes much off of Cruise: The event is free, and the drinks are cheap. They split whatever small profits they get among the dancers and DJs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Alex Warner, a historian who has devoted years to recovering and documenting the history of the leatherdyke community, lesbians have historically made their own spaces within Eagle leather bars, sometimes in secret. Theres obviously a lot of division between gay men and lesbians, I think in the broader community, she says. But in the leather community, theres much more interaction, and I think the dirty little secret of the leather community is that lots of dykes and gay men have sex and play together. Warner says that in the early years, Dykes would sneak into mens leather bars and pass as men. Thats how they would get involved. And they would have sex with the men and just never speak. So the men never knew that they were getting fisted by women. Warner added that this didnt change anyones sexuality, but for some leatherpeople, BDSM was more core to their sexuality than gender. Advertisement Advertisement At Cruise, of course, the barrier to entry is much lower. I knew about Cruise for a while before I ever wentthe kink aspect intimidated me a bit. But the first time I was there, I loved it and realized that nothing was expected of me. I could just enjoy the spectacle when I wasnt kissing my girlfriend. One of the regular go-go dancers at Cruise, Kristin Vallacher, had a similar experience. At first she didnt think Cruise was for her: I dont wanna be in a back room, I dont want to be paddled or whatever, she said, but after finally attending, I was like, Oh, my God, this is basically a dance party. If you want to engage in other activities, you can, but its not a requirement. Go-go dancing had been a dream for Vallacher (her day job is running and co-owning a gym in Hollywood called the Phoenix Effect with her wife), and Cruise was a comfortable environment for her compared with the Abbey or one of those places that can be spatially aggressive for people who are my size, which is like 5-foot-1. She says now she sees kink as something that she can engage in; she hadnt understood it as well before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We wanted something of ours. Chingy, co-founder of Mommy Issues And then there are people like Chingya tall femme with a blog called the Bottoms Linefor whom Cruise is an oasis because the city just isnt kinky enough the rest of the time. Chingy moved back to her native L.A., a city she complains is so conformist that the butches shave their armpits, after being priced out of San Francisco. She sorely misses the Bay Area leather community but also found that Cruise was a space where she could expand her horizons. She began bootblacking in public for the first time there: Its very much about like the fetishization of leather, she says. Someone sits on your stand, and they give you their boots. You clean them, you shine them, you can if you want to, like get frisky with it, you can lick them, you can put their boots on your chest on your face while you do it. Its about the intimacy and the exchange that comes from a thing that seems so mundane. Chingy says she considers this a service to her leather community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Cruise has transformed into a daytime party, Chingy has come together with other femmes who worked the event to form another Wednesday night kink and dance party. Mommy Issues will launch on Wednesday and, according to Chingy, will be open to all queers but primarily for femmes of all genders and dykes of all assignments. Similar to Cruise, Mommy Issues will be kinky but in a low-key way (Chingy describes her ideal ration as 65 percent dance, 35 percent kink). One of the goals of the party will be to recreate the nighttime vibe of Cruise but at a time when it was more lesbian and femme centric. (According to Pony, Cruise has always been open in terms of who its for, but sometimes it draws different crowds, possibly partly because of which bootblacks, dancers, and DJs are scheduled for a given night.) Advertisement Advertisement Mommy Issues will be unusual in the kink space not only because its welcoming to queer women but also because it will take place at a bar owned by a women of colorthe Faultlineand was founded by a group of femmes, some of whom are also POC. We wanted something of ours, says Chingy, noting that many of the founders of Mommy Issues were dancers and bootblacks who havent had the chance to create a space of their own. Chingy says shell be happy if they break even running the new event. Like Cruise, its a labor of love. While I was reporting this story, I talked to a few people who worried the nature of Cruise might change because it was a daytime party. But on Saturday, though there wasnt much dancing and a slightly more mixed crowd, the Eagle was still packed with queer women. At one point, two femmes fall to the ground while attempting to demonstrate scissoring with their clothes on. On the other side of the table where I was sitting, a trans man gets on his knees and uses a lint roller to service a thick femmes sandals, which are decorated with sequin marijuana leaves. His action mirrored whats happening on the bootblack stand in the corner. But mostly, people are just standing around and drinking, taking it in. It was a territory meant for exploring, and a territory, that will continue to expand with each new space that lets a new person know this scene could also be for them. Correction, April 24, 2019: This post originally misstated the gender pronouns of the person being pierced. Read more from Outwards special issue on the Scene, and listen to the podcast. Youve probably heard of the idea of a queer scene, perhaps most often from people who dont care for it. But what, exactly, is this scene? Whos a part of it? Who isnt? Who decides? Is there more than one? What happens when a scene evolvesor when it doesnt? These are the questions weve gathered a group of writers to consider for an Outward special issue on the Scene in LGBTQ life today. You can read all of the stories in the issue here, and you can listen to a full episode of the Outward podcast covering more of the queer scene by subscribing on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. Advertisement In my late 20s, on the brink of coming out as a lesbian, I did what most baby queers eager to connect to their people usually do: I turned my nascent identity into a research project. I read all the books on queer history, coming out essays, and articles on hookup culture in an effort to discover where to find other lesbians like me. The consensus: gay bars and dance clubs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In retrospect, this wasnt exactly surprising. Bars and underground dance parties have historically played a pivotal role in the queer community and our culture, providing a safe space to meet and hook up with other queers. Constantly harassed, assaulted, and discriminated against in mainstream spaces, LGBTQ individuals needed raves, private parties, and gay bars in order to firm up their communities and escape societal persecution. When the community finally decided to fight back after decades of mistreatment and police brutality, the first punches were thrown in spaces like the Stonewall Inn, site of the famous 1969 riot that were now commemorating 50 years later as a milestone in the march toward equality. And it was in the literal debris of these clashes that queers gathered to organize the social movements that have yielded so much fruit today. Advertisement Advertisement So when I walked into my first divey queer bar, named My Sisters Room, in Atlanta, it was a big moment. I went by myself, which was intimidating at first. But it quickly started to feel like home. I met women there who identified as butch, femme, and everything in between. I no longer had to hide who I was. It felt safe and magical. Advertisement From those first steps, I grew to love socializing, dancing, and having a few cocktails with other queers, particularly queer women. Theres something special in knowing theres a dedicated space to be your most authentic self, where you can give into your kinks, speak freely about your relationships, be entertained by fabulous drag performers, and openly express your gender and sexuality. West to East Coast, no matter where Ive lived or visited, I have always been down for exploring the queer neighborhoods, bars, and dance parties. In Atlanta, its Marys in the East Atlanta Village. When I lived in San Francisco, I was a fixture in the Castro and also frequented the famous Lexington Club before it permanently closed. And when I moved to New York City, you could routinely find me dancing at Henrietta Hudson or enjoying drink specials at my favorite lesbian dive bar, Cubbyhole. It was in these spaces that I developed some friendships that lasted a short while and some that I believe will last a lifetime. At these queer bars, I kissed women, sang along to their jukeboxes, listened to my favorite DJs spin, and met a couple of one-night stands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are memories that I will always cherish. But regrettably, I havent been able to go out as much as I would like recently, not to late-night parties anyway. On the surface, my queer friends probably assume its because Im more settled in a relationship and celebrating my 40th birthday in a few months. However, the truth is Ive reached a point in my life where Im not able to do some of the things I use to. On any given day, I suffer from chronic pain and fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and other mental illnesses; these overlap to affect every area of my life. My depressive periods heighten my anxiety, making large crowds and loud music unnerving. My chronic anxieties manifest physically, sometimes causing migraines, panic attacks, and debilitating pain throughout my body. And on most days, Im completely exhausted due to my chronic insomnia. Advertisement Advertisement Sometimes I also worry about being condemned to a boring, heteronormative life. Despite all this, sometimes the mood does strike, and I feel like going out. But when I start thinking about the crowds, the two-day hangovers, the anxiety, fatigue, and pain I will inevitably feel later, I decide to stay in and watch a movie instead. To add insult to injury, my wife who was also heavy into queer nightlife suffers from some of these symptoms as well, and oftentimes, were not on the same page. When she feels healthy and wants to go out to a late-night dance party, those are usually the nights when I dont. We dont necessarily have to go out clubbing together. But if one of us isnt up to it, we usually both stay in. Advertisement Advertisement And so my chronic illnesses hurt me in ways beyond their immediate symptoms. They leave me feeling isolated, left behind, and disconnected from the community, and the guilt of not actively supporting queer establishments can be hard to shake off, particularly since bars for lesbians and female-identified queers have been increasingly shutting down. Sometimes I also worry about being condemned to a boring, heteronormative life devoid of the loving, beautiful, diverse, and resilient community Im proud to be a part of. While theres nothing wrong with wanting a more traditional lifestylea house in the suburbs and childrenmy idea of queer culture has always been unapologetically radical. From the transgressive ways queer femmes express their identities to networks like the Radical Faeries, I appreciate the ways in which many in the queer community intentionally reject assimilating to straight culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I try not to be too hard on myself about all this. After all, my fade from the scene is not just about my chronic ailmentsthere are structural factors in play too. As a black woman, my decision not to attend every party has an economic component. Research shows that not only do black women make less money than both white men and women, but we also suffer from depression at higher rates. And to make matters worse, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, black people have less access to quality mental health care due to stigma and the cost of health insurance. After insurance premiums, out-of-pocket payments, copays, and medication, sometimes theres just not enough money for me to go out even if I felt up to it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So how do I find a way to keep queer community in my life that puts my body and mental health first? A couple of years ago, I started attending queer potluck dinner parties, yoga, pop-up pool parties, brunches, tea parties, reading and writing groups, fashion shows, community BBQs, and art exhibitions on a more regular basis. These types of events and places are nothing new as activities. But what makes them special is their intentional queerness, prioritizing and celebrating queer-identified people and their allies. For me, these events and queer spaces are usually more intimate, less crowded, more inclusive to femmes and people of color, less anxiety-inducing, generally earlier in the day, and easier on my body. Advertisement From time to time, when Im feeling relatively healthy, I do venture out to support my favorite queer bars, DJs, drag performers, and promoters, paying my respects to our sacred institutions and their place in our extraordinary history. But Ive learned to let go of the guilt when I cant make it and to embrace gratitude for the growing diversity of queer scenes, especially for the people within our community living with chronic illnesses and other disabilities. Because when it comes to being with chosen family, its the people, not the time of day or the venue, that matters. Read more from Outwards special issue on the Scene, and listen to the podcast. The prominent lawyer and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz is being sued for defamation in connection with the sexual assault allegations against well-connected multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, whose extraordinarily lenient plea deal for allegedly operating a sex trafficking ring of teenage girls made news in the fall, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday. The suit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York by one of Epsteins alleged victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, charges that Dershowitz, as one of Epsteins lawyers, was aware of and participated in Epsteins sexual abuse of teenage girls but still spread false information about Giuffre and other victims in order to silence them. The suit focuses on Dershowitzs assertions that the alleged victims fabricated their accusations. Advertisement In the suit, Giuffre claims that she was coerced into having sex with Dershowitz and other wealthy and powerful men when she was a teenager. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dershowitz has maintained his innocence and asserted that he has proof that Giuffres allegations are false. He has claimed he never met Giuffre, and he has said he will at some point give the Herald exculpatory evidence from some of his documents. In a filing for that lawsuit, another woman also came forward to add her story to the growing list of sexual assault allegations against Epstein, the Herald reported. Maria Farmer, now 49, says Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, sexually assaulted her in 1996, when she was a 26-year-old art student. She also alleges that Epstein molested her then15-year-old sister repeatedly. Farmer claims she reported her assault to the FBI and New York policewhich would make her the first person to report them to the FBIbut that the FBI took no action against Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Farmer, in the filing, added that she frequently saw underage girls come into his New York mansion and head upstairs. She was told they were auditioning for modeling work, according to the affidavit. She also alleges in the filing that she saw Dershowitz head upstairs while there were underage girls present. Dershowitz has publicly criticized the Herald, which first published a series about Epstein and the role of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, then the U.S. attorney in Miami, in brokering a plea deal for Epstein that gave him federal immunity, kept his victims in the dark, and protected any other potentially guilty parties. It was in the papers investigation, which identified 80 potential victims of Epsteins abuse, that Giuffres accusations against Dershowitz were first published. Since then, another woman, Sarah Ransome, has said when she was 22 she was lent out by Epstein to have sex with Dershowitz. No sensible person looks forward to litigation, Giuffre said in a statement. And I know that standing up for myself and others will cause Mr. Dershowitz and Mr. Epstein to redouble their efforts to destroy me and my reputation. But I can no longer sit by and not respond. As my complaint shows, my abusers have sought to conceal their guilt behind a curtain of lies. My complaint calls for the accounting to which I, and their other victims, are entitled. Attorney General William Barr issued an order Tuesday evening that will stop certain credible asylum seekers from being able to post bail while they await their asylum hearings, a process that can take months and sometimes years. The practical effect of the order directed at immigration judges is that it could keep thousands of asylum seekers detained for extended periods while they await a court ruling on their status. The move is the latest explicit effort by the Trump administration to discourage legal asylum seekers from attempting to come to the country by erecting administrative roadblocks and potentially jail time. Advertisement For more than a decade, migrants who are deemed to have a credible fear of persecution in their home countries have been allowed to request a bond hearing so they can be released on bail while they wait for their asylum cases to be heard, sometimes months or years later, the New York Times notes. This is an approach that has been affirmed by the judicial system as recently as this month when a federal judge in Washington State affirmed that credible asylum seekers must have the ability to seek bail within seven days of requesting it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney general, however, oversees the immigration courts and Barr is restricting the class of asylum seekers that can rely on that week-long time frame. The order gives the Department of Homeland Security wide discretion over whether migrants who declared themselves as asylum seekers after entering the country illegally will be released on bail or not. The Trump administration, unsurprisingly, has dramatically curtailed the release of migrants awaiting immigration proceedings. The order restricting migrants access to parole does not apply to potential asylum seekers that declare themselves at a port of entry along the border. Given the difficulties that already overworked government agencies have had imposing stiffer immigration regulations, its doubtful the administration has the capacity to house thousands more migrants for extended periods of time. Barr, on Tuesday, acknowledged as much saying he will defer the implementation of the new rules. I will delay the effective date of this decision for 90 days so that D.H.S. may conduct the necessary operational planning for additional detention and parole decisions, Barr wrote in the 11-page order. Listen to Slates The Gist: Get More of The Gist Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to The Gist Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page. Listen to The Gist via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. On The Gist, sparing a thought for Notre Dame and how Americans pronounce it. In the interview, Politicos Anna Palmer on what Trump is doing to America as he navigates a government he doesnt understand. Her book, co-written with Jake Sherman, is The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trumps America. In the Spiel, moms are not off limits for quotesabout their childrenpublished by the New York Times. Get The Gist in Your Inbox We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: thegist@slate.com Twitter: @slategist Podcast production by Pierre Bienaime and Daniel Schroeder. Tunisian security authorities announced Tuesday they have detained 24 armed European citizens, including 13 French, coming from Libyan territories controlled by Eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar who has launched an offensive to control Tripoli. Interior Minister Abdelkarim Zbidi told media that security forces nabbed 13 French nationals attempting to cross the Ras Jedir crossing point on Sunday, in 44 vehicles. Tunisian security forces, in a separate operation, detained 11 people of different European nationalities holding diplomatic passports. The group recently tried to enter Tunisian waters from Libya on two rubber boats, Zbidi also said. The Tunisian navy confiscated their weapons and handed them over to the National Guard, Zbidi said, without elaborating on when the incident occurred. The French embassy in Tunis said in a statement the French nationals were members of a security detail attached to the French embassy in Libya, Turkish news agency Anadolu reports. Local Tunisian reports alleged that the 24 armed men came from the Libyan city of Garyan where they had been advising forces led by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar early this month launched an offensive to take control of the Libyan capital Tripoli that he claims is in the hands of terrorists linked to the Muslim Brotherhoods. The conflicts humanitarian toll is growing as 174 people were killed and 756 injured while almost 20,000 were displaced, according to latest UN tallies. The attacks also sunk a reconciliation conference that was planned for mid-April. The military general who leads the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) has been receiving support from Egypt, UAE, France, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Born in Brooklyn: Today, Slate Presents launched Charged, a podcast hosted by Emily Bazelon and in co-production with the Appeal. The series, a companion to Bazelons newly published book, focuses on the fight to transform how tougher, fast-tracked gun prosecution laws disproportionately affected young black teeangers and men in New York City. Learn more about Charged, produced by Alvin Melathe and Veralyn Williams, and subscribe to it wherever you get your podcasts. No chance for peace: The Trump administration seems to have singlehandedly done away with any chance for peace between Israel and Palestine, but really, the process has been doomed for a whileprevious presidents tried and failed to broker any agreements, leaving the untenable status quo we face today. Khaled Elgindy explains why this isnt just Trumps fault, but also Clintons, Bushs, and Obamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listen up, 2020 Dems: Pro-choice Democrats, including Bernie Sanders on Monday, keep stumbling over questions from conservatives and anti-choice activists about third-trimester abortions. Christina Cauterucci did the work for them in consulting physicians and reproductive rights experts on how to answer the somewhat-absurd question Do you support abortion in the moments before birth? Feel free to adopt her script, politicians. No more excuses for messing this up! I tried to be a scene kid: Outward is back with a new special issue, this time with several writers discussing what, exactly, the queer scene entails. Check out Justin Agrelo on how Hurricane Maria affected the scene in Puerto Rico, Jacy Topps on chronic illness impact on the ability to partake in queer nightlife, Alexander De Luca on how the evolution of r/Gaybros helped him better fit into his own identity, and Hannah Harris Green on the emerging gender-inclusive BDSM leather community in Los Angeles. And dont forget to tune in to this months Outward podcast, which focuses on the special issue and how we fit in. You can read the rest of the Scene here. For fun: Pete and Chasten Buttigieg met on the dating app Hinge. Sorry to every Hinge user receiving that URL, Dawnthea This story was originally published by Slate.fr. It was translated by Henry Grabar and Margaret Grabar Sage. Notre Drame, read the excellent front page of the Liberation newspaper the day after the fire, displaying the spire of our national cathedral ablaze, tottering, and on the brink of yielding. The drame, or tragedy, of all Parisians and all the French: mine, yours too no doubt, the tragedy of everyone who has the slightest affection for art, the Middle Ages, Esmeralda, Viollet-le-Duc, Jesus, Paris, tourist money, Catholic Mass, selfies in front of old stones, stained-glass windows, and gargoyles in short, everyones tragedy, a tragedy by consensus. Advertisement On Monday night, I climbed up to Sacre-Cur, I watched, and I cried. As a former medievalist, a Parisian in my bones, my own reasons were historic, cultural, and personaland respectable, as respectable as yours, whatever they might be. Since the last embers were extinguished, Ive heard the unanimous cry everywhere: Lets rebuild! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everyone agrees about that, not least the president of the republic. Theres no question Macron thinks hes found a godsend to unify the country at a time of social crisis. Of course. Funds have been miraculously freed up; the ordeal of public financing put on hold thanks to the donations of fat cats* (with tax breaks priced in), thanks to the state, and soon thanks to the meager offerings of the little people who want, with a singular urge, for Notre Dame to be reborn from its ashes. Advertisement Advertisement I wont insult you by recounting the splendor of Notre Dame, its enough to read Hugo. (Incidentally, you have read Hugo, right? I did, a long time ago, and I remember suffering through entire pages of interminable descriptions of gargoyles before closing it with, paradoxically, the sensation of having received a marvelous aesthetic and literary gift. If Amazons to be believed, you definitely bought The Hunchback of Notre Dame on Tuesday, so steel yourself, dont let it go: Sometimes its a pain in the ass with the details, but at the end youll be better for it. Anyway.) Notre Dame, the religious, historic, literary work, iswassplendid, and we mourn it. But is it dead, or is it a giant burn victim who will live on? What should we hope for it? Faced with the cries of the faithful and the atheists, this common prayer of resurrection, I feel suddenly alone in the desert in thinking: Lets not rebuild Notre Dame. Advertisement Advertisement Of course, its not a matter of destroying what remains. We must secure what the hellfire spared, make sure the church is safe and can be reopened to the people of Paris and everyone who comes to see it from around the world. But reconstruct it? No. Advertisement Advertisement This religious monument, erected to the glory of God at a time when He was the alpha and the omega and the end logic behind each obscure phenomenonbirth, sickness, death, buboes, baldness, the whims of the weather, and crusades of all kindsis in 2019 first and foremost a cultural and historic object whose beauty and persistence across the centuries are recognized as much by the Christians who kneel there as by members of other faiths or atheists amazed by its grace. From a strictly political point of view, since the French separation of church and state in 1905, Notre Dame must be considered a historic monument on the level of the Louvre or Versailles. Its normal, then, for a reconstruction budget to be allocated to it. Yet its not only about the national budget: Our billionaires are emptying their coffers, the regional government has opened its purse strings, and individuals are invited to contribute via a great national fundraising project, which recalls the one that paid for the Sacre-Cur (40 million francs, at the time, for a basilica whose erection was supposed to expiate the crimes of France after the Paris Commune of 1871). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reconstruct the cathedral, a religious and very Catholic symbol, with money from the state, from the powerful, and from the people? Theyre telling me in my earpiece (and they will definitely tell me on social media) that Im missing the point, its not that Notre Dame we want to rebuild but the architectural masterpiece, the refuge of Quasimodo, the fight for the Liberation of Paris, the history of the Ile de la Cite which must perpetuate itself and not change one iota as a result of this unfortunate spark. I understand, and an instinctive part of me approves of this approach, but no, its not a good idea. That monument burned. It no longer exists. And what we rebuild, identical or more likely with alterations made from safer, more modern materials, will only be a reproduction, a little like the caves at Lascaux, where only the replica is open to visits from the common folk. Advertisement Advertisement Thats why we all want to rebuild Notre Dame as if it had never fallen, as if the fire had never started. A cathedral is built for eternity. And now in France, the cathedral of all cathedrals collapses, or nearly. Now it abandons us, it leaves us, after more than eight centuries of existence and renovations and glorious testament to our genius. The cathedral is eternal, but it was humans who raised it to the skyand what humans! Our ancestors of the Middle Ages, who had only their strength and their intelligence to sculpt and construct. At the price of how many tears, lives, how much blood! (Its the moment, if ever there was one, to (re)read the marvelous The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, which follows the construction of a cathedral in England.) So that we, the humans who built this thing, are through it made eternal too. The cathedral is the mirror of our eternity: It was there when we were born, it will be there when we die, and in it, we will live still. Advertisement Advertisement The fire of April 15 confronts us with this intolerable fait accompli: There is no eternity. Not even, especially not, the one made by us and for us. Our forever-projects have caught fire, putting us face to face with our own imperfections and impermanence. This is whats unbearable. Were in mourning because weve lost a dear friend, and were passing into one of the first stages: denial. Why reconstruct Notre Dame? Because it was beauty, the symbol of the human aspiration to surpass ourselves and to create superb works in the service of big ideas? Or because it was, simply, a witness to our shared history? But we still know how to create beauty, we know better than ever how to build monuments that reach for the sky where so many of us look for answers. We still have witnesses to our history, especially at the center of Paris. Whats unbearable is the disappearance, before our helpless eyes, of the certainty that we are immortal. Thats why we all want to rebuild Notre Dame as if it had never fallen, as if the fire had never started. Its one of the few ways we feel we can repair what is ruined. We who are so powerless to repair the earth that degrades beneath our feet, we at least want to bring our panicked souls the consolation of saying that were still capable of creating an eternal form. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What to do with the ruins? Strengthen the structure that still stands, protect it with a new roof, reopen the place while preserving what its become, and make of it a memento mori of the 21st centurywhy not? Just like we visit ruined castles, lets visit Notre Dame and be conscious that with it, a part of our civilization has gone up in smoke; that this unfortunate fire is also an episode in our history, a page half-turned; that we must accept it, with its scars and its losses, because thats whats left. And what would we do with the money? I may well be an atheist to the core, but Im tempted to believe in miracles after seeing that Notre Dame has unearthed such a crazy sum in a country thats officially so penniless. Nearly a billion euros, shaken loose in 24 hours from the wallets of the countrys richest families Would it be so complicated to reorient such an offering to find a use that can benefit the greatest number of people? This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy. In a stunning, unanimous opinion handed down Tuesday morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit threw out every single pretrial order issued over the past 3 years in the case of Abd al-Rahim Hussein Mohammed al-Nashiri, who is being tried by a military commission at Guantanamo military base. The court also threw our every single ruling on appeal of those orders by the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review, or CMCR. Every single one. Advertisement For those who havent been following al-Nashiris case, the ruling probably comes as something of a real surprise. But in many ways, Tuesdays decision was merely the inevitable result of years of hubris on the part of the commissions themselves and the government lawyers before them, and the lack of meaningful judicial oversight the commissions have faced to date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive written before, in lots of detail, about the ethical kerfuffle that had, for a time, ground the pretrial proceedings in al-Nashiris case to a halt (all of which, it should be said, derives at least indirectly from the fact that al-Nashiri was repeatedly tortured while in CIA custody). And although that dispute was lurking in the background of the case the Court of Appeals decided Tuesday, the real issue here was the appearance of partiality on the part of the former trial judge, Air Force Col. Vance Spath, who was presiding over al-Nashiris case even as he was applying forand subsequently negotiating the terms ofa position with the Justice Department as an immigration judge. Writing for himself and Judges Judith Rogers and Thomas Griffith, Judge David Tatel walked in significant and revealing detail through the awkwardness of the overlapping factual timelinesand why it would clearly appear to a reasonable outside observer, when made aware of the facts, that Spaths impartiality could fairly be questioned. Advertisement Advertisement Folks canand shouldread Tatels detailed description and analysis for themselves. To me, his analysis is unanswerable in light of the facts as he recites them. But two additional points ought to be made, one of which Tatel subtly alludes to in his opinion and the other of which is lurking just beneath the surface. Tuesdays opinion is the first time the D.C. Circuit has expressly called out these actors for their hubris. First, it cannot be overstated the lengths to which Spath, the government, and the Court of Military Commission Review all went to try to prevent Tuesdays decision from ever happening. As Tatel notes, not only did Spath refuse to inform the parties of his employment discussions, but the government itself, in response to a request for discovery from al-Nashiris lawyers, refused, calling the reports unsubstantiated assertions and arguing that the [d]efense request offers no basis to believe that the former presiding military judge has applied for a position with the [Justice Department] or even contacted the [Justice Department] regarding employment. The government surely knew better, of course; it just tried to prevent al-Nashiris lawyers from discovering what it already knew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And as Ive explained elsewhere, the real break came from a Freedom of Information Act request filed by journalist Carol Rosenberg, which turned up the very documents pertaining to Spaths candidacy for a position as an immigration judge that the government had refused to disclose (to a capital defendant in a criminal case) in response to unsubstantiated assertions. And the CMCR, which exists solely for the purpose of supposedly providing independent appellate oversight of the military commission trial courts, effectively kowtowed to the governmentconcluding that al-Nashiri should first have to perfect his disqualification claim before the (Im not kidding) trial court. By then, Spath had been replaced by Col. Shelly Schoolsexcept that Schools, too, was in the process of successfully applying for a position as an immigration judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To his credit, Tatel calls out all of these actors. As he notes on Page 28: Although a principle so basic to our system of laws should go without saying, we nonetheless feel compelled to restate it plainly here: criminal justice is a shared responsibility. Yet in this case, save for Al-Nashiris defense counsel, all elements of the military commission systemfrom the prosecution team to the Justice Department to the CMCR to the judge himselffailed to live up to that responsibility. This is a stunning rebuke from a unanimous panel of three Article III judges. And its long overdue. There are any number of other contexts in which government lawyers, trial judges, and the CMCR in the military commissions have bent over backward to give short shrift to arguments by military commission defendants that were ultimately vindicated on appeal. But Tuesdays opinion is the first time the D.C. Circuit has expressly called out these actors for their hubris. Advertisement Second, it is also worth taking a moment to reflect on the implications of Tuesdays ruling. Assuming the solicitor general does not pursue rehearing en banc or certiorari (a real long shot, in my view, given that Griffith was on Tuesdays panel and that his vote would surely be necessary to convince the full court to rehear the matter), the effect of this decision is to wipe out all of Spaths orders dating back to November 2015 and all of the CMCRs rulings relating to those orders. In essence, Tuesdays decision sets al-Nashiris case back at least 3 yearsand possibly more, since some of the interlocutory appeals may also have to be repursued. The net result is that it now will be even longer before al-Nashiris case ever goes to trialand before, assuming he is convicted, he would be able to bring a post-conviction appeal to the D.C. Circuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I say all of this because two of the three judges on Tuesdays panel were also on the panel the last time al-Nashiri sought relief in the D.C. Circuitin 2016, when al-Nashiri was seeking to have the federal courts decide whether the military commission even has jurisdiction to try him in the first place. Al-Nashiris jurisdictional objection is a serious one: The Military Commissions Act itself (and, arguably, the Constitution) limits the jurisdiction of the Guantanamo commissions to offenses committed during an armed conflict, and the charges against al-Nashiri stem from the October 2000 bombing of the USS Colean event that took place 11 months before the Sept. 11 attacks. If al-Nashiris jurisdictional objection is sustained, then all of this is for naughtthe government may then have the authority to detain him as an enemy combatant, but it could not try him in a military commission. Advertisement Rather than resolve al-Nashiris jurisdictional objection, the D.C. Circuit in August 2016, in an opinion by Griffith, held that it should abstain, relying on an application of the Councilman abstention doctrine that I have heavily criticized elsewhereand that provoked an unusually angry dissent from Tatel. One of the arguments that Griffith rejected in holding that the civilian courts should wait for the military commission process to run its course was that those proceedings might take yearsand that it might be 2024 before a post-conviction appeal from al-Nashiri returned to the D.C. Circuit. To Griffith (back then, anyway), such a concern was entirely speculative, with no real explanation for how the trial and post-conviction appeal could possibly take so long given the state of play at that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday, in contrast, Griffith joined, without comment, an opinion that all but guarantees that al-Nashiris lawyers timetable will be proven correctif not wildly optimistic. And he did so in a case that underscores some of the many reasons why we might all be better off, the commissions included, if the civilian courts resolved more of these questions before everyone goes through the time and expense of a trial. After all, if the deference to the military that Councilman contemplates is predicated on a view that the military court will fairly and expeditiously resolve the matters before it, Tuesdays ruling is yet another powerful reminder of why the Guantanamo commissions may be wholly undeserving of it. More From Just Security: Gender-Based Violence and Sanctions: A Potential U.N. Security Council Framework Is Trump a Russian Agent?: Explaining Terms of Art and Examining the Facts After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reelected for an unprecedented fifth term last week, President Donald Trump declared that we now have a better chance for peace. After more than a year of delays, the Trump administration is expected to release the much-touted Middle East peace plan, developed by Trumps son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, sometime in the coming weeks. While officially still secret, the most important features of the plan are already known. The issue of Jerusalem, historically the most vexing of all, in Trumps words, is officially off the table following the administrations December 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. The same goes for any discussion of the right of return for Palestinian refugees whose families were displaced by Israels creation in 1948. Instead of a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the plan reportedly calls for a form of expanded autonomy under overriding Israeli security control. Accordingly, none of the roughly 630,000 Israeli settlers now living in the occupied territories are likely to be evacuated under the plan. In return, the Palestinians would reportedly receive a massive aid package paid for by Arab states. As such, Trumps vision is less a peace proposal in the traditional sense than a way to normalize the status quo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it is tempting to attribute the conflicts current impasse to Trumps destructive policies, the reality is that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process had been dying a slow death for many years and was effectively dead when Trump arrived. This is certainly not entirely Americas fault, but successive U.S. administrations from both parties, by failing to challenge the dynamics that define and sustain the conflictparticularly Israels ongoing and ever-deepening occupationhave helped entrench the status quo and reinforced the vast power imbalance between the two sides. This basic ambivalence on the part of U.S. policymakers was not the result of malice or ignorance but of the persistent tension between the desire of U.S. officials to uphold the basic rules and goals of the peace process on one hand and the demands of the U.S.-Israel special relationship and pro-Israel forces in Washington on the other. More often than not, the latter won out. Advertisement Advertisement Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush broke important new ground in advancing American-Palestinian relations and the goal of a two-state solution. Yet they also pursued policies that helped consolidate Israeli settlements, weaken Palestinian leaders, embolden Israeli hard-liners, and erode the basic principles undergirding the peace process. Advertisement No U.S. presidentbefore or sincehas come closer to brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal than Clinton. But he was also the first to break with decades of U.S. policy and U.N. precedent on key issues such as Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem, and settlements. Thus, while Clinton officially upheld the U.N.-endorsed land for peace formula and decried Israeli settlements as obstacles to peace, his administration also carved out major exemptions that allowed Israel to continue building in settlements for natural growth and in key areas of the occupied territories such as east Jerusalem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clintons most significant contribution came in the final months of his presidency following the failure of the Camp David Summit and the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising known as the Al-Aqsa intifada. Although both sides had contributed to the failure of negotiations before and after the summit as well as to the escalating violence, Clinton put the blame solely on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians. This decision helped to narrow the political space for an agreement during Clintons remaining time in office and to cement the narrative that Israel had no partner for peace, all of which helped to fuel violence in the months and years that followed. Advertisement Advertisement The Bush administrations handling of the peace process was even more conflicted. Bush was the first U.S. president to officially endorse Palestinian statehood, but because of his alignment with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon following the 9/11 attacks and a wave of terrorist attacks by Palestinian militants, he also gave Sharon a free hand to quash the intifada, triggering accusations of war crimes, while systematically destroying Palestinian governing and security institutions along the way. Embracing Sharons view that Palestinian intransigence and militancy were the primary drivers of the conflict, rather than Israels continued occupation, Bush insisted that Palestinians end the violence and elect new leaders before any political progress could take hold. Yet even after the intifada had subsided and Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005 following Arafats death, the Bush administration abandoned its own peace plan, the internationally backed road map, in favor of Israeli unilateralism in Gaza and elsewhere while explicitly endorsing Israeli positions on key issues such as the fate of settlement blocs in the West Bank and Palestinian refugees. Advertisement Advertisement Few events did more lasting damage to peace prospects than the Bush administrations response to Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006. The election of Hamas, a group officially designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU and that has carried out numerous attacks on Israeli civilians, posed serious legal and political challenges for Israel, the U.S., and the international community. But Hamas electoral success was also an indication of the depth of Palestinian public dissatisfaction with both the Fatah leadership and the U.S.-led peace process. Advertisement While past U.S. presidents had spent years trying to fit the proverbial square peg in the round hole, Trumps approach appears to be aimed at convincing us that the square is actually a circle. Instead of encouraging Hamas political evolution or reevaluating problematic aspects of the peace process, U.S. and Israeli officials engineered an international boycott of the Palestinian Authority while insisting on Hamas removal from power. This zero-sum approach eventually led to a Palestinian civil war and paved the way for the current division between the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas-led government in Gaza. In addition to paralyzing Palestinian politics, the schism helped fuel violence and instabilityincluding renewed fighting in Gaza in 2012 and 2014and frustrate diplomatic efforts. Advertisement By the time Barack Obama came to office, both the peace process and Palestinian politics were in shambles. The 2008 Gaza war had left nearly 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, dead, and about 15,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians were also killed. The explosive growth of Israels settlement population, which went from more than 280,000 at the start of the Oslo process in 1993 to about 490,000 in 2007, stood as a testament to the enormous success of the settlement enterpriseas did the fact that parties representing the settler movement were now a key part of Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Initially at least, Obama appeared to chart a different course, taking a tough stance on Israeli settlement construction, insisting on the primacy of the 1967 border as the basis for negotiations, and even hinting at a possible policy shift toward Gaza. When faced with resistance from Israeli leaders and their allies in Congress, however, the administration backed down and focused its energies instead on the path of least resistance: a resumption of bilateral negotiations. For example, after initially demanding a comprehensive Israeli settlement freeze, Obama later settled for a temporary moratorium that excluded settlement in east Jerusalem and other forms of settlement expansion. In contrast with its passive response to Israeli settlements, the administration devoted considerable time and resources to defeating Abbas bids to seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations in 2011 and 2012. In addition to boosting his leaderships own sagging domestic legitimacy and reaffirming a two-state solution, the largely symbolic U.N. bids would have given him some badly needed leverage in the diplomatic process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Obamas second term, the peace processas a means either of managing or resolving the conflictexisted only in name. Under Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, an internationally acclaimed state-building project in the West Bank succeeded in scaling back corruption, restoring basic law and order, and dramatically reducing attacks on Israelis. But still, Fayyads reforms failed to generate movement toward Palestinian statehood or an end to the occupation. The collapse of negotiations headed by Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014, followed by another Gaza war and renewed violence in east Jerusalem, only underscored the inability of peace process either to resolve the conflict or even to manage it. Despite its own warning that the window for a two-state solution is shutting, the Obama administration again opted for a minimalist approach, allowing an anti-settlements resolution to pass the Security Council while approving an unprecedented $38 billion military aid package to Israel. Advertisement Advertisement The inertia of the Obama years left an opening for the new Trump administration, which, despite Trumps musings about reaching the ultimate deal, has been far less committed to a two-state solution than any of its predecessors. While past U.S. presidents had spent years trying to fit the proverbial square peg in the round hole, Trumps approach appears to be aimed at convincing us that the square is actually a circle. In addition to abandoning the goal of a sovereign Palestinian state, Trump also seems determined to do away with the land for peace formula on which the peace process has been based for more than a half-century, as demonstrated most recently by his decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Indeed, the administrations rhetoric, including scrubbing the term occupied territories from its official lexicon, suggests that it is prepared to countenance permanent Israeli control over the nearly 5 million Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The idea of Israel maintaining indefinite control over millions of stateless Palestinians while denying them basic civil and political rights would be morally and politically untenable, however. Without the prospect of an independent state of their own, Palestinians will have no choice but to demand equal rights in an Israeli stateforcing Israel to choose between its democratic and Jewish characters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the damage done by the Trump administration, it is equally clear that there is no going back to the failed policies of the previous 26 years. While the end of the Oslo era leaves an uneasy political and diplomatic vacuum that is unlikely to be filled anytime soon, it also offers an opportunity to rethink old assumptions. Any future diplomatic process, whether it centers on two states, one state, or hybrid models like confederation, must ensure the right to self-determination and dignity of all people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as well as uphold basic norms of human rights and mutual accountability. If the U.S. is going to play a constructive role in reaching such a solution, there will need to be a fundamental shift in the political conversation in Washington, from one focused exclusively on Israeli claims and needs to one that also prioritizes Palestinian experiences, grievances, and rights. Ever since retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn pleaded guilty as part of a cooperation agreement in December 2017, what he was going to tell special counsel Robert Mueller as part of that deal has been one of the Russia scandals biggest mysteries. Interest in Flynns cooperation increased dramatically when Muellers office recommended no jail time for Flynn, despite grave allegations, because Flynn had provided so much substantial assistance in the probe. But on Thursday, when Attorney General William Barr has promised to release a redacted version of Muellers report, it seems we are unlikely to find out much about the Flynn episode. In reading between Barrs redactions, we can learn a lot about what the attorney general might be hiding by remembering what we already know about Flynn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter to Congress last month, Barr said he would redact four categories of material from the Mueller report: grand jury material, information that could affect other ongoing investigations, information that could infringe on the reputation or privacy of peripheral third parties, and material that could compromise intelligence sources or methods. All of this suggests that critical information from Flynn, one of the earliest and more central cooperators of this investigation, will probably be redacted. It was the investigation of Flynn for lying to FBI officers about contacts with the Russian ambassador that President Donald Trump allegedly asked former FBI Director James Comey to drop. It was the revelation of this fact that ultimately led to Muellers appointment in the first place. And Flynn was one of the first key witnesses to flip and begin cooperating with the government in late 2017. Advertisement Advertisement If this material is missing from the redacted report, it could tell us that theres a whole lot more being hidden. When Mueller recommended Flynn get little to no jail time, Judge Emmet Sullivan was stunned to such a degree that he took the extraordinary step of suggesting he would not take the recommendation. Given that Sullivan has seen more of the facts of Flynns underlying conduct and even commented that said conduct could be treason (a legal overstatement but nevertheless a remarkable tell), it seems that theres at least some important information that we dont know in what he gave prosecutors and what it might mean for Trump. Sullivans comments were a hint about the seriousness of what Mueller showed Sullivan in redacted documentsprobably more than a mere Logan Act violation. Further, the fact that Flynns sentencing has been delayed for additional cooperation, even though Mueller has said his cooperation is complete, may be enough of a reasonor a pretextfor Barr to redact many of Flynns key statements. All of this background is a reminder that if some of the Flynn material is redacted, it will mean a significant portion of the Mueller report will be hidden from the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fortunately, some key details of what Flynn is likely to have provided have already been uncovered by the House Oversight Committee, as well as by public reporting. Regardless of what Barr or the courts release from Mueller, this reporting tells Congress and the public a great deal about potential abuse by the Trump administration, including by Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. Flynn was a key figure in the campaign, through the transition, and into the early administration, involved in many of the key events from both the collusion and obstruction investigations. Barrs letter quoted the Mueller report 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. But Flynns role during the transition and just after the inauguration is critical.* Advertisement Advertisement The following timeline draws from public reporting and a House oversight interim report from February to establish what we already know about Flynns role in the Russia scandal. If this material is missing from the redacted report, it could tell us that theres a whole lot more being hidden. Nov. 16, 2016: Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, sends a letter to incoming Vice President Mike Pence with concerns about Flynns links to Russia and Turkey, and requests more information. Advertisement Advertisement Dec. 1, 2016: Flynn and Jared Kushner meet Russias Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at Trump Tower. According to Kushners own testimony, Trumps son-in-law proposed a secret communication link with the Kremlin through the Russian Embassy in an effort to find a secure line. Advertisement Dec. 13, 2016: Kushner meets Sergey Gorkov, who chairs Russias government-owned Vnesheconombank and is President Vladimir Putins close confidant. Vnesheconombank is understood by analysts to be Putins slush fund and is under strict U.S. sanctions. Advertisement Dec. 14, 2016: Gorkov flies to Japan, where he is reported to have met with Putin. Dec. 28, 2016: Obama orders new sanctions against Russia for election hacking and interference. Kislyak contacts Flynn. Dec. 29, 2016: According to details later revealed in Flynns plea agreement, he calls a senior official of the Presidential Transition Team who was with other senior members of the [team] at Mar-a-Lago. Flynn and this senior official agree that they do not want Russia to escalate the situation. Flynn calls Kislyak immediately and afterward reports back to the senior official. Reports suggest that this official was Kushner. Advertisement Dec. 30, 2016: Trump tweets to Putin, calling him very smart for not responding to Obamas sanctions in kind. Advertisement Jan. 4, 2017: According to later reporting by the New York Times, Flynn reveals to Don McGahn, chief attorney for the transition effort, that Flynn is under FBI investigation. Flynn is still appointed national security adviser and receives provisional security clearance. Jan. 15, 2017: In the wake of news reports that Flynn and Kislyak spoke during the sanctions controversy, Pence states on CBSs Face the Nation that Flynn and Kislyak did not discuss anything having to do with the United States decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia. Pence says he was told this by Flynn himself. Advertisement Jan. 20, 2017: According to reporting in the New York Times, Flynn allegedly texted a former business associate on Inauguration Day that their private firms plan to build nuclear reactors in the Mideast was good to go because U.S. sanctions on Russiawhich had been blocking these planswould soon be ripped up. The House oversight report in February offered dramatic details from whistleblowers about this nuclear power plan. Flynn had reportedly been working with IP3, a group of former generals, along with businessman and Trump confidant Tom Barrack, on an American-Russian-Saudi-UAE nuclear arrangement. According to the House oversight report, one senior political official stated that the proposal was not a business plan, but rather a scheme for these generals to make some money. That official stated: Okay, you know we cannot do this. The plan ultimately advanced the business interests of Westinghouse Electric (specializing in nuclear power), which was subsequently bought by Brookfield Asset Management, which in turn leased Kushners distressed real estate asset 666 5th Ave. for $1.2 billion. Adam Entous offered many more details about this back-and-forth in the New Yorker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jan. 24, 2017: In an interview with FBI agents, Flynn denies that he spoke about sanctions with Russian officials. He later admits that this is a lie and pleads guilty to a federal crime for lying to investigators. Jan. 26, 2017: Acting Attorney General Sally Yates tells McGahn, now the White House counsel, that Pence, among others, gave incorrect information about Flynns Russian contacts. This is a problem, because it means the Russians might be able to blackmail Flynn or the vice president. Feb. 9, 2017: According to Pences press secretarys later account, Pence was only told about Yates warning about two weeks later. The Washington Post also reports on this day that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Kislyak. But Flynn continues in office. Advertisement Feb. 13, 2017: Flynn resigns. Feb. 14, 2017: Trump meets privately with FBI Director Jim Comey and allegedly asks him to let go of the Flynn thing. (Comey testified to this under oath before a Senate panel, but Trump has denied it is true in public statements.) After Comey is fired and the details of his contemporaneous notes documenting this encounter are revealed to the public, Mueller is appointed as special counsel and eventually begins an obstruction of justice investigation on this basis. Advertisement According to the House oversight report and the Washington Post, Flynn continued his communications with the administration after his dismissal and continued to work on the Russia-Saudi nuclear deal. IP3s team of generals signed a letter stating: The agreements by President Trump and Mohammed bin Salman have established the framework for our unique opportunity to take the next steps with IP3 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The letter also referenced a partnership to acquire Westinghouse between IP3 and Saudi Arabia. Advertisement May 8, 2017: According to later reporting in the New York Times, the White House distributes a draft letter written by Trump and Stephen Millerdescribed by sources as a screed laying out the reasons for firing Comey, including Trumps displeasure that Comey wouldnt publicly say Trump wasnt being investigated in the Russia inquiry. In the Oval Office, Pence and McGahn reportedly review the draft and McGahn reportedly asks that some sections be removed. A version of this letter is sent to Rod Rosenstein, who crafts a new memo justifying the firing and attributing it to Comeys conduct during the Clinton investigation, with no mention of Russia. May 9, 2017: Trump fires Comey. Dec. 1, 2017: Flynn pleads guilty as part of a cooperation agreement. Because of the Barr redactions, we may not find out on Thursday what Flynn told Mueller of the circumstances of these Russian contacts and Saudi nuclear plans. But its clear that the House Oversight Committee is on the case. A House subpoena for the report and for testimony from Mueller and from witnessesincluding Flynn himselfshould eventually reveal whatever Barr may try to conceal. On Thursday morning, Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to release a redacted version of the Mueller report to Congress and the public. Two days before that scheduled release, a federal judge issued a critical rebuke of Barrs handling of the release of that report. The attorney general has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public to be concerned about whether or not there is full transparency, said U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, a George W. Bush appointee, on Tuesday during a Mueller-related hearing. Advertisement The judge is right. Barrs handling of the report has only served to sow public distrust of the Justice Department. As a former federal prosecutor, I would go further: The attorney generals transparent efforts to protect President Donald Trump have done enormous damage to the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are just some of the ways that Barr has failed the public and the Justice Department he heads. First, there is a huge piece of the puzzle that is missing in the countless articles that take, at face value, Barrs claim that he cannot release much of Muellers report to the public because it contains grand jury material. Yes, it is true that federal rules governing grand jury secrecy stop the Department of Justice from releasing testimony that occurred before the grand jury. However, there is a practice that is common among federal prosecutors that would allow for the release of the substance of most grand jury testimony without violating the secrecy rule. Advertisement Advertisement Barrs handling of the report has only served to sow public distrust of the Justice Department. In my 25 years with the Justice Department, I appeared before a grand jury upward of 100 times. On almost every occasion, I conducted a detailed interview with the witness before he testified in the grand jury. During the pregrand jury interview, the FBI, or DEA, or Secret Service case agent took notes that were later memorialized into a report. I was not alone in the practice of interviewing witnesses before calling them to testify in the grand jury. It is the standard practice of federal prosecutors across the country. The only time a witness was not interviewed in advance was when the witness was hostile and refused to testify without a subpoena, and this was a rarity. Advertisement While much of the material from these interviews is the same as what is said before the grand jury, the grand jury secrecy rule only prevents grand jury testimony from being released. It does not act as a bar to the release of interview reports that hold the same information. And so, while grand jury testimony must not be publicly disclosed, the attorney general has the authority to disclose interviews of witnesses who appeared before the grand jury. This material could appear in the version of the Mueller report Barr is set to release on Thursday. But these reports will likely present damning evidence of campaign links to Russia and obstruction by Trump and members of his administration. If Barrs past actions are any indicator, he will do all he can to prevent their release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From all signs, much of Muellers full report, including the interviews, will be missing. As Congress tries to pry the full report loose from Barr, it must ensure that Barrs public redactions do not include interviews of witnesses who appeared before the grand jury. Since any such redactions cannot be based on Barrs claim of grand jury secrecy, their release is fair game. Advertisement Advertisement Its a sad time when Congress, the press, the courts, and the American people have to worry that the attorney general of the United States may bend the law in a way that works to the detriment of the country, in order to further the personal interests of the man who gave him a job. Advertisement Advertisement But last week, Barr proved he was capable of just that, when he testified before Congress that the Trump campaign had been spied on by law enforcement. It appears Barr was referring to surveillance warrants authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Federal prosecutors do not refer to court-authorized wiretaps as spying, and the attorney general knows this. I handled wiretap investigations and we referred to wiretaps, or surveillance, or a T-3, the title under which the wiretap laws are found. Spying is a derogatory slang that is more likely to come from a defense attorney than the highest-ranking federal prosecutor in the United States. Barrs reference to spying was intended to create a scourge of headlines to buoy Donald Trumps baseless claim that he was illegally spied on by the Obama administration and rogue law enforcement agents. Barr succeeded. The lead story of virtually every newspaper and television broadcast was a variation of Attorney General Says Trump Victim of Spying. Meanwhile, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Thursday says that nearly 4 in 10 voters now believe the Trump campaign was spied on. This spread of disinformation tarnishes the reputation of the Justice Department and is thanks, in no small part, to Barr. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man who should be taking the lead in debunking deep state conspiracy theories threw a match on a gasoline-soaked Trump base eager to ignite. In his effort to ingratiate himself with the president, Barr committed the cardinal sin of unjustly throwing the law enforcement officers who work for him under the bus. Barr undercut the credibility of the federal law enforcement agents who continue to investigate the potentially criminal activity of the president. More unforgivable is the collateral damage caused by Barrs service to the president. Each year, thousands of federal prosecutors across this country appear before juries and present testimony from federal law enforcement agents in support of criminal cases ranging from murder for hire to child pornography. If juries do not believe that federal agents are credible, they are unlikely to convict and hold people accountable for the crimes they committed. Barrs testimony last week did immeasurable damage to the daily efforts of the federal prosecutors who work for him. I never thought Id see an attorney general do more damage to the Justice Department than Jeff Sessions. I was wrong. Listen to the show in Apple Podcasts, another podcast player, or the player below. Last May, a photo flitted across my Twitter feed. It was posted by a 22-year-old recent graduate of Kent State named Kaitlin Bennett. Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow pic.twitter.com/a91fQH44cq Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) May 13, 2018 Advertisement In graduation photos that Viceland called fun and flirty, Bennetta young white woman in a white sundress and heelspresented herself as a poster child for the gun lobby. She went on to appear on Fox and Friends and got respectful coverage in the Washington Post and other mainstream outlets. Her gun read as a political statement or provocation. As it happened, I was spending a lot of time with young people with guns that spring. But they were nobodys poster children. They were Bennetts age or younger, but they were black and male, and in their hands, guns read as violent and threatening. If they flashed one on social media, the cops showed up at their door and a criminal prosecution followed. My new book Charged tells their stories, and so does a podcast with the same name that Slate is launching Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black people are less likely to own guns than white people, but the defendants in gun court were almost all black teenagers and young men. When gun control advocates discuss how to restrict access to lethal weapons, they mostly talk about permit requirements and background checks. But that coin has another side: punishment for people accused of possessing guns without the states permission. In January 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio established a specialized gun court in Brooklyn to fast-track the citys remaining evildoershis wordsto prison. Almost all of them faced the most serious possible charge for possession of an illegal loaded gun, which in New York carried a minimum sentence of 3 years in prison and a maximum of 15 years. In theory, the mayors initiative was a tough-minded solution to gun violence that anti-gun liberals and law-and-order conservatives could unite behind. Advertisement Two and a half years ago, I started visiting the Brooklyn gun court to see how it was working. I thought Id find horrific stories of gun violence and hardened evildoers, like de Blasio said. Instead, over many months of my reporting, I found hundreds of teenagers and young people, almost all of them black, being marched to prison not for firing a gun, or even pointing one, but for having one. Many of them had minimal criminal records. To be precise, when I went through 200 case files, I found that 70 percent of the defendants in gun court had no previous felony convictions. Heres what predicted who ended up on the benches in gun court: race and age. Black people are less likely to own guns than white people, but the defendants in gun court were almost all black teenagers and young men. An initiative that sounded like a targeted attack on Americas gun problem looked up close more like stop-and-frisk or the war on drugsone more way to round up young black men. Reviewing my book in the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik suggested that a kid locked up for a drug offense would have made a more representative subject. But drug charges are the old way of shunting people to prison. Gun possession, and similar offenses that states treat as violent, is the new way. And the 20-year-old whose case I followed wasnt the wrong kid from the point of view of the system or the politicians that built it. His case was typical in gun court, because he was exactly the kind of person the mayors plan was designed to ensnare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defendants in gun court often said they had guns for protection, a classic Second Amendment argument. They saw them as a means of defense. Theres a heartbreaking element to this, because the guns dont deliver on that promise of protection. They make things more dangerous. And yet the guns retained their allure as a kind of costumea way to signal that the person who has one is not prey. Im all for laws requiring gun permits. Theres evidence that they reduce gun deaths. But favoring gun permits doesnt tell you what to do when gun owners dont have them. Most of the debate over guns in America pits the need to restrict gun ownership against the right to bear arms. Theres a crucial piece missing: Why do people have illegal guns, and how should the state respond? Advertisement I dont think any of us, on either side of the gun debate, have collectively considered those questions. If were going to tackle the crisis of gun violence, or the crisis of mass incarceration, we have to start. Thats why I wrote Charged, and its why weve made this podcast as a companion to it, based on months of additional reporting. Were going to tell you the story of a defendant in the gun court named Tarari, along with the stories of other people whose lives intersect with his. The final surprise to me was finding that young people in gun court dont just surrender to the system. They maneuver within it. And a few of them find a way out. This podcast isnt a story in the true-crime genre. Its what comes next: a true punishment story. Slate Plus members get a bonus episode of Charged every week. Find out more at Slate.com/Charged. This podcast is a co-production of the Appeal. Bernie Sanders strong early position for the Democratic nomination is giving powerful Democratic players who dislike him all sorts of feelings, none of them good. Sanders fundraising prowess and base of support have surfaced what the New York Times this week referred to as the What to Do About Bernie question. But the Democrats who dont want to see him win the pennanta collection of donors, operatives, and national officials who find Sanders politics too far left for their personal taste, and presumably the electoratesfeel boxed in as to how they should respond. If they do nothing to stop Sanders, then they will have done nothing to stop Sanders. But if they put together some coordinated effort to stop him, then Sanders will channel those efforts into his anti-establishment messaging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-dont moment for leading anti-Sanders figures. Its not particularly complicated, though, why they feel so powerless: Essentially, they are. This is something to keep in mind when reading about supposed establishment plots to stop Bernieor when Sanders himself is advantageously fundraising off of supposed establishment plots to sabotage his candidacy. When I was reporting my recent feature on Sanders second run, I asked several current and former aides whether they expected any coordinated anti-Bernie strategy from party leaders, professional Democrats, or Clinton loyalists still seething over Sanders 2016 campaign. The typical response was: Yeah, those people exist, but what can they do about it? I dont think theyre in a position to move pieces around the chessboard here, Tad Devine, Sanders 2016 chief strategist, told me. (Devine is not working on the current campaign.) If Bernie Sanders starts winning in Iowa and New Hampshire, and has a bunch of resources, and goes in and wins some of these big states and gets 300 or 400 delegates ahead by mid-March, I dont think theyre going to stop him, you know? Advertisement Advertisement What, after all, would a coordinated strategy from such a contingent even look like? David Brock, the Clinton loyalist who established a pro-Clinton super PAC in 2016, has had discussions with other operatives about an anti-Sanders campaign, according to the Times, and believes it should commence sooner rather than later. Other vague references are made to consideration of a heavy-handed intervention or rallying the partys elite donor class against him. So are we talking attack ads? What else? Members of the partys elite donor class are not afforded magical powers, and David Brock is not, in fact, a wizard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What elites could do is rally their resources around a single alternative to Sanders early in the raceas in, a few months ago. This kind of collective action will be difficult now, with powerful players already split among Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Beto ORourke, Pete Buttigieg, and anyone else. Advertisement This is the key difference between now and 2016, when the argument that the establishment was working collectively to stop Sanders had more teeth: The power then wasnt centralized in a disparate set of donors and operatives; it was centralized in Hillary Clinton. As the prohibitive front-runner entering the race, and with massive early polling leads, Clinton was able to clear the field of mainstream opposition and unite party operatives and officials behind her. Hillary Clinton was the coordinated campaign. By entering the race in such a strong position to win the nomination, she was able to capture much of the races oxygen before Sanders could set up a campaign office in Iowa or New Hampshire. Sanders had a limited political outreach department in 2016. Some of this was because of his personality: Sanders loathed meeting privately with local party poobahs ahead of rallies to solicit their support, thinking they should make their decision on the strength of his ideas rather than any private agreement he made with them. But it was also seen as a waste of time, since Clinton had already locked up so many of these officials. This time around, though, the Sanders campaign has built up a much more robust political department to capture the many more free agents still looking to make endorsements. And the officials are much more receptive to Sanders this go around, several sources told me, because they want to get on board with a candidacy that has a viable shot at the nomination and they appreciate his party-building efforts. Even the Democratic National Committee, Sanders nemesis from 2016, now has a fine working relationship with him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But just as we shouldnt take too seriously the reports of a powerful establishment primed to flip a switch and thwart Sanders, so should we take Sanders claims of a such an effort with a grain of salt. Within hours after the Times Stop Bernie story came out, the Sanders campaign sent out an email fundraising off of it and against the Democratic establishment. This just a couple of days after Sanders wrote a letter to the board of the Center for American Progress to complain about a post and video that the think tanks blog, Think Progress, had published suggesting Sanders was hypocritical for being a millionaire. While neither the blog nor the video was a sterling achievement in the annals of political journalism, they were also just a blog and a video. If those are the resources that the establishment is marshaling against Sanders, then perhaps the power of that campaign has been overstated. The interviews and town halls of a presidential campaign cycle can be mind-numbingly predictable. Its usually easy enough for politicians and their teams to guess what issues will be on the table and prepare some responses in advance. At best, candidates will deliver cogent and/or inspiring arguments that will generate headlines and motivate voters. At worst, theyll give boring, canned-sounding answers that wont hurt them at the polls. Bernie Sanders statement on abortion rights at a Fox News town hall on Monday night hit neither of those marks. Instead, he spewed forth a misinformed, ill-prepared sound bite that validated a dangerous set of lies about abortion care. Conservative news outlets are eating it up, using Sanders response to argue that left-wing politicians support a medical procedure that does not actually exist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question that tripped up Sanders came from Fox News host Martha MacCallum, who asked, Do you believe that a woman should be able to terminate a pregnancy up until the moment of birth? Advertisement Advertisement Heres what Sanders said: Look, I think that that happens very, very rarely, and I think this is being made into a political issue, OK. So I think its rare, its being made into a political issue. But at the end of the day, I believe that the decision over abortion belongs to a woman and her physician. Not the federal government, not the state government, and not the local government. Advertisement Sanders is wrong. Doctors do not perform abortions up until the moment of birthnot very, very rarely, not ever. If a healthy woman is in labor or carrying a full-term, viable pregnancy, a doctor will deliver the infant, not perform an abortion. Any suggestion otherwise is unscientific propaganda. Advertisement The phrasing Foxs MacCallum used doesnt come from doctors. Rather, it originated in disinformation campaigns designed to gin up support for criminalizing womens reproductive decisions. This was a perfect opportunity for Sanders to correct the record, dress down the right-wing activists painting women as capricious murderers, and present an affirmative case for abortion rights. Advertisement Advertisement Instead, Sanders allowed Fox News viewers to absorb the falsehood that women request and receive abortions as theyre going into laborand hes not the first progressive politician to do so. In January, Virginia state legislator Kathy Tran, whod introduced a bill that would make it easier for women to get medically necessary abortion care, stumbled when a Republican asked her if the bill would allow a woman to terminate a pregnancy while shes dilating. That would be a decision that the doctorthe physician and the woman would make at that point, Tran said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam fell into the same trap when a radio host asked him about Trans response. In a muddled answer that would inspire angry conservatives to unearth a blackface photo from his medical school yearbook, Northam made it sound like doctors who were asked to perform a third-trimester abortion would deliver a baby, then decide with its parents whether it should die. The confusion Northam created stemmed from the fact that the few abortions that occur late in pregnancy are typically performed due to severe fetal abnormalities, many of which consign an infant to death soon after birth. While trying to explain the terrible choices parents of such an infant must make regarding life support, resuscitation, and palliative care, Northam left room for abortion-rights opponents to suggest that he supports infanticide. Advertisement These highly visible Virginia screw-ups dominated the national news cycle for several days in January. Soon after, Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to register his disapproval of made-up laws that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth. And earlier this month, in the U.S. Senate, Sanders colleagues held a hearing titled Abortion Until Birth, a farcical vehicle for the right-wing myth that infants are regularly born alive and then allowed to expire after failed attempts at abortion. Advertisement Advertisement This is all to say that Sanders knows, or should have known, that abortion during labor is one of the right wings favorite anti-choice talking points. Conservatives love pressing progressives on the particulars of their abortion viewswhether abortion should be legal at this point in pregnancy or at that point in pregnancy, or under these or those circumstancesbecause if pro-choice politicians dont have an answer prepared, they can easily come off as callous or defensive. Support for abortion rights drops when people are asked about second- and third-trimester procedures. As a consequence, it behooves right-wingers to focus on the 1.3 percent of all abortions that occur at or after 21 weeks gestation. Advertisement These abortion questions dont have to be the impossible trap conservatives intend them to be. In the final debate of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump used this tactic against Hillary Clinton, saying, You can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Hillary can say that that is OK, but its not OK with me. Instead of equivocating or misinforming viewers, Clinton put forth an impassioned argument for reproductive rights. That is not what happens in these cases, she said. I have met with women who have, toward the end of their pregnancy, [gotten the] worst news one can getthat their health is in jeopardy if they continue to carry to term. Or that something terrible has happened or just been discovered about the pregnancy. I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was one of the most impressive moments of Clintons candidacy. She had a response ready, spoke from experience, refocused the debate on the needs of women, and sounded appropriately outraged by Trumps cruel demonization of those whove been forced to make difficult decisions for their own health and the good of their families. Advertisement Advertisement Every Democrat, especially those running for president, should be prepared to do the same. Since so many pro-choice politicians seem to be having a rough time with the Do you support abortion in the moments before birth? question, I asked reproductive rights experts how they think progressive candidates should respond. I also asked physicians to help me with a medically accurate framing. So no more excuses, pro-choice politicians! The next time someone asks you this misleading question, heres what you should say. Advertisement President Trump vetoed a bipartisan resolution Tuesday that would have cut off U.S. support for Saudi Arabias military campaign in neighboring Yemen. The measure, which condemned the Saudi-led bombing campaign, passed the Senate last month with the support of seven Republicans in the upper chamber and passed in the House earlier this month 247 to 175 with 16 Republicans voting in favor. The resolutions passage in the House and Senate was novel in that it marked the first time both chambers have voted to invoke the same war-powers resolution to end U.S. military engagement in a foreign conflict, according to the Washington Post. Advertisement The veto, Trumps second in office, was widely expected in response to a measure aimed at distancing the U.S. from the brutal four-year conflict, as well as a rebuke of the Trump administrations support for the Saudi regime in the face of its brazen murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last year. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Trump said in his veto message. The split support for the measure in the House highlighted a growing divide between Republicans and Democrats on how much unconditional support to dish out to the Saudis as they engage in a bloody offensive against Yemens Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran. Still, [t]he decision to keep support for the war in Yemen is perplexing to some members of the administration, considering the president is usually inclined to remove U.S. troops from all conflict zones, the Post notes. Head of the UN-backed Libyan Presidential Council (PC) Tuesday said he would not dialogue with Khalifa Haftar whose forces have been trying to take control of capital Tripoli over the past two weeks. Faiez Serraj rejected dialogue with Haftar during a meeting with elders and shura councils members of Sahil and Mountain districts in western Libya, Libya Observer reported, adding the meeting discussed the military confrontation that has taken place since April 4 when Haftar launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. Serraj noted that the offensive, which started while the UN Chief Antonio Guterres was in Tripoli, would not have taken place if Haftar had not received support from some countries, the media said. Forces aligned with PC have managed to keep Haftars forces at bay, at the outskirts of the capital. The Libya Observer however reported in the early hours of Wednesday that several rockets had been fired at Tripoli, killing four people and injuring 23 others. The newspaper claimed Haftars forces were responsible for the attack. The LNA rejected the report, saying it was not responsible for a rocket attack on Tripoli. Tonight, the Libyan army did not use heavy weapons during military operations, LNA spokesman Khalifa Obeidi told the Russian news agency Sputnik. He accused some groups operating in Libya of intentionally targeting residential neighborhoods in Tripoli to put the blame on the LNA. Sputnik also reported that Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has called for imposing an effective arms embargo on Khalifa Haftar and his LNA and suggested forcing the LNA leader to withdraw his troops from the territories seized during the armys ongoing operation against Tripoli. The Foreign Minister of Qatar, which is supporting the GNA, also stressed the need to prevent the countries supplying Haftar with arms and ammunition from doing so, added the Russian news agency. Meanwhile, the conflicts humanitarian toll is growing as 174 people were killed and 756 injured while almost 20,000 were displaced, according to latest UN tallies. Haftars advance on Tripoli that he believes is in the hands of terrorists, in reference to Muslim Brotherhood, has sabotaged UN efforts for peace. A national reconciliation meeting scheduled for April 14-16 was scrapped. Libya has been without a central government since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-led revolution in 2011. The PC established in December 2015 is challenged by a rival administration in the east of the country, supported by Haftars LNA. Serraj and Haftar met several times, the latest meeting having taken place in the UAE, where both foes promised to back a political resolution of the Libyan crisis and hold elections this year. This story was originally published by Undark and has been republished here with permission. Last December, the environmental group Rainforest Trust celebrated its 30th anniversary by auctioning off the rights to name 12 newly discovered species, including orchids, frogs, and an ant. The Virginia-based nonprofit group claimed the auction raised $182,500 for its conservation programs. The most valuable animal turned out to be a wormlike amphibian from Panama, which drew a winning bid of $25,000 from a British sustainable building materials company called EnviroBuild. Shortly afterward, the company proudly announced the name it wants to bestow on the blind amphibian: Dermophis donaldtrumpi. EnviroBuild said it chose it to bring attention to climate change, which President Donald Trump is blind to. Realizing the similarities between the amazing but unknown creature and the leader of the free world, we couldnt resist buying the rights in your presidents honor, Aidan Bell, the co-founder of EnviroBuild, told the Washington Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more than 27,000 species at risk of extinction, auctioning off naming rights seems like a fairly harmless way to increase public awareness and raise much-needed funding for conservation efforts. But as the auctions continuethere are several a year at the moment, according to news reportssome scientists worry about the potential for overly commercial or offensive names. Once a name is recorded in the scientific literature, it will last forever unless declared invalid after further research. Theres also the possibility that assigning the wrong name might actually threaten a species survival, as in the case of a beetle named by a collector after Adolf Hitler in 1937 that is sought after by modern neo-Nazis. Advertisement Im not a fan, Christian Kammerer, a research curator in paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, said of naming auctions. I think it cheapens taxonomy as a science and an art. Even so, he understands the motivation: Taxonomy is in a rough place right now. In general, when we are not funding crucial climate change and emerging disease research, taxonomy is very low on the list. I think it cheapens taxonomy as a science and an art. Christian Kammerer The protocols of modern taxonomy were established more than 280 years ago by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who created a hierarchical network for classifying all living organisms known as the binomial nomenclature system. So far, approximately 1.5 million species have been cataloged, and as the number has grown, zoologists, botanists, and paleontologists have become increasingly creative in assigning names to their discoveries. Biologists with a whimsical bent have named deep-sea worms after Star Wars characters (Yoda purpurata) and frogs after their favorite musicians (Dendropsophus ozzyi). Recently, a newly discovered frog less than a half-inch long was aptly named Mini mum. Theres even an extinct parrot called Vini vidivici. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In most cases, researchers dont realize theyve found an unnamed species while out in the field: Species discovery usually happens in a museum after comparing collected specimens in a lab, said Prosanta Chakrabarty, an associate professor and curator of ichthyology at Louisiana State University. New examinations can find new species in museum collections that were deposited decades ago. Its then up to a scientist to figure out a name and provide a written description of the species, he said. They also need to identify a type specimen that serves as the exemplar for that species and register it for storage in a permanent collection. Chakrabarty explained that scientists do their research autonomouslyas they are the experts on the organismal group in questionand rarely consult their institutions before they publish a description and name of a new species. If naming rights are to be auctioned off, this would have to be an arrangement that scientists, and a university or nonprofit, have to come to on their own, he said, adding that permission from the country where the discovery is made should be granted before auctions. Advertisement Advertisement The naming of new animal species is regulated by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which states that discoveries should be published in a widely available public and permanent scientific record, which generally means a peer-reviewed scientific journal. (Other codes exist regarding the naming of plants, fungi, viruses, and bacteria.) While the ICZN code doesnt set out specific guidelines for allowable names, a section in the appendix on ethics states that no author should propose a name that, to his or her knowledge or reasonable belief, would be likely to give offence on any grounds. It adds, however, that the observation of these principles is a matter for the proper feelings and conscience of individual zoologists, and the Commission is not empowered to investigate or rule upon alleged breaches of them. Adherence to the ICZN code as a whole is also not compulsory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, researchers have wide latitude, and there isnt much that can be done once a species has entered the permanent record. Scientists usually stick to formal scientific names derived from Latin and Greek but get the most attention when they target famous people. Barack Obama, for example, has at least 13 animals (and one fungus) named in his honor as a president who worked hard to expand conservation protections in the United States. But occasionally these decisions can backfire, as in the case of the Hitler beetle or that of a parasite named after the reggae legend Bob Marley, much to the chagrin of some Jamaicans. Some taxonomists, like Kammerer and Chakrabarty, acknowledge the financial benefits auctions can bring but also warn of the long-term risk. A few thousand can go a long way for a taxonomist, but for permanent entry into the scientific literature? It seems like a pittance, Kammerer said. Chakrabarty said auctions that result in a species being named after someone not involved in the work can be abhorrent to the culture of science and argues that there are other ways to get funding for fieldwork. Advertisement Many taxonomists prefer the tradition of naming species to honor individuals who have worked in the given scientific field, or the native lands where the species was discovered, since the plants, animals, and fossils are often an important part of their cultural heritage. Whenever you name something after someone, it can take away from the purpose of naming species in the first place, Chakrabarty said. The genus and species of an organism are a way to communicate their unique features. Advertisement Naming auctions seem to have become more popular since 2005, when the discovery of a new titi monkey in Madidi National Park in Bolivia drew considerable attention from the news media. Researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), working with a nonprofit called Fundacion para el Desarrollo del Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas, decided to auction off the naming rights. Advertisement Advertisement Robert Wallace, the director of the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Conservation Program for WCS in Bolivia, was part of the team that discovered the monkey. It was an opportunity to bring attention to an amazing place, because we saw this primate primarily in and adjacent to Madidi National Park, Wallace said. It was also an opportunity, he added, to help build financial sustainability for the protected area, which is always something that is unfortunately a challenge for protected areas in Latin America and worldwide. The winner, with a bid of $650,000, was the online casino GoldenPalace.com. The casino opted to call it the golden palace monkey, as its commonly known today, though Wallace and his colleagues went with Callicebus aureipalatii in their official taxonomic description, with aureipalatii meaning of the golden palace in Latin. Nearly 15 years later, the money from the auction is still being used for conservation in the region. As for Dermophis donaldtrumpi, which has yet to be officially described in the scientific literature, not everyone is on board with EnviroBuilds decision. It is just mean to the creature, Kammerer said. I think all animals, all organisms, are precious and irreplaceable and worthy of respect. When the Canadian Privacy Commissioners office released the results of its investigation into the Equifax breach last week, it only served to highlight how little the U.S. government has done to address the 2017 incident, which affected the data of 146 million people. So far, the United States attempts to rectify the weak security at Equifax or compensate victims of the breach have been relatively local and lackluster. Eight state banking regulatory authorities issued a consent order that required Equifax to conduct more risk assessment and internal audit programs for consumers personal data. The Government Accountability Office released two reports, one on the response to the Equifax breach and another on the need for better oversight of consumer reporting agencies. Advertisement But at the federal level, neither the Federal Trade Commission nor the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken any steps yet to fine Equifax or force it to ramp up its security moving forward. Equifax is apparently anticipating that both agencies may soon impose penalties, according to its SEC filings. But in February, the CFPB wound down its investigation of the breach. The U.S. government may yet take strong action against Equifax, but its been a year and a half since the breach. The current federal government has shown repeatedly that it cares little about this incident, in particular, and data security in generalcreating a void that the courts may be stepping in to fill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Canada, meanwhile, the government has recommended in its recent report that Equifax Canada identify Canadians personal information that should no longer be retained by Equifax Inc. according to its retention schedule and delete it and provide a third-party security assessment and audit to the Canadian government every two years for the next six years. Data minimization and third-party audits are both important steps for strengthening security, and its significant that the recommendations came from a regulator, especially since individuals dont choose to directly hand over their information to credit bureaus and therefore cant vote with their feet by deciding not to do business with Equifax anymore. Those provisions only apply to Equifax Canada and personal information held by the company about Canadians, unfortunately. But another massive breach from the recent past suggests there may be a way forward for the U.S. to take similar steps, even without the federal governments intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Also last week, Yahoo reached a $117.5 million settlement in a class-action suit brought by victims of three data breaches that affected roughly 3 billion accounts between 2013 and 2016. The settlement has garnered a lot of attention for creating the biggest common fund ever obtained in a data breach case, according to the plaintiffs lawyer John Yanchunis, but the fund money allocated to the breach victims and their attorneys isnt the most important thing here. Essentially, the settlement does the work of the Federal Trade Commission by requiring substantial changes to Verizons security practices and investment, all without the FTC actually having to lift a finger. (The FTC may yet take further action against Verizon for the Yahoo breaches, but so far the only government penalties in that case have been a $35 million fine issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for keeping the breaches secret from investors.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The settlement includes a section on business practice changes that will be implemented by Verizon, which acquired Yahoo in 2017. (Verizon decided to buy Yahoo before the full scope of the data breaches was revealed, though Verizon did end up getting a $350 million discount when more information came to light.) According to the settlement, Verizon has committed to investing $234.7 million in improving security from 2017 through 2019, as well as maintaining an annual information security budget of at least $66 million and an information security team totaling at least 200 full-time employees through 2022. According to the settlement, those investments are four times what Yahoo was previously spending on security The Yahoo settlement makes clear just how much by way of security investments and improvements it is possible to extract from a company in court. The settlement also details that the company has aligned its security program with the widely used National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST is the agency that sets technical standards for government cybersecurity that are often implemented in private industry as well). Beyond using the NIST framework, Verizon also agreed to third-party security assessments for four years beginning in 2019. It even includes references to the new intrusion and anomaly detection tools and penetration testing implemented since the breaches. Advertisement Advertisement The Yahoo settlement should be a clear warning for Equifax, which still faces major class-action lawsuits in the U.S. Its a sign that even in the absence of serious regulatory intervention, there may still be ways for it to be held accountable for its actions andmuch more importantlybe forced to strengthen its data security efforts moving forward. A class-action settlement cant necessarily do all the things that a regulator can. For instance, the recent report from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada recommends that Equifax Canada report on its security to the Canadian government every two yearsan analogous requirement in the U.S. would probably require the insistence of a government agency. Similarly, its not clear that a court could order Equifax to go through the data held on U.S. people and delete any unnecessary information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im still hopeful that the FTC may choose to take meaningful regulatory action against Verizon for the Yahoo breaches, but the Yahoo settlement makes clear just how much by way of security investments and improvements it is possible to extract from a company in court. The $117.5 million figure may scare Equifaxits a large sum by data breach settlement standards and Equifaxs revenue in 2018 was $3.4 billion, so a comparable settlement would total roughly 3.5 percent of the companys annual revenue (close to the max fine of 4 percent annual revenues allowable under Europes General Data Protection Regulation). But that figure pales in comparison to the investment that Verizon has agreed to make in security moving forward: It will put nearly twice as much money toward security as it will toward that settlement just by the end of 2019. And its committed to spend nearly another $200 million on security in the three years after that. Those are the changes that have the potential to make a real difference for consumers security moving forward and they will be vastly more expensive and more meaningful than the settlement fund. Theyre also the type of changes that, in the U.S., we have long relied on the FTC to drive, but that may be increasingly less necessary. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The New York Times has confirmed what some have long suspected: The Chinese government is using a vast, secret system of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to identify and track Uighursa Muslim minority, 1 million of whom are being held in detention camps in Chinas northwest Xinjiang province. This technology allows the government to extend its control of the Uighur population across the country. It may seem difficult to imagine a similar scenario in the U.S., but related technologies, built by Amazon, are already being used by U.S. law enforcement agencies to identify suspects in photos and video. And echoes of Chinas system can be heard in plans to deploy these technologies at the U.S.-Mexico border. Advertisement A.I. systems also decide what information is presented to you on social media, which ads you see, and what prices youre offered for goods and services. They monitor your bank account for fraud, determine your credit score, and set your insurance premiums. A.I.-driven recommendations help determine where police patrol and how judges make bail and sentencing decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As our lives intertwine with A.I., researchers, policymakers, and activists are trying to figure out how to ensure that these systems reflect and respect important human values, like privacy, autonomy, and fairness. Such questions are at the heart of what is often called A.I. ethics (or sometimes data ethics or tech ethics). Experts have been discussing these issues for years, but recentlyfollowing high-profile scandals, such as deadly self-driving car crashes and the Cambridge Analytica affairthey have burst into the public sphere. The European Commission released draft Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. Technology companies are rushing to prove their ethics bona fides: Microsoft announced AI Principles to guide internal research and development, Salesforce hired a chief ethical and humane use officer, and Google rolled outand then, facing intense criticism, dissolvedan ethics advisory board. In academia, computer and information science departments are starting to require that their majors take ethics courses, and research centers like Stanfords new Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and public-private initiatives like the Partnership on AI are sprouting up to coordinate and fund research into the social and ethical implications of emerging A.I. technologies. Advertisement Advertisement Experts have been trying to draw attention to these issues for a long time, so its good to see the message begin to resonate. But many experts also worry that these efforts are largely designed to fail. Lists of ethical principles are intentionally too vague to be effective, critics argue. Ethics education is being substituted for hard, enforceable rules. Company ethics boards offer advice rather than meaningful oversight. The result is ethics theateror worse, ethics washinga veneer of concern for the greater good, engineered to pacify critics and divert public attention away from whats really going on inside the A.I. sausage factories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As someone working in A.I. ethics, I share these worries. And I agree with many of the suggestions others have put forward for how to address them. Kate Crawford, co-founder of NYUs AI Now Institute, argues that the fundamental problem with these approaches is their reliance on corporate self-policing and suggests moving toward external oversight instead. University of Washington professor Anna Lauren Hoffmann agrees but points out that there are plenty of people inside the big tech companies organizing to pressure their employers to build technology for good. She argues we ought to work to empower them. Others have drawn attention to the importance of transparency and diversity in ethics-related initiatives, and to the promise of more intersectional approaches to technology design. Advertisement At a deeper level, these issues highlight problems with the way weve been thinking about how to create technology for good. Desperate for anything to rein in otherwise indiscriminate technological development, we have ignored the different roles our theoretical and practical tools are designed to play. With no coherent strategy for coordinating them, none succeed. Consider ethics. In discussions about emerging technologies, there is a tendency to treat ethics as though it offers the tools to answer all values questions. I suspect this is largely ethicists own fault: Historically, philosophy (the larger discipline of which ethics is a part) has mostly neglected technology as an object of investigation, leaving that work for others to do. (Which is not to say there arent brilliant philosophers working on these issues; there are. But they are a minority.) The result, as researchers from Delft University of Technology and Leiden University in the Netherlands have shown, is that the vast majority of scholarly work addressing issues related to technology ethics is being conducted by academics trained and working in other fields. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This makes it easy to forget that ethics is a specific area of inquiry with a specific purview. And like every other discipline, it offers tools designed to address specific problems. To create a world in which A.I. helps people flourish (rather than just generate profit), we need to understand what flourishing requires, how A.I. can help and hinder it, and what responsibilities individuals and institutions have for creating technologies that improve our lives. These are the kinds of questions ethics is designed to address, and critically important work in A.I. ethics has begun to shed light on them. At the same time, we also need to understand why attempts at building good technologies have failed in the past, what incentives drive individuals and organizations not to build them even when they know they should, and what kinds of collective action can change those dynamics. To answer these questions, we need more than ethics. We need history, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, law, and the lessons of political activism. In other words, to tackle the vast and complex problems emerging technologies are creating, we need to integrate research and teaching around technology with all of the humanities and social sciences. Advertisement Advertisement Moreover, in failing to recognize the proper scope of ethical theory, we lose our grasp of ethical practice. It should come as no surprise that ethics alone hasnt transformed technology for the good. Ethicists will be the first to tell you that knowing the difference between good and bad is rarely enough, in itself, to incline us to the former. (We learn this whenever we teach ethics courses.) Acting ethically is hard. We face constant countervailing pressures, and there is always the risk well get it wrong. Unless we acknowledge that, we leave room for the tech industry to turn ethics into ethics theaterthe vague checklists and principles, powerless ethics officers, and toothless advisory boards, designed to save face, avoid change, and evade liability. Advertisement Advertisement Ethics requires more than rote compliance. And its important to remember that industry can reduce any strategy to theater. Simply focusing on law and policy wont solve these problems, since they are equally (if not more) susceptible to watering down. Many are rightly excited about new proposals for state and federal privacy legislation, and for laws constraining facial recognition technology, but were already seeing industry lobbying to strip them of their most meaningful provisions. More importantly, law and policy evolve too slowly to keep up with the latest challenges technology throws at us, as is evident from the fact that most existing federal privacy legislation is older than the internet. Advertisement Advertisement The way forward is to see these strategies as complementary, each offering distinctive and necessary tools for steering new and emerging technologies toward shared ends. The task is fitting them together. Advertisement By its very nature ethics is idealistic. The purpose of ethical reflection is to understand how we ought to livewhich principles should drive us and which rules should constrain us. However, it is more or less indifferent to the vagaries of market forces and political winds. To oversimplify: Ethics can provide blueprints for good tech, but it cant implement them. In contrast, law and policy are creatures of the here and now. They aim to shape the future, but they are subject to the brute realitiessocial, political, economic, historicalfrom which they emerge. What they lack in idealism, though, is made up for in effectiveness. Unlike ethics, law and policy are backed by the coercive force of the state. Advertisement Taken together, this means we need new laws to place hard constraints on how A.I. is used and policy to drive more flexible external oversight. Ethics research should be a lodestar for these efforts, articulating clear goals to strive for and rigorous standards against which to judge our progress. Simultaneously, ethics education should work from the inside, guiding technologists as they imagine future tools and bring them into the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And what of ethics boards? The purpose of ethics boardsas well as chief ethics officers, internal AI principles, and so onshould be to raise awareness and drive self-criticism. They dont need power; thats the laws instrument. What they need is respect and influence. So far theyve lacked that, but they can earn it if their own organizations follow their advice, and if theyre staffed with qualified people the wider community can trust. If that happens, ethics boards can be more than moral cover. They can serve as a conscience for the tech industry, steering it toward the good (or at least, away from evil) from within. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Greetings, Future Tensers, Hours after authorities arrested Julian Assange in London last week, the U.S. government unsealed an indictment against the WikiLeaks founder. Many free speech advocates waited warily to see what crimes the U.S. might try to bring against the man whose website had published hundreds of thousands of classified and sensitive government documents, worried that the U.S. may try to get him on violations of the Espionage Act (among the charges levied against Edward Snowdenand with grave implications for journalists who use classified information or documents given to them by sources). But many were relieved to find that, for now, he faces just one count: conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Josephine Wolff dives into the governments case against Assange and explains why the Justice Departments seemingly cautious strategy might still have a tough time in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When were not analyzing U.S.-U.K. extradition treaties, we at Future Tense have been examining questions of morality in tech and science. Stephen Harrison writes that we have an ethical duty to leave businesses we like reviews on Yelp. Gregory E. Kaebnick and Michael Gusmano argue that because science wont persuade parents to vaccinate their children, but engaging them on values might. And Ruth Graham reports on the ways a new statement from the Southern Baptist Convention shows how that church is grappling with the potential ramifications A.I. might have on faith, bias, the workplace, sex, and God. Other things we read while scanning our Airbnbs for hidden cameras: Blackouts: Even democracies can have streaks of digital authoritarianism. Subhodeep Jash writes about how India became the world leader in intentional internet shutdowns and how these shutdowns became a favored tool of online repression. Advertisement Advertisement Calendar invite: Jane C. Hu congratulates the spammers and scammers who managed to infiltrate Google Hangouts and Calendar to reach their marks. Notoriety: How Katie Bouman, the scientist famous for her role in capturing the black hole image, started a massive debate on Wikipedia. Sans serif: Jane C. Hu argues that, to break up the sameness of the internet, platforms should stop making us use the same designsand bring back the MySpace era of custom fonts and colors. Party line: Some younger Republicans are breaking with President Donald Trump to try to get their party to confront the issue of climate change. Deep clean: Molly Olmstead explains how hospitals are ripping out floor tiles, reconfiguring pipes, and deploying hydrogen peroxidespraying robots to try to halt the spread of drug-resistant superbugs. To the close relationships on Game of Thrones, Anthony Nguyen For Future Tense Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. This article originally appeared in the New America Weekly. The past decade has seen a staggering decline around the world in digital freedom, as the human rights nonprofit Freedom House underscored in a report last year. China has largely taken center stage in this decline narrative, thanks to tools like its social credit system and facial recognition technology, which allow the country to shrink personal freedoms, especially those of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Not to be left behind, Russia also has recently announced its plan to unplug the country from the internet. And in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a fake news law that will severely limit online speech for its citizens. Advertisement But while observers have kept a steady eye on these admittedly unsurprising curbs on digital rights in countries like China and Russia, an overlooked method of digital repressioninternet shutdownsis most rampant not in an authoritarian regime, but in the worlds largest democracy: India. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a Software Freedom Law Center tracker, there have been more than 300 reported shutdowns in India over the past six years. (And these are just the incidents that have been reported; its likely that there have been more.) This data point makes India the leading country for internet shutdowns globally, even surpassing countries like Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It challenges the prevailing assumption that digital authoritarianism is only a problem in authoritarian countries. Advertisement The government grounds its shutdown authority in a statutory relic from the colonial era. First, though, its important to understand what, exactly, an internet shutdown is. Per the international nonprofit Access Now, an internet shutdown happens when someoneusually a governmentintentionally disrupts the internet or mobile apps to control what people say or do. Put another way, these shutdownsor blackouts or kill switchesrepresent an extreme form of network control and government censorship of a countrys own population. Some of the earliest and most prominent cases of internet shutdowns across the planet arose during explosive political events. In 2005, Nepal shut down its entire telecommunications network during a coup detat. In 2011, Egypt witnessed shutdowns in the thick of the Arab Spring protests. And in India, some of the first reported cases of shutdowns occurred in the conflict-torn regions of Jammu and Kashmir, where mobile services were jammed as a security measure prior to Republic Day celebrations in January 2010. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But its been since 2012 that regional governments in India have really ramped up efforts to rein in the digital freedoms increasingly fueled by technology. This has stemmed at least in part from the number of internet users surging to more than 100 million, with many first-time users, especially users of mobile internet, quickly picking up on its potential as a source of information. In this light, the rapid increase in the number of shutdowns in India over the past several years speaks to a deeper state desire to exercise control over a medium that has dramatically increased citizens connectivity and access to information within and beyond the countrys borders. Advertisement Advertisement More broadly still, the shutdowns point to the fact that democracies and hybrid regimesthe latter of which feature elements of both democratic and autocratic governmentsarent immune to internet blackouts. In 2017 alone, India accounted for about 70 percent of shutdowns globally, and this phenomenon has had corrosive effects on Indian society. (Its important to mention here that, given its size compared with countries like Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, India also has a lot more internet to shut down.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government metes out shutdowns via executive orders and decrees (sometimes issued verbally), which local or regional authorities initiate. This legal maneuvering is often directed at telecommunications companies, and administrators see it as a quick fix (even preemptively) to what they deem a law-and-order or national security issue. Importantly, the government also grounds its shutdown authority by referencing the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, a statutory relic from the colonial era. While initially intended to regulate Indias telegraph system, over the decades it has been expanded to encompass the entire sphere of telecoms, and it now includes a provision to impose curfews for both physical and online spaces in the event of an emergency. Further, in 2017, the state introduced the Internet Shutdown Rules, which grant regional and federal governments temporary suspension powers for mobile services during emergencies. Advertisement As mentioned above, these shutdowns are sometimes justified on the grounds of security. This was true for shutdowns in Kashmir in the wake of violent protests after the death of a separatist leader, Burhan Wani, in 2016, and in Gujarat that same year following civil agitation over affirmative action quotas on education and public jobs. But too often, flimsy or rash reasoning guides the decision to trigger a shutdown, as was the case with several incidents in Rajasthan last year to prevent cheating on examinations. In terms of the proportionality principle under international lawwhich, in this particular case, means that any restriction on internet access must also be the least intrusive instrumentthese irresponsible kill-switch responses reveal regional governments penchant for overreaction, rather than a willingness to reasonably deal with an issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This disproportionate state response matters because it can come with costs, both social and economic. Observers can see the former because misused internet shutdowns can affect individuals ability to express even unpopular opinions freelya right enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirmed in a 2012 Human Rights Council declaration, which extended protections to both offline and online spaces. Consider how, in September 2012, after a viral video began to anger Muslims in the Kashmir Valley, the regional government of Jammu and Kashmir ordered telecommunications companies to restrict access to YouTube and Facebook there. But the telecom operators chose to overcomply, and they disrupted access to the entire internet, rather than to specific websites. While done for the sake of securityprotests erupted as the video circulatedit isnt a stretch to see how this overly broad latitude could be used to censor any opinion perceived as unpopular. Advertisement As for the economic cost, a recent study on shutdowns in Indiaconducted by the think tank ICRIERfinds that, from 2012 through 2017, 16,315 shutdown hours cost the countrys economy approximately $3.04 billion. This is hardly ideal for a country that yearns to cement its place as a major power on the international stage. Advertisement Advertisement On top of that, a shutdown goes directly against the governments Digital India initiative, which attempts to promote a cashless economy. This is because a cornerstone of the e-commerce industry is access to open and reliable internet. (Notably, an Indian ride-hailing operator, Ola Cabs, has created an offline variation of its app for areas that experience intermittent internet connectivity.) Advertisement While Indias internet shutdowns may not be the worst instances of the phenomenon, the blackouts there raise concerns about where the country might be going in the years ahead. As the government looks to expand preexisting telecoms regulation, its prudent to ask whether it will eventually craft internet-specific legislation, as well as what that legislation may look like. After all, Indias dalliance with regulations that seek to control the free flow of information online doesnt seem to be ending with shutdowns. Recently, it floated a new set of intermediary guideline rules that look to curb the misuse of social media platforms and the spread of fake news. A February New York Times report called this a Chinese-style internet censorship approach. More than ever, its become increasingly clear that this sort of networked authoritarianism is on display in India. Indeed, though India may be an outlier among the usual shutdown suspects, it may also offer a crucial warning of how blackouts can occur in other fragile and hybrid democratic regimes. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Miroslav Marcek confessed that he was not just the driver but shot Jan Kuciak to death. The police officer in Velka Maca at the site of Kuciak and Kusnirova's murder. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The latest testimony of Miroslav Marcek, who stands accused in the murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, surprised the police. After a year of investigation, it changed how they imagined what happened on February 21, 2018 when the couple was shot to death. Marcek confessed during his interrogation on April 11, that he was the one who shot the couple. The police had originally worked with the version that Marcek was the driver who drove the shooter Tomas Szabo to the crime scene. Read also: Read also: One of the people accused of Kuciaks murder has confessed guilt Read more At first glance, it seems like a major improvement in the investigation. However, this testimony can also complicate the situation for the police and may be part of the gangs strategy to confuse them, according to experts. Two perpetrators contradicting each other with their testimony and thus confusing investigators is an old tactic already described in legal textbooks from the 70's, according to former police investigator Julius Saray. The accused one can defend himself in any way, Saray told The Slovak Spectator. The statement in which one confesses can also be a method of defence. The situation can only be solved by the high-quality work of investigators in obtaining evidence, according to experts. Next steps in investigation In late September 2018, the police raided family houses in Kolarovo (Nitra Region) and detained eight people suspected of participating in the double murder. For the past couple of years, March 29, 2019 has been known by some in the UK as Brexit Day, the historic moment when the country would unmoor itself from the tiresome burden of Europe and float off into a glorious, sun-dappled, immigration-free future. However, if youve been paying attention to the news, or a calendar, youll know that Brexit Day has come and gone, with the shambles that is Brexit limping on from extension to humiliating extension. This uncertainty has real-world consequences, one of which is the lack of skilled workers willing to risk moving to the UK when a no-deal, hard-border exit is still a genuine possibility. Weve covered the impact of Brexit on the British coffee industry before, but since 2017 the issue hasnt much changed. If anything, its become even more muddled. And it may just mean there arent enough workers to run the coffee shops. According to Sky News, Brexit will make it more difficult to attract applicants from EU countries and that British workers have not yet made up for the shortfall. And the disparity between foreign-born and home grown workers is significant; Andrea Wareham, an HR manager at Pret a Manger, estimates that just one in 50 applicants for jobs at the chain are British. This is amid a bit of a boom in British coffee culture, where the UK coffee shop market grew 7.9% in the previous year, bringing the total value of the industry to 10.1 billion ($13.27 billion). An estimated 6,500 new coffee shops will open over the next four years and will require an additional 40,000 workers. But the question remains: if there is a no-deal, hard-border Brexit, who will work in British cafes? Skilled European baristas have dozens of friendly cities around Europe with burgeoning specialty coffee scenes would seem a much safer, more hospitable, bet. This much is certain: come Brexit Halloween, not many will go dressed as baristas. Fionn Pooler is a journalist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the publisher of The Pourover. Read more Fionn Pooler on Sprudge. The fifth edition of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum welcomed the role of the Al-Quds Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI, and the signing in Rabat by the Sovereign and Pope Francis of the Jerusalem/ Al-Quds Al-Sharif appeal. We commend the role of the Al- Quds Committee chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the signing by the Sovereign and His Holiness Pope Francis of the Al-Quds Appeal to preserve and enhance the specific multi-faith character, spiritual dimension and special identity of the holy city, stressed the final declaration adopted by the forum held Tuesday in Moscow. The participants in the forum also expressed their commitment to the achievement of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, on the basis of the two-state solution, the United Nations Resolutions (242, 338 and 1515) and the Arab Peace Initiative. The fifth edition of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum was held on Tuesday in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives of 22 Arab countries, including Morocco. We would love to hear your thoughts... 1. How did you come up with the idea for your startup? 2. What was the hardest part in the early stages of the startups growth? 3. What are the services/solutions/products that the startup offers? Who are the targeted audiences? 4. What are your strengths and advantages over your competitors? 5. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your metrics? 6. Is the company bootstrapped or funded? What milestones will the financing get you to? 7. What is the road map ahead? How are you planning to achieve it? Key Management : Founding Year : Milestones : Awards/Recognition : Clients : Jean Piaget was a ground-breaking child psychologist who is best known for his identification of the stages of cognitive development in children. Piaget was from Switzerland. Born in 1896, he died in 1980. Piaget developed the theory of object permanence. Object permanence is used as a milestone to identify that a child is in the sensorimotor stage of development. Object permanence is the realization that an object continues to exist even if it cannot be directly observed. A classic test for an infant is to show an infant a preferred toy, then to cover the toy with a blanket. If the infant searches for the toy, perhaps by lifting the blanket, he or she likely has object permanence, realizing that the toy is still nearby but hidden. If the infant does not seek the toy, he or she may not yet have object permanence. The toy is out of sight and out of mind. Naropa University Naropa University offers a two-year MFA in Theater: Contemporary Performance program that consists of 48 total credits. The program at this Boulder, CO, school helps students train their mind, body, and voice for different types of theatre performances. The curriculum consists of different performance and vocal techniques, as well as meditation and dance practices to help students with training. Most classes take place in a studio environment, where they collaborate and work closely in groups of 12. The goal of the program is for students to become strong leaders for the contemporary performance industry. University of Northern Colorado Located in Greeley, the University of Northern Colorado offers a MA in Theatre Education that takes about two years to complete. The program includes a mixture of online and on-campus classes, adding up to a total of 36 credits. The main focus of this program is for students to examine and learn about the aspects of theatre education. Students will accomplish this by doing plenty of hands-on work as well as undergoing theatrical experiences. This covers different parts of theatre, including acting, directing, and production. In addition, a written thesis project must be completed by the end of the program. University of Colorado, Boulder The University of Colorado in Boulder offers an MA in Theatre and Performance Studies that includes a variety of experiences in theatre productions. Students can choose from on-stage studies in Shakespeare, American theatre, classical theatre, and global theatre. The school also offers an MFA in Experience Design. While it may not be the theatre program that students are used to, it still utilizes the same creative and transformative qualities that acting consists of. This graduate program focuses more on the design aspects of art and performance, meaning that students are taught how to create interactive experiences for public activities, and they learn to tell stories through various events and designs. Blaming Western sanctions for the crisis, Syria had imposed tough sanctions on people's fuel consumption, limiting how much and how often they can fill up their vehicles writes Asharq al-Awsat. Damascus on Monday imposed new limits on subsidized petrol for cars and motorbikes in regime-held areas of Syria, in the latest bid to curb a fuel crisis it blames on Western sanctions. Owners of private cars would now be allowed just 20 liters (about 7.5 gallons) of fuel every five days, said the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources, reported AFP. At petrol stations in the capital, queues hundreds of meters (yards) long have stretched along streets in the past few weeks, with drivers waiting for hours to get their fill. Qusay, a taxi driver in his 30s, said he had camped out in his car overnight to make sure he got some fuel from a station, so far to no avail. I got to the front of the queue after midnight with less than 20 cars ahead, but then the petrol ran out at the station, he told AFP, adding that its still closed. Ahmad al-Hamawi, 45, gave up after four long hours of waiting. Ill try to forget my car in the coming days and walk to work, said the radio program director. The measures announced on Monday allow taxi drivers to fill up 20 liters every two days. Motorbikes would be permitted three liters every five days, the ministry said, in what it described as a temporary measure to fairly distribute petrol. The measures are the latest in a series of restrictions on the daily consumption of subsidized petrol. On April 8, the ministry of petrol and mineral resources said it was temporarily slashing the daily cap on subsidized petrol by half, to 20 liters from 40 per vehicle. Then on April 10 it further halved the amount to 20 liters every two days. On Sunday, the regime said it would halve the amount of fuel allocated to public institutions to run their vehicles, state news agency SANA said. The petrol crisis follows fuel oil and cooking gas shortages over the winter. Syrian officials have blamed the crisis on a flurry of Western sanctions targeting the Damascus regime since the start of the war in 2011. In November, the US Treasury issued an advisory threatening penalties against those involved in petroleum-related shipping transactions with the Government of Syria. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. During their meeting, the two men discussed the economic sanctions that have been placed on their countries and the need to enhance security and stability in the region writes SANA. On Tuesday, President Bashar al-Assad received Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and an accompanying delegation. During the meeting, President Assad reiterated Syrias denouncement of the irresponsible US action against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, saying that it is part of erroneous US policies that constitute a main factor of the instability in the region. President Assad expressed heartfelt condolences to the Iranian people and the families of the victims of the recent floods that affected a number of Iranian provinces. For his part, Zarif denounced the US administrations decision regarding the occupied Syrian Golan, saying that this decision cannot be separated from its decisions on al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Revolutionary Guard, and that these decisions are a sign of the failure of Washingtons policies in the region. The two sides exchanged opinions on regional developments, with President Assad asserting that adhering to national principles and positions and making the peoples interests a priority are enough to protect any country, preserve its unity, and confront any foreign conspiracies. Zarif said that developments in the region prove the need for enhancing coordination between the two sides on all levels to benefit the two countries and enhance security and stability in the region. President Assad and Zarif asserted that the policies of the US and some Western states will not dissuade Syria and Iran and their allies from defending the rights and interests of their peoples. The two sides noted that the West, and particularly the United States, should resort to diplomacy, instead of waging wars and employing economic terrorism against those who disagree with them. The meeting touched on the next round of Astana talks, stressing the importance of coordination between Damascus and Tehran to achieve Syrias national interest. Talks also dealt with the agreements between the two sides, joint projects, their stages of implementation, and the difficulties facing them, as well as expanding cooperation in the future. In the same context, Syrias Foreign Minister, Walid al-Muallem, met Zarif and the accompanying delegation, discussing with him the importance of enhancing the strategic relations between the two countries in all fields. They also discussed developments in Syria and the region, with the two sides expressing matching viewpoints regarding all the issues that were discussed. In a statement to journalists at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, Zarif stressed his countrys continuation of work with Syria in confronting the cohesive economic measures imposed on the Syrian and Iranian peoples, renewing Irans support for Syria. He pointed to the constant talks related to economic cooperation between Syria and Iran, clarifying that positive discussions have been held with regards to transportation lines between Iran, Iraq and Syria, expressing at the same time hope for more cooperation in this field. On the situation in Idleb, Zarif described the threat of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists to civilians as dangerous, pointing out that he is going to discuss this issue during his visit to Turkey and the need for work by those participating in Astana to tackle it. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum decided to hold its sixth session in Morocco. The final communique issued Tuesday at the end of the Forum stated that the participants in the forum agreed to hold next years edition in Morocco. The choice of Morocco underlines the kingdoms increasing presence at the international front with its non-interference policy and strong support for peace, dialogue and cooperation. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita who represented the North African country in the forum hosted in Moscow by Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov, said Morocco is for an innovative Arab-Russian partnership framework to launch initiatives that can influence the course of events. Our ambition ten years after the launch of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum is to move from a platform of consultations and dialogue to an innovative partnership framework allowing the launch of initiatives capable of influencing the course of events and this in harmony with our aspirations to achieve peace, security and development in the service of our peoples and our region, said the Moroccan official in his address before the forum. The political and diplomatic achievements made within the framework of this Forum must be accompanied by actions at the level of economic partnership and cultural and scientific cooperation, Bourita added. In his speech during the forum, Lavrov highlighted the importance of holding such meetings, due to the exceptional relations between Arab countries and Russia, and the coordination between both sides on leading causes of common interest. He also underlined Russias efforts to support Arab causes, most notably the Palestinian cause. The fifth forum underlined the need to upgrade Arab-Russian cooperation and coordination and stressed the importance of dialogue in strengthening international efforts for the establishment of peace and security in the world. Arab League secretary General and the foreign ministers of 22 Arab countries took part in the forum that adopted a final declaration and its executive work program for 2019 to 2021. The Syrian Network for Human Rights has released a report, which has highlighted the use of cluster bombs by the regime and the heavy price paid by civilians. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented about 457 attacks by the Assad regime and Russia using cluster bombs, and said that the Assad regime was the worst in the world in terms of the use of these munitions. Among these attacks, 24 cluster bombs attacks occurred after the Idleb deal, which was signed in September 2018. It said that regime forces had used different types of weapons against individuals and residential areas and liberated areas. The regime has used many cluster bombs in its bombardments, causing a huge number of casualties. It said that this usage had not received the necessary extent of condemnation and attention. The SNHR report has shined a light on the reality of the use of cluster bombs by regime forces and Russia in northern Syria, which is covered by the Idleb agreement, as well as the effect on residents lives in these areas. The report also included the death toll of cluster munitions usage since the first documented use in July 2012 up to Apr. 10, 2019. The report presented three testimonies received through speaking directly with witnesses and not taken from open sources, and differentiated, as much as possible, between Russian and regime attacks. The report said that the remains of these attacks, which are still spread widely across Syria, are a major obstacle to the return of displaced people and to the movement of aid groups, Civil Defense, and their equipment. They also pose a danger to reconstruction and development. The report recorded at least 457 attacks with cluster munitions since the first documented use in July 2012 up to Apr. 10, 2019. It said that the Assad regime had carried out 216 of them, while Russian forces had carried out 233, and eight had occurred at the hands of regime forces and Russia. According to the report, these attacks have killed 955 civilians, including 345 children and 205 women, and have wounded about 4,200 civilians, a large number of them having to undergo amputations and needing prosthetic limbs, as well as a rehabilitation and support operations. The report recorded at least 24 attacks with cluster bombs since Sept. 17, 2018 up to Apr. 10, 2019, including 23 by the regime forces and one by Russian forces. The report said that these attacks had killed at least 34 civilians, including eight children, six women, and wounded at least 137 civilians. They said that at least seven civilians, including four children, had been killed over the same period as a result of the explosion of sub-munitions related to the cluster bomb attacks. The report recorded at least 16 incidents of attacks on civilian centers as a result of the cluster bomb attacks since Sept. 17, 2018, up to Apr. 10, 2019. It said that this had increased the suffering of civilians and that the repeated attacks had pushed them to flee their villages and towns. 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 Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mikdad, has said that the funding of the investigation mechanism is a threat to the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Syria writes Al-Watan. Damascus has put forward its position regarding the upcoming general session of the United Nations, regarding the funding of the so-called International, Impartial and independent mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under International Law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011. During his meeting with heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in Damascus, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mikdad, explained the reasons why this mechanism was illegal. The General Assembly Resolution 248/71, which established the mechanism, was adopted with a simple majority through the initiative of the permanent delegates of Qatar and Lichtenstein, without consultation with the concerned state, and outside the scope of the General Assemblys mandate. Mikdad said that the establishment of the so-called mechanism was a real danger and serious challenge to the future of the United Nations. He said that Syria had the ability to achieve justice through its legal and judicial institutions and that the member nations should fully understand the dangerous legal and political effects of the tendentious attempts to promote this sort of mechanism and fund it, as it could be applied in other cases or against other countries who contradict the policy of the United States and its allies. Mikdad said that the continued payment and financing for this mechanism undermined the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to Syria in facilitating dialogue between Syrians to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. The Deputy Minister encouraged ambassadors of the countries in the meeting to reject the funding for this mechanism and vote against it in a coming meeting of the UN General Assembly. 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 sight of homeless children in Syria has become common, and there are very few services that have the capabilities to provide shelter and care writes Baladi News. In Idleb and liberated areas in general the phenomenon of homeless children has increased, and become a burden on Syrian society. It is not by chance that the issue of homelessness has become a popular subject of discussion among people. Idleb is not the only place to have witnessed this phenomenon. All Syrian areas, including those under the control of the Assad regime, are experiencing this situation. Previously, social media sites were abuzz with scenes of the al-shoulah girl in the streets of Damascus. Khaloud, a nanny, says: Unfortunately were finding children who have lost their families and become professional beggars, selling biscuits, gum, or other simple items to earn a living. This phenomenon has become more widespread and is drawing our attention and alarm. She adds: It doesnt seem that there is any solution on the horizon. One of the main reasons for the spread of this phenomenon is that the regimes rotten prisons have taken away the families of these children, or they have been killed by the war. There are no precise statistics for the number of homeless childrenonly what activists have documented with their cameras or people have seen with their own eyes. According to a specialist in political science, Professor Amal Khalifa, from Idleb, the main reasons for the spread of this phenomenon include the war and divorce, as well as the poverty which has deprived them of education and forced them to hang around in the streets asking for money. Timid voices have recently appeared, calling for children to be cared for, but they have not reached the necessary levels. Women from the Womens Empowerment Center in Idleb have called for exact statistics of this phenomenon to be collected, in order to find means of dealing with it, such as opening special centers for orphan children whom no one is caring for, to rehabilitate them and to care for them and secure their education in centers. 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. King Mohammed VI, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee, has decided to grant a financial subsidy as a contribution from Morocco to the refurbishment and renovation of some areas of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings. A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry Wednesday indicates that this highest expression of royal generosity is part of the Sovereigns sustained and multidimensional efforts in favor of the holy city of Al-Quds Acharif. The Sovereigns decision also translates his unwavering support to the resistance of the Maqdessis, and his relentless defense of the historic status of this city and the consecration of its civilizational identity and its religious symbolism as an open space of coexistence and tolerance between the different celestial religions. In this context, Moroccan architects and craftsmen will be dispatched to Jerusalem to restore the centuries-old architectural authenticity of Al- Aqsa mosque, adds the ministry. King Mohammed VI ordered that the operation be carried out in coordination with the Islamic Waqf Administration of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the statement said. Samsung has given us a heads-up that the Samsung Galaxy Fold will be launched in Malaysia on 3 May 2019 at 9:30AM. Unfortunately, other than the invitation that was sent to us, Samsung did not disclose the official local price of their first foldable smartphone. However, based on what we know from the initial launch alongside the unveiling of the Galaxy S10 series in San Francisco, United States. The smartphone is priced at 1980USD, which is about RM8192 locally. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more updates regarding Samsungs first folding smartphone. Its quite often that your boss will contact you even during your vacations or holidays to do important, absolutely necessary work with WhatsApp. While you can always leave the work group, this will definitely notify your boss (who is probably the admin) and archiving the group doesnt mute notifications either, but soon you may be able to mute these notifications without letting him or anyone know with the WhatsApp Vacation Mode or as it is likely to be known Ignore archived chats. What this does is that it lets you remain as a member of the group, but mute notifications, stopping them from appearing at the top of your message feed without notifying anyone (or your boss). Initially found last year in November, the folks at WABetaInfo have found that it could be in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.19.101) along with a few other features. These include a submenu for your archived chats and the aforementioned Ignore archived chats feature. No exact Malaysia release dates on when this new boss muting WhatsApp feature may arrive but its very likely to be soon, so stay tuned to TechNave.com and we'll keep you updated. The Undead Archives I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world. Ad Investing Trends New this week - 276 interested Oxford Mining Titan Swears This 350,000 Acre Canadian Property Could Become One Of The Most Valuable Why? Because it contains one of the world's largest helium pockets. That's important because the world's helium supply is running dangerously low. And prices have already skyrocketed 160% in the past few years Morocco is taking part in the fifth edition of the International Aerospace Week of Montreal as guest of honor of this world-class event, which opened Tuesday with the participation of all major aerospace industry leaders and manufacturers. Moroccan Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade, and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy is attending this four-day exhibition, an opportunity to showcase the huge business opportunities offered by the North African Kingdom in this sector which is booming and aims to generate a turnover of $2.8 billion and create 23,000 jobs by 2020. Moroccan aerospace industry is growing rapidly thanks to incentives granted to investors, proximity to Europe, stability and political will to make this sector a driving force of economic growth and development. It has attracted some big aeronautics investors in recent years, including Bombardier, Eaton Corp, Boeing The aeronautic industry in Morocco, which employs over 15,500 people, is growing at 15 per cent a year. Its aim is to push up exports to $1.6 billion per year and increase the percentage of locally-produced or assembled components. About 130 international companies are already operating in Morocco which ranks 15th worldwide in terms of attracting aviation industry investments. There will be a lot of donkeys on the stage in the first couple of two-day rounds of candidate debates this summer. Illustration: Konstantin Sergeyev/Intelligencer; Source Images: Getty On June 26 and 27 in Miami (on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo) and on July 30 and 31 in Detroit (on CNN), the 2020 Democratic presidential contest will quickly get real with the first sanctioned candidate debates of the cycle. In February, the Democratic National Committee published reasonably clear rules and guidelines for these events, making it possible to figure out with some specificity which candidates have qualified for the big stage or rather, stages, since the DNC anticipates events that span two consecutive evenings to accommodate the large field (with a maximum of ten at each), with placement in one night or the other being determined randomly (so no kiddie table debates like Republicans held in 2016 for less-esteemed candidates). The DNC offered two ways to qualify: Polling Method: Register 1% or more support in three polls (which may be national polls, or polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada) publicly released between January 1, 2019, and 14 days prior to the date of the Organization Debate. Qualifying polls will be limited to those sponsored by one or more of the following organizations/institutions: Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Des Moines Register, Fox News, Las Vegas Review Journal, Monmouth University, NBC News, New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), Quinnipiac University, Reuters, University of New Hampshire, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Winthrop University. Any candidates three qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations, or if by the same organization, must be in different geographical areas. Grassroots Fundraising Method. Candidates may qualify for the debate by demonstrating that the campaign has received donations from at least (1) 65,000 unique donors; and (2) a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 U.S. states. To demonstrate that the fundraising threshold has been reached, candidates must provide verifiable evidence, which they may do by authorizing ActBlue and/or NGP VAN to provide that evidence. So whos already qualified? According to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight on May 22, 20 announced candidates have made the cut, all but one via the polling method. Well continue updating this post as more candidates qualify. Joe Biden Before and after he formally announced, Biden ranked at or very near the top in every national and early-state poll taken this year, despite a mini-crisis over his inappropriate touching of women and many efforts (from both anti-Biden progressives and from Trump) to remind people of his past ideological heresies. Hes gained ground in nearly every survey after his formal announcement in April, showing strength across most demographic categories (including African-Americans), and dominating among older voters. Bernie Sanders Sanders has ranked second in the bulk of national and early-state surveys, and is running first in some New Hampshire polls. He has a large and active small-donor fundraising base. He is in some respects the most predictable quantity in the 2020 contest, given his high name ID and broad national base of support. That base, however, continues to skew youngish and whitish. Kamala Harris Harris is one of a group of candidates who are trailing Biden and Sanders by a significant margin in most polls, but who rank consistently well above the DNCs one percent threshold for inclusion in the debates. Her main asset is strategic: If she can outflank Cory Booker among African-American voters and do very well in South Carolina, then she could clean up in the newly early (March 3) primary in her home state of California. Good debate performances could help her stay near the top. Beto ORourke Like Sanders, ORourke had boffo initial fundraising with a diverse (though not as diverse as Bernies) small donor base, but has waxed and waned in the polls. Hes currently in a bit of a slump, and is another candidate who could use a boost from debates. Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator earned mixed reviews for her early 2019 campaign performance, but has gradually moved up into a consistent third place standing nationally, while wowing wonks and activists with a broad array of policy proposals. She also may have given herself a recent boost by becoming the first top-tier candidate to come out for impeachment proceedings against Trump. Debates could help her showcase her policy chops, but will also test concerns about her likability. Like Harris, she remains well-positioned ideologically in a diverse but left-leaning field. Warren has an especially strong organization in Iowa. Cory Booker If ORourke looks better in national than in early-state polls, Booker is the reverse. But he trails Kamala Harris almost everywhere, which is a big problem for a candidate who needs to show strength among African-Americans from the get-go. His Wall Street and Silicon Valley connections should keep him funded well for at least a good while. Amy Klobuchar The Minnesota senator is part of another group of candidates who have qualified for the debates by meeting the polling threshold, but otherwise trail the pack by significant margins. She is doing relatively well in next-door Iowa, but needs a higher profile. Pete Buttigieg If theres someone in the group of candidates far behind the pace who seemed to have a bullet next to his name earlier this year, its South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg. He met the minimal polling threshold some time ago, and has settled into a stable position in the middle of the pack alongside Warren and Harris. His support does seem limited to college-educated white voters. The debates will test whether he can convert the good personal impression hes been making with selected audiences into a viable candidacy, despite his youth (hes 37) and the limitations of his resume in public office. Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor and HUD secretary hasnt made much of a national impression (hes at the debate minimum of one percent in national and Iowa polls) so far. But he has potential as the only Latino in the field, and could make a splash in Nevada, and an even bigger splash in the March 3 megastates of California and Texas. He mostly needs to survive in the early going. It might help him, too, if he obtained greater proficiency in speaking Spanish. Kirsten Gillibrand Its very good for the Democratic Party and for the country that four women serving in the U.S. Senate are running for president. Its not very good for New Yorks Kirsten Gillibrand, whos struggled to distinguish herself from the other, more easily identified women, and from the rest of the field generally. Shes a candidate who could really benefit from a strong debate performance. Jay Inslee The Washington governor does not have Gillibrands problem at all; hes identified himself clearly as the candidate who is making climate change his sole priority. The furor over the Green New Deal helped make his issue even more paramount in the national debate, but also gave other candidates a way to show themselves as credibly urgent about climate change. If voters or the media get notably tired of listening to senators, Inslees non-Washington resume could help him. John Hickenlooper The former Colorado governor (and Denver mayor) is clearly running as a self-identified moderate, presumably competing with Biden and Klobuchar (and perhaps ORourke) for voters alarmed at the partys leftward tilt. Like Klobuchar, his relatively close proximity to Iowa gives him a bit of an advantage if he can get traction there. But both his ideological and geographical base were undermined by the candidacy of his former aide and Colorado senator Michael Bennet. Andrew Yang At first the only candidate to qualify for the debates via the grassroots fundraising method, and now also qualifying in the polls, is entrepreneur and social-media sensation Andrew Yang, who has developed a significant and quite young following with his self-consciously quirky persona and a universal basic income proposal. If he can translate his online charisma to a debate stage, he could make some waves. John Delaney A former three-term congressman from Maryland, and prior to that a health-care entrepreneur and lender, Delaney was the first Democrat to declare for the 2020 race (way back in July of 2017), and has spent a great deal of time in Iowa and New Hampshire. He is an unabashed moderate who opposes the Green New Deal and still supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that most Democrats now oppose. Hes qualified for the debates via minimum poll showings, but is in danger of following the path trod by fellow Marylander Martin OMalley in 2016: doing everything right other than becoming popular. Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman initially qualified by meeting the grassroots fundraising threshold, and then reached one percent in the requisite polls. As a lifelong surfer, a military veteran, a Hindu, and an outspoken progressive, Gabbard might be attracting more attention in a less crowded field. But much of the buzz about her has been negative, based on her controversial habit of defending Syrias murderous president Bashar al-Assad, her links to anti-Islamic Hindu nationalists in India, and her history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric (for which she has apologized). She does share with Bernie Sanders and (so far not debate-qualified) Mike Gravel a strongly noninterventionist foreign policy posture, but may just be too tainted for viability. Steve Bullock The two-term Montana governor has been considered presidential timber by those who know him for a good while, but is being handicapped by a very late start (he didnt announce until his legislative session ended in early May) and a lack of national name ID. Electability is probably going to be the main rationale for his candidacy, and thats not easy to prove in a short period of time, much less in a debate. Tim Ryan The Ohio congressman is implicitly competing with Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar and possibly Sanders for the role of the candidate best equipped to capture those Rust Belt white working-class voters who played so important a role in Trumps 2016 win. But Ryan has a history of conservative positions on abortion and guns (now abandoned), along with an interesting if unusual interest in yoga and associated philosophies of mental self-control. Eric Swalwell The 38-year-old East Bay (California) congressman is mainly known for a relentless advocacy of gun safety measures, but secured some vital media attention as a member of the House Intelligence Committee willing to talk about Russian election interference. He also has the obscure but valuable asset of having been born in Iowa. Swalwell is probably looking enviously at the buzz surrounding fellow thirty-something Pete Buttigieg. Bill de Blasio The two-term New York mayors much-derided presidential candidacy was finally announced in May, and the best thing you can say for it is that his Gotham background assures at least some regular media coverage. He does have some policy accomplishments, especially in early childhood education. De Blasio will have to establish that hes serious about staying in the race, and isnt just running because hes bored with his day job. Marianne Williamson The only candidate so far to qualify strictly on the basis of grassroots fundraising, the best-selling author and New Agey self-help expert is best known for her celebrity connections (shes been something of a spiritual counselor for Oprah Winfrey, for example). But she has a seriously and rigorously progressive platform that she will probably use the debates to highlight. If nothing else, she could emerge as a lefty gadfly like her friend Dennis Kucinich in his presidential bids. So thats the current debate field. Who else might qualify? The three announced candidates who havent made the cut so far are the aforementioned Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado; Miramar, Florida mayor Wayne Messam; and Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton (some lists include former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, though it appears his campaign is basically some kids managing his Twitter feed). Youd figure Bennet and Moulton, at least, have a decent chance of qualifying and forcing the DNC to go to its tie-breakers: those who meet both the polling and grassroots fundraising thresholds, and then those who rank higher in polling. Except for those who have qualified by the skin of their teeth and could theoretically get bumped by late qualifiers, the candidates can start practicing soon, with the complication that they have no idea which rivals they will actually be facing. It could get unpredictably wild and predictably important in the winnowing of this huge field. This post has been updated throughout. Photo: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/AFP/Getty Images We will rebuild Notre-Dame, because that is what the French expect, President Emmanuel Macron said at a news conference on Tuesday, the day after an accidental fire destroyed the cathedrals 19th-century spire and two-thirds of its medieval wooden roof. For observers throughout the world, the fire seemed to inspire conflicting feelings of mourning for the historic loss and hope for the astonishing number of features that remained intact, despite images of what appeared to be an all-consuming fire. As of Tuesday, both bell towers remain standing, and CNN reports that many of Notre-Dames most significant cultural and religious artifacts were saved, including the Crown of Thorns, the Tunic of Saint Louis, the Great Organ, the Rose Windows, and the Mays de Notre-Dame paintings. With hundreds of millions of euros already pledged to the rebuilding effort, the day after the fire brings as many questions as the initial few hours of the blaze. To help make sense of the aftermath, Intelligencer spoke with Nicholas Paul, director of the Center for Medieval Studies at Fordham University, about the cathedrals significance as a historical and symbolic object and where Paris goes from here. When was the first time you saw Notre-Dame? I remember visiting Paris as a child and my father and I raced each other up the stairs to one of the bell towers. I looked down, and outside was my mother waiting for us at the bottom. You really get the special sense of the place that the building occupies for people who study the Middle Ages. People who study medieval history were devastated emotionally by the initial reports coming in. Could you explain the importance of the Notre-Dame built in 1163 and finished in 1345 to French history? The story of the Notre-Dame is the story of the city of Paris, the beating heart of medieval civilization. The church began to go up when the kingdom of France really for the first time began to exert itself on the European stage. The kingdom of France originated in the 10th century just on the Ile de la Cite the island in the Seine on which the Notre-Dame sits and gradually radiated outward from France. I dont think thats a story you can tell about any other country. As a result, the Ile de la Cite is super-significant to French history, and its most enduring point is Notre-Dame. The cathedral is a place of great innovation, particularly with music, where the concept of polyphony voices singing in different pitches at the same time entered the Western tradition. How did the cathedral change with the 19th-century restoration? It was in a state of relative disrepair and neglect by the time of the French Revolution, after which the interior was radically altered. That renovation was an attempt to reemphasize the distant elements of the medieval world. One of the powerful things about the Middle Ages is that it combines something awe-inspiring with something very alien, something very different from us. So thats when the gargoyles went up on the exterior. People see them now and say Wow, thats the Middle Ages, but thats actually the 19th-century version of the medieval world. What do you think the greatest casualty of the fire was? The roof itself is made from 12th-century timber. The very survival of that organic matter into the 21st-century spoke to the cathedrals incredible process of engineering. It is a terrible loss. But the medieval community is taking a moment to recognize the engineering that allowed this building to stand up to such punishment. The vault was meant to keep debris out of the church, and that is what it did. I thought a quote from Dr. Emily Guerry at the University of Kent provided some perspective for that loss: In the Middle Ages it was possible to find huge amounts of beautiful strong oak [but] the ability to find around 3,000 more big, strong trees in the next two decades is going to be tricky. Those oaks were harvested in the 12th century. In those days, the king had control over massive forested areas, royal forests there for the use and exploitation of the crown. You didnt have independent companies logging forests, not to mention the sheer number of forested areas in Europe that are gone now. Two police officers and a firefighter were injured in the blaze thankfully, there were no fatalities. But could you speak to a larger sense of human loss? The Notre-Dame was a product of generations of labor by thousands of craftspeople. The work was so complex, with so many levels of specialization, from the early machines that lifted the blocks into place to the artisans who installed tiny plates of glass by the tens of thousands of pieces. Its difficult for us to comprehend what a collective effort it was to finish this building. But youre still hopeful about the restoration? Yes, that goes back to the story of these buildings. They are always burning and falling and we are always fixing them. York Minster Cathedral suffered a terrible fire and it was rebuilt. Even St. John the Divine in New York City suffered a terrible fire, and it was rebuilt. Its a different scale for the Notre-Dame, but the commitment seems to be there. Macron has said We will rebuild. That raises a lot of how questions. Will they make it look like it did six centuries ago? Like it did after the 19th-century renovations? Like it did on Sunday? I think there will be a strong argument to restore it to what it was like just prior to the fire, not to the original, which we know less about. I would imagine this will initiate conversation about Paris itself and what this building could reflect for those who live around it. The conversation will also include whether or not they should use period techniques. At St. Johns, I believe it was prohibitively expensive. But in York, it went quite well you could see artisans working on the stones when you visited. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 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. Are you scared yet? Photo: John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty Images As his contribution to the Trump administration/GOP Red Scare of 20192020, White House national security adviser John Bolton gave a fiery speech to a group of aging Cuban-American veterans of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, and brought back many memories of those wonderful days of the Cold War. Some of his lines were a bit jarring, truth be told, as Politicos report indicates: The Trump administrations aggressive positioning in the Western Hemisphere was made clear by the national security adviser, who said Wednesday: We proudly proclaim for all to hear: The Monroe Doctrine is alive and well a reference to a policy used in the past to justify interventions in Latin America. The whole idea of the Monroe Doctrine, of course, was for the United States to resist Eastern Hemisphere (originally Western European) interference with Latin America, a concept that was made ideological when Cuba was a Soviet client state and the Russkies were fomenting revolution elsewhere. Yes, todays Russia supports Venezuelas Maduro, Nicaraguas Ortega, and (not so warmly any more) Cubas Diaz-Canel, perhaps for old times sake. But its not as though it does so as the representative of any sinister (much less Marxist) scheme to subvert the hemisphere, unless neo-Tsarism has a future here, in which case Bolsonaros Brazil (which Bolton has lavishly praised) and his friend Trumps USA are the most likely prospects. In any event, rattling the old Cold War hobgoblins fits in with the administrations foreign policy and domestic politics, so Bolton was given free rein to twist and shout: In all, Bolton announced seven crackdowns and sanctions targeting the governments in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, reported Politico. He also brought back some contemptuous lines about Maduro, Ortega, and Diaz-Canel as the troika of tyranny that he deployed in an earlier South Florida speech last year. Troika has a nice Russian ring to it, but seemed a bit derivative of George W. Bushs famous axis of evil (referring to that eras Republican demon-figures of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea). But another nickname he had for the three leaders is palpably counterproductive: the three stooges of socialism. Someone needs to explain to Bolton and/or his speechwriter that the Three Stooges is not an allusion likely to strike fear into the hearts of good patriotic Americans fearing the theft of their priceless heritage of freedom. Perhaps if he wants to make fun of the three leaders, he could compare them to Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe, but the comedians were by no means a troika of tyranny. Rhetorical logic aside, Bolton and his boss are in danger of arousing expectations about Latin America that they may not be willing to meet: One of the Bay of Pigs veterans who attended Boltons speech, Frank de Varona, said he and other Cuban-Americans have liked what theyve seen from Trump, which is why they backed him in 2016 and will again in 2020. But he wants to see more, starting with Venezuela. If Trump doesnt get rid of Maduro somehow by 2020, hes going to lose a lot of support, said de Varona, who favors U.S.-led airstrikes in Venezuela in combination with ground troops sent by Colombia and Brazil. Im not sure how reviving the specter of yanqui imperialism comports with Trumps America (meaning strictly Gods Country, the USA) First posture with its noninterventionist subtext. But apparently if its useful in keeping Florida in Trumps column in 2020, the ends justifies the means. 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. Not always wedded to the truth. Photo: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images Daniel Dale, the Washington correspondent at the Toronto Star, has carved out a particular journalistic niche since 2016. On Twitter, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers, and on the Stars website, he has developed a reputation for calmly but firmly documenting President Trumps mistruths in real time from big ones, like his claim that 3 million voters cast illegal ballots in the presidential election, to relatively small ones, like his fudging of countries financial contributions to NATO. Dale compiles all the lies in a database and tracks the presidents dishonesty over time, taking a quantitative approach to a presidency that often feels impossible to classify. Intelligencer spoke with him about why Trump lies, whether American journalists give him too much leeway, and his favorite presidential falsehood. Almost every time Trump holds a rally, youre live-tweeting it. And you recently wrote in the Washington Post that you do most of your fact-checking on your own time, spending weekday nights and painful Sundays staring at rally transcripts in my pajamas. I was wondering if youve taken up heavy drinking, or maybe prescription drugs, to help you cope. Im a teetotaler Ive had like two drinks in my life, and I dont use drugs. I mean, it is very tiring. Without complaining, just as a factual matter, its a lot, because there are a lot of lies. So its physically tiring, and sometimes it can be mentally tiring when fact-checking his false claim about the trade deficit with China for literally the hundredth time. You know, you just kind of sigh. But the thing I tell people when they express intense empathy for me is that I get so much validation. You dont go into journalism to have people compliment you, but I get so much nice email. I get people expressing such gratitude that Im doing this thing thats objectively not that hard on the scale of things that journalists put themselves through. So, its fine and Im fine. What was the thinking behind tracking the presidents lies in this methodical way? Did you come up with it yourself, or was that an institutional decision by the Toronto Star? The Star has been hugely helpful, but it was my call to do this attempt at comprehensive tracking. It started very accidentally. It was September 2016, late in the campaign, and I was just frustrated that it seemed like Trumps incessant dishonesty wasnt being treated as a central story. Reporters would sometimes fact-check him on Twitter, but if you were to read the next days paper, or watch cable news or network news, the dishonesty just wasnt being discussed as a story in and of itself. And so I just did an informal list, like a screenshot I posted on Twitter. And I did that for a couple days, and it got a huge response. And then I decided Ive started and I should just keep going. And I thought Clinton would probably win and Id be done having to do this much fact-checking, although she would require some, of course. But Trump did, and I knew that Id have to resume upon inauguration. Its very easy to become overwhelmed by the constant stream of dishonesty and scandal emanating from the White House. Do you think that your approach has resonated so much because your just-the-facts approach cuts through that clutter, that shroud of misinformation hovering over everything? Its hard to know, exactly. I think for a long time, and even now, when those people see coverage that doesnt even acknowledge this very obvious and very important thing that theyre seeing, it bothers them and makes them feel like their media entities are failing them. So just to have someone at a mainstream media outlet pointing out what these people are noticing, I think, is a relief for a lot of people. And I think for others, they simply want to know the information. So even if they know that Trump is a serial liar in general, they may not know like how hes deceiving them in particular about immigration or about NAFTA. And so I have a lot of people being like, Thanks for explaining that. I think a lot of people feel its an educational service that helps them better understand whats going on in the government and in the White House. Youve documented the fact that Trumps lying seems to be getting worse over the course of his presidency. You tweeted recently that its up to six per day on average, as opposed to 2.9 through 2017. Do you have any theories why? I think part of it is just that hes talking more. And Ive looked at this the number of words that he averages in a day has increased between the beginning of his presidency and now. And part of it is the kind of talking hes doing. Early in his presidency, he was on scripts much more frequently, I guess, as he was getting comfortable in the job. Now, as you know, hes comfortable. Hes much more frequently just being Donald Trump. And hes doing supposed official events that are de facto campaign rallies. The biggest change in his frequency that Ive observed came right before the midterms. I post a weekly graph on Twitter, and it just dramatically accelerated in the month or month and a half leading up to the midterms. I think his peak was 240 false claims in a week. I think in many cases, hes lying just because thats how his brain works. Hes been a liar for decades. But I think with the midterms, it was a concerted, strategic effort to use dishonesty as a campaign strategy, especially on immigration. So I think that was a big cause for acceleration. After observing him so closely, do you think thats true of most his lying that its strategic? Or is just a reflex because hes been doing this his whole life? I think most of it is nonstrategic. He says things like, My father was born in Germany, and youre just like, Why? What is the point of that? I think something that distinguishes Trump from other political liars or dissemblers is how trivial and needless many of the lies are. These are not lies about him being caught in a scandal and trying to spin his way out, or where hes trying to win some policy debate. A lot of it is just like Trump being Trump in ridiculous ways. To the extent that theres a strategy, I think its often him just trying to escape a given ten seconds. Maggie Haberman has noted that he tries to escape or win a particular transactional exchange with no regard to what he said in the past, no regard to what he might have to say ten seconds or ten minutes in the future. Hes just trying to get out of the moment. Its pretty remarkable to witness. This is a question that comes up whenever we deal with someone who consistently doesnt tell the truth: Do you think Trump believes most of his lies in the moment he tells them, or do you think hes consciously aware that hes not telling the truth? There are a lot of cases where I feel like I can tell that he knows hes making it up. And theres some where he clearly knows. One example that comes to mind: At campaign rallies, for a while hed be bashing the media and he would look to the cameras in the back of the room and point and be like, Look at that, CNN just turned its camera off. You see, the red light just went on Of course, that didnt happen. That has never happened, to my knowledge. CNN has never angrily turned off its camera when he was criticizing CNN or the media. And so hes literally looking his supporters in the eye and pointing at something in the room that is not happening and telling them that its happening. And so for people who say, Oh, he believes all these, hes just delusional, I think there are cases like that where hes clearly deliberately making it up. Youve long lamented on Twitter that reporters dont challenge Trump directly on his dishonesty enough when theyre interviewing him or asking him questions at a press conference. I do sometimes feel like theres this fantasy that if someone would just ask him a particular gotcha question, like How does Obamacare work?, the scales would fall from Americas eyes and his supporters would see him for the con man he really is. But of course hes a master deflector and dissembler. Do you think the approach you describe him would actually get results? Its hard to know exactly, but I think we have to try at least once, or at least a couple times. There have been literally dozens of interviews where the attitude has been, Lets just let him talk. Our job is to find out whats in his brain. I think, at this point, four years into his current political life, the returns from that approach have been exhausted. Like, why not one time it doesnt have to be your exclusive interview where youre worried about him storming out of the room or kicking you out of the Oval Office why not during one of his informal gaggles, when hes boarding Marine One, challenge him on the lie he told the day before, or challenge him in the moment on the lie that hes telling then? And even little ones, I think, would be educational. Mr. President, why did you say your father was born in Germany when he was born in New York? I think it would be educational just to hear what he had to say. I dont expect that a more confrontational approach would result in him being dramatically exposed and no one supporting him anymore. But I just think we can learn something from it, and it just hasnt been tried. Do you think American journalists are more deferential in their approach than their Canadian or international counterparts? I dont think American journalists are generally more deferential the U.S. has some of the most fearless, aggressive reporters there are. I think theres a level of deference, though, with the presidency that you dont often see in Canada with anyone. Theres something that seems to happen when people go into the Oval Office or when theyre dealing with him, where you call him sir a lot, you sort of gently prod him if he says something wrong, but never directly. And I dont know if its relationship management, wanting to get the next interview, or a concern about being seen as biased by his supporters or being blasted by him on Twitter, but I think its been consistently softer than I think it needs to be, at least when it comes to one-on-one interactions with him. Since Trump came onto the scene, theres been a lot of debate among journalists about when to call what he does lying. Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, said last year: The word lie is very powerful. For one thing, it assumes that someone knew the statement was false, another reason to use the word judiciously is that our readers could end up focusing more on our use of the word than on what was said. And also, using lie repeatedly could feed the mistaken notion that were taking political sides. Thats not our role. What do you think of that justification? I think our job as journalists is to call things what they are. And so if someone commits 100 crimes, you dont say, Were gonna call the first two crimes and the second one I dont know what the softer word would be non-legal behavior. The thing with Trump is that his relentlessness in lying works to his advantage, precisely because of that mind-set: You if we use the word lie 100 times in a week, you know, people are gonna think were biased or the word is gonna lose its power. But, to me, if theres 100 lies, you use the word lie 100 times. I myself use the term false claim a lot. My database is The Database of False Claims, because I do think its fair to say we dont know in every case that hes deliberate rather than just ignorant of the policy or confused about something. But if there are 100 lies, then I think we need to use the word. And I think to not do it out of some fear that its gonna lose its power or were gonna be wrongly accused of bias, I think that lets him win with lying. Are you in this for the long haul if he wins reelection? Are you going to be doing this the full eight years? I dont know. There would be a need for it if he were to win. I dont know if I could do it until what would it be, 2024? Yeah, it just seems like a long time to be doing it. Im not sure. Ive spoken to other people who cover Trump, and I think my sense of the consensus is that a lot of people will think at that point about how long they can deal with the Trump show, whether theyre fact-checking or just covering the Trump White House. If he were to win, I think a lot of people would sort of ask themselves, you know, that question at that point. So well see. Do you have a favorite harmless, unnecessary lie that Trump tells? Yeah, the one that I cite frequently is when he was criticized for his speech at the Boy Scout Jamboree, where he was sort of bizarrely political. And he was asked about this criticism, and he said something like, No, no, the head of the Boy Scouts called me and told me it was the greatest speech that had ever been given at the Boys Scout Jamboree. And so I emailed the Boy Scouts, thinking they wouldnt respond because big entities tend to not want to contradict the president, but they emailed me back and they were like, No one ever called and no one ever said that. I think the president might be the honorary chairman of the Boy Scouts, hes got some role, some quasi-official role with the Boy Scouts. So to have the president lying about the Boy Scouts of America was amazing to me. The other one that stands out is an interview he did with The Wall Street Journal. He was boasting about the impact of his tariffs. Then, a bit later in the interview, the Journal asked him about some of the criticism of his tariffs, and he said something like, No, no, I dont have any tariffs. What tariffs? Ive threatened tariffs, but I havent imposed any. And so he just went from literally boasting about this policy to claiming it doesnt exist, because, you know, those two things suited those particular moments better. And so, to me, it was just a really revealing example of how his mind works with regards to dishonesty. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. From postal vote deadlines to the election process a quick practical guide. Who can vote? Over 18s Lawful citizens EU nationals Non-Luxembourgers registered in Luxembourg European elections are mandatory in Luxembourg. Everyone who is aged 18 and over is, in fact, obligated to participate if they are registered on the electoral roll. The exception to this rule only applies to people over the age of 75, and those who live in a commune other than the one in which they are called to vote. People who have had their citizenship revoked are equally no longer eligible to vote. To vote in the EU elections an EU nationality is required. Postal vote Application requests at local commune of Myguichet.lu Fill in the form ID/Passport Address Deadline for those living outside of Luxembourg: 40 days before the vote Deadline for those living ins of Luxembourg: 25 days before the vote For those no longer living in Luxembourg, applications for a postal vote are possible until 16 April 40 days before the vote. With a Luxembourgish address, there is a little more leeway time-wise. Here the cut-off point for handing in a request is 2 May (the time frame usually consists of 25 days before the vote, however since this falls on the 1 May, a bank holiday, the deadline has been set back by 1 day). People with a LuxTrust-account or a digital ID (eID) can easily apply online on MyGuichet, otherwise applications can be made at your local commune. More information can be found on Guichet. How to vote A total of 705 MEP seats are up for vote: this includes 6 Luxembourgish members of parliament, compared to Germanys 96 seats. In Luxembourg, you can vote for a single party, which gives each of the party's candidates 1 vote. To do that, you need to put a cross above the list. You can also, however, vote for single members, either from one or multiple lists. This means you can give members either 1 or 2 votes, however, each person only has 6 votes: giving more is prohibited. Drawing or doodling on the vote renders it invalid. The visitors, including Irish Senator Neale Richmond, arrived in Luxembourg on Sunday. On Tuesday the Irish delegation of amongst other things finances and EU affairs visited the Chamber of Deputies. They arrived on Sunday. After visits to European institutions, it was time to get down to business: discussions mainly concerned Luxembourg-Ireland relations. Brexit and the Article 50 extension were also main topics of debate. It was a financial mission: Luxembourg and Ireland are famously the foundation of Europe. No wonder that the relationship has continued to be carefully maintained in the last few years. Both sides hope for more growth. The Irish Senator Neale Richmond said they felt very well received, what with being one of the small EU nations club. It had been a deliberate move to keep the Irish embassy open throughout the financial crisis, and Luxembourg and Ireland benefited from a strong financial and agricultural alliance. But whats growing is the sense of companionship between people: an increasing amount of people are flying between Dublin and Luxembourg, and an growing number of Irish people moving to Luxembourg and vice versa. This is something they want to support. Talks between Marc Angel, president of the Chambers external relations committee, and the Irish ambassador touched on Brexit. If it were up to the Irish, the whole fiasco would be called off; there was nothing good to be said about Brexit. It wouldnt be financially profitable for Ireland either. When they joined the European community, 60% of their exports went to Great Britain. This number has gone down to 12%. In contrast, their milk and meat industry including foodstuffs such as cheddar cheese and butter are in high demand. The day of the Brexit vote, the mushroom and tomato industry dropped by 10%. With Brexit, there will be little growth in the finance and tech industries. The Irish Government wont be able to transform a 55-year-old farmer into a hedgefund manager overnight. There is also a heavy resistance against a new border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The Good Friday Agreement takes precedence. RTL spoke to a firefighter who was present at 1985 Luxembourg Cathedral fire. An incident that was very similar to the fire in Paris. Nearly 35 years ago, Luxembourgs city centre Cathedral suffered a fire. Restoration works in the tower were the cause of the outbreak, causing the tip of the 65m tower to collapse. Erny Kirsch was there as a young fireman. Photos of the Paris fire were up on social media on Monday. In 1985, the first person to get a photo was a German tourist on the Knuedler, just after 2pm. It only took a few minutes for the fire to spread, and the citys fire brigade swiftly arrived on site. Erny Kirsch remembers this fire: he had only been a fireman for 5 months at this point. According to Kirsch, they had been lucky: for the most part, the wreckage fell into the foreign ministry court - if it had collapsed on to the National library, no doubt the damage would have been much worse, especially considering the existence of invaluable national treasures located in the building. There is another difference between the fires: while it was the tower that first caught fire back in 1985, it was the central aisle of the Notre Dame building that caught alight. The sheer amount of wood that is part of the infrastructure made any chance of saving it nigh on impossible. Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich expressed his condolences, the burning of such an important, religious landmark was devastating. The reconstruction of the tower was possible through the discovery of 1937 renovation plans that had survived the blaze in a metal cartridge. Fortunately, there are digital plans that The Notre Dame Cathedral will allow the restoration to take place. Video in Luxembourgish TokyoGirls'Update dreamBoat Sets Sail! Three Danso Groups Team Up for Their Maiden Voyage! Sponsored Links Pioneers of danso (girls dressing as boys) idols, Fudanjuku, were joined by newly formed danso units ael and EUPHORIA on Sunday, April 7th, 2019, in Shibuyas Stream Hall to celebrate the premiere of their new project, dreamBoat. The event, also broadcast via niconico to fans all over Japan and the world, lasted just under an hour. It kicked off with the debut of EUPHORIA, the collective youngest of the three groups. Five cute and cool dark-haired princes took to the stage, in costumes of white brocade and gold trim with colorful accessories on their lapels indicating their member colors. EUPHORIA opened with a bittersweet love song, Kimi wa Destiny and though their nervousness was palpable they managed to charm the audience and win plenty of applause and cheers. With a vow to bring everyone happiness, the members introduced their group and themselves. The MC was lead by cute and confident Utaori Toa. After a quick choreography demonstration, EUPHORIA began their second song fitting for fresh starts, New Horizon. Upbeat and energetic, fans joined members in clapping and waving along to the sweet song about believing in yourself and reaching your dreams. EUPHORIAs debut single will be released in August. Next was the much-anticipated ael, whose name is a play on the Japanese for able to meet and stands for All Eternal Love. One member, Iriya Sena, was unable to take part in the event due to schedule conflicts, but appeared via VTR to announce that he recorded the new tracks early so his voice would be present in aels debut performance. The other six members took to the stage to dark and edgy electric beats mixed with audience screams, clad in military-inspired jackets in black, red and grey with bountiful flouncy tailcoats. The lights came up as Owarinaki Rhapsody began with a line from powerful vocalists, Arimitsu Haruki and Kanade Mirai. With a high-octane guitar riff and a rock show call of LETS GO! from Arimitsu, the song kicked into gear with energetic dance and vocals from all members. Even aels MC portion was heart-pounding, as drums rocked out in the background while members introduced their danso personas. Without missing a beat, they transitioned into the hopeful and positive Starry Night. Everyone looked ecstatic to be on stage with each other, and their energy was contagious. aels debut single hits shelves in July. Last but not least was Fudanjuku. Though the group has been active for over 11 years, a frequently changing member lineup has kept things fresh for the group and allowed for constant reinvention. The two newest members, Katsuki Daiya and Oji Sotaro, had just experienced their first one-man lives since joining the group in the same venue the day before. Warmed up from that experience, all 6 members delivered a confident performance full of smiles with their upcoming singles A-side, Dash & Daaaaaash!!!!!!, releasing June 29th and airing now as the opening theme for spring anime, Gunjou no Magmell. Fudanjuku continued into their characteristic playful MC, joking about how cool EUPHORIA and ael had been and that theyd have to work hard to keep up with their juniors. Next up came the song that encompasses Fudanjuku as a group, Onaji Jidai ni Umareta Wakamonotachi. With powerful lyrics about living with all your might in spite of being rejected or hated, the song united stage and audience with whoa-oh-oh-oh calls and raised fists. Finally, Fudanjukus senior member Aiba Kensui called the other two groups to the stage to reflect on the event. EUPHORIAs Utaori Toa thanked everyone for joining in with their choreography, prompting fellow member Kaido Itsuki, Fudanjukus Kuryu Masaki and aels Shizuki Lee to jump forward and demonstrate much to everyones amusement. Kensui went on to narrate major announcements related to the group as they were projected on the venues screen. In addition to the dreamBoat groups releasing a single one by one three months in a row, a dreamBoat special event is tentatively planned for the fall of 2019. With all members on stage, the full dreamBoat project came together for a performance of Fudanjukus Danso Revolution, packing the stage with handsome talent and drawing high-pitched screams from fans. After a dizzying concentration of coolness came a rare photo session, with fans permitted to take photos of all 3 groups to share on social networking sites and keep as memories of a thrilling premiere event. A press interview was held after the live portion, and Aiba Kensui (Fudanjuku), Arimitsu Haruki (ael) and Utaori Toa (EUPHORIA) shared their impressions about the days event. Aiba Kensui (Fudanjuku): Today was the premiere of dreamBoat and announcements for all three groups. Each unit has their own unique flavor, and we feel strongly about wanting to spread danso culture. With the strength of all three groups combined, we want to do our best! As Fudanjuku, we would like to continue expanding the reach of our comedy-packed, amusing group! Arimitsu Haruki (ael): We were able to participate in dreamBoat today with 17 people, but actually ael has 7 members, so we want to do our best as ael and as one part of dreamBoat in the future. Well work at showing everyone a cool, rock group! Utaori Toa (EUPHORIA): EUPHORIA is the youngest brother group of dreamBoat, but well be doing our best not to lose to our older brothers, and work hard to keep up with and even overtake them! As our name suggests, we want to convey a sense of happiness, as a prince-like group that suits these sparkling costumes. Each group was asked to deliver a message to their fans all over the world. Aiba: Danso culture is something that people worldwide might have interest in, and I think Japan might be the main representative of that culture. We would love for more overseas fans to travel to our concerts so we can get their hearts racing too. Thinking about other countries from here on out, weve got our member Masaki who can speak Korean, and wed like to study languages like English and Chinese, so well be doing our best. Arimitsu: As ael too, wed like to go to more and more places overseas, and as Kensui was just saying, I think danso culture is something distinctively Japanese, so Id be really happy if people all over the world found it to be cool and interesting. Well do our best keep delivering this culture worldwide. Utaori: Someday, wed love to deliver an overseas concert with all members of dreamBoat! At the end of the event, Aiba, Arimitsu and Utaori spoke enthusiastically about their plans for the future. Aiba: Fudanjuku has set Budokan as a future goal and were giving it our all, but with this many people together, today made us believe that instead of stopping at Budokan, we could set our sights on a dome concert someday, too! Well be doing our best, please support dreamBoat from now on! Arimitsu: As a part of dreamBoat, well be following in Fudanjukus footsteps, though someday we may surpass them, and while working closely with EUPHORIA, we want to do our best all together. As this cool, rock-influenced new-style idol group, we want to spread our sound, so please pay attention to us! Utaori: As others have said, well work towards getting to do many different kinds of activities as part of dreamBoat, and being able to go worldwide! As EUPHORIA, a one-man live, an album, expanding our activities, and being able to stand on various stages are all goals were aiming for. Thank you! Set List 01 Kimi wa Destiny / EUPHORIA 02 New Horizon / EUPHORIA 03 Owarinaki Rhapsody / ael 04 Starry Night / ael 05 Dash Daaaaaash!!!!!! / Fudanjuku 06 Onaji Jidai ni Umareta Wakamonotachi / Fudanjuku 07 Danso Revolution / dreamBoat Related Links dreamBoat Official Site: https://www.dreamboat.site/ dreamBoat Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/DREAMBOAT_DANSO Fudanjuku Official Site: http://nfs724.com/ Fudanjuku Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/fudan_juku ael Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/ael_official_ EUPHORIA Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/euphoria_dB Sponsored Links Share This Article Author Rhythm (wamhouse) English teacher by day, idol wota and subculture explorer by night. Specializes in danso groups; also weak to dyed hair, short hair and atypical idols. Sometimes a 2D nerd, always an animal otaku. Let's go exploring! You may also like Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Representative Ilhan Omar. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images The Washington Post on Tuesday published a story about Chad Loder, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of the company Habitu8, which trains companies on how to deal with cyber threats. Like many Americans, Loder bore witness to the vitriol targeting Ilhan Omar, the freshman U.S. congresswoman from Minneapolis, that exploded last week after Republicans accused her of trivializing the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (While discussing the costs borne by Muslims generally due to the actions of a few extremists, Omar described the attacks as some people did something.) Loder decided to perform an experiment: Using Twitters search feature, he input the handles of Omars two accounts and added terms like rope, bullet, noose, and hanged, along with phrases like I hope someone and someone needs to. The exercise yielded what he said were hundreds of direct threats against the congresswoman, and many more indirect ones. [Some] random person somewhere whos just on the edge of a mental breakdown will see [the inciting tweets from GOP leaders] and theyll take matters into their own hands, Loder worried. Tragedy has not yet struck, but these posts are part of a larger pattern: Prior to last weeks wave, the FBI arrested a man in New York who threatened to put a bullet in [Omars] fucking skull. The agency announced in early March that it was investigating graffiti scrawled in a Twin Cities bathroom stall that read Assassinate Ilhan Omar in Sharpie ink. The congresswomans name also appeared alongside several others including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumers on a hit list compiled by Christopher Paul Hasson, a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-described white nationalist who, until his arrest in February, was stockpiling firearms and ammunition in preparation for a large-scale massacre of civilians. The political response to the latest threats has been partisan. Republicans have mostly declined to condemn them, while the replies from Democrats have ranged from the unequivocally supportive in the case of progressives like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to the somewhat tepid, from more center-left figures like Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar. All seem to agree, though, that the GOP tweets were dangerous and put Omar at risk especially President Trumps, which intercut footage of her remarks with footage of the Twin Towers in flames. This conclusion seems especially true given how people like Cesar Sayoc and Robert Bowers have used the presidents verbal salvos and conspiracy theories as pretexts for their own terroristic behavior. Yet in the midst of it all, the Atlantics David Frum saw fit to pose a question he deemed of special import at the time: How might Omars remarks and her fellow Democrats support impact the partys performance in upcoming elections? Frums answer which he outlines in his latest piece, Democrats Are Falling Into the Ilhan Omar Trap is that by defending Omar against the right-wing onslaught, the Democrats have backed themselves into a corner. That one tweet succeeded to perfection, wrote the former George W. Bush speechwriter, referring to Trumps video. Trump wishes to make Omar the face of the Democratic Party heading into the 2020 elections and now he has provoked Democrats to comply. Frum went on to describe the congresswomans so-called recklessness as a liability for a party that [wants] to win national elections and govern the country. He insisted that the GOPs characterization of her remarks about Islamophobia was correct that she was, in effect, exonerating the 9/11 hijackers. He deployed the now-standard canard that Omar speaks disparagingly about Jews, even though a more precise assessment is that she speaks disparagingly about the Israeli government and its American lobbyists, sometimes in terms that could be interpreted as anti-Semitic. And he listed as further evidence of iniquity Omars personal affiliations that he deems radical namely, that her co-headliner at a fundraising event, Hassan Shibly, has condemned Israel as an [enemy] of God and humanity for its brutal treatment of Palestinians, and is the lawyer for Hoda Muthana, an American woman who married an ISIS fighter and pledged allegiance to the terrorist group. (In other words: a lawyer who does his job.) Nevermind that a week during which the congresswoman is facing death threats and inflammatory rhetoric from the president is an odd time for Frum to catalogue why he thinks she is toxic. His analysis also illustrates one of the worst impulses of political journalism: Its tendency to measure amorality among politicians in terms of how it impacts the horse race, rather than whether it is socially dangerous or conveys something more troubling about American society. (Hes being praised for it, regardless.) This approach does not define all of Frums work. His 2017 essay, How to Build an Autocracy, delved lucidly into how Trumps election could erode American democracy. Yet that perspective seems to have abandoned him here. Readers are left instead with an ill-conceived and poorly timed argument that gives a pollsters answer to a moral question. (Frums lone concession to the horror of Omars predicament comes toward the end, when he writes in passing that she has been a target of extremist criticism, some of it verging on incitement.) It is especially interesting that Frum spills so little ink assessing the significance of a major political party going out of its way to mischaracterize Omars remarks in order to make her a target for potential violence, considering the pratfalls that dot his own career. A not-insignificant share of Frums punditry has been devoted to making reckless comments, claims, and arguments for which he was compelled to apologize. He was a fervent supporter of the Iraq War, which commenced under false pretenses and resulted in the deaths of nearly half a million people. He later expressed regret for it. In 2011, he wrote a column at CNN about his newfound support for marriage equality, titled I was wrong about same-sex marriage. And in 2014, he wrote a grudging apology at the Atlantic for tweeting allegations that a photo of two brothers, crying and covered in blood, at a hospital in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed their father, was inauthentic. Though his instinct to apologize is laudable, the hawkish verve and disdain for civil rights that marked his errors were neither minor nor ambiguous. Yet he seems uninterested in extending to Omar the same generosity that has allowed him to remain employed and relevant despite his mistakes. (The congresswoman, it is worth noting, has also apologized for her use of anti-Semitic tropes.) Even if one concedes that Frums thesis is an appropriate one to try proving right now, the graver mistake, rather than defend Omar, would be for Democrats to let Republican characterizations dictate their electoral strategy. The GOP is the party, after all, for which President Obama was a Kenya-born socialist, and for which the Democrats the party of open borders and crime are executing babies after they are born. Clearly, there are few limits to how far Republicans will go to mischaracterize Democratic positions, including by lying. This does not mean that Democratic leaders are not nervous anyway. Speaker Pelosi has sought repeatedly to compel Omars silence on fraught subjects like Israel and, more generally, been dismissive of the influence held by progressive freshmen like Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The obvious impulse is to cast these women as marginal and their ideas as aspirational in a party that is more moderate than they are a clear play, to Frums point, for voters who might be wavering on whom to support in 2020. This approach has rankled progressive Democrats, and confirms a longstanding critique of the party, which is that by letting Republicans set the terms of the debate, Democrats are cowed into sacrificing progressive principles and appearing weak. But more broadly, they also risk alienating the very voters whom they need to show up in 2020 and in elections to come, and who comprise the partys current and future base: young people and nonwhites, especially nonwhite women. The Democratic Party cant run away from the fight regarding Ilhan Omar, because she represents the country, Justice Democrats communications director Waleed Shahid told the New York Times on Tuesday. In the story between Make America Great Again or the new America we are becoming, she is a pivotal character. Tlaib echoed his concerns: They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse, the Michigan congresswoman, who is Palestinian-American, wrote on Twitter. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for, and why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. It is a risk that Pelosi seems willing to take. And it may prove to be pragmatic toward a 2020 victory or not but it is certainly not principled. As for whether all Democrats will be penalized henceforth for everything controversial that Omar says, that depends on a public reading of their response to the Republican Partys onslaught that prefers letting it go unanswered to condemning it unequivocally. It is possible that a plurality of Americans find this desirable. And it is abundantly clear where David Frum stands on the subject. But if the supportive response from people like Sanders, Warren, and others does end up costing the party votes down the road, then the real problem is much bigger than winning or losing elections. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images On the evening before the public release of the redacted findings of the Mueller investigation, reports emerged that Justice Department officials have had several conversations with White House lawyers, helping President Trumps legal team to prepare a rebuttal, and his PR team to plan counter-programming against the coming media frenzy. Barr Will Release Report After Thursday Morning Press Conference In an effort of questionable logic or just a last-ditch endeavor to stall for time Attorney General William Barr will hold a press conference Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m., then release the report to Congress somewhere between 11 a.m. and noon. If this timeline, as presented by Representative Jerry Nadler, is confirmed, reporters will be asking Barr about a 300-page report they havent yet seen, let alone taken the time to digest. Attorney General Barr wrote to me on April 1: "I do not believe it would be in the publics interest for me to attempt to summarize the full report." I agree. So why is the AG holding a press conference tomorrow morning to go over the Mueller report? #ReleaseTheReport https://t.co/UA9XyC55v5 (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) April 17, 2019 Sorry but this is not a press conference - its an opportunity for Barr to put a spin on the ball or defend himself. No one can ask real questions here. https://t.co/dNTLk95iPX Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 17, 2019 The Report Will Be Lightly Redacted According to the Washington Post, the report will be lightly redacted, offering detailed blow-by-blow of his alleged conduct analyzing tweets, private threats and other episodes at the center of Muellers inquiry, they added. Barr Cements Reputation as Trumps Fixer That President Trump received an advance notice to aide his legal and P.R. teams infuriated critics who already claim that Barrs handling of the Mueller report summary and no-call on obstruction of justice were issued in favor of the president. Thursdays irregular timeline for Barrs conference and the Mueller release certainly doesnt help that appearance. He has demonstrated that he understands loyalty to the president, rather than an oath to the Constitution, Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline told the New York Times. The president said, I want to have my own Roy Cohn, and he may have found him. Leaks Are Coming (Probably) Another piece of Mueller news dropped on Wednesday evening one that could alleviate the frustration of report readers stymied by big redacted blocks in Thursdays reading. According to NBC News, after the redacted version of the report is released to the public, the Justice Department intends to allow a limited number of members of Congress and their staff to review a version of the report without certain redactions. Of course, certain redactions is an extremely ambiguous phrase, one that will most likely be clarified by Democratic members of Congress upon their review. Also possible from those same members of Congress: leaks of the less-redacted report. Mueller Will Almost Certainly Be Subpoenaed In a very brief news conference on Thursday evening, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler called William Barrs actions cherry picking and that the AG has baked in a narrative about the report to the benefit of the White House. As a consequence, Nadler told reporters that his committee will subpoena special counsel Mueller and members of his team in very short order, assuming that the report is not light on redactions. How to Read the Report According to BuzzFeed News reporter Zoe Tillman, the report will be sent to Congress on CDs, an interesting medium for what is presumably a text file or PDF. For the rest of us, the Mueller report will be posted on the special counsel website after its sent to Congress although there still isnt a time for the public release. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. The former San Antonio mayor and HUD secretary is a potential barn burner. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images The vast 2020 Democratic presidential field has a lot of diversity. It includes three African-Americans (if you include Miramar, Florida, mayor Wayne Hassam, as you probably should), three Asian-Americans, six women, a Hindu, a Jew, and an openly gay married man. But theres only one representative of the countrys, and the Democratic Partys, fastest-growing demographic group, Latinos. That would be former San Antonio mayor and HUD secretary Julian Castro. Castro has an impressive resume for a 44-year-old pol. But its easy to underestimate him as a presidential candidate. Some progressives dont trust him because of his alleged coziness with Wall Street at HUD (which he tartly denied in an interview with my colleague Gabriel Debenedetti). He hasnt raised a lot of money ($1.1 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared with $9.4 million for fellow Texan Beto ORourke). Hes nowhere in the polls so far (hes currently ninth in the polling averages at RealClearPolitics, at 1.3 percent). And although hes the second credible Latino candidate for president (after Bill Richardson in 2008), and is the grandchild of immigrants from Mexico, hes not really fluent in Spanish. Still, he has a position on the crucial immigration issue that should appeal to fellow Latinos, and actually represents a lot of second- or third-generation Latino-Americans who are shaky in Spanish. And if he can demonstrate some political viability very early in the nomination process, he has an enormous potential for a breakthrough soon thereafter, as Perry Bacon Jr. explains: For Castro the ideal scenario is that he is a viable candidate when the primaries start in February, so he can galvanize Latinos behind him in three key states in particular: California, Nevada and Texas. Nevada (where about 20 percent of Democratic primary voters are likely to be Latino) is currently scheduled to be the third state to vote. California and Texas, the two states with the largest Latino populations, hold their primaries along with several other states on Super Tuesday, on March 3, but both states allow early voting, so lots of voters in both states will cast ballots in February. So hes in a bit of a trap: He cant mobilize Latino voters behind him unless he demonstrates viability, and he wont look viable without strong Latino support. He has plenty of time to make a strong impression in debates and retail campaigning. And like those Democratic rivals who are boasting of their electability as ambassadors to Trump voters in the Heartland, Castro has his own electability argument, as Bacon notes: When I asked Castro how he would present himself as electable to Democratic voters, he named six states that he felt he could flip: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which Clinton barely lost in 2016, along with Arizona, Florida and Texas. Castro didnt outright say this, but the implication was obvious: Arizona, Florida and Texas are the three states with the largest Latino electorates that did not vote for Democrats in 2016. Its not entirely clear how Julian Castro makes himself the Barack Obama of Latino Democrats, but until he fails, it would be foolish to count him out. This post has been corrected to show that Castro is the grandchild of immigrants, not the child of immigrants as incorrectly stated originally. More than 80 percent of the Vietnamese rice vermicelli samples taken for toxicity tests in Ho Chi Minh City have been found to contain a banned and cancer-causing chemical, according to the report of a recent food safety inspection. The shocking result was announced last week by the inspector, the Center for Study and Consultation on Consumerism (CESCON), which collected 30 samples of six types of Vietnamese rice noodle, including pho, bun, banh canh, banh hoi, banh cuon, and banh uot between June 15 to 25 for tests. The ingredient pho is used to make pho, a popular food for foreigners. The center said the samples were randomly taken from nine food selling facilities, including three supermarkets (Co.op Mart Cong Quynh, Maximark Cong Hoa, and Big C Hoang Van Thu), five markets (Pham Van Hai, Ben Thanh, Tan Son Nhat, Go Vap, and Ba Chieu), and a grocery in Tan Binh District. Shocking result CESCON said five out of six types of the rice noodle, or 24 out of 30 samples and an 80 percent proportion, were found to contain tinopal, a chemical that is not included in the list of allowed food additives released by the Ministry of Health. Shockingly enough, 100 percent of the collected samples of the banh canh, banh hoi, and banh uot were found to contain the banned chemical. The respective figures for bun and pho are 56 percent, and 75 percent. Using this banned and hazardous chemical in making rice noodle is against the law while causing harm to consumers, CESCON deputy director Do Ngoc Chinh told Tuoi Tre. Regular and long consumption of tinopal can do harm to consumers digestion, and even cause kidney and liver failures as well as cancers, Chinh warned. Supermarkets surprised Petty traders at the markets where the toxic noodle was found said they do not know where their products come from, as they are delivered directly to their booths on a daily basis by our trade partners. Maximark Cong Hoa supermarkets director Pham Phuong Thao said she was surprised to learn that the vermicelli at her facility contained toxic chemical because they all passed food safety checks before being put on shelves as per law. Maximark will thus stop selling this type of commodity, she said. A representative of Co.op Mart also said supermarkets under its chain always test the rice noodle before sourcing them, but no bad results have ever been reported. Chinh, the deputy director of CESCON, meanwhile pressed that the noodle producers should be responsible for what chemicals they use in making the products. Its also the responsibility of the relevant government agencies to warn consumers against the toxic food and completely crack down on the problem, he urged. Chinh said his center will submit the survey report to the health ministry and other relevant agencies. Your browser does not support the audio element. A freshman at a prestigious university in Hanoi who was admitted with the best placement score of her class has withdrawn after a shocking expose that her test scores, as well as dozens of others, had been altered by insiders in a cheating scandal of unprecedented scale in Vietnam. T.P.T., a former high school student from the northern province of Hoa Binh, scored an impressive total of 27.75 points out of 30 for history, geography, and literature in the 2018 National High School Examination in Vietnam. With an additional 0.75 priority points added to her total because of her family background, T. was the highest-scoring student to be admitted into the Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE) in the 2018-19 academic year. When interviewed by journalists at the universitys opening ceremony last September, T. said she was confident that her score reflected her true academic ability amidst surfacing suspicions at the time that students from some northern Vietnamese provinces including Hoa Binh had cheated in the exam. Results of the National High School Examination, held every year around June, are used to determine whether a student qualifies for graduation from high school and acts as a placement test for college and university entrance in Vietnam. In June 2018, nearly one million candidates took part in the three-day exam, where they sat for tests in math, literature, foreign languages, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, and civics. Suspicion of cheating was raised after exam results were released in early July 2018, with a police investigation that followed uncovering test score manipulation in the three northern provinces of Ha Giang, Son La and Hoa Binh. T. was among 64 exam takers from Hoa Binh Province who had their scores raised by insiders in the high-profile cheating scandal that sent shockwaves across the nation. Trinh Tuan Anh, head of academic affairs at HNUE, said on Tuesday the school had received from the provincial education department a list of students whose scores in the national exam were altered. T.s real total score before the manipulation was 21.5, which would not have been enough for admission into HNUE, Anh said. However, T. had withdrawn from our university before we could take any action, he added. Many top students at other universities in Hanoi have also been exposed for having their scores raised by up to 26.45 points out of 30 in the 2018 exam. These students had either been expelled, withdrawn, or refused to enroll in the first place out of fear of being exposed, according to leaders of these institutions, many of which are police and military academies. More than a dozen people, including education officials and a police officer, have been prosecuted so far in Ha Giang, Son La and Hoa Binh on charges of abusing powers and positions while performing duties for helping to carry out the large-scale test-score manipulation. How is it possible that such cheaters were allowed to take courses for nearly a year without being exposed for their unqualified academic abilities? said Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, a former higher education official under the Ministry of Education and Training. Vietnams top universities [where this happens] must question their own quality of education, he said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. UNESCO has approved a proposal by Vietnam to commemorate the 650th anniversary of the death of renowned teacher Chu Van An next year. Vietnams application, along with 48 of 71 other dossiers submitted by 41 countries, was approved at UNESCOs Executive Board Meeting in Paris, France, on Wednesday. Le Hoai Trung, chairman of the UNESCO National Committee of Vietnam, was leading a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 206th session of the Executive Board Meeting from April 3 to 17. UNESCO has since 1954 annually published a list to honor great personalities and events of all member nations in fields of education, culture and science. Chu Van An and 48 other personalities from 41 countries are selected for this years list. Chu Van An (1292 1370) is a genius teacher who devoted all his life to the education career and had a great influence on Vietnamese people throughout generations for his humane philosophy. His thoughts not only affected many generations of Vietnamese but also contributed to the development of humanistic values in the region, according to the Vietnam News Agency. His educational perspective has progressive values, close to the modern values that UNESCO summarized as learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learn to be humans. UNESCO will honor and commemorate the 650th death anniversary of Chu Van An in 2020. The 14th-century teacher is the fourth Vietnamese personality to be honored by the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural arm. UNESCO previously commemorated the birthday of politician Nguyen Trai in 1980, President Ho Chi Minh in 1990 and poet Nguyen Du in 2015. UNESCO's adoption of the 650th anniversary of the death of Chu Van An shows that Vietnams cultural and educational values make a mark among the international community, while promoting the goal of education equality for all people and lifelong learning that the organization is promoting. Under UNESCOs regulations, the upcoming 40th UNESCO General Assembly Meeting in November will officially adopt a resolution on celebrating the outstanding events and characters of the world. The organization has 193 member states, as of January 2019. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Qualified crash helmets were handed over to 10,000 students across Hanoi during a program aiming to convey traffic safety messages to the youth in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday. The Ultimate technology Absolute safety program, held by Vietnam Grand Prix Co., was attended by Jean Todt President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and his wife, movie star Michelle Yeoh. The free helmets were presented to Hanoi students as part of a series of activities to respond to the FIAs #3500LIVES campaign that was launched in Vietnam on March 19. The #3500LIVES campaign was first launched by the FIA in 2017 to act as a reminder of the alarming traffic-related death rate, thus encouraging people to play their role in making safer roads for all. Speaking at Tuesdays event, Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said 3,500 people are killed every day by traffic accidents around the world, and the FIA-backed campaign aims to bring this figure down. In Vietnam, traffic accidents kill more than 8,000 and injure 10,000 people each year, while the respective figures in Hanoi are over 300 and 600, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Giving helmets to students is an act meant to remind motorbike users of wearing this gear whenever they move on roads for the sake of their own safety, Chung noted. Todt, who is also special envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Road Safety, said improving traffic safety is one of his top targets, adding that helmets are an important factor in reducing road casualties. In countries with a large number of motorbike users like Vietnam, about 90 percent of deaths or life-long injuries in road accidents are caused by head injuries. Todt underlined that it is essential that road users buy quality helmets and wear them properly. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in the south-central Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai have caught red-handed an illegal gasoline trade in the countrys territorial waters and identified a Taiwanese firm as being behind the operation. On Sunday afternoon, anti-smuggling officers under the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with Quang Ngai coast guard and border guard units, caught the South Korean oil tanker M/T Pioneer Spirit transferring 350,000 liters of A95 fuel to the Quang Ngai-registered QNg-0350 ship. Both captains of the ships were unable to present any document regarding their trade and did not declare the product to Vietnamese customs as required by the law. According to a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Kim Chong Hun, the South Korean captain of the M/T Pioneer Spirit, claimed he had signed a fuel transportation contract with Taiwan-based You Young Ship Management & Consultant Co. Under the contract, the oil tanker is responsible for transporting gasoline from international waters into Vietnamese waters, where the product would be handed to You Youngs customers, according to the captain. The location and time of each transfer, as well as the number of the Vietnamese ship that would receive the fuel from the tanker in Vietnamese waters, were informed to Kim via telephone. The South Korean and Vietnamese ships are caught transferring fuel on April 14, 2019. Photo: N.C. /Tuoi Tre On March 16, the M/T Pioneer Spirit received 8.5 million liters of fuel from a ship named Heng Yang in international waters, Kim recounted. The South Korean vessel had entered Vietnams ocean twice on March 18 and 31 and successfully delivered the shipment, before docking at Chinas Hainan Island. On April 14, Kim headed the oil tanker to the Southeast Asian country again, this time in waters off Quang Ngai, to transfer gasoline to three Vietnamese boats, following the direction of You Young Co. Competent authorities examine the M/T Pioneer Spirit. Photo: N.C. /Tuoi Tre The first out of three deliveries was being carried out when officers arrived. Aside from Kim, Nathanael Kantale, who works as an interpreter for You Young, was also on the M/T Pioneer Spirit during Sundays inspection. Meanwhile, Tran Thanh Vinh, captain of the QNg-0350, said he had been hired by Vo Van Cung, deputy director of Ly Son 2, a local company, to receive the fuel from the South Korean tanker. Vinh said he was just following Cungs directions. Kim Chong Hun, captain of the M/T Pioneer Spirit, works with Vietnamese officers. Photo: N.C. /Tuoi Tre I was told to receive the gasoline and transport it to Sa Ky Port in Quang Ngai, before loading it onto tanker trucks for distribution, he continued. Vinh added he had also been contacting with a customs officer prior to the incident. Major General Luong Tam Quang, head of the office of the Ministry of Public Security, confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the agency is expanding their investigation into the case. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Mourners carry the coffin of a child killed by a Saudi air strike on a school bus. Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that Saudi Arabia had orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and that the United States should stop wasting resources on bloody Middle Eastern wars that have no real connection to our national interest. As president, Trump just vetoed a congressional resolution that would have ended U.S. support for a Saudi war in Yemen that has likely claimed the lives of more than 85,000 children under 5 years old, and triggered the worst humanitarian crisis on planet Earth so as to defend Americas vital interest in ensuring that the Middle Easts poorest country is ruled by a puppet of Sunni Islamists, instead of Shia ones. Earlier this month, for the first time ever, Congress invoked the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to end American involvement in a conflict overseas. Bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate decided that the U.S. had no interest in helping the Saudis drop American-made bombs on Yemeni school buses and maintain a blockade that has Yemen trembling on the precipice of the worst famine humanity has seen in 100 years. Trump was always expected to reject this analysis. But his rationale for doing so has never been clear. After all, Trump did bring some of his isolationist intuitions with him to the Oval Office. Hes spent much of his first term calling for a reduction in U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Syria. So what has persuaded the commander-in-chief that the terrible price of U.S. complicity in Yemens brutal civil war is worth paying? What grand strategic considerations have persuaded the leader of the free world that the total destruction of the Houthi rebels is a core security interest of the United States? According to the Washington Post: Trump viewed the Yemen vote as a rebuke of his administration after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and urged some senators not to go along with it, according to White House and congressional aides Trump continues to want to keep strong ties with Saudi Arabia and does not share the view of Congress that the kingdom needs to be punished for the killing of Khashoggi, aides said. This report appears broadly consistent with the presidents official statement on the veto. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, the president said, making the odd argument that pulling back from a war in the Middle East will make it more likely that U.S. soldiers will perish while fighting other wars in the Middle East (plus, wont somebody please think of my constitutional authorities). Trump probably isnt the first American president to needlessly prolong (or launch) a war out of a combination of pique, and narcissistic indifference to the suffering of foreign peoples. But, at the very least, his predecessors put a bit more effort into disguising their nihilism. Read what is in the news today, April 17! Politics -- Vietnam and Romania are important partners, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Romanian counterpart Viorica Dancila said in a joint statement issued at the end of Phucs official visit to Romania from April 14-16. Society -- A company based in Taiwan is behind the smuggling of millions of liters of gasoline into Vietnam since March by hiring a South Korean vessel to transport the fuel and transfer it to Vietnamese ships at sea to avoid detection, a Ministry of Public Security officer said on Tuesday. -- Ho Chi Minh City is looking to expand its smart bus passes system to around 300 buses operating on 16 routes in the southern metropolis with a view to entirely eradicate the need for bus tickets and bus attendants. Business -- Air conditioning units are selling like hot cakes in southern Vietnam as the region is going through a heat wave when real-feel temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius at midday, with electronics retailers estimating that sales of the air coolers have nearly doubled in recent days compared to regular seasons. -- Vietnams Committee for Management of State Capital has approved the resignation of Nguyen Vu Truong Son, general director of state-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), after receiving the mans resignation letter in March. -- The developer of Ho Tram Strip, a grand casino project in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau, has once again asked for government permission in delaying the projects deadline for another five years until 2025, citing insufficient funds. -- A feasibility report on a project to build the Long Thanh International Airport in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai is expected to be completed in June and submitted to the lawmaking National Assembly for approval in October 2019, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam said on Tuesday as it announced updates on the projects progress. -- Dien Quang, a major Vietnamese manufacturer of lighting appliances, has been asked to pay VND37.92 billion (US$1.6 million) in fines and tax arrears for its tax violations between 2015 and 2017. Education -- The Open University in Ho Chi Minh City announced on Tuesday it would ban all use of plastic water bottles, straws and utensils at future school meetings from May 15, effectively reducing its use of around 124,900 plastic bottles yearly. -- Vietnams conglomerate VinGroup announced on Wednesday the official launch of an artificial intelligence research institute VinAI Research where crucial personnel for Vietnams AI research will be trained. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A university in Ho Chi Minh City will stop using plastic water bottles, drinking straws and other products during events held within the school from next month, in response to a movement to fight single-use plastics. The management board of the Ho Chi Minh City Open University has observed an alarming number of over a hundred thousand plastic water bottles used in meetings, events and even in classes for the past few years, despite the schools huge efforts on promoting environment campaigns on its campus. A fresh effort is underway to tackle the issue, with the school expected to cut off the use of plastic bottles, straws and other dining utensils in all internal meetings from the beginning of next month, according to its vice rector, Associate Professor and Doctor Nguyen Minh Ha. Alternatively, lecturers and students are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles or drinking water provided by the university to reduce plastic waste, Ha added. Large water containers are expected to be available during meetings, as attendees will no longer be individually given their own water bottles. The management of Ho Chi Minh City Open University will also offer reusable water bottles to officers and employees and organize environmental campaigns and events among students, as part of this plastic-reduction effort. Different initiatives to reduce single-use plastics have recently been taken in Vietnam, at a time when environmental protection is a topical issue in the country. Earlier this month several supermarket chains, including Vietnams leading retailer Saigon Co.op, began a step-by-step effort to ditch their biodegradable wrap for banana leaves in their respective systems. Saigon Co.op also announced it would stop selling plastic drinking straws across its trading system from May 1. In the meantime, local youth across the country have actively participated in the Challenge for Change, or the #Trashtag Challenge, where they gathered in groups to clean outdoor areas that have been overrun with litter. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. Residents at an apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City have signed a petition demanding that legal proceedings be launched against a man for child molestation, nearly 20 days after the alleged sexual assault took place inside an elevator at the building. Nguyen Tu Anh, head of the management board of the Galaxy 9 Apartment Complex in District 4, confirmed on Wednesday morning that the board would submit the petition to the municipal Peoples Committee and Peoples Procuracy on the same day. The document had been signed by people living at the apartment complex over the past two days, Anh stated. The petition demanded that legal procedures being carried out against Nguyen Huu Linh, 62, who is a former deputy head of the Peoples Procuracy in the central city of Da Nang, for molesting an under 16-year-old girl. It also required competent authorities to impose stern punishment upon the offender once they have sufficient evidence. The alleged sexual harassment occurred at around 9:10 pm on April 1 and was caught on CCTV installed inside an elevator of the apartment building. In the video, Linh can be seen grabbing and kissing a young girl, estimated to be somewhere between five and seven years old. Police officers were able to identify Linh, but not before he had already returned to Da Nang. He was visiting a relative who lives at Galaxy 9 on the day of the incident. Linh returned to the southern metropolis on April 4 to assist following a police request to cooperate with the investigation. Phap Luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper reported on the same day that Linh had confirmed he was the man in the CCTV footage. Phap Luat quoted the ex-procuracy official as saying that he was just petting the young girl and refused to provide further information. The management board said they had resorted to filing a petition as it has been 17 days since the incident happened, while authorities in District 4 has yet to start any legal procedures. On April 5, the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Protection of Children's Rights sent a document to the police unit and Peoples Procuracy in District 4, as well as the municipal Peoples Procuracy, asking them to begin legal proceedings of the case. The Vietnamese law promulgates that competent authorities must decide whether or not they would carry out the procedures within 20 days after the request was submitted, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper quoted Nguyen Kieu Hung, a member of the citys Bar Association, as saying. As it has been 12 days since the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Protection of Children's Rights filed their request, police now have eight days left to make the decision, and the apartment residents apparently lose their patience. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A pregnant 18-year-old girl in Ho Chi Minh City lost her baby after being allegedly held hostage and brutally beaten by a group of three people over a VND1.6 million (US$68.8) owed by her elder brother. Police in Binh Chanh District confirmed on Tuesday they had arrested Tran Nhat Khang, 19, and are hunting for Nguyen Minh Dung, 37, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, 28, for being involved in the alleged violence. The victim, H.N.Y., was still receiving treatment at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital in District 5 as of Wednesday afternoon, nearly one week after she was brought to the clinic following her miscarriage. According to Y., Khang, Dung, and Huyen are all friends of her older brother. The victim herself has also hung out with them on some occasions. The brother previously borrowed VND1.6 million ($68.8) from the three and repeatedly failed to pay up. On March 22, Y. arrived at a house in Binh Chanh District to hang out with the three. Dung then mentioned about the debt and told Y. to call her brother over. He insisted that they would not let her go until her brother arrives. But as the elder brother never showed up, Dung, Huyen, and Khang tied Y. to the staircase and tortured her by beating her with a wooden stick and burning her skin with a blowtorch repeatedly during the three following weeks. They keep calling my brother and forcing him to pay VND10 million [$430], while he only owes VND1.6 million, Y. stated. On April 10, Y. gave birth to her baby prematurely and the infant did not survive. The three suspects decided to take the girl to the hospital the following day. Doctors have said the victims health has stabilized but she needs to remain at the infirmary for further care. According to Y.s father, his daughter got pregnant with a man whom she has been living with in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. Since moving there, Y. rarely returns to her parents home in Ho Chi Minh City, the father added. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The plot has thickened on a legal battle over the $800m estate of TV mogul Reg Grundy. The Daily Telegraph reports a man named Simon Thomas Russell has launched legal action alongside Grundys estranged daughter, Viola La Valette, claiming to be his long lost son. In a plot worthy of Sons and Daughters his barrister Nicolas Kirby told Justice Geoff Lindsay his client had commenced the legal proceedings to search for a biological sample belonging to Mr Grundy so he could prove he was the multi-millionaires son. A pathology lab is currently withholding test results until it receives an affidavit from Carolyn Joy Chambers-Grundy in Bermuda. Ms La Valette began the court battle in 2017 disputing her fathers will, which made Ms Chambers-Grundy the main beneficiary of his massive estate. The case is set down for hearing next month. Source: Daily Telegraph 10 has now confirmed Season 11 of MasterChef Australia will kick off Monday April 29. That will pit it against night 2 of Lego Masters, from the same producers Endemol Shine, while Seven is yet to confirm the launch date of House Rules (tipped for Sunday 28th). Guest chefs this season include Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein, Clare Smyth, Yotam Ottolenghi, Curtis Stone and Maggie Beer while former contestants Poh Ling Yeow, Billie McKay and Matt Sinclair are back as mentors. Twenty-four talented and passionate home cooks, all with different backgrounds, experiences, skills and cultural influences, will earn the privilege of wearing the coveted white apron. Australias favourite judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris are back in the kitchen, ready to encourage, challenge and push contestants to extend their repertoire and cook better than theyve ever cooked before. Fan-favourites and MasterChef Australia alumni Poh Ling Yeow, Billie McKay and Matt Sinclair will join the judges each week in the official role as mentors, to guide contestants as they take on a professional chef in the Immunity Challenges. Returning for the fourth time, domestic goddess Nigella Lawson will inspire and challenge in her own week. Culinary superstars of the food world, Rick Stein, Clare Smyth and Yotam Ottolenghi return to our shores for Legends Week. Keen to keep the contestants on their toes, celebrity chef Curtis Stone joins us again from LA for a Keeping Up With Curtis challenge. And the beloved Maggie Beer returns for a special challenge at the iconic landmark Hanging Rock. This new season brings a nail-biting challenge at a black-tie event at Melbournes State Library with Nigella Lawson as the guest of honour, and a week exploring sunny Queensland, with challenges in the states top restaurants and a cook-off at a bustling surf club on the beach. Monday, April 29 at 7.30pm on 10. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. What happened? Demonstrators glued themselves to Jeremy Corbyns London home today as the climate protests in London continued for a third day. Demonstrations have taken place across the capital leading to the arrest of nearly 300 people. An estimated 500,000 people have had their journeys affected. As well as the Corbyn protest, two protestors were arrested after gluing themselves to the top of a train in the financial district. The activists targeted roads and traffic on Monday and Tuesday, but turned their attention to the Tube network today. A public backlash The activists have sparked a public backlash from disgruntled commuters. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asked if protestors had considered whether disrupting public transport is consistent with their aims. Commentators pointed out that Tubes and trains are essential alternatives to driving and blocking them was forcing people to drive when they dont want to. Incompetent and self-indulgent One organiser stormed out of an interview with Sky News Adam Boulton after the presenter branded the protesters incompetent and self-indulgent. Mr Boulton said to Robin Boardman: Youre like the incompetent middle-class, self-indulgent people and you want to tell us how to live our lives. Thats what you are, arent you? Mr Boardman replied: People are not going to be able to put food unto their table, on their plates, and I wont stand for that. He then walked out of the studio. Read more: Climate change protesters target Londons tube service (Sky News) Protesters disruption to London commuters is a side effect (The Independent) London climate change protests cost businesses 12m (Sky News) What are Extinction Rebellion protesting about? (Evening Standard) As the number of arrests made in connection with this weeks Extinction Rebellion protests passed 300, the issue of climate change is again under the microscope. Protests have led to road closures, traffic gridlock and serious disruption to public transport and local businesses, with 55 bus routes closed and 500,000 people affected. Do you support the cause of climate change protests? Read the full story and have your say below: Story continues Sweeping porn block changes to be introduced Porn sites will be forced to introduce age verification tools to prevent underage users seeing explicit content from July. The measures, which have been delayed a number of times, are the first of their kind anywhere in the world. Websites that fail to implement the new rules face having payment services withdrawn or being blocked in the UK. The government said users will be able to verify their age in a number of ways, including using traditional forms of ID such as a credit card or passport, or buying an over-the-counter card from shops where verification would take place face-to-face. Read the full story here (HuffPost) Perus ex-president shoots himself in the head Perus ex-president has shot himself in the head as police moved in to arrest him in connection with a bribery investigation. Alan Garcia was rushed to Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in Lima at 6.45am local time with a bullet wound to his head. Garcia, 69, who served as president between 1985 and 1990 and again between 2006 and 2011, is alleged to have received illegal payment from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Read the full story here (Evening Standard) Hundreds of French residents held a vigil in Paris, a day after a massive fire engulfed the Notre Dame cathedral. The emotional scenes in the French capital concluded with crowds applauding firefighters who helped control the blaze. 27% Its only a few weeks old, but the Brexit Party has surged ahead in opinion polls for next months European Parliament elections. A YouGov poll has put Nigel Farages party on 27%, five points ahead of Labour and 12 in front of the Conservatives. Ahead of the elections, which take place on May 23, Change UK was trailing behind the Greens, the Lib Dems and Ukip on six per cent. A high proportion of people said they did not know who they would vote for or would not vote. Read the full story here (The Guardian) Peru's former president has died after shooting himself in the head to avoid arrest over corruption allegations, said officials. The current leader of the South American country, Martin Vizcarra, confirmed that Alan Garcia had died, saying he was "dismayed". President Vizcarra also sent his condolences to Garcia's friends and family. The 69-year-old politician, who had six grown-up children, shot himself when authorities arrived at his home to detain him. Authorities said he shut himself in a bedroom and then the sound of gunfire was heard. He was taken to Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in the capital Lima at 6.45am local time (12.45pm GMT) but died more than three hours later. Peru's health minister Zulema Tomas confirmed Garcia had undergone emergency surgery and suffered three heart attacks. Doctors said he died from a "massive cerebral haemorrhage from a gunshot and cardiorespiratory arrest". Police in riot gear were seen surrounding the hospital. His lawyer said he was distressed over the accusations and his client maintained his innocence. Garcia had been about to be arrested over corruption claims after allegedly taking illegal payments from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction giant. It was part of a wider investigation over bribery in the construction of Lima's metro system during his 2006-2011 government. Garcia denied ever receiving any money from Odebrecht and claimed he was the victim of false testimony by his political enemies. The firm is at the centre of Latin America's biggest scandal after it admitted it paid corrupt officials across the region almost $800m (613m) in exchange for lucrative construction contracts, during a plea agreement with the US Justice Department in 2016. Various Latin American politicians have been jailed as a result of the scandal, including another former Peruvian leader, Pedro Pablo Kucyznski, who was detained last week as part of a probe into financial ties to the construction firm. Story continues On Tuesday evening, Kucyznski was also taken to hospital with reported high blood pressure. Alan Garcia first came to power in the 1980s, with a presidency marred by rampant corruption, hyperinflation and the rise of the Shining Path guerrilla movement. He returned to power two decades later as a more conservative leader, where he played a role in ushering in an investment boom. To mark the UNs International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the House of Commons in the UK held a debate the other day. Among the topics covered were Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the far right. Leading the debate, Labour MP Faisal Rashid said: If our institutions and policies are not doing enough to stem the tide of a resurgence in racism, we need to end complacency. If we in our hearts can imagine a better world, let us keep on fighting for it and eliminate racism from our society forever. Few would disagree with the sentiment in those words, but the debate was equally notable in what it overlooked. One of the worst issues, for instance, is employment, but barely a word was said on the subject. To anyone who is aware of the scale of the problem, this will seem like a disappointing oversight. One major issue is interview discrimination. A study from the University of Oxford recently showed that black and Asian people have to send almost twice as many job applications as white British people before they get a response. As if that wasnt bad enough, the rate of discrimination was little better than 50 years ago. It also echoed research commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2009, which found that in major UK cities, ethnic minority applicants were significantly less likely to be called for an interview than people with white-sounding names regardless of which ethnic group they belonged to. A BBC survey from 2017 had similar findings, too, while the UK government now publishes employment statistics to shine a light on the problem in the public sector. Beyond Britain Studies in other Western countries confirm similar issues. Interview discrimination on ethnic grounds is rife in the Netherlands, for instance, while research in France and Germany has shown similar results in relation to Muslims in those countries. In the German study, for example, there was strong evidence that employers discriminated against applicants with Turkish-sounding names when they included pictures of themselves with headscarves on their CVs. Story continues My research explored what underpins such discrimination. We carried it out in Hanover in northern Germany, where I was based in my previous research post at Leibniz University of Hannover. Unlike those previous French and German studies, which involved sending fake CVs to real employers, we had 120 students play the part of HR personnel in a laboratory. Roughly four-fifths of our participants were of white German background. Each student had to review between 30 and 50 applications for around eight to ten different jobs, ranging from high-skilled to low-skilled and with more or less customer contact. They could see applicants names and photos on the cover pages of CVs and had to assess them based on work experience, expected salary, education, computer skills and English skills. We included some Turkish-looking candidates, including different CVs where the same women were photographed either with and without a headscarf. If our recruiters saw one of these women without a headscarf in one set of applications, we ensured they would see her with a headscarf next time around, and vice versa. Our participants did not significantly prefer German-looking candidates over Turkish-looking ones, after controlling for the fact that they tended to see the German photos used in our experiment as more attractive. They did discriminate against candidates with headscarves, however, particularly in high-skilled occupations and jobs with more customer contact and men and older participants tended to discriminate more. Having said that, applicants with headscarves were not automatically less likely to be called for an interview. Where they were stronger in certain other areas, such as education and work experience, this cancelled out the discrimination and in some cases even put them in a stronger position than German-looking rivals with comparable strengths overall. We suspected that the recruiters had prejudices about the abilities of Muslim women which they set aside when they found other evidence that ran contrary. While there is not the same standard practice of including a photo in your CV in the likes of the UK and France, photos are still common currency in these countries because recruiters commonly look up candidates on social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Minimising discrimination If we are to finally get to grips with this problem, employers need to be aware of their potential biases when they review job applications. Standard online application forms that filter out irrelevant information can often help as was shown in the Department for Work and Pensions study I mentioned earlier. While it can be helpful for employers to look at an applicants social media profile, it can blur your objective judgement if you do it too early in the recruitment process. If you cant resist looking at LinkedIn, one left-field solution I kid you not is this Google Chrome extension which automatically replaces applicants photos with random pictures of dogs. Job applicants who are either Muslim or from ethnic minorities need to be aware of recruiters unconscious biases, too as well as the fact that they can be overcome. Sometimes of course there is also the potential to benefit from an employers positive discrimination policy. Unfortunately, discrimination doesnt end during the interview process. In the UK, there are still sizeable pay gaps between ethnic workers and white counterparts who do the same job. Some of this can be explained by differences in skills or work experience, but a large proportion appears to be discrimination. So while job market discrimination may not be as fixed and final as some people think, there is still a huge battle ahead to create a truly level playing field for employees. If the UKs politicians would make this problem more of a priority, it would be an important step in the right direction. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation Attakrit Leckcivilize received some funding from the Leibniz University of Hannover economics department for his interview research, but it did not influence the experimental design or analysis of the results. The damage to Notre-Dame cathedral is seen by drone Firefighters lost valuable time in reaching the blaze at Notre Dame after a computer glitch sent investigators to the wrong part of the cathedral, according to French reports. An initial fire alarm sounded at 6.20pm local time but after failing to find a blaze, security services at the landmark dubbed it a false alarm, according to sources cited by Le Parisien. At 6.43pm, almost 25 minutes later, a second alarm went off. Only when they returned to the upper area of the edifice did they call in firefighters, after coming across three-metre flames at the base of the spire. According to Le Parisien, the computer glitch had caused the alarm to signal the wrong location. The reports came as the fund set up to help rebuild Notre-Dame passed one billion euros. Emmanuel Macron has pledged to restore the fire-ravaged cathedral in five years. Donations from worshippers and wealthy French billionaires and corporations have seen hundreds of millions of euros raised since the cathedral was engulfed by flames on Monday. Contributors include Apple and magnates who own L'Oreal, Chanel and Dior, as well as Catholics and others from around France and the world. French television personality Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info today: "We are at about 900 million euros and the one billion mark will be exceeded today." It came after Mr Macron on Tuesday night set a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. The president is holding a special cabinet meeting today dedicated to the disaster at Notre-Dame. "We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years," he said in the speech from the presidential palace. "We can do it." Story continues Authorities consider the fire an accident. Pope Francis today thanked Paris firefighters who risked their lives to save the Notre-Dame Cathedral on behalf of the Catholic Church. During a weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square, he said: "The gratitude of the whole Church goes to all those who did everything they could, even risking their lives, to save the Basilica." The damage to Notre-Dame cathedral is seen by drone Rebuilding in time for Olympics Macron's announcement of a five-year restoration timeframe indicates he wants the reconstruction to be completed by the time Paris hosts the Olympic Games in 2024. "We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years," he said in the speech from the presidential palace. "We can do it." Macron said that the dramatic fire had brought out the best in a country riven with divisions and since November shaken by sometimes violent protests against his rule. It had shown that "our history never stops and that we will always have trials to overcome," he added. Structural 'weaknesses' Images from inside the cathedral showed its immense walls standing proud, with statues still in place and a gleaming golden cross above the altar. However the floor was covered in rubble and scorched beams from the fallen roof and water while parts of the vaulting at the top of the cathedral had collapsed. Junior interior minister Laurent Nunez told reporters that work to secure the structure would continue into Thursday. He said the building had been saved within a critical time window of 15-30 minutes by a team of 400 firefighters who worked flat out through the night. Though "some weaknesses" in the 850-year-old structure had been identified, overall it is "holding up OK", he added. Architects challenged to create new spire French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe launched a competition open to international architects to rebuild the spire of Notre-Dame. Speaking after a special cabinet meeting dedicated to reconstructing the cathedral, Mr Phillipe said the competition is aimed at "giving Notre Dame a spire adapted to techniques and challenges of our times." He called it "a huge challenge, a historic responsibility." Shortage of craftsmen 'could delay reconstruction' One of the architects who helped restore Windsor Castle after a devastating fire said a shortage of craftsmen could hold up the reconstruction of Notre-Dame. "The supply of craftsmen with the skill to work so much stone, so much timber, so much lead, so much glass for the windows is something which the industry in the whole of Europe may well be challenged to meet at the present moment," Francis Maude, director at the Donald Insall Associates architect firm, told AFP. "There are other very large projects which are facing the same limitations," he said, giving the example of the Houses of Parliament where his firm is also working. Mr Maude's firm was called upon by the British royal family to help restore Windsor Castle following a fire in 1992 that also shocked the country. The fire began in the Queen's Private Chapel when a curtain was ignited by a spotlight pressed up against it. It spread to the State Apartments, including St George's banqueting hall, and engulfed Brunswick Tower. There were no casualties, also thanks to the quick reaction of the castle's own small fire brigade. The restoration work began in 1995 and was completed in 1997, costing 36.5 million at the time. As part of the renovation, a specially commissioned stained-glass window was installed in the medieval surrounding depicting a firefighter battling the blaze. The castle's grandest rooms were restored to their former state while others were modernised, and the issue of how faithfully to stick to the original design is likely to be the source of "big discussion" when rebuilding the iconic Parisian cathedral. "There will be some who think the only way we can restore Notre-Dame is to make it exactly the same as it was before," said Maude. Alternatively, restorers could draw inspiration from the rebuilding of Reims Cathedral after World War One, when a fire-resistant steel roof was installed. Mr Maude pointed out that "there has already been a process of change at Notre-Dame" with the 19th century restoration work done by French architect Viollet-le-Duc, and that carefully selected parts of the church could be modernised, making it more efficient and less at risk of future fires. But it is likely to be many months before the mammoth cleaning-up process ends and an assessment made on which parts of the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece can be salvaged. "One particular difficulty which I can imagine is the cathedral being largely constructed of limestone," warned Mr Maude. When limestone is exposed to temperatures of over eight hundred degrees centigrade, it "decays through chemical reaction... and it's then rather difficult to use it again," he said. "I can imagine that there's going to be a lot of the historic surface of the stonework lost but there may be stone buried deeper within the walls which can be capped." - 'A symbol of renewal' - The cathedral's relatively bare interior should count in its favour, compared to Windsor Castle, where centuries of redevelopments led to a complex web of empty spaces behind the walls. Money does not appear to be an issue, with billionaire donors already pledging hundreds of millions of euros. The director said he would be "delighted to be invited" to help in the restoration, which he believes could end up revitalising the UNESCO world heritage landmark. "It can be a symbol of renewal," he said of the fire. "There's also an opportunity in some parts of a rebuilt Notre-Dame to have a new expression of an artistic temperament for our own times." Before and after Did an object from beyond our solar system hit Earth five years ago? (Getty) A visitor to our solar system became the subject of headlines around the world last year after the cigar-shaped rock now named `Oumuamua flew past our sun. But it might not have been the first interstellar visitor to our planet, a new study has suggested. A new paper from Harvard astronomers suggests that another meteor that hit Earths atmosphere above Papua New Guinea may also have come from outside oursolar system. Researchers found the meteor which burnt up in 2014 by looking for objects that were too fast to be orbiting the sun. Read more from Yahoo News UK: Bank holiday motorists face travel chaos over Easter break Woman dies after falling off cliff while posing for photo Worlds smallest commercial jet takes flight The Papua New Guinea object travelled towards Earth at around 37 miles per second, a speed so high it suggests it originated outside our solar system. The researchers write that the find implies a possible origin from the deep interior of a planetary system or a star in the thick disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Kat Volk from the University of Arizona, who was not involved in the research said, I think it is reasonable to conclude that this very high speed impactor came from the population of interstellar object. I expect interstellar objects to be common enough both from theoretical considerations and from the implications of Oumuamua that I think an interstellar origin is the simplest explanation for this bolide. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK White House adviser Jared Kushner at the "2019 Prison Reform Summit" in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House senior adviser Jared Kushner urged a group of ambassadors on Wednesday to keep an "open mind" about President Donald Trump's upcoming Middle East peace proposal and said it will require compromises from both sides, a source familiar with his remarks said. Kushner said the peace plan is to be unveiled after Israel forms a governing coalition in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election victory and after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in early June, the source said. "We will all have to look for reasonable compromises that will make peace achievable," Kushner said, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous. Kushner, one of the main architects of the peace proposal and who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, spoke to about 100 ambassadors from around the world at Blair House, the presidential guest home across the street from the White House. He spoke as part of a State Department series of speeches. The proposal has two major components: A political piece that addresses core political issues such as the status of Jerusalem, and an economic part that aims to help the Palestinians strengthen their economy. Unclear is whether the plan will propose outright the creation of a Palestinian state, the Palestinians core demand. During his remarks, Kushner pushed back on the idea that the Trump peace plan was mostly centred around the economic package, saying the political component is "very detailed," the source said. "He said the plan will require concessions from both sides but won't jeopardise the security of Israel," the source said. "It requires everybody approaching the plan with an open mind." The White House had no comment. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday that Netanyahu is unlikely to follow through on an election pledge to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank until after the United States has unveiled its plan. Story continues "I think we will respect the efforts of the administration. I don't think we will see any major action done by our government before the peace plan will be presented," Danon told reporters in New York. The Palestinians and many countries consider the settlements illegal under the Geneva conventions that bar settling on land captured in war. Israel disputes this, citing security needs and biblical, historical and political connections to the land. (Reporting by Steve Holland; additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Susan Thomas and Dan Grebler) Poker Community Is Raising Funds for Mad Marty Wilson April 17 2019 Matthew Pitt The poker community is digging deep in an attempt to raise funds for the legend that is Mad Marty Wilson. Wilson was taken ill a couple of months ago while in Thailand and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After a hospital stay, Wilson made it back to the United Kingdom to his partner Katherine. Wilson needs surgery but doctors have been unable to perform is due two infections that hospitalised him and Wilson is now undergoing intense chemotherapy. The long term treatment has led to Wilson and his partner having to borrow a car to get them to and from hospital appointments and they are obviously incurring plenty of additional costs to their usual lives. Mad Marty Wilson Fundraiser Irish poker grinder Mick McCloskey set up a fundraiser on Facebook and the support has been fantastic, so much so that McCloskey has increased the target to 10,000. McCloskey and some other prominent Irish poker pros including Padraig Parkinson, Fintan Gavin and Phil Baker, have also started a campaign asking players competing at the Irish Open to pledge two-percent of their winnings to the fundraising efforts. Check out the details via this link. Wilson has been a regular figure at the Irish Open and at live poker events around the UK and the Emerald Isle. His larger-than-life personality has lightened up many poker rooms over the years and he is much loved. Jesse May summed everything as perfectly as he usually does, saying For as long as Ive known Mad Marty Wilson, hes been devoted to helping those who need it. If you are playing the Irish Poker Open this year, save a thought for Mad Marty because hopes a good thing. The 2019 Irish Poker Open runs from Apr. 15 through Apr. 22 and features a 1 million guaranteed Main Event. Heres hoping whoever takes down the Main Event has pledged two-percent of their winnings to Wilsons cause, because like May said, hopes a good thing. [April 17, 2019] Vonage Earns Frost & Sullivan's Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award for its API Platform SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 17, 2019 /CNW/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the North American programmable communications market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Vonage with the North American Competitive Strategy Innovation and Leadership Award for its One Vonage Platform strategy. Vonage recognized early that the convergence of Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) and communications APIs via Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS), would provide greater value to customers, regardless of the scale and scope of their digital transformation initiatives. With a competitive suite of enterprise communications applications (UCaaS, CCaaS) and CPaaS capabilities via Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, the company created a single, microservices-architected software platform - "One Vonage" - making it easy to create the specific tools customers need to address the unique communications challenges their businesses face. "Vonage offers a unique combination of best-of-breed unified communications, communications APIs and most recently, contact center solutions, to create an all-encompassing and extensible communications portfolio," said Michael Brandenburg, Industry Analyst, Connected Work. "While traditional UCaaS competitors strive to incorporate CPaaS into their existing solution sets, Vonage can focus on developing innovative communications and collaboration applications to enhance its existing products and services using its own communications API platform." Brandenburg continued "Vonage also competes directly against pure-play CPaaS providers by adding new capabilities to its API platform for the benefit of both third-party and in-house development teams. Distinctly, Vonage has not only prepared itself to effectively compete across UCaaS, CPaaS, and CCaaS markets, but created a path to innovation for the future." Vonage is using Cloud Communications to redefine how businesses communicate and operate. By creating intelligent interactions via enterprise communications applications and communications APIs, Vonage is developing more innovative solutions for a more meaningful end-to-end communications experience. Vonage's Nexmo platform allows businesses to embed APIs directly into enterprise communications applications to enabe personalized and contextual connections with customers across any channel - voice, SMS, messaging and chat - enabling a unique value proposition for business end users and developers alike. Businesses can start by rolling out Vonage's full line of communications and collaboration services, and then leverage APIs to automate, embed, and integrate communications elements to enhance their business applications and workflows at their own pace. Vonage is using Cloud Communications to redefine how businesses communicate and operate. By creating intelligent interactions via enterprise communications applications and programmable communications, Vonage is developing more innovative solutions for a more meaningful end-to-end communications experience. "Vonage is honored to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for the fifth consecutive year with a prestigious industry Leadership Award," said Alan Masarek, Vonage CEO. "This award reinforces our commitment to the One Vonage vision, making it easy to create the specific tools businesses need to address their unique communications challenges. We have a truly unique set of capabilities and solutions to deliver end-to-end communications solutions to help our customers drive better business outcomes." "Through organic growth and innovation, as well as a carefully crafted acquisition strategy, Vonage has made the transition from a provider of residential Internet telephony services to a leading business software communications," noted Brandenburg. "The move into Nexmo, the Vonage API platform augments its Vonage Business Cloud UCaaS and contact center solutions with voice and messaging APIs to enhance the customer journey by customizing engagement and interactions across any channel. This way, Vonage is positioning itself as a strong UCaaS and CCaaS contender, while serving as a leader in programmable communications technology." Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has leveraged competitive intelligence to successfully execute a strategy that results in stronger market share, competitive brand positioning, and customer satisfaction. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. 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, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion . About Vonage Vonage is redefining business communications, helping enterprises use fully-integrated unified communications, contact center, and programmable communications solutions via Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, to improve how business gets done. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies connect, collaborate and communicate to create better business outcomes. Vonage's fully-integrated cloud communications platform built on a microservices-based architecture enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across all channels, including messaging, chat, social media, video and voice. Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage . To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage . To subscribe on YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/vonage. Contact: Bianca Torres P: 1.210.477.8418 E: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vonage-earns-frost--sullivans-competitive-strategy-innovation-and-leadership-award-for-its-api-platform-300831398.html SOURCE Frost & Sullivan [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Protectionism does not really help preserve jobs and offers little defence against the job-destroying effects of automation and Artificial Intelligence, Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has said, asserting that industrial and developing nations cannot afford to ignore the democratic reaction from those left behind by globalisation and technological change. Delivering the keynote address at the 2019 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development at the UN Headquarters on Monday, Rajan said the open liberal democratic market system that brought the world enormous prosperity in the six decades or so after the second World War is now under attack. Interestingly the critics are not the usual radical academics or leftist leaders, instead they come from some of the most prosperous nations in the world. These are nations that have benefited tremendously from the open world order, he said. Rajan, the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, said, "We know that protectionism does not really help preserve jobs. In this competitive world, jobs gained by a country in the protected sector are often lost in other sectors that are now rendered uncompetitive because they pay higher prices for inputs." He added that protectionism offers little defence against the job destroying effects of automation and Artificial Intelligence, which often are the larger source of job losses. The only guarantee against redundancy is to help the workforce stay ahead through constant retraining. "As populations age in industrial countries, more of them will become reliant on foreign demand from younger countries outside, especially developing countries and emerging markets to boost growth," he said. "Is it wise to block imports today from the very countries you will have to export to in the future? Probably not," he said. Rajan said, "While nations recognise the cost of protectionism, it is true that we cannot afford to ignore the democratic reaction from those left behind by globalisation and technological change. This should be true both of industrial, countries and developing countries. We have to pay more attention to those left behind. " He added that if concerns of these people are to be addressed while preserving an open world, we should start by recognising that the globalisation of trade and investment flows has disempowered people and their communities. The ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up (FfD Forum) is an annual platform to promote consensus among key stakeholders on financing for sustainable development. Also read: Raghuram Rajan endorses NYAY but sceptical of funding, says no space for Rs 7 lakh crore subsidy Ministers, senior UN officials, high-level finance officials, civil society, business representatives and local authorities, are meeting at UN Headquarters for the four-day FfD Forum, which will run from April 15 to 18. Rajan told the audience at the forum that there is a need to preserve a world open to trade and investment but that we need to keep democratic support in order to do it. "I would argue that we must follow the principle of subsidiarity much more strictly going forward. Decisions should be taken at the lowest level consistent with effective governance. These decisions must be taken with an idea of cooperation, they must be taken responsibly given the spillovers both to the country as well as to the rest of the world," he said. "Given the very different impact of globalisation across countries and within countries," Rajan said, "We must create more room for countries to choose their unique way of coping and countries themselves will have to further decentralise power so that differentially affected communities can chalk out their own paths. This is as much a developed country problem as a developing country problem. To conclude, globalisation of markets may paradoxically require far more localization of governance." Rajan stressed that emerging markets and developing countries will have to take much more responsibility in the fight to keep the world open. To have a chance of succeeding though, the disparate effects of globalisation and technological change both within and across countries would have to be managed much better, he said. He further said that there may be even need to contain some aspects of globalisation in order to preserve an open world. "For many decades, we in the developing world were told that we should join the global trading system and be open to foreign direct investment. While we recognise this would affect some of our people adversely, we were pressed to see this as an inevitable cost of development. Perhaps because democracy was still nascent in our countries, we implemented this advice overriding domestic opposition wherever it emerged," he said. While global trade and investment and global competition more generally has enhanced prosperity in many of the countries, the rising tide has not lifted everyone. Studies show that in trade-affected districts in India, the incidents of poverty were relatively higher as was violent crime and property crimes. Rajan stressed that the reality is that trade while typically beneficial overall, has a distributional impact creating winners and losers. "This implies we have to work harder whether in developing countries or industrial countries to help the affected adjust. It is not however a license for protectionism. Unfortunately that is indeed what we see arising in parts of the industrial world," he said. Also read: Raghuram Rajan has a few tips on jobs, reforms for the next govt Also read: Raghuram Rajan explains why goodness of neighbours is still useful The United Conservative Party is a relatively new political party. Though it can be associated with the national Conservative Party of Canada, it is solely based in Alberta. It officially formed in 2017 as a merger of the province's two dominant conservative parties. These were the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party. And in its first major election, the party has won big. The UCP wins a massive majority in the Alberta general election The UCP has returned Alberta to its conservative traditions. As Global News touches on, the province shocked Canadian politics in 2015 when it went for the New Democratic Party. It marked the first time a left-of-center party held control of the province in 80 years. Afterward, a 'unite the right' movement was sparked, ultimately resulting in the creation of the UCP. While Nathan Cooper served as the interim leader of the party, Jason Kenney would become the first official leader. Kenney had previously served in the federal parliament for almost 20 years. During the tenure of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he held several Cabinet positions. Most notably, minister of national defense. Kenney is now to become premier of Alberta, taking over from the NDP's Rachel Notley. Several high-profile NDP members were unseated by UCP candidates. They include Danielle Larivee, Marg McCuaig-Boyd, Oneil Carlier, Shaye Anderson, and Ricardo Miranda. However, the NDP did score a pair of high-profile wins against parties other than the UCP. Lorne Dach defeated Stephen Mandel, leader of the populist Alberta Party. A former mayor of Edmonton, Mandel was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly as a Progressive Conservative. He served as minister of health under Premier Jim Prentice. Discuss this news on Eunomia In 2015, defeated by the NDP's Bob Turner. Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley has retained her seat in the Assembly. She fended off her main competitor in Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan. It marks the fourth unsuccessful attempt for Khan to be elected to the Assembly. His previous losses included ones to Ganley and to Jason Kenney. Ultimately, the Liberals and the Alberta Party, along with other contesting parties, were shut out. Thus, leaving the UCP and the NDP as the only parties in the Assembly. The results could be a sign of things to come in the federal election Canada is to vote in its next federal election later this year. Incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a steep challenge to remain in power. The Edmonton Journal reports that his party's woeful performance in Alberta could indicate further losses at the federal level. Since taking office in 2015, Trudeau's government has been almost continuously rocked by scandals. The Liberals' complete lack of victory in Alberta is also part of a continuing pattern. The party has suffered greatly at the provincial level since Trudeau's ascension. Liberals additionally hold no seats in the Legislative Assembly in Saskatchewan. The party also holds only a precious few seats in the Ontario and Manitoba legislatures. The Government should let the private sector develop entire airports rather than some of their components, said Lai Xuan Thanh, chairman of the State-run Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). Lai Xuan Thanh, chairman of Airports Corporation of Vietnam Thanh said in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency that Vietnam is forecast to have one of the worlds fastest-growing aviation industries in the years ahead. Therefore, its sustainable development is critical. Sustainable development applies toall aspects of an airport, from State management to infrastructure, including airports, flight control, air services, passenger terminals and aprons, he said. He pointed out that the Governmenthas assigned ACV to develop, manage and operate infrastructure at 22 airports. Inthe short term, the corporation will pay special attention to its existing systems for the sake of aviation safety and security. ACV wants more private sector capital for airport development, he said, butthe investment model of the Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh is a good example. Vietnams private property conglomerate Sun Group has injected nearly VND7.7 trillion into Van Don airport, the first ever developed under the build-operate-transfer format in Vietnam. When an airport is being constructed, having its components developed by several private investors affects the investment and business plan of ACV, Thanh remarked. He cited a proposal to build an airport in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien at an estimated cost of around VND5.5 trillion, some VND3.77 trillion of which will be used for the take-off zone, while VND1.7 trillion from public-private partnerships will be allocated for development of a passenger terminal. In this case, the Governmentwill have to provide most of the funding for the take-off zone, where capital recovery will be difficult. He said that if ACV is in charge of the airports construction, it would be willing to develop take-off and terminal zones. He noted that having earmarked VND25 trillion, the corporation is expected to raise extra funding of some VND85-87 trillion between 2019 and 2025 to develop the third passenger terminal for the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC and the first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai. Work on Long Thanh airport seen on schedule An artist's impression of the passenger terminal of the Long Thanh International Airport project in the southern province of Dong Nai In the latest statement on the progress of the Long Thanh International Airport project, ACV said that a consulting consortium comprising Japanese, French and Vietnamese firms is carrying out their works in line with contract terms. ACV has urged the consortium to speed up the completion of the feasibility study for the first phase of the big-ticket project so that it can be submitted to the relevant ministries and agencies for feedback in June and its amended version sent to the legislative National Assembly for consideration and approval. Also, the environmental impact report for the first phase, issuedby the consortium between the Institute of Transport Science and Technology and the Center of Environment and Applied Ecology, has been completed on schedule. The report was submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for appraisal and approval onMarch 19. According to ACV, the government of Dong Nai Province is making every effort to finish site clearance for the current phase by the end of this year so that available land can be handed over to the investor for bomb and mine clearance. As a result, work on the project is likely to start in late 2020 as scheduled. The entire site clearance project, which covers 5,000 hectares of land, will be complete by the end of 2020, the statement said. Long Thanh will be put into operation in 2025 if the project maintains its current rate of progress.The airport is designed to handle up to 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo per year once the three construction phases are complete. In the first phase,slated for completion by 2025, the airport will have one runway and one passenger terminal able to accommodate 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo per year. The second runway and terminal will be built in the second phase to raise the airports annual capacity to 50 million passengers and 1.5 million tons of cargo. The project costs an estimated VND336.6 trillion, or US$16.03 billion, with VND114.5 trillion assigned for the first phase, based on the 2014 exchange rate between the Vietnamese dong and the U.S. dollar. SGT An e-commerce trading floor will be set up to sell products from South Korea, a conference heard in Seoul on Monday. Hoang Ngoc Huan, chairman of the Vietnam Cable Television Corp said his enterprise was preparing for an online/offline product distribution project, backed by a strong marketing network. The project would establish a new trading platform dedicated to selling reliable and quality South Korean products, he said. During the event, VTVcab, the Korea SMEs and Start-up Agency (KOSME) and Phu Thai Group signed an agreement aiming to support South Korean enterprises in advertising and distributing their products in Viet Nam. Pham Dinh Doan, president of Phu Thai Group said the agreement would help Korea small and medium-sized businesses to effectively launch their distribution channels in Viet Nam. Hosted by VTVcab and KOSME, the Vietnam Business Export Conference 2019 witnessed the participation of nearly 220 enterprises from the two countries. KOSME director Lee Sang Jik said he hoped the event will contribute to improving the bilateral trade between the two countries. Two-way trade has skyrocketed in the past from a modest US$500 million in 1992 to $60 billion in 2017 and approximately $63 billion in the last 11 months of 2018. Viet Nam and South Korea aimed to boost bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion by 2020 with a balanced trade direction, following an action plan signed between the two nations late last year. Under the plan, from now until 2020, the two countries will co-operate to support Vietnamese enterprises in enhancing their competitiveness in the fields of spare parts manufacturing, automobiles, garment and textiles, footwear and electronics while facilitating agricultural trade between the two sides. South Korea is now the biggest foreign investor in Viet Nam with total direct investment reaching $64 billion as of March 2019, accounting for 18.4 per cent of the nations total foreign direct investment. VNS To get ahead in the competition with Grab, Go-Viet needs a strategy other than burning money to increase its market share, especially as they are running on a tighter budget than Grab. Go-Viet is slowing down the competitive push against Grab Entering Vietnam on August 1, 2018 through Ho Chi Minh City, Go-Viet has been competing in the local motorcycle ride-hailing market with the two main strategies of price competition and building an image of a small Vietnamese company challenging Grab in a David and Goliath set up. They "burned" their money through launching a loud promotion campaign offering rides for only VND5,000 ($0.22) for eight kilometres and charging no commission for drivers. At the same time, the firm tried to tie its brand closer to the market by taking on the red of the Vietnamese flag, contrasting with the green of Grab. Thanks to the attractive incentives, Go-Viet quickly captured the hearts of both customers and drivers. Go-Viet's leader stated that they captured 35 per cent of the two-wheeler ride-hailing segment in the city and their app was downloaded more than 1.5 million times in the first month. Despite regularly releasing information about capital injections from investors, Go-Jek still has to balance investment between Vietnam and Indonesia, Go-Jek's hometown, while also developing its market share in other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. In terms of total investment and market capitalisation, it is easy to see that Go-Jek is not on equal footing with Grab. In addition, Grab generates far more revenue than Go-Jek, as the former is about to complete its Southeast Asian ecosystem while Go-Jek is only beginning to expand from its home market. Previously, there was information about Go-Viet's internal problem that CEO Nguyen Vu Duc and deputy general director Nguyen Bao Linh of Go-Viet resigning and requesting a hefty reimbursement from the firm. However, Go-Viet stated that Nguyen Vu Duc and Nguyen Bao Linh have taken on a new advisory role for Go-Viet and Go-Jek. The two of them will focus on strategic advisory to help expand Go-Jek in Southeast Asia. No matter what the truth is, Go-Viet seems to be changing its way of playing. It seems that Go-Viet is also gradually growing exhausted as it stopped its aggressive promotion campaigns. On January 21, 2019, after half a year of operations, Go-Viet also raised its commission to riders to 20 per cent, which is equal to Grab. Go-Viet customers number less than those of Grab, while lower rates result in lower earnings for driver partners, slowing down the growth of the Go-Viet fleet. Fewer riders may make it difficult for customers to place a booking and could affect service quality by lengthened waiting times. In addition, Go-Viet may have run into legal difficulties as the two services Go-Car and Go-Pay they promised to roll out in 2018 are nowhere to be seen. Regarding Go-Car, Go-Viet joined Vietnam at a time when transport infrastructure problems are at a peak, with heavy traffic jams and bad pollution which may be exacerbated by Grabs growing fleet. In any case, Go-Viet was unable to secure a licence for its Go-Car services. Previously, Go-Viet has yet to be approved to launch ride-hailing services by the Ministry of Transport (MoT), however, the company was already operating in Ho Chi Minh City. After that, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee submitted Dispatch No.449/UBND-DT to the MoT about receiving the pilot scheme to deploy science and technology applications to manage and connect contractual passenger transport activities by Go-Viet. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, Go-Viet launched its ride-hailing app in Ho Chi Minh City before the official approval was issued by the MoT. Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen also proposed the MoT to ask Go-Viet to only contract with transport enterprises which have been licensed by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport. Another binding condition is that the vehicles must be granted badges by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation before December 1, 2018. Regarding Go-Pay, if the company wants to operate in the payments segment, they must get a licence from the State Bank or shake hands with a licensed enterprise. Grab has spent many years to sign with Moca to provide Grabpay through its Moca service. This requirement may significantly delay Go-Viets plans to launch Go-Pay. VIR Hanoi`s real estate market showed good movements in all segments, mostly apartment with record high supply in the last five years. Hanois real estate market experienced the first three months of this year with significant movements in all segments, mostly apartment for sale, according to US-headquartered property services firm JLL. A view of downtown Hanoi. Illustrative photo Residential segment: recorded surge In the first quarter (Q1), the market witnessed a surge of 24.7% or additional 11,500 units in supply of apartments, recording a high level over the last five years, JLL has said in a latest report. Up to 75% of new launches came from two large scale projects of Vingroup, namely Vinhomes Gia Lam Ocean Park and Vinhomes Dai Mo. Take-up recorded a surge of 65% or additional 13,000 units from the previous quarter. As a result, the absorption was significant in either completed projects or projects nearing completion. Price growth softened in the primary market, with an increase of less than 1.6% on quarter, resulted from rising levels of affordable housing stock. Premium segment was among the best performers, growing by 5.2% on quarter thanks to restricted available stock and strong demand of foreigner byers. Residential market in Hanoi over past few years. Photo: JLL Outlook: an average of 10,000-20,000 units are set to be launched each quarter until the end of 2019. The majority of the stock will come from affordable submarket thanks to strong demand for affordable housing among low- and middle-income groups. Developers have approached new product strategy by lowering unit size to fit the budget of young owner-occupiers. The eastern suburban area has been emerging as favorable spots for affordable housing developments owing to ample availability of land and reasonably low-priced. The increase in launches towards the citys east and south can be attributed to the enhanced infrastructure activity and the first metro line will soon come into operation. Prices uptrend will continue to strengthen but at a slower pace in the coming quarters. Office market: slightly high rent The total supply hit 1,927,000 square meter (sq.m) at the end of Q1, including 1,668,000 from Grade A and Grade B. Nearly 60% or more than 1,152,000 sq.m of office space concentrated in the central business district (CBD) area, including Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, and Dong Da districts. As of end Q1, the occupancy rate stood at 94% while the average gross rent continued to increase by 0.4% on quarter and 1.5% on year thanks to positive demand and relatively low vacancy. The average rent for office buildings in the CBD was at US$24.2 per sq.m per month, up 0.5% on quarter. During 1Q19, the non-CBD sub-market inched up by 0.2% on quarter, attributed to the higher rents in newly completed buildings. Office supply in Hanoi in Q1. Photo: JLL Outlook: a wave of new supply is set to enter the market during 2019 with 12 buildings, including 25,000 sq.m from Thai Square, which is set to come on stream in Q2. The expected notable increase in supply in near-term will likely put downward pressure on rent. While average rent in prime location may experience further rental improvement, the non-CBD area with higher available space is anticipated to soften. The overall market rent will continue to move in an upward trend. Retail market: total stock unchanged Total stock was unchanged at nearly 1,053,000 sq.m in Q1, up by 8.4% on quarter. Leasing environment was stable without new projects completed during the quarter. The occupancy rate reached nearly 90%, up 1.6% on quarter with notable net absorption of 20,610 sq.m recorded in the quarter. Vincom Metropolis Lieu Giai was fully occupied with high-quality tenants after three months of operating, thanks to its good project design and prime location. Good quality food and beverage (F&B) and fashion operators took most of leasing enquiries in Q1. The number of convenience stores continued to rise with the expansion of branded retailers such as Circle K and Vinmart. Rents grew moderately with the overall market rent at around US$28.8/sq.m per month, increased by 0.02% on quarter and 1.1% on year. In CBD area, the average rent was recorded at US$84.9/ sq.m per month, up 0.2% on quarter, while non-CBD area saw a moderate increase 0.03% on quarter, at US$27.7/sq.m per month. Outlook: Approximately 126,900 sq.m is expected to come on stream by the end of 2019, with nearly 46% of the total from Cau Giay District. All new retail projects are located in non-CBD area, putting pressure on developers to fill up vacant spaces. Although rents are expected to only rise gradually, rising consumer incomes should help support fundamentals and in turn investor interest. The disruption from the e-commerce market is also another factor forcing landlords of brick-and-mortar malls to quickly adopt new and unique concepts to bring customers back to malls. The demand for projects having good catchment area and eye-catching visibility remained strong, JLL emphasized. Hanoitimes The EU is strengthening the protection of local farm produce by setting high requirements on food safety and traceability, thus putting pressure on Vietnams farm exports. The EU has just announced amendments to Annexes II, III and IV of the Regulation No. 396/2005 regarding the allowed residue levels of chemicals on some products such as vegetables, fruits and food. The amendments, according to Vuong Truong Giang from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), will have an impact on some farm products Vietnam exports to the EU. Vietnam now mostly exports coffee, pepper, cashew nut, rice, dragon fruit and some spices and vegetables. A report from the ministry shows a significant decrease in the export of these products last February. Vietnam, for instance, exported 12,000 tons of pepper in February, worth $35 million, a sharp 20 percent decrease in value in comparison with the same period of 2018. The total export turnover of farm, forestry and seafood products in the first two months of 2019 was $5.5 billion, falling by 1.6 percent compared with the same period last year. Of this, the value of the key export items was $2.71 billion, or 10.1 percent lower. The total export turnover of farm, forestry and seafood products in the first two months of 2019 was $5.5 billion, falling by 1.6 percent compared with the same period last year. Of this, the value of the key export items was $2.71 billion, or 10.1 percent lower. The EU is the biggest farm produce export market for Vietnam, but it is also one of the choosiest clients with strict requirements on food safety, labeling and environmental conditions. Predicting that the adjustment would not have an overly big impact on Vietnams key farm export items, Giang warned that the EU will continue checking and amending the regulations related to technical barriers to imports. According to Giang, many Vietnams enterprises still dont care much about the relatively regular changes, especially since most of them are small and micro businesses. What Vietnam needs to do is follow the amendments from the EU to control product quality and satisfy new requirements, he said. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, at a forum on farm produce exports held recently, affirmed that other countries are strengthening their protection over domestically made farm produce by setting stricter requirements on quality and safety. The pressure on Vietnams enterprises will increase once the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) is approved by the EU, though the FTA, with the tariff cut, will pave the way for Vietnam to export farm produce to the large market. Pham Thi Du from the Trade University warned that the origin rules, technical barriers, and quarantine requirements will be worrisome to many enterprises. According to the expert, the input materials for Vietnam to make products for export are mostly from China, ASEAN and countries which dont have FTAs with Vietnam. Vietnam, for example, imports 63 percent of raw cashew nuts needed from the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. RELATED NEWS Farm exports plunge, domestic sales stuck Which way for Vietnams farm produce? DNSG The textile and garment industry, aiming to take advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs) with a focus on green manufacturing, is upbeat about earning US$60 billion from exports by 2025. Last year the industry earned $36 billion in exports, up 16 per cent year-on-year, making the country one of the worlds three biggest exporters of textiles and apparel, according to the Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS). Vu Duc Giang, chairman of VITAS, said the association this year set a target of $40 billion in exports, up 11 per cent year-on-year. Speaking at the 2019 Global Textile and Apparel Supply Chain Conference held last week in HCM City, Giang said the industry was expected to enjoy a trade surplus of $20 billion, and employ 2.85 million workers. Textile enterprises have seen positive signs for orders this year, he said. Many businesses have already received orders for the first six months of 2019 and even for the entire year, he said. Because of increased capital flow to the industry, the country has gradually completed a textile and apparel supply chain, while the upcoming enforcement of new FTAs will also be a good factor for the industry this year. This year the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is expected to boost the development of many industries of Viet Nam, including the textile and apparel industry. The industry is also expecting more orders to shift from China to Viet Nam due to the ongoing US-China trade war. Challenges Viet Nam is participating in 16 FTAs. Ten out of 12 signed agreements have been enforced, including the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, the ASEAN-China FTA and the ASEAN-Korea FTA, while the two remaining, the CPTPP and the ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA, have not yet come into force. Participation in various FTAs could help Vietnamese enterprises have more choices in exporting their products, but it also brings challenges to the industry, according to VITAS. The FTAs that Viet Nam has signed all have environmental barriers with higher green standards, which require enterprises to improve not only product quality but also production processes. If enterprises fail to do this, they will face a risk of having orders stopped or rejected, especially orders from major international garment brands. Most Vietnamese textile and apparel enterprises do outsourcing, so they rely heavily on orders from other countries. Customers worldwide are now more environmentally conscious, which has forced global brands to improve operations to include higher environmental and social standards. Sustainable manufacturing Giang recommended that Viet Nam should continue its efforts to ensure environmental protection in manufacturing to become a sustainable supplier of choice of textile and apparel. The country has committed to fully implementing 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ensure economic, social and environmental benefits, according to Giang. Implementing a shared responsibility to respond to the 21st century's biggest global challenge, Viet Nam and the international community ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015. And the textile industry is part of that commitment, he said. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, chief representative of VITAS office in HCM City, said that many provinces established their own industrial parks for textile and garment activities. The industrial zones have invested and put into operation wastewater treatment systems, helping businesses complete their responsibility to protect the environment during production. VITAS set up an Environment Committee three years ago and has taken part in an action programme for the Green the Textile and Apparel Industry group. In addition, last year VITAS and the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature launched a project to green the textile industry. The project aims to encourage players in the domestic textile sector to promote better river basin governance, water quality improvement and sustainable energy use. Marc Goichot from WWF-Greater Mekong said that greening the textile sector in Viet Nam would help achieve its wider goal of addressing river governance and energy sustainability, which are top global environmental concerns. With 6,000 factories nationwide, employing some three million people, the textile and apparel industry contributes 15 per cent of exports. The industry is, however, causing a serious environmental impact. Intensive water extraction, use and discharge of wastewater, and high-energy consumption for water heating and steam generation caused by the industry can seriously affect water resources and greenhouse gas emissions. As the industry continues to expand, improvement in practice will be required to reduce the impact. The UN predicts there will be a 40 per cent water shortage globally by 2030. VNS Voting for the second phase the Lok Sabha election 2019 has started. Several prominent candidates are in poll fray this time, including former Union ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Total 11 states and a UT will go to polls in the second phase, with Tamil Nadu holding polls on all Lok Sabha seats, except Vellore. A total of 1,644 candidates were in the fray for 97 Lok Sabha constituencies but the Election Commission cancelled polls in Tamil Nadu's Vellore over the excessive use of money power and postponed polls in Tripura east to April 23. Among all candidates contesting polls in phase two, as many as 251 have criminal cases registered against them, including 167 with serious criminal records. A total of 423 crorepatis are contesting polls in phase two, and the average assets of all candidates are around Rs 3.9 crore. The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will be conducted across the country in seven phases. The first phase of polls were held on April 11 when 20 states and two UT went for polls. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phases will witness citizens voting for 115, 71, 51, 59, 59 seats, respectively. Lok Sabha election phase 2 LIVE UPDATES: Stage set for another round of polls; voting begins Which constituencies will vote on Phase 2 of Lok Sabha Elections 2019? Tamil Nadu (39 seats): Tirvallur, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chennai Central, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukoodi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari Tirvallur, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chennai Central, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukoodi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari Karnataka (14 seats): Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamrajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur, Kolar Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamrajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur, Kolar Maharashtra (10 seats): Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur Uttar Pradesh (8 seats): Nagina, Amroha, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri Nagina, Amroha, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri Odisha (5 seats): Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Aska Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Aska Bihar (5 seats): Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Banka Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Banka Assam (5 seats): Karimganj, Silchar, Autonomous district, Mangaldoi, Nawgong Karimganj, Silchar, Autonomous district, Mangaldoi, Nawgong West Bengal (3 seats): Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Raiganj Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Raiganj Chhattisgarh (3 seats): Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund, Kanker Jammu and Kashmir (2 seats): Srinagar, Udhampur Srinagar, Udhampur Manipur (1 seat): Inner Manipur Inner Manipur Puducherry (1 seat): Puducherry While national parties Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have their presence in most states in the country, regional parties are also a force to reckon with. To begin with, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh that has formed an alliance will prove to be a forceful third front in the state. Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha is facing stiff competition from the BJP this time. In West Bengal, the BJP is trying to take on Mamata Banerjee's formidable All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), while Atul Bora's Asom Gana Parishad in Assam has joined forces with the BJP against the Congress in Assam. In Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena is in coalition with the BJP, while Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress will fight the ruling party. In Tamil Nadu, DMK and AIDMK are the two most prominent political parties. How to check the name on voters' list for Phase 1 of Lok Sabha Elections 2019? Log on to the National Voter Services Portal's Electoral Search page (NVSP) and check your name on the voter's list by entering your details. You can alternatively put in your Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) number. What to do if you don't have a Voter ID card? Log on to the NSVP Electoral Search page and click on search by details. Put in your details, such as name, gender, age, assembly constituency etc. Based on your details, a result will pop up, which means that your name is in the voter's list. In case, there is no pop-up, it means your name is probably missing from the voter's list. Law and order, security arrangements The Election Commission claims to have taken various measures to ensure free and fair elections. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Armed Police (SAP) have been deployed across the states going to polls in the vulnerable pockets. The forces will also be deployed in the expenditure sensitive constituencies and critical polling stations. On the poll-eve, the CAPFs/SAP will control the respective polling stations and provide security to the electors and polling personnel. Further, the entire force deployment in the assembly segments will be under the oversight of the central observers deputed by the commission. How is EC monitoring election expenses? The EC has issued comprehensive instructions for the effective monitoring of the election expenditure of the candidates. State Excise Department, Commercial Tax Department, Narcotics Control Bureau and police authorities have been asked to monitor production, distribution, sale and storage of liquor and other intoxicants (including narcotics) and inducements in the form of free goods during the election process. The functioning and operations of the flying squads/mobile teams will be closely monitored using GPS Tracking and the use of cVigil App. For greater transparency and for the ease of monitoring of election expenses, candidates are required to open a separate bank account and incur their election expenses from that very account. The Investigation Directorate of the Income Tax Department has been asked to activate air intelligence units in the airports of the state and also to gather intelligence and take necessary action against movement of a large sum of money. What can you do if you report any violation of Model Code of Conduct? Through the ECI's mobile app, cVIGIL, people report about any violation of Model Code of Conduct, any incident of intimidation or inducement within minutes of having witnessed. cVIGIL is an Android-based mobile app, which is user-friendly. "All that one has to do is to simply click a picture or to take a video and briefly describe the activity before uploading it on the cVIGIL mobile application. If the complainant desires to remain anonymous he has the option to do so," says the EC. The district control room allocates cVIGIL cases to the flying squads, which further investigate the matter. The status of the complaint is also with the cVIGIL complainant in 100 minutes. Edited by Manoj Sharma Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 2: West Bengal to vote on April 18; to see triangular contest for 3 seats Vietnam's yarn industry faces many challenges in production and export, especially to China, one of the largest export markets for local yarn products, according to experts. The Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) said that in December 2018 and January 2019, Viet Nam's yarn production industry had to accept a drop in yarn price to $2.6 per kilo, as well as a kilo of cotton falling to $2.1, to maintain production and keep customers. Normally, in yarn production and trading, when the gap between raw material buying prices and product selling price is $1 per kilo, yarn producers can maintain operations. However, from October 2018 until January 2019, the gap was only 50-60 US cents per kilo. Therefore, the yarn manufacturers had to suffer huge losses from their yarn production, said Le Tien Truong, Vitas deputy chairman. In February 2019, the gap was nearly $1 per kilo with the cotton price at $1.9 per kilo and yarn price at $2.8 per kilo. This level was acceptable for the yarn production industry. However, the gap is unlikely to be sustainable due to the results of the US-China trade negotiations, according to the association. The difficulties faced by the domestic yarn production industry are partly due to the US-China trade war, because 25 per cent of Chinese goods facing taxes when exported to the US include yarn. For many years, Viet Nams yarn products have been mainly exported to two major markets China and Turkey. However, Turkey has applied anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese yarn so 70 per cent of Vietnamese yarn products are exported to China, the largest fabric producer in the world, according to the Viet Nam Cotton and Spinning Association. Therefore, Chinas reduction of yarn imports due to difficulties in exporting textile and garment products to the US has affected Viet Nams yarn production. Cao Huu Hieu, executive director of Viet Nam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), was quoted by the Investment Review as saying that domestic yarn production faced difficulties from the end of 2018. In the last quarter of 2018, local producers saw yarn export orders fall and were forced to reduce the export price of yarn. Local enterprises expected the yarn market to gradually warm up from the second half of this year, Hieu said. Truong said enterprises needed to manage risks to maintain production while waiting for the market to recover. "When the market has recovered and demand returns to normal levels, the producers need fibre for their production and storage because they are currently using inventory. The yarn market is expected to witness strong development after the trade crisis ends," he said. VNS The livestock sector produces more than 5 million tonnes of meat each year, meeting domestic demand, but the target is to increase export, according to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong. The livestock sector looks to increase egg exports. At a recent conference on promoting the production and export of poultry products, Minister Cuong said the ministry plans to focus on poultry, considering the big room for development when poultry products account for only 2 percent of total meat output. Poultry consumption in Vietnam is also lower than the world average, which means demand will continue to rise. Acting director of the farm produce processing and market development Nguyen Quoc Toan cited statistics that show average consumption of eggs in Vietnam is at 110-120 per person a year, compared to 250-340 in neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia. According to Nguyen Van Trong, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Husbandry, the poultry industry has been shifting from small to big scale, with rising productivity and product quality. The total poultry flock is increasing by an average 6 percent a year, with annual output reaching more than 1 million tonnes of meat and more than 11 billion eggs at present. Vietnam has exported between 10-15 million salted duck eggs each year, and began to ship abroad processed chicken in September 2017, with nearly 8,000 tonnes exports in 2018. The country also exports several poultry products such as canned quail eggs, braised black chicken, and egg powder. Among problems facing the poultry sector, experts particularly pointed to the poor quality of breeding stock, and a lack of linkage between farming and slaughtering and processing in the production chain. The agriculture minister urged local authorities to exercise strict control of the production process in livestock farming, and invest more in processing. Regarding export, the sector was advised to focus on processed products to avoid quarantine and food hygienic barriers in target countries. Experts recommended some suitable markets for Vietnams poultry meat products such as Japan, China and the Philippines based on existing favourable conditions such as free trade agreements and near distance. Meanwhile, egg export should target Northeast Asian and Southeast Asian countries.-VNA Woodwork exports increased sharply in Q1, partially thanks to higher demand from the US. However, experts say this may not be good news for the industry. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Developments report about the farm produce market in March showed that Vietnam exported $872 million worth of woodwork in March, raising the total woodwork export turnover in Q1 to $2.3 billion, an increase of 15.6 percent compared with the same period 2018. The woodwork export growth is described as very encouraging if noting that the exports of farm produce in general are sliding. Not only maintaining the 2-digit growth rate, woodwork also has the highest trade surplus value, $1.02 billion in Q1, among farm produce. The US, Japan, China and South Korea continued to be the major export markets for Vietnam which consumed 80 percent of total exports. The exports to the US saw the highest growth rate of 34 percent compared with the same period last year. The US, Japan, China and South Korea continued to be the major export markets for Vietnam which consumed 80 percent of total exports. The exports to the US saw the highest growth rate of 34 percent compared with the same period last year. MARD said the US-China trade war has helped Vietnams products become more competitive than Chinese products of the same kinds which are taxed. According to Dien Quang Hiep, chair of the Binh Duong provincial Wood Processing Association, the US is one of the biggest export markets for Vietnam, while China is a big supplier of material timber of Vietnam. In the US-China trade war, US companies tend to seek wooden products from Vietnam instead of China. Meanwhile, China, which cannot sell finished products to the US, will shift to sell timber materials to Vietnam. Some woodwork manufacturers confirmed that orders from the US have increased rapidly in recent months. Hiep, who is also the director of a woodwork company, hopes his company will have turnover increase of 10 percent in 2019, to $22 million. Not good news While woodwork exporters are excited about new big orders from the US, analysts have warned that the increase could be a worry rather than joy. They said the trade war had brought great opportunities to Vietnamese enterprises in the short term. However, it could be a threat in long term, because the massive investment from China to Vietnam could lead to problems. According to experts, Chinese enterprises could bring their products to Vietnam and export them to the US as Vietnamese products. If the US discovers trade fraud, Vietnams exports may become involved in misfortune. Observers say that China has been relocating their production bases to Vietnam for the last few years, especially in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces. However, the relocation has sped up since the trade war broke out. A report from Forest Trends shows China is the second largest foreign investor in Vietnam in the woodwork industry. RELATED NEWS 2018 a successful year for wood industry Wooden furniture manufacturers struggle to keep home market Chi Nam Following the welcome ceremony in his honour in Prague on April 17, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc later the same day held talks with his host Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. An overview of the talks At the talks, the two PMs expressed their joy at the fine development of the relations of traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation over the past nearly 70 years since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relations in 1950. The host affirmed importance of relations with Vietnam and described his guests ongoing visit as an important landmark in the bilateral relations. A close friend of Vietnam and an active member of the European Union (EU), the Czech Republic supports the intensification of the Vietnam-EU relations and will push for the early completion of EU procedures so that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement can be signed within one or two months to come, PM Andrej Babis stressed. For his part, PM Phuc stressed that the Vietnamese people always bear in their mind the valuable help and effective cooperation from the Czech Republic to Vietnam in their national defence, construction and development. The two PMs agreed to strengthen the exchange of delegations between sectors and localities of the two countries. They also concurred to closely coordinate their work to organise activities marking the 70th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties. The two held that the economic cooperation, trade and investment between the countries are developing in a dynamic way but have yet to match their potential and expectation. They agreed to continue to effectively implement the mechanism of the Vietnam Czech inter-governmental committee on economic cooperation and push up cooperation in the fields of security, national defence, technology, mining, and tourism. The host expressed his joy and belief that the early opening of the Hanoi Prague direct air route will help further push up the bilateral relations in trade, investment and tourism, and spoke highly of the role and contributions by the Vietnamese community to the socio-economic development of the Czech Republic. Host and guest also exchanged ideas on international and regional issues of mutual concern, and pledged to further bilateral cooperation at international forums and organisations. The Czech Republic PM affirmed that his country supports Vietnams bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term. The two also stressed the importance of the maintenance of peace and stability, the promotion of security, navigation and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea, and the settlement of disputes with peaceful means in line with the international law, especially the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. PM Phuc invited the Czech PM to visit Vietnam, and the invitation was accepted. Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in mining between authorities of the two sides, and held a joint press conference. Vietnamese, Czech PMs seek ways to boost bilateral partnership Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis at the press conference Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have agreed to collaborate to speed up the launching of a direct air route linking Hanoi and Prague. Meeting with the media after their talks in Prague on April 17, the two PMs said that they sought a number of measures to boost bilateral ties in many areas, especially education-training, agriculture, science-technology, the environment, and culture-tourism. PM Babis expressed his delight at meeting the Vietnamese PM once again after their talks in February 2008. He stressed that the Czech Republic and Vietnam have shared a close partnership over nearly seven decades with regular delegation exchanges. The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic has also made positive contributions to the socio-economic development in the host country, he noted. Vietnam is the third largest partner of the Czech Republic among ASEAN member countries, he said, adding that the two sides have seen sound development in collaboration in trade, investment, and many other areas. The Czech Republics exports to Vietnam have grown 30 percent in recent years, while Czech businesses hope to increase the exporting of goods to Vietnam, said the PM. PM Babis revealed that at the talks the two PMs discussed various promising cooperation areas, such as mining, tourism, aviation, and culture-education, as well as issues regarding visas. The Czech Republic supports the EUs signing of the free trade agreement with Vietnam (EVFTA) he stated. For his part, PM Phuc thanked the Czech PM and people for their warm welcome. He affirmed that his talks with his Czech counterpart were productive, during which both sides agreed on a number of solutions to improve the efficiency of bilateral cooperation in the future. He clarified that Vietnam highly values the Czech Republics support to the early signing and ratification of the EVFTA and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). The deals are of strategic significance for economic-trade cooperation between the EU and Vietnam, helping businesses from the EU and the Czech Republic access the over 90-million-strong market and creating favourable conditions for collaboration in services, finance, telecommunications, and public procurement. The EVFTA will help enhance the position and role of the EU in Asia, he said, pledging that Vietnam will be a gateway for Czech enterprises to approach the ASEAN and East Asia markets. PM Phuc thanked the Government of the Czech Republic for backing the countrys Vietnamese community to live, study, and integrate into the local society, expressing his belief that the community will continue helping to foster friendship and affiliation between the two countries. Vietnam treasures relations with Czech Republic: PM Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) meets Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Radek Vondracek Vietnam always treasures its relations with the Czech Republic and appreciates contributions by the countrys Chamber of Deputies to the development of the bilateral ties, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed when meeting Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Radek Vondracek in Prague on April 17. Phuc asked the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic to maintain efforts to help boost the European Unions signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). He suggested both sides step up the exchange of experience in legislative affairs, strengthen cooperation between the Vietnam-Czech Republic, and Czech Republic-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Groups, and bolster collaboration in education-training, science-technology, environment, agriculture, labour and between their localities. The Vietnamese Government leader requested the lower house to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country. He also forwarded NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngans invitation to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2020 to Radek Vondracek. The host spoke highly of PM Phucs visit, saying that it demonstrates an important development step in bilateral relations. He affirmed the Chamber of Deputies attaches importance to Czech Republic-Vietnam traditional friendship, and totally supports the early signing and ratification of the EVFTA and the EVIPA. He voiced his belief that the early opening of a direct air route connecting Prague and Hanoi will contribute to fostering bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and tourism. He also affirmed to continue facilitating the lives of over 65,000 Vietnamese people in his country, and said he will arrange to visit Vietnam at his convenience. VNA Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with the Executive Board of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe (UVAE) in Prague on April 16 as part of his visit to the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with the Executive Board of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe in Prague on April 16. The leader lauded the union for its activities to support the homeland, and expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will help the Vietnamese Government further develop the country. The Vietnamese Party and State consider overseas Vietnamese an indispensible part of the nation, and create conditions for them to invest in the homeland, he said. According to UVAE President Hoang Dinh Thang, the union was established in 2016, with an executive board of 30 members from 17 European countries. Over the past two years, the union has joined efforts to organise community activities at the regional level, he said. The union has paid attention to external affairs, he said, adding that it has maintained relations with members of the European Parliament (EP). Representatives of the Executive Board visited the EP twice in Belgiums Brussels and Frances Strasbourg, during which they called on parliamentarians to support efforts of the Vietnamese community in Europe in integrating into host countries and preserving their culture, along with some issues of Vietnameses concern like the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the removal of the European Commission (EC)s yellow card warning for Vietnamese seafood. Thang noted his hope that the Vietnamese Government will roll out better policies to encourage local companies, organisations and individuals to invest in the Czech Republic. The same day, PM Phuc met with Marcel Winter, Honorary President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Marcel Winter, Honorary President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association. The leader applauded the association for its contributions to the friendship between the two countries, and noted his hope it will continue to coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy. He described Winter, who has visited Vietnam 48 times and worked hard to assist the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, as a symbol of the friendship. For his part, Winter expressed his hope that there will soon be a direct flight between Prague and Vietnam. While in the Czech Republic, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse visited the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in the country. While in the Czech Republic, PM Phuc visited the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in the country, during which he urged the embassy to carry forward its role in introducing Vietnams foreign investment attraction policies and helping raise trade between the two countries. The embassy was also asked to protect the rights of Vietnamese citizens in the host country, maintain relations with local authorities and relevant organisations and promote Vietnam to Czech people and businesses. Also on April 16, PM Phuc met Jiri Smejc, Group Executive Chairman of Home Credit. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) and Jiri Smejc, Group Executive Chairman of Home Credit At the meeting, the leader said Vietnam is pushing ahead with business environment improvement efforts, which have been acknowledged by major international organisations and groups. The Vietnamese Government is ready to remove difficulties facing businesses, including Home Credit, he said. Vietnam will step up cooperation with the Czech Republic in various spheres, the PM stressed, adding this would be an opportunity for Czech investors. Jiri Smejc said since it entered Vietnam in 2005, Home Credit has become the largest Czech investor in the country in personal loans, with half a million customers. The company has decided to expand its investment in Vietnam, which has a stable investment environment, and wants to operate in the banking sector, he said.-VNA Politburo member and Secretary of Ho Chi Minh Citys Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hosted a reception on April 17 for visiting Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Admiral Philip Davidson. Secretary of Ho Chi Minh Citys Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (R) hosts Admiral Philip Davidson Welcoming the first visit to Ho Chi Minh City by the commander, Nhan affirmed that the visit will help enhance the fine Vietnam-US cooperation. He thanked the US for supporting Vietnam in dealing with dioxin and training Vietnams peacekeepers. Ho Chi Minh City hopes to intensify collaboration with the US, thus contributing to fostering Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, for the benefits of the two countries, the regions and the world, Nhan added. Davidson said that the US wants to boost cooperation with Vietnam in numerous fields, including in training of the UN peacekeeping forces, exchanges between the two navies, and humanitarian relief. He thanked Vietnam for its contributions to the second summit between the US and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), and for backing the US in activities to ensure the freedom of navigation in Asia. -VNA Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich met Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Admiral Philip Davidson in Hanoi on April 16. The meeting between Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich and Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Philip Davidson in Hanoi on April 16 Admiral Philip Davidson is on a working visit to Vietnam. The US commander congratulated Vietnam on its successful organization of the second Summit between the United States and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea in late February, 2019. He informed host of the outcomes of his talks with Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army and Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang. General Lich hailed the outcomes of the talks and said together with their comprehensive partnership, the two countries defence cooperation has been growing soundly, as evidenced by the exchange of visits, training, the sharing of experience in UN peacekeeping activities, and the addressing of war consequences. He suggested the armies of Vietnam and the US continue stepping up their cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect for each countrys benefit and peace and stability in the region and the globe.-VNA Vietnam and the Netherlands are further boosting strategic co-operation in water management and adaption to climate change as part of a plan for the two nations to forge a bilateral comprehensive partnership. Vietnam is expanding its strategic partnership with the Netherlands in preventing flooding and climate change adaptation Last week, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung witnessed the signing of the letter of co-operation between the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources and the Netherlands Embassy to Vietnam. Also inked was an agreement on implementation of the Orange Knowledge Programme, a Dutch expertise programme for developing countries, involving Vietnams Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment and the Water Resources University, and the Netherlands Delft University of Technology, and the University of Twente. These moves, which are part of efforts for the two countries to lift their current relationship to a comprehensive partnership in the near future, were made at the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management in Hanoi, a sideline event during the second official visit to Vietnam by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This specific co-operation is also part of support from the Netherlands in helping Vietnam in adaptation to climate change and effective water management. Minister Nieuwenhuizen said that the Netherlands also wishes to support Vietnam in other areas, such as implementation of a governance system and pilot activities. Accordingly, the governance system will improve management methods, make integrated plans, and provide a long-term sponsor for water resource management challenges. Dutch universities will exchange with Vietnamese partners, and help them improve curriculums. Additionally, the Dutch side will also help Vietnam build small projects on managing water resources which can be replicated to develop policies. The Netherlands will co-operate with Vietnam in three ways. One example is in support of finance. We will invest millions of euros in infrastructure to manage water resources through our Support for Infrastructure Development and Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (DRIVE), Minister Nieuwenhuizen said. The other two support schemes are related to technology and strategic consulting. Over almost 50 years since Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations, co-operation in adaptation to climate change and water management has been the priority of the two countries, particularly since 2010 when they became strategic partners on climate change and water management. According to Minister Nieuwenhuizen, both countries recognised the deep influence of climate change since the turn of the century. Rising sea levels, strong storms, and land erosion have been increasing. River flows are also changing and droughts have become more regular in many places. The construction of upstream dams and downstream dykes can exacerbate those impacts. We have to adapt. Increasing saline intrusion wont be trouble any more if we help farmers adapt to changes in water sources. We need to continuously invest in infrastructure and solutions based on nature, ability of recovery, and protection, the minister said. She also highlighted the sea level rise attacking the Mekong River Delta. Its not simply a challenge, but a threat determining survival, she stressed. Highly appreciating the support of the Dutch government, Deputy Prime Minister Dung said, The knowledge programme, development vehicles, and pilot project on preventing plastic waste on rivers in the Mekong Delta are necessary projects which are suitable with the demand of the Vietnamese government, based on the strengths of the Netherlands. He said the Vietnamese government will further co-operate with the Netherlands to upgrade the strategic relationship between the two countries, and turn challenges caused by climate change into a chance for deeper co-operation for the common benefits of the two governments and peoples. Meanwhile, Minister Nieuwenhuizen also visited the central town of Hoi An, where a consortium of Dutch and Vietnamese companies have developed a plan to protect the vulnerable beach against erosion. The scheme is currently being discussed with the government in order to sustainably protect the coast against degradation by means of an artificial island in the sea. The minister also met with the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee to discuss water issues in the city and the Mekong Delta, how to finance water management initiatives to prevent flooding, and a public-private partnership proposal for flood prevention and solutions for land subsidence. Le Quang Manh - Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment For decades, the Netherlands has been one of the EUs largest official development partners for Vietnam, greatly contributing to infrastructure improvement in general and Vietnams urban areas in particular. So far, we have five projects of clean water supply and waste treatment funded by the Netherlands. Their aid for our development has been mainly implemented through global programmes such as the Facility for Infrastructure Development (ORIO) and the Netherlands Initiative for Capacity Development in Higher Education. The Ministry of Planning and Investment highly appreciated the ORIO support tool, which was a practical financing tool bringing effective development of economic infrastructure for Vietnams localities. Since the end of 2016, the Netherlands drafted the Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (DRIVE) programme to replace ORIO to provide financial support for large-scale infrastructure projects in developing countries, including Vietnam. Simkje Kruiderink - Senior policy officer Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality The agricultural policy for the Mekong Delta was focussed on rice cultivation. Policy instruments, such as production targets and subsidies together with a stable market, provide incentives for farmers. Given the combination of low water productivity, salinity intrusion, and erratic weather events, this is no longer considered sustainable in the coastal zone. Nor is triple rice-cropping behind high dykes in the upper delta sustainable. Agricultural transformation is an imperative to keep the area productive and profitable. The transformation is an opportunity to focus on crops with a higher value and water productivity. The switch to aquaculture and horticulture should however not result in practices that overexploit the groundwater or pollute the surface water. The gradual reduction of the retention potential in the upper Mekong Delta must be reversed. Phan Thi My Linh - Deputy Minister of Construction The Ministry of Construction (MoC) appreciates the positive co-operation and effective support of the Netherlands over recent years in water management in general and the Mekong River Delta in particular. The Dutch government and Rotterdam authorities have supported Ho Chi Minh City in building a common database, a strategy for climate change adaptation until 2100, and a development action plan to implement a city-wide climate change adaption programme. This has helped staff of the city improve their capacity, and gain knowledge and experience from Dutch experts. The MoC encourages co-operation in public-private partnership with the Netherlands such as the flood prevention project in Ho Chi Minh City, the coastal erosion prevention project in Hoi An, and the study in urban planning to solve the dual problem of climate change and land subsidence in the southern province of Ca Mau. VIR Nguyen Tuan Khai, director general of the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, talks to Lao ong cuoi tuan (Weekend Labour) newspaper about his agencys capacity to operate a nuclear power plant. The Da Lat Nulear Research Institute in Lam Dong Province. -- Photo vnexpress.net What are the advantages and disadvantages of project VN3.01/13 on strengthening the capacity and effectiveness of the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety? Project VN3.01/13 is in its second phase. The first phase of the project was carried out from 2012-2015 with financial support from the European Union. In the second phase, the project will receive the funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology in addition to the financial support from the European Union. In this second phase, well continue to receive financial support from the EU and technical assistance from the European Agency RISKAUDIT and technical agencies from France, Germany, Finland and Belgium. This is a very good opportunity for staff from the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety to learn and share their knowledge and experience with foreign experts. The second phase will include seminars and workshops to strengthen the capacity of Vietnamese workers. Has the agency faced any challenges in implementing the project? The development and completion of a legal document on nuclear safety is a challenge for my agency. This task is new to us. Adding to that, nuclear safety is a rather new area for Vietnam while we have a big shortage of human resources in the fields of physics, nuclear technology, hydrothermal, materials and others. Thats why in the first phase of the project, our staff faced certain difficulties and challenges in the course of learning from foreign experts. Other challenges I should mention is our mission to develop an integration management system (IMS) a very important task for the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety. I hope with support from the EC experts, well accomplish the tasks we've been assigned to and the projects objectives to develop a core system, support system and management system. What achievements did the agency make in the first phase of the project? We managed to achieve alI the targets set in the first three years of the project. The project was launched in May 2016 when Vietnam was in the process of preparing for the construction of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant. However, in November, the National Assembly passed Resolution No.31 to suspend the project. Thats why now we are discussing amendments with the European Union to focus on areas of safety and responses to accidents that might occur. With support from European experts, we have completed important draft legal documents governing the building and operation of nuclear reactors, the management of nuclear waste and others. In June 2017, the Prime Minister signed Decision No.884 on how to deal with an accident at a nuclear power plant. In my opinion, this is a big contribution from the project towards the management of a future nuclear power plant in Vietnam. Through this project, staff from the Viet Nam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety have gained good knowledge and improved their capacity in appraising the safety ratio of a nuclear power plant to international standards. Im very glad to say that our European counterparts have reiterated that they would continue to co-operate with Vietnam in the field of nuclear power development. VNS RELATED NEWS Will Vietnam say no to nuclear power? Workshop promotes nuclear power Capturing the recent image of the black hole was the great achievement of a group of more than 200 researchers, including Vietnamese scientists, according to the Vietnam Space Center. Scientists at the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project recently revealed the first image ever taken of a black hole. The black hole in the newly photographed image is at the center of the distant galaxy Messier 87 (M87), a giant galaxy in the Virgo galaxy cluster. The black hole is about 55 million light-years from Earth and has the mass of six and half billion suns. This was a feat implemented by a group of more than 200 astronomers including Vietnamese scientists who are specialists working at the East Asia Observatory of which Vietnam is a member country Vietnamese astrophysicists did not analyze specific data directly from the EHT project, but we worked with the data recorded from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope at the East Asia Observatory, one of the astronomical member stations of EHT, said Dr Pham Ngoc Diep from the Department of Astrophysics and Space. Such international cooperation projects offer opportunities for Vietnamese scientists to work with the most modern telescopes, and the best data and pioneering projects of science. According to Diep, such international cooperation projects offer opportunities for Vietnamese scientists to work with the most modern telescopes, and the best data and pioneering projects of science. EHT is a virtual glass system that consists of 8 radio telescopes designed to photograph black holes. It is a glass system with the highest ever sensitivity and resolution. Forming EHT was a big challenge which required scientists to upgrade and connect eight telescopes built around the world and all situated in high places. These include volcanoes in Hawaii and Mexico, mountains in Arizona, Spain's Nevada mountains, the Atacama desert of Chile, and Antarctica. EHT is the result of years of international cooperation efforts, opening up an opportunity for scientists to study black holes, mentioned in Einsteins general theory of relativity. The recent discovery was on the 100th anniversary of the first historical experiment to confirm the correctness of the theory of relativity. It is remarkable that the image we observe is so similar to that which we obtained from our theoretical calculations. So far, it looks like Einstein is correct once again, Dr Ziri Younsi, of University College London said on BBC News. Black holes are uncommon cosmic objects that have enormous mass but are extremely compact in size. Their presence affects the surrounding environment in extreme ways: they curve spacetime and heat everything around them to ultra high temperatures. RELATED NEWS Huge black hole blasts out 'double burp' Trong Dat The Election Commission of India (ECI) has cancelled the election to 8-Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu after over Rs 11.48 crore worth unaccounted cash was unearthed during an income tax raid at a DMK leader's house. This is the first time that election to a Lok Sabha constituency has been cancelled due to the overuse of money power. As per the EC, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at the residence of Durai Murugan, MLA and Treasurer of DMK Party, and his son Kathir Anand, who is contesting from Vellore parliamentary constituency, on March 31. The I-T sleuths had also conducted searches at Kingston Medical College, which is run by the Durai Murugan Educational Trust. The EC action comes after a police complaint against Anand and two DMK functionaries on the basis of I-T raids on April 10. "A large amount of cash and other incriminating material had indeed been shifted out of the college premises while the teams were being denied entry," the EC said in a statement. The I-T Department also conducted searches at certain premises of close associates of the candidate Kathir Anand on April 1, including Damodaran, the brother in law of Srinivasan, a DMK functionary, and seized Rs 11.48 crore, most of which were packed in plastic packets with ward wise details. Lok Sabha election 2019 LIVE: PM Modi says those sitting in Delhi's AC rooms don't know ground reality "In addition, unused labels, loose sheets with details of ward-wise breakup of voters and documents related to Kingston Engineering College were found from the residence of Damodaran," said the EC. The EC claims Srinivasan's statements confirmed the cash was meant to influence voters in favour of DMK's candidate. "The fact that the claimant does not have any explained source of income and that the documents found with the cash pertain to an institution run by the family of the DMK candidate lays bare the nexus between the candidate and the sums so found," revealed the EC. The EC said the current electoral process in the said 8-Vellore Parliamentary Constituency in Tamil Nadu had been seriously vitiated on account of unlawful activities on behalf of Kathir Anand and some DMK members. After the EC request, President Ram Nath Kovind issued the order rescinding the polls. Meanwhile, DMK has alleged it was an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "besmirch" the party using the EC. "It is a murder of democracy. Modi has planned to wreck the polls by allegedly misusing the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Income Tax and the Election commission," DMK President MK Stalin told reporters in Tiruchirappalli, PTI reported. DMK Treasurer Durai Murugan said cancelling of the poll was a "murder of democracy." He added it's nothing but a conspiracy by those who could not face them in elections. The ruling party in the state, AIADMK, has demanded that Anand be disqualified from contesting the poll over the poll code violation. Edited by Manoj Sharma Lok Sabha Election 2019: Poll dates, full schedule, voting FAQs, election results, constituencies' details A new bus service has been launched in the central city connecting the downtown area with the Da Nang Hi-Tech Park to offer more convenience for commuters, workers and engineers at the park. A new bus route has been launched to connect downtown Da Nang and a complex of Industrial Zones in Lien Chieu District. VNS Photo Cong Thanh The bus route, which opened on Monday, is the first to link the city centre with the Hi-Tech Park and a complex of Industrial Zones in Lien Chieu District. Director of the citys Department of Transport, Le Van Trung, said the new 40-seat busses will run every 30 minutes between 4.30am and 22.10pm with ticket prices of VND5,000 (US$0.22) daily and VND45.000 ($1.9) for monthly travel. The route departs from March 29 Park to wind through Dien Bien Phu, the Hue Junction, Hoang Thi Loan, Nguyen Sinh Sac, Ton Duc Thang, Nguyen Luong Bang, Hoa Khanh Industrial Zone, Au Co, South Hai Van Tunnel ring-road and the Hi-Tech Park. In 2017, the city, in co-operation with Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), also debuted 61 new 50-seat busses on five routes operating every 20 minutes between 5am until 9pm. Currently, 11 public bus routes with subsidised fares are serving local residents, students and workers with safe and environmentally-friendly vehicles. The city also offers bus tracking apps on mobile devices for commuters as well as wireless internet services on the bus routes. Da Nang plans to build 25 public car parks by 2020 to deal with the shortage of space, and the first smart car parking is under construction on Phan Chau Trinh. The city has 69,000 cars, 800,000 motorbikes and over 5,000 electric bikes, excluding cars and personal vehicles from localities that pass in and out of the city everyday. Da Nang is the only city in Vietnam to provide free parking at public hospitals. Bus routes have also been opened from the city to Hoi An, Tam Ky, Duy Xuyen, Que Son, Dai Loc and Tam Ky in Quang Nam Province. Locals make 2.1 million journeys each day, of which 80 per cent are via motorbike, according to the citys transport department. In 2017, two open-top bus routes were opened in the city for tourists travelling between the international airport and Son Tra Peninsula from 7am to 10pm each day. Green vehicles started being used for tourists travelling along the coast in 2012. VNS Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Vietnam, travellers and visitors. Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Vietnam, travellers and visitors. Photo soyte.hanoi.gov.vn In a recent case, a patient from Australia who collapsed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on March 30 in HCM City because of sudden heart attack after the flight was brought to the City International Hospital in HCM Citys Binh Tan District for emergency treatment. His symptoms included dizziness, excessive sweating, fatigue and low blood pressure. After an examination and laboratory tests, the results showed that he had a complete heart block, right bundle-branch block, and other health problems. Much of his heart had stopped responding properly to nerve impulses telling it to beat, and other parts of the heart were beating poorly. An immediate procedure was performed by Dr Nguyen Huu Tung, head of cardiology and vascular intervention at the hospital. Coronary angiography, a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see the heart's blood vessels, revealed a dominant right coronary artery (RCA) with 80 per cent ostial stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of the blood vessels of the heart. A drug-eluting stent was successfully used in the ostial RCA lesion with an outstanding angiographic result. The patient also had a history of end-stage chronic renal disease, which is a factor underlying poor outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventional procedures and development of acute renal failure complications postoperatively. Because of these factors, he was prescribed dialysis. After several days of treatment, his heart rate and renal situation gradually improved, and, thus, he was able to avoid a permanent pacemaker implantation. He was discharged from the hospital seven days later. The patient felt satisfied about emergency treatment services at the hospital, and said he was impressed about the treatment. It was his first visit to Vietnam. The hospital reviewed and solved the urgent issue and rescued him quickly, the patients wife said. In another emergency case, the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital provided treatment to a Taiwanese traveller in Hanoi. After he was discharged and returned to Taiwan, he donated US$100,000 to the hospital. Medical hub Dr John Lucas, CEO of the City International Hospital, said: The hospital has been very successful with many recent emergency cases that have saved thousands of lives of medical tourists, especially heart attack and trauma incidents, as well as injuries from road accidents. We want to promote Vietnam as a medical hub of Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, Lucas added. Last year, the hospital admitted nearly 16,000 foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, including 4,000 from Cambodia. The hospital, which has staff who can speak English, works with the city 115 Emergency Aid Centre to receive foreigners for emergency treatment. The hospital also works with domestic and foreign private health insurance companies, creating favourable conditions for payment. Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the quality of healthcare services at many hospitals had improved and that prices are cheaper than in other countries. In the dialysis sector, for example, foreign tourists who need the treatment can access several hospitals with dialysis systems that meet global standards. Many expats living in the country trust the improved quality of healthcare services and have gone to hospitals for treatment instead of returning to their home country. Last year, hospitals provided healthcare services to more than 300,000 foreign patients, including 57,000 inpatients. This was an increase from 234,000 in 2014. Of these, there were more than 26,000 inpatients. Services provided to foreigners included dentistry, vascular intervention, oncology and others. These figures reflect positive signals for the countrys health sector, Tien said at a meeting with the media held in January. The ministry will continue to improve service attitudes of health staff and upgrade facilities for hospitals, she said. We are trying to attract more expats for health examinations and treatment and reduce the number of Vietnamese people going abroad for treatment, Tien added. Several hospitals such as Cho Ray Hospital and HCM City University Medical Centre have many 5-star rooms and doctors with high expertise. The second facility at Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Nam-Germany Hospital is under construction with international standard designs. Tien has instructed many central-level hospitals to focus on developing more specialised healthcare services. More professional health centres are also being built in Hanoi, Hue City in Thua Thien Hue Province and HCM City to provide training in advanced technologies for doctors throughout the country. VNS Major General Tran Ngoc Tho, former Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, sent a letter on April 16 to US courts to demand the resumption of the lawsuit filed by Vietnamese victims of AO in 2004 against 37 US chemical firms. Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in Vietnam (Illustrative photo: VNA) In the letter, Tho, who is now Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) and Chairman of the VAVA chapter in Ho Chi Minh City, said the US courts recent ruling on Monsanto is further proof showing that the firms Roundup herbicide has a direct impact on the human body. Previously, on March 19, the San Francisco court concluded that this herbicide has been a key cause of cancer for Edwin Hardeman, a resident in California, and required Monsanto to pay a total of nearly 81 million USD to the plaintiff. In August 2018, the San Francisco court also ruled that Monsanto had to pay 289 million USD to Dewayne Johnson after he developed cancer from long-term exposure to the Roundup and Ranger Pro herbicides produced by the firm. Tho stressed in the letter that Vietnamese AO victims require US chemical companies that provided herbicides to the US troops during the war to be responsible for helping, supporting, and overcoming the consequences caused by the chemical damage to Vietnamese people and the environment. Reiterating the claim of Vietnamese victims denied by the US federal court on grounds of insufficient grounds, Tho said that scientific studies and living witnesses whose lives were destroyed and affected by the toxic chemical in Vietnam are the most convincing evidence. International and Vietnamese scientists conducted many practical tests and had direct contact with witnesses, and made verification activities at Bien Hoa, Phu Cat, Chu Lai, and Da Nang airports to support detoxification and cleaning the environment there, the letter added. VNA President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisatoins Nguyen Phuong Nga on April 16 presented the Friendship Order, a notable distinction of the Vietnamese State, to Executive Director of the War Legacies Project Susan Marie Hammond. President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisatoins (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga (R) presents the Friendship Order to Susan Marie Hammond. Speaking at the ceremony, Nga said that this is one of the highest decorations that the Vietnamese state presents to individuals and organisations who have made significant contributions to the friendship between Vietnam and countries worldwide. In the past 20 years, Hammond has worked unceasingly to support Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Vietnam through a wide range of projects, which are funded by US veterans and their families to heal the wounds of war, she stressed, hoping that Hammond and WLP will continue their support for Vietnam in the future. The VUFO committed to accompanying Hammond, WLP and other foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop the cooperative ties and friendship between Vietnam and countries across the five continents, she added. Hammond, for her part, said that she was determined to make concerted efforts to raise public awareness of the long-lasting impacts of this toxic chemical, as well as look for resources to endorse Vietnamese Agent Orange victims since her first visit to the Southeast Asian country in 1991. She expressed her great pride to receive the order and hoped to successfully carry out her projects in Vietnam over the next 25 years. Susan Hammond is the daughter of a US war veteran who fought in Vietnam. She founded the WLP, a Vermont based-organisation that provides comprehensive support for families that were heavily affected during the war against the US. As Deputy Director of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development during 1996-2007, she was responsible for enhancing Vietnam-US relations, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and encouraging US NGOs and universities to branch out support programmes for Vietnam. In particular, she has made documentaries, as well as written books and news articles about the impacts of Agent Orange. She also updates data on the impacts of Agent Orange at agentorangerecord.com which attracts 35,000 visits from the US, Canada, Europe, and Vietnam each year. VNA Thai police have announced the arrest of a husband and wife team of pickpockets. Picture: Manager Online Plenty of evidence of their guilt was found in their room at Khao San Road. Phan Van Long, 60 and his wife Nguyen Thi Hien, 55, were caught on CCTV stealing from tourists at Snowtown. This is a snow and ice experience in the Dream World theme park north of Bangkok. Nguyen stole a bag in the confusion as people prepared to go into the attraction. She passed it on to her husband by throwing it to one side. The thieves were traced back to their room at the Four Sons Village hotel. There cops found Thai and US currency, several phones and cigarettes. Both have a previous conviction in Thailand for stealing and are believed to be part of a bigger gang of thieves. They have been charged with theft. Manager Online The Ministry of Education and Training has approved cooperation programme between Vinh Long University of Technology-Education and Korean University of Tongmyong to train human resources in IT and automotive engineering technology. At the ceremony to announce the Ministry of Education and Training's decision on April 16. (Photo: vlute.edu.vn) As per the cooperation programme, students will attend basic science courses, as well as Korean language and culture courses at the Vietnamese university for two years before taking up another two-year term at the Tongmyong University. The Korean university will facilitate study conditions for Vietnamese students, including scholarships, dormitories, and part-time jobs. After graduating, they can work in the RoK or return home to look for jobs in Korean companies. At a ceremony to announce the ministrys decision on April 16, Assoc. Prof. Dr Cao Hung Phi, VLUTE Rector, stressed that by holding a globally-recognised Bachelor of Science degree, students will have more job opportunities. In addition, they will receive advantages in tuition fees and have the chance to study the culture, socio-economy, and science-technology of both Vietnam and the RoK. The VLUTEs Information Technology as well as Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology courses were recently recognised as international standard programmes by Skill International, an educational consultancy in New Zealand, he said, adding that the university is planning associate programmes with prestigious universities in Japan, Germany, Canada, and the US to develop high-quality human resources to fit the strict requirements of local enterprises. Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of Vinh Long province Peoples Committee Lu Quang Ngoi said that the university is on the right track as it is working to promote international cooperation programmes. He pledged support for the university in its associate programmes and asked the university to continue efforts to improve the quality of training and education. VNA An e-commerce trading floor will be set up to sell products from South Korea, a conference heard in Seoul on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo HA NOI An e-commerce trading floor will be set up to sell products from South Korea, a conference heard in Seoul on Monday. Hoang Ngoc Huan, chairman of the Vietnam Cable Television Corp said his enterprise was preparing for an online/offline product distribution project, backed by a strong marketing network. The project would establish a new trading platform dedicated to selling reliable and quality South Korean products, he said. During the event, VTVcab, the Korea SMEs and Start-up Agency (KOSME) and Phu Thai Group signed an agreement aiming to support South Korean enterprises in advertising and distributing their products in Viet Nam. Pham inh oan, president of Phu Thai Group said the agreement would help Korea small and medium-sized businesses to effectively launch their distribution channels in Viet Nam. Hosted by VTVcab and KOSME, the Vietnam Business Export Conference 2019 witnessed the participation of nearly 220 enterprises from the two countries. KOSME director Lee Sang Jik said he hoped the event will contribute to improving the bilateral trade between the two countries. Two-way trade has skyrocketed in the past from a modest US$500 million in 1992 to $60 billion in 2017 and approximately $63 billion in the last 11 months of 2018. Viet Nam and South Korea aimed to boost bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion by 2020 with a balanced trade direction, following an action plan signed between the two nations late last year. Under the plan, from now until 2020, the two countries will co-operate to support Vietnamese enterprises in enhancing their competitiveness in the fields of spare parts manufacturing, automobiles, garment and textiles, footwear and electronics while facilitating agricultural trade between the two sides. South Korea is now the biggest foreign investor in Viet Nam with total direct investment reaching $64 billion as of March 2019, accounting for 18.4 per cent of the nations total foreign direct investment. VNS Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Viet Nam, travellers and visitors. Photo soyte.hanoi.gov.vn HCM CITY Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Viet Nam, travellers and visitors. In a recent case, a patient from Australia who collapsed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on March 30 in HCM City because of sudden heart attack after the flight was brought to the City International Hospital in HCM Citys Binh Tan District for emergency treatment. His symptoms included dizziness, excessive sweating, fatigue and low blood pressure. After an examination and laboratory tests, the results showed that he had a complete heart block, right bundle-branch block, and other health problems. Much of his heart had stopped responding properly to nerve impulses telling it to beat, and other parts of the heart were beating poorly. An immediate procedure was performed by Dr Nguyen Huu Tung, head of cardiology and vascular intervention at the hospital. Coronary angiography, a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see the heart's blood vessels, revealed a dominant right coronary artery (RCA) with 80 per cent ostial stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of the blood vessels of the heart. A drug-eluting stent was successfully used in the ostial RCA lesion with an outstanding angiographic result. The patient also had a history of end-stage chronic renal disease, which is a factor underlying poor outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventional procedures and development of acute renal failure complications postoperatively. Because of these factors, he was prescribed dialysis. After several days of treatment, his heart rate and renal situation gradually improved, and, thus, he was able to avoid a permanent pacemaker implantation. He was discharged from the hospital seven days later. The patient felt satisfied about emergency treatment services at the hospital, and said he was impressed about the treatment. It was his first visit to Viet Nam. The hospital reviewed and solved the urgent issue and rescued him quickly, the patients wife said. In another emergency case, the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital provided treatment to a Taiwanese traveller in Ha Noi. After he was discharged and returned to Taiwan, he donated US$100,000 to the hospital. Medical hub Dr John Lucas, CEO of the City International Hospital, said: The hospital has been very successful with many recent emergency cases that have saved thousands of lives of medical tourists, especially heart attack and trauma incidents, as well as injuries from road accidents. We want to promote Viet Nam as a medical hub of Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, Lucas added. Last year, the hospital admitted nearly 16,000 foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, including 4,000 from Cambodia. The hospital, which has staff who can speak English, works with the city 115 Emergency Aid Centre to receive foreigners for emergency treatment. The hospital also works with domestic and foreign private health insurance companies, creating favourable conditions for payment. Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the quality of healthcare services at many hospitals had improved and that prices are cheaper than in other countries. In the dialysis sector, for example, foreign tourists who need the treatment can access several hospitals with dialysis systems that meet global standards. Many expats living in the country trust the improved quality of healthcare services and have gone to hospitals for treatment instead of returning to their home country. Last year, hospitals provided healthcare services to more than 300,000 foreign patients, including 57,000 inpatients. This was an increase from 234,000 in 2014. Of these, there were more than 26,000 inpatients. Services provided to foreigners included dentistry, vascular intervention, oncology and others. These figures reflect positive signals for the countrys health sector, Tien said at a meeting with the media held in January. The ministry will continue to improve service attitudes of health staff and upgrade facilities for hospitals, she said. We are trying to attract more expats for health examinations and treatment and reduce the number of Vietnamese people going abroad for treatment, Tien added. Several hospitals such as Cho Ray Hospital and HCM City University Medical Centre have many 5-star rooms and doctors with high expertise. The second facility at Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Nam-Germany Hospital is under construction with international standard designs. Tien has instructed many central-level hospitals to focus on developing more specialised healthcare services. More professional health centres are also being built in Ha Noi, Hue city in Thua Thien Hue Province and HCM City to provide training in advanced technologies for doctors throughout the country. VNS Baba Ramdev plans to open 500 Patanjali Paridhan stores this year Loading the player... DGCA asks airlines to reduce airfares on 10 routes to 'reasonable levels' Aviation watchdog DGCA Tuesday asked airlines to reduce fares on ten domestic routes to "reasonable levels" as ticket prices on these high-density routes have risen up to 30 per cent in last one month, according to a senior official. Amid concerns over a spike in airfares, mainly after grounding of scores of planes by ailing Jet Airways, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a meeting with representatives of various airlines. Baba Ramdev plans to open 500 Patanjali Paridhan stores this year Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved will open more than 500 stores of company's apparel brand Patanjali Paridhan throughout the country this year, the yoga guru said Tuesday. The company will open over 500 Patanjali Paridhan stores in the country where clothes made of bamboo fibre and khadi will be made available, Ramdev told reporters at the launch of a store here Tuesday. How India Inc is getting employees, customers to go vote India Inc is doing its bit to encourage employees to cast their vote. Offering paid leave on voting days is just the start. For instance, Walmart-owned Flipkart is organising voter registration camps for employees as well as their families, The Economic Times reported. These camps are meant to facilitate not just first-time voters but also those seeking to shift registration to a different constituency. Google blocks Chinese app TikTok in India after court order Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with a state court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.The move comes hours after a court in southern Tamil Nadu state refused a request by China's Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. Jet Airways faces imminent shutdown without emergency funds: sources Jet Airways Ltd will be forced to shut down as soon as Wednesday if it does not get emergency funding from its lenders, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.Bankers and an Indian government official said lenders are trying to line up funds to keep aloft the once-dominant Indian airline, whose shares earlier on Tuesday slumped to their lowest levels since August 2015. Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu's Vellore cancelled after cash haul The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency in Tamil Nadu was cancelled Tuesday by the Election Commission (EC) two days ahead of the polling following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently.Perhaps, this is the first time election to a Lok Sabha constituency has been cancelled over use of money power. Will continue to make diesel cars that customers can afford, says Maruti Suzuki The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Tuesday said it will continue to manufacture diesel cars that customers can afford, thus ruling out stopping the production of diesel cars completely. The cars are set to get costlier with the upcoming BS-VI emission norms from April next year.While the bigger cars are likely to continue, the carmaker is expected to pull the plug on small diesel cars in its portfolio. Will today see India's first private airline getting totally grounded, at least temporarily? The three-hour Jet Airways board meeting on Tuesday to decide on the crumbling airline's next course of action - its lenders were divided on whether to hand over the remaining promised interim funding of over Rs 1,000 crore without additional collateral the previous day - remained inconclusive and its operating fleet is now down to just five planes. Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said yesterday that the airline has sought emergency funds worth around Rs 400 crore from banks and that the matter is between the carrier and the reluctant lenders. Adding to the airline's woes, its pilots' body, National Aviator's Guild (NAG), is now threatening to seek resolution under insolvency law. Many of Jet Airways' 16,000-plus employees have not received salaries since January. On March 25, Jet Airways' board had approved a debt-swap revival plan, under which the lenders were supposed release an emergency loan of Rs 1,500 crore and, in turn, acquire a majority stake in the airline. But, thus far, they have only disbursed less than Rs 300 crore - and that in small amounts - citing procedural delays. Due to this, the airline has neither been able to pay pending salaries nor its lessors and, hence, been forced to ground the bulk of its planes. The carrier has already suspended international operations till April 18. According to India Today, a crucial decision is expected today - Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube dashed off a letter to lead lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday stating that the airline would be forced to ground its entire operations if it does not get immediate financial help of Rs 400 crore. But the buzz yesterday was that the lenders wanted to weigh the seriousness of bids received for the recently-concluded stake sale before firming up any funding plans. Without an immediate cash infusion, Jet Airways' will have no choice but to temporarily halt operations. "Please note that in view of the critical liquidity position of the Company, its operations have been severely impacted. Meanwhile the Company is awaiting emergency liquidity support from the consortium of the domestic lenders led by State Bank of India," Jet Airways said in a regulatory filing last night. "The Company's leadership, in consultation with its Board of Directors, is engaged with lenders in connection with the said emergency funding request to arrest a further deterioration of its services and minimize inconvenience to its guests. The Company is also in constant engagement with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Civil Aviation in this regard." Bank and government officials continue to maintain that it's not yet the end of the road for the airline. Sources in the government told PTI that lenders are discussing ways to revive the crisis-hit carrier and fresh funds are likely to be infused shortly. Representatives of various lenders to Jet Airways are also understood to have discussed issues related to the beleaguered airline with Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar. Jet Airways is saddled with debt of over Rs 8,500 crore. Also read: Catch-22: Jet Airways has put bankers in a situation they hate! "Discussions for reviving the airline are underway and nothing has been finalised as of now," Punjab National Bank Managing Director and CEO Sunil Mehta also told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday. Significantly, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has called for a review of issues related to Jet Airways, including rise in airfares, today. Meanwhile, founder and former chairman Naresh Goyal has withdrawn from bidding for Jet Airways after Etihad and TPG Capital threatened to cancel their proposals. Goyal had submitted his Expression of Interest (EoI) as part of a consortium on April 12. SBI Capital Markets, which has the mandate for the stake sale on behalf of the SBI-led consortium, is currently vetting the initial bids received and as per reports the shortlisted investors will be given time till May 10 to submit binding bids. That just might be too late for Jet Airways. According to NAG, which has around 1,100 members, the airline is only operating around 450 seats per day. The body's Vice President Aseem Vlianini said the union might approach the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for a resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). He added that while the airline's management has said that salaries would be paid from the additional funding only, SBI has a contrary stand. And that's pretty bad news for the already disgruntled employees. According to an airline source, the number of pilots has dropped to around 1,300 after about 400 pilots left in the wake of the crisis. "On Tuesday alone 23 pilots left the airline," the source claimed, adding that over 100-odd pilots have joined budget carrier IndiGo. With uncertainty mounting over the fate of the airline, its shares crashed nearly 19% yesterday and is currently trading nearly 8% lower at Rs 241.85 apiece. Jet Airways has arrived at this dire crossroads almost 26 years after getting its first two aircraft. On April 18, 1993, as JRD Tata received the planes, he had some advice for Goyal. "Naresh, if you cannot make Jet Airways better than the best, then send these two aircraft back today," the father of Indian aviation had reportedly said. Poignant words, indeed. (Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal; with PTI inputs) Also read: Jet Airways seeks Rs 400 cr interim funding from lenders amid reports of temporary shutdown Also read: Jet Airways crisis: Lenders divided on interim funding; crucial board meeting today MIAMI (TWH) Some of the languages of our ancestors have become extinct and efforts are underway to save minority languages still in existence. Many of those languages often have ties to folk practices. It is useful to think of languages as resources that encode, preserve, and transmit cultures. Beliefs about the cosmos become part of the structure and words of a language. Concepts like Awen, Arete, the Dao, Yin-Yang, Chi, Prana, and Chakra among others have influenced many of our renewed Pagan cultures. As with other resources, some languages are under threat and there exist many efforts to protect and revive them. How threatened are languages? According to UNESCO about 43% of the worlds 6,000 languages are under threat. Melanesia, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America have the largest number of languages under threat. In the US, all 200 threatened or extinct languages appear to be Native American. When someone ceases to speak a language under threat, they do not become mute. They begin to speak another language, generally one with benefits of money, status, or power. This change roughly parallels the path of empire. The languages of powerful nations tend to displace languages of nations with less power. The process of language displacement occurs slowly. First, fewer people start to speak the language. Second, fewer young people learn the language, Third, fewer people speak the language in pubic. Slowly, it becomes a private home language. A vicious circle emerges in which the language has less and less relevance until it finally disappears. UNESCO argues that countries have to require national policies that recognize and protect minority languages to save a language under threat. Social policies have to promote its use. That language has to be taught to young children. Robert N. Kvasnak, Ed.D., discussed the impact of the internet on languages under threat. In a diaspora, people leave, flee, or are expelled from their home country. Scattered across the globe, people in a diaspora lack others with whom to speak their language. Their language competency slowly withers away. The internet allows people in a diaspora to speak across vast distances. This virtual community allows languages to live in new contexts, frequently urban. As this speech occurs on the internet, the language under threat develops new words for new technology. This potential for growth never occurred in prior diasporas. Kvasnak noted an explosion of sites offering courses in Gaelic, Maori, Hawaiian, and Esperanto. Kvasnak said that Esperanto is gaining approximately 200,000 to 300,000 new speakers a year. Two US states are trying to preserve Native languages Under the Language Preservation Pilot Program, Montana provides some funding for Native American language programs in public schools. These programs teach in Native languages for at least half the school day. Only one other state, Hawaii, funds Native language immersion programs. Hawaii has only one native language. Montana has nine. The Montana Language Preservation Pilot Program may end this year. Efforts to revive the Hawaiian language After the US annexed Hawaii, the US actively discouraged the use of Hawaiian language. Kvasnak noted seven problems facing the revival of the Hawaiian language. He said these problems are common to most endangered languages. Text books in the language do not exist. The language has little prestige at home and almost none abroad. Using more than one language in business and government costs more than using one language. Families that maintain a native language often have little formal education. They know a great deal about the world around them, usually a rural one. People in the rest of the world know little about their world. Knowing a native language yields no economic benefit in other, more powerful language communities. The languages under threat have often not unified their dialects. Generally higher education does not occur in languages under threat, but mainly in dominant languages. Language revival in Europe Many people think of colonialism as something Europe did to the rest of the world. Intra-European empires did exist. They, however, differed somewhat from extra-European empires. Still, intra-European empires have threatened Basque, Breton, Cornish, Gaelic, Romani, Saami, and Yiddish, among other European minority languages. Kvasnak discussed efforts to resurrect Cornish, a Celtic language. The UN had declared it extinct, but some parents decided to make Cornish their home language. They began to teach their children Cornish. UNESCO now labels it as critically endangered, but revitalized. That label spurred even more interest in the Cornish language. Bitesize Irish teaches Irish Gaelic online. They organize immersive weekends and conversation group around the world. Gaelic USA promotes the study of Scottish Gaelic culture, including its language. They have set up a Scottish Gaelic Twitter handle #IsMiseGaidhlig. They also have an inclusive and welcoming statement about Scottish culture and identity. Central and South America In Latin America, the size of the Native population largely determines linguistic survival. Kvasnak reported that in Mexico and Peru, There is growing interest in maintaining the different Native languages alongside the imposed Spanish of the conquistadores. In areas with smaller number of indigenous people, the outlook is much worse. Languages as social resources provide a wealth of knowledge about how the speakers of those languages understand the world. Very few, if any, see the world as a market to exploit for profit. Many see the world as alive, relational, and spiritual. Contemporary Pagans could learn a great deal from many of the languages under threat. 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(1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) Liquor baron and former Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya has accused the government of discrimination when it comes to bailing out private companies in the country. Mallya, who is facing an extradition case to India in a London court, in a series of Tweets, said his heart went out for the beleaguered airline, which was on the verge of complete shutdown as its lenders had not released the minimum required funding of around Rs 1,500 crore. Mallya said it was sad many airlines like Jet Airways had to bite the dust in India. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why?" Mallya asked. Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Drawing a comparison with state-owned Air India, which has a debt of over Rs 50,000 crore, Mallya said the government used Rs 35,000 crore of public funds to bail out Air India while one of finest airlines like Jet Airways was being allowed to collapse. "Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination." Jet Airways seeks Rs 400 cr interim funding from lenders amid reports of temporary shutdown Calling it the "Airline Karma", Mallya said his now defunct Kingfisher Airline borrowed from public sector banks as well but now that he was offering to pay back "100 per cent" he was being "criminally charged". "I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma?" Asked the fugitive businessman. He also accused the media of bias reporting whenever he expressed his willingness to pay "100 per cent back to the PSU banks". "I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first?" he tweeted. I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become Indias largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 percent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 The embattled businessman had recently filed an application in the UK High Court to avoid extradition to India. Mallya filed for an oral consideration after his first attempt at an application seeking "leave to appeal" in the court failed. The Westminster Magistrates' Court has already judged in favour of extraditing Mallya to India, which was then approved by the UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid back in February. Catch-22: Jet Airways has put bankers in a situation they hate! Meanwhile, the Jet Airways' board is meeting today to decide on the crumbling airline's next course of action. The airline's operating fleet has now reduced to just five planes. Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said yesterday that the airline, which has a debt of over Rs 8,000 crore, has sought emergency funds worth around Rs 400 crore from banks and that the matter was between the carrier and the reluctant lenders. Many of Jet Airways' 16,000-plus employees have not received salary since January. Jet Airways crisis: Fleet down to 5 planes; CEO says airline will cease operations without Rs 400 crore infusion It is a known fact that Vishal is doing a film in the direction of Sundar C. The film is currently on floors and is going on with its shoot in the beautiful locales of Azerbaijan. Now, the latest we hear is that the shoot of the climax is happening on a big scale. This is the most expensive shoot ever for Vishal in his career. Boeing jets are being used in this shoot which has been designed by Sundar C. Meanwhile, Vishal is also shooting for his other new film which is the remake of Temper. Articles that might interest you: This is Gods work, says the vicar of Phnom Penh, Bishop Schmitthaeusler, who urges the faithful to experience their mission as baptised and sent: the Church has been, the Church is, the Church shall be. Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/EdA) On Easter night, Cambodias Catholic community will celebrate the baptism of 294 people: 154 in the capital Phnom Penh, 80 in Battambang and 60 in Kampong Cham (capitals of their respective homonymous provinces), said Mgr Olivier Michel Marie Schmitthaeusler, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, on the occasion of the Chrism Mass celebrated on 9 April (pictures). About 80 local priests took part in the service in which Mgr Schmitthaeusler urged the faithful to live their mission of baptised and sent, in accordance with the theme of the next Extraordinary Month of the Mission called by Pope Francis in 2017. Baptised and sent: The Church of Christ on a mission in the world will be celebrated in October 2019. In his homily, the apostolic vicar said that "In Cambodia, the Extraordinary Month of the Mission is a sort of powerful reminder of the ordinary life of our baptised and sent." "Here, he added, our small vicariate and our small prefectures do not have large structures, and our communities, often tiny and planted in the middle of a rice field, at the foot of a hill or in the heart of the city, do not have crowds of Christians. The mission is the heart of our lives as believers, priests and religious. Here, the whole People of God is an apostle, with daily concerns, in the manner of Saint Paul: "woe to me if I do not preach it (the Gospel)!" After noting the number of the newly baptised, Mgr Schmitthaeusler asked those present: "Is this simply the result of the work of the sixty priests present in Cambodia, or the hundreds of men and women religious who live there, or the work of some thirty lay missionaries? No, it is above all Gods work. Dear brothers and sisters, we are this People of God, baptised and sent. Let us give thanks to God for all the Christians who, as in the days of the Acts of the Apostles, are our most precious collaborators. The priest is the pastor of the community he must love and understand, to walk together towards God. Let us simply be pastors in accordance with Gods Heart. The prelate told those present how to "build our Church, a sign of the Kingdom of God", in ten points - one for each year of apostolic vicariate in Phnom Penh. "Spiritual life: we are born of God and sent into the world; communion: among us; inclusion: for all, everyone is welcome; forgiveness: a sine qua non condition to go forward; a heart that listens and loves in action and in truth: charity in action; true and direct dialogue at all levels: religious, institutional, societal; concrete presence in society; the integral education of just and virtuous men and women; a paternal and maternal heart: the Church is a family . . . a giant tree with a huge heart; be creative: the Gospel is new every morning". "Yesterday, today, tomorrow: The Church is 2000 years old; it has roots that nourish our today and prepare the future. Useless servants: no one is indispensable, we are useless servants . . . who offer however more love and life, and who can withdraw discreetly knowing that others will continue this service of proclamation and peace; the Church has been, the Church is, the Church shall be. (Photo credit: EdA). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on April 16 said it will put into circulation Rs 50 denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das. The RBI will issue Rs 50 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series bearing the signature of Das. The design of these notes is similar in all respects to Rs 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series, it said. "All banknotes in the denomination of Rs 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender," the RBI said. Also Read: 50 lakh people lost jobs since demonetisation, says Azim Premji University report Adam Shatz in the London Review of Books: The problem with Israel, Tony Judt wrote in the New York Review of Books in 2003, is not as is sometimes suggested that it is a European enclave in the Arab world; but rather that it arrived too late. It has imported a characteristically late-19th-century separatist project into a world that has moved on, a world of individual rights, open frontiers, and international law. The very idea of a Jewish state a state in which Jews and the Jewish religion have exclusive privileges from which non-Jewish citizens are for ever excluded is rooted in another time and place. Israel, in short, is an anachronism. Today, it is Judts liberal internationalist certainty that seems like an anachronism, while Israel a hybrid society of ancient phobias and high-tech hope, a combination of tribalism and globalism, in the words of the journalist Anshel Pfeffer looks increasingly like the embryo of a new world governed by atavistic fears, whose most malign symptom is the presidency of Donald Trump. Pfeffer, a correspondent for Haaretz, has written a biography of Benjamin Netanyahu as a way of explaining todays Israel by no means an enviable task. Say what you will about Netanyahus predecessors, they had their fascination, from the monastic self-discipline of David Ben-Gurion to the gluttony of Ariel Sharon. Netanyahu comes across as a hollow figure: a marketing man, in the words of Max Hastings, who met him while writing a biography of his brother Jonathan. Yet Netanyahu can hardly be avoided, or his survival skills denied. More here. Hidden among the rolling vineyards of the Livermore Valley is a gem of true wine world pedigree. One of California's original wine estates, Murrieta's Well is best known for crafting highly acclaimed estate-grown wines. Lesser known, perhaps, is its heritage: The vineyard was established in 1884 when French immigrant Louis Mel planted cuttings from Bordeaux's famed Chateau d'Yquem and Chateau Margaux vineyards. That same year, Mel began construction on what would become one of the first gravity flow wineries in the state. In 1940, Ernest Wente purchased the estate and winery. In 1990, Wente's grandson, Phil Wente, converted the winery to a tasting room and named it Murrieta's Well, paying homage to Joaquin Murrieta, who was one of the first to discover the estate in the mid-1800s. Today, the Wente family trusts winemaker Robbie Meyer to create wines with a small-lot approach that showcases the quality and flavor of this very special Livermore Valley estate. A red wine pairing at Murrieta's Well. (Courtesy of the winery) To fully appreciate everything Murrieta's Well has to offer, try their 90-minute Wine & Food Experience, which begins with a tour of the historic estate followed by a relaxing tasting in the striking barrel room. Once seated, a highly trained educator will guide you through a wine tasting paired with seasonal delicacies prepared by the in-house culinary team. With several surprises along the way, this is an encounter your palate will never forget. Highlights from the spring menu include Dry Orange Muscat paired with celery root mash and a grilled prawn; and the popular Zarzuela Red Blend paired with lamb ragu and hand-cut linguini. The wine and food pairings are only overshadowed by the incredibly warm and friendly ambassador walking you through the delicious pairings. The $65 experience is worth every penny, whether you are a regular to the Livermore Valley, just 45 miles east of San Francisco, or a soon-to-be very satisfied newcomer. // Reservations are available by calling 925.456.2395 and at murrietaswell.com. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, is in talks to buy stake in Reliance Industries' oil refineries and petrochemical complex, sources privy to the development said. Aramco opened talks with Reliance as $44-billion mega refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, where it was taking a 50 per cent stake along with UAE's ADNOC, got delayed after ruling BJP-government scrapped plans to acquiring land for the project in coastal Maharashtra. The sources said talks have been going on for few months now but there is nothing concrete that has materialised just as yet. Reports suggested Aramco may take 25 per cent stake for $10-15 billion but sources discounted such a valuation saying market capitalisation of Reliance at Tuesday's closing price on BSE was over Rs 8.5 lakh crore, at least half of which or Rs 4.25 lakh crore (about $60 billion) would be coming from refinery and petrochemical business. A 25 per cent stake would translate into $15 billion without even considering any premium of giving a firm a foothold into a well-established business in the world's third largest energy consuming nation, they said. Reliance declined to comment on the issue. "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis," a company spokesperson said. "We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under Securities Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations 2015 and our agreements with the stock exchanges". Aramco has on multiple occasions in the past disclosed its discussions with Reliance. The last such comment was on February 20 when its CEO Amin Al-Nasser visited here as part of a high-level delegation visiting India along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions with Reliance first came to light in December when Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Reliance owner and richest Indian Mukesh Ambani. Al-Falih, who has known Ambani for over a decade now, travelled to Udaipur that month to attend the pre-wedding festivities of Ambani's daughter Isha's marriage with Ajay Piramal's son Anand. During the visit, he also held talks with Ambani and he later tweeted: "we discussed opportunities for joint investments and cooperation in petrochemical, refining and communications projects". In January, Aramco CEO met Ambani, possibly as a follow-up of that meeting. Reliance operates two refineries at Jamnagar with a total capacity of 68.2 million tonnes per annum. The company plans to expand its only-for-exports special economic zone (SEZ) refining capacity to just over 41 million tonnes from current 35.2 million tonnes but does not have any plans to set up a new refinery in the country. It is presently focused on expanding petrochemical and telecom business, the sources said. Crude oil is the basic raw material for the manufacturing of petrochemicals. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is keen to get a foothold in the world's fastest-growing fuel market to get a captive customer for the crude oil it produces. Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, and its partner Abu Dabhi National Oil Co (ADNOC) have picked up 50 per cent stake in a planned $44-billion refinery in Maharashtra but the project is facing problems in acquiring land due to protests from local politicians. Aramco and ADNOC will together hold 50 per cent stake in the 60-million tonnes per annum (MTPA) refinery and adjacent 18 MTPA petrochemical complex planned to be built at Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra by 2025. The two will supply half of the crude oil required for processing at the refinery. Like other major producers, the two are looking to lock in customers in the world's third-largest oil consumer through the investment. Kuwait too is looking to invest in projects in return for getting an assured offtake of their crude oil. Saudi Aramco is also keen on retailing fuel in India. A refinery in India can also be a base for it to export fuel to deficit countries in Europe and the Americas. India has a refining capacity of 247.6 million tonnes, which exceeded the demand of 206.2 million tonnes. ALSO READ:Saudi Aramco was world's most profitable company in 2018: report ALSO READ:Vedanta announces oil discovery in Krishna-Godavari basin, to augment domestic crude output ALSO READ:India eyes funds from Saudi Arabia for strategic oil reserves, refinery project Child care crisis in S.D. hurting families, employers and state economy The daycare shortage is taking place in both urban and rural areas. Seven South Dakota counties have no state-registered daycare providers. WASHINGTON The special counsels Trump-Russia report will be out on Thursday for all to see. But not all of it. The Democrats demands for a full, unredacted version of Robert Muellers report are likely to prompt a political and legal battle that could last for months, if not much longer. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas very quickly for the full report on Russia and Donald Trumps presidential campaign if it is released with blacked-out sections. And that would set the legal fight in motion. Attorney General William Barr has said he is redacting four types of information from the report, which the Justice Department says will be released Thursday. Congressional Democrats cite precedent from previous investigations in saying they want to see it all. But some Republicans defending Barr are also citing precedent, saying it is appropriate to keep at least some of the information from Congress and the public. A look at what types of material Barr is redacting, and why Democrats say it should be released: ___ GRAND JURY INFORMATION Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are free to go to court themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so. Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned. Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding. But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they dont need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials. ___ CLASSIFIED INFORMATION Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different. Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for all materials, regardless of form or classification. In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team. Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here, Schiff said on CNN this month. ___ ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that are still underway. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, New York and Virginia. Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Muellers own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump. Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation. ___ DEROGATORY INFORMATION The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinized in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties. Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. No, Im talking about people in private life, not public officeholders, Barr said. That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Muellers investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted. The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clintons email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasnt charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signaled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently. If youre not going to indict someone, then you dont stand up there and unload negative information about the person, Barr said. Thats not the way the Department of Justice does business SANTA FE Democratic District Attorney Marco Serna of Santa Fe has taken a new step toward running for Congress in 2020 by forming an exploratory committee. Serna told The Associated Press on that he has formed a committee and created a fundraising account to test the waters for a potential campaign in the 3rd Congressional District. The seat is opening up to competition as sixth-term Rep. Ben Ray Lujan runs for U.S. Senate. Serna said he wants to help bring greater economic opportunity to people in northern New Mexico and continue work to combat the regions opioid epidemic. The 36-year-old prosecutor plans to make a decision by mid-May on whether to run. The son of former state insurance superintendent Eric Serna, Marco Serna won election as district attorney in 2016. Arif Alvi visited families of Hazarganji blast President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday visited Imam Bargah Wali Asar to condole with the families of Hazarganji blast victims and said there will be no compromise on maintenance of peace in Balochistan Speaking on the occasion, the president called for an early and complete implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) to safeguard rights of all citizens and make every corner of Pakistan safe, secure and peaceful, adding that the federal government will provide every required assistance in this regard. The president express grief and solidarity with the families of the people who lost their lives in Hazarganji bombing. He said enemies of Pakistan are trying to spread anarchy but all such attempts will be foiled with unity, patience and up-to-the-mark performance of the law enforcement agencies. He said it is responsibility of government to ensure protection of the life and property of the people. I have come here to condole with families of Hazarganji blast martyrs, he said. While eulogizing the Hazara community for exhibiting unity and solidarity despite going through adversities, President Alvi said nation stands by them in this hour of grief. He offered fateha for the departed souls and prayed for courage to the families to bear the loss. He also prayed for early recovery of the injured. Loss of life has no alternative, he remarked. The president said sacrifices of the martyrs and the patience shown by the bereaved families will always be remembered. He said despite conspiracies against the country to create a divide, the nation has exhibited harmony by rejecting any mutual differences. He stressed that implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) is indispensable for a sustained peace in the country. He said providing safety to its citizens is states responsibility. Later, President Alvi along with Balochistan governor, chief minister and other provincial ministers visited the Frontier Corps hospital to inquire after the security personnel injured in the blast and prayed for their early recovery. CARLSBAD The former Post Time Saloon is set to become part of the solution to one of Carlsbads biggest problems: housing. Many Carlsbad residents remember getting drinks at the popular saloon, and then when it closed a few years ago and became the Luxe Nightclub. That business closed last year, leaving a vacant property with an aging hotel and empty bar. Enter Nuclear Waste Partnership and a contract to rebuild the ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Houston-based Critical Applications Alliance was hired for the project and began bringing workers into Carlsbad. The contract is for about $400 million and the job will take about three years. The contractor is a joint venture between Christensen Building Group and Kilgore Industries, created to seek contracts for work at WIPP and in the oil and gas industry. Critical Applications Alliance was hired to build Occidental Petroleums transloading facility for frack sand in Loving, and the companys first project in southeast New Mexico was a similar facility in Jal in 2014. And since it needed a place for workers to stay, the company bought the Post Time property and began refurbishing it to offer an upscale hotel. We noticed there were continuing opportunities at the WIPP site, said Mark Christensen, founder of Christensen Building Group. We put together a strategic joint venture to pursue that work. Were bringing families. Were bringing our resources. Because of competition with the oil and gas industry, we wanted to control our resources. Serving a local need The recent oil boom in southeast New Mexico caused a crisis in Carlsbads housing market. Homes for sale are rare, and hotel room rates skyrocketed above $300 per night. Workers and tourists alike have struggled for a place to stay. The Post Time Suites will be ready by July, with 40 rooms featuring king and double beds, Christensen said. His company also built office space near Canal and Wood streets two years ago, establishing a permanent presence in Carlsbad. We wanted to really establish ourselves as committed to Carlsbad, Christensen said. We wanted to give something back and be a part of the community. For Jeff Campbell, director of marketing and business development at the Carlsbad Department of Development, more beds are always welcome, especially downtown. An area in downtown Carlsbad was recently distinguished as the Pearl of the Pecos Arts and Culture District (ACD). The district is one square mile in downtown, encompassing Carlsbads MainStreet and Historic districts. Its good to have a hotel in that area, Campbell said. It can encourage people to walk around and experience downtown. Campbell said there were at least four hotel projects going in the Carlsbad area, providing rooms for a large influx of oil and gas workers and other employees into the area. Eddy County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.1% in February, according to data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. There is still a lot of need for housing in the area, Campbell said. A lot of companies use hotels for their employees. Each of these projects is doing something different. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal In her role as a deputy field investigator with the state Office of the Medical Investigator, Pamela Smith was sent on March 9, 2017, to look into the death of 82-year-old Dominic Domingo. Then, in her role as Sierra County probate judge, she appointed her own husband as special administrator to his estate. Randy Smith went on to move nearly $300,000 from Domingos accounts into their own, ignoring living heirs entitled to the estate. Thats according to criminal complaints filed Tuesday by the state Attorney Generals Office against the Truth or Consequences couple. The criminal charges come more than a year after Pamela Smith resigned as probate judge in lieu of further disciplinary proceedings by the Judicial Standards Commission. Asked Tuesday about Pamela Smiths employment status at OMI, a spokesman for the UNM Health Sciences Center said, We are not able to answer due to pending litigation. The complaints allege that the probate court records granting authority to a special administrator were filed and altered unlawfully by Pamela Smith, to give Randy Smith access to Domingos bank accounts. The couple used the money to pay their mortgage and other debts, and to improve Randy Smiths boat repair and consignment sale business, among other things, according to the complaint. Pamela Smith, as a probate judge in Sierra County, had a fiduciary responsibility of presiding over an orderly administration of justice, a special agent wrote. Instead, Mrs. Smith committed criminal acts of willful misconduct while serving in office. The Smiths could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Its not clear who is representing them in the case. Pamela Smith wrote in her OMI report that the chief of TorC police indicated Domingo had no next of kin. But in a recorded interview, the chief said he knew Domingo and knew he had family in New York. She also claimed that she received the same answer from a pension fund administrator, the complaint alleges. In fact, that company had sent a condolence letter to Domingos sister and nephew. And Domingos nephew, Joseph Paone, told an investigator that he once met Randy Smith as he repaired his uncles car. Mr. Smith was misrepresenting himself as the special administrator by knowing there were living heirs that should have prevented him from accessing the estate of Dominic Domingo, his complaint says. Paone says the Smiths later hired an investigator who offered him a $192,000 payoff settlement, which he pointed out to investigators was less than the amount taken from his uncles accounts. Domingos family learned of his death through a letter from his pension administrator. Pamela Smith is charged with crimes including engaging in an official act for personal financial gain, tampering with public records, forgery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Her husband, Randy, is accused of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Paone has filed a civil suit against the Smiths, OMI, the Sierra County Board of Commissioners, and the state of New Mexico. Frances Crockett Carpenter, the Albuquerque attorney representing him, said Tuesday that along with the missing money, the Smiths still have Domingos remains. She said her clients hope is that no other families find themselves in this position. They want to make sure this never happens to anyone again, Crockett Carpenter said. That a person that has been given the permission and the privilege to hold office will never see that as anything but that, and that they wont use their powers of office to commit fraud and steal and do all the awful things that they did. Asked whether the Attorney Generals Office believes other families were targeted, a spokesman for the office said he could not comment. He talks as fast as he thinks, as fast as his last few days of high school are zipping along to their end, which for Michael Sands also means hes very close to finishing the first half of college undergraduate work. In Michael Sands world, there is no time to pause. Ive been told that I talk fast, he says, talking fast. But I always hear the spaces between the words. This kid. In two weeks, Sands, who just turned 18, will don two different caps and gowns for two different commencements. On May 3, he graduates from College and Career High School, a magnet school within Albuquerque Public Schools. On May 4, he graduates from Central New Mexico Community College with a stunning six associate degrees in the not-so-easy subjects of biology, chemistry, physics, math, liberal arts and integrated studies. Hes among the seven of the 66 students graduating from College and Career with five or more certificates or degrees, CNM spokesman Brad Moore said. I dont know how he does it, said his mother, Liz Sands. Hes taking 20 credit hours a semester, and theyre hard classes. If anything, I was trying to slow him down, you know, take time to socialize, be a kid, have fun. Michael insists that he is having fun. Learning, he says, is fun. Understanding the world around you? Fun! He bristles when asked if he considers himself a nerd. I dont go by stereotypes, he says. Hes also got a busy social life. I start classes around 7:30 a.m. and often go until 8 p.m., so you have to be kind of creative to be social, he says. We go to movies late at night. Or we go to lunch. Its not damaging to a social life. He hasnt always been an academic wunderkind. And then again, he has. It just took time for the rest of the world to catch up. He was actually put in special education when he was in elementary school, so that held him back a little bit, his mother said. He was having trouble with vocabulary. They thought he needed a special class in English. Michael remembers that in his low-achieving years, he was just being bored. By fourth grade, and with an engaging teacher, his reading level soared to 11th grade. By middle school, he was a superstar, earning As in every class every year then and in his two years at La Cueva High School and two years at College and Career High School, with dual credits at CNM. He scored in the 99th percentile in both the SAT and ACT, his mother said. He seems to have mastered English, Liz Sands said. Michael transferred to College and Career in his junior year, attracted by the idea of knocking out two years of college credits while finishing high school. Im looking at going to medical school and becoming a neurosurgeon, and thats easily over 10 years of school, so having two years less will be nice, he said. Plus, most high schools require you to do a lot of busy work. With college classes, you take what you are interested in, what you need, learn as you want about what you want. That he earned six associate degrees instead of one just seemed natural. I started working on an associates in biology and found that it only took a few more credits to get a degree in chemistry, so why not? he said. Then it took a few more credits for physics, so why not? And so on. That meant summer school and classes during winter break, but, you know. Fun! I think the reason why kids fall behind in school is because the school system focuses more on requirements than interest, he said. Its teaching to the test, not teaching to learn. His mother takes little credit for her sons academic success. She and her husband, Bill, arent educators or scientists. Theyre just good parents. The thing is, he totally motivates himself, she said. He takes study breaks and watches brain surgery on YouTube. Michael will attend the University of New Mexico in the fall. Before then, he heads to Ecuador for the summer to teach organic farming techniques as a volunteer with Amigos de las Americas, a nonprofit that provides collaborative community development opportunities in Latin America. He obviously has no plans to slow down. I kind of learned how to deal with it all, he said. It was hard for a while, but its kind of worth it, I think. Then he raced off to finish a math quiz and get on with it. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. Police say a man shot a woman from the drivers seat of his car as she stood on the sidewalk near Downtown Albuquerque early Tuesday morning. Francisco Ledezma, 25, is charged with shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in great bodily harm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The woman was shot several times and critically injured but is expected to survive. According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, officers responded to gunfire in the 600 block of Indian School NW, near Interstate 40 and Sixth, around 4:30 a.m. They found a woman who had been shot four times; in the head, foot, both legs and arm. Police say they found shell casings nearby as well as shattered glass from a vehicle window. Witnesses told officers they saw a red SUV flee the scene. According to the complaint, it was Bernalillo County Sheriffs Deputies that later found Ledezma in his red SUV while on an unrelated call in southwest Albuquerque. He told them I shot someone earlier and Im upset about it and was taken into custody. Ledezma told police he had a fight with his neighbor around 2 a.m. and was driving around afterward when he saw the woman and thats when things got crazy. Police say Ledezma told them he thought the woman flashed a gang sign at him and he pulled his gun out, making her recoil in fear. His immediate reaction was to empty the magazine, a detective wrote. Ledezma told police the first round he fired to scare her but the next seven were aimed at her body as she yelled for him to stop. He waited there as she lay in the ground until he saw her body move, then drove away. Police say Ledezma told them he had seen something like this before and he would continue to do it again and again until he could not do it anymore. LONDON Notre Dame in Paris is not the first great cathedral to suffer a devastating fire, and it probably wont be the last. In a sense, that is good news. A global army of experts and craftspeople can be called on for the long, complex process of restoring the gutted landmark. The work will face substantial challenges starting immediately, with the urgent need to protect the inside of the 850-year-old cathedral from the elements, after its timber-beamed roof was consumed by flames . The first priority is to put up a temporary metal or plastic roof to stop rain from getting in. Then, engineers and architects will begin to assess the damage. Fortunately, Notre Dame is a thoroughly documented building. Over the years, historians and archeologists have made exhaustive plans and images, including minutely detailed, 3-D laser-scanned re-creations of the interior. Duncan Wilson, chief executive of the conservation organization Historic England, said Tuesday that the cathedral will need to be made secure without disturbing the debris scattered inside, which may provide valuable information and material for restorers. The second challenge is actually salvaging the material, he said. Some of that material may be reusable, and thats a painstaking exercise. Its like an archaeological excavation. Despite fears at the height of the inferno that the whole cathedral would be lost, the structure appears intact. Its two rectangular towers still jut into the Paris skyline, and the great stone vault stands atop heavy walls supported by massive flying buttresses. An edifice built to last an eternity withstood its greatest test. Tom Nickson, a senior lecturer in medieval art and architecture at Londons Courtauld Institute, said the stone vault acted as a kind of fire door between the highly flammable roof and the highly flammable interior just as the cathedrals medieval builders intended. Now, careful checks will be needed to determine whether the stones of the vaulted ceiling have been weakened and cracked by the heat. If so, the whole vault may need to be torn down and re-erected. The cathedrals exquisite stained-glass rose windows appear intact but are probably suffering thermal shock from intense heat followed by cold water, said Jenny Alexander, an expert on medieval art and architecture at the University of Warwick. That means the glass, set in lead, could have sagged or been weakened and will need minute examination. Once the building has been stabilized and the damage assessed, restoration work can begin. Its likely to be an international effort. Structural engineers, stained-glass experts, stone experts are all going to be packing their bags and heading for Paris in the next few weeks, Alexander said. One big decision will be whether to preserve the cathedral just as it was before the fire, or to take a more creative approach. Its not always a straightforward choice. Notre Dames spire, destroyed in Mondays blaze, was added to the Gothic cathedral during 19th-century renovations. Should it be rebuilt as it was, or replaced with a new design for the 21st century? Financial and political considerations, as well as aesthetic ones, are likely to play a part in the decision. Getting materials may also be a challenge. The cathedral roof was made from oak beams cut from centuries-old trees. Even in the 13th century, they were hard to come by. Nickson said there is probably no country in Europe with big enough trees today. Alternatives could include a different type of structure made from smaller beams, or even a metal roof though that would be unpopular with purists. The restored building will have to reflect modern-day health and safety standards. But Eric Salmon, a former site manager at the Paris cathedral, said it is impossible to eliminate all risk. It is like a street accident. It can happen anywhere, anytime, said Salmon, who now serves as technical director at the Notre Dame cathedral in Strasbourg, France. The roof of Strasbourgs Notre Dame was set ablaze during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. It took up to five years to restore the wooden structure. Nowadays the roof is split into three fire-resistant sections to make sure one blaze cant destroy it all. Smoke detectors are at regular intervals. Still, Salmon said that what worked in Strasbourg may not be suitable for Paris. Each cathedral is unique. We are not going to modify an historic monument to respect the rules. The rules have to be adapted to the building, he said. Experts agree the project will take years, if not decades. Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, said restoring Notre Dame will last a long time and cost a lot of money. A government appeal for funds has already raised hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) from French businesses. But few doubt that Notre Dame will rise again. Cathedrals are stone phoenixes reminders that out of adversity we may be reborn, said Emma Wells, a buildings archaeologist at the University of York. The silver lining, if we can call it that, is this allows for historians and archaeologists to come in and uncover more of its history than we ever knew before. It is a palimpsest of layers of history, and we can come in and understand the craft of our medieval forebears. ___ Casert reported from Strasbourg, France. Angela Charlton in Paris and Gregory Katz in London contributed to this story. ____ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral Having spent over 40 years in the construction and development business in New Mexico, one thing has been a constant challenge: bringing new businesses and opportunities into our state. We may have beautiful natural landscapes, rich cultural traditions and some of the countrys best food, but unfortunately that hasnt always translated into economic progress. However, were beginning to change that by tapping into another New Mexico constant: our strong winds. Everyone knows the power of New Mexicos wind weve all seen it kick up huge dust clouds and wreak tumbleweed havoc. So its no surprise wind farms are beginning to dot our landscape. And with these wind projects comes the construction activity and business development weve been desperate for. In 2017, no state added wind projects faster than New Mexico, and more are on the way. In fact, there are enough new wind farms under construction or in advanced development to double our installed wind capacity in the coming years. That means we need workers to build, operate and maintain these projects. Over 2,000 workers in our state now have wind-related careers a big deal when we have the second highest unemployment rate in the nation. And as we begin building out our wind pipeline, well need even more construction workers and wind technicians, which happens to be the second-fastest growing job in America according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wind projects are also bringing new opportunities to the rural communities in our state. Every year landowners are paid over $5 million in lease payments for hosting wind turbines on their property. Ranchers can graze their cattle right up to the base of a wind turbine, so day-to-day operations remain uninterrupted. But these stable wind payments can make a world of difference during years of drought or high commodity prices. Rural communities are also gaining a substantial new source of revenue from wind farms. Because of population decline and lack of industry, these communities often have low tax bases. But wind revenue is changing that New Mexicos wind farms pay $8.5 million annually in state and local taxes. That creates new revenue that can be used to invest in schools, fix roads and fund emergency services. Perhaps best of all, because of our wind resources, some of the worlds largest companies are choosing to come to our state. For example, Facebook decided to build a multibillion-dollar data center expansion in New Mexico, primarily because of our abundance of renewable energy. That expansion will bring high-tech jobs to New Mexico that didnt previously exist, opening a range of entirely new career opportunities for our young people. Access to renewable energy, including abundant wind resources, was a key consideration in Facebooks decision to triple the size of their New Mexico data center, representing a $1 billion investment in addition to more than 200 megawatts (MW) of wind and 80 MW of solar investment, the company wrote on the Facebook page of the Los Lunas Data Center. Having spent much of my career in the construction business, I can assure you I used to curse the wind along with every other New Mexican who earns a living outdoors. However, those days are over. Today, I recognize these gusts bring us the resources and new opportunities we need to create a better future. Suddenly the wind doesnt seem so bad. Jim Folkman has over 40 years of experience in the real estate development and construction industries, and was Executive Vice President of the Home Builders Association in Albuquerque for 21 years. He has been with the Foundation for Building since its inception in 1999, and helped create several of the first residential green building programs in the country. As Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman clamor for a war against Iran, they seem to have forgotten the destruction and mayhem wrought by the American invasion of Iraq 16 years ago. They are underestimating the potential negative consequences of the war and overestimating the Iranian peoples dislike of their theocratic regime. They are confusing Iranians dislike of the Ayatollahs with their potential embrace of a foreign invader. On the eve of the Iraq war, former President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claimed the Iraqi invasion aimed at liberating the country from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. Developments unfolded during the past 16 years have shown that the liberation claims were bogus. The decision to de-Baathify Iraq and dissolve the Iraqi military created a dangerous vacuum that was quickly filled by pro-Iranian militias, al-Qaeda, and later the Islamic State. The massive destruction of Iraq will be childs play compared to what could happen if Trump and his Israeli and Saudi allies decide to attack Iran. Unlike Iraq which the British cobbled together after World War I out of the Shia, Sunnis, and Kurds under a minority Sunni rule Iran has been in existence for centuries with a vast territory and a huge population. A war against Iran could easily see the entire region could go up in flames. The Bush administration was not willing to address the morning after questions regarding the post-Saddam Iraq. Senior officials arrogantly claimed the U.S. military and civilian administration would be able to control the situation in Iraq. Their hubris led to a total breakdown of Iraqi society following Saddams fall. The Trump administration seems to be equally arrogant and ignorant about Iran. It has displayed a similar disregard for strategic thinking about the future of Iran beyond the clerical regime. Instead of relying on expert-based analysis, Secretary of State Pompeos recent trips to the region involved bullying, threats and biblical mischaracterizations. In a conversation with Christian broadcasters in Jerusalem, Pompeo discussed Gods presumed divine plan designating Trump as a possible savior of the Jewish people from the perceived modern-day Persian Hamans. American foreign policy is in serious trouble if Pompeo truly believes that Trump could be the 21st Century version of Queen Esther and that this religious vision could chart the path to a grand strategy in the Middle East. When warped religious interpretations are offered as a substitute for rationally debated policy, democratic governments should fear for their future. Invoking the divine as a justification for violence against another country is a return to the barbarism of previous epochs. For the sake of whipping up regional hatred toward Iran and preparing the ground for a war against the Persian menace, Pompeo in effect has told Arab autocrats that if they stand up against Iran, Washington will ignore their despicable human rights record and the suppression of their people. Managing Irans malign behavior through the Iran nuclear deal was a stroke of diplomatic genius, which the Obama administration negotiated. The previous administration placed Irans objectionable behavior in two baskets a nuclear basket, which it addressed through the Iran deal, and a non-nuclear one, which was to be dealt with once the nuclear inspection became operational. Most experts judged Iran to be in compliance with the conditions of the nuclear deal, but unfortunately President Trump decided not to recertify the agreement. Trumps decision contradicted the judgment of most nuclear and intelligence experts about Irans behavior. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for example, affirmed Irans compliance in more than a dozen of its successive quarterly reports and as recently as last month. Fifty plus retired American generals and diplomats, in a statement published in March, urged the Trump the administration to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal and work on resolving outstanding concerns with Iran diplomatically. They advised against a war because they saw no good outcome. Coming from these military and policy realists, who are dedicated to the security of this country, Israel and Americas allies, this advice is grounded in sane strategic analysis, not in theological whimsy. Emile Nakhleh is research professor and director of the Global and National Security Policy Institute at UNM and a former senior intelligence service officer at the CIA. A longer version of this article was published on LobeLog. CHICAGO By all accounts, the Trump administration is on an anti-immigrant tear that threatens to obliterate the already-broken immigration system in this country. President Trump has ousted top officials, saying they werent as tough as he thought they should be, and elevated the anti-immigrant hardliner Stephen Miller. At a Texas fundraiser (last) Wednesday, Trump made the border out to be an apocalyptic battlefield on which Central American gang members are threatening American ranchers. Trump even suggested the military is hamstrung by political correctness and cant adequately mistreat migrants. Our military, dont forget, cant act like a military would act. Because if they got a little rough, everybody would go crazy, Trump said. The rumors coming out of the White House are astounding, everything from new policies making it harder for asylum seekers to pass their initial screenings not passing triggers immediate deportation to making it easier to deny green cards and possibly even reinstating last summers disastrous family-separation policy. Observers of Trumps Faustian appetite for gaining favor with his radical base at the expense of people looking for a lifeline in this country say hes not likely to find some heart on this issue. This is an administration that by many reports appears willing to implement policies with questionable legal justifications because, regardless of whether the policy is inhumane or is struck down by a court in the future, they still see the public fight against immigrants and immigration as a win for Trump politically, said Ur Jaddou, director of DHS Watch, the watchdog arm of the advocacy organization Americas Voice, at a recent press conference. What to do? A few weeks back I spoke to Adam Estle, field director and director of constituencies for the National Immigration Forum, a Washington-based advocacy organization. He told me that regular Americans have a lot of sway when it comes to whether policy proposals become reality just by making their thoughts known to their elected officials. Estle said social media, email, phone calls and even faxes can help make a difference. Offices keep track of phone calls on an issue and a personal letter not a form letter that you just stick your name on, but a personally written letter about why this issue matters to you is usually held in high regard, because its something that takes time, Estle said. But studies have shown that the very best way to get the attention of a member of Congress is in person. You can fairly easily access district offices and request someone who works on immigration to talk to. Its not tough to reach out to your elected representatives in the House or the Senate, you need only Google the phrases Who is my representative? or Who is my senator? and youll usually get a variety of government sites that make searching by ZIP code or by state a breeze. This pro tip comes from Griffin Anderson, a spokesperson for Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic congresswoman in the 9th district of Ohio: At the bottom of every house website there is location and contact information for D.C. offices as well as offices in the district, and information for where to get in contact with the office and how find them in the district. Anderson told me that in-person meetings get more attention. We do read every single bit of correspondence from social-media direct messages, to our mail, phone calls but I think you cant put a price on in-person meetings and being face-to-face when we hear your stories, said Anderson, adding that most congressional offices will do town-hall and Q&A events in the community and people can talk to their representatives even if they dont have public transportation or a car. If youve never put pen to paper and mailed a physical letter, now is the time to drop a line to your elected officials, letting them know that you think the border is not a war zone and in fact needs humanitarian aid. Call your representatives and, if necessary, leave voicemails and request call-backs insisting that no more families be penned like animals under bridges at the border, as was occurring just a few weeks ago due to overcrowding in facilities. If youre better on your feet, walk into an office and politely ask someone to listen your voice matters greatly in not letting 2019 be the year the U.S. ceases to be a beacon of light for the world and instead becomes an international shame. E-mail estherjcepeda@washpost.com, Twitter: @estherjcepeda. 2019, Washington Post Writers Group.* In the category of Mad magazines scenes wed like to see comes President Trumps threat to transport migrants to cities and states that have declared themselves sanctuaries. Apparently he thinks such a move would force Democrats in Congress who represent these places to vote to fund the wall along our southern border. Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the presidents threat unworthy of the presidency. In fact, it is Congress that has been unworthy for a long time. Here is a body that passes laws everyone else must obey, but in too many cases is exempt from adhering to some of them. In 1995, the House and Senate passed the Congressional Accountability Act, which finally applied many civil rights, labor and workplace safety statutes to the legislative branch, yet two very important laws, the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, do not apply to Congress. There are others. Wealthy members of Congress might take offense should immigrants move into their neighborhoods. They dont seem to care about the harm caused to ranchers and other property owners in states along the southern border. Legal experts say it would be illegal under current law to move people to sanctuary cities and states. This crosses the border of ridiculousness. Some governors and mayors are protecting those who enter the country illegally from the law. If they were protecting other lawbreakers drug dealers, or murderers, for example, which the president argues they are the law would consider them accessories after the fact, and they would face prosecution and prison time. But because politicians refuse to update laws full of loopholes, the current problem is their doing. For those unfamiliar with the concept of sanctuary cities, here is a short lesson. Sanctuary cities were established in Old Testament law, Numbers 35:11, to protect someone who had killed another person by accident and without malice aforethought from the avenger of blood, who might be a close relative of the dead person. Under the priestly code, the accused was removed from the city and put on trial. If he was found innocent of murder, he was returned under guard to the sanctuary city in which he had claimed asylum. He enjoyed protection until the Jewish high priest died, at which point he was free to leave the city without fear of harm. The Mishnah, the oral law given alongside the written Torah, states the high priests mother not the government would traditionally supply clothing and food to those claiming asylum in the cities of refuge, so relatives of the dead person would not wish for the death of her son because he harbored the accused. The Talmud argues the natural death of the high priest was a type of atonement because he was considered pious. Maimonides argued that the death of the high priest was an event so upsetting to the Israelites that they dropped all thoughts of vengeance. Those living in this country without legal permission have broken the law but are simultaneously protected by the law. Does this make sense? Name other laws American citizens could break and not be held accountable. Try breaking tax laws this week and see where that gets you. The ultimate solution lies with a do-nothing Congress. Those who support sanctuary cities ought to experience the consequences of that support in their own front and backyards. The people of Albuquerque, the men and women of its police department and especially the family and friends of officer Daniel Webster can finally have some sense of closure with last weeks jury verdict finding career criminal Davon Lymon guilty of Websters murder. Barring a reversal on appeal, Lymon will spend the rest of his life behind bars after 10 women and two men on the state District Court panel found him guilty of all six counts he was facing, including first-degree murder. The trial included a parade of 30 witnesses and lawyer arguments that played out over 13 days, but the jury took just two hours to reject Lymons claim of self defense in which he portrayed himself as a black man fearful of anyone wearing an APD uniform, given the departments well-documented use of excessive force. Webster couldnt defend himself in court. But his lapel cam are you paying attention Sheriff Manny Gonzales? told the real story of what unfolded after Webster pulled over Lymon near Eubank and Central for driving a suspected stolen motorcycle. Lymon claimed he thought he heard Webster say that more cops were coming to put you in the ground, but the footage clearly showed the officer said on the ground. And it showed that Webster was trying to put Lymon in handcuffs hardly an execution when Lymon pulled his own weapon and gunned down the officer, firing multiple times. The jury never heard the fact that Lymon had already been sentenced to 38 years in federal court as part of the U.S. Attorneys Worst of the Worst program for other crimes in the same incident namely being a convicted felon in possession of heroin and a weapon. He (Webster) was simply trying to put that man in handcuffs, lead prosecutor Clara Moran told the jury. And for that he lost his life. The death of any officer in the line of duty is devastating, but Websters story is especially tragic. It is a story of service to his country and to his community. Survived by his wife, Michelle Carlino-Webster, also a law enforcement officer and who attended the trial, he was a decorated Army veteran who served multiple deployments and combat tours including Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. He was awarded two bronze stars and was a jump master with 112 jumps. He retired as a Sergeant First Class out of the 82nd Airborne after 20 years of service. He joined the Albuquerque Police Department, where he had nine years on the job before that fateful traffic stop that ended with Lymon shooting him in the stomach, chest and jaw with a .40-caliber pistol. Webster died eight days later in the arms of his wife his End of Watch. His obituary described him as a private man who enjoyed time alone with his wife and their dogs, who loved his job and always went to work with a smile. It is important to note that footage from Websters lapel camera a technology Sheriff Gonzales has adamantly resisted for his department was a key to jurors coming to their decision and rejecting any argument of reasonable doubt despite Lymons testimony. Dont Bernalillo County deputies deserve this protection as well in their everyday duties? APD officers including Chief Michael Geier stood outside the courthouse to applaud Carlino-Webster as she left the courthouse. And former APD Chief Gorden Eden was by her side in the courtroom during the trial. As for the rest of us, it seems appropriate to take a moment to once again thank Dan Webster for his service to country and community. And to express condolences to his widow, who told a Journal reporter in the courtroom after the verdict was read that justice has been served. Its over, she said as she embraced relatives and friends. Its finally over. In this case, lets hope so. Its also a reminder that policing is an inherently dangerous job and we are lucky to have officers like Daniel Webster, professional and dedicated, who risk their lives to keep the rest of us safe. 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. Asif Zardari to resist presidential form of govt Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday vowed to resist any attempts to introduce presidential form of government in the country. Speaking to media after appearing before an accountability court in Islamabad in a reference pertaining to fake bank accounts and alleged money laundering, the former president said, New experiments are being conducted in Pakistan on a daily basis. See what happens in this business. Let them try, we will oppose them, he said. The situation is getting worse day by day, he lamented. Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on Tuesday appeared before the accountability court for the second time, while the court issued a notice to the Sindh chief secretary over absence of other accused persons in the same case. During the hearing, four suspects were presented before the court. Judge Arshad Malik inquired about the others who failed to appear. The suspects jailed in Karachi are not present in the court, said NAB Prosecutor Sardar Manzoor Abbasi. We have sent a letter of reminder to the Sindh government over the issue, he added. He also appraised the bench on the matter of two approvers. NAB Rawalpindi has received applications from Noreen Sultan and Kiran Aftab seeking to become approvers in the fake accounts case. The request is under process, he said. The court issued bailable arrest warrants for Iqbal Arain, Azam Wazir, Nisar and Adnan Javed. The court was informed that Iqbal Arain has died whereas Adnan Javed has been absconding. The court ordered the prosecutor to submit Arains death certificate. Moreover, two accused namely Shehzad Ali and Zain Malik were granted interim bail against surety bond of Rs 2 million each.The hearing was adjourned till April 29. Meanwhile, the anti-graft watchdog has summoned Talpur in joint ventures case on Wednesday. Fearing arrest, the PPP lawmaker has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking pre-arrest bail. The petition says that Talpur is a seasoned politician of the largest political party in Pakistan and has served as mayor of Nawabshah and is also a serving MPA in Sindh Assembly. It added that the call-up notice under section 19 of the NAO has been issued with sole malafide intention and ulterior motives to detain and arrest the petitioner. The petitioner is innocent and the call-up notice has been issued to her by the respondent no 2 [Director NAB] under instructions from higher authorities with malafide intentions and ulterior motives to politically victimise her due to political rivalry and in order to humiliate, harass and dishonour the petitioner and cause irreparable damage to her name and reputation in particular before her family members, party workers, colleagues, voters and public at large, the application claimed. Separately, former president Asif Zardari on Tuesday moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) over the Park Lane Estate Company case. SAN ANTONIO Authorities in San Antonio said a man assaulted his wife, fatally shot a neighbor and set his house on fire before dying in a hail of gunfire with police. Police Chief William McManus said the man severely beat his wife Tuesday afternoon, then opened fire on her as she ran away. The woman, who suffered severe facial injuries in the assault, wasnt struck by gunfire, but a neighbor was, the police chief said. McManus said the shooter set fire to his home shortly before officers arrived. Then, according to the police chief, the man took a prone position by lying down on his porch and opened fire with a rifle. It wasnt clear who he was firing at, but the SWAT team returned fire. McManus said the man was fatally shot, though authorities dont know whether he shot himself or was struck by the officers gunfire. Meanwhile, 25 mph (40 kph) winds caused the fire at his home to spread to a neighbors house, San Antonio Police Chief Charles Hood said. Firefighters couldnt immediately fight the blaze because the gunfire was ongoing. Until that suspect is down were not going to attack a fire, Hood said. We dont want to become a victim. A vacant lot separated the suspects burning house and a nearby house that caught fire. Hood said its fortunate that vacant lot was there because otherwise it probably wouldve burned this whole block down. No names have been released. Authorities said the wife is recovering in a hospital from her injuries. LAS CRUCES If you were a child who grew up in a Latino community, you might have heard the tale of a woman who drowned or abandoned her children and now cries at night while looking for them in the river. The La Llorona (weeping woman) story is told in many Latin American countries to frighten children from staying out too late and to stay away from dangerous waterways. The legend originated in Mexico and is popular throughout the southwest and Mexico. The myth has been passed down from generation to generation and its versions vary. According to one popular folk tale, the legend of La Llorona begins in a rural Mexican village when a young woman named Maria falls in love with a wealthy Spaniard nobleman. It was love at first sight and the pair married and had two children. But Marias husband slowly fell out of love with her and only paid attention to the children. Angry and hurt, Maria took her children to the river and drowned them out of jealousy. After she realized what she had done, she killed herself. Legend says that she can be heard weeping for her children in the afterlife and if you hear her cry you should run the opposite way. The Sun-News sat down with author and owner of Casa Camino Real Bookstore Denise Chavez and retired Las Cruces educator Edward Fernandez (both baby boomers) to discuss the cultural significance of La Llorona and to get their thoughts on the upcoming film, The Curse of La Llorona, which hits theaters Friday, April 19. The horror film, which is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, is directed by Michael Chaves and written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. The film was also produced by James Wan through his Atomic Monster production company. The film inspired Buzzfeed Unsolved Network to come to Las Cruces to conduct their own investigation on the terrifying myth. The Buzzfeed Unsolved crew set out to La Llorona Park, at the Picacho Bridge over the Rio Grande, to see if they could try to catch a glimpse of one of Mexicos most famous ghosts. Question: When did you first hear about La Llorona? Edward Fernandez: I came to know about La Llorona later as a teenager. It was around but we werent scared of that. We were more scared of my aunts temper. Denise Chavez: We did grow up with that story and it didnt stop us from going to the river. We didnt need La Llorona. My mother never told us about El Cucuy because our own lives were scarier. All my mother had to do was put up her hand. In other words, enough, basta, se acabo Q: What version of La Llorona do you know? DC: Theres so many versions and theres going to be different versions all the time. Whether she was scorned by her lover, went insane, some say she didnt kill her children and some say she did drown them or that they got lost. She was mainly used as a cautionary tale. EF: One version is that the lover did not want the children. So, consequentially she drowned them to please the lover. DC: He was Spanish and she was Mexicana. So, there you get into the class system of who was she? Was she an indigenous woman, a native Mexicana? And he was the guy that came into town? Theres so many minute details. Q: Why do you think La Llorona has remained so popular and unique over the years? EF:I think the mystery behind it, I guess DC: Also, its a forbidden thing. No Latina mother in her right mind would kill her children, at least not in that era. Q: Did you ever tell the story of La Llorona to your children? EF: I never told my son that. I didnt have to scare them with anything. Frankly, we werent in the business of scaring our son. DC: I dont have children, but if I did, I would never tell them the story. Theres enough scary things. Q: What are your thoughts on the new movie thats coming out, The Curse of La Llorona? DC: I dont want to talk about La Llorona. Im not interested in seeing the movie. Lets take our children out of the prisons, the refugees were living through a llorona period but its an ugly, dark period, of children sequestration. Im still delivering books to families. Whats happening in real life is so gruesome already. Were traumatized here on the border. Do we really need this movie? We need some really good Latino movies about empowerment, the power of education. Other than Edward James Olmos who played Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver, theres not that many Latino-empowering films. They have a lot of trailers on Telemundo. I watch my novela every night and they play it every night and it looks scary as hell. Im sick of La Llorona and El Cucuy. People do too much. They appropriate culture and where is the money going to go? Is it going to help people? Who is making money off our fear? I would like to see it twisted around where she saves her children. Poor thing, shes been through bloody hell. Lets give her a different face. EF: I would like to see it just to see what version of La Llorona they come up with. Just like El Cucuy, La Llorona is specifically about this mother. I dont know who El Cucuy is; it could be anybody. Q: Who is scarier, La Llorona, or El Cucuy? DC:When Ive asked and talked to kids in schools, Ive seen kids scared to death of La Llorona. There are people that will torment their children with that and I asked the children, Who is scarier, La Llorona or El Cucuy?' The woman is always scarier. EF: Because El Cucuy is an indefinite character. Who is it? What is it? I never knew what El Cucuy was. DC: Well women are scarier, lets face it. Dont mess with an enraged woman. In a way, its a stereotype, a cultural stereotype and a class stereotype. Q: What kind of Latino movies would you like to see be made? DC: One with authenticity and the right language. There are so many untold Latino/Chicano stories like Dennis Chavez, one of the first Mexican senators in the United States. He was my godfather. Or Eds historical take on Las Cruces, theres so many interesting characters. I would like also like to see a movie about Fabian Garcia, the father of green chile a film about the multicultural of the reality of our community. EF: The History Channel has a lot of good documentaries, I would say. Theres a lot of good information there. Jacqueline Devine can be reached at 575-541-5476, JDevine@lcsun-news.com or @JackieIsDevine on Twitter. 2019 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A local middle-school teacher has been charged with drunken driving. According to a Rio Rancho Police report, Trinity Watt, 42, of Rio Rancho, was charged with DWI on March 20, after blood-alcohol test results came back from an incident last October. Watt teaches at Mountain View Middle School, according to the report and the Rio Rancho Public Schools website. According to the report, an officer was called to the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Mariposa Parkway just after 7 p.m. Oct. 9 after a sergeant noticed Watt showing signs of intoxication as she climbed from her wrecked car after being involved in a single-vehicle rollover crash. The officer found Watt in the back of an ambulance, being treated for a head wound. According to the report, she told him her car had hydroplaned because the road was wet. The officer wrote that she denied consuming alcoholic beverages earlier, but smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. Because of her head injury, the officer couldnt use standard field-sobriety tests. When the officer started to explain alternative tests, Watt became belligerent, saying she wasnt going to the hospital or the police station, according to the report. She ended up submitting to two alternative tests, which showed impairment, the officer wrote. When told she was being arrested for DWI, according to the report, Watt briefly resisted being taken into custody and then demanded to be taken to the hospital. The officer took her to UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, where her blood was drawn for testing of alcohol levels and she was left to receive medical care. The officer noted that charges were pending results of the blood test. According to a supplemental report, when the results came back in March, they indicated Watt had a blood-alcohol content of .11, above the legal intoxication limit of .08. She was summonsed to Rio Rancho Municipal Court, and her trial is scheduled for June. Rio Rancho Public Schools spokeswoman Beth Pendergrass said driving isnt a condition of employment for teachers, so a DWI charge doesnt change a teachers position with the schools. She said she couldnt speak specifically about Watt. Personnel information is confidential as per New Mexico statute. Watts attorney, Scott W. Jaworski, didnt return a phone call seeking comment. LONDON Keir Giles first thought was that the mans cheap-looking suit didnt seem right for a private equity executive. The man seated in front of him at the London hotel claimed to live in Hong Kong, but didnt seem overly familiar with the city. Then there was the awkward conversation, which kept returning to one topic in particular: the Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab. He also asked Giles to repeat himself or speak louder so persistently that Giles said he began wondering whether I should be speaking into his tie or his briefcase or wherever the microphone was. He was drilling down hard on whether there had been any ulterior motives behind negative media commentary on Kaspersky, said Giles, a Russia specialist with Londons Chatham House thinktank who often has urged caution about Kasperskys alleged Kremlin connections. The angle he wanted to push was that individuals like me who had been quoted in the media had been induced by or motivated to do so by Kasperskys competitors. The Associated Press has learned that the mysterious man, who said his name was Lucas Lambert, spent several months last year investigating critics of Kaspersky Lab, organizing at least four meetings with cybersecurity experts in London and New York. Giles said he met with Lambert twice last year, ostensibly to discuss Giles speaking at a cybersecurity conference that Lamberts company was organizing. But Lambert seemed far more interested in finding out whether anyone had been paid to publicly undermine Kaspersky. Kaspersky Lab declined to answer questions from the AP about whether it had any involvement with the meetings. The operation targeting Giles and others came at a sensitive time for the Moscow-based company, which boasts one of the worlds most popular consumer antivirus products and a research unit widely respected for routinely exposing elite hacking groups. U.S. officials had occasionally expressed wariness about the firm over the years, but criticism of the company intensified in the aftermath of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election. U.S. lawmakers began calling for restrictions on Kaspersky, contending that a Russian firm could not be trusted to keep American networks safe, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal agencies to remove the firms antivirus software from their computers. Congress later passed legislation banning the software from government networks. By the time Giles met with Lambert, Kaspersky was suing the U.S. government over its decision, arguing that it never helped hackers and was being considered guilty until proven innocent. U.S. judges have since dismissed the lawsuit. The AP learned that Lambert also targeted Michael Daniel, who served as former president Barack Obamas cybersecurity czar, though it is unclear whether he actually managed to meet with Daniel. In an email exchange with the AP, Lambert insisted that he and his company were genuine, but he did not reply to follow-up questions about the multiple discrepancies in his story or make himself available for an interview. The AP could find no evidence of the existence of the firm Lambert said he worked for, Tokyo- and Hong Kong-based NPH Investments. Research by Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group based at the University of Torontos Munk School, suggests the Lucas Lambert operation is linked to an almost identical one involving a man calling himself Michel Lambert. Michels bungled attempt in a Manhattan restaurant to entrap John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the lab, was caught on camera by AP reporters two months ago. The two Lamberts appear to be different individuals. A few days after the AP published Michel Lamberts photo, he was outed as former Israeli intelligence officer Aharon Almog-Assouline. In a Canadian court filing , a Toronto attorney said Assouline bears a striking similarity to a man he identified as an operative for Black Cube, an Israeli private intelligence firm. Black Cube has denied any connection to the operation targeting Citizen Lab or to Michel Lambert. Its Israeli law firm, Cassouto & Co., said in a letter that it had absolutely no link to Lucas Lambert either. Black Cube denies it ever worked directly or indirectly for or on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, the letter said. Black Cube also denies any involvement with an undercover operative going by the alias Lucas Lambert. Black Cube does not know who Lucas Lambert is and never heard this name. Giles said that Lucas Lambert first reached out to him in an April 30, 2018, email , saying he wanted to discuss a private investor conference being organized by his company. He said NPHs clients wanted to know more about the overlap between cybersecurity companies and governments, offering Giles who regularly gives lectures $10,000 to deliver a keynote speech. Giles said he agreed to meet on May 10 to discuss the idea. And while the pair did discuss the potential speaking engagement, Giles said Lambert also quizzed him on his attitude toward Kaspersky. Giles had given interviews suggesting Kasperskys claims to be a neutral player should be taken with a grain of salt, saying it wouldnt be unusual for the company to cooperate with Russian spies in the same way that U.S. companies have in the past been caught giving discreet assistance to the National Security Agency. Even if Kaspersky itself resisted such cooperation, Giles said, individual employees of the company in Russia can be subverted with great ease. At their meeting, Giles said, Lambert sounded him out on those criticisms, asking him whether doubts about Kaspersky were being sown by industry rivals jealous of the companys success. Lambert also asked if Giles and others were being induced by anyone to denigrate the company in the media. I told him repeatedly that that was not the reason, Giles said. Giles said he exited the meeting with mixed feelings: Lamberts backstory raised some flags, but he seemed knowledgeable about cybersecurity. So when Lambert asked if Giles could recommend anyone else for the conference, he put him in touch with an American cybersecurity expert he knew. In an email exchange with his U.S. colleague, Giles said the conference could be an opportunity for them both to earn money and enjoy some dim sum in Hong Kong. But he added an important caveat. I have no guarantees this is a legit operation, Giles wrote, explaining that he could find no one who had heard of NPH Investments. Im proceeding with mild caution, he said. An AP search of Japans National Tax Agency database found no record of NPH Investments. And while there is a company called NPH Investments Limited based in Hong Kong the company Lambert claimed to work for when challenged by the AP corporate records show that its registered at a different address than the one displayed on Lamberts business card and on NPHs website. The registered owner of NPH Investments Limited did not return a message from the AP. A receptionist at the Wharf T&T Centre in Hong Kong, the address Lambert claimed to work from, told an AP reporter that the company was not listed in the buildings directory. The management at Tokyos Nishi Shinjuku-Takagi Building, where Lambert also claimed to have an office, said they found no trace of the firm. The website of Lamberts NPH also is strikingly similar to a number of fake sites recently used to target cybersecurity researchers at Citizen Lab. Scott-Railton, one of the researchers, said the sites followed the same domain registration pattern, used off-the-shelf designs from an Israeli firm called Wix and were connected to a web of LinkedIn profiles featuring black-and-white or oddly angled photographs of men and women wearing sunglasses. Whoever created the NPH Investments identity was drawing from the same playbook, Scott-Railton said. Giles said his suspicions about NPH deepened after his second meeting with Lambert on June 6. Lambert asked the same questions all over again, he said, complete with the requests to repeat himself and talk loudly. The only variation was when Lambert falsely claimed that Giles had told him Kasperskys critics had been paid to slam the company in the media. That removed my remaining doubts that this was to hear and possibly record my comments on Kaspersky, Giles said. He was plainly hoping for an admission by me that either I or others had been working on behalf of other cybersecurity companies to reduce Kasperskys business. Meanwhile, the U.S. cybersecurity expert that Giles recommended had also met Lambert, sitting down at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York on May 31. There, and at a second meeting with the expert on July 10, Lambert also touched on criticisms of Kaspersky. He brought it up more than once, the cybersecurity expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity because his employer had asked him not to identify himself publicly. He asked whether economic competitors were trying to gin up the security threat. In his conversations with Giles and the U.S. expert, Lambert appeared particularly eager to meet with Michael Daniel, who was White House cybersecurity coordinator between 2012 and 2017, asking both men for Daniels contact details. Neither was able to provide an introduction, but Lambert claimed to have made contact. In an email obtained by AP, he said he met with Daniel last September and labeled the get-together a success. But the Cyber Threat Alliance , a mainly American organization that Daniel now leads and is devoted to sharing intelligence about digital threats, said the former White House official had no recollection of any suspicious meetings. The alliance added that Daniel has assumed he is a potential target for these kinds of operatives since he started in the White House seven years ago. A motive for targeting Daniel is unclear. In April 2017, Kaspersky had expressed an interest in joining Daniels Washington-based group, according to a former U.S. intelligence official briefed on the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The former official said the sporadic communications went nowhere, petering out in February 2018, two months before Giles received his first email from Lambert. The alliance said it did not comment on membership discussions. A few weeks after he claimed to have met Daniel, Lamberts operation appears to have wound down. He wrote Giles on Oct. 15 to tell him the conference would have to be postponed because a major client had an unplanned board meeting. Giles remembers feeling relieved that the surreal episode was over. This was a kind of go-through-the-mirror experience, he said, warning others in his position to be on their guard. Its really important for us to stay on the right side of the looking glass. ___ Kin Cheung in Hong Kong and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report. ___ Online: Documents linked to this story: https://www.documentcloud.org/search/projectid:42174-Citizen-Lab-Undercover-Op ___ Know anything more about these undercover operatives? Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com LITTLETON, Colo. A Florida teenager who authorities say was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and may have been planning an attack in Colorado just ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. The body of 18-year-old high schooler Sol Pais was discovered in the mountains outside Denver with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after investigators got a tip from the driver who took her there, the FBI said. During the manhunt, Denver-area schools closed as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities canceled for a half-million students. Police and the FBI were tipped off about Pais after the Miami Beach high school student made troubling remarks to others about her infatuation with the 1999 bloodbath at Columbine High and this weekends anniversary of the 13 killings, said Dean Phillips, FBI agent in charge in Denver. He did not elaborate on what she said. Pais purchased three one-way tickets to Denver on three consecutive days, then flew in on Monday night and went directly to a gun store, where she bought a shotgun, authorities said. Were used to threats, frankly, at Columbine, John McDonald, security chief for Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention. McDonald described her trip as a pilgrimage to Columbine. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said after receiving word that the hunt was over that he and all Colorado parents are hugging their children a little tighter. In Pais hometown, Surfside Police Chief Julio Yero asked that the family be given privacy and a little time to grieve. Pais parents had reported her missing on Monday night, police said. This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life, Yero said. Authorities said she did not threaten a specific school. But Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver reacted by locking their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside. Pais body was found off a trail not far from the base of Mount Evans, a recreation area about 60 miles southwest of Denver, authorities said. She used the weapon she bought, Phillips said. She had been last seen in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Sheriff Jeff Shrader said the sale of the shotgun apparently followed the states legal process. Out-of-state residents who are at least 18 can buy shotguns in Colorado. Customers must provide fingerprints and pass a criminal background check. A gun shop that said it sold the shotgun to Pais posted on Facebook that she passed the background check and the purchase was legal. We had no reason to suspect she was a threat to either herself or anyone else, said the post, which was signed by Colorado Gun Broker owner Josh Rayburn. School officials said events planned to mark the anniversary will go on as scheduled, including a ceremony at Columbine on Saturday. Two teenagers attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. They have inspired cult-like admirers and motivated other mass shooters over the decades. Since Columbine, a growing no notoriety movement has urged news organizations to avoid naming the perpetrators of mass shootings to deprive them of the notoriety they seek. In Florida, Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School senior, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was baffled to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Another classmate, 17-year-old Drew Burnstine, described Pais as quiet and smart. Phillips said investigators were poring through Pais social media, including a blog with photos of hand-written journal entries alongside sketches of guns. Denver-area parents faced the difficult job of explaining to their children why they had the day off school without scaring them. This is definitely a challenge in their generation, and watching my kids learn how to navigate this is really hard. It is really heartbreaking, said Suzanne Kerns, of suburban Arvada, whose children are 8 and 15. Kerns said she was angry about how easy it was for someone reported missing to come from out of state and buy a gun. ___ Associated Press writers Ellis Rua in Miami Beach, Florida and James Anderson and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed to this report. TUCUMCARI, N.M. A former fire chief has been convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a city employee and stealing city money, prosecutors said. Former Tucumcari Fire Chief Shane Warner pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges that included assault with intent to commit a violent felony, attempt to commit extortion and misdemeanor embezzlement, The Eastern New Mexico News reported . Prosecutors dropped charges of fraud, distribution of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence in exchange for the plea. Prosecutors are expected to recommend a suspended sentence and five years of supervised probation. They also plan to seek $2,000 in restitution. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled. The former fire chief gave a female ambulance worker an anti-nausea drug that also acts as a sedative, and he injected her with another substance in March 2016, District Attorney Tim Rose said. Warner, 42, and the victim were inside the former Tucumcari Police Department building for about three hours before the woman was taken to her parents home, Rose said. The victims mother told authorities that her daughter was incoherent. The victim reported that she had no memory for hours after she was injected. She reported feeling strange in her private area, Rose said. A toxicology test found traces of the anti-nausea drug and another drug that causes amnesia-type symptoms. Investigators also found that Warner was in possession of money from a city petty-cash fund. Warners attorney, Daniel Lindsey, declined to comment after the court hearing. Warner was hired as fire chief in January 2015. The city fired him in March 2017. ___ Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com Cars spilled out of the parking lot and down side streets Wednesday near New Mexico Workforce Connection in Downtown Albuquerque as job seekers sought to fill more than 1,000 openings across state government. Jump Hundreds show up at rapid hire state job fairs Two more of these hiring events are set in Albuquerque, Las Cruces By Marie C. Baca Journal Staff Writer Cars spilled out of the parking lot and down side streets Wednesday near New Mexico Workforce Connection in Downtown Albuquerque as job seekers sought to fill more than 1,000 openings across state government. The rapid hire event is one of several taking place throughout the state this month. The agencies represented at the job fairs include the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Human Services Department, as well as the Children, Youth and Families Department. Joy Forehand, Workforce Connections operations manager, said 481 job seekers participated in Wednesdays event. After signing in and having their resumes screened, qualified individuals had as many as two on-site interviews with representatives from the relevant agency. Ricky Serna, deputy cabinet secretary for the Department of Workforce Solutions, said the goal is to streamline a process that could otherwise take months. We want as many people as possible to walk out of here with contingent offers, so the only thing they need to do is have their references checked or stuff along those lines, said Serna. Pamela Coleman, director of the states personnel office, said New Mexicos agencies are excited to fill long-time vacancies and perhaps create additional positions in light of the states improved financial situation. Job fair participants had a range of reactions to the event. Mariah Gallegos, who said she had been unemployed for a month, said she felt the process was easy to navigate and was hopeful about her prospects as a Department of Transportation dispatcher. But Marlene Faulkner-Hussein, who moved to the area from New York in 2017 with a masters degree and decades in public administration, expressed frustration at being unable to find a position commensurate with her experience. There are two rapid hire events remaining. The first takes place in Albuquerque on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 501 Mountain Rd. NE, the site of New Mexico Workforce Connection. The other is in Las Cruces on Tuesday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dona Ana Community College, 2800 Sonoma Ranch Blvd. Participants are asked to bring multiple copies of an updated resume, three professional references, a copy of their school transcript, proof of their right to work in the U.S., and to dress appropriately. Resources are available for those who do not have a resume. Additional information is available by calling (505) 843-1900. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE An inmate says that two correctional officers sexually abused her and that she faced retaliation for reporting the initial assaults part of a broader culture at the womens prison in Grants, where officers felt emboldened to abuse female prisoners, according to a lawsuit filed in state District Court. At one point, an officer crumpled up a grievance the inmate had filed, and another officer said he would have his turn with her, the lawsuit alleges. The 19-page complaint, filed by attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, also accuses the state Corrections Department of fostering a culture that allowed officers to sexually abuse inmates in Grants and discouraged women from reporting the abuse. In graphic detail, the lawsuit alleges a series of assaults on the plaintiff in 2017 and describes sexual abuse as a regular part of life at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility. At least five officers at the prison have been charged with criminal sexual penetration since 2017, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiff, Lisa Ann Jaramillo, has since been transferred to a prison in Springer. Her lawsuit targets the womens prison, Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, and the New Mexico Corrections Department. The ACLU of New Mexico said the lawsuit is the first in a series that will accuse the state of failing to protect incarcerated women. Sadly, Ms. Jaramillos story is not unique, ACLU attorney Lalita Moskowitz said in a written statement. What she experienced is symptomatic of the general culture and pattern within NMCD facilities of ignoring, dismissing and mishandling allegations of sexual abuse, and of retaliating against women who have the courage to report abuse. Also representing Jaramillo are attorneys Leon Howard and Corinne Holt. The suit was filed Tuesday in Santa Fe. Alisha Tafoya Lucero, New Mexicos interim Cabinet secretary for corrections, said she cant comment on active litigation. But she said her department has worked closely with local law enforcement. NMCD takes allegations of sexual assault very seriously, she said in a written statement. We strive to maintain safe and secure institutions and we unequivocally commit to upholding the highest public safety standards inside and outside our institutions. Jaramillo said the abuse started in 2017, when she had a maintenance job on the prison grounds that put her under the authority of a corrections officer serving as her supervisor. The officer flirted with her and, eventually, sexually abused her, according the lawsuit. Jaramillo believes other officers knew about it, the lawsuit says. Eventually, another officer insinuated to Ms. Jaramillo that he was going to have his turn with her, the lawsuit says. He later bit her neck as part of a sexual assault. At one point, the lawsuit says, Jaramillo reported the behavior of one of the officers, but she was the one who was disciplined accused of trying to engage in an inappropriate relationship with the officer. Later, she filed a formal grievance, and surveillance video captured an officer reading it, crumpling it up and putting it back in the grievance box, according to her suit. The lawsuit accuses the Corrections Department and Western New Mexico Correctional Facility of allowing sexual abuse to become endemic at the prison. Two officers accused in the lawsuit of abusing Jaramillo have been charged with criminal sexual penetration. Neither works for the Corrections Department anymore. Former Officer Michael A. Martinez entered a guilty plea last year, and former Officer Eluid Stan Arguello is scheduled for trial later this year, according to court records. Bilawal met with families of Hazarganji blast Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday said he wants the powers in the country to mainstream victims of terrorism, not banned organisations, a private TV channel reported. It is unfortunate that even after so much blood spilt, the state cannot decide if it is with the martyrs or the terrorists, Bilawal said while speaking to media in Quetta as he visited the families of those killed in the last weeks Hazarganji blast. The government has to decide. For how long will they continue with their double standards? he asked. No one can fight extremism alone but we have to decide for the future. We need to fight this extremist mindset. When we ask for justice, we are called enemy of the state. When I speak against banned organisations, Im branded an enemy of the state, he continued. Are we enemy of the state or those banned organisations that are killing our children? he questioned. The PPP chief said he has a message for the powers in the country that if they want to mainstream anyone, it should be the victims of the terrorism, not the banned outfits. He said he is also the son of a martyr and that he will not sit quietly until the terrorism is eliminated from the country. My entire political career will be for eradicating terrorism so that we can live peacefully in this country, he said. We have to fight terrorism together and we have to protect the oppressed, he added. Bilawal questioned why the National Action Plan (NAP) has not been implemented. He said the real enemies of the state are those who support militant outfits for their political gains. BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. -The Safeway Foundation announced on Tuesday that it is donating $700,000 to Camp Fire relief. The money was raised through customer and employee donations at check stands. Paradise Mayor Jody Jones was in attendance at the check was presented at the Safeway Store located at 1366 East Avenue in Chico. Jones said the donations will help to make a difference in the community and help with rebuilding. CHICO, Calif. - Stolen mail and mail box break-ins, postal officials say its happening all over Chico. A postal employee told Action News Now, Country Lane Apartments is just one of 45 neighborhoods experiencing mail theft in the past two months. Concerned neighbor Lisa Collins has lived at country lane apartments for five years. Collins said she's never delt with mail theft like this before. Early March there were two break ins at the complex. Their mailboxes weren't damaged, but Collins said she was told whoever broke-in had a master key. "If they did it twice and they got everyones box its a pretty big deal it makes you feel it just made me feel a little unsafe cause especially at tax time people have a lot of sensitive information coming and going through the mail," Collins said. Collins still has no mail delivery service to her apartment. And just Tuesday, Collins said the mailboxes were removed from the complex, but new ones have been put in. Collins encourages people to check their mailboxes frequently and suggests not to leave your mail out over night. If you go to usps.com and click "informed delivery," you can sign up for free to digitally preview the mail you're expected to receive that day. It'll help you to manage and know what will be in your mailbox. True to the saying Baro Mashe, Tero Parbon, Bengal is known for its unabashed love for festivals and its festivities. Poila Boishakh is one such auspicious day which is celebrated by Bengalis all over in all its glory. It is not just a mere festivity but a celebration of emotions. NoboBorshoor New Year marks the first day of the Bengali calendar- to celebrate new beginnings. Welcoming the year 1426 in style is Star Jalshas latest celebratory offering Boishakhi Jalsha 1426- a specially curated show to celebrate a delightful concoction of our illustrious culture and traditions with our favorite stars. A nostalgic joyride of emotions, Boishakhi Jalsha 1426 will take the viewers on a journey back in time with its mesmerizing performances. Bengals tradition and culture are imbibed in its art forms, its music and its dance, and what better way to welcome another year with a day showcasing these. With a host of mesmerizing performances lined up for the day, Boishakhi Jalsha 1426 is an ode to Bengals diversity of people, traditions and culture. It will showcase a scintillating opening act by our very own Sandipta, who is all set to enthrall the viewers with her dance performance on Esho Hey Boishakh with an amalgamation of Bengals traditional dance forms of Chhau, Raibeshe and the likes. The day will also witness acts by our Jalsha stars including an endearing performance by the kids of Ebar Jombe Moja on Shukno Patay Nupur Bajeand Amra Nutan Jouboneri Doot, a modern fusion performance by Tellywoods favourite Sunny& Madhumita followed by an enticing dance performance by our Genx Bengali heartthrobs Swastika and Rudrajit. The celebrations will also play host to an enthralling dance- drama performance by Pallabi Sharma on BratatiBandyopadhyays recitation of Ami Shei Meye, followed by a Baul fusion Gaan performance - a melodious concoction of tradition and modern with Kartik DasBaul, Pota and Gourab Das and many more. Special performances by the terrific trio of music Siddhu- Anindyo and Upalwill also add that modern touch to the day of nostalgia and bangaliana. A day to celebrate the true essence of Bangaliana, Boishakhi Jalsha 1426 will pay homage with a tributary act to RD Burman and his retro hits. It will showcase a memory bouquet enacting iconic songs of the legend through various art performances by renowned artists Sovon, Iman, Soumya, Chandrika. It will also witness a show stopping act by the exemplary Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who is all geared up to enchant the audience with his melodious tunes. Speaking on the occasion, Sagnik Ghosh, Executive Vice President and Business Head of Star Jalsha and Jalsha Movies said, As we celebrate the dawn of a new year, it would be only befitting to give back our viewers something that will stay with them for a long time. 'Boishakhi Jalsha 1426' is the ultimate celebration of Bangaliana- a day which will showcase the might and grandeur of Bengal through music, dance and more. It is an ode to our culture, traditions and our people and the Jalsha family is extremely excited to share our New Year special offering with our audience on Nobo Borsho. Hosted by our favourite Jalsha stars, Rohan & Rooqma, Pallavi (Jaba) &Biswajit (Param), along with Shilajit & Biswanath, Boishakhi Jalsha will be aired on Star Jalsha SD and HD on 21st April at 6 pm. In all the articles and statements on vaccine hesitancy that are thrown at us, have you noticed how it seems to be a mystery to those conducting the research as to why these parents just won't do what they are told? Have you noticed that they never actually quote these parents on what their reasons for backing out of the vaccine schedule actually are? If they actually told you why the WOMEN... the almost exclusively female primary care givers... were reporting about their treatment, it would force a change in the vaccine industry from top to bottom. Because women who challenge the absurd vaccines are safe and effective for everyone claim in the office, even with the vaccine package inserts themselves, are often offered harassment, are subject to gaslighting and are treated like emotional children that need to be handled. That is what the vaccine industry has trained medical providers to do. Last month I asked the moms in the Maine Facebook group to post a short comment on the mistreatment they have encountered while dealing with vaccine issues in the office. I thought I would get a few quotes that would make it easier for the Committee to see the flat out misogyny that women are dealing with. The post had more than 500 comments in 24 hours. In a group of only 2,000 members. I have whittled it down a bit, but the highlights below is still 15 printed pages long. You can see the raw data on vaccine hesitancy for yourself before it is filtered through the narrative of the medical industry publishing monolith. I respectfully request that if you are a male, that you read the entire document so you can see what it is like to be a woman alone in a medical provider's office - something you will never experience in life. If you choose not to read it all, please at least read the last quote from the Maine Medical Association testifying in 2015 at the hearings on LD 606 that they do not believe women's reports of poor treatment by medical providers on vaccine issues - then - remember that we all collectively decided in October of 2017 that we would #BelieveAllWomen The vaccine exemption removal bills exist to control women who can see with their own eyes the damage that the current liability-free vaccine industry is doing to children, and read with their own eyes the official government documentation admitting that vaccines are Unavoidably Unsafe and cause harm. We asked mothers in a Maine Facebook vaccine group to tell us about their poor treatment in the doctor's office surrounding vaccination. We selected some for you to read so that you may have a greater understanding of the true reasons for "vaccine hesitancy": When pregnant with my 7th baby I went preterm (34 wks) I was sent to Maine med. My triage nurse every time she came in to check vitals would ask me if I changed my mind and would like dtap and flu shot. After about the 6th time I asked her to stop asking me. She replied "I am just trying to protect your baby from your ignorance " My son was vaccine injured and vaccinated without consent. We chose to selectively vaccinate and office nurse lied and told me she was giving the course of the 3 vaccines we chose. He would always get a fever but the last time he got a fever and broke out in hives and was sick for a week, we stopped all vaccines at that point. Later I was told by the doc he had received all but the last set of his vaccines for his 1st year. Our doctor told us my daughter would be stronger, smarter, happier, healthier if she had her shots, then informed us that he doesn't have to see our child as a patient because we don't vaccinate and we would have a hard time finding ANYONE with an office in the area that would take her at all. Convinced us that we wouldn't be able to find another pediatrician if we didn't agree with him, and then he said we should reevaluate our research and get off google. My daughter is 18 months old and hasn't had a checkup by him since 9 months because of this. I'm terrified to go back and be harrassed. I cried and left the office in a rush and he knew he had hurt us. I will never forget the look on his face when i asked "how could she be healthier?" Because she's never been sick. We see a naturopath for all of our well checks instead now because i am terrified to be scolded when having my daughter checked for something as simple as a cold. "I lose sleep over your children and all the children they could potentially infect" I had an old man pediatrician doing rounds at the hospital when I declined vitamin k for my son in September 2018. He said, I am an expert at making babies mad and taking them away from their moms today. And a few minutes later after we said we declined vit k, he said, your baby WILL die without that. I was in the middle of trying to do a weighted feed to please the nurses and he didnt give one crap! "As long as you're civil with us, you can stay at our office." I was civil. I just asked questions. A doctor asked me what a titer is after I asked for one. "Your son will do fine with his shots, just cause his sister had (in your opinion) a bad reaction, doesn't mean he will, just do it." When I asked for the package inserts I was told that they didn't know what those were, and once I explained what they were, they told me that they had thrown everything away. Any question I ever asked was met with "I cant answer that for you"or we'll agree to disagree." I asked for a titer, and he said, "well thats a needle . I thought you didnt want him getting a shot." f you dont give your child the HPV vaccine she will get cancer, and they said it in front of my daughter so she was terrified. Dont you want to protect your future sons wifes life? Regarding the hpv vaccine for my son. If you don't have her vaccinated, you're hurting your daughter. You're not going to be a very good mom.--said to me 2 days after giving birth to my daughter because I made known my stance. I know we've discussed this before, but I wanted to let you know how important it is to vaccinate your daughter. Ive seen cute babies just like yours die You're a good mommy, right? Good mommies vaccinate their babies. Sign the paper. Well she probably wont have a reaction like that again, bc its a whole different set of shots this time. Your baby will die if you dont follow the vaccination schedule I shouldnt have gone alone I figured Id get some lecture, but that comment really hit me, I was clearly getting upset, so she stopped. She gave me some book to read (which went straight to the trash) and then assured me that her kids get all their vaccines and are fine we left that office. Our current dr left abruptly, havent been to any well checks since. You're not vaccinating?? Are you aware of the consequences of your neglectful actions. "There is no evidence that suggests that this will harm you or your unborn baby." The insert stated no tests had been done regarding pregnant women or the unborn and it stated in bold capital letters not to use while pregnant because miscarriage could happen. My very first experience was 11 years ago, i was in the waiting room with my daughter, and our ped was in the hallway and i hear her snicker to the other peds, "she's the one that don't vaccinate'. it wasn't what was said, it was their tone and talking behind my back, publicly in the hall. I called with a question about fevers and was told by the nurse, reiterating the pediatrician, "because your child is not vaccinated she needs to be seen immediately. We need to do x-rays, catheter, blood work, and start antibiotics. Me: "would you do the same for a fully vaccinated child who's only symptom was a fever? Nurse: "no the risk wouldn't be as high." I was shocked because her ONLY symptom was a fever and they NEVER answered my initial question. If youre not going to directly protect your children then you could at least protect them a little by getting the Tdap yourself. I was in the ER for bleeding during early pregnancy. "You're just comparing her to her older sister who was advanced in her development. You need to look at the developmental norms". (In reference to my MULTIPLE concerns about developmental delay and regression between 4 and 11 months when looking at child development books NOT comparing her to her older sister) Eye rolling and seeming annoyance with my questions and bringing in sources to validate my concerns and statements like, "I have a very busy schedule. I can't possibly answer all of your questions in this visit." PCP insisted medically-fragile infant MUST have DTaP before scheduled heart surgery at 3 months, that it was "Required before surgery." (because, ya know, an instrument might fall in the manure on the OR floor). We went on to a new PCP: "Well, if you're never going to do anything to protect her health (since you're declining vaccines), it's not worth ordering any tests for these other issues you're mentioning." "You will have to vaccinate after this new bill passes, you will not have an option" She also told me that my thoughts on MTHFR were absurd. At the ER once a doctor demanded I give him an explanation as to why my son didnt receive certain vaccines. It was very degrading and condescending, he backed off and actually laughed when I said well we dont do hep b because my child isnt having sex or shooting IV drugs yet. Do you have a thermometer? Being unvaccinated, your baby is much more likely to run a fever this was in regard to a 2 day old. If something were to happen, I don't know how YOU could live with that.... Every fever they will probably need to do a spinal tap. With my unvaccinated son (10 months old) in the ER after an injury requiring a butterfly suture to close a gash resulting from his sister's dollhouse falling on his head... "oh, he will definitely need a tetanus shot. You can get tetanus from dust" My doctor told me my daughter could get tetanus if she ate any food from a can. My son bit his tongue really bad. There was a flap sticking up. It didn't get sutures but they wanted a tetanus shot. I was like, "He bit it with his own teeth!!!" Small gash from the corner of a kitchen cabinet above his eye. ER told me they would take extra precaution with the wound being sure to keep it extra sterile because he didnt have tetanus shot. My plan to safely catch your son up would be to give all 9 shots in one visit to minimize trauma. Our pediatrician, this past Monday. Laughed in my face when I asked about the insert. Told me it was legalese and that it didnt mean anything. My timeline of my sons health meant nothing to her. We havent gone since my youngest was 4 months old. Our pedi flat out refused to have any discussion/conversation about the matter. They couldnt answer any questions we had with anything other than, theyre perfectly safe. Fever, rash, vomiting is a normal reaction. So we quit going. I desperately want to find a pedi that wouldnt heckle us though. "Do you not believe in death?" Severe eczema flares are not vaccine reactions. Everyone has eczema dormant in their bodies, and it's completely random as to what causes the break-out. Even though he has an allergy to eggs, getting vaccines that are grown on egg embryo's is completely safe. Each time we were in the ER with 105-106 fevers with my kids. "nope the vaccines didn't do this" yet it was in the same week as the vaccines. Where are all the doctors who don't pressure parents? I need one desperately :( You haven't seen what I've seen. Children die from these diseases. I'm going to have to keep telling you about this every time you come in. I was scolded in a room at Waterville pediatrics for over an hour with a patronizing male doctor. I felt like a hostage. I was yelled at, called ignorant and a terrible mother for wanting my kid to risk dying all while he stood in front of the door so I couldn't leave. What religion are you that cant vaccinate ? Oh well I know for a fact it isnt against Christianity to vaccinate so yeah right Oh man this makes me livid when I think back on it. It was an ER nurse who kept badgering me when I had a sick baby and was a first time mom back in 2009... I WISH someone would try that crap with me now. I was told vaccinations should not be my choice. My child would survive from the measles but would randomly die in his sleep 10 years later as an after effect. Refused to have my sons titers tested upon my request. We had a doctor who would roll his eyes there and when asked questions about vaccines in his office would only answer staring at a computer and would not look you in the eye. We left that office very quickly after the flags went up. Do you know what you're doing? Do you know the repercussions of this? Where did you get your information from? Basically - think twice about your actions. We were at a regular visit. Dr. wanted us to give him a flu shot. I wasnt keen on the idea. I asked if they had thimerosal them. Her answer was, its not going to give him Autism. He already had an Autism diagnosis at this point and she knew it. For any check up/visit the first thing they do is say if you were up-to-date on vaccinations or not. If you are not that must be the cause of why you were here. It's as if they are not even going to listen to why I brought my sick kid in if I do not have all vaccines on their schedule. I brought my 20 m/o to the doctors 3 weeks ago to be tested for pneumonia because I'm positive that's what he has. They refused to test for pneumonia, and instead tested for pertussis because he's not vaccinated so he must have it. He tested negative for it btw, as well as RSV. He's still sick, and still not diagnosed :'( What is your intent when LD798 passes? (Maine General Express Care This past Saturday) "You want to delay vaccines? Well you better keep her in a bubble then." My daughter was 1 week old at that point. So you want your child to end up with cancer? Youre just ASKING for them to die young. How unfair. What the Dr told us when we denied vx at birth. I saw a covering doc when mine was out when my youngest had his first cough/fever. As a new mom I thought I should bring him in for a fever. The doc said " this child could have any possibility of sickness as he isn't vaccinated...some 3rd world disease for all I know!"....we didn't see him ever again. I was never insulted or belittled. I had a great experience in NH where my 1st daughter was born and they never made it an issue. But recently, when my 3rd daughter had her 2 month well check I was given a sub doctor. Dr. Losey. When vaccines came up he said ok, time for shots!. I said not today and likely not ever. And it isnt up for discussion. This is my informed non-consent. He turned, (literally) threw his hands up in the air and walked out on me and my infant daughter. Ive never been given a VIS... required by law... "Have you ever seen a baby with pertussis? Around this time last year, I brought my daughter to her 4 year "well-child" visit. At this visit, I dare question how vaccines may affect children of different races (my children are biracial) and the answer was "There is no data saying it is not safe." ...doctor and nurse left room. Then 2 doctors and 3 nurses came jammed back into our tiny room. They were trying to show all the inserts they could, while each chiming in how they are safe. I felt cornered, I felt shamed. I was in tears! I almost gave in until I heard the doctor over everyone say "you are not a bad mom for not vaccinating because you can get her all caught up today!" When I heard that, the feelings of meekness and shame left me, and I told them "I do not feel guilty for not being up to date. I feel guilty for allowing them to receive the previous onslaught of fevers, lethargy, bowel issues and allergies. I told them there would be no more vaccinations until someone shows me a verified study proving my child will not be harmed based on their ethnicity... I left and haven't been back since. Now, I am afraid to bring my kids to the doctors. I walked out of there with my head high and tears running down my face! No one should face that type of gang-like activity! "Why cause you believe some young dumb blonde, by the name of Jenny McCarthy who thinks vaccines are linked to autism"...he laughs and said "your beliefs are ridiculous because it's been proven many times that there is no correlation between the two. "You would rather have your son die of a dangerous disease than get autism?" Ours made a snide comment about putting them off too long or even not doing them in general, and they literally said but you wouldnt do that, youre good parents. The ONE time my son has ever been sick with a fever (hes almost 3 now and has only been sick twice in his life) I called and asked if he should be seen or not, and they said well it was urgent since hes unvaccinated, it could be ANYTHING. He was perfectly fine the next day btw. Found a great naturopathic doctor since then, all set with the fear mongering pediatrics. My son was born at 27 weeks and weighing 2 lbs. The dr in the NICU wanted to give him a bunch of vaccines all at once. He was about 4 lbs by this point, and still on an high amount of oxygen. I said no, repeatedly. They said what if someone here is Hep B positive and infects your baby! Then after me just saying no thank you, he's all set. The dr. said I hope you change your mind because I'd hate to see your baby die. "I've been a doctor for 40 years and before vaccines patients were coming in by the dozens with measels and smallpox!! You should be thankful you have vaccines to protect your child!" This was said to me after our 2nd had an adverse reaction at his 2 month shots and the doctor was told me it was "totally normal" and "totally safe." 2 months after he had another vaccine reaction and since then neither of our children have had shots. I declined whooping cough vaccine while pregnant (gave birth in January). OB said to me, "did you know if you give your baby whooping cough, they could die. Your BABY could die". When I explained I was well educated and wanted to take my time to give vaccines she said while patting me on the leg condescendingly "just so you know all the research will support vaccinating on the schedule we follow." 8 years ago- Tulsa's most famous respected pediatric gastroenterologist, I think youre overreacting. There is no connection between the stomach and the brain. Its not related to his autism. When we were interviewing pediatricians ... You can do a delayed schedule but you WILL do them. My kid has never been to a pediatrician for all the reasons above, but when I was planning a pregnancy, at an annual exam, my doctor wanted to get me up to date on all shots because it would protect my unborn baby... Her nasty comments included: Babies die all the time from vaccine preventable illnesses...shes actually seen babies die from said illnesses... in Amish communities where they dont vaccine, disease runs rampant, If you think you need to follow the advice of a porn star... (Im assuming shes referring to Jenny McCarthy.) Youll never be able to go to Target. This was from the first pediatrician I saw after my son was born. This is what she told me when I brought up my concerns about vaccinating him. I never went back and I never vaccinated him. Her stupidity literally solidified my decision not to vaccinate. Made me question doctors and the vaccines even more. After the first reaction, I dont understand why we need to stop vaccinating, hes fine, babies do weird breathing things. Youre a brand new, overprotective mom. You dont know. After the second, Do you even know what a seizure is? Babies have jerky movements, babies die from these diseases, you dont know more than me. He wont be able to go to school. When my oldest was a newborn (shell be 20 in May) I took her for her first check up. The Ped (who I found out later was on some sort of board that supports vaccines) told me that I was not smart to not vaccinate. White I took my son into the ER when he was little because he hit the back of his head off from the corner of our coffee table. Before they would do anything about his bleeding head they lectured me for a long time about how sick my kid could be from not vaccinating. Before my son was born, I wanted to interview pediatricians before making a decision on who would care for him and basically see what their stance was on vaccines. Ended up going to Intermed in Yarmouth... after about 15 minutes of pleasant conversation I took a deep breath and brought up my fears about vaccines and my thoughts of delaying and skipping out on some altogether. Her demeanor towards me completely changed, arms crossed across chest. I felt very uncomfortable. She proceeded to tell me that she has watched babies die from not being vaccinated and that she would not feel comfortable treating my son basically if I did not follow her protocol and it might be better to find a different doctor. So I did. Having my daughter in Maine, the internal fetal specialist I was seeing was hella supportive. However, after she was out I made my husband go with her. Just to be sure. Surely enough, a nurse came in my recovery room a short time later, having a little conniption because my husband wouldn't let them vaccinate her. I confirmed the denial. And voila! Just like that my post OP pain med order disappeared. Took 12 hours, the next shift, to get anything. It was late at night, I was trying to nurse and in so much pain tears silently streaming down my face, when my new nurse came on. I never got an apology. But I did get pain meds. Why do you want to decline vaccines? You know the doctor that claimed vaccines cause autism was discredited and lost his license. Interviewing pediatricians when I was pregnant with my first. Asked about delay or altering schedule and he basically Said I was doing wrong by my child to do anything other than all the vaccines on time. "I believe not vaccinating your child is a form of child abuse." Later on in the conversation he says "you know I am a mandatory reporter. If I feel there is abuse in a family I am required to report it to the state." "The AAP advises all infants with an unexplained fever must be cathed, have blood work taken and a spinal tap done. Otherwise you're going against medical advice in which we would notify CPS." "All of my kids have been vaccinated and none have autism." A hospital doctor gave my husband a hard time about our daughter who has cancer not being vaccinated. Wanted her to get vaccines while in the hospital with pneumonia. "I see your son is due for his IPV, would you like to get him up to date today?" "He is due for all vaccines, but we are religiously exempt. I'm concerned you would vaccinate him while sick, though." "I practice science-based medicine" "What does the science say about giving a polio vaccine to a child with a fever of 103 that youre currently unable to diagnose?" What are you afraid of...autism or something If you don't give your kid the chickenpox vaccine he could die. Told by the nurse I WOULD give my child her shots after speaking with doctor. I meet with the doctor, he agrees to no vaccines at this time since my daughter is so ill.. nurse comes in and opens the shots, tries to guilt me into doing them because they are open and can't be used on another child now... with stern voice and face clearly expressing I am the problem. Took my twins in for their 2 month checkup. I knew I didnt want to vaccinate that day. Wanted to wait until they were a bit older and space them out. I wasnt even against necessarily getting the vaccines (at that time). My twins were breastfed, not in daycare, and their 3 older siblings were vaccinated. The doctor lost his mind on me. Raised his voice, belittled me, threatened me and said if I didnt vaccinate that day I would have to SIGN a paper that said if my babies died it was my FAULT. We didnt vaccinate and it was the last time we saw that pediatrician. I had forgotten that I also was told by my first pediatrician that I had to sign the paper handed to me stating that I was willingly putting my child in danger. "I will treat your children, but every time you come into my office I will remind you of the terrible choice you are making to not vaccinate." Tell me why were holding off on vaccines? I can promise you vaccines do not cause autism if thats what your worries about Were gonna have to have a come to Jesus moment before he starts school Not a doctor for my child, but one of the nurses at the OB's office : "You'll be getting the flu and tdap today." "No thanks, should be a note in the chart from last appointment when it was mentioned, I will not be receiving those." "You HAVE to get them." "I don't HAVE to do anything, and I will absolutely NOT be getting any vaccinations." "Well, we'll see what the doctor says." " the doctor can say and make any recommendations that she wants, I'm still the one who gets to make the decision.... I am 100% unvaccinated, and I'm certainly not going to start while I'm pregnant." I hope you are ok with you child dying because that is what you are doing by not vaccinating him and if that happens I hope you can live with yourself. Went in for a sick visit with a ped who was not my ours many years ago. Nurse and dr wanted to vax even though she'd had a fever less than 12 hrs before. I had to school her on the CDC guidelines and even then she argued with me till I flat out told her she shouldn't have even asked that day due to the reason for our visit. (I was already not vaxing at that point and was at several rounds behind schedule.) Since then I've found most of the family has genetic mutations and possibility of congenital lyme etc. No way will I vaccinate. Ever. I want you to know that you are risking your childs life and if they die from something preventable, you will have to live with that "If you dont vaccinate Ill have to fire you from the practice." I dont recall the belittling exactly but it was there. A doctor who basically talked at you, and repeated the vaccines are completely safe and they prevent disease laughed at us when we asked questions or voiced our reluctance and continued to repeat the vaccine mantra. We asked for vaccine inserts but never returned. Ive seen soooo many kids die of measles. Why dont you want to give her the vitamin k drops? But why? But why? What is your evidence? - A nurse literally while pushing in labor When bringing my then 7-year-old son to the surgeon for a follow up exam after his hernia repair, the surgeon told me, "He's all set! As long as he doesn't die of a communicable disease." In front of my 7-year-old. When my youngest was 2 months old the pediatrician told us, she could be bitten by a baby with hep b. A couple weeks later I had to reschedule a follow-up because I was called into work (1st time cancellation) and we were dropped from her practice. "Vaccines have nothing to do with religion." "Your child will not be able to attend school." "Don't believe everything you read on the internet." "I'm the doctor here." "We do not accept patients who are unvaccinated." "Come back when you change your religious beliefs." She told me two varicella vaccines were required for school. I was pregnant with my first, it was swine flu scare. I had four doctor's including the OB corner me and say I'm a bad mother for not protecting my child. I took the shot, immediate remorse. Also switched to midwife. I was told that I was ignorant and a terrible mother for wanting my kid to die. This was yelled at me while this Doctor blocked the door. This was 7 years ago This visit unfortunately I caved since I was cornered and yelled at. My son was hospitalized less than 12 hours later with reaction to flu shot. Generally the office I go to is pretty good about it, but a couple of the Dr's and one nurses have said things. Both Dr's said something like Can you tell me why you are not getting vaccines? I usually answer with "I am confident with my choice, so we don't need to talk about it." That is followed by randomly throwing out "facts" to discredit the reasons that are generally assumed as why people choose not to vaccinate, like Vaccines don't cause autism, if that is one of your concerns. The nurse made a comment at the end of an appointment for my 5 year old. She said "I don't think he will be able to go to school with out the MMR vaccine." I started to tell her that he would be able to due to Maine's exemptions, but she cut me off part way through saying "I know about those" as she walked off. We actually had a PA write on a script for one of our kids, not to expect this filled because theyre anti-Vaxers" When looking for a doctor for my first child I talked with a doctor and when we asked about vaccines and the inserts the Doctor proceeded to repeat well its not like Ill report you to the police if you dont but .... At our first appointment with an osteopath (who told me she would work with us regarding not vaccinating), she laughed at my comments about vaccine injuries and she literally stuck her finger in my face and said its because of people like YOU that pertussis is making a comeback! I packed up all three girls (7, 3 and 1) and walked out. I never took them anywhere for Well Child visits after that. Theyre now 19, 16, and 13, and healthy. At every appointment I wasn't asked I was told "oh today you WILL be getting the tdap and flu shot, not sure why that didn't happen yet" every visit. I was never once asked. They just assume because its recommended they don't need to inform and get consent. Just because your older son had a vaccine reaction (according to you) thats not a reason to not vaccinate your youngest, or to stop continuing to vaccinate your oldest. Vaccines are very safe and effective, and you shouldnt listen to google. When our pediatrician announced he was retiring last summer, we were told that no other doctors in the practice would be a good fit for our family - after we had been patients since April 2002, and my kids are almost 100% vaccinated (one missing the MMR, and the other two missing tdap / meningitis boosters). This may be the saddest thread Ive read in our group in a long time. The belittling and bullying that happens to (mostly) Moms is astonishing. No we dont get belittled or bullied. According to the media we are the ones doing the bullying. As soon as we get in the room the nurse usually says something to the effect, todays going to be rough youve got a lot of shots today. When I say Im deferring I get the uncivil look and asked what the date or age I plan to give them. Education that diseases are in pockets and that I will have to have extra nurse visits between physicals to get her caught up. The doctor and nurse wore masks when I took my son to a different pediatrician for a referral because his sister isn't vaccinated and she was with us. Vaccines are safe and effective. My kids are fully vaccinated and I've never seen a bad reaction with anyone I've treated. There is so much false information out there and that Dr's (she didn't know his name) license was revoked because of spreading false information. I really want to be your son's Dr but you need to trust me. "You might as well fill out your sons toe tag if you dont vaccinate for chickenpox" He also said that parents like me was the worst part of his job. My daughter had a severe cough. Saw another doc not our usual doc. Pediatrician: Has she had her flu shot? Me: No. Pediatrician: She has the flu. Me: She doesnt have the flu. Him: Yes she does (barely examines her). 3 days later back at doctor who is our regular doc. Good Pediatrician: Well good thing you brought her back. Her lungs are wheezing and she has bronchial pneumonia. Me: Not the flu? Good Pediatrician: God no. Why do you think that Me: I didnt... Ive had a few that just dont listen to me and use fear mongering. They try to tell me my kids could die from chicken pox, but then I ask basic questions like how many kids die from the vaccine or what are the ingredients and they have no idea. I quickly realized I knew more about vaccines then they did. Also while I was in labor several nurses were badgering me about vitamin K and hep B after I asked them to stop. The doctor called me in the middle of the night at the hospital to try to pressure me right after giving birth. I also speculate that they retaliated on me by referring my newborn to the nicu. Nothing ended up being wrong with her they tried to tell me something could be wrong with her intestines because of spit up and then tried again to get me to get vitamin K. She was the healthiest baby in the NICU. It was a horrifying experience though. "As a medical professional you should know better than to deliberately put your child at risk for preventable diseases. At least give her the MMR vaccine." Tried to ask questions .... "excuse me, i forgot about something" walked out and probably saw 2 more patients before coming back. I should have left, but i felt so awkward... My pediatrician was transferring care of my 3 1/2 week old to a large hospital and told them I was biased and unreliable in part because I chose not to have the Hep B vaccine for my baby when she was discharged from 12 days in the NICU. He didn't know I could hear him talking. Subsequently every doc and med student I encountered at the large hospital questioned my about why my baby ( 3 1/2 weeks old) was not vaccinated when she was there because she had a digestive issue requiring surgery!! My almost 3 year old gets measles and autistic symptoms from MMR shot and her pediatrician said: "It's not from the vaccination. She started preschool three weeks ago, correct? She's either stressed from that or probably coming down with something." I was a brand new mom with tiny 2 week old at first week child. Baby received her hep B shot, Afterward nurse told me 'oh she might have a reaction to this'.... I stopped all further vaccines until I learned more..... got an threatening letter in the mail from me doctor telling me I was negligent and could be calling on CPS. My child contracted pertussis when she was 2, from a recently vaccinated child at a birthday party. When I had her tested, I was told that I was negligent in regards to not vaccinating and that I was responsible for adding to the disease problem in the area. I was then lied to and told my insurance wouldnt continue to cover visits unless my child was up to date on vaccines. I left the practice. My pediatrician harassed me at every single visit and each visit I told him I was delaying all vaccines until 2 years old. I got a lot of eye rolls and snarky comments from the nurses but my doctor was always civil. Over my twins' first year we learned I was cornered in our Pediatricians office (by the dr) as she told me if I didnt sign the form saying Im knowingly harming my child that she will call the police and have me arrested. We fired her as our dr and changed to another dr in the office that respects our wishes. We were told by cds after they had rescheduled us several times (waited over 6 months just for an eval) that the evaluator is canceling our appointment because our children are not vaccinated. Then they told me Ill have to wait while they found an evaluator that would be willing to take the risk of coming to our home. I cancelled all services with cds and paid for an independent evaluation. I was told my child wouldn't be allowed to attend public school (he does) and was told that he would die a painful death and I would have to live with knowing I was responsible. Would you like to watch a video so you can become educated? I have a son with a rare disease. He is approx. 1/900 in the world. We went to a new pediatrician on our new health plan. During our visit I was told his case was too complicated, why didnt I schedule more time and that I could vaccinate. I declined. No questions about my son, his condition and our choices. I then received a letter in the mail stating I could come back only if I was willing to follow the CDC guidelines. We were fired. At an appointment to confirm pregnancy with my now 3yo, I declined the flu shot for myself. When I wouldnt give in, the PA very forcefully said, If you dont get the flu shot, your baby could die! I was so furious. The Hep B is the least harmless. Thats the one I would recommend if youre hesitant. "DHHS investigates for neglect if you wait too long to catch up" (wic office Bangor) I always lied about my sons vaccine status after that. My biggest anxiety when he got sick or hurt was the doctors asking his vaccine status and whether they could read through my lies. I hate hate hate when they ask me if my kids are up to date. Major anxiety. I grew up a lot in that moment. That was the first time I had to physically advocate for my son I had to push the nurse away who was holding the needle and make her leave to check his chart to confirm he just had that shot. While she lunged at him insisting I was wrong. "Is there a reason why we're only giving one shot today?" I was told thats fine, if you want to take the chance of your child to dying of a preventable disease thats your choice. When my child was injured (which is why we no longer do vacc My daughters PCP looked my 11 yr old daughter in the eye (in front of me) and said, Im sorry your mother is putting you at risk for cancer. When I refused HPV vaccine. :( I refused the HPV shot for my 11 year old SON. She told me I needed to give it to him to protect the girls he's going to have sex with. When I told her I did research and didn't want him to have it, she said here's some websites only use these websites to research vaccines because other websites aren't accurate. She wouldn't drop it until I promised I would research through her websites. "I guarantee nothing bad will happen because of these vaccines." Dr Howard Silversmith, June 20, 2003. 27 hours later he would advise a panicked mom who was a licenced Emergency Medical Technician, that the seizure she witnessed while taking Cyndimae out of her car seat was probably REM sleep. Her next seizure was less than two hours later while sitting in her high chair eating. In the hospital when my 7 month old had a high fever.. the ER doctor, Because of your ignorance, your son could die from meningitis! (He hadn't been tested and I had the sense to refuse the spinal test and leave.) "Your child will most likely die from one of these diseases"... I told her that was enough and she said "I just need to tell you this from our side" whatever that means. My last pediatrician visit ended up being an hour long debate when I told him that I was no longer vaccinating my 11 year old that had already had ALL the 50 something vaccines on the schedule. He wanted to give her 4 more different injections at this visit! I was considering a delayed schedule with my youngest a year ago and the pedi at the time told me I would be traumatizing her to bring her in and have her get shots so often instead of all at once. I cant remember all the details but she basically made me feel like a horrible person for even considering a delayed schedule. Our PA wanted/insisted on doing my sons Chicken Pox vaccine, it was a heated debate over why I needed to do this. I said, Fine I'll think about it between now and our next well-child check. My son came down with chicken pox on his own before the next well-child check. (I will add, that when I offered to bring him in so that they could verify it, they said no that was fine they'd just make a note in his chart.) I was told that if my son ever had a febrile seizure again from a high fever it would be my fault and if he died it would be on me. This was after I confronted him about my son having a 8 min long febrile seizure after the MMR shot. He said that was not a side effect of the MMR vaccine. Havent taken him back since. I am literally honestly afraid to take my kids to the doctors! My 10 year old started getting seizures after her 4 month shots, was diagnosed with epilepsy at 5 months old, she had her last seizure when she was 6. None of this ever dawned on me until I went back and looked at her chart and it all made sense. One time my husband found her and she wasnt breathing, by the grace of God shes still here. I so wish I knew what I know now. But those eight minutes holding my son was the worst thing Ive ever experienced in my life and the doctor said it was no big deal. It is so crazy. My son started stopping breathing in his sleep after 2 mos shots only dtap because my gut was telling me no more. Dr dismissed it. At 4 mos bullied me into hib and Pneumococcal and seizures for the next 5 months. Dr told me babies have jerky movements and I didnt know what a seizure was the joke was on him since I have a BA in neuroscience. Fired him! When I look back I can definitely see how each of my five children all had different reactions, but yet the doctor never believed me which is so infuriating. But now my children know and no longer want shots, my oldest speaks out a lot about them. I just wish more people would understand My mother was harassed to the point of crying and feeling she couldn't leave and eventually consented to one vaccine (DTaP) when I was 13 months old. She was told to leave the room while they did it and locked out. Ive been called multiple times about my daughters mmr and to schedule. I have been told that I am not a doctor and these decisions are important for my childs life. I went to the pediatrician because my daughter had a severe diaper rash and nothing I did was helping. The dr we normally see wasnt available so we had to see a different one. What should have been a 15 minute visit ended up being over an hour of this man telling me over and over how uneducated I am and that Im clearly too young to be a good mother (Im 25) that if I wasnt going to properly care for my daughter I should give her to a family who will, how autism isnt caused by vaccines (I never said it was)and they are COMPLETELY safe and no one is ever harmed, he went on to say that my daughters rash was DEFINITELY a reaction to lack of vaccinations he ended the conversation with me in tears and said when your baby dies dont come to us looking for answers. My son was bruising his head, banging it incessantly after 6 month vaccines. Our pediatrician laughed and said it was "normal baby behaviour." Um .... or not. Obviously left that practice. During the 2015 hearings on LD 606, the bill to remove the philosophical exemption, Peter Michaud told the committee, "As you know I represent the Maine Medical Association. I have heard a lot of horrible things about doctors today. And you'll believe what you believe based on what you've heard. I refuse to believe that so many doctors in this state are unfeeling, are horribly rude, are bullies, don't have the best interests of their patients in mind. Keep in mind that it is the policy of the Maine Medical Association not to believe any of the stories that you just read from Maine mothers. Cabinet approved amendment to PPC The cabinet approved a proposed amendment to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to meet conditions of some countries and the European Union (EU) by waiving the death penalty for extradition of wanted people, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, former finance minister Ishaq Dar, former premier Nawaz Sharifs sons, Hassan and Hussain, and others. The cabinet approved proposed amendment to Section 302 of the PPC to meet reservations of the EU and countries like the United Kingdom which do not extradite wanted people to Pakistan because of the death penalty, said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry while addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting. The minister did not explain whether the proposed amendment would be implemented through an act of parliament or through an ordinance. We are waiving the condition of capital punishment to catch our big thieves and robbers, he added. Mr Chaudhry said people such as Altaf Hussain, Ishaq Dar, and Hassan and Hussain Nawaz would be brought to the country for trial. However, the minister said after the press conference that the name of retired Gen Musharraf was not under governments consideration for extradition. Asked about the fate of Mr Musharraf who had been declared absconder in a treason case, Mr Chaudhry said: What wrong Musharraf has done and the case made against him was totally a political one. Many members of Musharrafs cabinet are still here and none of them has so far been made answerable. In another major decision, the cabinet empowered the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to deal with money laundering cases as the information minister told the media that more cases against the leadership of major opposition parties were likely to be opened. Mr Chaudhry said the cabinet empowered the CTD to deal money laundering cases. He said more cases against ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, incumbent leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, their family members and former president Asif Ali Zardari would be opened soon. The cases they have been facing were made before the PTI government. Now we are going to open more cases against them on the basis of our own investigations, he added. The meeting also approved revamp of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSMs) through a public-private partnership, the minister said, claiming that six top steel giants of the world had shown interest in the PSM. He said a special committee comprising Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Technology Minister Khalid Maqbool, Revenue Minister Hammad Azar, Commerce Adviser Razzaq Dawood and PMs special assistant Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari was formed for renewal of licences of cellular phone companies. The cabinet decided to offer jobs from grade 1 to 5 through open ballot and removed a quota system. The meeting also gave three-month extension to acting chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Amir Ahmed Ali. Besides, the cabinet discussed complaints against the National Testing Service (NTS), Mr Chaudhry said, adding that the Federal Public Service Commission would also be revamped. The minister said PM Khan would launch the first phase of Apna Ghar Housing Scheme for building of 135,000 housing units on Wednesday. The American Photography Open 2019 competition has begun! Entries have been coming in from around the world, and today we are sharing three that delighted our judges a photo of a beluga whale in a Taiwan aquarium, an autumn scene in rural New York, and a depiction of love at age 101. Will they end up being among the finalists in this years contest? We cant say yet the competitions final deadline is August 31, and we will have looked at lots of images by then. But as youll see, the three photographers featured today have put their talents on full display. Now its your turn to enter. The competition is open to photographers at all levels, shooting with any kind of device from DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to smartphones. Winners will have their work spotlighted in a variety of online venues and at a photo industry event in New York City. They will also pick up some very nice prizes from our partners. The Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000, plus a Tamron SP 70-200 F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Canon or Nikon mount), value $1,299; a SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD; a Skylum suite of software (including Luminar, Aurora HDR and Photolemur); a Fujifilm X-T3 camera; and a PhotoShelter 2-year Pro account. Our advice: Avoid the late rush and get your submissions in early. ___________________________ You and Me by Goncalo Lobo Pinheiro Goncalo Lobo Pinheiro is a professional photographer based in Macau, but he travels widely while shooting documentary and travel photography. He was in the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium located in Checheng Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan, when he noticed a group of children near a tank for beluga whales. Using his Fujifilm X100T, he began taking pictures. I was sitting on the floor and I took a couple of shots of the children all shadows, contours and backlight, he recalls. Then, after a few minutes, most of the children sat down on the floor too all but one, who stayed leaning against the aquarium. I took three photos, and to me this one was the best. I love nature photography, he adds, and I enjoy shooting animals both in captivity and in the wild. --DS Brant Lake by Phil Smith Looking for a good idea for a contest-winning photo? Look for ideas that have broad appeal and that are visually powerful. This lovely autumn scene by Phil Smith captures several universal themes in one shotthe beauty of an autumn morning, the simplicity and softness of morning fog on the landscape and kids enjoying life. Smith, who describes his involvement with photography as a passionate hobby, made the shot near his home in rural Brant Lake, New York. Brant Lake, as well as many of the lakes up here, often has foggy mornings, which makes shooting scenes like this possible, he says. Smith shot only one frame of the kids and then moved on to other subjects. I think it was a school day and I just spotted some them playing hooky, he explains. He shot with a Canon EOS Rebel camera. --Jeff Wignall 101, Age of Love by Arianne Clement Montreal-based professional photographer Arianne Clement began her career covering the Canadian Arctic for a French newspaper. Now she specializes in shooting documentary work about the elderly. She has been photographing one couple Paul, age 101, and his wife Christine, age 87 for more than two years. This picture was taken in 2018 in Sainte-Christine, which is a small town in Quebec, Canada. The photo was taken in the couple's own bedroom in the house where they still live, for a project on sensuality and beauty in women over 70, she says. She shot with a Nikon D610 and a 35mm lens. I was standing awkwardly on their bed and in order to get their entire bodies in the frame I had to hold the camera as high as I could. So I couldnt see if the frame and the focus were right. And they were not! But the photo, even if not technically perfect, sends a strong message of hope and love which in the end is what really matters, recalls Clement. --DS 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. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette is scheduled to visit the Savannah River Site on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Brouillette, the person said, is scheduled to tour the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility what the U.S. Department of Energy has coined the potential future of the nixed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. A banner hanging (as of Tuesday afternoon) at USC Aiken mentions the deputy secretary by name and offers him a "special thanks." The banner was put up recently, but exactly when is not immediately clear. Brouillette's expected visit comes after the rollout of President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2020 budget request and a bevy of DOE testimony before congressional committees. Trump's budget blueprint not actual appropriations includes $410 million for SRPPF conceptual design work and related project "activities," according to National Nuclear Security Administration budget documents. The president's pitch overall allocates about $16.5 billion to the NNSA, a semiautonomous DOE agency. DOE cleanup chief: Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative project is 'very exciting' The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative a long-awaited venture slated for USC Aiken has earned some public praise from a U.S. Department On Oct. 10, 2018, the NNSA terminated the MOX project. Five months prior, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry told congressional defense committees he was going to chop MOX. At the same time, the NNSA and the U.S. Department of Defense together recommended converting MOX into a plutonium pit factory. At least 80 plutonium pits nuclear weapon cores per year are needed by 2030, according to the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Fifty pits per year would be produced at SRPPF, the renovated MOX, and the remaining 30 would be produced at a beefed up Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, according to the joint recommendation. MOX cost-inflated and consistently controversial was designed to turn 34 metric tons of plutonium into nuclear fuel. Brouillette took a two-day tour of SRS around this time last year, as was reported in the Aiken Standard at the time. During that trip, Brouillette visited K-Area and the Savannah River National Laboratory, among other places. K-Area is an interim storage facility for nuclear materials. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette is on a two-state trip through the Southeast this week. Brouillette on Wednesday visited the Savannah River Site and later met with USC Aiken representatives on campus, a U.S. Department of Energy spokesperson told the Aiken Standard. The information confirms details of a story that appeared in the Aiken Standard on Tuesday. At SRS, Brouillette saw "first-hand the progress being made" on the proposed plutonium pit production mission, the spokesperson said. A source previously told the Aiken Standard that Brouillette was scheduled to tour the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility the DOE's new name for the prospective future of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. The National Nuclear Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense last year recommended recapitalizing MOX for a plutonium pit production mission. Plutonium pits are nuclear weapon cores; 80 per year are needed by 2030, according to the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Brouillette made the trip to USCA to discuss education, careers and workforce development, the DOE spokesperson said. USCA Chancellor Dr. Sandra Jordan met Brouillette around 4 p.m. Wednesday. A banner hanging at USCA on Tuesday and Wednesday thanked Brouillette and the DOE for work on the president's fiscal year 2020 budget request. On Thursday, Brouillette will head to Plant Vogtle in Georgia, the spokesperson said. Plant Vogtle is southeast of Augusta. It's an hour from Aiken. U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry visited Plant Vogtle at the end of last month. Perry spoke to a crowd of workers, standing alongside Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other energy dignitaries. Plant Vogtle, undergoing an expansion, is critical to "rebuilding a highly skilled U.S. nuclear workforce and revitalizing the U.S. nuclear industry," the DOE spokesperson said. https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Notre-Dames-Surprising-Jewish-Treasures.html The destroyed cathedral still retains priceless art depicting Jewish heritage in France. The world was transfixed on the devastating images of flames and clouds of acrid smoke spewing from the burning roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris. As Notre Dame burned, the charred ruin now missing its spire and roof, people around the globe stood with France feeling this loss of an irreplaceable religious and cultural icon. Notre Dame dates from the 12th century and provides a snapshot of what life was like eight centuries ago. When it was built, the vast majority of the population was illiterate; many people lived in what today would seem like abject poverty. Many of the elaborate friezes, statues and stained glass windows served an educational function, illustrating Biblical and other religious stories and seeking to impart messages to the Christians of Medieval Paris. Surprisingly, some of the most prominent artwork on Notre Dame concerned Jews. Above the cathedrals main doorway is a frieze, or raised carving, of two Christian saints: Anne and Joachim, who are thought to be the grandparents of Jesus. Since these individuals were Jewish, the artist used actual local Jews as models. Jews were barely tolerated. King Philip II expelled Jews from France in 1182, but within a few years Jews began to trickle back into the country, settling in several cities and towns, including Paris. Their activities were severely restricted: the Lateran Council, convened by Pope Innocent III in 1215, banned Jews from all professions in Europe except for pawn broking and selling old clothes. In addition, Jews were forced to wear special ridiculous clothes that differentiated them from Christians. We know what special garments the Jews in Paris wore because their likenesses have adorned Notre Dame Cathedral for 800 years. The Jewish wedding guests in the frieze are dressed in long robes and wearing tall pointy hats. On the left, the frieze shows Anne and Joachims wedding and is a seemingly faithful reproduction of a Medieval French synagogue. The rabbi conducting the ceremony is wrapped in a tallit. Nearby is an ark containing the Torah, a pile of books and a Ner Tamid, the lamp that remains eternally lit in synagogues. On the right, the frieze depicts Anne and Joachim bringing an offering to a synagogue; the artist even carved a Torah scroll resting on a bima. Nearby is the likeness of two Medieval Jews, deep in conversation in the synagogue. At the time this frieze was being carved, Jews were relentlessly persecuted in Paris and elsewhere in Europe. In 1239, Pope Gregory IX sent letters to church leaders, as well as to the kings of England, Spain and Portugal, enumerating dozens of charges against the Talmud. This led to calls to collect and destroy this Jewish holy work. Nowhere was this horrendous instruction carried out with as much zeal as in Paris. On March 3, 1240, church officials burst into synagogues throughout France. It was a Shabbat and synagogues were full. Frances helpless Jews watched as their holy volumes of the Talmud were confiscated and taken away. French King Louis IX called for the Talmud to be put on trial. Four rabbis defended the Jewish holy books from a series of accusations; unsurprisingly, the Rabbis were found to have lost and the Talmud was condemned to be burned. On June 17, 1242, church officials brought 24 wagons piled high with volumes of the Talmud, about 10,000 books in all - all known copies of the Talmud then in existence in France - to Paris Place de Greve, next to Notre Dame. There, they were publicly burned. Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, known as the Maharam, witnessed the burning. He penned a haunting lamentation afterwards, recording that My tears formed a river that reached to the Sinai desert and to the graves of Moshe and Aharon. Is there another Torah to replace the Torah which you have taken from us? Synagoga and Ecclesia above the portico of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris Two prominent statues on the facade of Notre Dame captured the feelings of Christians and Jews at this time. On the right, one woman stands ragged defeated, her eyes are covered by a snake and her head is bowed. She holds a broken scepter and tablets of Jewish law are slipping from her grasp. Under her feet lies a crown trodden into the dust: she is Synagoga, representing the synagogue or Judaism in general. The Catholic Church wanted those entering Notre Dame to believe that Judaism was finished, downcast and humiliated. On her left is a finely dressed woman standing upright, carrying a chalice and a staff with a cross at its peak, seemingly triumphant. She is known as Ecclesia, representing the victorious Catholic Church. So important were these allegories of Christian dominance and Jewish humiliation that when the originals were destroyed during the French Revolution, they were recreated and replaced in the 1800s. Above them is yet another depiction of Jews: the Gallery of Kings, featuring 28 kings of ancient Judah and Israel. These too were replaced after being smashed during the Revolution. In 1306, King Philip III of France took a drastic step. He was short of funds and decided to seize the belongings and assets of the Jews in his kingdom. This was not an unprecedented step: Jews in Medieval Europe were, in the Latin phrase of the time, servi camerae mosrae, or servants of the chamber of the king. As property, they were the kings to do with as he saw fit. On July 22, 1306, the day after the Jewish somber holiday of Tisha BAv, 100,000 Jews were arrested throughout France and forced into prison. There, they were told they were sentenced to exile; each Jew was permitted to bring only the clothes they were wearing and the very small sum of 12 sous each. In the ensuing months, King Philip III auctioned off the Jews property. His order of expulsion was reversed by his son King Louis X, but then reinstated in 1322. Only centuries later was it safe for Jews to once again live in France, as the territory of the expanding French kingdom grew to include areas where French Jews had fled and established new communities. As French officials survey the wreckage of Notre Dame, its becoming clear that the front facade of the cathedral is largely intact. These irreplaceable artistic treasures depicting the history of Jews in France seem to be saved. They can teach us a great deal about Jewish history and fortitude in France and beyond. https://www.aish.com/h/pes/t/f/The-Last-Seder-in-the-Warsaw-Ghetto.html Survivors testify about an epic Seder held in underground bunkers as the Nazis sought to liquidate the last Jews of Warsaw Ghetto. In April 1943, at the height of the Final Solution, with the sounds of tank rounds and gunfire around them, the last remaining Jews of Warsaw huddled together in bunkers under their besieged ghetto to live their final hours as proud Jews, reading the Passover Haggadah. In the hours that followed, they would rise up in one of historys most iconic feats of resistance. The handful of Jews who survived the Nazis final onslaught on Warsaw, once a major center of Jewish life, have this Seder night more than any other etched in the memories as a testament to Passovers powerful calling to connect to family, history, tradition and hope. The Jewish Capital of Europe Every Passover during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, which began in October 1939, the Jewish community did its best to celebrate the holiday. Even after being forced into a ghetto measuring just 2.5% of the city, subject to terrible starvation and disease, additional non-leavened foods were smuggled into the ghetto in the weeks before Passover. Several matzah factories were set up, ensuring the community, at its height numbering almost half a million, could eat the bread of freedom Seder night. Despite the hunger, typhus and dysentery, Jewish life in the ghetto continued. Matzah being distributed in the Warsaw Ghetto Passover in April 1943 would be the last for the Jews of Warsaw Ghetto, although by then the community was already unrecognizable. Almost a year earlier Adam Czierniakow, the Head of the Judenrat, the Jewish council appointed by the Nazis, had committed suicide after hearing of the Nazis plans, leaving a note to his wife that he Would not be the hangman of Israels children. The Nazis had since begun a terrifying program of liquidation deporting between 5,000 and 6,000 Jews daily to the Treblinka death camp where they were murdered within an hour of their arrival. On January 18 1943, the Nazis attempted to take another 8,000 Jews but this time members of a newly formed Jewish resistance fired shots at the SS guards and the Nazis rethought their plans, bolstering their military presence, delaying the final liquidation of ghetto to Passover which would fall in three months time. Thats what we felt in our hearts On the 18th of April 1943, when news arrived that the Germans had stationed an army in Warsaw ready to empty the ghetto, members of the underground resistance movements went into high alert. While the rooftops were stationed with Jews keeping track of the enemys every move, below the ghetto, Jews were busy embracing the story of the exodus from Egypt as a symbol of their own fight for dignity, pride and hope. Roma Frey was 24 that Passover, recalling how she and her family had tried their best to make the basement as nice as possible for the holiday, We tried to put the candles on the table, and a white table cloth, she adds, the table was made of a wooden board resting on a few things underneath. A hidden matzah factory Surviving the Holocaust and moving to Melbourne Australia after the war she added. We acknowledged to ourselves and to God and to ourselves that we want to keep the traditions. Thats what we felt in our hearts, we remembered our grandfathers, the hard times, slavery and our slavery, and here we have, hardly a hope to survive even just one day or night. Seder Night with Rabbi Meisel With families decimated by the deportations, the remnant Jews came together, relying on those who knew the Haggadah by heart to lead them. Many flocked to the home of the 60-year-old venerated Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak Meisel, who had left his hometown of Lodz along with his followers years earlier when the Nazis invaded. In Warsaw he had become immediately involved in maintaining religious life amid the hardships; it was in his basement that many of the Jews active in the resistance joined for the Passover Seder. Tuvia Borzykowski was 29 at the time. No one slept that night, he recalled. The moon was full and the night was unusually bright. Along with the other fighters he joined Rabbi Meisels for the Seder. Tuvia Borzykowski Amidst this destruction, the table in the center of the room looked incongruous with glasses filled with wine, with the family seated around, the rabbi reading the Haggadah. Throughout the night, despite the increasing sounds of enemy fire, Tuvia and the other fighters held fast, engrossed in the retelling of the Jewish peoples redemption from Egypt. He recalled, The Rabbis reading was punctuated by explosions and the rattling of machine-guns; the faces of the family around the table were lit by the red light from the burning buildings nearby. Now is a good time to die, Rabbi Meisels said, buoyed by the feeling of pride, courage and faith, as he blessed one of the fighters who came to deliver a report. He died later that night in the flames of the ghetto. Tuvia Borzykowski survived the war and helped establish Kibbutz of Ghetto Fighters near Akko. He is one of several fighters who testified about the Passover Seder they took part in as the uprising began. I had never missed a Seder Born in Warsaw, Itzchak Milchberg was the leader of a group of Jewish boys posing as non-Jews outside the Ghetto walls, selling cigarettes on the black market to survive. On the eve of Passover in 1943 he was just 12 years old but wise beyond his years. He had seen his father shot before his eyes, his mother and two sisters had already been deported and the only family he had left was an uncle named Fievel who was still in the ghetto. Itzchak Milchberg , age 13, a year after the uprising When rumors spread that the Nazis were planning their final deportations, he returned to the ghetto to be with his uncle for Passover. I had never missed a Seder, he said. It was in my blood. With the sound of shooting around him, he entered his uncles candle lit bunker where 60 people were crowded. The building was shaking, he said, People were crying. His uncle Feivel embraced him in Yiddish, Ir vet firn di seder mit mir - Youll perform the Seder with me. However some were too distressed to think about running a Seder. He recalls people crying, God led us out of Egypt. Nobody killed us. Here, they are murdering us. Pulling him close, whispering into his ear, Feivel told his nephew, You may die, but if you die, youll die as a Jew. If we live, we live as Jews. He added, If you live, youll tell your children and grandchildren about this. The Seder began. Feivel Milchberg had managed to organize matzah, I dont know how he got it, Itzchak recalls, although he remembers there were no bitter herbs, There was plenty of bitterness already, he says. Together with his uncle he read the Haggadah from memory and soon most of the bunker joined in. We did most of the prayers by heart, he says. The Seder went very, very late. He left the ghetto in the early hours of the morning through the sewer system, risking his life as he had done to be there in the first place. In the days that followed he worked as a runner, smuggling arms through the sewers to the Jewish fighters until he was caught on the sixth day of the Uprising. He would later jump from a train taking him to Treblinka and survive the Holocaust thanks to a Catholic family in Warsaw. After the war, he moved to Canada, raised a family of his own and made good in his promise to his uncle to tell his children and grandchildren about that Seder night he had led with his uncle in 1943. The Uprising As promised a large SS unit entered the ghetto attempting to deport the remaining Jews to their deaths. But they were met instead by fierce fighting from the Jewish resistance and a barrage of Molotov cocktails, grenades and gun-fire. With renewed strength and pride, this fledgling Jewish fighting force killed 13 Nazis, wounded many more and sent them panicked, retreating out of the ghetto. They held out for almost a month as the Germans set to work painstakingly burning each building in the ghetto to the ground. 13,000 Jews died in the fighting and the flames while thousands more were arrested and deported to the east. The last Jews leaving the ghetto after the uprising The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising will always be remembered as the greatest physical resistance throughout the Second World War, inspiring underground movements and partisan units across Nazi occupied Europe. Spiritually, the Seder service that took place below its charred streets that night can continue to inspire generations of Jews who refused to be broken even at the darkest of times. A Fatah leader Egypt arrested recently for allegedly plotting to blow up the convoys of two delegations visiting the Gaza Strip is suspected of being part of a broader scheme to undermine Egypt's attempts to improve relations between Hamas and Israel. Fatah leader Zaki al-Sakani was arrested in late March in Cairo and was still in custody as of April 14, according to a post on Sakanis Facebook page. Fatah and Hamas are rival Palestinian factions, and the incident could jeopardize Egypt's relations with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president, Mahmoud Abbas. Sakani is charged with planning future attacks on two convoys that regularly visit Gaza: one belonging to Qatari Ambassador Mohammed al-Emadi and another belonging to an Egyptian delegation that includes the head of Egyptian intelligence Amr Hanafi, senior intelligence official Ayman Badie and Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdel Khalek. The idea allegedly was to frame Hamas for the attacks. Al-Monitor attended a closed meeting April 10 between the head of the General Intelligence Service in Gaza, Mohammed Debabesh, and journalists and writers. We have documented information whereby the PA is involved in attempts to sabotage the Gaza understandings [with Israel] by spreading chaos in Gaza, Debabesh said during the meeting. He told Al-Monitor, There are parties who have nothing to do with Hamas and who fire rockets into Israel. Their objectives are solely subversive. Some rockets were launched following the conclusion of the [March 31 cease-fire] in a bid to obstruct its implementation." Debabesh said he had no details about Sakanis arrest in Egypt "and it has not been coordinated with us. Ibrahim Habib, a strategic studies professor at the Palestine Academy for Security Sciences in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The PA is seeking to target the security situation in Gaza, and Egypt obtained security information from Hamas proving this desire. This led Egypt to track down and arrest Palestinian officials in Egypt because it believes their actions deal a blow to its efforts in Gaza and will negatively affect Egypt's relations with the PA even if they don't lead to complete rupture. While Hamas and Egypt have not forged an alliance, they have common temporary interests to preserve border security. Egypt has arrested several security officers affiliated with the PA, as well as Fatah members who were in Egypt and confessed that Sakani had a role in planning acts of sabotage in Gaza under the supervision of the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah, the West Bank, according to Egypt's Rassd News Network. Rassd did not mention how many members were arrested besides Sakani. Sakani and Hamas have an antagonistic history. He has resided in Egypt since October 2016, when Hamas released him from prison after eight years for detonating a bomb that killed five Hamas members in Gaza in 2007. Palestinian security officials have not officially provided details about Sakanis recent arrest, but one security source told the Middle East Monitor that Sakani had already smuggled weapons into Gaza from Sinai. When he was arrested, Egyptian security officers seized $50,000 from him, allegedly paid by a top General Intelligence Service official who is close to Abbas, according to the source. Another anonymous security official in Gaza told Al Jazeera Mubasher April 6 that the individuals who fired rockets into Israel on March 14 were detained and had confessed that Sakani offered $100,000 each to anyone who launched a missile on Tel Aviv, in a bid to thwart Egypts efforts to mediate a truce between Hamas and Israel. The official said Hamas handed the documented confessions to the Egyptian delegation that was visiting Gaza, and Cairo arrested the Fatah cadres in Egypt accordingly. These arrests come as Egypt's influence in the Gaza Strip is increasing by the day, as Egyptian officers and Hamas leaders exchange regular visits. For instance, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh traveled to Egypt in February for 25 days. Also, Egypt concluded humanitarian agreements between Hamas and Israel on March 31, much to Fatahs dismay. Abbas and the PLO believe all such arrangements should be made through them. Both the PA and Fatah of late have issued positions against the understandings. Bassam al-Salehi, a PLO Executive Committee member, said April 7 the Egyptian-Palestinian understanding on Gaza should go through the PLO. Mowaffaq Matar, a member of Fatah's Advisory Council, echoed that sentiment the next day, saying Egypt should not bypass Abbas. Abdallah Abdallah, a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, It's not the Palestinian Authority alone that opposes Gazas understandings. There are circles that reject these out of fear of isolating Gaza from the West Bank. I don't have accurate information about Sakanis arrest, but if it has nothing to do with targeting Egyptian security, then it would be surprising. Iyad al-Bazm, Ministry of Interior spokesman in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, As hostile bodies try to sabotage Gazas security, internal security forces are working hard to protect Arab and foreign officials visiting Gaza. The Gaza understandings are obviously facing great challenges that could hamper their implementation, and Hamas and Egypt need to know how to deal with such challenges. If the US administrations goal is to weaken Irans reform movement, it deserves a round of applause. Since coming to power, President Donald Trump has taken consecutive steps to distance Washington and Tehran and, in the process, to increasingly damage Iranian moderates and Reformists. All the while, Iranian hard-liners couldnt be more content. They are now certain of victory in the upcoming 2020 parliamentary polls and 2021 presidential vote as people are disappointed with those in Iran who have for years been calling for negotiations with the United States. But Iranian moderates and Reformists are not the only losers in the current setting. The United States is also losing its popularity and credibility among ordinary Iranians. Indeed, according to a survey conducted by the University of Maryland in 2018, 80% of Iranians expressed an unfavorable opinion of America a development that would be hard to imagine until recent years. As such, Trump has achieved what Iranian hard-liners could not: to persuade Iranians that the Reformist approach of engaging with the West does not pay off. Indeed, one common sentiment in Iran now is that the country would probably be better off without the 2015 nuclear deal, which is the legacy of moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Much of this has to do with how the living conditions of ordinary Iranians have not only failed to improve, but rather worsened since the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The only exception to the latter was the first few months after the implementation of the accord in January 2016. In line with Trump's strategy, on April 8, in an unprecedented move, the US government designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an official military body, as a foreign terrorist organization. In practice, the move is fruitless as the IRGC is already under heavy sanctions pressure. Moreover, no European or Asian country except Saudi Arabia and its allies backed the designation. On the contrary, in some ways, the IRGC experienced a political win on the international stage, as Europe including the UK rejected Washington's decision. The outcome of the designation was clear to those living in Iran: it caused citizens to rally around the flag. Indeed, as a direct result of the IRGC's designation as a foreign terrorist organization, even the most well-known and ardent critics of the military force have thrown their weight behind it. Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent Reformist who spent seven years in prison until 2016 tweeted April 9, "I see IRGC meddling in the economy, domestic politics and foreign policy as a violation of the law and to the detriment of the country. But I decisively condemn labeling them as terrorists, because Trump's goal is not to counter terrorism and defend democracy and peace. [His goal] is to increase the pressures on [the Iranian] people to foment instability in Iran and heighten the tensions in the region." Moreover, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, a Reformist figure who spent five years behind bars, tweeted April 9, "Despite all the disagreements over domestic issues, we support our armed forces in unison against the unreasonable foreign enemy." More importantly, the long-outlawed Freedom Movement of Iran, a nationalist group, issued a statement April 13 saying, "Designating the IRGC as a terrorist [group] and meddling in Iran's internal affairs have never been in line with securing the fundamental rights of the Iranian nation, democracy and development." It also said the United States "is seeking a confrontation with Iran's national interests and wants to deteriorate the internal crisis to accelerate the process of [Irans] collapse and its unconditional surrender to US demands in the region." It is clear that the increasing US pressure on Iran including the IRGC's designation as a foreign terrorist organization continues to undermine the achievements of Rouhani and former US President Barack Obama, who sought to end four decades of enmity. Now, Tehran and Washington are back to square one, with the very idea of negotiations once again gradually turning into a taboo. Indeed, under the current circumstances, no one dares to speak of negotiation with the United States let alone make statements in favor of it. What should not be neglected here is that a number of Reformists are also reaching the conclusion that Iran must abstain from any talks with the United States as long as Trump is in office. Another impact of the IRGC's designation as a foreign terrorist organization is the deterioration of prospects for the passage of bills designed to counter money laundering and terrorism financing.This legislation was submitted by the government to parliament in order to permanently exit the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization created in 1989 that combats money laundering and terrorism financing. Accession to the UN Palermo Convention against transnational organized crime as well as becoming part of what is termed Combating the Financing of Terrorism has been stalled for months, with the bills stuck in the Expediency Council, which mediates disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council. The dispute has pitted the Rouhani administration against mainly hard-liners. "The US action will enhance and strengthen the position of Expediency Council members regarding the FATF [bills] and the likelihood of rejecting them has increased," said Gholam-Reza Mesbahi Moghaddam, a member of the Expediency Council, on April 8. Since the Guardian Council which is tasked with ensuring that approved bills are in line with the Constitution and Islamic law has failed to reach an agreement with parliament, the Expediency Council is now stuck with the task of deciding the fate of the two bills. Conservative Expediency Council member Ahmad Tavakoli said April 9 that the designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization meant that passage of the FATF-related bills must be "canceled." In the face of such remarks, a few Reformist analysts have urged the Expediency Council to pass the bills. But hard-liners have promptly sought to silence them by accusing them of being agents of the United States. Jahan News, a hard-line website, wrote April 11, "The efforts to pass the dangerous bills are in line with surrendering. It added, Perhaps the security apparatus would be able to look into this issue being brought up [by Reformist media]." In other words, the hard-liners are growing ever bolder amid the parallel weakening of Reformists. Hard-liner Ezzatollah Zarghami, the former chairman of the state broadcaster, took a direct swipe at moderates and Reformists, tweeting April 19, "The [Iranian] Red Crescent says not even a dollar has been deposited to its accounts owing to [US sanctions on the payment messaging network] SWIFT. The oil is not being bought. The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist [group]. [They are asking] for the missile industry to close down. Referring to the steps Iran took as part of the nuclear deal, Zarghami added, At least apologize to the people for the concrete you poured into the Arak reactor." Up until election day on April 9, it was almost inconceivable to think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would manage to evade the heavy hand of the law by political means. The following day, such a scenario appeared quite feasible. The tables had turned. The April 9 elections were a historic watershed. From now on, Israels law enforcement authorities will try to dodge Netanyahus machinations, not the other way around. This summer, Netanyahu will break the record for the longest time in office set by the founder of the State of Israel and its first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. In recent years, Netanyahu has also engaged in a historic Erdogan-style revolution designed to crush the media, weaken the courts and subject them to the executive and legislative branches, and trample public regulators and other guardians of Israeli democracy. He seems indomitable, and no one will even try to stop him. On April 10, the day after the elections, the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem prepared boxes full of folders containing mountains of investigative material for their handover to Netanyahus legal team, which is defending him against cases of suspected corruption. As promised by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and in keeping with the prime ministers demand as conveyed by his lawyers, the handover was delayed until after the elections to prevent material harmful to Netanyahus prospects from leaking out. As of this writing, however, the lawyers have not picked them up to prepare for the hearing that Netanyahu is supposed to undergo before the attorney general, who will indict Netanyahu pending that hearing. At the request of Netanyahus attorneys, the hearing originally scheduled for July was postponed until September. Netanyahu, however, is acting as if there is no hearing in the offing, and the piles of evidence compiled by the police and state prosecutors are taking on a yellowing tinge. Close associates insist there will not be a hearing, and even if one is held, it will not result in a trial. For the first time since police began investigating suspicions against Netanyahu more than two years ago, the prime ministers associates may be right. At a festive April 16 event to toast his Likud partys election success and the upcoming Passover holiday, Netanyahu declared, I am not deterred by the media. He will try to return to the scene of the crime, as it were, and again assume the position of Communications minister in the new government he is forming. Netanyahu is suspected of abusing this same position that he insisted on holding after the 2015 elections when, obsessed by his media image, he allegedly traded regulatory and other favors for favorable coverage in what are known as cases 2000 and 4000. Facing possible charges of bribery, Netanyahu has nonetheless lost all fear and seems to be going for broke. His blueprint to evade indictment is simple. First, since the elections, he and his associates keep hammering home the message that the people have spoken, meaning that the attorney general and other law enforcement authorities must bow their heads to the nations will. The separation of powers that underpins modern democracy and the total severing of the political from the criminal are being erased into oblivion. As for the hearing and pending indictments, Netanyahu knows that even at the pinnacle of his power, pushing through legislation protecting an incumbent prime minister from prosecution known in Israel as the French law is not feasible. The French law protects the incumbent head of state from being charged. Associates of Netanyahu have tried in the past to push forward law proposals in that vein. Another suggestion that Netanyahus supporters have broached would enable him to avoid prosecution by virtue of parliamentary immunity, but such immunity is not automatic. Netanyahu would have to ask the Knesset to implement this immunity in this specific case. Usually, parliamentary immunity is requested in cases involving public/political actions taken by Knesset members in regards to their duties. So this possibility is not considered by Netanyahu as bulletproof protection against an indictment. Also, to receive it, Netanyahu would depend on his situation in the Knesset. In other words, it would depend on fluid political circumstances. Right now, he appears to prefer a simpler solution. Since Israeli law does not require a prime minister to step down if indicted, Netanyahu plans to continue in his post until the legal proceedings against him end if indictments are actually served following his hearing before the attorney general. A trial, followed by an appeal and the potential for a special Supreme Court appeal, could drag the proceedings out for years. Since Netanyahu has been successful in putting off the hearing until the fall, he may try for another extension until the end of the year, and who knows when a trial might even begin. At some point, Netanyahu may decide he has had enough and try for a speedy plea deal. Either way, he plans to adopt the same tactics to overcoming Israels law enforcement and judicial authorities that he used to exhaust former US President Barack Obama with successive excuses to delay US-mediated peace talks with the Palestinians, tire out the Europeans and outmaneuver the entire Arab world. He is unrivaled in this field. Netanyahus appointment of Israels next justice minister will be the real test of his intentions. If, as speculated, he names Knesset member and former Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the Supreme Courts most aggressive and outspoken critic, Netanyahu will be signaling a declaration of war on the judicial branch. State prosecutor Shai Nitzan, one of the most prominent advocates of indicting Netanyahu on charges of bribery and other counts, ends his term at the end of the year. Levin could influence the choice of his successor, which could have a direct impact on the decisions made after the attorney general's hearing. Such plans were not supposed to be relevant after the elections, but the results defied most predictions and handed Netanyahu a dream coalition. The ultra-Orthodox Shas Party garnered eight Knesset seats, providing Netanyahu with a full legal safety net against criminal prosecution after all, Shas leader Aryeh Deri is also suspected of criminal wrongdoing. The ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah whose leader, Knesset member Yaakov Litzman, is also suspected of criminal wrongdoing also improved its election showing with eight Knesset seats, whereas Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, the only Netanyahu ally who openly declared that he would not serve under an indicted premier, plunged from 10 seats in the previous elections to four seats for his Kulanu Party. Kahlon, whose finger in the dam defended the Supreme Court and law enforcement from an onslaught of restrictive legislation by the previous coalition government, has surrendered. Having paid a heavy electoral price for his stands, he is now striving for a union with the Likud, announcing that the guardians of these institutions should no longer count on him. He has finished his role as defender of the rule of law. Given this state of affairs, the 65 hands that will protect Netanyahu as a prime minister under indictment appear more stable than ever at least in terms of Israels political-security chaos, of course. The guardians of Israeli law enforcement have one card left to play, and that is the Supreme Court. If Netanyahu is indicted, opponents are likely to petition the Supreme Court, demanding that he be forced to resign. The court has already set such a precedent for government ministers under criminal indictment. To deactivate this potential landmine, Netanyahu is seeking to push through legislation that would allow the Knesset to override Supreme Court rulings that strike down laws. This Override Clause could also allow the Knesset to overrule decisions related to the interpretation of laws. Former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, expected to join the new Netanyahu government, has promised to back the Override Clause only once the Knesset adopts legislation he is pushing for: a compulsory military draft of ultra-Orthodox Jews a bill to which Netanyahus ultra-Orthodox partners object. The ultra-Orthodox champion the adoption of the Override Clause in order to reject the Supreme Court's ruling last year, forcing the government to legislate a draft law equating the duties of the ultra-Orthodox to those of other Israelis in other words, canceling draft exemptions. This all creates a typical Israeli political tangle that could make it hard for Netanyahu to carry out his escape-from-prosecution plan. On the other hand, he has already overcome such complex situations in the past. Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be here to stay, for now. The Hamas prisoner hunger strike came to an end April 15, and each side can view the agreement as an achievement. Israel agreed to install public phones in the prisons. The phone conversations will be monitored, thus allowing the prisoners to talk to family members, while maintaining the cell-phone jamming that prevents the use of phones smuggled into the prisons. It all began in January with the controversial decision of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to clamp down on high-security prisoners. A pilot program began one month later in two prisons, Ketziot and Ramon, to jam cellular signals. The Shin Bet did not oppose the very logical step to prevent the prisoners from using smuggled cell phones, but felt that the timing was off: Israel was in the throes of an election campaign and also trying to reach an arrangement in Gaza. Members of Israels security system felt that while the ministers actions were perhaps warranted, they were unwise at that point in time: Smuggled cell phones did not constitute a security threat to the State of Israel. The Shin Bet will never acknowledge it publicly, but we can assume that most of the cell phones smuggled into prisons are known to the security system. (There are evidently only several dozen of them.) The phones remained the only option for prisoners to maintain contact with family members after Israel stopped all family visits from Gaza to the prisons. While trying to end the hunger strike, Israel held indirect negotiations with the perpetrators of the cruelest and most appalling terror attacks carried out in the country. For instance, Israel negotiated indirectly with Mohammed Arman, sentenced to 36 life terms for his part in planning a long list of attacks in Israel. Arman also heads the prisoner leadership. Head of Hamas' political bureau Ismail Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza April 16 that he maintains direct communication with another Hamas prisoner leader, Abbas al-Sayyid. Sayyid planned the infamous terrorist attack in the Park Hotel in Netanya , one of harshest attacks in Israel during the second intifada that led the Israel Defense Forces to conduct the Defensive Shield operation in the West Bank. Haniyeh revealed that UN emissary to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov was in the room while he spoke with Sayyid. Israel intercepted the conversation and promptly send prisoner Sayyid to solitary confinement. Haniyeh added an interesting detail when he revealed that the agreement that emerged was a package deal connected to an arrangement in Gaza that is slated to be implemented in the very near future. According to Haniyeh, if Israel had not acceded to the prisoners demands, the whole agreement would have blown up. Thus, the prison leaders and the wider Palestinian leadership feel that the hunger strike had its intended effect, forcing Israel to give in to their demands. Only after the agreement was achieved at the end of the secret negotiations did it emerge that these talks had been conducted by the Shin Bet under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus personal supervision kept secret to avoid arousing anger on the eve of Israels elections. Mladenov was tasked with transmitting messages between the parties while providing an international umbrella for the agreement. The goal was to end the hunger strike before Prisoners Day, April 18, and avert escalation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Netanyahu has been determined to reach an arrangement in the Strip for quite some time, even during Israels tense election campaign when he faced accusations from both the right and the left that he was paying protection money to Hamas in allowing Qatar to transfer Gaza aid money. Many accused him of giving in to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who terrorized the Israeli south, but throughout, Netanyahu remained steadfast. I dont launch unnecessary wars, Netanyahu explained before the elections. He maintained this stance following the missiles launched at Israels central Tel Aviv-Dan region even when a home in the Sharon was hit. Then came the prisoners strike, an unforeseen complication at the time, when Erdan opened yet another front at a very inconvenient point that also demanded the direct involvement of the prime minister. Notably, Erdan was not one of the decision-makers regarding an agreement with the prisoners, even though he was involved in concocting the sticky situation to begin with. And even though it was Netanyahu who managed the crisis, Erdan can also present the agreement that was reached as a victory. After all, everyone agrees that public telephones are much better than smuggled cell phones. Netanyahu, though he was preoccupied with his political survival and fought for every vote, simultaneously dealt with putting out security-related fires. He hoped to achieve a quiet front in Gaza by promising Hamas that hed tend to the arrangement after the elections. He was thus able to end the prisoners hunger strike without looking like he capitulated to their demands. Another reason for his success was that Hamas also understood that it wasnt a good time to start a conflict with Israel. The Hamas leaders must have been satisfied by Netanyahus victory in the elections. They had waited patiently and now the arrangement is ready to be carried out and the prisoners have access to telephones. They could not have hoped for a better outcome. A Hamas source who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that the pressure on the movements leaders, especially on Sinwar (who views himself as a father figure to the prisoners), to resolve the issue was extremely strong. The source added that Israel agreed to free several hundred prisoners whose terms of incarceration are almost up and other prisoners sentenced to short terms, but not prisoners with Jewish blood on their hands. This message was delivered via Egyptian mediators involved in the talks. Their expected release as a goodwill gesture during Ramadan is designed to create a positive atmosphere for a wider deal: the return of the bodies of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin as well as two Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu wants to finalize the arrangement details even before his new government is sworn in so he can nip any opposition in the bud. He also needs silence the hawks in his coming government and let them expend their energy in another direction such as the US presidents deal of the century that waits around the corner. The real surprise of the April 9 elections was not the impressive result achieved by the new Blue and White party (with 35 Knesset seats) or even the burning out of the New Right party. It was the rise of the ultra-Orthodox parties. The Mizrahi ultra-Orthodox Shas party, led by Knesset member Aryeh Deri, increased its Knesset seats from seven to eight despite assessments and predictions that it would get barely enough votes to enter the Knesset. The Ashkenazi Yahadut HaTorah party will have eight seats in the 21st Knesset, two more than the 2015 elections gave it. With 16 seats in the 120-member Knesset, the ultra-Orthodox bloc is third in size after the Likud's 35 seats and Blue and White's 35. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot muster a majority for a coalition government without it. Blue and White, dubbed "the generals" party because of the three former army chiefs at its helm Benny Gantz, Moshe Yaalon and Gabi Ashkenazi understands the clout wielded by this bloc. After the polls closed, party leader Benny Gantz called Deri and Yahadut HaTorah leader Moshe Gafni to suggest they join a coalition with him as Israels next prime minister. The two declined, announcing they would go with Netanyahu as they had promised throughout the campaign. Shas can attribute its success to an old-new campaign focused on religion and rabbis. In other words, the party returned to the traditional tactics that appeal to its electorate handing out amulets, blessings, talismans, votive candles all promising paradise in the afterlife to those who vote for the party. Deri took the partys lackluster spiritual leader, Rabbi Shalom Cohen, the successor of the partys late charismatic spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, on a helicopter campaign tour of the country. Social media sites targeting religious Jews displayed photos and videos exhorting Shas supporters to vote. The ultra-Orthodox leadership will now be able to parlay the election results into concrete achievements, not only because of its increased power, but also because of the decline in the number of opponents within the governing coalition. One of the opponents in the last government was the leader of the center-right Kulanu party, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. Kahlon had defended the Supreme Court against various coalition onslaughts in the previous Knesset, especially against attempts to introduce the Override Clause. This clause would enable the Knesset to override the Supreme Courts objections to some laws, including the amendment exempting ultra-Orthodox youths from the draft. The ultra-Orthodox parties were surely satisfied that Kahlon lost significant ground in these elections, dropping from 10 seats to four. In fact, he now appears to be heading back into the fold of the Likud, his longtime former political home (Netanyahu would like to integrate the Kulanu Knesset faction in his own Likud faction). Such a move would remove the final obstacle to the government-backed legislation curbing the top courts power to strike down laws adopted by the Knesset. Representatives of the ultra-Orthodox parties, along with the increasingly radical religious right and many in the Likud party, will now push for passage of the Override Clause, which would clear the path to the adoption of controversial legislation that the Supreme Court might have overturned. Gafni has made clear his party would demand this as a significant precondition for joining the coalition government. The override bill will be an absolute precondition, he told supporters as a preelection rally. We are sick of the Supreme Court issue, of the fact that the Knesset legislates and then the court rescinds laws. No one elected them. We will push through the override bill so that the Supreme Court cannot do whatever it wants. The ultra-Orthodox have long viewed the countrys top court as a thorn in their side, most recently because the justices ruled that legislation granting draft exemptions to ultra-Orthodox men was unconstitutional. The court's decision meant that the government was forced to legislate a new draft law (the court actually drew a deadline to such legislation). Subsequently, the last government started negotiating with the different parties to advance a compromise law proposal. Then-Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman elaborated a compromise. New Right leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked supported the proposed military draft bill as well as more moderate legislation on matters of religion and state. But Bennett and Shaked will not be in the next Knesset. The religious right in the Knesset will be controlled instead by Bezalel Smotrich of the United Right alliance, whose views are sometimes considered even more radical than those of the ultra-Orthodox. The failure of the New Right and the miserable results of Kulanu mean that the final obstacle to a government comprised of (very conservative) right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties is the leader of the secular, right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party. Without it, Netanyahu cannot muster a Knesset majority of 61 Knesset seats to form a new government. Liberman has promised to recommend to President Reuven Rivlin that he task Netanyahu with forming the next government, but one of his terms for joining a future coalition is passage of the ultra-Orthodox draft bill he authored last year. Meanwhile, Liberman has reportedly met with Netanyahus rival, Blue and White co-chair Yair Lapid, to discuss a possible government coalition with his party and without the ultra-Orthodox parties. Such an option is unlikely for various reasons, such as the center-left partys pledge not to join a Netanyahu government. The military conscription issue is expected to be one of the hurdles to the formation of Netanyahus fifth government due to renewed ultra-Orthodox opposition to the proposed law after a compromise appeared possible. A professional military team, in consultation with rabbis and others, prepared the bill, which Liberman presented in June 2018 when he served as defense minister. Deri originally debated whether to back the proposed bill when it came up for a government vote in July 2018, but he eventually abstained. The following day, however, when the bill came up for the first of three votes in the Knesset, Deri and Yahadut HaTorah lawmakers voted against the bill, probably because they knew it would pass with the support of the opposition Yesh Atid party. Over two months later, Deri changed his mind. I dont see that we will get a better law than this one. The current proposal is the best. I am more certain of bill than I was in the past. This is the first time the army and its top leadership have signed off on such legislation, Deri told the ultra-Orthodox newspaper, In the Family, in September 2018. Last December, however, division over the bill emerged among the ultra-Orthodox parties. Gafni did not oppose the conscription bill and said it was a reasonable compromise that should be adopted quickly, but his fellow party member, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, rejected the compromise. The ensuing crisis was one of the reasons Netanyahu called early elections for April. He realized it would be impossible for him to legislate the new draft law in the timeframe imposed on him by the Supreme Court. During the election campaign, another shift appeared to be underway. Shas posted clips of pronouncements by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and other rabbis against the conscription of yeshiva students. Gafni also appeared to adopt a harder line on the issue, announcing after the election results were published that he would not let a small party i.e, Libermans five-member Yisrael Beitenu determine the issues most important to the ultra-Orthodox and especially to Torah students. On April 16, Rivlin started consultations with party leaders over the formation of Israels 35th government. He is likely to task Netanyahu with forming it. Netanyahu, whose political machinations have earned him the title of a magician, will have a hard time finding common ground between the large ultra-Orthodox bloc backed by the religious Zionists and Avigdor Liberman. AMMAN The parliaments vast majority voted April 8 against raising the minimum age of marriage in exceptional cases from 15 to 16 in a joint session of the upper and lower houses to end the dispute over the personal status bill. Under normal circumstances, the legal age for marriage in Jordan is 18. In December 2018, the House of Deputies endorsed amendments to the personal status law that kept the exception for early marriage at the age of 15. The amendments were referred to the Senate for debate and vote. On Dec. 27, the Senate adopted amendments proposed and backed by women and human rights groups that wanted to raise the minimum age of marriage in exceptional cases to 16. Marriage under 18 is considered an exception by the personal status law, and special regulations issued by the Supreme Judge Department which is in charge of the religious courts and its judges controls the process of granting marriage permissions to underaged applicants. A committee of Sharia judges from the religious courts studies living conditions and education status of each applicant and accordingly decides to grant marriage permission or not. The decision greatly depends on the committee's estimation of whether the girl or the boy is ready for marriage. However, under the exception, 10,000 cases of child marriage (under the age of 18) were recorded in 2017, according to the latest figures by the Supreme Judge Department. These constituted 13.4% of overall marriages in 2016. The two chambers also had a dispute over the article of the personal status law concerned with grandchildren's inheritance rights that had to do with the gender of grandchildren's parents who have died. While House of Deputies amendments proposed limiting the right to Al Wasiya Al Wajeba (obligatory bequest) in such cases only to the grandchildren of a person whose son has died, the Senate's version of amendments proposed granting equal inheritance rights to the grandchildren of a person whose daughter has died as well. If a bill is approved by both the House of Deputies and the Senate, it then is submitted to the king, who can either grant consent by royal decree or return the bill unapproved with justifications. When the House and Senate do not agree, they can meet meet in joint session to end the dispute and then dispatch the bill to the king. The House of Deputies disapproved the Senates bill on inheritance rights, and the two chambers met to end the dispute over the minimum marriage age and grandchildren's inheritance. The meeting resulted in votes to keep the minimum age in exceptional cases at 15 and a vote against granting equal gender inheritance rights in Al Wasiya Al Wajeba (the obligatory bequest). Activists and civil society protested in front of the parliament ahead of the session in a last-ditch effort to support pro-women legislative amendments. The session was heated with anger against nongovernmental organizations and activists demands for the minimum marriage age to be raised to 16 when it comes to exceptional cases. The majority of those who were allowed to speak at the session headed by Senate President Faisal Fayez expressed opinions that were against the Senates bill. Some members of parliament, such as Saddah Habashneh and Saleh Armouti, accused NGOs of wanting to change the values and traditions of Jordanian society, stressing that such demands are a breach of Islamic laws. Sen. Fedaa al-Hmoud, the Senates Legal Committee rapporteur, was attacked by members of the parliament for trying to express an opposing opinion. Hmoud justified her opinion for the need to raise the minimum age for marriage in exceptional cases to 16, saying this is not against Islamic law. Hmoud told Al-Monitor that the parliament was divided into two groups and that the debate around the topic was limited to the religious aspect. If it was against the religion, the legal age of marriage would not have been raised from 15 to 18," she said. The personal status law, which has been changed four times in Jordan, defines the legal age of marriage. In the 1976 version of the law, the legal age for marriage was 15. In 2010, the legal age was raised to 18. We dont want to cancel the exception, we just want to raise the minimum age for that exception. Having reached puberty does not mean that these girls will be able to make families and raise kids, she added. Salma Nimes, the head of the Jordanian National Commission for Women, told Al-Monitor that as Jordan is experiencing economic, political and social crises, people have lost trust in the government and in the parliament. She said many of those opposed to the changes resorted to simplistic religious and populist arguments. Human Rights Watch called on Jordan in an April 3 statement to end child marriage entirely and provide full equality for women in marriage, divorce and inheritance. The organization also urged the kingdom to seize the opportunity of the ongoing discussion inside the parliament to prevent child marriage and enforce the minimum marriage age of 18 without exception. Child marriage robs girls of their childhood and puts their health and education at risk, Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in the April 3 statement, noting that parliament should take this opportunity to put an end to this abusive practice. Princess Basma Bint Talal published a statement on her official Facebook page April 8 commending the efforts of everyone who supported the proposed amendments and expressing her disappointment at the outcome, which she said does not represent the views of the greater part of Jordanian society. Basma added, With due respect to the democratic process that resulted in the rejection of the two amendments put forward to parliament, it must be asserted that these neither conflict with the Jordanian Constitution nor Islamic law. Furthermore, these amendments were the studious effort of a large cross-section of society with full knowledge of the issues, as well as a keen sense of responsibility and ethics. This setback is not helpful in dealing with the negative outcomes and individual problems created by the existing laws. The joint decision was also disappointing to the Bint 15 campaign (which translates into A 15-year-old girl), a youth advocacy drive against child marriage, said Nusayba Smadi, a member of the campaign. The societys needs for the marriage exceptions were not discussed. What is the need to tie the knot for a 15-year-old girl? she asked during an interview with Al-Monitor over the phone. However, Smadi, Hmoud and Nimes agreed that regardless of the results, there were discussions around a topic that has always been regarded as taboo, and this is a positive development for opening the way for future change. Egypt's parliament is trying to put pressure on Sudan with the key aim of allowing Egyptian commodities into the Sudanese market. Though Sudan's ousted President Omar al-Bashir announced in October 2018 the removal of the ban on Egyptian products, the decision has not been enforced yet a matter that prompted the Egyptian parliament to raise questions regarding the reasons lurking behind such procrastination. More importantly, in light of the current drastic change in Sudan's political scene, the question arises as to whether Bashir's decision will be enforced. On March 24, Egypt's parliamentary Industry Committee held a meeting in the presence of Osama Shaltout, the assistant foreign minister for African Affairs, to discuss the delay in lifting the ban after receiving complaints from Egyptian exporters. The committee criticized Sudans failure to implement the presidential decision to lift the ban on Egyptian products and recommended holding an urgent meeting with the Egyptian agriculture minister to ensure that Egyptian exports abide by the international food safety standards. Former Assistant Foreign Minister Mohamed Hijazi said during the meeting that both the Egyptian and Sudanese presidents agreed to lift the ban, but there are arbitrary measures from the Sudanese side. A committee is to be formed to solve this problem, he added. Mohamed Zakariya Mohye el-Din, a member of parliament's Industry Committee, told Al-Monitor, We managed to schedule a meeting with Agriculture Minister Ezz el-Din Abu Steit to discuss this issue. On April 14, the minister met the parliament's Industry Committee to discuss the motions submitted by me and other parliament members regarding this issue. There have been no official measures to solve this issue, a matter that caused problems for Egyptian exporters. It is our role as parliamentarians to call for official intervention, Mohye el-Din added. There should be more coordination between the ministries of Agriculture and Trade to outline the key reasons lurking behind the suspension of lifting the ban, he urged. In 2016, Sudan imposed a temporary ban over fresh and dried vegetables and fruits, as well as fish that are imported from Egypt, since the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization issued new regulations banning importers and exporters from entering some goods into Sudan. After approximately a 17-month ban, then-President Bashir announced in October 2018 the lifting of the ban following joint talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Khartoum. It is worth mentioning that during Sisi's visit to Khartoum, the Egypt-Sudan Ministerial Committee held a meeting during which around 12 agreements were signed in diverse domains. Egyptian Trade Minister Amr Nassar, who was in Khartoum, said upon his return to Cairo on Oct. 26, 2018, that the lifting of the ban on Egyptian products exported to the Sudanese market was one of the most important outcomes of Sisi's visit, expecting a remarkable increase in the Egyptian exports to Sudan. Nassar added that the export councils will hold intensive meetings to follow up on the decision. We have not seen any meeting between the minister [of trade] and the export councils so far. The decision of lifting the ban has not been enforced on the ground. That is why parliament is trying to find a way out of this problem, Mohye el-Din said. The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Sudan during the period from January to July 2018 amounted to more than $320.48 million. The trade balance between the two countries came in favor of Cairo, where the value of Egyptian exports exceeded the value of imports from Khartoum. The main Egyptian exports to the Sudanese market include industrial goods and foodstuffs, petroleum products, machinery and equipment, raw materials, textiles and beverages. In this regard, Ayman Shabana, a professor of political science at the Institute of African Studies and Research affiliated with Cairo University, opined that the ongoing political turbulence in Sudan is the key reason lurking behind delaying the implementation of lifting the ban. Sudan is now facing one of the hardest political problems in its history. It is preoccupied with the unstable domestic affairs. The delay in lifting the ban has no political dimension. Egypt and Sudan are brotherly countries, he said. Sudan has been witnessing since December 2018 political instability following the outbreak of massive protests calling for the ouster of Bashir's regime. On April 11, Sudans army ousted Bashir and declared that it would rule the nation for two years through a transitional council. However, the political scene is still unstable in Sudan with many protesters refusing the military statement and instead calling for civilian rule. Shabana, meanwhile, has urged not to deal with this issue from a political perspective. Sudan's economic conditions are deteriorating. One US dollar is worth 60 Sudanese pounds. In light of these deplorable economic conditions, it is very hard to pay for the Egyptian imports, he argued. Egypt is supporting the Sudanese people and will not take any political stance against Sudan, Shabana added. It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a press statement on April 14 announcing its support for the Sudanese people's choice and supporting the Sudanese military. In a nutshell, the devaluation of the Sudanese pounds has led to the rationalization of imports. Therefore, the Sudanese importers will incur hefty losses in light of the current local economic situation. Again, I stress [that] economic [and] not political reasons are lurking behind such delay, Shabana said. Regarding the suffering of Egyptian exporters due to the delay, Shabana said they can export to Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa countries. This is a huge market including 19 countries. New horizons for cooperation can be opened with these countries on an economic level. We hope that stability will prevail in Sudan in the upcoming period, with more Egyptian products being exported to its market," he concluded. The folk costumes of Anatolia, which originate from the area of the Balkans to Central Asia, show great variety, but most have two things in common: they consist of layers and open at the front, to allow both men and women to lead an active outdoor life. Fatma Koc, associate professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design at Gazi University in Ankara, told Al-Monitor that for centuries tribes that came from Central Asia to Anatolia continued wearing their traditional attire. There are two crucial features [of folk costumes] across the region, one of which is that the outfits consist of layers. The other is that they were not sewed up at the front. Rich embroidery on cepken (jacket) and the hems of traditional costumes of Antalya, a city on the Mediterranean coast (Gazi University of Ankara) But the practicality of these features did not mean giving up on aesthetics; silk, cotton and wool were used to produce the costumes that were embroidered to mark their identity. Different types of fabrics and designs generated a large variety of costumes across the region, yet with common features. Shalwar trousers, unisex baggy pants, are part of folk dress across the region and occasionally appear in modern-day fashion. The bottom of the trousers would have pleats or cuffs to keep them from touching the ground. The entari, a loose robe, is worn mostly by women, whereas the kaftan, a thick embroidered robe, is for men and women. Some women also wear an apron on top of the entari. In the Black Sea region, the peshtamal, a thick black and red woven blanket-type cloth, is tied around the waist to cover the hips in a rainy and humid climate. Traditional costumes of Trabzon, a city on the Black Sea (Gazi University of Ankara) Just as important as the costume is the headgear. Koc explained that there are different headdresses for married and single women, as well as those who are divorced or widowed. The saying tying the knot is translated in Turkish as tying the head," indicating that once a woman is married, she would start wearing an elaborate headdress. A Turkish wedding headdress, with coins and veils in white and red (Izmir Olgunlasma Enstitusu) In Turkey's urban neighborhoods one rarely sees people wearing traditional costumes. Inside the house, however, yazma or tulbent, thin fabrics with needle-lace edgings, can be found in many dowry chests. Easy to adapt to modern life, tulbent is an essential item in the contemporary home to wear while cooking or cleaning. Turkish tulbents have made their way into vintage US stores as well, serving as fancy bandanas. Carik or tsanouhi, soft ox or buffalo leather shoes or boots with pointy toes, are sold as Ottoman-style sultan slippers on the Turkish and European markets. Today, Turkish traditional costumes are worn mainly at special events such as the traditional henna night the evening before a wedding, circumcision ceremony or wedding day. Elaboratedly decorated belts, precious stone-embellished headpieces, colorful shoes and accessories with complex designs and handmade lace are worn during the celebrations. Folk dance festivals across the region are another occasion for people to wear colorful shalwars, short vests and traditional belts. But mostly, the shalwars and cariks are found in the traditional markets and in malls for local and international customers. In addition, slippers, decorative items and folk dolls have become a collectors item. AGCO Corp. plans to invest $5.7 million in its Cullman County operations, moving production of its Farmer Automatic Aviary Systems and creating 50 jobs. Gov. Kay Ivey was at the facility in Bremen for a ceremony at the 32,000-square-foot expansion that will house the new production line. She called the move a significant step for...all of rural Alabama. Employees, wearing Made in Alabama T-shirts, presented Ivey with one. An agricultural equipment manufacturer, AGCO is moving its Farmer Automatic production line from Laer, Germany. It offers pullet rearing technology that employs automation. AGCO began operations in Cullman County 10 years ago, and has gone that long without a work stop accident. Hans Lehmann, vice president and general manager of AGCO Grain & Protein North & South America, said the company is excited about the expansion. We like to say our products are Proven and Dependable. The same can certainly be said about Cullman County," he said. The fact weve not had one lost time safety incident speaks volumes to the quality of the workforce in the county. Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer said the expansion was made possible through cooperation between state, county and city leaders. We are very fortunate to be able to work with our state and county leadership to keep a great company growing in Cullman County, Greer said. Its a big advantage to have the ability to ensure companies succeed in the rural parts of the county the same way they succeed in more urban areas. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said state economic development officials are taking steps to raise the profile of the states rural areas for opportunity. This month, the Commerce Department announced it will create a position to speed economic development for Alabamas non-urban areas. While we have had success in facilitating rural economic development, we want to continue to improve and do more to help the states rural counties and small towns and cities, Canfield said. Were committed to providing additional resources to stimulate rural development, and the creation of the rural development manager position will move that effort forward. Some famous names are attached to Son of the South, a movie currently filming in Alabama. According to IMDB, the cast of Barry Alexander Browns film includes Lucy Hale of Pretty Little Liars fame; Lucas Till, star of the CBS reboot of MacGyver and the movie X-Men: First Class; Julia Ormond of Mad Men and Witches of East End; Cedric the Entertainer, a comedian who appeared in the Barbershop film series; and veteran actor Brian Dennehy, a Tony and Golden Globe winner whos also been nominated for several Emmys. Director Brown, a longtime collaborator of Spike Lee, has worked on movies such as Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn," Malcolm X, He Got Game" and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman. Brown also wrote the screenplay for Son of the South, basing it on a memoir by Bob Zellner, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement. The storyline focuses on the grandson of a Ku Klux Klan member who becomes a civil rights activist in the 1960s, after being inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others involved in the struggle. Till stars as Zellner in the movie. Hale portrays his college girlfriend; Dennehy plays his grandfather. Sharonne Lanier was cast as Rosa Parks, according to IMDB. Other actors in the movie include Lex Scott Davis, Michael Aaron Milligan, Shamier Anderson and Birminghams Emily Towles. Principal photography started on April 9 in Montgomery and moved to Tuskegee University a few days later, according to an AL.com interview with Zellner. Producers had asked Huntingdon College for permission to film there, but an agreement with the school hasnt been reached, Zellner said. Zellner, who attended Huntingdon, said a significant portion of the movie takes place at the college. According to Zellner, the school made several demands of the filmmakers, including one that film executives sign a letter not to say anything negative about the college. A spokesman for Huntingdon, Anthony J. Leigh, said discussions with the production team are ongoing, Maybe it could still happen, Zellner said. Wed really like that to occur. Zellner and Brown made an appearance on Saturday at the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery, talking about Zellners book and the movie filming. Brown was born in England, when his father was stationed at an Air Force base there, but Alabama is close to his heart. He grew up in the South and lived in Alabama, Mississippi and other places. His family eventually settled in Montgomery, and Brown has mentioned that city as his hometown. Photos from the movie filming have begun to show up on social media, including an Instagram account, #sonofthesouthfilm. Heres a sampling: Pres. Lily D. McNair got in on the magic of movie-making this afternoon with #SonOfTheSouth director Barry Alexander Brown during filming on the #TuskegeeUniversity campus. Read more about the Spike Lee-produced film at https://t.co/QvVctKGdFS. #tuskegee_rys19 pic.twitter.com/yZ6gQ5aoCL TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY (@TuskegeeUniv) April 12, 2019 This is an opinion column. Access to public records is not a media privilege, like seats in the press box at Bryant Denny Stadium. Nor is it anybodys privilege. Public records belong to you the public and Alabama law once made it clear you had a right to inspect those documents and take copies upon request. But years of meddling by public officials, obstinance from bureaucrats and the slow erosion of case law have chipped away at something that was once sacrosanct. However, a bill sponsored by state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, and state Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, would put those documents where you could get them again. While not perfect, their legislation would bring Alabama in line with Florida, which is considered the gold standard among open government and transparency advocates. Here are seven ways Ward and Pringles bill would make Alabama more transparent. 1. Copy costs cover cost only Alabama law currently says public entities can charge reasonable fees to cover the expenses they incur providing documents to the public, but many state agencies and local governments have taken this as license to charge whatever they want. The Birmingham Airport Board, for instance, can charge up to $2 per page for copies of public records. The Huntsville Police Department asks $10 per page for accident reports. Other agencies and local governments frequently ask as much as $1 per page. Who knew ink and paper had become so expensive? The proposed legislation would set a schedule for copy costs in line with what your local FedEx or UPS store probably charges: 10 cents for black and white, 15 cents for two-sided copies and 50 cents for color copies. Also, electronic records are limited to 1 cent per page. Members of the public would be able to inspect records for free, and anyone who wants to use their own equipment, such as a smartphone, to make copies could not be prohibited from doing so. 2. Records available during office hours Some state and local agencies have limited the hours when records are open for public inspection, sometimes to a few hours per week or even per month. The proposed legislation would open records for inspection during all office hours. 3. Requests and responses by mail Another tactic used by government agencies to limit access is to require requestors to appear in person, no matter if they live in another part of the state. Under the proposed legislation, requestors could send requests by mail or email on a standard form outlined by the new law. Also, if the requestor prepays postage, they may receive the documents by mail. 4. The bill sets timelines and requires reasons for denials The current law says state and local governments must provide public records within a reasonable amount of time, which to some state agencies and local governments has meant never or after you take us to court. When Gatehouse Media recently sought records from the Alabama State Board of Midwifery, a lawyer from the Alabama Attorney Generals office told those reporters theyd have to sue if they wanted the state to even give a reason for denying a records request. These guys know lawyers cost money, and its money you probably dont have. Under Ward and Pringles bill, government agencies would have five days to reply to a public records request, and denials would have to cite a statutory exemption to the open records law. 5. Public records are public, no matter who has them When a sign at the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport collapsed and killed a 10-year-old boy, the airport authority initially said it could not turn over blueprints and other design materials because those records were maintained by a private contractor even though the airports contract said the records belonged to the authority. Under Pringle and Wards bill public records received or maintained by a private individual or business in the performance of a public function are still subject to the act. 6. The bill creates an affordable appeals process Under the bill, a member of the public could appeal denials to a state Public Access Counselor. An appeal would require the requestor to put down $100, which would be refunded if the appeal were successful. The Public Access Counselor would have the authority to review the request, see the documents in question, and decide whether the documents are public records. Public officials who refuse to turn over public records could be subject to civil fines, escalating as high as $3,500 on a third offense. Public officials would be personally liable for those fines, which would be paid to the state General Fund. Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group. Want access to the best analysis and in-depth reporting about Alabama each week? Sign up for the weekly Reckon Report newsletter and follow Reckon on Facebook and Twitter. Follow Whitmire on Twitter and Facebook, too. And Instagram. A bill to place new restrictions on sheriffs use of taxpayer money intended to feed jail inmates passed the Alabama Senate today. The bill, by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, comes in response to reports of sheriffs in several counties pocketing for personal use some of the money intended for inmate meals. The bill would also increase the state allocation to counties for jail food. Orr said the bill would prohibit sheriffs from using any state, federal or municipal prisoner food funds for personal use or for salaries in their offices by closing a loophole in what he called an archaic state law. Orr said most sheriffs have used jail food money properly. But there are documented abuses in some counties, and Orr said he has heard in the last year from people who had to cook meals to take to their sons and grandsons in jail to keep them from being underfed. In a press release, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, said the association supports the bill. Over the last several years the Alabama Sheriffs Association has sought repeatedly to make this change, but to no avail." Taylor said. "Our hope is that the House of Representatives will bring closure by also passing this bill and allowing us to continue protecting our citizens and making our society a better place to live. Orrs bill increases the state allowance to sheriffs to feed inmates from $1.75 to $2.25 a day. Starting in 2021, the allowance will increase 2 percent a year. All the money allocated to counties to feed inmates would go into a new prisoner feeding fund. At the end of the year, sheriffs could spend up to 25 percent of the unencumbered balance for jail operations or law enforcement purposes. At least 75 percent would have to be carried over into the prisoner feeding fund for the next year. Carla Crowder, executive director of the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, said Orrs bill can help end what has been an abusive practice in some Alabama jails. Unfortunately, sheriffs have been profiting while mistreating the people in their custody for many years," Crowder said. "This is certainly a strong step and it looks like a long-term solution at this point. The Appleseed Center assisted the Southern Center for Human Rights in an investigation of the issue. Last year, Gov. Kay Ivey started a new policy of requiring sheriffs to sign an affidavit pledging to use the state allowance for feeding jail inmates only for that purpose. In addition to concerns that prisoners have gone without nourishment, Orr said the stories about money intended to feed inmates being spent for other purposes give the state a black eye. This is one of those things that we can solve and fix on our own and improve the long-term perception of our state," Orr said. Two Alabama sheriffs told lawmakers today that Alabamas requirement to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun is an important tool for law enforcement and public safety. Representatives of the National Rifle Association and Bama Carry Inc., an Alabama gun rights organization, said the requirement to buy a permit infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families. The two sides made their arguments at a public hearing this morning before the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering a bill to repeal the permit requirement in Alabama. Committee Chairman Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said the committee would vote on the bill next week. In previous years, the committee has approved the bill, which has also won approval in the full Senate only to die in the House of Representatives. Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack were among those who spoke in opposition to the bill, by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa. I get tons of phone calls from people that are concerned about gun violence in their neighborhoods, Cunningham told the committee. "Tons. And Im sending my young deputies, males and females, to respond to calls for services, and now weve got to take a tool that we have in place away from them to be able to remove these people off the street. But at the same time, I want to see my young male and female deputies go home at the end of the day." Law enforcement made up a sizable portion of the overflow crowd in the committee room. Mack said more than 30 sheriffs were on hand. Eddie Fulmer, president of Bama Carry, said the permit requirement does not stop criminals from carrying guns but affects only those who are committed to following the law, such as those who have accidentally let their permits expire and are arrested for carrying a loaded pistol in their vehicles. Aside from being the right thing to do, this bill will stop abuse of the permit system, which has never, in our opinion, kept a criminal from carrying a weapon," Fulmer said. Fulmer read to the committee a list of 15 states that he said allowed concealed carry without a permit: Wyoming, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Idaho, Missouri, West Virginia, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alaska, Vermont and Kentucky. Fulmer said the four states that border Alabama allow gun owners to carry handguns in their cars without a permit. In Alabama, a handgun in a vehicle must be unloaded and locked away out of reach if the owner does not have a permit. Allen told the committee more than once that his bill would not end pistol permits in Alabama and said pistol permit sales have increased in some states that eliminated the requirement. Todd Adkins of the National Rifle Association said pistol permit purchases rose in Arizona after that state repealed the requirement in 2010. This bill is not at all complicated. The base premise of Senate Bill 4 is that law abiding citizens have the right to defend themselves," Adkins said. Judy Taylor of Tuscaloosa, one of many at the committee meeting wearing the red T-shirts of the organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said she was a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter who supports keeping the permit requirement. Sheriffs know their communities and their residents well and under current law can deny a permit based on frequent calls to law enforcement for domestic violence, or a troubling history of serious mental illness issues," Taylor said. She said the bill "removes the ability of sheriffs to deny a permit to dangerous people, lowering the bar for those who can carry a concealed, loaded gun in public and vehicles. At the end of the meeting, Ward noted that his committee has handled the permit bill a number of times only to see it die in committee in the House. Ward said if that happens again this year, he will wait on House action on the bill before considering it again next year. Alabama and national politics. At 4:04 a.m. Sunday, only a fraction of Jefferson Countys tornado sirens were activated to warn residents of potential disaster. For the second time since January, not having all the countys 254 sirens scream in unison was by design. In August, the county activated its new polygon-based tornado warning system, which replaced the county-wide, manually operated system. The new system has a more surgical approach, alerting only residents deemed to be in harms way by the National Weather Service. Sirens only go off if they are located within an NWS polygon a more defined area within a county or counties where tornadoes are possible , and the process is all automated. To Chris Tate, emergency management officer at the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, the new approach helps the agency maintain its credibility because false warnings are not given to those not in the polygon. When you warn people over and over again that theres a tornado coming and a tornado never comes, they will no longer take you seriously, he said. We dont want people not to take those warnings seriously. Within 31 seconds of an NWS tornado warning early Sunday morning, 14 of the countys sirens sprung into action. No tornadoes ended up touching down in the county, but the warning was limited to those most at risk. The state Emergency Management Agency leaves it up to the states 67 county EMA offices to oversee and implement warning sirens, and not all opt for the new polygon-based approach. Once they issue a tornado warning in our county, we sound them all off, and the perfect scenario was Saturday night, said Jody Hitt, deputy director of the Colbert County EMA, of the countys sirens. An EF1 tornado touched down at 1:36 a.m. Sunday morning in Colbert County, and Hitt said climate conditions caused the storm to suddenly change direction. If the county had polygon-based sirens, Hitt said, residents in the affected area would have had a shorter window to prepare because of the storms quick movements. Franklin EMA Director Mary Hallman-Glass shares that philosophy. The county was also effected by tornado activity over the weekend, when an EF1 tornado was recorded 12:14 a.m. Sunday on County Road 25 off County Road 247. To me, storms are so unpredictable that if it was to turn and go a different direction, and those people didnt know about it, then they would be hung out there, she said. Hitt said hed rather take a better-safe-than-sorry approach than be concerned about false warnings. Thats how life is. And thats what they call calling wolf, he said. Id much rather call wolf and let you be aware of it and wake you up than not doing it. But no matter which siren system counties deploy, EMA directors who spoke to AL.com agreed that they should not be the only tool Alabamians use to prepare for tornadoes and strong storms. The sirens are meant for outdoor use, not to be heard in homes, and they use old technology that could break down at any time, Tate said. A comprehensive approach to storm preparedness is also championed by ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann. We tell people, Dont even think about relying on a siren. Its World War I technology and unfortunately to this day thats how a lot of Alabamians think they will be notified about a tornado, Spann told AL.com. Its a last resort. And they serve a purpose, but they reach a limited number of people outdoors. I think it has killed hundreds over the last 50 years where people think theyre going to hear a siren and its going to wake them up. We got to fight that battle. Spann said he was heartbroken over the death of Christina Heichelberg, a 16-year-old girl from Clay, who was killed in the January 23, 2012 tornadoes. The meteorologist recalled reading an article shortly after the tornado where Heichelbergs father said the family did not hear the siren and had little time to prepare. It hit me hard and I was so mad I wanted to take these things down and burn them, Spann said. He encouraged Alabamians to buy a NOAA weather radio, which transmits weather warnings on dedicated frequencies and emits a loud alarm. Every home, every business, every house of worship has to have a NOAA weather radio, Spann said, estimating that fewer than 10 percent of state households have one. Along with the weather radios, the public could be alerted to weather emergencies through their cell phones. Wireless emergency alerts are enabled by default, but Spann also recommended downloading dedicated apps that tailor warnings based on a phone users GPS coordinates. The meteorologist noted that some governments are turning away from siren-based notifications because they are expensive to maintain and was hopeful that EMAs and other related agencies in Alabama would follow suit. I really do think that more counties and more municipalities are going to really think about are we putting money down the drain with these sirens when its 2019, he said. The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution that opposed legislation that would place unfair regulations on municipalities, which includes the bill banning plastic bag bans. Some bills that have been presented are preemption bills, said District 5 Councilor Darrell OQuinn. They will basically take away cities ability to impact important issues. The plastic bag bill and [SB 246] are two that stand out in particular that were really concerned about. Two of the bills discussed during the meeting include the plastic bag bill, which would prevent cities from banning plastic bags and other single-use containers, and SB246, which councilors said would limit the citys say in where small cell 5G antennas are placed on city rights of way. These small 5G antennas are placed around 500 feet apart, usually attached to existing light poles. The 5G technology will provide much faster wireless service, but more small equipment is required. About two weeks ago, some coastal Alabama cities also expressed their opposition to the plastic bag bill. Those cities include Orange Beach, Dauphin Island, Fairhope and Mobile. The Storm Prediction Center has raised the risk for severe weather for Alabama on Thursday. An enhanced risk is now in place for parts of west, south, and central Alabama on Thursday afternoon and evening as a cold front approaches. The Storm Prediction Center expanded the enhanced risk area slightly across south Alabama in its update on Wednesday afternoon. An enhanced risk means numerous severe storms will be possible and is Level 3 of a five-level severe risk category system. The rest of the state has a slight risk (Level 2), which means scattered severe storms will be possible. The National Weather Service urged all Alabamians to pay attention to the weather on Thursday afternoon into Friday morning: As usual, dont get too caught up in the colors on the map, forecasters said. Tornadoes, damaging winds, hail and heavy rain will all be possible with these storms, according tot the National Weather Service. Forecasters think the storms will reach Alabama later Thursday afternoon (3-4 p.m. for west Alabama) and push eastward across the state through the night. That means itll be another nighttime event for many. Be sure to have a reliable way to get warnings during the night (when you may be asleep) and remember to not rely on outdoor sirens to wake you. Now is a good time to make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather warnings and make sure WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) are turned on, the weather service said in a Thursday morning forecast discussion. Also, make sure you know where the most interior room of your house is should a severe-thunderstorm/tornado warning be issued. The storms are expected to reach Alabama in the form of a squall line ahead of the actual cold front. The weather service said there is also the potential for a few supercells to develop ahead of the main line in central and south Alabama. The tornado threat will be highest in west Alabama during the late afternoon, according to forecasters. Many of the parameters for severe weather will be in place except moisture. Dew points are expected to be in the low 60s on Thursday, which forecasters said may help Thursdays weather from being more intense than it already will be. This storm system will bring more rain than the last few: Up to 2 inches in some spots, according to the weather service. Cooler air will follow Thursdays storms, making it unusually cool on Friday with clouds and scattered showers expected to linger behind the front. The clouds are expected to clear out in time for Easter, with much warmer temperatures and sunnier skies. More good news: No other big storm systems are in the horizon, so Alabama may get a break from severe weather -- at least for a while. Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced plans to widen I-565, addressing a top priority for Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and accelerating a road project designed to ease traffic flow near the massive Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA plant in Limestone County. Ivey made the announcement in Montgomery while Huntsville and Madison County officials were in the capital. Funds for the project, which Ivey did not give a price tag, will come from the state's newly-passed gas tax, the governor said. "Today yall, I am thrilled to finally announce that as part of the states first-year plan for Rebuild Alabama, we are resurfacing and adding lanes to I-565 to make this a six-lane interstate," Ivey said. "This project will improve the daily commute for thousands of drivers and provide access to the new Mazda-Toyota facility. "I heard your ask, and now we are delivering." Seth Burkett, a spokesman for Alabama Department of Transportation in north Alabama, told AL.com on Wednesday that the tentative rough estimate for the I-565 widening is about $17 million. The expanded I-65 interchange in Tanner along with five-laning Huntsville Brownsferry Road from the interstate to U.S. Highway 31 will be about $27-28 million, Burkett said. The city of Huntsville, as part of its incentive package for the MTMUS plant, promised $60 million to connect Greenbrier Parkway to the Tanner exit. Burkett also said that construction on I-565 is not expected to begin until next year and that planning the project will lead up to the start of construction. Im pleased to announce 2 major transportation projects in the Limestone & Madison county area were selected by ALDOT for the Rebuild Alabama Act First Year Plan for 2020! Learn more about these projects & the impact theyll have on economic development at https://t.co/vR9IrmcLCB Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) April 17, 2019 According to the announcement from Iveys office, the first project includes resurfacing and revising lanes on Interstate 565 from Interstate 65 to County Line Road to provide an additional lane in each direction through the partial use of shoulders, making it a six-lane interstate. The second project will allow for the expansion of the interchange on I-65 at Tanner and widening Huntsville Brownsferry Road to be extended westward across to U.S. Highway 31. The Brownsferry extension and the improved Tanner interchange will allow MTMUS traffic to better access I-65 without using I-565. As Huntsville has grown into the state's third-largest city at a pace that will make it the state's largest within about five years, the two-lane portions of the highway west of Huntsville International Airport have turned into daily bottlenecks during rush hour traffic. The MTMUS facility is also located in the midst of that bottleneck. North Alabama officials applauded as Ivey made the announcement. "Thats a logjam every day for folks who are living in Decatur and coming to Huntsville to work," Battle said. "And then they have to go back in the afternoons. Coming from Huntsville back in the afternoons, its always a logjam. Theres always miles and miles of traffic backed up. "And then vice-versa, people who live in Huntsville and going to work in Decatur and then have to get back. It gives us a lot more capacity. It gives us a lot more industrial capacity. "It is right in the middle of the traffic corridors for Mazda-Toyota. Thats important for us. Because it gives us ability to even expand more the Mazda-Toyota industrial site over there. So, its a great announcement for us." The issue of widening I-565 emerged as a major issue in the Republican gubernatorial primary last year between Ivey and Battle. Together at ceremonial ribbon cutting for GE Aviation just off I-565 on May 9, 2018, Battle called on state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, to helped lead the charge in Montgomery to widen the highway. After Battles remarks, Ivey -- who had already spoken at the event -- returned to the podium unprompted to reiterate her support for the project. On Wednesday, Battle commended Iveys work to bring the project to reality. Thank you @GovernorKayIvey for your commitment to resurfacing and expanding I-565. Adding lanes to this critical corridor ensures our continued economic growth. Tommy Battle (@TommyBattle) April 17, 2019 Youve got to give the governor a lot of credit, Battle said. "She told her guys to look at it and lets come up with some answers on it. Lets figure out how to do this 565. Because it was a little bit of an issue during the campaign. We had GE Aviation which had just been announced and the governor was there and she promised that they were going to get on it and work with it and they found a solution to it that isnt a one, two, three-year solution to it but its a quick solution to it and helps get traffic moving a lot faster. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, also applauded the projects. I commend Governor Iveys leadership in passing Rebuild Alabama and her commitment to keep Alabama growing, McCutcheon said in Iveys announcement. Additional lanes on Interstate 565 will greatly reduce congestion and aid commerce in one of the fastest growing regions of our state. I, along with my colleagues, are pleased to see such quick returns from the Rebuild Alabama Act passing. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, recalled sending a letter to Ivey last year urging her to widen I-565. A year ago I wrote to Governor Kay Ivey and urged her to widen I-565. Last month I met with Alabama Department of Transportation officials and urged them to both widen I-565 and extend I-565 west of Decatur," Brooks said in a statement Wednesday. Today, Gov. Ivey agreed to quickly widen I-565, saying I heard your ask, and now we are delivering. "Isnt it great to have a governor who not only listens to citizens requests BUT ALSO ACTS ON THEM! I thank Governor Ivey for proactively addressing I-565s congestion problem before it gets worse. The Tennessee Valleys economic growth and prosperity depends on it! Updated today, April 17, 2019, at 4:52 p.m. with preliminary estimated costs. Updated today, April 17, 2019, at 2:14 p.m. with new information throughout. An effort to allow cities and counties to decide if they can reduce or eliminate their sales tax on groceries was stopped Wednesday in an Alabama House committee. Instead, state Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, will have to press to have HB42 approved as a local legislative matter. Englands proposal surfaced upon a request from the city of Tuscaloosa, which is advocating to have their municipal sales tax on groceries removed, only later to learn that state law prevented them from doing so. I would encourage you to explore Plan B, said state Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Montgomery, and chairman of the House County and Municipal Government Committee which conducted a public hearing into Englands plan. In my opinion, its a local issue. England admitted that his proposal is in response to recent actions in Tuscaloosa, where city officials voted earlier this month to increase its municipal tax to 3 percent, thereby levying a combined 10 percent sales tax. In an effort to offer some tax relief, Tuscaloosa officials reportedly suggested an elimination of the tax on groceries. State Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, pushes in support of legislation that would allow cities and counties to decide if their own sales taxes on groceries should be exempt. An Alabama House committee halted the measure following a public hearing on Wednesday, April 19, 2019, at the State House in Montgomery, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). State Rep. Rodney Sullivan, R-Northport just north of Tuscaloosa -- said he was concerned about other nearby cities not being able to handle the revenue losses if one city adopts a tax exemption on groceries. In talking to city leaders back home, in my opinion, you have to be careful, he said. It sounds good. But its where the majority of the sales tax comes from. You have to be careful on the rural areas that rely heavily on this just to operate. Carol Gundlach, policy analyst at Alabama Arise, a non-profit organization that advocates for low-income residents, said Englands proposal was a fresh look at the legislative strategy in a longtime effort to eliminate taxes on groceries. Weve had a couple of municipalities come to us and say they want to get rid of the sales tax on groceries, Gundlach said. We were surprised that they could not do it. This would allow municipalities to do something that is in their citizens interests. Gundlach said shes unsure if the bill will have much success as a piece of more localized legislation. Requiring that they do it by a local bill, I think, is convoluted, she said. Englands bill is not a mandate, meaning that cities do not have to reduce or eliminate their sales taxes on groceries. The legislation did not affect the states 4 percent sales tax rate. But a bill has surfaced that would exempt the states sales tax on groceries, and has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee. There is no time table on when that proposal, HB322, will be heard. Alabama is only one of three states in the country that does not either exempt or reduce sales taxes on groceries. Mississippi and South Dakota are the others. Gundlach said the challenge, for years, is to find a way to replace the loss revenue from exempting grocery sales. She said that an older estimate pegged the loss at around $380 million from tax revenues that otherwise would to the Education Trust Fund to fund public schools. Gundlach said shes hopeful to get more updated data on how much money sales taxes on groceries currently bring into Alabama if the legislation comes up for a hearing. Its a hit, she said. Gundlach said he group has a proposal to pay for it. We want to get rid of the deduction for federal taxes calculated in state income taxes, which would generate ($719 million a year) and would (help Alabama) expand Medicaid and get rid the grocery tax .. Its the only tax that the very wealthy get advantage of and wed like to get rid of that. Huntsville police officer William Darby is asking an appellate court to order a local judge to grant him immunity from being prosecuted on a murder charge. In a petition filed Monday with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, Darbys attorney argued Madison County Circuit Judge Donna Pate should have granted Darby immunity from prosecution for the on-duty fatal shooting of Jeffrey Parker. Darby is indicted on a murder charge for the killing of Parker, who was armed and suicidal when police went to his west Huntsville home on April 3, 2018. Judge Pate on April 4, 2019 denied Darbys request for immunity after hearing testimony from the officer and other witnesses. If granted immunity, Darbys murder case would be dismissed. Darby is asking the appellate court to determine whether Pate committed clear abuse of discretion and to order the judge to grant him immunity. Darby testified at the immunity hearing that he was acting in defense of himself and other officers when he killed Parker. Two other police officers Genisha Pegues and Justin Beckles were the first cops on the scene the day of the shooting. Parker had called police saying he was armed and wanted to kill himself. Once he got to the scene, Darbys body camera video showed him grab his shotgun from his patrol car and sprint to Parkers home. Body camera video appeared to show Beckles standing at the front door of the home while Pegues was inside the home talking to Parker. Darby was outside the home, standing behind Beckles. From outside, Darby testified, he couldnt see Parker, who was sitting inside the front room on a couch and pointing a gun at his own head. When Darby first walked up to the home, he shouted at Pegues to Point your f---ing gun at him, video footage revealed. Within about 20 seconds, Darby pushed past Beckles and Pegues, and entered the front room of the home. Darby himself told Parker multiple times to drop the gun and within 11 seconds of entering the home, Darby shot him in the face. Darby told the judge that he fatally shot Parker after Parker shrugged his shoulders, causing the gun to move slightly. Pegues and Beckles testified they didnt see Parkers gun move. Body camera footage of the shooting is dark and didnt appear to clearly show whether Parker moved the gun. Even though the armed subject never pointed his gun at officers, had the armed subject suddenly decided to shoot an officer, officers could not react in time to defend themselves, Darbys attorney Robert Tuten wrote in the petition to the appellate court. Judge Pate has halted the murder case pending the outcome of Darbys appeals. (Darby) provided the Court with ample evidence demonstrating that self defense was reasonable under the circumstances, Tuten wrote to the appellate court. Judging the Petitioners actions from the standpoint of a reasonable police officer, the Petitioner met his burden of proof and proved he is entitled to immunity as a matter of law by a preponderance of the evidence. To be granted immunity, Darby would need to show his actions were more than likely justified that more than 50 percent of the evidence favors his immunity claim. A bill exempting economic developers from a requirement to register as lobbyists under the Alabama ethics law won final passage today in the Legislature and could be signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. Lawmakers and the states industrial recruiters say the bill was needed to protect the confidentiality of site selection efforts by representatives of companies interested in coming to Alabama. Lobbyists are required to report to the Ethics Commission who they represent and information about their activities, reports that are available to the public. The Legislature passed the exemption last year but with opposition from some who contended it would carve a loophole in the ethics law. The bill squeaked through the Senate last year by a vote of 15-14 after senators added a provision that the exemption would expire April 1 of this year. Opposition to the exemption has melted away. The Senate voted 31-0 in favor of the bill by Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, to make the exemption permanent. The House had passed it by a vote of 94-4 on April 4. Bakers bill says an economic development professional is not a lobbyist unless he or she seeks economic incentives from the Legislature in addition to what are already provided by state law. Economic development professionals can work for businesses, chambers of commerce, cities, counties, or other organizations. Before todays vote, discussion on the Senate floor turned to a broader ethics bill, by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, that stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. At least three senators, Albritton, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, expressed support for Albrittons bill today. Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton and Attorney General Steve Marshall oppose Albrittons bill, which would repeal the prohibition on gifts from lobbyists to legislators while requiring such gifts to be reported. Supporters of Albrittons bill have said its an effort to clarify the ethics law, not weaken it. Im just here to tell you and Ive said it before, these people arent here for free dinners," Marsh said today when asked about repealing the ban on gifts. "And I do not see if someone has a dinner how that affects any voting pattern. I can promise you that. Nobody wants unlimited to anything. And I think even the senator (Albritton) has acknowledged that he would put parameters on that. Thats not the core of his bill. The more core of his bill is dividing the lanes at which what is a felony and what is not. Who has jurisdiction over different issues in the ethics law. Thats where hes trying to get to. And its a process. Marsh said Albrittons bill might need amendments but said the intent is valid. We all agree it is unclear in many areas of the ethics law and we need to deal with that, Marsh said. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in an opinion last year said the Legislature should clarify the definition of principal in the ethics law. A principal is a business or person who employs a lobbyist. The court said the law should be clarified on which employees of a business that hires a lobbyist are considered principals. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, did not allow a vote on Albrittons bill during last weeks meeting and said he did not see it emerging from the committee this session. Ward said there were many questions about the bill, which he called controversial. Eight years ago, without warning, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to move its Elation ship out of Mobile, leaving a void at the city-owned cruise terminal and plenty of hurt feelings. Now, Carnival is back in Mobile with a 2,056-passenger ship called Fantasy, and city leaders want to make sure theres no repeat of 2011. With a unanimous vote Tuesday, the City Council agreed to an incentive-laden contract with Miami-based Cruise and Port Advisors for consulting services largely aimed at ensuring that Carnival and its Fantasy happily stick around. Cruise and Port Advisors is led by Roger Blum, a former vice president of cruise programming with Carnival from 2001-2010. We worked hard to bring Carnival Cruise Lines back to Mobile and we are working even harder to keep them, said George Talbot, a city spokesman. It is a competitive industry and we are constantly looking for ways to improve the business case in Mobile. Roger Blum has unique experience as a former Carnival executive who maintains excellent relationships with all of the decision-makers. He understands the cruise lines needs and can help us identify opportunities going forward. The citys agreement with Carnival, which is approved on an annual basis, expires this fall. Incentives The contract with Blums firm is for $3,800 a month, plus incentives that would add a one-time $5,000 if Carnival signs an agreement to continue sailing out of the Alabama Cruise Terminal at the existing service level under equivalently favorable contract terms. The incentive spikes to $20,000 if Carnival signs an agreement for an additional two years of cruising out of Mobile. An additional $50,000 will be awarded if Carnival, or another cruise line, signs at least a one-year agreement to either expand current cruising services. Blum referred comments to the city, and city officials praised his background in the industry. Council members are confident that Blums work will pay off for the city and the terminal. We want to make certain we have every tool available in our arsenal to keep Carnival here and to incentive a second or third ship, said City Councilman Levon Manzie, who represents the downtown area. I think these are resources well spent when we consider the alternative which is what experienced years back. Biggest challenge Some eerie similarities with 2011 popped up on Tuesday, when Mayor Sandy Stimpson during his weekly update before the City Council said that cruisers aboard the Fantasy are not spending as much money on the ship compared to other homeports where Carnival sails. Our biggest challenge is that cruisers who get onto the Fantasy dont spend as much money on that ship, Stimpson said. (Carnival) is satisfied with our service in loading and unloading. We just have to find the people who are willing to spend the money. Blum echoed the mayors concerns in his written proposal to represent Mobile as a cruise consultant. It is certainly exciting that Carnival Cruise Lines has returned to Mobile, but with their annual contract, there is a lack of confidence that they will remain, Blum wrote. As Mobile experienced in the past, just because their vessel is sailing full, does not mean that their revenues are as high as other homeports. Blum wrote that its important for Mobile to establish direct contacts with Carnivals revenue managers to understand how the Fantasy is performing compared to other vessels. On Carnivals end, the company appears satisfied, although the companys interest in a long-term agreement isnt known. Carnival Fantasy continues to sail full and is generating some of the highest guest satisfaction scores in our fleet, said Vance Gulliksen, spokesman with Carnival Cruise Lines. We also continue to get great support from the Port, the terminal team and all the city officials including Mayor Stimpson. Target marketing In 2011, when Carnival announced its intention to leave Mobile, it blamed high fuel costs of sailing out of the northern Gulf of Mexico and an inability to raise ticket prices. The company said, at that time, said the decision had nothing to do with Mobiles appeal as a tourist destination. Stimpson said Tuesday, We are focused in trying to do some target marketing in areas geographically with people who spend more money so that Carnival stays here. Clark said his Visit Mobile team has been working with Carnivals corporate marketing team to better collaborate on digital campaigns. A recent campaign targeted the Interstate 65 corridor that includes Birmingham; Nashville; Paducah, Kentucky; and other cities that are within a relatively short drive-time distances to Mobile. Said Blum, It is important to understand if (the Fantasy) is marketed effectively in the regional drive markets, and if there is an opportunity to assist in this marketing. Mobile must show a true commitment as a partner to its customer to create awareness and demand for cruises departing Mobile. Blum also suggested the city refresh previous studies, including a household income analysis from 2011 that showed within a reasonable drive distance of Mobile that there are large population groups with incomes meeting and exceeding cruise line goals. Blum is also requesting an updated marketing study, showing interest from groups interested in cruising. Clark said that the city doesnt have an economic impact analysis on the Carnival Fantasy, though he estimated that hotels collected more than $2 million annually from room nights alone. The revenues generated at the terminal help offset the estimated $1.8 million the city pays each year on a construction bond for the cruise terminal. The bond will not be repaid until 2030. For the five years in which the city was without a cruise ship from 2011 to 2016 the city was on the hook for almost the entire amount. It did receive a small revenue bump from weddings and other banquets inside the terminal. Clark said he is confident his team and Carnival will work closely on driving up the ships revenue figures. Carnival wants us to continue to up our game so you cannot rest and stand still, Clark said. We can help by targeting and trying to get household income up in our marketing efforts and hopefully have more (cruisers with higher) disposable income to spend on the ship. Facing a teacher shortage, Alabama lawmakers today took a step toward restoring retirement benefits for educators, correcting cuts they made seven years ago. "This is not the silver bullet that will correct all of the teacher shortage," Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, who sponsored the bill, told members of the committee, 'but it is a strong step in that direction." Baker said he has been working with the state's education groups as well as the Retirement Systems of Alabama, since last year, to find a way to offer better retirement benefits to teachers in part because surrounding states offer more attractive benefit packages right now. "We wanted to make sure this was something that was affordable to the state," Baker said, but added that lawmakers recognize the cost as an investment in students and teachers. The committee unanimously approved the bill, sending it next to the House floor for approval. The new retirement benefits, called Tier 3, still represent a cost savings of more than $2 billion over the Tier 1 benefits offered prior to 2013, committee Chairman Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, said. The director of the school superintendents' association, Ryan Hollingsworth said the hope is that the new Tier 3 retirement will help recruit students graduating from college. Competition is tougher than ever, Hollingsworth said, and right now, when compared with other states, "we're getting our rear end kicked." Teachers hired on or after January 1, 2013, must wait until age 62 to retire under Tier 2. Tier 3 allows teachers to retire after 30 years, meaning if a teacher starts work at 22, he or she could retire at age 52. That would put Alabama more in line with Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, who have similar structure. According to information from the Retirement Systems of Alabama, 26 percent of active members, or 35,401, are under Tier 2, while 74 percent, or 101,540, are covered under Tier 1. The bill calls for all Tier 2 employees to be converted automatically to Tier 3 unless the employee chooses to opt out of the conversion. The bill also restores teachers' ability to count unused sick leave toward years of service, something the Alabama Education Association's Ashley McClain said is crucial. Teachers in Tier 2 must use their sick leave each year or lose it. School officials say this leads to more teachers missing work. "This is a very serious issue in schools," McClain said, because when teachers are out, that means more substitutes, and even class-sharing if a substitute can't be found. Also, McClain said, "It's important that we recognize that educators are their own economic work force, and they need to be valued the same way." Baker said, "This is a strong step in helping teachers feel more valued." Poole, who admitted he is "always worried about costs," said the committee took three weeks with this bill "to make sure we understood it, scrutinized it to make sure everybody has a clear picture." "This is a worthwhile investment in our educators," Poole said. "I don't know that this solves the issue, but I think it's certainly part of the solution." If we dont have quality teachers in education, then we really dont have much education. A Tuesday-afternoon incident involving a school bus driver is being investigated in Huntsville, officials said. Police were called to the corner of Pulaski Pike and Sparkman Drive. Lt. Michael Johnson said the bus driver pulled over at the intersection after students were misbehaving and acting disruptively. The bus drivers name hasnt been released. But students at the scene were crying and said the driver had refused to let them off the bus, according to witnesses, including Huntsville woman Tonya Hammonds. Hammonds said she was traveling on Pulaski Pike around 4 p.m. when she saw students standing on the side of the road next the bus, which was stopped at the intersection. The kids were really scared and crying, Hammonds told AL.com. Johnson said Tuesday night police arent charging the bus driver with a crime. Hammonds said because she was concerned for their safety, she stayed at the scene until all of the children had been picked up by their parents or taken on another school bus. She said she let children from Blossomwood Elementary School use her phone to call home. Huntsville City Schools Spokesman Keith Ward said the district is aware of the incident. The bus driver is employed by Apple Bus, a private company thats contracted to transport Huntsville students. HCS district staff responded to the situation to provide assistance and ensure that another bus was dispatched so that all kids could be safely transported home, Ward said in a statement. HCS expects Apple Bus to provide a quick resolution to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. Shawn Woods, director of safety for Apple Bus, said the incident is being investigated. Student safety is our top priority, Woods said in a statement. Apple Bus has a full safety program in place to protect students and requires that all employees follow these policies to their fullest as part of maintaining their employment. Claims of deviations from procedures are investigated promptly. He said appropriate action will be taken after the investigation. Tabitha Isner, a Montgomery nonprofit executive who ran for a congressional seat as a Democrat last year, announced Wednesday that she will launch a campaign for Alabama Democratic Party chairwoman. Isner, who unsuccessfully ran against Republican Rep. Martha Roby, is the second challenger to Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley after the national party ordered a new election after finding procedural irregularities with Worleys re-election in August. Under Worleys leadership, the state party has faced criticism from Democrats who believe the organization did not lend sufficient support monetary or otherwise -- to candidates. One of those candidates, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, backed Worleys August challenger, Montgomery lawyer Peck Fox. Jones, who is the only Democratic statewide officeholder, argued that Fox was the best candidate to foster change. Worley defeated Fox, who said he will not run in the new election, by a vote of 101-89 by the partys executive committee. In a news release announcing her candidacy, Isner alluded to the problems she believed are plaguing the party. We need leadership who will trust, empower, and support the full spectrum of Alabama Democrats to implement a diverse array of strategies - not just the old familiar methods. Trying new things is the only way to get a new result, she said. Isner said she would focus on healing divisions within the party and empowering each and every Democrat to contribute to the partys growth and success. The distrust that characterizes our party today isnt a strange new phenomenon. Its the result of a complicated party history plagued with racism, shifting alliances, and scarce resources, she said. Everyone I know - both those who support the current leadership and those that want a change - wants to see the Democratic party move forward. But until we face those historical realities and build bridges across generations of Democrats, our party cannot be whole. Will Boyd, chairman of the Lauderdale County Democratic Party who unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, is also mounting a bid for state party chairman. An Opelika woman was charged with reckless murder and assault Tuesday in connection with a crash last weekend that killed a 2-year-old girl who was a passenger in her car, authorities said. Tierra Leonard, 28, was booked Tuesday into the Elmore County Jail on reckless murder and first-degree assault. She was being held on $70,000 bond -- $60,000 on the reckless murder charge and $10,000 on the assault charge. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Leonard was behind the wheel of a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu that collided with a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado around 3:45 p.m. Saturday on Elmore County Road 73 near Friendship. The 2-year-old girl, who was a passenger in Leonards car, was pronounced dead at Elmore Community Medical Center, ALEA said. Leonard was not using a child restraint system, authorities said. The driver of the Silverado was also injured and taken to Baptist Medical Center South in unknown condition. Students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham held a rally Wednesday afternoon to protest suspected white nationalists on campus. The rally was organized in response to the identification of a UAB graduate student who was a member of a white nationalist group called Identity Evropa. Chat logs from the organization were leaked earlier this year, and several students at UAB identified one person named in the leaked chat logs as a UAB student. Student organizers of the rally said they were frustrated with the schools response to the situation. Hanh Huynh and Arianna Villanueva, two of the organizers, said the event was planned to unite the student body against white terrorism. Villanueva said there have been flyers posted on campus in recent weeks recruiting members for Identity Evropa, and that the group is a threat to our campus. She said one thing the rally intended to show was that recruiting white terrorists on UABs campus will not be tolerated. UAB officials said an email was sent to students condemning hate, but students at Wednesdays rally said the university is not taking the matter seriously and should provide resources to students who feel threatened. A spokesperson for the university said the schools counseling services are open at all times for students who feel threatened, and forums on sensitive, often controversial subjects have been held on campus for the past several years. Chants like Got a question for you exec[utives], whose free speech do you protect?, and No justice, no peace, were recited as the rally turned into a march about a block long across campus. Huynh said she was shocked to learn there were people with white nationalist beliefs at the downtown Birmingham school. Around UAB, theres so much diversity and inclusion it was kind of like a wake up call. UAB Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. Paulette Dilworth said UAB is against hate in all forms. She said while the school is aware of the leaked chat logs and the association of a student with Identify Evropa, the school is limited on what information can be shared because student records are protected by federal law. She added that if there was any questionable or criminal conduct by a student, that student would be subject to disciplinary action. However, we can and do address any situation where there is evidence that UABs Code of Conduct, Equal Employment Opportunity, Title IX or other applicable policies have been violated. Further, we work with the UAB Police Department to address any criminal conduct on campus, she said. UAB is a richly diverse and inclusive campus that is committed to protecting free speech while maintaining a culture of respect and civility that is aligned with our vision, mission and values. While we may find certain beliefs repugnant, those beliefs are not a reflection of UAB or the mission we uphold and values we live every day. Our goal as an institution is to protect the safety of the members of the UAB community, while also allowing people to exercise their constitutional rights. In some of the leaked chats, the man identified as the UAB graduate student comments on a variety of subjects. He says on two chats, I have developed a disgust of the modern western scientific community, and The immigration policy can narrow the type of person allowed in, but their offspring is very unpredictable. He posted, Immigrants are always different from the population they come from. First generation tends to be differ (sic) the most from the parent population. Regression to the mean makes the second Gen more resemble the parent population then (sic) the parents did. First Gen immigrants in the USA are less criminal then (sic) the second Gen as a lot of liberals will boast about them being less criminal than the average American. They dont understand that this just makes people look at who is making up the criminality of the average American. The man also writes about paying his dues to the group for 2018. Dilworth added that UAB is one of just 14 colleges and universities in the country named as a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity, and that UAB works to advance civil discourse through important conversations like these that present teachable moments for our campus and beyond. A judge sentenced an Alabama teenager to two years in jail after he pleaded guilty to killing his older brother during a fistfight last year. The News Courier of Athens reports 18-year-old Kobe Keshon Peoples shot 21-year-old Mikus Peoples about eight times with a pistol after the two of them fought in a bedroom. Peoples pleaded guilty to provocation manslaughter on Monday, and a judge sentenced him to serve two years in the Limestone County Jail under a plea deal. The court suspended an additional 13 years of jail time as long as Peoples completes three years of probation following his release. The shooting happened in February 2018. District Attorney Brian Jones says he agreed to a plea bargain after meeting with the victims mother, who witnessed the shooting. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is urging businesses to recognize employees with free flights to Chicago and Denver. The mayors comment, made Tuesday during the Mobile City Council meeting, comes as a recently assembled task force looks for ways to generate support for a new airport terminal opening May 1 at the Downtown Mobile Airport at the Brookley Aeroplex. Frontier Airlines, the Denver-based low-cost carrier, is scheduled to offer the inaugural flight to Chicago. Stimpson says he will be on board that day. Its important that Frontier -- that when they leave on May 1 -- that it be successful, Stimpson said. The only way it will be successful is to have people flying on that airplane. Chicago and Denver are the two cities to which Frontier will connect Downtown Mobile Airport. The low-coast air carrier, in January, announced one-way fares of $39 to Chicago OHare International Airport and the Denver International Airport. The inaugural flight is set to depart around 1:30 p.m. on May 1 from the 20,000-square-foot terminal that is undergoing an $8 million renovation paid for through the Mobile Airport Authoritys cash flows. Another low-cost carrier, Orlando-based Via Airlines, will begin offering flights from the downtown airport on May 4. Those departures will head to the Orlando Sanford International Airport. Chris Curry, president of the Mobile Airport Authority, said an Air Service Task Force is looking for ways to encourage businesses to take advantage of the downtown flights. The task force members represent businesses, travel agencies, academic institutions, economic development interests and Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. The cost is very reasonable and we feel that companies can also use flights on Frontier as an option for employee performance in lieu of cash or gift certificates, said Curry. Travel to those cities may also be an option for those businesses who would like to host a retreat in Denver or Chicago. Bill Sisson, president and CEO of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said his board is asking members to support the new air service, and is launching a social media campaign to promote the downtown airport. Kellie Hope, vice president of community and governmental affairs with the chamber, is a member of the task force. She said that recent meetings have included developing strategies on how businesses can support the flights. While there is not a definite plan, suggestions included advanced block purchases for travel and using these flights as incentives for employees, said Hope. Efforts to ramp up interest in the downtown terminal also come as the Airport Authority is backing a master plan that will analyze a complete shift of commercial air services from Mobile Regional Airport in west Mobile to the Downtown Mobile Airport at the Brookley Aeroplex. The plan cost $1.5 million and is being undertaken by aviation consultants with LeighFisher. The Federal Aviation Administration shouldered nearly all the costs of the plan. This story was updated at 7:13 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019, to add that Chris Curry is the president of the Mobile Airport Authority and that Via Air will provide flights from the Downtown Mobile Airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport. Another judge has recused himself from the trial of a white Alabama police officer charged with murder in the death of an unarmed black man. News outlets report Judge Sam Welch was appointed Friday and recused himself this week, becoming the 8th judge to drop the case. Montgomery police officer Aaron Cody Smith said he acted in self-defense when killing 58-year-old Greg Gunn, who fled a random stop-and-frisk and was chased, shocked, beaten and then shot five times in 2016. Welch is a former presiding judge of the state court of Criminal Appeals who says he had denied motions asking for another judge's recusal. The state Supreme Court has now tapped retired Dale County Circuit Judge Philip Ben McLauchlin in a 9th attempt to pick a judge. An investigation is underway after a woman was fatally stabbed Tuesday night in west Alabama. Shatonio Kiera Smith, 22, was killed. State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Special Agent Jason Ward said the slaying happened about 10 p.m. during a fight in the Brent public housing Complex on Kennedy Road. SBI is investigating the killing at the request of Brent Police Chief Terry Nichols. No arrests have been made. As a resident of Wilcox County, the part of the study that stood out to me the most the part that read, A 2017 survey by Elliotts group in Wilcox County conservatively estimated that 60 percent of homes drain wastewater without treatment. Elliott said it is possible more than 500,000 gallons of raw sewage enter the rivers and streams in Wilcox County each day. And oddly enough, fishing tournaments in Wilcox County from amateur to professional have never been more popular. The Alabama River is one of Wilcox Countys greatest resources. The local economy relies heavily upon visitors coming here to fish and camp and all that goes along with river tourism. The practice of straight piping is not new in the Black Belt. It has now drawn attention again, but it is certainly not something that has not been widely known about and reported. The latest spotlight is due to a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency received by the University of Alabama that will fund research for a solution. During the first phase, students will travel to Boston where they will share their findings at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo. Their participation in the Expo will earn them the opportunity to apply for the second-phase of the program that would grant further funding of up to $100,000. The students study will become part of a larger effort with the Alabama Rural Water and Wastewater Management Consortium a group that encompasses state, federal and environmental agencies, universities, and representatives from offices of elected officials including Congresswoman Terri Sewells office and Governor Kay Iveys office. The group meets to discuss which possible solutions might work best and how they could be afforded. Another aspect that should be probably be discussed is the fact that there is no ordinance or rule in Wilcox County requiring mobile home owners to show proof of a disposal system. If a house is built in Wilcox County, even in an area with soil that contains clay and doesnt drain well, homeowners must still have a septic percolation test done to determine what type of system will work with the soil specifications. A pipe out back is not an option. Mortgage companies require approval from the health department as a part of the building package stating that the house will have a septic tank, a mound system, or access to a city or community septic system. A perc test has to be performed by either a licensed engineer or land surveyor and costs about $800. It involves digging a hole to a certain depth, adding water, and monitoring the time it takes for the water to absorb. If the soil does not absorb the water, then the ground does not percolate, and therefore requires a mound style septic system. A septic tank averages around $3,000 and a mound system which involves sand and gravel being hauled in and formed into a mound to house plastic chambers costs between $10,000 and $12,000. Mobile home owners are required to get a decal sticker at the tax office that shows they paid sales tax, but they are not required by the county or the health department to prove they have a septic system. Research has its role, but Wilcox County has its responsibility too. Straight piping has grown into the issue it has become because of officials who knew what was happening and still did nothing to deter it. There is a thin line between the problem of poverty and the problem of poor leadership in the Black Belt. They are connected, and both need more research and attention. Amanda Walker is a contributor with AL.com, The Selma Times Journal, Thomasville Times, West Alabama Watchman, and Alabama Gazette. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist. The Chaldean primate invites us to deepen our understanding of scripture, to better understand the events of Holy Week. We must fight against intellectual poverty and spiritual decline. From the Church the example to be humble and know how to ask forgiveness. In a Muslim society find answers to the question: how to witness to Christ? Baghdad (AsiaNews) - My invitation for Holy Week is to "read the texts of Christs Passion and Resurrection", to understand the events, even current ones, in a "better and deeper" way, writes Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, in a message addressed to priests and faithful of the Chaldean community in Iraq and in the world, on the occasion of Easter. In the letter sent to AsiaNews for information, the Cardinal urged people "to renew our trust in Christ, our hope, our communion and our unity" so that we can all say aloud: "He is risen, Hallelujah". In this week of fasting, reflection and prayer, Card Sako recalls the ongoing struggle against intellectual "poverty" and the "spiritual decline" present "in many institutions", often favored by overly-easy "access" to distorted information "from social media". This is a privileged time, he warns, "to move forward on the path of unity and to seek peace in the world". "The Church needs more priests - the Chaldean primate admits - of men of prayer, leadership, wisdom, courage, service and sacrifice". People need, he adds, able to understand "cultural, social and political changes" and current challenges, to "live their priesthood with dedication, loyalty, creativity and joy", setting aside "complaints, coldness and boredom". Renewing the invitation to work "for the sanctification of the Church", he urges priests and faithful to "work with passion, humility and sincerity". "Living in a 95% Muslim society - he adds - we must find an answer to the daily question: how can we be witnesses of the universal love of Jesus". And for the Iraqi nation and the entire Middle Eastern area, which are going through a "complex and problematic" phase, Christ's warning is valid: "Do not be afraid". Christians, the cardinal said, must have faith in Jesus and nurture hope, a hope that is founded "on faith, otherwise it will be just an empty and meaningless word". "We have hope - he warns - because God loves us as his children" and the "sufferings of our Church must not weaken the attachment to our identity, to our roots and to the motherland". Finally, the Chaldean primate recalls the importance of forgiveness in this period which is the most important in the life of the Church. "As human beings - he emphasizes - we cannot claim perfection, because we are weak and we make mistakes". However, what matters is that "we are humble enough to ask forgiveness. And I hope that each of us has the same courage that the Church has had in recognizing its mistakes! ". "Nevertheless, - the Cardinal concludes - these errors do not deserve a criticism so fierce as to negatively influence the relationship between the faithful and the Church itself. [...] This is the point on which Pope Francis insists with greater strength and which asks all of us bishops to do". Survivors in Sicily, some of whom witnessed others perish, are integrating with locals and getting back in the sea. Messina, Italy Mory Jallow* can still hear the traffickers screaming insults at him as they pushed him and a group of fellow Gambian migrants onto a dinghy headed to Europe. It was a very cold night, and I was so paralysed [with fear] I couldnt speak with the other boys on the boat with me, Jallow said. By early morning, the water began pouring on board, and I was sure I was going to die at sea. He remembers fainting, then a hand out of the blue helping him board another ship. A voice told him in French that they were now headed to Sicily. A place I had never heard of. But I still couldnt speak, so I said nothing. A year after his arrival, the now-18-year-old lives with around two dozen teenage African boys at the Basilica di SantAntonio community in Messina, southern Italy. The teachers help us get through every step and teach us a lot. But its been hard, because even though Im not alone, I still miss my family every day, he said. According to Save the Children, 1,439 unaccompanied minors arrived in Italy in the first months of 2018. At arrival ports, I've met many traumatised migrants who, despite the horrible shipwreck experience, still strongly associated the idea of sea with a sense of humanity, brotherhood and altruism. Ester Russo, psychologist The small city of Messina, on the north-eastern tip of Sicily, Italys southernmost region, has welcomed hundreds since 2015, the beginning of the Mediterranean refugee crisis. Many are now guests of charitable Christian organisations, and local residents have extended their arms. Two years ago, teachers of the local Caio Duilio nautical high school held welcoming events. In December 2016, we did an open day for the boys of the SantAntonio community, to show them the school and encourage them to apply once their Italian was good enough to let them follow classes, said Giuseppe Pinci, a professional dive master and part-time swimming instructor at Caio Duilio. But the refugee boys were shocked to see activities in the sea mentioned among the schools main subjects. This gave the headteacher an idea. He soon launched Friendly Sea, a course aimed at the teenage group teaching first aid, sea rescue, diving skills and the principles of maritime laws, as well as organising meetings with the Italian coastguard. Pinci, the course leader, said he chose the sea rather than a swimming pool as a practise venue for its symbolic significance and psychological impact. On the first day, some didnt feel like fully dipping in the water and only came to watch the sea, he said. Others were braver and took a swim, but didnt immerse themselves below sea level. Teacher Giuseppe Pinci and a young refugee participant during a scuba-diving session to get familiar with the beauty beneath the Mediterraneans surface [Courtesy: Giuseppe Pinci] He divided participants into two groups: those whose only experience of the sea was a shipwreck and others who had to learn how to love it again. We needed them to be at the same level to get to the following stage together, as a compact group. Since the programme began in the summer of 2017, 14 migrant children have become regular students at Duilio. Jallow, part of the pilot diving class, is now in his final year at the nautical school. But he was sceptical at first. The sea would only remind him of his own tragedy. Today, I feel less scared. My hope is to be able, one day, to help other migrants like me to no longer be afraid, and save them from drowning, Jallow said. Ester Russo, a psychologist specialised in migrant mental health with experience of offering refugees first-aid services at Sicilian ports, said people who survive the sea crossing are often left with a distressing feeling of guilt, after seeing women and children die without having been able to help them. I think group activities with those sharing the same traumatic experience can offer some sort of mental relief. The symbolic choice of using the sea is also particularly meaningful, she said. At arrival ports, Ive met many traumatised migrants who, despite the horrible shipwreck experience, still strongly associated the idea of sea with a sense of humanity, brotherhood and altruism. In the sea, there are also people saving people, so its possible to help survivors identify the sea water with feelings of hope and resilience, later in the healing process. I could taste my own tears, as salty as the sea water that later slapped us all in the face during the crossing. Aissy Junior, refugee In a flashback, 17-year-old Aissy Junior remembers the sound of mothers crying mixing with smugglers making aggressive and loud demands. I could taste my own tears, as salty as the sea water that later slapped us all in the face during the crossing, he said. It took Junior two months to walk to Libya from his native Cameroon, then another month waiting at the docks of Tripolis port before being pushed on board a dinghy. He remembers suffering hunger and loneliness, despite being constantly surrounded by people. I come from a big family of six brothers, and Ive never felt more lonely in my entire life, he said. He has been fostered by Massimo Sigillo, a PE teacher at Caio Duilio who he met through the Friendly Sea course. I like that Massimo and his wife Silvana dont ask me questions about my Libyan nightmares, but patiently wait for me to open up whenever I feel [ready], Junior said. The swimming instructors didnt make him feel different from Italian kids, and he was excited to learn how to float and not swallow sea water, like he did during the crossing. Im still not as good as I want to be, but with practise, Im getting there. Im positive 2019 will be the year Ill overcome my fears once and for all, he said. Sigillo, Juniors legal guardian, said the boy was diagnosed at his arrival with depression. This had a big, negative impact on interpersonal relationships with his classmates. After a year of swimming classes, though, I notice a big difference. He trusts people more, but theres still a lot to do. Doesnt matter, weve got time, Sigillo said with a hopeful smile. Refugee minors get back in the water at Messinas main beach [Courtesy: Giuseppe Pinci] It is a delicate time for refugees attempting to live alongside Italians, many of whom after the new governments election last year have grown sceptical about welcoming migrants and rescuing them at sea. In 2016, Caterina Filippelli, a former professional water polo player, started a similar initiative to Friendly Sea. But some local residents, after watching the news on TV, complained about the presence of black foreigners, using racist and derogatory language. Shortly after, her project was not renewed. The young migrants enrolled in the Messina programme want to keep the project going, even if that means paying out their own pockets. Since I live in Messina, the sea has become my ally. I learned to swim and Im no longer scared. My goal is to become a lifeguard because I want to help other fellow black brothers escape from war and poverty, like me, said 19-year-old Hubert, who ran away from the Ivory Coast where his family couldnt afford to educate him. He said he saw his friend and travel companion die at the hands of a smuggler, and since that episode, he has pledged to help others recovering from similar experiences. As Pinci prepares the oxygen cylinders, overlooking the crystalline waters hitting Messinas shores, he talks about new plans for the course, such as adding a sailing module and lifeguard certifications. The sea can provide career opportunities, he says, and help the boys integrate within the poor local economy. Here the sea is mans best friend, he said. We need to gently encourage that friendship. Names marked with an asterisk* in this piece have been changed to protect the interviewees anonymity. Underprivileged students learn craft and try to overcome cinema industrys barriers such as nepotism and colourism. Mumbai, India Teena, a 22-year-old mother, arrives late to her acting class in Dharavi, Mumbai, apologising and wiping the sweat from her forehead. Her weekly, 10-hour round-trip from her home in Nashik to this acting school in the heart of Indias biggest slum, is something of a pilgrimage. Teena worships Bollywood, and is determined to be a star. I do it because I have a dream, she says, and I will do absolutely anything for it. The Dharavi acting schools founder and sole instructor the moustached Babarao Laadsaheb says Teenas dedication is shared by many. Mumbai is home to the worlds biggest film industry, and many Indians are devotees: stars houses are treated like temples, and some fans have even built shrines for their heroes. But the poor scarcely get a look in when it comes to starring roles: class and caste status, nepotism, fair skin, education, English language, and certain beauty ideals are at play. Nevertheless, Bollywood gives people hope, says Laadsaheb. People come to this city with nowhere to live, many live on footpaths in their pursuit of a career in cinema, he says. Laadsaheb opened his school 35 years ago and hasnt missed a days teaching since. At first, he didnt charge anyone a single rupee; now, only those who can afford the classes contribute, and he covers trips to castings himself. When I grow up, I want to play a gangster. Boys think girls are weak, but we're not. Manisha, 10-year-old actor His biggest box-office casting to-date was Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. For some in the community, the film has become something like folklore, making a big break feel tantalisingly within reach. Today, Laadsahebs one-room classroom above his own home, which he built himself, is a shrine to Bollywood. Over the years, every inch of wall space has been filled with film posters, actors faces, and photos of Laadsaheb with celebrities. The adults class begins with facial exercises; every student meticulously copying Laadsahebs expressions: elation, grief, shock. Teena is one of two women in a class of eight. Though Bollywood has always been male-dominated, Laadsaheb says it increasingly represents an important source of opportunity and independence for women. There are a lot more heroine-oriented films, he says, and women are also getting work behind the camera. I feel happy when I have an audience, Teena says after class, when people like me, when they give me recognition and appreciation. Manisha leads a dance class. When I grow up I want to play a gangster, Manisha says. Boys think girls are weak, but were not. [Gayeti Singh/Al Jazeera] Teena married at 16 out of material need; in the wake of her mothers death and enduring domestic violence, she had been fending for herself for years. Her young family barely has enough money to get by, but Teena can attend the acting school for free. Lots of people tell me Im wasting my time, they even tell me that Im ruining my life. I feel that if I make something of myself, my family will have something to hold onto. Weve had such a tough life, I want us to have pride. She also hopes that if she becomes famous, her sister, who went missing after their mother left her father, may get in touch. Garbage in the alleys of the slum. Two signs advertise acting classes, and a poster features Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan [Gayeti Singh/Al Jazeera] Laadsaheb tells the students, If you have talent, you have everything. Teena has learned that isnt always the case. I know Ill never get a heroine role because I know a heroine has to look a certain way, she says, No one has to spell it out. Leading ladies in Bollywood are often tall and slim, with fair skin and long, straight hair. They are also almost always from wealthy families. In six years of lessons and many auditions, Teena hasnt gotten any work. Experience has made me think that even if I give my best performance I will not be selected, she says, They see my face and they make up their mind. I feel women are stronger actors and I want to play lead roles. Radhakumari, aspiring actor The other woman in todays acting class is Radhakumari. The 18-year-old has attended the school for six months. Although there are traditional, conservative mindsets, in her village, she has her familys support. They cover her 600 rupee-a-month fee ($8.70). My father told me to ignore what others say to hone my talent and to show it off, she says. Initially, I was scared that if I dont make it, Ive wasted time and money. But that feeling was quickly replaced by confidence, because I have my familys encouragement. Months after joining the Dharavi school, Radhakumari landed her first job, dancing at a film premiere. I feel women are stronger actors and I want to play lead roles. Radhakumari, 18, has already secured an acting role [Gayeti Singh/Al Jazeera] But Laadsaheb says Bollywood roles do not have to be the end goal. He takes students to castings for Netflix productions and one of his child students recently secured some work. Ten-year-old Manisha whispers to her friends: These journalists are here to talk to me because of Netflix. She says she never thought shed be an actress, but now, I think Ill be famous. Manisha has been cast in an upcoming series that looks at caste dynamics in a dystopian near-future. In real life, her five-person family lives in a 2.5-by-1.25-metre room, says her mother, who is investing the 80,000-rupee ($1,150) Netflix fee for five weeks work in Manishas education. I had never seen, or even imagined such big cameras and lights, or such a big hotel, says Manisha. She is giddy about her newfound taste of celebrity. Does the whole world watch Netflix? she asks. I thought it was only in Mumbai! Manisha says the Dharavi acting school treats girls and boys equally, and doesnt feel confined to a future playing traditional female roles. When I grow up, I want to play a gangster, she says, Boys think girls are weak, but were not. The film industrys obsession with conventional beauty standards hasnt passed the 10-year-old by, though. Heroines are thin, she says. I dont eat because I want to stay thin. As Manisha picks at her lunch, Laadsahebs wife, Maya Narain Lad, says, If [Manisha] gets lucky, she can leave the slum, otherwise shes stuck here. I do it because I have a dream, Teena says about acting classes [Gayeti Singh/Al Jazeera] The children who starred in Slumdog Millionaire, who played slum residents, for the most part, remained slum residents themselves with one even losing her film awards in a fire. As the school closes for the day, Rekha arrives to collect her five daughters. She hopes the school will give them a chance at a life beyond the ordinary. Their fate isnt to get married and sit at home, they should get ahead in life, stand on their own two feet, she says. For Teena, this hope is enduring. Im crazy about this dream, she says, and shell persist even if theres a tiny chance of a career in Bollywood. Israels apartheid is not that different from the one South Africa used to have, both in terms of policy and brutality. Apartheid is alive and well and thriving in occupied Palestine. Palestinians know this. South Africans know this. Many Israelis have accepted this as part of their political debate. Americans are coming to terms with this, with new voices in Congress and NGOs like Jewish Voice for Peace unafraid of speaking this truth. Only in Europe is there a steadfast denial of Israeli apartheid over Palestinians despite overwhelming evidence underlining it. Israels restrictions on freedom of movement in the occupied Palestinian territory are a resurrection of South Africas hated pass laws, which criminalised black South Africans without a permit or pass to be in a white city. Israels policy of forcible population removals and destruction of homes resembles the relocation of black people from areas zoned for exclusive white occupation in apartheid South Africa. The Israeli security forces engage in torture and brutality exceeding the worst practices of the South African security apparatus. And the humiliation of black people that was a feature of apartheid in South Africa is replicated in occupied Palestine. Racist rhetoric in the Israeli public debate offends even those familiar with the language of apartheid South Africa. The crude racist advertising that characterised campaigning in Israels recent elections was unknown in South Africa. Of course, there are differences that arise from the different histories, religions, geography and demography, but both cases fit the universal definition of apartheid. In international law, apartheid is a state-sanctioned regime of institutionalised and legalised racial discrimination and oppression by one hegemonic racial group against another. In some respects, apartheid in South Africa was worse. In some respects, Israeli apartheid in occupied Palestine is worse. Certainly, Israels enforcement of apartheid in occupied Palestine is more militaristic and more brutal. Apartheid South Africa never blockaded a black community and methodically killed protesters as Israel is currently doing along its fence with Gaza. These facts are well known. No one who follows the news can claim to be ignorant of the repression inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation army and Jewish settlers. It is common knowledge that the different legal systems for settlers and Palestinians have created a regime of separate and grossly unequal legal statuses. Why then do Europeans consistently deny the existence of apartheid in occupied Palestine? Why is it business as usual with Israel? Why is Eurovision to be held in Tel Aviv? Why does Europe sell arms to Israel; trade with it, even with its illegal settlements; maintain cultural and educational ties? Why is Israel not subjected to the kind of ostracism that was applied to South Africa and complicit white South African institutions? Why were sanctions against apartheid South Africa welcomed while European governments take steps to criminalise the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to secure freedom, justice and equal rights for Palestinians? There are three explanations for this conundrum. First, pro-Israeli lobbies in many European countries are as effective as their US counterparts without the same degree of visibility. Second, there is Holocaust guilt. The policies of some countries towards Israel, such as the Netherlands, are still determined by guilt stemming from the failure to have done more to save Jews during World War II. Third, and most important of all, there is the fear of being labelled anti-Semitic. Encouraged and manipulated by Israel and Israeli lobbies, the concept of anti-Semitism has been expanded to cover not only hatred of Jews but criticism of Israeli apartheid. In the case of South Africa, President PW Botha was hated because he applied apartheid and not because he was an Afrikaner. It would seem obvious that in the same way many hate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because he enforces apartheid and not because he is a Jew. But this distinction is increasingly blurred in Europe. To criticise the government of Israel for applying apartheid is seen as anti-Semitism. And so it becomes dangerous and unwise to criticise Israel. In Europe, criticism of apartheid in South Africa was a popular cause. The Anti-Apartheid Movement, which lobbied for the boycott of South African exports, trade, sport, artists and academics was encouraged and subjected to no restrictions. Governments imposed different kinds of sanctions, including an arms embargo. Public protests against apartheid were a regular feature of university life. Criticism of Israels discriminatory and repressive policies, on the other hand, can result in one being labelled anti-Semitic with serious consequences for ones career and social life. Consequently, there are fewer protests against Israeli apartheid on European campuses and less popular support for BDS. Public figures who criticise Israel are attacked as anti-Semites, as evidenced by the witch-hunt against members of the British Labour Party. Until Europeans have the courage to distinguish criticism of Israel for applying apartheid from real anti-Semitism that is, hatred of Jews apartheid will continue to flourish in occupied Palestine, with the direct complicity of Europe. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. After battering Afghanistan and Pakistan, deadly storms rage across the north of India. Torrential rains and thunderstorms have killed at least 32 people in northwest India. The central state of Madhya Pradesh registered 16 deaths, followed by 10 in Gujarat and six in Rajasthan, according to the news site Indian Express. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply anguished by the loss of lives. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Authorities are monitoring the situation very closely. All possible assistance is being given to those affected, he said in a tweet. The storms struck at a time of year which is normally predominantly dry across the region, but the weather system dragged in moisture from the Arabian Sea, creating violent thunderstorms. The severe weather affecting India is the same system which also caused widespread damage in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The flooding in Afghanistan killed at least five people and injured 17 others, while several homes were destroyed and livestock washed away. In Pakistan, at least 14 people were killed by the storms. Weather warnings are still in force across north India on Wednesday, with winds of up to 70km per hour expected to accompany the thunderstorms. Eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states are expected to be the worst affected area. The system is expected to ease on Thursday, with the showers becoming increasingly confined to the northeast. Military arrests two of deposed rulers brothers as hundreds of doctors march in Khartoum for civilian-led transition. Sudans military rulers have arrested two brothers of deposed President Omar al-Bashir, as hundreds of people marched in the capital, Khartoum, calling for a swift handover of power to civilian leadership. Shams al-Din Kabashi, spokesman for the transitional military council, said on Wednesday that Abdullah and Abbas Hassan al-Bashir were taken into custody as part of a continuing campaign of arrests against symbols and leaders of the previous regime. The announcement came as sources said Sudanese authorities have transferred al-Bashir from house-arrest to the Kobar prison in northern Khartoum. A former Sudanese minister told The Associated Press news agency that al-Bashir, who was overthrown by the military following months of protests against his nearly 30-year rule, was moved to the maximum security prison late on Tuesday. A guard at the Kobar prison confirmed the move to Al Jazeera, saying: I saw President Omar al-Bashir being brought in [by] dozens of army officers. There was no official comment on the deposed leaders whereabouts. The military has said it would not extradite the deposed leader to the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and genocide in the region of Darfur, but would instead put him on trial at home. Meanwhile, hundreds of people joined a march by doctors and health workers towards a days-long sit-in outside the army headquarters, which has become the epicentre of Sudans popular uprising. Many wore white coats, waved Sudanese flags and chanted: Freedom, peace, justice and the revolution is the peoples choice. Journalists also held a separate rally in Khartoum calling for press freedom. Our revolution could be stolen Aya Abdel Aziz, a 22-year-old medical student, said she decided to join the march, which started from the University of Khartoum, to press for womens rights as well as the handover of power to the people. Our demand is that women have representation in the transitional civilian council, she told the AP news agency. Sudanese demonstrators chant slogans and wave Sudanese flags as they protest in front of the Defence Ministry in Khartoum [Umit Bektas/Reuters] Khalid Mohamed, a medic, told the AFP news agency: We got Bashir out, but we still have to get rid of the regime. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which has spearheaded the protests, called on the military council to immediately hand over power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. The group fears that the army, dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. At the sit-in, Fadia Khalaf, a protester, told the AFP she would stay at the area until our demands are met. We faced tear gas, many of us were jailed. We have been shot and many have died. All this because we said what we wanted to Now, we fear that our revolution could be stolen, which is why we are keeping our ground here. We are staying here until our demands are met. The military council has made some concessions to protesters, including the removal of the countrys three-highest ranking public prosecutors, and the appointment of a new intelligence chief. It has also invited protest organisers and political parties to decide on a civilian prime minister, but said it would hold on to the interior and defence ministries. The political parties and movements behind the protests on Wednesday handed in a plan for the formation of a joint transitional council, according to Taha Osman, a member of SPA. Western powers have backed the protesters demands for a civilian administration, while the African Union called for the military to transfer power to a civilian-led body within 15 days or risk Sudan being suspended from the regional bloc. Sudanese protesters chant slogans and flash victory signs as they continue to protest outside the army complex in Khartoum [Ozan Kose/AFP] Tim Murthi at South Africas Institute for Justice and Reconciliation said the AUs ultimatum would increase pressure on the military, which he said did not appear to have a clear strategy for the transition. They are currently grappling with options, he said from Cape Town, describing al-Bashirs reported transfer to prison as a delaying tactic. There is an internal battle going on to determine his fate and his future. And one doesnt know quite which faction has an upper hand, he said, adding: The African Union has a policy of noncooperation with the ICC. So that is not a concern for the council. Henry Okello Oryem, Ugandas deputy foreign minister, said his government can consider giving al-Bashir asylum if he wants it. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have thrown their weight behind the military. Ceasefire in Blue Nile, South Kordofan Also on Wednesday, Sudanese armed groups fighting government forces declared a unilateral, three-month ceasefire in areas under their control in the southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Abdelal-Aziz Adam al-Hilu, head of Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), said the ceasefire was a gesture of goodwill, aimed at giving the military a chance for a peaceful and quick transfer of power to civilians. Fighting in the Blue Nile state has been raging for years between al-Bashirs government forces and the armed groups, who were left on the northern side of the border after South Sudans independence. Salva Kiir, president of South Sudan, which seceded from Khartoum in 2011, offered on Wednesday to mediate the ongoing negotiations among the various groups in Sudan with the hope the new transition will usher in a new day. At the United Nations, Jeremiah Mamabolo, the joint UN-AU envoy in Darfur, said al-Bashirs overthrow has sparked violence in the vast western region of the country, between people displaced during its long conflict and other protesters. The violence included arson attacks on the premises of al-Bashirs security service and his partys offices, as well as houses of community leaders perceived to have collaborated with the previous regime, Mamabolo said on Wednesday. There was also violence in the Kalma camp, housing thousands of people who fled the fighting in Darfur and clashes between youth groups on Saturday led to the reported death of 15 displaced people, he said. Mohammed Amin contributed to this report from Khartoum Academic and activist alleges director of BDS-South Africa, Muhammed Desai, sexually harassed her and two others. Several Palestine solidarity organisations and activists have condemned the South Africa branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for its inaction in the face of sexual harassment allegations against its director. US academic Sang Hea Kil alleged that Muhammed Desai, cofounder and director of BDS-SA, sexually harassed her and two other women on March 21 while she was visiting Johannesburg to attend a conference on Palestine. BDS-SA is an NGO and affiliate of the BDS movement that advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israeli businesses, universities and artists. On behalf of the women, the conference organiser the American Middle East Diaspora (AMED) the Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC), and several of the attendees sent a list of demands to the board of BDS-SA in a letter on March 24. The demands included an urgent and unconditional apology from Desai, the launch of a commission of inquiry into the allegations levelled against him, and the suspension of Desai from all positions and functions in BDS-SA until the investigation is completed. Kil and her supporters said little has been done in response to the accusations, leaving them disappointed but adamant to take further action. Feelings from the group are that the complainants are not being taken seriously and that there is no desire from the board of BDS-SA to deal with the issue seriously, Mahlatse Mpya, AMECs media coordinator, told Al Jazeera. 170110165203991 Mpya said Desai has since continued his work at BDS-SA, speaking at a rally outside the US consulate and participating in a meeting with former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda on April 6, as shown in a BDS-SA statement. Kil, an associate professor in justice studies at San Jose State University in California, said BDS-SA has not contacted her and to her knowledge has not taken steps to investigate Desai. Desai sexually harassed three women, including myself, in front of almost 10 witnesses in one night. There are no false allegations here, there are only three women who are seeking justice and want BDS-SA to change how their organisation and director treats women, Kil told Al Jazeera. The allegations come on the back of a shocking scandal that has hit the NGO sector in South Africa after an investigation by the Mail&Guardian into Doron Isaacs, founder of South African civil society organisation Equal Education, revealed a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation. Unwanted advances In a statement sent to BDS-SA on March 25, Kil detailed the events of March 21, saying she encountered Desai and another BDS-SA employee near a restaurant in Melville, Johannesburg. Several international delegates attending the Palestine conference had met there for dinner. According to Kil, Desai, who joined her table at the restaurant, repeatedly made unwanted physical advances, including squeezing her shoulders, despite Kils explicit rejection of his advances. There are no false allegations. There are only three women who are seeking justice and want BDS-SA to change how their organisation and director treats women. Sang Hea Kil, US scholar and activist At one point, Kil said she left the table in an attempt to get away from Desai, who, according to her, was drunk, loud and disruptive. She said Desai followed her outside and attempted more sloppy high-fives with me, and I realised at that point that this was his way to touch my body with the high-fives that I could not meet with my hand and that landed on my body. After returning, Kil said Desai placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her an unwanted massage. Kil said fellow scholar and activist Lara Sheehi intervened at one point by literally using her body to block Muhammed Desai from further molesting me. According to Sheehi, an American psychologist, while Desai was obnoxious and loud with everyone, he took a particular approach with Sang that was intrusive. She (Kil) told me on several instances that she was uncomfortable and on three occasions I helped her separate herself from him, Sheehi said. Despite their efforts, which included involving others, including Sheehis husband, to engage Desai, he kept pursuing Kil, she added. Confrontation After bringing the issue to the attention of the conference organisers, a meeting was arranged with BDS-SA on the evening of March 23, two days after the incident. The complainants and several individual delegates from the conference met Desai and two other BDS-SA board members. According to Kil, the three alleged victims confronted Desai, demanding an apology, but he brushed them off. He repeatedly took no personal responsibility for his actions in that meeting after hearing all three women tell him about what he did that night, said Kil. His lack of discourse or engagement was rather shocking. 190319113250948 Naeem Jeenah, executive director of AMEC and the main point of contact between the women and BDS-SA, confirmed these details to Al Jazeera, adding the two other BDS-SA members promised to consult the board and respond. The response came on March 27 in a brief statement issued by BDS-SA noting the allegations against Desai. The statement was not sent directly to the women, nor their supporting organisations, according to AMEC. Criminal charges Kil said in her statement that following this she decided to file criminal charges with the South Africa police, having realised his intentions were to avoid responsibility for his behaviour. Kil listed the offences against Desai as indecent assault and sexual harassment. Desai issued a statement earlier this month denying the allegations. He said the docket was closed with the reason provided as false case, and he threatened to take legal action for the publication of what he described as libellous claims. The allegations made against me are baseless, contrived and defamatory. I, my family, friends, and close comrades have had to endure the brunt of these false allegations, he wrote. Kil responded by hiring legal representation. She said she has not received any contact from the police since filing the charges, and is unaware of where the case is at. Charlene May, a lawyer at the Womens Legal Centre and Kils legal representative, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday they have made inquiries with South African police to find out where the case is at. We certainly dont have any information to say that the case has been closed, nor do we have information to say that it has not been closed, May told Al Jazeera. Womens issues are Palestine issues In a second statement issued by BDS-SA on April 3, the organisation noted Desais denial of the allegations and reiterated his claim that the case had been closed by the authorities. Saying the group treat accusations of such very seriously, BDS-SA promised to initiate an independent investigation into the allegations on Monday to be concluded within a month, followed by a report. Al Jazeera approached Desai and members of the board of BDS-SA several times for comment on the accusations and investigation. No response was received by the time of publication. Several South African organisations and individuals, separate to those who worked with Kil to communicate her demands to BDS-SA, have since expressed concern over the issue. In a statement on April 4, the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy distanced itself from BDS-SA over the reports and called on the organisation to launch an investigation. We believe in the indivisibility of struggles. That is we believe that the struggle for womens human rights are not inferior to the struggle for Palestinian freedom, it said. A statement issued on April 8 on behalf several Palestine solidarity groups called on organisations with a commitment to Palestinian solidarity and gender justice to actively distance themselves from the position adopted by BDS-SA. They condemned the lack of a victim-centred approach and criticised BDS-SAs silence on the demand that Desai be suspended pending a full inquiry. Tunisian authorities have stopped more than 20 armed Europeans attempting to cross into the country from neighbouring Libya, officials said on Tuesday. An armed group consisting of 13 French nationals attempted to cross the border in 44 vehicles with diplomatic license plates at the Ras Jedir crossing on Sunday, said Defence Minister Abdelkareem Zubaidi. The group tried to enter Tunisia on Sunday under diplomatic cover, with arms and ammunition he said. According to the local Mosaique FM radio station, the group was denied entry into Tunisia after failing to disclose the entirety of its arms inventory. The French embassy in Tunis said the individuals were members of a security detail attached to the French diplomatic mission in Libya. [They were] members of the French protection team that provides security protection to the French ambassador for Libya. Given the current situation in Libya, one of the trips which the French embassy undertakes regularly between Tunis and Tripoli, was made by road, the embassy said, without mentioning any arms seized. It said the stop at the border was routine, and after an inventory of equipment, the detachment continued on its route. In a separate incident, Zubaidi said 11 people of different European nationalities had recently tried to enter Tunisian waters from Libya in two rubber life boats. The Tunisian navy confiscated their weapons and handed them over to the National Guard, Zubaidi said, without saying when exactly the incident had occurred. Foreign meddling Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed toppling of Gaddafi in 2011, has been split into rival eastern and western administrations since 2014. The renegade General Khalifa Haftar, who commands forces loyal to Libyas eastern-based government, launched an ambitious campaign in early April to capture Tripoli, where Libyas UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is based. Analysts say Haftars push on the capital threatens to further destabilise the oil-rich country and reignite a full-blown civil war. While France officially supports the Tripoli-based government, it has also provided Haftar with financial, military and intelligence support in recent years. Mustafa Fetouri, an independent Libyan academic based in Paris, cast doubt on the official French explanation for the border incident. This particular incident is very unclear. The French claim that it is the guard of the embassy in Tripoli, but the building itself is closed, there are no operations there. The French government only recently allowed its employees, including the aid services, to go back to Libya, he told Al Jazeera. It doesnt make sense to say they are the guards of the embassy. It also doesnt make sense to say they are actively involved with these operations helping Mr Haftar on the other side, because it would have been much safer for him just to take them to eastern Libya and they could fly out of the country from there. Two days after blaze engulfed landmark, many are grateful its stone structure stood firm and loss was not much greater. Paris, France As soon as clocks struck 6:50pm on Wednesday, more than 100 cathedrals across France rang their bells to mark the exact moment that Notre Dame, one of the countrys most iconic buildings, erupted in flames. Heard in the Sacre Coeur of Paris and Sainte-Marie-Majeure of Marseilles, it was a solemn but defiant tribute to a loss that brought temporary unity to a country struggling to reconcile its many political and social divisions. But the panic that sent thousands of Parisians and visitors rushing to the banks of the River Seine on Wednesday to watch the landmark burn, some bursting into tears or singing songs to keep spirits high, has gradually subsided. Even as the fire consumed the centuries-old cathedrals roof and spire, many were grateful that its stone structure stood firm and the loss was not much greater. Rebuilding efforts Authorities said the building was only minutes away from complete destruction, but the daring response of 400 firefighters made a vital difference, saving the cathedrals famous bell towers, its ornate stained-glass rose windows and many irreplaceable artistic and religious treasures. Since then, hundreds of millions of euros in pledges have flooded in from Frances wealthiest families and industrialists to finance the rebuilding efforts, while the government has said that returning the cathedral to its former glory will be a national priority. However, the remarkable speed of the fundraising effort has left some questioning whether French society values stone and cement more than its vulnerable. Of course its a tragedy, its a wonderful cathedral and very old, but all this money thats been given towards the rebuilding, would it not be better spent on people who are homeless? Jacques, an enthusiastic supporter of Frances anti-establishment yellow-vest movement, asked Al Jazeera. I think this money might be better spent, as a Catholic, helping people who need it. If all the cathedrals burn, Ill still be able to practise my religion. People gather along the banks of the River Seine on Friday [Charles Platiau/Reuters] On the south bank of the Seine, hordes of tourists on Friday vied for space to take photos of the Gothic masterpiece, prevented by a police cordon from getting any closer. The citys most popular destination for foreign visitors, drawing more than 12 million per year, has clearly not lost its charm. 190416171416498 Gazing from the Pont Saint-Michel at the cathedrals almost untouched facade with its bell towers gleaming in the spring sunshine, Marina Ressa said she regrets missing the opportunity to visit Notre Dame before disaster struck. We took a hop-on, hop-off bus and so we could see it, just the day before, said Ressa, a visitor from Ravensburg in Germany. No we didnt [go inside], thats a big pity. I was shocked. I couldnt really believe that it was happening at first, said Grace Ryan, whose hopes to visit Notre Dame were dashed as she watched the conflagration on TV shortly before flying from Chicago to Paris. It was crazy to see the fire falling into the building and just being worried the whole time that the whole thing was going to fall down. It was overwhelming Few countries in the world are more observant in their separation of church and state than France, where the concept of laicite the strict French secular separation of church and state is foundational to public life. 190416180505259 But Notre Dame holds an important place in the Catholic faith, to which almost a half of the French population subscribes, though many are not practising. The devastating fire took place just days before Easter Sunday, the most holy day in the Catholic calendar. Just a few minutes walk from Notre Dame, worshippers came and went from the 17th-century church of Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, which, like Notre Dame, has seen its share of war and revolution. It was overwhelming. I saw it from my own house [and] I could see the flames and the smoke coming out, Alain, a practising Catholic, told Al Jazeera on his way out from prayer. Especially during Easter, at this time of the year, for Catholics it could be a little harder and I think that its possible that this incident could reunite people it could increase faith among Catholics to see such an event, he told Al Jazeera. Alain said he often prayed in Notre Dame, and hoped it would open to worshippers during the renovations. [But] for me, there are so many churches in Paris, I can go elsewhere to practise my faith, so its not the end of the world. At least seven hospitalised after 650 Rohingya men refuse food at a detention centre in Jeddah, activists say. Scores of Rohingya detainees inside a Saudi detention centre have gone on a hunger strike for the third time in recent months, activists told Al Jazeera. Almost 650 men, most of whom have been kept at the Shumaisi detention centre in Jeddah since 2012 for not having valid documentation, started the strike on Saturday, Ro Nay San Lwin, campaign coordinator for the Free Rohingya Coalition, said. By Tuesday night, at least seven had been taken to hospital, he said, as the strike continued in 10 rooms at the detention camp. Footage secretly filmed by a detainee and sent to Lwin that was shared with Al Jazeera showed the Rohingya men lying on the floor. The immigration police are harassing them, saying if you carry on this hunger strike, we will not even give you water, Lwin said in a phone interview from Frankfurt, Germany. Ambia Perveen, vice chairman of the NGO European Rohingya Council (ERC), who has also received video via WhatsApp since Saturday, said the police have now taken away the prisoners blankets, pillows, shirts and other necessities. #Rohingya detainees inside Shumaisi detention centre in #Jeddah of #SaudiArabia have begun a hunger strike since last Saturday. These Rohingya detainees must be released on humanitarian grounds. Some of them are in detention for 7 years. https://t.co/VCoW8AaVvv@KingSalman pic.twitter.com/xaE3v13MUn Ro Nay San Lwin (@nslwin) April 16, 2019 Most of the Rohingya entered Saudi Arabia in 2012 following violence breaking out in Myanmars western Rakhine state, searching for a better life. Upon arrival, their fingerprints were registered under a different nationality as they carried fake passports obtained from brokers in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Lwin explained. Myanmar stripped the Muslim-majority Rohingya of their citizenship in 1982, rendering them stateless. Many of them entered Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage visas but overstayed to work. They were detained at various immigration checkpoints and during raids, according to activists. They didnt commit any crime, said Lwin. Their only crime is they didnt have the valid resident permit, which is why they were arrested. Trapped from every corner Muslim-majority Rohingya have faced persecution in Myanmar for decades. Since 2012, following deadly riots between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya, tens of thousands of people from the minority have been forced to live in squalid internment camps in neighbouring Bangladesh. Nearly one million Rohingya were forced to take shelter in Bangladesh after Myanmars army, responding to attacks by an armed group, launched a brutal campaign against the minority in Rakhine state in 2017. 190123061742432 Matthew Smith, a cofounder and chief executive of Fortify Rights, said the Saudi government is layering human rights abuses on to a community that is already experiencing genocide in Myanmar. Nobody should be detained for their immigration status and the Saudi authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all Rohingya that are in detention for immigration-related reasons, Smith told Al Jazeera by phone from Washington, DC. Since the start of this year, Saudi Arabia has forcibly deported dozens of Rohingya to Bangladesh some of whom have been detained upon arrival at the Dhaka airport. Lwin explained that embassy officials from four countries were brought to the Saudi detention centre, and only Bangladesh agreed to take the Rohingya detainees, even though they are not from there. ERCs Perveen said countries such as Saudi Arabia and India are indirectly helping Myanmar to wipe us out. Rights groups have slammed India, home to almost 40,000 Rohingya refugees, for handing them over to the Myanmar government following a Supreme Court ruling in October last year. These people [Rohingya] have not only faced genocide, but they are also going through post-traumatic stress disorder, Perveen told Al Jazeera in a phone interview from Hamburg, Germany. These countries are also part of genocide, they are helping Myanmar when they are taking such an action. They [Rohingyas] are facing the same thing they have been facing in Myanmar. They just want to work there, so they can support their family back in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Ro Nay San Lwin, Rohingya activist and blogger The military government, which took power following a coup in 1962, stripped the Rohingya of citizenship in 1982. Under the 1982 Citizenship Law, the Rohingya were not recognised as one of the countrys 135 ethnic groups, restricting their rights to study, work, travel, marry, vote, practise their religion and access health services. Rohingya people are trapped from every corner, said Perveen. We did not want to leave our country. We had no choice in the sense of security. We Rohingya are wounded enough morally, physically and financially. We are broken. Humanitarian grounds Saudi Arabia is home to more than 300,000 Rohingya, but according to activists and rights groups, the kingdom has stopped issuing residency permits to them in recent years. Smith said the Rohingya are facing other human rights challenges in Saudi Arabia in addition to the mass detention. We know that Rohingya women have been trafficked to Saudi Arabia and have been working essentially as indentured servants to families in Saudi Arabia and this has been going on for some time, he said. On Wednesday at Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh, family members of those detained urged the Saudi government and King Salman to release their loved ones. #Rohingya refugees in #Bangladesh appeal @KingSalman to release their sons and love ones from Shumaisi detention centre in #Jeddah, #SaudiArabia. At least 650 Rohingya detainees at Shumaisi have begun a hunger strike since Saturday and at least 6 or 7 hospitalized yesterday. pic.twitter.com/H3V0bHTZav Ro Nay San Lwin (@nslwin) April 17, 2019 Lwin said while legally nothing can be done to help the prisoners, Saudi Arabia should release them on humanitarian grounds. The main goal of the hunger strike is to get freedom, he said. They want to get released as soon as possible. They just want to work there so they can support their family back in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Follow Saba Aziz on Twitter: @saba_aziz Deposed leader Omar al-Bashir held under tight security in solitary confinement, family and prison sources tell Reuters. Sudans deposed President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar prison in the capital, Khartoum, family sources told Reuters news agency, but officials disputed the account. Citing a source at the prison on Wednesday, Reuters reported that al-Bashir was being held under tight security in solitary confinement since Tuesday. The ruling Transitional Military Council has yet to confirm the report. Al Jazeeraa Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said officials disputed the report that al-Bashir was being held in the prison. They said al-Bashir was being held in a safe place under house arrest until he is taken to court, Morgan reported. The protesters who are conducting a sit-in at the defence ministry in the capital say that they will not end their action until they see al-Bashir in court to be held to account for crimes committed when in power, she added. Theyre also saying they will not end their sit-in if the government does not hand over power to an independent civilian government. Kobar prison Witnesses said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Force outside the Kobar prison in north Khartoum. There are troops in vehicles mounted with machine-guns near the prison, a witness told AFP news agency. 190416103519144 Kobar prison was built by the British during the colonial period and is located on the east bank of the Blue Nile in a northern district of the capital where al-Bashir grew up. The area was previously known as Kobar, taking its name from the prison, but al-Bashir later changed the name to Omar al-Mukhtar after a hero of Libyas struggle against Italian colonial rule. The brick-built prison, which is surrounded by a high concrete wall, holds hundreds of inmates at any one time, many of them crammed in tiny cells. It has a special wing for political prisoners where several opposition leaders and activists were held during the four months of protests which led to al-Bashirs overthrow. The wing is run by the feared National Intelligence and Security Service rather than the police. Since his removal by the military last Thursday, al-Bashir had been detained under heavy guard in the presidential residence inside the compound that also houses the defence ministry, the family sources said. The military removed al-Bashir after months of protests against him that culminated in a sit-in outside the defence ministry compound that began on April 6. Protesters are still camping there demanding the end of deep-state. ICC warrants Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan since 1989, is facing arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the conflict in the western Darfur region. Meanwhile, Uganda said on Wednesday it would consider offering asylum to al-Bashir despite his indictment by the ICC. Uganda would not be apologetic at all for considering an application by al-Bashir, Okello Oryem, Ugandas state minister for foreign affairs, told Reuters. Oryem said al-Bashir had yet to contact Kampala for possible refuge, but added that there was no harm in considering the fallen Sudanese leader for political asylum. 190411150844806 There was no immediate comment from the ICC in The Hague. ICC member states, which include Uganda, are obligated to hand over indictees who enter their territory. Though al-Bashir is under ICC indictment for suspected genocide in Darfur, the military council in Khartoum has said it will not hand him over and instead may try him in Sudan. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has in the past criticised the ICC, describing it as a tool of Western justice against Africans, and he once vowed to mobilise African countries to pull out of the courts founding treaty. Relations between Sudan and Uganda, where Museveni has been in power since 1986, were frosty in the 1990s and early 2000s. Uganda accused al-Bashir-led Sudan at the time of supporting strongman Joseph Konys Lords Resistance Army (LRA), while Sudan alleged Uganda was offering assistance to an anti-Khartoum rebel group, the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA). The SPLA later led South Sudan to independence from Khartoum while the LRA, still undefeated but mostly dormant, is believed to be hiding out in a patch of jungle between the borders of Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After South Sudans independence in 2011, Museveni and al-Bashir gradually reconciled and have since jointly championed efforts to end fighting in the newest African country. Meanwhile, Sudans military council ordered the central bank to review financial transfers since April 1 and to seize suspect funds, state news agency SUNA reported on Wednesday. The TMC also ordered the suspension of the transfer of ownership of any shares until further notice and for any large or suspect transfers of shares or companies to be reported to authorities. US National Security Advisor Bolton announces new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries. The administration of United States President Donald Trump intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela on Wednesday, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries, whose leaders were dubbed the three stooges of socialism by US National Security Advisor John Bolton. The troika of tyranny Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua is beginning to crumble, Bolton said in a hard-hitting speech near Miami, Florida on the 58th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, in which the US attempted to overthrow the government of Cuba. Bolton announced a new cap on the amount of money that families in the US can send their relatives in Cuba. The administration of Barack Obama had lifted limits on remittances, but the new limit will be $1,000 per person per quarter, Bolton said. Remittances to Cuba from the US amounted to $3bn in 2016, according to the US State Department. Bolton said the US would also further restrict non-family travel by Americans to Cuba, though he offered no details. He cited military-owned Cuban airline Aerogaviota among the five names being added to the US sanctions blacklist. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday that no one could take the island away from Cubans. No one will rip the (fatherland) away from us, neither by seductions nor by force, Diaz-Canel tweeted. We Cubans do not surrender. Sanctions on Venezuela, Nicaragua Bolton also announced that the US was sanctioning the Central Bank of Venezuela, which the Trump administration says has been instrumental in propping up the embattled government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US backs opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president earlier this year, calling Maduros presidency illegitimate. Maduro, backed by Cuba, Turkey, Russia and China, accuses Guaido and the US of staging a coup. Bolton also announced sanctions against financial services provider Bancorp, which he claimed is a slush fund for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. 190123205835912 The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, and in Managua, Bolton said in South Florida, which is home to thousands of exiles and immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Bolton said Obama administration policies gave the Cuban government political cover to expand its malign influence across the region, including in Venezuela. Cuba has trained Venezuelan security forces to repress civilians and support Maduro, Bolton said. Havana continues to prop up Maduro and help him sustain the brutal suffering of the Venezuelan people, Bolton said. As President Trump has said, Maduro is quite simply a Cuban puppet.' Boltons pledge to never, ever abandon the people of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in their fight for freedom also might ring hollow in light of the historical events he sought to highlight at the event, which was hosted by the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. Many Cuban Americans to this day resent the late President John F Kennedy for not deploying American troops at a critical moment in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Lawsuits over properties seized by Cuba Meanwhile, with the high stakes of the Cold War a fading memory, some critics of US policy towards Venezuela worry that the Trump administrations stance that all options to remove Maduro, including a military one, are on the table is an empty threat that will only serve to ignite the streets and fuel geopolitical tensions with Russia, compounding the misery of Venezuelan citizens. 190417142211925 Honouring one of USs greatest military fiascos from 60 years back suggests US policy [toward] Latin America owes more now to a perverse Cold War nostalgia than practical benefits for people of the region, said Ivan Briscoe, the Latin American director for the International Crisis Group, a think-tank headquartered in Brussels. Bolton spoke just hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new policy that allows lawsuits against foreign firms that operate on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. The US has enforced a trade blockade against Cuba since the early 1960s. The move, announced in Washington, DC and strongly opposed by the European Union, comes at a moment of severe economic weakness for Cuba, which is struggling to find enough cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Pompeo said he wont renew a bar on litigation that has been in place for two decades, meaning that lawsuits can be filed starting on May 2, when the current suspension expires. The decision could cost dozens of Canadian and European companies tens of billions of dollars in compensation and interest. Egypt will hold a three-day referendum starting on Saturday over proposed constitutional changes that could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power until 2030. The ballot will run between April 20-22 and will also see voters decide on whether an upper parliamentary chamber should be created, Lasheen Ibrahim, the chairman of the National Election Authority, said in a statement on Wednesday. The announcement came a day after Egypts parliament passed the proposed amendments, signing off on potentially extending Sisis tenure until 2030 by permitting the general-turned-president to extend his current mandate by two years until 2024, and then stand for another six-year term. The 596-member assembly is packed with el-Sisi supporters, with 531 of the 554 legislators who attended the vote opting in favour of the constitutional changes. But critics have decried the proposals as another step back to authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising put an end to Hosni Mubaraks three-decade rule. Contempt for Egyptians rights Sisis government has been repeatedly criticised by human rights organisations for alleged repression of political opponents. In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International said the proposed constitutional amendments would facilitate the authorities crackdown on freedom of expression, association and assembly, erode peoples rights, and exacerbate the human rights crisis in the country. The decision to put these amendments to the constitution to a public referendum, amid the worst crackdown on freedom of expression and severe restrictions on political parties and independent media, demonstrates the Egyptian governments contempt for the rights of all people in Egypt, said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnestys deputy Middle East and North Africa director. Sisi himself won power in a 2014 ballot after leading a military coup the year before to depose his democratically elected predecessor, President Mohamed Morsi, of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement. The 64-year-old was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, in a ballot boycotted by large swaths of the countrys political opposition after several potential candidates dropped out citing intimidation or were arrested. Only one other candidate, himself an ardent Sisi supporter, opposed the incumbent. Mousa Mostafa Mousa had endorsed Sisi for a second term and even organised events to help nominate the former military commander up until a week before the nomination deadline. The election commission said last years vote was held according to the highest international standards of integrity and transparency, but rights groups including international NGO Human Rights Watch slammed the ballot as neither free nor fair. New president closed it several months ago as part of reforms. The administration of Ethiopias southeastern Somali regional state has announced plans to turn a recently closed prison into a museum. The Ogaden jail in the regional capital Jijiga was used for more than 10 years to systematically abuse and kill political dissidents, their relatives and other inmates. Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow reports. More than 200 people remain in jail, a year after protests against President Daniel Ortega. This week marks the anniversary of the start of a political crisis in Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega has led the crackdown on opposition protests with more than 300 people reported killed and tens of thousands displaced. The future of hundreds of people in jail is uncertain because negotiations between the government and the opposition have stalled. Al Jazeeras John Holman reports. The right-wing partys offer of citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants has drawn widespread protests in the state. Guwahati, Assam Three months ago, Jadav Das was among the men from the northeastern state of Assam who staged a naked protest in front of the parliament building in New Delhi. They stood, holding a banner that read, No citizenship on the basis of religion. Scrap the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2016, referring to the contentious bill pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. The bill that would grant citizenship rights to undocumented non-Muslim immigrants, sparked protests in the countrys northeast region that is home to a large immigrant population. Last year, nearly four million people were left out of the draft National Register of Citizens in Assam. But critics say that Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which runs the government both at the centre as well as in Assam state wants to amend the citizenship law to accommodate Hindu immigrants. 190110141421871 Das, who runs a cloth business in Narayanpur, a town in Lakhimpur district in upper Assam, said the protest was so effective that the bill could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of parliament). Theres no trace today of the anger that made him strip in the New Delhi winter. He is now an enthusiastic campaigner for the BJP. He left his organisation, the Anusuchit Jati Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJCP), which represents Dalit or Scheduled Caste students, and formally joined the Hindu nationalist party on April 6. We were brainwashed back then about the havoc of foreigners that CAB will wreak on Assam, Das told Al Jazeera. But Bhaskar Gogoi [a senior state BJP leader], explained how CAB will not affect our jaati [community], bhasha [language] and sanskriti [culture], he said. The contentious bill 190410185739389 The contentious bill, which is one of the main promises in the BJPs manifesto, seeks to provide citizenship through naturalisation to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists fleeing Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Assams indigenous population fear that the new bill will encourage more Hindu immigrants to come to India. Political observers believe the CAB may backfire on the BJP but a sizable section of Hindu immigrants will back the right-wing party. Bengali-origin Muslims, on the other hand, who form over one-third of the states 32 million population, have been dubbed infiltrators by supporters of the bill and more recently termites by the BJP National President Amit Shah. Activists and opposition leaders say that citizenship based on religion contravenes the 1985 Assam Accord aimed at restricting the entry of undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh. The Assam Accord was a culmination of a six-year-long state-wide agitation between 1979 and 1985 against immigrants, both Hindus and Muslims, who fled civil war in Bangladesh. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), once a powerful regional party born out of the anti-foreigner agitation of the 1970s and 1980s, recently walked out of a coalition government headed by the BJP in the state over the contentious bill. But it walked right back into the alliance within two months, for the national elections. The AGP is now straddling the seemingly contradictory positions of being both pro-BJP and anti-CAB even as it faces internal rebellion. One of the AGPs most senior leaders and former chief minister, Prafulla Mahanta, said that the alliance is important for the BJP, not the AGP. People believe only the AGP can protect them, not any other regional or national party as Shahs statement has proven. They cant trust the BJP, he told Al Jazeera. Conscientious voters During the agitations for the Assam accord, many of the AGPs leaders were young activists of the All Assam Students Union (AASU), which spearheaded the movement. The AASU is one of the strongest critics of the BJPs CAB and it wants all undocumented immigrants to be deported from the state, not just Muslims. Bengali speaking Hindus rally in favour of citizenship amendment bill [Makepeace Sitlhou/Al Jazeera] It led 70 civil society organisations against the citizenship bill earlier this year. Along with the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU), AASU activists have conducted door-to-door campaigns urging people to defeat the BJP and vote for parties opposed to the CAB. Speaking to Al Jazeera, AASU leader Samujal Bhattacharya said that the BJPs proposal that only Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians will be granted citizenship, dilutes clause five of the Assam Accord which says that all those who migrated after 1971 should be left out of the citizenship register. Bhattacharya insisted that basic life and livelihood issues would influence voter behaviour and contested the claim that this election is a referendum on the CAB. In [a] democracy, it is [the] peoples right to vote who they want but theyre also observing the situation minutely. If anyone plays politics with us, we know how to react, he said. The growth of the right-wing BJP in the state has coincided with increased attacks on Muslims in the state, the latest being the incident where a Muslim rice hotel owner in Assam was beaten by a mob for allegedly selling beef and was forced to eat pork. Conscientious voters will vote against CAB but many voters here are being bought over by the sea of money that BJP is pumping into this election, Dilower Hussain, Central Organisation Secretary of the AAMSU told Al Jazeera. But Bhaskar Papukan Gogoi, a BJP worker, rejected the allegation saying that meetings and discussions with local community leaders have helped clear apprehensions about the bill. Money may be able to buy one or two people but not the free-spirited people of Assam, he said. 190325064004315 The BJPs main rival in the state as well at the national level, the Indian National Congress, is looking to capitalise on the polarisation caused by the CAB to stage a revival in the state. The Congress, which held power in Assam until it was defeated by the BJP in 2016, is hoping its promise to scrap the CAB will earn it favour not just from the states sizable Muslim population but also indigenous groups that hold the Assam Accord to be sacrosanct. For Ujjwal Bhowmick, a pharmacist in the Bengali-dominated Maligaon area of Guwahati, all parties are capitalising on the fears and paranoia of different communities, whether Hindu Bengalis, Muslim Bengalis or Assamese. Its not like Congress is offering any concrete solution to the problem of foreigners in Assam, he told Al Jazeera. Attempts to secure votes in return for cash, electronic gadgets and even goats have been reported across Tamil Nadu. Indian election authorities have cancelled voting in a constituency in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after seizing more than 110 million rupees ($1.6m) they believe was meant to influence the outcome. It is the first time a ballot has been cancelled in a national election over attempted vote-buying, officials said on Wednesday. The decision comes as Indians vote in a mammoth national election being held over several phases. The next phase of voting is scheduled for Thursday. But voters in the Vellore constituency in coastal Tamil Nadu will not be going to the polls as scheduled after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ruled there were fears of a systematic design to influence voters. The ruling came after authorities seized more than 110 million rupees in cash from a candidate in the run-up to the vote. The ECI said late on Tuesday the environment in Vellore was no longer conducive to free and ethical elections. 190410185739389 No fresh date has been announced for polling in the constituency. Now, the second phase of polling will be held in 96 constituencies in 13 states on Thursday. The first round of polling in the seven-phase election was held on April 11. Almost 900 million voters are eligible to cast their votes to elect 543 members to the lower house of parliament the Lok Sabha. The counting of votes would be done on May 23. Attempts to secure votes in return for cash, liquor, electronic gadgets and even goats have been reported across Tamil Nadu in the run-up to voting. More than 1.3 billion rupees ($18.7m) cash and one tonne of gold worth about $43m has been seized in the state since the polling dates were announced on March 10. Polling deferred in Tripura Elsewhere in the country, polling was delayed by five days for one constituency in the northeastern state of Tripura over security fears. Polls will be held there on April 23 instead of Thursday. Voting for the Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat will be held in the third phase of polling, scheduled on April 23, the ECI announced on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in the countrys east, the famed Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed has been forced to leave India after he was found campaigning for a candidate from the opposition Congress party, officials at the BangladeshHigh Commission in Kolkata said. On Monday, April 15, the United States handed over to the members of the Club of Friends of Western Sahara a copy of the first version of the draft resolution on the Sahara, to be submitted to the UN Security Council for approval at the end of April. The Club of Friends of Western Sahara includes four permanent members of the Security Council, namely the United States, France, Great Britain, and Russia in addition to Spain. Once consultations are concluded between the Sahara Friends, the draft resolution will be submitted to the other members of the Security Council. Washington has reportedly proposed in the text that it drafted an extension of the MINURSO mandate for six additional months, while France wishes to give more time to the parties to the conflict to engage in the talks without pressure, deeming an extension of the mandate for one year more adequate. The French diplomats justify their request by the fact that the context that prevailed during the adoption on November 1, 2018, of MINURSOs mandate for six months, has evolved with the holding of two round tables in Geneva in December 2018 and in March 2019. Actually, the parties to the conflict (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Polisario) resumed contact at the round tables, convened by the personal envoy of the UNSC for the Sahara, Horst Kohler. The November resolution extending the MINURSO mandate for six months instead of one year was adopted with 12 votes in favor and three abstentions (Bolivia, Russia and Ethiopia), while Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, pleaded for a one-year term. The US, usual penholder of resolutions on the Sahara, had insisted on a six-month extension only to encourage the parties to the conflict to find quickly common ground for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the territorial dispute over the Sahara. Pending the deadline of April 29 for the adoption of the new resolution, negotiations are going on in New York, especially between the United States and France, to agree on the final version of the resolution. PM Abdul Mahdis trip comes after Riyadh reopened its consulate in Baghdad and announced $1bn in aid for Iraq. Saudi Arabias King Salman welcomed the Iraqi prime minister on his first official visit to the kingdom, as the two oil-producing giants move towards closer diplomatic and economic ties after nearly three decades of uneasy relations. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdis visit on Wednesday came two weeks after Saudi Arabia reopened its consulate in Baghdad for the first time in nearly 30 years. The opening was accompanied with the announcement of a one billion dollar aid package for Iraq. Abdul Mahdi went to Riyadh with a large delegation, including officials and businessmen, with trade billed as a prime focus of the discussions between OPECs two largest oil producers. 190409135057246 His office said the leaders signed 13 agreements in areas such as trade, energy and political cooperation. The countries have historically been at loggerheads since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, but Riyadh has wooed Baghdad as part of an effort to stem the growing influence of Iran. During his visit to Tehran earlier this month, Abdul Mahdi met President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Many of Iraqs leaders, from its Shia majority, have close ties with Iran, the main Shia power in the Middle East. Abdel Mahdi, named prime minister last October, has said Iraq now wants good relations with both Iran and the United States. The US reimposed tough sanctions on Tehrans energy and finance sectors last year. But Washington has granted Baghdad several temporary exemptions to allow it to continue importing Iranian gas and electricity, crucial to Iraqs faltering power sector. Five people, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed in the building, with 13 others wounded by the 42 year old. A South Korean man set his apartment on fire before stabbing fleeing residents with a knife, killing five people and injuring 13 others. The 42 year old set fire to his apartment in the southeastern city of Jinju, about 435 kilometres southeast of Seoul, at around 4:29am local time on Tuesday (19:30 GMT). He then attacked residents as they attempted to flee the building, news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday citing local police. Five people, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed in the buildings stairwell, Yonhap added. According to witnesses, he shouted fire to force neighbours out of their apartments. The man, who was arrested at the scene after a brief confrontation with police, reportedly said he committed the crimes out of grievances about his overdue wages. The fire was extinguished 20 minutes later. Korea Times reported that the man is said to be a recipient of government support for the underprivileged. The death toll could increase, according to the police, as some of the injured were in critical condition. William Barr says hell be redacting four types of information. Heres a look at whats likely to be left out. US Attorney General William Barr plans to release a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Muellers report on the inquiry into Russias role in the 2016 US election on Thursday the keyword being redacted. The Democrats demands for a full, unredacted version of Muellers report are likely to prompt a political and legal battle that could last for months, if not much longer. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas very quickly for the full report on Russia and Donald Trumps presidential campaign if it is released with blacked-out sections. And that would set the legal fight in motion. Barr has said he is redacting four types of information from the report. Congressional Democrats cite precedent from previous investigations in saying they want to see it all. But some Republicans defending Barr are also citing precedent, saying it is appropriate to keep at least some of the information from Congress and the public. Heres a look at whats likely to be withheld, and why Democrats say the full report should be released. Grand jury investigation Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are free to go to court themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so. 190415160713190 Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned. Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding. But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they dont need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials. Classified information Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different. Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for all materials, regardless of form or classification. 190401145753073 In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team. Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here, Schiff said on CNN this month. Ongoing probes Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that is still under way. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, New York and Virginia. Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Muellers own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump. 190330063518669 Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Derogatory information The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinised in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties. Asked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. No, Im talking about people in private life, not public officeholders, Barr said. That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Muellers investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr, who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted. 190330063518669 The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clintons email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasnt charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signalled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently. If youre not going to indict someone, then you dont stand up there and unload negative information about the person, Barr said. Thats not the way the Department of Justice does business US politicians decry Trumps decision to veto bill that would have ended US involvement in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen. Washington, DC Members of the United States Congress criticised President Donald Trumps veto of a resolution that would have ended US military support for the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, calling it a missed opportunity. From a president elected on the promise of putting a stop to our endless wars, this veto is a painful missed opportunity, said Democrat Ro Khanna, who was the lead sponsor of the bill in the US House of Representatives. This resolution nonetheless was a major win, Khanna said in a statement. It sends a clear signal to the Saudis that they need to lift their blockade and allow humanitarian assistance into Yemen if they care about their relationship with Congress. The Yemen War Powers Resolution was a bipartisan effort to promote an end to the worlds largest humanitarian crisis, Khanna said. The bill was supported by Democrats and some of the presidents Republican allies in Congress, including Senator Rand Paul and Representative Mark Meadows, among others. 190416234815258 The people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs, tweeted Senator Bernie Sanders, who was the lead sponsor of the bill in the US Senate. I am disappointed but not surprised that Trump has rejected the bipartisan resolution to end US involvement in the horrific war in Yemen. The House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. It was the first time in 47 years that Congress invoked its constitutional authority to try to stop US involvement in a foreign conflict. Trump vetoed the bill on Tuesday. Congress is unlikely to muster sufficient votes to override Trumps veto. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Trump said in a statement. Other bills Advocates for the Yemen resolution are likely to turn their attention now to legislation in the House that would ban further US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and a bill in the Senate that would also impose financial sanctions on individual Saudis. There are other bills that people will turn their attention to, said Medea Benjamin, cofounder of the CodePink peace advocacy group. Unfortunately, the war is not stopping. So, we will both be pushing to try to get an override of the veto as well as pushing these other vehicles, she told Al Jazeera. 190405063013151 Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, introduced legislation in January with bipartisan support that would stop all arms sales and US aid to Saudi Arabia. The bill is pending before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In the Senate, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has introduced a bill that calls for an end to the war in Yemen, and would impose financial and travel sanctions on individual Saudis. It is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Breaking point US politicians have grown uneasy with Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as his administration tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many legislators also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom. Khashoggi was murdered in October 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his wedding. US intelligence agencies have reportedly concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in his murder. Vetoing the measure is an effective green light for the war strategy that has created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis to continue, said International Rescue Committee (IRC) president and CEO David Miliband. 190411063847368 Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure. Since 2015, the US has provided the aerial refuelling of jets, reconnaissance, targeting and intelligence information to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in their campaign against the Houthi rebels who unseated the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. The UAE hailed the veto, adding that the decision is both timely and strategic. President Trumps assertion of support to the Arab Coalition in Yemen is a positive signal, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter early on Wednesday. Aid groups estimate that as many as 60,000 civilians have been killed in the war and as many as 85,000 children starved to death, with millions more one step away from famine. The fighting in the Arab worlds poorest country has also left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages. There are 22 million souls at risk of dying, of being killed. Maybe not of being shot, but being starved to death or dying from medical problems for which they can receive no medicines, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer previously told reporters. It is a humanitarian crisis. I would refer to it in even more draconian terms because I think its such a conscious effort by both sides to put these people at risk, he added. It is necessary for us to act. Shahzeb Jillani is charged with cyberterrorism for recent news coverage of enforced disappearances in the country. Islamabad, Pakistan A Pakistani court has extended the bail of a journalist accused of cyberterrorism for recent news coverage of enforced disappearances, in a case the rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed has been designed to intimidate and silence Pakistans journalists. Shahzeb Jillani, a journalist with local news channel Dunya News, appeared in a court in Karachi, Pakistans largest city, on Wednesday. The journalists bail has been extended until April 24, when the next hearing in the case will take place, he told Al Jazeera shortly after proceedings concluded. Jillani is accused by a viewer of articulating defamatory remarks against the respected institutions of Pakistan and has consequently been charged with cyberterrorism, according to a police report filed in the case. He is being charged under draconian electronic crimes law passed by Pakistans parliament in 2016, which rights activists say have been used to silence dissent by criminalising criticism of the state and its institutions, including the countrys powerful military. 160416063749547 On Tuesday, RSF said in a statement that Pakistani journalists are facing constant harassment by the authorities. Manipulating the laws We urge the court to dismiss these charges against Shahzeb Jillani because, from the legal viewpoint, the case is completely inadmissible, said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSFs Asia-Pacific desk. Via the all-powerful Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistans authorities are yet again manipulating the laws in order to silence a journalist who dared to cross a red line by criticising certain institutions. It is shocking to see how, little by little, case by case, the Pakistani security agencies are tightening their vice in order to intimidate the entire media profession into censoring themselves, he said. The RSF statement comes months after a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) investigation found the countrys powerful military quietly, but effectively, restricts reporting by barring access, encouraging self-censorship through direct and indirect acts of intimidation, and even allegedly instigating violence against reporters. The case centres on Jillanis coverage of the issue of enforced disappearances, wherein he accused Pakistani security forces of being involved in cases of illegal abduction and internment of prisoners, mostly terrorism suspects. A Pakistani government-mandated commission that investigates enforced disappearances currently has 2,178 cases pending before it, according to a February press release. Last year, an Al Jazeera investigation documented 22 cases of such disappearances, including cases linked to alleged terrorism, criticism of the state and other forms of dissent. Thousands of missing people have been traced by the commission as being in military custody in a network of internment centres where they can be held without charge indefinitely. Objections were also lodged about Jillanis criticism of the militarys alleged hand in political engineering during last years elections in Pakistan, which it has ruled directly for roughly half of its 71 years of independence. The case against Jillani was filed by Muhammad Iqbal Haider, a Karachi-based lawyer who has regularly filed petitions challenging civilian political leaders and political parties in the past. His repeated filing of petitions deemed to be frivolous saw him banned from entering the countrys Supreme Court for five years in 2017. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) admitted the complaint earlier this month, according to a case report. The investigating officer said Jillanis remarks on air and on social media site Twitter created a sense of fear, panic, insecurity in the Government institutions, general public and society. [Jillani] with the criminal intent and ulterior motives without any lawful justification spoke sarcastic, derogatory, disrespectful and defamatory language against [state institutions], wrote Akbar Khan Mahsood, the FIA official. Convenient tool Pakistani digital rights groups say the FIA has generally enforced the law to quell dissent and has not been fulfilling its legal obligations when reporting on the use and enforcement of the legislation. The cybercrime law, its use and misuse is a convenient tool now for harassment through legal instruments, said Farieha Aziz, cofounder of digital rights group Bolo Bhi. Such cases have their own nuisance value. Having a case against you means you must engage a lawyer, secure pre-arrest bail or if arrested then post-arrest and manoeuvre through the criminal justice system. Aziz called the case against Jillani particularly absurd as the remarks occurred on a television programme, a medium not covered by the electronic crimes act. In a stinging editorial on Wednesday, Pakistans leading English-language newspaper Dawn, which itself has been repeatedly targeted by authorities for coverage of the military and armed groups, said, The sword of Damocles looms over Pakistans independent press. The charge sheet [against Jillani] reads like quintessential McCarthyism; criticism is conflated with subversion, and unsubstantiated allegations of collusion with foreign agencies of enemy countries have been made with no corroborating evidence to support them, the editorial said. Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim. Garcia died in a hospital after shooting himself as police arrived at his house to arrest him amid corruption probe. Perus former President Alan Garcia died in a hospital in Lima on Wednesday after shooting himself as police arrived at his house to arrest him in connection with a bribery probe, authorities said. Garcia, who had repeatedly denied wrongdoing, was 69. President Martin Vizcarra said on Twitter that he was consternated by Garcias death, and sent his condolences to his family members. Judicial orders obtained by The Associated Press said an order for Garcias arrest had been issued. Garcia, a skilled orator who led Perus once-powerful Apra party for decades, governed Peru as a nationalist from 1985 to 1990 before remaking himself as a free-market proponent and winning a new five-year term in 2006. Garcia was under investigation in connection with Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, which triggered Latin Americas biggest corruption scandal when it admitted publicly in 2016 that it won lucrative contracts in the region with bribes. In November, he sought refuge in the Uruguayan embassy and applied for asylum but he left the next month after it was denied. Corruption has plagued Peruvian politics for decades. The countrys last five presidents have either been jailed on corruption charges or are currently under investigation for fraud. Former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was detained last week as part of a money-laundering probe into his ties to the Odebrecht. 190410131036273 Congressional allies of Kuczynski said he was also taken Tuesday night to a local clinic with high blood pressure. A Peruvian judge last week ordered Kuczynskis detention for 10 days as he investigates some $782,000 in previously undisclosed payments from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht more than a decade ago. A hearing is scheduled to take place later on Wednesday to decide whether to increase his detention to three years. Opposition leader Keiko Fujimori is also embroiled in an ongoing corruption investigation related to undeclared financial contributions to her 2011 presidential campaign. At least 29 people killed and 21 injured after bus overturned near the town of Canico. At least 29 people have been killed in a bus crash on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Televised images showed the bus had spun off the road, apparently having flipped several times, before crashing into a house at the bottom of a slope. The cause of the crash, which happened in daylight in the early evening on Wednesday, was not immediately clear. Filipe Sousa, the mayor of Santa Cruz, told broadcaster RTP3 that 17 women and 11 men were killed in the accident that happened at 6:30pm local time (1730 GMT). A doctor told reporters another woman died of her injuries in hospital. At least 21 others were wounded after the vehicle overturned near the town of Canico, Portugals TSF radio station and SIC television channel reported. The bus was reported to be carrying tourists, including many from Germany. Horrible news comes to us from Madeira, a German government spokesperson tweeted after the deadly crash. Our deep sorrow goes to all those who lost their lives in the bus accident, our thoughts are with the injured. At least 21 others were wounded after the vehicle overturned near the town of Canico [Reuters] Images on Portuguese media showed an overturned white bus surrounded by firefighters. SIC television said there were 19 ambulances at the scene. Portugals President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he would travel to Madeira overnight. I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people, Sousa told SIC television. I express the sorrow and solidarity of all the Portuguese people in this tragic moment, and especially for the families of the victims who I have been told were all German. Medical teams were being sent from Lisbon to help local staff carry out post-mortems on the dead. Often called the Pearl of the Atlantic, Madeira hosts thousands of tourists each year, attracted to its subtropical climate and rugged volcanic terrain. On Prisoners Day, relatives of detainees held in Israeli jails share their stories of struggle and hope. Ramallah, West Bank With a grin on her face, Samaher clutched onto the notebook. Of the few gifts that her husband, Nabil Masalmeh, was able to send from behind bars in Israel, it remains the closest to her heart. It took Nabil 22 days to ink his letters and compile them to his wife and two of their three children, Zaid, 21, and Beirut, 19. He wrote a page for each of them, Samaher told Al Jazeera. Poems customised with drawings of the childrens favourite cartoon characters, burning candles, and broken hearts were illustrations among the book Nabil shared with his family over a decade ago. In these heartfelt pages, none was dedicated to Karim, the couples youngest child born in 2014. Karim was conceived through a combination of sperm-smuggling and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Karim is the most precious gift Nabil gave me, Samaher said. I want them to remember me Three years into their marriage in 1996, Nabil was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his involvement in the killing of an Israeli soldier during the second Intifada. For the past 19 years, he has been pushing to remain a part of his childrens life. Sitting in the yard of their home in Beit Awwa, a town in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, Samaher recalled how she used to pick up Zaid and Beirut from school to visit their father every two weeks. He used to buy them ridiculous amounts of candy from the prison canteen so they wouldnt forget him, Samaher said. He used to say, I want them to remember me, to know they have a father this was his way to keep in touch with the children, she continued. But for five-year-old Karim, one-way visits were not enough. Karim is the most precious gift Nabil gave me, Samaher said [Nida Ibrahim/Al Jazeera] Karim often asks his father why he doesnt visit us back, Samaher explained. Im tired of visiting, my legs hurt, Karim would say. Why dont you come over? We have enough room for you to sleep, Samaher said her son would say. It is estimated that nearly one million Palestinians have been arrested at one point in their lives since the establishment of Israel and the subsequent occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to the most recent figures from the Palestinian Prisoners Commission, there are 5,700 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, 56 of whom have spent more than 20 consecutive years behind bars. About 560 are up against one or more life sentences. Fakhri al-Barghouthi has been released after spending 33 years in prison following the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoners swap deal between Israel and Hamas. In 1978, the 65-year-old was imprisoned for taking part in the killing of an Israeli soldier. Upon his detention, he left behind a nearly one-year-old baby and a pregnant wife. The only time Fakhri had a chance to know his two children, Hadi and Shadi, was when they too served jail sentences alongside their father in 2004. They used to call me yaba [father], but I didnt respond. I simply wasnt used to it, Fakhri told Al Jazeera. Fakhri said he was treating his children as friends, but is trying to be more of a father figure to his grandchildren. To remain present in the lives of their loved ones while being absent is an uphill battle for most prisoners, especially when Israel bans many of their family members from regularly visiting. To remain present in public life is proving to be more difficult. Incompetent leadership Rashida al-Qubaisi from the West Bank village of Abwein in Ramallah city has been regularly attending a weekly sit-in. Her protest, which she has been staging outside ICRCs offices since 2002, is to demand her son Majdis release from an Israeli prison. On Tuesday, she was one of the three prisoners mothers to show up. No one feels our pain. Were on our own, Rashida, whose son is serving a 19-year jail sentence, told Al Jazeera. She speaks proudly of her sons academic achievements. Despite not being able to continue his studies for a degree in computer science at Birzeit University, Majdi studied literature and has been teaching English to fellow prisoners. My heart gets heavy when I see his friends and their children moving on with their lives and think about him stuck [in prison] as time passes him by, Rashida said. He is not wasting his life for me, he sacrificed for the [Palestinian] cause, she added. The number of Palestinians taking part in protests in solidarity with prisoners have dwindled over the past years, adding to the families feeling of abandonment. Experts have attributed the decline to the structural change that came about after the signing of the Oslo accords in the early 1990s. Under Oslo, there was a shift from Palestinian struggle being a project centred around national liberation, towards a project that became more centred around state building, Linda Tabar, director of the Center for Development Studies at Birzeit University in Ramallah, told Al Jazeera. As a consequence, prisoners no longer led the struggle. Prisoners families became objects of providing services and aid to, as opposed to being dealt with as a fundamental collective issue around which there was popular mobilisation and support, Tabar said. Dozens of protesters have been turning up in recent years to protests called for by PLO factions and prisoner support groups. But sometimes even prisoners families dont show up to the protests, Fakhri said. This is because many have lost faith in the political establishment, and thus have lost hope for change to come about. The faces of officials at these protests remain the same, the slogans are the same and speeches are the same. People lost trust in their leadership, Fakhri said. The Palestinian intra-division lies at the heart of the despair, Fakhri explained. More than a decade since the Fatah-Hamas split and countless attempts to reconciliation, Fatah the ruling party in the West Bank and Hamas the de facto authority in Gaza seem further away to bridge the gap than ever. This does not mean that people stopped caring about the national cause or that of the prisoners. There is a more individualistic approach, Tabar explained. The will is there, but were lacking structures, she said. Palestinians and supporters around the world mark April 17 as a day of solidarity with political prisoners in Israeli jails. Palestinians are marking Prisoners Day to honour the thousands of men, women and children held as political prisoners in Israel. But the families of jailed Palestinians have been especially hard hit by a dispute over prisoners payments, even as the US aid cut has worsened the financial crisis for many there. Al Jazeeras Nida Ibrahim reports from the occupied West Bank. The G20 was formed in 1999 to discuss policy matters and global financial stability. Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders summit on November 21-22, 2020, in its capital, Riyadh, the Saudi press agency (SPA) said. Saudi Arabia is fully committed to the G20s objectives and to the stability and prosperity of the international economic system, it reported on Wednesday. The G20 is made up of 19 of the worlds biggest economies, as well as the European Union. It formed in 1999 to discuss policy matters and financial stability. Japan will host this years G20 summit in Osaka, which will be held June 28-29, as well as ministerial meetings in eight cities. In 2018, the conference was held in Buenos Aries, Argentina and focused on the global economy, the future of labour markets and gender equality. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans appearance at the summit also prompted some protests over the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25 say they are trapped and in danger after fleeing Saudi Arabia. Two Saudi sisters are pleading for asylum, saying they are trapped in the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country. This is the latest case of runaways from the conservative kingdom, posting appeals on social media. Using a newly-created Twitter account called GeorgiaSisters, they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. In a video posted on Twitter, Maha says: We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights. The sisters claim they fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia is too week [sic] to protect us and say they are in danger. They say their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them. They have posted photos of themselves on Twitter so that if something happened to us people would remember us. The Twitter account has since been made private and the tweets are not publicly accessible. They asked for protection from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). They say the Saudi government has suspended their passports, trapping them in Georgia. Saudi sisters Maha and Wafa are stranded in Georgia. They are being followed and threatened by their family and Saudi officials. They need help getting somewhere safe. https://t.co/Brxp2uHRe0 MS SFF (@MsSaffaa) April 17, 2019 Last month, two Saudi sisters fleeing their family in Saudi Arabia secured emergency visas after hiding for months in Hong Kong, according to their lawyer. The young women, who go by the aliases Reem and Rawan, left Hong Kong for a new country of residence, which has not been named. Lawyer Michael Vidler said in a statement that the sisters, aged 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. The sisters say they were escaping alleged abuse by their male relatives, according to Amnesty International. They claim they escaped while on a family trip in Sri Lanka, intending to seek asylum in Australia but were intercepted at Hong Kong airport by Saudi officials and subsequently went into hiding. In January, 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed (formerly al-Qunun), was granted asylum in Canada after using Twitter to garner worldwide attention for her escape from a hotel room in Bangkok. Mohammed dropped her family name of al-Qunun on January 15 after her family disowned her for running away. A court official informed some of the womens relatives that the session would not take place on Wednesday as expected. A Saudi court has postponed a fourth hearing in the trial of several women rights activists, a case that has intensified Western criticism of Saudi Arabia. A court official informed some of the womens relatives that the session would not take place as expected on Wednesday, citing the judges private reasons. He could not provide a new date. ALQST, a human rights organisation that promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia, also confirmed the delay. We learn that the #WomensRightsDefenders trial did not take place today, for reasons that are not known. #StandWithSaudiHeroes (@ALQST_ORG) April 17, 2019 The public prosecutor said last May that some of the women had been arrested on suspicion of harming Saudi interests and offering support to hostile elements abroad. Most of the 11 women on trial had campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the kingdoms male guardianship system. Three of them activist Aziza al-Yousef, blogger Eman al-Nafjan and preacher Rokaya al-Mohareb have been granted bail. In an apparent crackdown on the womens supporters earlier this month, Saudi authorities arrested at least nine writers and academics, including two US-Saudi dual nationals. Al-Yousefs son, Salah al-Haidar, is among the two Americans detained. Last Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had pressed Saudi Arabia a close US ally to release the US citizens. Crackdown The crackdown is the first since the brutal murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdoms human rights record. 181129113259702 People close to the Saudi establishment have warned that public criticism by family members could prolong the activists detention. At one emotionally charged court hearing, some women broke down as they accused interrogators of subjecting them to electric shocks, flogging and groping in detention, two people with access to the trial told AFP. A Saudi prosecutor roundly rejected the accusation, witnesses said, reiterating the governments stance. The government has said the detained women enjoy all rights afforded to them under Saudi law. Torture allegations The women on trial were arrested last May and branded as traitors. Five men arrested at the same time are not on trial. Rights groups say two of them have been released, but the status of the others is unclear. Another US-Saudi national, Walid al-Fitaihi, has been imprisoned since 2017 under Riyadhs anti-corruption campaign. His son told US senators last month al-Fitaihi had been tortured in detention, with the tactics including electric shocks and whipping. Loujain al-Hathlouls siblings, who have publicised her case in US media, say men describing themselves as close to the state had asked her parents to stop them from speaking out. We stayed silent for eight months. We thought that being silent would solve the issue, her brother Walid al-Hathloul told CNN. We found out at the end of the day that this made the case even worse and thats why were speaking out now. At the end of the day we didnt have any options but to speak out. Southern district of Abu Salim in the capital got shelled late on Tuesday, killing four and wounding at least 20. At least four people have been killed in heavy shelling in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Nearly two weeks into the assault to seize the city, Khalifa Haftars eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) is stuck in the citys southern outskirts battling armed groups loyal to the UN-recognised Tripoli government. But the southern district of Abu Salim got shelled late on Tuesday with explosions heard even in the city centre where life had been going on largely untouched by the violence in Libya. The artillery killed at least two people and wounded eight, Osama Ali, spokesman for a Tripoli emergency body, told Reuters news agency, without saying who was behind the shelling. Another official told Libya Al Ahrar TV channel four people were killed and 20 wounded. The district is located near the road to the old airport in southern Tripoli, which has changed hands several times since the fighting started. Abu Salim lies north of forces loyal to the Tripoli government seeking to stop the LNA troops coming from the south. Forces allied to Tripoli have accused the LNA of firing rockets into residential areas, but the LNA said in a statement it had nothing to with the shelling, accusing a Tripoli-based group instead . Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said it was not the first time Haftars forces targeted civilian areas. Many people here are also wondering why the international community is not putting pressure on Haftar to stop the escalation in and around the capital Tripoli, he said. Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed toppling of Gaddafi in 2011, has been split into rival eastern and western administrations since 2014. In March 2016, Government of National Accord (GNA) chief Fayez al-Sarraj arrived in Tripoli to set up a new government, but the Haftar-allied administration in the eastern city of Tobruk refused to recognise its authority. Haftars push on the capital threatens to further destabilise the oil-rich country and reignite a full-blown civil war. Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians. At least 174 people have been killed and 756 wounded since the LNA started its offensive on April 4, according to the World Health Organization. It says it has deployed additional surgical staff to support hospitals receiving trauma cases. As the rockets fell on Tuesday, UN Security Council diplomats began negotiations on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text, seen by AFP news agency, warns that the offensive by Haftars LNA threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis. The council demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the situation, commit to a ceasefire, and engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities throughout Libya, the draft says. Congress had earlier voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop US involvement in a foreign conflict. President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill Congress passed to end United States military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop US involvement in a foreign conflict. But Trump vetoed the measure on Wednesday with the Congress lacking the votes to override him. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, said Trump in a statement. House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington DC, said at least two Democratic congressmen were calling to override the veto. Members of the Congress are also angry that the Trump administration is continuing with the pattern of never-ending war around the world without getting the express permission of the Congress first. The question now, can the Congress figure out how to reverse the veto and have this resolution take effect in a couple of weeks time, she said. Saudi-UAE coalition have launched more than 19,000 air raids across Yemen [File: Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters] The UAE hails the veto Congress has grown uneasy with Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many legislators also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in his murder. Vetoing the measure is an effective green light for the war strategy that has created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis to continue, said International Rescue Committee (IRC) president and CEO David Miliband. Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure. The US provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Since 2015, the US has provided the aerial refuelling of jets, reconnaissance, targeting and intelligence information to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in their campaign against the Houthi rebels who unseated the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. The UAE has hailed the veto, adding that the decision is both timely and strategic. President Trumps assertion of support to the Arab Coalition in Yemen is a positive signal, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter early on Wednesday. Aid groups estimate as many as 85,000 children starved to death [File: Hani Mohammed/AP Photo] Humanitarian crisis Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab governments have launched more than 19,000 air raids across Yemen. There are 22 million souls at risk of dying, of being killed. Maybe not of being shot, but being starved to death or dying from medical problems for which they can receive no medicines, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer previously told reporters. It is a humanitarian crisis. I would refer to it in even more draconian terms because I think its such a conscious effort by both sides to put these people at risk, he added. It is necessary for us to act. The fighting in the Arab worlds poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. Air raids by the Saudi-UAE coalition have hit civilians, hospitals and water treatment facilities. Aid groups estimate as many as 60,000 civilians have been killed in the war and as many as 85,000 children starved to death, with millions more one step away from famine. Tunisias defence ministry detains 24 Europeans with diplomatic passports after forcing them to hand over weapons. Tunisian Defence Minister Abdelkareem Zubaidi said on Tuesday that two armed groups of Europeans coming from Libya crossed the border and were forced to hand over their weapons. He said an armed group of 13 French nationals tried on Sunday to cross the land border under diplomatic cover in four-wheel drive vehicles via the Ras Jedir border crossing. The militants of the group refused to hand over their weapons at first, but the military authorities at the crossing forced them to do so, Zubaidi added. The French embassy in Tunisia said they were security guards for the ambassador. Zubaidi also said two rigid inflatable boats tried on Wednesday to cross the maritime border from Libya, carrying 11 armed Europeans with diplomatic passports. Ibrahim Fraihat, an associate professor of conflict resolution at the Doha Institute, talks to Al Jazeera about whats happening in Libya. Ballot papers fail to arrive in remote areas in time for election amid questions over traditional noken voting system. Yahukimo, West Papua, Indonesia It was late on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before Indonesia was due to go to the polls, and the ballots had still not arrived in Mugi, a village in the central highlands of Papua, the most easterly province in the archipelago. With the ballots still in Dekai, the areas main town several hours away, the potential delay had local residents Bastiana Asso and her husband, Zeep Siep, worried. Asso was eager to take part and cast her ballot for her favourite candidate, incumbent President Joko Jokowi Widodo, in an election that pitted him against his longtime rival, former general Prabowo Subianto. But even if she did get to vote, Asso was not sure her choice would be considered by the village elders who would be making the final decision under noken, a traditional voting system in the area where a village head collects ballots from locals and casts one vote on their behalf. My heart says I will vote for Jokowi, she told Al Jazeera. But the district will decide. A woman with a traditional noken [Febriana Firdaus/Al Jazeera] Used in 12 of the provinces 29 regencies, noken gets its name from a large bag that is used to hold votes. The bag, which is traditionally knitted from wood fibre or leaves by elderly indigenous women, is a symbol of the creativity and karma that is possessed by people who are cultured and civilised, according to Titus Pekei, a West Papuan researcher and the director of the Ecology Papua Institute. Theo Kossay, chairman of the Papua Province General Election Commission, said the system has two forms. Firstly, noken is a ballot box, he told Al Jazeera. Secondly, noken is a system to be used to decide through deliberation by the head of each tribe. The noken system was adopted after the fall of former leader General Muhammad Soeharto in the late 1990s, when the province, a nearly six-hour flight from the capital, Jakarta, got special autonomy within Indonesia. The idea was to meld the so-called modern system of Indonesia with the traditional West Papuan tribal system. Voting delays On Wednesday morning, with the time to vote fast approaching, Asso got herself ready to go to the polling station, putting on her makeup and her best clothes. But when the head of the village announced the voting would be delayed because the ballots had still not arrived, everyone was shocked. Hundreds of voters from across the Mugi district gathered in front of the police station in Kurima village where the ballots were supposed to be delivered, shouting at election officials and demanding an explanation. Some of the mainly male crowd were armed with machetes. There are no ballots, said Herepa Hesegem, a provincial legislative candidate from the Indonesia Solidarity Party. This is because West Papua is very remote and we cant send it by car. We need a helicopter. Voters demanded an explanation for the delay [Febriana Firdaus/Al Jazeera] About two hours passed before the ballots were brought in by helicopter. By then, Hesegem said it was too late to hold the vote, adding that it would probably take place on Thursday instead. In nearby Nduga, the voting also with noken was further complicated by an escalation in violence between the Indonesian military and separatist fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army that began late last year and has forced many villagers from their homes. The election commission set up a polling station in the middle of a national park so that the displaced people could cast their votes. They vote in the middle of the forest, said Cristin Ronsumbre, a member of the supervisory committee. The local legislative candidates were each allowed to hold their noken and announce to the voters: This is my noken, please put your ballots here if you want to vote for me. The voting happened so fast that officials realised residents had not shown their identity cards only after it was over. The locals didnt cast ballots for a president. Because its the noken system, the head of village and district will vote for them, Ronsumbre said. The bag is traditionally knitted from wood fibre or leaves by elderly indigenous women [Febriana Firdaus/Al Jazeera] Mens business The continued use of the noken has sparked debate not only among experts on democracy, but also among West Papuans themselves. Some say the noken enables electoral fraud and risks triggering conflict over the results. In the last regional polls in 2011, some 57 people were killed at the nomination stage in the Puncak Jaya regency election, according to Titi Anggraini, the executive director of the Association for Elections and Democracy, also known as Perludem. Nevertheless, Indonesias constitutional court continues to support the system as a traditional form of deliberation. There is an assumption that Papuans are organised through tribal systems, in which tribal chiefs decide what is the best for the community, said Veronika Kusumaryati, a Harvard University anthropologist who specialises in West Papua. All Papuan chiefs are male. The Indonesian government in Jakarta has been nurturing the system in an attempt to show it is receptive to Papuan demands for self-determination, and to ensure the local communitys participation in national elections. But its persistence also reflects the central governments reluctance to enforce the special autonomy law, which stipulates that Papua should be able to form local parties in the same way that this happens in Aceh, another semi-autonomous province that is at the opposite end of the archipelago. In practice, Papuans are prohibited from establishing their own political parties because the central government is afraid that it will lead to West Papuas separation from the republic. Late on Wednesday afternoon, Asso sat outside her traditional house, known as a honai. She had still not been able to vote, and had no idea what was going to happen with the election. She heard about the chaos in front of the police station. This [the protest and chaos] is mens business, she said. I will wait for my village head to call me. Polls close in presidential and legislative elections in a country that has more than 190 million registered to vote. Voting has ended in Indonesias presidential and legislative elections, with tens of millions of people casting votes without any widespread hitches. Preliminary results based on so-called quick counts- votes publicly tallied at polling stations are expected to start rolling in within two hours. The presidential race pits incumbent Joko Jokowi Widodo and his running mate, Indonesian Ulama Council Chairman Maruf Amin, against retired general and longtime rival Prabowo Subianto and multi-millionaire businessman Sandiaga Uno. People in two districts of Jayapura, the capital of volatile Papua province in Indonesias east, were unable to vote after ballots and ballot boxes were not delivered. Yosina, a resident in Abepura district, said: We are very disappointed, we have waited for nothing since this morning. We want to cast our vote but ballot box was not there. Police officers pushed her away from the polling station after she shouted, This is a big question mark for us, dont fool us, we are smart, dont play with us. Theodorus Kosay, chairman of the provinces election commission, said the problems arose because of the delays in replacing damaged ballots and lack of volunteers. The election in the two affected districts was postponed until Thursday. Widodo and Amin are trying to project themselves as progressive yet religious, with a campaign slogan of Advancing Indonesia. I am a nationalist, Widodo said on the announcement of his candidacy in August 2018. He is a devout religious figure. We complement each other well. Prabowo, who has been accused of human rights abuses, ran against Widodo in 2014, while Uno is a businessman who spent a few months as deputy governor of Jakarta, after the mass rallies against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (also known as Ahok) who was accused and later convicted of blasphemy. Earlier, ballot papers were delivered with security escorts to remote regions of the country by plane, speedboat, canoe and horseback. Two speedboats were deployed as mobile polling stations for residents on the Thousand Islands chain north of Jakarta. Even though some people are apathetic, I think its important to vote for Indonesias future. Vote with your conscience, said Hadi Wiguna, who was queueing to vote at a polling station in central Jakarta. A tornado in East Java late on Tuesday destroyed two village polling stations and cut power to two others, forcing the authorities to move the voting to safer areas, the domestic news agency Antara reported. Al Jazeeras Wayne Hay, reporting from Jakarta, said the overall turnout was likely to be more than the traditional 70 percent. The turnout might be more this time due to two different elections taking place as well as the divisive nature of the vote and the long election campaign where there were many disagreements surrounding issues like the economy and religion. The latest opinion polls in the lead-up to the election had the Widodo-Amin pair leading by as many as 20 points, with a significant proportion of undecided voters. Most political experts predict a closer result, however, given that 2014s pre-election polls were similar, but Widodo ultimately beat Prabowo by just six points. Wednesday will also see elections for parliamentarians taking place. Legislative elections are normally held months prior to the presidential elections but the move means voters will be confronted with a list of tough choices. More than 10,000 people have volunteered to crowd-source election results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud. However, the opposition has already alleged voter-list irregularities that could affect millions and has vowed legal or people power action if its concerns are ignored. We are very concerned, we hope and we pray that todays election will be fair and peaceful, it will be peaceful if its fair. Hopefully, the will of the Indonesian people, will be heard today, said Prabowo after casting his vote. Last week, several videos appeared online apparently showing thousands of voting papers stuffed in bags at a warehouse in neighbouring Malaysia, with many of them apparently already marked. The countrys election supervisory board has recommended a revote for Indonesians in Malaysia and in Australia, where several hundred registered voters were still standing in line after the polls closed there on Saturday. A decision will be taken by the elections commission. Additional reporting by Kate Walton in Jakarta Jakarta, Indonesia Joko Jokowi Widodo is on track to win a second term as Indonesias president, with quick count results indicating a 10-point lead over long-time rival Prabowo Subianto. Multiple quick counts from different election observers on Wednesday had Jokowi leading Prabowo, a former general, at 55 to 45 percent. Quick counts are votes counted at a selected number of polling stations by independent institutions that have been officially designated by the government to conduct them. They usually consist of samples from a few thousand polling stations. Jokowi on Wednesday said that lets be patient and wait for the official Electoral Commission results. Prabowo, however, contested the preliminary results, claiming that his own quick count showed that he was winning with 62 percent of the votes. He asked his volunteers to make sure there are no fraudulent counts at polling stations. Later, he told the crowd he had become president for all the people of Indonesia. Who are the main candidates? Whats at stake? Heres all you need to know about Indonesias elections: pic.twitter.com/S4S2AJE5Dh Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 17, 2019 While results wont be certain for weeks, the day went smoothly across Indonesia an archipelago of thousands of islands. With over 800,000 voting stations, more than 190 million eligible voters, and five million election staff, these are the worlds biggest one-day elections. In Kebon Kacang, central Jakarta, voters were split nearly down the middle. Three of the six polling stations were won by Jokowi and his partner Maruf Amin, and three by Prabowo and running mate Sandiago Uno. Jokowi-Amin received 713 votes across the six stations, and Prabowo-Sandi 673 votes. Kebon Kacang is located in Tanah Abang, one of the densest sub-districts in central Jakarta and home to big malls. Queues began forming as early as 6.30am in Kebon Kacang (23:30 GMT on Tuesday). Voters munched on fried tofu or drank curry soup as they waited, and children ran about playing, giving the area a festive feel. It is not without reason that Indonesians refer to election day as a democracy party. Ive been here since this morning, said Ivone Whie, a Jokowi supporter. I wasnt able to vote for 12 years because I was outside my home area, so Im very excited to vote this year. Ivone was optimistic that Jokowi would continue as president, but told Al Jazeera with a laugh that both sides were confident of a win. Regardless of who wins, I hope everyone will be happy and accept the results. Prabowos team has repeatedly said that they will protest in the streets if the vote is stolen. Voters wait for their turn to register at a polling station in central Jakarta [Kate Walton/Al Jazeera] Smallgoods kiosk owner Juardini shrugged off the idea of protesting. The important thing is that everything goes peacefully, she said, adding that she voted for Prabowo-Sandi. Prabowo-Sandi will reduce the price of basic foodstuffs, she explained, waving at a neighbour. Recently, the prices have gone up, she said as the women sitting either side of her nodded in agreement. Reducing prices of everyday items like rice and chillies has been a key campaign promise of Prabowo-Sandi. Religion has also undeniably played a role, but only a handful of voters mentioned religion as a reason for choosing a candidate. Too much emphasis on religion Security analyst Judith Jacob said that too much emphasis has been placed on religion in the 2019 election. The role of religion, while important in these elections, is only one part of the story, she said. There has been a tendency among many commentators and journalists to conflate concepts like religious piety, religious identity, and religious intolerance and violence together as well as a very simplistic and narrow definition of Islamism. Jacob said she believed that the economy is a very significant factor for voters, echoing Juardinis concerns. The weakness of the rupiah, concerns over the rate of economic growth, and a growing current account deficit, has given the opposition something substantive to criticise the administration, Jacob explained. While no major accusations of vote fixing or fraud had emerged by late afternoon, many had problems voting across the country, with their names not being on voter lists or their polling stations running out of ballot papers. Im really frustrated, young voter Pipit told Al Jazeera, holding her official voter letter in her hand. My letter told me to come to this polling station, but now they tell me my name is not on the list and that I have to wait [to vote as an additional voter] until after mid-day. She is worried that they would run out of ballots before then. Pipit and others eventually managed to vote at 12.30pm, just half an hour before polls closed. Al Jazeera heard reports of similar problems across the country, with voters leaving polling stations frustrated in cities of Yogyakarta, Bogor, Sumedang and Bekasi. Enggi Dewanti, an NGO worker from south Kalimantan who was visiting Jakarta for work, also eventually managed to vote after initially being refused by the committee. I could only vote for the president, but it feels amazing to be able to vote, she said. Six of my friends cannot vote right now. Confusion Voters are forbidden from wearing political attributes and taking selfies inside the polling stations themselves, but outside, many were posing for photos, holding their purple indelible ink-stained fingers in the air for the camera. I voted for Prabowo, said Moli, a middle-aged woman in a flowing black hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion, after taking a selfie with her husband. Ive known for a while now who I wanted to vote for. I followed our religious leaders advice. Indonesias elections are not only some of the worlds largest, but also the most expensive. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani reported that the government had allocated 24.7 trillion rupiah ($1.75bn) for 2019s elections. Part of the reason behind the huge cost is that this year both presidential and parliamentary elections were held on the same day. Like the previous elections, the day was designated as a public holiday to encourage higher voter turnout. First-time parliamentary candidate Nadhila Chairanissa for central Jakarta said she hoped that people had made informed choices for their legislative votes. I hope they [decide] based on the candidates backgrounds and policies to see whether that certain candidate really can represent them, Chairanissa told Al Jazeera via WhatsApp. And not to be easily swayed by monetary promises. According to many reports, people felt overwhelmed and confused at the number of choices they had to make as they had to vote for presidential as well as parliamentary candidates at the same time. I dont know any of these candidates, one woman said to her friends as they read out the list for legislative elections in front of a polling station in Kebon Kacang. Were confused whom to choose. There are so many. For all the talk that has surrounded health care in the recent elections, both parties have been largely unwilling to propose specific policies to address the cost of healthcare in the U.S. The reason for this inaction is simple -- neither Democrats nor Republicans are willing to address the real reasons why healthcare is so expensive in the United States. Health care can be broadly broken into two sectors - services and medications. Services include everything from routine doctor visits to surgeries and emergency care. It includes the costs of the buildings, the staff, and the products used to diagnose and treat patients. Medication includes the costs to both develop and manufacture pharmaceuticals. Addressing the cost of healthcare services The cost of services is directly related to supply and demand. A high demand with a low supply will always drive up costs. However, in the United States, neither the demand side nor the supply side of the equation is legitimate. There are tens of millions of people who are residing in the country illegally or as the result of illegal entry. Many of them come for the purposes of having children or seeking medical care. In 2006, 70% of babies born in a Dallas, Texas hospital were born to illegal aliens at a cost of $70 million to taxpayers. Additionally, 70%-80% of babies in Houston are born to illegal aliens as are more than 80% of babies in Dallas. Forbes has reported that the cost to U.S. citizens for providing healthcare to illegal aliens was $18.5 billion. Given that the DHS document that the article drew from gave an incredibly low estimate of 11.4 million illegal aliens, there is no reason to believe that this number isnt many times higher. The simple fact is that the cost of healthcare service for Americans is high because Americans are paying for the health care of tens of millions of citizens of other nations. From an economic perspective, it is not possible to find a solution to lowering the costs healthcare services for Americans until we are willing to acknowledge that Americans are not obligated to pay for the worlds health care. From a moral and ethical standpoint, it is indefensible that foreign citizens can freely access a health care system that drives its own citizens to the brink of financial ruin. No government can be considered legitimate if it allows hospitals and service providers standing in court against citizens for the purposes of pursuing reimbursement for care while allowing illegal aliens to walk away from any responsibility at the cost of those same taxpayers. We cannot fix health care services for Americans until that system serves only Americans. Any offering prior to that milestone can only be seen as a means of obfuscating the wealth transfer from Americans to other peoples though the healthcare system. On the supply side of that equation, we must accept that it is not Americas responsibility to educate the doctors of the world nor to import people from other nations to be doctors here -- especially at the cost of lowering the standards for those doctors. Addressing the cost of pharmaceuticals While the medication half of health care suffers from a similar situation, both the problem and the solutions are easier to visualize. Once again, the cost of medicine is so high for Americans because Americans are essentially paying for the entire worlds medications. There are two reasons why Americans are forced into subsidizing the pharmaceutical needs of the globe. The first is that you simply cant get blood from a stone. The cost of bringing a new drug to market is substantial and companies have to recoup that cost somewhere. If they attempted to charge Mexicans and Guatemalans the same as Americans, they simply wouldnt have the funds to purchase those medications. The second reason that pharmaceutical companies make so much money from Americans is simply because they can. The American government is not acting to protect its citizens and therefore they are driven to bankruptcy paying for medication. That same medication is then given to people from other nations at little or no cost. To substantially lower the cost of prescription drugs in America, the American government need only do two simple things. The first is to prevent Americans from paying higher rates for drugs than other nations. This can be done by making it legal to purchase drugs from overseas, by passing legislation prohibiting the practice of overcharging Americans, or by simply using the purchasing power and bureaucracy of the government to enforce that policy. The second action is to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to purchase medications for citizens of other nations. A government that pays for the medicines of foreign peoples while its own citizens are driven to financial ruin is not legitimate and is acting as a captured state. Addressing the future - proactive steps It is currently impossible to know what problems exist in the U.S. healthcare system as the cost and availability of both services and medications are drastically skewed by the foreign population within our nation. It is entirely possible that once that issue is addressed it will be obvious that this was the only major problem. However, active measures should still be taken to address future costs and access. The first of these steps is to increase the number of doctors. This could easily be accomplished through the recruitment of qualified individuals, the removal of affirmative action policies, an expansion of the schools that certify doctors, and government assistance for the cost of a medical degree where applicable. The primary component of this would be a moratorium on the training of foreign citizens -- both to be doctors in the U.S. and to be doctors elsewhere. The second step would be an end to health care costs that destroy families for generations. One car crash or one person with cancer can have drastic, multigenerational effects. As a nation, we can and should ensure that this does not happen. However, this is a contract between American citizens and is a promise that we are making to each other. It cannot be applied to people of other nations. One of the most important lessons from World War II is this: integrated economic growth is always better than a global war that engulfed all seven continents and killed over 100 million people. Since oil, natural gas, and coal are now intertwined with geopolitics, international relations, foreign policy, realist balancing that pits nation against nation, and macroeconomic monetary policy, energy and electricity are now coupled with national security. Russia and Iran use fossil fuel, nuclear power plants, and renewable energy as weapons hence the term "the weaponization of energy." Confronting both countries using alliances like NATO to hem Russia and Iran into their respective regions of influence while also using soft power to coax them into using their energy resources in a positive direction is where the world is now and into the future. What's disconcerting is how Russia and Iran use energy as a foreign policy and national security weapon, the same way a nuclear arsenal is exploited to deter enemies and project national power and pride. The largest problem with Russia is that both state-run and influenced energy firms Rosneft and Gazprom seemingly are beyond balancing, containing, or deterring since they are incredibly profitable. Alexei Bolshakov, general director of Citigroup Global Markets, stated in late November 2018: They [Russian oil and gas companies] are having an absolutely fabulous year (2018 into 2019). They earn more per barrel than they did even during $100 barrel oil prices. Another Russian senior analyst echoed these sentiments: "Russian oil and gas companies are flooded with cash, they don't know what to do with it." This allows Vladimir Putin the ability to engage in geopolitical adventures in Syria, Ukraine, Crimea, the United States, Europe, the Arctic Circle, and his own country. Oil and natural gas profits from each firm are a never-ending source of money and financial power that translate into hard, military resources used for projecting Russian power. It's as if the Cold War never ended. The Obama administration attempted exhaustive diplomacy with Iran, and it failed. The counter to diplomacy and a helping hand in energy and nuclear weaponry is that under former president Obama, "Iran was closer than ever to nuclear weapons, received hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions relief, and had billions in cash flown over to them in jets (illegally)." Whichever perspective is correct, and history will be the judge, nothing was deterred from the Iranian or Middle East's perspective. Iran and its use of energy for its military, its paramilitary organizations, and Hezb'allah is more powerful than ever before. Iran is now entrenched in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon and has created an arc of influence from their homeland over multiple countries to the Mediterranean Sea. It can be argued that the Iranian regime is in the best position to counter the U.S.-led global order and can use energy with Islamic terrorism to remake the liberal world order in place for over seventy years. While Western countries and environmentalists such as Al Gore, well known Hollywood actors, and overly environmentally sensitive political parties (the Greens in Germany and the U.S. Democratic Party) tout their green virtue, Iran is building two new nuclear plants. There isn't a solid reason behind building nuclear power plants when Iran is blessed with one of the largest supplies of natural gas, oil, and petroleum in the world. Iran is moving forward with nuclear plants under the guise of energy to electricity because it is still trying to build or acquire nuclear weapons to use against Israel; the E.U.; the U.S.; and Sunni Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Iran building two new nuclear reactors has elicited outrage in Washington and the Trump administration. This is a major cause the Iran problem of Trump's allowing and encouraging U.S. oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) firms to "drill, baby, drill" without pause. According to Rystad Energy, "[t]he United States will surpass Saudi Arabia later this year (2019) in exports of oil, natural gas liquids and petroleum products like gasoline." This exploding E&P has caused a complete overhaul in rising U.S. natural gas consumption, and the all-time highs keep breaking records. The only thing stopping the U.S. from drilling and using oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear as natural security buffers against Russia and Iran is legislative fiats coming from federal benches that have zero basis in judicial accountability. But the world has to begin "getting real about Iran" its murderous intentions and its brutality against women, gays, Christians, and anyone not fully supporting the revolutionary Iranian regime and government. Since Iran is a leading member of OPEC, and has massive reserves of oil and natural gas, Iran like Russia uses its deep earth minerals and energy deposits as weapons the way NATO uses its military divisions to deter Russia. Energy is the soft economic power weapon of choice for Russia and Iran. Unless each is confronted, deterred, or destroyed, or regime change occurs, these problems will only fester. Then the continued weaponization of energy will beget a regional, international, or global war with oil, petroleum, aviation fuel, nuclear energy, and natural gas being at the forefront of who wins and who loses once shots are fired and bombs are dropped. Overwhelming is the only word which properly describes the growing list of 2020 Presidential candidates vying to unseat Donald Trump. To date, there are the officially declared, the yet to declare, and a handful of teetering outliers. The outliers arent in the running per se, but in the event no Democrat is able to garner the party nomination, one of them might be persuaded to step up to the podium. The Declared Candidates: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Robert ORourke, Pete Buttigieg, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, Tulsi Gabbard, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Eric Swalwell, Tim Ryan, Wayne Messam, and Marianne Williamson. So far, its a very crowded field of 18 people; some of whom have no national name recognition but are pandering for votes and shilling for campaign donations in unison. And therein lies the problem. While there is no clear frontrunner, there is a defined chasm of ideological differences: Socialism versus traditional Democrats. A far left sociopolitical demographic of the Democrat party has emerged and they are fierce. Furthermore, the once shared universal message for liberal voters has been set aside in favor of identity politics, giving rise to single-issue factions. And while the Democratic partys preeminent goal is removing Donald Trump from the Oval Office, unification of liberals will remain elusive and perhaps, philosophically impossible. Centrist Democrats have fled in numbers which cant be ignored and should one of the declared far-left candidates get the nomination for 2020, it will be challenging to lure moderate liberals back into the fold; especially in a time of economic prosperity and phenomenal job growth. The Undeclared candidates: Joe Biden, Steve Bullock, Stacey Abrams, Michael Bennet, Terry McAuliffe, Seth Moulton, and Howard Schultz. This group of seven holdouts, having made public claims of Presidential aspirations, have yet to make it official. Howard Schultz has declared himself a potential challenger for the White House but pledged not to run under the Democrat banner. He says hell run as an independent; throwing the proverbial monkey wrench into the process. There is no doubt Schultz will divide the Democrat vote; most likely appealing to moderates who wont support avowed Socialist Bernie Sanders. Joe Bidens foray back into the public square has been less than stellar, due to the Me, Too movement backlash and the swirling controversy about his (and his sons) part in Ukrainian business deals. Abrams, Bullock, Bennet, McAuliffe, and Moulton are stymied as 2nd -tier candidates lacking campaign staff and having no big donors nor war chests of money to kickstart a campaign. Which leaves the outliers, a motley mix of malcontents and miscreants. The Outliers: Bill de Blasio, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, and Tom Steyer. Each of these five people have announced they are not in the running, but if chaos ensues at the Democrat National Convention in July 2020 and no clear victor is determined, it isnt inconceivable for an outlier candidate to volunteer in an attempt to quell the confusion. With the exception of Tom Steyer, who has never run for public office but has led a doggedly determined, well-funded, yet unsuccessful effort to impeach Donald Trump, its possible that either de Blasio, Kerry, Clinton, or Holder could be called up for duty. Never rule out the improbable, despite the fact that each of these misfits is shackled by notorious political malfeasance. That didnt stop Hillary Clinton from her White House quest in 2014 and it wont stop her a third time; if the opportune moment arose. Finally, theres an outside possibility that someone yet to be named is lurking in the weeds. Maybe its Michelle Obama? Dont scoff -- its foolish to automatically dismiss her candidacy. Despite her protests on more than one occasion; stating she has no desire to return to the political arena, the former first lady hasnt fled the media spotlight since departing the White House. Shes well liked, she has name recognition, and shes able to check off two important boxes: shes a woman and shes black. Michelle Obama also has moxie, political campaign experience, and most importantly, she would absolutely and without a doubt rally the Democrat party at a critical time when there are a plethora of candidate to choose from, but not one of them is a shining star. While working in Washington during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, I was part of an effort to build a bipartisan coalition to reform American trade policy; or more precisely, formulate one. International trade was an issue that cut across party lines. Presidents of both parties favored "trade promotion" as an end in itself. Post-Cold War "globalists" -- backed by "transnational" corporations, persuaded them that the creation of social networks unencumbered by borders was the wave of the future. With "history at an end" there were no more security concerns to hem in markets or business dealings. And the old classical liberal notion that trade generated peace was given new life. As a conservative, I knew whatever one said about history, things were going to continue to happen in recognizable ways. Bill Clinton proclaimed in 1998 that the Great Powers were no longer competing for wealth and territory. It was a doubtful claim at the time and is clearly not how to think of world affairs today. My part of the trade policy coalition was composed of national security Republicans. They did not want to see the outsourcing of strategic supply chains overseas which would make our defense industrial base vulnerable to disruption while transferring technology to rivals like China. Our partners on the left were labor Democrats who did not want to see American workers lose their jobs as factories closed in the Heartland. Mounting trade deficits meant that American money was not only creating jobs overseas but also building and sustaining industrial capacity that empowered the ambitions of foreign adversaries. Winston Churchill warned against "building German industry with British and American money" when it would empower the Nazi regime; a warning equally valid for a China still run by the Communist Party. It had been fashionable for some time to claim that a more prosperous China would become a more liberal China. But that has not been the case and is no loner a tenable stance. President Xi Jinping's "China Dream" echoes too many of the themes of Hitler's Mein Kampf for anyone to rest easy. One would think that Donald Trump, the first president of either party to take trade problems seriously, would have the old bipartisan coalition solidly in his corner. Bringing back manufacturing jobs that President Obama declared lost forever should rally the labor Democrats who had placed the welfare of workers above party loyalty in the past. It had been their votes in Congress that had denied a grant of "trade promotion authority" to their own President Clinton because they did not trust him to use it to protect the national interest. And they were right. Clinton helped create the World Trade Organization in 1995, based on the principle that governments "should not discriminate between its own and foreign products, services or nationals." Citizenship no longer mattered in a "global" economy. This idea has spread from trade to immigration, with so much influence on the left that most Democratic leaders have abandoned their protection of American workers from "cheap" foreign labor at home as well as overseas. In the past, opposition to "free trade" among Republicans was the minority position despite the fact that the GOP had been born as the party of protection and had dominated politics during the growth of the U.S. into the world's largest manufacturing power from the Civil War through World War I. As the "arsenal of democracy" the U.S. won World War II and the Cold War. By recognizing the return of Great Power rivalry, President Trump has pulled the GOP back from the extreme laissez-faire attitude it had succumbed to during the fleeting post-Cold War euphoria. The actions taken to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and to end China's plunder of American technology have been based on national security concerns about sustaining a domestic industrial base capable of underpinning American preeminence in global politics. It is the left side of the bipartisan trade reform coalition that has fallen apart. What had made bipartisanship possible had been a higher calling: national interest. Domestic business firms and their workers were all Americans struggling in common against foreign threats. The resurgence of a New Left that scoffs at the idea of American Greatness and equates nationalism with racism and imperialism finds working with a President committed to trade reform unthinkable if his name is Trump. NAFTA had been the main target of the left half of the old coalition. President Trump made renegotiating it a top priority, producing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The new agreement includes improved rules of origin for automobiles, trucks, and other products; maintains protective tariffs on U.S.-made trucks; and disciplines currency manipulation. It expands market access for U.S. farmers and service providers and seeks to reduce the "cheap" labor advantage of Mexico. Yet, the left has been lobbying against ratification of USMCA for reasons that have nothing to do with American national interests. Indeed, their arguments run against them. A concise statement of their case was presented by Stan Greenberg in the Washington Post. Greenburg is a Democratic strategist and his op-ed was circulated by the Citizens Trade Campaign, a Ralph Nader group that was once a core member of the bipartisan coalition. The main left-wing complaint is that the USMCA protects intellectual property, which is also the focus of policy against China. In the USMCA, Greenberg writes "Consider what protecting intellectual property means... policies that guarantee pharmaceutical companies 10 years of special monopoly rights on a special class of drugs and other special protections that block competition and mean higher drug prices in all three countries." The left does not believe what they call "Big Pharma" should profit from developing new medicines but should allow foreign firms to copy their work without charge and then undersell them. Their hatred for capitalism, which rewards innovation and hard work, overwhelms any sense of nationalism. America has a comparative advantage in biochemistry and medical advances across the board, but the left does not believe we should benefit from this. The pharmaceutical industry directly accounts for more than 850,000 well-paying jobs, not to mention the value of the lives its products save. It is the nation's top industry for investment in research and development -- capital which the left does not want the industry to be able to recover. They call it "greed' in TV ads. The left's ignorance of even basic economics would destroy a strategic national industry. The left's focus on "free lunch" socialism as a campaign plank takes precedence Greenberg then strikes at another strategic industry. USMCA "preserves special corporate rights for some U.S. oil and gas corporations that allow the companies to challenge Mexican environmental regulations... These investor protections could block Mexico from taking new steps to address climate change." It has been a major gain for not just American companies but for national security to have access to close-by Mexican energy resources which had long been closed due to a xenophobic government monopoly south of the border. This objection again demonstrates the left's hatred for private enterprise, reinforced for its delusions about climate change and fossil fuels. National interest means nothing in this ideology, which pulls the foundation from under any bipartisan coalition that puts America first. Making and keeping America great is now a partisan effort because liberals have abandoned the effort. We named our capital city for a nonpartisan patriot who must be spinning in his grave. William R. Hawkins is a consultant specializing in international economic and national security issues. He is a former Republican staff member on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. In 1977, veterans who suspected that their health problems were associated with exposure to Agent Orange began to file claims with the Department of Veteran Affairs. More than four decades have passed since initial complaints, and there is either "selective justice" or no justice for our veterans. It's fair to say that during the Kafkaesque procedures, the V.A. was often reported "gone fishing" and that "due to a lack of records," it didn't spare efforts to send the "inquisitive" ones on a fishing expedition. Apart from Agent Orange, the V.A.'s can of worms contains Agents Pink, Green, Purple, White, Blue...you name it. That's a lot of "bait" for those on a quest for truth the truth we wouldn't even grasp if our veterans wouldn't fight for it, come hell or Blue Water. Vietnam-era defoliants were the same, no matter if used in Vietnam or Thailand, and exposure to herbicides resulted in diseases such as a variety of cancers, ischemic heart disease, and Hodgkin's and Parkinson's. How is diabetes mellitus type 2 different from diabetes mellitus type2, and why would we need a debate if the V.A. "may provide" to any spina bifidaaffected child of a veteran who was exposed to an herbicide agent during service in Thailand "the same health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance required to be paid to a similarly affected child of a Vietnam veteran"? Well, the V.A.'s favorite term, "perimeters," is often translated by veterans as "lie, delay, deny until they die." The V.A.'s VIPs like to cite "costs and need for further study" as if they were unaware of the price of sacrifice. Mention "accountability," and every V.A.-ristocrat is nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. If we could retrieve some of the millions the V.A. "misspent" for art, or simply "misplaced," there would be justice and funds for justice. Listen to our veterans: it took years to "discover" that herbicides were "after all" used on Thailand bases, then years to get the government to admit that the herbicides were toxic. When they finally could file their claims, the V.A. found a new shield and required their service to be "on the perimeter of the base or within a 500 meter drift zone." V.A. bureaucrats keep drawing eliminatory charts with rows and columns "too narrow for all veterans," sitting comfy and heaving a sigh of relief every time "service connection remains denied." How long is "a year or two" when you have cancer? Instead of caring "for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan," the V.A. is fighting with widows whose husbands died waiting. I am saluting Sgt. Cole and our veterans who suffered exposure to herbicides in Thailand. Thank you for your service; you never stop to teach us to stand our ground and to make sure we don't leave anyone behind. Military service lines up with sacrifice, and power should go with duty. Let's challenge the "powerful ones": reach out to the "forgotten" veterans who served in Thailand, or don't bother us the next "Veterans' Day." You can lie, delay, and deny but you can't hide. The commander-in-chief will get the report: V.A. is gone fishing. Please, rock the toxic bureaucrats' boat. The news from Mexico is that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has halted efforts to reform Mexico's underperforming education system. According to Reuters: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he will freeze an education overhaul enacted under his predecessor so that consensus can be sought for a new law, delivering a boost to a teachers' union faction that has spent months demanding its repeal. That's significant for us, because Mexico has already sent us large numbers of the products of this educational system. And the World Bank confirms that Central America's educational system is pretty much just like it. For Democrats here, though, it's the perfect formula for new voters. It's not that its people are poorly educated, though that's a major issue, actually. It's that a good look at that system shows that pretty much the only education they receive at all is Marxist indoctrination. Combine that with sub-literacy, and the people who are the products of this system are as malleable as clay in the hands of leftist demagogues. How very convenient for the leftist political parties there that produce such people. And how even more convenient for Democrats up north, waiting to welcome them as they flee. An alert reader of American Thinker sent us a disturbing Wall Street Journal report dating from 2013, documenting in 2,200 words just how politicized the educational system is in southern Mexico, with a grotesque Marxist teacher union effectively indoctrinating the students in Marxism instead of actual education. Jose de Cordoba's excellent piece, titled "Radical Teachers Union CNTE Gives Mexico a Harsh Lesson," begins: SAN LUCAS QUIAVINI, Mexico During a recent teachers strike in this Zapotec Indian town in the poor southern state of Oaxaca, parents who brought in replacement instructors discovered that the children hadn't been taught the words to Mexico's national anthem. Instead, they had been trained to sing a popular leftist song which acts as an unofficial anthem to a local chapter of the teachers union. "We don't know the words to the Mexican anthem," said Leticia Diego, a student, apologizing to a visitor one recent morning. About a dozen seventh-graders then shyly sang the leftist anthem, "The People United Will Never Be Defeated." The union here is the National Coordinator of Educational Workers, or CNTE, a radical and powerful wing of the country's national teachers union. Analysts say it has long maintained an iron grip over some of Mexico's poorest states one that goes beyond what children are taught, and extends to lengthy strikes, disruptive protests and violent clashes. That opener was just a taste of the rabid left-wingery Mexico's teacher unions are shoving down the throats of their innocent students, willing or not. De Cordoba writes that the teachers go on strike for so long that it amounts to an effective school year, depriving students of any education at all. They are massively overpaid, too, and strike because they want more. Like true commissars, they penalize any teachers who resist their efforts to strike or indoctrinate, with lost privileges, loans, job changes, and promotions. They collude with leftist guerrilla groups aiming to overthrow the government. And they steal like thieves forcing the government to shovel cash into their left-wing projects. They scream about "privatization'' and any effort to set school standards. They also abuse any parents who resist. Instead of learning to add or subtract, the students are forced to don black balaclavas and re-enact the Marxist Chiapas Zapatero uprising of years ago. And these leftists treat their jobs as sinecures, allowing their ignorant offspring to inherit them like cash cows, never mind the students who will have to endure such incompetent teachers. I barely scratch the surface. Mexico's illegal immigration rate has leveled off, but in the U.S., there are huge numbers of illegal aliens who are products of this repulsive educational system, which just happens to be the dreamscape of Democrats' teacher unions running America's blue cities. The news is compounded by the fact that Central America's incoming arrivals to the U.S. has schools that are...even worse. I found a fairly recent World Bank report on the state of those and learned that Central America's schools are at the bottom of the barrel. I knew there were problems, given that with the entire region dreaming of moving to America, they nevertheless retain the lowest English language skills in all of Latin America, according to SIPRI. But the signs are all there that the system is just as politicized and even worse. The World Bank documents low teacher time "average time on instruction" in classrooms, and in Honduras, 11% of teacher time is spent on unrelated 'social interaction,' which could easily be Marxist politicking. There's also low classroom engagement, irrelevant topics taught for "today's global economy" (Honduras ranks rock bottom among Latin nations for that), and more than 30% of them need to be thrown out through the region for their 'low quality' of performance (page 28). Their pay, incidentally, is 30% above the average for comparable profesions in the private sector. And, oh, in Honduras, they've all got 'one laptop per child' same as the Bill Ayers-influenced leftist teachers unions in the states advocate. (Ayers of course has spent lots of time in Latin America.) It all stinks of the Marxist teachers union described in the Mexican system by the Wall Street Journal. And the background to this is well known. In the wake of the Spanish civil war, rabid leftists fled the country and first landed in Puerto Rico. Some stayed, but Mexico extended to them the entire educational establishment at the university level, and from there, they spread into the school system, to the earliest levels. They converted what had been education to Marxist indoctrination, and in the absence of any other education, it was all the children of these countries ever learned. It was Lenin's and Pol Pot's dream - a society built from the ground up on solely Marxist indoctrination. And now with low levels of educational achievement in hand and a shockingly useless Marxist education, which is perfect for degrading these countries' economies, they are heading here. No wonder Democrats stand ready to welcome them with open arms. They are the voters Democrats want. And with AMLO moving to strengthen the teachers' union, it's pretty obvious he's working the starting end of the illegal immigration chain, not the end run at the border. He's preparing the illegal immigrants of tomorrow as Central America sends its indoctrinated people today. Image credit: Nick Youngson, via Blue Diamond Gallery, Alpha Stock Images // CC BY-SA 3.0 Rush Limbaugh thinks Team Obama may be strategizing a Michelle Obama run for president in 2020. The radio host said Barack and Michelle are so ticked off that Trump won that they "want back in." Limbaugh cited Michelle's extensive, never-ending book tour as a sign that the Obamas' lust for power could result in the ever vicious and vengeful former first lady announcing her candidacy. This past Sunday, during another promotional interview for her book at London's O2 arena, Mrs. Obama sounded an awful lot like what she sounded like in 2008. Who can forget Mrs. Obama's inflated and anti-America rhetoric while campaigning for her husband? Eleven years later, she's still fixated on Barack's breaking the color barrier at 1600. Michelle even suggested to the packed house in London that if presidents could run for a third term, BHO would have won in 2016. No matter, she says; what "happened before" should sustain us for the time being. Unsurprisingly, Michelle doesn't mention the Democratic Party's latest flavor of the month, Pete Buttigieg, the candidate Joy Behar is calling the "second coming of Obama." From Breitbart: I have to remind people that Barack Obama was elected twice in the United States. That really did happen[.] ... That wasn't make-believe. The country actually did accomplish it and half the people who voted in the last election, if they could have, they would have voted for him for a third term. We have to remember that what is happening today is true, but what happened before was also true that should give us some solace at some level. Besides, she continued, "[f]or anyone who had any problems with Barack Obama, let's just think about what we were troubled by there were never any indictments." After reminding her British audience of the eight years Barack Obama was able to avoid being indicted (she failed to add because of a sycophantic press and the color of his skin), Michelle clawed at President Trump via a swipe at "divorced dads." Recent Census Bureau child custody statistics indicate that nearly 40 percent of all non-custodial fathers have no access to or visitation rights with their children. If Michelle Obama has her way, that number will be much higher. When she was in the White House, the ex-mom-in-chief used to insult her husband and lecture men "to be better fathers." Now she's trashing millions of divorced American men in order to attack President Trump. America, under President Trump, is a "broken family," she said. [W]e are a little unsettled. Sometimes you spend the weekend with divorced dad. That feels like fun but then you get sick. That's what America is going through right now. We are living with divorced dad. It doesn't dawn on the Harvard law grad that if we are living with a "divorced dad," President Trump, it is because "Mommy Dearest Barack" was an abusive and unfit parent. The Great Divorce of 2016 was the best thing that happened to this country. How many men she disparages lost their jobs and their families because of Obama's economic policies? How many despairing dads lost their businesses? Michelle Obama followed up this cavalier contempt for dads who have endured the pain of divorce with praise for London's diversity as compared to American cities. It looks as though her "for the first time in my life I am proud of my country" anti-America campaign has begun: I was looking out over the city, London, a beautiful city, and the thing I love about it is truly representative of true international diversity in ways that you don't see in cities mostly, in particularly even in the United States. Mrs. Obama thinks U.S. cities are not diverse enough. From her speeches and remarks about this "racist" country, we can conclude that Michelle thinks there are just too many white people in urban areas. In recent weeks, many have wondered why Barack Obama has not come to the aid of his former vice president, Joe Biden. On his own speaking tour in Europe, Obama told a town hall group in Germany he's worried Democratic presidential contenders are becoming too "rigid" and creating "a circular firing squad." As the mainstream media deify a different Democrat candidate every other day, the Obamas have stepped up their appearances here and overseas. In general, neither has shown support for any particular candidate. With Michelle's venomous attacks on the rise again, Rush might be right about her. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. At the 2016 Democratic Convention, former first lady Michelle Obama explained to the delegates and the world the Democrat modus operandi: "We go low, then we go lower." Well, OK, she stumbled a bit, and the words slipped out incorrectly as she gurgled, "When they go low, we go high," but the former expression is what she really meant. She proved it Monday night in London, England when she appeared onstage with American late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert promoting her memoir of her time in White House, Becoming. The two Americans couldn't resist utilizing some of their overseas time to bash the current U.S. president, Donald J. Trump (R), to their British audience instead of babbling about her book, bizarrely comparing the Trump presidency to a child forced to spend time with his divorced dad. [Obama] joked to the evening's host Stephen Colbert that like choosing to live with a divorced dad the choice to elect Trump may initially have seemed appealing but quickly turned sour. 'We [America] come from a broken family, we are a little unsettled. Sometimes you spend the weekend with divorced dad. That feels like fun but then you get sick. That is what America is going through. We are living with divorced dad.' Oh? Go low, Michelle, real low; hurt kids, confuse kids of divorce even more; tell them visiting their non-custodial parents, their dads, will make them sick. And hurt the parents, too, who often struggle with guilt over their children's confusion. That is low. That is truly "broken." Contrary to your description, Trump's children from his former marriages seem to be decent people, not sick at all, but quick to defend their divorced dad. Divorced fathers in England, in America erupted at her remarks. Read their reactions in the post and its comments. For most Americans, no matter what Colbert and the Obamas sourly think, "the choice to elect Trump" is still "appealing." The "broken American family" is becoming more settled as Trump's approval rate increases. It is higher than Obama's at a similar point in their presidencies. Under President Trump, "America is going through" the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, including those groups who have traditionally had trouble getting a job, while enjoying lower taxes and increasing wages and after tax money. Compare that to the unemployment rate, the decreasing labor participation rate of the Obama presidency. As Michelle said, "then you get sick." From the low of the Obama presidency, Trump's presidency is going high. MAGA! We are having a crisis at the border. Democrats refuse to fund a wall they previously supported. Democrat-run sanctuary cities and states refuse to enforce the laws Congress passed; Democrats say illegal aliens make the economy stronger and cities safer; liberal judges stop Trump from enforcing immigration laws; Trump is sued by Democrat attorneys general, and Democrats say ICE should be abolished (including Rep. Ocasio-Cortez yesterday...again). So what, we are told, is the cause of the influx of massive numbers of illegal aliens, which we repeatedly have been told is a manufactured crisis? Usually, the complicit media collude with other Democrats to say it is Trump's fault because he is being too tough. But now Ocasio-Cortez told us last week that climate change, which of course is caused by humans, is driving the increase in refugees and illegal aliens. The New York Times, in its function as a Democrat mouthpiece, dutifully ran a front-page story on Sunday parroting the point. Americans should be astonished to learn that people from Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and Central American countries are not fleeing tyranny, socialism, communism, terrorism, and abject poverty. Nope, they are scared that temperatures are going to rise a little, and they want to head to a country where politicians, who call themselves progressives, are striving to move backward toward socialism and a life not helped by petroleum products. If refugees were truly worried about climate change, why would they ever head to the United States, which the NYT, the U.N., and other Democrats say is the major contributor to warming and the destruction of the planet? Why wouldn't they head to underdeveloped countries run by dictators which haven't destroyed the planet with capitalism and fossil fuels? Ocasio-Cortez and others say the world has too many people and that people shouldn't have children so why would we encourage more to come? Trump says truthfully that illegal aliens overwhelm the system, and he is ripped for not knowing what he is talking about. If Americans were worried about the huge projected increase in global warming and climate change, why are they migrating from the north to Florida, Texas, and Arizona? Why wouldn't they be moving north to the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Canada as fast as they can? Why do homes on the coasts throughout the U.S. cost so much since "experts" say they will soon be under water? Why does the NYT stay on Manhattan when it predicts that Manhattan will be under water? It is amazing how many problems the media and other Democrats blame on climate change and the solution is to always take trillions more from the people and give it to the greedy rich people around Washington, D.C. Ocasio-Cortez claims climate change is driving migrant crisis Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed climate change is a "major factor" of the global migrant crisis after earlier suggesting that the United States would have "blood on our hands" if legislation is not passed to tackle climate change. "The far-right loves to drum up fear & resistance to immigrants," the freshman congresswoman tweeted on Tuesday. "But have you ever noticed they never talk about what's causing people to flee their homes in the first place? Central American Farmers Head to the U.S., Fleeing Climate Change But farmers, agricultural scientists and industry officials say a new threat has been ruining harvests, upending lives and adding to the surge of families migrating to the United States: climate change. The fear-mongers have continually lied to the public that humans, CO2, and fossil fuels have caused droughts to be longer and more severe than ever when scientific evidence shows droughts decades long and longer in the past. That is why so much of California is a desert. Now the drought has ended, and the reservoirs are filling rapidly. Isn't it amazing how record snows occurred when we have been told there would be snow-less winters? How do droughts ever end if we cause them? Why are Democrats called the party of science when they lie and manipulate the data so much? We have been told for decades that the oceans are dying because of humans, but in 2014, a study came out showing that the count of the number of fish in the sea was off by 1,000 percent. There Are 10 Times More Fish In The Sea Than We Thought There are plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes. But how many? New research suggests that our previous estimates of fish abundance were off by a factor of at least 10. According to a study published in February in the journal Nature Communications, the total mass of fish in the ocean is about 10 times greater than thought. We have been told for decades that we have been killing the trees and the forests yet in 2015, the "experts" told us previous estimates were off by only 700 percent or 2.7 Trillion trees. But don't worry, they assure us are destroying the trees. Plants and trees are some of the greatest inventions ever. They capture carbon without giving trillions to the government and bureaucrats. There are 3 trillion trees on Earth but they're disappearing fast A study led by Yale University researchers has found that there are over 3 trillion trees on Earth - but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. The study found that there are around 3.04 trillion trees on Earth, or around 422 for each person on the planet. The number is a huge increase on the previous global estimate, which was just over 400 billion trees worldwide. The children and public have been intentionally lied to when they are told that climate change killed the polar bears as the population has actually expanded by 400 to 500% the last fifty to 60 years. If the media and Democrats cared about wildlife and science, they would tell the children how many birds, bats and other creatures solar and wind farms kill, but of course that doesn't fit the agenda. This Is How Many Polar Bears Are Left in the World Due to centuries of hunting practices and the destabilization of arctic habitats, there have been growing concerns about the future survival of polar bears. While hunting has long been an issue, global warming has done a number on polar bears' habitats recently. In fact, the World Wide Fund for Nature (or WWF) estimates that there are only 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears left in the world. Photo credit: Andreas Weith via Wikimedia Commons. Magic Number: A sketchy "fact" about polar bears keeps going ... and going ... and going ...polar bear populations have, in all likelihood, increased in the past several decades, but not five-fold, and for reasons that have nothing to do with global warming. The Soviets, despite their horrendous environmental legacy on many issues, banned most polar bear hunting in 1956. Canada and the U.S. followed suit in the early 1970s with limited exceptions for some native hunting, and permitted, high-priced trophy hunts. And a curtailment of some commercial seal hunting has sparked a seal population explosion angering fishermen, but providing populations in eastern Canada and Greenland with plenty of polar bear chow, leading in turn to localized polar bear population growth in spite of the ice decline. The scientists also caution that we still don't have a firm count on these mobile, remote, supremely camouflaged beasts. If Democrats cared about science and pollution they would go after the flammable pollutant Lithium instead of endlessly promoting it as a solution via electric car batteries. They would recognize that CO2 is a clear, non-polluting, innocuous gas that allows plants to thrive and feeds the billions of people and wildlife. They would also recognize that factual science shows that there have always been significant fluctuations in the climate, and they have and will occur naturally Anyone who believes that scientists, politicians and bureaucrats can control temperatures, sea levels and storm activity if we just hand them trillions of our hard-earned dollars probably also believe or believed other Democrat talking points that the media indoctrinated them with like: Obamacare would lower premiums, lower the deficit and allow you to keep your doctor and your plan. Trump colluded with the Russians Democrats are serious about immigration laws The Obama administration didnt spy Trumps tax cuts only helped the rich The Justice Department, Intelligence agencies and IRS operated independently under Obama The Obama Administration had no scandals. It is truly dangerous to our freedom and prosperity when the supposedly independent media colludes with Democrats to spread propaganda that indoctrinates the public. The fact checkers operate in the same bubble. In an exclusive report on the The Ingraham Angle last evening (Fox News 10 P.M. E.T.), U.S. attorney Zachary Terwilliger broke major news about the DOJ's brand new report on the number and costs of the incarceration of illegal aliens in federal custody. The segment, and the comments by Terwilliger, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ingraham further expose the Left's persistent lie that illegals in the U.S. commit additional crimes at a lower rate than U.S.-born citizens. Zachary Terwilliger on The Ingraham Angle, Fox News April 16, 2019. Screen capture by Peter Barry Chowka. Video of the segment courtesy of Fox News can be watched here. A brief article posted at Fox News dot com, immediately following Ingraham's program Tuesday, summarized the segment: Nearly 60,000 known or suspected illegal immigrants [sic] are being held in federal prisons, according to a report obtained by Fox News Tuesday from the Department of Justice. Quoting the report, he said "criminal aliens" make up 21 percent of those in the Federal Bureau of Prisons custody and 38 percent of those in Marshals custody. Terwilliger lamented that a "staggering" amount of resources are being diverted to fighting illegal immigration at the expense other problems like a rising opioid epidemic and rising crime rates in certain areas. Adding context to this latest news is the fact that tens of thousands of illegals who have managed to make it across the border are being released into the country every month, and "hundreds of thousands" of illegal aliens who committed additional crimes remain free in the U.S. Hopefully, the new DOJ report on the massive number of illegal criminals in federal custody will be given the wide attention that it deserves. The report, it should be noted, does not include illegals who are in jails and prisons at the state and local levels a number that is "significantly greater," according to Ingraham, than the number of criminal illegal aliens in federal custody. Terwilliger said the next report from the DOJ on the problem should address the financial cost to the federal government of dealing with illegal alien criminals. He estimated, however, that the cost of the U.S. Marshals Service having to deal with illegals (who are in custody awaiting trial, for example) is $500 million a year, which does not include the costs due to illegal aliens incurred by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The fact that we have this kind of data at all is due to the actions of President Donald Trump. As the Center for Immigration Studies reported in an article on June 12, 2018: Five days after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13768 entitled "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States." In this order, he required the government to release certain documents detailing the effects of illegal immigration. Subsequently, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice began releasing the quarterly Alien Incarceration Report. Previous reports, including the quarterly report released on June 7, 2018, are available online. This new one will be soon, as well. Peter Barry Chowka writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. Peter's new website is http://peter.media. Follow him on Twitter at @pchowka. Democrat congresswoman Ilhan Omar's disrespectful description of 9/11 as "some people did something" is following in the footsteps of none other than President Barack Hussein Obama. President Trump, in his statement following the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, repeated the expression "anti-semitism" over and over. Perhaps it was to offer a course correction to the bizarre utterances of President Obama in 2015, when jihadi Moslems in Paris shot up a Jewish-owned theatre, killing 130 people. The Islamists then made a big detour to shoot up a small Jewish delicatessen, killing Jews shopping for the Sabbath. President Obama referred to the massacre in the Jewish neighborhood as "you randomly shot a bunch of folks in a deli." Obama didn't want to say the victims were Jews, that the killers were anti-semites, or that the targeting of Jews was purposeful. He didn't even want to say "they." Obama thought it "legitimate" to be "deeply concerned" about the Islamist terror attack in Paris. He told us America should be "vigilant and aggressive in trying to deal with that, the same way a big-city mayor's got to cut the crime rate down." Big-city crime, Islamic terrorism, some people doing something, a random shooting of random people. Then Obama openly blamed the attack in Paris on the American presence in Iraq and warned the public not to "over-react" to terrorism. Follow the logic, and he was blaming the terror attack in Paris to America's overreaction to 9-11. Everything's normal; move along. "You randomly shot a bunch of folks in a deli." The man who could utter that is someone who has a 100% tolerance for anti-semitism. Obama has posed smiling with Louis Farrakhan, instead of trying to end the scourge of black anti-semitism in this country. Obama went to an anti-semitic church for 20 years and adopted the hate-filled pastor as his spiritual mentor. Under Obama, black anti-semitism skyrocketed to three times the national average. Obama was given a free pass on his obvious embrace of anti-semites, which continued openly throughout his presidency. Al Sharpton, infamous for inciting not one, but two anti-Jewish riots in New York that led to multiple murders, was invited to the Obama White House hundreds of times and has now been courted by just about every single Democrat candidate for president. The notorious anti-semite Linda Sarsour was honored by Obama as a "champion of change," and invited to the White House over and over. She was co-leader of the pussy-hat women's march protesting Trump's election victory. It is Obama's transformation of the Democratic Party through the corruption of accepting anti-semites that has given us the trio of witches, Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, and Tlaib. The first one attacks Jews, the second tries to wrap her anti-semitism in the Holocaust, and the third attacks anyone who protests as racist. Just some people doing something. This is Obama's legacy to the country. The Democrat left promotes anti-semites, and old-line Democrats fall into cowardly silence, because they need the dirty votes. President Trump, in concluding his remarks on the synagogue massacre, said: This is the time to renew the bonds of love and loyalty that hold us all together as Americans. These bonds have always sustained our nation in its hour of need. You know that, everyone here knows that. And they are always more powerful than the forces of hatred and division, anger and evil. In America, we love our family, we love our neighbors and we protect our community. Obama, Omar, and company don't even know what Trump is talking about. Photo credit: Cropped from White House photo by Pete Souza. Pacific Heights is one of San Francisco's most expensive neighborhoods. It boasts dramatic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, and the blue waters of San Francisco Bay. Oracle founder Larry Ellison is one of its more prominent and distinguished residents, as is House speaker Nancy Pelosi. For all its attractiveness as a neighborhood with its boutique shops and upscale restaurants, Pacific Heights lacks two vital ingredients to make it a truly great American neighborhood economic and cultural diversity. That's why President Donald Trump's plan to resettle "refugees" in sanctuary cities should be embraced by Pacific Heights' residents. By inviting the refugees now stranded at the border, Pacific Heights would not only strengthen the sinew of its community, but also contribute to alleviating the humanitarian crisis at the border. Our strength is our diversity, and Pacific Heights lacks that strength. It is culturally homogenous in a city that is diverse. In San Francisco, earning $117,000 a year or less makes you a low-income earner. Placing refugees in Pacific Heights, where housing and other costs are truly astronomical, would require the compassion and economic assistance of its residents. The former they have long signaled, and the latter they are more than able to do. Nancy Pelosi lives in a walled mansion on a large expanse of land with majestic views. Her mansion could easily house thirty or forty refugee families, and she is hardly there. The expansive grounds could house dozens of refugee families in tents. Imagine refugee children who survived the arduous and life-threatening journey from Central America playing on Pelosi's lawn while breathing the clean and invigorating air from off the San Francisco coastline. Imagine alleviating the humanitarian crisis by creating additional tent cities in Pacific Heights' splendid parks. Pelosi, through her holdings in local restaurants and vineyards, is reputed to be one of the largest employers of illegal labor in Northern California. Consequently, the people she would compassionately house might be able to find work in her network of businesses, especially her fabled vineyard on the banks of the Napa River. Pelosi also owns a second mansion in the Wine Country north of San Francisco. This too is walled and could hold dozens of refugee families. Neither Pelosi herself nor the community of Pacific Heights can solve the refugee problem, but they could set a standard that other wealthy and pro-sanctuary communities could easily emulate. Just a few miles away from Pacific Heights, my liberal acquaintances "Ann" and "Christopher" live in a complex that is more difficult to enter than the Central Intelligence Agency. They both support the sanctuary status of San Francisco and think the border wall, but not their complex's barrier, is immoral. Ann is a big DACA-supporter, although she has been seen adroitly ignoring and bypassing the homeless who proliferate in her neighborhood and sleep on her streets. Her compassion obviously has its limits. Their complex boasts extensive patios between the stacks of apartments. These could host a dozen or more tents and port-a-potties that could alleviate the cage-like situations at the border they lament as deplorable. Although these facilities would constitute an eyesore and block the light and view Ann and Christopher currently enjoy, creating a tent community for refugees would demonstrate the concern and compassion that people like Ann and Christopher love to remind the rest of us that they possess. Real compassion in Western civilization derives from the biblical sense of the term and means to share in the suffering and emotions of others. When Jesus saw his friends weeping at the grave of Lazarus, He wept with them and acted. Compassion means to suffer with and to be motivated to take immediate action to alleviate the suffering of others. So let the virtue-signaling liberals in sanctuary cities who incessantly lecture us on their commitment to taking in everyone, liberals who find the rest of us insensitive and heartless, let them manifest in deed the compassion they so relentlessly embrace in word. Let them fulfill the biblical imperative to suffer with and take immediate action. And they will be rewarded for this in knowing that their upscale white communities can find new strength in the economic and cultural diversity that the refugees will provide. I am looking forward to the sprouting of tent cities in Pacific Heights and elsewhere in the upscale parts of San Francisco. Diversity is truly a community's strength. Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science, University of Cincinnati and a distinguished fellow with the Hyam Salomon Center. The mayor of Yuma, Arizona has declared a local state of emergency due to the flood of migrants, released from custody, who are overwhelming his city and is asking the federal government for help. Yuma mayor Douglas Nicholls said the crisis is overtaxing the city's ability to care for the flood of released immigration detainees many of them families who have filled the shelters to capacity, with more coming every day. Fox News: "I am calling upon the federal government to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yuma, as our NGO's are overcapacity and cannot sustain providing this aid," the post said. Nicholls, in a video, laid out his reasoning behind the declaration, saying that he ultimately feels that its what's best for both Yuma and the incoming migrants. "So it's with a heavy heart that I declare that we're at this point but it is something that I believe we need to do to make sure that our community is maintained and that the human rights of all the migrants are also maintained and that we have a path forward that respects both," he said. The city of Yuma, Ariz., also tweeted about the proclamation, citing Nicholls, claiming that released migrants were coming into the area faster than they were leaving. During a recent visit to El Paso, U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said the border has hit its "breaking point." It appears that Yuma has gone past that. When Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency at our southern border, Democrats accused him of playing politics. I wonder what they think now. Just a few days ago, Democratic rep. Xochitl Torres Small refused to say whether there is a crisis at the border. If Democrats do acknowledge the situation, they blame Trump for it. Meanwhile, the situation grows worse by the day. Border towns like Yuma are doing the best they can, but since sanctuary cities won't take the migrants, there is literally nowhere else for them to go. A broken system simply dumps those released from detention with no thought of where they might go or how to take care of them. So it is left to cities like Yuma to bear the brunt of congressional stupidity. Every move made by the administration to address this crisis is challenged in court by open borders advocates who don't care about the starving migrants only about getting as many people across the border as they can. Once here, they can be held for only a limited period of time before the courts say they must be released. Once released, it is up to local communities to feed, house, and clothe them, putting a massive strain on local resources. Congress sits and twiddles its thumbs, playing the blame game, while everyone else involved is suffering the consequences. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, made a statement, Wednesday, announcing his opposition to China Mobiles bid to provide telecommunications services in the US. FCC officials will vote on whether to deny the application, first filed in 2011, next month. Pai said he opposed China Mobiles entry into the US market because the Chinese company posed a risk to national security interests. Advertisement Safeguarding our communications networks is critical to our national security said Pai in a statement. After reviewing the evidence in this proceeding, including the input provided by other federal agencies, it is clear that China Mobiles application to provide telecommunications services in our country raises substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks. Therefore, I do not believe that approving it would be in the public interest. I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting to reject China Mobiles application. The comments come during a period when the US is moving to limit wider Chinese involvement in the telecommunications sector, particularly as Western economies begin rolling out 5G networks. Advertisement The technology promises to provide 100 times faster download speeds for mobile internet users than existing 4G networks. However, China Mobile only sought to provide phone services for international calls made from the US. It did not seek to provide wireless internet services to US customers. The Trump administration had directed the FCC to oppose China Mobiles application last March, citing that it would allow the company to interconnect and have greater access to telephone lines, fiber-optic cables, cellular networks and communication satellites throughout the United States telecommunications network. China Mobile is one of the largest mobile operators in the world, with 900 million subscribers. The company, along with Chinese counterparts such as Huawei and ZTE, has expanded its global reach by providing network infrastructure in other countries. Some governments believe this is a component of the Chinese governments wider project of geopolitical expansion through its companies. Advertisement The US has mounted an international campaign, which includes Australia and New Zealand, to block Huaweis participation in the development of 5G networks. Germany and Britain are also considering restricting Huawei. In an effort to counter some of these restrictions, Huawei has made an informal complaint to the World Trade Organization about Australias ban on its participation in 5G. China Mobile USA, a Delaware incorporated company, filed the application on behalf of its parent company, China Mobile. FCC officials believe that, through subsidiaries and indirectly, the China Mobile is owned and controlled by the Chinese government. Advertisement Last March, Pai recommended a new rule that would bar US carriers, for example Verizon and Sprint, from using Universal Service Funds (USF) to purchase Chinese telecoms equipment for their networks. FCC officials will vote on that rule, as well as China Mobiles application, on May 9. It is not clear how other commissioners plan to vote. Meanwhile, the White House has said it is making progress on talks with China on trade. The two countries have engaged in an escalating trade war for months; imposing steep tariffs on one and anothers imports. The OnePlus 7 appeared again, this time in a series of renders primarily meant to depict one of the third-party protection options that will become available later this spring once the device becomes official. Made by arguably the most (intentionally) trigger-happy accessory maker in the industry, MobileFun, the cases whose listings went out today may actually be more relevant than the device theyre shown encapsulating. Thats not meant to be a knock on the next Android phablet from OnePlus but a reflection of the fact this particular OnePlus 7 wasnt rendered by the Chinese firm and was instead made by the author of the advertised accessory. In other words, only one of the two products at hand is definitely depicted accurately. So accurately, in fact, that its quite plainly communicating how the OnePlus 7 will differ from its predecessor in the camera department; while cynics would say its actual predecessor comes from OPPO, whats important is that the Chinese brand did away with the notch, one of the most polarizing design choices that appeared in the mobile industry in many years. Following two takes on making such a cutout look good or at least bearable, OnePlus abandoned that initiative, i.e. followed suit after OPPO did. Advertisement As a result, the OnePlus 7 will be one of the first Android handsets (and smartphones in general) that will utilize a pop-up camera, a module thats literally designed to be elevated from the body of the phone that houses it. This elevator-styled design allowed the company to further improve the screen-to-body ratio of its newest phablet which is now bound to be north of 90-percent. As a side effect, the case MobileFun designed for the OnePlus 7 is closer to emulating the Swiss cheese look than anything this company delivered to date. Whether thats good or bad is up to personal taste but given the overall look of the Olixar-branded cases listed today, one can only hope the OnePlus 7 will be waterproof. Water-resistance actually seems like a logical upgrade for the upcoming device thats shaping up to be a rather capable smartphone in overall, though truth be told, thats what many people were saying about the OnePlus 6T as well and it didnt deliver. What it did deliver is an in-display fingerprint reader and was the first to do so in the United States. This mini-achievement was apparently indicative of what the firm is trying to turn into a bigger trend related to a concept that wasnt truly associated with its brand beforehand innovation. Well, hardware innovation, to be exact. Alongside their prices, OxygenOS has been the only truly unique selling point of Android smartphones from OnePlus up until last year. Since the firm now managed to get a foot in the largest flagship market in the world, it has to do more to stay competitive and continue growing, or at least thats the likeliest explanation for this product strategy shift as the Chinese firm has otherwise never been too eager to cut into its profit margins which the original concept of its brand delivering high-powered smartphones at aggressive price points already trimmed quite a bit. Sure, OnePlus probably didnt spend that much time and money innovating while designing its next handset but OPPO probably did and needs more than just the F11 Pro to justify its investment. Posted on: April 17, 2019 11:08 AM A serious fire which caused devastating damage to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has drawn expressions of solidarity from Anglican leaders. The Roman Catholic cathedral is seen by many French people as their countrys mother church. In its 850-year history it has witnessed much of the dramatic moments of Parisian history. An automatic fire alarm sounded at 6.20 pm CEST (4.20 pm GMT) on Monday evening (15 April) and security staff cleared the cathedral. But there was no visible sign of fire. The alarm sounded again just over 20 minutes later, at 6.43 pm, by which time the cathedrals security staff could see the fire. The blaze rapidly took hold of the cathedral as live television pictures of the operation to extinguish the fire were broadcast around the world. Viewers around the world watched as Notre Dames famous spire an iconic part of the Parisian skyline collapsed into the burning roof. Firefighters have been praised for their bravery in protecting the core of the building and saving priceless historic artworks. An investigation into the cause of the blaze has begun, but prosecutors are working on the premise that the fire was started accidentally. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has vowed to rebuild the cathedral within five years; but experts have said that it could take between 10 to 15 years to complete the work. The Vice President of the French Heritage Foundation (Fondation du Patrimoine), Bertrand de Feydeau, said that there are no trees in France large enough to rebuild the cathedrals large wooden frame. He said that the roof was constructed from 300 400 year old Beachwood beams more than 850 years ago. There are no longer trees of that size in France, he told CNN. This pool photo by Reuters photographer Philippe Wojazer, taken inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on Tuesday morning, has been shared widely on social media and has become an iconic symbol of resurrection hope. Photo: Philippe Wojazer / Reuters / Pool The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby responded to the fire as it was blazing on Monday Night. In a Tweet, he said: Tonight we pray for the firefighters tackling the tragic #NotreDame fire - and for everyone in France and beyond who watches and weeps for this beautiful, sacred place where millions have met with Jesus Christ. Nous sommes avec vous. [We are with you]. The Archbishop of York, whose own cathedral, York Minster, was severely damaged in a fire in 1984, said that prayers were said at the chapel in his official residence, Bishopthorpe, on Tuesday morning. Our thoughts are with all those working tirelessly in Paris to save & salvage what they can, he said. Both archbishops have asked all cathedrals and churches across England to toll a bell for seven minutes at 7 pm BST (6 pm GMT) tomorrow (Thursday) as a mark of solidarity following the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The initiative was proposed by Britains Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn. It is hoped that many will take part, the archbishops said. The newly-consecrated Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, Bishop Mark Edington, joined the Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, and the Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Paris, Lucinda Laird, in a joint statement. The Episcopal Church throughout Europe, with its seat in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris, expresses its sympathy to the people of Paris and to all who sense the immense loss of this priceless and historic house of worship, they said. We extend to Archbishop Aupetit and to all his people our sincere condolences and our readiness to offer any hospitality that would be of help to the community and congregation of Notre Dame in this most holy season of the faith we share. And we send our prayers in this week that ends in what we know to be the sure and certain promise of resurrection for the future life and restoration of this monument of Christian faith. The Archdeacon of France, in the Church of Englands Diocese in Europe, Meurig Williams, said he was absolutely devastated by the scenes of destruction at Notre Dame de Paris. The Anglican community in France join their prayers with the Diocese of Paris and their Archbishop, Mgr Michel Aupetit, with Mgr Patrick Chauvet, the Recteur de Notre Dame, and all for whom Notre Dame is their spiritual home, he said. During this Holy Week, we accompany our Catholic brothers and sisters, as we confront the destruction of crucifixion, confident that it leads to resurrection and new life. May Notre Dame rise once more to witness to the risen Christ. Posted on: April 17, 2019 12:31 PM Investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of a fire which severely damaged the Church of Englands parish Church in Royston, Hertfordshire last December. Since the fire, the congregation of St John the Baptist Church have been supported by a number of local organisations and have been holding services in a number of locations, including Royston Town Hall, the towns Methodist Church and the local Greneway School. Last month, Hertfordshire Constabulary said that a joint investigation with the countys Fire and Rescue Service had concluded that the blaze, which destroyed part of the roof and bell tower, was not arson. Early indications suggested that the fire might have been started deliberately or as the result of thieves stealing lead from the church roof, the police said, adding that as the investigation continued it became apparent that this was not the case. Every possible line of enquiry has been followed. All initial aspects of this incident which supported the idea of third party involvement, have been investigated and ruled out, Detective Constable Mike Hardiman said. No lead had been taken, no equipment used by a would-be suspect was found and there were no tyre marks or foot prints found in the immediate area. I know that at the time there was great concern within the local community that the church had been deliberately targeted and this was very upsetting, particularly as it was in the run up to Christmas. As the investigation progressed it became apparent that much of the initial evidence that suggested criminal behaviour could actually be accounted for and the incident was deemed as non-suspicious. We take all possible cases of heritage crime very seriously and it was appropriate that we carried out a thorough investigation, appealed for potential witnesses and ruled out all possibilities. The local Neighbourhood Police Inspector, Richard Lilley, added: The fire had a big impact on the local community and we are still working closely with the clergy whilst the church is repaired. We have provided both meeting facilities and storage space to enable the church to function as effectively as possible. The church has launched an online fundraising appeal to enable them to use the opportunity to update and refurbish [the building] ready for the years ahead. Earlier this month the total donated stood at 26,000 GBP. This demonstrates the amazing generosity from the people of Royston and beyond, the church said on its website. Royston Parish Church is a focal point for the whole community of Royston. . . Although the insurance will cover much of the work it will not be sufficient to cover all of the improvements that the church really needs in order to serve the community in the 21st century and beyond. We all want a beautiful building where everyone can be made very welcome and which can be used in a variety of ways for the benefit of the community. Marysville, CA (95901) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 33F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 33F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Flight EY484 will depart Abu Dhabi on 21 April, landing in Brisbane on 22 April Earth Day. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport said: Sustainable and efficient transport is core to the governments vision, and we commend Etihads proactivity in paving the way for sustainability and efficiency in air transportation. The investment in sustainable alternative fuels and the focus on emerging environmental concerns such as plastic pollution reaffirms Etihads commitment to the Abu Dhabi transport vision. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, chairman Etihad Aviation Group, said: This step is an extension of Etihads pioneering environmental efforts. Inaugurating 2019 with the locally sourced biofuel flight and the operation of the longest single-use plastic free flight are testament to our commitment to leading effective change towards sustainability. Last year, the United Nations called for global action to beat plastic pollution, stating that 400 million tonnes of plastics are produced every year, 63 per cent of which are intended for single-use. Governments around the world are starting to ban single-use plastics something the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) advocates. Tony Douglas, Group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: There is a growing concern globally about the overuse of plastics which can take thousands of years to decompose. We discovered we could remove 27 million single-use plastic lids from our inflight service a year and, as a leading airline, its our responsibility to act on this, to challenge industry standards and work with suppliers who provide lower impact alternatives. Buzz, Etihads current supplier of amenity products, are supporters of the project and have collaborated with the airline to provide sustainable amenity kits, eco-plush toys and award-winning eco-thread blankets. Buzz pioneered and produced the blankets out of recycled plastic bottles. In some instances, the sustainable choice was easy. Etihad worked with suppliers to ensure products were not wrapped in single-use plastics. For others, more innovative products had to be sourced including Cupffees, edible coffee cups, made entirely out of natural grain products. Etihad identified over 95 single-use plastic products used across aircraft cabins, most of which were replaced with eco-friendly alternatives including cups, cutlery, dishes, headset bags, cart seals and toothbrushes. Once removed from this flight, Etihad prevented over 50 kilograms of plastics from being landfilled. Where suitable replacements could not be sourced, these items were not loaded. As a result of planning the Earth Day flight, Etihad additionally committed to remove up to 20 per cent of the single-use plastic items on board by 1 June 2019. By the end of this year, Etihad will have removed 100 tonnes of single-use plastics from its inflight service. We are making this promise not only for the environment but also for the wider community. Our guests and employees are largely responsible for facilitating this positive change, as they brought to our attention the effect plastics within our industry have on landfills, waterways and our oceans, contaminating our soil and water, added Douglas. Manufactured at Spatials 50,000 square feet facility in Dubai, the CEET will be specifically designed to provide a highly realistic training environment for the Brazilian airlines cabin crew. The state-of-the-art simulator will enable crew to become proficient in vital Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEPs) of the A320 aircraft type including door operation, evacuation, fire and smoke training, cabin communications and aircraft systems familiarisation, secure cockpit procedures and emergency equipment usage. The CEET will be fitted with a fully functional galley, cabin lighting, passenger seating, replica lavatories, overhead stowage and attendant seats so that the simulator can also be used for passenger service and management training. The CEET will be fitted with an A330 door that will enable crew to train in the safe operation of this door type under a variety of normal, abnormal and emergency conditions. Headquartered in Sao Paulo, Azul has been Brazils fastest growing airline since it commenced operations in 2008 and was named best airline in Latin America by TripAdvisor Travelers Choice in 2018. Marc Van den Broucque, managing director at Spatial, said: Azul is a truly fantastic airline famous for its service, safety and punctuality and we look forward to delivering their hybrid A320/A330 CEET. South America is an important and growing region for us as we continue our international expansion and realise our own goals of building the best-in-class crew training simulators available globally. Nalim Carlini, training and development manager at Azul, said: We are very excited about the arrival of our Cabin Trainer. We will use it for the initial training of new Flight Attendants as well as for recurrent training and it will help us to perfectly simulate both routine situations and prepare our crew for eventual emergencies. All this in an equipment that will keep our group extremely engaged. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on April 17, 2019 2019/04/17 Q: The opening ceremony of China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year was held in Beijing last weekend. How does China see the role youth exchange plays in China-Japan relations? Do you have plans to promote exchange between young people of the two countries? A: You may have seen that the opening ceremony of the China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year was held last weekend in Beijing. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Taro Kono of Japan jointly attended and addressed the event. As affinity between peoples is the foundation of state-to-state relations, the tree of friendly relations between China and Japan has its roots in the friendship between our two peoples. And youth exchange is an integral part of non-governmental interactions between our two countries. The two sides have agreed to arrange for the exchange and visits of 30,000 young people in the next five years, as part of the China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year activities. You may still recall the friendly get-together back in 1984, when 3,000 young people from Japan visited China, marking a highlight in our relations. It is our sincere hope that the young people will engage in a rich variety of exchange activities inspired by innovation and wisdom to get to know more about each other, deepen mutual understanding and strive to become the most active force in non-governmental exchanges between the two countries. Q: It has been reported that ROK President Moon Jae-in said on April 15 that he would like to have the fourth summit between the DPRK and the ROK without being restrained by venue and format. What is your comment? A: China always supports the north and the south in improving relations and promoting reconciliation and cooperation through dialogue and consultation. We hope that the ROK and the DPRK will continue to strengthen high-level interactions, follow through on their bilateral consensus, and play a positive role in advancing the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue. Q: The Vatican said yesterday that China has invited the Vatican to send a delegation and have a pavilion at the International Horticultural Exhibition which is opening at the end of this month. Can you tell us why China has decided to invite the Vatican? Is this another sign that the relations are continuing to improve? A: The Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 is an A1-class international horticultural expo. As far as I know, 110 countries and organizations will participate in this event. We hope that this Expo will commit all participants to jointly working for green development. As for your specific issue, we have learned that Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, will attend relevant activities as the representative of the Vatican side at the invitation of the Organizing Committee of the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition. As for China-Vatican relations, since a provisional agreement on bishop appointment was reached in September last year, the two sides have been in talks to further improve relations. Q: Is there a connection between the reeducation centers in Xinjiang and the demolition of mosques that we have seen in other parts of the country? Does this show that China has an anti-Islam policy? A: First of all, I need to correct you on what you referred to as "reeducation camps". I am not aware of any such "camps" in China. The vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang have been set up as preventive measures with the explicit objective of counter-terrorism and deradicalization, just like what other countries have done. The measures may take different forms in different countries, but the goal is the same. On your question if China has an anti-Islam policy, I can assure you that there is no such thing. Following policies that protect freedom of religious belief, China, like other countries, administers religious affairs in accordance with law. We are resolute in rejecting and fighting religious extremism. Believers' normal religious activities are guaranteed in accordance with law and their customs respected. Today, in more than 35,000 mosques in China, over 20 million Muslims are free to practice their religion in accordance with law. We hope that the relevant media will be less enthusiastic about getting information by the grapevine. They should honor professional ethics instead of cooking up stories. Q: According to media reports, Venezuela's self-proclaimed "interim president" Juan Guaido said in his signed article on the Bloomberg website that he had established contact with China and that China understood his position. He called on China to change its stance on Venezuela and facilitate a peaceful transition. He also said he will enhance oil cooperation between China and his country and ensure the safety of investors. I wonder if you have any comment on that? A: China's position on the Venezuela situation is clear. We support the efforts made by the Venezuelan government to uphold national sovereignty, independence, stability and development. The Venezuelan affairs should be determined independently by its people. The government and the opposition need to seek a political settlement through peaceful dialogue under the framework of the Constitution as soon as possible. China will continue to make efforts to encourage talks. We hope the international community can play a constructive role to this end. The China-Venezuela relationship is normal state-to-state relations. Based on equality, mutual benefits, win-win cooperation and market principles, our law-abiding cooperation has delivered benefits to both countries and peoples. No matter how the situation in Venezuela may evolve, the Chinese side's legitimate rights and interests should be earnestly and effectively protected. Q: A transitional military council was established in Sudan recently. It has announced a two-year political transition period and promised to form a civilian government recognized by all parties, to which it will transfer power after the political transition period ends. There are also reports that the transitional military council is meeting with all parties in Sudan for discussions on forming a government. What is your comment? A: The transitional military council in Sudan has started talks with all parties in Sudan to listen to their demands. China welcomes and supports that. We hope that all relevant parties in Sudan could build up consensus, jointly move forward the political transition process, and contribute to Sudan's stability and development, which is in the interest of the Sudanese people. Q: We are now almost a little bit more than a week away before the next Belt and Road Forum. Can you now confirm with us the exact date when the Belt and Road forum is happening? And can you tell us how many countries' leaders are coming? I know it's about 40 because Yang Jiechi mentioned that in the People's Daily a few weeks ago. Do you have more exact number than that now? A: I was planning to announce the following after the questions today, but since you asked, I will bring it up here. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold a press briefing on the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation here at 10 a.m. Friday, April 19. He will also take questions from the press. I'm sure you will get an answer then. You are all welcome to attend the briefing. Q: According to reports, the Lima Group issued a declaration on April 15 calling on the international community to support Venezuela in its "re-establishment of democracy" efforts, and urge countries like China, Cuba, Russia and Turkey to join them while claiming those countries, by supporting the Maduro regime, have brought negative influence on Latin America. I wonder what is your response to that? A: I'd like to reiterate that regarding the Venezuela situation, China is committed to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and regional peace and stability. Recently, China has been keeping close communication and coordination with relevant parties on the Venezuela issue. We have been encouraging the international community including the Lima Group to, under the precondition of observing international law and the basic norms governing international relations, play a constructive role so that this issue can return to the right track of political settlement at an early date. Those claims saying China-Venezuela cooperation has brought negative influence in the region are not true. Venezuelan affairs should and can only be determined by the Venezuelan people. External sanctions and pressures will only complicate the situation or cause it to spiral out of control, threatening peace and stability in the region. We hope the relevant countries and organizations can view China's role in a correct and objective manner, see clearly who is a real friend, and do things that are genuinely conducive to Venezuela's stability, economic development and its people's well-being. Q: The second China-Arab States Forum on Reform and Development was held in Shanghai this week. Could you provide some details on that? A: The second China-Arab States Forum on Reform and Development was held on April 16 in Shanghai. Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this forum was held by the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development. Those attending the forum include former Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, former Djiboutian Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi, Assistant Secretary General Khalil Ibrahim Al Thawadi of the League of Arab States, and over 100 representatives and academia experts from the political, economic, cultural, media and other fields in China and Arab states. Representatives from the two sides had in-depth discussions on policy communication, deepening cooperation, exchanges between think-tanks and other topics. As Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong noted in his speech, with a focus on the Belt and Road cooperation, China and Arab states should continue to forge synergies between strategies and actions, open wider to each other, foster innovation-driven growth drivers, deepen communication and cooperation in governance, further enrich our strategic partnership, and join hands to achieve development and revitalization through reforms. Speaking highly of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China, the Arab representatives said the BRI cooperation with China brings immense opportunities to Arab countries to advance reform and accelerate growth. Arab countries are ready to strengthen the strategic partnership with China, learn from China's experience in reform and development, and deepen practical cooperation. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing soon. Many Arab states leaders will attend this forum and discuss the high-quality development of the BRI. I believe it will inject fresh and strong impetus into BRI cooperation between China and Arab states. Q: Reports say that the Japanese government has decided to send financial experts to African countries that are involved in debt issues with China to help them overcome financial difficulties. It plans to announce this move at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development this August. What is your comment? A: China has made clear its position on Africa's debt issues many times. At present, as African countries strive for faster economic and social development, the funding shortfall remains a persistent constraint. As a good brother, good friend and good partner for African countries, China, putting itself in Africa's shoes and bearing Africa's best interests in mind, would like to strengthen investment and financing cooperation with Africa and help it improve infrastructure and environment for economic and social development within its capability, thus enhancing Africa's ability to realize self-reliant growth. Facts have proven that such cooperation has brought tangible benefits to African people and is widely welcomed by African governments and people. The Chinese side has an open attitude towards and welcomes international partners stepping up cooperation with Africa. We always believe that the global partners should forge synergy on such cooperation to better help Africa's development. If Japan wishes to be of greater material assistance for African countries, including in investment and financing, China would be glad to see that happen. However, if it is just trying to make an issue of Africa's debt issue to damage China's image out of political calculations, then I don't believe African countries will endorse that. Q: A fortnight ago China said it had made some positive progress at the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar. Can you tell us if any further progress has been made on this issue? It's reported that the US, the UK and France have once again urged China to lift the technical hold on the resolution seeking to ban Azhar at the UN 1267 Committee. Is it true? Will China support such a resolution at the UNSC if the US proposed this resolution to the Security Council and bypasses 1267 Committee, is China ready to give explanation if there is a public debate on this? A: China's position on the Masood designation issue is consistent and clear. Recently China has been in communication with relevant countries and things are moving towards settlement. As to relevant countries' attempt to force a new resolution at the Security Council, China has repeatedly stated its opposition. I can reiterate our firm opposition here. As a matter of fact, in relevant discussions at the Security Council, the majority of the membership has made it clear that the issue should rightly be resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee instead of the Security Council. We urge relevant countries to respect this view, continue to meet each other half way with a cooperative attitude and work together for a proper settlement of this issue in the 1267 Committee. Follow-up: It's also reported that China has been given a deadline for April 23 and if it does not lift the technical hold by April 23 then they would finally go to the Security Council. Can you confirm that? A: I don't know what is your source of information. There are explicit rules of procedure and disciplinary regulations when it comes to the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies. I am afraid you will need to seek confirmation with your source. China's stance on this issue is very clear. It must be resolved in a cooperative manner by Security Council members in the 1267 Committee. We don't believe forcing a proposal that lacks consensus will lead to the intended effect. Q: A fire broke out at dusk on April 15 local time in the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, causing damage to much of the roof and the collapse of the spire. Has China expressed condolences to the French side? A: The Notre Dame Cathedral is not only a symbol of the French and European civilization, but also an invaluable cultural heritage of all mankind. Yesterday, President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to French President Emmanuel Macron upon learning the sad news to express sincere condolences to all French people. Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Wechat are flooded with heartfelt lamentations over this tragic incident. It shows that appreciation of culture and love for beauty transcends all borders. Just as President Xi wrote in the condolence message, it is our sincere hope that with the efforts of the French people and the support of the international community, Notre Dame will be restored to its former glory. Q: Regarding this Masood Azhar issue, you just said it is moving towards settlement. Can you please elaborate you have a timeline or are you in touch with parties? Is there a kind of formula you are working on for the solution of this? A: First, you correctly quoted me as saying that things are moving towards settlement, which is true. Second, on ongoing discussions at the 1267 Committee, just as I said, there are explicit rules of procedure and disciplinary regulations when it comes to the internal consultations at the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies. As a member of the Security Council, China should abide by the rules and regulations faithfully. The following question was raised after the press conference: media reports say the US has recently approved a package of arms sales worth 500 million US dollars for Taiwan, which includes fighter jets pilot training and maintenance services. I wonder if you have any comment? A: The US arms sales to Taiwan constitutes a serious violation of the three China-US joint communiques, in particular the August 17 communique. It is interference in China's internal affairs and infringement upon China's sovereignty and security interests. China firmly opposes it and has lodged solemn representations to the US side. I must emphasize that the Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests. We urge the US to honor its commitment to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, cancel this planned arms sales to Taiwan, stop selling arms to and military ties with Taiwan before serious damage is caused in our bilateral cooperation in important areas and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Adult film actor Jacen Zhu announced that due to problems with black representation, he would no longer be working with Noir Male, the studio founded by award-winning adult film director and drag queen Chi Chi LaRue. I [stopped] working for Noir Male when I woke up, Zhu tweeted. When I saw that everything was a lie and I would like to apologize for having the wolves in suits to sell this lie. Wake up yall and see its not about us. According to its own site, Noir Male breaks free from stereotypes about interracial gay porn and showcases black men as sensual, sexual, and unapologetically fine. I stop working for Noir Male when I woke up. When I saw that everything was a lie and I would like to apologize for having the wolves in suits to sell this lie. Wake up yall and see its not about us. Jacen Zhu (Sensei Koga) (@jacen_zhu) April 1, 2019 I wont to be clear Im not angry I just sat back and watched as the aspiration didnt meet the reality. We are being used to sell a product that doesnt cater to our community. Jacen Zhu (Sensei Koga) (@jacen_zhu) April 1, 2019 Im not angry, I just sat back and watched as the aspiration didnt meet the reality. We are being used to sell a product that doesnt cater to our community, Zhu added. Zhu explained his disappointment with Noir Male was a gradual process, rather than any particular event. It seems to Zhu, the break from stereotypes has been lacking. Its not standing up to what they initially started out with, Zhu told Out. Im not going to do any more work with them because to me, its getting worse. Zhu said that he did not alert Chi Chi LaRue prior to sending the tweets. Zhu said that at one time, he was asked to perform as a parolee having sex with his assigned parole officer. I said, Hey, thats not cool, thats going to be problematic, and Chi Chi said, Well, when I write these things, I dont think about that, he said. Putting the pieces together, I realized that they dont care and I need to separate myself from this. Noir Male faced criticism when it first launched in August 2018 due to the fact that its original roster of models was less than 50% Black, even though its site was dedicated to showcasing Black men albeit in interracial scenes. Six months later, according to Str8UpGayPorn, the percentages have not improved much. When the site launched, it featured 29 models, with 16 white models and 13 Black or mixed race models. Now, the number of models is up to 67, with 30 white and 37 Black or mixed race models. Zhu notes he tried behind the scenes to get Noir Male more invested in the Black gay community by doing Black gay pride events. Additionally, he claims he pushed Noir Male to diversify the ways Black men were depicted on camera by having more Black men bottom in scenes, as well as developing more scenes with two Black men. When contacted about Zhus departure and the alleged parole scene, Chi Chi LaRue told Out, I loved working with Jacen Zhu. Hes one of the best performers Ive ever worked with, but did not comment further. Two months before Zhu left Noir Male, he starred in The House Call with Trent King, who is also black, in a masseur house call storyline. What now after COP26? With the frenetic weeks of COP26 over and disputes over its actual achievements still in full spate, here are a few developments that may help put the United Nations climate conference into perspective. Reliance Retail currently has the license to sell Hamleys products in India. Reliance Retail, the retail arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, is aggressively pursuing the deal, a website quoted one of the sources as saying. Mumbai: Reliance Industries Ltd is in talks to buy British toy store chain Hamleys, business news website Moneycontrol reported on Wednesday citing multiple sources, as the Indian conglomerate seeks to expand its footprint in the consumer space. Reliance Retail, the retail arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, is aggressively pursuing the deal, the website quoted one of the sources as saying. Due diligence is in advanced stages, the website reported, adding that if the deal went through, Reliance Retail planned to increase the geographic footprint of the 259-year old toymaker in India to about 200 stores over the next three years from around 50 currently. Reliance Retail currently has the license to sell Hamleys products in India. Sky News reported last October that Chinese fashion retailer C.banner International Holdings, which bought here Hamleys for 100 million pounds ($130.55 million) in cash in 2015, was looking to sell it after logging heavy losses. Reliance Industries declined to comment on media speculation and rumors, while Hamleys and C.banner did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for a comment. The conglomerates strategy to diversify beyond refining and petrochemicals showed results last quarter, when its fast-growing telecom and retail businesses drove profit to new highs despite its gross refining margins taking a hit amid volatility in oil prices and slowing demand globally. The groups retail business saw revenue double to 356 billion rupees in the period, while earnings before interest and taxes more than tripled to 15 billion rupees. Madras High Court ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban. The high court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. (Photo: Representational) New Delhi: Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with the Madras High Court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The move comes hours after the high court refused a request by China's Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The high court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban. The centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the high court's order, according to an IT ministry official. The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Google's move. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Bytedance challenged the court's ban order in Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. The top court had referred the case back to the high court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold, K Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said. TikTok earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. It did not comment further on the judge's decision. The company, however, welcomed the decision to appoint a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings. The high court has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for April 24. Salman Waris, a technology lawyer at TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, said the legal action against Bytedance could set a precedent of Indian courts intervening to regulate content on social media and other digital platforms. In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance argued that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. The company employs more than 250 people in India and had plans for more investment as it expands the business, it said. RSS choice brings Hindutva poll plank at centrestage. Bhopal/New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday decided to pit firebrand saffron leader and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur against Congress veteran and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh in the prestigious Bhopal parliamentary seat. BJP president Amit Shah, while addressing a campaign rally in Odisha, said that his party decided to field Ms Thakur against the creator of the term Saffron Terror, Mr Digvijay Singh, so that the issue could be decided in the peoples court. The BJPs move to field Ms Thakur is being viewed in political circles here as a conscious attempt by the party to revive the Hindutva plank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh just as it is doing across the country. We consider the election in Bhopal to be the most significant for us. Pragyans victory in the polls will remove once and for all the Hindu terror tag by some Congress leaders, a senior BJP leader here said. Congress Digvijay Singh is currently trying to shed his anti-Hindu image with temple runs in Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, considered an impregnable fortress of the BJP. It is a Dharmayudh (a crusade), not an ordinary poll battle. It is a fight against those who are conspiring against nation, the self-proclaimed god woman told reporters in Bhopal on Wednesday. Ms Thakur, 48, who was a leader of the Akhil Bharativya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJPs student, was declared the BJPs candidate for Bhopal hours after she formally joined the party. It is absolutely no big challenge for me (to defeat Mr Singh). I am going to win the elections, she said and added that the Opposition had insulted the Hindu dharma, the Sanatan dharma, Hindutva and the bhagwa (saffron flag), and this will be one of the major issues of her campaign. A few minutes after she was declared the BJPs candidate for Bhopal, Mr Singh uploaded a video on his Twitter account in which he was seen sporting a red tilak on his forehead. He welcomed Ms Thakur, saying, Hoping she will like the peaceful, literate and cultured environment of Bhopal. I pray to Narmada for her and seek blessings from Narmada to lead us on path of truth, non-violence and dharma, his Twitter post said, and ended with the religious slogan Narmada Hare. Mr Singh has been a bitter critic of the RSS and had linked it to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack carried out by Pakistani terrorists. BJP sources said the party had been mulling various options for Bhopal, including former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Uma Bharti and sitting Bhopal MP Alok Sanjar. But the RSS dug in its heels to pit Sadhvi Pragyan against Mr Singh, leading to her candidature. Though considered a BJP bastion, Mr Singhs candidature had upset the saffron partys strategy, especially after losing the state to the Congress after more than 15 years of rule. Ms Thakur was arrested in connection with a case involving a bomb blast in Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 29, 2008, in which six people were killed and 101 others injured. She has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions. She is currently out on bail. To a question on being an accused in the blast case, Ms Thakur said she had got a clean chit from the court of law and all the schemes against her had failed. Dharma ki jai hogi, adharm ka nash hoga (The righteous will win and the sinners will be destroyed), she said in Bhopal. The BJPs state incharge and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahsrabuddhe tweeted that Ms Thakur symbolises the fighting spirit of a woman, the courage for braving unspeakable torture for victory of truth and above all our relentless struggle to free democracy from crass vote bank politics. Reacting to Ms Thakurs candidature, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, Imagine the anger if Id field a terror accused. Channels wouldve gone berserk by now trending a mehboobaterrorist hashtag! According to these guys terror has no religion when it comes to saffron fanatics but otherwise all Muslims are terrorists. Guilty until proven innocent. Other candidates announced by the BJP included Raj Bahadur Singh and Ramakant Bhargav from Sagar and Vidisha respectively. External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had won from Vidisha in 2014 but she had announced that she will not fight the polls this time due to health reasons. Mr Yadav will be the BJP nominee from Guna, which is held by the Congress Jyotiraditya Scindia. The BJP is yet to announce its candidates name from Indore, earlier held by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumnitra Mahajan, who is not contesting for crossing the age bar of 75 years. Interestingly, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, whose name is doing the rounds to contest from Indore, tweeted, People of Indore, activists and well wishers of the country want me to contest the elections. But we all need to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for making India prosperous and rich... The people of West Bengal are with PM Modi. I have to live in Bengal, so I have decided not to contest the elections. Mr Vijayvargiya is the BJPs in charge of TMC-ruled West Bengal. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Known as Kashi of the South, the Thirunelli temple, in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains and thick forest, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Wayanad (Kerala): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday did the bali tharpanam ritual for his late father Rajiv Gandhi, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and other ancestors on the banks of the Papanasini here, nearly three decades after Rajiv Gandhis ashes were immersed in the sacred stream. Mr Gandhi, on a whirlwind two-day Kerala tour as part of his Lok Sabha poll campaign, took time off his hectic schedule to offer prayers at Thirunelli temple and performed the sacred ritual to pay obeisance to the ancestors of seven generations. Known as Kashi of the South, the Thirunelli temple, in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains and thick forest, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Later, addressing a huge gathering at the St. Marys College grounds, hailed Wayanad as a model for the rest of India because of its traditions of culture and communal amity, and rebutted the BJPs propaganda about his choice of constituency. He said: I will send a message to the rest of the country that there is a place called Wayanad in the South where people work together to resolve their problems peacefully. Throughout his speech, Rahul touched an emotional chord with people, saying he had come to meet them not as a politician but as a brother, son and friend. Rahul Gandhi said that he has been fighting against the ideologies of Narendra Modi and RSS for the last five years. And the thinking behind their ideology is that one perspective, one person and one idea should rule this country, he said, adding that he had realised after extensive travel across India that there were multiple voices, ideas and languages. I dont believe in imposing solutions, but I believe in the wisdom and intellect of people who can suggest solutions. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS, Mr Gandhi said Keralas issues should be decided by the states people, and not by Mr Modi or the RSS chief. Saying the BJP was only interested in imposing its ideology, Mr Gandhi said: Who is Mohan Bhagwat to teach us about culture and history? Kerala should be run by the people of Kerala. This is the same sentiment in state after state. He added: There is a conflict between development and environment... I want to see a solution. I dont believe in imposing solutions. I believe in the wisdom of our people in resolving such issues... I am not like the Prime Minister. I am not going to make false promises and tell you I will give you two crore jobs or `15 lakh in your bank accounts or that I will give farmers whatever they want. I am not going to lie to you. Because I respect your intelligence... (and) your wisdom. Mr Gandhi, who is contesting the polls from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, besides Amethi, arrived at the forest temple in a helicopter, accompanied by his party leaders, on Wednesday morning. Wearing a traditional dhoti and draping a kasavu (silk) shawl, the 49-year-old leader prostrated before the sanctum sanctorum and offered kanikka in the temples hundi. After a brief conversation with the priest on the rituals and traditions of the ancient shrine, he went to the sacred stream, 700 metres away. Security officials had a tough time leading the barefoot leader through the undulating terrain, paved with huge rocks and boulders, inside the thick forest. Television visuals showed Mr Gandhi listening as the priest chanted the mantras, and followed his instructions to perform the tharpanam. Mr Gandhi spent around 45 minutes at the hill shrine before leaving for a party meeting at Sultan Bathery, around 45 km from Thirunelli. Besides Rajiv and Indira, the AICC chief performed rituals for jawans who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror strike and lakhs of party workers who have died, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, who was among those who accompanied Mr Gandhi, later told reporters. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. The BJP had tried to engineer defections soon after 2018 Assembly polls when it emerged as single-largest party but fell short of majority. With the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections onboard, in a shocking statement the former BJP MLA Raju Kage lashed out at Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy calling him a black buffalo. (Photo: Twitter/ ANI) New Delhi: With the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections onboard, in a shocking statement the former BJP MLA Raju Kage lashed out at Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy calling him a black buffalo. You say Prime Minister changes outfits again and again. Arre, he is fair and handsome, that's why he changes constantly. But even if you bathe 100 times a day, you will remain a black buffalo, said Raju Kage to ANI. The BJP had tried to engineer defections soon after the May 2018 Assembly polls when it emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats but fell short of majority. The Congress-JD(S) coalition has 117 MLAs, whereas the BJP has 104. The saffron party will have to get at least 13 legislators from the ruling alliance to resign from the Assembly in order to bring down the strength of the House, allowing it to stake claim to form the government in the southern state. The defecting MLAs cannot join the BJP straightaway as in that case, they will attract disqualification under the anti-defection law. Karnataka goes to the polls in the second and third phases on April 18 and 23. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Some local party leaders had allegedly misbehaved with Priyanka while she was attending a press conference in Mathura a few days back. 'Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in INC over those who have given their sweat and blood,' Priyanka said. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Spokesperson of Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Wednesday expressed unhappiness over the party's decision to take back some of its old timers who were expelled for misbehaving with her. "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in @incindia over those who have given their sweat and blood. Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," tweeted Priyanka. Some local party leaders had allegedly misbehaved with Priyanka while she was attending a press conference in Mathura a few days back. Congress had initially thrown them out but recently taking the elections into consideration they were reportedly taken back. Their rejoining saddened the national spokesperson and she has, reportedly, conveyed her dissatisfaction to the senior leaders too. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Modi asked the crowd if people of Gujarat approve the language being used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi against him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. (Photo: File) Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he did not fall prey to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail, because India has the "mother of nuclear bombs". Addressing three poll rallies in his home state, Modi also claimed that the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. At a campaign rally at Surendranagar, Modi referred to the surgical strikes and air strikes by India inside Pakistan in response to terrorist attacks in Uri and Pulwama. "Earlier, terrorists from Pakistan would come here and go back after conducting an attack. Pakistan would threaten us, saying it has the nuclear bomb and will press the button (if India retaliated). We have nuclear of nuclear bombs (the mother of nuclear bombs). I decided to tell them, do whatever you want to do (but we will retaliate)," the Prime Minister said. "In the past our people would weep, go around the world saying Pakistan did this, did that....It is now Pakistan's turn to weep. Didn't our jawans kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not take revenge for our martyred soldiers?" he asked the large crowd which replied in the positive. "Today is Mahavir Jayanti, the day to observe peace. But when shall we have peace? Will anyone listen to a weak man making an appeal for peace or to the warning of a strong man who can flex his mussels? Only the peace appeal of a strong man will be respected, not that of a weak person," Modi said. He also alleged that the Congress spoke ill of the armed forces. "You must have seen how the character of the Congress party has changed in this election. The way the Congress spreads lies, and questions the country's military, saying its seniors are street goons, the Air Force chief is a liar...If you say something like this, will it not make Pakistan happy?" he said. Modi also slammed the Congress for seeking proof of action against terrorists. "When we conducted the surgical strike, Congress questioned us. When we conducted the air strike, it asked for proof. Do you (Congress) trust your own sons or Pakistan's rhetoric?" the Prime Minister said. Earlier, speaking at a poll rally in Himmatnagar, Modi said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. Modi also said this election will decide if nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping sedition law. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a 'remote control government' and you know who was in control. In those 10 years, those sitting in Delhi tried to damage the interest of Gujarat and acted as if the state is not in India," Modi said. "Our police officers, and even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars. They (UPA) employed all means to break the Gujarat government," Modi said, alluding to the time when he was chief minister of the state. "Now should we give them a chance to destroy Gujarat once again? They (Gandhi family) are more angry as they are out on bail. They are thinking that they were ruling this country for four generations and this Gujju, this chaiwala forced them to go to the court and seek bail," he said. Modi said if voted to power again, he will ensure that they are behind bars. "You gave me a chance in 2014. I brought them (Gandhis) to the doors (of jail) and if you will give me another five years, they will go inside. But if they come to power again, their first target will be Gujarat, Modi said. Modi asked the crowd if people of Gujarat approve the language being used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi against him. "The British used golis (bullets), while the Congress is using gaalis (abuse) against us," he said. "Initially, they said anything about chaiwala, then they started saying things about chowkidar and now they are saying the entire community is chor, Modi said. Later, at a poll rally in Anand, Modi claimed that the Congress always insulted Sardar Patel and is now crushing his ideology too. "Congress has stomachache as the world's tallest statue is that of Patel," he said. Had Sardar Patel been the first prime minister of India, the country's situation would have been different, Modi said. "Congress operates through an eco-system by spreading lies. They will get a wrong story published in some paper. The next day, they will hold press conference," he said. "Congress will spread the wrong news against the government in the entire country through those who work in their eco-system," he said. "They will then get someone to file a PIL in the court on this "fake issue" and top advocate-leaders of Congress party will argue for the PIL. This is happening very often now," Modi said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Ancient Christian manuscripts digitised at monastery beneath Mount Sinai. The digitisation could take more than a decade, using digital cameras and computer arrays alongside sophisticated cradles designed to support the more fragile manuscripts. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay) Cairo: At St. Catherines Monastery at the foot of Egypts Mount Sinai, the silence in the library is broken only by low electrical humming, as an early manuscript is bathed in green light. A team from Greece are photographing thousands of fragile manuscripts, including some of the earliest copies of the Christian gospels, using a complex process that includes taking images in red, green and blue light and merging them with computer software to create a single high-quality colour picture. There is a tangible sense of urgency to the mission. Although the monastery has survived centuries of warfare, it lies in a region where Islamist militants have destroyed countless cultural artefacts and documents in Syria and Iraq. Egypts Christian churches have also been targeted by an Islamist insurgency in the rugged and thinly populated northern Sinai. The Holy Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai, which is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, lies in the safer southern half of the Sinai Peninsula. But in 2017, Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on a nearby Egyptian police checkpoint, in which one officer was killed. The upheaval of our times requires a rapid completion of this project, Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Faran and Raitho, and Abbot of St. Catherines Monastery, told Reuters by email. The aim is to create the first digital archive of all 4,500 manuscripts in the library, starting with around 1,100 in the Syriac and Arabic languages, which are particularly rare. The task could take more than a decade, using digital cameras and computer arrays alongside sophisticated cradles designed to support the more fragile manuscripts. The project began last year and is being undertaken by the non-profit research organization Early Manuscripts Electronic Library (EMEL), in collaboration with the monastery and the Library of the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA Library said it will start publishing the manuscripts online, in full colour, from the fall of 2019. This library is an archive of the history of Christianity and its neighbours in the Mediterranean world, and therefore is of interest to communities all over the world who find their history here, Michael Phelps, Director of the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library, told Reuters. Where Moses trod The monastery lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, by tradition the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments. UNESCO has listed the area as a World Heritage site, citing its sacred status in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It says St. Catherines was founded in the 6th century, and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function. The most famous manuscript in the library is the 4th century Codex Sinaiticus', a Greek manuscript of the Bible which contains the oldest surviving complete New Testament. Its pages are divided between several institutions. Another is the Codex Syriacus, an ancient copy of the Gospels in Syriac. Other manuscripts cover science, medicine and the Greek classics. The digitization of the first stage alone, the Syriac-Arabic manuscripts, will take around three years and cost a projected $2.75 million, said Phelps. The project will provide a more complete record than partial microfilming carried out decades ago by the US Library of Congress, and also by the National Library of Israel. The two institutions are making their records available to the new digitisation effort, the project organisers said. Modi addressed a rally at Akluj town in Solapurs Madha constituency for party candidate Ranjit Naik Nimbalkar. Mumbai: After playing the emotional card with first-time voters in Latur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJPs star campaigner, played the caste card in Solapur. Mr Modi said he belonged to a lower caste, and was thus being criticised. He added if tribals, the downtrodden and backward classes were being called chor, he would not tolerate it. Mr Modi addressed a rally at Akluj town in Solapurs Madha constituency for party candidate Ranjit Naik Nimbalkar. Nationalist Congress Party MP and former deputy CM Vijaysinh Mohite Patil shared the stage with Mr Modi at the rally. The PM felicitated him for his 50 years in active politics. His son, Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil, a former Rajya Sabha member, joined the BJP in March. Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhis remark Why are all thieves named Modis?, Mr Modi said on Wednesday that the Congress president, with that jibe, had maligned the backward community Mr Modi hails from. He said: The Congress and its allies say that all Modis in society are thieves. The Congress and its allies have not kept back from abusing my backward caste. This time they have crossed all limits, and have abused all backwards. The Congress president had said: I have a question. Why do all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We dont know how many more such Modis will come out. Rebutting Mr Gandhis jibe, Mr Modi said, The naamdar (dynast) first tried chowkidar chor hai (slogan). Now they are trying to defame a backward community (Modi community). Being from a backward community, I am used to this. Rebuttuing Mr Gandhis jibe, Mr Modi said: The Congress has been defaming me for several years over my backward community background. I am used to such bashing. Now they are blaming the entire community while defaming me. If you dare to defame a community, I will not tolerate it. Attacking the dynastic politics of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Mr Modi said Mr Pawar had fled the poll arena from Madha Lok Sabha constituency as he had sensed defeat. He also said the NCP chief wondered if he had a family or not. Pawar has the right to speak against me or my family because he is elder to me, Mr Modi added. He also claimed there had been no corruption blot on his government in the past five years. Confidence in the Congress and NCP is on decline as they are not talking about their idea of India. Their only agenda is to dethrone Modi. They do not have any idea of increasing the importance of the country globally, he said. Mumbai once had become swarg (heaven) of terrorists (referring to many terror attacks on Mumbai). Nothing used to happen in those days. Now we kill them by striking in their dens, Mr Modi said. In an apparent reference to some Opposition leaders seeking proof of the airstrikes in Pakistan, Mr Modi said: Some people continue to raise doubts over the valour of our jawans. I am standing like a wall between such people and our valiant soldiers, he said. Responding to Mr Modis comments, NCP leader Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday that since there was no development issue left to talk about, Mr Modi was raising emotive issues like caste, which he said did not behove a person holding the position of Prime Minister. Today PM Modi Saheb said he was being targeted due to his caste. Since there is no development issue left, talking in this manner to make people emotional does not behove a Prime Minister. Our state and country cannot afford this governments dirty politics in which a divide is being created between castes and communities, he tweeted. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Bridges, houses and farmland hit; the oil sector spared. The toll (still provisional) is 76 victims and 220,000 displaced persons. 25 provinces and 4400 villages hit. Rouhani asks Khamenei to release two billion from the sovereign fund. Pope sends 100 thousand euros "for the first phase of the emergency". Tehran (AsiaNews) - The heavy floods that have hit Iran in recent weeks have caused damage of at least 2.5 billion dollars due to the collapse or damage to bridges, houses and agricultural land according to state media. Meanwhile US sanctions continue to hinder the entry of aid for a country in serious difficulties. The floods started on March 19 last and so far have caused at least 76 victims; added to these are the more than 220 thousand people left without housing and forced to find shelter in the reception centers set up by the government and by the NGOs operating in the area. The authorities have also deployed the army to deal with the emergency. Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, quoted by the official Irna agency, underlines "recent floods are unprecedented ... affecting 25 provinces and over 4400 villages". The damages, he continues, amount to about 350 trillion rials (equal to 2.5 billion dollars). Transport and Development Minister, Mohammad Eslami, adds that there are about 14 thousand km of damaged roads and more than 700 destroyed. The Iranian authorities point out that the floods have not affected the oil sector and that the greatest damage is registered in the agricultural sector. The government hopes to provide adequate compensation and, to cover the necessary sum, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani asked the great ayatollah Ali Khamenei to be able to withdraw two billion from the sovereign fund. The supreme leader has reportedly agreed, although he specified that he would use the National Development Fund "if there are no other sources available". Over the weekend Pope Francis ordered the allocation of 100 thousand euros in aid to the people of Iran hit by the tragedy. The money will be sent by the Department for the Integral Human Development and will be entrusted to the apostolic nunciature in Tehran, which will then distribute it in the areas of greatest need. In a note published in the Holy See bulletin there is talk of a response to "this first phase of the emergency". "This sum - continues the communique - which aims to be an immediate expression of the sentiments of spiritual closeness on the part of the Holy Father towards the people and territories affected, will be shared [...] among the areas most affected by the catastrophe and will be used in relief and assistance to people and territories . Caritas Iran experts and volunteers have already visited some of the most affected areas and, in collaboration with other NGOs, is working to bring relief to the population. Previously, the pontiff, in a telegram of condolences signed by Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, expressed deep sorrow for the loss of human lives and assured his prayer for humanitarian workers, entrusting the Iranian people to the providence of God. Come out to Hunters Thursday to meet your South Florida Gay News staff. Our monthly OutSocial event is the communitys chance to meet and mingle with everyone who makes your local source of LGBT news a reality. We are having a silent auction that will benefit Broward House, a local HIV non-profit. The event is from 5:30-7 p.m. at Hunters in Wilton Manors. Here are a few of my top activities on "What To Do" around Wilton Manors for the week of April 18, 2019. Thursday 4/18 Hunters/SFGN: OutSocial (Feature) Georgies Alibi: Legendary, $3 giant long island iced tea 8 p.m. - 2 a.m. The Grille: Alex Zenoz & Leonard perform at8 p.m. Bona Italian Restaurant: Thirsty Thursday, 40 percent off select wine Friday 4/19 The Manor: The infamous Friday BubbleGum cast will pay tribute to and perform Elton John's farewell concert. Runors: Daisy Deadpetals drag show from 10-11 p.m. with half-priced cocktails until 9 p.m. Georgies Alibi: Latin Night with sexy dancers, drink specials and no cover Saturday 4/20 The Manor: Ascendance, the biggest, rugged man-for-man party, comes to The Manor Corner Pub: $2 drafts, $2.50 wells (8-11 a.m.) Georgies Alibi: Drag Yourself to Brunch at 11-3 p.m. Show starts at 1 p.m. Sunday 4/21 The Grille: Easter Brunch Buffett, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Happy Hour 4-9 p.m. half-price drinks Johnsons: Happy hour, half priced cocktails, $3 domestic, $4 imports, 5-9 p.m. with live twinks, jocks and men Boardwalk: $6 Sky Vodka special, with twink, jock, & male dancers Monday 4/22 Hunters: Karaoke at 8 p.m. Georgies Alibi: Service Industry Night, 20 percent off all food with current pay stub/work ID and 2-4-1 drinks 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Mattys Wilton Park: Fort Lauderdale Prime Gentleman free buffett, meet and greet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday 4/23 Hunters: Happy Hour, with SFGNs 2018 Best Bartender Greg N. from 3-8 p.m. Scandals Saloon: The Voice of Scandals Contest, $4 Stoli cocktails Gulf Stream Brewing Company: Drag Bingo at 8 p.m. Boardwalk: Locals Night, NO COVER, Open until 2 a.m. Wednesday 4/24 Poverello: Healthy living cooking class, at 7 p.m. FREE Boardwalk: Cock fight, amateur strip contest Tee-Jay: Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. BOGO beer, wine and liquor. Excludes saki Drink: Happy Hour,half-priced drinks from 2-8 p.m. Follow my instagram @ justincredible12 Check out my previous column @ Most people anywhere in the world prefer to live within their comfort zones, and are not interested in exploring the world beyond. What do words like social justice and inclusive India mean to a man running a roadside eatery? The elderly man running Sethias restaurant at Bhiwadi in Rajasthans Alwar district was openly scornful. Sethias special vegetarian thalis were delicious. But business was down, there were not that many customers and his little restaurant in this industrial hub was not doing too well, he said. The very idea of the Congress Partys Nyay, or the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Minimum Income Scheme), worried him, he said. He was brutally frank explaining why he felt so. I have four cooks. I pay them between Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 a month for a 10 to 11-hour working day. If they start getting Rs 6,000 a month as part of some minimum income scheme, why would they work for me? What would be their incentive? They will sit at home. Where will I get cooks? Sethias antipathy towards social protection schemes was not because they may be fiscally imprudent as many economists argue, but because they threatened to disrupt his business. Sethia did not see anything wrong in what he did or how he thought. He had struggled hard, he said, and did not see why others should get a free pass. Sethia craved for a strong leader. He said had there been someone like Indira Gandhi or Sanjay Gandhi, there would have been an equal fight, leaving no doubt about his political preferences. Should those of us who call ourselves liberals be worried? Or is this yet another telling marker of the huge chasm between the talking points among the urban intelligentsia and the dog-eat-dog world of people like Sethia? The question becomes important if there is to be a counter-narrative to the macho, muscular, winner-takes-call paradigm that is being packaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his colleagues as the only exemplar of strong leadership in election-bound India. There are millions of people like Sethia in this country. They are not heartless. But words like social justice and inclusive growth mean nothing to them unless they are unpacked in a language and idiom that they can relate to. It is not hard to see the reasons for the appeal of the strong man, the quick fix, the magic bullet, especially in times of uncertainty and social transition. Those who are in a position of relative privilege view schemes which offer social protection to those below them with great suspicion. They see them as signs of weakness. They think something that is theirs is being snatched away from them. But those who are on the margins and feel crushed have a different perspective. At Rewasan village in Haryanas Nuh district, I met a bunch of young men who were enthusiastic about the Congress Party and its poll slogans promising inclusiveness. Nuh, earlier called Mewat, is one of the most backward parts of India on many development parameters. In 2018, the Central government included Nuh in its list of aspirational districts. If you believe the official narrative, things are improving in Nuh. But men I met at Rewasan had a different story. They felt whatever little they had was being snatched away from them and they were being pushed towards the precipice. Most of them worked as drivers. They told me they were out of work because their licences had not been renewed in recent times and no new licences were being issued. There was not much other work around and they had fallen back on the little patches of land they had. All in all, it was a miserable existence and they were looking for social protection schemes. Then there were people who would prefer not to speak about anything they see as even remotely controversial. I travelled through many of the areas where mob lynchings had taken place; where Muslims had been beaten up, even killed, by self-styled cow protectors. But such issues did not surface in the conversations of many people that I met. Everything was fine, they said. Had these people slipped into casual majoritarianism without even realising that they had done so? In many instances, I found that while at the individual level, many of these people were perfectly pleasant, they were completely apathetic to what happens to those in less advantageous positions. Lynchings? Yes, I have heard about them. But no one I know has suffered. I really dont know much about these issues, a beauty parlour owner told me. She did not want to be drawn into a discussion on the subject. None of this is unique to this poll season or even to this country. Most people anywhere in the world prefer to live within their comfort zones, and are not interested in exploring the world beyond. Most people prefer to shrug off unpleasant news they hear if it does not affect them directly. And yes, most people like echo chambers. The key question can we afford to remain this way in these hyper-polarised times? Can we afford to turn away from everything grim and gruesome and ugly happening around us simply because we have not been touched yet? What can happen in the long run if we toss those who are already at the edge over the cliff? What can happen if we ignore their seething anger? In the 2014 election campaign, one of the charges that PM candidate Narendra Modi made was that the previous Congress-led government was into what the BJP calls minority appeasement. That is not a charge anyone can lay against the government that is completing its term now. But has the pendulum swung too far the other way, through rhetoric that is exclusionary rather than inclusive, alongside lynchings, cow vigilantism and the overt and covert support given to such activities by BJP ministers at the Centre and in the states, as well as its party leaders? The minorities certainly think so. Many among the majority do not. But whichever government comes to power by the end of next month, can it function optimally if the minorities are at best sullen and cowed? For years, Prime Minister Modi has been talking of good governance and development for everyone. If these are to work, all sections of Indian society have to be on board willingly. In the long run, fear cannot be the key. South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg officially launched his Presidential campaign Sunday, declaring he is compelled to seek the highest office in the land in order to win a new era of Americans. I recognize the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor, said Buttigieg to cheers from the faithful gathered inside a plant that once manufactured Studebaker cars. Buttigieg delivered sharp criticism of the Trump administration stating a myth rooted in resentment is sold to industrial and rural communities. He even jabbed at the Presidents vaunted Make America Great Again theme. The problem is they are telling us to look for greatness in all the wrong places, Buttigieg said. Because if there is one thing the city of South Bend has shown is there is no such thing as an honest politics that revolves around the word again. It is time to walk away from the politics of the past and to something totally different. Buttigieg, 37, has surged in the early polling of Democratic presidential candidates. An MSNBC poll has Buttigieg third behind former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with nine percent support. In Sundays 36-minute speech Buttigieg thanked his husband Chasten for giving me the strength to do this and the grounding to be myself as we go. Austin Texas Mayor Steve Adler introduced Buttigieg stating, it is local government where government works the best and calling Mayor Pete a true executive. Buttigiegs speech emphasized his campaigns three essential principles: Freedom. Security. Democracy. Freedom, Buttigieg said, is the right to marry the man he loves regardless what a county clerk says. Security is a forte of Buttigieg, who deployed to Afghanistan as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. There is a lot more to safety and security than putting up a wall from sea to shining sea, he quipped. Democracy, Buttigieg said, should be restored by the simplest of measures counting all the votes and making the popular vote the ultimate decider. Its not much of a democracy when twice in my lifetime the Electoral College has overruled the will of the people, Buttigieg said. Although he never mentioned President Trump by name, Buttigieg denounced his administration in many ways. When something is grotesque its hard to look away and the horror show in Washington is mesmerizing. Its all consuming, but starting today were going to change the channel, Buttigieg said. Sometimes a dark moment brings out the best in us. Helps us find what is good in us -- dare I say what is great in us. I do believe in American greatness. I believe in American values. I believe we can guide this country and one another to a better place. The crowd often chanted Pete!, Pete!, Pete! and Boot-Edge-Edge! and when Buttigieg concluded his speech, he kissed and hugged Chasten as the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Up Around The Bend blared over the PA system. Meanwhile, the Democratic field continues to swell to nearly 20 major candidates. U.S. Congressmen Tim Ryan (OH-17) and Eric Swalwell (CA-15) declared their intentions last week. U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey kicked off his campaign on Saturday under a Justice for all" banner in Newark. The work has earned praise from Manish Prasad, Ignition Advice group chief executive, who said that partnering with a tier-one European bank is a significant milestone for the Sydney-headquartered firm. "Madgwicks provided our legal support from the outset of the project and have played a key role in shaping the deal, identifying and mitigating risk, and negotiating and finalising all contractual documentation. We were glad to have Madgwicks on board to assist us, Prasad said. Dudley Kneller, Madgwicks lead technology partner, said that the firm was very pleased to assist Ignition Advice with the next phase of its expansion in Europe. The fintech firm recently launched a presence in Dublin. The transaction was particularly challenging, with negotiations running over several months. The move into this market by Ignition Advice required a good understanding of complex data security obligations including under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as fintech regulatory requirements in different markets in the EU and Australia, Kneller said. A legaltech start-up is ramping up its expansion in Dublin, New York, and Sydney after raising funds from venture capitalists in the US and the UK. Brightflag raised US$8.5m in Series A funding, in a round led by Sands Capital Ventures, with participation from existing investors Frontline Ventures and Tribal Ventures. The round grows Brightflags total amount raised to US$11m, including participation from Enterprise Ireland. The company has tripled in size year-on-year since launching its product in 2015. It provides leading organisations, including Uber and Telstra, with an AI-powered platform to manage corporate legal spend. It follows an investigation which found that Mastercard infringed EU law by charging UK businesses that accept Mastercard debit and credit cards. Despite having the option to cut its fees and accept they were unlawfully high, the card processor continued to charge the fees while fighting a legal battle with the EU. The class action was filed by Quinn Emmanuel, led by partners Boris Bronfentrinker and Kate Vernon, but was thrown out by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2017. This week though, the Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court must reconsider sending the case to trial. Freshfields is acting for Mastercard. Available as an option in the 2500 Limited and 3500 Limited, the Kentucky Derby comes with trailer-towing content such as 360-degree surround view, trailer-reverse guidance, fifth-wheel/gooseneck preparation, active hitch grid lines, bed lowering, trailer braking as part of the Forward Collision Warning Plus system, and a bed step. Uconnect 12-inch touchscreen infotainment, Sirius XM 360L, satellite navigation, blind spot monitoring, and power-retracting running boards are also included.As part of the Kentucky Derby treatment, the Ram HD includes full-leather seats, genuine wood and metal trim throughout the cabin, and Greystone stitching for the Black and Saddle Brown upholstery. The exterior stands out with the help of the premium billet-appearance grille and body-color bumpers. In total, customers can choose from seven exterior finishes (Patriot Blue, Max Steel, Granite Crystal, Diamond Black Crystal, Delmonico Red, Pearl White, and Bright White).The engine of choice for the heavy-duty Ram truck is the 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel. Capable of more than 1,000 pound-feet of torque, this powerplant offers up to 35,100 pounds of towing capability. The 6.4-liter HEMI V8 serves as the entry-level choice in this segment, and customers of the Kentucky Derby can choose between rear- or four-wheel drive, Mega Cab or Crew Cab, and single rear wheel or dual rear wheel. As far as bed lenghts are concerned, options include 6 4 and 8".Care to guess how much this bad boy costs? The most affordable Kentucky Derby in heavy-duty flavor starts at $66,890 plus $1,695 for the destination charge. Move on up to the 3500, and youre looking at $68,240 plus $1,695. Production is limited to 1,000 examples of the breed, and sales kick off in the third quarter of 2019. Shantelle Johnson and Colen Nugit packed their fishing gear, took their dog Ace and left home, but not before informing their relatives of the duration of their trip. At one point, their pickup truck became bogged and, despite their very hard efforts, they could not dig it out.At some point, they realized that, with the coming tide, they were running the risk of drowning if they stayed in the car. They also knew crocodiles would be making an appearance with the tide, so they decide to unload the truck and make for safer ground, they tell ABC Earlier that day we saw two, three croc tracks - they were about five, six metres long, Nulgit says. He knew they could be killed if they stayed with the car. Even if they had limited food and water, they decided to take their chance.Once they moved to more solid ground and farther from the water, they started lighting fires. They also scratched the word HELP in the sand, drawing arrows towards the car, so pilots could spot them and call for backup.That, together with the fact that they had told their families when they were expected back, helped with the rescue mission. The frantic search ended about 26 hours from the time they were reported missing.Acting Sergeant Dean Andrzejaczek from the Kununurra police praised the couple for how they handled the situation, for keeping their calm and taking all precautions. It's always a good idea to tell family where you're going and what time you are expected back, he added, in a statement to the same publication. Police say that at least 6 vehicles have been targeted by the suspect in St. Briavels over the past 18 months, with the latest incident taking place a few days ago, according to Metro . A music teacher was victim this time and damage to his Renault was so bad that the car will have to be written off.The good news is that police have already recovered a devil mask and a curly black wig, which the suspect is believed to have worn. She also wore a poncho and boots with a thick white sole. Yes, the prime suspect is a woman but she did not act alone: another victim says he caught the suspects on camera, a man and a woman. The man drives the woman around and she gets out and does all the dirty work in this case, dousing a Land Rover Freelander with gel-like acid.Police are offering a 2,000 reward to anyone who can offer information leading to the capture of the devil and her accomplice.In the case of John Hurley, the music teacher, he says hes lucky he didnt touch the acid because he knew of the situation and immediately connected the dots.Luckily I was aware of the previous attacks so as soon as I saw it I knew straight away what it was, Hurley says. If I hadnt known and touched it, it would have been disastrous. I teach music and the acid would have damaged my fingers. Its devastating to think there are people in our community who could do such a thing.You just dont know when something is going to happen next. The whole village is generally a very nice community. I parked the car in the drive at about 6pm and the following morning I went outside and I was devastated, Hurley adds.St. Briavels counts only about 1,000 people as residents. Lori Hoefs, 57, admitted to the police that, at the time of the crash , she was on her phone with a friend. She had the phone on speaker but she was still holding it in her hand, and she was distracted enough to miss the sign, she said.Her victim, Brenda Travis, was a retired teacher. Her brother was driving the car at the time, and while he too was injured, he had a quick recovery.Though Hoefs could have been sent to jail for a very long time under the initial charges (felony criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation), she got a mere slap on the wrist, by comparison. She will be spending only 6 months in jail and will have to visit her victims grave twice, whether she wants to or not.Thats the sentence handed out to her after striking a plea deal and pleading guilty to lesser charges: misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor careless driving. The victims brother, who was driving the other car and was injured as well, was OK with the plea deal and even insisted that Hoefs didnt lose her nursing license, as shed been working as a nurse for over 3 decades, The Star Tribune reports.He did add, however, We do wonder why she didn't assist his sister at the crash scene, but I guess she was in total shock, the publication adds.Under the same plea deal, Hoefs gets 2 years of probation, following the 6-month jail sentence, 30 hours of community service and a fine of $1,429, and must attend classes at a driving improvement clinic. Community service will consist of public speeches on distracted driving. Volkswagen Philippines have yet to debut their next model. What's certain is that they will be SUVs, and the names will start with the letter 'T' according to its president Felipe Estrella III. With a massive model revamp initiated last year, Volkswagen offerings in the Philippines have so far been models that come from China. The reason being is the favorable ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement which brings down import tariffs for vehicles imported from China down to 5%. Through its Ayala-led distribution company Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI), the company offers the Santana, Santana GTS, Lavida, Lamando, and Tiguan LWB. All cars are manufactured in Volkswagen facilities in China, which offer the exact same build and quality as any Volkswagen plant in the world. Aside from the all-new Trailblazer that recently made its world debut at Auto Shanghai 2019, the bow-tie brand also unveiled the smaller but equally stylish Tracker. We might be waving goodbye to the Chevy Trax soon and saying hello to a new subcompact crossover. While it may look similar to the Trax, Chevy said the Tracker will serve as the brand's newest entry-level SUV and will be targeted towards the 'internet generation'. Based on the image provided, the Tracker appears to be similarly-sized but is slightly taller than the Trax. Upswept LED headlights and am aggressive-looking front bumper give the Tracker a mean look. And since this is the Redline variant, it comes with a racing-inspired design courtesy of an all-black front grill, 17-inch ten-spoke alloy wheels, as well as red and black styling accents. The all-new Trailblazer and Tracker are taking us to the next chapter of Chevrolet SUV design. With their lean muscularity, every member of the Chevrolet SUV family is reinforcing the brands focus on performance and capability, said Stuart Norris, Design Director of global Chevrolet compact SUVs. Chevy has yet to announce the Tracker's engine lineup. However, we won't be surprised if it comes available with an array of turbocharged engines like the Trax. A choice of manual and automatic transmissions could also be available on the Chevy Tracker. Should Chevy Philippines decide to replace the Trax with the Tracker, expect it to go up against the likes of the Ford EcoSport, Mazda CX-3, and Hyundai Kona. And since the Tracker will most likely be sourced from China, the supposed Trax replacement could also be more affordable. Carole Cadwalladr, the British journalist who first exposed the Cambridge Analytica scandal, used a TED talk yesterday to blame Facebook and other tech giants for the undoing of Western democracy. Why it matters: She called Britain and the Brexit vote the "canary in the coal mine" of what happens to democracy in the era of social media. "We are what happens to Western democracy when 100 years of election laws are disrupted by technology," Cadwalladr said. Details: Cadwalladr said she was using the TED platform to address the "gods of Silicon Valley." She specifically singled out Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Square and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as "accessories" to "subversion." She called on Facebook to reveal more of what happened surrounding Brexit and the 2016 U.S. elections. "Its a crime scene, and you have the evidence," she said. "Its not enough to say you will do better in the future." She asked the tech leaders if they want to be remembered as "handmaidens" to the "authoritarianism on the rise all across the world." And she called on others to speak out. "My question to everyone else is, 'Is this what we want? To let them get away with it and to sit and play with our phones?'" What's next: Dorsey was interviewed on stage on Tuesday. TED curator Chris Anderson also added there is an open invitation for Facebook's executives to join the TED stage this week. China recently declined to issue a visa to Michael Pillsbury, an informal adviser to President Trump on China policy, in an unusual move that comes as the Trump administration steps up its scrutiny of Chinese experts attempting to travel to the U.S. Why it matters: Trump has praised Pillsbury, a hawkish former Pentagon official and author, as "the leading authority on China." Pillsbury regularly discusses China with Trump, including during an Oval Office meeting about a month ago. Pillsbury told Axios he has visited China over 50 times since the 1970s and this is the first time his visa request hasn't been approved. How it happened: Pillsbury was due to participate in a conference in Beijing last Sunday hosted by the Center for China and Globalization. He was also invited to an event at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing hosted by Ambassador Terry Branstad. Pillsbury told Axios he applied for a visa at the Chinese consulate in Washington three weeks prior to his trip but the Chinese sat on his application, and he has not yet received his passport back. (The visa was neither approved nor denied, but the result was the same: he couldn't travel to China for the conference.) He said he reached out to a well-connected Chinese contact seeking information about what was going on, and the contact pointed him to an article published Sunday in the New York Times about the U.S. blocking visits from Chinese scholars due to concerns about espionage. Pillsbury said China had also declined to issue a visa to Wendy Cutler, a China expert who served as a top trade negotiator in the Obama administration and was scheduled to take part in the same conference. Cutler did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Between the lines: It's not entirely clear whether the Chinese move was a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. steps. The Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment. Pillsbury, for one, links it to ongoing trade talks. "It's part of China's apparent slowdown or refusal to make the final deal and deal with the remaining issues of importance," he said. Part of the China and Globalization Forum agenda showing scheduled speakers, including Pillsbury. Screengrab: Obtained by Axios. The big picture: During an Oval Office meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on April 4, Trump said he thought the two sides were close to a "very monumental" trade deal that could be announced as soon as within four weeks. But, according to a Wall Street Journal report today, that timeline may be slipping, with another round of talks in Beijing expected at the end of this month and a visit from the Chinese in early May. Some senior administration officials, chiefly Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trump's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow, have broadcast optimism about the prospects of a deal, keeping markets perky. Mnuchin said a few days ago that the administration was close to a final deal and said the U.S. would be willing to face "certain repercussions" if it doesn't live up to what it promises the Chinese in a potential deal. What to watch: A source briefed on the most recent round of talks said the "entire ballgame" is in the enforcement of an eventual agreement and more specifically in monitoring whether the Chinese live up to their promises. Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia shot himself in the head on Wednesday, the New York Times reports, and has been confirmed dead. Details: Garcia, who was 69 years old, was taken to the hospital in Lima in critical condition. His personal secretary, Ricardo Pineda, verified Garcia's death, explaining to a Peruvian radio station that as authorities arrived at his home with an arrest warrant, Garcia locked himself in his bedroom and shot himself. He was then taken to a hospital shock unit. Background: Garcia served as president from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011, helping the country through economic hurdles in his first term and fostering growth in the early 2000s. He faced charges involving a Brazilian construction firm that admitted to $800 million in payoffs in return for attractive contracts. Per the New York Times, ongoing investigations targeted other Peruvian leaders, including Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who was detained last week. When it comes to making predictions about the world economy, policymakers and asset managers are whiffing because they are failing to account for the increasingly dysfunctional state of global politics. The big picture: The world's top economic concerns Brexit, the U.S.-China trade war are the result of policy decisions rather than unavoidable shocks. Why it matters: IMF officials, whose forecasts are used by top central bank officials and finance ministers in a majority of the world's countries, can't say how they're incorporating politics into projections. "We do see that policy uncertainty, and in many cases bad decisions are a root cause for financial distress," IMF financial counselor Tobias Adrian told Axios at the organization's spring meetings last week. Asked specifically how that's being used in economic outlooks: "It is a risk, and were looking at it closely." Questions posed to IMF deputy managing director David Lipton and chief economist Gita Gopinath yielded largely similar answers. Checking the numbers: A recent Bloomberg analysis found that on average, the IMF's forecasts are off by 2 percentage points a wide margin given that GDP growth in most countries is in single digits. Private forecasters don't do much better, according to a 2014 report from the IMF Independent Evaluation Office. It's largely for the same reason. A much ballyhooed report from multinational bank Standard Chartered predicted by 2030 India would surpass the U.S. in terms of economic size, China would have double its GDP (measured by purchasing power parity), and 7 of the worlds 10 largest economies would be current developing countries. It too ignored politics, even though expected rising stars like Turkey, Russia and Brazil are now in the midst of politically derived economic uncertainty. "It's very hard to pinpoint political dynamics," Madhur Jha, senior global economist at Standard Chartered, told Axios in January. "So thats something that is a risk and a clear risk but not something we can explicitly take into account when we make projections." The bottom line: A clear example of the importance of political leadership is the BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa which ahead of the financial crisis were all seeing GDP growth above 5% annually. Since then, China and India have had steady leadership with clear policy direction. South Africa and Brazil have deposed sitting presidents, while Russia's president has cost the country billions of dollars in international sanctions. India and China's economies grew 48% and 79%, respectively, between 2011 and 2018, whereas Brazil, South Africa and Russia's economies shrank by double digits. Go deeper: The global economy's "delicate moment" North Korea's Kim Jong-un oversaw the test of a new tactical guided weapon on Wednesday, reports Reuters. "The completion of the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power..." Kim told Korean Central News Agency, of his nation's military Why it matters: This is North Korea's first weapons test since Kim and President Trump met in February for a second summit in Hanoi, resulting in no agreement between the 2 nations. Details: State media did not specify if Wednesday's test was of a nuclear weapon, but "tactical" suggests it was a short-range weapon, per Reuters. The test comes after satellite images of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site showed railcar activity on April 12. Both Kim and Trump have hinted at the possibility of a third sit-down. The Trump administration has worked to maintain an "all or nothing" approach, in which sanctions on North Korea would only be lifted after full denuclearization. Go deeper: Report: North Korea restoring missile launch site A white man accused of burning 3 historically black churches in Louisiana's St. Landry Parish was held in jail without bond after prosecutors added hate crimes to the charges he faces, The Daily Advertiser first reported. Details: Holden Matthews, 21, the son of a sheriff's deputy, pleaded not guilty via video conference from St. Landry Parish jail to 3 arson charges and the 3 fresh ones of committing hate crimes. The district judge granted authorities' request to deny bail after they argued he was an "immediate risk to public safety," according to CBS News. 1 big thing: Wall Street reckons with climate Two years of wildfires, storms and floods, killing scores of people, destroying thousands of homes and costing some $500 billion in global damage, have convinced big investors of the vulnerability of their assets and a vast profit opportunity in the decades ahead. What's happening: Some of the biggest names on Wall Street are partnering with climate science groups to produce the first countrywide, property-level maps attempting to financially navigate the age of extreme weather-driven calamity. These maps are so granular that they can pick out individual commercial buildings and electric power stations, and thus advise investors about the potential impact to their specific assets across the decades through the end of the century. The sudden mini-frenzy among investors comes after years of ignoring warnings about a momentous risk to their assets: BlackRock and Rhodium, a consulting firm, this month released a sophisticated program classifying the threat to investments in U.S. municipal bonds, electric utilities, and commercial real estate. a consulting firm, this month released a sophisticated program classifying the threat to investments in U.S. municipal bonds, electric utilities, and commercial real estate. Wellington Management, CalPERS and Woods Hole Research Center have produced a similar system for the U.S. with the goal of expanding it to a global analysis. have produced a similar system for the U.S. with the goal of expanding it to a global analysis. Since 2017, Michael Bloomberg and Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, have pushed the world's leading banks and blue-chip companies to quantify and disclose their climate risk. Their early conclusion: An all-but oblivious Wall Street is underpricing the risk of intense heat, wildfires, drought, storms and floods to their investments. "Even the scientifically rudimentary things are something the investment community hasn't thought about at all," said Phil Duffy, president of Woods Hole. The big picture: The BlackRock, Wellington and CalPERS initiatives finally take account of an unignorable fact some of history's biggest fortunes have been made opportunistically in times of chaos. If one views climate change as a prolonged period of chaos, it makes sense that investors would seek to protect their current ownings, be careful about what they bet on next and look out for shrewd places to put their long-term money. For instance: Between 2060 and 2080, up to 26% of metros would likely have 100 days a year of 95 degree heat, up from 1% today, according to Rhodium and the Climate Impact Lab, which it works with. up to 26% of metros would likely have 100 days a year of 95 degree heat, up from 1% today, according to Rhodium and the Climate Impact Lab, which it works with. Why it matters : Greater heat reduces the productivity of outdoor labor, increases mortality rates, pushes up spending on air conditioning, and lowers agricultural output. : Greater heat reduces the productivity of outdoor labor, increases mortality rates, pushes up spending on air conditioning, and lowers agricultural output. The investment: All that heat could seriously reduce the value of real estate in hot places, like Arizona and Texas, while triggering a rush of property interest in cooler locations like North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Maine and New Hampshire. "When investors can get a better understanding of risk, it allows them to better identify the opportunities," Brian Deese, BlackRock's global head of sustainable investing, tells Axios. Their effort is made possible by the advent of big data and more powerful computers: Rhodium's work with BlackRock produced 160 terabytes of data, the group said more than 10 times the holdings of the Library of Congress. At the moment decades before the worst impacts of extreme weather much of the groups' material focuses on identifying the risks to current investments. Biggest losers : The Gulf Coast, much of Arizona, the South Atlantic. Naples and Key West Florida could lose 15% or more of GDP a year, mostly from coastal storms, BlackRock says. : The Gulf Coast, much of Arizona, the South Atlantic. Naples and Key West Florida could lose 15% or more of GDP a year, mostly from coastal storms, BlackRock says. Biggest winners: A net gain along the West Coast in Oregon and Washington state, Maine, and patches of the north-midwest. Jamestown, North Dakota could see its GDP rise by 5.2% a year by 2040, and 6.5% in 2060-2080, under a business-as-usual emissions scenario. Go deeper: Where climate change will hit the U.S. hardest Satellite images of North Koreas main nuclear site show railcar activity that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Tuesday. "In the past these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns. The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." Why it matters: The activity signs at Yongbyon nuclear site on April 12 come at a delicate time in negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea. President Trump's February summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended abruptly over a disagreement about the nuclear facility and sanctions. Between the lines: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hasn't ruled out a third summit taking place between Trump and Kim. Pompeo said Monday there are "lots of conversations taking place" and Trump is "determined to move forward diplomatically." He said Kim had repeatedly pledged a commitment to denuclearize. "We collectively need to see that outcome move forward. And were working our teams are working with the North Koreans to plot a to chart a path forward so that we can get there. He said he wanted it done by the end of the year. Id love to see that done sooner." Red states are getting creative as they look for new ways to limit the growth of Medicaid. But in the process those states are taking legal, political and practical risks that could ultimately leave them paying far more, to cover far fewer people. Why it matters: Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program cover more than 72 million Americans, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. Rolling back the program is a high priority for the Trump administration, and it needs states' help to get there. The big picture: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under the leadership of Administrator Seema Verma, has made clear that it wants to say "yes" to new limits on Medicaid eligibility, and has invited states to ask for those limits. But CMS hasn't actually said "yes" yet to some of the most significant limits states have asked for. In the meantime, states are left either with vague ambitions theyre not sure how to implement, or with risky plans that put their own budgets on the line. What we're watching: State-level Republicans are waiting for CMS to resolve two related issues: how much federal funding their versions of Medicaid can receive, and the extent to which theyre able to cap enrollment in the program. These issues are going to continue to be intertwined, said Joan Alker, the executive director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. Verma has reportedly told state officials that she wants to use her regulatory power to convert Medicaid funding into a system of block grants which would be an enormous rightward shift and probably a big cut in total funding. CMS probably cannot do that on its own, experts said, but it could achieve something similar by approving caps on either enrollment or spending. Where it stands: GOP lawmakers in a handful of states are looking to Utah, which has bet big on Verma's authority, for signals about what's possible. Utah voters approved the full ACA expansion last year, but the state legislature overruled them to pass a more limited version. By foregoing the full expansion, Utah passed up enhanced federal funding. It's still asking for that extra money a request CMS has never previously approved. Utah will also ask CMS to impose a per-person cap on Medicaid spending a steep cut that was part of congressional Republicans failed repeal-and-replace bill, and which may strain CMS' legal authority. If Utah doesn't get those two requests, its backup plan is simply to adopt the full expansion. What's next: Utah is not the only red state leaning into Verma's agenda, but it's further out on a limb than any other. Idaho, like Utah, overruled its voters to pass a narrower Medicaid bill. But it preserved an option for people to buy into the ACA's expansion. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has said he wants to take Verma up on her offer of block grants; so have legislators in Tennessee and Georgia. But in the absence of any detail about what that means, or what CMS will approve, that's all pretty vague right now. If CMS does move forward on any of this, it could face the same threat of lawsuits that have stymied its first big Medicaid overhaul work requirements. Those rules are on ice in two states because a judge said they contravene Medicaid's statutory structure and goals. The same argument could await a partial expansion or tough spending caps. Theres a clear agenda here to get a handful of states to take up these waivers, which fundamentally undermine the central tenets of the Medicaid program which [are] that it is a guarantee of coverage, and a guarantee of federal funding, Alker said. Go deeper: Medicaid is the ACA's workhorse Most Americans will file their income taxes by midnight tonight, and employers will report their payroll taxes later this month. But companies that have replaced or expanded their flesh-and-blood staff with robots will get a free pass. What's new: Amid fears of automation-fueled job loss, a once-fringe debate is exploding into public view: Why don't we tax the bots? The big picture: For over a century and a half, the United States has taxed income, first to fund war and later to build up the country's coffers. But now, some experts say it's time to reevaluate who or what should be taxed. The idea is to use money raised from companies carrying out automation to help retrain or support people who lose their jobs because of it. to use money raised from companies carrying out automation to help retrain or support people who lose their jobs because of it. Among the robot levy's most ardent and improbable supporters is Bill Gates, who in a 2017 interview said robots should be taxed "at a similar level" to the humans it replaced, even if that slows the speed of automation. most ardent and improbable supporters is Bill Gates, who in a 2017 interview said robots should be taxed "at a similar level" to the humans it replaced, even if that slows the speed of automation. Pumping the brakes will give policymakers more time to counteract potential unemployment, proponents argue. "It's a bit like polluting the environment," says James Manyika, director of the McKinsey Global Institute. Companies will choose cheap, dirty fossil fuels over clean energy unless there are incentives not to just like they'd likely choose to automate away jobs rather than invest in technology that complements human abilities. Detractors, however, say a tax could stall innovation at a time when China is unwaveringly pushing to dominate AI and robotics. In a report last week, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank, argued that the robot tax would slow GDP and wage growth. ITIF president Rob Atkinson instead called for a tax credit for investing in robots, calling predictions of job loss from automation overblown. What's next: Watch this debate head to Washington. Andrew Yang, the former tech entrepreneur running for president, is proposing a universal basic income funded by a tax on automation. the former tech entrepreneur running for president, is proposing a universal basic income funded by a tax on automation. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York last month voiced her support for taxing robots. Go deeper: A Yale professor argues for the robot tax (The Guardian) There are some notable new names in TIME's 100 most influential people rankings this year: teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Attorney General William Barr, and Michelle Obama. The big picture: The magazine got some huge names to write their profiles. One of the most eye-opening: Barr's was penned by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Meanwhile, Obama's was written by Beyonce and Kavanaugh's by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Speaker Nancy Pelosi by Hillary Clinton "In the 2018 midterms, Nancy was the driving force that brought a Democratic majority back to the House, and opened the door for a Congress thats more diverse than any other in our nations history and has some of its youngest members ever. ... Speaker Nancy Pelosi is living proof that when it comes to getting the job done, more often than not, it takes a woman." Last year, Pelosi's profile was written by outgoing Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and put more focus on her family. Greta Thunberg by Parkland activist Emma Gonzalez "Greta Thunberg saw her power in us, and we in turn see our power in her. Fighting in her home country, Sweden, for a future free from pollution, environmental degradation and climate change, Greta is inspiring steadfast students and shaming apathetic adults." President Trump by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie "President Trump deserves great credit for daring to try to personally persuade Chairman Kim to join the family of nations. This approach holds the possibility for historymaking changes on the Korean Peninsula to make us all safer." Christie's piece focuses almost exclusively on Trump's diplomacy goals for North Korea. Last year, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) focused his Trump profile on how the president "disrupt[s] the status quo." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) "A year ago, she was taking orders across a bar. Today, millions are taking cues from her. She reminds all of us that even while greed and corruption slow our progress, even while armies of lobbyists swarm Washington, in our democracy, true power still rests with the people. And shes just getting started." New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern by London Mayor Sadiq Khan "Jacinda Arderns leadership since the attack has been an inspiration to us all. Not only is she delivering such swift action on gun control, she has sent a powerful message around the world about our shared valuesthat those who seek to divide us will never succeed, and that New Zealand will always protect and celebrate the diversity and openness that make our countries so great." Ardern's profile last year focused on her status as the youngest female prime minister in the world. This year's focuses on her reputation in the aftermath of the Christchurch shootings. Justice Brett Kavanaugh by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "But when unhinged partisanship and special interests sought to distract the Senate from considering those qualifications, we saw other facets of Justice Kavanaughs character shine forth as well. The country saw his resilience and commitment to public service. We saw his loyal devotion to family and friends. We saw his undeterred reverence for the law, for precedents and for our nations highest traditions." Attorney General William Barr by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "During his first stint as Attorney General, from 1991 to 1993, Barr dealt with politically sensitive cases, appointed special and independent counsels, handled delicate national-security issues, and navigated contentious congressional oversight requests. He earned widespread respect for his integrity and professionalism, and he enhanced that reputation in the private sector." Special Counsel Robert Mueller by former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates "Abhorring self-promotion, while the country held its collective breath during his nearly two-year investigation, Mueller uttered not a single public word. And when he finished, he called it as he saw it. He did his duty." His Preet Bharara-penned profile last year had a similar focus. Michelle Obama by Beyonce Knowles-Carter "She wouldve been impactful simply by being in the White House, the first African-American First Lady. But she also used her position of power to improve the world around her. Her initiative Reach Higher, for example, encourages young people to complete their education past high school. She empowers all of us to interrogate our fears and surpass greatness." Go deeper: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets her first TIME Magazine cover Armenian law-enforcement authorities on Wednesday pledged to investigate the death of a man which followed his arrest and interrogation by police in Yerevan. The 36-year-old Edgar Tsatinian was detained late last week in connection with the killing of an elderly woman who lived in his neighborhood. He reportedly died from drug intoxication several hours after being rushed to hospital from a police station in Yerevans Nor Nork district. Tsatinians mother, Larisa Yetarian, claims that police officers beat him up in in an attempt to get him to implicate two other persons in the murder. Yetarian says that they planted a drug in his pocket after he refused to give such incriminating testimony. My boy then took it from his pocket and swallowed it for fear [of prosecution,] she told RFE/RLs Armenian service on Tuesday. Yetarian alleged that Tsatinian was denied medical assistance at the nearby Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center before being taken to another hospital, the Armenia Medical Center, where he died several hours later. He was not properly treated there, she said. Edgar kept telling me, Mom, dont leave the [hospital] ward, they got orders to kill me, added the grief-stricken mother. A deputy director of the Surb Grigor Lusavorich hospital, Petros Manukian, said that Tsatinian was turned away from his hospital simply because it is not equipped to treat drug intoxications. Officials at the Armenia Medical Center insisted that Tsatinian did receive adequate medical care there. The Armenian police, for their part, denied ill-treating Tsatinian. A police statement also emphasized the fact that he had a criminal record. It warned that his mothers allegations may amount to false denunciation, a criminal offence in Armenia. Nevertheless, the allegations prompted serious concern from human rights activists and some opposition parliamentarians. One of those activists, Nina Karapetiants, said that the police may be bullying the deceased mans family with the false denunciation warning. Armenias Special Investigative Service (SIS) announced, meanwhile, that it has launched a criminal investigation into possible negligent homicide. The investigation was recommended by the Office of the Prosecutor-General. According to local and international human rights groups, ill-treatment of criminal suspects in custody has long been commonplace in Armenia. Justice Minister Artak Zeynalian claimed on Tuesday that the Armenian police have stopped resorting to the illegal practice. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sounded optimistic on Wednesday about the implementation of confidence-building agreements reached by his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts at their latest talks mediated by him. Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov met with Lavrov in Moscow on Monday more than two weeks after an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit held in Vienna. They were also joined by the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group. A joint statement issued by the participants said the warring sides reaffirmed their earlier pledges to strengthen the ceasefire regime and take other confidence-building measures in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. They specifically agreed to allow families to have access to their relatives held in custody in the respective detention centers of the parties. The Ministers expressed their willingness to start concrete work on establishing contacts between people, including through mutual visits of media representatives, added the statement. I believe that this is a very useful agreement, Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow. I have read comments that similar things, especially in the humanitarian sphere, had been agreed upon earlier but not always implemented. This is true. But as a result of the talks held in Moscow I have reason to think that both Baku and Yerevan are interested in ensuring that these agreements do not remain on paper this time around. We will be assisting them in that, he said. Mammadyarov on Wednesday described the Moscow meeting as productive. He said he and Mnatsakanian also discussed a peace plan which was proposed by Russia following the April 2016 fighting in Karabakh. Lavrov confirmed this, saying that the plan is in tune with the basic principles of a Karabakh settlement which have repeatedly been laid out by the U.S., Russian and French mediators in recent years. The details are certainly confidential, he said. The Minsk Group co-chairs reaffirmed their compromise peace formula, also known as the Madrid Principles, in a March 9 statement. They said any fair and lasting settlement must involve return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will. Speaking at a March 19 news conference in Yerevan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that the Madrid Principles are open to different interpretations and need to be clarified. Pashinian said afterwards that he raised the matter with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the mediators at the Vienna summit held on March 29. Businessman Gagik Tsarukian assured on Wednesday workers of a cement plant owned by him that they will not be laid off for now because he still hopes that the Armenian government will impose tariffs on cement imports from Iran. The government decided to introduce such tariffs earlier this year, citing mounting losses incurred by Armenian cement manufacturers. An Armenian parliament committee on economic issues watered down a relevant government bill on April 12 to ensure that the extra import duties do not apply to cement clinker, a nodular material developed before the final stage of cement production. Tsarukians Multi Group holding company was quick to notify most of the 1,100 or so employees of the Ararat Tsement plant in writing that they will fired within two months. It said Ararat Tsement would need a fraction of its current workforce to manufacture cement with cheap Iranian clinker. Hundreds of workers of the plant located about 50 kilometers south of Yerevan went on strike on Monday in protest against the planned layoffs. They also demanded a meeting with Tsarukian. The tycoon, who also leads the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), met with the workers and told them to tear up and burn the notices of termination sent to them by the company management. I thought, If they [the authorities] dont care, then I dont care either, he said. But then I realized that I, as Tsarukian, as the leader of the party cant neglect you. I was just outraged by that wrong decision. Tsarukian said the BHKs parliamentary group, the second largest in the National Assembly, will lobby the government and the parliament majority loyal to it to restore the initial version of the cement bill. BHK lawmakers will organize discussions on the issue on Thursday, he said, inviting one of the Ararat Tsement workers, Henrik Khechumian, to take part in them. Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian service afterwards, Khechumian said he will go to the parliament only with several of his colleagues. Although the workers agreed to suspend their strike, Khechumian did not seem satisfied with Tsarukians assurances. We may find ourselves in the same situation one week later, he said. Ararat Tsement, which reportedly accounts for at least 70 percent of cement production in Armenia, is facing an uncertain future amid renewed tensions between the BHK and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians My Step alliance. Earlier this month Tsarukian publicly criticized the governments economic policies and said many government officials are incompetent. This was followed by bitter recriminations traded by My Step and the BHK over a transgender activists bombshell speech delivered in the Armenian parliament. On April 9 Pashinian accused a senior BHK lawmaker of organizing a political provocation against the parliament majority loyal to him. Tsarukian and his associated rejected the accusation. Tax officials raided a market and pressurized gas stations belonging to Tsarukian in the following days. BHK representatives suggested that the tax audits are politically motivated. The tycoon denied on Wednesday any political motives behind his initial decision to fire many Ararat Tsement workers. By Leman Mammadova The growth observed in the textile industry of Azerbaijan also increases the country's export potential in non-oil sector. Azerbaijans Gilan Textile Park LLC intends to export textile products to the new markets in the CIS countries, chairperson of the Azerbaijan Textile Products Manufacturers and Exporters' Association Mehriban Akhundova told Trend. "The negotiations on the export of the company's textile products are underway with Russian partners," she said. "Besides Russia, we also intend to supply textile products, namely, terry products, bathrobes, blankets and others to Belarus," Akhundova said. "In the future, we plan to supply our textile products to other CIS countries." She stressed that Gilan Textile Parks products are environmentally friendly and meet all international quality standards. Taking into account the production potential, Gilan Textile Park is considered one of the biggest processing enterprises not only in Azerbaijan, but the entire region. Gilan Textile Park, which uses cotton grown in Azerbaijan as a raw material for the production of various products, renders great support to the development of local industry and agriculture. The weaving, dyeing and sewing factories operate on the basis of the Gilan Textile Park, which launched its activities in Azerbaijans Sumgait city in 2012. The National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy issued a preferential loan worth 15 million manats ($8.8 million) for the construction of three factories in the textile park worth 46 million manats ($27 million). Recently, the Gilan Textile Park announced that the company will export its first batch of yarn to Portugal. It is also expected that Latvian textile manufacturers will cooperate with Gilan Textile Park to create joint production in Azerbaijan for further export to the CIS countries. Textile industry of Azerbaijan has deep roots and centuries-old history. The socio-economic policy pursued in Azerbaijan in recent years, as well as the implementation of programs aimed at the development of agriculture and industry, led to the implementation of large-scale projects in this area. The launch of textile enterprises is of particular importance in reducing dependence on imports in the light industry, increasing export potential, creating national textile brands, training of qualified personnel and opening new jobs, allowing the development of the textile industry in the country. The Association of Textile Producers and Exporters was established to support the development of this sector in Azerbaijan. The initiative on the establishment of this association was put forward by entrepreneurs involved in the textile sector. In general, such associations serve to improve relations between the state and the private sector. The development of cotton growing in Azerbaijan gives impetus to the development of the textile industry. The further development of textile industry has great potential in Azerbaijan, since in early 2017, the State Program for 2017-2022 was approved with an aim of strengthening measures directed at developing cotton-growing in the country. The purpose is to develop cotton growing, increase export potential, ensure employment of the rural population. By Trend The international rating agency Moody's expects the expansion of the loan portfolio of Azerbaijans Bank Respublika in 2019-2020, Trend reports referring to the agency. Furthermore, the base credit rating of the bank was raised from caa1 to b3. According to agency experts, the increase is due to an improvement in bank profitability and asset quality. The net profit of the bank amounted to 2.2 million manats in 2018. The bank had a net loss of $10.5 million in 2017. Moody's expects significant net profit within the next 12-18 months. The agency raised the long-term deposit ratings of Bank Respublika in national and foreign currencies, and also improved the outlook on the bank's long-term deposit ratings, by changing it from stable to positive. According to Moodys experts, the improvement in asset quality is due to both the depreciation of the old portfolio and the increase in the share of new loans provided in accordance with more stringent underwriting standards in 2019-2020. The stabilized economic conditions in Azerbaijan should benefit the creditworthiness of households and small and medium-sized enterprises, constituting the bulk of the consumers of Bank Respublikas services. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijans Food Safety Agency will start online registration of business entities working in the nutrition sector on May 1, a source in the agency told Trend. According to the source, for this purpose, the agency has developed an automated information system for food safety, which currently operates in the test mode. The registration will no longer require visiting the agencys departments; it is necessary just to log into the agencys official website to register. "This can be done using ASAN Imza, an electronic signature, as well as a PIN code, the source said. It will also be possible to pay state fees through a personal account. In accordance with the decree by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the agency began operating in January 2018. In the future, the agency will ensure introduction of innovative solutions for rapid development of cooperation between the agency and entrepreneurs. There are also plans to automate import and export processes and conduct online information exchange in real time with the State Customs Committee. This will minimize contacts between citizens and officials, thus preventing waste of time of the entrepreneurs and further simplifying export and import processes. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Azerbaijan for the first time participated with the national pavilion at the 24th International Exhibition of Transport and Logistics Services and Technologies TransRussia-2019. The TransRussia-2019 was held in Moscow on April 15-17. Over 395 companies from 27 countries present their services for the transportation of goods by various types of transport, cargo traffic management in ports and terminals, as well as transportation of oversized cargo. Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC and Baku International Sea Trade Port had their stands at the national pavilion occupying 120 square meters. Representatives of all three companies informed the guests of the exhibition about the transit possibilities of Azerbaijan, railway and sea transport, the potential of seaports, international transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan, as well as the advantages of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. The national pavilion of Azerbaijan has attracted the attention of media representatives. In an interview with journalists, Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Igbal Huseynov said that in recent years important projects have been implemented in Azerbaijan to diversify the economy, develop the non-oil sector and expand the country's transit capabilities. The result of targeted reforms in the field of transport was the transformation of Azerbaijan into a regional hub in the field of international freight. More than 16,000 people visited the exhibition on the very first day. Observers noted the increased interest of visitors and companies participating in the exhibition in the transport sector of Azerbaijan compared with previous years. During the exhibition, bilateral meetings were held with representatives of companies from different countries of the world, an exchange of views was held on specific issues, and preliminary agreements were reached on establishing business relations. The national stand of Azerbaijan was declared the winner in the nomination The Best National Exposition. Azerbaijan has become a regional hub in international cargo transportation because of targeted reforms in the transport sector. In recent times, the work to increase the transit potential of the country, create a modern infrastructure that provides international transportation, and upgrade the transport fleet has become more intensive. The implementation of important infrastructure projects, not only increases the economic power of Azerbaijan, but also strengthens its international image. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova The 10th Charity Easter Bazaar was solemnly held in Baku on April 16-17. The event was traditionally organized by the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in country and the Baku Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Trend Life reported. The guests of the charity bazaar were greeted by the head of the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Baku Valentin Denisov and Archbishop Alexander of Baku and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani artists and craftsmen showcased their works at the charity bazaar. Handicraft products, including, paintings, embroidery, dolls, wood carvings were put on sale. A charity lottery was also held as part of the festival. During the feast, visitors to the Easter bazaar viewed with the photo exhibition of the Russian photo artist Roman Solopov. The exposition "On the Path of the Lord" was presented by the Kulikovo Field State Military, Historical, and Natural Museum. All proceeds from the Easter Bazaar went to charity. Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming Jesus Christ to life again. Easter traditions throughout the world differ from country to country. In many central and eastern European countries decorating eggs in beautiful patterns is especially popular. For instance, in Poland, families prepare a "blessing basket" the day before Easter. Filled with colored eggs, sausages, bread, and other food, baskets are taken to church to be blessed. In Sweden children dress up as Easter witches wearing long skirts, colorful headscarves and painted red cheeks, and go from home to home in their neighborhoods trading paintings and drawings in the hope of receiving sweets. In Russia, the neighbor or loved one of a person pierces the branch of the soft blooms, kept on the latter's shoulder. In the Czech Republic, the males of a family spank females with a homemade whip decorated with ribbons. The spanking is lighthearted and is believed to bring health over the next year. On Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the lawn of the White House for young children. Azerbaijan enjoys a tolerant atmosphere for different nations and religions. The national policy is defined on the principles of tolerance and coexistence of various nationalities, ethnic groups and religious minorities. Many religious confessions co-exist there. There are 1,834 mosques, 12 churches and 6 synagogues functioning in Azerbaijan. The government has created all conditions for religious worship in the country. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijani composer Firangiz Alizade enjoys her worldwide success. With her incredible talent, she has gained the hearts of listeners around the world. The work of prominent national composer has been highly appreciated by Aga Khan Foundation. This year the foundation has established the international award in the field of music - Aga Khan Music Award. The first laureate in the field of compositional creativity was the chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Composers, UNESCO Peace Artist Firangiz Alizade. Azerbaijani composer was awarded by His Excellency the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, His Highness the Aga Khan, Prince Amyn Aga Khan in Lisbon. In this regard, a press conference was held in Baku, Trend Life reported. A music video "Nasimi-Passion" was screened at the press conference. The composer wrote music piece for choir, soloist and symphony orchestra in honor of the 600th anniversary of Nasimis death. The event was attended by Culture Minister Abulfaz Garayev, rector of the Baku Music Academy Artist of the USSR Farhad Badalbeyli, famous film director, Peoples Artist Ogtay Mirgasimov. Honored guests congratulated Firangiz Alizade on her recent award. The event also featured a video of the awarding ceremony. At the end of the event, Firangiz Alizade answered questions from media representatives. Firangiz Alizade is best known for her works which combine the musical tradition of the Azerbaijani mugham and 20th century Western composition techniques, especially those of Arnold Schonberg and Gara Garayev. Her works have been performed at festivals in Stockholm, Warsaw, London, Heidelberg, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Berlin, Zurich, Bonn and Cologne. Alizade also enjoys long productive cooperation with Kronos, which has presented her works, including Mugamsayagy, Absheron and Oasis since 1993. In 2016, "Dance", an academic work by prominent Azerbaijani composer Firangiz Alizade, was performed in the framework of tour, organized by the world-renowned Kronos Quartet. In 2017, Azerbaijan's State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater marked the 70th anniversary of prominent composer. Many art and public figures, as well as her admirers attended the event. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijan and Turkey are two states and one nation, and Armenia should know this, said Turkish MP from Justice and Development Party (AKP) Metin Gundogdu, during the 52nd Meeting of the PABSEC Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee in Yerevan, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media. According to Gundogdu, Turkeys position on Azerbaijan and the fraternal relations between the two countries will remain unchanged. He noted that Armenia should withdraw from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and fulfill the conditions necessary for the resolution of the conflict. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov met with newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Earle Litzenberger. Hasanov noted that at the time when some leading states and international organizations in some conflict cases put pressure on the parties to the conflict, double standards are applied to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Hasanov congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and expressed confidence in the further expansion of Azerbaijani-American relations during his diplomatic activities in the country. Noting that relations between Azerbaijan and the United States lined up within the framework of NATO programs and on a bilateral basis, he brought to the attention the importance of developing cooperation in the military, military-technical and military-educational fields. Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Colonel-General Hasanov stressed the continuation of the aggressor policy of Armenia. He noted that despite the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan was deliberately delaying peace talks. In turn, Litzenberger stressed that the United States recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and treats it with respect, the American diplomat noted that his country is a supporter of a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He added that this is also important in terms of development and security of the South Caucasus. Noting the strategic importance of cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan, the ambassador brought to the attention that he was following the reforms carried out in the Azerbaijani army and appraised the successes achieved in this area. Regarding military cooperation between the two countries, Litzenberger expressed satisfaction with the participation of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in the mission carried out in Afghanistan. Then the parties discussed aspects of regional and bilateral cooperation, the security of the Caspian Sea and important strategic infrastructures, the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the organization of mutual visits by specialists in military education, as well as a number of other issues of interest. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend On 17 April 2019, the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, in accordance with its mandate, plans to conduct the next ceasefire monitoring exercise on the Azerbaijan and Armenia state border in the direction of Kazakh region, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. The Personal Representative`s field assistants Ghenadie Petrica and Martin Schuster will carry out the monitoring exercise from the territory of Azerbaijan. The Personal Representative`s field assistants Mihail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic will carry out the monitoring from the other side of the border. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The important points of humanitarian cooperation to which the conflicting parties must adhere were stressed at the recent meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers as part of the negotiation process for the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, well-known Azerbaijani political analyst Arzu Naghiyev told Trend. Naghiyev was commenting on the results of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in Moscow. Three important points in the humanitarian sphere were determined during the meeting of foreign ministers in Moscow, he added. "In fact, the foreign ministers agreed to fulfill three main points in the field of humanitarian cooperation. First, they agreed to take measures on a reciprocal basis for the families with members being prisoners of war to be able to meet with their relatives who are in custody, in the corresponding detention centers of the conflicting parties, Naghiyev said. Secondly, the foreign ministers expressed their readiness to begin certain work on establishing contacts between the residents of the two countries through mutual visits of media representatives, he added. Thirdly, they agreed to observe the stable situation in the conflict zone while carrying out the agricultural work, Naghiyev said. These three points are important components of substantive negotiations relating to the humanitarian cooperation. Following the meeting, steps were taken towards resolving the humanitarian issues, but in a global sense, the conflict still remains unresolved. "I think that following this meeting the next meeting must be held, but after the implementation of all these three agreements, he said. As for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijans position remains unchanged. We think that the long-term problem may be resolved if the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Azerbaijani borders are restored through the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of refugees to their ancestral lands." Naghiyev stressed that this fact has always been confirmed in the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which support Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity and all these points specified in the documents of international organizations are not fulfilled by the Armenian side, which is contrary to the requirements and principles of the international law. Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a working meeting in Moscow upon the initiative of the Russian side on April 15. OSCE Minsk Groups co-chairs (Igor Popov of Russia, Andrew Schofer of the US and Stephane Visconti of France), as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also joined them. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Ontario Sires Stakes star Dream Nation put in his first sophomore steps south of the border in qualifying action at Pompano Park on Tuesday, April 16. Earning over $200,000 last season with three wins in sires stakes company, the Jacques Dupont-trained Archangel gelding tuned up with a 1:57.3 qualifying mile over a fast track in warm temperatures. Stephane Brosseau steered Dream Nation to the lead heading to a :29.2 opening quarter, then yielded for a loose pocket through splits of :57.4 and 1:27.3 before reeling in the leader with a :29.3 final quarter to win by three-quarter lengths. A winner of six races from 10 starts and holding a mark of 1:55.3, Dream Nation qualified as the Ontario Sires Stakes season is soon to get underway, with the first preliminaries scheduled for mid-May. The gelding also has potential stakes engagements this year starting with the Goodtimes Trot on North America Cup night at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The O'Brien Award runner-up at two races for owners Les Ecuries Dorleans Inc., Ecurie Csl, Gestion Levesque 2005inc and Marc Camirand. By Abdul Kerimkhanov Lack of reaction of the OSCE Minsk Group to the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue may have a negative impact on the negotiation process, a Russian expert in the field of foreign policy, defense and security Grigory Trofimchuk said in an interview with Azernews. He was commenting on Pashinyan's statement on the need to involve the illegal regime created in Karabakh in the conflict resolving negotiations. The expert said that Armenia is not just delaying the resolution of the conflict, but is actually trying to change the format of the negotiations, which the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs should first pay attention to. "It is strange that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs seem to be trying not to notice the statements of the Armenian prime minister. This can end badly, because Azerbaijan can conclude that it is deliberately provoked to take drastic actions, not to mention resumption of war," Trofimchuk noted. Speaking of the anniversary of the 'velvet revolution' in Armenia, the expert said that there was not a revolution, but an interception of power, which so far has brought nothing concrete to the population of Armenia. Trofimchuk reminded that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself once said that a revolution can be considered to have taken place if it achieves its original goals. Comparing the previous Armenian authorities with the post-revolutionary team of Pashinyan in terms of vision of the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the expert noted the presence of fundamental differences. "Sargsyan was just sitting quietly at the round negotiating table. This is clearly not enough for Pashinyan, and the Karabakh issue is one of the major issues for him. He began to demonstrate this immediately after coming to power," said the expert. He also commented on the results of the recent meeting of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian foreign ministers in Moscow. "Russia has never been aloof from the Karabakh settlement process, so immediately after the Vienna summit, a ministerial meeting was held in Moscow on the same issue," Trofimchuk said. The expert believes that the meeting was held to start preparing for a summit between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Karabakh issue, since Putin has not yet met with Aliyev and Pashinyan together regarding this topic. "However, Moscow does not separate itself from the Vienna meeting and declares that it moves in the light of all previous discussions. Similarly, after the April clashes in 2016, the first meeting took place in Vienna, and then immediately there was another one in St. Petersburg," he said. Trofimchuk believes that the main point is that Azerbaijan is not going to get involved into a new unfruitful negotiation process, and that the country wants to clearly understand when it will finally get the territories back. Touching upon the statement of the Armenian Minister of Defense David Tonoyan on the possibility of "moving hostilities to the territory of Azerbaijan", Trofimchuk said this statement is a direct continuation of testing Azerbaijan, just like the statements by Pashinyan. "Tonoyans statement shows that Pashinyans team is completely different from the team of Sargsyan regarding the Karabakh negotiation process. I dont think that the West is not standing behind such statements of the 'new Yerevan'. Perhaps this is the reason why the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE MG does not raise the issue of Pashinyans attempt to change the Karabakh talks format," the expert said. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Head of Azerbaijans State Border Service, Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev checked the combat readiness of the checkpoints of the Gazakh border guard squad on the state border with Armenia, Trend reports. Reports were read on the progress of activities to fulfill instructions by Azerbaijani President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the situation with the execution of instructions on operational conditions in the service territory of the Gazakh border guard squad, strengthening defense positions, engineering and fortification measures. Familiarization with the work was implemented on the formation of modern defense infrastructure at the state border, construction of new office buildings at the border checkpoints, the laying of new roads, industrial electric and gas lines, and instructions were given to enhance this work. Guliyev personally handed medals For merits in the field of military cooperation to local residents Anar Dunyamaliyev, Safarali Abishov, Huseyn Shakhverdiyev and Zaur Yusifov, who distinguished themselves during the construction work at the border checkpoints, and expressed gratitude for the work on the state border together with the border guard squad. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Both Baku and Yerevan are interested in the recent agreements on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict not to remain on paper, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Lavrov made the remarks at the press-conference, Trend reports on April 17. "We held a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers here, Lavrov said. I also participated in the meeting and later three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office joined us. If I understand correctly, following this meeting in one of his interviews Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov mentioned that the proposals of 2016 were discussed, he added. Therefore, I have nothing to add here. As for the essence of these proposals, they are in line with the approaches enshrined in numerous statements made by the heads of the co-chair countries, namely, Russia, France and the US." As for the humanitarian measures, Lavrov stressed that they have been also clearly outlined in a joint statement, which was published following this meeting. They [humanitarian measures] cover the need for the parties and consent of the parties to make additional efforts to stabilize the situation, especially during the period of agricultural work, Lavrov said. They include an agreement to assist the individuals to meet with their relatives and friends who are held in places of detention. They cover approval of the contacts between people, especially between media representatives. I think that this is a very useful agreement, he said. Following the meeting in Moscow, I have reason to think that Baku and Yerevan are interested in these agreements not to remain on paper this time. We will help in this issue. Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a working meeting in Moscow upon the initiative of the Russian side on April 15. OSCE Minsk Groups co-chairs (Igor Popov of Russia, Andrew Schofer of the US and Stephane Visconti of France), as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also joined them. "In continuation of the agreements reached by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the summit in Vienna on March 29, 2019, the participants of the meeting discussed the situation on the border and the line of contact, as well as prospects for establishing humanitarian cooperation, the statement said. They also exchanged the detailed views on key aspects of the conflict settlement." The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers confirmed the parties' intention to continue efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through political and diplomatic means. "The ministers stressed interest in further stabilization of the situation in the conflict zone, particularly during agricultural work, the document said. They also agreed to take measures on a reciprocal basis to allow families to meet with their relatives held in custody in the corresponding detention centers of the parties. The ministers expressed willingness to launch certain work to establish contacts between people through mutual visits of media representatives as well." The Russian foreign minister and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs reiterated commitment to a mediation mission aimed at achieving sustainable peace in the region, the statement said. The participants of the meeting agreed to continue contacts. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Demographic transition is expected to be one of the smoothest in Azerbaijan, Robert Ivan Gal, who will be responsible to build capacity of relevant government agencies to create National Transfer Accounts (NTA) in Azerbaijan, said in an exclusive interview with Trend. National Transfer Accounts (NTA) add the age component to the national accounting system. NTA deals with the entire economy, but it describes the economy as flows among people of different age. Attention is paid to old people. We are working on NTA project in Azerbaijan. Some policy proposals will be based on the results of that project. Then it is up to the Azerbaijani authorities to decide on future plans, he said. Talking about the process of creating NTA in Azerbaijan, Robert Ivan Gal said that it is about rearranging the relevant statistical data. We rely on official statistics, which is provided by the State Statistical Committee. I am advising the local team here. What they will do, is to rearrange the existing Azerbaijani data. They will not produce new data. Azerbaijan in this respect is an easy place. The administrative capacities of the statistical services are at very high standards. They produce a wide range of statistical output and at a very high quality. We had the basic training in the last two days. We expect the first results and the first draft report by the end of the year, he said. The expert also pointed out that for the foreseeable future, the demographic transition seems to be one of the smoothest in Azerbaijan. He congratulated with the birth of the 10 millionth citizen of Azerbaijan. Further, he talked about the demographic situation in the world with special focus on population aging. Population aging is a natural process. It is frequently described as a threat. Less people in active age have to support more of the elderly, because the population is shrinking, it is aging and so it is described frequently as a threat. Sometimes proposals are aimed at preventing it. But population aging brings a lot of benefits and it reflects very positive developments. It means that we live longer and healthier. That seems to be something good. When population was young, that was because people died young. Even in the most developed countries 200 years ago many people didnt reach the age of 1 or 5, because they died as infants or small children. Now most people, who are born, reach the age of 60. This is a very positive development, but it creates an aging population, said Robert Ivan Gal. Meanwhile, he noted that the population aging is the result of better technology and better education system. For the same reason, not only the average length of life increases, but the time that people can spend in useful employment. If we are faced with the extended life time, we can design policies that would extend the working life, too. Then we would have older societies, high-age societies, but the proportion of those, who are vulnerable and need support would not increase, the expert added. Robert Ivan Gal went on to add that population aging is the combination of two factors: longer life and declining fertility. At the same time, life expectancy is increasing and this does not necessarily mean threat for social balance. Decreasing fertility also creates an opportunity. If fertility decreases, people save the labor, and the revenues that were spent on children. They can decide to use that amount in three ways: one is that they consume that and have an easier life. That is a short-sighted strategy. That will definitely lead to problems on the long run. However, they can also decide to invest more in children. They have less children, but those children will be more productive in the future, because they get better education, they will be raised in better health and the human capital will not decrease. The third way is to invest for the future in financial or physical capital. Then you will have resources to finance your old age, he explained. Retuning to NTA, he noted that it gives a kind of statistical framework for wise policy-making and allows for the development of new indicators, with one of them being the support ratio. In fact, the currently used version of the support ratio that compares only the sizes of age-groups, such as the number of people between the ages of 20 and 64 to the number of those above the age of 65, is very artificial. It changes across the countries. In some countries people become old later and in some other countries they become old at the younger age; and this cutting age changes over the time. If you have less children, but they are better educated, then they work more efficiently, have higher wages and can support the elderly more easily. The NTA-based version of the support ratio takes that into account as well. With the help of NTA, we can develop indicators that describe the aging process much better. And all such calculations show that if human capital investment is increasing, we keep people longer in the schools and give them the chance for more efficient work, said the expert. He pointed out that there are numerous cases when advisory bodies recommended this strategy of preparing for population aging and use the numbers of this accounting. Twenty years ago it started as a small working group in the US and now, it covers about 80 countries around the world. The statistical standard of NTA was adopted by the UN. There is already a country, South Korea, which puts this statistical practice into the annual official routine, Robert Ivan Gal concluded. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding measures to construct Masalli-Kohne Alvadi-Taza Alvadi-Gullutapa-Amirturba-Yeni Zuvand road in Masalli district, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani presidential press-service. Under the presidential order, 6.8 million manats will be allocated to the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency for the construction of the road connecting fifteen residential areas with a total population of 38,000 people. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend An award ceremony of several employees of Trend news agency in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani security agencies was held at the press-centre of the agency, Trend reports. Shamil Suleymanov, Chairman of Alliance Public Union of Veterans of Security Bodies presented Mehdi Huseynzade medals to Deputy Director General of the Trend news agency Arzu Naghiyev and Head of Expert Council of the Baku Network Elkhan Alasgarov, while staff members of Trend news agency Vugar Imanov and Samir Gulaliyev were awarded honorary diplomas. Speaking at the ceremony, Shamil Suleymanov emphasized that Trend news agency laid a solid foundation for advocacy of the Public Union activities. Sharing his memories about national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, Shamil Suleymanov said that he was one of those who began to work in the national Azerbaijani security agencies under direct supervision of Heydar Aliyev. "Heydar Aliyev did his best to nationalize the Azerbaijani security bodies and educate Azerbaijani personnel, said Suleymanov. After 1960, the work of the Azerbaijani security bodies changed significantly as a result of efforts taken by great leader Heydar Aliyev. After the national leader was appointed the Head of the Security Bodies, the number of national personnel in this system rapidly increased," he added. The great leader took efforts for training the personnel working not only in the security services, but also in other law enforcement bodies, said Shamil Suleymanov. "He was interested in all spheres and did everything possible for the development of the Azerbaijani people," he added. In his words, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev also extends special attention and care for the employees of national security services. "Veterans of the security bodies support social-economic reforms carried out by President Aliyev," said Suleymanov. Having expressed his gratitude to Head of Azerbaijani State Security Service Madat Guliyev for his attention to the veterans needs, Suleymanov pointed out that protection of Azerbaijan state security is a sacred duty for every security officer. In his words, Madat Guliyev also pays close attention to the Alliance Public Union. Suleymanov said, Today, the Union exists, develops and expands its activities thanks to Guliyevs help and efforts. As Suleymanov informed, 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani security agencies was solemnly celebrated. "The leaders of veteran organizations from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan arrived in Azerbaijan to take part in the final celebration by the Alliance Public Union, which was held at Buta Palace under direct supervision of Head of the State Security Service Madat Guliyev." He said that activities related to 100th anniversary of Azerbaijani security agencies were carried out in many cities and districts of the country. "The main purpose was to inform the young generation about the work of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the security bodies. The meetings were very interesting because we had a lot to speak about, he said. Then Suleymanov spoke about the books he has written, which also highlight several operations carried out with the direct participation of Heydar Aliyev. Some of the books disclose certain aspects of the operational activity of the security agencies. When my book entitled "Devotees are needed" was prepared for printing in Moscow in 2005, I was told that such a book must not be published, because it reveals our operational work," said Suleymanov. The publishing house refused to publish the book until the permission was obtained and printed it only after the permission was granted, he added. Then he presented his books to the event participants. Speaking at the event, Deputy Chairman of Alliance Public Union Azer Garayev said that a Plan of Action to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the security agencies from January to March 2019 was prepared jointly with Trend news agency. "The general public positively perceived these activities. We provided interesting information about national leader Heydar Aliyevs role in the creation of security agencies and the formation of national personnel. As everyone knows, there were many representatives of other nations working in the security agencies at the time. After Heydar Aliyev came to power, a big breakthrough occurred in this system. The great leader took efforts to increase the number of national personnel in the Azerbaijani security agencies, as it was one of the major issues of the existing system. This process was consistently carried out after 1953," Azer Garayev said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend On the sidelines of his official visit to the Republic of Poland, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting with the Marshal (Speaker) of the Sejm Marek Kuchcinski, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry told Trend April 16. According to the ministry, Marshal of the Sejm sincerely greeted the Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and remembering the official visit of the Azerbaijani foreign minister to Poland in April of 2017 he stressed that these visits give an impetus to further development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan. Speaking about the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the cooperation between the two states, the Marshal of the Sejm noted the activity of the parliamentary friendship groups in both of the states and underlined the necessity of holding regular meetings of these groups for furthering the existing relations. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov thanked the Polish official for his warm reception and expressed his satisfaction with the existing cooperation between the two countries, including the current state of inter-parliamentary relations. The Minister conveyed the sincere greetings of the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament to Marek Kuchcinski. Elmar Mammadyarov briefed his interlocutor on energy and infrastructure projects initiated by and realized with participation of Azerbaijan, including the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the South-West transport corridor. The sides exchanged views on participation of the EUs Eastern Partnership program. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted that Poland is one of the key partner countries of Azerbaijan among the EU member states. Referring to the importance of the EaP Marshal of the Sejm stressed the significance of expanding cooperation in various fields within the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov informed the Marshal of the Sejm about the current state of the negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is a serious threat to peace and security in the region. It was stressed that the soonest settlement of the conflict is important in terms of ensuring peace, sustainable development and prosperity in the region. Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov invited the Polish Sejm Marshal to visit Azerbaijan. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iranian Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Reza Rahmani will arrive in Baku, Azerbaijan on April 18, the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend. The Iranian minister will meet with Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev and businessmen. During the visit, the foundation of the Azerbaijani-Iranian bus assembly plant will be laid in Hajigabul Industrial Site. The parts for buses will be also produced there. The opening ceremony of the Iranian Trade Center will be held in Azerbaijan during Rahmani's visit. The bilateral economic and energy projects between Azerbaijan and Iran, the North-South International Transport Corridor, the Rasht-Astara railway project, the issues of cooperation in the field of holding exhibitions, signing of memorandums of cooperation will be discussed during the Iranian ministers visit. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding measures to construct Jibir-Hazra-Mujug-Sudur road in Gusar. Under the presidential order, the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency is allocated 3 million manats for the construction of the road connecting fourteen residential areas with a total population of 8,000 people. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend On the sidelines of his official visit to Poland, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the President of the Polish Oil & Gas Company (PGNIG) Piotr Wozniak, Trend reports April 16 referring to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov gave brief information on the important energy and infrastructure projects implemented with the initiative and participation of Azerbaijan. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted that the Azerbaijani side supports energy cooperation between the two states. In his turn, Piotr Wozniak highlighted their interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sphere and desire to benefit from the experience of SOCAR. The sides also exchanged their views on the issues of mutual interest. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Black Women Challenge Hollywood NEWS PROVIDED BYApril 17, 2019HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 17, 2019 / Standard Newswire / -- In response to mounting opposition from black Hollywood celebrities and politicians, black activists are crying out. Opposition to a Georgia "Heartbeat Bill" that will save the lives of countless babies and their mothers is being challenged. Black prolife activists urge opponents across the spectrum of Hollywood, politics and every walk of life to "meet in the public square for a come to Jesus moment. We are not enemies. We have a common cause, to live, to grow and prosper. There has to be a better way. Women and children are being led to the slaughter."The women are part of a larger group of African American leaders, the National Black Pro-Life Coalition, who see abortion as a cruel detriment to the growth of their communities."This Holy Week is the perfect time to pray for mothers and their unborn children. Thank God that Mary did not abort Jesus; even though her pregnancy was inconvenient in the eyes of many. Here in the 21st century, the infanticide and risks to a mother's health are warning signals that abortion is never a healthy option for women. Black women suffer the highest risk of loss by abortion," said Evangelist Alveda King."Gabrielle Union, Tracee Elliss Ross and Uzo Aduba are Planned Parenthood's Ministers of Propaganda paid to ensure Georgia's black abortion rate remains at 62% or higher. Their absence from this state is welcomed since their presence and propaganda aids Planned Parenthood's Negro Project's genocide," said Catherine Davis."So many children are denied their most basic human right the right to life, with black babies topping the abortion list. Their civil rights trampled, their precious little bodies discarded like dung. What about the dream Dr. King so courageously worked for, marched for and ultimately died for? Sadly, when he died much of the 'dream' died with him but that's not okay. We must revitalize the dream -- for the very lives of all God's children," added Day Gardner."For decades, Planned Parenthood's slick advertising has promoted the genocide against communities of color. They target our children for death, and use these misguided black entertainers to convince women to hate their children and kill them." Denise Walker continued, "These women are not leaders - they are executioners. Shame on them for hating Black, Latina and Asian children!""As a child conceived in rape, it bothers me that it's acceptable to sacrifice children like me for the sins of their fathers. Abortion is the #1 cause of death in the Black Community. For these misguided Black American female entertainers to promote the destruction of their own race is unconscionable," said Lori Hoye."The black African seed that survived the slave trade, the trans-Atlantic passage and 400 years of slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow has been surrendered to the abortionist. The black vote, hard won to alleviate suffering, has become an instrument of death for children worldwide as we elect politicians lacking knowledge and basic respect for human life. Under the leadership of Democratic President Bill Clinton these same politicians showed similar disrespect for the liberty of young blacks as they voted to enact federal and state crime laws, Georgia SB440 and SB441, supporting mass incarceration which promised to keep blacks locked up beyond the age of reproduction, supporting the racist eugenicist 'plan for peaceful genocide.' Jesus Christ substitutes Himself for the 'least of these,' none less than the unborn or the prisoner, to insure 'justice for all!' Black lives matter, but 'the souls of black folks' matter more! Let's come together with the People's Agenda and ponder the question: What constitutes human suffering and how can it be alleviated?" concluded Dr. Loretta Grier Cudjoe Smith."I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, 'Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut [them] off from the land of the living, that [their names be remembered no more.]" Jeremiah 11:19SOURCE National Black Pro-Life CoalitionCONTACT: Pastor S.E. Broden, 214-394-0098Related Links By Trend As part of his official visit to Poland, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Jacek Czaputowicz, Trend reports on April 17 with reference to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. After tete-a-tete discussions between Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, the talks continued with the participation of the national delegations. At the beginning, speaking about the negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the importance of resolving the conflict based on the principles of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions. Having stressed the necessity of withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov extended his gratitude to Polish government for the support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, giving a brief information about large-scale energy and infrastructure projects implemented upon an initiative and with participation of Azerbaijan, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov underlined the importance of the South Gas Corridor. Speaking about the Trans-Caspian and South-West transport corridors, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that Azerbaijan, which cooperates with Poland in this field, is interested in enhancing the existing relations. Minister Jacek Czaputowicz highly appreciated relations between the two countries. He underlined that Poland supports the cooperation of the European Union with the Eastern Partnership countries and emphasized that his country is interested in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sector. The ministers discussed the issues related to exchanging mutual visits, increasing trade turnover and expanding the legal framework between the two countries. At the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Furthermore, the joint press conference of the ministers was held. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan showed a yellow card to Russian TV channels. He is dissatisfied with accusations sounded in the Russian media about political persecution, in particular, in relation to former President of Armenia Robert Kocharian, who is under investigation and is awaiting trial under arrest. Hinting that Russian TV channels should change their rhetoric, Pashinyan said each TV company should clearly realize that activities in the territory of another state imply a certain framework of correctness. Apparently the Prime Minister of Armenia does not watch television, and in particular, Russian television channels. On some Russian TV channels, the dominance of the Armenian element is observed. This factor sooner or later makes itself felt and gradually Russian interests are replaced by Armenian interests. Despite all this, someone in Armenia believes that Russian TV is working against Yerevan. Moreover, the Armenian parliament discussed the issue of limiting the broadcasting of the state channel Russia. Narine Tukhikyan, MP from the ruling bloc My Step, said some Russian TV companies, in particular, Russia channel, broadcast extremely aggressive broadcasts with a clear anti-Armenian dimension, calling for hatred of Armenians. In particular, she asked whether it was possible to restrict or completely prohibit the broadcasting of individual programs on this channel in Armenia. In turn, Chairman of the commission Tigran Hakobyan agreed with Tukhikyan, adding that this creates a certain threat to the information security of Armenia. The chairman, without knowing it, showed the essence of his country's policy towards Russia. He unambiguously made it clear that the Armenian authorities consider Russia to be an enemy and are just waiting for the moment when it weakens and it will be possible to get out of Russian influence. Hakobyan consider after quarreling with Moscow, Armenia will lose its protection in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and then the issue of liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands will become only a matter of time. In this regard, if Russian TV channels stop broadcasting in Armenia, Russia can respond by sending the main Armenian lobbyists from the media to Armenia, including Margarita Simonyan, Tigran Keosayan, Semen Bagdasarov, Roman Babayan, Gevorg Mirzoyan, Garik Martirosyan and other monopolists of Russian mass media. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Staff reduction has become actual at Gazprom Armenia following the recent decision to increase prices for "blue fuel". An employee of the company said that half of the workers had already sent notice of dismissal. He said that the reason is associated with an increase in gas prices. Discussions about staff cuts began due to changes in gas prices at the border. From January 1, 2019, the price of Russian gas increased from $150 to $165 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the tariff for the population remained the same. "In connection with this, workers are discussing a number of issues, including cost reduction and staff optimization," the report says. Earlier, journalists attacked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with questions about staff reduction. In response, the prime minister supported the company's intentions to leave several thousand people on the street because of the need to cut costs. Pashinyan stated that there is no need to pay for extra jobs that are not necessary. The problem of closing enterprises and mass reductions in Armenia today is becoming the most urgent and painful. Judging by Pashinyans answer, the government will do nothing to support the citizens. Remarkable that the Prime Minister of Armenia from the PACE rostrum stated that during his rule 50,000 new jobs had already opened in Armenia. In connection with this, the Heritage party addressed the Prime Minister with an open letter, in which it demanded to make public the data on those 50,000 jobs that he spoke about in PACE. According to verelq.am, the Heritage Party has objections to this account arising from official statistics. The open letter of the party says that as of February, 2019, 20.8 percent of the working-age population of Armenia - 228,800 people are unemployed. This indicator practically does not differ from the indicators recorded in previous months. Analytical reports on the situation in the industry say that in many industries, in particular, metallurgy and the mining industry, there is an obvious decline in indicators, which was accompanied by the closure of jobs. The party hopes that the prime minister will publish a certificate about the real number of open jobs and in what areas such progress has been recorded. Against this background, in the near future, several thousand more unemployed will appear in Armenia, who will very soon demand bread from Pashinyan. Spectacular Armenian citizens have seen enough over the past year. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iran was not receiving any financial aid from foreign countries during the difficult period in March 2019, when the country's provinces got hit with massive floods. The head of Relief and Rescue Organization of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Morteza Salimi believes that to better prevent floods, education on these issues should be boosted, and resilence should be increased. "Our most important actions in recent floods, that did not attract attention, were house evacuation, camp building, and the transfer of families to these camps," he told Trend. He said that if the flood-effected families in Poldokhtar county in Lorestan Province listened to the warnings and moved the camps, there would've been less damage. "Resilence should be raised," he said. "Houses shouldn't be built on the riverside. Everyone responsible should know that building permits in these areas should not be given in the first place." We certainly have to change the approach with regards to the predictions about the beginning of the wet-year period," he added. "The Red Crescent also has a duty to raise its capacities. He went on to add that the items that the Red Crescent received were used to strengthen the infrastructure in flood-affected areas. He went on to add that Iran received such items as rescue boats and other equipment, including food items. "Iran is among the world's leading countries regarding training of rescue dogs, and we even sent our trainers abroad," Salimi said. "We negotiated with Kuwait on deployment of our dog trainers there." he said. Some neighboring countries have asked us to help them in case of probable floods, he said. He said the countries including Russia, Azerbaijan, Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, Germany, Japan and France have provided help to Iran during the floods. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Turkmenistan and South Korea signed a package of bilateral intergovernmental documents on April 17 following the talks at the highest level in Ashgabat, according to the Turkmenistan State News Agency. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the presidents of Turkmenistan and South Korea Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Moon Jae-in. The Economic Cooperation Program, the Protocol on Amendments to the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technologies were signed. The heads of state also put their signatures under a joint statement. The signed memorandums and agreements are aimed at developing fruitful partnership in the textile industry, transport, the oil and gas sector, healthcare and the medical industry, education and training of qualified professional personnel. President of the Republic of Korea Moo Jae-in arrived in Turkmenistan on a state visit on April 16. As noted, Turkmenistan considers South Korea to be a reliable business partner, with whom it intends to continue to develop productive cooperation. Berdimuhamedov expressed confidence that the agreements reached in Ashgabat will give new substance to the bilateral relations. Expressing appreciation for the warm welcome, President Moo Jae-in confirmed Korean interest in multi-faceted cooperation with Turkmenistan. The parties stated that at the current stage the interaction between the two countries is actively developing, but there is a great potential for expanding its areas. In this context, the desire of Korean business circles to expand its presence in the Turkmen market and participate in new joint projects in various industries was noted. Sides expressed confidence that today's summit will help identify new prospects for cooperation. In the course of the negotiations, which took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and constructiveness, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of Turkmen-Korean relations and specified their priorities. Confirming the mutual desire to increase cooperation in the trade and economic sphere, Berdimuhamedov and Moo Jae-in also noted the importance of humanitarian and cultural contacts, speaking in favor of their all-round strengthening. The head of South Korea also spoke about the proximity of the ethnic roots of the Turkmen and Korean peoples, which is a good basis for the development of sincere friendship. He also stressed that it is a high honor for him to begin his tour of Central Asia countries with Turkmenistan. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on a number of topical issues of the regional and international agenda of mutual interest. "Turkmenistan has rich natural resources, a developing industrial and transport infrastructure and an agricultural complex. In turn, South Korea has modern technologies and production," said the Turkmen President, noting that Turkmenistan is counting on mutually beneficial cooperation with Korean business circles, including the creation of new industrial capacities based on advanced and environmentally friendly technologies. As an example of effective joint activities, leading Korean companies involved in the implementation of projects for the construction and modernization of oil refining and gas chemical complexes were cited. Among them are the gas processing plant at the Galkynysh field and the gas chemical complex for the production of polymers in the village of Kiyanly of the Balkan velayat. In this context, Berdimuhamedov suggested substantively considering the possibilities of implementing joint energy projects in Turkmenistan in the near future. One of the key areas of bilateral cooperation is also identified in the transport industry. Large Korean transport and logistics, shipbuilding companies, as well as enterprises producing modern high-class cars, locomotives and wagons, could take part in the development of the transport and communication infrastructure of Turkmenistan as an important element of international cooperation in the field of sustainable transport. The continuation of the partnership in the field of purchasing automotive vehicles in the Republic of Korea with the simultaneous creation of a base of Korean automotive companies in Turkmenistan is also promising. The Turkmen side expressed readiness for a substantive discussion of the main parameters of cooperation in the field of railway transport. The most relevant here is the study of the possibilities of Korean companies to supply the relevant equipment, as well as their participation in the modernization of Turkmenistan's steel highways. Turkmenistan is also ready to develop joint projects in the electronic industry, having for its development a rich intellectual potential, wide financial and material resources. The participation of Korean companies with high technologies in the creation of this industry in Turkmenistan could be another area of partnership. Advanced technologies of light industry of South Korean enterprises can be used in the further development of the Turkmen textile industry. "The systematic introduction of digital technologies in all sectors is strategically important for the socio-economic growth of our country", said Berdimuhamedov. In this regard, the Turkmen side is counting on the exchange of experience with Korean colleagues in the field of the digital economy and expresses readiness to establish direct contacts between the relevant government agencies, institutions and companies of the two states. In order to strengthen trade relations, coordinate existing and prospective joint economic projects, expand partnership areas, strengthen the business activity of the business communities of both countries, Berdimuhamedov proposed the creation of a joint Turkmen-Korean Business Council. It may include Turkmen and Korean industrial enterprises, trading companies, banks, financial and industrial institutions, and economic information centers. The head of Turkmenistan also expressed confidence that regular and systematic communication of business structures within the framework of the aforementioned Council will contribute significantly to the promotion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova The second Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan Tourism Forum was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 15, with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh Tourism JSC. The event, dedicated to the development of tourism of the two countries and the growth of tourist flows, was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism JSC Timur Duisengaliev, representative of Azerbaijani Embassy in Kazakhstan Ramil Rzayev, Rayda Tour Operator Development Director Veronika Lyubchenko as well as many other representatives of the tourism industry of the two countries, including the heads of resorts, hotels and major tour operators. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have great prospects for cooperation in the field of tourism. In both countries, there are all conditions for the implementation of joint projects in this sphere. Today, both countries see an increase in the number of visitors. However, as before, the bulk of travel falls on business visits. For the development of other types of tourism, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan plan to organize routes by sea and take advantage of the potential of the Great Silk Road. Mutual visits between two countries are growing every year, and this contributes to the opening of new flights. Thus, on April 2, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) opened regular flights on the route Baku-Almaty-Baku which will contribute to the development of the tourist potential. Last year, within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting on Tourism of the Member States of the Turkic Council, the parties began a dialogue on the launch and commercial implementation of the joint tourism product project The Turkic Council - Modern Silk Road. The goal of the project "Modern Silk Road" is to show the rich historical heritage of the Turkic states on the Great Silk Road. At the same time, one of the key issues is the Silk Road single visa. The idea to create a single visa between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which should become an analogue of a Schengen visa, was first voiced in June 2018. In mid-November, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed agreements on the mutual recognition of visa regimes of the Silk Road countries. The agreement assumes that any foreigner who legally entered Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan can safely move through the territory of the two countries without receiving a visa from each state separately. Recently, Kazakhstan came up with a new initiative and is proposing that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan join the project of Silk road visa for tourists (the Modern Silk Road visa). Currently, the countries of the Turkic Council are developing proposals for this tourism product. In recent years, the Governments of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have paid great attention to the development of the tourism industry. At the same time, given the fact that modern tourists increasingly prefer to visit not one, but several countries in the region at once, the cooperation of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in this direction is a necessity. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The skies lit up on Sunday, Dec. 12 with many of the fireworks perfectly timed to lyrics from music played at the base of the pier on the Skechers stage. The crowded student event drew comparisons to the signing day ceremonies where athletes make their college choices official. But the 100 or so Beaumont ISD students and parents at this celebration on Tuesday were there to commit to Beaumont Early College High School. The district teams with Lamar Institute of Technology to provide college course credit for those who tackle the more challenging curriculum. Theyre choosing a challenging path, to take high school and college at the same time, principal Melanie Pharis said. By being accepted they are basically getting a scholarship for 60 credit hours completely free ECHS students can earn both a high school diploma and and an associates degree from LIT simultaneously. Pharis said the goal is for every student to get a degree. An ECHS student can put their collected credit hours toward a bachelors degree or transfer their 42 core credits earned at LIT to any degree plan at any public college in Texas, said Miranda Phillips, dean of Strategic and Workforce Initiatives. Students can also participate in instrument technology or process operating coursework, offering students a head-start on a degree that can get them a job in Southeast Texas booming petrochemical industry. Students pay nothing to attend ECHS, and Phillips said she expects there to be a wait list for enrollment in the near future. ECHS opened in August 2016 and currently has about 240 students in ninth to 11th grade, Pharis said. The program aims to provide at-risk or underprivileged students with an opportunity to get ahead academically, Pharis said, adding that many of her students were first-generation college students. We take college and make it accessible for student who may not have had a way to get there before, she said. The class of 2023 will follow the original ECHS freshman class, which is set to be be the first to graduate in spring 2020. haley.bruyn@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/HaleyWrites_BE Disbelief and sadness at the "terrible fire that devastated the cathedral of Notre Dame, a symbol of Christianity in France and the world". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The Pope is close to France, he prays for the French Catholics and for the people of Paris, shocked by the terrible fire that has devastated #Notre-Dame cathedral. He assures his prayers for all those who are facing this dramatic situation," read a tweet this morning from the director of the Vatican Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, expressing the dismay and sadness of the Holy See in this dramatic moment for Christianity and the whole world. Already last night the Vatican spokesman said: "The Holy See has received the news of the terrible fire that has devastated the cathedral of Notre Dame, a symbol of Christianity in France and the world, with incredulity and sadness". "We express closeness - he concluded - to the French Catholics and the population of Paris and we assure our prayers for the firefighters and all those who are doing everything possible to face this dramatic situation". Copyright 2021 New Nation. All Rights Reserved by thedailynewnation.com The gun used in the fatal shooting of a Beaumont lawn care owner was stolen about 2 weeks prior from the same neighborhood, according to information from the Beaumont Police Department. Bernard Bell was initially arrested on Sunday but posted bond early thereafter. His bond was about $40,000, officials said. The Texas Department of Transportation has officially revealed potential plans for the most expensive road project Beaumont has ever seen. The estimated $500 million project is still in the early stages, which makes feedback from residents and business owners even more important, TxDOT local spokeswoman Sarah Dupre said at an open house Tuesday. The open house gave some 200 visitors, which included several consultants and contractors interested in being part of the construction, an opportunity to look at alternatives for the project to reconstruct and expand the Interstate 10 and U.S. 69 interchanges in Beaumont. Several of the agencys engineers were also on site to answer residents questions about the potential opinions. The project as a whole is expected to improve safety, mobility, reduce congestion and improve emergency evacuation. Dupre said some of the main points to note about the alternatives are that there is always a way to get to Delaware Street from U.S. 69 and there are several sections that include additional lanes to ease traffic backups. The project also includes a proposal to tear down the Maury Meyers Bridge, the Liberty and Laurel Overpass, so I-10 can go above the roads to meet freight height standards. Dupre said this is especially important because the region sees so much freight on a daily basis. But these are all preliminary designs and the more public feedback the agency gets, the better job it can do crafting the work to fit travelers and business owners needs. The public feedback we get helps determine what we go with, she said. What we need from the public is for them to let us know what they do like and what they dont like. More Information How to give feedback or get more information: Email comments to bmtprojects@txdot.gov Take the online survey at http://bit.ly/i10-us69 Mail comments to Lisa Collins, P.E. TxDOT Project Manager, 8350 Eastex Freeway, Beaumont, Tx 77708 Learn more at www.txdot.gov keyword search "I-10/US 69 Interchange" Call Lisa Collins, TxDOT at 409-898-5732 See More Collapse Dupre said theres still time at this stage to make large changes to the proposed alternatives, which could include combining different pieces that people like from one alternative into another. Residents and business owners who attended the open house gave the agency various feedback on the proposed alternatives. Several business owners expressed concern that at least one alternative for the Eastex Freeway Interchange would require TxDOT to acquire more right-of-way in the immediate vicinity and would likely require more than one business to move from the location. Other residents, like Joycelyn Battles, were looking forward to the basics of the project. I think just getting I-10 wider for traffic to flow, its good to know TxDOT realizes theres a need, she said. Battles and Chris Jones also were looking forward to an alternative for the Cardinal Drive Interchange Area that would extend the frontage roads near Washington Boulevard, so drivers could stay on the feeder road to get through the area instead of needing to get on and off the interstate. Several residents had questions about design speeds listed on the schematic drawings, which can be viewed on TxDOTs website. Many of the drawings list speeds above posted limits. Dupre said these are speeds that the roads would be designed for, not posted speed limits, which she said likely wont change much if any. The agency will take feedback from Tuesdays open house, combined with comments it receives from an online survey and other methods to tweak the alternatives before a fall open house. From there, it will host a public hearing at the end of the year that will have schematic drawings very similar to the final project. The agency anticipates hiring a developer and finalizing the design in the spring of 2020 and to begin construction in early 2021. Input for this stage can be given to TxDOT until May 1. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain NYC Health + Hospitals debuted an Epic EHR at two hospitals in New York City and 17 ambulatory care clinics in Brooklyn as part of the health system's $1 billion IT platform rollout. New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals released its plan for the systemwide transition to a single Epic platform in 2017, with the goal to move the health system's 40,000 users across more than 70 patient care sites to one, unified IT platform. NYC Health + Hospitals completed the first installation of the project dubbed "H2O," which is short for "Health + Hospitals Online" in October 2018. In addition to Epic's EHR system, the H2O platform includes the vendor's MyChart patient portal, clinical decision support tools and revenue cycle features. With the recent implementation last month at the two hospitals and 17 ambulatory care sites, a total of 50 patient care locations and more than 19,000 users systemwide are working with the new system. "This is a significant milestone in this massive enterprise-wide project and a tremendous testament to the dedicated clinical teams and IT professionals who have worked together seamlessly to support their shared vision for excellent patient care for the more than 1 million New Yorkers who rely on our services every year," NYC Health + Hospitals CIO Kevin Lynch said in a news release. The next three phases of the implementation project are scheduled to roll out in late summer through early spring 2020 at five more hospitals, one acute care center and 15 additional ambulatory care clinics in New York. Tampa, Fla.-based Laser Spine Institute shut its doors March 1, leaving patients scrambling, and in some cases still fighting to get their medical records, according to local ABC affiliate WFTS. Christine Sorhage underwent surgery 10 days prior to the surgery center's closure. She has been left without postoperative care. To move forward with her treatment plan, which includes rehabilitation, Ms. Sorhage needs access to her medical records. The patient told WFTS that she has called the phone number Laser Spine Institute left behind but hasn't been in luck. She has reached out to other contacts the surgery center has provided in the aftermath of the closure; however, Ms. Sorhage is still without her records. Laser Spine Institute informed the Agency for Health Care Administration, a Florida agency created as the chief health policy entity, that patients must send written requests to a specific address to receive their medical records. Former Laser Spine Institute physicians are also in a tough place, as they don't have access to their past patients. Other surgery centers in the area are also unable to contact the spine institute to have patient records transferred, WFTS reports. Uniontown (Pa.) Hospital is delaying a $32 million campus upgrade after Pittsburgh-based UPMC ended its clinical affiliation with the facility, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 160-bed hospital revealed in January that the affiliation with UPMC is ending and that it was considering a partnership with Morgantown, W. Va.-based WVU Health System. Now, Uniontown Hospital leaders have reportedly decided to put off building a three-story parking garage and new entrance for visitors and patients. The construction delay is expected to last 18 to 24 months, hospital CEO Steve Handy told employees in a memo obtained by the Post-Gazette. The delay is necessary to redirect our available cash to the financial deficits created with UPMCs sudden departure from our relationship, Mr. Handy wrote. This has left us with very little time now to figure out how to stabilize our physician-related services without destabilizing the hospital, he added. Within the next few weeks, we will develop a plan with our physicians. A UPMC spokesperson was not immediately available to the Post-Gazette for comment. Uniontown Hospitals clinical affiliation with UPMC began about six years ago, giving the acute care facility access to UPMC physicians and specialty care. The clinical affiliation is slated to end by midsummer, but UPMC will still provide cancer and home care in Uniontown, according to the report. Meanwhile, WVU Health System President and CEO Albert Wright Jr., PharmD, recently told the Post-Gazette that the system and Uniontown Hospital are moving forward with conversations, and he believes an agreement could be possible by the end of the year. Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital broke ground April 16 on its eight-story tower dedicated to cancer care, according to Sarasota Magazine. The new tower, the heart of its Cancer Institute, will feature nine operating rooms, 56 private suites for cancer inpatients and several support services. Hospital leaders plan to invest $220 million in the first two phases of the Cancer Institute. Planning for a third phase is in the works. St. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine will offer free tuition for up to half of medical students over the next decade. Four things to know: 1. The university will hand out $100 million in scholarships for partial and full tuition support. 2. The scholarship program will start with the medical school's 2019-20 entering class. An admissions scholarship committee will determine the amount of scholarships given out each year and the financial sum of each scholarship on an individual basis. 3. With the new program, Washington University aims to eliminate some of the financial barriers that prevent students from pursuing medical careers. 4. The University will also use some of the funding to modernize its medical education program. More articles on physician issues: U of Missouri medical school dean steps down Patient complications take a toll on surgeons, study finds Physician mothers do more housework than spouses, study finds Ripley, W. Va.-based Jackson General Hospital is set to be the fifth hospital to join the West Virginia University Health System in two years, according to WVMetroNews.com. Jackson General signed a letter of intent to join Morgantown-based WVU Health System in January. The deal is scheduled to be completed this year. WVU Health System President and CEO Albert Wright Jr., PharmD, told WVMetroNews.com that Jackson General is doing reasonably well financially, but is aiming to be proactive amid the ever-changing healthcare environment. Every scenario, any regulation, any proposed regulation is always going to pay us less than we get today, he said. So, if we prepare that way, I dont really have to worry about any regulations or legislative changes that change healthcare, because well be ready to adapt to it, and well be the low-cost provider. The 55-year-old Jackson General is a 25-bed nonprofit critical access hospital with more than 300 employees. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: Atrium, Wake Forest to create academic health system: 5 things to know Chicago hospital pitches $22.5M deal to expand footprint U of Louisville prolongs search for Jewish Hospital partner Here are four notable labor strikes reported by Becker's Hospital Review so far this year: 1. University of California service and patient care workers went on strike April 10 over alleged illegal conduct by the school. 2. University of California professional and technical employees walked off the job March 20 over alleged income inequality. Service and patient care technical workers at the school joined the strike in sympathy. 3. Nurses at San Jose, Calif.-based O'Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Calif., went on strike March 12 over issues arising from the recent sale of the facilities to Santa Clara County. 4. Imaging technicians and engineers at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Calif., went on strike over employee health plan coverage. More articles on human capital and risk: Kaiser mental health patients to rally outside Oakland HQ, demand meeting with CEO Henry Mayo nurses to discuss next steps in negotiations After 400 layoffs, Kaiser Permanente Colorado in talks with labor unions over workforce needs Registered nurses at Valencia, Calif.-based Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital have issued a strike notice, according to radio station KHTS. The nurses are represented by the California Nurses Association. They are requesting a break relief nurse for every unit and shift to allow for legal breaks for nurses, as well as experienced-based pay and better access to their union representatives, the KHTS report states. We are very disappointed that Henry Mayo nurses have presented us with a strike notice while productive negotiations were still ongoing. Strikes benefit no one, especially our nurses, hospital spokesperson Patrick Moody told the station. If a strike does occur, we are fully prepared to continue to provide excellent patient care for our community. If nurses elect to walk off the job, they're required to give the hospital at least a 10-day notice. More articles on human capital and risk: Kaiser mental health patients to rally outside Oakland HQ, demand meeting with CEO Henry Mayo nurses to discuss next steps in negotiations After 400 layoffs, Kaiser Permanente Colorado in talks with labor unions over workforce needs Indiana (Pa.) Regional Medical Center and the union representing 380 registered nurses and nurse anesthetists are accusing each other of unfair labor practices as a contract dispute between the parties continues, according to the Indiana Gazette. Six things to know: 1. Both sides filed unfair labor practice complaints against each other with the National Labor Relations Board. 2. The complaints were filed after the hospital declared an impasse in contract talks and implemented a new paid time off policy April 7, according to the Gazette report. 3. The Indiana Registered Nurses Association does not agree that negotiations were at an impasse, union spokesperson Annie Briscoe told the publication. Negotiations came to a stop last month, and the new paid time off policy replaces previous vacation, sick time and personal days rules. 4. Regarding the new paid time off policy, Ms. Briscoe said: In bargaining, our members made some concessions toward agreeing to a PTO in practice, but the way the hospital has implemented it will lead to a reduction in earned time for our members. The structure the hospital is using to calculate time will reduce what accumulated leave would be in the current system. Thats one of the harms that we see. 5. Indiana Regional Medical Center reportedly is accusing the union of bargaining in bad faith. Medical center spokesperson Mark Richards told the Gazette hospital officials are confident that the medical center has bargained in good faith and reached a lawful impasse before implementing these provisions. 6. Mr. Richards said the hospitals implemented changes will stand while the complaints are under consideration by the labor board. Read the Gazettes full report here. More articles on human capital and risk: Kaiser mental health patients to rally outside Oakland HQ, demand meeting with CEO Henry Mayo nurses to discuss next steps in negotiations After 400 layoffs, Kaiser Permanente Colorado in talks with labor unions over workforce needs A Cook County Circuit Court judge has ordered Pipeline Health to restore services at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., by April 18 or face a fine of $200,000 a day, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Citing a staff shortage, Los Angeles-based Pipeline suspended services at Westlake Hospital on April 9 and gave employees a 60-day notice of closure. Pipeline's plan to immediately shut down the hospital was put on hold when Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eve Reilly granted the village of Melrose Park a temporary restraining order to prevent Pipeline from closing the hospital, cutting services or laying off workers until May 1. Hospital staff members told several local media outlets that Pipeline continued to lay off employees and haul medical equipment off site, despite the court order. In response, the village of Melrose Park filed an emergency motion asking for Pipeline to be held in contempt of court for allegedly disregarding the temporary restraining order. Lawyers representing Pipeline said during the hearing April 16 that all essential services were open at Westlake Hospital. Despite the claim that the hospital was open, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Moshe Jacobius found Pipeline in contempt of the temporary restraining order. Regarding the ruling, a Pipeline spokesperson issued the following statement to the Chicago Sun Times: "While we respectfully disagree with the judge's ruling today, we will take every step necessary to protect patients and their safety." On April 17, Pipeline offered to hand over control of the hospital to the village of Melrose Park, according to CBS Chicago. "Although Westlake's public representatives have seemingly been content to disinvest in Westlake for years, now is their chance to put their money where their mouth is," Pipeline CEO Jim Edwards said in a statement to CBS Chicago. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Maryland medical group settles false billing allegations HHS hit with class-action complaint over suspended Medicare payments Nebraska children's hospital CEO named in more than a dozen lawsuits Police are investigating the death of a Louisiana nurse as a homicide after a coroner concluded she suffered fatal injuries from a patient attack, reports The Advocate. Fifty-six-year-old Lynne Truxillo died April 11, about a week after a mental health patient attacked her at Baton Rouge (La.) General Medical Center's Mid City campus. Preliminary autopsy results released April 15 showed Ms. Truxillo died from a blood clot in her leg and a pulmonary embolism. East Baton Rouge Coroner Beau Clark, MD, on April 16 said that the fatal blood clots were directly connected to the physical altercation. Police issued a warrant for 54-year-old Jessie Guillory, the patient accused of attacking Ms. Truxillo. He was discharged from the hospital earlier this month and is wanted on one count of manslaughter, reports CBS affiliate WKYT. Some Ohio lawmakers are calling for increased hospital oversight in the wake of a patient death investigation at Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus, Ohio, reports The Columbus Dispatch. At present, Ohio is the only state that does not license hospitals. Instead, it requires hospitals to register with the health department annually, and undergo an inspection and accreditation every three years. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, R, and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, MD, are working with other lawmakers to review state policies and draft updated recommendations for heightened hospital regulation. The call for more regulation comes about three months after Mount Carmel confirmed that William Husel, MD, a former physician at the hospital, ordered excessive doses of painkillers for at least 34 near-death patients in intensive care. The doses were likely fatal in 28 of those cases. Opponents of stricter hospital oversight say heightening regulations will create more administrative burden for hospital staff, which could detract from patient care. Boston Scientific is anticipating a $25 million hit to its 2019 revenue after the FDA ordered device makers to pull surgical pelvic mesh products from the market, according to The Worcester Business Journal. The surgical mesh products are intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse. The agency issued an order to remove the products from the market after determining that the manufacturers of the devices, Boston Scientific and Coloplast, did not demonstrate safety and efficacy of their devices. Boston Scientific, which posted revenue of $9.8 billion in 2018, announced the anticipated financial hit in a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission filing. The owners of an award-winning fine dining restaurant in Northern Ireland have blamed a rent hike by their Church of Ireland landlord for a decision to shut after five years. The husband and wife owners of 4 Vicars, in Armagh, which is next to St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, said they had made the decision to close with regret. It's another blow for the city after The Moody Boar at the Palace Stables shut down last year - also blaming a rent increase. In a Facebook post on Monday, Gareth - who is head chef - and Kasia Reid said: "Unfortunately, we have taken the decision to close our restaurant with immediate effect. Our landlord has proposed to increase the rent payable on the property to a level where we cannot trade. It is not our wish to close our business and we have done all we can to avoid this." A spokesman for the Church of Ireland Diocese of Armagh confirmed that it owns the property at 4 Vicars Hill. "The property has been let out for a number of years to the present tenants who have operated a restaurant from the premises." He said an agent for the diocese had been "endeavouring" to renew the lease before it expires at the end of this month. "Unfortunately, the tenants have chosen to close the restaurant," he said. The spokesman said the diocese was conscious that the property was held in trust, and that it had "responsibilities" in fixing rents and holding recent reviews, adding: "The diocese seeks to be fair and reasonable in all dealings with its tenants." The couple vowed to continue in the industry, through event catering or setting up elsewhere. Belfast Telegraph restaurant critic Joris Minne said the city had lost a "little jewel". Manufacturing NI chief executive Stephen Kelly has backed Hospitality Ulster in criticising plans for a limited change to Northern Ireland's licensing laws for 'special events' only. It follows a consultation launched by the Department for Communities, largely seen as an effort to address issues in serving alcohol at The Open in Portrush this July. Hospitality Ulster, which has lobbied for the modernisation of NI liquor licensing for years, has labelled it a "kneejerk response". Now Mr Kelly has backed their calls for more wide-ranging reform of the law, claiming the limited change could hit local producers. He said: "If these changes are implemented, we'll have the frankly baffling scenario where people can buy a bottle of mass produced American whiskey at a sporting event, but two miles down the road our award winning, world famous whiskey distilleries aren't allowed to sell a bottle of their product to those same tourists." How the new apartments on Belfasts Lisburn Road would look Around 50 new jobs will be created as part of a 12m plan to build apartments on Belfast's Lisburn Road, it has emerged. A major planning application for 80 apartments on the site at 721-739 Lisburn Road in south Belfast has been submitted to Belfast City Council by Galgorm Properies. The site is currently home to long-established businesses including healthy eating cafe Tony & Jen's, ladieswear shop Max Mara and a Kwik Fit tyre-fitting workshop and garage. The current traders are expected to remain in place until next year - and some are tipped to take up space in the new development. However, the traders who will stay on site when the development is fully completed have not been named. The proposal is designed by Like Architects on behalf of Galgorm Properties. It brings three blocks of one to three-bed apartments, six shops looking out onto Lisburn Road, communal courtyards, a gym and car parking. The developer said it's estimated that 50 jobs will be created during construction. Michael Martin, director of Like Architects said: "Like Architects are pleased to have worked as part of the development team for this high quality residential scheme on the Lisburn Road. "This will deliver much needed homes on one of Belfast's main arterial routes as well as retail units on the ground floor." He said the companies had also carried out an extensive consultation with people living in the area before submitting the plans. Last week Lisburn company Amigo Developments held a consultation into its plans for a 30-storey apartment development in Clarendon Dock in the city. People brave the elements for the opening of the new Primark store in Donegall Place in Belfast Up to 200 shoppers queued in the rain to be among the first to enter Primark's new store in Belfast city centre yesterday. Blue balloons, small bottles of water and mint sweets were their rewards, however, as the three-storey Fountain House outlet at Donegall Place threw open its doors at 9.30am. Bargain hunters, armed with massive shopping bags that Primark staff handed out to everyone as they filed in through the main entrance, revelled in over 24,000 sq ft devoted to the latest fashion. The new outlet is in addition to the extension on Castle Street that opened at the rear of Bank Buildings in December following a devastating fire at the end of August that brought Belfast city centre to its knees. Shoppers at Fountain House can now fill their baskets with menswear, clothes for children and homewear, while womenswear will be the preserve of its sister store just around the corner. In a statement, the company said that the opening of both retail units "has created over 70 new jobs for the local area". Primark added: "The new store showcases three floors of fashion over 24,000 sq ft of retail space and features the latest trends in menswear, kidswear, home and luggage, whilst womenswear, accessories and beauty ranges will continue to be offered in our Castle Street store." Retail NI boss Glyn Roberts, who was there for the grand opening and admitted he picked up a few wardrobe staples, said it was good news for Belfast. "I was delighted to pop in and pick a few T-shirts," he said. "It's a further addition to the retail offering in the city centre and it will be instrumental in generating footfall where it's most needed. It's a sure sign that we're getting back on our feet. "We've definitely moved another step forward, but we must remember that there is still a long way to go when it comes to making Belfast one of the top retail destinations in the UK." The August blaze, which burned for three days, was a major blow to the centre of Belfast, badly hitting businesses, and was described as the biggest crisis to face the city since the Troubles. However, a number of retailers forced to close have since reopened, while the safety cordon that has been in place since the fire is expected to be reduced further in June. The woman charged by Theresa May with planning how the UK's borders will operate after Brexit has told businesses here that there is no magic technological solution for preventing a hard border in Ireland. Karen Wheeler, who heads the UK Border Delivery Group, addressed hundreds of businesses at a Brexit advice conference in Titanic Belfast yesterday. The senior HMRC official, whose role involves operational planning, said the political tension around the issue had resulted in the group not initiating detailed work on the Irish border until last July. "We came late to the party in Northern Ireland, not because Government wasn't worrying about what was happening in Northern Ireland, but because the solutions were being handled and looked at in a political space rather than a technical, practical or operational space," she explained. The civil servant also appeared to extinguish the notion propogated by some Brexiteers that the key to a frictionless border lay with technology. "There is no technology solution which would mean that you could do customs controls and processes and not have a hard border," she told the audience. "There is no magic solution that would make that go away. If there was, trust me, we would have found it." She said while there is technology that can provide for a certain level of automated customs processing or tracking goods, she added: "They are not all instantly available. "Many of them would take years to implement and there is no border in the world which has a full package of all of these technologies." She also said the Government would not invest significant sums in technology without a clear picture of long-term arrangements for the border. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Ms Wheeler said: "If there was a package of technology solutions that you could implement today, or even in the next few months, that enabled customs controls and processes and not have a hard border, we would absolutely be on it, because everybody is looking for that solution. "There are of course lots of technologies which can help make it more efficient, Norway and Sweden for example have a lot of traffic going across their land border and they are one of the more technologically advanced land borders, they still have queues and people still stop because there are still things to go through. "There is no such thing in the world at the moment at a land border which doesn't have queues and processes and technologies. "It may be that over a number of years more of those technologies will emerge. But some of those things are quite hard to avoid." Asked what beyond revoking Article 50 could provide for a frictionless border, Ms Wheeler replied: "What you need is, at the very least, something that looks like a customs union, plus something that looks like a single market, which has no customs or tariffs or regulatory standards or controls, if you are going to have completely free movement of goods across the border." Yesterday's conference, organised by the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, InterTradeIreland, Invest NI and the NI Chamber, found that 48% of the businesses in attendance had postponed investment decisions as a result of Brexit. Almost three-quarters of attendees (73%) cited customs and tariffs as potentially the greatest challenge to their business, followed by supply chain/logistics (51%), VAT/tax (31%), and employment/people (28%). Diane Dodds, DUP candidate for the European election, with party leader Arlene Foster and her husband Nigel yesterday The European election is a chance to tell the Government to get on with Brexit and to strengthen the DUP's hand with the Prime Minister, the party's candidate Diane Dodds has said. As Mrs Dodds lodged her nomination papers yesterday, the Belfast Telegraph learned that almost 20,000 voters in Northern Ireland applied online to register to vote in the first 10 days of April alone. The Electoral Commission had launched a 'Got 5' campaign earlier this year to encourage people not registered to vote to take five minutes to go online and do so before the April 12 deadline. A total of 19,940 people made online applications to join the register between April 1 and 11. The Belfast Telegraph can also reveal that Chief Electoral Officer Virginia McVea has asked for clarity on what happens to EU candidates' 5,000 deposits in the event of next month's poll being cancelled. If the Tories and Labour reach a deal and the withdrawal agreement passes through Parliament, the May 23 election will not take place. It has been suggested that deposits may not be refunded in these circumstances as the law is unclear. This would hit the smaller parties hard. Ms McVea said: "I am awaiting clarification on what happens to deposits if the election is cancelled." Lodging her nomination papers in Belfast, Mrs Dodds said: "This poll is an opportunity for anyone who wants the 2016 referendum result respected to 'tell them again'. "In Northern Ireland almost 350,000 people voted Leave and many others who voted Remain still believe the result should be respected. Three years after the poll, we should have exited the EU but no one should be complacent. "This is an important moment to strengthen the DUP's hand both in London and in Brussels. The DUP has stood strong for Northern Ireland. Our position has been consistent from the very beginning. "It is inconceivable to ask any unionist to support a withdrawal agreement which could weaken the Union and separate Northern Ireland economically from our main market." She continued: "We voted as one nation to leave. Northern Ireland is part of the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and therefore the UK is leaving. "We want the UK to leave as one and we want our Prime Minister to get on with the job of doing it." Mrs Dodds said that despite the DUP's pro-Brexit position, she was confident of securing the votes of unionists who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum. Even though they were against Brexit, they didn't vote for Northern Ireland to leave the Union with Britain, she said. Mrs Dodds was accompanied by DUP leader Arlene Foster, director of elections Gavin Robinson, and her husband, DUP deputy leader Nigel. Mrs Foster said her party wanted to send a "very strong message to go back to Brussels and London to get on with leaving the EU". When asked if the DUP would withdraw its support for the Government if Mrs May managed to get her Brexit deal through the House of Commons, Mrs Foster said: "There are a lot of ifs in there. I tend not to work on hypothetical situations." When asked about the prospect of another confidence and supply arrangement, given her party's strenuous criticism of the Prime Minister, the DUP leader stressed that the current agreement was with the Conservative Party, not Mrs May personally. There would be other senior Tories, apart from the Prime Minister, involved in any discussions about another confidence and supply arrangement, she added. Mrs Foster said that Mrs Dodds had proven herself as a hard-working and conscientious MEP. "Both in Brussels and at home, her record is second to none," she said. "This is most notable when you're with Diane in Brussels. She has been an excellent ambassador for Northern Ireland and her reputation for hard work and delivery goes before her. "Whether it has been helping communities gain access to funding, speaking up for our core industries, uniting innocent victims of terrorism across Europe, or challenging internet giant Mark Zuckerberg about online safety, Diane has led the way." Mrs Foster added: "Undoubtedly, this election will be focused on the UK's future relationship with the EU. While Donald Tusk 'dreams' of a Brexit reversal, we want to see Brexit delivery. The DUP's voice in London and Brussels can be bolstered by the people of Northern Ireland in this election." The cost to retailers for a series of ATM raids across Northern Ireland could be close to 1m, a business chief has warned. It follows another cash machine heist, this time in Co Antrim, during the early hours of yesterday morning. Thieves used a digger to rip the ATM from a wall beside the Ground cafe at Market Square in Bushmills, causing extensive damage. Read More The machinery was then abandoned and set on fire nearby in an area known as the Diamond. A tractor that had been used to transport the digger was also set alight. Police later said the ATM was recovered - but declined to say if its contents were intact. It was found on a country road near Dunluce Castle on the Antrim Coast Road after apparently falling off the vehicle used to transport it from the scene. So far this year, 10 ATMs have been raided - all in similar incidents, with machinery used to tear out the cash points in the dead of night. As calls grew for more police action, there were claims that the criminals are winning. Expand Expand Previous Next Close The recovered cash machine The scene in Market Square in Bushmills after a digger was used to rip an ATM from the wall of a shop (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The recovered cash machine Detectives believe the thefts are carried out by more than one gang - but would not specify the exact number. The Ground Espresso Bar, which has been operating in Bushmills since 2012, had been due to open today for the start of its summer trading season, but this has been postponed. Owner Darren Gardiner, co-founder of Ground Espresso Bars, said the extent of the damage was still being assessed. Expand Close The scene in Market Square in Bushmills, Co Antrim, after a digger was used in an early-morning attack to rip an ATM from the wall of a shop (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene in Market Square in Bushmills, Co Antrim, after a digger was used in an early-morning attack to rip an ATM from the wall of a shop (Liam McBurney/PA) "This is very disappointing for the local community and for tourists visiting Bushmills," he said. "We don't yet know the full extent of the potential damage which has been done." The Bushmills heist is the latest in a string of cash machine thefts on both sides of the border in 2019. Thieves have struck nine times, stealing 10 ATMs. Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the costs involved for the affected retailers is "huge". He said many were now considering removing cash machines, amid fears they will be targeted by the thieves. "There's often structural damage (involved in these attacks), with supporting walls damaged by the diggers," he said. "It's obviously hard to put an exact figure on it but there are things like the loss of trading, and the increase in insurance premiums... I would say we're looking at a figure in a region of upwards of a million pounds." This figure does not include the stolen cash itself, although the PSNI will not reveal how much has been stolen. Speaking ahead of meeting the Policing Board tomorrow to discuss the police response, Mr Roberts said the latest incident was devastating for the Bushmills community. "This is a shameless attack on a rural town which was preparing for a busy Easter weekend of visitors and tourists," he added. "Every single ATM robbery brings rural Northern Ireland that much closer to being a cash-free zone." He added: "Regardless whether (or not) they have been robbed, many Retail NI members are now considering removing their ATMs for fear of their shops being smashed up." Yesterday's theft is the third here since the start of this month. On April 1, an excavator was used to steal an ATM in Ahoghill. The following Sunday, April 7, a stolen digger was used to rip a cash machine from the side of a shop in Dungiven, Co Londonderry. An earlier spate of thefts led to the PSNI launching a special task force in February. TUV leader Jim Allister said a lack of police presence in Bushmills had left the area "wide open for these gangs" and the "criminals were winning". "The paucity of policing in north Antrim is, I believe, making life easy for the criminals," he claimed. "This is not just another ATM theft, but the ripping of a vital service out of the village of Bushmills." DUP Policing Board member Mervyn Storey said: "Whilst everyone understands the difficulties in tackling this spate of thefts, there is an urgent need to ensure those responsible are brought to justice." Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said ATM raids are harming rural communities which are getting impatient with the PSNI over a lack of arrests. PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Dunny McCubbin said police understand the concern of the public and the business community after the latest theft. "As in all of these ATM thefts, the actions of these criminals have not only caused immediate financial harm to the business that was targeted, but they have caused devastation to the local community," he said. "I want to reassure the public that we continue to take this matter extremely seriously. "I understand the fear that these attacks are causing and the damage that is left in the wake of each theft. We are doing all we can to catch the people responsible and stop these attacks. "Last month we increased the amount of resources dedicated to tackle this issue and local police patrols are actively patrolling vulnerable and high risk locations. We also continue to work with partners in the banking and retail sectors regarding crime prevention." DCI McCubbin urged people to report anything suspicious to police. Anyone who saw or heard anything in the area of the Ballyhome Road in the early hours of yesterday should contact detectives at Coleraine CID on 101 quoting reference 106 16/04/19. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Nicola Kenny died a day after the birth of her only child A Co Armagh man serving a five-year driving ban for causing the death of a young mother who had given birth the previous day has been caught drink driving. Ciaran McBride, of Listrakelt Road, Derrynoose, pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance and driving with excess alcohol at Armagh Magistrates Court yesterday. The offences occurred on the Derrynoose Road in Keady on February 11. The 33-year-old's solicitor told the court the defendant's "mental health deteriorated" following the incident and that he had become "dependent on alcohol". Upon reading the pre-sentence report, prepared by probation, District Judge Brian Archer stated: "This man was involved in a very serious road traffic incident in the Republic of Ireland that resulted in a fatality. "Three years later, he is drink driving with a reading of 87mg of alcohol in breath." McBride caused the death of Tipperary woman, Nicola Kenny (26), on September 5, 2016, just a day after the birth of her only child, Lily Rose. As well as the five-year ban, the Armagh man was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay 10,000 in compensation to Ms Kenny's parents. Speaking in court yesterday, defence solicitor Chris Rafferty said: "In relation to the offence in the Republic of Ireland, Mr McBride instructs that since then, his mental health has deteriorated and he has become dependant on alcohol." Judge Archer retorted: "That's even more of a reason for him not to be behind the wheel of a vehicle." Mr Rafferty stated: "This is a detailed report and probation have recommended an enhanced combination order. "This is a man with an appalling record regarding the offences in the south and he is on his last legs." Judge Archer told McBride: "I could very well have sent you to prison for driving whilst disqualified given your record." The defendant was sentenced to a combination order consisting of 75 hours of community service and two years on probation. In addition, McBride was handed a 30-month driving disqualification. Judge Archer warned the defendant: "If you commit any further motoring offences, you will be going to prison." A Belfast Pizza restaurant is set to close its doors, with the owner blaming the high cost of rates and the effect of the Primark fire. Pizza Boutique on Castle Street is set to close it's doors at the end of the month. The restaurant opened as a pop up venue in 2017. Hi @SueGrayDOF this is the rates bill for a business that turns over less than 3 k per week . Rates are x2 rent . Back in business relief denied . No reduction for @Primark fire . No surprise we are closing @belfastcc pic.twitter.com/YnVSSNNpEd Pizzaboutiquebelfast (@Pizzaboutiqueb) April 17, 2019 Owner James Neilly said that one of the reasons the business was closing, was due to rates being twice the rent. Posting on Twitter he said that the business had received no relief or reduction following the Primark fire. Mr Neilly also owns two other Pizza Boutique restaurants. Following the August 2018 fire, a number of businesses in the vicinity of the Primark building had to close due to safety concerns. A number of other nearby businesses were affected by the lack of footfall after the area was closed off. Mr Neilly told Belfast Live that the business had been "reset to day one" following the fire, and hadn't made any money since. "Its just got to the point where we unfortunately cant go on any longer," he said. "I dont even think throughout the Troubles an event has affected the city like this has for such a long time. "From our point of view once that fire occurred, we just saw that there was no magic wand to drive people down there. The council tried their best, they tried to host events, they had a go at Christmas. They did what they could to help but I think its just tough down there for everyone." The ongoing denial of marriage equality to people in Northern Ireland is an embarrassing stain on the UKs LGBT rights record and cannot be allowed to continue, it has been claimed. Love Equality NI campaigners briefed members of the Irish parliament on Wednesday about the fight for marriage equality in the region. The coalition, which comprises six organisations, is seeking the support of parliamentarians in both the UK and Ireland to compel British Prime Minister Theresa May to implement marriage equality without delay. They said UK marriage equality will not exist until same-sex couples in Northern Ireland are afforded the right to marry. Campaigner John ODoherty said: They (the UK Government) cannot say the United Kingdom has marriage equality and it wont have marriage equality until Northern Ireland has marriage equality. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland which maintains a ban on marriage for same-sex couples. It is almost four years since the successful marriage equality referendum in the Republic, and five years since the introduction of same-sex marriage in England, Wales and Scotland. In November 2015, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to support equal marriage, but the measure was blocked by the DUP using a device called the petition of concern. Local politicians have not been able to vote on the issue since because Northern Ireland has been without an Assembly and Executive for more than two years. TDs and senators heard that Westminster had a duty to uphold the human rights of all UK citizens and that it had a jurisdictional power to legislate on the issue, but had no plans to do so. In the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive since January 2017, only the UK Parliament can currently remove the ban on same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, Mr ODoherty said. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) However, the UK Government remains unwilling to legislate, leaving same-sex couples in Northern Ireland facing continuing discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. Justice delayed is justice denied. It is unacceptable and unsustainable to have a patchwork of marriage laws across these islands, he said. The ongoing denial of marriage equality to people in Northern Ireland is an embarrassing stain on the UKs LGBT rights record and cannot be allowed to continue. The Love Equality group includes three regional LGBT organisations: The Rainbow Project, HEReNI and Cara-Friend, as well as Amnesty International, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI). The campaign said it has the support of more than 50 major employers. Sinn Fein Senator Fintan Warfield said: Civil marriage equality is about protecting our families, neighbours and friends. It is about two people making a commitment to share in the ups and downs of life. It is also about ensuring that the state recognises all of our relationships equally. These are rights enjoyed by Irish and British citizens in all other jurisdictions. It is an injustice that we continue to see efforts toward equality blocked in the north. The Department of Health has proposed keeping three centres - Altnagelvin, Ulster and Antrim - and closing the remaining two at Belfast City Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital (stock photo) Fresh concerns have been raised about plans to reduce the number of breast cancer assessment centres in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health has proposed keeping three centres - Altnagelvin, Ulster and Antrim - and closing the remaining two at Belfast City Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital. It means many women will have to travel further, but the department says this will concentrate resources and patients will be seen within the 14 day target. Donna Kearns (45) from Newry is supporting a campaign to save breast assessment services in Craigavon Area Hospital. "I was red flagged and seen within 10 days and the target is 14 days for red flag referrals. As far as I'm concerned there's already a centre of excellence at CAH," she said Alliance health spokeswoman, Paula Bradshaw MLA, said it was a "bizarre" decision to move services to the Ulster Hospital, with so many related services and expertise based at Belfast City. Roisin Foster of Cancer Focus NI said: "We have some concerns that breast cancer assessment is being looked at in isolation from other breast cancer services, and we are puzzled by the direction some of the recommendations are moving in." The Department has said the consultation was the result of several years' work by healthcare professionals. It said that given current pressures on the City Hospital, the Ulster would have greater capacity to take on the extra activity that would come with concentrating assessment at three sites. Police have warned organisers that they must notify the Parades Commission about Monday's march otherwise it is unlawful (stock photo) Tensions are rising ahead of Monday's dissident republican Easter commemoration in Londonderry, which last year was marred by serious rioting. The Derry 1916 Commemoration Committee's Easter Monday rally saw masked men march through the streets of Creggan as dozens of youths pelted the PSNI with bricks, bottles and petrol bombs. Police have warned organisers that they must notify the Parades Commission about Monday's march otherwise it is unlawful. However, the Derry 1916 Commemoration Committee has insisted that if officers move in "the blame for any acts of resistance rests with them alone". In a statement, the committee said: "Lately we have been delivered certain ultimatums regarding our commemoration; we reject these totally. "Republicans have always honoured the patriots of 1916 along with every patriot who has fallen since. We want a dignified procession and we call on community leaders to ensure that British Crown Forces exercise common sense. "This is a republican commemoration in the middle of Creggan, a community that has stood tall throughout this ongoing struggle, a community that has earned the respect of Irish republicans the world over. "If British Crown Forces saturate and hem in this community with armoured jeeps and armed British terrorists then the blame for any acts of resistance rests with them alone. "The republican community will defend the people and defend the people's right to march in an honourable and dignified manner to commemorate our republican dead." The statement was signed off with 'Tiocfaidh ar la' (Our day will come), a slogan commonly associated with the Provisional IRA. PSNI Superintendent Alan Hutton said if no application was made for the parade, then it is unlawful and his officers will fulfil their "legal obligation". DUP MLA Gary Middleton said: "People are entitled to commemorate and remember people who have died. "But it has to be done in a peaceful manner that is respectful of the wider community. "The scenes that we witnessed last year were completely unacceptable and were condemned by the majority of people. "We don't want to see a repeat of that and I think those who are intent on causing trouble should stay away and allow those who want to conduct themselves peacefully to carry off the event in that manner." The number of crimes recorded in Northern Ireland has increased this year A number of homes have been evacuated after two suspicious objects were discovered in Rasharkin on Tuesday night. The objects were found at two separate addresses in the Moneyleck Park area around 10pm. Police are currently making arrangements to provide those affected with emergency shelter. Anyone with information is requested to call police on 101 quoting reference 1321 of 16/04/19. Northern Ireland will be the only place in the UK where girls will not have access to free sanitary products in schools from next year. The Government has announced that the products would be made available in secondary and primary schools in England from early 2020. It came after last month's announcement that the products would be made available in secondary schools, which was criticised for not going far enough. But yesterday Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi confirmed the scheme, fully funded by the UK Department for Education, will be extended to include younger schoolgirls. It has prompted calls for Northern Ireland to be brought in line with the rest of the UK. Last year the Scottish Government unveiled a 5.2m scheme to provide free products in schools, colleges and universities. And earlier this month, the Welsh Government welcomed a 2.3m grant for free sanitary products in all primary and secondary schools. No announcements have been made for schools in Northern Ireland. However, in 2018, Derry and Strabane District Council became the first local authority here to offer products in some of its public buildings. Yesterday, the Department of Education said along with other departments, they were considering the costs. The spokeswoman said: "We are in discussions with colleagues in Department for Communities, Department of Health, Department for the Economy and local councils to consider the issues, potential costs and options that we may wish to propose to an incoming minister." While there are currently no specific statistics for Northern Ireland, in February research from the Bloody Big Brunch indicated that more than a quarter of girls or women have missed either work or school because of period poverty. The Red Box Project was set up in England in 2017 in a bid to stop girls missing school because of their periods. They rely on donations from the public to create a sustainable stock of products in schools. Claire Best, from the Red Box Project NI, said they hope Northern Ireland will follow suit. "We hope that one day the Red Box Project won't have to exist at all and for England, Scotland and Wales that is going to be the case as of early 2020 after the most recent announcements," she said. "In an ideal world, we would have the same provision here in Northern Ireland because, since starting Red Box here back in September, there has been a fairly big demand for this in schools across the province." She continued: "The period poverty stats are UK based but, simply from talking to people and the sheer demand for this here, we can see that it is definitely an issue. "My hope is that we will follow suit, and that Northern Ireland will at some stage be able to give products for free, but that really does depend on what happens here." Claire says no young girl should be faced with the decision of whether they can afford lunch or a sanitary product. She said: "Her mind should be on things like learning and creativity and growth, it shouldn't be, 'can I afford to buy lunch today because I need to buy a box of tampons'." A Co Antrim businessman who embarked on a sexual relationship with a teenage girl for a "bit of extra-marital fun" has been sent to prison. Alan David McBride (40), a father of two from Long Rig Road, Nutts Corner, was branded a "selfish self-centred man" who displayed very little empathy for his victim by Judge Geoffrey Miller QC, who handed him an 18-month sentence. McBride - a car dealer - was told he will serve half his sentence in jail and the rest on licence after he pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming, and five counts of inciting the girl to be involved in pornography. The charges relate to a period between July and August 2013, when he and the teenager were involved in a relationship, with the latter charges related to images he asked her to send him. The complainant - who was aged 15 and 16 at the time - attended the same church as McBride. In spring 2013, he began flirting with her and using sexual innuendos. Crown prosecutor Neil Connor told Antrim Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, that this flirtation progressed to text messages. McBride initially sent her images of women both in lingerie and naked, with comments such as: "I like women who dress up." Mr Connor said the teenager was "somewhat flattered" by the attention and reciprocated with text messages to McBride. These messages - some of which were sent while she was 15 - included images of her naked. McBride sent the teenager around 10 naked images of him and they exchanged what the Crown said were "graphic" texts. In these messages, McBride told the girl he wanted to have sex with her, and set out what he wanted her to do to him, and what he wanted her to wear. They then met up in July 2013 "for the purpose of sex". After she turned 16, she and McBride began a consensual sexual relationship, and they continued sending naked images to each other. Mr Connor revealed the relationship continued for around five months - until McBride began a sexual relationship with one of her friends. The complainant, now 21, went to police in June 2016 and McBride was subsequently arrested. He told police he had been in a sexual relationship with the teenager, but said he believed she was 16. He also branded their relationship "a bit of extra-marital fun". Telling the judge there were "aggravating factors", Mr Connor spoke of the 20-year age gap between McBride and the teenager, and the grooming element which saw her sending him images of herself. Defence barrister, Charles MacCreanor QC, said his client was "shamed and disgusted by what he has done". Pointing out that McBride came before the court with a clear record, Mr MacCreanor spoke of the impact the offending has had on McBride's domestic situation and also on his business as "people don't want to associate with him because of the nature of the allegations". Judge Miller said that after reading a pre-sentence report, he felt McBride had displayed both "an apparent lack of empathy" for the complainant, and a "self-centred attitude." The judge also cast doubt on McBride's claims he believed the girl was 16 when they began having sex, saying it was his belief McBride deliberately targeted someone "half his age" for his own "deviant sexual interests". As well as being jailed, McBride was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for five years. Snow and ice could cause problems The road has been closed. Follow the latest updates from our travel feed below The Dobbin Road in Armagh has been reopend folowing an earlier crash. Diversions are in place and traffic is being diverted onto the Vicarage Road, delays are expected. Our live updates from across Northern Ireland are compiled by @TrafficwatchNI, @BBCNITravel and @PSNITraffic. The men have been taken for questioning. Two men have been arrested by the PSNI's terrorism unit in its investigation into dissident republican activity. A 44-year-old was arrested in west Belfast with another 41-year-old was detained in Glenavy. They have been taken to the serious crime suite in Musgrave police station for questioning on a number of offences including extortion and intimidation. Meanwhile, a 49-year-old man has been arrested in Strabane by police investigating the activities of the INLA. Detectives from the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch detained the man under the Terrorism Act on Wednesday and carried out a search of a house in the area. PSNI Detective Inspector Tom McClure said: "The man was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, on suspicion of a number of offences including blackmail, membership of a proscribed organisation and being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. "He has been taken to the Serious Crime Suite at Musgrave Police Station for questioning." Green Party leader Clare Bailey is set to contest the EU election next month, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. With the SDLP or Alliance possibly in contention with the Ulster Unionists for the last of Northern Ireland's three seats, the Greens' plans remained unclear. But party sources last night said that Ms Bailey, who became leader six months ago, will definitely stand in the poll. Alliance leader Naomi Long also seems certain to contest the election with an announcement expected later this week. Senior SDLP figures have indicated that their party leader Colum Eastwood will be running as well. The decision by Mrs Long and Mr Eastwood to stand in the normally low-key EU poll reflects how significant the election has become in light of Brexit and the belief that there may be two pro-Remain seats. It is a high-risk strategy for the SDLP leader given the criticism he has faced for his party's link up with Fianna Fail. In the 2014 EU elections, the Greens won almost 11,000 votes with then Belfast councillor Ross Brown as the candidate. They came in just ahead of NI21 with Alliance candidate Anna Lo polling 44,000 votes. Sinn Fein's Martina Anderson and the DUP's Diane Dodds are on course to take the first two seats with former UUP MLA Danny Kennedy replacing sitting MEP Jim Nicholson as his party's candidate. Mr Kennedy will be favourite to retain the seat but the party needs a strong performance in the council election three weeks earlier. TUV leader Jim Allister hasn't yet announced his intentions. He polled 76,000 votes to the UUP's 83,000 in 2014 and can't be ruled out as a possible contender for the third seat if he runs. The SDLP polled 82,000 votes in the 2014 poll, significantly ahead of Alliance. But with Mrs Long as a candidate, her party would expect to significantly close that gap or even overtake the SDLP. As with the UUP, much will depend on how both parties perform in the council elections. Mr Eastwood will need his party's vote to hold up well if he is to be in the running. Alliance is hoping that the local government poll provides a bounce and believe that Mrs Long's popularity beyond the party faithful will significantly maximise its EU vote. Alliance is launching its local government manifesto today and the Greens will do so tomorrow. Ms Bailey, a South Belfast MLA, was unopposed for the Green leadership last year, taking over from Mr Agnew who had held the position for seven years. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi delivers an address in Leinster House (Maxwell Photography/PA) US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that Brexit must not result in the return of a hard border. The senior Democrat made the remarks in a speech to members of the Irish parliament on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Dails centenary commemorations. TDs, senators and former politicians as well as U2 singer Bono were in attendance to hear Ms Pelosis address. Expand Close Nancy Pelosi delivers an address in Leinster House to commemorate the Centenary of the First Meeting of Dail Eireann (Maxwell Photography/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nancy Pelosi delivers an address in Leinster House to commemorate the Centenary of the First Meeting of Dail Eireann (Maxwell Photography/PA) Ms Pelosi said that Brexit must not undermine or challenge the Good Friday Agreement or allow the return of a hard border. She added that politicians in the US stand with Ireland as it faces challenges posed by Brexit. We must ensure nothing happens in the Brexit discussion that threatens the Good Friday accord, she said. If the Brexit deal undermines the accord there will be no chance of a US-UK trade agreement. The visit of Speaker Pelosi is a good opportunity to further deepen US-Ireland relations. #US #Ireland pic.twitter.com/Tpeo1XUXZO Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 16, 2019 Ms Pelosi is part of a delegation of high-ranking US politicians on a two-day fact-finding mission to the country. The congressional group includes several members of the Friends of Ireland caucus, including congressman Richie Neal. Ms Pelosi was invited to speak in Leinster House by Ceann Comhairle (speaker) Sean O Fearghail. Ms Pelosi said two decades of peace cannot be jeopardised by the Brexit process. We treasure the Good Friday accord because it is not just a treaty, it is an ethic, it is a value, it is an article of faith for us, it is a beacon to the world, she said. We treasure the Good Friday accord because of what it says is possible for the entire world and the reason to hope that in every place the dreams of reconciliation is possible for them too. Expand Close Bono and his wife Ali watch the address (Maxwell Photography/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bono and his wife Ali watch the address (Maxwell Photography/PA) As you face the challenges posed by Brexit, know that the United States Congress, Democrats and Republicans, in the House and in the Senate, stand with you. She added that children born 21 years ago know only peace. We cannot jeopardise that, she added. Mr O Fearghail thanked Ms Pelosi and the US delegation for the visit, particularly as the UK prepares to leave the EU. I am delighted this senior delegation has taken time to visit to see first-hand the implications for us in a difficult Brexit. I wish to thank you and all our friends in the House of Representatives. He added: Our friends in the US Congress have been steadfast over the last 100 years, especially during the Northern Ireland peace process. That help was crucial in the success of the peace process two decades ago and continues to be vitally important today. That support will be remembered with deepest gratitude. On Tuesday, Ms Pelosi met Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the countrys foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney on the first day of her visit. Thank you to @SpeakerPelosi @RepRichardNeal @RepBrendanBoyle and all the US delegation for coming to visit Ireland at this important time. Your friendship and ongoing support is so valued and appreciated. #Brexit . pic.twitter.com/aTBsvnkqIp Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) April 16, 2019 Ms Pelosi is the third most powerful politician in the US. The US politicians also met President Michael D Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain. They discussed Irish-US bilateral relations and the implications of Brexit, the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process. A statement from the Aras an Uachtarain said: They discussed migration, the experiences of migrants and the undocumented, and the possibility of new E3 visa legislation. The discussions also centred on the importance of close co-operation between Dublin and Washington on such issues as the global challenges related to climate change and sustainable development. President Higgins stressed the importance of linking economic security and sustainable development to greater social cohesion and solidarity within and between countries. The delegation will visit Northern Ireland on Thursday. Residents have been forced to evacuated their homes for repairs to be carried out at the Victoria Square Apartments. Pic Presseye Residents have been forced to evacuated their homes for repairs to be carried out at the Victoria Square Apartments. Pic Presseye Representatives of a Belfast apartment block evacuated amid safety concerns about a structural column have approached owners of the adjoining shopping centre about sharing the costs of repairs. With the bill for fixing the problem at the Victoria Square complex estimated to reach up to 1million, an informed source said the proposal was knocked back. Photos have also emerged of the first signs of the damage - when steel reinforcement broke through the wall of one apartment two and a half months ago. Last week residents in the complex were told to leave their homes immediately for safety reasons. Read More At the time lawyers for the Victoria Square Residential Management Company Ltd said the decision was based on assessments of the building carried out after the structural issue was initially identified. The obtained images appear to show the steel reinforcement of a supporting column coming through the wall of a fourth floor apartment back in February. Repair work is expected to take around 20 weeks, with costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Apartment owners who are shareholders in the management company have been asked to make contributions towards that bill. Those costs may be recoverable at a later stage if any liability is established. No damage has been identified in the adjoining Victoria Square shopping centre, where business is continuing as normal. But a source close to the situation has revealed details of an approach made at the end of February. Representatives of the residents' management company proposed that repair costs should be shared between it and the owners of the shopping centre in the event of other parties failing to cover the bill. In response to that suggestion, however, it was stressed that the failure had occurred within the residential premises. According to the source the cost-sharing proposal was turned down on that basis. A statement issued on behalf of the shopping centre said: "Victoria Square Shopping Centre does not own the apartment complex and the management company, Victoria Square (Chichester Street) Residential Management Limited, has responsibility for all repair and maintenance works in relation to Victoria Square Apartments. "Victoria Square Shopping Centre will provide access as required to contractors undertaking work on behalf of the owners of the residential block, which we understand is due to commence shortly." The banner in support of Soldier F which appeared in Portadown on Tuesday night Sinn Fein has hit out after a banner appeared in Portadown in support of a soldier facing prosecution for killings on Bloody Sunday. The soldier, known as "Soldier F", is to be charged with murdering two people when soldiers opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry in January 1972. A total of 13 people were killed on the day, while a fourteenth died later in hospital. Read More While many of the relatives of those killed have campaigned for prosecutions, others have argued that those responsible should not be brought before the courts. On Tuesday night, a banner appeared in Portadown town centre reading: "Portadown stands with Soldier 'F'." The message is accompanied by a parachute regiment emblem. Sinn Fein MLA John O'Dowd called for the banner to be removed. "The banner proclaiming support for a murder suspect is not appropriate," he said. "The victims of Bloody Sunday deserve the truth just as much as any victim of the conflict. "The banner should be removed immediately." Jean Smyth-Campbells daughter, Sharon McVicker (second from left), and family members leave yesterdays meeting with the Chief Constable in relation to the murder of her mother 47 years ago The Chief Constable will arrange an independent investigation into the controversial 1972 death of a Belfast mother before he leaves office. George Hamilton made the pledge after meeting relatives of Jean Smyth-Campbell yesterday. The 24-year-old was shot dead while sitting in a car on the Glen Road on June 8, 1972. Her death was originally blamed on the IRA but the Military Reaction Force, a secretive army unit, was later suspected. Ms Smyth-Campbell's daughter Sharon McVicker was six years old when her mother died. She travelled from Australia to meet the Chief Constable over concerns about how the case will be investigated. The meeting follows the news that the PSNI, Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and Department of Justice (DoJ) are seeking to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling last month. The court said police lacked the necessary independence to investigate the murder, and the NIO and DoJ did not provide an investigation that complied with European Human Rights law. Mr Hamilton said yesterday: "I appreciated the opportunity to meet with the family of Jean Smyth-Campbell personally. "I offered a sincere apology for the failures to bring them justice over the last 47 years. "Having listened to their views, I have given a commitment to finalise the appropriate mechanisms for practical independence and Terms of Reference before I leave office at the end of June." Mrs McVicker called the meeting "productive". She said: "If the Chief Constable holds up the recommendations he's made today by (his retirement date) June 30, then we'll have our independent investigation under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights. "That's what we have requested, that's what the judge has ruled. If he holds that up then I think it was a worthwhile meeting." After nearly 50 years of uncertainty, she said an independent investigation could finally give the family closure. "We'll know exactly what happened to my mother. My grandmother died not knowing the circumstances surrounding her death. "We also want an apology from the people who murdered her, we would love justice and to hold those people accountable, but we're not quite sure that would happen." Ms Smyth-Campbell's sister Margaret McQuillan said it had been an emotional morning for the family. "We have been through hell and back with this case and when we heard about the appeal we were just deflated, we were angry," she said. "The Chief Constable has promised the investigation so hopefully that will lift our spirits." She added: "Jean never leaves the family and hasn't done for 47 years because we always knew there was something not quite right with her murder. "It only came to light five years ago (that the Military Reaction Force could have been responsible for the shooting) and we'll keep going till we get her justice." Niall O'Murchu from Kinnear & Co, a legal representative for the Campbell family, said they will assess Mr Hamilton's terms. "That would mean an investigation that won't involve the PSNI investigating this death. We would just say it's a wait and see process." While the PSNI are appealing part of the judgment which relates to their independence, the NIO and DoJ are appealing the full judgment. Mr O'Murchu said: "If they are successful, that would stymie the ability of a future Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to go about its business, they wouldn't have to investigate to an Article 2 standard." Belfast-based researcher Ciaran MacAirt first uncovered files that suggested the MRF were involved in the death. "A lot of families will be watching this case because we realise how significant it is," he said. "Not only for the family of Jean but also the families of Kelly's Bar and McGurk's Bar, the New Lodge six and many others that might have involved British military or RUC police cover up." He's too embarrassed to allow his name to be made public, but a well-known figure in Belfast has revealed how he fell foul of an email scam last year which almost cost him a fortune. The man, one of scores of people in Northern Ireland who've been tricked by fraudsters, said: "I should have known better but the scammers caught me off guard." The man explained that what seemed like an innocuous email purporting to come from his mobile phone provider didn't strike him as odd. "They asked me to re-confirm my bank details and because it was coming from a source I knew - or thought I knew - I had no reservations about giving them what they wanted." Several hours later the man woke with a jolt: "I suddenly realised what I had done was stupid." He contacted an emergency number provided by his bank and ended up going through to a helpline in America. "I was told that someone had already made a number of purchases with my credit card. But I was able to stop it there and then before any major damage was done. I got off lightly." But police say many victims of the scammers aren't so fortunate and they've stepped up their campaign to make the public more aware of the tactics used by the criminals who have been dubbed "the scum who scam" as they prey on thousands of people with their relentless and ever-changing techniques to part them from their money. And though many of the targeted individuals have been able to see through the duplicitous double dealings, some have fallen hook, line and sinker for the cons and lost their life savings in the process. The litany of deceit is almost endless, as I discovered when I sat in on a talk given by the PSNI's crime prevention unit to urge the public to do more to help themselves in the non-stop battle to beat the fraudsters. At the meeting Robert McMurran, who is a civilian PSNI employee, not a uniformed officer, was introduced to his audience in west Belfast with a warning from one of his hosts that he was going to be speaking about a subject that "puts fear in all of our hearts - scams". Robert started by telling one half of the audience that they'd just won the Spanish lottery while the other half had scooped the Australian lottery. "All you have to do to claim your money is to give my colleague here all your bank details," he added. He was joking of course, but it was a serious warning to people about the dangers posed by telephone calls or emails congratulating the 'lucky' recipients about winning competitions they'd never entered. "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is and alarm bells should start ringing," said Robert. Another popular way of tricking people into handing over money is through telephone calls or emails from fake charity organisations they've never heard of. Robert said: "You think you are helping someone but you could be donating to charities that simply don't exist. Stick with the ones you know." Cold calls over the telephone like the one mentioned earlier are an everyday nightmare for countless people here and in the last few weeks scams have netted gangsters nearly 40,000 after men in Antrim and Tyrone were tricked into giving them their banking details. Bogus messages from HMRC promising tax refunds have also extracted the same personal information for the imposters even though government officials repeatedly issue warnings that they don't use emails to do business. Other lucrative moneyspinners for the cheats include fake health products which promise miracle cures for a range of illnesses and ailments. The PSNI works closely with Trading Standards, which has become increasingly alarmed about the growing number of rip-offs of vulnerable people like the local woman who spent 1,000 on slimming pills but didn't lose any pounds in weight. When she contacted Trading Standards they had the pills examined and discovered they were Viagra. Romancing scams take advantage of men and women who are looking for love but instead find cruel scammers who are prepared to take them for all they're worth. The most popular trick is for someone who scours newspaper death notices to feign interest online in a "victim" who may have recently lost a husband or wife. The prospective "partner" will eventually say they're keen to travel to Northern Ireland to take their blossoming internet relationship to the next level but can't make the journey because they have just lost their job. And that's the cue for the gullible man or woman here to send money to finance a trip that never happens. Police say they know of normally cautious professionals who have taken the bait and instead of saying hello to a new companion have had to say farewell to their homes because they've been swindled out of so much money. The PSNI advice is to set up a meeting on neutral ground to establish the bona fides of the other party and avoid the disappointment of finding out that a George Clooney lookalike seen in a shared photograph is actually more like a star of a horror movie. Investment scams which were fleecing people even before computers came on the scene are still popular with the fraudsters. One way for the gangsters to cash in is to take on - and take in - a group of friends, starting off small by paying out modest returns on 50 investments before going big and suckering others to hand over thousands of pounds and getting nothing in return. Robert warned his audience to be wary of doorstep salesmen who turn up unannounced, making all sorts of offers and delivering all kinds of dire warnings about repairs that they say are needed to your property. He said not all of the callers are rogue traders but he urged people who are suspicious to seek advice from other qualified professionals who can verify if the work is indeed necessary. Rogue sales people who try to pressure people at their homes into buying goods, often with a warning that the offer is time-limited, should also be treated with caution, say police, who have stressed the importance of seeking out identification from callers who say they are representatives of councils or utility services. Another less obvious precaution relating to unexpected visitors, according to the police, is to ensure that back doors are locked because while someone is engaging householders at the front of the property accomplices may be getting in through the rear of the premises and helping themselves to valuables. Online scams are evolving at a frightening level and the universal aim is to get people's bank details so that their accounts can be emptied. Robert said it's crucial people don't give out personal information over the phone or internet to organisations or individuals they don't know. He said that scammers posing as bank officials had developed methods of trying to trick unsuspecting people by telephoning them on their landlines and asking security questions before inviting them to ring them back on genuine numbers. But the problem is that the original caller won't have cut the connection and people who think they have dialled real numbers will simply end up speaking to an associate of the fraudster on the same line. Robert said: "If you are concerned ring a friend or relative, and once you do that your line will be cleared." Bogus emails are also a headache, according to the PSNI, which says that conmen can't recreate legitimate addresses but will make slight alterations in a bid to fool people. "You might not notice the email is from Tescos and not Tesco or Marks & Spencers instead of Marks & Spencer," said Robert who stressed the importance of not clicking on any links in emails that people are unable to verify. The danger is that if they do click on a link they may unwittingly download a virus or a programme that could allow criminals to see everything they are doing online, giving the conmen access to all of their bank details. Emails from friends or family with out-of-character requests for money should always be verified, said Robert, by making direct contact with them or checking out the communications with other people. Shopping online is fraught with pitfalls, says the PSNI. It advises people to ensure that the webpages of companies they are buying from have a padlock symbol on them and an 's' - for security - in the address at the top. "If they are not there don't put your bank details in because it means it's not a secure page," added Robert, who warned that what were flagged up as free samples on the internet often hid a multitude of potential problems. "One woman who signed up for free samples of knitting wool eventually noticed that 40 was coming out of her account every month. "When she complained to Trading Standards it discovered that she had agreed to subscription payments in her terms and conditions but she hadn't read them." Robert said it is imperative that people don't allow scammers into their systems. Most people, he added, had security firewalls and anti-virus protection on their computers but not necessarily on their mobile phones. He warned that opening wi-fi on unprotected phones could also open a raft of problems. He said that at a recent meeting with National Crime Agency representatives in Belfast, one official showed how easy it was to access other people's information. He said: "The official brought along an unprotected laptop and in the morning he went onto the free wi-fi in the hotel. At lunchtime he told us he'd had 25,000 attacks on his computer." Checking and sending emails at home in secure networks is fine, said Robert, but not in wi-fi in public places if no passwords are required to access it. He added: "Everybody around you will be on the same wi-fi so they can see your emails and something that you have clicked on. "If you need to check your emails when you are out and about use the data on your device rather than using the wi-fi that's available. "If you are just searching the internet for news or sport that's all right because you are just looking on a public site. But never put in your personal details." Social media is also open to exploitation. Every day thousands of people who are holidaying around the world use sites like Facebook to let friends and relatives back home know what they're doing. But Robert warned: "If you're posting photos of yourself on the beach in Spain - where are you not? That's right, you're not in your house. And burglars love to have that information." Paris, TX (75460) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 57F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 57F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Three men have been arrested in Donegal in a probe into a Romanian organised crime gang, Garda say (PA) Three men have been arrested in Donegal in an investigation into a Romanian organised crime gang, Garda have said. Three Romanian men, aged 24, 25 and 31, were arrested following the search of a house in Letterkenny on Tuesday morning. Expand Close Some of the items seized y Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Some of the items seized y Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) Garda described the operation as part of an ongoing investigation into a Romanian organised crime group which is believed to also impact on Northern Ireland. A large quantity of fraud paraphernalia was uncovered in the search. Suspected cloned credit cards, credit cards issued in false names, bank account details, false Romanian identity documents, credit card machines, till rolls and a number of suspected stolen Irish and UK passports and driving licences, along with two cars bought on finance obtained on bank accounts opened in false names, were seized. Expand Close Some of the items seized by the Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Some of the items seized by the Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) A Garda spokesman said much of the seized items relate to suspected frauds in Northern Ireland, adding that officers are working with Europol and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The three arrested men are being detained at Letterkenny and Milford Garda stations. Two males have been arrested. Police have arrested two males in connection with the damaging of election posters in Dromore. The males, aged 17 and 22 were arrested in connection with damaging the election posters on the Lurgan Road on Tuesday. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Both are currently assisting police with their enquiries. The scene at Rasharkin Village where a pipe bomb was thrown through a window Police are investigating two separate pipe bomb attacks in Northern Ireland with one incident resulting in two devices exploding at an Armagh home. Damage was caused to the front door of the property in Windmill Avenue, Armagh at around 11.30pm. Three adults inside at the time were unhurt. Police are working to establish a motive. In a second separate incident, police have revealed a pipe bomb was thrown through the window of a home in Rasharkin with another left on a windowsill on Tuesday evening. Police and the Army bomb squad were at the scene on the Moneyleck Park area for most of the night as examinations went on. Residents have since been allowed to return to their homes. It is not thought to be linked to the Armagh attack at this time. Sinn Fein MLA Cathal Boylan condemned the Windmill Avenue attack and called for anyone with information to contact the PSNI Two pipe bombs exploded at a house in Windmill Avenue while three people were in it," said Mr Boylan. These devices put residents lives at risk. Im relieved that no one has been hurt. "I would appeal to anyone with information to contact the police. Inspector Colin Ash said: I would like to thank the local community for their patience in giving us time as we dealt with the incident. Our enquiries are continuing and I would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the area or anyone with any information, to contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1321 of 16/04/19. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." Police have confirmed that two youths have admitted causing a fire at a play park in east Belfast on Monday. The youths, aged 11 and 13 admitted responsibility for damaging equipment in Avoneil Play Park after being identified by police. Police said that they spoke to the two youths in the presence of their "understandably furious" parents. They will now be the subject of a report to the Youth Diversion Officer. Read More A PSNI spokesperson said the incident showed the importance of parents knowing where their children are at all times. "This incident once again reinforces our regular appeals for parent and guardians to know where their children are and what they are doing," the spokesperson said. "Its also critically important to speak to children to ensure they understand that what might seem like fooling about can sometimes get out of hand. "On this occasion, while the play park has sustained significant damage, thankfully no one was hurt but thats only through good fortune." On Monday local charity Charter NI said that the play park faced closure while repairs are carried out to the damaged equipment. Leo Varadkar has hailed the countrys continuing relationship with our friend the US. The Irish Premier was speaking as he hosted a reception at Dublin Castle attended by the United States House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. Also attending were TDs, Senators, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster. The Taoiseach said people in US helped to bring peace to Ireland and helped the country take its place among nations of the world. When courageous men and women walked the path of peace they did so knowing the US was alongside them, he said. The Good Friday Agreement was made possible by Americans of good faith and they helped pave the way for prosperity and gave young people their own future. The United States has been our friend through the worst of hardships and the best of times. Today we inhabit a shared world, we face the same challenges, and we search for similar solutions. Lets continue to do so together. Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 17, 2019 Mr Varadkar added that Ireland will do everything the country can to avoid a hard border. He added: Last week in Brussels we agreed to give the UK more time to ratify the Agreement and when that is done we look forward to securing a partnership with the UK. We want it to be as close as it can possibly be. I know you (US) will be there as you always have in the past to help us build a better future. Irish men and women have helped make America great. Ireland has become a home from home for so many Americans. We want Ireland to act as a political and economic bridge between the EU and the US. Given our shared language and history, it means the US and the EU can better relate to each other on a political level. Mr Varadkar added: Today we are working to preserve all of that which has been achieved in the past and no matter what happens with Brexit, we will do everything we can to prevent the return of a hard border. In this we are backed by countries across the EU and indeed our friends in the United States. We all want free movement of people North and South and free trade and enterprise, North and South, to continue into the future and forever. He also said he hoped it would be possible to find a solution for the thousands of undocumented Irish living in the US and those who are in a similar position who come from other countries. Their welfare continues to be a real concern and priority for us, he added. We know the politics of migration is particularly contentious in your country, as it is in so many parts in the world, but we also know the capacity and the power of democracy and politics to bring about great change. Earlier on Wednesday Ms Pelosi addressed the Irish parliament on the second day of her four day visit to Ireland. Her delegation is set to travel to Northern Ireland on Thursday. Speaking at Dublin Castle, Ms Pelosi said: We all strive to make the future better for the next generation. The connection between the United States and Ireland is very precious to us. We see the Brexit conversation as an aberration and we see a brilliant future ahead working together. She presented Mr Varadkar with a bespoke bowl printed with doves and added: Its all about peace and that is what we are striving for. The three former co-directors of Together For Yes (left to right) Ailbhe Smyth, Grainne Griffin and Orla OConnor (Niall Carson/PA) Three Irish pro-choice campaigners in the abortion debate have been included in a list of the worlds most influential people. The former co-directors of Together for Yes have said they are honoured to be included on the Time 100 list, Time magazines annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Grainne Griffin, a founding member of the Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC), Orla OConnor, director of the National Womens Council of Ireland, and Ailbhe Smyth, convener of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, appear on the 2019 list in recognition of their work leading the Together for Yes campaign, leading up to Irelands historic referendum last year. Winner @ailbhes says she is overcome and thrilled to be annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She says we must remember womens right to choose is under threat in a number of countries, and there are 25million unsafe abortions every year. pic.twitter.com/v5EVDeCQy2 aoife moore. (@aoifegracemoore) April 17, 2019 Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday, Ailbhe Smyth said the accolade was evidence of the significant international ripple impact of the Together for Yes campaign. The referendum result here in Ireland was a real boost for the morale of pro-choice campaigners throughout the word and we hope it can be a beacon of light wherever and whenever abortion rights are denied, restricted or under severe threat, she said. Where abortion is concerned, Ireland has moved from virtually total prohibition to a relatively pro-choice position although, it must be acknowledged, that move took all of 35 hard, bleak years. Nonetheless, the referendum result marked a resounding defeat for misogyny and extreme right-wing forces. Grainne Griffin thanked the thousands of volunteer campaigners and organisations across Ireland, whose dedication, hard work and commitment over months and, in some cases, years, ensured the success of Together for Yes. This was a movement that really demonstrated the extent to which organised individuals can shape and influence the world we live in. Orla OConnor said the award was an accumulation of 35 years of work. The Eighth Amendment was a cruel and restrictive law and, through the honesty and the lived experience of women and families who suffered, the Irish public listened, she said. Being included on the #Time100 list, alongside @ailbhes and @gragriffin is such an honour, and it belongs to everyone in @Together4Yes, particularly to the women and couples who shared their stories to bring about change in Ireland. https://t.co/5RXBxHzJ3I Orla O'Connor (@OrlaNWCI) April 17, 2019 The Yes vote in Ireland had an immediate knock-on effect for women in Northern Ireland, who are currently denied the rights women have in Britain and now here in the South. Activists and campaigners in the North say they are seeing a groundswell of support, especially from young people, since the Repeal referendum. The NWCI, ARC and all of the many organisations that were involved in Together for Yes will continue to do whatever we can to support them in their struggle. The issue of the lack of abortion services for women across the world, particularly in Northern Ireland, was noted a number of times during the press conference. Approximately 25 million unsafe abortions are carried out every year globally, a number that Ailbhe Smyth says is unacceptable. The ARC works closely with Alliance for Choice, an abortion rights campaign group set up in Northern Ireland, which says that 28 Northern Irish women a week are currently travelling for terminations and face barriers to accessing care, most notably the three-day mandatory waiting period for an abortion. Women from Northern Ireland must also pay 450 euro (390) to access abortion services in the Republic of Ireland, however if they travel to England, the service is free. The National Womens Council says that securing abortion rights for Northern Ireland is of the highest priority. Orla OConnor added: Weve formed a new abortion working group, and Alliance for Choice is part of that, the fight for reproductive rights is not over. The three women also said that their next goal will be forcing the Government to enforce exclusion zones outside healthcare centres to protect women from protesters, a promise which was made by the minister for health last year, but is unlikely to be introduced in 2019. They also wish to see the three-day mandatory waiting period to access termination services removed under the next review of the law. Ireland voted by 66.4% to 33.6% to remove the eighth amendment of the Irish constitution, which outlawed abortion, in May 2018 after a 35-year campaign, with more than two million votes cast. Other people on Times 2019 list include Michelle Obama, Christine Blasey Ford, Nancy Pelosi and Taylor Swift. The Taoiseach has been questioned over who will own a proposed three billion euro national broadband network. Leo Varadkar faced questions over the National Broadband Plan from both Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein chief Mary Lou McDonald during Leaders Questions in the Dail on Wednesday. Only one bidder remains in the process for the contract to deliver high-speed broadband to more than 540,000 homes across the country. Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald questions Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the cost of the proposed National Broadband Plan. (Oireachtas/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald questions Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the cost of the proposed National Broadband Plan. (Oireachtas/PA) Mr Martin queried who will own the new network when it is complete. Mr Varadkar said that under the proposed contract terms the contractor is to build the network, operate the network, maintain the network and manage the network for 25 years. At that point Government has the option to buy, as it is not a commercial piece of infrastructure, one would expect that to be a relatively inexpensive proposition, and at any point if the contractor fails to deliver, the Government can step in and take over, the Taoiseach told the Dail. For the taxpayer to be spending three billion euro and not owning or having any prospect of owning at the end is something that needs to be fully explainedMicheal Martin The next step will be for the Government to make a decision on whether to accept a bid and designate a prepared bidder. That has not yet been done. I anticipate that can be done in the next couple of weeks. Mr Martin responded: For the taxpayer to be spending three billion euro and not owning or having any prospect of owning at the end is something that needs to be fully explained, he said. I find it very difficult to comprehend. Expand Close Leo Varadkar defends plans for his Governments National Broadband plan (Oireachtas/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leo Varadkar defends plans for his Governments National Broadband plan (Oireachtas/PA) Ms McDonald put it to the Taoiseach that the process surrounding the National Broadband Plan was becoming reminiscent of the debacle that surrounds the spiralling costs of the new National Childrens Hospital. The aim of the National Broadband Plan has not changed, but what has changed incredibly is its cost. Its now going to cost six times what was expected. The overspend here could run into billions of euros, and to top it all you advise us that the infrastructure would be in the ownership of the consortium but that the state could, 25 years on, spend more public money to buy that infrastructure back. Its utterly ludicrous. It is a major project, possibly the biggest investment ever in rural Ireland ... it is not going to be done cheaply and it's not going to be done quicklyLeo Varadkar Mr Varadkar responded: Minister (Pat) Rabbitte in 2014 gave an estimate of this project costing up to 512m euro specifically, that was for extending high speed broadband to 1,100 villages in Ireland, not from there onwards to every home and business in Ireland. But we shouldnt forget what this is about this programme is about extending high speed broadband to over half a million homes, farms and businesses across the country. It is a major project, possibly the biggest investment ever in rural Ireland, possibly as important as rural electrification; it is not going to be done cheaply and its not going to be done quickly. Bear in mind the amount of investment that has gone into roads in the past 20 years, 40bn euros, the amount of investment that has gone into water in the past 20 years, 10bn euros. Building infrastructure like this, connecting homes, farms and businesses all over the country, is going to be expensive. Nigel Farages new Brexit Party has opened up a five-point lead in the next months elections to the European Parliament, according to a new opinion poll. A YouGov poll, commissioned by the Peoples Vote campaign, puts the Brexit Party on 27%, ahead of Labour on 22% with the Conservatives trailing on 15%. The findings which are weighted by likelihood to vote represent a surge in support for the new party since a YouGov poll for The Times last week put them on 15% almost level-pegging with the Tories on 16%, with Labour leading on 24%. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) It follows the burst of publicity the Brexit Party received with the launch last week of its election campaign, when it was announced that Annunziata Rees-Mogg the sister of the leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg would be among its candidates. It will reinforce fears among ministers that the Conservatives are heading for a crushing defeat if the poll on May 23 goes ahead as planned a result which would almost certainly see fresh calls for Theresa May to quit. The Prime Minister has said she is determined to get a Brexit deal through Parliament before that date, which would mean voting would be cancelled. Expand Close Theresa May is likely to face calls to quit if the Tories are beaten by the Brexit Party (Rebecca Brown/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May is likely to face calls to quit if the Tories are beaten by the Brexit Party (Rebecca Brown/PA) However, that not only means winning a meaningful vote on a deal which has already been rejected three times by the Commons but also then passing a bill formally ratifying the agreement in law. Much is likely to depend on whether cross-party talks with Labour can agree a common way forward with the two sides expected to take stock of progress when MPs return to Westminster after the Easter recess. The latest YouGov poll suggests that some of the increase in support for the Brexit Party comes from Ukip voters switching to the new party, with Ukip down from 14% last week to 7%. Among the pro-Remain parties, the Greens came top with 10%, followed by the Liberal Democrats on 9%, Change UK on 6% and the SNP/Plaid Cymru on 4%. Expand Close Sir Vince Cable said it would be a game changer if Labour backed Remain in a second referendum (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sir Vince Cable said it would be a game changer if Labour backed Remain in a second referendum (Gareth Fuller/PA) Meanwhile, the Peoples Vote campaign which backs a second referendum said the findings suggested Labour could stop the Brexit Party topping the poll if it backed a public vote on whether to go ahead with Brexit. The poll showed that in those circumstances, support for Labour would increase slightly to 23%, while support for the Brexit Party dropped to 26%. However if Labours manifesto commits it to going ahead with Brexit even with a customs union which it is seeking to negotiate in the talks with the Government its support drops to 15%, level with the Conservatives and a resurgent Liberal Democrats. Labour former foreign secretary and Peoples Vote supporter Dame Margaret Beckett said if the party hedge our bets on a referendum, the Brexit Party would storm to victory. These elections have proven to be rich hunting grounds for Nigel Farages brand of extreme right wing politics before and may be again, she said. But the message of this poll is loud and clear: it suggests that if anyone can stop Farage winning it is Labour and only if we back a peoples vote. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said the campaign would be transformed if Labour came out in favour of remaining in the EU in a second referendum, although he doubted Jeremy Corbyn would be willing to do so. It would be a game changer if they made it absolutely clear that in a referendum campaign they would campaign to remain within the EU, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. I find it difficult to see they could do that given that Jeremy Corbyn has said repeatedly he is there to deliver Brexit, but it certainly would change the nature of the argument. Conservative former education secretary Justine Greening hinted that if the Tories became the Brexit party then she would quit. Asked if she had considered leaving the Conservatives, Ms Greening told BBC Radio 4s World At One: Its certainly a challenging time I think for me to be in the Conservative Party. For me it was about three things: it was about opportunity, a strong economy and well-managed public finances. And clearly I think if we become the Brexit party that really goes against those three core tenets of what I think being a Conservative Party member is all about. :: YouGov questioned 1,855 GB adults between April 15 and 16. Additional funding has been announced by the Scottish Government as part of efforts to tackle fuel poverty. A minimum of 38 million was awarded to Warmworks, a managing agent which aims to deliver the Governments fuel poverty scheme over the next two years. Last year, a target was set that no more than 5% of households in Scotland would be in fuel poverty by 2040. The funding was awarded by Warmer Homes Scotland, a Government scheme designed to help people in need make their homes warmer and more comfortable by installing energy saving measures. We are kicking off our biannual Sub-Contractor Forum! It is great to have @KevinStewartSNP here to outline the priorities of the Scottish Government and to meet with our supply chain who help us to deliver Warmer Homes Scotland. pic.twitter.com/Tu3pZewkBI Warmworks (@Warmworks) April 16, 2019 On a visit to Dundee to meet the 15,000th Warmer Homes customer, housing minister Kevin Stewart said the investment, and the extension of Warmer Homes Scotland to 2022, demonstrates the Governments commitment to eradicating fuel poverty and increasing energy efficiency. Mr Stewart said: I welcome the contract extension with Warmworks to continue our work to eradicate fuel poverty. This funding will have a huge impact for people seeking to make essential improvements to the energy efficiency of their home. We have taken a world leading approach to tackling fuel poverty with the introduction of the Fuel Poverty Bill and setting an ambitious target that by 2040, no more than 5% of Scottish households are in fuel poverty. Im delighted to see for myself the excellent work being done in homes across Scotland, making them warmer and more affordable to heat. A giant mechanical baby is installed ahead of Mind the Gap Theatre Companys first performance of ZARA at the Halifax Piece Hall, Yorkshire. A giant 22ft high (6.7m) baby, which stands taller than a double-decker bus, has been installed ahead of an outdoor production about a mothers fight for her child. The vast mechanical puppet, which takes nine people to operate, is set to be the centrepiece of a show which will feature a cast of more than one hundred actors, an army tank and striking 3D illuminations. The production, named ZARA, is being run by the Mind the Gap theatre company and outdoor specialists Walk the Plank, and will open at Halifaxs Piece Hall in West Yorkshire on Friday night after being put together over the course of four years. Today at @ThePieceHall, our giant baby has arrived! 4 days until the premiere of #ZARA2019. Balcony now sold out for both nights, courtyard tickets still available, book now: https://t.co/bYLfUncqta pic.twitter.com/RTDh3vbF8P Mind the Gap Theatre Company (@MtGstudios) April 15, 2019 After another night at the Piece Hall on Saturday, the production will then move to Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, in Southwark, London, for further nights on May 10 and 11. Francis Morgan, who designed the shows giant baby, said that the structure will be moved in such a way that it looks like a living, breathing human during the shows. He said: The key thing is that it had to be lightweight enough for people to operate it by hand, its such a massive structure. Expand Close The baby takes nine people to operate (Danny Lawson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The baby takes nine people to operate (Danny Lawson/PA) The only mechanical apparatus is theres a wee dumper truck that makes the child sit up and down, but apart from that, it is all done by crew. ZARA will be the latest output in Mind the Gaps Daughters of Fortune project, which explores learning disability and parenthood for a mainstream audience. Julia Skelton, the executive director of Mind the Gap, said: ZARA is a huge-impact piece of outdoor theatre that has been four years in the making. Expand Close The production will launch at Halifaxs Piece Hall on Friday (Danny Lawson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The production will launch at Halifaxs Piece Hall on Friday (Danny Lawson/PA) We have brought together an international team of directors, choreographers, producers, designers, technicians, puppeteers, musicians and actors. Right now, there are hundreds of people working on the project in the UK and we are really proud to be the company behind the idea. The shows artistic director, Joyce Nga Yu Lee, said: I believe theatre has the power to move hearts and minds, and with this international team of leading creatives, ZARA is going to do just that. Throughout our research, the stories we heard were tender, shocking, funny, poignant and everything in between. ZARA is a fusion of these complex and untold precious stories and then supersized, Its an unprecedented performance that puts learning disabled parents and artists at its heart and is guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable experience. The man is due in court on Thursday (Andrew Milligan/PA) A man has been arrested in connection with two armed robberies at bookmakers in West Lothian. The first incident took place at around 8.15pm on Wednesday March 27 at William Hill in Uphall Road, Pumpherston. The second occurred at around 8.20pm on Thursday April 11 at the Ladbrokes in Carmondean, Livingston. MAN CHARGED FOLLOWING ROBBERIES AT BOOKIES We have arrested and charged a 34y/o man following two armed robberies at bookies in #Pumpherston and #Livingston that happened on 27 March and 11 April. The man is due in court tomorrow (18 April). Read more: https://t.co/zvRIyb3dn8 pic.twitter.com/HRN74pezmO West Lothian Police (@WestLothPolice) April 17, 2019 Police Scotland have charged a 34-year-old man in connection with the incidents and he is expected to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday. Detective Sergeant Ally Urquhart said: Both these robberies were frightening ordeals for the staff members of the premises involved and I would like to thank them for their assistance whilst our inquiries were ongoing. Id also like to thank those members of the public who provided information following our public appeals their assistance has greatly helped our investigation. Forensic officers and police at the scene in Stoke Newington (Yui Mok/PA) A man has been stabbed to death in north-east London, police said. Police were called at 5.47pm on Wednesday and found the victim, thought to be in his 30s, with knife wounds in Matthias Road, Stoke Newington. London Ambulance Service and an air ambulance also attended after the man was given CPR by police, but he died at the scene. Expand Close A crime scene remained in place into the evening (Yui/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A crime scene remained in place into the evening (Yui/PA) A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Police are working to inform his next of kin. At this early stage there have been no arrests. The homicide and major crime command will be informed. A crime scene remained in place into the evening as the police investigation continued. A Section 60 Order which grants police extra stop-and-search powers was also authorised for the N16, N1 and E8 postcodes. Witnesses or anyone with information should call 101 ref CAD 5783/17Apr or tweet @MetCC. Trix the T-rex goes on show at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow on Thursday (Martin Shields/PA) A 39ft Tyrannosaurus rex is ready to be unveiled on the only UK stop of its European tour. Experts have spent three days piecing together the 300 individual bones that make up the skeleton, which will be on display at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow from Thursday. The 66 to 67-million-year-old T.rex, known as Trix, is around 13ft high and weighs five tonnes. The skeleton is on the T.rex in Town tour while her museum in the Netherlands is being redeveloped, and she has been viewed by more than one million people across Europe. Expand Close Trix the T.rex will be on show in Glasgow until the end of July (Martin Shields/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Trix the T.rex will be on show in Glasgow until the end of July (Martin Shields/PA) Trixs arrival in Glasgow coincides with the final weeks of the visit of Dippy the diplodocus, which is on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, just across the road from Kelvin Hall. Edwin van Huis, director of Trixs home museum the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden, said: We are thrilled that Trix is in Glasgow and we are very excited to show her off to Scottish and UK audiences. This marks the final stop of Trix on her European tour before she returns to the Netherlands. Trix is loved by the Dutch people and is an ambassador for us as a museum, which aims to inspire children and adults about the natural world. It is fantastic the people of Scotland can also admire our queen of dinosaurs and be astonished by nature. We are sure she will have a hugely powerful impact in Glasgow. The skeleton was discovered in Montana, the US, in 2013 and is described as extremely well preserved, with almost 80% of her bones found. The exhibition is organised by The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow along with Glasgow Life and Naturalis. Time-lapse footage has been released to show the complexity of work to piece together the skeleton, which is housed in a bespoke, climate-controlled pavilion within Kelvin Hall. Trix the Tyrannosaurus Rex is 66 million-years-old and still touring Europe! @KelvinHall16 is her last stop and only UK location Meet the specialist crew behind her @Hunterian exhibition. Tickets https://t.co/sRi603apOx pic.twitter.com/eyYVSw0Nqw University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) April 17, 2019 Steph Scholten, director of The Hunterian, said: T.rex in Town offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for visitors to come face-to-face with a real T.rex and learn about her life through this superb interactive exhibition. We hope everyone who comes to see this incredible dinosaur specimen will be as excited to see her as we are. Trix will be on display at Kelvin Hall until July 31. The teenager behind the school climate strikes has told the European Union to spend less time worrying about Brexit and focus on the future of the planet. Greta Thunberg, 16, delivered a speech to a collection of MEPs and EU officials in Stasbourg, telling them our house is falling down but political leaders are not acting with the necessary urgency to deal with an upcoming climate crisis. Expand Close Greta Thunberg told MEPs it was time to panic (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Greta Thunberg told MEPs it was time to panic (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) She said: If our house was falling apart, you wouldnt hold three emergency Brexit summits and no emergency summit regarding the breakdown of the climate and environment. You wouldnt be arguing about phasing out coal in 15 or 11 years. If our house was falling apart you wouldnt be celebrating that one single nation like Ireland may soon divest from fossil fuels. In a forthright and wide-ranging attack on humanitys response to the problem, she chided the media, politicians and business leaders for failing to give the issue the prominence it merits. She told a special meeting of the European Parliaments Environment Committee it was time to panic and called on politicians to unite behind the science ahead of next months EU elections. As she outlined the scope of the problem, Thunberg choked up as she said: The extinction rate is up to six times faster than what is considered normal, with up to 200 species becoming extinct every single day Erosion of fertile topsoil, deforestation of the rainforest, toxic air pollution, loss of insects and wildlife, acidification of our oceans these are all disastrous trends being accelerated by a way of life that we here in our financially fortunate part of the world see as our right to simply carry on. The statement, like many others in her 10-minute speech, was met with loud applause from the gathered officials. Expand Close Greta Thunbergs speech was warmly received by gathered MEPs and EU officials (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Greta Thunbergs speech was warmly received by gathered MEPs and EU officials (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) Thunberg was the spark for a global movement of school strikes when, last year, she cut class to protest alone in front of the Swedish parliament building. Since then she has spoken at a host of high profile occasions and venues, including the UN climate change summit and the World Economic Forum. Next week she will be in London to address MPs at a special parliamentary reception in Westminster. Ecuadors president has accused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of hosting hackers at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Lenin Moreno said Assange had given them directions on how to propagate information on issues important to both him and his financiers. Mr Moreno added that Swedish programmer Ola Bini, who is in custody in Ecuador, was one of the hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Mr Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. Mr Moreno said Bini hacked mobile phones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuadors government. In Quito earlier in the day, Binis parents called for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he had done nothing wrong. Expand Close A protester wears a Julian Assange mask during a demonstration against the policies of Ecuadorian leader Lenin Morenos government (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A protester wears a Julian Assange mask during a demonstration against the policies of Ecuadorian leader Lenin Morenos government (AP) His father, Dag Gustafsson, said: Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more. Meanwhile, demonstrators clashed with police in Ecuadors capital during a protest against Mr Morenos action against Assange, as well as his removal of state workers and the governments acceptance of a loan from the International Monetary Fund. Mr Moreno made his allegations at the Inter-American Dialogue during a five-day visit to Washington. He will not have meetings with officials from the Trump administration. Assange had enjoyed asylum since 2012 at the embassy in London but relations between the Australian and Ecuadorian officials had grown increasingly tense. Mr Morenos government has accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing faeces on the embassys walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. Expand Close President Lenin Moreno (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Lenin Moreno (AP) The US is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Ecuadors president suggested Assange was able to operate equipment and collaborate with embassy staffers for a long time thanks to the support of Mr Morenos predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange. Mr Moreno said: There are other answers that fit with someones else money, which (this person) kept taking away from Ecuador in order to keep power and in order to go back to power, though he did not refer specifically to Mr Correa at first. However, at a later point, Mr Moreno said the president spends three million dollars a month to propagate his ideas and has been receiving money from the socialist government of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to perform economic studies. Mr Moreno said his government has not requested cooperation from the United States for the investigation of Assange and Bini. But, he added, if we need it, we will request. Lets not forget this is a country with very high technology. Expand Close The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference (AP) Ecuadorian interior minister Maria Paula Romo contends Bini travelled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She said he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Mr Correa. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini with hacking-related crimes and have detained him for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Binis father said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit group and has a burning passion for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. For us, its surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations, Mr Gustafasson said. US authorities have said that they are looking for a young woman who is infatuated with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. The undisclosed threats led Columbine and several other high schools outside Denver to lock their doors for nearly three hours. All students were safe, school officials said. Sol Pais, 18, flew to Denver from Miami and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, said Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the FBI in Denver. Pais, who was last seen in the foothills west of Denver, was considered armed and extremely dangerous and should not be approached. Expand Close School police officers look on as students leave Columbine High School (David Zalubowski/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp School police officers look on as students leave Columbine High School (David Zalubowski/AP) The FBIs Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a notice on Tuesday describing Pais as infatuated with (the) Columbine school shooting. The alert also said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Mr Phillips said the threats she made were general, not specific to any school. She has made some concerning comments in the past and because of that we were concerned, he said. Please call the FBI tipline at (303) 630-6227 where your call will be answered immediately if you have seen this individual or have information on her whereabouts. Please do not approach her as she is considered armed and dangerous 3/3 pic.twitter.com/sybtMRzG80 Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) April 16, 2019 The Denver Post reported that a call to a phone number listed for Paiss parents in Surfside, Florida, was interrupted by a man who identified himself as an FBI agent and said he was interviewing them. The Associated Press left messages at two numbers listed for Paiss relatives in Florida, while another number was disconnected. The doors were locked at Columbine and more than 20 other schools in the Denver area as the sheriffs office said it was investigating threats against schools related to an FBI investigation. Columbine students continued attending classes in the afternoon and left school on time, but after-school activities were cancelled on the campus in Littleton, Colorado. Teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher. A former Belfast priest has said if the fire that destroyed Notre Dame had happened days later - when the Cathedral would have been packed with worshippers for Holy Week - the consequences could have been catastrophic. Father Aidan Troy was priest at Holy Cross parish in Ardoyne and is now based at St Joseph's Parish in the French capital. Originally from Co Wicklow, Fr Troy said that he is devastated. Read More "It's unbelievable," he said. "We are still in a state of shock, in almost disbelief about what has happened. "I was in Notre Dame last week, a few days before I went back to Northern Ireland. I went in to say a prayer before I travelled. I was due to join the Mass there on Wednesday evening for the blessing of the oils. It's terribly, terribly sad. "It's like my local parish church burnt down. Besides my own church I would have went to Mass and confession at Notre Dame regularly. "Even though it was iconic for 14 million visitors, it wasn't just a Catholic church, it was a building open to everyone. "Of all weeks, Holy Week, this is doubly poignant. All the ceremonies, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, vigil, Easter Sunday Mass will all have to be relocated. "The biggest thing for me, though, is that no life was lost. If it had happened a few days later, when the church was packed for the religious ceremonies as well as the tourists, it could have been horrendous." Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a fire which destroyed much of the building on Monday evening. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire PA Smoke is seen around the alter inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) AP The steeple of the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral collapses as the cathedral is engulfed in flames in central Paris on April 15, 2019. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP) (Photo credit should read GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** AFP/Getty Images An aerial view of the fire raging at Notre Dame Cathedral. (Photo by - / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firemen inspect the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Christophe Enaa) AP Flames and smoke are seen as the interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral continues to burn on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by PHILIPPE WOJAZER / POOL / AFP)PHILIPPE WOJAZER/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP A fire fighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People pray as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP Flames illuminate the night sky as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Firefighters use hoses as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) AP Firefighters use hoses as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP A fire fighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP File photo dated 01/03/15 of the North Rose stained glass window at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France, which is feared to have been destroyed by fire. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: David Davies/PA Wire PA A fire fighter gestures as a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP A fire fighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise while Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP A fire fighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise while Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP (Lori Hinant/AP) AP/PA Images (AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Lori Hinant/AP) AP/PA Images Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Lori Hinnant/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Michel Euler/AP) AP/PA Images Firefighters tackle the blaze at Notre Dame (Francois Mori/AP) Smoke and flames coming from the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo credit: Ashley Huntington/Mercedes Girona/PA Wire PA Handout photo taken with permission from the twitter feed of @slopezserra of smoke pouring from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which is on fire. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: @slopezserra/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Handout video grab taken from the Twitter feed of @leistomania93 of smoke and flames coming from the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: @leistomania93/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. - (Photo by Pierre Galey / AFP)PIERRE GALEY/AFP/Getty Images The steeple collapses as smoke and flames engulf the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame Cathedral (Michel Euler/AP) AP/PA Images Firefighters tackle the blaze at Notre Dame (Thibault Camus/AP) Crowds watch from a safe distance (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images Smoke billows from Notre Dame Cathedral (Lori Hinnant/AP) AP/PA Images Notre Dame Cathedral by the River Seine (Mike Egerton/PA) PA Archive/PA Images Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (David Davies/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Fr Troy said that the church held a very special place in his heart. "I have said Mass at Notre Dame several times," he said. "A few weeks ago I was at a ceremony where they wanted the gospel read in English, so I did that and it was a great honour. And I began to realise while doing that, there is 850 years of history in this place, and here is little me." Fr Troy said the atmosphere on the streets is sombre. "People are praying and singing," he added. "There was a very sombre mood. It was a mood that reflected how shocked people felt, and we know in Northern Ireland how that feels. "I thought President Macron spoke very well on Monday night. He said that we will rebuild and standing beside him in the pictures was the Archbishop of Paris, with just a grey clerical shirt on him. And I thought, what an image. "There you had church and state. And after all the tortured history surrounding the separation of church and state, when something as big as the Notre Dame fire happened they were standing shoulder to shoulder. "And it made us think that everyone has to be in this together, that humanity will try and do this." The sisters used a newly-created Twitter account to plead for help (Nick Ansell/PA) Two Saudi sisters are pleading for help from the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country. Using a newly created Twitter account called GeorgiaSisters, they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. In a video posted on Twitter, Maha said: We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights. My father and brothers arrived in Georgia and they are looking for us. We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia is too week to protect us we are seeking the UNHCR protection In order to be taken to a safe country Please help us to survive @Refugees pic.twitter.com/XJwStSGBIl georgia sisters (@GeorgiaSisters) April 17, 2019 The sisters claim they will be killed if they are forced to return to Saudi Arabia. They say their father and brothers arrived in Georgia looking for them. It is the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom posting appeals on social media. In January, an 18-year-old Saudi woman was granted asylum in Canada after using Twitter to garner worldwide attention from a hotel room in Bangkok. President Donald Trump waves to members of the media as he walks on the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 15, 2019, after visiting Minnesota. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President Donald Trump has vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end US military assistance in Saudi Arabias war in Yemen. The veto the second in Mr Trumps presidency was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Mr Trump wrote in explaining his veto. Congress has grown uneasy with Mr Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authoritiesDonald Trump Many lawmakers also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Mr Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing. The US provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition air strikes since the conflict began in 2014. Expand Close President Donald Trumps veto was expected (Evan Vucci/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trumps veto was expected (Evan Vucci/AP) The fighting in the Arab worlds poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. Mr Trump said the measure was unnecessary because except for counterterrorism operations against Islamic State militants and al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen. He said there were no US military personnel in Yemen accompanying the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis, although he acknowledged that the US has provided limited support to the coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and until recently in-flight refuelling of non-US aircraft. The president also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes with his constitutional power as commander in chief. He said the US is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000 Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen. Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump said. In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a cheap and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia. House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voted to end US military assistance to the war, saying the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered demands moral leadership. The top Republican on the committee, Representative Michael McCaul, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. Mr McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt US security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries. Mr Trump issued his first veto last month on legislation related to immigration. Mr Trump had declared a national emergency so he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the emergency declaration and Mr Trump vetoed that measure. A young Florida woman who travelled to Colorado and bought a shotgun for what authorities feared would be a Columbine-inspired attack just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution. We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe. FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019 During the manhunt, the FBI said Pais was infatuated with Columbine and threatened violence ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999. The FBI described her extremely dangerous. The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, authorities said. Agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreational area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. All classes and extracurricular activities for about half a million students were cancelled as a precaution, though sheriffs spokesman Mike Taplin said the young womans threats were general and not specific to any school. Were used to threats, frankly, at Columbine, said John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, when the manhunt was over. This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention. Earlier, Dean Phillips, agent in charge of the FBI in Denver, had said: This has become a massive manhunt and every law enforcement agency is participating and helping in this effort. Authorities said Pais had last been seen not far from Columbine, in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver, in a black T-shirt, camouflage trousers and black boots. UPDATE: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY! Details are coming soon. We appreciate your tips and patience #findsol #solpais @fbidenver pic.twitter.com/vnrA48xPD4 Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) April 17, 2019 The alert also said police who came into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Colorado governor Jared Polis said federal, state and local law enforcement were dedicating all of their resources to locate this dangerous individual. We know that there is a lot of anxiety right now in Colorado, Polis said in a statement. Because of the threat, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours on Tuesday and some cancelled evening activities or moved them inside. Expand Close Students leave Columbine High School following a lockdown (David Zalubowski/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Students leave Columbine High School following a lockdown (David Zalubowski/AP) Paiss parents last saw her on Sunday and reported her missing to Florida authorities on Monday night, police in Surfside, Florida, said. Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School pupil, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was baffled to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Another classmate, 17-year-old junior Drew Burnstine, said Pais was a quiet, smart student who sat alone in class and never caused problems or indicated that she wanted to harm anyone. Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. The success of Benjamin Netanyahu in the recent Israeli general election is a disaster for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is also a disaster for the world, as the creation of peace between these two nations is the key to establishing over-all stability in the Middle East. Bizarrely, despite being indicted with serious corruption charges a short time before the election, Netanyahu has survived and will be re-elected as prime minister for the fifth time. His success is largely due to the quirky nature of the Israeli proportional representation system, where a plethora of small right-wing, ultra-nationalist and religious parties can win seats in the Knesset or parliament with a mere 3.25% of the national vote. This means that the smaller and more extreme parties on the right have a disproportionate say in the formation of the national government. Netanyahu being on the right, will therefore gather up the various ultra-religious parties to form a right-wing government headed by himself. Both, Netanyahu's Likud party and the smaller right-wing religious parties have done well and are in pole position to form a new coalition government. The actual make-up of this right-wing coalition is yet to be determined, as there is much horse trading and bargaining to be done, before a new government is finally formed. But there is very little doubt that the new government dominated by Netanyahu will not entertain any new political initiatives that will lead to an ending of Israel's illegal occupation (under international law) over the Palestinian territories and people. While he may retain the pretence of formally supporting a "two state solution" and the ultimate setting up of an independent Palestinian state, there will be no real progress to such a desirable objective. In fact one can expect the opposite, as during the final stages of the election campaign Netanyahu stated that he would seek to annex the Israeli settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan. In effect these settlements would become Israeli colonies permanently situated on Palestinian land. This would mean the complete fragmentation of Palestinian land, which would in physical terms frustrate the setting up of a cohesive and viable Palestinian state. This policy of creeping annexation will further inflame Palestinian and Arab opinion and will tragically lead to a total breakdown in any political dialogue between the two peoples. Such a step would not be supported by international opinion, except by the powerful President of the USA, Donald Trump, who has abandoned traditional American foreign policy positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump blindly followed the wishes of Netanyahu and his previous government's position. Therefore, Netanyahu can act without restraint, knowing that he has the unqualified support of a compliant US administration. As long as Trump is president it is likely that the US will follow the wishes of the Likud-led government and ignore the wiser counsel of the State Department. President Trump has unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He did so gratuitously, without first obtaining any concessions from the Israeli government on this vital and extremely sensitive issue. The international consensus on Jerusalem is that its final status is to be determined after a comprehensive agreement on all other issues. The UK, the EU and Russia, among many others, signed up to that position, but Trump without warning, or consultation broke that consensus. This led to the Palestinians breaking off contact with the American government, as they claimed the Americans, by their decision to move their embassy to Jerusalem, were no longer acting as an honest broker. The Netanyahu strategy is to gradually take more and more Palestinian land putting it under Israeli ownership and control, but if this process is substantially escalated in his new term as premier it will mean that there can be no meaningful Palestinian state created. In addition it will ultimately bring about (albeit unintentionally), an expanded Israeli state that will have to accommodate the two-and-half-million Palestinians living on the West Bank. It will make the Israeli military domination of the West bank into a permanent, repressive institution. Ironically it will also mean the gradual dilution of the Jewishness of the present Israeli state. The alternative strategy, which is now little favoured in Israel, is to halt settlement development and enter into a fresh dialogue with the Palestinian leadership to revive the moribund peace process. Without such a move, Israel will squander an opportunity in this generation to establish a permanent peace with its Palestinian neighbours. The unqualified support of Trump for Netanyahu, and the apparent indifference of the rest of the world, can only lead to the festering of this conflict. Sadly the Israeli electorate have voted for short-term gain and forsaken long-term certainty. I watched with sinking heart Notre Dame burning and then I thought of our Bank Buildings fire. Two buildings of historic significance in the centre of two cities, left as blackened shells by fires so fierce they took a long time to douse and both destructions leaving a disrupted city heart. The comparison comes to an abrupt halt at that point, naturally. Bank Buildings, though much loved locally, was never going to be a world heritage site attracting 13 million visitors annually, and certainly not educational parties of school children from around the province. Read More Read More We cannot yet be sure what caused the Notre Dame or the Bank Buildings blazes. Both were being renovated when fire broke out, but it has yet to be established that the fires were a direct result of the renovation works. Only last month the United States Fire Administration, part of the Homeland Security Agency issued a bulletin entitled 'Fire prevention at buildings under renovation or construction'. The opening paragraph is prescient. It reads: "Buildings under construction or renovation are at their most vulnerable and weakest condition. Accumulation of waste combustibles, limited access, minimal water supply and hazardous operations increase the challenge. Add to this the effects of firefighting operations, increased water weight, weakened metal and support structures, and hidden hot spots." Those words were first published by the organisation in 2010, but it thought the message so important that it bore repeating now. We are well aware of how wood burns. Every July the Fire Service tries to convince the builders of bonfires that towering pallet structures are just as likely to topple as the spire of Notre Dame. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a fire which destroyed much of the building on Monday evening. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire PA Smoke is seen around the alter inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) AP The steeple of the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral collapses as the cathedral is engulfed in flames in central Paris on April 15, 2019. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP) (Photo credit should read GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** AFP/Getty Images An aerial view of the fire raging at Notre Dame Cathedral. (Photo by - / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Firemen inspect the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Christophe Enaa) AP Flames and smoke are seen as the interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral continues to burn on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by PHILIPPE WOJAZER / POOL / AFP)PHILIPPE WOJAZER/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP A fire fighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People pray as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP Flames illuminate the night sky as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP Firefighters use hoses as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) AP Firefighters use hoses as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP A fire fighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP File photo dated 01/03/15 of the North Rose stained glass window at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France, which is feared to have been destroyed by fire. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: David Davies/PA Wire PA A fire fighter gestures as a hose as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) AP A fire fighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise while Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP A fire fighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise while Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) AP (Lori Hinant/AP) AP/PA Images (AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Lori Hinant/AP) AP/PA Images Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Lori Hinnant/AP) AP/PA Images (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images (Michel Euler/AP) AP/PA Images Firefighters tackle the blaze at Notre Dame (Francois Mori/AP) Smoke and flames coming from the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo credit: Ashley Huntington/Mercedes Girona/PA Wire PA Handout photo taken with permission from the twitter feed of @slopezserra of smoke pouring from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which is on fire. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: @slopezserra/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Handout video grab taken from the Twitter feed of @leistomania93 of smoke and flames coming from the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday April 15, 2019. See PA story FIRE NotreDame. Photo credit should read: @leistomania93/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. PA Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) AP Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. - (Photo by Pierre Galey / AFP)PIERRE GALEY/AFP/Getty Images The steeple collapses as smoke and flames engulf the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame Cathedral (Michel Euler/AP) AP/PA Images Firefighters tackle the blaze at Notre Dame (Thibault Camus/AP) Crowds watch from a safe distance (Thibault Camus/AP) AP/PA Images Smoke billows from Notre Dame Cathedral (Lori Hinnant/AP) AP/PA Images Notre Dame Cathedral by the River Seine (Mike Egerton/PA) PA Archive/PA Images Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (David Davies/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) They try to convey that the heat is likely to affect buildings nearby and can be difficult to suppress. The roof structure of Notre Dame may have been built from a forest of up to 13,000 oak trees felled at the beginning of the last millennium and planted in the middle of the millennium before that. This was very dry wood, highly inflammable, and unfortunately for that reason alone fire goes hand in hand with historic buildings. A list of what has gone up in flames during renovation should be educational. Many remember the fire in Windsor Castle in 1992, another Norman building that was being restored. In 1996 Venice's magnificent La Fenice opera hall burned to the ground. In 2018 the Art Nouveau Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art was devastated by fire for the second time in four years. Materials used in a student art project caused the first blaze in 2014. The second is still under investigation, but the building was being restored at the time. In 2007 Clipper ship Cutty Sark on dry dock display in Greenwich was set ablaze by a vacuum cleaner that restoration workmen left on over the weekend. Ship refits suffer in the same manner. The majestic Normandie was the pride of France and regarded at the time as the greatest liner ever built. In 1942, during the Second World War, workers converting the luxury liner into a troop transport were using blowtorches close to piles of highly flammable life preservers. Up they went and so did the ship. Fire crews poured so much water into it that it capsized in New York City harbour. The Normandie was eventually towed away and cut up for scrap. The lessons from all this have been learnt and set down in print. The European Fire Protection Associations issued guidelines in 2013. They say in the introduction: "Nations share responsibility to preserve historic buildings; ie, buildings of architectural or historic interest or significance. Together we compete with ravages of time, natural disasters and other perils which eventually destroy buildings....Many studies have been made on fires, especially in most important buildings of cultural heritage, and many guidelines have been written. There are new technical options for fire protection, but there are also new risks." The document notes: "Reducing possibilities for a fire to start is a basic protection measure. Most common causes of fires in historic buildings are arson, electrical faults, open fires, smoking materials, candles, heating equipment, lightning, hot works such as welding, cutting, and similar uses during works of renovation, etc." The lesson is very clear. All we can do is be even more rigorous in applying what we know in the hope of minimising mistakes. However, sad though the aftermath of Notre Dame's destruction is, there is hope for the future. Bank Buildings are being restored. The superb Guildhall in Londonderry was destroyed by fire in 1908 and rebuilt, rebuilt again after being bombed in 1972. Windsor Castle reopened in 1997. La Fenice was rebuilt and opened in late 2003. Cutty Sark was back in business in 2012, though closed briefly again in 2014 after a smaller fire. Perhaps the most wondrous restoration is the rebuilding of the 200-year-old baroque Frauenkirche of Dresden, utterly destroyed in the drastic fire bombing of 1945. For 44 years the rubble remained just as it fell, a reminder of the devastation of war and fire. The huge pile of stones, bracketed by two slender surviving walls, became overgrown with roses and small trees. But then a near miracle. The stonework was carefully sorted by the people of Dresden in 1993. Using IBM technology, each stone was then identified and marked for reintegration into its original place in the building, so that 45% of the new construction used the old. The church was reconsecrated in 2005. I have visited it and today it looks as if it had never fallen. The rebuilt church is considered a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies, and illustrates the possibility of rebirth. The walls and bell towers of Notre Dame have survived. Frauenkirche shows what can be done in the face of much worse damage. From what the French nation and many throughout the world are now saying, that old cathedral, a monument of European civilisation, will rise again. As an Ulster and Irish rugby fan, I'm not naturally inclined to support Billy Vunipola. But as someone who believes in free speech and freedom of religion, I have to speak up. Vunipola, the English rugby forward, is in the midst of a social media storm for 'liking' a post by Australian rugby player Israel Folau. Vunipola's "crime" was to post Bible verses and articulate the orthodox Christian position on marriage. He made it clear that he himself is far from perfect and that he does not hate anyone. But even that doesn't appear to matter to the new fundamentalists. Israel Folau has been fired by Australian rugby for his original post. I wouldn't have posted what Folau did. He missed a great opportunity at Easter to emphasise the forgiveness and hope found in the Cross. But I wonder if Folau had just mentioned adulterers, drunkards and atheists, would he have been in so much trouble? His "sin" seems to have been to challenge the current "sexual orthodoxy". Read More Channel 4 has axed Vunipola from promoting its Champions Cup coverage because it is an "inclusive broadcaster". The irony of the comments seems to be lost on it - no room for orthodox Christians, or other faiths with similar beliefs. The RFU doesn't support his views. Is that all Christian views or just certain ones? And what is the full range of the RFU's beliefs? We have reached the bizarre point where supporting marriage is more likely to land you with a disrepute charge than having an affair. However, some of the subsequent commentary is even more worrying. Rugby pundit Stuart Barnes commented that he always "loathed the way those Islanders formed a circle post-match and give their praises to what I regard as a fabrication". He went on "but I am a child of the enlightenment; fortunate enough to have the benefit of a reasonable education". The insinuation seems clear, the problem is these islanders and their made-up God. If only they had the benefit of a proper education. It is as patronising as it is arrogant. There are worrying hints of colonialism in the progressive agenda. They seem to believe they have a new enlightened view on sex. The solution when it comes to "those Islanders" is not inclusion or diversity or respect for those with different views. Instead we repeat the sins of previous generations forcing our new ideas on others. This new secular orthodoxy, as one commentator put it, will not be stopped. Is Vunipola being disciplined for quoting Scripture? For holding orthodox Christian beliefs or just for expressing them? Do rugby players have freedom of religion or is this another faith-free zone? As rugby celebrates diversity and inclusion, does this allow for orthodox Christian beliefs, or is that the one view you must not have? I am a firm believer in a plural public square. This allows for a variety of views, including religious belief, but does not give dominance to any one view. The problem with much of what passes for secularism today is it privileges the absence of religion. It leaves no space for Ashers the bakers, Tim Farron the politician, or Billy Vunipola the rugby player. Folau has lost his livelihood. Vunipola seems to have survived, perhaps due more to pragmatism than principle. The warning is clear - if you really must have a faith, keep it private. But there is no such thing as private faith. Christianity is either the story of the whole world or it is nothing. As CS Lewis reminds us, when it comes to Jesus Christ: "Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God." Folau and Vunipola have made their choice. They have paid a price. At Easter we remember that Jesus paid the ultimate price for each of us - so what will you do with Jesus? Incumbent President Joko Widodo and running mate Ma'ruf Amin (front and center) appear at a news conference at the Djakarta Theater in the Indonesian capital after results of unofficial quick counts showed them leading in the presidential election, April 17, 2019. Updated at 2:58 p.m. ET on 2019-04-17 Incumbent Joko Jokowi Widodo claimed victory in his quest for a second term, citing unofficial results from Indonesias presidential polls showing that he outperformed challenger Prabowo Subianto by 10 percentage points in Wednesday voting. Jokowi and running mate Maruf Amin captured at least 55 percent of the vote compared to the rival ticket of Prabowo and Sandiago Uno, who drew 45 percent, according to projections of votes by five independent pollster groups known as quick counts. Based on the results of quick counts by credible pollsters, it appears that I and Maruf Amin are trusted by the Indonesian people to be president and vice president for the period of 2019-2024, the Jokowi-Maruf campaign team quoted the president as saying in a statement issued on Wednesday evening. Prabowo, however, disputed the quick count-results with a counter claim that he had garnered more votes than Jokowi and won his re-match with Jokowi in presidential polls. The former general said he had captured more than 60 percent of the vote, adding he had real numbers from his own exit poll monitors to back up his assertion. Based on the real count, we are in the position of 62 percent. This is the real count, from 320,000 polling stations, or about 40 percent. I have been told by statisticians that this won't change, Prabowo said at his house in South Jakarta on Wednesday evening, in remarks broadcast on TVOne. Meanwhile, unofficial parliamentary results from quick counts showed nine parties passing the threshold of 4 percent of votes required to have seats in the lower House of Representatives, the DPR. The top three winners were Jokowis Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) with 20.31 percent of votes; Prabowos Gerindra with 12.91 percent; and Golkar, the party of the late former president Suharto, with11.79 percent, according to projected results from pollster Litbang Kompas. Fourth and fifth place went to two faith-based parties, the Islamic National Awakening Party (PKB) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), with 9.32 percent and 8.62 percent of votes, respectively. Other parties projected to win seats in parliament included the Democrat Party of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (8.18 percent); Nasdem (7.99 percent); the National Mandate Party (PAN) (6.52 percent); and faith-based United Development Party (PPP) (4.52 percent). Prabowo: Remain calm Quick counts have proven accurate in predicting winners in past elections in Southeast Asias largest nation. The projections for both the presidential and parliamentary elections were based on more than 97 percent of sample votes counted by the five pollster groups at polling sites nationwide. Commenting on the quick counts at a press conference in the late afternoon, Jokowi called for national unity and patience. We have to maintain our cohesion after the election, Jokowi told reporters at a theater in Jakarta late Wednesday afternoon as Maruf stood by his side. We have seen the results of exit polls and quick counts, but we have to be patient, while awaiting official results from KPU (the General Election Commission), the president said then. Official results from the General Election Commission are not expected until late May. After the polls closed, Prabowo urged his supporters to monitor official vote counting to guard against electoral fraud. There have been attempts by polling agencies to manipulate public opinion to make it look like we have lost, he said. I call on my supporters to remain calm and not to be provoked into anarchic action, he said. Polls released in the run-up to Wednesdays unprecedented election showed the presidential incumbent enjoying a comfortable two-digit lead. Jokowi, who was seeking a second term, also ran against Prabowo in the 2014 presidential election, in which he narrowly defeated the retired army general. About 80 percent of 190 million eligible Indonesians turned out Wednesday to vote at some 800,000 polling stations across the country, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Jakarta think tank. The vote was historic because it was the first time the country held those elections simultaneously along with regional assembly polls. And its scale was massive. The polls were open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. across the Indonesian archipelago, which spans three time zones. Voters fanned out at polls across the Indonesian archipelago on Wednesday to elect 575 members of the House of Representatives (DPR), 136 members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and nearly 20,000 members of local legislatures in 548 provinces, districts and municipalities. Votes are counted in North Jakarta after voting in Indonesia's general election, April 17, 2019. Updated at 1:28 p.m. ET on 2019-04-17 Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo appeared headed for a second term in office late Wednesday after tens of millions voted across the sprawling archipelago-nation in a democratic exercise billed as the largest direct election ever held. The 57-year-old former furniture salesman from Central Java took at least 55 percent of votes with more than 97 percent of sample votes counted, according to projections known as quick counts by five independent polling organizations. But his rival, former army Gen. Prabowo Subianto, also declared victory Wednesday night, in a repeat of events that followed the 2014 election. Prabowo eventually conceded a narrow loss to Jokowi after a challenge in the Constitutional Court failed. Official results are not due until May but quick counts have proven reliable in past elections. Based on the results of quick counts by credible pollsters, it appears that I and Maruf Amin are trusted by the Indonesian people to be president and vice president for the period of 2019-2024, said a statement issued late Wednesday by his campaign, quoting the incumbent. Jokowi supporters paraded around the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in central Jakarta after the announcement, despite warnings against victory marches issued by government officials on Monday. Opinion polls before voting day consistently showed Jokowi with a comfortable two-digit lead over Prabowo. The former general said he had real numbers from his own poll monitors showing him with 62 percent of the vote. Based on the real count, we are in the position of 62 percent. This is the real count, from 320,000 polling stations, or about 40 percent. I have been told by statisticians that this won't change, Prabowo said at his house in South Jakarta, in remarks broadcast on TVOne. I will be a president for all Indonesians. Those who supported 01, I will still defend you. We will develop an Indonesia that is victorious, an Indonesia that is prosperous, an Indonesia that is peaceful, an Indonesia that is respected by the world, an Indonesia where no one is hungry, said the 67-year-old former son-in-law of late dictator Suharto, referring to the ballot designation for Jokowi and his running mate, Maruf. At the end of his remarks Prabowo shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and Merdeka! (Freedom) three times. Then he knelt and kissed the ground, although similar gestures in 2014 were ridiculed by Indonesians on Twitter afterwards. Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto shows his ink-stained finger after casting his vote in Bogor, West Java, April 17, 2019. (Reuters) Election day About 80 percent of 190 million eligible Indonesians voted at some 800,000 polling stations across the country, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Jakarta think tank. Over a six-hour span voters were electing a president, 575 members of the House of Representatives (DPR), 136 members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and nearly 20,000 members of local legislatures in 548 provinces, districts and municipalities. Jokowi and his wife cast their ballots at midday in Gambir, Central Jakarta. He declined to speculate on the outcome, asking voters to be patient, and said he was going home to play with his grandchildren. Prabowo, for his part, hinted that his supporters might act out if the election was not fair. We hope and we pray todays election will be fair and peaceful. It will be peaceful if its fair, he said after voting in Bogor, south of Jakarta. In a football competition, if the referee is not neutral, the losing team will not be happy ... It has been proven time and again that my supporters are always orderly and peaceful. But we dont want to be cheated. An election worker displays a ballot before handing it to President Joko Widodo at a polling station in Gambir, Central Jakarta, April 17, 2019. (Keisyah Aprilia/BenarNews) Mind-boggling As polling stations opened in stages across Indonesia, election workers sang the national anthem, swore an oath, and counted blank ballots in front of election monitors before voting could begin. Noorhayatin, 61, arrived at a polling station in East Jakarta at 6 a.m. to avoid lines. I hope with this election Indonesia can have security and justice and can choose a president who is trustworthy and able to create a prosperous society, she told BenarNews. Hours after polls opened, ballots had not still been delivered to polling stations in Wamena and Jayapura, two cities in easternmost Papua province, local reporters told BenarNews. Mama Yuliana, a resident of the provincial capital of Jayapura, rushed home disappointed after trying to vote early in the day. I didnt cook this morning, the family has not eaten, Ive already queued at the polling station, but officials say there are no voting materials. This is the most chaotic election weve participated in, she said. The Lowy Institute, an independent and nonpartisan think-tank based in Sydney, described the scale of the vote in the neighboring country to the north Southeast Asias largest democracy as unprecedented. It will be [the] worlds biggest direct presidential elections (because the U.S. uses an electoral college) and one of the most complicated single-day elections in global history, according to a recent article in the Interpreter, a daily publication produced by the institute. [T]he scale of Indonesias electoral process is mind-boggling, with five separate elections at once, for the president, both houses of parliament, provincial legislatures and district/city councils, it added, noting that the 2019 parliamentary elections in India, the worlds most populous democracy, were being staged in phases over six weeks in April and May. Jakarta residents watch election workers counting votes under a bridge in North Jakarta, April 17, 2019. (Keisyah Aprilia/BenarNews) Concerns The run-up to the Indonesian election, however, was not entirely seamless. Workers delivering election supplies across the far-flung archipelago struggled with bad weather and remote locations. During a three-day campaigning blackout period that preceded Wednesdays vote, a member of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) announced that his group had received 25 complaints about vote buying in 13 provinces. Bawaslu, which oversees the General Election Commission, had voiced concerns throughout the campaign about efforts to buy votes. In March, a legislative candidate in Central Java was arrested on suspicion of vote buying, with investigators saying they had seized 8 billion rupiah ($565,000). The cash was parceled out in envelopes and allegedly intended to be distributed to voters at dawn on Election Day. In addition, Bawaslu officials on April 11 reported finding 40,000 to 50,000 ballots in Malaysian warehouses, with many pre-marked for Jokowi and for legislative candidates in the National Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition. They called for a repeat of voting by mail in the Malaysian capital, where many Indonesian expatriates live. Keisyah Aprilia, Arie Firdaus, Nurdin Hasan, John Kambang, Victor Mambor, Anton Muhajir and Almira Wang contributed to this report. Former Prime Minister Najib Razak (center), leaves the Kuala Lumpur High Court after the fourth day of his corruption trial, April 17, 2019. A Malaysian judge on Wednesday ordered a witness to produce evidence that could potentially expose details of fugitive financier Jho Lows role in the massive 1MDB financial scandal. The ruling came during the fourth day of former Prime Minister Najib Razaks landmark corruption trial on seven charges related to the transfer of 42 million ringgit (U.S. $10.3 million) from SRC International, a former subsidiary of the beleaguered state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Jho Low, whose real name is Low Taek Jho, has been linked to Najib and faces his own charges related to the multibillion-dollar scandal. Judge Nazlan Ghazali of the Kuala Lumpur High Court issued the order during a debate between prosecution and defense attorneys who argued over the admissibility as evidence of Ambank banker Joanna Yus Blackberry phone, along with communication transcripts kept by Bank Negara, the nations central bank. I find that the documents relating to the communications between Joanna Yu and Jho Low is relevant to the trial, the judge said. He ordered witness Ahmad Farhan Sharifuddin, a manager at Bank Negara, to produce the evidence during an upcoming court session. Yu, who worked as Ambanks relationship manager, handled the accounts of 1MDB, SRC and Najibs personal account, according to a 2015 Wall Street Journal report. During cross-examination, Ahmad Farhan told defense attorney Harvinderjit Singh about the items. The attorney then asked him to bring them to court, drawing an objection from the prosecution team. Lead defense attorney Shafee Abdullah asked the judge to allow the items to be presented. In her draft witness statement, Yu said she communicated with Low, Shafee told the court, pointing out the relevancy of the seized Bank Negara items. Prosecutors challenged the request, describing it as irrelevant. What they are doing is a fishing expedition, prosecutor V. Sithambaram told the court. If they keep asking for documents to check whether they are relevant or admissible, this is set to be a long trial. The defense team countered by claiming that prosecutors were trying to block Najib from having a fair trial. What dark ages are we living in where the accused is not allowed to access evidence that might be useful for his defense? Harvinderjit said. In his opening statement earlier this month, Attorney General Tommy Thomas said evidence would show that Najib used his office as prime minister and finance minister to obtain the money. Najibs trial opened on April 3, nearly 11 months after his ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was swept by the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance in the May 2018 general election. The 1MDB scandal, in which the U.S. Department of Justice said about $4.5 billion were misappropriated, brought about Najibs fall and the rise of PH, which campaigned on a platform of cleaning up corruption in government. The trial on three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of power tied to the transfer of SRC International funds, is the first of what could be several for Najib who faces a total of 42 criminal charges linked to the 1MDB scandal. He could face decades in prison and fines totaling millions of dollars if convicted of all charges. Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of Future Forward Party, (third from left) greets supporters as he reports to a police station near Bangkok to acknowledge charges against him, April 17, 2019. A leader of a new Thai political party that drew the third most votes in last months general election appeared at a police station Wednesday to acknowledge two criminal charges filed against him by the military government. Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general of the youth-backed Future Forward Party (FFP), denied the two allegations when he reported to the polices Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) on the outskirts of Bangkok. All charges filed (against me) are politically motivated, Piyabutr told reporters as dozens of supporters swarmed around him. He was the second top leader of the party, next to FFP chairman Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, to be charged by police this month. Piyabutrs charges stemmed from a video clip of him criticizing an order by the Constitutional Court to dissolve another opposition party, the Thai Raksa Chart Party, after it nominated a princess as a candidate for prime minister in March. For the sake of check-and-balance principle, people who own the sovereignty should be able to criticize them, he said, referring to the court. Col. Burin Thongprapai, legal adviser for the military government, filed a complaint against Piyabutr, accusing him of insulting the court and breaching the nations Computer Crimes Act. If found guilty on both charges, Piyabutr could face up to 12 years in prison. Piyabutr has until April 25 to submit his statement in writing before the TCSD would decide whether to press on with the case, police Col. Siriwat Deepo, the divisions deputy superintendent, told reporters. Earlier this month, Future Forward leader Thanathorn faced charges of sedition at the same police station. Police alleged that he had violated a ban on public gatherings that was in force at the time when he aided one of the leaders of an anti-junta rally in 2015. He denied the allegations. Last month, the Constitutional Court ordered the disbanding of the Thai Raksa Chart, a party allied with deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, after it had nominated Princess Ubolratana as its candidate for prime minister. The previously unheard-of move quickly backfired after the Thai King issued a statement calling the nomination extremely inappropriate. After the court handed down its ruling, the Future Forward Party issued a statement, saying the judicial system had been abused as a political tool. On Wednesday, Piyabutrs lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharas, questioned why Thailands military government had filed a complaint and whether attorneys for the Constitutional Court felt insulted by the FFPs statement. It is doubtful why the NCPO sued him, he said, using the acronym for the National Council for Peace and Order, the official name of the junta. I wonder if the court feels they were defamed at all. The public prosecutor and the court must give Piyabutr a fair treatment, a national human rights commissioner told BenarNews on Wednesday. The police investigators take complaints but the public prosecutors and courts must weigh in the accusation by the NCPO to ensure justice for people, said Angkhana Neelapaijit, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, who was present when Piyabutr appeared at the police station. Last week, the Thai Foreign Ministry summoned more than a dozen foreign diplomats after the junta accused them of breaching protocol by attending the filing of charges against Thanathorn on April 6. There were no representatives from foreign embassies present to observe the procedure on Wednesday, a TCSD officer said. The one-year-old FFP won 30 of 350 parliamentary seats contested in the March 24 election, and could receive another 50 to 58 of the 150 party-list seats awarded using a mathematical formula tied to the total vote count, according to political observers. Future Forward received 6.2 million votes cast for the 350 parliamentary seats, placing third behind the opposition Pheu Thai Party (7.9 million votes) and the junta-aligned Palang Pracharat Party (8.4 million votes), according to a tally of votes released by the Election Commission in late March. Under Thailands electoral law, a criminal conviction could lead to election disqualification for Thanathorn, but his lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharas, told BenarNews last week that the case would not affect his short-term political goals. As far as I know, the case would not take effect until after the election results are final, he said. 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. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, my take on the first leg of the Trump-O'Reilly History Tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices For Immediate Release, April 17, 2019 Contact: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org Lawsuit Seeks Endangered Species Protection for 24 Species Trump Administration Left Behind WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity today sued the Trump administration and newly confirmed U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt for failing to make protection decisions for 24 species of animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act. The list of wildlife left without protection includes the elfin-woods warbler, Franklins bumblebee and tricolored blackbird. They are among hundreds of species awaiting decisions about whether to be protected under the Endangered Species Act or to receive protected critical habitat. A 2016 work plan developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is updated annually, called for decisions on all 24 species by the end of fiscal year 2018. But Bernhardt and the Trump administration are preventing the agency from doing its job of protecting at-risk species. The refusal to protect these 24 imperiled species offers 24 more reasons why David Bernhardt will be a terrible Interior secretary, said Noah Greenwald, the Centers endangered species director. Bernhardt and the Trump administrations highest priorities are corporate profits. Theyre not interested in protecting wildlife like the Franklins bumblebee and others that are on the brink of extinction. The Fish and Wildlife Service has long struggled to provide timely protection to species. The entire process of listing species and designating critical habitat is supposed to take two to three years. But on average it has taken the Service 12 years, and in many cases decades, to protect species. At least 47 species have gone extinct waiting for protection. Delays in protection of species have been extensive under Bernhardt, first when he was the top Interior lawyer under the George W. Bush administration and then with the Trump administration as Interiors deputy secretary. The Clinton administration, for example, put an average of 65 species on the endangered list each year, while the Bush administration only listed 62 species total over the course of eight years. With 16 species listed so far, the Trump administration is heading toward a similarly poor performance, despite a backlog of more than 500 species waiting for protection decisions. If were going to save species from disappearing forever, we have to act quickly to give them the legal protection they need, said Greenwald. The Trump administration is completely out of step with the American public, which overwhelmingly supports protecting species that are at risk of extinction. David Bernhardt needs to let the Fish and Wildlife Service do its job. The agency developed the workplan to address more than 500 species awaiting 12-month findings, which is how determinations of whether protection is warranted are made. Each year the agency also creates a workload scheduling additional findings that need to be made, including final listings and designation of critical habitat. All the findings included in todays notice were part of the 2016 work plan or the workloads for fiscal years 2017 and 2018, but were not made as scheduled. Species Included in Todays Lawsuit Species Name Scientific Action Type Fiscal Year Scheduled Range Beardless chinch weed Pectis imberbis 12-month FY18 AZ Bartram stonecrop Graptopetalum bartramii 12-month FY18 AZ Round hickorynut Obovaria subrotunda 12-month FY18 AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MS, OH, PA, TN, WV, Canada Tricolored blackbird Agelaius tricolor 12-month FY18 CA, OR, WA, NV Panamint alligator lizard Elgaria panamintina 12-month FY18 CA Seaside alder Alnus maritima 12-month FY18 DE, GA, MD, OK Brook floater Alasmidonta varicosa 12-month FY18 CT, DC, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV, Canada Purple lilliput Toxolasma lividus 12-month FY19 AL, AR, IL, MI, MO, IN, TN, VA Pink pigtoe Pleurobema rubrum 12-month FY18 AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, NE, OH, OK, TN, VA Longsolid Fusconaia subrotunda 12-month FY18 AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV Clam-shell orchid Encyclia cochleata var. triandra 12-month FY18 FL Cape Sable orchid Oncidium undulatum 12-month FY18 FL Big Cypress epidendrum Epidendrum strobiliferum 12-month FY18 FL Elk River crayfish Cambarus elkensis 12-month FY18 WV Elfin-woods warbler Setophaga angelae Critical Habitat FY17 Workload PR Black pine snake Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi Critical Habitat FY18 Workload MS, LA, AL Western glacier stonefly Zapada glacier Critical Habitat FY17 Workload MT, WY Meltwater lednian stonefly Lednia tumana Critical Habitat FY17 Workload MT, WY Miami tiger beetle Cicindelidia floridana Critical Habitat FY17 Workload FL Suwannee moccasinshell Medionidus walkeri Critical Habitat FY18 Workload FL Florida bristle fern Trichomanes punctatum ssp. Floridanum Critical Habitat FY18 Workload FL Slickspot peppergrass Lepidium papilliferum Critical Habitat FY17 Workload ID Franklin's bumblebee Bombus franklini 12-month FY18 OR Yellow-banded bumblebee Bombus terricola 12-month FY18 CT, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, VT, WV, WI, Canada Warm welcome for Minerva Birmingham new collaboration between Aston Business School, University of Birmingham and Minerva Business Angels launches The Minerva Birmingham team from left to right: Alex Toft Head of Minerva Business Angels, David Coleman Head of Enterprise Acceleration, University of Birmingham and Paula Whitehouse Associate Dean for Enterprise, Aston Business School. West Midlands business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors have welcomed the launch of a new angel investment network for the region. Minerva Birmingham, a new collaboration between Aston University, University of Birmingham and Minerva Business Angels, part of the University of Warwick Science Park, held its inaugural pitching event at Aston University on 9 April. The launch event was formally opened by Professor George Feiger, Executive Dean of Aston Business School, and attended by more than 80 delegates. Recalling how surprised he was on arriving in the UK from San Francisco and finding how little funding was available in the region for any start-ups, Professor Feiger highlighted the importance of innovative finance initiatives in supporting our local entrepreneurs, and said: Aston enthusiastically supports the formation of the Minerva Birmingham Angel group. We have longstanding deep connections to small business and entrepreneurship in our city, our region and the country at large. Working with our partners to further develop this initiative will support entrepreneurs in our networks to pitch for investment and increase the level of knowledge and activity around early stage investment in our region. Liz McKenzie, angel investor and Vice Chair of the West Midlands Growth Company, spoke about her positive experience of being an investor and urged others to follow suit: Being able to work as a collective with like-minded individuals from a broad church of experience who are all successful in their own right is great, its both effective and enjoyable. The way their connectivity assists growing companies is genuinely impressive. We need more Angels to come on board. David Coleman, Head of Enterprise Acceleration at University of Birmingham Enterprise, added: We are very conscious that Minerva Birmingham will help promote our regional businesses as well as our spinouts to those outside the region, particularly in London and the South East, who are willing and able to invest. But we also want to encourage and develop our own locally based angel investors who a passion to help our regional businesses, but perhaps dont know about or who have yet to explore the opportunities on offer. Eileen Schofield, Chair of Birmingham Law Society, described the event as: A great initiative to help breakdown those barriers for both companies to raise money for growth and investors to come forward. I hope to see more of these events which reach a wider group of business and investors with the support and backing of Minerva business angels." A key function of the new group is also to raise the profile of the opportunities to be gained both for growth companies and potential investors within the Midlands and to work at countering the regional difference between the Midlands and the South East. From 1.8bn invested through to Enterprise investment scheme in 2017 only around 2.6% was invested in the West Midlands versus 56% in the South East the majority being London based companies. Improving the investment culture in the Midlands is a key challenge for the new group. All four companies who pitched at the launch event including Linear Diagnostics, a University of Birmingham spinout, received expressions of interest and look forward to working with that interest. Minerva Birmingham plans further events including embarking on a programme to provide training for those interested in becoming an Angel investor. Minerva Birminghams next event will be in June and anybody interested in becoming an investor should contact them at support@minerva.uk.net. Companies should apply through the Minerva website. Notes to editors About the University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the worlds top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries. About the University of Birmingham Enterprise The University of Birmingham Enterprise supports innovators and entrepreneurs who want to take their ideas to market and grow their business. We do this by providing enterprise training, funding, office and laboratory space, as well as a full technology transfer service. The University of Birmingham Enterprise manages the incubation services and facilities at the Birmingham Research Park, including the BizzInn and BioHub Birmingham. Minerva is part of the University of Warwick Science Park Ltd and is an organisation which has helped over 70 companies received more than 11 million through its network of Angel investors attracting around a further 35 million in co-investment About Aston University Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the universitys academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Professor Alec Cameron is the Vice Chancellor & Chief Executive. Aston Centre for Growth Aston Centre for Growth offers leading growth programmes and other opportunities for SME owners looking to grow their business. Aston University has held the Small Business Charter since 2014, reflecting its expertise in SME engagement. We have experience of working with hundreds of SMEs to support their business growth, with investment-ready pitching competitions, through our student-focused start-up support and incubation centre and on high profile programmes such as Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. Google has announced that the Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge is launching in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey in June. Image source: Gallo/Getty. Elevating and strengthening quality journalism. Evolving business models to drive sustainable growth. Empowering news organisations through technological innovation. Over the last two years Google has trained more than 4000 journalists across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The GNI Innovation Challenge is inviting proposals for projects from news organisations of every size to address increasing engagement with readers and/or exploring new business models in any form such as subscriptions, membership programs, and so on. Traditional publishers, news startups and associations that aim to build innovative digital media projects are all eligible to apply.A panel will evaluate the submissions and fund selected projects up to $150k, with funding for up to 70% of the total project cost. The funding will be reviewed against several criteria, including a sharing component - for example, a project proposal can include publishing findings or holding a public seminar to encourage applicants to share the knowledge and learnings to others.The application window for project submissions will open in June, and will extend for one month. More information on eligibility, rules and criteria, and funding will be published on the GNI website News publishers in many parts of the world are grappling with questions of how quality journalism can thrive in the digital age. With economic models changing and new ways in which people are consuming news, innovation in the news industry has never been more important, says Madhav Chinnappa, director for News Ecosystem Development, Google.Ludovic Blecher, head of the Google News Initiative Innovation, says: Were excited to bring the GNI Challenge to the region. We want to make sure that all news organisations, large and small, legacy publishers, as well as new entrants, have the opportunity to inject new ideas into the regional news industry.Last year, Google announced the Google News Initiative (GNI), the global umbrella that pulls together everything Google does to help news players in their transition to a digital future. The Google News Initiative is Googles effort to help news players in their transition to a digital future, focusing on three pillars:Google's mission is to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.For more information, visit our Google Africa Blog: google-africa.blogspot.com The Iranian Foreign Minister: "Our thoughts are with the French and all the Catholics". The Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, expresses "pain". Japan has indicated its willingness to support France in its restoration work. South Korea announces inspections of national monuments. The South Korean Catholic community offers words of consolation and promises solidarity to the French people. Paris (AsiaNews) - Asian countries have joined the international community in expressing sympathy to France and its people, following the fire that devastated the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, this morning declared that he is "saddened by the fact that Notre-Dame is partially destroyed, after having resisted for 800 years, both wars and the French Revolution". "Our thoughts are with the French and all the Catholics," Zarif writes in his social media accounts. The minister of the Islamic Republic describes the Parisian cathedral as "an emblematic monument dedicated to the prayer of our one God and that united us all through Hugo's literary masterpiece". The Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, also expresses "pain". He does so through the words of its spokesman, Werachon Sukondhapatipak. Prayut announced "support for the French government and people, who have suffered a great loss". The prime minister says he is "confident" in Paris's efforts to rebuild the cathedral. Japan has indicated its willingness to support France in its restoration work. "The Japanese government will consider providing support, if requested by the French government," says Yoshihide Suga, chief secretary of the cabinet. "It's a loss for the world and we feel deeply saddened," he adds. In the country, politicians and experts join the solidarity expressed by the government. Miki Kato, head of the Catholic Research Center of the Sendai Shirayuri Women's College, declares that "the magnificence of Notre-Dame was different from any other church, and the many visitors and locals who prayed there aroused wonder". The academician underlined that a function for victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Sendai and other areas of north-eastern Japan in 2011 took place in the cathedral. "Now it's our turn to support France. I pray for the reconstruction of the cathedral . On behalf of the government of South Korea, the Administration for Cultural Heritage (Cha) expresses "profound regret" over the fire and announces inspections in national monuments. La Cha reports asking provincial governments to control fire protection systems in wooden buildings and other cultural assets. In addition, inspections of buildings, tombs and temples directly managed by the Administration are underway. Meanwhile, the South Korean Catholic community offers words of consolation and promises solidarity to the French people. "I was shocked and deeply saddened when I heard the news of the fire," says Card. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul. "We share the pain and suffering of Catholics in France and the people of Paris". Finally, the cardinal announces that the archdiocese will pray for those who are fighting the disaster and for the full restoration of the cathedral. Daniel Dercksen chats to producer, director and writer Jayan Moodley about Kandasamys: The Wedding, which will be released in South African cinemas on 18 April 2019. What inspired this eagerly-awaited sequel? Keeping Up With The Kandasamys drew thousands of patrons to cinemas nationally, and while it was a story out of Chatsworth, its universal appeal was enjoyed by the greater South African audience which was wonderful to see. Your views on this? Can we expect the same from the sequel? Kandasamys: The Wedding is described as South Africas very own big fat Indian wedding and everyones invited. Tell me more about this? What do you think makes Indian weddings unique? Were you inspired by other wedding films? Its also about romance, friendship and family values. Your views on this? Tell me about your collaboration with screenwriter Rory Booth. Was it a collaboration made in Heaven? How did it start? Were there any obstacles? The film is described as not only an Indian South African story that celebrates a colourful and rich sub-culture, but also a KZN and SA story. Your views on this? How much as the local industry changed since you started working in the Industry? What do you hope audiences will get from watching the film? Whats next? Its been a few years since the Kandasamys and the Naidoos rekindled their once tainted friendship in Keeping up with the Kandasamys. They make a welcome return for the eagerly-awaited sequel Kandasamys: The Wedding, produced and directed by Jayan Moodley, from a screenplay crafted by Moodley and Rory Booth.Kandasamys: The Wedding is an attempt to provide international audiences with a glimpse into the lifestyle and subculture of modern-day Indian South Africans; their aspirations, dreams, and challenges.In the same way viewers get drawn into the inimitable characteristics of a Harlem or Bronx in New York, so too will Kandasamys transport them into the vibrant and colourful suburb, allowing them a first-hand authentic experience of the local nuances of Indian South African culture, especially since at the heart of the story is a big, fat Indian South African wedding.Whilst the setting for the film is indeed unique, its theme most certainly has universal appeal. Essentially it explores how the son is emotionally torn between his love for his mother and his wife-to-be and how mothers, no matter how old their kids, want to have a very real impact and say in their childrens lives. The story comes alive as the two mothers scheme and plot, and push their agendas, ever so subtly, until an explosion becomes inevitable.Light-hearted, and entertaining, the story is supported by an array of colourful characters that celebrate the rich way of life in Chatsworth, and serves as a reminder of the important value of the mother, aiming to bring characters to life and to take movie-making in KZN to yet another level.It comes at a time, when the film industry in this province has finally turned the corner and will be a catalyst for economic development, whilst ensuring that local KZN talent remains in this beautiful Kingdom of the Zulu.Moodley started her career as an educator with a national higher diploma in education. She completed her BSc degree majoring in mathematics and computer science thereafter.However, she soon realised that her passion lay in the creative arts and embarked on this new journey in 2005 when she and her business partner Sideshwar Sing started African Lotus Productions. She has been involved in various projects for the SABC. Her particular interest lies within spirituality and the multi-faith concept. Some of the documentaries she has produced include The Shembes Walk to God, Buddhism Finding the Peace Within and Ela Gandhi the Hands that Serve. Her dream came true when she produced, co-directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie White Gold.Moodley takes a keen interest in youth development programmes. She is currently the producer of the Hindu magazine programme Sadhana on SABC3, which is into its eighth season. She made her directorial debut with the highly successful Keeping Up With The Kandasamys. She also co-directed The Dance, a short film produced by Quizzical Pictures.The sequel was inspired by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support for the first film. It was just the most special feeling having viewers feeling so attached to the film, so invested in the world of the story, so fond of the characters and filled with so much of enthusiasm and eagerness for another one. We did not decide there had to be a sequel.I think at its heart, its a human story with universal themes and a multi-generational appeal. The characters are relatable and identifiable. Whilst it is set in Chatsworth, interfering mothers have been around since time immemorial. I also strongly believe that the greater South African audience saw it as fresh and vibrant, new content. More importantly, it told its own story and that was that people want to laugh.They want to watch local film. They want authenticity. We all love to have a peep into someones community, someones life, someones living room. The first film gave South African viewers this opportunity and they lapped it up. Whilst laughing, we learn. By learning, we can understand more about each other. With understanding, comes respect.Absolutely! We have created a proudly South African film and are extremely excited that the film has attracted an audience that goes beyond race.If we were going to portray an Indian wedding, it could not be small. It had to be colourful, spirited, energetic and dazzling. The thinking was that people had to leave the cinema remarking Did you see the location of the wedding? Did you see the outfits? How beautiful was the ceremony?The everyones invited tagline is a play on the Indian community that previously never heard of the admit-two phrase theres always a huge pot of biryani and everyone is welcome!Firstly, its a few days affair. Secondly, everyone gets involved. Thirdly, it at some point feels like a giant party! And lastly, a wedding or any event tells a story about the people and the Indian wedding in itself tells us so much about the community.My favourite wedding film is undoubtedtly Monsoon Wedding by Mira Nair. I believe its a masterpiece in its own right and it definitely served as an inspiration for this film.Only love is real. Everything else follows and finds its own place in our lives. Friendship follows from loving our friends. Family values follow from loving ourselves and being at peace with our family values. So love is the foundation for this film.I truly want people to leave the cinema feeling some sense of love, remembering someone they have lost contact with, falling in love all over again, rekindling friendship and most importantly loving themselves.Rory Booth makes writing the best job ever. It certainly was a colouration made in Heaven. It never feels like we are writing. It just feels like two souls connecting on some level and having the best time ever. His writing skills, his creativity and his sense of humour is something to be marvelled at! I adore working with him and if I write again, my wish is to do so with him.Our province claims this film and it should. We feel so proudly KZN. Durban is often seen as the poor cousin to other provinces and this film makes us all just feel somewhat satisfied. Our city looks beautiful and we get to showcase so many different locations that people now want to visit. I often say that everyone knows of a place called New York. We simply see it in so many films. We want everyone to know of a place called Durban.There has been a major shift. It seems like we have finally turned the corner with regards to filmmaking. Just a few years ago, it was almost impossible for any person from a disadvantaged background to even dream of making a film or telling their own story. There have been many strides made, but we still have a long way to go. One step at a time, one film at a time.My sincere hope is for them to appreciate each other more. Not just our family members, but just each other in general. I would love for the film to give people an opportunity to reflect. Am I a Jennifer? Am I a Shanti? Its only upon reflection that we answer some difficult questions about ourselves and then, hopefully, make some changes. After all, we are all on this journey where we simply want to better people.I honestly dont know. Im looking forward to resting and spending quality time with my family.Read more about South African Filmmaking: writingstudio.co.za By Trend In the 1Q2019, Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR exported 3.2 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 27 percent more compared to the 1Q2018, Trend reports referring to the company. The growth in gas exports is associated with the start of transportation through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). So far, 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas has been exported to Turkey. Oil exports in the 1Q2019 amounted to about 5.8 million tons of oil. Also, in January-March 2019, exports of the oil refining and petrochemical industries amounted to 456,400 tons, which is 10.5 percent more compared to the same period of 2018. Granuloma Inguinale (Donovanosis): Symptoms, Stages, Causes & Treatment Disorders Cure oi-Amritha K Granuloma inguinale is a genital ulcerative disease caused by the bacterium Klebsiella granulomatis. That is, Granuloma inguinale is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Also known as donovanosis, the infection causes lesions in the genital and anal regions [1] . The STI is characterised by pain-free genital ulcers that look like the pox. The infection is mostly found in sub-tropical and tropical regions and is rarely reported in developed countries. In some of the developing countries, such as India, Papua New Guinea, and the Caribbean, the infection is regarded as an endemic[2] , [3] . The bacterium Klebsiella granulomatis infects the skin around the genitals and causes ulcers which result in the destruction of the skin around the affected area. This destructive nature of the infection elevates the risk of getting affected by other pathogenic microbes. Granuloma inguinale is infectious, that is, it can spread from one person to other [4] . It is mostly spread through the means of vaginal or anal intercourse and rare cases of infection through oral sex have been reported. However, anal intercourse is suspected to be the most frequent source of infection. About 50 per cent of the affected (men and women) have developed lesions in the anal region [5] . Studies have revealed that men are most likely to be affected by the infection than women and commonly occurs in people aged between 20 to 40. Most of the cases of the STI reported are in people who have travelled to places that are at a high risk of the infection [6] . And, a very small proportion of people may be infected through direct, non-sexual contact (skin to skin). Symptoms Of Granuloma Inguinale The common signs indicating the development of the infection are small, painless nodules (pimple like) which develops into an open and fleshy lesion. The infection develops in the genital area and in some cases, mouth sores can also develop. This aggravates until the infected tissue gets mutilated and the infection will continue to latch onto other tissues [7] , [8] . Apart from this, the symptoms of the sexually transmitted disease can be described in line with the stages of Granuloma inguinale. Stages Of Granuloma Inguinale The signs of the infection develop at a slow pace. That is, once the individual comes in contact with the bacteria it will take 7 to 10 days to experience the symptoms. Within a period of 12 weeks, the symptoms will be at their maximum capacity [9] . Stage one: In the initial stage, the small nodule will spread to the surrounding tissue. The affected tissues will be lost and the area will turn pink (or a very light red). The small bumps found around the anus and genitals turn into raised red nodules with a velvety texture. The nodules will be painless, however, injuring them can cause bleeding. In the initial stage, the small nodule will spread to the surrounding tissue. The affected tissues will be lost and the area will turn pink (or a very light red). The small bumps found around the anus and genitals turn into raised red nodules with a velvety texture. The nodules will be painless, however, injuring them can cause bleeding. Stage two: By now, the bacteria will begin to destroy the skin and cause shallow ulcers that will spread from the genitals and anus to the thighs and lower abdomen. The ulcers may have a foul smell and will be lined with granulated tissue. By now, the bacteria will begin to destroy the skin and cause shallow ulcers that will spread from the genitals and anus to the thighs and lower abdomen. The ulcers may have a foul smell and will be lined with granulated tissue. Stage three: Upon reaching the third stage, the infection will become deep and the ulcers will turn into morph tissue. Causes Of Granuloma Inguinale The infection is caused by the Klebsiella granulomatis bacteria. One can contract the infection by having vaginal or anal intercourse with an infected partner. In very rare cases, it has spread through oral sex. Apart from these, it can spread from a mother to a child during delivery [10] . Complications Of Granuloma Inguinale Loss of skin colour in the genital area [11] Genital damage and scarring Permanent genital swelling due to scarring Cancer in the sore Narrowing of the vagina, anus or urethra [12] Damage to the bones or bowel, if the bacteria spread through the blood to other sites It is often difficult to diagnose the infection in its early stage due to the slow development of the ulcers. If the ulcers do not heal after a month, your doctor will advise a skin biopsy of the lesions called the punch biopsy. Under this one, the doctor will remove a small area of the ulcer with a circular blade and will be tested for the presence of Klebsiella granulomatis bacteria [13] . In some cases, scrapings of the lesions are used to detect the presence of the bacteria. The diagnosis will also include blood tests to check the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases [14] , [15] . Treatment For Granuloma Inguinale Antibiotics such as azithromycin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole are used. The antibiotics will be used for a long period of time, until the sores are completely healed, and depending on the length of time since infection and the stage of infection. Most of the antibiotics are prescribed for a period of three weeks, however, some may take more time to heal the ulcer [16] . If the ulcers are painful, the doctor will advise for painkillers [17] . A follow-up examination is essential, as the sexually transmitted infection can reappear even if the lesions have gone down completely [18] . Prevention Of Granuloma Inguinale Using condoms for vaginal and anal sex significantly reduces the risk of the infection and sexually transmitted diseases [19] . . Avoid sex with individuals who have a visible genital ulcer or sore. Before travelling to a developing country, run a thorough check on the diseases that are prevalent there, and adopt suitable preventive measures [20] . View Article References [1] Rosen, T., Tschen, J. A., Ramsdell, W., Moore, J., & Markham, B. (1984). Granuloma inguinale.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology,11(3), 433-437. [2] Richens, J. (1991). The diagnosis and treatment of donovanosis (granuloma inguinale).Sexually Transmitted Infections,67(6), 441-452. [3] Rajam, R. V., & Rangiah, P. N. (1954). Donovanosis (Granuloma Inguinale, Granuloma Venereum).Donovanosis (Granuloma Inguinale, Granuloma Venereum). [4] Lal, S., & Nicholas, C. (1970). Epidemiological and clinical features in 165 cases of granuloma inguinale.British Journal of Venereal Diseases,46(6), 461. [5] Greenblatt, R. B., Dienst, R. B., Pund, E. R., & TORPIN, R. (1939). Experimental and clinical granuloma inguinale.Journal of the American Medical Association,113(12), 1109-1116. [6] Davis, C. M. (1970). Granuloma inguinale: a clinical, histological, and ultrastructural study.Jama,211(4), 632-636. [7] Hammond, G. W., Slutchuk, M., Scatliff, J., Sherman, E., Wilt, J. C., & Ronald, A. R. (2015). 11.1. 2 Granuloma Inguinale.Vulval Dermatologic Diagnosis: Diagnosis by Clinical Presenting Sign,22, 241-4. [8] Ornelas, J., Kiuru, M., Konia, T., & Larsen, L. (2016). Granuloma inguinale in a 51-year-old man.Dermatology online journal,22(4). [9] Shi, W., Schultz, S., Strouse, A., & Gater, D. R. (2019). Successful treatment of stage III hidradenitis suppurativa with botulinum toxin A.BMJ Case Reports CP,12(1), e226064. [10] Thomas, M., Rao, R., & Kumar, G. N. (2018). An overview of suppurative granuloma.Indian Journal of Dermatopathology and Diagnostic Dermatology,5(1), 19. [11] Datta, P., & Gupta, V. (2018). An Update on Sexually Transmitted Infections: An Indian Context. InInfectious Diseases and Your Health(pp. 391-401). Springer, Singapore. [12] Javaid, S., Rasool, N., & Choudhry, M. L. (2018). Incidence of Post-Operative Complications of Inguinal Hernia and Hydrocele Open Surgery in Children.PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES,12(2), 440-442. [13] Habif, T. P. (2015).Clinical Dermatology E-Book: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. Elsevier Health Sciences. [14] Curran, D., Delancey, J. O., & Haefner, H. K. (2018). Dysuria, painful lesions in 26-year-old woman: What's your diagnosis and treatment plan for this patient?.Contemporary OB/GYN,63(4), 16-19. [15] Wick, M. R., & Patterson, J. W. (2018, October). Diagnostic histochemistry in non-neoplastic skin diseases. InSeminars in diagnostic pathology. WB Saunders. [16] Macpherson, P. A., & Cameron, D. W. (2017). Lymphogranuloma Venereum, Chancroid and Granuloma Inguinale. InInfectious Diseases(pp. 585-591). Elsevier. [17] Magalhaes, B. M., Veasey, J. V., Mayor, S. A. S., & Lellis, R. F. (2018). Donovanosis in a child victim of sexual abuse: response to doxycycline treatment.Anais brasileiros de dermatologia,93(4), 592-594. [18] Wick, M. R. (2017, May). Granulomatous & histiocytic dermatitides. InSeminars in diagnostic pathology(Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 301-311). WB Saunders. [19] Ceovic, R., & Gulin, S. J. (2015). Lymphogranuloma venereum: diagnostic and treatment challenges.Infection and drug resistance,8, 39. [20] OFarrell, N., & Moi, H. (2016). 2016 European guideline on donovanosis.International journal of STD & AIDS,27(8), 605-607. GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 15:55 [IST] 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 By Azernews By Laman Ismayilova Exhibition of Azerbaijani photographer Maya Bagirova solemnly opened at Art Tower Gallery. Speaking at the event, head of the Arts Council Dadash Mammadov told about cooperation with the French embassy in Azerbaijan and ongoing joint projects, Trend Life reported. "We are always happy to support Francophonie Weeks held annually in Azerbaijan. As part of the festival, this year, we are holding an exhibition of talented photographer Maya Bagirova, who lives in France. She created a beautiful series of photographs dedicated to Paris. But, this is not the Paris which tourists are used to see. Maya conveyed the aura of the city, its beauty, details that many do not notice. This is a new look on the capital of France," said Mammadov. In her speech, Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Aurelia Bouchez praised the creative work of the national photographer. The diplomat stressed that the photos of Maya Bagirova received a number of awards. In 2015, the photographer took part in the exhibition at the gallery Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. In 2018, Paris Match magazine presented her a prestigious award. Maya Bagirova added that this is her first solo exhibition, despite the fact that she has repeatedly presented her works in group expositions. "I express my gratitude to the organizers for their support. The works presented at the opening day were created in the first year of my life in Paris. I wanted to show freedom in them, maybe that's why there are a lot of birds in the photos: for me they are a symbol of freedom," said Bagirova. A series of photographs by Maya Bagirova can be described by the word "impression". Maya Bagirova moved to Paris in 2016.The student of one of the leading photography schools in Europe- Speos Paris Photographic Institute, Maya Bagirova discovered Paris through the photography. Walking around an unfamiliar city, she became acquainted with its history and wonderful atmosphere. The exhibition was organized with the support of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, the French Embassy in Azerbaijan and Arts Council Azerbaijan. The days of French language were held in Baku from March 30 to April 15. The embassies of France, Belgium, Costa Rica, Greece, Hungary, Morocco, Mexico, Moldova, Romania, Switzerland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia in Azerbaijan, as well as the European Union took part in the festival. A number of events were organized as part of Francophonie Weeks. The International Organization of La Francophonie was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 88 member states and governments (61 members and 27 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations member states and account for a population of over 900 million people, including 300 million French speakers. IOF organizes political activities and actions of multilateral cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions respect cultural and linguistic diversity and serve to promote the French language, peace and sustainable development. Overall, the days of French language and culture are annual spring event in Azerbaijan that brings French-speaking people together. By Trend There were no customers for the Iranian gas condensates put up for sale at the energy exchange, Amir Hossein Tebyanian, representative of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) at the Iranian energy exchange (IRENEX), told Mehr News Agency, Trend reports. According to Tebyanian, selling of the Iranian oil or gas condensates at the energy exchange under the current conditions would definitely be of benefit to Iran. In his words, however, if this does not happen, it will not be too disadvantageous, as Iran puts oil and gas condensates up for sale at the energy exchange in a hope of diversifying their sales methods (despite being able to sell oil and gas condensates outside of the energy exchange), and with no extra expenses needed to that end, the country has nothing to lose. "Next week, on April 23, 1 million barrels of crude oil will be sold at $65.43 per barrel on Iran's energy exchange," he said. Today the South Pars Gas Complex put 1 million barrels of gas condensate up for sale at $67.85 per barrel. By Trend The Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party has officially appealed to the country's CEC to hold the repeat elections in Istanbul, deputy chairman of the ruling party Ali Ihsan Yavuz said. The ruling party provided all the facts about the rigging of the election results in a number of Turkish cities, including Istanbul, Yavuz added, Trendreports referring to the Turkish media on April 16. This step of the ruling party does not contradict the countrys laws, he added. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the results of the municipal elections in Istanbul may be annulled. Meanwhile, Yavuz said that the ruling party demands to hold the repeat municipal elections in Istanbul. He added that the ruling party has all the evidence of falsification of the election results. The ruling party will present all the facts of falsification of the election results in Istanbul soon, he said. The municipal election results in Istanbul were almost completely rigged, President Erdogan said earlier. He noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appealed to the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to identify the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the Justice and Development Party presented facts of falsification of 11,000 votes in Istanbul in favour of the candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu. Thirteen political parties took part in the municipal elections held March 31. These included the Felicity Party (SP), the Independent Turkey Party (Ba??ms?z Turkiye Partisi), the Communist Party of Turkey (Turkiye Komunist Partisi), the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), the Great Unity Party (Buyuk Birlik Partisi), Free Cause Party (Hur Dava Partisi), Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalk?nma Partisi), Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetci Hareket Partisi), Iyi Party (?Y? Parti), Peoples Democratic Party (Halklar?n Demokratik Partisi) and Democratic Left Party (Demokratik Sol Parti). Imamoglu gained 4.159 million votes, while candidate from the ruling party Binali Yildirim got 4.131 million votes in Istanbul. The coalition of the ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party gained 51.67 percent of votes in the municipal elections throughout the country. Following the elections, candidate of the Republican Peoples Party Mansur Yavas became mayor of Ankara. Expo 2020 Dubai and its legacy are expected to contribute Dh122.6 billion ($33.38 billion) of gross value addition (GVA) to the UAEs economy from 2013 to 31, according to an EY report. The report, The economic impact of Expo 2020 Dubai, states that Expo 2020 is also expected to support up to 905,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) job-years in the UAE from 2013 to 31, which is equal to approximately 49,700 FTE jobs per annum in the UAE over this period. Najeeb Mohammed Al Ali, executive director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, says: This independent report demonstrates that Expo 2020 Dubai is a critical long-term investment in the future of the UAE, which will contribute more than 120 billion dirhams to the economy between 2013 and 2031. Not only will the event encourage millions around the world to visit the UAE in 2020, it will also stimulate travel and tourism and support economic diversification for years after the Expo, leaving a sustainable economic legacy that will help to ensure the UAE remains a leading destination for business, leisure and investment. Matthew Benson, partner, transaction advisory services, Mena, EY, says: Expo 2020 is an exciting long-term investment for the UAE, and is expected to have a significant impact on the economy and how jobs are created directly and indirectly. As the host, Dubai aims to use the event to further enhance its international profile and reputation. The event will celebrate innovation, promote progress and foster cooperation, and entertain and educate global audiences. Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to attract 25 million visits and participants from 190 countries from October 2020 to April 2021. During this period, the World Expo is expected to contribute approximately 1.5% of the UAEs annual forecast gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are estimated to receive Dh4.7 billion in investment during the pre-Expo phase, supporting approximately 12,600 job-years, while also supporting Expo 2020s aim to foster innovation and support small businesses. Jamie Torrens, director, economic advisory, transaction advisory services, EY, says: Across the period of our study, spanning the pre-Expo, during-Expo and legacy phases between 2013 and 2031, Expo 2020 is expected to support billions of dirhams of Gross Value Added (GVA) and thousands of jobs in the UAE. Although the Expo event lasts less than a year, the positive economic impact continues far beyond the event. In the legacy period (May 2021 to December 2031), the Expo site is expected to be redeveloped to District 2020, which is expected to include tenant companies and an expanded Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC). District 2020 has been planned to support the UAEs future vision by supporting sustainable economic development, moving toward an innovation-driven economy and creating a business environment to help support key growth industries such as logistics and transport, travel and tourism, construction and real estate and education. Over 80 per cent of the Expo built environment is planned to be retained for District 2020, and eventually expand into a city covering more than four million square meters. District 2020 companies will be focused on technology and innovation, including a mix of corporations and SMEs. The DEC is also expected to be a key facility in the site. The economic impact of the Legacy period is mainly expected to be driven by the development activity and operations of District 2020 and the incremental effects of the expansion of the DEC. The economic impact of Expo 2020 Dubai report by EY considered direct increases in economic activity, indirect benefits of increased supply chain demand and induced benefits from increased spending by employees of firms involved in Expo 2020. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region in the 168-year history of the event. More than 200 participants, including countries, corporations, multinational organisations and educational institutions, will gather in Dubai from October 2020 to April 2021 to explore Expo 2020s theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. TradeArabia News Service Earlier in the year, Rose requested a meeting with the heads of securityincluding Profit, director Randy Nichols, and assistant director Tim Hansonto discuss how Bowdoin's security team treats homeless people they encounter on campus. (Nichols said it's not uncommon for security personnel to meet with students, whom, he added, often have good ideas.) "I was curious and wanted to learn more," Rose said. "What are Bowdoin's interactions with the homeless population? What is the protocol? If someone identifies as homeless, are they directed to services, or are the police called to direct them to services?" she asked. After meeting with Rose, Nichols said he's more careful with the language he uses in campus security reports, which are publicly searchable online. Rather than describing someone as a "transient," which Rose says carries negative connotations, his team refers to people with no home address as "currently living in Brunswick." "We don't want to be insensitive," Nichols said. When a Bowdoin security officer encounters a homeless person seeking shelter in a campus buildingwhich often happens during breaks when many students have gonesecurity officers call police who can connect that person to local services. "We are careful about their health and wellbeing, and their safety," Nichols said. Rose is working in other ways to connect Bowdoin to the community. She has started a new student club on campus to do arts and crafts with children living at Tedford's family shelter on Federal Street. And she never misses a Brunswick town meeting to be an advocate for Tedford Housing as it tries to get permission to build a larger homeless shelter in town. As a psychology and education major, Rose is interested in children and learning more about "how kids become adults, how do we become who we are, and what happens to kids when they face the adversity of unfortunate childhood events." She's been awarded a Denning Fellowship from Bowdoin to pursue this topic in greater depth this summer. She plans to partner with Tedford Housing's family shelter and its program for youth to look into ways of building resiliency in young people who survive difficult experiences. One idea she wants to explore is how mindfulness and meditation might protect children from the worst effects of trauma. "I am wondering how we can use mindfulness as a tool or early intervention for any kind of adverse childhood experience," she said. Growing up in Long Island, New York, Rose had role models in her mother, who is a nursery school teacher, and aunt, who runs an after-school program for the children and siblings of cancer patients. "I come from a line of caretakers," she said. "I saw how amazing it is to do this work, where you can see change at an individual level." She added, "I love the idea that we can be individuals but rely on one another. I think that is just beautiful." Steady progress is being made on the mega refinery project in Duqm region of Oman with nearly 13 per cent of the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) work already completed. Unveiling the project progress, Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries Company (Duqm Refinery) said it involves excavation works, concrete pouring for foundations of buildings and the construction of pipe-rack. Duqm Refinery is a joint venture between two regional oil giants -Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI). The project is being handled by three EPC contractors. These are a joint venture between Tecnicas Reunidas-Daewoo Engineering & Construction Company for EPC Package 1 (Process Units); a Petrofac-Samsung Engineering JV for EPC Package 2 (Utilities and Offsites) and a joint venture between Saipem SpA and CB&I for EPC Package 3 (Offsite Facilities). A total of 4,769 workers have been mobilised by all EPC contractors with 3,275 at site to start the initial works of the construction, said the developer. Under the EPC1 package, civil and foundations works will continue at site for civil packages besides setting up pipe rack foundations, tanks, pits and roads. Reinforced Concrete superstructure work, foundation works on buildings and excavations for underground piping is currently under way, it stated. The EPC2 package involves the buildup of the temporary site facilities including warehouse construction and completion of offices. Fencing also continues, as well as excavations and foundation works for the main substation 490 and administration buildings, said the statement from Duqm Refinery. The construction of EPC3 sub-package (C) work has started with general site clearing blasting and fill works to allow the start of foundations for tanks, said the developer. Furthermore, excavation work has completed. In addition to that, 25 cabins and 10 office modules have been delivered and installed for the temporary construction facilities, it stated. The project has clocked a total of 3.7 million man-hours with zero time wasting fatalities or injuries incidents. Also, over 1,000 safety inductions have been provided along with 10,000 job-specific safety employee training sessions, it added. On the project, CEO Dr Salim bin Saif Al Huthaili said: "Once delivered, the refinery project will contribute in boosting the Omani economy and will be a catalyst for growth in the Special Economic Zone of Duqm." "It will also contribute to the emergence of other industries in the zone and will contribute in creating direct and indirect job opportunities for locals," he added.-TradeArabia News Service TORONTO - In the weeks before cannabis became legal across Canada, Toronto's once booming network of weed retailers all but disappeared. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A police officer stands outside the Cannabis Culture shop during a police raid, in Vancouver on March 9, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck TORONTO - In the weeks before cannabis became legal across Canada, Toronto's once booming network of weed retailers all but disappeared. Nearly 80 pot shops advertising themselves as dispensaries had shut their doors en masse, urged on by warnings that anyone caught contravening Ontario's new sales laws would be barred from receiving a legitimate retail licence in the future. Mark Sraga, the city's director of investigation services for the department of Municipal Licensing and Standards, said only about a dozen dispensaries remained open in the days immediately before Oct. 17 the day recreational marijuana was legalized nationwide. But when word came that cannabis supply shortages were prompting the government to cap the number of licences at just 25 provincewide and dole them out via lottery, Sraga said pot shops began cropping up again. Today Sraga said a team of nine city staff close dispensaries every week, only to see new operations spring up in their place. He said at least 21 illegal storefronts are in business today, citing their persistent presence as evidence that legalization has not yet come close to fulfilling one of the federal government's primary goals. "The national strategy was to eliminate the legal market in cannabis," Sraga said in a telephone interview. "To me it's been a failure on that policy issue because the illegal market is thriving." The faces of Canada's illegal cannabis market are as varied as the legal regulatory schemes currently unfolding across the country, experts said, noting unlicensed dispensaries are not prevalent in every province. But preliminary numbers support critics' assertions that removing penalties for recreational cannabis use is not enough to stamp out black market activity. Data prepared by Statistics Canada indicates consumers spent $1.48 billion on cannabis products during the last three months of 2018. The agency reports, however, that 79 per cent of that money was spent on the illegal market. Michael Armstrong, a Brock University associate professor who has been studying the business side of legalization, said the numbers paint a more nuanced picture when broken down by province. Working from StatCan and Health Canada data, Armstrong said he's observed that legal market share is highest in provinces that have opened more physical storefronts per capita than in those that have limited legal sales to online outlets or put a tight cap on the number of brick-and-mortar retailers. In provinces that have made legal purchasing more feasible, such as Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Alberta, legal cannabis sales made up between 29 and 39 per cent of market activity, Armstrong said. But in Ontario, where pot could only be purchased legally online until April 1, legal market share was just 13 per cent during the quarter. The situation was worse in British Columbia, he said, noting the province's one legal storefront and online sales operation took in just four per cent of the cash consumers spent on cannabis during the quarter. There, as in Ontario, dispensaries that figured largely in the black-market landscape prior to legalization are once again doing brisk business. Last week the province's public safety minister announced a provincewide enforcement team put in place last fall would start to ramp up its efforts to make the dispensaries close their doors. Mike Farnworth said the 44-member team wouldn't immediately be shutting down unlicensed pot stores but would instead inform operators about new licensing regulations governing marijuana sales in the province. "I think, right now, what they have been doing is what you could call education, visiting illegal operations and letting them know (the team) is up and running," Farnworth said. Police in Ontario have taken a more aggressive approach, with 10 forces across the province banding together to shutter dispensaries. Ontario Provincial Police Det. Insp. Jim Walker said the various police services have formed a joint task force that's made at least 44 arrests since its activities kicked into high gear in January. Led by the OPP, the joint task force has been acting on intelligence the provincial government gathered about the cannabis black market in the year before legalization, he said. Walker, who is deputy director of the force's Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, said that while illegal online operations and pop-up shops are surfacing with increasing frequency, dispensaries still make up the bulk of the team's work. Illegal storefronts are still highly lucrative, Walker said, adding officers with the task force have dismantled businesses bringing in daily totals of as much as $20,000. "There's a reason individuals are doing it and it's not for the betterment of the community," he said. "It's because of the significant amount of money to be made." Armstrong, however, questioned the effectiveness of the police strategy, noting that closing a dispensary is more likely to force the proprietor to conduct business underground rather than cease operations altogether. "If you shut them down, you don't shut down demand, you're shutting down that one supplier," he said. "Shutting down dispensaries is an important step once there's a legal alternative. Until there's a legal alternative, I see it as largely a waste of police resources." Demand on local police was one of the factors that resulted in Sraga's team taking over storefront enforcement in Toronto. The task remains daunting, he said, with the number of dispensaries staying stubbornly above the 20 mark as the province's handful of legal operations open their doors and stock their shelves. Emboldened by the shift in Canada's legal landscape, Sraga said some operators have become especially brazen in their fight to stay open, citing an example of a store that cut through a steal door and dismantled the city's locks before reinstalling a replacement and opening for business again. Sraga views his team's efforts as crucial work, but agrees with Armstrong that enforcers face an uphill battle until supply shortfalls are addressed and legal retailers are in a position to give customers what they want. "There's clearly a supply-and-demand issue, and these illegal storefronts are capitalizing on that," Sraga said in a telephone interview. "It's unfortunate that we entered into a legalized environment without ensuring that there was an adequate supply to satisfy that demand." TORONTO - The federal government has no choice but to tackle greenhouse gas emissions given the catastrophic impact unchecked global warming will have on Canada's Indigenous people, Ontario's top court heard on Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - The federal government has no choice but to tackle greenhouse gas emissions given the catastrophic impact unchecked global warming will have on Canada's Indigenous people, Ontario's top court heard on Wednesday. As such, First Nations groups said, Ottawa's carbon-price law helps protect their constitutional rights to the hunting and fishing on which their very survival depends. Amir Attaran, a lawyer for the northern Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, told the Court of Appeal that scientists predict temperatures in the Far North could rise by as much as seven degrees in a single generation. "A seven-degree change is monumental," Attaran said. "Those changes endanger their aboriginal and treaty rights." The federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, which levies a charge on gasoline, other fossil fuels and on industrial polluters, kicked in on April 1 in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick provinces whose climate-change plans Ottawa says aren't up to national standards. Attaran called the law a legitimate attempt to deal with an issue of national concern. "You can have a local catastrophe that is a national emergency," Attaran said. "That deserves consideration." The Assembly of First Nations, another of the 14 interveners in the Appeal Court hearing, agreed a national response to pollution is critical given the vulnerability of First Nations to climate change. Canada, with about 0.5 per cent of the global population, produces two per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, court heard. Randy Christensen, speaking for the David Suzuki Foundation, said Canada and the world will soon "pass the point of no return" in dealing with what he called a national and global emergency. The federal law was passed in response to the dire situation, and even Ontario doesn't allege there is no emergency, he said. The act currently imposes a charge of four cents a litre on gasoline in Ontario, which Ottawa calls a regulatory charge designed to change behaviour. Ontario calls it an illegal tax that stomps on provincial jurisdiction. It wants the Court of Appeal to declare it unconstitutional. Saskatchewan, which is awaiting its own Appeal Court ruling on a similar challenge, argues the government under Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is forcing its will on the four Conservative provinces for purely political reasons: It doesn't like their climate-change approach and is using a "big stick" to make them adopt unwelcome policies. "This Big-Brother-Ottawa-knows-best is inimical to federalism," Saskatchewan lawyer Mitch McAdam said on Day 3 of the four-day hearing. "You need to slam the door on that Pandora's box forever." There is no need to upend the Constitution to save the planet, he said. In line with Ontario, Alberta's incoming premier Jason Kenny has promised to kill his province's homegrown carbon tax and fight the federal law in court. However, a lawyer for British Columbia said Canadians want the federal government to tackle climate change. Federal action, he said, doesn't preclude provincial innovation such as B.C.'s carbon-pricing scheme implemented in 2008. Currently, drivers there pay an extra nine cents a litre. Also Wednesday, Ontario's Progressive Conservative government put out a radio ad that claims the federal law will cost the average family up to $648 more a year by 2022. The ad ignores the fact that Ottawa is giving the money raised back to people in the provinces where it was collected. The International Emissions Trading Association, which speaks for 150 Canadian and international companies that emit greenhouse gases, said carbon pricing isn't a synonym for carbon taxes. Association members support carbon pricing, its lawyer Lisa DeMarco said. The hearing is slated to wrap up with closing arguments on Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 16/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney address supporters Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Kenney and his United Conservatives channelled the angst of an angry electorate to soar to a majority government in Alberta's election Tuesday and relegate Rachel Notley's NDP to the history books as a one-and-done government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Jason Kenney's fight is over. Let the fight begin. The 50-year-old United Conservative Party leader, known for saying he can't help but march to the sound of rhetorical gunfire, soundly defeated Rachel Notley's NDP with a majority in Tuesday's Alberta election. The former federal cabinet minister now takes his fight to Ottawa as Alberta's 18th premier. He has promised to challenge the federal government on everything from the carbon tax to proposed energy regulations and equalization payments. It's a new to-do list for Kenney after checking off the final box on a plan he announced three years ago to unite Alberta's warring right-of-centre Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose Party and take them to the summit. "I had zero inkling to do it,'' Kenney said in a pre-campaign interview. "But as I got further into the spring and then summer of 2016, I just realized that somebody with the relevant profile, network and experience had to step forward with a plan.'' Kenney was born in Oakville, Ont., raised in Saskatchewan, and spent his adult years based in Alberta. He said he was just 10 years old, sitting on a couch and minding his own business at a Saskatchewan school fundraiser, when politics first found him. John Diefenbaker, well over a decade removed from being prime minister, came up to young Kenney, asked him his name, and struck up a conversation: Do you know the mythical story of Jason and the Argonauts? What's your favourite subject at school? What are your future plans? "That 10-minute conversation made an indelible impression on me,'' remembered Kenney. "That a former prime minister would spend 10 minutes talking to a 10-year-old boy was remarkable to me. I never forgot the kindness that he showed. And that maybe gave me sort of my initial interest in politics and public service." He has lived much in the public eye as he has fought for conservative principles and the concept of ordered liberty, first as an anti-tax crusader and later as a key lieutenant in former prime minister Stephen Harper's cabinet in portfolios that included immigration, employment and defence. He is not married and happily recounts a life committed to public service. A day's politicking is followed by late-night reading from a stack of philosophy books at the bedside. He is partial to Aristotle and Edmund Burke. He is schooled in the ground game of politics and had legendary campaign war chests as a Calgary MP. Some credit him with moving Harper's government into majority territory by reaching out to ethnic newcomers, breaking the shibboleth that they vote Liberal, so much so he gained the nickname "minister for curry in a hurry.'' He is a Catholic and has spoken out against gay marriage and abortion in the past, but promises not to act on those issues if he becomes premier. Critics say he can't be trusted. They note he has promised, as premier, to roll back some protections for students in gay-straight alliances in schools. He won the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, then the new United Conservatives and finally the provincial election, illuminating his drive, populist instincts, and nose for the political jugular. In a province where the unemployment rate is above seven per cent in Edmonton and Calgary, he campaigned against Notley on "jobs, jobs, jobs," tapping into latent discontent over the federal government's failure to get the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project underway. To win the UCP leadership, he drove back and forth across Alberta in a blue pickup truck to meet and greet thousands of supporters and fence-sitters. Then, in less than two years, he got 87 constituency associations and candidates running. It was also about doing whatever it takes. When Kenney ran for the PC leadership, he was fined by the party for setting up a hospitality booth beside a voting station. Last month, campaign documents and emails revealed that his UCP leadership team worked in lockstep with another candidate to have him attack Kenney's chief rival while Kenney stayed above the fray. Mounties are investigating the UCP leadership race for possible fraud. Kenney has said his next step is to get back on the campaign trail, this time to get the federal Liberals defeated in the fall. "It is in the vital economic interests of Alberta that the Trudeau government be replaced this October," he said earlier this week. For Kenney, one campaign is over. Let another campaign begin. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Canada Post employee drives a mail truck through downtown Halifax on July 6, 2016. Parcel delivery is booming, but Canada Post will struggle to make a profit in coming years due to a continuing decline in letter mail, higher employee costs and billions in capital spending, says a corporate forecast quietly tabled in Parliament. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese Five stories in the news for Wednesday, April 17 LOONIE MARKING GAY 'EQUALITY' SPARKS CONCERN A new commemorative loonie is sparking concern among academics and advocates who fear it could perpetuate myths about Canada's treatment of lesbian, gay, transgender, queer and two spirited persons. The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil the new one dollar coin in Toronto next week as it joins government departments and agencies to mark "50 years of progress for LGBTQ2 Canadians." A spokeswoman said Tuesday the mint takes great pride in celebrating Canada's culture, history and values, adding that 50 years ago, Parliament passed an act that "initiated the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada." CANADA POST FORECASTS CONTINUING LOSSES Parcel delivery is booming, but Canada Post says it will struggle to meet its government-mandated goal of self-sustainability in coming years due to an ongoing decline in letter mail and higher employee costs. In a corporate forecast quietly tabled in Parliament, the Crown corporation says it is expecting to achieve "modest'' profits of between 10 million and 125 million dollars from 2019 through to 2023. But it says those will be driven primarily by its Purolator subsidiary, while the base Canada Post segment will post losses. RECIPIENT IN RARE PAIRED LIVING LIVER DONATION THANKS "ANGEL" One of the recipients of what's believed to be North America's first paired living liver donation is calling the stranger who saved his life "an angel." Fifty-four-year-old Muhammad Khan of Mississauga, Ont., is sharing his gratitude nearly one year after 38-year-old Kelly Bryan of Peterborough, Ont., gave him more than half of her liver. In turn, Khan's wife, Hina, donated more than half of her liver to another stranger. The feat was revealed at Toronto General Hospital where patients and doctors touted the potential that the rare procedure has to save lives. INUIT, FEDS INK DEAL ON FRANKLIN ARTIFACTS Parks Canada and the Inuit Heritage Trust have come to an agreement on how the artifacts from the ill-fated Franklin expedition will be preserved and studied. All artifacts from the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror will be protected based on traditional Inuit knowledge and presented publicly from an Inuit perspective. Every effort will be made to have the artifacts displayed in Nunavut under the agreement signed Monday. Any museums or cultural institutions that want to study or exhibit the artifacts plucked from the sunken shipwrecks will only be able to do so on a temporary basis. Sir John Franklin and 129 men left England on the two ships in 1845 on a search for a northern passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. COURT WONDERS ABOUT FUTURE DANGERS OF MALL PLOTTER Nova Scotia's top court focused on the potential future danger posed by an American woman who plotted a Valentine's Day shooting spree at a Halifax mall as she appealed her life sentence Tuesday. Three members of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal heard arguments Tuesday in an appeal of Lindsay Souvannarath's sentence of life with no chance of parole for 10 years. Souvannarath, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in a 2015 plot to shoot people at the Halifax Shopping Centre, but is asking the appeal court for a fixed term of 12 to 14 years. She argues the sentencing judge mistakenly imposed a burden on her to prove she was remorseful and had renounced anti-social beliefs. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Scotiabank CAPP Energy Symposium. More than 130 oil and natural gas institutional investors, and more than 70 corporate presenters, including CAPP oil and natural gas producer member companies, pipeline and upstream service sector companies. The Canadian Wind Energy Association holds its spring forum. First court appearance for Graham Spilsbury, a former guard at Edmonton Institution charged with sexual assault and assault with a weapon of a female coworker. EDMONTON - Jason Kenney, Alberta's incoming premier, said he cordially talked pipelines Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Kenney's political nemesis and his election campaign pinata and said the plan is to meet soon for a one-on-one. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Kenney, Alberta's incoming premier, said he cordially talked pipelines Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - Kenney's political nemesis and his election campaign pinata - and said the plan is to meet soon for a one-on-one. Premier-Designate Jason Kenney addresses the media the day his after his election victory in Edmonton on Wednesday April 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson EDMONTON - Jason Kenney, Alberta's incoming premier, said he cordially talked pipelines Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Kenney's political nemesis and his election campaign pinata and said the plan is to meet soon for a one-on-one. "He called to offer his congratulations. We spoke for about 15 minutes," Kenney said outside Alberta's legislature building. "We had a respectful conversation about a number of issues, including the need to get Canadian energy to foreign markets." Kenney said he and Trudeau will try to meet shortly after Kenney and his new United Conservative government are sworn in on April 30. It was a much anticipated conversation, given that Kenney successfully leveraged voter dissatisfaction with Trudeau in Alberta's election, painting NDP Premier Rachel Notley as a weak enabler of federal energy policies he says are undermining its oil and gas sector. On Tuesday, Kenney's United Conservatives won a strong majority government over Notley's NDP, reducing core NDP support to mainly the city of Edmonton. Kenney and Notley have attacked the federal Liberals on proposed legislation, including a tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast and Bill C-69. Bill C-69, now before the Senate, creates new approval rules for energy projects, which Kenney calls an unconstitutional power grab on areas of provincial authority. The Kenney-Trudeau nexus is expected to play a pivotal role as the UCP work to implement its core campaign promise to create more jobs and grow the oil and gas sector. Kenney has promised to fight Bill C-69 in court. He will also go to court to try to stop the federal government from imposing a carbon tax on Alberta once his UCP follows through next month on its promise to repeal the Alberta-made carbon levy. Kenney, a former federal cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, has said the mere existence of Trudeau in power threatens Alberta's economic prospects and has said he will do whatever he can to see Trudeau defeated in the fall election. The fight is also personal. Almost a year ago, Kenney, in a newspaper interview, dismissed Trudeau as a dilettante and a lightweight. "I know Justin. He doesn't have a clue what hes doing. This guy is an empty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl, Kenney said at the time. Kenney said Wednesday that the plan, for now, is to be positive. "We will begin with the path of diplomacy and try to find common ground," he said. "We hope that we don't need to use more forceful measures to assert Alberta's vital economic interests." Kenney also won the election on a promise to be more forceful with other provinces, saying that Albertans feel its neighbours are happy to share in the bounty of Alberta's oil wealth while opposing measures like pipelines to help it grow. In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault congratulated Kenney on his electoral victory Wednesday but said all parties in Quebec's legislature still oppose any new oil pipelines. Kenney said he also wants to start on a positive note with Legault, but added: "We don't think it's reasonable for other provinces, like Quebec, to take our equalization money while opposing pipeline projects that can help us pay the bills." Kenney has said that the first day of his government will see him proclaim into law a bill passed by Notley's legislature allowing Alberta to reduce oil flows to B.C. if B.C. continues to thwart the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline to take more Alberta oil to the West Coast. He said he plans to recall the legislature in the third week of May. OTTAWA - When voters in Prince Edward Island go to the polls next week, they'll be making their choice without any input from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses with workers as he visits the biotechnology company BioVectra Inc. in Charlottetown on Monday, March 4, 2019. Prince Edward Islanders will cast their ballots in a provincial election next week, but it seems Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's once rockstar status in the region has become a political liability for the struggling provincial Liberals in P.E.I. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan OTTAWA - When voters in Prince Edward Island go to the polls next week, they'll be making their choice without any input from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Even though polls suggest Wade MacLauchlan's governing Liberals will need all the help they can get to stay in power, sources close to the campaign say they haven't reached out to their federal colleagues for support a sign Trudeau's one-time rock-star status on the island has become a political liability. In the past, Trudeau was always a popular visitor on the island, both as Liberal leader and as prime minister. His public events typically attracted large crowds of supporters keen for a selfie or a handshake. But as candidates knock on doors in advance of Tuesday's election, the voters who answer feel the need to vent about the prime minister, say campaign workers and insiders Liberals and Conservatives alike who spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the state of play on the island. Officials in the Prime Minister's Office confirmed Tuesday that no one in the provincial Liberal camp has requested a campaign visit from Trudeau, and no travel to the island is scheduled. "It would be crazy," said one senior P.E.I. Liberal operative. "We wouldn't want them here." Tuesday's trip to the ballot box promises to cap one of the most interesting races that voters in Canada's smallest province have seen in recent memory, thanks to a dramatic spike in support for the Green party that has altered the political landscape, mainly in the island's central ridings. One poll released ahead of the snap March 26 election call suggested the Greens were leading the Progressive Conservatives, headed by leader Dennis King, who's only had the job since early February. The Liberals, who have been in power for the last 12 years, were languishing in third. When Trudeau was last in the province in the weeks prior to the election call, he made a jobs announcement and attended a Liberal fundraiser. But a small group of protesters also showed up a common feature of the prime minister's public events elsewhere in Canada, but a rarity for Trudeau in P.E.I. "Before, when Trudeau came to town, it was bedlam because people were so excited when he was around," said Don Desserud, political science professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, who described him as an asset to his party over the first three years of his mandate. "It's only this last year that has shifted, and I do think it's absolutely telling that the Liberals (in P.E.I.) have not invited him and, it appears, would not see him as an asset here at all." PMO officials have said Trudeau prefers to steer clear of provincial campaigns, although he did lend his support to a provincial byelection effort in Ontario in 2016. And he visited P.E.I. on behalf of MacLauchlan's Liberals in 2015, before becoming prime minister. His reversal of fortune appears to be at least partly the result of the SNC-Lavalin controversy. For months, Trudeau has been fending off persistent questions about allegations from former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould that he and others in the PMO tried to interfere for political reasons in a criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering firm related to its dealings in Libya. Trudeau and his officials have steadfastly denied any wrongdoing. But since voters don't often draw a distinction between federal and provincial parties of the same name, canvassing voters during the campaign especially at the outset, when the SNC fervour was most pitched has often been uncomfortable for Island Liberals. Some voters in P.E.I. have expressed anger and frustration with how Trudeau and his government have handled the affair, while others are just disappointed with his record as prime minister, say Liberals and Conservatives alike. This rise in anti-Trudeau sentiment is not only manifesting in P.E.I., but also across Atlantic Canada, said Donald Savoie, Canada research chair in public administration at the University of Moncton. "It's pretty clear to me and to many Atlantic Canadians that (the Liberals) are facing some pretty strong headwinds," Savoie said. He pointed to episodes over the last few years that some voters see as Atlantic Canada getting short shrift from Ottawa, including the cancellation of the Energy East pipeline, a dearth of Atlantic MPs in cabinet and the decision to name Toronto MP Navdeep Bains as head of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, rather than someone from the region. After handing Trudeau all 32 seats in Atlantic Canada in 2015, voters expected better treatment, Savoie said. "It's a feeling in Atlantic Canada that the region has been taken for granted." The last time P.E.I. voters went to the polls in a provincial election was May 2015, just five months before casting their federal ballots. Stephen Harper was still in power and deeply unpopular in P.E.I., thanks in part to his Conservative government's cuts to employment insurance, reductions in federal jobs and lingering resentment over his talk years earlier of a "culture of defeat" in Atlantic Canada. Back then, it was Progressive Conservatives who squirmed on the doorsteps in the face of the prime minister's unpopularity. This time, it's the other way around. "As much as Harper hurt things last time, Trudeau is helping now," said one Conservative insider, speaking frankly on condition of anonymity a sentiment echoed by others, including Liberals who remember the anti-Harper sentiment filling their sails. "We're in the race of our lives," said one. "And he (Trudeau) isn't what he used to be." Desserud said he's not convinced all is lost for the federal Liberals. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's ties to the former Harper government and close connection with Alberta premier-designate Jason Kenney, a former Harper acolyte who has promised a referendum on equalization, won't play well in a region where three of the four provinces rely heavily on equalization payments. Savoie, for his part, isn't so sure. "I think Trudeau had better focus on Quebec and Ontario," he said, "because Western and Atlantic Canada is going to be an extremely tough sell." Follow @ReporterTeresa on Twitter EDMONTON - An unofficial turnout shows nearly 70 per cent of Albertans voted in Tuesday's provincial election the highest in decades. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A voter arrives with his children to cast a ballot at a rural poling station in Cremona, Alta., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh EDMONTON - An unofficial turnout shows nearly 70 per cent of Albertans voted in Tuesday's provincial election the highest in decades. Elections Alberta said about 2,615,000 people in Alberta were registered to vote. Deputy chief electoral officer Drew Westwater said the unofficial turnout was 69.9 per cent, based on numbers crunched by mid-afternoon Wednesday. "It's very, very high," he said. "We haven't seen numbers this high since the '80s." A report by Elections Alberta shows voter turnout was 66 per cent in the 1982 election. The largest-ever voter turnout was 81.8 per cent in 1935, while the smallest was 40.6 per cent in 2008. Melanee Thomas, an associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary, said she never thought she'd see a 70 per cent turnout in Alberta. "I was born in the '80s, so I became aware of Alberta politics during the (Ralph) Klein era," she said. Voter turnout in the Klein years from 1992 to 2006 ranged between 60 per cent in the 1993 election to a low of 45 per cent in 2004. Thomas said Albertans were just going though the motions during those years. "Low turnout like that is a really good indicator of democratic malaise related directly to not actually having competitive elections that changed parties and government," she said. In 2012, 2015 and 2019, the province saw more competitive elections because there was potential for a change in government. Thomas said she expects people who previously didn't vote, including young men facing unemployment in the oilpatch, were engaged in this year's election. "In order for turnout to be this high, it has got to be people who normally would not have voted at least in Alberta historically would not have voted," she said. The NDP has so far received more than 536,000 votes this election, while the winning United Conservative Party got more than 919,000 votes. The Alberta Party got about 152,000 votes and the Liberals 16,000. Some polls are still being counted. Thomas said the fixed election date, which required the vote to be held between March 1 and May 31, could have also been a factor. Officials with Elections Alberta said there are many reasons, including engagement, that help people decide whether to vote. "For us, we'd hope some of the changes we made to the voting process and the options available for voters to get access to the ballot box may have influenced them and encouraged them to participate," said Westwater. He said the 'vote-anywhere' option, allowing Albertans to vote outside their constituencies at places including malls, airports, recreation centres, public buildings and an Ikea store, proved popular. "Obviously 223,000 of them taking advantage of that," said Westwater. "People really appreciated the fact they had more opportunities to get out and access the ballot box." Westwater said the official voter turnout will be confirmed once all ballots are counted, which he hoped would happen by Saturday. Leading UAE developer Meraas has confirmed that its ambitious project, Ain Dubai, coming up in its Bluewaters island destination, will be completed in time for Expo 2020 Dubai gala event. Standing at over 250-m high, the structure will be over 200 per cent taller than the first ever Ferris wheel, thus demonstrating Meraas continuous desire to push the boundaries of whats possible with modern engineering and construction. On completion, Ain Dubai will become the world's tallest observation wheel, towering over the sophisticated Bluewaters island destination, looking out across Dubais glittering landscape, said the statement from Meraas. Bluewaters is a Meraas destination where the charm and exclusivity of island living meets the exuberance of a sophisticated urban lifestyle. A destination built to Meraas exacting global standards, Bluewaters features distinctive residential, retail and hospitality zones bordered by walkways and a private beach and is located off the coast of JBR and within touching distance of Dubai Marina. Giving an update on the ambitious project, Meraas said the eighth and final 450-tonne temporary spoke had been successfully removed from the structure and the last of the permanent spoke cables had been installed. This process marks the first time the modern observation structure has been one complete wheel since construction began, it stated. The eight temporary spokes and braces were originally installed to hold the rim segments in place during the construction of the visually-striking wheel, it added. Ain Dubai forms the towering centrepiece of Bluewaters, and the backdrop for The Wharf, the retail zone that houses over 150 retail and food and beverages (F&B) outlets in low rise buildings. Bluewaters Residences comprise 10 buildings that house 698 apartments, 17 townhouses and four penthouses in minimalist, open plan contemporary design, each with stunning views and state-of-the-art facilities. Caesars Bluewaters, the hospitality zone, consists of two five-star hotels, with world class amenities and access to a private beach. As construction on Ain Dubai progresses, the colossal magnitude of the project becomes ever-clearer. With the removal of the final temporary steel spoke, the weight of the wheel rim has been entirely transferred to 192 spoke cables, which ensure the structural integrity of Ain Dubai through the process of permanent compression, said the statement from Meraas. Cumulatively, the eight temporary steel spokes and rim braces weighed more than 5,000 tonnes, it added.-TradeArabia News Service TORONTO - Ontario's Progressive Conservative government released a new ad against the federal carbon tax Wednesday that the opposition decried as publicly funded partisan advertising something the Tories railed against before they were in power. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Ontario's Progressive Conservative government released a new ad against the federal carbon tax Wednesday that the opposition decried as publicly funded partisan advertising something the Tories railed against before they were in power. The ad features a female narrator saying the tax will see people pay more to heat their home, drive their kids to school and buy food, with the sound of clinking coins between each item listed. "This will result in the average family paying $648 a year by 2022," the ad says, to the sound of more clinking coins. "Ontario has a better way, holding the biggest polluters accountable, reducing trash and keeping our lakes clean. A carbon tax isn't the only way to fight climate change." The ad doesn't mention rebates worth hundreds of dollars promised by the federal government, which prompted the federal environment minister to accuse the Tories of deliberately hiding information from Ontarians. "By denying people this information, they deny them access to money that is rightfully theirs," Catherine McKenna said in a statement. "Knowingly withholding information on how to claim their money could cost families hundreds of dollars." Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk said she would have rejected the ad as partisan if she was able to because it doesn't have all the facts, it criticizes another government and it aims to put this government in a more positive light. Ontario's auditor general approves government ads before they go out, but she has said that the former Liberal government reduced her office to a rubber stamp when it removed her discretion to veto ads as partisan. The Progressive Conservatives frequently slammed the Liberals over government advertising they said was partisan and promised during the election to restore the auditor general's powers. But they now won't commit to keeping that promise, only to look at it. "We're reviewing it," said Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy. "But let's be clear the previous government had a lot of partisan advertising and the federal government is now mailing out postcards on their carbon tax and we think it's our duty to inform the people of Ontario about this job-killing carbon tax." Bethlenfalvy refused to say how much the radio ad cost. New Democrat Taras Natyshak was introducing a private member's bill Wednesday that would restore the auditor general's discretionary power to decide if ads are partisan. It is the same bill that now-Solicitor General Sylvia Jones introduced in 2017 when she was on the Opposition benches. "I assume the Conservatives will support this bill that's because they already did," Natyshak said. "Voting against this bill would be the height of hypocrisy, the kind of ugly, two-faced double dealing that no one wants to see." The old rules banned ads as partisan if the intent was to foster a positive impression of government or a negative impression of its critics, but the new rules say an ad is partisan only if it uses an elected member's picture, name or voice, the colour or logo associated with the political party, or directly criticizes a party or member of the legislature. Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the ad wastes public money on a partisan campaign against the carbon tax, and linked it to stickers the government is requiring gas pumps to display. Buried in Ontario's budget bill are fines of up to $10,000 per day for gas station operators who don't display the stickers showing the federal carbon tax adding 4.4 cents per litre to the price of gas now, and rising to 11 cents a litre in 2022. Critics have also said that new provincial licence plates unveiled in the budget are a form of taxpayer-funded advertising, as they are blue, like the Progressive Conservative party's colour theme, and commercial plates will say, "Open for business," which was one of Premier Doug Ford's campaign slogans. Stickers and licence plates would not fall under government advertising legislation, Lysyk said. Ontario is one of four provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, where Ottawa imposed the levy because they did not have their own pricing schemes on carbon emissions. It was triggered in Ontario after the Progressive Conservatives cancelled the Liberals' cap-and-trade program. Ontario is challenging the carbon tax in court this week. OTTAWA - The assault trial of former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle faces a possible delay of several months due to legal wrangling over allowable evidence. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Joshua Boyle arrives at court in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 19, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The assault trial of former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle faces a possible delay of several months due to legal wrangling over allowable evidence. Boyle, 35, has pleaded not guilty in Ontario court to offences against his wife Caitlan Coleman including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement. The offences are alleged to have occurred in late 2017 after the couple returned to Canada following five years as hostages at the hands of extremists who seized them during a backpacking trip to Asia. Coleman's lawyer, Ian Carter, says he will ask the Supreme Court of Canada for permission to challenge a ruling handed down Wednesday that allows Boyle to introduce evidence concerning certain consensual sexual activity with his wife. The ruling is important because the law sets out limits on the extent to which an accused person can bring up an alleged victim's sexual history during a trial. Carter plans to ask the judge presiding over Boyle's trial for a stay of the ruling while the Supreme Court process plays out a move that could effectively put the criminal proceedings on hold for several months. Coleman has testified her husband spanked, punched and slapped her during their captivity, and that his violent ways resumed shortly after release. Boyle was arrested in Ottawa in the early hours of Dec. 31, 2017, after Coleman told police he had assaulted her on numerous occasions. During cross-examination, Boyle's lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, has meticulously dissected Coleman's allegations. However, uncertainty arose as to whether certain elements could be raised during the trial. Judge Peter Doody ruled Wednesday that Boyle will be permitted to introduce evidence that he and Coleman engaged in "prior acts of consensual anal intercourse, consensual vaginal intercourse from the rear, sexual acts involving ropes and consensual biting as acts of sexual play." Doody said the evidence will be limited to the general nature of such acts, and will not include significant details of any particular act. Carter said he plans to ask Doody at a hearing next Wednesday for a stay of the ruling while Coleman's appeal proceeds. Given that the Supreme Court can take months to decide whether to hear an appeal, "even on an expedited basis, it would appear it would delay matters for at least a number of months," Carter said. Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Premier Dwight Ball has called an early election in Newfoundland and Labrador for May 16, in what's shaping up as a close race between the ruling Liberals and opposition Tories. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, arrives to appear as a witness at a Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources in the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Premier Dwight Ball has called an early election in Newfoundland and Labrador for May 16, in what's shaping up as a close race between the ruling Liberals and opposition Tories. Ball made the announcement Wednesday evening in the lobby of the Confederation Building in St. John's after visiting the lieutenant-governor. He said the province is turning the corner toward a brighter future. "Our team is ready to build on our success," said Ball, surrounded by supporters. "Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are facing a stark choice in this upcoming election: it's onward or backward," he said. Ball's government tabled an optimistic budget Tuesday, with a lower deficit, nearly $600 million in infrastructure spending and no tax hikes. Recent polling suggests the Liberals are in for a tight race with the Progressive Conservatives trailing close behind and the NDP a distant third. The Liberals took power as frustrated voters booted the long-ruling Tories in 2015 but Ball's government has had a rough ride facing down a dire financial situation. The government has struggled to get its finances back on track after years of heavy deficits and concern over health care costs, outmigration and a rapidly aging population. The provincial election had been slated for October but the premier narrowed the window down in late March, promising to send voters to the polls before the school year ends. The standings at the dissolution of the legislature were 27 Liberals, eight Tories, two NDP and three independent members. The early election date comes close on the heels of some hefty government announcements -- most notably, the updated Atlantic Accord. The federal-provincial agreement on offshore resource revenues will see Newfoundland and Labrador receive $2.5 billion from Ottawa over 38 years. The federal funding gave the yearly fiscal projections a slight facelift in Tuesday's budget -- though the election call means the budget will not be passed before voters go to the polls. Finance Minister Tom Osborne has said the Liberal government will present the same budget if re-elected. The May voting date also means voters will cast their ballots before Ball testifies at the inquiry into the over-budget, behind-schedule Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject. Since last fall, former PC cabinet ministers and premiers have taken the witness stand amid testimony on alleged mismanagement that led to excessive cost and schedule overruns. Ball is scheduled to testify in July. Opposition members criticized the Liberal government Wednesday for calling an election early. The NDP and PC house leaders issued a joint statement saying the election date will cut short important government work like the proposed harassment-free workplace policy tabled by a legislature committee that has not yet been put to a vote. "This is in no way keeping with the repeated Liberal promise to govern differently and to reform and improve upon our democracy," NDP legislator Lorraine Michael said in the statement. Nevertheless, Ball's rivals have been poised and ready as rumours of a writ drop swirled over the past week, with a Tory campaign bus rolling into the parking lot of Confederation Building on Tuesday. Tory Leader Ches Crosbie promised tough love on government spending if elected, including possible measures to curb health care spending. "What we're missing, in a word, is leadership. It's leadership that makes the tough decisions, you're not going to please everybody," Crosbie said Wednesday. "While preserving the quality of (health care) you can root out a lot of waste." NDP Leader Alison Coffin said Wednesday her party is ready for the campaign, though only a handful of candidates have been officially nominated. She said she's confident nominations will be filled and she's been out meeting with voters in anticipation of the election call. "I've already started knocking on doors because of course, this is one of the worst kept secrets, really," Coffin said. Coffin said she's believes her party can be the change from the status quo that voters are looking for, despite their small presence in the latest legislative sitting. Ball spoke only for a few minutes Wednesday before exiting the Confederation Building with his Liberal caucus and nominees in tow. He touted his government's steady fiscal improvements while taking jabs at the Tories, criticizing their plans as unclear and insufficient to meet voters' needs. OTTAWA - Canada and the European Union vowed on Wednesday to protect their businesses from the Trump administration's new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign companies connected to properties seized from American firms during the Cuban revolution. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The Trump administration announced that it's allowing lawsuits against foreign companies operating in properties seized from Americans in Cuba, a major policy shift that has angered European and other allies.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) OTTAWA - Canada and the European Union vowed on Wednesday to protect their businesses from the Trump administration's new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign companies connected to properties seized from American firms during the Cuban revolution. The defiant response was tempered by warnings that the landmark tightening of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba's communist government would only generate uncertainty and chaos in North American boardrooms and courtrooms. The Trump administration followed through Wednesday on a lingering threat to allow legal action a move that places Canadian resource, tourism and financial services companies at risk in American courts. About one million Canadians annually vacation in Cuba and Toronto-based resource company Sherritt International is long established there, while countries such as Britain, France and Spain have companies active in rum, cigars and tourism. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is "deeply disappointed" and reviewing options with the EU. "The EU and Canada consider the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law," Freeland, her European Union counterpart Federica Mogherini and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a joint statement. "Our respective laws allow any U.S. claims to be followed by counter-claims in European and Canadian courts, so the U.S. decision to allow suits against foreign companies can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions." Freeland said the government has regularly met with U.S. officials since January when the issue first surfaced. That included a recent trip to Washington, when she pressed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to resurrect Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which allows Americans to sue foreign companies linked to Cuban properties confiscated after the 1959 revolution. The U.S. Justice Department has certified about 6,000 claims with an estimated value of $8 billion as having merit for legal action, and believes there could be as many as 200,000 uncertified claims worth tens of billions of dollars, said Kimberly Breier, the head of State Department's Americas branch. "Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement," Pompeo said Wednesday. The Canadian company with the highest Cuban profile essentially shrugged in response. "Implementation of Title III is not expected to have any material impact on Sherritt or our operations in Cuba," Joe Racanelli, Sherritt's director of investor relations said in an emailed statement. He said it was "business as usual" for its drilling and exploration projects. The company's most recent annual information form also played down the potential risk "because Sherritt's minimal contacts with the United States would likely deprive any U.S. court of personal jurisdiction over Sherritt." But other observers warned of more dire consequences. "A massive Pandora's Box has been opened up with this," said Mark Agnew, director of international policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Many Canadian firms with links in Cuba are privately expressing fears about being targeted by a policy they haven't had to deal with for a generation, he said. Canada's Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act was amended in January 1997 to provide that any judgment under the Helms-Burton Act will not be recognized or enforceable in any manner in Canada. Other countries implemented similar ''blocking statutes'' at the time. Cyndee Todgham Cherniak, a Toronto-based international trade lawyer, urged the government to look at updating the law for the digital age, to allow Canadian companies to collect additional damages from eager American litigants who might bring unfounded claims. "Your reputation can be damaged by online allegations of inappropriate expropriation of property," she said. "We want to discourage U.S. persons from pursuing claims against Canadians." When the U.S. law went into force in 1996, then-president Bill Clinton postponed the implementation of Title III after lobbying by Canada, the EU and Mexico. Subsequent presidents followed suit and renewed the exemption every six months. President Donald Trump changed that practice. Last month, the U.S. State Department extended the Title III exemption by only 30 days. The rules allowing lawsuits take effect May 2. "The U.S. Department of Justice may not be pleased with the prospect of a potential wave of lawsuits with dubious claims clogging up the already overburdened federal court system," said Mark Entwistle, a business consultant in Cuba who served as Canadian envoy to Havana in the 1990s. On Wednesday, Pompeo said the new action is rooted in Cuba's ongoing support of Nicolas Maduro's socialist government in Venezuela. "Cuba's behaviour in the Western Hemisphere undermines security and stability of countries throughout the region, which directly threatens United States national security interests," he said. Canada, its Lima Group allies and the U.S. have called for Maduro's ouster and recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim leader of the beleaguered South American country, which has been engulfed in economic and political turmoil, sparking a refugee crisis. Wednesday's announcement coincided with the 58th anniversary of the failed U.S.-backed invasion at Cuba's Bay of Pigs. The epic Cold War clash saw Fidel Castro's forces repel about 1,500 Cuban exiles who had been trained and armed by the Central Intelligence Agency with the aim of overthrowing the communist government that had taken over a country just 135 kilometres off Florida's southern tip two years earlier. Josefina Vidal, Cuba's ambassador to Canada, invoked the Bay of Pigs in a message on Twitter aimed at the Trump administration: "You were defeated 58 years ago. You have been defeated many times afterwards. You will be defeated again this time." with files from Ian Bickis Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the decision would take effect May 3. VANCOUER, B.C. - Police in Vancouver are asking parents to have a "tough" conversation with their teenagers about the dangers associated with marijuana at a large unsanctioned 4-20 event while city and park board officials call on organizers to pay for policing costs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/4/2019 (974 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A man holds a joint while smoking marijuana to celebrate the legalization of recreational cannabis, in Vancouver, on Wednesday October 17, 2018. Police in Vancouver are asking parents to have a "tough" conversation with their teenagers about the dangers associated with marijuana at a large unsanctioned 4-20 event while city and park board officials call on organizers to pay for policing costs.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUER, B.C. - Police in Vancouver are asking parents to have a "tough" conversation with their teenagers about the dangers associated with marijuana at a large unsanctioned 4-20 event while city and park board officials call on organizers to pay for policing costs. Sgt. Jason Robillard said Wednesday the 25th annual event, featuring vendors selling marijuana, baked edibles and drug paraphernalia, is expected to be a big draw on Saturday because of a concert by California hip-hop group Cypress Hill. Police will focus on arresting anyone selling marijuana to minors at the Sunset Beach gathering, which typically attracts several thousand people, Robillard said. He said it's up to parents to talk to their kids about the overall risks of attending such a large event that may also involve other drugs. Enforcement will take into consideration the safety of the public and police officers, he added. Jody Emery, one of the organizers behind the 420 Vancouver Events Society, said vendors are required to put up signs saying marijuana will be sold only to people aged 19 and over. Vancouver Coastal Health will have similar signage and the society provides pamphlets on the responsible use of cannabis. "Because of all the scrutiny and fear mongering that 4-20 receives every year vendors know there are high stakes involved," she said. "To our knowledge, vendors are very compliant with requests for ID and age limits." Emery said this year's event is expected to attract a bigger "pot tribe" on what's considered a holiday, celebration and protest against the stigmatization of marijuana use, featuring a Latino band known for its pro-cannabis political activism. "It's a self-funded, non-profit event," Emery said. "In order to pay for the cost of security, toilets, first aid and ambulances and everything else requested by authorities, our non-profit has to raise money so it makes sense to bring a group like Cypress Hill to raise more sponsorships." She said the society was denied a permit by the park board last year and will refuse to pay for policing because unlike other groups, including the Pride Parade and Celebration of Light fireworks show, it does not receive subsidies from the city. However, the city said Pride is among those designated as a civic parade, with funding to offset policing and traffic management costs. It said the Celebration of Light is run by a non-profit society and it is sponsored by the city. Unlike 4-20, it said all the events are held with a permit. "We are holding the organizers of 4-20 liable for all costs incurred by the city," it said in a statement. "Our intention is to recover all costs." The city said 4-20 cost it more than $237,000 last year and organizers paid the municipality and park board a total of $63,000. "The city still has significant concerns regarding the commercial nature of the event and questions the characterization of that activity as a protest," it said. Park board commissioner John Coupar said 4-20 organizers added the hip-hop band just last week. "It's a huge expense to the taxpayer and people are making a lot of money off this thing," Coupar said. "It's no longer a protest but a significant commercial, profitable event." He said the city could take action, including closing streets to prevent sound equipment from being taken into the park. "I think we should see some more leadership from the mayor," Coupar said. A spokesman for Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he wasn't available for comment. Follow @CamilleBains1 on Twitter. Some 200m is being invested in new hotels and extensions in Cork that will see more than 1,300 new bedrooms. That is according to research commissioned by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), which said Government had to match the level of private investment in tourism in the regions post-Brexit. The research, carried out by commercial real estate services firm CBRE, said there were seven new hotels that had been granted planning, with 996 bedrooms in the combined group. There are five extensions planned, with 318 bedrooms. One hotel is in the pre-planning process, with 100 bedrooms. ITIC said it estimated investment of around 200m in the hotels that had been granted planning in Cork. In Galway, there are five new hotels that have been granted planning for a combined 349 bedrooms, while a further 79 bedrooms are on the cards for seven extensions greenlit by planners. There is one hotel in the pre-planning process in Galway that aims to have 200 bedrooms, the research said. ITIC chief executive Eoghan O'Mara Walsh said investment in Cork and the regions was "critical to growth" for tourism, especially in the context of Brexit. "Cork is the gateway to both the Wild Atlantic Way and Irelands Ancient East with great air access at Cork Airport. The wider region is critical to Irish tourism so it is great to see multi-million investment by the hotel sector to cater for future growth," he said. Mr OMara Walsh said Irish tourisms success "must be enabled by Government" and that "pro-competitiveness policies need to be pursued". He said there was a feeling among tourism businesses that there was a "drift" from Government when it came to policy focus, and that it would most impact the regional economies. "Failte Ireland did a study on a hard Brexit and estimated that it would cost Irish tourism 390m. Add the Vat hike with a hard Brexit and you are talking about upwards of 1bn impact on tourism. "Budget 2019 did see an increase in tourism budgets of 35m but this is small fry compared to costs imposed on the sector in the same budget even with the increase, tourism budgets are only back to 2008 levels. That is a long decade of under-investment. "Regional Irelands biggest employer is tourism and its full potential is not currently being tapped into despite industry investment and efforts," Mr O Mara Walsh said. Despite vociferous protests from the industry, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe restored the 13.5% Vat rate in the Budget, up from 9% introduced at the height of the recession. Proponents of the Vat hike said it had more than served its purpose, pointing to average hotel room costs at pre-Celtic Tiger levels when it was restored. ITIC was also emphasising the need for Cork's long-mooted events centre to be built, Mr O'Mara Walsh said -- echoing calls from the Irish Hotels Federation, Vintners Federation and the Restaurant Association of Ireland in Cork, who said it February that growth in the region was being "impeded" by its uncertain status. The project at the former Beamish & Crawford brewery site on South Main St has been beset by delays, seen public investment almost double, and costs soar from 53m to just under 80m in four years. Local Enterprise Offices have supported the creation of 18,640 jobs in their first five years. The figures were announced by Ministers Heather Humphreys and Pat Breen at an event to celebrate five years of the offices. Children's Minister Katherine Zappone has said the State Commission has found no physical or documentary evidence of systematic burials at Bessborough, but considers that it is highly likely that burials took place there. Speaking at a press conference to mark the publication of the fifth interim report by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, Dr Zappone said many people will be disappointed by the lack of answers to the many questions they have. The Commission did not consider it feasible to excavate the full 60 acres involved, let alone the rest of the 200-acre estate on which the there has been extensive building work since the institution closed, she said. The interim report states that it seems to have been assumed that children who died in the institution were buried in a small burial ground in the grounds of Bessborough. The report says: "The vast majority of children who died in Bessborough are not buried there; it seems that only one child is buried there. More than 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. "Despite very extensive inquiries and searches, the Commission has been able to establish the burial place of only 64 children. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried." In relation to Tuam, the Commission found that it is clear that many of the children who died in the Tuam Home are buried in the underground chambers. The report states that these chambers were not a recognised burial ground or purpose-built burial chamber and that it did not provide for the dignified interment of human remains. The Commission made strong criticisms of Galway County Council and concluded that Galway County Council members and staff "must have known something" about the mass burial in Tuam. Their report said: "The Board of Health and its sub-committees sometimes held their meetings in the Home. Council employees must have known "Employees of Galway County Council must have known about the burials. County Council employees would have been in the grounds of the Home quite frequently as they carried out repairs to the building and possibly also maintained the grounds." Crucially, the Commission concludes that there is little basis for the theory that rather than having died, the children were sold to America. The report examined the burial arrangements in the institutions under investigation by the Commission. Dr Zappone brought the report to Government yesterday securing approval for its publication. Speaking to reporters, the Minister said This is a significant piece of work from the Commission that addresses important issues relating to the burial arrangements at these institutions. The Commission is collating a huge amount of material and examining the matters before it in a way never before possible. This report reflects the sheer depth and complexity of the work the Commission is undertaking. I know that that many former residents and their family members have been patiently awaiting this report and believe that it will assist in bringing clarity to this matter. Dr Zappone said the Commisssion's final report will be due by February 2020. The report makes no specific recommendations but calls on anyone who may have information relating to the Tuam site to come forward and speak with them. I would like to endorse this request by the Commission and would strongly encourage anyone with any information relating to the Commissions terms of reference contact them immediately, Dr Zappone said. My message today is that there are a lot of questions that are not answered, I feel deeply for the families who may not get the answers they are seeking. In a lot of cases, the evidence is not there. I know some families will be very disappointed that some questions have not been answered, we are disappointed too, she added. The report also examined the burial practices in a number of other institutions including Bessborough, Bethany Home, Castlepollard and Sean Ross Abbey. In Sean Ross Abbey, there is a designated child burial ground in the grounds of the institution. The Commission has undertaken a geophysical study and subsequently a test excavation of the site and the results of this excavation are currently being examined. The Commission will report on this in their final report. Labour Spokesperson on Justice and Children & Youth Affairs Sean Sherlock has said that the report's findings in relation to Bessborough Mother and Baby Home raise more questions than answers. He has demanded "further clarity" from Minister Zappone as to what happens next. "The Minister states it is highly likely that burials took place there. Is the door now being closed on geo-thermal and geo-physical testing on the site? The Minister should provide further clarity on what is proposed for Bessborough given that burials did take place there," he said. We need to hear from how the Government proposes to respond to the recently discovered map showing a burial plot at the fringes of the site towards the N40? he said. The Irish First Mothers group said the workings of the Collaborative Forum were "kept officially confidential" from the affected community of mothers and other survivors. They said: "The views of this government-selected group are not representative. "This forum was created by Government to bypass the true voices of survivors as solicited by the department itself in consultative meetings involving up to 150 survivors during 2017. "This PR stunt by the Minister and government is no substitute for immediate action to put in place substantive redress which enables survivors to rebuild the remainder of their lives after State brutality. "The Government should instruct Judge Murphy to immediately bring forward an interim report on redress-related issues. "The Minister should put supports in place now - not next year." Abu Dhabi government, in a landmark move, has declared that all foreigners will be entitled to own the freehold of land and properties which they purchase in investment zones. Previously, this was only permitted for UAE and GCC nationals, said a report. In his capacity as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday (April 17) issued a law amending provisions of Law No 19 of 2005 concerning real estate sector in Abu Dhabi, reported state news agency Wam. The new law stipulates amendments to Articles 3 and 4 of the 'Real Property Law', it added. Under this new law, residential units within these zones will be registered under Abu Dhabi's freehold law, with property ownership deeds issued to investors, according to a statement issued by the Government of Abu Dhabi. Previously, foreign investors in Abu Dhabi property were generally limited to leasehold arrangements with 99-year leases. The Article 3 (i) stipulates the rights to own property are limited to three categories the first being Emirati citizens, natural or legal persons, the second includes public holding companies with ownership not exceeding 49% non-nationals, or the third as any person to whom a decision is issued by the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince or the President of the Executive Council. While Article 3 (ii) stipulates that non-UAE nationals, natural or legal persons, shall have the right to own and acquire all original and in-kind rights in real estate properties located within investment areas, said the Wam report. As for Article 4, the amendment stipulates that the holders of a 'usufruct' or 'musataha' for more than ten years shall have the right, without the consent of the landlord to dispose of the property, including the right of mortgage. However the landlord cannot mortgage the property except with the consent of the usufruct or musataha holder. In both cases, the parties may agree otherwise, it added. Commending today's announcement, Aldar Properties CEO Talal Al Dhiyebi said: "This is a game changing announcement for Abu Dhabi, and we applaud yet another insightful policy decision by the government that allows expatriates to be able to buy freehold properties in investment zones." The latest changes, he stated, not only boost the real estate market but also have far-reaching impacts on the broader economy, and further increase Abu Dhabis diversification to non-hydrocarbon industries. "We are already reaping the rewards of the recent initiatives and seeing a positive shift in sentiment, evident by strong sales of over Dh2 billion achieved for our two latest plot developments, Alreeman and LEA, which demonstrates strength and resilience in the market," he added. "This will not only further drive the maturity of Abu Dhabis real estate market, but will also increase transparency and provide clarity of title for property owners, increasing long term investment, injecting more liquidity into the market and encouraging longer term residency," he added. Earlier this year, Aldar launched its Alreeman project in Al Shamka, an investment zone located adjacent to Abu Dhabi Airport. The project was fully sold in a matter of days, generating Dh1.6 billion of sales. Last week, Aldar launched Lea on Yas Island, which generated Dh400 million in sales to date.-TradeArabia News Service Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has been announced as a keynote speaker at Irelands flagship blue economy conference Our Ocean Wealth at City Hall Cork in June. The former presidential candidate is visiting Ireland to share his insight on climate change and the action required to sustainably and effectively manage our oceans to ensure the health of our planet. Our Ocean Wealth Summit sponsored by PWC will welcome more than thirty representatives from island states around the world to Cork this year, including senior political representatives from island nations in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said as an island nation, Ireland is committed to managing our ocean wealth in a sustainable and efficient way. Mr Coveney said: We have so much in common with island nations around the globe. I am particularly delighted to welcome representatives from island nations to the Our Ocean Wealth Summit in Cork this year, and look forward to important and fruitful discussions on the balance required to manage our collective blue economies while safeguarding our most precious natural resources. Save the Date, Our Ocean Wealth Summit June 9th and 10th, City Hall, Cork. More information coming soon! #HOOW #ouroceanwealth pic.twitter.com/DCWHDD21y9 Our Ocean Wealth IRL (@OurOceanWealth) March 27, 2019 Welcoming the announcement of the Summit Programme Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine, Michael Creed said the shared natural resources of our seas and the global oceans transcend national boundaries. Mr Creed said: With a particular focus on international cooperation, Our Ocean Wealth Summit will bring together a unique mix of national experts and policymakers with representatives from island nations. "Participants will discuss the unique challenges faced by island nations, share stories of island life and identity, connections to the ocean, historical links and new partnerships. The programme for the summit is being co-ordinated by the Department of Agriculture Food & Marine and the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. The programme will reflect collaboration between Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Tourism Ireland, Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) and the Marine Institute. As a forerunner to Our Ocean Wealth Summit, SeaFest, Irelands largest maritime festival, takes place at the Port of Cork from June 7-9. Gardai are investigating after shots were fired at a house in Finglas in Dublin last night. The incident happened in Deanstown at around 10.40pm. A 55-year-old man who burgled a house by leaning in the bathroom window to steal soap claimed that he only wanted to wash himself but unfortunately, he failed to make a clean getaway. He was jailed for six months on the charge of burgling the house at Arderrow, Rathcooney Road, Glanmire, County Cork, at 9.15pm on February 12. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said a 12-year-old girl went to the bathroom of her family home and found a man outside the window. She ran to get her mother who arrived in the bathroom to see the man pulling open the window and she saw that he had removed soap and a toothbrush. Christy McCarthy of St Vincents hostel pleaded guilty to burglary and to public order charges arising out of two other incidents including one where he was threatening gardai and others while not wearing any trousers. Defence solicitor said in relation to stealing soap from the bathroom, Though it might appear farfetched his condition was dirty and he intended cleaning himself with what he found on the windowsill. He had tried to use sand from the ground to clean himself before that. In the incident where he was bereft of trousers, he had alcohol taken. There is an underlying psychiatric difficulty. Judge Olann Kelleher imposed an overall sentence of six months which he backdated to February 27 as he has been in custody since then. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said if the other two incidents, He was found at Crosses Green in an intoxicated and abusive state. He was not wearing pants at the time. On another date he was abusive to staff at St Vincents hostel on Anglesea Terrace in Cork and when he was searched later he was found with a knife in his possession. Mr Cuddigan said it was a Swiss Army knife which did have knives on it but that the accused had it for its can-opener and bottle-opener utensils. In a lively bail application in relation to these charges, McCarthy said to Judge Olann Kelleher, Do you know the law? I know the law. I have been through this shit before with ye. Judge Kelleher reminded the defendant that the court was showing respect to him and that he should show respect to the court. McCarthy replied, Do you want me to get down on my knees or what? The bodies of some of the children who died in Mother and Baby Homes were used for anatomical studies. While the burials of children used by the Dublin Medical Schools are properly recorded in Glasnevin Cemetery it was not possible to establish anything about the burials of the child anatomical subjects used in the Galway Medical School as their names are not known. The report found some evidence that those responsible for burials did not consider the burials of bodies used for anatomical studies should be treated in the same way as other burials in that many bodies could be put in the one grave. The Combined Anatomical Register of the Dublin Medical Schools shows that, between January 1920 and October 1977, the bodies of more than 950 children, 66 who died in the Dublin Union and associated institutions, including Pelletstown, were sent to the medical schools at University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for the purpose of anatomical studies. The register also records that all but 18 of the children received as anatomical subjects were 'illegitimate' children. Children used as anatomical subjects in the Dublin Medical Schools were aged between 10 minutes and 15 years at the time of death. In addition, the register records that 27 stillborn infants were received as anatomical subjects. Many of the stillborn infants had a note reading not to be interred on their record and were instead preserved as wet specimens for display purposes in medical schools. Not all deserted or abandoned children who died in Dublin Union institutions were sent for anatomical studies. There is no information available about the criteria (if any) used to choose which childrens bodies were sent. The children from Dublin Union institutions whose bodies were used for anatomical studies were subsequently transferred from the three Dublin medical schools for burial in the 'Poor Ground' section of Glasnevin Cemetery. It was usually more than a year between a childs death and the eventual burial of the remains in Glasnevin. The usual practice in Glasnevin Cemetery was for the remains of a number of anatomical subjects, children and adults, to be collectively buried in the same plot on the same day. It is unknown if the remains of individual bodies used for anatomical studies were placed in separate coffins for burial in Glasnevin. A meeting of the Dublin Board of Guardians in 1907 heard accusations that in the medical schools, coffins were not being used for one body alone, but that the practice was simply to fill up a coffin with various body parts from various individuals who had been dissected. The Galway Medical School Anatomical Register does not include any children. However, evidence exists that childrens bodies were sent to the medical school. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes states that the Anatomy Department at University College Galway received the remains of 35 children from the Central Hospital/Regional Hospital, Galway, in the years 1940-1964. It also states that the Galway Medical School received the remains of 27 children between 1960 and 1964. In what remains of the Day Book from that time, in every instance, the body or bodies were supplied by a porter at the Central Hospital/Regional Hospital Galway. The infant remains were received by the head of the School of Medicine and Anatomy who paid the porter 10 shillings for every infant body received. Between April 1949 and November 1964, he received and paid for 35 infant anatomical subjects. No records survive which name the children whose bodies were sold. It is possible that some of the bodies were stillbirths which, at the time, could not have been registered. Children resident in the Tuam Childrens Home were routinely sent to Galway Central Hospital for treatment. The Commission has established that 86 children from the Tuam Home died there, with burial records for 50 of them. The current head of the Galway Anatomy Department told the Commission that, when he took up this post in 1995, there were many wet infant anatomical subjects preserved in the department which were buried together in Rahoon Cemetery, Galway in 1995 with full funeral rites and with the permission of the coroner. The Commission has found no evidence that children were used for anatomical studies in the Cork Medical School. Detectives investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three teenagers in a crush on St Patrick's Day in County Tyrone, have made a fresh appeal for witnesses. 17-year-olds Morgan Barnard and Lauren Bullock and 16-year-old Connor Currie died near the entrance to the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown as crowds tried to get into a disco. Customers 'do not come first - they come last' at the hands of insurance companies, a junior finance minister suggested. Scathing criticisms of insurance companies were heard yesterday during oral finance questions, in the Dail. Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath said, despite much talk from Government, insurance companies still do not provide basic information to customers when they are seeking to renew their policies. Policyholders are still not even told in their renewal notices what premiums they paid in the previous year. I got my car insurance quote recently and there was no information on what I paid last year. I had to contact the insurance company to check. That is a joke, he said. Minister Michael Darcy was called upon to explain what actions the Government is taking to protect consumers amid sharp hikes in premiums. Michael Darcy The biggest issue with the insurance companies is that the customer does not come first; he or she comes last. That is a terrible position for customers to find themselves in vis-a-vis the companies from which they purchase products. The consumer does not come first, the consumer comes last, the minister claimed. The deputies will have seen that I have proposed the establishment of an insurance culture board similar to the Irish Banking Culture Board. It is something that badly needs to be reconfigured. On too many occasions, Irish consumers do not come first with the companies with which they contract. Without their customers, the insurance companies do not have a basis for their business. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty gave voice to concerns by business owners reportedly being forced out of trading due to a spike in premiums. We all hear the anger among small businesses, be they grocers, soft play areas, pubs and retail outlets, at the dramatic increase they face in insurance costs." He said that two-and-a-half years on from all the glossy reports, we have less transparency because we did have a certain degree of transparency. The blue book was published annually by the Central Bank but it has been withdrawn. The private motor insurance statistics were also published but they are no longer available. We have action point after action point but we have less transparency. Businesses are going to the wall because insurance companies can spin and refer to figures nobody else has and nobody can ask them what they are doing. They are putting people out of business because of the astronomical increases, Deputy Doherty added. Mr Darcy replied: I understand and accept there is anger. Everything I am doing is to try to ensure that we give businesses the opportunity to stay in business. I will not pretend that the insurance companies are white knights. They have been unhelpful in terms of how they hold their information." Latest: Three pro-choice campaigners in the abortion debate have been included in a list of the worlds most influential people. The former co-directors of Together for Yes have said they are honoured to be included on the TIME 100 list, TIME magazines annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Grainne Griffin, a founding member of the Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC), Orla OConnor, director of the National Womens Council of Ireland, and Ailbhe Smyth, convener of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, appear on the 2019 list in recognition of their work leading the Together for Yes campaign, leading up to the historic Eighth Amendment referendum last year. Winner @ailbhes says she is overcome and thrilled to be annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She says we must remember womens right to choose is under threat in a number of countries, and there are 25million unsafe abortions every year. pic.twitter.com/v5EVDeCQy2 aoife moore. (@aoifegracemoore) April 17, 2019 Speaking in Dublin today, Ailbhe Smyth said the accolade was evidence of the significant international ripple impact of the Together for Yes campaign. The referendum result here in Ireland was a real boost for the morale of pro-choice campaigners throughout the word and we hope it can be a beacon of light wherever and whenever abortion rights are denied, restricted or under severe threat, she said. Where abortion is concerned, Ireland has moved from virtually total prohibition to a relatively pro-choice position although, it must be acknowledged, that move took all of 35 hard, bleak years. Nonetheless, the referendum result marked a resounding defeat for misogyny and extreme right-wing forces. Grainne Griffin thanked the thousands of volunteer campaigners and organisations across Ireland, whose dedication, hard work and commitment over months and, in some cases, years, ensured the success of Together for Yes. This was a movement that really demonstrated the extent to which organised individuals can shape and influence the world we live in. Orla OConnor said the award was an accumulation of 35 years of work. The Eighth Amendment was a cruel and restrictive law and, through the honesty and the lived experience of women and families who suffered, the Irish public listened, she said. Being included on the #Time100 list, alongside @ailbhes and @gragriffin is such an honour, and it belongs to everyone in @Together4Yes, particularly to the women and couples who shared their stories to bring about change in Ireland. https://t.co/5RXBxHzJ3I Orla O'Connor (@OrlaNWCI) April 17, 2019 The Yes vote in Ireland had an immediate knock-on effect for women in Northern Ireland, who are currently denied the rights women have in Britain and now here in the South. Activists and campaigners in the North say they are seeing a groundswell of support, especially from young people, since the Repeal referendum. The NWCI, ARC and all of the many organisations that were involved in Together for Yes will continue to do whatever we can to support them in their struggle. The issue of the lack of abortion services for women across the world, particularly in Northern Ireland, was noted a number of times during the press conference. Approximately 25m unsafe abortions are carried out every year globally, a number that Ailbhe Smyth says is unacceptable. The ARC works closely with Alliance for Choice, an abortion rights campaign group set up in Northern Ireland, which says that 28 Northern Irish women a week are currently travelling for terminations and face barriers to accessing care, most notably the three-day mandatory waiting period for an abortion. Women from Northern Ireland must also pay 450 to access abortion services in the Republic of Ireland, however if they travel to England, the service is free. The National Womens Council says that securing abortion rights for Northern Ireland is of the highest priority. Orla OConnor added: Weve formed a new abortion working group, and Alliance for Choice is part of that, the fight for reproductive rights is not over. The three women also said that their next goal will be forcing the Government to enforce exclusion zones outside healthcare centres to protect women from protesters, a promise which was made by the minister for health last year, but is unlikely to be introduced in 2019. They also wish to see the three-day mandatory waiting period to access termination services removed under the next review of the law. Ireland voted by 66.4% to 33.6% to remove the eighth amendment of the Irish constitution, which outlawed abortion, in May 2018 after a 35-year campaign, with more than two million votes cast. Other people on Times 2019 list include Michelle Obama, Christine Blasey Ford, Nancy Pelosi and Taylor Swift.- Press Association Earlier (1.14pm): Together for Yes campaigners included in TIME magazine's '100 most influential people' of 2019 The former co-directors of the Together for Yes campaign to repeal the 8th amendment have been included in TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2019. Grainne Griffin, a founding member of the Abortion Rights Campaign, Orla O'Connor, director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, and Ailbhe Smyth, convener of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, are included on the list for their work in mobilising people of all different backgrounds in the lead-up to the vote. They are included as icons, along with Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, and Spike Lee. Oscar-nominated actress Ruth Negga has told TIME their courageousness will be an inspiration for generations to come. She wrote: "They put the experiences of women and the needs of their country first. "Their incredible tenacity and integrity and courageousness will be an inspiration for generations to come." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was named on the list last year. Digital Desk South Africa: New equipment to drive Midlands co-op forward The Kings of Midlands Secondary Cooperative of taxi owners will today receive tools and equipment worth well over R10 million. The Pietermaritzburg based cooperative was founded by a taxi association and represents 10 associations registered as primary cooperatives. The co-op runs a tyre fitment centre, spares shop, panel beating services and a fuel station. Government will hand over tyre fitment centre equipment, delivery vans and tow trucks, among others. The handover of the equipment is part of the new Cooperative Incentive Programme of the Department of Small Business Development. The programme targets cluster cooperatives to ensure sustainability of enterprises throughout the value chain. This is a pragmatic intervention by the Department of Small Business Development, which endeavours to propel the growth and transformation of the taxi industry through the creation of viable, competitive and sustainable enterprises in the value chain, with the ultimate objective to see their inclusion in the mainstream economy. I think this is a fundamental step in the right direction. This approach will enhance the competitiveness of the individual taxi owners and the association as a whole, said Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu. Zulu said there is a huge economic potential to derive economic benefit in clustering and aligning the activities in the taxi industry, while ensuring their inclusion in the value chain. The taxi industry is estimated to be worth over R40 billion. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Are you lost in the wild? Sorry, but the page you're looking for has not been found Try checking the URL for errors, goto home or try to search below. Leading industry experts from two separate and powerful regions - the UK and Middle East - will convene in Dubai to debate the future of real estate, including discussions on investment, disruption and future planning, at a major event later this month. Influential decision makers from both regions including developers, investors, property players and legislative representatives - will meet at the third EG Middle East Real Estate Forum at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai. At this free-to-attend event, they will debate topics that are impacting real estate investment right now and in the immediate future. Gulf investors have always considered the UK as a safe haven, but will Brexit impact them directly? With a softening UAE real estate market, will UK investors continue to make the returns of the past? Global industry topics include the effects of an economic slow-down, millennials entering the property market and the growth of proptech. Topics in the UAE include the impact of the government softening visas - but introducing taxes, the rise of real estate investment trusts (REITs), popular off-plan payment schemes, continuing approval of mega asset deals besides preservation of family wealth and Expo 2020. The event will deliberate these issues and more, in conjunction with a 15 person strong UK Government, real estate investment and asset management delegation. The key highlights of EGs Middle Estate Real Estate Forum 2019 include: UAE five year economic outlook (presented by Andrew Jackson, HM Consul General British Embassy Dubai) Finding harmony between legislation and investments Improving cities with large scale infrastructure Executing partnerships and joint ventures for real estate success Reducing the risk of capital investment The sharing principle and data as a disruptor Speakers from the UAE will include: Anwaar Al Shimmari, Director of Design & Chief Innovation Officer, United Arab Emirates Ministry of Infrastructure Development Mahmoud Hesham El Burai, Senior Advisor, Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Agency Aqil Kasim, Chief Commercial Officer, Nakheel Damian Wild, the director of publishing at EG said: "Its no surprise that the current political uncertainty in the UK might make UAE investors question whether the UK remains a safe haven for property investors. Were confident that EGs Middle East Real Estate Forum 2019 will persuade them that the UK still has much to offer UAE and GCC investors." "After all, the delegation we are bringing from the UK proves that government, investors, and developers are more determined than ever to showcase inward investment opportunities and learn lessons from other markets around the world. Some are also looking for opportunities to secure returns overseas, including in the Middle East," he noted. This event will bring together leading players from both markets to debate these challenges. And as we learned at the last forum, both regions have more in common than might immediately be apparent. We hope to demonstrate how further collaboration between the UK and Middle East will bring great rewards for everyone involved - from large corporates and governments, to residents. Savills Middle East CEO Steven Morgan said: "The UK and Middle East have a long history of trade, commerce and investment. Our perspective is that real estate investment requires best practice advisory services, but that there is plenty of opportunity for cross border transactions covering a range of sectors." "At the Forum we will give insight into some of the key opportunities currently available for local and international investorsm," he noted.-TradeArabia News Service A man has been killed and his wife was critically injured when they were attacked by their pet deer on a rural Australian property. Police said the 46-year-old man, Paul McDonald, entered the stag's enclosure in the morning at Moyhu in Victoria state. Sergeant Paul Pursell said: "His wife and son heard the commotion and went out to see what was going on. "His wife entered the enclosure to assist her husband and she was also attacked." Police shot the deer before a paramedic treated the couple. Mr McDonald died at the scene and his wife, Mandi, was flown by helicopter to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where her condition was described as critical. The stag was a cross between a red deer and an elk, Sgt Pursell said. The family had kept the animal for about two years. Sgt Pursell warned that deer behaviour could be unpredictable. David Voss, president of hunting and management organisation the Australian Deer Association, said farmed deer tend to be more aggressive than wild deer, but he had only heard of attacks "very occasionally". Deer were introduced to Australia by British settlers in the 19th century and have established wild populations. - Press Association The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new recommendations on 10 ways that countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve peoples health and essential services. Harnessing the power of digital technologies is essential for achieving universal health coverage, said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Ultimately, digital technologies are not ends in themselves; they are vital tools to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. Over the past two years, WHO systematically reviewed evidence on digital technologies and consulted with experts from around the world to produce recommendations on some key ways such tools may be used for maximum impact on health systems and peoples health. One digital intervention already having positive effects in some areas is sending reminders to pregnant women to attend antenatal care appointments and having children return for vaccinations. Other digital approaches reviewed include decision-support tools to guide health workers as they provide care; and enabling individuals and health workers to communicate and consult on health issues from across different locations. The use of digital technologies offers new opportunities to improve peoples health, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at WHO. But the evidence also highlights challenges in the impact of some interventions. If digital technologies are to be sustained and integrated into health systems, they must be able to demonstrate long-term improvements over the traditional ways of delivering health services. For example, the guideline points to the potential to improve stock management. Digital technologies enable health workers to communicate more efficiently on the status of commodity stocks and gaps. However, notification alone is not enough to improve commodity management; health systems also must respond and take action in a timely manner for replenishing needed commodities. Digital interventions, depend heavily on the context and ensuring appropriate design, warned Dr Garrett Mehl, WHO scientist in digital innovations and research. This includes structural issues in the settings where they are being used, available infrastructure, the health needs they are trying to address, and the ease of use of the technology itself. Digital health interventions are not sufficient on their own The guideline demonstrates that health systems need to respond to the increased visibility and availability of information. People also must be assured that their own data is safe and that they are not being put at risk because they have accessed information on sensitive health topics, such as sexual and reproductive health issues. Health workers need adequate training to boost their motivation to transition to this new way of working and need to use the technology easily. The guideline stresses the importance of providing supportive environments for training, dealing with unstable infrastructure, as well as policies to protect privacy of individuals, and governance and coordination to ensure these tools are not fragmented across the health system. The guideline encourages policy-makers and implementers to review and adapt to these conditions if they want digital tools to drive tangible changes and provides guidance on taking privacy considerations on access to patient data. Digital health is not a silver bullet, said Bernardo Mariano, WHOs chief information officer. WHO is working to make sure its used as effectively as possible. This means ensuring that it adds value to the health workers and individuals using these technologies, takes into account the infrastructural limitations, and that there is proper coordination. The guideline also makes recommendations about telemedicine, which allows people living in remote locations to obtain health services by using mobile phones, web portals, or other digital tools. WHO points out that this is a valuable complement to face-to-face-interactions, but it cannot replace them entirely. It is also important that consultations are conducted by qualified health workers and that the privacy of individuals health information is maintained. The guideline emphasizes the importance of reaching vulnerable populations, and ensuring that digital health does not endanger them in any way. WHOs work on digital health This guideline represents the first of many explorations into the use of digital technologies and has only covered a fraction of the many aspects of digital health. In 2018, governments unanimously adopted a World Health Assembly resolution calling on WHO to develop a global strategy on digital health to support national efforts to achieve universal health coverage. That strategy is scheduled to be considered at the World Health Assembly in 2020. Although WHO is expanding its focus on digital health, the Organization has been working in this area for years, for example, through the development of the eHealth Strategy Toolkit in 2012, published in collaboration with International Telecommunications Union (ITU). To support governments in monitoring and coordination of digital investments in their country, WHO has developed the Digital Health Atlas, an online global repository where implementers can register their digital health activities. WHO has also established innovative partnerships with the ITU, such as the [email protected], BeMobile initiative for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, as well as efforts for building digital health capacity through the WHO Regional Office for Africa. Over the years, WHO has released a number of resources to strengthen digital health research and implementation, including the mHealth Assessment and Planning for Scale (MAPS) toolkit, a handbook for Monitoring and Evaluation of Digital Health, and mechanisms to harness digital health to end TB. On March 6, Dr Tedros announced the creation of the Department of Digital Health to enhance WHOs role in assessing digital technologies and support Member States in prioritizing, integrating and regulating them. TradeArabia News Service Shenzhen: A senior Huawei executive has lashed out at the Australian government's ban on the telco giant, saying it is pushing its citizens into "mediocrity", and will lobby the next government to overturn the decision. The Australian government last year banned Huawei from providing equipment to local telecommunications companies rolling out 5G mobile networks because of security concerns. It was the first country in the world to introduce a widespread ban on Huawei and other Chinese telcos. New Zealand later blocked Huawei from participating in major telco Spark's 5G network. Huawei senior vice-president and global cybersecurity and privacy officer John Suffolk. Credit:Bloomberg Major local companies that were expected to involve Huawei in their rollout of 5G, such as Singtel Optus and Vodafone Hutchison Australia whose 4G networks are built by the equipment giant, have been required to choose new vendors and have warned of higher costs and inferior technology. Huawei global head of cybersecurity John Suffolk, speaking at the China-based behemoths annual Global Analyst Summit, said countries would face "medocrity" if they blocked equipment manufacturers without evidence. He said he hoped to have a discussion with the Australian government to come up with an alternative to a ban. Russell Crowe has amped up anticipation for his first major TV turn, with a look at his transformation into disgraced late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in the series The Loudest Voice. The Showtime series sees Crowe sporting extensive prosthetics to play Ailes, who was ousted from Fox News in July 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment by several of the network's key personalities, including Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly. His controversial Fox departure, negotiated by Rupert Murdoch and sons Lachlan and James, reportedly saw Ailes receiving a $US40 million payout. He died in May 2017, less than a year after the salacious headlines forced Fox's hand, aged 77. The conservative lobby group Advance Australia has made a complaint to Queensland police about a reported death threat made to its "satirical superhero" Captain GetUp. The caped conservative crusader, who is confusingly named after progressive activist group GetUp, is a superhero-style character created to drum up publicity for Advance Australia causes, and to highlight what it says is GetUp's agenda "to change Australia's way of life". Captain GetUp is the conservative answer to the GetUp campaign. Credit:Twitter The character has been unleashed on electorates around Australia where GetUp is actively campaigning to get rid of conservative candidates, notably Tony Abbott's seat of Warringah and Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson. On Tuesday a news report "unmasked" Captain GetUp as a Colombian YouTube video creator and former employee of a Sydney real estate agent. Peter Dutton has personally apologised to his Labor rival for the offence he caused by suggesting she was using her disability as an "excuse", while revealing his own "deep offence" at a Greens senator's allegations of racism against him. Mr Dutton came under fire last week when he accused his Labor opponent Ali France of "using her disability as an excuse" for not living in the marginal seat of Dickson. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Labor candidate for Dickson Ali France at Club Pine Rivers in Bray Park. Credit:AAP Image/ Glenn Hunt The Home Affairs Minister then doubled down, but later issued a belated two-sentence apology on Twitter. Facing off against Ms France during a debate at Club Pine Rivers on Tuesday night, Mr Dutton acknowledged he had made a mistake. The controversial Adani mine is not the only environmental issue on the minds of Mornington Peninsula voters, with locals also fighting against what they say is the commercial exploitation of their region by energy giant AGL. Candidates vying for the federal seat of Flinders, held by the Liberals Greg Hunt, are all united in their opposition to AGLs Gas Import Jetty Project at Crib Point and have vowed to help stop the project from going ahead. Former Liberal MP Julia Banks is running against Health Minister Greg Hunt in a pivotal contest in Flinders, and environmental issues are looking large. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, Andrew Meares The energy provider is planning a project to import liquefied natural gas via Western Port Bay. But locals have described the proposal as futile, saying Australia is the worlds biggest gas exporter. At a candidates forum on Wednesday night attended by about 70 people, Mr Hunt, Labors Josh Sinclair, Greens Nathan Lesslie, and independent candidates Julia Banks and Susie Beveridge were questioned on their position on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, welfare payments, the environment and the Canberra bubble. Just when we thought the Warringah election campaign couldnt get any weirder than a Colombian bloke in a cosplay outfit twerking at Manly Wharf we were introduced to the devastatingly experienced Phillip Street barrister Bridie Nolan and her thoughts on Zali Steggall, the independent candidate running against former prime minister Tony Abbott. Despite collating her online content and sending it to The Daily Telegraph along with photographs and an extensive statement redoubling her criticisms of Steggall her husbands former partner and mother of her two step-children Nolan reckoned she was really trying to stop the tabloid. Bridie Nolan spoke to the Telegraph for a story criticising her husband's former partner Zali Steggall on Monday. When we asked about her Twitter denials, she deleted her account. Nolan and Steggall are both prolific barristers, with practices covering family law at 12th Floor Wentworth Selbourne and the Family Law Chambers respectively. In 1934, at the age of 12, Patricia commenced her high school studies at St Patrick's Convent, in Townsville, and lived with her grandparents there for several years. Like most Australian students in those days, Patricia finished her formal education at the age of 15. Just before the outbreak of war in 1939 she commenced nursing training at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital Training School, a Catholic teaching hospital in Brisbane. The three-week familiarisation course undertaken by the first intake of Qantas hostesses in February 1948. Patricia Burke is on the left. With fellow trainee nurses she was accommodated in the hospital dormitory during several years of training. Patricia completed her training of three years and three months in December 1942. She undertook a further nine months' certificated training at the Brisbane Women's Hospital completed in December 1944. She was known as a double-certificated registered nursing sister. Following qualification, she joined the Department of Health in Brisbane. In the aftermath of World War II, she started to consider other career paths to exercise her nursing skills. Civil aviation was beginning to emerge as a key player in the transport services needed to serve Australia. Her first appointment was as a flight hostess for Australian National Airlines, ANA, one of the ancestors of Ansett Airlines. Qantas Empire Airways was another airline reorganising after the disruption of the war years. Qantas had grown, slowly but surely, and by 1934 had joined with Britains Imperial Airways, todays British Airways, to operate the Empire Route between Brisbane and London. The arrival of Qantas' four new Lockheed Constellations in 1947 after their 33-hour flight from Los Angeles by way of Honolulu, Canton Island and Nadi was greeted by thousands of Sydneysiders who swarmed over Mascot Airport. Among the returning Qantas crewmen proudly dressed in their new blue uniforms and white peaked caps was a young flight engineer named Norman Valentine "Val" St Leon. When a take-off from Sydney Airport (Mascot) was delayed by a sudden fuel strike, the interior of this Qantas Constellation was lit with kerosene lamps while the dispute was resolved. In the galley, hostess Patricia Burke comforted a young passenger. The cockpit crew of a Constellation consisted of three pilots, a navigator, a radio operator and two flight engineers and it carried only 38 passengers. The task of hiring Qantas' first intake of hostesses fell to Mrs Hudson Fysh, the wife of the principal founder of Qantas. From a field of 1000 applicants from all over Australia, Patricia Burke was one of nine "girls" personally interviewed and selected by Mrs Fysh and her panel. These "girls" attended to the requirements of passengers, performed clerical duties in-flight and assisted the stewards to serve meals to passengers. They came directly under the personal direction of the captain. Patricia recalled: "We were trained very well in safety and loading procedures, shown how to serve passengers properly and we were taken on a familiarisation flight to Singapore in a seaplane. We didn't have to push heavy trolleys of food and drink up the aisles: that was left to the stewards but we did assist them to serve it. I was paid ten pounds a week but the stewards got more and tips as well. Hostesses were never tipped. It was not ladylike." Eight of the first nine Qantas hostesses, December 1947. Patricia Burke at far left. At far right, senior hostess Marjorie de Tracey. With its brand new Constellation 749s, Qantas commenced a twice-weekly service between Sydney and London, the famous Kangaroo Route, later renamed QF1. Flight and cabin crews were changed en route and usually had three-day stopovers in major cities along the way. The hostesses along with other crew were put up in first-class hotels during stopovers in Singapore, Karachi, Cairo, Rome and London, with meals paid for by the company. A 30-day round trip to London was typical but could take as long as 37 days. St Leon recalled: "I've never forgotten that flight early in 1948. It was winter and Prime Minister Ben Chifley was travelling to London with his press secretary and there were British government officials waiting to welcome him on the tarmac below. "Part of our job was to hand men their hats as they disembarked. I can remember turning to the Prime Minister he was dressed in a navy suit which had seen better days and saying 'Which is your hat Mr Chifley?' He replied, 'It's the one with the 'ole in it' and sure enough it did have a hole in it." She made many new friends among the Qantas flight and cabin crew not least of whom was the man she would marry, senior flight engineer Val St Leon. However, things did not immediately fall into place. Taking upwards of two weeks to reach London with stops of several days along the way, the old Kangaroo Route offered plenty of opportunities for the couple to pursue a courtship. There were shows to see in London and side trips to Paris. Patricia had served Qantas for nearly three years when she and Val married at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney in August, 1950. Many years later, Sir Hudson Fysh, in his history of the airline, recalled the young flight engineer, Val St Leon, as one of 14 Qantas men sent to the United States in 1947 to train on and take delivery of the four Constellations. He wrote: "St Leon ultimately became a QEA captain of aircraft, the only ex-engineer, apart from the late Arthur Baird, to get his pilot's wings with the company. He topped things off by marrying one of our first hostesses, Patricia Burke." In that less-enlightened age, women ceased working when they married. The resourceful Patricia capably supported her husband as he climbed up the ladder of aviation success within Qantas, caring for three children during his regular and extended absences from home. She decided to resume her nursing career under her maiden name, undertaking contract night nursing duties through a private nursing agency in a variety of private residences, nursing homes and private and public hospitals. After completing a prescribed "return to nursing practice" course at Concord Hospital, one of her first assignments was to take overnight charge of the naval hospital, HMAS Penguin at Mosman. She continued her nursing career, on and off, until the age of 80. Spurred on by her "social conscience", Patricia formed strong associations with several organisations that helped people in challenging personal circumstances: the Anglican Home for Mother and Baby, Glebe, the Armidale Womens Refuge and the Matthew Talbot Home for Homeless Men. From the Anglican Home in Glebe, she offered a home to "fallen" girls sent to the city from the country during pregnancy. A mural at Bondi Beach has been defaced with swastika symbols for the second time in just over two months. Police were called to the wall along Bondi's promenade early on Wednesday after reports that two swastika symbols had been painted over sections of the mural overnight. On another section of the mural, vandals had also painted the racist slurs: "I hate n---as" and "White power". A swastika painted over a mural along Bondi's promenade early on Wednesday. Credit:Australian Jewish News It follows an incident in February, when about 20 swastika symbols were spray-painted on to a section of the mural, while another three were later located around Ebley Street in Bondi Junction. A $36.3 million Toowong high school expansion has been moved to save a 300-year-old tree of Aboriginal significance that would have been destroyed. The news of the revision for Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology's initial plans came as construction for the three-story centre began on Wednesday. The Northern Learning Centre would be built at another site at the academy, outside of the tree's protection zone. The rare scar tree at Toowong on the campus of the Academy of Science Mathematics and Technology. Parents, wildlife carers and Indigenous representatives told Brisbane Times earlier this month that thay called for the move as it threatened the tree and species such as the tusked frog, powerful owl and grey-headed flying fox in Toowong Creek, which ran along one side of QASMT. A Holland Park community group is celebrating after Brisbane City Council knocked back a development application for 25 two-storey townhouses on a quiet street next to a childcare centre. Residents on Eric Road expressed concern when the development application was submitted late last year, citing the narrow street, traffic, and significant trees including koala feed trees on the four blocks planned to be amalgamated. An artist's impression of townhouses planned for Holland Park's Eric Road. The development, submitted by AAD Design on behalf of YQ Property Pty Ltd, covered lots 25, 27, 31 and 35 on Eric Road, all of which currently have single-storey homes. Brisbane City Council rejected the development with city planning chairman Matthew Bourke saying the development went against the council's efforts to protect the backyard character of the city's suburbs. Preparations have begun for the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition & Conference (BIDEC) 2019, one of the regions major international defence exhibitions with key partners confirming participation. Following the outstanding success of the first BIDEC in 2017, the next edition is scheduled to be held from October 28 to 30 with major international defence and security organisations joining forces to support what has been hailed as one of the most strategic events of its kind in the region. Over 200 exhibiting companies are expected to attend in the 2019 show and over 10,000 guests are expected to visit over the course of the three-day event. Held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HH Brigadier Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Commander of Bahrain Royal Guard and Chairman of BIDEC 2019 has been the force behind the success of the event. Fully supported by Bahrain Defence Force, BIDEC 2019 will have continued government support from all functions, including specially selected committees within the BDF, Naval Force, Air Force, Royal Guard, National Guard and other government divisions. Lockheed Martin, the well-known global aerospace, defence, security and advanced technologies company, has confirmed its participation as Gold Sponsor for the show. Shaikh Nasser expressed his support and enthusiasm saying: "We are proud to host one of the most comprehensive defence exhibitions in the region. We are especially proud that Lockheed Martin has continued to demonstrate its support to the Kingdom of Bahrain by becoming a main sponsor of the event. A global event of this stature is not easy to pull together but we look forward to not just replicating the success of 2017 but taking it several steps further to make it an un-missable event. We also look forward to initiating important partnerships and the transfer of ideas, technology and developments in this vital area at BIDEC 2019." Lockheed Martin is very proud of more than 40 years of partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain, which began with the delivery of the L-1011 TriStar commercial airliner, said Robert S Harward, Chief Executive for Lockheed Martin in the Middle East. BIDEC provides the perfect platform for us to engage with both our Bahraini and regional partners to discuss ways we can strengthen regional security and build a stronger relationship for decades to come, he added. BIDEC 2019 will once again be organised by Clarion Events, the largest organiser of defence and security events in the world, and Faalyat, a Bahrain-based events agency. BIDEC 2019 offers exhibiting companies the opportunity to demonstrate hardware and equipment, and to be seen on a high profile, international stage. The high level conference on the sidelines of BIDEC has proven to be a powerful platform to hear key decision makers from the government, military and defence sectors, giving unprecedented opportunities to discuss innovations, solutions and areas of collaboration. Thomas Gaunt of Clarion Defence & Security said: We are extremely happy to be organising this important exhibition in the Kingdom of Bahrain once again. The last experience we had with BIDEC 2017 was a fabulous one, and we are confident that we will be building on that experience to bring an even better show this time. We have in place some great partners who have displayed understanding of what is required. Visitors can look forward to many new exhibiting companies and watch some spectacular displays in the off-site activities throughout Bahrain. Off-Site activities are planned across Bahrain, including shooting displays, military vehicle demonstrations, parachute demonstrations and warship displays. All will be available to attend via shuttle buses from the exhibition centre. TradeArabia News Service Nine shops have been damaged, most of them gutted, by a fire that ripped through a small complex on Brisbane's southside the day before Good Friday. Emergency services were called to the group of businesses on Old Cleveland Road, opposite Nicklin Street and Pembroke Road, in Coorparoo, about 2.15am on Thursday. Upon arrival, firefighters reported the building was engulfed in flames and seven fire crews battled the blaze until daylight. They brought it under control just after 3am and by 6am they were dampening down hot spots. A flying school student has crashed a light plane into a ditch during take-off at Archerfield Airport on Brisbane's southside. Emergency services were called to the airport off Beatty Road in Archerfield about 11.15am. The result of the failed take-off at Archerfield Airport on Wednesday morning. Credit:Nine News Queensland Archerfield Airport general manager Heather Mattes said it was "an aborted take-off" and while there was some fuel leakage from the aircraft, but the male pilot was unharmed. A fire service spokeswoman said the aircraft crashed into a ditch, three crews arrived and dealt with the fuel leakage. Brisbane's northside is being warned of a highly infectious disease after another measles outbreak that has risen the number of cases in Queensland to 13 since the beginning of this year. A man developed symptoms after returning from Vietnam and was unknowingly infectious while visiting Toombul Shopping Centre's Priceline Pharmacy on April 11 from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. A measles alert has been issued for Brisbane. He also went to Kedron Coles on 13 April between 10am and 11am and Wooloowin's KC Dry Cleaners on Kent Road on the morning of April 13. Metro North Public Health physician Dr Rosie Muller said people who were in these areas at the same time should seek medical advice if they develop measles symptoms. The LNP has two months to select a new councillor for Chandler, after Adrian Schrinner vacated the ward as he took up the role of lord mayor, meaning a decision could be made after the federal election on May 18. When Cr Schrinner was selected to step up from deputy to lord mayor and sworn in on April 8, he left his ward vacant, with the wards LNP branch members required to select his replacement. Brisbanes new Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will have a different council to lead. Credit:Lucy Stone Three other wards have also seen changes with councillors Ian McKenzie (Coorparoo) and Norm Wyndham (McDowall) stepping down and Julian Simmonds (Walter Taylor) resigning to contest the federal election. Last week the LNP announced three new councillors had been selected to replace them Fiona Cunningham, Tracy Davis and James Mackay for Coorparoo, McDowall and Walter Taylor respectively. When he was a teenager living in out-of-home care, Victor Braddock really hoped the case workers assigned to help him had his best interests at heart. But, in truth, he had little time to find out. Between the ages of 14 and 17, he had more than a dozen caseworkers. A new one would arrive, hed start to develop a relationship with them and then - often with no reason given - his case worker would change overnight. Victor Braddock says instability characterised his experience of out-of-home care. Credit:Joe Armao This lack of stability was typical of much of the teenagers life in residential care in Altona, in Melbournes outer-west. "When youre a young person in care youre left out of the loop [of decisions] and you kind of float around without knowing whats happening," says Mr Braddock, who is now 24 and studying youth work. Only one quarter of calls to the Kids Helpline from WA children in 2018 were from boys. The Kids Helpline Statistical Summary, released Monday, was compiled by art union and charity yourtown. The WA government contributes over $63,000 excluding GST to the service. Credit:Erin Jonasson It broke down the amount of calls counsellors received across 2018 nationwide, and attempted to pinpoint the major demographics and concerns Australian children raised when they called. The West Australian snapshot found there was a significant difference in how many boys were calling the helpline, as opposed to girls. A Russian-born technology tycoon who allegedly took part in a multi-million dollar text message scam in the United States is still trying to get out of jail in Perth ahead of an extradition hearing. The US Attorney's Office alleges Tsvetnenko and his co-offenders in the "auto- subscription" scheme charged mobile phone customers $US9.99 per month for unsolicited, recurring text messages. Credit:Photo: Ross Swanborough Eugeni "Zhenya" Tsvetnenko was charged by New York authorities in mid-2016 with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Five days before Christmas, he was arrested at his Applecross home and detained at Hakea prison. When the 39-year-old father-of-two sought bail in January, he was deemed a flight risk, and his Federal Court challenge to the decision the following month was unsuccessful. The Nauru president who led the small Pacific nation when it brokered a deal with the Australian government to re-open the nation's controversial detention centre, said he felt at least partly responsible for the deaths of asylum seekers on the island. In an interview on The Project with journalist Hamish Macdonald, an emotional Sprent Dabwido bared his soul for the world to see. Final days: Former Nauru president Sprent Dabwido on The Project. Credit:Network Ten "I cannot take full responsibility for it, but I do have my share in it when I allowed this deal to be made," he said. "I thought I was helping Australia, I thought I was helping the refugees themselves. Eventually it becomes torture when you dont have a future, but stuck on an island." A young Liberal with a penchant for fast cars, luxury yachts, and expensive cigars has been questioned by police over an alleged assault against a female security guard at one of the nation's most prestigious universities. With just over a month until the federal election, the Victorian Liberals once again face concerns over the culture of its youth movement after an ugly stoush erupted at the Melbourne University Liberal Club, the student association whose alumni includes some of the state's top politicians. A post from Benedict Kusay's Instagram account. Credit:Instagram Tensions began simmering at an annual general meeting of club members last month after former vice president Benedict Kusay - a self-described entrepreneur who recently appeared in an article about the Rich Kids of Instagram - opposed the re-election of its incumbent president, Chris Kounelis. The outcome of the meeting was thrown into doubt, and a second AGM was due to take place on Monday at the university's Lowe theatre. There the dispute escalated and police were called to question Mr Kusay over claims he pushed a private security guard as he tried to enter the building. More than 25,000 exhibitors are showcasing their latest products and services at the ongoing 125th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), being held in Guangzhou, China. The fair which opened on April 15 will run until May 5. Covering an area of 1.18 million sq m, this year's fair will display a 30 per cent increase in the number of updated products, demonstrating original innovation and new opportunities to global businesses, said a statement. Companies from countries along China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will showcase their latest products in the International Pavilion. Xu Bing, spokesperson of the Canton Fair and deputy director general of China Foreign Trade Centre, said: The fair is welcoming more companies with intellectual property protection, private brands and marketing capabilities that demonstrate high-tech and value-added products. To enable global buying and selling, the Fair has made efforts in spurring innovation in promotion, using AI technology and big data and launching global marketing with emphasis on social media and search engine. In the meanwhile, following the latest trade and policy trends, Canton Fair will host more than 20 forums as well as 50 product demonstrations and business matching seminars. The highlights include: The 2019 Canton Fair International Market Forum, with a focus on promoting China and Russia's strategic partners on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, will promote the consolidation of Sino-Russian economic and trade cooperation. Global Cooperation Networking for International Pavilion will highlight the opportunities that Canton Fair brings to the Greater Bay Area as a trade platform, encouraging business participation and resource exchange between domestic and international companies. Canton Fair's efforts to promote sustainable development also include poverty alleviation for domestic businesses. More than 700 companies from less-developed areas have been given free exhibition space and included in themed promotion events, introducing local specials to the international market and creating new market options to global buyers, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Loading After eight months of campaigning, hundreds of rallies, tens of thousands of words, more than 190 million Indonesians were eligible to vote in the election, which is by some measures the largest single-day election in the world. In addition to the presidential vote, there are 20,000 local and national parliamentary seats up for grabs, more than 245,000 candidates running, more than 800,000 polling booths and more than 6 million election workers. Aaron Connelly, a research fellow at Singapore's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that even as late as Tuesday evening people close to the President feared his lead was much smaller than polls suggested "perhaps even less than the 6.3 point margin of victory last time". "The quick counts from five reputable survey organisations with a record of accuracy all independently show a Jokowi lead of 10 percentage points or more. These might be off by up to 2 per cent, but not more. It would be very difficult for Prabowo to overcome that lead in the official count. So we can now confidently predict that Jokowi has won the election," he said. Indonesia's election commission will officially declare the result on May 22. The long election campaign has been marked by fake news, hoaxes, the rise of identity politics and political Islam, and so-called "black campaigning" by both sides seeking to sully their opponent. Joko's re-election will allow him to continue his focus on infrastructure investment, which has seen thousands of kilometres of roads and rail built, as well as new air and sea ports, and to implement other promises including new programs to help people with the cost of basic food items, and to continue their education or find work. Party observers check a sealed ballot box before the start of voting at a South Jakarta polling station on Wednesday. Credit:Amilia Rosa Prabowo has frequently criticised Joko's handling of Indonesia's economy and in tackling corruption, but the President's likely victory can be interpreted as a clear endorsement of his economic and political program. Prabowo has already flagged, ahead of polling day, a challenge in the Constitutional Court and street protests if he lost. On polling day, Indonesians voters nominated bread and butter issues the economy, infrastructure investment, health, education and tackling corruption as those that mattered most to them. In the slums of Tanjung Priok, near north Jakarta's port, voters were split over whether Joko, a former furniture maker and former governor of Jakarta, or Prabowo, a former military general, offered a more compelling vision for their nation's future. Umi, a rubbish picker from a rural slum in Kali Baru village, North Jakarta, shows her inked finger after casting her vote. Credit:Amilia Rosa Arman Maulana told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that in 2014 he had voted for Prabowo. This time, he had changed his vote. "I voted for the 'calm' one. I used to be Prabowo's supporter, a big supporter ... I changed to Jokowi [the President's popular nickname] because after he was president, my kids can go to school and the most important thing is healthcare, we don't have to pay anything now if we are sick. "For us, the orang kecil [little people], before, if you don't have money [for a doctor] you're pretty much dead," he said. "Jokowi is adem [cool or calm], just look at him during the debates, he never attacked anyone, unlike Prabowo. Jokowi would also accept if he was defeated. Prabowo will protest, he will fight, he just wants to win." Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo smiles as he votes in Jakarta on Wednesday. Credit:AP But 21-year-old Sarah, a first-time voter who works for a convenience store chain, said she had voted for Prabowo because the economy was her primary concern. "The economy is [the most important issue]. I want it to be improved and I hope there will be no corruption anymore," she said. Ida, 42, said she had also voted for Prabowo because food and electricity had grown too expensive. She dismissed Jakarta's new toll roads as "only for people who can afford to pay for it" and added that "we need cheaper prices here". A giant effigy locally known as "ogoh-ogoh" is displayed at a polling station to ward off evil spirits in Bali, Indonesia. Credit:AP But in a middle class area of Bekasi, a satellite city on the eastern outskirts of Jakarta, 21-year-old psychology student Putri Elma said she had voted for Joko because of his huge building program and improved healthcare. Loading "My views are different to Prabowo's. He complains about the elite but himself is the elite. He says he wants to raise the salary of the civil servants so that they won't do corruption, in fact it is the elite or the rich who are corrupt. He's also a short-tempered man," she said. In Grogol south, in south Jakarta an area in which large houses sit across the street from far humbler ones wealthier, ethnically Chinese Indonesian voters uniformly said they would support Joko, who is seen as the more inclusive candidate. One older Chinese-Indonesian voter, who asked not to be named, said the events of 1998 remained pertinent. Then, the former dictator Suharto (Prabowo's former father-in-law) lost power and Prabowo himself was accused of using civil militias to stoke anti-Chinese riots (a charge he has always denied). Heny Purwanti Sari Liadi said this was her second time voting and that she had once again backed Joko. Etienne Loraillere, the editor of France's KTO Catholic television network, said the chaplain Fournier has a key role in saving the crown of thorns and other items. Fornier was previously a military chaplain who served in Afghanistan, and in 2015 comforted victims of the terrorist attack on the Bataclan theatre in Paris after attacks across the city that claimed 130 lives. Sophie Grange, a spokesman for the Louvre Museum, said that it was not yet clear how many objects the Louvre would be receiving or how long they would stay. Other objects, however, were undeniably lost in the fire. These include fragments of the remains of Saint Genevieve and Saint Denis, portions of which were installed in 1935 in architect Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century spire, which collapsed at the height of Monday's blaze. Debris inside Notre-Dame Cathedral as investigators begin a probe into the cause of the fire. Credit:EPA Historians emphasised that the cathedral itself was an emblem - and even a crucible - for a certain architectural style and the advancements that came with it. Notre-Dame was perhaps the iconic gothic aspiration, said Samantha Herrick, a historian of medieval France. "A lot of features of this church, while not unique, were new at the time," she said. "Stained glass was new, flying buttresses were new, Gothic architecture itself was new. This was a site of innovation." Flames and smoke rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral as it burns in Paris. Credit:AP For the moment, the most pressing question is the state of the cathedral's sprawling stained glass masterpieces - and particularly the three massive, multicoloured rose windows originally installed in the 13th century and heavily restored 600 years later. Despite these subsequent restorations, the windows still contain some of their original medieval elements. Images showed that the rose windows technically remained intact, but the condition of the materials was far from certain. "Clearly, they were damaged, but to what degree we don't yet know," said Karine Boulanger, an specialist in stained glass at the Sorbonne University in Paris. "We can see they are still in place, but we don't know in which state they are in, at least in a detailed manner," she said. Loading "Even if the fire didn't come all the way down into the cathedral itself, the heat itself was very intense. And the heat will have impacted the glass, as well as the material that keeps the glass panels together." The architect Jean de Chelles designed and constructed the northern transept between 1245 and 1260. De Chelles then began the construction of the southern transept in 1258, but it was achieved by Pierre de Montreuil in the 1270. For experts, what makes the monumental rose windows installed in the course of this construction unique is that there are few examples of medieval stained glass in Paris, at least outside of Sainte-Chappelle, a jewel box of a chapel in the shadow of Notre-Dame on the Ile de la Cite. But particularly dazzling is the scale of the rose windows. The north rose, for instance, reaches more than 12 metres in diameter, and south rose roughly more than 18 metres, taking account of its additional skylight. Herrick noted that the particular way in which portions of the cathedral collapsed were a testament to its Medieval identity, particularly vis-a-vis Notre-Dame's lead roof. "Ironically there's something ironic about that, as Medieval sources were constantly complaining about cost of keeping up lead roof," she said. "Fires were constantly happening in the period, and the things most likely to fall in that period were the roofs." Late Monday, President Emmanuel Macron called for Notre-Dame to be rebuilt. And almost immediately, some of France's wealthiest families pledged their support. Bernaud Arnault, Europe's richest man and the chief executive of the LVMH luxury conglomerate, pledged 200 million ($315 million); Francois Pinault, another luxury magnate, pledged 100 million. The estimated costs for renovating the cathedral are currently estimated at 180 million ($251 million). Washington: Ecuador's President has accused Julian Assange of hosting numerous hackers at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to give them directions on how to propagate information on topics important to the WikiLeaks founder and his financiers. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016. Credit:AP President Lenin Moreno also said on Tuesday in Washington that arrested Swedish programmer Ola Bini was one of those hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. Moreno said Bini hacked phones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuador's government. In Quito earlier in the day, Bini's parents made an anxious plea for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he did nothing wrong. Paris: France will hold an international architectural competition to replace the spire of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced. The cathedral's 93-metre high, lead-covered wooden spire - the work of 19th-century restorer Eugene Viollet le Duc - collapsed into the flames during the fire that destroyed the cathedral's roof. Notre-Dame Cathedral spire on the cusp of collapse. Credit:AP "The international competition will decide whether a spire should be rebuilt, (and) whether the spire designed and built by Viollet le Duc should be rebuilt in the same way, identically," Philippe said. Alternatively, the cathedral could be given "a new spire, adapted to the techniques and challenges of our time," he said after a government meeting dedicated to the reconstruction of the cathedral. Denver: The frantic hunt for an armed young woman who threatened Columbine High ended on Wednesday near at the base of a mountain 60 kilometres west of the school. Sol Pais, an 18-year-old who was the target of a nearly 20-hour manhunt, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The FBI in Denver tweeted that there was no longer a threat to the community. It is unclear how long she had been dead when she was found, and whether she was running from law enforcement at the time of her death. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said officials do not believe she was working with accomplices. Latest News Resimac makes key broker channel hires Two new GMs to bolster broker support How digital mortgages might be set to take over the Australian market in 2022 "We thought it would be a 3-5 year market shift, but we now believe it's 12-18 months" A recently formed broker federation, containing members from Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, has elected a well-known Australian industry figure as the inaugural chair of its board of governors. Peter White, MD of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA), has been selected as chairman by the International Mortgage Brokers Federation (IMBF). White played a significant role in creating the IMBF, which was launched in Canada late last year. He said, I am honoured to be elected to this position with the IMBF which uniquely leads the broking industry in global cooperation and collaboration. At no time in our industrys history has this been done. Over his 16 years with the FBAA, White has served as national VP, national president, chairman of the board of directors, and CEO. He will continue to act in his current role of managing director. White said, The purpose of the IMBF is to lead industry associations around the world in collaboration so they can openly discuss their own journeys with regulation and how they may impact regulation in our own countries. Australias recent banking royal commission made clear the value of having access to a consolidated source of information. The commission was told by a major bank that the Netherlands broker model should be implemented here, White explained. Our colleagues in the Netherlands quickly explained the failures of that model and our resulting submission saw both sides of politics, and the commission itself, reject the idea. New Zealand, the Netherlands, and other countries from Europe and Asia are expected to join the federation in the near future. The IMBF discusses matters such as property markets, economies, regulations, global codes of conduct, rules of ethics, data research and best practice so that our members are informed like never before, concluded White. Latest News Resimac makes key broker channel hires Two new GMs to bolster broker support How digital mortgages might be set to take over the Australian market in 2022 "We thought it would be a 3-5 year market shift, but we now believe it's 12-18 months" Even with an SME lenders recent expansion into New Zealand having definitely beaten expectations, the CEO is focused on whats next saying, our work is never done. Prospa officially launched into New Zealand in late March, but spent the six months preceding getting the product right for the market and setting up operations. Just weeks later, Prospa has passed the $10m mark in funding in New Zealand. We were able to build our product, integrate it into the New Zealand network, and start the scale-up process over a relatively short period of time. In total, we think the New Zealand market is somewhere between $4bn and $5bn dollars per annum, explained Beau Bertoli, co-founder and joint CEO of Prospa. When we first looked into the market, we saw that there were a lot of similarities to the challenges that small business owners have in Australia. Its a very concentrated financial system. The banks, which are mostly owned by Australian banks, were not providing the right types of products and services that small business owners were looking for. Despite the half million small business owners throughout New Zealand, Bertoli saw very few options made available for accessing capital. We think there is so much opportunity, so much untapped growth for small business owners supporting the New Zealand economy, he said. We expect that our products and services in New Zealand will have a similar type of benefit for the economy that they do in Australia, where they are driving GDP growth and creating jobs. The CEO told Australian Broker that a network of thousands of advisers in New Zealand is a key part of the lenders distribution strategy. Prospa recently joined the NZFSG panel, one of the largest mortgage and insurance distribution groups in the country. The New Zealand launch in no way slowed the momentum of operations in Australia. Just last week, Prospa announced a new business line of credit, as well as an improved small business loan. For now, the products are available only in the Australian market while the core loan product continues to establish itself and grow in New Zealand heading into the second half of 2019. Looking ahead, Bertoli said, It was really exciting to grow through the $1bn milestone in Australia recently, but we still think theres huge opportunity out there. When we launched in Australia, we wanted to change the system and change the way it worked. Thats our approach in New Zealand too, he concluded. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Brooklyn celebrated the Bengali new year with a huge parade on Saturday featuring dazzling red attire and hand-made puppets inspired by an even larger procession back in the old country. In Dhaka, they started making giant puppets which feature many animals and flowers, and they parade around the city, so we followed that and we started to do it here, said Annie Ferdous, founder and artistic director of the Bengali Institute of Performing Arts, which debuted the Brooklyn new years bash in 2013. This super cool kid at the Brooklyn Bengali New Years festival. Photo by Stefano Giovannini About 200 people gathered at Avenue C Plaza on April 13 to reign in Benagli Year 1426, with Bangladeshi groups including South Asian Cultural Collective and Bangladeshi Students Association, and other community groups like Arts and Democracy and Kensington Stewards marching band featuring and the women wearing beautiful red saris and men donning stylish, knee-length punjabis for the event. The parade featured smaller versions of the 15-foot-tall puppets that star in the Dhaka parade, with Brooklyns marionettes only rising up to a diminutive two feet, although Ferdous said there are plans for bigger puppets in the future. Nadim and Purobi Haider partied it up in Kensington for Benagli New Year. Photo by Stefano Giovannini And for after the procession kids were treated to cultural performances, magic shows, face painting, and arts and crafts, including pedicabs that locals decorated to resemble Bengali rickshaws. Kids were also invited to dress up in traditional Bengali garb for a costume contest, in which they competed for the enviable grand prize of a Macys gift card. The sixth annual Brooklyn Bengali New Year parade reigned in the year 1426 with a grand procession through Kensington. Photo by Stefano Giovannini Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Brooklyn Bridge Park bigwigs presented renderings of their multi-million-dollar plan to tear down and rebuild the beleaguered Squibb Bridge at a community meeting Monday. The new bridge which zig-zags from its namesake park in Brooklyn Heights down to the waterfront park below will look almost identical to the current structure, but the semi-private Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation which oversees the green space will replace the rotting wood elements with prefabricated steel, giving it a longer shelf life than its short-lived and troubled existence, according to the organizations president. Weve had multiple issues with this bridge and we felt that going to a prefabricated steel would allow us to have certainty about the life of the bridge, Eric Landau told Community Board 2s Parks and Recreation Committee. Manhattan-based firm Turner Construction will start taking down the current structure some time around October and aim to finish the project by the summer of 2020 in keeping with the plans Landau announced in December, Landau said. The projects engineers, the Arup Group, completed the bridges first repair after it closed in 2014. Arup The concrete support structures coming out of the ground will remain intact for the new build, but wood coming out of them will also be replaced with steel. The revamp comes at a $6.5 million price tag for the 450-foot pathway or roughly $1,200 per inch which is $2.5 million more expensive than retrofitting the current structure. But maintaining the existing bridge would cost more in the long run than the additional upfront costs, according to Landau. After a certain number of years, the $2.5 million that we saved in retrofitting versus replacing, we would spend that and more in ongoing annual maintenance of the bridge, he said. The cash to rebuild the project will come from funds generated by development projects and concession sales in the green space, according to Landau. The ever-evolving reconstruction project of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which stretches 1.5 miles between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, and cuts beneath the stretch of Columbia Heights where locals currently enter Middagh Streets Squibb Park, will not affect the bridges construction but might have an impact on the Heights green space depending on which plan the city chooses for the crumbling roadway, Landau said. Arup I think its fair to say that all of the plans at some level have an impact to the park not necessarily to this bridge but to the park and its hard for us to fully judge what those impacts are because some of those plans havent been fully vetted or fully engineered yet, he said. The future construction of a long-awaited pool in that park will also not interfere with the bridge project but the walkway will have to be accessible without having to go through the bath, as per the citys regulations on entrances and exits to swimming spots, Landau said. State Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D-Brooklyn Heights) previously said that the pool would be open by 2020, the same year the bridge is slated to be operational. Landau stopped short of guaranteeing that the two wont overlap because his corporation has yet to issue a final design and collect all the funds for the bath. I cant comment on whether, while the pool is in construction, when that happens, what the impact will be, because I cant speculate like that, he told the civic committee. We dont yet know the timeline on that pool construction because there are a lot of factors, including funds to be raised for pool construction. Reach reporter Kevin Duggan at (718) 2602511 or by e-mail at kdugg an@cn gloca l.com . Follow him on Twitter @kduggan16. Business France jointly with Evolen and the French Business Group recently hosted the 4th annual UAE France Oil and Gas Connecting Days focusing on digitalization, energy efficiency, new technologies for gas processing and plant operations. Launched in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France to the United Arab Emirates, the two-day forum featured presentations of new solutions by the French innovative companies participating, towards Adnoc Groups key decision makers. Since 2015, the UAE France Oil and Gas Connecting Days has become an essential rendezvous between UAE and France in the Oil & Gas sector. This year with the support of Total in the UAE as gold sponsor and Schneider Electric as silver sponsor, over 10 companies were represented to showcase the latest technology and industry innovations. The forum took place in two distinct locations bridging the topics with live demonstrations. On the first day of the event took place at Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, next to the Sheikh Khalifa Energy Complex where Adnoc subsidiaries are located. On the second day, French companies met Adnoc operational teams in the Ruwais Industrial Area where hydrocarbons are processed. The historical ties between the United Arab Emirates and France having served as a strong base in bilateral cooperation in an important number of domains, are particularly prevalent in Oil & Gas field. The strong innovative capabilities of the French industry in Energy, Oil and Gas sectors will help to strengthen business relationships between Emirati and French organizations. With Digitalization as the overarching theme, the forum covered Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Predictive Analytics/Maintenance. Sessions on Energy Efficiency included details on Waste Heat Recovery, Energy Management software and tools, Energy optimization in Gas Processing and the Best Available Techniques (BAT). The sessions focused on new technologies for Plant Operations delved deeper into the technical aspects of the technology and management side of the industry. TradeArabia News Service 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 Lessors to Jet Airways Ltd have applied to deregister another four Boeing Co 737 planes, the Indian aviation regulator said on its website on Wednesday, even as the embattled carrier seeks emergency funding from its lenders. Latest analysis of data disclosed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that Jet's lessors have, so far, sought to deregister and repossess at least four dozen of the planes operated by Jet. Once deregistered, lessors are free to reclaim a plane and lease it to another airline anywhere in the world. The moves come even as Jet scrambles to ... Etihad Airways will be the first airline in the region to operate a flight without any single-use plastics onboard, in a bid to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution. Flight EY484 will depart Abu Dhabi on April, 21, landing in Brisbane on April 22 Earth Day. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, said: Sustainable and efficient transport is core to the governments vision, and we commend Etihads proactivity in paving the way for sustainability and efficiency in air transportation. The investment in sustainable alternative fuels and the focus on emerging environmental concerns such as plastic pollution reaffirms Etihads commitment to the Abu Dhabi transport vision. The milestone flight is part of Etihads ongoing commitment to the environment, to go beyond Earth Day celebrations, and pledge to reduce single-use plastic usage by 80 per cent not just inflight, but across the entire organisation by the end of 2022. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, chairman Etihad Aviation Group, said: This step is an extension of Etihads pioneering environmental efforts. Inaugurating 2019 with the locally sourced biofuel flight and the operation of the longest single-use plastic free flight are testament to our commitment to leading effective change towards sustainability. Last year, the UN called for global action to beat plastic pollution, stating that 400 million tonnes of plastics are produced every year, 63 per cent of which are intended for single-use. Governments around the world are starting to ban single-use plastics something the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) advocates. Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: There is a growing concern globally about the overuse of plastics which can take thousands of years to decompose. We discovered we could remove 27 million single-use plastic lids from our inflight service a year and, as a leading airline, its our responsibility to act on this, to challenge industry standards and work with suppliers who provide lower-impact alternatives. Buzz, Etihads current supplier of amenity products, are supporters of the project and have collaborated with the airline to provide sustainable amenity kits, eco-plush toys and award-winning eco-thread blankets. Buzz pioneered and produced the blankets out of recycled plastic bottles. In some instances, the sustainable choice was easy. Etihad worked with suppliers to ensure products were not wrapped in single-use plastics. For others, more innovative products had to be sourced including Cupffees, edible coffee cups, made entirely out of natural grain products. Etihad identified over 95 single-use plastic products used across aircraft cabins, most of which were replaced with eco-friendly alternatives including cups, cutlery, dishes, headset bags, cart seals and toothbrushes. Once removed from this flight, Etihad prevented over 50 kg of plastics from being landfilled. Where suitable replacements could not be sourced, these items were not loaded. As a result of planning the Earth Day flight, Etihad additionally committed to remove up to 20 per cent of the single-use plastic items on board by June 1. By the end of this year, Etihad will have removed 100 tonnes of single-use plastics from its inflight service. We are making this promise not only for the environment but also for the wider community. Our guests and employees are largely responsible for facilitating this positive change, as they brought to our attention the effect plastics within our industry have on landfills, waterways and our oceans, contaminating our soil and water, added Douglas. Employees of Etihads Ramp Management team, based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, launched an initiative to reduce 1.6 million plastic bottles in a year. During the summer months, over 13,000 bottles are distributed daily. As of last month, 19-litre water dispensers were distributed across all break-room facilities, not only reducing single-use plastics but also saving the airline Dh800,000 ($217,767) yearly. As part of Etihads commitment to sustainability, the airline will also work with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi on their marine environment clean-up, amongst other initiatives, to ensure environmental sustainability. - TradeArabia News Service Netflix has been trying for some time to find a way to gain more subscribers in India and crack a model so as to offer its services at a lower price point while fighting growing competition from other video streaming services. It may have now found an answer a mobile-only lower-price product. Though the model is still being experimented with, the company said. I think that's a great example of something that we're trying out, we're not positive that's the right model, but it's we're quite certain that we should do something to find a price ... Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries is considering selling as much as25 per cent of its refinery business in a deal that could fetch at least $10 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said. Reliance is sounding out potential investors including state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. to gauge their interest, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Aramco has also been considering investing in a new Indian refinery that Reliance is planning to build, the people said. Discussions are at an ... Sheraton Amman Al Nabil has welcomed Gerrit Haertprich as the hotels director of sales and marketing. Haertprich joined Sheraton Amman on March 30 to take on the full responsibility of driving the hotels revenue generation and marketing efforts as well as leading the sales team and building strong and lasting relationships with the hotels current and future patrons. After serving as an account director at Arabella Sheraton Complex Sales Office Munich in 2000, Haertprich implemented successful strategies and managed diverse teams in a number of hotels in Germany and Spain to further enhance his sales skills. During his tenure at Marriott Hotel Leipzig, he positioned the hotel as the market leader and received the Marriot president Circle Awards as the sales leader in 2016, claiming the highest total revenue in the hotels history. He also surpassed his 2016 achievement in 2017, and delivered the highest RevPAR in the hotel history. I am very excited to join the team of professionals at Sheraton Amman and look forward to contributing to the long lasting success of the hotel with my experience and knowledge. At the same time I am aware that there is a lot for me to learn from my colleagues, our partners and the market. I like challenges and am open minded and not afraid to explore new opportunities, said Haertprich. Having worked in Europe my entire life, I am thrilled to join the Marriott organisation in Jordan and will be working together with the sales team to drive revenue and RevPAR growth." - TradeArabia News Service A University of Minnesota student who said she was raped last August by Richard Liu, the chief executive officer of China's e-commerce retailer JD.com Inc, filed a civil lawsuit against him in a Minneapolis court on Tuesday, nearly four months after prosecutors declined to press criminal charges. Liu, through his lawyers, maintained his innocence throughout the law enforcement investigation, which ended in December. The lawsuit filed in Hennepin County court seeks undisclosed damages and names Richard Liu and JD.com as defendants. It also identifies the student for the first ... Scrolling through news of the Notre Dame fire on social media feeds was like watching a real-time archive of grief in the making, as people expressed their dismay and sorrow at the damage wrought. Why is it that some heritage places publicly elicit more emotions than others? There is no simple answer to this question. But the outpouring of grief for Notre Dame is not simply because it is a beautiful gothic cathedral, or because it is more important than other places. For starters, some heritage places may seem more symbolically important than others because we know more about them, ... After Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms for three Congress rule states (Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Manipur). "An ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur and various parts of the country has been approved from the PM's Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved," the PMO tweeted on Wednesday. The relief for the residents of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur came hours after Chief Minister Kamal Nath accused the Prime Minister of being partial to Gujarat. "Modi ji, you are the PM of country, not only Gujarat's. More than ten people have died because of lightning strikes amid unseasonal rain and storm in MP. But are your sentiments limited to Gujarat only? Even if you do not have a government of your party but people are here too," the Madhya Pradesh CM tweeted. Unseasonal rain and storm created havoc in many parts of the country including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Nine people lost their lives in different districts of Gujarat due to unseasonal rain and storm. As many as sixteen people died across Madhya Pradesh in the last two days while six died in Rajasthan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Empathising with BJP candidate and actor Jaya Prada, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said political leaders should apply their minds before they speak about women-related issues. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sitharaman said, "100 per cent. It is always easy to hit at a woman when you talk about other things which don't become part of the conversation or which are not germane to the discussion. You easily pick up on things which are very personal or are gender specific and not called for at all. I find that coming very easily without a thought." "That is where I think all of us think before the word comes out of the vocal cord to the lips. There should be some kind of momentary application of mind at least," said the Defence Minister on Jaya Prada and other women politicians who have to face sexist remarks from male counterparts. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan had said in a public rally that "I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear." The Defence Minister asserted that politicians should respect one another. "We have to draw a line. Irrespective of the party line I think we have all learnt from good public discourse. It should be in the back of our minds what we talk about in as that is the legacy we leave behind for the next generation and we have a responsibility towards it," Sitharaman said. An FIR was registered against Khan for making an objectionable comment against the actor-turned-politician. The SP leader has, however, clarified that he did not name anyone. Questioned about her meeting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the Defence Minister said she had gone to meet the ailing leader during election campaign there as he had suffered an injury while performing a ritual at a temple. "So, I thought that it was right that I go to the hospital and wish him well. I had not informed anybody including people in my party circles. On my way back to the airport, I thought I should visit him in the hospital and that is it," the Defence Minister said. In the times when political leaders are not known to show such civility to political rivals, the picture of Sitharaman calling on the bed-ridden Tharoor has been appreciated very widely on social media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Help India! By Daisy Katta, TwoCircles.net The elections in Mumbai are slated to be held on 29th April in Mumbai. This is will be part of the 4th and the final phase of Lok Sabha Elections. TwoCircles.nets Daisy K spoke to people around Mumbai to understand their demands and expectations from the upcoming elections. Support TwoCircles Sadhana Sadhana is a student from Mumbai. Sadhanas father came to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh at a very young age. Sadhana is first from from her family to attain higher education. Her parents enrolled her into a local municipal school which had hardly any facilities for students. Despite the odds, Sadhana is pursuing her Masters in Social Work and hopes to become a Professor. She pointed out that that getting citizenship entitlements like reservations is very difficult for students who come from migrant families.In Sadhnas case she could not avail any facilities in spite her father having a domicile certificate, she says, they told us you are migrants so you cant get a certificate. Not having a certificate created many financial hurdles for Sadhana as she could not apply for any state sponsored scholarship schemes for students nor could she apply to the college of her choice. She says Atleast for girls they should have a provision from the governmentThe current government even got a 13 point roster, if someone like me wants to be a Professor tomorrow how is it possible? She adds, Everyone is talking about women empowerment, but when you go to schools they are asking the girls students to take dupatta and scarves, where as all the boys will only have pant and shirt, if they want to teach equality why dont they allow pant shirts for even girls, if you are teaching equality it should be followed everywhere. Eve in the Sabarimala case, the government is only saying dont give entry for the women. If the government is saying dont give entry for women, tomorrow the private sector companies will also say why should we give entry to women? They will say you will want a maternity leave and things like that . The private sector also just wants an excuse as well. Ashirwad Ashirwad is from Wardha district in Maharashtra and is a student from Mumbai. He says One of the major issues today is the curbing of educational scholarships by government. This will affect the large number of students who come from rural villages to the cities for higher education. Like the Maharashtra government has GOI Post Matric Scholarships or the Swadhar Yojana, but there is no proper execution of these scholarships on the ground level by the government. Nowadays even a OBC students, which is a large category in Maharashtra is treated as a General category student, this has reduced the OBC student enrollment in higher education. Now with the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) reservation is a big question now, we dont know how will the government execute it. For a student from OBC background in Maharashtra to avail scholarship the income criteria is below one lac, but now with the EWS reservation, students from the General category with an income of 8 lac and below will get the benefits. This is a discrimination, because more than the EWS the OBCs are more marginalised category, and with the implementation of EWS we will get to see the gross injustice in the universities. Regarding the current political scenario in Maharashtra, Ashirwad adds, I think VBA ( Vanchit Bahujan Agahdi) has a strong supporter of the students movement, compared to the other two parties. Prakash Ambedkars stand on the students struggles and his advocacy during the various youth related issues in Maharashtra is commendable I think the youths here are definitely are looking upto Prakash Ambedkar now. Dr. Sandip Medhe Dr.Sadip Medhe grew up in Shegaon a small town in Buldana District in Maharashtra. He is a first generation graduate from his family. Currently Dr.Medhe has just finished a course in Harvard and his research looked at caste and health outcomes.Dr. Medhe spoke to TCN about how caste has played a role in determining the health outcomes of marginalised communities. Dr. Medhe talks about why the government should work on the social aspect while formulating health policies in a country like India, to bring in a better health care system for the marginalised communities. He says that social justice needs to be placed at the centre of health issues in India. As a doctor and a citizen of this country what I expect from the government is to give better healthcare facilities, if you look at the health outcomes in our country, the stark reality is that these health outcomes are dependent on the privileges of communities which they have been enjoying historically. Unfortunately the marginalised community and castes in India have had the worst health outcomes if you go by the first NFHS survey conducted in 1992-93. They have come up with very unfortunate health statistics Maternal Mortality Rate , Child Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality Rate, anemia during pregnancy, inaccessibility to the primary health care system, these statistics are unfortunately bad especially marginalised communities like Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and the Other Backward Classes compared to the other communities. Since 1989 these statistics are out in public domain, but no one has paid any heed to it. As a healthcare professional I hope any government which is going to come to power makes the health inequality a burning issue, so they come up with inclusive policy to address this health inequality and hope it brings some positive outcome to faltering healthcare system in India. There should also be equal opportunity to access the healthcare system to the marginalised communities which are there in rural areas. Prafful Prafful is an Economics graduate and is a resident of Phule Nagar in Mumbai, which was one of the areas which is one of the areas which were affected during the Bhima Koregoan backlash. He says that the social media campaigning of both the Congress and BJP is very strong, he comes across numerous messages everyday on social media. Although he feels that VBA ( Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi) looks very promising. He says, I feel the Buddhists will vote for the VBA, I think it will surely win atleast in Akola where there are five seats. I also feel they have a strong chance of winning in Mumbai as well. The rally which VBA organised in Dadar Shivaji Park in February addressing the issues of the indgenious population in Mumbai. The Dussehra rally in Mumbai is a yearly Shiv Sena tradition on the famed Shivaji Park grounds in Dadar which has been a Sena bastion for long, but holding the rally in the same place has sent out a strong message.Prafful adds, Prakash Ambedkar along with Owaisi held the rally in Shivaji Park recently , I think this has helped them in creating a huge impact in Mumbai. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar claiming that under their government Maharashtra lagged behind in every area and it was BJP and Shiv Sena which have restored the state's lost glory. Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra's Sangli, Shah said: "The credit to bring development in Maharashtra goes to the BJP government as it lagged behind in every area under the rule of Congress and NCP. It was the BJP and Shiv Sena government who worked very hard to restore Maharashtra's lost glory." "Rahul Baba is sympathising with the poor now. Sharad Pawar ruled for so many years... the Gandhi family ruled the country for five generations... But they did nothing for the upliftment of the underprivileged sections of the society," he said. Comparing the funds allocated for the state under BJP and Congress government, Shah said: "Under the 13th Finance Commission, the UPA government gave only Rs 1.15 billion for the development of Maharashtra. But, when you made Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of this country, Maharashtra received Rs 4 lakh 38 thousand 760 crores under the 14th Finance Commission." The BJP president also lambasted the Congress for raising questions over the country's security. He said: "For ten years, there was the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the country; they put the security of the country at stake for vote bank. They did nothing even when our soldiers were beheaded by terrorists." "There were only two countries in the world, which used to take revenge for the blood of their soldiers -- one America and the other is Israel. Now, the third is India under the Narendra Modi government. As this is a land of Shivaji Maharaj, our country's defence, security and culture are important for all of us. I can guarantee you that only Narendra Modi can secure them," Shah added. Slamming the Congress for not adopting a tough approach on terror, Shah said that the most important task accomplished by the BJP government is providing security to the country. "Kashmir is an integral part of India and no one can separate it. Congress can't keep our country secure and safe. Only Prime Minister Modi is capable of doing this and we will adopt 'zero-tolerance' policy against terrorism." "In Jammu and Kashmir, Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah put a demand of having two prime ministers in the country, I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what is his response to those who want to divide the country," he asked. Claiming that Congress party, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, and Mayawati are supporting illegal migrants in the name of human rights, Shah said: "Why you are favouring them? Are they (illegal migrants) your 'chachere bhai' (cousins)? What about the bomb blasts orchestrated by them? They are like termites on the internal security of our country and our soldiers' rights." Shah asserted that the BJP's Sankalp Patra (manifesto) is in the favour of the country and the party will ensure development in every sector. "We will ensure development in every sector as we are committed to 'sabka sath sabka vikas'. We have provided reservation to Savarn Samaj (community) and I have asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to give benefits to farmers through retrospective effect," he said. The Lok Sabha polls for 48 parliamentary seats in Maharashtra began on April 11. It has been staggered in four phases till April 29. The 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.) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday approached the Election Commission (EC), alleging campaign by Bangladeshi Gaazi Noor for Trinamool Congress MP candidate Sougata Roy in Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat. This comes after another Bangladeshi national, Ferdous Ahmed was campaigning for the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state, following which the government subsequently blacklisted Ahmed from campaigning, cancelled his business visa and asked him to leave India. In a letter to the EC, the BJP wrote, "It has come to our notice that yet another Bangladeshi Gaazi Noor has been campaigning for the TMC candidate Shri Sougata Roy in the Dumdum Lok Sabha constituency. To substantiate our allegation we are enclosing with this letter a pen drive with a two-hour long video of the entire road show." The BJP claimed that Noor was seen very close to Roy's vehicle during campaigning. The Bangladeshi was also seen with another TMC leader, Madan Mitra, the party alleged. "Not only this act is in complete violation of the terms of visa which makes the foreigner an illegal person in India, but this is yet another case of a foreigner actively influencing the electoral process of India's highest lawmaking body - Lok Sabha. This is a gross violation of the very basics of any democratic structure," the BJP said while alleging the violation of Model Code of Conduct. The BJP apprised the EC that foreigners holding a temporary business visa cannot participate in an election campaign. Gaazi, while campaigning for the TMC, has "clearly violated" visa regulations, the party alleged. "The visa rules of India clearly states that those holding temporary business visa are permitted 12 types of specified activities in which participating in an election campaign or in any form of the electoral process is not mentioned. Hence, Noor Gaazi has clearly violated the visa regulations," the BJP said in the letter. Urging the EC to take cognisance of the matter, the party said, "The visa rules specifically provide for action against the foreign national and the sponsoring person/agency including imprisonment." This comes after Ahmed, who is a Bangladeshi actor, on Monday, campaigned for the TMC in the Raiganj parliamentary constituency in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district and the BJP had strongly objected to Ahmed's campaign, alleging the violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The MHA issued a notice to the actor, asking him to leave India for violating his visa conditions. He was blacklisted from campaigning in the country. Three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal - Darjeeling, Raiganj and Jalpaiguri - will go to polls in the second phase of elections on April 18. 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.) In a statement that could court controversy, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Chakdaha Ratna Ghosh Kar has appealed party cadres to "chase central forces away." In a video that is now viral on social media, Kar, while talking to TMC workers in a closed-door meeting, was heard urging the cadre to chase and attack jawans on election duty. She was also purportedly heard requesting Mahila Morcha members to pick up brooms and 'chase them away'. "If you want to win a war, there's nothing fair or unfair, democratic or undemonstrative way of winning it. You have to win it by any means. I have seen it in 2016 elections, how central force beat up our boys, there was a bloodbath. This time, it is even more challenging, but there is nothing to be scared," she said. "I will go to each and every booth and we will not care about the central forces. And if the central forces are pro-active, I will request the Mahila Morcha members to pick up broomsticks and chase them away from our area," the TMC MLA added. Last week, BJP's West Bengal in charge Kailash Vijayvargiya had said this party has urged the Election Commission to deploy central paramilitary forces and install CCTVs in all polling booths to ensure "free and fair" polling in the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. "The BJP demands that the EC should deploy central paramilitary forces and install CCTVs in all polling booths for the rest of the elections in West Bengal. We made the same plea during the panchayat elections. But, we all saw how the TMC indulged in hooliganism and massive violence during the panchayat polls," Vijayvargiya had told reporters in Kolkata on April 14. Three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal - Darjeeling, Raigunj, and Jalpaiguri - will vote on April 18. Two seats in the state, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, went to polls on April 11. Polling for rest of the seats will be held in the remaining five phases of elections. 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.) Chinese ambassador Yao Jing on Tuesday called on Finance Minister Asad Umar to discuss bilateral cooperation along with the ongoing projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). During the meeting, Asad briefed the Chinese envoy on the measures taken by the Pakistan government for creating a conducive environment for foreign investments, The Express Tribune reported. Asad stressed that China is a reliable friend and its support is essential for the socio-economic development of Pakistan. Chinese businessmen and investors would also benefit from the current environment by investing in various sectors of Pakistan, particularly agriculture, housing, health, education and energy, the Foreign Minister added. The meeting comes amid reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has delayed a multi-billion bailout package to Pakistan arguing that the debt-ridden country could probably use the aid to repay its Chinese debt. Government officials on Monday told The Dawn that the global money lender has sought details on the CPEC projects, and demanded a written guarantee that it will not use the aid to repay Chinese loans. In addition, the IMF also demanded details of more than USD 6.5 billion of commercial loans which Pakistan had received from China in the past two and a half years. In July, China also deposited USD two billion with the State Bank of Pakistan. Last week, three US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to oppose the proposed multi-billion bailout package arguing that the country could probably use the aid to repay its Chinese debt. An IMF staff mission would be visiting Islamabad by the end of this month to conclude various technical tables that would then be shared with the National Assembly committee. Pakistan is seeking USD eight billion from the IMF to bail itself out from a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy. If the deal is concluded, this would be the 14th IMF aid package for Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A debrief of the Indian Navy exercise "Sea Vigil" held from 22 to 23 January, was conducted on Tuesday at the Naval headquarters, the meeting was chaired by Vice Admiral MS Pawar, AVSM, VSM, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS). Sea Vigil was the first national-level coastal defence exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and involved naval stakeholders at the centre and all 13 coastal states and union territories. The debriefing was attended by high officials of the Navy, Indian Coast Guard, central ministries, state governments, union territory administration and intelligence agencies Vice Admiral Pawar (DCNS) highlighted the significant achievements during the exercise and complimented all stakeholders for the progress made over the last decade in the realm of coastal defence and security. The chairperson also complimented the strong inter-agency coordination and interoperability achieved during the exercise and reiterated the need for flexibility and agility to deal with security challenges. Feedbacks from the exercise and deliberations will be presented at the next meeting of the Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Acting on the directions of the Supreme Court, officials of the Election Commission on Wednesday watched a special screening of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A total of seven officials of a committee set up for the purpose were present for the screening of the biopic titled 'PM Narendra Modi'. The apex court had directed the EC to watch the full biopic and take an informed decision on banning its pan India release by April 19. The ECI officials who watched the screening included Deputy Commissioner Umesh Sinha, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Saxena, one senior deputy Election Commissioner, three Director General level officers. Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh was also present at the screening. A top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked the EC to watch the Narendra Modi biopic and submit its view to the court by April 22 in a sealed cover. On April 12, the makers of the Vivek Oberoi-starrer had moved the apex court, challenging the stay of the film's release. The producer of the film, Sandip Ssingh, had said that the poll panel banned the movie without watching it. The film was scheduled to release on April 11, coinciding with the commencement of the Lok Sabha elections in the country. However, on April 10, the EC stayed the release of the biopic till elections culminate, stating that the film disturbs the level-playing field. On April 9, the apex court had dismissed a plea on the release of the film and said that the responsibility will lie on the shoulders of the EC to decide whether the film is in violation of the model code of conduct. The movie is directed by Omung Kumar and includes Vivek Oberoi, Zarina Wahab, and Barkha Bisht Sengupta. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told the electorates here that they should avoid bringing Congress to the power, saying it would be a "sin", even if the voters "mistakenly" voted for the grand old party. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a remote-controlled government. When Congress was in power, there was injustice in Gujarat. Many police officers were sent to jail for wrong reasons and even BJP chief Amit Shah was put behind the bars," Modi said at a public rally here referring to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Accusing the Congress of speaking in the language of Pakistan, the Prime Minister hit out at the grand old party's promise of reviewing Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in its manifesto. "Congress is putting the security of our soldiers at risk. Even if you mistakenly press their button, it would be a sin. If you vote for them, they will leave no stones unturned to destroy this country," Modi said. Urging the electorates to vote on the development plank, the PM said that the ongoing Lok Sabha elections will decide who would run the country -- 'nationalists' or those supporting the 'anti-nationals'. "In 2014, you elected me with a huge margin. I would request you to elect me again. This election will decide who will run the country, nationalists or the people supporting anti-nationals," Modi asserted. Gujarat will go to polls on April 23 in a single phase for all 26 Lok Sabha seats. 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.) Launching a scathing attack on the Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said people of Wayanad do not want a 'discharged battery' and 'second-hand material' and he is sure people will reject him. "People in Kerala do not want a second-hand material and a discharged battery. I am sure people of Wayanad will reject Rahul Gandhi," Goyal said addressing an election rally here. "As he is afraid of defeat in Amethi, he has to run all the way to Wayanad. Rahul has lost the confidence of the people of India. I am sure the people of Kerala will defeat him so that, in the next election he will have to look for a constituency in some other country," Goyal added. The Union Minister praised the Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, KS Radhakrishnan, and called him "a man of integrity." "Radhakrishnan is a man of integrity and understand the pain of a common man like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the last Lok Sabha elections, candidates from Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) got disappeared. But, Radhakrishnan is consistent. Congress president himself ran away from Amethi as he is facing Union Minister Smriti Irani there," he said. "CPI (M) and Congress have the same agenda of destroying the culture of Kerala. One day they will stand together, another day they will fight. They are like two sides of the same coin. Kerala is a land of peace and harmony. But CPI (M) and Congress are destroying them," the Union Minister added. Continuing his tirade against the Congress and CPI (M), Goyal said: "Both the parties are known for their double standards when it comes to women empowerment and their dignity. They did not cooperate with the Centre even on triple talaq issue. They do not want the safety of the Muslim women." He also alleged that many BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers were killed by CPI (M) and Congress. Polling in Kerala will be held in a single phase on April 23. 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.) OYO Hotels & homes - South Asia's largest, China's 2nd largest, and the world's 6th largest chain of hotels, homes, and quality spaces - in an effort to uphold its commitment to the highest standards of compliance, integrity and ethics, on Wednesday, announced that taking an inspiration from JD.com, OYO Jiudian, has set up an integrity committee in China, with representation from select senior leadership members and third-party representatives, as a forward-looking measure to help the company maintain a high level of integrity and transparency in running day to day business, while it witnesses unprecedented growth and strong performance in the country. Today, OYO is in 8000+ hotels and 400,000 rooms across 290+ cities, and on an average every building that becomes a part of OYO's chain witnesses increased occupancy from 25 per cent to 65 per cent in few months time. The integrity committee meets on a regular basis to take important decisions with respect to day to day operations, ways of working for employees, and other stakeholders like asset owners. In a bold move, the committee that has a zero-tolerance policy towards unethical practices has directed the discharge of over 25 employees in China of their duties, for misconduct and issued a strong warning to over 110 employees. While the majority of offences involve sums as small as RMB 10, the sharpened focus on integrity and corporate governance have resulted in this bold move. OYO's newly constituted integrity committee has been at the forefront of ensuring compliance across all levels of the organization in China. The company also confirmed that it has de-listed two hotels in the last two months, subject to fulfilment of quality standards and other customer experience checks as part of its comprehensive quality assurance program for all the 8000+ hotels that are part of its chain in China. OYO's integrity committee draws inspiration from some of the best practices followed by local and global companies and identifies, evaluates and recommends decisions every thirty days. "We are really happy to see the overwhelming response to our here, we are in line to be the largest hotel chain, with 600X growth in daily stayed nights since March 2018. At this stage in our growth, it is important for us to set the highest standards of integrity and corporate governance to ensure we are not just growing fast but also moving in the right direction. Having worked with some of the best and biggest organizations in the world, I am a firm believer in the fact that culture eats strategy for breakfast. Corruption in any form or denomination, no matter how small, is against the spirit of fairness and transparency and my personal value systems cannot reconcile with letting off someone who disrespects these basic human virtues and values. I am not alone in this belief. Whether its global corporations like Pepsico or respected Chinese organizations like JD.com closer home, acting swiftly and strongly against unethical practices have helped them set world-class benchmarks while maintaining business growth and performance", said Sam Shih, COO, OYO China. "OYO China intends to lead by example and hence took this bold initiative to set up this integrity committee. While this may seem harsh and unpopular and has already elicited some reactions, the best decisions are the hardest ones. For OYOpreneurs who live by our value systems, focus on great customer experience and ethical dealings with the hotel owners, the world is their oyster and for those that disregard the trust and faith placed in them, even for small transactions, there will be no leniency. It's never the quantum but the intent that matters", he added. On the hotel owners' front, significant business at OYO Hotels China is generated by the repeat, direct or word of mouth customers, i.e. customers who have had a pleasant experience or heard good positive reviews choosing an OYO over other hotels time after time. What makes this possible is the continued joint commitment between OYO and its franchise partners, to uphold the high quality, service levels, and experience that customers have come to expect of us. To this effect, OYO China also has a strong set of quality assurance checks and balances in place. Powered by technology, multiple apps help regularly audit everything from room appearance, hotel and food quality to reasons behind any critical feedback received from guests. OYO regularly connects with asset owners and partner franchisees to guide and direct corrective action for a quality customer experience. When buildings fail to make improvements despite interventions, OYO takes the tough call of delisting buildings. On the other hand, the best asset owners that work pro-actively with OYO on improving customer experience enter a 'virtuous cycle' that ensures that growth fuels growth and it is our effort to ensure that most of our asset owners enter such a growth cycle wherein performance leads to good customer feedback. "Each and every progress and breakthrough of the total revenue is because of all OYOprenuers' wit and diligence. The discussions for revenue structure at beginnings of the month, late-night meetings on maximum profit adjustment, rigorous work style, and accurate data, are all vividly memorable. 220k revenue in May, 230k in June, and 290k in July, OYO ops team and the hotel has been side by side for 90+ days when we strive to work from 10 am to 3 am. We are especially grateful for OYO's dedication and professionalism because of the industriousness demonstrated by the Operations team," said Ma Jun, the owner of Shenzhen Xin Ming Du Hotel. "For the year 2019, we have recognized key priorities, including a deep and wide expansion of OYO's chain while ensuring a consistent product and service delivery, and high-quality customer experience. To that end, we are continuously evaluating our 8000+ hotels and 400,000 rooms across 290+ cities for quality assurance. With utmost conviction towards delivering high-quality accommodation to our customers, any building which does not maintain the standards we have set for us and the industry is churned out of our system", added Sam Shih, highlighting priorities for the business. It is important to note that these measures apply to hotels that fail to improve facilities or compliance with OYO guidelines despite reminders and assistance. They are then churned out of the system, basis, non-adherence to contract requirements. "As the owner of multiple hotels with OYO, I can confidently state that this decision is good for business. A lot of guests decide to try an OYO in Zhengzhou based on their experience in some other city. At OYO YunShi Hotel, we work really hard to ensure customers enjoy their stay with us and come back to our hotel. My buildings are consistently rated high and it would hurt my business if people begin to feel that they cannot predict how their stay at an OYO will turn out", said Ye, owner of OYO YunShi Hotel. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jet Airways on Wednesday cancelled all flights, including its international flights temporarily after failing to secure emergency funds from its lenders, according to a statement by the airlines. The embattled airline said it took this decision after State Bank of India (SBI) on behalf of a consortium of Indian lenders informed on Tuesday night, that they were unable to consider its request for critical interim funding. "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect, Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today," Jet said in a statement. The airline said it will inform passengers about the cancelled flights via text or mail and will also make other arrangements for them. It also expressed the hope that the airline would resume function once again in the future post the bid finalisation process by SBI and other lenders. "Jet Airways will now await the bid finalisation process by SBI and the consortium of Indian Lenders," the airline said. The Airline is battling for survival and has yet to receive a loan of about Rs 1,500 crore as part of a rescue deal with government-owned lenders. An SBI-led consortium has taken over the airlines after chairman and founder Naresh Goyal stepped down from the Board on March 25. Burdened with high operating costs and a huge debt, the airline has been facing the biggest crisis in its history. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Turkey is looking into establishing new trade mechanisms with Iran, such as the INSTEX system set up by European countries to avoid US sanctions re-imposed last year on exports of Iranian oil, Reuters reported. Turkish Minute in the article Turkey seeking new trade mechanisms with Iran to avoid US sanctions recalls that those sanctions followed President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw unilaterally from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear program and stop backing militant proxies in the Middle East. Cavusoglu reiterated Turkeys opposition to the sanctions and said Ankara and neighboring Iran needed to keep working to raise their bilateral trade to a target of $30 billion, around triple current levels. Along with the existing mechanisms, we evaluated how we can establish new mechanisms, like INSTEX how we can remove the obstacles before us and before trade, Cavusoglu told a news conference after talks with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif. What is important here is the solidarity and determination between us, he added. France, Germany and Britain have opened a new channel for non-dollar trade with Iran to avert sanctions, dubbed The Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). Washingtons European allies opposed Trumps move to abandon the 2015 deal, under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for Tehran accepting curbs on its nuclear program. Iran has threatened to pull out of the deal unless the European powers enable it to receive economic benefits. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal. Cavusoglu did not go into details about the new mechanisms, but Turkey has a track record of using national currencies in international trade. In October 2017, the Turkish and Iranian central banks formally agreed to trade in their local currencies after using the euro for settlements in the past. After re-imposing sanctions on Iran, Washington granted waivers to eight nations including Turkey that reduced their purchases of Iranian oil, allowing them to keep buying it without incurring sanctions for six more months. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that Turkey expected the United States to extend Ankaras waiver. Amid row over the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing concern at the politicisation of the armed forces, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said that credibility of the appeal made was lost after some of the senior retired personnel named in the letter said they "neither signed it nor were a party to it". In an exclusive interaction with ANI, the Defence Minister made it clear that she was against the politicisation of the armed forces. However, she asserted that highlighting the strong political will of the government due to which actions such as the Balakot air strike and the surgical strikes took place did not amount to politicisation. "All of us will have to be conscious that we do not do anything which could raise questions on our credibility. Even if one individual has a problem and says that I have not signed it (the letter) or I am not a party to it, then the credibility of the whole appeal is lost," she said. More than 150 veterans of the Indian armed forces reportedly wrote to Kovind urging him to stop the politicisation of the military in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The letter urged Kovind to "take all necessary steps to urgently direct all political parties that they must forthwith desist from using the military, military uniforms or symbols, and any actions by military formations or personnel, for political purposes or to further their political agendas". The letter went viral before it reached the President. And as soon as the letter came out, two former services chiefs including Air Chief Marshal NC Suri and former Army Chief General SF Rodrigues denied having given their consent for the letter. "We in the services have always done what the government in power ordered us. We are an instrument of the state. We are apolitical. Anyone can say anything and then sell it as fake news. I don't know who this gentleman is who wrote this (the letter)," General (retired) Rodrigues had told ANI. Sitharaman said that she has not met with any of the veterans who wrote the letter. She underscored that though nobody has stopped the veterans from approaching the President, the timing of the letter was bound to raise questions. "All this gives rise to questions, what is this? who has written it?. I concede that they have every business to write to the supreme commander but I am entitled to my right of questioning it," she said. The Defence Minister stated that while she agrees with the sentiment that there should be no politicization of the armed forces, she also believes that it is not wrong to highlight the tough decisions made by the government. "Does this mean the government should not speak about what decisions it takes? Without the kind of political will we had and the way we gave a free hand to the armed forces, was it possible to carry out such operations? After the 2008 attack nothing happened," she said. "It is not like everything happened in 2019. Action was taken in 2016 after Uri attack as well, she added. Sitharaman said she was "only highlighting the fact that a government must have a clear mindset that it needs to stand up to defend the sovereignty of the country and therefore, talking about the political will, which made the difference is not the politicisation of the armed forces" The Minister said during the political campaign in various parts of the country including Kerala from where she returned yesterday, the common people wanted her to talk about the Balakot strikes. "I speak for a while on development or on issues related income being doubled for farmers, sanitation and so on. People from some corner of the crowd would shout Balakot or Pulwama. I don't respond for some time. But then you have leaders on the dais who say that you should speak about it as the defence minister. The moment I utter the word Balakot or Pulwama, you should hear the sound of applause which envelopes the environment," she said. The defence minister underlined that the "mood in the country at present was similar to what it was post the Uri attack." "People were looking up to us. They wanted the government to take action to curb terrorism," she added. The Minister also highlighted that unlike the perception that issues pertaining to Pakistan or border don't get much attention down south, youth in huge numbers from the southern states are aspiring to join the armed forces post the Balakot air strike. "I am getting reports that apart from public meetings and campaigning, for recruitment into the armed forces, there is a hike in demand now. People want to join the forces as they see what is happening. In Tumkur, people asked me in Kannada to speak about Balakot air strikes". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People belonging to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), who are residing in London and other parts of the United Kingdom, organised a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission here on Tuesday demanding Islamabad to stop exploiting water resources in the region. The protestors opposed the construction of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Power project in PoK that has diverted the water flow and affected the normal life in Muzaffarabad. Mahmood Kashmiri, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA) said: "We, the British Kashmiris, gathered here in front of Pakistan High Commission to protest against Islamabad for diverting the waters of River Neelum. It is now planning to divert the waters of River Jhelum as well." "This is the voice of the common people of Kashmir. Pakistan has been enforcing things on us, including the construction of the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River in Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. This is the reason why the British Kashmiri community has been protesting against Pakistan," the JKNIA leader added. The protesters, including women and children, shouted slogans against Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), urging it to implement an immediate ban on the construction of the hydropower project on the rivers which has been the prime source of water in the region. Pakistan has deprived the local residents of the region of the basic need of water for a long time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sprinter Sneha Singh has filed a complaint against three hotel workers for allegedly manhandling her and her associates at Khopoli in Raigad district, police said on Wednesday. In her complaint, Sneha said three staff members at Vitthal Hotel misbehaved with her and two co-runners Prahlad Singh and Sameer Singh on April 16. The three sprinters went to the hotel's restaurant for dinner where a scuffle broke out between them and the hotel staff over payment of the bill. Following this, Sneha lodged a complaint at Khopoli police station. Police have lodged an FIR in the case as 'non-cognizable office' under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). Also, proceedings have been initiated against accused under sections 107 and 116 (3) under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Sneha, who is a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had participated in 'Run For Namo Again' campaign. The campaign was launched in 50 cities across India to garner support for the incumbent Prime Minister in the run-up to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hours after the BJP demanded an apology for his comments on President Ram Nath Kovind, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday claimed that a section of media misquoted him as saying Kovind was elected to the highest constitutional post due to his caste. "It is very unfortunate that my comments during a press conference have been misquoted by few media houses," Gehlot tweeted. Earlier in the day, at a press conference here, he said: "Ramnath Kovind ji was made the President keeping in mind the caste equations ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections. This is why Advani ji was left behind (in the presidential race)." However, later while clarifying Gehlot asserted that he had the greatest regards for President Kovind and was impressed with his simplicity and humbleness. "I have the greatest regards for the President of India, and personally for Sh. Ramnath ji whom I have met in person and highly impressed with his simplicity and humbleness," the Chief Minister said in his tweet. Soon after Gehlot's remarks, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao accused the Congress leader of insulting the President, the custodian of the constitution and sought his apology. Terming the CM's remarks as "anti-Dalit, anti-poor, anti-people, and anti-constitution", the BJP also urged the Election Commission to take action against Gehlot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japanese shipping major Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) will acquire strategic stake in six group companies of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), it was announced on Wednesday. Reliance Ethane Holding Pte Ltd (REHPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIL, has 100 per cent holding in six limited liability companies which own very large ethane carriers. MOL of Japan and a strategic minority investor have signed binding definitive agreements for an investment in the six special purpose limited liability companies each owning a very large ethane carrier. "The investment by MOL will deepen our relationship and ensure continued, safe and efficient operations of the very large ethane carriers," said RIL's Executive Director P M S Prasad. "We welcome MOL as a strategic partner into the SPVs as they move beyond the current operator role to joint owner and operator role in the SPVs," he said in a statement without giving value of the deal. MOL Executive Vice President Takeshi Hashimoto said the investment will enable the company to add six very large ethane carriers which it has been operating. "We are. therefore, happy and look forward to using this strategic opportunity to be a joint owner and to significantly strengthen our existing relationship with Reliance," he said. MOL has a fleet of over 850 vessels which include liquefied natural gas carriers, other tankers, dry bulkers, car carriers, ferries and coastal roll-on/roll-off ships and cruise ships. After the transaction is closed following regulatory approvals, the SPVs will be jointly controlled by REHPL and MOL. RIL is India's largest private sector company with a consolidated turnover of Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Its activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and digital services. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Ashwani Kumar on Wednesday said that Union minister Uma Bharti's remark against Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a "new low in political discourse." Bharti had referred to Priyanka as "Chor ki Patni" (the wife of a thief) while talking to media in Chhattisgarh's Durg on Tuesday. Kumar, while speaking to ANI, said, "This statement is a new low in political discourse, I have no words to adequately condemn such a reprehensible statement from a Union minister and a leader like Uma Bharti against a lady and a leader of a party. Bharti's statement against Priyanka is condemnable as there is not even a whisper of wrongdoing against her nor her husband is found guilty." "I think elections are not about winning or losing but about maintaining the civility and decorum to sustain democracy," he added. On being asked about Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's claim of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement on Prime Minister Narendra Modi being Congress' ploy, the former Rajya Sabha member said, "Her statement is laughable and is a joke. BJP has a lot to explain regarding what they did with Pakistan." "The BJP has made it a practice to attack self-respect of opposition leaders. The party has brought down the level of political discourse. In the Lok Sabha Elections, the people will give a strong reply to BJP for their low-level remarks in political discourse," he added. Sitharaman on Wednesday alleged that Khan's statement 'that there may be a better chance of India-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power', is a ploy by Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Birbhum Trinamool Congress chief Anubrata Mondal on Wednesday told voters not to be afraid of the central forces, which will be deployed near the polling booths across states on the election day. "There is no need to get afraid of the paramilitary forces on the election day. State police will also be there to help you. If you face any injustice, do not spare them. We are with you," he stated while addressing a public rally here. Mondal also stated that he would quit if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manages to win more than 120 Lok Sabha seats on May 23. "If you win more than 120 Lok Sabha seats, I will leave This government at the Centre has betrayed the public and I am sure people will not cast their ballot in favour of the BJP this time," Mondal said. The second phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal is scheduled for April 18. 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.) Pakistan is making a mockery of itself by taking defence attaches and selected journalists to a madrasa which was not even touched by the Indian Air Force on February 26, instead of the terror training centre which was attacked, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sitharaman said the onus to prove whether a terrorist camp was hit or not during the Balakot air strikes was on Pakistan. "It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed. They took 40 days to take a small group of journalists and defence attaches and limited that picnic that they had of these people only to the madrasa. I am telling you the madrasa was at the lower end of the foothill and behind the madrasa, into the dense forest was the training camp. So, Pakistan is making a mockery of itself," she said. When questioned about the Indian government's silence on the outcome of the Balakot airstrike, the Defence Minister said, "Before the attack took place, many Pakistani websites claimed that the targeted terror camp was recruiting youngsters. The world-renowned notorious terrorist who handled many attacks like the 2008 Mumbai terror attack was calling out to young men to join him. Not only this, recruiters of the terrorist outfit were even hiring retired trainers to train future jihadis. If you look into the websites you would know how many people were being trained in the camp. So from there, one can calculate an approximate number. Talking about her experience of handling the Balakot air strike she said, "You are not concerned that much about the success or failure of the operation. It is your men and their lives which is the major concern. You just hope that everything goes fine. I got a call at 4 'o' clock in the morning saying that everyone was safe and it was only then that I felt relieved." In the wee hours of February 26, 12 Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter entered Pakistani airspace and dropped 1,000-kg laser-guided bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps across the Line of Control, due to which a "large number" of terrorists, including top commanders, were eliminated. Sitharaman also spoke about her meeting with Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandhan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistani troops a day after the air strikes and later released as a "peace gesture." "I met him a few days after he reached Delhi. He was agile, firm and clear while talking to me. He was full of positive energy and sitting and talking to him would have motivated you to think that this is the stuff young men and women should be made of and not for a moment, he had a tone of regret. He said I am trained for handling these situations and I am also trained to keep my head high. He told me one thing and one very admirable quality was that he told me that look I am trained to face these kinds of situations and this part of my training. But I am not trained to cope with this instant publicity and popularity and I am not skilled enough to face this public appreciation and that is what I have got to learn now," said Sitharaman. She went on to say that efforts are being made to bring former Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav back to India. "Now it is globally being watched, the kind of efforts that MEA and also the legal department are putting at the International Court of Justice is for everybody to see. The efforts are fully out there. It is for everybody to see," she added. Sitharaman also downplayed Imran Khan's statement 'that there may be a better chance of India-Pakistan peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power' and said that she believes that it is a ploy by Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. "I wouldn't know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party's or the government's take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by Congress. I don't know what to make of this honestly," the Defence Minister said. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Reacting to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quraishi's claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between April 16-20, Sitharaman said, "I don't know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him... god knows (who is his source in India) but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me." When asked whether the Supreme Court's decision to look into the allegedly stolen documents or acquired documents in the Rafale case weakened government's position, the Union Minister said, "I don't think our position has become weaker. We are firm on our stand. The Attorney General gave an explanation the next day. Documents from Defence Ministry are classified documents. Every time a document of this nature even a page comes out, in my understanding, it is stealing of information. The ministry is looking into the matter as to how it came out." On being questioned if she thought that the procurement of documents pertaining to the Rafale deal was illegal, the Minister said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That's what I have been harping on. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come out through a legitimate manner then it is said to be stolen. Now what has come out does not alter the discourse on Rafale. Even if we include the matter on these illegally obtained pages, it does not alter the clear process which has been adopted. We are not worried at all." Sitharaman also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he attributed to the Supreme Court. "But then has the Supreme Court said that Modi ji gave this much money to Anil Ambani? Has Supreme Court said this? When has Supreme Court said this? Has Supreme court even remotely said that PM Modi is not chowkidar and chori ki hai? Is this not taking liberty with the institutions? That too SC, where every word is well thought out. It is putting words into the mouth of the court and therefore if SC is looking into the matter it is only fair," she said. Further underlining government's dedication towards equipping the armed forces, the Defence Minister said, "Post Rafale too, the Defence Acquisition Council meets every fortnight. We have been clearing things which are vital for the armed forces. Nothing has stopped us. The speed during Manohar Parrikar's time and Arun Jaitley's time continues even now." On giving emergency powers of up to Rs 300 crores to the services for meeting their critical requirements, the Defence Minister said, "earlier also we had given emergency powers post-Uri attacks. We had also given them the power to choose what they want to buy. If they want to quickly purchase some ammunition post-Pulwama, they can go ahead. So, this happens at least under Modi and the NDA government. Armed forces have the margin of acquiring quickly." Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also spoke about the letter by some retired personnel to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing concern at the politicisation of the armed forces and asserted that credibility of the appeal made was lost after some of the senior retired personnel named in the letter said that they "neither signed it nor were a party to it". "All of us will have to be conscious that we do not do anything which could raise questions on our credibility. Even if one individual has a problem and says that I have not signed it (the letter) or I am not a party to it, then the credibility of the whole appeal is lost," she said. More than 150 veterans of the Indian armed forces reportedly wrote to Kovind urging him to stop the politicisation of the military in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The letter urged Kovind to "take all necessary steps to urgently direct all political parties that they must forthwith desist from using the military, military uniforms or symbols, and any actions by military formations or personnel, for political purposes or to further their political agendas". The letter went viral before it reached the President. And as soon as the letter came out, two former services chiefs including Air Chief Marshal NC Suri and former Army Chief General SF Rodrigues denied having given their consent for the letter. "We in the services have always done what the government in power ordered us. We are an instrument of the state. We are apolitical. Anyone can say anything and then sell it as fake news. I don't know who this gentleman is who wrote this (the letter)," General (retired) Rodrigues had told ANI. Sitharaman said that she has not met with any of the veterans who wrote the letter. She underscored that though nobody has stopped the veterans from approaching the President, the timing of the letter was bound to raise questions. "All this gives rise to questions, what is this? who has written it?. I concede that they have every business to write to the supreme commander but I am entitled to my right of questioning it," she said. The Defence Minister stated that while she agrees with the sentiment that there should be no politicisation of the armed forces, she also believes that it is not wrong to highlight the tough decisions made by the government. "Does this mean the government should not speak about what decisions it takes? Without the kind of political will we had and the way we gave a free hand to the armed forces, was it possible to carry out such operations? After the 2008 attack nothing happened," she said. "It is not like everything happened in 2019. Action was taken in 2016 after Uri attack as well, she added. Sitharaman said she was "only highlighting the fact that a government must have a clear mindset that it needs to stand up to defend the sovereignty of the country and therefore, talking about the political will, which made the difference is not the politicisation of the armed forces" The Minister said during the political campaign in various parts of the country including Kerala from where she returned yesterday, the common people wanted her to talk about the Balakot strikes. "I speak for a while on development or on issues related income being doubled for farmers, sanitation and so on. People from some corner of the crowd would shout Balakot or Pulwama. I don't respond for some time. But then you have leaders on the dais who say that you should speak about it as the defence minister. The moment I utter the word Balakot or Pulwama, you should hear the sound of applause which envelopes the environment," she said. The defence minister underlined that the "mood in the country at present was similar to what it was post the Uri attack." "People were looking up to us. They wanted the government to take action to curb terrorism," he added. The Minister also highlighted that unlike the perception that issues pertaining to Pakistan or border don't get much attention down south, youth in huge numbers from the southern states are aspiring to join the armed forces post the Balakot air strike. "I am getting reports that apart from public meetings and campaigning, for recruitment into the armed forces, there is a hike in demand now. People want to join the forces as they see what is happening. In Tumkur, people asked me in Kannada to speak about Balakot air strikes". Sitharaman also empathised with BJP candidate and actor Jaya Prada on the issue of objectionable remarks made against her and said that the political leaders should apply their minds before they speak about women-related issues. "100 per cent. It is always easy to hit at a woman when you talk about other things which don't become part of the conversation or which are not germane to the discussion. You easily pick up on things which are very personal or are gender specific and not called for at all. I find that coming very easily without a thought," she said. "That is where I think all of us think before the word comes out of the vocal cord to the lips. There should be some kind of momentary application of mind at least," said the Defence Minister on Jaya Prada and other women politicians who have to face sexist remarks from male counterparts. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan had stated in a public rally, "I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear". The Defence Minister asserted that politicians should respect one another. "We have to draw a line. Irrespective of the party line I think we have all learnt from good public discourse. It should be in the back of our minds what we talk about in as that is the legacy we leave behind for the next generation and we have a responsibility towards it," Sitharaman said. An FIR had been registered against the SP leader for making an objectionable comment against the actor-turned-politician. Khan has, however, stated that he did not name anyone. Questioned about her meeting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the Defence Minister said she had gone to meet the ailing leader during election campaign there as he had suffered an injury while performing a ritual at a temple in the city. "So, I thought that it was right that I go to the hospital and wish him well. I had not informed anybody including people in my party circles. On my way back to the airport, I thought I should visit him in the hospital and that is it," the Defence Minister said. In the times when political leaders are not known to show such civility to political rivals, the picture of Sitharaman calling on the bed-ridden Tharoor has been appreciated very widely on social media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on a four-day visit to China on April 25 to attend the second 'Belt and Road Forum' in Beijing. Khan will visit the country on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jimping, reported Radio Pakistan. He will deliver a keynote speech in the opening ceremony of the 'Belt and Road Forum' on April 26. The forum provides a platform to the countries participating in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for exchanging views and experiences on regional connectivity, policy synergy, socio-economic development and trade and commerce. This year, the forum will be attended by 40 heads of state or government and representatives from more than 100 countries, international organisations, and the corporate sector. The BRI is a development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. During the visit, Khan is also slated to hold meetings with Xi Jimping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. The two countries will sign several agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for the corporation in various areas. This will be Khan's second official visit to China after assuming office in August last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia on Wednesday shot himself in the neck after the authorities issued an order for his immediate arrest. Garcia was rushed to the hospital in Peru's capital Lima following the incident. His condition is critical, CNN reported the state news agency Andina as saying. The 69-year-old served as the president of Peru from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011. Garcia was under investigation for bribery in connection with a massive corruption scandal that has engulfed a number of former Latin American leaders. He is accused of receiving kickbacks from a Brazil-based company Odebrecht during his second term as Peru's president. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia's Gazprom has agreed to resume imports of gas from Turkmenistan -- having suspended purchases in January 2016 -- in a sign of improved relations between Moscow and Ashgabat. S&P Global Platts reports in its article Gazprom agrees to resume gas imports from Turkmenistan that Russia was a key market for Turkmen gas until 2016 when Gazprom ceased purchases altogether, saying they were no longer profitable. In a statement Tuesday, Gazprom said that a trading subsidiary -- Gazprom Schweiz -- had agreed a new gas purchase contract with state-owned Turkmengaz on Monday. "According to this contract, up to 1.155 Bcm gas from Turkmenistan is to be purchased through June 30, 2019," it said. The 10-week contract duration is short, but should the contract be extended, the volumes in the current contract suggest an annual volume of 6 Bcm, according to S&P Global Platts calculations. The resumption of imports of Turkmen gas could be driven by Gazprom's desire to supplement its own production as it boosts exports to Europe. But equally it could a bid by Russia to hamper plans to build a trans-Caspian pipeline designed for Turkmen gas to reach Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor. Turkmen gas was traditionally the marginal source of Russian gas procurement, needed to top up Russia's domestic output. Exports ran at around 10-11 Bcm/year in 2010-14. Relations between Turkmengaz and Gazprom worsened over 2014 and 2015 when the two became embroiled in a dispute over payments and supply volumes. Gazprom moved the dispute to the Stockholm arbitration court in June 2015, but said the following year the case had been put on hold "with a view to finding a mutually acceptable solution on further cooperation outside the framework of the arbitration." Turkmenistan has long been seen as a possible source of gas to help fill the Southern Gas Corridor bringing Caspian region gas via Turkey to Europe. In August last year, the concept of a trans-Caspian gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan received a boost when the five nations with borders on the Caspian Sea agreed on the legal terms for how to share access after 20 years of negotiation. In the meantime, a resumption of Russian supplies gives Turkmenistan its second main export market back. Ashgabat's only significant customer is China with exports running at around 30 Bcm/year. Some small volumes of gas have reached Azerbaijan in recent years as swaps via Iran. Veteran actor Prakash Raj, who is contesting from Bengaluru Central seat as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday hit out at the Congress for posting photographs on social media platforms, which claimed he backed the grand old party. "There was a candidate debate and I met Congress candidate (from Bengaluru Central) Rizwan Ahmed. Congress has made a photograph of it (him shaking hands with Ahmed), sent it on WhatsApp groups and said it's confirmed that Prakash Raj has joined Congress so you don't have to waste your vote on him. It was done by Mazhar Ahmed who claims to be Rizwan's PA," Raj told ANI in an exclusive interview. Raj said he telephoned and slammed the lack of ethics of the person, who made the "sick" claim that the photos were a forward. "Will you stoop so much? Why don't they talk on issues, report card (on their governance performance) or a scientific temper with a vision for the problems we have in this country. It's sick and I am really angry about it. We need to teach these people ethics," said the 54-year-old actor. The photograph of a shake-hand between Raj and Ahmed had gone viral on social media platforms, which was captioned as -- 'Prakash Raj supports Congress. Don't waste your vote by giving it to Prakash Raj'. Hitting out at opposition leaders like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mayawati for broaching the subject of religion while electioneering, Raj said, "You are speaking to a citizen to this country. If any political party says this is a minority seat, are they actually secular? This seat is a Muslim seat... how can you call it a Muslim seat?" "If you want to empower minorities, you empower them over the years to bring the leadership in them. See to it they embrace inclusiveness in this country. That is how we citizens have to look at it. You need to uplift them. You need to give reservations. That is for them (Congress) to say we are making it fair for you. But, they are not doing this, they are just using the minorities as a vote bank. This is sad," he remarked. Downplaying the Opposition's agenda to defeat the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the actor said, "Who are you to defeat anybody? In a country's election, parties or individuals don't win. If you choose the wrong person, people lose. But, if you choose the right person, citizens win. We have to see it in that way." Stressing that the elections should not be linked to just a mere political battle, Raj said, "Let us not fight against political parties. Fight for your right to choose your right. Once, you choose the right candidate of your constituency, everything will fall in place." Raj underlined that the country needs parliamentarians having a vision who will take the country forward by making policy decisions. "We need to see 500+ parliamentarians who are going to make policies to 130 crore Indians, be it water or jobs. We need a vision and we need visionary leaders to come in here," he said. Raj asserted that he is not leaning towards any political party and is leaning towards the citizens, whose issues have to be taken up and solved in the long-run. "All my problems or interests is the people and their issues. There is a need to understand the political parties and their leaders' mistakes and our mistakes as citizens," said the veteran actor. Describing the 17th Lok Sabha elections as a "voice" and "festival" for the people to choose the next government, Raj underlined that it is important to see whether the administration or an elected candidate has a vision for the problems faced by electorates or not. Divulging his future course of action if he was elected as an MP, Raj said, "I will sit (in the Parliament) for the people. If any policy made is not pro-people, I will be the first person to raise my voice. A single parliamentarian is not one parliamentarian. He or she has got that many lakhs of people (who are being represented by an MP)." Commenting on instances where film actors have gone back to the industry after joining politics, Raj rebuffed that he would not follow suit, saying that he is ready to have people going against him and making him "uncomfortable". "I am not that one of those actors (who will leave politics). I am not only known for acting. I am feeling more liberated in the last few years since I stood on threatening issues by leaving the comfort zone. People see my courage to it. I am ready to be uncomfortable. I am ready to have people going against me as well," he remarked. Raj, who has been critical of the Narendra Modi government, attacked the BJP for labelling those as "anti-national" who spoke against the government. "When you talk of demonetisation, they will call you anti- In this country, there has been so many prime ministers and every prime minister have had dissent and people have gone against him or her. But, when you talk about Modi, you become an anti- What is this? 'Matlab kuch bhi bolenge aap.' (Means you will say anything you wish)," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Spokesperson of Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Wednesday expressed unhappiness over the party's decision to take back some of its old timers who were expelled for misbehaving with her. "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in @incindia over those who have given their sweat and blood. Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," tweeted Priyanka. Some local party leaders had allegedly misbehaved with Priyanka while she was attending a press conference in Mathura a few days back. Congress had initially thrown them out but recently taking the elections into consideration they were reportedly taken back. Their rejoining saddened the spokesperson and she has, reportedly, conveyed her dissatisfaction to the senior leaders too. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People of Gyapin, a remote village in Kurung Kumey district, voted for the first time in their own village, in the history of elections in India, during the first phase of polling on April 11. Electoral officers with the help of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, which is deployed on India- China border for border security and management duty in the state, helped to ensure voting in the village. The village is covered with thick undergrowth and subtropical forests and the nearest road connectivity to the village is about 45 kilometres from village panchayat Parsi Parlo. The only access to the village is available through foot track of around 10 to 15 kilometres, 25 kilometres of hill climb and 10 kilometres of downhill slope through mountainous jungles. There are only 346 voters in the village, out of which most of the families have migrated to Itanagar and population mainly consists of floating numbers in the village. The polling party escorted by the ITBP walked for 6 days to cover total 90 kilometres with many motivated ITBP jawans and local youth. And only after 3 days of voting, the polling party was able to reach back to submit the EVM at the village panchayat. However, people casting votes in their village for the first time voted will full enthusiasm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who formally joined the BJP, will contest against senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh from Bhopal parliamentary constituency, the BJP announced today. "I am ready (to fight the election). There are some formalities which will be completed very soon," she told ANI after the announcement. Sadhvi Pragya said she is confident of winning the elections against Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP and two time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The 2008 Malegaon blast accused had joined the BJP on Tuesday. Earlier on Wednesday, Sadhvi Pragya, a Hindu hardliner, met with senior BJP leaders including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ramlal, Anil Jain, Narottam Mishra, and Prabhat Jha at the state party headquarters here. After the meeting, Sadhvi Pragya said, "We will unitedly fight against the people who are conspiring against the nation. We will win this 'Dharm Yuddh' (crusade)." "After spending 10 years in jail due to Congress conspiracy, I have come here to fight the political and religious war," she said. Thakur is among the seven accused facing trial in the Malegaon blast case, wherein six people were killed and a dozen others were injured when a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded in Maharashtra's Malegaon on September 29, 2008. Apart from Sadhvi Pragya, the party has announced its candidates from three other seats -- KP Singh from Guna, Raj Bahadur Singh from Sagar, and Ramakant Bhargav from Vidisha, the constituency represented by outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Polling in Madhya Pradesh will be held in the last four phases of elections and 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.) The Supreme Court (SC) has agreed to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging a provision of the Representation of People Act, which deprives prisoners their right to vote. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi posted the hearing in the matter after two weeks. The SC also asked the petitioner, a law student, to appraise why he picked up the particular cause that too under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. "Before we entertain this petition under Article 32, filed as public interest litigation, we would like to know more about the petitioner; his interest in the subject matter and why he has picked up this particular cause to be raised and that too by an Article 32 petition," the Bench said in its order while clarifying that the query has no connections with the merits of the contentions raised in the petition. Article 32 of the Indian Constitution gives the right to an individual to move to the SC to seek justice when they feel their right has been 'unduly deprived'. Petitioner Aditya Prasanna Bhattacharya through his petition challenged 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act 1951. "No person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police," the section states. The petitioner has argued that the section did not specify if, under trial, a detained person or a person out on bail can exercise their universal adult franchise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Social media platform ShareChat said on Wednesday it has removed 4.87 lakh pieces of content, for violating community guidelines as well as terms of use. Some of these posts included factually inaccurate statements with regard to the national elections, shared content with an intent to cause a public disorder that was meant to create a frenzy among various political party supporters and or the general public. Besides, 54,404 accounts have also been removed, said the country's largest Indic language platform with over 4.5 crore users and 14 language options. "This has been the largest removal of accounts yet. This removal specifically targeted accounts that were indulging in the sharing of harmful or abusive content, engaging in disruptive behaviour and for using the platform in a way that was violative of the terms of use." In March, ShareChat and other social media platforms signed and adopted a voluntary code of ethics to support the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure a free and fair election process. As part of this, a training session was conducted for ECI appointed nodal officers in the national capital. ShareChat said it has intensified efforts in policing to ensure that the platform is not misused in any way to aide in activities that could be considered voter suppression or misinformation campaigns. "We have invested resources to ensure our artificial intelligence tools as well human reviewers are well trained in order to effectively detect and stall harmful behaviour on our platform," said Berges Y Malu, Head of Policy at ShareChat. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lom Harsh-the founder of Shilom Media, an award-winning production house congratulated Dr Sunil Garssa for his remarkable achievement of being Awarded FACC (Fellow American College of Cardiology) at New Orleans Louisiana, USA on 18th March. FACC is an institution dedicated to deal with heart-related issues. It is a fellowship of the most elite cardiologists who have dedicated more than 70 per cent of their career to cardiology. Dr Sunil is one of the very few elite doctors in India who is awarded FACC. He tirelessly serves the Indian community with his knowledge and expertise through his own multispecialty hospital in Jaipur with an exceptional team of more than 20 specialized doctors under the flagship of Dana Shivam Heart and Super Specialty hospital at Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jaipur. More than 625,00,000 (625 lakh) people died of heart disease (Cardio Vascular Disease) in India in 2016, according to an article published by a leading publication house in India. Deeply moved by the matter Jaipur based doctor Sunil dedicated his entire career to cardiology in order to help people who are suffering from fatal heart-related issues and has saved many lives in his career. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan ambassador to India, Sohail Mahmood on Wednesday took charge as the country's new Foreign Secretary. Shortly after taking over, Mahmood called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to discuss issues related to the foreign policy of the country. "Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood assumed charge and called on the Foreign Minister today," tweeted Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. Radio Pakistan quoted Qureshi as saying that Mahmood is a seasoned and experienced diplomat, and has a long experience of serving at important positions including the former High Commissioner to India. In response to Qureshi's remarks, Mahmood said that he will make the utmost efforts to perform his duties to the best of his capabilities. The Pakistan government on March 31 named Mahmood as the new Foreign Secretary of the country. Mahmood replaced former Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, who retired on April 16 after serving as FS for two years. Mahmood along with Janjua had on Tuesday night interacted with the journalist community, in Islamabad. Mahmood has diverse experience of bilateral as well as multilateral diplomacy under his belt. He also headed the Afghanistan and West Asia Division as Additional Secretary and was the Director-General in the Foreign Secretary's office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) has sought for an FIR to be lodged against some Army personnel for allegedly manhandling and resorting to violence against him and his officials while they were on duty for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in South Kashmir. Dooru SDM Ghulam Rasool Wani has alleged that they were obstructed from performing their official duties. As per Rasool's complaint to Station House Officer of Qazigund, the alleged assault took place on the Srinagar-Qazigund stretch of the Highway in Dalwach area at 10.40 am on April 16. Rasool further said that he was "picked up by collar abused and dragged upto about 20 meters and thrashed on gun point". "As per the directions of worthy deputy commissioner Anantnag to reach Vessu Qazigund for resolving matter of traffic, truck congestion on highway at 10:40 a.m. I along with my team of officials were coming from Dooru via Ujroo crossing in government vehicle (BOLERO) and it was found that the army personnel deployed on the highway had stopped all the civilian traffic despite of not being the restricted day for army convoys," Rasool said in a letter written to SHO. "After introducing myself to the army personnel, we were allowed to move towards Vessu but at Dalwach crossing near under' construction bridge, we were again stopped by some army personnel and asked not to proceed forward unless the Army convoy passes ends," he added. Rasool also said that his driver was dragged out by the army personnel and was beaten ruthlessly. "Despite being stationery one of the army personnel namely Viney Kumar came down heavily on my driver and beat him ruthlessly besides damaging the government vehicle," he said, adding "when I intercepted for safety of my driver, pleading that I am Sub Divisional Magistrate Dooru.... I was picked up by collar, abused and dragged upto about 20 meters and thrashed on gun point. My cell phone and driver's cell phone were snatched and broken into pieces." Stating that their cell phones were also snatched and damaged by the army personnel, Rasool wrote: "Not only this, all of us were taken hostage on gun point for about half an hour and our vehicle and other belongings were searched damaged and all the data about election were deleted, damaged and removed and didn't allow us to convey the incident to senior officers. The army personnel removed their safety locks of their weapons and aimed guns at us, threatening to kill us." According to Rasool, they were set free after Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag reached the spot. "It is requested that FIR be lodged against the security personnel under the relevant provisions of law for manhandling, intimidating and resorting to violence against the undersigned and my officials and obstructing us from performing our official duties including that of election duties, he said. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal have come out in support of Rasool and demanded strict action against the army personnel. "News of physical assault on SDM Duroo by Army is very shocking. If true, DC/SSP Anantnag should immediately register an FIR and arrest the erring personnel. It is hoped that AFSPA won't come in the way of IPC/RPC and the action will be taken," Faesal wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, Mufti tweeted, "Army thrashing civilians in the state is nothing new. But manhandling civil officers marks a new low. The valley & its people are being choked to a silent death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TEDx Panaji 2019 will put the spotlight on unique Goan ideas, some of which are vanishing at a fast pace. There will also be a section on technologically cutting-edge advances in fields like robotics and IOT, with a special focus on agriculture. Every aspect of the event will aim to amaze audiences with never-before-seen or heard-about ideas, and Goan food experience will be a highlight. TEDx Panaji 2019 is aimed at giving the people of Goa experience of #Hacking to success. The theme #Hacked is focused on people who have inspired those around them by using smarter, more efficient ways to be successful while demonstrating intelligence, creativity, originality, resourcefulness and most importantly, perseverance to help them rise above the ordinary and achieve great heights in their field of work. "The speakers include a mix of Goan, national and international names, who will present their mind-boggling ideas live on stage," said Dattaprasad Shetkar, the lead organizer of TEDx Panaji. TEDx Panaji 2019 will feature globally renowned personalities Wendell Rodricks, Dr Chetan Singh Solanki, Anuja Kamat, Greg Acuna, Frederika Menezes, Dr Roop Malik, Deepak Pathania, Mohammed Suhail Chinya Salimpasha, Dr Sampadananda Mishra, Jubin Varghese, Yuva de Shiroda, Omaggio, Jonathan Rodrigues, teenage wonder Affan Kutty and Ashutosh AT Pednekar, first IAS officer from Goa. TEDx Panaji 2019 Conference will be on a much larger scale this year. The event will be held on Sunday, 28th April 2019 at the Kala Academy in Panaji, Goa. The annual event, organized independently by a group of volunteers under license from TED, provides a platform for diverse ideas presented by fascinating speakers and performers. Each Speaker gets a maximum of eighteen minutes on stage. The 2019 event promises to be much bigger, with an all-day program featuring fourteen live speakers, two music and dance performances by artists of international repute, TED Talk videos and much more. Alongside the talks that will happen in the AC auditorium, participants will also be able to step into curated spaces outside the auditorium, such as the Start-ups Zone, where unique start-ups from Goa will be showcased. The event is supported by Saraswat Bank, IFB, 3M Car Care, FiiRE - Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship, Vedanta, Tangentia, Jamsons, Namaste Chai, 91Springboard, 92.7 BIG FM, Kaydence; Kianna, Goa Chronicle, Herald Group, Viva Goa, Goa, Planet Goa and Team Inertia. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cadillac launched the MyCadillac app for smartphones today at Auto Shanghai 2019 to bring its new American Luxury brand essence to the service experience in China. The MyCadillac app is integrated with 21 smart services covering maintenance, value-added service and service extension. It provides an all-around luxury aftersales experience with convenience, efficiency and transparency. Owners can monitor their vehicles condition, track the maintenance process and make concierge service appointments via their cell phones. Cadillac is taking our service to an entirely new level," said Andreas Schaaf, vice president of Global Cadillac. "The MyCadillac app offers innovative ways to engage our customers and meet their needs in an efficient and trendy way. In this era, they want high-quality luxury services that save them time and effort and Cadillac is once again delivering. Leveraging OnStar, MyCadillac tracks the real-time condition of vehicles, such as mileage, oil change history and tire pressure. It can send reminders when a certain issue needs to be addressed. With the remote unlock function, customers can have their vehicles taken care of through Cadillac's door-to-door concierge service without physically being at a dealer. The whole process is trackable on the app. Think about it, said Feng Dan, general director of SAIC-GM Cadillac. You can park your car at the airport when you take a trip, and have service completed and your car waiting for you by the time you get back. By integrating online and offline services, the app is a portal for financing, the Cadillac Owners Club and Cadillac Life souvenir shopping. In the near future, customers will even be able to sell or purchase a certified used Cadillac vehicle via the app. Cadillac also today unveiled the XT6 for the first time in Asia at its auto show stand. The six-seat large luxury SUV will be available in China later this year. It will be the first localized global large luxury SUV in the market. Iraq is trying hard to dissociate itself from the rising hostilities between Iran and the United States, as it hopes to preserve its national interests without aligning with either axis in the conflict. Al-Monitor reports in its article Iraq struggles to distance itself from US-Iran tensions that following his recent visit to Iran, Iraqi Prime Minster Adel Abdul Mahdi announced April 9 that he will soon visit Saudi Arabia to sign economic and security agreements, as Iraq has done with Jordan and Iran. A high-ranking Saudi delegation visited Iraq last week and signed several agreements, including ones involving electricity imports to Iraq and the construction of a large stadium. Iraq depends on Iran for a large portion of its electricity supply. The United States has warned Iraq several times to cut its electricity imports from Iran. Previously, Washington granted a short-term waiver to Iraq exempting it from US sanctions and allowing it to import electricity and gas from Iran. The waiver was extended a few times, but as US rhetoric against Tehran intensifies, Washington's tolerance with Baghdad's imports won't last forever. Iraq has realized that US tolerance regarding electricity imports is limited, and thus has attempted to find alternate electricity sources in the region. Iraqi parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi traveled to Kuwait in February and discussed the possibility of importing electricity to Iraq. In another meeting with the Kuwaiti ambassador in Baghdad, Salem Ghassab al-Zamanan, Halbusi thanked the Kuwaiti government for its efforts to improve the situation in Basra, particularly in the fields of electricity and water. Iraq is also considering importing electricity from Saudi Arabia. Washington is tightening the noose on Iranians in Iraq and the region. It recently added the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of foreign terrorist organizations. This will affect the Iraqi Shiite militias that are working under the Popular Mobilization Units, as they are in direct contact with the IRGC and Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. The US charge daffaires in Baghdad Joey Hood warned the Iraqi militias receiving support from the IRGC that the impact of US actions against Iran will affect them as well. It is not normal for a Revolutionary Guard to be coming into another country and doing things without coordination with that government and trying to destabilize it, and weaken the sovereignty of that government, Hood said. He added that if they stand with Iran, they will lose their relationship with the United States. This designation makes it clearer and clearer that people can have a relationship with the problematic parts of the Iranian government, like the IRGC, or they can have a relationship with the United States and our financial system, but they cannot do both at the same time," he said. Meanwhile, a group of Iran-backed Shiite militias slammed the United States on April 13 for adding the IRGC to the terrorist list. We reject this action from America and say we have honor to be in the Islamic resistance that fought and beat terrorism, a spokesman for the Fateh coalition, which is made up of Popular Mobilization Units factions, said in a statement from the home of Iran's consul general in the city of Najaf. Abdul Mahdi seeks to maintain balance between the conflicting parties and avoid Iraq becoming a battleground between Iran and the United States. As Iraq keeps its relationship with Iran at the highest level, Iraq-Saudi ties are growing rapidly. The Iraqi Council of Ministers approved April 9 a Saudi request to open a consulate in Najaf. In his recent trip to Tehran, Abdul Mahdi made clear that Iran wouldn't dictate their demands to Iraq. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged Iraq to demand that US troops leave the country as soon as possible." Abdul Mahdi, according to a statement issued by his office, replied, Iraq rejects being a part of regional and international axes. Iraq wants to keep its good relationship with all without being a part of an axis against the other." In his five-day trip to Washington last Month, parliamentary speaker Halbusi said US military support is vital in combating terror groups. "The continuation of US support to eliminate the remaining sleeper cells and extremist ideologies are vital to ensuring that an Islamic State resurgence is contained," he said. Abdul Mahdi refused to pay its gas and electricity fees in US dollars or euros to Iran, as Iran had requested during Abdul Mahdi's trip to Tehran. He also informed officials in Tehran that the project to connect Iran's railway to Syria through Iraq should be under Iraqi supervision and should not include transferring arms or selling Irans oil in a way that violates US sanctions. Iraq is trying to maintain impartiality in the intensifying conflict between Iran and the United States. However, questions remain: Will Iraq's efforts successfully curb Iran's influence in the country? Or will Iraq eventually be turned into a battleground between the two parties? US President Donald Trump's upcoming visits to Japan in the next two months could lead to the resumption of negotiations between the US and North Korea on Pyongyang's denuclearisation process, said a special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. "Maybe when Trump visits Japan in May and June, he will also visit South Korea, and if so, I think, talks between the US and North Korea will be also possible," Yonhap News Agency quoted Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for unification, foreign and security affairs, as saying during an event on inter-Korean ties here. Trump is scheduled to pay a visit to Japan next month. He is also slated to visit the East Asian nation for the G-20 summit in Osaka in June. Stressing that he remained optimistic of resumption of nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington despite the deadlock, Moon Chung-in said, "It is true that uncertainties are looming after the Hanoi summit and that we are in a difficult situation with goals to build a peace regime, keep the US-South Korea alliance and achieve denuclearisation." "Yet, I always think that where there is a will, there is a way," he added. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had met for the second time in Hanoi ended in a stalemate. But the summit abruptly ended without a deal due to the failure of reaching a consensus over Pyongyang's denuclearisation process and Washington's sanctions relief. 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 Pyongyang carries out "complete and verifiable" denuclearisation. South Korea has been striving to create the momentum for the resumption of nuclear talks between the US and North Korea that have been stalled since the collapse of the Hanoi summit. During his meeting with Moon Jae-in last week in Washington, Trump had said he is open to a third summit with Kim while noting that his relationship with the North Korean leader remains 'good'. In response, Kim also voiced his willingness for another summit with Trump, but with conditions. "If the US proposes holding a third North Korea-US summit with a right attitude and a right method, we have a wiliness to do it one more time," Kim was quoted by Yonhap, as saying. It is widely speculated that Moon Jae-in is expected to participate in the proposed third US-North Korea summit, along with Trump and Kim, in order to keep denuclearisation talks on track and to chalk out a peace deal to end the over six-decades-long Korean War. The South Korean president has also said that he is keen on hosting a fourth inter-Korean summit with Kim, in an effort to further improve relations between the two Korean nations, as well as brokering a denuclearisation deal between Pyongyang and Washington to break the impasse. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ally and Vellore Lok Sabha candidate AC Shanmugam will challenge the cancellation of elections in his constituency in Madras High Court on Wednesday. Voting in Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu was rescinded by President Ram Nath Kovind on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday after a large amount of unaccounted cash was allegedly seized from a warehouse belonging to a DMK candidate last month. Shanmugam is contesting the polls from the seat on AIADMK's two leaf symbol. Vellore was scheduled to go to polls on Thursday, along with 38 other seats of Tamil Nadu as part of the second phase of general elections. Last month, the Income Tax department and Election Commission officials had raided DMK treasurer Durai Murugan's residence in Vellore, and reportedly seized a large amount of unaccounted cash. Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate Kathir Anand has written a letter to the EC alleging that the election watchdog is toeing in line with the BJP to help their candidate. In his letter, Anand alleged that Shanmugam was engaged in large scale cash distribution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ten of Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha constituencies, including three reserved for Scheduled Castes, will go to the polls on Thursday. The Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements by setting up a total of 20,716 polling stations in these 10 constituencies. The highest number of polling stations is in Beed -- 2,325, and the lowest in Solapur -- 1,926, said an EC official on Wednesday. The combined total electorate for all the 10 seats is 1,85,46,036, comprising 96,94,374 males and 88,51,390 females. There are also 272 transgenders registered as voters with the lowest four in Beed and highest 63 in Nanded. The constituencies going to vote are Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur (SC) and Solapur (SC). The main contests will be between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena and opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, besides the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) Dalit-Muslim front. There are several key contests among these seats, eight of which are held by the BJP-Shiv Sena, while two had gone to the Congress while weathering the "Modi wave" of 2014. Here are brief snapshots of the 10 constituencies. Buldhana, considered a Sena bastion since 1999, the party has retained sitting MP Prataprao G. Jadhav who will lock horns with the NCP's Rajendra Shingane in the constituency, with a total electorate of 15,96,234 including 8,45,547 males and 7,50,687 females. Akola will be a major contest as Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh's Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of the architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, had won the constituency twice -- 1998 and 1999 -- but was defeated by BJP's Sanjay S. Dhotre in 2004. In a triangular battle this time, BJP's Dhotre will lock horns with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) comprising Ambedkar's BBM and and the Owaisi brothers' AIMIM and Congress' strongman Hidayatulla B. Patel. The constituency has 16,46,463 voters, including 8,69,922 males and 7,76,547 females, and a 20 per cent Scheduled Caste ratio. Amravati (SC), mostly a rural agrarian region, will see veteran four-time Sena MP Anandrao V. Adsul grapple with the glamourous south Indian actress Navneet Kaur Rana of the Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP), supported by the Congress-NCP led 56-party Mahagathbandhan. Close to the BJP bigwigs, her husband is Ravi Rana, an Independent legislator from Badnera and nephew of yoga guru Baba Ramdev. The SC reserved constituency has 16,11,365 voters, including 8,48,050 males and 7,63,315 females. Hingoli, represented by the Congress' Rajeev S. Satav -- who defeated the Sena's Subhash B. Wankhede during the 2014 "Modi wave" -- will not contest. However, the Congress has fielded Wankhede, who recently walked over to the party and will lock horns with the Sena's Hemant Patil, a sitting MLA from Nanded South. The constituency has 15,86,194 voters, including 8,39,540 males and 7,46,645 females. Nanded will be another major contest where state Congress President Ashok Chavan is seeking relection in this last of bastions which survived the 'Modi wave' in 2014. He will lock horns with BJP's Pratap Patil-Chikhalikar in the constituency, which has 16,87,057 voters including 8,78,553 males and 8,08,504 females in the heart of the backward Marathwada region. Parbhani, another Sena stronghold, is currently held by Sanjay H. Jadhav who is locking horns in a triangular contest with NCP's Rajesh U. Vitekar and CPI-M's R.R. Kshirsagar, besides the VBA. The rural-agro economy-based constituency has 18,03,792 voters including 9,45,899 males and 8,57,893 females. Beed is a BJP bastion represented by Pritam Gopinath Munde, who secured the higest-ever victory margin of over 6,96,000 votes in a 2014 by-election after her father, Union Minister Gopinath Munde's sudden death. She is contesting against NCP's Bajrang M. Sonwane, a grassroots worker who has climbed his way to national in the constituency, with 17,92,650 voters, including 9,63,462 men and 8,29,188 women. Osmanabad will witness the only family tussle for supremacy with Sena nominee Omraje Nimbalkar grappling with his cousin and NCP candidate Ranajagjitsinh Patil. Patil's father, Padamsinh Patil, is an accused in the murder of Nimbalkar's father, Pawanraje Nimbalkar of the Congress. During the "Modi wave", Padamsinh Patil was defeated by Sena's Ravindra Gaikwad -- famed for the chappal assault on an Air India staffer -- who was dropped this time. Osmanabad is the only seat in the state where five out of the six Assembly legislators are from Congress-NCP and one from Sena, with a total 85 per cent rural electorate of 17,26,793, including 9,32,838 males and 7,93,955 females. Latur (SC) is an erstwhile Congress bastion, where the party has fielded its local spice king, Machhindra Kamant, against BJP's Sudhakar B. Shrungare, a realtor who was nominated in place of outgoing MP Sunil B. Gaikwad. The region which was devastated in the September 1993 earthquake and since recovered, has a total electorate of 16,82,607 including 8,98,919 males and 7,84,688 females. Solapur (SC) will be among the hottest contests with Congress' three-time MP, former Union Home Minister and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde grappling with BJP's Mahaswami Jaisiddheshwar Shivacharya and VBA's Prakash Ambedkar (who is also contesting from Akola). The constituency's demographic profile -- with a near-equal mix of Dalits, minorities, Marathas and Lingayats -- makes it an open contest among the trio, but the Congress-BJP appear to be more wary of the VBA than each other. Solapur has 17,02,754 voters including 893,736 males and 8,09,019 females. Seven constituencies in Maharashtra had voted in the first phase on April 11. The remaining 31 constituencies will vote in the third and fourth phases on April 23 and April 29. (Quaid Najmi can be reached at q.najmi@ians.in) --IANS qn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 11 persons, including a woman, have been killed in different parts of Maharashtra in the past 72 hours, besides four others last week, following thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and rains, officials said here on Wednesday. Among the victims were at least nine who were struck by lightning between Sunday and Tuesday, and four others were killed by lightning bolts on April 4-5. The victims include three from Nashik's Vajhgaon, Akrale and Ayane villages on April 16. A shed adjacent to a farmer's house in Indapur caught fire after lightning and winds in which at least a dozen hens, seven goats and two cows perished. A man was struck fatally by lightning at Mauje Bhorwadi in Nashik on Monday and another farmhouse caught flames killing at least nine cattle in Lakhiwari village. Similarly on Sunday night, three farmers of Manori village and a woman were hit by lightning, while a man was killed when a falling tree crushed him in Mauje Malegaon. Parts of Mumbai and suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar had experienced showers on Sunday-Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds at various places in Nanded, Latur and Osmanabad on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing an election rally in Solapur earlier in the day, expressed grief over these deaths and assured full help from the government to the victims and their families. --IANS qn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Unable to convince the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Part (AAP) on Wednesday said there will be no poll alliance with the Congress as the two parties could not reach an agreement on seat-sharing in Delhi and Haryana in the Lok Sabha elections. AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh told the media that AAP wanted to forge an alliance with the Congress in order to stop the BJP "but it seems the Congress is not interested". "We wanted an alliance on 18 seats, but unfortunately, Congress is not ready for any compromise on seat sharing. Together, we could have defeated BJP," he said. The two parties were engaged in alliance talks for the past several weeks. Singh said he met Congress leaders - Ghulam Nabi Azad, P.C. Chacko and Ahmed Patel - but alliance could not be finalised. He said the two parties initially agreed on 4:3 seat distribution in Delhi where four seats would be allocated to AAP. Singh said AAP had also proposed a 6:3:1 seat sharing in Haryana under which Congress would fight from six seats, Jannayak Janata Party would field its candidates in three seats and one candidate would be fielded by the AAP. "Congress is not interested in forging alliance. We tried out all possible arrangements. It seems Congress is not ready to cede an inch of ground for AAP. The alliance talks are over," he said. All is set in Tamil Nadu for the crucial 2019 general elections with about 5.8 crore voters to decide on the fate of 822 candidates contesting in 38 Lok Sabha constituencies. On Tuesday, the Election Commission rescinded the poll for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency after the Income Tax (IT) department seized unaccounted cash from the cement warehouse of a DMK functionary. The Election Commission has said the cash was kept for distribution to voters and the situation was not conducive for holding free and fair elections in Vellore. The Lok Sabha election is not only crucial for the ruling BJP at the centre but also for the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. Along with the polls for Lok Sabha in Tamil Nadu, there will be a sort mini Assembly elections with the conduct of by-elections for 22 Assembly constituencies in two phases. The Election Commission will hold by-elections for 18-Assembly constituencies on Thursday while the remaining four seats will go to polls on May 19. A total of 269 candidates are in the fray for the by-elections. The results of both-Parliamentary and by-elections for 22 Assembly seats will be declared on May 23, deciding the fate of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government and also that of the Tamil Nadu government. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 members (including the Speaker), the DMK 88, the Congress 8, and the IUML and Independents one each. To attain a simple majority, the AIADMK has to win just four seats in the by-elections. Factoring in the switching of camps by some of the lawmakers, the AIADMK has to win seven or eight seats in order to be safe. On the other hand, the DMK has to win all the 22 seats to take the tally, along with its allies - the Congress and the IUML - to 119, just one number more than the simple majority. DMK President M.K. Stalin in his campaign said there will be a change of government in Tamil Nadu once there is a change in the Central government. Analysts are of the view that even if T.T.V. Dhinakaran's AMMK wins a couple of seats, the DMK's dream of coming to power by toppling the AIADMK government may not come true. On Thursday, polling will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday and would come to an end at 6 p.m. However, in Madurai, the polling will close at 8 p.m. owing to the Chithirai festival. The Election Commission has identified about 8,200 booths as sensitive and vulnerable out of the total about 67,700 booths. Arrangements for live webcasting of the polling has been made in about 30,000 booths. As regards security, 160 companies of para-military forces will be deployed across Tamil Nadu apart from about 1.4 lakh security personnel from the departments of police, prison, forest, home guard and others. In a first time, Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be deployed in all the polling booths, along with the electronic voting machine. The Lok Sabha polls will witness a four cornered contest. The two major fronts are: the AIADMK-led front comprising the PMK, BJP, DMDK, TMC, PT, PNK and others and the DMK-led front consisting of the Congress, MDMK, IUML, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, KMDK and IJK. With the cancellation of election for Vellore, both AIADMK and DMK are contesting in 19 seats in Tamil Nadu leaving the remaining to the alliance partners. The AMMK and the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), floated by Kamal Haasan, are fighting it alone. While the AMMK candidates are contesting under the common symbol 'gift box', they are classified as Independent candidates as per the Supreme Court order. For the first time in several decades, both the AIADMK and the DMK will be fighting the polls without their iconic leaders- J.Jayalalithaa and M.Karunanidhi who are no more. Arithmetically, the AIADMK-led front has an advantage. But the electoral landscape has changed after Jayalalithaa passed away. The AIADMK had split into two and the BJP is facing a negative mood in the state -- these are the minus points. In 2014, the AIADMK swept 37 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats getting 44 per cent vote share. The remaining two seats were won by the BJP in Kanniyakumari and PMK in Dharmapuri. The DMK on its own got 23.6 per cent vote share in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The prominent personalities in the electoral fray are: Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai (Karur), Union Minister and BJP's Pon Radhakrishnan (Kanniyakumari), H. Vasanthakumar (Congress-Kanniyakumari), Karti P. Chidambaram (Congress-Sivaganga), H. Raja (BJP-Sivaganga), Kanimozhi (DMK-Thoothukudi), Tamilisai Soundararajan (BJP-Thoothukudi), T.R. Baalu (DMK-Sriperumbudur), Dayanidhi Maran (DMK-Chennai Central), A. Raja (DMK-Nilgiris) and Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK-Dharmapuri). --IANS vj/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cairn Oil & Gas, a vertical of Vedanta Ltd, has appointed Ajay Dixit as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the company on Wenesday. Dixit joined Vedanta in 2015 and now succeeds Sudhir Mathur as the CEO. Mathur held the office for seven years. "His (Dixit) leadership will support Cairn's vision to realise the full potential of Barmer block, grow the offshore business, appraisal of new blocks under OALP-I and DSF-II and in continuing to steer a strong and high growth organisation," a statement by Cairn said. Cairn produces approximately 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, which is about 25 per cent of India's crude production and has a vision to take up its contribution to 50 per cent, it said. The company has planned investments worth $3.5 billion over the next 3-4 years which will significantly ramp up its production. --IANS rrb-sn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has asked women party workers to "chase away" the Central police forces with brooms if they do excesses, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party to approach the Election Commission. Speaking at a closed-door party meeting in Nadia district, Ratna Ghosh (Kar), a minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet, said there was "nothing called justice or injustice" or "democracy" if one was to win a war. "All of you should keep in mind that in order to win a war, there is nothing called justice or injustice, and there is nothing called democracy. To win a war, use whatever means you can. Everything is justified," said the lawmaker from Cakdah in Nadia district. "I have seen you all getting beaten up by Central forces. if they commit excesses, we will ask our female volunteers and leaders and workers to beat them with broom sticks and force them to retreat," she said. State BJP vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said the Chief Electoral Officer's office here had sought a report from the Nadia district electoral officer. "Central forces are coming to conduct a peaceful election and the Trinamool leaders are using such words. Leaders like Ratna and others have simply no way out. We had a word with the CEO and they have asked for a report from the DEO," Jay Parkash Majumdar told reporters here. On Ghosh's remarks, BJP President Amit Shah tweeted, "Finally, Mamata didi's trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy". Shah also mentioned that he wants to "remind Mamata Didi that such destruction of democracy won't last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC. Her time is up". --IANS bnd/ssp/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man was killed by a deer on a rural property in southern Australia early on Wednesday, authorities said. The animal attacked the man and a woman near Wangaratta, a town about 250km from here, according to police. The woman suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to a hospital for treatment, the BBC reported. Authorities said the police euthanised the deer at the scene. A probe will follow, they added. --IANS in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Union on Wednesday released a list of US products worth $20 billion to be targeted as countermeasures due to a long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies. The US goods that could be targeted over subsidies given to Boeing, included cheese, ketchup and fish, CNN reported. The move followed a similar step taken by the Donald Trump administration, which threatened last week to impose tariffs on EU imports worth $11 billion over subsidies for regional planemaker Airbus. The EU, however, indicated on Wednesday it wanted to avoid further escalation. "While we need to be ready with countermeasures in case there is no other way out, I still believe dialogue is what should prevail," Europe's top trade official Cecilia Malmstrom said in a statement. A spokesperson for the European Commission said while products on the broad target list represented US exports worth $20 billion, any retaliatory action would hit a smaller sub-section of goods. While the tariffs carry political weight, they would have limited economic impact if imposed. Holger Schmieding, the chief economist at Berenberg bank, said the measures threatened by the US and the EU would "not hurt the (global) economic outlook much". The fight over aircraft subsidies has been running for 15 years. The EU estimated in 2012 that the damage from Boeing subsidies was roughly $12 billion. EU authorities in 2004 said Boeing received $19 billion in unfair subsidies from federal and state governments between 1989 and 2006. The US government filed a similar claim that year over subsidies to Airbus. The World Trade Organisation had handed down favourable rulings to both sides, underscoring the complexity of the dispute. Officials on both sides say the fight over aircraft subsidies was not related to other trade disputes. But the threats came at a particularly sensitive time for transatlantic trade. The EU on Monday agreed to restart trade talks with the US, despite strong objections from French President Emmanuel Macron. But it said agriculture won't be up for discussion, while the US insisted it must be part of discourse. The trading relationship between the two sides is worth over $1 trillion, but Europe exports significantly more goods to the US than it imports. That has been a sticking point for Trump who is still considering whether to impose up to 25 per cent tariffs on European vehicle imports. Washington has imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminium exports. The EU retaliated with tariffs on more than $3 billion worth of American products in June. The levies hit products, like motorcycles, orange juice, bourbon, peanut butter, cigarettes and denim. --IANS soni/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov attended the ceremony of unveiling the memorial plaque dedicated to the recognition of the independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic by Poland in 1920. The ceremony was also attended by Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz. Speaking at the ceremony, Elmar Mammadyarov noted the existence of historical ties between Azerbaijan and Poland. He said that as a result of research conducted by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Poland, interesting documents on the relations between the two countries were found in Polish archives. In this context, he brought to the attention that on February 13, 1920, the Polish Foreign Minister Stanisaw Patek sent a telegram to the government of Azerbaijan, which expressed the recognition of the de-facto ADR by Poland. Moreover, it was noted that in 1918, Polish diplomat Waclaw Ostrowski was appointed as the diplomatic representative of Poland to Azerbaijan. Expressing his high appreciation of the activities of Polish diplomats with regards to Azerbaijan 100 years ago, Mammadyarov stated that there are close ties between the two countries today, also noting the existence of strategic ties between the countries, AzerTAc reported. Czaputowicz stressed that Poland already actively supported the sovereignty of the states 100 years ago, and noted that this policy continues today. In a new twist to the Saradha chit fund scam, the tussle between the former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar and the CBI took a political colour on Wednesday. Kumar, in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, pointed at a conspiracy hatched by two senior BJP leaders in West Bengal to target him in the scam. Kumar, in response to a CBI application in the top court seeking his custodial interrogation, alleged that in an audio clip, BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya can be heard talking about "targeting a few senior police officers." The audio clip, he said, is widely available. Kumar said: "This apprehension (of a conspiracy) is corroborated by the contents of the audio clip that was reported widely by the press and electronic media in which the leaders clearly speak of "targeting a few senior police officers of the state." Kumar has submitted the audio clip in the court. The CBI moved the apex court last week seeking permission for "custodial interrogation" of Kumar in the Saradha case. The agency informed the court that in order to take investigations in a conclusive direction, it requires detailed questioning of Kumar to untangle the larger conspiracy and the money trail in the scam. The probe agency has accused Kumar of being evasive and non-cooperative. Kumar in the affidavit said: "The sudden inexplicable turn by the petitioner/CBI in pointing out problems with the investigation and targeting the alleged contemnor seems to be borne out of a larger conspiracy between two senior leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijaywargiya of the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre." The CBI has requested the apex court to recall its order on February 5 restraining the agency from resorting to any "coercive action" against Kumar, including arrest. The CBI also intends to interrogate some other Bengal police officers for their alleged role in the scam. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi noted the contention of senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Kumar, and scheduled the hearing on CBI's plea till April 22. Earlier in the day, Kumar told the court that he was not able to file his response to CBI's plea seeking his arrest and sought adjournment. --IANS ss/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Union Minister Ali Ashraf Fatmi formally quit the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday, a day after he resigned from all party posts. Fatmi announced his resignation from the RJD in Darbhanga, just a day ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar's Seemanchal region, which has a sizeable number of Muslim voters. Fatmi, a four-time RJD MP from Darbhanga, said the RJD had assured him ticket from Madhubani after it fielded senior leader Abdul Bari Suddiqui from Darbhanga, but it never came. Ahmad was unhappy after Madhubani, his traditional seat, was allocated to the VIP, a member of Grand Alliance, under the seat-sharing formula. He criticised RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for expelling him from the party for six years without a show-cause notice. He also said why no action was taken against Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav for speaking against the RJD. Fatmi announced on Tuesday he would contest as Independent from Madhubani and file his nomination papers on April 18. Congress leader and former Union Minister Shakeel Ahmad also on Monday announced that he would be contesting the Lok Sabha elections as Independent from Madhubani. As per the seat-sharing formula announced on March 22, the RJD will contest 19 of the 40 seats in Bihar, the Congress nine and the smaller parties the rest. Bihar will go to polls in seven phases, starting on April 11. --IANS ik/rtp/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google and Apple have blocked the download of TikTok from Play Store and App Store respectively in India, following a request from the government to ban access to the Chinese short video-sharing app that has been downloaded over 230 million times in the country. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had asked Google and Apple to block the app following the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the original Madras HC court order on April 3. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday refused to lift the ban on TikTok and set April 24 the next hearing date. A Google spokesperson told IANS: "As a policy, we don't comment on individual apps but adhere to the law in countries we operate in." TikTok said in a statement that the company has faith in the Indian judicial system. "We are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India, who continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture moments that matter in their everyday lives," a TikTok spokesperson said. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere, for now, with the Madras High Court's order banning Chinese video app TikTok, and directed further hearing in the matter on April 22. Expressing concern over the "pornographic and inappropriate" contents of the TikTok, the High Court had, on April 3, directed the Centre to ban the app. The ban order came after the court noted that children were being exposed to pornographic and inappropriate material. With over 54 million users every month, TikTok allows its users to create and share videos and these may have inappropriate content. The rise of Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok in India has been so spectacular over the past year that it is now nearly impossible for any social media user to not have come across its content. These user-created videos that often contain memes, lip-syncing songs and sometimes sleazy posts regularly find ways to other popular social media sites including Facebook, WhatsApp and ShareChat. These are the platforms where most adult social media users are now getting introduced to TikTok. --IANS na/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Has the BJP got its social engineering right in by forming alliance with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in Rajasthan and roping in Gujjar community leader Kirori Singh Bainsla into the party? This will be known when the state goes to polls on April 29 and May 6. According to political analysts, Rajasthan's Jat population in Rajasthan comprises around 12 per cent while Gujjars account for around 9 per cent. This makes for around 84,00,000 Jats and 63,00,000 Gujjars in state. Now, with these new equations and tie-ups, can the party enjoy a significant support of influential Jat and Gujjar communities in Lok Sabha elections? The state deputy leader of opposition and BJP MLA Rajendra Rathore said: "All communities follow their leaders. Now, if their leaders are declaring their support to BJP, it is clear that their communities shall also be supporting the saffron party," Last week, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal announced an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.Soon after, Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla (retired, and his son, Vijay Bainsla, joined the saffron party in New Delhi. Surprisingly, both these communities stood with the Congress party in December 2018 Assembly elections. In fact, Beniwal enjoyed a fractured relationship with BJP after he was suspended from party in 2013 for publicly making allegations against the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Rathore on corruption charges. In 2014, he contested as an independent and won Before 2018 assembly elections, he floated his and brought in three MLAs to the Assembly. He holds a strong influence among Jat communities in western Rajasthan, include Nagaur, Barmer, Bikaner, Sikar and Jodhpur. Beniwal is now contesting from Nagaur against Congress' influential candidate Jyoti Mirdha. Is BJP setting its social engineering record straight by forming such alliances and tie-ups in Rajasthan? Rathore replied: "RLP in Rajasthan represents youths and after air strikes (against terror camps in Pakistan), youths stand with BJP. The national sentiments in India have changed. RLP youths also want to bring Modi back. As we share similar aims and objectives, we stand together today," he said. While announcin the of alliance, Beniwal had also said: "The country's development is our utmost priority. We will stand together to ensure Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister again. The Congress has ruined our nation. Now is the time to rectify things." Going further, the Ghar Wapasi of Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla have also instilled fresh hopes in BJP camps. The party lacked a strong Gujjar leader in eastern belt of Rajasthan. After joining the party, Bainsla said that he had been influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I don't want any post, but only wanted to get the Gujjar community do its due right," he said. Bainsla had contested the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat on a BJP ticket in 2009 parliamentary elections, but lost by 317 votes to Congress' Namonarayan Meena. Thereafter, he did not contest any election but has led many Gujjar agitations demanding reservation for his community in the last 12 years. The latest stir was in February when Gujjars blocked roads and railway tracks in and around Sawai Madhopur blocking crucial Delhi-Mumbai track. In the Assembly elections, state Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who is a Gujjar, swung the community's to the Congress. Now with Bainsla's entry, the BJP is expected to get a boost on the Gujjar-dominated seats. Bainsla is seen to have influence on Gujjar votes in around a dozen districts including Dausa, Karauli, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur. Meanwhile, the party seems to be cashing in on the Gujjar's annoyance with Congress. which who did not announce Pilot as its Chief Minister. Speaking to IANS, a Gujjar leader said: "Our community is quite unhappy with Congress. They fielded (state president Sachin Pilot), a leader from our community as CM face and then did not fulfil the promise. Now, Bainsla moving with BJP will definitely shift them to BJP camp." However, Congress Pradesh Congress committee Vice President Archana Sharma said: "BJP in present time is resorting to all measures -- ethical and non-ethical -- and they will not be successful in their plan to emerge as winner." (Archana Sharma can be contacted at archana.s@ians.in) --IANS arc/vm/in/akk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In Haryana 20,428 voters have the opportunity to be voting brand ambassadors on May 12 -- when polling will take place in the state for 10 Lok Sabha seats -- as their birthday falls on the state's polling day. Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajeev Ranjan said on Wednesday that those whose birthday is falling on May 12, they will be made 'Voters' Brand Ambassadors'. Programmes would be organised in districts to administer oath of ethical voting to them, he said. "Birthdays are always a special occasion for everyone. This day, the birthday of those born on May 12 in the state is falling on a day when crores of people will stand in queues to cast their vote and participate in a democratic process for the world's largest democracy, which should be a matter of pride for them," said the CEO. "A provision would be made for a special surprise for some of them," he said. Such people, he hoped, would encourage and motivate others in their neighborhood to vote. "A total of 20,428 voters in Haryana have their birthday on May 12. On the day of polling, these voters could make their birthday memorable by clicking their selfie with ink mark on their finger after casting their vote," he added. Ranjan said that earlier also, 2,375 voters of Haryana, who had their birthdays on January 1, 2019, and who became voters for the first time, were felicitated at the district level and were administered oath of ethical voting. He appealed to the voters that they must use their voting right. Ranjan said this time representatives of 26 countries and four international organizations will observe and learn the electoral process of the Lok Sabha election and would visit Gurugram and Faridabad on May 11 and 12. He said that the countries whose representative would be visiting include Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Fiji, Georgia, Korea, Mexico, Burma, Nepal, South Africa, Suriname, Yemen, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Besides, four international organizations include Association of World Election Bodies, International Foundation for Electoral System, USA, the Malaysian Commonwealth Study Center and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. --IANS js/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 2.50 lakh voters of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday asked the two national parties -- the BJP and the Congress -- to come out with a detailed action plan on granting them tribal status, a demand pending for five decades. It found mention in the BJP's election manifestos for the Assembly in 2009 and the Lok Sabha in 2014, but failed to be implemented. "Our demand to grant Scheduled Tribe status has been caught in Central government's red-tapism despite repeated assurances by both the national parties for five decades. Our counterparts in Uttarakhand were granted tribal status way back in 1967," Hatti Sangharsh Samiti General Secretary Kundan Shastri told IANS. The Hatti community is based mainly in the 133 panchayats dotting the trans-Giri area, which is part of the Shimla (reserved) seat, and is fighting for Scheduled Tribe status on the lines of the residents of Jaunsar-Bawar area in adjoining Uttarakhand. Shastri said the community was analysing the intentions of both the parties before it goes out to vote. The state's ruling BJP, which has dropped its two-time MP Virender Kashyap, has pitted greenhorn Suresh Kashyap against Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress. "During his tenure, Virender Kashyap tried his best to get us the tribal status, but he failed on the promise he made in the 2014 elections that the status would be granted before the next general elections," Shastri said. He said Kashyap and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur even raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a meeting in New Delhi on February 14, 2017. "The Congress largely remains insensitive towards our demand," he said, adding that a delegation led by Kashyap also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard on December 20, 2011. BJP candidate Suresh Kashyap said demand for special status was raised by the BJP alone, both during the UPA and the NDA tenure. "We will address this issue on priority once re-elected," he said. Promising speedy implementation, Congress candidate Shandil said: "Once voted to power, I will take their case to its logical conclusion." Official sources said the Himachal government sent a proposal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on May 4, 2005, to declare some areas, including the trans-Giri area, as scheduled areas. Among the areas listed in the state government's proposal are Chhota and Bara Bangal villages in Kangra district, Chohar Valley in Mandi district, Churah in Chamba district, Malana in Kullu district and Dodra Kwar and Rampur Bushahr, both in Shimla district. Similarly, the hill state pleaded that Barad, Bangala, Labana, Hatti and Dudra Kawaru communities living in these areas be declared Scheduled Tribes. On December 16, 1993, a select committee of the Assembly even recommended to then Speaker T.S. Negi to initiate steps to declare the Hatti community a Scheduled Tribe, said a state government functionary. --IANS vg/rtp/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There have been a handful of Income Tax (I-T) raids on some TDP leaders since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections on March 10. On April 3, I-T officials conducted a raid on the house of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust board Chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav in Proddatur in Kadapa district. Sudhakar Yadav was also the TDP candidate from Mydukur Assembly constituency in the same district. Sudhakar Yadav, who is also the Chairman of PSK Infrastructure and Projects Limited, later said the IT officials left after a five-hour search without making any seizure. I-T officials also searched TDP's Rajya Sabha member C.M. Ramesh's house in Kadapa district on April 5. Ramesh, a close aide of TDP President and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, said the IT sleuths found nothing in his house. Ramesh, whose businesses were also raided a few months ago, alleged that the BJP was behind the raids to help the YSR Congress Party. On April 9, two days before Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state, I-T officials conducted a raid at the residence of Gurappa Naidu, the cost accountant of TDP leader Galla Jayadev, who is seeking re-election from the Guntur Lok Sabha constituency. The I-T Department later said it conducted the search at the residence of Gurappa Naidu after information was received on a toll-free number that cash was kept at his residence which was to be used for the elections. They seized Rs 45.4 lakh from the premises. The I-T Department said that it was only while recording his statement that Gurappa Naidu revealed that he was giving services to Jayadev. Jayadev, who was the richest MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha with declared assets of Rs 683 crore, is the director of Amara Raja Group, known for its automotive battery brand Amaron. The I-T officials also conducted searches at the residence of YSR Congress Party candidate from Guntur Lok Sabha constituency, Modugula Venugopala Reddy. Condemning the raids on TDP leaders, Chandrababu Naidu had staged a sit-in during the election campaign, slamming the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for misusing I-T and other central agencies to target TDP leaders. A day before the polling, he also staged a sit-in in front of the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in Amaravati over the I-T raids and transfer of state officials by the Election Commission. Naidu questioned the I-T raids at a time when the model code of conduct was in force. During a visit to the DMK headquarters in Chennai on Tuesday, Naidu said the searches were only targeted against those who were opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). --IANS ms/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indonesia's current President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has emerged as the leader in the general election vote count so far after the country went to the polls on Wednesday, according to projections based on first counts of votes. Millions of Indonesians queued up outside voting booths to elect the next President of the world's third largest democracy -- a contest between Widodo and his long time rival and former Army general Prabowo Subianto. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, won 55.34 per cent of the votes in the world's biggest single-day election while Subianto managed 44.67 per cent, according to projections based on first counts made by Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting firm, Efe news reported. The General Elections Commission of Indonesia (KPU) estimated a 77.5 per cent turnout and the government declared Wednesday a national holiday to ensure maximum voting. The Electoral Commission will officially announce the results in May. Widodo, who became President on the promise of reform and by virtue of not belonging to the country's political elite, prioritized social and developmental policies during his mandate. Some 40 organizations have been recognized by the KPU to conduct vote projections after the preliminary results were out. Widodo cast his vote in Jakarta shortly after Subianto cast his in a polling station in Bogor. After he left the polling station in the district of Gambir, Widodo told the media that he was optimistic about the results as he and his party had worked for the people. Indonesian elections are one of the most complex in the world, as more than 190 million voters were called to vote at 800,000 polling stations to elect from 245,000 candidates for 20,000 posts in a single day. Another two million Indonesians living abroad were estimated to cast their votes through postal ballots. Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is one of Southeast Asia's most consolidated democracies, and political analysts find little possibility of any large-scale manipulation during the voting process. However, Subianto, a few weeks earlier had reported irregularities in the electoral lists and threatened to approach the Constitutional Court unless they were addressed. Apart from electing the President and Vice President, voters had also cast their ballots to elect members of 575 seats of the lower house, 136 of the upper house, and nearly 19,000 seats in the provincial and municipal legislative chambers. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indonesia's current President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo looks to be on course for re-election after the country went to the polls on Wednesday, according to unofficial results. Widodo, who represents the continuity of social policies and has a moderate profile, is about 10 percentage points ahead of his long time rival and former Army general Prabowo Subianto, who has protectionist and nationalist policies, in early results. Millions of Indonesians queued up outside voting booths early Wednesday to elect the next President of the world's third largest democracy. More than 192 million people were eligible to cast their ballot to select 20,000 local and national lawmakers, including the President. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is expected to have secured 54 to 56 per cent of the votes while Prabowo has managed between 43 and 45 per cent, according to unofficial projections carried out by pollsters. The Electoral Commission will officially announce the results in May, the BBC reported. The General Elections Commission of Indonesia (KPU) estimated a 77.5 per cent turnout and the government declared Wednesday a national holiday to ensure maximum voting. The results were reported hours after the closure of the polling stations and represent predictions from 40 independent companies approved by the poll body. Widodo cast his vote in Jakarta shortly after Subianto cast his in a polling station in Bogor. After he left the polling station in the district of Gambir, Widodo told the media that he was optimistic about the results as he and his party had worked for the people. Another two million Indonesians living abroad were estimated to cast their votes through postal ballots. During the campaign, both candidates defended their Islamic credentials in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world -- 88 per cent of its more than 265 million residents -- and which has seen a rise in conservative Islam in recent years. Widodo belongs to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which occupies 109 of Parliament's 560 current seats, while Prabowo belongs to the Great Indonesia Movement Party which occupies 73. In addition to electing the President and Vice President, voters will also elect members of 575 seats of the lower house, 136 of the upper house, and representatives to the provincial and municipal legislative chambers. Parties that do not secure at least 4 per cent of the votes in Parliament will not be represented in the lower house. Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is one of Southeast Asia's most consolidated democracies, and political analysts find little possibility of any large-scale manipulation during the voting process. However, Subianto, a few weeks earlier had reported irregularities in the electoral lists and threatened to approach the Constitutional Court unless they were addressed. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There would be no restriction on civilian traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Wednesday, officials said. Civilian traffic would be allowed to move on the national highway on Wednesday since there would be no movement of convoys of the security forces, a traffic official said. The decision was specific to this Wednesday only and would not include Wednesdays and Sundays hereafter, the official said. Authorities had decided not to allow any civilian traffic on the highway on Wednesdays and Sundays to secure the movement of security forces convoys. The decision was taken after 40 CRPF troopers were killed in a terror strike on the highway in Pulwama district on February 14. --IANS sq/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that active preparations are underway for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Asked if such a meeting might take place in Vladivostok next week, Ushakov said that the meeting can take place at any venue. He added that Moscow had proposed several sites for the talks between the two leaders and active coordination was in progress. "For now I cannot say anything about a date," TASS cited the presidential aide as saying. Earlier, South Korean television channel KBS said Kim might arrive in Vladivostok for a summit meeting with the Russian president on April 23. The Madras High Court has recommended that the Centre should amend the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, to cover internal injuries suffered by employees. Justice N. Kirubakaran said: "From the nature of injury mentioned in Part I Schedule II of the Act, it seems that policy makers during 1948 concentrated only on external organs and the eventuality of injuries to internal organsahas have not been taken into consideration. Therefore, the Act needs to be amended to incorporate injuries to internal organs/parts and the consequential disablement so that workmen are benefited." The order came on an appeal filed by the state challenging the compensation granted to an employee for the loss of his kidney due to an internal injury, after an accident which took place during his employment. The ESI Court had granted him Rs 2 lakh as compensation on equitable grounds, even though the ESI Act does not expressly cover internal injuries. The court enhanced the compensation to Rs 2.15 lakh. The court said: "The human body, as a whole, is a composition of both internal as well as external organs and its well-being depends on whether all the organs are intact and are functioning normally. If there is any damage caused or if there is malfunctioning of any of the organs, maybe internal or external, then it would definitely disable a person from being normal." The Schedule II and III of the ESI Act lists external injuries and occupational diseases for which an employee may be compensated under the Act. Viewing the exclusion of internal injuries from the purview of the Act, the court said India, in particular, has a high number of people employed as manual labourers, who may face internal injuries during the course of their work. Directing the Centre to amend the ESI Act, the court recommended it to include injuries sustained to internal organs, such as kidneys, lungs, liver, etc., as schedule injuries and "consequent disablement as schedule disablement". (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in) --IANS ss/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya has once again attacked the government for discriminating between public sector and private airlines while extending solidarity with crisis-hit Jet Airways and its founder Naresh Goyal. In a series of tweets, Mallya said he was sorry that so many airlines had bitten the dust in the country. "Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used (Rs) 35K crore of public funds to bail out AirIndia. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination," Mallya tweeted. For want of cash and saddled under heavy debt, Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had shut down in October 2012. Mallya currently owes about Rs 9,000 crore to a clutch of public sector banks. Once the "King of Good Times", Mallya is now a fugitive economic offender living in London and facing extradition. The controversial billionaire has extended full sympathy to Naresh Goyal who was recently forced by the public sector lenders to quit the airline board. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine airline providing vital connectivity and class service," he wrote. --IANS nk/sn/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Wednesday said the issue of blacklisting Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar at the UN panel was heading towards a settlement and asked the US not to force through its own resolution on the matter. Beijing also rejected the report that the US, the UK and France asked China to lift the technical hold on Azhar by April 23, failing which they will move a formal resolution for discussion, vote and passage at the UN Security Council (UNSC). "On the issue of the listing of Masood Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We are also having communication with relevant parties and the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said here. Asked to elaborate further, Lu did not answer clearly. "The matter is now moving in the direction of settlement. As to the specifics for the discussion in the 1267 committee, there are clear procedures and regulations regarding UNSC and its subsidiary bodies. We think members should follow and abide by such procedures." He was responding to a question whether anything was achieved after China claimed "positive progress" on the issue of declaring Azhar a terrorist. China in the past has put four technical holds on the resolutions by India, the US, the UK and France to ban Azhar at the UN 1267 sanctions committee. Beijing's latest technical hold came last month after Azhar's outfit claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 Indian military personnel in February. This prompted the US to draft a new resolution and take it directly to the Security Council for an informal discussion. Beijing slammed the move, saying this will complicate matters when some progress has already been achieved. Lu again reiterated it when asked if China will support such a resolution in the Security Council. "Regarding what you said relevant parties are forcing a new resolution through the Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In relevant discussions, most members expressed that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they don't hope to bypass the 1267 committee to handle the issue. "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinions of most members of the Security Council to act in a cooperative manner and to help resolve this issue properly within the framework of the 1267 committee," he added. Asked if Beijing has been set a deadline of April 23 to lift the technical hold on resolution banning Azhar at the 1267 committee, Lu said: "I don't know from where you get such information, but the Security Council and it's subsidiary bodies like the 1267 committee, they have clear rules of procedures and you have to seek clarification from those sources." "China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation and we don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of most members will achieve satisfying results." --IANS gsh/soni/bg (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.) Tech-savvy millennials in India are the next growth engine for the digital economy and keeping them in mind, software giant Adobe is aggressively developing cross-Cloud solutions to help brands create efficient customer experiences. According to Kulmeet Bawa, Managing Director (South Asia) at Adobe, India is the company's second largest base out of North America. "India is an attractive market because it has the world's largest population of millennials and is quickly turning into a mobile-only country where better digital experiences matter," Bawa told IANS on the sidelines of Adobe Symposium 2019 here. In the first quarter of 2019, the company recorded a global revenue of $2.60 billion. While the digital media segment churned out $1.78 billion, the digital experience segment contributed $743 million to the company's total 2019 Q1 revenue. The company and its services have gathered momentum across travel, hospitality, telecom, e-commerce and banking verticals in India, with clients like Vistara, SpiceJet, Taj Hotels, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa and HDFC. "We don't segment revenue and growth rate by country, but the Asia Pacific (APAC) region contributes about 14 per cent to the global revenue for Adobe and India is one of the fastest growing markets for us in the APAC region. Our economy is on its way to reaching the trillion-dollar prophecy by 2025," the Adobe executive informed. Talking about expanding to more sectors with their Cloud-based solutions, Bawa said the growth is coming from automobiles, real estate, education, government, banking and manufacturing sectors. Apart from its plans of shifting to a Cloud model and becoming a leading provider of Digital Media and Digital Experience services, the company is keen on solving paper-based inefficiency issues. "Everything has moved online but one thing we have not completely solved is paper and paper-based inefficiencies. Being the original inventor of PDF, we have taken it upon us that we need to solve this last inefficiency," Bawa noted. Bawa said Adobe's recent acquisition of two companies -- Marketo and Magento -- has been a step long due in strengthening the foundation of its services. The company is focusing on technologies like Deep Learning, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the services in its Creative, Document and Experience Cloud offerings. "We keep furthering what we are doing in terms of research and our AI and ML technology -- Adobe Sensei -- deeply embedded into Adobe Experience Cloud solutions. We have enough on our plate for now," said Bawa. The company is also working to enhance voice capabilities, recognising its immense potential for future growth. (Radhika Parashar can be contacted at radhika.p@ians.in) --IANS rp/na/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Myanmar government on Wednesday granted unconditional amnesty to 9,535 prisoners on the first day of the traditional New Year, according to an order of the President's Office. The amnesty was extended on the occasion of Myanmar's traditional new year and on humanitarian ground. Authorities were continuing to examine remaining prisoners "who should be pardoned", President Win Myint said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. The government also granted unconditional amnesty to 16 foreign prisoners and deported them in view of relations between respective countries and Myanmar, Xinhua news agency reported. On previous New Year's day, the government had released 8,490 domestic and 51 foreign prisoners. --IANS soni/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may find the going tough in the state's Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls in the second phase of the elections on Thursday, after changing its long-time candidate. Nowgong, where polling will be held along with Mangaldai, the Autonomous District and Silchar and Karimganj in the Barak Valley along with 90 other seats across India, has been a BJP stronghold since 1999 when its candidate Rajen Gohain won from there. Gohain has retained the seat under three terms of rule by the Congress (2001-2016). Although the Congress had won six of the constituency's nine Assembly seats in the 2011 Assembly elections, Gohain had managed to retain the Lok Sabha seat by a handsome margin in the 2014 parliamentary polls. However, this time the BJP has replaced Gohain, a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government, with sitting BJP MLA from Nowgong Rupak Sarmah, while the Congress has put forward former state Minister Pradyut Bordoloi. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has not fielded anyone in the constituency this time, which might give the Congress some advantage. The BJP has been retaining the seat despite the fact that 38 per cent voters in Nowgong are religious minorities who are a decisive factor at least in five Assembly segments. The Congress is confident of its chances this time. "I am confident of my victory from the Nowgong constituency this time as the people have realised their mistake of voting for the BJP in 2014. The BJP has been pitting one community against the other in Nowgong and in the process, development is getting hampered. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is going to reduce the indigenous people to a minority in Assam," said Bordoloi. BJP's Sarmah, on the other hand, said that although he is contesting the Lok Sabha polls for the first time, he is getting good response from the people of the constituency. "I am sure people will vote for the BJP for development of the region," he said. A total of 69,10,592 voters, including 33,55,952 women and 180 belonging to the third gender, are expected to cast their votes in the five constituencies in Assam on Thursday. There are a total of 50 candidates, including 18 Independents in the fray. --IANS ah/vd/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) France will launch an international architectural competition to renovate the roofline of iconic Notre Dame cathedral after a fire gutted the oak-beamed structure and sent its 300-foot spire crashing into the nave, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, here on Wednesday. The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc. Or, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, whether we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire. This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility," Philippe said after a cabinet meeting. Philippe said they hoped for "a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era". No estimation of the cost of rebuilding the cathedral, for which French billionaires, multi-nationals and private citizens had raised 880 million euros, had been done, he said. The government would present a bill next week to ensure "transparency and good management" during the mammoth reconstruction project, including measures to make sure all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame, he added. Ordinary French citizens will benefit from a tax break of 75 per cent on donations up to 1,000 euros. The spire was destroyed in the flames that tore through the 850-year-old Gothic building's roof. According to officials, the entire cathedral was minutes away from total destruction. However, much of the building, including its famed towers, survived. Now the focus is on how to reconstruct what has been lost. In a televised address on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted it rebuilt by the time Paris hosted the Summer Olympics in 2024. "We'll rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years," said the President. But experts considered the timeframe "impossible". Experts say the cathedral's reconstruction could take decades and involve substantial challenges. The main problems in rebuilding the cathedral, include sourcing of materials, and painstaking work to preserve elements of the church that survived the fire but might have been badly damaged by it, the Guardian reported. As the Paris prosecutor's office said investigators looking into the causes of the fire were still not able to inspect inside the cathedral, Notre Dame's rector Bishop Patrick Chauvet said he expected the building to remain closed to the public for five-six years. A fire service spokesman said there was no immediate danger to the structure. But it was not yet considered secure enough for investigators to enter and start examining the source of fire in situ, the prosecutor's office said. Investigators, who said they had no reason to believe the blaze was anything but an accident, spoke to about 30 witnesses on Tuesday, including employees of companies involved in a 150 million euros restoration programme that started last year and was widely believed to be linked to the fire. Architects identified three main holes in the structure where the spire formerly stood, in the transept and the vault of the north transept. But a Paris fire service spokesman Gabriel Plus said on Wednesday the cathedral's renowned rose windows were in good condition. Statues inside the gables had been taken down as a precautionary measure to reduce the load on the structure, Plus said. The spire's bronze rooster, a symbol of France, was found on Tuesday, deformed by the heat and battered by its fall but nonetheless recognisable. Many other priceless artefacts inside the cathedral were also saved, including the Crown of Thorns, seen as Notre Dame's most sacred relic, and the cathedral's famous 18th-century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes. Some paintings and other art works will be restored at the Louvre after suffering smoke and water damage. Stephane Bern, the government's culture representative, said on Wednesday 880 million euros had been raised for the restoration, with contributors including Apple, the Total energy group and tycoons who own luxury French brands such as L'Oreal, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton. Many private individuals in France and around the world also donated. --IANS soni/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired a fresh salvo on Wednesday at Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar for raising questions about his family. "He can say whatever he wants about my family He's my elder and can speak as per his culture. But for me, all the poor in this country are my family," Modi said, addressing an election rally in Akluj, which is a part of the Madha parliamentary constituency in Western Maharashtra. "I have been inspired by the family traditions of the greats like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Rajguru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Veer Savarkar and others," Modi thundered. Advising Pawar "to learn" from the family of the late Deputy Prime Minister Y. B. Chavan, who also hailed from Western Maharashtra, Modi said all these illustrious families have "inspired and guided him", for they sacrificed everything for the country. The Congress, however, has been engaged in serving only one family for so many decades instead of following the ideals of these great families, the Prime Minister said. His Akluj rally was to gather support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Madha and royal family descendent Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, who is locking horns with NCP's Sanjay Shinde. The Madha Lok Sabha constituency, partly in Solapur district, is adjacent to Pune district's Baramati, which has been the stronghold of the Pawar clan for over five decades. Earlier, appealing to the people to vote for a strong government, Modi said only he could provide a tough administration for the country. "Last time (2014), you gave me a full majority and I could work with full strength to take firm decisions and work for public welfare. You have witnessed how I ran the country past five years", Modi said. He said that for making India a superpower, the country needs a strong government, not a "majboor" (helpless) one, which could be provided only by him and not by the Congress-NCP combine. "Even in your villages, you want a tough cop, not a 'dheela-dhaala' (weak and loose) policeman. The same is required for running such a vast country, we need a strong leader," Modi said. He again taunted Pawar for doing a "nau-do-gyaarah" (fleeing) from the election battle field as the latter had gauged "which way the winds are blowing". "There are saffron clouds all around.. Sharadrao is a shrewd politician who has sensed the changed circumstances. He will never indulge in anything that would damage him or his familya That's why he left the electoral fray," Modi said. He accused all the opposition parties of pursuing a single-point agenda. "Modi hatao, Modi hatao", is their sole aim, and to fight just one individual, he said "They are not bothered about the country, its global image. First 'namdaar' (Rahul Gandhi) abused all 'Chowkidars' calling them 'chor', now he has abused and tarnished the entire Modi community," said Modi. "We (Modi) are a backward community, we have been subjected to such humiliation by the Congress many times in the past. They have never stopped showing me my caste and hurling abuses, now, he's calling the whole Modi community as 'chors'," Modi pointed out. He said he was prepared to tolerate any insults, but would not condone if the poor and backward communities are run down. "The country will never forgive you for that. They still think the country is their fiefdom and are not concerned about anybody. But I ask you...will you punish them or not?" Modi asked the gathering. Earlier, Modi was welcomed here by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and, surprisingly, NCP's senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil. Modi acknowledged Mohite-Patil and said he was honoured to felicitate such a senior and experienced leader who has spent over 50 years in Mohite-Patil's son, Ranjitsinh, joined the BJP last month after he was denied a ticket by the NCP. At the last minute, however, the BJP did not nominate him, but assured that he would be accommodated later in the state legislature. --IANS qn/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which has been highly vocal about women security and empowerment, has failed to spend even half of the Nirbhaya Fund since 2015, government data revealed. As per the data, the corpus transferred to the Public Account for the Nirbhaya Fund up to 2018-19 was Rs 3,600 crore out of which since 2015, the BJP-led central government was only able to release Rs 1,513.40 crore till December 2018. The then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at Centre announced the funds in 2013 after the gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi on December 16, 2012. The Central government has announced to dedicate a specific amount for the security of women. with an initial corpus of Rs 1,000 crore in 2013-14. The similar amount was added in 2014-15. In 2016-17 and 2017-18 Rs 550 crore each were added in the fund. In 2018-19, Rs 500 crore was allocated for the fund. Named 'Nirbhaya Fund', the non-lapsable corpus fund parked with the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, were for the implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. At least 26 projects were approved and funded through this, including 11 proposals from the Home Ministry, eight from the Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD), three from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, two from Ministry of Railways, and one from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and IIT Delhi, and one from the Department of Justice. "In total, the amount appraised by the Empowered Committee (EC) for these schemes or projects was Rs 6,738.91 crore. Out of this, an amount of Rs 1,513.40 crore has been released," the data made available from the WCD said. Among these, the funds for only two projects were released 100 per cent. One time installment of Rs 200 crore for Home Ministry's Creation of Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) and Rs 0.24 crore for WCD's NICSI for Developing Nirbhaya Dashboard ensures for the 100 per cent fund release for these projects. Against the appraised amount of Rs 312.69 crore for Emergency Response Support system, the Centre released zero amount in 2015-16, Rs 217.97 crore in 2016-17, Rs 55.39 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 19.71 crore in 2018-19. In total, Rs 293.07 crore has been released for the proposal of the Home Ministry. There were projects which received zero funds from the Centre despite having appraised by the EC, including Proposal for procurement of Forensic Kits for sexual Assault cases; Organized Crime Investigative Agency (OCIA) with the appraised amount of Rs 83.20 crore; Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Government of Karnataka on Training women for heavy passengers vehicles with the appraised amount of Rs 56.06 crore. Provision of Video Surveillance System at Konkan Railway Station, with the appraised amount of Rs 17.64 crore and also Proposal for implementing a 'Safe City Project' in Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, Government of Odisha with the appraised amount of Rs 110.35 crore have received zero funds from the Centre. The Central government, last year has appraised projects on safe city worth Rs 2,919.55 crores under the Nirbhaya Fund for eight major cities of the country to make them safer for women. However, only Rs 439.10 crore has been released for the project for making Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow safer for women. Under the Department of Justice, Rs 767.25 crore has been appraised by the EC for setting up fast track special courts to dispose off cases pending trial under Rape and POCSO Act. However, no funds were released for that as well. The proposals received from states/Central Ministries to be funded under Nirbhaya Fund has to undergo scrutiny including by the concerned Ministries/ Departments, States/UTs prior to their consideration. Thereupon it was appraised/ recommended by the EC, an inter-ministerial committee constituted under the chairpersonship of Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (Nodal ministry). After recommendation/appraisal by the Empowered Committee, the concerned Ministry/ Department takes the approval of Competent Authority for sanction of theproposal. The EC from time to time appraises, recommends and reviews/ monitors proposals/projects proposed by different Ministries/ Departments/ States/UTs. (Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in) --IANS nks/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The contest seems wide open for the nine reserved Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra that are currently held by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine. Of the 23 assembly segments under these nine constituencies, 12 are with the BJP and one with ally Shiv Sena, 8 with the Congress and on/e each with the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and CPI-M. Sprawling across the state's scheduled castes/scheduled tribes belts, the SC seats are Amravati, Ramtek, Shirdi, Latur and Solapur, while the ST constituencies are Nandurbar, Dindori, Palghar and Gadchiroli-Chimur. The geographic distances nothwithstanding, the people in these constituencies suffer from near-identical socio-economic problems, top experts said. "The SC/ST people are deprived of the promised recruitment in government services and education sector, promotions as entitled under the reserved categories and security. Funds have not been allocated for education and the money intended for students has been diverted to other purposes in the past five years," (Dr.) Nitin Raut of the Congress party's SC/ST Wing, told IANS. He claimed that under the Dadasaheb Swabhiman Yojana introduced by former Congress Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, the state government was expected to buy land and allot it for agriculture purposes to poor, landless SC/ST people, but that scheme is in cold storage under the BJP government. Moreover, the economically weaker sections of SCs/STs were entitled to a certain grant for housing purposes which has not been given to them, Raut said. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Bhai Girkar disagreed, saying that e government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pursued 'all-inclusive' policies, most of which have benefitted the SC/ST even in Maharashtra. "The schemes like Ujala, housing health cards and health insurance have largely benefited the SC/STs... The kind of work that the NDA has done since 2014 has never been done before 2014," Girkar - who is Convenor, State Committee on SC-ST-OBC-VJNT, told IANS. The PM has pursued all-inclusive policies, most of which have benefitted the SC/STs, like ujala, housing, health cards, insurance, etc, which never was done before 2014. The BJP-Sena govt has done immense work for the SC/ST people, plus minorities. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) Vice President Vijay More had a different take on htis, said that there is a serious dearth of "qualitative education" in the SC/ST population areas, where mainly Ashram Schools are functioning. "They use outdated methods not compatible with the modern era. The education standards are below par with the rest of schools in the state and hence the students who pass out are not properly equipped to enter the job market," More told IANS. Referring to insufficient budgetary allocation, he said that the VBA plans to hike the expenditure from around 3.5 percent to at least 10 percent and implement the Delhi Government model of education in which some public and private schools are on par. All India Kisan Sabha President Ashok Dhavale sais that the biggest concern in the ST constituencies is implementation of The Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly known as the Forest Rights Act. Demanding implementation of the act, around 50,000 tribals and farmers had taken out a seven-day, 200-km, Long March from Nashik to Mumbai in March 2018 that rattled the ruling dispensation. "However, despite the assurances made by the government, the issues concerning farmers, the tribals, the deprived sections of society and the agrarian crises in the state which will decide the election outcome," Dhavale pointed out. The trio also listed issues of unemployment among the SC/ST youth, lack of security, etc, as the parliamentary elections progress, promising tough times for the BJP-Sena combine and the Congress-NCP front with the entry of the VBA comprising Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and Owaisi brothers' All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Among the SC seats, Amravati has been continuously won by Shiv Sena since 1996, except for one term - 1998-1999 - when it was bagged by Republican Party of India(G). The Sena's Anandrao Adsul is the sitting MP here. The seat has two reserved assembly components - Daryapur (SC) and Melghat (ST) - which are both currently held by the BJP legislators. Ramtek was with the Shiv Sena from 1999-2009. Mukul Wasnik of the Congress wrested it in 2009 but lost to the Sena's Krupal Tumane in the 2014 Modi wave. Its sole reserved assembly seat - Umred (SC) - is held by the BJP Shirdi has been held by the Shiv Sena since 2009 and its two reserved assembly segments - Shrirampur (SC) and Akole (ST) - are held by Congress legislators. An erstwhile Congress bastion between 1962-1977, later with PWP in 1977, it came back to Congress from 1980-1999, went to BJP in 2004, was wrested by Congress in 2009 and has been held by the BJP since 2014. The sole reserved assembly seat - Udgir (SC) - is with the BJP since 2009. The Solapur SC constituency has been a Congress stronghold and was held with the party's Sushilkumar Shinde since 1999, went to the BJP in a bypoll in 2003 and was again won by the party in 2004. It returned to Congress in 2009 and is now held by the BJP. The sole reserved assembly segment - Mohol - is held by the Congress since 1995. Among the ST seats, Nandurbar has been a Congress bastion since 1967, but was wrested by the BJP's greenhorn Heena V. Gavit during the Modi wave in 2014. Of the six reserved assembly segments, all ST, four are held by Congress and two are with the BJP. Dindori had elected a BJP MP twice - in 2009 and 2014 - and of the two reserved assembly segments, Dindori is with the NCP and Kalvan is with the CPI-M since 2014. Palghar was bagged by a regional party, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi in 2009, but went to the BJP's Chintaman Vanaga in 2014. After his sudden death, it was bagged in a 2018 bypoll by the BJP's Rajendra Gavit, who is now contesting as a Shiv Sena candidate. Since 2014, of the four reserved assembly segments, the BVA holds Boisar, Shiv Sena rules in Palghar and the BJP holds Dahanu and Vikramgad. The Gadchiroli-Chimur seat was won by the Congress in 2009, but went to the BJP in 2014 and of the four reserved assembly segments, all - Gadchiroli, Amgaon, Armori and Aheri - are held by the BJP. This time, retaining the nine reserved Lok Sabha seats may not be an easy task for the BJP-Sena which is fighting without a 'wave' and largely on casteist lines. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) --IANS qn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger in Ashgabat on April 16. An exchange of views took place on the prospects for cooperation, and the formation of new international transport routes on the Eurasian continent became the subject of special attention. In this context, the importance of the multimodal transport and transit corridor Lapis Lazuli (Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey) was emphasized. In particular, the Turkmen president expressed confidence that the functioning of the new port in Turkmenbashi city will have a positive impact on the situation in the region and beyond, and will promote cooperation among the Caspian-littoral states. Ensuring energy security and stable energy supplies, issues of environmental protection, rational use of water resources and settlement of the situation in Afghanistan were also mentioned as priority aspects of cooperation, Trend reported. In addition, Greminger drew attention to the importance of the Turkmen initiatives on laying power transmission and fiber optic communication lines on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) route, as well as the commissioning of the Serhetabat-Torghundi (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan) railway. As 95 Lok Sabha constituencies go to the polls in the second phase of elections tomorrow, AIADMK has the maximum number of 35 seats to defend, followed by the BJP, which has 26 at stake. In the second phase, which will cover 13 states, Congress has 11 seats at stake while Shiv Sena has to defend 4, BJD 3, RJD, JD(S) 2 each, CPI(M), JD(U), TMC, NCP, National Conference, AIUDF, PMK and AINRC one each. Of the 95 seats going to polls Thursday, 38 are in Tamil Nadu, 14 in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three in West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir, one each in Manipur, Tripura and Puducherry. The first phase on April 11 saw voting in 91 constituencies spread across 20 states. In Tamil Nadu, where all the 38 Lok Sabha seats will see balloting tomorrow, it is the first major election without the stalwarts and former Chief Ministers -- late AIADMK leader J. Jayalaithaa and late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state were swept by the AIDMK under Jayalalithaa's leadership, winning 37 of the total 39 seats. In the by polls later, the party lost one seat and now has 36 seats to defend in a changed political situation after Jayalalithaa's death. The party faces a strong challenge from the DMK-led alliance. The BJP, which had won one seat in the state in the last elections, is trying to emerge as a player in the southern state. It has sought to forge a "formidable alliance" led by AIADMK and is contesting five seats in the state. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) is also in the fray for the first time. Congress, which drew a blank in 2014, is contesting nine seats as part of the front led by DMK. Among the state's constituencies going to the polls is Pollcahi, where sexual abuse-cum-blackmail case had created a political furore. DMK has been raking up the issue in the hope that it will hit the ruling AIADMK. After Tamil Nadu, the biggest chunk of 14 seats going to polls tomorrow is Karnataka. In the state, key constituencies to be watched out for include Tumkur from where former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is in the fray. He has left his traditional Hasaan seat for his grandson Prajwal Revanna, where BJP has fielded A. Madhu. His other grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting from Mandya where he is locked in a tough contest with Sumalatha, actor and wife of late Kannada actor and former Union Minister M.H. Ambareesh. The Congress, which used to be a strong rival of JD-S in southern Karnataka, is now its ally. In the last elections, the BJP had won six of the 14 seats going to the polls in the second phase. In Maharashtra, where polling will be held in 10 seats tomorrow, the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena will have to defend four seats each, which they won last time. This time, the NCP-Congress combine is giving them a tough fight by highlighting issues like farmers' distress and unemployment. Eight seats of politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh will also go the polls in the second phase. Of the total 80 seats, balloting has already been held on eight seats in the first phase in the state. The BJP, which had won all the eight seats in the last elections, this time has to face a formidable challenge from the coalition of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal. The BJP is hoping for a repeat of its performance, relying on popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the impact of schemes such as Ujjawala, Ayushman Bharat on the ground as also the houses and toilets built in rural areas in the last five years. Of the five seats of Assam going to the polls in the second phase, the BJP and Congress had won two seats each in 2014 and one had been won by AIUDF. The BJP's promise of Citizenship Amendment Bill has traction in Barak Valley seats of Silichar and Karimganj and the party will be hoping to improve its performance. In Bihar, the BJP, in the last elections, had not won any of the five seats going to the polls tomorrow. Most of these seats are in Seemanchal region of the state which is a difficult territory for BJP due to high Muslim population. However, in the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP was contesting alone in Bihar while this time it has an alliance with JD(U). In Chhattisgarh, where the BJP had last time won all the three seats going to polls tomorrow, has changed its candidates this time to beat the perceived anti-incumbency. In West Bengal, the three seats going to the polls in the second phase are Jalpaiguri, Raiganj and Darjeeling. Raigarh seat was among reasons for the CPI-M and Congress not being able to forge an alliance in the state as both wanted to contest from there. It is held by CPI-M's Mohammad Salim. In Darjeeling, where the BJP fielded Jaswant Singh and S.S. Ahluwalia in the previous two elections, the contest this time appears triangular. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has struck an alliance with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) faction led by Binay Tamang while the GNLF and the GJM led by Bimal Gurung are supporting the BJP. Congress candidate Shankar Malakar is an MLA from an assembly segment in the constituency. In Odisha, the only seat BJP won in 2014 elections was Sundargarh, which will go to the polls in the second phase along with four other seats. The ruling BJD had won 20 of 21 seats in 2014 and the BJP is hoping to turn the tide in this election. It had 21.5 per cent votes in 2014. In Jammu and Kashmir, union minister Jitendra Singh had emerged as a giant killer in 2014 by defeating senior Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad. He is facing Vikramaditya Singh, son of former union minister Karan Singh in this election. Former state Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is in fray from Srinagar as National Conference candidate, with tacit support of the Congress. --IANS ps/akk/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In what could prove to be major global takeover, RIL-owned Reliance Retail is in talks to acquire the iconic 259-year-old toy brand Hamleys. Hamleys is currently owned by a Chinese fashion wear company, C.Banner. The purchase of the global toy-making major, which has its flagship store on London's Regent Street, would the be a major boost for Reliance Retail's global ambitions and its annual growth target of 30 per cent for a decade. Sources said the talks are at an advanced stage and the RIL-owned company is aggressively pursuing the deal. Reliance Industries, however, described the reports as media speculation. An RIL spokesperson told IANS: "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis." "We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under Securities Exchange Board of India and our agreements with the stock exchanges." The company is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called 'Noah's Ark' in London, in 1760. Ownership of the shop passed through the family and by 1837 when Hamley's grandsons operated the store, it had become famous. People belonging to the royalty and nobility were among its customers. Over the years, its global footprint has grown with stores across the globe opening and the company changing several ownership hands before being taken over by C. Banner in 2015. Of late, the toy company has struggled financially due to uncertainties owing to Brexit and economic slowdown in the UK. Reliance Retail might help grow Hamley's business with its supply chain management and distribution network if the deal goes through. --IANS rrb/sn/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday postponed a hearing in the trial of several of the country's prominent women's rights activists detained for "undermining national security", officials said. The case has attracted widespread international condemnation and is seen as further damaging the reputation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is under suspicion for his alleged involvement in the murder of his critic and journalist Jamal al-Khashoggi. These activists were arrested in May 2018 and charged with spying and supporting "hostile elements". They had been campaigning for an end to the country's male guardianship system and for the right to drive, before the ban was lifted last June. The BBC reported that after these women were arrested, "horrific details" emerged of their alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Saudi authorities. On Tuesday, Walid al-Hathloul, the brother of one of the activists, Loujain al-Hathloul, told the British broadcaster that his sister was so traumatized by what had happened to her that she wanted to remain in jail, afraid of how her reputation had been unfairly smeared in her absence. He said that following her arrest, Hathloul had been taken to a secret detention facility near the maximum security prison of Dhahban in Jeddah. There, she told her family, she was taken down to a basement and subjected to waterboarding and electrocution, according to the BBC. Activist Hathloul's brother named Saud al-Qahtani, a close confidant of the Saudi Crown Prince, as the man who oversaw her torture, allegedly laughing as he threatened to have her raped and murdered, the report said. In March the UN's Human Rights Council called for the activists' release and more than 30 countries, including all 28 EU members, signed a statement condemning their prolonged detention. However, the Saudi government says the detained women enjoy all the rights afforded to them under Saudi law. But activist Hathloul's brother said everything about his sister's arrest and detention had been shrouded in secrecy and that the entire judicial process lacked transparency. It was not until November 2018, he said, six months after her arrest, that the family even learned what she was accused of. The accusations, he said, included "applying for a job at the UN and being in contact with human rights organisations". He added that the prosecution had not produced any evidence to support its allegation of spying. The next stage expected in the trial of Loujain al-Hathloul and her co-defendants is the judge's response to their defence, which has already been submitted. Activist Hathloul's brother said that his family are deeply worried about what would happen next, partly due to the lack of transparency. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reaching out to the people in Kerala's Wayanad, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured that them he will be with them forever. In his first visit to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency after April 4 when he came along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi to file his nomination, he earlier made a quick visit to the famed temple of Lord Vishnu at Thiruneli where he performed "beli tharpanam" in memory of his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi had on his previous visit to Kerala expressed his wish to visit the temple and perform the puja, but the Special Protection Group (SPG), however, did not allow it due to security reasons, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said. Dressed in white dhoti and wearing an angavastra, Gandhi walked to the temple from the Devasom Guest house in Thiruneli. He took note of every detail told to him by the temple priests and then prayed to the deity. He, along with the priests, later walked some 700 metres to the spot where his father's ashes was immersed on May 30, 1991. The Congress President then addressed three political rallies soliciting votes for himself and for United Democratic Front candidates. "I stand here not as a politician, but as a son, brother and a friend. I decided to contest from here so as to project that south India is as important as other places. I seek a relation with Wayanad that will be there forever," said Gandhi to a huge round of applause at Sultan Battery. "I have come to know all the problems that you are facing here and I am not like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will never give you a false promise. I wish to thank everyone here who gave me a chance to contest from here," he added. In between, he met the 25-year-old Sreedhanya Suresh, who earlier this month, became the first person from the Scheduled Tribe community in the state to have cleared the Civil Services examination and secured 410th rank. At Wandoor, despite heavy rains, a huge crowd had gathered to hear him. Some people had a heated argument with the security officials, but the moment Gandhi arrived and started to speak, all became calm. After his rally, Gandhi left from the Kozhikode airport and it would now be the turn of Priyanka Gandhi to arrive for a brief visit to round off the campaign. In Wayanad, from where he is contesting along with his traditional seat, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress chief faces the Communist Party of India's P.P. Suneer, who is the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front and Bharath Dharma Jana Sena Chairperson Tushar Vellapally, who is the National Democratic Alliance candidate. Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency came into being in 2009 and it was won by senior Congress leader M.I. Shanawaz in the elections since then, but he passed away last year. While he won his first election by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes - the state's highest margin of victory in 2009, in 2014, his majority fell to around 20,000 votes. The top brass of the state Congress is leaving nothing to chance and is determined to give their President a record margin of victory. Elections to Wayanad will be held along with the state's other 19 seats in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 23. --IANS sg/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Vedhika says shooting for forthcoming Tamil horror-comedy "Kanchana 3", the fourth part in the widely popular "Kanchana" franchise, was like going on a big holiday and she considers the movie a great addition to her filmography. Vedhika has returned to the franchise, which kicked off with the 2007 film "Muni", after a decade and she can't be more excited. "Kanchana 3", which has been directed by Raghava Lawrencce, releases this Friday worldwide. "When I did 'Muni', I was very young and didn't know anything about filmmaking. Back then, Lawrencce master was very popular for his dance-based films and I thought I was being called for another dance film. But when I heard the story, I thought this was something new. The story was about a hero who is generally afraid. It was a character I could relate to so much because I get easily scared in real life," Vedhika told IANS. "When Lawrencce master again called me after so many years and said we should do this film, I thought it would be a great addition to my filmography. With 'Kanchana 3', I was getting an opportunity to do something really commercial and I didn't want to miss it. It's a film very close to my heart," she said. Talking about the experience of working on the project, Vedhika said: "I gave most call sheets to this movie. I shot for 70 days but I never realised how time flew because we were having so much fun shooting. It was like I was on a big holiday." Vedhika also feels "Kanchana 3" would mark her strong return to Tamil filmdom after a hiatus. Her last Tamil outing was the 2014 critically-acclaimed "Kaaviya Thalaivan". "It was not like I wasn't getting any offers in Tamil in the last few years. I didn't want to do films which were not exciting. I have always been quality conscious when it comes to choosing projects," she said, adding that she has signed a couple of Tamil films. "I started acting when I was very young and I had to take a break after 2-3 films to complete my education. I was fortunate enough to work with filmmakers like Bala and Vasantha Balan quite early on. I've always been careful about the films I did. 'Kanchana 3' couldn't have come at a better time and it was a fun film to do." This year, Vedhika will make her Bollywood debut with a yet-untitled thriller starring Emraan Hashmi. The project has been directed by Jeethu Joseph. "It's exciting to debut all over again. It's a new industry and it means new opportunities and new people. I'm paired opposite Emraan and he is one of my favourite actors. The film also stars Rishi Kapoor and I'm fortunate enough to share screen space with him as well," she said. --IANS hp/rb/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Wednesday expressed solidarity with France after a major fire engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In a statement, President Sirisena said Sri Lanka "stands in solidarity with the people of France and the noble mission to rebuild this world heritage". Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen, in a message to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, said that the Notre Dame cathedral "is a part of world heritage and the damage to the cathedral is a huge loss not only for France but also for the entire humanity". He conveyed "heartfelt sympathy" to Le Drian and to the people of France "on behalf of the Bangladeshi government and people". A fire which broke out in the upper part of the iconic cathedral on Monday evening engulfed the spire and the entire roof which both collapsed later. The French government said the main structure of Notre Dame was saved and preserved. Notre Dame is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and receives tens of millions of visitors every year. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The stage is set for the second phase of polling for five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly seats in Odisha on Thursday. A total of 76.93 lakh voters are eligible to cast their franchise for Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha seats and 35 Assembly seats under these parliamentary constituencies spread across western and southern Odisha. Of the total voters, 39.45 lakh male, 37.47 lakh female and 605 others will cast their votes in 9,117 booths, said sources at Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). A total of 35 candidates are in the fray for the five Lok Sabha seats including 30 male and five female candidates. Similarly, 244 candidates are contesting for the 35 Assembly seats a" of which 219 are male and 25 female. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will try to retain Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat -- the lone seat it had won in 2014. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram is contesting from the parliamentary constituency against BJD candidate Sunita Biswal, daughter of former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal, and Congress candidate George Tirkey. On the other hand, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will defend the other four Lok Sabha seats. Several political heavyweights including BJD Rajya Sabha members Prasanna Acharya and Achyuta Samanta, sitting Lok Sabha member from BJD Kalikesh Narayan Singhdeo, BJP National Secretary Suresh Pujari, former MP Sangeeta Singhdeo are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in the second phase. Among the Assembly constituencies, BJD President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is fighting from two seats -- Hinjili under Aska LS constituency and Bijepur under Bargarh LS constituency. Besides, senior Congress leader and opposition leader Narasingha Mishra is fighting from Bolangir Assembly segment while BJP legislature party leader K.V. Singhdeo is contesting from Patnagarh Assembly seat. Re-polling will be held in two polling stations following reports of glitches in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the first phase of polling. The re-poll will be held in two polling stations located in Malkangiri and Berhampur Assembly constituencies on April 18. The first phase of polling was held for four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly constituencies in the state. The elections were held for Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Berhampur parliamentary constituencies and 28 Assembly seats, which fall under the Lok Sabha seats. 26 candidates for Lok Sabha and 191 candidates for Assembly segments were contesting for the first phase polls. It witnessed a voter turnout of 73.76 per cent while female voters outnumbered the male voters. While male voting was recorded at 73.09 per cent, the female voter turnout was 74.43 per cent. --IANS cd/pg (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.) In the offline world, it is not difficult to understand where you need to run your campaigns to get the attention of the voters you want to target. The digital world, in contrast, is way too fragmented, often making it difficult for political parties to decide where to put their money on. But there is help at hand, especially when it comes to advertising on online videos. Noida-based video data analytics platform Vidooly is one of them. Set up in 2014 with the aim of providing online video intelligence to content creators, brands, multi-channel networks, agencies and media companies, Vidooly now finds that its services are also being used by political parties. "We are not helping the political parties directly, but we are working with several media buying agencies that run political campaigns on online videos on the basis of the intelligence provided by us," Vidooly CEO Subrat Kar told IANS. "The core competency of our company is to track and analyse the online videos to help our customers understand what content to create, what their audience is watching, and to help them understand the behaviour of their audience," he added. Vidooly, Kar explained, gets its data from two sources -- one is to get it from platforms themselves, be it Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or other such platforms, or through their application programming interfaces (APIs). "The other way is to mine the data to which we are getting access to through our partnership with the publishers. For example, we have partnerships with over 90,000 publishers and we get access to all the data related to the videos run by these publishers, like who are the people watching these videos and where they are located, etcetera," Kar said. The company, which has over 100 employees, uses both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to analyse data. "When we have to target audience in certain closed apps, we also do manual tracking and analysis as we do not do scraping," Kar said, adding that 60 per cent of its businesses come from India and 40 per cent from outside the country. "The charges for our intelligence can range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 500,000 depending on the digital appetite of our customers," he said. Vidooly is not the only company that has come to the rescue of political parties this election season. Neta app claims its services could be of use to political parties in terms of selecting the right candidate. "Our app, which allows its 2.5 crore users to rate and review their leaders, also help political parties to select the best candidates for a particular constituency," said Pratham Mittal, Founder, Neta App. "For the BJP or the Congress High Command, for example, it may be difficult to choose the right candidate in a remote place. "Looking at our ranking can help them understand who has a better chance of winning the election. We do not charge anything from the political parties for the rankings. It is available on public domain," Mittal told IANS. In an earlier interview, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha had said that the party is not only reaching out to the youth through social media but also to other sections of society. "Besides Twitter, which is the default option for political messaging, we are seeing a huge traction in WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and the fast rise of Instagram," Jha noted. (Gokul Bhagabati can be reached at gokul.b@ians.in) --IANS gb/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, whose directorial debut "The Last Color" got two screenings at the 13th Annual Dallas International Film Festival, is glad the film has made a splash internationally. The film is written by Khanna himself. Its teaser was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and the film premiered at the Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. "We are super excited that our film is making splash at all major international film festivals. It's a milestone for us that the movie was screened at the 13th Annual Dallas International Film Festival and the tickets were sold out for both the shows. It has also reassured us of the faith and confidence we had placed in the project," Khanna said in a statement. The movie follows the friendship between a young tight-rope walker and a widow named Noor in Vrindavan. The duo yearns to play with colours on the occasion of Holi, but Noor and the other widows are held back by tradition. The film raises pertinent societal issues around women empowerment, girl child education and their right to live with dignity. Khanna said: "It is a film that deals with universal themes around hope, friendship and the triumph of human spirit and connects with audiences globally transcending all barriers." Veteran actress Neena Gupta plays one of the lead characters in the movie, along with real life street children who were trained in workshops for months to bring alive the story in a simple cadence. The film has been shot by Subhranshu Das, and produced by Bindu Khanna, Poonam Kaul and Jitendra Mishra under the banner of House Of Omkar. --IANS rb/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 25 persons lost their lives in Rajasthan after a severe thunderstorm hit the state on Tuesday evening, officials said on Wednesday. According to Relief and Disaster Management Secretary Ashutosh A.T. Pednekar, four people died in Jhalawad, five in Udaipur, four in Jaipur, two each in Bundi, Jalore and Rajsamand, and one each in Baran, Bhilwara, Alwar, Hanumangarh, Pali and Pratapgarh. Roofs collapsed in many parts of the state and electric poles were uprooted under the impact winds blowing at the speed of 60 kmph, the officials said. In Jaipur, trees were uprooted at more than 12 dozen places. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia will be given to the families of deceased. Gehlot said instructions have been given to the Chief Secretary to evaluate the losses of farmers so that timely aid could be provided to them. --IANS arc/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cyprus may have no railways, but it is at risk of being fined by the EU for failing to adopt EU laws on the licensing of railway companies, In-Cyprus.com reported citing Phileleftheros. It noted that the harmonisation bill which should have been adopted by December 25, 2018 could have sailed through parliament in one session But the bill was only submitted to the House of Representatives two days ago. Cyprus has already received a warning from the European Commission and could find itself before the EU court if it delays further. The Transport Ministry is now calling on parliament to approve the bill as a matter of urgency. Book: Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level; Author: Leander Kahney; Publisher: Penguin Business; Pages: 304; Price: Rs 699 The death of Apple's co-founder Steve Job on October 5, 2011 shook the world. Critics predicted that the Cupertino-based iPhone maker is doomed and would only survive for two to four more years at the most. Timothy Donald Cook (known as Tim Cook by the world and "Tim Apple" by the US President Donald Trump) has proved them wrong. Considered a "colourless, unimaginable drone," Cook who joined Apple at age 37 in 1998 had none of the charisma and driving personality of his former boss who was beloved and immortalized. Journalist Leander Kahney, in his biography of Tim Cook, takes a deep dive into how Cook turned a company that was near bankruptcy amid low employee morale into the world's first firm that touched $1-trillion mark last year. Born on November 1, 1960, Cook made this possible with his unique set of strengths, which Jobs identified and made him the Apple CEO on August 24, 2011. Why did Jobs pick Cook over more popular names around for the CEO job -- like Apple Chief Designer Jony Ive or Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President of iOS software? It was Cook's uncanny ability to go in details while remaining calm, his vast knowledge of streamlining operations and impeccable work ethic that won Jobs' heart. In fact, after a long stint at IBM and later Compaq, "Cook himself turned down Apple recruiters multiple times". His meeting with Jobs in 1998 convinced him that working with a Silicon Valley legend who created iconic iMac, iPhone, iPod and iPad line-up would be "a privilege of a lifetime". Jobs hired Cook as Senior Vice President of worldwide operations, with a base salary of $400,000 and a $500,000 signing bonus. "It was one of the best hires Jobs ever made". Apple was bleeding then, production lines were in a mess and the supply chain ecosystem needed a fresh lease of life. "Cook fixed Apple supply chain and streamlined the production process, overhauling the entire operations," writes Kahney. In a September 2014 interview with TV talk show host Charlie Rose, Cook said he desperately wanted to continue Job's legacy and "pour every ounce that I had in myself into the company," but he never had the objective of bring the same as Jobs. Tim Cook's first keynote after Jobs' death where he introduced the iPad 3 and an updated Apple TV in March 2012 lacked charisma. But Cook was up to something really big -- taking manufacturing out from the US to Chinese factories. "Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limited, better known as Foxconn, came to define manufacturing in the Cook era," says the author. Apple Watch was the first major product under Cook's direction with no inputs from Jobs, which became an instant hit. Cook always took a strong position on privacy which made him a darling among the Apple users. "Apple does not want your data. Apple does not want to read your emails or sell your personal information to third parties or advertisers, nor would provide backdoor to government agencies to hack into iOS devices," Cook stressed when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came knocking at Apple's doors, asking the company to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in the 2015 San Bernardino shooting in the state of California. On the personal front, the Apple CEO's decision to come out as the first openly gay Fortune 500 CEO made him the "role model for the LGBTQ community. Religious to the core, Cook said: "I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God had given me". Being born and raised in Alabama where racism is still alive, Cook saw worst behaviour in terms of discrimination that "literally made him sick". Today, he has made Apple a more inclusive and diverse place to work. "Under his leadership, Apple has hired a greater proportion of minority workers than many of its Silicon Valley peers and given generous grants to historically black colleges and charities," writes Kahney. Under Cook, Apple has done great job at the front of accessibility, diversity at work, environment and improving workers' conditions at its suppliers' end. Humble and soft-spoken, Cook is pushing Apple and the entire tech industry forward, creating an ethical transformation. Other brands are now following Apple. (Nishant Aroa can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trinamool Congress' Kalyan Banerjee, who is seeking re-election from West Bengal's Sreerampur constituency, has declared that the value of his assets have nearly doubled to Rs 16.69 crore in the last five years, against Rs 8.56 crore declared in 2014. According to his affidavit submitted as part of the nomination filing process, Banerjee has declared that his movable assets stand at over Rs 13.60 crore, up by 106 per cent from around Rs 6.60 crore shown in 2014. The assets include Rs 2 lakh cash in hand, bank deposits worth about Rs 5.97 crore, investments of about Rs 2.02 crore in mutual funds and also investments worth over Rs 3.85 crore in insurance, Public Provident Fund and postal savings. He possesses 250 gram of gold rings worth Rs 8.26 lakh, besides two cars, one of which he bought in 2018. A lawyer by profession, he also has books worth Rs 1.25 crore. As per his affidavit, Banerjee has declared immovable assets worth Rs 3.09 crore, up by 57 per cent from over Rs 1.96 crore of immovable properties declared in 2014. His immovable assets include 500 sq ft of non-agricultural land, valued at Rs 6 lakh, at Doltala Mouza in the state's Bankura district, three residential properties - one each in Kolkata, New Delhi and Sreerampur - valued at Rs 3.03 crore collectively. Banerjee has shown over Rs 55.22 lakh of liabilities in terms of outstanding home and car loan. His spouse owns over Rs 89.68 lakh of movable and immovable assets, against Rs 28.86 lakh declared five years ago. Banerjee also declared that there is no pending criminal case against him. --IANS bdc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, describing the congressional measure as an "unnecessary" and "dangerous" attempt to weaken his constitutional powers. It was the second time during his presidency that he has vetoed a congressional motion. Last month, Trump vetoed a motion which disapproved of his emergency declaration to erect barriers along the country's southern border, CNN reported. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said in a statement after he had vetoed the measure on Tuesday. The President said the measure was unnecessary because, apart from counter-terrorism operations against Al Qaeda and against the Islamic State on the Arabian Peninsula, the US was not actively participating in hostilities in Yemen. Trump said that there were no US troops "commanding, participating or accompanying" Saudi coalition forces fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Supporters of the War Powers Resolution -- which limits the President's ability to send troops into action -- say that the US shouldn't be involved in the war without explicit permission from Congress. Opponents of the measure, however, say the US does not have "boots on the ground" and was offering non-combat technical assistance to Saudi Arabia, an ally. Opposition in Congress to Trump's policy on Yemen grew last year after Saudi agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Democrats, passed the resolution on Yemen at the beginning of April by 245 votes to 175, while the Senate did the same weeks earlier with 54 in favour and 46 against the motion. Both the House and Senate require two-thirds majorities to reverse Trump's veto. House Speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, was among those to condemn Trump for the move. "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis," she said in a statement. "This conflict must end, now. The House of Representatives calls on the President to put peace before politics, and work with us to advance an enduring solution to end this crisis and save lives." --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The cancellation of Lok Sabha elections in the Vellore constituency on Tuesday night by President Ram Nath Kovind was the result of the recent search and seizure of cash by the Income Tax (I-T) Department. The President's decision, as recommended by the Election Commission (EC), was based on the I-T department's raid on a cement warehouse belonging to a DMK functionary and the subsequent seizure of Rs 11.48 crore from there earlier this month. The I-T officials had also carried out search and seizure operations on March 29-30 at the residences of DMK Treasurer Duraimurugan and his son Anand and at Kingston Medical College, run by the Duraimurugan Educational Trust. Duraimurgan's son D.M. Kathir Anand was the party's Lok Sabha candidate for the Vellore constituency. The IT department also carried out search operatios in the premises of PSK Engineering and seized about Rs 14.18 crore. "The total cash seizure is Rs 14.18 crore while Rs 112 crore of unaccounted income has been admitted," an I-T official told IANS about the search operations in PSK Engineering. The search was primarily carried out to flush out cash meant for bribing voters. The Lok Sabha elections and by-elections for 18 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for April 18. According to the I-T official, apart from cash, several incriminating documents and accounts with details of generation of unaccounted money by inflating the expenditure and payments made to influential persons were also seized. The I-T official said that in the search operation carried out in the premises of one Sujai Reddy, evidence of investments of Rs 16 crore in a Malaysian company by him was found, which was not disclosed in his I-T returns. Unaccounted cash of Rs 18 lakh was also seized from Reddy's premises, the official said. Early on Wednesday, the I-T Department claimed to have seized cash amounting to Rs 1.48 crore from the premises of an AMMK functionary in Andipatti in Theni district. The department has also summoned state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister R.B. Udhayakumar in connection with the search carried out in his room in the legislators' hostel here. "Our team went there along with the flying squad and checked the room. There were a number of empty bags with some slips," a senior I-T official told IANS. He said one policeman, who was part of Udhayakumar's security, was present in the room. "The slips were impounded and the statement of the policeman was recorded, which was not of much help. Summons have been issued to the Minister for recording his statement," the I-T official said. On April 13, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo told reporters that the I-T Department has seized over Rs 40 crore of unaccounted cash in Tamil Nadu. The updated figure is not available. However, not all search operations carried out by the I-T officials have resulted in a rich haul of currency notes. The case in point is the Tuesday night's search operations carried out at DMK leader Kanimozhi's house in Thoothukudi. Kanimozhi is contesting the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat. Not able to find any cash, the I-T officials expressed regret to her and left the place. This prompted Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to quip on his Twitter account: "How is it that I-T gets tip-offs only about leaders of opposition parties?" According to Chidambaram, the hallmark of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu was the autocratic actions of the I-T Department. DMK President M.K. Stalin too complained that searches were not carried out on the premises of ruling party officials, nor was action taken on the complaints lodged. --IANS vj/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Now a biopic on Mamata! The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday wrote to the Election Commission against the release of a movie that is purportedly based on the life of West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee (pictured). Baghini (tigress), a movie in Bangla, is slated for release on May 3, bang in the middle of the election season. Not just the BJP, many other rivals of the Trinamool have also questioned the timing of the movie's release. The scriptwriter-cum-producer of the movie, Pinky Pal, said that while the shooting for the film had started way back ... Is Naresh Goyals Jet Airways going to shut down? No one has an idea. After putting up a brave face for months and saying the beleaguered airline would be revived, bankers seem to have had a change of heart. Now, they dont seem to be convinced that throwing more good money after bad is a good idea. Has the bidding process gone awry, or are there actually any bidders? Again, no one has any clue. In the absence of any information from SBI Caps, everyone seems to be in the dark. And, with the number of flights reduced to a trickle, most potential investors are likely to have a ... This refers to A test case (April 17). I entirely agree that lateral entry into the civil services should be welcomed. There is a serious need for new expertise and skills in the bureaucracy. However, the skill/knowledge gaps in the various government departments should be carefully identified and people possessing those skill sets should be recruited. Just bringing in people on an ad hoc basis or on subjective considerations will not address the issue. The lateral entrants should be committed people and not those on sabbatical either from the academia/research or from the ... On his quest to revive his party, the NCP, in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar is addressing rallies in all the seats where his party is contesting. He tells Abhishek Waghmare that he strongly believes that the ruling BJP will lose seats, and hints at a possibility that a compulsion to run a coalition government could result in a change of leadership at the Centre. Edited excerpts: It has been five years that people rejected the Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra. Do you think the situation has changed now? If you remember, the UPA rode back to power with a better mandate in 2009 than ... Following a number of recounts from Turkeys local elections last month, the Istanbul mayoral candidate from the main opposition party on Wednesday received his certificate of election from electoral authorities. Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP) was awarded the certificate of election at Caglayan Courthouse, where the Istanbul Election Council is located, to become mayor of Istanbul, Anadolu agency reported. The certificate followed recounts in districts of the metropolis such as Maltepe, Buyukcekmece, and Fatih. Speaking to reporters at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building, Imamoglu said: Ive received the certificate of the election on behalf of the 16 million people [of Istanbul]. We are aware of our responsibility. We know the needs of this city. We know the demands of all the people living in this city and we will immediately start serving them. All departments of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality have been transparently opened to the people as of today, he added. Over ongoing appeals of the election results, the newly elected mayor said: We are waiting for clear statements from the related councils immediately for the peace and happiness of people living in our city. 14 members of an Afghan family, including women and children, were killed in a road accident when the vehicle they were travelling in collided head on with a truck on the Karachi-Quetta highway here. Six family members were injured in the accident that took place on Tuesday after the driver of the truck coming from the opposite direction lost control of the vehicle near Mastung on the highway. The final rites of the deceased were held on Wednesday. An official of the Edhi Welfare Trust said the deceased belonged to an extended family that resided in Karachi and were Afghans who were going to Qila Abdullah in Baluchistan for the funeral of a relative when they met with the accident. Nine people had died on the spot after the accident while five others passed away later in hospital, he said. Earlier in July last year, 20 people including women had lost their lives after their vehicle fell down off the road near Mastung on the highway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Unseasonal rain accompanied by and lightning hit various parts of Madhya Pradesh, leaving 15 people dead and injuring some others, officials said on Wednesday. Chief Minister expressed grief over the deaths and took a swipe at Prime Minister over his tweet on unseasonal rains, charging he was concerned only about his home state Gujarat. According to officials, rains lashed some parts of the central state on Tuesday night, claiming three lives each in Indore, Dhar and Shajapur, two in Ratlam and one each in Alirajpur, Rajgarh, Sehore and Chhindwara districts. Two minors in Dhar's Pipalla and Dahi villages died when they were struck by lightning, Superintendent of Police Birendra Singh said. A one-year-old child was killed and three others injured in a similar incident in Malpura village, he said. Besides, three persons, including a teenage boy and a girl, were killed in Indore's Hatod area in lightning strike while they were standing under a tree, another police official said. In Shajapur also, three persons were killed in separate incidents when and lightning hit them, an official at the district police control room said. In Ratlam district, a 13-year-old girl and a 25-year-old man were killed and another minor girl received serious injuries when lightning struck them, Additional Superintendent of Police Indrajeet Singh Bakliwar said. In Sehore, a man died after a tree fell on him at a roadside in Ashta town. The victim had taken cover under the tree to protect himself from rain and thunderstorm, Superintendent of Police S S Chouhan said. In Alirajpur, an 18-year-old man was killed when lightning struck him at a forest area in Mapavat village, inspector P V Muvel said. In Chhindwara, a 19-year-old man died and four children were injured when lightning struck them, Additional Superintendent of Police Shashank Garg said. Besides, a 65-year-old woman died in a similar incident in Padana village of Rajgarh, Sarangpur police station inspector Shailendra Mukati said. Nath expressed grief over the deaths and charged that Modi's concerns were limited to his home state Gujarat. "Modiji, you are the PM of the country and not of Gujarat. In MP also, more than 10 persons were killed because of unseasonal rains, storm and lightning. But you have confined your feelings to Gujarat only. Though your party has no government here people live here also," Nath said in a tweet. Earlier on Wednesday morning, Modi expressed anguish over loss of lives in various parts of Gujarat due to unseasonal rain. "Authorities are monitoring the situation very closely. All possible assistance is being given to those affected," he tweeted. Later the prime minister said, "We stand in solidarity with all those affected due to unseasonal rainfall in various parts of the country. Unseasonal rains accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning hit various parts of Madhya Pradesh, leaving 22 people dead, senior police officials said Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath expressed grief over the deaths and took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his tweet on unseasonal rains, charging he was concerned only about his home state Gujarat. According to officials, rains lashed parts of the state on Tuesday night, claiming three lives each in Indore and Shajapur, four in Dhar, two each in Khargone, Sehore and Ratlam and one each in Alirajpur, Seoni Rajgarh, Sehore, Barwani and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. Four persons, including two minors, were killed in Dhar district's Pipalla and Dahi villages after they were hit by lightning, an official release said. In Indore's Hatod police station area, three persons, including two minors, were killed after being struck by lightning. Three others were killed in separate incidents in Shajapur when thunderstorm and lightning hit them. Two persons each were killed in Ratlam and Sehore districts after being struck by lightning. Besides, one person each was killed in Alirajpur, Rajgarh, Seoni, Sheopur, Chhindwara and Barwani in similar incidents, the release said, adding that assistance had been provided to victims' kin as per rules. Nath expressed grief over the deaths and alleged that Modi's concerns were limited to his home state Gujarat. "Modiji, you are the PM of the country and not of Gujarat. In MP also, more than 10 persons were killed because of unseasonal rains, storm and lightning. But you have confined your feelings to Gujarat only. Though your party has no government here, people live here also," Nath said in a tweet. Earlier on Wednesday morning, Modi expressed anguish over loss of lives in various parts of Gujarat due to unseasonal rains. "Authorities are monitoring the situation very closely. All possible assistance is being given to those affected," he tweeted. Later the prime minister said, "We stand in solidarity with all those affected due to unseasonal rainfall in various parts of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 28 people were killed when a tourist bus crashed on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Wednesday, local mayor Filipe Sousa told local media. The regional protection service did not confirm the toll when questioned by AFP. Images from the scene showed the wreckage of the bus which appears to have come off the road and rolled over. Around 50 people are believed to have been on board. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 33-year-old drug peddler was arrested from south Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar, police said Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Monu, a resident of Madangir, they said. Monu was arrested while he was carrying ganja concealed in a scooter driven by him. "Around two kilograms ganja has been recovered from his possession," said Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) said. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Unseasonal rain, dust storm and lightning hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat overnight, leaving 35 people dead and many others injured, officials said Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh reported 15 casualties in rain-related incidents. 10 people each were killed in Gujarat and Rajasthan in the overnight rains. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to twitter in the morning to express anguish over the loss of lives in the rains in Gujarat and announced relief. Soon afterwards Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath hit out at the prime minister, accusing him of being concerned only about his home state Gujarat. The PMO in a tweet later said,"PM @narendramodi has expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely". "An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country has been approved from the PM's National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved," the PMO said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is closely monitoring the situation in rain-hit areas and is ready to provide all possible help to states affected by rains and thunderstorm. Expressing grief over loss of lives due to the "untimely" rains and storm, the home minister said he was deeply pained and anguished by the loss of precious lives due to the natural calamities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and certain other parts of the country. Officials in Bhopal said that unseasonal rain accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning hit various parts of Madhya Pradesh, leaving 15 people dead and injuring some others. Rains claimed three lives each in Indore, Dhar and Shajapur, two in Ratlam and one each in Alirajpur, Rajgarh, Sehore and Chhindwara districts. Nath expressed grief over the deaths and charged that Modi's concerns were limited to his home state Gujarat. "Modiji, you are the PM of the country and not of Gujarat. In MP also, more than 10 persons were killed because of unseasonal rains, storm and lightning. But you have confined your feelings to Gujarat only. Though your party has no government here people live here also," Nath said in a tweet. The BJP hit back, accusing Nath of doing politics over the loss caused by rains and storm. BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said in Delhi that Nath is well aware of the procedure that the state government has to first inform the Centre about the damage in such a natural tragedy to get relief but instead of doing so, he was tweeting and doing politics. "Instead of informing the Centre, he chose to do politics over the tragedy," Baluni charged. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat government's director of relief G B Manglpara, told PTI that at least 10 people have died in the rain and dust storm reported from various areas including districts in North Gujarat and Saurashtra region. "Most of the deaths were reported in North Gujarat due to lightning strike and falling of trees," he said. Also, a portion of a tent erected for Prime Minister Modi's rally in Himmatnagar town of North Gujarat was also damaged in the dust storm, an official earlier said. Gusty winds accompanied with rains affected normal life in Rajasthan on Tuesday and left 10 persons dead, a senior official said in Jaipur. Several trees and electric poles were uprooted in different parts of Rajasthan due to high velocity winds of nearly 60 kmph. A compensation of Rs four lakh each has been announced for families of the victims. 4 persons died in Jhalawar and as many in Jaipur while one person each died in Baran and Udaipur, Relief Secretary, Ashutosh A T Pednekar, told PTI. There are 3-4 more deaths and we are confirming whether they are related to rains, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The fate of 50 candidates of five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam will be decided in the second phase polling in Assam on Thursday. Tight security arrangements have been made across the five constituencies to ensure smooth conduct of polling, state Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Sahu said. Altogether 170 companies of security forces of both the Centre and the state have been deployed for election duty in the five constituencies - Karimganj (SC), Silchar, Autonomous District (ST), Nowgong and Mangaldoi. A total electorate of 69,10,592, including 33,55,95 women and 180 of the third gender, are able to exercise their franchise in 8,992 polling booths, Sahu told PTI. Patrolling along the Indo-Bangla border in the two constituencies of Barak Valley, Karimganj (SC) and Silchar, have been intensified, police said. Around 45,960 polling personnel have been deployed in the second phase. Beside buses, the polling personnel are also using boats, bullock and horse carts to reach their designated polling stations. The district election officers have also made special arrangements for people with disabilities and senior citizens, particularly those above the age of 80, Sahu said. There are 137 polling stations with all-woman personnel and 84 model stations in the five constituencies. Three sitting MPs - two of the Congress and one AIUDF - and three BJP MLAs are in the fray. The Karimganj (SC) seat has the highest number of 14 candidates including sitting AIUDF MP Radheyshyam Biswas, BJP MLA Kripanath Mallah and Congress candidate Swarup Das. In neighbouring Silchar constituency, there are 13 candidates with sitting Congress MP and All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev being in a direct contest with BJP nominee and MLA Rajdeep Roy. In the Autonomous District (ST), five candidates are in the fray. Sitting three-time Congress MP Biren Singh Engti is engaged in a fight with BJP's Horen Singh Bey. There are seven candidates in Nowgong constituency. Former Congress minister Pradyut Bordoloi is locked in a direct fight with BJP MLA Rupak Sarmah there. Of the 11 contestants in Mangaldoi, the prominent ones include Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita and Dilip Saikia of the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, which the UN-recognised government blamed on military strongman Khalifa Haftar, killed six people ahead of a Security Council meeting on Wednesday over a ceasefire. Diplomats have long complained that Libyan peace efforts have been stymied by major powers backing the rival sides, with Haftar ally Russia quibbling over the proposed wording of the ceasefire demand even as the bombardment of Tripoli intensifies. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the south Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets also hit the city centre, the first since Haftar's Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture the capital from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the "terrorist militias" whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council began negotiations on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text seen by AFP warns that the offensive by Haftar's LNA "threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." After Britain circulated the text late Monday, a first round of negotiations was held during which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces' "savagery and barbarism". "It's the legal and humanitarian responsiblity of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions," Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftar's prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said. At least 189 people have been killed, 816 wounded and more than 18,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. The proposed measure echoed a call by UN chief Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to advance prospects for a political solution when Haftar launched his offensive. Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to recommit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating Libyan militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive on the capital forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Qaddafi. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The talks for an alliance between the AAP and the Congress ended "inconclusively" after the grand old party refused a tie-up in Haryana, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Wednesday. However, sources claimed that the talks are very much on and a decision on an alliance might be taken in the next couple of days. Singh said he held talks with senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and PC Chacko, and proposed an alliance of 6:3:1 in Haryana on Tuesday. In Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had proposed to fight from one seat, while offering the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) six and three seats, respectively. "Congress leaders Azad and (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda have refused to form an alliance in Haryana. We were ready to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi if they had agreed to form an alliance in Haryana too," Singh said. "The talks ended inconclusively between the two parties after the Congress refused a tie-up in Haryana," he said. On Tuesday, the AAP had said it was ready to have further discussions with the Congress and that it had appointed a representative to take the matter forward. The AAP has appointed Singh to hold alliance talks with the Congress and others. The party has proposed a 10:5:3 ratio in Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh in which 10 seats are for the Congress, five seats for the AAP and three seats for the JJP, Singh said. There has been an uncertainty over formation of an alliance between the AAP and the Congress for a few months now. On Monday, amid a blame-game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh Wednesday met Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Ghulam Nabi Azad to take alliance talks forward in the state, sources said. According to the sources, Singh has proposed 6:3:1 seat sharing in Haryana in which Congress would fight from six seats, while the Jannayak Janata Party would field its candidates for three seats and one candidate would be fielded by the AAP. But the Congress has proposed a 7:2:1 seat-sharing formula in which seven Congress candidates, two JJP candidates and one AAP candidate would contest the polls, the sources added. On Tuesday, a meeting was held at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence during which senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Kumar Jain were present. Following the meeting, the party said it is ready to have further discussion with the Congress and has appointed a representative to take the matter forward. The AAP has appointed Singh to hold the alliance talks. AAP sources said if the Congress wants alliance only in Delhi then it has to be in the 5:2 ratio and if an alliance is sealed for both Delhi and Haryana then the ratio can be 4:3 in the national capital and 6:3:1 in Haryana. Amid a continuing blame-game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal Monday engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nation Alliance candidate Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ekrem Imamoglu will receive the official mandate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) 17 days after the elections which are still subject to appeals over irregularities. Imamoglu was invited to the provincial election board in Caglayan Courthouse after the board rejected Justice and Development Party's application to postpone the process until an extraordinary appeal for irregularities is concluded by the Supreme Election Council (YSK). A handover ceremony is expected to be held today at the IBB headquarters in Fatih district at 6 p.m. The recounts over appeal processes before district and province election boards were concluded early today as the count in Maltepe district has been concluded, Daily Sabah reported. Indian giant Adani has urged the Australian government to give its controversial coal mine project "a fair go" and indicated that the opposition party would not derail the proposed billion dollar project if it comes to power. Gautam Adani-led entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north. The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of low-quality coal. ''All we're every asking for a fair go and to be treated like everyone else. I think at certain points, that has not been the case. We're certainly not whining about it. We just want to get on with it now. We want a fair go," chief executive officer Lucas Dow, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He said the sort of scrutiny that the project was facing on the management plans was unprecedented. The Adani project which still requires to clear few more approvals from the Queensland Government, including groundwater modelling, recently received the clearance from the federal government for development. Commenting if the mine project could run any risk if the Labor Party comes to power, Dow said "I think (Federal Labor) has been crystal clear that if they are to form a government they won't be in the habit of creating sovereign risk by ripping up the existing approvals." He said that he was satisfied by recent assurances given by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen. ALSO READ: Power generation remains the only pain point for the mammoth Adani group "Shorten and Bowen have been at pains to say...they won't be creating sovereign risk and potential compensation requirements," he said. The federal approval came just before Prime Minister announced that the federal election are set for next month. Dow denied directly lobbying with the Prime Minister for the final approval before the election announcement and said, ''We provided updates on both sides of politics, to be able to give people clarity in terms of exactly where our project was up to, what we need to be able to do, to be able to then step in and start delivering jobs for thousands of Queenslanders.'' Meanwhile, environmental groups have continued their campaign against the mine. "We don't really know why these approvals were granted in such a rush," Christian Slattery of Australian Conservation Foundation said, adding "We have big concerns about the integrity of that process given that there was substantial pressure on the minister from other members of the Government." Last year, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicated the party's "sceptical" stance towards the project but said the approvals will not be revoked even if they win. "We don't know what they'll be up to by the time we get into government. So we'll deal with facts and the situation we're presented with if we win the election in 24 weeks' time," he said. "We'll be making decisions at that point based on the national interest. Of course, we're not interested in sovereign risk or breaking contracts. We'll be guided by the best science and the national interest." ALSO READ: Why five airports won by Adani could be a goldmine for the group and AAI Carmichael would be the largest coal mine in Australian and one of the biggest in the world. The Coalition has been split over the project - rural Queensland MPs have been strongly supportive, while urban Liberals have worried it could damage their electoral chances. The Opposition has been walking a similar political tightrope as it seeks to capture seats in central Queensland while holding off inner-city Greens challengers. Adani said last year it would fully fund the coal mine and rail project itself, but did not give an updated estimate of the cost of the mine. The mine previously estimated at about $2.9 billion. Launching a blistering attack on Narendra Modi, Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi said all that the Prime Minister "does is tell lies and steal from the poor people." Gandhi, who addressed three election rallies in his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, spread over the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode and campaigned in Thirthala in Palakkad district, attacked Modi and RSS and touched on corruption. "All the PM does is tell lies and steal from the poor people. Six airports were given to his friend Adani on the day the Pulwama attack took place. And he (Modi) says they were fighting black money. Modi said demonetisation was to fight black money, but it destroyed the Indian economy. Fifty lakh people lost their jobs after demonetisation," the Congress chief said while winding off his campaign at Thrithala this evening. All praise for Wayanad,the second constituency from where Gandhi is contesting for which he was attacked by Modi and BJP,Gandhi said he wanted to represent the remote district as the "beautiful place" symbolises different ideas and cultures. Addressing a rally in Nagpur last week,BJP president Amit Shah had chided Congress president Rahul Gandhi for selecting his second seat in north Kerala, saying "when a procession is taken out there, it is difficult to make out whether it is India or Pakistan." Shah was referring to the IUMLs green flags during Rahul Gandhis road show in Wayanad on April 4 after filing his papers. Gandhi also said the saffron party was arrogant and believed that they can re-define Indian history. "Only the Indian people can define, decide about the country. It does not matter that Uttar Pradesh is much bigger than Nagaland.The voice of all Indians matter. This is the fight that is taking place. Why do these people want to define India ?. The entire goal to re-define India is to steal from India. The entire idea is to create two Indias.One India for the Ambanis, Adanis, Nirav Modis, Mehul Choksies, Vijay Mallyas and one for others", Gandhi said lashing out at the Prime minister. He also said poor farmers who took meagre loans of around Rs 20,000 were behind bars for non-repayment while the rich who availed loans over Rs 35,000 crore were walking free. Continuing his tirade against Modi and the RSS, Gandhi said issues of Kerala should be decided by the people and not by Modi or the RSS chief. In the three rallies in Wayanad, Gandhi tore into the BJP-led NDA government and said the saffron party was only interested in imposing its ideology on people of the country. "Who is Mohan Bhagwat to teach us about culture and history?. Kerala should be run by the people of Kerala.This is the same sentiment in state after state," he said, addressing a rally at Wandoor in Wayanad constituency. Taking a jibe at Modi,Gandhi said he was not here to tell his 'Mann Ki Baat', but understand the various difficulties, including the night travel ban, man-animal conflicts and lack of medical facilities being faced by the people here. "I understand there are complex problems here. There are man-animal conflicts. There is a conflict between development and environment. I want to see a solution. I don't believe in imposing a solution. I believe in the wisdom and intellectual of our people in resolving such issues," Gandhi said. "I am not like the Prime Minister. I am not going to make false promises and tell you I will give you two crore jobs or Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts or that I will give farmers whatever they want. I am not going to lie to you. Because I respect your intelligence, your wisdom, Gandhi said. The crowd also chanted 'Rahul, Rahul' when he said he wanted to have a lifelong relationship with the people of the hilly Wayanad constituency. "I just don't want to have a relationship for just a few months. I want a lifelong relationship with you. I want the sisters of Wayanad to say that I am like their brother, fathers and mothers to say that I am their son," Gandhi said. The voice of the south was as "important" as rest of the country, he said, adding Kerala was an example of peaceful co-existence. There is a lot that the rest of the country can learn from Kerala and Wayanad, he said. Gandhi began his campaign in Wayanad by offering 'bali tharpanam' (paying obeisance to departed souls) to his ancestors at Thirunelli temple. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lamenting that Allahabad University hostels have become a "haven for criminals" who have converted its campus into a "play ground" for their misdeeds, the Allahabad High Court has asked the varsity and the police to apprise it of steps taken by them to address the issue. A bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice S S Shamshery made the observation on Tuesday while taking suo motu cognizance of media reports on the murder of a youth at PCB hostel of Allahabad University on Monday night. The court issued notices to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, state director general of police and district commissioner and senior superintendent of police of Prayagraj as well as the registrar of Allahabad University on the issue. The court directed the University registrar to file an affidavit about the steps taken to make the university campus free from criminals. The court also directed the SSP of Prayagraj to file a status report regarding steps taken in the matter. "In a democratic society, rule of law is to prevail and any harm to that cannot be accepted in any manner. No one can be allowed to cause even a minor injury to the peace and tranquillity of the area and inhabitants thereof," the court said in its order. "It is brought to our notice that a huge number of criminals are staying in the different hostels under the control of university though they are not regular students," it said. The bench, in its oral observations, said that "campus and hostels of Allahabad university have become a haven for criminals". "The entire campus has been converted by them into play ground for their criminal deeds," it said. The court directed the district magistrate and SSP of Prayagraj and the registrar of the university to be present in court on April 22. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manvendra Singh, Congress candidate from Barmer, has said people are still angry with the BJP for denying ticket to his father and former veteran leader Jaswant Singh in the 2014 general elections and they will teach the saffron party a lesson by making him win this time from this Thar desert Lok Sabha constituency. He said there is no "Modi wave" here and he is confident about his victory. Geographically, Barmer is the largest parliamentary constituency in the county and is dominated by Jats and Rajputs who play a decisive role in elections here. While Scheduled Castes and minority communities are considered to be largely supportive of Congress here, there are around 5.5 lakh Jats and 2.5 lakh Rajput voters. Manvendra, who was an MP from Barmer between 2004 and 2009 and later a legislator from Sheo, left the BJP in September 2018 and joined the Congress ahead of assembly elections in Rajasthan, citing differences with the then chief minister Vasundhara Raje of the saffron party. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Manvendra's father Jaswant Singh fought as an independent candidate from Barmer after he was denied a BJP ticket. The BJP had fielded Congress defector Sona Ram Choudhary against him, who won with a margin of around 87,000 votes. Congress candidate Harish Choudhary had come third. BJP has denied ticket to its sitting MP and has pitted former MLA Kailash Choudhary, who belongs to Jat community, against Manvendra Singh, who is a Rajput. Kailash Choudhary is contesting the Lok Sabha election for the first time. Last time also, there was anger, but this time the anger is more apparent and anger was also showed during assembly elections where except one seat, out of nine seats, Congress won all of them," Singh told PTI in an interview. Asked whether he expects people of Barmer to teach the BJP a lesson and make him win, Singh said, "I am hopefully for it. I am very hopeful." The Congress party emerged victorious in the assembly elections in the state late last year and has formed a government there, but Singh could not win from Jhalrapatan assembly seat where he was pitted against Raje. He said the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party president Amit Shah, is no longer the party which it was under leaders like Atal Bihar Vajpayee and L K Advani. He said water scarcity is a major issue in Barmer, besides unemployment, for the Lok Sabha election. "My first election theme is water because Barmer is a desert area. Water scarcity is always there New techniques have to be implemented from the government's side and I am also from the village side. There are some water schemes which are under process of being completed. "Work is going on to address this issue. Hopefully, in the next five years, this (state) government will implement it," the Congress leader said. He also said the new Congress government in Rajasthan has generated enough goodwill among the people to repeat the assembly election performance in the Lok Sabha polls as well. The goodwill is certainly there because some of the announcements (made by the Congress) have already been implemented, including farm loan waiver, and more importantly, the old-age pension has been enhanced. "Also, educated youths have already started getting stipends," he said, calling these three factors as key ones impacting a common man, especially in villages. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm said Tuesday they have agreed to "dismiss all litigation" against each other worldwide in what had been a sprawling battle over royalty payments. The last-minute settlement cut short a courtroom clash between the tech giants just as it was getting underway in California. For two years, the companies had fought a multi-front brawl that could have required Qualcomm to pay billions. The sent Qualcomm's stock price soaring more than 23 percent on Wall Street, its best one-day performance in nearly 20 years. The deal includes a six-year license agreement with the option to extend for two years, and a payment to Qualcomm from Apple, the companies said. At the heart of the battle were the royalties Qualcomm charges for its patented chips, which enable smartphones to connect to mobile networks. Apple accused Qualcomm, which holds the most patents for chips, of taking advantage of its dominant position to charge exorbitant amounts for its chips or access to its patents. Qualcomm denied the allegations and accused Apple of abusing its position and of taking legal action to negotiate prices down. "I believe both Apple and Qualcomm got deeper into this than they wanted to," analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said in a statement. "This settlement should be good for the wireless industry as companies should feel free to invest in research, get paid a fair price for those inventions, and consumers take advantage of those innovations at a very rapid pace." Several hours after the deal was announced, Intel said it was withdrawing from the 5G smartphone modem business, without indicating whether its decision was a cause or consequence of the agreement its rival signed with Apple. The stakes had been especially high for Qualcomm, given that it earns a significant chunk of its revenue from royalties paid by manufacturers for its patented technology. Apple had argued that Qualcomm's royalty demands meant it was effectively insisting on payment for innovations by Apple -- such as touch ID or Apple Pay -- that Qualcomm "had nothing to do with." Apple said it had been overcharged by billions as a result and, following its initial US lawsuit, the iPhone maker filed two more suits in China on the same basis. Qualcomm counter-sued. Also in early 2017, the US Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm for alleged antitrust law violations in the sale of certain components and licenses to smartphone makers, including Apple. In April 2017, it was forced to pay $815 million to Canada's Blackberry in a royalties dispute. And since 2015, through both convictions and settlements, it has paid high antitrust fines in China, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union. This has led to contradictory legal rulings. In March, a US court ruled in Apple's favor, a few hours after a judge of the same court ordered a partial ban of iPhone imports. Meanwhile, by the end of 2018, Qualcomm had secured a ban on the sale of certain iPhones in China and Germany -- again for patent violations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ecuador's on Tuesday accused of hosting numerous hackers at the Ecuadorian Embassy in to give them directions on how to propagate information on topics important to the WikiLeaks founder and his financiers. Lenin Moreno said that Swedish programmer Ola Bini, who is in custody in Ecuador, was one of the hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. ALSO READ: Ecuador says hit by 40 million cyber attacks since Julian Assange arrest Moreno said Bini hacked cellphones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuador's government. In Quito earlier in the day, Bini's parents made an anxious plea for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he did nothing wrong. "Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more," said his father, Dag Gustafsson. Moreno made his allegations while at the Inter-American Dialogue during his five-day visit to He will not have meetings with officials from the Assange had enjoyed asylum since 2012 at the embassy in but relations between the silver-haired Australian and Ecuadorian officials had grown increasingly tense. Moreno's government has accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in affairs, harassing staff and even smearing feces on the embassy's walls. Assange is in custody in awaiting sentencing for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. The US is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a computer system. Ecuador's suggested Assange was able to operate equipment and collaborate with embassy staffers for a long time thanks to the support of Moreno's predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange. "There are other answers that fit with someone's else money, which (this person) kept taking away from Ecuador in order to keep power and in order to go back to power," Moreno said without referring specifically to Correa at first. But at a later point, Moreno said "the president" spends $3 million a month to propagate his ideas and has been receiving money from the socialist government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro to perform economic studies. He did not specify an amount. ALSO READ: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange charged under seal by US prosecutors Moreno said his government has not requested cooperation from the for the investigation of Assange and Bini. But, he added, "if we need it, we will request. Let's not forget this is a country with very high technology." Ecuadorian Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo contends Bini travelled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She says he was also in earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Correa. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini with hacking-related crimes and had him ordered detained for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Bini's father said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit group and has a "burning passion" for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. "For us, it's surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations," Gustafasson said. At least two civilians were killed late Tuesday as a number of rockets struck parts of Tripoli, emergency services said in the Libyan capital. Another four people were injured, said a spokesman for the emergency services, Osama Ali, who described the toll as still only "preliminary." The explosions followed an offensive launched earlier this month by strongman Khalifa Haftar to take Tripoli. At least seven powerful explosions rocked the city centre. Shortly afterward, witnesses said, columns of smoke were seen above the district of Abu Salim in the south of the city, which was hit by a number of rockets. It is the first time that the centre of Tripoli has been hit in the clashes which tend to calm down during night time. No groups had yet claimed responsibility for the rocket strikes. At least 174 people have been killed and 758 injured, including civilians, since Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched its offensive on April 4, according to figures from the World Health Organization. In Geneva, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said that at least 14 civilians had been killed and 36 injured in the fighting. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) calculates that more than 18,000 people have been displaced as a result of the clashes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar alleged in the Supreme Court that he was targeted by CBI in the Saradha Chit fund case due to "mala fide intent" and "conflict of interest" of former interim CBI director M Nageshwara Rao as his family members were under the scanner post-demonetisation. Kumar alleged that post demonetisation in November 2016, investigation was initiated into some shell companies that prima facie were involved in receiving huge deposits and a FIR was registered. During the probe of shell companies, role of one firm Agela Mercantiles Pvt Ltd came under the scanner for collecting money from public unauthorisedly, he said, alleging that during further investigation of the case names of wife and daughter of Rao have come to light and the matter is being further probed. "The mala fide intent of the petitioner/CBI herein especially in light of the fact that February 3, 2019, a Sunday, was the last day in office of the interim CBI Director, is writ large on account of the conflict of interest, in the instant matter," Kumar said in his 89-page affidavit. It said that after the demonetisation, on receipt of information, the West Bengal Police initiated investigation into some shell companies that prima facie appeared to be actively involved in a scam, wherein these companies were receiving huge sums of deposits. "Taking due cognizance, a FIR was registered in this regard, being Bowbazar...dated January 27, 2017. That, during the investigation into the said case, role of one company, namely Agela Mercantiles Pvt Ltd (AMPL) came under the scanner in connection with various dubious transactions and also for collecting money deposits from the public unauthorisedly," it said. Kumar claimed that when case of AMPL was further investigated role of wife and daughter of former interim CBI director came into light. "The details of the same, if required, may be placed before this court in a sealed cover, as the investigation is still ongoing," it said, adding that the mala fide intent of the CBI especially the Team investigating the Saradha Chit Fund Scam, headed by Rao, is writ large and visible to the naked eye. Kumar in his affidavit alleged that he has also been targeted by the CBI as part of the larger conspiracy between two BJP leaders in the chit fund case. He named BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijyawargiya behind the larger conspiracy and told the apex court that an audio clip is available in public domain where they clearly speak of "targeting" a few "senior police officers". "The sudden inexplicable turn by the petitioner/CBI in pointing out problems with the investigation and targeting the alleged contemnor seems to be borne out of a larger conspiracy between two senior leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijaywargiya of the BJP, the ruling party at the centre," the affidavit said. Kumar claimed that he has been targeted due to political vendetta and "this apprehension is corroborated by the contents of an audio clip that was reported widely by the press and electronic media at the time where the said leaders clearly speak of 'targeting' a few 'senior police officers' of the state". Kumar claimed that on February 3, large contingent of CBI personnel arrived at his residence and on being asked to show the relevant search warrant, they were unable to produce any warrant or authorization for such search or for entering the residence premises. He said that even assuming that if CBI believes that there were some lacunae in investigation conducted by the SIT in the chit fund case, any alleged lapse in investigation does not become a criminal offence until intent can be attributed to such alleged lapse. With regard to the destruction of evidence, Kumar said that he had handed over no Call Detail Record to the CBI, and the allegations are baseless as he was not in the position on the date of such handing over of such evidence. "It is further submitted, that the said CDRs were never in the personal custody of the answering respondent herein and was never supposed to be in his custody. By virtue of the procedure laid down by law, seizure, and all materials obtained during search and seizure, remains in the exclusive possession of the concerned Investigating Officer," he said. The apex court is scheduled to hear the case on April 22. The apex court, on February 5, had granted protection from arrest to Kumar while directing him to appear before the CBI and "faithfully" cooperating into the investigation of cases arising out of the scam. The CBI also sought the court's directions to examine Kumar and other police officials to recover the material evidence and to investigate into the acts of omission and commission on the part of Bidhan Nagar Police commissionerate and SIT officials in causing concealment of the evidence collected by them during investigation. Earlier, the apex court had termed as "very very serious" the revelations made by the CBI in its status report relating to the interrogation of Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The sitting BJP MP in Aligarh, which was at the centre of a raging controversy last year over Muhammad Ali Jinnah's portrait at the distinguished Aligarh Muslim University, is facing strong anti-incumbency and anger from traders, making the Lok Sabha election a three-cornered contest. Satish Gautam of Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting "mahagathbandhan" candidate Ajeet Baliyan of Bahujan Samaj Party and Bijendra Singh of Congress in the election to be held on Thursday. The BJP candidate appears to be banking on a division of the Muslim vote while the two opposition candidates are hoping for its consolidation in favour of one of them. Sameer Mishra, a businessman, said he does not like the hard-line Gautam takes. "People, like me, chose him to bring pro-people policies and not instigate controversies like the one he did in Aligarh Muslim University," Mishra said. In May 2018, Gautam demanded the portrait of Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, be removed from AMU student union office where it had been for decades. Violent protests ensued. "This aggressive and communal attitude has showed him in bad light. We would have supported another BJP candidate but not him again," Mishra added. But other residents of the city admitted that Gautam has a strong Brahmin voter base, about five lakh in the constituency. Brahmins, Vaishya and Chatriya together make up about seven lakh of the total 18.73 lakh voters in Aligarh, a lock-making hub in western Uttar Pradesh. There are 3.50 lakh Muslims voters while Jat, Yadav and Lodi account for four lakh. Around 3.50 lakh voters belong to SC/ST communities. In 2014, Gautam won the seat by beating BSP's Arvind Kumar Singh by over two lakh votes. "But that time Gautam was riding on Modi wave. Things have changed since," said a BJP member, who did not wished to be named. "There is strong opposition for Gautam by veteran leader Kalyan Singh who did not support his candidature and was vocal about it too within party cadres," the BJP member added. "Another factor which might act against him is the anger brewing among lock industrialists who are extremely angry with him over demonetisation and high GST rate," said Tribhuvan Sarmisht, a tea seller on Shahjamal Road, a hub of small lock industries in the area. Prakash Sharma, owner of Rajput locks, agrees with him. "Most of the industries on this road closed post demonetisation and GST implementation. Even my business is running in loss, it would definitely reflect in the result of the polls," Sharma said. "I know Gautam wasn't directly responsible for demonetisation and GST but even our demands and situation was put forward by him which is his responsibility as an elected member," he said. This anti-incumbency may benefit both Congress and mahagathbandhan who have promised to focus on education and improve the city's infrastructure, many residents feel. A split in Muslim votes between Congress and mahagathbandhan may prove a challenge, the residents say, and added the mahagathbandhan candidate, Baliyan, a newcomer and Jat leader, has a better chance due to his strong support base also among SC/ST voters. "It is high time that Muslims do tactical voting as that could play a very important role in the turnout in the election," said Ali Nadeem Rezavi, a professor at Aligarh Muslim University. Nusrat Jahan, a primary school teacher, said the Congress candidate, Singh, has fought the election 12 times so she is thinking of giving the mahagathbandhan candidate a chance. It is yet to be seen how other voters think but for now, I think, Baliyan has a better chance as he would have the combined support of BSP-SP-RLD voters," she said. Aligarh goes to poll in second phase of elections on April 18. Khair, Baroli, Atroli , Kol and Aligarh city are assembly segments in the constituency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP Wednesday demanded an apology from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his remarks suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became president because he was a Dalit. The party also urged the Election Commission to take cognisance of the matter and take action against Gehlot. "It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post made casteist remark against the president, who is the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said, addressing a press conference at the party office here. He said the remark showed "anti-Dalit" mindset of the Congress. "We request the Election Commission to take suo-moto cognisance of Gehlot's remarks against the president," he said. Rao said the BJP has also demanded an apology from Gehlot. Meanwhile, the party also attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his speech in Nanded. On Monday, Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of corruption and asked how come all "thieves" have 'Modi' as the common surname as he referred to fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. "Rahul Gandhi cannot accept the fact that a person from humble background, who is from a backward community, has become the Prime Minister today. For Rahul, only families can rule India," Rao said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is "deeply upset" after a fire gutted Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. "The fire that spread through Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the symbols of Paris and the common heritage of humanity, has deeply upset us," he tweeted in French. "In my name and in the name of my people, I convey to the French people my wishes for recovery," he added. The fire at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral broke out at around 7pm local time on Monday. Due to fierce blaze, the buildings spire and most of the roof collapsed. According to preliminary information, the fire is believed to have been sparked by the ongoing renovation works on a higher level of the cathedral. Bringing its Hindutva plank to the fore, the BJP on Wednesday fielded Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal against Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. Out on bail, Thakur has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions. The BJP's choice of the 48-year-old saffron activist underlines its efforts to corner the Congress as its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, have often accused the opposition party of coining the "Hindu terror" phrase and slapping "false" terror cases on Hindutva activists when the UPA was in power. At a rally in Odisha, Shah on Wednesday described Digvijay Singh as the "creator" of "saffron terror" phrase. The BJP has decided to take the matter to the "people's court" by fielding Thakur against Singh, he said, accusing the Congress of defaming India by coining terms like "Hindu terror" and "saffron terror". Referring to the acquittal of several accused, including Swami Aseemanand, in Samjhauta express blast case, he attacked the Congress and said people of Bhopal will punish Singh and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. A senior BJP leader said the party decide to field Thakur, who joined it hours before her candidature was announced, against Singh as he has been one of the most visible "anti-Hindutva" faces of the Congress. Also being a high-profile seat as the Madhya Pradesh capital, it can help rally support for the BJP across the state and even outside, he added. Digvijay Singh has been a bitter critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological guide of the BJP, and had allegedly linked it to 2008 Mumbai terror attack carried out by Pakistani terrorists. Bhopal, which has a strong Muslim presence, has been a BJP citadel as the party has held the seat uninterrupted since 1989. Among other candidates, the BJP has named Raj Bahadur Singh and Ramakant Bhargav as its nominees from Sagar and Vidisha respectively. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had won from Vidisha in 2014 but she had announced that she will not fight the polls this time due to health reasons. K P Yadav will be the BJP nominee from Guna, which is held by senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who is contesting again from here. Several BJP leaders hailed the party's decision to field Thakur in the polls. Its vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said she "symbolises the fighting spirit of a woman, the courage for braving unspeakable torture for victory of truth and above all our relentless struggle to free democracy from crass vote bank politics". Hindutva votary and another party leader Subramanian Swamy said Thakur had "suffered enormously" and was a "victim" of Congress agenda. Calling her innocent and devoted to religion, Swamy played down other charges she is facing, saying "those are in final stages of being dismissed". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bringing its Hindutva plank to the fore, the BJP on Wednesday fielded Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal against Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. Moments after the announcement of her candidature, she tore into Digvijay Singh, holding him responsible for defaming "Sanatan Dharma". Out on bail, Thakur has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The BJP's choice of the 48-year-old saffron activist underlines its efforts to corner the Congress as its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, have often accused the opposition party of coining the "Hindu terror" phrase and slapping "false" terror cases on Hindutva activists when the UPA was in power. At a rally in Odisha, Shah described Digvijay Singh as the "creator" of "saffron terror" phrase. The BJP has decided to take the matter to the "people's court" by fielding Thakur against Singh, he said, accusing the Congress of defaming India by coining terms like "Hindu terror" and "saffron terror". A senior BJP leader said the party decided to field Thakur against Singh as he has been one of the most visible "anti-Hindutva" faces of the Congress. Also, Bhopal being a high-profile seat, it can help rally support for the BJP across Madhya Pradesh and even outside, he added. Digvijay Singh has been a bitter critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological guide of the BJP, and had allegedly linked it to 2008 Mumbai terror attack carried out by Pakistani terrorists. Bhopal, which has a strong Muslim presence, has been a BJP citadel as the party has held it uninterrupted since 1989. Among other candidates, the BJP has named Raj Bahadur Singh and Ramakant Bhargav as its nominees from Sagar and Vidisha, respectively. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had won from Vidisha in 2014 but she had announced that she will not fight the polls this time due to health reasons. K P Yadav will be the BJP nominee from Guna, which is held by senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who is contesting again from here. Several BJP leaders hailed the party's decision to field Thakur in the polls. Its vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said she "symbolises the fighting spirit of a woman, the courage for braving unspeakable torture for victory of truth and above all our relentless struggle to free democracy from crass vote bank politics". Hindutva votary and another party leader Subramanian Swamy said Thakur had "suffered enormously" and was a "victim" of Congress agenda. Calling her innocent and devoted to religion, Swamy played down other charges she is facing, saying "those are in final stages of being dismissed". Speaking to the media after the announcement of her candidature, Thakur tore into Digvijay Singh. "He (Singh) has sown the seeds of defamation of our Sanatam Dharma (Hinduism) and the saffron. He termed the saffron and Hindutva as terrorism," Thakur alleged. Referring to her incarceration in the Malegaon blast case, she alleged that "They (the then Congress government) misused the law, disrespected a woman, and tortured me unlawfully". "I will ensure that the country remains secure, and those who are talking against the nation should now beware," she said. As to the Malegaon case, Thakur said she had got a "clean chit", and all the conspiracies against her had failed. Digvijay Singh took to Twitter to 'welcome' her to Bhopal. "I pray to Maa (goddess) Narmada for Sadhviji and seek blessing from Narmadaji so that we all walk the path of truth, non-violence and religion. Narmada Har (glory to the Narmada)," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kashmir is an integral part of India and it would continue to remain so as long as the exists, party president Amit Shah said here Wednesday. Shah's remarks came at a poll rally, in response to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's recent suggestion of having a separate prime minister for Kashmir. "No one can take away Kashmir from us. As long as the exists, Kashmir will continue to be an integral part of India," Shah told the rally in western Maharashtra. "We will never allow two prime ministers in India," Shah said. The wants to separate Kashmir from India, he added. Abdullah's comment that Jammu and Kashmir bargained for a separate Prime Minister and President and hopefully they would have it, has also drawn a strong response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who demanded during a series of poll rallies that the explain its ally's comment. "India is the land of Shivaji Maharaj and its security is responsibility of us all," Shah said. Referring to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Shah said," If there is a goli (bullet) from there, India will send a gola (bomb) from here." Terrorists infiltrating in India will be searched and killed, he said. "Prime Minister Narednra Modi worked to make the country safe. Through Balakot air strike, we avenged the deaths of our soldiers," he said. "The chant of 'Phir ek baar Modi sarkar' is heard from all corners of the country now," the chief said. Shah also targeted the Congress-NCP combine which was in power in Maharashtra for 15 consecutive years till 2014, when the BJP wrested power from it. "The relegated Maharashtra on development front, while the BJP brought back the state on the path of development," he said. Five generations of Congress ruled the country but did nothing for India, he said. "What did (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi and (NCP president) Sharad Pawar do for the poor in India," Shah said. The CBI has taken over the investigation into alleged drug peddling by a Jaipur-based interior designer and his two friends on the directions of the Rajasthan High Court, officials said Wednesday. The agency has re-registered the FIR by the Rajasthan Police, which had arrested one Harshita Garg along with her friends -- Nishat and Rajat Morya -- on the alleged drug trafficking charges on October 19, 2016 from Pink Square Mall in Jaipur, they said. Police had received the input that a Punjab number vehicle in Adarsh Nagar area maybe involved in drug trafficking, the officials said. Based on the input, the local police arrested the trio and claimed to have recovered about 500 gram of charas from them, they said. The agency has initiated a probe into the matter, they said. Garg had approached the high court seeking quashing of state police FIR against her, alleging police has made up a case against her and she was picked up from her own house, the officials said. "It is possible that the petitioner is involved in drug trafficking as revealed from the surveillance report, but still it is duty of the investigating officer to ascertain whether a false FIR has been lodged," the Rajasthan High Court said. The high court said it is not inclined to comment on the involvement of the Garg in the crime. "The investigation done by the CID-CB is thus not inspiring confidence hence, to do complete justice, this court deems it proper to refer the matter to the CBI," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly a month after he announced to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad Wednesday rescinded his decision, saying his outfit will support the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the seat as the Dalit vote should remain intact to defeat the BJP. Azad's remarks come a few days after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati termed him a BJP agent and accused him of dividing Dalit votes. "I have decided not to contest from Varanasi because I do not want that my decision should strengthen the BJP or Modi in anyway. We all want to defeat the BJP," he said at a press conference. Azad also said the Bhim Army will support the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the Varanasi seat and asked it to field Satish Chandra Mishra, Mayawati's general secretary and Brahmin face of the BSP, from the constituency. He said that if the SP-BSP-RLD alliance fielded Mishra, they will also be able to get some upper caste votes. Earlier, the Bhim Army chief had accused Mishra of misleading Mayawati and conspiring against the Dalit group. On Mayawati's criticism of him, he said, "I was in jail for 16 months. While behind the bars, everyday I would hope that 'behenji' would take our side, fight for us, but she did not utter a word. After getting released, I tried calling her up, but she never responded." "Our own people are calling us agents of the BJP, but I still want her to become our prime minister. I want to end this war of words with Mayawati once and for all. I want to make it clear that we did not form the Bhim Army at the behest of the BJP," Azad said. At an event to mark Ambedkar Jayanti in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow on April 14, he had said that the Bhim Army, and not Mayawati, was the "real well-wisher" of Dalits. He had earlier attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for "giving promotion to officers who inflicted atrocities on Dalits". "His father says in Parliament that he wants Modi to become prime minister again. They are agents of the BJP, not me. "They call me an agent for questioning them. Yes, I am an agent of B R Ambedkar... If my own people were not in my way, I would have shown you (Akhilesh) that if we can vote you to power, we can pull you down too," he had said. Chandrashekhar had announced at a rally in the national capital last month that he would contest against Modi from Varanasi and had welcomed support of all parties, including the Congress, to take on the BJP. He had also sought the support of the SP and the BSP for his candidature, saying that the Dalit group would back their alliance in other seats. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance is yet to declare its candidate against Modi in Varanasi. The Chandrashekhar-led group shot to limelight during the May 2017 clashes between Dalits and upper caste Thakurs in Saharanpur. Chandrashekhar was arrested after the clashes. Though he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, the UP Police arrested him under the stringent National Security Act. He was released in September 2018 after 16 months in jail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu Wednesday took exception to I-T raids on opposition parties in various states while sparing the BJP in the ongoing general elections. At a press conference here, he pointed to the raids on DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuttukudi and JD(S) leader Revanna in Mandya in the last couple of days. "They raided Kanimozhi's house and office. In Mandya, they targeted the JD(S) leaders. Not one premises of BJP leaders anywhere was searched. What do you call this?" Chandrababu Naidu asked. While the helicopters of Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik and Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy were searched when they went for election campaigning, the BJP Chief Ministers' choppers were spared, he said. The Prime Minister's helicopter was also not searched anywhere, Naidu said. "They are deliberately doing all this. They (Central government) are troubling Navin Patnaik and Mamata Banerjee in particular," the AP Chief Minister alleged. Alleging that the BJP was seeking to create hatred among people, the TDP president referred to the Prime Ministers reported remarks against the National Conference and PDP leadership in Jammu and Kashmir. "What do you say when a BJP MLA (Ramesh Katara of Gujarat) claims that CCTVs were installed in polling booths to monitor the voting pattern? What does it indicate?" he asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" by April 23 on branding Pakistan-based JeM chief as a global terrorist by the UN but claimed the vexed issue was "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the was moved by France, the US and the UK. However, China, a close ally of Pakistan, blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto-wielding member of the UNSC, opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as a deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, "I don't know where you get such information." He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. "You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results," he said. "On the issue of listing Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," he said. "The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 Committee and they don't hope to bypass it to handle the issue," he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee." Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the "matter is moving towards the direction of settlement". China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and France's moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". On April 1, China claimed that "positive progress" has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesman's comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. China on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and France have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its "technical hold" on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. However, China blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, I don't know where you get such information." He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results," he said. On the issue of listing Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," he said. The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the UN Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they don't hope to bypass it to handle the issue," he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee." Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement. China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and France's moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesman's comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Wednesday dismissed reports that it had been served an ultimatum until April 23 by the US, UK and to lift its "technical hold" on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its "technical hold" on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh proposal to designate -- Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the was moved by France, the UK and the US. However, blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, I don't know where you get such information." He said both the and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results," he said. On the issue of listing Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," he said. The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they don't hope to bypass it to handle the issue," he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee." Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement. China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and France's moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesman's comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. A defamation complaint has been filed against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a Bulandshahr court over his remarks why all "thieves" share the "Modi" surname. Citing Gandhi's statement, which was made at a public meeting and carried widely in the media, Jagdeep Kumar Modi, a resident of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, filed the complaint on Monday. He said Gandhi's comment during a rally had dealt a blow to his and his family's reputation as many people made fun of him. "Gandhi made the statement with an aim to defame those with the Modi surname despite knowing that it is untrue," he said, claiming that it is a punishable offence. The complainant has urged the court to take appropriate action against the Congress chief. In the rally in Maharashtra's Nanded district on Monday, Gandhi had cited names of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, and also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with "chowkidar chor hai" jibe. He then went on to ask why all thieves share the Modi surname. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had on Tuesday threatened to file a defamation case against Congress president Gandhi over his comment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russias largest commercial carmaker GAZ Group might go bankrupt and may be nationalized due to U.S. sanctions, Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska said in an interview at the companys headquarters. Deripaska said there are currently no talks with U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control over the terms of lifting the sanctions since the company filed a proposal in October. It might go bankrupt and may be nationalized," Bloomberg cited Deripaska as saying. The businessman said that even if the company is taken over by the Russian state, thousands of workers will still likely lose their job. Deripaska said hes prepared to reduce his influence at GAZ, but admitted that for now theres a "low chance" of success in the talks with the Treasury. GAZ currently operates with licenses from OFAC that allow other companies to keep working with the carmaker. However, if the licenses expire as scheduled in July, anyone doing business with GAZ will be subject to harsh U.S. penalties. Whether GAZ will be subject to the full weight of U.S. sanctions is still an open question. In the case of United Co. Rusal, the aluminum giant that Deripaska previously controlled, the U.S. granted several extensions to avoid disruption in the metals market. Those sanctions were officially lifted in late January after Deripaska agreed to cede control of the companies. Theres less incentive for the U.S. to lift the sanctions on GAZ, which operates entirely in Russia, than Rusal, which runs plants around the world. GAZ is still working with Volkswagen AG and the two companies recently held talks to deepen an eight-year-old automaking partnership, according to people familiar with the matter. Early negotiations focus on VW making a substantial investment in Russia, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. GAZ has seen other customers withdraw as a result of the sanctions. For example, an assembly line at Nizhny Novgorod for Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler AG was halted a year ago. Deripaska, who is still under personal sanctions, said he doesnt communicate with anyone at Rusal or En+ Group Plc and obeys the terms of the agreement with OFAC. Still, he finds the situation unfair. He argued that the reasons to impose sanctions were "absurd" and "raving" and has sued the Treasury last month in response. Maharashtra Congress MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Wednesday expressed disappointment with the party leadership and said he will campaign for Shiv Sena candidate Rahul Shewale, who is contesting the Lok Sabha poll from Mumbai-South Central seat. There has been speculation that Kolambkar, who is six-term legislator from Wadala Assembly seat in Mumbai and a close aide of former chief minister Narayan Rane, may join the BJP. Around a month back, he put up a banner at his office here with a picture of senior BJP leader and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "I am deeply disappointed with the Congress leadership," Kolambkar told reporters here. The MLA said he has not received any communication so far from his party leadership about the Lok Sabha polls. "The Congress candidate (from Mumbai-South Central seat) Eknath Gaikwad also did not call me or send any message. I extend my support to Shewale and will campaign for him," he said. Polling in the Mumbai-South Central Lok Sabha seat will take place on April 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of targeting opposition leaders by using agencies like the Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, and said the people of India will give a befitting reply to the BJP in these elections. A day after income tax sleuths along with poll flying squad carried out raids at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi at Tuticorin, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said "the news" is that nothing was found during searches in her residence. The former finance minister alleged that the Income Tax department was taking "autocratic and partial" action in Tamil Nadu in the run up to Lok Sabha elections. "How is it that tip off on opposition leaders alone is received (by officials)," he wondered in his tweet in Tamil. He also said, "The marker of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu is the Income Tax departments autocratic and partial steps." Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that motivated I-T raids is the only tool left with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said the people can see through this. "Hounding Opposition leaders through motivated IT raids is the only tool left with Modiji. BJP has four allies- PM Modi, Sh Shah, ED and IT to fight these elections. People of India are seeing through this, they will give a befitting reply to BJP on May 23," Surjewala said on Twitter. At the AICC briefing, when asked about the raids, Congress leader Kapil Sibal claimed that BJP is "flooded" with money and yet authorities are targeting opposition which is facing a cash "drought". "We all know that if any party is flooded with money, it is the BJP. The opposition is going through a drought period. "And who is being targeted, those who are suffering from drought and those who are flooded are not being targeted. That's the beauty of Indian democracy and this government," he told reporters. "Cash : BJP flooded, Opposition drought. Yet Opposition raided (Kanimozhi). I guess Income Tax Authorities convinced BJP fighting this election without cash," Sibal also tweeted. Election officials had Tuesday held searches at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuticorin in south Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. Authorities conducted a search at a store in Theni Lok Sabha constituency Tuesday night following inputs about suspected cash, during which police had to open fire in the air to disperse supporters of the TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK, who objected to the action. During the raids, cash to the tune of Rs 1.48 crore allegedly stashed to bribe voters was seized. The store was believed to be run by a supporter of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Tamil Nadu goes to polls tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress was left red-faced Wednesday after its spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged that partymen, who had "misbehaved" and "threatened" her, were being let off. She lashed out at the party in public and accused it of giving preference to "lumpen goons" over those who had given their "sweat and blood" to the Congress. Chaturvedi, who is the Congress's communications department convener, said it is unfortunate and saddening that those who threatened her have got away without even "a rap on their knuckles". The Uttar Pradesh Congress had suspended some workers for misbehaving with Chaturvedi during a press conference in Mathura a few days ago. But, on Monday, the party issued a communication in which it rescinded all actions taken earlier against such workers who "misbehaved" with Chaturvedi in Mathura. "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in Congress over those who have given their sweat and blood. "Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," she tweeted. The action of rescinding the suspension, party leaders claimed, was taken on the recommendations of Congress general secretary for West Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia. Chaturvedi has been trending on social media for her "Kyunki Mantri Bhi Kabhi Graduate Thi" jibe at Union minister Smriti Irani, who is contesting from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh against Congress president Rahul Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, facing heat for campaigning -- despite being a Congressman -- for his son who is a BJP candidate, will reveal his plans on April 21, sources said Wednesday. Vikhe Patil is upset with the criticism directed at him but for the moment he is keeping quiet and supervising his son Sujay's campaign in Ahmednagar, sources close to him said. Sujay Vikhe Patil is pitted against NCP's Sangram Jagtap in Ahmednagar. The sources said the Vikhe Patil senior will hold a press conference and talk about his "political present and future" on April 21, two days before Ahmednagar goes to the polls, amid indications that he would part ways with the Congress. As per the sources, Vikhe Patil was upset with the Congress for failing to persuade the ally NCP to cede Ahmednagar seat for Sujay. The NCP did not have a strong candidate of its own and it had faced defeat in the constituency in the last three elections, the sources added. The senior Congressman was also angry that only he was singled out for criticism over his son joining the BJP while there were several other rebellions in the state Congress, they said. Asked about his father, a Congress leader, campaigning for him, Sujay Vikhe Patil said, "He is helping me as a father. As a family we stand together. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have captured the deepest radio images of the Sun, an advance that may help reliably predict space weather and its possible effects on Earth. The Sun is probably the most studied celestial object, but it still hosts mysteries that scientists have been trying to unravel for decades, for example, the origin of coronal mass ejections which can potentially affect the Earth. A team of scientists at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune, Maharashtra have been leading an international group of researchers to understand some of these mysteries. "The sun is a surprisingly challenging radio source to study. Its emission can change within a second and can be very different, even across nearby frequencies," said Divya Oberoi, from NCRA, who led the study published in the Astrophysical Journal. "In addition, the radiation due to the magnetic fields is so weak that it is like looking for the feeble light from a candle in the beam of a powerful headlight," Oberoi said in a statement. "On top of this, seeing coronal emission at radio frequencies is a bit like looking through a frosted glass, which distorts and blurs the original image," he said. The Sun has some of the most powerful explosions in the solar system. Their possible impacts on Earth include electric blackouts, satellite damage, disruption of GPS based navigation, and other sensitive systems. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and predict space weather reliably. The magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere, the corona, are the energy source for these massive explosions, and they are notoriously difficult to measure. Observations in radio wavelengths are best suited for this problem, but even there, this information is very hard to extract. A new telescope extremely well suited for solar studies has recently become available: the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia. To keep up with the rapid changes in solar emissions, it is necessary to make images of the sun at every half-second interval, and also at hundreds of closely spaced frequencies, totalling to about a million solar images every hour. The researchers recently developed an automated software pipeline for making these images. "The solar images from this pipeline also offer the highest contrast, which has ever been achieved, and are a big step toward understanding space weather," said Surajit Mondal, the lead author the study. This pipeline is called the Automated Imaging Routine for Compact Arrays for the Radio Sun, or AIRCARS. The contrast of the images from AIRCARS is much better than the best solar images available. These high-contrast images have already yielded their first discovery -- a group of weak radio bursts, researchers said. This work has also led to the exciting discovery of oscillations in the size of the radio-emitting region and its brightness. "These findings challenge the conventional wisdom of these oscillations arising in the local magnetised plasma and point to a new phenomenon operating deep down at the base of the solar atmosphere," said Atul Mohan, PhD student at NARC. These images have also led to a technique for estimating, for the first time, the details of exactly how passing through the corona distorts the radiation passing through it, researchers said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court will hear on May 1 a plea seeking direction to the police to register an FIR against BSP supremo Mayawati for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by comparing herself with Lord Rama. The plea has referred to Mayawati's affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in which she said that if the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh can make tall idol of Lord Rama in Ayodhya measuring 221 metres by using government funds, then why she cannot make her own idol. It said through her "sarcastic comments" in the affidavit, Mayawati has attempted to prompt disharmony or feelings of enmity, hurt or ill-will between different religious communities. "It is a clear cut preplanned conspiracy for disrespecting a religion with a view to take undue advantage for polarisation and satisfying some other religion and she wanted to create disharmony between communities," claimed the plea filed by Chatter Singh Rachhoya, general secretary of All India Raiger Mahasabha. The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh had on April 2 told the apex court that the present BJP-ruled UP government has initiated construction of a 221 metre high Lord Rama statues in Ayodhya at the cost of state exchequer. She said this in an affidavit filed in response to a plea which has alleged that about Rs 2,000 crore was used from the state budget for 2008-09 and 2009-10, when Mayawati was the CM, for installing her statues and BSP's symbol, elephant, at different places. The plea before the trial court has sought directions to the Delhi police to register the FIR under sections 153 A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion) and 295 A (insult to religion or religious beliefs deliberately) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other sections of law. The petitioner alleged that he had submitted a written complaint against the BSP leader at the Nangloi police station but no action has been taken yet. The plea claimed that the political leader compared herself with Lord Rama deliberately and with malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of Hindus. "Due to these type of comments passed by the accused, communal stress may occur in society. It was totally against the sentiments of the Hindu community," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora said Wednesday the city's residents should not pay property tax for the assessment year 2017-18, because the Maharashtra government's waiver of the tax was a joke. The Shiv Sena and BJP, who control the Mumbai civic body, have fooled the people, said Deora, the Congress candidate from Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat. The Maharashtra ordinance number 11 of 2019 is a "farce" as it waives only 0.110 per cent of the property tax, therefore all Mumbai residents who live in houses not bigger than 500 sq ft "should NOT pay their property tax for the year 2017-18", Deora tweeted. Addressing a press conference earlier, Deora attacked the Sena-BJP combine on the issue, and made the same appeal to Mumbai residents. "The Sena-BJP alliance has fooled the people of Mumbai and failed to fulfil its promise. The financial position of the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) is robust and it can easily afford to waive property tax for owners of properties up to 500 sq ft carpet area," he said. The Mumbai Congress chief said that following the Sena's promise to waive property tax, the BMC asked the state government to implement it, and the latter issued an ordinance last month. However, the government resolution of March 8, 2019, only amended section 140 (C) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and only the general tax component - which varies from 10 per cent to 30 per cent of total tax slab - was exempted, he alleged. Further, the GR said the exemption would come into effect from January 1, 2019, but the BMC issued bills for up to March 31 (without exemption), Deora alleged. The Sena-BJP rule has ruined Mumbai as the city's infrastructure was crumbling and the quality of life was deteriorating, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposition Nepali Congress chief and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Wednesday accused the Communist party-led government of intervening in the academia and the media against the spirit of democratic norms and values. Addressing the media in Mahendranagar in western Nepal, Deuba alleged that the government was hell-bent on meddling in various state organs instead of working to meet people's needs. "Due to its interventionist policy, the government has failed to accomplish anything in one year," the former prime minister said. Deuba claimed that the government had interfered in many sectors and worked against the spirit of democracy. "Democracy will be strong only when the press is strong," he said, adding that the government was harassing the media and this was not acceptable to his party. Deuba asked the government to hold talks with the Netra Bikram Chand-led Maoist faction and resolve the political issue in the country. "It is the government's responsibility to hold talks with the agitating outfit," he said. He said situation of peace and security was not satisfactory in the country and accused the government of shielding the guilty in the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl some nine months ago. "The government failed to find the guilty even nine months after the incident, he noted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said "division" of communities was its only "vision" and accused party chief Rahul Gandhi of labelling OBCs as "thieves". Addressing a poll rally here, Modi also accused the Congress of insulting Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel and said the situation in India would have been different had the latter been the country's first prime minister. Modi also attacked the Congress for labelling the middle class as "selfish" and alleged it brought price rise whenever it was in power. "Division of communities is the only vision of the Congress," Modi told the public meeting. "The Congress' naamdar (dynast) termed the entire backward class as thieves. The insult inflicted on the honest in their (Congress) vendetta against Narendra Modi will not be tolerated," he said. Modi accused the Congress of insulting Patel "at every step to further the cause of the (Nehru-Gandhi) family". The prime minister said Patel spent his life in uniting India but the Congress was busy embracing separatists. He also hit out at the Congress for promising to abolish sedition law and reviewing of the AFSPA if it came to power. "It wants to strengthen stone-pelters and ensure that the "tukde tukde gang" can easily chalk out a conspiracy to disintegrate the country," Modi said. He said when dynastic rule becomes the "sole vision", then they (Congress) resort to hurling abuses. Modi said the Congress insulted attires of people from the north-eastern states and linked majority Hindus to terror. Addressing a poll rally in Maharashtra recently, Gandhi had said, "I have a question. Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We don't know how many more such Modis will come out. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Union condemned Tuesday a decision by US President Donald Trump's administration to open the way for lawsuits in American courts over property confiscated by Cuba. "We strongly condemn" the move, EU envoy to Havana Alberto Navarro told reporters. "This will create even more confusion for foreign investments that are helping create jobs and prosperity in Cuba." The European Union is currently the communist island's biggest trading partner. President Trump will open the way for lawsuits in US courts over property confiscated by Cuba, enforcing a controversial law that angered European allies and could rattle the island's economy, after more than two decades of delay. Ever since Congress passed the Helms-Burton Act in 1996, US presidents starting with Bill Clinton have used their power to suspend the key provision every six months, mindful of the international consequences. Those once-routine waivers are now over. A senior administration official said National Security Advisor John Bolton will formally unveil the shift Wednesday in a speech in Miami in which he will also outline actions on Venezuela and Nicaragua, two other countries in Latin America with leftist governments opposed by Trump. Bolton "will announce the enforcement of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has presented Turkey a new proposal on the air and missile defense systems, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said following the meeting with U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in Washington. Akar noted that he had a "very constructive" talks with Shanahan and their views have got closer on some subjects. "The talk was very constructive and occurred with a very positive approach," Anadolu news agency cited Akar as saying. "We gladly observed that they understood many subjects much better and have got very close to our views on these subjects," the Turkish minister added. Akar said Turkey had fulfilled its responsibilities on the issue of the F-35 project and that the training of Turkish pilots and maintenance teams was continuing. "We expect the other eight countries who are partners in this project to fulfill their responsibilities towards us," he said. Akar had been visiting Washington with a large Turkish delegation for talks which have in part focused on areas of discord between the NATO allies, chiefly the purchase of a missile-defense system and the war in Syria. Former Enforcement Directorate additional director Shamsuddin Wednesday joined the Congress in the presence of senior party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Bhupinder Singh Hooda at the AICC headquarters here. Before joining the ED, where he served for over two decades, Shamsuddin, who holds a PhD in law from Aligarh Muslim University, taught in various universities in India and abroad. Shamsuddin, who hails from Sohna in Haryana, said he will work to strengthen the Congress and ensure the victory of its candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. Azad said he was confident that with Shamsuddin's entry, the party would be further strengthened. Hooda also welcomed him into the party fold. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The F-21 multi-role fighter jet will give India a "significant edge" with greater standoff capability, American defence giant Lockheed Martin has said and claimed that producing it locally will also strengthen the country's integration into the world-wide network of advanced fighter aircraft technology. Lockheed Martin during the Aero India show in Bengaluru in February unveiled the F-21 multi-role fighter jet for India, to be produced locally. The Maryland-based company, which had earlier offered its F-16 fighter jets to India, said the F-21 addresses the IAF's unique requirements and integrates India into the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems would produce the F-21 in India. Vivek Lall, vice president for strategy and business development, Lockheed, said, While it is inappropriate for us to compare specific capabilities, the F-21 will give India a significant edge with greater standoff capability, greater staying power with less fuel burn, and network data linking capabilities across all platforms. The tactics India employs with the F-21 will also be different - uniquely developed by the Indian Air Force, he said. "The F-21 will meet all of India's performance, capability and advanced technology requirements - the same requirements all other 4th generation competitors are offering. As we pursue cutting-edge technologies for the F-21, some capabilities may be evaluated as discrete, integrated functions, Lall said. Refuting reports that the F-21 fighter jet is rebranding of the F-16, Lall said that while aircraft structures may look familiar, the differences become clear when looking at the unique capabilities of the F-21. This includes an Advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which has detection ranges nearly double that of previous mechanically scanned array radars and the ability to track and attack more targets with higher precision, he said. It has an Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) System, developed uniquely for India, that provides enhanced survivability against ground and air threats; Long-Range Infrared Search and Track (IRST), enabling pilots to detect threats without detecting them and Triple Missile Launcher Adapters (TMLAs) allowing the F-21 to carry 40 per cent more air-to-air weapons, he said. The F-21 proposal is unique in that the F-21 production line will be in India, and Indian industry will also be integrated into the global F-16 production and sustainment ecosystem. Approval by the US Government for such an important strategic move signals a significant development in US-India relations, Lall told PTI in an interview. "The unmatched ecosystem we will partner with Indian industry and Lockheed Martin's top suppliers to develop will further strengthen India's integration into the world-wide network of advanced fighter aircraft technology and cutting-edge production and sustainment, he said. The F-21 also demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to India: to deliver an advanced, scalable fighter to the Indian Air Force that also provides unrivaled industrial partnership opportunities, he asserted. Responding to a question on recent controversy surrounding F-16 aircraft, Lall said it is not for Lockheed to comment on any such matters, but the company is confident the F-21 is the best solution to meet the Indian Air Force's capability needs, provide 'Make in India' industrial opportunities and accelerate India-US cooperation on advanced technologies, including but not limited to fighter aircraft. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eva Medes says falling in love with partner Ryan Gosling changed her perspective towards having kids. In an interview with Women's Health magazine, Mendes said she had no plans to experience motherhood before the couple started dating. "Ryan Gosling happened. I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him," Mendes said. The duo started dating after working on "The Place Beyond the Pines" in 2011. They now have two daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, who are four and two years old, respectively. Mendes said as parents they are just getting out of "survival mode" and lauded her "amazing support group" for helping them out with the kids. "Ryan's (mother), my (mother), Ryan's and my sisters. It's a village that helped u. My heart goes out to women who do this alone. I basically come from a single-parent household; although I love my dad, my mum mostly raised four of us on her own," she said. The star said opposed to her career, her biggest drive at the moment are her two daughters "(I) felt a lack of ambition when I became a mother and now I feel more ambitious in the home right now than I do in the workplace." "Every day is such a learning experience they challenge you in so many ways. Like, I'm their mom. I have to rise up, and hopefully, most of the time I do, but sometimes it's definitely maddening," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) My father has been associated with Jet Airways for over 20 years and loss of his job will mean compromising with our every dream and aspirations, a teenage daughter wrote in an online petition, hours before the ailing airline announced shuttering of operations. As more than 16,000 employees, many of them with huge unpaid salary dues, stare at an uncertain future, the once-mighty carrier's chief Vinay Dube said it does not have an answer to "what happens to us employees during the sale process". The petition, started by the teenage daughter on 'change.org', has garnered more than 18,000 supporters. In the petition, city-based Sanjana Singh said her father losing his job would make it quite difficult to even pursue her education. "I am daughter of one of the Jet Airways employees. My father has been associated with Jet Airways for more than 20 years. "But at this stage, loss of his job will be a huge setback for our family. We would need to compromise with our every dream and aspirations," she said in the petition titled 'Saving future of 16,000 Jet Airways employees'. She has also sought instant financial help for the airline from the government. Many people took to social media to express their sadness at the turn of events at Jet Airways, which has been flying for more than 25 years. Announcing suspension of operations, the airline said that after 25 years of sharing "the Joy of Flying with Indian and international guests", it has been forced to take the extreme measure as prolonged and sustained efforts with lenders and authorities did not yield the desired results. The lenders to Jet Airways have already sought bids for stake sale in the cash-strapped carrier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly two decades after the infamous Columbine High School massacre, officials in the US state of Colorado were on alert Tuesday after learning of threats from a woman police say is "armed and considered to be extremely dangerous." The FBI and local police identified the suspect as Sol Pais, 18, and more than 20 schools in the Denver metropolitan area increased security measures following reports of the threat. "Due to a credible threat to schools by an individual identified by the FBI, the Department of Public Safety recommends all schools in the Denver metro area conduct a lockout and controlled release immediately," the Colorado Department of said. The Jefferson County sheriff's office said on their social media accounts that Pais "traveled to Colorado and made threats in the Denver metropolitan area. She is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous." The postings included two photos of the suspect, described by the FBI as "a white female... approximately 5'5" in height, with brown hair."Pais is "obsessed" with the April 20, 1999 massacre in Columbine High School in Littleton, a suburb of Denver, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot dead 12 fellow students and a teacher before killing themselves, the Denver Post reported. The sheriff's department said that the students were safe and that security had increased at the area schools, but said little about Pais. "Because this is an active and ongoing investigation we cannot release further info about where Sol Pais is from, how long she has been here & the nature of the threat. That could compromise the investigation," the sheriff's department tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An 18-year-old first time voter, who called out to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi at an election rally here Wednesday, is elated she could meet him and hand over his portrait which she had drawn. Waving and holding aloft the congress leader's portrait, Rincy shouted 'Rahul ji' to draw his attention as he concluded his election speech. Gandhi walked towards the young girl and accepted the portrait and was seen talking to her. Rincy, who hails from Mukkam, has finished her 12th standard and is studying for the medical entrance examination. "I am a first time voter and will give my vote to Gandhi who is prime ministerial candidate," she told television channels. After Rahul Gandhi addressed the election rally at Thiruvambady, Rincy said she saw him walking towards the crowd and called out to him. Rincy said she was surprised he heard her and accepted her gift. Women and children were seen in large numbers in all the rallies addressed by Gandhi in the last two days in Kerala. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mumbai crime branch has busted a betting racket in Kandivli and arrested five bookies for allegedly indulging in online betting for Tuesday's T20 tie between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab teams, an official said Wednesday. Armed with a specific information, Unit 11 of the crime branch raided a house in Charkop Tuesday, the official said, adding that the five men were found placing bets through internet websites and mobile phone applications. Police seized 26 mobile phones, a laptop computer, a television set, a set top box, some card swipe units, a dongle, a pen drive, a currency machine and Rs 91,700 cash from the accused persons, he said. The arrested persons are identified as the kingpin of the racket Abdul Kadir Gafar Chuttani (27) alias "AK", Milind Soni (29), Yusuf Sumra (51), Ronny Raychura (34) and Manoj Lotlikar (25), he said, adding that the accused had noted down the transactions in notebooks. Abdul Kadir was in touch with international bookies suspected to be based in Mumbai, Rajkot and Delhi, he said. A local court remanded them in police custody till April 18, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A parliamentary panel on Wednesday endorsed former secretary Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya for the post of Nepal's Chief Election Commissioner. The Parliamentary Hearing Committee approved Thapaliya's appointment after conducting a hearing on Wednesday. The Constitutional Council had recommended him for the post that had been lying vacant after Ayodhee Prasad Yadav's tenure ended last month. Thapaliya has served as secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. He presented his plans for reforms in the commission and electoral system. He pledged to hold a free and fair election, ensure voting rights for the people living in foreign countries, and upgrade the election system. He will formally join office after President Bidhya Devi Bhandari officially appoints him to the top post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The boss of tech giant Foxconn said Wednesday he will be running for president of Taiwan -- after securing the backing of a local Sea Goddess. Gou, who announced this week he was stepping back from frontline operations at the Apple supplier, said he would seek the nomination of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party. "I am willing to join the party's primary. If I win I will represent the KMT in the 2020 elections," he said at a KMT meeting in Taipei. Guo also said he would "fully support" the party's candidate if he failed to secure the nomination. Earlier Wednesday while visiting a temple of local sea goddess Matsu in New Taipei city, the 69-year-old said the goddess "told me to step forward ... to help the people." Gou is expected to face KMT heavyweights including former party chairman Eric Chu and former parliamentary speaker Wang Jin-pyng, who have announced their intentions to run for president. Chu lost to incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the 2016 presidential elections. Tsai, 62, has said she will seek re-election in the January 11 polls. She faces a challenge from pro-independence former premier William Lai in the party's primary. The DPP is set to announce its presidential candidate later this month. Also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn assembles Apple iPhones as well as parts and accessories for other international brands. Known for his aggressive dealmaking, Gou has been snapping up investments from Japan to India in a bid to diversify from electronics assembly. Gou was born in 1950 in Taipei to parents who had fled the Communist victory in China's civil war. He studied shipping management in college while supporting himself with part-time jobs. He started his business in 1974 making television parts with an investment of Tw$100,000 ($3,250 at current exchange rates) from his mother, and later began producing computer parts -- eventually growing to become the world's biggest contract electronics maker. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the blast case and now BJP's candidate against Congress veteran Digvijay Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, it has been a tumultuous journey. Saffron-clad Thakur (48), with her trademark short hair and sporting a rudraksh mala, became the face of right wing extremism after being arrested by the Anti- Terrorism Squad in the 2008 blast case. Currently she is out on bail. On December 27, 2017, a special NIA court had dropped stringent Control of Organised Crime Act charges against Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya, Sameer Kulkarni and other accused in the blast case. ALSO READ: Meet the yoga teacher from Sharjah who forced the EC to bare its teeth Six persons were killed and 101 were injured when an improvised explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off at on September 29, 2008. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the RSS. A post-graduate in history, she worked with the RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga Vahini, women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. In view of Singh's image as an RSS-basher and the city's 4.5 lakh Muslim voters (out of the total 18 lakh-plus voters), the BJP decided to field a hardline against the Congress leader, party sources said. In the last assembly in 2018, the Congress won three of the eight assembly segments in the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. In the remaining five seats which the BJP won, there was a slide in the saffron party's victory margin. "I am ready for a dharma-yuddh'," Thakur had told last month, when her name started doing rounds as a probable BJP candidate. "I am ready to take on Digvijay Singh if 'sanghatan' (organisation) asks me to do so," she had said, calling the former chief minister an "anti-Hindu who called Hindus terrorists". In April 2017, the approved bail for Thakur, who the ATS had said was among the prime conspirators of the blast. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Harman International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd, has struck a deal with Chinese NEV maker BAIC BJEV at Auto Shanghai 2019 to offer the latter the scalable Digital Cockpit solution. The solution will not only help boost BAIC BJEV's development in vehicle intelligence, but also allow Harman International to create more cutting-edge technologies and products for the fast-growing NEV market. BAIC BJEV is dedicated to meeting the challenges in the AI era and needs a strategic partner to jointly elevate the in-car experience for future drivers. Our Digital Cockpit solution is designed to realize this. The system's forward-looking features, such as smart driving applications and platform design, are created to improve users' experience and eventually achieve the truly hand-free driving experience alongside the evolution of autonomous technologies, said Dr. Mike Peters, President of Harman Connected Car Division. BAIC BJEV is one of important players in Chinese NEV market. At the Auto Shanghai this year, it unveiled the concepts under its premium car brand ARCFOX. The brand's first model to hit the marketthe ARCFOX ECFwill be outfitted with a Harman Digital Cockpit that works as an integrated solution for infotainment and instrumentation systems driven by a unified hardware/software platform. The Harman Digital Cockpit will also help the Beijing-based EV maker lower energy consumption and keep drivers eyes one the road with its integrated voice control function. Head of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated today in an enlarged meeting of the board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kazinform reports citing the press service of Akorda. Taking the floor, the President reminded that the Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev had set a task to the MIA to ensure zero tolerance to criminal offenses. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the areas requiring intensification of efforts of the internal affairs structures, such as lack of effective interaction between police and society, insufficient work on prevention of theft of cattle, mobile phones and car spare parts and drug traffic countering After a prolonged legal battle, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, faces an intense political fight after the BJP nominated her as party's candidate against Congress veteran Digvijay Singh from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. Saffron-clad Thakur (48), sporting trademark short hair and a rudraksh mala, became the face of right-wing extremism after being arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in the Malegaon blast case in 2008. Six people were killed and over 100 injured in the blast. Thakur got bail in 2017 after fighting legal battles from special CBI court to the Supreme Court. After taking over the case in 2016, the NIA filed a charge sheet giving a clean chit to the Sadhvi and three others- Shyam Sahu, Praveen Takalki and Shivnarayan Kalsangra - saying it found no evidence against them and they should be discharged. The NIA court absolved Sahu, Takalki and Kalsangra but said the Sadhvi will have to face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other sections of the IPC including murder and criminal conspiracy. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the RSS. A post-graduate in history, she worked with the RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga Vahini, women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Sources said the BJP decided to field hardline Hindutva leader from Bhopal considering two factors: the Congress candidate in the seat is viewed as an RSS-basher and of the 18 lakh-plus voters in the city, 4.5 lakh are Muslims. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won three of the eight assembly segments in the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. In the remaining five seats that were bagged by the BJP, there was a slide in the saffron party's victory margin. "I am ready for a dharma-yuddh," Thakur had told PTI last month, when her name started doing rounds as a probable BJP candidate. "I am ready to take on Digvijay Singh if sanghatan (organisation) asks me to do so," she had said, calling the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister an "anti-Hindu leader who called Hindus terrorists". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Furious at being bullied almost everybody, a school cab driver along with his accomplices killed a 22-year old man by first stabbing and then strangulating him at an abandoned farm house situated barely 800 metres from the Neb Sarai police station in south Delhi, police said Wednesday. The accused then disposed the body by throwing it in a nearby ditch and covering it with some leaves. The deceased has been identified as Surjit Kashyap, a resident of Jawahar Park in Neb Sarai, police said. On April 17, at about 12.12 am, Amit Kashyap filed a complaint at the Neb Sarai police station that his younger brother Surjit Kashyap is missing and has not returned home. Amit said his brother had gone out to meet his friends and suspected foul play behind his disappearance, said Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south). The police identified a few people who were last seen with Kashyap. During investigation, police identified the accused as Sombir Singhal who worked as a school cab driver in Neb Sarai and Saket area, Vicky Jha, who worked as a helper in Max Saket, an unemployed youth named Satbir and Vicky Bhatt who was a data entry operator, Kumar said. A case has been registered and all the four accused have arrested in connection with the case, the DCP said. "Interrogation revealed that Sombir and Vicky had an old enmity with Kashyap. He had beaten them a few years ago and were holding a grudge against him since then," he said. Kashyap used to bully and threaten Sombir almost on a daily basis, the officer said. On April 15, Kashyap had again threatened Sombir. In the evening, he got information that Surjit was sitting with one of his friend. Sombir along with his friends went to the abandoned farm house, stabbed and strangulated him, the officer said. They disposed the body by throwing it in a nearby ditch and covered it with some leaves, the officer added. Two more of their accomplices identified as Golu and Ravinder Bisht are still absconding, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP slammed Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday for suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became president because he was a Dalit, saying it showed the "anti-Dalit" mindset of Congress and demanded an apology from him. The party urged the Election Commission to take suo-moto cognisance of the statement and take action against Gehlot. "It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post, made a casteist remark against the president, the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao told reporters here. Rao said Gehlot criticised the president saying he was appointed to the highest office "only because of his social identity being a member from the Dalit community". At a press conference in Jaipur, Gehlot suggested the BJP-led NDA picked Kovind over L K Advani as its presidential nominee because of his caste. He also linked Kovind's appointment to Gujarat polls. Under flak, Gehlot later tweeted he was "misquoted"and has the greatest regard for the president. He said he was "highly impressed" with Kovind's "simplicity and humbleness". Rao responded to Gehlot's tweet, saying a "profuge apology was expected and not a silly attempt at blaming media for your condemnable comments." He also questioned whether the Rajasthan chief minister will respect anyone besides "dynasty", an apparent reference to the Gandhi family. The BJP described Gehlot's remarks as a low attack by Congress against the highest constitutional functionary in the country. "This is anti-Dalit, anti-poor, anti-people and anti-constitution statement made by Gehlot," he said. Asked about Gehlot's remarks, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "We feel that people of all castes have elected Kovind ji as President of India and we should respect that." The BJP has demanded an apology also from Congress party president Rahul Gandhi. It has also criticised Gandhi for his speech in Nanded in Maharashtra on Monday, where the Congress chief attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked how come all "thieves" have "Modi" as their surname, referring to fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. "Rahul Gandhi cannot accept the fact that a person from a humble background, who is from a backward community, has become prime minister. For Rahul, only families can rule India," Rao said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Wednesday suggested that the NDA picked Ram Nath Kovind over L K Advani as its nominee for the President's post because of his caste, prompting a sharp response from the BJP. Under flak, Gehlot later tweeted that he was misquoted and said he has the greatest regard for President Kovind. At a press conference in Jaipur, Gehlot had linked Kovind's appointment as President to the Gujarat polls. "People even say that Ram Nath Kovind was made president considering Gujarat assembly elections in 2017, Gehlot said. I was reading an article. He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) was afraid that he was not going to form the government in Gujarat. BJP chief Amit Shah might have given him the suggestion after which it was decided to make Ram Nath Kovind the President," the Congress leader said. "Advani was left out though he was to become the President. People of the country had the expectation that he will get the honour that he deserved but was deprived of, Gehlot said. Though it is the BJP's internal issue, I am discussing it because I read an article," the Rajasthan chief minister added. Kovind was the NDA's nomination for the President's post and took oath in July 2017, a few months before the Gujarat assembly polls, which were won by the BJP. Reacting to the televised remark, the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an apology from Gehlot and urged the Election Commission to take action against him. "It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post, made a casteist remark against the President, who is the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson G V L Narsimha Rao told reporters. He said the remark showed the "anti-Dalit" mindset of the Congress. Later, Gehlot claimed he was misquoted. "It is very unfortunate that my comments during PC have been misquoted by few media houses. I have the greatest regards for the President of India, and personally for Sh. Ramnath ji whom I have met in person and highly impressed with his simplicity and humbleness," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A wagon of a coal-laden goods train jumped off the track in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district on Wednesday, disrupting rail traffic on the route, an official said. The derailment took place near Makronia station in Sagar around 5.10 am, Jabalpur Divisional Railway Manager Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI. "Rail traffic on the up line has been obstructed. Work is going on a war-footing to restore the line," he said, adding that traffic movement on the down line track was not affected. Following the derailment, the DamohBina and Bina-Damoh passenger trains were cancelled, Singh said. Besides, the Bilaspur-Bhopal and BhopalBilaspur Express trains were short terminated at Majhgawan Phatak and Bina stations, respectively, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Wednesday upheld the Election Commission's decision cancelling the election in Tamil Nadu's Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. A bench of justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad dismissed petitions filed by AIADMK-led alliance candidate in the constituency, A C Shanmugham, and an Independent, K Sugumar, seeking to set aside the order cancelling the election which was slated for Thursday. The EC had on Tuesday cancelled the polls in Vellore -- one of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state -- over allegations of excess use of money power. President Ram Nath Kovind had rescinded the notification to hold election to the seat based on an EC recommendation after "black money" worth Rs 11.53 crore, allegedly linked to DMK candidate Kathir Anand, was seized by the Income Tax Department on the intervening night of March 29-30. When the petitions were taken up for urgent hearing, the counsel for the EC submitted a report in a sealed cover to the court. Citing a Supreme Court verdict in its order, the bench said, "Legislatures are no Prophets, but pragmatic. Hence, comprehensive provisions have been made in Art 324 of the Constitution to take care of surprise situations." The bench also said the EC, which has the power to issue notification for conducting polls, also has the power to recommend cancellation if it has arrived at the view that it is necessary to countermand it. The EC, after going through various reports of the Income Tax Authorities, Special Observers for Expenditure had come to the conclusion that there was enough material to cancel the election, it said. The commission informed the court that the cash was packed in covers with names and slips with details of whom it was to be paid to, the bench noted. Senior counsel Satish Parasaran, appearing for Shanmugham, contended the cancellation of the election due to seizure of cash allegedly linked to the DMK candidate was illegal, arbitrary and disproportionate. Referring to Section 8A of the Representation of the People Act, he argued appropriate remedy in cases of corrupt practices was disqualification of the concerned candidate and not countermanding the election as a whole in the constituency. The legislature in its wisdom had envisaged countermanding or adjournment of elections only in such cases as law and order violations and natural disasters and not in cases of corrupt practices, he added. The Union Law Ministry, which issued the order, and the President, who rescinded the notification, have no such powers after the announcement of the elections, Parasaran contended. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant Wednesday said India has been growing at more than 7 per cent rate and this could not have been achieved without adequate job creation. Speaking on the sidelines of a PHD Chambers of Commerce event, Kant said that when non-NDA ruled states like Karnataka and West Bengal are claiming that jobs are being created, then it was not possible that at all India level, employment is not being generated. "How is it possible that we are having 7.5 per cent growth and jobs are not being created? It is not possible. "... If West Bengal and Karnataka are saying that jobs have been created in their respective states, then how it is possible that at the national level there is no employment generation," he pointed out. Recently, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also stoutly defended the growth data saying an economy cannot be growing at 7-8 per cent without creating jobs. He had also stated that no major social agitation indicates it hasn't been jobless growth. Kant's statement comes against the backdrop of a report by Azim Premji University suggesting that employment opportunities declined and 5 million men lost their jobs between 2016 and 2018. The decline in job opportunities coincided with demonetisation in November 2016, although no direct causal relationship can be established based only on these trends, the State of Working India-2019 (SWI) report said. According to a leaked National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO's) periodic labour force survey (PLFS) report, India's unemployment rate had hit a 45-year high of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18. Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had recently expressed doubts over Indian economy growing at 7 per cent when not enough jobs were being created and had said the current cloud over the GDP numbers must be cleared by appointing an impartial body to look at the data. Kant said that India needs to accelerate its growth rate from 7 per cent to 10 per cent. He said India in the next three years will be amongst the top 25 countries in the ease of doing business ranking of the World Bank. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), Goods and Services Tax (GST) and RERA were major reforms undertaken by the Modi government, Kant said, adding that "real impact of these reforms will start reflecting in next two years." The Niti Aayog CEO also pitched for opening up of mining and coal sectors for boost job creation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Auto components maker JTEKT India Wednesday said Hiroshi Ii has taken charge as the chairman of the company with effect from April 15, 2019. Ii will also serve as chairman for all JTEKT India region companies in the country, the company said in a statement. Prior to joining JTEKT India, he was serving as President at JTEKT Europe SAS, it added. JTEKT India is a part of JTEKT Corporation Japan. Hiroshi Ii takes over from Hidekazu Omura who was in India for five years and has returned to Japan for a new assignment within JTEKT Corporation, the statement said. "India is a key focus for JTEKT Corporation and I am determined to help reinforce the commitment. Since the acquisition in 2017, we have been strengthening our operations and will continue to build for domestic and overseas customers," Hiroshi Ii said. The Indian market for automobiles holds a large potential and the company is placed at the right place and it is time to address the needs of the growing market, he added. JTEKT India (Formerly known as Sona Koyo Steering Systems) is a part of JTEKT Corporation Japan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyundai Motor India Wednesday unveiled its new compact SUV, Venue, which it plans to launch in India next month. The company unveiled the new model here alongside the global preview of the vehicle at the New York International Auto show. The carmaker will launch the SUV in India on May 21. The compact SUV, which will compete with the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Motors Nexon and Mahindra XUV300, comes with three engine options. The model comes with 1 litre turbo and1.2 litre petrol powertrains besides 1.4 litre diesel engine and sits below the Creta in terms of price and positioning. "Hyundai Motor India is committed to leading the Indian auto industry by introducing world class product," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD & CEO S S Kim told reporters here. Being India's first connected SUV not only makes Venue a new benchmark in the segment but also demonstrates company's unwavering emphasis on offering the quality and feature list products to the customers, he added. Hyundai plans to roll out a host of India-specific connected features including a panic button for distress situations in Venue. The auto major will introduce its global technology BlueLink in the Indian market with the launch of the new model and has tied up with Vodafone Idea for network connectivity. The company's BlueLink technology comes with 33 artificial intelligence and connected features, out of which 10 have been specially designed for the Indian market. The model would also come with various features including electric sunroof, wireless phone charging, air purifier, cruise control among others. Safety features include six airbags, speed sensing auto door lock, vehicle stability management among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning saying that several parts in north and northeast India may witness thunderstorm, hail and lightening Wednesday. The Met department has also issued an amber-coloured warning for parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Bihar. An amber colour warning indicates that authorities have to remain alert for any weather-related exigency. Several parts of north and central India have been witnessing thunderstorms, dust storms, lightning and heavy rains since Sunday. On Tuesday, unseasonal rains, dust storm and lightning hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, leaving 35 people dead and many others injured, officials said Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh reported 15 casualties in rain-related incidents, while 10 each were killed in Gujarat and Rajasthan in the overnight rains. "Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 60-70 kilometres per hour) accompanied with hail and lightning at isolated places are very likely over Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal," the IMD said Wednesday. Isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are "very likely" to witness thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds reaching 40-50 kilometres per hour, the IMD said. The Met department has attributed the thunderstorm and lightening due to a western disturbance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities are interested in the recent agreements on Karabakh not to remain on paper, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic. Lavrov said he has reason to believe that "both Baku and Yerevan are interested in these agreements not to remain on paper," TASS reported. The minister assured that Moscow intends to assist in the implementation of these agreements. The regular meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia was held in Moscow on April 15. As electioneering reach fever pitch elsewhere in the country, there are few signs India's first cashless island is as excited. Isolated from the frenzied campaigning, fisherfolk of Karang, an idyllic lake island in Manipur, are trying to get on with their daily struggles to earn a livelihood. A couple of flags of BJP, a few posters North East India Development Party and some banners of Congress are the only signs here that show a political event is underway. For locals, it has been a hard reality check. Imagine. And compare. In January 2017, two months after demonetisation was announced abruptly, they enjoyed a brief moment in the Sun when Karang, located in the middle of Loktak lake, was declared the country's first cashless island. Ahead of polling on Thursday, locals said all hopes of a better life, because of that distinction, are dashed now. Oinam Babu, a shopkeeper, wrapped up his PoS machine six months ago and tucked it in a corner after frequent breakdowns. He had hoped to use it for accepting digital payments. Babu is among three shopkeepers in the area who were given PoS machines. He said the machine wasn't registered in his name but given to him by a "facilitator" when the cashless drive had started. He received cash reimbursement from the facilitator for every transaction made through the device. "The PoS machine was meant more for tourists as locals here always make cash payments. The awareness of a cashless system is negligible here. It is of no use now," he told PTI. With the tourist season in Karang lasting only two months June-July, he said there is little he can do with the device. "Moreover, the machine often breaks down and it is not worth going all the way to Moirang (around 9 km) to fix it. That's why I have packed it and kept it in a corner of my shop," he added. Karang Island Cashless Promotion Society president Ningthoujam Indrakumar said, "It is a failure. Nothing is happening now." Indrakumar, who operates a motor-boat, blames officials for the failure. He said they did not follow up on their promises to make the cashless drive a success. "Initially, training and awareness programmes were organised, but nothing happened later," he lamented. Last month, Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur district, under which Karang comes, was awarded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the remote place the first cashless island. "In absence of proper infrastructure to support digital payments, you cannot expect this to succeed here," Indrakumar said. According to him, out of the total population of nearly 3,000 in the island, only a few have smartphones, a key instrument for digital payments. It is yet to have a broadband connection. It takes nearly two hours by road from the state capital Imphal to cover the 52-km stretch to reach the nearest dock at Thanga to enter Karang by boat. Another 10 minutes by boat leads to the main island area. "Everyday, nearly 50-60 children from Karang take boats to the mainland to attend their school. They all pay in cash for the ferry. Even adults who have to go out of the island pay in cash," he said. A one-way trip to the island by boat on a sharing basis costs Rs 10 while booking a motor-boat for a round-trip by tourists can cost up to Rs 300. Indrakumar, who is also a member of Karang Island Boat Association, said efforts were made to make at least the ferry payments digital as it "in a way served as the gateway to the cashless island" but it hasn't yielded results. At the island's Primary Health Centre, an official on duty who requested anonymity, said the fee of Rs 10 for an OPD card is accepted in cash only. "It is because that's the only way of payment that the locals know," the official said. Karang Island Development Organisation president Salam Kheda said the government lacked in making the island economically developed and hence the cashless drive failed. "Unless the local economy develops, how can you think of a successful digital payments system here," he questioned. With a majority of the natives of the island earning about Rs 300-400 a day through fishing, Kheda said requests to the government for support on developing self-employment means, skilling the youth and encourage vocations like handloom and handicrafts have not been heard. "Physical connectivity is also a major issue here. Even after laying the foundation stone for a bridge to connect Karang with Thanga years ago, nothing has happened," he said. He said it is clear that "everything was done to announce Karang as India's first cashless island and nothing beyond". While there is disillusionment, Babu said the intent of digital payments system was good. "We are hoping that irrespective of who comes to power at the Centre after the general election, they follow up with a vision for development. Karang badly needs development," he asserted. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday said the country has earned respect across the world during the last five years of the Modi government. The senior BJP leader, who was speaking at an election rally here, attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), saying organisations cannot get success on the basis of negative thinking. "The country has earned respect at the global level during the BJP government...We made an anti-satellite missile which only Russia, China and the US had," Singh said. India is on the sixth spot "as far as economy is concerned whereas in 2014 it was ninth. We want the country to become a superpower and 'vishwa' guru," he said. The home minister said after the Mumbai attack in 2008, "the then Congress government did nothing, but after the Pulwama terror attack, Indian forces went inside Pakistan and carried out its operation." The Indian Air Force on February 26 carried out a strike on a terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. "The Congress is asking how many were killed (in Balakot) to which we said the brave do not count bodies, but vultures do," Singh said. He also attacked the SP and the BSP, saying they have joined hands to stop Narendra Modi from becoming prime minister, but warned that no individual or organisation can get success on the basis of negative thinking. The SP, BSP and RLD have formed an alliance in Uttar Pradesh to take on the BJP in this Lok Sabha elections. The Mayawati-led BSP is contesting 38 Lok Sabha seats, while the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP has fielded candidates from 37 parliamentary constituencies. There are three Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidates in the poll fray from the state. The alliance has fielded no candidates from Rae Bareli and Amethi, which are Congress bastions in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's anti-satellite missile test carried out last month was clearly targeted towards and could exacerbate New Delhi's rivalry with Beijing, a top US expert has said, underlining that now must brace itself for a long-term space competition. On March 27, achieved a historic feat by shooting down its own low-orbit satellite with a ground-to-space missile, making the country a space power. The test made the fourth country in the world after the US, and to have the ASAT capabilities. Ashley J Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Tuesday said,The Indian ASAT test was in actuality a shot across the bow to As such, it will only exacerbate the rivalry with Beijing, even if only silently." India, therefore, must brace itself for a long-term space competition. If it fails to do so, it will have to contend with the worst of both worlds: heightened threats from China in the face of increasing Indian vulnerability, he said. "And that would be an unenviable position for as it seeks to play a larger role on the global stage," the top American expert on India said, asserting that India now must brace itself for a long-term space competition. China is developing its counter-space capabilities in response to the US, and is now threatened by this Chinese programme, he said. India must improve its capacity to use space despite rising Chinese threats, while sustaining its commitment to protecting space for civilian use, he added. What India accordingly needs more than ever is effective antidotes to Chinese counter-space capabilities that are not debris-causing, Tellis said. Only such capabilities will enable to credibly deter Beijing's space denial programmes below the levels of ultimate physical violence directed at various space systems the gray zone in which more counterspace activities are likely to materialise in the future, given the growing international antipathy to any actions that make space unusable for human endeavors, he said. In this context, the best deterrent for New Delhi is to improve its capacity to use space despite the inevitable Chinese interference. There will always be a need for some offensive capabilities, Tellis said. "India has recognised this reality and as such has begun to develop embryonic counterspace systems of the sort exemplified by its ASAT interceptor," he noted, adding that New Delhi has also begun to plan more actively for military space operations, for now focusing mainly on ways to preserve India's freedom to use space for both developmental and strategic reasons without undue interference by others. Japan and the US have a big role to play in getting India into the strategic Indo-Pacific region, something which has not found much favour with China, a new book has claimed. The book was launched on Wednesday by the Institute of South Asian Studies, a think tank in the prestigious National University of Singapore, explaining the need to see the Pacific (especially Western Pacific) with the Indian Ocean linked as one region by the inclusion of South Asia, particularly India, as one strategic theatre. The 329-page book, India's Eastward Engagement: From Antiquity to Act East Policy, is authored by S D Muni, professor emeritus at the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and Rahul Mishra, a senior lecturer at the Asia-Europe Institute of the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. The region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the United States, represents the most populous and economically dynamic part of the world. Accordingly, territorial and maritime limits of the Indo-Pacific region are defined here, and India is given an important place as a strategic partner in the implementation of the strategy. But the Indo-Pacific concept has not found any favour with China, the book claimed. There has not been any strong official reaction but the academic and strategic debate in China has not endorsed the concept, the authors wrote. "They (the Chinese) see it as a vague, still undeveloped and at best a negative concept that aims at containing China's rise," the book said. Explaining Japan's efforts including India in the region, the book stated that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had addressed the Indian Parliament on needs of Indo-Pacific during his 2007 visit to New Delhi. Abe told Indian parliamentarians ...nurture and enrich these seas of clearest transparence... That is why I stand before you now in the Central Hall of the highest chamber, to speak with you, the people's representatives of India. In the US official articulation of the 'pivot policy', the concept of 'Indo-Pacific' was first used by Secretary (Hillary) Clinton in 2010 as an imperative of the emerging geo-strategic reality of the region. Explaining 'America's Engagement in the Asia-Pacific' at Honolulu on Oct 28, 2010, she said, "our military presence must evolve to reflect an evolving world. And we are expanding our work with the Indian Navy in the Pacific, because we understand how important the Indo-Pacific basin is to the global trade and commerce," Clinton was quoted as saying. The Indo-Pacific concept has gradually been integrated into US strategic thinking. It has found a place in the America First National Security Strategy (NSS) announced by the Trump administration in December 2017, the book said. Under the regional pillar of the strategy document, it is said: "A geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Navies of India and Vietnam held a four-day maritime exercise off Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam from April 13 with an aim to boost operational cooperation. Indian Navy's war ships Kolkata and Shakti participated in the annual exercise, comprising a harbour and a sea phase, the Indian Navy said. "The exercise was undertaken as a part of the ongoing overseas deployment of eastern fleet ships to South East Asian countries," it said. India and Vietnam share a robust defence cooperation, especially in the area of maritime security. "Conduct of the bilateral exercise on an annual basis would give a further fillip to the existing strong bilateral relation between the two countries," the Navy said. Enhancing military ties was also a key element of talks during the visit of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang to India in March last year. In 2016, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam, the relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian eatery in Abu Dhabi has been closed for violating health codes despite repeated warnings, according to a media report. The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) decided to shut down Midin Restaurant in Mussafah area for flouting norms and not maintaining general hygiene, the Khaleej Times reported. The restaurant, that ignored four previous warnings, failed to maintain hygiene standards of the food stored and apply pest control services, it said. Thamer Rashed Al Qasemi, ADFCA's spokesperson, said that the restaurant stored the food at an unsuitable room temperature and the vegetables were kept in the open, exposed to insects. He said that the two warnings were sent last year and two sent earlier this year in February and March. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which was asked to look into the death of a man who died allegedly due to medical negligence while on a honeymoon at a Maldives resort in 2016, has told the Delhi High Court that he died as a result of acute onset of high levels of fat in the blood. An eight-member medical board of the AIIMS, set up on the high court's direction, has placed before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani a report which said the deceased suffered from hypertriglyceridemia, that indicates high levels of fat in the blood. The board members have "unanimously concluded" that the "cause of the death was cerebro pulmonary oedema secondary to heart failure with associated hypertension". "...death is due to acute onset of the disease and its complication, an unexpected natural cause of death," it has said. The board, in its report, has also recommended "strengthening the medical case set up in such island resorts". The report was filed after the high court on April 4 had asked the AIIMS to set up a panel to examine the forensic and post-mortem report of the deceased. The direction had come on the plea by the deceased's father, Chelakara Ramaswamy, who has contended that his son died due to medical negligence of the doctor -- Dorjee Khandu -- who treated him for food poisoning while he was staying at the resort at the Vilu Reef Island, which is more than 100 km away from Male, capital of Maldives, and can be reached only by sea planes. He has also alleged that the J J Hospital at Mumbai, where the post-mortem was carried out, did not follow the procedure properly and gave a "sham report". He has further claimed that the Final Cause of Death Certificate, issued by the J J Hospital was not in terms of the Maharashtra Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2000. The court on April 4 had also issued directions to the forensics department of the Maharashtra government, which had carried out the post-mortem of the deceased and analysis of tissue samples, to find out how the viscera samples in the case had disappeared. The state government, in its report, has told the court that the viscera samples "got destroyed unknowingly". It has said that the official in-charge of the samples was transferred and the acting in-charge had given the order to destroy all analysed viscera samples as a routine process. The acting in-charge was unaware about the instant case, the state government has claimed in its report. Ramaswamy, in his plea, has sought directions to the Ministry of External Affairs to instruct the Indian Embassy at Maldives to initiate criminal action against Khandu. His petition was dismissed by a single judge last year and subsequently he filed an appeal before the division bench of the high court. The bench is expected to hear the matter next on April 24. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two main parties in the fray in Vadodara are going to voters with very different appeals -- the ruling BJP is pitching for teaching Pakistan a lesson and the opposition Congress is focusing on problems such as lack of jobs and high education costs. The urban seat was propelled into the national spotlight in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi defeated Congress veteran Madhusudan Mistry by over 5.7 lakh votes. When Modi chose to represent Uttar Pradesh's temple town of Varanasi and resigned from Vadodara, the BJP chose Ranjanben Bhatt to fill his shoes. Bhatt, who won the bypoll that followed, has again been nominated by the BJP from Vadodara. Her message to voters is unambiguous and focused. In her campaign posters, Bhatt is seen asking people to vote for the nation's security and "to teach Pakistan a lesson". She has also appealed to people to boost the morale of soldiers and uproot terrorism. The Congress outreach is diametrically different. Congress candidate Prashant Patel said he will solve people's problems, including issues like unemployment and high education costs, if elected. According to the Congress' city unit president, who is fighting his first major poll, local issues are always important in an election. "People vote for you to get basic amenities like better and affordable education. Though the BJP has been ruling the municipal corporation for the last 23 years, it did nothing. Raising the issue of nationalism is nothing but an eyewash to divert attention from its failures," he said. Congress leaders added the BJP's track of invoking issues of national importance is a ruse to hide its "failures" in dealing with core issues concerning common people. "This is not a local body election but a parliamentary poll...the Congress needs to understand this. If we had faltered in addressing local issues, we might not have been winning the civic polls here since 1995," said Vadodara BJP spokesperson Mukesh Dixit said. "The Lok Sabha polls are always fought on national issues. The Congress makes noise even if a gutter leaks in the city. They are doing this because they don't have anything else to say," he added. Caught between the two parties are the nearly 18 lakh voters of the constituency. Vadodara resident Ronak Shah, employed at a private firm here, said he supports the BJP when it comes to nationalism but is confused about who to vote for this time. "The BJP and Prime Minister Modi did a great job. But we also want affordable education for our children," he said. Another city resident, Jigar Prajapati, claimed the election will be a cakewalk for the BJP as urban voters tend to support it in Gujarat. "Bad roads in some areas is not an issue. The BJP government has carried out many developmental works here, including flyovers...the urban voters will always remain with the BJP," he said. A 27-year-old resident of the Muslim- dominated Tandalja area said the Congress was raising right issues. "Though we are also with our soldiers, some people like us are still struggling to find better jobs. No new industries are coming here. There are many who are not convinced with BJP's idea of nationalism," he said on condition of anonymity. The first time a saffron party candidate won the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat was in 1991 when actor Dipika Chikhalia, who played the role of Sita in popular TV serial "Ramayan" was elected to the Lok Sabha from here. In 1996, Congress' Satyajitsinh Gaekwad, hailing from a royal family here, won the seat and remained an MP till 1998. After that, BJP's Jayaben Thakkar won from Vadodara for three consecutive terms from 1998 till 2009. In 2009, BJP candidate Balkrishna Shukla maintained the party's winning streak from the seat. The Vadodara Lok Sabha seat covers seven Assembly segments - Savli, Waghodia, Vadodara City, Manjalpur, Sayajigunj, Akota and Raopura - all currently with the BJP. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls on April 23. The votes will be counted on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British actor Jason Isaacs says he knows "half a dozen men" who should go to prison for sexually harassing women. The 55-year-old actor, who became popular for playing Lucius Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" series, made the claims in an interview with The Times, according to The Independent. Isaacs said he is often asked the question that why did he not do anything against men who have indulged in sexual transgression if he knows them. "The problem is that almost all of the most egregious things that people are being charged with went on behind closed doors," the actor said. "I can think of half a dozen men I'd like to name, and who I think should probably be in prison. But they would just sue me and nothing bad would happen to them. All I can do is choose not to work with them," he added. Isaacs, who promoting his Netflix show "OA" during the interview, said he is happy that the conversation around the issue is "going in the right direction". "(It) is an incredibly healthy thing. I wish we could get to the end game very quickly," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor John Cusack is all set to star in Amazon Studios thriller series "Utopia". The project has been developed by author Gillian Flynn, best known for novels such as "Gone Girl" and "Sharp Objects". It recently received a nine-episode order from Amazon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show, a remake of a British show, will follow a group of young adults who meet online and are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come into possession of a near mythical cult underground graphic novel. They discover that the conspiracy theories in the comic's pages may actually be real and they are forced into the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world, the plotline of the show read. Cusack, 52, will portray the charismatic and media-savvy, Dr Kevin Christie, who has a brilliant biotech mind and a philanthropic outlook. He altruistically wants to change the world through science. This will be Cusack's first full-fledged role in a TV series. He has previously made guest appearances in shows such as "Doll & Em" and "Wall Street". The actor will be joined by Sasha Lane, Rainn Wilson, Ashleigh LaThrop, Desmin Borges, Farrah Mackenzie and Christopher Denham in the cast. Flynn will executive produce the project alongside Jessica Rhoades, Sharon Hall, Karen Wilson and Dennis Kelly. She will also serve as the showrunner. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris, according to the Armenian foreign ministry's press service. Mnatsakanyan expressed sympathy for France and its people over the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Armenian PM also passed on to Le Drian Armenian Prime Ministers letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron, in which Nikol Pashinyan expressed hope that necessary steps will be taken by joint efforts to restore the Notre Dame Cathedral. Pointing out usual common grounds for cooperation, such as politics, trade turnover, science and culture, the ministers said that information technology industry, as well as innovation and creative education also have a huge potential for development, ARKA reported. A group of journalists in Nepal organised a demonstration in Kathmandu on Wednesday, demanding abrogation of cyber law which, they said, is being used to muzzle the voice of media in the country. Nepal Economic Media Society and Online Journalists Association demanded the abrogation of the Electronic Transaction Act. Arjun Giri, a journalist associated with TandavNews.com, was arrested from Pokhara earlier this week for publishing a story about a local business, sparking debate about existing and proposed laws which, according to experts, could be used to restrict press freedom in Nepal. The Electronic Transaction Act's Article 47 and 48 are against press freedom, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal, Sitaram Bilasi, general-secretary of Nepal Economic Media Society, said. Although the Constitution fully guarantees press freedom in practice, restrictions has been imposed on free media due to the controversial cyber Law, he said. As there is every possibility of its misuse, the Law must be scrapped, Bilasi demanded. The government is using the law to silence those who are critical of it, he said. President of Federation of Nepal Journalists Govinda Acharya demanded the immediate release of Giri. The Cyber Crime Act, which came into effect in 2006, has been frequently used against free press, Acharya said. The Cyber Crime Act is meant for authenticating banking transactions and discourage cyber crime, and is not related to journalists or media persons, he said. According to sources at the Federation of Nepali Journalists, dozens of reporters and editors have been arrested, detained and fined in the last few years since the Electronic Transaction Act was introduced. It is objectionable to take actions against journalists under the Cyber Crime Act on the basis of writing news, general-secretary of the Federation Ramesh Bishta said. More than 100 journalists staged demonstration at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu, protesting against the Cyber Crime Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Wednesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his tweet on unseasonal rains, charging he was concerned only about Gujarat. Overnight rains in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan have left nearly 30 people dead. Soon after the prime minister expressed anguish over loss of lives in the unseasonal rain and storm in Gujarat, Nath took to twitter to say, "You are the PM of the country not Gujarat". Nath said unseasonal rain in Madhya Pradesh claimed over 10 lives but the prime minister expressed concern only for Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday morning expressed anguish over loss of lives in various parts of Gujarat due to unseasonal rain. "Authorities are monitoring the situation very closely. All possible assistance is being given to those affected," he had tweeted. Later the prime minister said, "we stand in solidarity with all those affected due to unseasonal rainfall in various parts of the country". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress Wednesday said it will do everything possible for the safe, secure and dignified return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, asserting the valley is incomplete without them. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief G A Mir was addressing Kashmiri migrants at Muthi camp here. Mir is contesting from the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat against PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference's justice Hasnain Masoodi. Anantnag will head for voting in three phases-- April 23, April 29, May 6. Mir, a two time minister, reached out to displaced Kashmir Pandits in Jammu and said "Kashmir and Kashmiriyat is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits". He said the ultimate goal is to create a congenial atmosphere in the Kashmir valley for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants. "Till that goal is achieved, it is essential that all further necessary measures are required to be taken for their dignified living and to secure the future of the youth of this community, who have undergone numerous hardships, sufferings and disadvantages of life especially the youth after getting uprooted from the native place," Mir said. He alleged that the BJP's commitments for the cause of Kashmiri Pandits have remained "unfulfilled slogans for vote bank politics". He said the atmosphere of peace, harmony and security was a great casualty during the BJP regime at the Centre and the previous coalition government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning his contribution to the country over the last five years. "The prime minister failed on various fronts," Kumaraswamy said at an election meeting at Anavati in Shivamogga seeking votes for JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa. "Today when Modi is touring across the country, giving speeches and seeking votes, he asks people to vote for the security of the nation. Instead of development, he seeks vote for the safety and security of the nation," the chief minister said. Kumaraswamy appealed to the people to realise that the country was never insecure. The chief minister said Modi came to power as he lured voters with his oratory skills and claimed the prime minister failed to fulfill any of his promises. "You have to think what Narendra Modi has given to the nation. Did he provide any relief to the farmers? Did women get any security? Did he provide jobs to the unemployed youth? Which problem could he sort out?" the chief minister asked the gathering. Shivamogga is among the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that will go to the polls during the second phase on April 23. The first phase of polling, covering 14 other seats in the State, will take place Thursday. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. Madhu Bangarappa is the son of former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappa. He is in a direct fight with BJP candidate B Y Raghavendra, son of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi alleged Wednesday that RJD chief Lalu Prasad had met Union minister Arun Jaitley with the offer to help bring down the grand alliance government and install a saffron party dispensation if fodder scam cases against him were watered down. Addressing a press conference, Modi claimed Finance Minister Jaitley, however, snubbed Prasad, who approached him through his emissary-- former Union minister Prem Chand Gupta-- and also met him in person. Slamming Prasad for "always spewing venom against the BJP-RSS combine but never shying away from seeking our help whenever it serves his purpose", the BJP leader said Jaitley curtly told them that the CBI is an autonomous agency in whose functioning the government does not interfere. Prasad's son and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav rejected the allegation, and said it reflected the BJP's worry of an impending electoral defeat. "His allegations that we sought help from the BJP at any point of time show his mental bankruptcy and worry of an impending defeat in the elections. The entire country knows that it was Lalu who had stopped (LK) Advanis Ayodhya Rath Yatra and has always valiantly fought their communal agenda," he tweeted. After their dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when a Narendra Modi wave swept the country, Nitish Kumar's JD(U), RJD and the Congress had formed a grand alliance and stopped the BJP's juggernaut in Bihar in the 2015 assembly polls. The three-party alliance was in power till July 2017 when Kumar returned to the NDA following sharp differences with the RJD over allegations of corruption against Tejashwi, who was then the deputy chief minister. Sushil Modi said the Jharkhand High Court had passed an order in 2014 granting Prasad some relief. The court ordered that separate trials will not be held in the six fodder scam cases against him. "Separate trials meant more trouble for the RJD supremo and, hence, he sent his emissary Prem Chand Gupta to Jaitley with his offer in exchange for the CBI either not appealing against the High Court order or weakening its arguments before the apex court once the appeal was filed," Modi claimed. Gupta, he claimed, met Jaitley three to four times, and when Prasad realised that the negotiations were "bearing no fruit", he himself called on the Union finance minister. "Jaitley declined. It has always been the BJPs line never to help those accused of corruption," Modi said. On one hand, Prasad was having an alliance with Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and on the other he was approaching Jaitley with the offer of helping finish off the chief minister politically, the Bihar deputy chief minister said. "We think the chief minister too must have got a whiff of these shenanigans. Moreover, after they together won the assembly polls in 2015 and RJD emerged as the largest party, Lalu and his cohorts never lost an opportunity to remind the JD(U) leader that he owed his position to them," he said. Sushil Modi recalled how Lalu Prasad won the Patna University Students' Union polls in the 1970s with the help of the ABVP, the students wing of the RSS. Modi, who was also associated with the ABVP, said after being elected the president of the union, Prasad visited the local RSS office to thank the Sangh. "Besides, in 1990 he became the chief minister only after he got a letter of support from our late leader Kailashpati Mishra. The assembly polls had then thrown up a hung house and without the support of 39 MLAs of our party, he would have never been what he became," the BJP leader said. Sushil Modi said he had learnt about the meetings Prasad himself and his emissary had with Jaitley from many sources, including Sanjay Jha, a former BJP hand and now a confidante of Nitish Kumar. When reached for comments, Jha, a former MLC and now the JD(U) national general secretary, said Prasad had offered to pull down the grand alliance government "within 24 hours". "With these episodes you can make sense of the hollow claims by Lalu's family members that they are being victimized because they did not compromise with the BJP," Modi said. These disclosures also deserve to be seen in the light of the many claims made by Prasad's family in the recent past, the deputy chief minister said. Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav had recently claimed that Nitish Kumar had grown uneasy with the BJP "within six months" of returning to the NDA in July, 2017, and had sent feelers through former poll strategist Prashant Kishor that he was game for a rapprochement with the RJD but they spurned the offer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala near here. Accompanied by wife Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari, other family members and some government officials, Sirisena arrived here from Hyderabad Tuesday. After an overnight stay at the TTD guest house on the hills, he visited the temple at the crack of dawn and offered prayers to the presiding deity, Lord Venkateswara. He spent about half an hour at the shrine, a temple official told PTI. After paying obeisance, the island nation's President was presented with a sacred silk cloth, a framed photo of Lord Venkateswara besides 'prasadam' by the officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the ancient hill temple. Before leaving the temple, the priests at Sri Ranganayakula Mandapam, blessed him. Sirisena would leave for Bangalore to fly back to Colombo, the official added. Earlier, he had visited the holy hills in August 2016 and February 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sitting MP from Sirsa Charanjeet Singh Rori was re-nominated as the Indian National Lok Dal Wednesday announced the names of six candidates for the May 12 Lok Sabha polls in Haryana. At a press conference here, senior party leader Abhay Chautala said the names of remaining four candidates will be announced on Friday. INLD's former deputy mayor from Yamunanagar Ram Pal Balmiki will contest from Ambala reserved constituency, party leader from Assandh Dharamvir Pada has been fielded from Karnal, youth leader Surinder Chhikara from Sonipat, Suresh Koth, who has been fighting for farmers' cause, will contest from Hisar and party secretary Mahender Singh Chauhan has been named from Faridabad, Abhay Chautala said. The candidates for Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh and Gurgaon will be announced on Friday, he said. "Our senior leaders Ashok Arora and Rampal Majra have been entrusted with the job of consulting party's national president Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala," the INLD leader said. "The party is deliberating on a few names for these seats and once our party chief approves them, the announcement will be made," he added. Abhay Chautala further said that a woman candidate may be fielded from one of the four seats. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana, he claimed that the people are fed up with the alleged misrule in the state. "During recent times, there have been incidents when their (BJP) ministers had to face public wrath and beat a hasty retreat from public functions. At some places, their ministers and leaders are being confronted with questions from the public, who seek to know what have they done for the last five years," he said. Asked to comment on the recent tie-up announced by the Jannayak Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and their decision to contest all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, Abhay Chautala claimed that the people will not accept the alliance. He said the main motive of the alliance was to keep his father and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, serving a jail sentence in connection with the teachers recruitment scam, behind bars and not allow him to campaign in the state. Abhay Chautala had earlier accused JJP leaders Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala of using their influence with their alliance partner AAP's government in Delhi to keep the INLD president in jail while allowing Ajay Chautala to come out and campaign for JJP-AAP. Ajay Chautala, who is also serving a prison term in connection with the scam along with his father Om Prakash Chautala, on Monday came out of Tihar jail on a 21-day furlough. Notably, JJP came into existence in December 2018 after the INLD, a party founded by former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, split after a bitter power struggle between his two grandsons--Abhay Chautala and Ajay Chautala. Taking a veiled dig at his brother Ajay Chautala and nephew Dushyant Chautala, Abhay Chautala said that those who ditch their own parties have a short political survival. Abhay Chautala also claimed that the people will not accept the JJP-AAP alliance because AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal had said during Punjab elections that if his party came to power there, it would not spare a drop of water for Haryana. He further claimed that the Manohar Lal Khattar government was "weak" and had the INLD been in power in Haryana, it would have forced Kejriwal to make his stand clear on the issue of water sharing. "We would have stopped water (to Delhi) from Munak canal and forced him to apologise before people of Haryana," he said, adding that the INLD will continue to wage its battle to ensure that Haryana gets its due share of SYL canal water. Abhay Chautala further praised Rori for allegedly refusing to accept a bribe of around Rs 10 crores by two undercover reporters posing as representatives of an MNC wanting to setup a factory in his parliamentary constituency. The last date for filing of nomination papers for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana is April 23 and the polling will take place on May 12. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Islamic officials in Malaysia have launched an investigation into a public event that discussed women who stop wearing the hijab, according to a group of female activists who spoke at the forum. The probe into Saturday's "Malay Women and De-hijabbing" talk is the latest sign of growing Muslim conservatism in the multi-ethnic nation, which critics say is chipping away at a traditionally tolerant brand of Islam. The forum took place at a book shop outside Kuala Lumpur to mark the launch of a book called "Unveiling Choice", about author Maryam Lee's decision to stop wearing the headscarf. At the three-hour event, Lee and two other Muslim women shared their experiences about giving up the hijab. The number of women from the country's ethnic Malay Muslim majority wearing the headscarf has been increasing, in line with growing conservatism, but it is also common to see Muslim women without their heads covered. Following a social media backlash, the religious affairs minister called for an investigation, and officers from the Islamic affairs department visited the shop to get copies of the book and talked to a staff member, the women said. "We condemn this unnecessary investigation as abuse of power to harass and intimidate women activists," said the trio in a statement late Tuesday. "We are ready to give full cooperation to the authorities however we are unequivocal that there has been no transgression of Malaysian laws." The Islamic affairs department in central Selangor state, which is reported to be probing the incident, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement on Facebook, Religious Affairs Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa had expressed concern about the event and called on Islamic authorities to probe it in a "fair and just manner". About 60 percent of Malaysia's 32 million inhabitants are Muslim Malays and the country is also home to substantial minorities of ethnic Indians and ethnic Chinese, who do not typically follow Islam. Members of different races and religions generally live side by side harmoniously but critics say that influential Muslim hardliners are pushing an increasingly conservative form of Islam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vijay Mallya on Wednesday failed to convince a UK High Court to dismiss an order related to money in one of his London bank accounts, dealing a blow to the embattled liquor tycoon's efforts to prevent a consortium of Indian banks getting access to nearly 260,000 pounds. In one of the many legal cases being faced by the 63-year-old liquor tycoon in the UK, Master David Cook ruled that an interim debt order in favour of SBI and other banks seeking access to funds in the ICICI UK bank account "should remain in force" but that the application to make it final should be adjourned until after the hearing of Mallya's pending bankruptcy petition. The funds in the account will meanwhile remain frozen as part of the worldwide freezing order in favour of the Indian banks last year. Mallya's lawyers had argued for the dismissal of the interim order on a number of grounds, including a claim that it was a "deliberate ploy" to prevent Mallya "reasonable" living expenses. "I reject the proposition that the application for a TPDO (third party debt order) was a deliberate ploy to thwart Dr Mallya's ability to meet his ordinary living expenses and reasonable legal expenses which are permitted under the terms of the WWFO (worldwide freezing order)," Master Cook notes in his judgment. "The relevant context here is that Dr Mallya is in a post judgment scenario where the Claimants (Indian banks) are attempting to enforce their judgment and discover the true extent of his assets. I note that Dr Mallya has made no voluntary payment to date while continuing to incur substantial legal costs in opposing the Claimants' efforts to enforce their judgment," he said. The case revolves around 258,559.79 pounds held in a bank account with the ICICI UK, which is named as a third party in the High Court case. It is among one of many orders pursued by TLT LLP, the law firm acting for the Indian banks, as part of efforts to recoup some of the 1.142 billion pounds owed to them arising from proceedings in the Bangalore Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) against Kingfisher Airlines and others. The DRT case was registered in the UK under the Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1933 and went in favour of the Indian banks in an appeal in May 2018. The banks have since also filed a bankruptcy petition against Mallya in the UK courts, which is being challenged by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss and is expected to come up for hearing around December this year. Meanwhile, in yet another legal intervention, Mallya is seeking a stay of all enforcement proceedings which have been commenced since the presentation of the bankruptcy petition by the Indian banks in September last year, a hearing of which is expected next month. The outcome of that hearing will determine the future course of the funds being sought by the SBI, Bank of Baroda, Corporation bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd. Mallya, meanwhile, remains on bail after his extradition was signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February and is seeking leave to appeal against that order in the High Court as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Embattled liquor tycoon on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with founder and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own and now Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used 35K crores (Rs 35,000 crores) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote in his latest intervention on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he makes to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct to PSU banks resulted in reports that claim he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first, he questioned. On a more personal note directed at founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why, Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the High Court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallya's appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a USD 40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regent's Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev highlighted the significance of the countrys National Projects in his address to the nations lower house of parliament, the Russian State Duma, reporting on the performance of his cabinet in 2018. "The National Projects have become one of the fundamental instruments. In a way, they are a blueprint for Russias future," TASS cited the PM as saying. Medvedev reiterated that Russias National Projects had to be drafted in just a few months, underscoring the governments immense responsibility for the outcome of this endeavor. The tasks assigned to the country in 2018 are "distinct in their scope and the depth of transformations". The PM said he was referring to nine national development goals set forth in the May decrees, and the 12 National Projects worth almost 26 trillion rubles ($406.5 billion). "But most of all its the 146.8 million people for whose sake, and together with whom, we are doing all this," he noted. According to Medvedev, the main trajectories in the governments activity, the budget, state programs and the daily routine activities of the executive, legislative and regional branches of authority had been adjusted to meet the national development goals. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday came out in support of DNK leader Kanimozhi, whose residence was searched by central agencies. Banerjee accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being a fascist, for unleashing a reign of fear and trying to threaten parties opposed to him. Kanimozhi is being harassed as DMK is opposed to BJP's divisive in south India, she told a poll rally at Kandi in Murshidabad district. Charging Modi with ruling the country by "unleashing a reign of fear", Banerjee said that the country has never seen a prime minister like Modi who is feared by everyone "instead of being loved and respected". "It is a shame that BJP is using central agencies against opposition leaders and parties to harass them. Yesterday the Income Tax(department) without any reason raided Kanimozhi's house. Just because DMK and its leader M K Stalin are opposed to Narendra Modi and BJP, they (DMK leaders) are being unneccessarily harrassed," Banerjee said. Election officials assisted by those from the I-T department Tuesday searched the Kanimozhi's residence at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. DMK president M K Stalin in a statement said the raids were an outcome of "fear of a damning defeat" for BJP's candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan in Tuticorin. "For us a leader is a person who is loved and respected by people from various sections of the society. But for the first time since Independence, we have a leader like the prime minister who is ruling the country by a reign of fear. We have never seen such a fascist prime minister who is ruling like Hitler," Banerjee said. She alleged that "Modi is threatening everybody and everybody is afraid of him ... It is a shame that a person who was baptized in through riots is leading the country". Addressing another rally at Raghunathganj in the same district, Banerjee reiterated her charge against BJP that it is trying to gain political mileage by playing the religion card. "The BJP is trying to divide the people in the name of religion. They are using it as a tool to divide the masses in Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The culture of Bengal never supports the of violence," she said. The combative leader continued "I too am a Hindu - but Hindus dont believe in creating divisions among the people or inciting violence. Hinduism believes in creating unity by respecting other religious beliefs and in staying together in harmony". Opposing BJP's stand on implementing NRC in the country, Banerjee said she would not allow it in West Bengal. "We will never allow NRC in Bengal. They (BJP) are saying that they are bothered about Hindus. Names of around 22 lakh Hindu Bengalis have been removed from the list of citizens in Assam. Is this the concern BJP has for Bengalis?," she asked. The Citizenship Bill, she alleged, will make a resident a foreigner for six years and will then be considered for citizenship. "It will rob us of our rights and our livelihoods," she claimed. Reiterating her charge that Congress is taking help from RSS to win elections in West Bengal, Banerjee alleged that the saffrom organisation is campaigning Abhijit Mukherjee, the son of former president Pranab Mukherjee, who is contesting from Jangipur and for Adhir Chowdhury at Baharampore. CPI(M), she said, has already sold out to BJP. "During day time they are behaving like Congress leaders, in the afternoon they are CPI(M) cadres and in the night they are acting as BJP cadres. You should not cast a single vote in their favour. You should defeat them". Banerjee expressed happiness that many workers and leaders of the Congress and CPI(M) have joined TMC and said they have realised realised how their erstwhile parties had sold themselves. Claiming that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has worked against the interest of the people of the country, she said that prices of petroleum products increasing everyday when crude oil rates were low in the international market. "For the last five years they (BJP government at the Centre) have been increasing oil prices but just ahead of elections they will take decrease the prices by Re 1 to Rs 2 and take credit for it," she said. Maintaining that demonetisation is a scam and has been a disaster for the country, the fiesty TMC supremo said two crore youth have lost their jobs in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thane crime branch officials have arrested a man wanted in a 2007 murder case from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh, a senior police officer said here Wednesday. However, three out of the total four accused are still on the run. The crime branch team tracked down one of the accused, Rajkumar Rajawat, in his home town Mehandawa in Bind district of Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, said DCP, Crime, Deepak Deoraj. He was arrested on April 15 with the help of local police, he said. Three other accused wanted for allegedly killing Shailendra Singh Dansingh Shekhawat, 27, are still on the run, the DCP added. The senior officer said that Shekhawat, who used to work as a job agent, was strangulated to death by Narendra Singh Rajbirsingh Rajawat and Pintusingh Bittusingh Rajawat for not providing them job despite taking money. Shekhawat's body was later found dumped in a nullah. Rajkumar and Rishi Dong were the two other accused who were involved in the crime. They all were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after investigation, he added. A chargesheet was filed against all the accused in a Thane court in May last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terrorists fired a grenade at a CRPF camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Wednesday injuring a personnel of the force, officials said. They said an under-barrel grenade launcher was fired at the Tral-based camp of the 180th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force. The grenade exploded inside the camp of the 'bravo company' causing minor injuries to a CRPF head constable, they added. The injured jawan is being provided medical assistance, they said. A UBGL is a weapon accessory and is fitted below the barrel of a gun. It fires a grenade at a trajectory and causes splinter and blast casualties. Security forces have launched a search in the area for the terrorists who carried out the attack, they said. In a deadly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in this area on February 14, forty troops on board a bus plying on the Jammu-Srinagar highway were killed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NCP leader Ajit Pawar Wednesday said since there was no development issue left to talk about, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was raising emotive issues like caste, which does not behove of a person holding the position of PM. Pawar made the remarks after Modi Wednesday said at a poll rally in Madha in Maharashtra that the Congress and its allies have not kept any shortcomings in abusing of my backward caste. He also accused the Modi government of creating a divide in the society on the basis of caste and community. "Today @narendramodi saheb said he was being targeted due to his caste. Since there is no development issue left, talking in this manner to make people emotional does not behove of the prime minister. Our state and the country cannot afford this government's dirty politics in which divide is being created between castes and communities," he tweeted. The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister made the remark on the micro-blogging site after addressing a poll rally in Baramati constituency. The NCP has fielded sitting MP Supriya Sule from the seat. Sule, daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, is contesting the election against the BJP's Kanchan Kul. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7:00 am local time in restive Papua. The vote is slated to end at 1:00 pm in Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted archipelago. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 per cent Muslim. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite -- but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes -- as well as elephants and horses -- to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. The poll has been punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake online that threatens to sway millions of undecided voters. Widodo has campaigned on his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But his rights record has been criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate has also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, whose strongman image is underscored by a penchant for slamming lecterns as he accuses Jakarta of selling the country off to foreign interests. Subianto -- joined by running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy financier -- has courted Islamic hardliners, promised a boost to military and defence spending and, taking a page from US President Donald Trump, vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. Subianto's long-held presidential ambitions have been dogged by strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago, and a chequered past. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NaMo TV, sponsored by the BJP, cannot display 'election matter' during the silence period prescribed in the electoral law in a particular phase of the poll, the has concluded. The has now asked the chief electoral officer of to ensure that its directions are followed in each of the remaining six phases of the ongoing The directions were issued to the CEO as he is the nodal officer to pre-certify political content in TV channels and similar platforms which are beamed nationally. He has also been provided with a committee specifically for the purpose, a source aware of the development said. Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act "prohibits" display of any "election matter" by means of "cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus", 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a particular constituency. This phase is called the 'silence period' as it allows a voter to make up his or her mind on whom to vote without being influenced by political campaigning. Section 126 is not applicable on the The direction, sources said, was issued to bring clarity on the applicability of 'silence period' on On Thursday last week, the had concluded that since is sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform should be pre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of and all political publicity contents being displayed without pre-certification should be removed immediately. After the filed a complaint with the poll panel about the channel disturbing the level playing field, the had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue. Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the poll panel that it was an advertising platform that did not require a license from the ministry. The Delhi CEO had approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said is part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained the old speeches of Prime Minister "It has been brought to the notice of the commission that NaMo TV/content TV is a platform service offered by DTH operators to the BJP on a paid basisany political publicity material or contents being displayed on without the requisite certification from competent authority (MCMC in this ease) should be removed immediately and any political content shall only be permitted strictly in accordance with the EC's instructions in this regard," the April 11 directive of the EC read. Voters in the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat of Gujarat are yet to make up their mind whether to endorse the BJP's views on 'nationalism' or support the Congress, which has promised to resolve local issues like lack of jobs and affordable education for children. This urban seat was in the spotlight in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won it by defeating Congress veteran Madhusudan Mistry by a margin of over 5.7 lakh votes. However, when Modi chose to be an MP from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and resigned from Vadodara, BJP's Ranjanben Bhatt was given ticket for the bypoll and she won this seat. She has again been nominated by the BJP from Vadodara. In her campaign posters, Bhatt has urged people to vote for the nation's security and "to teach Pakistan a lesson". She has also appealed people to boost the morale of soldiers and uproot terrorism. On the other side, Congress candidate Prashant Patel says if elected, he will solve people's problems, including issues like unemployment and high education costs. While the BJP claims it is on the right track by invoking issues of national importance, the Congress dubs it an "eyewash" to hide the "failures" in dealing with core issues concerning the common man. Patel, who is the Congress' city unit president and is fighting his first major poll, said local issues are always important in an election. "People vote for you to get basic amenities, like better and affordable education. Though the BJP is ruling the municipal corporation for last 23 years, it did nothing. Now, raising the issue of nationalism is nothing but an eyewash to divert attention from its failures," he said. However, Vadodara BJP spokesperson Mukesh Dixit said, "This is not a local body election, but a parliamentary poll...the Congress needs to understand this. If we had faltered in addressing local issues, we might not have been winning the civic polls here since 1995." "The Lok Sabha polls are always fought on national issues. The Congress makes noise even if a gutter leaks in the city. They are doing this because they don't have anything else to say," he remarked. Before 2014, the seat earlier also garnered attention when actor Dipika Chikhalia, who played the role of Sita in popular TV serial "Ramayan", won it in 1991 on BJP's ticket. That was the first time when a saffron party candidate won from the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat. But, Congress' Satyajitsinh Gaekwad, hailing from a royal family here, won it in 1996 and remained an MP till the 1998 polls. BJP's Jayaben Thakkar then won from Vadodara for three consecutive terms from 1998 till 2009. In 2009, BJP candidate Balkrishna Shukla maintained the party's winning streak from the seat. The Vadodara Lok Sabha seat covers seven Assembly segments - Savli, Waghodia, Vadodara City, Manjalpur, Sayajigunj, Akota and Raopura - all currently with the BJP. There are nearly 18 lakh voters in the constituency. Vadodara resident Ronak Shah, employed at a private firm here, said he supports the BJP when it comes to nationalism but is confused whom to vote for this time. "The BJP and Prime Minister Modi did a great job. But, we also want affordable education for our children," he said. Another city resident Jigar Prajapati claimed the election will be a cake walk for the BJP as urban voters tend to support it in Gujarat. "Bad roads in some areas is not an issue. The BJP government has carried out many developmental works here, including flyovers...the urban voters will always remain with the BJP," he said. However, a 27-year-old resident of the Muslim- dominated Tandalja area said the Congress was raising the right issues. "Though we are also with our soldiers, some people like us are still struggling to find better jobs. No new industries are coming here. There are many who are not convinced with BJP's idea of nationalism," he said on condition of anonymity. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls on April 23 and the 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.) The Indian Navy and several other agencies involved in coastal defence and maritime security brainstormed over the outcome of the 'Sea Vigil' exercise -- the first-of-its-kind multi-agency drill covering the entire 7,516 km-long Indian coastline and exclusive economic zone. The mega exercise took place on January 22 and 23 with participation of 13 coastal states and union territories along with all maritime stakeholders with an aim to check the efficacy of maritime security and surveillance. Nearly 150 ships, 40 aircraft and a number of other strategic assets of the Navy and Coast Guard were part of the exercise which, according to the Navy, was "unprecedented" in its scale and size. Navy officials said a debriefing on the exercise was held on Tuesday during which significant results achieved in the course of the two-day drill were deliberated upon. The debriefing was chaired by Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral MS Pawar, and was attended by top functionaries of the Navy, Indian Coast Guard and concerned union ministries, agencies and representatives of the coastal states. "He complimented the strong inter-agency coordination and interoperability achieved during the exercise and reiterated the need for flexibility and agility to deal with security challenges," Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 300 people have been arrested in ongoing in that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill, police said Tuesday. Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on Monday at the start of a civil disobedience that also saw action in other parts of The were organised by the group Extinction Rebellion, which was established last year in Britain by academics and has become one of the world's fastest-growing environmental movements. London's Metropolitan Police said that by Tuesday evening, 290 arrests had been made. "We expect demonstrations to continue throughout the coming weeks," the police statement said. The arrest figure includes three men and two women who were detained at the UK offices of energy giant on suspicion of criminal damage. Campaigners daubed graffiti and smashed a window at the Shell Centre building. The majority arrested were seized for breaching public order laws and obstructing a highway. The protest saw more than a thousand people block off central London's Waterloo Bridge and lay trees in pots along its length. Later, people set up camps in Hyde Park in preparation for further demonstrations throughout the week. The police have ordered the protesters to confine themselves to a zone within Marble Arch, a space at the junction of Hyde Park, the Oxford Street main shopping thoroughfare and the Park Lane street of plush hotels. "We so far have 55 bus routes closed and 500,000 people affected as a result," the police said. mayor said he was "extremely concerned" about protesters' plans to disrupt the underground on Wednesday. "Targeting public transport in this way would only damage the cause of all of us who want to tackle climate change," he said in a statement. Campaigners want governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new "citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice". Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Fox said the group had attempted to maintain a blockade overnight at four sites in central before the police came to impose the new restriction. Protesters attached themselves to vehicles and to each other using bicycle locks, said the spokesman. "We have no intention of leaving until the government listens to us," he said. "Many of us are willing to sacrifice our liberty for the cause. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be asked to form a new government day after he received the backing of a majority of MPs in the new parliament. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is set to receive the final results of last weeks parliamentary elections on Wednesday and to call upon Netanyahu to assemble a governing coalition. Netanyahu has already begun negotiating with his political allies, having met Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Lieberman on April 16. Yesterday, Rivlin completed consultations with representatives of the parties that qualified for the Knesset, Israels 120-seat parliament. Rivlin said that the majority of members of Knesset had recommended Netanyahu and that he was brought to the point that room for my discretion is diminishing, the FT reported. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government following last week's general election. In a televised ceremony, Rivlin told Netanyahu that in consultations with all parties elected to the incoming 120-seat parliament, "65 MPs recommended you." Rivlin had sounded out delegations from political parties on Monday and Tuesday. Only 45 members supported his main rivals from the Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz, with the 10 members of the Arab parties recommending nobody. "This is the fifth time I am taking on the task of putting together the government of Israel," Netanyahu said at Wednesday's ceremony. "There is no greater privilege in democratic life." British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed Netanyahu's fifth term on her official Twitter account. "Congratulations to PM Netanyahu on being asked to form a new Israeli government," she wrote. "The UK's relationship with Israel is of great importance and I look forward to deepening this further." In his remarks Rivlin referred to the election campaign, which candidates and commentators agreed had been exceptionally brutal. "Things were said that should not have been said, from all sides," he said. Netanyahu then pledged to serve all Israelis, opponents as well as supporters. "I am well aware of the size of the responsibility placed upon my shoulders and shall act as the envoy of all of the people, those who voted for me and those who did not," he said. He now has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of a further two weeks. The results from the April 9 election put Netanyahu on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year, surpassing the state's founding father David Ben-Gurion. The 69-year-old's first task will be to reconcile divergent demands from his likely coalition partners. They include ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties and the strongly secular Yisrael Beitenu of former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman. Netanyahu's outgoing government was seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history, and the next is expected to be similar if not further to the right. Lieberman has said he would condition his joining the coalition on the adoption of a law aimed at drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military like their secular counterparts. Ultra-Orthodox Jews studying at religious seminaries are currently exempt from mandatory military service, a situation many Israelis see as unfair. But attempts to change the law have met with strong opposition from ultra-Orthodox political parties, which won 16 seats in the incoming parliament. On Tuesday, United Torah Judaism -- one of the two ultra-Orthodox parties at hand -- stressed they were not prepared to compromise over Lieberman's demands, even at the risk of Netanyahu failing to form a coalition. "We have already proven we won't have a problem to face another election," the party said in a statement. Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up some 10 percent of Israel's population of nearly nine million. The coming months are also expected to see the unveiling of US President Donald Trump's long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Trump has shown no sign so far that he would be willing to make significant demands of his close ally Netanyahu in connection with his plan, though even minor concessions to the Palestinians could spark opposition from the Israeli premier's far-right coalition partners. But the biggest danger hanging over Netanyahu is his potential indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Israel's attorney general has announced his intention to indict Netanyahu, pending an upcoming hearing. He would be the country's first sitting prime minister to be indicted. Netanyahu is not legally required to resign if indicted, only if convicted with all appeals exhausted, but political pressure would likely be intense. Many analysts said one of Netanyahu's main motivations in calling early elections was to be able to confront the charges with a fresh electoral mandate behind him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday abandoned plans for a capital gains tax despite strongly backing it at the last election, leaving New Zealand among a handful of developed countries not to impose such a levy. The surprise decision, which reflected a split in her Labour coalition government, came after a tax working group that Ardern set up after the poll reported back that it supported the concept. Ardern was forced to back down when she could not get consensus in her three-party coalition, with her deputy Prime Minister Winson Peters -- who heads the minority New Zealand First Party -- firmly against it. Backers of the CGT -- a levy on profits from asset sales -- had argued New Zealand needed a fairer tax system with a better distribution of wealth. Opinion polls had shown most New Zealanders opposed a CGT and Peters said there was "neither a compelling rationale nor mandate to institute a comprehensive capital gains tax regime". Frank Scrimgeour, the head of the school of accounting, finance and economics at Waikato University, said a capital gains tax, while universally widespread, has not necessarily been effective. "The proposal that came back from the Tax Working Group would not really have made a significant difference to the equity argument," he told AFP. "It would not raise significant money and would complicate the tax system." Scrimgeour said in a perfect world a tax on capital should be straightforward but in reality it was difficult to achieve. "In other countries it has not solved the kinds of problems CGT proponents suggested it should." New Zealand Taxpayers union executive director Jordan Williams described the decision as a "huge victory" for taxpayers with New Zealand's streamlined system negating the need for CGT. "We won," he said. "We're the envy of the world in terms of our very low amount of loopholes. We don't have a huge proportion of tax lawyers and accountants compared with many jurisdictions. We are extremely lucky." The Tax Working Group had recommended a CGT rate at the income earner's top tax rate -- 33 percent for most people -- which opponents argued would be one of the highest in the world. The Labour Party had previously campaigned for a CGT in 2011 and 2014 and lost both elections. "I genuinely believe there are inequities in our tax system that a capital gains tax in some form could have helped to resolve. That's an argument Labour has made as a party since 2011," Ardern said. "However after almost a decade campaigning on it, and after forming a government that represented the majority of New Zealanders, we have been unable to build a mandate for a capital gains tax. "While I have believed in a CGT, it's clear many New Zealanders do not. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Once a right-wing idealogue whose primary claim to fame was authoring two books on Narendra Modi, journalist turned MP Pratap Simha now seems a much mellowed man who places development -- and the prime minister -- at the centre of his political discourse. The BJP MP from Mysore, who won the last election on the Modi wave, talks mostly of his contribution in developing the area and of the benevolence of the prime minister in sanctioning dozens of central projects for the constituency. "Modi has sanctioned development works worth Rs 13,000 crore in less than five years... Between 2004 and 2014, this region gave many Congress MPs and chief ministers but I alone brought investment several hundreds of crores," Simha told PTI in an interview. The 43-year-old is hoping his hard work coupled with the youth's fascination for Modi will get him through again. The Mysore parliamentary seat, which goes to the polls on Thursday, is locked in a direct contest between Simha, who credits his entry into to Modi, and Congress' C H Vijayashankar, a close associate of former chief minister Siddaramaiah. In his public rallies, Simha is seeking credit for various plans, including extension of a runway to 2.8 km, a satellite railway station, a 10-lane highway from here to Bangalore and six new trains. Simha started his career with the Kannada paper Vijaya Karnataka in 1999. His column promoting Hindutva brought him into focus and his two books on Modi that followed paved the way for his entering the BJP fold. In 2014, Simha wanted to contest from Hassan against former prime minister H D Deve Gowda. But the party fielded him from Mysore where he was initially seen as an outsider. "When I was an outsider, people voted with for me with an huge margin. Now I have toiled hard for the past five years and people recognise my worth and effort, thereby making this election a cakewalk," he said confidently. Looking back at his term as MP, Simha said, "The Mysore airport was non-functional five years ago. Today, we have half a dozen flights to an important destination and I am working to improve connectivity further so that national carriers can include Mysore once the runway is extended." He has been appealing to voters to re-elect him as he needs at least three more years to complete all the projects that he started to make Mysore a centre for investment, employment and a hub for commercial activity. His loyalty to the prime minister is total. "Who am I without Modi? But it is not as if I have any personal equation other than being a BJP worker. Modiji has the same equation with all workers and his only yardstick for proximity is the work." Of the eight assembly segments in the Mysore parliament constituency, four are held by the BJP, three by the JD(S) and one by the Congress. According to Simha, hiccups in the JD(S)-Congress relationship has meant that the Congress candidate is not receiving the support he expected. "Siddaramaiah has been back-stabbing the JD(S). So it is obvious that JD(S) will seek revenge from Congress specially since the candidate is considered very close to Siddaramaiah," Simha said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The devastating blaze at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris should serve as a "wake-up call" for India, a global heritage expert said Wednesday and suggested that the new government should conduct a "national-level fire audit" of museums and other cultural landmarks within 12 months in office. Vinod Daniel, an India-born Australian and top museum specialist, also said that along with the central-level exercise, a state-level fire safety auditing should also be done as a large portion of India's cultural and architectural wealth are locally governed. The iconic cathedral, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most celebrated monuments globally. On Monday, days ahead of the World Heritage Day (April 18), an inferno ripped through the over 850-year-old iconic Paris landmark destroying a large part of its roof and causing its central spire to collapse, leaving the world stunned. Daniel, 57, who is a board member of the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM), says while Indians have reacted very emotionally to the incident, which is important, but as a nation, India should take valuable lessons out of this loss and "assess its own fire safety and risk management capabilities". "It should have been taken note of immediately but since elections are underway, we will have to wait for the new government. But, the next government, should conduct a national-level fire safety audit of museums and other cultural and architectural landmarks within the first 12 months of its office," Daniel told PTI in an interview. The global museum expert said besides the UNESCO heritage sites, many old and iconic temples and other places of worship spread across the country are listed under state archaeology departments and therefore, state-level audits should be done in consonance with the national exercise. Daniel had last December cautioned that a majority of museums and cultural repositories in India were at risk of suffering "grave damage" in the event of a major fire, and suggested that a disaster management plan be properly implemented by these institutions. Daniel praised France's response to the colossal fire that gutted one its most monumental landmarks that has been celebrated in books, magazine and films. Notre-Dame de Paris, meaning 'Our Lady of Paris', is a medieval Catholic cathedral consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The famed gargoyles of the cathedral watching over the streets of Paris are some of the most enduring images of this landmark, celebrated in Victor Hugo's immortal classic 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', which was adapted into a film in 1939. Daniel praised the French response to the the colossal fire and said the firefighters trained in handling heritage objects and environment "mitigated the damage". President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame within five years. France's cathedrals have prepared to ring their bells on Wednesday to mark 48 hours since the devastating blaze began. The ICOM board member recalled the fire last year at the National Museum in Brazil and the one which gutted the National Museum of Natural History in Delhi in 2016, saying the Notre Dame fire should now serve as a "wake-up call for India". The Sydney-based expert said fire globally is the "number one threat" for any such building, roughly "one in 3,000 buildings" run that risk. Also, at present, a majority of museums, old libraries and cultural repositories do not have a proper disaster management plan in place and hence, stand at risk of suffering grave damage in case of a major fire, as it happened in Brazil, Daniel said. "And, that is why India needs to do the central-level and state-level audits, and then a budget should be allocated to ensure a timeline-based comprehensive risk management plan. And, these audits need to be done periodically," he said. "We need to have comprehensive risk management guidelines and India needs to revisit its risk management strategy if we want to protect our heritage from such incidents," the Sydney-based expert said. However, some of the museums, such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India), National Museum in Delhi and the Bihar Museum in Patna do have a management policy and a roadmap to deal with such incidents, he said. Daniel, also chairman of AusHeritage, a non-profit cultural heritage network in Australia, said the first 24 hours after a disaster, be it fire or flood, is the "critical period for response". He also suggested that besides having a good plan for safekeeping, museums should invest in documentation of artefacts and training of staff for proper handling of exhibits in the wake of a disaster. "The Notre-Dame is extensively documented, be its old drawings, paintings, photographs, videos, and they will prove valuable in the restoration process," he said. Daniel lamented that the incident will also leave a "bit of an emotional scar" for the people of Paris and visitors. "I visit Paris every six months, and stay very near to the cathedral. I take morning walks, and next time when I go there, it would be sad to see the fire-ravaged landmark," he said. The cathedral is part of the World Heritage site officially known as "Paris, Banks of the Seine", inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Northgate Public Services (NPS) are pleased to announce the official launch of the Indian Joint Registry (IJP), after signing contract with the Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons (ISHKS). (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/872540/Northgate_Public_Services_Logo.jpg ) Corin Wilson, Acting Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, launched the registry in the presence of the country's top orthopaedic surgeons attending the 13th National Congress of Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons. ISHKS has signed a contract with NPS to develop and maintain the IJR to enable hospitals across India to submit data securely and efficiently. The contract was signed after the successful execution of the six-month pilot project across seven Indian hospitals. NPS has supported the delivery of the UK's National Joint Registry, currently the world's largest joint registry with over 2.5 million records. "We partnered for a pilot with NPS to develop the IJR, the new online system across seven hospitals in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. The system is a comprehensive application which is easy to use and allows cases to be registered securely. Our entire team is very pleased with the success of the pilot and we are happy to continue the partnership with NPS. The launch of IJR is a landmark step in our journey to create a truly national registry that gives us important information about surgeries across India, and to develop our understanding of long-term outcomes for our patients," said Dr. Javahir A. Pachore, Managing Trustee, ISHKS. The IJR platform is a secure web-based data entry and reporting application enabling surgeons to quickly and easily register their patients, and create a record of the implants they have received. Data is used to underpin a detailed analysis of implant use and performance. IJR records, monitors, and tracks long-term patient outcomes following joint replacement surgery. This then looks to provide independent evidence on implant performance and to support orthopaedic research. "This is a strategically important healthcare deal for NPS in India providing a national joint registry designed to improve patient outcomes and insight into joint and procedural performance long term. IJR will be a huge step in the advancement of joint surgery practice in India, and I am very hopeful that NPS can evolve in India to become a national healthcare provider in other areas including paediatric and adult screening for health," said Stephen Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of NPS, owned by NEC Corporation, Japan, ("NEC", TSE:6701). For more information on the Indian Joint Registry, visit http://www.indianjointregistry.in. ISHKS is a society formed by top orthopaedic surgeons in India. The objective of the society is: to increase knowledge of hip and knee joint in health and disease to promote the highest level of professional standard in patient care, in disorders of hip and knee joints to create the optimum environment to facilitate education research and treatment in the surgery of Arthritic hip and knee joints. ISHKS strives to promote ethical practices among its members and aims to create a joint replacement registry for the purpose of research. To learn more, visit http://www.ishks.com. About Northgate Public Services (NPS) Headquartered in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the UK, Northgate Public Services is a software and outsourcing business with extensive experience in the public sector. We help government agencies and hospitals to improve health services by supporting better decision-making at every stage. We run health registries that help surgeons, commissioners, regulators, and manufacturers to continually improve patient outcomes, and screening programmes that enable early intervention for a range of medical conditions. For more information, please visit our website www.northgateps.com. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 76.93 lakh voters will on Thursday decide the fate of 279 candidates, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union minister Jual Oram, in the second phase of polls for five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly seats in Odisha. Out of the total electorate of 76,93,123, there are 37,47,493 women voters. At least 605 electors belong to the third gender. Preparations for the second phase of polls have reached the final stage and necessary steps have been taken to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting to be held in 9,117 booths, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar. Polling will be held in Aska, Kandhamal, Sundergarh, Bargarh and Bolangir Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 assembly segments under them. The polling staff have reached the booths in time, he said. Over 60,000 polling personnel have been deployed to conduct the second phase, Kumar said, adding, 8,700 vehicles will be used for their transportation. "For the first time in the state, the vehicles of all sector officers are provided with GPS tracking facilities to ensure proper monitoring," the CEO said. Out of the total number of 9,117 booths, 3,701 have been identified as critical, and arrangements have been made for deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in 739 booths, he said. Similarly, steps have been taken for webcasting in 883 booths, providing CCTV in 623 booths and engaging 892 micro-observers, Kumar said. Videography will be conducted in 331 places. As some areas in Kandhamal, Bolangir and Bargarh are Maoist-affected, security has been heightened to ensure smooth conduct of polls in those pockets, a senior police officer said. "Steps were taken for intensifying combing operations, patrolling and flag march in these areas," he said. While CAPF have been deployed in the critical and sensitive booths, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Special Operation Group (SOG) and District Volunteer Force (DVF) personnel have been asked to intensify anti-Naxal operations in several areas, the officer said. Paramilitary forces, police, flying squads, static surveillance teams, poll observers, videography teams and excise sleuths will also be deployed in the constituencies. In order to assist differently-abled voters, vehicles will be deployed to transport them to polling stations, while wheelchairs and volunteers are also being made available to help them cast votes in the stations. The voters include a total of 1,08,458 differently abled persons, and as many as 17,882 volunteers have been engaged to assist them, the CEO said. On the basis of feedback received from the first phase of polls held on April 11, arrangements have been made for providing tents and chairs in the booths, in order to give respite to the voters from scorching heat, he said. The second phase of polls will decide the fate of a total of 279 candidates. There are 35 hopefuls, including five women, in five Lok Sabha constituencies, and 244 candidates, 25 of them women, in 35 assembly seats. Prominent among the contestants in the second phase is chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik, contesting from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district and Bijepur in Bargarh. Among others, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram of the BJP, BJD's Rajya Sabha MPs Prasanna Acharya and Achyut Samant, BJP nominee and three-time MP Kharabela Swain are in the fray in the Lok Sabha polls. In addition, senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra is in the fray from the Bolangir Assembly seat, while BJP legislature party leader K V Singhdeo is contesting from the Patnagarh Assembly seat. Lok Sabha and assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases. While the first phase of polling was held on April 11, the remaining phases are scheduled for Thursday, April 23 and 29. Counting of votes will be held on May 23. There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats in the state. Meanwhile, repolling will also be held on Thursday in two polling stations located in Malkangiri (ST) and Berhampur Assembly constituencies, following reports of glitches in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the first phase of polling. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Wednesday mocked the Narendra Modi government for boasting about a surgical strike across the Line of Control, saying even Pakistan doesn't talk about its own actions. Gehlot claimed that except a handful of ministers, the NDA government was made up of first-timers. They boasted about the surgical strike because they lacked experience. Surgical strikes have been conducted in the tenure of every prime minister but they are never talked about. There are several things that Pakistan also does but they never talk about it," Gehlot said. At the same press conference, Gehlot triggered a controversy by suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became President because he is a Dalit. The Indian Army had conducted a surgical strike across against several terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in September 2016, ten days after a terror attack at an Army camp in Uri in which 19 soldiers had been killed. In February, the Indian Air Force struck at a terror camp in Balakote after a terrorist attack in Pulwama, which had left 40 CROPF personnel dead. Gehlot called the Modi-led BJP government a "government of rhetoric" and claimed its exit was imminent after the Lok Sabha elections. He said the BJP's "rhetoric" will sink the Modi government. Rhetoric will sink the Modi government. It will be one reason and the other would be the weakening of constitutional institutions. People have gradually understood that it is a government of rhetoric, Gehlot said at a press conference. Modi ji did not give good governance and now his government's farewell is imminent. People will see that they will be wiped out in the upcoming elections, he added. Replying to an allegation against the Union minister and BJP nominee from Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat threatening government officials during electioneering, Gehlot said he did not expect this from him. Now, the people in the country are going to hang their government at the Centre upside down, he said. Shekhwat had allegedly threatened government officials for filming vehicles used in his campaign during his election meeting in Pokharan on Sunday. The officials had been filming vehicles to estimate Shekhawat's poll expenditure. This is not the last election. I have details of all officials. The government would change after five years. I would hang all of them upside down then," Shekhawat had purportedly said. A complaint was lodged later against him with the district election officer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at the opposition leaders for criticising the government's move to identify illegal immigrants by rolling out the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Addressing a poll rally at Tasgaon in Maharashtra's Sangli district to campaign for BJP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, he alleged that the opposition parties were more concerned about the human rights of infiltrators. "We have brought the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to curb infiltration in the country, there is a strategy to remove 40 lakh infiltrators from Assam. Rahul baba, Sonia, Sharad Pawar and Mamta Banerjee opposedthe prime minister on this," Shah said. "I want to ask themif the infiltrators are their cousins? The opposition parties are more concerned about the human rights of infiltrators," he said. "The intruders come into the country, explode bombs, create law and order problems, then what about the human rights of our people and soldiers?" he asked. Lashing out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, he sought to know if they remembered the poor after being thrown out of power. "What these people did for the poor when they were in power. The Gandhi family ruled the country for many years and Pawar ruled Maharashtra for more than two decades, but they have done nothing for the betterment of society," he claimed. Expressing confidence that the BJP would come to power again, Shah asserted that his party will never compromise with the security and integrity of the country. On National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's recent suggestion of having a separate prime minister for Kashmir, he said, "They are talking about breaking the country, should I ask Sharad Pawar and Rahul Gandhi 'is it acceptable to you'? You should come clear on these issue." He asked people if they agree with Sam Pitroda, a long-time Gandhi family adviser and chief of the Indian Overseas Congress, over his comments that it was wrongto hold the entire country (Pakistan) responsible for acts of a few terrorists. He said with the air strike at Balakot in Pakistan, India has become the third country in the world afterthe United States and Israel to avenge the killing of its soldiersafter crossing the border. Highlighting the NDA government's achievements, Shah said it decided to give 10 per cent reservation to the general category poor, a demand pendingfor last 40 years. During the last five years, the NDA government released released funds worth Rs 1.15 lakh crore for Maharashtra, he said. "Our government has provided farm loan waiver worth Rs 3,700 crore. The farmers who have not got loan waiver due to technical reasons will be getting itafter the election, I have spoken toMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on this," Shah said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China next week to attend the 2nd Belt and Road Forum and hold bilateral meetings with the top Chinese leadership, the Foreign Office announced on Wednesday. China will hold the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), which provides a platform to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), from April 25 to 27 in Beijing. According to reports, India has planned to boycott the forum for the second time. Pakistan's Foreign Office said Prime Minister Khan will visit China from April 25 to 28 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping who will inaugurate the forum on April 26. This will Khan's second visit to China after becoming the prime minister in August last year. He earlier paid a state visit to China in November. In addition to participating in the forum, Khan would also hold bilateral meetings with President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang, the FO said in a statement. Pakistan and China will also sign several memorandum of understandings and agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in diverse areas, the FO said. Leaders from 40 countries and delegations from over 100 countries, international organisations and corporate sector would participate in the event. Khan will be accompanied by a ministerial delegation. He will deliver a keynote speech in the opening ceremony of the forum and participate in the Leaders' Round Table. He will also attend the Beijing International Horticulture Exhibition-2019 and address Pakistan Trade and Investment Conference in Beijing. The forum provides a platform to countries participating in the BRI for exchanging views and experiences on regional connectivity, policy synergy, socio-economic development, and trade and commerce, the FO added. China has played down India's reported plans to boycott the BRF, saying India may have misunderstood the BRI and suggested New Delhi to "wait and see" before taking a decision. The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. Beijing already said officials of over 100 countries besides 40 government leaders have agreed to take part in it. The USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which has been officially designated as a flagship project of the BRI, has become a stumbling block for India to take part in it as the controversial project is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India has already protested to China over the CPEC violating its sovereignty and boycotted the first BRF held in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's seasoned diplomat Sohail Mahmood on Wednesday took over as the country's new foreign secretary. Before being appointed as the foreign secretary, Mahmood served as Pakistan's High Commissioner to India. "Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood assumed charge and called on the Foreign Minister today," Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. Mahmood replaced Tehmina Janjua, who retired on April 16 after serving in the position for two years. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi congratulated the foreign secretary on assuming charge. During the meeting, the two discussed the different contours of foreign policy. Mahmood was appointed as high commissioner to India in August 2017. He was serving as ambassador to Turkey when sent to India. He previously also served at Washington and New York in addition to other posting in his long career. In an interview to PTI before leaving for Islamabad this week, Mahmood said Pakistan is hoping for "re-engagement" with India after the Lok Sabha polls as structured dialogue will help the two countries understand mutual concerns, resolve disputes and build the edifice of durable peace and security. Mahmood also said there was a need for an "objective" narrative about Pakistan in India which could facilitate peaceful, cooperative and good neighbourly ties. The relations between India and Pakistan remained tense since 2016. Their ties further nose-dived following a string of cross-border terror attacks in 2016 and India's subsequent surgical strikes. Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an IAF pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The OSCE mission has conducted a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops today in the direction of Gazakh district, according to the website of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry. The monitoring, held under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative, ended without any incidents. The BJP has claimed the reservation demand by Patidars in Gujarat is no longer an issue and expressed confidence that the community will vote for it in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. A number of Patidars in the state's Saurashtra region are engaged in agricultural activities, and the opposition Congress has accused the government of going back on its promises to farmers, specially the crop insurance scheme. However, a leader from the ruling BJP feels their Rs 6,000 annual income scheme for farmers will a "game changer" in the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, the Patidar reservation agitation became a dominant narrative impacting the outcome of the 2017 state Assembly polls, particularly in Saurashtra which has a significant population of the community. Out of 49 Assembly seats across seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Saurashtra, the Congress bagged 30, while the BJP could only win 18 and the NCP got one. Firebrand leader Hardik Patel, who led the statewide agitation in 2015 demanding reservation benefits for the Patidar community, recently joined the Congress and has been campaigning for the opposition party in the Saurashtra region. However, the ruling BJP, which won 99 out of total 182 Assembly seats in the 2017 Gujarat polls, has taken several steps to address the Patidar community's grievances, including implementation of 10 per cent quota for general category poor. The saffron party, which won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014, is seeking to retain them this time also as it believes the youth will support it. "During the last Assembly elections, we suffered because the youth were against us. Our seats in the Assembly decreased. Now the youth are with us, with Narendra Modi, they are supporting us on nationalism. We will not lose any Lok Sabha seat in the state," said Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who is the BJP's Saurashtra zone in-charge. Referring to the earlier Patidar quota agitation, he said, "You can mislead a community for some time, but not for long...the (Patidar) protest was politically motivated by the Congress to win elections." However, Arjun Sosa, president of Congress' Amreli district unit, which comes in Saurashtra region, claimed farmers are not happy with the Modi government as "it did little to help them when they suffered from crop losses." Cotton, groundnut and castor are the main crops grown in the region, and deficient rainfall adversely affected the crop output this year. Bharat Padsala, a farmer from Kerala village in Amreli, said, "Nobody in our village has got crop insurance claim, despite paying the premium. The state government, however, paid up to Rs 11,600 as part of financial assistance to scarcity-hit areas." The Congress has also tried to play up the alleged Rs 4,000 crore groundnut scam in Saurashtra wherein the crop procured from farmers was sold to millers and replaced with adulterated material or set on fire. However, four of its MLAs in Saurashtra, all from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), recently joined the BJP. Some of its district panchayat members in Rajkot, Surendranagar and other districts in the region also switched over to the BJP in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. To seek votes from farmers in Saurashtra, the BJP is banking on the Rs 6,000 annual income scheme for farmers, making crop insurance policy as voluntary, and efforts to fill dams in the region as part of the SAUNI Scheme (Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana). "The annual income scheme is a game changer, as farmers have already got Rs 2,000 in their accounts and will get another Rs 4,000. We have also decided to make the compulsory crop insurance scheme as voluntary, which farmers have accepted," Amreli BJP MP Dileep Sanghani said. "Also, as chairman of the National Federation of State Cooperative Banks, I have ensured that farmers are not asked to pay interest if they have failed to repay their loan by March 31. They can now repay their loans till June 30 without paying the interest," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Peru president Alan Garcia died in hospital on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head at his home as police were about to arrest him in a graft investigation, a party official said. He was 69. "Alan Garcia has died, long live Apra," said Omar Quesada, the general secretary of Garcia's American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Apra) party. Peru's current President Martin Vizcarra expressed his sympathy on his Twitter account. "Dismayed by the death of ex-president Alan Garcia. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones," Vizcarra wrote in a tweet. Garcia was president on two occasions, from 1985-90 and 2006-11. Police were acting on an arrest warrant for money laundering linked to the wide-ranging corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Peru's health ministry said the bullet passed straight through Garcia's head. Garcia suffered cardiac arrest three times while undergoing emergency surgery, Health Minister Zulema Tomas said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain political parties from offering loan waivers and other monetary schemes in their election manifestos saying that these plans involve public funds and adversely affect the economy. The plea said the Centre as also the states should not be allowed to waive loans and banks need to be restrained from technical write-offs of non-performing assets (NPA) to ensure that their financial condition is not camouflaged. The petition, filed by advocate Reena N Singh, is listed for hearing on April 22 before a bench headed by Justice S A Bobde. Singh said the Centre and states should formulate an agricultural policy which makes the sector profitable and assists farmers in becoming prosperous, increasing their interest in farming. "Political parties should not be permitted to offer loan waiving schemes or any other monetary schemes in their election manifestos," the petition said. "The political parties whether in power or in opposition should not be allowed to manipulate public funds for their political motives to attract a section of mass voters or vote banks at the cost of public funds which belongs to country," it said. Besides the Centre, states and Union Territories, the plea has arrayed as parties the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Election Commission of India (ECI), Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance. The plea said that waiver of bank loans should not be allowed to ensure transparency and fairness regarding use of public funds. It said political parties are offering loan waiver schemes in their election manifesto by ignoring its negative effects on the Indian economy and they are using this "offer of manipulation of public fund as a tool to achieve their political motives to come to power". The political parties are offering to waive the loan from the government exchequer gathered by taxation and not from their political party funds, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said he did not fall prey to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail, because India has the "mother of nuclear bombs". Addressing three poll rallies in his home state, Modi also claimed that the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. At a campaign rally at Surendranagar, Modi referred to the surgical strikes and air strikes by India inside Pakistan in response to terrorist attacks in Uri and Pulwama. "Earlier, terrorists from Pakistan would come here and go back after conducting an attack. Pakistan would threaten us, saying it has the nuclear bomb and will press the button (if India retaliated). "We have nuclear of nuclear bombs (the mother of nuclear bombs). I decided to tell them, do whatever you want to do (but we will retaliate)," the prime minister said. "In the past our people would weep, go around the world saying Pakistan did this, did that....It is now Pakistan's turn to weep. "Didn't our jawans kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not take revenge for our martyred soldiers?" he asked the large crowd which replied in the positive. "Today is Mahavir Jayanti, the day to observe peace. But when shall we have peace? Will anyone listen to a weak man making an appeal for peace or to the warning of a strong man who can flex his mussels? Only the peace appeal of a strong man will be respected, not that of a weak person," Modi said. He also alleged that the Congress spoke ill of the armed forces. "You must have seen how the character of the Congress party has changed in this election. The way the Congress spreads lies, and questions the country's military, saying its seniors are street goons, the Air Force chief is a liar...If you say something like this, will it not make Pakistan happy?" he said. Modi also slammed the Congress for seeking proof of action against terrorists. "When we conducted the surgical strike, Congress questioned us. When we conducted the air strike, it asked for proof. Do you (Congress) trust your own sons or Pakistan's rhetoric?" the prime minister said. Earlier, speaking at a poll rally in Himmatnagar, Modi said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. Modi also said this election will decide if nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping sedition law. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a 'remote control government' and you know who was in control. In those 10 years, those sitting in Delhi tried to damage the interest of Gujarat and acted as if the state is not in India," Modi said. "Our police officers, and even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars. They (UPA) employed all means to break the Gujarat government," Modi said, alluding to the time when he was chief minister of the state. "Now should we give them a chance to destroy Gujarat once again? They (Gandhi family) are more angry as they are out on bail. They are thinking that they were ruling this country for four generations and this Gujju, this chaiwala forced them to go to the court and seek bail," he said. Modi said if voted to power again, he will ensure that they are behind bars. "You gave me a chance in 2014. I brought them (Gandhis) to the doors (of jail) and if you will give me another five years, they will go inside, Modi said. "But if they come to power again, their first target will be Gujarat, Modi said. Modi asked the crowd if people of Gujarat approve the language being used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi against him. "The British used golis (bullets), while the Congress is using gaalis (abuse) against us," he said. "Initially, they said anything about chaiwala, then they started saying things about chowkidar and now they are saying the entire community is chor, Modi said. Later, at a poll rally at Anand, Modi claimed that the Congress always insulted Sardar Patel and is now crushing his ideology too. "Congress has stomachache as the world's tallest statue is that of Patel," Modi said. Had Sardar Patel been the first prime minister of India, the country's situation would have been different, Modi said. "Congress operates through an eco-system by spreading lies. They will get a wrong story published in some paper. The next day, they will hold press conference," he said. "Congress people will spread the wrong against the government in the entire country through those who work in their eco-system," he said. "They will then get someone to file a PIL in the court on this "fake issue" and top advocate-leaders of Congress party will argue for the PIL. This is happening very often now," Modi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Czech police believe billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis should be indicted for alleged involvement in EU subsidy fraud worth two million euros, a spokesman said Wednesday. "The investigation is over and the complete file has been submitted to the state prosecutor with a recommendation for indictment," Ales Cimbala, spokesman for the Prague state prosecutor's office, told AFP. He said the prosecutor would need "weeks or even months" to decide on the indictment because the file is a substantial one. Babis, a 64-year-old agro-chemicals mogul pegged by Forbes as the second-wealthiest Czech, is suspected of abusing EU funds to build the luxury Stork Nest resort and farm near Prague in 2007. His populist ANO movement leads a minority coalition government with leftwing Social Democrats. It also has tacit backing from the Communists -- a first in the post-Communist country's history. Late last year, the government survived a confidence vote after media reported that Babis' aides had taken his son Andrej Babis Jr. to Russian-occupied Crimea against the son's wishes to hinder the fraud probe. Charged by police in 2017, the elder Babis and several others are suspected of "subsidy fraud and harming the EU's financial interests," crimes that are punishable by prison terms of five to ten years, Cimbala said. Babis, whose sprawling Agrofert holding makes food, chemicals and runs two major newspapers and the country's leading private radio station, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing. On Wednesday, he described the case as "politicised" and "an organised plot". ANO currently has the highest backing by far of any Czech party, despite the affair and allegations that Babis was a Communist secret police agent in the 1980s. ANO was credited with 33 percent support in a March-April poll by the Kantar CZ agency for Czech Television, ahead of the second-placed Pirates party with 19 percent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Voting drew to a close after Indonesia held one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians were eligible to cast a ballot from easternmost Papua to Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted country, although some polling stations remained open due to delays and long queues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a month-long rancorous campaign, 14 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will go tothe polls in the first phase Thursday with the main battle between the ruling Congress-JD(S) combine and the BJP. The constituencies, which are going to the polls in the first phase, are mostly in the southern part of the state covering almost the entire old Mysuru region and few coastal districts. It is a high stakes battle for the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance as any adverse results from the region, considered as their stronghold, is likely to have its impact on the longevity of the coalition government in the state. The BJP is determined to improve its tally compared to last time riding on the Modi wave. Of the 14 constituencies going to the polls, the BJP and Congress had won six each in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and JD(S) in two. While the BJP is contesting in 13 constituencies and supporting independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya, Congress and JD(S) have fielded their candidates in 10 and four constituencies respectively. Polling will take place in 30,197 booths in the first phase of which 6,318 have been designated by police and election authorities as critical and 23,879 normal. Police said 90,997 police personnel would be deployed for poll duty, including home guards, civil defence, forest guards and jail warders. A total of 2,67,53,840 voters are expected to make their choice from among 241 candidates in the fray during the first phase. Among the 241 candidates, 226 are men and 15 women. While the highest number of 31 candidates are from Bangalore North, the least is in Hassan with six candidates. Out of total 2,67,53,840 voters in the 14 constituencies, 1,35,45,545 are men, 1,32,05,515 women and 2,780 third gender. Prominent contestants in the first phase include former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda (Tumkur), his grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Hassan and Mandya respectively, as also Union Minister Sadananda Gowda (Bangalore North) and senior Congress leaders Verappa Moily (Chikkaballapura) and K H Muniyappa (Kolar). Other candidates include actress and independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh (Mandya) and Tejasvi Surya (Bangalore South), who was given BJP ticket at the final moment, denying it to Union Minister Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini. A key constituency is Mandya where Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil is making his electoral debut against another debutant Sumalatha, widow of actor-turned politician M H Ambareesh. Mandya saw a bitterly fought campaign with Kumaraswamy devoting most of his time to the constituency to ensure his son's victory against Sumalatha. Sumalatha has the backing of the BJP, Kannada film personalities, besides local Congress leaders who are disgruntled about their party supporting JD(S), which has been their arch rival for decades. Spotlight is also on Tumkur where Kumaraswamy's farther and former Prime Minister and H D Deve Gowda is contesting for the first time, after vacating the Hassan Lok Sabha seat from where he had been contesting to his other grandson Prajwal Revanna. Prajwal too seems to be facing a tough battle in Hassan with former Congress Minister A Manju as his opponent from the BJP. Several Congress leaders there are also miffed over ceding the seat to JD(S). The battle for three constituencies in Bangalore (North, South and central) are also interesting, where there is direct contest between the Congress and BJP, which has a strong support base in these urban seats. Other key seats are Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikmagalur, where the Congress-JD(S) combine is hoping to cause a dent to BJP's continued dominance, taking advantage of "anti-incumbency" against saffron party candidates Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje respectively, who are seeking re-election. The BJP has set a target of winning 22 out of total 28 seats in the state and is hoping to win maximum number of seats in the first phase, banking on the "Modi wave". On the other hand, for the Congress and JD(S) it will be a test of their alliance. With transfer of votes between Congress and JD(S) crucial for the alliance partners, especially in the old Mysuru region to defeat the BJP, the palpable dissidence and mistrust among workers of both parties in constituencies like Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Tumkur are causing worry for the leadership. The remaining 14 constituencies, mostly in northern districts, will go to polls in the second phase of April 23. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won in 17, Congress in 9 and JD(S) in two seats. However, in the bypolls held in November last year, the BJP had lost Bellary seat to the Congress. The party wise vote share in 2014 polls show that BJP had secured 43.37 per cent , Congress 41.15 per cent and JD(S) 11.07 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Residents in the historical city of Fatehpur Sikri in western Uttar Pradesh say problems related to farmers, most of who grow potato and sugarcane, have dominated the issues during the campaigning in the constituency. And these will likely decide the winner in the Lok Sabha poll scheduled here Thursday. Congress has pinned its hopes on its state chief Raj Babbar, shifting the actor-turned-politician from Moradabad after he was said to be not keen on contesting from the seat. He had unsuccessfully contested from Fatehpur Sikri in 2009. BJP has fielded a Jat leader and farmer's son, Rajkumar Chahar, denying ticket to its sitting MP Chaudhary Babulal and BSP has shown faith in Shreebhagwan Sharma, also known as Guddu Pandit. Anshul Agarwal, who owns a hardware shop in the main market of Fatehpur Sikri, said the main issues plaguing the area are related to potato farmers and a lack of industries and water for irrigation and drinking purposes. "In western UP, sugarcane farmers are aggrieved. Here it is (also) potato farmers who are not getting their dues. Due to the historic importance of the walled city, no industries have come up. But certainly non-polluting, processing industries can be set up here," he told PTI. The BJP has pitched the development agenda and "Modi factor" to the electorate. "Vikas and Modi ji's face are two key factors for us," said Prahlad Garg, a local BJP leader. He cited Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Ujjwala Yojna, and construction of toilets under a government scheme to make his case and said people have benefitted from these programmes. Babbar, on the other hand, is banking on his local connection; he was born in Agra. Projecting his image as "Aapka Apna Raj Babbar", he said, "This is the land where I was born, which made me the Raj Babbar who earned name in Mumbai. This is the land that elected me to Lok Sabha also." "How much blessed I am will become clear tomorrow," he told PTI. Babbar said he had initiated work to bring the potato-processing industry and ensure potable water to the region but that could not fructify after he lost the election in 2009. "We need to mobilize resources to resolve this problem," he said. Asked about Congress's performance in western Uttar Pradesh, he said, "Don't see it as the revival of Congress through me. Congress is in the hearts of people. They have faith in our central leadership in Priyanka ji. "The previous UPA government had showed it can work for all sections of society," he said. Both BJP and Congress see this poll battle as a fight between them, dismissing any threat from Sharma, who hails from Bulandshahr and is fighting the "outsider" tag. Sharma has also been reportedly booked for violating the model code of conduct at least four times for his indecent remarks in the run-up to the campaigning that ended Wednesday. The BJP had wrested the seat from BSP in 2014. Have things changed since then? "When the GST and the note ban were implemented, they caused chaos. But now the situation is almost back on track," Agarwal, the shopkeeper, said. Babbar asserted the schemes implemented by the Congress party have been for welfare of the people at large. "For example, we brought NREGA, farmer loan waivers in the three states where we recently formed government or our new proposal of minimum income guarantee (NYAY)," he said, and apparently referring to BJP added, "Those who lose people's trust are set to lose the throne." Around 17 lakh voters are eligible to cast their vote in Fatehpur Sikri. The constituency comprises Agra Rural (4 lakh voters), Fatehpur Sikri (3.25 lakh voters), Kheragarh (3.25 lakh), Fatehabad (3.5 lakh) and Baha (4.5) assembly segments. The region is dominated by Thakur and Brahmin voters, and Jats, Scheduled Castes, Kushwahas and Muslims are also in significant numbers. In 2014, BJP's Babulal had polled over 4.26 lakh votes, 44 per cent of all votes cast that year. BSP's Seema Upadhyay had come second with 2.53 lakh votes, while Samajwadi Party's Rani Pakshalika Singh had got over 2.13 lakh votes. Babbar had moved to Ghaziabad in 2014 general election and lost to BJP's V K Singh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minutes after being nominated as the BJP's Bhopal candidate, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur lashed out at her Congress rival Digvijay Singh, saying he "sowed the seeds" of defamation of "Sanatan Dharma". Thakur, who is facing trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, also defended herself saying she got a clean cheat, and accused the then Congress regime of torturing her. "He (Digvijay Singh) has sown the seeds of defamation of our Sanatam Dharma (Hinduism) and the saffron. He termed the saffron and Hindutva as terrorism," Thakur alleged. "I will ensure that the saffron gets its due respect," she told reporters after being declared as the BJP candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. "Dharma will triumph over Adharma," she added. Referring to her incarceration in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Thakur alleged that "They (the then Congress government) misused the law, disrespected a woman, and tortured me unlawfully". Thakur was granted bail in the Malegaon case in 2017. "I am a sanyasin (ascetic). I will bring before the world how they tortured me," said Thakur, who joined the BJP formally earlier in the day. "I will ensure that the country remains secure, and those who are talking against the nation should now beware," she said. As to the Malegaon blast case, Thakur said she had got a "clean chit" in the case, and all the conspiracies against her had failed. To a question, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was also present, denied the suggestion that the BJP announced its candidate late. Thakur was a "capable" candidate, he said. Digvijay Singh took to Twitter to welcome Thakur to the electoral fray. "I welcome Sadhvi Pragyaji in Bhopal and hope that the picturesque city's peaceful, educated and dignified environ would attract you," he said. "I pray to Maa (goddess) Narmada for Sadhviji and seek blessing from Narmadaji so that we all walk the path of truth, non-violence and religion. Narmada Har (glory to the Narmada)," he further tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is facing trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, joined the BJP here Wednesday and said she would like to contest the Lok Sabha election from Bhopal. There is speculation that the BJP may give ticket to her against Congress' Digvijay Singh in the state capital. "I will contest the election from Bhopal and win. Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is with me," Thakur said, speaking after emerging out of the BJP office. The BJP has not announced its candidate from Bhopal, its stronghold, yet. However, the incumbent city MP and BJP leader Alok Sanjar claimed that Thakur's candidature could be declared any moment. Thakur had recently said she was ready for a "Dharm Yudh". "I am ready to take on Digvijay Singh if the sanghatan (organisation, apparently referring to the BJP) asks me to do so," Thakur had told PTI last month. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the Sangh parivar. A post-graduate in history, she worked with the RSS' student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga Vahini, women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Arrested in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, she was given a clean chit by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), but the trial court refused to discharge her from the case. The court dropped the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against her, and she is now being tried under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in 2017. Six people were killed and over 100 injured when a bomb went off near a mosque in Malegaon in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. According to the prosecution, it was the handiwork of a Hindu extremist group. The BJP has been holding Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, where about 4.5 lakh of the 18 lakh voters are Muslim, since 1989. According to sources, BJP leaders went into a huddle after Digvijay Singh's candidature was announced. In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress won three out of the eight assembly segments in the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, and in the remaining segments the BJP's victory margin decreased. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Afghanistan with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday, Anadolu agency reported. Speaking at a news conference following the meeting, the two leaders stressed the importance of the Afghan settlement for the stability in the region. The Russian president welcomed the decision to hold another meeting between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Afghanistan in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on April 18-19. Putin and Rahmon also announced their plans to deepen the military cooperation. "The Tajik side will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the implementation of the agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan on the status and conditions of stay of the Russian military base on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan dated October 5, 2012," Rahmon said. The two presidents also expressed concerns over the conflicts in the Middle East and stressed the importance of strengthening fight against terrorism in time of growing tensions. Amidst din of hectic campaigning for high-profile Pune Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra, where issues ranging from national security to lack of jobs are being discussed widely, various forums of citizens have come up with their own manifestos demanding better civic amenities and effective local governance. The constituency, which votes in the third phase on April 23, is spread across Vadgaon Sheri, Shivajinagar, Kothrud, Parvati, Pune Cantonment and Kasba Peth assembly segments, which have a urban profile. The main contest is between state minister Girish Bapat of BJP and Mohan Joshi of Congress. The seat was won by Anil Shirole of BJP in 2014 elections. In their manifestos, various citizen forums are mainly demanding that transportation and road conditions are improved. Demands like setting up of a national skill development hub in Hinjawadi IT park to develop better eco-system for skill augmentation, protection and cleaning of the Mula river, launching judicial reforms, protection of rights of flat buyers and effective disposal of garbage also figure on the lists. "It is a good sign that citizens' forums are coming together and drafting their manifestos by highlighting the issues in their areas," said Ravi Sinha of the Hinjawadi Residents Welfare Association (HIRWA). A manifesto drafted by HIRWA raises demands including regular water supply to high-rise buildings in posh Hinjawadi area; a mechanism for integrated waste management, cleaning the Mula river, protecting environment, passing National Tree Act, and better security for residents and IT employees. The Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Societies Federation is demanding legal amendments to ensure better governance in urban local bodies. "We are also seeking an amendment to Environment Protection Acts and inclusion of new IPC sections for environment-related crimes. We want the National Green Tribunal to become more independent," said Sudhir Deshmukh, a representative of the Federation. "As far as urban mobility is concerned, we are seeking implementation of UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority) within 12 months. We also want that rights of flat buyers and owners are protected," he said. Deshmukh said more ammendments are needed to make RERA (Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority) consumer friendly. Nitin Kumar Jain, one of the directors of the Wagholi Housing Societies Association, says their manifesto dwells upon basic issues such as effective garbage disposal, construction of internal roads, resolution of water woes, and setting up of sewage lines. "Wagholi is one of the fastest growing suburbs where urbanisation is catching fast. Though the suburb is still under gram panchayat, the local body has failed to provide any kind of civic amenities to the residents of Wagholi," he said. Jain demanded that Wagholi be either merged into a municipal corporation or created into a separate Nagar Parishad or Mahanagar Palika including nearby villages. Since the area falls under Shirur Lok Sabha constituency, copies of the manifesto have been sent to all candidates, including sitting Shiv Sena MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil. In their manifesto, Pimpri Chinchwad Citizens' Forum demands that issues concerning the common people like education, health, good governance, better transport etc. be given priority. Though they fall in Pune district, Pimpri and Chinchwad segments are part of Maval Lok Sabha constituency. During campaigning for Pune Lok Sabha seat, the BJP is seeking to build the narrative around national security and "decisive" government whereas the Congress is highlighting "failure" of the Modi government in creating jobs and fulfilling the past promises. The candidates of both the parties are promising to rectify traffic woes and improve mobility. They are also promising to improve condition of roads and erratic water supply in some areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A history-sheeter, who had thrown acid on a 25-year-old man on Tilak Road here Tuesday night before shooting himself dead, was earlier booked by police for sexually harassing the mother of the injured, an officer said Wednesday. Police suspect that the deceased Siddharam Kalshetty, aged around 28, went berserk because he was frustrated over the case filed against him by the woman. In a high drama that unfolded on the busy road, Kalshetty hurled acid on the man, fired at him and at police personnel who cornered him, before shooting himself in the head in a building where he was hiding, the senior officer said. "After throwing acid, Kalshetty fired a round in the back of the man and fled in a nearby building where he hid," the Vishrambauig police station officer said. When police personnel tried to get inside the building, Kalshetty fired two rounds at them from the terrace, he said. "However, after realising that he might get captured, Kalshetty shot himself in the head," the officer said, adding that he fell into the duct of the building. His body was later taken out with the help of fire brigade personnel. When asked about the likely provocation behind the attack, the officer said the mother of the injured man had lodged a case of sexual harassment against Kalshetty a few months ago, and he was about to be chargesheeted. "The deceased executed the attack on the son of the woman, as he was frustrated and angry over the case," said the officer. The injured man is recuperating at a hospital, he said. Police recovered a country-made firearm and some sharp-edged weapons from the spot where Kalshetty shot himself dead. "We will record statement of the injured man," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday met Sreedhanya Suresh, the first tribal woman from Kerala to clear the All India civil services exams, and was all praise for her. He met her at the guest house at Sulthan Bathery at Wayanad and had lunch with her. Addressing an election rally here in Wayanad district, Gandhi said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNAREGS), the congress's pet project, had helped the 22-year-old woman make it to the civil service as her parents, who are workers, had benefited from the scheme. Hailing from a poor background in Wayanad, Sreedhanya had bagged the 410th rank in the Civil Services Examination, 2018. "She is self confident and a woman who confronted adversities," Gandhi said. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism against the MNAREGS scheme, the AICC chief said it was the initiative launched by the UPA government that had helped Sreedhanya crack the top examination. "She said because her parents worked in MNAREGS, she could appear for the civil service examination," Gandhi said, adding that he had lunch with the proud woman. MNAREGS had created one Sreedhanya and thousands of Sreedhanyas would be created in Kerala and other southern states through the NYAY', theminimum income guarantee scheme proposed by the Congress if voted to power, Gandhi said. When the civil service exam results were announced recently, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that "Sreedhanyas hard work & dedication have helped make her dream come true. I congratulate Sreedhanya and her family and wish her great success in her chosen career." Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the coming Parliament elections besides his home turf Amethi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Smriti Irani, who is the BJP candidate against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday said the Congress chief remembers his constituency only once in five years when he has to file his nomination papers for elections. She also accused Gandhi of being insensitive towards the women from poor families in Amethi who have to relieve themselves in the open due to lack of toilets at their houses. "Rahul Gandhi who lives in palaces does not feel sad about the poor women from his constituency who have to go out in the open for defecation," Irani said while addressing a rally at Patan. Irani said senior Congress leaders would always praise "Rahul Shree" irrespective of the assembly or Lok Sabha elections. "He (Rahul) is such a person who shows up in his own Lok Sabha constituency only once in five years and that too because it is compulsory to file nomination papers from the head office (constituency," she said. Irani further said had filing the poll nominations been not mandatory, Gandhi would not have bothered to visi Amethi even once in five years. "From what I saw in Amethi, the Congress MP, who is representing the seat for the last 15 years, does not feel sad about the fact that while he lives in big palaces, women from poor families in Amethi had to defecate in the open," Irani said. While houses of Congress leaders were lit by "ghee lamps", the poor women had to search for darkness while relieving themselves in the open out of shame. "When lights of a vehicle falls on them, they cover their faces so that their families won't have to feel ashamed," she said. The minister said toilets have been built for two lakh families in Amethi for the first time (under the rule of the BJP). Irani lost the general elections to Gandhi in 2014 by a margin of over one lakh votes. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad constituency in Kerala besides Amethi. Irani also attacked the Congress over corruption. "If anyone wants to make a comparison on the basis of development, then compare any seat in Gujarat with Amethi, and everything will become clear," the BJP leader said. Irani further said there was time when the entire country would plunge into darkness because of coal not reaching power plants. "And in such a situation, the country looked towards Gujarat where the then chief minister (prime minister Narenra Modi) had ensured that every village gets power and that the houses of the poor are lit up," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress government in Rajasthan has sacked one of its counsels in the Supreme Court after it emerged that she was the Advocate on Record in a contempt plea against Rahul Gandhi filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi on the Rafale deal. The law department of the state issued an order on April 13 relieving Ruchi Kohli from her post with immediate effect. "Ms. Ruchi Kohli, Advocate on Record, Supreme court, New Delhi is relieved from duties with immediate effect," the order issued by the principal secretary, law and legal affairs, Mahaveer Prasad Sharma, said. She has been directed to hand over all the cases with list to Additional Advocate General Manish Singhvi. Though the reason of her removal is not mentioned in the order, government sources here informed the move came immediately after the government came to know that she was the advocate on record in the petition against the Congress president. The advocate-on-record is a designation given to a lawyer, after he/she clears a tough examination conducted by the Supreme Court. The AOR can file a petition in the apex court on behalf of a litigant. Lekhi had moved the Supreme court on April 12 seeking contempt proceedings against Gandhi for allegedly attributing his remarks on the recent Rafale verdict to the apex court. The apex court has directed the Congress president to give his explanation by April 22. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala Wednesday claimed no party would get a majority in the Lok Sabha polls and regional parties will play a big role in the formation of next government at the Centre. The regional parties will play a big role because no one is going to get a majority on its own. When no one gets a majority, any party, even with one MP, will have a say in whichever government will be formed, 55-year-old Chautala told PTI here after announcement of his party's six candidates for the Lok Sabha from Haryana. Polling for all the ten Lok Sabha seats from Haryana is to be held on May 12 in the sixth phase of elections. The filing of nominations began on April 16 and will continue till April 23. Asked about the BJP-led NDA's claim of returning to power with an overwhelming majority, Chautala, the younger son of INLD chief and former chief minister O P Chautala, said, "Anybody can make claims. Making claims is one thing, which party does not make claims? Chautala, whose party will contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state, claimed, "People want the BJP government to go. They are not happy with the Congress either. I believe the INLD will have a role in the formation of the next government (at the Centre). He accused the BJP of raking up the issue of nationalism during elections after failing on its developmental agenda in the last five years. Pakistan has been indulging in misadventure even in the past and has been taught a lesson even earlier, said Chautala, adding the BJP has nothing to show what it has done for the development of the country in the last five years. In the wake of the Election Commission imposing two to three days' bans on four politicians, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, for making "provocative" speeches, Chautala blamed senior leaders of various parties for starting the trend. The trend of making such speeches started when some seniormost leaders of major parties began using the language they could have avoided. "Other lower-rung leaders then started using such language thinking that by doing so they will be able to please their party bosses, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries is in talks to buy centuries-old British toy retailer Hamleys as the company expands its presence in the consumer space, sources said. Currently, Reliance Industries' retail arm Reliance Retail has the licence to sell Hamleys' products in India. Reliance Industries is said to be aggressively pursuing the deal and due diligence for buy-out is in advanced stages, sources said. When contacted, Reliance declined to comment on the issue. "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis," a Reliance Industries spokesperson said. In 2015, China's C.banner International had acquired Hamleys in 100 million pound deal. In October last year, Sky reported that C.banner International, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, had launched a strategic review of loss-making Hamleys and was looking to sell it. Hamleys was founded in 1760. In the past few years, Reliance Industries has been diversifying beyond its core business of refining and petrochemicals and has emerged a strong player in the telecom and retail businesses. Reliance Retail reported an over two-fold jump in its pre-tax profit to Rs 1,680 crore for the December 2018 quarter. Reliance Industries also plans to get into the e-commerce space and intends to launch an online shopping platform for small retailers to take on Amazon and Walmart-controlled Flipkart. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reliance Industries will sell stakes in firms that own its fleet of very large ethane carrying ships to Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) for an undisclosed sum of money. In a statement, RIL said its Singapore-incorporated subsidiary Reliance Ethane Holding Pte Ltd (REHPL) has signed "binding definitive agreements for a strategic investment by MOL" and an unnamed strategic minority investor in six limited liability companies. REHPL owns these six limited liability companies which are special purpose vehicles that own the Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs). It did not give financial details of the deal. "Transaction closing is subject to regulatory approvals. Post-closing, SPVs shall be jointly controlled by REHPL and MOL," the statement said. Reliance imports some 1.6 million tonne of ethane from the US to replace natural gas and naphtha as feedstock at its petrochemical plants in western India. Use of ethane, a natural gas component that is produced in large volumes in North America after the shale gas revolution, has reduced the company's petrochemicals feedstock cost by about 30 per cent. It in 2017 began receiving consignment or cargo of ethane from the US. VLECs are used to transport liquefied ethane from the US to the Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Company at Dahej in Gujarat. Reliance, which used 2.5 million tonne a year of naphtha as feedstock in petrochemical crackers, has contracted ethane supplies for more than 20 years from the US. Ethane reduced naphtha usage by 5,00,000 tonne. Ethane is used as feedstock in the company's crackers in Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat and Nagothane in Maharashtra. Reliance had in 2014 ordered building of six VLECs at Samsung Heavy Industries' shipyards in Korea. Japan's biggest shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines will manage and operate the ships for RIL. "Given MOL is currently the operator of all the six VLECs, investment by MOL will deepen our relationship with them and ensure continued safe and efficient operations of the VLECs. "We welcome MOL as a strategic partner into the SPVs as they move beyond the current operator role to the joint owner and operator role in the SPVs," P M S Prasad, Executive Director, RIL, said. Takeshi Hashimoto, Member of the Board, Executive Vice President, MOL said, the investment would enable MOL to add six unique VLECs, which the company has been operating for some time now, as owners to its existing fleet of over 850 vessels. These vessels include LNG carrier, other tankers, dry bulkers, car carriers, ferries, and coastal RoRo ships and cruise ships, Hashimoto added. "MOL has detailed knowledge about these assets having supervised the construction and delivery of the six VLECs and subsequently operating them since their delivery. We are therefore happy and look forward to using this strategic opportunity to be a joint owner and to significantly strengthen our existing relationship with Reliance," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- - More than 100 exhibitors, thought leaders and industry experts to congregate at the expo - From the organisers of Renewable Energy India Expo (REI India) UBM India, the leading B2B exhibitions organiser announced the fourth edition of RenewX, a 2-day Renewable Energy trade expo slated on April 26 and 27, 2019 at the Hitex, Hyderabad. Augmented further by the legacy of its flagship show, Renewable Energy India Expo (REI India), UBM India through RenewX 2019, will provide an industry platform for organizations to capitalize and penetrate into the burgeoning South Indian renewable energy market. The expo will witness a congregation of South India's green economy community to discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/675607/UBM_Logo.jpg) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/873264/RenewX_Logo.jpg)(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/873253/RenewX_Trade_Show.jpg)RenewX 2019 is supported by a host of key associations such as Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd. (TSREDCO), Indian Biogas Association (IBA), ELIAP, TELMA, KRESMA, Bloomberg NEF and IGEF. The expo aims to bring together decision makers from RE sector, manufacturers, industrial consumers, facility managers, energy and financial consultants, IPPs, EPCs, distributors/ dealers, system installers and integrators, ministry officials, regulatory bodies, municipalities, utilities & project developers and planners, investors, fund managers, bankers, project developers, and R&D officials. RenewX 2019 will witness over 100 participating exhibitors endeavouring to make a difference in the renewable energy domain of South India including Jinko Solar, Waaree Energies, Goldi Solar, Polycab, Canadian Solar, Premier Solar, Havells, Bergen Associates, Exide industry, Sri Savitr Solar, Longi Solar, Radite Energy, Solis Inverter, Consulate General of Belgium, SolarEdge Technologies and Enerparc Energy. Representation from State Nodal Agency along with a Belgium Pavilion and Solar Skilling Competition are some of the anticipated highlights at RenewX 2019 edition. Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, "As of last year, South India generates half of the country's renewable energy power, with Telangana itself having a vast solar potential estimated at 20.41 GW and a wind Energy potential of 4.2 GW. The state government has also implemented the decentralized Distributed Model which makes project approvals a time-bound, well-defined process, and providing for a number of favourable regulations relating to net metering, open access, feed-in-tariff and grid-related interventions." He added, "Yet, recent reports suggest that for MSMEs, limited access to finance, need to strengthen awareness, and escalating energy expenses are impacting the long-term profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability of the sector. It is here that the RenewX show will play a significant role to accelerate the growth of Renewable Energy Industry especially in South India and contribute to the country's sustainable economic development. This year, we have eye-catching innovations such as the German made PV Port and Store on display, a path-breaking tie-up with the Consulate of Belgium for technology and knowledge sharing seminars and trade benefits, the 'Solar Skilling Competition' in association with Skill Council for Green Jobs and the 'Skills - On - Wheels', a mobile van to empower Rural Youth which is an initiative by Steinbeis Academy of Germany and Telangana Government to bring in due diligence and quality to the sector." Key highlights: Aiming to provide an excellent platform for Stakeholder's networking and capitalize into the lucrative South Indian market to accelerate the growth agenda, RenewX 2019 includes the Solar Skills Competition, in association with Skill Council for Green Jobs. The competition focuses on Health & Safety aspects of workmanship, accuracy & installation procedures and technical briefing by industry experts. The event will also showcase the sectoral commitment towards 'Skill India' mission, a Government of India Initiative. A two-day dedicated conference on 'Golden Age of South India, Creating Customer Connections' will talk about successful practices on integrating Renewables into business, and to find the best working models and practices for the South Indian RE market that can lead to increased efficiency while optimising cost in the rooftop segment covering various aspects of the entire value chain. The sessions, will feature case studies, presentations and deliberations, and include trending subjects such as: Innovations in Grid Integration for accelerating Solar Roof Top Development in India The Energy Effect: Buyer perception and Decisions Innovations that Make the Future Brighter! Breaking Barrier Indo-Belgium Opportunities dialogue Energy Leaders Dialogue - Market Trends Energy transition with increasing capital flows in VUCA world Importance of Bioenergy in the renewable energy mix for India's present and future - Waste is not a waste until wasted! Key speakers at the conference include Sri Ajay Mishra, IAS, Spl. Chief Secretary, Govt of Telangana; Sri G. Raghuma Reddy, CMD, Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited; Sri N Janaiah, VC & MD - TSREDCO (Telangana State Renewable Energy Development & Corporation); Ms Farzana Rahman, Sr VP - IDCOL, Bangladesh; Jean-Francois Aernouts, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Belgium; Sreyamsa Bairiganjan, RE Expert from World Bank; Joerg Gaebler, Principal Advisor, GIZ; Tobias Winter, Director, Indo-German Energy Forum Support Office; Stefan Schaefer, CEO Expectus GmbH; Dr Christoph Mueller, CEO Simply Solar; P. Vinay Kumar, CEO, Varp Power Pvt Limited; Manash Mitra, Head -Advisory and M&A, Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd; Radhika Choudary, Co- Founder Freyr Energy; Shashidhara BV, Head Solar Edge-India; M.R. Narayanan, Chairman, Adtech Systems Limited; Kelly Mermuys, Country Manager, 3E (SynaptiQ Solar & Wind); Santosh Khatesal, Managing Director, Enerparc; Daniel Liu, Managing Director, South Asia, Jinko Solar; Dinesh Salem-Natarajan, Co-Founder SootLess Energy Private Limited; Thorben Glaser, Project Manager, KfW; and Uday Kiran, Director, Infrastructure, Government & Healthcare, KPMG, among others. About RenewX: RenewX is organized by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit https://www.renewx.in/ for more information on the CJGF and www.ubm.com/global-reach/ubm-asia for our presence in Asia. About UBM Asia: UBM Asia recently became part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/asia for more information about our presence in Asia. Source: UBM India Pvt. Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Myanmar started releasing more than 9,500 prisoners on Wednesday as part of its annual amnesty marking the country's traditional new year, but Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo will not be included, said an NGO advocating for political prisoners. President Win Myint announced in a statement Wednesday the pardons were granted on humanitarian grounds during the Buddhist new year festival known as Thingyan. A total of 16 foreign prisoners are expected to be pardoned and deported, while 9,535 local prisoners are expected to be freed, Win Myint said. But an NGO that helps political prisoners said the release will not include Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. The duo were sentenced to seven years under the Official Secrets Act after reporting on the military's atrocities committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority in strive-torn Rakhine state -- work which they received a Pulitzer prize for on Monday. "They will not be included. We got this information from an Insein prison source," said Bo Kyi, founder of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). "Journalists should not be imprisoned... That directly contradicts with democracy." Reuters also reported that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were not among those being pardoned. According to AAPP, there are currently 46 political prisoners in Myanmar's jails and around 300 others are facing trials linked to political activities. By 6 pm (1130 GMT), Bo Kyi told AFP he had received word of only two political prisoners released, and the amnesty process might continue through the next day. Myanmar has freed thousands from its jails since a military junta ceded power in 2011 after five decades of brutal repression. But John Quinley of Fortify Rights said Wednesday's amnesty should have extended to anti-war activists Lum Zawng and Zau Jet, who were jailed last year for demonstrating against the decades-long fighting between the military and ethnic Kachin insurgents. "The amnesty could have also included the many Rohingya men and boys who have been unjustly jailed with no fair trial in Rakhine State on terrorism-related offenses," Quinley told AFP. "Many of these men and boys are farmers and should be urgently freed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Serbia has started the construction of the part of the Turkish Stream pipeline on its territory before the Bulgarian part is completed, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. "I'm not waiting for Bulgaria to complete its part. We have already started the construction of the Serbian part of the Turkish Stream pipeline," he stressed. At the same time, the Serbian Foreign Minister expressed hope that the construction of Turkish Stream pipeline on the country's territory will be completed by year-end. In turn, Sergey Lavrov said that prospects for extending the Turkish Stream in the European direction, including to Serbia, were discussed at the meeting with his Serbian counterpart. Deputy director of energy policy of the Institute of Energy and Finances, Alexey Belogoriev, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Serbia plans to complete its part of the Turkish Stream by December 15. "This pipe almost completely coincides with the Serbian section of the South Stream route - it passes from the Bulgarian-Serbian border to the Serbian-Hungarian border. This is no problem as the construction of the national parts of the pipeline doesn't require permission from the European Commission even within the EU," he said. "It is important that Gazprom undertook to use the gas transmission systems of Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary for the Turkish Stream, that is, all investments are made on the basis of its applications. Bulgaria has bids not only from Gazprom, and yet the Turkish Stream is being constructed in Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia. It is also necessary to build a large section in Hungary (the decision from the Hungarian operator has not yet received), very small sections in Slovakia and, possibly, in Austria. The Bulgarian and Serbian sections are scheduled to be launched in 2020, with up to 6 billion cubic meters per year for their own needs. Starting from 2021, it is planned to start supplies to Hungary, up to Austria, of about 10.5 billion cubic meters per year. So far, it's within the planned schedule and the risks are minimal," Alexey Belogoryev stressed. "Thus, the future of the European part of the Turkish Stream is already defined. A fundamental breakthrough was made at the end of last year, when they managed to agree with Bulgaria on the construction of its section, and it was clear that the European Commission had no influence on this construction. But there is another problem: all these gas pipelines, with the exception of the Serbian part, are subject to the Third Energy Package rules. Gazprom, as an operator company, will be guaranteed only 50% of the pipeline's capacity, and other 50% will be distributed on the basis of the auction, of which 10% only on the basis of short-term supply contracts. Either Gazprom will resell gas to other companies, or, if there's no alternative, it will be able to claim free capacity," the deputy director of energy policy of the Institute of Energy and Finances concluded. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, is in talks to buy stake in Reliance Industries' oil refineries and petrochemical complex, sources privy to the development said. Aramco opened talks with Reliance as USD 44-billion mega refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, where it was taking a 50 per cent stake along with UAE's ADNOC, got delayed after ruling BJP-government scrapped plans to acquiring land for the project in coastal Maharashtra. The sources said talks have been going on for few months now but there is nothing concrete that has materialised just as yet. Reports suggested Aramco may take 25 per cent stake for USD 10-15 billion but sources discounted such a valuation saying market capitalisation of Reliance at Tuesday's closing price on BSE was over Rs 8.5 lakh crore, at least half of which or Rs 4.25 lakh crore (about USD 60 billion) would be coming from refinery and petrochemical business. A 25 per cent stake would translate into USD 15 billion without even considering any premium of giving a firm a foothold into a well-established business in the world's third largest energy consuming nation, they said. Reliance declined to comment on the issue. "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis," a company spokesperson said. "We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under Securities Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations 2015 and our agreements with the stock exchanges". Aramco has on multiple occasions in the past disclosed its discussions with Reliance. The last such comment was on February 20 when its CEO Amin Al-Nasser visited here as part of a high-level delegation visiting India along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions with Reliance first came to light in December when Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Reliance owner and richest Indian Mukesh Ambani. Al-Falih, who has known Ambani for over a decade now, travelled to Udaipur that month to attend the pre-wedding festivities of Ambani's daughter Isha's marriage with Ajay Piramal's son Anand. During the visit, he also held talks with Ambani and he later tweeted: "we discussed opportunities for joint investments and cooperation in petrochemical, refining and communications projects". In January, Aramco CEO met Ambani, possibly as a follow-up of that meeting. Reliance operates two refineries at Jamnagar with a total capacity of 68.2 million tonnes per annum. The company plans to expand its only-for-exports special economic zone (SEZ) refining capacity to just over 41 million tonnes from current 35.2 million tonnes but does not have any plans to set up a new refinery in the country. It is presently focused on expanding petrochemical and telecom business, the sources said. Crude oil is the basic raw material for the manufacturing of petrochemicals. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is keen to get a foothold in the world's fastest-growing fuel market to get a captive customer for the crude oil it produces. Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, and its partner Abu Dabhi National Oil Co (ADNOC) have picked up 50 per cent stake in a planned USD 44-billion refinery in Maharashtra but the project is facing problems in acquiring land due to protests from local politicians. Aramco and ADNOC will together hold 50 per cent stake in the 60-million tonnes per annum (MTPA) refinery and adjacent 18 MTPA petrochemical complex planned to be built at Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra by 2025. The two will supply half of the crude oil required for processing at the refinery. Like other major producers, the two are looking to lock in customers in the world's third-largest oil consumer through the investment. Kuwait too is looking to invest in projects in return for getting an assured offtake of their crude oil. Saudi Aramco is also keen on retailing fuel in India. A refinery in India can also be a base for it to export fuel to deficit countries in Europe and the Americas. India has a refining capacity of 247.6 million tonnes, which exceeded the demand of 206.2 million tonnes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Markets regulator Sebi has barred Bengaluru-based Siyaram Development and Construction Ltd and its eight directors for at least four years from the securities market for illegally raising funds. Besides, the regulator directed the entities to refund the money collected by it along with 15 per cent interest. Based on a complaint by an investor regarding non-payment of maturity amount of his investment, Sebi conducted a probe to ascertain whether the firm had made any public issue without complying with the relevant provisions of Sebi and Companies Acts. During the probe, the regulator found that the firm had allotted secured redeemable debentures (SRDs) between financial years 2010-11 and 2012-13 and raised at least Rs 4.22 crore from more than 49 allottees. The number of allottees and the amount of money raised during the said period could be more, Sebi said. Moreover, the firm created a charge for an amount of Rs 70 crore and appointed Kalpana Guha as its debenture trustee. As the number of allottees was more than 49, it was deemed to be a public issue and required a compulsory listing on a recognised stock exchange. Further, the company was also required to file a prospectus, among others, which it failed to do, Sebi said in an order on Tuesday. Regarding the directors, Sebi said a director who is part of a company's board shall be responsible and liable for all acts carried out by a company. Hence, they are responsible for all the deeds of the company during the period of their directorship. Accordingly, apart from the company, the regulator barred directors -- Prasanta Bera, Biraja Bera, Paromita Dey, Biswajit Roy, Arun Sardar, Aravinda Mondal, Sridhar Mukherjee and Abdul Mandal -- from the markets. Besides, the regulator banned debenture trustee Kalpana Guha for four years from markets for acting as debenture trustee without certificate of registration from Sebi. The directions regarding Aravinda Mondal and Sridhar Mukherjee will come into effect on the expiry of 365th day of this order if they fail to produce order from the competent authority with respect to their allegation of forgery, Sebi said. Both have submitted that their signatures were forged to associate them with the company in the capacity of director. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A thick security blanket has been thrown around polling stations in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency of Jammu and Kashmir where voting will be held Thursday to decide the fate of 10 candidates, including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. "Adequate security arrangements have been put in place to secure the polling stations and to instill a sense of confidence among voters for ensuring free, fair, transparent and smooth conduct of elections in the constituency," an election official said. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength in and around polling stations in all three districts -- Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal -- of the constituency, the official said. He said the polling staff and electronic voting machines have also been deployed. As many as 12,90,318 voters are eligible to cast their votes as authorities have set up 1,716 polling stations in the constituency. For migrant voters of the constituency, 26 polling stations have been set up with 21 polling stations in Jammu, one in Udhampur and four in New Delhi. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah is among 10 candidates in the fray and is seen as the frontrunner to enter the Lok Sabha for the fourth time from Srinagar seat. Besides Abdullah, the other prominent candidates are Aga Mohsin of PDP, Imran Ansari of People's Conference and Khalid Jehangir of BJP. The NC president had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls -- his only electoral loss in his political career -- to then PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra by a margin of over 42,000 votes. However, Karra resigned from the PDP as well as the Lok Sabha in 2016 to protest against the civilian killings during the summer agitation that year. He later joined the Congress. Abdullah won the by-elections for Srinagar seat held in April 2017 which had the dubious distinction of recording the all-time low of 7.2 per cent voter turn out, while violence on the polling day that left nine persons dead and scores of others injured. The NC leader defeated PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan by a margin of 10,000 votes, getting 48,555 of the 89,881 votes cast. The total electorate for 2017 bypolls for the constituency was 12.61 lakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The share of older persons, those aged 60 years or above, in India's population is projected to increase to nearly 20 per cent in 2050 and the country said equipping people in earlier age cohorts will help them remain in good health and involved in the community throughout the ageing process. The percentage of the senior citizens in India's population has been growing at an increasing rate in recent years and the trend is likely to continue, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said Monday during an open-ended Working Group on Ageing here. "We live in a world where people live longer than ever before. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more people older than 60 years than those below 15 years," Tripathi said. "The share of population over the age of 60 is projected to increase from 8 per cent to nearly 20 per cent in 2050. Fulfilling needs for services and social protection for senior citizens, protection of their rights and enabling them to contribute in the development process are priorities for India," she said. Emphasising that ageing is irreversible and inevitable, Tripathi said "we must better equip people in earlier age cohorts, so that they remain in good physical and mental health and continue their involvement in family and community throughout the ageing process." Stronger partnerships between civil society, community and families are necessary to complement the actions taken by Governments in this regard, she added. The adoption of 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing provides a roadmap for addressing challenges of an ageing society and realisation of human rights of older persons. The 2030 Agenda also recognises the importance of realizing their full potential and their contribution for inclusive development. The Madrid International Plan of Action adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002 offered a bold new agenda for handling the issue of ageing in the 21st-century. It focused on three priority areas: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. The UN said that as fertility rates decline, the proportion of persons aged 60 and over is expected to double between 2007 and 2050, and their actual number will more than triple, reaching two billion by 2050. In most countries, the number of those over 80 is likely to quadruple to nearly 400 million. "We need timely action based on the existing global framework and ensure that action should not fall behind this demographic trend. Increased investments, political will and addressing gaps in data and statistics are key to concerted response," she said. According to the State of World Population 2019 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), released last week, India's population in 2019 stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and six per cent of India's population was of the age 65 and above. India also recorded an improvement in life expectancy at birth, which was 47 years in 1969, growing to 60 years in 1994 and 69 years in 2019. Highlighting the measures in place in India to improve quality of life of older persons and protect their rights, Tripathi said that India recently launched the world's largest healthcare programme "National Health Protection Scheme". The National Policy on Senior Citizens envisages state support for financial and food security, health care, shelter and protection against exploitation. The National Council of Senior Citizens is the highest advisory body for policymaking on the entire gamut of issues related to elderly. She further noted that the National Old Age Pension Scheme and a subsidised food distribution programme provide income and nutritional security to older persons in poverty. The Continuing Education and Adult Education programmes in India extend literacy, vocational and quality of life training options, with special focus on reducing gender gap in literacy and post-literacy capacity building. "India remains committed to taking all possible steps towards improving quality of life of older persons and protecting their rights and dignity through full implementation of Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the 2030 Agenda," Tripathi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An alleged sharpshooter of a criminal gang based in Ghaziabad has been arrested from the railway station here when he was planning to leave the city, police said Wednesday. The 28-year-old Bhadoda gang member, Sunny Jat, was wanted in cases of murder and carried a reward of Rs 25,000, they said. Sunny was nabbed by the Government Railway Police personnel when he was waiting for a train at the Muzaffarnagar railway station Tuesday, GRP SHO Kardam said. Police are interrogating him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Wednesday fielded actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam Sinha as its candidate from Lucknow, the constituency where the BJP has fielded Union Home Minister The candidature was announced by Akhilesh Yadav, a day after Poonam Sinha joined his party. "After due deliberations with the party leaders, it has been decided that Poonam Sinha will be the party nominee from seat," Yadav told reporters here. Poonam Sinha had joined the in the presence of party leader in on Tuesday, the day when the sitting MP, filed his nomination papers. "The will fight the election on the seat only on the basis of the development works done by the and BSP governments ," Yadav said. Reminding people of Lucknow of the work done in the past by his party, the SP chief appealed to them to vote for Sinha. "It is said that the first MP from here had been a woman," he said. Poonam Sinha's husband had recently quit the and joined the To a question, Yadav said, "The BJP has always tried to retire those who make their manifesto and deny him ticket." Referring to BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Yadav said the one who made the manifesto in 2014 for the saffron party has been denied ticket this time and the one who has made the manifesto this time will be denied ticket next time. had led the BJP's 'sankalp patra' (manifesto) committee ahead of the polls this time. When asked to comment on the alleged derogatory comment made by senior party leader on Jaya Parda, Yadav said this was a BJP conspiracy to divert the public's attention. The respect given to mothers and daughters in our party is not less than what is extended by other parties, he said. "There is no talk on the expressway, but one word was picked up from Azam Khan's speech and debated upon as this is election time," Yadav said. Party MP Dimple Yadav, who was also present, said remarks of any kind on women were not right but questioned the silence over alleged adverse comments made by BJP supporters against BSP "Why was there no debate on what was said about me and Why is only an adverse comment on BJP candidates raised," she asked. (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.) Union ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and DMK's Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi are among the 1,600-odd contestants in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 95 seats Thursday across 11 states and the union territory of Puducherry. Thirty eight of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will go to polls besides 18 assembly constituencies. Polling in Vellore Lok Sabha seat, which is currently represented by the AIADMK, was cancelled Tuesday by the Election Commission following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The EC also announced postponement of polling in Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23, saying the prevailing law-and-order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair polls. Besides Tamil Nadu, polling will also be held in 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry. Elections will also be held in 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha. Of the 95 constituencies, the AIADMK holds the maximum of 36 seats, followed by the BJP with 27 seats. The Congress had won 12 of these seats in 2014, the Shiv Sena and the BJD 4 each, the JD-S and the RJD two each and the AIUDF, the NCP, the JD-U, the PDP, the AINRC, the PMK, the CPI-M and the TMC one seat each. Nearly 15.8 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase. Other prominent candidates in fray include Congress leaders Verappa Moily and Raj Babbar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and BJP's Hema Malini. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, contesting as part of the NDA. The alliance comprises among others BJP, PMK, DMDK and Tamil Maanila Congress of former union minister G K Vasan. The DMK has formed a "Secular Progressive Alliance" comprising the Congress and Left parties, among others. The electoral battle in the state is largely among the two fronts led by the Dravidian majors and the AMMK led by TTV Dhinakaran, an AIADMK rival, though parties such as the fledgling Makkal Needhi Maiam of actor-politician Kamal Hassan are also testing their fortunes. Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu are the first ever after the demise of Dravidian stalwarts J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK. In Odisha, Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik is contesting from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district and Bijepur in Bargarh. Among others, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Oram of the BJP, BJD's Rajya Sabha MPs Prasanna Acharya and Achyut Samant, BJP nominee and three-time MP Kharabela Swain are in the fray in the Lok Sabha polls. Even though security was heightened, Maoists gunned down a polling officer in Kandhamal district of Odisha Wednesday when she was leading a team of poll personnel to a booth in Phulbani assembly segment. It is a high-stakes battle for the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka as any adverse result is likely to have an impact on the longevity of the coalition government in the state. The BJP is determined to improve its tally compared to last time riding on the Modi wave. A total of 179 candidates are in the fray in Maharashtra in the 10 constituencies spread in parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde of Congress are contesting from Nanded and Solapur seats respectively. Cinestars Hema Malini and Raj Babbar are among the 85 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, whose electoral fate will be decided on Thursday. The eight Lok Sabha seats, where polling is scheduled to be held, were won by the BJP in 2014. In Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have deployed over 80 companies for election duty in the twin constituencies of Srinagar and Udhampur. Thursday's polling in Srinagar will be keenly watched within and outside Kashmir as the constituency recorded an all-time low of 7.2 per cent voter turn out in the 2017 bye-election, marred by violence on polling day that left nine people dead and scores of others injured. Fate of 68 candidates will be decided in Bihar by 86.01 lakh voters across Bhagalpur, Banka, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea Lok Sabha constituencies. Five seats in Assam will see polling Thursday and one seat in Manipur. The past few days have seen hectic campaigning by top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of Union ministers. There was lot of drama during electioneering as several leaders like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Maneka Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati and SP leader Azam Khan made controversial remarks, prompting the Election Commission to bar them from campaigning for varying periods over violations of the moral code of conduct. In West Bengal, the EC has deployed 194 companies of central forces in the three constituencies going to polls to cover 80 per cent of the 5,390 booths for free and fair polling. The fight for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry is expected to be mainly between the ruling Congress, which has put up former Speaker V Vaithilingam and the opposition AINRC's K Narayanasamy. The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A quick-thinking Australian couple who scrawled the word "HELP" in the mud has been rescued from a crocodile-ridden part of the country's remote north after their vehicle got bogged on the marshland. Shantelle Johnson, her partner Colen Nulgit and their puppy, Ace, were rescued by search teams at Barra Hole near Marralum on Monday afternoon after being missing for 26 hours, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The couple lit spot fires and scratched "HELP" into the mud after their utility vehicle became bogged during a fishing trip to the Keep River National Park in the Northern Territory, close to the border with Western Australia. The couple, from the East Kimberley town of Kununurra, spent Sunday night in their bogged car but got little sleep. They had earlier spotted crocodile tracks and were worried about the tide bringing the reptiles close to the bank. "We were stuck on the marshland and we were right next to saltwater," Nulgit said. "We stayed in the car the first night and then we saw the water rising. "We grabbed everything and took it about 20, 30 metres from the car," he said. Luckily, the couple had informed the family where they were going and when to expect them back. In their home town of Kununurra, 1.5 hours' drive away from the park, Johnson's mother called the police when they failed to return Sunday night. On Monday, Kununurra police coordinated a search party using a plane from a local company to find the pair, the Western Australia Police Force said in a statement. Nulgit said he and Johnson lit a fire as soon as they heard the plane to help draw attention. They had very little food but had a carton of water bottles packed. By the time the search team spotted the smoke from their fire and the sign in the mud, the pair was getting worried. Nulgit said they had seen crocodile tracks in the area earlier and, as the waters rose and the sun set, became afraid of being swept away by a large tide -- or being attacked by crocodiles or dingos. "These crocodiles that we get here, they're not afraid of humans, they're not afraid of anything," he told CNN. "When they [the rescuers] came a bit lower to the ground, we jumped out of the car and started to wave them down. Kununurra police praised the couple for staying with their vehicle and letting family know where they were going. "It could have been a different story if they hadn't done that," Acting Sergeant Dean Andrzejaczek said. "It's always a good idea to tell family where you're going and what time you are expected back," he said. Nulgit said the adventure would not deter them from heading out again -- although next time they will have a recovery kit organised beforehand. "I'm just grateful for everyone who pitched in and helped and came out to look for us," he said. "We're pretty lucky surviving and getting out of that," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Sudanese rebel leader on Wednesday ordered a three-month suspension of hostilities in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states where his forces have been fighting government troops. "As a goodwill gesture... to give a chance for an immediate transfer of power to civilians, I, commander of SPLM-N announce the suspending of hostilities for three months in all areas under its control until July 31, 2019," the leader of the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement-North, Abdulaziz al-Hilu, said in a statement. Hilu's announcement comes days after Sudan's new military rulers, who took power last week after toppling veteran president Omar al-Bashir, declared a ceasefire in all three of the country's conflict zones -- the western region of Darfur included. Blue Nile and South Kordofan lie on the border with South Sudan and there was strong support in both states for the decades-long rebellion that culminated in the south's secession in 2011. Fighting resumed in both states within months of independence, and the brutal conflict has since claimed thousands of lives. The SPLM-N was the northern arm of what is now the ruling party in the south and has allied itself with the protest movement that campaigned for Bashir's overthrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. President Donald Trump said he is not worried about the release of special counsel Robert Muellers report, saying it will show the now-closed Russia investigation was "a total phony." "I heard it's going to come out on Thursday. That's good," the U.S. president said in an interview with Minneapolis TV station KSTP. "And there can't be anything there because there was no crime. There was no anything," the Hill cited Trump as saying. "No Collusion - No Obstruction!" he tweeted Tuesday morning. : Telangana will add another 1,000 MW of solar energy capacity in next six to eight months taking the total installed capacity to over 4,500 MW in solar power segment, a senior official said Wednesday. Telangana stands at second position with a generation capacity of over 3,500 MW commissionedthrough solar energy. Another 1,000 MW are in the pipeline which will be commissioned likely in the next six to eight months, Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd (TSREDCO) Vice-Chairman and Managing Director N Janaiah said. Telangana has a vast solar potential estimated at 20. 41 GW and a wind energy potential of 4.2 GW. Telangana has a total installed capacity of 4,036 MW renewable energy power including solarenergy (ground mount) at 3,583 MW and wind energy of 128 MW besides contribution from other renewable energy sources, Janaiah told reporters here on the sidelines of an event to announce RenewX-2019, a Renewable Energy trade expo. With regard to solar rooftop, he said from 2 MW commissioned in June 2014 it has grown to 60 MW and another 40 MW was in the pipeline. TSREDCO is the state designated agency, nominated by the Telangana government forimplementing all new and renewable energy programmes and energy conservation activities inTelangana state. UBM India, a leading B2B exhibitions organiser Wednesday announced the fourth edition of RenewX, a two-day Renewable Energy trade expo which will begin from April 26. The event will provide an industry platform for organisations to capitalise and penetrate into the South Indian renewable energy market. The expo will witness a congregation of South India's green economy community to discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said. RenewX 2019 will witness over 100 participating exhibitors and also includes the Solar Skills Competition, in association with Skill Council for Green Jobs, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Wednesday said this Lok Sabha election was a battle between Lord Krishna and Kans, Ram and Ravan, and Godse and Gandhi. Sidhu, addressing a poll rally in Dholka town in Ahmedabad district, lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, unemployment and farmer issues, and also dared the PM to have a debate with him. "China is building a railway line beneath the sea. US is finding life on Mars. Russia is trying to build an army of robots. And what is India doing? We are making a 'chowkidar' who is actually a 'chor' (thief). I am telling you that you are indeed a thief," Sidhu, who is one of the star campaigners of the Congress, said. "You always talk about nationalism. Then listen Mr. Modi. This is a battle between Lord Krishna and Kans. This is a battle between Ram and Ravan. And, this is a battle between Godse and Gandhi," he added. The Punjab minister accused Modi of dividing the nation. "Our Constitution says there should not be any discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed. It also says that no one should be subjected to discrimination on the basis of religion. But you are trying to divide the nation. And still you are claiming that you are a nationalist! What kind of nationalism is this?" Sidhu asked. "Instead of talking about mandir and masjid, we should talk about unemployment, farmers and poor people. But do you discuss these issues? You are just diverting people's attention from these key issues. You always speak lies. I challenge you to have a debate with me on these issues," he added. On the Rafale deal, the Congress leader said although Modi assumed office in 2014 as 'Ganga ka lal' (son of Ganga), he will have to vacate the office as 'Rafale ka dalal' (middleman of Rafale). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech giants Google and Apple have removed TikTok from their app stores after the Supreme Court refused to stay Madras High Court order asking the Centre to prohibit the download of the Chinese social media platform. A search for video sharing platform TikTok on Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store did not show the app. The government, on Monday, had asked tech giants Google and Apple to comply with the Madras High Court's order that had banned popular mobile app TikTok, according to sources. The two companies did not respond to e-mails seeking their views. While users may not be able to download TikTok from the app stores going forward, people who have already downloaded it will be able to continue using the app on their phones. "Any existing user of TikTok, who has the app installed on the smartphone can share it with any seeker through apps like ShareIt. Once the app is shared, the user can install the app and become a new user," research firm techARC founder and Chief Analyst Faisal Kawoosa said. He added that there is a need for a "holistic approach" to get rid of such increasing digital menace, which cannot be absolved by technology and/or legal recourse alone. The Madras High Court, on April 3, had directed the Centre to ban TikTok app. In its order, the Madras HC had said it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile applications. It had also directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is popular among youngsters in the country. It allows users to create short videos and then share them. In a statement on Tuesday, TikTok said it has faith in the Indian judicial system. "We are optimistic about an outcome that would allow over 120 million monthly active users in India to continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture moments that matter in their everyday lives," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political slugfest and acrimony between the ruling AIADMK led coalition and the DMK headed alliance over the IT raids marked the campaigning for Tamil Nadu that goes to the polls Thursday. A good number out of the 5.98 crore voters are expected to brave the scorching summer heat for exercising their franchise to decide the fate of about 800 MP aspirants. Of the entire electorate, over 12 lakh first-time voters and more than four lakh persons with disabilities have registered for the polls, a number which Chief Electoral officer Satyabrata Sahoo said had not been seen in previous elections. "We have not seen such high numbers in previous elections. All these indicate how much people are interested to vote," he said. In the run up to the polls, election authorities seized over Rs 129 crore cash, gold and other precious metals with a total value of over Rs 284 crore from all over the state. In an unsavoury incident, a poll flying squad was Tuesday prevented from entering an AMMK office in Theni to conduct checks on information of money distribution there. Police had to fire in the air to remove party workers who had blocked the entry of election officials there. However, none were injured in the incident. Elections will be held for 38 Lok Sabha seats and 18 Assembly constituencies in a single phase. While the state has 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday had rescinded the polling to Vellore parliamentary segment. This followed the seizure of crores of Rupees from an associate close to a DMK leader in the district. Of the 22 vacant Assembly seats, polling is being held for 18 of them. The rest will go to the polls on May 19. The results of the bypolls to 22 vacant seats hold greater significance since the two year-old Palaniswami government has to win a significant number to retain power in the state. The vacancies were created both by the death of sitting MLAs, including DMK stalwart M Karunanidhi, and the disqualification of ruling AIADMK members in August 2017. The members had revolted against Chief Minister K Palaniswami after he merged his led faction with that of O Panneerselvam, then a rebel leader. As many as 18 MLAs were disqualified by Speaker P Dhanapal then which was later upheld by the Madras High Court. All the disqualified AIADMK legislators owe allegiance to ousted party leaders V K Sasikala,since serving a jail term in Bengaluru in a graft case, and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran,who now heads the Amma Makkal Munntera Kazhagam. Poll officials are geared up to ensure smooth voting, with over 160 companies of paramilitary forces and one lakh state police personnel all set to keep a watch on polling day. As many as 3.5 lakh government employees will also be depoyed. Tamil Nadu has 5,98,69,758 voters, of which 2,95,94,923 are male, 3,02,69,045 female and 5,790 transgenders. They will decide the fate of about 800 MP aspirants including a transgender. Tamil Nadu has a total of 67,720 polling stations and 7,780 booths have been categorised as critical and vulnerable where more Central Armed Police Forces personnel, and micro observers will be deployed. Measures like webcasting and videographing of the proceedings will also be done. As many as 1,50,302 ballot units, 89,160 control units and 94,653 VVPAT which allows the electors to cross check the votes they have cast for seven seconds are available. Every constituency will have one all women polling station. While polling will be held between 7 AM to 6 PM in all 37 constituencies, it has been extended by two hours to 8 PM in Madurai Lok Sabha segment, following the Chithirai festival, which marks the grand entry of Lord Kallazhagar into Vaigai river. Earlier, demands were made to extend the polling duration in Madurai Lok Sabha segment, as the date coincided with the popular festival, where lakhs of devotees throng the temple town for the grand event. The EC had subsequently extended the duration. In the 234 member house, 117 is the simple majority number. In the absence of 22 legislators, the strength of the AIADMK stands at 113, excluding the Speaker. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wormholes -- popularised by the 2014 sci-fi film Interstellar as 'shortcuts' to distant points in space and time -- may actually exist, but pan-galactic travel through these portals would be slower than taking a direct route, according to a Harvard study. Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity supports the existence of wormhles that could connect extremely long distances billion light years apart, different points in time, or possibly different universes. While they have been objects of interest for scientists and science fiction writers alike, whether wormholes actually exist remains to be seen. Daniel Jafferis, from Harvard University in the US, has shown although that wormholes can exist, it is not useful for humans to travel through. "It takes longer to get through these wormholes than to go directly, so they are not very useful for space travel," Jafferis said in a statement. Despite his pessimism for pan-galactic travel, he said that finding a way to construct a wormhole through which light could travel was a boost in the quest to develop a theory of quantum gravity. "The real import of this work is in its relation to the black hole information problem and the connections between gravity and quantum mechanics," Jafferis said. The theory was inspired when Jafferis began thinking about two black holes that were entangled on a quantum level. Although this means the direct connection between the black holes is shorter than the wormhole connection -- and therefore the wormhole travel is not a shortcut -- the theory gives new insights into quantum mechanics. "From the outside perspective, travel through the wormhole is equivalent to quantum teleportation using entangled black holes," Jafferis said. Jafferis based his theory on a setup first devised by Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen in 1935, consisting of a connection between two black holes. The term wormhole was coined in 1957. Since the wormhole is traversable, Jafferis said, it was a special case in which information could be extracted from a black hole. "It gives a causal probe of regions that would otherwise have been behind a horizon, a window to the experience of an observer inside a spacetime, that is accessible from the outside," said Jafferis. To date, a major stumbling block in formulating traversable wormholes has been the need for negative energy, which seemed to be inconsistent with quantum gravity. However, Jafferis has overcome this using quantum field theory tools. "I think it will teach us deep things about the gauge/gravity correspondence, quantum gravity, and even perhaps a new way to formulate quantum mechanics," Jafferis said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill Congress passed to end US military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop US involvement in a foreign conflict. Trump vetoed the measure Wednesday. Congress lacks the votes to override him. Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization is a dangerous development that could lead to chaos, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday. Speaking at a joint conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Turkish minister also said that U.S. sanctions were harming the people of Iran. The United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran, including on its energy sector, last November, after President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation against the Revolutionary Guard with great fanfare last week. "When we start adding other countries' armies to terror lists, then serious cracks will occur in the system of international law," Cavusoglu said. "Trust in the global system will decline and total chaos will ensue." "Our conscience does not accept that the brotherly Iranian people be punished," Cavusoglu said of US sanctions on Iran. "Such steps put regional stability, peace, calm and economic development under risk." Zarif arrived in Turkey after visiting Syria where he met President Bashar Assad. Russia, Iran and Turkey, which back rival groups in Syria's conflict, have been sponsoring talks in Kazakhstan to try to end the war. Zarif said he would tell Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about his talks with Assad, adding that Iran wants to help Turkey and Syria establish "good relations." The US designation the first-ever for an entire division of another government adds another layer of sanctions to the powerful paramilitary Iranian force and makes it a crime under U.S. jurisdiction to provide it with material support. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Huge stock of explosives, including 200 detonators and 1200 gelatin rods, were recovered from two houses in the district and two persons arrested, police said Wednesday. Additional Superintendent of Police Lal Bharat Kumar Pal said, "Based on a tip-off, police conducted raids at two houses in Barua Syogarh and Chandranagar villages". "200 detonators, two quintal ammonium nitrate, 1200 gelatin rods, and exploder and other material used for explosion have been recovered," he said. Two persons identified as Anuragi and Vijay Shankar have been arrested in this connection. "Both of them do not have any licence to store explosive material. Generally, those who are engaged in mining use these explosive materials for carrying out mining activities. However, both of them do not have a mining lease," he said. In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled election meeting on April 25 in Tindwari, police has been undertaking search activities in the district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two women won seats on Qatar's 29-member municipal council, the Gulf emirate's sole elected body, the elections committee said on Wednesday. Sheikha al-Jafiri and Fatima al-Kuwari retained the seats they had won in 2015. Five women were among the 85 candidates standing in Tuesday's election for the emirate-wide council. The other three failed to win seats. "There was a large turnout by women and the number of female voters in my constituency exceeded the number of males, which indicates their political awareness," Sheikha al-Jafairi told AFP. "I wish there were more women but I tell them do not despair and continue to fight." Qatar held its first municipal election in 1999. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Customers, nowadays, go online to search for answers. Need a beautician, search online. Need a good salon, search online. Need a doctor, search online. Unfortunately, the answers to these questions for various small and micro businesses are not online. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/873182/UENI_Logo.jpg ) According to the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, there are more than 63 million MSMEs accounting for 45% of industrial production and 30.5% of the services sector. But, more than 68% of businesses are not online today. UENI aims at bringing the local businesses online by providing everything from design, hosting, content, and SEO for free. After developing more than 10,000 websites for small business owners of countries like the UK, Spain, USA, Germany, and France, India was the next logical step in UENI's expansion plans. Talking about why India is a great market for UENI, Christine Telyan, Co-founder of UENI and a Harvard Business School graduate, says, "There are a few elements that make India a great fit for UENI's expansion. First, the sheer size of the market: there are 60 million microbusinesses in India, roughly twice the number of the United States. The concentration of microbusinesses as a percentage of total SME's is much higher in India (around 95%) than in other markets like the US and Canada (50%). Second, more than 68% of India's micro & small businesses are not online. Additionally, the Indian market is a world leader in mobile use: Indians now access the Internet through their mobiles nearly 80% of the time, proving the bigger need for a mobile-first solution like UENI offers." UENI's mission is simple: bring local businesses online. When asked, most small business owners recognise the importance of being online. So why isn't this already the case? The time, cost and complexity of creating and maintaining a relevant online presence are significant barriers for small businesses. Asked about UENI's benefits to Indian small businesses, Telyan says, "We help these smallest businesses get started with a professionally built and maintain an online presence, search engine optimisation, mobile-friendly design, hosting, domain and email, and essential online marketing. Micro businesses have little to lose as UENI's starter plan is free but a lot to gain as there are not many platforms offering businesses such a high-quality freemium product." UENI today delivers to the thousands of businesses every month a fully-built online presence and access to customers searching online. For more information, visit https://ueni.com/. About UENI UENI builds specifically for small business owners. Unlike website builders or digital agencies, UENI delivers a fully built website and listings on trusted, high traffic platforms with very little input from the business and for a very low cost. In fact, our starter product is free. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain in July is set to become the first country in the world to introduce age-verification to access online pornography, the government said on Wednesday. Child protection groups welcomed the move but digital rights groups warned of the possibility of data leaks and the implications for online privacy. The new law, which comes into force on July 15, will require commercial providers of internet pornography to check on users' ages to ensure that they are 18 or over. Different sites will use different verification methods ranging from online passport or credit card checks to special vouchers that can be bought in shops. "Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online," Minister for Digital Margot James said in a statement. Websites that fail to implement the verification technology could have payment services withdrawn or be blocked for British users, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It is the latest move by British authorities to crack down on the spread of online abuses and crimes. The government announced earlier this month proposals to make social media bosses personally liable for harmful content and shut down offending platforms. The latest step to bring in age-verification for pornography follows public consultation and parliamentary debate on the issue last year. Research conducted as part of that outreach found that 88 percent of parents with children aged seven to 17 supported new controls, DCMS said. The department insisted the range of checks to be carried out by providers would be "rigorous" and go beyond users simply entering their date of birth or ticking a box. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be responsible for ensuring compliance. The government said it had "listened carefully" to privacy concerns and was clear the arrangements should only be concerned with verifying age -- not identity. The BBFC will therefore also create -- in cooperation with industry -- a voluntary certification scheme to assess the data security standards of the providers. Internet Matters, a non-profit organisation concerned with online child safety, said it was "delighted" that the government tackling the issue but also sounded a cautionary note. "We must recognise that digital solutions aren't the only answer," said its CEO Carolyn Bunting. "There is no substitute to having regular and honest conversations with your child about what they're getting up to online." Will Gardner, chief executive of Childnet, welcomed the move, saying it brings in "the same protections that we use offline to protect children". But the Open Rights Group said age verification was "dangerous and irresponsible". Jim Killock, executive director of the campaign group, said privacy standards should be enforced alongside the legislation. "Data leaks could be disastrous. And they will be the government's own fault," he said. "The government needs to shape up and legislate for privacy before their own policy results in people being outed, careers destroyed or suicides being provoked," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A UN report says around a third of all conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan report being subjected to torture or ill-treatment. UN officials interviewed a total of 618 detainees held in 77 facilities across the country between January 2017 and December 2018. The alleged torture included suffocation, electric shocks, pulling of genitals and suspension from ceilings. The UN mission to Afghanistan and the U.N. Human Rights Office released the joint report on Wednesday. The US-backed Afghan government is holding thousands of detainees, many of them captured as part of the ongoing war with the Taliban. The Taliban have made major gains in recent years and now effectively control half the country. Widespread corruption and distrust of the government has undermined efforts to combat the insurgency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United Nations Security Council diplomats began negotiations Tuesday on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya after forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli. The proposed text seen by AFP warns that the offensive by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) "threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." The council "demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the situation, commit to a ceasefire, and engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities throughout Libya," the draft says. After Britain circulated the text late Monday, a first round of negotiations was held during which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. Britain was hoping to bring the measure to a vote at the council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. At least 174 people have been killed and more than 18,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli on April 4, according to UN figures. A rocket attack on the city killed two people and injured four on Tuesday. Last week, Russia blocked a draft council statement that would have called on Haftar's forces to halt their advance on Tripoli. The proposed measure echoed a call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to personally advance prospects for a political solution when the offensive was launched. Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-recognized government and an array of militias. Haftar backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognize the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to re-commit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member-states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two permanent council members, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating Libyan armed groups aligned with the Islamic State in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive on the capital forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi. Guterres has said that serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two-thirds of the largely medieval roof of the famed Notre Dame cathedral in Paris have gone after the devastating fire in Paris, but UN cultural experts are standing by to offer help in rebuilding the iconic structure, UNESCO World Heritage Centre Director Mechtild Rssler said. Rssler, who visited the site Tuesday, told UN that the cathedral is a universal symbol and the centre of France and its devastation has left people across nations shocked. She described seeing people praying outside the stricken symbol of the city and the nation, still trying to take in the scale of the disaster. I saw many, many people going from the Metro, to the site of Notre Dame, and I have to say many are still in a state of shock, because it's not only the Christian community, it's a building for all of us, she said. Really, it's a universal symbol and it's the centre of France I think this is really shocking people profoundly and they lost something that is part of their identity. Rssler said that a team of UNESCO experts is on hand to investigate the stability of the stonework and potential damage to stained glass windows, echoing a statement by the UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, in which she announced that a rapid damage assessment would be carried out as soon as possible with the authorities. After visiting the site of Notre Dame on Monday night, Azoulay said we are all heartbroken. The Cathedral is part of the World Heritage site officially known as Paris, Banks of the Seine, inscribed on the World Heritage List, in 1991. Notre Dame represents a historically, architecturally, and spiritually, outstanding universal heritage. It is also a monument of literary heritage, a place that is unique in our collective imagination, said the UNESCO chief, adding that the inferno which engulfed the cathedral, but appears to have left the medieval stonework intact, reminds us of the power of heritage that connects us to one another. We are receiving messages of support from all over the world. The cathedral, where construction began in the 1160s extending for more than a century, is considered to be the finest example of the French Gothic style of architecture, with its groundbreaking use of rib vaults and buttresses, stained glass rosettes and sculpted ornaments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. Speaking at a poll rally, Modi also said this election will decide if nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping sedition law. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a 'remote control government' and you know who was in control. In those 10 years, those sitting in Delhi tried to damage the interest of Gujarat and acted as if the state is not in India," Modi said. "Our police officers, and even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars. They (UPA) employed all means to break the Gujarat government," Modi said, alluding to the time when he was chief minister of the state. "Now should we give them a chance to destroy Gujarat once again? They (Gandhi family) are more angry as they are out on bail. They are thinking that they were ruling this country for four generations and this Gujju, this chaiwala forced them to go to the court and seek bail," he said. Modi said if voted to power again, he will ensure that they are behind bars. "You gave me a chance in 2014. I brought them (Gandhis) to the doors (of jail) and if you will give me another five years, they will go inside, Modi said. "But if they come to power again, their first target will be Gujarat, Modi said. Modi asked the crowd if people of Gujarat approve the language being used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi against him. "The British used golis (bullets), while the Congress is using gaalis (abuse) against us," he said. "Initially, they said anything about chaiwala, then they started saying things about chowkidar and now they are saying the entire community is chor, Modi said. Addressing a poll rally in Maharashtra recently, Gandhi had said, "I have a question. Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We don't know how many more such Modis will come out." Modi said he has come to Gujarat to ask voters to help BJP win all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the April 23 single- phase polling in the state. (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 issued an order that could keep some asylum seekers in jail for months or years as they wait for their cases to be heard, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The order from Attorney General Bill Barr directs immigration judges to no longer allow asylum seekers who are apprehended after entering the country illegally to post bail, the newspaper said. The order -- which will not go into effect for 90 days -- does not affect those who apply for asylum at a legal port of entry, the Times reported. The move was quickly condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union rights organization, which vowed to challenge it in court. "Our Constitution does not allow the government to lock up asylum seekers without basic due process. We'll see the administration in court. Again," the ACLU tweeted. Trump has staked his presidency on his insistence that the United States is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers. But opponents, mostly in the Democratic Party, say his push for building more walls on the Mexican border and his almost daily denunciations of migrants as dangerous criminals incites racial hatred. The president declared an emergency to bypass Congress and unlock funds for his controversial wall project, and has also deployed troops to the border with Mexico. The White House has also said it is looking into ways to transfer undocumented migrants to so-called sanctuary cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York that limit cooperation with US immigration officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) :Urging all the countries to be united to fight terror, Vice PresidentVenkaiah Naidu Wednesdaysaid some 'people' were indulging in terrorism to weaken the social fabric of the country and the world. All countriesneedto unitedly fight against the menace of terrorism, he said during theBhagwan Mahaveer Janam Kalyanak Mahotsav, organised here by Jain Seva Sanghon the eve of Mahaveer Jayanthi. "Peopleshouldpropagate and practice peace as it was a prerequisite for progress. Peaceful co-existence is the need of the hour... "We have to either change the way we live or prepare to face the inevitable consequences of our actions," he added. The vice-president also said there was a need to give upreckless exploitation of the abundant resources of nature and exercise restraint in the waypeoplelive. According to him,the life of Bhagwan Mahaveer and the philosophy of Jainism held many crucial lessons for the contemporary worldandsome of the answers to the serious questions ofpresenttimes could be found in the philosophy, principles and teachings of Lord Mahaveer. Naidu said Jainism had contributed greatly to the spiritual development of India and helped fortify India's unwavering commitment to the ideals of truth, non-violence and peace. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Associated Press on Wednesday named Vineeta Deepak, an experienced video journalist and bedrock member of its Indian staff, as its South Asia director to lead coverage of a region stretching from the heights of the Himalayas to the tropics of the Indian Ocean. From her base in New Delhi, she will drive AP's multiformat reporting on the world's largest democracy as it exerts its influence abroad while grappling with rising nationalism and growing inequality despite an economic boom at home. She will lead a large team of videojournalists, photographers and reporters stationed across India and in AP bureaus in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. She will also oversee AP's coverage of Bhutan and the atoll archipelago of the Maldives. "Vineeta has covered the biggest stories in South Asia for more than two decades, and knows the region inside and out," said Asia-Pacific Director Adam Schreck. "She is an ambitious journalist who knows how to connect with people and tell stories in fresh, creative ways." The 56-year-old has led AP's South Asia video operations as senior producer since 2002. "Our journalists in India and across South Asia are talented, committed to AP's mission and innovative in their storytelling, and we are thrilled that Vineeta will work collaboratively with her colleagues to raise our journalism to new heights," said AP's executive editor, Sally Buzbee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Wednesday took a dig at the BJP after it named Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as its Lok Sabha poll candidate from Bhopal, saying what else can be expected from the saffron party. Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehboob Mufti slammed the decision, which elicited enthusiastic reactions from Hindutva votaries and BJP leaders, saying had her party fielded a terror accused, then channels would have gone berserk. "Imagine the anger if I fielded a terror accused. Channels would have gone berserk by now trending a mehboobaterrorist hashtag! According to these guys terror has no religion when it comes to saffron fanatics but otherwise all Muslims are terrorists. Guilty until proven innocent (sic)," she tweeted. In a terse reaction, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "What else can we expect from the BJP." When asked further by reporters, Azad said it was the BJP's decision and he did not want to speak more, an indication of the Congress' tactic to not join the issue with the BJP on its aggressive Hindutva plank. Several BJP leaders hailed the decision, with its president Amit Shah dubbing former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh, who is the Congress' candidate from Bhopal, as the "creator of saffron terror" phase and asserting that his party decided to take the matter to "people's court" by fielding Thakur against him. Accusing the Congress of "defaming" India by coining terms like "Hindu terror" and "saffron terror", Shah referred to the acquittal of several accused, including Swami Aseemanand, in the Samjhauta express blast case. He said people of Bhopal will punish Singh and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. BJP vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said Thakur "symbolises the fighting spirit of a woman, the courage for braving unspeakable torture for victory of truth and above all our relentless struggle to free democracy from crass vote bank politics". Hindutva votary and another party leader Subramanian Swamy said Thakur had "suffered enormously" and was a "victim" of the Congress' agenda. Calling the 48-year-old saffron activist innocent and devoted to religion, Swamy played down other charges she is facing, saying "those are in the final stages of being dismissed". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The only poll promise Fatima Nafees, mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad, is looking for is an assurance from political parties to bring her son back. Nafees, a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh which goes to poll on April 23, said representatives of various parties visit her house but they only express "sympathy". "I am not looking for those who sympathise with me. I am only looking for those who will assure me that they will bring my son back. That is what I tell representatives of various parties who visit our house. I will cast my vote only for the party which assures me that. I have been appealing that its the BJP government which could not trace my son and people should not vote for it," she told PTI. Najeeb Ahmed, a first-year MSc student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University has been missing since 2016 after an altercation with students on campus. In October 2018, the Central Bureau of Investigation closed the case after the agency failed to trace him. "What is CBI doing, what are intelligence agencies for if they cannot trace an innocent child. What will they do for country's security?" Nafees said. "Water, electricity, other facilities, everything is secondary for us. We only want Najeeb," she said. She said her husband, who is a carpenter and has been pinned to bed ever since Najeeb went missing, also has similar hopes. Nafees had travelled to Bihar's Begusarai when former JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar filed his nomination, a move which attracted criticism on social media that she was doing politics. "I did not go there to do any politics. I went there as a mother. Kanhaiya stood by me as a son when Najeeb went missing, its time I stand by him as a mother. But blessings is all I have to offer," she said. Badaun is one of the 80 parliamentary constituencies of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has nominated Sangh Mitra Maurya from the constituency. The Congress has fielded Saleem Iqbal Shervani while the Samajwadi Party has reposed faith in its sitting MP Dharmendra Yadav. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), Chinese leading power battery maker, signed a cooperation agreement with Huawei, a China-based global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, on April 17 in Shanghai. Focusing on R&D, production and marketing of new energy vehicle (NEV) power battery system and energy storage system, CATL is committed to providing best-in-class solutions for global new energy applications. Huawei is dedicated to helping every person, every family and every organization usher in the digital world and building a fully interconnected world. The latest collaboration between the battery maker and the tech giant will vigorously promote the automotive industry's transformation towards intelligence and electrification. Huawei attends the Auto Shanghai 2019 as an automotive supplier for the first time. Huawei currently has no plan to make cars and will focus on ICT technologies to help automakers improve and upgrade cars quality and functions, said Xu Zhijun, rotating chairman of Huawei, in response to the rumor about the company's car-building intention. At a tech forum during the auto show, Mr. Xu explained Huawei's four major solutions that serve the automotive industry. It will provide carmakers with its MDC (mobile data center)-based in-car computing platform and intelligent driving subsystem solutions; the Huawei cloud-based autonomous driving cloud service dubbed Octopus (including training, simulation and testing); the 4G/5G car-borne mobile communication module, T-Box and the in-car network; the HiCar human-vehicle-home seamlessly connected full-scenario solution. The only poll promise which Fatima Nafees, mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad, is looking forward is the one which assures of bringing her son back. Nafees, a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh which goes to poll on April 23, says representatives of various parties visit her house but they only express "sympathy". "I am not looking for those who sympathise with me. I am only looking for those who will assure me that they will bring my son back. That is what I tell representatives of various parties who visit our house. I will cast my vote only for the party which assures me that," she told PTI. Najeeb Ahmed, a first-year MSc student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) went went missing in 2016 after an altercation with students on campus and has not been traced till date. "The Central Bureau of Investigation had last October closed the case after the agency failed to trace him after a long search. "My son's disappearance has forced me to renegotiate life with Allah, what are political parties then. What is CBI, what are intelligence agencies for if they cannot trace an innocent child what will they do for country's security? "People call me from Delhi saying Najeeb is hiding in Gurgaon, perhaps in Noida. There are others who express fear that he must have been killed and buried at an undisclosed location. With every call, I take the next bus and reach there only to be left disappointed," she said. Nafees says her husband who is a carpenter and has been pinned to bed ever since Najeeb went missing, has similar hopes too. "Water, electricity, other facilities, everything is secondary for us. We only want Najeeb," she said as she broke down. Nafees had travelled to Bihar's Begusarai when former JNU Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, filed his nomination, a move which attracted criticism on social media. "I am not on social media but my children told me about it. I did not go there to do any politics. I went there as a mother. Kanhaiya stood by me as a son when Najeeb went missing, its time I stand by him as a mother. But blessings is all I have to offer," she said. Badaun is one of the 80 parliamentary constituencies of the state of Uttar Pradesh. BJP has nominated Sangh Mitra Maurya from the constituency. The Congress has fielded Saleem Iqbal Shervani while the Samajwadi Party has reposed faith in its sitting MP Dharmendra Yadav. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With no movement of security convoy scheduled during the day, civilian traffic was allowed on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway Wednesday, when it was supposed to be used exclusively by forces under an official order, authorities said. On April 7, it was announced that the 270-km highway will be off-limits for civilian traffic twice a week -- Wednesday and Sunday -- from 4 am to 5 pm till May 31 to facilitate smooth movement of security convoys. The order came following a deadly terror attack in Pulwama on February 14, which left 40 CRPF personnel dead. The restrictions drew strong criticism from various quarters especially political parties, civil society and business community in the Valley. "Normal traffic was allowed on the highway from Jammu to Srinagar this morning after the nodal agency, the CRPF, telephonically informed that there will be no movement of security convoy during the day," a traffic department official told PTI. However, he said a landslide hit the highway at Anokhi fall near Ramban around 7 am which was cleared within two hours by the road clearance agency to ensure smooth movement of traffic. The landslide was triggered by rains which lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir including the highway Tuesday, he said. "The traffic is moving smoothly when last reports were received," the official said, adding no vehicle was allowed from the opposite direction in view of the one-way restrictions which are in force due to the ongoing work on the four-laning project. The traffic on the highway plies alternatively from the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar to ensure smooth movement of the vehicles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yogi Adityanath Wednesday prayed at temples in Ayodhya and visited a Dalit family, prompting the BSP to complain to the EC that the Uttar Pradesh chief minister had violated the EC order barring him from campaigning. The Election Commission had on Monday barred Adityanath from campaigning for 72-hours starting 6 am on Tuesday for his communal remarks. The BSP, however, claimed that a crowd of about 500 people had gathered at the village where the chief minister had lunch with the Dalit family that had benefited from a central government housing scheme. In his complaint to the poll panel, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Faizabad district president Mahendra Pratap Anand alleged that the chief minister had campaigned in the village which was a violation of the ban order imposed on him by the poll panel. During his visit to the home of 60-year-old Mahaveer in the Muslim-dominated locality of Sutahti, adjacent to the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site, Adityanath had a chapati with some bottle gourd and okra subzis. A beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Aawaas Yojna (PMAY), the Dalit family had received Rs 2 lakh from the Union government for the construction of their home. Adityanath also met Ram temple movement activists including Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Digambar Akhara Mahant Suresh Das and Vishva Hindu Parishad spokesperson Sharad Sharma. Another BSP leader termed the meeting as an effort to mobilise Hindu voters. Yogi met many Hindu religious leaders and he campaigned for the BJP and mobilised them. He has violated the election commission's orders, BSP's divisional coordinator Pawan Kumar told PTI. The chief minister also visited the Sugreev Qila temple and Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya and performed an 'Aarti' on the banks of the river Saryu. In the evening, he drove to Devipatan, a temple of goddess Durga in Balrampur district and after offering prayers, met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Chinese smartphone maker Yuho Mobiles will be soon setting up a mobile handset manufacturing facility in India with an investment of over Rs 100 crore, a senior company official said Wednesday. The device maker already has Semi Knocked Down unit in Gurugram where it has manpower of over 500. "We are looking forward to expand manufacturing and assembling unit in India. We have shortlisted two places-- Gurugram and Tirupati to set up a new mobile manufacturing unit," Yuho Mobiles Director-Sales Keshav Arora told reporters here. "We are looking at support from (state) governments and we are in discussions (with them). It (place of the new unit) is still not finalised," he added. He said plans for the new facility would be finalised in the next two to three months. "We are planning to make Rs 100 crore plus investment in the new unit. It will be finalised in the next two to three months. We want to start production from the new manufacturing facility by December 2019," Arora said. The new facility will have workforce of more than 500, he said adding currently the plan is to manufacture for India (from the upcoming facility) and to also supply to Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The company Wednesday announced its entry in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by unveiling its new smart phone Yuho Vast Plus here. The company will be launching eight new models by the end of December. It had launched six products in the last financial year. The company is currently doing monthly business of Rs 30 crore and selling around 25,000-28,000 units every month in 15 states, Arora added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chinese video app TikTok is no longer available in Google and Apple app stores in India after a state court prohibited its downloads, a setback for developer Bytedance Technology's efforts to tap users in a key market. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, is hugely popular in India but some politicians say its content is inappropriate. A court in Tamil Nadu asked the government on April 3 to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and warning that sexual predators could target child users. The government sent a letter ... It is open season on all short video services as well as social media apps, which, according to the government and the judiciary, are supplying inappropriate content. While those who support freedom of internet on Wednesday criticised banning of TikTok from Google and Apple stores as an infringement of right to choose, sources in the government said the steps were taken only after repeated warnings on weeding out foul content fell on deaf ears. The road ahead is going to be a tough one for TikTok and other similar apps as now the government is directly working with both Apple and ... Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in an interview on Wednesday said that the latest statement by Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be the Congress' ploy. In a statement, Imran Khan had said that there might be better chances of peace talks between India and Pakistan if the Modi-led BJP came to power. Sitharaman alleged that there had been many "eminent leaders of the Congress" who went to Pakistan seeking help to oust the Prime Minister. "There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there to seek help to out Prime Minister Modi. They went there saying, "Modi hatane ke liye hamein madad karo" (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by Congress. I don't know what to make of this, honestly," she said in an exclusive interview to ANI. Talking about Pakistan, Sitharaman said that the onus of proving that the Balakot strike did not happen was on them. "It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed. They took 40 days to take a small group of journalists and defence attaches and limited the picnic that they had only to the madrasa. I am telling you the madrasa was at the lower end of the foothill and behind the madrasa, into the dense forest was the training camp. So, Pakistan is making a mockery of itself." She also commented on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's claims that India will attack its neighbouring country between April 16 and 20. "I don't know from where he got these dates. Good luck to him... God knows who his source is but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me," she said. Also read: Rafale deal: Congress 'flogging a dead horse', says Nirmala Sitharaman The Defence Minister spoke about a host of issues. Addressing the issue of procurement of the Rafale deal documents, she said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That's what I have been harping on. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come through a legitimate manner then it is said to be stolen." Sitharaman also spoke about the controversy around Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's comment on BJP leader Jaya Prada. She said that politicians must apply their mind when they speak. "It is always easy to hit at a woman when you talk about other things which don't become part of the conversation or which are not germane to the discussion. You easily pick up on things which are very personal or are gender specific and not called for at all." Also read: Rahul Gandhi's fresh attack: 'PM Modi bypassed Rafale talks despite defence ministry's opposition' Also read: Pakistan PM Imran Khan accuses BJP of war hysteria over downed F-16 claim; says truth always prevails Ending speculation over the next course of action, the crumbling Jet Airways finally announced that it will temporarily suspend operations from Wednesday night. The development came after the State Bank of India-led consortium of lenders rejected the airline's plea for emergency funds. Tonight 9W-2502 (Amritsar-Bombay-Delhi) will be last flight of beleaguered airline before a temporary closure. Jet Airways had asked lenders to release an interim fund of Rs 400 crore after its current operational fleet further shrunk to just five aircraft. The airline, in a filing to stock exchanges, said that the SBI, on behalf of the consortium of Indian lenders, informed last night that "they are unable to consider its request for critical interim funding". "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect, Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today," Jet Airways said in the filing. "The decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the company and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from its Board of Directors," the crisis-hit airline said. The airline has also informed the DGCA, and the ministries of civil aviation and finance, and other relevant government institutions of this course of action. Also Read: Jet Airways crisis: Naresh Goyal withdraws from bidding after Etihad, TPG Capital threaten to walk out The airline will now await the bid finalisation process by SBI and the consortium of Indian lenders, Jet said, adding that it will continue to support the bid process initiated by the banks. In its response to the airline, the lenders have said, "The Expressions of Interest (EoI) have been received and bid documents have been issued to the eligible recipients today. The bid documents inter alia has solicited plans for a quick revival of the company. The bid process will conclude on 10th May 2019... We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company." Earlier today, BusinessToday.In had reported that Jet Airways may suspend its operation temporarily after banks refused to infuse Rs 400 crore in the cash-strapped airline. It was reported that grounding operations could come anytime soon. The Jet Airways board had authorised chief executive Vinay Dube on Tuesday to make one last appeal to the SBI-led consortium to get a life-line of Rs 400 crore on Wednesday, before taking a final call on the future. Jet Airways is the seventh airline to go down since May 2014. In the last five years, airlines like Air Pegasus, Air Costa, Air Carnival, Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Zoom Air have all gone belly up. On March 25, Jet Airways' board had approved a debt-swap revival plan, under which the lenders were supposed to release an emergency loan of Rs 1,500 crore and, in turn, acquire a majority stake in the airline. But, thus far, they have disbursed less than Rs 300 crore, that too in small amounts, citing procedural delays. On Tuesday, the Mumbai-headquartered airline had informed the bourses that its operations have been severely impacted in the last few days due to acute fund shortage. "The company has reached out to our lead lender, State Bank of India yet again and stressed on the need for urgent funding requirements, critical to the continuation of the operations of our airline," Jet Airways said in a filing to BSE. Earlier on Monday, Jet Airways' pilots appealed to the SBI to release Rs 1,500 crore for the airline. The National Aviator's Guild (NAG), Jet's pilots' body, also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help save 20,000 jobs. Also Read: Jet Airways crisis: Fleet down to 5 planes; CEO says airline will cease operations without Rs 400 crore infusion Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with a state court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The move comes hours after a court in southern Tamil Nadu state refused a request by China's Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The state court had on April 3 asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its ruling came after an individual launched a public interest litigation calling for a ban. The federal government had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order, according to an IT ministry official. The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday, but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Google's move. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticized by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Also read: TikTok ban: Madras High Court asks Centre to ban app for 'encouraging pornography' Bytedance challenged the state court's ban order in India's Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. The top court had referred the case back to the state court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold, K. Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said. TikTok earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. It did not comment further on the judge's decision. The company however welcomed the decision to appoint a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings. The state court has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for April 24. Salman Waris, a technology lawyer at TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, said the legal action against Bytedance could set a precedent of Indian courts intervening to regulate content on social media and other digital platforms. In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance argued that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. The company employs more than 250 people in India and had plans for more investment as it expands the business, it said. Also read: Tiktok introduces more safety initiatives in India Also read: TikTok to hire chief nodal officer in India amid calls for ban over 'inappropriate' content Ireland's Central Bank has requested from government the power to activate a so-called systemic risk buffer that would impose additional capital requirements on banks to further protect the economy, Governor Philip Lane said on Tuesday. Systemic risk buffers have been applied in some other European Union economies. Lane said that, for Ireland, the aim would be to add resilience against "tail risks" - economic shocks unlikely to occur but which would have a significant impact on the economy and financial system if they did. Lane said the main such risk facing Ireland - leaving aside Brexit - is its high dependence on multinational firms and that if there were a persistent shock to that sector, the cumulative economic decline "would dwarf a normal cyclical recession." Ireland is the European home for firms such as Google and Facebook that account for around one-in-ten jobs among the country's two million workers, and contribute almost 20% of the state's total tax revenues via corporation tax. "Imagine a scenario in which some of that faded away. It would be amplified by the fact that if some of these firms contracted or left, then people would leave as well because a lot of them hire international workers and the technology embedded in those firms would leave too," Lane said. "A firm that is doing well now may not necessarily be doing well five years from now. It is for that reason we do think we want to examine whether the Irish financial system is resilient enough in the event of that being a structural problem." The calibration and timing of the systemic risk buffer - if permitted by government - will be based on a thorough, evidence-based assessment, Lane added, indicating that would be left for his successor when he leaves to become the European Central Bank's chief economist in June. Along with other central banks, Ireland has forced lenders to be more conservative since the last financial crisis through the introduction of mortgage lending limits and, from this July, an additional capital buffer that must be set aside as extra protection against risks from future crises. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie (AFR) Australias Monash University has signed a deal worth AU$100 million ($72 million) over 10 years for Chinese investors and local governments to commercialize research and development (R&D) coming out of the university's Melbourne campus. Monash Technology and Transformation Institute (MTTI), based in Shenzhen, will incubate early-stage IP developed in the university's faculties of medicine, pharmaceuticals and engineering. The announcement comes after the Australian government was criticized by universities for failing to put more money into R&D in its annual budget. Monash deputy vice-chancellor for enterprise Ken Sloan said the decision to tie up with China was owing to the country's giant scale which made it invaluable for investment dollars, clinical trials and long-term sales. The majority of Australian taxpayer-funded research is never commercialized; that means the full potential for Australians and the international community is not realized. He said the commercialization valley of death between academic research and industry application was particularly bad in a country like Australia with just 25 million people. As well, Australian philanthropic and industry-funded schemes had reached a saturation point. What Australia lacks and is likely never to have is a capacity to complete the development pathway. He said venture capital investment in China exceeded AU$200 billion in 2018 and the Shenzhen government (which is one of the partners) spends more than 4% of the province's gross domestic product on R&D. The commercial partners, Shenzhen Junye Yungu Investment Development Co. Ltd. and Changjun Capital Investment Management (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. are based in southern China and involved in management of science parks, incubation services and investment management. The other partners are Shenzhen Municipal and Pingshan District governments. Mr Sloan said he was well aware of the other potential controversy in doing a research deal with China, the Huawei factor. Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has been banned from tendering for Australia's 5G broadband network on grounds it might be infiltrated by the Chinese communist government. On IP security, we've talked to our partners about the fact we want to protect the university's interests. That wasn't a surprise to them. They have their interests to protect as well. This has reputational impacts for everybody. As a university we're an international organization. We are in India and Malaysia. And after all, we already do research in China. Pharmaceuticals and therapeutics Mr Sloan said the biggest activity of MTTI would be pharmaceuticals and therapeutic goods. For pharmaceutical products you have to be close to the market. The university wants to make a significant contribution to Victoria and Australia but to do that you have to be international. He said the university was not putting any equity into the deal but it would earn income once products reached commercialization stage. It was a model that other universities in Australia would have to be looking at, even allowing for deep-pocket funds like the nations Medical Research Future Fund. Monash University has run a graduate research school with Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai since 2008 and has a medical school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This story was originally published in The Australian Financial Review. The former head of the PLA's Institute for Disease Control and Prevention has had his doctoral degree revoked due to plagiarism. Photo: IC The former director of the Peoples Liberation Armys Institute for Disease Control and Prevention has been stripped of his doctorate due to plagiarism, according to a notification from the university seen by Caixin. Portions of Huang Liuyus 2007 doctoral thesis were found to have been copied from another students thesis that had been turned in several years earlier, which the Army Medical University said constituted academic misconduct. Chinese academias plagiarism problem came into the spotlight again recently when actor Zhai Tianlin was accused of plagiarism and dishonesty in obtaining academic qualifications from the Beijing Film Academy. He was removed from a program at the prestigious Peking Universitys Guanghua School of Management in February following a stern statement from the Ministry of Education. Last September, once highly-respected college professor Han Chunyu was caught on tape discussing providing thesis ghostwriting services to masters and doctoral students. Huang, 57, was formerly in charge of the branch of Chinas military that handles disease prevention and control and has tackled major epidemics and public health emergencies. He obtained his masters degree from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and his doctorate from the Third Military Medical University, now known as the Army Medical University. While working for the military, he mainly focused on researching biosafety and the management of disease. According to public information, he is or has been a member of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, the Translational Medicine Specialties Committee, and the China Health Inspection Association. He has published more than 70 papers in publications listed on the Science Citation Index, and his 2014 paper on disease monitoring systems, prevention, and control won a military award for scientific and technological advancements. The Army Medical University told Caixin that it was unsure where Huang is working now. According to the university notice, Huangs doctoral thesis contained content from the doctoral dissertation of another student at the university, Shi Zhaoxing, from seven years earlier. The two dissertations had similar titles, used similar methodologies, and had similar results, leading the university to conclude that Huang had plagiarized Shis work. Recently, government organs have issued guidelines to crack down on academic misconduct and thesis fraud. In September, the Central Military Commissions Science and Technology Commission published guidelines urging defense researchers to avoid forgery and plagiarism in their work. The State Council has also issued guidelines to improve Chinas track record in scientific research. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were designated to take the lead in managing integrity in research in science and social sciences. The new policy instructed MOST to formulate a blacklist of poor quality academic journals. The militarys Institute for Disease Control and Prevention was founded after the SARS outbreak in 2003 and is a branch of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. In addition to health and disease monitoring, policy consultation, and supervision, it is also tasked with developing defenses against nuclear, biological, and chemical pollution. Contact reporter Ren Qiuyu (qiuyuren@caixin.com) In an effort to curtail money laundering through real estate in British Columbiaa well-documented problema group of organizations are lobbying the provincial and federal governments with the appropriate steps to take. The British Columbia Real Estate Association, the Appraisal Institute of Canada-B.C. Association, B.C. Notaries Association, Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association-British Columbia and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver collaborated on how to tackle the problem and also released their joint recommendations to the media. Given that multiple parties are involved in real estate transactions, the group says that it will require a coordinated effort to ensure that unscrupulous forces are kept at bay and prevented from washing dirty money through the provinces real estate. A real estate transaction involves multiple professionals. It will take a coordinated effort by all involved, working in collaboration with government, to stop money laundering. The joint recommendations and best practices submitted by these organizations reflect their commitment to the professionals and consumers they serve, read a media statement. A major barrier for would-be money launderers is insistence upon only accepting verified funds, and the group recommends all sectors of real estate align on that point. Additionally, mandatory anti-money laundering education is recommended for all real estate professionals so that they can identify suspicious activity and accordingly report it. FINTRAC [Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada] should work closely with sector organizations, regulators and the provincial government to improve existing resources so that they better reflect real world situations and improve compliance, continued the statement. The group also proposed what it calls smart regulation, by which the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act is amended so that FINTRAC intelligence can find its way to the right government bodies, including the B.C. Securities Commission and the Financial Institutions Commission, with ease. Optimally, the federal and provincial government, as well as their respective agencies, should coordinate their actions, share information, such as the provincial assignment registry, and create a comprehensive, efficient enforcement regime. For the sake of developing compliance resources and test policy ideas, the group recommends FINTRACT regularly engage real estate professionals. This will result in well-crafted, practical regulation and foster a culture of compliance to protect consumers and the economy. The North American T-28 Trojan is one of military aviations truly great aircraft, both in terms of its function as originally designed, training young military pilots to fly high performance aircraft, and for its versatility; with certain airframe modifications, it became a potent Counter Insurgency (COIN) and close air support aircraft and even a dive bomber. With this article, however, we are interested in those T-28s supplied to France under the Mutual Assistance Program. After WWII, France was in a serious struggle to regain/retain its colonial empire. By the late 1950s, it was fighting a desperate campaign to keep its foothold in Algeria, a land which it had long considered to be French soil, rather than simply a colony. The French Air Force had been using T-6G Texans, modified with machine guns and hard points, as COIN aircraft in Algeria, but the type was ill-suited to the role, especially as it was so underpowered when weighted down with munitions. In the T-28 however, they saw a solution to their problems, not with the U.S. Air Force T-28A variant (with its 800HP Wright R-1300), but rather the U.S. Navys beefier T-28B which was equipped for carrier operations, and hence had a more powerful 1425HP Wright R-1820 engine installed. However, there were no surplus T-28Bs to be had in the late 1950s, so the French acquired nearly 150 former U.S. Air Force T-28As, and had them modified with R-1820s, a three-bladed propellor, armor plating, and four wing hard points for bombs, rocket pods, and/or gun pods with twin .50 cal. machine guns. The surplus T-28As started arriving in St.Nazaire, France during 1959. Frances Sud Aviation was responsible for carrying out the modifications, with the resultant product becoming known as the T-28S Fennec (Fennec being the French word for desert fox. Two prototypes, based upon T-28As 51-3593 and 51-3751, came first, but the type received rapid approved for production. The first Fennec off the Sud Aviation line is the subject aircraft for this article, T-28A 51-7632. North American Aviation delivered 632 to the US Air Force on January 28th, 1953. She initially joined the 3580th Pilot Training Wing (Air Training Command) at Foster AFB in Victoria, Texas soon after, moving in March, 1954 to the 3307th PTS at Marana AFB in Marana, Arizona. By April, 1955 the T-28 had transferred to the 3301st PTS at Moore AFB in Mission, Texas, her final active unit within the US. Air Force, before retiring to storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona in August, 1959. She didnt linger in Tucson for long though, as she was soon on a boat to France for conversion in Sud Aviations factory. The French Air Force, or Armee de lAir as it is officially known, formally accepted 51-7632 in April, 1960. The Fennec was soon on its way to Algeria, where it would join the Light Support Squadron Aviation units, or Escadrilles dAviation Legere dAppui (EALA) in the close air support role. Her first unit was EALA 3/09 at Telergma where her callsign became F-SFTA. She then moved to EALA 3/04 with callsign F-SFVA, although still based at Telergma. The Fennecs were heavily involved in COIN operations, but ultimately, of course, the French efforts to retain Algeria failed, and on July 3rd, 1962 the nation finally freed itself from the yoke of colonial rule. As a result, France now had a sizable fleet of light combat aircraft that it no longer needed. Initially, the aircraft returned to France and either went into storage, or into a reserve unit. 51-7632 joined ERALA 4/37 (Escadrilles de Reserve dAviation Legere dAppui) with callsign F-SDOA. However, this was a brief assignment. The French government began selling on their Fennecs in 1964, with the bulk of them going to Morocco and Argentina. 51-7632 went to Morocco, joining the newly-formed Force Aerienne Royale Marocaine, or Moroccan Air Force, in September 1965 with serial number 1 and callsign CNA-EP. The resilient combat aircraft served in Morocco for the two decades before transfer to the Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, or Honduran Air Force, on October 15th, 1977 along with seven other examples. Interestingly, this sale was brokered through the late David Tallichets Yesterdays Air Force. Getting the Fennecs from Morocco to Honduras proved to be an epic task, and one of some intrigue. With a mixture of Moroccan and Honduran pilots the Fennecs traversed Spain, France, the UK, Iceland, Canada and the USA, not to mention vast stretches of the North Atlantic. Fennec No.1, our subject aircraft, departed Rabat, Morocco with the civilian registration HR-226A on July 29th, 1978, routing through Santa Maria (Spain) Horta (Azores) St Johns (Newfoundland, Canada) Yarmouth (Maine?) Freeport Nassau (Bahamas) and finally made it to Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on August 7th, 1978 with Captain Oscar A. Servellon Moradel and Juan Ramon Caceres Vasquez taking turns with the flying along the way. Interestingly, while Fennec No.8 (ex-USAF T-28A 51-7844) also made it to Honduras, the remaining six ex-Moroccan Air Force Fennecs did not. Apparently, the Honduran government cancelled the letter of credit for their payment, and this left these other Fennecs stranded wherever they happened to be a the time, either Lakehurst, New Jersey, or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Those aircraft all eventually ended up being formally imported into the USA by Tallichets organization, although it took some time to sort out the paperwork. 51-7632 received the identification EM 227 while in the Honduran Air Force, but the Fennec was already a tired airframe by this point, and was withdrawn from service by August 27th, 1984. The other Fennec to make it to Honduras, 51-7844, wasnt so lucky, being written off in a crash on November 10th, 1978. In 1986, Courtesy Aircraft bought the Fennec, along with a mixed bag of nine other Honduran T-28s, importing them back to the U.S. via ship. They arrived at the port of New Orleans in Louisiana, and were trucked the rest of the way to Courtesys home in Rockford, Illinois. After a period of maintenance and reassembly, the Fennec took flight again over U.S. soil in January 1987. We will now let one of her new owners, Jim Bixby, pick up the story Registered as N632NA, the plane passed through several owners around the US before being acquired by Bob Grondzik (Skyraider Bob) in 2000. He based the plane in Ramona CA and flew it regularly along with his A-1H Skyraider, BuNo 139606. The Fennec had its last condition inspection in December 2010, and it doesnt appear to have flown since. It sat in a hangar at Ramona collecting dust for the next several years. Fennec No 1 was put up for sale in late 2016, and was acquired by a partnership of owners (John Cotter, Dewey Lockwood, Martin Detloff, John Bixby and Jim Bixby) in Texas in early 2017. The plane entered the shop (Tony Wisers Victory Aircraft Service in Ramona CA) for an extensive condition inspection, which required quite a bit of work to bring it back to airworthy condition. The propeller, prop governor, and carburetor were sent out for inspection and overhaul, and the oxygen and fire bottles were sent out for testing. After eighteen months in the shop with slow progress, Pete Blood from Fighter Rebuilders in Chino was brought in to finish the project. The gear struts, brake master cylinders, and speed brake cylinders were refurbished along with many hydraulic, oil and fuel lines being replaced. The battery was replaced and an oil filter kit was installed. All four fuel bladders were sent out for inspection and repair. A lot of small items that had been deferred during previous inspections had to be addressed as well. The first engine run in over two years took place on February 16th. After several more engine runs and oil screen checks, John Bixby made the first test flight on February 17th. After several more flights circling overhead Ramona and more oil screen checks, the Fennec was pronounced fit for John Bixby to take her on the long cross-country trip to her new home in Houston, Texas. The airplane ran beautifully on the journey, which took three days due to weather conditions in the Houston area. The Fennec will be appearing at various Texas air shows in the coming months. We hope you have enjoyed reading this piece about an important variant of the T-28 Trojan. Many thanks to Jim Bixby for his contributions to the article. Jim will soon be checked out in the Fennec too, and we wish he and his friends a grand time with this beautiful aircraft in the years to come! 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. Notre Dame is to the French identity much more than the World Trade Centers were to American commerce or the Pentagon to American power. The cathedral of Paris is more than even Windsor Castle is to the royal Family, where the British bury their kings and queens. So the (partial) destruction of Notre Dame is more devastating than the destruction of those buildings, though less so at the same time because there was no loss of life Just last week, I wrote here about the Louvre and the great Leonardo da Vinci treasures it holds. And now, the greatest treasure of France, Notre Dame de Paris, has burned. What burned in Paris this Holy Week? Principally a church, the great church of the French people, their culture, their heritage, their nationnone of which can be understood apart from the Catholic faith, even if that faith itself has been battered and abandoned over the years, and today. Notre Dame, over its eight centuries, has seen dark days. Some commentators got it wrong yesterday when they said this was the worst day in its nearly millennial history. No, the worst days were during the French revolution, when the cathedral was desecrated, turned into a sacrilegious temple to the "goddess of reason" by the first bloodthirsty totalitarians of the modern age. The fires of hell burn much hotter than the fire in Paris on Monday. Now all of France is pledging its loyalty to Notre Dame, with the French president in the first place promising that it will be rebuilt. Wealthy French families pledged close to a billion Canadian dollars in the first 24 hours. That is just and right, but the reality is that the fire reminded France that it has long neglected Notre Dame. The urgent restoration works currently underway were done on an uncertain financial foundation, with neither the church, nor the government, nor the philanthropic sector equal to the task. Sometimes you don't know what you have until it is (almost) gone. Notre Dame is not only for France. It belongs, as Pope Francis said on Tuesday, to the "patrimony of all humanity." More particular, it is the mother church of the entire Francophone world. Is the faith sufficiently strong in France today to rebuild? Are they capable of what their ancestors built, over three centuries, in a medieval profusion of scientific and artistic creativity? In 1823, one of the largest churches in europe, St. Paul's Basilica in rome, built over the tomb of the Apostle Paul, was severely damaged in a fire, some 1,500 years after its original construction. The fire was started by a workman on the roof; a similar incident might be the cause of the fire at Notre Dame. But I first thought that it was a deliberate attack, because in recent weeks more than a dozen French churches have been vandalized and desecrated. St. Sulpicethe second largest church in Parishad its front door set ablaze by an arsonist less than a month ago. It seems that the Notre Dame fire was an accident, but investigators must not assume that. Violence against Catholic churches is becoming something of an epidemic in France. St. Paul's in Rome was rebuilt and re-consecrated in 1855, after countries all over the world made contributions. The Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, a Muslim, sent precious pillars of alabaster, and the empress of russia, an Orthodox Christian, sent the malachite and lapis lazuli for the tabernacle. It would be fitting if the entire francophone made their own contributions. The government of Quebec should be first in line, an offering which could double as a penance for its recent anti-religious aggression. When news came that the heroic chaplain of the fire brigade rushed into the burning cathedral to rescue the Eucharistthe very presence of God for which such cathedrals are builtand the precious relics, I thought of a Quebec hero. In 1966, the residence of the Quebec lieutenant-governor, Paul Comtois, was consumed by a raging fire. Comtois, a devout Catholic, had a chapel in the residence and, after seeing his family to safety, made his way through the fire to remove the Eucharist from the chapel. He made it to the tabernacle and removed the Blessed Sacrament, but died as he left the upper floor, the stairway collapsing around him. He burned to death as a martyr for the eucharist. That is the faith of which Notre Dame de Paris is the maternal cradle and monumental expression. Is the faith sufficiently strong in France today to rebuild? Are they capable of what their ancestors built, over three centuries, in a medieval profusion of scientific and artistic creativity? Notre Dame is now a test for a France so proud of its modernity, a civilization so proud of its progress, a world so proud of its power. Can we do now what they did then? A great buildingand no building in France was greater than Notre Dametells us the story of the people who built it, and which, in turn, it shapes. Victor Hugo, whose 19th-century novels helped spur interest in the neglected cathedral, wrote words that are a challenge to France this Holy Week: "The greatest productions of architecture are not so much the work of individuals as of a community; are rather the offspring of a nation's labour than the outcome of individual genius; the deposit of a whole people; the heaped-up treasure of centuries; the residuum left by the successive evaporations of human society," Hugo wrote. "each wave of time leaves its coating of alluvium, each race deposits its layers on the monuments, each individual contributes his stone to it." Does the 21st century have any worthy stones to contribute? Power Cement expansion runs smoothly 17 April 2019 Power Cement of Pakistan has released a progress report on the implementation of the Nooriabad expansion project for the quarter ended 31 March 2019. In view of the ongoing progress, a new date for trial production would be announced soon, according to a company official. The original expected date for trial production was June this year. Power Cement is implementing an ambitious expansion plan to install a new line of 7700tpd at the company's existing site Nooriabad Industrial Area, Kalo Kohar District. Jamshoroo, Sindh. In early 2017 equipment supply and supervision contracts were signed with FLSmidth. The construction and erection contract had also been finalised with China-based TEPC and the company has since then been working actively to complete the project within due timelines. The contract for the civil construction was awarded to a well-known Chinese contractor CECC Tianjin (Pakistan) Electric Power Construction (Pvt) Ltd. The contractor is fully mobilised at the plant site and up to now, 97 per cent of the civil works are completed. The complete plant has been imported and the mechanical and electrical drawings are complete. Currently, 30 per cent of the erection work has been completed. The design phase of the new 40MW grid station and its column bar fixing has been completed, civil work has started and related shipments except transformer have been arranged at site and installed. The lightening protection work is under progress. Once the said expansion is complete, PCL will be one of the most cost-efficient cement manufacturers of Pakistan and the second-largest cement producer in the southern zone, with production capacity of 3.5Mta. The plant has proximity to Karachi and Interior Sindh. Published under Rwanda Bureau of Standards rejects Hima Cement imports 17 April 2019 Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) returned cement imports into Rwanda by Uganda's Hima Cement Ltd (LafargeHolcim group) last month after they failed to meet the country's import quality standards. The cement that was transported in three 30t trucks was returned to Uganda, confirmed Uganda's government paper, New Vision. RBS Director General, Raymond Murenzi, clarified that the goods were subjected to routine standards tests which they failed to meet. The cement packages were found to weigh between 47kg and 48kg despite being labelled to weigh 50kg, prompting the standards body to turn the cargo back to its country of origin. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe, said that Rwanda's borders remain open for trade and imports but noted that products entering the market are subjected to quality checks. Published under The first class of Leadership Hamilton County Schools completed their year of work and graduated today with a better understanding of the schools in our community and the challenges faced as the district prepares graduates for success after high school. Leadership Hamilton County Schools was a new opportunity for the community to get involved in our public schools this year. The first class included 16 community leaders representing businesses, non-profits, government, and faith-based organizations. The program involved six-sessions during the school year that allowed participants to experience the people and programs in our area schools preparing our children for success. Leadership Hamilton County has shown me the dedication, effort, and commitment the current leadership team has to excellence, said Joshua Sneideman, vice president of Learning Blade. I am excited that I was able to be a part of this group and more excited that my daughters are in Hamilton County Schools. The sessions in the program provided the participants with an in-depth look at our community schools including education governance, an overview of the Future Ready 2023 five-year district action plan, communications, Future Ready Institutes, budgeting, transportation, school facilities, and future-ready students. The group was even able to be principal for a day in a local school during the year to get a close look at what it takes to lead a school. I commend these community leaders for taking time out of their busy schedules to better understand our school system and to make a difference for the children of our community, said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. Working together, we can reach our community goal of becoming the smartest city in the South and prepare our children for success in life after graduation. I now have an appreciation of what is happening at all levels of our schools from the administrative level down to the individual classrooms, said Molly Blankenship, vice president of Talent Initiatives at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. The ability to see the pockets of innovation that are present throughout the district was just great. We have been able to see all of the amazing things that the educators in Hamilton County Schools are doing to change the trajectory for our students, commented Miles Huff, in community relations for Unum. I am really grateful for the experience. The Leadership Hamilton County Schools class will be recognized at the Hamilton County Board of Education meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Leadership Hamilton County Schools first class included: A revised ordinance has been drawn up that would set the stage for allowing electric scooters in Chattanooga. City Council members did not indicate when - or if - they would consider the ordinance prepared by the City Transportation Department with input from several city agencies. An initial ordinance was presented to the council last fall, but several council members indicated strong reservations about allowing the scooters. Blythe Bailey, city transportation director, said the new ordinance takes into account input from council members and others. He said this document was much improved over the original. The new ordinance would allow a company to deploy up to 300 electric scooters in the Urban Overlay District (includes downtown, North Chattanooga and Hill City, east to Missionary Ridge and south to the Georgia line). Councilman Darrin Ledford, told there are 4-6 scooter companies, said, "That could be up to a thousand scooters." A representative of Lime Electric Scooters said some cities, including Knoxville, have used an RFP process to choose just one company to work with. She said for a city the size of Chattanooga, the number deployed would need to be at least 300 initially. The representative said Lime charges $1 to unlock a scooter and 15 cents a minute afterward. For those who live in public housing the charge would be 50 cents to unlock and seven cents a minute. The scooters would not be allowed on public sidewalks, but could be on shared-used paths, such as the Riverwalk and the Virginia Avenue Greenway in St. Elmo. Companies would pay an application fee of $110 per new vehicle. Operators would need to respond within two hours for repairs to disabled vehicles. There was concern expressed about DUI on a scooter. It was noted that driver's licenses are not required for the scooters. However, inebriated offenders could be charged with public intoxication. There would be a 12-month trial period to see how the scooters work out. The City Council would have the "nuclear option" of discontinuing the program at any time. The Salvation Army of Chattanooga celebrates Easter Sunday with its traditional Easter Sunrise Service at The Chattanooga National Cemetery at 1200 Bailey Ave. around the flag pole overlooking downtown Chattanooga. For over four decades, The Salvation Army has partnered with The Chattanooga National Cemetery for this special Easter Sunrise Service. The community is invited to worship together in this location beginning at 7:02 a.m. as the sun rises over Chattanooga. Be sure to come early for parking and seating. Music will be provided by the Jericho Brass Band and special guests. Chattanooga Salvation Army Area Commander, Major Mark Smith, will deliver the message centering on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Salvation Army is expecting an attendance of more than 300 attendees. The service will be held rain or shine. For more information, contact Kimberly George, director of Marketing and Development, at 503-1801 (cell), at 756-1023 (office), or visit csarmy.org. is still being treated for his injuries at a local hospital. Upon his release, he will face the following charges: three counts of attempted first degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unlawful possession of a firearm, and felony reckless endangerment. Chattanooga Police officer was involved, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office was called in to investigate. The responding officers were placed on administrative leave under department policy until the investigation is complete. The incident occurred after police were dispatched to 2000 Cleveland Avenue. Northwest Georgias favorite fall family event shifts dates for the 2019 Wings Over North Georgia Air Show to Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 1. The eighth annual event will take place at Russell Regional Airport in Rome, GA and is presented by JLC AirShow Management. Were excited about the momentum built from the 2017 and 2018 air shows. In 2017, we hosted the largest crowds to date with near record-breaking attendance during our most recent event, said JLC AirShow Management President John Cowman. Each year, we carefully select and invite a few new performers while hosting many favorite acts from previous years. We also add some new elements to enhance activities on the ground. Plans for the 2019 show are well underway with a few surprises in mind. There are a number of first-time appearances scheduled. The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team will Jump In for their inaugural visit to the show. Members of this elite group of skydivers have performed and competed for more than 50 years at more than 16,000 shows. Greg Colyer will join the lineup in the T-33 Shooting Star he calls Ace Maker. The T-33 was first introduced as a training aircraft in the late 1940s and was a variant of the P-80, both designed and manufactured by Lockheed. The aircraft was used as the primary advanced trainer for all Air Force pilots for nearly 20 years. Greg has thrilled audiences with his performances at air shows in Ace Maker since 2008. Redline Airshows is a dynamic two-ship formation aerobatic performance team. The Redline Team flies the Vans RV-8 homebuilt aircraft. These two-seat, tandem aircraft are extremely versatile and capable of speeds up to 230 miles per hour. The two aircraft interact with each other in a variety of formations including opposing and inverted maneuvers. On the ground, air show attendees will have the chance to witness the fierce triple-jet power of Jerry McCart and the Homewrecker Jet Truck. Three afterburners light up the runway as McCart races past the crowd. More than 36,000 horsepower is produced from the 18,000 pounds of thrust in the afterburners. Take advantage of early discounts for advance purchase tickets for the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show at www.WingsOverNorthGeorgia.com. Premium seating and family ticket packages are available with on-site reserved gold airport parking options. Guests interested in on-site camping options for the show can choose between premium infield and standard dry camping options. Airport parking lots will open at 8:00 a.m. with the gates opening to guests at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The opening ceremonies will kick-off each day at 12:30 p.m. followed by the first flying performances at 1 p.m.. The public can follow the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show across social media through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For the most-up-to-date air show news, parking tips, and other event information, please visit the shows social media sites. The Wings Over North Georgia airshow is an FAA, DoD, and International Council of Air Shows recognized event. For the full list of performers, activities, and ticket options air show fans, exhibitors, vendors, and sponsors can visit the official Wings Over North Georgia air show website. Pastor and radio engineer Glenn Morgan passed away Tuesday night, April 16. Glenn was everybody's friend. He served as WDYN chief engineer for 42 years. Glenn founded and was pastor of the Community Baptist Church on Signal Mountain for over 50 years. Glenn and his wife Dot were married for 68 years. Glenn was a graduate of the Tennessee Temple Bible School. Glenn and some of his friends put together plans for WDYN on his kitchen table in 1967. Tom Sneed, WDYN general manager, said, Glenn was an old time radio engineer. He collected parts for radio station equipment and could fix anything. Sneed said, Glenn was always ready to assist other engineers in Chattanooga when problems would arise. Glenn was a loving pastor with a servants heart." Glenn's favorite place to eat was Beas. He loved their fried chicken and mashed potatoes. His favorite Southern Gospel singing group was the Hyssongs. They sang at his church many times. Glenn was a Ham. He would always go to Hamfests around Chattanooga. On a personal note, we're certainly gonna miss Glenn but I'm sure if there are radio transmitters in Heaven the Lord already has him working on one. I was around Glenn many times through the years. I never heard him say an unkind word about anybody. Earl Freudenberg Erudition is that high level of learning acquired by reading, study, and scholarship. It is most often attributed to those who have given their life to academics. Rare though they be, there are such men who choose to give their lives to the more mundane labors of mankind and to those industries that are more apt to touch the lives of the masses. Although men such as this could have chosen to remain within the ivy covered walls enclosing the halls of learned scholars, some do not find satisfaction in the giving of lifes labors to increasing the academic knowledge of ephemeral things. They instead venture into the work of serving their fellow man in the difficult navigation of daily life. This kind of man is fulfilled only through being afforded the opportunity to give counsel to the people of his community. James Ross McKay was such a man. That James Ross McKay was a man who could rightly be called a man of letters was known to all who knew him. Yes, James Ross McKay was a man of erudition, but he owed his fame chiefly to his personality. That wry grin of his, which when it spread across his countenance, announced to the world that this was a man who appreciated humor and who did not take himself too seriously. When he was amused a facial contortion spread across his face that caused his eyes to all but disappear until the punchline was delivered after which he would join his company in hearty laughter. I had the privilege of working with Jim McKay for most of twenty five years as his law partner. I had heard that there was a former teacher and band director who had become a lawyer and had had seen him in court defending indigents in criminal cases. I watched as he stood before the court and advocated for the poor. These were the hardest of cases and the odds were against him but there stood James Ross McKay arguing for this client without fear or embarrassment. I was impressed and pulled him aside after court telling him that if he was ever interested I would like to someday practice law with him. The day he came to work with me as my partner changed the course of my life for the better. Jim and I worked for twenty five years representing thousands of debtors in bankruptcy proceedings. With his leadership and tireless work and long hours Fuller and McKay became the eighth largest bankruptcy law firm in the state of Georgia. Our clients were the honest working people of Northwest Georgia who were under the threat of becoming homeless with great burdens of debt caused by illness, death of a spouse, or loss of employment. The idea to take on this work was Jims idea entirely. I came reluctantly to the work. I will never forget the day he came to me saying that the people we were representing against the corporate giants were the same people Jesus had called The least of these. James Ross McKay was a good and decent man. He dearly loved his wife, Amy Shelly McKay whom he married on the 19th day of June, 2009. He also loved his children; Cameron Ross McKay, who preceded him in death in 1988; Collin Charles McKay who preceded him in death in 2014; his beautiful daughters, Jennifer Kelley McKay of Rome, and Heather McKay-Schraeder of New Braunfels,Tx.; two stepsons, Stafford Andrew McPherson of Wildwood, Ga. and James Andrew Madden of Chattanooga; two grandsons, Charles Andrew Schraeder and Allen Ross Schraeder of new Braunfels, Tx.; one step grandson, Eli James McPherson of Wildwood, Ga. Mr. McKay passed away at his residence following a long struggle with cancer. In compliance with his wishes, he is to be cremated and no services will be held to mark his passing. Those who wish to extend condolences are urged to make a donation to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org. James Ross McKay came this way and left his mark advocating for the poor and the disadvantaged. The world is the better for it. We all know that Diana was the Princess of Wales but was she also the princess of shade? In Andrew Mortons Diana: Her True Story, Diana recounted her experience giving birth to both Prince Harry and Prince William, but not without throwing a little shade at her former husband, Prince Charles. The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a welcome ceremony in Toronto | Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images Picking the date to give birth to Prince William If you thought that the media circus surrounding Meghan Markles pregnancy is insane, then you might not remember how crazy it was when Diana had William. In fact, the pressure was so great that Diana decided to induce to give birth more quickly. When we had William, we had to find a date in the diary that suited Charles and his polo, the princess said. William had to be induced because I couldnt handle the press pressure any longer, it was becoming unbearable. It was as if everyone was monitoring every day for me. Diana was very grateful that Charles could find time to be there for his sons birth. Anyway, the boy arrived, great excitement, she continued. Thrilled, everyone absolutely high as a kite we had found a date where Charles could get off his polo pony for me to give birth. That was very nice, felt grateful about that! Dianas pregnancy with Harry Diana didnt have to work around a polo schedule for Harrys birth. In fact, leading up to the princes birth, Diana and Charles were the closest that they had ever been, according to Diana. MAJORCA, SPAIN AUGUST 10: Diana, Princess of Wales with Prince Harry on holiday in Majorca, Spain on August 10, 1987. (Photo by Georges De Keerle/Getty Images) Though this pregnancy brought her and her husband closer together, Diana still didnt tell Charles the sex of the child before he was born. I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan, she said in the memoir. Charles always wanted a girl. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl. I knew Harry was a boy, and I didnt tell him. Once the baby was born, Charles was less than ecstatic. First comment was: Oh God, its a boy, second comment: And hes even got red hair,' she said remembering the day that Harry was born. By Harrys christening, Charles still hadnt warmed up to the fact that he was a boy. We were so disappointed we thought it would be a girl,' Diana said that Charles told her mother at Harrys christening. TETBURY, UNITED KINGDOM JULY 18: Princess Diana Resting Her Head In Her Hands Whilst Sitting On The Steps Of Her Home At Highgrove, Gloucestershire. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images) But Dianas mother didnt want to listen to Charles negative outlook. Mummy snapped his head off, saying: You should realize how lucky you are to have a child thats normal, she said. Every since that day the shutters have come down, and thats what he does when he gets somebody answering back at him. Sadly, shortly after Harry was born, Diana and Charles marriage went up in flames. Then, suddenly, as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage, she continued. The whole thing went down the drain. Charles went on to rekindle his romance with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and marry her. Read more: Has Prince Harry Introduced Meghan Markle to Princess Dianas Family? Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Meghan Markles transition to royal life hasnt exactly been easy especially thanks to her father, Thomas Markle. But, now, it appears the Duchess of Sussex is putting the drama with her father behind her. Find out why, ahead. Meghan Markles relationship with her father Meghan Markle | JEREMY SELWYN/AFP/Getty Images The Duchess of Sussexs relationship with her father wasnt always rocky (or public). In fact, the two were very close when she was a child and remained that way even after she moved to Toronto to film Suits. According to reports, after Thomas Markle filed bankruptcy in 2016, his daughter offered her help. Shes been supportive of him in every day, including financially, an unnamed source told People. She has paid many of her fathers bills over the years. Royal wedding drama After announcing her engagement to Prince Harry, things really started to go south for Meghan Markles relationship with her father. Leading up to the royal wedding, Thomas Markle staged paparazzi photos for money. He then revealed to TMZ that he suffered a heart attack and had to undergo surgery ahead of the royal wedding. Due to his health (and possibly the drama), Thomas Markle was unable to attend the royal wedding and walk his daughter down the aisle. Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding, Meghan Markle announce in a Kensington Palace statement. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health. I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support, she added. A public plea Following the royal wedding, Thomas Markle (and other family members) did not stay out of the press, causing more drama for the Duchess of Sussex. And, in February 2019, he released a private five-page letter from his daughter. In the personal note, Meghan Markle asked expressed her deep hurt over the pain he has caused her through the tabloids. Daddy, it is with a heavy heart that I write this, not understanding why you have chosen to take this path, turning a blind eye to the pain youre causing Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces not simply because you have manufactured such unnecessary and unwarranted pain, but by making the choice not to tell the truth as you are puppeteered into this. Something I will never understand, she wrote. Meghan Markle wants to put the drama behind her Despite all of the pain Thomas Markle has caused his daughter, the Duchess of Sussex is putting the drama behind her to focus on motherhood. I think really shes been incredibly hurt and disappointed by how many members of her family have behaved, but from what I am told, shes moved on, royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed to Fox News. Shes making a family of her own and I think sometimes that can be unifying. However, Im not sure if we will necessarily see that with the Markle and Im not sure we will see it with Meghan and her father in particular, she added. According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex has cut ties with her father altogether and is focusing on the next chapter of her life. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Meghan Markle might have stepped away from the spotlight for her maternity leave; however, that doesnt mean the Duchess of Sussex has stopped working. While she awaits the arrival of Baby Sussex, Markle has settled into her new home, Frogmore Cottage with her husband Prince Harry, and together the royal couple has launched their own Instagram account. Since they announced their engagement in Nov. 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared an Instagram account Kensington Royal with Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton. However, since the Sussexes recently split their household with the Cambridges, theyve also opened their very own Instagram accountSussex Royal. The royal duo already have a robust following of nearly 5 million and many folks are convinced that Markle is writing the Instagram captions herself. Is Meghan Markle writing the Instagram posts on @SussexRoyal? Markle was a major fan of social media before entering the British Royal Family. Just before announcing her engagement to Prince Harry, the former actress deleted her lifestyle blog, The Tig and wiped her entire online footprint. With @SussexRoyal, the duchess has the opportunity to speak directly to the public once again. ITV News Royal editor, Chris Ship believes that Markle is responsible for some of the couples more personal Instagram posts. In a recent post where the Sussexes thanked the public for their charitable donations on behalf of Baby Sussex, Ship said, Meghan thanks those who made charity donations in lieu of baby presents. The Duchess of Sussex has written on the couples @instagram page The informal style of writing "YOU chose to be part of the collective good combined with North American idioms such as "diapers" suggests Meghan may have written the thank you post 2/2 pic.twitter.com/UppneurbiI Patricia Treble (@PatriciaTreble) April 15, 2019 Royal commentator Victoria Murphy suggested that you can tell when Markle posts because of her use of American terms. She said, Really interesting to see the informal and personal tone the #SussexRoyal social posts use, directly addressing the reader. Reporter Emily Nash replied to Murphy saying, And the use of the word diapers! Ship followed up saying, I think Meghan has written most of those Insta posts. And good for her. Why should we not expect the principals to do things directly and personally. Is it a good idea for Meghan Markle to be writing her own Instagram posts? Were sure that being a member of the British Royal Family, especially as an American and women of color can feel very isolating. Connecting to the public in a positive way might help Markle feel less alone. Ship asked, Should we not applaud her for her personal and direct involvement? Much better than asking staff to do it, no? I think Meghan has written most of those Insta posts. And good for her. Why should we not expect the principals to do thinks directly and personally Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 15, 2019 Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle debut the very first photos of Baby Sussex on their new Instagram account? Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very independent people. With their own household and social media accounts, they will have greater control over their images including when they will debut photos of Baby Sussex. Since they are keeping detials about their littles birth private, we think they will use their Sussex Royal Instagram account to debut the first photos of Baby Sussex who is set to arrive any day now. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! When it comes to choosing a baby name, parents have a lot of options. Commoners can pretty much pick any name that suits them. Royals on the other hand, usually need to stick with a strict set of options. There has been a lot of speculation lately about what name Megan Markle and Prince Harry will choose for Baby Sussex. Some believe that they are sticking with tradition and selecting from a pre-approved list. Others think they might go with something unique. You might be wondering why people believe they could go with a unique name for Baby Sussex. Well, Megan Markle is an American celebrity. Celebrities in the United States often choose strange and unusual baby names. Then again Prince Harry comes from a long line of traditional names. So, would Queen Elizabeth actually reject Megan and Harrys unique baby name? Heres what we know so far. What names are the Duke and Duchess considering? As far as we know, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex havent told anyone what names they are officially considering. Traditionally they would choose from a list of past monarchs, like Kate Middleton and Prince William did for their three babies. If this is the case, we should expect a name like Victoria, Elizabeth, or Mary if Baby Sussex is a girl. Traditional boy names that many have mentioned include Alexander, Albert, and James. On the other hand, rumors have been flying that the couple is thinking about choosing Diana to honor Prince Harrys mother. Some have suggested untraditional names like Taylor, Cohen, or Hunter. When will we find out Baby Sussex name? With Baby Sussex expected to arrive this month, we might be finding out the name sooner than we think. The world is on pins and needles waiting for the official announcement. So how long until we find out which name was chosen? The process of choosing a name is longer for royals than it is for commoners. First, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will need to select the name. Next, they will need to notify the queen of their choice. Once Queen Elizabeth has the name, she will need to decide if it is worthy and acceptable. The queen will decide if the name is appropriate or if a new name will need to be chosen. Queen Elizabeth will also need to decide what title to give the baby. For example, Kate Middleton and Prince Williams third childs official name is His Royal Highness Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge. With names that long, it will take time for the queen to decide. If they go completely off the rail with their baby names, it may take even longer for Queen Elizabeth to approve or reject it. Would Queen Elizabeth reject Meghan and Harrys unique baby name? It is always a possibility that Queen Elizabeth might reject Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys unique baby name, especially if the name is very Hollywood, like Apple, North, or Coco. If the name is modern, but not out of the realm of sanity, then the queen may be fine with it. Alice, Doria, and Diana have been brought up as possible non-traditional royal names. These would likely be approved because Baby Sussex will be lower in the line of succession, reports Express. Unlike Kate Middleton and Prince Williams children, Baby Sussex is not as likely to ever take the royal throne. This makes it unnecessary to stick with strict rules and guidelines. In any case, the world is excited about the upcoming announcement. Whether the Duke and Duchess go with a traditional, non-traditional, or decidedly unique name, the world will be talking about it for a long time. Donations for 3 burned historic black churches pour in after Notre Dame fire 17 April, 2019 by Leonardo Blair , | Donations to restore three historically black churches torched in alleged arson attacks in Louisiana are pouring in after high profile figures like Hillary Clinton asked the public to remember them too when more than $700 million was quickly raised to restore the famed Notre Dame cathedral in France. "As we hold Paris in our thoughts today, let's also send some love to our neighbors in Louisiana. Three historically black churches have burned in recent weeks, charring buildings and scattering communities," Clinton tweeted Tuesday with a link to a GoFundMe campaign that had initially been struggling to raise the $1.8 million needed to restore the three churches. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church became the third historically black church over 100 years old to burn down in St. Landry Parish, in a span of 10 days earlier this month. St. Mary's Baptist Church was the first reported church fire on March 26 and Greater Union Baptist Church went up in flames a week later. Last Wednesday, the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149-year-old nonprofit religious organization, launched the GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise the $1.8 million to evenly distribute between the three churches to help them rebuild. On Monday morning, even after retired Christian New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, urged his supporters on Twitter over the weekend to support it, only about $60,000 had been raised. "It is imperative that we show this community and the entire country that these types of acts do not represent who we are. And most importantly as the body of Christ, we suffer alongside our brothers and sisters whenever tragedy, persecution or loss happens," he noted in one of several tweets on the church fires. It was a tweet from journalist Yashar Ali on Tuesday, as the world mourned over the Notre Dame, that sparked donations from liberals and conservatives alike. "The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded. In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. Please join me in donating," Ali wrote. "Wonderful, important cause. Just donated. Thanks for tweeting this, @yashar!" conservative pundit Ben Shapiro quickly responded. The campaign has since gone viral and as of Wednesday morning has galloped beyond the $1 million mark. Read more from "Donations for 3 burned historic black churches pour in after Notre Dame fire" on The Christian Post. A research team at Tel Aviv University in Israel have successfully 3D printed a heart made with human tissue. According to the Times of Israel, on Monday, Israeli scientists unveiled the first of its kind cherry-sized 3D printed heart, deeming it a major medical breakthrough. The lead scientists in the project, Tal Dvir, told the Times of Israel that his teams 3D printed heart marked the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers. Dvir noted that other scientists had successfully printed 3D hearts, but his heart is the first with cells and blood vessels. According to USA Today, the team is hoping that the ability to print 3D organs could help critical patients in need of organ transplants. While the Tel Aviv University teams heart is merely the size of a rabbits, they are hopeful that the seemingly successful printing of the tiny heart could eventually lead to the printing of a human-sized heart as well as organ patches. The research team notes that one advantage of the printed organs is that there would be a lower organ rejection rates as the organs would be generated using the patients own cells. This first rendering, however, is just the start. Dvir told theTimes of Israel that researchers are now tasked with teaching the heart how to behave like a real heart. Dvir shared that he hopes to be able to transplant the hearts into animals in the next year. In the next ten, he hopes that transplants using 3D printed organs are routine, though he noted that perhaps hospitals should begin with simpler organs than hearts. He told the outlet, Maybe, in 10 years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world, and these procedures will be conducted routinely. Photo courtesy: Rob Wingate/Unsplash Ive learned a lot from Glenn Sunshine, the longest-serving faculty member of the Colson Fellows Program, and a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University. Glenn not only gets history, he also really gets worldview and, even better, how worldview and history are related. On Monday night, as I was trying to make sense of the tragedy of the burning of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, I learned again from Dr. Sunshine. Part of my sadness was that Ive never visited this wonder of the world, where Henry VI, King of England, was also crowned King of France in 1431, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in 1804, and Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909. But there was more to my sadness, and the sadness of so many who, like me, were mourning the potential loss of a place theyve never seen. Glenns comments, posted on Facebook, are worth quoting: I am a historian. I revere the past. Artefacts that allow us to touch the centuries touch a deep place in my heart. Having lived in Paris, I feel a personal connection to Notre Dame: Not only is it an 850-year-old artifact full of beauty but it is also the site of some very happy memories for me with students and especially with my family. My wife nursed our firstborn in Notre Dame. I have been in shock and mourning all day over the fire. And yet I have also been thinking about C.S. Lewiss words from The Weight of Glory: You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. My reason tells me he is right, but my emotions dont agree. To take it a step further, if the thing that gives human life value is the Image of God, if we are really the crown of Gods creation, isnt human life more important than the ancient artefacts that I revere? Why then do I get more upset at the loss of things whose longevity is to ours as the life of a gnat than I am at the dehumanization of people made in Gods image, at abuse and murder? As horrified as I am by those things, why do I feel the loss of ancient artefacts more? I dont have a good answer, and Im not looking for one, but pondering the significance of the fire at Notre Dame has gotten me thinking about these questions. I think we do well to ponder these questions. I remember, after a fire ravaged the signature building of a college where I once worked, hearing the wise words of our President Bill Brown (now the Dean of the Colson Fellows Program): We didnt lose anything important. He meant, of course, no human lives were lost. Bill went on to lead an incredible recovery and renovation project, and the college went on. I think Bills words were spot on in the context of that fire, but I also sense with Glenn Sunshine that, though the loss of lives would have been infinitely more tragic, we rightly mourn what we witnessed this week in Paris. We rightly mourn the loss of that kind of beauty. Though, as I understand, many of the priceless works of art housed in Notre Dame are safe, many others are lost. Of course, God, in His grace, hasnt ceased to endow His image bearers with creativity and skill. Thankfully, we can expect others to come along whom He has called to communicate truth and goodness with beauty. But we must also know that not every culture is capable of producing art that captures the imagination in that kind of transcendent way. Today, our collective imaginations are far too often captive to things temporal, meaningless, and even obscene. That says a lot about the kind of culture weve created. We also rightly mourn the loss of history, especially in this age of what C. S. Lewis called chronological snobbery. Cultural memory is lost at our own peril and, whenever it is, humans are tempted by a moral Darwinism, confident that our new technologies, leisure, and distractions will deliver the good life. They will not. Finally, many of us mourn, rightly, the loss of faith and transcendence this fire seems to represent. Over a century ago, Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed cathedrals to be nothing more than the sepulchers of God. Of course, God is not dead in any ontological sense, but He is long forgotten in so many places where people were once inspired to build edifices for His worship, places like Notre Dame. So as we mourn, lets pray that God, in His grace, would haunt us with these questions, and through them would bring revival, renewal, and even new beauty from the ashes of Notre Dame. BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions. John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Publication date: April 17, 2019 Photo courtesy: Pixabay Would you pay $2.95 million for a baby Tyrannosaurus rex? The sixty-eight-million-year-old skeleton was discovered in Montana in 2013 by Alan Detrich and his brother. Detrich loaned the fossil to the Kansas University Natural History Museum, then decided to put it up for sale on eBay. Paleontologists warn that the bones are incomplete and shattered in parts. The asking price is just absurd, one said. In other financial news, French President Emmanuel Macron made a televised address yesterday stating that he hopes to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral within five years. Thats what the French expect; thats what our history deserves, he stated. As of this morning, nearly $1 billion has been raised for the project. Building cathedrals and taking selfies Theres something about us that wants to own, build, or achieve something of significance that outlives us. We purchase artifacts and other iconic objects of historic value. We erect massive cathedrals that stand long after those who build them. Those of us with lesser gifts as engineers and builders trace our initials in tree trunks and on concrete. We etch the names of those we love on tombstones made of rock. And we want to memorialize not just our lives but also our memories and will pay a high price to do so. Sydney Monfries was just weeks from graduation at Fordham University in New York when she died Sunday after falling from the iconic campus clock tower. She was trying to take a picture of the Bronx under moonlight. Andrea Norton, a twenty-year-old college student from South Dakota, died last Saturday when she fell one hundred feet off a cliff in Arkansas. She had been taking a group photo with her friends. Last month, a tourist in the Grand Canyon fell to his death while taking a selfie. From 2011 to 2017, 259 people have died while taking selfies, according to the National Institutes of Health. A surprising fact about significance Theres a better way to make a difference and leave a legacy. Today is Wednesday of Holy Week. On this day, Jesus did nothing recorded in Scripture. The day before, however, was extremely busy for our Lord. He debated the religious authorities over marriage in heaven, paying taxes to Caesar, and his own authority (cf. Matthew 2123). Holy Tuesday was also the setting for this remarkable event: [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny (Mark 12:41-42). Our significance does not depend on our status. In response, Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on' (vv. 4344). Here we note this vital fact: Our significance does not depend on our status. How God measures significance Most women in Jesus day had no independent status. They were identified by their father until they were married, then they were identified by their husband. As a widow, the woman in our narrative had no standing in her society. In addition, she was poor. The Greek language has two words for being impoverished: penes means to have nothing to spare, while ptochos means to have nothing at all. This woman was the latter. She put two small copper coins in the temple treasury. These were leptoi, each worth 1/128 of a denarius, which was a days wage for a laborer. Her combined gift corresponded to the wage a worker could earn in seven or eight minutes. God measures significance by obedience, not cultural status. But Jesus knew that these coins, the smallest in their currency, were all she had to live on. When the widow gave them to God, her sacrifice far exceeded that of the rich people who put in large sums they could afford to give. Her story reminds us that God measures significance by obedience, not cultural status. God knows your name You may never own an ancient fossil, construct a cathedral for the ages, or take a selfie that goes viral. Even if the world doesnt know your name, God does. He called Moses by name when the future leader of his people was a fugitive shepherd in the wilderness (Exodus 3:4). He called Zacchaeus by name when the future benefactor of his community was a despised tax collector (Luke 19:5). Whether our work earns accolades from our secular culture or not, if we are faithful to our Father, he will use our obedience for eternal significance. Will you measure success today as he does? For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org. The Daily Article Podcast is Here! Click to Listen Publication Date: April 17, 2019 Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Arseny Togulev A spokesperson for North Carolinas Democratic governor criticized Tuesday a bill that would require doctors to give life-saving medical attention to babies who survive abortion, raising the prospect he will veto it when it reaches his desk. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act passed the North Carolina House of Representatives 65-46 Tuesday, one day after clearing the Senate 28-19. Republicans control both chambers. The bills text requires abortion doctors to treat a baby who survives an abortion the same way they would any other child born alive at the same gestational age. The bill also requires the baby be transported to the hospital. But a spokesperson for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the bill targets abortion doctors. This unnecessary legislation would criminalize doctors for a practice that simply does not exist, Cooper spokesperson Ford Porter said, according to The Charlotte Observer. Laws already exist to protect newborn babies and legislators should instead be focused on other issues like expanding access to health care to help children thrive. Earlier this month a woman named Melissa Ohden who miraculously survived her mothers abortion attempt told U.S. senators that legislation is needed to protect babies who are in a similar situation. North Carolina state Rep. Pat McElraft, a Republican, said she personally has seen evidence of infanticide in the state. Years ago she worked as a phlebotomist. Nurses told stories of babies who were born alive and were taken by the doctor and turned face down in the saline, McElraft said, according to The Charlotte Observer. The doctor stored the bodies of aborted babies, she said. I can attest to the fact that infanticide has happened here in NC, McElraft said. Ive been witness to the result of those late-term abortions. The bill says an infant who survives abortion is a legal person for all purposes under the laws of North Carolina and entitled to all the protections of such laws. In the case of an abortion or an attempt to perform an abortion that results in a child born alive, the bill says, any health care practitioner present at the time the child is born alive shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age. The bill further requires the abortion doctor to ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital. The doctor, and not the mother, would be prosecuted. The bill is SB 359. Related: Woman Who Survived Moms Abortion Tells Democratic Senators: I Do Exist Trump Blasts Abortion: All Children Made in the Holy Image of God 'The Infant Would Be Kept Comfortable': Is Virginia's Governor Pro-Infanticide? NY Legalizes Abortion up to Moment of Birth, Defines Person as Someone Who Has Been Born Democrat Admits: Her Bill Would Allow Abortion during Labor Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Irina Murza I do not look forward to Good Friday. Im an upbeat kind of guy. A negative situation is always an opportunity, not a problem. The glass is always half full, and more is probably on the way. But all that changes on Good Friday. Sure I feel down and out other days of the year. The waves of life will do that to you. But Good Friday plunges me into a much darker place. Waves of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness come crashing in on Good Friday. For many years, I took part a Tenebrae service on Good Friday (from a Latin word meaning darkness). During the service, a candle is extinguished after each reading of the last seven words of Jesus on his way to the cross. The sanctuary gets progressively darker and darker. After Jesus last words from the cross are read, the last candle is put out, plunging the sanctuary into darkness. The last words hanging in the air are the question, What is to become of the light of the world? We left in silence contemplating a world where God never came to save, where the light never shined into darkness, where all was death and silence forever. We left still burdened with our sin and lost in our brokenness. The reality of it all was devastating. The Abyss After a Good Friday service like this, even the most affable of people cannot resist the pull toward the abyss. Alcoholism, addictions, anger, violence, or any kind of struggle to overcome a world made meaningless all make sense to me on Good Friday. I can understand why people respond to the darkness of the world with more darkness, more destruction, more death. Why not? What else is there to do? And yet for Jesus, for the one who died that Good Friday death, Hebrews 12:2 tells us that it was for the joy set before him that he endured the cross. How can that be? How could such a thing prompt joy, something that rightly prompts not just sorrow and anxiety but horror and fear, not just at the execution of a person but at the very death of God? And why connect joy to the cross at all? Isnt love enough already? Sacrificial love we can understand. But sacrificial joy? The Bible already tells us that God is motivated by love. Isnt this enough? For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16). God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us (1 John 3:16). The apostle Paul prays that we would grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:1819). What, then, does joy add when love is already present? A suspicion of joy can spring from the view that something is not quite right about joy. Wary of too much joy, we view it as a naive response to a painful world, wishful thinking within a wasting world, or a distraction amid the devastation. Only children are full of joy. But the world eventually breaks their spirits and installs a more sober mindset. Good Friday, for the sober minded, is good exactly because it looks straight into the horrors of life without flinching, revealing a God who is honest about it all. Love can work in the midst of all this. But joy seems ill equipped for such travails as the cross. The Pursuit of Happiness? Our discomfort with joy comes from confusing joy and happiness. These days, pursuit of happiness is the law of the land, the way of the world. We are told to do what makes us happyin our work, our relationships, our free time, our hobbies, our sex lives. Do whatever makes you happyas long as it doesnt make someone else unhappy. Everything is permissible, desirable, and legal, as long as you are pursuing happiness. From an early age, we are trained to do what makes us happy, even if we are told to do what is right and good. Article continues below But this demand to be happy fails us because happiness is so vague and so fleeting. Happiness is too often connected to fading circumstances, emotions, or experiences. Unfortunately, these quickly fade into the past. So we look to the future for another happiness fixsomething to distract us from the disappointments of life, our painful relationships, and our miserable mistakes. From memories of the past to hopes for the future, happiness always seems to be just beyond our grasp. Joy, however, is not happiness. While happiness pines for something in the past or longs for something in the future, joy is rooted in the present. Joy is focused more on relationships rather than circumstances. As psychologist and theologian Jim Wilder says, joy is a dynamic relational experience in which you are in the presence of someone who is glad to be with you. Joy is the experience of your presence bringing delight to others, and you delighting in the presence of others. We see joy at work in small children when a parent comes home from work or comes back into the room after a brief absence. The child explodes with gladness at the sight of the one who is glad to see them. Writing on the intersection of neuroscience and clinical therapy in Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self, Allan Schore notes that infants naturally seek out the eyes of others, looking for signs that they are welcomed, noticed, and loved. From the very beginning of our developmental process, God created us to seek out joy in and through others, to seek out connection and communion. And joy results when this connection is found. But, unlike happiness, joy is even available in the midst of pain. Wilder notes the experience of someone who is glad to be with us when we are hurting. When we settle into the arms of a friend who rushed to the emergency room while we waited to see if a loved one would survive. While we might weep with grief instead of excited euphoria, it is joy all the same. Someone is with us and we are not alone. Instead of disappearing because of pain, joy helps us live through our pain in a meaningful way. A joyful connection, felt in gladness or sorrow, grounds us in the present and draws us into deeper relational bonds. This joy, even in the midst of pain, is why so many flocked to Jesus. Especially the poor, the sick, and the outcast. Joie de Vivre We might not usually think of it this way, but I think its safe to say Jesus was the life of the party. He was so often in the midst of a celebration that he got in trouble with the religious authorities. They thought he and his disciples did too much feasting and not enough fasting (Luke 5:3335; 7:34). Why did people love to be with Jesus? If joy is the experience of being in the presence of someone who is glad to be with us, and if we like being around people who fill us with joy, then people loved being around Jesus because he brought them joy. Jesus was glad to be in the presence of all kinds of people: the sick, the poor, the rejected, and the outcast. And they responded with joy. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about the joy of heaven that flowed through himthe joy of finding the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. This joy of heaven flowed through Jesus to all who had lost hope of being accepted, welcomed, or delighted in. When people come into the presence of Jesusthe presence of his joythey are transformed by it. Indeed, a main motivator for Jesus was to place his joy in us (John 15:11), a joy that will never be taken away (John 16:22). The joy Jesus gives is the knowledge that God delights in us and longs for us to dwell in his presence. Article continues below As theologian Jurgen Moltmann reminds us, If we really think about it, we arrive at a surprising conclusion: Christianity is a unique religion of joy. Faith is living in the Christian feasts, just as Jesus and his disciples feasted and celebrated. And yet, Moltmann continues, the universal symbol of Christianity is the cross, a symbol of pain, suffering, and cruel death. How do these things go together? How is the cross connected to joy? Joy Through Death Lets answer this by asking again, Why did Jesus have to die? Certainly, there is a myriad of reasons. To forgive us. To take our penalty. To free us from death. To defeat the powers and principalities. All these ways of explaining Jesus death begin with overcoming the consequences of sin. But what if we started with Jesus joy? What if we started with Gods joy and delight in us? That God is for us because God longs to be with us. What if Jesus longed to extend to us the delight and joy he experiences eternally as the Son in the presence of the Father through the Spirit? What if Jesus joy was to bring us into the joy he knew in his baptism, when the Spirit rested on him and the Fathers words of delight and approval washed over him? Offering this joy was the joy set before him. Offering this joy to us was the reason Jesus endured the cross, bringing us into the joyful presence of the Father through the Spirit. The apostle Paul declared this very thing: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! (Gal. 4:46) It is our joy to call out to the Father through the Spirit of the Son. And it is the Fathers joy to say over all who live in the Son, You are my Child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. The celebration of heaven that Jesus told parables about (Luke 15) comes down to earth because of Jesus death, because through his body, through his death, we all have access to the Father by one Spirit (Eph. 2:18). As biblical scholar N. T. Wright says, in Jesus there has come about a new union between heaven and earth, with the celebrations of one spilling over necessarily into the celebration of the other. This celebration between heaven and earth offers us joy here and now. This joy is no mere happiness receding into the past or pining for the future. It is a joy that remains in the present as we rest in the presence of the one who delights in us, even in the midst of sorrows, pain, and suffering. It is a joy that remains even as we carry our cross daily. As we contemplate the passion of Christ, as we enter into Good Friday this week, let us remember the joy of the one who is present even in the midst of our pain. Let us remember Immanuel, God with us, the source of our joy. Geoff Holsclaw is a theology professor at Northern Seminary and pastor at Vineyard North in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His mini-course, The Forgotten Reasons for Jesus Death, explores how Jesus offers us not only forgiveness, but freedom, and a new family. Several weeks ago, theologian Ekemini Uwan was interviewed on stage at the Sparrow Conference for Women. But when Uwan, a Nigerian American who frequently speaks out against racism and white supremacy, began doing so at the conference, people in the audience began walking out, according to a report from The Witness. Uwan later tweeted that she had to hire an attorney to force the conference to send her photos and video of her interview. YouTube also removed a video of her remarks at the request of Sparrow, and the conferences social media did not include her images or quotes, in contrast to those of other speakers. Earlier this year, author Kathy Khang preached at chapel at Baylor University. Khang, a veteran speaker, included an anecdote mentioning an 11-year-old boy who was arrested after not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance. In the middle of Khangs talk, a Baylor student stood up and said, Thats not what happened. He was making terroristic threats to his teacher. The event deeply rattled Khang, both for her personal safety in the moment and also when the same student who attended the event posted a video slamming her. Its important that the conference organizers who invite women of color to speakespecially when the speakers are delivering a message that may challenge the audienceensure the audience is prepared to hear their message, says Khang. If youre asking me to talk about the church, what are the ways youve already prepared your audience to hear this message? said Khang. What are the books youve had them read? Who are the other speakers who have come in? What is the reception like for them? What is the follow-up you have planned for the event youre inviting me to? When attendees find themselves uncomfortable by the remarks of a particular speaker, that can be a good time for their own personal reflection, says author Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, who also frequently teaches at Christian conferences. We dont always have to agree, but what is going on here? What are the blind spots? said Sistrunk Robinson. Have you been stretched and challenged by this in a good way? Sistrunk Robinson and Khang joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and theology editor Caleb Lindgren on Quick to Listen, to discuss how Christian conferences and institutions can do a better job supporting the women of color that they invite to address their audiences. This episode of Quick to Listen is brought to you in part by Bloodline, the new book by Skip Heitzig, gives you an up-close view of the cross that reveals Gods ultimate mission to save you from sins destruction. Bloodline is available wherever books are sold. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Subscribe to Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Caleb Lindgren Visit Natasha Sistrunk Robinson and Kathy Khangs websites Read Kathy Khangs blog post on her experience at Baylor University Read The Witnesss coverage of the Sparrow Conference Read Religion News Services coverage of the Sparrow Conference Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee, Richard Clark, and Cray Allred April 17, 2019 transcription Caleb Lindgren: Sure. I'm really excited to have both of these guests. We have Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, who is an author. Her most recent book is A Sojourner's Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World, published by IVP; it's new out, so go out and get that. She's also the visionary founder of Leadership LINKS, Inc. and co-founder of Call and Response Ministries. Natasha, welcome to the show. Article continues below Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: Thank you for having me glad to be here. Caleb Lindgren: Yeah, great to talk with you, can't wait. Also on the show today, we have Kathy Khang. She is also an author with IVP. Her most recent book is Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up. She's a writer, speaker and a yoga teacher Kathy Khang: Hey, thanks for having me on the show. Morgan Lee: We are glad to have you on here. So, I'm going to give everyone a little bit of background about why you guys are joining us today. So several weeks ago theologian Ekemini Uwan was interviewed on stage at the Sparrow Conference for Women. Uwan, who is a Nigerian-American woman who frequently speaks out against racism and white supremacy, addressed similar topics in her remarks. So, I'm just going to read some of the stuff that she said and this Q&A. She said We have to not only just come to these conferences but then apply what you are learning and hearing - if what I am saying is making you uncomfortable you have to ask yourself why - race is an idol. Whiteness is an idol, there are benefits conferred to that but our idols mean to kill us which means whiteness will kill white people too. In a piece by DeeDee Roe at The Witness, a Black Christian Collective, DeeDee recounts and analyzes the conference and she noted that over the course of Uwan's remarks some attendees walked out. In the aftermath of the conference, Uwan's images and quotes were not utilized by the conference on its social media feed in contrast to those of other speakers. A video of her remarks that had been uploaded to YouTube was also taken down at the request of the Sparrow Conference. And Uwan also told Religion News Service that she had to hire an attorney to force Sparrow Women to send her photos and video of the interview. The organization later released a statement. It said, "We publicly apologize to both Ekemini Uwan and the conference participants for not handling such a complex subject with more care and therefore putting everyone involved in such a difficult place." So, I'm also going to bring up something that also happened to Kathy a couple of months ago. So, Kathy was also actually speaking at, or preaching at chapel at Baylor University earlier this year, and as she recounted on her blog and the student newspaper at Baylor also reported, she included an anecdote that mentioned an 11-year-old boy who was arrested after not standing during in the pledge of allegiance. In the middle of her talk, a Baylor student stood up and said, thats not what happened. He was making terrorist threats to his teacher." So, I'm going to read what Kathy wrote on her blog here. She said, "In a split second I had to decide if I would respond to the man. I did not. I paused caught myself and went on to decide if I felt safe enough to stay on stage or trust the school would remove me from the stage of someone else felt like I was in danger. I stayed but learned someone had moved quickly to get me just in case." So, this week on Quick to Listen, we'd like to broaden the conversation beyond the particularities of these two incidencesthat we're going to provide links in the show notes to give you more background about them, if you want to read more about themand we want to discuss how Christian conferences and institutions can do a better job supporting the women of color they invite to address their audiences. Alright, so Caleb, you probably read some of this news as it was playing out and I just want to do a gut check for both of us about kind of your initial reactions to these particular stories. Caleb Lindgren: Yeah, that's a tough one. I think I didn't hear about what happened to Kathy until we heard what happened to Ekemini, and I think it sort of, all of those things sort of came together in a larger conversation. But my initial reaction was, I guess like man, we still have such a long way to go. And I probably would have made some of the same mistakes without realizing it. And so it was kind of agut check is a good word for it because I was like, boy. I guess the other thing that's really struck me was, at the least regarding the Sparrow thing, was like boy, they really put on a really good face. That given the way that they present themselves, I was surprised that they mishandled that the way that they did. And that sort of indicated, that was one of the reasons why I was like sort of thinking about like boy, I probably would have made some of those same mistakes because I think there's a well-meaning-ness that masks a lot of mistaken assumptions. And I think unless you're in a situation, it's really hard to see the sort of dangers that I think were felt in these scenarios in a way that even as a conference organizer with so many different like details on your mind, it might not occur to you and even if it does, there might be a lot of other things, other voices in your head to consider. And so I was like boy, this is just so complex and I just do not see most of the different sides of this, so I was really curious to have this conversation because I want to know more. Article continues below Morgan Lee: Yeah, my gut check I would say was when I was kind of watching the Sparrow event to play out in real time, I think I was most struck by just how far this conference seemed to kind of distance itself. I mean it was like shocking to me I guess that they would like not include someone's images or quotes of like one of their speakers. Caleb Lindgren: Yeah, that was a surprise. Morgan Lee: Especially after like, you know what the speakers going to say. I guess that what the thing is about this is that like both Ekemini and Kathy have, theyre on social media, they write blogs, they're on podcasts. Like, you know what they're going to be talking about and saying, and so there seemed to be this sense that both of these institutions were a little bit caught off guard or not prepared for that. And I'm like, wait, what? Like these people, it's not like some sort of surprise about what's going to happen here. And how are you kind of like trying to help the audience be the best audience it can be, and not walk out. And then, especially in the case of Sparrow to watch them like the distance themselves from again someone who is not saying things that are very dissimilar from what is already on their podcast that they do. So Kathy, I know it's probably interesting to have a talk about you and third personhi, I know youre thereand Natasha. I'm just curious, you know, I'm sure you guys get speaking request and conference requests frequently, and I'm wondering what is the first type of research that you're doing when an institution is making a request of you. What's going through your head? Kathy Khang: Oh goodness. Well, I actually have a form that I send to the inviting party or whoever's been charged to contact me. And it asks questions around attendance, leadership, diversity. It asks around fees, around expectations, what they're expecting, are they familiar with me and my work. And I give them some information as well, some links to my social media, just in case the poor person who has to send the email is not familiar or isn't part of the deciding decision-makers. So sometimes that happens as well. So it's a back and forth. But then once the invitation comes in, I'm looking up. I'm going on their website. I'm looking at who are the decision-makers, who have they invited in the past, do I know any of those people so that I can contact them? I ask about the purpose of the gathering or the conference or the talk, and I do specifically asked are you familiar with my work because as you mentioned Morgan, I'm on social media so it should not be a surprise at all that I'm referencing current events, that I'm watching headlines, that I'm talking about racism, that I'm calling out white supremacy. It shouldn't be a surprise. Article continues below Morgan Lee: Natasha, you want to jump in here? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: Sure. Similar to what Kathy said, I have a speaker form on my websiteNatashaSRobinson.comand so whenever someone tries to reach out to me for speaking, and they do that, right? They'll send an e-mail, they'll send it on social media. I'm like, go to the form, because I don't answer emails for people I don't know in that regard, I'm not going to respond on social media. Because what I found early in my career is that I can invest so much time having conversations and chitter chatter back and forth and never get a contract and it ends up being a waste of my time. And my first thing is to go to the form, do the form, and the beautiful thing about having a form of my website is you can find all my other stuff there on the website. There are reading materials there, there are all my writing stuff is there, a link to my blog is there, you can download a press kit there to read all about my background bio. So, you can do all of that. And I think it's important to say here that the responsibility is on the organizer or the organization to vet me. Right? And to decide if they want me. That's their responsibility. My responsibility as a speaker is to decide whether I want to partner with them or not. Right? And so that's something I have to decide. And so in the same way that Kathy is asking those questionsabout size and diversity, and how did you hear about me, all those things, if someone referred them, you knowit's important to know. Obviously, there's some practical things that go through that as well. Both Kathy and I are not just a minority, or people say minority ethnic, you know different from the dominant group, but we are also women and mothers. And so there's a practical, logistical side of this that we have to take into consideration to plan around our families, and our husbands, and our other work and this is not my primary work. And so I have to take those things into consideration too. And so that's how I kind of prayerfully discern whether or not this is something I say yes or no to, and what conditions might be. Caleb Lindgren: I wonder, related to that, you guys talked about having a form, and it's probably a learned process where you're like, I need to develop a system to make this work. Where there particular situations or just a series of different things, where you're like I need I need a way to sort of develop a sort of a vetting system of my own to make sure that this is efficient. Were there particular things that keyed that, did somebody recommend hey, you might consider having a form? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: I think, you know, we talked. And Kathy and I have been doing this for a while, so research is like any other thing. We research, we learn, and we get better. And so I referenced it before, just in restating, it's one of those things where you can go back and forth with people a lot of times and waste a lot of time and never get a contract. And I don't have that time to waste. And so my form, getting a form from you, it lets me know, do you have a budget for this? Because if you don't have a budget for it, and we're not friends then this is not even something I can really consider. It's something like that you know it kind of weeds out. Or is it something you just like have an idea of having me, or are you serious about whatever required for you to bring me to your event? And so that's what the form does for me. And then followed by the form, there's a contract. And so normally, I don't let people use my image or likeness or name or announce anything publicly until I get a contract. Now sometimes the organizations have their own contracts, which is fine, and I would read over that and see if that meets what I would consider like my bare minimum requirements, but if they don't then I have a contract ready to go. Article continues below Kathy Khang: Yeah, I think for me it was similar realizing that I didn't have honestly a clue how this business worked. And I think that's one thing for listeners to understand, is that we can talk about these being Christian events, but it's also a business. So Sparrow Conference, that's a business. Because at the end of the day that conference does not want to lose thousands of dollars. So this isn't about some local church doing a one-time small event, calling in the local moms for moms event. And even those events have people who are planning, there's a budget, there's an estimated number of people that they're hoping for. So, I think for me it was definitely learning that what I thought was part of ministry was also learning the business side of this, and having mentors who had been doing this long before I did. And so I had one of those mentors who just said, no Kathy, you cannot do this retreat for five hundred dollars, you need to have a fee. And I looked at him and was like, what is that? What do you mean by that? That sounds awful. We don't do that in church ministry settings. And he looked at me, and older white man, and he said oh, yes, we do. Caleb Lindgren: It sounds very similar to my brother, who is a composer and he's had to figure out his fee structure in the same way. Because he does a lot of writing for churches, and arranging things for churches, and he's consistently frustrated by the fact that there are very few people that understand what you're talking about. That there is a business side of this that needs to be reckoned with, and it happens on both sides in a way that's very interesting, and that was something I was unaware of so, thank you for saying that. Morgan Lee: So, Im curious guys, if you can talk about things that conference organizers can do that immediately help to gain your trust and to let you know that your voice is going to be valued when you step onto campus or enter the conference. Kathy Khang: My goodness, they can value my time by telling me right upfront what their budget is, what their expectations are, what their standard hosting procedure is. I mean, it doesn't take that much energy to be upfront and honest about what they are able to do and provide. In part because this is a job, and the assumption is that you are bringing in people who have a skill set and an expertise and a viewpoint that you want your audienceregardless if it's college students, or conference attendees, or a churchthat you want them to be exposed to and learn from. And so in that, what is it that the inviting organization or institution is looking for? And it is also very helpful to have organizations and institutions that understand that for me, for us, as women of color, that is one of the things that I'm looking for. That if you're inviting me to talk about leadership, if you're asking me to talk about racism in the church, what are the ways in which you've already prepared your audience to hear this message? What are the things, you know, what are the books that you've had them read? Who are the other speakers who have come in? What was the reception like for them? What is the follow-up that you have planned for the event that you are inviting me to? That is one of the questions that I ask. So that would be wonderful, and usually those are not the things organizers are necessarily thinking about. Article continues below Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: I think is important for questions about value. I don't question whether the value is there, I question whether people understand how to communicate that value in their actions. So one of the things that people will lead with, for any number of these things and conversations that we have about diversitylike anyone wants to talk about diversity, everyone needs diversity. Sometimes people don't know why right? So when I get an email that says, "We want diversity." Like no kidding, I understand that. And the same way I get an email that says, oh we value you. That's great. I value myself. And so it's one of those things where we say, what does that value look like in this space, right? And so for me, as a woman of color at my age, like the value means paying me fair. Something we've learned, having done this for a few years, is that it is a business. And so when you look at a resume, you download my press kit on my website, you got a resume and you get a bio, and what someone has done. And I want you to then say if this was a white man, what would I pay you? That's what would communicate value. And it's not just about pay, but I think the pay is important because we have an inequity of people, women, all across the board in just about every field. And I always believed that in matters of Injustice the church to be better, right? The church should be better. And so one thing we should be intentionally thinking about is are we paying people fairly. I think that's important to consider for women of color, to say, well if our budget doesn't allow us to pay Kathy what she's worth, for someone with her expertise and her experience, now what are some ways that we can offset that. So then you start saying, is there a sponsor that will be willing to cover her? Is there a way that we can sell tickets? Sometimes people want to have a free event. Well, maybe the thing is the sale of tickets. Another thing will be, maybe I can get with her publisher or someone to see if we can buy her book. I have 30 people, or 50 people, or 100 people there, and normally you go to these conferences and they give away gift bags, right? Why not buy 100 of her books and filling up with the gift bags. So now you have given her whatever fee could have given her, but you've always also got her book out there and her book is now able to influence wherever these 100 or 50 people are going. And so I think people need to be more intentional and more thoughtful and mindful of how they are asking when the color to come to the team. Caleb Lindgren: Yeah, that's helpful. I like the practicality of that. I think a lot of these discussions sort of focus on ideas and it's the practicality that I think gets lost. For me at least, I kind of get caught in the idea space, but I'm also a theologian, so it's sort of my fault I guess. But I wanted to sort of turn that question around that we were just talking about. And we were talking about what are the ways that they can make you feel valued, and what are things that you would definitely not do? That are not communicating that? That maybe sometimes conference organizers try to do, but that don't really work or aren't quite enough? Article continues below Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: I want to be clear that I'm not speaking for all black women. I'm not speaking for all women of color. I'm just speaking from Natasha's experience the idea that, Oh, this is going to help your platform. That's a slap in the face. Definitely. And for me, when I started writing for publicationand that was in 2010, so I'm almost a decade into thisand platform doesn't pay my bills. And furthermore, I'm not all that interested in being a public Christian. I mean some people they thrive on that and that's what they want. That's not what I want. For me, my ministry is at home with my family. My ministry is in my nonprofit where I'm mentoring young girls. My ministry is to my local church. My ministry is to some other things I'm building, and the relationships I have and the people that I'm present with here. And so whenever I go out to be with you then I have to consider what I'm not getting done at home. And I also have to consider is the money that you're giving me out there, is that going to be a good investment for what I'm missing for what I'm doing here at home for free. And so if those things aren't aligning then it's not really, it's not beneficial for me to say yes to you. Because I say yes to you, then I'm saying no to something else. Kathy Khang: I have to agree with that, and you know same with myself, I'm not speaking for all Asian American women. I would say that what's helpful is the idea of hospitality, and what it means to host someone. And how that looks different in different contexts and cross-culturally, for men, for women, all of that. But that an organization, an institution, would do some research and find out what does hospitality and hosting look like. Because yes, not every organization can afford necessarily the cash fee, but can come up with other creative ways to support, as well as let us know that we are welcome. And one of the things that I had written about in relationship to the Baylor incidentand again, when I wrote about that, I did not write about the university and that specific incident alone, it was really processing years, more than a decade of doing this kind of public workis that traveling alone, as a woman of color, has changed dramatically in the last few years. Never mind the fact that getting on a plane is really gross and disgusting, and airlines areit's just it's not fun, it's not glamorous. But then to travel alone, doing the type of work that we do, in the bodies we are in, is a different risk then it is for your average white male speaker, or even your average white female speaker. And for me, that experience at Baylor crystallized something that I had been thinking about for a long time, but had only had two instances in the last few years where I literally had a moment of concern for my physical safety. And because I was traveling aloneand for years, I have put on my speaker request form not only about budget and fee, but whether or not the budget could include an extra plane ticket for someone to travel with me. And I think that's part of the hosting or hospitality, is that too often there is no one on the other end, in a city I have never been in, often times cities that are not necessarily safer welcoming to women of coloris there someone who will be meeting me? Or at least communicate I need to catch an Uber, and I can check into my hotel right away, and someone will pick you up from the hotel to take you to the venue. I think those are the ways in which an organization, institution, can communicate hospitality. Understanding that I am entering into a space that is not my own. And so just like I would expect to be greeted at the door, or told where to meet someone at a church, like here's the welcome booth right in front or there's a greeter at the front door, it's helpful to know when I enter into this space that is new to me and I don't necessarily have someone there at the conference that I know and trust, to at least say here's someone who's going to know your schedule, know where you're supposed to be, know that you're not there and follow up and make sure you get where you need to be. I think those are some really easy ways in which a conference, or a school, institution can make sure people feel welcome. Article continues below Morgan Lee: I'm assuming that both of you guys have been brought in to events where you're going to be kind of be in a place where you're going to be challenging the audience's beliefs or convictions in a particular way, which also obviously adds another dynamic to everything that's going on here. I'm wondering what are the ways that you've found institutions and conferences best support you in terms of being on the stage or talking with their audience members ahead of time. I know Kathy that you mentioned stuff about like reading books or so forth and kind of getting a better sense of like landscaping who the audience is, and truly that kind of gives you at least a heads up. But are there things that the MC can say that can kind ofI don't know what the best word isput you in the best place to succeed and to be heard? Kathy Khang: Yeah, absolutely. I think it is helping the audience know why they have trusted us. Right? So the MC is kind of the face of the event. I need or would appreciate the event, the face of the event, communicating their backing for me and their knowledge and trust in me. And maybe even communicating to the audience a way in which their posture should be. And perhaps even priming the pump for them. You know? Yes, this is going to be uncomfortable or you may hear some words and phrases that are new to you, but they are not new to the conference planners. And I think that's the other thing is, when everything lands on the shoulders of the person on stage or the speaker, the hired hand you've brought in, it is unfair. It is unfair and I would say it is unwise to expect that one speaker can deliver or carry the message of what you're hoping to achieve. And so what is the commitment of the conference planners and how can they communicate that to their audience? Right. We saw it was Sparrow. It was gross. I mean the conference was around reconciliation. Hello! So, there were many opportunities to model that in the aftermath. And to do it publicly, just like they had publicly chosen to wipe Ekemini off their social media. What were some of the ways in which they could have done a better job? And it's not just on Sparrow. So many other conferences, so many other churches and organizations can do a better job of even the introduction of their speakers, and the buy-in that the institution has, so that it's not about this one person. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: When we'reand I'm talking specifically about conferences, cause I think that's the topic. So I'm not talking about churches or even some small organizations. I'm talking specifically about these national conferences that we get invited to. Because that's a very specific thing. And what's happening with these national conferences a lot of times is that you're not just doing a one and done, right? They're building a tribe of people. They have a following. Like if you go into their social media, they have people following them. And so I think it is important to prepare people, even using a social media tool like, you know, Kathy is on social media so share her social media so they can check it out beforehand and decide if they want to listen to Kathy when they get there or there's that's a session they're going to skip and go out and have coffee with your friends, which is totally fine. Right? So they can share Kathy social media in advance. They can share, you know, we have YouTube clips of us speaking right? So share one of our YouTube clips. You can do these type of things. We try to make the stuff available for free so people can, you know, really benefit for that. Article continues below And I think for me, it's important, I think when we get there. So when we talk about prepping, its important because I say stuffI don't talk about race all the time, I talk about leadership and mentoring and discipleship. I mean, there's several things. Or justice, right?there're several things that I talk about when I go out. And when I do that though, I tried to shape the conversation all the time, and I encourage the organizations and the conference planners to do this. To say to the audience, we are making an investment. When you invite a woman of color, they got to pay right? And so we're making an investment, and we done this for your spiritual formation. We've done this for your spiritual formation. So, I think is important to frame the conversation about that because it's not then us versus them, or political theme, it's just her opinion. It's like, no, no, no, this is something we're doing for your spiritual formation. And just a quick example of that, I was at a conference just a few weeks ago. I was leading a pre-conference track on mentoring and discipleship for the kingdom of God. And so, I was talking about God's Kingdom mission, using a lot of language. And one of the languages I was using was some military language, and so there was a Mennonite pastor in the room, who was very uncomfortable with me using that language. And so you had Christians, about 40 of them from all different types of denominations, and so he was uncomfortable with me using the language but he was also uncomfortable some of the languages he was hearing in his group from Christians who love Jesus in the other denominations. And so he raised a handhe wasn't combative at all, I didn't feel threatenedjust to say that this is something that was a concern for him. And so, you know, we had a conversation about it right there in front of everyone. And I said to him, that has this been good for you to see how God is working and showing up in other places, among all the people who love Jesus and love the Book, and just might be doing things a little bit different or speaking in a way that's different what you used to? Have you been stretched and challenged by this in a good way? And the answer was yes. And so I think that's important for us to say two audiences, we don't always have to agree on things on, but what's going on here? What is my blind spot? To Ekemini's point, if you're uncomfortable, why? What was that thing that's making you uncomfortable? Dig deeper to see what's going on here and what do I need to take before the Lord, or take in prayer, or talk about with my people, my tribe, the people at my church when I go back home. That's really important to challenge them. And not just, oh Kathy's the speaker up on stage and I don't like that she has to say. Article continues below Caleb Lindgren: Can we hit on the audience point. I'm curious, we've been talking about conferences, we've been talking about conference organizers, I know a lot of our listeners are not going to fall into that category, but I bet you a lot of them go to conferences. How do audiences communicate support, communicate respect, communicate welcome, and how can maybe we do that better? Kathy Khang: Well, you can sit and listen, instead of walking out because you hear something that's uncomfortable. You can stick around, if it's a Q&A have a questionnot a statement, not an "I don't have a question, I just have a comment or an observation." No, you have a question. That's what a question-and-answer session is for. And you can also find out from folks who are answering questions about the conference, is there an opportunity to talk with the speaker after, is there a meet and greet, is there a book signing? Or conference directors, even churches, can throw up someone's social media handle and invite people to have dialogue. And it's much more difficult to do that on Twitter. It's much more difficult to do that via email. But sometimes that's what you have to do, right? You have to take that. Or you take the questions that you have and you have a dialogue partner. Hopefully. Someone that was at the conference, someone you know at the church. But showing that kind of respect for a speaker, for me is understanding the venue that you are in. And I fully expect questions and conversation when that is the understanding of the event. When it is a Q&A, when it is a smaller group, when I am asked to lead a discussion as opposed to sharing content for 20 minutes. But I do expect that if I'm, quite honestly, preaching at chapel or giving a talk at a conference, that is not an opportunity to shout at me from the audience. I just find that disrespectful. And it does not escape me that the two most recent incidences we're talking about were two women of color. Right? It wasn't some men of color, it wasn't two men, it wasn't two white women. It was to two women of color where audience members thought that they could walk outwhich, okay is their prerogative, but then people are going to noticeor an audience member decides it's appropriate to interrupt and shout back. That does not communicate respect. Morgan Lee: Natasha, did you want to chime in? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: What she said. Morgan Lee: You know, I think we've touched on this a little bit when we were talking about social media. And I thought it was interesting to Tasha the ways that you were talking about how conferences can use social media at the beginning, or not even beginning, before the conference even starts, to kind of raise awareness and call attention to. I'm curious though, how has social media for you guys change public speaking? What are the ways that it's made it easier in some ways? And what are the things that are like uniquely challenging or more difficult about the nature of the work that you do because of social media? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: I'm going to let you answer this Kathy. She pointed at me. We're doing a video conference. I'm going to let Kathy spend most of the time answering it, and I'm going to say that because to me social media is a much bigger cultural concern than what we're talking about here. And so for me, I don't eat media, sleep, breathe on social media. I mean literally I probably spend, I don't know, maybe 30 minutes on and off a day on social media. And that's like while I'm eating lunch, or standing in line, or waiting for somebody who's late for a meeting. So there's certain things I schedule on social media, but I don't have time to be on social media. I am not the person that has built a social media platform by having conversations and debates on social media. And some people do that and that's good on them, that's not how I choose to live my life. And so is very interesting, my daughter is 11, we had dinner together last night and this is one of the things we're talking about, and how I just don't understand why I would invest so much time with strangers. So, that's just kind of my philosophy. Article continues below So when you asked me how that has helped or hindered, I don't know. I really honestly don't pay that much attention to it. And I think the challenge of that is, on this business side of things that people think that your social media following somehow communicates your worth. Or how many books you're going to sell or whatever. And there's really not a direct correlation between how many people you have following on social media and how well the books sell. Although, you can have exposure to more people if you have more social media numbers following. So, all that kind of place together, it goes into the whole platform building thing. But I guess my main thing is that I think it's important when people are talking about inviting speakers that you are inviting people because of the integrity of their work. Not because they're popular, not because it's cool, not because diversity is hip right now and you don't want people to cuss you out on social media because you don't have diversity on your stage. You should do it because it's the right thing to do, and because you done your homework, and you value the integrity of who the person is and what they burnt it. Kathy Khang: Yeah, yeah. No, I agree with you. I think one of the ways how it's helped is for meand I find this for folks on the margins, so to speak. People of colorit helps you find other like-minded people, right? So, you know you and I, Natasha, before we met in person we were able to follow each other's work and find each other and connect that way. And so I'm deeply grateful for the ways in which it has leveled or created a different playing field, so to speak, for me to connect with other people who are doing this work. And other people I want to partner with, other people I want to elevate. And so that's one of the great things that I've enjoyed about social media, is the opportunity to partner with other people, to elevate and promote other people's work. Because I have a following on Twitter or Instagram or whatever and to be able to share with folks who follow me, who normally would not be connected to those authors, speakers, whatever. So, I love that and I think it's changed a lot for me in that respect. It can be a very solitary thing to be a writer and to be a speaker, because your prep is alone with God. Which is a beautiful wonderful thing, but it also can be lonely. So I think social media has been a wonderful thing to create a community outside of my office. I think what's made it harder is that then it opens up other channels of communication for, not just people who want to have a dialogue and ask you about your differing opinions, but to just be out right mean. You know, I have a blog and comments that come from people who have never interacted with me on my blog, those comments are put on hold until I can go through all of them. And my posture generally has been I let all comments through that are not vulgar, that are not spam, that are not dangerous or threatening physical harm. But with this last incident with Baylor, I let almost all of those comments through moderation, except for three. And those last three, I just decided you know what? Ive already let about 30-40 comments questioning my mental health, questioning my ability to discern reality, questioning my faith, questioning every bit of my personal Integrity, I've let those through. I don't need to let any more of those through. But I think that has been part of the downside to social media. There is a student at Baylor who is backed by a university-approved, sanctioned organization. They created a YouTube video, posted it. They named me, and put out a challengenot only to me but people who agreed with them and with this young man who interrupted me claiming that this 11-year-old had made terrorist threats, which he did not and invited people to respond to me. And I think that is the downside to social media, is that there were many, many people, who call themselves Christiansand I think we're all going to be surprised what happens in the endnot inviting or asking for dialogue, they were just attacking. Just attacking. And I think that for me, as somebody who's doing this public work. That is the downside. Article continues below Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: To speak in the context of this conversation about conferences specifically, the role that social media plays in it, I just want to be clear because I think sometimes people have an illusion of what's happening here. And when you look at the speaking side of things not just as ministrywhich it is, and it is also the business side of thing, which Kathy mentioned beforeto some, in some ways, it works like every other business, right? And so you get opportunities and access a lot of times based on relationship. And whether or not you're invited to the table just to have a face of color on the website, on the social media platformso again, so people not cussing you out on Twitter, right?that's different than, oh, I have reached out to Kathy on social media to develop a relationship with her. And so when I get invited to speak or whatever, that Kathy's going to get paid the same thing that I get paid. And when we look around at a lot of these bigger conferencesjust pay attention for a little while, it's not rocket science, this is not very difficultthe same people get invited to the same things because they are free. They are inviting their friends, they are paying their friends very well, and them and their friends, they're all selling a lot of books. And so there's no room outside of social media for people like Kathy or myself to get those opportunities, because we're not friends. I think one thing that social media does, it does level the playing field. It does create access and opportunity to say, okay that's great if you want to invite me to that thing. But also for people like us, who are seeingwe're just kind of tired of waiting for you to figure this out after all of this time, and dialogue, and conversation, and work that we've done, and we're going to partner with other people who are like-minded, that care about the things that we care about, so we can do some things, because you're just not willing to put in the work. Caleb Lindgren: Again thinking of my brother who's a composer, and I think there's a lot of artists that probably could have similar conversations about the value and the danger of social media that are probably you know saying amen listening to thishopefully they listening to thisbecause I think there's a double-edged sword to that platform. Like you guys were talking about, building a platform is like one of the incentives, and so are both rolling your eyes at that, and I think not only is it not payment but it's also it's a double-edged sword. You got both sides and you get that direct attack that's dangerous, and then you also don't always get the connection that like buys access. And so I think that's an interesting facet, I'm really glad you mentioned that. Both Kathy and Natasha. I wanted to return actually to what you were talking about, Kathy, and I wanted to again sort of turn the question around. The Baylor situation is really awful in a lot of ways, and I wonder if there are examples of ways where that sort of disagreement or dialogue was done in a respectful way in your experience. Natasha, you talked about the Mennonite pastor and that was a great example. And one of the challenging things in a lot of these complex discussions is what does that look like? Like we have so many bad examples. What does a good example look like? How do we model this? How do we, what do we copy? Are there other examples of ways that respectful dialogue or disagreement happened that you felt like that was done well? Article continues below Kathy Khang: Oh, gosh, I wish I had a bunch to call on off of memory, but I'm having a very difficult time coming up with any. And in part becauseand we were kind of joking, and you your listeners can't see it, but Natasha and I are on video. So we're looking at each other kind of laughingthe whole idea of you know, a conference being called out because their platform is all white, that happens. That happens. And I know it happens because sometimes I'm that person who puts out, you know, the single tweet of like "Hey, wow, I saw this organization put out their platform, and I was like wow." And that's all that is. And I would say that in those instances, what has improved is that because of social media, there are ways in which an organization can reach out to people. Right? So, even before they mess up, they have access to different viewpoints, people who are not in their circles, people who are one or two degrees separated from their organization. I think that that's an amazing resource that social media is, that it can extend your reach and it can extend your ability to do research. And know ahead of timebecause it is now 2019and if you are having a national conference, whatever field it is, there is no excuse that it is all white. No, excuse at all. But I have found what is helpful then is to have a phone conversation. To have people who will go offline, and have a very honest conversation with no expectation that there is some sort of public forgiveness from me if I'm the person who tweeted about a conference lineup that was all white. My job is not to fix your PR. Well that's called consulting, and you can pay me for that. I do that too. So that's one of those things where I just don't have a lot of great Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: I have one, I have one. Kathy Khang: Good, good. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: So, I'm actually speaking this fall at the Apprentice Gathering. This will be my second time going to the Apprentice Gathering. James Bryan Smithhe's a white guyhe leads this conference, this gathering. And when they invited me for the first time in 2016, I had not met James. And so they invited me, they paid me a decent rate for me being a first-time author and just kind of getting started with things. I got there, and I had not realized that they hadthey being the school and the institutethey have a fellowship program that's year-long. And so my book Mentor For Life was on the required reading list for that fellowship program. So, by the time I get to the conference to speak as a keynote speaker and a workshop presenter, several peopleboth men and women of multiple generationshad already read my book. So, I didn't realize that until I got there. So I got there, and the audience was already affirming because they were like, "oh my goodness, I hadn't thought about it in that way. I so appreciate what you wrote." And so it wasn't me trying to convince anybody, or be on the defensive, or feeling even unsafe. It was like, oh, these are my people. And I had never met those people, but that's what we talked about earlier about preparing the audience. So there was some expectation of, this is the person we're bringing and we've already expose you to them, so that when you come and hear Natasha's speak, you're not dealing with her for the first time. Article continues below And so I think that was very, very good. And so I was able to do a keynote there, and then there was a really short Q&A after my keynote. Not from the audience, but James had already decided on three questions, maybe four, that he's going to ask me because, guess what? As a conference organizer, he read my book before I got there. And so he was able to ask me thoughtful questions on stage in front of everyone. So he didn't have to say, hey, this is someone I affirm, and I think she has great things to say. He said, "Oh I loved her book, and when I read it Natasha, these are things I was thinking about, and because of that, let me ask you these questions." And so it was not just about Natasha or this one 30-minute experience you had with her, this is something this guy had been thinking about for years, and he let everyone know that. And they came probably because of their reputation and their trust of him more so than their knowledge of me. Right? And so that was a very, very positive thing. So when they emailed me or come back this year, I mean it was not even one I had to really think about. I was like, Oh, this is certainly a place I would love to go on be. And I thoroughly enjoyed the time. And they understood that my work and my platform has grown significantly since we talked in 2016, and they compensated me well for that. So, that's a wonderful example of how that looks like, and that's in addition to whatever they're doing on social media. Like right now, they're putting clips up from my talk from 2016 to prep for a conference that's happening in September. Caleb Lindgren: Yeah, and that's maybe a really great additional answer to the like how can audiences make conference speakers feel welcome, is that like do your homework. Like a lot of times you see those lineups and you're like, okay cool, I'm going to go just receive from these people. But, maybe you can you can do a little bit of research and have something to bring. Which I think is something actually, Kathy, you mentioned earlier as well. So I'm just repeating you basically. Kathy Khang: You know, if you're going to make that investment, and these conferences are not cheap. And so, you know, I think of it as continuing edthose who are in professions where you need to keep going for certificationand I think that that's part of discipleship for us as Christians, right? That we are learning, and that we're not just sitting there receiving from the fire hose. But then we are also processing and we're pouring into others. And so there's a mutuality there that I think is important, and folks who attend conferences or do the weekend thing at a church or a retreat, is you are making an investment. You are spending time and money. How do you prepare for investments? You do homework, you do a little research, you enter in trying to make that opportunity the best that it can be. Not only for yourself, but also for other participants. So that you have great questions instead of an observation or a statement. Article continues below Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: And that was with my one-liner on that. Is that if you're looking at this to my point as spiritual formation, the work did you do to prepare your heart and mind to receive when you getthe same way you go to church, so you're not driving to church arguing with your spouse and you get the church and then acting like you got everything together, right? So, you prepare your heart and mind before you enter into a sacred space. And more importantly, if you're going to invest in that space, the hope is that you're not just getting stuff in that space, and you're now going to take back what you got in that space to your community, to your local church, to your family, and your friends or whatever. And if you're not willing to do that work in advance, then you're certainly not going to do the work on the backend. So, I think it's important to set that expectation and standard up. You know, when you come here, yes we want to have a good time, we want you to meet new people, we want you to engage with new ideas, and to take that extra step to how you want to challenge yourself. And this is a challenge for this diversity thing, people think is good enough to show up for the conversation. It's not. You have to go and do the work. Morgan Lee: So you guys have given so many just extremely interesting ideas, and suggestions. Super concrete ones. I know that one trap that people fall into is thinking that some of this change is just not going to cost them anything, or require any sacrifice, or be anything difficult, kind of that much more challenging than the status quo is, but obviously to break out of the status quo and always takes time, energy, resources, sacrifice. So I guess the question that I would want to just kind of ask you guys as we wrap is like, in order to really like support, sustain, encourage, boost the Christian woman of color these conferences are inviting, what do these conferences have to give up in order to make that a reality? Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: It's a whole 'nother podcast. I'm not going to elaborate on it too much, but I think you know at the end of the day this is a conversation about power and privilege. Because you know, you have two women of color on this podcast because this is notyou know, white men aren't having this problem. Like generally, and not to say it never happens, but if you had a guy, a white male in particular, speaking at chapel at a university, people don't stand up and yell at him. And so thatI mean it's just a very basic thing. And so we said, what can we do? It's like, okay well, let's have a conversationand not together and with us as people of color necessarilybut with yourself, with your team. What waysthis is very important, I'm taking an executive directors course right now, and we were talking about the power of influence. This is last week, a leadership class about influence. And so, I was using this example about why people need to be paid fairly in these types of spaces. And I said to them, to my class, I said, what's what's fair to them is not equitable to me. Right? What's fair to them is not equitable to me. So they said, We pay everybody $500. That's fine. But, for me like I don't have a full-time job. I have a child at home. You know, I have a husband who travels. I have two nonprofits I'm financially supported with my time and money. So, just because that's what you pay everyone, as a woman of color, number one, it costs me more emotionally and spiritually to show up in a predominately white space. Where I'm one of or only. You know, and I say a stranger, not that I don't want relationship, but if I don't have personal relationship yet. It costs me more spiritually, and it cost me more emotionally to do that. Article continues below And then, again, all those things I'm giving up to be in that space. If I have to pay out childcare, and do logistics and all that, that's in addition to praying, and studying, and doing research, and preparing my talk. Like that has to, that value has to show up in what youre offering for income. So, the thought process of what is fair, that's the easy thing. The conversation really needs to be, if we want to be people that care about justice, what's equitable for women of color when you're asking us to come and do this work? Kathy Khang: I don't know. Yeah. It's an issue of power. It's an issue of power. So on the very like easy end of it, if you're looking at attending any kind of conference, you know what? Click on the conference page, and click on and find out the leadership. Who are the leaders? And dig one level deeper. Not just you know, your board of directors, but who are the decision-makers, who's the visionary, who's the president, who's the founder of this? And therein you will see some of those friendships and connections between conferences, and friendships and who gets invited and all that crazy stuff. I think that that's what you can do. Any listener can do. It doesn't, it's not rocket science. It really isn't. It's like three clicks. That's all it takes. Three clicks, and you'll see who's got the power, and why is it that Natasha and I are the ones talking about this, right? We don't have our own conferences, and that's not something necessarily that I'm aspiring to, but I guarantee you two male speakersone who came before me and one who came after me at Baylorsaid things that students did not agree with, and neither of them were challenged publicly. Neither of them had someone stand up and yell back at them. Neither of them had a video created calling them out and inviting others to, you know, get on their websites and call them out. Neither of them. So, there is a cost and if organizations, institutions, are committed to this work of Kingdom diversity, the beauty of God's kingdom, fully, holy, that has to happen not just on stage. It can't, and we know it. We're watching. Morgan Lee: Well, thank you guys both for all the really extremely rich discussion and stuff to think about here. Caleb and I have been passing notes. I know you guys are like looking at each other. We're passing notes about like that was really good. Caleb Lindgren: I do wish you could see us. It would be nice to be able to wave and like wink. Morgan Lee: But for people who do have feedback, send us your feedback. You can send us an email. We'll pass it on if we feel like it. Caleb Lindgren: It might get through that moderation. Morgan Lee: You can do that. We're at podcast@christianitytoday.com. We're on Twitter @CTpodcasts. And we do appreciate hearing from everyone. We'll say for the most part, the feedback that we get is extremely thoughtful. So thank you for everyone who really works to be thoughtful and how they do that. And a challenge for you to continue to do that in every one that you're addressing and talking to. And not just the institutions you already feel like you respect, or deserve it. Caleb Lindgren: And see if you can practice doing that for the people that respond knee-jerk, the people that just are attacking, if you can respond with respect there. Just a little challenge for you. Morgan Lee: Yes, so listeners. Sorry to lecture you this week. But hey, that's what you signed up for. Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ. The 19th century Welsh missionarys cross-cultural approach enabled him to spread the gospel as a scholar, humanitarian, and educator. When Welsh missionary to China Timothy Richard died in his London home on April 17, 1919, he was mourned by people across the globe. Political leaders and believers in the pews in both China and the West grieved the loss of one of the greatest missionaries whom any branch of the Church, whether Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, or Protestant, has sent to China, as dubbed by Kenneth Scott Latourette, the 20th-century scholar of Christianity in China. Timothy Richard was born into a Baptist family in rural Wales in 1845 and was baptized during one of the mid-century revivals. He received his personal call to mission during a sermon on 1 Samuel 15:22, To obey is better than sacrifice, and shortly after enrolled at the Baptist College in Haverfordwest. Richard quickly identified China as his destination, convinced that being the most civilized of non-Christian nations, China would be able in time to carry the gospel to the other less advanced nations. He originally applied to serve with Hudson Taylors brand new China Inland Mission, but with Taylors encouragement, he chose to stay with his own denomination. Richard joined the English Baptist Missionary Society and arrived in China in 1870. Over the course of the next 45 years, Richards missionary career expanded to include a remarkable breadth of endeavor. During the devastating North China Famine (18761878), Richard was asked to spearhead missionary famine relief efforts that saved the lives of over 150,000 people in Shandong and Shanxi provinces. Richard remained in Shanxi after the devastation, establishing schools and orphanages with vocational training programs to support the local recovery ... Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism and the Church: How Should Christians Respond? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As artificial intelligence and emerging technology continue to develop at breakneck speed, Christians have no choice but to engage given the staggering implications it's already having for ministry and the broader culture, scholars say. For many followers of Jesus, the explosive use of digital devices like smartphones and an ever-growing number of social media utilities are challenging enough to deal with, especially when it comes to raising children. As leaders in the tech industry place their own children in schools where technology is not available and even home use is discouraged, many are also increasingly concerned about a burgeoning, smartphone-fueled mental health crisis. But wholly rejecting or ignoring technology will only worsen conditions for everyone, according to two tech experts who spoke with The Christian Post. What Christians need to reject is their ignorance of the subject, they say, and a re-examination of their priorities is in order. Fabrice Jotterand, a professor of Swiss nationality who teaches at a Wisconsin medical school and is a renowned scholar in neuroethics, recounted in a CP interview last week that most believers are simply unaware that AI technology is in fact already here. "People think it is science fiction, it's something of the future, or it's in the movies. And I think that there is a kind of naivete about these technologies," Jotterand said, as this industry is in dire need of voices providing serious ethical and theological reflection. He is presently writing a book titled, The Unfit Brain and the Limits of Moral Bioenhancement. "We shouldn't say all technology, all AI, is necessarily, inherently bad," he said, arguing that it's vital to distinguish between transhumanism and AI because all too often people mistakenly conflate them. "Transhumanism is the idea that you're going to transcend human biological nature using technology; at the basis you still have a human being using technology to enhance his or her capacities," he explained. By contrast, "AI is basically a new entity, an entity that in some ways replicates some of the attributes of the human being." Yet most of the confusion exists around the notion of embodiment, he went on to say, a confusion rooted in a Gnostic mindset that pervades the transhumanist creed. And it is not an exaggeration to consider transhumanism a religious cult of sorts, one that proposes immortality on its own terms and amounts to the very erasure of what makes us human, he stressed. Indeed, already these beliefs have taken shape in a futuristic movement called Terasem, which was formed in 2002 by Martine Rothblatt, a transwoman and multimillionaire CEO of United Therapeutics, along with his wife, Bina. Rothblatt also has a robot clone of his wife called Bina 48 who looks like the real Bina Rothblatt and has received many uploads of information from her life. According to its website, Terasem is based on four pillars: (1) Life is purposeful. (2) Death is optional. (3) God is technological. And (4) Love is essential. The Terasem "Beliefs" page plainly states: "Nobody dies so long as enough information about them is preserved. They are simply in a state of 'cybernetic biostasis.' Future mindware technology will enable them to be revived, if desired, to healthy and independent living." The movement claims with regard to God being technological: "We are making God as we are implementing technology that is ever more all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful and beneficent. Geoethical nanotechnology will ultimately connect all consciousness and control the cosmos." Meanwhile, futurist Ray Kurzweil, who works on Google's machine learning project, has said in recent months that by year 2029 what is known as "singularity" the total merging of human and computer intelligence will be achieved. Jotterand explained that an essential aspect of transhumanism is "that the body is totally irrelevant to our identity as a human being" and that "the body becomes something you can manipulate at will and doesn't have any normative stand in defining who we are as human beings." In other words, from the transhumanist perspective, what defines a human person is what is inside the brain and if the contents can be uploaded onto a hard drive then that would still be you. With AI, a larger challenge emerges, namely: "What kind of relationship will humans have with it?" he said. Already headlines are telling of people wanting to marry and have sexual relations with robots. Other quandaries now upon us, which most Christians never thought they would even have to ask or think about, center on the social status of robots in the law. "If we define legal personhood based on certain functions or tasks it will mean that the robot has rights, and disabled people or individuals with a handicap of some kind might then have a lesser status," Jotterand pointed out. "And this is where we need to be very careful," he added. "Are we using these robots and AI to fulfill human ends or are we allowing them to be autonomous and fulfill their own purpose?" European thinkers have been exploring many of these themes for some time, the professor noted, referencing German philosopher Martin Heidegger's 1926 essay "The Question Concerning Technology," in which he maintains that technology indelibly "enframes" human beings. Whatever one makes of Heidegger's writings and other work, "think about an iPhone or a smartphone, you [practically] cannot function in this world" without one now, Jotterand said. He urged Christians to consider how much Facebook and Google govern so much of their thinking and daily decision-making. "My advice would be to be aware that this technology exists and know how it works, but use it to promote the human good and put boundaries [around it]." "Unless we become the Amish of the world with regard to technology and say, 'Nope, we're not really going to touch technology' ... but then we don't function. And so what we need to do is earn our place around the table and shape these discussions in a way that honors God and protects human dignity." Christopher Benek, who has written extensively on transhumanism for CP and is an internationally recognized expert on emerging technology and theology, said in a recent interview that the first thing for Christians to remember is that almost all of us are already using AI in our cell phones and other digital devices. "When I start to talk with people [about this subject] I say, 'Let's back up a bit,'" Benek said. "If we look at God and we have some concept that God created us, that means we are already God's alternative intelligence, as I like to say, God's AI." Benek is a Presbyterian pastor in southern Florida and the founding chair of the Christian Transhumanist Association. He stressed in the interview that the healthiest way of interacting with this subject theologically is to take what we know about theology and begin to converse about what is helpful, recognizing that AI can be used for evil or good much in the same way nuclear physics can be utilized to either make murderous weaponry or to provide a clean energy source. "Christ started a redemptive process that we are called to participate in, to actually help in the redemption Christ has already secured the victory but as co-creators, like as with a parent and a child, to co-create alongside God. So there is no reason to think that God wouldn't empower us to create AI and create very powerful AI to help in those redemptive purposes," Benek said. This requires the recognition that all matter is essentially technology, something that is to be stewarded like anything else, he said. In November, Benek traveled to Japan and was the first ever pastor to speak at the International Conference for Social Robotics. "What was fascinating was how amazed they were at the insights I had with regard to the robots they were building. And part of the reason I have that insight is that I deal with people who build robots and AI." The creative processes involved in the making of this technology is inextricably linked to who human beings are and the reflections and iterations of themselves that are projected onto what they build, he explained; and if Christians are formed as people in ways that emulate Jesus Christ, then their technological creations will benefit humanity and further His purposes in the world. Echoing Jotterand, Benek strongly believes that the Church has no option but to engage these issues immediately and be a part of the ethical conversations surrounding widespread technology use. He recently counseled a foreign government that had solicited his advice (he could not say which country) to invest a billion of their currency toward AI safety. An additional concern many Christian leaders have today is how emerging technology might thwart our very humanity particularly as it changes the economy and labor market. Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, wrote in December that he was especially nervous about driverless cars dependent on AI technology. "What happens to a view of work when increased automation seems to be constantly 'disrupting' careers and even entire industries? Unlike previous generations of Western people, ours increasingly has little understanding of the world our parents and grandparents lived in, in which one expected to learn a skill, find a job, and remain in it, or perhaps be promoted upward through it, for life. Those days are gone," he said. "Instead, increasingly, younger people find they must compete in a 'gig economy' where they may change jobs multiple times in a five-year period, if they can even find work at all." CP asked Benek how churches might respond and minister to those who face potential job losses and the ever-growing crisis of smartphone technology addiction among youth, a problem likely to increase if current trends continue. "How do we expect our children not to be addicted to a phone if they haven't been formed in the teachings of Christ to know otherwise? If they don't know what an idol is, they are not going to know. We as Christian adults, we have to moderate ourselves on these things," he replied. "The church has forsaken the gospel to maintain the institution of the church. And so if we continue to worry about property and buildings and not about people then you will continue to see [bad] results and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves." But Benek believes automation is the biggest opportunity the church has had in front of it since the Reformation to be relevant. He is currently drafting an overture to the General Assembly for the Presbyterian Church of America asking them to consider emerging technology and have some kind of formal council that issues recommendations to churches about how to deal with these issues. For those who do not think the subject matter is relevant in the church, Benek asks: "Stand up in your pulpit on Sunday morning and look out and imagine half of those people being unemployed. What are you going to do when that happens?" "Tech will reform the church if we do not get involved. And maybe God will use that technology to reform the church so we are more interested in the gospel and less in property and in stuff because tech will take it away from us and we'll actually have to worry about people." He further observed that many people, Christians included, are experiencing this unique moment of exponential growth in technology in a way that has never been felt before, a feeling that can be unsettling. Whereas inventions like the printing press and the steam engine punctuated history in ways that fundamentally changed how human beings interacted with each other, technological breakthroughs are occurring so quickly it is hard to keep track. And the potential for seemingly everything to change all of a sudden is now a reality. For Christians who spurn most technology or find the idea of becoming a modern day Luddite appealing, Benek urges them to consider what happened to the actual Luddites, the bands of English textile workers and weavers who in the early 19th century destroyed machinery, especially in the cotton and woolen mills, the technology they believed threatened their livelihoods. "The thing to remember about the Luddites is that technology still won. It's still won the day. The tech is coming; the question is whether or not we are going to address it," Benek said. While in Japan conversing with the roboticists, Benek ended up sharing key parts of the gospel message, telling them that God made them to be co-creators with Jesus Christ and that He cares about what they do, that they are part of the redemption of the world. "This one woman choked up and raised her hand," he recounted, and she said through tears, "You mean God cares about me?" "If that doesn't speak to the need as church people, then what the heck are we doing? We need to get out there and connecting with people in ways that are real, and we need tech people to come along and scoop some pastors up and say, 'you know what, we need you in this field.'" Aptiv PLC, a global technology company enabling the future of mobility, announced on April 17 the expansion of its industry-leading autonomous driving capabilities to the Chinese market with the establishment of the company's China Autonomous Mobility Center. Furthering the company's global leadership in automated driving solutions and its commitment to commercially deploying the technology, the opening of Aptiv's China Autonomous Mobility Center extends Aptiv's autonomous driving operations, joining Boston, Singapore, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas as one of the company's major autonomous driving engineering hubs. Located in Shanghai, the Center will focus on development and application of the company's L4 autonomous driving technology. With high market acceptance to autonomous driving in China, we see a strong demand for autonomous driving technologies in the Chinese market. said Karl Iagnemma, president of Aptiv Autonomous Mobility. We are excited to expand to the Chinese market, bringing our autonomous driving expertise and capabilities to the region. This expansion is significant for China, and globally, as it takes us one step closer to broader adoption of automated mobility. To coincide with testing, the company is actively in discussions with potential partners for mapping and commercial deployment of Aptiv's vehicles in China. This is consistent with the company's approach in other markets. It allows Aptiv to gain real-world experience with the general public and supports broader technology and IP development, two critical components to grow commercial deployment and develop future mobility solutions. Aptiv was the first to commercially deploy autonomous vehicles globally. It has been giving rides to consumers in Las Vegas since May 2018, in partnership with ride-hailing app, Lyft, and is conducting Automated Mobility on Demand research, development and testing in Boston, Pittsburgh and Singapore. To date, Aptiv's commercial program has provided 40,000 paid autonomous rides, servicing more than 2,100 destinations across the city of Las Vegas and Clark County, while maintaining a nearly perfect average passenger rating of 4.95 out of five stars. Aptiv began operations in China in 1993, and has a strong engineering and manufacturing presence in the country with advanced safety, connectivity and security, infotainment and user experience systems, as well as electrical architectures for both internal combustion and new energy vehicles. Azusa Pacific's new president to promote 'unity' amid concerns of 'theological drift' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The largest Christian college on the West Coast has named a new president who looks to restore financial stability and promote unity at a 120-year-old institution that has faced questions about its commitment to the authority of scripture. Last Monday night, the Azusa Pacific University board of trustees in Southern California voted for Dr. Paul Ferguson, an accomplished college administrator who previously led two public universities, to succeed President Jon Wallace. Wallace is retiring at the end of May. Ferguson, who has served in the past as president of secular institutions like Ball State University in Indiana and the University of Maine, has served since 2016 as the founding dean of the School of Science, Technology and Health at the evangelical Biola University in La Miranda, California. [APU] certainly has one of the great reputations in Christian higher education. It's one of the larger, more successful schools, certainly in a very challenging environment of Southern California, Ferguson told The Christian Post. So my background, I think as God has brought us together at a certain point in time, I think I'm bringing probably a deeper broader experience in strategic planning, resource development, how to ensure that the university is fiscally sound and moving towards a clear goal. David Poole, the chair of APUs board of trustees, said in a statement that Ferguson will work to improve financial stability to APU. Im confident he will strengthen our position as a leading university in teaching, student development, and Christian service, Poole said. Ferguson explained that he will spend time over the next two months familiarizing himself with the situations facing APU so that he can hit the ground running on June 1. Ferguson said that APU, like many other private and public universities across the U.S., faces a number of financial challenges. Particularly when developing an aggressive enrollment management model, Ferguson said that expenses have to be controlled. There's nothing unique about the [APU] situation that other universities don't face, Ferguson stated. I think my job is to come in and really take a hard look at it. Obviously, I don't have the blueprint today until I have my time over the next several weeks to kind of gain insight and to get the debriefings. But I think it's really clearly going to be tied to very insightful fiscal management of controlling revenue and expenses, looking at new sources of revenue advancement development plans. He also stated that questions of how to balance the undergraduate model versus the graduate model will also come into play. There are over 5,600 undergrads and over 4,400 graduate students enrolled at APU. I think really coming in and addressing maybe a more nimble financial model that really is commensurate with the marketplace of higher education will be one of the challenges that we seek to look at, he explained. I think also, the challenge will be to make sure that we take a bit of reflection. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot with the faculty and the staff and the students. Just weeks prior to Ferguson being named APUs next president, APU announced changes to its student handbook in which a ban on homosexual relationships was removed. The announcement drew strong reactions from some Christians who saw the move as somewhat of a capitulation by the evangelical institution on the LGBT issue. However, the APU handbook still bans sexual intimacy outside the confines of marriage. Although the decision came in March, that was not before the university attempted to remove the ban on same-sex relationships in the handbook last September and faced criticism from Christian conservatives. Days later, the school reversed course after the board of trustees stated that school officials never got approval to remove the ban. APU still upholds the traditional Christian view of marriage being a union between one man and one woman and an APU spokesperson explained in March that APU is an open enrollment campus and some students who choose to attend do not share our Christian faith perspective. I think that's one of the very important issues that I need to sit across the table and hear firsthand from the folks who have been engaged in that, Ferguson explained of the student handbooks changes. He added that he believes APU is on the right path on the issue. But I think where the board of trustees has come with a campus right now and the revision of the handbook, is really holding on to the basic foundational principles of Azusa Pacific University but also being very loving and caring to the constituencies that come to the campus, he stated. I think that that seems to be where APU has tried to go to love all who are there on campus, within the context of the traditional and clear positions of what they believe. Last year, two members of the APU board of trustees resigned, citing what they claimed to be a drift in the evangelical institutions foundation and mission. Raleigh Washington, a black pastor who served for over 15 years on the board, said at the time that he voiced concern that administrators and a chunk of faculty members were promoting what he considered to be a progressive ideology that clashes with the APU statement of faith. He argued that APU is suffering from a "theological drift from what is required of an evangelical Christian university." At the time, Poole responded to those claims by stating that APU is firmly committed to upholding the biblical values that undergird the university. Ferguson told CP that the most important thing for him to do is to meet with people within the APU community to understand where everybody is coming from. He added that his goal is to help promote unity on campus. I think that there's no question that Azusa Pacific University can be a light to the world and absolutely has been and will continue to be. I think these issues are going to be front and center on where all Christian higher education is going to be over the next several years, he said. My goal is to come in and contribute to support and promote unity on campus. And to do that within a framework of Christian love and concern is a message that I'm bringing today. Donations for 3 burned historic black churches pour in after Notre Dame fire Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Donations to restore three historically black churches torched in alleged arson attacks in Louisiana are pouring in after high profile figures like Hillary Clinton asked the public to remember them too when more than $700 million was quickly raised to restore the famed Notre Dame cathedral in France. As we hold Paris in our thoughts today, lets also send some love to our neighbors in Louisiana. Three historically black churches have burned in recent weeks, charring buildings and scattering communities, Clinton tweeted Tuesday with a link to a GoFundMe campaign that had initially been struggling to raise the $1.8 million needed to restore the three churches. The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded. In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. Please join me in donating https://t.co/gj1BcNsGpu Yashar Ali ???? (@yashar) April 16, 2019 Mount Pleasant Baptist Church became the third historically black church over 100 years old to burn down in St. Landry Parish, in a span of 10 days earlier this month. St. Marys Baptist Church was the first reported church fire on March 26 and Greater Union Baptist Church went up in flames a week later. Last Wednesday, the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149-year-old nonprofit religious organization, launched the GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise the $1.8 million to evenly distribute between the three churches to help them rebuild. On Monday morning, even after retired Christian New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, urged his supporters on Twitter over the weekend to support it, only about $60,000 had been raised. It is imperative that we show this community and the entire country that these types of acts do not represent who we are. And most importantly as the body of Christ, we suffer alongside our brothers and sisters whenever tragedy, persecution or loss happens, he noted in one of several tweets on the church fires. It was a tweet from journalist Yashar Ali on Tuesday, as the world mourned over the Notre Dame, that sparked donations from liberals and conservatives alike. The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded. In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. Please join me in donating, Ali wrote. Wonderful, important cause. Just donated. Thanks for tweeting this, @yashar! conservative pundit Ben Shapiro quickly responded. The campaign has since gone viral and as of Wednesday morning has galloped beyond the $1 million mark. In an op-ed in The Washington Post on Tuesday, identity politics reporter Eugene Scott highlighted criticism being shared on social media that while both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had quickly issued statements on the Notre Dame fire, none of them said anything about the burning of the historic black churches in Louisiana. Notre Dame is an iconic symbol of faith to people all over the world and it is heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames. Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters on the scene and all the people of Paris, Pence tweeted Monday. Pence was quickly called out by many for his silence on the burning of the black churches, including Air Force veteran Michelle Tolosky who replied: Four Black Churches were recently set on fire by a white supremacist in Louisiana. What's the matter, aren't those churches 'Christian' enough for you to even warrant a comment to the congregations & our Nation who is under seige by Domestic Terrorists? #Hypocrite#FakeChristian. Since the publication of The Washington Posts op-ed, Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for Pence, released a statement on the burning of the black churches. When tragedy strikes in places of worship, people of all faiths unite. Our hearts go out to the members of the congregations of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, St. Marys Baptist Church, and Greater Union Baptist Church who were victims of arson. No one should be in fear in a house of worship. Justice must be carried out on the perpetrator, the statement said. Holden Matthews, the 21-year-old son of a sheriff's deputy with alleged ties to Satanism, was charged with burning down the three historically black churches in southern Louisiana. He allegedly used a secondary Facebook account to claim Baptist worshipers were brainwashed people days before his arrest. According to The Acadiana Advocate, Matthews used his secondary account to comment on April 6 about Afrikan spirituality, saying he cant stand all these Baptists around here, bunch of brainwashed people trying to find happiness in a religion that was forced on their ancestors just as it was on mine. I wish more blacks people would look into ancient beliefs of pre Christian Africa. On Monday, Holden, who was charged with three counts of arson, was further charged with three hate-crimes, according to St. Landry Parish District Attorney Earl Taylor. In Louisiana, hate crimes include offenses perpetrated against an individual because of their race, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or other protected status. Pete Buttigieg stops calling Mike Pence a 'Pharisee' because it offends Jews Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The campaign of Democrat presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg says that it will no longer refer to Vice President Mike Pence or other evangelical Republican adversaries as Pharisees after receiving complaints that the term is offensive to Jews. Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana who officially announced his presidential bid Sunday, has taken heat in Israeli media in recent days over his repeated use of the word Pharisee to describe what he considers to be the political hypocrisy of Pence and other conservative evangelicals. In the New Testament, Christ on multiple occasions criticized Pharisees for their acts of hypocrisy and greed. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect whose beliefs became the liturgical basis for known as Rabbinic Judaism, the mainstream belief of Judaism since the 6th Century. Most recently in speaking to The Washington Post about Pence, a devout evangelical Christian, Buttigieg suggested that the vice president doesnt practice what he preaches because he serves in an administration that Buttigieg and others consider immoral, due to its treatment of immigrants and other policies. Buttigieg, a Navy veteran of the Afghanistan War, contended that Pence attached himself to the Trump campaign for the purposes of gaining power and that it is alarmingly resonant with some New Testament themes, and not in a good way. On Tuesday, Buttigieg's communications advisor Lis Smith took to Twitter to respond to complaints that the use of the word Pharisee is harmful to Jews. We appreciate the people who have reached out to educate us on this, Smith tweeted. While intended to highlight political hypocrisy, we listened and learned and wont be using it going forward. We appreciate the people who have reached out to educate us on this. While intended to highlight political hypocrisy, we listened and learned and wont be using it going forward. https://t.co/373XmOBXFi Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) April 16, 2019 However, Smiths tweet comes after the Buttigieg campaign initially defended the word choice after being criticized for its repeated use by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Buttigiegs national press secretary, Chris Meagher, said in a statement provided to JTA last week that the term Pharisee was simply a common expression to refer to hypocrites. The Mayor expressed his concern about the hypocrisy on the part of evangelical leaders, Meagher explained. He invoked this Biblical reference since it is commonly used to show skepticism of hypocritical establishment leaders. That was the way he intended it. However, that initial response did not satisfy Jewish leaders. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg told the JTA that the term Pharisee is anti-Semitic and compared it to the word gay being used on a playground as a juvenile insult. Throughout his short campaign, Buttigieg has emphasized how his faith informs his stances on political issues. Left-leaning media have painted Buttigieg as being a symbol for a rising Christian left. Responding to Buttigiegs claims, Pence claimed that his faith was being attacked by Buttigieg, who disagrees with Pences traditional Christian views on marriage and sexuality. I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith or attacks on the president as he seeks the highest office in the land, Pence told CNN last week. When asked if he believes that Buttigiegs quarrel with him was over Pences opposition to the notion that Buttigieg was born gay, Pence argued that Buttigiegs quarrel is with the First Amendment. All of us in this country, have the right to our religious beliefs, Pence said. Buttigieg responded in his own interview. The vice president is entitled to his religious beliefs, Buttigieg told CNN. My problem is when those religious beliefs are used as an excuse to harm other people. On Tuesday at a rally in Iowa, Buttigieg was heckled by a Christian activist who shouted out about Sodom and Gomorrah, two biblical cities destroyed by Gods judgment for their sinful ways. "The good news is, the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you," Buttigieg responded. Buttigieg also drew the ire of Christian conservatives by saying on Monday that he and his husband, Chasten Glezman Buttigieg, are hoping to have a child soon. More accurate title: Dem 2020 candidate announces that he will be purchasing eggs selected from catalogue based on race & physical appearance of co-ed, and renting uterus of lower-class (likely) military wife trying to make ends meet to create intentionally motherless child, childrens rights advocate Katy Faust, founder of the nonprofit Them Before Us, wrote in a tweet. The race to challenge Trump: Biden strong; Harris losing support? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment With the first contests to determine the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party several months away, the race for the White House in full swing. The Christian Post examined multiple analyses on the state of the crowded Democratic Party primary field in a Mar. 19 article to see who had advantages in polling and endorsements. Since then, more individuals have launched campaigns, including Miramar, Florida Mayor Wayne Messam and Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. Although former Vice President Joe Biden has not officially declared his candidacy, hints are dropping that he plans to enter the presidential race. For example, Politico reported on Monday that a Spanish language Biden campaign ad for Florida was leaked. As seen by data compiled by different political polling websites, Biden maintains a strong presence in most polls, with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont not far behind. 1 2 3 4 5 Next New Museum of the Bible exhibit to explore relationship between science and the Bible Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., has announced plans for a year-long exhibition examining the often contentious relationship between science and the Bible over the course of history. Through millions of dollars in grants received from the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton Religion Trust, the temporary exhibit will run from summer 2020 through summer 2021 and will detail the contemporary debates related to scientific inquiry and biblical interpretation. Specifically, the exhibit seeks to answer six of the worlds most pressing questions: How did it all begin? What keeps the universe running? Are we different from animals? What are we made of? Where are we going? Are we alone? We believe that the narrative for the most part in Western civilization is that the Bible and science are incompatible with each other, the museums chief executive officer Ken McKenzie told The Christian Post in an interview. We believe that in the scientific community some folks look at the Bible and say, We believe folks on the religious side look at science as competing with the Bible and therefore, is antagonistic. Our argument is that both the Bible and science have an authoritative place in society, and we believe a lot is complementary and they are not opposite to each other at all times. The museum aims to tackle myths that have emerged on both sides of the science-faith discussion in ways that are educational, engaging and informative. The exhibit will feature artifacts from the museum and those on loan from other institutions around the world. As there is much debate about the origins of the universe and human life, the matters of creation and evolution will be covered in the exhibit but will not be the entire focus. Rather, the focus will be on the six big questions that everyone has asked at some point in their lives. The origin of the universe and the diversity of life are certainly big questions, he said. We will cover them in Pod 1 and Pod 3 which ask, How did it all begin and Are we different from animals? respectively. Topics that will be discussed in the exhibit will range from past discoveries like Newtons laws of motion and Darwins theory of natural selection, as well as modern topics like the cosmos and the debate on life and health. [We hope] that it makes you ask more questions as to where you believe you land on either side of the two parties biblically based or scientific based, McKenzie said. If you really lean heavily to one of the other, we hope that it challenges your thinking and then think, Maybe there is a lot of places where these overlap and actually are complementary to each other. The exhibit will be thousands of square feet in size and will be an interactive experience. However, it has not yet been determined what exactly the interactive experience will entail. The museum is working with an international advisory panel of 13 scientists and scholars to develop the exhibit's content and associated educational programs. Included in the advisory panel are astronomers, biologists, and geologists. According to McKenzie, a former airline executive who was appointed CEO of the museum last September, the discussions about this exhibit began around June of last year. We had chances to meet together and Oxford. We've met in Washington, over in Rome, Florence, he explained. So that team of scholars in conjunction with our exhibit staff are fine-tuning exactly what this is going to look like. Since we're looking to roll it out in 2020, there's still a number of questions to be answered. And every architect is going to be there. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment It will come as no surprise when President Trump continues his anti-immigrant agenda, ignoring well-established U.S. asylum law and putting children and families in harms way even after Secretary Nielsens abrupt departure. We know that President Trump forced Secretary Nielsen to resign to find someone willing to enforce even more cruelty at the border. The question now is what unchecked harm he will unleash after the purge of the Department of Homeland Security is complete. He gave us a preview of those plans on Friday when he sent a chilling message to refugees from Central America seeking safety in the United States: The system is full. We cant take you anymore... Our country is full... Turn around. Speaking directly to the camera, his message was both cruel and clear: I do not care what hell you went through. Turn around and go back. Ive read these words before. Im sure you have too. We know the story of a pregnant woman and her husband, looking for a safe place to rest, escaping from cruelty in their homeland, being told theres no room for you. The story of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus is the founding story of my Christian faith, and it powerfully demonstrates that there is always room for the outcast and the migrant. As Americans and as people of faith, we know that vulnerable families knocking on our door and seeking protection are not a border security crisis their story and how we respond is a test of our humanity. Trump is saying go back to the mothers, fathers, and children walking north to seek protection through the legal process known as asylum. Hes saying go back to the men, women, and children his administration is incarcerating in jails and cages and stowing away like trash under a bridge. The families he has separated who are still trying to find each other; the children who have died while in U.S. custody; these are not examples of hapless neglect. They are examples of deliberate cruelty. The good news is that a lot of people in the United States today see Trumps attempt to turn his back on Central American refugees for what it is: an immoral act that flies in the face of basic human decency. People of conscience across our country have demonstrated faithful witness to the dignity of families separated by Trumps cruel attacks on asylum seekers, in opposition to the inhumanity of his zero tolerance policies. All along the border, faith communities across traditions are pitching in to accompany asylum seekers, in order to ensure they have adequate shelter, food, clothing, phone services and bus tickets to connect with family members. Church World Service has been supporting eight shelters along the border. One shelter, the Inn Project, was created by the United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona and named after the story of Mary and Joseph being told there was no room in the inn. It now has more than 250 volunteers. Others groups like the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, say they are responding with hope, grit and grace. Trumps heartless words - there is no room for you - come almost exactly one year after his administration began separating children from their parents. Despite widespread outcry, families are still separated and these policies are in place still today. These words and policies run counter to Biblical call to love your neighbor, welcome the stranger, and value the dignity of every family. People of faith and conscience recognize the parallels. A pregnant Mary and a downtrodden Joseph are walking toward our border right now. Will we allow President Trump to turn them away? Originally posted at sojo.net The Rev. John L. McCullough is president and CEO of Church World Service. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The New York Times recently told the story of Maha Kassef, an elementary school teacher in Montreal who, like many teachers, dreams of one day being a principal. That dream may never happen, and for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with her qualifications. Quebecs new government recently proposed a law that would bar public employees, such as teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols while at work. Thus, a Muslim like Kassef could not wear a hijab or headscarf. A Jew would be forbidden to wear a yarmulke; a Sikh a turban; and a Christian a cross. While Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedom says that freedom of conscience and religion is fundamental, the Quebec government has invoked the notwithstanding clause, which allows federal and provincial governments to temporarily override some provisions of the Charter. Under the proposal, current employees like Kassef would be grandfathered and could continue to wear their headscarves, turbans, or crosses. But if they ever changed jobs or sought a promotion, the new provisions would then apply to them as well. Francois Legault, the premier of Quebec, continues to insist that, despite the proposal, Quebeckers remain free to practice their religion. He also maintains that the proposal represents the values and desires of the people of the province. That sort of reasoning should sound familiar to those of us south of the Canadian border. Most infringements on religious freedom here in the U.S. also come with an insistence that people are still free to practice their religion, just not in the workplace. And just like the Quebec proposal, infringements here are often justified by an appeal to some values. In Quebec, the values come from an almost-fanatical secularism. Legaults party controls the legislature, so he has the votes to enact the proposed bill. The question is whether the widespread condemnation of the proposal outside the province and opposition to it within, will cause Legault to table it. The United States Constitution, as Rod Dreher correctly pointed out, makes a similar proposal here a nonstarter. But still there are some important lessons we have to learn from this story. The most important lesson is that religious freedom is indivisible. As we see in Quebec, a law that bans the wearing of a hijab in the workplace also bans yarmulkes, turbans, and crosses. To the aggressive secularists behind such proposed laws, any religion other than their own, which they deny to be a religion, is a private matter that has no place in the public square. This lesson was recently driven home to us in Texas. Patrick Murphy, a man scheduled to be executed, asked that his Buddhist spiritual advisor be able to accompany him in his execution. But the state said no. If he were Christian, yes. Muslim? Of course. But not a Buddhist. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that only allowing Christian and Muslim clergy in the death chamber violated Murphys free exercise rights. So what did Texas do? Rather than find Murphy a Buddhist spiritual advisor, it just banned all clergy from the execution chamber. That removed any possibility of Buddhists being singled out for discrimination. I doubt that Justice Kavanaugh and the other members of the majority had this so-called solution in mind. Even so, it offers us a powerful reminder that religious freedom is for everyone. Texas, like Quebec, decided that, rather than accommodate the religious freedom of some death row inmates, it would deny the religious freedom of every death row inmate. Religious freedom has its limits, as it should; but it must be for all, or well soon discover its for no one. Resources She Wears a Head Scarf. Is Quebec Derailing Her Career? Dan Bilefsky | New York Times | April 2, 2019 Quebec Proposes Bill Barring Public Employees From Wearing Head Scarves at Work, Dan Bilefsky | New York Times | March 28, 2019 Holy Sexuality and the Gospel Webinar registration Originally posted at Breakpoint. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Chick-fil-A may cater, but not to the demands San Antonio liberals care about. Now, three weeks into the city council's decision to ban the restaurant from the local airport, Texas conservatives know: this case for their religious liberty bill was made to order. "Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport," City Councilman Roberto Trevino told the media after the council's 6-4 vote to boot the chicken chain from opening a shop in the terminal. Why? Because the owners dare to donate to charities like the Salvation Army. "Ridiculous!" Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) responded on Twitter. "That's not Texas," he argued. Unfortunately, the state's conservatives worry, that will be Texas if something isn't done to protect religious freedom. "With this decision," Trevino insisted, the council "reaffirmed the work [San Antonio] has done to become a champion of inclusion." Until, of course, that "inclusion" applies to people who support natural marriage and sexuality. Where's the equality for them? That's a question the Lone Star State is trying to answer with the introduction of SB 17, the Free to Believe Act and the First Amendment Defense Act. Chick-fil-A may be a private company, but that doesn't mean it has to surrender its beliefs at the dining room door. And the same goes for any American trying to live out their faith in the public square. The San Antonio City Council thinks it can't, "in good conscience," sign an airport agreement with a business owned by Christians. But isn't that exactly what this debate is about -- conscience? Just because the Cathy family owns a national restaurant chain doesn't mean they're excluded from the First Amendment. Regardless of what liberals say, religious freedom isn't just for churches. It's for every business, wedding vendor, adoption agency, charity, doctor -- every citizen. And that's what SB 17 is hoping to remind Texans. "We're waking up in an era where Christian faith, specifically, seems to be under attack," said state Sen. Charles Perry (R). In the current political climate, he's worried Christians can't practice their faith openly without facing consequences -- including the loss of their jobs and livelihood. Under the Free to Believe Act, government officials can't punish Texans for thinking differently than the radical Left. That's just "a license to discriminate," LGBT activists argue. Not true, Republicans like Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (Texas) fired back. No one is trying to create a religious excuse for businesses to turn people away. No believer I know would want that -- let alone lobby for it. As even Chick-fil-A has said, everyone should feel welcome at its restaurant. This debate has never been about Christians discriminating against anyone -- it's about stopping the government from discriminating against them! Even in some of the more high-profile wedding vendor cases, where the Left is trying to paint Christians as intolerant monsters who want to slam the door shut on same-sex couples, you'll find that -- to a person -- each shop owner was more than happy to sell the activists something off their shelves. In fact, Barronnelle Stutzman of Arlene's Flowers, considered the man who sued her to be one of her best customers. "I knew he was in a relationship with a man and he knew I was a Christian. But that never clouded the friendship for either of us or threatened our shared creativity -- until he asked me to design something special to celebrate his upcoming wedding. If all he'd asked for were prearranged flowers, I'd gladly have provided them. If the celebration were for his partner's birthday, I'd have been delighted to pour my best into the challenge. But as a Christian, weddings have a particular significance." In Chick-fil-A's case, the Left's overreaction is almost comical. The Cathy family hasn't done any overt lobbying on natural marriage for years. In fact, they've intentionally backed away from taking a stand on issues of biblical morality -- yet still, they're a target. That ought to show everyone that there's just no appeasing the Left. Simply being a Christian in the workforce -- even a polite and politically silent one -- is enough to draw the liberals' wrath. But the Democrats' new terrain, where your personal views disqualify you from participating in society, is a dangerous precedent. If liberals choose not to eat Chick-fil-A, that's their right. Just like it's our right not to shop at Target until they stop putting women and children in danger with their bathroom policies. What isn't our decision -- or theirs -- is to exclude these businesses from the market altogether. If you agree, join our friends from Texas Values in Wednesday's Save Chick-fil-A Day! Come to the state capitol for the House hearing on the Free to Believe Act, and then drive-through your local chain on the way home. Help Texas leaders show the country that there's always an appetite for real religious freedom! Originally posted at FRC.org. Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers. Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council. Emotion for a whole nation; Paris Notre Dame Cathedral ruined by fire Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Notre Dame Cathedral, a major church that has long been an enduring iconic symbol of Paris, France, has experienced a severe fire that has caused heavy damage. Fire broke out Monday evening in Paris at the historic church, with the spire of the large sanctuary eventually falling over amid the blaze. Many were quick to post video and photos of the fast-moving fire as it consumed the cathedral, despite large numbers of fire fighters being on the scene. French President Emmanuel Macron canceled a planned speech for that evening and took to Twitter to express his sadness over the Notre Dame fire. Notre Dame of Paris in flames. Emotion for a whole nation. Thoughts for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our countrymen, I'm sad tonight to see this part of us burn, stated Macron, as reported by CNN. A cathedral spokesperson told French media that the damage was colossal and that nothing will remain from the frame of the structure. Completed in the 13th century and French for "Our Lady," Notre Dame has endured its share of tumultuous history, from the French Revolution to German occupation during the Second World War. In its history, Notre Dame has endured destruction and subsequent restoration in many periods, explained notredamecathedralparis.com. In the 16th century, both the Huguenots and the French king vandalized and changed a lot of the cathedrals contents. The cathedral was converted into a storage warehouse for food, during the French Revolution, and the heads of many of Notre Dames statues were removed. Over 10 million people visit the notable Cathedral every year, which is located on the Ile de la Cite, a small island inside of Paris. In a statement posted to Twitter, Vice President Mike Pence said that it was heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames. Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters on the scene and all the people of Paris, tweeted Pence. First lady Melania Trump also tweeted about the fire, stating My heart breaks for the people of Paris after seeing the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Praying for everyones safety. David French, prominent conservative columnist with the National Review, spoke about how he and his wife were married within sight of the very spire that collapsed on Monday. Its impossible to estimate the number of people who have experienced significant, transcendent moments at Notre Dame. Ill never forget praying there the morning of my wedding, tweeted French. Former secretary of state and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton took to social media to offer her condolences. My heart goes out to Paris. Notre Dame is a symbol of our ability as human beings to unite for a higher purposeto build breathtaking spaces for worship that no one person could have built on their own. I wish France strength and shared purpose as they grieve and rebuild, stated Clinton. After the fire, Paris is a city in grief but also in worship and praise Everyone remembers where they were when the Twin Towers fell or when, on November 13, 2015, terrorists shot and killed 130 people at the Bataclan concert hall and various Parisian cafes in the deadliest attacks on France since the Second World War. While there were no attacks or deaths this week, many of us will remember the day we helplessly watched in horror and sadness as Notre Dame Cathedral burned before our very eyes. I first came to Paris back in 2002. It was a trip saturated with new experiences and culture and mystery. Every food had a specific way to be eaten or some sort of historical significance. The streets teemed with architectural wonders too numerous to even fathom. I visited all the staples: Chateau de Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, and the jewel in the crown, Notre-Dame. That first visit planted a seed in me that resulted in us moving to the Paris suburbs on December 1st, 2007. Eleven years later the city's majesty still woos me with its depth, subtlety, and unparalleled magnificence. The cathedral began its life in 1160 and was built on and expanded in the ensuing centuries. It was desecrated in the 1790s due to the Revolution and rebuilt in the early 1800s. Popularised by the 1831 publication of the Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it entered a new period of restoration that resulted in the cathedral of today. A modern-day fun fact is this: if you type Paris into Google Maps, you will be taken to St Michel Notre Dame as it is the very heart of the city. Plus, all road distances in France are calculated from here as the 0 km point. The cathedral is uniquely positioned on an island called Ile de la Cite which is one of two remaining natural islands on the Seine within the city of Paris, the location where the city was founded. Its significance as the heart of the city cannot be overstated. On Monday evening as Val and I were doing our daily scripture reading, a dear friend texted to inform me Notre-Dame was on fire. We quickly got online to see it was far worse than we had imagined. Messages and social media posts started flooding in from the United States as friends and frequent visitors watched at home or in restaurants or at workeach one unable to articulate the strong emotions percolating up from within. We went to bed with heavy hearts but still hopeful. Today is a new day. The fire has been put out and the donations from French billionaires are flying in to spearhead yet another restoration of this iconic edifice. And here's the thing, the outpouring of song and prayer has been unlike anything I have ever witnessed in France. As news filtered through, we could see the thousands who kneeled and prayed and the interior photos showing an illuminated cross shining brightlyamidst much ash and darknessfor all to see. With just days until Easter, the symbolism is powerful and it is paving the way for people to really lean into God. Paris is a city in grief but also in worship and praise. Even just being on the metro or walking through the streets of Paris this morning on my way to a meeting, the atmosphere was different. There is a kindness and consideration you don't always see here. Strangers greet each other with a glance that says, "I know, I feel the same." It really is something. My deepest hope and prayer is that this would be a time of deep reflection as to what the cross represents and the realisation for French people that picking up their own cross is actually easier than spending their lives trying to push it away. Originally from Ireland, Malcolm McLoughlin has called Paris, France home for the past eleven years. An alcoholic and drug addict turned ultra-marathon runner, author of The Second Lap, and a speaker, with his greatest passion being to see people know the transformative power of a life lived for Jesus. He is married to Val and has two children. Christian school worker dismissed after sharing concerns about sex education on Facebook A Christian school worker has been sacked after she shared Facebook posts raising concerns about sex education in schools. Kristie Higgs, a 43-year-old mother of two, worked at Farmor's School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, as a pastoral assistant for six years prior to her dismissal. She was let go after a complaint was made to the school over two posts shared on her personal Facebook account in which she voiced concerns about sex education lessons at her own child's primary school - a different school in the village operated by the Church of England. In one post, Mrs Higgs said she was concerned that schools were "brainwashing our children" and asked her Facebook friends to sign a petition calling on the Government to protect the rights of parents to have their children educated in line with their religious beliefs. The petition on the Government website was signed by over 115,000 and triggered a debate in Parliament. In the second post, she shared an article on Judybeth.com about transgender ideology being spread in American schools through children's books. Commenting on the contents of the article, Mrs Higgs wrote: "This is happening in our primary schools now." The Christian Legal Centre, which is representing Mrs Higgs in her legal case against the school, said Farmor's received an anonymous complaint about the posts accusing her of homophobia towards the LGBT community. Following an investigation, the CLC said the school concluded that the Facebook posts were discriminatory against the LGBT community and could bring the school into "disrepute". The academy, however, insisted that the dismissal was not because of her religious beliefs. In its conclusion, the school stated: "As an inclusive employer, Farmor's school recognises and protects the statutory rights of its staff. "Such rights however are not absolute and we are concerned that you did not demonstrate an appropriate understanding of the school's requirement to respect and tolerate the views of others and to role model such behaviour." Mrs Higgs refutes the claim that the dismissal was not tied to her religion. "I have been punished for sharing concerns about Relationships and Sex Education. I hold these views because of my Christian beliefs, beliefs and views which are shared by hundreds of thousands of parents across the UK," she said. "My number one concern has always been the effect that learning about sex and gender in school will have on children at such a young age." She added: "I am determined to fight this case and to stand for Christians and all parents across the country who are being silenced for sharing and holding these views." Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: "What Kristie shared on Facebook simply reflects the genuine and justified concerns of a parent about the sexual ideology currently being imposed on her own children and thousands of children across the UK. "Kristie has not only lost her job, but her whole career is now tarnished with the accusation that for holding these views she is now a danger to vulnerable children. This is despite an exemplary record at the school and in her work with youth in the wider community. "If Kristie does not win this case, due to one complaint, she will never be able to work with children again." Farmor's School has been contacted for comment. Macron wants Notre-Dame rebuilt in five years and 'even more beautifully' than before French President Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target for the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral after it was nearly destroyed by fire on Monday. The fire caused extensive damage to the 850-year-old building, including the collapse of its roof and spire. But some 500 firefighters worked together to save the main stone structure, including the famous twin bell towers. The full extent of the damage will be known once experts are allowed access to the building after it has been stabilised. President Macron has extended an invitation to the world to donate towards the reconstruction of the iconic building, France's most visited landmark. French billionnaires are leading the way, with luxury companies the LVMH Group, Kering and L'Oreal on Tuesday pledging a combined 500 million towards the rebuilding effort. LVMH is the parent group behind brands like Louis Vitton and Christian Dior, while Kering owns Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren. President Macron said he wanted to see Notre-Dame rebuilt in five years - in time for the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. "We'll rebuild Notre-Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years, we can do it," said Mr Macron. "It's up to us to convert this disaster into an opportunity to come together... It's up to us to find the thread of our national project." An investigation into the cause of the blaze is in the early stages but arson has already been ruled out and the Paris prosecutors' office has said that police will be carrying out an investigation into "involuntary destruction caused by fire". The scale of the devastation was met with an outpouring of grief from people all around the world. In France, the Catholic Church said it was a "shock far beyond our country's Catholics". On Wednesday, bells at cathedrals across France were to ring out in solidarity with the people of Paris. The Archdiocese of Paris expressed its thanks for the messages of support it has received from around the world. "France cries and with her all her friends from all over the world. She is touched to the heart because her stones are the testimony of an invincible hope which, by the talent, the courage, the genius and the faith of the builders, raised this luminous lace of stones, wood and glass," it said. "This faith remains ours. It is she who moves the mountains and we will rebuild this masterpiece. "Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, thank you for all the many signs of friendship and encouragement that come from everywhere. "Thank you for the outpouring of solidarity, thank you for the fervent prayer that consoles our heart. Let us take advantage of this emotion so great to live intensely during this week that is so decisive for Christians." Protect religious freedom as a 'fundamental human right', Church leaders tell Government The Archbishop of Canterbury and the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales have called on the Government "to take meaningful action" to promote religious freedom and protect Christians being persecuted for their faith. The call came in a joint submission to an independent review commissioned by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt earlier this year to assess the support being provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for persecuted Christians worldwide. Archbishop Justin Welby and Cardinal Vincent Nichols said they wanted to see the Government promote religious freedom as a "fundamental human right" and build advocacy on this issue into its work across a range of policy areas, from foreign relations to aid, security, trade and asylum. In addition to Christians, the Church leaders said the Government should also work to protect freedom of religion and belief for people belonging to different faiths as well as non-believers. "Christians form an important part of the social fabric in almost every country of the world. Yet in many places, our Christian sisters and brothers face persecution of an intensity and extent unprecedented in many centuries," their submission reads. It continues: "We must remember, too, that these threats to freedom of religion or belief are not restricted to Christians alone. Rather, it is a widespread experience of the followers of other faiths. "Many are deprived of this basic expression of their human dignity. Similar threats are also faced by atheists and agnostics who seek to uphold crucial decisions of conscience. "We ask Her Majesty's Government to take note of the practical recommendations offered by our Churches in this Submission and to take meaningful action not only in protecting Christians facing persecution but also in promoting freedom of religion and belief more widely." Their call has the support of Archbishop Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil in Kurdistan Iraq, where Christians were forced to flee in 2014 because of the onslaught of ISIS across northern Iraq. Archbishop Warda said the UK Government's review into Christian persecution was a "courageous first step" in helping communities suffering for their faith. "The next courageous step is to come and listen to those who suffer and witness the persecution, the destruction, the displacement and the frightening figures of persecuted flight," he said. "The Church in England and Wales is a great support to us here in Iraq since the coming of ISIS in 2014. Cardinal Nichols made a great impact when he came here in 2015 to see and experience our situation at first hand." The independent review was launched by Mr Hunt in January and is being led by the Bishop of Truro, Philip Mountstephen. It aims to map levels of persecution and other discrimination against Christians around the world and make recommendations to the Foreign Secretary about whether changes need to be made to the UK's support for persecuted communities. The review was launched days after a Catholic cathedral in the Philippines was bombed, killing 20 people and injuring over 100 others. Launching the review, Mr Hunt voiced concern about the state of religious freedom in other countries too, including Egypt, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, North Korea, and China. He said he was launching the review "not just because freedom of worship is a fundamental human right, but because also freedom of worship is the invisible line between open societies and closed societies". "Where freedom of worship is hampered or prevented, then usually that's a sign of lots of other things going wrong, and we wanted to make sure that the UK is doing everything to champion the values that we all believe in," he said. UK churches to ring their bells for Notre-Dame The bells will toll at churches across the UK on Thursday in a mark of solidarity with the people of Paris after Notre-Dame Cathedral was ravaged by fire. French President Emmanuel Macron has promised that the landmark will be rebuilt within five years after Monday's devastating fire evoked a groundswell of sympathy across the world. The fire caused extensive damage, especially to the roof and spire which collapsed in the blaze. Millions of euros have already been pledged in an international fundraising effort to restore the 850-year-old cathedral to its former glory. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are asking cathedrals and churches across England to toll their bells for seven minutes at 7pm on Thursday as a mark of solidarity. The bell-ringing was suggested by the British Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn. St Paul's Cathedral in London will be among the churches taking part. Tomorrow we will join other churches and cathedrals across the country in tolling a bell for seven minutes at 7pm as a mark of solidarity following the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. pic.twitter.com/gTyVEkRV8q St Paul's Cathedral (@StPaulsLondon) April 17, 2019 The Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, has also asked churches to in Scotland to take part as an expression of "sympathy and solidarity" with the people of Paris. Mrs Brown said: "The world has been shocked and saddened by the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The reaction is so great because the church is more than 'just' a building. "Many buildings, as well as being worship spaces, are a celebration of the gifts of stone masons, carpenters, glass makers, artists and musicians. They also house history and Notre Dame is one such church." Rev Jan Steyn, minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris, said the disaster has had a profound impact on people. "It is not only a presence for the Parisians, it belongs to the world," he said. "On the night of the fire, we all went to bed with a sense of loss. "Something we have taken for granted for centuries, or at least for as long as we remember, seemed to be disappearing right in front of us. "Notre Dame is a tourist attraction, a place of worship, a refuge, a character in movies and novels. But for millions of people it is an icon, a home, a place with personality. "For Parisians, Notre Dame is a calming presence and a reminder of the bigger presence. It is a place revered by a nation even though France is a secular state." Around 500 firefighters fought through Monday night to save the building from total destruction, including many of its treasures. Mr Steyn said it was "better news than expected" that firefighters had managed to save the stone structure and some of its treasures from inside, like its centuries-old organ. He added that it was moving to see young French people gathering to sing psalms as firefighters fought to bring the flames under control. "The fire in the Notre Dame made us aware of how vulnerable we are, how vulnerable our treasures, monuments and our world are," he said. A prayer has been issued on behalf of the Association of English Cathedrals to be used in connection with Notre-Dame. Lord Jesus, your broken body, laid aside, rose in glory. Give resurrection hope to the people of Paris and all who grieve the destructive fire at Notre Dame. From the ashes may beauty once more arise, as from the grave our new life comes. Amen. 5 minutes with... A double-sided painting by Constable Old Master Paintings specialist Louisa Howard explains why this double-sided painting features one image painted circa 1830, and the other a decade or more earlier, and what it tells us about the artists restless working methods The English artist John Constable (1776-1837) painted landscapes throughout his life, and his pastoral views of the gently undulating Essex-Suffolk borderlands and pictures of London as seen from Hampstead Heath have become iconic, commanding some of the highest prices at auction of any British landscape painter. A big part of what makes Constable so acclaimed is his amazing skill for capturing weather in paint, says Louisa Howard, an Old Master Paintings specialist at Christies in New York. The unusual evolution of this particular picture sheds light on how deep this obsession ran. Painted on one side of this artists board is a landscape of Constables native Dedham Vale, with the villages church tower on the horizon and a single brown skylark soaring on an updraft. The clouds above, which Constable was known to study with scientific detail, turn from pink to white to grey, and show a rainstorm coming in from the distance. When trying to work out the date of this work, things get a little complicated, reveals the specialist. The landscape was probably painted around 1830, as it has been executed entirely by palette knife one of Constables principal tools at that time. But its also known that during these years he was busy with his duties on the council of the Royal Academy in London, which had sympathetically elected him following the death of his wife in 1828. As a result, he wasnt painting in oil en plein air at this time. A pencil sketch held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, however, does shed light on where Constable got his inspiration from. Depicting the same view, from the same spot, the picture is a smaller-scale verbatim image of the present oil on board only the skylark has shifted slightly. The drawing in question comes from a sketchbook Constable filled in the summer of 1813. Constable's 1813 drawing of Dedham Vale with a skylark, Victoria and Albert Museum, London The original 1813 drawing was most likely stored away in Constables studio, explains Howard. Maybe he came across it in 1830 while going through old papers. It could have inspired him to grab this piece of board, which might have been lying nearby, and translate the drawing into colour with his palette knife. Without the evidence of the earlier drawing, Howard believes it would be almost impossible for Constable to have captured the light and weather with such accuracy without being outdoors. The reverse of the piece of millboard contains another clue to how Constable worked in his studio. A white cow is painted in profile, standing in shallow water against a backdrop of trees. This painting most probably belongs to the artists series of cow studies painted at least a decade earlier in his career, Howard explains. Millboard is suited to travel because it is light and portable, and these cows were most likely painted en plein air, continues the specialist, who says she can imagine Constable coming home from a day of painting and storing this board away, only to pick it up many years later and re-use the other side for the landscape. Sign up today The Online Magazine delivers the best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe 3 1 of 3 Veterans Business Battle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Veterans Business Battle Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Nashville-based SafeStamp, which created a nanotech indicator to seal medicine packaging and allow consumers to verify its authenticity, was offered $55,000 as the winner of the fifth annual Veterans Business Battle at Rice University. Twenty veteran-owned companies from across the country pitched their ideas to investors Friday as part of the two-day event hosted by the Rice Business Veterans Association. This student group of military veterans at the Jones Graduate School of Business awarded $14,000 in prizes, according to the news release. What is our present ecological crisis? What specific issues are central? Lisa Brenskelle will examine the science that explains the present state of our world and the major environmental issues we face. She will then consider how our faith both informs and enables our response to this crisis. Brenskelle holds a PhD in engineering and has worked on a volunteer basis in earthkeeping ministry for decades. Join her for this thought-provoking talk at Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd, in Houston on Sunday, April 28, at 9:45 a.m. Metro bus lines 41 & 27 stop near the church and bike parking is available in the church lot. Contact Brenskelle with any questions at gcs.lrc@gmail.com. John Raoux/STF Small businesses in Texas are more likely to use contract workers and finance their businesses with personal funds than the national average, according to a Federal Reserve Bank annual survey on small business credit. Nearly half of small businesses in Texas surveyed reported using contract workers, compared to the national rate of 41 percent. A greater share of Texas firms, 22 percent, used personal funds to finance their businesses, compared to the national average, 18 percent. LyondellBasell's efforts to buy Brazilian petrochemical maker Braskem SA are regaining momentum after some delays late last year and early this year, Lyondell CEO Bob Patel said Tuesday. LyondellBasell announced last June that it was in talks with the construction firm Odebrecht, Braskem's controlling shareholder, about a potential deal to buy South American petrochemical maker. Negotiations, however, have hit several delays. The Houston petrochemical company said the potential acquisition could help it expand its footprint in Latin America. Odebrecht is trying unload Braskem, valued at about $13 billion, after Braskem was involved in a sweeping corruption scandal in Brazil that also ensnared its main shareholders, Odebrecht and Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras. Bob Patel, CEO of LyondellBasell, said part of the delay stemmed from wanting to see the results of the Brazilian presidential elections last year and how that would affect the future of Brazilian Petrobas. Petrobas is the main supplier of naphtha for Braskem in Brazil. Naphtha is an oil-based building block used to make petrochemicals. Brazilians elected last year Jair Bolsonaro, who named a Roberto Castello Branco as the new chief executive of Petrobas, "We really needed to sit with the new administration to understand their priorities and their agenda," Patel said. "It was important for us to understand the nature of future supply agreements and whether the new CEO (of Petrobas) would support those." A delay in signing the long-term supply contract of naptha also has slowed down talks, Reuters previously reported; it's not clear yet when the supply contract would be signed but it could take several months. LyondellBasell's board is also reportedly waiting for Braskem to file its 2017 annual report with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, pending a review from Braskem's internal auditors. That report hadn't been filed yet as of Tuesday afternoon, according to SEC records. Patel declined to name a date for when his company would make a final decision on whether to buy Braskem. "We've picked up the discussions in earnest again and things are progressing in terms of getting closer to an answer, but I don't have a date for you on when we will reach that point," he said. "I don't expect it to be multiple quarters." Five weeks paid vacation, 100 percent health insurance coverage, paid maternity leave, paid paternity leave, above average 401K matches and a flat leadership structure. Norwegian energy service company Cognite is bringing European-style benefits to employees at its new offices in Houston and Austin. Employing 240 software developers, data scientists, 3D specialists and other professionals around the world, Cognite specializes in developing Internet of Things, or IoT, technology to improve exploration and production activities in the oil and natural gas sector. In a statement, Cognite Co-Founder & CEO John Markus Lervik said the company decided to open a Houston office to be close to the oil and natural gas industry. The Austin office, he said, would tap into the state's top tech talent. "We are a technology company with algorithms and cloud computing as part of our collective DNA, and we view Austin as an indisputable technology hub," Lervik said. "Being based in both locations will help us merge the best of two worlds, in the form of industry domain expertise and technology DNA." Drilling Down: Millennial-run oil company focuses on Permian Basin Cognite's Houston office is at Station Houston, a downtown co-working space on the 24th floor of 1301 Fannin. The company also set up shop at The Domain, an upscale and tech-friendly district in Austin. The company's goal is to have 50 employees working at both locations over the next two years. "We proudly welcome Cognite, an innovative high-tech company with a global presence, to the Austin community," Austin Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Charisse Bodisch said in a statement. "Cognite's ability to turn massive industrial data into insightful analytics has helped it experience substantial international growth. We believe Austin's strategic assets will further fuel Cognite's expansion into the U.S. market and will result in positive economic prosperity for our region and community." Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Oslo, Cognite is described as the fastest-growing technology company in Scandinavia. Royal Dutch Shell has awarded a three-year contract to Houston oilfield service company Halliburton to explore and develop two projects off the coast of Brazil. The projects are located in Brazil's Campos and Santos Basins. The Campos Basin is 90 miles off the coast of the State of Campos while the Santos Basin is about 140 miles southeast of Sao Paulo. Under the contract, Halliburton will provide drilling service. The deal includes an option for a two-year extension. "Our integrated services model is designed to help accelerate new field development, reduce drilling and completion costs and increase recovery through the utilization of our innovative technologies and basin insight," Halliburton Vice President of Brazil Anouar Fraija said in a statement. "We are excited to win this award and collaborate with Shell to deliver integrated solutions that maximize their asset value." Halliburton at 100: From wagons and mules to 21st century technology A vibrant nation of more than 209 million people, Brazil holds nearly unlimited natural resources that include large reserves of oil and natural gas. Halliburton has had a presence in the South American nation for decades and maintains a technology center in Rio de Janeiro. The center specializes in deepwater technology and training. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Houston, Halliburton employs more than 60,000 people in 80 nations. The company reported a $1.66 billion profit on $24 billion of revenue during 2018. James Campbell, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Hittner Tuesday to 7.5 years in federal prison for scamming homebuyers and others out of $10.3 million. Campbell's co-defendant, Hammed Akinola, a Nigerian citizen, was sentenced 15 years in prison. He is in custody in the U.S. Peterloo is a paradox. Historical and contemporary, epic and intimate, political and personal, it is both unlike anything writer-director Mike Leigh has done before and the grand culmination of his career. Edging into David Lean territory in terms of its ambition and its two-hour-and-33-minute running time, Peterloo is equal parts rewarding and demanding, and the gradual way it unfolds allows its cumulative heartbreaking power to take us by surprise. As his seven Oscar nominations (five for writing, two for directing) for films like Secrets and Lies and Vera Drake attest, the uncompromising Leigh is the odds-on candidate for top British filmmaker of his generation. But though Leighs reputation comes from his unique, organic way of working with actors, a system resulting in works that redefined the possibilities for realistic emotion on screen, even the most personal of his narratives has had a political subtext. And though Peterloo, based as it is on an infamous bloody event in British history, may be his most overtly political film, it wouldnt have the wrenching effect it does if Leigh had not paid close attention to the personal and had not used his particular gifts to create historical characters who come to unmistakable life under his touch. Though its 200th anniversary is coming up in a few months, what is known to history as the Peterloo Massacre is almost unknown in this country and apparently not as much as it might be in Britain. In effect a 19th-century police riot in a place called St. Peters Field in Manchester, it saw a huge throng of 60,000 to 100,000 peaceful demonstrators attacked by a volunteer mounted militia as well as regular troops, all with sabers drawn. The result an estimated 18 killed and more than 600 wounded has been called the worst violence ever to occur at a political meeting in Britain. Peterloo Rated PG-13: for a sequence of violence and chaos Running time: 154 minutes Where: Regal Greenway Grand Palace 24, Houston **** (out of 5) See More Collapse Leighs films have been historical before, but theyve mostly involved venturesome artistic types like Gilbert and Sullivan (Topsy-Turvy) and the painter J.M.W. Turner (Mr. Turner). And none has started with anything as dramatic as a moment from the Battle of Waterloo, an epochal event of the type you wouldve sworn the intimacy-focused Leigh would never get anywhere near. Given that its focus is on showing all sides of a moment in history, Peterloo doesnt follow a single protagonist or use actors weve seen a lot of before. Leigh instead introduces us to members of intersecting groups, allowing us to eavesdrop on real and vivid moments. In the fog of war at Waterloo, we meet the British bugler Joseph (David Moorst), a dazed and confused victim of PTSD before it had a name. Joseph painstakingly makes his way on foot to his home in Manchester in the north of England, where most of his family works at the cotton mills that are changing the face of society in a way that Karl Marxs collaborator Friedrich Engels would detail a few years later. Life in early-19th-century Britain is weighted heavily in favor of the haves, but, with the class violence of the French Revolution a vivid and recent memory, the establishment is worried enough to put Waterloo veteran Gen. Sir John Byng (Alastair Mackenzie) in charge of keeping things in the north under control. By any reasonable standard, Britains poor, especially in the north, had a lot to complain about, including as we see examples of an arbitrary judicial system that had people deported to Australia or even executed for minor offenses against property. Though there were radicals in the north, including the pumped-up Samuel Bamford (Neil Bell), one of the points Peterloo makes is that class and other distinctions existed between radicals and incrementalists like Henry Orator Hunt (Rory Kinnear), a landowner who is not impressed by the lower classes. While the protesters one man, one vote demands sound quite modest, one of the implied points of Peterloo is just how difficult the fight was to achieve a right that large chunks of the population dont take advantage of today. The huge crowds who show up in their proverbial Sunday best are terribly moving in their earnest, soon to be shattered hopefulness. They deserve so much better than they got, and we watch in shock as events unfold. Difficult to experience though its finale may be, Peterloo very much gives off the sense that watching is essential. This fight for democracy is our story, too, and the end has yet to be written. Less than an hour after receiving a citation for speeding and having no insurance April 1 in the 200 block of East Parkwood Avenue, a driver called the officer who stopped her and said she had provided a false name, police said. The woman, who did not have her drivers license during the stop, allegedly had identified herself as someone else. The officer checked the name and date of birth and found that the other person had a clear and valid drivers license, according to the report. The woman later told the officer she had lied because she had several outstanding warrants and is pregnant, police said. Police filed a warrant accusing the woman of failure to identify as a fugitive and reissued the speeding citation in her true name. Burglary A resident in the 1100 block of Rymers Switch Lane woke up April 4 to find a dining room cabinet open and rose gold glasses and plates missing, police said. She reportedly had left her garage door open overnight. Fraud A Friendswood womans identity was used to purchase a new cell phone and a monthly service plan with AT&T, according to an April 1 police report. The office manager of a Sugar Land health-care provider met an officer April 2 at Kroger, 151 N. Friendswood Drive, to report prescription fraud, police said. The woman told the officer she had received several calls from area pharmacies regarding prescriptions she had not authorized, according to the report. The suspect may be a former employee of the healthcare office, police said. A Friendswood woman received an alert when $1,700 was withdrawn from her bank account, according to an April 3 police report. The fraudulent withdrawal was made at an ATM in Pearland, police said. A Friendswood woman noted four unauthorized transactions on her checking account, according to an April 4 police report. The cash withdrawals were made at a bank in Georgia, police said. Criminal mischief Scratches were made on all sides of a vehicle parked in a detached garage in the 1300 block of Edgewater Drive, according to an April 1 police report. The damage occurred between March 28 and April 1, police said. A vehicle was scratched while parked at 24 Hour Fitness, 130 W. Parkwood Ave., according to an April 2 police report. Assault Police charged a Friendswood man, 56, with assault causing bodily injury, family violence after he allegedly struck his son in the face April 6 in the 1100 block of Hawkhill Drive. Police issued citations for assault to two Friendswood High School students after a physical confrontation that resulted in one of the students seeking treatment at an urgent care clinic, according to an April 6 police report. The incident occurred in the 1700 block of Round Rock Lane, police said. Narcotics Police charged a Webster man, 40, with possession of a controlled substance after he allegedly ran a stop sign at Fife Lane and Heritage Colony Drive. The officer had earlier noticed the mans vehicle driving evasively in the 2800 block of West Bay Area Boulevard, police said. The driver reportedly told the officer his drivers license was invalid and consented to a vehicle search. The officer found methamphetamine inside the vehicle, according to the report. A Houston man, 36, was charged with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for expired registration April 5 in the 700 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. His drivers license was suspended, and he did not have insurance on the vehicle, according to the report. The officer allegedly observed marijuana residue on the floorboards and found hydrocodone, Soma and oxycodone during a vehicle search. Police charged an 18-year-old Friendswood man with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop April 5 in the 1500 block of Sunset Drive. An officer reportedly found the man, a passenger, in possession of a bong, two grinders and eight small bags of marijuana during a search. Police charged a Webster man, 22, with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop April 6 in the 1100 block of South Friendswood Drive. The man, a passenger in a vehicle stopped for a license plate violation, reportedly had outstanding Dickinson warrants. The officer observed marijuana residue on the vehicles cup holders and found THC oil, THC wax and marijuana in the mans possession, according to the report. A marijuana pipe was found on the vehicles drivers side, police said, and the driver, a 20-year-old Webster man, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Police charged a Houston man, 21, with marijuana possession after a traffic stop for expired registration April 6 in the 2500 block of West Bay Area Boulevard. A vehicle search yielded oxycodone, THC wax, 6.35 ounces of marijuana and $1,200, according to the report. The passenger, a 19-year-old Houston woman, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. A 22-year-old Friendswood man was charged with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for speeding April 7 in the 2900 block of FM 528, police said. A search reportedly yielded Adderall. Police charged a League City man, 19, with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop April 7 in the 1300 block of East Winding Way. An officer reportedly found Ecstasy in the mans possession. Driving while intoxicated Police charged an Alvin woman, 25, with DWI after an officer reportedly observed her following another vehicle too closely April 5 in the 1500 block of West Parkwood Avenue. She allegedly pulled into the center median and continued driving before coming to a stop in the opposing lane of traffic. She failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath or blood test, police said. The officer found a partially empty six-pack of beer in the car, according to the report. A Houston man was arrested for DWI and theft of a firearm after a traffic stop for speeding and failure to maintain a single lane April 6 in the 300 block of East Parkwood Avenue, police said. He reportedly failed a field sobriety test and refused a blood test. An officer found a handgun under the front seat during a vehicle inventory, according to the report. The driver had two prior felony convictions, and the guns serial number indicated it had been stolen in North Richland Hills in 2018, police said. A 23-year-old Friendswood man was charged with DWI and evading arrest after he allegedly ran a stop sign at the intersection of Woodland Park Drive and Woodland Trail, police said. He refused to stop for police and evaded in his vehicle at a speed of 45 mph in the residential area, according to the report. The man reportedly pulled into a driveway in the 400 block of Meadow Bend Drive, exited the vehicle and began walking toward the residence despite an officers commands to stop. The officer found a cold bottle of beer in the front passenger seat and an interlock device in the rear floorboard, police said. Police charged a Friendswood woman, 21, with DWI April 7 in the 1600 block of South Friendswood Drive. She allegedly failed to slow down or move to another lane as she passed an officer conducting a traffic stop. The officer finished the traffic stop and caught up to the woman, who reportedly failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath test. Police charged an Alvin woman, 44, with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and failure to maintain a single lane April 7 in the 300 block of East Parkwood Avenue. She reportedly failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath or blood test. A Friendswood man, 35, was charged with DWI after a traffic stop for speeding and failure to maintain a single lane April 8 in the 3600 block of FM 528, police said. He reportedly failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath or blood test. Public intoxication Police took a Bedford man, 55, into custody public intoxication after a witness reported him acting suspiciously April 1 in a parking lot in the 600 block of South Friendswood Drive. He appeared to be attempting to unlock vehicles, and when officers arrived, he claimed to be trying to unlock his own vehicle, police said. He did not know where his shoes were, and the license plate on the vehicle was not registered to him, according to the report. A 42-year-old Houston man was charged with public intoxication after a witness observed him lying on the ground and then slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle with the windshield wipers and turn signal active April 4 in the 100 block of Royal Court, police said. Tobacco After receiving a see something, say something tip, Friendswood High School officials searched at 15-year-old students belongings and confiscated a Juul e-cigarette, pods and a charger, according to an April 1 police report. The student will receive a summons to municipal court to answer the charge of possession of tobacco product by a minor, police said. A school official caught two male Friendswood High School students, 16 and 17, vaping in a campus restroom, according to an April 2 police report. The vaping tool and oil reportedly were confiscated and turned over to the school resource officer for destruction. The students will receive a summons to municipal court to answer the charge of possession of a tobacco product by a minor, police said. Traffic The driver of a black Cadillac Escalade may be charged with failure to stop and give information after striking a parked vehicle and wrecking a flower bed in front of a residence April 4 in the 100 block of Del Monte Drive, police said. An officer contacted the homeownerwho did not own the Escaladeand found the vehicle unlocked with the keys in the cup holder, according to the report. When the officer tried to contact the vehicles registered owner, a teenager answered the door and her parents reportedly refused to speak with police. Since the suspects refused to cooperate, the Escalade was towed, and a hold placed on the vehicle pending completion of the investigation. Surveillance video showed the incident occurred at 4:45 a.m. A La Porte man, 26, was charged with driving while license invalid and possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for an unsignaled turn April 4 in the 100 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. The officer logged six hypodermic needles and residual black tar heroin during a vehicle inventory, according to the report. Police charged an Alvin man, 26, with driving while license invalid and no insurance after a traffic stop for expired registration April 4 in the 1600 block of West Parkwood Avenue. A Friendswood man, 28, was charged with reckless driving April 6 in the 2100 block of South Friendswood Drive, police said. He allegedly reached 103 mph before trying to elude police. Police charged a Bacliff woman, 56, with driving while license invalid April 7 in the 300 block of East Parkwood Avenue. She allegedly was not wearing a seatbelt, and the vehicle registration was expired, police said. Her passenger, a 47-year-old Bacliff man, had an outstanding warrant, according to the report. Other incidents A school administrator found a 15-year-old Friendswood High School student in possession of alcohol, according to an April 5 police report. The student will receive a summons to municipal court to answer the charge of minor in possession of alcohol, police said. Police charged a 17-year-old Friendswood man with resisting arrest after he refused to identify himself or exit a vehicle during a traffic stop April 5 in the 3600 block of Crofterglen Drive. Following a brief struggle, the officer found a backpack belonging to the man that contained marijuana, according to the report. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at The Fellowship-Cinco Ranch at 22765 Westheimer Parkway, for Robert Matthew "Matt" Markiton, who was recognized last fall as a Harvey's Hero. He died April 11 following an April 9 heart and double lung transplant at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. A graveside service at Fulshear Cemetery will follow. He and his wife, Audrey, were among 70 people honored as Harvey's Heroes by the Willow Fork Drainage District in September 2018. The Markitons organized rescues via phone and Facebook with the Cajun Navy for 2.5 days to help Canyon Gate residents until the National Guard arrived after Hurricane Harvey. Born with a heart defect, Matt got a heart infection after Hurricane Harvey and went into heart failure, said his wife. That's placed additional pressure on other body organs leading to the need for him to have a double lung and kidney transplant, too. Fundraising efforts to help the family with medical expenses also called attention to the need for organ donors. "Matt has the most perfect opportunity with the best doctors ever," said Audrey. "I continue to believe organ donation saves lives and provides the greatest chance for families to have their loved ones longer. It continues to be our hope at least one person will sign up for organ donation from following his story." Matt Markiton was born on March 31, 1976, in Houston to Robert Irvine and Christine Ann Leder Markiton. He attended Lee High School and Blinn College. On June 7, 2003, he married Audrey Jackson in Spring. They have two sons: Robert Alexander (Alex) and Jacob Gustav. The family asks in lieu of flowers to consider a donation to the Matt Markiton Memorial Education Fund. Zelle Funds - 281-782-2295. Mail checks to Hot Tubs of Katy, 630 Katy Fort Bend Road, Katy, Texas 77494. Markiton was in the hot tub business, both manufacturing and retail, for 25 years. In early 2015, The Markitons opened Hot Tubs of Katy. The idea of a park built around a lake started four years ago and by next year it will include residential lofts and the year after that a four-star hotel/conference center. It is the Katy Boardwalk. Representatives of the architects and builder of the Katy Boardwalk emphasized the setting of the project with its natural oasis environment and wildlife to create positive experiences to an audience of more than 100 people attending the April 16 general assembly of the Katy Area Economic Development Council. The audience received a project update from Keith Dalton, KDW president/CEO, Byron Hebert, city of Katy administrator; and Raffael Scasserra, design director/principal, Gensler architects. The boardwalk is a project of public/private partnership between the city of Katy, the Katy Development Authority and developer KBH Venture. The conference center/hotel is being built by the Houston-based KDW and designed by Gensler. Sueba USA is building residential lofts and retail/office space. Dalton said he traveled throughout the United States visiting mixed-development sites in Florida, Atlanta and the West Coast toward the goal of making the Katy project different and unique. BOARDWALK: Anchor revealed as plans for Katy project move forward The overall design of the facility starts with the lake, Dalton told the audience as he switched to Hebert, who talked about an 80-acre detention pond that was built after Katy Mills Mall. As he was walking in the area four years ago, Hebert said he thought it could be a great nature preserve if done right. We started thinking about it and said OK were just going to make a nice park, said Hebert. But then a survey done a year before that said Katy would be a prime site for a hotel/convention center and that got combined with the park. The city bought the property, he said, which then was sold to Sueba. Sueba then came in and officials started talking in earnest about a convention center. Further discussion stressed the importance of having a hotel with a convention center. Having deadlines is necessary to making dreams come true, said Hebert as he then turned the meeting over to Dalton who said construction would probably start in the fall on the four-star hotel/convention center. Dalton gave a June 2021 date for a soft opening of the hotel/conference center followed by a grand opening for the 2021 fall conference season. Booking for conferences will start 18 months out, said Dalton, who added that a general manager will be on board in about six months. He invited anyone interested in a fun, different and innovative meeting experience to contact them. It is a flag (hotel chain) that will raise Katy and put them in a whole new league. Were really super excited about the flag. It really will be a game changer. BOARDWALK: Developer announces new details for Katy Boardwalk District mixed-use project City documents identify the project as the Hyatt Regency Katy Boardwalk Hotel & Conference Center. Officials have not discussed the name, but Dalton said it could be officially released soon. Dalton said the hotel will be operated by Benchmark Hospitality which is based out of The Woodlands. They are a world leader in conference center management, Dalton said. Were excited to have them on board. He said examples of their recent projects include the Margaritaville Resort planned for Lake Conroe. The six-story Katy hotel will have a minimum of 300 rooms. He said the 43,000 square-foot conference center is being developed under the brand of Creating environments where inspiration comes alive. Both the design and programming of the conference center will be oriented to stimulate small group meetings, he said, emphasizing conference rooms with natural light and people having activities to do after they leave the conference center. For example, the lake is rimmed by a wooden boardwalk and the nature preserve will feature two miles of walking paths. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: First phase of Katy boardwalk project in full stride Scasserra talked about how they wanted to develop the hotel/conference center to embrace the natural environment and to create experiences that made people want to come back. Dalton said the project would not have a mowed edge. Its going to be a natural environment, Dalton said. We want the wildlife. We want you to have viewing platforms. Thats a different authentic experience for the conference goer that were really pushing hard to deliver. A full-scale model of the project will soon be displayed at Katy City Hall, he said. Sueba started construction in March on 319 Class A luxury lofts that will be leased as part of the first phase of residential construction. The Boardwalk Lofts will include a second phase with another 320 units that will be also be leased. Nearby Sueba also will develop about 150,000 square feet of retail space and 60,000 square feet of Class A office space. karen.zurawski@chron.com Over the last several weeks in this wine column, we have talked about various wine pairings. Wine pairs nicely with foods, friends, music, spring weather and so much more. One of my favorite wine pairings is wine pairs so nicely with charity. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have paired wines with their charitable causes with millions of dollars raised during the various Houston Rodeo Uncorked events. One of my favorite events is coming up on Friday, May 17, at the Glade Center in The Woodlands. This event is called AROUND THE WORLD IN 180 MINUTES. This three-hour event features wines from a multitude of wine regions while benefiting one of my favorite charities, Bridgewood Farms, a place for special adults. For only $75 per adult, enter the Glade Center at the check-in point at 6 p.m. to pick up your passport, glass and VIP wristband. You can visit a multitude of wine regions from Texas to California to France to Italy, Spain, Chile, Australia and more. At each wine region you visit, have your passport stamped on that wine regions page while learning about the wines from that region. Besides the standard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, try your hand at experiencing unique wines like Vino Verde, Carmenere, Pinotage, and more. The award-winning consortium of Texas Fine Wines will be there representing Texas with their Gold Medal Wines. You need to experience the upcoming Texas greats like Viognier, Tannat, Rousanne, Mouvedere and more. For more information, go to www.BridgewoodFarms.org. Up your fare by going First Class at $350 per couple. Limited tickets are available at the door at increased costs. Collective Hearts for Children supporting Texas Autism Academy, presents a special three-hour wine and food event on April 30 at Pallottas Italian Grille at 27606 I-45 in Oak Ridge North, directly across from The Woodlands Mall. This two and a half-hour charity event benefits those young autistic children being nurtured and brought into the mainstream at the Texas Autism Academy on Pruitt Road. I hope you will join me at both of these events. For more information, go to www.texasautismacademy.org. The Woodlands will be experiencing one of the largest wine events in the country during the first full week in June. This Wine and Food Week in The Woodlands is a week-long celebration of food and wine benefiting several charities such as New Danville and the John Cooper School. Be prepared to enjoy events centered around men and around women with the Thursday event showcasing over 200 wines, Fridays Tacos, Wines and Beer events, several wine education events, and the grandest of the grand being The Grand Tasting on Saturday evening where about one hundred chefs from around the world will compete for the coveted Chef of Chefs Waterford Crystal award and money, pairing their creations with some of the worlds best wines. Over 400 wines will be poured for your enjoyment that Saturday nights, all benefiting several charities. More information on this huge wine event in coming wine columns. I hope you will join me in sipping on these wines while benefiting charities. Wine always tastes BEST when benefiting charities! Ron Yates GSM 2016 Wine Characteristics: This light, round red wine is fruit forward with lusciousness to savor. Grape Source: grapes consisting of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedere. Pair with: Barbecued meats Where to buy: Ron Yates Winery at 6676 Hwy 290 West in Hye, Texas near Fredericksburg or via their website at www.RonYatesWines.com. Price: $35.99 per bottle See More Collapse Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net. Funeral services are scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at The Fellowship-Cinco Ranch at 22765 Westheimer Parkway, for Robert Matthew "Matt" Markiton, who was recognized last fall as a Harvey's Hero. He died April 11 following an April 9 heart and double lung transplant at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. A graveside service at Fulshear Cemetery followed. He and his wife, Audrey, were among 70 people honored as Harveys Heroes by the Willow Fork Drainage District in September 2018. The Markitons organized rescues via phone and Facebook with the Cajun Navy for 2.5 days to help Canyon Gate residents until the National Guard arrived after Hurricane Harvey. Born with a heart defect, Matt got a heart infection after Hurricane Harvey and went into heart failure, said his wife. That placed additional pressure on other body organs leading to the need for him to have a double lung and kidney transplant, too. Fundraising efforts to help the family with medical expenses also called attention to the need for organ donors. Matt has the most perfect opportunity with the best doctors ever, said Audrey. I continue to believe organ donation saves lives and provides the greatest chance for families to have their loved ones longer. It continues to be our hope at least one person will sign up for organ donation from following his story. Matt Markiton was born on March 31, 1976, in Houston to Robert Irvine and Christine Ann Leder Markiton. He attended Lee High School and Blinn College. On June 7, 2003, he married Audrey Jackson in Spring. They have two sons: Robert Alexander (Alex) and Jacob Gustav. The family asks in lieu of flowers to consider a donation to the Matt Markiton Memorial Education Fund. Zelle Funds - 281-782-2295. Mail checks to Hot Tubs of Katy, 630 Katy Fort Bend Road, Katy, Texas 77494. He was in the hot tub business, both manufacturing and retail, for 25 years. In early 2015, The Markitons opened Hot Tubs of Katy. karen.zurawski@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 judge has halted a deportation order for a young asylum-seeker from El Salvador by granting a motion to re-open her case, according to immigration advocates. A clerical error in immigration court nearly forced 11-year-old Laura Maradiaga to return to the Central American nation that her family her mother and older sister fled. They were seeking to escape violence that had claimed the lives of family members, including Laura's father. The ruling on Tuesday negated the March 12 deportation order, according to a FIEL news release. The Harris County Precinct 4 Service Center in Tomball is being expanded and the additional construction will is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The Harris County Commissioners Court approved $267,366 in costs as part of the second phase of construction at the service center. That item was for testing and inspection of materials used when constructing, primarily dirt and concrete, said Joe Stinebaker, Precinct 4 spokesperson. The service center made the move from its original location near T.C. Jester Blvd. and Beltway 8 to its new site in Tomball on N. Humble Lake Road, located south of Alice Road along Texas 249. The current 31,380 square foot location was chosen because of its higher elevation and will house trucks and tractors that will be dispatched to service the precinct. Precinct 4 employees from the parks, administrative, road and bridge departments are currently working out of the service center. The additional construction at the center will add five new structures for a total of 71,000 additional square feet to the site. The official start date was February 18, 2019, Stinebaker said of the new construction, which is scheduled to be completed by December. The new structures will include a vehicle maintenance center, a 12-bay vehicle storage, a 10-bay vehicle storage, a high water rescue storage building and a building with a vehicle storage, locker area and wash bay. mayra.cruz@chron.com Curious just how far your dollar goes in Houston? We've rounded up the latest rental listings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to finding housing in Houston if you've got a budget of $1,300/month. Read on for the listings. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 3525 Sage Road, #801 (Greater Uptown) First, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom spot situated at 3525 Sage Road, #801. It's listed for $1,300/month for its 776 square feet of space. The building offers garage parking, a swimming pool, a fitness center, secured entry and on-site management. In the single-family home, there are hardwood floors and in-unit laundry. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are permitted. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental, but there is a $100 administrative fee and $50 application fee. Walk Score indicates that this location is somewhat walkable, is relatively bikeable and has good transit options. (Take a gander at the complete listing here.) 9200 Westheimer Road, #1302 (Mid West) Here's an 858-square-foot one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom condo at 9200 Westheimer Road, #1302, that's also going for $1,300/month. Amenities offered in the building include garage parking, a swimming pool, a fitness center and secured entry. In the unit, you will find stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, in-unit laundry and large windows. Animals are not welcome. According to Walk Score, the surrounding area is moderately walkable, has minimal bike infrastructure and has a few nearby public transportation options. (See the full listing here.) 5600 Kirby Drive Next, check out this one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo that's located at 5600 Kirby Drive. It's listed for $1,300/month. The building offers garage parking, a swimming pool, a fitness center and an elevator. In the unit, you'll find hardwood floors, a dishwasher and a balcony. If you've got a pet, you'll be happy to learn that cats and dogs are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. Walk Score indicates that the area around this address is very walkable and is fairly bikeable. (Check out the complete listing here.) 3812 La Branch St., #4 (Midtown) Listed at $1,300/month, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 3812 La Branch St., #4. The building features assigned parking. In the unit, you can anticipate an open floor plan, hardwood flooring, in-unit laundry, many windows, new fixtures and a large bedroom. Animals are not welcome. According to Walk Score, the surrounding area is very walkable, is very bikeable and offers many nearby public transportation options. (Take a look at the complete listing here.) 1903 Portsmouth St. (Neartown - Montrose) Here's a 657-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom at 1903 Portsmouth St. that's going for $1,300/month. In the unit, there are hardwood floors, a dishwasher, in-unit laundry, a walk-in closet and a balcony. When it comes to pets, both meows and barks are permitted. Walk Score indicates that this location is quite walkable, is convenient for biking and has a few nearby public transportation options. (See the full listing here.) This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Aldine and Spring ISDs were chosen Tuesday as part of the second group of districts to participate in The Holdsworth Center, a prominent school leadership program supported by an initial $100-million investment from the chairman and CEO of grocery giant H-E-B. The two Houston-area districts will work with The Holdsworth Center for five years to train their current administrators and develop structures for preparing future leaders for high-ranking jobs. Participating districts receive on-site staff support, management training and several other accommodations totaling about $4 million over the five-year period. Through the program, we hope to learn new and innovative ways to build leadership capacity in our district and campus leaders, Aldine ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said in a statement. Those skills will be used to attract and retain highly effective leaders at all levels. H-E-B chairman and CEO Charles Butt founded The Holdsworth Center in 2017, choosing to focus on school leadership development as a method of improving public education outcomes in Texas. The Holdsworth Centers administrators and some education advocates believe district and campus leadership play an undervalued role in academic results, with too little investment in cultivating high-level talent. Dozens of districts are expected to complete The Holdsworth Center program over the next several years, with a third group of districts expected to be chosen in 2021. On HoustonChronicle.com: The Holdsworth Center hopes improved leadership equals better student results The Holdsworth Center is finishing its second year working with its initial group of participants, which include Klein ISD and Lamar CISD in Houston area. Aldine and Spring were among six districts chosen Tuesday for The Holdsworth Centers second round, joining Harlingen CISD (Rio Grande Valley), Judson ISD (San Antonio), Lockhart ISD (San Marcos) and Mesquite ISD (Dallas). The Holdsworth Center selects districts based on willingness and ability to change, level of commitment to the program and administrative cohesion, among other measures. Aldine will become the centers largest participant to date, with an enrollment approaching 68,000 students. Goffney is finishing her first year leading the district, which ranks among the most impoverished in Texas. Aldine scored well-below-average on various academic performance metrics last year, including standardized test scores, high school graduation rates and college enrollment rates. Spring, which shares a southern border with Aldine, also has struggled academically under fifth-year Superintendent Rodney Watson. The district would have received an academic accountability rating of 70 equivalent to a C letter grade last year if it had not received a waiver due to Hurricane Harvey. Watson has sought to increase access to challenging courses, expand school choice within the district and improve parent engagement in recent months. This partnership with The Holdsworth Center comes at a perfect time for Spring ISD, Watson said in a statement. Well be learning from the best in terms of how to build a high-performing organization where everyone is inspired to do their best work. jacob.carpenter@chron.com twitter.com/chronjacob 3 1 of 3 Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Houston Police Dept. Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Actor Tim Williams, the pitchman for the travel website Trivago, was in a Houston court Wednesday morning for a hearing on a DWI charge. The hearing was reset to an unknown date. Harris County Department of Educations board voted to censure Trustee Michael Wolfe over sexual harassment allegations hours after a state district judge denied his request for a temporary restraining order. Trustees on Wednesday voted 4-2, with Trustee Don Sumners abstaining, to issue the formal reprimand. Trustee George Moore broke with others in the boards new majority, of which Wolfe is a part, to vote in favor of the punishment. Moore would not comment about his vote. At the board meeting, Wolfe said the allegations were politically motivated and he had not had a proper chance to defend himself against such controversial allegations. If any of you were in my shoes, you would want your due process in court before being branded a sexual harasser, Wolfe said. Im shocked these allegations have gotten this far, especially in America. Wolfe had tried to stop the censure vote Tuesday evening by having his attorney file a petition for a temporary restraining order and arguing for the order Wednesday afternoon. A state district judge denied Wolfes request. Civil Court Judge Steven Kirkland said he was reluctant to get involved in a political squabble or to interfere with an elected boards right to formally punish its own members. He asked Jared Woodfill, an attorney for Wolfe, whether the censure would result in Wolfe losing his elected position, prevent him from voting on future items or would force him to register as a sex offender. Woodfill said no, but pointed out the official punishment would brand his client as a sexual harasser and could make it more difficult for him to gain future employment. Theres no statutory authority for me to interfere with another governmental body and no clear basis for me to jump in and do this, Kirkland said. It is not under an authority of the court to interfere with what is, essentially, a political question. Wolfes petition offered a first glimpse at his version of events that culminated in a third-party investigation alleging he sexually harassed a female job candidate and led to the Harris County Attorneys office to launch an investigation of its own. HCDE Superintendent James Colbert Jr. contracted with Dallas-based labor lawyer Harry Jones to investigate the sexual harassment claims against Wolfe after they were brought to light. The board voted unanimously, with Wolfe abstaining, to accept Jones report in February. Wolfe argued that the county attorney should have been allowed to finish its investigation before the board took action, which would have afforded him the ability to better defend himself. The allegations first came to light in January, when a job candidate who applied to be HCDEs board secretary told Trustee Eric Dick that Wolfe asked her on a date when she was interviewing for the position. According to both the original third-party investigation and Wolfes petition, the woman had seen Wolfe several times, and Dick tried to set them up at one point to no avail. In May 2018, before applying at HCDE, she wrote a Facebook post on the MLK Association of Houstons Facebook page, saying the group should support Wolfes opponent in a justice of the peace race because that Wolfe was not a true conservative. The groups moderator apparently deleted the post. Dick invited the woman to Wolfes election night party, according to Wolfes lawsuit, and she told Wolfe she wanted to meet with him to talk about the post. Wolfes petition alleges the woman repeatedly asked him if they could meet to discuss their differences, even while she was a job candidate. The third-party investigation alleges Wolfe asked her into his office at one point, closed his door and asked her on a date. When she refused, the third-party report alleged Wolfe called colleagues in an effort to blackball her from other jobs. She did not get the job with HCDE. Wolfe said he agreed in his office to get coffee with the woman at her request, after Dick asked him to smooth things over with the then-job candidate. Again, it appeared to be Mr. Dick conspiring with (the woman) to get Mr. Wolfe to support her for the secretarial position at HCDE, the suit says. Soon afterward, the suit alleges Dick asked Wolfe to support three votes: name Dick as board president, support funding for a lobbying contract and back a specific candidate to serve as the boards attorney. Wolfe said he refused to support the three votes, a move the suit said angered Dick. The suit contends that after Wolfe refused, Dick told him, Your political career is over. Dick questioned the merits of Wolfes lawsuit Wednesday and said it was not based in reality. He said he had a moral and legal obligation to report the allegations after learning of them, and that the suit was a desperate attempt to avoid censure. If he was serious he would have filed this last month, Dick said. Its a publicity stunt. Woodfill, Wolfes attorney, sent a letter to trustees soon after threatening to sue if they took action to censure his client, calling the third-party report hearsay on top of hearsay. Board President Josh Flynn wrote in an email to fellow trustees in late March that the letter from Woodfill was a critical piece of information that needs to be considered prior to moving forward. Before he voted against the censure, Flynn said Wolfes story raised questions that had not yet been answered, and he did not want to punish him before he had all the facts. This is about fairness and not railroading, not allowing HCDE to just run over anybodys rights, Flynn said. Even when I know this will hurt my reputation, Im going to do the right thing because of the opportunities that were not available to my colleague Mr. Wolfe. shelby.webb@chron.com twtitter.com/shelbywebb Thirteen going on ... 47. Actress Jennifer Garner, who was born in Houston, turns 47 years old today. After her breakthrough film "Dude, Where's My Car?" in 2000, the dimpled actress became known as one of America's sweethearts. Though she is often cast as the sweet "girl next door" type (such as in "13 Going On 30"), Garner has shown versatility through her rolls like that of Sydney Bristow, a Russian-Canadian spy in the ABC show "Alias," for which she won three awards. From her debut in the late 1990s to today, Garner has gone through several changes, including three children and most recently a divorce. To celebrate her birthday, click through the gallery above to see Garner through the years. Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli contributed to this report. 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 Mayor Sylvester Turner came under fire Tuesday from his two main re-election challengers, Bill King and Tony Buzbee, who leveled separate ethics-related allegations against him. First, King convened a mid-morning news conference to show off a $2.8 million cost estimate his campaign received from the city legal department earlier this month to fulfill a Texas Public Information Act request for details about city contracts and payments that do not require the approval of city council. King claims Turner authorized nearly $400 million in spending without the approval of council during the 2018 fiscal year. He called the proposed bill for the open records request, which also seeks copies of correspondence between city officials in regard to the spending, a desperate attempt to conceal what is in those contracts. A Turner spokesperson said officials followed state law in estimating how much it would cost the city to provide copies of the more than 533,000 purchase orders involved in Kings request. Under state law, contracts and purchases that cost less than $50,000 do not require council approval. Hours later, Buzbee announced he intends to sue Turner over recently-installed billboards the challenger says run afoul of campaign finance laws. Billboards for the AlertHouston! campaign, Buzbee alleged, amount to an illegal campaign contribution because they portray Turners smiling face on 27 billboards across the city. Buzbee said he plans to file suit against Turner and Clear Channel Outdoor, the company that donated the billboards. If (Clear Channel) really cared about public safety, why put this mayors picture that takes up more than half of the space on the billboards? Buzbee said in a statement. This mayor doesnt care about public safety. If you need proof of that, just look at how he has failed us with inadequate police protection and laying off firefighters. A spokesperson for Clear Channel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The mayor pushed back against the accusations, saying the AlertHouston! campaign and related billboards are supported by a state grant and that Turner was chosen to be the face of the campaign because he is the citys defacto emergency manager during natural disasters and other events. "It is unfortunate that some would choose to politicize this very important public safety message, Turner spokeswoman Mary Benton said in a statement. Buck Wood, an Austin-based campaign finance lawyer, equated Buzbees allegations to a hypothetical real estate agent who, after announcing a run for public office, would then have to take down any advertisements for their private business. I have never seen anything like that, he said. Proving the billboards are illegal, Wood said, would require Buzbee to show that the company and Turner struck a deal explicitly aimed at aiding the mayors re-election. "You'd have to have good, strong evidence that they put up these pictures just for the purpose of helping elect him, Wood said. ...Youd have to prove a conspiracy, and thats basically impossible to do in this situation." Each year around hurricane season, former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett would appear on billboards, in some years directing people to the countys Homeland Security and Emergency Management website. Emmett said he used campaign funds to pay for the billboards during election years. The allegations mark the latest ethics-related attacks leveled by Turners opponents during the early stages of the mayoral campaign. Both Buzbee and King have made City Hall corruption cornerstones of their campaigns, alleging cronyism and a pay to play atmosphere give political donors too much influence over city business. Turner has denied their calls for campaign finance reform, saying the city has long-established rules that govern potential conflicts of interest. He said he would be open to proposals from people who are not trying to score political points. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, King questioned the citys estimate that it would take more than 155,000 hours to compile the documents he requested. That would amount to about 75 people working eight hours a day, five days a week for every week of a calendar year, King calculated. There's a couple things potentially going on here. One is that there's something so bad in these documents that they're desperate not to disclose it, in which case they've given us this ridiculous bill to keep us from getting the documents, King said. And then the other thing is that he's really signed enough contracts in the last three years it would take 75 people a year to copy them. Both of those are sort of equally disturbing to me." Turner spokesman Alan Bernstein said the administrations response followed state law, with the finance department and controllers office running searches to determine how much information existed so that they could create a cost estimate. Document production fees are based on the cost of labor, copying and postage, Bernstein said, with most of the charges in this case coming from hourly labor rates that the state approves. King tied the open records issue to the $396 million spent by the city last fiscal year on payments of less than $50,000. Since the topic came up at a city council committee meeting in early March, King has alleged that the total equals the amount spent by Turners administration without council approval. City Finance Director Tantri Emo said city records show council approved about $348 million of that $396 million for contracts and purchases that exceeded $50,000, but involved payments below that threshold. Overall, the payment data was comprised of more than 148,500 transactions tied to more than 4,200 vendors, as most of the companies received multiple payments of less than $50,000 during the same period. Asked about the suggestion that the city should provide a breakdown of the payments, Bernstein provided a link to City Controller Chris Browns online database of payment records. Included on the page is a link to the citys invoices for less than $50,000 during the 2018 fiscal year, though the list does not provide vendor names for each transaction. The remaining $48.1 million in payments were a mix of contracts under $50,000 and other payments, such as unemployment, refunds, fees and worker compensation, Emo said in a memo to Turner, city council members and Brown earlier this month. The finance department needs to conduct further analysis to break down in more detail the $48.1 million that council did not approve, Emo wrote in her April 2 memo. King made clear Tuesday that he does not think it is practical for city council to approve thousands of small contracts each year. If he became mayor, however, King said he would place every single contract the city signs into a searchable online database. Transparency is the cornerstone of good government, of efficient government, and this administration has been the most opaque in my lifetime, King said, adding that he would roll out an ethics reform package within a few weeks. Turners administration ultimately appealed Kings open records request to Attorney General Ken Paxtons office, contending that the requested information is exempt from public disclosure. King said he also would appeal the citys cost estimate to Paxtons office. Reporters Zach Despart and Mike Morris contributed to this story. jasper.scherer@chron.com robert.downen@chron.com UPDATE: Steven Washington was a 50-year-old black man who died April 17 from stab wounds at 5600 Hershe Street, Houston. ORIGINAL STORY: A man was found dead in an east Houston ditch Wednesday morning, and police are searching for answers. Houston firefighters responded to reports of a person down in the 5600 block of Hershe around 10 a.m., Houston Police Department Cmdr. C. Hatcher said. When they arrived, they found the man dead in a nearby ditch and requested HPD officers. Homicide detectives interviewed a person who was on scene when police arrived but said he is not considered a suspect, according to Hatcher. The circumstances of the person's death were not immediately clear, although Hatcher said the death is considered a homicide. She asked the public to come forward if they heard or saw anything suspicious, including any gunfire or someone who does not normally trek the small neighborhood off Lockwood Drive. Hatcher said the man did have visible injuries but declined to go into detail about what they are. She said the man appears to be an adult. The man's body does not appear to have been in the ditch for a long period of time, Hatcher said, but she couldn't give a firm time frame of when the man died. Melanie Chaykoski lives nearby and told Chron.com that a sheet covering the body was covered in blood. She also said that police officers asked her if she heard any gunfire or loud arguments earlier in the morning. She said she didn't hear any earlier Wednesday, but she did hear gunfire late Tuesday night. "We hear gunshots every night," Chaykoski said. 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 President Donald Trump visited San Antonio for a closed-door fundraiser at The Argyle, the exclusive dinner club in Alamo Heights. Air Force One landed at the San Antonio International Airport in the late morning on Wednesday, where the president was greeted by numerous supporters as he walked off the plane. Trump then rode in a limousine to The Argyle behind a motorcade of police motorcycles, cruisers and ambulance trucks. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox At the private club, another group of supporters was on hand to welcome him; no protesters were evident. Through the tinted windows, we saw him press up (against the window) and wave, said Shari Pearson, decked in American-flag-decorated regalia and holding a Trump flag. And of course, I saw the hair. I said, Thats Donald Trumps hair. Pearson said there were about 50 people gathered near Crescent Street. Anne McGarraugh, 48, and her mother, Diane Weigle, also came to catch a sight of the president. They said it was exciting to see the president in San Antonio. We love Trump, Weigle said. Hes doing the very best he can for this country. Trumps event at The Argyle is a fundraiser. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, traveling in Trumps entourage, said they expect to bring in $6 million at the event. SUBSCRIBERS: At San Antonio rally, Castro blasts Trump, calling for 'compassion and not cruelty' in immigration The presidents presence in San Antonio led Julian Castro, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, to hold a rally downtown protesting Trumps immigration policies. Castro was mayor of San Antonio from 2009 to 2014 and also led the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. It is the presidents ninth time visiting Texas since he took office and the third this year. After the San Antonio event, Trump headed to Houston. Staff writer Jeremy Wallace contributed to this report. Dylan McGuinness covers City Hall and local politics in San Antonio. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinness Houston mayoral challenger Tony Buzbee followed through his pledge to sue Mayor Sylvester Turner Wednesday, claiming that donated billboards for the city's AlertHouston! campaign violate campaign finance laws because they feature a photo of Turner. The lawsuit, filed in the 281st state district court, names Turner and Clear Channel Outdoor Inc., the company that donated the 27 billboards, as defendants. Buzbee's petition claims Clear Channel is "blatantly supporting" Turner in the November mayoral race "by plastering his smiling face across this city while promoting him as a civic-minded, safety conscious leader." The billboards promote AlertHouston!, a system that sends alerts to Houston residents during emergency situations. Turner spokeswoman Mary Benton said the city's Office of Emergency Management chose Turner to be the spokesperson for AlertHouston!'s promotional campaign because the mayor acts as the city's emergency manager during natural disasters and emergencies. "It is unfortunate that some would choose to politicize this very important public safety message," Benton said. "However, the administration welcomes the media attention given to the AlertHouston campaign, in hopes that it may actually help to save lives." In the petition, Buzbee wrote that Clear Channel's vice president for public affairs, Lee Vela, "works closely with Turner, and routinely convinces him to allow the relocation of billboards that would otherwise be eliminated" through a city policy that limits the number of billboards in Houston. Buzbee further alleged that the company "needs the mayor's help" to allow digital billboards in the city, which Buzbee said Clear Channel has pushed hard for recently. A Clear Channel spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Buzbee is seeking damages worth twice the value of the billboards, a remedy laid out in a section of Texas' Election Code dealing with civil liability. He estimated the billboards are worth $216,000 per month. Buzbee also said he would dismiss the suit if Turner and Clear Channel issue a public apology and remove Turner's photo from each billboard. "Half of the billboard is the mayor's face, smiling. If they really wanted to draw attention to folks to look at this billboard, then maybe they should have used somebody like (Astros player Jose) Altuve or Beyonce," said Chad Pinkerton, Buzbee's attorney. Pinkerton also said the portion of the billboard featuring Turner takes up much more space than the part mentioning AlertHouston! In addition to filing the suit, Buzbee has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to intervene, writing that the state "has the absolute authority to take action." jasper.scherer@chron.com twitter.com/jaspscherer Imagine you are CEO of a company that has been growing steadily for decades. You have always pivoted for economic and market shifts, and you have a deep knowledge of your operations, suppliers, and business model. But along come digital technologies, and everything changes. How do you avoid the fate of other CEOs who have missed the mark on digital? Guy Hadari, who has held CIO roles at Shire and Teva Pharmaceuticals, advises CEOs to deconstruct and reconstruct their businesss own value chain. Martha Heller: What are some challenges common to digital transformation? Guy Hadari: When executives define their digital transformation as a set of technologies, they are not driving real digital transformation. They are using technology as an excuse not to drill down and define the real problem they are trying to address. The real problem most CEOs are trying to address is the potential of digital technologies to disrupt a value chain that, in the past, has been foundational to their businesss success. Guy Hadari Uber, for example, destructed an analog value chain you go into the street, put your arm up, the taxi driver sees you, you get in, you pay the driver and reconstructed it as a real-time online demand-supply match. Uber used digital technologies to unlock the tremendous value that was locked in the analog value chain. CEOs do not want to be the next victim of the value chain destruction. But instead of constructing a new value chain, they go to the CIO and say bring me artificial intelligence without understanding the new value chain they need to create in the digital world. What are the four dimensions of digital transformation? 1. Value chain destruction and reconstruction: Teva, for example, is a pharmaceuticals manufacturer. Between Teva and the patient there are four intermediators who take a cut from the value chain a pharmacy benefits management company, wholesalers, retailers, and insurers until the drug leaves the plant and lands in the hands of the patient. That analog value chain is cumbersome and raises the cost of drugs, but that is how the pharmaceuticals business has been run for 100 years. What would happen if Teva were to destruct this value chain and go directly to the patient? Thats what Amazon is doing. Amazon is using a smart packaging solution called PillPack for chronically ill patients who have a large number of pills to take. With PillPack, the patients doctors write multiple prescriptions, and instead of sending them over to a pharmacy, where the patient picks them up, the doctors send the scripts to PillPack. Pillpack receives the scripts electronically, it enters that data into a robot, the robot prepares the pills in a user-friendly box that has clearly marked compartments for the week, and it ships the box to the patient. Amazon is disrupting the analog pharmaceuticals value chain. 2. Relationship management: In the analog world, relationship with your vendors, customers, and partners was linear, one at a time. In the new world, these relationships are multiform and multichannel. As a business, you can now provide multiple ways for the outside world to connect with you. 3. The product: In the digital world, we are now taking analog, standalone products and changing their characteristics to make them connected products. For example, at Teva, we manufacture inhalers for asthma patients. Weve turned that product into a connected inhaler by putting a chip inside. Every time a patient takes a puff from the inhaler, the chip connects to an app that connects to a data lake, which will report on whether the patient took the puff correctly. These digitized products will all be a part of a connected home. 4. Internal business processes: Whats the big advantage of digital? It allows you to disconnect yourself from physical constraints. With uber, you no longer have to be in the street to hail a cab. You can order a cab from anywhere. If you digitize the supply-chain process, you are no longer linking the production of the product to one physical location. In the analog world, a person would check the inventory and write an order for supplies. When there was a spike in demand, that person would call more people and write more orders for more supplies. But in the digital world, you can create a manufacturing process where your inventory, recipes, and prices are all available on a digitized, harmonized ecosystem. When demand spikes, you can turn the dial on your [robotic process automation] RPA tool. When we digitize and harmonize complex business processes, we no longer have to call a guy who orders a part. Instead, you have a view into the inventory across multiple suppliers. What is the CIOs role in digital transformation? The CIO has a unique and critical role in digital transformation, as long as they dont fall into a few common traps. One such trap is when the CEO throws money at you and tells you, Bring me this shiny new technology. The CIO has to hold the line and drive a business discussion about where the company wants to be in the value chain. The second trap is mistaking technology modernization for digital transformation. When you put a great new CRM system in place, that is not digital. Thats just a license to operate. Dont ignore the need for a new CRM, but dont think that by implementing it, you are changing your value chain. Thats just your job running the IT function. Its not digital transformation. What is the biggest obstacle to true digital transformation? This one is easy: People do not want to change. They do not want to acknowledge how many successful companies have disappeared in the last 10 years or recognize that if they do not change their place in the value chain, they may disappear too. For the CIO, the biggest obstacle is mindset. We CIOs were trained to use the left side of our brains and think about technology and processes and project plans because the business will fail if we do not. But digital transformation requires the right side of the brain. Thats why this is all so hard. It requires a bi-modal way of behaving and thinking, which is why some companies are splitting technology into two roles the CIO and CDO because each requires a different mindset and different behaviors. About Guy Hadari Guy Hadari is a global CIO with extensive operations and P&L experience in Fortune 100 companies. Most recently, Hadari was senior vice president, global CIO at Shire Pharmaceutical, where he oversaw a team of over 2,000. Prior to Shire, he was senior vice president, global CIO at Teva Pharmaceuticals, the worlds largest generic pharmaceutical company. Green House Data got its start in 2007 by helping clients on their IT journey, with sustainable cloud services at the center of their practice. We spoke with CTO Thomas Burns, who co-founded Green House Data with CIO Cortney Thompson and CEO Shawn Mills, about the companys journey over the past 12 years, the changes shaping IT, and why no two enterprises are the same. When Green House got started, many organizations were only just beginning to look not only at the cost of their data centers, but also how they might be made more efficient which inspired the companys name. We had a vision for sustainability and our initial business plan was to build out more efficient, cost-effective locations, says Burns. One of the ways we wanted to reduce the of the overall impact of colocation facilities was to utilize virtualization technologies from VMware. As a result, virtualization was one of the services we focused on when looking at clients infrastructure. And of course, we could lower their costs at the same time. Projects quickly evolved into a hybrid model in which customers utilized their own, now virtualized infrastructure, supplemented by Green House Datas public and private cloud services to augment their growth. In fact, the genesis for the companys gBlock Cloud, which is a VMware Cloud Verified service, can be traced to a project for Green House Datas first customer one that remains a valued client to this day. The firm, a media property, was looking for colocation, but exploring the requirements in detail, Green House Datas virtual VMware infrastructure proved to be a highly effective, less costly, and quick to implement option. Green House Datas infrastructure grew, and today the gBlock Cloud comes in public, private, and hybrid cloud configurations, with compute, storage, and networking capabilities. To ensure availability and low latency, cloud deployments and cloud data centers are located across the country, including Bellingham, Seattle, Cheyenne, Dallas, Denver, Orangeburg in New York, and Atlanta. Of course, IT needs continue to evolve. Burns notes that the companys customers not only demand cloud services, but also other capabilities that software-based networks make possible. We serve organizations of every kind, but have a particularly strong presence in financial services, health care, information technology, manufacturing, and retail, he says. Perhaps not surprisingly, we see a lot of demand for private cloud particularly for compliance reasons and we work extensively with legacy systems which for many of our customers are still are viable and worthy of adaptation. One thing were seeing a lot more need for is innovation in the application stack that todays networks make possible, he continues. Thats why we support the full software development cycle and DevOps operations our customers need to do business in new, more effective ways. Our clients know they can rely on us to design and deploy basically anything they need. Being VMware Cloud Verified provides our customers with the peace of mind of knowing that we provide not only the best technology, but also the best practices expertise needed to realize its full potential. We also created our own, proprietary discovery process SpotLITE because weve found that every organization, no matter how similar it may appear to other organizations in its field, has unique needs, says Burns. Corporate IT teams and the enterprises they oversee should expect a solution that is built right, just for them. Learn more about Green House Data and its partnership with VMware here. The state Senate is reviewing a bill by state Sen. Kevin Parker that would prohibit the practice of one-person train operations on the New York City subway. A similar bill passed the Senate in 2017 but died in the Assembly. Right now, practically all subway trains have two-person crews, consisting of a driver and a conductor, who operates the doors and makes announcements. Management has long sought to reduce crew size to one, at least on some lines, by using partial automation to combine the operator and conductor jobs. So far the Transport Workers Union has scuttled all attempts to introduce partial automation to New York Citys subway main lines. Parkers bill would enshrine this wasteful practice of overstaffing in law. The bills supposed justification, which is safety, is based on falsehoods. Since many other cities around the world use only one staffer per train, Parker contends New York is different because of its size, with a reference to the New York city subway system, the largest public transit system in the world. This is incorrect: By ridership on subway lines or subway-like commuter rail lines, New York doesnt even crack the global top 10. The two biggest European urban rail networks, those of Moscow and Paris, exclusively use one-person crews. The largest system in the world, Tokyo, uses a combination of one- and two-person teams. Anyway, the size of a system isnt even the most relevant variable: Its the size of the train, and some other cities have fewer conductors and larger trains. Parisian commuter trains pack 2,000 passengers with just one crew member every day at rush hour. New York exceptionalism relies on views of how important and developed the city is that are generations out of date, limiting the MTAs ability to learn from global best practices, which include automation across rich and middle-income countries. Many of those systems are even transitioning toward full automation, with driverless lines in operation or in testing in Paris, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. New York City Transit may not be unique in its size or complexity, but it is unique in its high costs. This goes beyond construction costs, covered in the media by myself and others. The operating costs on the subway are the highest per car-mile among the major metro rail systems of the world. Among the big American systems, the only one thats as expensive to operate as New York City Transit is Bostons Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which went to one-person train operation recently and still employs former conductors in miscellaneous positions, letting them go by attrition, according to several sources at the Boston-based advocacy group TransitMatters. London has had similar fights for a generation the Underground began using partial automation at the end of last century, but some suburban commuter lines have waited longer. In 2013, there was a fight about one-person operation on the London Overground, which consists of suburban lines operated by Transport for London, which also runs the London Underground. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, which represents train crew members, claimed conductors are needed for safety, but Transport for London noted that on the Overground, the already partially automated East London Line was actually safer than the rest. In accidents involving improper door opening, the East London Line averaged one incident per 7 million trips, compared with one per 4 million on the rest. If anything, the computer control with one-person operation would improve safety in New York. The New York Times reports that in 2017, there were 900 incidents of people falling onto tracks, getting side-swiped by trains or otherwise accidentally intruding on the system. In 2012, these incidents led to 55 fatalities. New technology can prevent this: platform edge doors, which are glass barriers between the platform and the tracks, would prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks. Automatic sliding doors aligned with the train doors would open when the train arrives. (This system is in use in some cities, including Beijing.) Platform edge doors do not by themselves require full automation. However, they do require the train to be aligned perfectly with the sliding doors, which requires tight computer control. The system that provides the needed precision, called communications-based train control, or CBTC, is available on the L and No. 7 lines, and there are plans for installing it on more lines. The MTA estimated that installing platform edge doors in every station would cost $1 billion. It would help pay for this life-saving measure if the MTA could recoup the costs over time in part by going to down to one operator per train. In contrast with New Yorks insistence on maintaining two-person operations, many systems around the world have begun automating operations. Some run entirely driverless. These include SkyTrain in Vancouver; Line 10 in Shanghai, which has about 1 million passengers on a weekday; and a growing number of lines in Paris, including the citys busiest, Line 1, which opened in 1900 and was automated in 2012 for about $13 million per mile. Many more are not driverless but run using CBTC or similar systems with extensive computer control, including most new American systems such as those of Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco area, as well as most lines in London, all of which run with a single crew member aboard. Automation is not just about laying off workers. Computers drive more precisely than humans, which allows them to be safer and run trains faster and more frequently. The automation of Line 1 in Paris raised average speeds by about 20% and permits trains to run every 85 seconds at rush hour, compared with 105 seconds on non-automated lines. Automation is the future in cities that wish to take full advantage of what technological innovation has to offer. The vast majority of urban rail ridership globally, comprising more than 100 million daily trips, uses at least partial automation. Bill S4890 should die. It plays to New York provincialism, arguing that the best city in the world has nothing to learn from others. But in a world in which New York City Transit isnt even in the top 10 in ridership, refusing to learn and adapt means continuing to stagnate. The combination of early 21st century wages and early 20th century productivity has made New York Citys subway system cripplingly expensive to operate. The result has been poor service and frustrated riders. The MTA is often justly accused of inefficient spending practices, but the state government it answers to must get out of the way when it wants to harness technology to save money and improve its effectiveness. New York lawmakers recently passed the states $175.5 billion budget, and the business community was pleased that the permanent property tax cap was included, while other measures, like a bill expanding prevailing wages, was left out at least for now. City & State spoke with Ken Pokalsky, vice president of the Business Council of New York State, about the big victories for businesses and whats on the organizations agenda in the final few months of the legislative session. The following interview is edited for length and clarity. Why was the property tax cap a win for business owners? There are four major reasons. One is that New York state property taxes are historically, disproportionately high. Two is that the property tax cap is having the effect of bringing New York states historically high property taxes back, sort of bent toward the median of what states do. Three, 40% of all property taxes in New York are paid by business. So, its a big number for business. And four, for a lot of businesses, its the largest tax they pay in New York state. So its a material issue. The property tax cap is making it, arguably, better.It does not apply in New York City. So thats the major caveat. But for the rest of the state, its a really useful thing for businesses who are sensitive to the disproportionately high cost of doing business in New York state. What fell out of the budget that you had opposed? Single-payer health care never really made it into the budget. It was really sort of off the table early on for as a serious matter. That was by far the biggest number of anything. The second biggest one was the governors climate change proposal. And a lot of people may have looked at it and said, well this is setting targets for 2030 and 2050, but it directed, mandated, the Department of Environmental Conservation to start adopting enforceable regulatory limits on carbon emissions within four years. That could apply to any source of emissions, commercial buildings, commercial activities, heating and powering commercial offices and activities, residential properties, off-road vehicles, all of the above in a state thats already one of the most carbon efficient of any states. It would, in very near terms, impose additional regulatory limits in compliance costs. Potentially everybody in New York would see hardly any material impact on global emissions. Im sure well continue to talk about climate change issues post-budget. The third one was the extension of prevailing wage. That certainly will be the post-budget issue. A lot of other things fell off the table that I dont think many people would have much sympathy for, but a whole new set of more stringent regulations, registered lobbyists to the state, the governors extension and modification of the MWBE program that fell out, almost everything related to campaign finance or ethics reform fell out. What were your concerns with minority- and women-owned businesses, or MWBEs? It will lock the state into an unrealistic and we believe, frankly, an unconstitutional standard for MWBE participation in state contracts. It was an unsupportably high assertion of what percentage of contractors in the state were MWBEs and that sets the target for more contracts. It was simply unworkable. It did not provide original differentiations in terms of minority contracting capabilities and the list goes on from there. It would just be an unworkable, or difficult to comply with, a burden on anyone doing state contracts. Its not just construction. It could be applied to a contract for anything with the state, whether its accounting services or financial services or even the selling of commodities could have some of the mandates attached to it. We would support a reasonable reform sort of program and one thats really more aimed at supporting the business of MWBE rather than unrealistic participation mandates. Which items are going to be most important post-budget? I think prevailing wage will probably be the one to get the most attention. Whats likely to come out of it, I think, has the biggest potential adverse impact. I think theyll probably do some work on climate. I dont think its anywhere near as broad as what the governor proposed. So, I would say the prevailing wage piece is probably one of our biggest concerns post-budget. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. 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You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. If theres one thing that hasnt changed for Gov. Andrew Cuomo throughout his many years in state government, its this: There is always a fight to be had with fellow Democrats. The most famous example of this habit is the governors ongoing feud with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, which Cuomo reignited with a scorching July 12 Daily News op-ed that slammed the mayors progressive accomplishments or lack thereof. While this feud has been, more or less, ongoing for six years, de Blasio is by no means the only inhabitant of Cuomos political doghouse. In the early days, Cuomo threw elbows on behalf of his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Later, the younger Cuomo clashed with other rising New York Democrats as he made his way to the top of state government, in part at the expense of elected leaders like then-Assemblyman Michael Gianaris and then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer. By the time that Cuomo reached the governors mansion, other Democrats entered his sights: state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and, off and on, the states labor unions. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became the governors prime target when he took office a few years later. More recently, state Senate Democrats have suffered Cuomos wrath for their role in scuttling the Amazon HQ2 deal. Clashes over fundraising and the size of the state budget hardly improved relations, even though they did ultimately agree on a spending package. One might assume that conflict is bad for the legislative process, but it is a feature not a bug of the Cuomo approach to governing, insiders say. Theres always some boogeyman in the Democratic Party and that helps him triangulate, one Democratic strategist told City & State. In other words, fighting with members of his own party is one way that the governor keeps lawmakers and other elected officials from ganging up on him. Some of his rivals have fallen from power. Some continue to vex Cuomo. Others try to lay low. Here is a rundown of the governors favorite villains over the years vanquished or not. Eliot Spitzer (2007-2008) Who could Andrew Cuomo hate more than someone whose political career so resembles his own? The two did not get off to a great start in 2000 when they both worked for then-Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. Cuomo according to Spitzer took too much credit for efforts to control handgun sales. Their relationship did not improve as Spitzer when moved into the Governors Mansion and Cuomo succeeded Spitzer. As attorney general, Cuomo landed a big political blow when he released a report detailing how Spitzers staff were using the State Police to surveil political rivals. Cuomo found a tag-team partner in the Legislature, which had its own feud with Spitzer. At one point, Spitzer called Cuomo the dirtiest, nastiest political player out there. You would think that the feud would have ended following Spitzers resignation. But it was briefly reignited last year when Spitzer publicly lamented Cuomos Orwellian relationship with fact in a dispute over education funding. Cuomo responded by unleashing his bulldog spokesman on his predecessor: Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace as a liar and lawbreaker, senior adviser Rich Azzopardi told Politico, and needs to climb back in his hole and stay there. Thomas DiNapoli (2007-present) Cuomo has had a tough time with longtime frenemy Thomas DiNapoli. They first clashed when Cuomo was still attorney general. He wanted to put a state retirement fund in the hands of what else a board. The state comptroller disagreed. When Cuomo became governor, the New York Post reported that members of his administration referred to Thomas DiNapoli as as having chipmunk balls because he wouldnt help the governor keep spending in check. In 2014, Cuomo took another swipe at DiNapoli by supporting a pilot program for publicly financed elections that conveniently only applied to the comptrollers race. The two have also battled over the comptrollers oversight of state contracts, although they reached a compromise earlier this year. DiNapoli may be the chief financial officer in the state, but Cuomo has also had no problem undermining DiNapoli and his office when it has helped the governor politically. What youre getting in an audit is that persons opinion, right? Cuomo said in response to a comptroller report critical of an economic development program. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree, because it is only an opinion. Eric Schneiderman (2010-2015) As soon as he became governor, Cuomo began undermining Eric Schneiderman, his successor as attorney general. After declining to endorse Schneiderman in the primary, the governor then established the state Department of Financial Services to rival his old office. It is part of a zero-sum approach to power that The New York Times wrote last year has defined his relationships with fellow Democrats like Schneiderman. By 2014, Team Cuomo was grumbling in the media of how the new attorney general was bumbling the good work of his predecessor. Cuomo would ask others if Schneiderman wore eyeliner. Schneiderman called the governor Machiavellian. Yet the feud seemed to die down as Cuomos battle with Bill de Blasio heated up. Ultimately, The New Yorker brought down Schneiderman in a way few expected and Cuomo wasted no time in joining calls for Schneiderman to resign. Labor unions (2010-2014) While the governor now enjoys a good relationship with organized labor, it has not always been this way. Cuomo won his first term on confronting special interests, which some unions took as a threat. The Civil Service Employees Association and New York State United Teachers didnt endorse him in the 2010 primary. He faced similar problems in 2014, as the Public Employees Federation got behind Zephyr Teachouts campaign and the state AFL-CIO initially stayed on the sidelines. But Cuomo has learned to love labor, championing a $15 minimum wage and pushing to expand prevailing wages on public works projects. Labors unions also provided key fundraising and logistical support for his latest reelection. However, campaign finance reforms and the permanent property tax cap in the latest state budget have added some new strains to his complicated relationship with organized labor. Bill de Blasio (2014-2018) Shortly after Bill de Blasio took office as New York City mayor, Cuomo cut him down to size. Cuomo blocked de Blasios campaign pledge to raise taxes on millionaires. Other disputes arose on issues as varied as State Police deployments and topless women in Times Square. The feud gathered steam as Cuomo rarely passed up any chance to stick it to de Blasio from problems at NYCHA to the death of a white-tailed deer. For de Blasio, there is little he can do to fight back. The state controls the ability of the city to raise taxes, fund education and even increase speed limits. That does not mean that de Blasio has not landed a few political jabs on Cuomo here and there including a rumored role encouraging Cynthia Nixon to launch a primary challenge against Cuomo in 2018. However, de Blasio appears to be going along to get along as of late. Cuomo and de Blasio worked together on the Amazon HQ2 deal and congestion pricing. While Cuomo feuded with state Senate Democrats this session, de Blasio laid low and avoided the governors crosshairs. It appears to be a prudent strategy for de Blasio because he got an extension of mayoral control and more money for the subways in the $175.5 billion budget. Unfortunately for the mayor, Cuomo does not shirk away from reigniting a feud to make a political point, especially when it comes to playing one of the governors favorite parlor games in recent years: What makes a true progressive? Cuomo left little doubt who he thinks did not think made the cut in a July 12 Daily News op-ed in which he blasted the citys policies on issues like homelessness and delays in replacing the jails on Rikers Island. The common denominator of these great failures Rikers, poor schools, NYCHA is obvious: poor, powerless minorities and basic civil rights violations, Cuomo wrote. Addressing them should be the cornerstone of a true progressive agenda, and yet they continue to languish. The timing of the criticism was far from ideal for de Blasio, who has leaned on his progressive accomplishments as mayor during his long-shot presidential bid. Michael Gianaris (2018-present) While this rivalry stretches back to at least the 2006 Democratic primary for attorney general, the rocky relationship between Cuomo and state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris comes down to one word: Amazon. Cuomo has not gotten over the failed deal to bring Amazon to Long Island City, Queens. Some call it an obsession. Who does he blame more than anyone? State Sen. Michael Gianaris. The longtime Queens lawmaker was an outspoken opponent of the deal, which Cuomo had seen as a triumphal part of his legacy. But it was not to be. The deal fell apart soon after state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins threw a wrench in the approval process by recommending that Gianaris fill an open seat on the Public Authorities Control Board, which had to approve the bulk of the subsidies. After being left out of the secretive negotiation process surrounding the deal, Gianaris played a leading role in scuttling the deal. Cuomo shows no signs about letting up about who he blames for the loss of the project. The new state budget gives him more power over the Public Authorities Control Board, in part to ensure that Cuomo will never have an economic development project Gianaris-ed again. HONORABLE MENTION State Sen. Jessica Ramos The Queens lawmaker sided with Cynthia Nixon in the gubernatorial primary and she has made no secret of her dislike of the governor ever since. The governor sent a warning shot during a recent clash over fundraising in the form of a profane rant by a top lieutenant. If Ramos keeps it up, more attacks might be coming from the Second Floor. State Sen. James Skoufis Cuomo knows a thing or two about how a young man makes a name for himself through corruption-fighting investigations. After Skoufis, as incoming chairman of a state Senate oversight committee, did a bit of swashbuckling over the holidays, Cuomo put him on notice. You can always get into an investigations battle, Cuomo said on WAMC radio in January. For now, Skoufis is laying low, but things could get testy again post-budget. Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi Cuomo put his father, former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, away for corruption back in 2011. The younger Hevesi has thumbed his nose at Cuomo in the past even calling him a serial liar, but the Queens lawmaker has good reason to tread lightly moving forward. The governor knows firsthand the ins and outs of avenging a fallen father. State Sen. Todd Kaminsky The de facto leader of the Long Island Six the regions newly expanded and empowered contingent of Democratic state senators got some grief over Amazon. Cuomo said Kaminsky cowered when he should have shown courage in response to backlash against the prospective deal. Kaminsky & Co. made sure to vocally support Cuomos permanent property tax cap during the budget, but they are not out of the woods yet. He knows theyre nervous, said one Democratic strategist. And theyll probably do what the governor wants on other issues to keep him from attacking them. On Aug. 13, Donald Trump became the first sitting president to visit Utica in 70 years. The reason for Trumps stop was to raise funds for Claudia Tenney, then a first-term Republican representing New Yorks 22nd Congressional District. Trumps coattails had carried Tenney to victory in 2016, and she was banking on the president putting her over the top again in 2018. Trumps visit was important for Tenneys campaign and for a city long seeking to redefine itself in a post-industrial economy. Prominent political visits to Utica are a relic of better times. A century ago, the city was a thriving metropolis, and the home to Vice President James Sherman. It was a place where Franklin Roosevelt campaigned for governor, Teddy Roosevelt frequented as a New York state legislator, and Abraham Lincoln stopped to speak at the train depot en route to his first inauguration. But the last time a president had come through was in 1948, when Harry Truman spoke there. Details of Trumps visit remained secret, fueling speculation on the undisclosed location of the event and what was in store for the hosts shelling out at least $15,000 to attend, nearly half the median household income in Utica. Tenney supporters were told there were no comps, per a request from the White House, but last-minute offers of discounted tickets were made to select party faithful. Earlier in the day, Republican state Sen. Joseph Griffo, Uticas longtime advocate in Albany, drove to Fort Drum in the neighboring 21st Congressional District to see the president. The Tenney campaign denied requests by Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri, a Democrat, to welcome the president, claiming this was not customary for a fundraiser. Later, when Palmieri requested reimbursement for nearly $30,000 in public security-related expenses, the Tenney campaign refused. That night, Uticas main boulevard separated Tenney and Trump supporters, who welcomed a president they believed was making Utica great again, from a larger contingent of Trump critics who expressed opposition to a president they believed was unfit to serve. Blocks away, Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, Tenneys Democratic challenger, organized an alternative fundraiser for a fraction of the cost, galvanizing supporters and generating competitive media coverage. In the words of one prominent district campaign operative, this pivotal moment could have gone either way, making or breaking either side. Trumps visit to Utica was marked by monolithic assessments of the presidents popularity upstate. While Trump did exceptionally well in 2016 throughout rural New York, most upstate congressional districts include small urban centers, like Utica, where a backlash to Trump energized Democrats and divided the GOP. This produced an overlooked challenge in Central New York as Republican incumbents pursued reelection: how to navigate the Trump presidency. Reps. Claudia Tenney, John Faso and John Katko pursued different approaches with varied results. Despite the boost Trump had provided in 2016, this time around, the president did more to hurt than to help the electoral prospects of upstate Republicans. It may be tempting to think that New York Republicans are an endangered species following the 2018 midterms. A blue wave gained 40 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for Democrats, including three in New York, but this was on par with historical norms. Since 1946, the presidents party has lost an average of 37 seats when the presidents approval rating is below 50%, as was the case with Trump. It can be easy to forget how beneficial the previous midterm election was for New York Republicans. In 2014, challenger John Katko easily defeated Democratic incumbent Dan Maffei. Elise Stefanik became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, winning an open seat to replace Democrat Bill Owens in the North Country. Republican Lee Zeldin defeated Democratic incumbent Tim Bishop on Long Island, while GOP incumbent Chris Gibson was comfortably reelected in the 19th Congressional District. Katko, Stefanik and Zeldin went on to win reelection twice, while Gibson retired in 2016. Upstate New York is not politically homogeneous. In 2018, New York was home to a large number of pivot counties, those that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016, and all but one was located upstate. Half of these counties were found in three congressional districts, the 19th, 22nd and 24th which also swung between Democratic and Republican House representatives this century generating national interest and becoming targets of congressional campaign committees. Redistricting following the 2010 census resulted in significant changes to district boundaries, bringing in new pools of constituents. Other changes came more gradually. The 19th and 24th districts became more Democratic between 2012 and 2018, while the 22nd District remained solidly Republican, with a registration advantage of 27,000. Democrats in the 24th District tripled their edge over Republicans to 14,235, while Republicans in the 19th District lost their narrow advantage in 2016, when the district flipped, and faced a more than 11,000 Democratic voter registration advantage in 2018. While these trends were not ideal for Katko and Faso, they enjoyed the advantage of incumbency. Political scientists have documented that 93% of House incumbents were reelected since World War II, including 97% in 2016. This advantage was especially strong for Katko, who was reelected that year with around 60% of the vote. In 2018, Katko survived the threat of Democratic challenger Dana Balter, 53% to 47%. Tenney and Faso were not as fortunate, as they joined 29 other GOP House incumbents who lost in 2018. What happened? Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock When asked for his thoughts on Brindisi, one longtime Oneida County Democratic leader looked across the street at the picturesque Clinton green before us, and with a shy smile said, Ive had several candidates speak in that little pavilion through the years. Anthony was the only one to come right down into the crowd and speak with the people. Hes a natural. Brindisi declared his candidacy early, six months into Tenneys term, in order to raise money and build up his name recognition beyond Utica, which he had served as a member of the Assembly since 2011. Brindisi ultimately outraised Tenney, though her seat on the House Financial Services Committee was a fundraising boon. Brindisi, widely considered the best hope for Democrats, did not face a primary challenge. Delgado, a native of the 19th District and lawyer at Akin Gump, moved back to the Hudson Valley days after Trump was inaugurated. Faso struggled to disqualify Delgado as a carpetbagger, as Delgado defined his life story through his middle-class upbringing in the district. Delgado emerged from a crowded primary in June 2018 with just 22% of the vote. The seven-way race was divisive, but factions unified quickly, and prompted a high level of Democratic engagement and organization heading into the general election. Delgado became a formidable challenger thanks to his charismatic oratory style, grassroots appeal and fundraising prowess, as one news report described him. In Katkos Syracuse-area district, Dana Balter was hampered by the last-minute candidacy of Juanita Perez Williams, who the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included in its Red to Blue program before the primary. Perez Williams had been an unsuccessful 2017 Syracuse mayoral candidate, but the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants furthered national party efforts to embody diversity. All four Democratic county committees in the 24th District had already endorsed Balter, prompting a joint statement criticizing the DCCC for meddling in local races. Balter, a community organizer, won the primary at the cost of valuable time and money. The first-time candidate had little name recognition and initially struggled with fundraising, then shattered area fundraising records after the securing the nomination. Brindisi and Delgado benefited from facing unpopular incumbents, while being perceived more favorably themselves.Tenney and Faso hovered around 40% favorability prior to the election. In contrast, Katko remained popular throughout the 2018 campaign, with 48% favorability weeks before Election Day. Incumbent unpopularity was part personal, part political. Tenneys strategy was to tightly align herself with the president to help expand her base from the 46% she won in 2016 in a three-way race. Tenney emulated Trumps personal and populist campaign style, and sided with him on major legislation, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the American Health Care Act of 2017. Prominent face time with national elites was helpful for Tenney, who arranged visits to the district by members of Trumps administration, members of the presidents family, the White House press secretary and, of course, the president himself. Tenney frequently went on the attack, against Brindisisfamily and the local news media, made nationally controversial statements, perpetuated conspiracytheories, hyperbolically lauded the administration, and defended the presidents advisers as they pleaded guilty to federal crimes. This appealed to pro-Trump Republicans but turned off independents and moderate Republicans, while galvanizing grassroots liberals united around their mantra: #OneTermTenney. Senior Republican operatives expressed concern early on, with one quipping that every week she says something controversial or stupid, while local GOP leaders privately encouraged Tenney to focus on issues and stay on message. Katkos strong suit was messaging. His biggest legislative accomplishment? Bipartisanship. Concerned about Trumps fitness for office? No, I fully believe in checks and balances. Katkos malleability explains his electoral success as he spent years building a political base that includescrossover Democrats and third-party support. His endorsement from the Conservative Party and the Independence Party combined for more than 16% of his votes in 2018, while strong relationships with local GOP officials bolstered rural and suburban turnout. Balter made significant inroads by flipping Onondaga County, home to Syracuse, but Katko won each of the three other counties with 60.6% of the vote. Katko benefited from Balter being more progressive than Delgado and Brindisi. Balter was the only one to run on Medicare for All. As an organizer, Balter tended to not view the electorate in ideological terms, but related positioning was necessary to expand her base beyond its progressive core. In the 22nd District, Tenney lost 50.9% to 49.1% because Brindisi took the two most populated counties, flipping Oneida County, home to both candidates, and winning Broome County. Tenneys margins of victory fell in every county she won compared to 2016, all of which were rural and less populated. Disaffected Republicans were a major problem for Tenney. About 1 in 4 had a favorable view of Brindisi right before the election. Casting a wider net would have been helpful, but that has never been Tenneys style, who first pursed the seat in a Tea Party primary challenge to fellow Republican Richard Hanna in 2014. This illustrates how Trump divided upstate Republicans after taking office. In the 22nd District, about one-third of Republicans are enthusiastic supporters. Another third are hold your nose Republicans who like conservative policies, such as tax cuts and deregulation, but do not care for Trumps tweeting, lying or learning on the job. The final third cannot stand the president and will privately support competent alternatives irrespective of party. Much had changed in two years. John Faso was excited and feeling at home with his new role as a congressman, sitting in his office on the eve of Trumps inauguration. Faso looked at ease while his communications director's little dog scurried about our ankles. Following our interview, Faso pulled an ID out of his wallet and showed it to the two students with me. I interned on the Hill in college, he said, looking down at the 40-year-old picture of himself, with the long hair he used to sport. A quiet moment passed. Faso looked up with a smile and almost whispered, This was my office. Faso won more convincingly than Tenney in 2016, elected with 54% of the vote, but he lost more decisively in 2018. Trump was less popular in his district than in Tenneys, with higher disapproval than approval. Faso distanced himself from Trump to a greater degree than Tenney did, but this did not work as well for him as it did for Katko, who had long cultivated an independent persona, including co-chairing the moderate Republican Tuesday Group caucus and regularly citing his high bipartisan ratings. Neither Faso nor Katko voted for Trump in 2016. Faso described Trump as seriously flawed prior to the election and voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson. Katko voted for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, and as a former federal prosecutor, he was critical of the presidents attacks on the Justice Department. Faso cited significant policy differences with Trump during the 2016 campaign, but supported the president 90% of the time in Congress, identical to Katko, while Tenney clocked in at 97%. Faso voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but opposed his partys tax cut legislation because of the new cap on the state and local tax deduction. Katko did the opposite, citing his persistent unwillingness to repeal Obamacare without a viable replacement while voting for the tax package. Health care was ultimately a winning issue for Democrats nationwide in 2018. Faso and Tenney were hurt by their repeal vote and sought to rebuff assertions they did not support covering people with preexisting medical conditions. Russia was a main source of Fasos criticism of Trump, particularly the presidents equivocal response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Like the president, Tenney consistently maintained that the Russia investigation was a hoax. Trump did not visit Fasos district to campaign on his behalf, despite a surprising but welcome endorsement from the president via Twitter. Sentiments quickly shifted post-election, when the president publicly blamed GOP incumbents for not sufficiently embracing his presidency and seeking his assistance on the campaign trail. Faso described the presidents remarks as unfortunate. After his loss, Faso spoke candidly about his difficulties navigating the Trump presidency. There was no doubt the president has strong support within the Republican Party, Faso said, but the party has to recognize the tone sometimes is going to turn off some voters. This contributed to his district becoming very divided and the Democratic base being energized. Trump did prompt a unique opposition movement that bolstered Democratic candidates around the country, and in Central New York. The ranks of existing grassroots organizations grew, while new organizations emerged. Indivisible, a network of progressive groups,arguably had the biggest the electoral impact in 2018, premised on a practical guide to resist the Trump agenda. He was a decidedly negative factor in my race and races across the country where we lost the House. I think its fair to say his prospects in 2020 are very uncertain. former Rep. John Faso, on President Donald Trump Women were central to anti-Trump grassroots organizing, beginning immediately after Trumps inauguration with the Womens March, the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history. Knit the District in Tenneys district, for instance, was formed to foster collaboration among liberal organizers, support progressive candidates, share best practices and defeat the congresswoman. Grassroots organizers throughout Central New York undertook extensive canvassing efforts, utilized traditional and social media and organized regular protests. This new set of challenges was clearly a nuisance for GOP incumbents, who attempted to discredit these efforts as disruptive or devious. Faso believed the 2018 midterms were a real warning and wake-up call to the president and his fellow Republicans, saying the party is in trouble. Republicans are concerned by the daily chaos and the personality issues that surrounded the president and the White House, and wish Trump wouldnt say a lot of what he says. Faso concluded: (Trump) was a decidedly negative factor in my race and races across the country where we lost the House. I think its fair to say his prospects in 2020 are very uncertain. One thing is certain. Trump upended Fasos rendezvous with destiny. Adrian Kraus/AP/Shutterstock Central New York helped illustrate several features of the 2018 midterms: candidates and grassroots organizing mattered; moderate Democrats were more successful than progressive ones; Republicans were forced to be defend their views on Obamacare; and Trump hurt House GOP incumbents by energizing Democrats and dividing Republicans in competitive districts. Trump, his family and members of his administration will probably not be heading back upstate anytime soon. Still, replicating narrow congressional victories in Central New York is far from certain, even though the political ground has shifted in the Democrats favor. Balter is well-positioned to run again and could be even more competitive in 2020. Tenney is not, but may do so with encouragement from the National Republican Congressional Committee. And Faso is equipped to say, I told you so, if 2020 is similarly unfavorable for Republicans. The president was not on the ticket in 2018, so 2020 could be different, though Trump campaigned more heavily than most presidents typically do during a midterm. Trumps lack of governing experience has hampered his ability to deliver on campaign promises, from building a wall on the southern border to repealing Obamacare. Beneath these signature issues, other priorities like the trade war with China have negatively impacted New York farmers, injecting doubt into his rural dominance. Trumps opponent will matter too. Upstate New York Republicans might vote for a Democratic presidential candidate but not Hillary Clinton, or someone with similar partisan baggage. Central New York representatives are no longer pegging their future on the president. Katko was humbled by what he recognized as his toughest electoral challenge and pledged to earn the trust of Democrats who did not vote for him in 2018. Brindisi and Delgado have prioritized access, accountability and bipartisanship in beginning their terms, hosting several town halls in their first few months. The 2018 midterms illustrated why this is this the most electable path to Congress in Central New York. The irony of the most divisive presidency this century is how Trump inadvertently prompted unity and bipartisanship upstate. The budding friendship between Katko and Brindisi, whom both represent Oswego County, is a departure from Katkos relationship with Tenney. The two quickly began working together on various issues post-election, from ending the government shutdown to trying to entice Amazon upstate and even sat together at the State of the Union. Brindisis partnership with Griffo, the local Republican state senator, was a cornerstone of his representation as assemblyman, and one he welcomes replicating, given his poor showing in Oswego County. Meanwhile, Katko knows the resistance is a real and growing threat in his district. Allying with Brindisi, widely embraced by moderates and progressives, could be pivotal to holding his seat in 2020. The 2020 battle for Central New York could look a lot different than previous congressional elections, as Republican and Democratic candidates seek to pivot from the president and his combative political style. Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to a dog owned by then-Rep. John Faso's chief of staff. The dog belonged to Faso's former communications director. The Mueller report will be delivered to Congress and the public tomorrow. Thats about all we know for sure. Reporters covering the special counsels recently wrapped probe dont know what the document will say. (How much will be redacted? How much of whats left will be new information?) Nor are they sure of the exact formatso far, all we really have to go on is Attorney General William Barrs assertion that redactions will be color-coded, and the suggestion, made by anonymous disgruntled Mueller investigators, that some sort of executive summary(ies) exist(s). Uncertainty is nothing new on the Mueller beat. Nonetheless, receiving, digesting, analyzing, and communicating 400 as-yet-mysterious pagesin real timewill pose a steep challenge for the press. According to Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo, reporters at least have their key questions lined up ahead of time. How accurate was the brief summary that Barr already made public? How, exactly, did Mueller reach the conclusion that he couldnt reach a conclusion on obstruction? Will the report expose any new sources of information on the president? Quickly finding answers will be a bigger challenge. As Politicos Darren Samuelsohn puts it, the tribes of American politics will also be rushing to find their truth tomorrow. Administration officials and their Democratic opponents in Congress will be vying to stick their preferred narrative in the public consciousness first. On the sidelines, the Mueller-industrial-complex of armchair commentators, academics, and prosecutors-turned-pundits will only add to the noise (some more usefully than others). ICYMI: Checking in with the Macedonian fake news strategist In the past week, several astute observers have stressed that journalists should not take shortcuts with the report. The press, Lawfares Quinta Jurecic and Benjamin Wittes write, rushed to the wrong conclusions when Barr delivered his initial summary to Congress last month. The summary was four pages; Muellers full report is 100 times longer. To make the most of tomorrows do-over, Jurecic and Wittes say reporters should embrace the complexity of what the report actually says, and not hype short summaries of prosecutorial judgments and the political reaction to them. The decision not to prosecute a person for some alleged conduct is not a historical judgment that the conduct didnt happen, they write; Congress and the public still get to decide if the facts Mueller lays out about Trump are sufficiently damning as to require further action or reporting. Finding all those facts will take time. You wont fully understand what youre looking at until reading the whole thing a first time, Marcy Wheeler, a prominent national-security blogger, writes. So after you read it the first time, read it again. In addition to reading everything the report says, its crucial that journalists also assess what it doesnt say. It is not supposed to be, contrary to many claims, a report on everything that Mueller discovered, Wheeler writes. It is eminently possible that Mueller did not include all of his findings; those he did include, meanwhile, have been subjected to potentially invasive redactions by the Justice Department. Reporters should not assume the untouched report is comprehensive, but should apply detailed scrutiny to whatever redactions Barr makes, and not take his legalese at face value. As The New Yorkers Jeffrey Toobin wrote recently, Barrwho, lest we forget, has expressed a broad view of executive power on more than one occasionhas significant discretion over what gets left out. He could, hypothetically, have petitioned a court to allow the publication of grand-jury testimony. While reporters get into the weeds, the outlets they work for have an important counter-responsibility: to keep the findings in perspective. Whatever the report says, it wont be a satisfying end to the Mueller story. Its likely to generate exactly the kind of epistemological confusion this administration generates and coasts on, as Slates Lili Loofbourow puts it; even if its damning, well always want more. Donald Trumps policies have a clearer real-world cost: in the past week alone, the ban on transgender troops took effect, Trump vetoed Congressional attempts to halt US support for the war in Yemen, and Barr issued an order that could keep thousands of asylum seekers in jail indefinitely. We shouldnt let the Mueller report obscure all that. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Below, more on Trump and the impending Mueller report: Other notable stories: ICYMI: The unsolved assassination of a journalist Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Researchers analyzing media coverage of medications that treat opioid addiction find inaccurate and negatively slanted coverage, especially in states with high mortality rates for overdose. When the nations health is in peril, journalists play a vital role as reliable communicators of life-saving information. But when it comes to covering a public health emergency as complex and intractable as overdose deaths, a new study published in Health Affairs shows, journalists arent always reliable messengers. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota coded 300 news clips and broadcasts published between 2007 and 2016 for accurate and inaccurate messages about FDA-approved medications used to treat opioid use disorder: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. The sample comprises 171 local news clips from states that had high overdose mortality rates during the studys time window, such as New Hampshire and Ohio, and 129 clips from national outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as broadcast transcripts ranging from PBS to Fox News. Related: A dangerous fentanyl myth lives on Before diving into the studys results, its important to review the science about the medications in question. Medications do a better job at keeping people engaged in treatment than traditional abstinence-based approaches that rely on group therapy, counseling, and the 12 Steps. Most relevant to the current overdose emergency, methadone and buprenorphine, in particular, reduce ones risk of fatal overdose by more than 50 percent. Both drugs are considered the gold standard of care in the scientific literature, and the World Health Organization lists them as essential medicines. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Drugs that so drastically improve survival rates for any other illness would be hailed as a medical miracle. But addiction occupies a bifurcated category of disease; it is simultaneously medicalized and criminalized. This duality is apparent in whether news describes the medicine as effective treatments or, per a 2013 New York Times article, another form of dope. While the research is unequivocal, media coverage is a mixed bag. The Health Affairs study found that only a quarter of the 300 news stories sampled describe medications such as methadone and buprenorphine as effective. Their efficacy was curiously absent from coverage, as was the fact of their vast underutilization. Fewer than 40 percent of the articles reviewed made any mention of these medications being inaccessible and under-prescribed, while just four percent of articles identified stigma as a barrier to access. As an addiction medicine physician, I would say that stigma and persistent misunderstanding about the role of medication for opioid use disorder is one of the biggest, if not the single greatest, barriers to ensuring people have access to these treatments, Dr. Sarah Wakeman, medical director at Havards Mass General Hospital Substance Use Disorder Initiative, tells CJR. The study found that negative coverage was more common among local news outlets in states with high overdose rates than among national outlets. Of the 171 local news articles sampled, 51 percent mentioned at least one negative consequence of using these drugs, whereas 36 percent of the 129 national articles mentioned negative consequences. Every drug, of course, has side effects, which ought to be reported. But because drug use is criminalized, negative consequences are framed as a matter of breaking the law instead of, say, constipation. The most frequently invoked negative consequence, diversion to the black market, appeared in 32 percent of local news clips and 25 percent of national clips. For issues such as diversion, reporters with a more nuanced perspective can avoid misplaced fears and false equivalence. For example, the research about buprenorphine diversion finds the most frequently cited reasons for non-prescription use were consistent with therapeutic use. People seeking out the illicit market for a drug such as buprenorphine are trying to relieve painful withdrawal symptoms rather than get high. When reporters focus on negative consequences, they often step into the realm of misinformation. The most frequently invoked inaccurate message about methadone and buprenorphine is the mistaken belief that patients who use them over long periods of time are addicted. A 2016 New York Times opinion piece with the headline Addicted to a Treatment for Addiction precisely captures this inaccurate message. A Times spokesperson tells CJR its coverage of treatments for opioid addiction has been thorough, comprehensive, and fair, and directed CJR to The Treatment Gap, a more recent series whose concerns include treatment access. Beth Macy, the author of the 2016 Times opinion piece, tells CJR she did not write its headline. Macy, the best-selling author of Dopesick, worked for decades at The Roanoke Times in Virginia. Such midsized news outlets, faced with difficult budgetary constraints, devote fewer resources to covering rural areas like those Macy has reported on. Harried reporters risk uncritically quoting public officials, from law enforcement to judges to prosecutors, who believe that medication treatments amount to substituting one drug for another, Macy says. Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, lead author of the Health Affairs study and a policy researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, expected the substituting one addiction for another concept might appear more frequently than it did. It appeared in 9 percent of stories, so that was somewhat reassuring, she says. It still appeared in more stories than its accurate counterpartthat people getting treated with these medications are not addicted to themso that is less reassuring. Kennedy-Hendricks notes that this common trope is ideological, and not informed by the science. Why local news played up negative consequences more often than national news was beyond the scope of the study. It may be that certain issues like diversion of these medications are more likely to appear in local newspapers covering local crime, Kennedy-Hendricks says. Or that NIMBY issues related to medication treatment providers are more likely to appear in local news stories. Kennedy-Hendricks also suggests that unlike national outlets, local papers lack the capacity to assign health and science reporters to the opioid beat, which would enable them to develop the nuance and expertise necessary to navigate the minefield of addiction medicine. Science journalist Maia Szalavitz, who has written about opioid coverage for CJR, says, While this study accurately portrays some of the media failure regarding these medications, I think it misses how often these stories dont adequately explain why and how the they work, which leaves the public vulnerable to misunderstanding. Dr. Alister Martin, one of Dr. Wakemans colleagues at Mass General, leads the #GetWaivered campaign aimed at getting more doctors to prescribe buprenorphine. While hes focused on getting more doctors to step up and play their role, Dr. Martin says that the media has to do better, too. The data is clear, he says. Medications for addiction treatment save lives and as long as we continue to make it harder for patients to get help than it is to get high, well struggle to overcome this crisis. ICYMI: An anti-transparency editorial in The Washington Post Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Zachary Siegel is a freelance journalist in Chicago whose work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Slate, The Atlantic, Undark Magazine, The Appeal and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @ZachWritesStuff. The World Press Photo Foundation disinvited an award-winning photographer from its annual awards ceremony Thursday following allegations of inappropriate behavior, according to the foundation. This is the first time in the organizations six-decade-long history that it has done so. Andrew Quiltys photographs of the aftermath of a bombing in Kabul, some of which ran in The New York Times, won third place in the Spot News, Stories category. But the photojournalist was not in Amsterdam for the ceremony. After the foundation received reports of inappropriate behavior by Quilty, organizers told the photojournalist he was not welcome at the event, according to Lars Boering, managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation. The awards are the most prestigious in photojournalism, and the ceremony in Amsterdam and subsequent photo festival is a gathering of top industry figures. The foundation has not made public the number or nature of the accusations. ICYMI: Photojournalisms moment of reckoning The World Press Photo Foundation believes visual journalism needs its community to be united against discrimination and harassment, Boering said in a statement released in response to questions from CJR about Quilty and the awards. Our protocol is that when we learn from reliable sources that someone associated with us has allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior we take action. Because of our protocol, we called him on 2 April to say he was not welcome at our Awards Show and Festival. We canceled his invitation to the Awards Show, the Festival, and his flight and accommodation. But Boering said the foundation would not revoke Quiltys award. On the basis of the contest entry rules we do not currently have the grounds to do so. He received an award after the jury judged all entries anonymously, and the jury was not aware of his identity or his alleged misconduct when making the award. We will be reviewing our rules for the 2020 contest. In a statement emailed by his lawyer, Quilty said World Press Photo had not shared with him the details of the reports it had received. No allegations of inappropriate behavior have been made known to me. As a supporter of my female colleagues and the #MeToo movement, I would frankly and openly address any concerns about my conduct, if raised, said the statement. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Quilty, a freelancer represented by photo agency VU, is known for his work in Afghanistan, where he is based. His photographs have been published in The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time. He won a 2015 George Polk Award for his photographs of the aftermath of a US airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. VU did not respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople from National Geographic and The New York Times say he has no current assignments with their publications. A Time spokesperson said Since learning of the allegations, TIME has not worked with Andrew Quilty and has no future commitments to work with him at this time. And a spokesperson for National Geographic said the magazine is not currently working with Quilty and has no plans to in the future. The Washington Post did not respond to a request for comment. The contest has faced controversy in the past over accusations that winners staged or altered photographs. In 2015, in response, World Press Photo established a code of ethics, in which entrants pledge not to stage, manipulate, or alter their photographs, while taking them or in post-processing. The code of ethics and entry rules make no mention of misconduct not directly related to the making or editing of the photographs entered in the contest. ICYMI: WaPos tagline is Democracy Dies in Darkness. The paper published an op-ed that undermines that. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Kristen Chick is a freelance journalist who covers migration, women's issues, and human rights in Europe and the Middle East. Follow her on Twitter @kristenchick. JIM THORPE, Pa. Pennsylvania officials are closing one of the most scenic and popular hiking trails in the state because of longstanding concerns about its safety, prompting backlash from hikers. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is closing the main Glen Onoko Falls trail in Jim Thorpe as of May 1, according to state Rep. Doyle Heffley, who represents the area and said Tuesday that game commission officials had informed him of the decision. Glen Onoko has been the scene of dozens of serious accidents over the years, and several deaths, straining the regions all-volunteer fire departments. Rescues and recoveries can require as many as two dozen first responders. Ill-prepared hikers can easily hurt themselves on the steep, rocky and slippery terrain, said Mark Nalesnik, coordinator of the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency. Some get too close to the edge of the falls and plummet over the side. Others wander off the trail and become lost. Its very labor intensive for our emergency responders, Nalesnik said Tuesday. The same four or five people who go in cant complete the thing on their own because its too taxing, too dangerous and too far to carry someone out on a basket. I dont believe the general public realizes how much of an effort it takes to safely and successfully rescue someone out of that area. Glen Onoko is on the southern end of Lehigh Gorge State Park, a popular attraction in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Philadelphia. Its drawn tourists from the city and throughout the region since the 1800s. Visitors once arrived by train, staying at an opulent Victorian hotel that stood near the falls until it burned in 1911. An online petition to keep the trail open quickly attracted thousands of signers. Like many locals and outdoors enthusiasts, Brandon Huffman, 23, lamented the pending closure of one of the regions most notable scenic spots. Its going to hurt a lot of people. Its really a shame and I hope they reconsider, he said. Huffman, who grew up in nearby Jim Thorpe and has hiked Glen Onoko many times, said that as long as you have good shoes and stick to the trail, its not that difficult. To close off nature doesnt send the best signal, he said. Nature can be dangerous. You just have to have your wits about you and have some common sense. A message was left for a Game Commission spokesman. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In any discussion about the latest tools used by claims professionals, terms such as artificial intelligence, telematics and machine learning may come to mind. But the owner of a Kansas City startup is betting what the industry really needs is a better tool bag, and better tools to put in it. BullyBag & Tool Co., incorporated last April by independent adjuster Jerod C. Allen, is selling a line of products specifically designed for claims adjusters and estimators. The company bills its flagship product as the ultimate tool pouch for field adjusters and estimators. Allen said he decided to build his own line of products after finding that many of the tools now on the market simply dont do the job. I really just wanted to solve a problem, Allen said. I would go to Home Depot, ABC Supply and other supply houses and nobody had the answer. Allen said he designed a tool bag that is worn on a holster with separate pouches to hold the tools of the trade. He beta-tested a prototype while adjusting claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and gathered feedback from friends and fellow claims adjusters. After refining the bag, he contracted with a textile factory in Vietnam to create his first inventory. Allen said the same factory produces armament bags for the U.S. Marine Corps. Thats not a coincidence. Allen served in the Marines as an enlisted man for four years. And as they say, once a Marine, always a Marine. The companys logo is Chesty, the Marines bulldog mascot. Allen launched a career as a real estate broker after a four-year stint in the Marines ended in 1997. He went on to start his own mortgage business. The Great Recession put an end to that business, prompting Allen to start work as a roofer and eventually as an independent claims adjuster. He continues to adjust claims when time permits. Allens company now sells three versions of the original BullyBag. Allen has also created his own line of tools, including a line of gear retainers that can be attached to tools to prevent them from falling if accidentally dropped off a roof and potentially hurting someone below. For adjusters the big thing is liability and safety, Allen said. Its not a matter of if, its a matter of when I drop my camera. Am I going to get lucky and is it going to fall in the gutter? Which is probably only 2 percent of the time. Allen is also working on a pry-bar that will work with todays thicker siding materials, which will be dubbed the Sidebar. He said most pry bars dont have the reach to do the job. There isnt one that removes siding adequately, he said. It frustrated me for years. Allen said hes working with a manufacturer in Taiwan to build the product and is 1.2 mm away from getting it right. Allen declined to disclose the amount of BullyBag sales. We sold a lot, he said. The company employs five, he said, and is making the rounds at claims industry conferences. Allen said hes hoping to build product name recognition through word of mouth. Out in Eugene, Oregon, independent adjuster Dean Knowles had never heard of BullyBag. But he was intrigued when contacted by the Claims Journal to gauge how industry professionals may react to the product line. Knowles said he can relate 100% to Allens comment about tools skidding off of roofs. Its never any fun to drop your phone. Taking a look at the companys website, he noticed a tape measure with a rounded end, which is used to keep the tab from getting stuck on a shingle when measuring a roof. Knowles said he used to stick the end of his tape measure into an empty 35mm film canister to keep it from catching. I definitely will troll their site, Knowles said. U.S. health regulators ordered two medical device companies to stop selling surgical mesh used in pelvic repair surgeries after saying there isnt enough evidence that the product embroiled in thousands of lawsuits is safe or effective. The Food and Drug Administration told Boston Scientific Corp. and the Danish company Coloplast A/S to stop selling and distributing their products in the U.S. immediately. They were the last two companies selling surgical mesh for use during minimally invasive repair of pelvic organ prolapse, a common condition in women that develops when the muscles holding in the bladder and uterus weaken and the organs start to protrude from the vagina. Vaginal mesh, which helps hold in the organs, was once made by 31 companies including Johnson & Johnson, C. R. Bard and Endo International Plc. The mesh was clouded by safety complaints after doctors started implanting it through the vagina in 2002, with complications including pain, infection and even death on rare occasions. The FDA recategorized mesh as a high-risk device in 2016 and required the companies to prove its benefits in order to keep the product on the market. The FDA has determined that the manufacturers, Boston Scientific and Coloplast, have not demonstrated a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these devices, the agency said in a statement. Michelle Fay Cortez and Jef Feeley Vaginal mesh generates about $25 million in annual sales for Boston Scientific, according to Larry Biegelsen, an analyst at Wells Fargo & Co., who said the impact should be manageable. Vijay Kumar, an analyst at Evercore ISI, said the setback could lead Boston Scientific to lower its 2019 revenue estimates. Boston Scientific shares were down 4 percent to $36.28 at 2:26 p.m. in New York, while Coloplasts American depositary receipts fell 3.9 percent. Coloplast has settled the lawsuits brought against it by women who said they were harmed by the devices. Boston Scientific has set aside more than $900 million for legal liabilities, with most of it tied to mesh lawsuits. The companies will have 10 days to submit their plans for withdrawing their devices, the agency said. Boston Scientific, based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, decried the decision and said it would work with the agency to determine the companys next steps. We are deeply disappointed by the FDAs decision, said Kelly Leadem, a company spokeswoman. The inaccessibility of these products will severely limit treatment options for the 50 percent of women in the U.S. who will suffer from pelvic organ prolapse during their lives, she said. Vaginal mesh accounts for about 0.2 percent of group revenue for Humlebaek, Denmark-based Coloplast, said company spokeswoman Lina Danstrup, who declined to comment further. The company generated $2.6 billion in sales last year. While some mesh makers like Coloplast have settled all their cases, Boston Scientific still faces about 18,000 suits over the controversial implants. Most of those cases are in settlement negotiations, company officials said in a February filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other device makers, such as J&J, still face more than 34,000 claims their mesh devices damaged womens organs and left them in severe pain., according to a February SEC filing. Unlike Boston Scientific and Endo, J&J hasnt announced a settlement program. Instead, the device maker is resolving suits on a case-by-case basis. CLEVELAND, Ohio Developers proposing a $29 million apartment building in Ohio City are just one step away from obtaining key tax incentives for the project. CLE Dexter LLC plans to build a five-story building on West 28th Street at Franklin Boulevard and Dexter Place. The building, situated across Franklin Circle from Lutheran Hospitals six-story Fulton Tower, would provide about 8,800 square feet of retail space, 112 apartments and indoor parking for residents. Cleveland City Councils Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee on Tuesday signed off on a tax incentive package that includes a 15-year abatement on new taxes as a result of the improvements to the property. The package also includes a 30-year, tax-increment-financing plan that would help the company with debt service for the project. The tax-increment financing will not have any impact on property taxes for Clevelands school district. The package could go before Cleveland City Council on Monday for final approval. CLE Dexter LLC is an entity of Casto, a privately held developer from Columbus. Casto been developing and managing commercial, industrial and residential real estate for more than 85 years, according to the city of Cleveland. The companys portfolio includes more than 6,000 apartment units and 23 million square feet of retail located throughout the Midwest, North Carolina, and Florida. The company owns and/or developed nearly 20 multi-family projects in the Columbus area. Ohio City residents gave mixed reviews to CLE Dexters original proposal, raising concerns about the building's footprint and how it would fit in the neighborhood. In a recent interview, Tom McNair, executive director of the development corporation Ohio City Inc., said the developers had made some changes to address some of the residents concerns. Those changes made the site more pedestrian friendly, creating walk-up units along West 28th and incorporating a pedestrian walk-through area on Dexter Place. The developer really embraced the unique geography of Franklin Circle and the pedestrian environment that surrounds it, McNair said in an interview with The Plain Dealer. The project is expected to generate $330,423 in annual property taxes for Cleveland schools once the residential tax abatement expires. Get insider texts about Cleveland City Hall on your phone from Robert Higgs: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with cleveland.coms City Hall reporter, just like you would with your friends. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here. CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- Chagrin Falls Middle School (CFMS) has received the Ohio Schools to Watch Award / Redesignation from the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The Ohio Schools to Watch (OSTW) program seeks to recognize a small number of diverse, high-performing, growth-oriented middle grades schools to demonstrate what all middle grades schools are capable of achieving. The OSTW The criteria is based on: - Academic Excellence where students are challenged to extend their minds. - Developmental Responsiveness as staff is sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence. - Social Equitability that depicts fairness in order to provide every student with high-quality teachers, resources and supports. - Lastly, an organizational Structure/Process in place in order to most effectively drive instruction, change and improvements. CFMS will be recognized at the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform at the National Schools To Watch Conference June 26 - 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. The school also will be awarded at the Ohio Middle Level Association as it recognizes Ohio Schools to Watch at their annual conference November 7-8, 2019 at Hilton at Easton in Columbus, Ohio. Chagrin Falls Middle School has been working tirelessly to promote a culture of collaboration while increasing student achievement using data-driven decisions, said Principal Laila Discenza, Chagrin Falls Middle School. Many teachers are working with mastery learning, allowing for no stress tests, assigning only minimal amounts of homework practice and using second chance assessments. We also believe in helping the whole child, said Discenza. In fact, during our Whole-Child Wednesdays, we focus on learning, support and growth of each student during a dedicated time. Our staff believes in building relationships, said Discenza. If students have someone at the school who appreciates them, understands them, and cares for them, their academic achievement will increase and so will their buy in toward school. We also want our students to have increasing feelings of safety, motivation and risk-taking. There has been numerous additions to curriculum. A double dose of English/Language Arts/math course for grades 7 and 8 has been incorporated into the schedule. These students typically need extra supports in order to grow and pass assessments. Teachers work together to provide structured tier 2 interventions. Also, high school credit is offered for a class in its second year, Accelerated Physical Science, for eighth graders. The school also has incorporated a What I Need period now which gives students time to explore their passions. Students can work with clubs like Mock Trial or Speech and Debate, Inclusive Book Club, Spanish Club, Environmental Club, or even volunteering at homeless shelters during the day. These are new clubs that were initiated by students and they still have the flexibility to determine more avenues throughout the year, like our newly built and newly staffed makerspace, said Discenza. CFMS holds a Diversity Day, Kindness Week, Start with Hello, and other activities throughout the year as a proactive response to inclusion and positive climate, as well. The school has raised close to $2,000 for charities this year, and has donated over 5,000 items to Harvest for Hunger. Time is given, too. Students will be volunteering at Lantern Assisted Living next month. Chagrin Falls Middle School understands the unique educational, social and emotional needs of the middle level child. This recognition is a result of a dedicated staff, strong leader and supportive community, said Superintendent Robert Hunt, Chagrin Falls Schools. CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENT Dear Willamette community, Curtis Bridgeman, dean of the College of Law, has notified me of his intention to step down as dean at after the 201920 academic year. He will return to teaching and research as a member of the Willamette Law faculty. With more than seven years leading the College of Law, Curtis is among the longest-serving law school deans in the country. His leadership and service to the university have been exemplary. In the last several years, law schools nationwide have seen historic lows in enrollment and bar passage. Yet, under Curtis leadership, Willamette Law has excelled, growing student enrollment and developing, together with faculty, new strategies to improve bar passage. Curtis has fostered positive relationships with alumni, who have stepped up to support students financially and professionally through mentorships, scholarships and networking. In recent years, Willamette Law graduates have had higher employment rates than any Oregon law school, among the best on the West Coast. Although the College of Law will lose Curtis as dean at the end of next year, it gains an outstanding teacher and scholar who will contribute meaningfully to the high-quality educational experiences our students have. I am particularly grateful to Curtis for leaving the College of Law well positioned to attract a strong candidate pool. The search for a new dean will begin in the near future to ensure a smooth transition. Sincerely, Steve Thorsett President FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- After nearly eight months of work, the Charter Review Commission recently presented its recommendations to City Council. Mayor Eileen Ann Patton said there are two significant proposed charter amendments. The first has to do with the staggering of terms for city leaders. We now find ourselves in a position where the whole administration can turn over in a blink of an eye, with everybody being up for re-election at the same time -- from the mayor all the way down to the council wards, said Patton, who is not running for re-election this fall. This will be a process, but it will eventually end up staggering terms, which I think that would be a good change. The recommendation hopes to avoid what is taking place this November, when a new mayor will be elected along with City Council members. The potential instability and possible turmoil for the community to welcome a new mayor and new City Council at the same time was a primary consideration of the commission when discussing this issue, Charter Review Commission Chairperson Lauren Markus said. The intent for the commissions proposal to stagger the terms is to remove this as a possibility for the future, and to keep the community stable as new residents take or leave office. Exactly a decade ago, the mayor said the Charter Review Commission suggested -- and voters agreed -- to change the council terms from two to four years. If the process plays out again, with the latest recommendation passed by residents this fall, the 2023 election would find the ward seats all running for a two-year term, while the City Council president and council-at-large representative would serve a four-year term. Patton said the other commission recommendation that will generate plenty of discussion among residents and the business community involves the citys referendum zoning. Any change in zoning currently requires resident approval. This has always been talked about, Patton said. You can talk to planners and people that are into creating master plans and things, they feel referendum zoning is kind of barbaric. Theyre not able to work their way through the process as quickly because they have to go to the city electorate to vote on it. Markus said the intent of the commissions recommendation is to allow zoning changes to be made in a timely fashion by City Council to benefit the community, residents and business owners of Fairview Park. Over the previous two decades, Patton said Fairview Park has had roughly 15 rezoning issues, all of which have passed. Thats because we only take to the voters what we believe would be a benefit to the community and the business community, Patton said. However, this Charter Review Commission feels its necessary that we take it to the public for them to have an open debate about it. If they want to keep it in the hands of the electorate or if they want to put it in the hands of City Council, I can go either way on it. Another commission recommendation is tied to increasing the expenditure amount for city purchases not requiring council approval from $15,000 to $50,000. Patton said the idea is expenditures can be made exceeding the required amount in the event of an emergency or catastrophe to protect public health, safety, welfare and property. Right now, if a snowplow breaks, we hope its under $14,999 so we can go ahead and purchase the fix, Patton said. The remaining commission recommendations are more of the housekeeping variety, regarding gender and council member language, as well as requiring electronic public notifications. The last suggestion is right out of the Ohio Revised Code pertaining to public biddings, with a language change from the existing lowest and best bidder to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The Charter Review Commission included volunteers Markus, Nicholas Alexander, John Betts, Matthew J. Cavanagh, Patrick J. Cooney (vice chair), J. Patrick Lang, John Mandula, Erika Roitblat-Bowers and Michelle Sayer. In Fairview Park, the commission serves in an advisory capacity, meaning any recommendations must be approved by City Council, which can also add charter amendments on its own. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections requires ballot issues to be submitted three months before Election Day. Currently, the recommendations have been assigned to council committee, Patton said. There is still a lot of work ahead of it before their recommendations become final. Read more news from the Sun Post Herald here. NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio -- Drunken driving, Sprague Road: On March 23, police observed a speeding blue Toyota on Sprague Road. As the car pulled over, it clipped a mailbox. Neither the car nor the mailbox was damaged. The Cleveland driver told the officer he was headed home after playing with his band at the American Legion hall in Parma. The man also said he only drank water that night; however, the officer smelled alcohol. After failing a field sobriety test, during which he appeared disoriented and unsteady on his feet, the man was arrested for drunken driving. At that point, he became rude to the officer. When asked if he had anything in his pocket that would poke, cut or harm an officer, the man said, I wish. The driver was also cited for speeding. Drug abuse, Royalton Road: On March 23, police observed a speeding and weaving gray Scion, with a corroded rear license plate, on Royalton Road. The driver apologized for her driving, saying she had just left her job in Broadview Heights and was headed home. While talking to the driver, the officer smelled marijuana. When asked about the odor, the woman admitted to having some in the Scion. She then gave the officer a small baggie. During a search of the Scion, police also found more marijuana, as well as a pipe. There was additional marijuana in the womans purse. The driver was cited for drug abuse, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding and driving left of center. Drug abuse, Tilby Road: On March 23, police observed a Volkswagen Passat missing a rear license plate light with loud exhaust traveling on Tilby Road. The Cleveland driver told the officer that he had just taken the Passat into the shop regarding the loud exhaust. He produced a business card from the muffler shop. The officer said the driver appeared nervous and didnt know where he was. When asked if there was anything illegal in the Volkswagen, the man said: No, Im just driving down the street. I dont know why Im even being stopped. While the officer searched the Passat, he found a jar of marijuana, as well as a pistol holster. However, there was no weapon inside. The man was arrested for drug abuse, excessive noise and no license plate light. If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page . Read more news from the Sun Star Courier here. CLEVELAND, Ohio An inmate in the Cuyahoga County Jail filed a lawsuit over the untenable conditions in which he said he is forced to live. Romie Woodalls lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Cleveland. It was filed pro se, which means he filed the suit on his own and without a lawyer. It says Woodall, 49, struggles with mental illness and that he was prescribed medication but does not receive all of it. He wrote that he is also not receiving medication for his arthritis and nerve damage. Woodall also wrote that a poor ventilation system gives him nose bleeds. He said food trays smell like feces and that there is always contaminated water on them. Finally, Woodall also said the jail is always short-staffed and theres nobody to help during a mental-health crisis. He said he has complained but the issues persist. He also said red zoning prevents him from communicating with lawyers and family. Red zoning is a practice in understaffed jails where a single corrections officer oversees between 100 to 200 inmates spread across two to four hosing areas called pods. It often resulted in large groups of inmates placed on lockdown for hours with little to pass the time. This is a cry for help please help me before its (sic) too late, Woodall wrote. Woodall has felony cases dating back to 1988 and convictions for aggravated theft, burglary and breaking and entering, among others. His most recent criminal case stems from the Feb. 2 robbery of a Boost Mobile store in the citys Glenville neighborhood, court records show. Woodall is accused of providing access to the store and acting as a getaway driver for an unidentified man who robbed the store at gunpoint, court records said. Nearly $2,000 in cash and a box containing six Apple iPhone 6 cellphones was taken in the robbery. He faces charges of aggravated robbery, robbery and having weapons under disability. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawsuit names former jail director Ken Mills, as well as Sheriff Clifford Pinkney, Associate Warden Eric Ivey and County Executive Armond Budish. He is also suing county Chief Talent Officer Douglas Dykes and Emily McNeeley, a former county IT administrator. Dykes and McNeeley were criminally charged as part of a corruption probe into the county, though their charges have nothing to do with the jail. Woodall said he wants to be fairly compensated for the conditions, to receive proper mental health and medical treatment, access to the law library and enough time to call family and friends. A county spokeswoman said attorneys would review the lawsuit. The lawsuit comes months after the U.S. Marshals Service issued a report that said investigators found inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in the jail, including an understaffed crew of corrections officers and inadequate access to medical and mental health care. Woodalls lawsuit is one of several inmates have filed over jail conditions. Attorneys representing seven inmates also filed suit in December, and lawyers for the plaintiffs and the county have to talk about trying to settle the case without a trial. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland man who previously served time for ripping off character actor Harry Dean Stanton was sentenced Tuesday to a decade in federal prison for defrauding clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars while working as an investment advisor. William Wine Jr., 53, was convicted of misappropriating a combined $941,000 from three clients after they gave him access to their individual retirement accounts, according to court filings. Federal prosecutors said he used the money to pay his personal expenses. He pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud. A sentencing recommendation calculated through his plea agreement and the U.S. Probation Office said he should serve between 37 and 46 months in federal prison. However, U.S. District Judge John Adams imposed more than double the recommended prison time. Three victims spoke at his sentencing, according to court records. The judge ordered Wine to pay back the money he stole and then ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to take him into custody. Wine previously lived in California and moved to Cleveland in 2013. He was charged in federal court in California in 2006 because he stole a large amount of money from Stanton a film actor with roles in Cool Hand Luke, Pretty in Pink and Repo Man, among others while he managed Stantons financial affairs. Wine used the money for his personal expenses and also facilitated the theft of money by Stantons personal assistant, prosecutors wrote in court records. Wine pleaded guilty to wire fraud. In 2007, a federal judge sentenced him to two years in prison and ordered him to pay Stanton more than $936,000 in restitution. Court filings show Wine paid Stanton back $25,000 before he was sentenced. Stanton died in 2017 at age 91. Wine was released in federal prison in 2009 and was placed on probation for three years, records say. The victims in the Ohio case all live in California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Patton wrote in a sentencing memo that many of Wines clients were associates of his father. In Cleveland, Wine worked at Kenton Industries, a mineral processing company. Prior to moving to Ohio, though, he worked as an investment advisor. One victim, identified in court filings as J.D., had transferred $289,000 from his IRAs to the trust account of a Pasadena, California law firm Wine worked with between April 2012 and May 2013, the plea agreement stated. In May 2013, Wine instructed somebody at the firm to send $65,000 to a bank account for Kenton. Prosecutors said Wine initially did not provide the victim certain documents about how the victims money was transferred and managed. The victim learned in 2014 that $50,000 of his money was invested in Kenton without his permission. Wine later sent emails falsely stating the value of the victims accounts and falsely promising monthly distributions, according to prosecutors. Wine also made false statements about the operations of the Cleveland Plant, "Utah Project and Gold Contract, according to the plea agreement. In early 2015, though, someone told the victim that all the IRA monies sent to Wine had been liquidated, filings show. Similar things happened with another victim who lost $155,000. With that person, identified as T.V., Wine also failed to send her $8,000, which was to be used to cover the taxes arising from the distribution of $30,000 from the accounts to buy a car. He also prepared the second victims tax returns for 2012 and 2013. As a result, the victim owed an additional $20,000 to the IRS. A third victim, identified as D.M, lost $497,000 and also got in hot water with the IRS after Wine filed his 2012 tax return. Wines attorney David Jack declined comment after the sentencing but said his client would appeal. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Lakewood man used a mixture of PCP and marijuana before he broke into a Cleveland home and attacked a man with an ax, Cleveland police said. Jonathan Luton, 35, is charged with aggravated burglary in the Saturday incident at a home on Irvington Terrace near East 70th Street, in Clevelands Central neighborhood. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Cleveland Municipal Court, records say. Lutons girlfriend told police officers that he was high on a mixture of PCP and marijuana when the incident happened. Luton tested positive for both drugs when he was arrested and taken to Cleveland Clinic, police reports say. Witnesses said Luton was at the house earlier that day, and got upset before he left. He was holding an ax when he returned shortly after 11 p.m., and threatened everyone in the home, police reports say. He used the ax to break in through the front door, police reports say. His girlfriend grabbed her children when she heard the noise, and left the home through a back door. Luton confronted a 28-year-old man who was inside the house and swung the ax at him, police reports say. The man then tackled Luton onto the broken door, causing some glass to shatter. The 28-year-old man held Luton down until another witness could grab the ax, police reports say. The girlfriend got into her car and drove to the intersection of Cedar Avenue and East 70th Street, where she flagged down several police officers and told them what happened. The officers went to the home and found the 28-year-old man holding Luton down. An ambulance took Luton to Cleveland Clinic to be treated for a cut on his head. At the hospital, Luton provided a false identity and claimed hed been jumped after winning a game of dice, police reports say. He also claimed he used heroin, but he was unaffected when hospital staffers gave him a dose of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote. Luton was later taken to University Hospitals to be treated, police reports say. To comment on this story, visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio The next time you watch "The Godfather" we've got an appropriate dinner suggestion: Sauces, olive oil and balsamic vinegar out on the market from entertainer-actor-writer-businessman Gianni Russo. Fans of "The Godfather" know Carlo as the guy who made the very wrong decision to beat his wife, who happened to be the sister of Michael Corleone, and then turn on the family. Big mistake. "Get him a drink," Michael says calmly. "Don't be afraid, Carlo. Come on, you think I'd make my sister a widow? I'm godfather to your son." Minutes later, that was the end of Carlo. But definitely not the end of the actor who played him. To say Russo, 76, has had a rich career is an understatement. He has dozens of screen credits to his name and ran clubs in Las Vegas. He sings, he's into wine (he has his own line), and he is promoting his book "Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob," published this year. He is working on a touring music-story show that takes fans through his life. He overcame polio as a child and sold ballpoint pens on the streets of New York, where he met, and became friends with, mobster Frank Costello. He has a podcast. The latest venture for the self-proclaimed "saucier" is a food-product line that will be hitting the Greater Cleveland market soon. Sidari's Italian Foods is handling the products in Ohio: Organic Sicilian olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and four sauces - Marinara, arrabiata ("I love spice; when you taste it you're going to think it came out of a cast-iron pan with fresh chili peppers"), tomato basil and Clemenza's Italian-style meat sauce. Fredo's Alfredo sauce and a pesto version are coming down the line. Clemenza, of course, is a family friend of Don Vito Corleone. The image of Vito, played by Marlon Brando, is on the labels. Russo said the products, which were in development for two years, will be in 18,000 supermarkets across the country. "Corleone Family Selections" is printed on the label, which contains the story of how the family started. "I'm trying to create legacy with a legacy brand," Russo said. Speaking from Las Vegas, where he is promoting his book, Russo said he has been cooking "all my life." "Italians make love, cook, and sing," he said, his thick New York accent still coming through. "I tell my sons 'Dont do it at the same time.' " "It's ironic because the brand is 50 years old and no one did anything with it," said Russo, referring to Mario Puzo's 1969 novel, the basis for the movies. Russo was approached about the idea for the sauces and distribution, and timing was perfect with the book marking half a century and the movie close, at 47 years. "We want to capitalize," he said. "The timing couldnt be better." Aside from nostalgia, timing and business interests, Russo has another motive: "I'm doing it for my grandchildren. I have nine sons and two daughters. I have 18 boys I have to create jobs for." Joe Sidari, president of Sidari's Italian Foods in Cleveland, said his parent company, national Italian food distributor Greco & Sons of Chicago, partnered with Russo and Paramount Pictures on the product line. "It's here now, in our warehouse," Sidari said. "It started arriving and we're just starting to put it in stores now." Added Russo: "I'm not going to give my friend a pot of sauce I wouldnt eat. Thats why we partner with Greco; they're a great company to work with." The possible sequel to the initial line looks to be affordable, quality cheeses - provolone and Parmigiano-Reggiano - as well as rectangular pizza from Italy, Russo said. Also, fans of the sauce, the movie and the actor should know Russo is slated to head to Cleveland this summer for a promotional appearance. I couldnt agree more with Howard Christies letter to the editor, New gas tax mathematics (Plain Dealer, April 12). Not only is the math of our state legislators and governor flawed, but so is their thinking and policy. To assess an additional $200 license-plate fee to owners of electric cars and plug-in hybrids and an additional $100 license-plate fee to owners of hybrids is taking us in the wrong direction. Our state government should be encouraging citizens to use vehicles that are fuel-efficient and less polluting. Heres a novel idea: Free license plates for electric and plug-in hybrids and a $25 fee for hybrids. Find the money for repair and maintenance of our roadways some other way, not on the backs of owners of fuel-efficient and less polluting vehicles. If we are interested in saving our environment, this just might be a helpful step. David Lima, Mentor CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland judge said Tuesday that Cuyahoga County should enter into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to help reform its beleaguered jail deemed inhumane by the U.S. Marshals service. Cleveland Municipal Judge Michael Nelson said in an interview with cleveland.com that he believes its now necessary for a consent decree that would mandate reform at the jail that would be overseen by a federal judge. We need to stop fooling around with the jail, Nelson said. We need to the Justice Department to come in with a consent decree. Such a move would mean both the county-run jail system and the Cleveland police department under simultaneous federal oversight. The city entered in to a consent decree to help reform the police department which was plagued for years with problems related to unconstitutional policing and years of unheard complaints about use-of-forces abuses among rank and file officers that often went unchecked. U.S Attorney spokesman Mike Tobin declined comment if his office is considering such a proposal for the county jail. Cleveland.com previously reported that the U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI are looking at the Nov. 21 marshals report that said inmates civil rights were routinely violated. An investigation into jail conditions started by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office and since handed over to the Ohio Attorney Generals Office has resulted in criminal indictments against the former jail director, Ken Mills, and five former and current corrections officers who are accused of violating inmates civil rights. One of those cases involved the death of an inmate. U.S. Attorneys offices elsewhere in the state and across country have pursued consent decree agreements with jails and prisons. In 2009, the Orleans County Parish Prison came under a federal consent decree after a Justice Department investigation found a host of issues there, including grossly inadequate suicide prevention, failing to provide inmates access to medical and mental health care, officers who used excessive force on inmates, failing to properly investigate officers accused of wrongdoing and failing to properly staff the jail. Other times, the Justice Department opted to intervene in existing lawsuits, including at the Franklin County Jail in 2010 after an investigation found corrections officers routinely used stun guns on inmates and jail officials failed to investigate the officers. The Justice Department then monitored their compliance. A lawsuit filed in December on behalf of seven Cuyahoga County Jail inmates regarding jail conditions has called for a federal monitor. Nelson said the county jail is a clear example of a jail in need of federal oversight. He criticized the county and jail administrators for failing to fix issues that percolated at before, during and after the string of eight deaths in 2018. When you mismanage justice in the way this county has mismanaged justice, it really impacts all of us, Nelson said. And it impacts us in a negative way. Nelson pointed to cleveland.coms reporting on the jail that most recently detailed top county and jail administrators inaction to urgent requests by the jails medical provider, MetroHealth, to make two simple changes aimed at reducing inmate suicides. The request for the changes came after seven of the eight deaths and after the U.S. Marshals Service released its report. Yet no changes were made until after 27-year-old inmate Brenden Kiekisz hanged himself. You cant keep pushing these things under the table, Nelson said. Every week were getting a new story where the problem has been exposed, and instead of there being a response being to correct it, it was either ignored or intensely disregarded, putting both the detainees, the employees and the public at risk. Nelson said he felt the need to speak out because hes concerned about what happens to defendants when he sends them to be held in the county jail. He said he only puts cash bond on someone accused of committing violent crimes, a position that garnered him national attention in October following the seventh inmate death. Nelson also criticized what he characterized as an unnecessarily slow bail-reform movement that he said would help alleviate crowding at the jail. He said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Administrative Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John Russo have moved too slow in coming up with a plan. Nelson said its been three years since the county began examining the issue of bail reform and that other counties in Ohio have adopted measures to reform bail much quicker. This has to be the longest ongoing meeting in the history of the world without anyone arriving at any solutions to the problem, Nelson said. The only thing they agree on is having another meeting. He said Cleveland Municipal Court judges have implemented their own plan to set reasonable bonds, or no bonds at all, along with certain conditions that the defendants must follow. Nelson said part of the issue is getting even basic information from the county. He said he gets conflicting information on the number of inmates at the jail on any given day. The jail had some 2,400 inmates in November, more than 500 more than its capacity of 1,765. The number dwindled to about 1,800 in February but has increased again. On April 8, the jail had 1,963 inmates, according to county numbers. This is about having confidence in the criminal justice system, Nelson said. JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio A man was killed Tuesday evening when a forklift he was driving flipped over on top of him, authorities say. Fox 19 reports the incident occurred at about 6 p.m. on a farm in Jackson Township, which is northeast of Cincinnati. The Clermont County Sheriffs Department tells Local 12 the forklift hit a hole while moving farming material. It flipped and threw the man underneath, killing him. The mans identity was not released Tuesday night. To comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page. MANSFIELD, Ohio A 62-year-old man is facing a rape charge after police say he sexually assaulted a resident at the assisted living center where he worked, according to reports. Donald E. Chinn, 62, has pleaded not guilty to one felony count of rape. He is being held in the Richland County Jail on a $100,000 bond, the Mansfield News Journal reports. Chinn is accused of sexually assaulting an 84-year-old resident last Thursday at The Waterford at Mansfield, WCMH Channel 4 reports. A spokesperson with The Waterford sent a statement to ABC 6 saying Chinn has been suspended indefinitely. We are taking swift action and conducting an internal investigation as well as cooperating with authorities," the statement says. Chinn will appear in Mansfield Municipal Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing. To comment on this story, please visit Tuesdays crime and courts comments page. MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. The Moscow City Court found Norwegian citizen Frode Berg guilty of spying against Russia, sentencing him to 14 years in a maximum-security prison, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom on Tuesday.The court finds defendant Frode Berg guilty of committing a crime under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Court (espionage) and sentences him to 14 years behind bars in a maximum-security colony, Judge Andrei Suvorov said.The court announced only an introductory and resolutive part of the verdict. The court proceeding on the case was held behind closed doors as the case contains secret files. WtR PS: Tidbit of information below *** Article 276. Espionage Transfer, and also collection, theft, or keeping for the purpose of transfer to a foreign state, a foreign organization, or their representatives of information constituting a state secret, and also transfer or collection of other information under the order of a foreign intelligence service, to the detriment of the external security of the Russian Federation, if these deeds have been committed by a foreign national or a stateless person, shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of 10 to 20 years. *** Dozens of medical professionals in five states were charged Wednesday with participating in the illegal prescribing of more than 32 million pain pills, including doctors who prosecutors said traded sex for prescriptions and a dentist who unnecessarily pulled teeth from patients to justify giving them opioids. The 60 people indicted include 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners and seven other licensed medical professionals. The charges involve more than 350,000 illegal prescriptions written in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia, according to indictments unsealed in federal court in Cincinnati. "That is the equivalent of one opioid dose for every man, woman and child in the five states in the region that we've been targeting," Brian Benczkowski, an assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's criminal division, said in an interview. "If these medical professionals behave like drug dealers, you can rest assured that the Justice Department is going to treat them like drug dealers." The charges include unlawful distribution or dispensing of controlled substances by a medical professional and health-care fraud. Each count carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, and many of the defendants face multiple counts. At least one doctor is charged in connection with a death caused by the opioids, officials said. The indictments are part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to combat the nation's opioid epidemic, which claimed the lives of 47,600 people in 2017 alone, the latest year that federal overdose data is available. Over the past two years, Justice Department officials said they have targeted doctors, health-care companies and drug manufacturers and distributors for their roles in the epidemic. Last year, the department charged 162 defendants, including 76 doctors, for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics. Benczkowski said he created the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force late last year to target the region, which has been devastated by the epidemic. The department analyzed several databases to identify suspicious prescribing activity and sent 14 prosecutors to nine federal districts there. "The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. Once they had the data indicating suspicious prescriptions, investigators used confidential informants and undercover agents to infiltrate medical offices across the region. Cameras and tape recorders were rolling as they documented how medical professionals used their licenses to peddle highly addictive opioids in exchange for cash and sex, officials said. In one case, a doctor operated a pharmacy in his office, just outside the exam room, where patients could fill their prescriptions for opioids immediately after receiving cursory exams, according to the Justice Department. In another, prosecutors said, patients consented to having their teeth pulled so they could obtain opioid prescriptions from a dentist and then paid in cash. In a number of cases, according to the indictments, doctors across the region traded prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone for sexual favors. Some physicians instructed their patients to fill multiple prescriptions at different pharmacies. Prosecutors also documented how patients traveled to multiple states to see different doctors so they could collect and then fill numerous prescriptions. "What these doctors have done is pretty remarkable in its brazenness," Benczkowski said. The opioid indictments come as more than 1,500 cities, counties, Native American tribes and unions are suing drug companies in one of the largest and most complicated civil cases in American history. A federal judge in Cleveland is overseeing the cases, which accuse some of the biggest names in the industry of fueling the opioid epidemic. The companies have blamed the epidemic on corrupt doctors and pain management clinics and say the epidemic is too complicated to attribute to their actions. (c) 2019, The Washington Post Sari Horwitz, Scott Higham COLUMBUS, Ohio FirstEnergys efforts to try to get Ohio politicians to rescue its troubled nuclear power business havent come cheap. Lawmakers last Friday introduced a proposed clean energy bill" that would add a new surcharge to every power bill in Ohio to pay for clean energy sources with $150 million in proceeds going to bail out two financially troubled nuclear plants in northern Ohio while eliminating a different one that pays for renewable energy. As Statehouse committee hearings begin this week on the bill, heres what you need to know: - From March through December 2018, FirstEnergy Solutions, a former FirstEnergy subsidiary that now owns the two plants plus a third one in Pennsylvania, paid nearly $2.7 million to lobbyists and PR firms working to convince Ohio lawmakers to support bailing out their nuclear plants. These payments are detailed in FES bankruptcy filings compiled by The Energy and Policy Institute, which advocates for renewable energy. - Since January 2017, FirstEnergy gave Ohio politicians nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions, mostly to Republicans, but also to Democrats. During the same time, it sought financial support for its nuclear plants, although it distanced itself from the effort after it parted ways with FES and sent the former subsidiary into bankruptcy. - Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of FE support was Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, whom the company helped get elected to his leadership position. FE gave $159,000 to 12 different pro-Householder candidates during last years election, helping them beat candidates backing a different Republican speaker candidate during the contentious Republican primary. Householder is now backing the clean energy bill. For more on this story, click here: Would you like to show your support for cleveland.coms Statehouse and politics coverage, plus get exclusive insider information on Ohio government and politics? Consider Project Text. For $3.99 a month, you can get behind the scenes insights and observations via text messages from the reporting team who puts together our essential daily newsletter. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Staffers for former Wadsworth Republican Rep. Jim Renacci inappropriately used official resources to promote his 2018 campaigns for U.S. Senate and Ohio governor, an Office of Congressional Ethics investigation found. But Renacci wont be sanctioned for any violations because hes no longer in office. Documents the ethics office released Wednesday said Renaccis congressional communications staffers regularly took photos and videos of their boss performing official functions at the U.S. Capitol and transmitted them to his campaign for publicity purposes, and also occasionally performed campaign work in his official office. Renacci told the ethics office that staffers controlled his congressional and campaign social media accounts, and he did not review all their contents. Renacci also said he didnt know that his staff might have violated House ethics rules that expressly ban campaign activities in congressional offices, and the use of House buildings for campaign commercials and photos. If there is a violation of policy, then we have to look into it, but my ... reaction is, how many posts do we have? Renacci told investigators in a June 27, 2018 interview. Weve got thousands of posts, and is this a systemic issue or is this a one-off here or there ...? My first thought would be, and I havent talked to any of them, did they willfully or knowingly violate policy? I have not asked any of them yet. I was letting the review go through. On Wednesday, Renacci issued a statement that said his office cooperated fully with the Office of Congressional Ethics, which he noted is separate from the House Committee on Ethics. The Office of Congressional ethics is an independent, non-partisan entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against Congress members, officers, and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives and, when appropriate, referring those matters to the House Committee on Ethics. Renacci said a submission by that office to the House Committee on Ethics in no way confirms there was any misuse of official resources for campaign purposes. In fact, our offices policy manual explicitly prohibited those actions by any member of the staff of the official congressional office. As part of the OCEs review, Renacci said his staff was interviewed and his office policy manuals were reviewed. He said his staff was trained to ensure it was aware of the policy. He described claims by the Ohio Democratic Party and Brown campaign as frivolous," and said they were used as "political tools - along with spending $33.5 million to try and save a desperate 44 year career politician from losing. The Office of Congressional Ethics began to probe Renaccis social media accounts after the Ohio Democratic Party filed an official complaint that claimed he improperly used official resources including his congressional website and Twitter account to promote his campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor. Renacci abandoned a gubernatorial bid in 2018 to mount an unsuccessful challenge to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. He left public office in January, and Republican Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River now holds Renaccis old congressional seat. The Office of Congressional Ethics says it found substantial reason to believe that Rep. Renacci misused official resources for campaign or political purposes" and referred its findings to the House Ethics Committee for potential enforcement actions last summer. But that committee put off considering the complaint until after hed left office, which ensured that Renacci and his staffers wouldnt be sanctioned. If Rep. Renacci misused official resources for campaign or political purposes, then he may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law, said a statement from the ethics office. Just doing my part to #MAGA -- Thanks @realDonaldTrump for making #TaxReform a priority. As a CPA & businessman, I know we need this tax cut to make #OhioFirst again. This bill increases the child tax credit, increases the standard deduction, increases wages and brings back jobs! pic.twitter.com/mS564eyW7P Jim Renacci (@JimRenacci) November 16, 2017 Its actions stemmed from an ethics complaint Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper filed last year that alleged Renacci used his official congressional website to improperly promote his campaign for Ohio governor. It said he also used his official House of Representatives Twitter account to boost his campaigns for higher office and even posted a photo on that account that showed him engaging in campaign activity in his congressional office. Both federal law and House rules clearly prohibit members of Congress from using official resources for campaign or political purposes, the complaint said, adding that those rules reflect the basic principle that government funds should not be spent to help incumbents gain reelection. The misuse of government resources, even if deemed to be in small amounts, can snowball into the publics lack of faith in elected public servants, who must both ensure the public trust while in office and campaign fairly in compliance with the law, the complaint continued. Renaccis communications director, Kelsey Knight, had described the complaint as baseless and said it was part of an attempt to deceive the public and desperately trash Jim Renaccis record in public service. But documents the Office of Congressional Ethics released Wednesday said that Knight admitted she routinely took photos of Renacci in official buildings and transmitted them to his campaign. At one point, she even suggested that Renacci wear a Make America Great Again hat for a photo and video while leaving the House of Representatives floor. I had no idea we couldnt take pictures inside the office building, Knight told investigators. I know that now. It will never happen again. I had no idea I was doing anything, again I thought everything had to be separate. I thought I just had to have different posts. So yeah, every time he did a media hit, Id take a picture. Knight said she stopped sending congressional videos and photos of Renacci to his campaign after the Ohio Democratic Party filed its complaint, and that Renacci subsequently hired extra campaign staffers to handle communications. She said Renacci reacted to the complaint by establishing that there needs to be a clear line, Im no longer going to do anything on the campaign, and well hire yet another person for the campaign side to take on all that oversight. A little more experience on the campaign side to do all of it. I promise that there was no ill intent, Knight told investigators. I just was trying to do a good job on social media and making sure there was a little bit of guidance on what we were saying and what they were saying. Renacci staffer Kevin Knoth, who served as digital director of both his congressional office and Senate campaign, told investigators he occasionally worked on campaign material in the congressional office but stopped doing so after he learned of the complaint. Now Im working from home so Im not doing any campaign related functions in the congressional office, Knoth said. OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS REPORT ON RENACCI, PARTS 1, 2 & 3: Apr 17, 2019 | By Thomas French biotechnology company Poietis has announced the granting of a third patent for its laser-assisted 3D bioprinting technology. "We were the first to explore the industrial potenfial of laser assisted bioprinting technology in various applications. The granting of this series of European patents further supports Poiefis position in the field of 3D bio-printing," stated Fabien Guillemot, President and CEO of Poietis. Based on its expertise in bioprinting technologies and in particular high resolution laser bioprinting, Poietis has also developed the multimodal bioprinting platform NGB (Next Generation Bioprinting). The NGB platform aims to give tissue engineers and researchers greater freedom in the choice of biomaterials and hydrogels. Winner of the 2014 ILab Contest (French National Competition for Innovative start-up Creation of the Ministry of Research, Creation-Development category) and the 2016 Worldwide Innovation Contest, Poietis' laser-assisted 3D bioprinting technology us initially developed at the INSERM and Bordeaux University. The laser-assisted bioprinting technology can position cells in 3D with extremely high cellular resolution (on the order of ten microns) and cellular viability (over 95%). In 2015, BASF signed an agreement with Poietis to use their technology for research and development purposes. Both companies are looking at ways of applying Poietis bioprinting technology to BASFs existing processes in an effort to improve the companys skin equivalent model Mimeskin. Poietis has also partnered with Servier Laboratories to create 4D printed liver toxicity detection device. Most recently, the company has announced its 4D bioprinting platform, an automated robotic system to improve the standardization of manufacturing processes and the functionality of biological tissues. The latest patent issued by the European Patent Office, Patent No. EP3233499, is entitled Laser printing method and device for implementing said method. It follows the 2017 Patent No. EP2542659 entitled Bioprinting Station, assembly comprising such bioprinting station and bioprinting method which relates to the adaptation of the printing patterns on substrates; and 2018 Patent No. EP3234102 entitled Method for laser printing biological components and device for implementing said method, which covers the laser-assisted bioprinting and multimodal bioprinting processes in Europe. The grant of these patents strengthens Poietis intellectual property asset, explained Bruno Brisson, General Manager and VP Business Development at Poietis. It is also additional protection of important technological bricks that are integrated into the NGB-R, next-gen bioprinting systems that we commercialize now. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: Abalos Researches Music Through Storytelling April 17, 2019 Carnegie Mellon University student Theresa Abalos wants to help people feel the world through sound. "Sometimes, you can't articulate why the world is so complex, but you can engage with it by creating something that's breathtaking and moving, often in healing ways," said Abalos, a junior Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) student in global studies and music performance. She's combining her two disciplines through researching musical practices of indigenous musicians of Argentina. Abalos is also pursuing a minor in Hispanic Studies and she sees the importance of engaging with topics within their linguistic context. "The specific language you speak is a lot like music it's deeply connected to how you feel, how you respond to things and how you think" Abalos said. Theresa Abalos interviewed indigenous musicians in Argentina in 2018. Last summer, Abalos studied in Argentina and conducted research and fieldwork in her interactions with indigenous peoples. The scholarship transformed her abroad experience. "I found myself looking at everything more curiously," she said. Her experience was supported in part by the Jennings Family Brave Companion Award, which supports underrepresented or first generation students with demonstrated financial need to travel and conduct research. The Undergraduate Research Office has supported Abalos in her applications for fellowships and scholarships. "We have been thoroughly impressed with her dedication to her academic and professional goals. Theresa's tenacity and focus will continue to serve her well throughout her graduate education and beyond." said Richelle Bernazzoli, assistant director of Undergraduate Research and National Fellowships. Assistant Musicology Professor Alexa Woloshyn, helped guide Abalos' research, which focuses on the musical practices of contemporary indigenous musicians from Argentina and how they engage with and shape modernity. "Their identity as indigenous does not mean they are frozen in the past; rather they're engaging with and helping to build what we consider modern, leading to movements both ideologically and across rural and urban spaces," Abalos said. She is contributing to the growing scholarly conversation about how tradition is not incompatible with modernity. She recently presented her research, entitled "Who are the "folk" in musica folclorica? Indigeneity and the Performance of Belonging in Argentina," at the Niagara Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology 2019 Conference at SUNY Buffalo State. She also will present her research at CMU's Meeting of the Minds in May. When she says "musica folclorica," she refers to the notion of music that represents the essence of pre-modern Argentina. But in her research, she noticed that many different types of music were being called "musica folclorica." Her project aims to understand why the label has become vague, how it's connected to Argentina's history, and its implications for Argentina's indigenous peoples. Abalos busking in an artisan fair in Cordoba, Argentina. While studying there she interviewed folk musicians. For an example, she points to the National Festival of Folklore of Cosquin, which takes place every year in Cordoba, Argentina. For much of the festival's history, the musical traditions of indigenous peoples were excluded in favor of music romanticizing the pastoral Argentina experienced by European Argentines. In the past decade, however, indigenous musicians such as Mariana Carrizo came to the stage, bringing sounds of indigenous traditions to form a more diverse sonic representation of Argentina. Music brought Abalos to CMU. In particular flute professor, Alberto Almarza, who has been an important mentor during her undergraduate experience. "He has supported my activities outside the typical music trajectory, such as studying abroad and being in BXA," Abalos said. "And he has helped me develop my belief that with a lot of balancing work, non-musical endeavors can enrich, rather than hinder, my growth as a musician." While she studied in Argentina, Almarza helped connect her to world renowned flutists Marcela Bianchi, Patricia Dadalt, Cecilia Ulloque, and Claudio Barile. Both Marcela Bianchi and Cecilia Ulloque studied in the CMU flute studio. Studying flute performance alongside her research in cultural anthropology has given Abalos the chance to experience what she is researching, in performance and identity, language and sound. She said her research has helped her become a more critical musician. "It's helped me realize that while music is transcendental, it's also rooted in the specific places and histories from which it was created." Abalos said. Abalos urges more people in the CMU community to attend College of Fine Arts events and allow themselves to be transported. "There's something to be gained from entering a space where the performers are sharing their life's work with you in every breath they take, every movement, from moment to moment through what is most likely great music, a thought-provoking story, a scene that catches you off-guard, or all three," Abalos said. Carl's Jr. is adding something special to its signature sauce. The restaurant will test a CBD-infused burger at one of its Denver locations for one day only: April 20, the unofficial holiday for cannabis enthusiasts. The limited-time offer makes Carl's Jr. the first national fast food chain to add CBD-infused food to its menu. In another nod to the marijuana holiday, the burger will sell for $4.20. The burger chain's Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight features two beef patties, pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, waffle fries and about 5 milligrams of hemp-derived CBD extract in the burger chain's Santa Fe Sauce. Proponents claim that CBD, a non-psychoactive compound found in hemp and marijuana, can help with anxiety and pain relief, among other ailments, although little scientific research has been done to back up those assertions. There is also a lack of agreement about dosage, particularly when CBD is added to food. Compared to its close cousin marijuana, hemp contains less THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis. So Carl's Jr.'s burger is unlikely to get you high. But even though Apple may win by getting a 5G iPhone to customers sooner than most people anticipated, it lost by settling with a company it loathes. Getting the iPhone to 5G means Apple was put in a sticky situation where it had to weigh four less-than-ideal options to make it all a reality. Its surprise settlement with Qualcomm on Tuesday over a yearslong patent spat means it's now in a position to keep pace with its competitors to bring a 5G-ready iPhone to market as soon as this year. In the end, Apple had to choose the lesser of all evils: Option one: Settle with Qualcomm, the leader in 5G chips. Qualcomm's 5G chips are already shipping in some devices today, with more expected as the year rolls on. But Apple has seen Qualcomm's business model as detrimental to the entire industry since it uses its dominant position to squeeze large fees out of each company that uses its chips and patents. Hence that nasty lawsuit. Apple CEO Tim Cook made his disdain for Qualcomm's practices known in a January interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, and even blasted Qualcomm's decision to hire a PR firm to write fake news stories about Apple, which Business Insider reported. Option two: Wait for Intel to catch up in 5G. Even before Intel announced Tuesday night that it would abandon its plans to make 5G modems, there was speculation that the company was running behind to deliver the chips on time. Apple has been exclusively using Intel's 4G modems in its latest iPhones as its dispute with Qualcomm raged on. If that dispute continued, a 5G iPhone might not have been possible until 2020 or even 2021. Option three: Choose Huawei. In an interview that ran on CNBC this week, Huawei's CEO said the company was "open" to talks with Apple about bringing its 5G chips to the iPhone. But a partnership with Huawei would've looked bad for Apple, given the stink of political and security concerns around the company. (Huawei's CEO has denied spying allegations.) Option four: Apple could make its own 5G chips. Apple is thought to be working on its own modems after opening an office in San Diego, Qualcomm's hometown, and posting job listings for modem chip designers. But it would likely take Apple several years to develop its own 5G chip, putting it several years behind its rivals. None of those options were ideal for Apple. It could've waited an extra year or two for Intel to get its 5G chips up to snuff. It could've waited several more years to develop a 5G chip of its own as competitors like Google and Samsung push out their 5G devices and market themselves as more innovative than Apple. It could've worked with Huawei, a company that still can't sell products in the U.S. over security concerns. Or it could've ended its dispute with Qualcomm, even if Cook is allergic to its business practices. Unfortunately for Apple, Qualcomm was the best bet. Tuesday's settlement could result in a 5G iPhone as soon as this fall, when Apple is expected to release its next iPhone. (For what it's worth, timing on a 5G iPhone is still unclear. Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said in an interview Wednesday on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he couldn't comment on Apple's product plans that include Qualcomm chips.) Qualcomm gets to take a victory lap this week. Its lead in 5G forced a settlement with Apple and added a massive boost to its stock. Qualcomm shares was up 12% Wednesday, adding to its 23% gain Tuesday. Intel was up about 4%. Apple was up just 1%. The market agrees. Apple was the loser in this fight. "The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region," U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. "But the Department of Justice is doing its part to help end this crisis." The people charged across 11 federal districts, include 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners, and seven other licensed medical professionals, the Justice Department said. The cases involve more than 350,000 prescriptions for controlled substances across Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and West Virginia. The arrests were the latest effort to combat the nationwide opioid epidemic. Some 60 doctors, pharmacists and other licensed medical professionals in five states are being charged in connection with illegally prescribing more than 32 million pain pills, in some cases for sexual favors, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The indictments come as some 1,600 cases against the biggest opioid manufacturers in the country are being consolidated and transferred before U.S. Judge Dan Aaron Polster of the Northern District of Ohio. The companies are being accused by numerous counties, cities, states and Native American tribes of downplaying the risks of addiction to doctors and patients while exaggerating their painkillers' benefits. 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. About 130 Americans a day die of an opioid-related overdose, the agency says. The Justice Department said six individuals, including two doctors and three registered pharmacists were charged with several counts, including unlawful distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by fraud. One arrest made public Wednesday involved a doctor in Kentucky who allegedly prescribed opioids to friends on Facebook, who would then come to his home to pick up prescriptions. Another case involved a doctor in Tennessee who branded himself the "Rock Doc." He allegedly prescribed combinations of dangerous combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines, a class of psychoactive drugs, sometimes in exchange for sexual favors. The Appalachian Regional Prescription Strike Force was formed late last year to help combat the nationwide opioid epidemic. The strike force is working with the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and local public health official, and analyzed databases to identify suspicious prescribing activity. For more on investing in health-care innovation, click here to join CNBC at our Healthy Returns Summit in New York City on May 21. WATCH: Sackler family statement on Purdue Pharma's Oklahoma settlement A new law will ban people in the U.K. from accessing online porn without first verifying their age. The U.K government confirmed Wednesday that Britain will become the first country in the world to introduce age-verification for online pornography, with measures coming into force on July 15 this year. From that date, internet providers of pornography will have to check that users are at least 18-years-old. Failure to meet the measures risks having payment services withdrawn or the sites being totally blocked for all U.K. users. In a release Wednesday, the U.K. Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Margot James, said privacy concerns had been balanced fairly against protecting children from early-age exposure to sexual imagery. "We want the U.K. to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this." The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the new laws. It conducted a survey which claimed that almost nine out of ten U.K. parents, with children between the ages of 7 to 17, support the age verification process. The BBFC says U.K. visitors to porn sites will be allowed a variety of options to prove their age and that verification providers will be rigorously assessed over how they protect user data. But others are less convinced by U.K. government's promises. In a statement Wednesday, Executive Director of Open Rights Group, Jim Killock, said authorities must ensure a compulsory privacy scheme. "Having some age verification that is good and other systems that are bad is unfair and a scammer's paradise of the government's own making." "Data leaks could be disastrous. And they will be the government's own fault," Killock added. Last week the U.K. government laid out wider plans for laws to regulate internet and social media safety. The document proposed a set of rules which could punish social media companies for failing to protect its users against a wide range of online harms. Tech giants such as Twitter and Facebook would be held legally accountable for allowing access to material such as child abuse, terrorist content, cyberbullying and trolling, encouraging self-harm and suicide as well as spreading disinformation. Logos of ABB AG sit on display outside the company's semi-conductor plant in Lenzburg, Switzerland. ABB Chief Executive Ulrich Spiesshofer has quit the Swiss industrial group as the board and major shareholders look for a speedier turnaround at the maker of industrial robots and supplier of factory automation. Spiesshofer's abrupt exit follows the launch of the biggest overhaul in ABB's 31-year history to reposition the company more towards digital industries and agreeing to activist shareholder demands to sell its power grids business. But the latest revamp by the former management consultant failed to revitalize ABB's stock, which has flatlined under his tenure while profits fell last year. Time ran out for Spiesshofer, who has led ABB since September 2013, following a conference call between board members on Tuesday evening. ABB said Spiesshofer's exit was mutually agreed, with Chairman Peter Voser taking charge while a successor is found. "If the board, including Mr. Spiesshofer and the executive committee look at our performance over the last few years on a competitive basis, we are not where we would like to be," Voser told journalists on a call. Voser said following ABB's latest reorganization into four divisions and the $11 billion deal to sell power grids to Japan's Hitachi, it was time to look to the future. "It is normal when you do such big transactions like we did with Hitachi in December... and the way we launched the new business in April that a board looks ahead for the next few years," Voser said. "As part of that discussion, you talk about leadership and discussions with Uli have taken place. He is happy after 14 successful years in executive positions and five-and-half years as CEO to move on and do something else." Voser, the former Royal Dutch Shell CEO who was ABB's finance chief from 2002 to 2004, said there would be no change in strategy at ABB, which is looking to introduce a simpler structure. Spiesshofer, 55, had repositioned ABB and built up growth momentum, Voser said, although he said there had been some frustration at the company's performance. Spiesshofer's attempts to shift ABB more towards automation had little impact on the share price. ABB's stock has lost 6 percent over the five years Spiesshofer has led the company, lagging rivals like Germany's Siemens and the Stoxx 600 Industrial Goods & Services price index that has gained nearly 33 percent in the same time. The decision to give in to activist shareholder demands to sell power grids and return the money to shareholders failed to halt the slide. ABB said first-quarter net income dropped 6 percent as profitability fell due to the integration of the low-margin General Electric Industrial Solutions business. Big ABB shareholders said the time was right to make a change. ABB shares gained 5.5 percent on the news. Investor AB, ABB's largest investor with a 10.7 percent stake, said it supported the ABB strategy of focusing on digitalisation, electrification, automation and robotics. "We support the board's decision that now is the right time for a new person at the helm in order to speed up the execution of the new strategy and deliver on the key financial targets," an Investor spokeswoman said. Cevian Capital, ABB's second-largest shareholder with a 5.3 percent stake, said: "We support the strategic direction of ABB, and have full confidence in Peter Voser and the management team to continue implementing the transformation of ABB." CORRECTION: This article has been updated to show that ABB sold its power grids to Japan's Hitachi, not Toshiba. Activist investor Ancora Advisors on Wednesday condemned J. Alexander's Holdings' board for rejecting its takeover offer and threatened to wage a campaign against the reelection of its directors later this year. Ancora Chief Executive Officer Frederick DiSanto reiterated his disappointment in the company's leadership in an emailed letter to the company, arguing that its rejection of the activist's buyout bid is yet another example of the board's "inane" decision-making. "The Board's response letter was nothing but spin to try to save face, and had zero substance on how you intend to create value for shareholders," DiSanto wrote in an emailed letter to the company's board. "At the end of the day, do we want to fight them? No. But are we going to stick around? Yes," DiSanto told CNBC. "They are a good restaurant, they have good people. No one has said that the product they're producing is bad. It's about getting a rejuvenated board with a sense of urgency to continue to create value." DiSanto said both in his letter and to CNBC that Ancora could try to rally other stakeholders to vote against the company's directors that are up for reelection if J. Alexander's refuses to explore strategic options. The activist investor's second letter comes one week after it announced its intention to privatize J. Alexander's, a Nashville-based restaurant chain. Ancora, which manages about $6.5 billion from its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, offered on April 8 to buy the company for $11.75 per share in cash, or $186 million. That figure represented a 24% premium to the share price when Ancora first disclosed its stake on March 12. The activist investor already owns about 1.3 million J. Alexander's shares. But the $11.75 per share offer, according to J. Alexander's board, "is simply too unattractive to entertain and unanimously believes that to do so would not be consistent with the Board's fiduciary duties." J. ALexander's Chief Financial Officer Mark Parkey did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. The company rejected the Ancora offer on Apr. 11, telling Ancora that its plan lacks "specific or verifiable details regarding [its] financing." The board cited in its rejection letter that Ancora's bid is more than 12% lower than the company's 52-week intraday high of $13.40, and nearly 22% lower than the prevailing equity analyst price target. The one analyst that covers J. Alexander's has a $15 price target on the stock, according to FactSet. The board "believes that it would not be a prudent or appropriate exercise of those duties to sell the Company at a price that significantly undervalues the Company at a time when the business is performing well," J. Alexander's board wrote. "Allowing Ancora, or any buyer, to acquire the Company at a bargain price in order to reap the benefits of recent substantial investments in new restaurants ... would deprive our long-term investors of a significant opportunity," the board concluded. JAX shares are down more than 11% over the last 12 months and up 7.8% over the last two years. The stock fell nearly 2% on Wednesday. A Bank of America branch in New York. Scott Mlyn | CNBC The two biggest U.S. banks each just posted record first-quarter profit, the result of years of work building coast-to-coast franchises that have attracted billions in customer deposits. On Friday, J.P. Morgan Chase said it made $9.2 billion in the first three months of the year. Bank of America said Tuesday that it generated $7.3 billion. But investors' darkest fear about the industry that if the Federal Reserve really is done raising rates for the foreseeable future, banks' main profit-making engine will sputter is becoming apparent. Bank of America just posted more quarterly profit than at any time in its history this week, but analyst Matthew O'Connor was worried about what next year looks like. The bank's CFO warned that growth in net interest income would slow by half to 3 percent this year, below some analysts' estimates. "It seems like revenue growth is going to flatten out as we get into 2020, and I'm just wondering what you're thinking in terms of levers that can be pulled?" O'Connor asked Tuesday, adding that it was "obviously not just a concern for Bank of America." The problem: More than anything else that banks do, investors value net interest income, or the revenue that banks garner from collecting loan payments, minus the interest it pays to depositors. When the Federal Reserve raises rates, as it did four times last year, banks pocket more money as they charge more for loans. But last month the Fed indicated it would hold off on raising rates this year amid slowing economic growth around the world. That sent yields on longer term debt down, even inverting segments of the so-called yield curve, impacting banks' net interest income. Dark clouds "The thing that gets the highest price-to-earnings value is net interest income, and that was just killed by what the Fed did," said Charlie Peabody, an analyst at Portales Partners. "The flatness of this yield curve can endure, which is very negative for banks." Bank of America wasn't the only one to issue a warning. Wells Fargo shares tanked Friday after the firm said net interest income would fall by as much as 5% this year. And Wednesday, Bank of New York Mellon shares plunged after the firm said the yield curve would crimp revenue growth for the next several quarters. The NII outlook is a dark cloud on an otherwise strong quarter for banks' Main Street lending operations. J.P. Morgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, beat analysts' expectations on strength in its retail banking division, where profit surged 19 percent to $3.96 billion. It was a similar story at Bank of America, the second largest U.S. bank, which posted a 25% increase in profit to $3.2 billion at its retail bank. And on Monday, investors punished Citigroup, the third biggest U.S. bank, amid signs that its consumer bank was failing to gain traction. A tough quarter for Wall Street trading and investment banking punished Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which are less diversified than their larger peers. Peak earnings DroneShield Limited (ASX:DRO) (FRA:DRH) (OTCMKTS:DRSHF) is pleased to advise that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian Federal Government agency regulator of the communications spectrum nationally, has granted DroneShield the first exemption permit of its kind to undertake advanced testing of the Company's Electronic Warfare and counterdrone. Steve Mollenkopf, chief executive officer of Qualcomm Inc. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Qualcomm and Apple have settled a bitter legal battle over billions of dollars in royalties and licensing fees just as it went to trial this week in San Diego. As part of the settlement, all legal action worldwide between the two companies will be dropped, and Apple will buy Qualcomm chips again. The dispute centered around modem chips, which allow the iPhone and other computers to connect to cellular networks. Apple buys modem chips from companies like Qualcomm and Intel. As part of the companies' deal for those chips, Qualcomm forced Apple to pay licensing fees for the rights to use some of the core cellular technology Qualcomm had patented a practice Apple hated. Apple felt Qualcomm was abusing its position as one of a limited number of companies that hold patents on critical cellular technology. Qualcomm's stock spiked on the announcement of the settlement. Over the past two days, the stock is up more than 38%. Apple's stock, in contrast, was up about 1% , in line with the broader market. The market reaction suggests a clear vindication of Qualcomm's business model, which is highly reliant on patent licensing. Apple has objected strongly to how Qualcomm conducts this business. But in the end it had no choice but to swallow its pride and go along. It comes down to FRAND Licensing patents is a critical revenue stream for Qualcomm. The fees from patent licensing were only 23% of Qualcomm's revenue in its 2018 fiscal year, but made up a majority of Qualcomm's operating income. Specifically, Qualcomm's chip division, QCT, reported more than $17 billion in revenue, but only $3 billion in operating income. Qualcomm's licensing division, QTL, reported $5.1 billion in revenue at a 68% operating margin, which works out to $3.5 billion in profit. A specialized agency of the United Nations called the International Telecommunication Union ultimately defines what people in the industry call "standards" or the official technical specs for telecom networks so that devices can work across borders and carriers. Qualcomm has a lot of patents that fit into these standards. "Standards bodies have been informed that we hold patents that might be essential for all 3G standards that are based on CDMA," Qualcomm wrote in an SEC filing last November. Thanks to these patents, Qualcomm has licensing agreements with more than 300 companies. Patent holders are supposed to license necessary patents at a reasonable price and on equal terms to everybody, or what's sometimes called fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing. But technology companies and governments often have different ideas about what constitutes fair and reasonable. Apple's main objection was that Qualcomm forced it to license these patents even though it was already a big customer for Qualcomm's chips. "The issue that we have with Qualcomm is that they have a policy of no license, no chips. This is, in our view, illegal," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in January. Apple also objected to Qualcomm's pricing scheme, where it used the total sales price of an entire device to figure out what to charge, instead of the sales price of a modem chip. Eventually, the two companies settled on a royalty price of $7.50 per device, which Apple still thought was too high. As Cook put it: "They have an obligation to offer their patent portfolio on a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis and they don't do that. They charge exorbitant prices." Apple isn't the only party that's had problems with Qualcomm's business practices. In 2009, South Korea's antitrust agency, protecting local companies like Samsung and LG, fined Qualcomm $200 million for abusing its market position in radio frequency chips, saying in a statement more recently that a "monopolist enterprise's abuse of its market position cannot be tolerated." The KFTC later fined Qualcomm again in 2016 for $854 million for what it said were unfair business practices. In 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China to resolve another complicated antitrust dispute. As part of that agreement, Qualcomm was required to lower its royalty rates in China for handset makers like Xiaomi and Huawei. Perhaps the biggest threat to Qualcomm is a battle with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which ended in a trial earlier this year. The verdict has not yet been released. But Apple had little choice U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the proposed budget estimates for the Department of Justice in Washington, U.S. April 10, 2019. Attorney General William Barr will discuss special counsel Robert Mueller's report at a 9:30 a.m. ET press conference on Thursday. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will accompany him, according to NBC News. There was no indication that the report would be released before the press conference. Mueller submitted the report to the Justice Department late last month. Barr will be releasing a redacted version of the approximately 400-page document, which details Mueller's findings about the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election. The redacted Mueller report on Russian election meddling is expected to be released to the public after Barr's press conference Thursday. Congress is slated to get copies of the report between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET, and it is expected to eventually be posted on the special counsel's Justice Department website. The special counsel did not establish conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, Barr wrote in a four page summary released two days after he got the report. On the question of obstruction, Barr quoted Mueller saying the report "does not conclude that the President committed a crime, [but] it also does not exonerate him." The final decision on obstruction was left to Barr and Rosenstein They concluded: "The evidence developed during the special counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the president committed an obstruction of justice offense." Barr had been critical of the probe before Trump nominated him as attorney general. In a memo Barr sent to Justice Department officials in June last year, he explained that he thought the obstruction part of the investigation was "fatally misconceived." While Trump has celebrated Barr's summary of Mueller's findings, he has also continued to complain that the investigation was a "witch hunt." The secretive special council probe, which lasted nearly two years, included 19 lawyers and 40 investigators who interviewed hundreds of witnesses, executed nearly 500 search warrants and issued 2,800 subpoenas. All told, criminal charges were lodged against 35 people and entities, including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, the president's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Barr was confirmed as Trump's attorney general in February. Jeff Sessions, who was attorney general at the time Meuller was appointed special council, was routinely criticized and attacked by Trump for recusing himself from overseeing the investigation due to his contacts with Russian officials. -CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report. As the U.S. and China work through the final stages of trade negotiations, Chinese officials are identifying international travel dates on President Donald Trump's calendar that might offer potential for a summit away from U.S. soil, according to three sources briefed on negotiations. One trip in particular that's risen to the top of the list: Trump's expected visit to Japan at the end of May, putting him in the Asia-Pacific region around the time negotiations are expected to conclude. Neither the White House nor the Embassy of Japan would confirm the trip, in which Trump would be the first foreign leader received by Crown Prince Naruhito after he accedes to the throne on May 1. But the three sources briefed on the negotiations, requesting anonymity to protect their relationships with the Trump administration, said it's one option being considered. An administration official acknowledged holding the summit in Asia is China's preference, though it remains unclear where the final location will be. Trump has said the summit could happen on either continent and that he expects a resolution by the end of May. "I would say we'll know over the next four weeks," Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office on April 5 for an event with the Chinese vice premier. "It may take two weeks after that to get it papered, but over the next fairly short period of time, we're going to know." While that timeline would put the target end date right around Trump's trip to Japan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said talks would not be bound by an "arbitrary timeline," and the South China Morning Post threw cold water on a deal being done by then. Erin Ennis, senior vice president at the US-China Business Council, suggested a later June meeting perhaps on the sidelines of the G20 at the end of the month would be more feasible. "It seems like both sides want to have the deal completed first before they're willing to discuss when and where a summit would happen," Ennis told CNBC. In late January, China initially invited Pres. Trump to meet Pres. Xi on the island of Hainan in the South China Sea. The White House countered with Mar-a-Lago, one venue that still remains under consideration. But China has also suggested that if its president were to travel to the U.S. solely to announce a trade agreement, it would need to be in the form of an official state visit. The two sides have been discussing a potential state visit by Xi since 2018. The May 26-28 trip was previously reported by the Japan Times. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou talks to reporters as he exits the White House following a second day of meetings in Washington, U.S., April 28, 2017. The chairman of Foxconn, a major Apple manufacturer, said Wednesday that a sea goddess has told him to run for Taiwan's presidency, according to multiple media reports. Terry Gou, who chairs the company that assembles iPhones and more, was speaking at a temple devoted to the sea goddess Mazu, according to Reuters. Gou had told Reuters on Monday that he planned to step down from his role in coming months. Speculation followed that he would make a bid for his country's presidency, with local media reporting that he would soon come to a decision about next year's race. The election for Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2020. Despite receiving a goddess' request on the matter, Gou told a group in New Taipei City that he had not yet formally declared his candidacy. Still, later that day, he made it official, announcing he would join the opposition Kuomintang party's primaries. The Foxconn chair is Taiwan's richest person with a net worth of $7.6 billion according to Forbes. Reuters contributed to this report. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Wednesday took a shot at Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, saying people who intend to vote for the Vermont independent in 2020 should just move to Venezuela instead. The comment came as Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who is proposing a "Medicare for All" health-care system, attempts to appeal to voters in states that President Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Sanders scored big ratings and positive reactions from the crowd during a Fox News a town hall Monday night in Pennsylvania, a state that Trump won by some 44,000 votes. Along with former Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to declare whether he is running, Sanders is a favorite among Democratic primary voters, according to polls. Sanders also led the crowded Democratic 2020 field in fundraising during the first quarter, when he pulled in $18 million. Scott, who predicted that Trump would win his reelection bid next year, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that Sanders has a "legitimate shot" at winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Scott also acknowledged that anything can happen, arguing that a Sanders win would mean a risk to the free market. "I'm going to the Venezuelan border next week. I'm going to Colombia. I'll be at the Venezuelan border. If you like Bernie Sanders, why don't you go ahead and move to Caracas?" said Scott, who has been an outspoken critic of Venezuela and its socialist policies. Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. A spokesperson for Sanders did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on Scott's remarks. Scott's state is home to more than 100,000 Venezuelans and Venezuelan-Americans, the largest concentration in the country. The Republican Party has used once-wealthy Venezuela, which is now in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis, as a cautionary tale about socialism. Trump has said that "Socialism has so completely ravaged" Venezuela "that even the world's largest reserves of oil are not enough to keep the lights on." He added: "This will never happen to us." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Herman Cain will not drop out of consideration for the Federal Reserve Board even though he does not appear to have enough votes to get confirmed in the Senate, he told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO and Kansas City Fed Board president said he is "very committed" to the process, according to the newspaper. Trump picked Cain, a 2012 presidential candidate, for one of two vacant Fed Board seats but has not formally nominated him. Four Republicans enough to sink Cain in the Senate expect not to support his confirmation to the central bank board if Trump nominates him. On Tuesday, Trump's top economic advisor Larry Kudlow said the White House is "talking to a number of candidates" for the seat. He said it will "probably be up to Herman Cain if he wants to stay in the process or not." Cain told the Journal that Kudlow was "giving [him] an out." "I don't want an out," he said. Critics of Cain's potential appointment have raised concerns about him politicizing the independent board because he would likely be loyal to Trump. Sexual misconduct accusations that surfaced during the 2012 presidential elections have also sparked resistance to his possible nomination. Cain has denied the allegations against him. Read the full Journal story here. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Kim Kardashian West grabbed headlines last week when she appeared on the cover of the May 2019 issue of Vogue and declared, in the pages within, that she has decided to become a lawyer. Her father, Robert Kardashian, was an attorney who gained notoriety serving on O.J. Simpson's defense team, but Kardashian West's own interest in the law grew from her work with CNN commentator and criminal justice reform advocate Van Jones on his efforts to "shrink the incarceration industry." Kardashian West made a much-publicized visit to the Oval Office to advocate for Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother who was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. After her meeting with President Donald Trump, Johnson was granted clemency. "I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society," Kardashian West tells Vogue. "I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it, and if I knew more, I could do more." Kardashian West, who does not have an undergraduate degree, knew the unlikely choice "would be met with an eye roll for the ages." But even more surprising to some is the fact that the entrepreneur and social media influencer won't need to attend law school before she takes the bar exam, which she plans to do in 2022. According to The Washington Post, California does not require a law degree as a prerequisite for taking the bar exam. Neither do Vermont, Virginia or Washington. Kim Kardashian poses with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The White House Instead, these states allow people to become "law readers" by apprenticing with a practicing lawyer for a designated amount of time each week. Programs vary from state to state. Kardashian West is participating in the California Law Office or Judge's Chamber Program, which requires applicants to complete a form giving "Notice of Intent to Study in a Law Office or Judge's Chambers" and pay an initial fee of $158, as well as additional paperwork and $105 fees to be submitted every six months throughout the program. After one year as an apprentice, applicants qualify to take the First-Year Law Students' Examination, sometimes known as the "baby bar." If they pass this exam, legal hopefuls are permitted to continue studying for three more years. The program requires a total of four years as an apprentice at a law office or in a judge's chamber. Kardashian West says she has been completing 18 hours of weekly supervised study since July, under the supervision of two mentor lawyers, Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney of #cut50, an Oakland-based prison reform organization co-founded by Jackson and Van Jones. Kardashian West was introduced to Jackson and Haney by Jones. Hyundai is hoping to make the SUV more accessible to entry-level buyers. The automaker's latest offering is the compact Venue, expected to be priced under $20,000 for the base model. That price tag brings it under the Hyundai Kona, which is larger than the Venue. "It's pretty darn small but it's a perfect entry-level vehicle for someone who might have, in the past, only had sedans to choose from," Hyundai America COO Brian Smith said in an interview with CNBC's Phil LeBeau from the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday. According to marketing and research agency Hedges & Co., 31% of new SUV buyers have a household income of under $50,000. Those are mostly single-person households. Hyundai is also targeting used-car buyers with the Venue. "There are many used-car buyers who are just used-car buyers, but interestingly 40 million people a year end up buying a used car and half of them thought about buying new first," Smith said on "The Exchange." The cost also addresses another issue: burgeoning auto loans. The average monthly payment is now $554, compared with $527 a year ago, according to Edmonds. Smith thinks that number will not continue to grow and pointed out that Hyundai offers a broad range of choices from performance cars to electric vehicles. "With more diversity and more options, instead of just continuing to push prices up, people are going to see ways to go sideways." Embattled Jet Airways said on Wednesday it was halting all flight operations after its lenders rejected its plea for emergency funds, potentially bringing the curtains down on what was once India's largest private airline. The carrier, saddled with roughly $1.2 billion of bank debt, has been teetering for weeks after failing to receive a stop-gap loan of about $217 million from its lenders, as part of a rescue deal agreed in late March. "The airline has been left with no other choice today but to go ahead with a temporary suspension of flight operations," the company said in a two-page statement late on Wednesday. At its peak, Jet operated over 120 planes and well over 600 daily flights. The airline, which has roughly 16,000 employees, has in recent weeks been forced to cancel hundreds of flights and to halt all flights to overseas destinations, as funds have dried up. Intense competition from low-cost carriers, like Interglobe-owned IndiGo and SpiceJet, together with higher oil prices, hefty fuel taxes and a weak rupee have piled pressure on the airline in recent months. In its statement on Wednesday, the airline thanked its loyal customers for their patronage and support over 25 years and said it "sincerely and profusely apologizes for the disruption to the travel plans of all its guests." The airline said it would continue to work with its lenders, who are trying to identify an investor willing to buy a majority stake in the airline and attempt to turn it around. Jet Airways said it would continue to support the bid process initiated by the banks and that it hopes to resume flying soon. Its lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), have been seeking expressions of interest for an up to 75 percent stake in the airline. Initial expressions bids were submitted last week. Jet Airways, in its statement, said it had been informed late on Tuesday night by its lenders that they were unable to consider its request for critical interim funding. "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going," the airline said. Two sources at state-run banks told Reuters that the banks had rejected a request for 4 billion rupees ($58 million) from Jet to keep itself temporarily afloat. "Bankers did not want to go for a piecemeal approach which would keep the carrier flying for a few days and then again risk having Jet come back for more interim funding," said one of the bank sources directly involved in Jet's debt resolution process. The sources declined to be named as they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. SBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The crisis at Jet, which owes vast sums to suppliers, pilots lessors and oil companies, has deepened in recent weeks as its lessors have scrambled to de-register and take back planes, in a sign the bank rescue plan had failed to assuage their concerns. India's aviation regulator said on its website on Wednesday that lessors had applied to de-register another four Boeing Co 737 planes. An analysis of the latest data disclosed by India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that Jet's lessors have, so far, sought to deregister and repossess at least 48 planes operated by Jet. Once deregistered, lessors are free to reclaim a plane and lease it to another airline. The rapid exodus of planes risks further eroding value from the carrier, even as lenders scurry to find an investor willing to buy a majority stake in the airline. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, March 22, 2019. The release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report is unlikely to change the growing sense in markets that President Donald Trump can win reelection if the economy remains solid, analysts say. A redacted version of Mueller's report is expected to be released Thursday, and it should add context to the four-page summary released last month by Attorney General William Barr. The attorney general said Mueller did not establish conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Watch Barr's 9:30 a.m. ET news conference here. The state of the economy next year will end up mattering more, analysts say. Instead of concerning themselves too much with the details that could emerge from the Mueller report, some investors say they are paying more attention to its potential impact on whether the president can reach a trade agreement with China. "A lot of this is priced in already, and the market is saying that Trump is going to be the candidate," said Daniel Clifton, head of policy research at Strategas. "The risks of impeachment are very low even if there's something in that report. I think the consensus view holds, and does it make it easier to get a China deal through? The answer is yes." Still, there are uncertainties about what the report could reveal. Analysts expect there to be much focus on details that can be used to argue either way whether there was any appearance of obstruction of justice by the president. Barr said there was insufficient evidence to charge Trump with obstruction, but he also wrote that "while this report does not conclude that President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Mueller's two-year probe resulted in criminal charges against 35 people and three companies, including the president's long time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Read more: The redacted Mueller report is expected Thursday. Here's how we got here, and what's next "There are a couple of wild cards. How many embarrassing things will be revealed? And the other thing is how does Trump react? If he gets furious about these allegations, there will be a lot of eyebrows raised," said AGF Investment's U.S. policy strategist, Greg Valliere. "The other wildcard is eventually Mueller is going to have to testify. I think the Mueller testimony will be explosive and refocus attention. ... When Trump says he's totally exonerated, he has not been totally exonerated. That has yet to be addressed." But even so, the headlines coming from the Mueller report are not expected to rock the stock market unless they start to seriously weaken Trump. "I don't think it's going to have a lot of impact," said James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Leuthold Group. "It's possible that the way it has impact is not so much whether Trump gets impeached or not, but if it tends to alter the political polls either way, then it would have impact." Democrats are expected to seize on any questionable issue, and Paulsen said what matters is if it continues to look like Republicans can hold the Senate and White House. He also said at this point, he does not think investors are convinced Trump will win reelection. "I think a loss of the Republican side would have Wall Street's expectations dialed back, and there would be concerns around regulations and different tax policies. I think that would hurt outlooks. To the extent it would move the needle one way or other, it would have impact, but I don't think it will," he said. "I still think the bigger thing ultimately will be where the economy goes. If the economy does fade or accelerates again going into the election, that's huge." Valliere also said the economy is what ultimately matters most. "I think there's a growing sentiment that the Democratic field is not particularly strong, and I think there's a growing sentiment if the economy stays in decent shape, yes, he is the favorite," said Valliere. Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs economists issued a report saying Trump has a narrow advantage in the 2020 election at this point. Ian Callum and the Jaguar I-Pace accept the award for the 2019 World Car Award at the New York Auto Show in New York on April 17th, 2019. The Jaguar I-Pace electric sport utility vehicle swept the World Car Awards handed out at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday. Jaguar's first electric vehicle took home the awards for best design, best green car award and best overall vehicle. "In my 40 years in this business, this is my Oscar moment," said Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum, as he accepted the final award during a ceremony at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, where the auto show opens to public Friday. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un looks on during the test-fire of inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, July, 4 2017. WASHINGTON North Korea tested a new type of tactical guided weapon on Wednesday, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Thursday morning local time. The test of "a powerful warhead" was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and marks the first public weapons test from the rogue regime since President Donald Trump's historic meeting with Kim in Singapore last year. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. A U.S. defense official said that U.S. Strategic Command did not detect a missile launch from North Korea. The latest revelation comes less than two months after the collapse of nuclear talks between Trump and Kim in Vietnam. "This is a volatile country that holds the entire world at risk but, at this point, it just seems like a bunch of propaganda and a way to remind the Trump administration why they were negotiating in the first place," Alexandra Bell, senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation told CNBC. "And obviously the North Koreans have been pressuring the administration for sanctions relief so I would see them as putting this little measure on the table to enhance their negotiating position if Trump and Kim sit down again," Bell added. North Korea, the only nation to have tested nuclear weapons this century, spent most of Trump's first year in office perfecting its nuclear arsenal. The newest member of the world's exclusive nuclear weapons club has stopped testing of its nukes for now as the U.S. and international community offer the possibility of relief from crippling economic sanctions. While North Korea has paused nuclear tests that prompted Trump's threat to bring "fire and fury" upon that country, it had already made significant progress before the historic dialogue with the U.S. started. Under the third-generation North Korean leader, the reclusive state has conducted its most powerful nuclear test, launched its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile and threatened to send missiles into the waters near the U.S. territory of Guam. Since 2011, Kim has fired more than 85 missiles and four nuclear weapons tests, which is more than what his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, launched over a period of 27 years. Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the National Minority Quality Forum on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. Eric Mindich, a former hedge fund executive who helped raise money for former President Barack Obama's White House campaigns, has told friends he plans to help former Vice President Joe Biden raise cash for the 2020 presidential election, according to people familiar with the matter. Mindich's support would be a boost for Biden, who has yet to announce whether he is running and would face a crowded group of rivals in the Democratic primary race. In conversations with a few donors, Biden has been told they aren't yet convinced he can overtake the younger, more diverse and progressive field, and that they are going to wait to see how he competes in the race. Mindich, a 15-year Goldman Sachs veteran who closed his $7 billion hedge fund Eton Park Capital Management two years ago, was a key player in Obama's presidential runs. Working as a bundler a fundraiser who coaxes high-dollar donors to back a specific candidate Mindich raised up to $100,000 for Obama in 2008 and 2012, data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics show. A spokesman for Biden declined to comment. Mindich did not return repeated emails seeking comment. All signs point to Biden getting ready to jump into the race. During a recent event in Washington, the former Delaware senator seemed to suggest that he's looking to compete in the primary. Biden has also been seen with a film crew in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Politico reported that his supporters are working on a Spanish language ad in South Florida. CNBC has previously reported that Biden told advisors he wants to announce his 2020 campaign the week of Easter. The holiday is Sunday. A day after settling a multibillion-dollar battle with Apple, Qualcomm's CEO told CNBC he looks forward to working with the iPhone maker, but he would not disclose how much Apple agreed to pay. "The reality is two great product companies, it's a natural position for them to work together and want to work together," Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said. Mollenkopf said the company will not disclose the payment Apple agreed to in the settlement. Following the announcement of the settlement on Tuesday, Qualcomm said it expects incremental earnings per share of $2 as product shipments ramp and it starts providing 5G chips to Apple. Shares of Qualcomm were up more than 12% on Wednesday following a 23% rally on Tuesday after announcing the deal. The legal battle had centered on a royalty dispute between the two companies. Apple claimed that Qualcomm was abusing its position as a dominant supplier by charging high prices as well as licensing fees for its patents. The chipmaker claimed Apple withheld payments it had agreed to. The settlement announcement came just as trial proceedings were beginning in San Diego, where each company sought billions in damages. Despite the bitter legal dispute, Mollenkopf said Qualcomm and Apple are now focused on their products and working together. "The energy of the companies right now is let's figure out how to ramp up as quickly as possible," Mollenkopf said. "That's where the focus is, that's what we are excited about." Now that this dramatic chapter is behind Qualcomm, Mollenkopf said he is excited to focus on new opportunities, including 5G. The 5G space opened for Qualcomm even more on Tuesday after Intel announced it would drop out of the 5G smartphone market, citing an unclear path to profitability. "There's a lot of opportunity for us to go after that and we hope to have the ability to do even more," Mollenkopf said. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Watch: Apple, Qualcomm settle royalty dispute Shares of Qualcomm spiked more than 12.3% Wednesday on the heels of two big wins. The rally added about $10 billion to its market cap following a massive jump on Tuesday, bringing it to $95.7 billion. On Tuesday, Qualcomm and Apple announced they had settled their royalty dispute just as trial proceedings had begun in San Diego. The deal, which included a payment from Apple and a chipset supply agreement, sent the stock soaring 23% on Tuesday, adding about $16 billion to its market cap. The dispute had centered around Apple's use of Qualcomm's modem chips. Apple argued that Qualcomm's prices and mandate that companies using its chips also pay licensing fees for its patents was an abuse of its position as a dominant supplier. Qualcomm argued that Apple had withheld payments that were part of its royalty agreement. The settlement likely saved both companies from an extensive legal battle where each side sought billions in damages. After news of the deal broke, Qualcomm said it expects incremental earnings per share of $2 as product shipments ramp. Just hours later, Intel said it would be dropping out of the 5G smartphone market, effectively knocking out a competitor for Qualcomm in the race to build technology for the next generation network. Intel CEO Robert Swan said the company would continue to invest in the 5G network infrastructure business but had found that in the smartphone market, "there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns." Tuesday marked Qualcomm's best day since May 2002, when the stock spiked more than 18%. In early trading Wednesday, Apple's stock was up more than 1% and Intel was up more than 3%. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Watch: Apple, Qualcomm settle royalty dispute Consumers are expected to have spent more on gasoline and cars in March, likely pushing monthly retail sales higher after February's surprise decline. Economists expect retail sales rose by 0.9% for the month, but 0.7% when autos are not included, according to Refinitiv data. The monthly sales number is being watched closely to see whether consumer spending is recovering after a string of uneven reports, including December's sharp decline and February's surprise drop of 0.2%. January's sales gained 0.7%. March retail sales are scheduled to be released Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. The sales report includes a key component used by economists to calculate GDP growth, scheduled to be reported next Friday for the first quarter. The retail sales report is one of the last pieces of data. First-quarter GDP looked to be barely growing early on in the period, but has gone from sub-1% to just over 2% in a few weeks. Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West, said he expects to see a bounceback in March sales in part because because February sales were so weak. "We think the consumer is going to slow the pace of their spending this year," he said. "Wage gains picked up a little bit year over year, but it's lackluster compared to the spending growth ... hourly earnings growth is lagging consumer spending growth. That dynamic hasn't changed. Consumers were really confident, spending a lot last year. They're probably going to have to tighten their belts." Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, expects retail sales to be up at least 1%. "Part of that is vehicle sales. Weather is favorable so building materials supplies stores should be solid. I think it could be up at least a point, but it could be higher than that," he said. "Core sales [excluding autos, gasoline and building materials] are probably up 0.3%. I think the data coming out of payment processors continued to be soft in March," he said. "Consumers are really turning cautious since the end of the year." Anderson said he expects GDP growth of about 2.2% for the first quarter but that number has been inflated by inventories so there could be some pay back in the second quarter. Economists surveyed by CNBC/Moody's Analytics rapid update had a consensus median tracking estimate of 2.1% for first-quarter growth. The only way a potential merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank would make sense is by making massive job cuts across the two firms, a strategist told CNBC Wednesday. This follows media reports on Tuesday that Commerzbank had been approached by Dutch bank ING about a possible merger, prior to commencement of talks with Deutsche. Commerzbank shares climbed 3% on Wednesday morning as markets reacted to the news. Both ING and Commerzbank declined to comment when approached by CNBC. The two German giants went public with merger talks last month, prompting labor union concerns about possible job losses and questions from analysts about the merits of a combination. Patrick Armstrong, CIO of Plurimi Investment Managers told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Wednesday "The only way (a merger) makes sense for those two banks is massive job cuts, and whether the German government wants to force together something that's going to create a lot of job losses." 'I think the government would like to put them together to get rid of some risks, but I don't think they want the job losses that will come with it. So these banks have too many employees. If you look at American banks, if you look at the well-run European banks - much higher revenue per employee than the German banks are generating.' Announcement of the merger was followed by reports Deutsche was looking to raise up to 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) in fresh equity to support the merger. Armstrong, said ING would be a 'great partner' for Commerzbank, but suggested job cuts were the only way Germany's second-largest bank would be attractive as a takeover candidate. He revealed his big weights in European banks are allocated to ING and BNP Paribas, adding: 'They pay out 50% of their earnings in dividends. We think those dividends are sustainable for these companies - they've got a 12% tier one capital ratio. 'Those are relatively safe banks that are cheap, the German banks are not safe banks that are very cheap, and I prefer the higher quality of the ING and BNP to the German banks.' President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a trip to Burnsville, Minnesota on April 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the White House said on Tuesday. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said in the veto message. The resolution passed the House of Representatives in April and the Senate in March, marking the first time both chambers of Congress had supported a War Powers resolution, which limits the president's ability to send troops into action. Neither the 247-175 tally in the Democratic-majority House nor the 54-46 vote in the Republican-led Senate would be enough to override the veto, which would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers. Backers of the measure said the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen had made the humanitarian crisis worse, harshly criticizing Riyadh for killing civilians. They also argued that U.S. involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war. The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world's most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine. Mauritius is set to put several global and India-focussed funds wanting to set up structures in Mauritius under the countrys regulatory glare, Business Standard reported. Mauritius financial services regulator, Financial Services Commission, is undertaking extensive background checks on fund managers and KYC information of new fund applications, the report said citing sources, adding that it is also reaching out to other countries financial regulators to verify the same. The increased scrutiny is pushing back timelines and jacking up costs of setting up India-focussed funds in Mauritius, said the report. 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. "I'm here this evening to ask you to work with me to help transform this country and create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the 1%," a hoarse-sounding Sanders told the boisterous crowd. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. 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 I wrote on the substance of the Apple/Qualcomm agreement already, so this is just a selection of thoughts/reactions to the surprise settlement of the Apple/Qualcomm litigation. Intel leaves the modem business Apples announcement that it reached a deal with Qualcomm was surprising enough, but this was soon followed by news that Intel is shuttering its own 5G chip development. I have no inside track on the order of events, but it seems possible Intel decided to quit the business first, forcing Apple into the corner or that development of alternative modems proved to be too challenging. The truth will come out eventually. Apple and Qualcomm had their say Whats interesting about the peace deal reportedly in the works for weeks is that both Apple and Qualcomm must have been aware the negotiation was taking place. In ordinary circumstances youd imagine both parties would have stayed legal action while talks continued. They did not. Instead, both parties made their opening arguments before settlement was reached. Thats interesting because this means their positions are now part of the public record. It seems possible this may prove important in the future. iPhone 5G a go-go Apples determination of a deal with Qualcomm means it will be able to introduce a 5G iPhone, though not until 2020. While we can expect the usual Apple is late to market story lines to percolate, the truth is that once it does launch that device, we should see 5G networks and services proliferate as Apples active user base drives the change. The next 12 to 24 months of the 5G industry will almost certainly be all about network roll-out and services development. Apple wont be missing much. Strategic importance 5G Mobile Broadband is expected to drive new products and services. There are many reasons for this, but Apples decision to reach a deal with Qualcomm suggests that the company may have a few reasons more: Apples AR glasses in conjunction with Apple Arcade and TV+, Apples development of an Apple Car, and next-generation mapping and location-based services (and the need to support all these with a mobile network infrastructure capable of underpinning such service provision) all feed directly into a 5G narrative. Marklar or Marzipan? Apples chip development teams have built some of the worlds most powerful mobile chips. The evidence suggests those teams have been working to develop 5G solutions (though not necessarily chips). The move to adopt Qualcomms shows the challenge of doing so. Its important to remember why Apple began developing its own processors in the first place: The need to rely on third parties for its processors has arguable been a big problem for the company since forever recall how it was hindered by its reliance on chips from IBM/Motorola for a decade before it switched to Intel, for example. This is one reason why it creates its own mobile processors. Intels seeming inability to deliver salvation from Qualcomms business practices will force Apple to consider developing more of its own processors in future. This is an argument that rather reinforces expectation of Apple chips inside future Macs. Will Project Marzipan turn out to be more of a Project Marklar? Market dominance Qualcomm has won a big victory here. Not only will it see billions in incoming payments from Apple and Apples suppliers, but it has also knocked one of its competitors out of the business. The company has also recently benefitted from the effective neutralization of another of its foes, Huawei, with telecom firms in developed economies now declaring it to be some form of threat. That leaves MediaTek and old Apple rival, Samsung. However, with Qualcomm playing nice with up-and-coming Chinese brands Xiaomi and Asus, Samsung seems likely to become Qualcomms next primary competitor in the space. Given the importance of mobile to that company's bottom line, it will need to react. The big question here may emerge as a matter of market dominance. Qualcomm must now anticipate intensified regulatory oversight as it becomes the de facto dominant provider of 5G connectivity, given that 5G is expected to become instrumental all across the mobile ecosystem. I cant help but think that Qualcomm is now in position to define the future of the mobile industry through its control of the 5G modem tech used inside most devices. That kind of market power usually attracts regulation. Six years is a long time in tech The market itself is going to need to nurture a strong competitor to Qualcomm. With that in mind the six-year duration of the detente deal between Apple and the firm may come to mean something over time. Apple is not going to want to remain in thrall to one single modem supplier forever, and while it seems pretty clear that replacing Qualcomms 5G tech without impinging on its patents is already highly complex, that close unity between proprietary technology and a global networking standard is unlikely to remain unchallenged. At what point should such technologies be made available on a "FRAND" basis? Qualcomm has other challengers who may be prepared to take up that argument. Depending on market evolution, they may need to do so. 5G is here Watch 5G become a reality starting next year. Theres little reason to be a first adopter (at present). Let the market coalesce a little before dropping dollars on tech that may or may not be useful to you. Second- and third-generation 5G hardware and services will likely be more power efficient and reliable. Bandwidth is a global challenge The subtext to the whole matter is how important Apple sees 5G technology to the mobile future. If 4G unleashed a seismic quake in digital transformation, 5G seems set to drive a second tidal wave of change. Next-gen tech from Industry 4.0 to Agriculture 3.0, wearable computing to contextually-sensitive voice-first computing interfaces, to smart cars and connected health services will all rely on 5G. No one wants their remote surgeon to make an incorrect incision because of a temporary loss of mobile bandwidth, after all. No one will want to experience a 20-vehicle pile-up because vehicle-to-vehicle collision protection systems temporarily went offline. Bandwidth matters. And its going to matter more. Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe. ConHome Pickup 1) Grassroots Tories pushing for no-confidence vote in May MPs plan another no-confidence vote within weeks Daily Express Grassroots Tories believe they are just weeks away from triggering a little-known process that could help to bring down Theresa May. Party chairmen are circulating a petition calling for the partys National Convention, which represents the grassroots, to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to pass a vote of no confidence in Mrs May, the Tory leader. If the petition motion is signed by more than 65 association chairmen, the party is obliged to hold the meeting. So far between 40 and 50 party chairmen have signed it, and the threshold could be passed as early as next weekThe extraordinary meeting is one of four ways being explored to force out Mrs May, the ConservativeHome website reported. Another is for the partys MPs to rewrite the rules for electing party leaders to allow for a vote of no confidence in the next few months. Daily Telegraph >Yesterday: ToryDiary: The four routes being explored to oust May ConHome Pickup 2) Party official having to fund campaigning The Conservative Partys top official is having to reach into his own pocket to cover some of the costs of the European elections, Tory sources claim. Sir Mick Davis, the chief executive and treasurer of the party, has told cabinet ministers that supporters are deterred from donating money because of the Brexit mess and infighting This has led Sir Mick, 61, the former head of the mining company Xstrata, to have to fund some campaign expenditure himself, at least in the short term Conservative Home, the Tory activist website, has previously reported that many donors are reportedly unwilling to give any more, either because they are fed up with the personality and policy currently occupying the helm, or because they reason they may as well hold off until there is a new leader in place to work with. The Times Tories fear they could lose half their MEPs The Sun Comment: Appeals to nationalism wont win the day Alex Massie, The Times >Today: Daniel Hannan MEPs column: Brexit. Vote Conservative in the European elections to help us deliver it and finish the job. >Yesterday: MPs Etc.: The list of Conservative MEP candidates for Scotland Tusk hints at further Brexit delay D Germany warns Britain cannot get further extension FT Verhofstadt blasts holidaying MPs Daily Mail New soft Brexit plot to end Commons deadlock The Sun onald Tusk has hinted at a further Brexit delay as he told the exhausted European Union and the United Kingdom to resist the temptation to just get it over with out of frustration. Mr Tusk said the UK would likely take part in European elections next month and the MEPs it elected would be in post for several months, maybe longer as he opened the door to reversing Brexit or another Article 50 extension beyond October 31. The President of the European Council said the current delay would allow the UK to rethink its decision to leave as he suggested it was his dream that Britain would stay in the bloc. Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, said the EU would never kick out one of our members as the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit appeared to shrink still further. Daily Telegraph Comment: EU leaders seem as scared of it as May does Asa Bennett, Daily Telegraph UK teeters on the brink of a breakdown William Wallis, FT Editorial: Tusks dream of another vote would be a nightmare The Sun >Yesterday: Henry Newmans column: No free movement. No second referendum. Brexit gained. What would happen were the Prime Ministers deal passed. as Corbyn attacks May for wanting deal with Trump Jeremy Corbyn says talks to break the Brexit impasse are on the brink of collapse as Theresa May still wants a trade deal with Donald Trump. The Labour leader, in cross-party negotiations with the PM, blasted Mrs May for refusing to consider remaining in a customs union with the EU. Doing so would bar Britain from striking a US trade deal. Mr Corbyn said the PM was pressured by Tories who are too obsessed with using Brexit to deregulate markets. Labour sources said the main obstacle to progress was International Trade Secretary Liam Fox. Speaking on a campaign visit to the North West, Mr Corbyn said Britain needed easy access to European markets and to keep environmental regulations and workplace rights. The Sun Deregulation agenda stalling talks, Labour leader claims The Guardian More: Citigroup says Corbyn is as bad as a no-deal exit Daily Telegraph Top Democrat says no chance of trade deal if peace process threatened The Sun Financial watchdog admits pressures from Brexit demands FT Comment: Brexit may leave children undocumented Tim Loughton and Kate Green, Times Red Box I have no time for the ERG, but theyre not Nazis James Bloodworth, The Guardian Corbyns threat to investment-bank socialism Thomas Hale, FT Ministers 1) Javid offers ex-cons clean slate C riminals will have minor offences wiped from their records under plans being considered by Sajid Javid to stop them being denied jobs by spent convictions. The Home Secretary is reviewing a rule where anyone with more than one conviction, no matter how minor, automatically has them disclosed to a prospective employer for the rest of their lives. The new plan could mean minor assaults, thefts or drug possession would not automatically be disclosed to employers by the Government disclosure and barring service. Mr Javid believes that juvenile offenders who want to escape criminality need be given a second chance but campaigners for victims rights warned the plan could put the public at risk. Daily Telegraph >Today: ToryDiary: Potemkin legislation Ministers 2) Rudd keeps leadership options open Amber Rudd said it is entirely possible she will run to be the next Tory leader as she re-entered the race to succeed Theresa May. The Work and Pensions Secretary gave the strongest hint yet of any potential Conservative leadership contender that she could put herself forward to be prime minister as she said she was keeping the door slightly ajar to the possibility. Ms Rudd was believed to have ruled herself out of the contest, partially because of her 346 vote majority in her Hastings and Rye constituency. Mrs May has said she will make way for a new Tory leader after the terms of the UKs divorce from the European Union have been agreed. Numerous Tory MPs are known to be planning their bids to take over. Daily Telegraph Pensions Secretary trashes rumours she was Johnsons running-mate The Sun Moderate Conservatives eye challenge FT Tories fear Brexiteer takeover as new members sign up Daily Express Comment: Are the Conservatives capable of making this crucial choice? Rafael Behr, The Guardian Wholl step up to save the Tories? Rob Wilson, Daily Telegraph >Yesterday: James Fraynes column: Onward, Hancock and the delusion of leadership candidates retreating to their comfort zone Luke Springthorpe: If the Tories want to win back young voters, they need to listen Whips apologise to Mercer over dirt-digging Whats more, the propping up of property prices has acted to help an older generation who are already on the ladder, while keeping home ownership out of reach for a growing number of young people. Perhaps the most telling findings for me were that young voters do not believe that Conservatives can unite the country or that Conservatives represent my values. Its not going to be easy for the Conservatives to redress this while remaining electorally competitive, given their reliance on an increasingly elderly voter base. But I along with my colleagues at Conservative Progress believe that it can be done if the Conservative Party itself opens up to wide-ranging debate and democratises itself. Times Red Box A Tory MP has received an apology from the Governments chief whip after it was alleged they asked his ex-army colleagues for dirt on him. Johnny Mercer said three people he knows were tapped up for information about him and was told to watch your back by a pal. The rising star tweeted a message hed got from the mate which said: By the way, the whips office was trying to tap me up for dirt on you. Obviously I have none anyway, but I told him to f**k off regardless. I guess maybe watch your back a little bit. It was alleged the move came from deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. The Sun >Yesterday: Andrew Goodfellow in Comment: I know all about attack dossiers. Heres why Tory leadership candidates shouldnt deploy them on their rivals. Corbyn pledges to scrap SATs Teachers chant his name as he makes the announcement Daily Mail Jeremy Corbyn said yesterday that Labour would scrap the SATs taken by primary pupils to relieve the extreme pressure on children and teachers. In a sign that education will be a key battleground at the next election, the Labour leader told teachers that the national testing regime for seven and 11-year-olds, which has been in place for almost 30 years, would be replaced by a more flexible system to prepare children for life, not just for exams. A consultation over the summer will determine what sort of assessment system a Labour government would put in place instead. The Times Comment: A dumbed-down which will damage pupils Katharine Birbalsingh, Daily Mail Editorial: Abolition would be a mistake The Times Burgon admits to Zionism jibe An ally of Jeremy Corbyn has admitted saying that Zionism is the enemy of peace, more than a year after denying making the comment in a television interview. Richard Burgon, the shadow justice secretary, acknowledged that it is now clear that I did [make the remark] and I regret doing so after video footage emerged. Iggy Ostanin, a journalist, found footage from 2014 in which Mr Burgon told an event: Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people. At the 2014 event, the year before he was elected an MP, Mr Burgon attacked MPs who were members of Labour Friends of Israel, encouraging people to demand they resign from the group. The Times Corbyn refuses to sack Shadow Justice Secretary The Sun MPs warn of Westminsters vulnerability to fire Notre Dame is a wake-up call Chris White, Times Red Box It has taken far too long to put improved fire safety measures in place at the Palace of Westminster, MPs have warned in the wake of the Notre-Dame blaze. Chris Bryant, the former shadow Commons leader, said every fire precaution must now be taken when a major programme of restoration is started on the Houses of Parliament in order to avoid similar scenes to the French cathedral. The devastation at the Paris landmark came after David Lidington warned that the risk of a catastrophic fire decimating Parliament was growing and it was only down to chance nobody has been badly hurt by falling masonry. Theresa Mays deputy said it was very lucky no one has been seriously injured by the crumbling Palace of Westminster as he stressed the importance of urgently restoring the Unesco World Heritage Site. Daily Telegraph >Yesterday: ToryDiary: Nous sommes Notre Dame. Why cathedrals matter. Bercow abandons plans to step down John Bercow has abandoned plans to step down as Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker until Brexit is resolved. John Bercow, 56, has served as Speaker for ten years and was widely expected to stand down this year. He was expected to make a statement to the House when MPs returned from Easter recess on April 23 announcing his plans to make way for his successor over the summer. But now, amid the continuing Brexit crisis, he has decided he is best placed to stay in his position for the time being. Mr Bercow maintains his job is to protect and act in the interests of parliament as a whole and not the executive, and has denied all accusations of bias. Daily Express Change UK register for elections, but logo is rejected Efforts to forge anti-Brexit electoral alliane fail FT EUs establishment parties expected to lose ground Daily Telegraph The Independent Group of breakaway MPs has formally become a political party but candidates will have a blank space next to their names on ballot papers after their logo was rejected. The Electoral Commission has approved an application from the group of former Labour and Tory MPs to become Change UK The Independent Group in time for them to fight the European elections from May 23 to 26. The watchdog said the party could not use its proposed logo because the acronym (TIG in white letters on a black background with #Change underneath) was likely to mislead voters The party said 3,700 people had applied to be one of 70 candidates for the elections and that it would launch its campaign on Tuesday. Yesterday two serving MEPs said they wanted to be candidates. The Times Comment: Dont bet against the Brexit Party winning Chris Curtis, The Guardian News in Brief: Cllr Ian Gillies is the Leader of the City of York Council. When I look back at what our joint Conservative-led administration has achieved in York over the past four years, I would like to think the electorate, on the second of May, will look on us with some degree of favour. Weve passed a creditable Local Plan that most of the city can live with, a feat previous administrations have been unable to do. Weve progressed an ambitious programme of updating our accommodation for older people. The council has embarked on its largest house-building project since the 1970s, beginning by developing council-owned land with a mixture of schemes to make at least 40 per cent of the properties truly affordable: either for rent at the lowest available council rate, or to buy under share/purchase schemes. It will include starter and family homes, wheelchair accessible bungalows, and apartments for over-55 downsizers. My personal emphasis in the year that Ive been Council Leader has been to push forward several major developments to the point where they are now up and running and ready to be progressed over the years ahead. Chief among these has been the massive York Central or teardrop development, a 72 hectare brownfield site all but enclosed by railway lines, which York has sought to develop for years but, given the infrastructure difficulties, has until recently remained a derelict wasteland. Following the sites designation as an Enterprise Zone in 2015, a partnership among Network Rail, the National Railway Museum, Homes England, and the City of York Council (who own only five per cent of the land but are also the planning authority) has now progressed the development to the point that its regeneration plans received outline planning permission from the council last month. Key to our plans is a grant from the Governments Housing Infrastructure Fund, which is now with the Minister. As an example of what weve been up against, our Labour MP has been vociferous in her objections to our development of York Central on a variety of grounds, most recently because of corporate greed and the alleged lack of proposed affordable housing on the site (she is wrong in both instances) and she has currently asked to call-in the development despite the time-sensitive nature of our Housing Infrastructure Fund bid, which is of course competing for funding for other projects around the country. Suffice to say that when Labour were in power they managed to secure a modest sum for what would have amounted to a footbridge onto the site, a beginning they said. Four years later and we are almost ready to move to the next stage of a reclamation project which will have a hugely positive effect on the future housing, employment, and cultural offer for York. Therefore I think the City stands at a crossroads and, as usual for York, the political landscape is complicated, even without the current upheavals at Westminster. The last election saw the three major parties (the Liberal Democrats remain a force in York) roughly level-pegging with no overall majority, which is why we formed a joint administration with the Lib Dems, allowing us into administration for the first time in decades. We also have a number of Green and Independent councillors. The number of Independents has swelled over the last year due to councillors leaving established parties particularly, lets be fair, the Conservatives, as a result of what has to be characterised as personal infighting. As a result we did lose some momentum during the middle of our time in office, which I think weve recaptured this last year. If you add to this mix the fact that we will be fighting our administration partners for many of the same seats, our partys Brexit woes, and York voters tendency to punish all incumbent administrations, you can see why I began this piece ever so slightly coy regarding our prospects. Its up to us to get our message across to the voters, but are they listening? I understand that news from the doorstep is mixed. Looking back, on being elected in 2007 and immediately becoming Group Leader, the first challenge was not to enter a coalition, as Labour and the Lib Dems had an equal number of seats, giving us the balance with our seven Councillors. I believe we learned a great deal. The next four years saw us in opposition to a Labour administration. Being the main Opposition resulted in us ejecting Labour in 2011, again increasing our numbers and going into coalition with the Lib Dems who, although not our natural bedfellows, allowed our Conservative-led administration to make big strides to achieve many of our goals. There have been issues along the journey, but relationships have been built with the mainly Conservative areas in North Yorkshire. We have also benefited as a City by being a member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region, as well as two Local Enterprise Partnerships. Although we always could have done things differently, I am confident that York (voted Britains favourite City), is in a better place now than in 2015. Emma Little-Pengelly is the Democratic Unionist MP for Belfast South. I am proud to be a member of a party, the DUP, which has always stood shoulder to shoulder with our older population. Our strong track record is reflected in our commitments at the last general election to support the continuation both of the triple lock on pensions, and of universal benefits such as the Winter Fuel Allowance when some others were calling them into question. These benefits continue across the UK only through our intervention, and are enshrined in the confidence and supply agreement we have with the Conservative Party. Today the future of another such benefit, concessionary TV licences for the over 75s, is in doubt. This is because during the BBC Charter Renewal negotiations in 2015 the BBC took on full responsibility for these concessionary licences from 2020. Government funding towards the estimated 745 million annual cost has been tapering away, and ends completely next year. My party supports freezing and then cutting or ending the licence fee altogether, because its a highly regressive tax that belongs to a world of communications that increasingly no longer exists. It is surely a matter of when, not if, the licence fee goes in favour of a different approach. But the fact that the BBC licence fee is outmoded is no reason to take away free licences from the oldest now before the discussion about what replaces it has even got properly underway. Indeed, removing the concession would punish many of the BBCs most loyal viewers and listeners, particularly the poorest and oldest, many of whom would find it hard or impossible to pay. For the over-75s, their television is often a great source of comfort and companionship, especially if widowed and living alone, disabled or unwell, as many are by this stage in life. I certainly see this among my own older constituents in South Belfast, most of all those on a low fixed income and budgeting carefully to pay their bills which they tell me always seem to be going up. They are usually not on the internet, let alone Netflix subscribers. Their media habits continue to centre on television usually terrestrial and AM and FM radio. Many of them have few other pleasures in life and I think politicians should think very carefully before taking any action that could make life worse for them, which abolishing their free TV licence certainly would. In a fast-changing and uncertain world, my Party believes older people need our support more than ever, and thats why we support the continuation of free TV licences for all over-75s. Some people have however argued that we should use this as an opportunity to means-test the licence fee. In theory, this sounds like an ideal solution, but in reality it would be expensive to administer, would provide no help for those living just above the line, and many of the poorest would miss out just as they do on pension credit because of the complexities and stigma associated with claiming means-testing benefits. It is also a sad reality that, despite interventions and protections put in place, the numbers of pensioners living in poverty have begun to rise again. We also know that many older people are cash-poor, with their assets tied up such as in their house and home. For the DUP, there are three consequences to the backroom arrangement made in 2015 between the Government and the BBC, that are all equally unacceptable: 1) Whether they keep it, scrap it, or amend the current funding formula, the BBC would be deciding and implementing social policy. This is not the BBCs job, and what confidence would any of us have that they would perform it well? The BBC has no experience of this, nor are there the right levels of scrutiny or accountability for their decisions or reasoning. 2) I have considerable sympathy for those who are raising concern that older people are inappropriately stuck in the middle of a debate between the Corporation and policymakers about the BBCs long-term funding future. This conversation definitely needs to happen, but surely we should keep vulnerable older people out of it. 3) This process puts other universal benefits for older people under threat because, like it or not, it sets a precedent. If this or any other government wishes to make changes to pensioner entitlements they are well within their rights to do so, but it should be done openly. It must be debated and scrutinised in the appropriate way, with clear democratic accountability. They should also know that we in the DUP will continue to stand up for older people if this happens. But at least the process will be transparent. I believe we owe this to older people. For all these reasons we believe action must be taken now to prevent the removal of this concession and we strongly urge the Government to step in and ensure this happens. It would mean so much to the older people in my constituency who have raised their worries and sadness with me, as I am sure it would also to hundreds of thousands of others across the UK. Daniel Hannan is an MEP for South-East England, and a journalist, author and broadcaster. His most recent book is What Next: How to Get the Best from Brexit. The latest two opinion polls show the Conservatives at 16 and 15 per cent in advance of the European elections, a huge decline over the past month. Those figures are bad enough, but the actual result could be even worse. At this point in the cycle, surveys tend to overstate support for the traditional parties. Why? Because, although the pollsters question is How will you vote in the European election? many respondents hear it as Which is your favourite party? Polls therefore flatter Labour and the Conservatives and underestimate single-issue parties. At this stage last time April 2014 opinion polls had us at 27 per cent. On polling day, we secured 23. That, though, is just the start of it. At the last three European elections, the date of the local elections was moved to coincide with the Euro-poll (a tiny example of how our domestic traditions are forever being rearranged for the EUs convenience). This time, because the European election was unforeseen and, even now, might theoretically not happen it will stand alone. The lift that Conservative Euro-candidates get from their councillors will be removed. Many of our supporters wont vote, whereas single-issue pro- and anti-Brexit parties will have no difficulty motivating their voters. It gets worse. Until now, the Conservatives have had resources human and financial to fight campaigns. This time, we have no budget and many of our activists are on strike. And thats before we get to the central problem, namely the anger that people feel over the delay in Brexit. We could sink into single figures next month. Keen to give us a bit of a slap, voters might knock us into a hole too deep for any future leader to clamber out of. I know that we are supposed, before an election, to talk up our partys prospects. But, on this occasion, it would be silly to ignore the gravity of our predicament. The European election could mark the moment when, after 190 years (350 if we count the Tory prelude) the Conservative Party ceases to be viable. That is why, though I hate the fact that this poll is happening, I felt I had to stand again. I couldnt walk away and watch as Jeremy Corbyn, buoyed up by victory, snatched at the levers of power. I know some ConHome readers are sceptical. I know it because they keep telling me. Its only a European election, they say. We want to register our annoyance at the failure to deliver Brexit, they say. We dont want to endorse Theresa May, they say. We want to send a message on Brexit, they say. Folks, that message was sent on 23 June 2016, when more Brits voted to leave the EU than have ever voted for anything. The Conservative Party got the message. What it didnt get was the numbers needed to implement it. This point cannot be stressed too strongly. The reason that Brexit hasnt yet happened is not that Tory MPs are secretly trying to keep us in the EU. It is that all the other parties (except the DUP) are openly trying to do so. If you want to break the deadlock, give us the numbers. Give us the votes. Its true, obviously, that a European election isnt a general election. But what do you think will happen if one of the two main parties is wiped out at a national poll? Such a party doesnt just get up and start winning again. Look at the Canadian Tories after they were obliterated in 1993. True, a reconfigured Centre-Right eventually came back. But whereas Canada was governed in the intervening 13 years by a relatively moderate Liberal Party, we face Jezza. I want an agreed and amicable Brexit, one that does not involve handing the EU permanent control of our trade policy, but that keeps a close and friendly relationship. If we are going to get such a deal, we need at least some MEPs to support it. Think of it another way. Whom would you rather have in charge of the Brexit talks Jezza or whoever takes over as Tory leader? No, I dont know who it will be either, but I do know that, whoever it is, he or she will be more competent than an old Trot who manages to be simultaneously in favour of and against Brexit, and whose main beef with the EU is that its competition laws would prevent him from completing a Castro-style seizure of our economy. The Prime Minister has already said she is resigning. The only question is over timing. She might be gone before 22 May, or at least be in the process of going. A leadership contest tends to give any party a poll boost, as broadcasters and other media focus on it, and as voters keep hearing its putative leaders setting out their optimistic visions. But if you, dear ConHome reader, decide to back someone else or to boycott the poll, there may be nothing for those putative leaders to inherit. I have spent 30 years working to restore our national independence. Im not prepared to drop out now, not when we are so close to success. Please give us the support we need to get the job finished. 63% Website anatomyumftm.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 294023 bytes (287.13 kb uncompressed) and 83695 bytes (81.73 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-11-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 100% Website ejuice.cz uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 247204 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 91391 bytes (89.25 kb uncompressed) and 14563 bytes (14.22 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-10-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 100% Website provivienda.com.ec uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Boostrap. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 129699 bytes (126.66 kb uncompressed) and 39280 bytes (38.36 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-16, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 78% Website safebooru.org uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 65404 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 4552 bytes (4.45 kb uncompressed) and 1875 bytes (1.83 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-11-24, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Panasonic UK has announced today an end to its distributor agreement with TF Solutions. Alfredos Armaos, UK Country Manager for Panasonic UK commented We would like to thank TF Solutions for their support and efforts over the last few years and wish them all the best in the future. Customers can rest assured that Panasonic will honour any ongoing agreements and warranties regarding Panasonic products which will be dealt with in the usual way. Panasonic has a strong distribution network across the UK for its heating and cooling solutions and will continue with these relationships with AMP, DYSK, EasyAir, ESS, Heronhill, ICG, Logicool, Oceanair and Secon Solar. As a class society we are investing significantly in the new role of the surveyor, said Simone Manca, marine technical support manager, heading up RINAs Passenger Ship Centre of Excellence in Hamburg. That new role is heavy in not only looking at big data, but at providing RINAs survey team with the latest gadgets to utilize drones, remotely operated vehicles and other high-tech tools to carry out class surveys and other key inspections, according to the 2019 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News. Surveys are changing a bit as compared to the past, Manca noted. We are working on remote inspection techniques using drones, divers and other remotely-operated tools that collect information for the surveyor. Those tools help RINA take measurements or readings in areas not easily accessible, for instance. It is a new era for inspections, Manca said. A standard class certification is valid for five years, and is renewed over a selected time period by one or two surveyors checking everything from fire doors to hull integrity, said Manca. That is a renewal survey and is fundamental, he said. That is the moment in which the class society says the ship is eligible to have a new class period and sail for another five years. During that five-year time, there is also a key intermediate survey, as well as various other surveys relating to key equipment aboard the vessel. Over the five years, there are also two so-called bottom surveys, one of which can take place with the ship in water. For cruise ships, Manca said that lines were continuously monitored by various authorities, ranging from coast guards to port state control, flag states, class societies and other regulatory bodies meaning there wasnt generally a common deficient area. "Problems can come from lack of maintenance, he said, but in the cruise sector, the maintenance is well managed. The lines are investing a lot. Big trends today in the refit market see the installation of ballast water treatment systems, exhaust gas cleaning, and more reliance on big data to predict lifecycle maintenance and costs. --- Go inside the world of cruise ship drydocking and refurbishment with the 2019 Cruise Industry News Drydocking and Refurbishment Report, presenting a 100-page overview of the $3 billion annual cruise ship drydock and refit market including a full 2019, 2020, 2021 estimated drydocking scheduled based on available data and research. The report offers interviews with key drydocking executives from cruise lines, suppliers and shipyards, as well as case studies, trend reports and much more. A new rendering has been released revealing Carnival Corporation's Uragashira Cruise Terminal in Sasebo, Japan, designed by Miami-based Berenblum Busch Architects (BBA). The new terminal is expected to open in 2020 before the Tokyo Olympics. Located in Japans port city of Sasebo, Uragashira Cruise Terminal will support the Japanese governments plans to develop its ports, according to a press release. Located between Sasebo Bay and the mountains, the new cruise terminal will be part of the green landscape. BBAs design is Zen and minimal, taking into account Sasebos culture, its building traditions, geography, and low-scale surrounding, according to a prepared statement. The one-story building will serve as a port-of-call for many ships primarily traveling from mainland China to Japan. We are honored to be a part of such a landmark project for Carnival Corporation and the significance it carries for the brand and Japan, said BBA Founding Principal, Gustavo Berenblum. Our goal was to design a terminal that includes all the modern functions and amenities necessary for creating an elevated guest experience, but that also felt as its always been there. The focal point of the terminal is the curving roof, extending past the building. According to BBA, the roof welcomes the sea and the incoming ships it carries, while also blurring the lines between the inside and outside. The roofs long overhead will serve as a cooling mechanism for the building, as well as a shield for the terminals glass walls and steel frame. The design concept for Uragashira was to create a cruise terminal in a nature park. Sasebo is an area known for its 10,000 islands and we want travelers to feel like theyre in a park and not a parking lot. We accomplished this by respecting and conforming with the surrounding nature and adding additional vegetation to the site, added Berenblum. As the region is prone to typhoons and earthquakes, BBAs design of the 50,000-square-foot terminal consists largely of concrete, as well as glass and steel, which will be locally sourced. The terminals interiors will be highlighted by wooden finishes. The program includes functions such as retail spaces, passenger waiting area, immigration, customs, offices, a second-floor terrace overlooking the sea, a public plaza, a designated car and bus drop-off area, and parking. The terminal is expected to be operational by 2020, ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Side channel attack definition So, you want to break cryptography. Brute force attacks on cryptography could take billions of years, which no one has to spare. Maybe you live in a country where rubber hose cryptography is, shall we say, frowned upon. Hacking a target's endpoint is an option, but what if you get caught? Better to use an attack that leaves no forensic traces behind. Enter side channel attacks. A side channel attack breaks cryptography by using information leaked by cryptography, such as monitoring the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation emitted by a computer screen to view information before it's encrypted in a van Eck phreaking attack, aka Transient Electromagnetic Pulse Emanation STandard (TEMPEST). Other well-known side channel attacks include spying on the power consumption of an electronic device to steal an encryption key, or acoustic attacks that record the sound of a user's key strokes to steal their passphrase. These side channel attacks are not theoretical and have been known about for decades. The oldest, and most common, and used by intelligence agencies and police around the world, is the park your van across the street from the victim and spy on their computer screens using a TEMPEST attack. What is a TEMPEST side channel attack? Is that van across the street really from the cable company? If you're a politician, journalist, diplomat, tech executive or anyone else with a nation-state in their threat model, you might take a closer look. TEMPEST attacks have been around for decades. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) requires military electronics to meet TEMPEST-resistant standards, including secure casings for laptops to minimize EMF radiation emanated by the device. GRiD Computer An early TEMPEST-tested laptop PC from around 1983 TEMPEST attacks work because screens emit EMF radiation that can be sniffed from as far as hundreds of meters away (and certainly from across the street) and used to view in real-time the victim's screen. This BBC television special demonstrated the attack decades ago. While the move away from old-fashioned ginormous CRT monitors to flat-screen LCD displays changed the EMF frequencies, laptop screens and flat-screen monitors have been shown to be vulnerable to such attacks as well. It's widely believed that intelligence agencies around the world use TEMPEST attacks on a regular basis, and it's almost certain that the FBI and other domestic police forces use this kind of attack in their investigations when spying on both criminals and journalists. The practical defense against TEMPEST attacks has also been known for decades. A Faraday cage blocks such EMF radiation and can be built with chicken wire in your home office (the wave length of the radiation is larger than the holes in chicken wire and so can't escape) or if you're the government, you build a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). How Stuff Works has a good deep dive on Faraday cages for those wanting to go down that particular rabbit hole. SANS has also a great deep dive on TEMPEST for those wanting to learn more about just how vulnerable consumer devices are to this kind of side channel attack. What is a power consumption side channel attack? Cryptography is energy intensive, and like any computationally intensive activity, that energy can be measured and analyzed. Attacks on power outlets and power cables have proven successful at recovering RSA private keys in the lab, for example, and as the old saying goes, today's academic attacks are yesterday's nation-state attacks are tomorrows script kiddie attacks. Simple power analysis can "be used to break RSA implementations by revealing differences between multiplication and squaring operations," this 1998 paper entitled "Introduction to Differential Power Analysis and Related Attacks" concludes. What is a timing analysis side channel attack? Cryptography takes time to run, and that time can be measured, analyzed and used to statistically break cryptography. Both Meltdown and Spectre, the much-touted hardware security flaws, are timing attacks on Intel hardware. As Paul C. Kocher makes clear in this early paper on timing attacks, "By carefully measuring the amount of time required to perform private key operations, attackers may be able to find fixed Diffie-Hellman exponents, factor RSA keys, and break other cryptosystems." In response to these discoveries, countermeasures that add timing "noise" to encryption processes have been deployed in many cryptographic libraries to mitigate the risk of a timing side channel attack. What is an acoustic side channel attack? Listen to the sound of your victim typing the passphrase into their laptop and steal their private key. Sounds like science fiction but it's been around for decades, and the advent of ubiquitous smart phones means there are microphones listening everywhere. Unlike TEMPEST attacks, which are cheap enough that pretty much any moderately skilled geek with a couple hundred bucks can mount such an attack, an acoustic attack requires a fairly sophisticated machine learning model, including enough training data to distinguish one key press from another. This makes acoustic attacks, at least for the moment, the bailiwick of nation-state intelligence agencies and police forces like the FBI. What is the future of side channel attacks? Side channel attacks have been around for ages but have not gotten the same level of attention as remote attacks have. You can hack someone on the other side of the planet, but the physical proximity required to carry out most side channel attacks has limited adversaries to spies and cops. However, the advent of smartphones and drones means there are now microphones and sensors everywhere that can be used to launch side channel attacks on victims. Such attacks are only going to get easier and cheaper over time. STAMFORD United Rentals, the worlds largest equipment rentals company, has reported growing returns for the past quarter. First-quarter revenues increased 22 percent year-over-year, to about $2.1 billion. Profits came to $175 million, compared with $183 million in the same period in 2018. Were pleased with our solid start to 2019, and the broad-based growth we realized across geographies and verticals, United CEO Michael Kneeland said in a statement this week. Were entering our busy season with the strongest service offering in our history, given the strategic investments weve made across our business, including acquisitions, to best support our customers. Company shares closed Wednesday at nearly $126, down 0.23 percent from their Tuesday finish. U.S. markets closed for the day about 15 minutes after first-quarter results were announced. Next month, Kneeland is scheduled to step down as CEO and become board chairman, while President and Chief Operating Officer Matthew Flannery will become CEO. Kneeland has served as CEO since 2008. He joined the company in 1998, when his former company, Equipment Supply Co., was acquired by United. Since 2009, United has nearly doubled in size, with 1,200 locations staffed by nearly 19,000 employees. It is headquartered in the First Stamford Place office complex, in the citys Waterside section. Acquisitions have fueled Uniteds growth. Last year, it acquired equipment-rental firm BlueLine Rental for about $2.1 billion and liquid-management firm BakerCorp International Holdings for $715 million. The company ranked No. 424 on last years Fortune 500 list. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott BRIDGEPORT East End residents already feel they have to live, work and play alongside more noisy, dirty industrial sites than people do in other city neighborhoods. So when a Greenwich land use attorney met with East End leaders Tuesday to ask that they embrace a Stamford-based contractors proposed storage yard for crushed stone, sand, mulch and topsoil, the out-of-town lawyer got a polite but chilly reception. Were a little gun-shy toward things of that nature, said Tom McMillan, a member of the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, one of several NRZ community groups that weigh in on economic development proposals around town. Attorney Christopher Bristol did his best, but his unfamiliarity with the nuances of the inner-city sections that make up Connecticuts largest municipality was on display. Is this the East End or the East Side? an apologetic Bristol said as he tried to win over McMillan and his NRZ colleagues. I just dont have the knowledge about all the inner workings of the city. The property Bristols client, JCM Service Inc., wants to purchase for the storage yard 2115 Seaview Ave. is actually at the nexus of three sections of Bridgeport: the East End, the East Side, and Mill Hill. Bristol was advised he should also meet with the East Side and Mill Hill NRZ groups. Is there another one? Bristol asked, trying to make sure he did not leave out an NRZ. I didnt mean that sarcastically. Im trying to understand how these work. Memories of fire But Seaview Avenue is represented by the same City Council members whose district includes the East End, Eneida Martinez and Ernie Newton. Martinez made it clear Tuesday she will do everything she can to see that zoning officials reject the storage yard. Were looking for the East End to become a more beautifying location ... with housing, retail stores, Martinez said. That 2115 address, which made news in 2014 when a five-alarm fire demolished a perfume warehouse there, is directly across the street from a densely packed community of multifamily homes. NRZ members said they were concerned about the noise, air pollution and other quality-of-life issues they believe would be affected if the contractors storage yard were opened. Willene Gibson, an East End NRZ member, worried JCMs plans would worsen the neighborhoods already high asthma rates. And Police Lt. Paul Grech, who attended the East End NRZ meeting for an unrelated issue, added he, too, thought the storage yard was a bad idea because of the truck traffic. We have 2,000 students who walk to school in that area, Grech said. We cant be having these trucks come in and out. Martinez compared JCMs plans to a former storage yard farther down Seaview Avenue that had been run by O&G Industries until political leaders, including Mayor Joe Ganim, in 2017 successfully went to court to force O&G to clean up the land. Bristol said his client is a much smaller operation. ... Hes certainly no O&G. Cleanup plans Bristol argued that the storage yard would actually be a really great first step in helping to revitalize that section of Seaview Avenue following that devastating Sept. 11, 2014, warehouse blaze. The property, though cleared of debris, would be further cleaned up and landscaping and new fencing installed, Bristol said. All things considered, well be improving (the lot), Bristol told the East End NRZ. State Rep. Andre Baker, D-Bridgeport, asked if JCM could store its materials in a hangar-type facility rather than out in the open. Bristol said the storage yard would be well-screened from the public and nothing kept there should be rising up in visible mounds. O&G started small, Martinez said. We do not want to bring another company on to the East End to do what O&G started. ... Once youre there, it will take us years to get you out. The Bridgeport Planning and Zoning Commission had scheduled a public hearing on the storage yard for March, but Bristol and JCM agreed to delay that after learning about the citys NRZs. Bristol apologized Tuesday for proceeding with the zoning application without first engaging the community groups. I had absolutely no idea, Bristol said. I would have come to you guys first. He anticipated Mondays planned zoning hearing would also be put off until he had a chance to meet with the other NRZs. Martinez afterward said the Mill Hill group would be even less open to JCMs storage yard because many of its members are longtime homeowners who do not want more industry in the neighborhood. Mill Hill? Forget about it, Martinez said. Thats a tough NRZ, Im telling you. Contributed / Rotary Club of Monroe MONROE Havana on 25 Cigar Lounge, 446 Main St., will host cigars and whiskey flights to benefit the Rotary Club of Monroe from 7 to 9 p.m. May 9. For $25, patrons will receive one cigar, two whiskey flights and appetizers. They also will have access to cigar specials, raffles and more. For details, visit the Rotary Club of Monroe web site. File photo/ Hearst Connecticut Media MILFORD A Milford man was arrested after he allegedly tried to break down a door at Anderson Avenue home during a domestic incident Tuesday night. Then, after being arrested, he used his phone call at the police station to call the victim and threaten to kill her, police said. DERBY Joseph Jeanette Jr. can not thank Derby enough for what its doing. My dad would be crying right now, said Jeanette, who serves on Ansonias Board of Education. Not just for himself but for what this means to everyone who serves. Jeanettes father, Joseph Sr., received the Purple Heart for a stomach wound he suffered while serving as a U.S. Marine Corps corporal during the intense fighting on Bougainville Island in the South Pacific. He also saw action on Guadalcanal. My dad was my hero, Jeanette said. Next to his family, the Marine Corps was his life. In City Hall, Mayor Richard Dziekan, a U.S.Air Force veteran, and Pam Gagliardi, his administrative assistant, are compiling a Purple Heart commemorative book containing the names, biography and injuries suffered by all Derby residents or relatives of Derby residents who received the medal. They are asking anyone with information regarding a Derby recipient to provide information and a photo along with details of the individuals service. There is no definitive number right now of how many Derby residents received the Purple Heart. To assist in their search, Gagliardi, Dziekan and Paul Lutson, the citys veterans service officer, provided notices of the project to the libraries, the senior center, local churches and Veterans organizations seeking the local veterans names. Theyre the reason we have our freedoms in this country, said Dziekan, a member of the state Department of Veterans Affairs board of trustees. This is the least that we can do to give them the recognition they deserve and to keep their memories alive. Once completed, the book will be available free to the families and available at the schools and libraries. I want it to be nice, something people will be proud to have, Dziekan said. The book also will be part of a yet-to-be scheduled ceremony naming Derby a Purple Heart city by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. That order, which now numbers about 45,000 members with chapters in every state, was formed in the Valley on Sept. 22, 1932. The organizational meeting was held in the Ansonia Armory. Members called themselves the George Washington Chapter 1. It still exists and meets in the Veterans Memorial building on Atwater Avenue. The chapter name is a tribute to Washington, who created the medal given for battlefield bravery in 1782. The medal fell into obscurity before being reborn as the Purple Heart by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1932. The medal is now given to military personnel killed or injured in hostilities, which include acts of terrorism, and received documented medical treatment. So far, Gagliardi received information on Jeanette and Pasquale Pepe as well as the names of Joseph J. Riordan, James Canganelly and Eugene Tiano. Riordan served as a U.S. Army staff sergeant during World War II, according to his obituary. Pepe left Fordham University to enlist in World War II. He was placed in the U.S. Army specialized training program at the University of Detroit shortly after enlisting. He served with the 58th Infantry Battalion of the 8th Armored Division as they rolled through France, Holland, Belgium, Luxenbourg and Germany. He was wounded on April 12, 1945. Pepe returned to Fordham after the war, received his law degree and practiced in the Valley. He served as Ansonias corporation counsel under mayors James Martin and Sturgis Sobin and also on several municipal boards and committees. He died July 4, 2018, at age 94. Jeanette said his father, Joseph Sr., didnt talk a lot about the war or his experiences... I know he lost a good friend in the foxhole... I cant imagine what those three to four years (fighting) was like for him. After he was wounded, Jeanette said, his father was shipped to a hospital in New Zealand while other injured members of his unit went to medical facilities in Australia. When his father returned home, he trained to became an electrician. He worked at B.F. Goodrich in Shelton and Anaconda American Brass in Ansonia, from which he retired. He died in 2010 at age 88. What Derby is doing is very noble, said Pat Henri, a former Ansonia alderman who serves as the adjutant of the American Legion Gordon-Viselli Post 50 in Ansonia and a senior chief petty officer in the Naval Reserve. This gives recognition and shows appreciation not only to those who served but who actually made a physical sacrifice... I hope what Derby is doing inspires more cities to do the same. BRIDGEPORT After 18 years as head of Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Executive Director Terry Wilcox is set to retire at the end of October. Wilcoxs last day at the faith-based nonprofit will be Oct. 31, Bridgeport Rescue Mission announced on Wednesday. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as Executive Director of Bridgeport Rescue Mission, he said in a prepared statement. Ive worked with many boards of directors and teams of people over the past 51 years, but in these past 18 years at BRM Ive had the great privilege of working with the best board and staff of my career. Wilcox led Bridgeport Rescue Mission as the nonprofit handled the acquisition of 725 Park Ave. Once the facility is fully funded and renovated, it will become the home for a community care center. Under his guidance and direction, the Mission has become one of the states leading providers of food, shelter, addiction recovery programs and other support services for individuals and families who are homeless, burdened by poverty or struggling with other life-dominating challenges, a news release said. Bridgeport Rescue Mission Board President Joan McKenzie said in a prepared statement that the board was grateful for Wilcoxs leadership over the years. Throughout his tenure, Terrys insightful and godly influence has shaped the Mission and been a positive light within the community, raising awareness and support for our homeless neighbors, McKenzie said. The Board has formed a search committee tasked with finding Wilcoxs successor, in accordance with the Bridgeport Rescue Missions management succession plan. BRM Chief Financial Officer Frank Williams has been appointed acting chief operating officer, effective May 1. During the overlap, Williams will still report to Wilcox. After his retirement, Wilcox, 72, intends to move to Florida with his wife, Danielle. In Florida, Wilcox plans to serve as the pastor of Restoration Fellowship Church of Lakeland. Visit BridgeportRescueMission.org for more information on the nonprofits programs and services. SHELTON With the state focusing on regionalization for many services, the Southwestern Regional Communications Center is now poised to answer the call for help for even more area communities. SWRCCs recent move from the dark, tight quarters at the old Bridgeport Hospital to 100 Beard Sawmill Road in Shelton has not only provided the organization with upgraded technological capabilities and space but also the amenities necessary to create an improved working environment for the employees whose jobs can be quite stressful. With the move and the new site, the culture of the employees has improved and changed, said Vaughan Dumas, who was hired to head SWRCC last May with an eye toward expanding and rebranding the operation. This is not a run-down, worn-out site it is brand new, with improved technology and a great atmosphere for the employees. It is motivating for the employees. The change in morale has been incredible. SWRCC, founded in 1983, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides telecommunication services to municipal fire, police and EMS services as well as hospitals in southwestern Connecticut. Right now, SWRCC provides the service to 16 communities, including the city of Shelton, and six hospitals. In 2018, SWRCC, which receives the majority of its funding from its municipal clients, but also receives substantial funding from the state of Connecticut as well as individual, foundation and corporate charitable donors, dispatched approximately 105,000 combined service calls. So far this year, SWRCC dispatchers have handled more than 26,000 calls. Being here has definitely boosted morale, said dispatcher Chris Jensen, a Derby resident who also appreciates having a much easier commute to work. In this space, we can definitely communicate better with each other, which makes our jobs easier. Dispatcher Louis Uvino, an Ansonia resident, said the new site is a superior working environment. It is easier to regional dispatch here, said Uvino. Everything is upgraded, said dispatcher Kristen Ostrowski, a Shelton resident. It is just a better environment overall. We are better able to do our jobs and communicate with each other here. And the place is beautiful. We have had many people come to see how we operate. We are proud of this place. The organization had been renting space in the old Bridgeport Hospital for some 25 years, but Dumas noted that the location was tight less than 1,000 square feet with antiquated copper line technology and no place for employees, who can take emotionally trying calls at times, to decompress, since the site had no break room, cafeteria or even windows. There was no room to expand the business there, said Dumas, and, secondly, the environment for the staff was not positive it was dark and run-down. That is when Dumas began searching for a new location finally coming across more than 2,900 square feet of space that was originally outfitted technologically for HealthNet, at 100 Beard Sawmill Road one of the local properties owned by Rob Scinto. The technology here was already in place, which is one of the main selling features in why we chose this site, said Dumas, adding that there is a 24-hour emergency generator system for the entire building as well as redundant fiber-optic lines and redundant phone lines that come into the building. We need all those things for our operation to function the way it should, Dumas said. If there are failures, well already have redundancies in the building. Along with the technology at this site, the amenities for the staff include a gym to promote healthy living; a cafeteria; a child care site in the building; and the location, right off Route 8, provides close proximity for many of the employees. The location itself proved positive for technology and our employees, Dumas said. Dumas said working in the center can be stressful at times, and this building allows for various locations from walking trails to the cafeteria, the gym to the break room for employees to get away from the console. If they are fatigued and stressed, or when they take a bad call, there is now a place to go and decompress, Dumas said. SWRCC presently has 16 full-time employees and 10 part-time employees, and with the new, larger location, the operation, which could have four consoles in the old site, can now have six, meaning hiring more employees is possible. And the lease allows for expansion if necessary. We are focusing on controlled growth, Dumas said. We currently have two positions vacant and available, and we plan to talk to other municipalities to join the organization. The state is promoting regionalization and, us having the space now and improved capabilities, we can help more communities in the area and the region. Dumas said that SWRCC could add three new municipalities right now, depending on the services they require. We are currently negotiating with a municipalities to cover law enforcement, said Dumas, who has a law enforcement background, spending 29 years with the Milford Police Department, as well as time as being a volunteer fire chief and an EMT. I have familiarity in all three aspects of emergency services, and I have four staff members who come from law enforcement dispatch backgrounds. We have the capability to expand to law enforcement fields as well. The new technology which focuses on fiber-optic lines, with a copper line backup also allows Dumas to improve quality control, as staff can monitor calls in real time, or see recordings later, to give employees feedback on performance. We need to receive and dispatch in 90 seconds, Dumas said. We monitor for that, and the new system is a self-development tool. This holds us accountable to the municipalities we serve. Our service is easy to track, and they can see the call process. Some of the services that SWRCC provides its clients include: A direct in the field communication link between first responders in the field and hospital emergency departments for medical control/direction. This includes activation of specialized hospital surgical and medical teams (trauma and burn units). Maintaining recordings of all radio and telephone transmissions pertinent to emergency medical care documentation and support of EMS providers. Coordinating EMS responses for hospital diversions, including making alert notifications, updates and tracking. Coordinating mutual aid provision throughout the region. Maintaining single-source communication infrastructure for interoperability of regional and state EMS and fire assets. Providing communications coordination for mass causality incidents and other major incidents. Maintaining backup radio frequencies in the event of radio system failures. Coordinating, tracking and maintaining independent records for every medical call response (required for state EMS reporting and municipal audits). Coordinating the forward movement of patients in the event of a major incident or hospital evacuation. Notifying and coordinating with hazmat teams and regional fire task forces. Determining jurisdiction of accidents on I-95, Rt. 25, Rt. 8 and Rt. 15 for the Connecticut State Police. Providing cross patching for EMS, fire and police services to all regional hospitals. SWRCC provides services to Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport and Wilton. In addition, SWRCC provides communications to Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, St. Vincents and Milford hospitals. We are better served now with this concept of regionalization being promoted, Dumas said. If a municipality comes to our regional center, it is more economically feasible for a community than trying to manage it on their own. If came to me at old center, we could not help. Now we can take on more. But the biggest thing is the employee satisfaction and morale. brian.gioiele@ hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Officials have identified the officer involved in the shooting of a 22-year-old woman Tuesday morning. Hamden police identified their officer Wednesday as former New Haven Officer Devin Eaton. Hes served as an officer almost five years, starting in New Haven before being hired by Hamden a little less than three years ago. The Yale officer has not yet been identified, but New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp said Wednesday that officer has been placed on administrative duty. Stephanie Washington was shot by police after Hamden and Yale police officers opened fire on a vehicle early Tuesday morning, according to Connecticut State Police. Community residents expressed concern and outrage in the hours after the shooting. During a press briefing Wednesday in New Haven City Hall, Harp said she is troubled, concerned and frankly outraged over the shooting. Harp said she called the family, who want privacy and time to heal. Harp, Hamden Mayor Curt B. Leng, New Haven Interim Chief Otoniel Reyes and Hamden Acting Chief John Cappiello addressed the public Wednesday afternoon after meeting with the states attorneys office. According to state police, a car was stopped as Hamden police continued an investigation into the report of an armed robbery of a newspaper delivery driver at the Gas and Go Gas Station on Arch Street in Hamden. More News Hamden officer-involved shooting sparks community fury Both Hamden and Yale officers discharged their weapons, Reyes said. The woman, seemingly unarmed at the time of the shooting, was in stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon, according to state police. This incident betrays police actions gone horribly wrong along the Hamden/New Haven line and now Stephanie, as well as many residents, her family and friends must live with the consequences and resulting uncertainty of what was by every definition an unacceptable response, Harp said. Police activity that spills into New Haven must be consistent with the citys standards, Harp said, so the department will be working on guidelines with neighboring jurisdictions on policy framework regarding cross-jurisdictional policies. It will help address the anger and distrust many now have toward the police, Harp said. Further, Leng said Hamden and New Haven will work together more closely on issues and Hamden police will start attending New Haven police district meetings to work on border issues, which he said likely would make an immediate impact. Its all one community and thats how officers will look at it, Cappiello said during the news conference. Leng also reiterated that anyone who may have information about Tuesdays shooting should contact state police as the shooting remains under investigation. In a teleconference Wednesday with states attorneys office, they indicated the investigation is a top priority for their office, Leng said, and it would be done with the highest level of transparency possible. Hamden and New Haven are committed to working more closely together, Leng said. The issues that are faced are not Hamden issues, they are not New Haven issues. They are community issues and the more we can work together on them the better we all are. We in law enforcement welcome the oversight, we welcome the accountability, because we realize we need to be held to a higher standard, Reyes said. So were here to promise this community to do better, because thats what were called to do. Reyes said this moment is an opportunity for everyone to do better, to engage each other better in policy, community relations and in healing the community. Weve gained a lot of trust in our community and incidents like this erode the trust the community has in its police department, he said. It doesnt matter that it happened by another officer. When an incident happens it erodes the image of every police officer. Thats whats unique about this profession. Reyes asked all law enforcement, community leaders and officials be part of the solution and the healing. To all law enforcement, this isnt a time to stand back, but to be leaders, he said. Lets improve relations and rebuild the trust that was lost yesterday. When Leng pledged late Tuesday evening to be as transparent as possible as the state investigation into the officer-involved shooting continued, he said: Every time a gun is fired in our community, it has my concern and my immediate attention. Protecting as many people as we can, while also preventing as much crime and violence as possible, is arguably the core function of our hometown, he said. Leng said in his statement the incident is being investigated with the utmost seriousness that it deserves. I intend to share the results of this investigation, and any other appropriate information in the coming days, to make the process as transparent as possible within the restrictions of a State investigation, said Leng. I commit to all today that I will continue this discussion and work together with Hamdens community leaders, law enforcement officials, clergy, and human rights counselors and advocacy groups in an effort to ensure that Hamden provides all people with the very best Police Services possible. State Police Trooper Josue Dorelus said Tuesday that officers fired after the driver of the vehicle, a suspect in the alleged robbery, exited the vehicle in an abrupt manner and turned toward them. No weapon was found in the vehicle, Dorelus said, although a detailed search of the vehicle had not yet been completed when he spoke. No one is seen exiting the vehicle in surveillance video that circulated in the press and the community Tuesday. In that clip, a Hamden officer appears to bring his car to a stop, get out, and fire toward the passenger-side door of the vehicle. Also Tuesday evening in a protest inside and outside the Hamden Police Department on Dixwell Avenue social activists, friends of Stephanie Washington and relatives of others involved in police-involved shooting victims on the department to release the name of the officers involved, body camera footage and to fire the officer who shot the woman. No justice, no peace, no racist police, the crowd chanted, with as many as 100 people participating in the rally. Were being treated like our lives dont matter, protest leader Remidy Shareef, of Hamden, said. After some time protesting on the sidewalk outside the department, the crowd moved inside to the lobby and demanded answers from police. Deputy Chief Bo Kicak came out from behind the front desk bulletproof glass to talk with activists and explain no information could be shared because the investigation is in the hands of state police. Much of the crowd continued to rally in New Haven near the site of the shooting, where Harp, Reyes, Leng and Cappiello addressed the crowd Tuesday evening. mdignan@hearstmediact.com; william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Although the damage to Notre Dame is extensive, a number of irreplaceable relics and art pieces were saved from the blaze. Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters "the most precious treasures" of Paris' cathedral were rescued from the fire that broke out Monday, tearing through the roof and causing the spire to collapse. Among the safe treasures are the crown of thorns and the tunic of Saint Louis, a shirt said to have been worn by Louis IX, who died on crusade in Algeria. The crown of thorns, believed by some to be the circlet of thorns worn by Jesus Christ at the crucifixion, was reportedly saved in part by Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade. Paris' 15th district mayor, Philippe Goujon, said Fournier demanded to be let into the burning building so he could retrieve the holy relic. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted that firefighters, police and other city workers "made a tremendous human chain" to pass the items out of the cathedral and to safety. The crown of thorns and relics from the patron saints of Paris were kept in the now-destroyed spire. It's suspected the other items may have been destroyed, along with some of the building's famed gargoyles. The 24-centimeter piece of wood and 9-centimeter-long nail are purported to be from the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The wood fragment is kept in a glass case. The fate of the two relics is not known. The 8,000-pipe organ, constructed by Francois Thierry in the 1730s, is intact but could be damaged by heat and water. "The organ is a very fragile instrument," Bertrand de Feydeau, vice-president of the Fondation du Patrimoine, which protects France's cultural heritage, told The Associated Press. It's also unclear if Notre Dame's three famous stained glass rose windows are damaged; art experts say it's too soon to say until they've had a chance to access the site. In a lucky break, 16 statues of the Apostles and other saints were removed from the roof earlier in the month for restoration work. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the salvaged pieces will be taken to the Louvre for dehumidification and restoration. About a dozen large religious paintings will be removed and safeguarded from smoke damage later in the week. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that architects and other experts would meet at the cathedral early Tuesday "to determine if the structure is stable and if the firefighters can go inside to continue their work." A French cultural heritage expert said France no longer has trees big enough to replace ancient wooden beams that burned in the Notre Dame fire. De Feydeau told France Info radio that the wooden roof that went up in flames was built more than 800 years ago with beams from primal forests. Speaking Tuesday, he said the cathedral's roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire because "we don't, at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were cut in the 13th century." He said the restoration work will have to use new technologies to rebuild the roof. Officials consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place at the global architectural treasure. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Hundreds of defective antenna assemblies for Metro-Norths long anticipated Positive Train Control safety system have been recalled, threatening further delays in an already delayed project. More than 1,200 scanner assemblies that allow trains to communicate with a central system were recalled over defective parts. The signals allow the lifesaving PTC system to control trains, slowing or stopping them if they are operating in an unsafe manner. I will tell you none of us accept this level of failure, said Neal Zuckerman, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member during a meeting this week in New York City. It is completely unacceptable, Zuckerman said. The problem centers around antenna assemblies manufactured by Siemens Rail Automation for Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road under a $428 million contract shared with Bombardier Transportation. The PTC system transmits signals to and from rail cars to a central computer that tracks movement, speed and track conditions. So far, 285 defective units were recalled from Metro-North trains and are due to be replaced by July. Another 976 defective units were recalled for LIRR trains and are scheduled to be replaced by October, MTA officials said. Deborah Chin, the PTC project manager, said the recall will not cause the railroads to miss the Dec. 31, 2020 federal deadline to fully install PTC control on its trains. We still remain on target to implement by end of 2020, Chin said. Metro-North and its parent, the MTA, are under pressure to meet that deadline. The railroad already missed a December 2018 deadline to install the system. The railroads received a two-year extension from federal regulators until the end of 2020 to complete the project. Its widely believed PTC would have prevented a 2013 Metro-North derailment in the Bronx that killed four people and injured dozens of other passengers after a train overturned on a curve because it was traveling too fast. Recalled parts MTA board members this week expressed frustration and anger over Siemens inability to provide the antenna assemblies on time and in working condition, prompting Lawrence Schwartz, an MTA board member, to threaten to fire the company. As Siemens officials looked on, Schwartz noted the New York State legislature recently adopted a disbarment law that allows agencies to prevent underperforming companies from receiving future work. We have the legal right to disbar you, Schwartz said. Chin noted that last week the LIRR installed a repaired antenna unit that still didnt work. She said MTA has placed officials in an oversight capacity at the companys Pittsburg plant. John Paljug, a Siemens executive, told board members that the company discovered a tuning problem with the antenna assembly and another internal issue. We have been making this product since 1997 and never had a systematic recall, Paljug said. This is first time this system reached this level of recall. We want the product to work as designed. Paljug said a second shift has been added to the manufacturing center to turn out modified devices. We adapted a new way of mounting it and we are finishing our vibration testing, Paljug said. Its a big effort by the business and we are throwing people, talent and facilities at it right now. Deserve an apology Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, said if Metro-North can replace the scanners by July the PTC project may be able to stay on schedule. With PTC, we are told that everything is moving ahead, or they are on schedule, and then a pretty big variable such as this occurs and it seems to come from nowhere and its not well communicated, Gildea said. Kevin Law, an MTA board member, said commuters are owed an apology. As the largest commuter lines in the country, I find it egregious that we are still talking about delays and its unacceptable, Law said. I dont understand how this has been allowed to happen, he added. Its hard to fathom. I believe commuters on both rails deserve an apology. Metro-North also has faced delays in receiving the complicated software necessary to make the PTC system operate. bcummings@ctpost.com Welcome to Green Entrepreneur's video recap of the cannabis news you might have missed this week, hosted by our cannabis correspondent, Conrad Martin. In what seems like a sad trend, Tennessee has become the latest state to say no to marijuana. The volunteer state's lawmakers shot down a medical marijuana proposal due to a lack of support. Advocates anticipate a new vote in 2020 Related: Not In New Jersey A hip hop legend's son takes action CJ Wallace, the son of legendary hip hop artist, Biggie Smalls is launching a cannabis company with a mission. The company, "Think BIG" plans use the proceeds of cannabis products to invest in social and criminal justice reform. Think Big's first proprietary strain, Frank White, set to debut this year. Related: Rapper Nipsey Hussle: From Gang Life to Self-Made Millionaire Maryland urges operators to get a move on! If you're an operator in Maryland, you'd better get your ducks in a row. State regulators have issued a deadline of September 30th for licensees to open their doors. Those who aren't compliant will be threatened with license revocation. Get to it! Related: Maryland Marijuana Sales Double the Forecast Be sure to keep up with all things cannabiz by checking out GreenEntrepreneur.com If you missed the last episode, check it out here: Seth Rogen Starts a Weed Company! Related: This Week in Weed: Notorious B.U.D! This Week in Weed: DO NOT SMOKE THIS! This Week in Weed: Seth Rogen Starts a Weed Company! Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Italian bank UniCredit has been fined more than $1.3 billion by U.S. state and federal authorities for unsafe and unsound practices related to inadequate sanctions controls and supervision of its subsidiary banks. The investigation revealed that due to inadequate controls and supervision, the bank could not ensure compliance with applicable Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations, which ultimately resulted in violations. Between 2007 and 2011, one of its subsidiaries processed more than 2,000 payments totaling more than $500 million through U.S. financial institutions that violated various sanctions programs. NAFCU has various resources available on Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) issues, including a Compliance Blog post that outlines what regulators look for when reviewing credit unions BSA/AML programs during examinations. Another NAFCU Compliance Blog provides credit unions with a refresher on OFAC requirements and how they impact compliance with the BSAs customer due diligence rule and beneficial ownership provisions. Mia Perez, Louisiana Federal Credit Union When introducing a new product or service, or a different approach to increasing sales, dont hold a traditional meeting. Instead, hold an un-sales meeting, says Mia Perez, chief administrative officer at Louisiana Federal Credit Union and former chair of the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Executive Committee. She addressed the 2019 CUNA Human Resources & Organizational Development Council Conference Monday in Anaheim, Calif. Keep it simple, keep it educational, keep it fun, and keep it memorable, Perez says. Because thats how people retain information. Our own Bruce Siwy and Eric Kieta talk about their true-crime cases in Return To View: The Roundtable news At least he recognized the urgency. As the world gasped in horror at the sight of Paris Notre Dame Cathedral burning in a cataclysmic moment, the president of the United States imparted these words of wisdom: Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly! Well, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Could we possibly be more banal? Ever too soon to the tweet, Donald Trump didnt think before typing or worse, he did. Mightnt a clever president or one of his staffers suffer through a brief Google search before launching? Or, better, skip the quick-fix-it blurb and say something normal? How about: Americas heart breaks for Notre Dame. Instead, the French civil defense agency tweeted back that water bombing the 850-year-old cathedral could lead to the collapse of the entire structure. Pope Francis, whose words the Catholic world especially wanted to hear, waited several hours before offering his considered remarks in a public letter to the archbishop of Paris. Appropriately, Francis expressed sadness and offered prayers. No mention of a squadron of angels dragging tidal waves to Paris to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, the rest of the world watched in silence, muted by the horror of the unthinkable the disintegration of one of the worlds greatest monuments. The fire consumed much of the roofs wooden latticework, which was called the forest because it took 52 acres of oak trees to build it. Begun in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII, the cathedral took nearly 200 years to construct. It only took 12 hours of blistering flames to reduce its core to ashes. The weight of the symbolism layers upon layers is almost too much to bear. Millions of words by now have been spilled as writers and mourners seek the right ones to express the enormity of this loss, not just to Paris, the French and Catholics, but also to humankind. The destruction of so much history and beauty is overwhelmingly sad. Of course, Parisians and the French feel the loss most acutely. Notre Dame has always been part of daily life and is, as so many have said, the heart of a city that has survived revolution and wars. But just as Notre Dame has been a place of transcendence for those who have entered there, its splendor and meaning transcended boundaries of nationality and religion. When the 300-foot oak spire toppled, the audible gasps of nearby onlookers were echoed in offices and homes in New York, London and Oklahoma City. Also, in Charleston, South Carolina. The image of Notre Dame burning took my breath away. And yes, I was speechless. A series of thoughts raced through my mind, some fairly apocalyptic. It wasnt just Notre Dame Our Lady that was being destroyed. To my mind, I was witnessing the immolation of Western Civilization. The words that kept repeating themselves as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing were simpler: This is so wrong. Notre Dame isnt supposed to burn. It is immortal in the hearts and minds of men and women who have lived and died for generations in its shadow. Airplanes arent supposed to crash into buildings, either. One couldnt help connecting the burning of Notre Dame to the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers. Even though very different, one a monument to money and the other to God, both instances felt wrong in the way of civilization unraveling. Theres no evidence that the fire was anything but accidental just one of those things, despite fire monitors that checked the framework under the roof three times daily and an on-site firefighter. But monuments of this kind are few, and we cling to them as a connection to historical continuity as we face contemporary calamities. Wars and revolutions come and go, but Notre Dame stands. This, perhaps, is why we stand aghast. Fire, alternately natures most ruthless element and also a most efficient purgator, released its fury upon one of humanitys greatest monuments to the holy trinity God the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ, his only son; and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. The layers upon layers of symbolism in the devastation of art, beauty, faith, history and our ultimate vulnerability are almost too much to bear. Which reminds us that when the Twin Towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001, the man who would become president of the United States 15 years later boasted that his was now the tallest building in lower Manhattan. Kathleen Parker is syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group. DOWNINGTOWN People came from all over Chester County to speak in favor or against the possibility of legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman hosted his listening tour Monday for area residents to share their thoughts on legalizing recreational marijuana. When asked by a show of hands, a majority of the attendees supported legalizing recreational marijuana. Some also explained why they are for or against medical marijuana, which Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law in 2016. Several people who noted that they use medical marijuana want to be able to grow their own marijuana plants, citing the cost of medical marijuana as the reason. They believe it would be cheaper medically if recreational marijuana was legal. Some people said their conditions didnt qualify them for medical marijuana, and they hope that legislators do a better job studying recreational marijuana prior to making any decisions. A man said he believes that the taxes from sales of recreational marijuana would help cover costs for the Commonwealth, but a woman disagreed and said it would become another financial burden with consequences. People also debated if marijuana is a drug that could cause an overdose, and also if people can become addicted to it. Some compared becoming addicted to marijuana as the same as being addicted to social media or coffee. A woman who works with those in recovery urged Fetterman not to legalize recreational marijuana. I see patients every single day, teenagers, young adults and older adults who are battling addiction. To say that marijuana is not a gateway drug is absolutely absurd. We have so many teens in our program who are smoking pot and thats what their goal is, she said, noting that the teens do not set goals to get sober, graduate high school, go to college or get a job; they want to be high all the time. She works with one teenager who has tried to stop smoking marijuana and has returned to the treatment center three times. To say that pot is not addictive, again thats a fallacy, she said. Some speakers expressed that they want to use marijuana for medical or recreational reasons and to avoid becoming a victim in the opioid crisis. She agreed that the opioid crisis is an issue; however, she does not believe recreational marijuana would help people from using opioids. Ive seen people who in my facility, yes, they have gotten off of opioids, and they started smoking pot to get off of opioids, but they go right back to opioids because pot isnt doing the same thing for them, she said, in their brains and their bodies as the opioids were. She believes that recreational marijuana would cause similar issues as alcohol, if legalized. Alcohol is legal and its a huge problem in our state and in our country, she said about fatal DUI crashes and alcohol abuse. So you say, OK legalize marijuana, its going to have the same effect as legalizing alcohol which is harmful. She expressed concerns for her teenage daughter who is nearly the age to start driving and she fears that a motorist, high on marijuana, could cause a crash on the Route 30 Bypass if marijuana is legalized. I already have concerns of her driving next to someone who is drinking, she said, citing drunk drivers as an issue. Some people who said they are for the legalization, also mentioned several concerns, including wondering how will law enforcement officers detect if a motorist is driving impaired. Several people noted police officers would have to be able to test it, similar to checking the blood alcohol concentration to determine if someone is illegally driving under the influence of alcohol. When people questioned the minimum age to purchase recreational marijuana, one suggested making it 19 years of age. He noted it may prevent an 18-year-old high school student from purchasing it for a 14-year-old freshman, for example. An elderly woman, who is opposed to recreational and medical marijuana, described it as a thief. It steals from relationships. It also steals from our students. They cannot concentrate, they cannot focus, and they cannot remember what they are being told at the time, she said. Also we have kids coming from homes with second-hand smoke. Its affecting them. Its a sin. In time they could become drug addicts. In time, marijuana takes place of their relationships. Its ugly. She added that it negatively changes their priorities and family is no longer number-one to them because it becomes about getting drugs. One woman admitted she has been smoking marijuana since 1979 when she was 13, and says she has lived a normal life. She was among those who explained they want recreational marijuana legalized because they smoke it illegally now. Others who said they favor legalization explained its because they believe it would become a safer product if its regulated, rather than having people buying it illegally on the streets with the chance that it is laced with a stronger or deadly substance. Many also favored decriminalizing marijuana. Some people said the drug war has been lost and they support legalizing marijuana. Another person urged Fetterman that the drug war must end. While most speakers thanked Fetterman for hosting the tour at Downingtown West High School on Monday night, others shared their humor regarding the topic before announcing their stance of being in favor of recreational marijuana. I promise Im not high right now, a middle-aged man said. The majority of the audience members laughed, but Fetterman and his staff did not. Fetterman is about halfway done his listening tour with plans to visit all 67 counties through the summer. Ten states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. As we know, Meghan (pictured with Prince Harry in London last month) due any day now is planning a midwife-led home labour, away from the 'men in suits', writes SARAH VINE There was something about the wonderful pictures of the Duchess of Sussex as a newborn in the arms of her mother Doria in the Mail this week that reminded me a little of the arrival of my own daughter, almost 16 years ago. The same cross little expression on the baby and the same look in her new mother's eyes, a mixture of shock, exhaustion and awe. But most of all, in the background, the calm and knowing presence of Granny. No one knows better how your first birth is likely to turn out than your own mother, who's been there, done that and can offer honest, practical advice. And just as her mother was such a reassuring presence, I'm sure Doria, now it's Meghan's turn, has been a fount of wisdom for her daughter. As we know, Meghan due any day now is planning a midwife-led home labour, away from the 'men in suits'. She also reportedly favours a water birth, and is using yoga, meditation and homeopathy to prepare for the arrival. Apparently, she wants it to be 'as natural as possible: no drugs, no caesareans and so on'. I would expect nothing less from this most modern of young royals who has always been a staunch advocate of a healthy, holistic lifestyle. If anyone has a chance of achieving the kind of magical, mystical birth that every woman dreams of, it's her. But I do hope Doria is advising Meghan to keep her feet on the ground over this apparent desire for perfection. I have nothing against home births, water births or for that matter any kind of birth. Apparently, Meghan (pictured with Prince Harry in Rabat, Morocco in February) wants it to be 'as natural as possible: no drugs, no caesareans and so on', writes SARAH VINE It's just that having babies is not an exact science. Labour can, it is true, be a beautiful experience. But it can also be savage and elemental. And you never really know how it's going to pan out. To be prepared, a woman really needs to be open to all eventualities. Yet a whole industry seems to have sprung up to feed mothers-to-be the notion we are wholly in control of the process (we are not: that's Mother Nature prerogative, and she is a capricious old cow) and that there is a right and wrong way of having a baby. In recent years, this has come to mean that having a child without medical intervention or pain relief is in some way morally superior. Natural good; medically assisted bad. It's an attitude summed up by a friend of mine who, having undergone an elective caesarean with her second child following serious complications with her first, was asked by her health visitor whether she ever 'felt cheated' she didn't 'have a proper labour'. The answer, of course, was no. Or at least she hadn't up until then. There is nothing wrong with having an ideal vision of how you would like your baby to be born. Just as long as you keep in mind that things may turn out to be very different. Otherwise you could end up like another friend who had her heart completely set on a water birth at home. She and her husband had it all worked out: the pool, the Tens machine, the fairy lights, the beach balls, the Peruvian pan pipe music everything. I spoke to her just as she was going into labour. Then waited for the jubilant phone call. And waited. And waited. Nothing. Two days later, a shaken new father called me. It had been a car crash, hours of agony ending in a mad dash to the hospital and an emergency caesarean. My poor friend was traumatised all the worse because she had expected it to be such a wonderful, 'empowering' experience. I'm sure that Meghan will be fine. Not least because if things don't go according to plan, those dreaded 'men in suits' will be on standby with their pesky science to make sure no harm comes to either her or the baby. But I would just urge her not to get too fixated on the idea of the 'perfect birth'. But I would just urge her not to get too fixated on the idea of the 'perfect birth', writes SARAH VINE. Meghan is pictured at the Natural History Museum in London in February June Brown Dot Cotton in EastEnders is absolutely right when she says there's no point in giving up the booze and fags at her age (92). It reminds me of the time years ago when my father gave up drinking. After about six weeks he took it up again. His reasoning? If unremitting sobriety was going to be the rest of his life, he could see no reason to prolong it. What's the point? EastEnders legend June Brown, 92, said she doesn't see the point in trying to give up smoking or drinking red wine A touch of Killing Eve, 007? Can everyone please stop raving about Fleabag? I'm as keen as the next person, but there is a fine line between adored and over-exposed, and we don't want the nation to reach peak Phoebe Waller-Bridge before as rumoured she has worked her magic on the new James Bond movie. If she can bring even a little bit of Villanelle the mesmerising anti-heroine of Killing Eve (played by Jodie Comer) to 007's stuffy old-school format, then we could be in for the ride of our lives. Jodie Comer is pictured in the BBC's Killing Eve Call me a knucklehead... I'm afraid the news that Shamima Begum might be in receipt of legal aid to pursue her right to remain a British citizen just drives me mad. So many of my rational, better-educated friends have tried to persuade me that I am being a knucklehead, that she deserves to have her case heard, that it is the mark of a truly civilised society that we should respect her human rights. Yeah, yeah . . . I have no doubt that, morally and philosophically, they are correct. But it still gets me in the gut. I'm afraid the news that Shamima Begum (pictured) might be in receipt of legal aid to pursue her right to remain a British citizen just drives me mad I thought it was revolting that Islamist hate preacher Abu Hamza managed to play the legal system so successfully, evading justice while at the same time mocking everything we hold dear; and I think it equally reprehensible that Shamima Begum who has so blatantly embraced an ideology that presided over the rape, murder, torture and genocide of thousands of innocents should also benefit. I don't care about the moral high ground; I care about right and wrong. And wasting a single penny of taxpayers' money on that woman just sticks in the craw. I must confess to finding the first episode of the final series incredibly dull and ponderous As a long-time fan of Game Of Thrones, I must confess to finding the first episode of the final series incredibly dull and ponderous. The joy of this show was always its outlandish absurdity; but now it and all the main characters seems to be taking it all far too seriously. Especially Jon Snow and Daenerys (right), who are moping around like a pair of lovelorn goths, giving new meaning to the saying: 'It's grim up north.' Lighten up, guys: less hand-wringing and more gnashing of teeth. Preferably big, sharp, pointy dragon ones . . . Next is introducing half sizes to help women find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly. I must confess, I've never found jeans that fitted. Even when I was young and relatively sylph-like, jeans were always a nightmare. After years of stuffing myself into variously uncomfortable and unyielding pieces of unflattering denim, I gave up. I haven't worn jeans for years I don't even own a pair. Has my life been less fulfilling as a result? No. What a load of nonsense. To all the very-pleased-with-themselves eco-warriors reducing London to a standstill: you do know that the very worst thing for toxic emissions is an idling engine, don't you? And that thanks to you, thousands of Londoners including many inner-city children whose families can't afford to take them on holiday this week will be inhaling several times the amount of traffic fumes they normally do. Save Big Ben from catastrophe The terrible fire at Notre Dame is a salutary reminder of the deep emotions that iconic monuments provoke. A case in point is the Palace of Westminster. Majestic as it is, this great Neo-Gothic landmark is, rather like the democracy it represents, in desperate need of renovation. It is riddled with rot and asbestos, infested with vermin, the plumbing is pre-war and the whole thing is a giant fire hazard. In the past decade, over 40 fires have broken out within its walls. It is not a question of 'if', rather when. Politicians warned yesterday that Parliament (pictured) is at risk of being ravaged by fire just like Notre Dame as it has caught alight 40 times in just four years And yet whenever a restoration programme is suggested the reaction is one of horror: how can we possibly justify spending vast sums of money (latest estimates put the cost of the works at around 3.5 billion) on MPs when public trust in politics is at an all-time low? But that's not the point. MPs come and go: this is about the nation. The Houses of Parliament are so much more than the people who work there, just as Notre Dame is so much more than a Catholic church. It doesn't matter how broken our democracy is: if we don't ever want to witness the clocktower of Big Ben toppling like the spire of Notre Dame, we need to act. Advertisement The days when there were only four key fashion weeks dictating the trends for the coming season are long over: Fashion Month has expanded its reach beyond the 'Big Four,' (New York, London, Paris and Milan) with a globe-spanning roster that runs year-round to include more than a hundred Fashion Weeks worldwide. Some surprising destinations include Copenhagen, Figi, Tel Aviv, Seoul and Moscow, with each location attracting buyers, media, street style stars and designers who proudly present their latest collections while soaking up the local color. FEMAIL highlights Mercedes-Benz Russia Fashion Week Fall 2019, and the dazzling city that deserves more love and attention from the international fashion community. Gorgeous locale: Mercedes-Benz Russia Fashion Week takes place in the heart of the city at the Moscow Manege located in Manege Square Mercedes-Benz Russia Fashion Week takes place in the heart of the city at the Moscow Manege located in Manege Square. The Neoclassical building is adjacent to Red Square and the Kremlin and has been the site of the Moscow Design Museum since 2012. Formerly an indoor riding academy, a spacious interior makes it the ideal venue for a fashion week takeover. With two levels of the historic exhibition hall reserved for shows and events and a basement floor dedicated to an emerging designers pop-up, the pageantry of this Soviet city and its style makers is fully on display. Location, location, location: The Neoclassical building is adjacent to Red Square and the Kremlin and has been the site of the Moscow Design Museum since 2012 Shop the runway: With two levels of the historic exhibition hall reserved for shows and events and a basement floor dedicated to an emerging designers pop-up, the pageantry of this Soviet city and its style makers is fully on display Up and comer: 'This is the biggest and most popular fashion event in Eastern Europe,' said exhibitor Alesya Langell. The designer says being part of the pop-up has been great exposure for her eponymous brand, Langell 'This is the biggest and most popular fashion event in Eastern Europe,' said exhibitor Alesya Langell. The designer says being part of the pop-up has been great exposure for her eponymous brand, Langell. 'Russia is just beginning its development, and young designers are faced with finding fabrics, manufacturing and places to sell their work,' said Alesya. Her collection is a merger of influences from modern to urban, romantic to laid-back, making it appealing to any fashionable woman of the world. 'I create clothes for active and ambitious women who adore life, travel and communicating through fashion.' In addition to the pop-up, there is a lower-level area designated for panel discussions lead by industry authorities holding forth on topics from accessories and styling to manufacturing and the local scene. On the main floor is a full-service cafe, as well as a stage where big acts like Linda, a mystical trip hop stylist considered to be the Madonna of Russia can perform. A secluded balcony designated for VIP guests overlooks the arcade, and as youd expect, its fully stocked with champagne and other beverages. Supporting art: 'Russia is just beginning its development, and young designers are faced with finding fabrics, manufacturing and places to sell their work,' said Alesya. So much to see: On the main floor is a full-service cafe, as well as a stage where big acts like Linda, a mystical trip hop stylist considered to be the Madonna of Russia can perform STREET PARTY From cool comrades decked in layered military looks to color blocking with Russian constructivist influences and an urban edge, Muscovite trendsetters used Red Square as their catwalk to show off everything from normcore to ladylike power suiting in plush wools, pinstripes and pastels. The style here runs the gamut from the beloved red, a hue associated with Soviet symbolism to jewel tones with boxy boyfriend blazers, trenches and traditional coats in exaggerated silhouettes as the topper of choice. Its still cold in Moscow, so creativity is key. A fun throwback was the retro Old-Hollywood meets babushka silk headscarf and sunnies look. Personal style: Muscovite trendsetters used Red Square as their catwalk to show off everything from normcore to ladylike power suiting in plush wools, pinstripes and pastels Glamour darling: A fun throwback was the retro Old-Hollywood meets babushka silk headscarf and sunnies look Hot on the streets: From cool comrades decked in layered military looks to color blocking with Russian constructivist influences and an urban edge, anything goes Outfit of the day: Dhante Caseres photographed stand-out street style looks, including that of Daily Mail's Pandora Amoratis So much to see: The Red Square is Moscows most iconic setting and home to St. Basil's Cathedral (pictured) and mere steps from the Manege SEEING RED The Red Square is Moscows most iconic setting and home to the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral, and mere steps from the Manege and the Bolshoi Theatre. Stroll Nikolskaya St., visit GUM, the most beautiful Russian department store, stop by the former KGB headquarters, Lenins Tomb or drop into the Hotel Metropol for cocktails at the 24-hour bar. It has a fascinating history as a Belle Epoque grand hotel seized by the Bolsheviks after the Russian Revolution before being restored to its extravagant former life. Original Art Nouveau decor makes it one of the most stunning spots in Moscow. Fancy drinks: If you're in the market for an after-hours cocktail, Hotel Metropol has a 24-hour bar in the lobby. Pandora loved the luxurious antique furniture at the hotel. Pictured wearing an Amur dress, Julez Bryant jewelry and an Emma Kuo handbag A must see and stay: Hotel Metropol has a fascinating history as a Belle Epoque grand hotel seized by the Bolsheviks after the Russian Revolution before being restored to its extravagant former life. Original Art Nouveau decor makes it one of the most stunning spots in Moscow Shop 'til you drop: Stroll Stroll Nikolskaya St and visit the GUM, the most beautiful Russian department store RUNWAY TRENDS With three catwalks, Fashion Week in Moscow is manageable. Looks of note and recurring themes were extreme layering from puffers with metallic accents to heavy, boxy wools, faux furs in primary colors and utilitarian looks. Other trends were prominent logos, asymmetry, monochromatic looks and exaggerated retro-inspired suiting in bright orange, red and also dusty lilacs and rose pink paired with wide brimmed wool hats. Volume and proportion play as well as heavy outer layers over sheer silky fabrics in primary and jewel hued combos were on display. Modern way: Models stormed the catwalk of Alena Akhmadullina (pictured) wearing statement coats atop cool separates Like a diamond: Metallics and high shine reigned supreme at Holy Mhpi (left) and Yasya Minochkuna What's on the outside: Red September (left) and Ksenia Gerts served up utilitarian-inspired statement jackets Street wear: Prominent logos lead the way at Product of Imitation Size matters: Volume and proportion play took center stage at Alexander Arutyonov Major supermarkets have reduced their Easter chocolate offerings to half price, with iconic brands like Cadbury and Lindt being heavily discounted. From Wednesday April 17 Coles and Woolworths will be offering markdowns on Easter eggs, bunnies and even traditional blocks as Australia prepares for the festive long weekend. One of the most lavish chocolates to be put on sale is the one kilo Lindt bunny at Woolworths, which is usually $80 but will be reduced to just $60 from tomorrow. One of the most lavish chocolates to be put on sale is the one kilo Lindt bunny, which is usually $80 but will be reduced to $60 from tomorrow Other Lindt products on offer at Coles and Woolworths will be the $30 Lindt Easter Gala Box, which will be $15, the $5.50 Lindt Gold Bunny will be $4.50, and mini eggs will drop from $16 to $8. Even the famous Lindt Lindor chocolates, a staple for all manner of sweets lovers, will go from $20 to $10 overnight. If you prefer Cadbury's selection, the brand's Favourites packets will be half price at Woolworths, down to $9.50. If you prefer Cadbury's selection, the brand's Favourites packets will be half price, down to $9.50 Toblerone bars, Celebrations chocolates, Maltesers and M&M's are similarly reduced, costing just $5 a bag The mixed bag of eggs will be $12, saving you $3, and the larger bunnies - perfect for laying out on the table before young children wake up on Easter - are $4 down from $4.50. Meanwhile for those fans of the Italian Ferrero Rocher's there is a half price sale on their box of 16 - which are now just $6.30. Toblerone bars, Celebrations chocolates, Maltesers and M&M's are similarly reduced, costing just $5 a bag. What chocolates will be on sale? COLES *The Lindt Maxi Carrot half price at $15 *Cadbury Boxed Favourites half price at $6 *Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs Bag half price at $10 *Cadbury Dairy Milk Easter Bunny half price at $2 WOOLWORTHS *Cadbury Favourites Easter Tin half price at $15 *Cadbury Humpty or Freddo Gift Box $5 - save $2 *Lindt Lindor Box half price at $10 *Ferrero Rocher Collection half price at $6.30 *Toblerone half price at $5 Advertisement There will likely be further markdowns closer to Sunday, and the few days following, as the supermarkets attempt to clear their stock. Most Woolworths and Coles stores will be closed on Good Friday but open for the majority of Sunday for last-minute treats. Trading hours will return to normal the following Tuesday. Navigating the complexities of sugar is difficult - but now experts have revealed how much of it is really hiding in the food you feed your children. Speaking to The Today Show obesity expert Dr Nick Fuller and mother Belinda McDougall from the Lady Shake Food and Drinks Company said the labelling of sugar on products is a 'deliberate minefield'. Ms McDougall figured this out when she gave her two children, a two year old and four year old, an Up & Go each for breakfast. 'Half an hour later there was a big sugar crash and when I looked on the packet I actually worked out there was five teaspoons of sugar in one little Up & Go when you're meant to only have six teaspoons a day,' she said. This led her to conduct further research into how much sugar was in the food being marketed to children. Scroll down for video Navigating the complexities of sugar can be difficult but now experts have revealed how much sugar is really hiding in the food you feed your children (stock image) 'What the big companies are doing now to confuse us, and it is deliberate, is they're putting things like "30 per cent less sugar" and "all natural" on their labels,' she said. 'But just because something's all natural doesn't mean it's not full of sugar and it may say high protein but a lot of these high protein items have more sugar than protein.' She explained that reading food labels can be difficult, which is often made harder by the fact that there are 50 different names for sugar. 'Companies are deliberately doing it because sugar's cheap and they want their products to appear cheaper than they really are,' she said. Ms McDougall explained that she figured out that the labelling of sugar on products is a 'deliberate mind field' when she gave her two children an Up & Go and they experienced a sugar crash 'What the big companies are doing now to confuse us, and it is deliberate, is they're putting things like "30 per cent less sugar" and "all natural" on their labels,' she said Dr Fuller said another trapping is when something is labelled as low in fat. He said the main thing he sees with his patients is a state of confusion over which foods have a healthy amount of sugar. 'This is now a $100 billion dollar health and wellness industry and people don't know what to believe,' he said. 'It also comes to the food manufacturers themselves. If you have a look at some of these products we are misled with how much information is being provided. 'The one thing the government couldn't gotten right with the health star rating they haven't, because this isn't a mandatory labelling process and often you will pick up a packet, you see four stars and you think it's healthy but actually it's not.' How much sugar should children consume? Age Maximum recommended sugar intake per day Teaspoons 4 - 6 years 19g 5 10 years 24g 6 From 11yrs 30g 7 Source: BBC Good Food She explained that reading food labels can be difficult, which is often made harder by the fact that there are 50 different names for sugar When it comes to breakfast cereals for children, Nick said everyone should go back to 'nature's treats' and he particularly recommended porridge as a great breakfast option. He added that anything that comes out of a packet is going to have a lot more sugar than what it's made out to be. 'We need to give our kids the best chance and shop around the perimeter of the supermarket where we have those fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds,' he said. 'But just because something's all natural doesn't mean it's not full of sugar and it may say high protein but a lot of these high protein items have more sugar than protein,' Ms McDougall said She added that although plain yoghurt has hardly any sugar in it things become more complicated when you start incorporating flavoured kinds Ms McDougall said that although plain yoghurt has hardly any sugar in it things become more complicated when you start incorporating flavoured kinds. She added that the ones from Chobani nearly have an entire day's worth of sugar. 'What we're calling on the government to do is put sugar on the front of each packaging of how much total sugar is in each product so that when you're going through the supermarket you can make a conscious choice for your family,' she said. Dr Fuller said their needs to be better education about how people can properly use a health start rating and we need to make this mandatory on all food products. 'It could be a very useful tool for the Australian population if applied correctly and the other thing we need to do is actually change the scoring index because sugars are healthy if they're in their natural occurring form,' he said. 'Fruits and vegetables and some other products are actually very healthy but at the moment all sugars are bundled together, which is confusing. 'It is the added sugars we need to start minimising.' A first-time Australian mum has revealed how using hypnobirthing techniques allowed her to have an easier time in labour and an entirely drug-free birth. The practice, rumoured to be one that the Duchess of Sussex is considering as she prepares for the birth of her first child, is designed to help women have calmer, shorter and less traumatic birth experiences. Haylie Middleton, 29, from Queenscliff, New South Wales, is a mum to Austin, a happy, healthy one-year-old who was born without any complications following six hours in labour. 'The hypnobirthing course I did through Rockin' Birth changed my attitude towards pain, it helped me to see the pain as "useful" and there was an end goal in sight - my baby,' she told FEMAIL. Haylie Middleton (pictured left with her son Austin, right) from Queenscliff, NSW gave birth to her child Austin without the aid of pain medication It is rumoured the Duchess of Sussex (picture left with Prince Harry, pictured right) is considering a range of alternative birthing techniques including hypnobirthing 'If I hadn't done the course, I don't think that would have been my mindset.' The new mum said her midwife had suggested she try a hypnobirthing course in the lead up to the birth of her baby as a way to help her stay 'calm and focused'. 'When my waters broke at 37 weeks I initially panicked and wanted to call my mum, but my partner reminded me to breathe and to keep calm and I was fine,' she said. The new mum said when her waters broke at 37 weeks she focused on breathing and staying calm before heading to the hospital Baby Austin (pictured) is a happy, healthy one-year-old who was born without any complications following a six hour labour At this point, Ms Middleton wasn't experiencing any contractions although she did decide to go to the hospital to make sure things were progressing as they should. 'I wasn't experiencing any pain and I also didn't know how dilated I was - this is a technique recommended by Hypnobirthing Australia,' she said. After she and her baby were checked, the pair were given the all clear to leave. However, Ms Middleton started having contractions on the way home and by the time the couple arrived she said she was in active labour. But rather than panicking, the mum said she knew to put on her hypnobirthing tracks and to calmly rock her body using a birthing ball. 'My partner was using the tips we learned on our hypnobirthing course the whole time. He was touching me lightly on my back to keep me calm, and talking to me with each contraction and telling me how well I was doing.' Baby Austin's father Barry Murphy (pictured) was also a very active part of Ms Middleton's birthing process After the pair returned to the hospital, Ms Middleton's partner set about making sure everything was set up for her comfort. This included making sure the water birthing suite was properly set up with speakers to play hypnobirthing tracks. 'The rest is a blur, to be honest, and I really wasn't as quiet as I would've liked - not like the women in the Hypnobirth Australia film clips!,' Ms Middleton said. Julie Velina teaches women hypnobirthing techniques to help them have calmer birthing experiences 'My midwife reminded me to practice what I'd learned and to channel my energy on getting the baby out rather than roaring; the difference was noticeable. 'I felt calmer and more focussed and after six hours of active labour my little boy was in my arms.' Australian hypnobirthing expert Julie Velina who runs Rockin'Birth - an Australian hypnobirthing centre - said the techniques she teaches means mums can expect to have calmer and less painful births. 'They are able to let go of fears and tensions and get into a zone where they can tap into the body's natural ability to give birth comfortably.' Ms Velina said as well as being more relaxed and in tune with the birth process, mums can also learn to release endorphins during birth. 'Endorphins (a naturally occurring hormone) are a lot more powerful and efficient than morphine, and we can release as many endorphins as we need to feel at ease during childbirth.' As well as benefits for expectant mums, Ms Velina said the techniques can mean babies are calmer and more settled from birth. 'This makes it so much easier for new parents to adjust to living with a new baby.' What does a hypnobirth involve? According to Ms Velina hynobirthing has four main element for success: * Knowledge - Understanding the physiology of birth, how our body, mind and baby working together can greatly reduce our fears of birth to confidently make informed decisions * Tools for birth - Birth is like an intense workout sessions, women learn tools and techniques to help them manage the intensity of birth, stay calm, relaxed and focussed. * Support - Women also learn how to find the right support team and how to communicate with them. Birth partners also learn how to support the birthing mother and advocate for her if needed. * Preparation - Preparation is key, women learn how to prepare physically and emotionally for the birth of their baby. We have plenty of practice, including a birth rehearsal. Source: Julie Velina of Rockin'Birth Advertisement The techniques aren't designed as a way to ignore potential complications or side-step any issues. Instead, they are a way to help mums cope and to make the best decisions they can, said Ms Velina. 'Hypnobirthing Australia doesn't prescribe a way of birthing over another. It's all about releasing fear and feeling calm and confident. 'If complications arise, we can use the same techniques to help us cope with the situation in the most positive way possible.' Ms Middleton said one of the benefits of practicing the technique, she believes, was the ability to be able to give birth without needing pain medication Ms Middleton echoed Ms Velina's points in the techniques helped her to have a virtually pain-free birth and gave her the tools to deal with labour more calmly. 'I did give birth without pain medication, and I believe I had a relatively easy labour and I think thats due to being calm and (mostly) collected. 'I didn't use every single tip or resource but it definitely helped.' Good looks, height and wealth. Thats the magic trio of qualities that have traditionally wooed women - and will continue to do so. (Lets be honest, the Brad Pitts and Jon Hamms of the world are always going to clean up.) But these arent the only things that attract us. Talent, sex appeal, a brilliant sense of humour, good old-fashioned charm, a quirkiness these are less obvious but equally alluring attributes which explain why the not-so-good-looking friend of Mr Handsome, often ends up being the one who pulls the girl. Think your girlfriend or wife are safe with men like this? Think again THE ONE WHOS PASSIONATE Kevin, who is now dating Strictly Come Dancing partner Stacey Dooley, had another secret weapon under his belt to seduce his down-to-earth, non-starry partner physical closeness Kevin Clifton To see someone at their most attractive, watch them doing something they love. Passion and talent are extremely seductive, capable of transforming someone who does absolutely nothing for us into a person whos irresistible. Kevin Clifton, the slippery snake whos been accused of stealing his former Strictly dancing partner Stacey Dooley from her boyfriend, has some big, red flags waving around him. Hes only 36 and has been divorced three times: each marriage was brief. But hes also the most successful professional dancer on the show and his fans worship him for it. Kevin had another secret weapon under his belt to seduce his down-to-earth, non-starry partner physical closeness. Dancing is intensely physical and being close to someone sends the production of oxytocin the bonding, cuddle hormone through the roof. Arms entwined around each others waists and necks, strong arms lifting you into the air, prolonged eye contact if youre a man whos out to impress, being a great dancer is an excellent way to do it. Loved-up? It's been rumoured that Stacey, 32, and Kevin, 36, have been enjoying a secret romance for months, with photos emerging of the pair heading into the same Birmingham hotel in January Theres another reason why so many Strictly dancers and their partners tend to fall for each other time. Each contestant spends anything from 20 to 50 hours a week practising. Most couples spend around 20 minutes a day in engaged conversation with their partners. Familiarity breeds lust: studies prove repeated exposure to practically any stimulus makes us like it more (the only time it doesnt hold true is when our initial reaction to something is negative). If youre not that physically attractive, one proven way to win someone over is to simply see them as much as possible. THE FUNNY GUY Pete Davidson, 25, is an American comedian and actor whos a regular on Saturday Night Live Pete Davidson Who didnt do a double take when they saw Kate Beckinsale, 45, snogging some geeky looking, young guy while watching a ball game? Pete Davidson, 25, is an American comedian and actor whos a regular on Saturday Night Live. He was formerly engaged to Ariana Grande, another beauty - and is the last in a very long line of funny men who get the girls. Who doesnt like someone who can make them laugh? Hook up with a partner who sees the funny side in the darkest of moments and youre far more likely to make it long-term. Few of us want to be around someone who never cracks a smile and a terrific sense of humour can render an otherwise unbeddable person highly fanciable. But women are far more susceptible to falling for people who are funny than men are. Researchers from Northumbria University set out to find out why and concluded that females see a good sense of humour as a sign of intellectual and social intelligence and creativity. All are good genes to pass down to offspring because they indicate mental fitness. So, could be were evolutionarily wired to see humour as alluring because intelligence is necessary to protect us and our babies from potential predators. THE CHARMING MAN Gregg is now expecting a baby with his fourth wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, who is 21 years younger than the TV personality Gregg Wallace For a man whos just the fat, bald bloke on Masterchef who likes pudding as Gregg Wallace once referred to himself hes managed to acquire rather a lot of wives. Greggs now expecting a baby with his fourth wife Anne-Marie Sterpini, who is 21 years younger than the TV personality. They met on Twitter. Wallace is now three stone lighter, having swapped dessert for the gym, but his attractiveness has never been about his looks. Hes charismatic and has social value. Women like men who are interesting and lead exciting lives. Being able to talk the talk, tell a good story: having social value raises mens social status as it reflects the ability to influence others. A man with interesting friends, confidence and great people skills often gets and crucially holds the attention of more women than a traditionally handsome man. It helps that Greggs previous wives were also attractive: the better looking our exes, the more attractive people see us. In one experiment, researchers showed people pictures of men and women on their own and asked them to rate how attractive they were. A second group of people were shown photos of the same people, this time photographed next to a good-looking person of the opposite sex, who they were told was their ex. The people photographed next to the hot ex were almost always rated as more attractive as they were when photographed solo. THE SEX THIMBLE At around 5ft 5 inches Tom is an unlikely sex symbol (or sex thimble as hes sometimes called Tom Hollander Notoriously private about his personal life making him even more intriguing Tom Hollander has a string of tall, glamorous exes, none of whom have given a hoot about his diminutive stature. Hes been linked to designer Daphne Guinness and Jemima Goldsmith. He holidays with famous people he was photographed in the Maldives with the likes of Cara Delevingne and is friends with them as well. It helps that hes tremendously talented but at around 5ft 5 inches Toms still an unlikely sex symbol (or sex thimble as hes sometimes called). Height has always been a thing for women so its unsurprising that its the trait men most lie about on hook up apps. The female preference for tall men could stem, again, from the caveman days when men had to protect us and our babies from wild beasts. The taller the man, the more advantage hed have in a physical confrontation. The wild animals might have disappeared but the tall, dark and handsome requirement stuck. Unless you throw sexy into the mix. Sex appeal is something thats hard to pin down but we all know it when we see it. Sure, the Clooneys of the world are sexy but so is Mick Jagger, Adam Driver and Adrien Brody. Toms too pretty to fall into the ugly sexy category (someone who isnt conventionally good-looking but considered sexually attractive by many) but hes most definitely got it. A MAN WITH A MISSION Lady Gaga spent five hours having dinner with Julian Assange, rapper M.I.A also popped into the Ecuador embassy then theres the bizarre friendship between Assange and the former Playgirl pin-up Pamela Anderson Julian Assange Like or dislike the infamous Wikileaks founder - and for the record, can I make it clear I am in firmly in the latter camp no-one can deny Julian Assange gets more than his fair share of support from attractive female celebrities. Lady Gaga spent five hours having dinner with him, rapper M.I.A also popped into the Ecuador embassy; then theres the bizarre friendship between Assange and the former Playgirl pin-up Pamela Anderson. She was a frequent visitor. Why the appeal? Wikileaks publishes highly confidential documents and other secret information in the interests of complete transparency. Some see Assange, the founder, as a hero for doing this, others as a highly dangerous man. Women are historically attracted to risk takers: those calendars featuring half naked firemen are popular for more than one reason. Julian also ticks another box altruism by women who believe he is doing a good deed. Studies show that altruism is one of the top qualities women are drawn to when theyre looking for a long-term relationship. (Were not quite as noble when its for a short-term fling). Another study found men who report doing more altruistic acts like giving money to charity or helping someone whose car has broken down have more sex than those who dont. Want her to fancy the pants off you? Do a good deed! Check out traceycox.com for more articles about sex and love from Tracey and to see her two product ranges. Former Miss Texas has revealed the contents of her three-story wardrobe once again, despite being robbed by thieves after revealing the pricey contents of her closet just a few years ago. Theresa Roemer, 57, of The Woodlands, Texas, walked through her infamous three-story closet - the biggest in America - in a video for Insider. The entrepreneur showed off her most expensive items, including jewelry, handbags and limited edition shoes. The tour comes just five years after Theresa's closet was broken into and up for $1 million worth of expensive items including bags, jewelry and clothing were stolen from the house after the property was broken into. Woah! Theresa Roemer, 57, owner of the largest closet in America, has revealed the pricey contents of her three-story wardrobe, despite the closet being robbed just five years ago Tough: Theresa's closet was robbed in August 2014 after she showed the closet off to the world during a segment on Good Morning America in July that year Yikes: The lavish closet features Theresa's jewelry, which includes an 80 karat tanzanite ring (pictured) worth $80,000 and a $25,000 Chanel diamond watch Luxury: Theresa, an entrepreneur, who has written three books and has her own line of clothing, has more than 50 Hermes bags in her massive collection Pricey! While going through her bags, the 57-year-old showed off a Hermes travel bag that costs $60,000, as well as several Louis Vuitton pieces, including a vintage purse Disaster: The infamous closet (pictured after the robbery) was broken into and robbed back in 2014 when approximately $1 million worth of items were taken from the property The entrepreneur, who has written three books and has her own line of clothing, candles, and chocolate truffles, has a closet that spans 3,000 square feet. Located in her house in The Woodlands, Texas, the closet cost Theresa a whopping $1 million to build, as she said revealed she based the design of the wardrobe around the look of high-end department store Neiman Marcus. 'I'm pretty spoiled really,' Theresa said, as she showed off her jewelry cabinet, which is located with her bags on the first floor of the wardrobe. Spoiled: Theresa described herself as 'pretty spoiled' as she ran through the items in her closet, not seeming to care that she was showing off its pricey contents The contents of the cabinet include an 80 karat tanzanite ring worth $80,000, a $25,000 Chanel diamond watch and a Rolex watch with a blue dial, that costs $7,000. Back in August 2014, Theresa's home was burgled when she and her husband Lamar were out for dinner. A robber stole approximately $1 million worth of items from the luxurious closet after the socialite first opened up her wardrobe to show the public during a segment on Good Morning America in July 2014. After the robbery, Theresa said: 'They took everything. They took all my jewelry, all my watch collections, my husband's watch collections, my Birkin collection. 'They literally walked out with between $800,000 and a million dollars' worth of stuff.' Some of the most expensive items were taken including 10 Rolex watches, up to a dozen Chanel watches, Cartier watches, and other expensive baubles and accessories. And it isn't the first time an A-lister was robbed of their most valuable items after showing them off to the public. Back in October, 2016, Kim Kardashian, 38, was held at gun point in a luxury private mansion in Paris, France, by two men dressed as police officers. According to People, the reality TV star was robbed of two diamond Cartier bracelets, a gold and diamond Jacob necklace, Lorraine Schwartz diamond earrings, a gold Rolex and a number of other items. Similarly, Kim said the burglars demanded her ring, which she said is worth approximately $4 million, that she received from husband Kanye West when he proposed in 2013. Speaking about the terrifying incident, during which she was tied up with 'plastic cables' and her hands, mouth and legs 'taped', Kim said: 'I think they robbed me of 5 million dollars.' Impressive: The second floor of Theresa's closet holds her 560 plus pairs of shoes - approximately 100 of which she said are Louboutins - and her many different belts Chic! The middle floor also features a mannequin that showcases different pieces from Theresa's closet, as well as a TV and several different seating areas Fancy: The second floor of the closet also boasts a champagne bar, as Theresa said: 'I had to have one because you're always drinking champagne when you're getting ready' Luxurious: Up on the third floor of the closet, Theresa keeps her fur and leather jackets. Her collection contains two mink coats that are worth between $63,000 and $68,000 While going through her jewelry, Theresa said she doesn't let her husband buy her gifts, as she said she would rather buy them for herself after her husband once bought her a ring with a small diamond on it. Moving on to her bag collection, which features over 50 Hermes bags, Theresa said: 'The part that I like the most about my Hermes collection is my travel bags.' The 57-year-old showed off a Hermes travel bag that costs $60,000, as well as several Louis Vuitton pieces, including a vintage purse. Pictured with her husband Lamar Roemer, the 57-year-old said she doesn't let her husband Lamar buy her gifts anymore as she said she would rather buy them herself Heading up to the second floor in the closet, Theresa revealed a champagne bar, as she said: 'I had to have one because you're always drinking champagne when you're getting ready.' The second floor of the closet holds Theresa's shoes - of which she has more than 560 pairs. About one fifth of her shoe collection consists of Louboutins. The former Miss Texas showed off a limited edition pair of the designer shoes that cost $4,000. She also revealed a pair of Donald Pliner shoes worth $595 and a pair of Louboutin bejeweled boots that cost her close to $5,000. A pair of YSL heels that feature 'actual pony hair' and cost $935 and a pair of Louboutin crystallized heels worth $5,000 were also stored in her shoe collection. Moving on, Theresa showed off her belt collection which featured a number of Hermes pieces. Pointing to her belts, each of which is displayed neatly on a glass shelf, she said: 'I always know when there is one missing. Believe me, I know.' Theresa then revealed a Barbie doll that was designed specifically for her. Fabulous: The luxurious three-story closet is located in Theresa's home (pictured) in The Woodlands, Texas Inspiration: Clearly a lover of all things expensive, Theresa revealed she based the design of the wardrobe around the look of high-end department store Neiman Marcus Up on the third floor, Theresa revealed numerous fur and leather coats and jackets. The fashion enthusiast admitted that she has both real and faux fur pieces, saying: 'Sometimes you have to have a couple fake furs so when you go somewhere you don't get paint thrown on you.' She showed off two mink coats, which she said could retail for about $63,000 to $68,000, while one of her lynx coats is worth $40,000. Speaking about her reasons for designing such an extravagant wardrobe, Theresa said: 'What a lot of people don't realize about this closet is that it is the closet that continuously gives back. 'Every time I want to hold a fundraiser we hold it in the closet because women will pay a lot of money to come hang out in the world's largest closet. 'I've had up to 100 women in this closet in any one given time. A couple months ago I just took like $40,000 worth of stuff to The Women's Home in downtown Houston,' she added. Theresa added that she feels like she is 'totally giving back' almost every day thanks to her lavish wardrobe. Mother-of-two Bec Lancaster-Scully has died after doctors told her an inoperable brain tumour only left her with four weeks to live. The 36-year-old's sister Sally Kulig posted an emotional tribute to her on Facebook, breaking the news with their friends and family on the Gold Coast. 'Last night you grew your angel wings and flew up to the stars,' she said. Mother-of-two Bec Lancaster-Scully has died after doctors told her an inoperable brain tumour only left her with four weeks to live (pictured with her family) Despite having the first tumour successfully removed on January 29, Bec's second tumour quadrupled in size, causing excruciating pain, swelling and partial blindness 'I know Granny, Pop and Jasper were there waiting for you to arrive. I will love you forever my beautiful sissy.' Bec had only visited their local hospital two months ago with complaints of a headache when doctors discovered two aggressive brain tumours. Despite having the first tumour successfully removed on January 29, Bec's second tumour had quadrupled in size, causing excruciating pain, swelling and partial blindness. This tumour couldn't be removed as it was on her brain stem. Sally had set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for 'the strongest woman we know'. Sally had set up a GoFundMe page to help to raise funds for 'the strongest woman we know' (Bec pictured with her son Kit) 'Only two months ago my sister Bec Lancaster-Scully was a happy and healthy 36-year-old woman living on the beautiful Gold Coast with her husband Joel and two beautiful boys Will, five, and Kit, one,' Sally wrote. Otherwise fit and healthy, she enjoyed bike rides, Pilates and playing with her two boys - until a bad migraine sent her to the doctor where she was given the fateful news. 'She has since been diagnosed with Grade 4 - primary glioblastoma with a rhabdoid subtype AKA brain cancer,' Sally wrote at the time. 'The average survival time is 12-18 months with only 25 per cent of glioblastoma patients survive more than one year, and only five per cent of patients survive more than five years.' Otherwise fit and healthy, she enjoyed bike rides, Pilates and playing with her two boys - until a bad migraine sent her to the doctor where she was given the fateful news 'She has since been diagnosed with Grade 4 - primary glioblastoma with a rhabdoid subtype AKA brain cancer,' Sally wrote at the time 'The average survival time is 12-18 months with only 25 per cent of glioblastoma patients survive more than one year, and only five per cent of patients survive more than five years,' Sally had written Bec's close-knit family were devastated by the news, especially after so much heartache and so many 'challenges' that she and her partner Joel have faced over the past six years. 'Their son Will was born in May 2013 with a heart condition that required heart surgery,' Sally wrote. What is Glioblastoma? * Glioblastoma is the most aggressive cancer that begins within the brain or spinal cord. * Glioblastoma can occur at any age, but tends to occur more often in older adults. It can cause worsening headaches, nausea, vomiting and seizures. * Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme, can be very difficult to treat and a cure is often not possible. Treatments may slow progression of the cancer and reduce signs and symptoms. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement 'He spent seven weeks in hospital until he was strong enough to undergo the surgery. 'Then in February 2016 their little boy Jasper was born sleeping at 9 1/2 months. Bec and Joel welcomed Kit into the world in October 2017, born at 34 weeks which kept Bec and Kit in hospital for six weeks.' The fundraising page has received almost $200,000 since it first began two months ago - and far exceeds the $150,000 they were looking for. The family were hoping to use the money to take Bec's case to renowned Sydney-based brain surgeon Charlie Teo. 'Bec is the strongest woman we know and if we can make this fight a little bit easier, we're going to do whatever we can for her and her boys' future,' Sally wrote on the page. Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer in adults, and it has a five-year survival rate of 4.6 per cent, against 25 per cent for other brain cancers, according to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. It kills around 1,500 Australians. The Prince of Wales has come under fire for using 'American' spellings in a heartfelt letter, written to the French president following the Notre Dame fire. On Tuesday, a letter of sympathy written by Prince Charles, 70, to Emmanuel Macron, 41, in the wake of the cathedral inferno, was shared to the Clarence House Instagram account. Despite the touching message, many of the royal's 714,000 followers were distracted by the 'Americanised' spellings - a day after fans claimed Meghan is running the SussexRoyal Instagram account, due to US words and phrases in the captions. Arguing that the future King should stick to British English, fans pointed out that 'agonizing, realize and civilizaton' were used in the letter, as opposed to 'agonising, realise and civilisaton'. Others suggested that his spellings could have been autocorrected, with most word processing programmes using American English as their default setting for spellchecking. Clarence House declined to comment, but it's believed that Charles prefers to use the 'correct' 15th century versions of English, when words were spelled with an 'ize' instead of 'ise'. Examples of previous letters written by the royal, show that he has always used spellings such as 'recognize' and 'realize'. The Prince of Wales, seen with Camilla, has come under fire online over his 'American' spelling in a heartfelt letter written to the French president following the Notre Dame fire - with many fans not realising the use of 'ize' dates back to traditional British English spelling David Adger, Professor of Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, confirmed to Femail that Prince Charles' spelling is techincally correct, if unusual in 2019. He said: 'The -ize spelling is a pretty accurate representation of the Ancient Greek suffix from which it derives, which was roughly pronounced -idzo. 'It's still used by, for example, Oxford University Press, instead of the more standard -ise. 'However, for words that don't come from that Ancient Greek affix, like analyse, for example, Oxford University Press sticks with the -se spelling, while American English has generalised even those words.' The full letter reads: 'My wife and I were utterly heartbroken to learn of the terrible fire at Notre-Dame cathedral this evening and wanted to let you know immediately how much we were thinking of yourself and the French people at this most agonizing of times, and of the emergency services who are so bravely tackling the blaze. Where the use of 'ize' in words such as 'realize' originates from and how terms including 'fall' instead of autumn are traditionally English Despite the common belief that the use of 'ize' instead of 'ise' derives from American spelling, it actually originated in England where it was used in the 15th century. The first example for the verb 'organize' in the Oxford English Dictionary is from around 1425, from an English translation of a treatise on surgery written by the French physician Guy de Chauliac: The brayne after e leng ha 3 ventriclez, And euery uentricle ha 3 parties & in euery partie is organized [L. organizatur] one vertue. The use of '-ize' spellings is part of the house style at Oxford University Press, and reflects the style adopted in their first edition published in 1884. The OED's earliest example for realize dates from 1611, taken from a definition in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, a bilingual dictionary written by Randle Cotgrave: Realiser, to realize, to make of a reall condition, estate, or propertie; to make reall. The first recorded use of the verb with an '-ise' spelling in the OED is not until 1755 over a century later. In the Oxford English Dictionary (published in parts from 1884 to 1928), the first editions of Hart's Rules (1904) and the Authors' and Printers' Dictionary (1905), '-ize' spellings were used, because they correspond to the Greek verb endings 'izo' and 'izein'. However, in both American and British English, certain verbs must always be spelled with an -ise at the end, because this is an intrinsic part of the word, rather than being a separate ending. For instance, the -ise in the word surprise prise, means taking. Other words that must end in an -ise include, advertise compromise exercise revise. It's believed that confusion over which words should be spelled with an -ise led to it being commonly adopted in British English, overtaking the -ize. However, Prince Charles does make a blunder in one of his letters where he spells the word 'advertize', which is not in fact correct, and is commonly 'advertise' in both British and American English. Source: OxfordDictionaries.com The use of language commonly associated with being American is not just refined to the use of 'ize' but also words such as 'fall', now referred to as autumn. Words associated with America which are rooted in old England Fall (autumn) Fall was used as a noun to designate the season from the 16th century and is thought to have developed from 'fall of the leaf'. Trash (rubbish) The word trash has been used since the 14th century and is thought to be from the Old Norse word meaning fallen leaves and twigs. Diaper (nappy) This term was used in Middle English and derived from the Old French word diaspre, or earlier Latin and Greek terms relating to white fabric. Candy (sweets) The Middle English word began to be used in the late 13th century when it appeared as a combination of spices and sugar in the homes of the very wealthy and used as a form of medicine. Soccer (football) The word soccer originated in 19th century England as an abbreviation of association football (several fledgling football clubs around England having formed the Football Association) with the added 'er' suffix which was common slang at Oxford University. Cookie The word comes from the Dutch koekje , meaning 'little cake,' and was introduced to English in the very early 18th century. Source: Sandra Rimmer, historian, and OxfordDictionaries.com Advertisement Language expert reveals the English origins of the use of 'ize' and which words they apply to Professor of Linguistics at Queen Mary University and President of The Linguistics Association of Great Britain David Adger told FEMAIL: 'The 'ize' spelling is an accurate representation of the Ancient Greek suffix from which it derives, which was roughly pronounced 'idzo'. 'It's still used by, for example, Oxford University Press instead of the more standard 'ise'. 'However, for words that don't come from that Ancient Greek affix, like analyse, for example, OUP sticks with the 'ise' spelling, while American English has generalized even to those words. 'The two suffixes -ize and -ise have both been in use for centuries, with the -ise spelling coming through French and -ize, possibly in the late 16th century, through classically educated writers familiar with Greek. The American Standardization to -ize began with Webster's dictionary in the early 1800s, but British English has always used both, often in different words.' Ted Mentele, Editor in Didactics at language learning app Babbel said: 'The 'ize' ending, used in American English, is not uniquely American and in fact originates from Greek. This option has also been present in British English for some time, even though Brits opt for the 'ise' spelling. 'Noah Webster of Webster's Dictionary; made other changes to the English language in the 1800s, to make it more phonetically consistent and remove extraneous letters such as the u in 'flavour', 'colour' and 'neighbour' - which we see applied to American rather than British English today.' 'The 'ize' forms of most words were in use before their 'ise' counterparts - for example the first recording of the verb 'realize' appears in the Oxford English Dictionary around 1611, whereas the first recorded use of the verb with an '-ise' spelling wasn't until 1755. 'British English use of 'ize' is known as Oxford spelling and is used in publications of the Oxford University Press (including the Oxford English Dictionary). Because of this link, academics (and the upper classes) often regard the 'ize' versions to be proper British English. 'However, 'ise' is more widely used, and was adopted at different stages in history - for example The Times switched to this usage in 1992.' Advertisement 'I realize only too well what a truly special significance the Cathedral holds at the heart of your nation; but also for us all outside France it represents one of the greatest architectural achievements of Western Civilization. 'It is a treasure for all mankind, as such, to witness its destruction in its most dreadful conflagration is a terrible tragedy, the unbearable pain of which we all share. 'Cher Monsieur le President, our hearts go out to you and the people of France more than you will ever know, especially in view of our experience with the devastating fire at Windsor Castle twenty-seven years ago. 'We send you our most profound sympathy, however inadequate that may be.' Previous letters written by Prince Charles show he has always used the traditional 'ize' spelling. However, one commenter who was unhappy with the spelling in the letter, said: 'Wait what? A British uses 'realize' not realise? Are you an American or the future King?'. On Tuesday a letter of sympathy written by Prince Charles, 70, to Emmanuel Macron, 41, in the wake of the cathedral's fire on Monday, was shared to the Clarence House Instagram account However, despite the touching message, many of the royal's 714,000 followers took to the post to slam the 'Americanised' spellings Another added: 'Agonising with a z - that will not do', while one wrote: 'Please ask your secretary not to write Americanised English!'. Elsewhere one follower argued: 'What hope is there for our schoolchildren, when even HRH starts spelling 'realise' with a 'z'?'. 'Realise! Not realize. Not criticising the sentiment of the letter though, just to be clear,' another wrote. Why are we eschewing the Queen's English for Americanisms?' another questioned. Arguing the royal family should set an example, another said: '*Realise* not realise (we are not American) ... HRH is supposed to be a stickler for grammar and accurate spelling!'. One fan even joked that Charles was dictating the letter, and his American daughter-in-law Meghan had typed it up. Users quickly slammed the post, with one follower writing: 'Wait what? A British uses 'realize' not realise? Are you an American or the future King?' How Charles uses and antiquated form of English dating back to the 15th century A look at past letters written by the Prince Of Wales shows how he's always made use of 'ize', at the end of words that many people would spell with an 'ise'. Last year Charles wrote a letter to Sarah Rose Troughton, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, in which he praised the resilience of the people of Salisbury following the Novichok poisonings, and used the American spelling of 'organization'. And a letter to loved ones of MH17 crash victim Liam Sweeney in 2014 spells both 'realize' and 'agonizing' in American spelling. Similarly, letters that surfaced in 2015, in which Prince Charles wrote to Tony Blair warning Armed Forces in Iraq did not have enough resources, show the use of the word 'advertized'. Another one shows Charles writing the words 'practices' and 'overemphasize'. A letter to loved ones of MH17 crash victim Liam Sweeney in 2014 spells both 'realize' and 'agonizing' in American spelling Last year Charles wrote a letter to Sarah Rose Troughton, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, in which he praised the resilience of the people of Salisbury following the Novichok poisonings, and used the American spelling of 'organization' Similarly, letters that surfaced in 2015, in which Prince Charles wrote to Tony Blair warning Armed Forces in Iraq did not have enough resources, show the use of the word 'advertized' Another one shows Charles writing the words 'practices' and 'overemphazize' Advertisement However many others defended the letter, arguing that the spelling was irrelevant in light of the tragedy. 'Beautifully stated but I am so sorry to see the amount of criticism here. Have a heart, people!' one said. Another argued the post was aimed at an international audience, adding: 'Let's not be petty and argue about regional differences. We all speak English.' Meanwhile one said: 'The world has just lost an iconic historic building in tragic circumstances which was originally erected in 1161 and took centuries to complete. It had over a million visitors annually, it housed priceless treasures and all you can complain about is a spell checker's spelling?'. However many others defended the letter, arguing that the spelling was irrelevant in light of the tragedy Speaking to FEMAIL, royal etiquette expert William Hanson said: 'It is a shame that Clarence House inadvertently used the American English version of 'realise'. 'All communication aimed at the British public should be in British English. One of the softer roles the monarchy has to play is maintaining traditional standards. 'The British monarchy should uphold correct British English - or, as it used to just be called, English. But I do wonder whether Clarence House chose to use the more internationally recognised spelling on purpose as the message was meant for a global audience? Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt.' This comes after fans took to the SussexRoyal Instagram account on Tuesday, claiming the Americanised spelling on its most recent post meant that California-born Meghan was writing the captions herself. Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, recently thanked fans for donating to their chosen charities in honour of Baby Sussex, and one post about Baby2Baby contains references to 'cribs' and 'diapers'. Several posts use the US spelling 'organization', rather than 'organisation' and 'programs' rather than 'programmes'. And fans were also quick to spot 'Americanised' spellings, as well as dollar signs and American English in the captions, and claimed this pointed to a US native writing them. Eagle-eyed viewers of the BBC's newest prime time thriller have spotted nods to the show's past star Jodie Whittaker - who has moved on to be a different kind of doctor. The second series of Trust Me, which is set in a fictional hospital in Glasgow, aired last night, and showed paralysed soldier Jamie McCain recovering from an injury. He was warned by fellow patient, Danny Adams, played by Elliot Cooper, that there was a 'killer on the ward', and that they had to be 'careful'. Danny was seen sitting in bed, surrounded by Doctor Who merchandise - including a mug, books and figure of the Time Lord. Jodie Whittaker starred in the first series as nurse Cath Hardacre, who was posing as a doctor, before she took over the TARDIS. And series creator Dan Sefton deliberately decided to weave references to Doctor Who into his own show in a 'playful nod' to the series' history, according to the Radio Times. Trust Me was scattered with 'playful nods' to Doctor Who through the character of Danny, pictured with a Doctor Who mug, book and figure. The 13th Doctor Jodie Whittaker stared in the first series of the BBC's hospital thriller He said: 'It sort of just came to me in a flash, and I thought, well, it's kind of fun it fit with the character [of Danny] so we have a bit of a nod and a wink to the history of Trust Me.' The writer also admitted that he knew it would 'wind a couple of people up', and that the Dr Who references will 'became part of the plot' as the series continues. However, some viewers thought the series creators were 'angry' with Doctor Who for poaching their star before a second season could be made. One person tweeted: 'I think the show writers of Trust Me are maybe a tiny bit angry with Dr Who.' Patient Danny Adams, played by Elliot Cooper, pictured with his Doctor Who mug, tells Jamie that there is a 'killer on the ward. We have to be careful' Jodie Whittaker, pictured as a Time Lord, became the Thirteenth Doctor in July 2017 This series' main character is Corporal Jamie McCain, played by Alfred Enoch who was Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films. In the first episode, viewers learned that Jamie is recovering from a spinal injury sustained in Afghanistan that has left him temporarily paralysed. In one tense scene, he was seen hauling his body across the floor to an iPad, containing what he thought was vital information. Some viewers thought the writers were a little 'angry' with Doctor Who because of the nods The second series of Trust Me is led by soldier Jamie McCain, played by Alfred Enoch, pictured, who is recovering from an injury and investigates suspicious deaths on the ward As patients start to die around him, Jamies nightmares suggested he has PTSD. Alfred told the Daily Mail's Weekend Magazine: He questions his own sanity over what hes seeing.' Dan Sefton finds the circumstances fascinating, and said: 'Seeing a strong person literally struggle to move a finger thats part of my interest. Jamie decides to investigate the deaths, and it soon becomes clear that everyone has something to hide among them Archie Watson (John Hannah), the wards clinical lead. In series one Jodie Whittaker, pictured, played nurse Cath Hardacre who pretended to be a senior doctor at an Edinburgh hospital A teenager who spends three hours a day pulling out chunks of her own hair started ripping out her eyelashes when she was just eight-years-old. Megan Prosser, 19, from Long Island, New York, suffers from trichotillomania, also known as trich, a mental disorder where sufferers experience an irresistible urge to pull out their hair. During a 'pulling attack', as Megan refers to her sessions, the nanny and pet store worker can easily create a bald patch the size of her hand. Megan tried to regain control by shaving her head but admitted that pulling out her hair still absorbs her attention daily. 'It consumes every single second of my day,' she explained. 'I spend maybe three hours-a-day pulling out my hair, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was more. 'I am hopeful I'll get it under control but I don't know if I'll ever be able to totally stop.' Megan Prosser, 19, from Long Island, New York, spends three hours a day pulling out chunks of her hair and started ripping out her eyelashes when she was just eight years old. Pictured, the teenager showing her bald patches The pet store owner (above) suffers from trichotillomania, also known as trich, a mental disorder where sufferers experience an irresistible urge to pull out their hair. She tried to regain control by shaving her head but admitted that pulling out her hair still absorbs her attention daily Speaking of her condition, Megan said: 'It consumes every single second of my day,' she explained. 'I spend maybe three hours-a-day pulling out my hair, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was more.' Pictured, aged 14 (right) with her aunt Raquel During a 'pulling attack,' the nanny and pet store worker can easily create a bald patch the size of her hand. Pictured, Megan's bald patches When she began pulling out her lashes as a child, Megan thought of them as 'wishes' she was collecting. 'When an eyelash falls on your cheek and you blow it away, you are supposed to make a wish,' she said. 'I thought I would have unlimited wishes if I kept pulling them out. I didn't realize that I couldn't stop.' Megan's mother Tania Prosser, 47, a teaching assistant, was shocked when she noticed her daughter's lashes were all gone. Megan first started pulling out her lashes as a child as she thought of them as 'wishes' she was collecting. 'When an eyelash falls on your cheek and you blow it away, you are supposed to make a wish,' Megan explained. Pictured, one of the teen's bald patches near her hairline After enduring nasty comments at school, Megan's mother Tania took her to a salon to have a weave fitted which halted the condition. Pictured, Megan age 13 with weave and bandana 'The weave covered my entire head so I wasn't able to pull out my hair,' Megan said. Pictured, with weave and bandana on her 13th birthday 'My mother gasped and said: "What are you doing?'" Megan recalled. 'She tried to help me stop. We went to the doctor and I was diagnosed with trichotillomania. I went to therapy but it didn't work. 'I kept pulling out my lashes, it was a way for me to control my body.' Tania added: 'I had never heard of trichotillomania before and I was shocked and curious about it. 'All along I thought it was going to be a temporary thing, I didn't realize it was going to last for a long time.' At twelve, Megan moved on from her eyelashes to ripping out the hair on her head instead. 'My friend straightened my hair and I noticed some small curly strands around my parting,' she explained. 'I started pulling them out and I couldn't stop that either. I was pulling out a significant amount of hair, multiple strands at a time.' As Megan prepared to leave high school at 18 and worried about her future, the disorder returned and soon she was pulling out more hair than ever before - that's when she decided to shave it off. Pictured, Megan's friend shaving her head in an attempt to control the condition Soon, Megan's head was covered in bald patches and she endured nasty comments at school. 'At school people would say I looked like an alien, pointed out my bald spots and gave me weird stares,' she said. 'But once I explained the situation to them, they would stop being mean. Most of the time people are curious and just ask questions.' Eventually Tania took her daughter to a salon to have a weave fitted which halted the condition. 'The weave covered my entire head so I wasn't able to pull out my hair,' Megan explained. 'Later I wore the weave as a wig with a bandanna on top so I couldn't pull out my hair.' But as Megan prepared to leave high school at 18 and worried about her future, the disorder returned and soon she was pulling out more hair than ever before. Megan compared her urge to pull out her hair as similar to the desire to scratch an itch. 'It's almost like a really bad itch that I have to scratch,' she explained. 'It's a strange kind of sensation, it feels like it won't go away unless I pull out all the hair of that area' The teenager has decided to speak out about her disorder to encourage other sufferers to confide in friends and family. Pictured, Megan's bald patches 'I started pulling out viciously,' she explained. 'I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, my boyfriend had joined the army, my friends went to college and I was home alone, going to community college. She continued: 'I felt like everyone was moving on and I was left here. I was pulling out too much to count, I went like crazy. In the trich community, we call moments like that a "pull attack." WHAT IS TRICHOTILLOMANIA? - Trichotillomania, also known as trich, is when someone can't resist the urge to pull out their hair. - They may pull out the hair on their head or in other places, such as their eyebrows or eyelashes. - Trich is more common in teenagers and young adults, and tends to affect girls more often than boys. - A person may sometimes pull their hair out in response to a stressful situation, or it may be done without really thinking about it. - Most people with trich pull out hair from their scalp, but some pull out hair from other areas. - Trich may cause feelings of shame and low self-esteem. Those affected may try to keep their condition to themselves. It's not entirely clear what causes trich. It could be: your way of dealing with stress or anxiety a chemical imbalance in the brain, similar to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) changes in hormone levels during puberty a type of self-harm to seek relief from emotional distress Source: NHS Advertisement 'I pulled out my eyebrow hair too. I tried to switch to pulling my hair out on my arms and legs as it is so much less noticeable but it doesn't work for me, I don't get the same urges to pull out that hair.' 'Sometimes I pulled out handfuls of hair and flushed it down the toilet because I didn't want people to see it in the trash.' Megan hid her hair loss by painting her bald patches with a powder designed for women concealing grey hairs. She wore fake eyelashes to disguise her lash-less eyes. While trichotillomania is considered by some medical professionals to be a form of self harm, Megan compared her urge to the desire to scratch an itch. 'It's almost like a really bad itch that I have to scratch,' she said. 'It's a strange kind of sensation, it feels like it won't go away unless I pull out all the hair of that area. 'For me, it's not self harm, it's a lack of control. I feel relief afterwards and, although it's sometimes uncomfortable, it never hurts.' In January, she shaved her head in an attempt to force herself to stop pulling. 'I hope that I will eventually stop but I don't know how likely that is,' she said. 'I don't know if I'll ever actually stop.' Megan, who shares her experiences with trichotillomania under her name on YouTube, decided to speak out about her disorder to encourage other sufferers to confide in friends and family. 'A lot of people who have it are really scared to tell other people about their hair pulling,' she said. 'My family knew about my trichotillomania but keeping it a secret from my friends made it feel worse. 'Once I told people about it, I wanted to stop so those people could see that I was progressing. It helps you to tell people about it, it encourages you to stop.' Packing can be tricky at the best of times, but when you're blessed with a large family, it can be the stuff of nightmares. Travel blogger Karen Edwards, also known as 'Travel Mad Mum', 33, from London, has explored the world extensively with her children and picked up some handy hacks along the way. The mother-of-two has teamed up with holiday provider On the Beach to demonstrate how a family-of-four can pack 200 items for a week's holiday into one suitcase - keeping under the 20kg allowance. Her tops tips include everything from doubling up towels as plays mats, to using vacuum bags to flatten clothes and decanting products into smaller bottles to reduce the weight. Karen Edwards, 33, from London, is a blogger who spent 10 months travelling the world after the birth of their first child Esme TravelMadMum created a video to demonstrate how she packs enough clothes for a week for a family-of-four using only one suitcase In the handy video, Karen first lays down the nappies for her youngest child at the bottom of the suitcase. Then, she uses different colour-coded bags for each member of the family, revealing that this not only helps to easily identify which item belongs to who, but is also a great visual guide to prevent over-packing. Folding each item as tightly as possible, she even rolls some in order to save as much space as possible. To keep clothes to a minimum, one of Karen's top tricks is to pick items you can dress up or down depending on the occasion - from a walk on the beach to a family night on the town. Esme and her brother Quinn (pictured) enjoying a safari in Kenya back in February. The young girl peered through the binoculars trying to spot a giraffe From left to right, Shaun with baby Quinn, Esme and Karen on a beach resort holiday in Spain in January If there are some garments you can't part with, she advises wearing them on the plane. This is not only be beneficial due to the often chilly temperatures on a flight, but is also a great way to sneak an extra outfit to your destination without the additional case weight. To get rid of the air in some of the bulkiest items, the travel blogger uses vacuum bags for jackets and baby blankets and then stacks them on top of each other. Instead of carrying big bottles of shampoos and shower gels, the expert also decants the products into small bottles or pouches. She adds that thin towels can double as play mats for children or blankets. To create further room, the busy mother stuffs pairs of shoes with cables, chargers and other smaller items - before placing them on top of the other items in the suitcases, along with hats, socks and sunglasses. Karen manages to pack everything her family will need for a week using only one suitcase - and she keeps the weight under the 19kg mark The towel tip: Thin and quick towels can double as blankets and play mats for children. She also uses colour-coded pouches to pack her suitcase to ensure she doesn't over-pack What did Karen pack? For the kids: Four swimsuits, two pairs of shoes, two sunhats, 11 tops, seven babygrows, three dresses, five shorts, two jumpers, three pairs of trousers, two pairs of sunglasses, four pairs of socks, fourteen pieces of underwear and four bibs For her husband and her: Three dresses, five pairs of shoes, fourteen tops, four pairs of shorts, four swimsuits, fourteen pairs of underwear, two bras, four pairs of socks, three pairs of trousers and two pairs of sunglasses Essentials: Nappies, two packs of baby wipes, two cuddly toys, a travel bag of toys, four children's books, eating utensils, four beach towels, a fan, beach bag, Calpol, a thermometer, and a first aid kit Products: Hairbrush, hair straighteners, make up, four toothbrushes, shampoo and shower gel, body lotion, factor 30 and 50 sunscreen, after sun, hand cream, shaving foam and razors, washing powder tablets and a menstrual cup Other items: Insect repellent, hairbands, chargers, camera and other pieces of tech such as a kindle, computer, tablet, travel adapter, inflatable beach ball, pool drinks holders, a WiFi solace and a children's life jacket. Advertisement Shaun (left) looking over some photos with Quinn and Karen at home on the sofa. The family have traveled all over the world since 2015 Karen made headlines in 2017 when she used her maternity leave to travel the world with her ten-week-old baby girl, Esme. She and her husband Shaun spent 10 months visiting everywhere from Thailand to Antigua. The family set out on their journey just after their daughter was born. In 2017, by the time she had turned two, Esme had already visited 17 countries. They later welcomed her younger sibling Quinn, and still continue to travel the globe. The now mother-of-two, who works as a full-time nurse, blogs about her travels, and also shares her reviews of children's travel products with her 102k Instagram followers. Shoppers have praised ASOS for launching a new 'modest' fashion line that will cater for those who want to cover up, including its first ever range of hijabs. The popular fashion term 'modest' refers to clothes that are on-trend, while allowing the wearer to cover up, either because they want to dress conservatively, or for religious reasons. ASOS launched its own 'modest' collection for British shoppers a few days ago, and is also stocking a new American brand Verona Collectio, as part of the line. It features items such as long sleeved maxi dresses, loose-fitting tops, oversized shirts and hijabs. ASOS has launched a new modest fashion range, including this 48 gingham maxi dress, which has been praised by shoppers Asos have launched a new line called 'Modest', which features long clothing and hijabs, for those who want to dress conservatively or cover up for religious reasons Verona Collection is already popular in the States for it's trendy modest fashion. The modest collection features trendy, colourful pieces, which almost entirely cover the body but remain fashionable. It's the first time ASOS have stocked hijabs, with the headscarves available in a multitude of colours. The range features bright neon colours, bold patterns and trendy prints. The line, which has been praised online, is modelled by trendy Londoner and Muslim model Asha Mohamud Shoppers have been quick to praise the online fashion store for it's representation of Muslim women, with several calling their styling 'dope' The ASOS website explains: 'Our modest fashion edit has everything you need if youre choosing to be more covered.' 'Created with long sleeves, floor-length hemlines and opaque fabrics, each piece can be worn on its own no layers necessary. 'So, you can stay true to yourself and still have fun with fashion.' And the Verona Collection, which was launched in 2015 and plays a large part in the 'modest edit', describes it's clothing as including 'everything from neutral colour palettes all the way through to leopard and polka-dot prints.' ASOS' own brand have also launched hijabs, which include this trendy stand out neon green piece The trendy headscarves selling on ASOS are the first to be sold by the fashion retailler. They're stocking modest fashion line 'Verona Collection' as part of their new edit The modest collection sits alongside other edits on the site, including 'wedding guest', 'festival' and 'going out' clothing Londoner Asha Mohamud is the model who is pictured in much of the range on the site. She posted on Twitter to say she was 'so happy' to be representing ASOS with the new collection The whole collection can be found by simply searching 'modest' on the website. Meanwhile, the headscarves listed on the site range from 11-15 in total, and are listed under the 'headscarf' section of ASOS. THE MARKET FOR MODEST FASHION A report by Thomson Reuters found that Muslims spent $266 billion (187 billion) on clothing and footwear in 2013. The report also predicted that figure to increase to $484 billion (341 billion) by 2019. According to the 2015-2016 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report Muslim consumers will be spending $327bn by 2019 - larger than the current combined clothing markets of the UK Germany and India. Advertisement But proving how popular the superstore hope the modest line will be, ASOS have created an edit with almost 100 different products. It sits next to other edits, including Wedding Guest, Festival and Going-Out clothing. Many of the products are shown off by the same stunning model, Asha Mohamud, from West London. The model took to her social media to share the line with her followers, who were whipped into a frenzy by the 'dope' images. In a tweet that was liked over 15,000 times she posted:'So happy to be in my hijab representing ASOS new modest collection!' Shoppers were amazed by the line, with many responding to Ashua's tweet. Many shoppers praised the online retailer for the new line, with one saying 'they're getting more and more appealing' One commented:'This is beautiful and just made my day. More love, more blessings, more power to you queen!' While another wrote:'Asos selling hijabs now? Spectacular.' 'Well @Asos just getting more and more appealing,' one user wrote.' I've heard of them working with plus size babes. Now they're being inclusive of hijab wearers? Hell yeah!' 'Yaaasss this outfits are dope AF. This representation is beautiful,' another commented. Others were also keen on the line, and wrote:'This is so dope.' and 'Love this! Inclusivity matters.' Advertisement Ivanka Trump appears to be having a brilliant time on her solo tour of Africa - at least if her dynamic dance moves are anything to go by. The 37-year-old first daughter, who is normally very reserved, showed off a much more fun and carefree side to her personality on Wednesday when she joined in with some local dancers in a small town on the Ivory Coast, where she is due to tour a coffee collective. Ivanka, who wore a $595 white shirt dress for the occasion, along with a demure neck tie, threw her hands in the air like she just didn't care who was watching, waving her arms around while busting some smooth moves alongside a dancer wearing traditional local dress. Ain't no party like a first daughter party! Ivanka Trump let loose on Wednesday when she joined in with some local dancers in the town of Adzope on the Ivory Coast Up in the air! The 37-year-old was seen dancing alongside the locals, putting her hands up in the air as she moved to the beat Applause! At one point, Ivanka took a break to watch the professionals show off their moves, clapping along during their dynamic performance Greetings: Many of the locals were seen holding up signs welcoming Ivanka to their town, along with the words 'We love u', and she happily greeted lots of them with hugs and kisses Something special: Upon her arrival, Ivanka was presented with a local cloth that is traditionally given to visiting kings, and a portrait of her face that had been painted in chocolate to remind her of the cocoa and coffee collective she visited In videos posted to her Instagram Stories, Ivanka is seen bouncing up and down to the beat of the melody being sung by hoards of women gathered around her, clapping along as they perform for her. At one point, she also holds hands with a local woman who swings her arm in time to the music. Proud! Ivanka showed off an image of her chocolate portrait on her Instagram Stories As well as getting the chance to show off her best boogie, Ivanka was also presented with several gifts upon her arrival in the town of Adzope, including a traditional cloth that is usually presented to visiting kings, and a portrait of her face that had been painted in chocolate made in the local area. The mother-of-three looked delighted with the gifts, especially when she got to put one to use straight away; a local woman helped her to wrap the cloth around her waist like a skirt, adding a very colorful touch to her otherwise-low key look. Ivanka happily posted several images and videos of herself dancing and clapping along to the music, while also proudly sharing an image of herself with her cocoa painting, which shows her in front of the American flag, her blonde hair styled straight around her shoulders. On Wednesday however, Ivanka opted for a slightly different style, choosing to tie her hair up in a ponytail, perhaps to ensure that it was out of her face and didn't impede her dancing. Her 'do was also no doubt chosen for its practicalities; the temperatures in Adzope were set to reach highs of 91 degrees Fahrenheit during Ivanka's visit, while the humidity was also due to be fairly high. If the heat was an issue for Ivanka, she certainly didn't let on - and she didn't let it stop her from grooving along to the music whenever possible, without even breaking a sweat. Thankfully, the first daughter had swapped out her signature high heels in favor of some plain white sneakers, making it all the more comfortable to dance around and tour the cocoa farm. It looks as though Ivanka was able to forget about any ill-will towards her family during her trip to the town, where locals gathered to greet her, holding up signs featuring the words, 'Welcome in Adzope Ivanka Trump. We love u.' Joyous: Ivanka, who has three children with her husband Jared Kushner, put her hand on her stomach at one point, and laughed uproariously New friends: Many women gathered around to show their support for Ivanka, who is on a solo tour of Africa where she has been promoting her women's empowerment initiative Thrilled: Ivanka seemed delighted with her gifts, and wasted no time in putting the cloth over her shoulder, covering up her $595 Alexis shirt dress Happy as can be: The normally-reserved Ivanka looked more happy and relaxed than she has in a while - echoing the behavior of her step-mother Melania, who seemed to visibly relax during her own trip to Africa last year Greeting: Ivanka went around and shook hands with several of the women who had turned out to welcome her to the town Offering: The gifts were presented to Ivanka by the President of the Women's Association, Bamba Awa (right) Appreciation: Ivanka leaned in to give Bamba Awa a hug after she was given her sweet presents Outfit change: At one point, a woman showed Ivanka how to wrap her cloth around her waist to fit like a skirt The signs also had the American flag printed on the back, as well as a picture of Ivanka's face - perhaps the same image that was used as inspiration for her large framed portrait, which reached up to her hip when placed alongside her for a picture. Clearly overjoyed with her warm welcome, Ivanka took the time to speak with several of the local women, trading hugs, kisses, and several laughs as they gathered around her to say hello. During the visit, Ivanka got the chance to tour Cayat, a Fairtrade cocoa and coffee collective that was formed in October 2010 to 'unite cocoa farmers to be stronger together, and to tackle the deep socio-economic challenges in the region, whilst farming sustainably and boosting farmer incomes'. Ivanka also addressed many of the women who work on the collective's many cocoa farms, using a microphone to speak to the crowds of people that had gathered, and seizing the opportunity to announce a new $2 million initiative for women that is being spearheaded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The project sees the world's biggest cocoa and chocolate companies pledging financial support to female farmers in the top producing countries around the world, with Ivanka telling the farmers in Adzope that the initiative will enable women to benefit on a personal level from a market where they currently 'dominate'. 'Women dominate, yet they often arent at the point in the value chain where they personally can benefit,' she said, according to Bloomberg. 'We know that village loan associations work, especially when well executed.' The initiative will help women to fund the development of their personal skills, as well as their community businesses, enabling them to learn new skills and potentially expand their production to include other staples beyond cocoa and chocolate. Posting about the project on her Twitter, Ivanka noted that that women on the Ivory Coast own 25 per cent of the cocoa farms, and make up 68 per cent of the cocoa labor force, however they only earn 21 per cent of the income that is generated from cocoa production. Women also own less than 15 per cent of the land in Africa. Speaking out: The first daughter was given a microphone so that she could address the people from the cocoa collective who had gathered to meet her Lessons: She was then shown the process for making chocolate from the cocoa pods Beaming: The White House adviser couldn't wipe the smile off her face the entire time she was visiting the collective Chic: Ivanka looked demure in a white shirt dress, which she paired with a floral neck tie Updates: The Instagram-savvy mother shared several images and videos from her trip on social media 'We're fighting for change,' Ivanka vowed. Later on Wednesday, the first daughter participated in a panel discussion while attending the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, or We-Fi. Ivanka changed clothes before her arrival at the event, opting for a pricey $2,545 white and silver brocade skirt suit from Brock Collection. Her peplum jacket cinched her waist while her matching pencil skirt featured a slit and ties on the side. She topped off the elegant look with a pair of shiny silver heels that matched her brocade suit. She wore her long blond hair center-parted and loose around her shoulders. Instead of the bouncy curls she sported earlier in the day, her hair was dried straight. Hosted by the World Bank Group, We-Fi is a collaborative partnership among 14 governments, eight multilateral development banks, and other public and private sector stakeholders. The aim of We-Fi is to address the financial and non-financial constraints faced by women-owned and led ventures in developing countries. She also sat down with the Associated Press for an interview on Wednesday before the event. Casual: Ivanka traded her usual high heels for a pair of plain white sneakers, which no doubt made touring the cocoa farm a lot more comfortable A dance lesson! At one point, a woman grabbed Ivanka's hand and started showing her some moves (right) Snack time! Ivanka got the chance to try some of the raw cocoa plants while the farmers showed her the process for turning them into chocolate Ivanka said that her father, President Donald Trump, asked her if she was interested in taking the job of World Bank chief, but she passed on it. The White House senior adviser said her father raised the job with her as 'a question' and she told him she was 'happy with the work' she's doing. Ivanka, who worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, David Malpass, said he'll do an 'incredible job.' When asked if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka said she'd 'keep that between' them, adding that doesn't see a run for office in her future. Last week, The Atlantic published a profile on Ivanka in which her father said he had considered her for official roles at the United Nations and World Bank, only to refrain from nominating her to avoid being accused of nepotism. 'Shes a natural diplomat,' Trump said. 'She wouldve been great at the United Nations, as an example. If I did [nominate her], theyd say nepotism, when it wouldve had nothing to do with nepotism. But she wouldve been incredible.' He added: 'I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank She wouldve been great at that because shes very good with numbers.' Next up: Ivanka changed outfits to attend the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative on Wednesday, putting on a pricey ensemble from Brock Collection for the evening affair Meet and greet: The first daughter was all smiles as she posed for a photo with World Bank Bulgarian CEO Kristalina Georgieva (left) during the event Conversation: Ivanka took part in a panel discussion with female entrepreneurs, including Jeanine Cooper, the founder and senior managing partner of Founder of Fabrar Liberia Inc. Outfit: Ivanka opted to wear a skirt suit featuring a peplum jacket and a matching brocade pencil skirt. Her long blonde hair was center-parted and worn straight Although Trump said Ivanka has never shown him any interest in running for president one day, he believes she would be a formidable opponent. 'If she ever wanted to run for president,' he said. 'I think shed be very, very hard to beat.' Ivanka arrived in Abidjan on Tuesday afternoon, hours after she left Addis Ababa on a commercial Ethiopian Airlines flight. The mother-of-three showcased two ensembles during the day, opting for a budget-friendly $220 Zara number for her first outfit, before changing into a Ralph Lauren dress worth almost ten times the price after landing on the Ivory Coast. For her plane outfit, Ivanka paired her $220 Zara suit with $40 floral heels which were from her own defunct brand. The White House senior adviser was also seen holding a $258 Vince Camuto brown tote bag, which she used last week when heading to work, and was wearing sunglasses as she boarded her Ethiopian Airlines flight. She kept her long blonde hair straight for the flight on the third day of her tour. Ivanka was later pictured touching down in Abidjan where she was greeted by airport workers and staff, one of whom was seen blowing her a kiss. Not long after arriving in the bustling city, she was then seen leaving the Sofitel Hotel while modeling an entirely new look this time opting for a much more low-key and demure Ralph Lauren dress, which came complete with a much larger $1,990 price tag. All ears: Ivanka sat in the front row before taking the stage with the other women Focused: The White House senior adviser sat with her legs crossed and kept her eyes on the stage Accessories: Ivanka paired her skirt suit with shiny silver heels that matched the silver brocade Busy schedule: Ivanka also sat down with an interview with the the Associated Press on Wednesday Confident: Ivanka flashed a bright smile as she discussed her father, President Donald Trump, considering her for an official role at the World Bank Confrimation: Ivanka said that her father asked her if she was interested in taking the job of World Bank chief, but she passed on it. She said he raised the job with her as 'a question' and she told him she was 'happy with the work' she's doing Diplomatic: Ivanka, who worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, David Malpass, said he'll do an 'incredible job' She accessorized the look with a pair of coordinating heels, and added the same Vince Camuto bag she was seen carrying earlier in the day. It is not the first time that Ivanka has worn the design; the first daughter chose the caped shirt dress for a TV interview with Joe Kernen on CNBC's 'Squawk Box' back in July 2018, when she was busily promoting her new job training program. On this occasion, however, Ivanka had a very different initiative on her mind. The stop in the Ivory Coast will continue Ivanka's tour where she is focused on promoting economical empowerment for women in developing countries. Her first stop in Abidjan saw her pay a visit to the Presidential Palace where she was given a tour by the Ivory Coast's Vice President, Daniel Kablan Duncan. On Monday, Ivanka met with President Sahle-Work Zewde, and the pair were seen enjoying an animated conversation, with images showing them both laughing happily as they engaged in a discussion. Ivanka shared a picture on her Instagram Story of her meeting with the president, writing, 'Honored to meet with the @sahleworksewde today, the only serving female President in Africa!' Changing things up: Ivanka wore a bright yellow $220 Zara suit when she left Ethiopia on Tuesday, but changed into a $1,990 Ralph Lauren dress after landing in Abidjan Looking around: Ivanka was pictured on a tour of the Presidential Palace in Abidjan with Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan Happy to be here! Ivanka first landed in the Ivory Coast earlier in the day ready to continue the work for her initiative Blowing a kiss: She kept her long blonde hair straight for the flight on the third day of her tour and was pictured waving to airport workers - one of whom blew her a kiss She continued: 'I thoroughly enjoyed exchanging ideas & learning from her experiences. Her perspective will inform our work to advance womens economic empowerment on the continent & beyond.' Her outfit on Monday was set a different tone then her budget-friendly plane attire, as she wore a $1,655 floral shirt dress from Emilia Wickstead, which she paired with white heels. She also attended the African Women's Economic Empowerment Dialogue meeting at the United Nations Economic Commission as part of her four-day trip in Africa. During the meeting, Ivanka sat next to President Sahle-Work Zewde while promoting her efforts her Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. Earlier on Monday morning, Ivanka visited Holy Trinity Cathedral to meet with religious leaders and lay a wreath for the people who were killed during the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash last month. The Boeing 737 Max crashed just minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, with Nairobi the intended destination. Airlines and countries have since grounded Boeing 737 Max airplanes in response to the crash over concern of other faulty machines. Ivanka wore a black short-sleeved dress and matching flats for the visit. She also pulled her hair back into a bun and fitted a black lace veil on her head for the occasion. Busy bee: On Monday, Ivanka visited with President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia to promote the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative Emotional: On Monday morning, Ivanka paid her respects to the victims who died in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash last month Enjoyable: It is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the White House undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February The first daughter's schedule has been busy since she touched down in Addis Ababa early Sunday morning. The goal for Ivanka's trip is to promote her initiative of economically empowering 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. The White House spending plan would cut overall funding for diplomacy and development. Ivanka has made women's economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio. She has made a number of international trips, with a focus on these issues, including to Japan and India. Her travel to Africa follows a five-day tour that Melania Trump made there last year, with a focus on child welfare. However, Ivanka's efforts could be complicated by the President's own remarks after his private comments about 's***hole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. The love that a mother feels for her child transcends all others; the need to nurture, support and guide that child into adulthood is a visceral feeling, with a propelling power of its own. My younger daughter, 23-year-old Domenica, has Downs syndrome, so her journey into adulthood is solely chronological, not intellectual. Her needs are particular and far from obvious to those who dont know her extremely well. (Apart from anything else, her speech is difficult to understand). It would therefore seem self-evident that I and our family, who love her unconditionally and have done so much over the years to keep her safe and happy, should be the ones to help her make life-changing decisions. She is very suggestible, and would say yes to almost any request without at all understanding the consequences. Rosa Monckton (pictured with her daughter Domenica) explained why she's challenging the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which allows the State to make decisions on behalf of people with disabilities without consulting their family And yet, at the end of March I found myself at the Royal Courts of Justice in London with two other warrior mothers, Caroline Hopton and Lucy Mottram, bringing a test case to challenge the current law, which unbelievably and cruelly can prevent us making what the law calls best-interest decisions for our children with learning disabilities, simply because they are over the age of 18. The relevant law, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, states that decisions on behalf of a disabled adult should be taken collectively by everyone interested in their welfare which in practice means agents of the State. As a result, families are often ignored, and decisions taken without them even being consulted. Parents can apply through the courts to be named a disabled persons welfare deputy, giving them the final say, but because of the way the courts currently interpret the law this is granted only in the most difficult cases. This is a highly unsatisfactory term as it has no precisely identifiable or commonly understood meaning. Our campaign is to remove that requirement, so we can take responsibility for our childrens welfare as is only right and sensible. When Domenica was born, we were given all kinds of grim prognostications by medical specialists none of which turned out to be true but no-one ever warned us how the State can prevent you from exercising the care that you know your child needs. I would like it to become commonplace for parents to be handed welfare deputy status, so they have the authority to make decisions on behalf of their children, rather than these being made by professionals who barely know the individual, if at all. Rosa says she's always focused on helping her daughter Domenica (pictured) have as much independence as possible, while keeping her safe Who knows a child best? Might it be the mother who raised them, stayed up with them night after night for years without sleep, who understands what they cannot say, who fought to get them into education, battled with the labyrinthine benefit system, lived uncomplainingly in a parallel universe of mind-numbing exhaustion the mother who cries herself to sleep worrying about how to secure the childs future when she is dead? Or the siblings who have grown up with them and who love them? Or could it be the State that knows best? Expert advice is always desirable, of course, especially in medical situations, but a human being is more than a set of case notes, and whats best for them depends on more than just a clinical assessment. Diana, Princess of Wales, who was Domenicas godmother, and who had more empathy and emotional understanding than anyone I have ever met, got it absolutely right when she said: A mothers arms are more comforting than anyone elses. Who knew? Around one in a 1,000 babies born in the UK will have Downs syndrome. There are around 40,000 people in the UK with the condition Advertisement Of course, I understand that there will be cases where parents do not have their childs best interests at heart, and in those the state should step in. Yet if a mother has devoted her life to looking after her disabled child, the State should listen to her, treat her with respect, and acknowledge she knows her child better than anyone else. Only this week I was contacted by the mother of a profoundly disabled woman with a mental age of two, whom care workers said was entitled to sexual experiences. Her mother is horrified by the care staffs decision to help her in this, when it is obvious that her daughter has no ability to give informed consent. We have had heart-stopping moments with Domenica over the years. As a child she had no sense of danger, and disappeared on numerous occasions. Once in the Scilly Isles, another time at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and another close to home an occasion which involved police helicopters and kind neighbours scouring the woods. Domenica (pictured) told the court in a video submitted by her family that she would prefer if they look after her, and make big decisions on her behalf Just thinking about these episodes makes my pulse race, and I can still feel the dreadful, searing panic as I tore home from a meeting in London when I received the call that Domenica was lost. She is more sensible now, and more aware of stranger danger, but I dont think she will ever travel on her own, or live independently. As her mother, I have always tried to focus on the things she can do, rather than what she cant. We give her as much independence as is possible, while keeping her safe, and involve her in all decisions concerning her welfare. However, the underpinning ethos of the Mental Capacity Act is to give people like Domenica control over their own destiny, because they are adults in the eyes of the law. But as Ruby Fisher, the parent of an adult man with severe learning disabilities, put it in her evidence to the Lords select committee on the Act, all too often this approach makes the individual more vulnerable, not less. We submitted video evidence of Domenica to the court, too. In the clip she is asked by Daina, her principal carer, who she would like to look after her, and to make big decisions for her. She was very clear: You, my mummy and my daddy and my sister. Asked where she would like to live when she is older, she paused and replied Id rather live in the moment. Domenica is a worrier she has a morbid fear of the death of those she loves, and she does not want to imagine a world where they are no longer around. Who else but those close to her would understand this? Rosa (pictured with Domenica at Diana's Memorial service) revealed her daughter still sleeps with teddies in her bed, as she asks if the State can really know a child better than their family Would the faceless State understand that she has such a terrible fear of the dark, that she has to sleep with a light on in the corridor, and her door wide open? Would they know that on a trip to the dentist Domenica cannot sit in the dentists chair? That if she has to have a tooth out it requires a hospital visit and a general anesthetic? That the noise of a baby crying will send her running from the room? That whichever film she watches will influence what she wants to be? That she still sleeps with six teddy bears in her bed, and Plum, the favourite, is the one who travels with her? That she loves her dogs, and tells them all her secrets, and that the dogs that have died still live on in her imagination, and that she prays for them every night? I have tears in my eyes as I write this. Tears for all those parents who have been sidelined, yet left to pick up the pieces when things go wrong. For mothers who have come to realise it is not about what their child needs, but about how much their child costs. And because the idea of a shared humanity, with the more able looking after the vulnerable in a kind and compassionate way, is lost in the bureauratic box-ticking of the State. The fee for this article has been donated to the charity Team Domenica (www.teamdomenica.com) Even Royal Family members run out of milk from time to time, and Princess Beatrice showed she's just like us with an emergency dash to the supermarket. The 30-year-old royal was spotted picking up some grocery essentials at a branch of Marks and Spencer in London's Mayfair this evening. Surrounded by fellow shoppers, Beatrice visited the self check-out service to pay for her goods. Dressed in a long navy blue wool coat, black tights and casual flat black pumps with gold embellishment, she wore her long red locks in loose waves and seemed unfazed by the fact she could be spotted. Please place the item in the bagging area: Princess Beatrice was spotted picking up some grocery essentials at a branch and Marks and Spencer in London's Mayfair this evening Earlier this month we reported that Beatrice is said to discussing marriage with her property developer boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. According to reports, Ed has even moved into Beatrice's St James' Palace apartment, where the loved-up couple are spending most of their time. It's not the first time Royal Family members have been spotted browsing the aisles of their local supermarkets. When she was eight months pregnant with Prince Louis, the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted loading up the boot of her Range Rover at a branch of Waitrose in Norfolk. Surrounded by fellow shoppers, Beatrice visited the self check-out service to pay for her goods at the Mayfair branch of M&S Last month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stunned passersby when they stepped out for a spot of shopping near Kensington Palace, shortly before they moved to Frogmore Cottage. Pregnant Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, were seen leaving the Ilapothecary store - which is a mere 10 minutes from their former residence - hand-in-hand after spending around two hours inside. Prince Harry has previously admitted he and Prince William live an 'ordinary' life and like to do their own shopping. Last month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, pictured at an event in Birmingham in March last year, stunned passersby when they stepped out for a spot of shopping near Kensington Palace, before they moved to Frogmore Cottage Harry told Newsweek: 'Sometimes, when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket, I worry someone will snap me with their phone. 'But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too.' Perhaps we'll see new mum Meghan following in her cousin-in-law's footsteps when she gives birth in the coming weeks. Advertisement Ivanka Trump is putting on a fashionable display while enjoying a solo tour in Africa, modeling three different outfits and hairstyles in just one day. The 37-year-old first daughter, who is visiting Abidjan, dazzled in a $1,511 crepe satin dress by Alex Perry to attend a state dinner hosted by the Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara and his wife Dominique on Wednesday evening. Ivanka spent the day meeting with locals, doing interviews, and attending the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, but she pulled out all the stops when choosing her dress for the high-profile dinner. Evening outfit: Ivanka Trump, 37, donned a $1,511 crepe satin dress by Alex Perry to attend a state dinner hosted by the Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara and his wife Dominique (not pictured) on Wednesday evening Style: The pink frock was her third outfit of the day. She wore wore a $2,545 white and silver brocade skirt suit from Brock Collection to attend the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. She also donned a $595 white shirt dress from Alexis The flattering pink sheath was Ivanka's third outfit of the day and undoubtedly her most glamorous. The form-fitting frock is juxtaposed with fluid pleat panels that fall from the shoulders, giving her the appearance of wearing a cape. Although she tends to favor wearing her long blonde hair loosely around her shoulders, Ivanka had her locks pulled up in a teased updo with carefully placed tendrils framing her face. The White House senior adviser accessorized the look with stud earrings and a pair of white crystal embellished pumps. Just hours before, she was wearing a $2,545 white and silver brocade skirt suit from Brock Collection to take part in an interview and attend the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, or We-Fi. Her peplum jacket cinched her waist while her matching pencil skirt featured a slit and ties on the side. She topped off the elegant look with a pair of shiny silver heels that matched her brocade suit. Instead of the bouncy ponytail she sported earlier in the day, her long blonde hair was dried straight and worn down around her shoulders. Glamorous: Ivanka's long blonde hair was pulled up into a teased updo with carefully placed tendrils framing her face Next up: Before the state dinner, Ivanka attended the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative on Wednesday, putting on a pricey ensemble from Brock Collection for the evening affair Meet and greet: The first daughter was all smiles as she posed for a photo with World Bank Bulgarian CEO Kristalina Georgieva (left) during the event Hosted by the World Bank Group, We-Fi is a collaborative partnership among 14 governments, eight multilateral development banks, and other public and private sector stakeholders. The aim of We-Fi is to address the financial and non-financial constraints faced by women-owned and led ventures in developing countries. Ivanka sat down with the Associated Press for an interview on Wednesday before the event, revealing her father, President Donald Trump, asked her if she was interested in taking the job of World Bank chief, but she passed on it. The White House senior adviser said her father raised the job with her as 'a question' and she told him she was 'happy with the work' she's doing. Ivanka, who worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, David Malpass, said he'll do an 'incredible job.' When asked if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka said she'd 'keep that between' them, adding that doesn't see a run for office in her future. Last week, The Atlantic published a profile on Ivanka in which her father said he had considered her for official roles at the United Nations and World Bank, only to refrain from nominating her to avoid being accused of nepotism. 'Shes a natural diplomat,' Trump said. 'She wouldve been great at the United Nations, as an example. If I did [nominate her], theyd say nepotism, when it wouldve had nothing to do with nepotism. But she wouldve been incredible.' Conversation: Ivanka took part in a panel discussion with female entrepreneurs, including Jeanine Cooper, the founder and senior managing partner of Founder of Fabrar Liberia Inc. Outfit: Ivanka opted to wear a skirt suit featuring a peplum jacket and a matching brocade pencil skirt. Her long blonde hair was center-parted and worn straight All ears: Ivanka sat in the front row before taking the stage with the other women He added: 'I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank She wouldve been great at that because shes very good with numbers.' The first daughter, who is normally very reserved, showed off a much more playful and carefree side to her personality early Wednesday when she joined in with some local dancers in a small town on the Ivory Coast, where she toured coffee collective. Ivanka wore a $595 white shirt dress for the occasion, pairing the A-line frock with a floral necktie and sensible white sneakers. She happily threw her hands in the air and waved her arms while busting a move alongside a dancer who was wearing a traditional local dress. In videos posted to her Instagram Stories, Ivanka is seen bouncing up and down to the beat of the melody being sung by hoards of women who gathered around and clapped while performing for her. At one point, she is seen holding hands with a local woman swings her arm in time with the music. As well as getting the chance to show off her dance moves, Ivanka was also presented with several gifts upon her arrival in the town of Adzope, including a traditional cloth that is usually presented to visiting kings and a portrait of her face that had been painted in chocolate made in the local area. The mother-of-three looked delighted with the gifts, especially when she got to put one to use straight away; a local woman helped her to wrap the cloth around her waist like a skirt, adding a very colorful touch to her otherwise-low key look. Accessories: Ivanka paired her skirt suit with shiny silver heels that matched the silver brocade Busy schedule: Ivanka also sat down with an interview with the the Associated Press on Wednesday Confident: Ivanka flashed a bright smile as she discussed her father, President Donald Trump, considering her for an official role at the World Bank. She revealed that she passed on his offer Ivanka happily posted several images and videos of herself dancing and clapping along to the music, while also proudly sharing an image of herself with her cocoa painting, which shows her in front of the American flag, her blonde hair styled straight around her shoulders. On Wednesday, however, Ivanka opted for a slightly different style, choosing to tie her hair up in a ponytail, perhaps to ensure that it was out of her face and didn't impede her dancing. Her 'do was also no doubt chosen for its practicalities; the temperature in Adzope was set to reach highs of 91 degrees Fahrenheit during her visit and the humidity was also fairly high. If the heat was an issue for Ivanka, she certainly didn't let on and she didn't let it stop her from grooving along to the music whenever possible, without ever breaking a sweat. Thankfully, the first daughter had swapped out her signature high heels in favor of some plain white sneakers, making it all the more comfortable to dance around and tour the cocoa farm. It looks as though Ivanka was able to forget about any ill-will towards her family during her trip to the town, where locals gathered to greet her, holding up signs featuring the words, 'Welcome in Adzope Ivanka Trump. We love u.' Clearly overjoyed with her warm welcome, Ivanka took the time to speak with several of the local women, trading hugs, kisses, and several laughs as they gathered around her to say hello. During the visit, Ivanka got the chance to tour Cayat, a Fairtrade cocoa and coffee collective that was formed in October 2010 to 'unite cocoa farmers to be stronger together, and to tackle the deep socio-economic challenges in the region, while farming sustainably and boosting farmer incomes.' Casual Wednesday: The first daughter started her day with a trip to Adzope, a small town on the Ivory Coast, to tour Cayat, a cocoa and coffee collective Joyous: Ivanka, who has three children with her husband Jared Kushner, put her hand on her stomach at one point, and laughed uproariously Something special: Upon her arrival, Ivanka was presented with a local cloth that is traditionally given to visiting kings and a portrait of her face that had been painted in chocolate to remind her of the cocoa and coffee collective she visited She addressed many of the women who work on the collective's many cocoa farms, using a microphone to speak to the crowds of people that had gathered and seizing the opportunity to announce a new $2 million initiative for women that is being spearheaded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Proud! Ivanka showed off an image of her chocolate portrait on her Instagram Stories The project has the world's biggest cocoa and chocolate companies pledging financial support to female farmers in the top producing countries around the world, with Ivanka telling the farmers in Adzope that the initiative will enable women to benefit on a personal level from a market where they currently 'dominate.' 'Women dominate, yet they often arent at the point in the value chain where they personally can benefit,' she said, according to Bloomberg. 'We know that village loan associations work, especially when well executed.' The initiative will help women to fund the development of their personal skills, as well as their community businesses, enabling them to learn new skills and potentially expand their production to include other staples beyond cocoa and chocolate. Posting about the project on her Twitter, Ivanka noted that that women on the Ivory Coast own 25 per cent of the cocoa farms, and make up 68 per cent of the cocoa labor force; however, they only earn 21 per cent of the income that is generated from cocoa production. Women also own less than 15 per cent of the land in Africa. 'We're fighting for change,' Ivanka vowed. Ivanka arrived in Abidjan on Tuesday afternoon, hours after she left Addis Ababa on a commercial Ethiopian Airlines flight. The mother-of-three showcased two ensembles during the day, opting for a budget-friendly $220 Zara number to board her Ethiopian Airlines flight. The White House senior adviser was also seen holding a $258 Vince Camuto brown tote bag, which she used last week when heading to work, and was wearing sunglasses when she stepped on the plane. Lessons: During her visit, Ivanka was shown the process for making chocolate from the cocoa pods Casual: Ivanka traded her usual high heels for a pair of plain white sneakers, which no doubt made touring the cocoa farm a lot more comfortable A dance lesson! At one point, a woman grabbed Ivanka's hand and started showing her some moves (right) She later changed into a Ralph Lauren dress worth almost ten times the price of her Zara suit after landing on the Ivory Coast. Not long after arriving in the bustling city, she was seen leaving the Sofitel Hotel modeling an entirely new look this time opting for a much more low-key and demure Ralph Lauren dress, which came complete with a much larger $1,990 price tag. She accessorized the look with a pair of coordinating heels and added the same Vince Camuto bag she was seen carrying earlier in the day. It is not the first time that Ivanka has worn the design; the first daughter chose the caped shirt dress for a TV interview with Joe Kernen on CNBC's 'Squawk Box' back in July 2018, when she was busily promoting her new job training program. On this occasion, however, Ivanka had a very different initiative on her mind. The stop in the Ivory Coast will continue Ivanka's tour where she is focused on promoting economic empowerment for women in developing countries. Her first stop in Abidjan saw her pay a visit to the Presidential Palace where she was given a tour by the Ivory Coast's Vice President, Daniel Kablan Duncan. Changing things up: Ivanka wore a bright yellow $220 Zara suit when she left Ethiopia on Tuesday, but changed into a $1,990 Ralph Lauren dress after landing in Abidjan Looking around: Ivanka was pictured on a tour of the Presidential Palace in Abidjan with Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan On Monday, Ivanka met with President Sahle-Work Zewde, and the pair were seen enjoying an animated conversation, with images showing them both laughing happily as they engaged in a discussion. Ivanka shared a picture on her Instagram Story of her meeting with the president, writing, 'Honored to meet with the @sahleworksewde today, the only serving female President in Africa!' She continued: 'I thoroughly enjoyed exchanging ideas & learning from her experiences. Her perspective will inform our work to advance womens economic empowerment on the continent & beyond.' Her outfit on Monday was set a different tone than her budget-friendly plane attire, as she wore a $1,655 floral shirt dress from Emilia Wickstead that she paired with white heels. She also attended the African Women's Economic Empowerment Dialogue meeting at the United Nations Economic Commission as part of her four-day trip in Africa. During the meeting, Ivanka sat next to President Sahle-Work Zewde while promoting her efforts her Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. Earlier on Monday morning, Ivanka visited Holy Trinity Cathedral to meet with religious leaders and lay a wreath for the people who were killed during the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash last month. The Boeing 737 Max crashed just minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, with Nairobi the intended destination. Busy bee: On Monday, Ivanka visited with President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia to promote the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative Emotional: On Monday morning, Ivanka paid her respects to the victims who died in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash last month Enjoyable: It is Ivanka's first visit to Africa since the White House undertook the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative in February Airlines and countries have since grounded Boeing 737 Max airplanes in response to the crash over concern of other faulty machines. Ivanka wore a black short-sleeved dress and matching flats for the visit. She also pulled her hair back into a bun and fitted a black lace veil on her head for the occasion. The first daughter's schedule has been busy since she touched down in Addis Ababa early Sunday morning. The goal for Ivanka's trip is to promote her initiative of economically empowering 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. The White House spending plan would cut overall funding for diplomacy and development. Ivanka has made women's economic empowerment a centerpiece of her White House portfolio. She has made a number of international trips, with a focus on these issues, including to Japan and India. Her travel to Africa follows a five-day tour that Melania Trump made there last year, with a focus on child welfare. However, Ivanka's efforts could be complicated by the President's own remarks after his private comments about 's***hole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. A bottle of scotch whisky has proved that Australian drinkers don't need to have an expensive taste to enjoy a high quality drop. The $40 Loch Lomond Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky has been crowned the best in the world, beating spirits selling for as much as seven times the price. With distinctive flavours of soft fruits and creamy vanilla, the whisky was awarded the prestigious silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And with the Easter long weekend fast approaching, the affordable bottle will appeal not only to long-time connoisseurs, but also those new to the world of whisky. The $40 Loch Lomond Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky (pictured) has been crowned the best in the world, beating spirits selling for many times the price How to make a whisky bramble 60ml Loch Lomond Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky 15ml simple syrup Juice of half a lemon (20ml) 15ml blackberry liqueur Shake first three ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice Top with floater of blackberry liqueur (pour slowly over the back of a spoon) Garnish with lemon Advertisement The most expensive scotch whisky costs as much as $300 - or seven times the price of Loch Lomond Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky. The Loch Lomond whisky has been described as 'exceptionally well-balanced with a perfect smooth finish'. Coles acting chief executive Liquor and Hotels Cathi Scarce said the accolade was testimony to the knowledge, passion and hard work of Loch Lomond team. 'It's fantastic to see such strong international results for our exclusive supplier partners. We're committed to working with the best distilleries in the world, and at a price like this everyone can afford to try one of the world's best whiskies,' she said. The blended spirit, which was once associated with antiquated gentlemen's clubs, is having a renaissance among millennials with growth particularly strong among young women who are now exploring drinks once considered the domain of well-heeled older males. In Australia, 25-34 year olds are the fastest-growing market demographic for whisky sales, a trend which began in 2007 with the debut of hit series Mad Men, as the suave sophistication of the show's whisky-loving 1960s advertising executives prompted a reassessment of the spirit's cool credentials. Set on the shores of Loch Lomond, a natural wonder in the heart of Scotland, the Loch Lomond Distillery is one of Scotland's largest privately held distilleries. Whisky, which was once associated with antiquated gentlemen's clubs, is having a renaissance among millennials with growth particularly strong among young women (stock image) Set on the shores of Loch Lomond (pictured), a natural wonder in the heart of Scotland, the Loch Lomond Distillery is one of Scotland's largest privately held distilleries The silver medal for Loch Lomond Reserve Blended scotch whisky was one of five won by the Scottish distillery, which also took out three gold and six silver medals. The contest is one of the world's most respected competitions for distilled liquor, with judges blind-tasting thousands of entries over four days. Loch Lomond Master Blender Michael Henry said he was overwhelmed by the positive reaction the distillery's whiskies received at the competition. 'Our unique distilling style and the broad range of aged whiskies we have put aside in barrels over past decades gives us the ability to create top quality whiskies like Loch Lomond Reserve, and it is great this has been recognised by such a prestigious judging panel,' he said. Loch Lomond Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky is sold exclusively Australia-wide at Liquorland, First Choice and Vintage Cellars. Countries around the world need to work harder to stop the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, politicians have warned. The African nation's new president said he wants the epidemic, which has already killed at least 821 people, to end in the next three months. And the UK's International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said other countries need to 'step up' and do their part in tackling the virus. The current outbreak began in August and has infected more than 1,200 people, killing almost two thirds of them. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed more than 800 people already and infected more than 1,200. The epidemic has killed around 65 per cent of everyone it's infected Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary, said more countries need to contribute to the efforts to stop the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo's president, Felix Tshisekedi (pictured in the striped shirt) visits an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, Eastern Congo on Tuesday April 16, 2019. He said he wants to see the deadly outbreak contained in less than three months Ms Mordaunt said: 'We know all too well the deaths and devastation that Ebola can inflict on communities. 'Despite efforts to control the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the virus continues to claim more lives each week. 'The UK has been a major donor since the start. But this outbreak requires a truly global response if were to stop this threat. 'Its time for other countries to step up. Diseases like this do not respect borders and its in all of our interests to help contain the spread of Ebola.' The Government has previously refused to disclose how much it has donated to DRC's Ebola fight, in order to avoid health workers being targeted by criminals. But the World Health Organization said it has received 60million ($79m) so far, and needs another 113million ($148m) to keep going for the next six months. Ms Mordaunt's comments came on the same day the newly installed president of the DRC said he wants the outbreak to end within three months. If the Ebola outbreak continues, President Tshisekedi (pictured in stripes) said: 'People will be scared to visit the region'. He also called for armed rebels to be stripped of their guns An Ebola health worker is seen at a treatment center in Beni, Eastern Congo on Tuesday April 16, 2019 An Ebola health worker is seen at a treatment centre in Beni, Eastern Congo the outbreak has been taking place in the north-east of the country Felix Tshisekedi visited the east of the country, where the outbreak is happening, earlier this week and set a timeline in which he hopes it will end. He has vowed to offer more protection to health workers, who have come under repeated attack during the past nine months. And he called on local communities to co-operate with aid workers as he warned them Ebola is a real threat many people do not believe the disease exists. 'It is not an imaginary disease,' he said after arriving in the city of Beni on his first tour of the region since he was inaugurated in January. 'If we follow the instructions, in two or three months Ebola will be finished.' Mr Tshisekedi also called for violent militia to be stripped of their guns and weapons. He said: 'The time of armed groups is over. The new government is reaching out to these children of the country to surrender arms through disarmament programmes.' A child suspected of having Ebola virus is seen at a treatment centre in Beni, Eastern Congo, Tuesday April, 16, 2019. Congo's president on Tuesday said he wants to see a deadly Ebola virus outbreak contained in less than three months even as some health experts say it could take twice as long. (AP Photo/Al-hadji Kudra Maliro) If the Ebola outbreak continues, Mr Tshisekedi added, 'people will be scared to visit the region'. The current outbreak of Ebola is the 10th ever suffered by the DRC, where the virus was first discovered in 1976. It's the second worst outbreak the world has ever seen, behind only the devastating epidemic in West Africa in 2014. The UN last week said this outbreak is of 'deep concern' but argued it is not a global emergency. But one top Red Cross official said he was 'more concerned than I have ever been' about the potential of Ebola spreading to another region. Emanuele Capobianco, head of health and care at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, cited Congolese health ministry data showing 40 new cases over two days this week. He called that rate unprecedented in this outbreak. Officials trying to contain a measles outbreak in a county north of New York City on Tuesday ordered all unvaccinated people exposed to the disease barred from public gathering places, including houses of worship, for up to three weeks. The order, issued by Rockland County, comes one day after New York City closed a preschool over non-compliance with measles vaccine requirements. Both the county and city are struggling to contain a swelling number of measles cases centered in ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods while battling lawsuits over their efforts to require vaccinations. Rockland County issued its order three days ahead of the start of Passover, when many families travel to be together and gather in synagogues. Rockland County Commissioner of Health Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert and County Executive Ed Day lay out a new measles exclusion order that mandates anyone with measles to stay home, and those exposed to stay out of public spaces throughout Rockland County 'Need we wait for someone to die?' Rockland County Executive Ed Day said in announcing the measure. New York City's Board of Health will vote Wednesday on whether to extend an emergency declaration last week ordering mandatory vaccinations in four Brooklyn ZIP codes. Health officials have confirmed 329 cases of measles in the city and 184 cases in Rockland since the outbreak of the highly contagious disease began in October. After announcing the vaccination order on April 9, the city took the step Monday of closing the preschool portion of a private Jewish school because the school had failed to turn over vaccination and attendance records. 'This is about protecting kids and it's also about protecting some adults, including pregnant women, folks who are going through medical treatment like chemotherapy, some senior with compromised health conditions,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a TV interview. 'Measles is very, very serious.' Also on Monday, a group of parents filed a lawsuit against the vaccination order, arguing it was 'arbitrary, capricious, contrary to law and in violation of petitioners' rights under the United States Constitution and New York State law.' A judge in Brooklyn state Supreme Court declined to issue an injunction barring the city from enforcing the order, and the parties will appear in court Thursday. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are identified by their initials. Their attorney, Robert Krakow, claimed the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine 'can cause many vaccine injuries, including encephalitis and death.' Medical experts have debunked those claims and proven that the vaccine is safe, but opposition to vaccines persists. 'In 2017, measles killed 110,000 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5,' Day said in announcing the new anti-measles rules in Rockland. Under the county's Communicable Disease and Exposure Exclusion Order, anyone either diagnosed with measles or exposed to a person who has been diagnosed with measles must stay away from indoor and outdoor places of assembly for up to 21 days. Violators could be fined $2,000 per day. While no one in the county has died of measles, the disease has caused several hospitalizations and a premature birth. Rockland County announced the new tactics to fight measles after an earlier order banning all unvaccinated children from indoor public places was halted by a judge. The county is appealing that ruling. The measles cases in Rockland and in Brooklyn have been traced to unvaccinated members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community who traveled to Israel, where a measles outbreak is occurring. Orthodox Jewish leaders say a small faction of vaccine opponents in the community has allowed the disease to spread. A Yiddish-language newspaper that serves the ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section took the rare step last week of publishing an editorial in English excoriating those who refuse to vaccinate. 'When it's time to decide if to have a serious surgery, you don't turn to a hotlines, but you go to a conventional doctor,' the editorial in Der Yid read. 'When you need a referral to a good doctor for a serious health problem you don't stand at the bus stop to and take a poll of friends for the right address, but you call those devoted rabbis who understand medical matters or the recognized medical referral agencies who are familiar with the best doctors. All of them say that one must vaccinate.' Military vehicles in the UK have been painted with a toxic, cancer-causing chemical as recently as last year. Chromium VI has been linked to various cancers and was officially listed as hazardous by the EU in 2003 when it was banned in some manufacturing. However, it was still being used to paint military vehicles in the UK as recently as December last year, The Times reported. The Ministry of Defence said it has now stopped using paint containing the chemical as a Scottish MP said it was 'simply incredible' it hadn't stopped earlier. British military vehicles were still being painted with a known cancer-causing chemical, chromium VI, as recently as December, the Government has admitted (Pictured: UK forces on exercise in Oman in October 2018) It is unknown whether any military staff have had their health affected by the use of chromium VI, known chemically as hexavalent chromium. Used to prevent metals from rusting, chromium has been linked to cancers in the lungs, stomach and gut if it is inhaled or digested. It is found in tobacco smoke. A heavy metal, it can damage DNA and cells in the human body by reacting with oxygen in the body and disrupting the balance of molecules inside tissue. Paints containing chromium VI are not allowed for certain manufacturing in Europe including on children's toys, cars, electronics and aeroplane parts because of an EU rule. But the chemical is still used to make shiny metallic plating on packaging, jewellery and household fittings, according to industry news website Chemicals Technology. HOW CAN CHROMIUM CAUSE CANCER? Chromium (VI) is a heavy metal which has been linked to cancers in the stomach, intestines and lungs. The chemical is used in paint because it prevents corrosion, meaning it can stop metal from rusting. But inhaling or digesting toxic chromium VI can damage cells, DNA and tissues inside the human body because it can't be broken down. Inside the body the chemical can trigger a process called oxidative stress, which is when there is an upset in the balance between antioxidants and potentially dangerous molecules which react with oxygen (free radicals). If free radicals cannot be controlled they can take electric charges from other molecules in the body, disrupting how they work and potentially causing DNA damage which can lead to tumours forming. Sources: US National Library of Medicine and British Medical Journal Advertisement Martin Docherty-Hughes, an SNP MP, told The Herald: 'It is simply incredible that, decades after the dangers of hexavalent chromium became known, the MoD is still using a noxious, cancer-causing chemical, especially as it has been so controversial in other countries.' Defence minister Stuart Andrew yesterday said the paint, which had been used on 4x4s, tanks and armoured vehicles, was still in use in December. He revealed the usage in response to a written Parliamentary question from Mr Docherty-Hughes. But it was phased out completely in January, according to the Ministry of Defence, and any leftover paints have been disposed of. The MoD also said there had been 'minimal use' of the paints while they were being phased out, and they were only used by fully-trained personnel with specialised equipment. It said in a statement: 'Hexavalent chromium paint is no longer applied to any of our armoured vehicles and all existing vehicles will be repainted with chromate-free paint.' The Dutch ministry of defence last year agreed to give compensation to staff who became ill after working with chromium paint at NATO depots between 1984 and 2006. Junior defense minister Barbara Visser said at the time the government had 'neglected to adequately protect' its employees. Ms Visser said victims could get compensation ranging from 5,000 to 40,000 (4,337-34,697). Scottish MP Mr Docherty-Hughes added: 'As we have seen in the cases of asbestos in defence platforms or of the anti-malarial drug Lariam prescribed to serving personnel, the MoD often needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into addressing the most basic issues of health and safety.' Carfentanil, fentanyl's even more lethal cousin, is now widespread in the US drug supply and driving an uptick in overdoses, US officials warn. The drug is not new, but until now it had been on the fringes of the opioid epidemic. In recent months, however, it has been implicated in a soaring number of overdoses, usually in people who unwittingly consumed traces of it in street-bought prescription pills like Oxycontin and Xanax. While fentanyl - 100 times stronger than heroin - can kill an adult male with 2 milligrams, anything more than 0.2mg is lethal when it comes to carfentanil. Its potency has made it a handy tool for zookeepers of rhinos and elephants: fentanyl can tranquilize a horse but its effects are measly on bigger animals. Carfentanil is 100 times stronger than fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than heroin The drug was responsible for 27 percent of accidental overdoses in Michigan in 2016/2017, 15 percent of deaths in Canada's British Columbia last year, and But authorities are in a losing battle of whack-a-mole trying to cut off the supply chain. The drug can be bought online for $7.50 a gram. Many ingest it via other drugs bought from street vendors, without knowing it contained carfentanil. This year, the Drug Enforcement Agency insists they are making some progress on a local level, at least. In February, a Cincinnati woman was charged in the first federal case related to carfentanil trafficking, getting a four-year jail sentence. Last month, San Diego police arrested 14 people allegedly tied to a gang, 'the Crooked Angels', that was cutting carfentanil into opioids, which were allegedly responsible for three overdoses and one death. It was a big moment for the DEA. 'It's always sitting there, lurking there on the outskirts. You don't know when it's going to show,' San Diego DEA Special Agent, Colin Ruane, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. 'That's the scary thing about all of this. You think you're taking heroin or oxycodone or Xanax and you don't know what's in it.' Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville has revealed her recovering neck after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous lump and says she is 'grateful' to the viewer that spotted it. The 60-year-old returned to the show that she has hosted since 1995 on Monday after taking time off to recover from the procedure. She told CBS This Morning, with a Band Aid on her neck, that she and her doctor had been monitoring the lump for years when a viewer first spotted it and reached out to her publicist. It was determined to be benign at the time, but recent tests showed it had become cancerous and needed to be removed. 'I'm grateful to that viewer,' Norville said in her interview on Tuesday. 'I'm grateful to the viewers who've reached out, who've expressed their love and kindness and compassion and concern.' Deborah Norville said she was 'grateful' in an interview with CBS This Morning (left and right) after she returned on Monday to Inside Edition, the show she has anchored since 1995. The 60-year-old had taken time off to recover from surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid nodule Earlier this month, Norville revealed that an Inside Edition viewer noticed a lump on her neck years ago. Pictured: Norville getting a check-up after her surgery Earlier this month, Norville posted a video to Inside Edition's official YouTube page in which she revealed her diagnosis. She told fans that doctors told her she wouldn't need chemotherapy or radiation therapy, just surgery and time off to recover. 'If you believe in prayer, please say one for me and for my surgeon and I thank you very much,' Norville said at the time. Thyroid cancer affects the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck that produces hormones. Women are anywhere from two to three times more likely to develop the rare cancer than men are, Symptoms include a lump or swelling at the front of the neck, swollen glands, unexplained hoarseness and difficulty swallowing. According to the American Cancer Society, about 52,000 cases will be diagnosed in 2019 and about 2,200 people will die. The five-year survival rate for people with thyroid cancer is 98 percent. At the time, the lump was determined to be benign, but recent scans showed it had turned cancerous. Norville told fans that doctors told her she wouldn't need chemotherapy or radiation therapy, just surgery and time off to recover. Pictured: Norville after surgery, left, and in September 2018, right Norville (pictured, on Inside Edition) said she was 'very fearful' about the procedure because her vocal cords are on top of her thyroid and she feared she might lose her voice Norville said she was 'very fearful' about the procedure after her surgeon warned her about the possible risks. 'The doctor was very straight forward. He said: "The nerves that power your vocal cords rest right on top of your thyroid, and we have to manipulate them to get to the thyroid to remove it",' she said. 'We talk for a living. I was concerned that there would be damage.' However, not long after she woke up from the surgery, she said she was relieved to find that she still had her voice. Last week, the TV host posted photos to Instagram that showed her sitting on a sofa with a Band Aid on her neck. In one photo she's reading a book and, in another, she's playing with her dog, Piper. Norville said her doctor told her that the public does not need to be regularly screened for thyroid cancer and that people should only visit their physician if they feel something. 'He said this is not like you need to have your mammogram. This is not like you need to have your regular colonoscopy,' she said. The TV host encouraged viewers to 'be proactive about your health' and to not let doctors' appointments fall by the wayside. Pictured: Norville revealing her cancer diagnosis Last week, she posted photos to Instagram that showed her sitting on a sofa with a Band Aid on her neck. In one photo she's reading a book (left) and, in another, she's playing with her dog Piper (right) But the TV host encouraged viewers to 'be proactive about your health' and to not let doctors' appointments fall by the wayside. Norville admitted that she was supposed to be getting regular check-ups to monitor the scan of her lump but that she had missed her last one by six months. 'I've been really good for almost 20 years, but I let it slip,' she said. 'And so if you have something that needs to be regularly checked, pull out [your cellphone], put it in your calendar so that, every year, it reminds you that you need to do this. 'Because you are your own best advocate. You cannot depend on the rest of the world. You may not have a viewer that calls you like me.' A 29-year-old Massachusetts woman who received a double long transplant to treat her cystic fibrosis is recovering after contracting a virus from her donor. Rima Manomaitis, of Pepperell, has been battling the genetic disease that damages the lung since she was an infant. Her lung function gradually declined to the point where she needed an oxygen machine at all times - but doctors in her home state said she was 'too well' for a transplant. Manomaitis's sister found a transplant center in Minnesota that would perform the procedure and in May 2017, after eight months on the list, she received her new lungs. But what doctors didn't know is that the donor had a dormant virus that is common in people of all ages and normally harmless, but can cause complications in people with weakened immune systems, such as organ rejection. Mainomaitis ended up in the hospital in need of a blood transfusion, but is now recuperating and said she wants others to understand that just because she is a transplant recipient doesn't mean she's 'fixed'. Rima Manomaitis, 29, from Pepperell, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four months old. Pictured: Manomaitis in the hospital after her transplant Manomaitis (left and right) needed to use a nebulizer twice a day and she had to attend physical therapy where the therapist hit her back and sides to break up the mucus in her lungs. Over the years, she had to use the nebulizer more and more frequently to open up her airways Manomaitis was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four months old after her parents took her to the doctor when they noticed she was struggling to gain weight. Sufferers have a defective gene that causes a build-up of mucus in the airways and makes it increasingly difficult to breathe over time. Bacteria can become trapped, which can cause the lungs to become damaged or infected, and in some cases send the sufferer into respiratory failure, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Symptoms include persistent coughing, frequent lung infections, shortness of breath and inflamed nasal passages. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation estimates that more than 30,000 people have the condition in the US and that 1,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. WHAT IS CYSTIC FIBROSIS? Cystic fibrosis is an incurable genetic disease that affects around 70,000 people worldwide. A defective gene causes a build-up of mucus in the airwayss, making it increasingly difficult to breathe over time. Mucus also blocks the natural release of digestive enzymes, meaning the body does not break down food as it should. Signs and symptoms: A persistent cough that produces thick mucus (sputum) Wheezing Breathlessness Exercise intolerance Repeated lung infections Inflamed nasal passages or a stuffy nose While healthy people cough naturally, that does not happen for people with CF. Eventually, lung function depletes to the point that sufferers will need a double lung transplant to survive. Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Advertisement The median age of survival is currently 33.4 years, with half of patients living into their fifties or sixties. Manomaitis said that growing up, she didn't think anything of her condition because she knew no different. 'I think to my parents it was shock,' she said. 'I was too young to realize what it was or what was going on, so my parents were in charge of all my cystic fibrosis stuff. I grew up thinking it was normal.' She needed to use a nebulizer, a machine that helps you to breathe in medication through a mask, twice a day and she had to attend physical therapy where the therapist hit her back and sides to break up the mucus in her lungs. Over the years, as Manomaitis's lung function declined, she had to use the nebulizer more and more frequently to open up her airways. Due to the constant coughing and the strain it required to breathe, Manomaitis couldn't gain weight and, in 2007, she had a G-tube fitted to provide her with the equivalent of 1,500 calories overnight. In winter 2009, doctors told Manomaitis that her lung function was at just 30 percent and said that she may need to consider a double lung transplant in the future. 'I stayed stable for a few years, hovering in the mid-twenties for lung function until 2012,' she said. 'This is when they became more serious about getting me evaluated for [a transplant].' However, after undergoing months of tests, doctors decided she was 'too well' for a transplant but wanted to monitor her every six months. In 2015, Manomaitis's condition severely declined to the point where she needed supplemental oxygen full-time. Her sister, Laima, contacted the University of Minnesota Health in Minneapolis, and - after going through rounds of tests in spring 2016 - staff said she was a good candidate for a transplant. In winter 2009, doctors told Manomaitis that her lung function was just 30 percent and said that she may need to consider a double lung transplant in the future. Pictured: Manomaitis, right, with her sister Laima She remained stable until 2012 when the subject of a transplant came up again. After undergoing months of tests, doctors decided she was 'too well'. Pictured: Manomaitis, right, with her sister Laima In 2015, Manomaitis's condition declined to the point where she needed supplemental oxygen full-time. The University of Minnesota Health in Minneapolis agreed to take her case on. Pictured: Manomaitis after her transplant Manomaitis and her sister moved to Minneapolis in September and, shortly after arriving, she was put on the transplant list. 'In that time, I had two dry runs, which is when I got the call to say there was a donor, but then the operation was cancelled because there ended up being an issue with the donor lungs,' she said. In May 2017, after eight months on the list, Manomaitis finally received a double lung transplant. But the procedure wasn't without its complications because her donor had Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus which can remain dormant for years. It's not rare - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three children are infected with CMV by age five in the US. But most infected persons show no symptoms because a healthy immune system usually prevents the virus from causing illness. However in those who are immunocomprised or have immature immune systems, such as babies, CMV infection can cause serious health problems. For transplant recipients, CMV can result in organ rejection. 'Last spring, my body was still adjusting to medicines and my hemoglobin and white blood cell count were so low that I ended up in the hospital for a week and needed a blood transfusion,' Manomaitis said. In May 2017, after eight months on the list, Manomaitis (pictured with her nebulizer) finally received a double lung transplant What doctors didn't know is that her donor had CMV, a virus which can remain dormant and causes health problems in immunocompromised people. Manomaitis (pictured after her transplant, left and right) ended up in the hospital for a week in spring 2018 in need of a blood transfusion because of the virus, but is now recovering She is now recovering and said that, since the transplant, her life has changed positively. Manomaitis said she no longer has coughing spells, she doesn't run out of breath climbing stairs and she no longer needs a nebulizer. However, she will need to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of her life and may need another transplant in the future 'I still have to worry about getting sick when I'm in public. I wear a mask in most shops when they're busy, on public transport or in a crowd indoors. I also wear a mask when the air quality is bad,' Manomaitis said. 'I generally stay away from children because they are petri dishes full of germs. Being immunocompromised, I can get sick very easily, and clearly, I've become a slight germaphobe' Manomaitis says that, although she sees her transplant as positive, she wants the public to understand it doesn't mean she no longer faces difficulty. 'I want people to know that a transplant isn't forever,' she said. 'Just because I got a transplant, doesn't mean I'm "fixed" forever. They can last anywhere from a year to 20 years. Rejection is a real thing.' Zapping older people's brains could sharpen their memories to be as good as those of people decades younger. Scientists found stimulating a certain part of the brain boosted the memory of over-64s who had normal age-related memory loss. It worked so well the researchers saw no difference in the test results of volunteers who'd had the therapy and younger, healthier adults. The findings are the latest in a long line of medical trials to delve into the benefits of electrical stimulation on the brain. Just two weeks ago a similar study found zapping the brains of over-60s can restore their memory power to that of people in their twenties. Electrical stimulation worked so well in a trial the lead investigator said there was no difference in the test results of people who'd had the therapy and younger, healthier adults (stock image) Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois tested the effects of using electrical currents targeted at the brain's hippocampus. Their 16 participants were aged between 64 and 80 years old and had normal levels of memory problems for their age. After five days of having their brain zapped with low-level electrical currents for 20 minutes per day, their memory ability was on par with people years younger. 'Older people's memory got better up to the level that we could no longer tell them apart from younger people,' said the lead investigator, Dr Joel Voss. 'They got substantially better.' Before the electric therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) the over-64s performed 15 per cent worse in memory tests than 18 to 34-year-olds. In the first round they scored 40 per cent in computer-based tasks which required them to remember specific, made-up relationships between objects in a test. Younger participants scored 55 per cent in the previous research, but the scores were equal after the TMS therapy. The TMS increased activity in the parietal lobe, which controls the hippocampus - it can not be stimulated directly because it is too deep inside the organ. Forming new memories, learning, and emotional control are all functions influenced by the hippocampus, which the scientists targeted just above the left ear. HOW COULD ZAPPING THE BRAIN BOOST MEMORY? All activity in the brain, including the formation and retrieval of memories, is controlled by electrical impulses. If these electrical signals are interrupted or reduced it could affect someone's ability to make new memories or remember old ones. Researchers in one study by Boston University published this month in the journal Nature Neuroscience found older people's brainwaves were out of rhythm between two parts of the brain which control the short-term memory. When the areas of the brain the temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex were stimulated with electric currents, the researchers said, these brainwaves could be synchronised, potentially improving memory formation. Alzheimer's disease occurs when proteins build up in the brain and cause nerve damage, reducing how well vital electrical signals travel through the brain. Therefore, finding new ways to encourage activity in the brain which slowly dies and breaks down in dementia patients could help to restore function or slow down decline. Advertisement In research they published last year, Dr Voss and his team tried the same therapy delivered using a metal coil placed against the scalp on 16 under-34s without memory problems, who they used as a comparison in this research. They found the participants' ability to remember details in photos improved for at least 24 hours after the procedure. Dr Voss isn't sure how long the effects could last, but hope to test it in people with mild cognitive impairment a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. At the time he said: 'If you think about the brain's memory network as generating one unit of activity every time it tries to memorize a picture, brain stimulation made it so that now the same type of picture would generate two units of activity. 'This increase in activity means stimulation enhanced excitability - and that's important because excitability is a marker for good memory formation.' A study published earlier this month found people in their 60s could have their memories restored to be as good as people in their 20s using electrical currents. In spot-the-difference tests sexagenarians performed just as well as the twenty- somethings after having the temporal and prefrontal parts of their brains stimulated. That research was done by Boston University, where researchers said it could lead to a headset to 'turbo-charge' older people's failing memories. Brainwaves connecting different parts of the brain were found to be out of sync in older people, but then synchronised again by the electric currents. Dr Robert Reinhart, who led the study, said: 'These findings are important because they not only give us new insights into the brain basis for age-related working memory decline. 'But they also show us that the negative age-related changes are not unchangeable that we can bring back the more superior working memory function that we had when we were much younger.' Today's research by Northwestern University is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Scientists may soon be able to gene-edit horrible lung diseases like cystic fibrosis out of the human genome, a new study in mice suggests. The CRISPR gene editing tool allows scientists to effectively 'cut and paste' bits of DNA. It has been hailed as one of the greatest scientific advancements of the last several decades, and the medical community is looking to it as the best hope for treating otherwise incurable inherited diseases. Now, University of Pennsylvania researches have successfully used CRISPR to fix DNA defects that cause many lung diseases in mice embryos. The new study suggests we might someday be able to cure genetic diseases before birth in humans, too - but changing unborn babies may cause ethical controversy. Scientists successfully edited the faulty DNA that causes lung diseases like cystic fibrosis in mice, suggesting that the CRISPR tool might someday eliminate the illness from humans About 1,000 people will be diagnosed with the common genetic lung disease, cystic fibrosis, in the US this year. The majority of them will be under two, and few will survive to see their 40th birthdays. Broadly, respiratory problems account for over 20 percent of hospital admissions among children. Cystic fibrosis is devastating, causing mucous to build up in the lungs and eventually making it impossible to breathe, but some related genetic faults prove deadly before or immediately after birth. In addition to cystic fibrosis, surfactant protein syndromes and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency are each caused by errors in a single gene. That single mistake has lethal results, but this also makes these diseases good targets for CRISPR editing. The CRISPR can be tweaked to target these specific genes, snip them out and replace them with correct versions. But getting it right requires impeccable timing, so that the gene DNA change will affect the development of the lungs' lining, but not create broader ripple effects than clinicians want. 'The trick was how to direct the gene-editing machinery to target cells that line the airways of the lungs,' said co-lead study author Dr Edward Morrisey, who specializes in developmental biology at the University of Pennsylvania. 'We wanted to know if this could work at all.' Dr Morrisey and his team carefully calculated the optimal moment to deliver the DNA fix to the embryonic mice. They decided on a small window of time just four days before the mice were due to be born. Four days prior to delivery would be roughly equivalent to a human woman's third trimester, since mice carry their babies for much less time. They added CRISPR to the amniotic fluid and waited to see how the lung development would change. Changes to the mice's DNA most effectively altered the alveolar epithelial cells and airway secretory cells, which line the airways and are involved in cystic fibrosis. These cells maintain a coating for the lung that regulates their their surface tension and keeps them from collapsing. A second experiment found that gene editing allowed mice to survive another genetic lung disease that is otherwise 100 percent fatal, usually within hours the animals' birth. 'The ability to cure or mitigate a disease via gene editing in mid- to late gestation before birth and the onset of irreversible pathology is very exciting,' said study co-lead, Dr William Peranteau, a fetal surgeon at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'This is particularly true for diseases that affect the lungs, whose function becomes dramatically more important at the time of birth.' While CRISPR's success is to be celebrated in mice, it might raise concerns if it were being used in humans. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists announced that a pair of twins they had gene edited had already been born. Shortly thereafter, other scientists discovered that the altered gene might also change the children's brains. In the aftermath, bioethicists and politicians the world over have expressed their concern over changing babies before birth - which some see as 'playing god.' Yet others would welcome any hope against incurable diseases like cystic fibrosis. Dr Peranteau said noted that 'the current research is a proof-of-concept study.' But it highlights 'the exciting future prospects for prenatal treatments including gene editing and replacement gene therapy for the treatment of congenital diseases,' he added. A loving mother and teacher has died after contracting a drug-resistant superbug that is increasingly prevalent in the US. Stephanie Spoor, 64, was hospitalized with a sinus infection last November in Barrington, just outside Chicago. But as the weeks went by, with no signs of progress, it became clear Spoor's case was hardly something innocuous - and it wasn't just because of her lupus, an autoimmune disease. Baffled, doctors sent her to specialist units at Rush University, then Northwestern, the top hospital in Illinois state, the family explained on a GoFundMe page. It wasn't until mid-January 2019 that doctors realized Spoor had contracted Candida auris, a harmful form of yeast that is resistant to most drugs, with a 60 percent mortality rate. She died on February 11, days after one of her sons Zack married his fiancee Carley at her bedside in hospital gowns, the New York Times reported. Stephanie Spoor (pictured in hospital) contracted Candida auris, a deadly and increasingly ubiquitous superbug, while battling a sinus infection. Days before she passed, her son Zack and his fiancee Carley got married at her bedside (pictured together, right, with Stephanie and her husband Gregory) 'She was our mother, wife, sister, aunt, nonna, friend, teacher, colleague, confidant, constant-cheerleader, and beacon in a sometimes dark and tumultuous sea,' one of Stephanie's sons Jason wrote on the family's GoFundMe page C auris, once rare, was first identified in 2009 in Japan. Between 2013 and April 2017, there had been 66 cases in the US. Now, there have been 587, with 30 more probable cases. It has been spreading rapidly across the world, and within the US, hitting New York, Illinois, and New Jersey the hardest (with 300, 144, and 104 infections respectively since 2013). 'It's pretty much unbeatable and difficult to identify,' Dr Lynn Sosa, deputy state epidemiologist of Connecticut, told the New York Times in a feature on the emerging health threat last week. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is most commonly contracted in hospitals. And that is where medics fear Spoor was infected: likely through a tube which she was hooked up to as her lungs struggled against the infection in December. It became clear that Spoor would need a lung transplant to recover from the infection, but once she was diagnosed with C auris, that became unlikely. Though Northwestern told the family that they had drugs C auris would succumb to, nothing seemed to work, and Spoor was not eligible for a transplant until it cleared up. It was agonizing for the family, who took to documenting everything daily, at Spoor's request, and sharing their case online to garner support, advice, and funds for their hefty medical bills. It became clear that Spoor would need a lung transplant to recover from the infection, but once she was diagnosed with C auris, that became unlikely. Though Northwestern told the family that they had drugs C auris would succumb to, nothing seemed to work, and Spoor was not eligible for a transplant until it cleared up. Pictured: Stephanie and Gregory 'She has always been so private about these things, but at this moment she needs all the prayers and positive thoughts that we can muster,' one of Spoor's sons, Jason Spoor-Harvey, wrote on the page on February 1. 'So, privacy concerns have become secondary to our continued effort to employ all means necessary to help her survive.' On February 12, the day after Spoor passed away, Jason shared a note. 'It is with a profound and consuming grief that I share this update with all of you that have been willing to support us and especially my amazing mother,' he wrote. 'Unfortunately, yesterday morning my mother lost her fight for some new lungs. The damage done when the Lupus-related autoimmune response targeted her lungs was too much for this otherwise unstoppable woman. 'She was our mother, wife, sister, aunt, nonna, friend, teacher, colleague, confidant, constant-cheerleader, and beacon in a sometimes dark and tumultuous sea.' Competition chiefs have shied away from a break-up of Britain's biggest bean counters following a review into the failing audit market. Regulators have said forcing the Big Four accountants to split into separate consulting and audit companies would be overcomplicated. Instead, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has called for 'operational separation', where audit chiefs do not get a share of profits from consulting and must answer to their own distinct board. Spilling the beans: HBOS bank was given a clean bill of health by KPMG before it collapsed in 2008 But critics said the CMA had missed 'a golden opportunity' to reform the industry following heavy lobbying by the Big Four. It comes after an outcry over conflicts of interest following a string of scandals. Firms have failed to spot a huge black hole at Tesco, the near-collapse of the Co-op Bank and the failure of outsourcer Carillion. Accounting blunders HBOS bank was given a clean bill of health by KPMG before it collapsed in 2008 Deloitte was fined 3m for a failure to manage conflicts before the collapse of MG Rover A 326m accounting error at Tesco was missed by PwC in 2014 KPMG overlooked a 1.5bn black hole at the Co-op Bank in 2014 PwC was fined 5.1m in 2017 for missing problems at accountant RSM Tenon Last year KPMG was fined 3.2m over a scandal at law firm Quindell All the Big Four worked for Carillion without highlighting problems Deloitte was fined 415,000 by Malaysian regulators over scandal-hit auditor 1MDB The consultancy arms of KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and Ernst & Young earn huge profits from large companies where auditors are also supposed to be carrying out independent book-keeping checks. Critics claim it means the auditors are unlikely to ask tough questions of management. The CMA said: 'Given the difficulties with an immediate global structural split, the CMA is recommending an operational split.' The CMA has said the arrangement should be reviewed after five years to see if it is working. Ministers will now decide whether to implement the proposals. Prem Sikka, an accountancy professor at the University of Sheffield, said: 'The CMA's report has been incredibly diluted and it is disappointing. 'This was a golden opportunity and the CMA had good intentions, but it's really caved in to lobbying by the Big Four and their corporate lawyers, and to political pressure.' Chief executive of the Management Consultants Association (MCA) Tamzen Isacsson warned however that regulation could 'undermine' the UK's position as a leader in consulting services. 'Our members are committed to the highest standards,' Isacsson said. 'The UK is a leading centre in the world for consulting services and we need to ensure that regulation does not undermine this position for a sector which is worth over 10billion to the UK economy and supports over 500,000 jobs across the UK.' She added: 'Structural break ups of companies would be impractical to manage and we are pleased to see this is not a recommended proposal, given these are massive global organisations and this would undermine our position globally.' Older motorists facing sky-high car insurance charges due to their age are being urged to save money with new technology that prices premiums simply on how you drive. Black box car insurance has been praised for reducing accidents and helping young drivers save hundreds of pounds. Officially known as telematics insurance, this type of policy gets its name from the small device insurers fit in your car to monitor your driving. Older drivers can benefit from black box devices designed to help youngsters find affordable car insurance Typical car insurers price premiums according to how much risk they think you pose, based on such factors as your age and where you live. But with telematics policies, prices can go up or down depending on your driving style, mileage, routes you tend to take and the time of day you travel. Studies show that drivers who have a black box fitted into their car tend to drive more carefully. In return, they are rewarded with a cheaper policy. The deals are proving popular among younger drivers desperate to reduce prohibitively high premiums because of their age. Around one in three drivers under 25 uses a black box to save money on their insurance, according to analysts LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Yet, only one in ten people aged between 35 and 54 has taken out a telematics policy and just one in 20 drivers aged over 55. Money Mail research suggests this may be because older drivers are not aware of this type of insurance. Our analysis shows that drivers in their late 50s were typically offered half as many black box deals as drivers in their early 20s. Insurance: Only one in ten people aged between 35 and 54 has taken out a telematics policy This is despite motorists aged 50 to 64 standing to save an average of 484 per year with such a policy, according to comparison site Comparethemarket. Those aged 65 to 79 could save 343, and over-80s could pocket 145, it adds. Martyn Mathews, of LexisNexis, says: 'The vast majority of drivers who could gain from the safety advantages of telematics and insurance costs based on how they drive, rather than how insurance providers think they might drive, are missing out.' Experts believe offering more elderly drivers black box policies could also help put an end to unfairly high premiums. Earlier this year, Money Mail revealed how some octogenarian drivers were quoted up to 3,800 for an annual premium, despite driving for six decades without a claim. 'Big Brother' device cut my bill by 250 Driving a bargain: Michelle Seelhoff When Michelle Seelhoff, 55, used a comparison website to search for car insurance for her Land Rover Freelander, she like many older drivers was offered just one telematics deal. But the artist and her husband, Kevin, 57, who works in construction supplies, decided to take out the 400 policy with Coverbox because the next cheapest deal on offer was around 250 more expensive. Michelle says: 'I'm a safe driver, so I knew I might be able to save money with a black box deal. 'I didn't have any concerns that the way I drive would make my premium go up.' An engineer came to their home, near Taunton in Somerset, to fit the device under the dashboard a process that took around 30-45 minutes. 'It looked exactly the same as before. You couldn't see the box at all,' she says. The installation was free, but the couple had to pay a policy set-up fee of 10 and a 'device management fee' of 120. They renewed this year and these fees dropped to 5 and 60, respectively. But Michelle says the deal was a bargain, even with the added costs. 'As well as saving us around 200 a year, it also makes you think a bit more about how you drive,' she says. Michelle doesn't check her driving score online because she is confident she drives safely at all times, saying she is a 'goody-goody' about sticking to speed limits and not braking harshly. She adds: 'Although I joke that it's a bit like Big Brother watching you, I think it has a positive effect and makes you drive more carefully which is a good thing.' moneymail@dailymail.co.uk Insurers put over-80s into a 'high risk' category, because they are statistically more likely to have an accident. But as Roger Ramsden, group chief executive of telematics insurer MyPolicy, says: 'The traditional insurance industry is based on putting drivers into clusters of risk, but, by its very nature, that system means that half of those in every group are overpaying and the other half are underpaying.' Black boxes could overcome this problem, as older drivers can use their driving data to prove they are still safe behind the wheel. Despite the benefits for all drivers, insurers are targeting black box policies at younger people who may be more willing to try out new technology and are desperate to lower their sky-high premiums. But there may be other factors putting older drivers off. A third of drivers who told Comparethemarket they did not want a black box were worried about having to pay for the removal of the box if they switched insurers. Coverbox charges 60 to remove its gadget, while the cost to disconnect the device during your policy with Admiral LittleBox is 100 although there is no fee if you choose not to renew at the end of your cover. And there are extra charges if you change your car: Insurethebox charges 90, Admiral 59.50 and Ingenie between 80 and 160, depending on how many times you move vehicle. Most black box insurance companies offer free installation and include the cost of the device in your first premium. But some insurers require you to have a minimum premium, such as Admiral LittleBox, where drivers must pay at least 650 per year. Others may charge a 'device management fee', such as Coverbox, which is 120 for the first year and 60 every year thereafter. One solution could be to install your own black box, which allows you to share driving data with any insurer. The newly launched Theo 'super dashcam', monitors and films driving, and will let users share their data in the near future. It costs 169.99, plus 50 for installation and a 4.99 per month subscription. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk The cyber security chief of a controversial Chinese firm has accused the US of 'belittling national security' with spying claims. John Suffolk, a former top UK civil servant, says concerns about Huawei were based on trying to thwart competition from China. He said there was 'not much more' Huawei could do to persuade critics, and called on British ministers not to ban it from 5G networks. No threat: John Suffolk, a former top UK civil servant, says concerns about Huawei were based on trying to thwart competition from China Huawei is a major provider of telecoms equipment used by companies such as BT and Vodafone to transmit mobile phone and internet data. But the US warns the firm's kit could be vulnerable to snooping by China, and wants European allies to shun it. In China yesterday, Suffolk said: 'They're belittling national security. Some people you are never going to convince. 'Whether it is because they believe Huawei are terrible people or China is a terrible country, you don't know.' The UK is reviewing rules which say who telecoms firms can source equipment from. Suffolk, 61, called on the UK to set out security standards, rather than banning Huawei. He was formerly chief information officer at Whitehall. His move to Huawei in 2011 saw him grilled by officials before he took the post. Appledore built the bow sections of the Queen Elizabeth, the first of Britain's new aircraft carriers Ministers are being inundated with plans for vessels to be built at Appledore Shipyard. Sited at the mouth of the river Torridge near Barnstaple, it has been a shipbuilding hub since 1855, and shut last month when a lease held by defence giant Babcock International ran out. The shipyard's owner Langham Industries is now on the hunt for new contracts and business offers so work can restart. Leaked documents from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) seen by the Mail show an electric ferry, support boats for a tidal energy project in Bristol and two platforms for offshore oil and gas operations are among projects vying to be built at Appledore. A 90m vessel for a Polish firm, two fishing boats and the new Isles of Scilly ferry are also among the ventures. The BEIS document said it has 'reached the point where we are now receiving unsolicited enquiries', and these are being worked up into more detailed business plans. BEIS has put together a consortium, a mix of investors and companies seeking contractual work, and 'two respected entrepreneurs' have emerged to lead a business at the yard. Tim Jones, of the South West Business Council, said: 'There are encouraging discussions.' Chris Langham, head of Langham Industries which owns the freehold of the shipyard, said: 'I'm not aware of all these projects. I think some must be highly speculative. 'We stand ready to negotiate with potential operators or consortiums provided they're in a position to proceed and at the moment that isn't the case.' BEIS said it did not comment on leaks. Rumours are circulating around the City that NCC Group, a British cyber security company, could soon be snapped up by a predator. Its shares have been creeping up over the last few weeks, after warnings of a UK slowdown knocked 31 per cent off its value in January. Over the last month, they are up 19.4 per cent. NCC, which specialises in 'ethical hacking' to help businesses find weaknesses in their systems, was born when the Government's National Computing Centre sold its commercial divisions in 1999. NCC Group's shares have been creeping up over the last few weeks, after warnings of a UK slowdown knocked 31% off its value in January. Over the last month, they are up 19.4% Beady-eyed observers have their money on private equity firms, IT giant IBM and, possibly, computer company Dell as potential bidders. Sources close to the company said it was not in takeover talks, but that hasn't stopped traders speculating that an offer could be on the horizon. The stock was up 2.9 per cent, or 4.8p, at 172.2p. Card Factory was proving that greetings cards aren't dead yet, as it opened an average of almost one store a week last year. Same-store sales at the chain were flat compared to the previous year, although chief executive Karen Hubbard claimed this as a victory in a year when shoppers shunned the High Street. Although profits slipped 8.3 per cent to 66.6million, revenue climbed 3.3 per cent to 436million, helped along by a massive 56.3 per cent rise in sales on its website. Stock Watch - Bould Opportunities Bould Opportunities, formerly known as Photonstar LED Group prior to putting its lighting business into administration, is in trouble itself. It doesn't have enough money for its new plan to buy an as-yet unnamed company which wants to be listed on London's junior market. Investors seemed to have been hoping for a miracle as shares climbed, but Bould said it may have to run to investors to raise more cash. Shares fell 27.4 per cent, or 0.02p, to 0.04p. Hubbard said that, already this year, it had seen record seasonal performances from Valentine's Day and Mothers' Day. After opening 51 stores over the year, bringing its total to 1,200, Card Factory is still planning to expand. It has tested selling products in Aldi in the UK, in an Australian retailer and with a partner in Jersey. Shares climbed 10 per cent, or 17.7p, to 194.8p. Operations haven't run so smoothly for mining giant Rio Tinto so far this year. Tropical cyclones in Australia battered its iron ore business, causing damage and forcing it to lower its guidance for shipments. The miner shipped 69.1m tonnes of iron ore in the first three months of the year, 14 per cent less than a year previously. It now hopes to transport between 333m and 343m tonnes for the whole of 2019, down from 338m to 350m tonnes. Shares slid by 0.6 per cent, or 30p, to 4672.5p. Britain's jobs market isn't coming to the standstill some feared it might in the run-up to Brexit, says white-collar recruiter Hays. In the first three months of 2019, Hays' fee revenue from the UK and Ireland edged up by 3 per cent. But growth in fees slowed in Germany, where the trade spat between the US and China has also weighed on the economy. The total net fee growth for the third quarter of Hays' financial year hit 6pc, missing analysts' expectations of 7 per cent. Shares were down 2.6 per cent, or 4.3p, at 158.8p. In another uneventful day among Britain's biggest listed companies, the FTSE 100 ended a marginal 0.4 per cent, or 33.05 points, up at 7469.92. On the junior market AIM, warnings of tough trading conditions pushed down shares at Tatton Asset Management, even though it grew assets under management from 4.9billion to 6.1billion for the year ending in March. Chief executive Paul Hogarth was 'disappointed' with the lack of growth at Paradigm Consulting, the part of Tatton that helps wealth managers and financial advisers comply with regulation. Shares fell 10.4 per cent, or 24p, to 207p. Emerging markets specialist Ashmore, however, climbed 6.3 per cent or 28.8p to 484.2p as it raked in 3.8billion of new money from clients. Its strong investment performance generated a further 2.8billion, and chief executive Mark Coombs said calmer political relations in the developed world were helping emerging economies. Climate change protesters have cost businesses in London's West End 12million and counting, as they continue to block visitors and commuters from some of the capital's busiest streets. The Extinction Rebellion group has reeked havoc in London since Monday, causing disruption to at least 500,000 people with protests dotted around the City. A pink boat is blocking Oxford Circus, activists are dancing on Waterloo Bridge and rows of tents are cover key routes through the capital. Oxford Circus: The Extinction Rebellion group has reeked havoc in London since Monday Today, protesters glued themselves to a Docklands Light Railway train causing chaos on London's transport network on the third day of mayhem. New West End Company, which seeks to protect the interests of firms operating in the centre of London, is now urging London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police to 'take control of the situation' and enable shops, restaurants and their employees to 'get back to business'. Protesters are blocking commuters and tourists from the West End's shops and restaurants Police have shut down Transport for London's public wifi to stop activists co-ordinating their protests underground and more than 300 people have been arrested in the last 48 hours. But protesters have still got their four strongholds of Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus and it is causing a harmful slowdown in footfall and spending. Boss of New West End Company Jace Tyrrell said: 'West End businesses are deeply concerned by the continued disruption being caused in central London by the Extinction Rebellion protesters. 'While we fully support the right to peaceful protest, we do not believe that it is acceptable to block, for such a long period of time, some of London's busiest streets.' In a letter to the London Mayor, Tyrrell said he is particularly concerned about the disruption piling more pressure on shops and restaurants at a time when high street firms are 'already suffering' from poor trading conditions. New West End Company has written to the London Mayor, urging him to control the situation 'This additional pressure is deeply damaging to London's economy and reputation and has so far cost West End businesses over 12million, with some stores seeing a 25 per cent decrease in sales and footfall,' he said. Tyrrell is anxious that the situation be resolved before the busy bank holiday weekend. 'The West End is resilient and we know people will still come out over the Easter period to enjoy the shopping and culture, but we want their experience here to be a positive one,' he added. The City watchdog has issued a stark warning over the treatment of customers to the firm targeting Provident Financial, in one of the most bitter takeover battles the City has seen for years. Andrew Bailey, head of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said that he will not tolerate efforts to exploit the Provvy's 2.4m customers if the bid by rival Non-Standard Finance succeeds. NSF, run by the Provvy's 70-year-old former boss John van Kuffeler, has pledged to boost the lender's profits. Hostile bid: NSF, run by Provident Financial's 70-year-old former boss John Van Kuffeler, has pledged to boost the lender's profits But its plans, and the hostile nature of the bid, have sparked fears of a squeeze on vulnerable borrowers. In a highly unusual intervention, Bailey told the Mail that the FCA will use its powers to stop that. He said: 'We're not going to tolerate seeing a reversion to some of the practices that were there in the past. We're not saying you can't do this deal, it's not for us to do that. 'But don't price this deal on the basis of assuming you can go back to some of the processes of the past.' Mini bond crackdown Regulators are preparing a crackdown on high-risk bonds at the heart of a scandal over collapsed savings firm London Capital & Finance (LCF). Financial Conduct Authority boss Andrew Bailey has major concerns about mini-bonds, which let savers lend cash to small firms, including those turned down for credit by the banks. LCF promised returns up to 8 per cent but after it went bust it emerged funds had gone to just 12 firms, in what administrators described as highly suspicious transactions. Bailey is worried savers are not given enough warning they could lose all their cash. Van Kuffeler ran the Provvy for 22 years before leaving in 2013. The FCA started to regulate doorstep lending the following year, and brought in tough rules to protect borrowers from abuse. Van Kuffeler then set up NSF in 2015. It is much smaller, with only 180,000 customers. Bailey's warning doubles down on a letter sent to van Kuffeler by the FCA in which it warned him not to put customers at risk. MPs are also increasingly concerned. Stella Creasy, of Labour, wrote to City minister John Glen to ask what sanctions could be used to punish the Provvy if it changes its approach to customers under new management. It comes amid a vicious war of words between the Provvy and NSF. This week, Provvy chairman Patrick Snowball said his rivals offered a 'dreadful deal', adding, in a letter to shareholders: 'It is more of a coup d'etat than a hostile takeover, spearheaded by a management at NSF with a track record of value-destructive acquisitions and facilitated by powerful shareholders.' In response, NSF claimed: 'The Provident board is determined to deflect from its history of self-inflicted wounds and incompetence its defective leadership, customer failings, destruction of shareholder value, erosion of shareholder trust and strategic vacuum. It reveals an extraordinary disregard for some of its largest shareholders.' Three of the Provvy's biggest shareholders who control more than 50 per cent of the stock back NSF, which is seeking support from 90 per cent of investors, although it could reduce this target to get the deal over the line. The Provvy has been embroiled in a mis-selling scandal over a product sold by its Vanquis credit card arm, and was forced to give 169million back to customers. It is also being probed by the FCA over sales tactics at Moneybarn, its car finance division. NSF insists it will comply with all FCA rules. Provvy shares fell 1.4 per cent, or 7.2p, to 509.6p and NSF dipped 1.5 per cent, or 0.8p, to 51.5p. Marks & Spencer has slashed prices on almost 500 of its most popular food items as it scrambles to win back customers and arrest its declining sales. The High Street chain has dramatically cut prices across products such as chocolate eggs and legs of lamb, in time for Easter. A bottle of Limestone Coast Sauvignon now costs 7 compared with 10 a year ago, with a family pack of salmon fillets reduced from 13 to 11. It is also selling 20 per cent more Easter eggs for 5 and under compared to last year. Marks & Spencer has dramatically cut prices across products such as chocolate eggs and legs of lamb, in time for Easter ...but Lidl is cheapest for Easter LIDL has been named the cheapest supermarket for Easter. The discounter came out top in a Good Housekeeping survey of how much it costs to feed eight people Easter lunch. Each basket consisted of a 2kg leg of lamb, a bag of potatoes, peas, carrots, mint sauce, hot cross buns and two bottles of Prosecco. At Lidl, the cost came to 20.71 or 2.59 per person. Rival Aldi was close behind at 21.63 and Morrisons third cheapest at 24.89. Of the 10 surveyed, Waitrose was the most expensive at 37.03. Head of food Stuart Machin said M&S is trying to be 'special and relevant, with prices to shout about'. It is the latest move by chief executive Steve Rowe and chairman Archie Norman to revive fortunes by attracting more families. M&S's food business, which has long been the jewel in its crown, has struggled in recent years as shoppers are lured by bargains at German rivals Aldi and Lidl. The price cuts mean that the cost of an Easter lunch for eight people at M&S is now 3.03 lower than a year earlier, at 34.18, making it cheaper than Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Good Housekeeping magazine, which carried out the price comparisons of Easter lunches across 10 supermarkets, called the reductions 'a deliberate price-cutting move'. Machin said: 'We're in the early stages of our transformation plan to broaden the appeal of our food to family-age customers and make M&S more relevant, more often. 'You can see this shift in our marketing campaign. M&S is no longer positioning itself as special and different but special and relevant, with prices to shout about.' The wide-ranging reductions are part of a drastic overhaul of the food division. It has bagged a 1.5billion deal with Ocado to launch an online grocery delivery service for the first time, and the retailer is planning to open larger M&S Food supermarkets to attract more families. Critics believe it is paying too much for the tie-up, which spells the end for Ocado's 19-year partnership with Waitrose. Some Ocado customers have already threatened to leave, complaining that M&S is more expensive than Waitrose. Norman brought in former protege Machin last year to revive the struggling food business. The pair worked together at Asda and Australian supermarket Target, where Norman is still chairman. In an effort to make the upmarket grocer more accessible, Machin has plastered food prices on M&S's advertisements for the first time and struck a sponsorship deal with the family television show Britain's Got Talent. He recently revived its famous 'This is not just food, this is M&S Food' advertising campaign, 12 years after it was first launched. And he has also increased portion sizes, bringing in family-size shepherd's pies and pizzas. It is understood that Machin wants to increase M&S's food sales by a third over the coming years. Car dealer Pendragon, owner of the Evans Halshaw and Stratstone brands, has swung to a loss after costs escalated. It was hardly the start that chief executive Mark Herbert hoped for after he joined this month. Although total group revenue was up 1.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, Pendragon made a loss of 2.8million a massive 10million below its expectations. Although total group revenue was up 1.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, Pendragon made a loss of 2.8m a massive 10m below its expectations As investors slammed on the brakes, pushing shares down by 9.7 per cent, or 2.45p, to 22.7p, Herbert, along with new chief financial officer Mark Willis, announced a review of prospects. Russ Mould, analyst at AJ Bell, said: 'You know a profit warning is bad when a company launches a review. This indicates a continuing reluctance on the part of UK consumers to splash out on big ticket items, amid economic and political uncertainty, unless prices are cut.' Pendragon has chosen to prioritise its place as the UK's biggest car dealer, cutting prices to entice customers rather than watching them slip away. Its five-year plan to double second-hand car revenue by 2021 now hangs in the balance. Investors must wait until June for more news, when Herbert is due to release the results of his review. Stock Watch - Serica Energy The North Sea oil and gas firm Serica celebrated a surge in profits last year, after a series of acquisitions which industry analysts have hailed as 'transformational'. Serica bought interests in the Bruce, Keith and Rhum fields in the North Sea, and saw its profits jump 337 per cent to 57.3million. Chief executive Mitch Flegg said the firm was still on the lookout for new opportunities after a year of 'incredible achievement'. Shares climbed 22.8 per cent, or 26p, to 140p. Major supplier Bunzl, which provides businesses around the world with items ranging from disposable coffee cups to safety gear, suffered its worst day of trading in almost 30 years. Shares dipped 9.3 per cent, or 237p, to 2314p as it admitted revenue growth rate is slowing, blaming mixed macroeconomic and market conditions, especially in North America, where performance was squeezed by a lack of sales growth and the higher price of goods. Bunzl, which has historically been keen to expand through buying new businesses, also announced that it had snapped up Netherlands packaging supplier Coolpack. Its performance weighed on the FTSE 100, although top riser Tui (up 4.5 per cent, or 37p, to 852.6p) helped to pull the blue-chip index back to end the day up 0.02 per cent, or 1.40points, at 7471.32. Meanwhile the FTSE 250 was boosted by private hospitals firm Mediclinic, after it said that it had met expectations for the year ending March 2019. Analysts at Morgan Stanley said the business had 'handled admirably' the headwinds it had faced in some markets. The comments came as a pat on the back for new chief executive Ronnie van der Merwe, who has been leading a turnaround of the South African firm. Shares jumped by 7.8 per cent, or 23.7p, to 327.5p. GB Group beat expectations with ease, as it announced profits for the year ending in March would be up 20.6 per cent to 31.7million. The credit-scoring and identity-checking business gained significant new customers, and shares rose 14.8 per cent, or 81p, to 630p. A new deal for Learning Technologies Group, which offers online workplace learning and recruitment services, caused its shares to leap. The firm has bought Breezy, a recruitment software business, for up to 13.8million. LTG's shares climbed by 15.2 per cent, or 10p, to 76p. But Carclo, which makes plastic parts for car lights and medical devices, fell 20.7 per cent, or 5.75p, to 22.1p. It was suffering from backlogs, as customers increased their orders to stockpile for Brexit. As activity on London's stock market finally begins to heat up Turkey-focused gas producer Valeura Energy, which is aiming to frack near Istanbul where there are no restrictions on the controversial extraction method, is to float in London this month. It is already listed on Canada's Toronto exchange, valued at 143million. Savers with big High Street banks should transfer their Isa cash now to get a better deal. If you opened an Isa with a major bank in previous tax years it is likely that your rate has now dropped to as little as 0.2 per cent. Even if it hasnt, you could still earn more elsewhere, with top rates as high as 1.46 per cent. If you opened an Isa with a major bank in previous tax years it is likely that your rate has now dropped to as little as 0.2 per cent This is a difference of 252 interest annually if you put in the full 20,000 Isa allowance. So if you rushed to open a cash Isa with your current account provider before the tax year ended, you should now consider switching to a better-paying account. Savers in Halifax Isa Saver Variable currently earn 0.6 per cent. But once you have been in the account for 12 months the bank moves your money into its Instant Isa Saver paying a miserly 0.2 per cent. Santander Easy Isa and NatWest Cash Isa both pay as little as 0.2 per cent and Lloyds Cash Isa Saver 0.35 per cent. Barclays Instant Cash Isa savers fare little better with 0.7 per cent at best, while the HSBC Loyalty cash Isa pays between 0.55 per cent and 0.85 per cent. Under taxman rules, you can move cash Isa savings built up in previous tax years between providers without penalty. You can split them between as many as you want, and between fixed-rate and easy-access accounts. To switch, you just need to pick a new deal and ask the bank or building society offering it to make the transfer. Do not withdraw the cash yourself as you will only be allowed to reinvest a maximum 20,000 in this tax year. It is up to each bank and building society as to whether they accept transfers. Unfortunately, many of the best deals often dont, such as Market Harborough BS Easy Access Isa at 1.25 per cent. National Savings & Investments Direct Isa at 0.9 per cent also wont accept transfers. If your fixed-rate cash Isa is coming to an end, be careful not to transfer it before the end of the term. It could mean you are hit with a hefty penalty. Top easy-access deals that do accept transfers include Kent Reliance Easy Access Isa at 1.46 per cent. Online, Paragon Bank Limited Edition Easy Access Isa pays 1.45 per cent, Coventry BS Easy Access (Online) 2 pays 1.45 per cent and Leeds BS Limited Edition Online Access 11 pays 1.46 per cent. Both Coventry and Leeds rates include a bonus rate for the first year so you might have to switch again next year. In the High Street, Yorkshire BS pays 1.46 per cent and Nationwide up to 1.4 per cent, but both restrict the withdrawals to as little as one a year. Leeds Double Access Isa allows two annually and pays 1.3 per cent. Skipton Cash Isa Tracker pays up to 1.36 per cent with limited withdrawals. High Street deals with no bonuses or withdrawal restrictions include Virgin Money at 1.16 per cent and Coventry BS at 1.15 per cent. Your switch should be completed within 15 working days. sy.morris@dailymail.co.uk Donald Trump's national security advisor refused on Sunday to say whether the United States would punish European companies that do not cease their business operations in Iran by the end of this year. Companies within affected industries between 90 days and six months to wind down operations in Iran or run the risk of facing stiff penalties now that the United States is no longer a party to an international accord that lifted sanctions on Tehran. National Security Advisor John Bolton said on CNN's 'State of the Union' that 'it's possible' the Trump administration will impose sanctions on companies that run afoul of the new U.S. policies. 'It depends on the conduct of other governments,' he stated. Donald Trump's national security advisor refused on Sunday to say whether the United States would punish European companies that do not cease their business operations in Iran by the end of this year European leaders are committed to remaining in the agreement with Tehran that lifted economic sanctions on the Middle Eastern country so long as it abided by the terms of a 2015 nuclear deal. But a host of companies are now faced with the prospect of doing business with U.S. or protecting their interests in Tehran. In his remarks announcing the United States' withdraw from the deal, President Trump threatened, 'We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.' Bolton said in a briefing with reporters immediately after the Tuesday announcement that it would be up to the Treasury Department to determine which affected companies, if any, would get a pass. British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue in a Friday phone call with Trump, a spokesperson for the European leader said. 'The Prime Minister reiterated the Government's position on the Iran nuclear deal, noting that we and our European partners remain firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld, as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. 'The Prime Minister raised the potential impact of US sanctions on those firms which are currently conducting business in Iran.' Donald Trump last night tore up the Iran nuclear deal, which could force Britain's biggest businesses out of the country Major British businesses with interests in Iran include Rolls-Royce, Vodafone and British Airways. UK companies have invested 450 billion into Tehran since the U.S. and Europe lifted sanctions after the signing of the accord with partners Russia and China. Finance ministers in France and Germany pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to grant extensions or waivers to businesses that made lucrative deals with Tehran in the period that sanctions were lifted. Bruno Le Maire, the French finance minister, said European states will also try to impose sanctions-blocking measures through the European Commission. 'Do we accept extraterritorial sanctions? The answer is no,' Le Maire said. 'Do we accept that the United States is the economic gendarme of the planet? The answer is no. Do we accept the vassalization of Europe in commercial matters? The answer is no.' Le Maire is seeking exemptions for Renault, Total, Sanofi, Danone and Peugeot and other companies already doing business with Tehran. Trump's new ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, suggested that exemptions were unlikely, saying Thursday, 'German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.' European companies did not have an immediate have a reaction to possibility that they would have to cease operations in Iran or be barred from doing business with the U.S. other than to say in statements that they were monitoring the situation. 'We are examining the announcement and its potential implications,' Rolls Royce said. 'We conduct business in all countries, including Iran, in accordance with all relevant UK, EU or other national sanctions and export control regulations.' British Airways, which operates six flights a week between London Heathrow and Tehran, said, 'We constantly review our network to ensure that our routes match our customers' needs and are commercially viable. We are in regular contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.' Trump's tough talk now on sanctions is at odds with what he told France's Emmanuel Macon and May just six months ago as he moved toward yanking the U.S. out of the deal. He said in October that he told the allies 'take all the money you can get' from Tehran. 'Actually, Emmanuel called up, and he talked to me. And I said, look, Emmanuel, they just gave Renault a lot of money. Take their money; enjoy yourselves,' Trump said then. The U.S. president said that the European leaders wanted him to stay in the deal he'd said he'd exit since he was a candidate because of the financial implications of leaving it. 'You know, Iran is spending money in various countries. And I've always said it, and I say to them: Don't do anything. Don't worry about it. Take all the money you can get. They're all friends of mine,' Trump said. Robert Mueller's past ties to a Russian oligarch who is now a witness in the special counsel's probe are raising questions of a possible conflict of interest. On Monday, new details emerged about then-FBI Director Mueller's 2009 deal with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to help rescue ex-agent hostage Robert Levinson from Iran, as recounted in a column by John Solomon for The Hill. Now Deripaska's ties to Paul Manafort have brought him under the scrutiny of Mueller's investigators, raising the possibility of a conflict of interest and renewing ethical scrutiny on the millions the oligarch spent assisting the FBI in 2009. The strange saga dates back to 2007, when Levinson, a retired agent for the FBI and DEA, disappeared on Iran's Kish Island while he was supposedly investigating cigarette smuggling - but was reportedly on a secret CIA mission. New details have emerged about then-FBI Director Mueller's (left) 2009 deal with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska (right) to help rescue a former agent held hostage in Iran Though Iran has never admitted it, Levinson was believed to be held in a secret government prison there after his disappearance. In mid-2008, FBI agents met with Deripaska in a Paris hotel to ask for his assistance in negotiating with Iran for Levinson's release, the New York Times reported several years later. Andrew McCabe, the recently-fired FBI deputy director who was deeply involved in the Russian election meddling probe, was one of Deripaska's early FBI contacts, sources told Solomon. The Russian oligarch's participation was crucial, as he had close business ties in Iran, and US laws might make it illegal for the FBI or any US citizen to spend any money in Iran. Deripaska, an aluminum magnate, offered to put his millions into a rescue operation. In return, he reportedly wanted the FBI to smooth the path for lifting travel restrictions that prohibited him from entering the US. Deripaska's lawyer told Solomon that the Russian ultimately spent $25million assembling a private search and rescue team working with Iranian contacts. Mueller, then leading the FBI, would have been well aware of the deal. 'I kept Director Mueller and Deputy Director [John] Pistole informed of the various efforts and operations,' Robyn Gritz, the retired agent who supervised the Levinson case in 2009, told Solomon. 'We tried to turn over every stone we could to rescue Bob.' Andrew McCabe, (above) the recently-fired FBI deputy director who was deeply involved in the Russian election meddling probe, was reportedly one of Deripaska's early FBI contacts By several accounts, the State Department, then under Hillary Clinton, blocked a deal for Levinson's return from going through. 'We tried to turn over every stone we could to rescue Bob, but every time we started to get close, the State Department seemed to always get in the way,' Gritz said. 'Deripaska's efforts came very close to success,' David McGee, a former federal prosecutor who represents Levinson's family, told Solomon. 'We were told at one point that the terms of Levinson's release had been agreed to by Iran and the US and included a statement by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointing a finger away from Iran. At the last minute, Secretary Clinton decided not to make the agreed-on statement,' McGee said. Muellers spokesman declined to comment to Solomon, as did McCabe and the State Department. Levinson remains missing to this day. He was last seen alive in 2011, in photos that showed him wearing an orange jumpsuit. The FBI ended the operation cooperating with Deripaska the same year. Levinson remains missing to this day. He was last seen alive in 2011, in a set of photos including this one that showed him wearing an orange jumpsuit Fast forward to 2016, when Deripaska resurfaced as a potential witness in the Russian election meddling probe. Now granted entry to the US on a diplomatic passport, though he doesnt work for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Deripaska says he was startled awake by FBI agents in his New York hotel room two months before the 2016 election. They wanted to ask him about the claims in British ex-spy Christopher Steele's 'dirty dossier', which alleged links between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government. 'Deripaska laughed but realized, despite the joviality, that they were serious,' his American lawyer Adam Waldman told Solomon. 'So he told them in his informed opinion the idea they were proposing was false. "You are trying to create something out of nothing," he told them.' Later, Mueller's probe uncovered evidence that Paul Manafort, then Trump's campaign chairman, made overtures to offer Deripaska 'private briefings' on the campaign, the Washington Post reported. The oligarch says he never got the message about briefings, and there's no indication such a meeting took place. Manafort and Deripaska have longstanding business ties. Deripaska sued Manafort in January, alleging he was defrauded in a 2007 investing deal. In 2016, FBI agents burst into Deripaska's (above) hotel room in New York to quiz him on the claims in the 'dirty dossier'. He recalls laughing, thinking they were joking at first Anastasia Vashukevich, a call girl who was once Deripaska's mistress, has claimed from behind bars in a Thai jail that she had key evidence proving he was involved in election interference In February, video surfaced of Deripaska on a private yacht with Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Sergei Eduardovich Prikhodko. A Russian opposition leader claimed that the video showed that Deripaska was a conduit between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Belarussian escort Anastasia Vashukevich, Deripaska's former mistress who was seen in the yacht video, made the shocking claim from behind bars in a Thai prison that she had incriminating information on Deripaska. 'Deripaska had a plan about elections,' she told the New York Times. Vashukevich remains jailed on prostitution charges in Thailand and has not publicly elaborated on her claims. Stunningly, Deripaska was never named in Mueller's indictment of Manafort, on tax fraud charges unrelated to the election. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is vigorously contesting the case. Now some are wondering if Mueller's dealing's with Deripaska on the Levinson hostage case create a conflict of interest, since the oligarch is presumably a key witness in the special counsel's probe into alleged 'links' between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. 'The real question becomes whether it was proper to leave [Deripaska] out of the Manafort indictment, and whether that omission was to avoid the kind of transparency that is really required by the law,' attorney Alan Dershowitz told Solomon. Emmanuel Macron heaped praise on his close links with Theresa May and Angela Merkel today - saying they would respond to global threats with 'one voice'. The French president posted a picture of himself deep in conversation with his British and German counterparts at a summit in Sofia. Amid mounting tensions with the US over the Iran nuclear deal, Mr Macron said the leaders must 'combine our strengths'. The gathering in Bulgaria is expected to focus on the increasingly turbulent international situation. Emmanuel Macron talked up his close links with Theresa May and Angela Merkel as they met at a summit in Sofia today (pictured) The French president posted a picture of himself deep in conversation with his British and German counterparts at a summit in Sofia The leaders appeared at ease with each other as they shared a joke on arriving for the summit The fallout from Donald Trump's decision last week to abandon the Iran nuclear deal last week will loom large - as will his threat of tariffs on steel exports, and the decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. European Council president Donald Tusk launched an extraordinary attack on the US president last night, saying 'with friends like these who needs enemies'. 'Looking at latest decisions of @realDonaldTrump someone could even think: with friends like that who needs enemies,' Mr Tusk tweeted. 'But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions. We realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.' Alongside a picture of himself with Mrs May and Mrs Merkel, Mr Macron posted a message saying European leaders had to work together to guarantee 'international stability'. 'When challenges threaten to destabilise the world, the only solution: combine our strengths to respond with one voice,' he wrote. Downing Street said the trio had discussed the US withdrawal from the Iran deal at a meeting today. 'The leaders reiterated their firm commitment to ensuring the deal is upheld, stressing it is important for our shared security,' a spokesman said. 'They pledged to work with the remaining parties to the deal to this end. Mrs May tucked in to breakfast with her fellow EU leaders as the summit got under way today Donald Tusk launched an extraordinary attack on Donald Trump yesterday, posting on Twitter: 'With friends like these, who needs enemies?' 'The leaders stressed that Iran must continue to meet its own obligations under the deal.' The premiers 'reiterated their concerns about Iran's ballistic missile programme and its regional activities, which clearly contribute to the destabilisation of its neighbours', according to the spokesman. Referring to the Iran nuclear deal, Mrs Merkel said: 'Everybody in the European Union shares the view that the deal is not perfect but that we should stay in this deal and continue to negotiate with Iran on this basis about other topics such as the ballistic missile programme.' Mr Macron stepped up criticism over US steel tariffs today, urging Mr Trump to drop threats to punish European exports. The EU has been granted a temporary exemption from the 25 per cent levy, but it expires on June 1. Mr Macron said: 'What we are demanding is that we are exempted without conditions or time limits.' Mrs Merkel added: 'We have made our position clear on issues of trade, such as trade issues with the United States. 'Our common position is that we want an unlimited exemption but are in turn prepared to talk about the reciprocal reduction of trade barriers.' A former private schoolboy who lured a girl into his home by saying he was upset and then raped her has been jailed for just 18 months. Max Maddock, 21, invited the victim to his Melbourne home because 'he was upset about stuff' after a trip to Cambodia and agreed to go into his room with him on July 19, 2017. The former Wesley College and Trinity Grammar student and the girl were both 20 at the time, when he shoved her onto his bed, put his hands around her throat and pulled her pants down. Max Maddock, 21, lured a girl into his bedroom before she was shoved onto his bed and raped her (stock image) The County Court of Victoria heard Maddock touched her genitalia, bit her breast and penetrated her 'two to three times', the Progress Leader reported. She was then told to 'act normally' after Maddock's brother returned home. She played games with Maddock before she was picked up by her mother at 10.30pm. The girl who said had suffered 'profound anguish and anxiety' in her victim statement, reported the incident to police more than a month later on August 29. Maddock was a former private schoolboy at Wesley College (pictured) and Trinity Grammar She had to drop out of university and said she was haunted by flashbacks of the rape. '[She] cried and told you to stop and get off her but you ignored her,' Judge Wendy Wilmoth told Maddock. The girl's mother said she had felt guilty for dropping her daughter off at Maddock's house on the day of the rape. Prior to the girl's rape, Maddock held a knife to the new partner of an ex-girlfriend. '[The victim] lost weight, became depressed and withdrawn from her family,' Judge Wilmoth said. Maddock pleaded guilty to one count of rape at the County Court. The 21-year-old was sentenced to a maximum of three years in jail, with a minimum of 18 months. Jean-Jacques Aillagon, culture minister under Jacques Chirac, called for the change A close confidant of the French billionaire who pledged 100 million towards the restoration of Notre Dame has called for such donations to be 90 per cent tax deductible. Former French culture minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon made the suggestion before the flames in the cathedral had been extinguished. His suggestion came as his close friend Francois-Henri Pinault, who owns the firm behind Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent and is married to Salma Hayek, pledged the nine-figure sum to help 'completely rebuild' the Gothic monument. Mr Aillagon has long been a close advisor of Mr Pinault's and now manages the Pinault Collection, the Pinault family's vast art collection. Were the government to enact the policy, French taxpayers rather than the wealthy donors would foot most of the bill for repairs. Ninety per cent of the sum donated would be taken off the wealthy individual's tax bill, leaving the Exchequer significantly out of pocket and needing to make up the shortfall from general taxation or by cutting spending. French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault and his wife Salma Hayek at the Cannes Film Festival. Mr Pinault pledged E100m towards the restoration of Notre Dame, while the man who runs his art collection called for such donations to be 90% tax deductible Former culture minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon sent a two-part tweet calling on Parliament to pass a special law making 90% tax deductible 'the donations which will be made' to the restoration of Notre Dame Twitter reaction was overwhelmingly negative in response to the suggestion, with one user replying: 'So in effect, the taxpayer will pay most of the donation and the very wealthy get the glory.' Another said he would prefer a national subscription to pay for repairs with each giving what he could afford. Francois-Henri Pinault is chairman and CEO of Kering, the French-based luxury group behind Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and other world-renowned brands. He said in a statement that he plans to pay 100 million euros through his family's investment firm, Artemis, for any work that needs to be done following Monday's catastrophic fire. Francois Pinault and Jean Jacques Aillagon at the 'Sigmar Polke' Exhibition opening at Palazzo Grassi in Venice in April 2016 Smoke is seen around the alter inside Notre Dame cathedral on Monday evening. Miraculously the cross and altar managed to survive the inferno Firefighters tackle the blaze on Monday evening as flames and smoke rise from the Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris He said: 'This tragedy impacts all French people' and 'everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage.' He hoped the money will help church officials 'completely rebuild Notre Dame,' he added, after French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to do so earlier in the day. There is no suggestion Mr Pinault has requested or backs any change to the tax law. Regardless of any proposed tax changes, donations to rebuild Notre Dame have nonetheless exceeded 650 million euros as France's richest man pledged 200 million euros (170m) towards the restoration after Monday night's inferno. Bernard Arnault of luxury goods group LVMH doubled the 100 million euros pledged by Francois-Henri Pinault. Other heavyweight donors include the Bettencourt family - owners of cosmetics giant L'Oreal - who have given 200 million euros and the French oil giant Total who donated 100 million on Tuesday. Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, said she wanted to organise an 'an international conference of donors' to welcome 'experts who are able to raise funds.' Specialised craftsmen and rare materials are expected to be needed to restore the monument, which welcomes more than 13 million visitors each year - an average of more than 35,000 people a day. The head of a French lumber company told FranceInfo radio that it was ready to offer the best oak beams available to rebuild the intricate lattice that supported the now-destroyed roof, known as the 'Forest'. 'The work will surely take years, decades even, but it will require thousands of cubic metres of wood. We'll have to find the best specimens, with large diameters,' Sylvain Charlois of the Charlois group in Murlin, central France, told the radio station. The United Nations' Paris-based cultural agency UNESCO has also promised to stand 'at France's side' to restore the site, which it declared a world heritage site in 1991. 'We are already in contact with experts and ready to dispatch an urgent mission to evaluate the damage, save what can be saved and start elaborating measures for the short- and medium-term,' UNESCO's secretary general Audrey Azoulay said in a statement Tuesday A doctor shot dead in his garage just metres from his wife and daughters has been identified as Luping Zeng. Dr Zeng, 56, was packing his car in the garage of his home in Brisbane, when a man pulled up in a light-coloured sedan or hatchback and shot him in the chest about 11.40pm on Monday. The doctor's family, who were inside the house at the time of the shooting, heard a single gun shot. Dr Zeng was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition, and died shortly after. His killer is still on the run. Dr Luping Zeng, 56, was shot in the chest on Monday night as he packed his car in preparation for work on Tuesday The skin cancer surgeon and doctor moved to Australia in 2000, and a woman who worked at the medical centre and skin cancer clinic where Dr Zeng practiced said she was shocked at the news Dr Zeng worked for the Waterford 7 Day Medical Centre and Skin Cancer Clinic, where he worked 11 days a fortnight. An online professional profile says he is a qualified plastic surgeon overseas, and spent 11 years working in plastic and reconstructive surgery overseas, before he moved to Australia in 2000 and pursued a career in treating skin cancer. Dr Zeng specialised in removing intricate cancer from the face, nose, ears and lower legs. He achieved his degree from Workers at the clinic had not had the news confirmed to them as of Tuesday afternoon, but one woman said she was shocked to hear of Dr Zeng's death. Police have asked for anyone in the MacGregor area, particularly on Delfin Street bounded by Mains Road and Granadilla Street, to come forward with any CCTV or dash cam footage. The 56-year-old was packing his car in the garage of his MacGregor home (pictured) with the door open when a man pulled up in a light coloured sedan or hatchback and shot him in the chest Officers suspect only one person was involved in the shooting, and believe the pair did not know each other. They are unable to say what type of gun was used or at what range the shooter fired from. Dr Zeng's wife is also an overseas trained doctor, and their two adult children are studying to become doctors. 'These are professional members of the community, they dedicate their time to helping people, this is just a tragic event that's occurred,' Acting Detective Inspector Steven McCartney said. 'This is a matter that the members of the community should be concerned about, but be comforted in the fact the QPS is expending a lot of resources to identify who is responsible.' He was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition where he died Police have asked for anyone in the MacGregor area, particularly on Delfin Street bounded by Mains Road and Granadilla Street, to come forward with any CCTV or dash cam footage Acting Det. Insp. McCartney said 'a large number of detectives' were chasing leads, with their search focused on MacGregor. Peter Low, the honourary president of the Queensland Chinese Forum, said Dr Zeng's death was 'a great shock'. Neighbour and friend Jimmy Huang, 20, said he heard a 'five-second' scream outside the house. 'It was not a normal scream from the guy. It was crying out,' he told the Courier-Mail. He said six people live in the house: two parents, two daughters and their grandparents. 'Normally you'd think MacGregor is a pretty safe place. They're quite nice people. I don't know what the hell happened,' he said. Mystery benefactors have offered the children of terrorist Khaled Sharrouf free accommodation and money for healthcare and education once they escape their Syrian hellhole. 'Wealthy people', who won't be publicly named, have stunned the orphans with generous offers of help, family lawyer Robert Van Aalst told Daily Mail Australia this week. 'I can't believe people who don't even know us want to help us,' one of the children wrote to their grandmother Karen Nettleton and supporter Mr Van Aalst. Orphans Zaynab, 17, Hoda, 16, and Humzeh Sharrouf, eight, have spent almost five years under the thumb of the Islamic State in Syria. Karen Nettleton was reunited with her grand and great-grandchildren in Syria last month Ms Nettleton made it to Syria last month after a five year journey to rescue them from ISIS Three of the children are seen at the beach before their parents dragged them to Syria Convicted criminal Khaled brought the family over to the Middle East in December 2013 after fleeing Australia on his brother's passport. He and his two eldest boys, Abdullah, 12, and Zarqawi, 11, died in a Coalition airstrike. The children's mother Tara Nettleton died following complications from appendicitis in 2015. The orphans were last month reunited with their determined grandmother Karen Nettleton, who found them at the Al Hawl refugee camp in north-east Syria. But their planned return home has been slow-walked by the Australian government, which has not signed off on a plan to get them out of the disease-riddled camp. Their desperation to escape Syria has only deepened with mother-of-two Zaynab seven months pregnant and surrounded by squalour. When and if the children return home, Mr Van Aalst said they would live with Ms Nettleton - who had been given an incredible level of support. 'We've been very lucky,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'There are people, who I can't name, wealthy people, who have said to us, they'll provide funding for education and funding for medical help. 'Once we have them out and back home, they've said ... we want to fund their progress from having been in a war zone for five years to getting back into a normal society.' There are fears Zaynab Sharrouf (left) will be forced to give birth to her third child at the camp The Al Hawl campsite in northeast Syria is lacking adequate medical care and ISIS enforcers won't allow women to take off their veils The squalid camp is home to 70,000 refugees and thousands of children He estimated Ms Nettleton and the children had 20 financial benefactors, and had received about 10 offers of expertise to help the children adjust to a normal life. The offers extend to free accommodation in Australia where they will hopefully recuperate after their traumatic Middle Eastern sojourn. We have been very lucky Lawyer Robert Van Aalst on help from several benefactors 'Members of the Islamic community very close to Karen have offered a place (for them) to live, where they'll be out of the public sight and recover nicely,' Mr Van Aalst said. It's expected the children will have to spend some time in Turkey prior to returning to Australia, and accommodation has been offered to them there, too. 'Turkish people have provided free accommodation,' Mr Van Aalst said. 'If they come back here (to Australia), we've got people who have offered free accommodation'. The children have also been offered spiritual guidance in 'the proper Koran' by members of the mainstream Islamic community in Australia. The kids have not shown any signs over the past five years that they have become radicalised, Mr Van Aalst said. WHY KAREN NETTLETON CHOSE TO FILM WITH THE ABC Lawyer Robert Van Aalst said Karen Nettleton chose to work with the ABC's Four Corners program for a simple reason. '(It) was to show, not that she's working with government, but she's not selling herself to any private media organisation.' He said Ms Nettleton had worked her whole life and had 'never, ever' claimed social services. They have not received a cent from the Federal government in their quest to rescue the orphans. Advertisement But the children have no doubt seen 'terrible things'. They confessed their final destination before the refugee camp was 'horrifying and terrible'. 'Zeynab said "I'm scared, there are bullets and rockets" and the rest of it. 'Don't forget these kids have been wounded themselves at one stage or another. 'They're probably seen a lot of terrible things.' The government has told Mr Van Aalst and Ms Nettleton they will provide counselling and support once the children to Turkey. But there has been intense political debate over whether the children should return home in recent weeks. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 'there are a lot of hurdles to clear' as Australia's national security comes first. But Mr Van Aalst said they were just children - and Australian citizens at that - who were seeking a better life. 'Let me say this to you: I'm in my 70s, and I was around when the Vietnam War happened. 'Thousands and thousands of fighters and people who suffered in the Vietnam War came here. 'People have come from Somalia ... Nazis have come here from Germany after the Second World War. 'No one's kicked up a damn fuss about them. And guess what, good news - all became citizens and lived normal lives because they just wanted to get away from war. Khaled Sharrouf fled Australia for Syria in 2014 and fought for the Islamic State. He was killed This photo of one of the Sharrouf children holding a severed head became infamous. The boy died with his father 'These kids are no different. In fact, because they're young, they're more flexible.' He said former African child soldiers have gone on to great things in Australia, and 'these kids have never been soldiers, never fought'. At the end of the day, the children just want to be with their grandmother, Mr Van Aalst said. The kids want to stay with Karen. They love their Nanna. 'They're desperate to be with their Nanna.' Advertisement This is the terrifying moment a German government jet's wings scraped the runway during a wild emergency landing in Berlin. The German air force, which operates the plane, said both wings hit the ground as it landed at Schoenefeld airport after turning back because of a malfunction on Tuesday morning. Flights were grounded and planes coming in were diverted at Schoenefeld for more than two hours after the Bombardier Global 5000's landing. It is the latest in a list of embarrassing mishaps for the military-operated fleet, including Angela Merkel's jet turning back to base after taking off for the G20 in Argentina last November. The German air force operated Global 5000 jet can be seen tilting wildly as it comes into land at Schoenefeld airport in Berlin on Tuesday morning The jet swayed erratically through the air as both of its wings collided with the runway at Schoenefeld airport in Germany The air force confirmed the crew were undergoing medical checks and the cause of the incident was being examined. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that the crew managed 'to get the jet on the ground under very difficult circumstances and prevent worse things,' news agency dpa reported. The plane had been at Schoenefeld for maintenance and was headed back to its base in Cologne. The city's airport operator tweeted after the incident that flights headed for Schoenefeld were being diverted because of an 'inoperative aircraft on the runway' and check-in was suspended. Flight operations resumed around noon, though the airport warned that there could still be delays. Schoenefeld is one of two Cold War-era airports that serve the German capital ahead of the long-delayed opening of a new airport, currently scheduled for October next year. The German government's fleet of 14 aircraft has become increasingly notorious for frequent malfunctions, with a string of high-profile problems in recent months. The jet - which caused flights to be grounded and those coming into Schoenefeld to be diverted - is pulled by a truck on the runway The jet is pulled over the tarmac by a truck at Schoenfeld on Tuesday after the wild landing In November, Chancellor Merkel arrived late at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina after a problem with her Airbus A340 forced the plane to turn back. Merkel then took a commercial flight. Other recent issues have left the foreign minister stranded in Mali overnight and the president for several hours in Ethiopia. The government is purchasing three new long-haul planes. It has four Global 5000s, fitted out for delegations of up to 13 people. A young woman who allegedly pretended to be dying of liver cancer sent her friends shocking messages in a bid to gain their sympathy and scam them out of thousands. Alysha Rose Goring, from Melbourne, is accused of ripping off a 'large' number of her friends and family while pretending to have the deadly disease between March and April last year. The 26-year-old allegedly made up elaborate stories to her friends and family, which included having to have 'multiple abortions due to chemotherapy', A Current Affair reported. 'I found out that I'm pregnant and I can't keep it. I'm so against abortion but the chemo will cause the baby to have side effects,' one message to a friend read. 'They (doctors) found a clot in my brain and I had a seizure yesterday and died but they brought me back. I'm okay,' another message read. Scroll down for video Alysha Rose Goring (pictured), of Caroline Springs, is accused of ripping off a 'large' number of her friends and family while pretending to have liver cancer Alysha Rose Goring, 26, of Caroline Springs leaves Sunshine Magistrates' Court Monique Portelli, who has been battling 3B Hodgkin Lymphoma, was contacted by Goring claiming she too was battling cancer. The pair would often share their stories about what they were going through - their diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Ms Portelli said she now feels that she was being used for information. She was one of many people who donated to help fund Ms Goring's supposed life-saving treatment in Texas. Shocking messages sent from Alysha Rose Goring to friends reveal the extent the 26-year-old went to to deceive them (mock-up image) However, Goring reportedly used the money on an overseas holiday to the United States where she visited Universal Studios and the zoo. 'It makes me sick thinking that I went there and donated to cancer research when I was going through everything and she's just taken that money to go and travel,' Ms Portelli said. Alysha Rose Goring is accused of pretending to have cancer. She appeared in court on Tuesday and said she intended to plead guilty to the charge next month When friends began to question her about her story as it did not seem to add up, her lies started to unravel. Ms Portelli said she became sceptical of Ms Goring when he hair began to grow back as normal. She said chemotherapy patients hair tends to grow back in ringlets - whereas Ms Gorings grew back straight. One friend told A Current Affair when they contacted hospitals where Ms Goring claimed she was getting treatment, they were told there was no record of Ms Goring being a patient. Police have claimed Goring had targeted those closest to her. 'As a result, a large number of family, friends and associates donated more than $9000 by way of direct debit or cash donations,' a police spokesman said. In September last year Ms Goring was charged with obtaining property by deception. She appeared in the Sunshine Magistrate's Court on Monday for a plea hearing, which was adjourned. She will reappear in court on July 3, where she is expected to plead guilty. Advertisement After months of blocking international relief from reaching its starving people, Nicolas Maduro's regime allowed the International Red Cross to finally distribute humanitarian aid. Volunteers with the local Venezuelan Red Cross distributed the first shipment of badly needed emergency supplies which arrived on a cargo plane in Venezuela on Tuesday. It comes after months of feuding between the government, which has denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis, and opponents, who have been seeking to use the delivery of aid to force Maduro from power. The distribution of the aid, which included medical supplies, power generators and medicine, was not free of any commotion. Supporters of the embattled Venezuelan leader fired gunshots in the working class neighborhood of Catia near downtown Caracas when a van arrived to hand out water purification tablets and empty plastic jugs. The delivery came a day before United States national security adviser John Bolton announced a series of new sanctions against Venezuela as President Donald Trump's administration sought to boost pressure on Maduro and the countries that support him. The new sanctions prohibit Venezuela's central bank access' to U.S. dollars. Scroll down for video A woman with a child receives an empty container for water and water purification pills during the Red Cross' first aid distribution in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday People wait to be given empty water containers and water purification pills in in the working class neighborhood of Catia near downtown Caracas People register to be given empty water containers and water purification pills in Venezuela. The Red Cross estimated 650,000 people would receive humanitarian aid Residents in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas await in lines to receive jugs to collect water as well as water purification tablets Embattled leader Nicolas Maduro was quick to pat his regime's back and took credit for the humanitarian aid that was handed out by the Red Cross in Venezuela 'We're very happy,' Sergio Guerra, a motorcycle taxi driver, said nonchalantly as the sound of the shots cracked overhead. 'With these tablets we can defend ourselves a little better by drinking cleaner water.' A small contingent of police showed up to restore order, and volunteers in blue vests agreed to close the van doors from which they were running the slow-moving distribution operation. Elsewhere, trucks carrying the aid snaked through a Caracas highway, the drivers of several vehicles jubilantly honking in support. The delivery of international humanitarian aid has become a focal point in Venezuela's power struggle, now in its third month, after opposition leader Juan Guaido was recognized as the interim president by more than 50 international countries. Both the opposition and the government have been accused of politicizing the aid issue as hospitals struggle to provide even basic care. Guaido has rallied the international community and amassed several hundred tons of aid, primarily from the United States, at Venezuela's borders with Colombia, Brazil and the Dutch Caribbean. But Maduro has steadfastly refused to allow it in, blocking opposition activists who in February organized a caravan to deliver the shipments. 'We aren't beggars,' Maduro said at the time. A woman with a child carries an empty container and water purification pills that came in the first aid shipment from the International Red Cross in Venezuela on Tuesday Empty water containers to be handed out with purification pills are lined up after the Red Cross delivered first aid shipment to Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday Residents wait their turns in line moments after the Red Cross administered the handout of humanitarian aid that was delivered to crisis-torn Venezuela On Tuesday evening, Maduro sought to claim credit for the arrival of the first batch of Red Cross aid, saying on national television that his government coordinated it in line with 'international protocols.' As large crowds have taken to the streets to protest his rule this year, Maduro has been pressed to address the nation's shortages of essential goods like food and medicine. He's selectively chosen to accept aid from allies like China, framing it as a necessary measure to confront U.S. economic sanctions. The delivery of any aid is tacit recognition that his country is in a humanitarian crisis, a notion he has long dismissed as opposition propaganda to pave the way for a foreign military intervention. In recent years, an estimated 3.7 million people have fled the South American nation for neighboring countries like Colombia, some seeking health care for everything from minor infections to cancer treatment they can no longer obtain. Hospitals in Venezuela often operate without essential supplies, asking patients to bring in surgical gear and medicine. A Red Cross cargo plane with humanitarian aid was allowed to land in Venezuela on Tuesday Volunteers with the Red Cross chapter in Venezuela load up trucks with relief aid which included medical supplies, power generators and medicine Mario Villarroel (center), president of the Venezuelan Red Cross, announced Tuesday the first shipment of humanitarian aid from the agency delivered medicine and supplies for needy patients in a country where Nicolas Maduro's regime has long denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis A recent report by Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded Venezuela's health system is in 'utter collapse.' It cited increased levels of maternal and infant mortality, the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and high levels of child malnutrition. In late March, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced it would soon begin delivering assistance to an estimated 650,000 people and vowed that it would not accept interference from either side of the polarized country. Federation President Francesco Rocca said Red Cross workers would focus on the medical needs of hospitals, regardless of whether they are state-run or not - a pledge repeated Tuesday. 'It will be distributed in conformance with the fundamental principles of our movement, especially neutrality, impartiality and independence,' said Mario Villarroel, president of the Venezuelan Red Cross. Nonetheless, both sides made not-so-subtle inferences seeking to claim the upper hand in the aid's arrival. Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, speaking from the airport where the aid landed, said a total of 24 tons was delivered Tuesday, including 14 generators which have become vital as the nation suffers from frequent blackouts. A young man (wearing hat to the side) provides his personal information to a volunteer with the Venezuelan Red Cross on Tuesday after the agency delivered a cargo plane with humanitarian aid Red Cross volunteer workers in Caracas form a line as they pass along water containers and purification tablets on Tuesday A man (pictured) walks away from a site in a Caracas neighborhood where the Venezuelan Red Cross administered a relief drive Opposition leader and interim president Juan Guaido has rallied the international community to assist with the delivery of aid Guaido, meanwhile, lashed out at Maduro's government for letting Venezuela's health crisis spiral out of control. 'Aid is entering because they destroyed the health system,' he said. 'It entered because we demanded it.' Villarroel said the aid will be distributed to various hospitals around the country and thanked both state and private institutions for their help. 'Our mandate is to help save lives,' he said. Venezuelans patiently await their turn Tuesday afternoon after the International Red Cross initiated the delivery of assistance to at least 650,000 people A Hong Kong artist has built a robot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that is capable of creating traditional Chinese ink paintings. Special effects expert Victor Wong took three years to build and programme the world's first AI ink artist, named A.I Gemini, to reinvent and push the boundaries of the traditional art form. The project, called 'Far Side of the Moon', was inspired by the ground-breaking landing of the unexplored side of the moon carried out by China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft in January. Following its own analysis and interpretation powered by machine learning, Gemini then produces a blend of landscapes on traditional, fresh xuan paper made from bark and rice straw Special effects expert Victor Wong took three years to build and programme the world's first AI ink artist, named A.I Gemini, to reinvent and push the boundaries of the traditional art form The robot's AI was fed 3D observation data from NASA and moon imagery taken by Chang'e-4 lunar rover, Jade Rabbit-2. Following its own analysis and interpretation powered by machine learning, Gemini then produces a blend of landscapes on traditional, fresh xuan paper made from bark and rice straw. Video footage of Gemini at work shows a robotic arm dipping its brush into ink and water, gently sweeping and tracing across the soft, silky canvas. The robot is programmed with a random algorithm, meaning every painting is a surprise 'Far Side of the Moon' by Victor Wong is currently held at the 3812 Gallery in London to May 11 The robot is programmed with a random algorithm, meaning no one, not even its creator, knows what it will paint. The results are stunning: Well-plotted lunar landscapes and trails of rocky crags are achieved through perfect shading and tonality, forming an impressive composition with the machine's own unique style. 'Just as the Chang'e-4 mission has reawakened international interest in our moon's mysteries, I hope my work's response to this scientific advancement will rekindle interest in Chinese ink painting in the 21st century,' Wong said. He called his work with with Gemini a 'collaboration between man and machine'. 'Just as the Chang'e-4 mission has reawakened international interest in our moon's mysteries, I hope my work's response to this scientific advancement will rekindle interest in Chinese ink painting in the 21st century,' Wong said Video footage of Gemini at work shows a robotic arm dipping its brush into ink and water, carefully sweeping and tracing across the soft, silky canvas The robot is programmed with a random algorithm, meaning no one knows what it will paint 'My challenge is to make AI more human. My collaboration with Gemini is an extension of my art,' he said. A.I Gemini takes an average of 50 hours to create one painting. The average price for a piece in London is 10,000. Wong said it felt good to display the work and have people praise it. Asked if work created by robot can be art, Wong added: 'I think so, at this moment.' 'Chinese ink painting is something that is really hard to control. The water, the ink and how they combine is really fascinating,' the artist said. A never-before-seen 'close range' image taken by the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-4 of the surface of the far side of the moon. It appears to take on a reddish hue in some of the images released by China, an effect of the lights used by the probe The average price for a piece created by A.I Gemini in London is 10,000 Well-plotted lunar landscapes and trails of rocky crags are achieved through perfect shading and tonality, forming an impressive composition with the machine's own unique style 'We are using today's latest technologies to create something that can be evolved into another thing that we can continue to explore,' he said. Wong, considered by many as a pioneer in digital creative media, has developed visual effects for more than 100 feature films. His work has won numerous international design awards including the The York Festival Award, Tokyo JIAA Advertising Award and the Golden Horse Awards. 'Far Side of the Moon' by Victor Wong is currently held at the 3812 Gallery in London to May 11. Details here on the gallery's website. Stepping up pressure on Cuba, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island's 1959 revolution, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba. President Donald Trump has been taking steps to isolate embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. The new policy against Havana could deal a severe blow to Cuba's efforts to draw foreign investment, and spawn international trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe. The administration official who provided details of the shift spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement by the State Department. After that announcement, national security adviser John Bolton is expected to discuss the new policy during a speech Wednesday in Miami, which is home to thousands of exiles and immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The speech at the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association is to be delivered on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed 1961 invasion of the island, an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. Support: Cuba's long-term support for the left-wing regime in Venezuela - exemplified by this mural in Havana featuring Che Guevara, hero of the communist revolution in Cuba, and late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez - has infuriated Trump's administration Driving policy: Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton is launching a hardline approach to Cuba allowing foreign companies to be sued for using property seized from Americans by the Communists Anniversary: Raul Castro was seen in January marking 60 years since the revolution led by his brother Fidel. This month he warned about shortages and economic problems caused by Trump's decision to increase pressure on the Communist regime Johana Tablada, Cuba's deputy director of U.S. affairs, said on Twitter: 'Before they try to euphorically ride a wave of wickedness and lies, they should take a dose of reality. The world has told John Bolton and the U.S. government to eliminate the criminal blockade against Cuba and the Helms-Burton Act.' The 1996 act gave Americans the right to sue the mostly European companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties that Cuba nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. The act even allows lawsuits by Cubans who became U.S. citizens years after their properties were taken. Canada, France, Spain, Great Britain and other countries with large investments in Cuba have ferociously protested the law and threatened to sue in the World Trade Organization if Washington tries to interfere with the business ties between Cuba and another sovereign nation. 'The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal and violates international law,' said Alberto Navarro, the European Union ambassador to Cuba. 'I personally consider it immoral. For 60 years the only thing that's resulted from the embargo is the suffering of the Cuban people.' U.S. airlines and cruise lines that bring hundreds of thousands of travelers to Cuba each year appear to be exempt from the key provision of the Helms-Burton Act. Every U.S. president since Bill Clinton has suspended the key clause to avoid those trade clashes and a potential mass of lawsuits that would prevent any future settlement with Cuba over nationalized properties. Cuba has said it is willing to reimburse the owners of confiscated properties, but only if the communist government is also reimbursed for billions of dollars in damages generated by the six-decade U.S. trade embargo. The announcement comes at a moment of severe economic weakness for Cuba, which is struggling to find enough cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela, and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Economic woes: Cuba's economy has taken a battering in the wake of Venezuela descending into chaos Foreign investment in Cuba increased slightly in recent years, but it remains far below the levels needed to recapitalize the island's dilapidated, often collapsing infrastructure. The Trump administration's decision is not expected to drive out major foreign players like Pernod-Ricard of France, which makes Havana Club rum, or Spanish hotel chains Melia or Iberostar, but it could prove a major obstacle to new investment from foreign companies. 'It will harm prospective investment in Cuba. It will not cause people who are invested in Cuba already to pull out now,' said Phil Peters, director of the Arlington, Virginia-based Cuba Research Center, who advocated for closer relations with Cuba and has consulted for U.S. companies looking to invest. Peters said he also believed the new measure could hurt the Trump administration's effort to force Maduro from power with help from allies like Spain. 'There are plenty of countries that are interested in helping Venezuela find a soft landing after Maduro, but they are not interested in waging an economic war on Cuba,' Peters said. The U.S. official said the administration also plans to start enforcing the section of the act that allows the U.S. to deny entry visas to Cubans and citizens of other countries involved in trafficking in the confiscated property. An Ohio church has apologized for an Easter lesson in which a pastor encouraged students to slap, cut and spit on him as a re-enactment of Jesus' crucifixion - incidents that were captured in videos and posted online. Justin Ross is lead pastor at Impact City Church in Pataskala near Columbus. He says the incident happened Monday at an organized hangout session for middle and high school students. Ross says an associate pastor, Jaddeus Dempsey, encouraged the attacks on himself as a way to help students learn about Easter and the crucifixion of Jesus. Jaddeus Dempsey, an associate pastor at Impact City Church in Pataskala, Ohio, is seen above on Monday during a lesson with students Dempsey is seen above encouraging a student to cut him with a knife as part of a lesson about Jesus' crucifixion Dempsey reportedly provided one of the students with a steak knife, which was then used to cut him on the back In the images above, Dempsey appears to encourage one of the students to spit on him Dempsey encouraged a group of students to spit on him and slap him as well. Video of the incident went viral, sparking outrage Several students took the associate pastor up on the offer, and one cut him on the neck, The Columbus Dispatch reports. Ross says cellphone recordings sparked backlash. Ross said the topic was important, but the lesson went too far and was inappropriate. He said Dempsey first invited students to spit in his face with no backlash. A number of students did so. According to Ross, Dempsey then encouraged students to slap him, which some did. Justin Ross (right), the lead pastor of Impact City Church, appeared alongside Dempsey to apologize after the video provoked outrage among parents Dempsey then invited students to cut him, according to Ross. Again, the students obliged, having been told they would not be punished. One of the students used a steak knife, according to WBNS-TV. The knife was provided to the student by Dempsey. The student used the knife to cut Dempsey on his back. A parent whose son was in the video received a telephone call from a friend who told her what was going on. 'The guy who is in the video turns around and grabs the knife and he hands it right to my son,' a parent who went by the name Mandy said. Mandy and her husband, Josh, rushed to the church to pick up their son. 'He was upset,' Mandy said. 'He thought he was in trouble. 'When I explained to him I'm not upset with you, I just want you to know that the things that happened here wasn't OK.' Amid the backlash, Ross posted an apology video on Facebook. 'Many of you were disgusted, many of you were hurt by us, many of you were very confused on why this would be taking place at a church in the youth (group), and we agree it was inappropriate for this audience and theres really no excuse for why it happened,' Ross said. Ross defended Dempsey (seen right), saying the associate pastor was illustrating the crucifixion so as to 'share Jesus' message of love.' 'We exist to create an environment that is safe and predictable for students to come, connect with their friends and grow closer to God. 'Today we failed at creating that safe, predictable environment. We want to do better.' Ross told WBNS-TV that he was in the room at the time the incident was taking place. When asked why he didn't intervene to stop it, he said: 'That's something that I'm thinking about a lot right now. 'What could we have done to handle the situation better.' Dempsey also appeared in the apology video alongside Ross. He said that nobody knew what he was planning to do and that the stunt was entirely his idea. Ross defended Dempsey, saying the associate pastor was illustrating the crucifixion so as to 'share Jesus' message of love.' 'He chose to allow them to spit on him and beat him and crucify him in order to take the payment of our debt that we call sin,' Ross said. 'So Jaddeus, in an effort to share that message of love with the gospel and the story of Jesus crucifixion, he shared this illustration and tried to share in some of the pain that Jesus took on that day.' 'I crossed the line and it was over the top,' Dempsey said. 'It was just not appropriate and it was in bad judgment. Angry parents said they have contacted the local sheriff's office about the incident. Ross is seen above left 'I am so sorry for misrepresenting the community, the church, the parents, and the students - anybody that I hurt. 'This was not my intention. 'My intention was to just show them how much Jesus loves them and that I love them as a student leader for almost four years now. 'Tonight was an anomaly and it is not normally what happens. 'Again, I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused.' Mandy said that a public apology is not enough. 'I do want an apology, a personal apology, not an apology all over Facebook,' she said. 'I think they should personally apologize to all the kids involved, and their parents.' Mandy and Josh said they will not allow their son to return to the church. They said they have also contacted the Licking County Sheriffs Office about the matter. 'Todays illustration does not reflect the teaching of Impact City Church not does it line up with the vision and the values of our student ministry,' Ross said. Ross told WBNS-TV that church officials will discuss Dempsey's future as associate pastor. A pilot and five passengers died after the private jet they were traveling in crashed into a house in southern Chile. The aircraft had just taken off from La Paloma, a private airport near the port city Puerto Montt, when it plummeted from the sky at approximately 11am local time. The small plane, a Beechcraft Model 99 which was headed south to the city of Chaiten, completely destroyed a family residence. Fortunately, there was no further loss of life on the ground as no one was at the home at the time of the accident. A home (pictured right) in southern Chile was engulfed in flames Tuesday morning after a private jet crashed, killing the pilot and all five passengers A family residence was burned down Tuesday in the Chilean city of Puerto Montt shortly after an jet took off from a nearby private airport and plummeted into the home (pictured to the right) Bystanders quickly assisted a 51-year-old woman who was injured after she was struck by debris while she was walking near the accident site The impact of the crash also damaged another property next to the house that was engulfed in flames. Residents inside the home received medical attention. Bystanders quickly assisted a 51-year-old woman who was injured after she was struck by debris from the plane's fuselage while she was walking near the accident site. She was transported to a nearby hospital and was diagnosed with fractures to a knee and a shoulder. Los Lagos mayor Harry Jurgensen confirmed to local Chilean news outlets that most of the victim's bodies were burned. Jurgensen revealed that the original flight manifest included eight passengers but only five, all work colleagues, including a female employee died in the fatal accident. Firefighters put out a fire hours after a jet crashed into a home in Puerto Montt, Chile So far, only four of the workers employed at Salmones Camanchaca, a seafood distributing company, were named. The five passengers, all employed at Salmones Camanchaca, a seafood distributing company were: Jose Vidal, Leonel Soto, Erico Oyarzo, Gonzalo Navarro and Cecilia Mendez. The pilot was identified as Raimundo Montero. The doomed jet fell short of crashing into a school located meters away from the row of private homes it almost wiped out. The airport is situated in a densely populated area that includes a stretch of nine blocks lined with private residences near the side of the runway. A total of six schools are also in the vicinity along with a condominium, a supermarket and a shopping mall. The mayor of Puerto Montt, Gervoy Paredes, raised an argument for the airport to be shut down permanently since there is another private airfield in the nearby town of Puerto Varas. Andres Sepulveda, who lost his home as a result of the horrifying crash, echoed Paredes' sentiment of having the private jets operating in an area that is not heavily populated. 'I think it was a fortuitous issue, a bit of bad luck, but you would like the airports to be further removed from the houses,' Sepulveda said, according to Chilean news outlet 24 Horas. 'They could depart the other town, where there are more empty fields and not so much population.' Investigators are still investigating the cause of the accident. A Manhattan District's Attorney Office employee who became suspicious over ATM withdrawals in the Tri-state area brought down a $2.3million dark web drug ring, leading to the largest seizure of illegal pills in New Jersey's history. Chester Anderson, 44, as well as alleged co-conspirators Jarrette Codd, 41, and Ronald MacCarty, 51, were indicted on charges of conspiracy in the fourth and fifth degrees and money laundering in the first degree in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday. Anderson also faces multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and identity theft. The men were taken into custody on April 3 after a 16-month investigation revealed money laundering stemming from cryptocurrency payments received for illegal drugs. More than 100 officers carried out the raid and made the arrests in South Brunswick, Jamesburg and Vineland, among other locations, NBC 4 New York reported. Chester Anderson, 44 (pictured), as well Jarrette Codd, 41, and Ronald MacCarty, 51, were indicted on charges of conspiracy and money laundering in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday, related to their alleged operation of a $2.3m dark web drug ring Ronald MacCarty (front, in the 'Lucky' shirt), 51, and Jarrette Codd (center, in the black v-neck tee shirt), 41, are shown in custody in New York on Tuesday The New Jersey men are accused of laundering more than $2.3million in payments accepted over the dark web with cryptocurrency for counterfeit, but potent, Xanax, steroids and other drugs, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the men converted the funds into US dollars and loaded the money onto pre-paid debit cards. The three of them, together, are said to have then withdrawn more than $1million from ATMs in New York City and New Jersey. It was the combination of those ATM withdrawals which tipped off an employee in the Manhattan DA's office that something was amiss, leading to the operation's downfall. New Jersey officials collected 420,000 to 620,000 alprazolam (anxiety medication) tablets, close to 500 glassine (similar to wax paper) bags of fentanyl-laced heroin and methamphetamine, ketamine, gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), and more, prosecutors said Anderson was arrested in a South Brunswick home, authorities said, where investigators allegedly found 170,000 Xanax pills. Buckets of pills from the seizure are shown Four pill presses (one shown) and two industrial mixers, plus other drug manufacturing items, and thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency were also seized in raid, authorities said 'This is like a parking ticket leading to the takedown of a multimillion-dollar case,' a New Jersey police source told The New York Post. The drug operation is said to have began in 2016 on Dream Market, operating on a hidden service of the Tor network. 'Its a lot like Amazon.com,' Vance said of the platform. 'You have a shopping cart, and you have seller ratings,' which these men's dark web storefront had 'good ratings, apparently,' Vance said. 'Unlike Amazon, a majority of the sellers on Dream Market are selling material that is illegal,' he added. Anderson is said to have operated two dark web storefronts under the handle 'sinmed' where he sold Xanax and other illicit substances, including fentanyl-laced heroin. Codd, a contractor, and MacCarty, who owns a cellphone repair store in New Jersey called The Wireless Spot, are accused of assisting in manufacturing of the illicit substances and and equipment procurement, authorities said. After finding the ATM withdrawals suspicious, the probe led investigators from the Manhattan DA's office to make multiple undercover purchases using cryptocurrency from the 'dark web' storefronts said to have been operated by the men, including 10,000 counterfeit Xanax pills, ketamine and gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which is also known as the 'date rape drug.' Authorities said the majority of the packages were fraudulently labeled with return addresses belonging to multiple Manhattan law firms and a real estate agency. 'Today our crime scene is the internet. It is in cyberspace,' Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said, while calling the suspects 'a very large-scale independent group of drug-sale entrepreneurs who finally got a little bit over their head and got caught.' 'We are competent in the space, and we know how to find you,' Vance said. 'We will make these cases, and we will prosecute you.' After search warrants were executed, authorities seized the largest quantity of pills in New Jersey State history. New Jersey officials collected 420,000 to 620,000 alprazolam (anxiety medication) tablets, close to 500 glassine (similar to wax paper) bags of fentanyl-laced heroin and methamphetamine, ketamine, GHB, and more, Vance said. Four pill presses and two industrial mixers, plus other drug manufacturing items, and thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency were also seized in raid, authorities said. Anderson was arrested in a South Brunswick home, authorities said, where investigators allegedly found 170,000 Xanax pills. Duffle bags containing testosterone and Xanax were also uncovered inside in an Old Bridge location, authorities said. One of the men arrested is the owner of a retail store in Asbury, which is believed to have been the initial site of the alleged money laundering. The third man was arrested in Jamesburg. All three men were extradited to New York. The prosecution of the items seized in New Jersey will be handled by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. The Manhattan district attorney's office, the US Secret Service, the US Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigators all worked together to complete this investigation. A Kansas couple has been charged with murder after their three-year-old son was found dead in his crib at their mobile home - with police saying the body had been there for days. A baby was also found in critical condition at the same home. The parents of Zaiden Javonovich made their first court appearances via video conference from jail on Tuesday. His 22-year-old mother, Brandi Kai Marchant, and 28-year-old father, Patrick Javonovich, both face five charges. Meanwhile, it has emerged that state child welfare authorities had received abuse reports about the parents prior to the tragic discovery, but police officers hadn't received such reports. Scroll down for video Kansas parents Brandi Kai Marchant, 22 (left), and Patrick Javonovich, 28 (right), have been charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child The couple are accused of beating and torturing to death their three-year-old son, Zaiden, whose body was found in his crib by police last week The charges against Marchant and Javonovich include first-degree murder with underlying felonies of neglect and abuse, two counts of abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child. During her court appearance, Merchant appeared distraught and covered her face with her hands as the charges were read aloud to her. Her boyfriend appeared confused when the judge told him that he was being charged with five criminal counts. Their bonds were set at $200,000 each. Police last week responding to a domestic disturbance between the parents saw Javonovich and Marchant walking outside their home at Riverside Mobile Home Park in Wichita before checking on the children inside where they found the older boy's body. Zaiden was wrapped in a blanket in a crib. Capt. Brent Allred said the toddler suffered 'obvious injuries,' but he didn't elaborate, as The Wichita Eagle reported. According to court documents filed on Tuesday, Marchant and Javonovich 'unlawfully and knowingly torture(d) or cruelly beat' Zaiden and their infant son. An autopsy will be performed on Zaiden to determine his exact cause of death. Police responding to a domestic disturbance at Javonovich and Marchant's trailer home in Wichita found Zaiden dead and his baby brother injured The pair made their initial court appearance via video conference from jail on Tuesday Officers also found an injured four-month-old boy, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Allred said the baby is improving. 'It's shocking to see adults treat their kids in the way these two were treated,' Allred said. 'It's, I say, pathetic, because that's what it is.' Allred provided no details on the Kansas Department for Children and Families' involvement with the family. The agency told KSN it would not release information on Zaiden's case pending the conclusion of its independent investigation. Javonovich's mother, Donna Lloyd, has jumped to her son's defense in news interviews and on social media Javonovich's mother, Donna Lloyd, has forcefully come to her son's defense in news interviews and on social media. Speaking to the station KAKE, a weeping Lloyd said her son would often come to her to get away from Marchant 'fighting and hitting and threatening to hurt Zaiden.' Lloyd insisted that her son loved Zaiden and would have never harmed him. The deceased toddler's grandmother also lashed out at her family's critics on Facebook Tuesday, arguing that they have no right to judge her son. 'My son did not kill his baby I choose to let his day in court to deside [sic] what truly happened,' Lloyd stated. 'The Autopsy will prove my grandson was not dead for days. ' The home, where the family had lived for a couple months, had food and no signs of drug use, police said. Allred said Marchant has two other children but doesn't have custody of them. Javonovich has one other child who sometimes visits on weekends. The Wichita area has seen several child abuse homicides. The victims include three-year-old Evan Brewer, whose body was found encased in concrete, and five-year-old Lucas Hernandez, whose body was found under a rural bridge months after he went missing. The agency had extensive involvement with both children before their deaths. While campaigning last year, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly repeatedly described problems in the child welfare system as among the most pressing the state faces. Lawmakers now are considering increasing funding to add more child welfare workers. A shocking late-night execution of a respected doctor who was shot and killed in the garage of his Brisbane home has shaken the city's Chinese community. Skin cancer doctor Luping Zeng, 56, was packing his car with the garage door open shortly before midnight on Monday. A man pulled up to the doctor's home in the affluent south-side suburb MacGregor and shot the doctor once in the chest and fled the scene, as Dr Zeng's wife and daughters were inside. Detectives have obtained key CCTV footage of a car driving away from the scene as the killer remains on the run. Skin cancer doctor Luping Zeng (pictured), 56, was packing his car with the garage door open shortly before midnight on Monday The 56-year-old was packing his car in the garage of his MacGregor home (pictured) with the door open when a man pulled up in a light coloured sedan or hatchback and shot him in the chest His family rushed to his aid and paramedics treated the doctor at the scene before he was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he later died. Police are investigating the fatal shooting and it is not yet know whether Dr Zeng and his attacker were known to each other. Detectives are searching for a man they say was driving a light-coloured sedan or hatchback at the time of the incident. Officers are urging anyone in the area with any information or CCTV footage to come forward. Acting Detective Inspector Steven McCartney said the doctor's family didn't witness the shooting but heard the single gunshot from inside the home. 'These are professional members of the community, they dedicate their time to helping people, this is just a tragic event that's occurred,' Insp McCartney said. Detectives are searching for a man they say was driving a light-coloured sedan or hatchback at the time of the incident A man pulled up to MacGregor home and shot the doctor once in the chest and fled the scene, as Dr Zeng's wife and daughters were inside Dr Zeng had three decades of medical experience, spoke three languages and was a highly regarded member of Brisbane's Chinese community. The popular doctor previously worked in plastic and reconstructive surgery for 11 years before he moved to Australia in 2000. He obtained the Fellowship of Royal Australian College of General Practice in 2006 and worked at the Waterford 7 Day Medical Centre and Skin Cancer Clinic. Dr Zeng's wife was also an overseas-trained doctor and both his daughters are currently in training to become doctors. The victim worked as a doctor in Brisbane's Chinese community on the city's south side Tributes are flowing online for the doctor, with many thanking the 'compassionate' doctor for his work. 'Terrible news about Dr Luping Zeng my skin doctor for years has been gunned down outside his house and has sadly passed away. Thoughts and prayers to his wife and children,' one woman wrote to Facebook. 'R.I.P. Dr Luping Zeng...tragically shot down preparing for clinic today,' another woman wrote. 'Saving lives in your distinct quiet compassionate way. I bare many scars (now almost unrecognisable) from your prowess of plastic surgery.' Police have asked for anyone in the MacGregor area, particularly on Delfin Street bounded by Mains Road and Granadilla Street, to come forward with any CCTV or dash cam footage A dead fox found in the swimming pool at the home of multi-billionaire Harry Triguboff has sparked an investigation into animal cruelty A dead fox found in the swimming pool at the home of multi-billionaire Harry Triguboff has sparked an investigation into animal cruelty. The animal was discovered at the Vaucluse property in Sydney's eastern suburbs, six months ago. The fox is believed to have died in the pool from drowning and an RSPCA investigation launched into the matter, The Daily Telegraph reported. Meriton group general counsel Joseph Callaghan said in a statement that the incident was in no way linked back to Mr Triguboff. 'The matter did not involve Mr Triguboff at all and it is to do with an employed person.' Mr Triguboff is ranked the third richest man in Australia and is worth more than an estimated $AUS12 billion. The animal was discovered at the Vaucluse property in Sydney's eastern suburbs, six months ago The affluent real estate developer has made his wealth on his residential units empire Meriton Group and development company Karimbla Construction Services. Mr Triguboff moved into his Vaucluse home back in 1983 and bought the waterfront property for little more than $5 million. The fox at the centre of the animal investigation is believed to have been prowling on the property before it was captured. A female employee is understood to have contacted a zoo and veterinary clinic in a bid to get rid of it. She was allegedly told the fox would have to be euthanased, but both organisations are believed to have refused to take the animal. At that point, the decision was allegedly made to kill the fox. 'Mr Triguboff was not home at the time and did not know about it until afterwards. The matter was referred to the RSPCA and the person involved has co-operated completely,' Mr Callaghan said in a statement. RSPCA NSW said in a statement it was still investigating its findings from its investigation. 'RSPCA NSW received a report of animal cruelty in relation to a fox. The matter was under investigation by the RSPCA NSW Inspectorate, which included the provision of expert veterinary advice. It remains a subject of consideration.' No charges are believed to have been laid against an individual. Daily Mail Australia reached out to Mr Callaghan, who said he would not comment further on the topic. North Korea may be preparing bomb fuel at its nuclear site, satellite images suggest. A U.S. think tank said the pictures showed movement at the Yongbyon site which could indicate the reprocessing of radioactive material. Kim Jong-un's regime has paused nuclear testing since 2017 but attempts to reach a peace deal with Washington have faltered in recent months. The possible new nuclear activity comes after a second summit between Kim and Donald Trump broke down in February without any progress on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Researchers in Washington believe that these satellite images, showing railcars at North Korea's nuclear research site in Yongbyon, could be a sign that bomb fuel is being prepared This satellite image shows what researchers describe as a probably 20-foot shipping container near the uranium enrichment plant in Yongbyon The latest intelligence comes in a report from Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Satellite imagery from April 12 showed five specialised railcars near its Uranium Enrichment Facility and Radiochemistry Laboratory, the report said. It said their movement could indicate the transfer of radioactive material. The report's authors went on: 'In the past, these specialised railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns. 'The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign.' Trump has met Kim twice in the past year to try to reach a deal but concreted progress has been limited. This view shows what is believed to be a Radiochemistry Laboratory as well as buildings for vehicle maintenance and shipping at Yongbyon Another image shows an 'experimental light water reactor' at the site. There are fears of renewed activity after the breakdown of Kim's talks with Donald Trump in February Although Kim has maintained a freeze in missile and nuclear tests since 2017, U.S. officials say North Korea has continued to produce fissile material that can be processed for use in bombs. Last month, a senior North Korean official warned that Kim might rethink the test freeze unless Washington made concessions. Kim said last week that he was only interested in meeting Trump again if the United States came with the right attitude. The Hanoi talks collapsed after Trump proposed a 'big deal' in which sanctions on North Korea would be lifted if it handed over all its nuclear weapons and fissile material to the United States. He rejected partial denuclearisation steps offered by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle Yongbyon. A Stanford University report in February said North Korea had continued to produce bomb fuel in 2018 and may have produced enough in the past year to add as many as seven nuclear weapons to its arsenal. Experts have estimated the size of North Korea's nuclear arsenal at anywhere between 20 and 60 warheads. Another alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein has filed a lawsuit claiming that the billionaire pedophile sexually assaulted her and her 15-year-old sister back in 1996. Filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday, Maria Farmer, a former art student, says Epstein hired her in 1995 to help curate pieces to furnish his Upper East Side New York apartment, as well as making a note of who entered and left the property. During her time under his employment, Farmer - 26 at the time - says she witnessed a number of school age-girls dressed in their uniforms arriving at the mansion and going upstairs. According to court documents, Farmer was told the girls were coming to the home to audition for modelling work. Now 49, Farmer then claims it was around the same time that Epstein and his friend, Ghislane Maxwell, a British socialite, took a particular interest in her 15-year-old sister. She alleges that the pair flew the teenager with them to a ranch in New Mexico in 1996, where they forced her to strip naked on a massage table and then sexually molested her. Just days before, Farmer says Epstein had taken both her and her unnamed sister to see a movie in New York where he allegedly started rubbing the minor between her legs. Another alleged victim of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein (pictured in February) has filed a lawsuit claiming to have been sexually assaulted by him in 1996 Maria Farmer (pictured), now 49, said she started working for Epstein in 1995, where she worked as an art curator for his Upper East Side Manhattan mansion As detailed in court documents, Epstein and friend Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured right), flew Farmer's 15-year-old sister out to a ranch in New Mexico and molested her Farmer also says that she herself abused by Epstein and Maxwell around the same time, while working at one of the financier's associate's mansion in Ohio during the summer. She says the pair escorted her to a bedroom in the 30-room property where they both proceeded to sexual assault her. Farmer said the fled to room and and attempted to call the local Sheriff's office, but received no response. When she tried to leave the property, she says security staff at the estate refused to let her leave. 'I was held against my will for 12 hours until I was ultimately allowed to leave with my father, she says in the affidavit. Upon her release, she immediately reported both of the assaults to the New York Police Department, before reiterating the allegations to the FBI later that year. To my knowledge, I was the first person to report Maxwell and Epstein to the FBI, Farmer writes in the affidavit. It took a significant amount of bravery for me to make that call because I knew how incredibly powerful and influential both Epstein and Maxwell were, particularly in the art community. The 49-year-old says she has finally come forward in the hope of that Epstein and Maxwell will be punished for the acts of abuse. 'I have struggled throughout my entire life as a direct result of Epstein and Maxwells actions against me and my hope is that they will be held accountable for their crimes,' she said in the affidavit. 'While I am still afraid, I am coming forward because I think it is so important to do so.' Farmers allegations come as one of 15 exhibits attached to a defamation complaint filed by one of Epsteins victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, against the billionaires attorney, Alan Dershowitz. In her lawsuit, Giuffre claims that Dershowitz, 80, was aware of Epstein and Maxwells reported sex trafficking operation involving under-age girls, helped to orchestrate it, and was even complicit in participating in sordid sexual acts. A teenage runaway, Giuffre was working at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in 2000 when she was recruited to be a 'masseuse' for Epstein in Palm Beach. It was from that point that she said she became embroiled in a life of sexual abuse and depravity. Just 16 at the time, Giuffre says she was actually recruited to be a sex slave for Epstein for two-years, where she was 'regularly abused' by him and forced to engage in sexual acts with Dershowitz and other wealthy associates of Epstein. Farmers allegations come as one of 15 exhibits attached to a defamation complaint filed by one of Epsteins victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre (pictured) Giuffre (pictured with Prince Andrew) says she was recruited as a sex slave for Epstein between 1999 and 2001, where she was 'regularly abused' by him She also claims that Epstein's attorney, Alan Dershowitz, was complicit in the reported sex trafficking scheme, in which she was forced to regularly engage in sexual relations with him Dershowitz has continuously refuted Giuffres account of his involvement, insisting he has never met the complainant and claims to have documents to prove that her allegations are false. When his client was arrested for sex trafficking in 2006 on charges relating to Giuffres complaints, Dershowitz called her, and other children who Epstein was said to have abused, liars and prostitutes. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on Tuesday, Dershowitz branded Giuffre a 'fake Metoo victim' and insisted the lawsuit is the 'opportunity I've been looking for'. 'I now have subpoena power and the ability to prove that this woman has committed perjury and has made up the whole story about me.' He went on to call the complainant an 'inveterate liar', with a 'long, long history of lying'. 'She has claimed to have sex with virtually everyone under the sun from the former majority leader of the United States Senate, to the former Prime Minister of Israel, to the former ambassador to the United Nations, to the inventor of artificial intelligence, to Leslie Wexner, the owner of Victoria's Secret. 'And she's going to have to testify to that in court. And the end result is she going to go to perjury because I am asking the FBI to come to the trial and to listen to my testimony and to listen to hers.' The affidavit attached to the lawsuit by Farmer is said to have been used to bolster Giuffres claims that Dershowitz has both maliciously and intentionally spread false information for Epstein, in order to deter her and other accusers from speaking out. Despite his protests of innocence, Giuffre believe Dershowitz is hiding behind a curtain of lies. No sensible person looks forward to litigation, and I know that standing up for myself and others will cause Mr. Dershowitz and Mr. Epstein to redouble their efforts to destroy me and my reputation, Giuffre said in a statement to the Miami Herald. But I can no longer sit by and not respond. As my complaint shows, my abusers have sought to conceal their guilt behind a curtain of lies. My complaint calls for the accounting to which I, and their other victims, are entitled,' she continued. Dershowitz, however, is saying he is relishing the chance to prove Giuffre is lying. He has previously publicly declared a willingness to take her case to trial in order for settle the matter once and for all. Virtually everything in the complaint is false, and I will be able to disprove all of this in a court of law. I have told the truth throughout and Ill be able to prove it. ... I never met her, I never heard of her, he told the outlet in response. In an unspecified television interview, he is also said to have offered to waiver the statute of limitations so Giuffre could sue him for sex abuse, as detailed in the lawsuit. However, once Giuffres legal team requested him to do so, Dershowitz is said to have refused and continues to refuse even now, the documents claim. Epstein (pictured left with Donald Trump in 1997), a former Wall Street Financier, was convicted in 2008 of soliciting an underage girl for sex. He served 13-months in jail and was required to register as a sex offender. Virginia Giuffre had been working at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort when she was recruited to be a 'masseuse' for Epstein Dershowitz (pictured right with Epstein) has repeatedly said he never saw young girls in the homes of his client and didn't engage in any sexual acts himself. However, eye witness testimony submitted in Tuesday's affidavit claims otherwise Giuffres lawsuit doesnt offer any evidence that she ever had sex with Dershowitz or provide concrete dates on which the alleged abuse is said to have occurred. However, the victim claims the acts took place in several locations on a number of occasions, including in Epsteins East 71st Street home. The affidavit also offers a number of examples of statements issued by Dershowitz protesting his innocence, which the plaintiff claims to have proof to discredit. In one such statement, Dershowitz previously said he had never seen any underage girls in Epsteins residence during any of his visits to his clients homes in Palm Beach, New Mexico or New York. However, Farmers excerpt alleges that she regularly saw young girls entering and leaving the home during her time under Epsteins employment. On a number of occasions I witnessed Dershowitz at the NY mansion going upstairs at the same time there were young girls under the age of 18 who were present upstairs in the house, Farmer asserts in the affidavit. But the defendant says such a claim cannot be true because he says he didnt meet Epstein until August 1996. I was never upstairs in Jeffrey Epsteins apartment, never ever, Dershowitz rebutted to the Miami Herald. I would not have felt comfortable going upstairs because I didnt know [Epstein] very well then. In her allegations, Farmer didnt offer a timeline of dates for when she reportedly saw Dershowitz in the presence of young girls at the home. But her claims are backed-up by the former house manager of Epsteins Palm Beach residence, Alfredo Rodriguez, who also once told investigators that he observed Dershowitz in the company of young girls and other woman at the waterfront mansion. Rodriguez later died in prison, having been prosecuted for the FBI for obstructing justice when he tried to sell Epstein's 'little black book', detailing all associates of the billionaire, along with a long list of female masseuses. Farmers excerpt alleges that she regularly saw young girls - dressed in school uniform - entering and leaving Epstein's home during her time under the billionaire's employment Farmer's claims that Dershowitz was regularly in the company of young girls in Epstein's home was backed up by former property manager Alfredo Rodriguez, who later died in prison In an additional affidavit submitted as part of the lawsuit, Sarah Ransome says she also had sex with Dershowitz, after being lent out to him by Epstein. She says she was 22 when she was first introduced to the billionaire, having sex with his attorney on a number of occasions, including a three-way encounter with Dershowitz and Nadia Marcinkova, another young adult working for Epstein, in New York. I recall specific, key details of his person and the sex acts and can describe them in the event it becomes necessary to do so, Ransome claims in the affidavit. Dershowitz has repeatedly denounced the claims of Giuffre and Ransome, and on March 2, 2019 declared: I hereby accuse my false accusers of committing the felony of perjury and challenge them to sue me for defamation. Speaking to DailyMail.com, he said: And I'm repeating the defamation right now. She claims I defamed her by calling her a perjurer, I am now telling you that I'm calling her a perjurer. 'And the first thing I will say in court is that I am saying right here, right now, that she's a perjurer.' Dershowitz dismissed suggestions the suit had anything to do with the Me Too Movement because he insists he has never met Roberts. 'In every other Me Too case the people knew each other, they had a relationship, they worked together,' he added. 'In this case I never met this woman. She made up the whole story from beginning to end. 'She hurts the Me Too movement terribly because when it's proved she lied for money the real victims will be people who have really been abused. She is a fake victim.' The Harvard lawyer and TV law expert exclusively told DailyMail.com he welcomes the chance to prove that the claims made by Roberts, who now goes by Virginia Giuffre, were false Giuffre and Sarah Ransome claim in court papers they was forced to engage in sexual acts with Dershowitz at Epstein's mansion on the Upper East Side in New York City (pictured), as well as other locations, but Dershowitz says he never even met either of the victims Dershowitz dismissed suggestions the suit had anything to do with the Me Too Movement because he insists he has never met Roberts. 'In every other Me Too case the people knew each other, they had a relationship, they worked together,' he added Epstein, a former Wall Street Financier, was convicted in 2008 for soliciting two girls as young as 14 for underage sex. He served just 13-months in jail and was required to register as a sex offender as part of a non-prosecution deal struck with the state. The now 66-year-old was accused of abusing more than 40 teenage girls as part of the lawsuit. In February, a federal judge ruled that the sentence, secured in a plea deal, had been illegally brokered by former US Attorney Alexander Acosta and other prosecutors, in violation of the Crime Victims Rights Act. The deal is now being reviewed by the Justice Department in addition to Acosta's handling of the case. 'Jeffrey Epstein is a child rapist and there's not a single mom or dad in America who shouldn't be horrified by the fact that he received a pathetically soft sentence,' U.S. Senator Ben Sasse said after the investigation commenced. 'The victims of Epstein's child sex trafficking ring deserve this investigation - and so do the American people and members of law enforcement who work to put these kinds of monsters behind bars.' Epstein was spotted for the first time in nearly three years in February, as he left his luxe Manhattan townhouse, shortly after the investigation was launched. After several years of abuse, Giuffre eventually escaped Epstein's grasp in September 2002, after she was allegedly sent by the billionaire to Thailand where she was instructed to being a young girl back to the US for him, according to court documents. Fearing for her life and unwilling to subject another girl to the abuse that she endured, Giuffre fled to from Thailand to Australia, where she now lives with her husband and two children. A group of militant vegans have been charged with trespassing and drug offences after they allegedly stormed an abattoir and a feedlot on a national day of action. A total of 11 animal rights campaigners have been accused of staging protests at the Yangan abattoir and a Millmerran feedlot in Queensland in March and early April. The activists, who were arrested on Tuesday, are facing 18 charges. Animal rights activists have been charged after allegedly staging protests at the Yangan abattoir (pictured) Militant vegans at the Lemontree Feedlot in Millmerran (pictured) have been charged for allegedly storming the place in April Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said the charges followed formal complaints from the owners of properties targeted by unauthorised protests. 'The Queensland Police Service respects the right of people to protest in a peaceful manner, however we have a duty to ensure the safety of protesters, farm workers and property owners,' he said. 'Unauthorised protests in and around farmlands and industrial areas create significant personal and workplace safety risks.' 'We will take enforcement action whenever necessary to ensure the safety of the community and to protect the rights of people to feel safe in their homes and at their place of work.' The protests were part of a national campaign by vegans against the treatment of animals. Lot feeder David McNamee told Daily Mail Australia the vegans were threatening the safety of his livestock and family (pictured: protesters entering Lemontree Feedlot) In March, about 150 activists stormed the Millmerran Lemontree Feedlot in March as a distressed farmer looked on. Lot feeder David McNamee later told Daily Mail Australia the vegans were threatening the safety of his livestock and family. About 20 animal activists allegedly chained themselves at the Yangan abattoir in early April. The Queensland Government have been prompted to draft new laws to allow police and Agricultural officers to fine activists whose activities risk the lives of farmers, workers and animals. A 20-year-old man was critically wounded after allegedly being stabbed by a fellow student at a university in Chicago. Police say the victim and the 42-year-old suspect were in one of East-West University's classrooms Tuesday afternoon when the older man stabbed the victim in the back with a knife. The knife was said to be a folding knife, the Chicago Tribune reports. The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. Details about the victim's identity, other than his age and gender, have not been released by police. Police say the 20-year-old victim and the 42-year-old suspect were in one of East-West University's classrooms Tuesday afternoon when the older man stabbed the victim in the back with a knife Charges against the suspect, who was taken into custody at the school, are pending. In a statement posted on the university's website, Chancellor M. Wasi Khan said the victim's condition has stabilized. 'The University is always concerned for the safety and security of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors,' he said in the statement. ' We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that those affected by this incident are provided timely help and counseling.' The statement continued: 'There is nothing more important than the safety of our community; as such, this incident is extremely troubling. Please be sure to take care of yourselves and each other throughout the coming days.' Students troubled by the stabbing have been given access to support services provided by the school. A driver who reversed into another car, causing an accident, has been branded 'arrogant' after he reportedly lied to insurers in an attempt to get out of paying. The victim, Barry, told the driver of the black 4WD on three separate occasions he had caught the entire incident on dash cam footage. But Barry told Dash Cam Owners Australia the driver chose to ignore the warnings and lied to insurers. 'He tried to tell the insurance that I went to overtake him further down the road despite me telling him three times that I had a dash cam,' he said. In the footage, the at-fault driver turned right through an intersection on a Queensland road In the footage, the at-fault driver turned right through an intersection on a Queensland road. He was followed almost immediately by Barry. But within moments of Barry making the turn, the driver in front put his car in reverse and smashed straight into the dash cam owner's car. When the footage was shared, social media users were quick to address the driver's sneaky tactics - and told Barry he was fortunate to have had the proof. 'God I hate people that lie,' one woman said. 'We all make mistakes. Own it.' 'If you didn't have dash cam good luck explaining he reversed. Without the cam car behind always in fault,' another added. 'The cam saved them for sure. Circumstantially the car behind can seem at fault but you shouldn't accept fault immediately. Leave it to the experts to determine.' Others pointed out that while the driver was at fault, the dash cam owner may have been driving too close to begin with. 'He is at fault... but looks like you were tailgating through the intersection.' Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg suffered homophobic hecklers during two rallies in Iowa as he hit the 2020 campaign trail. The first openly gay presidential candidate saw anti-gay protests at two cities from what appeared to be the same man, who stood up and shouted out abuse on Tuesday. During a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, after Buttigieg spoke about the need for marriage equality, a protester stood up and shouted, 'you betray your baptism'. The man in a blue T-shirt was escorted out of the building as angry members of the audience pointed and shouted back at him in anger. Earlier the same day at a rally 96 miles away in Des Moines what looked like the same homophobic heckler, who had donned a white shirt and tie, again shouted abuse at Buttigieg. At the same event outside Franklin Junior High School another man in a suit also shouted 'Sodom and Gomorrah' as Buttigieg spoke. Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaking at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, where a homophobic heckler shouted 'Sodom and Gomorrah' at him Supporters of Pete Buttigieg try to block the shirt and tie-wearing heckler from shouting homophobic slurs during a campaign rally in Des Moines yesterday A protester yells 'Sodom and Gomorrah' at Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg at a rally at Franklin Junior High School on his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate Buttigieg, who announced his Democrat 2020 candidacy on Sunday, brushed off the interruption and joked to the crowd that sometimes church can get 'a little rowdy sometimes'. He said after the Fort Dodge incident: 'Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes. We're so dug-in, in such passionate ways, and I respect that, too. 'That gentleman believes that what he is doing is in line with the will of the creator. I'd do it differently. We ought to be able to do it differently.' In Des Moines yesterday, as the protester shouted 'Sodom and Gomorrah' the crowd drowned him out with chants of 'Pete! Pete! Pete!'. During the Des Moines rally, an audience member asked what he should tell his friends who say America isn't ready for a gay president. Buttigieg replied, 'tell your friends I said ''hi'''. At the high school meeting another man also interrupted before the crowd again started shouting support for Buttigieg. The impact of his personal life on the campaign was on striking display at both of his Iowa events on Tuesday. A woman shouted down what appeared to be the same man making anti-gay remarks at Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in Fort Dodge, Iowa The homophobic protester was removed from the town hall meeting after he stood up and shouted, 'you betray your baptism' at the gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaking during a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, yesterday Asked how he would win over a protester like the one in Fort Dodge if he could sit down with him, Buttigieg said: 'I'm not sure he would want to sit down with me.' But he added he hoped others who have concerns about his candidacy would come to his events and ask a question, 'so we could have a respectful exchange'. He said: 'There are a lot of positions, there's a wide range, with fringes, in our politics. That's part of how politics works, and you shouldn't be in this if you aren't prepared to deal with that.' In Iowa for the first time since officially launching his campaign, Buttigieg discussed how to defeat Trump after drawing an audience of more than 1,600 people at a Des Moines rally. The Democratic presidential candidate said President Donald Trump is 'kind of like a Chinese finger trap - you know, the harder you pull, the more you get stuck' and warned his party should not get bogged down in trying to 'knock him flat with some zinger'. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said: 'We've got to acknowledge - without giving an inch on the racism or xenophobia that played a role in that campaign - we've got to also pay attention to the things that make people susceptible to that message and make sure we're addressing them.' The turnout at the Des Moines event was unexpected as Buttigieg's team predicted at most 200 people would show up A protester shouts as 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a town hall meeting, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Fort Dodge, Iowa The rally was one of the biggest campaign events yet for a 2020 contender in the Des Moines area, a particularly notable feat for a candidate who just over a month ago was barely registering in the polls. The turnout at the Des Moines event was unexpected, according to Polk County Democratic Party Chair Sean Bagniewski, who said Buttigieg's team had predicted at most 200 people would show up. The campaign didn't have any volunteers to take down information for enthusiastic supporters who wanted to be a part of the campaign. Bagniewski said: 'It's a very narrow window to capture momentum and energy and attention, and if you miss the opportunity to match your staff and energy with the moment, you can miss your chance.' Asked whether Trump leaned on racial animus to win the White House, Buttigieg called the president out for playing 'white-guy identity politics.' Buttigieg criticized for using 'Pharisee' slur which depicts Jews as hypocritical Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for calling Mike Pence a 'Pharisee' - a term which is often used to depict Jewish people as hypocritical and greedy. The Indiana mayor used the Bible reference to hit out at the vice president for using religious language to talk about Republican values. Buttigieg, who is the first openly gay presidential candidate, laid into Pence's 'cultural conservatism' and said his stance of LGBTQ issues was hypocritical. Democrat Buttigieg also criticized Trump for preaching about his Christian values while paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair. He told The Washington Post while discussing the New Testament and Pence: 'There's an awful lot about Pharisees in there. Advertisement 'By far the political movement that is most based on identity politics is Trumpism. It's based on white-guy identity politics. It uses race to divide the working and middle class. 'There are a lot of strategies to blame problems on people who look different or are of a different faith or even of a different sexuality or gender identity. .. It's a cynical political strategy that works in the short term but winds up weakening the whole country in the long term.' Buttigieg has argued that he's uniquely positioned to take on Trump because he can appeal to the white working-class voters who left the Democratic Party for the Republican. But in recent days, he's acknowledged he needs to address the lack of racial diversity among supporters at his events. Buttigieg said he plans to make sure that 'our organization and our substance reflect our commitment to diversity.' He said he'll do that by hiring a diverse staff and by addressing a range of policies that affect minorities, including but not limited to criminal justice reform, education, home-ownership and entrepreneurship. 'I think any white candidate needs to show a level of consciousness around issues like white privilege,' he added. But when asked whether he had experienced white privilege, he said that 'part of privilege is not being very conscious of it, right?' He added: 'You're much more conscious when you're at a disadvantage than. When you are on the beneficial side of a bias. But there's no question that that's a factor that has impacted people in many different ways. And we need to be as alive to it as possible.' Spectators cheer as 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa Buttigieg said that to be able to create a diverse coalition without alienating white working-class voters, issues of racial justice need to be discussed in a unifying way. 'I mean being pro-racial justice should not be skin off the back of any white voter,' he said. 'I think there's certainly an environment where sometimes these ideas are pitted against each other, where it's suggested, for example, that connecting with white working-class voters somehow means that you have to walk away somehow from our commitment to racial justice - but our commitment to racial justice is part of the bedrock of the moral authority of the Democratic Party.' The South Bend mayor has surged from a relatively unknown candidate in the field to a media darling who's gained support in nationwide polling and posted a stronger-than-expected fundraising number in the first quarter. He has drawn attention for his plainspoken style, and the historic nature of his candidacy, as the first openly gay contender in a same-sex marriage. The Duchess of Sussex has set her sights on an American nanny to take care of the newest member of the Royal Family. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to snub the royal traditional of hiring a Norland nanny, and could even employ a male aid for their new-born. Pregnant Meghan's hunt for an American nanny shows that her heart is still very much in her homeland of the US. The 37-year-old is said to have enlisted the help of staff at a specialist recruitment agency, who have been told to find a suitable candidate to start within the next three months. Meghan Markle (left), who is eight-months pregnant, is staying true to her American roots, and wants to hire an America nanny. The Royal couple (Meghan and Harry right) are set to snub the Royal tradition of a Norland nanny The new nanny will be based at Frogmore Cottage (above) and will have access to a car Speaking to the Mirror, a source said that the modern royal couple have clear ideas on how they will be bringing up their child. 'Meghan was clear in telling recruiters she favours an American over a Brit and wants them to feel part of the family rather than a uniformed member of staff. 'That is important to her, she's never hidden the fact she is fiercely proud of her American roots. Norland nannies are fsvoured by the Royal household and Kate and William employed Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo (above with the Queen and Prince George 'They are keen to explore the possibility of a male nanny. The worker will earn up to 70,000-a-year, depending on experience'. The candidate will be interviewed by the royal couple and if successful, will be based at their newly renovated Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle, as well as having the use of a car. The recruitment agency, based in Kensington, West London, is said to specialise in providing bilingual children minders as well as favoured Norland nannies. Kate and Williams are known to have hired a graduate of the Bath college of Norland nannies, Spaniard Maria Teresa Borrallo. Meghan and Harry are also set to snub Royal tradition by not using the Lindo wing where both Princess Diana (left) and Kate Middleton (right) gave birth Norland Nannies dress in brown pinafore dress with a white shirt and brown hat with an N. This is while only a handful of men are known to have attended the infamous Norland school, with the first two having graduated just last year. It was also recently revealed that Meghan would break another royal tradition by not giving birth at the Lindo Wing, and having the baby out of the public eye. Nearly 3 years ago, I gave a talk at a Harvard mathematics conference announcing that I am leaving academia to build a company. What I really did is go on unpaid leave for three years from my tenured Full Professor position. No further extensions of that leave is possible, so I finally have to decide whether or not to go back to academia or resign. How did I get here? Nearly two decades ago, as a recently minted Berkeley math Ph.D., I was hired as a non-tenure-track faculty member in the mathematics department at Harvard. I spent five years at Harvard, then I applied for jobs, and accepted a tenured Associate Professor position in the mathematics department at UC San Diego. The mathematics community was very supportive of my number theory research; I skipped tenure track, and landed a tier-1 tenured position by the time I was 30 years old. In 2006, I moved from UCSD to a tenured Associate Professor position at the University of Washington (UW) mathematics department, primarily because my wife was a graduate student there, UW has strong research in number theory and algebraic geometry, and they have a good culture supporting undergraduate research. Before I left Harvard, I started the SageMath open source software project, initially with the longterm goal of creating a free open source viable alternative to Mathematica, Maple, Matlab and Magma. As a result, in addition to publishing dozens of research mathematics papers and some books, I also started spending a lot of my time writing software, and organizing Sage Days workshops. Recruiting at UW Mathematics At UW, I recruited an amazing team of undergraduates and grad students who had a major impact on the development of Sage. I was blown away by the quality of the students (both undergrad and grad) that I was able to get involved in Sage development. I fully expected that in the next few years I would have the resources to hire some of these students to work fulltime on Sage. They had written the first versions of much of the core functionality of Sage (e.g., graph theory, symbolic calculus, matrices, and much more). I was surprised when my application for Full Professor at UW was delayed for one year because I was told I wasnt publishing enough research papers. This was because I was working very hard on building Sage, which was going extremely well at the time. I took the feedback seriously, and put more time into traditional research and publishing; this was the first time in my life that I did research mathematics for reasons other than just because I loved doing it. I tried very hard to hire Bill Hart as a tenure-track faculty member at UW. However, I was told that his publication count was a bit light, and I did not succeed at hiring him. If you printed out the source code of software he has written, it would be a tall stack of paper. In any case, I totally failed at the politics needed to make his case and was left dispirited, realizing my personal shortcomings at department politics meant I probably could not hire the sort of colleagues I desperately needed. UW was also very supportive of me teaching an undergrad course on open source math software (it evolved into this). I taught a similar course at the graduate level once, and it went extremely well, and was in my mind the best course I ever taught at UW. I was extremely surprised when my application to teach that grad course again was denied, and I was told that grad students should just go to my undergraduate course. I thought, this is really strange, instead of lobbying to teach the course and better presenting my case. To be clear, I do not mean to criticize the mathematics department. The UW math department has thought very hard and systematically about their priorities and how they fit into UW. They are a traditional pure mathematics departments that is generally ranked around 25 in the country, with a particular set of strengths. There is a separate applied math department on campus, several stats departments, and a massive School of Computer Science. Maybe I was in the wrong place to try to hire somebody whose main qualification is being world class at writing mathematical software. This blog post is about the question of whether the UW math department is the right place for me or not. Outside Grant Support? My number theory research received incredible support from the NSF, with me being the PI on six NSF grants. Also, Magma (which is similar to Sage, but closed source) had managed to find sufficient government funding, so I remained optimistic. Maybe I could fund people to build Sage via grants, and even start an institute! I applied for grants to support work on SageMath at a larger scale, and had some initial success (half of a postdoc, and some workshops, etc.). Why is grant funding so important for Sage? The goal of the SageMath project is to create free open source software that is a viable alternative to Mathematica, Maple, Matlab, and Magma software produced by companies with a combined thousands of fulltime employees. Though initial progress was encouraging, it was clear that I desperately needed significant money to genuinely compete. For example, one Sage developer had a fantastic Sage development project he wanted about 20K to work fulltime on during a summer, and I could not find the money; as a result he quit working on Sage. This project involved implementing some deep algorithms that are needed to more directly compete with Mathematica for solving symbolic inequalities. This sort of thing happened over and over again, and it began to really frustrate me. I could get plenty of funding for 1-week workshops (just travel expenses everybody works for free), but theres only so much you can do at such sprints. I kept hearing that there would be a big one-in-10-years NSF institutes competition sometime in the next year or two. People hinted to me that this would be a good thing to watch out for, and I dreamed that I could found such an institute, with the mission to make it so the mathematics community finally owned the deep software on which teaching and research are based. This institute would bring the same openness and robustness to computational mathematics that rigorous proof had brought to mathematics itself a century earlier. Alas, this did not happen. I remember the moment I found out about the actual NSF institutes competition. Joe Silverman was standing behind me at a coffee break at The Arizona Winter School 2010 telling people about how his proposal for ICERM had just won the NSF institutes competition. I spun around and congratulated him as I listened to how much work it was to put together the application during the last year; internally, my heart sunk. Not only did I not win, I didnt even know the competition had happened! I guess I was too busy working on Sage. In any case, my fantasy of creating an NSF-funded institute died at that moment. Of course, ICERM has turned out to be a fantastic institute, and it has hosted several workshops that support the development of open source math software. Around this time, I also started having my grant proposals denied for reasons I do not understand. This was confusing to me, after having received so many NSF grants before. In 2012, the Simons Foundation put out a call for something that potentially addressed what I had hoped to accomplish via an NSF-funded institute. I was very excited again, but that did not turn out as I had hoped. So next I tried something I never thought I would ever do in a million years Commercialization at UW For various reasons, I failed to get the NSF or other foundations to fund Sage at the level I needed, so in 2013, I decided to try to sell a commercial product, and use the profits to fund Sage development. I first tried to do this at University of Washington, by working with the commercialization office (C4C) to sell access to Sage online. As long as the business and product were merely abstract ideas (e.g., lets make up a name and trademark it! lets write some terms of service!) things went fine. However, when things became much more concrete, working with C4C got strange and frustrating for me. I was clearly missing something. For example, the first thing C4C told me on the very first day we sat down together was they would not work with me if I made the software I wrote for this open source, and that the university would own the software. Given there was no software at all yet, and I imagined I would just whip out a quick modern web-based frontend to Sage and make boatloads of money that would go straight into a UW account to be used to fund Sage, this seemed fine to me. However, I had a nagging feeling that a pure closed-source approach to this problem was impossible, and not having that flexibility would come back to haunt me. Naively optimistic, I found myself working fulltime at UW and at the same time trying to get a sophisticated web application off the ground by myself, with many important early users depending on it for their classes. This was stressful and took an enormous amount of time and attention. I felt like I was just part of the software, often getting warnings that things were broken or breaking, and manually fixing them. The toil was high, and only got worse as more people used the software. I would get woken up all night. I couldnt travel since things were constantly breaking. Every time I fought through some really difficult problem with the web application instead of just giving up, I came out far more determined not to quit. The web application described above evolved over 6 years into what is now https://CoCalc.com; the functionality was pretty similar from day 1, but quality and scalability have come a long ways. CoCalc lets you collaboratively use LaTeX, Sage, Terminals, Jupyter Notebooks, etc., for teaching and research. In 2014, I went on sabbatical and worked fulltime developing this web application and the feedback loop I described above only grew more intense: fix things, fight through difficult problems, be even more determined not to give up. Fortunately, I had some leftover NSF grant funds, and was able to use them to hire several students to help with development. I failed to find students who I could hire to do the backend work (and be available any time day or night), which meant that much of the stress of keeping the site running continued to fall squarely on my shoulders. And as the site grew in popularity (and functionality), the stress from it got worse. My Sabbatical ended, and I was required to return to UW fulltime for one year, or return all the money I was paid during my sabbatical. So far, CoCalc had grown in popularity, but I had not been allowed by the commercialization office to actually commercialize it, so it was still a free site. I taught at UW at the same time as being the main person trying to run this very complicated and painful production web application. Based on user feedback, I was also highly motivated to improve CoCalc. I would typically sleep a few hours, get up at 3am and write code until 8am, then prepare to teach, hope not to have any site issues right before class, and so on. One day CoCalc got hit by a massive DDoS attack minutes before a class I was teaching, while I was talking with a prospective donor to the math department. I am the sort of person who does well focusing on exactly one thing at a time. Given the chance to fully focus on one thing for extended periods of time, I sometimes even do things that really matter and have an impact. I am not great at doing many different things at once. In the meantime, Sage itself was growing and receiving funding, though this had nothing to do with me. For example, Gregg Musiker was putting together a big program at IMA, in the form of a ton of Sage Days workshops. Also, the huge ODK project, which was a European Union grant proposal to support open source math software would be fully funded. And closer to home, Moore and Sloane funded a major new initiative that could potentially have also supported work on Sage. I was invited to go to workshops and events involving these and other grants, but often I either said no or canceled at the last minute due to the toil needed just to keep CoCalc running. Also, I believed if I could start charging customers, then I would have a lot more money, and could hire more help. I met with more senior people at UWs C4C to finally actually charge people to use CoCalc. They wanted me to do some integration with their license management system, and sell express software licenses. It didnt make any sense to me, and we went around in circles. I then asked about actually starting a separate company (a legal entity) that the university would have some ownership in, so that the company could take payments, etc. This is when things got really weird. They would not talk with me about creating the company due to conflict of interest. I searched for other UW faculty that had commercialized remotely similar products, and found one. He told me how it went, and said it was the worst experience of his life. UW owned 50% of the company, and all of the software of the company, which they licensed under onerous terms. They refused to negotiate anything with him, instead requiring his spinoff company to hire an outside negotiator. As a result of all this, I educated myself as much as possible about relevant rules and laws, and consulted with a lawyer. It turns out that the NSF grants I used to fund work on CoCalc explicitly stipulated that code funded by those grants had to be GPL licensed. This meant all the code for CoCalc had to be open sourced. Later the university even agreed in writing to release a snapshot of all the CoCalc code under the BSD license, and I havent been paid a penny by UW since the date of that release, so there is no possible claim that the company cant use the code. Building a company A colleague of mine from when I was at Harvard was in town for a day, and we met for coffee. He expected we would talk about Sage and number theory, but instead I told him about CoCalc and my attempts at commercialization and starting a company. He immediately suggested a solution to my problems, which was to talk with a friend of his who had both extensive experience working with companies and deep connections with mathematics. I was confident that in the worst case I could quit my job at UW and rewrite all the software from scratch, so I took him up on the offer. In 2015 I formed a corporation, and received some outside investment, and used that (and dramatically cutting my already-small academic income) to leave academia. More precisely, in 2016 (after working fulltime for a year at UW), I finally went on 100% unpaid leave from UW in order to completely focus on CoCalc development and getting a business off the ground. Also, there was no good reason to quit a tenured Full Professor job when you can go on leave; also CoCalc supports teaching in math departments, so it is closely related to my academic job. The only academic responsibilities I had were to my two Ph.D. students, who I meet with one-on-one at least once a week. At the end of two years, I requested a third year of unpaid leave, which UW granted (this is not routine). Throughout all this, the UW mathematics department was very supportive. During these three years on unpaid leave, Ive hired three other people who work fulltime on CoCalc. Together we have massively improved the software, and built a business with thousands of paying customers. The company is still not profitable, though the future is clearly very bright if we continue what we are currently doing. CoCalc has become a platform that an increasing number of scalable products (such as this) are being built with, and there is enormous growth potential in the next year. At this point, it rightfully appears to the community that I have left SageMath development to focus fulltime on building CoCalc as an independent business. Indeed, I do not spend any significant time contributing to Sage, and I even switched to getting daily digests of the sage-devel mailing list. On the other hand, as mentioned above, CoCalc is going well by many metrics (in terms of quality, feature development, customer love, market position, etc.). Most importantly, me and the other three people who work fulltime on CoCalc really, really love this job, and the potential to have a significant impact. I still dont know if CoCalc will ever be wildly profitable and massively fund Sage development. If I were to obsess over only that goal, I would have to quit working on CoCalc (since it is taking way too long) and pursue other opportunities for funding Sage. In retrospect, my idea from 7 years ago to start a web-based software company from scratch and build it into a successful profitable business has so far completely failed to fund Sage. It would be far easier to work fulltime writing grants to foundations, and leveraging the acknowledged success of Sage so far. I made the wrong move, given my original goal. The surprise is that I really enjoy what Im doing right now! My unpaid leave is up what am I going to do? My third year of unpaid leave from UW is up. I have to decide whether to return to UW or resign. If I return, it turns out that I would have to have at least a 50% appointment. I currently have 50% of one year of teaching in credits, which means I wouldnt be required to teach for the first year I go back as a 50% appointment. Moreover, the current department chair (John Palmieri) understands and appreciates Sage he is among the top 10 all time contributors to the source code of Sage! I have decided to resign. Im worried about issues of intellectual property; it would be extremely unfair to my employees, investors and customers if I took a 50% UW position, and then later got sued by UW as a result. Having a 50% paid appointment at UW subjects one to a lot of legal jeopardy, which is precisely why I have been on 100% unpaid leave for the last three years. But more importantly, I feel very good about continuing to focus 100% on the development of CoCalc, which is going to have an incredible year going forward. I genuinely love building this (non-VC funded) company, and feel very good about it. Hacker News Discussion (ANSA) - Rome, Aprtil 17 - Some 800,000 migrants are not set to invade Italy from Libya, Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said Wednesday, playing down a scare figure from Libyan Premier Fayez al-Sarraj. "We have no evidence for this figure," he said. "We do not have any news of this nature," he continued. Moavero said "this is an overinflated figure compared to the extremely lower numbers we have evidence for, which are in the order of a few thousand". Libya's deputy premier, Ahmed Maitig, said many criminals and ISIS fighters would be among the thousands of refugees fleeing Libya is the conflict there escalates into full-scale civil war. Nearly 300,000 people under 25 tried to call the Kids Helpline last year, but half of them couldn't get through. Statistics released by the free counselling service revealed more than 135,000 calls went unanswered, with the helpline simply not having enough man power to pick up every call. The phone rings on average every 87 seconds, and of those that were answered, the Helpline says it had to intervene 35 times a week, with most cases relating to suicide or child abuse. Tracy Adams, the Kids Helpline CEO, says while it's great to see young people connecting with the helpline and reaching out when something is wrong, being unable to take every call was devastating. Kids Helpline received a call on average every 87 seconds last year - but the 24-hour service was only able to answer half of them Ms Adams said the Helpline is predominately funded by donations from the community, and needed more support from the government. 'We simply at this point just don't have enough resources to meet demand,' she said. Statistics released by Kids Helpline reveal one in six of calls taken were about suicide, and one in 12 were about self harm. On average, each phone call took 34 minutes, and each web chat took 51. Youth suicide has become an epidemic in Australia, with rates soaring by nearly 20 per cent from 2013 to 2017, where 3,128 people under 17 took their own lives. Ms Adams says young people were feeling more pressure than ever to be successful and keep up with what their peers are doing on social media. 'I think we have to be very careful about curated imagery, where everything is always fantastic,' she said. 'How frequently do we share when things aren't going well, when we've got old clothes on and we're lying on the couch? It's curated. It's not real, it's not reality. Whose life is perfect? 'But this is the imagery that young people are faced with, and perhaps the expectations that this is what their life should look like.' A report released on Wednesday showed the government funded less than a quarter of the Helpline's expenses, despite it being the only service of its kind Earlier this month, the Federal Government announced $400million towards child suicide prevention, with much of it going to Headspace and treatment for early psychosis, and none of it earmarked for Kid's Helpline. 'Mental health is an issue of deep concern to all Australians,' treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Budget night. 'It is a national tragedy that we lose so many people to suicide and that so many people live a life of quiet desperation.' Cameron is one of those people. At 17, Cameron was on the verge of taking his life when he decided to reach out for help. 'I was at the point where I was going to end it,' he said. 'That was the final thought in my head - was that that's what I needed to do.' Cameron said the phone call, which lasted from the night well into sunrise, was the first time he had ever opened up about the dark thoughts inside his head. 'I was at a point in my life where I think if I hadn't reached out, I don't know what the outcome would have been, and I know it wouldn't have been a good one.' Had Cameron called at a different time, he may not have been able to get through. This is something that distresses Ms Adams. 'It worries us greatly that a young person at a real crisis point might not get through,' she said. 'That's why we are so determined to increase the funding, the resources, the ways young people can connect with Kids Helpline.' 'We think the community is certainly playing their part in supporting, and in comparison we think there is absolutely room for improvement for government support. 'We are the only 24/7 professional support service for children and young people. We know its playing a very important role.' 137 professional counsellors take calls over a 24-hour period, and CEO Tracy Adams is determined to increase that so more calls for help can be answered Ms Adams says the helpline needs more manpower. Over 24 hours, 137 professional counsellors take hundreds of calls - but it is still not enough. The cost of operating Kids Helpline has doubled in 14 years going from $5.5M in 2004 to $11.3M in 2018. And while Ms Adams can happily acknowledge the great work being done by other support services that are receiving millions more in funding from the government, she says Kids Helpline is just as deserving. 'Kids Helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' she said. 'If you're a young person maybe with a diagnosed mental health condition and receiving face to face support, they [chosen counsellor or psychologist] can't be there 24 hours a day - so we are part of a safety net for those people [as well as a crisis line]. 'We fully appreciate the fact we're not responding to all contact, but we say to people to keep trying if they don't get through the first time. 'There is always someone there. There is always someone on the other end of that line.' A huge haul of meth worth $1.44m and a cache of weapons were seized as police charged a suspected Hells Angel bikie with drug supply and trafficking offences. Officers confiscated the 67-year-old's vehicle as he drove from Sydney to the Gold before discovering the drugs hidden in the boot. Meth, cannabis and firearms were discovered later when police raided a home on the Gold Coast. Scroll down for video Police discovered 12kg of meth work an estimated $1.44m along with cannabis after raid Officers arrested and charged a man they allege is an associate of the Hells Angels bikies A man has been charged with with possessing a schedule one dangerous drug, trafficking in dangerous drugs and possessing things used in commission of an offence. He is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Acting Detective Inspector Jacquelyn McLeod said: 'Detectives from the Gold Coast Major Organised Crime Squad will continue to work with our partner agencies to detect cross border organised crime syndicates targeting the Gold Coast Community. 'Together, we will continue to proactively target those involved in the illicit supply and production of dangerous drugs within our community'. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has described the surviving children of killed ISIS terrorist Khaled Sharrouf as a danger to Australia. The Queensland senator demanded Prime Minister Scott Morrison stop them from coming back to Australia after their Sydney grandmother Karen Nettleton found them in a Syrian refugee camp. She was reunited with her loved ones, five years after her now-dead son-in-law Sharrouf and his deceased Muslim-convert wife Tara Nettleton took their five children to Syria to join ISIS. 'How do you know whether theyre going to be a danger to Australia or not?,' Senator Hanson said in a video message posted to social media on Tuesday. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has described the children (pictured with their Sydney grandmother Karen Nettleton) of killed ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf as a danger to Australia 'Do I want to risk the safety in Australia? No I don't.' Senator Hanson, who wants a ban on Muslim immigration, slammed Ms Nettleton's granddaughters Zaynab, who is 17 and seven-and-a-half months pregnant, and Hoda, 16, for wearing black, full-body niqabs at the refugee camp in northern Syria. The ABC's Four Corners program explained the teenagers had worn the full-facial coverings because wearing the niqab was strictly enforced by ISIS followers at the al-Hawl camp near the Iraq border. Senator Hanson, however, rejected this explanation, arguing Ns Nettleton's granddaughters were more likely to be Muslim fundamentalists. Senator Hanson also referenced how Ms Nettleton's grandson Abdullah (right) was photographed holding a severed head in 2014 after his father Khaled Sharrouf took him to Syria Senator Hanson (pictured) said the surviving Sharrouf children could not be deradicalised 'These women were wearing the full burqa, had their hands covered,' she said. Poll Should the children of ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf be allowed back into Australia? Yes No Should the children of ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf be allowed back into Australia? Yes 138 votes No 618 votes Now share your opinion 'Real fundamentalists is someone who has their hands covered and they never took the burqa in the confines of that tent. 'That tells me they have full intentions of wearing it here in Australia.' Senator Hanson also referenced how Ms Nettleton's grandson Abdullah was photographed holding a severed head in 2014. While this boy was killed in 2017, aged 12, the One Nation leader said his surviving siblings, including his eight-year-old brother Humzeh could not be deradicalised. 'These are the kids who held the heads of severed people who the ISIS fighters killed,' Senator Hanson said. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and a lot of these kids are indoctrinated from an early age. Senator Hanson, who is herself a grandmother, argued Ms Nettleton (pictured embracing her granddaughter) should move overseas to another area of the Middle East if she wanted to be with her grandchildren 'To bring them back into the country because the grandparents are saying, "We miss them"?' Khaled Sharrouf's children Daughter Zaynab, 17 - Alive Daughter Hoda, 16 - Alive Son Abdullah - Died aged 12 in 2017 Son Zarqawi - Died aged 11 in 2017 Son Humzeh, eight - Alive Advertisement Senator Hanson, who is herself a grandmother, argued Ms Nettleton should move overseas to another area of the Middle East if she wanted to be with her grandchildren. 'Let them go to a country that suits their beliefs and I suggest to the grandparents, if you feel strongly about it, do what a lot of other grandparents have had to do: move overseas yourselves,' she said. Mr Morrison on Tuesday he was open minded about bringing the Sharrouf children back to Australia on the proviso no Australian was injured retrieving them. Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right with Liberal MP Sarah Henderson) on Tuesday was opened minded about bringing the Sharrouf children back to Australia on the proviso no Australian was injured retrieving them The Prime Minister described Khaled Sharrouf (pictured with sons Abdullah, 12, and Zarqawi, 11 shortly before an airstrike killed them in 2017) as a 'murderous terrorist' 'When it comes to the children, obviously we'll deal with each and every case on its merits, but in every single case, we'll be putting the security of Australians at the top of the list,' he told reporters at Torquay, south of Geelong. The Prime Minister described Sharrouf as a 'murderous terrorist'. 'He was a despicable individual,' he said, as he campaigned with Liberal MP Sarah Henderson in the marginal seat of Corangamite. 'And the fact that he actually put his children in that environment is unthinkable as a parent. 'This is a very special brand of evil that he lived and no one's unhappy to see the back of him.' Italian restaurants should hire only Italian cooks as they alone 'understand' the cuisine, a top TV chef claimed yesterday. Aldo Zilli, the restaurateur and Good Morning Britain regular, told the programme he hired only Italian chefs in his restaurant chain San Carlo. He believes it is vital to live in Italy to learn the methods of preparing pasta and pizza passed down through generations. He said: 'When it comes to real Italian food... You grow up with those flavours and I don't feel that anyone else outside Italy is going to understand that food.' Aldo Zilli is adamant only Italian chefs know how to properly prepare pizza and pasta dishes, and he only employs Italian cooks in his restaurant chain He added: 'Carbonara never has cream. Spaghetti bolognese doesn't exist. Those things can't change.' However, Mr Zilli conceded he would be happy to employ an English chef who had trained in Italy. He also said that, having been in England for 42 years, 'it would be fine' for him to cook fish and chips. He is the latest TV cook to become embroiled in a culinary culture war. Last week, Gordon Ramsay faced allegations of cultural appropriation over his new 'Asian eating house' Lucky Cat which didn't appear to employ any Asian chefs. A Liberal candidate who invited 10,000 people to a small cafe ahead of the federal election has admitted he forgot to ask the owner. Shaun Osborn handed flyers out to thousands of voters, inviting them to join him at Italian cafe Pane e Latte in Adelaide for a chat over a coffee. But in an error of judgement, Mr Osborn forgot to tell cafe owner Matteo Giordano about the plans. It wasn't until a regular customer showed him one of the flyers that Mr Giordano discovered his cafe had been advertised for the Liberal meet-up. 'Hey all, it's come to our attention that Shaun Osborn, Liberal Candidate for Adelaide, will be joining us at Pane e Latte this coming Thursday for one of his listening post meetings,' Mr Giordano wrote on Facebook. Shaun Osborn handed flyers to thousands of voters, inviting them to cafe Pane e Latte in Adelaide Owner Matteo Giordano was shocked to learn about the gathering when a customer showed him a flyer 'This has gone out to 10,000 local constituents on a flyer, but we'd just like to make it really clear that while Pane e Latte appears on this Liberal Party flyer, we were not consulted and do not endorse the Liberal Party. 'In fact, we don't endorse anyone! We're impartial and Matteo is a permanent resident and can't vote. Cafe Pane e Latte invited all candidates for the federal seat, including Steve Georganas, Barbara Pocock and Antonio Rea. Mr Osborn said he had apologised to the cafe and was excited to meet local voters. 'In my enthusiasm to be accessible to local voters and to meet with them, I overlooked discussing this with the cafe owner,' he told the ABC. 'I've since apologised, but am really grateful they are still happy for us to meet local voters there.' Criminals with minor convictions will be given a clean slate to stop them being denied jobs under Home Office plans. Home Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday revealed he is reviewing a rule that allows bosses to know their prospective employees' criminal pasts. The current rule states jobseekers with criminal convictions automatically have them revealed to interviewers if they have more than one. But under new plans, crimes such as drug possession, thefts or minor assaults will not be disclosed to employers by the Government's disclosure and barring service (DBS) as a matter of course. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is considering overhauling the rules on minor offences to give petty criminals the chance of a fresh start Mr Javid said he believes juvenile offenders who want to avoid having their life chances ruined by criminality need a second opportunity. He said: 'If a young person today has committed two offences no matter what they are for example if they have shoplifted twice when they were 11 and 12 or something, that record can linger for years and years when they are an adult. They may find they are never getting a proper chance to turn around. I think we need to be sensible and look again at issues like this.' Another rule under review demands that any cautions or reprimands given to a child for serious offences, such as assault, also have to be disclosed to employers by the DBS for life. However, victims' rights campaigners warned these proposals could put members of the public at risk. David Green, of think tank Civitas, said employers who required 'above average levels of honesty' should get the full information. He told the Daily Telegraph: 'A potential employer may well decide to disregard an isolated case of shoplifting when a candidate was 14, but it is right that this group of employers should be given full information. 'If it is withheld from them, they can't fully protect their clients. There is very little wrong with the present law.' But Christopher Stacey, co-director of Unlock, a charity which campaigns for criminal record law reform, said there needed to be a fundamental review. He described the case of a 30-year-old woman with convictions for stealing a 99p book and failing to turn up to court who could not get a job as a teacher. 'This will give thousands of people every year a fairer chance when applying for work or volunteering without the stigma and shame of having to disclose mistakes that they might have made years sometimes decades earlier,' he said. Two Brits visiting a national park in Guatemala were reportedly attacked with machetes by a man who stole a pair of their shoes. Lisa Pascoe, 48, was sliced on her forehead and on one of her legs, while Jeremy Gleaden, 50, was cut on the knee. The attacker stole Mr Gleaden's shoes. Ms Pascoe told police the pair were attacked within five minutes of going into the Las Victorias National park in Alta Verapaz, reports Prensa Libre. Lisa Pascoe, 48, was sliced on her forehead and on one of her legs by a man wielding a machete at the Las Victorias National park in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala A video clip shows the pair exiting a fire engine, with Mr Gleaden emerging from the back barefoot. Ms Pascoe appeared with a bandage wrapped around her head and one of her leg's after the vicious attack. The British Embassy in Guatemala was informed of the situation and is working to help the pair. Police are reportedly attempting to track down the attacker. Attorney General William Barr is being criticized by a federal judge for failing to convince the public that he is being transparent with the Mueller report. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton criticized Barr on Tuesday during a hearing on a lawsuit demanding access to the report. The Mueller report contains the findings of Special Counsel Robert Muellers two-year investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow. The attorney general has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public...to be concerned about whether or not there is full transparency, Walton said during the hearing, according to Politico. Attorney General William Barr (left) 'has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public' to doubt 'whether or not there is full transparency' as it relates to the release of the Mueller report, according to U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton (right) The judge did not elaborate. Walton was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2001. He is a senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Despite his criticism of Barr, Walton denied a request by the news site BuzzFeed to force the Justice Department to release the Mueller report by Thursday. Even though the Justice Department has already stated that the 400-page report will be released with redactions, BuzzFeed demanded that the release be in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. A lawyer with the department declined to say whether the version of the report that will be released on Thursday will be the same as that which will be released under FOIA. Matthew Topic, the lawyer representing BuzzFeed, says that a court order requiring the release would speed up any future litigation over whatever information is redacted from the report. The government claims it can make an open-ended extension with no specific deadline in mind, Topic said. Walton said on Tuesday that he might ask the government to hand him an unredacted copy of the report in order to judge for himself whether the redactions made are appropriate. Thats something we will have to work through. Ill have to think about it, he said. Walton said he was hopeful that the Justice Department would release most of the report so that legal disputes would be kept to a minimum. I would hope that the government is as transparent as it can be. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not provide a precise time for when Barr will release the report on Thursday, but said the report, which Barr has described as nearly 400 pages long, will be made available both to Congress and the public. Last month, Barr released a four-page summary of the Mueller report which the attorney general says includes no evidence that President Trump (above) colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign Congressional Democrats have demanded the release of the full report with nothing blacked out and also have asked for the underlying evidence gathered by Mueller, meaning Thursdays action by Barr may be just the first move in a longer fight that could play out in the courts. Moments after the department announced its plans for releasing the report, the Republican president went to Twitter to make another attack on Muellers team and derided the 'Russia Hoax.' The Mueller investigation has cast a cloud over the presidency of Trump, who has often called it a politically motivated 'witch hunt.' Mueller turned over a copy of his confidential report to Barr on March 22, ending his 22-month-long inquiry. Two days later, Barr released a four-page letter summarizing what he said were Muellers primary conclusions. In that letter to Congress, Barr said Muellers investigation did not establish that members of Trumps election campaign conspired with Russia. A mystery tattooed woman who was found dead on a Cornish beach has been identified. She was found by dog walkers on Monday at Perranporth beach and was found the next day just hours after police had appealed for help identifying her. They described her as having several tattoos, including a large Celtic-type tattoo on her right thigh and a date in Roman numerals on her ankle. Emergency services responded to a 999 call at around 7am this morning after dog walker spotted a deceased woman's body lying at the water's edge The death of the woman, aged in her late-20s to mid-30s, is being treated as unexplained by police. They do not believe the woman is from the UK. Her next-of-kin are being informed and the police said they won't be revealing anymore information until then. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police told the Mirror: 'Police have identified a woman whose body was found on Perranporth beach. 'The woman is not believed to be a UK national and officers are in the process of informing her next-of-kin. 'No further details will be released until the next-of-kin have been informed.' Emergency services received a 999 call just before 7am of reports of a deceased woman being found on Perranporth beach on the north Cornwall coast. On arrival, the woman's body was located on the waterline, and searches of the beach were carried out by police and the coastguard. The police investigation into the woman's death continues. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to end America's involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a statement to the Senate on Tuesday, the Commander-in-chief called the resolution 'an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken his constitutional authorities'. The resolution, which would have required Trump to cease giving military assistance to Saudi Arabia, passed the House of Representatives in April and the Senate in March. It marked the first time both chambers of Congress had supported a War Powers resolution, limiting the president's ability to send troops into action. President Donald Trump vetoed a congressional resolution to end America's involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen The U.S. has provided intelligence and logistical support to the Saudis since 2015 Yemen's civil war pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran. The U.S. has provided intelligence and logistical support to the Saudis since 2015. In his statement vetoing the resolution, Trump called such support 'limited' and argued that it has not 'introduced United States military personnel into hostilities.' He stated continued involvement was also necessary to 'protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries.' On Tuesday, several Democrats expressed their disappointment after Trump vetoed the congressional resolution. 'From a president elected on the promise of putting a stop to our endless wars, this veto is a painful missed opportunity,' California Congressman Ro Khanna said in a statement. 2020 Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders expressed a similar sentiment, writing: 'I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bi-partisan resolution to end U.S. involvement in the horrific war in Yemen. The people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs.' Trump claimed that U.S. support to Saudi Arabia in the conflict was 'limited' Critics of the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen say the situation in the country is only getting worse Critics of the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen say the situation in the country is only getting worse. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world's most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine. Tuesday's veto was the second of Trump's presidency. Just last month he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the national emergency he declared in order to obtain funding for wall at the Mexican border. (ANSA) - Strasbourg, April 17 - The European Parliament on Wednesday gave its final approval to a law strengthening the European Border and Coast Guards. The changes to FRONTEX, already agreed with EU ministers, will bring in a permanent corps of 10,000 members by 2027. It will be made up of border guards and coast guards from the agency and personnel sent on an obligatory basis from EU countries. Italy will have to provide 610 people and will be the third largest contributing nation, after Germany and France. The agency will be tasked with monitoring migration flows, monitor external border management by Member States and verify the capacity and preparation for dealing with possible threats, to provide assistance for repatriation and search and rescue operations at sea, and to assist states with rapid intervention in the case of ''specific and disproportionate challenges''. The law will now have to be officially approved by the European Council prior to entering into effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. Cori Glencross (pictured), 23, will appear at Geelong Magistrates' Court on Wednesday A woman who allegedly bashed an elderly woman in an incident captured on video has been denied bail. Cori Glencross, 23, represented herself in a bail hearing at Geelong Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after she was charged with affray, unlawful assault, assault by kicking and committing an indictable offence while out on bail. The incident was filmed outside the Market Square Shopping Centre in Geelong, Victoria on about 1.20pm on Tuesday. Senior Constable Shannon Thompson told the court that Ms Glencross said in a police interview that she was having an epileptic fit at the time of the incident and had no control over her body. Snr. Const. Thompson also said that Ms Glencross claimed in her police interview that she was acting in self-defence and that the unnamed victim had threatened her with a needle. A witness to the incident, Caitlyn Brooks, told Daily Mail Australia that Ms. Glencross had told the woman that it was 'not nice to smile' before moving toward her. Snr. Const. Thompson told the court it was an 'orchestated and premeditated' attack on the elderly woman who was leaning on her mobility walker at the time. After a brief verbal exchange between the two women, it was alleged that Ms. Glencross approached the elderly woman and asked her if she 'wanted to start her' before shoving her against the glass window behind her. The video then showed her appear to yank the woman by the hair and pull her to the ground. A bystander could be heard saying 'she's just an old lady'. The defenceless older woman was then kicked twice as she was lying on the ground before a witness intervened. Ms. Glencross continued to stand over the older lady until a third woman pushed her away. Another member of the public was seen offering his hand to the older lady to help her from the ground. The attack on an elderly woman was filmed outside the Market Square Shopping Centre in Geelong, Victoria on about 1.20pm on Tuesday Both Ms. Glencross and the alleged victim had left the scene before the police arrived. Glencross allegedly told elderly woman that it was 'not nice to smile' and said she should 'get a rope and kill herself' Glencross (left) was arrested on Tuesday in relation to the alleged assault A 16-year-old girl has been arrested after she invited revellers to a luxury apartment, who went on to cause 40,000 worth of damage. Party-goers tore down walls with sledgehammers at the flat in Belfast, which had been rented through booking.com by a woman who purchased the one-night stay for her daughter. Despite the rules of the property clearly stating that parties were not allowed, the teenager took to Snapchat where she invited people to the flat on Saturday night. Now the owner of the property has been left devastated, after vandals broke furniture and smashed windows during the party. The property was left in an awful state after vandals smashed through the walls (right) in the halls of the property and in the kitchen (left) Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, William, who owns the property, but did not want to give his surname, said the incident had been a complete disaster and that he was shocked that it had happened. 'The extent of the destruction is unbelievable, it makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach. 'There is now a hole in the wall between the kitchen and hall because they used sledgehammers to break through. 'The windows have been smashed, doors broke, the kitchen and bathrooms are wrecked, everything is ruined.' Vandals destroyed the bathroom (left) breaking the shower, smashing the mirror and ripping of the toilet seat. Pictured right: The bathroom before the party A picture of the property before the incident, as it is advertised on booking.com William has rented out the property for two years and when advertising the flat, explicitly states that parties and events are not to be held. It is unclear exactly how much the apartment was rented for over the weekend, but an overnight stay this Saturday is currently advertised at 200. On the website it is advertised as having 'river views' and is 'just a 6 minute walk from The Waterfront Hall and 750 yards from the SSE arena.' It adds: 'The apartments comes with a fully equipped kitchen, seating/living area, dining area and a flat-screen TV with cable channels.' Windows were smashed (left) and grubby footprints were left on glass, and furniture was ripped from the walls (right) One of the two bedrooms in the apartment which was trashed by vandals over the weekend Despite warnings against holding parties in the property, up to 40 youths descended on the property, which is usually let out to tourists. Residents who witnessed the event said some people had even been scaling the railings of the building to try and get in. Terrified neighbours said they feared their own homes would be attacked and told how they frantically dialled 999 on several occasions but were forced to wait up to 40 minutes before police arrived. William now believes the mother who made the booking should also be arrested, and held accountable along with her daughter. 'I have been told that the repairs will cost around 40,000 which I have to cover myself. The owner of the property is looking at a 40,000 repair bill for the damage caused to the kitchen (left) and other rooms in the property which were vandalised (right) The kitchen in the flat before the party over the weekend An exterior view of the property, with the apartment on the ground floor, that is next to eh River Lagan 'I've contacted Booking.com to report what happened and their solution was to waive the 9.80 commission fee which isn't going to be much help. 'I have no faith that I will get a penny back from those responsible.' William had been in Enniskillen for the Easter break when he heard the news and has since returned to Belfast to help with repairs. As well as the costly bill, he has also had to cancel 42 bookings and give refunds to potential customers. The flat's lounge pictured as advertised on booking.com before the devasation The property, pictured centre, boasts of having views of the River Lagan and is located in East Belfast He said: 'It is an absolute shame. 'We were fully booked over Easter and it was heartbreaking having to cancel on people who were looking forward to their holidays and give full refunds, which is just extra money lost on top of the refurb costs. 'The contractors have said the place should be ready again within a month but this has really put me off doing anything like this again.' Yvonne Campbell, a businesswoman who lives in an apartment on the first floor of the complex, told the Belfast Telegraph that she was at home when loud music began blaring from the property. Restrictions at the property The advertisement for the property on booking.com boasts that the flat is in a central location and that free private parking is available. However restrictions clearly state: - Pets are not allowed - Smoking is not allowed - Parties/events are not allowed It also states that a damage deposit of 100 is required on arrival, which will be reimbursed on checkout. It also clearly states than bachelor/bacherlorette parties are not accommodated for. Advertisement She said the 'deafening noise' came before 'what can only be described as an indoor riot' shortly before 10pm. 'I was extremely afraid for my safety,' she said. 'Nothing like this has ever happened here before. Nobody in the apartment block can believe it.' The head of Charterhouse Property Management, which runs the apartments, Kieran Smyth said: 'Short term letting through these agencies are causing widespread concern with people who own apartments in Northern Ireland.' This is while a Booking.com spokesman said they encourage partners to reach out to local authorities in the instance that a customer engages in unlawful behaviour. 'We support our accommodation partners fully and will cooperate with law enforcement in their official investigation as necessary. 'In this instance, we have also taken additional precautions to block this customer from making any further reservations via our site.' A PSNI spokesperson said: 'Police are investigating a report of criminal damage being caused to an apartment in the Short Strand area of Belfast on Saturday, 13th April. 'A 16-year-old female youth was arrested by police and has been released on bail pending further enquiries.' Two soldiers who allegedly drove into a fellow serviceman after a drunken bar brawl have been arrested. Louis Leteve and Jordan Peers, both 23, ploughed into their victim near a Catterick, North Yorkshire nightclub on April 5, it is alleged. Leteve, who is the boyfriend of former Geordie Shore star Stephanie Snowdon, was questioned and released on bail. The duo, both in the Royal Artillery, and the victim, who serves with 2 Yorks, were told to leave Club Louis after a row ended in a fight, The Sun reported. The duo, both in the Royal Artillery, and the victim, who serves with 2 Yorks, were told to leave Club Louis (pictured) after a row ended in a fight, according to reports Leteve is said to have got into a white Peugot with Peers and pursued the other serviceman as he was walking back to base. The pair were held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drink-driving, and were released on police bail. A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson told The Sun: 'We are investigating a serious collision between a car and a pedestrian at 2.30am on Friday, April 5. 'Two men have been arrested and released on bail. The pedestrian, a 23-year-old man, remains in hospital having suffered significant leg injuries. Inquiries are continuing.' An Army spokesperson said they were aware that two soldiers from the Royal Artillery had been arrested, but it would be inappropriate to comment further in an ongoing investigation. The light mechanised infantry of 2 Yorks, of The Yorkshire Regiment, is based in its home county at Catterick. The Royal Artillery, which became active in May 1716 after a Royal Warrant by King George I, has several bases across Britain, including Marne Barracks in Catterick. The chief suspect in the Yvonne Fletcher murder case may finally appear in court, it has been revealed. Lawyers representing John Murray, the police officer who held WPC Fletcher in his arms as she died, served civil proceedings papers this week on Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk the prime suspect for her murder. The civil case could involve the Government revealing evidence against Mabrouk, who was a close aide to former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, The Daily Telegraph reported. WPC Fletcher was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 in a crime that sent shockwaves across the UK Today marks the 35th anniversary of Miss Fletcher's death. The policewoman was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. The newspaper said that after a confidential review of the murder in 2007, it was concluded that the shooting was pre-arranged. Mabrouk, who lives in Berkshire after claiming asylum in the UK in 2011, was arrested in 2015 in connection with the murder but was told two years later the case would not go forward. In 2017, the Metropolitan Police told the Home Office they believed they had enough evidence to bring someone to court, saying: 'Our investigation has identified enough material to identify those responsible for WPC Fletcher's murder if it could be presented to a court. 'However, the key material has not been made available for use in court in evidential form for reasons of national security.' Mr Murray, who is launching a crowdfunding appeal to help pay his legal bills, wants to know who is responsible for Miss Fletcher's murder. Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk was arrested in 2015 in connection with the murder but was told two years later the case would not go forward. He has claimed asylum in the UK since 2011 He said: 'Mabrouk has always denied any part in Yvonne's murder. I want to know who was responsible and why the Government has blocked their prosecution. 'It is a stain on our country and on British justice that suspected murderers of a police officer can be allowed to evade justice. It is a scandal that our own Government has helped them to do so. This is Yvonne's last hope for justice. He added: 'I am seeking nominal damages of 1 but what I hope to achieve is that we finally learn the truth about Yvonne's murder.' The High Court civil case seeks to get answers from Mabrouk about the events of that day. Matthew Jury, who is representing Mr Murray, said: 'This may be the last chance to bring the chief suspect to court.' A woman who was at Mabrouk's address in Berkshire, told the Telegraph she was his former partner, adding: 'He left the country for ever. We are separated now but he has left. I have no idea where he went.' The Home Office said it could not comment on the case, but in a statement released to coincide with today's anniversary, a spokesman for Miss Fletcher's family said: 'Not a day goes by when she is not in our thoughts and of course the other people who were injured on that day.' Minister for Policing, Nick Hurd, said: 'I have enormous respect for the brave men and women of our police forces and particularly for those who have given their lives in service to the wider public. 'I remain shocked by the senseless murder of WPC Fletcher and my thoughts today are with her loved ones.' The outline of Jesus Christ seemed to appear in the devastating flames which engulfed the Parisian Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday evening, one woman has claimed. Lesley Rowan, from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was reading about the tragic incident when she claims to have noticed in one of the pictures a figure in the billowing smoke. Taking to social media to share her thoughts, Lesley explained that she believed the silhouette to be of God's son, pointing outwards from the inferno sweeping through the historic 850-year-old building. The outline of Jesus Christ appeared in the devastating flames which engulfed the Parisian Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday evening, one woman has claimed Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday 'I may be letting my mind play tricks on me here, folks take a close look at this picture and what do you see,' the 38-year-old posted to her Facebook, alongside a circled picture of the cathedral. Here, we outline the 'Christ-like figure' Lesley Rowan spotted Lesley was amazed to see she she says is the figure of Jesus in the Notre Dame flames Lesley was quickly inundated with social media users who also believed they could see the outline of Jesus within the roaring flames. 'When I looked at this photo last night, I was really astounded by what I saw. When I look at it I see a silhouette of Jesus. I really see a vivid image,' Lesley explained to the Daily Record. Lesley Rowan (pictured), from Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was reading about the tragic incident when she said she noticed in one of the pictures a figure in the billowing smoke 'I feel like it will bring comfort to people in Paris and all over the world at this sad time.' Some social media users were quick to agree with Lesley's claims, with one saying: 'Looks like a figure of Jesus, or I am tripping?' While others said: 'I can see it pretty clear, gown and all,' and 'Yeah I saw it straight away - it's Jesus!' Yet not everyone accepted Lesley's findings, with one Facebook user writing: 'Opposite of amazing,' and another insisted they only saw a 'statue'. 'I may be letting my mind play tricks on me here, folks take a close look at this picture and what do you see,' the 38-year-old posted to her Facebook, alongside a circled picture of the cathedral Some social media users were quick to agree with Lesley's claims, with one saying: 'Looks like a figure of Jesus, or I am tripping?' Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron committed to rebuilding Notre-Dame cathedral within five years on Tuesday. The French President said in a televised address that the cathedral would be rebuilt 'even more beautifully' within the next few years as he urged the French nation to 'come together'. 'We will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years, we can do it,' Macron said in a television address to the nation. The blaze erupted in the medieval UNESCO world heritage landmark in the French capital, sending its spire and roof crashing to the ground as flames and clouds of smoke billowed into the sky. An Australian man accused of kidnapping a two-year-old boy made his first appearance in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. Roscoe Bradley Holyoake, a 34-year-old from Perth known as DJ Roski, was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit when he appeared in a San Francisco court on Tuesday charged with kidnapping and child endangerment. He allegedly grabbed the toddler as he walked with his mother in San Francisco on Friday at about 12.25pm. He was arrested after members of the public, including a dentist, said they heard the boy's mother's screams and chased after the Australian. Holyoake, known as DJ Roski, from East Victoria Park in Perth's south-west, was arrested and charged with kidnapping Defence lawyer Stephen Olmo (pictured) argued it was a possible case of 'mistaken identity' and his client was 'in the wrong place at the wrong time' Assistant District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told the court the boy's mother was pushing a stroller on San Francisco's 17th Street with her young son following closely behind her, the San Francisco Examiner reported. When the mother was putting her mobile phone in her pocket she allegedly saw Holyoake carrying her son with his arms wrapped around the child's buttocks. A 'tug-of-war over the child' allegedly then began between Holyoake and the mother who yelled: 'What are you doing?' A local couple, Adam and Sabrina Walker, were in the vicinity with their own four-year-old son and told TV station KTVU they watched as Holyoake released the boy after the struggle, smiled and then attempted to run away. Walker, a dentist, said he and other bystanders chased after Holyoake on foot. 'I think my fatherly instincts kicked in and I did what I thought was right,' Walker told KTVU. Holyoake gave up after a short chase, Walker said. He put his hands up, and said 'All right, I'm done' and he didn't fight back, didn't struggle, just obeyed my commands, walked to the sidewalk and put his hands on the wall and got on his knees,' Walker said. 'He put the toddler down and he smiled at everybody and then started sprinting,' witness Sabrina Walker told media (pictured) Mr Holyoake (pictured) was in the US for business and had been in the country a number of times before, including for charity work, the court heard Holyoake, held on $US500,000 bond ($A697,000), will appear before a San Francisco Superior Court judge seeking bail on Thursday. Holyoake's court-appointed lawyer, Stephen Olmo, said the Australian did not have a criminal record. 'He has been in this country many times doing charitable work, disc jockey work,' Olmo told reporters outside court. Holyoake, known as DJ Roski, from East Victoria Park in Perth's south-west, was arrested and charged with kidnapping at about 9pm on Friday. After Holyoake appeared in court Mr Olmo argued it was a possible case of 'mistaken identity'. 'Overzealous police work, mistaken identity, wrong place wrong time,' his lawyer said in reference to possible defences for his client. Mr Olmo said he was yet to see any video evidence linking his client to the alleged attempted abduction. Holyoake allegedly grabbed the toddler and ran off at the corner of Markets and 17th Street in the Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco (pictured) In December last year Holyoake was a performer at Tim Minchin's (pictured together) wrap party for his new mini-series 'Upright', an experience he described as an 'absolute pleasure' Holyoake was once on the board of Pride WA (Western Australia) - a lobby group supporting LGBTIQ people, PerthNow reported. The DJ, who first began as a lighting technician for drag shows, was a radio presenter for the All Things Queer segment on RTRFM. If found guilty of the charges Holyoake could face at least ten years jail, a sentence which could be increased if the age of the alleged victim is taken into account. In December last year Holyoake was a performer at Tim Minchin's wrap party for his new mini-series 'upright', an experience he described as an 'absolute pleasure', 9 News reported. A former special constable who was spared jail after threatening to burn down a family's house as part of a campaign of 'mental torture' has now been locked up by senior judges. Shahib Asan, 23, of Birstall, Leicestershire, issued a series of chilling threats in letters and text messages to former family friends over several months. He was also caught on CCTV throwing paint stripper over a car belonging to one of the victims. Shahib Asan, 23, issued a series of chilling threats in letters and text messages. He was also caught on CCTV throwing paint stripper over a car belonging to one of his victims. Pictured: Leicester Crown Court Asan was handed a suspended sentence at Leicester Crown Court in February for offences including criminal damage, harassment and perverting the course of justice. But he was jailed for four years and nine months on Tuesday by Court of Appeal judges, who said the original sentence was 'unduly lenient'. Lady Justice Sharp, sitting with two other judges, said it was 'difficult to comprehend' how the Crown Court judge reached the conclusion the sentence could be suspended. She said: 'In our view these (offences) merited a custodial sentence of some length, as they were serious, persistent, sophisticated and caused grave harm to the victims.' He was originally given a suspended sentence at Leicester Crown Court in February The judge added: 'The offender had deliberately subjected this family to a degree of mental torture over a prolonged period of time, including threats of violence.' At the time of the offences, Asan was a student and a special constable with Leicestershire Police. The court heard that, between August 2016 and August 2018, he committed a string of offences targeting the family. These included sending messages threatening to stab them, to shoot one of them and to burn down their house. When police investigated, he claimed the messages were sent by someone who hacked his computer and was attempting to frame him. The Court of Appeal has now sentenced him to four years and nine months in prison because they said his original sentence was 'unduly lenient'. Pictured: Leicester Crown Court Lady Justice Sharp said Asan continued to offend while on bail for the first set of offences, sending further threatening and abusive messages to a member of the family. He was found guilty of harassment in February and had previously admitted criminal damage, harassment and two counts of perverting the course of justice. Asan also pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid, relating to a Captor spray he had illegally taken from Leicestershire Police, at an earlier hearing. His sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal by Solicitor General Robert Buckland under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. Speaking after the hearing, Mr Buckland said: 'The original sentence handed down was, in my view, unduly lenient. 'I hope the offender's immediate imprisonment gives some comfort to the family who were harassed and lived under the threat of violence for a sustained period.' George Christensen has referred his travel expenses for review after revelations he charged taxpayers more than $3,000 for connecting flights to the Philippines. The Queensland Nationals MP used the money to pay for flights between Canberra and other capital cities to connect to the Philippines, where he has a fiancee. The MP is 'absolutely confident' his travel was within the rules. 'But to remove any doubt I will refer the matter to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority today,' he said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr Christensen has previously said he visited the Philippines to visit his fiancee and do church work. George Christensen (pictured, with his fiancee) has referred his travel expenses for review after revelations he charged taxpayers more than $3,000 for connecting flights to the Philippines The MP is 'absolutely confident' his travel was within the rules The Queenslander spent 294 days in the Philippines between 2014 and 2018. Taxpayers were charged $3,069.45 for three flights between Canberra and Brisbane and one flight between Canberra and Sydney. Around the time of his travels to the Philippines, Mr Christensen tweeted his dislike for politicians who used taxpayer money to fund their holidays. 'All of these MPs billing family holidays on taxpayers,' he tweeted in January 2017. 'Maybe axe MP's family travel or limit to Canberra. What other job provides this perk?' Labor's election campaign spokesman Jim Chalmers says it's time for the prime minister to weigh in. 'It's long-past time for Scott Morrison to express a view on this,' Mr Chalmers told reporters in Canberra. 'He needs to tell the Australian people whether he thinks it's appropriate Jetset George has been spending thousands of taxpayer dollars subsidising private trips.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment on the matter, when visiting Tasmania today. 'George has referred himself to the independent parliamentary expenses authority and I'm sure that when that report comes in, George will comply with it,' he said. But senior government minister Mathias Cormann has defended Mr Christensen's travel as being within the rules. 'My advice is that all of the travel undertaken by George Christensen was within relevant rules on work expense arrangements,' he told Sky News. 'In the end, it's a matter for each individual member of parliament to explain what they've done and why.' Mr Christensen's partner lives in the Philippines and he has not disputed the amount of time he has spent in the country. He holds the Queensland seat of Dawson by a notional margin of 3.4 per cent. Around the time of his travels to the Philippines, Mr Christensen tweeted his dislike for politicians who used taxpayer money to fund their holidays President Donald Trump reportedly believed the Salisbury novichok attack was part of legitimate spy games and was reluctant to expel Russians from the U.S. over it. The then-deputy CIA director, Gina Haspel, convinced Trump to expel 60 Russians after ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned. The former Russian intelligence officer, 67, and Yulia, 34, were found slumped by shops on March 4 last year. In the aftermath of the attack, which has been blamed on a Russian intelligence agency, although the country has denied it, more than 100 diplomats were ejected from the United States and 22 other nations. President Donald Trump reportedly believed the Salisbury novichok attack was part of legitimate spy games and was reluctant to expel Russians from the U.S. over it Germany, France and Poland each expelled four diplomats, with Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic also taking action. Ukraine - not an EU state - joined the European revolt by expelling 13 diplomats. Trump believed the attacks were 'part of legitimate spy games, distasteful but within the bounds of espionage', reports the New York Times. He was only convinced to expel the 60 diplomats after Ms Haspel showed him pictures of young children hospitalised by novichok as well as ducks accidentally killed in Salisbury by the nerve agent. He was only convinced to expel the 60 diplomats after Ms Haspel showed him pictures of young children hospitalised by novichok. Pictured: Russian secret service agents Anatoliy Chepiga and Dr Alexander Mishkin who are believed to have poisoned the Skripals 'Mr Trump fixated on the pictures of the sickened children and the dead ducks. At the end of the briefing, he embraced the strong option,' the New York Times added. In June, Salisbury suffered a second Novichok poisoning which killed mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, and left her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, with serious injuries. A fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle - which Ms Sturgess handled - is thought to have contained the substance. Evidence gathered by intelligence agencies led the Government to conclude the culprits were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. Russian secret service agents Anatoliy Chepiga and Dr Alexander Mishkin are believed to have placed the Novichok at Mr Skripal's house. A Philadelphia man has been accused of intentionally driving his car into a group of people following an argument, leaving six injured and hospitalized, authorities said. Police were dispatched to North Philadelphia following a 911 call reporting a man, 44, intentionally trying to run people down with his car, authorities said. A 37-year-old man and 17-year-old woman were taken to a hospital in critical condition following the incident, with for more ranging in age from 17 to 42 sustaining unknown injuries, ABC News reported. Police said the driver will be charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Police were dispatched to North Philadelphia following a 911 call reporting a man, 44, intentionally trying to run people down with his car, authorities said Police said the man was not in his vehicle while an argument broke out with pedestrians in the area. He was then said to have gotten angry, got behind the wheel of his grey Buick Centry and used his car as weapon against the others involved in the altercation. The 37-year-old man injured in the alleged crime was taken to Temple University in a private automobile. The 17-year-old woman was also taken to Temple with serious hip and leg injuries. Police said the man was not in his vehicle while an argument broke out with pedestrians in the area. He was then said to have gotten angry, got behind the wheel of his grey Buick Centry and used his car as weapon against the others involved in the altercation Six people were hospitalized, including a 17-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man were listed in critical condition. The conditions of the other four injured people are not known The driver remains in custody while he is being treated for his injuries at Hahnemann University Hospital. The incident occurred at 3.50pm Eastern at 16th and Lehigh Avenue (location pictured on a map) The driver was also injured in an assault after the alleged attack and is in custody at a hospital, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small (pictured) told ABC News The driver was also injured in an assault after the alleged attack and is in custody at a hospital, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told ABC News. He sustained head and facial injuries, authorities said. The driver remains in custody while he is being treated for his injuries at Hahnemann University Hospital. The incident occurred at 3.50pm Eastern at 16th and Lehigh Avenue. (ANSA) - Rome, April 17 - Italy's military chiefs are not not irritated by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's order to keep ports closed even in the event of a refugee flow from conflict-torn Libya, Salvini said Wednesday. "I have no evidence of a any type of irritation by any (military) command," he said, contradicting media reports. On Tuesday defence ministry sources reportedly said they were irked by Salvini's latest directive against NGO migrant rescue ships. Earlier Wednesday the defence chiefs of staff said "the military is at the service of the country according to hierarchical lines". They said "every activity is carried out in line with policy". Prefects will be able to fill in for mayors when first citizens are "distracted" on issues like high crime and urban decay, Salvini also said Wednesday. "The interior ministry and the security decree offer extra weapons to fight squats, decay, illegal buildings and crime", he said. Salvini has criticised Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi on these issues. A man who killed a Melbourne surgeon with a single blow has become the first to receive a minimum 10-year jail sentence under Victoria's 'coward punch' laws. Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, 41, suffered fatal head injuries when he was punched by Joseph Esmaili at Box Hill Hospital in May 2017. His killer, now 24, was found guilty of manslaughter last year and on Wednesday was ordered to spend up to 10 years and six months in prison. Esmaili smiled and nodded to the public gallery as he was led away to begin his jail term. Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, 41, suffered fatal head injuries when punched by Joseph Esmaili (pictured) at Box Hill Hospital in May 2017 He's the first person to receive a mandatory minimum decade-long prison term under Victoria's 'coward punch' laws, meaning he must serve at least 10 years before becoming eligible for release on parole. Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann was leaving the hospital when he stopped to tell a group - including Esmaili - to stop smoking near the entrance. An argument broke out between the pair. 'Unfortunately neither of you was prepared to simply walk away from the argument,' Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said. Esmaili punched the surgeon with such force he was knocked unconscious and suffered 'catastrophic' injuries when his head hit the floor. His family switched off his life support a month later. Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann (pictured) had approached a group including Esmaili and asked them to stop smoking The court heard how Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann was leaving to go home at the end of a shift when saw smokers outside the entrance to the hospital. The victim went back inside to get security when he was followed by Esmaili who had gone to use the toilet. Esmaili overheard Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann's request to security and started abusing him. Witnesses told police Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann asked Esmaili to leave, but he responded by telling the surgeon, 'You need to suck my d***,' ABC News reported. Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann was then overheard saying: 'You just spat in my face'. After punching the surgeon, Esmaili fled the hospital and told his friends outside he needed to leave because he had just hit somebody. On Wednesday, the judge said the victim's death had turned the lives of his family, including his wife and young twin daughters, upside down. Outside court, Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann's wife, Christine Baumberg (pictured), said in a statement Esmaili had tried to blame everyone but himself throughout the trial Ms Baumberg (pictured) described her husband as a dedicated heart and lung surgeon, who spent his days working with patients who suffered the harmful effects of smoking Outside court, Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann's wife, Christine Baumberg slammed her husband's killer, saying he tried to blame everyone but himself throughout the trial. She described her husband as a dedicated heart and lung surgeon, who spent his days working with patients who suffered the harmful effects of smoking. 'First and foremost he was a loving husband and father,' she said. Ms Baumberg said her husband should have been safe at work and has called on the state government to provide safer working environments for all hospital staff. Throughout his trail Esmaili blamed the victim and claimed he had acted in self-defence - which the court rejected. 'You still have some way to go before you genuinely accept responsibility for your actions that day,' the judge told him on Wednesday. Ms Baumberg (pictrued) said her husband should have been safe at work and has called on the state government to provide safer working environments for all hospital staff In her sentencing remarks, Justice Hollingworth commented on how Esmaili described his childhood as being dominated by physical and emotional abuse. 'You have described your father as a long term drug abuser, who had a quick and violent temper,' she said. 'You said that your upbringing made you hypervigilant, and prone to retaliate in any situation that you perceived may escalate to violence. 'Although you did not retaliate to your father's abusive behaviour, you said you were frequently in fights with your peers, and learned to not back down.' The court heard how Esmaili had confessed to consulting psychologist Luke Armstrong that he'd been hit in the face approximately 200 times. Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann died after being punched by Joseph Esmaili in May 2017 Esmaili (pictured) expressed some remorse for his actions, but still blamed the victim for what occurred, evidenced by his repeated claim he acted in self-defence Justice Hollingworth also made reference to Esmaili's alleged drug-taking behaviours. 'You started abusing drugs and alcohol in your early teens. 'By the time you were 17 or 18, you were regularly abusing cannabis, alcohol and methamphetamine (or 'ice'). 'You subsequently started using heroin,' she said. Esmaili's sentence marks the first time the 'one punch' legislation has been acted on since the law was introduced in 2014 following a spate of fatal attacks. Outside court, the mother of one-punch victim David Cassai, who was fatally punched in 2012, wept tears of relief as the judgement was handed down. Caterina Politi, who fought to introduce the law after her son's killer was jailed for six years, told the Herald Sun she was 'proud of what they had achieved'. 'Hopefully this is the start to many more changes to the justice system because we deserve it,' she said. A man has died and his wife has been left with life-threatening injuries after their pet deer attacked them at their property in northeast Victoria. Paul and Mandi McDonald, 45, were at their Moyhu farm, about 260km from Melbourne, on Wednesday morning when the tragedy occurred. Mr McDonald, 47, was feeding the deer in its enclosure when the animal lunged at him, his brother told 9News. Paul McDonald and his wife, Mandi, (above) were attacked by the pet deer at their property in northeast Victoria Mr McDonald tragically died at the scene while Mandi was treated for upper body and leg injuries Their son managed to drag his mother to safety. Pictured: A deer at the couple's property - it is unclear if this is the animal that attacked the couple Mrs McDonald tried to help her husband during the attack but the deer turned on her before her son managed to drag his mother to safety. A police officer later shot the animal dead. The deer was shot a number of times for the safety of the male and the female, Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Purcell said. Paramedics were called to the property at about 8.30am but could not save Mr McDonald, who died at the scene. His wife was treated for upper body and leg injuries. Ambulance Victoria said Mrs McDonald was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a serious condition where she is fighting for her life. The couple had owned the Waipiti deer - a cross between a red deer and an elk - for about two years. 'I know the family are very traumatised about what has happened,' sergeant Purcell said. The couple's son and daughter are staying with family in Melbourne in the meantime. Australian Deer Association's Barry Howlett warned that male deers grew aggressive and territorial during mating season, which was around this time of year. 'They are a wild animal and a wild animal that loses its fear of humans is a really dangerous thing,' he told Herald Sun. 'It might be quite docile for most of the year but when mating season is on, you dont go near them.' Mr McDonald, 47, was feeding the deer before the animal attacked him, according to his brother As many as a million wild deer are thought to be living in Victoria, according to a 2017 state government report. Their numbers increased following the 2008 Black Saturday bushfires and calls have been made to cull the growing population. Victoria's National Park Association said in 2018 that the animals were destructive to the natural landscape. Paramedics were called to the property at about 8.30am but could not save Mr McDonald, who died at the scene. His wife was treated for upper body and leg injuries (pictured, graphic location of Moyhu in northeast Victoria) Police are desperately searching for a young boy who vanished from his Melbourne home on Tuesday night. Beau Nabelski, 12, was last seen by his family at his Epping home in the city's north at around 5.40pm. Police and worried family members hold grave concerns for the boy's welfare due to his young age and say his disappearance is out of character. Victoria Police publicly released a photo of Beau on Wednesday in the hope someone recognises him and has information on his whereabouts. Beau Nabelski, 12, vanished from his home in Melbourne's north on Tuesday night Beau is of Aboriginal appearance, 156cm tall, thin build and shaved black hair. He also has an emerald stud in his right ear and a birth mark under his left shoulder blade. Beau was last seen wearing a V-neck singlet, black, red and yellow shorts, black runners and pink socks. He was carrying a purple backpack and may be travelling on a blue BMX bike. Police believe he may be in the nearby suburb of Thomastown. Anyone who sees Beau or has information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Epping Police Station on (03) 9409 8100 or Crime Stoppers on 18000 333 000. Seafood lovers are going to be spoiled for choice this Easter after a bumper fishing season, with an abundance of top quality fish at great prices. Australians are expected to fork out $28.7million on fish and seafood this Easter season, and fish markets around the country are expected to fill out on Friday. With Easter on the way, seafood experts have revealed how you can save money and take advantage of the excellent ocean harvest. Sydney Fish Market (pictured) will have a wide range of fresh seafood options for people to choose from, with the market opening at 4am on Thursday to ensure people get their favourites Australians are expected to fork out $28.7 million on fish and seafood this Easter season with fish markets around the country expected to fill out on Friday (stock image) Alex Stollznow from Sydney Fish Market told Daily Mail Australia it's one of the best times to be eating seafood as lots of species thrive off the transition into the cooler months. 'There's lots of tropical fish in New South Wales as the east Australian current is bringing lots of fish down the coast,' Mr Stollznow said. Mr Stollznow urges Aussies not to just try their old favourites but to also reach for something new and different this Easter season. 'Anything fresh is going to be tasty if you cook it right,' he said. 'The more diversity Australians eat, the more sustainable seafood becomes, have something familiar but do yourself a favour and try something new.' Fresh, sustainably caught fish are said to be some of the tastiest options this coming weekend as they're in high supply. While all fish options are going to be available at Sydney Fish Market, Mr Stollznow said if people aren't able to make it there, any local fish market will have favourites at great prices. Smaller types of mackerel such as the spotted mackerel that are usually caught in north Queensland are now being found in abundance in NSW. With Easter on the way, seafood experts have revealed how you can save money and take advantage of the excellent harvest this year (stock image) 'We're getting them a lot fresher and a lot cheaper, and it's meaty white fresh fish which will be really great for cooking the fillets on the barbecue,' Mr Stollznow said. Small Mackerels will be selling between $17-23 dollars for a ready-to-eat cutlet, lower than in previous years. Mr Stollznow said there's also been lots of tuna found around Australia such as Mahi Mahi, another sweet, white flesh open ocean fish a great option for Easter. Those hoping to indulge in prawns are in for a very Good Friday after a successful fishing season along the country's east coast. Both wild prawns and small king prawns have been found in abundance and are in top quality for low prices. Another Easter favourite is oysters, with Sydney Rock Oysters found to be 'plump and fat' and found in abundance across NSW (stock image) Those hoping to indulge in prawns are in for a very Good Friday after a successful fishing season along the country's east coast (stock image) 'An insiders tip for prawns is: the smaller it is the sweeter it is... and it's also cheaper,' Mr Stollznow said. He also suggested farmed prawns would be a great option for Friday as the flavours are heightened and sweet. But Mr Stollznow said the best value is going to be found in the small to medium King Prawns and Black Tiger Prawns, which will be selling in the mid to low twenties per kilo, 30 per cent cheaper than normal. 'The industry has had a really good patch of weather and has worked hard for Easter,' he said. Another Easter favourite is oysters, with Sydney Rock Oysters found to be 'plump and fat' and found in abundance across NSW. 'As for the southern part of Australia, they have the Pacific Oysters that don't run out, and they're in the best condition now that they've been in for the last six months,' Mr Stollznow said. 'It's rare to time things so well, it's been just the right amount to get things optimal.' Fresh, sustainably caught fish are said to be some of the tastiest options this coming weekend as they're in high supply (stock image) In Queensland the ultimate bang for your buck is found with Queensland saucer scallops, which are currently at record low prices. '(They are) abundant and are at record low prices with half-shells going for about $10 per dozen,' Queensland Seafood Marketers Association president Marshall Betzel told The Courier Mail. Another fish expected to be popular this year is the Australian barramundi, also expected to be found at a good price. Victorian fishmongers will be heading to Dandenong and Prahran markets where they hope to sell whole fish to both keen seafood eaters and those who eat fish once a year. Fishmonger Michael Curmi said Easter was one of the busiest times of the year, but the sales vary on where people are from. 'The Europeans like octopus and squid while the Asian customers like the mud crabs,' Mr Curmi told the Herald Sun. 'Generally customers tend to buy whole fish to eat on Good Friday, which is a time of reflection and religion. They like to buy oysters and prawns for the Sunday, which is more of a feast; a celebration.' In Queensland the ultimate bang for your buck is found with Queensland saucer scallops, which are currently at record low prices (stock image) Seafood experts from Western Australia however say misconceptions are to blame for people not trying new things when it comes to buying fish. The West reported that due to the lack of confidence many people are stuck buying well-known, more expensive fish because they recognise the name. 'People are really comfortable with the word snapper; a pink snapper's a good-quality fish, but there's fish that are far better quality ... that cost far less,' Phil Clark said. 'Robinson sea bream is one of my favourite fish. It's absolutely gorgeous and it's well priced.' Those in Central Australia are urging people to opt for fresh seafood from local fish markets this Easter season. Milner Meats and Seafood, located in Alice Springs, gets a range of fish arriving from both Darwin and Adelaide. Those in Central Australia are urging people to opt for fresh seafood from local fish markets this Easter season (stock image) 'We use premium salmon fillets not second grade which some places do have, but we have the good stuff here and we even have customers comment on the quality of the fish here,' manager Brad Sawyer told NT News. Sydney Fish Market will have a wide range of fresh seafood options for people to choose from, with the market opening at 4am on Thursday to ensure people get their favourites. 'Over the weekend we will comfortable sell more than 100 different species, with the diversity of Australian seafood being our biggest strength,' Mr Stollznow said. More than 50,000 people are expected to turn out at Sydney's Fish market on Friday. The market will throw open its doors long before dawn with customers expected to line up outside before doors open at 5am on Friday. Trading will continue through to 5pm to accommodate the 650 tonnes of seafood expected to be sold throughout the day. There will be more than 100 species of seafood available with favourites such as Snapper, Flathead and Ocean Jacket as well as alternative options. Advertisement New Zealand Police missed a chance to arrest the alleged Christchurch terrorist before he attacked the second mosque, a new timeline of the atrocity reveals. A bus passed at the exact moment Australian Brenton Tarrant allegedly drove away from the Al-Noor mosque, blocking officers' view of him as they arrived on scene. The officers, unaware the suspect was just metres away and leaving to continue the attack, rushed to help horrifically wounded victims outside the mosque. The suspect slipped away and drove across town to the Linwood mosque where he allegedly slaughtered eight more Muslims, bringing the death toll of the March 15 terror attack to 50. A new police timeline, released on Wednesday, shows what happened in the 18 minutes of chaos between police receiving a call and making an arrest. New Zealand Police missed a chance to arrest the alleged Christchurch terrorist before he attacked a second mosque, a new timeline of the attack reveals At 13.40 an email which has the manifesto as an attachment is received by a range of people including Parliamentary Services. At 13.40.44 Parliamentary Services calls police in a conversation about the manifesto that lasted for 12 minutes. While police staff were talking to Parliamentary Services, the attack at Al Noor Mosque was already under way, having begun 44 seconds prior to Parliamentary Services calling. One minute later at 13.41 Police receive the first 111 call. By 13.43 all available units are en-route to Al Noor Mosque. Armed Offenders Squad members are the first to arrive near the scene at 13.46. They exit their vehicle, start approaching the mosque and one member stops to assist a critically wounded victim. Two local New Zealand police officers drag accused Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant along a footpath as they arrest him At this point the alleged offender is leaving the area, and his vehicle is obscured from the view of officers members by a bus. At this time there is no vehicle description, no information an offender has left the mosque, or how many shooters there are. First responders arrive at the Al Noor Mosque at approximately 13.51. It takes the alleged offender six minutes to get to Linwood Mosque and he is there for three minutes, leaving at 13.55. At 13.56 police receive information that shots have been fired at the Christchurch Emergency Department. It later transpires that no shots had been fired at the hospital. Sixteen seconds later at 13.56 a member of the public flags down a police car to advise shots have been fired in Linwood. The man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, Brenton Tarrant, gestures in the dock for his appearance for murder in the Christchurch District Court on March 16, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand At 13.57 the vehicle is seen by a police unit on Brougham Street and a pursuit is initiated. The vehicle is stopped at 13.59 and the offender is apprehended. At 13.59 police also arrive at the Linwood Mosque. Police Commissioner Mike Bush said the police response was rapid and he was proud of officers who did their job so well. 'There are 18 minutes from the time of the first call to 111 to the apprehension of the offender,' he said. 'I reaffirm my previous comments that police staff acted as quickly as humanly possible given the rapidly unfolding nature of the event, and the information available to us in that very brief period of time.' He added: 'I remain incredibly proud of the staff who responded on March 15 and I continue to receive praise and admiration from people both here and overseas for the actions of staff both on the day and in the weeks following.' The man who is the overwhelming favourite to become Australia's next prime minister has had a horror 24 hours on the election campaign trail. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, whose Labor Party is ahead in the polls, badly tripped up when it came to explaining his climate change and superannuation tax policies. The Labor Party has also removed from its website detailed explanations around its plans to wind back negative gearing tax breaks for landlords and deprive share-owning retirees of tax refunds. Mr Shorten had testy exchanges with not one, but two, reporters on Tuesday as he campaigned in the marginal Liberal-held electorate of Boothby, in Adelaide's southern suburbs. Scroll down for video Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (pictured in Perth) suffered a series of blunders when it came to explaining his climate change and superannuation tax policies The Labor leader repeatedly refused to rule out raising taxes on superannuation contributions, despite being asked the same question twice by Sky News journalist James O'Doherty. 'We have no plans to increase taxes,' Mr Shorten told reporters. When asked again if he could guarantee there would be no tax increases, the Labor leader repeated what he had just said. 'We have no plans to introduce any new taxes in superannuation,' he said. The Labor leader repeatedly refused to rule out raising taxes on superannuation contributions, despite being asked the same question twice by Sky News journalist James O'Doherty (pictured) In the same media conference at Bedford Park, 10 News First reporter Jonathan Lea (pictured) became frustrated when Mr Shorten declined to provide detail on Labor's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Finance Minister Matthias Cormann exploited the exchange to accuse Mr Shorten of telling fibs when it came to raising taxes. 'Bill Shorten yesterday lied to the Australian people,' he told Sky News on Wednesday morning. Hours later, Mr Shorten admitted in Perth had he failed to answer O'Doherty's question. 'I was answering a question which I thought I'd been asked and I accept that it was a different question asked,' he told reporters on Wednesday, before clarifying the winding back of a tax concession on super was not the same as increasing taxes. In the same Tuesday media conference at Bedford Park, 10 News First reporter Jonathan Lea became frustrated when Mr Shorten declined to provide detail on how Labor's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent within 11 years would affect the economy. 'When can voters expect to learn more about Labor's emission reduction target, how you're going to get there and the cost to the economy?' Lea asked. Mr Shorten took exception to the suggestion from 10 News he had focused exclusively on health Lea said Mr Shorten's reply to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's budget was 'focused exclusively on health', a claim Mr Shorten took exception to. 'First of all I haven't spoken exclusively about health... I don't know what private conversations you have with people or what you want to reveal, but let me go to the record,' Mr Shorten said. Finance Minister Matthias Cormann (pictured) exploited the exchange to accused Mr Shorten of telling fibs. Adding to Labor's woes, the party was accused of hiding its policies from voters after its website removed details of plans to scrap negative gearing tax breaks for future purchases of existing properties, and halve the capital gains discount from 50 per cent to 25 per cent. Labor is also proposing to stop share-owning retirees, who don't pay income tax, from receiving tax refunds, also known as franking credits. A brief fact sheet about this policy, unveiled last year, was still on the party website, as of Wednesday afternoon. The Opposition initially released its negative gearing policy in early 2016, ahead of the previous federal election. It had earlier argued its plan to scale back of franking credits and wind back negative gearing would save almost $80billion during the next decade, but Labor argued it needed to update its costings. When the subject of the website was raised on Wednesday, at another media conference in Perth, Mr Shorten deferred to shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. Mr Bowen explained the party's national secretary Noah Carroll was updating the online content. 'All the policies will be put there which hasn't been the case in every other election that all the polices are outlined on the website,' he told reporters. 'Some of them were taken down to be updated some time ago. 'They are being updated, they will be on the website, all our policies.' Mr Bowen, who previously served as treasurer in 2013 when Labor was last in government, said details of the Opposition's three-year old policies needed to be updated. When the subject of the website was raised on Wednesday, at another media conference in Perth, Mr Shorten deferred to shadow treasurer Chris Bowen (left) who argued the policies were released in 2016 and details needed to be updated for 2019 'Some of the policies we announced in 2016, this is the 2019 election, those pages need to be updated and it will happen,' he said. A Newspoll released this week had Labor leading the Coalition Government 52 to 48 per cent, after preferences. If replicated at the May 18 election, the government would lose 12 seats to Labor, with a swing of 2.4 per cent against them. Sportsbet still had Labor as the favourite to win the election, with short odds of $1.18 compared with $4.75 for Mr Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition. The U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday struck down a decision that had allowed some asylum seekers to ask for bond in front of an immigration judge, in a ruling that expands indefinite detention for some migrants who must wait months or years for their cases to be heard. The first immigration court ruling from President Donald Trump's newly appointed Attorney General William Barr is in keeping with the administration's moves to clamp down on the asylum process as tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans cross into the United States asking for refuge. U.S. immigration courts are overseen by the Justice Department and the Attorney General can rule in cases to set legal precedent. Barr's ruling is the latest instance of the Trump administration taking a hard line on immigration. This year the administration implemented a policy to return some asylum seekers to Mexico while their cases work their way through backlogged courts, a policy which has been challenged with a lawsuit. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has struck down a decision that had allowed some asylum seekers to ask for bond in front of an immigration judge, in a ruling that expands indefinite detention for some migrants who must wait months or years for their cases to be heard Several top officials at the Department of Homeland Security were forced out this month over Trump's frustrations with an influx of migrants seeking refuge at the U.S. southern border. Barr's decision applies to migrants who crossed illegally into the United States. Typically, those migrants are placed in 'expedited removal' proceedings - a faster form of deportation reserved for people who illegally entered the country within the last two weeks and are detained within 100 miles (160 km) of a land border. Migrants who present themselves at ports of entry and ask for asylum are not eligible for bond. But before Barr's ruling, those who had crossed the border between official entry points and asked for asylum were eligible for bond, once they had proven to asylum officers they had a credible fear of persecution. 'I conclude that such aliens remain ineligible for bond, whether they are arriving at the border or are apprehended in the United States,' Barr wrote. Barr said such people can be held in immigration detention until their cases conclude, or if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decides to release them by granting them 'parole.' DHS has the discretion to parole people who are not eligible for bond and frequently does so due to insufficient detention space or other humanitarian reasons. Barr said he was delaying the effective date by 90 days 'so that DHS may conduct the necessary operational planning for additional detention and parole decisions.' The decision's full impact is not yet clear, because it will in large part depend on DHS' ability to expand detention, said Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. 'The number of asylum seekers who will remain in potentially indefinite detention pending disposition of their cases will be almost entirely a question of DHS's detention capacity, and not whether the individual circumstances of individual cases warrant release or detention,' Vladeck said. DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. The agency had written in a brief in the case arguing that eliminating bond hearings for the asylum seekers would have 'an immediate and significant impact on...detention operations.' Barr's ruling is the latest instance of the Trump administration taking a hard line on immigration. A migrant from Honduras is seen in January passing a child over the border fence In early March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS agency responsible for detaining and deporting immigrants in the country illegally, said the average daily population of immigrants in detention topped 46,000 for the 2019 fiscal year, the highest level since the agency was created in 2003. Last year, Reuters reported that ICE had modified a tool officers have been using since 2013 when deciding whether an immigrant should be detained or released on bond, making the process more restrictive. The decision will have no impact on unaccompanied migrant children, who are exempt from expedited removal. Most families are also paroled because of a lack of facilities to hold parents and children together. Michael Tan, from the American Civil Liberties Union, said the rights group intended to sue the Trump administration over the decision, and immigrant advocates decried the decision. Barr's decision came after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to review the case in October. Sessions resigned from his position in November, leaving the case to Barr to decide. A one-year-old girl is on life support after swallowing her parent's sleeping pills inside a New York hotel. Police were called the upmarket Night Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Monday night when the baby's Brazilian mother and father noticed she had taken the medication from a night stand. Officers arrived at the scene to find the girl in the midst of a seizure, and rushed her to hospital in a patrol car. Authorities say she went without oxygen for several minutes. A one-year-old girl from Brazil is on life support after swallowing her parents' sleeping pills inside New York's Night Hotel (pictured) It's believed the baby consumed between 15 and 20 pills while her parents were distracted It's believed she consumed between 15 and 20 pills, according to The New York Post. On Tuesday, the one-year-old remained on life support in a stable condition. At the same time, officers were seen at her parents' swanky hotel, located a short distance from Times Square. An investigation has been opened, but foul play is not suspected. Sleeping pill overdoses are often fatal. In 2006, a 20-month-old baby died after ingesting her mother's sleeping pills at their Illinois home. Forensic analysis concluded that the she had ingested between four and 12 Unisom capsules. Officers were seen at thew swanky hotel on Tuesday, but they do not suspect foul play Texas authorities have filed charges against the son of a famous street racer related to a collision that left two people seriously injured in March. Ronald Gray Pace III is facing two felony counts of racing causing serious bodily injury for allegedly striking two pedestrians during an illegal street race, the Houston County Sheriff's Office said. His father is Ronnie 'Barefoot' Pace, who is known for appearing on the Discovery Channel series 'Street Outlaws.' The younger Pace has not yet been arrested and is expected to turn himself in. One of the men injured, Terry Golden, told ABC he has been unable to work due to his injuries. 'The shoulder came out broke, the hip got replaced, the left ankle and two discs in my back cracked,' Golden said. 'I saw the car coming, I ran, and still got hit.' Texas authorities have filed charges against Ronald Gray Pace III, the son of a famous street racer, related to a collision that left two people (circled in red) seriously injured in Houston on March 17 One of the men injured, Terry Golden (pictured), said he's been unable to work due to injuries HCSO announced the charges against Pace III over Twitter on Tuesday, while sharing a video of the incident 'The shoulder came out broke, the hip got replaced, the left ankle and two discs in my back cracked,' Golden (pictured) said. 'I saw the car coming, I ran, and still got hit' HCSO announced the charges against Pace III over Twitter on Tuesday, while sharing a video of the incident. 'Ronald Gray Pace III faces 2 charges of felony street racing causing serious bodily injury for this 3/17/19 crash on a public roadway in Northwest Harris County,' the department tweeted. 'Two men were seriously injured and are furtunate (sic) to be alive. #hounews' The video showed a street racing crash that took place on March 17 in a business park in the 10111 block of Houston Oaks. Police said one of the drivers in the video is Pace III. The video shows a car, which police said was driven by Pace III, crash into a truck which had been parked near its path since morning. The car pushes the truck, which strikes the pedestrians, as another vehicle quickly drives by. The video shows a car, which police said was driven by Pace III, crash into a truck (shown) which had been parked near its path since morning Pace III is accused of driving a red car (shown), which struck the parked truck and both of which struck the pedestrians. The incident was captured on camera The red car which Pace III was said to have been driving is shown The red car hich Pace III was said to have been driving suffered significant damage (shown) The front, sides and rear of the red car were all damaged in the collision which seriously injured Tuner and one other person Golden, who has been a street racing fan for 30 years, said he no longer cares for the sport. On the night he was struck by the car, many fans of the extreme sport were gather in that area for a legally-sanctioned TX2K auto racing event in Baytown, KHOU11 reported. 'I wish I wasn't there, I should have gone home, to be honest with you,' he said. Authorities are still working to identify the second driver in the video and to bring that person in to custody. Pace III is the son of Ronnie 'Barefoot' Pace (pictured), who is known for appearing on the Discovery Channel series 'Street Outlaws' 'If you are participating in a race and someone dies or gets seriously hurt, that is a second-degree felony. Period. You don't have to be the striking car. Mr. Pace was the striking car. The other individual was not, but he will be facing the same penalty range,' Harris County Assistant District Attorney Sean Teare said. 'In this day and age, video is our greatest friend and the sheriff's department was able to obtain a lot of video in this case, which helped. If convicted of the charges, both Pace and the other driver could each face between two and 20 years in prison. A heartbroken Big Issue vendor has begged for the safe return of her beloved chihuahua after she was stolen from Adelaide's CBD. Ruth Reidy, 70, had stopped at a supermarket in Rundle Mall shortly before 2pm on Tuesday afternoon to pick up some groceries when a woman took off with Fifi who was sitting in a pram outside. While the pram was found abandoned nearby at the corner of King William Street and North Terrace a short time later, there's still no sign of the beloved pooch. A shattered Ms Reidy returned to Rundle Mall on Wednesday with a handwritten sign pleading for her constant companion to be returned. Ruth Reidy, 70, was selling copies of the magzine in Rundle Mall shortly after 1pm on Tuesday afternoon when a woman took off with Fifi (pictured here with Ms Reidy) who was sitting in a pram 'Please give my dog Fifi back,' the heartbreaking sign reads. 'I love her. Fifi is all I have in this life. Please.' Ms Reidy has been a The Big Issue vendor for five years and starred in the publication's 2019 calendar with Fifi. The publication has launched a city-wide search on Ms Reidy's behalf in a bid to find the missing dog. 'Ruth's very devastated and trying to put on a brave face,' South Australian operations manager Matt Stedman told Daily Mail Australia. 'She regards Fifi as a daughter. She and Fifi were inseparable and iconic faces in Rundle Mall.' A shattered Ms Reidy returned to Rundle Mall on Wednesday with a handwritten sign pleading for her constant companion to be returned A mobile phone in the pram at the time was also stolen. The black and white chihuahua was wearing a black and white dress, green collar and red lead at the time. Ms Reidy says she has been badly shaken by the theft. 'I just don't understand how anyone could be so cruel,' she told Seven News. She revealed how she had been selling The Big Issue to pay for Fifi's vet bills. 'Ruth regards Fifi as a daughter. She and Fifi were inseparable and iconic faces in Rundle Mall,' The Big Issue's South Australian operations manager Matt Stedman told Daily Mail Australia 'I can't stop thinking about what they are doing to her,' Ms Rediy told the Adelaide Advertiser. 'I'm living in hell since she was taken. Please bring my dog back, I love her, I wouldn't prosecute.' Mr Stedman told Daily Mail Australia Ms Reidy is grateful for the overwhelming public support she's received in the last 24 hours. The adorable pooch was last seen in a pram wearing a dress costume on Tuesday afternoon The Lost Dog of Adelaide Facebook page also posted about the theft, which has since received more than 500 shares. 'It's a terrible thing to have happened and you feel so helpless,' Mr Stedman said. 'Ruth is a hard working, happy and vibrant person who cares for everyone. The support from the public has been amazing, where people have volunteered to offer rewards for Fifi's return.' 'People and pets have an incredible bond, and that connection is even greater for someone experiencing homelessness or disadvantage. Often a pet is a lifeline, and a vital source of comfort and companionship.' The thief grabbed the pram and was last seen fleeing Adelaide's Rundle Mall (pictured) South Australian Police have reviewed and publicly released CCTV from the area, which shows a woman with dark hair, wearing a black cap, white top, black cropped jeans, sneakers and carrying a pink backpack crossing King William Street, with what appears to be a dog tucked under her arm. Anyone with information is to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 'Everyone makes mistakes but it would be very much appreciated if Fifi can be returned as she means everything to Ruth,' Mr Stedman told Daily Mail Australia. (ANSA) - Milan, April 16 - Confindustria President Vincenzo Boccia said Tuesday that the industrial confederation could accept an increase in value added tax if it were part of a broader reform of the fiscal system. "Parts of our sector would't like it," Boccia said. "But fair attention to the world of production and the so-called weak parts of society could be a reform that makes sense". A sacked prison officer and part-time bikini model wept in court after she pleaded guilty to having an intimate relationship with a convicted drug dealer. Tara Brooks was sacked from her role at Parklea Correction Centre in north-west of Sydney. She pleaded guilty after Magistrate Leanne Robinson rejected an application to have the matter heard under the mental health act, news.com.au reported. The 33-year-old model was sentenced to a two-year conditional release order. Tara Brooks (pictured) was sacked from her role at Parklea Correction Centre in north-west of Sydney Brooks - who began working at the prison in August 2016 - was charged by police with engaging in a relationship with Hassan Zreika, a 41-year-old male inmate, and causing a safety risk to the correctional centre. Their relationship was uncovered when Brooks sent him a Valentine's Day card. During their investigations prison management discovered Ms Brooks' mobile phone number written on a piece of paper in Zreika's cell. Brooks is said to have opened a post box account in her name, but according to the news website Zreika sent her letters to the 'covert alias' of Belinda Taylor. It was alleged that the pair had been involved in regular phone conversations, while letters from the prison officer to the inmate were also found. Brooks has a number of modelling profiles online and previously entered Maxim magazine's cover girl competition, placing 17th. She describes herself online as: 'A very independent and strong minded woman. Life is always better in a bikini.' The swimwear model boasted 63,000 followers on Instagram, but has deleted her account since her arrest. Tara Brooks - who began working at the prison in August 2016 - was charged by police with engaging in a relationship with Hassan Zreika, a 41-year-old male inmate, and causing a safety risk to the correctional centre (Pictured is Parklea Correction Centre) The offence is the latest case in a spate of illegal relationships in Australian jails, following an investigation carried out by officers working alongside the Corrective Services Investigation unit. Amy Mershell Connors, a married mother-of-two, was charged in August 2018 for allegedly having sex with a jailed cop killer. The 34-year-old worked as an officer at Kempsey Correctional centre in the north-east of NSW, where she allegedly had a 12-month-long sexual relationship with prisoner Sione Penisini. A child snatcher who broke into a home and kidnapped a three-year-old girl in the dead of night has claimed the devil made him do it. Eden Kane, 50, stole the little girl from her home in Childers, Queensland while she was sleeping by the lounge room window in April 2014. He kept the terrified girl in his house for two days before leaving her at a showground across the road from her home. A child snatcher who broke into a home and kidnapped a three-year-old girl in the dead of night has claimed the devil made him do it (stock image; not actual) After a huge search, she was found by patrolling police who heard her calling out 'Mummy'. There was no evidence Kane indecently assaulted the girl. According to prosecutors, they slept in the same bed, watched movies and ate chocolate. When she was found, the girl's hair appeared to have been washed and brushed. Kane, who does not know the victim's family, pleaded guilty to child abduction and was sentenced in Brisbane District Court on Wednesday to four-and-a-half years in jail. Crown prosecutor Mark Whitbread said Kane told police the devil guided him to the house and told him to snatch the girl. When she was found, the girl's hair appeared to have been washed and brushed (stock image; not actual) The girl would not tell police about her abduction because she 'was told not to say anything to anyone', but told her mother that she 'had fun there', the court heard. Kane was caught after his car broke down as he tried to flee town before confessing to police. He will be eligible for parole in just four months on August 17, having already served a year behind bars. The young girl has suffered lasting impacts, including no longer feeling safe to sleep alone. 'Clearly it would not only have been an extremely terrifying ordeal for that child, but also for the family associated with that child,' Judge Nathan Jarro said. Addressing Kane, he added: 'You should obviously be thoroughly ashamed of your actions.' 'To think that you're entitled to go into someone's house and to abduct one of their children and to have that child over the course of two days is beyond comprehension.' The court heard Kane was affected by alcohol and cannabis at the time of his offending. A hipster pub has been slammed over a 'disrespectful' post it shared about its opening hours over Easter. Mary's, a popular burger bar in Newtown, Sydney, has been criticised after it shared an image of Jesus holding a cigarette and can of beer on Facebook. 'Jesus got hammered for his sins, you can too. Open from 12 Good Friday and ALL long weekend,' the post said. Mary's in Newtown have been criticised after posting a 'disrespectful' image of Jesus on Facebook The insensitive post made light of Christ's death, who died after he was hammered to a cross with nails. Facebook users slammed the burger restaurant for the disrespectful post. 'Remove this post, it is wrong on all levels,' one person said. 'How dare you post something so disrespectful and offensive as such. Gates of Hell are wide open,' another commented. 'Insulting both a major religious figure and a nationally recognised religious holiday is a low stoop,' a person said. Another group shared the post saying: 'Will be organising a rosary at Marys in Newtown on Good Friday unless they take this down.' Mary's has since taken down the post and have been contacted for comment. Facebook users have continued to flood the site with negative reviews, decreasing the restaurant's rating from 4.5 stars to 2.9 stars. Newtown is a trendy suburb around four kilometres from Sydney's CBD. Mary's has previously featured on Sydney's top burger list, after opening in 2013. Police are ramping up their search for a man who allegedly stole $7,900 from a gambling machine in Atlanta earlier this month. On Tuesday, Crime Stoppers released surveillance footage of the theft, which occurred at a Pomona Park gas station in the early hours of April 6. The clip begins with the suspect sitting at a slot machine while another man gambles alongside him. The bandit can be seen keeping an eye out for the gas station's clerk, before he brazenly begins to pull apart the machine to retrieve cash from its inside. Police have released this surveillance footage that shows a man (left) pulling apart a slot machine and making off with $7900 cash in the early hours of April 6 The incident occurred at this Pomona Park gas station earlier this month It's unclear whether the male sitting next to him was an accomplice, however police say the suspect left the scene with another individual. The incident was reported by a gas station employee. Authorities have described the suspect as being of a thin build with a short hair cut. He was wearing a gray button-down and gray sweatpants. Police are pleading for anyone with any knowledge on the robbery to come forward. They are offering a cash reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the man. A Netflix Twitter account urged people to stop using the term 'chick flicks' on Monday - but the move backfired when the argument included sexist reasoning. In calling for the retirement of the term, the tweets shared on the verified @NetflixFilm account said the phrase implied 'something trivial' about watching romantic comedies and 'cheapens the work that goes into making these types of films.' Social media users were quick to point out that this line of reasoning said more about how Netflix views the term 'chick,' which is slang for women, than it does the phrases, which arguably only refers to the primary target audience for a particular movie. The last tweet in the thread also ripped off an answer that Robert Pattinson gave during a 2012 interview with Extra TV, where he was asked what his favorite chick flick was, and he replied with Chicken Run. Scroll down for video A Netflix employee posted a thread on the verified Twitter account '@NetflixFilm' urging people to stop using the term 'chick flicks' on Monday, but included sexist reasoning Netflix started out strong with its argument for doing away with the term 'chick flicks' before quickly taking a nosedive into misguided territory. The @NetflixFilm account posted: 'Quick PSA: Can we stop calling films "chick flicks" unless the films are literally about small baby chickens? Heres why this phrase should absolutely be retired (thread): 'For starters, "chick flicks" are traditionally synonymous with romantic comedies. This suggests that women are the only people interested in 1. Romance 2. Comedy. Which I can promise from the men Ive come across in my life simply isnt true.' Netflix started out strong with its argument for doing away with the term 'chick flicks' before quickly taking a nosedive into misguided territory. The @NetflixFilm account posted: 'Quick PSA: Can we stop calling films "chick flicks" unless the films are literally about small baby chickens? Heres why this phrase should absolutely be retired (thread):' 'For starters, "chick flicks" are traditionally synonymous with romantic comedies. This suggests that women are the only people interested in 1. Romance 2. Comedy. Which I can promise from the men Ive come across in my life simply isnt true,' the company said Common knowledge of popular culture confirms that yes, romantic comedies are the types of films that people generally refer to as "chick flicks." So to say the phrase implies that only women are interested in the genre is fair, even if it's debatable. From here, things start to get a bit more tenuous in the tweets. 'There arent sweeping categories specific to men. You dont hear people asking to watch "man movies" instead, pretty much every intersection of genre is on the table and seen as for men, except of course, the aforementioned rom-coms,' the account tweeted. It almost seems as if with this one, the account is arguing that the term 'chick flicks' is bad because it excludes men. The alternative would be that the company is trying to make the case that every other genre excludes women, which simply isn't true when you consider the existence of drama, thriller, science fiction, documentary, comedy, adventure and noir films, just to name a few. From here, things start to get a bit more tenuous in the tweets. 'There arent sweeping categories specific to men. You dont hear people asking to watch "man movies" instead, pretty much every intersection of genre is on the table and seen as for men, except of course, the aforementioned rom-coms,' the account tweeted Then, the account makes a mental leap that ends up being offensive to 'chicks' by saying using the slang term for women to describe rom-coms 'cheapens' the product. 'The term also cheapens the work that goes into making these types of films. Romantic comedies and/or films centered around female leads go through just as much editing, consideration, and rewriting as any other film,' the company posted. The company goes on to equate the term 'chick' with something being trivial, which social media users quickly picked up on. Then, the account makes a mental leap that ends up being offensive to 'chicks' by saying using the slang term for women to describe rom-coms 'cheapens' the product The company goes on to equate the term 'chick' with something being trivial, which social media users quickly picked up on 'And nicknaming films "chick flicks" drives home that theres something trivial about watching them. But whats trivial about watching a film that makes you feel 1,000 emotions in ~90 minutes?' the account shared. User @shearmettle replied, 'If chick flicks make you feel like they are trivial, then YOU are the sexist! @NetflixFilm' Finally, the account managed to steal a joke from a moment Twilight star Pattinson shared with Extra's Terri Seymour in a rapid-fire questions segment shared online on November 2, 2012. User @shearmettle replied, 'If chick flicks make you feel like they are trivial, then YOU are the sexist! @NetflixFilm' Finally, the account managed to steal a joke from a moment Twilight star Pattinson shared with Extra's Terri Seymour in a rapid-fire questions segment shared online on November 2, 2012 In an Extra clip from six and half years ago, Seymour asks Pattinson what is favorite 'chick flick' is, and he answers back with a laugh, 'Chicken Run is the only thing coming into my head.' The moment even has its own meme (pictured) On Monday, the @NetflixFilm account posted, 'Overall, theres nothing inherently gendered about liking a light-hearted film with a strong female lead and emotional arc. So next time you call something a "chick flick," you better be referring to Chicken Run.' In the Extra clip from six and half years ago, Seymour asks Pattinson what is favorite 'chick flick' is, and he answers back with a laugh, 'Chicken Run is the only thing coming into my head.' The moment even has its own meme. The measles crisis has worsened in Australia and a new alert issued for Queensland, with the latest infection bringing the nation-wide toll up to 85 for the year so far. A man who returned to Brisbane from Vietnam was diagnosed with the virus after he visited multiple public places across the city, the state's 13th case in 2019. Queenslanders have been warned about the dangers of measles and overseas travel after more than half of the 13 cases were linked to overseas trips. A new measles alert has been issued for Queensland, with the state confirming their 13th case of the highly contagious virus for the year (stock image) Health officials say people born after 1965 - especially those planning overseas travel - should have two doses of the measles vaccine to ensure they're fully protected. 'Every year we see cases of measles in people who acquire the infection overseas and then spread it while they're in Queensland,' Dr Jonathan Malo of the communicable diseases branch said on Monday. After arriving back from his trip, the contaminated man travelled to Priceline Pharmacy at Toombul Shopping Centre between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on April 11, Kedron Coles between 10am and 11am on April 13 and a dry cleaners in Wooloowin on the morning of April 13. WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF MEASLES? Most people will recover from measles within one or two weeks, but sometimes complications can develop. People most at risk include teenagers and adults, babies younger than age one and children with weakened immune systems. Common complications include diarrhea and vomiting, middle-ear or eye infections, laryngitis, fits caused by a fever, and lung infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and croup. About one in every 15 infected children will develop one of these. Less common complications include hepatitis, meningitis and a brain infection called encephalitis. Rare complications include serious eye disorders which can lead to vision loss, heart and nervous system problems, and a fatal brain infection called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis this is very rare and only happens in one in every 25,000 cases. Having measles during pregnancy increases the risk of the baby having a low birth weight, premature birth, or stillbirth or miscarriage. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement Health experts are urging anyone who may have been at the locations during those times to be alert for measles symptoms. This case brings the number of measles infections in Queensland to 13 so far this year, just one less than the entire recorded number of measles cases in the state for the entire year of 2018. Australia recorded a total of 2,013 confirmed cases of measles in 2018 and just 81 in 2017. The number of cases recorded Australia-wide was last reported on April 8 at 84, and this is believed to be the 85th case so far this year. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Health to confirm the updated Australia-wide amount of cases. NSW Health has issued several measles warnings over the past two weeks after two infants became infected in Sydney and two unvaccinated Australians brought the disease in from Asia. Health Minister Greg Hunt said 95 percent of the community needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to prevent the spread of the disease. NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty claimed the drastic increase in cases Australia was a serious concern. 'We're really worried it could take hold here,' he told AAP. Dr McAnulty also said that the latest spate of contamination's are a result of foreign travelers bringing the disease in from overseas. Queenslanders have been warned about the dangers of measles and overseas travel after more than half of the 13 cases already diagnosed this year were linked to overseas trips (stock image) Australians could even catch the disease just by sitting in international airports, he claimed. 'People traveling to London and stopping off in Dubai are exposed to a mass of people from around the world.' It can take up to 10 days for symptoms of the disease to start to appear, but in others a rash can break out within just four days. Despite symptoms not appearing immediately, people can get infected soon after being exposed, said Dr McAnulty, adding that the best prevention was immunisation. He said that anyone concerned that they may be infected should report it directly to a doctor, rather than potentially infecting others in a waiting room. A Michigan woman has been charged with animal cruelty after 88 cats and one dog were found living in squalid conditions inside her home. A court bailiff made the discovery when he arrived at the 62-year-old's Mount Clemens address late last month to issue her with an eviction notice. Animal Control was subsequently called to the property, where they removed the animals - most of whom were in poor health. 88 cats and one dog were discovered living inside this Mount Clemons home late last month Many of the cats were extremely ill and were taken to the local Animal Control center Last Thursday, county prosecutor Eric Smith shared a photo showing the inside of the property, with a bedroom floor covered in animal feces A small number of the cats had to be put down because they were so ill, according to The Detroit Free Press. Many of the other felines were inbred and pregnant. Macomb County Animal Control Chief Jeff Randazzo told ABC News that the woman's three-bedroom home was small, and that the cats did not have access to the yard. Last Thursday, county prosecutor Eric Smith shared a photo showing the inside of the property, with a bedroom floor covered in animal feces. A Facebook post shared last week reveals that almost all of the kittens have been re-homed Randozzo claims that there were 'piles' of feces throughout the house which were often 'inches deep'. A cleanup crew were forced to wear hazmat suits while fumigating the property. Meanwhile, the woman was hospitalized for an infected cat bite. She was initially reluctant to waive ownership of the animals, claiming that she was running a 'cat sanctuary' and that most of the felines were feral before she had housed them. The cats were taken to the local Animal Control shelter, and are now being adopted out to new owners. A Facebook post shared last week reveals that almost all of the kittens have been re-homed. The woman's dog has been transported to Florida to live with her brother. A police department in a coastal California town have ignored public cries that their new American flag emblazoned logo is too aggressive and militaristic by declaring the new emblem is here to stay. Residents of Laguna Beach have raised concern in their hundreds to their local police department and council over the past few weeks, believing the new look of the squad cars may be offensive to immigrants and tourists. But despite the backlash, the City Council voted on Tuesday to keep the design of its 11 Ford Explorers that have stars and stripes running through the word police on their doors. Town Mayor Steve Dicterow said the council was facing a very narrow decision ahead of the vote, admitting the debate about the design had broadened into a national conversation regarding patriotism. Town Mayor Steve Dicterow said he received hundreds of concerned messages from residents that thought the design was 'aggressive' and possibly offensive The design was updated in a bid to make officers appear more visible to the public, the department's police chief said Some of the words people used was that they felt it was threatening, intimidating, harassing and a symbol of racism, Dicterow revealed to the LA Times. I think its reasonable that were going to look at it again so that whatever we [approve] is exactly what we put on the car. The composition was initially derided by local Orange County artist Carrie Woodburn, who said she was stunned by the boldness of the design. Woodburn believes the design looks out of place in the welcoming tourist beach town, home to 23,000 people. We have such an amazing community of artists here, and I thought the aesthetic didnt really represent our community, Woodburn said to the LA Times. It feels very aggressive. But not all residents agreed, with some, such as attorney Jennifer Zeiter calling the design exceptional, believing the objections may be connected to a contempt towards President Trump. They are so filled with hatred toward this office of the president of the United States and the current occupant of that office, that they cannot see through their current biases to realize that a police vehicle with the American flag is the ultimate American expression, she said. The new look was initially derided by local Orange County artist Carrie Woodburn, who said she was stunned by the boldness of the design officers commandeering the vehicles said theyve received positive feedback from the public - though not everyone is sold And officers commandeering the vehicles said theyve received no complaints only compliments as theyve driven the cars around town. Every time I came to a stop sign, every time I came to a red light, somebody is telling me the car looks great, said Laguna Beach Police Cpl. Ryan Hotchkiss. Every one of our members that drives the car loves it, and we look forward to keeping them the way they are. Local designer Chris Prelitz, however, disagrees. He cited a recent incident he witnessed with his wife at a hotel, where he saw several families and their children panicking as the cars arrived on scene. When one of thems there, it works, Prelitz told the west coast outlet. But all of a sudden, I saw, wow, when there are three, maybe four of them together, folks thought it was a SWAT team, federal agents. So it had a very striking, strong impact, so much so that I think there might be some unintended consequences. Police Chief Laura Farinella told the Laguna Beach Independent in February that the design change was made primarily as an attempt to be more visible to the public. Having 6.5 million visitors, we want to stand out, we want to be recognizable when they flag us down and were at a scene, she said. A man has been killed after a car was driven into a mass brawl outside a north-west London tube station, sparking the 36th murder probe in the capital this year. Violence erupted near Alperton Tube station in Wembley on Tuesday morning after a group of people allegedly attacked each other with belts and metal poles. During the melee, a car hit two men, aged 27 and 21, who were taken to hospital for treatment. The 27-year-old's injuries were not initially thought to be life-threatening, however his condition deteriorated and he died last night. Violence erupted near Alperton Tube station in Wembley on Tuesday morning after a group of people allegedly attacked each other with belts and metal poles The 21-year-old was discharged yesterday, Metropolitan Police added. CCTV from a nearby shop appears to show a masked victim of the attack hobbling and trying to enter an off-licence shortly after the incident. Scotland Yard said officers were called to the scene on Ealing Road at 1.28am and nine people were arrested on suspicion of affray. Six of them are now being held on suspicion of murder, while one of the men was being held on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. Detectives appealed for anyone with information or any passing motorist with dashcam footage to contact them 'as a matter of urgency'. Violence erupted near Alperton Tube station in Wembley, north-west London in the early hours of Tuesday Metropolitan Police have launched their 36th murder probe of the year following Tuesday's mass brawl In a statement, Metropolitan Police said: 'The two men were taken to hospital, the 21-year-old man was later discharged. 'The other man remained in hospital. 'His condition was not initially thought to be life-threatening however his condition deteriorated and he died in hospital on the evening of Tuesday, April 16.' The victim's family has been informed of his death, police added. Anyone with information can call police on 101 or contact them via Twitter @MetCC. Quote CAD 363/16APR. To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. New footage has emerged of women engaging in a public sex romp - straddling each other while balancing on a bicycle in broad daylight. Three women were seen on CCTV engaging in lewd sex acts on a footpath in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane outside the Calile Hotel in Brisbane on March 3. In another video filmed by a witness, two of the women were seen in a close embrace on a parked bicycle in the hotel's car park, as the third woman made a phone call. The women continue to engage in the sex act as one tries to ride the bicycle. In another video filmed by a witness, two of the women were seen in a close embrace on a parked bicycle in the hotel's car park, as the third woman made a phone call A person watching the scene unfold could be heard saying 'what the f**k', the Courier-Mail reported. The display lasted for 10 minutes before police arrived and put the women in an Uber, sending them home. A couple who saw the woman said one of the group had the audacity to ask them for a lift home. The women appeared not to mind who witnessed the sex romp, which was in full view of CCTV cameras, as well as elderly people and children who walked past. Witnesses were left 'shocked and confused' at the vulgar act, with one eventually calling the police. 'Eventually the police rocked up and they stopped,' one witness told news.com.au. 'But when we walked past them, we heard one say "Can you give us a lift home?"'.' The witness said he and his partner watched the 'super drunk' women stagger out of Hellenika restaurant, having failed to pay the $600 bill, before their antics escalated. While two of the women embraced each other a third fell onto the ground, but when she steadied herself the situation took a sexual turn. 'It then escalated to the girl standing up getting pretty handy, then all of a sudden they were both on the ground, one of their dresses halfway off,' he said. The man said he stayed at the scene to see how long the women would continue before they were arrested. A couple have relived the moment they witnessed three women take part in a public sex romp (CCTV footage of the incident pictured) However, the three semi-naked women were not arrested. Instead officers addressed the women, one of which had exposed breasts, while the second straddling the third, before sending them on their way in an Uber. Queensland Police have confirmed no charges will be brought against the women. Queensland Law Society president, Bill Potts, said laying charges was at the discretion of police. Queensland police will not be charging three women over a 'vulgar' public sex act in an inner-Brisbane street But he also noted the video evidence would constitute at least a public nuisance offence. 'People are entitled to enjoy their lunch or enjoy the use of public spaces without being forced to watch that type of behaviour,' Mr Potts said. According to a Queensland Police spokesman, the officers had 'nothing they could charged the women with.' 'They did not witness what is by definition willful exposure,' the Courier-Mail reported. It is understood that the three women had walked out on a $600 bill at the trendy Hellenika restaurant, in the nearby Calile Hotel 'You cannot see the women's genitalia, hence they did not witness an offence.' The police spokesman also said that the police would only investigate if a formal complaint was made. One man who had witnessed the public romp said it was 'completely vulgar.' Another witness revealed that he had seen people get charged for lesser crimes, such as public urination. (ANSA) - Rome, April 17 - Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday said he has the authority to decide on migrant landings. "The interior minister has national authority over public security and must authorize landings", Salvini, who is the League party's leader, told State broadcaster Radio1's program 'Radio anch'io'. "I have all the authority to decide. "The port is assigned by the interior minister, whether you like it or not, Italians pay me to defend them and I am doing it". Commenting amid reported tension with members of the military and the defense ministry after a directive issued by the interior ministry on Tuesday aimed at dealing with illegal immigration and terrorists possibly arriving from war-torn Libya, Salvini said he had "no time to respond to controversies". Salvini also said the risk of terrorists infiltrating migrant boats from North Africa is a "certainty". "This is why I need to stress that no landings are allowed in Italy", he said. "There are no arrivals without a permit". He added that "this year we have cut down by 92% arrivals by sea and halved the number of dead and missing. "Clearly, a serious and rigorous policy gives results". An Ohio man was arrested on Tuesday after police said he violently swung an iguana by its tail over his head and flung it at a restaurant. The incident took place at Perkins Restaurant in Painesville, which is located about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland. According to local police, a 49-year-old man walked into the restaurant, removed an iguana he was hiding under his shirt, and then swung it around his head by its tail. The man allegedly flung the animal at the restaurant manager. The image above shows Cooper, an iguana who was swung around by his tail and thrown at a restaurant manager in Ohio on Tuesday, according to police The incident took place at Perkins Restaurant in Painesville, which is located about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland Police rushed to the scene and tracked down the suspect down the block from the restaurant. The iguana was seized by the officers and given the nickname Cooper. Cooper was then handed over to the Lake County Humane Society, which will have one of its veterinarians examine him for injuries. The suspect, who has not been named, was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and animal cruelty. Since 2017 Colorado, Texas, Vermont, South Carolina - have passed laws to extend workers' compensation to first responders for mental health issues The International Association of Chiefs of Police announced the development of psychological care policies for cops following 'critical incidents' Today - 20 years after Columbine - the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings is largely unknown Now the SWAT team has routine 'check-in' meetings with members He wants all officers exposed to traumatic situations to undergo mandatory counseling to prevent future SWAT teams from falling apart SWAT team member Grant Whitus says the mental health stigma in law enforcement is to blame By 2002, the 10-person team had whittled down to three members after they responded to Columbine and a subsequent school shooting Former members of the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team are opening up about responding to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado Members of the SWAT team that responded to the horrific Columbine High School massacre that shocked the nation in 1999 are opening up about the devastating emotional toll school shootings have on police officers. The Jefferson County Regional SWAT team was the first to arrive to the horror scene of Columbine on April 20, 1999 in Colorado. They had to step around strewn bodies in the school library and ignore a wounded student's plea for help as they searched for gunmen, who had already taken their own lives. Former SWAT team member Grant Whitus said officers carried something home with them that day - a level of trauma and a sense of futility that stayed with them for years and may have contributed to the team's demise. 'It was just beyond anything I'd ever thought I'd see in my career,' he said of the rampage that killed 12 students and a teacher and was the nation's worst school shooting at the time. 'So many children were dead.' Since then, the once 10-person team has whittled down to three original members over the years, many leaving due to the trauma of the massacres and the lack of resources to process and grapple with emotional and psychological wounds. Grant Whitus, a former member of the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team that responded to the 1999 Columbine shooting, is opening up about how the massacre traumatized him and his fellow officers In this April 20, 1999 photo members of a police SWAT team march to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado as they prepare to do a final search of the school after two gunmen opened fire on campus Over the years the emotional toll of responding to the massacre scene weighed heavy on the team. By 2002, only three members of the 10-person team remained. The others were reassigned or left the department. He believes a lack of mental health resources and counseling and the stigma with getting help is to blame. After Columbine, Jefferson County Regional SWAT team members went through a group debriefing and were offered department-paid therapy. But due to the stigma attached, therapy wasn't an accepted option, Whitus said. On the 20th anniversary of Columbine, the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings are still largely unknown. Experts say agencies are reluctant to let researchers interview officers and dredge up potentially painful memories. Many officers also view seeking psychiatric help as a sign of weakness and see their own mental health care as secondary when civilians experience grave loss. 'That's what they signed up for, right? To deal with this violence and see these violent outcomes,' said labor attorney Eric Brown, who handles cases for Newtown, Connecticut, police officers. 'So there's not a lot of empathy for them when they show the signs of PTSD or other mentally disabling side effects.' But attitudes are changing. A group of global law enforcement administrators recently started work on uniform guidelines for psychological care for officers who respond to the worst carnage. And state legislatures are taking note. Since 2017, four states - Colorado, Texas, Vermont, South Carolina - have passed laws to extend workers' compensation to first responders for mental health issues such as PTSD, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. Another five states - Alabama, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Connecticut and Florida - have legislation pending this year. Whitus took the hit of the shooting hard, divorcing within a year. Whitus' marriage fell apart a year after he led his SWAT team into Columbine High School's library. His team that was once 10-people strong, whittled down to three following the traumatizing attack Today he still works to prevent school shootings through a business that places armed security guards in private schools. He said he'd like to see all officers exposed to traumatic situations undergo mandatory counseling to prevent future SWAT teams from falling apart But he devoted his career to rebuilding his SWAT team and to changing how the department responds to active shooter situations. Tragedy struck again in 2006 when the same SWAT team responded to a shooting at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey. A man entered the school, took several students hostage and assaulted them, then fatally shot one and himself as SWAT moved in. After that, there was another exodus from the SWAT team, with eight of the 12 sheriff's department members leaving - including Whitus - over the next three years. Al Joyce, an officer in Golden, Colorado, was on the team and left within a year. He said he still has nightmares about what he should have done. After the attack he started drinking heavily to escape his nightmares and left law enforcement in 2012. 'I wanted to just shut down, turn off. It didn't work out so well,' Joyce said. Current Jefferson County Regional SWAT leadership declined to comment for this article. But Sgt. Sean Joselyn, who was recruited by Whitus and was a member of the team at Platte Canyon, said attitudes had been changing because of Columbine. The team had 'check-in' meetings in the months after, but he doesn't recall members talking about how they felt and doesn't know why so many left. Part of the issue, experts say, is mental health services available after traumatic events vary from police agency to police agency. Former SWAT officer Al Joyce left his job in law enforcement in Jefferson County, Colorado, after a school shooting and now works as a cashier. Pictured above on March 12, 2019 Joyce was part of the team that in 2006 stormed a classroom in Platte Canyon High School in the town of Bailey, southwest of Denver and saw the aftermath of a shooting. Following the attack he started drinking heavily and suffered nightmares, and eventually left the SWAT team 'I wanted to just shut down, turn off. It didn't work out so well,' Joyce said on reeling from responding to the Platte Canyon shooting Most departments provide debriefings immediately after mass shootings. But researcher Michele Galietta, an associate psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said those meetings should instead take place months later to see how an officer is doing after returning to a normal routine. The International Association of Chiefs of Police said in March it is in the early stages of developing policies for police departments for providing psychological care following 'critical incidents.' A voluntary accreditation organization, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, offers a standard for employee assistance programs that include peer-to-peer counseling and confidential therapy. Meanwhile, researchers say a new generation of police officers is rising to leadership positions, which is starting to change attitudes toward mental health. Organizations such as Blue H.E.L.P., which tracks police officer suicide, also have started to advocate for better mental health care for officers. Today - 20 years after Columbine - the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings is largely unknown Students at Columbine pictured running out of the school following the shooting with their hands on their heads As for Whitus, he now lives in Lake Havasu, Arizona, but still works to prevent school shootings through a business that places armed security guards in private schools. He also operates a security company for marijuana businesses. He said he'd like to see all officers exposed to traumatic situations undergo mandatory counseling. That might help prevent future SWAT teams from falling apart like his did - twice. But barriers remain, including the culture within some SWAT teams that makes it taboo for members to talk to outsiders or even each other if they're struggling. It's a culture Whitus admits he once contributed to. 'If they told me, I'd be like, "What's wrong with you? You're a SWAT guy,"' he said. 'So I'm part of the problem.' A domestic abuse victim claims police asked her to collect her boyfriend from the cells after he was arrested for allegedly attacking her. Paula McNeill, from Paisley, says an officer on the Isle of Mull in Scotland told her to come and pick him up because they wanted him 'off the island.' She claimed that during a trip to the island with David Kerr for Valentine's Day he hit her head repeatedly off the steering wheel of a car and attacked her in their hotel. Police were called after the attack, and at first terrified Ms McNeill denied that Kerr, 35, had assaulted her - despite obvious signs of injuries and witness statements. Paula McNeill, from Paisley, (pictured showing her injuries inflicted by her boyfriend) says an officer on the Isle of Mull in Scotland told her to come and pick him up because they wanted him 'off the island' The next day they asked her to come and collect him, but after telling them she had a flat tyre, they arrived at the hotel with him to collect his belongings, allowing him to approach her and give her a cuddle. Ms McNeill, 40, told the Daily Record: 'There was clearly a lack of understanding from police of how women react when they are in an abusive relationship. 'They basically sent me back to him, to assault me again. 'I am complaining because I don't want that happening to other women. 'That's how women end up being killed.' Ms McNeill pictured with David Kerr. She claims he hit her head repeatedly off the steering wheel of a car and attacked her in their hotel He was taken to a police station in Mull that night in February last year, and Ms McNeill said she was later called by officers and asked to bring his medication and pick him up. But she said she had a flat tyre - so then officers arrived with him at the hotel so he could collect his belongings, allowing her to approach her. She claims Kerr then asked her - in front of officers - why she had bruising on her neck, and watched her hand him her bank card when he asked for cash. Ms McNeill said: 'It was appalling that they let him near me, even if I had denied that he had hit me. 'If they had kept him in over the weekend and he had appeared in court and been given bail conditions preventing him from contacting me, I maybe would have had a chance to escape. Injuries to her leg Ms McNeill says was inflicted by David Kerr (right) 'Even if an officer had tried to understand the hold I was under, perhaps I would have felt confident enough to co-operate. But I felt abandoned.' In a written summary of evidence from the Crown, it states that staff at the hotel told police that she had entered the hotel just after 11pm, and was crying and distressed with a cut on her head. She claimed he had attacked her after accusing her of looking at another man. Ms McNeill said: 'He just kept battering my head off the steering wheel. 'I could taste blood and feel blood on my face from a cut above my eyebrow. I have the scar and there was bruising behind my ear.' They both then went up to their room, and in a summary of evidence given to lawyers, police noted staff heard him wrecking the room and Paula was screaming. She said: 'When we were in the room, he had me by the neck, throttling me over the bath and he smashed up the bathroom.' Police were called and Kerr was taken to the police station. The next day, she attended the local hospital's A&E and medics noted she had been physically assaulted. Police released Kerr a few hours after his arrest. He was waiting for Ms McNeill when she got off the ferry on the mainland, and returned home. He assaulted her within a month, which she reported to police. He was charged with offences including pushing her head into his lap, twisting her arm and preventing her from leaving her home. Kerr pleaded guilty to the Paisley offences but the court accepted not guilty pleas on all the charges relating to alleged assaults and criminal damage in Mull. He has two previous convictions for seriously assaulting a former partner in Wales. Ms McNeill accepts she had refused to co-operate with the prosecution and claims she was coerced by Kerr to complain to police about his arrest. At Paisley Sheriff Court, Kerr was given a community payback order, which included not being in her vicinity, alcohol counselling and 275 hours of unpaid community work. She added: 'David is a dangerous man but his violence has not been taken seriously. Will someone have to die before something is done about him?' Police Scotland said it would not be appropriate to comment on Paula's complaint. The death of a five-month-old baby at an overcrowded childcare centre has been ruled as sudden infant death syndrome. Lucas Tran died in November 2015 after he was put down to sleep at the family day care facility in Brisbane, when he was found unconscious and not breathing. In the Queensland Coroners Court on Wednesday, deputy state coroner John Lock said the number of kids had not necessarily been a factor in his death - which has been ruled as SIDS category two, the ABC reported. Lucas Tran died in November 2015 after he was put down to sleep at the family day care facility in Brisbane (pictured) when he was found unconscious and not breathing while in his cot in a closed room An inquest into Lucas' death found the day care's educator had seven children in the house on the day of Lucas' death - six of whom were under school age - despite only being allowed to care for four children under school age. 'The limitation of the number of children a family day care carer has to educate and supervise has been put in place for a reason,' he said. Two hours after emergency services arrived to the premises, a police officer was heard yelling 'where are the children?' Police then discovered a child sitting under a desk in the office, and a little girl crouched in a cupboard 'visibly shaking.' The day care educator had initially said only Lucas and three other children were in the home on the day. The coroner said Lucas was put in a partially erected portable cot with a loose towel covering him in a closed room, and had not been checked on for at least half an hour - which breaches policy. People are seen arriving at the family day care in Brisbane, who had seven kids in the house on the day of Lucas' death - six of whom were under school age - despite only being allowed to care for four children under school age He said it wasn't clear whether the carer had ever 'read or absorbed the detail of the policy, but clearly she had the view that sleeping a child in a closed room with limited ventilation on a warm day and checking every 20 minutes was appropriate.' Currently, family day care educators only need to show they're working towards a Certificate III qualification to care for children. Mr Lock recommended that the Ministerial Council and the Australian Children's Education Quality Authority should consider requiring all family day care educators hold the Certificate III before opening a centre. Found dead: Police suspect that Ivan Klyucharev, pictured, may have died in a failed 'Houdini' attempt A video camera found near the skeleton of a Russian hiker could hold the clue to his mystery death, detectives believe. Ivan Klyucharev's remains were found handcuffed to a tree in woods 80 miles from Moscow almost two years after he went missing. Russian police say their main theory is that the 30-year-old survival skills fanatic died in a disastrous attempt at a 'Houdini' escape trick. However they are also examining evidence that he may have died in a bizarre BDSM sexual experiment. Detectives are also probing the possibility that Klyucharev was murdered, and the crime scene staged to look like an accident. A video camera was found pointing towards the courier's body and police are now examining its memory card to find clues. Reports in Russia say police have also looked at his computer, which is said to contain evidence of the dead man's interest in BDSM sex. Detectives also found a one-man tent, five sets of handcuffs, three metal chains, six padlocks and a book on knots. Part of his body - possibly his left hand - was handcuffed to a chain which was secured around a tree. Grim discovery: The skull which was found by a local resident in Shatura, 80 miles from Moscow, was still covered by a hoodie which Klyucharev had been wearing Evidence: Police found five sets of handcuffs, three metal chains, six padlocks and a book on knots at the scene, as well as a one-man tent and a camera Outdoors: Klyucharev, pictured, was a survival skills fanatic who had earlier hitchhiked across Russia and often went on walking trips to remote spots Local resident Eduard Karpov came across the gruesome sight in Shatura, almost two years after the hiker was last seen in May 2017. He spotted Klyucharev's skull - still covered by a hoodie - and then uncovered the rest of his skeleton covered by leaves. Discussing Klyucharev's case, the Russian Investigative Committee said: 'He was on the list of missing persons. 'It has been established that the man was a member of a community that practised survival skills in extreme conditions. 'Forensic analysis has been ordered to establish the exact cause of death.' Committee official Olga Vradiy said: 'Detailed checks are underway aimed at establishing all the circumstances. Victim: Ivan Klyucharev, pictured, had not been seen since May 2017. His body was found by a local resident who noticed his skull and then uncovered the rest of the corpse under leaves Investigators examine evidence at the scene of the death. Police are considering theories including a 'Houdini' attempt, a murder or a bizarre sexual experiment 'The opinion of forensic experts has been requested in order to understand the true reason for the man's death.' Klyucharev had earlier hitchhiked across Russia and often went on walking trips to remote spots. One friend of the dead man said: 'I can easily imagine that he went to the forest and decided to try his luck this way by chaining himself and throwing away the keys.' 112 Telegram channel said that the man's unnamed mother had been searching for her son for two years but to no avail. The forest where he was found had previously been searched several times in vain. A hiker noticed a bag was moving when walking past a pile of dumped rubbish They opened the dumped grain sack and discovered a live hawk trapped inside The driver of a white ute dumped rubbish in the bush including the hawk in a bag A hiker was left horrified after discovering a live hawk trapped in a discarded grain sack in rugged bushland. The protected bird of prey was found in a bag sealed with string on Sky Farm Road in Deep Bay, one hour south of Hobart. ADVERTISEMENT A person driving a white ute dumped rubbish on the side of the road including the trapped hawk, the hiker said. A hiker discovered a live hawk (pictured) trapped in a dumped grain sack on the side of the road in the bush on Sky Farm Road in Deep Bay, one hour south of Hobart The hiker took the bird to Brightside Farm Sanctuary where it was inspected and released back into the wild. Click here to resize this module 'What sort of vile human dumps a living animal in a bag and leaves it to suffer a drawn out hideous death?' the Brightside Farm Sanctuary Facebook page said. The bird was not injured when it was examined and freed. The post infuriated animal lovers who want the culprit to be caught. 'What in God's name possesses someone to do this? One twisted individual. I pray he/she is caught and prosecuted,' one person wrote on Facebook. 'The cruelty of people still manages to amaze me,' another wrote. 'On closer inspection one of the bags moved. The grain sack tied with string contained a live hawk,' the Brightside Farm Sanctuary Facebook page wrote The bird was a brown goshawk, which are found all over Australia and surrounding islands such as New Guinea and Fiji. Their wingspan ranges from 75 to 95 centimetres and they typically prey on smaller birds,rabbits and rats. Tasmania Police said the Department of Primary Industry Water and Environment are investigating the incident. ADVERTISEMENT Daily Maily Australia has reached out to the Department for comment. A hiker was left horrified after discovering a live hawk trapped in a discarded grain sack in rugged bushland. The protected bird of prey was found in a bag sealed with string on Sky Farm Road in Deep Bay, one hour south of Hobart. A person driving a white ute dumped rubbish on the side of the road including the trapped hawk, the hiker said. A hiker discovered a live hawk (pictured) trapped in a dumped grain sack on the side of the road in the bush on Sky Farm Road in Deep Bay, one hour south of Hobart The hiker took the bird to Brightside Farm Sanctuary where it was inspected and released back into the wild. 'What sort of vile human dumps a living animal in a bag and leaves it to suffer a drawn out hideous death?' the Brightside Farm Sanctuary Facebook page said. The bird was not injured when it was examined and freed. The post infuriated animal lovers who want the culprit to be caught. 'What in God's name possesses someone to do this? One twisted individual. I pray he/she is caught and prosecuted,' one person wrote on Facebook. 'The cruelty of people still manages to amaze me,' another wrote. 'On closer inspection one of the bags moved. The grain sack tied with string contained a live hawk,' the Brightside Farm Sanctuary Facebook page wrote The bird was a brown goshawk, which are found all over Australia and surrounding islands such as New Guinea and Fiji. Their wingspan ranges from 75 to 95 centimetres and they typically prey on smaller birds,rabbits and rats. Tasmania Police said the Department of Primary Industry Water and Environment are investigating the incident. Daily Maily Australia has reached out to the Department for comment. Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for calling Mike Pence a 'Pharisee' - a term which is often used to depict Jewish people as hypocritical and greedy. The Indiana mayor unleashed the Bible reference to hit out at the vice president for using religious language to talk about Republican values. Buttigieg, who is the first openly gay presidential candidate, laid into Pence's 'cultural conservatism' and said his stance of LGBTQ issues was hypocritical. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, described Pence and others in the Republican Party who used their faith to appeal to voters as 'Pharisees' - an ancient Jewish sect that have become a metaphor for hypocrisy. Democrat Buttigieg also criticized Trump for preaching about his Christian values while paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair. He told The Washington Post while discussing the New Testament and Pence: 'There's an awful lot about Pharisees in there. Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaking during a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, last night. He has used the term 'Pharisee' to describe Mike Pence Vice President Mike Pence has often linked his Christian values to his conservative politics Buttigieg also criticized Pence for joining the Trump administration as a Christian, adding: 'And when you see someone, especially somebody who has such a dogmatic take on faith that they bring it into public life, being willing to attach themselves to this administration for the purposes of gaining power, it is alarmingly resonant with some New Testament themes, and not in a good way.' While being interviewed by ABC's The View, Buttigieg again linked Republicans to Pharisees and said that his Christian faith was more in keeping with liberal values. He said: 'It [the Bible] talks about hypocrites. It talks about Pharisees. I do think there are the stirrings out there in our count right now of a religious left that understands that living your faith might also have to do with paying more attention to those most in need and not celebrating those who already have the most wealth and the most power.' But scholars have criticized the use of the term Pharisee as a stereotype that is often used to depict Jewish people as power-hungry and money driven. Then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (right) talks with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (left) during a visit in 2015. The pair have had a 'complicated' relations in Indian politics Sara Ronis, an assistant professor of theology at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, said the term 'Pharisee' has become anti-Semitic and used to show Jews in a negative light. She told the Jerusalem Post: 'Using that language as a negative slur today, when I think so many people have this stereotype. Buttigieg suffers anti-gay hecklers at rallies During a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, last night after Pete Buttigieg spoke about the need for marriage equality, a protester stood up and shouted, 'you betray your baptism'. The heckler was escorted out of the building as other members of the audience shouted back at him. Buttigieg joked to the crowd, 'coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes'. In Des Moines, another protester shouted 'Sodom and Gomorrah' before the crowd drowned him out with chants of 'Pete! Pete! Pete!'. Buttigieg was in Iowa for the first time since he declared his candidacy for the Democrats in 2020. Advertisement 'The associations people have unconsciously between that and Jews certainly doesn't help with modern stereotypes around Jews and money and control and secret power.' Buttigieg has previously spoken of the importance of his marriage to his husband, Chasten Glazmen, and framed his sexuality in religious terms. He said: 'If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade. 'And that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand: that if you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator. 'And yes Mr Vice President, 'it [being married to a man] has moved me closer to God.' Pence hit back this criticism of his conservative values on sexuality and called for respect and freedom for religion. He told CNN: 'I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith or attacks on the President as he seeks the highest office in the land. 'He'd do well to reflect on the importance of respecting the freedom of religion of every American.' In 2013 Buttigieg presented Pence with a promotional T-shirt that said 'I [heart] SB' during a fitness walk in South Bend When asked if he believes the being gay is a sin, Pence replied, 'I draw my truth from God's word'. During the four years in which Buttigieg overlapped with Pence in Indiana politics, the two had a cordial relationship which the Democrat 2020 presidential hopeful described as 'complicated'. Buttigieg presented Pence with a South Bend promotional T-shirt that said 'I [heart] SB' at an fitness event in 2013, and at ceremonial events Pence would lavish Buttigieg with praise. The two politicians also collaborated on economic development issues in the state. Wyatt (pictured) groomed the pupil over a two-year period and kept a diary of their physical contact A 'deviant' science teacher at a prestigious grammar school groomed a pupil as she prepared to sit her GCSEs. Stephen Wyatt, 60, offered the girl a 'sneak preview' of her physics paper before she sat the exam, and gave her extra tuition so he could have time alone with her. Judge Robert Altham said Wyatt, a teacher at the 2,500-a-term St Annes College Grammar School in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, was 'masquerading as someone with her best interests at heart'. But over two years he groomed the pupil in the hope of developing a sexual relationship with her. Preston Crown Court heard excerpts from Wyatt's online diary in which he spoke of having 'horizontal hugs' with the girl and kissing her at break time in his room. He wrote: 'She does not object to the idea of going to bed with me.' They would meet at the beach to watch the sunset together and Wyatt told the girl he wanted to marry her - although she insisted she was not his girlfriend. The grandfather even ignored a warning from his wife - who was also a teacher at the school - that he was getting too close to the pupil. The 'deviant' science teacher groomed the pupil at this school over a two-year period but was handed a suspended sentence after having already served two-and-a-half months in prison Janet Ironfield, defending, said: 'Mr Wyatt believed at the time, and is struggling to give up the belief, that this was a genuine, affectionate relationship which would end in a long term relationship developing in the ordinary way with marriage.' The relationship was discovered when inappropriate emails between the pair were reported to the deputy head at the school. Wyatt immediately confessed to having a relationship with the pupil and offered to resign - but pleaded with the teacher not to tell the police. He remained in contact with the youngster throughout investigations by the school and the police. Wyatt pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual touching in a position of trust. Wyatt (pictured) exchanged inappropriate emails with the pupil and kissed her during break times at the school Judge Altham said: 'The sexual activity did not get very far but clearly you were pushing back the boundaries in the way you spoke to her. 'People who choose to make their living by being teachers or otherwise putting themselves in a position of trust in respect of young people must expect a period of immediate imprisonment.' But he said Wyatt had already spent two-and-a-half months in prison, giving him a significant taste of custody. He sentenced him to 36 weeks for each offence but suspended the sentence for two years. Wyatt must carry out 30 days rehabilitation activity, 120 hours of unpaid work and sign the sex offenders register for 10 years. Judge Altham also made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from making contact with his victim. Two Saudi sisters are the latest to plead for asylum from the kingdom on social media, claiming they could be killed if they are dragged back to their homeland. The women identifying themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, say they are stranded in the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing the ultra-conservative state. Using the Twitter account 'GeorgiaSisters' they allege their father and brothers are now in the country trying to hunt them down. In January, 18-year-old Saudi Rahaf al-Qunun was granted asylum to Canada after posting on Twitter how she had barricaded herself within a Bangkok hotel room. The sisters (Maha, left, and Wafa, right) uploaded this photo, writing: 'This is us we had to show our faces so if something happened to us people would remember us if that didnt help us it may help other Saudi girls in the future' Maha al-Subaie, 28, (left) and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, (right) showed their passport documents online with them wearing Islamic headdress In a video posted to their Twitter account, Wafa says: 'My father and brothers arrived in Georgia and they are looking for us. 'We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia are too weak to protect us. We are seeking the UNHCR protection in order to be taken to a safe country. Please help us to survive.' In another video, Maha says: 'We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights.' The sisters claim they are in grave danger, writing: 'This is us we had to show our faces so if something happened to us people would remember us if that didnt help us it may help other Saudi girls in the future.' They say the Saudi authorities have suspended their passports and they have no way to travel out of Georgia. In January, Rahaf al-Qunun touched down in Toronto having been flown from Bangkok in Thailand via Seoul in South Korea. After using Twitter to document her plight she garnered worldwide attention and the sympathy of Canadian authorities. Her family denied any abuse, but Ms al-Qunun refused to meet her father and brother who arrived in Thailand to try and fetch the teen. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters at the airport: 'This is Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun a very brave new Canadian.' Rahaf al-Qunun showed photos of herself barricaded within an airport hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand Ms Mohammed, accompanied by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland (right) and Saba Abbas, general counsellor of COSTI refugee service agency (left) arriving in Toronto on January 12 Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun pauses as she addresses the media during a press conference in Toronto But the strategy is extremely risky, as was shown by the case of Dina Ali Lasloom, 24, who tried to board a plane to Australia from Manila in the Philippines. She publicly pleaded for help through a social media video but was ultimately forced back on a plane home by her uncles. The Saudi embassy in Manila issued a statement at the time, calling the case a family matter and saying that Ms Lasloom had returned with her relatives to her homeland. (ANSA) - Rome, April 17 - Italy's military chiefs are not not irritated by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's order to keep ports closed even in the event of a refugee flow from conflict-torn Libya, Salvini said Wednesday. "I have no evidence of a any type of irritation by any (military) command," he said, contradicting media reports. On Tuesday defence ministry sources reportedly said they were irked by Salvini's latest directive against NGO migrant rescue ships. Earlier Wednesday the defence chiefs of staff said "the military is at the service of the country according to hierarchical lines". They said "every activity is carried out in line with policy". Orlando Nyero, 19, drowned in a canal in Manchester's city centre after going on a drunken 3am stroll A first-year university student who'd never tried alcohol before he left home drowned in a canal after he went on a drunken 3am stroll, an inquest heard. Heavily-intoxicated Orlando Nyero, 19, had been chucked out of a Manchester nightclub for being sick in the toilets in June last. He was taken to a Jury's Inn hotel by his concerned best friend - but the Ugandan-born teen, from Bolton, mysteriously went out again for a walk around canal locks in the city centre. It is believed the forensic science student then accidentally slipped and fell into a stretch of the water which was unprotected by barriers at Lock 90 of the Rochdale Canal. His body was recovered two days later with tests showing he had 195 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system. The blood alcohol limit for driving is 80mg. The Wolverhampton University student was the 87th person whose body had been found in Greater Manchester's canals since 2007. Another student was found drowned in the same stretch of water three months earlier. It's thought the forensic science student accidentally slipped and fell into a stretch of the water which was unprotected by barriers at Lock 90 (shown) An inquest heard the tragedy occurred on June 3 last year after Orlando had been out with his brother and a number of friends at an Italian restaurant during a trip home. The group went to Viva nightclub near the Deansgate Locks complex but Orlando became so intoxicated he was asked to leave. Best friend Emmanuel Yoak, 25, said he took Orlando back to the Jurys inn hotel where a room had been booked for the night. He told the Manchester hearing: 'We got to the hotel around 3am and I took Orlando to the room and tried to get him to go to sleep - but he didn't want to go to sleep. 'When I came back downstairs, he followed me. Whilst I was talking to the security guards, he vanished. 'My plan had been to hand in the key and go back to where my brother was. We go downstairs together all I saw was someone running downstairs I didn't know where he went. He was talking slow and his walking was not steady.' CCTV of Orlando's movements in the run up to his death showed him swaying from side to side. Police coroners officer Marie Morgan said: 'At 2.15am Orlando was found by staff at Viva being sick in the bathroom. He was helped by his brother who took his bank card to prevent him buying more drinks and at 2.30am he was asked to leave the nightclub. 'He was taken outside for fresh air by his brother and friends and Mr Yoak was using his mobile phone to video Orlando staggering about. The Ugandan-born teen had been chucked out of a nightclub for being sick and was taken to a hotel by his concerned friend 'Shortly after 3:30am Orlando is seen to leave onto Bridgewater Street and then turn right out of sight. He is seen to be moving side to side, jogging and running. 'There doesn't seem to be any particular reason for Orlando's behaviour. The last sighting is towards the Deansgate Locks area.' Orlando's mother Flora Ingullo said: 'I didn't know at all that my son had been taking alcohol and this was the first time I knew he drank it. 'It seems he started when he went to university. He was just a lovely, happy boy - he was so happy. At the time we started looking for him we asked all around and his friends just said they took him to sleep because he was so tired. 'Orlando doesn't know Manchester because he grew up in Bolton and the thing which caused his death was the fact there was no barrier. That place is dangerous and when someone is in drink they cannot hardly stand and could end up in the water. Why do they not put a barrier in that area? Recording a verdict of accidental death Nigel Meadows said: 'Orlando was well entitled to go out and enjoy himself - how many of us could possibly say we had not done the same at that age. Orlando was taken to this Jury's Inn hotel by his concerned best friend - but the Ugandan-born teen mysteriously went out again for a walk around canal locks 'The evidence suggests he might have had quite a bit of alcohol if he was unwell in the toilets in the night club and worse for drink which was recognised by his close friend. 'He left the hotel shortly after 3:30am but we don't know where he was going or why. He might have become confused he might have been thinking he was going one way for some purpose all we know is that he followed a certain route. 'Unfortunately there is no evidence of him actually entering the water. He could have over balanced, slipped, misplaced his feet, we just don't know. He ended up in the water but there was no suspicious circumstances in his death. 'There are many canals where people could have incidents in the water and it would be impossible to try and have every bit of the canal covered by CCTV - likewise it is probably impossible to have fencing at every point. 'Losing a family member is a tremendous shock and distressing. It is against the natural order of events we don't expect to deal with the funerals of our own children.' Tormented bears are forced to dance and do tricks in disturbing footage from a vile North Korean circus. Aussie Mark Woodman, 42, was taken to the circus in Pyongyang as part of a five-day tour of the country. As he watched, bears were cruelly made to leapfrog their trainers, dance and twirl, and skip with a rope before bowing to the audience. Mr Woodman said that nobody dared to complain or leave. Mark Woodman watched in horror as the bears jumped over a skipping rope and performed other tricks at a circus in Pyongyang, North Korea 'It was a series of classic circus acts performed by exceptionally talented and skilled performers trapeze artists, juggling and balancing acts interspersed with comic acts,' he said. 'The dancing bears were the only animal act. I was initially shocked and then fascinated, which made me film this act in particular. It was different to anything I'd seen. 'Although I'd heard that bears are still kept for performance in, perhaps, Central Asia and Russia, I never thought I would see it. 'All we could do was watch and absorb it. There's no complaining or leaving!' Mr Woodman, from Perth, Western Australia, said the bears' behaviour was so unnatural that some spectators had thought they were actually people in costume. 'After the circus, while we waited for our bus, I was chatting with our western tour guide and another tour mate,' he recalled. The bears were dressed up in bizarre outfits, and some of the audience initially even thought they were humans in a costume They pranced about the stage along with their trainers to the laughter and applause of some audience members 'The tour mate said she thought the highlight was the people dressed as bears! The tour guide and I had to break it to her.' Photographs from another recent performance show monkeys have been subjected to the cruel treatment also. Campaigning group Animal Defenders International (ADI) said circus animals like these had been tamed by a lifetime of suffering. ADI president Jan Creamer said: 'Forced to perform in circus style shows, these poor animals endure a lifetime of suffering and deprivation. 'Denied the normal, social and mental stimulation they would enjoy with their families in the wild, the compliance of these intelligent, feeling animals is achieved through violence, threats, and withdrawal of food, water and affection during training. They were trained to remarkably leapfrog their trainers, but animal rights campaigners have said that, to condition the bears to perform these tricks, would inflict suffering on them Mr Woodman said that none of the gobsmacked audience dared to leave the show or complain about the treatment of the bears 'The public can help end their suffering by avoiding animal shows and letting attractions know why they are taking their custom elsewhere.' Mr Woodman said that he did not regret his trip to North Korea, however. 'Since a trip to the Middle East beginning in 2009 I've been hooked on visiting countries that are culturally and religiously distinct from home,' he said. 'I'm a gay atheist and focus on travel to countries that "love god and hate gays". It's a challenging but endlessly rewarding style of travel that has led me to meet LGBT people and other locals all over the world. 'It helps to get beneath the stereotypes and narratives driven by the media and/or government, and distinguish people from regimes.' The bears, which appear to have been muzzled, obediently performed the tricks throughout the show Advertisement A househunter has quit the world of renting and built his own tiny eco home on wheels costing just 15 a month to run - and he is now selling similar models around the world. Chris Marsh, 36, moved into the 180-square-foot wooden cabin in March. It is set across two floors and includes two bedrooms, an open plan kitchen/living area, a washing machine and a large shower room. He previously rented a two-bedroom house Hexham, Northumberland, for 650 a month and forked out 100 over the same period on electricity bills and 160 on council tax. Chris Marsh, 36, moved into the 180-square-foot cabin on wheels - which boasts two floors, a kitchen, double bed, washing machine, comfortable living area and large shower room - at the end of March He previously rented a two-bedroom house Hexham, Northumberland, for 650 a month and forked out 100 over the same period on electricity bills and 160 on council tax. Pictured is his new eco cabin looking down into the kitchen Mr Marsh now only pays around 15 a month in electricity bills and doesn't pay for water as it's retrieved through a rain collection system. Pictured is the upstairs main bedroom with extra space for another single up in the rafters Mr Marsh previously rented a two-bedroom house Hexham, Northumberland, for 650 a month and forked out 100 over the same period on electricity bills and 160 on council tax. He is holding up a photo of his old house with its utility bills But since spending 11 weeks building the new eco home himself, Mr Mash now lives in the building almost for free after buying the land in Northumberland for 110,000 in January with the original plan to build a full house there. Mr Marsh, who previously worked as a building manufacturer, now sells 30 of the mini homes a year to other buyers across Europe - with each one priced at 50,000. He said: 'My old house was lovely but it wasn't remotely economical; it had single glazed windows and oil heating that I'd rarely put on with it being so expensive to run. His spending before v his spending now WATER - 95 ELECTRICITY - 100+ GAS - N/A COUNCIL TAX - 160 RENT - 650 ANYTHING ELSE - 50 TOTAL = 970 WATER - N/A ELECTRICITY - 15 GAS - N/A COUNCIL TAX - N/A RENT - N/A ANYTHING ELSE - N/A TOTAL = 15 Advertisement 'The house was constantly cold and I was tired of paying out so much money each month - it was hard to maintain and keep it up to scratch. 'I then came across these 'tiny houses' on an American website and thought I'd give it a try making one myself. 'I've now been living in my new house full time since the end of March and completely love it - I won't be rushing to move back into a proper house any time soon.' Since moving into the tiny house, Mr Marsh now only pays around 15 a month in electricity bills and doesn't pay for water as it's retrieved through a rain collection system. Mr Marsh, who lives on his own, has planning permission on the land where his house is located, meaning he is legally able to use it as a permanent form of residence. He said the money he is saving from living in his eco house - which he only had to sacrifice a few clothes to move into - is being put towards having an easier lifestyle and for future retirement plans. His business Tiny Eco Homes UK - which he launched in 2017 - makes the properties bespoke for customers all over Europe and personally delivers them. The downstairs sitting room (which continues from behind where this photo was taken) merges into the kitchen and includes a small table for eating He said the money he is saving from living in his eco house is being put towards having an easier lifestyle and for future retirement plans. A side view of the exterior is seen on the left while on the right is the bathrooms Mr Marsh, who previously worked as a building manufacturer, now sells 30 similar mini homes a year to other buyers across Europe - with each one retailing for 50,000 The proud homeowner reclines on the comfy corner sofa in the sitting room as he watches a plasma screen TV on the wall Due to the unique materials Mr Marsh uses to build the homes, which take two to eight weeks to make depending on specifications, he promises a life time guarantee as the wood won't rot. They are suitable for all types of weathers and climates, and are easily towed by car. Mr Marsh, who currently has six builds on the go, said: 'I've sold the houses to wide range of people - from young families and elderly couples, to first time buyers and people just wanting an accessible holiday home. 'Each house is completely different and I build it the way to customer wants it making. 'People are often shocked with how luxurious they are - many want an easy holiday home, but don't necessarily want a caravan, so the tiny eco homes are a good in between.' Mr Marsh inside the second bedroom - which is pictured from a different angle with new furniture. The entrepreneur says the houses he offers to clients are all different depending on their needs Due to the unique materials Mr Marsh uses to build the homes, which take two to eight weeks to make depending on specifications, he promises a life time guarantee as the wood won't rot The house sits atop a galvanised chassis that can be towed to a different location. Mr Marsh claims the wood he uses to build his houses is of such high quality it is guaranteed 'for life' This is the heartwarming moment a man surprised his new wife on their wedding day with the puppy she'd always dreamed of. Harmick Nazarians, from Sunland, California, bought the Goldendoodle puppy two days before the wedding, keeping it at a friend's house so bride-to-be Angela didn't suspect anything. At the reception, he snuck the dog in ahead of the bouquet toss, coming up behind his bride who turned around and flung her flowers away in shock after spotting the puppy. Harmick was well aware that Angela had been wanting a puppy since the day they met as she regularly sent him photos of dogs she would see while working or shopping. The bride's reaction would have been just what Harmick wanted, as she immediately spotted the puppy and, unable to contain her excitement, launched the bouquet she was holding straight at the female guests before running towards her new husband and pet without a second glance. Angela then sinks to the ground before the puppy jumps into her arms. Angela looked overcome with emotion as she clutched the puppy that her new husband had just surprised her with Angela lay back in shock as she took it all in, with the puppy, who has been named Waffle, looking at home with his new owner The bride looks emotional as she cradles the adorable dog, which the couple have named Waffle, while surrounded by guests trying to get a look. Harmick said: 'Angela had been wanting a puppy since the day we met, she has always had a love for all animals and had a poodle when she was younger. 'She always would send me pictures of dogs that she would see while shopping, working, carrying out daily activities and always goes out of her way to pet a dog that she sees. 'I kept the dog at her friend's house for two days before the wedding. Harmick Nazarians surprised his new wife Angela during the bouquet toss with the Goldendoodle puppy Angela flung the bouquet away in surprise and rushed over to see her new puppy, who caused a stir among the wedding guests 'We had to sneak him in about 45 minutes before the bouquet toss through the entrance of the banquet hall where the reception was and keep him in the manager's office until it was time for the surprise. 'She suspected nothing since I kept saying a wedding is no time to be giving her a puppy and said I will buy her one after we got married and settled in. 'She was in shock and was speechless - she said that it was the best gift she ever received.' Advertisement The devastation of the Blitz in the UK has been revealed in never before seen photos of destruction taken by police officers during World War Two. Rare pictures show damage caused by bombings in Liverpool, the city which suffered the most civilian deaths in the UK outside of London. The port of Liverpool and surrounding areas were a key target for German bombers, with 4,000 civilians killed and 10,000 homes destroyed, rendering 70,000 people homeless. Dramatic images show the public going about their lives among ruined buildings, rubble on the streets and smashed up railway lines. Never before seen photos have revealed the extent of the damage caused in Liverpool during the Blitz. The city was targeted in Luftwaffe bombings because of its port and thousands of buildings were ruined during the raids. Pictures taken by police officers at the time are now going on show at the Museum of Liverpool in a new exhibition. This image shows the damage caused to Liverpool's overhead railway in May 1941 as the public surveys the devastation 4,000 civilians were killed in Liverpool during The Blitz and 10,000 homes were destroyed, rendering 70,000 people homeless. Those who survived through it were praised for their resilience and audio recordings and written memories from survivors will make up part of the museum exhibition. Pictured are workers removing bricks and rubble from a street in the Everton are of the city the morning after a bombing raid in October 1940 Among the areas shown are Walton and Everton, the Liverpool Overhead Railway and the corner of St George's Crescent in the city centre. The images, part of a set of 60, have now been released as part of an exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool which opens on June 14. Kay Jones, the curator of urban community history, said: 'Seeing these striking images of desolation alongside the experiences of people who were there really brings home what this city and its people went through. 'They reveal many stories of personal tragedy but also the incredible resilience of local people. The legacies of these bombings can still be seen and felt in the city today. 'They also remind us of ongoing conflict around the world and the continuing terrible human cost.' The exhibition will also feature audio interviews and written memories of people carrying on in the face of the onslaught. The images have been hailed as significant because they show the 'desolation' of the city while also what residents went through and how they still had to go about their daily lives. Pictured left is a soldier observing the damage caused to a building that has been torn apart by bombs in May 1941, and pictured right is authorities searching through the rubble of a destroyed building in September 1940 The images also show how random the bombings could be, with some buildings left in ruins while surrounding structures appear to have been completely unaffected. A museum spokesman said: 'Recording scenes of Liverpool in its darkest days, this exhibition showcases some of the most impactful photographs, epitomising the human consequences of war.' Pictured here is the public surveying the smoking wreck of a building in Strand Street in Liverpool city centre in May 1941 It will have three key themes - the city centre and shops, homes and neighbourhoods and as industry, docks and transport. Visitors will also be invited to share their own memories and reactions to the photographs with selected responses to be displayed alongside the photographs. A museum spokesman added: 'Recording scenes of Liverpool in its darkest days, this exhibition showcases some of the most impactful photographs, epitomising the human consequences of war.' Apart from London, no city suffered more civilian deaths from air raids than Liverpool but due to censorship the full story was never revealed at the time. Nelson the griffon vulture (pictured) was captured in Yemen over fears it was being used to spy on pro-government forces there A vulture has been captured by a militia in Yemen who feared the migrating bird was a spy. The juvenile griffon, known as Nelson, was seized in the city of Taiz after it apparently became separated from its fellow migrating vultures. The bird had a GPS tracker attached to its leg when it set off from Bulgaria as part of an environmental group's effort to reintroduce it to the wild. But militants in the Yemeni city spotted the transmitter and feared it was being used to spy on them during the country's long-running civil war. Pro-government forces in the city who are battling against Iranian-backed rebels took the bird into captivity, according to The Times. The Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna said it had received hundreds of messages from Yemenis concerned for the bird's welfare. 'Our team is in contact with local nature conservationists there and we hope the vulture will be rehabilitated and come back to Bulgaria,' the group said. The bird, hatched in 2018, had been released in Bulgaria's Kresna Gorge last November. The GPS tracker followed the vulture as it flew over Turkey and into Yemen to migrate to warmer temperatures for the winter. Yemens civil war has been raging since March 2015, with a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Middle East state. A map showing the bird's migration from Bulgaria before it was captured in Yemen Nelson, pictured, had a GPS tracker attached to its leg when it set off from Bulgaria as part of an environmental group's effort to reintroduce it to the wild According to the United Nations, 22 of the country's 29million people are in need of aid. An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition that killed dozens of people in Yemen last August was branded an apparent war crime by Human Rights Watch. Yemen has also witnessed two outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhea since 2016. Yesterday President Donald Trump vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance for the Saudis in Yemen. Mr Trump has been under pressure over relations with Saudi Arabia since the kingdom was accused of murdering dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. The father of an New York firefighter who died on 9/11 has again demanded an apology from Rep. Ilhan Omar after she described the terrorist attacks as 'some people did something'. Jim Riches, whose son Jimmy was one of around 3,000 Americans killed during the attack in New York City, made the comments at the annual GOP gala in Manhattan on Tuesday evening. 'She [Ilhan Omar] owes us an apology and we are going to get it,' he said, adding that President Trump was '100 per cent right' for tweeting a soundbite of Omar's comments interwoven with footage from 9/11. Retired deputy chief, New York City fire department Jim Riches (pictured), has demanded an apology from Ilhan Omar after she described 9/11 as 'some people did something' 'He told it like it was that is what happened that day,' Riches said of the video. Earlier this month a New York man was arrested and charged after referring to Omar as a 'terrorist' and threatening to 'put a bullet through her skull' during a phone call to her office. And Omar has been subjected to further threats and harassment since Trump's tweet last Friday, which only showed part of her speech to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Minnesota Congresswoman has said that, in context, she was making the point about how Muslims have been increasingly vilified and targeted in the wake of the 911. Omar (right) argues her comments were taken out of context as she was making a wider point that all Muslims have paid for the acts of the 9/11 terrorists. It also emerged that George W. Bush had used similar language to describe the attacks at the time 'Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and frankly, I'm tired of it and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it,' she said on March 23. 'CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something, and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.' One of these civil liberties is President Trump's Muslim travel ban, of which Omar was one of the strongest critics. 'Trump may not have gotten his border wall but he made an invisible wall keeping out people around the world based solely on their religion,' she said through tears as she joined other Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week to push a bill - the No Ban Act - that would repeal the president's executive order. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) wipes tears from her eye as she speaks about Trump administration policies towards Muslim immigrants on April 10 Riches previously wrote an op-ed for the New York Post in which he called for Omar's removal from Congress. 'It's very sad that she could make such light of [9/11]. She came here from Somalia,' he wrote. 'She was educated here. We took care of her. And now she's saying 911 was nothing?' Omar has defended her remarks, pointing out that George W. Bush made use of similar language in the wake of the tragedy and marking the difference in public reaction; Bush was widely praised. The comparison, first noted by the Washington Post's fact checker, references an impromptu speech Bush made to rescue workers on September 14, 2001 at Ground Zero, when he called the 9/11 attackers 'the people who knocked these buildings down' as part of an intentional effort not to refer to them as Muslims. President Donald Trump tweeted a video of Ilhan Omar addressing 9/11 on April 12, 2019, overlaid with footage from the tragedy Bush said, 'I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people - and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!' Omar has said the furor surrounding her comments - which she argues were taken out of context - stem from her religion. 'Was Bush downplaying the terrorist attack? What if he was a Muslim,' she asked on Twitter. Omar received support from Democrats including 2020 front-runner and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who said on Saturday: 'Remember, George W. Bush, I didn't have a lot in common with him. 'What did he do a few days after 9/11, he went into a mosque. You remember that? He went into a mosque to say that criminals, terrorists, attacked the United States, not the Muslim community. That's what he did. It's true. 'We have had a president who for cheap political gain is trying to divide us up, by the color of our skin... by our religion,' Sanders added. 'By God, that is not what a president should - we can disagree, for God's sakes, that's democracy, but you don't have the President of the United States trying to get us to hate undocumented people. You know, that's not what America's supposed to be about.' Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib also defended Omar in an interview with NBC News. 'They do this all the time to us, especially women of color. They do that. They take our words out of context because they're afraid, because we speak truth. We speak truth to power,' Tlaib said. But Riches said he was left wondering why New York Democrats did not condemn Omar, adding that they 'can't deal with reality'. 'Schumer, Nadler, all the New York politicians were quiet. They didn't say one thing,' Riches said. Rep. Jerry Nadler instead criticized President Trump, saying he had: 'No moral authority to be talking about 9/11 at all.' Comments made by the President on the day of the attack in 2001 resurfaced, in which he boasted that his tower was now the tallest in Manhattan because the World Trade Center was gone. 'Forty Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was, actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest. And then when they built the World Trade Center it became known as the second-tallest, and now it's the tallest,' he said. A man who violently raped an elderly woman in her home has lost an appeal to have his sentence reduced after arguing eight-years behind bars was 'excessive'. Christo Brown was found guilty of raping the 76-year-old woman in a jury trial in the Launceston Supreme Court in July last year. Brown, who is from Sudan but grew up in Tasmania, was also found guilty of aggravated burglary and demanding property with menaces with intent to steal $250. He will be eligible for parole after serving four years in jail. Christo Brown (pictured) was 18-years-old when he broke into the woman's home, face covered with a black jacket, and demanded cash in the early hours of a July morning in 2015 Now 21, he has been begging for an early release on the grounds his sentence 'was manifestly excessive in all the circumstances' However, the 21-year-old has been begging for an early release on the grounds his sentence 'was manifestly excessive in all the circumstances'. He was also fighting his conviction, claiming the trial judge erred in law in 'admitting tendency evidence'. But both appeals were dismissed in the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, The Mercury reported. Acting Justice Shane Marshall said both grounds lacked merit for appeal. He agreed with the judge's decision to allow tendency evidence, which was used to argue Brown had a tendency to sexually assault women while they were sleeping. He also said the eight-year sentence was 'an appropriate one'. A pre-sentence psychiatrist's report found Brown had a 'relatively high' risk of sexually re-offending, was manipulative and lacked empathy During his trial last year the court heard how Brown, who was just 18 years old at the time, broke into the woman's home with his face covered with a black jacket, and demanded cash in the early hours of a July morning in 2015. He then demanded sex from the elderly woman and when she refused, he raped her. The woman didn't immediately call police and said nothing until ringing her doctor later in the day. A pre-sentence psychiatrist's report found Brown had a 'relatively high' risk of sexually re-offending, was manipulative and lacked empathy. Terrified British backpackers were held at gunpoint by six masked robbers who stormed their tour bus on a remote trail in the Amazon jungle. Adella Clarke, 28, said the men started yelling, 'Just kill them,' when one female passenger resisted handing over her belongings in Peru last Sunday. Ms Clarke was with three friends, who were on a tour bus of 22 passengers travelling to a rural lodge, when the driver slammed the brakes on the dirt road. 'The bus doors opened and a man in a balaclava came on board. There were six of them stood in the middle of the dirt road pointing guns at the bus,' Ms Clarke said. Ms Clarke with her three travel companions who were in their first week of a month-long tour of South America when their tour bus was raided Adella Clarke, 28, was with three friends on the tour bus on a remote trail in the Peruvian Amazon when six men in balaclavas held them up at gunpoint last Sunday She said the driver was urged to drive away, but the tour guide objected in fear that the attackers would shoot if he did, Ms Clarke added. She continued: 'They were each taking it in turns to come on the bus and grab bags. Our tour guide said "Just give them what they want. Don't resist". 'I had a gun in my face while my friend was having his wallet taken out of his pocket. My other friend had a gun pointed to his head while the bag under him got taken. 'A lady resisted and the tour guide later on said they were shouting "Just kill them, just kill them".' The ordeal lasted about seven minutes, she says. 'They eventually ran off into the jungle. Everyone was shook up, They were firing shots at locals who tried to help,' Ms Clarke continued. The bus was then driven on to a village where they phoned police. Ms Clarke said: 'We were just waiting in another remote village thinking "are they going to come back", like sitting ducks. That was the worst bit.' She said the group were 'escorted back to the main town by police who gave little interest' and have since been transferred to the capital Lima, 'seriously shaken'. Ms Clarke at Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains in Peru, she said the armed men were yelling 'just kill them' when her tour group were robbed She praised the response from their travel company G Adventures, saying: 'The assistance has been very good. 'They've put us up in a nice hotel, they've been great about it... provided us with stuff to do and checked in on us.' And despite the ordeal, the group intend to continue with their trip - travelling to Bolivia on Wednesday, and then on to Argentina later in the month. But she said: 'We're not getting buses anymore. This is too much of a shock so we're going to fly everywhere from now on. 'We did it the right way, through a tour company, to avoid dangers like this but it still happened.' The attack took place on Sunday at around 3pm local time. Ms Clarke, is now in Bolivia with Glenn Williamson, Lee Scutcher and James Lott, from Ipswich, Suffolk, was in her first week of a month-long trip through South America. A fugitive has been arrested after New Zealand police taunted him on Facebook by saying 'boy you must be tired after hiding from us'. Armed police arrested Daniel Rattigan, 29, after surrounding a public housing block in Wellington at 1pm on Wednesday, according to Stuff. Wellington Police poked fun at the hunted fugitive seven days before in the weekly 'Wanted Wednesday' Facebook post. Armed police arrested Daniel Rattigan (pictured), 29, after surrounding a public housing block in Wellington at 1pm on Wednesday, according to Stuff 'Boy you must be tired from hiding from us,' the Wellington Police Facebook post said. 'We have the perfect retreat for you. 'To claim your prize please come to 19 Kings Crescent, Lower Hutt and we will set you up with your own private room.' The address provided was for a police station. 'Boy you must be tired from hiding from us,' a Wellington Police Facebook post (pictured) published for 'Wanted Wednesday' last week said More than 20 police officers, some carrying assault rifles and a door-breaking ram, attende the scene when Rattigan was arrested. He was handcuffed and escorted by police along with another man who was also arrested. Wellington District Police thanked those who helped find Rattigan on Facebook. 'He has now claimed his prize,' the post said. Wellington Police told Rattigan (pictured) to come to a station to 'claim his prize'. 'He has now claimed his prize,' the page said after his arrest A police media spokeswoman said Rattigan 'will be charged with a number of offences'. A previous post by Wellington Police said there was a warrant for his arrest because he allegedly breached court release conditions, and reports said he would also be questioned over a burglary. (by Rodolfo Calo) CAIRO - One created designer chairs worthy of Melania Trump's White House while another designs women's shoes inspired by infrastructure of bridges and a third make environmental bags created to help restore dignity to those that have lost it. These are some of the emerging Egyptian women entrepreneurs that for one evening entered the Italian embassy in Cairo with their creations and successes as part of the first in a series of initiatives by the diplomatic office focusing on raising the profile of talented young Egyptians. The initiative held on Tuesday was entitled ''Talented Young Women''. Some of them - as well as the protagonists of future similar events - ''have a history of relations with Italy'', such as studying there or taking part in Italian events like the Milan Furniture Fair, Italian Ambassador to Cairo Giampaolo Cantini noted on the sidelines. And so, ''emerging talented youth'': ''we want to help with their growth'', underscored the ambassador, speaking next to an exhibition of their productions. Some of these creations are made ''with materials of the circular economy that respond to new sensitivity of consumers and markets for products ''that stand out for their sustainability'' and are thus environmentally friendly. The other ''fundamental aspect'' that inspires these young entrepreneurs, the ambassador said in his speech, ''is the social responsibility'', which the Egyptian online publication E7kky.com focuses on. E7kky has contributed to the initiative, for example conducting a campaign against ''sexism in advertising''. The social commitment was represented by, for example, producers of cushions and bags with the DAMPA brand, which gives fair trade wages to women with poor families. As underscored by the embassy in a tweet, these young female entrepreneurs and innovators met with representatives of the entrepreneurial community and Italian and Egyptian civil society, in order to improve their HR and communications skills, with a focus on design. Amid a selection of clothing, shoes, bags, cushions, cups, and paintings, standing out was Shosha Kamal, a young designer who made two chairs that were gifted to Melania Trump by Entissar Amer, the wife of Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, during the visit the First Lady of America made to Egypt in October. The uniqueness of the two pieces lies in the gilded back in the shape of an "ankh", an Egyptian symbol also known as the ''key of life''. These were unique gifts both ''precious and modern'', but which ''respect our identity'', Kamal told ANSA the Egyptian president's office had said, and the two chairs are now in the White House. ''I chose to revive our heritage and out civilization'' with ''a new interpretation'' and a ''contemporary flavor'', the furniture designer said, an implicit nod to the Egyptian symbol of life and an explicit one to her studies in design in Florence. (ANSAmed). A businesswoman says a school cancelled her 'role model' talk after discovering she doesn't have a degree. Lucy Arnold was scouted by a teacher who was impressed she was managing director of her own leisurewear company Lucy Locket Loves, and thought it would be inspirational for the children. But Ms Arnold, 28, said the school, who she does not want to name, thought her input wouldn't be 'beneficial' to students after finding out she didn't go to university. Lucy Arnold (pictured), 28, was scouted by the teacher who was impressed she was managing director of her own leisurewear company Lucy Locket Loves and thought it would be inspirational for the children However the businesswoman was stunned when the teacher admitted she was 'shocked' at her success in the fashion industry upon discovering she didn't have a degree - and cancelled the talk. Lucy has hit back at the school in a Facebook post. Lucy, from Sheffield in South Yorkshire, wrote: 'A few weeks ago a teacher got in touch with me and asked me to speak at a lecture she was putting on for their Business Studies students. 'It was all confirmed and I was just about to book my train tickets when an email came. 'Just confirming with my head of department which university did you go to and what was your degree in? I'm presuming business or marketing?' 'My reply - 'I never actually went to university so haven't got a degree, is that going to be a problem?' Three days and no reply and then another email. 'Hi Lucy, sorry to mess you around but the head of department had decided that he doesn't think it's beneficial to the students to be having a lecture off somebody who hasn't actually been to university as we feel it won't encourage these kids down the university route and those are the role models we are looking to showcase. 'I just presumed you had a degree as you are so good at what you do so I'm shocked to hear you haven't'. 'I'm sorry! What?! Say that again?! 'Seriously the stuff that arrives in my inbox makes me question so many things sometimes whether it's be being body shamed, shamed for being a women or the fact that I've built an amazing business without a degree [sic]. 'Don't let anybody dull your sparkle - EVER!' Ms Arnold, 28, said the school, who she does not want to name, thought her input wouldn't be 'beneficial' to students The post received more than 2,300 likes, shares and comments online. Lucy said: 'It was that one line at the end of the email that was the one thing that threw me the most out of everything. 'Can't I be good at what I do and not have a degree? You end up questioning your own self-worth - would I be better at business if I have a degree? Should I have gone to university? 'I do understand that they would want people to be successful but I don't think success should be judged on the fact that you spent an extra three or four years in education or not. 'We all get put in boxes of things that we think we should do. I went to college and it wasn't really for me. 'I feel sorry for the kids missing out on an opportunity [to hear about a different perspective]. 'I could have told them about how I went to fashion retail academy, I went to Paris for two years, I had an amazing time rather than going to university. 'I came home with no debt even though I had lived in Paris for two years, opened my own painting and pottery studio and my career from then on has just been fourfold. 'I know a lot of people go to university and end up with successful jobs as well. 'I feel like those students missed out on hearing about a different side of things and what they could do by not [going to university]. 'That route wasn't for me - it could have opened up their eyes to see that other avenues are available for them [if they felt the same]. 'It might not have been that they wanted to work for themselves or run their own business, but it's also okay to feel like university is not for you. 'I was really reluctant to share it because sometimes you don't know how people are going to take things sometimes. But it's been really interesting to read everyone's thoughts on it.' Furious commenters responded to the school's response on the blog post online. Claire Barber wrote: 'Richard Branson.. which uni did he go to, same as Alan Sugar presumably.' Lucy, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, has hit back at the school in a Facebook post Judith Sharp commented: 'Degree in Common Sense, from the University of Life.' Ann Collins wrote: 'Simply disgraceful.' Lucy said: 'There's so much stigma about not going to university nowadays. 'It's one of those things that I have battled with in the past. It has always been one of those things which has made me question my own worth sometimes. 'I have friends who did go to university and don't work in any line or field of what they've got their degree in. 'I think it's really hard to make that decision at 16 or 17. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life at that age.' A British soldier accused of stabbing her best friend in the neck with a glass in Magaluf has been told she can leave prison while the investigation against her continues. Sydney Cole, 19, allegedly stabbed fellow soldier Sarah Ann Garrity, 22, as she attempted to sort out an argument between Cole and another soldier, identified only as 'Deborah'. Cole has been held at Palma prison in Majorca for the past two days but was told today she would be allowed to leave at around 9pm tonight once paperwork has been completed. She has not been banned from travelling and is expected to head home once she can sort out a return flight. Cole (right) and Ms Garrity (left) were said by police to have been friends. It has been reported that Ms Garrity was stabbed when trying to get Cole and another woman called 'Deborah' to make up No conditions have been placed on her release and she has not had to post bail, but she is believed to have been told she must make herself available to the judge in the future as and when required. Her defence lawyer Miguel Angel Ordinas is understood to have made an application to the judge to have her released after fellow soldier Sarah Garrity told court officials she did not want to press charges. It was not clear this evening if she would be allowed to return to work at the barracks in Scotland where she is based. Sarah, who suffered a horrific injury to her throat after being cut by glass, is still at Son Espases Hospital in the Majorcan capital Palma. Sarah Ann Garrity was said to have cheated death after trying to intervene in the row between the two friends she was sharing a hotel room with. The Glasgow-born squaddie had her throat cut from a shard of flying glass, but Ms Garrity has reportedly told court officials she does not want to press charges against her army pal, confirming she is not interested in making a formal complaint against Cole from her hospital bed on Wednesday. Cole and Deborah had stopped speaking to each other after a 14-hour alcohol bender and the situation turned violent after Ms Garrity tried to get the two women to make up, the judge investigating the case is understood to have been told. Island daily Ultima Hora reported Londoner Cole, 19, had told the judge before she was remanded in custody on Monday night that a glass she threw on the floor broke and part of it hit Ms Garrity in the neck after her Scots friend punched her in the face and she reacted by pulling her hair. The third woman said to have been involved in the near-tragedy is believed to have been questioned by police but her version of events has not yet been made public. Witnesses have told police Cole threw the glass directly at Ms Garrity and not on the floor as she insisted. She is currently languishing in a Majorcan jail after being told she was under investigation for a crime of 'wounding with a dangerous weapon'. Sydney Cole was allegedly seen arguing with her friend Sarah Garrity before 'glassing her with a beer bottle' in the shoulder Legal experts said they thought state prosecutors would look to prosecute the 19-year-old if an investigating judge decides there is enough evidence to charge her, irrespective of Ms Garrity's wish for them not to. Cole has not yet been charged with any offence, as is normal in Spain where formal charges are only laid shortly before trial. Ms Garrity, who lives in Middlesborough and is in the Royal Logistics Corps, spent 24 hours in intensive care before being moved to a general ward yesterday after her condition improved following a life-saving op. Reports in the UK have pointed to the Monday 1am incident at Banana's Disco happening after the women had been on a six-hour bender, although Sydney is understood to have told the judge they started drinking at 11am in the unnamed hotel they were staying at, before continuing to booze on the beach and moving on to an event at a bar after downing more alcohol in their room. Cole was quoted in island paper Ultima Hora, in comments thought to have been taken from a court statement leaked to the local press, as saying: 'It was an accident. Sarah and I were very drunk because we had been drinking since 11 on Monday morning but I didn't want to cut her throat. She is my best friend. 'We began drinking at 11am in the hotel, afterwards in a bar and then again in the room. Then we went to an event with a free bar and we had shots, vodka, gin and other drinks.' Rival daily Diario de Mallorca, which carried similar quotes believed to have been taken from the same statement, quoted Cole as saying: 'Everything was an accident. I didn't want to hurt her, she is my best friend.' Official court sources confirmed yesterday Cole had been remanded in custody after appearing in court. The source said: 'A duty judge on Monday night remanded the young women in prison. Cole, 19, from London, being escorted by two Civil Guards to court in the Palma to be questioned by a judge yesterday 'She is initially being investigated on suspicion of an alleged crime of wounding with a dangerous weapon.' It comes after Garrity yesterday broke down in tears declaring 'I am so lucky to be alive'. A senior source at the Hospital Son Espases, where Ms Garrity had been in intensive care, told MailOnline that the attack narrowly missed her jugular vein. The source added: 'Sarah is making a miraculous recovery. She's a very lucky girl. We can't believe she's still here. 'When we told her this she just cried "I could have died, I'm so lucky". 'She lost a lot of blood, underwent an emergency operation and it was touch and go she would pull through. Ms Garrity kisses Cole on the cheek in a picture posted on Cole's Instagram account 'It's incredible how well she's recovering. We keep telling her how fortunate she's been because her life was in real danger.' Ms Garrity has been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular ward at Hospital Son Espases in Palma, the capital of the Spanish island of Majorca. The hospital source added: 'Sarah's now sitting up in bed, talking, eating and drinking. She's chatting on her mobile phone with her family. 'It has surprised us all how quickly she is recovering. Most of all, it's surprised and shocked her.' The two female soldiers are close friends who were on holiday together. Witnesses describe seeing a blood bath as Ms Garrity stumbled out of the Banas de Magaluf club where the attack took place and collapsed on the street, clutching her neck. When paramedics arrived, Ms Garrity was in a critical condition after losing a lot of blood. Witnesses also claimed seeing the two women arguing at the bar prior to the attack. The attack happened at around 1am on Monday and police have launched a full investigation, with Cole (pictured) being arrested A man named as Suleiman, who was working at a kebab shop next door to the nightclub, described the scene as a 'bloodbath' when he saw the injured soldier, who is in the Royal Logistics Corps, collapse outside his restaurant. He added: 'I couldn't look it was so horrible. It was horrific. There was blood everywhere. 'I could hardly bring myself to look. It was a huge gash, and quite a hole that wouldn't stop bleeding.' The hospital source revealed that Ms Garrity's family are expected to arrive later this week to visit her. Police are also due to see her today to take a formal statement. Until now, she has not had any visitors. Well-placed sources said a decision about an eventual prosecution could depend on whether Ms Garrity decides to make a formal complaint against her close friend. Ms Garrity, who was born in Scotland but lives in a detached home which has a solar powered roof in Middlesbrough, spoke with her family for the first time yesterday. Ms Garrity (right) was rushed to the intensive care unit at Hospital Son Espases despite her life not being in danger and she has since made a good recovery. She was allegedly attacked by Cole (left) who was arrested at the scene 'It was very emotional and we are expecting them soon. The doctors have already told them how lucky Sarah has been. She's in very good spirits and is looking forward to seeing them. 'Sarah is a very strong girl, she is a soldier after all. She has been very positive, despite what happened. She just wants to go home and we are optimistic that it will be very soon.' Cole said nothing as she was escorted into court for her hearing on Monday with her head bowed in handcuffs and wearing the same blue denim shorts and a white denim top at the time of her arrest. Local reports said she told the judge that Ms Garrity had punched her in the face after intervening in a row she was having with another friend and she injured her by accident after parts of a glass she threw on the floor hit her in the neck The incident happened at the Bananas de Magaluf nightclub (pictured) in the popular party area of Punta Ballena Cole stands in a nightclub in Budapest, Hungary. Police have launched an investigation into the incident in the early hours of Monday Sydney Cole, pictured heading to court in Palma, Majorca on Monday, allegedly plunged a shattered glass into friend Sarah Garrity's neck at the Bananas de Magaluf disco Local paper Diario de Mallorca said witnesses to the incident had told investigators the alleged attacker had thrown the glass directly at her pal's head. Barbara Nield, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, whose 23-year-old soldier daughter Bethany Bancroft was engaged to the injured woman until recently, added: 'Bethany is so upset because of what has happened to Sarah. They are not together now but they were very close.' Bethany's brother Ashley Nield, 29, described Ms Garrity as 'bright, witty, funny and caring.' It was not immediately clear if the casualty was glassed with a broken bottle or was hurt when a glass was thrown at her, although sources said they believed she suffered a cut throat after a glass was thrown. Another social media picture shows Cole (centre) during her passing out parade Jihadists linked to ISIS have shared a menacing image of Notre Dame in flames once more, warning: 'Wait for the next'. The extremist media group published the graphic showing flames in front of the Paris cathedral's bell towers, which survived Monday's blaze. There is no indication that the fire was linked to terror but ISIS fanatics have revelled in the damage to the 850-year-old landmark, a symbol of Western civilisation, just days before Easter. The latest image, revealed by terror monitors SITE intelligence, hints at a possible deliberate attack by ISIS-aligned militants in the future. Threat: A jihadist group aligned with ISIS published this propaganda image (left) showing Notre Dame on fire again, after the cathedral was ravaged by a blaze on Monday night (right) As the church burned on Monday night the ISIS-linked Al-Muntasir group had published a poster of the blazing cathedral accompanied by the words: 'Have a good day'. Al-Munatsir has previously shared propaganda rejoicing in terror attacks which have rocked France. This poster created by the Al-Muntasir media group - an ISIS affiliated propaganda wing - appeared online on Monday night The Paris prosecutor's office said it was treating the fire as an accident, ruling out arson and possible terror-related motives, at least for now. Notre Dame had previously the site of a terror scare in 2016 when a car carrying seven gas cylinders was found near the cathedral. Three women were arrested over the alleged terror plot, although they were thought to have been targeting a Paris railway station rather than the cathedral itself. Fifty investigators are now working on a 'long' and 'complex' probe into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. A Paris judicial official said investigators have questioned about 30 people after the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. He said most of them were employees working on the renovation of the monument, including the now-collapsed spire. As many as 50 investigators are working on the case but are not allowed to enter the cathedral yet for safety reasons, he said. The tragedy prompted an outpouring of support internationally, with the Queen saying she was 'deeply saddened' and Pope Francis offering his prayers. Teams of firefighters from across the city were called in to try and put out the fire after it spread quickly through the cathedral on Monday evening The scaffolding at the top of the church and the wooden frame of the building were set alight by the fire which broke out on Monday evening Huge sums have been pledged to repair the beloved Paris landmark, which President Emmanuel Macron has set a target of five years to finish. He said France 'will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully' as he addressed the nation little more than 24 hours after the devastating fire. Notre Dame's heritage director has said only one piece of architecture inside the sacred building has been damaged. Laurent Prades says the high altar, which was installed in 1989, was hit and harmed by the cathedral's spire when it came crashing down in the flames. 'We have been able to salvage all the rest,' said Mr Prades, who witnessed the recovery first hand overnight. 'All the 18th century steles, the pietas, frescoes, chapels and the big organ are fine.' A distraught Parisian watches Notre Dame Cathedral burn as a ferocious inferno engulfed the building on Monday evening A man puts his hand to his mouth in shock as he watches the flames burst from the historic cathedral One of the cathedral's most precious objects, a relic purported to be the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ on the cross, was whisked away to a secure facility. Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade, was hailed as a hero after he joined firefighters in the burning cathedral to rescue the holy relic. He had also helped the wounded in the wake of the Bataclan terror attack in Paris in November 2015. Notre Dame's three 'irreplaceable' Rose Windows, which date to the 13th century and were feared to have melted or exploded, were also intact. Father Fournier had also survived an ambush in Afghanistan, in which 10 soldiers were killed, during his time as an army chaplain. The Brexit Party has surged into the lead in the race for the European Elections after a top pollster predicted Nigel Farage's new party could win its first election. A second YouGov survey on the state of the party's ahead of EU Parliament elections shows the Brexit Party rising dramatically from 15 per cent to 27 per cent. Most of the gain comes at the expense of Ukip - which when led by Mr Farage won the 2014 contest - which plunged from 14 per cent to 7 per cent. Labour falls to second place on 22 per cent, down two, and the Tories are now third on 15 per cent. The sensational new result comes after YouGov Political Research Manager Chris Curtis said it was 'entirely plausible' Mr Farage could upset conventional wisdom about new parties to top the poll. Mr Curtis said a combination of a weak Tory party and Mr Farage's direct attack on Ukip's drift toward the hard right would all help the Brexit Party. Adding to the trouble for Theresa May's party are fears of a 'donor strike' amid fury at the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit. The Conservatives are facing electoral calamity, a pollster claimed, as Nigel Farage's new party leapt to almost twice their showing in the latest poll YouGov Political Research Manager Chris Curtis said it was 'entirely plausible' Mr Farage (pictured in the European Parliament yesterday) could upset conventional wisdom about new parties to top the poll The dramatic changes in the state of the race to May 23 could reflect the febrile atmosphere the elections are beind held in amid the stalemate over Brexit The elections on May 23 are only happening at all because the deal Mrs May negotiated with Brussels has been defeated three times by MPs. What does the Brexit Party want? Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is basically a single issue party: it has been set up because of claims Brexit is being betrayed. The ex-Ukip leader has said most of his policies are the same as his old party - except on Islam, where he is strongly critical of the stance taken by current Ukip leader Gerard Batten. This suggests controlled immigration, tough law and order and low taxes are likely to end up in a wider manifesto. But at the EU elections Mr Farage will talk about only one thing: Brexit. Advertisement Writing in The Guardian today, Mr Curtis said: 'It is entirely plausible that we are facing another Farage-shaped upset at the ballot box. 'While there are more than five weeks of campaigning to go, I certainly wouldn't bet against him.' Mr Curtis said there are 'many reasons to believe' Mr Farage's new outfit could close the gap to the leading parties and win again. He said: 'Firstly, the Brexit party has already achieved a 15 per cent vote share as a force that is still fairly unknown, with the fieldwork for this poll taking place before the party officially launched last Friday.' He added: 'Meanwhile Ukip, which is currently dividing the vote share, has not only lost its main salesman, but now finds itself being openly attached by him. 'It may be holding 14 per cent of the vote share in our European parliament poll, but it is easy to see how much of this could shift away once the campaign gets going.' Adding to the trouble for Theresa May's (pictured in Wales on Sunday) party are fears of a 'donor strike' amid fury at the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit The Brexit Party has surged into the lead in the race for the European Elections after a top pollster predicted Nigel Farage's new party could win its first election The analysis comes amid claims the Conservative Party treasurer Sir Mick Davis has dipped into his own pocket to cover the campaign for Mrs May's party. One Tory source told The Times: "Mick Davis is having to reach into his own pocket to fund campaigning, at least up front. 'Hopefully we'll recoup it later but Mick had to tell cabinet recently about the dire funding situation, particularly among Remain-leaning donors, because of the situation on Brexit." Sir Mick has given 5.2 million to the Conservative Party since Electoral Commission records began, 295,000 of which was given in donations reported to the watchdog this year. He became chief executive and treasurer in June 2017, shortly after the Tory's botched general election. Annunziata Rees-Mogg was unveiled as the Brexit Party's star candidate at the European Elections by Nigel Farage and she blasted MPs including her brother, pictured last week Last week, Mr Farage launched his new Brexit Party and announced Jacob Rees-Mogg's sister Annunziata as his first star MEP candidate - as she quit the Tories after 35 years. Who is Annunziata Rees-Mogg? Jacob's younger sister who stood as a Tory in 2010 Annunziata Rees-Mogg was unveiled as the Brexit Party's star candidate at the European Elections by Nigel Farage. The younger sister of Brexit hardliner Jacob Rees-Mogg, Annunziata is a 40-year-old married mother of one. She last appeared on the political stage in 2010 as the Tory candidate in Somerton and Froome, losing to the Lib Dems by less than 2,000 votes. Ahead of the poll it was claimed David Cameron asked her to shorten her name to Nancy Mogg - but she refused and later claimed 'I think it's phoney to pretend to be someone you're not'. Just like her older brother, Annunziata has been steeped in the family business of Tory politics since she was a child. She told the Independent in 2006 she joined the Tories aged 5 and added: 'I was too young to be a Young Conservative, so I joined the main party. 'Aged eight I was out canvassing, proudly wearing my rosette.' She currently works as a director of the public affairs recruiter Wild Search. She previously worked as a journalist for the Daily Telegraph and the European Journal, a magazine printed by the think tank owned by Tory Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash. Annunziata married former soldier Matthew Glanville in 2010 and they have a daughter, Isadora. Advertisement The former UKIP leader has vowed to take votes from the 'tarnished' party he left in December and started a new war of words with successor Gerard Batten by claiming he lacks 'good people' and has allowed a 'take over' by the far right. Launching the party in Coventry Mr Farage said it is 'no more Mr Nice Guy' before unveiling his secret weapon Ms Rees-Mogg, whose brother told MailOnline: 'The Brexit Party is fortunate to have such a high calibre candidate but I am sorry that Annunziata has left the Conservative party'. His younger sister previously stood as a Tory candidate in the 2005 and 2010 general elections and joined the party aged five - but has now jumped ship after Theresa May failed to deliver Brexit. She defected from the Tories to join Mr Farage's revolt. The 40-year-old mother-of-one, once one of David Cameron's 'cuties' who refused party requests to 'de-toff' her name to Nancy, blasted MPs, including her older sibling. At the launch she said: 'The politicians are not our masters - they are to do our bidding. 'We need to fight back to take back our democracy. It's as drastic as that. 'It is our fight and we must fight to win'. She said she had stuck with the Tories 'through thick and thin' but Brexit had been the last straw. She said: 'But the point at which our Prime Minister will not listen, not only to her membership, but will not listen to the people of her country. 'I can't sit by and let her do it. We've got to rescue our democracy, we have got to show that the people of this country have a say in how we are run'. A hardcore vegan activist accused of being the ringleader behind the theft of a calf and a dead piglet from Western Australian farms will likely spend at least one night in prison. James Warden, from group Direct Action Everywhere, fronted Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, charged with three counts of trespass, and two counts each of stealing and aggravated burglary. The 25-year-old, who was fined last month for trespassing and live streaming it on social media, has several co-accused ranging in age from 21 to 36. The $1,500 calf was allegedly taken to an animal rescue farm in Waroona, Western Australia, but was later returned to its owners in good health. Vegan activist James Warden (pictured), 25, will likely spend at least one night in prison Warden is accused of being the ringleader behind the theft of a calf and dead baby piglet from farms across Western Australia Warden last week faced court in his home state of NSW, where he was visiting family, and was granted bail on the condition he appear in Perth on the new offences. The police prosecutor on Wednesday said Warden, who is unemployed, was a flight risk. But Warden's lawyer Marilyn Loveday said he had lost his passport a couple of years ago and did not know police wanted to speak to him when he travelled to NSW. 'There was no reason for him not to go home,' she said. Ms Loveday said as soon as Warden was required to return to Perth, he did. He could remain in jail for longer depending on how long it takes to complete the paperwork for his bail conditions. Pictured: Video shot by activist group Direct Action Everywhere Warden (pictured) faced court in his home state of NSW last week and was granted bail on the condition he appear in Perth for the new offences She described the bail conditions as draconian. She also rejected the suggestion Warden was the ringleader. 'These are likeminded people but there's no ringleader,' she said. 'These are his friends.' The court heard the investigation was ongoing and there was a possibility of further charges. 'You are dicing with your freedom,' Magistrate Joe Randazzo told Warden. Magistrate Randazzo said it was a strong prosecution case and ruled Warden's bail conditions should include a $10,000 personal undertaking and $5000 surety. 'There was no reason for him not to go home,' his lawyer, Ms Loveday told the court The Perth court heard that the investigation was ongoing and there may be additional charges Warden also cannot possess a passport, must report weekly to police and stay away from farms. But his sister, who previously provided his surety, was already on her way to the airport to return to NSW when the magistrate made the decision, meaning that Warden will likely spend the night behind bars. He could remain in jail for longer depending on how long it takes to complete the paperwork for his bail conditions. Warden is scheduled to face Mandurah Magistrates Court on May 3. A man in south China has been arrested after he was filmed violently throwing his daughter on the ground for trying to stop him from hitting her mother. The horrifying case of domestic abuse was caught on CCTV camera at the family's workshop in Meizhou, Guangdong province on April 10, according to Chinese reports. In the shocking clip, the 49-year-old man can be seen berating and shouting at his wife as both their crying children try to stop him from beating her up. A man in south China's Guangdong province has been arrested after he was filmed violently throwing his daughter on the ground for trying to stop him from hitting her mother The wife is seen trying to block a blow from her husband in the shocking video The father then picks up his elder daughter and slams her on the floor in front of her horrified mother, who immediately tries to protect her children by kneeling in front of the man and begging him to stop. But the footage shows the fight continuing for several minutes as the man slaps and shoves his wife to the ground. The two girls are heard screaming and running back to stand between their mother and father. The younger daughter can be seen putting her arms around her father as she begs him to stop. In the shocking clip, the 49-year-old man can be seen berating and shouting at his wife as both their crying children try to stop him from beating her up The man admitted to his wrongdoing after receiving criticism and a stern lecture from police. He also signed a letter of guarantee promising that he would not repeat his violent behaviour The husband, however, throws his wife to the ground a second time, causing the child to fall as well. Local police were alerted to the scene last Wednesday and arrested the man, according to Southern Metropolis Daily. The man, surnamed Zhang, was in a drunken rampage and got violent after an argument over family matters, Meizhou police was quoted as saying. He admitted to his wrongdoing after receiving strong criticism and a stern lecture from police, the report said. The man also signed a letter of guarantee promising that he would not repeat his violent behaviour. The wife and her daughters suffered from minor injuries from the incident. The woman said she would not press charges but would seek a divorce instead. The man, surnamed Zhang, was in a drunken rampage and got violent after an argument over family matters, Meizhou police was quoted as saying The man is seen kicking his wife after shoving her to the ground. He has been arrested The man's actions were heavily slammed on Chinese social media, with many net users calling authorities to issue a heavier punishment. 'Criticism and a lecture? What kind of penalty is this?' one comment read on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. 'He wasn't even detained or jailed? So the police are saying it's all right to beat your wife and children?' another read. 'If the man repeats his violent behaviour, would the police do anything?' another user said. 'Thug! How dare you hit women and children! China's laws can no longer restrain thugs like these!' another person said. 'He's just a loser. This video made me so angry,' one user said. In China, about a quarter of women have reported experiencing some form of domestic violence, according to the All-China Women's Federation. The country introduced a domestic violence law only in 2016. Amy El-Keria (pictured) died in The Priory's care after telling a member of staff she wanted to kill herself The mother of a 14-year-old who hanged herself while at staying at a 'criminally unsafe' hospital run by the Priory has slammed the firm for putting 'profits over safety' as it was fined 300,000 over her death. Amy El-Keria, 14, had a history of suicide attempts and was being treated at Ticehurst House psychiatric hospital in East Sussex when she died in November 2012. A jury inquest in 2016 was highly critical of the Priory, ruling staff failed to dial 999 quickly enough, failed to call a doctor promptly and were not trained in CPR. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) pursued a criminal investigation and the company admitted to a charge of being an employer failing to discharge its duty to ensure people were not exposed to health and safety risks. Speaking outside Lewes Crown Court today, Amy's mother Tania El-Keria said: 'The public's eye has been firmly opened to what the Priory stand for, profit over safety. 'Today is a historic day in our fight for justice for Amy. Our Amy died in what we know to be a criminally unsafe hospital being run by the Priory.' She added: 'This whole painful process has been marked by the Priory's long and bitter failure to show any level of remorse or responsibility. 'To us, the Priory are a morally-bankrupt company. They continue to take large sums of public money allowing our children to suffer by placing profit over safety. 'This cannot be allowed to continue and I will not stop fighting until this stops.' Asked about the size of the penalty handed out to The Priory Group, Ms El-Keria said: 'It's not about the fine, it's not about the money. She said the Priory's contract with the NHS should not carry on. 'I don't believe there's any lessons learned', she added. Speaking after the judgment, Priory Group CEO Trevor Torrington said: 'We would like to repeat our sincere and profound apologies to Amy's family.' Speaking outside Lewes Crown Court today, Amy's mother Tania El-Keria (right, with her other daughter Gemma) slammed the firm for putting 'profits over safety' Mr Torrington added: 'There was common ground between the experts that the care planning was of good quality, that the suicide of 14-year-olds is extremely rare and prediction is likely to be extremely difficult. 'Priory Healthcare accepts there were certain risk management procedures in 2012 in relation to environmental audits and BLS training which were not robust enough. 'However, the court found such shortcomings were not causative of Amy's tragic death.' At an earlier hearing, the court heard that Amy had arrived at the hospital's high dependency unit on August 23, 2012. On November 12, at 8.15pm, she was found hanging in her bedroom and taken to Conquest Hospital in Hastings, where she died the following day after life support was withdrawn. Prosecutor Sarah Le Fevre told the court that information relating to Amy's care had not been properly handled. A ligature audit of her room, carried out by an untrained member of staff, identified medium risks which were not followed up. The hospital was also slow to tackle concerns over risks identified in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in November 2011. Details of a conversation on suicide Amy had with a nurse in the early hours of November 12 were not passed on to her doctor. Amy's mother Tania told the court that the 'nightmare' of losing her 'spirited' daughter left her feeling like her 'heart and soul is ripped out every morning'. A jury inquest into the death of Amy (pictured) was highly critical of the Priory, ruling staff failed to dial 999 quickly enough, failed to call a doctor promptly and were not trained in CPR She admitted to having 'low points where I have not wanted to be alive any more just so that I could be with Amy'. Ms El-Keria added: 'I hope that the knowledge gained from this case goes on to change what I see as a failing system and prevents future avoidable deaths.' At the earlier court hearing, the Priory offered its 'sincere apologies' to Amy's family for 'serious failings'. The 2016 inquest jury's findings were highly critical of the Priory, ruling staff failed to dial 999 quickly enough, failed to call a doctor promptly and were not trained in CPR. Staffing levels were inadequate, Amy was not resuscitated properly by staff, and had to be removed from the hospital on a body board because the ambulance stretcher could not fit in the lift, it found. History of The Priory The Priory is one of the most famous mental health care providers in the world, known for treating A-list celebrities including Lily Allen, Johnny Depp, and Amy Winehouse at its flagship hospital in Roehampton, south west London. Built in 1811 before being converted into a hospital in 1872, the group now has more than 500 sites across the country, with around 7,000 beds available. The Priory in Roehampton helps 90 patients at a time, and costs around 6,800 a week. Although their flagship hospital is incredibly expensive, around 70 per cent of patients across their hospitals are referred by the NHS. Two years ago, The Priory was branded 'unsafe' in a devastating report by an official watchdog following a series of suicides and self-harming incidents by patients. This includes the death of Stephen Bantoft, 49, who hanged himself less than three hours after checking into an acute psychiatric wing at the hospital. He was the fourth apparent suicide in a Priory Group facility in as many years. Advertisement The response of staff was so inadequate the jury agreed there was a possibility that Amy may have lived if she had received proper care. Sentencing, Judge Mr Justice James Dingemans said: 'It is obvious that any penalty I impose can never reflect the loss suffered by Amy's family in this case. 'Amy's mother, when giving her victim impact statement, said that she hoped that lessons would be learned from this tragedy. 'It is apparent from the investigations that have been carried out in Amy's death, and the works carried out by Priory Healthcare and the CQC, that there is now a much better understanding of young person suicide, and that vital lessons have been learned.' He concluded that there was a 'low likelihood' of harm in the case but culpability should be assessed as 'high' as patients including Amy were exposed to risks to their health and safety. 'This is because Priory Healthcare permitted these breaches to persist over a long period of time, from the opening of the HDU in 2008 until Amy's death in 2012,' he said. 'They only took action after her death. Further, Priory Healthcare failed to make appropriate changes when required to do so by the CQC. 'There was, in my judgment, insufficient urgency demonstrated in dealing with these problems.' Mr Justice Dingemans said Priory Healthcare had a turnover of 133 million in 2017, with an operating profit of 2million that year. He said he was unable to find any aggravating factors and he took into account the company's guilty plea, lack of previous convictions, 'good' health and safety record and its steps to close and refurbish the unit where Amy lived. The private mental healthcare provider was also ordered to pay the Health and Safety Executive's costs of 65,801.38 and a victim surcharge of 12. Christina Davis Jolly (pictured), has now been arrested twice for breaking her pre-trial release conditions. The latest was brought after Iredell County Sheriff's Office discovered Jolly had intercepted a teenager she is accused of having sex with as he walked home from school A middle school teacher accused of having sex with her 15-year-old foster son has been arrested for a third time in relation to the same victim - this time on a charge of stalking. Christina Davis Jolly, a former teacher at North Iredell Middle School in North Carolina was initially charged in August last year with five counts of statutory rape of a child. But Jolly, 43, who was released on a $200,000 bond last year after her arrest in Statesville, has now twice been charged with violating a pre-trial release condition. The latest charge of felony stalking was brought after Iredell County Sheriff's Office discovered Jolly had intercepted the victim as he walked home from school in March and spoke to him for several minutes. And earlier in February was found to have driven past the victim several times so he could see her as he walked home from school. Detectives also revealed they believe Jolly had been providing the teenager with money on a financial card for several months after her arrest. Jolly first broke her pre-trial release conditions in December last year accused of emailing and talking to the victim on social media. She is now facing charges including one count of felony stalking, one count of felony intimidating a state witness, and one charge for violating her pre-trial release conditions - alongside her initial charges. The former teacher at North Iredell Middle School (pictured) was initially charged with five counts of statutory rape of a child Jolly agreed to give up custody of the boy back in July after their alleged relationship was made known to child welfare officials. She was allegedly having sexual encounters with the boy dating back to August 2017. The teenager was interviewed by officials and told them of the alleged encounters. Jolly was ordered to not to have any contact with the boy following her arrest but she allegedly continued to speak to him via social media. The sheriff's office then raided her home and seized her computers. Jolly had worked for the local school district since 2002 but was suspended without pay following her arrest. She was fired a week later. Jolly now has a new $200,000 secured bond related to the recent violation of a pretrial release condition charge. Advertisement Incredible pictures show the smashed plane of the two brave British World War veterans who became the first people to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean 100 years ago. History typically remembers Charles Lindbergh as the first man to fly from North America to Europe, but Manchester-born Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Brown from Glasgow actually beat him by eight whole years in 1919. Their rudimentary plane's nose is pictured buried in an Irish bog after the winged contraption only just reached land after their epic crossing. Stunning photos included in Bruce Vigar and Colin Higgs' Race Across the Atlantic: Alcock and Brown's Record-Breaking Non-Stop Flight give an enthralling account of the 16-and-a-half-hour flight through terrible weather on 14/15 June 1919. This is the plane that Alcock and Brown used as they became the first men to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. Stunning pictures show how the Mancunian and Glaswegian war veterans flew from North America to Ireland, trumping Charles Lindbergh's effort by a whole eight years. Their exploits are laid bare in a new book that chronicles their historic journey Pictured: Brown and Alcock stand next to their crashed plane, which is pictured after it plunged into an Irish bog after the daring pair contended with terrible weather to become the first men in the world to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean a century ago. They were praised eight years later by Charles Lindbergh when he made his historic flight from the US to Paris. Upon landing he said the men had shown him the way The crumpled nose of the plane shows how lucky the two men were to finish their journey unscathed. Their bravery paid off as Alcock was awarded a knighthood for ensuring that the first two people to fly across the ocean were British while their countrymen were still dealing with the devastation wrought by the First World War at home Stunning pictures in a new book show the pair's journey from the US to Ireland, during which Alcock and Brown battled freezing conditions through adverse weather, leading them to admit that the flight was 'terrible' despite its success for the brave pioneers as a world first Pictured: Then-Secretary of State for War and future Prime Minister Winston Churchill presents the pioneering pair with prize money offered for the flight by the Daily Mail's owner Lord Rothermere. He set the challenge six years before anyone was brave enough to accept it 'It could have been another April Fool prank, when at the beginning of April 1913 Lord Rothermere, aviation philanthropist and owner of the Daily Mail, offered a prize of 10,000, roughly equivalent to 1million in today's money, to "the aviator who shall first cross the Atlantic in an aeroplane in flight from any point in the United States of America, Canada or Newfoundland to any point in Great Britain or Ireland in 72 continuous hours",' explained the authors. 'Fifty years ago, man landed on the moon and Concorde flew for the first time. It seemed that there were few boundaries that human ingenuity, inventiveness and curiosity could not overcome. 'Those words could have been the headlines in 1919 when on 15 June Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Whitten Brown crash-landed their Vickers Vimy aircraft into a bog in western Ireland. Their achievement was as massive a step forward in aviation. Despite their plane being of a fairly unsophisticated design, Alcock and Brown made history in their RAF Vimy. The aircraft remained in service until 1938, by which point airmen were using them in searchlight drills. Pictured: An RAF Vimy, similar to the one flown across the Atlantic by the pair Pictured: The RAF Vimy being constructed at Vickers Weybridge, the British factory that turned out the aircraft, which remained in use until just before the Second World War These are the basic controls that would have been found in a Vimy and were all the pioneering pair had to steer themselves in the right direction during their historic journey, which they made in terrible weather 'In just ten years, aircraft that could barely cross the English Channel could now fly 1,900 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. 'The world needed new horizons and inspiration, a "fresh start" after the numbing devastation of the First World War and the deadly flu epidemic that followed. 'It was as if mankind had turned a corner and that aviation would bring people together, inhabitants of a "global village" in which disputes and misunderstandings could be overcome by talking face to face. 'Where Alcock and Brown led, others soon followed. A month after their flight, the R-34 Airship made the first east to west crossing in just over four days. After several days of celebrations, receptions and re-equipping, R-34 made the return crossing. 'It was another eight years before the first solo crossing by Charles Lindbergh. Arguably his achievement has eclipsed that of Alcock and Brown in some quarters, but as he stepped out of his small aeroplane at Le Bourget in Paris, he acknowledged Alcock and Brown's achievement with the words: "Alcock and Brown showed me the way."' The 15th of June 100 years ago would prove a fateful day for the residents of Clifden on Ireland's west coast and for aviation history. John Alcock from Manchester is pictured climbing onto the RAF Vimy, carrying a thermos into the cockpit in preparation for the dangerous 1,900-mile journey The RAF Vimy takes off on its epic journey across the Atlantic, as the aviators set out to make history 100 years ago by crossing the ocean by air Pictured: Alcock and Brown beside their RAF Vimy, the aircraft that allowed them to become the first aviators to conquer the perilous journey across the Atlantic Parts of the plane were dragged by horses from Newfoundland in Canada to the starting point of their 1,900 flight across the Atlantic Ocean Just before 9am, descending out of the gloom, came a large, twin-engine aeroplane lining up for final approach. One or two on-lookers recognised the danger straight away for this was an area of soft bog, but their attempts to alert the pilot were in vain. The aircraft began to sink and, with a squelch, came to a sudden stop, the tail rearing up in the air. Dazed and with fuel filling the cockpit the two-man crew scrambled out, grabbing what they could. After a flight lasting 16 hours and 28 minutes, Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten-Brown had won the race to be the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. Race Across the Atlantic also includes a first-hand account from Captain Brown of his world-first flight, which made the pair national heroes as they not only did they won the Mail prize money, but were granted knighthoods by King George V. Alcock and Brown are pictured eating their last meal on Canadian soil before setting out on their daring journey across the ocean, which cemented them as pioneers of aviation Pictured: Ground crew make final preparations on the RAF Vimy as it prepares to take off from Canada after being dragged to the airfield by horse and cart This picture shows the plane of a competitor also trying to become the first to fly over the Atlantic. The plane flipped while attempting take-off, showing the danger inherent in the effort before the plane had even taken to the air Pictured: The Daily Mail's front page honouring the pioneering flight across the Atlantic six years after Lord Rothermere set the challenge to readers 'We have had a terrible journey,' he admitted, in a Daily Mail report in the days after landing in Ireland. 'The wonder is that we are here at all. 'We scarcely saw the sun or the moon or the stars. For hours we saw none of them. The fog was very dense, and at times we had to descend to within 300 feet of the sea. 'For four hours the machine was covered in a sheet of ice caused by frozen sleet; at another time the sleet was so dense and for a few seconds my speed indicator did not work, and for a few seconds it was very alarming. 'The winds were favourable all the way: north-west and at times, south-west. We said in Newfoundland we would do the trip in sixteen hours, but never thought we should. An hour and a half before we saw land we had no certain idea of where we were, but we believed we were at Galway or thereabouts. Pictured, left: Alcock hands mail to Brown as he sits in the plane and, right, Alcock stands next to the RAF Vimy which became the first to make it over the Atlantic 'Our delight in seeing Eeshal Island and Turbot Island was great. We drank coffee and ale and ate sandwiches and chocolate. 'The only thing that upset me was to see the machine at the end get damaged. From above, the bog looked like a lovely field, but the machine sank into it up to the axle and fell over on to her nose.' Alcock and Brown would soon be presented with a cheque for 10,000 by none other than Winston Churchill. Vigar and Higg's new book, illustrated by many unique photographs, tells the story of the race, delayed for almost six years by the First World War. The stunning pictures are featured in this book chronicling the pair's daring effort Many aircraft would be entered but few would even get off the ground. People lost their lives. The teams faced great difficulties in preparing for the challenge of crossing one of the most hostile stretches of ocean on Earth. The authors not only reveal tales of failures and technical difficulties, but of the intense frustration of waiting for the perfect weather-window. And even when finally airborne, Alcock and Brown's flight almost ended in disaster on several occasions as weather conditions almost conspired to cast them down into the grey, cold waters of the Atlantic and almost certain death. At one point they were less than 20 feet above the vast ocean. Their radio also broke just a few hours into their troubled flight. Had they crashed into the sea, they would have had no way of contacting anyone to report their position or request assistance. The book also explores the lives of Alcock - who spent 14 months as a prisoner of war devising his trans-Atlantic plans - and Brown - who had taught himself to navigate by reading books - and the remarkable turns of fate that allowed them to crash-land into the record books. The early 20th Century was a brave new world for pioneer aviators, who would risk their lives every time they got in their prototype planes. Just 100 years after Alcock and Brown's historic flight, it's perhaps too easy to take the comfort of international travel for granted. '1919 was a 'Golden Year' in the story of flight,' added Vigar and Higgs. 'It was a year of progress and achievement of global significance that touched the lives of millions around the world beyond the world of aviation.' Bruce Vigar and Colin Higgs' Race Across the Atlantic: Alcock and Brown's Record-Breaking Non-Stop Flight, published by Pen and Sword Books, is set for release next month. An aspiring teen actress obsessed with comparing her appearance to others online was found hanging in her wardrobe by her father, an inquest heard. Shante Stephenson, 19, took her own life on June 27 - a week after being assessed as 'no longer in crisis' by the NHS, the hearing was told. The teen had low self esteem about her appearance and career, frequently looking at social media sites and comparing herself to her peers, the inquest at Walthamstow Coroners' Court heard. Shante Stephenson, 19, killed herself after becoming obsessed with comparing her appearance to others online, an inquest was told Miss Stephenson, who had recently lost her job at River Island, had been referred to an NHS crisis team but she was formally discharged on June 22 - five days before her death. It was tragically revealed that she was supposed to have medication delivered to her the day she died but it arrived two days late. Her father then found her hanging in her wardrobe. The inquest heard the teen had a history of anxiety and depression and made a failed suicide attempt a year before her death. She was then referred to Impart, a mental health crisis team at Waltham Forest NHS trust. Dr William Travers, at the time a consultant psychiatrist with the Impart home treatment team, met Shante at home seven days after her attempted suicide on July 18. The teen, who had low self esteem about her appearance and career, was found hanging in her wardrobe by her father Addressing the inquest today, Dr Travis said: 'I saw her at home alone and I established the circumstances on the overdose - this was seven days after the incident. 'It seemed to have been triggered by an experience she had performing a role in a theatre show case, she didn't think she performed it well, and she was dwelling on it, replaying it over and over in her mind. 'After it she had spoken to her friend and reported a feeling of hopelessness during the phone call - that is when she developed the idea.' Dr Travis said the aspiring actress seemed more 'resigned' to the fact that she had survived rather than 'relieved'. He said: 'She told me that since the age of 11 she was focused on not being good enough, with regard to her career ambitions and her physical appearance in particular. 'She was continuously comparing herself to her peers and frequently looking at multiple social media sites - in fact after the overdose she resolved not to carry on looking at them and decided to delete them from her phone. 'She told me she was concerned about her weight, which was normal, but that she used to weigh more and wanted to lose more. She had tried to kill herself a year before, after dwelling on her performance at a theatre show 'She said at the age of 12 she had tried to hang herself at home after a family argument. 'I assessed her as having low self-esteem associated with aspirations for the future and with perfectionism.' Shante, who was 18 at the time, asked her father not be contacted by Dr Travers, who said he could 'not be legally compelled' to do so given he believed her to be 'mentally capable'. He said: 'I didn't want to override her, she presented as a very capable young woman who was very much in charge of her own destiny and I wanted to respect that.' He discussed psychological therapies Shante could do but added she had 'difficulties that needed to be addressed but I didn't think anti-depressants would help those issues'. Shante next attempted to take her life less than a year later on June 4 but was found by her friend and taken to hospital. She was again referred to Impart who had a series of meetings with her and would discharge her the same month deeming her 'no longer in crisis'. A meeting held by the team on June 20 after eight meetings with Shante decided she did not need the crisis services but would be recommended for other therapies. She was then referred to Impart, a mental health crisis team at Waltham Forest NHS trust Dr Nkechinyera Ofor, a psychiatrist at the time on the team who met with Shante to officially assess and subsequently discharge her on June 22 said: 'At this point the feedback was that the patient was no longer in crisis. 'On June 22 she was positive, she was optimistic, she was hopeful, she was future planning... she had no suicidal thoughts.' Assistant Coroner Ian Wade said: 'Do you think she wasn't being sincere and trying to fob you off?' Dr Ofor said: 'She had already got back to her normal functionality - I was seeing a patient who had bounced back from this incident and had no concerns she wasn't being sincere.' The inquest heard that anti-depressant discharge medication was arranged for Shante and was to be delivered on June 27, the day she passed away, but arrived two days after on June 29. Astrid Duminy, the crisis team manager at North East London Hospital Trust, said: 'The delivery of her discharge medication came after her death - she was supposed to get the medication on June 27 and it was delivered on June 29.' The coroner ruled that although this was a 'tragic' addition to the events that unfolded, it could not be known what might have happened if the delivery was on time. Miss Duminy told the inquest that since Shante's death the team's administration process had become 'more robust' and weekly meetings were held to discuss patients. Miss Stephenson (pictured with her father) was deemed 'no longer a crisis' five days before taking her life She said: 'I don't know exactly what triggered Shante's suicide, all I know is that Shante's job situation was playing on her mind - I might be just grasping at straws. Assistant Coroner Wade ruled Shante's death a suicide. He said: 'I am sure beyond a reasonable doubt that did this particular act and when she did it, however misguided or however distressing that she did intend to carry out the act 'I was concerned at one stage but on deeper analysis I believe there would have been no difference to the outcome of events had they happened in a more proficient, compassionate or precautionary way. 'I have spoken to these witnesses and they did not expect this to happen, it took them by surprise and in my judgement it was reasonable for them to have those opinions at the time. 'What I can say it's that Shante was a very vital person, she had set very high standards and conditions for herself. 'Aspiring actress is a delightful term and it conveys she had remarkable drivenness and shows to me she imposed upon herself aspirations and standards which were way beyond what any young person should impose on themselves. 'No one could sensibly have identified her to be in a crisis - a clinician described Shante as someone who had insight, who had future plans, someone who was open and amenable to the sorts of therapy that was appropriate for her. 'There isn't any reason for anyone to berate themselves or have any lingering sense of responsibility.' The coroner passed on his 'deepest condolences' to Shante's father Ian Stephenson, who attended the inquest. For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see samaritans.org for details VERONA - Veronafiere is bringing to Morocco the excellence of Italian farming technology. For the third consecutive year, Fieragricola is organizing the Italian pavilion at Morocco's international agricultural trade fair (Siam) scheduled until April 21 in Meknes. The fair is the most important event dedicated to the sector in North Africa. The event in 2018 attracted 1,700 exhibitors and over one million visitors from 70 countries. Fieragricola is organizing business-to-business meetings for Italian companies in the sectors of breeding technologies and products, fertilizers, equipment, medicines and renewable energy, among others, interested in the local and African markets. A reported 40% of annual sales of agricultural machinery in Morocco takes place at Siam. The country governed by King Mohammed VI employs a reported 45% of the workforce, generating 19% of GDP. It is a strategic sector of the country's growth. Morocco in 2008 approved a Green Plan with the objective of boosting by 2020 the national agricultural production from 6.5 to 9 billion euros and food exports to 4.5 billion. A reported 56% of demand for agricultural technology in Morocco concerns tractors with an average of 4,000 new tractors bought each year to compensate for a low mechanization rate (15%). Fieragricola Morocco 2019 is supported by the Italian embassy in Morocco, which is present in the area dedicated to Italy with an institutional stand. (ANSAmed). An American Bitcoin investor and his girlfriend have gone into hiding after being told they face the death penalty for building a home in the sea off the coast of Thailand and trying to establish his own 'micronation'. Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet, known as 'Bitcoin Girl Thailand', are facing charges of threatening the Thailand's independence after authorities found their ocean-based home about 12 nautical miles from Thai shore. Thailand's navy accused him of violating the country's sovereignty, but Elwartowski insisted the floating 'living platform' in the Andaman Sea know as a 'seastead' was simply in pursuit of a vision of 'freedom'. Elwartowski said their home was 13 nautical miles out, which he said is just outside Thailand's territorial waters off the shore of Phuket island. The couple allegedly built the platform in international waters with the intent of setting up a permanent outpost outside any state territories. The structure was said to fall under the jurisdiction of no government but still inside Thailand's exclusive economic zone, local media reported. Scroll down for video. 'Seasteaders' Bitcoin Girl Thailand and Chad Elwartowski enjoying the golden beaches of Thailand. The kingdom has accused the coupe of violating its sovereignty Chad Elwartowski and 'Nadia' Supranee Thepdet posted pictures online of them sipping Champagne on their 'floating platform' off the coast of Phuket island, southern Thailand Chad Elwartowski (left) and girlfriend Supranee Thepdet (left and right) posted a series of pictures on Instagram of the couple enjoying the Thai sunshine The Thai navy claims their 'seastead' is 12 nautical miles from the shore but Elwartowski said it was 13 miles and so in international waters Crypto traders are said to be leading the charge to 'establish micronations', outside known territorial borders by exploiting a loophole in international law. 'Seasteads' are permanent dwellings at sea outside the territory claimed by any government and comes from homesteading - to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle - and is a popular dream for many libertarians. It is thought Elwartowski, who was part of the first group to adopt Bitcoin and made his money trading crypo-currencies, paid $150,000 for the seastead. An official complaint was filed to a Phuket police station, colonel Nikorn Somsuk confirmed today. Police colonel Nikorn said: 'The navy and its team found a concrete tank floating on the sea but there was no one on it. So they filed a charge citing criminal code article 119.' If they are officially charged and found guilty, the maximum sentence Elwartowski and Thepdet could face is the death penalty. On Instagram Thepdet, who also goes by Nadia Summergirl, posted pictures of the couple on Thai beaches, drinking Champagne, riding on boats, and lounging on their small sea-based platform. Supranee Thepdet documented the couple's quest to build a home out at sea with pictures on social media Supranee Thepdet and her boyfriend Chad Elwartowski are facing charges that could be punishable by death over their alleged bid to build their own 'micronation' Thai navy officers inspecting a 'seastead' - a floating 'living platform' in the Andaman Sea - some 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket island, southern Thailand, last week She also posted on her page, which has five Bitcoins in her profile, memes about how 'seasteading' was a dream come true. Nikorn said the navy would have to meet with provincial officials 'to consider what to do next'. The Royal Thai Navy said on Facebook the couple 'did not seek permission from Thailand' before constructing their home. Putting a call out to other interested investors also shows 'they do not care about Thailand as a sovereign state'. But Elwartowski, who worked as a software engineer for the US military in Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea, added he and Thepdet just wanted to live somewhere free. He added: 'I like the idea of being able to vote with your home. If you don't like how your community is being run, you just float to a new one.' The couple now say they are on the run as the military in Thailand 'wants them dead'. Thepdet and her boyfriend are facing the death penalty over their alleged bid to launch their own 'micronation' off the coast of Thailand Chad Elwartowski and girlfriend Supranee Thepdet are now said to be in hiding, claiming the Thai military wants them dead Elwartowski told ABC 7 News: 'The Thai military wants us dead. The way things work here in Thailand is that they set the narrative in their media then execute it. 'The narrative is that we are a threat to national security and we face life in prison or death. They did not want us to survive to get our side out.' According to the Bangkok Post, the Marine Department intends to remove the seastead from the water as it will hinder ship navigation. The Bitcoin-rich couple are part of Ocean Builders, a community of entrepreneurs who aim to build permanent homes in waters outside of government territory. They had recently called for 20 interested investors for new seasteads to be built around their maiden platform, which is 'just outside of Thailand's territorial waters', said Elwartowski. On April 10, he put out a call for people to invest in an 'Initial Seastead Offering' which would have launched on April 15. The couple allegedly built the platform in international waters with the intent to set up a permanent outpost out of any state territories The 'ISeaO' is now postponed, and Elwartowski said he and Thepdet, whose English name is Nadia, just want to live together in peace. 'We didn't do anything on the seastead that was not legal on land but the feeling of being free is just amazing.' Some advocates of 'seasteading' believe in creating 'competing governments on the high seas', he said. But Ocean Builders 'never took a political stance' on the homes' purpose, he said, adding, 'that was for the customers to decide'. The couple are now said to be hiding in 'a fairly safe place'. A statement published on Monday posted on Ocean Builders' website said Elwartowski and Thepdet were not responsible for construction of the seastead. An actress whose husband pleaded guilty to child pornography charges has revealed why she stood by him and what inspired her to write a one-woman show about the ordeal. Maddie Corman, 49, of Harlem, New York, explained how after rehab, couples therapy and much agonizing over ethics and forgiveness, she still remains with her husband Jace Alexander, best known for his work as a director on Law & Order. In 2016, Alexander, 54, pleaded guilty to two felony counts related to possessing and sharing illegal and obscene performances of sexual conduct by a child under 17. The director was sentenced to ten years probation and had to register as a sex offender. Ms Corman said she stayed with her husband because she did not want her children to grow up without a parent. She told the Times of London: 'I had no interest in having my kids grow up without a parent as long as he was willing to get help and be the best person he could. Maddie Corman, 49, of Harlem, New York, remains married to Jace Alexander (pictured together right in 2014) despite his felony child porn arrest Maddie Corman (left), Jace Alexander (center) and Tom Gilroy (right) attend The Nantucket Film Festival in 2013 'And, again, I'm aware that decision does not sit well with some people. I wish I could tell you that that doesn't upset me, but it does. I don't like having to defend that choice. And I don't love having my kids potentially read that. 'That's really, really painful for me and really not something I ever anticipated. I was proud to be married to who I'm married to. And I'm still proud to be married to him. I am.' Ms Corman said she never worried about Alexander hurting any of their three children and that she wanted to tell her tough story of staying with her husband. She created a one-woman play about her ordeal - revealing the couple are still married nearly four years later. Ms Corman, the star and writer of Accidentally Brave, which opened last month at the DR2 Theater in the city, discovered Alexander's sordid crimes after the father of her three children was arrested three and a half years ago. She told the Times: 'I did not personally worry that he would or had ever hurt the children. I know that some people think that I am crazy or a monster and that's not been fun to read. Maddie Corman's play Accidentally Brave opened last month at the DR2 Theater in New York. Her one-woman show charts her ordeal at discovering her husband (right in his mug shot) admitted child porn charges in 2016. She is pictured (right) at the opening night with actress Debra Messing Ms Corman and her husband Jason, whose mother is the actress Jane Alexander (pictured together), had to sell their family home Paul Rudd (left), Celia Weston (center), and Jace Alexander (right) at the opening night of the Nantucket Film Festival in Massachusetts 'I have zero desire to hear about [his] guilt and shame. I think in some ways it would be easier to do a show where I come out and say, ''I got rid of the bum and here I am'', but that's not my story. My husband was never going to stop being the father of my three kids.' But speaking to The New York Times in an earlier interview, Ms Corman expressed her fears that by staying with her husband she is undermining the #MeToo movement, having been one of nine women who last year spoke out against the playwright Israel Horovitz. According to a police report at the time, Alexander published a short film on the file-sharing site Torrent showing a 12-year-old girl performing sex acts in June 2016. Another video found on his computer showed a six-year-old girl masturbating. She recalled how at first she thought there had been a terrible mistake: '[This was a man who] listens to NPR and makes bad jokes and sings songs at the piano and reads The New Yorker and plans for the future and who doesn't flirt with my friends.' However, when her husband of 21-years confirmed it was true, she picked him up in Brooklyn following his release on bail and claims to have punched him. In 2016, Alexander pleaded guilty to two felony counts related to possessing and sharing illegal and obscene performances of sexual conduct by a child under 17. The director was sentenced to ten years probation and had to register as a sex offender In the play she references why Alexander downloaded such images when she describes, 'things that had happened to him long before I met him', and deep buried 'shame and abuse'. During the saga, Ms Corman started writing down her experience, and her friend Kristin Hanggi - who directs Accidentally Brave - encouraged her to turn it into a play. Describing the grief of the revelations, Ms Corman told the Times: 'It's almost like that fear that it might be contagious.' And while the actress admitted she fears what people will say and whether it could hurt her children even more, Ms Corman told the publication that she often reminds herself that doing the performance won't be as scary as 'living it was'. The actress, who revealed she still suffers flashbacks, added: 'I wouldn't wish what happened to me or my kids on anyone. 'But the way that I feel, and honestly the way that my husband feels, is that when we keep things in the dark, that's when shame and pain actually grows.' Ms Corman and her husband, whose mother is the actress Jane Alexander, had to sell their family home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, as 'everyone knew' in the 'small town', while their children switched schools. Her husband is currently producing a documentary - working title Tsunami - about pornography and how destructive it can be. The children of an embattled farm boss who is allegedly $9million in the red appear to be living the high life, despite their father's financial troubles. Giatano 'Guy' Barbera, from Queensland, owns a family farming business in the Bundaberg region, producing capsicum, tomatoes, and zucchinis. The businessman is also a director of 14 companies, four of which are facing liquidation over debts totalling $8.9million. Barbera Fresh is currently in liquidation with alleged debts of $5.7million, along with IPG, which owes $1million, Barbera Properties with $1.45million, and Barbera Transport, $800,000, the Courier Mail reported. Rich kids: The daughter of farm boss Giatano 'Guy' Barbera, from Queensland continues to live lavishly despite the family business's financial troubles. Courtney Barbera is pictured during her recent trip to the Swiss Alps The 24-year-old's social media feed paints a picture of wealth as she is often seen gallivanting around the world including at holiday hotspots. She is pictured above during a trip to Thailand He also replaced his son Mason as director of Barbera Family Farms earlier this month after the company faced a $1.1m lawsuit and a wind-up application. Guy Barbera, is a director of 14 companies, four of which are facing liquidation over debts totalling $8.9million Despite the family business's financial woes, Barbera's children continue to live lavishly, often sharing photos of them living large on social media. His daughter Courtney Barbera, who was director of Barbera Farms until July 2018, is also a successful dressage rider and a personal trainer with more than 42,000 followers on Instagram. The 24-year-old's social media feed paints a picture of wealth. She is often seen gallivanting around the world including at holiday hotspots such as Santorini, Geneva, Thailand, Italy, and the Swiss Alps. She recently shared photos from her Valentine's Day trip to Greece as well as her extravagant Christmas ski trip in Gstaad. 'White Christmas in Switzerland,' she captioned one photo showing her looking out at the slopes from her balcony at the Hotel Le Grand, which is $2,000 for a six-night stay. In November, Courtney shared a video of herself relaxing at an infinity pool of the Danas and Infinity Suites in Santorini - which can cost $1,000 a night. Mason Barbera, who also directs parts of the family business, is a budding a Supercar driver In November, Courtney shared a video of herself relaxing at an infinity pool of the Danas and Infinity Suites in Santorini - which can cost $1,000 a night Mason is currently fourth in the Dunlop2 Series The Insta-influencer travelled to Italy in December to compete in WBFF Italy - a fitness and beauty pageant - where she came in second in the bikini contest. In addition to sharing her travels, she also frequently posts videos and pictures of her exercise routine including shots of her fit physique while scantily-clad. Her Improvement Fitness program offers her followers a six-week course to get a 'head turning booty,' for only $17. Meanwhile, her brother Mason not only directs ten companies, he is also a Supercar driver currently fourth in the Dunlop2 Series. Mason is the director of M&R Farms, M Barbera Properties, as well as Moo Moo properties. In January 2018, Moo Moo Properties bought a six-bedroom house for $745,000. Guy credits his children's success to their own hardwork, according to the publication. Courtney has interests in riding, travelling, pageants, and fitness. She is a successful dressage rider and a personal trainer with more than 42,000 followers on Instagram She has shared photos from her Valentine's Day trip to Greece as well as her Christmas ski trip in Gstaad (left) and Geneva (right) The Insta-influencer travelled to Italy in December to compete in WBFF Italy - a fitness and beauty pageant - where she came in second in the bikini contest 'Mason had his own business growing watermelons and beans and doing quite well on his own,' he told the Courier Mail. 'Talk to people who know Mason. He is a very talented kid. He has worked extremely hard. 'Mason has been very fortunate and he has had some success and you can make a lot of money in this game and lose it very quickly as well unfortunately.' He said his daughter Courtney is always working late while working on the packing bench. Guy has maintained that his business debts have nothing to do with his kids. The Instagram personality shared a photo of her travels to Verona, Milan, and Venice in December Rudolph Smith (pictured) has been charged with knowingly transmitting HIV to women he met on dating apps An HIV-positive Maryland man was intentionally transferring the virus to women he targeted on dating apps, police say. Rudolph Jericho Smith, of Frederick, was arrested and charged on Monday after a 21-month long investigation. The Frederick Police Department received a tip-off in July 2017 that 34-year-old Smith was seeking out women on various apps and websites and having sexual relations with them, fully aware of his diagnosis. The complaint came from a woman who said she tested positive for HIV after having sex with Smith, Frederick News-Post reported. Police have so far identified and contacted three more alleged victims, who met Smith on Backpage and Bumble, as well as offline. Smith was indicted by a Frederick County grand jury this week on four counts each of assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment and knowingly transferring HIV to another person. Although the charge has been filed there before, Frederick County States Attorney Charlie Smith said it is highly unusual. 'It only comes up every several years that well see a case like this,' Charlie Smith told the News-Post. The evidence to secure Rudolph Smith's arrest took a considerable effort to obtain, owing to the highly sensitive nature of the case and the difficulty of tracing victims through numerous dating sites. Frederick Police have identified four victims, who met Smith dating websites including Bumble (pictured), as well as offline Detectives also had to file requests for medical records in order to confirm their timeline and victims' statements, Lt Kirk Henneberry, who oversaw the investigation, told Frederick News-Post. In order to secure a conviction, prosecutors must provide irrefutable and watertight evidence that the suspect knew they were HIV-positive. Smith received his diagnosis in 2014 and he later confirmed his HIV status to detectives, Frederick News-Post reported citing a Frederick County States Attorneys Office press release. Knowingly transferring or attempting to transfer HIV to another person carries a $2,500 fine and up to three years in prison. Police have asked anyone who may have had a sexual relationship with Smith around or after July 2017 other potential victims to come forward. Sydney Zoo has announced its second jobs fair to fill 150 positions before it opens later this year. The new attraction will open in late 2019 as part of the Bungarribee Super Park in Rooty Hill in the city's west. There are two sessions each on April 30 and May 1 - and a video of the session will be posted for those who cannot attend. There are 150 positions available in retail, food and beverage, maintenance, ticketing and customer service. Jobs will be advertised in the coming months and budding zoo workers are encouraged to attend sessions. The tourist attraction will be the first zoo to be built in Sydney in more than 100 years and will be home to reptiles, elephants, monkeys and an aquarium full of fish. With an expected open date of mid-2019, Sydney Zoo 'will showcase a broad range of native and exotic animals using modern technology and advanced exhibit design'. A golden possum is held by a zoo worker. Sydney Zoo will be the first zoo to be built in Sydney in more than 100 years They are looking to have a strong focus on animal welfare and conservation, while at the same time educating their visitors about animals and their habitats. The zoo will also focus on indigenous culture and the human influence on the environment. Sydney Zoo Managing Director Jake Burgess told The Blacktown Advocate that the zoo was looking forward to helping create more jobs in western Sydney. He said they are also looking to have at least 10 per cent of indigenous employees and would partner with Muru Muttigar, a not-for-profit organisation, to assist in its recruitment. King of the jungle: The new zoo will showcase both native and exotic animals including big cats like tigers and lions (artist impression) 'Sydney Zoo is proud of the projected growth we will offer the Western Sydney economy. We anticipate these roles to be filled by a mix of local and greater Sydney talent,' Mr Burgess said. Positions available include: senior and mid-level keepers with relevant zoo experience, entry level staff, supervisors, general keepers, junior keepers and volunteers. The zoo will be located at Bungarribee Super Park and has over 150 positions available. Koalty time: A mother koala and her joey hang out in a tree. The zoo's teachings about native animals will incorporate indigenous culture Sydney Zoo is also looking to partner with TAFE to offer job training in a range of Certificate III and IV quailfications. There will be information sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday for anyone looking to learn more about the roles. If you're interested then RSVP here. Safa Kabir, a Bangladeshi actress and model has been forced to apologise for atheist comments after a backlash A Bangladeshi actress has been forced to apologise after remarks construed as admitting atheism in a country where people have been murdered for renouncing religion. Safa Kabir, an actress and model who has appeared in top Bangladeshi television dramas, told a private radio station this week she did not believe in the afterlife. 'I don't believe in life after death. Actually, I never believe in what I can't see,' she said, in comments that some took as a rejection of Muslim beliefs in heaven and hell. The remarks caused a storm on social media, with footage of the interview going viral, and Kabir faced a torrent of criticism in the conservative Muslim country. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old then posted an apology on Facebook, denying she is an atheist. 'If I committed any mistake, I seek forgiveness from the most merciful. He is the most merciful and forgiving. He will definitely forgive me,' she wrote. 'If my words hurt any one's belief, I am sorry for this and I ask for forgiveness,' she added in a post that quickly accumulated over 60,000 comments. Atheism is largely taboo in Bangladesh, where nearly a dozen atheist activists have been brutally attacked and killed by suspected Islamist extremists in recent years. Many leading atheists have fled the country and are living in exile in the West. The 24-year-old told a private radio station in an interview this week she did not believe in the afterlife On Tuesday, she then posted an apology on Facebook, denying she is an atheist and saying that God will forgive her A climate change activist who stormed off Sky News once vandalised Tory headquarters and a magistrates' court with graffiti - and recites his own poetry on YouTube. Former Bristol University student Robin Boardman-Pattison, 21, who went to a 17,500 a year private school, has also been involved in protests against the expansion of Heathrow - despite enjoying numerous holidays abroad. The environmentalist was today branded a 'stroppy teenager' when he stomped off Sky News as he was being quizzed about the Extinction Rebellion protests. He left in the middle of the interview when the group, who are causing a third day of chaos in London, were branded 'incompetent, middle class, self-indulgent people' by host Adam Boulton. Former Bristol University student Robin Boardman-Pattison (pictured) went to a 17,500 a year private school, According to blogger Guido Fawkes Mr Boardman-Pattison is a leading member of Vote No Heathrow and was part of a group that vandalised the Conservative Party HQ last summer. The group also went on hunger strike and carried out protests outside the offices of the Labour Party, hoping to force its MPS to vote against expansion of the airport. Boardman-Pattison, who went to fee paying Trinity School in Croydon, is also seen on his Instagram enjoying holidays to Italy and skiing. Another shows him visiting Buckingham Palace. According to Fawkes, Boardman-Pattison was recently a languages student at Bristol University, and occasionally makes foreign language poetry videos on YouTube. Boardman-Pattison, pictured, has been involved in protests against the expansion of Heathrow - despite enjoying numerous holidays abroad Another image posted on his Instagram shows a trio to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy In October Mr Boardman-Pattison was one of three men arrested after spray painting the words 'Make Ecocide Law' over the entrance to Bristol Magistrates' Court It is claimed that over the summer he shared a conspiracy theory on Facebook calling allegations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party a 'smear campaign against Jeremy Corbyn.' In October Mr Boardman-Pattison was one of three men arrested after spray painting the words 'Make Ecocide Law' over the entrance to Bristol Magistrates' Court. He was charged with criminal damage, but revealed after his arrest that he was going to plead not guilty because the paint used during the protest was chalk-based - meaning it could be removed. Later he explained why he carried out the protest, writing in a letter: 'What do we have to live for when the world around us is falling apart? Boardman-Pattison was recently a languages student at Bristol University, and occasionally makes foreign language poetry videos on YouTube Another post on Instagram shows the former student during a visit to Buckingham Palace In October Mr Boardman-Pattison was one of three men arrested after spray painting the words 'Make Ecocide Law' over the entrance to Bristol Magistrates' Court He was charged with criminal damage, but revealed after his arrest that he was going to plead not guilty because the paint used during the protest was chalk-based - meaning it could be removed 'We have the right to challenge this collapse. 'Our demonstration outside the Magistrates court exercised this right. To freely challenge unjust laws is a privilege which our ancestors fought and died for. 'Our society is built on their sacrifice and we must honour them by protecting it for future generations.' Speaking about climate change today on Sky News, the 21-year-old said: 'I care so deeply so deeply about all the people in this world and all the life on it - and I will not see it die. Mr Boardman-Pattison (pictured during the interview) is reported to be a leading member of an anti-Heathrow expansion group that vandalised the Conservative Party HQ last summer After Mr Boulton branded protestors 'incompetent, middle class, self-indulgent people' he stormed off set 'Millions of people are going to starve. We face another hot summer and we are going to see the effects right here in the UK. 'People are not going to be able to put food on their plates and I won't stand for that. I won't stand for people who won't stand up for what it means to live on this planet - and I won't stand for anything else.' But veteran broadcaster Mr Boulton said: 'I feel very patronised by you because I feel that I'm well aware of what the situation is and I don't see why millions of fellow citizens should be inconvenienced. 'After a week Parliament has left, you come here and cause disruption in Westminster. You are not even getting your message across. Later Mr Boardman-Pattison (pictured being hauled away by police) explained why he carried out the protest, writing in a letter: 'What do we have to live for when the world around us is falling apart?' Mr Boardman-Pattison after his arrest outside Bristol Magistrates' Court last October 'You're like the incompetent middle-class, self-indulgent people and you want to tell us how to live our lives. That's what you are, aren't you?' The activist then got up from his chair and stormed off the set. Footage of the exchange was posted to Twitter with one user writing: 'Extinction Rebellion representative stomps out of his interview like a stroppy teenager after being torn apart on Sky.' The row came as climate change protesters climbed on top of a Docklands Light Railway train today on the third day of mayhem across London. Commuters and businesses are raging at the major disruption to at least 500,000 people as a boat continues to block Oxford Circus, activists dance on Waterloo Bridge and rows of tents block key routes through the capital. Climate activists stand on top of the Dockland Light Railway at Canary Wharf station in East London this morning Police officers remove a protester as activists from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group block Waterloo Bridge today Police remove a protester who had glued himself to the window of a DLR train at Canary wharf station this morning Extinction Rebellion protesters glued their hands to DLR carriages at Canary Wharf as they boasted of holding their four key strongholds, but police switched off the Tube's public wifi to stop them co-ordinating protests. Protests have been taking place at Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Marble Arch - with activists urging others to gather at Oxford Circus today. More than 300 have been arrested during clashes with police in 48 hours. The protests have led to road closures, gridlock and serious disruption to public transport, with 55 bus routes closed and 500,000 people affected. West End retailers are estimated to have lost 12million in sales in two days. The Sultan of Brunei (pictured) has been stripped of an honorary degree awarded by the University of Aberdeen in 1995 The University of Aberdeen has stripped the Sultan of Brunei of an honorary degree to protest his introduction of the death penalty for people who engage in gay sex. It comes amid an international outcry over the nation's new Islamic criminal laws punishing gay sex and adultery by stoning offenders to death. University of Aberdeen principal George Boyne said the Sultan's introduction of the new penal code is contrary to the institution's 'strong commitment to the value of diversity and inclusion'. The university announced on Wednesday that it has revoked the Sultan's honorary degree - awarded in 1995 - in an unprecedented move following a vote by the senate, its academic body. Professor Boyne said: 'The sultan was awarded an honorary degree by our university in 1995. 'It was given at a time when the university had operated a successful exchange programme with its counterpart in Brunei, and when the sultan had encouraged links between Brunei and Aberdeen due to his interest in our geology and petroleum engineering research. There have been protests outside The Dorchester hotel in London, which is owned by the Sultan of Brunei 'In light of recent developments, the university undertook a review of how this award now fits with our values. 'Today I can inform you that the honorary degree has been revoked following a vote by senate, our academic body, which approved a recommendation from our honorary degrees committee.' Professor Boyne said the university's process includes an opportunity for the sultan to respond to the recommendation, and that his response was considered by the senate and the honorary degrees committee. He added: 'While it is deeply regrettable to be in this position, which is unprecedented for the University of Aberdeen, I fully support the decision. 'The University of Aberdeen is proud of our foundational purpose of being open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others. 'The introduction by the sultan of the new penal code is contrary to our strong commitment to the value of diversity and inclusion.' Advertisement A new book honours the 71 heroic animals which have received the pet equivalent of the Victoria Cross. The award, officially known as the PDSA Dickin Medal, was founded in 1943 to recognise animals which have displayed 'outstanding loyalty, bravery and courage'. Peter Hawthorne's book, The Animal Victoria Cross: The Dickin Medal tells the animal's stories, including an Alsatian that dragged its drowning handler to safety under gunfire in WWII. The remarkable stories of the 71 heroic animals to have received the pet equivalent of the Victoria Cross called the Dickin Medal have been revealed in a new book. The story of a carrier pigeon that flew 120 miles to raise the alarm for a downed bomber crew. The crew is pictured with the pigeon It also casts an eye on stories about a Labrador that saved countless lives in Afghanistan by uncovering IEDs, plus Simon the cat who caught many rats on the British warship HMS Amethyst. The story of a carrier pigeon that flew 120 miles to raise the alarm for a downed bomber crew is also immortalised in the book. The award is named after social worker and animal lover Maria Dickin who set up free animal vets in London during World War One and founded animal charity, the PDSA. To date, the Dickin Medal has been awarded to 34 dogs, 32 pigeons, four horses and one cat. Mr Hawthorne, 40, a teacher from Wolverhampton, West Midlands, said: 'The bravery and devotion of these Dickin Medal recipients is truly extraordinary yet they are little known of. 'Each winner displayed great courage under difficult circumstances, some in peacetime and others during conflicts. 'I hope this book raises awareness of their remarkable feats.' After the declaration of war in 1939, the War Office sent out a request for animals capable of helping the war effort. Many people struggled to feed themselves due to rationing and faced the heartbreak of releasing their pets. Thousands of horses, dogs, donkeys and pigeons were enlisted into the armed forces to perform a variety of roles. The tales of courage involving canines include an Alsatian called Rifleman Khan that dragged its drowning handler Lance Corporal James Muldoon to safety under shell and machine gun fire in WWII The award, officially known as the Dickin Medal, was founded in 1943 to recognise animals who have displayed 'outstanding loyalty, bravery and courage'. Pictured one of the medals which was awarded to a dog call Rob, who served three-and-half years in North Africa and Italy with the Second Service Air Regiment in WW11 Courageous acts, and others involving dogs, cats, pigeons and horses, feature in history teacher Philip Hawthorne's book, The Animal Victoria Cross. Pictured the medal which was given to Rob who was the 11th winner of the medal Ricky, a Welsh sheepdog received a medal. He suffered head injuries and damaged hearing after a mine exploded killing his commander, but he managed to help the remaining men to safety Some dogs acted as guards and others were able to detect buried victims of the Bitz, and a select few went on secret missions with the SAS into enemy territory. One Dickin Medal recipient was an Alsatian called Rifleman Khan who sprung into action to save the life of his handler Lance Corporal James Muldoon. In November 1944 his battalion, the 6th Cameroonians, was part of the Allied force sent to attack the island of Walcheren in the Netherlands, as part of the Battle of the Scheldt. Rifleman Khan and Lan Corp Muldoon were in an assault craft approaching the island by sea when a spotlight shone on them and the boat came under heavy fire. The boat capsized, sending the soldiers into the water. Rifleman Khan swam to shore and began to look for Lan Corp Muldoon, who could not swim. While still under heavy shelling and machine gun fire, Khan then swam the 200 yards back to Lan Corp Muldoon. As he approached, Lan Corp Muldoon's head was barely above the waves washing onto the beach. Rifleman Khan managed to reach his handler, clamped his teeth around the collar of his tunic and managed to pull him free from the mud. He continued to pull his handler past the muddy shoreline and up onto solid ground, before collapsing next to him. Lan Corp Muldoon and Rifleman Khan both survived the war and in 1946 the former returned to his work as a plasterer in Strathaven, Scotland. He wrote many letters to the War Office requesting permission to keep Rifleman Khan permanently. Each request was rejected as the Railton family wanted their dog back, as their son Barry had contracted polio and wanted Rifleman Khan to return home. In July 1947, Rifleman Khan was invited to the National Dog Tournament at Wembley Stadium. This prompted Mr Railton to write to Lan Corp Muldoon and ask if he would like to lead the family dog around the parade ring on the day. He jumped at the chance and when the two met Mr Railton was so touched by their affection for each other that he shook the hand of Lan Corp Muldoon and said: 'He's yours.' Winkie the carrier pigeon was on an RAF Beaufort Bomber when it crashed in the North Sea on February 23, 1942. She was set free and flew 120 miles home to Broughty Ferry, where her owner George Ross discovered the exhausted pigeon. She alerted the airbase at RAF Leuchars in Fife, who launched a desperate search and rescue mission. The crew was discovered just in time and Winkie was deservedly awarded the Dickin Medal. Other heroes include American guide dog Roselle who saved her blind owner from the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 by leading him from the 78th floor of the burning building to safety. Treo, a black Labrador, saved many lives in Afghanistan by uncovering a number of improvised explosive devices while serving in Helmand Province. Simon, a neuter cat, served with distinction on the British warship HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze incident in 1949, disposing of many rats though wounded by shell blast. Regal, a large bay gelding horse, kept his composure when he was in burning stables in Muswell Hill and covered in debris during a heavy blitz on London. Police horse Olga was on duty in 1947 when a flying bomb demolished four houses in Tooting, south London, and a plate-glass window crashed immediately in front of her. After initially bolting, she returned to the scene and remained on duty with her rider, controlling traffic and assisting with the rescue. Sam, an Alsatian, was on duty with the British army's Royal Veterinary Corps Dog Unit when he disarmed a gunman intent on massacring a village in the Balkans in 1998 by chasing after him, taking him down and retrieving his loaded pistol. The Animal Victoria Cross: The Dickin Medal is published by Pen & Sword and costs 12.99. The grave of Rob the dog who was the 11th to receive the Dickin Medal. He died in 1952 Dickin Medal winner Beauty is held by his owner Mr Bill Barnett holds (right). Fellow winner Irma (left) stands with her handler, Mrs Margaret Griffin who was later awarded the British Empire Medal for her work training rescue dogs A carrier pigeon called DD43 T139, which was attached to the Australian Army in the 1940s, was one of the brave animals awarded a Dickin Medal. It was given the award for its actions in Papua New Guinea in 1943. The pigeon carried a message for help after an army boat became stranded in a tropical storm. An artist impression of the boat and the soldier which released him is pictured The letter from the War Office informing the Bayne family of Rob the dog's Dickin Medal award Judy received a Dickin Medal. She is the only animal registered as a prisoner of war who returned from captivity to have her bark recorded on BBC radio Rip the dog is pictured as it helps unearth a victim of the Blitz whilst his handler, Mr King, looks on. Rip was awarded the Dickin Medal for saving the lives of many people in London's East End White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow once compared Trump's policies on immigration to Nazi Germany, it has been revealed. Kudlow made the comments in an August 2015 radio show in which he was also interviewing Stephen Moore, Trump's pick to serve on the Federal Reserve. Both are critical of the president's immigration policies during the discussion, in stark contrast to recent comments made by both in favor of his proposals. Larry Kudlow (right), who now serves as an economic adviser to Donald Trump (left), was previously critical of his immigration policies in the run up to the 2016 presidential election In audio uncovered by CNN, Kudlow, 71, says: 'Jumping right into deportation of illegals, 11 or 12 million people, which I'm just going to tell you my opinion, it's un-American. 'What is this? Taking police and going house to house? I hate to say it, but what does that remind us of. It reminds us of the worst parts of World War II.' He twice likens Trump's comments on deportation in the run-up to 2016 presidential election as 'un-American'. He says: 'Somebody has to stand up at a debate and say, you are completely wrong about mass deportation.' Moore, 59, an economic commentator who is now Trump's pick to serve on the Federal Reserve, is also critical of the policies in the interview. He labels them 'crazy' and 'dangerous' before going on to say: 'It's terrible economics because immigrants who come to this country to work, those are the people we want.' Stephen Moore, an economic commentator who is now Trump's pick to serve on the Federal Reserve, was also critical of the president's immigration policies in the interview Both have since been vocal in their support of Trump, with Kudlow recently heard saying 'the president is going to stick to his guns as he should on immigration'. And explaining his past comments earlier this week, he said: 'I was one of his earliest supporters back in 2015. Once some of those issues were cleared up. 'There was a lot of misinformation that went out. We walked about it. Turned out to be we were wrong. That's easy for me to say.' Moore, who one of Trump's nominees to the central bank alongside Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza executive, has also now been supportive of the president's immigration policies. He defended his past comments to CNN, saying: 'I said a lot of negative things about Donald Trump before I met him.' Both Kudlow and Moore went on to support Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and acted as economic advisers despite their previous comments. The news comes soon days after Kudlow announced that President Trump was not releasing his tax returns, on tax day. An environmentalist who super-glued herself to the street as part of climate change protests has slammed This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes live on-air for having an 'attitude'. Farhana Yamin stuck her hand to the pavement outside the Shell building in London yesterday as part of chaotic demonstrations wreaking havoc across the capital. The Environmental lawyer was brought on the show this morning after being released from Lewisham Police Station hours earlier. She slammed the ITV presenter for having a blase attitude about the prospect of Britain facing droughts as a result of global warming. Farhana Yamin was on This Morning today justifying the chaotic climate change protests in London The Environmental lawyer slammed Rochelle Humes for having a blase attitude about the prospect of Britain facing droughts as a result of global warming Yamin said: 'People have often heard about the information, but if I can be candid, they've taken a little bit of the attitude that you [Rochelle] had to Dave's report about the threat the UK faces to droughts. 'The UK Met Office has warned that we're expecting droughts to increase in severity. 'This isn't about a little bit of sunshine at Easter, this is really really important. British farmers were affected last year by droughts and also by floods.' A shocked Rochelle then defended herself: 'Just to clear up, I have no attitude at the fact we're facing a drought. That's not correct.' Yamin super-glued her hand to the pavement outside the Shell building in London yesterday as part of chaotic demonstrations wreaking havoc across the capital She was arrested and put in Lewisham Police Station overnight. She went on This Morning hours later Yamin was referring to a weather report from the Met Office predicting an Easter weekend heatwave and future droughts. The British forecaster said places in the UK including London were set to reach highs of 20C and 21C across the bank holiday weekend. But ITV guest weatherman Dave King earlier told hosts Rochelle and John Barrowman those reports were untrue and claimed the country would instead face heavy rain by Sunday and Monday. Climate activists are taken away from the top of a Dockland Light Railway at Canary Wharf station in East London on Wednesday morning Police remove a protestor who had glued himself to a window of the DLR train at Canary wharf station on Wednesday All week, climate change protesters have been causnig major disruption in the capital, blocking off roads, bridges and railways. At least 500,000 people have had their journeys disrupted as a boat continues to block Oxford Circus, activists dance on Waterloo Bridge and rows of tents cover key routes through the capital. Despite police shutting down Transport for London's public wifi to stop activists co-ordinating their protests underground, Extinction Rebellion protesters clambered on DLR carriages overground at Canary Wharf station on Wednesday. Police officers remove a protester as activists from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group block Waterloo Bridge on Wednesday Extinction Rebellion demonstrators continue to occupy Oxford Circus in London with their 'tell the truth' boat on Wednesday When asked if Yamin thought the disruptive protests were generating the right attention, she replied: 'People need to know that we've been doing this for three decades. 'Thirty years we've been trying to educate the public and politicians... This is the final call for us to wake up and show some leadership.' Advertisement Part of the triangular structure supporting Notre Dame's famous rose windows will be dismantled to prevent further damage, the Culture Ministry's fire expert, Jose Vaz de Matos, told reporters today A Paris official says part of the support structure around Notre Dame Cathedral's rose windows is to be dismantled to prevent further damage following the massive fire - as the French Prime Minister revealed an international competition to design a new spire. Police officials said that the triangular structure above the central rose window is leaning eight inches (20 centimeters) forward toward the street since the fire. The Culture Ministry's fire expert, Jose Vaz de Matos, told reporters that part of the structure is to be taken down 'to limit the movement' of the stone. De Matos said the main risk to the cathedral is the gables above the rose windows, which provide crucial support to the stained glass masterpieces. He said the structure is particularly exposed to the wind, and the overall structure remains fragile. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he will open the redesign of the of Notre Dame cathedral's historic spire to architects. He said: 'The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc. 'Or whether, as is often the case during the evolution of heritage, we should endow Notre-Dame with a new spire that reflects the techniques and challenges of our era.' A day after the bells rang at Westminster Abbey in support of France, cathedral bells rang out across France on Wednesday evening in support of Notre-Dame, at the exact time a devastating blaze struck the 850-year-old gothic masterpiece on Monday. The bells of Marseille's Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica were among those rang at 6.53 pm (5.53pm GMT). Earlier the Conference of French Bishops said on Twitter that all cathedral bells nationwide would ring in 'solidarity with the diocese of Paris'. Also Wednesday evening, Brigitte Macron, attended Mass at Saint-Sulpice Church, in Parish with her husband and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Afterwards she said: 'Everything bled, everything bled, there were four stages, first the stage of shock when we learned what was happening, then when we arrived on location and it was fear and anxiety that everything would crumble, around 11 p.m, hope, because at 11 p.m the towers were there, and then enormous gratitude towards all the firemen and all the men that battled the fire, for their courage and perseverance. It was an absolutely incredible moment. Thank you.' Earlier in the day, firefighter spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters that the rose windows are 'in good condition' but that 'there is a risk for the gables that are no longer supported by the frame.' He said firefighters took down statues inside the gables above the windows to protect them, and took care not to spray water too hard on the delicate stained glass. Another fire official, Philippe Demay, said the towers of the catherdral would have fallen down if firefighters hadn't deployed massive equipment and acted swiftly. Demay denied there was any delay and said firefighters acted as fast as they could during the extremely difficult operation, saying that the towers would no longer be standing 'if we hadn't put heavy equipment in place.' But questions are emerging over Notre Dame's fire-prevention measures, which proved woefully inadequate having not been updated for fear of altering the cathedral's historic design or damaging the the fragile structure. Pierre Housieaux, president of the Paris Historical Association, said there was a 'systematic refusal to install anything electrical' within 'the forest' of beams. 'Everyone knew that the attic was the most fragile part,' he told the NY Times. The rooster (left) contains religious relics including one of the 70 thorns of the Holy crown of Jesus Christ, and remnants linked to Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve, and pictured at the top of the spire on Monday night (right) Firefighters work near the rose window of Notre Dame cathedral Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Experts assessed the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame Tuesday morning to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the cathedral that had survived almost 900 years of history Onlookers cried out in anguish as the spire of the cathedral toppled in the inferno which swept ferociously over the roof of Notre Dame on Monday evening The Notre Dame before the fire that tore through the gothic cathedral on Monday. It was revealed today the support structure around the rose tinted windows (pictured) will have to be partially dismantled due to damage from the fire While other ancient European landmarks had been updated to include firestops - passive fire protection measures used to seal openings and joints in a wall or floor and impede the spread of flames - or sprinkler systems, these were intentionally not fitted in Notre Dame - leaving it to the mercy of building work that began in 1163. It also appears that practice fire evacuation drills had not been conducted as the organist who was playing at evening mass when the fire broke out said people didn't immediately react when the alarm rang because 'nobody knew exactly what it was because it was the first time that we heard it inside the cathedral.' Johann Vexo says as a priest was reading from the Bible at the time, and although people started to leave the building some, including Vexo, later came back. The organist says he spent another 20 minutes inside the cathedral, chatting to colleagues, before finally leaving at about 6.45pm local time on Monday night. Vexo says he didn't see fire or smoke and 'really thought that it was just something not working good or just a mistake, or whatever.' Notre Dame's spectacular and unique great organ seemingly escaped largely intact from the blaze that destroyed the roof and spire. The iconic wrought copper rooster from the top of Notre Dame Cathedral's spire which collapsed on Monday evening was discovered amongst the rubble on Tuesday Vincent Dubois, another Notre Dame organist who wasn't in the cathedral, says the organ 'must be completely dusted off, cleaned from the soot, the dust that is inside.' Firefighters and experts are still closely monitoring the building to determine how much damage the structure suffered and what needs to be dismantled to avoid collapse. Notre Dame will shut its doors for five to six years for repairs according to its rector, Bishop Patrick Chauvet. Chauvet acknowledged the 850-year-old church would have to close as he spoke with local business owners on Wednesday, two days after a blaze torched the roof of the cathedral and brought down its spire. This has caused Paris merchants whose livelihoods depend on Notre Dame tourism to worry about their own futures. The island that houses the cathedral has been closed to the public since Monday's fire, and its residents evacuated. Notre Dame is the nucleus of Paris - all distances in France are measured from the esplanade in front of the building. It's also one of the most-visited spots in France, whose economy depends heavily on tourism. Patrick Lejeune, president of the Notre Dame neighborhood merchants association, said the group's 150 employees fear for the future. 'No one is talking about us,' he said. Bustling streets are now 'totally closed. I don't have access to my office.' But in what is being described as 'an absolute miracle', France's Ministry of Culture confirmed that the spire's famed rooster weathervane was discovered in the smouldering rubble. 'The rooster has been saved. It's dented but can be restored,' said a spokesman. 'The fear was that it had been burnt and melted in the fire.' Shocked crowds watched the wrought iron copper weathercock fall to the ground on Monday evening as a fire engulfed the cathedral and destroyed its wooden and lead spire. There was particular fear for the rooster, because it contains religious relics including one of the 70 thorns of the Holy crown of Jesus Christ, and remnants linked to Saint Denis, the Christian martyr and former bishop of Paris, and Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of the French capital. Rector of Notre Dame Cathedral Patrick Chauvet (centre) and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (right) arrive at the scene on Tuesday - the rector said it would be closed for 'five or six years' According to cathedral guides, the rooster had acted as a 'spiritual lightening rod' to protect the Notre Dame faithful. Jacques Chanut, the president of the French Building Federation, shared a picture of the damaged rooster on Twitter. The sculpture of the cockerel - which is an unofficial symbol of France - was recovered on Tuesday by a restorer picking through the debris. A ministry spokesman said the rooster had been handed over to religious officials, without elaborating. An official separately told Le Parisien newspaper that the statue was 'battered but apparently restorable'. The official was quoted saying that, when the 19th-century spire had collapsed into the cathedral, the rooster statue had detached 'and fallen on the good side... away from the seat of the fire'. Because of the statue's damage, it was not yet possible to verify if the Crown of Thorns fragment or the other relics were still inside, the official said. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe speaking after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he announced a worldwide architects' competition to rebuild the spire How did it escape the flames? The golden crucifix standing above a pile of charred debris and twisted timbers Meanwhile French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the government will take a series of measures to secure the financing and accelerate the renovation work. Speaking after a special Cabinet meeting dedicated to Notre Dame, Philippe said the government will present a bill next week to ensure 'transparency and good management' during the reconstruction. He said one measure will aim at ensuring that all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame. The bill will also allow French ordinary citizens to get special tax cuts if they make a donation. Another measure will enable the French state to adapt legal procedures in order to ease the reconstruction. On Wednesday, Philippe also announced a global architects' competition to rebuild the spire of the cathedral. Philippe said the competition aims at 'giving Notre Dame a spire adapted to technologies and challenges of our times.' President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he wants the cathedral to be rebuilt in five years, with Philippe adding today: 'This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility.' Yesterday evening, fresh images of the wreckage were released showing the aisle piled high with charred and twisted timbers. Near disaster: An aerial view shows the vast extent of the damage to the Notre Dame Cathedral's roof, where the fire took hold and raged throughout Monday night A birds-eye view using a drone over the top of Notre Dame Cathedral shows extensive damage to the roof of the church after Monday night's inferno The scaffolding still stands around where the he spire stood before it collapsed in breathtaking scenes on Monday night Scorched stones at the top of the central tower of the cathedral which had housed the spire before it collapsed dramatically on Monday The cavernous interior of the church exposed to all the elements and the mangled bars of scaffolding after they were melted and bent by the ferocious blaze The rear of the cathedral beside the Seine river in central Paris after the fire spread rapidly in the lattice of woodwork in the roof known as 'the forest' A plunging hole goes all the way through to the cathedral floor as the bars and boards of the scaffolding which had been used for renovations can be seen mangled after the spire fell away One of the cathedral's many intricate facades around where the tower stood stands blackened after the searing blaze swept through its windows Yet it could have been so very much worse. The 850-year-old towers which stand guard over the entrance and the immortal bells hanging within are in one piece. So, too, is some of the stained glass. 'Our Lady' lives on, bloodied but unbowed. At the same time, the fire had produced another miracle of sorts. This avowedly secular country suddenly seemed to have rediscovered its sense of the spiritual yesterday, if only for a few hours. 'I have never known so many people talking openly about God, about religion and saying prayers in public,' said caterer Marie-Astrid d'Arras. 'So many people have become Catholic once again.' Underpinning all this talk of divine intervention was a single image which first appeared of the golden crucifix still shining at the altar within the sacred site. The sun rising over Notre Dame Cathedral on Wednesday morning as donations towards its renovation soared to one billion euros Even avowed atheists took to social media yesterday to profess how moved they had been by this poignant symbol of defiance. Several Anglophile Parisians said it reminded them of that famous wartime image of St Paul's Cathedral standing tall during the Blitz. For the authorities, there were more earthly considerations, notably finding out how this had all happened in the first place. France might be praying a little louder than usual. But it is also pretty angry, too. Macron cleared yesterday's Cabinet meetings of all other business to focus exclusively on Notre Dame. Such is the mystical hold this 12th Century Gothic masterpiece has on the national psyche. An interior view of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral on Monday People attend a vigil on Tuesday. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof An aerial view of the Notre-Dame Cathedral engulfed in flames on Monday evening in the French capital Paris People pray on their knees by the Seine riverside in front of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers Macron faces growing backlash over donations from business tycoons President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the Gothic masterpiece within five years, and less than 48 hours since the fire began, tycoons, companies, local authorities and individuals have stepped forward with large donations. But the scale of the donations, which have reached a billion euros, has attracted criticism from the French left and supporters of the yellow vest movement, as reported by The Times. There has been growing anger over the fact that wealthy donors can benefit from tax deductions of up to 66 per cent, depriving the French treasury of income. The backlash prompted the Pinault family to announce yesterday it would not be seeking any tax breaks over their donation. Benjamin Cauchy, one of the leaders of the yellow vests, said: 'It's fine that the oligarchy is paying for Notre Dame. Good consciences do not hide misery and austerity.' Advertisement A key issue will be the cost. Under French law, the ownership of the cathedral rests with the State but the French taxpayer received a handsome head start yesterday when two of the country's richest families pledged 300million euros before breakfast. On Wednesday the figure has soared to an astonishing one billion euros. As stories began to emerge of the gallantry of the firefighters and of a particularly heroic priest seen running into the inferno to retrieve some of Notre Dame's treasures messages arrived from world leaders, including one from the Queen. 'Prince Philip and I have been deeply saddened to see the images of the fire which has engulfed Notre-Dame Cathedral,' she told President Macron. 'My thoughts and prayers are with those who worship at the cathedral and all of France at this difficult time.' Tomorrow, she will attend her beloved Royal Maundy service at St George's Windsor, the traditional prelude to Easter Sunday. There will be no Easter at Notre Dame, for the first time in nearly nine centuries. There was also a message yesterday from the Prince of Wales. 'I realise only too well what a truly special significance the cathedral holds at the heart of your nation,' he told Macron. 'But also for us outside France it represents one of the greatest architectural achievements of Western civilisation. It is a treasure for all mankind.' People gather at the Place Saint-Michel the day after Notre-Dame Cathedral suffered heavy damage from a massive fire By way of consolation, he alluded to the Royal Family's own experience of the 1992 fire which ravaged much of Windsor Castle. 'Our hearts go out to you and the people of France more than you can ever know, especially in view of our experience with the devastating fire at Windsor Castle 27 years ago,' the Prince went on. It was the Prince, together with the Duke of Edinburgh, who led the five-year, 40million rebuilding programme. It more than restored Windsor to its former glory. Macron would be well advised to pick up the phone to the Queen or her eldest son for a few useful tips on how best to resurrect a medieval treasure. Other world leaders expressing their solidarity yesterday included Pope Francis, who announced he was placing the Vatican's heritage experts at France's disposal. After all, one of his predecessors, Pope Alexander III, was here to see the foundation stone laid in 1163. This graphic shows the scale of the damage to the cathedral, with some artefacts confirmed as safe and others damaged Before the blaze: This image from drone footage shows the glory of the cathedral's interior before the devastating fire The outpouring of international goodwill only added to the emotions encountered in Paris yesterday, including young men playing mournful recitals on the cello. Here and there, nuns broke into song or prayer. Gawping crowds encircling the cathedral's island site on either side of the Seine filled miles of pavement and brought traffic to an escargot-style crawl. In front of Notre Dame itself, a succession of sombre politicians talked of a need for national unity. After months of civil disobedience by the anti-Macron 'gilets jaunes' movement, there is a sense that the appetite for organised dissent has waned in the last 24 hours. 'There is a spirit which lives inside and above this building, one you don't find in, say, the Eiffel Tower,' said Ambrose Laurent, secretary of France's Conference of Bishops. Then the bishops issued a joint statement saying every cathedral in France would ring its bells today at the precise time when Monday's fire broke out. Sitting with his drawing pad next to the Seine, a retired steel executive Robert Gest, 72, sketched the cathedral. He said he wants to leave it to his grandchildren as a reminder of what happened. 'There has been so much bashing of the church and religion in this country that perhaps this experience will make people think about it a little more,' he said. 'After all, the great cross is still there.' The inside of Notre Dame with its Gothic architecture and high vaulted ceiling is seen before it was wrecked by the inferno A view from an upper level of Notre Dame before the interior was ravaged by the fire and the roof and spire destroyed The nave of the Paris cathedral with pews for the congregation is seen before the blaze which left it exposed to the elements Some of the ornate artwork is seen inside the cathedral before the blaze. Most of the architecture remains intact today Dr Brian Flavin has been suspended by a tribunal for giving his wife favourable treatment A hospital consultant who arranged for his injured wife to jump the queue at a busy A&E department so she could be seen, x-rayed and discharged in just 26 minutes has been suspended for misconduct. Dr Brian Flavin, 48, also took medical supplies from the hospital in order to treat his 49-year-old wife at home on another occasion before falsifying medical records to cover his tracks. He has since been suspended for a month following a disciplinary hearing held by the Medical Practitioner's Tribunal Service but was spared from being struck off. An internal investigation into his conduct was launched by NHS bosses after they received a tip off from a member of staff at Christchurch Hospital in Dorset. The panel heard that Dr Flavin was working in the A&E department at Christchurch Hospital on July 31, 2016 when his wife, who is also a doctor, arrived with their son. The nature of her injury was not disclosed but she had earlier had a telephone conversation with her husband about her being seen. The tribunal heard Dr Oriel Flavin was registered at the A&E Department at 8.57pm, skipped the triage system and sent for an immediate X-ray. She was discharged at 9.23pm that night. Explaining his actions, Dr Flavin said it was a busy night with the department being under-staffed. He said he was worried that his son would become disruptive if he had been left for too long. Dr Flavin was working in the A&E department at Christchurch Hospital on July 31, 2016 when his wife, who is also a doctor, arrived with their son. File photo In its findings the tribunal concluded: 'Dr Flavin stated that he was working at the A&E on a busy Sunday night shift when his wife arrived with their son at 8:45pm. 'He was concerned that his son might have been disruptive within the department if required to wait for a period of time, or that he would require Dr Flavin's supervision. 'This might have impacted on Dr Flavin's A&E duties and his patients on an evening when the department was already short staffed.' Dr Flavin said he already knew his wife's medical history and the details of her injury, so she should be sent straight for an x-ray rather than going through the process again with a colleague. The findings continued: 'The tribunal considered that in the circumstances of the situation, particularly relating to his son's needs, Dr Flavin's actions were intended to keep the A&E department running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. 'Dr Flavin did not try to conceal anything and he had since admitted that his actions were wrong. 'The tribunal felt that whilst a member of the public might be somewhat annoyed by the preferential treatment, they would not consider his actions to be of serious concern.' The tribunal also heard how Dr Flavin took intravenous fluid and dressings from the hospital on four occasions between March 24 and April 5, 2017, to treat his wife at home. And on April 4 and 5, 2017 he falsified documents to pretend his wife had attended A&E on these dates so he could prescribe her medicine. He has since been suspended for a month following a disciplinary hearing held by the Medical Practitioner's Tribunal Service (located in this Manchester office block) but was spared from being struck off In mitigation, the tribunal was told Dr Flavin at the time was suffering 'significant financial and personal difficulties', and he genuinely believed treating his wife at home was the 'best way to manage her health issues'. But the tribunal found: 'We determined that Dr Flavin's dishonesty, which was repeated during the relevant period and included the falsifying of records, was significant. 'Dr Flavin's actions not only put his colleagues in a difficult position, but set a poor example for junior staff. 'The tribunal viewed the creation of false medical records as egregious.' The tribunal decided that his behaviour did not warrant him being struck off but merely suspended from duty for one month. It concluded: 'We remained sympathetic to Dr Flavin's difficult personal circumstances, which contributed to his misconduct and took the view that his dishonesty was at the lower end of the spectrum. 'It was not committed for personal gain, but to further what Dr Flavin erroneously believed was the best way to manage his wife's health issues. 'We also took into account the impact that this sanction may have upon Dr Flavin, his patients and others who rely upon his contribution to medicine. 'However, in all the circumstances we concluded that Dr Flavin's interests are outweighed by the need to send a clear message to him, the profession, and the wider public that the type of behaviour he exhibited constituted behaviour unbefitting of a registered doctor.' Dr Flavin left Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust in August 2017 when a General Medical Council investigation was launched into his conduct. He returned to his native Ireland, where he had qualified as a doctor in 1994, and has worked as a medical doctor at a clinic in Dublin since August 2018. Human remains recovered from a canyon in Utah are believed to belong to Jerika Binks, a 24-year-old woman who vanished while hiking on February 18, 2018 Skeletal remains recovered from a canyon in Utah are believed to belong to Jerika Binks, a 24-year-old woman who vanished while hiking over a year ago. A 70-year-old man came across the remains on Sunday in a ravine at American Fork Canyon. Authorities have since recovered some personal items that were 'consistent with the description of the property Binks was said to have with her on the day she went missing' on February 18, 2018, according to Sergeant Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff's Office. Cannon said no foul play is suspected as there was evidence that the victim had been injured and it appeared unlikely she was brought there by someone else before or after her death. 'It would be a strenuous hike or climb to get where the remains were found very steep, very rocky, difficult terrain,' he told ABC News. 'It's entirely possible this person had an accident [or] a fall of some kind.' A man came across the remains in a ravine at American Fork Canyon (above) on Sunday A surveillance camera in the canyon captured Binks jogging on the day she went missing. Authorities have speculated that she tripped and fell while out on the treacherous trail Cannon described Binks as an 'aggressive runner' and said: 'We dont know if shes been before but it wouldnt be a shock that she has taken a challenging hike like this.' She had recently overcome a struggle with addiction at the time of her disappearance and her life was on the upswing, Cannon said, so authorities do not believe she committed suicide. 'There was no reason to believe at all that she was suicidal... She was winning the battle with addiction and she had a lot of hope for the future, school and working,' Cannon told Oxygen. 'Very kind person. Loved by everybody who knew her. That kind of compounds the sense of tragedy in a case like this, someone who had so much to offer.' On February, 18, 2018, Binks told her roommates at the residential treatment center where she lived that she was going for a run. A wildlife camera then captured her running along the Timpanogos Cave Trail a few hours later. That's the last time she was seen alive. Binks has been described as an 'aggressive runner' who was loved by everyone who knew her The hiker had been missing for eight days before search crews finally went looking for her due to hazardous weather conditions and a police error that led to a misfiled missing persons report. One witness, Brittany Lisenby, 31, told investigators she heard gunshots in the canyon the day Binks went missing, noting: 'It wasn't hunting season and it sounded more like a handgun than a rifle.' Once the weather cleared, her family and friends, along with officials, mounted a huge search effort for her and even offered a $10,000 reward for information about her disappearance. The man who found the remains said he frequently visited the American Fork Canyon but had never been to that specific ravine before. He said he noticed the personal items on his way up and assumed it was trash left by other hikers. He spotted the human skeleton on his way back down. It took rescue crews 40 minutes to hike to the spot where the body was found on Monday morning because it was their first time responding to that area. Binks' family has been notified about the discovered remains and is awaiting identification from the medical examiner in Taylorsville. An Arizona couple allegedly lured a day laborer to their home and forced the man to have sex with the female suspect at gunpoint to fulfill their 'sexual fantasy scenario'. Brenda Acuna-Aguero, 39, and Jorge Murrieta-Valenzuela, 45, have both been charged with sexual assault, aggravated assault, and unlawful recording of a person. Acuna-Aguero allegedly picked up the victim outside a Home Depot in Phoenix last Monday, saying she would pay him to help her husband move items in their house. Brenda Acuna-Aguero, 39, (pictured) allegedly lured a day laborer to her home and forced him to have sex with her while her husband held him at gunpoint to fulfill their 'sexual fantasy' The victim told investigators that after they arrived at the couple's home, Acuna-Aguero 'began to talk sexual to him' and revealed it was 'her fantasy to have sex with a laborer'. She told the victim she wanted to have sex with him. When he realized she was being serious, the laborer told Acuna-Aguero he did not want to have sex with her, according to the police report. That's when Murrieta-Valenzuela allegedly entered the room with a rifle, placed the gun on the victim's chest, and told him 'he was going to have sex with his wife or he would shoot him'. Murrieta-Valenzuela (pictured) allegedly took pictures of his wife having sex with the victim on his cell phone and directed him to 'move into different sexual positions' The victim then had sex with Acuna-Aguero at gunpoint while Murrieta-Valenzuela took pictures of them with his cell phone, the report states. He told investigators that Murrieta-Valenzuela also directed him to 'move into different sexual positions'. Following sex, the victim alleged that Acuna-Aguero and Murrieta-Valenzuela forced him to show them his wife's number in his phone and call her in front of them to confirm it was her. The couple then allegedly forced the victim to hand over his Mexican visa and driver's license. Acuna-Aguero and Murrieta-Valenzuela told the victim they would return his documents after he returned to their home the next day, telling him they would get him Viagra. If the victim did not return, the couple said they would send the photos of him having sex with Acuna-Aguero to his wife, the report states. Murrieta-Valenzuela then drove the man back to Home Depot, only to demand that he come back to the house later that afternoon. He warned that if the victim did not return 'to have sex again with' Acuna-Aguero, he would send the photos to the victim's wife, the report states. Acuna-Aguero allegedly picked up the victim outside a Home Depot in Phoenix (pictured) last Monday, telling him she would pay him to help her husband move items in their house The victim did not respond and later received a message from his wife, who lives in Mexico, saying she had received photos of him having sex with a woman. Authorities were called to the scene and discovered photos and videos on the couple's phone from a 'similar incident in March'. They could not identify the victim. Acuna-Aguero first told investigators that she had consensual sex with the victim, before admitting that she knew Murrieta-Valenzuela was going to threaten him with a gun and record them having sex without the labor's consent. Murrieta-Valenzuela admitted to police that he and Acuna-Aguero 'had done this approximately four times prior with other random men', the report states. The couple both remain behind bars and are each being held on $250,000 bond. A former corrections officer in Maryland has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in a brutal attack on his wife, who survived despite being stabbed more than 20 times and nearly suffocated with a bag and a belt. The state attorney's office described the gruesome crime on Monday while announcing the plea by 46-year-old Armando Quispe Rodriguez. Prosecutors say on March 23, 2018, Keyia Rodriguez, then aged 31, was asleep inside her family's home in the 2500 block of Archway Lane, Bryans Road, when her husband began hitting and stabbing her. Case closed: Armando Quispe Rodriguez, 46 (left), has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the March 2018 knife attack on his wife, 31-year-old Keyia Rodriguez (pictured right with her daughters after the stabbing) The woman survived after suffering 23 stab wounds all over the body during the hours-long attack Keyia's cousin shared this graphic image of the damage to the victim's ear The mother-of-two, who also worked as corrections officer, tried to escape but her husband handcuffed her to a railing in the basement and bound her ankles. Rodriguez then proceeded to stab his wife a total of 23 times, using a hunting knife with a five-inch blade, after which he placed a plastic bag over her head and tightened a belt around her neck in an attempt to suffocate her. Keyia didn't die, however, and Armando Rodriguez eventually called 911 to report the hours-long attack on his wife, calling it a 'domestic situation.' Officers who responded to the couple's home were met outside by the husband, who had cuts on both of his hands. When they entered the residence, they found the wife incoherent and lying in a pool of her own blood in the basement. The woman was airlifted to the Prince George's County Shock Trauma Unit, where she was treated for her many stab wounds and a punctured lung. Keyia Rodroguez was nearly suffocated with a plastic bag and a belt, but was able to recover from her injuries In April 2018, Keyia shared a photo of herself with her two daughters showing her scars on a GoFundMe page created by her cousin. 'I am able to talk...walk {slow} and it's by His grace!!! I am a MIRACLE,' she wrote. Other graphic photos shared on the fundraising site depict multiple knife wounds on the victim's back that had been closed with medical staples. Doctors also had to saw a portion of her right ear that had been partially sliced off, as one of the images shows. Authorities never revealed a motive behind the brutal assault on Keyia Rodriguez. Armando Rodriguez agreed to the plea deal a week before he was scheduled to go to trial. He faces life in prison when he is sentenced on August 8. Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that lawmakers end a congressional recess and come back to Washington to work on an immigration overhaul. 'Democrats in Congress must return from their Vacations and change the Immigration Laws, or the Border, despite the great job being done by Border Patrol, will only get worse. Big sections of Wall now being built!' he said. Legislators are working are working from their districts, and in some cases traveling abroad with their families or congressional delegations, in the lead-up to Easter Sunday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Dublin, wrapping up a trip to the U.K and Ireland. The president usually leaves town later in the week to spend the Christian holiday at his Palm Beach resort with family and friends and was expected to make the trip again this year, assuming the release of the Mueller report doesn't get in his way. Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that lawmakers end a congressional recess and come back to Washington to work on an immigration overhaul Legislators are working are working from their districts, and in some cases traveling abroad with their families or congressional delegations, in the lead-up to Easter Sunday U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi meets with Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail (left) and Cathaoirleach of Seanad Eireann Denis O Donovan on arrival at Leinster House in Dublin on Thursday to deliver an address as part of her four-day visit to Ireland and Northern Ireland Attorney General William Barr says he'll release the redacted report on Thursday, creating a mad dash to read the 400-page document and review the special counsel's determination that that no one in the Trump campaign committed criminal collusion. Trump's tweet on Wednesday morning about immigration reform - something he knows isn't going to happen over a holiday that's celebrated by most Americans and almost all of his base - was his second attempt to compel legislators to come back. He made a similar plea on Monday morning, after watching a '60 Minutes' special on Pelosi, who was in London at the time. 'Congress should come back to D.C. now and FIX THE IMMIGRATION LAWS!' he insisted. The President has the power, under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, to call a special session of the Congress any time he chooses. So far, he has not opted to override Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican. Instead, he has harped about immigration on Twitter from the White House as he awaits the release of Mueller's final report on the Russian-led conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 election. The president claimed in a Monday tweet that illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security cannot keep in custody will be transported to cities that promote themselves as safe spaces for migrants without papers. 'Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!' he said. DHS has not formally announced such a policy since, nor has it responded to requests for comment on the topic. Trump also claimed this week that illegal immigrants will be transported to cities that promote themselves as safe spaces for illegal immigrants. His administration has not put forward a formal proposal so far Trump made building a border wall and stemming the tide of illegal immigrants a key promise of his 2016 campaign. But as his 2020 re-election bid gets closer, his wall remains unfunded by Congress Trump made building a border wall and stemming the tide of illegal immigrants a key promise of his 2016 campaign. But as his 2020 re-election bid gets closer, his wall remains unfunded by Congress. He declared a national emergency to get the money but he will not be able to finish the border barrier before the next presidential election. Even if he does, his administration has admitted that it won't totally solve the immigration problems the president has been raging about. That will take additional legislation from Congress and new Department of Homeland Security regulations. Trump fired his Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen a week ago as he moved to put immigration hardliners in charge of it. He insisted Monday, at a tax day event, that American immigration laws are 'horrible and foolish' and they allow thugs to claim asylum. 'It's a big con job that's what it is,' he contended. 'And Congress has to get smart. and when I say Congress, I can't blame the Republicans. The Republicans want to do it.' He noted that it takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass most bills and Democrats currently control the House. The president predicted in Minnesota, he state he lost in the 2016 election, that immigration would be a winning issue for him. 'We can retake the House,' he said. 'We can retake the House.' He said last week that the White House was considering alternative ideas - such as dumping illegal immigrants into sanctuary cities - to control where migrants roam after they're mandatory release from government custody. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday that Trump likes an administration plan to send them to sanctuary cities and called it a win 'everybody' as she appeared on Sunday morning news programs. 'The president likes the idea and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities so let's see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it,' she said on ABC's 'This Week.' The president confirmed that he was 'strongly' considering the measure, after the Washington Post reported on a plan to send immigrants in custody to the district of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump also made clear he intends to target the immigrants in U.S. custody in the home-states and districts of his political rivals despite statements by his staff that it was not in the offing. 'California is always saying 'We want more people.' We will give them a lot. We will give them an unlimited supply,' Trump said Friday. Pelosi's office blasted his idea. 'Using human beings - including little children - as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable,' said Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne said in statement Friday. Sanders said the White House has explored a number of options to stop illegal immigrants from coming over the U.S.-Mexico border. She added that the sanctuary cities option would not be a top choice. 'We talked about a number of different things over the last two years that we'd love to see happen. Certainly, this wouldn't be our first choice because ideally we wouldn't be dealing with the massive influx of illegal immigrants coming across the border, the crisis that we have both from a national security and humanitarian standpoint,' she told ABC News. People belonging to a caravan of migrants from Honduras en route to the United States walk across a bridge as they leave Tapachula, Mexico, in April White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump likes a plan to dump illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities President Donald Trump said he if the cities want more people he'll give them more She said if immigrants were released into sanctuary cities it would be because of the Democrats. 'If Democrats continue to be unwilling to do that, then we're going to look at all of our options and we don't want to put all of the burden on one or two border communities. And Democrats have stated time and time again they support open borders, they support sanctuary cities. So, let's spread out some of that burden and let's put it in some of those other locations if that's what they want to see happen and are refusing to actually help fix the problem,' she said. SANCTUARY CITIES - WHAT AND WHERE Sanctuary cities - and states - are those which in broad terms protect illegal immigrants from deportation by federal authorities. There is no legal definition and no single set of laws - so agreeing which places are sanctuary cities or states is in itself contentious. But broadly, most sanctuary cities say that their police officers do not ask for immigration status, and do not report it to the federal authorities when they detain, arrest or process suspects. Most will also decline to detain illegal immigrants on requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they are accused of serious crimes. The degree of seriousness varies from place to place. In New York, even a felony is no guarantee that an immigration detainer will be obeyed. California is the biggest single sanctuary area, with local law enforcement agencies banned by state law from using money, personnel or equipment to help federal immigration authorities act against illegal. While critics might say some places are sanctuary cities, local lawmakers often deny it. In Los Angeles, where cops are banned from stopping people solely on suspicion of being illegal, the mayor has rejected the label, and frequently co-operates with immigration agencies. Cities which identify as sanctuary include: Berkeley, California, since 1971 San Francisco, CA Boulder, Colorado Hartford, Connecticut St Petersburg, Florida Chicago, Illinois Urbana, IL Evanston, IL New Orleans, Louisiana Albany, New York Kalamazoo, Michigan Jersey City, New Jersey Newark, New Jersey New York, New York Portland, Oregon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Seattle, Washington Cities accused of being sanctuary cities because of laws which limit co-operation with ICE, but which deny it include: Los Angeles, California Atlanta, Georgia Portland, Maine Baltimore, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Detroit, Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota Advertisement Sanders also sought to unravel a situation in which White House staff and the president had been contradicting one another. 'This was raised at a staff level initially and pushed back on. The president wants us to explore again, so that is being done and they're doing a complete and thorough review. But again, the big thing is, if Democrats, including the mayors and members of Congress in these communities want these individuals, they should be helping the president frankly look for solutions to bring them to their communities instead of fighting that president every step of the way,' she said on 'Fox News Sunday.' Trump said last week in tweets that the idea was indeed under consideration. 'Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,' Trump wrote, confirming a story in the Washington Post, an outlet he often attacks as part of the 'fake news.' 'The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy so this should make them very happy!' Trump said. By adding the word 'only,' the president provided a new detail to the plan. Although the paper had reported top aides pushed the idea with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it did not say sanctuary cities would be the only location where his administration would ship the illegal immigrants. He also took a different tack than the White House, which shortly before his tweet downplayed the idea. 'The idea was briefly and informally raised and quickly rejected, according to a White House statement, the Washington Post reported. A White House statement in the original story said: 'This was a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion.' Trump denied a separate claim from two other news outlets that he offered to pardon his acting DHS secretary if he violates U.S. immigration law. 'I never offered Pardons to Homeland Security Officials, never ordered anyone to close our Southern Border (although I have the absolute right to do so, and may if Mexico does not apprehend the illegals coming to our Border), and am not 'frustrated.' It is all Fake & Corrupt News!,' he said in a Saturday tweet. Sanders also said Sunday that President Trump did not tell the top border agent he would pardon him if he arrested for enforcing policies to stop immigrants. 'We're a country of laws and we have a president who supports that and is not asking anybody to do anything outside of those bounds. In fact, he's asking Congress to step up and give greater legal standing so they can do more to stop this crisis. No one's trying to skirt the law and certainly not being encouraged by the president to do so,' she said on ABC's 'This Week.' CNN and The New York Times reported last week that the president - during an earlier visit to the border - offered Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan a pardon should he be arrested for enforcing any policy to keep out immigrants that ran afoul of the law. Sanders slammed a source of the story, picking a fight with Trump nemesis CNN. 'I don't know about you, but CNN isn't usually my first stop for a good source, particularly not when it comes to this president. The president is actually the president trying to enforce laws not go around them,' she said. Sanders said the president has asked border agents to do 'everything they are allowed to do under the law. 'It's the same thing he says publicly day in and day out. It's the same thing he says behind closed doors to staff, is figure out how we stop this crisis, how we fix this problem,' she said on 'Fox News Sunday.' The president was reported to have told McAleenan he 'would pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying US entry to migrants,' according to the CNN report, which said the comment was paraphrased. Trump allegedly dangled the offer on his visit to the border town of Calexico, amid a looming staff shakeup at DHS that would leave McAleenan in charge temporarily. The network sourced the report to two officials briefed on the exchange, and said it was unclear if it was intended as a joke. Trump met with McAleenan during a border visit, where he railed against immigration and declared the nation 'full' and unable to take any additional people. 'The system is full. Can't take you anymore. Whether it's asylum, whether it's anything you want, it's illegal immigration. We can't take you anymore, Trump said. 'We can't take you. Our country is full. Our area is full. The sector is full. Can't take you anymore, I'm sorry. Can't happen. So turn around. That's the way it is,' he said. After mentioning the Border Patrol at the event, Trump mentioned backstage conversations, where he expressed a hint of defeatism about the existing laws. 'And I was telling some of the people before: If it's full, there's nothing you can do about it. We have some horrible court decisions that have been made over the years. It's very unfair and that's the way it is.' 'But the system is full. And when it's full, there's nothing you can do. You have to say, 'I'm sorry, we can't take you.' We've been trying to take people, and I have to disagree with it. We've been trying to take people and you can't do it. You can't do it. So we're going to look at that and we're going to look at it very, very strongly,' Trump said. As the acting head McAleenan does not need Senate confirmation, although he could be required to testify before Congress on budget matters or as his role as head of the Border Patrol. This would give lawmakers an opportunity to ask him about the reported exchange under oath. President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a new attack on the FBI ahead of the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, again labeling them 'dirty cops' and claiming he's a victim of a witch hunt. 'Wow! FBI made 11 payments to Fake Dossier's discredited author, Trump hater Christopher Steele. @OANN @JudicialWatch The Witch Hunt has been a total fraud on your President and the American people! It was brought to you by Dirty Cops, Crooked Hillary and the DNC,' he wrote on Twitter. The president has been engaged in a furious tweet storm this week as he and the rest of the world awaits the release of Mueller's report on Thursday morning. President Donald Trump launched a new attack on the FBI ahead of the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report He has fired off 8 tweets so far this week on this subject as Washington awaits with baited breath the release of Mueller's findings on Russia's role in the 2016 election. Trump's latest tweet comes as Judicial Watch announced it filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit 'for records of communications and payments' between the FBI and Steele. 'How and why did the FBI pay Christopher Steele, who was already being funded by the Clinton campaign and DNC through Fusion GPS?' Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a release. 'That we had to sue for this basic information shows the FBI may have something more to hide.' Trump has long railed against Steele, whose unverified dossier claimed the president 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. The Steele dossier was paid for by Fusion GPS - a research firm that also did work for the Democratic National Committee. Steele received $168,000 for his work, as was reported in November of 2017. In August, the FBI released 71 pages of heavily redacted communications between the bureau and Steele. Those records revealed the 11 FBI payments to Steele as a Confidential Human Source over an unknown period. But on Nov. 1, 2016, the FBI told Steele it was unlikely to continue working with him, and he should not 'obtain any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI,' according to the documents. The FBI had hired Steele to continue the research that started with the Trump dossier. That dossier was originally commissioned to Fusion GPS by a Republican media firm, Washington Free Beacon, during the GOP primary process to get information on Trump. When Trump became the Republican nominee, Steele's work was paid for by funds paid to Fusion GPS by the Perkins Coie law firm, which represented the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The president has repeatedly claimed his a victim of a witch hunt. Special counsel Robert Mueller arrives at his office in Washington D.C. on Wednesday morning Trump has long blasted former British spy Christopher Steele Attorney General William Barr leaves his home in McLean, Va., on Wednesday morning Trump has been blasting his side of the story on Twitter for days in advance of the Mueller report's release. On Wednesday, the president argued Mueller's probe was a 'scam.' 'The greatest Scam in political history. If the Mainstream Media were honest, which they are not, this story would be bigger and more important than Watergate. Someday!' he claimed. On Monday, he argued crimes were committed by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and 'dirty cops' - a reference to Comey and former FBI agents that worked for him. 'Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction. These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!,' he tweeted. Attorney General William Barr will send the Mueller report to Congress Thursday President Trump said it was time to 'INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS' as Washington prepared for the release of the Mueller report His public spin comes the week Mueller's report is expected to be given to members of Congress and released to the public sometime on Thursday. The 400-page report will have some redactions for on-going investigations but is expected to lay out Mueller's findings in its probe of Russia's role in the 2016 election. According to Attorney General William Barr's summary, prosecutors did not find evidence that Trump campaign members conspired with members of the Russia government to influence the 2016 election. Also, according to Barr, Mueller did not make a recommendation about whether the president should be charged with obstructing justice. However, he said the report included information on both sides of the ledger on that score. One key line from the report quoted by Barr is certain to get further attention once its context is revealed: 'While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.' Democrats have demanded the full report after Barr, in a letter to Congress, said Mueller left it up to the attorney general to determine whether the president obstructed justice in the investigation. Barr, along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, said there would be no obstruction charges against Trump. Trump's legal team has prepared their own, official spin in document form: a report to counter Mueller's that is expected to be released after the special counsel's. But the Democrats are the ones gearing up for a lengthy legal battle. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas 'very quickly' for the full report on Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Barr has said he is redacting four types of information from the report. Congressional Democrats cite precedent from previous investigations in saying they want to see it all. But some Republicans defending Barr are also citing precedent, saying it is appropriate to keep at least some of the information from Congress and the public. WHAT WILL BE REDACTED: GRAND JURY INFORMATION Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are 'free to go to court' themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so. Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned. Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure 'preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding.' But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they don't need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different. Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for 'all materials, regardless of form or classification.' In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team. Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. 'All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here,' Schiff said on CNN this month. ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that are still underway. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, New York and Virginia. Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Mueller's own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump. Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation. DEROGATORY INFORMATION The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinized in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report 'that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.' Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. 'No, I'm talking about people in private life, not public officeholders,' Barr said. That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Mueller's investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted. The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasn't charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signaled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently. 'If you're not going to indict someone, then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person,' Barr said. 'That's not the way the Department of Justice does business' A 17-year-old typed out pages on how he planned to fatally shoot his grandparents and law enforcement found those notes with a book on an executioner in the teen's backpack after he called 911 and confessed to the killings, prosecutors in Wisconsin said Tuesday. Alexander M. Kraus was charged Tuesday in Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wisconsin, with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Dennis Kraus, 74, and 73-year-old Letha Kraus. Each charge carries a life sentence. Outagamie County Court Commissioner Brian Figy ordered Kraus held on a $2million cash bond. Alexander M. Kraus, 17, is handed documents by his attorney Gregory Petit during his initial appearance Tuesday in the Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wisconsin Kraus has been arrested on first-degree intentional homicide charges after he allegedly shot dead his grandparents, 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus Greg Petit, Kraus' attorney, declined to comment Tuesday, saying after the hearing that he 'doesn't know enough' yet about the case. Police found the bodies Sunday at their home in Grand Chute, a small city about 110 miles northwest of Milwaukee, after a male called the police and said he needed to be arrested in the deaths, according to a criminal complaint. An autopsy found that Dennis Kraus was shot once in the head and Letha Kraus suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the right forearm. There were 'several pages' in a red folder outlining how Kraus would kill his grandparents, investigators said in the complaint, which provided no motive for the shootings. The complaint mentioned a book found in Kraus' camouflage backpack about an executioner, but provided no details. Police have said Kraus also told investigators he was planning to cause unspecified harm at Neenah High School, where he was a junior. The complaint mentioned a book found in Kraus' camouflage backpack about an executioner, but provided no details. No information has been provided on why Kraus shot the couple (pictured) Grand Chute police officer Travis Waas said on Monday that during an interview, Kraus admitted to shooting his grandfather Dennis Kraus Police performing a welfare check Sunday found the victims dead inside their Grand Chute home (pictured) No details of the nature of that plot have been revealed and it was not mentioned in the complaint released Tuesday. The school district said police determined there is no danger to students or faculty. Messages left at a number listed for Kraus' home address in Neenah were not immediately returned Tuesday. Grand Chute police officer Travis Waas said on Monday that during an interview, Kraus admitted to shooting the Grand Chute couple and acknowledged that he plotted to cause harm at the school. Investigators learned about the school plan in talking with Kraus and recovered documentation relating to it, Waas said. Kraus told detectives he shot his grandfather in the head first then 'tried to shoot his grandmother in the head,' according to the complaint. Kraus (pictured) told detectives he shot his grandfather in the head first then 'tried to shoot his grandmother in the head,' according to the complaint Police have said Kraus also told investigators he was planning to cause unspecified harm at Neenah High School (pictured), where he was a junior. Police said Letha Kraus' body was found lying on top of Dennis Kraus' body in the kitchen of the home. Officers found a shotgun with a knife taped to the end of the barrel and a knife sheath on the bed of a downstairs bedroom. A search of an upstairs bedroom uncovered a shotgun on the bed with two gun cases and ammunition, a 'large amount of various ammunition' on the floor, and several more guns in a gun cabinet, the complaint said. Kraus told police he stayed at his grandparents' home the night before the killing. Wisconsin is one of six states that treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. Democratic Gov Tony Evers has included provisions in his state budget that would move 17-year-olds back into juvenile court. No information has been provided on why Kraus shot the couple. Fabrizio Stabile was killed aged 29 last September by a rare brain-eating amoeba last fall he allegedly contracted at BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort in Waco, Texas. Stabile's mother filed a $1million wrongful death lawsuit against the water park on April 9 The mother of a New Jersey man who was killed by a rare 'brain-eating amoeba' he allegedly contracted as a Texas water park has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the resort. Fabrizio Stabile was 29 when he died on September 21 from an infection less than two weeks after he visited BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort in Waco. Stabile had tested positive for Naegleria fowleri, an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that kills 98 percent of infected persons. Tests conducted at the park after his death found evidence of the rare but deadly amoeba in the water at one of the four attractions. Rita Stabile filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1million from BSR on April 9 in McLennan County District Court, according to The Houston Chronicle. The suit alleges that the park's blue-green dyed water 'masked a pathogen soup' that allowed the amoeba to thrive. The park claims that it installed a new water filtration system after the contamination was discovered. Park owner Stuart Parsons responded to the suit on Tuesday, telling the Chronicle: 'Our hearts go out to the family of Fab. Only God knows where he got the ameoba (sic).' The lawsuit against BSR (above) alleges that the park's blue-green dyed water 'masked a pathogen soup' that allowed the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri to thrive Stabile's family says the 29-year-old complained of a severe headache on September 16, and by the following day he was incoherent and unable to get out of bed. He was immediately rushed to the hospital near his home in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where doctors first believed his brain swelling and fever symptoms were caused by bacterial meningitis. When his condition continued to deteriorate rapidly despite the meningitis treatments, doctors began running tests to determine another cause. Four days after the initial symptoms appeared, Stabile's family received the devastating news that he had tested positive for Naegleria fowleri. He died the following day. Stabile (left and right) visited BSR on September 9, 2018. He began experiencing infection symptoms one week later and his condition rapidly deteriorated before he died September 21 An obituary for Stabile described him as an 'avid outdoorsman' who 'loved snowboarding, surfing, and anything to do with friends and family'. He is believed to have contracted Naegleria fowleri when water went up his nose while he swam in the wave pool at BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort on September 8. Infection symptoms from the parasite typically flare up between one and nine days after contact. WHAT IS A BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA? Naegleria fowleri is commonly referred to as the 'brain-eating amoeba' as it can cause a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). But the infection is very rare, and according to the CDC, there have been about 35 cases reported in the US in the last decade. The single-celled organism is commonly found in warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs, as well as in soil. It usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. Once the amoeba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal. Infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water) enters the nose. You cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria Advertisement The water park temporarily closed pending an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, which concluded that Stabile's exposure 'likely occurred' there. Tests indicated that there was a 'treatment failure' in the BSR water because there wasn't enough chlorine to disinfect it. A report said the water tested was cloudy and contained organism associated with fecal matter. BSR is one of two Texas surf parks in Texas. The other, located in Austin, is strictly regulated under state law, while BSR was not subject to the same inspections. In the wake of Stabile's death his family founded the Fabrizio Stabile Foundation for Naegleria Fowleri Awareness - which has raised more than $26,600 in six months via a GoFundMe campaign. According to the CDC, there have only been 143 diagnosed cases of the parasite in the 56 years since it was discovered. Of the 34 cases reported in the US between 2008 and 2017, 30 people had been infected by recreational water, three people were infected after performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water, and one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard water toy. The parasite can cause a deadly infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis when contaminated water enters a persons body through the nose and mouth. Of the few cases reported, only five people in North America are known to have survived. Three of those survivors were treated with drug therapy, but in Stabile's case it was too late to administer the medication. I heard three joyful classical concerts a month ago, on three successive nights. Such happiness in a single week! Ill talk now about one of these evenings, Steven Isserlis playing music by men and women, with pianist Connie Shih, at the Kennedy Center on March 6, presented by Washington Performing Arts. So I dont make this post too long) Ill momentarily hold two joyful evenings at the WoCo Launch Festival, an explosion of womens music, presented in DC by a new group, the Boulanger Initiative. Which filled me with so much joy that I came for two nights, when Id planned at first to only come to one. Isserlis had a great idea for a program. Music by bigtime male composers, and by women they loved. Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann. Martinu and Vitezslava Kapralova, whom he was crazy about and who died when she was only 25. Cesar Franck and Augusta Holmes, Irish/French, who (said Isserliss vivid program notes) captivated all the male composers in Paris. So much so that Franck, devoted Catholic as he was, started writing music that was sensual. A quick takeaway: Clara Schumann sat easily as Roberts equal, with fine expression and (which I particular loved) quietly striking details in her Three Romances for Violin and Piano, played an octave lower on the cello. Kapralova (to judge from her Ritornelle, which was full of vivid jumps and twists) might, if shed lived, been a more powerful composer than Martinu. And Holmeswow. In Isserliss own arrangement of an excerpt from a choral work, she did nothing I could point to as unusual in any objective way. Except that her melodies were ravishing, just taking over the Terrace Theater, filling all the space. I could just imagine Holmes doing that herself in a Paris salon. Just taking over the room, simply by being there. After her piece the start of the familiar Franck sonata (which ended the program) sounded like the start of a timid courtship. To which Holmes (as, hearing the music, I imagined this scenario) responded. In the second movement, the two were in love. So crazily so in the third movement that youd wonder if the romance could last. But yes! The full-tilt finale sounded like a partnership, a marriage. Which never happened in reality, between these two (Franck was already married), but with the music I could dream about it. Two little things Isserlis plays with such abandon that sometimes, to my ear, he forgets to be mindful of technique. But which matters more, joy or technical perfection? When Isserlis came out with Shih for their encore, he cried out, What a piece! About the Franck. Which didnt seem at all excessive. Hed just played in just that spirit. And kudos to him for having Shih as his partner, a rock-solid powerhouse whos every bit his equal, and without the tiny lapses. Shows, to me, how secure he is. Also I dont think it fully worked to play the Clara Schumann piece with the violin part dropped down an octave. The cello, to my ear, kept playing in a register in which it obscured the piano part, where the most absorbing details were. The violin doesnt do that. Which highlighted Francks achievement, since he meant the sonata to be played on either cello or violin. And heard the music in his minds ear so clearly that the change in register the cello just plays the violin part down an octave doesnt make the sound even slightly less transparent. A great achievement, which, Im going to guess, came easily to him. Such a joyful evening! The former president of Peru has died after shooting himself in the head when police stormed through his front door to arrest him today. Alan Garcia, 69, was supposed to face questioning for alleged money laundering but was rushed to Casimiro Ulloa hospital in Lima after putting a bullet in his skull. As officers moved in to detain him, the two-time head of state said that he needed to speak with his lawyer and then shut himself in his room before a firearm blast rang out. The ex-premier fought for his life for around three hours, during which time he suffered three cardiac arrests and was resuscitated three times, before being pronounced dead. Scroll down for video Former Peruvian president Alan Garcia shot himself in the head at his Lima home moments after police stormed in to arrest him for corruption charges Dramatic X-ray images appear to show Mr Garcia's skull hours before he died in hospital A scan purports to show the gunshot wound left when the bullet passed through Mr Garcia's head Footage taken from this morning purported to show police officers arriving at President Garcia's house And X-ray images purportedly show Mr Garcia's gunshot wound left by the bullet which passed completely through his head. The images have not been verified by MailOnline but the hospital monitor clearly shows today's date and Mr Garcia's full name. His death was confirmed by current President Martinez Vizcarra. 'Alan Garcia has died, long live Apra,' said Omar Quesada, the general secretary of Garcia's American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Apra) party. Speaking to reporters about the moments leading up to the fatal shooting, interior Minister Carlos Moran revealed that Garcia had told police he needed to call his attorney after they arrived at his home in Lima to arrest him. Mr Moran said: 'He entered his room and closed the door behind him. 'Within a few minutes, a shot from a firearm was heard, and police forcibly entered the room and found Mr. Garcia sitting with a wound in his head.' Mr Garcia was sent to hospital at 6.45am local time and had been in the operating room since 7.10am. Supporters of the ex president react to the news of his death outside the hospital where he was rushed to A woman cries in front of armed guards upon learning the news that her former head of state is dead His lawyer, Erasmo Reyna, had confirmed the shooting and earlier described his client's condition as 'delicate'. He said: 'Right now he's being operated on. Let's pray to God to give him strength.' Mr Garcia served two terms as president of Peru, the first from 1985 to 1990 and the second between 2006 and 2011. He was under investigation after allegedly accepting bribes from Brazilian construction titan Odebrecht in return for contracts during his most recent spell in office. Three officials were seen hovering outside Mr Garcia's house at 6.33am local time, minutes before the ex-president was rushed to hospital The two-time President who served between 1985 and 1990 and also from 2006 to 2011 testified to the attorney prosecutor's office about alleged bribery in February 2017 Odebrecht has admitted that it paid $29million to Peruvian officials during three Presidential tenures, but Mr Garcia maintains his innocence and has slammed the inquiry as a political smear. In a 2016 plea agreement with the US Justice Department, the Brazilian company admitted that it paid corrupt officials across Latin America nearly $800million to secure major infrastructure contracts. Mr Garcia, who led the country's Apra party, testified in front of the attorney prosecutor about these accusations in February 2017 and was supposed to give evidence in November 2018 but the hearing was cancelled at the last minute. He was a skilled orator and appealed to a strong nationalist base to win his first election but after his administration brought crushing hyperinflation he governed as a free-marketeer on his return to the Palacio de Gobierno. Large crowds gathered outside the Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in Lima as news spread that Peru's former President had shot himself Peruvian politics has been mired in suspected corruption which led to another former president, Pedro Pablo Kucyznski, detained last week. Allies of Kuczynski said he was also taken on Tuesday night to a local clinic with high blood pressure. A judge last week ordered Kuczynski's detention for 10 days as he investigates 782,000 dollars in previously undisclosed payments from Odebrecht more than a decade ago. A hearing is scheduled to take place to decide whether to increase his detention to three years. Neighbouring South American nation Uruguay rejected Mr Garcia's asylum plea late last year. Health Minister Zulema Tomas earlier said Mr Garcia was in 'very critical' condition, not long before he died Supporters of the Peruvian ex-president Alan Garcia gathered outside the Casimiro Ulloa Emergency Hospital waving 'Apra' flags in reference to the party he used to lead Jorge del Castillo, Secretary General of the Apra party, walks at the hospital when the former party leader was in a 'grave' state Peruvian President Alan Garcia gestures during his inauguration in Lima in 1985 Garcia was called as a witness as part of the Odebrecht investigation in November 2018 but the hearing was cancelled at the last minute A supporter of Mr Garcia's reacts to his shooting outside the hospital while she waits for news on the former president's condition This is the disturbing moment a teacher forced him four-month-old nephew to drink beer during a birthday party in Peru. William Daniel Camacho Diaz attended the family celebration in Lambayeque in northwestern Peruvian on Saturday afternoon and gave Lionel Said a taste of the beer. A cellphone video captured the sickening scene in which the shirtless educator dipped his right index finger into a cup of beer and then shoved it into the baby's mouth. 'Let's see if he is a true, drunken Camachito. Looked at how this fool is sucking his thumb,' Camacho Diaz said while a woman in the background giggled. William Daniel Camacho Diaz (right) placed his right finger in his four-month-old nephew's mouth after he dipped it into a cup full of beer during a birthday celebration in Peru Peruvian investigators from the Public Ministry's office in the northwestern department of Lambayeque visited the home of Lionel (pictured center being carried by a woman) two days after he appeared in a viral video while his uncle forced him to drink beer The history educator repeated this couple more times before he attempted to feed the child directly from the cup. Moments later, the school teacher tried to place the bottle into his nephew's mouth before he placed it under Lionel 's tiny hand. 'Take the damn bottle so that you can be a little drunk. Drink. Take your damn bottle,' Camacho Diaz could be heard shouting. He subsequently jammed his finger into the bottle and placed it on a table before he rubbed his finger over the boy's lips. Camacho Diaz was criticized when he posted the video and still images to his Facebook account, which has been removed, along with a caption in Spanish that read: 'At Eloy Camacho Diaz's birthday With his nephew Lionel Said He's tasting the cold beers. Hopefully he will not be like his dad, Edgar Alexander Camacho Diaz, a sleepyhead.' Four-month-old Lionel (center) was forced to drink beer at a family gathering in the Peruvian town of Ferrenafe The Public Ministry office in the town of Ferrenafe opened an investigation after it was notified of the outrageous viral video and visited the baby's home Monday afternoon. A government official blasted the public school teacher's actions, stating he should have known better given his stature, according to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. 'It surprises and disgusts us. A teacher can not participate in acts that really violate the principles of the public servant's code of ethics,' the official said. 'Although it is true that he is in a family gathering, as a teacher he has to act according to the principles of respect, honesty, competence. You have to have a proper attitude with moral principles.' A jealous husband who strangled his estranged wife to death with a scarf after trying to have her exorcised was jailed for at least 26 years. Mohammed Ali, 32, broke into the former marital home in Bow, east London and murdered Nazia Begum after lying in wait for her in a small cupboard for ten hours. He waited for their two young daughters to go to bed before launching his attack and ambush on Ms Begum, 25. Mohammed Ali, 32, (left) broke into the former marital home in Bow, east London and murdered Nazia Begum (right) after lying in wait for her in a small cupboard for ten hours Bloodied, he then got into bed to sleep next to his children, only alerting the police the next morning, when he greeted them holding a cup of tea. In a chilling 999 call he made after the murder, Ali calmly told the operator he'd 'accidentally' killed his wife 'with a scarf'. His murder trial at the Old Bailey heard Ms Begum was a Muslim but wanted to live a more Western lifestyle, rejecting Ali's strict rules on how she had to behave. His daughters - now six and three - have 'failed to grasp the finality' of their mother's death, the court heard, with the youngest one regularly going 'looking for her'. Sentencing Ali, of Barking, Judge Wendy Joseph said: 'Ali was a strict Muslim and required of her a lifestyle that she found intolerable. 'He could not accept this was, sadly, a bad marriage. There was evidence of his being manipulating and overbearing towards Nazia. 'His conduct was fuelled by a failure to accept that Nazia was entitled to leave him, entitled to divorce him, and entitled to live her own life. 'With tragic consequences, he took things into his own hands.' Ali was introduced to Ms Begum through their families and the pair quickly married in May 2015, expecting their first child within a month. However the relationship broke down soon after, with the defendant claiming she 'needed to be exorcised'. The court heard Ali moved out, but 'pumped [his children] for information' when he discovered his wife was in a new relationship with a childhood sweetheart. Ali seen on CCTV walking along Bethnal Green Road It was during one such contact session with his children in October 2018, at the victim's mother's house ,that Ms Begum Ali told her husband their relationship was over. After spending all night 'festering' on wild accusations about his wife, Ali bought items including two knives, a scarf, some flex, a door handle and screws. The court heard that Ali intended to use the screws so he could fix them to the inside of a cupboard in his victim's flat to help secrete himself upon her return. The court heard Ms Begum bathed, fed and played with her children before putting them to bed on October 21. It was then that Ali, who had been lying in wait since around 1pm, sprung from the cupboard and attacked her. She was found with multiple injuries to her head and ribs where he had punched her, then left her dead in her own blood after tying a scarf around her. Ali then slept at the flat before phoning the police at 5am the next day. He admitted killing his wife but denied murder. In an impact statement, Ms Begum's mother Janahara Begum said: 'The day Nazia died was the worst day of our lives. Our hearts are broken beyond repair. 'How do I explain to a three-year-old that her mother has been murdered? They will never feel her comfort again. 'Every day when they ask me when their mother will come back from Heaven, my heart breaks even more.' In mitigation, defence counsel Bernard Richmond said the couple's relationship was 'doomed from the start'. He added: 'Ali was a naive young man with a plainly fixed attitude of what to expect of a wife.' Ali showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum term of 26 years before being considered eligible for parole. He turned briefly to acknowledge a relative in the public gallery before being led from the dock to begin the jail term. New details have emerged in the case of two Navy SEALs and two Marines who are charged in the strangling death of a U.S. Army soldier in Mali. Staff Sgt Logan Melgar, 34, died from asphyxiation on June 4, 2017 in the home in Bamako that he shared with the two SEAL Team 6 members accused of killing him and covering up the incident. The SEALs are Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony E. DeDolph and Chief Petty Officer Adam C. Matthews. Accused of participating in the slaying are Marines Gunnery Sgt. Mario Madera-Rodriguez and Staff Sgt. Kevin Maxwell, were assigned to Marine Corps Special Operations Command. The service members face charges that include murder, hazing and obstruction of justice. Now, the long-simmering feud between Melgar and his SEAL housemates has been revealed in U.S. military documents reported by the Washington Post. Two US Navy SEALs and two Marines have been charged in the 2017 death of Army Green Beret Logan Melgar (pictured) while they were stationed in the African country of Mali Melgar, assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, detested his Navy housemates and accused them of bringing prostitutes back to the safe house and skimming cash from a fund used to pay local informants, the Daily Beast previously reported. 'I freaking hate them,' Melgar told his wife Michelle in one of the messages she handed over to authorities. The SEALs had their own beef with Melgar though, according to the documents. Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony E. DeDolph (above) is one of the four men charged In the weeks leading up to the assault, Melgar brought foreigners to the residence, angering his fellow troops, another soldier who also lived there later told Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents, according to the military documents. The soldier also said that Melgar had engaged in 'frat-like' behavior and had acted in ways that got them both 'uninvited' from events at the U.S. Embassy. The soldier also confessed that everyone in the safe house engaged in drinking, in contravention of military regulations for deployed troops. The soldier told investigators that the SEALs became so incensed with Melgar that they banned him and another Special Forces soldier from their operations center. On the night Melgar died, the soldier said that he incited the SEALs' fury by ditching them on the way to a party at the French Embassy. He claims that when Melgar returned to the safe house a few hours later, he boasted that he had made the right decision leaving the Navy men behind, because it had been a 'high class' event. The soldier said that Melgar said he had two or three beers at the Embassy party. It was previously reported that Melgar didn't drink alcohol. The furious SEALs went out on the town for a night of heavy drinking, and hatched a plan for revenge over whiskey and beer at the Appaloosa bar and a nightclub called Byblos, according to the documents. According to documents, the SEALs decided to haze Melgar as payback, and enlisted the help of the Marines who lived nearby. Two Special Operation sources alleged that Melgar (above) was targeted because he'd discovered the pair of SEALs were skimming off of the top of an informant fund The Marines retrieved some duct tape and a sledgehammer from their residence, planning to burst through Melgar's door to 'surprise him', Matthews stated in a stipulation of facts effectively admitting to his involvement. DeDolph, a former professional mixed-martial-arts fighter and a Purple Heart recipient, jumped on Melgar and put him in a chokehold on his bed sometime after 5am, two of the men later told authorities. Matthews, the other SEAL, grabbed Melgars legs, while the two Marines sought to duct-tape them, according to the confessions. As they moved to duct tape Melgar's hands, they realized he wasn't breathing. The troops began performing CPR and retrieved a defibrillator, and performed an emergency procedure on Melgar's throat to open his airway. They decided there was no time for an ambulance and took Melgar to a clinic, where he was pronounced dead. According to the Military Times, DeDolph and Matthews initially told investigators they found Melgar unresponsive in his room. Meglar's superiors suspected foul play and dispatched an investigating officer to the scene within 24 hours. The SEAL pair then tried to cover their involvement by telling superiors that Melgar was drunk during combat training - or hand-to-hand fighting exercises - and that is how he got himself knocked out and killed. Brig. Gen Donald Bolduc, who is the Commander of the Special Ops Command-Africa, was allegedly skeptical of the SEALs stories and the initial reports about Melgar's death, and told commanders in Mali to preserve any evidence. Melgar's wife Michelle was apparently also suspicious, three sources told the Daily Beast. She approached commanders about her concerns regarding his cause of death and allegation that he had been drinking. She also gave investigators the emails her husband sent her about the problems he was having with the two SEALs. Melgar, who was from Lubbock, Texas, served two tours in Afghanistan. He graduated from Texas Tech in 2006, and enlisted in the Army in 2012 as an off-the-street Special Forces recruit. He graduated from Special Forces Qualification in 2016. Kezia Dugdale (pictured at court last month) has won her legal battle after being accused of defamation by Stuart Campbell Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has won a case in which she was accused of defamation. She faced a legal complaint after she wrote in a newspaper column that Wings Over Scotland blogger Stuart Campbell had shared 'homophobic tweets'. Campbell, a campaigner for Scottish independence, sued her but today lost his legal battle. Sheriff Nigel Ross said that although Dugdale was incorrect to suggest Campbell was being homophobic, her article was fair comment and therefore protected. She is therefore not liable to pay the blogger the 25,000 that he had been seeking, his written judgement concludes. The case came after Campbell tweeted while the 2017 Conservative Party conference was underway. He wrote that Tory MSP Oliver Mundell 'is the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his homosexuality sooner'. Dugdale accused him of 'hatred and homophobia towards others' and cited 'homophobic tweets' in a Daily Record column. She then called on SNP politicians to 'shun' the blogger and raised the tweets in Scotland's Parliament at Holyrood. Campbell, from Bath, Somerset, said his tweet was not homophobic, but a 'satirical criticism' of Mundell's skills as a public speaker. Campbell (pictured outside court last month) sued the former Scottish Labour leader saying that she had defamed him At a three-day hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month, Campbell said he was a 'firm advocate of equal rights for gay people', the BBC reports, and added that it was 'absurd' to call his tweet homophobic. Sheriff Ross found that Mr Campbell does not hold homophobic beliefs and had demonstrated his support for equality for homosexual people over the years. He also concluded that the tweet in question did not contain anything homophobic and that Dugdale was incorrect to brand it as such in her column. But he also said that her article was protected by a fair comment defence because it was 'based on true facts; the statements complained about were honest; it concerned a matter of public interest, and the comments were fair'. He said that defamation law acknowledges the significant public interest in allowing the free expression of opinions without the fear of legal punishment. Sheriff Ross also said Campbell chooses 'insult and condemnation as his style' and can't expect to hold other people to a higher standard of respect than he is willing to adopt for himself. Commenting on the judgement following the court case, Kezia Dugdale MSP said: 'I am delighted to have won this case and hugely relieved after two long years of it hanging over me. Kezia Dugdale (pictured with her partner, Jenny Gilruth MSP) has won a legal case after she faced being sued for defamation 'I cannot thank the team at the Daily Record enough. They stood by me as I stood up to him and won. Their support has been fulsome and unwavering throughout such a difficult time. 'This is an important judgement for the right to free speech and a healthy press. This ruling clearly demonstrates that every citizen is entitled to make comments as long as they are fair and reflect honestly held views.' The uncle of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is set to stand trial on money laundering charges in France. Rifaat al-Assad is accused of using funds from Syrian state coffers to build up a $100million property empire. French officials have ordered him to stand trial for organised money laundering, although a date has not yet been set. The former vice president of Syria, now 81, has denied the charges, claiming they came from 'longstanding political opponents'. Rifaat al-Assad (left), the uncle of President Bashar al-Assad (right) is accused of using funds from Syrian state coffers to build up a $100million property empire His reported French fortune includes two Paris townhouses, a stud farm and chateau near the French capital and 79,000 square feet of of office space in Lyon. The 81-year-old former politician has been under investigation by French authorities since April 2014. Rifaat left Syria in 1984 after mounting a failed coup against his brother Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, who led Syria from 1971 to 2000. He was also dubbed the 'Butcher of Hama' for allegedly commanding the troops behind the bloody suppression of an uprising in central Syria. As head of an elite force he put down a Sunni insurrection in February 1982, a crackdown that claimed between 10,000 and 40,000 lives, according to estimates. After he arrived in Europe, his lavish lifestyle, four wives, and 16 children soon raised eyebrows. Rifaat, pictured in 2000, left Syria in 1984 after mounting a failed coup against his brother Hafez al-Assad, the father of current president Bashar al-Assad The manor of Bashar al-Assad's uncle, Rifaat al-Assad, in Bessancourt north of Paris. Prosecutors allege he used Syrian state funds to build up a property empire The entrance to the Bessancourt manor in Paris is seen in 2013. The uncle of the current Syrian President is set to stand trial over his property acquisitions He and his family also own over 500 properties in Spain, which were seized by authorities in 2017. His family's assets, outlined by French customs in a May 2014 report, are valued at around 90million ($102million or 78million). Much of the property empire is allegedly held through a web of businesses based in Luxembourg. Rifaat has claimed he owed his fortune to the largesse of Saudi king Abdullah, who died in January 2015. But French prosecutors believe much of the funds came from Syrian state coffers. One former Syrian minister has claimed that Hafez al-Assad had some $300 million paid to his brother in 1984 as a way to get rid of him following the coup attempt. The case is the latest in a string of cases brought in France against the families of foreign autocrats. Families have found two deadly piranhas in a Yorkshire lake where children often paddle and ducks and fish have recently gone missing. The carnivorous fish, known for their rows of sharp teeth, are normally found in the waters of the Amazon River in South America. But local residents have been left shocked after finding them in Martinwells Lake near Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is thought the fish may have been pets, which an owner then released into the waters when they got too big. Yorkshireman Davey White holds up one of two piranhas found in a lake near Doncaster Locals fear the piranhas could be behind the disappearance of fish and ducks from the lake Mother Toni Hooper, 32, from Doncaster, saw the fish when out walking with her family on Sunday. She said: 'When we realised what it was it sent shivers down my spine. This is a popular spot amongst families, dog walkers and fishermen. It's always busy here. 'There's a play park nearby, so you get kids here paddling in the water, teenagers will go swimming here. 'You wouldn't catch me going in the water. We came here to feed the ducks and on Sunday we noticed there was only one duck and two ducklings, I'm concerned about where the wildlife is. 'I've spoken to others who have said they've noticed there aren't as many ducks.' Residents are worried about the appearance of the fish in a lake in which children paddle Her partner, unemployed Gary Walker, 34, often fishes at the site and has noticed fish hauls have reduced. The former clay pit is now home to a lake which is usually well-stocked with carp, tench, bream, perch, roach, pike and chubb along with usual pond life of newts, frogs and toads. Ducks, coots and water hens all live on the pond which is visited each year by swans to raise their young. Lisa Holmes, 37, a mother-of-three, was there when the fish were found with her partner Davey White, 37, and their youngest child, Sonny, eight. Lisa, a carer from Doncaster, said: 'My partner is a fisherman and was looking around the edge of the lake when he suddenly spotted this fish floating near one of the pegs [fishing platform]. 'He managed to get it out of the water and although he's a keen angler, he wasn't sure what type of fish it was straight away. 'But then we started looking at it more closely and saw the teeth we realised it was a piranha. 'We went home and Googled it and its quite clear it's a piranha. It was quite a shock. We couldn't believe that we'd found a piranha fish. It's not the kind of thing you expect to find in Doncaster. 'We presume that it was a pet that someone no longer wanted and they have gone and dumped it in the lake.' It is thought the piranhas may have been pets which someone released into the water Fisherman Mr White found the fearsome creature floating in the water and Googled it More at home in the scorching climes of South America, these deadly man-eaters are certainly a fish out of water. Helen Thompson, writing in the Smithsonian Magazine, said: 'Piranhas attract a certain type of pet lover, and sometimes when the fish gets too large for its aquarium said pet lover decides it's much better off in the local lake. 'In this manner, piranhas have shown up in waterways around the globe from Great Britain to China to Texas. 'Obviously it's never a good idea to release them into the wild, as the species could become invasive.' Known for their sharp teeth and powerful jaws, piranhas are known to have killed humans - although attacks on people are rare. Attacks normally take place when the fish are stressed - such as when water levels are lower during the dry season and food is scarce. Splashing can attract piranhas and for this reason, children are more often attacked than adults. A local shows of the piranha's razor sharp teeth, which are known to strip flesh from its prey Most piranha attacks on humans only result in minor injuries, typically to the feet or hands, but they are occasionally more serious and can be fatal. In 2011, a drunk 18-year-old man was attacked and killed in Bolivia, a five-year-old Brazilian girl was attacked and killed by a shoal in 2015 and in 2016 a Brazilian girl died after her grandmother's boat capsized during a family holiday. Various stories exist about piranhas, such as how they can lacerate a human body or cattle in seconds and when American President Theodore Roosevelt visited Brazil in 1913, he was shown the power of piranhas when he went on a hunting expedition through the Amazon Rainforest. While standing on the bank of the Amazon River, he witnessed a spectacle created by local fishermen. After blocking off part of the river and starving the piranhas for several days, they pushed a cow into the water, where it was quickly torn apart and skeletonized by a school of hungry piranhas. Hit American horror B movie Piranha featured a deadly school of piranhas that escaped into open waters and killed unsuspecting swimmers. The sightings have been reported to the Environment Agency, who have been approached for a comment. The viral 'Feeling Cute Challenge' has taken a dark turn with corrections officers across the nation sharing selfies with captions promoting the mistreatment of inmates. The #FeelingCute challenge started this month involving everyday people sharing selfies of themselves at work with a caption detailing the duties of their position. The light-hearted challenge, however, has led to investigations in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri prisons after several correction officers shared posts with shocking captions such as 'Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today' and 'Feeling cute, might lock up some of your homeboys later'. Many of those photos were posted in a Facebook group called Correctional Officer Life. In some of the photos the people can be seen wearing a Texas Department of Criminal Justice uniform. Shocking pictures of correction officers taking part in the #FeelingCute challenge have sparked backlash for promoting the mistreatment of inmates. This officer joked '#feelingcute might gas the whole wing later' The #FeelingCute started earlier this month where everyday people share selfies with a caption detailing their duties at work. In a Facebook group called Correctional Officer Life prison officers have shared selfies with disturbing captions, alluding to harming prisoners The shocking posts alluded to locking up and harming inmates without reason. This officer shared her smiling selfie with the caption: '#Feelingcutechallenge...might lock up a few of your homeboys later' '#feelingcute might gas the whole wing later,' one person posted, sharing a selfie of himself wearing a uniform featuring a TDCJ patch. The two workers who threatened to gas inmates have names that match up to current prison employees, according to the Houston Chronicle. America's Police Problem, a website that rallies for law enforcement accountability, shared 40 different problematic posts shared by cops and prison officers from the challenge on Facebook on Sunday, accusing the officers involved taking the challenge to a 'new dangerous level'. Some of the shocking captions threaten to beat inmates, deny them visitation, deliberately say no to their requests, and intentionally put them in segregation solitary confinement units known as 'SEG' or 'the hole'. The captions include: 'Feeling cute, might shoot your baby daddy today...idk #FeelingCute Challenge', '#Feelingcutechallenge...might lock up a few of your homeboys later', and '#FeelingCuteChallenge say one thing wrong and you going in cuffs'. d America's Police Problem, a website that rallies for law enforcement accountability, shared 40 different problematic posts shared by cops and prison officers from the challenge on Facebook on Sunday, accusing the officers involved taking the challenge to a 'new dangerous level' Others include: 'Feeling cute...might four point you later', 'feeling cute...might deliver OC spray to your baby daddy today' and 'feeling cute might shoot to stop later'. After the photos were shared online, the families of inmates began emailing department officials on Monday reporting the names and screenshots of the selfies, demanding action. 'The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is aware of the so-called feel cute challenge currently on social media,' prison spokesman Jeremy Desel said to DailyMail.com. 'Currently 6 of the more than 25,000 correctional officers employed by this agency are under investigation for on and off-duty conduct violations as a result of the alleged posting of inappropriate photographs on social media,' Desel added in a statement. He added that if any of the allegations are proven true 'swift disciplinary action as severe as termination of involved employees will occur'. 'These officers in no way represent the thousands of TDCJ employees who go to work every day taking public safety seriously in all ways,' Desel said. In this shocking post an officer threatened to shoot without reason d d d d d Prisons in Texas, Georgia and Missouri have launched investigations into the employees that participated in the challenge with inappropriate captions Americas Police Problem reported names of some of the people behind the photos revealing the inappropriate selfies were taken by correctional officers in Michigan, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas. Officials from the Georgia Department of Corrections released a statement condemning the posts after an employee took part in the challenge. 'The alleged actions of these individuals do not reflect the conduct expected of any GDC employee, and will not be tolerated. If the allegations are found to be substantiated, swift and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken,' spokeswoman Joan Health said to the Washington Post Wednesday. One post from a corrections officer in Jefferson City in Missouri threatened to 'take your homeboy to the hole', sparking an investigation. 'All department of corrections employees are trained in the prevention and reporting of harassment, discrimination and unprofessional conduct and are expected to help ensure that interactions with offenders and fellow employees are professional and respectful,' Karen Pojmann, communications director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said to KOMU. d d This is the heart-stopping moment two police officers saved a 21-day-old baby after giving him CPR as his terrified parents panicked nearby. Filmed in the city of Marilia in Sao Paulo, Brazil the unnamed parents rushed into the police station with their son who was choking on milk and had lost consciousness. In the video, the father hands his baby, named Luis Henrique, to the officers after he had turned blue in the face. Renato Taroco and Robson Thiago de Souza, the officers, quickly gave the baby CPR as his terrified mother ran into the station. One officers gives the baby the kiss of life while the other presses on his chest. The officers repeatedly check the baby's airways as his distraught parents look on in horror. Renato Taroco and Robson Thiago de Souza, the officers, quickly gave the baby CPR The officers repeatedly check the baby's airways as his distraught parents look on in horror Military Police later confirmed that the baby is out of danger and he is said to be doing 'well' Eventually the officers straighten the baby and he moves his arms as his mother strokes his face. Local media reports that the baby regurgitated the milk and began breathing normally thanks to the cops' quick thinking. Taroco told local media: 'When we saw the baby's situation and the parents' desperation, we became automatic, we didn't think about anything and we just did what had to be done. 'It was emotional when we felt the baby come back to life.' The baby, named Luis Henrique and reportedly his parent's first child, was then taken to a local hospital and the Military Police confirmed he is out of danger and he is said to be doing 'well'. Sir James Dyson hopes to extend the existing 517-acre site, with new runway lighting, and to build a new hangar at the site, to allow business flights to land there Billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson has faced a backlash over his plans to develop a new runway on his former RAF airfield to allow 60 jets and 300 helicopters to land per year. Residents in the area around Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire fear they will suffer from noise and pollution if plans for the runway are approved. Sir James hopes to extend the existing 517-acre site, with new runway lighting, and to build a new hangar at the site, to allow business flights to land there. Residents have until tomorrow to comment on the full plan for development at the former military base, which Sir James opened as a research and development centre last year. Dyson recently announced it is moving its headquarters from nearby Malmesbury to Singapore, but that will not affect Hullavington. The plans, which were explained by representatives from Dyson to Hullavington Parish Council at a meeting last week, have divided opinion. Parish Council Chairman Maggie Bawden said: 'My personal opinion is that I have no objection. I think a lot of people who are complaining don't really understand the plan.' Stanton St Quintin Parish Council has also written to Wiltshire Council to say it has no objection. But people who live near the airfield disagree, and are considering setting up an action group. James Dyson has major plans for Hullavington Airfield, pictured above, in Wiltshire Dyson recently announced it is moving its headquarters from nearby Malmesbury to Singapore, but that will not affect Hullavington (pictured before the development) Kate Tanner, from Stanton St Quinitin, has written to Wiltshire Council to say: 'As a resident of a property overlooking the airfield, I wish to strongly oppose this latest planning application. 'This is mainly due to noise and light pollution. Having helicopters and jets based at this site, without controlled flying times, will really impact quality of life in this village. 'Regular jet and helicopter flights over the village would totally change this lovely part of Wiltshire.' Richard Giles, from Hullavington, was worried about secrecy and wrote: 'The planning application does not appear to make any reference to the purpose of the development. 'Dyson purchased the airfield as a research and development location and yet the building project is for an aerodrome. 'It is unclear whether this is to support the original purpose or is a new or subsidiary purpose. 'It is requested that there is greater openness on the purpose of this development and the impact that this development will have on the community, particularly with respect to noise pollution and the disturbance it creates.' A noise survey carried for Dyson and submitted to Wiltshire Council says: 'The change in noise level is very modest even when assessed in the worst case situation.' Dyson said: 'The airfield is now a base for Dyson's growing automotive teams and last year we outlined plans for a Phase Two of the Airfield project. 'This latest planning application concerns the modernisation of the runway to enable a small number of private flights associated with managing a global company. 'It represents part of our continued commitment to the restoration and enhancement of the historic airfield.' The co-owner of a North Dakota business where four people including her husband were slain says she and others don't know why the suspect would target anyone at the company. Chad Isaak, 44, a chiropractor in Washburn, faces four felony counts of murder in the April 1 deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and three workers in Mandan, a town of 22,000 near the state capital of Bismarck. Isaak lived on property managed by the company, but police have said that while they have plenty of evidence - spent shell casings, a knife and gun parts - they still haven't identified a motive. That was still the case as of Monday, Deputy Chief Lori Flaten said. (Left to right) RJR Maintenance and Management office manager Deanna Finnie, co-owner Jackie Fakler and and marketing executive Ben Pace pose for a photograph at the business in Mandan, North Dakota, where four people were brutally slain on April 1 Jackie Fakler said RJR officials had few interactions with Isaak, who lived in a mobile home park the company had begun managing just last June. Marketing executive Ben Pace called those few interactions 'all very normal.' Fakler said rumors that RJR was raising Isaak's rent or had ordered him to get rid of his dog are false. 'I don't think anything could make sense out of it, no matter what,' she said. Robert Fakler, 52, and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, and married co-workers Lois Cobb, 45, and William 'Bill' Cobb, 50, were shot or stabbed to death before the business opened that Monday. Jackie Fakler said the four victims typically came to work early. It also wasn't uncommon to have an unlocked door while there were workers on the premises. Chiropractor Chad Isaak, who lived on property managed by the company, is charged with felony murder in the deaths of co-owner Robert Fakler and three workers 'This is like home to a lot of people, and it's like being at home and leaving your front door unlocked while you're home,' Pace said. The victims were in different areas of the building and were killed within 13 minutes, according to Fakler. The Cobbs were in the office area; Fakler and Fuehrer in the back shop area. Police followed evidence from surveillance video at RJR and other businesses to arrest Isaak three days after the slayings. Court documents allege Isaak took one of the company's vehicles, drove about a block, then walked to his own truck parked in the area. Fakler said it wasn't unusual for Bill Cobb to leave a company truck running with the keys in it. '(Police) got a lot of footage everywhere,' she said. 'I think they were able to track (Isaak) from here to him leaving town.' After Isaak got back to Washburn, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Mandan, he allegedly went back to work at his chiropractor office. A client of his, Dora Sorenson, has said Isaak 'didn't appear any different.' Fakler said, 'It doesn't make sense how anybody could walk away, go to work. None of it makes sense.' RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, North Dakota. Chad Isaak hasb been charged with four counts of class AA felony murder which took place at the office on April 1 She and Pace credited police with making a quick arrest but said they are not privy to much more information than the public. Fakler said she's relieved with the arrest 'but then now you're flooded with all the questions - why? What could have been so horrible that he had to take four people's lives?' Isaak remains jailed on $1 million bond. He hasn't responded to interview requests and doesn't yet have an attorney listed to represent him. He could enter pleas at a May 14 hearing. Isaak could face life without parole if convicted. North Dakota doesn't have the death penalty. A famous 'Rich Kid of Instagram' and Young Liberal has been questioned by police over the alleged assault of female security guard at a prestigious university. Benedict Kusay, 23, attended an annual general meeting of the Melbourne University Liberal Club last month when members were expected to elect a new president. After the club failed to declare a winner, it hosted a second meeting on Monday which resulted in a dispute, The Age reported. Police were called to the university's Lowe theatre after Kusay, a wealthy German 'entrepreneur', was accused of assaulting a security guard while he tried to get into the building. Instagram Rich kid Benedict Kusay (right) was quizzed over claims he allegedly assaulted a female security guard during a Young Liberals meeting at Melbourne University. Above he is pictured at the Le Bar cocktail bar in Frankfurt Kusay, 23, attended an annual general meeting of the student club last month where members were expected to elect a new president. He was present at a second meeting on Monday which resulted in a dispute Victoria Police said they received reports of a male student pushing his way past a security guard after he was barred from entering the building. 'The 23-year-old man was interviewed and released pending further enquiries. The woman was not injured and did not wish to make a formal statement to police at this time,' a spokesperson said. Details of the dispute were not disclosed but it was believed to have been incited due to a feud between Kusay and current club president Chris Kounelis. Kusay, who reportedly voted against Kounelis's re-election, refused to comment on the incident but took a swipe at the club leader insinuating he is responsible for its alleged financial issues. The university student union is reportedly now investigating the claims. 'Chris and his backers should focus on cooperating with that, rather than spreading untrue stories about me through the media,' Kusay told the publication. Victoria Police said they received reports of a male student pushing his way past a security guard after he was barred from entering the building Kusay gained notoriety in 2016 as a 'rich kid' of Instagram who once put out an open invitation to 'gorgeous women' to join him and his seven friends on a 121ft-long yacht Kusay often flaunts his lavish lifestyle on his Instagram. This photo of a bottle of Dom Perignon, designer shopping bags, a 300 Hermes belt and a wad of 50 notes shows what businessman Benedict is packing In a Facebook message to members following the incident, Kounelis reportedly apologised and called the debacle 'unacceptable.' He said having police intervene at the meeting was a 'stain' on the club. Kusay gained notoriety in 2016 as a 'rich kid' of Instagram who once put out an open invitation to 'gorgeous women' to join him and his seven friends for a night of champagne and partying on his 121ft-long yacht off the coast of Normandy. The incident is believed to have occurred due to a feud between Kusay and current club president Chris Kounelis 'We are still looking for 22 beautiful woman who want to attend the party for free,' Bavaria-born student wrote on his account, promising free booze, food, and hookah. His Instagram, which appears to have been deactivated, displayed his high-flying lifestyle, smoking cigars, travelling, flaunting expensive labels, and opulent parties. Kusay's alleged involvement in Monday's scuffle marks the latest scandal for Melbourne's Young Liberals club which has come under fire over the years. In 2014, the Melbourne chapter was accused of posting racist and sexist comments on Facebook including one post which called Germaine Greer a 'c**m guzzling s**t'. The same club came under fire again in 2017 when the president at the time told a female member she couldn't attend an event because they felt uncomfortable inviting a 'chick.' President Trump is refusing to provide information to Congress on how Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump obtained security clearances, setting up a potential legal battle with the institution that's charged with reviewing the work the executive branch. Subpoenas have not been issued to 25 individuals, including Kushner and Trump, that a whistleblower says received clearance, despite red flags in their files. And while House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings has subpoenaed testimony from Carl Kline, a former White House personnel security director, he has not moved to compel testimony from current White House staff, however. A further escalation of the issue could pit the White House against Democrats running the committees that are probing the administration in court. President Trump is refusing to provide information to Congress on how Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump obtained security clearances, setting up a potential legal battle with the institution that's charged with reviewing the work the executive branch Subpoenas have not been issued to 25 individuals, including Kushner and Trump, that a whistleblower says received clearance, despite red flags in their files but they could be coming Kline has said through attorneys that he'll speak to congressional investigators but not about specific White House staffers. The White House says that it tried to accommodate Cummings by allowing staff to read confidential security clearance process documents. It also set up a 90-minute session with Cummings and the current personal office director. Cummings has said that it's Kline that he wants to speak to, as Democrats seek specifics on individual clearances and whether Trump and his senior staff abused the process. In addition to testimony on the security clearances, congressional Democrats, led by Cummings, House Intel Chair Adam Schiff, House Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel and House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, are seeking information on the president's and Kushner's communications with foreign leaders, Trump's dismissal of James Comey and a wide range of other issues. 'Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight and investigate these matters, and we will fulfill that responsibility,' they said of the White House's refusal to turn over documents on Trump's communications with Vladimir Putin. Committee heads are considering the use of subpoenas for that information, as well, putting them on collision courses with the current administration from numerous angles. The White House says it accommodated House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings by allowing staff to read confidential security clearance process documents The White House says it has cooperated with reasonable requests from Congress, but the information that Democrats are seeking goes well beyond that. Officials claim Democrats' attempts to compel information on the president's family members who are serving as unpaid advisers sets a 'dangerous' precedent and the White House says that it will fight it. 'Let's not forget three million Americans have security clearances that work for the government and by exploiting one you're exploiting all of their personal information,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders argued earlier in April. She said in a Fox News interview, 'I think Democrats know that. And I think what they're doing is dangerous and I think what they're doing is sad and shameful and America deserves much better than that.' Legislators opened up a new front against the White House this week as they also tried to obtain the president's tax returns. Trump maintains that he is under audit and cannot turn them over until the IRS ends a years-long investigation into his finances. Rep. Richard Neal, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, has given the IRS until April 23 to hand over President Donald Trump's tax returns His attorneys warned Monday against 'unchecked congressional power' after a House committee demanded the documents the Internal Revenue Service. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that he's reviewing the law and consulting with the Department of Justice. 'I will follow the law,' Mnuchin told Fox Business. The decision falls to him because the IRS is an agency of U.S. Treasury. He said he worries that the IRS will again become 'weaponized,' as it was in previous administrations. 'I will follow the law, but this is a law and constitutional issues were going to look at very carefully so that I protect American taxpayers not just now but in the future as well,' he said. Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow told White House reporters several minutes later, 'I echo the secretary of the Treasury, one of my good friends Steven Mnuchin. This administration has no intention to weaponize the IRS on the way that Nixons administration did.' Neither Mnuchin nor Kudlow repeated a claim that Sanders made a day prior that lawmakers, some of whom are accountants, are not 'smart enough' to analyze the billionaire's tax documents. 'My guess is most of them don't do their own taxes, and I certainly don't trust them to look through the decades of success the president's had and determine anything,' she said in a 'Fox News Sunday' appearance. Cocaine smugglers are torching planes after using them just once to get their product to the US, it has been revealed. The planes are either discarded or set on fire after landing on secret runways in Honduras having traveled from nearby Venezuela. Many are carrying drugs which have been grown and manufactured in Colombia and form part of a cocaine superhighway. The amount of money being made from the trafficking of drugs means that smugglers are not bothered about dumping the planes once used. Pictured are 2.6 tons of cocaine seized in Zulia, Venezuela Many are carrying drugs which have been grown and manufactured in Colombia and form part of a cocaine superhighway. Pictured is a clandestine laboratory for the production of cocaine, located 2km from the border with Colombia Planes are now departing from Zulia in Venezuela as is it closer to the American border saving traffickers on flying time And now CNN has found that the number of flights to Honduras, and therefore the amount of cocaine travelling to the US, is only increasing. It found that the number of suspected drug flights from Venezuela has risen from around two flights per week in 2017 to nearly one a day in 2018. Most are now departing from Zulia in Venezuela as is it closer to the American border saving traffickers on flying time. And traffickers are taking advantage of the current political turmoil and unrest to increase the number of flights leaving the country. With one US official telling CNN: 'Drug smugglers are more and more exploiting the complicity of Venezuelan authorities, and more recently the vacuum of power.' The amount of money being made from the trafficking of drugs means that smugglers are not bothered about dumping the planes once used. With the news channel finding many of the planes to have come from the US originally. Around 240 metric tons of cocaine was estimated to have crossed into Venezuela from Colombia last year in order to be flown out of the country. An amount which the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated would fetch around $39 billion on the streets of the US, according to CNN. It comes after years of the US accusing high-ranking Venezuelan officials of drug trafficking, with Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's number two Diosdado Cabello in May 2018 sanctioned for reportedly being involved in narcotics trafficking activities. Something which he denies. Around 240 metric tons of cocaine was estimated to have crossed into Venezuela (pictured) from Colombia last year in order to be flown out of the country Nicolas Maduro's number two Diosdado Cabello was in May 2018 sanctioned for reportedly being involved in narcotics trafficking activities President Donald Trump has been taking steps to isolate embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. It comes after a number of random power cuts in the country which crippled hospitals, and left neighborhoods without water. Maduro's government has blamed US-backed sabotage for the massive blackouts that have deprived millions of power, blaming 'electromagnetic, cyber and physical' attacks against the Guri hydroelectric power plant, which produces 80 per cent of the country's energy. The opposition blames a failure to maintain critical infrastructure and Juan Guaido on Saturday launched what he promised will be a 'definitive' escalation of pressure to force the country's embattled leftist leader from office. Heartbroken parents of a four-year-old girl who was killed in a car crash that left her sister fighting for her life have revealed their horror of finding the car ripped in two. Elle Underhill, four, and her sister Elaina, two, were travelling in a car with their babysitter Courtney Matthews, near Casino in northern New South Wales in December 2015. The girls' parents Michelle and Steve Underhill were at home when they heard screaming sirens as police cars drove past their house. Mr Underhill - who works as a police officer - said he had an immediate feeling that something was wrong. 'Thinking to myself, that's not good. Knowing full well what screaming sirens usually mean,' he told A Current Affair. Scroll down for video Sergeant Steve Underhill, who was called to the crash scene, had discovered his four-year-old daughter Elle (pictured) died after being trapped inside the wreckage The 19-year-old babysitter was driving a Red Mazda 323 (pictured) when it collided with a Subaru Liberty near Casino in northern NSW on December, 2015 'Call it a mothers instinct - I just had a horrible, gut-wrenching feeling it was the girls,' Mrs Underhill said. The couple saw on social media that someone had posted about a crash involving a red Mazda - the same car Mrs Underhill owned. The pair raced to the scene of the crash, which was where they found the horrific wreckage. 'I just remember the shards of glass piercing my feet as I just ran, ran to the middle, I sat down in front of half a car,' Mrs Underhill said. Both Elle and Elaina had already been rushed to hospital. Mr Underhill was then told by a colleague his daughter had died. Unfortunately officers at the scene had mixed the girls up and the parents were told their youngest, Elaina, was killed. When Mr and Mrs Underhill were taken to identify their daughter's body, they were shocked to find their eldest, Elle, in the morgue. 'It was at that point I thought both girls were dead,' Mr Underhill said. Elle Underhill, four, and her sister Elaina, two, were travelling in a car with their babysitter Courtney Matthews when tragedy struck Matthews (pictured), who had her driver's license suspended, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm Elaina had sustained life-threatening injuries but she was still alive. The two-year-old was airlifted to the children's hospital in Brisbane. While four-year-old Elle had died and her younger sister was fighting for her life, Mathews had walked away from the crash with minor injuries. Matthews, who had her driver's license suspended, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. Due to a lack of evidence those charges were dropped. She has since pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent driving occasioning death and actual bodily harm. John White was the driver of the other car involved in the crash, and suffered a fractured sternum in the collision She has never contacted or apologised to the Underhill family, despite being close with them before the devastating crash. Matthews will be sentenced on Thursday. After Elle's deaths, heartfelt tributes to her were posted on the GoFundMe page set up for her family. 'Such a beautiful girl and friend to our daughter, you will be greatly missed,' one person said. 'Our hearts go out to you for your loss of beautiful Elle and our prayers will be sent for her sister,' another said. The scene of the wreckage showed the red Subaru ripped in two near Casino in northern New South Wales 'We have only just been touched by tragedy ourselves and wish to pay forward some of the beautiful kindness we have also received. Stay strong for each other.' Another person said Elle would be 'constantly in our hearts'. John White was the driver of the other car involved in the crash, and suffered a fractured sternum in the collision. The 81-year-old described the impact as 'horrendous'. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is considering a plan to normalise the term 'Access Inclusion Seekers' when referring to disabled people. The City Council is revamping their disability policies, with the council's inclusion expert advisory panel now claiming the 'd' word may soon be as offensive as the 'n' word. One on the panel, Mark Tonga, said using the term 'disabled' portrays people as having 'less capacity and less ability,' The Daily Telegraph reports. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is considering a plan to normalise the term 'Access Inclusion Seekers' when referring to disabled people 'Disability is a subliminal pejorative for many. It's negative. Perhaps sooner than you think, the "d" work will be as offensive as the "n" word is now,' he said. But Dr Jeremy Sammut, Centre for Independent Studies research fellow, disagreed. He claimed that policing the language people used was unnecessary and argued issues about inclusion had been dealt with in the past. 'Social attitudes to disability have already changed and almost no one stigmatises and diminishes what people with disability can and should achieve,' Dr Sammut said. 'This is the reason why there is national support for the NDIS... the term "Access Inclusion Seekers" would be very patronising surely when these people think of someone "disabled" as being someone like... Dylan Alcott,' he said. A council spokeswoman said Mr Tonga was a valuable member of the advisory panel and that they would consider his submission. The daughter of Matthew Mellon paid tribute to her late father on Tuesday with an Instagram post, one year after he tragically passed away at the age of 54. 'I hope I'm making you proud,' wrote Araminta 'Minty' Mellon. The daughter of Matthew and his well-heeled first wife Tamara included four photos with her post, the first of which showed her with her dad at her second birthday. That was followed by a picture of dad and daughter going for a swim and a newborn Minty with her father. The last image was one of her two parents smiling prior to their divorce. Scroll down for video In memory: 'I hope I'm making you proud,' wrote Araminta 'Minty' Mellon (above) on the one-year anniversary of her father's death Rehab: Matthew had been travelling to a rehab facility to receive ibogaine at the time of his death Matthew had been travelling to a rehab facility to receive ibogaine at the time of his death. The controversial psychoactive solution has not been approved for use in the United States, but its disassociate properties have made it a popular choice among addicts who often travel to foreign countries to seek the treatment. Mellon never made it however, suffering a fatal heart attack that was brought on by ayahuasca just before he was to check in to the facility in Mexico. He had been dating Robert F Kennedy Jr's daughter Kathleen, who goes by Kick, at the time. She was his first high profile relationship following his split from second wife Nicole Hanley. The couple kept quiet about the split and rumors began to circulate shortly after they first split that the two might call off the divorce, but those rumors were put to rest in when Matthew posted on Instagram about the relationship in August. Sources said at the time that Hanley's wealthy parents did not approve of their daughter reuniting with Matthew. Matthew and Hanley first met in 2006 at a wedding in Palm Beach, Florida and were married four years later at designer Diane von Furstenbergs house on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. 'I knew instantly. I was rocketed to the fourth dimension. It was a metaphysical overtaking,' Mellon later told The New York Times of meeting Hanley. It was the second marriage for Matthew, who was previously married to Tamara Mellon, who kept his name even after the pair split. The Jimmy Choo co-founder and Matthew met in 1998 while attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in London and were engaged within six months. They were married two years later at Blenheim Palace in front of 300 guests, including Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley, and shortly after welcomed a daughter, Araminta, who they call Minty. Couple: She then shared childhood photos of herself and her father along with one that showed him smiling with his arm around first wife Tamara (above) The couple began to drift apart around the time their daughter was born as Matthew's drug usage increased according to his ex-wife, who said in a story she wrote for The Daily Mail that he would go missing for days at a time and suffered from 'paranoid delusions of cocaine psychosis.' He had already used huge amounts of the 13 trust funds he inherited aged 21 on cocaine and parties before he met his wife and was found during their marriage at points freebasing cocaine in the kitchen and once in a crack dens in Notting Hill. She said that the decision to split came after the pair went away on holiday to Saint Tropez and Matthew disappeared for three days after going out to the club one night. Matthew, who had been in rehab several times at that point dating back to when he was in college, entered a clinic soon after with the help of his now estranged wife. The couple divorced soon after and the terms of the divorce were never made public. Borce Ristevski will learn his fate on Thursday after entering a shock guilty plea last month to reveal he killed his wife Karen. The 55-year-old will be likely supported by his 24-year-old daughter Sarah, who provided the court with a compelling character reference. The sentence will be delivered by Justice Christopher Beale in the Supreme Court of Victoria at 10.30am. Ristevski pleaded guilty to manslaughter and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. Borce Ristevski (centre) will learn his fate on Thursday after entering a shock guilty plea last month to reveal he killed his wife Karen (left) The unexpected admission came on the eve of his five-week scheduled murder trial in mid-March - after vehemently denying involvement in Karen's death for almost three years. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale ruled that Ristevski's actions after the killing, when he played the role of grieving husband, could not be used to prove 'murderous intent'. A new indictment with the lesser charge of manslaughter was subsequently filed and Ristevski pleaded guilty. Following the admission, Sarah gave her father a glowing character reference during a pre-sentence plea hearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria. 'If I could use a few words to describe my dad's personality they would be loving, caring, sympathetic, protective and charismatic,' Sarah said in the character reference that goes on for more than one page. 'Growing up as a family my mum, dad and I were completely inseparable. 'We would spend all of our spare time together and family was everything to us. The love we had for each other was unexplainable, and everyone in our lives saw it.' The sentence will be delivered by Justice Christopher Beale in the Supreme Court of Victoria at 10.30am on Thursday morning Sarah said she had never witnessed her father act violently towards her mother. 'My dad has not had any prior convictions or issues with the law, and I can confidently say that in my 23 years and I have never witnessed any form of violence between my mum and dad,' she said. Dress shop-owner Karen disappeared from the family home in Avondale Heights, north-west Melbourne, on June 29 2016. Eight months later her skeletal remains were found dumped between logs in Macedon Regional Park. Ristevski was charged in December 2017 following a lengthy investigation. Ristevski (pictured carrying wife's coffin) pleaded guilty to manslaughter and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars After his wife's death, Ristevski shoved her body in the back of her Mercedes Benz, before dumping her in the regional park and covering her with foliage. Justice Beale will be forced to consider the fact that Ristevski has not revealed how or why he killed his wife of 27 years. Other aggravating factors likely to be considered include the disposing of the body and lying about the criminal offence, the Herald Sun reported. At last month's pre-sentencing hearing, defence counsel David Hallowes SC said the vague details around the killing of his wife should be considered in the 'mid-range' of the offence of manslaughter. But prosecutor Brendan Kissane QC argued the crime sat at the higher end and labelled it an example of domestic violence. 'He (Ristevski) has failed to reveal what went on in the house. The fact he hasnt given an explanation doesnt suddenly mean his offence ends up in the middle.' TIMELINE OF KAREN RISTEVSKI'S DEATH AND BRINGING HER KILLER BORCE TO JUSTICE Karen Ristevski with her daughter Sarah June 29, 2016 Karen Ristevski last seen at her Melbourne home in Avondale Heights Her mobile phone pings off a tower in the Macedon Ranges A car similar to her black Mercedes SLK coupe is spotted by CCTV cameras near Diggers Rest railway station July 14, 2016 Husband Borce Ristevski and daughter Sarah make a tearful plea for information to help find their missing wife and mother December 19, 2016 Police search grassland, waterways, creeks and farms February 20, 2017 Karen Ristevski's body is found at the Mount Macedon Regional Park March 6, 2017 Funeral service held with Borce Ristevski a pallbearer and daughter Sarah leading the procession August 31, 2017 Police recreate the journey of Ms Ristevski on the day she went missing in a black Mercedes, identical to hers December 13, 2017 Borce Ristevski is charged with murder and faces court where a lawyer indicates a not-guilty plea. He is remanded in custody April 18, 2018 Ristevski returns to court where it's revealed detectives tapped his phone calls and planted listening devices as they investigated the alleged killing, compiling a 22,000-page evidence brief Ristevski is granted state-funded legal aid as he fights the allegations July 16, 2018 Ristevski's two-week committal hearing begins and later hears evidence from his daughter Sarah who said he was never 'aggressive' towards her mum. August 2, 2018 Ristevski is ordered to stand trial in the Supreme Court, charged with murdering his wife December 4, 2018 A five-week trial for Ristevski is set for March 2019 March 13, 2019 A day before a jury is due to be empanelled for his murder trial, prosecutors withdraw the murder charge after a judge's ruling. Borce Ristevski pleads guilty to the alternative charge of manslaughter Advertisement Hundreds of asylum seekers surrendered to an armed militia of New Mexico citizens last night, after trying to cross the U.S. border. A group of 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the 'United Constitutional Patriots', a gang of vigilantes who claim to be made up of veterans and former police officers, who then handed them over to border officials. Video recorded by one of the militia, Jim Benvie, who has been camping out on the New Mexico-Chihuahua border for two months, shows the asylum seekers walking on a dirt road having crossed through a fence gap in Sundland Park, New Mexico. A group of 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the 'United Constitutional Patriots', a gang of vigilantes made up veterans and former police officers who then handed them over to border officials Graphic shows the number of attempted border crossings since 2016, according to NPR statistics The emergence of the vigilante group comes amid a boom in asylum seekers aiming to make their way into the U.S. through New Mexico, and the El Paso sector. In 2018, Border Patrol stopped 162,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley. None of the eight other Border Patrol sectors on the Southern border have experienced anywhere near those figures, as the graphic above indicates. However, El Paso, where the 300 asylum seekers were filmed, has seen a significant spike in the past year, as other corridors in the U.S. are explored. In October and November of 2018,as the average number of apprehensions grew, El Paso's share doubled. The video, which was streamed live on Facebook, shows the asylum seekers giving themselves up to the militia, intending to turn themselves over to Border Patrol. 'I literally walked out and I looked, and all I saw was hundreds of people coming at us,' said Benvie. Benvie and three other men had been scouting the area Monday night before coming across what the U.S. Border Patrol estimated was 300 migrants. 'We held them there until Border Patrol came,' said Benvie. Benvie and three other men had been scouting the area Monday night before coming across what the U.S. Border Patrol estimated was 300 migrants 'And once they came then we did what we do, and that's to help Border Patrol get them to the processing van. So, everybody is safe.' Benvie has documented the armed militia's encounters with asylum seekers for the past two months. 'We're just Americans. We're veterans, we're ex-law enforcement, we're people that care about our national security,' he said. 'We're people that care about our strained Border Patrol.' Border Patrol said it does not condone the group's actions Ten students face charges over a food fight that turned into a riot that left a teacher and a resource officer injured at a Connecticut high school on Friday. The Stamford Police Department said the incident, which took place around 1.30pm on April 12 at Westhill High School, resulted in one school resource officer getting seriously injured and a teacher being trampled. Officer Anna Edwards, one of the SROs at the school, was struck in the head with a full can of soda, causing a cut and concussion. She was transported to the Stamford Hospital emergency room. An unidentified Westhill High School teacher was also injured during the incident as she was 'trampled by a mass of students,' according to police. Ten students face charges over a food fight that turned into a riot that left a teacher and a resource officer injured at a Connecticut high school on Friday. Resource officer Anna Edwards (pictured), was struck in the head with a full can of soda, causing a cut and concussion Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Earl Kim said some students had been planning the food fight earlier in the week. Police said the planned fight was also shared on social media prior to Friday. Once the Westhill administration caught wind of the plan, they met with students to dissuade them from participating in the food fight, Kim said. He said the effort mostly worked, as students did not start a fight in the cafeteria. However, in the courtyard near the cafeteria, where students tend to congregate, some students began to throw objects. Kim said only about eight or nine students participated. According to police, however, 'hundreds of students' ran out of the school, with 'many' throwing eggs, water and soda cans. The SROs, along with school security and staff, were unable to get the crowd under control, which resulted in more officers being called, police said. In all, about 24 officers arrived on scene. 'This is not the learning environment we expect and demand for our children in this city,' Stamford Police said in a press release. Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Earl Kim said some students at Westhill High School (pictured) had been planning the food fight earlier in the week. Police said the planned fight was also shared on social media prior to Friday Officers spent hours investigating the incident using security video, according to police. The students ranging from age 15 to 17 face charges of rioting in the first degree, breach of peace, reckless endangerment, and assault on a police officer, which is a felony. All of the students are scheduled to appear in juvenile court. Because of their ages their identities were not released. Westhill Principal Michael Rinaldi has planned meetings with teachers and students at the beginning of next week to address the incident. Kim said food fights were a sort of tradition at the school in the past, but not since he was named superintendent about two years ago. 'We don't expect it to catch on,' he said. He called the Friday incident an 'ugly and disappointing situation'. 'We know our students are much better than that,' the superintendent said. Judy Klym, co-president of the Westhill Parent Teacher Student Organization, said she was content with how the situation was handled. 'It was a food fight that got a little out of control,' she said. 'The administration and faculty, they were completely on top of it,' she said. 'They did everything they could to get everyone under control.' Logan Macri was shot on Sunday after he allegedly attacked his mother with a sword and handgun at their home in Pennsylvania A former high school wrestling champion shot by police following a domestic violence call has been charged with aggravated assault and other offenses. Authorities say 19-year-old Logan Macri was shot early Sunday after he allegedly attacked his mother with a sword and handgun at their home in Pennsylvania. Macris mother called police to their home in the 400 block of West McMurray Road in North Strabane around 2.25 am on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. The mother told police her son might be under the influence of drugs, CBS Pittsburgh reported. Police say officers from North Strabane and Canonsburg found Macri outside the home with a firearm. He has been charged with 21 crimes Tuesday including six felonies including aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats. He initially complied with the officers commands, put up his hands and got down on his stomach in the driveway, according to the report. While they were attempting to take him into custody, Macri suddenly stood up and pointed an AR 15 rifle at the approaching police officers, according to the complaint. Macri, a high-school state wrestling champion, has been charged with 21 crimes Tuesday including six felonies including aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats All three officers shot and struck Macri several times, police said. But he continued to fight, and police used a Taser on him. The complaint also said Macri threatened to kill others and to burn down his home with intent to terrorize the police officers and his mother. Macri was taken by helicopter to an unnamed Pittsburgh hospital and he remains there in a stable condition, state police said. Police are seen outside the home of Macri on West McMurray Road after they responded to a call there. Macri then threatened them with an assault rifle and refused to drop the weapon Macri threatened to kill others and to burn down his home with intent to terrorize the police officers and his mother. Police attend the scene of the incident on Sunday, (pictured) All of the officers involved in the initial call are on administrative leave while state police investigate the case. Macri is a recent Cannon-MacMillan High School graduate, a winning wrestler for the school, and a PIAA state wrestling champion. He was also listed in the West Virginia University 2018-19 wrestling program guide, but did not participate on the team after leaving the university in November. A neighbor, who did not want to be named, said her family woke up to the sound of gunshots and looked out a bathroom window. Macri was a 2018 Pennsylvania state high school wrestling champion for Canon-McMillan High School and finished his senior year in 2018 by winning the WPIAL/Southwest Regional Macri was listed in the West Virginia University 2018-19 wrestling program guide, but did not participate after leaving the university in November for reasons unknown She told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 'Immediately after that, it was just sirens and lights everywhere blockading the street. Her children woke up, and she called 911 to find out the next steps to take. 'I knew to just get them onto the floor and away from the windows. 'It was so scary. Ive never felt unsafe in my home before. 'We are a family of strong faith, so whenever we hear sirens, the first thing we do is stop and pray. That was the first thing they wanted to do.' The woman said she knows Macri and that he would make time to wave to her children in the neighborhood. 'He was just always so sweet, [and] a nice, responsible kid,' she said. Sentencing for the man convicted of murdering Queens jogger Karina Vetrano has been delayed amid allegations of jury impropriety. Chanel Lewis, 22, was found guilty in the August 2016 murder and sexual assault of the 30-year-old earlier this month following a dramatic retrial. Lewis was set to be sentenced on Wednesday, but instead the judge announced that the sentencing would be pushed back to allow time for another hearing about alleged jury impropriety. The hearing involves a reported dispute between two jurors during deliberations. Prosecutors say they have sworn affidavits from jurors denying the purported dispute, which will be addressed at a hearing on Monday. People attending Wednesday's hearing to support the defendant, who faces life in prison without parole, began chanting 'Justice for Chanel' after the court adjourned without a sentence. Scroll down for video A judge delayed sentencing for Chanel Lewis, the 22-year-old convicted of murdering Queens jogger Karina Vetrano, on Wednesday amid allegations of jury impropriety. Lewis is pictured in court on March 26 Karina Vetrano, 30, went missing on August 2, 2016, after she was last seen jogging near her home in Howard Beach The victim's parents, Cathy and Phil Vetrano, are seen leaving the courtroom on Wednesday after the judge announced that the sentencing would be pushed back The convicted killer's mother Veta Lewis is flanked by supporters chanting 'Justice for Chanel' she leaves Queens Supreme Court after no sentence was handed down After Wednesday's hearing, Lewis' supporters held a rally outside the courthouse Vetrano's body was found dumped near her family's home in Howard Beach soon after she vanished while out jogging. The jury delivered the guilty verdict after just five hours of deliberation on April 1. Lewis' previous trial ended in a hung jury in November. Vetrano's family and supporters erupted into applause when Lewis was found guilty on all counts. 'Jubilation. Justice. Justice has been served,' the victim's father, Phil Vetrano, said while leaving court. Defense attorney's with the Legal Aid Society called the verdict 'a complete miscarriage of justice'. The defense had unsuccessfully sought a hearing on the day the verdict was handed down after getting an anonymous letter revealing so-called exculpatory evidence about other potential suspects that they say was withheld from them. It included a claim that NYPD officers had repeatedly said in the first two weeks of the investigation that they were 'looking for two jacked up white guys who are from Howard Beach'. Lewis' attorneys further claimed that police used a 'race-biased dragnet' to collect DNA samples from 360 black men in Howard Beach before targeting Lewis and that detectives coerced his confession. The New York Police Department said in a statement that the anonymous letter was 'riddled with falsehoods and inaccuracies,' the investigation was painstaking and 'the evidence clearly shows that Chanel Lewis is responsible for her death.' Chief Queens Assistant District Attorney John Ryan called the case 'horrifying.' Vetrano parents Phil and Cathy are seen leaving the court after the verdict was issued April 1 Vetrano's family and supporters erupted into applause when Lewis was found guilty on all counts The closely-watched murder case initially baffled investigators, who for months were unable to find anyone who matched DNA that was found under the victim's fingernails from when she fought back. Lewis was arrested six months into the murder investigation after police said he provided a DNA swab that linked him to the scene and victim. Despite that DNA evidence and a taped confession, the first trial ended in a hung jury in November. Lewis' attorneys repeatedly said during the retrial this month that the DNA evidence was suspect and that his confession was coerced by detectives who wore him down until he finally gave them what they wanted. Vetrano is seen in a photo taken right before she left to go jogging on the day she disappeared The confession video was played to jurors last week during which 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. The 30-year-old 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. Lewis' attorney said the crime scene had been corrupted by various people, including Vetrano's father, and therefore couldn't be trusted. They also argued that Lewis in his confession was just repeating information he learned from news reports about the murder. A group of eight migrants were picked up in a small boat in the English Channel today. The migrants, who all claimed to be Iranian, were found by Border Force officers off the coast of Dover, Kent, at 4am. The discovery takes the number of migrants recovered from the English Channel to 29 in two weeks. A group of eight Iranian migrants were picked up in a small boat in the English Channel today. Pictured, a stock image of a Border Force patrol vessel leaving Dover After being picked up, the eight migrants were checked over by medics before being taken for interview with immigration officials. A Home Office spokesman said: 'At 4am today a Border Force cutter deployed in the Channel intercepted a vessel off the Kent coast travelling towards the UK. 'Anyone crossing the Channel in a small boat is taking a huge risk with their life and the lives of their children. 'The eight people on board were transferred to the cutter and brought to Dover. 'All eight were medically assessed and passed to immigration officials for interview. 'The group consisted of six men and two young children who presented themselves as Iranian nationals.' The group becomes the latest to make the perilous trip across the Channel, following on from hundreds over the past six months. Last week, 21 migrants - including a one-year-old baby - tried to get over from Calais in two separate boats (one pictured). The first boat was intercepted on French waters in a rescue mission, while the second boat broke down in the Channel. Images released by the French authorities showed the second group of migrants who were rescued from a dinghy on Tuesday The crisis - which peaked at the end of 2018 - sparked Home Secretary Sajid Javid into declaring a 'major incident', with two Border Force cutters called in to halt the influx. On Tuesday, April 9, 21 migrants - including a one-year-old baby - tried to get over from Calais in two separate boats. The first boat was carrying nine migrants when it ran into trouble off the Calais coast and called for help. The French navy and a helicopter were immediately deployed and managed to rescue the group. At around 7am, a second boat carrying 12 migrants, including two two-year-old children and a one-year-old child broke down in the Channel. They phoned for the emergency services and rescuers attended the incident and returned them to the town of Boulogne. The migrants arrived on the coast without being picked up by Border Force in the Channel. Pictured, a view of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover from the English Channel Seven of them, including the children, were suffering from hypothermia and were taken to hospital, according to a report in the La Voix Du Nord newspaper. The Home Office spokesman added: 'This is a complex issue which requires action on many fronts. 'Since the Home Secretary declared a major incident in December two cutters have returned to UK waters from overseas operations, we have agreed a joint action plan with France and increased activity out of the Joint action plan with France and increased activity out of the Joint Coordination and Information Centre in Calais. 'It is an established principle that those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and since January, working closely with France and other countries, more than 20 people who arrived illegally in the UK in small boats have been returned to Europe.' A task force has been formed to investigate more than 20 horse deaths at a US racetrack between December and March - weeks after a two-horse spill led to the latest tragedy. Arms Runner, a three-time winning horse, injured his right front leg during the fall at Santa Anita Park in California last month becoming the 23rd horse to die at the track in just a few months. Now Los Angeles County's top prosecutor, District Attorney Jackie Lacey, has said that a task force of prosecutors and peace officers will 'determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety' of the horses. Arms Runner and Martin Pedroza race in the San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita Park on January 05, 2019 in Arcadia, California. The horse was euthanized after a fatal accident at the park last month The first thoroughbred to die in the recent spate of deaths died in late December. But despite the number of subsequent deaths track officials have not announced a singular cause for the unusual number of deaths. Animal rights activists have previously gathered near the track in Arcadia with at least a dozen protesters seen holding signs that read 'Your bets cause horses' deaths,' 'How many have to die!' and 'It's not sport, it's violence'. District Attorney Jackie Lacey has set up a task force to investigate the horse deaths at Santa Anita Park in California Lacey's office had previously said its investigators would work with the California Horse Racing Board as that body looks into the deaths. Santa Anita says it's cooperating and 'is fully committed to modernizing our sport in a way that prioritizes the welfare and safety of horses above all.' Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, lauded the announcement, adding: 'The racing industry has shown that it's incapable of policing itself.' PETA released shock footage of the latest death earlier this month. Track stewards said the horse trained by Peter Miller was euthanized. Arms Runner had three wins in 13 career starts and earnings of $125,292, according to Equibase. The accident occurred only two days after Santa Anita reopened after it was closed for nearly a month as the park looked into the spate of fatalities. The majority of the fatalities at the Arcadia track since December 26 have occurred on the main dirt surface. Animal-rights advocates protest the deaths of 20 racehorses in the first two months of this year at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia PETA animal rights activists protested the death of 22 horses at the Santa Anita Racetrack on March 14. The activists called on the Los Angeles District Attorney to open a criminal investigation, while the racetrack suspended racing while it is investigated the incidents The track closed March 3 so officials could inspect and renovate the dirt surface after the series of fatalities that have drawn national attention outside the sport and criticism from animal rights groups. The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, announced an immediate reduction in the amount of anti-bleeding medication Lasix allowed on race days. The California Horse Racing Board approved the measure and it took effect earlier this month. A proposed rule that would eliminate the use of whips, except in cases where a horse's or jockey's safety is involved, still requires the approval of various state agencies. A transgender cadet whose dream was to join the military has lost his scholarship because of Trump's ban on the transgender people joining the armed forces. Map Pesqueira, 19, was given a ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Texas in Austin to study film and is a freshman there. The teenager, who was born a girl and went by Maddie for 18 years before undergoing top gender reassignment surgery last year and starting hormone therapy, has now been told that as a result of the policy shift, the scholarship no longer starts. His family cannot afford to pay for his tuition without it, he said, so he must withdraw or come up with the money on GoFundMe. 'Since I was a kid, one of my biggest dreams was to pursue a career in the Army to serve my country,' Map said in a description of his campaign. Map Pesqueira, 19, transitioned from female to male last year. He received a scholarship to study at the University of Texas from the ROTC but it has now been revoked and he cannot afford to stay at the school without it 'Since my scholarship is now invalid, I can no longer afford to attend without financial assistance,' he added. The teenager is asking for money so that he will be able to carry on with his degree. The University of Texas said it was powerless against the federal law changes. His story emerged on Wednesday as the US Naval Academy announced it was banning transgender students starting with the 2020 school year. The Defense Department on Monday confirmed the change, which follows a policy shift under the Trump Administration to bar people who are transgender from serving in the military. The 2018 policy from Defense Secretary James Mattis took effect Friday after the Supreme Court allowed the ban and dissolved court injunctions. While the school in Annapolis, Maryland, currently accepts transgender students and retains midshipmen who transition to another gender, as of next year it will revert for new members. Map, now 19, grew up as Maddie (right before transitioning) but decided last year to undergo hormone therapy and reassignment surgery on the upper half of his body US Naval Academy will ban people who are transgender from 2020 school year Spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell told the Capital Gazette that those enrolled for the school year starting 2019 fall under the previous policy. The Obama Administration lifted restrictions on transgender service members in 2016. Sailor Alex Marberry was one of the first to transition under Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter's lift on restrictions three years ago. It allows the members to serve openly and covered gender affirmation surgery. Showing his signature on executive orders alongside Mattis and US Vice President Mike Pence on January 27, 2017, at the Pentagon in Washington DC, Trump said he would begin a 'great rebuilding' of the US armed services, promising new aircraft, naval ships and more resources for the military. Midshipman Regan Kibby, currently enrolled in the academy, is one of six service members suing the Trump administration over its ban Trump shows his signature on executive orders alongside US Defense Secretary James Mattis and US Vice President Mike Pence on January 27, 2017, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Trump said he would begin a 'great rebuilding' of the US armed services, promising new aircraft, naval ships and more resources for the military Sailor Alex Marberry was one of the first to transition under Defense Secretary Carter 'Our military strength will be questioned by no one, but neither will our dedication to peace. We do want peace,' Trump said in the ceremony. The following year Mattis shared his policy plan. Under the new policy, those described as having 'gender dysphoria' - which according to the American Psychiatric Association is a conflict between physical gender (or the one assigned at birth) and the gender which one identifies - cannot attend. The US Naval Academy's new policy requires people to apply as the gender assigned at birth from the moment students enroll for the 2020-21 school year. Those who don't comply can be booted out. Midshipman Regan Kibby, currently enrolled in the academy, is one of six service members suing the Trump administration over its ban. While the Trump admin claims its harmful for people who are transgender to serve in the military, the plaintiffs - some anonymous - argue it's harmful to the military to deny able-bodied members. A body with a mysterious 'sheepdog' tattoo found floating in a California river a year ago has been positively identified, via DNA, as being a wanted man charged in the killing and decapitation of his girlfriend on Washingtons Camano Island. The Island County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday that the body of 33-year-old Jacob Gonzales was found in the Feather River in northern California in April 2018. Police in March 2018 found the headless body of Gonzales' girlfriend, 26-year-old Air Force reservist Katherine Cunningham, on an undeveloped parcel of land near a gun-and-ammo-filled bunker on Camano Island. Police in California in April 2018 found the body of a man that on Tuesday was positively identified through DNA as 33-year-old murder suspect Jacob Gonzales (left). He was charged in July with decapitating 26-year-old Katherine Cunningham (right) in Washington state Authorities in California had previously released photos of the dead man's tattoos, including this sheepdog, to try and identify him Authorities said Gonzales lived with Cunningham in a trailer. He was charged with murder in July after investigators said they found the suspected murder weapon, a blood-stained samurai sword, with his DNA evidence on the hilt. Court documents say Cunningham likely died on February 14 or 15. Her body was found more than two weeks later by a couple looking to buy the property. The woman's remains were stuffed inside a sleeping bag wrapped in a tarp in a red wagon. Not far from the crime scene, police discovered an underground bunker stocked with rifles and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Documents say Gonzales stole Cunninghams Honda Civic and fled, with the car found abandoned in Yreka, California on February 19. On April 7 of that year, the Sutter County Sheriffs Office received a report of a body that had been found by a fisherman in the river in Yuba City, California, located nearly 800 miles south of Camano Island. With no identification, the body, which was initially mistaken for that of a woman because it was dressed in female clothing, was classified as a 'John Doe.' Police found a bunker stocked with guns and ammunition on the vacant property where the couple had once lived (pictured) On April 7, 2018, a fisherman found Gonzales' body dressed in women's clothing floating in the Feather River in Yuba City, California (pictured) Gonzales' body was found nearly 800 miles south of Camano Island, Washington, as this map shows Detectives with the sheriff's office would later determine that the man died from drowning. They have found no evidence to suggest foul play. Sutter County appealed to public for help with identification by posting photographs of 'John Does' tattoos, including a dog or wolf with a banner that read 'sheepdog' and another spelling out the word 'faith' in elaborate script. In November 2018, tips concerning the deceased man's body art led detectives to believe that 'John Doe' was Gonzales. The anonymous caller said the sheepdog was a popular image among servicemen symbolizing protection, and the letters 'AF' etched inside the animal's ear likely stood for 'Air Force.' Gonzales and Cunningham had been living in a trailer on Camano Island, Washington, until February 2018 when the woman was beheaded with a samurai sword Police found Gonzales' DNA on the hilt of the sword and issued a warrant for his arrest in connection to his girlfriend's killing. They said he died from drowning Cunningham's family members had posted a photo of Gonzales' sheepdog on the inside of his left forearm on a Facebook page titled 'Justice 4 Katherine.' Samples from his body were sent to a DNA laboratory in California for positive identification, which was finally made on Tuesday. 'My hope was to interrogate him and provide answers to Katherines family,' Island County Sheriffs Office Detective Ed Wallace told the Redding Record Searchlight of Gonzales. 'He cheated the family of answers.' Nick Memmo, 35, was charged with larceny for keeping the 86-inch television A man who mistakenly received a larger television along with one he had ordered has spoken out to defend his decision to keep it after he was charged with larceny. Nick Memmo, 35, of East Freetown, Massachusetts, was arrested last month and charged with felony larceny in the unusual case that has divided public opinion and perplexed legal scholars. 'It was like winning a scratchers ticket,' Memmo, who runs a construction management company, told the Boston Globe on Tuesday. 'I thought it was my turn to luck out on something in life.' 'It's not like I ran out of Walmart,' he continued. 'I didn't set out looking for this.' Police surrounded his home last month and executed a search warrant to recover the 86-inch 4K HDR Smart LED TV mounted to his wall. The 86-inch flat screen smart TV that was delivered to Memmo by mistake was seized by police and apparently required a pickup trick to deliver it to their station Memmo had ordered a 75-inch flat screen valued at around $1,200 from Amazon, but due to a paperwork error it was delivered along with the larger television valued at $2,700. He has been vague about whether he signed for the mistaken delivery, and claims he doesn't remember whether he was home when it arrived. 'Even if he dropped 10 TVs at my door, I wouldn't have noticed,' Memmo said, explaining that he receives large deliveries constantly at his home. After Memmo realized the error, he says he went online to research whether he was within his legal rights to keep the larger television. He found a Federal Trade Commission website that read: 'If you receive merchandise that you didn't order, you have a legal right to keep it as a free gift.' Though the website does say that, it is referring specifically to scams where dishonest companies send unsolicited merchandise and then demand payment. 'I hung the TV with no fear in mind,' he said, 'because I didn't think I'd done anything wrong.' 'I don't even watch TV,' Memmo said. 'That's the worst part of it.' Memmo says that had he known he would be arrested, he would have paid the difference for the extra delivery or just returned it to the shipping company Legal analysts have offered differing opinions of the case, with some arguing that larceny requires actively taking something, and others saying that failing to return the TV is a clear violation of the law. Police say that Memmo dug himself a hole with his evasions when they visited to investigate after the delivery company filed a complaint. A police report says that Memmo claimed to know nothing about the TV and said that one of his employees, who are frequently at his home, had signed for it. The officers said they could clearly see a large television inside his home. 'Memmo clearly lies, refuses to answer his telephone and will likely lie about receiving a summons and will not show up to court,' read an application requesting an arrest warrant. Memmo was shocked when the cops arrived early in the morning to raid his home. 'They surrounded the house and knocked on the door with flash lights coming through all the windows,' Memmo told Boston 25 News of his arrest. 'They told me to come outside then handcuffed me.' At issue was a television so large that the Freetown Police say they needed a pickup truck to deliver it to their station. Memmo's Amazon order had only been for one 74-inch flat screen, seen here. When the second 86-inch TV arrived, Memmo admits he kept it, and upon looking up relevant laws and contacting Amazon, believed he was within his rights to keep it The third party shipping company who delivered the television claims that Memmo misrepresented himself and signed for the TV when it arrived, a charge that the 35-year-old Massachusetts man disputes Memmo freely admits that the 86-inch flat screen was sent to his home in error and that police attempted to question him several days prior to his arrest. 'I said 'Do I need to hire an attorney?' and they said I wasn't under investigation at that point,' Memmo told the news station. 'They were just asking questions. I answered a lot of questions with 'I don't know' just so I didn't jeopardize myself.' The police had a slightly different version of events, according to a press release. After they were told by a delivery service that it had delivered one of the televisions by mistake and made several unsuccessful attempts to recover it, police visited Memmo who they claimed refused to cooperate. 'Amazon said I had nothing to worry about,' Memmo said in his defense. 'I made no wrong no decisions at that point.' The third party shipping company claims he signed for the delivery, and that he misrepresented himself as someone he was not, all of which Memmo disputes. Memmo was arraigned at Fall River District Court and charged with larceny over $1,200 by false pretense and misleading a police officer. The 35-year-old small businessman is now facing possible jail time. He says if he believed he was going to have been arrested, he would have just paid for the second TV or returned it. Lucy Gunton, 39, posed as the beneficiary of two wills and even wrote fake letters from relatives, saying she was 'worth her weight in gold' A crooked paralegal who swindled 70,000 from people's wills to splash out on designer clothes and handbags has been jailed for more than three years. Lucy Gunton, 39, posed as the beneficiary of two wills and even wrote fake letters from relatives, saying she was 'worth her weight in gold.' Over a six-month period grasping Gunton stole 70,000 which she blew on expensive clothes and handbags. Gunton, admitted three charges of fraud and was jailed for three years and two months at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday. Judge Sarah Buckingham said: 'You knew how much money they had, and you decided to take some of that money for yourself. 'In both letters you had the audacity to include praise of yourself. Perhaps it was part of the smoke-screen.' The judge said Gunton told 'a blatant lie' when questioned about the request for cash from one of the beneficiaries. She told her: 'If you had an ounce of shame about what you were doing, that was the time to desist, but you did it again.' The court heard Gunton, of Coventry, was employed as a law graduate at Bate Edmonds Snape solicitors in 2003. She worked her way up the career ladder until she became a paralegal executive in charge of wills at the Coventry-based firm. Gunton was caught out because she made an identical typing error in letters to her employers from both supposed beneficiaries. Prosecutor Tim Sapwell said suspicions were raised in 2017 when the Solicitors Regulation Authority received a complaint about her. Gunton's case files were examined, including those relating to the estates of clients Ivy Holden and Brian Gorman. Mr Sapwell said: 'Ms Holden had left the majority of her estate to members of her family, in particular to her nephew Stephen Lillycrop, who lived in America. Gunton, admitted three charges of fraud and was jailed for three years and two months at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday 'There was a delay while a tax rebate was sorted out, and when Mr Lillycrop contacted her about the will, Gunton obtained his personal details. 'Then on February 28, 2017, BES received a hand-delivered letter purporting to be from Mr Lillycrop. 'The letter said he was staying at an address in Devon and asking for a cash payment of 26,500 from his aunt's estate by the following afternoon. 'It quoted advice which had supposedly come from the Law Society's ethics helpline, and thanked the firm 'for the help Lucy has provided'.' The court heard the firm's managing partner Nick Taylor had reservations, so asked Gunton to carry out some checks. She claimed the Law Society had told her the firm could be subject to a complaint if they did not pay up so Mr Taylor withdrew the money. Gunton then brazenly asked for the money, claiming Mr Lillycrop was due to collect it. Three months later, Gunton claimed Mr Lillycrop had asked for a further 26,500 advance on his inheritance, which was again withdrawn and handed to Gunton. But when they were checking the files, Mr Taylor noticed a mistake in the spelling of Lillycrop and the solicitor's postcode had a lower-case 'v'. Another letter supposedly from Ann Gorman asking for a 16,750 cash advance from her late husband's estate to pay for building work was almost identically formatted. The letter also had the same error in the postcode. The letter ended with Mrs Gorman, saying 'You're worth your weight in gold, Lucy'. Checks to Mrs Gorman's family revealed she was not computer literate and was not having building work done. West Midlands Police searced Gunton's home and officers found high-value clothes and handbags. She initially claimed the money and clothes were gifts but she later confessed her crimes. Mr Sapwell said as a result of her fraud, her former bosses have been forced to take out personal loans to reimburse the relatives who lost out. Sophie Murray, defending, said: 'She has struggled to come to terms with what she's done and to admit it.' Ms Murray said: 'She got into a relationship with her husband, and wanted to have a life she had never had, and she was living in a type of fantasy land by using other people's money.' Police have named the mystery tattooed woman whose body was found washed up on a Cornish beach. Anastaszja Plusa was found on Perranporth beach on Monday 15 April by dog walkers in the area. Officers have now appealed for information in order to piece together the 22-year-old's final moments. Police have asked to hear from anyone who may have seen her in and around the town from 7.45pm. Anastaszja Plusa (left) grew up in Holland but was born in Poland. The 22-year-old (right) was last seen wearing jeans and trainers Emergency services responded to a 999 call at around 7am this morning after dog walker spotted a deceased woman's body lying at the water's edge Anastaszja grew up in Holland but was born in Poland. She moved to the UK years ago and lived in Perranporth a number of times. She was last seen wearing a dark-coloured coat, blue jeans and beige Converse trainers at the Texaco garage on Budnic Hill. Police described her as having several tattoos, including a large Celtic-type tattoo on her right thigh and a date in Roman numerals on her ankle. Police are continuing enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding Anastaszjas death, which is currently being treated as unexplained. Her next-of-kin have been informed. The beach at Perranporth with a giant sundial overlooking it from the south. The coastal area was ranked the ninth best beach in the UK by Tripadvisor this year Police and ambulance were called just before 7am on Monday 15 April following the discovery of the woman at the shoreline on Perranporth beach. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Emergency services received a 999 call just before 7am of reports of a deceased woman being found on Perranporth beach on the north Cornwall coast. On arrival, the woman's body was located on the waterline, and searches of the beach were carried out by police and the coastguard. A millionaire Russian sea port boss has come under fire from a divorce court judge in London and told to hand his ex-wife 5 million. Mr Justice Holman said Igor Vilinov, 56, had manipulated Irina Vilinova, 47, in an 'appalling' fashion following the break-down of their 22-year marriage. Mr Vilinov had 'ensnared' Ms Vilinova, who now lives near Crawley, West Sussex, into divorcing in Russia, the judge said. He had also sent Ms Vilinova, the mother of his three children, emails saying she was a 'bandit', a 'liar', a 'thief' and 'simply a whore'. Mr Justice Holman said Mr Vilinov, 56, had manipulated his wife during the breakup of their marriage in London's High Court (pictured) on Wednesday The judge said Ms Vilinova had not been given a fair pay-out in Russia and had rightly made a cash claim in London. He estimated that Mr Vilinov was worth at least 22 million, told how they had lived a life which included private jet travel and luxury hotels when married, and said Ms Vilinova should walk away with a fair share. Mr Justice Holman criticised Mr Vilinov, who had risen to become chief executive of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after starting work as a dockyard loader, on Wednesday after analysing Ms Vilinova's claim at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London. He said, in a ruling on the case, that Mr Vilinov had breached orders by not providing any information about his finances and had not appeared at hearings in London. Mr Justice Holman said Mr Vilinov and Ms Vilinova, who met when she was 16 and separated in 2013, were both Russian. But he said they had bought a house in England when married. He said Ms Vilinova had moved to live in England nearly a decade ago, when the children were attending English private schools, and was also now a British citizen. Mr Justice Holman said Ms Vilinova might have difficulty 'enforcing' his order and collecting the 5 million. But he said he would not dismiss her application simply because she would have difficulty getting her hands on money and added: 'To do so would be to give in to a form of blackmail.' Advertisement Jussie Smollett was seen smoking a suspicious looking cigarette during his Hawaii vacation this week while prosecutors in Chicago continued to face criticism for their handling of his case. The Empire actor, 36, was seen relaxing on his own with what looked like a rolled-up cigarette. He is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, where medicinal marijuana is allowed but any other type of possession is not, after fleeing Chicago last month, leaving the fallout from his sensational case to play out without him. Prosecutors have come under fire for deciding to drop the 16 felony counts of lying to police that Smollett had been facing for allegedly staging a hate crime attack on himself on January 29. Jussie Smollett is seen smoking a suspicious looking cigarette this week during his Hawaii vacation with his family The 36-year-old actor looked extremely relaxed as he enjoyed some down time. He is on the Big Island with his family Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has faced particular scrutiny for first meddling in the case by asking the Chicago PD to hand it over to the FBI at Smollett's family's request and then, despite claiming to have recused herself, telling her deputy that the charges returned by a grand jury were too harsh. She compared Smollett's case to R. Kelly's - who is facing fewer but more serious charges for allegedly sexually assaulting women over the last decade - and said it served as proof that her office 'overcharged'. 'So, I'm recused but when people accuse us of overcharging cases, 16 counts on a class 4 becomes exhibit A,' she said, referring to the 16 counts of Class 4 felony disorderly conduct which a grand jury decided were appropriate in Smollett's case. 'Pedophile with 4 victims 10 counts. Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16,' she continued to prove her point. Joseph Magats, the deputy prosecutor who she said she had given the case to, replied: 'Agreed'. Foxx then told him 'just because we can charge something doesn't mean we should.' The actor sat alone on the porch of his vacation rental for a brief moment. He is in Hawaii with two of his sisters Two weeks later, all of the charges were dropped in exchange for Smollett paying $10,000 and completing community service in a decision that infuriated city officials and the public. Smollett is shown leaving court on March 26 after having the charges against him dropped Foxx has faced repeated calls to resign as a result of her handling of the case but she maintains she did nothing unethical. Smollett, meanwhile, has been enjoying some downtime with his family in Hawaii. On Tuesday, he was overheard telling someone on the phone 'you have to believe me' but it is unclear who he was talking to. It remains unclear if he will return to Empire, the Fox show which made him famous. He is facing a lawsuit from the City of Chicago which wants to recoup $131,000 it said it spent in police overtime investigating his case. His lawyers, who have always maintained his innocence, said they will fight it and welcome a civil trial. They have accused the mayor and the police chief of harassing Smollett. A group of New Jersey children toured the doomed Notre Dame cathedral moments before a blaze engulfed the medieval building. A teacher chaperoning the schoolers even reportedly smelt smoke during their visit. The children from the Leonia public schools group left the 850-year-old cathedral 'a few minutes' before the huge inferno destroyed the roof and ancient spire. The blaze erupted in the UNESCO world heritage landmark in the French capital on Monday, sending its spire and roof crashing to the ground as flames and clouds of smoke billowed into the sky. The schoolchildren from New Jersey had left Notre Dame in central Paris moments before it caught fire One teacher who was on the school visit reportedly smelt smoke inside the cathedral but 'thought nothing of it' The fire, which at one point threatened the entire edifice, was brought under control early on Tuesday about nine hours after it broke out. While inside Notre Dame, one of the teachers even thought a smell of smoke was in the air, but did not think anything of it, the students said according to CBS New York. The group of students from New Jersey were having dinner when they realized the historic monument was on fire. Edward Bertolini, the superintendent for the school district, was with 26 high school students and four other chaperones on an 11-day French trip. He told CBS2: 'It was a surreal moment, because we just saw the beauty of the church, and then a few minutes later, it was gone. 'We've been to a lot of different churches, museums. This was by far the nicest.' Flames and smoke rising from the blaze at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday The group started getting text messages from friends in the States and rushed out to witness the destruction from the safety of a nearby bridge. Official said today part of the support structure around Notre Dame cathedral's rose windows is to be dismantled to prevent further damage following the massive fire. Senior Jenna Khansa who was on the school trip told the TV network: 'I ran out of the restaurant with my phone in my hand to record, and as soon as I turned away from the fire, I just got very emotional and started to cry.' It emerged today that while other ancient European landmarks had been updated to include firestops, Notre Dame had not been fitted with these measures. Passive fire protection measures to seal openings and joints in a wall or floor and impede the spread of flames, or sprinkler systems, were intentionally not fitted in Notre Dame to avoid electric wires in 'the Forest' roof - leaving it to the mercy of building work that began in 1163. It also appears that practice fire evacuation drills had not been conducted as the organist who was playing at evening mass when the fire broke out said people didn't immediately react when the alarm rang because 'nobody knew exactly what it was because it was the first time that we heard it inside the cathedral'. The 18-year-old Florida girl 'infatuated' with the Columbine massacre killed herself in a Colorado forest following a massive manhunt that saw schools across Denver shut down. Sol Pais was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound near the Echo Lake Campground in Mt Evans, just outside Denver, on Wednesday morning. Witnesses told local media that Pais had earlier been spotted running naked through the woods with a gun. Nearly 30 armed law enforcement officers swarmed the area in the moments before confirming that Pais was dead. It is not yet clear when she took her own life but Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said he didn't believe authorities were in active pursuit at the time her body was found. Sol Pais, 18, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near the Echo Lake Campground in Mt Evans, just outside Denver, on Wednesday morning The FBI revealed on Wednesday afternoon that Pais had last been spotted in that wooded area when she was dropped off by a driver on Monday afternoon. The driver reported the information to authorities on Tuesday after investigators started their frantic search for Pais in the Denver area. The teen had flown from Miami to Denver on Monday and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition just days before the 20th anniversary of the mass shooting at Columbine High School that killed 13 people. A disturbing website belonging to Pais, as well as posts on the National Gun Forum seeking advice on buying a shotgun in Colorado, had emerged earlier on Wednesday as the manhunt was underway Authorities said Pais had become 'infatuated' with the Columbine shooting and became concerned when she purchased three one-way tickets to Denver for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The FBI had described the Miami Beach High School senior as 'extremely dangerous' and said she had made threats to 'commit an act of violence' in Denver after becoming fixated on the shooting massacre. Half a million students were forced to stay home on Wednesday as the manhunt for Pais continued. They said she had not made a specific threat but said her fascination with the massacre and the gunmen and her recent actions had raised suspicions. Two teenage boys who attended Columbine High School shot and killed 12 classmates on April 20, 1999 before committing suicide. At the time, it was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. A disturbing website belonging to Pais, as well as posts on the National Gun Forum seeking advice on buying a shotgun in Colorado, emerged as the manhunt was underway. The FBI said they are looking at the website and other online activity as part of their investigation. The website is filled with self-hate journal entries and contains a tribute to a Marilyn Manson song that was inspired by the high school shooting. DailyMail.com has viewed the website but has chosen not to publish copies of the diary entries. Investigators head into the forest near the Echo Lake Campground in Mt Evans, just outside Denver, on Wednesday where the body of Pais was found Nearly 30 armed law enforcement officers swarmed on the area near the Echo Lake Campground in the moments before confirming Pais was found dead. Investigators are pictured above after the girl's body was found Sol Pais was found near the Echo Lake Campground in Mt Evans, just outside Denver, on Wednesday morning The site contains photocopied handwritten journal entries with multiple drawings of guns and troubling phrases like 'being alive is f**king overrated' and 'how do I pull it out of me? I'm f**king empty.' The website also has the phrase '1999 - the nobodies' written on it. Marylin Manson wrote a song titled The Nobodies based on the 1999 shooting massacre at Columbine. Another social networking page found under Pais' name contains a profile photo bearing a resemblance to photos released by authorities during the manhunt for her. It asked for readers to be the 'best killers'. The profile, which also contains a link back to the website with the journal entries, also has five items listed on a to do list, including: 'Self destruct, burn out, walk away, reject apologies and fade.' She was also believed to be behind a series of posts on the National Gun Forum website last month asking for advice on buying a gun in Colorado. 'Florida resident here. I am planning a trip to Colorado in the next month or so and wanna buy a shotgun while I'm there and I was wondering what restrictions apply for me? I've found a few private sellers I might want to purchase from; is it legal for me as a Florida resident to purchase a shotgun in Colorado? I'm 18 years old too, if it's important,' she wrote. 'The problem is i have no friends in FL who are into guns like me so it's not as fun having to do all of this alone,' she wrote in a follow up post. The FBI searched the Miami Beach home where Pais lives with her parents on Tuesday night and remained outside on Wednesday Police vehicles sit outside Columbine high school as some Denver area schools have closed while police searched for Pais The Denver FBI office was alerted to the potential threat early Tuesday by Miami FBI agents and they notified area schools that afternoon. About a dozen Denver area districts called off classes for Wednesday and about a half million students were forced to stay home because authorities believe Pais could pose a threat to a school. Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours on Tuesday afternoon before Wednesday's complete closures were announced. An FBI bulletin from early Tuesday said authorities lacked probable cause for a formal arrest but that law enforcement should detain Pais for a mental-health evaluation. Officials released two photos of Pais and said she was last seen in the foothills of Jefferson County on Monday dressed in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. The FBI searched the Miami Beach home where Pais lives with her parents on Tuesday night and remained outside on Wednesday. At the time, the teenager's father Gardi Pais, 58, told DailyMail.com that the family had not heard from her since Sunday. The elder Pais said he thought his daughter had a 'mental problem' and begged her to return home. 'They are looking for her. We don't have any idea,' he said from behind his Florida front door on Tuesday. Asked if he had a message for his daughter, Pais said: 'Please come home.' His voice trembling, he added: 'I think she's gonna be okay. I think maybe she has got a mental problem.' Classmates at Miami Beach High School told the Miami Herald that Pais was taking AP and honor roll classes. 'She didn't seem any type of way,' Justin Norris, 18, said. 'She was just bad at starting conversations.' Eliana Donaire, 17, said: 'She was very quiet. I would usually see her doing homework... she didn't seem weird.' Denver public schools were shut down as a precaution on Wednesday. Pictured is Columbine High School principal Scott Christy (right) and an law enforcement officer watching on as students left on Tuesday Five family members charged with the murder of teenage siblings found buried in their father's backyard pleaded not guilty in court today. The bodies of Mary Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr, who were both 14 when they died, were found in Effingham County, Georgia, in December after police received a tip. The deceased siblings' father, 50-year-old Elwyn Crocker Sr, their stepmother, Candice Crocker, 33, and their step-grandmother, Kim Wright, 50, have each been indicted on two charges of felony murder, child cruelty and concealing a death. All five appeared separately at Effingham County Superior Court before Judge Peed before their attorneys entered pleas of not guilty. Elwyn Crocker Jr Elwyn Crocker Sr (top left) and other family members have been indicted on charges related to Mary and Elwyn Jr's deaths. Police say the siblings were victims of sustained abuse. They were allegedly kept in dog cages, beaten and starved The pair were allegedly homeschooled, beaten, starved, kept in dog cages during sustained abuse from their relatives and were never reported missing, police say. The indictment issued previously alleges that like his sister, Elwyn had been beaten, starved and kept in a dog crate between October 1, 2016 and November 30, 2016, as Savannah Morning News reported. According to the charging document, Elwyn Jr died on or about November 30, 2016. His sister Mary died on or about October 28, 2018. Both were 14 at the time of their deaths. Crocker Sr's brother-in-law, 31-year-old Mark Wright, and Kim Wright's boyfriend, Roy Prater, 55, have been charged with felony murder, cruelty to children and concealing the death of another in connection to Mary's death. During a hearing in Effingham County Superior Court in early March, a detective testified that the 14-year-old Mary was kept in a cage in the kitchen of her family's double wide trailer outside Savannah. As a result of her prolonged confinement, the girl's gaunt body contorted to fit the small enclosure until her joints became swollen, reported WSB-TV. Elwyn Crocker Sr (left), his wife, Candice Crocker, (center), and her mother, Kim Wright (right), are each indicted on two charges of felony murder, child cruelty and concealing a death Crocker Sr's brother-in-law, 31-year-old Mark Wright (left), and Kim Wright's boyfriend, Roy Prater, 55 (right), have been charged with felony murder, cruelty to children and concealing the death of another Sheriff's investigator Abby Brown told the court that all five family members charged in Mary's death took part in abusing the girl. According to Brown's testimony, the emaciated child was beaten, starved and given foul-smelling food as punishment for refusing to do house chores, failing to exercise and stealing food. Mary's body was not found until December, when police acting on an anonymous tip went to the family's property in Guyton and discovered the 14-year-old's body buried in a muddy soil in the backyard. Also unearthed during the search was the corpse of Mary's older brother, Elwyn Jr. The Crockers' youngest child, an 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, has been placed in foster care in the wake of his father and stepmother's arrests, the Savannah Morning News reported. According to investigators, Crocker Sr has admitted to abusing his daughter, but claimed that he was acting on the orders of his wife, Candice, and her mother, Kim Wright. Both Mary and Elwyn Jr were last enrolled at schools in the county during their sixth-grade year. Mary last attended school during the 2017-2018 year, whereas her borther last attended in 2014 before being withdrawn. Elwyn and Candice Crocker It's believed that a number of reports of potential abuse towards the children had previously been filed to the Georgia Department of Family and Children services. Local police previously said they were familiar with the family's troubled past. In 2012 and 2013, Elwyn Sr and Candice Crocker took mandatory counseling and parenting classes with Georgia Child Services following allegations Jr had been abused. According to counsellors, Crocker seemed an 'apathetic father', telling them the state only required him to 'feed, clothe and give shelter' to his children - nothing more. Elwyn Jr had also allegedly been beaten by his step-uncle, Mark Wright, in June 2012. Wright was later found to have backhanded the child after a Goodwill worker spotted a bruise on Jr's face and called police. A classmate and neighbor of the would-be 16-year-old also told school counselors how she'd witnessed Jr's step-grandmother, Kim Wright, whip him for more than an hour with a belt. It's unknown whether the boy was alive when the allegation was made in March 2017. President Donald Trump spoke with Pope Francis on Wednesday to offer condolences for the partially destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral and to wish him a Happy Easter. The president said he offered U.S. aid to the pontiff for the damaged French cathedral, which caught on fire on Monday. 'Just had a wonderful conversation with @Pontifex Francis offering condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. I offered the help of our great experts on renovation and construction as I did....,' he tweeted, ' ....in my conversation yesterday with President @EmmanuelMacron of France. I also wished both Pope Francis and President Macron a very Happy Easter!' President Donald Trump spoke with Pope Francis to offer condolences for the partially destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral and to wish him a Happy Easter President Trump said he offered U.S. aid to the pontiff for the damaged French cathedral The pope has been critical of the president's tough stance on immigration. 'Builders of walls, be they made of razor wire or bricks, will end up becoming prisoners of the walls they build,' Pope Francis told reporters in March when asked about Trump's immigration policy. Building a border wall is one of Trump's biggest campaign pledges. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Venezuela, according to the White House. 'The President and the Pope also discussed alleviating the suffering of the Venezuelan people and leading the country to a democratic transition,' the White House said in a read out of the call. Venezuela has been undergoing an economic, political and humanitarian crisis. The president has been calling world leaders and expressing sympathy to the French since the Cathedral caught fire - images of its burning shocked the world. Trump called France's Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to offer the United States condolences on the Notre Dame fire and U.S. assistance in restoring the iconic cathedral. The U.S. president invoked the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack for the third time in a week as he pledged to support the French after a blaze damaged the exterior of the historic church. 'France is the oldest ally of the United States, and we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dame's bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again,' the White House said in a Tuesday afternoon statement. The readout made no reference to Trump's suggestion while the structure burned that the French use 'flying water tankers' to douse the flames. View of the debris inside the Notre-Dame-de Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral on Tuesday, a day after the fire President Donald Trump called Emmanuel Macron to offer the United States condolences on the Notre Dame fire and U.S. assistance in restoring the iconic cathedral Trump made the recommendation from aboard Air Force One en route to Minnesota on Monday, while viewers around the world watched iconic cathedral go up in flames. WHITE HOUSE ON NOTRE DAME FIRE This morning, President Donald J. Trump, on behalf of the American people, offered his condolences to President Emmanuel Macron of France for the devastation caused by the fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. The United States stands with French citizens, the city of Paris, and the millions of visitors from around the world who have sought solace in that iconic structure. The Cathedral has served as a spiritual home for almost a millennium, and we are saddened to witness the damage to this architectural masterpiece. Notre Dame will continue to serve as a symbol of France, including its freedom of religion and democracy. France is the oldest ally of the United States, and we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dame's bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again. We stand with France today and offer our assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization. Vive la France! Advertisement 'So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!' Trump wrote while en route to Minnesota for an event about taxes. Later, at his Tax Day event, Trump told a crowd about the 'terrible, terrible fire.' 'The fire that they're having at the Notre Dame Cathedral is something like few people have witnessed,' the president said. 'When we left the plane, it was burning at a level that you rarely see a fire burn. It's one of the great treasures of the world.' Trump said that the building 'might be greater almost than any museum in the world and it's burning very badly.' He noted that he himself had been to see it before. 'Looks like It's burning to the ground,' the president added, as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. Trump said he had a 'communication' with France but did not specify if he spoke to French authorities. 'That puts a damper on what we're about to say to be honest,' Trump told his audience in Minnesota. 'Because that is beyond countries. That's beyond anything. That's a part of our growing up, it's a part of our culture, it's a part of our lives. That's a truly great cathedral. And I've been there and I've seen it There's probably no cathedral in the world like it.' The president said the French believed the fire was related to the ongoing renovation of the 850-year-old cathedral. 'They think it was caused by renovation. And I hope that's the reason,' Trump continued. 'Renovation. What's that all about?' Trump said. Then he called it a 'terrible sight to behold.' President Donald Trump tweeted about the fire at Notre Dame Monday The president suggested the use of airborne tankers The French government tweeted out its reason in English for not using water tankers from the air At the end of his roundtable event, where he hailed tax cuts, gains against ISIS and other matters, Trump returned to Notre Dame. 'We all want to extend our regards and our hopes and our 'God Bless you' to Paris and to France, what they're going through,' Trump said. 'This is one of the true catastrophes,' he said. 'Hopefully they did better than they were doing when I left the plane but it was not a good situation with respect to Notre Dame Cathedral.' Hours after Trump's tweet, the French government explained that air drops could have caused the cathedral's walls to implode, bringing the structure down and ruining the artwork inside. France's ambassador to the U.S. Gerard Araud told CNN, 'It's not possible to use water tankers which could only worsen he situation of the building.' He mentioned the difficulty of containing the fire with intense heat and tons of wood acting as fuel. 'So I think we have only to pray now,' he said. The French civil security division posted a tweet that appeared to rebut Trump posting a single English-language missive on its French-language account. 'Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral,' the tweet said. First lady Melania Trump, who did work in Paris during her modeling career, also tweeted about the fire. 'My heart breaks for the people of Paris after seeing the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Praying for everyone's safety,' Melania Trump wrote. PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 15: Flames and smoke rising from the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France on April 15, 2019 A fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris, potentially involving renovation works being carried out at the site, the fire service said.Images posted on social media showed flames and huge clouds of smoke billowing above the roof of the gothic cathedral, the most visited historic monument in Europe The president suggested: 'Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out.' Above an air tanker drops water on a fire along the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway in Simi Valley, Calif., Monday, Nov. 12, 2018 Donald Trump's daughter, traveling in Africa, said the fire was 'devastating' in a tweet sharing he condolences. 'Watching flames engulf the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. A devastating and shocking sight. Praying for the safety of all,' Ivanka Trump wrote. The president has the capability to monitor televised reports while in flight, and was apparently seeing televised coverage showed billowing smoke and flames engulfing the roof of the building. A scant few early signs of an effective firefighting response could be seen, and viewers around the world worried the cathedral would burn down. One helicopter was seen circling the area as Parisian firefighters made their way to the scene. Firefighters eventually were able to assemble fire boats on the river. The cathedral is located on the corner of Ile de la Cite, on a spit of land that juts out into the river Seine. The interior of the building came out relatively unscathed, and the fire brigade said the 'main works of art' had been saved, including the Crown of Thorns that Jesus is believed to have worn and the Rose windows. Notre Dame's facade and it's bell tower also survived the fire. The cathedral's twitter account called it a miracle, inspiring even the admitted non-believers to proclaim Hallelujah. 'My heart breaks for the people of Paris after seeing the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Praying for everyone's safety,' Melania Trump wrote Monday Ivanka Trump tweeted about the event from Ethiopia According to French newspaper Le Monde, the fire broke out in the attic of the monument before spreading across the roof. The cathedral is one the finest example of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and one of the most visited buildings in the world. Notre Dame - which means 'Our Lady' - was build in 1160 and completed by 1260, and has been modified on a number of occasions throughout the century. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted Monday: 'Notre Dame is an iconic symbol of faith to people all over the world and it is heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames. Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters on the scene and all the people of Paris.' Lord Nazir Ahmed (pictured above) has not yet entered a plea regarding the several charges agaisnt him A former Labour peer has appeared in court alongside his two brothers charged with historic child sex offences in Rotherham. Lord Nazir Ahmed is accused of two attempted rapes, one serious sexual assault and one indecent assault. The charges against the 61-year-old relate to two alleged victims, a girl and a boy under the age of 16 and 14. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 1971 and 1974, when Lord Ahmed had still been a teenager. His brothers appeared alongside him at Sheffield Crown Court today, who are both arrested as part of the same investigation, which first began in 2016. Mohammed Farouq, 68, is accused of four counts of indecently assaulting a boy under 14 between 1968 and 1972. Mohammed Tariq, 63, is charged with two counts of indecently assaulting a boy under 14 between 1970 and 1972. The pair, both from Rotherham, pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing last month. Lord Ahmed has not entered a plea yet. Mohammed Tariq (left) is charged with two counts of indecent assault against a boy under 11 and Mohammed Farouq (right) is charged with four counts of indecent assault against a boy All three were released on bail and will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on June 14 for a pre-trial hearing before a two week trial begins on December 2. Speaking to the defendants, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC asked the trio to continue to consult and cooperate with their lawyers in preparation for the trial. 'You have heard what's been said today and I have given directions as to the future conduct of the case. The trio will appear at Sheffield Crown Court (above) on June 14 for a pre-trial hearing 'You must be here on the next occasion, which will be June 14, for us to make further directions for the case. 'In the meantime all three of you are released on bail. You may leave the dock.' Lord Ahmed was born in Kashmir and moved to the UK in 1969 with his family to join his father who was working in steel factories in Rotherham. He joined the Labour Party in 1975 aged 18 and became a councillor in Rotherham in 1990. In 1998 he became Britain's first Muslim when he was appointed to the House of Lords by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. He resigned from the Labour Party in 2013. This is the moment a teenager appears to be 'rammed' by a police van after officers were called to break up a riot in an Edinburgh park. At least 30 youths wearing black clothing and balaclavas were filmed running from grassland near Moredunvale park around 6.30pm on Monday, after two police vans arrived. A 16-year-old was arrested after colliding with a police vehicle and one witness said the group had smashed cars and set items on fire. No link has been established between the riot and the attempted murder of a 16-year-old boy outside an Aldi in Edinburgh on Sunday. Caught on video from a flat overlooking the grassland near Moredunvale Park, a police car and youth are seen colliding. Police Scotland said the youth didn't require medical attention The group of at least 30 people were seen running from the park when two police vans arrived Footage shot from a flat overlooking the park shows one youth leap up in the air before colliding with the van. Officers then jump out of the vehicle and appear to arrest the youth. Police Scotland confirmed that a 16-year-old had been arrested for antisocial behaviour after he collided with a police van. He did not require medical attention. The video also shows the group scattering as two police vans skid across the park. The police van was filmed colliding with the youth. A 16-year-old was arrested A witness, who filmed the collision, said: 'I was just making a cup of tea and was chatting to my girlfriend when I heard all this screaming and shouting from outside. 'I hadnt even realised there were easily 30 youths gathered on the green. 'They were all dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, hoods, and winter scarves to cover their faces. 'I spoke to someone who claimed theyd smashed cars and set stuff on fire. 'Suddenly these two police vans mounted the grass and drove towards the group. 'To start with, it looked like they were just breaking the crowd up. 'But then you can see one of the vans drive straight towards one of the boys. 'It had been raining, and when a van is driving that fast on soft grass - I know, because I take my dog on there - its not stopping in time. 'The whole time the police were there, though, the crowd just lingered off the side of the green - and they were yelling and taunting and jeering the police.' The two police vans tried to disperse the crowd which a witness said had smashed cars and burnt items Witness said there were six police vehicles - four vans and two cars - at the park. One said police appeared to be searching for something in the grass, while the group of youths jeered at the officers from the side. Supt Mandy Paterson from Police Scotland said that although a 16-year-old did 'collide' with a police vehicle he did not require 'medical attention'. 'The full circumstances of this collision are being investigated and the Police Scotland Professional Standards Unit have been informed. 'Local officers are proactively identifying and visiting those involved last night with a view to preventing any repetition and would seek the support of parents or guardians in ensuring knowledge of the whereabouts and activities of their children. 'We are committed to tackling antisocial behaviour and disorder across the city.' An Israeli flight attendant has been in a coma for 10 days after she contracted measles after a flight from New York. The 43-year-old woman, who is a flight attendant for Israel's El Al airline, reportedly has encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which is caused by the measles infection. According to Israel's health minister, the woman fell into a coma nearly a week after she developed a fever on March 31. She is on a respirator, unable to breathe on her own, in the intensive care unit at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, CNN reported. Officials believe the woman may have been exposed to the viral infection while in New York or Israel, or a flight between the two. Currently, there are outbreaks in both New York and Israel, leaving health officials to believe she may have contracted measles from a passenger. An Israeli flight attendant has been in a coma for 10 days after she contracted measles following a flight from New York. The 43-year-old woman is a flight attendant for Israel's El Al airline (file image) Health officials said the woman has encephalitis, or swelling of the brain (illustrated above), which is caused by the measles infection In New York, there have been at least 329 cases in Brooklyn since October 2018 - most in Orthodox Jewish communities. The measles cases in Rockland County, New York, and in Brooklyn have been traced to unvaccinated members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community who traveled to Israel, where a measles outbreak is also occurring. According to CNN, like many others in her generation, she received only one dose of measles vaccine as a child. Health authorities say the outbreaks in the United States and Israel started with parents who've chosen not to have their children vaccinated. 'I knew this was going to happen sooner or later,' Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University and an adviser to the CDC on vaccines told CNN. 'We have the reintroduction of a serious viral infection with a population that's withholding the vaccine from their children, and now it's spreading beyond that population.' In New York, Mayor Bill De Blasio has declared a state of emergency and has threatened to fine any families that don't get their children vaccinated in light of the outbreak. Two weeks ago, officials in Rockland County, New York, issued a State of Emergency, banning unvaccinated people under age 18 from public places. Additionally, the county is offering free MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines for residents six months and older. Many anti-vaccination hotspots - such as Rockland County and Portland, Oregon - are known for insular and, in some instances, ultra-religious. Last week, a state of emergency was declared and all schools in four ZIP codes, including Williamsburg, were ordered to exclude any unvaccinated children from the premises, and confirm that all kids were covered to the Department of Health. Rockland County Commissioner of Health Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert and County Executive Ed Day lay out a new measles exclusion order that mandates anyone with measles to stay home, and those exposed to stay out of public spaces throughout Rockland County Health officials have confirmed 329 cases of measles in the city and 184 cases in Rockland since the outbreak of the highly contagious disease began in October 2018 New York City health officials shut down United Talmudical Academy, a daycare center in Brooklyn, after the school refused to hand over medical records to confirm all their children were vaccinated. The academy, which has around 250 kids aged three to five years old and 10 teachers, is based in Williamsburg, one of the neighborhoods hardest-hit by the current measles outbreak. In a bid to curb the outbreak, health officials are trying to track down anyone who might have come into contact with people who have measles. Their records show two measles sufferers have connections to United Talmudical Academy. On Tuesday, officials trying to contain a measles outbreak in Rockland County ordered that all unvaccinated people exposed to the disease be barred from public gathering places, including houses of worship, for up to three weeks. Both the county and city are struggling to contain a swelling number of measles cases while battling lawsuits over their efforts to require vaccinations. Another 90 people in the US fell ill with measles in just one week, new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data revealed Monday. Now, there have been 555 cases of the once-eradicated disease in 2019, and the latest increase is the largest surge in cases seen in the ongoing outbreak yet. It means that, despite declarations of states of emergency in both New York and Washington, the national measles outbreak is continuing to spread in 25 US states. New York City health officials shut down United Talmudical Academy (pictured), a daycare center in Brooklyn, after the school refused to hand over medical records to confirm all their children were vaccinated With another eight months to go this year, this year's measles outbreak could easily catch up to the record-setting 667 cases that struck the US in 2014 as global cases have already surpassed the 100,000 mark. Measles was declared 'eradicated' in the US in 2000. But the disease has since had a resurgence, with a record 667 cases in 2014 - and just four months into 2019, this year's tally is quickly catching up. STATES THAT ALLOW PARENTS TO OPT OUT OF VACCINES BASED ON PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS Arkansas Arizona Colorado Idaho Louisiana Maine Michigan Minnesota North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Washington Wisconsin STATES THAT RECENTLY REVOKED THIS ALLOWANCE: Vermont California Missouri West Virginia Advertisement The highly infectious disease has been spreading among people who are unvaccinated or live in states that allow non-medical exemptions for vaccines. Cases have been confirmed in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Of those states, six - Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, Texas and Washington - allow exemptions for philosophical and/or personal beliefs. Washington and New York, particularly, have been struggling to contain the disease. In January, Washington declared a public health emergency after a measles outbreak that has affected over 70 people in Clark County and one in King County, where Seattle is located. Sixty-three of the cases are in residents who have not been vaccinated. Fifty-three cases are in children aged 10 and under. A 2018 study from George Washington University in the District of Columbia revealed that Twitter bots and Russian trolls have been fueling the global anti-vaxxer movement online. Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus. When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infected droplets are sprayed into the air, where other people can inhale them and may get infected. Symptoms present themselves between 10 to 14 days after infection and include fever, cough, runny nose and a whole-body skin rash. For most, measles is not life-threatening. However, in some cases, people can suffer from serious complications including pneumonia and brain swelling. Since January 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 555 cases of measles in 25 states, new data revealed Monday Once common, the disease is now rare thanks almost entirely to the MMR vaccine, which was introduced in 1963. The CDC recommends children receive the first dose at 12 to 15 months old and the second dose at four to six years old. The vaccine is about 97 per cent effective. But those who are unvaccinated have a 90 per cent chance of catching measles if they breathe the virus in, according to the CDC. Before the measles vaccine was available, more than 500,000 cases were diagnosed in the US every year, with about 500 annual deaths. A report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in January said measles has seen a 30 per cent increase in cases around the world from 2016. WHO also revealed that nearly 83,000 people contracted measles in Europe in 2018, the highest number in a decade. A high school girl was expelled from her school in Alaska and prohibited from attending the prom after she kneed a boy who stormed into the women's bathroom with six other guys. The incident occurred last week at the North Pole High School in North Pole, Alaska, and was said to have been a form of protest from the seven boys. According to tweets posted by girl's sister, the boys were attempting to protest a trans male student - transitioning from female - who posted an April 4 Snapchat selfie in the boy's restroom. The incident occurred last week at the North Pole High School in North Pole, Alaska, and was said to have been a form of protest from the seven guys The girl's sister shared Snapchats by one of the boys protesting the transgender student They planned to 'identify as a woman' so that they could 'boycott this bulls**t,' asserting that they didn't want 'a**h***s' to participate Tammie Wilson, a Republican representative in North Pole, described that the girl was suspended for using excessive force after the incident. The girl - who is not the student transitioning - was said to have been blocked from leaving the restroom and kneed the boy, who was sent to the hospital for his injury. On Friday, Wilson shared that she had been in touch with the girl's family and said that she saluted the behavior. But when one went in the girl's bathroom, he was kneed in the groin by the girl and was said to have gone to a hospital (stock) 'I said, 'Good for her,' Wilson said, according to the Fairbanks Daily News Miner. 'I would have taught my daughter to do the same.' Wilson became privy to the incident when she saw various post on social media and when a constituent reached out to her. 'Was she supposed to not protect herself?' she said. 'She was where she belonged. They were not.' Fairbanks North Star Borough School District released a statement and said that policy stated that they could not release the student's identity. 'We don't advocate violence as a means for students to attain safety,' Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Superintendent Karen Gaborik said 'If a student does use force, we have to evaluate that incident.' School expelled the girl and made it so that the guys could not go to prom Gaborik also said that all of the parties involved missed out on the school's prom, which occurred on April 6. 'Based on the results of the (Title IX) investigation, school administration issued discipline on April 8 to both the female student and to seven male students involved in the incident,' she said. 'The male students were disciplined for attempting to enter the restroom. There was not evidence that the male students were threatening any student or using any type of force toward other students.' The girl's sisters both took to their social media to defend their sister and blast how the school was tackling the issue. One said: '**expelled** my sister was expelled for kneeing a guy in the dick after he was blocking her in the WOMENS bathroom.' The girl's sisters also claim that the school district's superintendent isn't really looking at all the evidence The other added: 'And of course the district will defend their actions. the amount of lies being spread about this situation and my sister are absolutely ridiculous. Sooooo done.' On Monday, the school district added to their statement and said: There was, and continues to be, conversation among students regarding transgender students at NPHS and the use of restrooms. 'Teachers, counselors, support staff and administrators are helping students navigate that dialogue. The district provides additional counselors to schools whenever it is determined assistance is needed.' Wilson plans to take the issue up with members of the Board of Education. Margaret Thatcher's personal possessions, including the ring she wore on her first day as Prime Minister, are going up for auction next month. Auction house Christie's, based in London, will hold the online sale to mark the 40th anniversary of her election as the UK's first female Prime Minister on 3 May 1979. The auction will comprise 170 lots with items from Mrs Thatcher's time in office, as well as personal belongings, such as clothes, handbags and her 'uniform' jewellery - pieces she wore at the height of her career. Margaret Thatcher's famed 18-carat gold and amethyst ring, worn on her first day as Prime Minister, is expected to fetch between 1,200 and 1,800 when it goes up for sale Another piece of her jewellery going under the hammer is a hardstone-mounted gold bracelet with colourful cabochon gemstones, which has an estimated sale price of 2,000 to 3,000. A gift from her husband Denis, it was worn by Mrs Thatcher during her meeting with Nelson Mandela in 1990 Christie's has estimated the items will sell from between 100 to 15,000, with Mrs Thatcher's famed 18-carat gold and amethyst ring, worn on her first day as Prime Minister, expecting to fetch between 1,200 and 1,800. The ring, which she was photographed in when arriving at 10 Downing Street on May 4 1979, is understood to have been one of her favourites as it was chosen by her children. Another piece of her jewellery going under the hammer is a hardstone-mounted gold bracelet with colourful cabochon gemstones, which has an estimated sale price of 2,000 to 3,000. Another evening suit - the blue outfit worn at a dinner to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 - is expected to go for between 1,000 and 1,500 This outfit worn by the Baroness Margaret Thatcher at The Goring 100th Birthday Party at The Goring Hotel in Belgravia, London, in 2010 is also on sale A gift from her husband Denis, it was worn by Mrs Thatcher during her meeting with Nelson Mandela in 1990. A sapphire, diamond and cultured pearl necklace is estimated to sell for between 600 and 800, and two evening suits - one of which was the blue outfit worn at a dinner to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 - are expected to go for between 1,000 and 1,500. Other items on sale include her signature handbags by Asprey with a lizard exterior Other items include a diamond-set gilt Cartier pen in its box, Mrs Thatcher's House of Commons desk blotter and one of her signature handbags by Asprey with a lizard exterior. The auction will be the third by Christie's of Mrs Thatcher's belongings, after previous sales in 2015 saw her items sell for a total of 4.5 million. Adrian Hume-Sayer, director and specialist of private collections, said: 'The market's response to the historic sales in 2015 - both the online sale and the traditional live auction - was remarkable, with the overall result for The Mrs Thatcher Collection Part I and II far exceeding pre-sale expectations. 'Clients from all over the world seized the opportunity to acquire items which gave insights into the life of Britain's first female Prime Minister, who was a political giant on the world stage. 'In May 2019, Christie's third and final sale in this trilogy of auctions coincides with the 40th anniversary of Mrs Thatcher's historic election, offering collectors, admirers and enthusiasts with one last chance to bid for a memento of The Iron Lady.' Mrs Thatcher, Part III, an online sale, will be open for bidding between May 2 and May 9. The sale is available to view online now. A former New Jersey paramedic is suing a health care company for wrongful termination after he practiced holistic medicine on a patient who refused traditional treatment. Michael Senisch, of Bridgeton, says AtlanticCare fired him in 2016 and told him his clinical judgment was questionable because he practiced Reiki on the woman suffering from an infection. 'We have to call into medical control and the order was given for what's called an IO intraosseous infusion,' Senisch told CBS Philadelphia about what happened at Wendy Johnson's May's Landing home three years ago when she refused an infusion. Scroll down for video Former paramedic Michael Senisch is suing AtlanticCare for wrongful termination The 59-year-old woman was suffering from cancer and had a wound five inches deep in her breast that she was self treating with 'colloidal silver', NJ.com reports. There was difficulty getting an intravenous drip into her arm, the man who was a paramedic for 34 years said. The suit says the woman refused to let Senisch, 62, perform an infusion, but allowed him to practice Reiki - or energy healing - on her after he offered. He had trouble getting an IV into Wendy Johnson's arm and she refused an IO intraosseous infusion which would involve drilling into her body. She died a month later Senisch said he believed he was protecting 'myself, the patient and also my employer' by trying the energy healing. However he claims when he arrived at the hospital he was reprimanded. The complaint says a doctor later performed the infusion without her consent after she arrived at the hospital. Three days later his job was terminated. The patient is alleged to have urged the paramedic's employer to rehire him before she passed away a month later. Her husband - a retired Pleasantville Fire Department deputy chief and former EMT - is on Senisch's side. 'She said, "IV yes, IO no, period," and I said, "Well, that's my wife",' Brian Johnson said. 'He did everything correctly, according to what they should do to service the community that they're going to service.' Senisch's attorney says the company's prejudices against holistic medicine contributed to their decision. He is claiming momentary compensation for emotional distress, physical illness, economic damages, and stress. 'Even when it may not be in their best conventional medical interest, if they say no, no means no,' attorney Michelle Douglass said. AtlantiCare says Senisch's claims are untrue. 'It is unfortunate that the former paramedic and his attorney waited until now, only weeks before jury selection, to publicize his false allegations in the media,' AtlantiCare said in a statement. 'We look forward to presenting the actual facts of the case to a jury in a few weeks. The care and safety of our patients is always our highest priority. 'Until we have the opportunity to share the facts of this case in an impartial court of law, we will refrain from commenting further.' Former EMT husband Brian Johnson said: 'He did everything correctly, according to what they should do to service the community that they're going to service' United Airlines expects Boeing's grounded 737 MAX jets to return to service this summer, with deliveries resuming before the end of the year, an executive said on Wednesday. The statement was aimed at reassuring investors concerned about a prolonged suspension. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March following two fatal crashes, forcing Boeing to freeze deliveries. Boeing is under pressure to upgrade the software and convince global regulators that the plane is safe to fly again, a process expected to take at least 90 days. Chicago-based United, which is part of United Continental Holdings Inc, removed its 14 MAX aircraft from its flying schedule through early July, while US competitors that own the MAX have planned their flying schedules without the aircraft into August. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March following two fatal crashes, forcing Boeing to freeze deliveries. United Airlines expects Boeing's grounded 737 MAX jets to return to service this summer, with deliveries resuming before the end of the year, an executive said on Wednesday, reassuring investors concerned about a prolonged suspension. A MAX 9 is see above United has another 16 MAX orders scheduled for delivery this year. 'The aircraft scheduled for delivery this year, we would expect to take this year,' Chief Financial Officer Gerald Laderman said on a first-quarter conference call. United posted a better-than-expected jump in first-quarter profit late on Tuesday after selling more tickets and cutting costs, and stood by its 2019 profit target despite the 737 MAX grounding. Its shares were up 4.0 per cent at $88.62 on Wednesday afternoon. Unlike other US airlines that own the MAX, No. 3 United has largely avoided flight cancellations after the grounding, deferring nonessential maintenance on larger aircraft to put them on MAX routes. But executives said on Wednesday that the strategy, manageable for a month or two, gets tougher as time goes on. The doomed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crashed (pictured) and killed 157 people in March after its angle-of-attack sensor was damaged on takeoff by a foreign object or bird In October 2018, it was on another brand new Boeing 737 Max 8, in Indonesia, that 189 people lost their lives in the Java Sea when Lion Air Flight 610 (pictured) plummeted out of the skies minutes after taking off from Jakarta United has been expanding its available seat capacity at a faster pace than rivals but said on Tuesday it was trimming that 2019 target to reflect the grounded MAX as well as suspended flights to Delhi due to closed air space over Pakistan. Laderman said the carrier's costs per seat mile could grow this year if the MAX aircraft remain out of service or flights to Delhi remain suspended longer than its current assumption. Looking forward, he said United would discuss with Boeing compensation over costs incurred due to the MAX grounding, noting the temporary grounding of Boeing's 787 soon after it entered service in 2013 as a 'historical reference'. Of the US MAX owners, United was the first to report first-quarter results. COUNTRIES THAT HAVE GROUNDED BOEING 737 MAX Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and United Arab Emirates Asia: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Mongolia Australasia: Australia, New Zealand North America: United States, Bermuda, Canada Advertisement Southwest Airlines Co, the largest global MAX operator with 34 jets, reports on April 25, followed by American Airlines Group Inc on April 26. American Airlines announced Sunday that it was canceling 115 flights per day through mid-August because of ongoing problems with the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The announcement made American the second major carrier to cancel Max flights through the busy summer season. Southwest Airlines, the largest operator of Boeing jets, announced last week that it would cancel its Max flights through August 5. American's cancellations will last through August 19. The US and other countries grounded Boeing's 737 Max plane in mid-March after deadly plane crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. The doomed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crashed and killed 157 people in March after its angle-of-attack sensor was damaged on takeoff by a foreign object or bird. In October 2018, it was on another brand new Boeing 737 Max 8, in Indonesia, that 189 people lost their lives in the Java Sea when Lion Air Flight 610 plummeted out of the skies minutes after taking off from Jakarta. A daredevil snowboarder skimmed across a 60-foot long pool before performing a frontflip in freezing weather last weekend. Filmed shooting down a slope at China Peak ski resort, California, at 'roughly' 40mph, the dare-devil didn't fall over as he attempted the difficult manoeuvre. Crowds went wild afterwards exclaiming 'that was sick!' and 'I didn't think that was possible!' The snowboarder skimmed across the 60-foot long pool before doing a frontflip at the China Peak ski resort, California, last weekend The crowd cheered when they saw the expert skills shouting 'that was sick!' Footage shot on a ski slope shows the snowboarder shooting downwards at high speeds before hitting the three-foot deep pool. He expertly skims across it and then performs a flawless frontflip to shouts of amazement from the crowd. The filmer said: 'It's an unbelievably difficult trick to pull off on a jump. 'Even harder on flat land and near impossible out of the lip of a water-filled tarp.' The man skidded down to the pool at around 40mph before skimming the water's surface A murder probe has been launched after a man in his 30s was stabbed to death in a north London street. Police were called to the scene in Stoke Newington at 5.47pm this evening and performed CPR before ambulance crews arrived. The man died at the scene. A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: 'Police are working to inform his next of kin. At this early stage there have been no arrests. 'The Homicide and Major Crime Command will be informed. A crime scene is in place. Enquiries continue. A murder probe has been launched after a man in his 30s was stabbed to death in Stoke Newington, north London, this evening Police were called to the scene at 5.47pm and performed CPR before ambulance crews arrived. The man died at the scene. Pictured: forensic officers 'A Section 60 has been authorised for post codes N16, N1 and E8. 'Any witnesses or those with information are asked to call 101 ref CAD 5783/17Apr. Alternatively, tweet @MetCC.' Section 60 gives police the power to stop-and-search anyone in the area without probably cause for a limited time period. Tonight's stabbing is the 37th murder in the capital so far this year. Last night, a man was killed after a car was driven into a mass brawl outside a north-west London tube station. Violence erupted near Alperton Tube station in Wembley on Tuesday morning after a group of people allegedly attacked each other with belts and metal poles. A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: 'Police are working to inform his next of kin. At this early stage there have been no arrests' During the melee, a car hit two men, aged 27 and 21, who were taken to hospital for treatment. The 27-year-old's injuries were not initially thought to be life-threatening, however his condition deteriorated and he died last night. CCTV from a nearby shop appears to show a masked victim of the attack hobbling and trying to enter an off-licence shortly after the incident. Scotland Yard said officers were called to the scene on Ealing Road at 1.28am and nine people were arrested on suspicion of affray. Six of them are now being held on suspicion of murder, while one of the men was being held on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. Tonight's murder was the 37th in London so far this year Advertisement A rare, cracked photograph of Adolf Hitler at the dawn of the Nazi Party has emerged, capturing the then 34-year-old flanked by his Alsatian, Prinz. The photo, along with a trove of never-before-seen images, shows the German leader during intimate moments with admirers at rallies - and with his dog Prinz, given to him in 1921, sparking his affection for the breed. Sat guarded by Prinz, the photograph was apparently taken in 1923, before his arrest in November that year for his Beer Hall Putsch - a failed power grab in Munich that resulted in the deaths of 16 Nazis and four police officers - and which saw him serve nine months of a five year jail sentence. The remarkable frame is one of 1,270 images that archivist Richard Schneider digitized from glass negatives created by Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann. The negatives are part of a trove of 41,000 which are held at the U.S. National Archives. A rare, cracked photograph of a young Adolf Hitler at the dawn of the Nazi Party has emerged, capturing the then 34-year-old leader flanked by his beloved Alsatian. The photo, along with a trove of never-before-seen images, show the notorious German leader in intimate moments with admirers, at rallies and in private. He was known to have a great affinity for the German Shepherd breed, and the dog he is pictured with in 1923 is likely to have been Prinz, who we acquired two years prior 'The face, and the mustache, and those eyes,' Schneider said. 'It was Adolf Hitler, sitting stiffly in an upholstered arm chair, his German shepherd at his side.' In the picture, Hitler wore pinstriped trousers, a dark evening jacket and a small swastika lapel pin. His hair was combed back and he was sat besides a grand piano. He was known to have a great affinity for the German Shepherd breed, and the dog he is pictured with is likely to have been Prinz, who he acquired two years prior. He owned several more German Shepherds, notably two named Blonda, and then finally Blondi, the dog he is most known for which he had killed with cyanide before his own death in 1945. Reports from the bunker where Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide reveal that after Blondi was killed, Hitler's dog handler took her litter of pups and shot them too, as well as Braun's two dogs, in a bid to prevent any symbols of the Nazi regime falling into enemy hands. Another ghostly images sees Hitler surrounded by members of the Third Reich, including his notorious minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, as well as Rudolf Hess. Hess was Hitler's Deputy Fuhrer until he flew to Scotland in 1941 in a bid to broker a peace deal with the United Kingdom. He was promptly arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes. Another ghostly images sees Hitler surrounded by members of the Third Reich, including his notorious minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels (stood to Hitler's right), as well as Rudolf Hess (standing in the top row on the far right), as well as Heinrich Himmler, the chief architect of the Holocaust (right) Hoffmann's work with Hitler played a crucial role in endearing him to the German public. His love of dogs, the way admirers flocked to him, the way his inner circle stood near him, all the gave the image of a man to be admired, experts have said. 'He single-handedly shaped the personal side of Hitler's 'Fuhrer Image,' the German historian Heike B. Gortemaker wrote. 'What makes this digitization project special is that the ensuing image has been reproduced from the original negative, rather than it being a copy or copy of a copy,' Schneider told SFGate. 'This results in unmatched quality.' Plans are already underway to make the photographs available online soon, according to Billy Wade, a supervisory archivist. Many of the fragile glass negatives were broken and had to be reassembled. 'There were more shattered plates of [Hitler] than perhaps any other subject,' Schneider said. 'I don't know if that was purposeful or coincidental - anytime I came across a picture of him looking at me, it sent shivers.' Hitler is seen giving a speech to followers in a German beer hall. Hoffmann's access made him a wealthy man, with his intimate photographs sold in a collection of popular collections called: 'With Hitler in Poland,' 'With Hitler in Italy,' 'Hitler Off Duty' and 'The Hitler Nobody Knows' (pictured in 1923, fore his arrest for the Beer Hall Putsch) Although, his access dwindled in 1944 when he ran afoul of Hitler's gatekeeper Martin Bormann, who saw to it that his photography opportunities were reduced. After the war, Hoffmann was arrested and convicted of war profiteering, and he spent five years in several German prisons. Hitler pictured with admirers in a cafe in 1923 After the war, his negatives were confiscated by the Army and went to the National Archives in 1962, according to Wade. Hoffmann's access made him a wealthy man, with his intimate photographs sold in a collection of popular collections called: 'With Hitler in Poland,' 'With Hitler in Italy,' 'Hitler Off Duty' and 'The Hitler Nobody Knows.' Although, his access dwindled in 1944 when he ran afoul of Hitler's gatekeeper Martin Bormann, who saw to it that his photography opportunities were reduced. After the war, Hoffmann was arrested and convicted of war profiteering, and he spent five years in several German prisons. A former Supreme Court justice has defended those who end their lives at assisted dying clinics, proclaiming there is 'no moral obligation to obey the law'. Jonathan Sumption QC defended those who end their lives at places such as Dignitas in Switzerland, but also urged them to face up to the consequences of their actions. He had been giving a speech at Middle Temple Hall in Central London as part of the BBC Reith Lectures. Lord Sumption retired from the bench last year and during his lecture series, Law and the Decline of Politics, he questioned whether or not courts and lawyers had over-expanded their role and if they had usurped the traditions and legislative role of parliament. Lord Sumption (pictured above) retired from the bench last year and is now speaking as part of a lecture series The Dignitas assisted suicide clinic IN Pfaffikon, Zurich, where terminally ill people travel to end their own lives Judicial review challenges have caused political tensions over laws banning assisted dying in the UK. It was last voted on by parliament in 2015, when they rejected it by 330 to 118. It had been a private member's bill which had petitioned to legalise assistance for those who have terminal illnesses and who are likely to die within six months. There have been a number of cases in recent years where lawyers have argued for the legalisation of assisted dying. Last year the defence team for retired lecturer Noel Conway, who was paralysed from the neck down by motor neurone disease, argued that the 1961 Suicide Act, which criminalises those who assist a death, was incompatible with his human rights. Noel Conway was refused permission for an appeal over the law on assisted dying at the Supreme Court in November His appeal was later dismissed. During the talks the Guardian reported that Lord Sumption was probed on the state of the law by a widow who had previously been investigated by police for accompanying her terminally ill husband to a Swiss dying clinic. Addressing her directly, he said he understood her concern but did not accept the decisions on these matters should be taken by judges. Lord Sumption (pictured above) is one of the most highly rewarded barristers in the commercial courts He added that it as a moral 'moral issue'. 'There's a large a number of people who feel that changing the law to allow assisted suicide would render large numbers of people vulnerable to unseen pressures from relatives and that the intervention of a person in [ending the] life of another is morally objectionable ... We need a political process to resolve it.' Lord Sumption is one of the most highly rewarded barristers in the commercial courts and has continued to defend the current legal stance on the issue. He said: 'I think the law should continue to criminalise assisted suicide, and I think that the law should be broken from time to time,' he said. 'We need to have a law against it in order to prevent abuse. It has always been the case that it's been criminal, but it's also been the case that courageous friends and families have helped people to die. 'That is an untidy compromise few lawyers would adopt but I don't believe there's a moral obligation to obey the law. Ultimately it's for each person to decide.' Lord Sumptions lecture series is set to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 starting May 21. A University at Buffalo freshman died Wednesday, almost a week after being rushed to hospital following a suspected fraternity hazing. Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, 18, was placed on life support last Friday after he was found unconscious on the front lawn of an off-campus house associated with the Sigma Pi fraternity. A medical report revealed that the teenager had suffered a cardiac arrest, according to Buffalo News. No drugs or alcohol were found the student's system, but police sources told the newspaper that may have been forced to perform exercises before going into physical distress. Scroll down for video Sebastian Serafin-Bazan was found on the lawn of this Buffalo, New York home (center), which is associated with the Sigma Pi fraternity Following news of Serfain-Bazan's death, University at Buffalo president Satish Tripathi said in a statement: 'Our hearts go out to Sebastian's family for the devastating heartbreak they are experiencing. 'We extend our sincerest condolences to the Serafin-Bazan family and to all of Sebastian's friends here at UB and in his hometown of Port Chester, New York'. Tripathi has immediately suspended all activities associated with the college's 35 fraternities and sororities. He said the organizations would be counseled about the university's zero-tolerance policy on hazing. The University at Buffalo (pictured) has immediately suspended all activities associated with the colleges 35 fraternities and sororities The Sigma Pi fraternity has 120 chapters in the United States and Canada. The Buffalo chapter has about 20 members, and investigators will be speaking with those who were with Serafin-Bazan in his final hours. Neighbors told local media outlets that they saw a person who appeared to be unconscious being carried out to the front lawn of the house around 12.30am Friday before police arrived. Another witness told Buffalo News: 'One of the fraternity brothers told us that they carried him outside to get him some fresh air after he fell and hit the back of his head on a coffee table... We were told he had the flu'. In a tweet, the Sigma Pi national chapter said it has offered its support to Buffalo police and the university in the investigation. It said: 'The entire Sigma Pi family is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Sebastian Serafin-Bazan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Sebastians family and friends during this extremely difficult time. 'We remain in communication with the Buffalo Police Department and University officials, and have offered our support for their ongoing investigation. We will be initiating an internal investigation and review once the police have concluded their fact-finding.' Serafin-Bazan, originally of Port Chester, New York, was in his freshman year at the University at Buffalo A Vanity Fair photo editor who was stuck with the $62,000 bill for a lavish trip to Marrakesh with fake German heiress Anna Sorokin testified at her fraud trial on Wednesday about how they became friends by visiting infared saunas in New York together. Rachel Deloache Williams, 31, became friends with Sorokin in 2016 when she was introducing herself as Anna Delvey, a German solar panel heiress. The pair became close and in May 2017, they went to Marrakesh on a lavish trip Delvey arranged and claimed she would pay for. When none of her credit cards worked, Williams was forced to pay the $62,000 balance on a credit card she sometimes used for work. It was more than she earned in a year at the time. She wrote about her experience with Sorokin for Vanity Fair last year in one of two articles about the case. On Wednesday, she retold much of that story but also gave new details about her friendship with the 28-year-old who has become known as the 'Soho grifter' and revealed that she has signed on to an HBO series about the story. Rachel DeLoache Williams sobbed on the stand as she told how she was defrauded out of $62,000, more than she makes in a year, by Anna Sorokin, the fake German heiress They met, she said, in February 2016 and were friends for 18 months. At the start of their friendship, Delvey often paid for the pair to go to infared saunas in the East Village. They also dined together and worked out with celebrity trainer Kacy Duke with Sorokin footing the bill. Williams recalled her European friend telling her: 'You work harder for your money than I do' and being 'grateful'. They had dinner together at Le Coucou, the expensive restaurant in Sorokon's hotel - 11 Howard - but Williams never paid, she said. According to The New York Times, even she was 'embarrassed' on Wednesday as she described their extravagant trip to the jury. Williams and Sorokin are shown together during their May 2017 trip to Marrakesh Anna Sorokin is shown as Williams leaves the stand, talking to her lawyer The 28-year-old Russian native is on trial for fraud. She is accused of duping bankers as well as Manhattan's elite Delvey was unemotional as she listened to her former friend sob on the stand She posed coquettishly for photos as she made her way out of the courtroom in an all-black ensemble At other points in the trial, Williams shrugged and laughed, embarrassed, about the amount of money she spent with Sorokin when they were friends When they arrived, they checked in to a $7,000-a-night villa at La Mamounia, a five star resort. During one of their few days out, Sorokin spent $1,314 on linen dresses because she 'just had her New York black clothing with her'. They decided to go because Sorokin needed to leave the country and renew her ESTA visa. With them went a personal trainer and a videographer to document the trip 'for fun'. The trip was without hiccups for several days until the staff at La Mamounia insisted on putting a credit card on file because Sorokin had booked their trip without one. Williams was forced to hand hers over. She had $410 in her checking account at the time, she wrote in her article last year. When they returned to New York and Sorokin failed to pay her back, she reported her to the police and then to the district's attorney's office. Sorokin is shown during the pair's 2017 trip to Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains in Morcco Staff at La Mamounia, a five star resort in Marrakesh, confronted her several times about not paying. Eventually, Williams had to put the charges on her own credit card In her Vanity Fair article last year, she wrote: 'Seeking reimbursement from Anna became a full-time job. Stress consumed my sleep and fueled my days. 'My co-workers saw me unravel. I came to the office looking pale and undone. 'The reality of Annas behind-the-scenes dealings, these figures flying from one account to another, remains dizzying to this daythat she was allegedly orchestrating such elaborate schemes while maintaining a believable, surface cool, wielding her debit cards to pay for dinners, workouts, beauty products, and spa treatments. 'She conjured a glittering, frictionless citywhatever one wanted would be bought, wherever one wanted to go was a cab ride or plane trip away. 'The audacity of her performance sold itself, until it collapsed under the weight of its own ambition.' During her trial, Sorokin has been slammed by the judge for throwing tantrums about her outfits and seeming to care more about the TV and movie interest in her case than the outcome of it. She has pleaded not guilty to fraud. Her alleged scheme worked by getting money from one bank to secure a line of credit with another then depositing bad checks into bank accounts and transferring the sums before they bounced. It allowed her to live lavishly in part until she was eventually caught. Among the charges she racked up was a $30,000 stay at 11-Howard, a $12,000 stay at The Beekman, $62,000 in Morocco and other restaurant and party bills. Ivanka Trump confirmed Wednesday that she turned down a senior international role which her father had offered her because 'she's very good with numbers.' A close adviser to the president, Ivanka told the Associated Press her father asked her if she was interested in the job of World Bank chief but that she was happy with her current role in the administration. She worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, David Malpass, and declared he would do an 'incredible job.' Last week, The Atlantic published a profile on Ivanka in which her father said he had considered her for official roles at the United Nations and World Bank, only to refrain from nominating her to avoid being accused of nepotism. 'She's a natural diplomat,' Trump said. 'She would've been great at the United Nations, as an example. If I did [nominate her], they'd say nepotism, when it would've had nothing to do with nepotism. But she would've been incredible.' Not for me: Ivanka Trump said she had passed on being World Bank president, which her father had revealed in an interview published earlier this month Not for me: Ivanka Trump said she had passed on being World Bank president, which her father had revealed in an interview published earlier this month Trump's guy: The president appointed David Malpas as president of the World Bank after Ivanka turned down the job He added: 'I even thought of Ivanka for the World Bank She would've been great at that because she's very good with numbers.' Although Trump said Ivanka has never shown him any interest in running for president one day, he believes she would be a formidable opponent. 'If she ever wanted to run for president,' he said. 'I think she'd be very, very hard to beat.' Asked Wednesday if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka Trump said she would 'keep that between us.' But she did say she does not see a run for office in her future. She spoke on a trip to Africa to promote women's economic empowerment, and said said the White House should be judged by its actions toward a continent that her father has privately disparaged. In an interview with The Associated Press, the president's daughter and senior adviser pointed to visits to the continent by herself, the first lady and others, saying: 'Our commitment to Africa is clear.' She added that she hopes President Donald Trump will visit, saying: 'I've been deeply, deeply inspired by my trip here. And I think he will be as well.' Ivanka Trump spoke Wednesday, the last day of her four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, which has featured a mix of diplomacy and visits to local business ventures as she advances a White House program to give an economic boost to women in the developing world. Her trip was viewed with skepticism in some quarters, given the president's efforts to cut foreign aid and his past derogatory comments about the continent. The president was criticized last year after his private comments referring to 's***hole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. Ain't no party like a first daughter party! Ivanka Trump let loose on Wednesday when she joined in with some local dancers in the town of Adzope on the Ivory Coast Up in the air! The 37-year-old was seen dancing alongside the locals, putting her hands up in the air as she moved to the beat Applause! At one point, Ivanka took a break to watch the professionals show off their moves, clapping along during their dynamic performance Something special: Upon her arrival, Ivanka was presented with a local cloth that is traditionally given to visiting kings, and a portrait of her face that had been painted in chocolate to remind her of the cocoa and coffee collective she visited Next up: Ivanka changed outfits to attend the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative on Wednesday A day before the Justice Department is expected to unveil a redacted version of the special counsel's report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, Ivanka said she was not worried about what it would contain. 'I knew that there was no collusion. I knew that there was no obstruction and this was affirmed in the Mueller report and Attorney General Barr's subsequent summary,' she said. She also said she stood by a previous statement that the president had no involvement in granting security clearances to her or her husband, Jared Kushner, saying, 'I have no evidence to the contrary.' But she said she had not spoken to the president about the issue since reports surfaced that he had ordered officials to grant Kushner a clearance over the objections of national security officials. On whether she would support turning over documents to Democrats investigating the issue, Ivanka Trump said she would leave that decision to the White House counsel. The investigation was sparked when DailyMail.com revealed in February 2017 that Rob Porter, then the president's staff secretary, had been given an interim clearance despite both his ex-wives telling the FBI that he had physically abused them. That prompted Porter - who was also in a relationship with Hope Hicks, then Trump's communications director - to quit in disgrace and then chief of staff John Kelly to order a review of security clearances, which saw Jared and Ivanka's access to high-level classified information withdrawn. The clearances were then reinstated, but there have been repeated claims that Trump ordered the reinstatement personally in the teeth of advice from career officials, which Ivanka denies. The First Daughter also appeared to get behind her father's attacks on the Democratic party which he has accused of 'anti-Semitism', particularly Rep. Ilham Omar. A convert to Judaism, Ivanka Trump said she was concerned about a 'rise in anti-Semitism' and said there currently was 'less support for Israel than Israel has traditionally experienced.' Asked if she agreed with her father's statements that Democrats had become an 'anti-Jewish' party, she said: 'I never make categorical statements but certainly there are some who have said things that are not supportive of the state of Israel.' Throughout the interview, Ivanka Trump stressed her commitment to her White House work, but also said it takes a 'tremendous toll' on her family life and her three young children. 'That's a price that we're paying together,' she said. 'I am looking forward to a time in the future when I can live a slightly more low-key private life and be able to spend a little bit more time with my children.' Her kids, she stressed, are proud of the current family business. Ivanka Trump said her 7-year-old daughter Arabella recently used her nanny's phone to ask the Siri digital assistant how many people her father had helped get out of prison, after the passage of a criminal justice reform bill Kushner had helped champion. 'I think our kids are really proud and I share with them as many of these stories as I can,' Ivanka Trump said. 'I'm certainly going to share the stories of this trip.' American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh will be released from prison next month after agreeing to strict restrictions on his internet use, communications and travel. Lindh, 38, will walk out of federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, a free man on May 23 after spending 17 years behind bars. Lindh was among a group of Taliban fighters who were captured by US forces in November 2001, just months after the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Former American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh (pictured in 2002) will be released from federal prison on May 23, after spending 17 years behind bars Lindh is currently being held at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana (pictured) Under the conditions of his release, the California native will not be allowed to own an internet-capable device, such as a smartphone or a tablet, without permission from his probation officer. Lindh also will not be permitted to watch any video content related to terrorism, and his probation officer will be able to keep tabs on his Internet use. According to recent court filings obtained by NBC News, Judge T.S. Ellis III has barred Lindh from communicating with anyone online in any language other than English. While on probation for the next three years, Lindh will be required to undergo mental health counseling and he won't be allowed to travel outside the US without the court's consent. Lindh (pictured in an undated police photo) will remain on probation with special restrictions for three years Lindh had previously opposed the restrictions, but ultimately accepted them after speaking to his defense lawyer. If the 38-year-old initially complies with all the conditions, the special restrictions on him might be eased in the future. Following Lindh's capture in 2001, 500 people were killed after his fellow prisoners staged an uprising at a detention compound and killed a CIA operations officer Johnny Spann. Judge Ellis wrote there was no evidence that Lindh took part in Spann's killing. Lindh, who was 20 years old at the time, was one of only 86 people who survived the revolt. He was named 'Detainee 001 in the war of terror' and, in 2002, was convicted of supporting the Taliban and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 2016, the National Counterterrorism Center found that Lindh was continuing to 'advocate for global jihad', according to documents obtained by Foreign Policy. He was also continuing to 'write and translate violent extremist texts', it added. The document also claims that in 2015 Lindh told a television news producer 'that he would continue to spread violent extremist Islam upon his release'. During his sentence, Lindh filed two suits against the Bureau of Prisons so that he could continue practicing the tenets of Islam. In 2013, Lindh won the right for communal prayer. The following year, he argued that he should be allowed to wear his pants above the ankle. Lindh dropped out of high school at 17 and went to Yemen to learn Arabic with the support of his parents in 1998. Lindh was among a group of Taliban fighters who were captured by US forces in November 2001, just months after the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. He is pictured here being led to a prison by a Northern Alliance soldier following his capture Hours later, 500 people were killed after Lindh's fellow prisoners staged an uprising and killed a CIA operations officer. He is pictured here being treated in a hospital after his capture Lindh (pictured after his capture during a television interview) was named 'Detainee 001 in the war of terror' and, in 2002, was convicted of supporting the Taliban and sentenced to 20 years in prison He then traveled to Pakistan and joined forces with a group that was fighting to help Kashmir gain independence from India. Lindh eventually ended up in Afghanistan and spent seven weeks at a training camp to prepare Taliban fighters. Al Qaeda volunteers also attended the camp to undergo training for terrorist attacks. It was there that Lindh met 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, who thanked him for his participation in the group, he later told FBI investigators during his interrogation. Lindh's parents, who had lost touch with him after he went to Afghanistan, only discovered where he was after CNN interviewed him following his capture. Lindh (pictured in an undated family photo) went to the Middle East in 1998. He dropped out of school at 17 and heading to Yemen to learn Arabic A picture of Lindh seen on a facsimile of his passport at the Arabia Hassani Kalan Surani Bannu madrassa (Islamic school) in Bannu, Pakistan in 2002 It was in prison that Lindh applied for Irish citizenship, and he has since confirmed that he plans to move there following his release. When he was applying for citizenship, Lindh said he would explain to the Irish government how his 'unique circumstances' would make 'survival in the US practically impossible'. 'Essentially I am seeking asylum from one country where I am a citizen in another country where I am also a citizen,' he told the London advocacy-group CAGE. Ireland's government has already said that Lindh would not be refused entry to the country. Firefighters in Oregon found themselves trying to rescue a very uncooperative cat last week when widespread flooding gripped the area. Crews from the Salem Fire Department were called in to help a resident evacuate his farm near Independence, north-west of Portland, on Thursday. While helping the man to safety, the rescuers spotted a distressed cat perched high on a post holding up vineyards. Crews from the Salem Fire Department found themselves rescuing the cat after being called in to help a resident evacuate his farm near Independence, north-west of Portland, last Thursday A rescuer, who was dressed in water waders, was caught on video making his way towards the cat before the frightened animal jumped off the post and into the floodwaters. The rescuer quickly managed to grab hold of the cat before it was swept away. He struggled to grip the cat with two hands after it started trying to put up a fight and break free. The rescuer managed to wade back to the raft where the resident was waiting with a jacket to help keep the cat warm. The rescuer quickly managed to grab hold of the cat before it was swept away but the feline tried to repeatedly fight back and escape He struggled to grip the cat with two hands after it started trying to put up a fight and break free The feline almost escaped under the raft when it tried to break free yet again. It was eventually wrapped up in the resident's coat and later released on higher ground - about 200 yards from where they rescued it. The cat fled as soon as it was released. Parts of Oregon have been experience record-breaking rain this month that has resulted in roads being shut down and forced officials to close school in the hardest-hit communities. The rescuer managed to wade back to the raft where the resident was waiting with a jacket to help keep the cat warm Advertisement While wealth varies regionally in America with much of it concentrated in the Northeast and on either coast every state is home to an upscale neighborhood where the richest communities live. A new report breaks out the richest zip code in every state in America, revealing that Sagaponack, New York about 100 miles east of New York City on Long Island is the most expensive zip code in the nation, according to analysis of 2018 data by GoBankingRates. It costs $853,738 to live in this beach community with a population of just 324 residents and a median home price of $7 million. To reach their findings, researchers analyzed housing costs, along with Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the local cost of transportation, utilities, groceries and health care in each location. Scroll down for the full list This map illustrates how much it costs to live in each of America's 15 most expensive zip codes. Source: GoBankingRates The famous 90210 zip code in Beverly Hills, California ranked second on the list, with a $692,388 annual cost of living thanks in large part to its median home price of roughly $5.5 million. Alpine, New Jersey, came in third with a cost of living of $499,244 per year. Fisher Island, Florida just south of Miami Beach ranked fourth with a cost of living of $452,630 per year. In fifth place was the ski resort town of Aspen, Colorado, with a $380,590 price tag, in part, due to the areas nearly $3 million median home price. Sea Island, Georgia ranked sixth on the list, with a $354,366 annual cost of living. The coastal city has a median home price of $2.75 million one of the highest in the study. In seventh place was in Greenwich, Connecticut, a suburb of New York City that is home to many in the financial industry which perhaps explains how they afford the $343,126 annual cost of living in that zip code. Nantucket, Massachusetts came in eighth place, with a $331,558 cost of living that surpasses even that of Marthas Vineyard. Sullivans Island, South Carolina ranked ninth, with a $296,354 cost of living. The community is on the cost just east of Charleston and has a median home price of $2.2 million. Rounding out the top 10 was the 96821 zip code in Honolulu, where residents need $288,004 to live the good life. Three terrified passengers who saw flames gushing from a jet engine opened the emergency door of a Boeing 737 and stepped onto the wing as the aircraft was preparing for takeoff. They claimed the crew had ignored their shouts of 'fire' and the panic on board as airline Utair's plane taxied to the runway for a flight from Moscows Vnukovo airport to Makhachkala, near Georgia. The three - including a woman - were all doctors. They were later 'detained' for questioning and the rest of the passengers were placed on a separate plane. An Utair spokesman told Russian RBC news that the fire was caused by a disrupted airflow when the engine started. Three doctors climbed onto a Boeing 737's wing when they saw flames coming out of the aircraft's jet engine The flames, which were filmed coming out of the aircraft's engine, were caused by a disrupted air flow according to a spokesman for the airline Scary video shows flames raging in the planes right side engine with the terminal buildings visible. But passengers claimed they had no orders from the crew on how to respond with flames surging from the jet engine. Reports say there was panic on board with some passengers falling as they tried to flee a plane they believed to be on fire. The crew is reported to have told passengers not to panic and claimed the situation was 'normal'. They eventually persuaded the trio on the wing to come back inside the aircraft. 'This was an ordinary situation, the plane was in order, passengers were in no danger,' Utair's press secretary told Russian RBC news, blaming the flames on disrupted air flow during an engine start. The three doctors have been 'detained' after opening the emergency door. (Pictured) Two of the doctors that opened the door and walked onto the plane wing The doctors were 'detained' at the airport. The other passengers were moved to a separate aircraft before continuing their journey The three doctors claimed they opened the door due to panic on the plane Despite this the passengers were disembarked and another aircraft was readied to make the flight minus the three who stepped onto the wing who were held for questioning. One of the medics said: 'We saw in the news that all passengers were moved to another plane and continued the flight - well, not all. 'Myself and two of my colleagues were taken off the flight and are still detained because of some kind of a service check. 'This happened because we sat next to an emergency exit and when the panic started, when people started to run, squashing each other, when they began screaming and yelling, in order to pacify them and to stop the panic we opened the emergency exit. 'Just imagine it yourself, we all know what panic looks like.' The plane is a Boeing 737-400, a twin-engined aircraft that can carry up to 188 passengers. An 80-year-old man accused of the brutal 1973 murders of two women has been extradited back to Virginia to face trial. Ernest Broadmax, an ex-convict with a lengthy criminal record, was taken into custody last week in Queens by the NYPD's Cold Case Apprehension Squad. Broadmax is facing murder and rape charges in Virginia over the deaths of Lynn Seethaler and Janice Pietropaola, who were both 19 and from Pittsburgh. Ernest Broadmax, an ex-convict with a lengthy criminal record, is accused of the brutal 1973 murders of two women. He is pictured at Queens Criminal Court where he will be extradited back to Virginia to face charges Mystery solved: The NYPD on Monday arrested 80-year-old Ernset Broadnax for the 1973 murders of Lynn Seethaler (left) and Janice Pietropaola (right), both 19, in Virginia Broadmax clutched a cane with both hands as he was escorted into Queens Criminal Court, where a judge officially handed him off to a pair of Virginia Beach police for extradition. Asked if he had anything to say to the families of his alleged victims as he was led away, Broadmax said: 'No, no, no, tell them to talk to my lawyer.' The girls had been vacationing at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in June 1973 when they were found dead in a motel cottage. Broadmax was 33-years-old at the time. Pietropaola was raped, strangled and shot three times. Seethaler was strangled, shot twice in the head and had her throat cut with a broken wine bottle. A worker at Farrar's Tourist Village found the women's bodies after they missed their checkout time at the end of a five-day stay, reported The Virginian Pilot. Pietropaola and Seethaler's bodies were described by local police as 'partially clad' and one of them was naked from the waist down. The attacker was believed to have entered the cottage by removing a window screen and climbing inside. The cottage where the double homicide occurred has since been destroyed and replaced with new motels and shops. In 2011, Virginia Beach detectives told the station WTRK they suspected the person who murdered Pietropaola and Seethaler had slain as many as 10 women, all of them between the ages of 18 and 25, in the area in the 1970s and early 1980s. Broadmax, resident of Hollis, Queens, has not been linked to the other cold-case killings and disappearances of young women in Virginia Beach Records indicate that Broadmax has been in and out of jail in New York City since 1990, when he moved to the city. His past criminal history includes 10 arrests on charges of assault, burglary and trespassing Broadmax is due to be charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of rape. So far, the 80-year-old resident of Hollis, Queens, has not been linked to the other cold-case killings and disappearances of young women in Virginia Beach. DNA evidence found at the crime scene matched Broadnax's profile in a national database as he is a repeat offender and had been formally incarcerated. Police have not said exactly how they managed to track the suspect down after 45 years or where the DNA was found. An NYPD spokesperson attributed Broadnax's arrest to 'good police work.' Broadmax clutched a cane with both hands as he was escorted out of the courtroom Virginia Beach police spokesperson Linda Kuehn said in a statement that in the fall of 2018, the agency's cold-case investigators 'began aggressively researching a strong lead they had received in the case,' which ultimately led to Broadnax's arrest this week. Records indicate that Broadmax has been in and out of jail in New York City since 1990, when he moved to the city. His past criminal history includes 10 arrests on charges of assault, burglary and trespassing. He was most recently released from prison in 2013 after serving eight years on an assault conviction where he beat a customer who was buying metal scraps from him in Manhattan. The Pittsburgh women were found strangled and shot inside a motel cottage at Farrar's Tourist Village in Virginia Beach (pictured) in June 2013 Pietropaola (right) was raped, strangled and shot three times. Seethaler (left) was strangled, shot twice in the head and had her throat cut with a broken wine bottle Until his arrest on Monday, Broadnax had been living in an affordable housing facility for military veterans. His neighbor Kevin Wallace told the New York Daily News that arresting officers offered Broadnax a bottle of water, helped him put on some clothes and led him away without restraining his hands. 'He went very quietly,' Wallace said. 'He knew he did it. They couldn't find him, and all the sudden they found him.' Wallace, 60, described the suspected murderer as a very quiet man who kept to himself. Adedayo Peterson, whose mother was briefly married to Broadnax in the 1970s, claims that the man grew violent while he was with her mom. She said that the man - who served in the Army and was incarcerated in Virginia before meeting Peterson's mother - once beat her mom with a belt and pulled a gun out on her brother. 'I didn't expect nothing like that,' Peterson said to the New York Times. 'But I wouldn't put it past him.' Anti-gay protesters have heckled presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg with a disturbing display, portraying the Indiana Democrat whipping Jesus Christ with Satan at his side. It was the second day in a row that the South Bend Mayor, who is the first openly gay major presidential candidate, was heckled by protesters during his two-day swing through Iowa. On Wednesday Buttigieg, 37, was attending a fundraiser in Marshalltown when anti-abortion activists Randall Terry and Gary Boisclair crashed the event. Terry was dressed in a Satan costume holding a baby doll upside down and was joined by Boisclair, dressed as Mayor Buttigieg, and another man dressed as Jesus Christ. The three set up camp outside the fundraiser, armed with a speaker system. Terry and Boisclair said they were targeting Buttigieg for his sexual orientation and for his abortion views, as the Indiana politician is pro-choice. Pete Buttigieg, 37, was heckled for the second day in a row by anti-gay and anti-abortion protesters during his Iowa swing. On Wednesday the protesters set up a disturbing scene depicting Mayor Buttigieg flogging Jesus Christ alongside Satan Disturbing: Anti-abortion activists Randall Terry (dressed as Satan) and Gary Boisclair (dressed as Mayor Buttigieg) crashed a fundraiser where Buttieg spoke Wednesday afternoon Through the speakers the three hurled insults at Buttigieg saying: 'Every vote is a lash on the back of Christ' Through the speakers, the three hurled insults at Buttigieg, who is gay, married and Christian, and portrayed him whipping Jesus Christ has he hung on a cross. 'Every vote is a lash on the back of Christ. You have betrayed your baptismal vows,' the man dressed as the devil said. According to local media reports, Terry is an anti-abortion activist and the creator of pro-life group Operation Rescue in Iowa. 'The good news is, the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you,' according to NBC. Still, Buttigieg faced the crowd of over 100 people that arrived to hear him speak. The hecklers are pictured following Democratic presidential candidate Buttigieg as he left a campaign event on Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa Unfazed: Buttigieg didn't bat an eye at the hecklers, pictured being pushed away by security The hecklers said they targeted Buttigieg for being openly gay and pro-choice. A close-up of Boisclair wearing a Mayor Pete sign around his neck and holding a baby doll upside down Randall Terry pictured above dressed as Satan with mangled baby dolls on the ground nearby Video of the bizarre display went viral on Twitter, but the presidential hopeful didn't seem bothered 'A lot of people would like to see Washington look more like our cities, towns and our best mayors,' Buttigeg said. 'The idea of coming from the Heartland is animating this effort. It turns out there is no law that says the Heartland has to be any more conservative than the rest of the country and we have a chance to prove that.' Afterwards he addressed reporters saying: 'I think when you're in politics, especially at this level, you're going to see the good, the bad, the ugly and the peculiar.' 'Look, the next president is going to have to confront things a lot more challenging than being interrupted or having to talk over a little noise at an event. So it may be irritating, but it's also part of the landscape,' he added. The day prior Terry and Boisclair heckled Buttigieg as he spoke at a town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, where he shouted at the presidential candidate, 'Remember Sodom and Comorrah, Pete. Sodom and Gomorrah' and 'you betray your baptism'. Terry was escorted out of the event as the crowd chanted 'Pete, Pete', according to the New York Post. The show goes on: Pete Buttigieg pictured at Wednesday's campaign event hosted by the Asian Latino Coalition at the Machinists Hall in Des Moines, Iowa He held a meet and greet at the campaign event and dismissed the hecklers saying: 'I think when you're in politics, especially at this level, you're going to see the good, the bad, the ugly and the peculiar' Buttigieg married his partner Chasten this year. 'The good news is, the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you,' the Indiana Democrat said to the crowds. 'Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes,' he added. 'That gentleman believes that what he is doing is in line with the will of the creator. I view it differently. We ought to be able to view it differently and never question one anothers right to be an American,' he said. Buttigieg, who announced his Democrat 2020 candidacy on Sunday, brushed off the interruption and joked to the crowd. During the Des Moines rally, an audience member asked what he should tell his friends who say America isn't ready for a gay president. Buttigieg replied, 'tell your friends I said ''hi'''. Supporters of Pete Buttigieg try to block the shirt and tie-wearing heckler from shouting homophobic slurs during a campaign rally in Des Moines yesterday A protester yells 'Sodom and Gomorrah' at Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg at a rally at Franklin Junior High School on his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate A woman shouted down what appeared to be the same man making anti-gay remarks at Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in Fort Dodge, Iowa The homophobic protester was removed from the town hall meeting after he stood up and shouted, 'you betray your baptism' at the gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaking during a town hall meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa, yesterday The turnout at the Des Moines event was unexpected as Buttigieg's team predicted at most 200 people would show up Buttigieg criticized for using 'Pharisee' slur which depicts Jews as hypocritical Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for calling Mike Pence a 'Pharisee' - a term which is often used to depict Jewish people as hypocritical and greedy. The Indiana mayor used the Bible reference to hit out at the vice president for using religious language to talk about Republican values. Buttigieg, who is the first openly gay major presidential candidate, laid into Pence's 'cultural conservatism' and said his stance of LGBTQ issues was hypocritical. Democrat Buttigieg also criticized Trump for preaching about his Christian values while paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair. He told The Washington Post while discussing the New Testament and Pence: 'There's an awful lot about Pharisees in there. Advertisement At the high school meeting another man also interrupted before the crowd again started shouting support for Buttigieg. The impact of his personal life on the campaign was on striking display at both of his Iowa events on Tuesday. The rally was one of the biggest campaign events yet for a 2020 contender in the Des Moines area, a particularly notable feat for a candidate who just over a month ago was barely registering in the polls. The turnout at the Des Moines event was unexpected, according to Polk County Democratic Party Chair Sean Bagniewski, who said Buttigieg's team had predicted at most 200 people would show up. The campaign didn't have any volunteers to take down information for enthusiastic supporters who wanted to be a part of the campaign. Bagniewski said: 'It's a very narrow window to capture momentum and energy and attention, and if you miss the opportunity to match your staff and energy with the moment, you can miss your chance.' New Hampshire police officer Tyler Perry, 27, allegedly killed a 21-year-old woman while driving under the influence A New Hampshire police officer has been arrested after he allegedly killed a 21-year-old woman while driving under the influence. Tyler Perry, 27, has been charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated in the death of Sierra Croteau. The Londonderry police officer told a first responder he had been drinking 'adult sodas' earlier that night. He was not on duty at the time of the crash. Berry was driving his pickup truck west on Route 101 in Amherst around 11.30pm last Friday. Witnesses told investigators he was driving erratically before the crash. One witness said he repeatedly kept crossing the center line and passing other vehicles. Perry, a Londonderry police officer, has been charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated in the death of Sierra Croteau (pictured) Berry (pictured) told a first responder he had been drinking 'adult sodas' earlier that night. He was not on duty at the time of the crash Berry allegedly then crossed the center line again and hit Croteau's SUV head-on as she was traveling east last Friday night. Croteau died at the scene. The officer was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries before he was arrested and charged by police. A booking photo has not been released. Authorities said he appeared intoxicated at the time. Police executed a search warrant to take two blood draws but Berry refused to let them do the second one, according to WCVB. His blood alcohol level has not yet been released. Berry was driving his pickup truck west on Route 101 in Amherst around 11.30pm when he allegedly then crossed the center line and hit Croteau's SUV head-on. Pictured is the scene Prosecutors said Berry could still face more charges. He has been suspended with pay and the Londonberry Police Department said it will fully cooperate with the investigation. Croteau had been driving home after celebrating her acceptance to nursing school at her parents' house on the night of the crash. She had been working as a licensed nursing assistant and dreamed of one day becoming a labor and delivery nurse. Croteau's family said they are devastated they will never get to see her fulfill her dreams. Croteau had been driving home after celebrating her acceptance to nursing school at her parents' house on the night of the crash. Pictured are her parents 'We have been robbed of even walking her down the aisle on her wedding day. Or even giving us grandchildren,' her father Joseph Houle told WHDH. 'This meant we will never see her again, hug her again, give her a kiss, tell her we love her, how much she means to us, how proud we are of her. We will never be able to do this.' Croteau's family is horrified that Berry was only suspended with pay and said they plan to fight for justice. 'Being a police officer, you took the oath to protect and serve, not to protect and kill,' Houle said. 'You did this and you are still getting paid after you killed our innocent daughter.' Berry, who has been a police officer for around three years, was released on personal recognizance and will be arraigned on April 18. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump spoke on the last day of her four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast Ivanka Trump has revealed her young daughter Arabella used the nanny's phone to ask Siri how many people her grandfather had saved from prison. The president's daughter and senior adviser, on a trip to Africa to promote women's economic empowerment, said her three kids are proud of the current family business - so much so that they apparently research bills passed by the president. Mother-of-three Ivanka claims seven-year-old daughter Arabella recently asked the Siri digital assistant how many people President Trump had helped get out of prison, after the passage of a criminal justice bill that her dad Jared Kushner had helped champion. 'I think our kids are really proud and I share with them as many of these stories as I can,' Ivanka Trump said. 'I'm certainly going to share the stories of this trip.' When asked Wednesday Siri returned news articles about Trump and the 'list of everyone he believes should be in jail'. Scroll down for video White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump pictured with her children Arabella, Theodore and Joseph Kushner in November 2018. Ivanka claims seven-year-old daughter Arabella recently asked the Siri digital assistant how many people President Trump had helped get out of prison Trump, 72, called the bill 'an incredible success for our country' and 'beyond bipartisan' during an Oval Office signing ceremony. The legislation will give judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders and will boost prisoner rehabilitation efforts, among other efforts. It received the rare support of both Democratic and Republican lawmakers as well as conservative and liberal groups that rarely work together. Playing a key role behind the scenes was Trump's son-in-law and Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, 38, whose father spent time in federal prison when he was younger. U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House with his grandchildren Arabella Kushner, left, and Joseph Kushner in 2017 The 37-year-old first daughter spoke on the last day of her four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast. Speaking Wednesday Ivanka stressed her commitment to her White House work, but also said it takes a 'tremendous toll' on her family life and her three young children. 'That's a price that we're paying together,' she said. 'I am looking forward to a time in the future when I can live a slightly more low-key private life and be able to spend a little bit more time with my children.' Ivanka regularly shares pictures of her three children on social media as they all enjoy family time. Recently a photo of her three-year-old son, Theodore, showed him sleeping on a pile of pillows on the floor next to his brother's bed and last month she enjoyed a Chinese takeout on top of her kitchen counter with her youngest son. Trump called the criminal justice bill 'an incredible success for our country' and 'beyond bipartisan' during an Oval Office signing ceremony. He is pictured with Alice Johnson, an inmate whose life sentence was commuted The legislation will give judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders and will boost prisoner rehabilitation efforts, among other efforts. Trump is pictured with Troy Powell, former prisoner last month. Playing a key role behind the scenes was Trump's son-in-law and Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, right, whose father spent time in federal prison when he was younger. As she concluded the trip, Ivanka said her father recently asked her if she was interested in the job of World Bank chief but that she decided she was happy with her current role in the administration. She worked on the selection process for the new head of the 189-nation World Bank, U.S. Treasury official David Malpass, and said he would do an 'incredible job'. Asked if her father had approached her about other top jobs, Ivanka Trump said she would 'keep that between us'. But she did say she does not see a run for office in her future. She also said she had no plans to leave her White House role any time soon. The trip was initially viewed with some skepticism, given the president's persistent efforts to cut foreign aid and his disparaging comments about African countries. But there no public signs of tension as his daughter posed for photos with officials and announced development grants. The president was criticized last year after his private comments referring to 's**thole countries' in Africa and other regions were leaked to journalists. But Ivanka said the White House should be judged by its actions toward a continent that her father has privately disparaged. She pointed to visits to Africa by herself, first lady Melania Trump and others, and said: 'Our commitment to Africa is clear,' adding that she hopes her father will visit. 'I've been deeply, deeply inspired by my trip here. And I think he will be as well,' she said. U.S. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, back left, joins in with traditional dancers as she is welcomed by local people on arrival to Adzope, Ivory Coast, Wednesday Ivanka was greeted by kisses as she is welcomed by local people holding U.S. flags and small flags that say 'Welcome In Adzope Ivanka Trump We Love U,' in Adzope, Ivory Coast The president's latest proposed budget would cut money for diplomacy and development by about one-quarter. But Congress has twice rejected his administration's attempts to slash the foreign affairs budget and is likely to do so again. Traveling with the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ivanka Trump was welcomed with enthusiasm. A day before the Justice Department planned to release a redacted version of the special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and the 2016 Trump campaign, Ivanka Trump said she was not worried about what it would contain . 'I knew that there was no collusion. I knew that there was no obstruction and this was affirmed in the Mueller report and Attorney General Barr's subsequent summary,' she said. She also said she stood by a previous statement that the president had no involvement in granting security clearances to her or her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner. 'I have no evidence to the contrary,' she said. But she said she had not spoken to the president about the issue since reports surfaced that he had ordered officials to grant Kushner a clearance over the objections of national security officials. Asked whether she would support turning over documents to Democrats investigating the issue, Ivanka Trump said she would leave that decision to the White House counsel. A convert to Judaism, Ivanka Trump said she was concerned about a 'rise in anti-Semitism' and said there currently was 'less support for Israel than Israel has traditionally experienced.' Asked if she agreed with her father's statements that Democrats had become an 'anti-Jewish' party, she said: 'I never make categorical statements, but certainly there are some who have said things that are not supportive of the state of Israel.' Grimes was hit, crashed his ATV into a car, which flipped over killing the teen Police pursued Grimes and he fled on his ATV, prompting Bessner to fire his taser He was immediately taken into custody to await his sentence on May 2 Bessner was charged with second-degree murder, but the jury opted for the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter after deliberating for one day Mark Bessner, 45, was convicted of killing teenager Damon Grimes by shooting him with a taser as he was fleeing police on August 26, 2017 A former Michigan state trooper was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died when he was shot with a taser. Mark Bessner, 45, was convicted of killing teenager Damon Grimes by shooting him with a taser while he was fleeing police on the ATV, in Detroit, on August 26, 2017. Grimes had popped a 'wheelie' before police began pursuing him. After the 15-year-old was struck with the taser, he crashed into a parked car, flipped his ATV over and was killed. Mark Bessner, 45, was convicted of killing teenager Damon Grimes by shooting him with a taser as he was fleeing police on August 26, 2017. The jury lessened his initial second-degree murder to a involuntary manslaughter charge on Wednesday Grimes was riding an ATV in Detroit and popped a 'wheelie' before police pursued him. After the 15-year-old was struck with the taser he crashed into a parked car, flipped his ATV over and was killed Bessner was charged with second-degree murder, but the jury opted for the lesser charge after deliberating for one day. He was immediately taken into custody to await his sentence on May 2. The maximum penalty is 15 years in prison. Nearly 20 sheriff's deputies were in the courtroom to respond to any disruptions while the verdict was announced. Bessner's family loudly sobbed while awaiting an elevator. The Grimes family 'is somewhat satisfied,' said spokesman Oliver Gantt. 'I know they had hoped for more. For the most part, I think they got a little bit of closure. I believe the family can rest with that.' The trial moved to closing arguments on Tuesday after Bessner declined to tell his version of what happened on the Detroit street. This is the second trial of Bessner after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict last year. Grimes is seen on an ATV that appears to be the same one he died on while fleeing cops This is Bessner's second murder trial after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict last year. Pictured above in court in October 2018 testifying 'I exercise my right (not to testify), Bessner said in a sworn statement before Judge Margaret Van Houten, reported the Detroit News. During his first trial Bessner offered his emotional testimony, telling jurors that he believed the 15-year-old had a gun. Grimes did not have a weapon. In court on Tuesday prosecutors urged jurors to convict Bessner, saying there wasn't a 'lick of common sense' in firing a taser at Grimes and that joy-riding isn't a crime. 'Mark Bessner caused Damon Grimes' death. Mark Bessner knew that firing at taser at Damon Grimes created a high risk,' Assistant Wayne County prosecutor Matthew Penney said. 'There can be no question that Mark Bessner knew that (the taser) was going to cause some harm to Damon Grimes,' Penney added, calling his use of the weapon 'deadly force'. 'He slowed down. We tased him, and he crashed out,' Trooper Mark Bessner (circled left) says over the radio in the initial aftermath of the ATV crash that killed Grimes The crash scene is seen in an evidence photo. The ATV struck the rear bumper of the parked pickup truck and flipped over, killing Grimes of blunt head trauma Defense attorney Richard Convertino says the ATV was in poor condition and Bessner feared for his safety. Convertino said that the accused thought 'his life was in imminent danger' and that Grimes dropped one of his hands from the handlebars of the ATV as though he was reaching for a weapon. The defense rested without calling a single witness to the stand after Bessner refused to testify in his own defense and final arguments were presented to jurors. Judge Van Houten ruled on Tuesday that Bessner's partner, Ethan Berger, did not have to testify in the trial. Berger gave statements for a deposition in a federal civil lawsuit about the deadly encounter with Grimes. Police pictured at the scene of the crime in released bodycam footage. At first officers didn't believe that Grimes, a 6-foot-1, 234-pound teenager, was 15 Berger did not take the witness stand in Bessner's first trial. During testimony at his first trial, Bessner told jurors that the incident was a 'blur' and he believed his life was 'absolutely' in jeopardy. When he learned that Gimes was only a teenager Bessner said he was 'shocked', calling it a 'terrible tragedy'. 'All I could think of was that this family ... had lost their son and all I could think of way my daughter and what they must be going through,' Bessner said on the stand. 'And (all) I could think of (was) what happens now? What do we do now?' Bessner, a 22-year veteran, said once he found out Grimes was a child, 'I felt I had been punched in the gut. It looked like a grown man. He was a boy.' The first trial ended in a mistrial in October. A jury of six men and six women deliberated for three days before finally telling Judge Margaret Van Houten that they could not agree on a verdict. The first trial ended in a mistrial in October. A jury of six men and six women deliberated for three days before finally telling Judge Margaret Van Houten that they could not agree on a verdict Jazmin Lopez, 18, has been charged with capital murder for the death of her newborn baby An 18-year-old Texas woman has been arrested on a capital murder charge in the death of her newborn daughter whose body was found inside a flower pot at a cemetery last month. Jazmin Lopez, of Dallas, came forward to police in late March identifying herself as the deceased babys mother, and on Tuesday she was booked into the Denton County Jail on a count of capital murder of a person under ten years old. She remained behind bars on Wednesday, with her bond set at $500,000. The case began unfolding on March 11, when a caretaker at Perry Cemetery in Carrollton discovered a flower pot between two headstones that looked out of place, according to an arrest affidavit cited by Dallas News. The graveyard staffer emptied the pot and found the body of a newborn baby girl, with her umbilical cord still attached. Police notified the public of the grim find more than two weeks later in an effort to locate the babys mother. The flower pot with the newborn's remains was discovered between two headstones at Perry Cemetery in Carrollton, Texas, in March Lopez contacted the authorities two days later, revealing that she delivered the baby in secret at her family's home in the 18100 block of Midway Road in Dallas on February 4. During her first interview with police, Lopez claimed that she lost consciousness after the delivery. When she woke up, her daughter was no longer breathing, the affidavit stated. Lopez came forward as the dead baby's mother and initially claimed her daughter died while she was passed out after the delivery However, Lopez later changed her story after police found photos on her phone allegedly showing her daughter alive, as well as Internet searches for abortion clinics. According to the document, Lopez said she had been trying for months to terminate her pregnancy without her family finding out. The 5-foot-2, 150-pound teen said none of her relatives knew she was expecting a baby. Lopez reportedly confessed to giving birth in the bathroom while her father, grandmother and uncle were in the house, Fox 29 reported. She then wrapped the girl, whom she named Kailen, in a shirt and covered her mouth with the fabric to stop her from crying. Lopez said, according to the affidavit, that she held the newborn to her body for one or two minutes, then continued covering her mouth while she mopped up her own blood in the bathroom. She then allegedly placed her child in a basket in a closet and went to have breakfast. When a friend of Lopez's arrived, the teen mom transferred the baby to a backpack and left the apartment. Lopez told police by then she was certain the baby had died because 'she wasnt moving like she was before,' the affidavit stated. Lopez and her friend headed to a Home Depot to pick up a flower pot with soil, where they buried the newborns body. They left the pot in a car overnight. The following day, Lopez and the friend drove to Perry Cemetery and left the pot between two headstones, where it remained undisturbed for more than a month. An autopsy performed on the infant's corpse revealed that she was delivered between 34 and 40 weeks. The baby weighed just under 6lbs and showed no signs of physical abnormalities or trauma. Police said Lopez had no baby items at home, suggesting that she had no intention of caring for her daughter. President Donald Trump says he could hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the findings of the special counsel report. He said his could follow one that William Barr will have that day. 'Maybe I'll do one after that, we'll see,' the president said on a WMAL radio program. He made the announcement minutes before Justice announced that Barr would speak to DOJ reporters at 9:30 am the next morning. The Justice Department seemingly gave the president a heads up that Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the outgoing deputy attorney general, would speak to media, prompting Trump to say he might have a news conference, too. It was not immediately clear how the president knew about the presser or the 'strong things' he said would be coming out of it. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the House Judiciary Chairman, said afterward, in a tweet, that he was 'deeply troubled by reports that the WH is being briefed on the Mueller report AHEAD of its release,' especially after DOJ informed lawmakers that they would not be getting the report until after Barr's news conference. President Donald Trump says he could hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the findings of the special counsel report Trump had been relatively quiet about the special counsel and the redacted report on Wednesday until it came up in a drive-time radio interview The Justice Department seemingly gave the president a heads up that Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the outgoing deputy attorney general, would speak to media, prompting Trump to say he might have a news conference, too Congressman Adam Schiff, a former prosecutor himself, recommended that Americans skip Barr's presser and spend their time reading the redacted Mueller report, instead. 'He took it upon himself to reach a conclusion on obstruction. He adopted the Presidents spying smears. Now, he will spin a report no one has read. My advice: Wait to read Muellers words for yourself,' he tweeted. The chaos around the release of the redacted report was reminiscent of the furor on Capitol Hill after the FBI abruptly announced that it was not recommending charges against Hillary Clinton in her email and server case. When the FBI wrapped up its investigation into the former secretary of state, former director James Comey held an impromptu media avail that even his bosses didn't know about. He said investigators found her to be reckless but not guilty of crimes. Trump went on to fire Comey for what he claimed at the time was sloppy work on the Clinton case. He claims now that Comey was a dirty cop who led dirty team and they were all out to get him. He has claimed more than once that Comey and his cronies may have committed treason, once he learned that they investigated his business ties to Russia. He has accused ousted FBI officials of 'illegal spying' on his presidential campaign and plotting a 'coup' to forcibly remove him from office. He told press before a luncheon on Capitol Hill in March that he believes the alleged spying went all the way to the top suggesting that former President Barack Obama was involved. In a WMAL interview on Wedesday, Trump would not accuse Obama of crimes, however, he said it was hard to fathom a situation in which the sitting president was not aware of what was taking place in his own Justice Department. 'We're talking about pervasive horrible things that were happening. And it would certainly be hard to believe what was going on, but we're going to leave that for another day,' the president said. Barr has agreed with Trump that 'spying' on the presidential campaign took place. He hasn't explained exactly what he meant by that, though. It's likely to come up at the Thursday presser that will seemingly take place before news outlets have had time to fully process the redacted report. Barr will also be asked about his conclusion that President Trump did not intend to obstruct justice when he fired Comey. Mueller did not reach a conclusion on obstruction, but Barr, working in tandem with Rosenstein, decided against charges, based on underlying evidence they have not made public and won't turn over to Congress. Barr has agreed with Trump that 'spying' on the presidential campaign took place. He hasn't explained exactly what he meant by that, though The redacted report could shed light on Mueller's alleged inability to pin down obstruction of justice on his own. It may explain how the special counsel investigators arrived at the conclusion that the there was no criminal collusion. Trump had been relatively quiet about the special counsel and the redacted report on Wednesday, making no mention of it at an afternoon event. The president and members of his administration were holding a conference in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the opportunity zones for businesses that the GOP tax plan created. The president stayed on message at the event, where he linked economic growth and favorable hiring practices to his policies. 'And we want all Americans to share in our great renewal,' he stated. The U.S. president who often goes off script, and had been tweeting aggressively earlier in the week, grew relatively quiet and had a limited public schedule. It turned out that he had three radio interviews, supposedly on the opportunity zones, where the conversation quickly turned to the 2020 presidential contest and the Mueller report. He told WMAL's Larry O'Conner, after the conservative radio host asked him about the claims that what happened to him shouldn't happen to future leaders, that what the FBI did is 'unthinkable' and 'strong things' would be coming out on Thursday. 'You look at what Comey did as the director of the FBI, it's a disgrace. It's a disgrace to our country,' he said, claiming the take-down might be one of his greatest achievements. Earlier in they day, the president had mentioned Robert Mueller's report in a tweet that labeled Comey and others 'dirty cops' and himself a victim of a witch hunt. 'Wow! FBI made 11 payments to Fake Dossier's discredited author, Trump hater Christopher Steele. @OANN @JudicialWatch The Witch Hunt has been a total fraud on your President and the American people! It was brought to you by Dirty Cops, Crooked Hillary and the DNC,' he wrote on Twitter. Earlier in they day, the president had mentioned Robert Mueller's report in a tweet that labeled Comey and others 'dirty cops' and himself a victim of a witch hunt He has fired off 8 tweets so far this week on this subject as Washington awaits with baited breath the release of Mueller's findings on Russia's role in the 2016 election. Trump's tweet on Wednesday morning mentioned Judicial Watch's announcement it had filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit 'for records of communications and payments' between the FBI and Steele. 'How and why did the FBI pay Christopher Steele, who was already being funded by the Clinton campaign and DNC through Fusion GPS?' Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a release. 'That we had to sue for this basic information shows the FBI may have something more to hide.' Trump has long railed against Steele, whose unverified dossier claimed the president was vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and had received 'golden showers' from prostitutes during a 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant. Fusion GPS - a research firm worked for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton- recruited Steele to put together the dossier. He was also in contact with the FBI about the document the the law enforcement agency vetted and told Trump about after the election. In August, the FBI released 71 pages of heavily redacted communications between the bureau and Steele. The records revealed the 11 FBI payments to Steele as a Confidential Human Source over an unknown period. But on Nov. 1, 2016, the FBI told Steele it was unlikely to continue working with him, and he should not 'obtain any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI,' according to the documents. The FBI had hired Steele to continue the research that started with the Fusion GPS dossier. That information was originally commissioned by Fusion GPS on behalf of a Republican media outlet, Washington Free Beacon, during the GOP primary. Trump has putting the FBI on blast on Twitter for days in advance of the Mueller report's release, trying to get in front of the document that could hurt him politically. On Wednesday, the president argued Mueller's probe was a 'scam.' 'The greatest Scam in political history. If the Mainstream Media were honest, which they are not, this story would be bigger and more important than Watergate. Someday!' he claimed. On Monday, he argued crimes were committed by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and 'dirty cops' - a reference to Comey and former FBI agents that worked for him. 'Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction. These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!' he tweeted. Attorney General William Barr will send the Mueller report to Congress Thursday President Trump said it was time to 'INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS' as Washington prepared for the release of the Mueller report Democrats have demanded the full special counsel report from Barr so they can decide for themselves whether that is true or not. Barr told lawmakers in a letter that Mueller left it up to him to determine whether the president obstructed justice. Trump's legal team has prepared their own, official spin in document form: a report to counter Mueller's that is expected to be released after the special counsel's. Democrats are meanwhile gearing up for a lengthy investigation of their own that will pick up where Mueller left off. Nadler has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas 'very quickly' for the full report on Russia and Trump's presidential campaign, as well. WHAT WILL BE REDACTED: GRAND JURY INFORMATION Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are 'free to go to court' themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so. Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned. Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure 'preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding.' But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they don't need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different. Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for 'all materials, regardless of form or classification.' In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team. Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. 'All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here,' Schiff said on CNN this month. ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that are still underway. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, New York and Virginia. Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Mueller's own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump. Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation. DEROGATORY INFORMATION The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinized in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report 'that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.' Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. 'No, I'm talking about people in private life, not public officeholders,' Barr said. That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Mueller's investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted. The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasn't charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signaled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently. 'If you're not going to indict someone, then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person,' Barr said. 'That's not the way the Department of Justice does business' Florida police are on the hunt for a man who was spotted rummaging around a concession stand at a Little League field in the middle of the night, while stark naked. Surveillance video shows the suspect wandering shirtless and pantless, as he snatched snacks from the counter in the early hours of the morning on April 7. In the clip the man, who only wore a baseball cap, was seen taking a pack of hot dogs from the stand. He also took $250 in cash from the register. Little League president Susan Semitecolos told the Tampa Bay Times he also stole a jar that contained donations from children. During the incident $5,000 worth of damage was done to the business. A man was caught on camera after breaking into a concession stand operated by Dunedin Little League at Fisher Field, Florida on April 7 Footage shows the incident that occurred that Sunday at about 4am. The man is believed to have obtained entry via a window in the stand then reportedly used a crowbar to crank open the door, causing 'extensive damage'. Sharing images of the suspect or suspects captured on surveillance cameras, cops asked the community to come together to help solve the crime. Suspect is see wearing a dark cap and covering his head with a cloth item as he walks naked Surveillance video shows he stole a pack of hot dogs and a cash register and donations in a jar The Pinella County Sheriff's Department said a commercial burglary occurred at Fisher Field, 1867 Harvard Avenue in Dunedin. Law enforcement said the stand operated by the Dunedin Little League 'suffered extensive damage from the forced entry in addition to the theft of property'. Anyone with information that may assist detectives in this investigation is asked to contact Corporal D. Schafer of the Property Crimes Unit at (727) 582-6355 or email at dschafer@pcsonet.com. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS or www.crimestoppersofpinellas.org. A fundraiser for the three black churches that were burned down in Louisiana by an arsonist earlier this month has raked in more than $1.45million. The 'Seventh District Baptist Church Fires St Landry' page saw donations soar in the wake of the tragic Notre Dame fire on Monday, after many noticed a stark difference in the president's response to the fires. Donald Trump was quick to offer assistance to Paris after the damage to its famous cathedral, but was silent after three black churches in Louisiana were burned down by 21-year-old Holden Matthews. By Wednesday afternoon, the churches' GoFundPage had reached more than $1.45 million with thousands of dollars rolling in by the minute. 'Thanks for rallying the GoFundMe community, @yashar,' attributing journalist Yashar Ali, whose sharing of the page garnered more than 28,000 retweets and more than 50,000 likes. 'Our team is thrilled to support this meaningful cause.' Scroll down for videos The 'Seventh District Baptist Church Fires St Landry' page quickly grew in virality on Tuesday following a surplus of shares of the GoFundMe by several notable figures, including the fundraising site itself 'Thanks for rallying the GoFundMe community, @yashar,' attributing journalist Yashar Ali, whose sharing of the page garnered more than 28,000 retweets and more than 50,000 likes. 'Our team is thrilled to support this meaningful cause' The GoFundMe is steadily increasing and gaining thousands every couple of minutes. Pastor Gerald Toussaint of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas - one of the three churches that was burned - posted a video thanking everyone for their massive support Pastor Gerald Toussaint of the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas - one of the three churches that was burned - posted a video thanking everyone for their massive support. 'I can't thank you enough, he said. 'If I had 10,000 tongues, I couldn't thank you enough. God bless you.' The GoFundMe grew in popularity after people voiced their frustration that Donald Trump and Mike Pence were supportive of Notre Dame. 'The host of this campaign is the Seventh District Baptist Association, a 149 year old non-profit religious organization,' the page states. 'We are working with the Governor of Louisiana, local leaders, elected officials, the impacted churches and their pastors, other faith organizations and the community to ensure 100% of all funds raised will be evenly distributed to the three churches affected.' The fundraiser was created on April 10, the same day 21-year-old Holden Matthews was arrested for the attacks that occurred over a 10-day period in Opelousas, Louisiana. The GoFundMe is steadily increasing and gaining thousands every couple of minutes. It has a goal of $1.8million The fundraiser was created on April 10, the same day Holden Matthews was arrested for the attacks that occurred over a 10-day period in Opelousas, Louisiana The first blaze at the St. Mary Baptist Church occurred on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas. Days later, the Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas were burned. Each was more than 100 years old. Trump released a statement - via the White House - on Tuesday, invoking 9/11 and stating that the cathedral's bells would ring again. 'France is the oldest ally of the United States, and we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dames bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again,' the White House said. While the GoFundMe had been up for a few days, users noted how quiet President Donald Trump had been on the attacks while he has been rather forthcoming about his help for rebuilding Notre Dame Neither Trump or Pence have commented on the black churches that were burned down allegedly by Holden. They have been forthcoming about their help to Notre Dame The statement asserted that the United States would offer 'assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization.' On Twitter, Mike Pence offered his words of support to Paris and said: 'Notre Dame is an iconic symbol of faith to people all over the world and it is heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames. Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters on the scene and all the people of Paris.' Neither have commented on the black churches that were burned down allegedly by Holden. 'The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded,' said journalist Yashar Ali. 'In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. Please join me in donating.' 'If your TL is full today of Notre Dame burning down, but you heard nothing of the Black churches in Louisiana being burned this month, I hope you'll reflect on how epistemological violence works,' another user added. 'Privileged stories hold privileged pain--while erasing the pain of the oppressed.' 'The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded,' said journalist Yashar Ali. 'In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. Please join me in donating' Writer and activist George Johnson asserted: 'Congress both current and former have been more vocal about Notre Dame Cathedral than the white supremacist son of a cop that burned down 3 Black churches.' 'Mike Pence immediately tweeted about the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire,' said user Denizcan James. 'I dont remember Pence ever mentioning the three historically black churches that were burnt down by a white supremacist/domestic terrorist. Speaks volumes.' Bishop Talbert Swan said: ;This obtuse, gaslighting, doltish, nazi defending , white supremacist, poltroon is tweeting about the #NotreDameCathedralFire, yet has said nothing about a white supremacist burning down 3 Black churches in Louisiana.' 'The GOPers tweeting their sadness about the tragic fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral never once mentioned their sadness about the 3 historically black churches being burnt down by a White Supremacist who is also the son of a sheriff,' Ricky Davila. Holden Matthews, who had no previous criminal record, was arrested Wednesday on three charges of arson of a religious building. Prosecutors filed documents Monday adding three more charges, accusing Matthews of violating Louisiana's hate crime law. The messages are sinister and unnervingly accurate. It is as if an unseen stalker constantly shadows Mary Harper, noting every move she makes even when she believes she could not possibly be observed and reporting back to her on the minutiae of her life. You went into a shop on the ground floor of a multi-storey building, the now familiar voice on the phone tells her. When you came out, you were holding a tube of Pringles crisps. 'Then you walked to the bank next door, but it was shut. You knocked on the doors and tried to open them. Your bodyguards were not at all professional. They were wandering about, chatting with their guns slung around their shoulders, instead of keeping watch over you. The man, whose voice is soft and quietly assured, goes on to tell her that earlier that day shed been to a school where the girls wore yellow uniforms. As Africa Editor for the BBC World Service, Mary, 53, mother to a grown-up son and daughter, has been reporting from Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist for 25 years. Mary Harper pictured above wearing a headscarf whilst being accompanying by two Somali soldiers A member of Somalia's al Shabaab militant group sits during a public demonstration to announce their integration with al Qaeda in 2012. An al Shabaab media man continues to call Mary on the phone both abroad and in the UK Mary Harper spends about a third of the year in Africa and the rest at her UK home (pictured left and right at home in London She is familiar with the voice and its inflections; sometimes sharp and staccato, sometimes wheedling; apparently even concerned. It belongs to a media contact in the violent Islamist insurgent group Al Shabaab who calls her regularly to inform her of its atrocities. And to remind her that it knows precisely where she is and what she is doing. In Somalia, where the group controls vast swathes of the country, Al Shabaab is responsible for many thousands of violent deaths. It has attracted recruits from all over the world who are prepared to fight for it. To the outside world it is known for its most despicable acts of mass violence the shooting at the upmarket Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in 2013 in which 71 died, the attack on Garissa University College in Kenya in 2015 which killed 147; the devastating truck bombing in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in October 2017, in which up to 1,000 people lost their lives, one of the worst terror attacks ever to hit the African continent. People in Kenya protest after gunmen attacked the town of Mpeketoni in 2014, which al Shabaab claimed responsibility for Al Shabaab has threatened to attack targets in the UK, the U.S. and France, and arguably as IS loses power, its influence will increase. Its aim is to overthrow the Somali government and set up an Islamic state in the country based on Sharia law, but there are more ambitious members who want to spread its caliphate across the world. Mary Harper (pictured above) has penned a book titled 'Everything You Have Told Me Is True', which is out later this month Its ruthlessly efficient intelligence arm has spies everywhere: Cooks, soldiers, mechanics, cleaners, civil servants and street children can all be the eyes and ears of Al Shabaab, says Mary. Some sympathise with the movement, while others are so terrified of it that they dare not refuse to carry out its demands. Al Shabaab is not a black-and-white phenomenon. Of course there are those who embrace it entirely and those who reject it. But there is a large grey area in between and plenty of blurred lines. The media man, its conduit for channelling information to Mary, tells her in impeccable English he has learnt it from listening to the BBC every move she has made during a visit to Baidoa in south-west Somalia. I feel sick to my stomach, she explains, because I try to be extremely discreet when I visit Somalia. I tell as few people as possible that I am coming to the country and switch off all my social media accounts when I am there. I change my local phone number regularly and use secure messaging apps whenever I can. Meetings are arranged at the last minute, with times and locations often changed. 'I do not talk openly about my internal travel plans, only sharing them with my two trusted security advisers. How could Al Shabaab know all these details? We have been monitoring you wherever you go, the voice tells her. We have people in the government, the security forces, NGOs, and the media who tell us everything. He goes on to talk about the people she has met in Mogadishu. He gets it right every time. She says, It makes me think of a phrase I hear so often from Somalis: Al Shabaab is everywhere and you never know who is Al Shabaab. Mary boarded at Bedales School (library pictured above) before going on to University Al Shabaab have Marys British phone number and when she flies to London she spends about a third of the year in Africa and the rest in the UK she almost invariably receives a call as she is collecting her luggage or in a cab back home. I am asked about my trip, what the weather is like in the UK, and given a blow-by-blow account of what I got up to in Somalia. They must have someone in the airport telling them Ive got on the plane, which unnerves me. The calls have come regularly over the past two years; almost all from the same man. When he is telling me about Al Shabaab atrocities his voice is staccato, as if he is reciting by rote. Then it can become quite gentle, even tender, which is even more disturbing. He asks me if Ive been thinking about my religion. (He often attempts to persuade me to join the Muslim faith.) He tells me, You might think you have a lot of Somali friends, but they are not your real friends. Your true friends would save you from hellfire, which is where you will end up if you do not convert to Islam. Mary studied anthropology and archaeology at Cambridge University (pictured above) The voice affects concern, too, when he calls while she is driving her car in England. He says, You mustnt answer your phone in the car or youll have an accident or be arrested. I ask why she imagines he tells her so accurately about her movements; why he also professes concern about her welfare. It might be to show me how efficient Al Shabaab are. It might just be showing off, she speculates. And perhaps he is trying to win me over, to be sympathetic to them. I dont think the aim is to unsettle me, because I am useful to them. Although I give them very little airtime, there will be a short line if they take responsibility for a bombing. Nonetheless, I say, as a lone and conspicuous Western woman, she must be terrified of being killed. But she says her contact insists she is not on their target list. Although he says, If youre in the wrong place at the wrong time thats just your bad luck. And I got very angry about this because a good friend, a Somali journalist, was maimed in an attack, and I was told, It was his fault. He went to a place where Government people eat. They have this cold logic about people who get hurt or killed like this. Mary is talking to me as her book about Al Shabaab is published. It is an astonishing account of the movement and gives a vivid insight into the lives of the Somalis who exist in the shadow of its terror. We meet at her mum Kays flat back in Britain book-lined and busy with memorabilia from her African travels and it is easy to see that Marys love of the continent is inherited. Kay, 74, a former aid worker, was a nurse with Save the Children in Mogadishu. Marys father, Professor Malcolm Harper, 83, taught at the University of Nairobi where Mary and her three siblings spent part of their childhood. She then boarded at Bedales and went on to Cambridge to study anthropology and archaeology. But it was her mums satellite phone that secured her job with the BBC. It was the 1990s, before mobile phones, and Id just joined the BBCs African service. Mums satellite phone gave me a means of communication, she says. I ask Kay if she worries about her intrepid daughter: You do worry, but youre also proud because she does her job so well. Id never say, Dont do it because Im scared for you. But Im always very happy when shes safely back in England. Slender, gentle in manner and softly spoken, Marys unassuming demeanour masks a spine of steel. I dont think of myself as brave, but I am resourceful, she says. I know how to make my way. I ask about her children a son, aged 28 and 22-year-old daughter and she is unforthcoming. Wasnt she scared of leaving them motherless when she went to Somalia during their childhood? I press her. She declines to answer, other than to say that she travelled much less when they were little, and took fewer risks. I keep my work and personal lives compartmentalised, she says with finality. When I ask about a husband or partner, she says merely that she is single. It is, of course, unsurprising that she does not elaborate: Al Shabaab know enough about her already. Since she has been back in London, her contact has phoned her. He asked, Have you left the BBC? Ive been away from work for a while, and it was one of those concerned calls. It is hard to imagine the peril in which Mary operates. She came within a whisker of death on New Years Day, 2014, when the Jazeera Palace hotel in Mogadishu was attacked just a few doors away from where she was enjoying a meal with friends. Suddenly, an enormous blast thunders through the air, she writes. It is as if the sound has hit us physically. Flames burst out of the hotel; the mangled remains of the suicide vehicle which was rammed into the perimeter wall lies among other destroyed cars. In Somalia, Mary reports, girls as young as nine years old are abducted by Al Shabaab and forced into marriage. Boys are terrorised into joining. I didnt want to, one child confesses, but if you refuse they will kill you. Anyone working for infidels is hounded: Mary visits a sprawling camp in Mogadishu, crammed with displaced people escaping the insurgents. I made and repaired soldiers uniforms, a tailor tells her. Al Shabaab told me to stop making clothes for infidels, but I had to. I was also afraid of the soldiers (the government forces). Both the soldiers and Al Shabaab could kill me. Id have been killed for repairing uniforms and killed for refusing to. The only thing to do was abandon my livelihood and come here. The choice is often invidious: join, die or flee and face destitution in the camps. The calls to Mary continue, unabated: she logs as many as 17 missed in a single hour of one day. In June last year, she went to Mogadishu, staying for the entire trip in secure accommodation in its airport compound. Yet still the phone call came when I got back to London. How was your trip to Mogadishu? I tell my contact this makes me very scared. He replies, his voice almost tender, You dont need to be afraid of us. We have hundreds of enemies, but youre not one of them. Perhaps it is enough, for al Shabaab, that she is forced to listen to their gloating announcements of massacres and bombings; enough too, that she knows their omnipresent eyes follow her everywhere. With the politicians off for Easter, some might imagine Britain has been granted some respite from international self-embarrassment. Well, think again. We might be enjoying a couple of weeks without our MPs but that image of a rudderless, incompetent country is now being ably maintained by, among other things, a pink yacht, currently parked across one of London's most famous intersections, and the transformation of one of the capital's most important bridges into a yoga mat. Now entering Day Four, the so-called 'Extinction Rebellion' is settling down nicely as our new national joke. Between them, a handful of earnest, peaceful and impressively organised eco-warriors have managed to bring the capital to a standstill while the police make inconsequential arrests and the other 99.9 per cent of the population are left asking: who, exactly, is in charge here? Among yesterday's highlights were one group who shut down the Docklands Light Railway and a quartet who glued themselves to Jeremy Corbyn's house (though they later unglued themselves and said they were very sorry). Today, we are promised widespread chaos on the Tube network. Who decided that people should be allowed to enjoy an extended camping holiday at central London landmarks? Who gave permission for a musical stage to be erected indefinitely across both carriageways on Waterloo Bridge, not to mention a skateboarding ramp? Who decided that people should be allowed to enjoy an extended camping holiday at central London landmarks? Who agreed that people should be allowed to build plywood lavatory cubicles in the middle of London's Oxford Street? They are not even public ones, it transpires, but only available to those with the key. Who said that more than 50 bus routes should be blocked with impunity? Who gave permission for a musical stage to be erected indefinitely across both carriageways on Waterloo Bridge, not to mention a skateboarding ramp? London has seen protests of every stripe over the years, some of them violent. However, they have tended to come and go in the course of a day or two. This one, which, it must be said, remains peaceful, is now settling in for the long haul. The organisers say that they are preparing for an open-ended stand-off with the police until the Government agrees to their core demands. Since these include replacing Parliament with a 'citizens' assembly' and the end of capitalism, it might be a very long wait. Yet how much longer is London prepared to have some of its most important thoroughfares sealed off to traffic by a self-appointed cadre of we-know-best activists? I arrive at Oxford Circus the crossroads of Britain's two best-known shopping thoroughfares, Oxford Street and Regent's Street to find a 20-foot bright pink sailing boat on a trailer parked in the middle. Around 20 recumbent protesters are chained to its trailer. A couple of hundred others stand around it swaying to tunes played by a grey-bearded disc jockey who has set up his sound system in the boat's cockpit. Who agreed that people should be allowed to build plywood lavatory cubicles in the middle of London's Oxford Street? He fires off revolutionary slogans in between his Radio 2-style repertoire of hits from the Seventies and Eighties. 'We're here to tell the politicians: F*** you!' he shouts, to a few lame cheers. It is the middle of the afternoon. It's wholly inappropriate on a road junction next to the world's largest toy shop, Hamley's, as a steady stream of children pass by. But the police do not bat an eyelid. Most stand around 'monitoring the situation'. I find one police sergeant politely enduring an interminable lecture on the state of the planet's permafrost by a pimply teenage know-all in a Green Party bib. I wait and wait for the policeman to ask him to move on but, instead, he asks him a question about tree-planting. The police are certainly keen to keep the temperature down. All are in soft hats and hi-vis vests rather than riot gear. Every now and then, a team of seven or eight move in and pick up one of the protesters lying by the boat. Most of their targets go quietly, having volunteered for arrest in advance of these protests. The protestors are settling in for the long haul with organisers saying they are preparing for an open-ended stand-off with the police until the Government agrees to their core demands. Since these include the end of capitalism, it might be a very long wait Many will be back again as soon as they are released. There are none of the combative anarchist element who trashed Oxford Circus during the May Day anti-capitalist protests a few years back. There are no balaclavas, no finger-jabbing conspiracy theorists aggressively filming the police or the media. It is, largely, a combination of fresh-faced college activists and a lot of grey-haired people in sensible walking boots who look ready to ramble. 'I've only been on three demonstrations in my entire life,' says Bob Hill, 65, a retired civil engineer from Abergavenny, who genuinely knows his stuff about pollution levels and global warming. 'This is so important that we just have to do everything to make the politicians listen. And it's no use having a one-day protest. It's got to go on.' Here, too, is Robin Boardman, 21, one of the organisers. He has taken a year's break from his modern languages degree course at Bristol to focus on this cause. Viewers may have seen him walk out of a heated television interview with Sky's Adam Boulton yesterday. 'He wasn't asking me proper questions,' Robin explained. 'The media need to take this seriously.' He had no problems whatsoever with the police, he went on, merely with the Government. 'We are a world-leading economy and we have to set an example. And we will maintain our programme of economic disruption until the politicians listen.' How does this win hearts and minds? And why on earth make all this noise when the entire political class is on holiday and thus cannot hear? 'This is an international movement and this was the date that was set in advance,' says Robin, from Beckenham, Kent. I explain that a lot of people look on all this as a lot of posturing by an arrogant middle-class minority who are inconveniencing millions and achieving nothing. 'A lot of middle-class people also know that we need to cut back on our consumption,' he replies. Here come the cavalry, 72 hours too late: police swarmed into Parliament Square yesterday evening Over on Waterloo Bridge, there are similar scenes. The mass yoga session from earlier in the day has finished. Many just lie in the sun reading a book, as homebound commuters weave past their rucksacks and the potted plant displays which some demonstrators have erected. Some office workers make little attempt to hide their contempt for the people who have added half an hour to their commute but there is no abuse. Again, there has been a slow trickle of arrests here too, although they do all add up. By the end of the day, the Met puts the total thus far at 340. But if most of those are simply going back to their original spots straight afterwards, the police strategy seems a little flawed. 'It's about proportionality,' one police officer explains when I ask why it is permissible to park a boat, trailer and toilet block in Oxford Street for days on end but not permissible for an ordinary person even to drive a car down it. 'If we tried to move everyone, there'd be a riot.' At some point, in the not too distant future, there is going to be a riot if they don't. Zhaoyan Li became infatuated with the man, who cannot be named, after she heard him speak at a careers event An accountant stalked a lecturer and followed him to church clubs and fitness boot camps, a court heard. Zhaoyan Li became infatuated with the man, who cannot be named, after she heard him speak at a careers event. The 40-year-old then started to attend church and even gate-crashed his fitness classes, appearing from the shadows when a group picture needed to be taken. She bombarded him with texts, calls and emails, which eventually led to the devout Christian saving her contact details under the name Dirty Pervert on his phone. He was terrified she had booked herself onto his holiday so she could continue to be with him. The victim, 38, went into hiding and felt forced into a life of solitude, distressed to answer his office phone. Li claims her conduct does not amount to stalking and is appealing her conviction. Judge Anne Molyneux, QC, summarising Lis position, said: It is not accepted her conduct amounted to stalking. Li, who currently lives in the Canary Wharf area of east London, has been convicted of stalking the man between February 1, 2017 and September 13 last year. During the hearing Li told the City of London Magistrates Court she may kill herself if she is sentenced. James Ross, for the prosecution, said: The first meeting between the complainant and the defendant took place on 22 March 2017. The victim had been speaking at a Christian outreach night. After he spoke the defendant approached and introduced herself. On that occasion she suggested the couple go for dinner. He went shopping and to Marks & Spencer and when he came out, he found Ms Li was standing outside. She approached him and asked she could talk to him.. He continued walking do to the Tube station. He asked her where she lived and she said East London, and he told her he was west London. Not withstanding that Ms Li got on the underground train and began conversing with him. At this point he was not strictly speaking alarmed. A few days later he went away with his church group for the weekend. Li joined a Surrey getaway hosted by the All Souls Church breakfast club. Recalling his ordeal, he told police: While I was having dinner Ms Li showed up and sat at our table. Mr Ross continued: He was disappointed to see her because he was finding her quite annoying. In order to get her to move away he squeezed her leg on a pressure point in order to send a message to her without shouting or anything public, that he was not happy with her. But Li claims she took this under-the-table knee squeeze as a come on of a sexual nature. He stopped going to Tuesday breakfast with the Church. Soon after he left the church group altogether but still received messages over Facebook. While taking a boot camp in London, he posted photographs of exercises on the internet. On at least one occasion she offered to take group photographs. There was one occasion when she took hold of his biceps or certainly, she touched his biceps I wont put it higher. After saving Ms Li on his phone as Dirty Pervert, Mr Ross explained: He actually shouted out to her: Dont stand there you dirty pervert. On 15 December 2017 at 3am he received an email from Li reading: You should apologise for calling me a dirty pervert. Mr Ross said: The following year he was due to go on holiday with the boot camp but did not for fear Ms Li would be there. In one message on social media Li wrote: I want a Mr Right who loves me and cares about my feelings. Eventually All Souls Church banned her and the victim reported her to the police, who gave Li an official warning in January. Li then started going to where he worked and called him on the internal extension on February 14 to say: Happy Valentines Day. He told the court that the extended ordeal made even normal activities like checking email fill him with horror and dread Eventually a panic alarm was fitted at his office and he quit the boot camp and church breakfast club after Li booked herself on their Canary Islands vacation. He thought that there would be no getting away from her if she had turned up in Lanzarote for his eight-day trip. If the conviction remains, Li will be sentenced instead. The hearing continues. As many as 11.2 billion receipts are used in Britain each year according to campaign Beat the Receipt Of all the environmental hazards in the world, you might have thought that the humble paper receipt came pretty low down the list. It is, after all, a tiny slip of paper compared with the mountains of unwanted junk mail which are stuffed through our doors. Moreover, paper easily degrades in the environment unlike plastic bags, coffee cups and just about every other plastic item in everyday use. So even if people carelessly discard the occasional receipt from their pockets, it is not, surely, going to kill an albatross or strangle a gannet. But no. Apparently, receipts are poisoning the planet and putting our health at risk. They are full of toxic chemicals and the 11.2 billion of them issued in Britain each year alone are responsible for using more trees than stand in all of Londons parks. So says the Beat The Receipt campaign, which is calling for the retail industry to adopt electronic receipts instead. The campaign is run by a technology company, called flux, that produces an app that allows you to have paperless receipts The tech companies could also start harvesting customers' email addresses from the data Every year, it says, we print billions of paper receipts at the cost of millions of trees, millions of barrels of oil and billions of litres of water. This is completely unnecessary wastage. The campaign says it is supported by restaurant chains KFC, Eat and Itsu, and has set up a petition inviting us to lobby the Government and retail industry to banish paper receipts and instead receive electronic receipts on our smartphones. All very worthy, one might think. Well, think again. It didnt take long to establish that the Beat The Receipt campaign is not quite what it first appears. It is not really an environmental movement. It is a front for the financial technology or fintech industry, which of course has a huge vested interest in trying to stop the issuing of paper receipts. The campaign is run by a company called Flux, which develops an app offering paperless receipts. The industry has leapt on the environmental bandwagon in order to try to further its own commercial interests. But the campaign isnt just about making money by selling apps for paperless receipts. It is not hard to work out why some retailers have eagerly backed it they want to harvest our email addresses. These are hugely valuable pieces of data, allowing us to be targeted with marketing material. It is not hard to work out why some retailers have eagerly backed it they want to harvest our email addresses. These are hugely valuable pieces of data, allowing us to be targeted with marketing material, writes Ross Clark Buy something with cash and be given a paper receipt, and a shop has no idea of who we are. If we are to receive an electronic receipt, on the other hand, we have to hand over our email address, or other social media contact details, to the retailer. Shops are already trying hard to extract this information from us many times in the past year or so I have been asked by a shop assistant, with no good reason, for my email address. Needless to say, I decline. But what could we do if we were told it was the only way we could obtain a receipt, and therefore the only way we could receive our money back if the product proved defective? The fintech industry has already achieved its objective in California, where it ran a similar skip the slip campaign and where a new law will prevent shops issuing paper receipts unless a customer specifically asks for one. There is every reason why we should be given a paper receipt when we go shopping. How many of us would wait at the counter to make sure that the receipt we had been promised had actually arrived in an email? And if it didnt, we would find ourselves unable to return defective goods. It is shameful that such bare-faced commercial interest is being hidden under the guise of environmental claims. Clearly, there are some genuine environmental campaigns which have achieved huge traction with the general public in recent years. The Mail campaigned against single-use plastics. The items kill a large number of animals A plastic garfield phone that washed up on a beach in Le Conquet, western France, this year The campaign championed by the Mail against single-use plastics, for example, has plenty of justification discarded plastic is killing large numbers of creatures and threatens to litter the countryside, coast and seas for thousands of years to come. But receipts? The claims made by Beat The Receipt just dont stand up. How can the manufacture of 11.2 billion receipts a year consume millions of trees, millions of barrels of oil and billions of gallons of water? Lets just take the millions of trees: ten million trees would mean only 1,000 or so receipts per tree, so they would have to be pretty slender trees! There must be more paper in the Vote Liberal Democrat leaflet I had put through my door yesterday than in all the receipts I gather in a month probably longer. In fact, figures from California suggest that receipts account for less than 0.1 per cent of all paper produced an utterly insignificant proportion. But the boldest claim of Beat The Receipt is that receipts are poisoning us. The thermal paper on which many of them are printed, it says, contain BPA, a substance classified as toxic to humans and wildlife by the EU. But there are toxic materials and there are toxic materials. In fact, in 2015 the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the scientific evidence on BPA which is also used in a wide number of plastics and concluded that BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group (including unborn children, infants and adolescents) at current exposure levels. In other words, even the BPA in the plastic wrapping around your cheese or in the plastic bottle containing fruit juice is not doing you any harm. It is preposterous, then, to claim consumers are being harmed by small amounts of it in their receipts. In any case, it is perfectly possible to manufacture paper receipts without BPA something that the industry has committed to doing by next year. There is a far greater environmental hazard: the manufacture of smartphones yes, the devices on which Beat The Receipt wants us to get our receipts instead. An analysis by Liverpool John Moores University revealed the damage being wrought on the environment by the mining of rare-earth metals for the manufacture of smartphones. Many of these materials are obtained from China, where vast amounts of toxic waste are a by-product. Moreover, resources of these rare metals which include neodymium and dysprosium are extremely limited, and could become exhausted over the next 20 to 50 years. In other words, if you want to stop receiving paper receipts because you think they are a menace to the environment, you wouldnt want to use a smartphone, either. The paper receipt is a time-honoured part of shopping. It allows us to take back and exchange goods which prove to be defective. It also comes in useful, as I have found on a couple of occasions, when anti-shoplifting alarms mistakenly go off on your way out of a shop. I dont want to be fumbling around with a smartphone while some burly security guard accuses me of shoplifting. Compared with so many of the other things we use in everyday life, receipts are also pretty harmless from an environmental point of view. In any case, shouldnt the firms themselves come up with a paper receipt that isnt as environmentally damaging as is claimed? We should not allow ourselves to be bullied into giving them up by an industry which is really motivated by its own commercial interests, not the environment. An armed couple who robbed a university student were caught out by a quickly thought-out plan. The 18-year-old mathematics and science student had just finished an exam at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales about 8pm on May 31, 2018 when he was approached by Caitlin Smith, 27, and her fiancee Scott Burrell, 33. Burrell was armed with a knife and told the student to hand over his phone and wallet, the Newcastle Herald reported. The 18-year-old mathematics and science student had just finished an exam at the University of Newcastle when he was approached by Caitlin Smith (right), 27, and her fiancee Scott Burrell (left), 33 The student struck up a deal with the armed robbers and said he would take them to an ATM at the university but said he would only be able to withdraw $150. Pictured: Caitilin Smith The student struck up a deal with the armed robbers and said he would take them to an ATM at the university but said he would only be able to withdraw $150. The negotiations were part of a cunning plan - the student knew there would be CCTV cameras near the ATM to catch the thieves. A snag occurred when Burrell saw that the student had $3000 in his bank account, and double the amount demanded to $300. 'We know where you live, we don't want to have to come to your house,' Burrell told the student. The student told the couple how to leave the university, leading them past more CCTV cameras. Burrell was later arrested, and told police he ran into the student who asked him where he could find a brothel. The negotiations were part of a cunning plan - the student knew there would be CCTV cameras near the ATM to catch the thieves. Pictured: The University of Newcastle Burrell said he and Smith negotiated for her to perform 'sex acts' on the student for $300. In a second police interview, Burrell confessed to the armed robbery. Burrell was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison with a non-parole period of two years and three months in the Newcastle District Court on Monday. Smith was jailed for three years with a non-parole period of two years. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek says he is feeling good and plans to return for a 36th season just a month after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Trebek, 78, posted a videotaped message on YouTube on the last day of taping of the hit quiz show. Some of you may recall that at the beginning of this season, I promised you that we had some surprises for you, Trebek said in the video posted on Wednesday. Well, of course, I had no idea at that time that there were some surprises in store for me as well. Alex Trebek, 78, posted a video on YouTube announcing that he was 'feeling good' just a month after he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer So here, on the last day of taping for our 35th anniversary season, I wanted once again to thank you for your continuing messages of encouragement and support, particularly the many cards Ive received from young people. Im touched beyond words. Ive always tried to be straight with you and Im not going to stop now, so despite what you may have heard, Im feeling good, Im continuing with my therapy and we, by we, the staff, is already working on our next season, the 36th year of Jeopardy! I look forward to seeing you once again in September with all kinds of good stuff. The video was posted two days after it was learned that Trebek has put his California lake house up for sale at $1.4million. The Jeopardy! host's hideaway overlooks Lake Nacimiento in Paso Robles, which is about two hours away from Santa Maria. It was put on the market on Friday. The 2,595 sq ft vacation home that was built in 2000 has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and sits on 30 acres of land. The $1.4million price tag also includes all of the furniture, as well as all of the home's 'toys', such as two SkiDoos and two Quads. Trebek is photographed above attending a screening of Wuthering Heights at the 2019 TCM 10 Annual Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on Saturday According to the real estate listing, the property was offered to Trebek 'specially by the original developers, and he has developed the property with great care and aesthetic.' It offers the best lake frontage of all of Ranchos del Lago and has a private ramp into the lake as well as a covered dock. The lake home makes for a perfect 'turnkey' - ready to be rented out to vacationers almost immediately. This is believed to be Trebek's vacation home as his main residence is in Los Angeles. Alex Trebek's vacation home overlooking Lake Nacimiento in Paso Robles, California, has been put on the market for $1.4 million, DailyMail.com can disclose The 2,595 square feet vacation home that was built in 2000 has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and sits on 30 acres of land The property was offered to Trebek 'specially by the original developers, and he has developed the property with great care and aesthetic' It offers the best lake frontage of all of Ranchos del Lago and has a private ramp into the lake as well as a covered dock Trebek announced his devastating diagnosis in a message on YouTube on March 6, saying: 'Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 'Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but Im going to fight this, and Im going to keep working.' Trebek shared the message personally with his many fan on Jeopardy's YouTube channel. '[W]ith the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,' he said. 'Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! 'So help me. Keep the faith and well win. Well get it done. Thank you.' Trebek, who has been the host of Jeopardy! for 35 seasons, immediately began chemotherapy treatment, TMZ reported. The syndicated program is viewed by 23 million people each week, making it the top-rated quiz show on U.S. television. Trebek is seen above during his first season hosting the successful quiz show in 1984 Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television Sony, a division of Sony Corp, and distributed by a division of CBS Corp. The show is recorded on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. 'The show normally has two production days a week, when multiple episodes of the daily show are taped in a row,' a spokesperson said. On Monday, the official Jeopardy! Instagram account shared a photo of Trebek with television writer and producer Norman Lear, teasing an episode that aired later that day in which an entire category was devoted to Lear. It's not clear how far in advance the show films, so the date the photo was taken is not known. In the years leading up to Trebek's recent announcement of his cancer diagnosis, the Ontario native has had a few health scares. Trebek has been married to his wife of 29 years, Jean Currivan Trebek. The couple is seen above in Hollywood in November 2014 In December 2017, he underwent brain surgery after he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Trebek was experiencing complications from a fall the month before when he hit his head. On December 16 of that year, he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma, which occurs when there is a build-up of bleeding on the brain usually after a head injury. In 2015, he needed to host Jeopardy! sitting down due to a knee replacement that he underwent. In 2012, he suffered a mild heart attack. Trebek is married to his wife of 29 years, Jean Currivan, with whom he shares two children - Matthew, 29, and Emily, 27. Matthew Trebek is the owner of the popular Mexican eatery Oso in New York City. Emily works in real estate in Los Angeles, according to PEOPLE. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of a new type of tactical guided weapon on Wednesday, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday. It is North Koreas first public weapons test since the second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi ended with no agreement in February. KCNA did not describe exactly what the weapon is, including whether it was a missile or another type of weapon, but 'tactical' implies a short-range weapon, as opposed to the long-range ballistic missiles that have been seen as a threat to the United States. Nevertheless, the weapon has a 'peculiar mode of guiding flight' and 'a powerful warhead,' KCNA said. A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows Kim Jong-un (left) watching a flight drill of the combat pilots of Unit 1017 of the Air and Anti-aircraft Force of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Tuesday Kim said 'the completion of the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power' of the North Korean army, according to KCNA. Last year, Kim had also overseen a test of an unidentified 'tactical weapon' in November which could protect North Korea like a 'steel wall,' according to state media, which experts said was part of Kims initiative to shift the mainstay of the conventional military power from a nearly 1.3 million-strong army to high-tech weapons. In April 2018, Kim had said North Korea would stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, because Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities had been 'verified.' There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the White House, Pentagon or U.S. State Department. Kim (seen right with President Trump in Hanoi in February) on Tuesday reportedly oversaw the testing of a new type of tactical guided weapon on Wednesday. It is North Koreas first public weapons test since the second U.S.-North Korea summit ended with no agreement The news of Kims visit to the tactical weapon testing site comes after the North Korean leader visited the North Korean Air and Anti-aircraft Force on Tuesday, according to KCNA, inspecting a flight drill and expressing 'great satisfaction' at their combat readiness. Meanwhile, satellite images from last week show movement at North Koreas main nuclear site of Yongbyon that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States said on Tuesday. National Security Advisor John Bolton said in a Bloomberg News interview on Wednesday that the United States needs to see 'a real indication from North Korea that theyve made the strategic decision to give up nuclear weapons,' before a third summit between President Trump and Kim. Universities minister Chris Skidmore is urging education chiefs to work to increase the number of ex-servicemen receiving tuition Ex-soldiers should be admitted to universities with lower grades if they have proven themselves in other ways while serving their country, a minister will say today. Chris Skidmore also wants allowances to be made for children of servicemen and women, especially if they have suffered bereavement or had to move schools often. Only 24 per cent of youngsters from an Armed Forces background go to university, against 43 per cent for the overall population. Mr Skidmore is writing to all universities today to urge them to focus on recruiting more veterans and service children, by signing up to an 'Armed Forces Covenant'. In addition, he is providing 5million for scholarships. The universities minister said: 'We want everyone with the talent and potential, no matter their circumstances or background, to go on to university and thrive. 'The scholarships empower those who have fought for our country, or whose parents have paid the ultimate sacrifice.' 'I'm sure all universities will wish to consider the benefits of being a civic university that supports armed forces families in their communities, which is why I have written urging them all to actively consider signing up to the Covenant.' Defence minister Tobias Ellwood who also signed the letter, said: 'I want to make sure that all universities understand the value of supporting our armed forces and their families, and I encourage them to step up and sign our pledge.' Ministers want universities to take into account military experience not just grades when assessing applications. They also want background and hardships to be considered a practice known as 'contextual admissions'. Actress Jessica Chastain has led an onslaught of outrage against Time Magazine, after the publication included both Christine Blasey Ford, and the man she accused of sexually assaulting her, Brett Kavanaugh, among its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People. Kavanaugh was controversially appointed Supreme Court Justice in October, concluding a divisive and intense nomination hearing that included several allegations of sexual misconduct. The most vocal of the accusers, Blasey Ford, alleged that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during a party when they were teenagers. So disappointing, Chastain voiced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. You put her on the same list as the man she said assaulted her. Scroll down for video Kavanaugh was controversially and narrowly - appointed Supreme Court Justice in October. He was named among Time's most 'Influential Leaders' on Wednesday Also on the list, was his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, who was mentioned as an 'Icon' for her testimony to the judiciary committee last October Actress Jessica Chastain voiced her outrage at Ford, and the man she claimed sexually assaulted her, as being named in the same list of influencers The actress added that she thought Ford was greater than Kavanaugh in terms of influence and she wasnt alone in her contempt. TIME magazine profiling Christine Blasey Ford alongside the man who sexually assaulted her is peak both sides and Im so tired, feminist author Jessica Valenti declared. Heres this incredible brave woman ... and the man who tried to rape her! You put her on the same list as the man she said assaulted her, Chastain said on Wednesday. 'So disappointed' Separated into categories, Times yearly compilation named Kavanaugh as an influential leader, with Senate Leader Mitch McConnell calling him the most qualified Supreme Court Nominees in modern history. Ford, however, was listed among the Icon category. In her profile of the doctor, Senator Kamala Harris lauded Ford for her courage in the face of those who wished to silence her. She added that Ford also forced the country to deal with the otherwise largely ignored issue of sexual violence and shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors - risking it all in the process. The list, first founded in 1999, sets out to recognize and highlight those who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world though not necessarily for the better. Senator Kamala Harris, who wrote Ford's profile in the magazine, lauded the doctor for her courage in the face of those who wished to silence her Previous controversial entrants have included North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and spiritual leader of the Taliban, Mohammad Omar. But regardless of tradition, social media was rife with criticism against the publication, slamming the list's composers for not handling the sensitive topic of sexual assault more delicately. Imagine making Time's 100 Most Influential People list because you accused a prominent man of sexual assault, and then finding out he is on the same list, political journalist Laura Basset said. How many ways can we keep re-traumatizing Blasey Ford, she later asked. Similarly to Chastain, others voiced similar contempt at the two being named within the same list Other agreed: You cant be the cause and then reward the problem, Time, stated another tweeter. Even if hes a Supreme Court Justice now. During Kavanaughs confirmation hearing last year, Ford told the judiciary committee she believed it was her civic duty to report her alleged encounter with Kavanaugh. She told the panel that, during a high school party, she recalled Kavanaugh holding her down on a bed and forcibly groping her. Ford said she believed she was going to be raped, and that Kavanaugh may accidentally kill her. The now Supreme Court Justice repeatedly denied the allegations, insisting simply that the encounter never happened. Despite the media fervor and Senator Harris insisting both Ford and the American people deserve better, Kavanaugh was nominated to succeed Anthony Kennedy by a vote of 50 to 48. Dr Robert Bailey was a senior partner at a medical practice in Peterborough The body of a senior British GP has been found in the French Alps almost a month after he went missing. Dr Robert Bailey had set off hiking alone on March 21 but failed to return to his hotel in the Chamonix valley. On Tuesday rescuers discovered a snowshoe at high altitude. A police dog team concentrated their search in the area and found Dr Bailey's body in a river. Police said Dr Bailey, 63, an experienced hiker, was on a little-used and snow-covered path and had probably become lost. Commander of the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute-Montagne, Colonel Stephane Bozon, said: 'We have found his body. It was the conclusion of almost a month's search. We covered all possible paths. 'One can imagine that the path Dr Bailey wanted to follow was snow-covered and, as it is a path scarcely travelled and rough, he was probably lost and wanted to indicate his route by leaving this snowshoe. 'The team continued their search with the dogs and, with the help of helicopter support, the body of Dr Bailey was eventually found in the river bed.' Dr Bailey was in charge of end-of-life care at the Peterborough & Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group and a GP in Peterborough. He was due to retire soon. An autopsy will take place to determine the cause of death. Cathedral bells rang out across France in honour of the Notre Dame on Wednesday evening. From Sacre Coeur in Paris' Montmartre district to Rouen in the west, and Marseille's Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica in the south - the architectural treasures of France solemnly marked the inferno two days after it ravaged the Notre Dame. In a poignant tribute the bells, at more than 100 churches French cathedrals, tolled at 6.53pm (5.43pm GMT) - the moment the fire broke out on Monday. In a poignant tribute the bells, at more than 100 churches French Cathedrals, tolled at 6.53pm (5.43pm GMT), the moment the fire broke out. Pictured: Marseille's Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica Earlier in the day, the Conference of French Bishops said on Twitter that all cathedral bells nationwide would ring in 'solidarity with the diocese of Paris'. On Tuesday, cathedrals in the UK and Canada also rang their bells in support. Prime Minister Theresa May, a practicing Christian, said that the images of the Catholic masterpiece on fire were 'truly heart-rending'. As well as the bell-ringing on Tuesday evening, bells will ring out across England on Thursday in solidarity with a building which is 'a symbol of France and the French people, and cherished across the globe'. Mrs May said: 'President (Emmanuel) Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral and I have conveyed to him that the UK will support this endeavour however we can. 'As we saw last night in the swift and heroic action of the first responders, France has huge professionalism in dealing with emergencies of this kind. I pay tribute to the firefighters and all those involved. 'When it comes to the task of rebuilding, French craftsmen and women are among the finest in the world. 'As they prepare to embark on this daunting task, we stand ready to offer any UK experience and expertise that could be helpful in the work that lies ahead to restore this magnificent cathedral.' At Saint Sulpice church, the second largest house of worship in Paris, French first lady Brigitte Macron attended a special service, the yearly blessing of the oils during Holy Week ahead of Easter Sunday. After the service she said: 'Everything bled, everything bled, there were four stages, first the stage of shock when we learned what was happening, then when we arrived on location and it was fear and anxiety that everything would crumble, around 11 p.m, hope, because at 11 p.m the towers were there, and then enormous gratitude towards all the firemen and all the men that battled the fire, for their courage and perseverance. It was an absolutely incredible moment. Thank you.' A woman who was filmed throwing an elderly lady to the floor and kicking her has claimed she was not in control of her body at the time. Cori Glencross, 23, allegedly attacked the unnamed woman at a bus top outside a shopping centre in Geelong, Victoria on Tuesday afternoon. Glencross on Wednesday told a court that she was having an epileptic fit when she started kicking the pensioner and did not intend to attack the woman. Cori Glencross (pictured), 23, allegedly attacked the unnamed woman at a bus top outside a shopping centre in Geelong, Victoria on Tuesday afternoon 'When I was getting her off me I had a seizure and couldn't control my body and it looks like it was on purpose but it wasn't on purpose,' she said in court according to the ABC. Glencross, who was on bail at the time of the alleged offence, said in a police interview she was acting in self defence because the woman allegedly threatened her with a needle, the court heard. Magistrate Michael Coghlan said it was 'highly improbable' that her claim she was having a fit would be accepted by a court. Glencross, who represented herself at Geelong Magistrates' Court, was denied bail and remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date. She is charged with affray, committing an indictable offence whilst on bail, unlawful assault by kicking and unlawful assault. A witness to the incident, Caitlyn Brooks, told Daily Mail Australia that Ms Glencross had told the woman that it was 'not nice to smile' before moving toward her. Glencross allegedly told elderly woman that it was 'not nice to smile' and said she should 'get a rope and kill herself' Glencross (left) was arrested on Tuesday in relation to the alleged assault Snr. Const. Thompson told the court it was an 'orchestated and premeditated' attack on the elderly woman who was leaning on her mobility walker at the time. After a brief verbal exchange between the two women, it was alleged that Ms. Glencross approached the elderly woman and asked her if she 'wanted to start her' before shoving her against the glass window behind her. The video then showed her appear to yank the woman by the hair and pull her to the ground. A bystander could be heard saying 'she's just an old lady'. The defenceless older woman was then kicked twice as she was lying on the ground before a witness intervened. Ms. Glencross continued to stand over the older lady until a third woman pushed her away. Another member of the public was seen offering his hand to the older lady to help her from the ground. Both Ms. Glencross and the alleged victim had left the scene before the police arrived. A mother who was savagely mauled by her pet deer after it killed her husband is still fighting for her life in hospital. Mandi McDonald, 45, desperately tried to save her husband Paul as it gored him to death on Wednesday morning at their farm in Moyhu, northeast Victoria. The aggressive deer then attacked her before her son dragged her away, saving her life. Mrs McDonald was rushed to hospital in serious condition and was still fighting for her life on Thursday morning. Paul McDonald and his wife, Mandi, (above) were attacked by the pet deer at their property in northeast Victoria Their son managed to drag his mother to safety. Pictured: A deer at the couple's property - it is unclear if this is the animal that attacked the couple Mr McDonald, 47, was feeding the deer in its enclosure when the animal lunged at him. Police arrived and shot the animal dead. The deer was shot several times for the safety of the male and the female, Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Purcell said. Paramedics were called to the property at about 8.30am but could not save Mr McDonald, who died at the scene. His wife was treated for upper body and leg injuries. Ambulance Victoria said Mrs McDonald was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a serious condition where she is fighting for her life. The couple had owned the Waipiti deer - a cross between a red deer and an elk - for about two years. 'I know the family are very traumatised about what has happened,' sergeant Purcell said. The couple's son and daughter are staying with family in Melbourne in the meantime. Mr McDonald tragically died at the scene while Mandi was treated for upper body and leg injuries Mr McDonald, 47, was feeding the deer before the animal attacked him, according to his brother Australian Deer Association's Barry Howlett warned that male deers grew aggressive and territorial during mating season, which was around this time of year. 'They are a wild animal and a wild animal that loses its fear of humans is a really dangerous thing,' he told Herald Sun. 'It might be quite docile for most of the year but when mating season is on, you dont go near them.' As many as a million wild deer are thought to be living in Victoria, according to a 2017 state government report. Their numbers increased following the 2008 Black Saturday bushfires and calls have been made to cull the growing population. Victoria's National Park Association said in 2018 that the animals were destructive to the natural landscape. Paramedics were called to the property at about 8.30am but could not save Mr McDonald, who died at the scene. His wife was treated for upper body and leg injuries (pictured, graphic location of Moyhu in northeast Victoria) Cory Booker did not just lose a girlfriend when he split from his philanthropist girlfriend, he also lost a potential donor. FEC filings obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that self-proclaimed Instagram poet Cleo Wade has cut two $2800 checks to Kamala Harris for the People, the presidential campaign that was launched last month by the junior senator from California. Wade was not feeling quite so generous towards her ex, whom she split with last year after dating for close to two years. Little was known about the couple's relationship, with Wade notoriously private about her love lifer and Booker a lifelong bachelor. Wading in: Cleo Wade (left with Harris in January) has donated $5600 to Kamala Harris presidential campaign (Wade right with Booker in 2017) I'm with har: She has donated no money to Booker according to FEC filings (above) Booker has since moved on and is in a relationship with actress Rosario Dawson. Wade is also spending a lot of time with someone special - Harris. The two have been travelling the country together for talks promoting the campaign that are moderated by Wade. They appeared together at the 92Y in New York City, in North Carolina earlier this month at an event in Durham and in Los Angeles at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in January. Wade was also a supporter of Harris long before she was with Booker, donating to her Senate campaign and attending a number of high profile events in support of the former attorney general. And is not the only notable name who has raised a few eyebrows with her candidate of choice. Doing it: James Murdoch (left) also threw his support behind a Democrat, openly gay Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg (right) Money train: Murdoch sent a check for $2800 to Mayor Pete (above) James Murdoch made a big show of support for the first openly gay major candidate to ever run for the office of president with a $2800 donation to Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Harris and Buttigieg are both exceeding expectations when it comes to pocketing donations from big-money donors, with the former successfully tapping her wealthy California base while the latter is making a quick move up the ranks. Trainspotting 2 star Bradley Welsh, who was shot and killed on his own Edinburgh doorstep on Wednesday night, was killed after 130,000 worth of Class A drugs he was guarding went missing, it has been claimed. The Daily Star reported that an underworld source claimed Mr Welsh, 48, had been acting as 'muscle' to protect 3kg of heroin and 2kg of cocaine and 'had to answer' when it disappeared. The boxing gym owner and reformed criminal, who also appeared in an episode of Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men, was gunned down around 8pm at the Georgian property on Chester Street in the city's affluent West End as he walked home from the boxing gym he runs. His partner and young daughter were inside the building but did not hear the gunshot. A neighbour attempted to help the fatally wounded Welsh but he died at the scene. Last night an underworld source said: 'Its not that he was in debt but the drugs had been lost and they were his responsibility.' the Star reported. 'If it goes missing you pay, simple as. 'He was the deals muscle and had a lot of respect but somebody had had enough. 'These gangs are ruthless they dont care who you are. If something goes wrong then someone has to pay.' Police said yesterday they believe Mr Welsh was killed in a targeted attack and have launched a murder investigation. Mr Welsh in his Holyrood Boxing Gym. He was killed on his own doorstep by a gunshot to the head Mr Welsh with Danny Dyer who featured him in an episode of Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men Detectives say they have 'no idea' why Mr Welsh was targeted but do not believe the gunman will pose a threat to the wider public. Detective superintendent, Allan Burton said: 'At about 8pm last night Bradley Welsh, a 48-year-old local resident, was returning home from training at the gym. 'He got out of his car, he had walked to his home address and as he was about to climb down the stairs a person appeared and shot him and killed him. 'To give people reassurance, we believe it's a targeted attack on Mr Welsh and that nobody else in the community is at threat from the shooter and we have no expectations of them returning. 'We know he was out and training at his gym late afternoon, early evening. Hibernian scarves were left on railings near where Mr Welsh was shot today. He was a fan of the Edinburgh club 'He got out of the car and spoke to his neighbour and he walked to his home address and as he started walking down the steps to his basement apartment, a male appeared and shot him at the top of the steps. 'A neighbour tried to render first aid but unfortunately he was already deceased due to the extent of the injuries. 'At this moment, I have no idea why they wanted to hurt him. But we will establish that over the coming days. The family are devastated as you can imagine. 'A partner has lost her soul mate, her friend. A child has lost their dad. They are devastated.' He added: 'Mr Welsh's partner and young daughter were in the house at the time when this took place. 'Thankfully they were unaware - they never heard the bang, if you like.' He added: 'When the police arrived, that's when the knowledge and horrors of losing Bradley to them had become real. 'Their whole world has been turned upside down by the actions of an individual last night.' Detectives believe Mr Welsh was shot in a targeted attack by a man who fled the scene on foot. Forensics officers searching Melville Street in Edinburgh after the shooting of Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh In a plea for witnesses, Mr Burton called for people who 'have got any information, or have heard any rumours or speculation, or know someone who's acting differently after the events of last night and are suspicious of this individual - please come forward'. Dozens of forensics officers were searching Chester Street and neighbouring roads within the large police cordon. Mr Burton added: 'We'll be looking to see if anything has been dropped, discarded, someone's been standing by waiting for Mr Welsh to return. 'Any cigarette butts, cans, etc could indicate the presence of any individual. 'We will be conducting a fingerprint examination of the railings and premises and fixed furniture round about the entrance to the apartment, looking for fingerprints and DNA. 'We'll be doing a full forensic examination of Mr Welsh's apartment to see if there's anything in the flat that might give us an indication of the motivation and why he has been targeted.' Chief inspector David Robertson, added: 'Murders in Edinburgh are extremely rare and the use of a firearm even more so.' An anonymous ex high-ranking officer told The Mirror Mr Welsh was 'a guy you'd call a ken-speckled character' who had a 'few enemies'. A friend of Mr Welsh who went to the scene to pay his respects, said his pal had 'got away' from his past. William McCallum said: 'To tell you the truth, I'm just heartbroken. His mum stayed around the corner from my mum. Brad did a lot for Edinburgh, a lot for the community centre. 'Where does amateur boxing go from here? Brad had a past when he was younger but he got away from all that. Brad only wanted to do well for his community.' Mr Welsh - who was engaged to be married at the time he was killed and had a young daughter, Eva Tiger - spoke to a newspaper about his teenage years becoming involved in protection rackets before a spell in prison. Dyer paid tribute to him today, writing on Instagram: 'So sad to hear the news about Bradley Welsh. A good soul with a massive heart. A massive loss. Rest in Peace my old son.' Dyer paid tribute to him today, writing on Instagram: 'So sad to hear the news about Bradley Welsh. A good soul with a massive heart. A massive loss. Rest in Peace my old son' Author Irvine Welsh also paid tribute his close friend, tweeting: 'Bradley John Welsh, my heart is broken' In an interview with the Edinburgh Evening News on April 13, Welsh recalled how jail time had made him realise being behind bars 'was for imbeciles' and said boxing had been his 'way out of the ghetto'. But the 42-year-old admitted his past was never far away, saying: 'It's always with me but I don't have to atone myself for anybody. 'The things I did, they were wrong, but I understand why I did them, because I had f**k all. 'Of course, I regret them. I have a daughter and a wee boy who is like a son to me, and I want a better society. That's why I do what I do.' Welsh starred alongside Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle in T2 Trainspotting, playing gangland figure Mr Doyle. Author Irvine Welsh led tributes to his close friend today, tweeting: 'Bradley John Welsh, my heart is broken. 'Goodbye my amazing and beautiful friend. Thanks for making me a better person and helping me to see the world in a kinder and wiser way.' Following last night's shooting, up to a dozen armed police were scrambled and the area was put on lock down as they hunted for the gunman. Forensics officers swept streets around the surrounding area, including Walker Street (pictured) Police remain at the scene of the shooting on Chester Street in Edinburgh today and are appealing for witnesses A floral tribute wrapped in a green and white scarf - the colours of Hibs Football Club - lay at the edge of the cordon today Residents who live within the police cordon are being checked in and out of the taped-off area, but they say officers have told them nothing about what happened. Pictured: Floral tributes being laid Welsh's body is removed today by a private ambulance. The road where he was shot is near to his house Paramedics battled to save Welsh but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Welsh appeared in Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men in 2008, where he described himself as a 'born leader' in the episode. The actor later became involved in charity projects in Edinburgh, including helping young people to stay away from a life of crime through his Holyrood Boxing Gym. Welsh playing gangland figure Mr Doyle on Trainspotting 2 He was reportedly a former British ABA Lightweight boxing champion. Fraser Walker, chief operating officer of Boxing Scotland, said: 'The Boxing Scotland family is extremely shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic passing of Bradley. 'He was one of a kind and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and sympathy go out to Bradley's family at this extremely difficult time.' Other people also paid tribute on social media, with one woman posting a picture of herself and friends alongside Welsh in a boxing ring. She said: 'You to me are treasure, you to me are dear. Our coach, our motivator but most importantly our friend, Brad Welsh.' One man described Welsh as a 'huge character' in Edinburgh. He said: 'Devastating news about Brad Welsh tonight, a huge character in Scottish amateur boxing and the Hibernian support and someone who contributed a great deal to society through his charitable work and boxing gym. RIP.' Police locked down Chester Street in Edinburgh last night after Welsh was shot in the head Up to a dozen armed officers were called to the scene of the shooting. Police are appealing for help to trace the gunman Police forensics teams examine the scene where Welsh was gunned down by an unknown assailant A neighbour told how she heard gunfire at the time Welsh was murdered. Shocked mother Jessica Russell, 32, lives on the same street where Mr Welsh was killed, and where he was believed to live. She saw cops go down to the basement level of the house, thought to be subdivided into flats. Police said today that Mr Welsh was found lying 'in a communal staircase', where he died. Today a sheet of yellow tarpaulin shielded the basement area of the building from public view. Ms Russell said: 'My child had just gone to sleep and I heard a shot. I quickly ran to the window and I saw nothing. 'I don't know how many minutes after that but it was fairly soon that I saw police everywhere. They went down to the basement level [of Mr Welsh's property]. 'Then an ambulance arrived and they didn't seem to be taking anyone away or dealing with anybody then it calmed down. 'I heard police shouting for someone in the house to open the door and I heard a bashing sound so I'm not sure if they bashed the door open. 'They just kept shouting 'it's the police, open up'. We just had to make sure our child was alright. 'A man came out and asked the police if we were safe and they told him not to worry. It seemed like an isolated incident.' Another neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: 'I was quite shocked when I came home last night and there was a lot of police. 'I didn't know what was going on but this is the West End of Edinburgh, and it's a beautiful part of the city so it's normally safe. We were all quite shocked.' A long stretch of the street remains cordoned off today, with the stairwell of a downstairs flat covered by a large yellow sheet. A floral tribute wrapped in a green and white scarf - the colours of Hibs Football Club - lay at the edge of the cordon. Residents who live within the police cordon are being checked in and out of the taped-off area, but they say officers have told them nothing about what happened. Welsh with former Celtic Football Club manager Neil Lennon in a social media photo A woman, who did not want to be named, was in her flat across the road from the incident when she heard a 'massive bang'. She added: 'I was in the kitchen and heard a bang. I ran through to my boyfriend and said 'what was that?', because it sounded a little bit weird. 'Then there were loads of SWAT teams - the police were here super-quick.' Lewis Starling, 25, said: 'I just came home last night at about 8.40pm and the whole place was cordoned off. 'I had to get permission to get back to my flat and after that more people just arrived and it's just been locked down. 'It's quite surprising, you don't expect that around here.' He added that the yellow tarpaulin covering the entrance to the flat was put out at 'about midnight or 1am'. Back in 2017 Welsh told The Sun how he landed the Trainspotting role after Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh and director Danny Boyle turned up at his gym. Irvine Welsh, who wrote Trainspotting, said his 'heart was broken' by the death of his friend 'I met them all for breakfast the next morning and offered to help them with some set locations. Maybe it's the kind of laddie I am and with my upbringing or whatever, but they saw something they liked and afterwards John Hodge went away and wrote a boxing scene for Spud. 'I told Danny he could film in my gym which he said would be 'perfect'. Then they said they've got a scene for me and Danny asked, 'Will you try out for a part?'' However, Welsh said he believed he was 'too aggressive' in his interview for Danny Boyle's sequel to Trainspotting. Last month it emerged one of Britain's biggest holiday firms was taking him to court after he used its logo on complaint leaflets. Welsh complained that Jet2 'abandon families' and the company should not be trusted after he lost his baggage. He claims the firm refused to accept liability, so he printed 15,000 leaflets, which he then distributed in the city centre. These say: 'Package holidays you CAN'T trust.' Mr Welsh was set to face a showdown in the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, after distributing the leaflets. Jet2 was seeking an interdict to stop him using its logo. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'Officers and other emergency services responded to the area and a man was found lying on a common staircase, having sustained a serious injury. 'Sadly the man, passed away at the scene. Formal identification has still to take place, however, the victim is believed to be 48-year-old Bradley Welsh, who lived nearby. 'This death is being treated as murder. Early investigations indicate that this has been an isolated attack and inquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible. 'Anyone with any information that could assist the investigation please come forward.' Josh Osborne was run over in Orpington, south east of the capital, at around 6.50pm on Saturday. A schoolboy hit by a car in south east London has died in hospital four days later. Josh Osborne was run over in Orpington, south east of the capital, at around 6.50pm on Saturday. Members of the public rushed to help him before he was taken to a hospital in east London, but police have today confirmed he died in the early hours of this morning. The driver, 73, did not stop after the crash but was later arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident a short distance away. He failed to stop as soon as he the young boy but came to a halt a short distance from the incident, police said. He has since been released under investigation. A Met Police spokesman said in a statement: 'Police were called at approximately 18:50hrs on Saturday, 13 April to reports of a child injured following a collision with a car in Court Road, near the junction with Goddington Lane, Orpington. 'Officers, London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance all attended the scene. 'He was treated at the scene before being taken to an east London hospital. He sadly died in the early hours of Wednesday, 17 April. His family are aware.' Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD6316/13Apr. If you think letting your cat out to play is good for its health think again as the chances are it's also picking up contagious diseases. Domestic cats that roam freely outdoors are three times more likely to pick up an infection that develops into disease than indoor-only cats, a study has found. Such infections include the parasite Toxoplasma Gondii, which can spread to cat owners and has been linked to depression and schizophrenia in humans. Outdoor cats can also pick up roundworms, which may be passed on to children, causing fever, stomach pain and, in rare cases, seizures. Researchers discovered that the risk was even higher in countries at higher latitudes due to higher infection from parasites in wildlife. The authors said that cat owners should not only restrict the movement of domestic cats outdoors to protect their pets, but wildlife they come into contact with as well. Kittens in particular should be kept indoors as they are more vulnerable to infection, they say. A study from Auburn University in Alabama has found that domestic cats that roam freely outdoors are three times more likely to pick up an infection that develops into disease than indoor-only cats (stock image) The literature review, conducted by Auburn University in Alabama, looked at evidence from 21 other scientific studies to determine the risk of infection in outdoor cats. They found that outdoor cats are 2.77 times as likely as indoor-only cats to be infected with pathogens regardless of how transmission initially occurred. Bacterial or viral infections picked up outdoors by cats via touch, saliva or from the air were all likely to develop into illnesses in the pet, say the researchers. Often these infections are caught from infected wildlife and these risks were higher at higher latitudes due to greater parasitic infection rates in wildlife. Catt owners should not only restrict the movement of domestic outdoors to protect their pets, but also wildlife they come into contact with, experts say. Kittens in particular should be kept indoors as they are more vulnerable to infection (stock image) The researchers wanted to determine whether outdoor access is a significant risk factor for parasitic infection in domestic pet cats across 19 different pathogens. The researchers say their study supports keeping cats indoors to reduce risk of transmission of pathogens that have implications for human, wildlife and feline health. The researchers warned of the dangers of outdoor access for domestic cats. Writing in study, they said: 'Outdoor access is a significant risk factor for parasitic infection in pet cats. 'Cats are common as pets around the world with an estimated 89 90 million in the USA alone. 'While we do not necessarily advocate that all domestic animals be restricted indoors, determining routes and risk factors of transmission with respect to environmental contact may be useful in mitigating parasitic infection in domestic animals.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Biology Letters. The wondrous sight of a starry sky at night is impossible for more than half of the UK because of light pollution in our towns and cities, a study found. Only two per cent of the UK were able to gaze at 'truly dark skies' while 57 per cent struggled to count more than 120 stars, the research by Campaign to Protect Rural England found. Many people in major cities - London, Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester - were unable to view a single star at all. The findings come from a 'star count' supported by the British Astronomical Association. Scroll down for video The wondrous sight of a starry sky at night (pictured) is impossible for more than half of the UK because of light pollution in our towns and cities, a study has found People in towns and the countryside were encouraged to count the number they could see in the sky with the naked eye within the constellation of Orion, which is only visible in the winter months. The results of the star count, supported by the British Astronomical Association, demonstrated the problem of light pollution and how it affects 'one of the countryside's most magical sights - a dark, starry night sky', campaigners said. Results of the research to map England's night skies suggests more can be done by Government, local councils and the general public to lessen the negative effects caused by artificial light from streets and buildings, the group added. Some of the best places to see stars were in Canterbury, Truro, Whitley Bay, Penzance and King's Lynn. Emma Marrington, dark skies campaigner at CPRE, said: 'We're hugely grateful to the many people who took the time to get out and take part in our star count. 'But it's deeply disappointing that the vast majority were unable to experience the natural wonder of a truly dark sky, blanketed with stars. 'Without intervention, our night sky will continue to be lost under a veil of artificial light, to the detriment of our own health, and the health of the natural world. 'The Star Count results show just how far reaching the glow from street lights and buildings can be seen. 'Light doesn't respect boundaries, and careless use can see it spread for miles from towns, cities, businesses and motorways, resulting in the loss of one of the countryside's most magical sights - a dark, starry night sky.' The results of the star count, supported by the British Astronomical Association, demonstrated the problem of light pollution and how it affects 'one of the countryside's most magical sights - a dark, starry night sky', campaigners said It's the final countdown - just two days left to take part in the #StarCount2019! The weather looks set fair and there should be clear skies for many of us this weekend. Get outside and help us reclaim our dark skies. Submit your results here: https://t.co/6K7LeiwzfU pic.twitter.com/JO4F1CAM7G CPRE The countryside charity (@CPRE) February 22, 2019 Results of the research to map England's night skies suggests more can be done by Government, local councils and the general public to lessen the negative effects caused by artificial light from streets and buildings (stock image) As well as robbing us of the sheer beauty of seeing a sky glittering with stars, light pollution at night can also affect our health as it disturbs our sleep. Light shining in our windows at night can disturb our sleep. It can also disrupt the natural world - altering the behaviour of animals such as moths, bats and birds. Road lighting, security lights, street lamps, and excessively-lit supermarket car parks have all come in for criticism for contributing to light pollution. Experts estimate that in a truly dark sky, we should be able to see around 4,000 stars - a small fraction of all the stars in the universe which are estimated at one quadrillion - one followed by 24 zeroes. Miss Marrington suggested better-designed lighting, street light dimming schemes and part-night lighting, done in consultation with local communities and police, could provide an opportunity to limit the damage caused by light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money. The star count, which ran for the first three weeks of February, involved 2,300 people. The first UK law tackling light pollution came into force in 2006 under Section 102 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005). People with issues about exterior lighting can contact a council's Environmental Health Department. Excess light at night can be classed as a statutory nuisance, which can trigger legal action. The law makes 'exterior light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance' a criminal offence. Starry nights have inspired some of the world's finest paintings. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh was painted in 1898 near the village of Saint-Remy-de-Provence from the artists room in a lunatic asylum. Van Gogh used some artistic licence in the view - he left out the metal bars on the window. Turkey is leading the way in fighting light pollution. A city in Tepebasi, north-west Turkey, has introduced lights which dim when there is nobody around, and increase in brightness when they detect motion. Climate change is a bigger problem than Brexit as 'it could literally kill us', the head of the Environment Agency warned yesterday. Sir James Bevan said climate change was 'much more important' than Brexit and it was time to focus on tackling climate change. But there were many lessons we could learn from Brexit - including planning for climate change the way businesses planned for a no-deal Brexit. He also said building a 'broad coalition' against climate change could help heal a divided country. Scroll down for video Climate change is a bigger problem than Brexit as 'it could literally kill us', the head of the Environment Agency warned yesterday. Sir James Bevan said climate change was 'much more important' than Brexit and it was time to focus on tackling climate change (file photo) He said in the speech to a charity, the Whitehall and Industry Group: 'You can worry about Brexit if you want, but you'll be worrying about the wrong thing. 'If you rank the things that could literally kill us on a scale of one to ten, Brexit isn't even a one. Climate change is a ten.' Sir James added that there were similarities between Brexit and climate change in that the timescales of both are 'uncertain' and 'the consequences highly contested'. Sir James, a career diplomat and former High Commissioner to India before becoming the chief executive of the Environment Agency in 2015, said the increase in greenhouse gases would lead to rising seas, water shortages extreme weather, flooding, coastal erosion and droughts'. The Environment Agency, which has more than 11,000 employees, is the government funded body in charge of protecting air, water and soil quality, and flood protection. Sir James said climate change would 'utterly' change our politics, adding 'as people demand action from their leaders on what may become the only issue that matters. Our world may become more dangerous, as conflict over water and other scarce resources escalate.' He went on: 'That is why climate change is simply the biggest issue there is. It is the biggest threat out there to our economy, environment, health, way of life, our country, our world, and our future.' Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, (pictured) said building a 'broad coalition' against climate change could help heal a divided country and that the environmental issue could literally kill us' Sir James Bevan said that UK greenhouse gas emissions were down 43 per cent on 1990 - but the economy kept on growing. This shows that cutting emissions need not slow economic growth, he said. But there were lessons from to be learned from Brexit, Sir James said. He said: 'We all need to be devoting as much effort over the next few years to tackling that as we have devoted over the last few years to Brexit. A key lesson from Brexit was preparing for climate change as though it were a No Deal exit - 'with incident rooms' and 'contingency planning'. But he added: 'unlike a No Deal Brexit, we know climate change will happen. If you aren't already asking how your organisation would cope, why not?' A further lesson from Brexit was to succeed in tackling climate change you need to build a broad coalition, and added: 'While climate change isn't the new Brexit, pulling together as a nation to focus on tackling climate change could help bring our country back together.' An interstellar space rock may have entered Earth's atmosphere in 2014 three years before the infamous 'Oumuamua was spotted. It is thought to have been three feet (one metre) long and was travelling at 134,200 mph when it was spotted above Papau New Guinea. Astronomers say the meteor was propelled towards the Earth after receiving a speed boost from another planetary system or another star in the Milky Way. As a meteor, rather than a meteorite, the object would not have reached the ground - instead, it would have disintegrated in our planet's atmosphere. Avi Loeb, a Harvard scientist who previously claimed 'Oumuamua may have been an alien spacecraft, looked at the data and claims the 2014 meteor came from another star system. Scroll down for video This meteor would be the second object observed to have visited us from outside of our solar system. The first known body to journey to our neighbourhood for the depths of interstellar space was the cigar-shaped object dubbed 'Oumuamua (pictured), first detected in 2017 'You can imagine that if these meteors were ejected from the habitable zone of a star, they could help transfer life from one planetary system to another,' Professor Loeb said of his latest discovery. The first known body to journey to our neighbourhood from the depths of interstellar space was the cigar-shaped object dubbed 'Oumuamua, first detected in 2017. 'Oumuamua is a Hawaiian word that translates to 'scout'. Based on the cigar-shaped comet's speed and trajectory, scientists have determined that 'Oumuamua likely journeyed to us from another star, or perhaps even beyond. Professor Loeb created controversy back in 2017 when he suggested that the then recently spotted 'Oumuamua could potentially be a non-functioning or active probe sent by an alien civilisation. 'Oumuamua is around 1,300 feet (400 metres) long. However, Professor Loeb noted that one would expect for visiting interstellar bodies smaller than 'Oumuamua to be much more common. Furthermore, some of these visitors might even reach the Earth. 'We can use the atmosphere of the Earth as the detector for these meteors, which are too small to otherwise see,' Professor Loeb told Space.com. Professor Loeb (pictured, in 2016, attending the launch of the Breakthrough Starshot space exploration initiative) teamed up with fellow Harvard University astronomer Amir Siraj to trawl through 30 years of meteor sightings looking for small interstellar visitors WHY DOES AVI LOEB THINK 'OUMUAMUA IS AN ALIEN PROBE? In a paper published to Astrophysical Journal Letters, Avi Loeb and Shmuel Bialy from Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics suggest interstellar object Oumuamua could could be be an alien probe driven by a paper-thin light sail, either sent here intentionally or simply as a piece of debris. This would explain its acceleration, which doesn't line up with predictions for an object of the kind it's thought to be; at the moment, data show Oumuamua is not an active comet. According to Loeb, solar radiation pressure could be to blame for its acceleration - if it's an alien probe. 'The lightsail technology might be abundantly used for transportation of cargo between planets or between stars,' the team writes. 'In the former case, dynamical ejection from a planetary System could result in space debris of equipment that is not operational any more, and is floating at the characteristic speed of stars relative to each other in the Solar neighborhood.' Advertisement To investigate this possibility, Professor Loeb and fellow Harvard University astronomer Amir Siraj went through 30 years of meteor sightings looking for small interstellar visitors. They sourced their data from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies' catalogue, which records meteor events detected by US government sensors. The team concentrated their investigation on the fastest meteors. These higher speeds indicate that the object in question is not gravitationally bound to the sun, and could therefore have come from outside the solar system. The researchers identified one such meteor that met such criteria. The object was around 3 feet (0.9 metres wide) and was detected at an altitude of 11.6 miles (18.7 kilometres) over Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, South Pacific. It was observed travelling at around 134,200 miles per hour (216,000 kilometres per hour) and such high speeds combined with the path it had been taking through space indicates it may have originated outside of our solar system. Additionally, the recorded velocity of the meteor suggests that it got a gravitation boost during its journey, the researchers noted. This boost may have come from the interior of a planetary star system, or perhaps from a star out in the disc of the Milky Way. Alongside the interstellar meteor they unearthed from monitoring records, the researchers also found two other meteors moving at similarly fast speeds. However, one had an orbital path that suggested it was gravitationally bound to the sun, and had thus come from within our own solar system. The researchers were uncertain whether the other, based on the nature of its orbit, was in fact interstellar or local in origin. It would be useful to study such interstellar meteors as they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, the researchers said. Professor Loeb proposes that astronomers might set up an alert system to automatically train telescopes on any meteor detected travelling at relevantly high speeds Based on the assumption that the Earth is visited by three interstellar meteors every 30 years or so, the researchers predict that there must be around a million such meteors in every cubic astronomical unit of the Milky Way. For reference, one astronomical unit is around 93 million miles (150 million kilometres), which is the average distance between the Earth and the sun Professor Loeb and Mr Siraj's calculations would suggest that each nearby star must throw out around 60 billion trillion such bodies into interstellar space. This is equivalent to between around 0.2 to 20 times the mass of the Earth. It would be useful to study such interstellar meteors as they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, the researchers added. Professor Loeb proposes that astronomers might set up an alert system that automatically trains telescopes on any meteor detected travelling at relevantly high speeds. The telescopes could then analyse the gaseous debris formed as the meteor disintegrated, he added. 'From that, we could infer the compositions of interstellar meteors,' he said. This could potentially tell us more about the composition of objects outside of our solar system, over which there is currently some uncertainty. The full findings of the study have been submitted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. A pre-print of the article can be read on the arXiv repository. Apple has held talks with at least four companies as possible suppliers for next-generation lidar sensors in self-driving cars, evaluating the companies' technology while also still working on its own lidar unit, three people familiar with the discussions said. The moves provide fresh evidence of Apple's renewed ambitions to enter the autonomous vehicle derby, an effort it calls Project Titan. The talks are focused on next-generation lidar, a sensor that provides a three-dimensional look at the road. Apple is seeking lidar units that would be smaller, cheaper and more easily mass produced than current technology, the three people said. Scroll down for video Apple has held talks with at least four companies as possible suppliers for next-generation lidar sensors in self-driving cars, evaluating the companies' technology while also still working on its own lidar unit, a new report claims WHAT IS LIDAR? Lidar is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by shooting a laser at a target and analysing the light that is reflected back. The technology was developed in the early 1960s and uses laser imaging with radar technology that can calculate distances. It was first used in meteorology to measure clouds by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The term lidar is a portmanteau of 'light and 'radar.' Lidar uses ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared light to image objects and can be used with a wide range of targets, including non-metallic objects, rocks, rain, chemical compounds, aerosols, clouds and even single molecules. A narrow laser beam can be used to map physical features with very high resolution. This new technique allowed researchers to map outlines of what they describe as dozens of newly discovered Maya cities hidden under thick jungle foliage centuries after they were abandoned by their original inhabitants. Aircraft with a Lidar scanner produced three-dimensional maps of the surface by using light in the form of pulsed laser linked to a GPS system. The technology helped researchers discover sites much faster than using traditional archaeological methods. Advertisement The iPhone maker is setting a high bar with demands for a 'revolutionary design,' one of the people familiar with the talks said. The people declined to name the companies Apple has approached. The sensor effort means Apple wants to develop the entire chain of hardware to guide autonomous vehicles and has joined automakers and investors in the race to find winning technologies. Current lidar systems, including units from Velodyne Inc mounted on Apple's fleet of self-driving test vehicles, use laser light pulses to render precise images of the environment around the car. But the systems can cost $100,000 and use mechanical parts to sweep the laser scanners across the road. That makes them too bulky and prone to failure for use in mass-produced vehicles. The shortcomings have spurred $1 billion in investment at dozens of startups and mature companies alike to make lidar smaller, cheaper and more robust. Apple's interest in next-generation lidar sensors comes as it has sharply increased its road testing while bringing on key hires from Tesla Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google. It remains unclear whether the goal of Apple's Project Titan is to build its own vehicle or supply the hardware and software elements of self-driving car while pairing with a partner for the entire vehicle. But what is clear from Apple's interest in cheaper lidar systems is that it wants to control the 'perception stack' of sensors, computers and software to drive an autonomous vehicle, regardless of who makes the vehicle, another person familiar with the talks said. The three people familiar with the talks declined to be identified because the discussions are not public. In addition to evaluating potential outside suppliers, Apple is believed to have its own internal lidar sensor under development, two of the people said. Alphabet-owned Waymo has taken a similar path, assembling a sensor and computer system while inking deals to buy vehicles from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Apple gets 'a lot of optionality by working on the perception stack,' said the second person familiar with the talks. 'Bringing a passenger car to the market is really, really hard, and there's no reason right now they need to jump into it.' The designs Apple is seeking could potentially be made with conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques, all four people familiar with the talks said. That has the potential to lower prices from the many thousands to the hundreds of dollars as the sensors are produced in larger numbers, similar to chips in phones and other devices. Apple also wants sensors that can see several hundred meters (yards) down the road. The long-distance requirement shows Apple is interested in fully self-driving vehicles, versus the more limited features such as adaptive cruise control used today, two people familiar with the matter said. 'They're not happy with most of what they see,' the first person familiar with the matter said. 'They're looking for a revolutionary design.' A third person familiar with the matter said Apple is seeking a 'design-oriented' sensor that would be sleek and unobtrusive enough to fit into the overall lines of a vehicle. Apple declined to comment. Apple once investigated building its own vehicle. The company had a team of more than a dozen engineers dedicated to detailed work such as ensuring doors closed quietly instead of slamming shut, a fourth person briefed on the matter said. Apple last year re-hired Doug Field, an Apple veteran who was serving as Tesla's engineering chief, to work on Project Titan. The project has about 1,200 people, according to a count in court documents. Field has been putting his stamp on the effort, laying off about 190 workers but also bringing on key hires such as Michael Schwekutsch, who oversaw electric drive train technology at Telsa. Apple also ramped up its testing miles in California, driving nearly 80,000 last year compared to 800 the year before. A Japanese tech start-up is using deep learning to teach a pair of machines a simple job for a human, but a surprisingly tricky task for a robot - cleaning a bedroom. Though it may seem like a basic, albeit tedious, task for a human, robots find this type of job surprisingly complicated. A Japanese tech start-up is using deep learning to teach AI how to deal with disorder and chaos in a child's room. Deep learning is where algorithms, inspired by the human brain, learn from large amounts of data so they're able to perform complex tasks. Some tasks, like welding car chassis in the exact same way day after day, are easy for robots as it is a repetitive process and the machines do not suffer with boredom in the same way as disgruntled employees. But the range of tasks they can accomplish is still limited because, when presented with a messy, disordered world, they become perplexed and are unable to achieve their goal as the algorithms fail. This limits the tasks they can do in factories, so the same Artificial Intelligence used in self-driving cars and smart factories is now being used to teach them about chaos. Footage, shot as part of the BBC's Disruptors series, shows the robots in a child's bedroom and cleaning it. In a basement in Tokyo, researchers from Preferred Networks have been applying a species of artificial intelligence to teach robots how to deal with disordered objects - or things they have never seen before. They have to identify every object, strewn in random places all over the room and then figure out how to pick them up, and then finally, place them in the appropriate bins or boxes. A company in Japan is trying to teach a pair of machines to bring order to the chaos of child's bedroom, using the same artificial intelligence it uses for self-driving cars and smart factories. This machine learning is where algorithms inspired by the human brain The company said that the robots work slowly and are easily defeated by things they don't know. For example, they failed to recognise a sock, which was larger and more colourful than the socks it had encountered before. Nonetheless, the company's founder and chief executive, Toru Nishikawa, hopes to start selling these tidy-up robots 'within five years'. Investors in the firm include Fanuc, the Japanese company whose robot arms work at tasks in many of the world's most advanced factories. They both plan to develop a futuristic factory of robots armed with AI-based self-learning capability. 'Technology is advancing significantly and it will become even more important to learn not only about software but also hardware,' said Mr Nishikawa. Though it may seem like a simple, though tedious, task for a human, robots find this type of job surprisingly tricky. Doing repetitive tasks, like some factory jobs, such as welding identical car chassis in the exact same way day after day, is easy for robots because they don't get bored But their range of tasks they can accomplish is still limited because presenting them with a messy, disordered world, they become perplexed and unable to achieve it. This limits the tasks they can do in factories Fanuc and Preferred Networks have had a research alliance since 2015, applying deep learning technology to the refinement and improvement of industrial robots. Sales of industrial robots have more than doubled in the past five years, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The new World Robotics Report shows that a new record high of 381,000 units were shipped globally in 2017 an increase of 30 per cent from the previous year. The five major markets representing 73 per cent of the total sales volume in 2017 were China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Germany. Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars in the U.S. Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018, eclipsing the 36.5 million trips on shared, docked bicycles, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of City Transportation Officials. This as scooter companies face challenges from every direction, including vandalism, theft, rider injuries, intense competition and aggressive regulations in cities across the country. Yet the scooter industry persists, and venture capitalists, ride-hailing companies and traditional auto manufacturers continue to pour millions into the fledgling companies. Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars in the U.S. Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018, eclipsing the 36.5 million trips on shared, docked bicycles Companies are jockeying for strategic position in the so-called micromobility revolution, where consumers are embracing shared scooters and bikes for short trips and exploring alternatives to car ownership buoyed by the ubiquity of smartphones. Riders took 84 million trips on micromobility services such as shared scooters and bikes in 2018, more than double the number from the year before. Scooter and bike riders typically use an app to find one nearby and pay a few dollars to ride for a set period of time, paying within the smartphone app using a credit card. Some shared mobility services, such as Lyft-owned Citi Bike in New York City, offer monthly or annual memberships for riders. There were more than 85,000 electric scooters available for public use in the U.S. in 2018 compared with 57,000 station-based bikes. Venture capitalists, ride-hailing companies and traditional auto manufacturers continue to pour millions into the fledgling companies Companies are jockeying for strategic position in the so-called micromobility revolution, where consumers are embracing shared scooters and bikes for short trips and exploring alternatives to car ownership buoyed by the ubiquity of smartphones Shared bikes are considered 'station-based' or 'docked' if a rider takes out the bike and returns it to one of many docking stations - basically parking lots for bikes - which are spread throughout a city. Dockless bikes, which represent a smaller portion of shared bikes, can be left anywhere, and can be found and unlocked through a smartphone app. Shared docked bike usage among monthly pass holders peaks during rush hours, suggesting use by commuters, but shared scooter usage does not, indicating scooters may be more likely to be used for recreational use, according to the report. There were more than 85,000 electric scooters available for public use in the U.S. in 2018 compared with 57,000 station-based bikes An 1,100-pound emergency robot helped to save a piece of human history during a blaze at Paris' Notre Dame cathedral that threatened to burn the historic monument to the ground. The formidable device, dubbed Colossus, a remote-controlled drone equipped with hoses and cameras, was able to roll its way into the cathedral to help fight the fire -- which burned through the structure's old wooden roof -- from within. Colossus, which is both fire-resistant, water-proof, and capable of carrying up to 1,200 pounds not only helped to stop the fire before it completely razed the structure, but reduced the need for fire fighters to enter the church where they would be in danger from falling debris. At the time, the cathedral was only 15 to 30 minutes away from being completely burned to the ground, reports say. The formidable device, dubbed Colossus, a remote-controlled drone equipped with hoses and cameras, was able to roll its way into the cathedral to help fight the fire -- which burned through the structures old wooden roof -- from within WHAT IS THE COLOSSUS ROBOT? Weighing in at 1,100 pounds, Colossus is a firefighting robot that can be controlled remotely. It is capable of using hosing to apply water, can carry up to 1,200 pounds, and surveys its surroundings using an HD camera. Colossus helps prevent firefighters from having to enter dangerous situations by reducing the need to work internally. Other robots of Colossus' ilk have also been deployed in the U.S. Advertisement The machine, which is manufactured by a Shark Robotics, a French company, boasts a number of useful features that were deployed to success inside Notre Dame, according to the creators' website. In addition to mitigating fires with its different hose capabilities, it is also equipped to transport equipment or injured persons, and also survey areas using it's HD camera which has both day and night capabilities. With several different styles of remote-controls, maneuvering Colossus should come easy to anyone familiar with using a joystick. The bot's agility is surprisingly adept too, with demonstrations showing Colossus climbing up stairs and adeptly swiveling around platforms. Colossus may be the most recent robot to enter the fray of fighting fires, but similar robotic systems have become increasingly popular over the last several years. One early iteration of such robots is the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, (SAFFiR) -- a humanoid style robot developed by the U.S. Navy which which employs algorithms to fight fires and help keep service members out of harms way. Other similar robots are also available in the U.S., like the Thermite RS-1 T3 -- a squat tank-like unmanned vehicle that can be controlled remotely to carry out feats similar to Colossus. The success of firefighters and Colossus in preventing a complete destruction of the 850-year-old Note Dame cathedral represents a major win for the use of robotics in emergency situations proving that they not only work, but they help increase safety. The machine, which is manufactured by a Shark Robotics, a french company, boasts a number of useful features that were deployed to success inside Notre Dame, according to the creators' website Though there were more than 400 firefighters present at the fire, in addition to other public safety officials, two police officers were injured during the blaze, but there were no recorded casualties. Rebuilding the famed cathedral will be a long process -- despite France's President, Emmanuel Macron, stating he wants it done in five years -- and will likely also be aided by technology. Hyper-accurate scans were recorded using a laser machine in 2015 and could be the key to guiding future restoration efforts. Humankind made the transition from hunting to herding 10,000 years ago, according to a new study which looked into prehistoric urine. It is thought to be the first time urine has been used to date an archaeological site. The research is also believed to pinpoint the 'crucial turning point in the history of humanity' when the global population became animal herders. It is currently not possible to tell apart the urine salts of humans to that of livestock but the researchers hope by refining the technique they will soon be able to. Researchers say it is still a reliable gauge of society in the region around 8,000BC as it provides a look at population size and density. Scroll down for video Study authors Jay Quade (left) and Jordan Abell (right) looking for urine samples at the site of an ancient Turkish settlement where salts left behind by animal and human urine give clues about the development of human society The study, led by experts from Columbia University, tracked human population inthe region over 1,000 years. A total of 113 samples of nitrate, sodium and chlorine were analysed from the site of Askl Hoyuk in central Turkey which are commonly expelled in animal waste. These samples revealed a boom in the numbers of humans, sheep and goats around 8,000 BC. The study uses the abundance of urine salts over time to track the growth of the community in a world first. 'This is the first time, to our knowledge, that people have picked up on salts in archaeological materials, and used them in a way to look at the development of animal management,' says lead author Jordan Abell, a graduate student at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 'And we thought, well, humans and animals pee, and when they pee, they release a bunch of salt,' says Mr Abell. 'At a dry place like this, we didn't think salts would be washed away and redistributed.' The oldest layers at the site that had any evidence of human habitation date back 10,400 years. For 40 years only a slight increase in urine concentration was detected before a sudden spike lasting for 300 years, the researchers detected. The timing is close to what the study authors expected to see but they say the sharp surge in population around 10,000 years ago may be evidence of a more rapid transition than previously thought. Analysis from the team of archaeologist, published in the journal Science Advances. Salts form this time period appeared in concentrations up to 1,000 times greater than the previous era indicating a boom in the umber of occupants - both animal and human. They calculated that the density of people and animals around 10,000 years ago went from almost zero to approximately one person or animal for every 100 square feet (10 square metres). View from the rooftops of reconstructed houses from the 8th and 9th century BC. A total of 113 samples were analysed from the site of Askl Hoyuk in central Turkey and revealed a boom in the numbers of humans, sheep and goats around 8,000 BC Students working on the western section of Askl Hoyuk in central Turkey, where the evidence was found. The oldest layers at the site that had any evidence of human habitation date back 10,400 years. For 40 years only a slight increase in urine concentration was detected before a sudden spike lasting for 300 years, the researchers detected Evidence from the site in turkey suggests that humans began domesticating sheep and goats around 8,450 BC. Not enough buildings at site from the time period to house all the people so some of the urine slats therefore came from animals Evidence from the site suggests that humans began domesticating sheep and goats around 8,450 BC. These practices evolved over the next 1,000 years, until the society became heavily dependent on the beasts for food and other materials. An average of 1,790 people and animals lived - and urinated - on the settlement every day of the 100 year window assessed in the study. They believe the urine salts belonged to a combination of humans and animals as the other evidence at the site indicates this many people would not have been able to fit in the buildings believed to be on the land. This indicates that the urine salt concentrations can indeed reflect the relative amounts of domesticated animals over time. Researchers hope to one day be bale to tell apart the urine salt samples of animals and humans and use the technique to study other areas where physical archaeological remains such as bones or buildings are non-existent. Anthropologist and co-author Mary Stiner from the University of Arizona said the method could help clarify humanity's relationship to animals during this period. 'We might find similar trends in other archaeological sites of the period in the Middle East,' she said. 'But it is also possible that only a handful of long-lasting communities were forums for the evolving human-caprine relationships in any given region of the Middle East.' They were one of Made In Chelsea's best-loved couples - who provided the show with the first ever MIC baby, India. And although Josh Patterson and Binky Felstead have since ended their romance, the pair appear to be stronger than ever, providing a stable family unit for their daughter - who turns two in June. '100 per cent, the minute she was born, Binks and I had a responsibility for our own actions and India's,' JP, 29, told MailOnline. 'And we don't want any negativity around her, even though we're not together any longer.' Close: Although Josh Patterson and Binky Felstead have ended their romance, the pair appear to be stronger than ever, providing a stable family unit for their daughter India - who turns two in June The reality star - who quit MIC in 2017 when India was born - went on to insist they don't consider their situation to be 'a broken home'. 'A broken home is where communication and love and support is lost. That is not the case in this family,' he said. 'How is my daughter supposed to show respect to another human if her mum and dad can't do that with each other. 'There is really no need for animosity and pain.' On the same page: The 29-year-old rose to prominence on Made In Chelsea, famed for romancing veteran starlet Binky Felstead Proud papa: JP is clearly bursting with pride for India - but joked that he gets 'confused' about how intelligent she seems to be, noting that both he and Binky can be 'ditzy' at times JP is clearly bursting with pride for India - but joked that he gets 'confused' about how intelligent she seems to be, noting that both he and Binky can be 'ditzy' at times. At nursery, India is moving up a class already. She's ahead of some of the other children,' he said. 'And I am like, "how has this happened?" 'Knowing what her parents are like - I am so proud and confused. It's an amazing feeling. As a father I am so proud. When she talks too. Whether she says "banana" or "lunchtime", she's just a Nobel Prize winner in my eyes. 'She really is a reflection of where this family is - she is a careful, beautiful little girl.' Fitness enthusiast JP is currently training for a major physical challenge, in which he will travel from the northernmost tip of Scotland to the southernmost corner of England in a wheelchair. Values: The reality star - who quit MIC in 2017 when India was born - went on to insist they don't consider their situation to be 'a broken home' Apple of his eye: 'This is the most important thing I have ever done... other than bringing my daughter into the world,' he said He will attempt to set a new world record by travelling from John-O-Groats to Lands End - a 900 mile endeavor - in 19 days. JP is doing the challenge for his friend, Ben Tansley, who was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him paralysed from the waist down following a visit to meet India when she was first born. The challenge will see JP raising awareness and money for charities incredibly important to him: the Spinal Injuries Association, the Royal Marines and Heads Together. Challenge accepted: JP will attempt to set a new world record this weekend as he travels from the northernmost tip of Scotland to the southernmost corner of England... in a wheelchair Life altering: His friend Ben Tansley was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him paralysed from the waist down following a visit to meet India when she was first born 'This is the most important thing I have ever done... other than bringing my daughter into the world,' he went on. 'And doing this, training for it, and my daughter seeing this, it's preparing her for life as well. It teaches her about different ways of life and taking on challenges.' The training has been rigorous and intense, with JP mostly spending his time in the wheelchair, in which he will kneel rather than sit. He admits that putting his 'able' body through such stringent training has forced him to, ultimately, 'cripple' himself. 'India sees that daddy's in the wheelchair, she gets out, pushes me...' he added. 'And as she gets older there will be no confusion that people live with these circumstances.' Joshua Patterson will attempt to set a new World Record travelling from John O Groats to Lands End by manual wheelchair in 19 days from April 23rd 2019. For more information and to donate click here. Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Joyce Giraud has accused current cast mates of 'bullying' Lisa Vanderpump in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com. During the latest season of the hit Bravo reality show, Vanderpump has been accused of setting up her co-stars and leaking negative stories to the press by her co-stars Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Teddi Mellencamp, Lisa Rinna, and Erika Jayne. But Giraud - who starred in Season 4 of RHOBH - insists the other women are in the wrong. The 44-year-old model and producer says: '100% they are ganging up on Lisa. And it's horrible to see. Any decent human being can see how terrible it is what the other women are doing to Lisa.' Team Vanderpump: Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hillls star Joyce Giraud (pictured here in March) has accused current cast mates of 'bullying' Lisa Vanderpump in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com While Giraud admits that the ill-will towards Vanderpump seems to fluctuate between seasons, she believes the current bout is more 'intense' as Vanderpump was dealing with the death of her brother when filming began. 'This season of bullying is the worst because of what Lisa has been going through. She just lost her brother. She was enclosed in sadness. I don't see how an entire group can gang up on her. 'It was very difficult to see. Very sad to see. People should have rallied around her. Lisa needed support. They kicked her when she was down. She was in a terrible state. She was very vulnerable.' Giraud knew Lisa was in such a 'state' because the two have become close since they worked together on the show during Season 4. Scandal: During the latest season of the hit Bravo reality show, Vanderpump has been accused of conspiring to expose her friend Dorit Kemsley for dumping a rescue dog. As a result she has fallen out with Dorit, Teddi Mellencamp, Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna Close: Giraud formed a close bond with Vanderpump after starring in Season 4 of RHOBH. They are pictured together here in 2016 'Lisa is a good person with a good heart. We are very good friends. Our husbands are friends. My children adore her.' The RHOBH drama began with the PuppyGate debacle when a rescue pup from Vanderpump Dogs adopted by Kemsley ended up in a shelter. Kemsley claims the dog wasn't a 'fit' for her home and gave it to a friend who in turn gave it to a shelter following a family emergency. It was the second dog Dorit had adopted and given up. Support: Giraud has accused the current RHOBH stars of 'bullying' and 'ganging up' on her friend (pictured on Instagram in February) What happened next has been the center of drama and broken friendships: Teddi Mellencamp claims she was dragged into a plot to expose Dorit by Lisa Vanderpump and two her Vanderpump Dog employees - John Sessa and John Blizzard. Vanderpump denies any involvement. Most of the cast believed Vanderpump was behind a conspiracy to make Kemsley looked bad. To make things worse, a story about Puppygate was leaked to an online source and the cast thought Vanderpump was responsible. (Vanderpump denied having a hand in the story.) Richards confronted Vanderpump about the leaks in episode 8. Vanderpump denied it while swearing on her children's names before kicking Richards out of her house. The end of a friendship: The Puppygate saga caused firm friends Kyle and Lisa to have a huge falling out 'The minute Lisa swore on her children, the discussion should have been dropped,' Girard explained. 'She swore on her children's lives. No mother would swear on her children's lives. 'I don't think Kyle Richards is being a good friend. Kyle Richards is part of the group ganging up on her.' When asked why she thought Richards and the other women would turn on Vanderpump, the former Miss Universe Puerto Rico said: 'I think they are jealous.' 'No other explanation. They want to bring the Queen Bee down. There's not a single explanation to bringing someone down after they lost a brother.' Giraud claims to be an expert on the 'bullying' tactics used by the cast as it happened during her season in 2013 as well. Good friends: 'Lisa is a good person with a good heart. We are very good friends. Our husbands are friends. My children adore her'; (pictured 2014) 'All the girls were trying to tell me Vanderpump was a bad person. Kyle kept trying to talk bad about Lisa on my season. Brandi (Glanville) even called me and said Lisa is very mean. But I kept saying "I don't see it."' 'And the ganging up is not new. I see it over and over. They are trying to do it to Teddi now, to get her to join them. Look.. there's drama and then there's pettiness.' Regardless of the 'warnings', Giraud reached out to Vanderpump after the group 'ganged up' on her in Puerto Rico. 'I knew I didn't want to be a part of the show after our Puerto Rico vacation. I called up Lisa to see how she was doing and she said she'd love to have dinner. 'And we had the best dinner. We could have had a lot of fun on the show. And I regret we weren't friends on our season, maybe I would have had a different experience. Because all the girls tried to tell me she's not a good person.' And since the two have become such bosom buddies, Giraud has had many discussions if Vanderpump should remain on the show after the latest dramatic row. Familiar: Giraud claims she was subjected to 'bullying' tactics by the cast as during her season in 2013 'We've had multiple discussions about her leaving. I can't say where's she's leaning as a friend., but yes... she's considered it. But I'm her friend, I can't say about that. 'But as a friend, I think she should not do it anymore. She's way too successful. She likes to empower other people. Look at how much she has going on in her life. It's incredible.' Giraud - who gave the interview during her vacation in the Caribbean - reiterated that she is not interested in returning to the RHOBH franchise. 'I knew mid-season, this was not the right platform for me. I'd rather swim with sharks here than swim with those sharks again.' She's a successful Hollywood actress, political activist and social advocate. And now Rosario Dawson is also a model as she poses in a series of shots for the new H&M Conscious Collection. Dawson, 39, who is dating New Jersey Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker, wears some of the bohemian patterned dresses in the promotional set that was emailed Tuesday to the fashion retailers customers. 'Whimsical': She's a successful Hollywood actress, political activist and social advocate. And now Rosario Dawson, 39, is also a model as she poses for the new H&M Conscious Collection In the promotional mailer, Dawson is quoted as saying 'the clothes feel very light and whimsical.' She explains: 'I dont have a tiny waist, so I love anything thats sort of cheats and makes me look like I have hips.' 'Basically, everything in the collection is quite flattering a lot of the cuts work on all of us ladies because they automatically have a really cool shape without having to be boned or super tailored.' According to H&M, the Conscious Collection 'unites modern romantic designs with flowing bohemian lengths. Every piece in this collection is made from a sustainably sourced material, such as organic cotton, TencelTM or recycled polyester.' Promotional: 'Basically, everything in the collection is quite flattering a lot of the cuts work on all of us ladies because they automatically have a really cool shape,' the actress explained Green: According to H&M, the Conscious Collection 'unites modern romantic designs with flowing bohemian lengths. Every piece in this collection is made from a sustainably sourced material' Dawson, whose screen credits include Men In Black II, Sin City and Unstoppable, and Booker, the junior Senator for New Jersey, went public with their romance in March, shortly after the politician announced his 2020 presidential run. 'Shes just an incredible human being,' Booker, 49, who's never married, told Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on her NBC daytime chat show. 'Shes just a deeply soulful person and has taught me a lot of lessons about love already,' he gushed about Dawson. 'She really has this nurturing spirit thats made me more courageous not just in the love that I project and want to see in our country, but even in our personal relationships, to love more fearlessly, so Im very, very blessed to be with someone who makes me a better person.' She recently figured out her custody arrangement with ex-fiance Rob Kardashian, who finally could stop paying her $20,000 a month in child support. But Blac Chyna's now being sought after by her former landlord for breaking her lease. The former exotic dancer is being sued for $48,000, according to TMZ on Tuesday, for five months unpaid rent and damages to the property. Lawsuit: Blac Chyna's now being sued by her former landlord for breaking her lease Chyna - whose real name is Angela White - reportedly left the rental property in Studio City, California, with five months to go on the lease and didn't pay the remainder of her contract. The mother-of-two rented the 6-bedroom, 5-bathroom, $4.5 million house from April 2017, and the landlord claims that she was contracted until March 2019, according to the website. However, she reportedly moved out in November 2018 and stopped paying rent. Rental: She reportedly moved out in November 2018 and stopped paying rent New house: She appeared unphased by the lawsuit as she posed in her bathroom for Instagram on Tuesday According to the lawsuit, Chyna owes $55,546 for the 5 months of unpaid rent. The landlord - who is Michael Kremerman according to The Blast, subtracted her $25k deposit, reports TMZ, but is claiming $18k in damages because she removed 'fixtures and equipment' from the home. The total claim is for $48,546, according to the documents obtained by the tabloid, plus interest and attorney's fees. Broke lease? According to the lawsuit, Chyna owes $55,546 for the 5 months of unpaid rent Lease said: The total claim is for $48,546, according to the documents obtained by the tabloid, plus interest and attorney's fees Chyna reportedly bought a six-bedroom, 6.5 bathroom dream pad in Woodland Hills, California in October last year, according to TMZ at the time. She appeared unphased by the lawsuit as she posed in her bathroom for Instagram on Tuesday. Chyna shares son King, 6, with former fiance Tyga and is also mother to Dream, two, with ex Rob Kardashian. Rob recently fought successfully to have his requirement to pay her $20,000 per month in child support removed. 'Angela the mother of my child whom I have a wonderful relationship with decided to drop the child support case because she felt it was in the best interest of our daughter,' he wrote in a public statement. He and Chyna agreed to continue splitting custody 50/50, with each paying for Dream's needs when she's with them. Dream home: The 30-year-old former exotic dancer has bought a six-bedroom, 6.5 bathroom pad in Woodland Hills, California Eating up: Blac has an area which would fit a dining table Chyna took to Twitter to back up Rob's statement. 'Robert and I only concern is whats in the best interest of our daughter that we both equally love. Additionally, Robert is a wonderful father to our Dreamy!' Despite their current detente, the former lovers' relationship was brief and stormy. They started dating in early 2016, and announced their engagement in April of that year, followed by a pregnancy announcement in May. Dream was born in November of 2016, but by December they had split. In 2017, Rob posted nude and sexually explicit photos of his former fiancee, which seemingly violated California's revenge porn laws, though no charges were ever filed. Family home: The mother-of-two shares son King Cairo, five, with rapper Tyga and daughter Dream, one, (pictured) with Rob Kardashian She is currently claiming his family interfered with her reality show Rob & Chyna, ultimately causing it to be cancelled and is suing for compensation. As part of case she wants to depose Ryan Seacrest, who is the executive producer of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Court papers obtained by The Blast show Chyna is requesting all communications between Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian West and Seacrest about Rob & Chyna, as well as documents relating to the renewal of the series, records of meetings between the quartet about cancelling her show and all information about the origins of the Kylie Cosmetics founder's own program, Life of Kylie. Chyna previously accused the family of trying to destroy her career. Her court documents stated: 'The unwritten rule no one told (her) when she began her relationship with Kardashian is that the entire family will come after you if you leave, using their fame, wealth and power to take you down, including getting your television show cancelled (despite great ratings), spreading lies about you, and even funding a bogus lawsuit about a crumbled gingerbread house.' Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith has revealed that she recruited the help of presenter Sandi Toksvig's wife for the lesbian sex scenes in her latest book. The 79-year-old author and television presenter shared how she employed the help of psychotherapist Debbie Toksvig to help her create the 'lesbian love affair' in the new book The Lost Son. The novel is the third installment of Prue's epic family saga following the Angelotti food dynasty. Bake off judge: Author and presenter Prue Leith, 79, shared how she employed the help of Sandi Toksvig's wife, Debbie Toksvig, to help her create the 'lesbian love affair' in her new book The Lost Son In her acknowledgements, the British icon described how Debbie took the role of consultant in order to help the writer pen the raunchy love scenes. In her acknowledgments, seen by The Mirror, the writer thanked Debbie for approving chapters that described the lesbian love affair between her characters. The prolific food writer also thanked a number of friends for their expert insight on a number of topics during the creation of the book. She wrote: 'Looking at the list you could be forgiven for thinking that I knew very little about anything. Happy Couple: Prue told how Sandi's wife, psychotherapist Debbie Toksvig, acted as a consultant for the book's love scenes Candid: On Friday's episode of This Morning the Bake off judge also shared how she got her two eldest children to read over the sex scenes in the book In the kitchen: The writer, who became the face of The Great British Bake Off in 2017, also admitted that her ex-husband Rayne Kruger would never be able to 'handle' reading the sex scenes 'But at least the story is my own, and I know it's the better for the help of my friends.' One of the love scenes described two characters being dried 'feverishly' after soaping one another. Prue, who became the face of The Great British Bake Off in 2017 after it moved over to Channel 4, previously revealed that her children and ex-husband Rayne Kruger would never be able to 'handle' reading the sex scenes in her new book. During an interview on This Morning on Friday the chef admitted that the book had been given the green light by her two older kids Danny Kruger and adopted daughter Li-Da Kruger. The Lost Son follows the story of Tom, who was born illegitimately and adopted, as he goes on a journey to find his birth mother later in life following the break down of his marriage. Awkward: Prue said that her two older kids Danny Kruger and adopted daughter Li-Da Kruger had given her book the green light Newlywed Priyanka Chopra Jonas appears in her breathtaking custom Ralph Lauren wedding gown on Vogue Netherlands' inaugural Love & Wedding Issue - on newsstands Tuesday. The 36-year-old bride - who boasts 104.3M social media followers - gushed on Instagram: 'My fairytale! Thank you @nlvogue for making me your first cover girl!' Photographer Jose Villa shot the Isn't It Romantic actress at the Western-style Christian ceremony on December 4 during her three-day Indian nuptials to Nick Jonas. 75ft veil: Priyanka Chopra Jonas appears in her breathtaking custom Ralph Lauren wedding gown on Vogue Netherlands' inaugural Love & Wedding Issue - on newsstands Tuesday 'My fairytale!' Photographer Jose Villa shot the 36-year-old actress at the Western-style Christian ceremony on December 4 during her three-day Indian nuptials to Nick Jonas Priyanka and the 26-year-old boybander were just selected as two members of Anna Wintour's 183-person hosting committee for the 71st Annual Met Gala happening May 6 in Manhattan. The Costume Institute's theme this year is Camp: Notes on Fashion, which will likely bring humor and whimsy to the regal red carpet. It's a romantic setting for the Jonases, who originally met in 2017 at an Academy Awards party but they didn't start getting hot and heavy until the Met Gala. 'In 10 years, I definitely want to have kids,' Chopra told People back in June. 'Nick and I are honored': The Isn't It Romantic actress and the 26-year-old boybander were just selected as two members of Anna Wintour's 183-person hosting committee for the 71st Annual Met Gala happening May 6 in Manhattan (pictured March 30) 'That is, it's going to happen in the next 10 years. Well, hopefully earlier than that. I'm very fond of children and I want to be able to do that.' Their whirlwind romance came as a surprise to Jonas fans - who've watched Nick love and leave Lily Collins, Kate Hudson, Olivia Culpo, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus. Deadline reported last Friday that Priyanka, Mindy Kaling, and producer Dan Goor are teaming up for Universal Pictures' culture-clashing Indian wedding comedy. 'Looking forward to the first Monday in May!' The Costume Institute's theme this year is Camp: Notes on Fashion, which will likely bring humor and whimsy to the regal red carpet Whirlwind: It's a romantic setting for the Jonases, who originally met in 2017 at an Academy Awards party but they didn't start getting hot and heavy until the Met Gala 'Two women with a passion for telling good stories, just got the green light to THEIR story THEIR way,' the Sucker video vixen wrote on Instagram. 'So proud of this incredible partnership with @mindykaling and #dangoor! We are about to show you what it means to be modern, global, and Indian. See you at the cinema!' Meanwhile, the Golden Globe nominee and his newly-reformed trio the Jonas Brothers will next perform at the KISS Concert on June 16 at the Xfinity Center in Massachusetts. 'Just got the green light!' Priyanka, Mindy Kaling (R), and producer Dan Goor (M) are teaming up for Universal Pictures' culture-clashing Indian wedding comedy (pictured Friday) Erin McNaught and her husband Example recently moved to Australia for a fresh start, after several years living in London, England. And the couple appear to be settling into life Down Under, as they were pictured stepping out for coffee near their Brisbane home on Saturday. Erin, who wore denim shorts and a red T-shirt for the outing, cradled her youngest son Ennio in her arms outside a local cafe. When it rains, it pours! Erin McNaught (pictured) and her husband Example got caught in the rain while grabbing coffee in Brisbane on Saturday Looking every inch the stylish suburban mum, Erin completed her casual outfit with white sneakers, running socks and a smart watch. At one stage, she was seen holding her eldest son Evander's hand, with both her boys wearing matching camouflage tops. During their coffee run, the family got caught in the rain and Example (whose real name is Elliot Gleave) took Ennio back to their car. Daddy duties! During their coffee run, the family got caught in the rain and Example took their youngest son, Ennio, back to their car Doting mum: Erin, who wore denim shorts and a red T-shirt for the outing, cradled her youngest son Ennio in her arms outside a local cafe Erin and Example, who married in 2013, recently purchased a home in Brisbane for $2.8million, according to Realestate.com.au. The award-winning property boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms, six-metre high ceilings, a rooftop terrace, swimming pool and sauna. The high-profile couple moved permanently to Australia last month after living in the United Kingdom for six years. They plan to raise sons Evander, four, and Ennio, two, closer to their own parents, who also live in Queensland. Hot mama! Looking every inch the stylish suburban mum, Erin completed her casual look with white sneakers, running socks and a smart watch Protective parent: At one stage, Erin was seen holding her eldest son Evander's hand In June last year, Erin spoke to Daily Mail Australia about her plans to leave London. 'London is an amazing city and I do love it, but once you've had kids you realise just how amazing Australia is,' she said. 'Everything is so accessible and there are so many amazing activities at our fingertips in Australia, whereas London I tried to book my boys into swimming lessons here and there is a four-month waiting list or something. It's crazy! We definitely do plan on moving back there [Australia] sooner, rather than later. 'We're hoping for the next year or so. My family all live in Brisbane and my husband's parents live on the Gold Coast and his sister is in Sydney, but we'd probably move to Brisbane. The whole reason to move back would be to be closer to family.' Leaving London: Erin and Example, who married in 2013, purchased a home in Paddington, Brisbane for $2.8million last month Frank Ocean revealed he's been in a long-term relationship for the past three years. The 31-year-old, speaking with the publication Gayletter, said he's 'been in a relationship for three years' when asked if he ever has used a dating app. 'I dont use dating apps,' said the Long Beach, California native, who is also featured on the publication's Instagram account. 'I definitely wasnt using dating apps before then. I dont think I would use dating apps now.' Scroll below for video The latest: Frank Ocean, 31, speaking with the publication Gayletter, said he's 'been in a relationship for three years' when asked if he ever has used a dating app. The musical artist was snapped in Paris in January The Thinkin' 'Bout You artist noted that he 'wouldnt rule it out, but it is a little hectic being a famous person on dating apps.' Ocean famously broke barriers in July of 2012 when he opened up about his sexuality in a candid letter posted to Tumblr. He wrote: '4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide.' Ocean, who has collaborated with artists including Jay-Z, Kanye West and Calvin Harris, continued, 'It was my first love. It changed my life. 'Back then, my mind would wander to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with,' he wrote. 'I reminisced about the sentimental songs I enjoyed when I was a teenager, the ones I played when I experienced a girlfriend for the first time. I realized they were written in a language I did not yet speak.' On the town: Ocean was snapped earlier this month in NYC, where he owns a residence Relaxing: The artist is on the cover of the publication's issue 10 with an extensive interview Ocean had received plaudits from industry peers including West, Beyonce, Solange and Tyler the Creator in the wake of the reveal. Elsewhere in the chat, Ocean said that his year has started out well, as he's 'been keeping busy' spending 'a lot of time in the studio' in both New York and Los Angeles, where he owns residences. Ocean, who keeps a relatively low-profile when it comes to media appearances and interviews, said he's been 'doing more lately' and with a specific eye on the outlets he follows. 'In an effort to do more, I thought, "What do I actually like? What do I actually read and connect with?"' he said. 'And your guys magazine is one of those things.' Momentum: Ocean said that his year has started out well, as he's 'been keeping busy' spending 'a lot of time in the studio' in both New York and Los Angeles, where he owns residences Jeff Goldblum looks happy while strolling hand-in-hand with wife Emilie Livingston on Tuesday afternoon. The 66 year old actor and his 36 year old wife were all smiles while walking down Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood, after doing some shopping. The husband and wife's outing comes just a few days after Goldblum was part of a panel celebrating the Robert Altman classic film Nashville. Jeff and Emilie: Jeff Goldblum is all smiles with wife Emilie Livingston as they go shopping on Tuesday Goldblum was wearing a button down printed floral shirt under a black leather jacket, with white pants and black and white shoes. Livingston was wearing a stylish white turtleneck sweater with a black micro-skirt and thigh-high black boots. She was also wearing a pair of black sunglasses while he wore black-framed glasses and a black hat. Happy couple: Goldblum was wearing a button down printed floral shirt under a black leather jacket, with white pants and black and white shoes Livingston is Goldblum's third wife, following marriages to Patricia Gaul from 1980 to 1986 and Geena Davis from 1987 to 1990. Livingston was a former Canadian Olympic rhythmic gymnast, who has since worked as a body double for Rihanna in Valerian and Emma Stone in La La Land. She also served as a choreographer on Valerian as well, and as a choreographer on a short film. Third wife: Livingston is Goldblum's third wife, following marriages to Patricia Gaul from 1980 to 1986 and Geena Davis from 1987 to 1990 She became engaged to Goldblum in mid-2014, and they were married in November of that year. Livingston gave birth to Goldblum's first son, Charlie Ocean, on the Fourth of July in 2015. Their second son, River Joe, was born on April 7, 2017. Happy couple: She became engaged to Goldblum in mid-2014, and they were married in November of that year Goldblum returned as Dr. Ian Malcolm from the original Jurassic Park in last year's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and he also starred in Hotel Artemis and The Mountain in 2018. His next big-screen project is The Price of Admission, which he'll star in alongside Michael Sheen and Michelle Monaghan. The story follows a playwright who descends into madness when he begins writing a play based on his own life, as he blurs the lines between fiction and reality. She's an up-and-coming model who has seen her public profile rise since she began dating Keeping Up With The Kardashian's star Scott Disick. But on Tuesday, Sofia Richie looked to enjoy a leisurely day shopping with her friend, former TOWIE star Vas J Morgan in Beverly Hills. And the 20-year old opted for a youthful look in black leather pants. Shop fest: Sofia Richie enjoyed a day of shopping with close friend Vas J Morgan in Beverly Hills on Tuesday The pants, which stylishly had three long zippers along the front, hugged her amazingly toned physique and were tucked into a pair of black combat-style boots. She matched it with a light grey long-sleeve shirt that was stylishly tucked into the pants on the right side to show off her small waist and black belt. The daughter of music legend, Lionel Richie, pulled her dyed blonde tresses back into a ponytail with a part to the slight right. On the hunt: The model was spotted leaving Barneys with Vas following close behind Cool kitten: The 20-year old rocked a pair of leather pants that were tucked into black combat-style boots with a light grey shirt Stylish: Richie tucked her shirt into her pants to show off the design and her svelte waistline Also sporting a high-end pair of sunglasses, the 20-year old was spotted leaving the retail giant store, Barneys with Vas following close behind. He looked arty-cool in light jeans that were rolled up at the bottoms with a black patterned shirt, Vans sneakers and his short locks dyed blue. While Sofia appeared to have a serious look on her face as she walked out the store doors, her male mate was all smiles for the walk to their car. Nothing but the best: The model also donned a pair of high-end sunglasses and hoop earrings High public profile: Richie has been dating Keeping Up With The Kardashian's star Scott Disick for nearly two years Lighter moment: At one point the serious-looking Richie flashed a smile Richie started modeling at the age of 14 with a feature in Teen Vogue. She went on to sign with the London-based modeling agency Select Model management when she was 16. Over the last four years she has been featured in a number of advertising campaigns that includes Chanel, Adidas, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, DL 1961, and Madonna's Material Girl line She also had a cameo appearance as herself in Ocean's 8 last year. On the go: The friends left Barneys and headed to the car He's pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in an accident back in October 2017 in California. And on Tuesday, TMZ reported that actor Christopher McDonald, 62, has been sentenced to 35 hours of community service and three years of probation. McDonald, best known for his roles in Happy Gilmore, Boardwalk Empire and The Good Wife, was also sentenced to one day in jail but received credit for time served for the time he spent behind bars following his arrest. Plea: Christopher McDonald, 62, has been sentenced to 35 hours of community service and three years of probation after pleading guilty to driving with a blood alcohol limit of 0.8 or higher McDonald has also completed an alcohol education program, court records show, according to TMZ. The actor pled to a misdemeanor of driving with a blood alcohol limit of 0.8 or higher. He was arrested after crashing his Porsche into a highway embankment, taking out a gas meter, in Lake Arrowhead. He had a previous arrest for DWI in 2013 in North Carolina. Mug shot: The actor was also sentenced to one day in jail but received credit for time served for the time he spent behind bars following his arrest in Lake Arrowhead, California, in October 2017 Hilary Duff was feeling nostalgic for her child star/modeling years on Tuesday when she shared her very first headshot from back in the nineties. 'I can't tell you how many auditions I went to with this baby in my hand,' the 31-year-old mother-of-two - who boasts 26M social media followers - wrote on Instagram. 'Hey mom.... I made it!' 'I can't tell you how many auditions I went to with this baby in my hand!' Hilary Duff was feeling nostalgic for her child star/modeling years on Tuesday when she shared her very first headshot from back in the nineties The Haunting of Sharon Tate actress was 13 when she landed the titular role as an imaginative, accident-prone girl in Lizzie McGuire, which aired 2001-2004 on the Disney Channel. 'As torturous as it has been at some points in my life to be Lizzie McGuire, I think that when that show came out, it was such a part of who I was, I didn't feel like I was playing a part,' Hilary recalled to Pride Source in 2015. 'I just didn't know what a success the show was gonna be, and after that four years, five years after that and I was still Lizzie McGuire to people and that was super annoying. Now it's not. I don't care now. I'm grateful for it.' Before becoming a household name - Duff appeared in plays, commercials, a 2000 episode of Chicago Hope, as well as the 1998 made-for-TV movie Casper Meets Wendy. 'I didn't feel like I was playing a part': The 31-year-old mother-of-two was 13 when she landed the titular role as an imaginative, accident-prone girl in Lizzie McGuire, which aired 2001-2004 on the Disney Channel 'Hey mom.... I made it!' Before becoming a household name - the Haunting of Sharon Tate actress appeared in plays, commercials, a 2000 episode of Chicago Hope, as well as the 1998 made-for-TV movie Casper Meets Wendy (pictured) Earlier on Tuesday, the homeschooled millennial enjoyed a swim class with her baby daughter Banks Violet, whom she welcomed five months ago via water birth. Missing from the picture was Hilary's babydaddy - Winnetka Bowling League frontman Matthew Koma - and her seven-year-old son Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie. The blonde Texan and the 31-year-old musician - who aren't engaged - dated for three months in 2016 before rekindling their on/off romance in 2017. 'No, we are not thinking about [marriage]. We are dealing with diapers and scheduling,' Duff told ET back on January 7. 'Swimming's going really well! Thanks for asking!' Earlier on Tuesday, Hilary enjoyed a swim class with her daughter Banks Violet, whom she welcomed five months ago via water birth 'No, we are not thinking about [marriage]': Missing from the picture was Hilary's babydaddy - Winnetka Bowling League frontman Matthew Koma (L, pictured April 4) - and her seven-year-old son Luca (R) with ex-husband Mike Comrie 'I'm really happy, he's amazing, and I mean, honestly, we don't really want to leave the house that much these days. We just stare at our baby and we're like, "Look what we made. 'We did this." And he's such an amazing dad and so supportive and I just feel very happy.' The GlassesUSA collaborator next reprises her role as Millennial Print publisher Kelsey Peters in the 12-episode sixth season of Younger, which premieres June 12 on TV Land. He has been giving advice to aspiring chefs as a judge on MasterChef since 2009. And on Wednesday, George Calombaris shared a genius cooking hack with his 380,000 Instagram followers. 'An awesome way to cook haloumi at home,' the Greek-Australian chef captioned a short video recorded in his kitchen. Scroll down for video Well, he is a MasterChef! George Calombaris revealed a genius hack for cooking the perfect haloumi at home on Wednesday George filmed himself opening up a flat-iron sandwich press to reveal a perfectly sizzling slice of haloumi inside. It would appear he uses a sandwich press to cook haloumi instead of the more traditional methods of barbecuing or pan frying. George is set to appear on television screens in the coming weeks when MasterChef returns for its eleventh season. Hot tip! George uses a sandwich press to cook haloumi instead of the more traditional methods of barbecuing or pan frying Channel 10 has selected a diverse group of contestants for the new season. British TV star Nigella Lawson, 59, is also expected to serve as a guest judge, alongside a host of other familiar faces. Previous contestants Billie McKay, Poh Ling Yeow and Matt Sinclair have all been confirmed as mentors for the contestants. Making a comeback: George is set to appear on television screens in the coming weeks when MasterChef returns for its eleventh season The culinary hopefuls will compete under the watchful eyes of judges George, Matt Preston, and Gary Mehigan in the hopes of being crowned MasterChef 2019 winner. As previously reported by TV Tonight, MasterChef is believed to be returning to screens in late April or early May. Season 11 will also apparently include a visit to Queensland. Abp. Jose Serofia Palma to the faithful: "Go on vacation after Holy Week". In several regions, Good Friday is celebrated with real life "reproductions" of the Calvary of Christ. In San Fernando, (Pampanga), a 58-year-old painter will climb on the cross for the 33rd time. Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - No nails, but prayers and confession: on the occasion of Holy Week, the Archbishop of Cebu (in central Visayas) is asking Catholics to pursue "spiritual renewal by avoiding extreme penitential practices, such as crucifixion or flogging". In a statement released two days ago, Msgr. Jose Serofia Palma (photo 2) also invites the faithful to reflect and participate in religious activities during Holy Week and not go on vacation. "This period - he says - is the best time to renew ones relationship with God and reflect on the sacrifice and love of the Lord. There are 52 weeks in a year, and only one week when we are called to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord". The Holy Week is supposed to be the most somber period of the liturgical calendar leading up to the joy of Easter Sunday. If If you intend to go on vacation, please do it after the Holy Week. I invite you to instead take part in various Church activities to further appreciate Gods love, "concludes the prelate. In several regions of the Philippines, Good Friday is celebrated by groups of faithful who organize real "reproductions" of the Calvary of Christ. From the scourging to the crucifixion, it is all real: to interpret Christ, different faithful pay out considerable amounts to the organizers of the various events, which have never received the support of the local Church. In San Fernando, capital of the province of Pampanga (central Luzon region), a 58-year-old painter will climb the cross for the 33rd time. Ruben Enaje (photo 1) will play the part of Jesus in the show "Via Crucis". The event takes place in the streets of the San Pedro Cutud district every Good Friday, when more than 10 thousand "mandarame" (flagellants) pour into the local streets. Enaje was crucified for the first time in 1986, as thanks to God for surviving the fall from a three-story building in 1985 unscathed. For Enaje, what began as a nine-year pledge turned into an offer of sacrifice. The man repeated the ritual even in the following nine years, to ask for the recovery of his daughter Ejay from asthma; he underwent nine other crucifixions for the healing of his wife Juanita, who had a painful lump in her jaw. Both women have recovered. After completing a total of 27 years, Enaje has decided to extend the sacrifice for another six. The man claims to bear the burden "for the good of the community". Each year, a pair of 7.6 cm long nails pierce the palms of his hands. The nail on the feet is 15.6cm long, enough to pierce both feet. "I tell the Lord that this is my way of joining him in pain, but I know that I cannot compare my suffering to the torture and humiliation he suffered," he concludes. Jessika Power became the first bride in Married At First Sight history to trade her husband in for another man. And after her new relationship with Daniel Webb fell apart last week, a satirical news website has jokingly suggested who her next boyfriend could be. Double Bay Today posted a fictitious article on Tuesday claiming that Jessika, 27, is dating MAFS' relationship expert John Aiken, 48. You have to be kidding! On Tuesday, Jessika Power (left) laughed off a fake news story claiming she's dating Married At First Sight's relationship expert John Aiken (right) Jessika took the fake news story in good humour, however, and shared a screenshot of the article to Instagram alongside the caption: 'I am absolutely killing it.' Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the satirical article has any merit, as John has been happily married to wife Kelly Swanson-Roe for 11 years. The fictional story included obviously fabricated quotes from Jessika about her 'sexual attraction' to John, who is 21 years her senior. Fake news! The fictional story by Double Bay Today (pictured) included obviously fabricated quotes from Jessika about her 'sexual attraction' to John, who is 21 years her senior Happy couple: Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the satirical article has any merit, as John has been happily married to wife Kelly Swanson-Roe for 11 years Jessika was originally paired with farmer Mick Gould on Married At First Sight. She later propositioned Nic Jovanovic at a dinner party and, after he rejected her advances, turned her attention towards Daniel Webb. She dated Daniel, 35, for three months after filming wrapped, but they split up last week shortly after the MAFS finale aired on television. She's been around the block! Jessika was originally paired with farmer Mick Gould on Married At First Sight. She later propositioned Nic Jovanovic at a dinner party and, after he rejected her advances, turned her attention towards Daniel Webb (right) Dan revealed on Friday that he broke up with Jessika over 'trust issues'. Despite her troubled personal life making headlines, Jessika took to Instagram on Tuesday with a positive message for her followers. 'The sun is shining, I cant seem to wipe the smile from my face today and life is feeling pretty damn good. Rainy days will always pass and the best thing about rain is the beautiful rainbow after it,' she wrote. She's the Gold Coast grandmother who has amassed thousands of followers on Instagram by sharing half-naked photos of herself. But now the World's Hottest Grandma Gina Stewart, 48, is 'scared' to strip naked in case her popular profile is permanently deleted. 'I'm scared to post certain photos now in case Instagram bans my entire account,' the mother-of-four told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. 'I'm scared to post certain photos now': The 'World's Hottest Grandma' Gina Stewart tells Daily Mail Australia that she fears her raunchy photos will get her banned from Instagram 'I've worked so hard to build up my following and I love connecting with my fans on social media,' she continued. 'Now I fear I could lose everything.' Gina has had dozens of photos banned from Instagram in recent months because they supposedly violate the website's community guidelines. In one image, the Sunshine Coast local lifts up her top to expose her breasts while her long hair barely protects her modesty. Too rude? Gina has had multiple photos banned from the platform so far, which Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal in their censored form In another photo, Gina poses completely nude but her body is strategically positioned to one side to avoid revealing too much. Instagram has a strict policy on nudity, with women banned from showing their nipples, genitalia or completely bare buttocks. In response to this censorship, Gina has started sharing her more X-rated images on Twitter, which freely allows users to share everything from nudity to hardcore pornography. Ordeal: 'I've worked so hard to build up my following and I love connecting with my fans on social media,' Gina told Daily Mail Australia. 'Now I fear I could lose everything' In a recent Twitter photo, Gina poses naked with a man's striped tie pulled down over her breasts to cover her nipples. 'A photo I cant show on Instagram for fear of being banned,' she wrote in the caption. 'There is nothing wrong with the female chest, topless and artistically represented. Famous: Gina shot to fame last year thanks to her popular Instagram profile, and has since been named one of the hottest women in Australia by Maxim magazine 'Women are beautiful creatures and our bodies are not to be ashamed of. Art has shown this throughout history.' This isn't the first time that the mother-of-four has been the victim of a strict Instagram ban. In October, a naked photo of the model was banned from the site for violating guidelines, which she believed was unfair. 'The guidelines say no nipple and nipples were not being shown in the picture, so I have asked Instagram to please re-post it,' she told Daily Mail Australia at the time. 'Its only a naked side shot and my hair is covering me.' Gina, who is based on the Gold Coast, has four children and one grandchild. Project Runway host Karlie Kloss dressed her 6ft2in figure in a black jumpsuit for a soon-to-be-aired interview at the Young Hollywood Studio in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 26-year-old IMG Model paired her button-down belted onesie with matching pumps selected by stylist George Cortina. Hairstylist Rebekah Forecast coiffed the Chicago-born blonde's side-parted bob and make-up artist William Scott applied her red pout. Back in black: Project Runway host Karlie Kloss dressed her 6ft2in figure in a black jumpsuit for a soon-to-be-aired interview at the Young Hollywood Studio in Los Angeles on Tuesday Karlie was there to promote the presenting/producing gig she took over from Heidi Klum on the 17th season of the design competition, which airs Thursdays on Bravo. 'I mean, Heidi's incredible and the show is her baby. She's been with it from the start. So for me, watching her in that role growing up I always really admired her,' Kloss told host Tracy Behr. 'Watching it and being so enamored by everything - New York City and the fashion designers and the industry - that was just so foreign to me. And so it's full circle that now after kind of being in the industry for 10 years that I'm with this show.' On Monday night, the former Victoria's Secret Angel curled James Corden's eyelashes with a teaspoon for a silly segment on The Late Late Show. Comfy: The 26-year-old IMG Model paired her button-down belted onesie with matching pumps selected by stylist George Cortina Glamazon: Hairstylist Rebekah Forecast coiffed the Chicago-born blonde's side-parted bob and make-up artist William Scott applied her red pout Airing Thursdays! Karlie was there to promote the presenting/producing gig she took over from Heidi Klum on the 17th season of the Bravo design competition Kloss told host Tracy Behr (R): 'Heidi's incredible and the show is her baby. She's been with it from the start. So for me, watching her in that role growing up I always really admired her' 'You want to get it at the lash line and just pinch it just enough so that youre kind of giving that doe-eyed lash look,' the avid runner explained on the CBS program. 'It works really well. It's better than any of those curlers.' Neither interviewer dared to ask Karlie about Vicky Ward's book Kushner, Inc. which alleged that her Jewish in-laws refused to meet her for six years and referred to her as a 'shiksa' and 'not very smart.' Beauty tips: On Monday night, the former Victoria's Secret Angel curled James Corden's eyelashes with a teaspoon for a silly segment on The Late Late Show The avid runner explained: 'You want to get it at the lash line and just pinch it just enough so that youre kind of giving that doe-eyed lash look' Controversial: Neither interviewer dared to ask Karlie about Vicky Ward's book Kushner, Inc. which alleged that her Jewish in-laws refused to meet her for six years and referred to her as a 'shiksa' and 'not very smart' Kloss converted to Judaism to wed investment mogul Joshua Kushner - whose brother Jared is a White House Senior Advisor - on October 18 after a six-year romance. 38-year-old Jared's wife Ivanka Trump didn't receive the same scrutiny as Karlie because she was 'real estate royalty' and attended 'an Ivy League university.' Kushner has raised eyebrows for not paying any federal income tax between 2009-2016, using private email servers, and requesting a 'secret and secure communications channel' with the Kremlin using Russian facilities. V-Day portrait: Kloss converted to Judaism to wed investment mogul Joshua Kushner - whose brother Jared is a White House Senior Advisor - on October 18 after a six-year romance Actress Joey King had quite the busy day on Monday, as she hit the Emmy campaign trail for her critically-acclaimed role in Hulu's The Act. The 19 year old actress rocked three different fashionable outfits while doing a pair of interviews, and taping a video for Hulu's upfronts. The actress will not be able to attend Hulu's upfront presentation, slated for May 1 in New York City, because she will be on location for a new project, according to Just Jared. Emmy campaign: Actress Joey King had quite the busy day on Monday, as she hit the Emmy campaign trail for her critically-acclaimed role in Hulu's The Act Strike a pose: The 19 year old actress rocked three different fashionable outfits while doing a pair of interviews, and taping a video for Hulu Upfronts: The 19 year old actress rocked three different fashionable outfits while doing a pair of interviews, and taping a video for Hulu's upfronts King wore a lavender checker patterned dress from Maison Cleo with frilly sleeves and collar while filming the Hulu upfronts video. She also wore a pair of Midnight 00 heels with the same frilly material around her ankles. The actress completed her look with a pair of Jennifer Meyer gold earrings and gold rings from Graziela Gems. King's outfit: King wore a lavender checker patterned dress from Maison Cleo with frilly sleeves and collar while filming the Hulu upfronts video Strike a pose: She also wore a pair of Midnight 00 heels with the same frilly material around her ankles Rings: The actress completed her look with a pair of Jennifer Meyer gold earrings and gold rings from Graziela Gems For her video interview with Gold Derby Awards, King wore a black Longchamp dress, with a slightly sheer section running down her neck and chest. She also wore Giuseppe Zanotti shoes while slinging a Gelareh Mizrahi bag over her shoulder. She completed her outfit with some Jack Vartanian earrings and LeVian rings. Second outfit: For her video interview with Gold Derby Awards, King wore a black Longchamp dress, with a slightly sheer section running down her neck and chest All smiles: She also wore Giuseppe Zanotti shoes while slinging a Gelareh Mizrahi bag over her shoulder Having fun: She completed her outfit with some Jack Vartanian earrings and LeVian rings King's third outfit was a Giambattista Valli black sleeveless dress with a Karra bag slung over her shoulder. She was also wearing Minna Parikka shoes with Dana Rebecca earrings and a Saskia Diez ear cuff. The third outfit was for Dave Poland's DP/30, where she discussed her role on The Act, which debuted on Hulu in March. New outfit: King's third outfit was a Giambattista Valli black sleeveless dress with a Karra bag slung over her shoulder Outfit: She was also wearing Minna Parikka shoes with Dana Rebecca earrings and a Saskia Diez ear cuff Strike a pose: The third outfit was for Dave Poland's DP/30, where she discussed her role on The Act, which debuted on Hulu in March King will next be seen in the upcoming indie film Zeroville, directed by James Franco, who also stars with Seth Rogen and Will Ferrell, hitting theaters in September. She also stars in Camp with Nolan Gould, Horation Sanz and Annalise Basso, which doesn't have a release date at this time. The actress is currently filming The Kissing Booth 2 with Joel Courtney and Jacob Elordi. Stepping out: King will next be seen in the upcoming indie film Zeroville, directed by James Franco, who also stars with Seth Rogen and Will Ferrell, hitting theaters in September New snaps: She also stars in Camp with Nolan Gould, Horation Sanz and Annalise Basso, which doesn't have a release date at this time She just hosted an Easter and early birthday party for her best pal Victoria Beckham and their children. And Eva Longoria still found time for a little retail therapy with her husband Jose 'Pepe' Baston and his daughter Natalia on Tuesday. The 44-year-old actress looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in Beverly Hills. True blue: Eva Longoria still found time for a little retail therapy as she stepped out in Beverly Hills on Tuesday She chose a soft blue classic sweater with tight-fitting white jeans. The Desperate Housewives star added a quilted black Chanel crossbody bag. She had paid attention to detail, matching her manicure to her top. Family outing: She was with her husband Jose 'Pepe' Baston and his daughter Natalia The mother-of-one was joined by husband Jose and his daughter Natalia, 24, as they stopped by the James Perse store. They were without the youngest member of their family, son Santiago Enrique Baston. The couple, who wed in May 2016 in Mexico, welcomed their first little bundle of joy in June 2018. Baby blue: They were without the youngest member of their family, son Santiago Enrique Baston She invited best pal Victoria Beckham round for an Easter party, and the Spice Girl joked that her youngest child, daughter Harper, 7, was nearly as tall as Eva. Victoria, 44, wrote: 'Almost as tall as @evalongoria and proud!' alongside the snap of the 5ft 2" former Desperate Housewives star Eva, also 44, posed wearing a black suit and backless Gucci loafers and had a pensive expression on her face as she stood back to back against the youngest Beckham child. Victoria also shared a snap of Harper cooing over Eva's baby, Santiago. Proud: Victoria Beckham shared a picture of her daughter Harper, 7, standing almost as tall as best friend Eva Longoria while attending an Easter bash at her LA home Cute: While staying at the home, Victoria also shared a snap of Harper cooing over Eva's baby, Santi Gabi Grecko has split with her husband Geoffrey Edelsten... again. The 29-year-old model told Daily Mail Australia she broke up with Geoffrey, 75, because she wants to date someone closer to her own age. Gabi, who married the Melbourne-based businessman in 2015, is now dating U.S. hip hop artist 'Surf School Rico'. Scroll down for video It's over! Gabi Grecko, 29, has split with her 75-year-old husband Geoffrey Edelsten... again. Pictured together on September 5, 2015 in Melbourne Moving on: Gabi is now dating U.S. rapper 'Surf School Rico', whose real name is Eddie Lee Gabi first met Surf School Rico, whose real name is Eddie Lee, in December while trying to launch a rap career of her own. 'I met him at the studio and there was just something about him that stayed with me, his smile,' she said. 'We ended up exchanging numbers and the rest, as they say, is history.' Romance: Gabi first met Surf School Rico in December while trying to launch a rap career In addition to being lovers, Gabi and Surf School Rico have also been collaborating in the studio. 'We hang out and make music every day. We're like the same person,' she said. After splitting with Geoffrey, whom she'd dated on and off for five years, Gabi said she'd given up on finding true love. Instant attraction: 'I met him at the studio and there was just something about him that stayed with me, his smile,' Gabi said. 'We ended up exchanging numbers and the rest is history' But all that changed when she met Surf School Rico. 'I haven't found someone in so long I've felt this way about. I had literally given up on love. I'm really happy,' she said. Geoffrey and Gabi married in Melbourne back in 2015, before splitting just a few months later. 'We hang out and make music every day': In addition to being lovers, Gabi and Surf School Rico have also been collaborating in the studio But they reunited in January 2018 and were planning on renewing their vows before calling it quits again at the end of the year. When Daily Mail Australia contacted Geoffrey Edelsten for comment on Wednesday, he refused to answer questions and hung up the phone. Gabi, who is a former escort, currently performs under the rap name 'GLittA FoxX'. He was on the receiving end of criticism from some of his Instagram followers on Monday after sharing a nude photo of himself and his 18-month-old daughter, Willow. And now ex-Bachelor contestant Sam Wood has hit back at those who complained his 13-year-old stepdaughter Eve would have to see his bare bottom. Writing on his Facebook group '28 by Sam Wood' this week, the 38-year-old said the teenager actually thought the post was 'hilarious'. 'In life you need to laugh': Ex-Bachelor star Sam Wood has responded to backlash after he shared a naked photo of him on the beach with his 18-month-old daughter Willow this week 'Eve thought the whole thing was hilarious when we told her about it,' he explained. 'For me family will always come first and I strongly believe that in life you need to laugh and look for the positive in everything.' In the artistic black-and-white photo, taken at a beach in Port Douglas, Sam is pictured standing in the surf with Willow with their backs to the camera. 'For me family will always come first and I strongly believe that in life you need to laugh and look for the positive in everything,' he wrote on his Facebook group '28 by Sam Wood' The fitness guru's wife Snezana Markoski took the photo. One fan wrote that the post was a 'new low in attention seeking', but the former reality TV star said 99 per cent of the comments he had received were positive. The candid photo was initially met with a range of responses, with some praising and defending the image, while others called it 'disappointing.' 'As a mum of teens my kids would be horrified if I posted my a**,' wrote one fan. 'A new low in social media attention seeking!' added another. Criticism: The candid photo was initially met with a range of responses, with some praising and defending the image, while others called it 'disappointing'. Some followers mentioned that the photo was inappropriate because Sam is a stepfather to wife Snezana Markoski's 13-year-old daughter, Eve (left) 'So now his teenage daughter and potentially her friends are gonna see his a**,' one follower commented. 'Actually, very disappointing,' added another. 'No need for these kinds of photos.' However, Sam also received a lot of support for the 'lighthearted' image. 'I came here to read all the comments from the fun police,' one wrote. 'Oh God, you just can't breathe anymore... this is a beautiful but funny pic.' Another commented: 'It's harmless. I highly doubt Eve is gonna get any crap from this.' 'What an amazing shot,' commented one. 'Beautifully taken photograph with great composition and lighting. Love the black and white. Its a beautiful story being told.' When contacted for comment, Sam told Daily Mail Australia that the photo was just 'a bit of fun.' 'Willow was running around on the beach saying "nudie rudie." It was six in the morning and the beach was empty and she said "Dadda nudie rudie," so for a laugh I took my shorts off and splashed around with her. 'It was a beautiful moment and Snez was laughing her head off and took a photo of us. It's all a bit of fun and I think almost everyone took it as that. Family: Sam is married to his Bachelor beau Snezana Markoski, who is currently pregnant with the couple's second child This isn't the first time that Sam's family has been the subject of social media controversy. In early 2016, Snezana was forced to defend herself after being slammed for sharing a sponsored photo of herself and then 10-year-old daughter Eve promoting a coffee body scrub in a bathtub. Defending the image on Today Extra at the time, Snezana said that people had misunderstood the context of the photo. 'I think they thought she wasn't wearing anything,' Snezana told hosts David Campbell and Sonia Kruger. 'She's in a singlet and she's making fun of people you know doing the whole duck lip thing, so she's actually pulling the mickey out of it but I think people took it the wrong way,' she explained. Snezana's beau Sam then added about Eve: 'She loves the camera and goofing around.' The brunette beauty had already defended the image in an interview with Sunday Style magazine earlier that year, calling it a 'fun shot'. 'I love the picture, and Eve was the one who wanted to join in on it. Were both artistic, and to me, that was just a fun shot,' she said. Former Married At First Sight star Clare Verrall recently revealed she was going to document her egg freezing journey for fans via her social media. And on Wednesday, the 35-year-old shared she was going through her very first round of hormone injections. Taking to Instagram, the former reality star uploaded a slew of videos showing needles and vials of her hormonal stimulation medication. 'I'm really scared!' Former Married at First Sight star Clare Verrall began the process of freezing her eggs on Wednesday In the clip, Clare admitted that she was 'scared' before her male friend assisted her to extract the liquid out of a tiny vial and into a syringe. Another one of Clare's friends was seen squirming while asking, 'So the entire needle goes in?' Clare then quipped: 'Just f***ng do it!' Nervous: In the clip, Clare admitted that she was 'scared' before her male friend assisted her to extract the liquid out of a tiny vial and into a syringe Looking apprehensive, her friend worked up the courage and injected Clare with the first dose. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the former reality star told fans she was excited to document her journey for her fans. Clare said that the process was all starting to 'become real' for her now. 'It just got real!' The former reality star told fans she was excited to document her journey for her fans. Sharing a photo of the needles and medication to Instagram, Clare said that the process was all starting to 'become real' for her now. 'OK. S**t just got real with my egg freezing people. After a number of false starts, tomorrow the injections begin,' she explained. 'I will be sharing my journey mostly in my Instagram stories - I will make it a 'highlight stories' as well. I will be candid with you all about my experience. I'll do some Q&A sessions as well.' Menopur (menotropins) injection Menopur (menotropins) injection is an equal mixture of the naturally occurring follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) used to stimulate ovulation (the release of an egg) when a woman's ovaries can produce a follicle but hormonal stimulation is deficient Advertisement Clare continued: 'Remember my experience is just that though MY EXPERIENCE. Everybody is different. I can already tell you that I will bruise like a mofo as that's my body. 'I'm so excited to have the opportunity to complete this cycle of egg freezing. That said, I'm so nervous!! What if I stuff it up? 'What if my body fails me & there is nothing to retrieve? This is much more of a head f**k than I anticipated. I now see why they do mandatory counseling,' she added. Project Runway host Karlie Kloss looked ravishing in red while attending Bravo's A Night of Food and Fashion at Vibiana in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 26-year-old IMG Model dressed her statuesque 6ft2in figure in an Olivier Theyskens cut-out creation and black cha cha heels selected by stylist George Cortina. Hairstylist Justine Marjan gave the Chicago-born blonde's side-parted bob a boost with a Hidden Crown hairpiece. Lady in red: Project Runway host Karlie Kloss looked ravishing in red while attending Bravo's A Night of Food and Fashion at Vibiana in Los Angeles on Tuesday Make-up artist Kate Synnott applied Karlie's matching red pout, cat eyeliner, and defined brows for 'Scarface vibes.' Kloss couldn't stay long at the glamorous event though as she wrote on Instagram that she was catching a 'red-eye' flight afterwards. On Monday night, the former Victoria's Secret Angel curled James Corden's eyelashes with a teaspoon for a silly segment on The Late Late Show. 'You want to get it at the lash line and just pinch it just enough so that youre kind of giving that doe-eyed lash look,' the avid runner explained on the CBS program. Turning heads: The 26-year-old IMG Model dressed her statuesque 6ft2in figure in an Olivier Theyskens cut-out creation and black cha cha heels selected by stylist George Cortina 'Scarface vibes': Hairstylist Justine Marjan gave the Chicago-born blonde's side-parted bob a boost with a Hidden Crown hairpiece Babe: Make-up artist Kate Synnott applied Karlie's matching red pout, cat eyeliner, and defined brows Jet setter: Kloss couldn't stay long at the glamorous event though as she wrote on Instagram that she was catching a 'red-eye' flight afterwards 'It works really well. It's better than any of those curlers.' The British 40-year-old didn't dare ask Karlie about Vicky Ward's book Kushner, Inc. which alleged that her Jewish in-laws refused to meet her for six years and referred to her as a 'shiksa' and 'not very smart.' Kloss converted to Judaism to wed investment mogul Joshua Kushner - whose brother Jared is a White House Senior Advisor - on October 18 after a six-year romance. 38-year-old Jared's wife Ivanka Trump didn't receive the same scrutiny as Karlie because she was 'real estate royalty' and attended 'an Ivy League university.' Beauty tips: On Monday night, the former Victoria's Secret Angel curled James Corden's eyelashes with a teaspoon for a silly segment on The Late Late Show The avid runner explained: 'You want to get it at the lash line and just pinch it just enough so that youre kind of giving that doe-eyed lash look' Controversial: The British 40-year-old didn't dare ask Karlie about Vicky Ward's book Kushner, Inc. which alleged that her Jewish in- laws refused to meet her for six years and referred to her as a 'shiksa' and 'not very smart' Kushner has raised eyebrows for not paying any federal income tax between 2009-2016, using private email servers, and requesting a 'secret and secure communications channel' with the Kremlin using Russian facilities. Joining the Klossy founder on Tuesday's Bravo bash were Gail Simmons, Christian Siriano, and Padma Lakshmi. Karlie is especially close with the 33-year-old designer, who won season four of Project Runway and serves mentoring duties on season 17. V-Day portrait: Kloss converted to Judaism to wed investment mogul Joshua Kushner - whose brother Jared is a White House Senior Advisor - on October 18 after a six-year romance Trump in the family: 38-year-old Jared's (L) wife Ivanka Trump (2-L) didn't receive the same scrutiny as Karlie (R) because she was 'real estate royalty' and attended 'an Ivy League university' (pictured in 2016) And Kloss replaced Heidi Klum as producer and presenter of the design competition, which currently airs Thursdays on Bravo. The proud feminist also shared a warm hug and smile with Padma, the equally beautiful host of Top Chef. The Indian 48-year-old slipped her curvaceous 5ft9in figure into a black long-sleeve pencil dress and T-strap heels selected by stylist Adam Ballheim. 'These women are so divine!' Joining the Klossy founder on Tuesday's Bravo bash were (from L-R) Gail Simmons, Christian Siriano, and Padma Lakshmi Towering: Karlie is especially close with the 33-year-old designer, who won season four of Project Runway and serves mentoring duties on season 17 Fashion roadkill! Kloss replaced Heidi Klum as producer and presenter of the design competition, which currently airs Thursdays on Bravo Hey girl! The proud feminist also shared a warm hug and smile with Padma, the equally beautiful host of Top Chef It was hours after the six-time Emmy nominee shared a video of herself eating a 'dirty water NYC hot dog' in Manhattan's Central Park. Meanwhile, Padma's Top Chef judge Gail shimmered in a golden midi-sleeve top tucked into black buttoned jeans and booties. Once inside the packed church, the Canadian 42-year-old shared an Insta-story of Karlie and Christian watching the screening of their Project Runway episode. LBD: The Indian 48-year-old slipped her curvaceous 5ft9in figure into a black long-sleeve pencil dress and T-strap heels selected by stylist Adam Ballheim '#sorryvegans': It was hours after the six-time Emmy nominee shared a video of herself eating a 'dirty water NYC hot dog' in Manhattan's Central Park Author and chef: Meanwhile, Padma's Top Chef judge Gail shimmered in a golden midi-sleeve top tucked into black buttoned jeans and booties Chris Hardwick has a legal battle on his hands. The 47-year-old has been sued by Cadence13, a podcasting company who claims he did not deliver on a pact he made last year to produce a podcast for their company, nor did he pay back the cash he was paid to do so, TMZ reported on Tuesday. Cadence13 told the court that Hardwick initially agreed to a two-year pact that required him to deliver four monthly editions of the podcast, which was titled ID10T. Scroll below for video Pointing fingers: Chris Hardwick, 47, is in a legal battle with a podcast company who claims he did not deliver on a pact he made last year to produce a podcast, nor did he pay back the cash he was paid to do so, TMZ reported. He was snapped in LA last month The Louisville, Kentucky-born entertainer abruptly ceased doing the podcast for their company when he was publicly accused of sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, Cadence13 told the court. Hardwick continues to put out the podcast - titled ID10T with Chris Hardwick - via Stitcher, having recently welcomed guests such as Stranger Things star David Harbour and comic Penn Jilette. The company said that they're owed around $606,000 in monies that they were not able to recoup when factoring in around $394,000 that it took Amid the allegations, Hardwick's AMC series Talking with Chris Hardwick was sidelined, later returning to the air after he was cleared in an AMC investigation. The Talking Dead host, who denied Dykstra's allegations, responded to the site via his attorney, said Cadence13 'owes Chris $3 million ... and filing this lawsuit is their last ditch, desperate attempt to try and avoid fulfilling their obligations to pay him.' Hardwick's attorney disputed the numbers Cadence13 submitted to the court in terms of both Hardwick's production and payments. Rushed exit? Hardwick abruptly ceased doing the podcast when he was publicly accused of sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, Cadence13 told the court in its filing On the offense: A lawyer for Hardwick says they are working to recoup money owed to him 'The truth is that Chris has delivered over 30 podcast episodes since October 2018 and hasn't been paid a dime,' the lawyer said, 'while Cadence13 has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue during that period.' Harwick is focused on taking 'all appropriate steps to recover the millions of dollars which C13 contractually owes him,' according to his attorney, who pointed out an unusual coincidence in the personnel involved in the case. 'There is extraordinary irony in the fact that the law firm representing [Cadence13] in this action is the same one which conducted a comprehensive investigation and exonerated Chris of the baseless allegations (of emotional and sexual abuse) referenced in the filing.' South Africa: SA to introduce 4IR affiliate centre in September South Africa and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have signed a host government accord to establish an affiliate centre of the WEF's Fourth Industrial Revolution Centre (C4IR). South Africa will be joining China, India and Japan, who already have the affiliate centre. The C4IR, which is intended to be launched in September in SA, acts as a hub for global, multi-stakeholder cooperation to develop policy frameworks and advance collaborations that accelerate the benefits of science and technology. It focuses on issues of local concern and contributes to the overall research and thought leadership processes of the C4IR network. The South African government, through the Department of Science and Technology, intends to establish its affiliate centre as a public-private partnership based at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Science and Technology Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said the establishment of the South African C4IR affiliate centre will provide a platform for stakeholders in South Africa to work together on the evolution of new technologies. The Minister said it is no longer possible to discuss economic development without factoring in the impact of the 4IR on the economy as a whole. Any effort we make as a country to grow our economy will now largely be shaped by how quickly we are able to embrace and master the technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Head of the WEF's C4IR Network, Murat Sonmez, urged South Africa to make sure that 4IR technologies benefit all communities, particularly the poor. This, he said, is important as technology in the 4IR environment is advancing rapidly. "South Africa has the potential to contribute to all these developments in the global network and has a seat on the C4IR advisory board, helping to shape what we are intent on achieving. We are therefore looking forward to hosting this affiliate centre in South Africa," Sonmez said. The CEO of the CSIR, Dr Thulani Dlamini, said the council was ready to partner with the private and public sectors to develop relevant technologies for 4IR. He said the CSIR's focus areas for 4IR includes applying technologies for improved service delivery, training the future workforce, and developing and implementing scalable 4IR infrastructure. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Before she left the Puerto Rico Department of Education earlier this month , then-secretary Julia Keleher said that one of the measures of success for the school system after Hurricane Maria will be how many high school graduates decide to stay on the island and take jobs there to contribute to the economy. More than 18 months after the storm devastated Puerto Rico , its a fair concernthe public school system lost approximately 40,000 students between the last school year and this one, and the islands finances remain very uncertain. Beyond Puerto Ricos struggles to recover after the storm, even basic data about its economy hasnt been available. The Department of Commerce announced last month that for the first time, it will release statistics about Puerto Rican consumption and business investment that are taken for granted in other parts of the U.S. According to World Bank data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the youth unemployment rate in Puerto Rico stood at 23 percent in 2017 , the latest year of data available, compared to 9.2 percent for the U.S. (That number for Puerto Rico had actually been dropping for several years prior to Maria.) All of these and other factors will show whether Puerto Ricos long-term decline in population continues, accelerates, or turns around in the wake of Maria. So what efforts are underway or planned to help get students jobs after they graduate? There are a a few worth highlighting, from two different sources, but its also unclear whether they canor shouldwork together in any particular way. One has been launched by the American Federation of Teachers, whose local union affiliate in Puerto Rico is the Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico. The Pathways to Prosperity program is a model the AFT has previously supported in Peoria, Ill., along with its local affiliate. Through a searchable online platform, the program aims to connect Peoria-area industry with students looking for internships and other career-related opportunities. The Pathways initiative has also helped establish career centers at three local high schools. Since 2015, Pathways to Prosperity has helped 230 students score paid internships at 50 local employers, according to the AFT. The union recently hosted a 15-person delegation from Puerto Rico to learn more about the initiative. Ultimately, the goal is for the initiative to create several hundred internships at leading Puerto Rico businesses by 2022, according to the AFT. That would mark roughly five years since Maria. Puerto Ricos public schools educate a little more than 300,000 students. See Our In-Depth Coverage: Putting Puerto Ricos Schools Back on Track Then theres a program Keleher helped to get off the ground late last year. She said she was inspired in part to address career-readiness when she talked to a Puerto Rico teenager who was trying to avoid drug dealing in his neighborhood, yet had been unable to find a job to focus his energy. According to information released by the department, the schools system has helped secure 175 internships for students in areas such as plumbing and electrical work, as well as 200 jobs for high school graduates in various fields. Perhaps most significantly for the islands ongoing recovery from the hurricane, the department says teachers have begun training to teach construction courses, so that eventually 2,100 students can get industry certifications to help them contribute to the rebuilding of the island. Its not clear, however, whether those 2,100 students will have jobs waiting for them after graduation. Separately, the islands education department has established new partnerships with the telecommunications company Claro, the General Contractors Association of Puerto Rico, and others. In the 2019-20 school year, the islands school system will for the first time provide career exploratory courses to students in middle schools. The department is also in the process of reviewing the systems 14 career clusters. We recently asked the AFT and Keleher about whether theres any potential for them to join forces in this work. Weingarten said that despite interest from the union, it couldnt work out an arrangement with Keleher and the education department to work together on career education efforts for students. Before she departed, Keleher, in turn, said she would be happy for the department to work with the unions on these efforts, but didnt point to anything underway that could turn that idea into a reality. Remember, Keleher and the Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico have fought vigorously for more than a year over prominent changes the ex-secretary initiated involving school choice. Asked about the status of its initiative, a spokesman for the AFT said Tuesday: There have been meetings with business leaders since the trip and were preparing to work with a partner to better understand the job landscape in Puerto Rico, which is something weve done at the outset on these projects in the past. Photo: High school student Tjeyder Manuel Diaz Velez, left, works at his familys restaurant in Manaubo, Puerto Rico, last year. Education leaders on the island are focused on connecting high school students to job training and work, but it remains to be seen how well theyll coordinate separate efforts. (Swikar Patel/Education Week) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Andrew Ujifusa half of Politics K-12 @AndrewUjifusa . by Mathias Hariyadi As in 2014, THE current president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo challenged by Prabowo Subianto. Observers call the election a "critical day" for the future of young democracy. The government has laid out massive security measures. Widodo has the task of curbing the enormous influence of Islamic fundamentalist groups and movements. Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Almost 192.8 million Indonesian citizens on 17 thousand islands in the archipelago are voting today to choose the president, vice-president, 575 members of the People's Representative Council (DPR) - the lower house of parliament - and 24 thousand between provincial and district representatives ( Dpd). In more than 805 thousand polling stations, voting operations opened this morning at 7am in Papua and will end at 13pm in Jakarta. Observers call the election a "critical day" for the future of young democracy, which is threatened by an Islamist drift. The government has deployed massive security measures: 453,000 police officers and soldiers, as well as 1.6 million civil protection members. Added to these are 6 million volunteers, ready to help voters cast their ballots. As in 2014, incumbent president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was challenged by former special forces commander and son-in-law of the late dictator Haji Mohammad Suharto Prabowo Subianto. But unlike the previous elections, in which he had put the strengthening of human rights at the center of his program, the choice of the Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin (76 years) this year is likely to cost Jokowi the vote of the moderates. Amin, who was president of the Council of Indonesian ulema (MUI), had released several fatwas against the former governor of Jakarta, the Chinese-born Christian Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, and Amin thus legitimized the position of those who claimed that, by virtue of of his religion, the politician was not suited to positions of power, in the most populous Islamic country in the world. According to analysts, the choice of Amin - a conservative who has become moderate - today will allow the president to stem the enormous influence of Islamic fundamentalist groups and movements, such as Hizbut Tahrir (Hti), the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) and others. Amin is a leading exponent of Nahdlatul Ulama (Nu). This body has 90 million members and is the largest moderate Islamic movement in Indonesia and the world. The Jokowi-Amin couple represents both nationalists and religious. The choice of Prabowo Subianto to appoint billionaire Sandiaga Uno as deputy has fueled fears of a new authoritarian regime among Indonesians. This is partly due to Subianto's past, accused of kidnapping students and other human rights abuses during his military career. In the 2014 election, Jokowi embodied the Indonesians hope for change, as he has no political background in the Suharto regime. Jokowi won with 53% of the votes, becoming the first Indonesian president without a military past. With the second term, he aims to complete his vast infrastructure plan: 950km of toll roads, 3,400 km of motorways, 40 km of bridges, 10 new airports, 19 ports and 17 dams. For many Indonesians, this represented something new: no previous president had ever managed to coordinate so many projects, due to widespread corruption in the parties. She's reportedly being sued for $48,000 of unpaid rent. But Blac Chyna shook off any woes as she stepped out in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old mother-of-two was striking in a purple pimp jacket, and bright blue contact lenses. Fur game: Blac Chyna shook off any woes as she stepped out in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday night The former exotic dancer chose a white jumpsuit, and metallic heels. She added a rainbow pastel Chanel quilted bag, as she stopped off for dinner in the exclusive suburb of Los Angeles. The ex-girlfriend of Rob Kardashian - who recently figured out their custody arrangement for daughter Dream - sleeked her hair into a tight updo and wore a generous amount of make-up. All the hues: The 30-year-old mother-of-two was striking in a purple pimp jacket, and bright blue contact lenses Chyna - whose real name is Angela White - worked things out with Rob so that he could stop paying her $20,000 a month in child support. She now being sought after by her former landlord for breaking her lease, according to TMZ on Tuesday. She is being sued for $48,000, for five months unpaid rent and damages to the property, claims the website. Dressed up: The former exotic dancer chose a white jumpsuit, and metallic heels Going out: She added a rainbow pastel Chanel quilted bag, as she stopped off for dinner in the exclusive suburb of Los Angeles Top knot: The ex-girlfriend of Rob Kardashian - who recently figured out their custody arrangement for daughter Dream - sleeked her hair into a tight updo and wore a generous amount of make-up Chyna - whose real name is Angela White - reportedly left the rental property in Studio City, California, with five months to go on the lease and didn't pay the remainder of her contract. The mother-of-two rented the 6-bedroom, 5-bathroom, $4.5 million house from April 2017, and the landlord claims that she was contracted until March 2019, according to the website. However, she reportedly moved out in November 2018 and stopped paying rent. Rental: She reportedly moved out in November 2018 and stopped paying rent New house: She appeared unphased by the lawsuit as she posed in her bathroom for Instagram on Tuesday in the same white outfit According to the lawsuit, Chyna owes $55,546 for the 5 months of unpaid rent. The landlord - who is Michael Kremerman according to The Blast, subtracted her $25k deposit, reports TMZ, but is claiming $18k in damages because she removed 'fixtures and equipment' from the home. The total claim is for $48,546, according to the documents obtained by the tabloid, plus interest and attorney's fees. Chyna reportedly bought a six-bedroom, 6.5 bathroom dream pad in Woodland Hills, California in October last year, according to TMZ at the time. She appeared unphased by the lawsuit as she posed in her bathroom for Instagram on Tuesday. Chyna shares son King, 6, with former fiance Tyga and is also mother to Dream, two, with ex Rob Kardashian. Rob recently fought successfully to have his requirement to pay her $20,000 per month in child support removed. 'Angela the mother of my child whom I have a wonderful relationship with decided to drop the child support case because she felt it was in the best interest of our daughter,' he wrote in a public statement. He and Chyna agreed to continue splitting custody 50/50, with each paying for Dream's needs when she's with them. Dream home: The 30-year-old former exotic dancer has bought a six-bedroom, 6.5 bathroom pad in Woodland Hills, California Eating up: Blac has an area which would fit a dining table Chyna took to Twitter to back up Rob's statement. 'Robert and I only concern is whats in the best interest of our daughter that we both equally love. Additionally, Robert is a wonderful father to our Dreamy!' Despite their current detente, the former lovers' relationship was brief and stormy. They started dating in early 2016, and announced their engagement in April of that year, followed by a pregnancy announcement in May. Dream was born in November of 2016, but by December they had split. In 2017, Rob posted nude and sexually explicit photos of his former fiancee, which seemingly violated California's revenge porn laws, though no charges were ever filed. Family home: The mother-of-two shares son King Cairo, five, with rapper Tyga and daughter Dream, one, (pictured) with Rob Kardashian She is currently claiming his family interfered with her reality show Rob & Chyna, ultimately causing it to be cancelled and is suing for compensation. As part of case she wants to depose Ryan Seacrest, who is the executive producer of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Court papers obtained by The Blast show Chyna is requesting all communications between Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian West and Seacrest about Rob & Chyna, as well as documents relating to the renewal of the series, records of meetings between the quartet about cancelling her show and all information about the origins of the Kylie Cosmetics founder's own program, Life of Kylie. Chyna previously accused the family of trying to destroy her career. Her court documents stated: 'The unwritten rule no one told (her) when she began her relationship with Kardashian is that the entire family will come after you if you leave, using their fame, wealth and power to take you down, including getting your television show cancelled (despite great ratings), spreading lies about you, and even funding a bogus lawsuit about a crumbled gingerbread house.' They found fame on ABC's Dancing With The Stars and found love with each other. And on Tuesday night, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd couldn't hide their feelings for one another as they arrived at a party in Los Angeles hosted by LaPalme Magazine. The married dance pros gazed adoringly into each other's eyes as they posed for photos on the red carpet at the event. Wedded bliss: Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd couldn't hide their feelings for one another as they arrived at a party hosted by LaPalme Magazine in LA on Tuesday night Peta, 32, wore a stylish pale pink pant suit which she paired with matching high heels. She wore the jacket buttoned up over a white top and left her long blonde hair loose and styled in relaxed curls. Maks, 39, was dressed in a fawn check jacket over a fawn ribbed sweater. He added dark blue jeans ripped at the knee and matching colored shoes. The couple welcomed their son Shai Aleksander in January 2017 and tied the knot six months later in Long Island, New York. Passion: The married dance pros, who found fame and love on ABC's Dancing With The Stars, cuddled up for a kiss for the cameras Lovely look: Peta, 32, wore a stylish pale pink pant suit which she paired with matching high heels. She wore the jacket buttoned up over a white top and left her long blonde hair loose Hunk: Maks, 39, was dressed in a fawn check jacket over a fawn ribbed sweater. He added dark blue jeans ripped at the knee and matching colored shoes Maks and Peta weren't the only loved up couple at the bash. Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin also played for the cameras. The actress and the producer wed in 2012. Megan, 37, looked fabulous in a one-sleeve bubblegum pink dress slit to the thigh on one side. She added black stiletto heels and accessorized with pendant earrings. DeVon, 41, was dapper in a dark blue two-piece suit and shiny black shoes. Hands on: Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin also played for the cameras as they arrived at the party. The actress and the producer wed in 2012 Stunning: Megan, 37, looked fabulous in a one-sleeve bubblegum pink dress slit to the thigh on one side Curvy: She added black stiletto heels and accessorized with pendant earrings. Maks and Peta along with Megan are each featured in the spring issue of the magazine LaPalme. So, too, is Black-ish star Anthony Anderson Anderson, 48, showed up to the event in a long-sleeved cream top and distressed denims and added a chunky gold neck chain. LaPalme, established in 2013, focuses on high fashion and beauty and publishes four issues a year. In the spotlight: Maks and Peta along with Megan are each featured in the spring issue of the magazine LaPalme. So, too, is Black-ish star Anthony Anderson Eva Longoria highlighted her trim figure in a chic all-white ensemble on Tuesday as she attended the launch of the Eat Clean Play Dirty cookbook launch. The actress, 44, cut a chic figure in an all-white ensemble at the Sakara Life + Rothy's event in Beverly Hills, adding a cheeky pop of colour with some stylish fuchsia Rothy's sandals at the star-studded bash hosted by The A List's Ashlee Margolis. The outing comes after Eva enjoyed a fun-filled night with close friend Victoria Beckham, which the pair documented with a slew of social media snaps. Stylish: Eva Longoria was showcasing her trim figure in a chic all-white esemble and wore Rothy's sandals on Tuesday as she attended the launch of the Eat Clean Play Dirty cookbook Eva looked sensational almost a year after welcoming her first child, as she donned a casual white shirt and matching skinny jeans. The former Desperate Housewives star added a little pop of colour with flat pink sandals, and accessorised with a black quilted handbag. Eva also highlighted her flawless beauty with a delicately applied smoky eye and nude lip, with her glossy brunette tresses styled into loose curls. The star looked sensational ten months after giving birth Santiago Enrique Baston, who she shares with husband of almost two years Jose. Looking good: The actress, 44, cut a chic figure in an all-white ensemble at the Sakara Life + Rothy's event in Beverly Hills, adding a cheeky pop of colour with some stylish fuchsia sandals Eiza rocked a retro-inspired ensemble complete with a dusty rose leather jacket and matching newsboy cap. She accentuated her fit physique with a pair of skin-tight denim slacks and wore a graphic T-shirt tucked into her jeans. The Baby Driver star looked fresh-faced as she cozied up to Eva Longoria at the outdoor soiree. Friends! The Baby Driver star looked fresh-faced as she cozied up to Eva Longoria at the outdoor soiree Delicious: The 46-year-old actor chatted it up with Sakara Life founders Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle as they celebrated the launch of Eat Clean Play Dirty Lea Michele rocked a floral Shoshanna dress with ruffled sleeves and a flowing hem for the launch. The newly-married actress completed her boho-chic look with brown suede booties and a few simple chain necklaces. Busy Philipps showed off her sense of style wearing a multi-colored plaid dress with a belt wrapped around her slender waist pairing with Rothy's flats. Guests wore Rothy's shoes and sipped Clase Azul tequila while enjoying Sakara plant-rich treats. Festive: Lea Michele rocked a floral Shoshanna dress with ruffled sleeves and a flowing hem for the launch Lovely: Busy Philipps showed off her sense of style wearing a multi-colored plaid dress with a belt wrapped around her slender waist Pretty in pink: She stayed comfortable in a pair of navy Rothy's flats and kept her makeup simple with a pink shade swiped across her lips, and chatted it up with host Ashlee Margolis Fashion: The newly-married actress completed her boho-chic look with brown suede booties and a few simple chain necklaces Michelle Monaghan looked delightful in a silky leopard print dress with long sleeves and a high neckline, in addition to Rothy's flats. Constance Zimmer smiled as she posed next to the cookbook wearing a floral skirt Madewell top & skirt and Rothy's shoes. Sakara Life + Rothy's celebrate 'Eat Clean Play Dirty' Can be purchased online here. Bold: Michelle Monaghan looked delightful in a silky leopard print dress with long sleeves and a high neckline, in addition to Rothy's flats Chic: Georgie Flores mixed a little business with pleasure wearing a black blazer and a Alice + Olivia white blouse paired with jeans and a Aritzia bag Chic: Actress Constance Zimmer also oozed summer chic in a black floral midi skirt and green utility jacket as she attended the launch event Eva's outing came after she documented a fun-filled evening with close friend Victoria on Tuesday, as the pair celebrated Easter at the designer's Los Angeles home. In one snap the star posed alongside Victoria's daughter Harper, seven, as she joked that they were almost the same height. Victoria, 44, wrote: 'Almost as tall as @evalongoria and proud!' alongside the snap of the 5ft 2" former Desperate Housewives star Loving it: Eva's outing came after she enjoyed a fun-filling evening at the house of friend Victoria Beckham, where she joked she was almost the same height as her daughter Harper Eva posed wearing a black suit and backless Gucci loafers and had a pensive expression on her face as she stood back to back against the youngest Beckham child. Victoria also shared a snap of Harper cooing over Eva's baby, Santiago. Harper also posed holding one of Eva's cute Easter bunnies and she appeared totally enamoured. Brooke Blurton is arguably the most in-demand singleton on Bachelor In Paradise. But despite being romantically wooed by both male and female co-stars, it appears the beauty, 24, may have inadvertently revealed she leaves alone. On November 19, approximately 10 days after landing in Fiji to film the show last year, Brooke was already posting selfies back in Perth to her Instagram Story. Bachelor In Paradise SPOILER: Does this Instagram post prove that Brooke Blurton QUITS the dating show in an upcoming episode and leaves as a single woman? If Brooke had found love in Paradise, she would have presumably remained until the finale in December and taken part in a commitment ceremony with her partner. This is how the format of the show worked during the first series, in April 2018. With Brooke already proving popular among co-stars including Alex Nation and Alex Bordy on the show, it seems unlikely that she would fail to receive a rose. Home already? On November 19, approximately 10 days after landing in Fiji to film the show last year, Brooke shared this bikini selfie while back in Perth to her Instagram Story This suggests the star may quit on her own accord in an upcoming episode, like she famously did during Nick Cummins' series of The Bachelor. 'Sun makes me so happy,' Brooke captioned the selfie while smile, showing no sign of heartbreak. Interestingly, Brooke wasn't the only Paradise star to start sharing Instagram content in mid-November while the show was still being filmed. Did she walk? If Brooke had found love, she would have presumably remained until the finale in December and taken part in a commitment ceremony. Pictured Brooke and Alex Nation Cat Henessy, Davey Lloyd and Paddy Collar also returned to social media before production wrapped - and have all already been eliminated on screen. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment. Despite this, viewers watched Brooke and Alex Nation get steamy on Tuesday night. Not again? Having already proved popular among co-stars, this suggests the star may quit on her own accord, like she famously did during Nick Cummins' series of The Bachelor After kissing, a flushed Alex gasped: 'Holy s**t this chick! The energy is just so intense. We feel it from head to toe. It gives you goosebumps'. Before their date, Alex admitted: 'But I am so attracted to Brooke. And I feel like we both have something there and we need to figure that out'. The former Bachelor star added: 'She's such a little hottie, she sucks me in. Her eyes just draw me right in'. Strictly star Oti Mabuse has ruled out rumours that she is set to replace Darcey Bussell on the show's judging panel. Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday morning she quashed bookmakers' predictions that she was pegged to take the role of judge following the ballet legend's quit announcement last week. The 28-year-old South African beauty confessed: 'I think I would absolutely miss [dancing] and that part of it'. Shocker: Strictly star Oti Mabuse has ruled out whispers that she is set to replace Darcey Bussell on the show's judging panel (pictured with last year's partner Graeme Swann) Zoe grilled her about the possibility of a new role as she said touched on Oti's experience as a judge on BBC hit The Greatest Dancer. She said: 'You see now the thing is, obviously you know after doing the Greatest Dancer and you sort of played a different role in that so you would be brilliant at it but the only thing is it would mean that we wouldn't get you on the dance floor.' Oti responded: 'Yeah, Yeah. I think the Strictly audience is just like no were not ready to let her gobut you know I love dancing I love coming to the rehearsals I love being a part of the group its a really special group to be a part of... 'There are no dancers like Strictly Dancers, how close we are. I think I would absolutely miss that and that part of it'. Soap opera: Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday morning she quashed bookmakers' predictions that she was pegged to take the role of judge following the ballet legend's quit announcement last week Open and honest: She appeared alongside Giovanni Pernice and Dianne Buswell As she headed into the radio show, Oti was wearing Specsavers Kylie Minogue glasses. Her outing comes after she was named Specsavers latest ambassador for Spectacle Wearer of the year. Just last week, Oti became a hot favourite to replace Darcey on the judging panel as speculation mounts amid the shock resignation. She was the favourite to replace Darcey on the judging panel. According to bookmakers Paddy Power, the dancer - who is currently one of the pros on the show - make Oti the 5/4 favourite thanks to her judging experience on The Greatest Dancer. Oti appeared alongside Cheryl and Matthew Morrison behind the desk for the first season of the BBC series, which aired earlier this year; and the star went down a treat with viewers. The idea of Oti replacing Darcey was backed up by former Strictly contestant Katie Piper on Thursday morning, who told Heart radio: 'I think Oti would be brilliant. Because shes brilliant on The Greatest Dancer isnt she? I like watching her. And shes an amazing dancer.' Open and honest: Oti cut a casual figure for the outing as she prepared for the chat with Zoe which no doubt broke her fans' hearts Anton De Beke is next up in the betting at 2/1 to progress from pro dancer to judge, while Karen Hardy is rated 4/1, Brendan Cole 8/1, Arlene Philips 8/1, and Helen Richey 16/1. Darcey reportedly quit Strictly because she was sick of the 'sleazy soap opera dramas and celebrities falling victim to the famous curse'. The retired ballerina, 49, served on the show for seven years, insisting it was 'without upset or disagreement' that she had decided to leave the role. But The Sun reports Darcey was 'fed up' with Bruno Tonioli's theatrics and quit when her demands for a 40,000 pay rise to match her salary with the other judges weren't met. Replacement? Oti was the favourite to replace Darcey on the Strictly judging panel Scandal: An insider said: 'Darcey hated the never-ending rumours surrounding the pros dating celebrity partners and was particularly annoyed by Seann Walshs romance with Katya Jones' (pictured) A source told the publication: 'Behind the scenes she was secretly becoming fed up with 'the Bruno show and felt the dynamic between the judges changed after Craigs jibes at Shirley Ballass cosmetic surgery, the atmosphere was never the same. 'She also hated the never-ending rumours surrounding the pros dating celebrity partners and was particularly annoyed by Seann Walshs romance with Katya Jones. Darcey is a happily-married, family-orientated woman and thinks Strictly had become some sort of sleazy soap opera.' The insider added Darcey 'made it clear' if bosses weren't prepared to give her a substantial pay rise, she would resign. Darcey was also said to be infuriated by plans for the four judges to do more dancing in future because her background is ballet rather than ballroom or Latin. The publication also alleged she was tired of the celebrity status of the professional dancers and Craig Revel Horwood's rows. Judges: The retired ballerina, 49, announced on Wednesday she has officially stepped down from her role as a judge after seven years on the BBC show, pictured: Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli and Darcey (left-right) MailOnline has contacted Strictly and Darcey's representatives for comment. Darcey officially announced the news on Twitter as she explained she is ready to make a change after years a judge. She said: 'It has been a complete privilege for me to be part of Strictly, working with such a talented team... 'I have enjoyed every minute of my time and will miss everyone from my fellow judges, the presenters, the dancers, the musicians, the entire back stage team, and especially the viewers of the show, who have been so supportive... End of an era: Darcey revealed it had been a 'privilege' to work on Strictly but was stepping down to give more focus to her 'other commitments in dance' 'I am not leaving because of any upset or disagreement at all, I am just stepping away to give more focus to my many other commitments in dance, after seven truly wonderful years that I cant imagine having gone any better. 'I know I will miss being part of this unique show and the fact that it celebrates dance is something I am so passionate about. I hope that I may be very lucky to be asked back again one day'. Darcey first joined the Strictly panel in 2009 working as a fifth judge in the final stages of the competition, and also took to the floor herself when she performed a jive with professional dancer Ian White in the semi-final. Annoyed: Darcey was reportedly 'fed up' with Bruno Tonioli's theatrics and quit when her demands for a 40,000 pay rise to match her salary with the other judges weren't met In 2012, she returned to the panel to replace judge Alesha Dixon, who had been drafted in as a replacement for Arlene Phillips. Before her time on Strictly, Darcey had a world renowned dance career, and is widely considered to be one of the best British ballerinas of all time. The mother-of-two announced her retirement as a principal ballerina in 2006, and from ballet entirely in 2007, and before this danced for the Royal Ballet. Such was Darcey's talent and status as a British icon that she represented the country during the 2012 Summer Olympic closing ceremony in London, where she led a troupe of 200 ballerinas and four male dancers from the Royal Ballet. In 1997, Darcey married Australian businessman Angus Forbes and the couple have two children, Phoebe, 17, and Zoe, 15. He shocked the nation after breaking off his relationship with Jessika Power last week. And on Wednesday, Married At First Sight star, Dan Webb, 35, appeared downcast while going grocery shopping alone in Brisbane. The father-of-one stocked up on cleaning products and pet food while moping around a local Coles. Dinner for one? Married At First Sight's Dan Webb looks downcast as he goes grocery shopping alone... after split with Jessika Power Dan wore a bright orange muscle T-shirt teamed with a pair of grey skinny jeans, ripped at the knee. He also wore a stylish pair of slides and accessorised with a black cap. Dan tucked his sunglasses into his shirt while he browsed the store for various household products. Is everything okay? The father-of-one stocked up on cleaning products and pet food while moping around a local Coles At one point, Dan was seen shopping in the potato crisps aisle before picking up a packet of Doritos. He then made his way over to the pet food section, lifting a heavy bag of dog food. The hunk then casually looked around while resting his arms on the shopping trolley. Yummy snack! At one point, Dan was seen shopping in the potato crisps aisle before picking up a packet of Doritos That's heavy! He then made his way over to the pet food section, lifting a heavy bag of dog food Deep in thought: The hunk then casually looked around while resting his arms on the shopping trolley Dan finished off his shopping trip by picking up a few cleaning products - including a mop and bucket. Meanwhile, after signing with a talent agency this week, Dan's 'manager' contacted a Melbourne bar via Instagram, asking the owners if they would be interested in Dan hosting an event. Section 8, which is located in the city's CBD, later shared the message publicly on Facebook and joked in the caption: '...Never a dull day in our DMs'. Cleaning items: Dan finished off his shopping trip by picking up a few cleaning products - including a mop and bucket He's famous! Meanwhile, after signing with a talent agency this week, Dan's 'manager' contacted a Melbourne bar via Instagram, asking the owners if they would be interested in Dan hosting an event Happy chap: Dan flashed his pearly whites during a friendly chat with this Coles employee The message Dan's 'manager' sent to Section 8 appears to be a generic form letter that was also sent to other Melbourne venues. 'Hi there! I am MAFS Dan Webb's manager. Just wanted to touch base to see if you would be interested in having him in to host a night?' it read. After Section 8 shared the message to Facebook, the social media manager of another nightclub, YoYo, claimed they'd received the same offer. 'We got that too!' they wrote. Split: And it comes after Dan confirmed his split with Jessika in a video published by Yahoo last Friday 'We are not together!: At the time, Dan said of Jessika: 'There is no way I am going to be dating that girl after the rumours. I'm glad I finished it, it's done' And it comes after Dan confirmed his split with Jessika in a video published by Yahoo last Friday. At the time, Dan said of Jessika: 'We are not together! There is no way I am going to be dating that girl after the rumours. I'm glad I finished it, it's done.' The former rugby player said that Jessika's rumoured tryst with MAFS groom Nic Jovanovic was a major factor in their breakup. Eek! The former rugby player said that Jessika's rumoured tryst with MAFS groom Nic Jovanovic was a major factor in their breakup 'I just wanted to get to the bottom of the whole situation with her and Nic if she flirted with him, didn't flirt with him,' he explained. 'There's rumours about her hooking up with him in an elevator. I'm hearing it happened. 'I was just honest with her. I said, 'Look I don't think I can continue this. It's toxic, you're not being honest with me. I can't have a relationship with someone if they're not honest with me'.' Soulja Boy's Los Angeles pad was burgled by thieves after the American rapper went to jail for violating his probation. A group of five male suspects allegedly boasted about the theft on the 28-year-old musician's Instagram live, according to Los Angeles police. Jewellery worth $500,000 (383,457) and $100,000 (76,691) in cash as well as an iPhone were believed to be stolen in the heist, police sources told gossip site TMZ. Revealed: Soulja Boy's LA home burgled of jewellery and cash worth $600,000 as suspects BOASTED about it on his stolen iPhone while rapper remains in jail Chains, earrings and luxury watches which made up the hefty price tag were said to taken from the Agoura Hills mansion, it was reported. A caretaker for Soulja's home was said to have alerted police to the burglary on Monday night. Suspects appeared to have gained access to the rapper's Instagram account using the stolen mobile phone, according to police. The group have reportedly contacted Soulja's A-list pals under the guise of new musical artists. Facts: A caretaker for Soulja's home was said to have alerted police to the burglary on Monday night Price tag: Jewellery worth $500,000 (383,457) and $100,000 (76,691) in cash as well as an iPhone were believed to be stolen in the heist, police sources told gossip site TMZ They claimed the rapper wants them to share the unknown group's music video on their own personal Instagram accounts, TMZ reported. Soulja, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, has 5,900,000 followers on his social media platform. It is believed Soulja is unaware of the burglary because he is behind bars. MailOnline has approached a representative for Soulja for comment. Flashy: Chains, earrings and luxury watches which made up the hefty price tag were said to taken from the Agoura Hills mansion, it was reported (pictured in June 2014) Soulja has been residing at a Californian jail since he was placed under arrest for violating the terms of his probation. The Cut Dat Check rapper was apprehended while meeting with his probation officer last month in the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California. His arrest came after authorities found ammunition at his home when cops executed a search warrant at the rapper's residence back in February. Police were searching his home in response to a woman who claimed he had held her hostage in his garage. Behind bars: Soulja has been residing at a Californian jail since he was placed under arrest for violating the terms of his probation (pictured in May 2017) The terms of his probation strictly forbid the Chicago-born artist from possessing any guns or ammunition. It stems from a 2014 charge when the rapper was convicted for carrying a loaded firearm in public. At the time in 2014, he was sentenced to 24 months of probation. In 2016, he was arrested for violating the agreement. Samantha Harris has discovered that being in the public eye isn't without its downsides. The 28-year-old model has revealed she is often attacked by nasty trolls on social media. In an interview with POPSUGAR Australia on Wednesday, Samantha confessed people often leave 'horrible' comments on her Instagram posts. 'It does hurt my feelings': Indigenous model Samantha Harris reveals the emotional impact of being attacked by social media trolls 'There are a lot of people, with a lot of opinions, and some of them aren't very nice,' she confessed. 'I've had some horrible things come my way, but I just take it with a grain of salt. It does hurt my feelings, but I'd rather them be saying it to me than a young girl that hasn't had as much life experience and can handle it.' She admitted she has become better at handling people's negative remarks though. Nasty: In an interview with POPSUGAR Australia on Wednesday, Samantha confessed people often leave 'horrible' comments for her online 'Now I've actually grown quite a thick skin which is good, because I used to get really upset about it. It still upsets me a little bit, but I just delete the comment,' she added. Samantha once again spoke out about online bullying during an interview with Living Black in August last year. 'I know people say, 'don't read them', but it's hard not to,' she said at the time. Speaking honestly: 'There are a lot of people, with a lot of opinions, and some of them aren't very nice,' she confessed 'I've had some horrible things come my way, but I just take it with a grain of salt. It does hurt my feelings,' she admitted 'I'm forever telling young girls to just ignore the negative comments, but some of these comments were horrible, they were disgusting. 'I don't know how there are people out there that would actually take the time to write horrible things about people.' Samantha was just 13 years old when she first broke into the modelling industry, and she's enjoyed a stellar career ever since. Toughening up: 'Now I've actually grown quite a thick skin which is good, because I used to get really upset about it,' she admitted Shocking: 'I don't know how there are people out there that would actually take the time to write horrible things about people' But taking to Instagram on Monday, the stunning star revealed she would like to be able to offer her younger self some words of wisdom. 'I've been asked a lot lately in interviews what would I tell a young Samantha before entering the modelling industry,' she began. 'My response, never compare yourself to anyone and be the best version of you.' She's been busy filming scenes for upcoming BBC drama, The Trial Of Christine Keeler, alongside actress Sophie Cookson. And Ellie Bamber, 22, got caught in the rain as she got into character as 1960s siren Mandy Rice-Davies outside the Highbury Vaults pub in Bristol on Wednesday. The BBC drama will tell the true story of two models who were embroiled in a political scandal, when Keeler had an affair with the married Secretary Of State For War John Profumo. Downpour: Ellie Bamber got caught in the rain while filming an upcoming BBC Christine Keeler drama in Bristol on Wednesday - she plays Mandy Rice-Davies Come rain or shine: She had a huge umbrella shielding her from the elements Ellie was dressed in a pretty pink ensemble, complete with a perfectly matching hat from the 60s, but had a very modern padded coat over the top and Ugg boots. An assistant held an oversized umbrella over her head as she made her way down the street and into a car, making sure her hair and outfit didn't get wet. Sophie, 28, who takes on the lead role of Christine Keeler, was also pictured filming on the day. Flawless: Ellie is taking on the role of model Mandy Rice-Davies, the friend of Keeler who was embroiled in the Profumo Affair (right during the trial in 1963) Candid: Keeler, who died in December 2017, once told the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that the events she was involved in back in the early Sixties 'stole [her] life' She had her hair styled into a voluminous style but was still in her own wardrobe of baggy ripped jeans, Converse trainers and a black coat. As the series nears the end of filming, Ellie spoke to the Evening Standard about her role in the series, playing Keeler's friend Mandy. She told the publication that this series will be the first time the Profumo Affair has been told from a woman's perspective. Lead role: Sophie, 28, who has taken on the lead role of Keeler, was also pictured filming on the day in her own clothes High fashion: Sophie's hair was styled into a voluminous style as she stepped out in baggy ripped jeans in the bad weather She added: 'I think it's really important because they weren't prostitutes, they weren't w****s, they were just two very, very young women who were totally manipulated and called names that they definitely weren't. 'I think it's about time the truth comes out and people actually look at it without judgement.' The BBC six-part drama - set to for release in November - will explore 19-year-old Keeler's role in the scandal, which later became known as the Profumo Affair. New role: The BBC six-part drama - set to for release in November - will explore 19-year-old Keeler's role in the scandal, which later became known as the Profumo Affair Great work: An assistant held an oversized umbrella over Ellie's head as she made her way down the street and into a car, making sure her hair and outfit didn't get wet In 1961, Keeler had a brief fling with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, who was married to film actress Valerie Hobson. Profumo denied the affair in Parliament, but to further complicate matters, Keeler had also been seeing Soviet Navy Attache Yevgeny Ivanov. The ensuing scandal hurled the young model and her friend, Rice-Davies, into the public spotlight, and ruined many of those caught up in it. Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who introduced Keeler to his friends in high places, committed suicide during his 1963 trial for living off immoral earnings. The model, who died in December 2017, once told the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that the events she was involved in back in the early Sixties 'stole [her] life'. Her son, Seymour Platt, echoed this point, as he noted to Bamigboye that his mother 'earned her place in British history, but at a huge personal price'. Coastal Dorset was exchanged for the comparative hustle and bustle of London as Kate Winslet continued work on 19th century period drama Ammonite on Tuesday. The celebrated actress was dressed in character as pioneering fossil collector, dealer and paleontologist Mary Anning, as she mingled with a busy production team while preparing to shoot her latest scenes. With the focus shifting from quaint Lyme Regis - where Anning spent much of her life - to an affluent London street, Winslet was joined by her co-star Saoirse Ronan, who appeared equally well-heeled in a patterned period dress. Here she comes: Coastal Dorset was exchanged for the comparative hustle and bustle of London as Kate Winslet continued work on 19th century period drama Ammonite on Tuesday On set: Kate was joined on set by her co-star Saoirse Ronan, who appeared equally well-heeled in a patterned period dress A horse and cart, reflective of the forthcoming film's 19th century setting, added an extra touch of authenticity to proceedings as the shooting schedule continued in earnest. 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. 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. Ready to go: The celebrated actress was dressed in character as pioneering fossil collector, dealer and paleontologist Mary Anning, the central character in her forthcoming film In good company: Kate mingled with a busy production team while preparing to shoot her latest scenes Upbeat: The actress was in high spirits as she made her way across the London set on Tuesday 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?' 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. Camera ready: Saoirse shielded her eyes with a pair of huge shades while strolling through London with what appeared to be a script Going back in time: Extras dressed in period costume were also seen waiting for cameras to roll as filming shifted from Lyme Regis to the English capital Controversial: 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 Getting involved: Actors passing as well-heeled society figures of the day prepared to shoot their scenes on Tuesday afternoon 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).' Anning is known for making major discoveries in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs at Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Just like old times: A horse and cart, reflective of the forthcoming film's 19th century setting, added an extra touch of authenticity to proceedings Quiet on set: Kate prepared to shoot a scene outside the open door pf a property listed as number six on an affluent London street Ready and waiting: Meanwhile an empty carriage idled close by Period: The actress wore a lace dress with bow detailing and her hair in pin curls Plot: The plot centres around the famous paleontologist, who becomes involved with Saoirse's Murchison after she is sent to convalesce by the sea 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. Cheery: Off camera Kate appeared in high spirits as she laughed and joked with the crew Only one can keep their citizenship. At least 111 people were already in prison, another 58 were tried in absentia. Since 2012, Manama has revoked the nationality of 990 people, of whom 180 this year alone. Activists and pro human rights NGOs speak of " mass arbitrary denaturalization". Manama (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Bahrain court sentenced 138 people to prison yesterday afternoon, at the same time revoking their citizenship (except for one). According to public prosecutors, the defendants were accused of plotting to create a "terrorist" group linked to the Pasdaran, Irans Revolutionary Guards . According to prosecutor Ahmad al-Hammadi, the judges imposed sentences ranging from three years to life imprisonment for attempts to "create a local version of Hezbollah", the Lebanese Shiite militias linked to Tehran. Some of the defendants received military training in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq. Only one of the 138 activists accused has been able to maintain citizenship, while another 30 people have been acquitted of all charges. An investigative source reveals that all the defendants belong to the Shiite community, long targeted by the Sunni monarchy that holds power in Bahrain. At least 111 people were already in prison, while another 58 were tried in absentia. Since 2012, Manama has revoked the nationality of 990 people, of whom 180 only this year. Human rights activists and international NGOs have condemned the court's decision, stressing that it "amounts to an mass arbitrary denaturalization". As an ancillary penalty, the court sentenced 96 defendants to pay a sum equal to 100 thousand dinars (265 thousand dollars) each. Bahrain is a Gulf monarchy ruled by a Sunni dynasty in a country where the majority of the population (at least 60-70%) is Shia and want constitutional changes and social and economic rights. In 2011 in the wake of the Arab Spring, riots broke out that the king of Bahrain a US ally supported by Riyadh put down with Saudi military aid. In recent years, authorities authorities arrested and sentenced Shia activists and religious leaders and suspended the activities of Al-Wefaq, the main Shia opposition group, on charges of terrorism, extremism and violence as well as ties to a foreign power (i.e. Iran).In this context, at the end of January the Supreme Court - the highest judicial body - confirmed with sentence the sentence to life imprisonment for the Shiite opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman. Anne Hathaway has spoke about giving up alcohol, being told she'd 'never get a good part after 35' and the marriage advice that keeps her relationship strong in a new candid interview with Tatler. The Oscar-winning actress, 36, looked sensational as she posed up a storm for a stunning photoshoot alongside the chat. Anne revealed earlier this year that she had given up alcohol in October for 18 years while her son, Jonathan, three, whom she shares with husband, Adam Shulman, is living in the house. Candid: Anne Hathaway has spoke about giving up alcohol, being told she'd 'never get a good part after 35' and marriage advice in a new candid interview with Tatler Talking about her decision to go teetotal, The Devil Wears Prada star told Tatler: 'I feel like a traitor. My issue is I just love it. So. Much. 'But the way I do it makes me unavailable for my son. My last hangover lasted for five days. 'I'd earned it: it was a day drinking session with friends that went into an evening birthday party with one of my drinking buddies. I will never be that person who can nurse a glass of wine throughout an entire evening.' While Anne went on to tell the magazine that she would probably be an 'alcoholic' if she hadn't of become a successful actress. Cover girl: The Oscar-winning actress, 36, looked sensational as she posed up a storm for a stunning photoshoot alongside the chat She added: 'In the gutter? I could have seen myself being a teacher. Or going into the military. Or being some kind of do-gooder with a death wish. But more likely than anything else I would have been an alcoholic.' Anne expanded on her acting career during the interview and admitted that someone once told her she would 'never get a good part again' once she turned 35. She said: 'I was always told that once I turned 35 I would turn into a pumpkin and never get a good part again. It makes me sad that the world tells me my skin is somehow less valuable than it used to be, but I dont listen and I dont agree.' Anne is happily married to her husband of seven years, Adam Shulman, the couple married in Big Sur, California, in September 2012. Teetotal: Anne revealed earlier this year that she had given up alcohol in October for 18 years while her son, Jonathan, three, whom she shares with husband, Adam Shulman, is living in the house Yet the actress shared a piece of marriage advice that fellow actor Michael Caine, who has been married to wife Shakira for 46 years, told her to keep their relationship strong. She said: 'Michael and I dont really have a ring-you-up sort of relationship. But hes always very warm and lovely when we run into each other. 'He gives me marriage advice. Separate bathrooms. When he told me that, I laughed and he looked at me and said, "Im serious, its such an important part of the marriage."' As expected in the film industry, Anne has several celebrity pals and she went on to reveal that she broke her veganism during Interstellar filming with co-star Matt Damon in Iceland. Loved-up: Anne is happily married to her husband of seven years, Adam Shulman, the couple married in Big Sur, California, in September 2012 (pictured at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this year) She said: 'We walk into a Michelin-star restaurant and because Matt is the nicest guy he says: "Ill just have whatever the chef wants to serve me." 'And my husband who had just completed a year of veganism says, "Me too." I was like: "Sweetie, hes having a reindeer carpaccio..." 'So then I was the only chick and Im the vegan and everyones just going with the flow. So I asked: "Is your fish local?" And they said: "Do you see that fjord?" So I had a piece of salmon and my brain felt like a computer rebooting.' For the photoshoot, Anne rocked three different looks with her first ensemble consisting of black, pink and Champagne coloured patterned dress, with encrusted jewels and a black velvet neckline. Motherhood: Talking about her decision to go teetotal, she said: 'I feel like a traitor. My issue is I just love it. So. Much. But the way I do it makes me unavailable for my son. My last hangover lasted for five days.' (pictured together in 2017) The actress oozed Hollywood glamour with a full face of dramatic make-up, which included a dark smoky eyeshadow, oversized pearl earrings and a black sheer gloves. A different look saw Anne show off her wild side in head-to-toe tiger print, as she wore a bodycon dress, matching hat and heels. For her cover ensemble the award-winning actress wore a strapless silver sequinned dress, which she accessorised with a collection of dramatic rings and her brunette locks sweptback. See the full feature in the June issue of Tatler, available on digital download and newsstands on Thursday 25th April. He's the younger brother of controversial Married At First Sight groom, Dan Webb. And Sam Webb has found love with former Miss California, Nadia Mejia, according to The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday. As Dan adjusts to single life after his public split with Jessika Power, Sam has gushed over his new relationship. One door closes, another opens! Dan Webb's brother Sam (left) finds love with former Miss California Nadia Mejia (right)... while the MAFS' star adjusts to single life after split with Jessika Power 'She was in Sydney on a modelling contract and was good friends with [Sam's friend] Evan through mutual friends, so we all went to dinner thinking nothing of it and here we are today,' he said. Former Survivor star Sam, who lives in Sydney while Nadia lives in the U.S, explained that the pair will split their time in the year between countries. 'It's not even like we are dealing with long distance because we are travelling with one another and able to do what we love with the person we love,' he told the publication. Moving on: While Dan (pictured) adjusts to the single life after his public split with Jessika Power, his brother Sam gushed over his new ladylove 'She was in Sydney on a modelling contract and was good friends with [Sam's friend] Evan through mutual friends, so we all went to dinner thinking nothing of it and here we are today,' Sam (L) told The Daily Telegraph Confidential on Wednesday. Pictured R: Nadia 'It is a beautiful feeling and one I am looking forward to growing.' Meanwhile, Sam's brother Dan is adjusting to the single life after he confirmed his split with Jessika in a video published by Yahoo last Friday. At the time, Dan said of Jessika: 'We are not together! There is no way I am going to be dating that girl after the rumours. I'm glad I finished it, it's done.' 'I'm glad I finished it, it's done': Meanwhile, Dan (R) is adjusting to the single life after he confirmed his split with Jessika (L) in a video published by Yahoo last Friday The former rugby player said that Jessika's rumoured tryst with MAFS groom Nic Jovanovic was a major factor in their breakup. 'I just wanted to get to the bottom of the whole situation with her and Nic if she flirted with him, didn't flirt with him,' he explained. 'There's rumours about her hooking up with him in an elevator. I'm hearing it happened. 'I was just honest with her. I said, 'Look I don't think I can continue this. It's toxic, you're not being honest with me. I can't have a relationship with someone if they're not honest with me'.' She has been travelling across the globe after her split from her DJ boyfriend Tom Zanetti. And Hayley Hughes looked like she was thoroughly enjoying her time in Dubai on Tuesday as she hit the pool in a skimpy yellow bikini. The Love Island beauty, 22, sets pulses racing on Instagram as showed off her incredible figure in an array of eye-catching swimwear. Bikini babe: Hayley Hughes looked like she was thoroughly enjoying her time in Dubai on Tuesday as she hit the pool in a bright sunshine yellow bikini, which showed off her figure In one snap, Hayley slipped into a bright sunshine yellow two-piece as she topped up her tan, with a cocktail in hand. Showing off her peachy derriere in the thong bikini bottoms, the Liverpudlian beauty pouted for the camera before changing into a fuchsia pink crop top and denim hotpants for a fun night out. She captioned the post: 'Our last night tonight had the best time ever'. Flaunting her figure: The Love Island beauty, 22, sets pulses racing on Instagram as showed off her incredible figure in an array of colourful bikinis Strike a pose! Clad in a black cut-out swimsuit, Hayley flaunted her tremendous pins and toned abs as she seductively posed for the camera But before saying goodbye to Dubai and jetting on a plane, the reality star couldn't resist heading to the beach for an impromptu photoshoot. Clad in a black cut-out swimsuit, Hayley, who jetted to Spain earlier this month before her trip to Dubai, flaunted her tremendous pins and toned abs as she seductively posed for the camera. Hayley's spree of holidays come after she announced her split from DJ Tom Zanetti in late January. She announced her break-up on Instagram: 'Due to a lot of speculation I would like to confirm me and Tom have in fact split. Sun worshiper: Hayley's spree of holidays come after she announced her split from DJ Tom Zanetti in late January 'I believe the most important relationship we have is the one we have with ourselves. I wish him all the best x'. In an OK! interview back in November, the Liverpudlian star and her DJ beau discussed tying the knot with the blonde beauty admitting: 'He knows my ring size.' The couple first started dating in August last year, following her appearance on ITV2 dating show Love Island. She was eliminated from the villa early on into the series, after struggling to find romance while on the show. The blonde beauty originally paired up with Eyal Booker before they decided they hated each other, and eventually moved on with Charlie Frederick. But they became the first pair to leave the villa after being deemed as 'the least compatible' couple. One of Hayley's most memorable moments on the show came when she mistakenly announced that leaving the EU would mean 'we wont have any trees', which lead to her meeting with Nigel Farage upon leaving the villa so that she could be taught about Brexit. She is blazing the promo trail for her new thriller Serenity. And Anne Hathaway is ensuring all eyes are on her during her tour as she put on a sensational display while attending Radio 2 in London on Wednesday morning. The 36-year-old Devil Wears Prada star wowed in a slick teal suit with a peek of her lace camisole on show from underneath while going for a polished beauty look. The teal deal: Anne Hathaway looked sensational in teal while attending Radio 2 in London on Wednesday morning (L) before changing into an animal print sweater and cropped jeans (R) Anne was flawlessly turned out as she arrived at the studio while sporting the sleek and sexy ensemble comprising of a double-breasted suit and trousers. The actress accentuated her endless legs with the wide-cut trousers while she boosted her height with a pair of sky-high black patent heels. From beneath the plunging top, she gave a flash of her delicate lace top while jazzing up the ensemble with a pair of heavy earrings. She slicked her bold brunette tresses into bouncy waves while adding a touch of Hollywood glamour with her over-sized sunglasses. Stunner: The 36-year-old Devil Wears Prada star wowed in a slick teal suit with a peek of her lace camisole on show from underneath while going for a polished beauty look Strutting her stuff: She looked sensational in the ensemble as she stepped out (L) and looked equally stylish later on after changing into an animal print sweater and jeans (R) A vision: She looked sensational as she headed out on the town but quickly changed into a more casual ensemble after her radio appearance Stunner: The actress accentuated her endless legs with the wide-cut trousers while she boosted her height with a pair of sky-high black patent heels The actress looked equally stylish later on after changing into an animal print sweater and cropped jeans. She was spotted leaving her hotel toting her belongings in a chic cross-body bag and a padded shopper. Anne had ditched her elegant heels in favour of pointed woven slip-ons for the remainder of her day in London. Strutting her stuff: She highlighted all her best bits as she sashayed out of the venue Low-key: he was spotted leaving her hotel toting her belongings in a chic cross-body bag and a padded shopper Comfort first: Anne had ditched her elegant heels in favour of pointed woven slip-ons for the remainder of her day in London Stunning: The natural beauty still looked radiant in her more casual outfit Anne stated earlier this year that she was going to avoid alcohol until her son, Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, turns 18-year-old. The little boy - whom she shares with husband Adam Shulman - is only three years old. But the Oscar-winning actress has now insisted it is not a 'moralistic stance' and is not because she has a problem with drinking. But her choice has been made because cocktails give her bad hangovers. The brunette star - who can next be seen with Rebel Wilson in The Hustle - added that sometimes her hangovers would last five days. Pretty: She flashed a wide smile at fans as she left her hotel Happy days: She looked chic and sensational for the outing T-total: Anne stated earlier this year that she was going to avoid alcohol until her son, Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, turns 18-year-old Fresh! The brunette star - who can next be seen with Rebel Wilson in The Hustle - added that sometimes her hangovers would last five days She explained to Boston Common Magazine: 'I didn't put [a drink] down because my drinking was a problem; I put it down because the way I drink leads me to have hangovers and those were the problem. My last hangover lasted for five days.' The Les Miserables star added, 'When I'm at a stage in my life where there is enough space for me to have a hangover, I'll start drinking again, but that won't be until my kid is out of the house... 'But, I just want to make this clear: Most people don't have to do such an extreme thing. I don't think drinking is bad... 'It's just the way I do it - which I personally think is really fun and awesome - is just not the kind of fun and awesome that goes with having a child for me. But this isn't a moralistic stance.' Stunner: The Les Miserables star added, 'When I'm at a stage in my life where there is enough space for me to have a hangover, I'll start drinking again' Geri Halliwell marked Victoria Beckham's 45th birthday with an incredible throwback snap from their reunion tour in 2007. The Spice Girls bandmates posed alongside Geri's daughter Bluebell, now 12, and Victoria's son Brooklyn, now 20, in the behind-the-scenes shot in which Posh Spice was barely-recognisable with her famed Pob in place. The 46-year-old Bag It Up hitmaker, who is currently preparing to embark on a reunion tour with all the Spice Girls bar Victoria, wrote a caption reading: 'Happy Birthday @victoriabeckham this was us on tour in 2007!' Happy days: Geri Halliwell marked Victoria Beckham's 45th birthday with an incredible throwback snap to their reunion tour in 2007 In 2007, the Spice Girls, who disbanded in 2000 following Geri's departure in 1998, announced they were returning to the stage for a Greatest Hits tour. Taken backstage on the tour, Geri's birthday tribute showed the duo with their beloved kids while also rocking their incredibly glamorous stage ensembles. While the picture displayed the duo's boundless youth, the giveaway of the time period was due to Victoria's famed Pob - the name given to her choppy bob. Her snap is a possible olive branch, after Geri appeared to throw shade at her former band mate Victoria during a quickfire interview with Rob Beckett last month. Here come the girls! In 2007, The Spice Girls, who disbanded in 2000 following Geri's departure in 1998, announced they were returning to the stage for a Greatest Hits tour in 2007 (pictured at GM Place in Vancouver) Way back when: While the picture displayed the duo's boundless youth, the giveaway of the time period due to her famed Pob - the name given to her choppy bob Way back when: Geri and Victoria joined Mel B, Mel C and Emma Bunton (left-right) in making up the beloved girl group Changing times: Geri was glowing in the snap in which she honoured her pal The funny man, 33, started off by asking the pop star, 46, generic questions such as moon or the sun, a night in or night out, and blonde or ginger hair. Geri's interrogation became personal when Rob asked: 'Posh or Baby?' Without hesitation, the beauty fired back with her selection of Emma Bunton and then refused to select her choice between Mel B and Mel C. Proving her shock, Geri covered her mouth and giggled when Rob Beckett told her she had no worries between selecting Emma over Victoria. Chatting on Lorraine in November, the newly-reformed girl group reiterated that there is no bad blood between the four members going on tour, and the absent Posh Spice who is sitting it out due to her career as a fashion designer. Then and now: Brooklyn looked incredibly sweet in the shot shared by his mum's bandmate Who's that girl? The Spice Girls bandmates posed alongside Geri's daughter Bluebell, now 12, and Victoria's son Brooklyn, now 20, in the behind-the-scenes shot in which Posh Spice was barely-recognisable with her famed Pob in place Who's who! Bluebell was just a tot in the snap as she clung on to her mum Each of them - Geri, Mel C, Mel B and Emma Bunton - insisted that Victoria is fully supportive, whether she is 'on stage or off stage' and that she won't ever not be a Spice Girl. 'Vicky is supportive on and off the stage,' Geri said. 'The five of us have always had this thing, we support each other on and off stage. We did speak to her and meet up with her and we said, "Look, youre in the band on and off the stage, it doesnt matter".' 'The thing is, were very proud of Victoria. She works incredibly hard and what shes achieved is amazing. Adorable: Victoria's son Romeo shared a sweet tribute to his mum, as he called her the 'best mum in the world' 'She will always be a Spice Girl, as we will and always have been.' added Mel C, with Mel B saying: 'I'm hopeful we'll get back together, I want to tour america too! It will work at some point!' Also paying tribute to Victoria on her birthday was her eldest son Brooklyn, who commemorated the day with an adorable throwback snap of Victoria holding him as a toddler. Brooklyn, who was wearing a tiny Manchester United kit in the snap, captioned the image: 'Happy Birthday mum xx I love you so much xx you are the best mum and an amazing woman xx' For someone who suffers from acute shyness, it is hard to imagine choosing a more unlikely line of work. But that is precisely what Australian ex-pat Radha Mitchell, 45, has done in pursuing her dream as a film actor. Having starred in a number of big budget movies including Finding Neverland, alongside Johnny Depp, and Man On Fire, with Denzel Washington, Radha has not let her fear of the spotlight prevent her from forging a successful career in Hollywood. 'I don't really enjoy having too much attention': On Wednesday, Australian actor Radha Mitchell (pictured), 45, revealed her acute shyness, despite starring in big budget movies including Finding Neverland and Man On Fire She told Sydney Confidential on Thursday that she prefers to maintain a low profile and focus on the craft of acting. 'I think I am a pretty discrete kind of person and actually quite shy,' the blonde beauty said. 'I don't really enjoy having too much attention on me but I do love the magic of cinema and the craft of acting.' Dedicated: Radha (right) has not let her fear of the spotlight prevent her from forging a long career in showbusiness Radha, who has been acting for more than 30 years, landed her first role in the ABC's TV series Sugar And Spice in 1989. She recently starred as the titular character in low-budget Australian movie, Celeste. The film was about a renowned opera diva preparing to return to the stage after a long absence, having retired early for love on a crumbling estate in Far North Queensland. Private: She told Sydney Confidential on Thursday that she prefers to maintain a low profile and focus on her work: 'I am a pretty discrete kind of person and actually quite shy. I don't really enjoy having too much attention on me but I do love the magic of cinema and the craft of acting' Celeste also starred veteran Australian actor Nadine Garner, who played Jean Beazley in The Doctor Blake Mysteries. In 2018, Radha also played the role of Jo Jones in the Australian coming-of-age comedy Swinging Safari, which also starred Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Julian McMahon. Fans of the hard-working star should keep a look out for two other film productions she has completed, including The World Without You, and 2 Hearts. She is known to put on a dazzling display on the Strictly dancefloor or a wild appearance on The Greatest Dancer judging panel. Yet Oti Mabuse admits she was not always so confident as she revealed she was bullied as a child for wearing glasses, in a candid interview given as she was unveiled as the latest ambassador for Specsavers' Spectacle Wearer Of The Year. The 28-year-old South African beauty touched on her bullying past before posing for a series of dazzling snaps while rocking all her favourite glasses from the line. Stunner: Oti Mabuse admits she was not always so confident as she revealed she was bullied as a child for wearing glasses, in a candid interview given as she was unveiled as the latest ambassador for Specsavers' Spectacle Wearer Of The Year Oti admits she previously struggled with other children and how she was treated for wearing glasses, yet remains determined to push body confidence on youngsters. She said: 'Kids uses to call me 'four eyes' but I always say four are better than two. To anyone who is experiencing bullying I would say 'own it'... 'Love yourself and your glasses. They are cool and of course they are there for a reason, so you can see. You are beautiful because of who you are not what you look like.' On wearing glasses for most of her life, she went on: 'Ive been wearing them since I was ten years old so its a way of life for me. I dont get up in the morning without putting my glasses on first thing... Open and honest: The 28-year-old South African beauty touched on her bullying past before posing for a series of dazzling snaps while rocking all her favourite glasses from the line Glittery girl: In the shoot to accompany her new ambassador role, Oti put on a sensational display as she rocked a host of different frames to suit all styles 'I have so many glasses! I have different ones for different occasions. I think theyre a cool accessory and they make me feel very stylish. I always make sure there is a spectacle for every spectacle!' In the shoot to accompany her new ambassador role, Oti put on a sensational display as she rocked a host of different frames to suit all styles. The most glam of the images came in a fun-filled shot of the stunner as she giggled while rocking a deeply-plunging sequinned top an ombre glasses. All white? One of her looks comprised of a glittering ensemble with loose locks Shocker: Her new shoot came after she ruled out rumours that she is set to replace Darcey Bussell on the show's judging panel (pictured with last year's partner Graeme Swann) She later slipped into a sizzling silver pencil skirt paired with a glittering navy top while she also rocked a pair of thick framed glasses. Speaking about her role as ambassador, she went on: 'Im delighted to be this years SWOTY ambassador... 'These awards help challenge the stigma that some people have about wearing glasses whatever your age, wearing glasses is cool... 'I believe people should be proud to wear glasses. Embrace them, they are part of who you are and you are fabulous!' Check me out! She proved her modelling prowess as she gazed into a mirror Cheeky! A plunging number perfectly coordinated with her frames Her new shoot came after she ruled out rumours that she is set to replace Darcey Bussell on the show's judging panel. Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday morning she quashed bookmakers' predictions that she was pegged to take the role of judge following the ballet legend's quit announcement last week. The beauty confessed: 'I think I would absolutely miss [dancing] and that part of it'. Playful: One pair of red glasses perfectly framed her pretty face and coodinated with her top She is spending the Easter break in Los Angeles with the Beckham brood. And Victoria celebrated her 45th birthday celebrations in style as she enjoyed a dinner with pals on Tuesday night. Maria Sharapova took to Instagram to mark the moment the fashion designer prepared to cut her chocolate cake, ahead of her birthday on Wednesday. Party time: Victoria Beckham celebrated her 45th birthday celebrations in style as she enjoyed a dinner with pals on Tuesday night With all her friends recording and an assistant ensuring the lighting was right, Victoria swung the spoon high up in the air, ready to slice the four-tiered cake. Victoria's sweet tooth was evident as Maria showed off the doughnuts on their dinner table. She captioned the post: 'Donuts and Victoria Beckham breaking into her birthday.' Celebrations: Maria Sharapova took to Instagram to mark the moment the fashion designer prepared to cut her chocolate cake, ahead of her birthday on Wednesday Delicious: With all her friends recording and an assistant ensuring the lighting was right, Victoria swung the spoon ready to slice the four-tiered cake Victoria's sweet tooth was evident as Maria showed off the doughnuts on their dinner table Victoria later shared the clip on her own Instagram page, writing: 'Early birthday dinner with friends! Kisses.' While the mother-of-five partied in LA, fellow Spice Girl Geri Horner sent her well wishes with a sweet message and throwback snap from their 2007 tour. The bandmates posed alongside Geri's daughter Bluebell, now 12, and Victoria's son Brooklyn, now 20, in the behind-the-scenes shot in which Posh Spice was barely-recognisable with her famed Pob in place. Scrumptious: Victoria's sweet tooth was evident as Maria showed off the doughnuts on their dinner table The 46-year-old Bag It Up hitmaker, who is currently preparing to embark on a reunion tour with all the Spice Girls bar Victoria, wrote a caption reading: 'Happy Birthday @victoriabeckham this was us on tour in 2007!' Earlier this week, Victoria and the Beckham clan headed to Eva Longoria's house for an early birthday and Easter party. The Spice Girl joked her youngest child, daughter Harper, seven, was nearly as tall as Eva. Happy days: Geri Halliwell marked Victoria's 45th birthday with an incredible throwback snap to their reunion tour in 2007 Adorable: Victoria's son Romeo shared a sweet tribute to his mum, as he called her the 'best mum in the world' Victoria, wrote: 'Almost as tall as @evalongoria and proud!' alongside the snap of the 5ft 2" former Desperate Housewives star Eva, also 44, posed wearing a black suit and backless Gucci loafers and had a pensive expression on her face as she stood back to back against the youngest Beckham child. Victoria also shared a snap of Harper cooing over Eva's baby, Santiago. Bebe Rexha is set to give Keith Lemon a hilarious lesson in twerking on Thursday's Celebrity Juice. In a preview for the Easter special, the American songstress offers to give the host a lesson after Holly Willoughby insists he's a 'really good dancer.' Never one to miss a cheeky innuendo, Keith leaves the crowd in hysterics after Bebe asks him to 'come down here,' leading the presenter to naughtily gyrate against team caption Paddy McGuinness. Funny: Bebe Rexha is set to give Keith Lemon a hilarious lesson in twerking on Thursday's Celebrity Juice Easter Special In the preview, Keith praised Bebe's incredible dance moves, as he says: 'Bebe I do sexy dancing.' Holly then reiterates: 'He's actually a really good dancer,' leading Bebe to suggest they demonstrate some of their best moves. As Keith steps away from the desk he then adds 'I'll show you my sexy dance, come on.' Playful: In a preview released ahead of the special, Bebe offers to teach Keith how to twerk, after he insists he can 'do sexy dancing' Hilarious: Keith asks Bebe whether she can sexy dance, as the American songstress is no stranger to a daring dance routine Bebe then asks whether they could play some 'good twerking music,' as she removes her jacket, before suggesting Keith comes down to a lower level. Never one to pass off a cheeky innuendo, Keith then makes a suggestive expression, leaving the audience in hysterics. Pointing to Hollyoaks star Will he says: 'Happy Birthday,' while the actor eagerly asks: 'Where to do you want me?' Paddy McGuinness is also keen to get in on the action, as he runs away from his desk and excitedly says: 'It's my birthday in August!' Daring: Bebe then asks whether they could play some 'good twerking music,' as she removes her jacket, before suggesting Keith comes down to a lower level Twerk it out: Never one to pass off a cheeky innuendo, Keith then makes a suggestive expression, leaving the audience in hysterics Loving it: Pointing to Hollyoaks star Will Mellor (seen here far left) he says: 'Happy Birthday,' while the actor eagerly asks: 'Where to do you want me?' The clip then ends with the Bebe saying: 'You're going down like this and you're going to put your hands here.' Of course the suggestion also leaves the audience in hysterics, as Keith proceeds to twerk up against Paddy. Bebe is one of the big stars set to feature on Celebrity Juice's Easter Special, as team captain Holly will also be joined by soap star Will. Paddy will join forces with Coronation Street star Sair Khan, and series regular Johnny Vegas, who will embrace the Easter spirit by dressing up as a lamb. Celebrity Juice: Easter and Will Mellor Birthday Special, will air Thursday at 10pm on ITV2. She is embarking on a new career in criminal law and plans to take the California state bar exam in 2022. And proving how serious she is about her new passion, dedicated law student Kim Kardashian was pictured with a binder tucked under her arm as she arrived at her torts exam on Wednesday. Kim was dressed comfortably in sweats as she hopped out of her Range Rover and into a building in Los Angeles. Dedicated: Kim Kardashian carried a binder into her torts exam in Los Angeles on Wednesday as she embarks on her law studies Serious student: Proving how serious she is about her new passion, dedicated law student Kim Kardashian was pictured with a binder tucked under her arm as she arrived at her exam She made sure to wear a casual outfit so as not to distract from the matter at hand and lugged a khaki backpack which appeared to be weighed down with more books. However, while the rest of her attire may well have matched that of any other hard-working student, there was one very obvious giveaway as to Kim's wealth and celebrity status. In her left hand the reality star carried a cream crocodile Hermes Birkin bag, that is estimated to be worth at least $100,000 - however depending on when and where she bough it, the bag could have cost much more. Crocodile skin Birkin bags are traditionally known to be the most expensive - and one actually holds the record for the most expensive Hermes bag sold at auction; in 2017, a Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin sold for a staggering $383,000. The bag, which was made from an 'almost albino' crocodile, was of an incredibly rare finish - however Kim also owns a near identical version that is slightly smaller than the Birkin she had with her for her law exam. Kim was likely the only person in the exam to be toting such a pricey purse - which could help many students cover a considerable portion of the costs of their college education - an it seems to have served as something of a lucky charm for her. Later in the day the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star revealed she passed the exam. 'Aced my test btw,' she wrote on Twitter along with some related emojis. Keeping it comfy: She made sure to wear a casual outfit so as not to distract from the matter at hand Coming prepared: The reality star lugged a khaki backpack which appeared to be weighed down with more books Exam day: Kim was dressed comfortably in sweats as she hopped out of her Range Rover and into an office building in Los Angeles On Instagram on Tuesday Kim shared a glimpse of some study notes in her binder as well as flashcards featuring handwritten legal definitions and key terms on them. Within her notes could be seen definitions of 'negligence', 'standard of care' and 'breach of duty.' She captioned the images with 'Torts Test Tomorrow'. A tort is 'a wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability.' Torts is one of three subjects that Kardashian has been studying in her first year of law. Kim revealed this week that she's coming to the end of her first year of studies and will be taking the 'baby bar' exam in June. She discussed her new direction in life in a Vogue interview last week, revealing that she has been studying for the 2022 state bar exam since last summer. 'Aced it!': Kim later tweeted on Wednesday that she passed the test Ambition: Kim's binder had the word 'criminal' written on the spine and she carried a cream snakeskin Birkin bag Legal terminology: Kim was tested on her knowledge of torts - which are 'wrongful acts or infringements of rights leading to civil legal liability.' She's got this! Kim disappeared into an office building after arriving solo Days later she hit back at her haters who accused her of relying on her 'money and privilege' to pursue her dream with a lengthy Instagram post. She detailed the grueling study schedule she has undertaken to achieve her goal and that she disconnected from her friends and sacrificed time with her kids to spend 18 hours a week on her studies. 'I want people to understand that there is nothing that should limit your pursuit of your dreams, and the accomplishment of new goals. You can create your own lanes, just as I am. She added, 'The state bar doesnt care who you are. Everyone can take this route if you live in a state where this is allowed. Its true I did not finish college. Exam time: Kim shared to her Instagram account on Monday that she was brushing up on her legal terminology ahead of a 'torts test tomorrow' Kim went on to reveal that she needed 60 credits to 'read the law' in an 'in office law school being apprenticed by lawyers' and she had 75. 'For anyone assuming this is the easy way out, its not. My weekends are spent away from my kids while I read and study. I work all day, put my kids to bed and spend my nights studying. Kim admitted feeling daunted at the huge challenge she set for herself but is thankful for her support system after distancing herself from her social group to dedicate her time to her studies. She continued, 'There are times I feel overwhelmed and when I feel like I cant do it but I get the pep talks I need from the people around me supporting me. I changed my number last year and disconnected from everyone because I have made this strict commitment to follow a dream of mine - Its never too late to follow your dreams.' Along with her message Kim posted a photo of her sat down with her two mentors Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney. The reality star began a four-year long apprenticeship at a San Francisco law firm last summer. Diligent: In an Instagram post on Monday, Kim explained the lengths she is going to study for the state bar. She is pictured with her mentors Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney She said she was inspired to study law after successfully petitioning US President Donald Trump last year to pardon Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother, had served nearly 22 years of a life sentence for cocaine trafficking. A week after meeting with Kardashian, President Trump pardoned Johnson in June 2018. 'I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society,' she told Vogue. 'I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it, and if I knew more, I could do more,' said the mother-of-three whose own father Robert was an attorney who helped defend OJ Simpson in his murder trial. During Holy Week, by praying "the Our Father, we can ask for one of these graces: to live our days for the glory of God, that is to live with love; to know how to entrust ourselves to the Father in trials and to say 'dad' to the Father and to find forgiveness and the courage to forgive in enountering the Father. Francis again recalled the fire of Notre-Dame: "the work of reconstruction: it can be a choral work, for the praise and glory of God". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - During Holy Week, by praying "the Our Father, we can ask for one of these graces: to live our days for the glory of God, that is to live with love; to know how to entrust ourselves to the Father in trials and to say 'dad' to the Father and to find forgiveness and the courage to forgive in enountering the Father. Both things go together. The Father forgives us, but gives us the courage to forgive. " These are prayers addressed by Jesus to the Father during the Passion that Pope Francis reflected on to urge the faithful present at the general audience to pray with the same intentions of Jesus. Again today, in his greeting to French-speaking people, Francis recalled the fire of Notre-Dame. "Dear brothers and sisters - he said - I was very sad and I feel so close to all of you. The gratitude of the whole Church goes to those who have worked hard, even risking their lives, to save the Basilica. May the Blessed Virgin Mary bless them and support the work of reconstruction: may it be a choral work, for the praise and glory of God ". Previously, he had proposed "some words with which Jesus, during the Passion, prayed to the Father". The first invocation takes place after the Last Supper, "when the Lord, "raised His eyes to heaven and said: Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son - and then glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began (John 17.1-5). Jesus asks for glory, a request that seems paradoxical while the Passion is at the door ". But the "glory" of which the Bible often speaks "indicates the revelation of God, it is the distinctive sign of His saving presence among men. Now, Jesus is the one who definitively manifests the presence and salvation of God. And he does it at Easter: raised up on the cross, he is glorified (see Jn 12: 23-33)". "Dear brothers and sisters, let us make Jesus' prayer our own: let us ask the Father to remove the veils from our eyes so that in these days, looking at the Crucifix, we can accept that God is love. How often do we imagine Him a master and not a Father, how often do we think of Him as a severe judge rather than a merciful Savior! But God at Easter closes the distance, showing Himself in the humility of a love that demands our love. Therefore, we give Him glory when we live all that we do with love, when we do everything with our heart, as it was for Him (see Col 3:17) ". The second invocation is in Gethsemane: Jesus is alone, he knows that the moment of the Passion has arrived. "Jesus feels the "fear and anguish of the betrayal, contempt, suffering and failure that await Him. In the abyss of his sadness and desolation, He addresses the Father with the most tender and sweet word: Abba, that is, Father. (see Mk 14: 33-36).In His trials, Jesus teaches us to embrace the Father in prayer in order to find the strength to go through pain. Amidst trials, the Pope said, prayer brings relief, trust and comfort. In His abandonment and interior desolation, Jesus is not alone, He is with the Father". "The biggest problem is not pain, but how it is dealt with. Solitude offers no way out; prayer, yes, because it is relationship, trust. Jesus entrusts everything and entrusts himself to the Father, bringing him what he feels, leaning on him in his struggle. When we enter our Gethsemane, let us remember to pray like this: Father . "Finally, the Holy Father drew attention to the third prayer of Jesus: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. (Luke 23,34). At the moment of His crucifixion, Jesus prays for those who were wicked to Him and His killers. It is at that moment of most acute pain, when His wrists and feet are pierced with nails and when pain reaches its peak, love reaches its climax. Forgiveness, the gift of immense power, then arrives breaking the circle of evil". At the end of the audience, in greetings in Italian, the Pope expressed his hope that Easter will make the faithful reflect "on the love that God has shown to have for all of you". And "the Lord grant you to participate fully in the mystery of His death and resurrection, and help you to make His feelings yours and share them with your neighbor". The audience was also an opportunity for Francis to greet Greta Thunberg, the young environmental activist who is in Rome for some meetings. The highly-anticipated third instalment in the John Wick franchise - John Wick 3: Parabellum - is set for release in one month. And fans of the series will be delighted to know that the bond is stronger than ever between Keanu Reeves' titular hero and his on-screen pooch, as demonstrated in a brand new teaser clip. The clip sees John and said dog - the same unnamed pit bull he saved at the end of John Wick and who was then featured in John Wick 2 - as they climb into the back of a cab in the midst of a rainstorm in New York. Puppy love: Keanu Reeves' titular hero and his on-screen pooch are seen bonding in a brand new teaser clip for John Wick 3: Parabellum The destination: the New York Public Library - for reasons yet to be discovered. But there's a change of plan when John decides suddenly he needs to get out - leaving his canine companion behind, with the driver. 'Change of plan,' John says, holding up a gold coin, used by his insider network. He instructs the driver to take his pet to The Continental and leave him with the concierge. Tick tock: The highly-anticipated third instalment in the John Wick franchise - John Wick 3: Parabellum - is set for release in one month On the run: The clip sees John and said dog - the same unnamed pit bull he saved at the end of John Wick and who was then featured in John Wick 2 - as they climb into the back of a cab in the midst of a rainstorm in New York Knowing who he is, the driver takes the coin and replies: 'Yes sir, Mr Wick.' John gives the dag a loving stroke, tells him he's a good dog, and leaves. Fans of the franchise will no doubt wonder what this means for the hit man's status within the assassin network, given that at the end of John Wick 2 he was banned from every Continental service. Change of plan: John decides suddenly he needs to get out of the car - leaving his canine companion behind, with the driver Instructions: He instructs the driver to take his pet to The Continental and leave him with the concierge Surely, if this was still the case, his dog would not be welcome there either. Behind-the-scenes photos made their way on to Instagram during production, revealing the real name of the dog was ChaCha - and a female. The plot for the third chapter in the trilogy sees John on the run, after killing Santino D'Antonio, with a $14 million global contract on him, triggered at the end of the sequel. A price: 'Change of plan,' John says, holding up a gold coin, used by his insider network What's next? The plot for the third chapter in the trilogy sees John on the run, after killing Santino D'Antonio, with a $14 million global contract on him, triggered at the end of the sequel The story sees him attempting to flee New York City with the help of Sofia - played by Halle Berry, a new addition to the franchise. The movie's subtitle comes from a 4th century Roman military quote - 'Si vis pacem, para bellum'. Translated, this means, 'If you want peace, prepare for war.' John Wick 3: Parabellum is released on May 17. Kelsey Grammer stepped out in London on Wednesday afternoon clutching a script with 'Frasier' emblazoned across the front of it. The American actor - who played the titular Dr Frasier Crane in the sitcom, and beforehand in Cheers - held the pages close to him as he made his way to rehearsals for Man Of La Mancha, the musical he will star in when it opens at the London Coliseum later this month. But the star, 64, seemed to have more than one project on his mind, clearly bringing the script along with him to work on in his breaks. He's listening (again!): Kelsey Grammer stepped out in London on Wednesday afternoon clutching a script with 'Frasier' emblazoned across the front of it The front of the file featured the 'Frasier' logo, used at the start of each episode. Next to this was the word GRAMMNET - the name of Grammer's production company, known for producing various shows featuring the thespian over the years. The appearance of the script appears to not only confirm that the show is set for a comeback, but that at least one new episode has been written - the first since the series ended in 2004. The last show - titled Goodnight, Seattle - saw the sitcom seemingly end for good. But rumblings of the iconic comedy returning to screens have been rife over the past year or so, since the likes of Will & Grace and Roseanne [later re-branded as The Conners] were resurrected successfully. In writing! The front of the file featured the famous 'Frasier' logo, used at the start of each episode. Next to this was the word GRAMMNET - the name of Grammer's production company, known for producing various shows featuring Grammer over the years Confirmed? The appearance of the script appears to not only confirm that the show is set for a comeback, but that at least one new episode has been written - the first since the series ended in 2004 Grammer all but confirmed that scripts were being written in an interview last month, hinting at the plot that's in the pipeline. Speaking to Metro, the actor - who played the titular character from 1984 [in Cheers] until 2004 [when spin-off series Frasier came to a close] - teased that the reboot would mirror the storyline that Frasier was based around when it first aired in 1993. This centered around Frasier's relationship with his father, Martin Crane, played by the late John Mahoney. Whether hes got six children and a wife in the islands somewhere, he needs to come back to probably resolve things with his son Frederick, which mirrors the show in the first place, Grammer said. 'Baby, I hear reboots are calling!' The American actor - who played the titular Dr Frasier Crane in the sitcom - held the pages close to him as he made his way to rehearsals for Man Of La Mancha, the musical he will star in when it opens at the London Coliseum later this month In the works: Grammer teased for the first time the potential plot for the in-the-works Frasier reboot last month Homage: The American actor teased that the reboot will mirror the storyline that Frasier was based around when it first aired in 1993; namely Frasier's relationship with his father, Martin Crane, played by the late John Mahoney He also said on This Morning recently that he hoped they would bring it back, but 'we're sort of shopping for the right idea'. He said: 'Will & Grace have done a continuation now, and it's basically the next day from when they were last on air, and I dont think thats appropriate for Frasier. We hope somebody wants to write the cheque, but no one has come up to us yet. It seems the cheque may have now been written, however. The series opened with Frasier moving to a plush bachelor pad in his native Seattle, having lived in Boston during his character's time on Cheers. In the pilot - The Good Son - Frasier was advised that his dad, an ex-policeman with a hip injury after being shot on the job - could not live alone anymore. Could it be? Grammer - who played the titular character from 1984 [in Cheers] until 2004 [when spin-off series Frasier came to a close] - all but confirmed that scripts were being written, hinting at the plot that's in the pipeline Reboot: 'Id want everybody back, if they want to come back. They seem to,' said Grammer The premise for the show was set up with Martin, his dog Eddie and his ugly armchair being moved into Frasier's apartment to stay permanently. This paved the way for Frasier to hire Daphne Moon [Jane Leeves], a physical therapist-cum-housekeeper, whom Frasier's brother Niles [David Hyde Pierce] became obsessed with and, eventually, married. Mahoney, however, died last year; and Grammer explained that this would be featured as a storyline if the reboot took place. Back to the start? Whether hes got six children and a wife in the islands somewhere, he needs to come back to probably resolve things with his son Frederick, which mirrors the show in the first place, Grammer said Mix and match: Frederick was portrayed by Christopher and Kevin Graves in Cheers, and Luke Tarsitano for his first Frasier appearance, later swapped for Trevor Einhorn [pictured] until the show ended Lovers: The premise for the show paved the way for Frasier to hire Daphne Moon [Jane Leeves], a physical therapist-cum-housekeeper, whom Frasier's brother Niles [David Hyde Pierce] became obsessed with and, eventually, married 'We would need to deal with that within the storytelling,' he explained. 'But Id want everybody back, if they want to come back. They seem to.' At one point, it was rumoured the show would not be set in Seattle after Frasier was seen relocating to Chicago in the original series finale in 2004. As this would appear to cancel out the return of the original cast [which also included Frasier's radio show producer Roz Doyle, played by Peri Gilpin] fans felt iffy about a reboot. Yet, with the exception of Mahoney, it seems there's no need to worry. The Metro also reports that 'stories are being pitched and writing rooms are being booked' for the reboot, but 'cheques havent been written' yet. She [could be] ba-ack! The return of Frasier's son will no doubt pave the way for notorious ex-wife Lilith, Frederick's mother, to make a return to the series, played by Bebe Neuwirth Goodnight, Seattle? At one point, it was rumoured the show would not be set in Seattle after Frasier was seen relocating to Chicago in the original series finale in 2004 Rumblings: According to Grammer, 'stories are being pitched and writing rooms are being booked' for the reboot, but 'cheques havent been written' yet Back on our screens? Rumblings of the iconic sitcom returning to screens have been rife over the past year or so, since the likes of Will & Grace and Roseanne [later re-branded as The Conners] were resurrected successfully But going by Grammer's latest hints, fans can likely expect the character of Frederick to become a more permanent fixture, potentially filling the gap left by Mahoney. Frederick was 15 when he last appeared on Frasier, in the episode High Holidays, and so would be 31 if the show returns in 2020. Frederick was portrayed by Christopher and Kevin Graves in Cheers, and Luke Tarsitano for his first Frasier appearance, later swapped for Trevor Einhorn until the show ended. The return of the character will no doubt pave the way for Frasier's ex-wife Lilith, Frederick's mother, to make a return to the series, played by Bebe Neuwirth. Between helping her mom MJ through her recent health struggles, managing the lives of her six kids, being there for her nine grandchildren and executive producing her reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, it's rare that Kris Jenner can catch a break. So it was no surprise that the momager was lost for words when youngest daughters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, 21, stepped up to help out with their grandmother - in a hope that it would help the 63-year-old 'relax'. In a new Keeping Up With The Kardashians promo, the 23-year-old beauty is seen giving MJ a call and telling her to direct any issues to her rather than her mom. Stepping up: Kendall and Kylie Jenner attempted to help their mom Kris 'relax' in a new Keeping Up With A Kardashians trailer - offering to spend more time with the grandma MJ and help their mom out 'I just wanted to call you and tell you that Kylie and I took my mom so she could relax and that if you need anything, you can text me and Kylie.' And the pure shock and joy on Kris' face during the call said it all. 'I don't know, I just feel like I have to be on call,' she expressed slightly teary. Taken aback: And it appeared as though selfless Kris couldn't have been more thrilled with her daughters' willingness to pitch in a little more Taking over: 'I just wanted to call you and tell you that Kylie and I took my mom so she could relax and that if you need anything, you can text me and Kylie' Helping out: 'So Kylie and I have been talking, and we decided that we will trade you MJ duties so you can have more free time. Give you some time to breathe,' she said Kendall progressed to add that she and the makeup mogul wanted to do more than takeover during one lunch. 'So Kylie and I have been talking, and we decided that we will trade you MJ duties so you can have more free time. Give you some time to breathe,' she said. And in a later to camera piece, Kylie added that her mom was beyond 'selfless'. 'My mom is really concerned about her mom right now because, MJ, she has her weak moments,' she began. 'As selfless as she is, I really just want to give my mom some time to wind down and relax and think about herself for once.' And it appeared as though selfless Kris couldn't have been more thrilled with her daughters' willingness to pitch in a little more. Kris Jenner and her kids regularly share snaps with their grandmother MJ on social media Family love: Everyone's on-board: Kris' boyfriend Corey Gamble has also been seen out and about with MJ, giving her a helping hand (2016) 'I'm not going to lie, it'd be great to have a little bit of support in that area,' she said. Kris further explained: 'I sometimes don't know what to do with her because if she doesn't feel like going out, but if she has more visitors that would be really terrific for her. She would love to have you guys around.' 'That would make me feel so much better. I could breathe for a minute.' And it's been no secret that the past few years has seen MJ battle various health problems. In just the last Keeping Up With The Kardashians episode, Kris was forced last minute to opt out of her daughter's girls trip to Bali to stay with her mom who had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Doing it for her mom: 'As selfless as she [my mom] is, I really just want to give my mom some time to wind down and relax and think about herself for once' Would love some help: 'I sometimes don't know what to do with her because if she doesn't feel like going out, but if she has more visitors that would be really terrific for her. She would love to have you guys around' 'There's a lot going on and I've been really stressed out because of my mom,' she said at the time. 'I just feel something tugging at my heart not to go on the trip. Something is just pulling me to stay here with MJ. I would be taking off feeling like I was making the worst decision.' 'I could never leave her now. And because of that, I've decided not to go to Bali with my family and stay home and spend time with MJ and be here in case she needs me,' she continued, adding: 'I just want to make sure she's okay.' Keeping Up with the Kardashians airs Sundays 9 p.m on E! and is available to stream Mondays on hayu. Abby Lee Miller has slammed doctors for ignoring symptoms for a spinal infection which lead to her undergoing serious surgery to remove a tumor. Giving a glimpse into the grueling months of cancer treatment she's endured Abby Lee Miller shared a haunting photo on Wednesday showing a massive scar on her back. The 53-year-old wrote in the caption: One year ago today ~ I underwent emergency surgery for an infection in my spine. This mass/tumor choking my spinal cord turned out to be Burkitt Lymphoma. Abby Lee Miller displayed a massive scar on her back in a snap posted to Instagram Wednesday as she revealed the struggle she had to convince doctors of her condition She continued, 'I endured ten rounds of chemo therapy (each lasting 6 days with 4/ 24hr bags pumping poison into my body ending with a spinal tap in 3 spots, plus another shot of Chemo into my tailbone area up the spinal cord around my brain cavity) Ten times! 'Another spine surgery was needed & I have one more still to go. I struggled thru months of physical therapy to learn to sit up again, to crawl and maybe with a miracle someday Ill walk. Abby then called out doctors for not spotting the severity of her condition when she presented the same symptoms more than once. 'Why didnt the ER Doctors on duty do their jobs? I came in twice with the same symptoms? Why didnt somebody listen to me, the patient? I finally found the right team thats why I lived to tell my story, I have a lot to say! Misdiagnosis: In her lengthy caption Abby, 53, revealed she went to doctors with symptoms a couple of times but was ignored Working it: Abby Lee recently shared a video of her physical therapy as she tries to get back into dancing ahead of her return to Dance Moms 'Thank you to all wonderful top notch professionals who continue to help me heal. For those who missed it, misdiagnosed me, and the so called Federal Doctor who took me off medication cold turkey and the other ER Doctor Hollywood who told me to go home and take it easy for 10 days - STOP practicing! Please.' Abby is returning to Dance Moms after her one-year prison stint for bankruptcy fraud and a diagnosis of Burkitt Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. According to The National Institutes of Health, it starts in immune cells, spreads very rapidly and is typically associated with the fastest growing human tumor. Coming back: The dance instructor's return to television was uncertain, especially in the wake of her recent health problems; pictured in Los Angeles in December Her cancer diagnosis came on the heels of her early release from federal prison, where she served eight months of a year-and-a-day sentence for bankruptcy fraud and smuggling $120,000 Australian cash into the United States. Late in February, Miller shared a new video that showed her getting back to dancing. 'Back to dancing, one step at a time. Port de bras,' Miller said in the caption of the Instagram video. She also shared another photo during her rehab, as she tries to walk again with the help of her trainers. Abby's cancer diagnosis came on the heels of her early release from prison, where she served eight months of a year-and-a-day sentence for bankruptcy fraud Return to TV: The reality star is getting ready to return the hit reality series Dance Moms, with the upcoming eighth season debuting this summer It was announced in July 2018 that Miller would return to Dance Moms for Season 8, after leaving the show in March 2017. Miller had been indicted on fraud charges and she was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, starting in July 2017. 'I need to get back to teaching and I need to get back to screaming at children,' she added in the teaser for Dance Moms: Resurrection. 'I need to get back to my roots. Im going to take these kids right back to the turf.' The new season of Dance Moms, Dance Moms: Resurrection, debuts June 4. She is currently in Barbados attending a fashion show for her swimwear brand. And Lady Victoria Hervey showcased one of her new designs as she strolled along the beach, soaking up the sun on the Caribbean island on Wednesday afternoon. The socialite, 42, was sure to turn heads as she slipped into a purple two-tone bikini, showing off her toned abs and slender limbs in the process. Beach babe: Lady Victoria Hervey showcased one of her new designs as she strolled along the beach, soaking up the sun on the Caribbean island on Wednesday afternoon Proving she was her brand's own best advert, the model strutted her stuff along the beach as if modelling for her swimwear campaign. Victoria wore her blonde locks in a glamorous beach waves, while she wore a natural palette of make-up to highlight her pretty features. The beauty's strappy-style bikini top and tiny bottoms ensured she could showcase her bronzed physique while chilling on the beach. Working her angles: The socialite, 42, was sure to turn heads as she slipped into a purple two-tone bikini, showing off her toned abs and slender limbs in the process Glam: Proving she was her brand's own best advert, the model strutted her stuff along the beach as if modelling for her swimwear campaign Victoria accessorised with a circular pendent necklace and a selection of beaded bracelets around her wrists as well as dainty anklet. She later covered up in a tie-dye T-shirt which had the words 'Revolve Festival' splashed across the front and donned a white cap. The holiday comes as the model revealed to The Mail On Sunday last January that she has frozen her eggs in a fertility clinic, costing her 11,000, as she hopes to have a child before she is 45. Golden girl: Victoria wore her blonde locks in a glamorous beach waves, while she wore a natural palette of make-up to highlight her pretty features Transformed: She later covered up in a tie-dye T-shirt which had the words 'Revolve Festival' splashed across the front and donned a white cap She explained at the time: 'I had six eggs removed from my ovaries and frozen in a fertility clinic. At the end of this month, I intend to go through the exhausting procedure again in the hope that I will produce another half-dozen or so eggs... 'It will, I hope, fill what has become rather a hole in my life.' Victoria confessed that she would like 'two children' and turned to freezing her eggs - a decision prompted by Stacey Solomon, whom she met while competing on The Jump in 2015 - following her fears she has 'left it too late' to become a mother. Fabulous physique: The beauty's strappy-style bikini top and tiny bottoms ensured she could showcase her bronzed physique while chilling on the beach Accessories: Victoria accessorised with a circular pendent necklace and a selection of beaded bracelets around her wrists as well as dainty anklet Explaining that she wants the 'emotional aspect' of a relationship, rather than favouring a sperm donor, Victoria added: 'I'm hoping science might be able to stop the clock until I find the right man to be a father to my babies. 'A major part of the problem is that I'm still single. Despite some intense relationships in my early 20s, they all fizzled out eventually.' 'I do have a back-up plan if my Prince Charming doesnt materialise,' Victoria claimed. 'Ive got friends whove said theyd be prepared to father my child, and Im considering that option very seriously.' Future plans: The holiday comes as the model revealed to The Mail On Sunday last January that she has frozen her eggs in a fertility clinic, costing her 11,000, as she hopes to have a child before she is 45 She's ventured into acting following her reality TV stints on Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother. And Jess Impiazzi was every inch the the star as she attended the star-studded Circus Extreme event in Richmond on Wednesday. The former Ex On The Beach star, 30, exhibited her toned abs in a tiny black crop-top which also revealed her slender waist and ample cleavage. Toned: Jess Impiazzi was every inch the the star as she attended the star-studded Circus Extreme event in Richmond on Wednesday Oozing Clueless vibes, the star slipped into a houndstooth jacket and mini skirt which revealed her lithe legs. She boosted her height with a pair of black strappy stiletto sandals. Her chocolate tresses were styled in loose waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up. The beauty was taking some time away from her hectic workload, having bagged a horror feature flick The Seven Film following her reality television stints. Ab envy: The former Ex On The Beach star, 30, exhibited her toned abs in a tiny black crop-top which also revealed her slender waist and ample cleavage Chic: Oozing Clueless vibes, the star slipped into a houndstooth jacket and mini skirt which revealed her lithe legs Aside from her stellar television career, Jess recently discussed her difficult childhood and how being accepted into famed Italia Conti stage school combated it. Jess recalled on Loose Women: 'The thing that got me out of that sadness was Italia Conti stage school. I auditioned and got in... 'Then I had a scholarship for college and it was the day I got the letter in 2006 that my nephew died of meningitis and septicemia. It took away the brilliance of that day. I got hit with depression. The head teacher let me go away for a couple of months.' Jess went onto reveal that she eventually dropped out of the prestigious stage school to care for her mum Debbie. Debbie had lost her sight after suffering Uveal effusion syndrome, a rare condition that causes fluid to build at the back of the eyes. Bachelor in Paradise star Alex Nation has set the record straight on her sexuality, saying she doesn't want to be 'labelled' as bisexual. The 27-year-old single mother, who has been in relationships with men and women in the past, spoke about her sexual identity to WHO magazine on Thursday. 'I'm just Alex, I don't label myself as gay, lesbian, bisexual - I am who I am and I connect with who I connect with, and that's just the bottom line,' she said. Scroll down for video 'I'm just Alex': Bachelor in Paradise star Alex Nation (pictured) has set the record straight on her sexuality, saying she doesn't want to be 'labelled' as bisexual In February 2018, Alex told Cosmopolitan Australia's Pride Issue that she 'always' identified as pansexual. Pansexuality, or omnisexuality, refers to an attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity. Alex was previously engaged to a woman named Maegan Luxa, whom she met after splitting with Richie Strahan in mid 2017. Same-sex romance: Alex was previously engaged to a woman named Maegan Luxa (left), whom she met after splitting with Richie Strahan in mid 2017 But the relationship didn't last and they decided to just be friends sometime last year, and Alex stopped wearing her engagement ring. Alex, who has an eight-year-old son from a previous marriage, rose to fame after winning Richie's season of The Bachelor in 2016. However, their romance fell apart in mysterious circumstances within a year. 'I don't label myself as gay, lesbian, bisexual - I am who I am and I connect with who I connect with, and that's just the bottom line,' Alex told WHO magazine. Pictured with Brooke Blurton The former couple discussed their break-up on Bachelor in Paradise last week, with Alex accusing Richie of not being there for her at a crucial moment in their relationship. Looking visibly emotional, she said: 'I feel like people would have a very big opinion of a woman, being left alone, to do something that involved both of us.' Richie, 33, replied: 'Don't beat around the bush Alex, say it. Because you're not gonna like my response. Because we did talk about it. We talked about the whole thing and what you said to me blew my mind... I've had to come to peace with this.' 'I was left alone, to go through something massive that no woman should go through!' Alex responded. The ex files! Alex rose to fame in 2016 after winning Richie Strahan's season of The Bachelor. They split within a year and discussed their messy break-up on Bachelor in Paradise last week Meanwhile, Alex has been making headlines lately for her romance with Brooke Blurton on Bachelor in Paradise. The two women have already kissed on the show, with Alex saying afterwards: 'The energy is just so intense. We feel it from head to toe. It gives you goosebumps!' Before their date, she said: 'I'm so attracted to Brooke. And I feel like we both have something there and we need to figure that out.' Bachelor in Paradise continues Thursday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 A second man has been charged with the stabbing murder of 46-year-old Jamie Phillips in Sydney. Mr Phillips' body was found in a vacant car park in October 2018. In March, detectives arrested a 37-year-old man at a home in St Helens Park and charged him with murder. A 46-year-old woman was charged on April 4 with being an accessory after the fact to murder. Police on Thursday arrested and charged a 36-year-old man with murder. He was refused bail and is expected to face Campbelltown Local Court on Friday. The Australian government will provide WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with consular advice, Foreign Minister Marise Payne says. Assange was arrested within the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday by officers from Scotland Yard, with seven officers hauling the Australian out of the building. He was due to in Westminster Magistrates Court within hours. Ms Payne said she was confident of the British legal process and that Australian officials would travel to the UK to meet with Assange. "Mr Assange will continue to receive the usual consular support from the Australian government. Consular officers will seek to visit Mr Assange at his place of detention," she said. "I am confident, as the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt publicly confirmed in July 2018, that Mr Assange will receive due process in the legal proceedings he faces in the United Kingdom." You could have been forgiven for thinking this was Liberal Party heartland. The Melbourne seat of Kooyong was proudly home to Australia's longest-serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies. Josh Frydenberg still holds the leafy inner eastern suburbs seat with a margin of almost 13 per cent but the tide has been turning. On day one of the election campaign, the Treasurer was tasked with trying to convince voters that the coalition is doing enough to tackle climate change. The consensus at Hawthorn Arts Centre on Thursday night was a firm no. While never nasty nor hostile, the majority of audience members were clearly fed up with the Morrison government's attitude towards climate change. There were a number of groans at Mr Frydenberg's long-held line that the federal government will comfortably meet its Paris agreement targets. The audience was a mix of young and old, with one elderly man's mobility scooter adorned with a "Stop Adani" sign. Mr Frydenberg, a former environment minister, had to sit through the five other Kooyong candidates hammering him and the coalition before getting a chance to respond. Former Liberal Party member Oliver Yates, who announced his independent candidacy in January, didn't miss when he addressed a jam-packed Hawthorn Arts Centre. "Climate change is a symptom of a failing political system, led by politicians who are addicted to donations and their own self-interest," he said. "Past and present environment ministers who won't act with integrity on climate change need to be voted out." It was clear Mr Yates, a former banker and head of the Clean Energy Finance Corportation, had the audience. His speech drew the most positive response of the night, even more than high-profile Greens candidate Julian Burnside. The prominent human rights lawyer declared he was entering politics against all of his "previous instincts" but says the climate challenge has left him distressed. An enthusiastic Mr Burnside went over his allotted five-minute appearance and was given numerous wind-ups, including from one heckler, but still delivered a polished performance. Mr Frydenberg was on a hiding to nothing even before entering the room but still outperformed Labor's candidate Jana Stewart. Julian Assange has been found guilty of breaching his bail conditions by a London court and remanded in custody. The WikiLeaks founder was forcibly removed by British police on Thursday from the Ecuadorian embassy where he had been holed up since 2012, and was produced in Westminster Magistrates Court within hours. Assange pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to surrender to custody under an order for his extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges. He will be sentenced in Southwark Crown Court on May 22 on the charge of skipping bail. He faces up to 12 months in prison. However, police and American prosecutors revealed he was also facing extradition to the US for conspiring with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into a secure Department of Defense computer. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on May 2 by video link in relation to the extradition case, Britain's Press Association reports. An Irish ex-bikie who has lived in Australia since he was six years old, but has spent time behind bars, will be deported after his visa was cancelled and his appeal rejected in the Federal Court. John Paul Pennie, who moved to Australia with his parents in 1980, was sentenced in July 2015 to four-and-a-half years in a West Australian prison for charges including possessing methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply and wilful destruction of evidence. In January 2016, a delegate of the home affairs minister cancelled Pennie's visa, ruling he did not pass the character test due to his criminal record which included being a former vice president of the Bandidos bikies. After the minister refused to revoke the cancellation, Pennie took his case to the Federal Court but on Thursday his application was rejected. Pennie had claimed he feared a lack of medical care for his health issues in Ireland and that he would be homeless. But Justice Katrina Banks-Smith said the minister had considered possible hardship and had not made an error. Pennie also argued he did not pose an unacceptable risk to the Australian community, in part because he had severed ties with the Bandidos. After Pennie announced he was leaving the club, he was told he had to stab a fellow inmate and assault another, but he refused, which led to Pennie being attacked in Casuarina prison. "Different minds might reach different conclusions as to the likelihood of the applicant being exposed to contact with the Bandidos Motorcycle Club upon release into the community and the relevance of such exposure to the risk of harm to the Australian community," Justice Banks-Smith said. "But that does not mean the minister's views can be described as illogical or irrational." A man accused of deliberately drowning his disabled stepson in a bathtub later broke his ex-wife's arm and shot a gun while arguing with another stepson, a Sydney court has been told. Charlie Younes, 45, is accused of murdering Steven Copo-Horton, 18, at an Emerton home in Sydney's west in the early hours of October 28 in 2013. At a bail hearing on Thursday, the NSW Supreme Court was told Mr Copo-Horton suffered from Angelman syndrome and was the son of Rebecca Horton, whose 19-year relationship with Younes broke down about the time of the teenager's death. Crown solicitor Raffaella Buttini opposed bail, saying Younes had been convicted of breaking Ms Horton's arm during a fight in 2014 and of shooting a gun during a fight with the deceased boy's brother. The accused was also sentenced for hindering police in their investigation of the shooting and for breaching an apprehended violence order when he phoned the Copo-Horton family from prison. "This is a man who no regard for court orders," Ms Buttini said. Younes' barrister, Leah Rowan, said the shooting came moments after his stepson approached him holding a machete to "sort things out". Ms Rowan attacked the strength of the prosecution's case which suggests it's extremely unlikely the disabled man could have accidentally drowned in the bath. "Far from being a strong prosecution case, it is an inherently weak case," she said. "The homicide is based on circumstantial evidence ... and secondly any involvement of the accused in the alleged homicide is, at this stage, speculative at best." Ms Rowan told the court the brief of evidence includes a 2013 affidavit from Ms Horton in which she states that, despite her son's syndrome, she's "sure" he could have entered the bathroom and turned the taps on and off. "My only worry is how he did it without me hearing anything?" the mother said in her statement, according to Ms Rowan. The defence barrister acknowledged Younes had told "untruths" as to how he came to discover Mr Copo-Horton in the bath but said that didn't show a consciousness of guilt. Justice David Davies described the case against Younes as "moderately strong" and drew attention to the accused's series of offences, including five AVO breaches, when refusing bail. "It shows a contempt for court orders," he said. Younes is scheduled to appear via video link at Mount Druitt Local Court on April 18. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor rival Bill Shorten will begin their battle to earn Australians' votes in earnest on Friday, with their first full day of campaigning. The mission will begin in Sydney, with both men flying to the city on Thursday after Mr Morrison triggered a federal election for May 18. The prime minister says the Liberal-National coalition has plenty of positive plans to spruik, many of which it has already been delivering on in its two terms in office so far. But he has admitted that some of his campaign will be negative, aiming its target at Mr Shorten. "Bill Shorten is not going to get away from scrutiny, I can guarantee you that," Mr Morrison told Sky News on Thursday. The Labor hopeful has suggested he will be taking a different approach. "I think the Australian people are over negativity," Mr Shorten told Network Ten. Opinion polls are pointing to the coalition losing power to Labor after five-and-a-half years in office. But in his first pitch to voters after firing the election starting gun, Mr Morrison said there was much at stake at the poll and that only the coalition could deliver a strong economy and its dividends. "It's taken us more than five years to turn around Labor's budget mess," he told reporters in Canberra. "Now is not the time to turn back. Keeping our economy strong is how we secure your future and your family's future." Making his first appeal from a family home in suburban Melbourne, Mr Shorten said the choice was about "a bright future and a positive view of what Australians can do together" or being stuck in the past "What we believe in is making sure that the economy works in the interests of working and middle-class people," he told reporters. The importance of Queensland and Victoria in deciding the poll's outcome has well been documented. But both camps flew into western Sydney on Thursday, showing they clearly still see value in the traditional battleground. The Penrith-based seat of Lindsay is in play, with Labor's Emma Husar winning it from the government in 2016 with a 1.1 per cent margin, but not recontesting the post after a scandal involving her treatment of staff. Melissa McIntosh will try to prise it back for the Liberal Party, while Labor are running former NSW state minister Diane Beamer. Macquarie, on western Sydney's outer fringe, is also expected to receive attention from the prime minister. Scott Morrison is expected to hit marginal electorates in western Sydney as the federal election campaign begins in earnest. The prime minister spent time in the Labor-held seats of Lindsay and Macquarie on Thursday after announcing Australians will go to the polls on May 18. Mr Morrison gave a slew of television interviews from the banks of the Nepean River in Penrith after landing in western Sydney, an election battleground. "We've been able to deliver a $100 billion infrastructure package which is busting congestion in places like outer western Sydney," Mr Morrison told the ABC. Lindsay, which takes in Penrith, shapes as an intriguing contest with sitting Labor MP Emma Husar bowing out of politics. Liberal candidate Melissa McIntosh has to overcome a 1.1 per cent margin to defeat Labor's Diane Beamer, a former NSW state minister. Mr Morrison has outlined economic management, border security and funding for essential services as key themes for his campaign. He is set to kick off the first full day of campaigning on Friday in Sydney's west. After a national redrawing of seat boundaries, the coalition starts with a notional 73 seats (down from 74) with Labor on 72 (up from 69). Jason Day's Masters campaign is already under an injury cloud with the former world No.1 hurting his back in the first round at Augusta National. Day received medical treatment on his back during the second hole, getting stretched off the fairway by his trainer in Georgia on Thursday. However, he continued playing - moments later hitting a 278-yard second shot in the par-5 green and two-putting for a birdie. Day reportedly re-injured himself picking up his daughter before the round but that hasn't been confirmed. Outspoken NSW preacher Rod Bower is spearheading a new political party which he hopes will put an end to divisive politics and lead to serious action on climate change. The Anglican leader has achieved notoriety for dedicating the sign outside his Central Coast church to political commentary - including on Australia's offshore detention regime, the Adani coal mine and gay rights. Fr Bower hopes to win an upper house seat in May's federal election as part of Independents for Climate Action Now - a party which wants to work with both sides of politics to push Australia towards renewable energy. "In the Senate, we will insist on climate-informed policy," the Christian leader told AAP in Sydney on Monday. "We are here to ensure the future of our grandchildren by addressing climate change with scientific-based policy." Public hearings are essential to a national integrity commission's ability to uphold accountability, a former WA Labor premier says. Geoff Gallop spoke at a national integrity forum in Canberra on Monday, where legal experts and politicians discussed the proposal of a national integrity commission. The former premier said the public supported such a body, which must have the power to "go behind the scenes and find out what's really happening". "I think a lot of politicians underestimate the extent of which people are interested in the system, the way it works, whether or not the accountabilities in place are adequate," he said. "They (the bodies) must have public hearings, in many ways public hearings are of the essence of it." Political corruption must be included in the scope of power, he added. The forum comes amid a new survey which has found 80 per cent of Australians support a federal integrity commission with strong powers. The survey of 1536 people also found 67 per cent have low to very low trust of federal parliament. The cogs are turning on a national integrity commission, but the major parties are at odds over how it would function. While Labor wants a federal body to resemble NSW ICAC, which can hold public hearings and self-start inquiries, the coalition has proposed a model which would prepare briefs of evidence for prosecutors. But it would not hold public hearings for politicians and public servants accused of corruption, or be able to instigate its own investigations. Dr Gallop says being able to uncover the truth behind decision making processes is vitally important, even more so than ensuring convictions for corrupt conduct. "The imperative in all of this is to discover the what, how, and why of what happened," he said. "Not only when it's public servants but also when politicians, including ministers, are involved." Independent senator Tim Storer says a national integrity commission should be able to hold public hearings, investigate public officials and have retrospective abilities. "That would provide more transparency and integrity to the process," he told AAP. Despite having the support of 18 crossbenchers, Senator Storer's parliamentary transparency charter was voted down in the Senate earlier this month. The charter includes real-time disclosure of political donations above $1000, enhanced whistleblower protections and an overhaul of rules for lobbyists. "The general public will absolutely be looking for significant actions in the next parliament at the federal level," Senator Storer said. TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA'S ELECTION PRIORITIES: * Establish a strong, properly resourced national integrity commission * Low disclosure thresholds and real time disclosure of political donation * Strengthen rules on lobbying and parliamentary conduct * Protect whistleblowers * Bolster international anti-corruption efforts Labor says it will consider industry calls for a dairy commissioner if it wins government in May. The dairy industry says the commissioner role could provide an important link between the sector and relevant government ministers on key concerns such as the drought, energy prices, fodder costs and unfair milk supply agreements. Labor agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said on Monday a Shorten government would ask the competition watchdog to consider the merits of the idea. The federal opposition has already committed to a mandatory code of conduct and pursuing a minimum farm gate milk price to help guarantee farmers a living wage. "Advocacy is important too and the dairy commissioner could play an important role alongside Labor's other reforms," Mr Fitzgibbon said. AAP FactCheck Investigation: Is 25 per cent of land in Tasmania and 30 per cent of land in the Northern Territory foreign owned? The Statement "Twenty-five per cent of our land in Tasmania is foreign owned, 30 per cent in the Northern Territory, and yet we are not putting the brakes on foreign ownership of our land." One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says foreign ownership of land needs to be discussed during the federal election campaign. April 14, 2019. [1] The Verdict False - The checkable claims are all false. The Analysis AAP FactCheck asked Ms Hanson's office to verify the source of her figures. Ms Hanson's office said the source was the 2018 Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land report. The Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land was established in 2015 by the Foreign Investment Review Board to provide greater transparency about the level of foreign ownership of Australia's agricultural land. [2] As of June 2018, foreign ownership of Tasmanian farmland was 24.5 per cent, according to the report. Ms Hanson quoted a figure of 25 per cent. The level of foreign ownership in NT was 26.8 per cent according to the report. Ms Hanson said 30 per cent. [3] Ms Hanson also did not refer to agricultural land. She said "our land". Back in September 2016 Katter's Australian Party leader Bob Katter made a similar statement using similar figures but correctly quoted the percentage of foreign-owned farmland in Tasmania and the Northern Territory. "Thirty per cent of the Northern Territory's farmland is now foreign-owned, 22 per cent of Tassie; that's extraordinary," Mr Katter told The Australian in 2016. [4] Based on the 2016 Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land, Mr Katter's claim was found to be true. [5] He correctly referred to farmland or agricultural land and his figures for foreign ownership tallied with the 2016 report which stated 21.8 per cent for Tasmania and 30.1 for NT. [6] Ms Hanson's did not make this distinction. Her figure for NT's foreign-owned agriculture land was incorrect and dated back to 2016. Her claim that the government has not put the brakes on foreign ownership of land was also incorrect. The source her office said she used to make her claim shows the level of total investment in agricultural lands has dropped slightly from 13.6 per cent in 2016 to 13.4 per cent in 2018. [3] [5] The Australian Bureau of Statistics told AAP FactCheck there was no data for all foreign-owned land - residential and agricultural - in each state. The Verdict False - The checkable claims are all false. The References 1. Paul Murray Live, Sky News TV. April 14, 2019: https://twitter.com/SkyNewsAust/status/1117395359628554241 2: Foreign ownership of Australian farmland grows'. By Jon Condon. Property Central. January 17, 2019: https://www.beefcentral.com/news/foreign-ownership-of-australian-farmland-grows/ 3: 'Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land. Report of registrations as at 30 June 2018'. Australian Taxation Office: https://cdn.tspace.gov.au/uploads/sites/79/2018/12/Register_of_Foreign_Ownership_of_Agr.pdf 4: 'Farmland foreign ownership register gives size, not value', by Sue Neale. The Australian. September 10, 2016: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/inquirer/farmland-foreign-ownership-register-gives-size-not-value/news-story/069ab738d196d20637f20f37b41fd0dc 5: 'FactCheck: Is 30% of Northern Territory farmland and 22% of Tasmanian farmland foreign-owned?' The Conversation. September 21, 2016: https://theconversation.com/factcheck-is-30-of-northern-territory-farmland-and-22-of-tasmanian-farmland-foreign-owned-65155 6: 'Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land. Report of registrations as at 30 June 2016'. Australian Taxation Office: https://firb.gov.au/files/2016/08/Register_of_foreign_ownership_of_agricultural_land.pdf. The Port Pirie operations of smelting group Nyrstar remain important to the company's global operations, South Australian Treasurer Rob Lucas says. Commodity trading company Trafigura has taken effective control of Nyrstar operations in a debt-restructuring deal, raising concerns over a $291 million loan, guaranteed by the state government, to upgrade the Port Pirie smelting plant. Mr Lucas said he had been formally briefed on the planned capital restructure by Trafigura's chairman Jeremy Weir, who re-affirmed the importance of the Port Pirie site to his company's global operations. "In my conversation with Mr Weir, I sought and received his commitment to ongoing constructive talks regarding the repayment of our taxpayer-guaranteed loan," Mr Lucas said. "He recognised and re-affirmed the importance of Port Pirie to the company's global operations and understood the government's clear objective to protect jobs at the smelter." The treasurer said Nyrstar and the government would continue to hold discussions in relation to the guaranteed funding arrangements, targeting a mutually-binding agreement as soon as possible. "We remain hopeful of a successful resolution, not only for taxpayers, but for the people of Port Pirie, the smelter's employees and their families," he said. Australians have been urged to donate blood this Easter to help cancer patients and road accident victims. More than 4000 donors are needed between Easter Saturday and April 26 in order to prevent a shortage of blood products, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. "The need for blood doesn't take a holiday so we're urging Australians to factor a blood donation into their plans this Easter," spokeswoman Helen Walsh said. People with O and A blood types are needed to help boost stocks and platelet donations are also desperately needed. Platelets are the clotting agent of blood, are vital to cancer treatments and also help to combat bleeding from road trauma and other emergencies. "Unfortunately platelets have a shelf-life of just five days which means we can't stockpile them and with three public holidays in quick succession this Easter, we need people donating during this time period to meet demand," Ms Walsh said. In Australia, one in three people will need blood in their lifetime but only one in 30 currently donate, according to the Australian Red Cross. Blood donation centres are open throughout the Easter period except for Good Friday. A Brisbane couple convicted of a series of offences related to bringing a Fijian woman into Australia and forcing her to work for them is to face sentencing. Civil engineer Isikeli Feleatoua Pulini was found guilty in Brisbane District Court last Friday of a forced labour offence and not guilty of human trafficking. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of harbouring an unlawful non-citizen before the trial began on Monday. Meanwhile his wife, public servant Malavine Pulini, was found guilty of a human trafficking offence, a forced labour offence and pleaded guilty to two counts of harbouring an unlawful non-citizen. The jury deliberated for much of Friday before reaching their verdict. The victim, who cannnot be named for legal reasons, arrived in Brisbane in 2008 and her passport was taken from her. The jury found she was forced to work for the couple until she left the home in 2016. During this period the woman was paid about $250 per fortnight into a bank account under Mr Pulini's name, but the court was told there was a period where the woman had to stretch this amount to last about seven weeks. The woman wiped tears from her eyes as she gave evidence into the six years of her life via video from a separate room in the courthouse during the trial. Crown prosecutor Ben Power described her as "hiding in plain sight" as she worked on call around the clock at Mr and Mrs Pulini's suburban Brisbane home. Once she had overstayed her initial three month tourist visa the woman said she feared what would happen if she approached authorities. Pathology tests will remain free for cancer patients and older Australians if Labor wins the May federal election. Bill Shorten is promising $200 million to make sure pathology clinics keep bulk billing, as he says the system is in a crisis. The Medicare rebate for pathology has been frozen since 2003, but Labor and coalition governments have offered incentive payments to bulk bill since then. But the industry says the top-up payments can no longer cover the costs. "Bulk billing for blood tests is at breaking point - cancer patients will either have to pay, or there will be a reduction in services," Mr Shorten said. "That's why Labor will invest $200 million to protect pathology and keep it free for vulnerable Australians. "We will work with the sector and lift the bulk billing incentive - the payment which keeps these services free - to save bulk billing for cancer patients and older Australians." Older Australians are set to have about 20 million pathology tests a year, while Australians with cancer will have about three million tests. Australian Pathology chief executive Leisel Wett said if people avoid tests due to the cost, diseases will get diagnosed later and at greater cost to the taxpayer. "Without adequate funding, pathology services will be forced to stop bulk billing," she said. The funding promise is part of Labor's $2.3 billion injection into healthcare, which the party is relying on to help win votes. Mr Shorten is expected to campaign in Adelaide on Tuesday, after spending Monday in the Liberal-held seat of La Trobe in Victoria. Liberal MP Nicolle Flint is facing a battle to hold her seat of Boothby, which she has on a margin of 2.8 per cent after the electorate boundaries were changed. On Monday, Mr Shorten promised $250 million to cut urgent elective surgery waiting times. He also met a cancer patient who has paid close to $20,000 out of his own pocket in the past year as he battles the disease. "To me, what you're talking about is the exact reason why I'm running for prime minister," Mr Shorten told patient Rob Gibbs at the Casey Hospital. Scott Morrison says lower-paid workers will be better off under his tax plan, as he continues to attack Labor's handling of the economy. Bill Shorten is promising to make sure cancer patients and older Australians don't get stung with fees for pathology if bulk-billing ends. The prime minister will start the day in Melbourne on Tuesday, while Mr Shorten is expected to fly to Adelaide to campaign. The coalition argues teachers, nurses, police officers and tradies stand to pay hundreds of dollars more in income tax in 2024/25 under Labor. "Anyone earning more than $40,000 will better off under our plan," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. "It means school teachers, nurses, bus drivers and emergency service workers right across the country will have more money in their pocket." Labor does not support stages two and three of the coalition's tax cuts, but Mr Shorten has promised to look at tax relief if the budget can handle it. Mr Shorten is promising $200 million to ensure pathology clinics keep bulk billing, as he says the system is in a crisis. The Medicare rebate for pathology has been frozen since 2003, but Labor and coalition governments have offered incentive payments to bulk bill since then. But the industry says the top-up payments can no longer cover the costs. "Bulk billing for blood tests is at breaking point - cancer patients will either have to pay, or there will be a reduction in services," Mr Shorten said. "That's why Labor will invest $200 million to protect pathology and keep it free for vulnerable Australians. "We will work with the sector and lift the bulk billing incentive - the payment which keeps these services free - to save bulk billing for cancer patients and older Australians." Australian Pathology chief executive Leisel Wett said if people avoid tests due to the cost, diseases will get diagnosed later and at greater cost to the taxpayer. "Without adequate funding, pathology services will be forced to stop bulk billing," she said. The funding promise is part of Labor's $2.3 billion injection into healthcare, which the party is relying on to help win votes. Mr Shorten is expected to campaign in Adelaide on Tuesday, after spending Monday in the Liberal-held seat of La Trobe in Victoria. Mr Morrison campaigned in Deakin on Monday, announcing road funding in a bid to shore up Liberal MP Michael Sukkar's 6.4 per cent margin. The coalition has ramped up its tax attack, arguing workers earning more than $40,000 will be worse off under Labor. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will stay in Victoria on Tuesday after spending Monday sandbagging seats in Melbourne's east. The government has released figures that show teachers, nurses, police officers and tradies will pay more income tax in 2024/25 under Labor. "Anyone earning more than $40,000 will better off under our plan," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. "Our plan provides greater reward for effort while ensuring top earners continue to pay their fair share." According to the government's analysis, a worker earning $59,000 would be $542 a year better off while someone on $176,000 could pay $11,739 less in income tax by the middle of next decade. Labor has argued against the coalition's plan, saying it will mean everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000 will face the same 30 per cent marginal tax rate by 2024/25. Tax has emerged as a key issue, with Mr Morrison whacking Labor leader Bill Shorten's policies to curb negative gearing and end franking credits at every opportunity. The prime minister will continue hunting votes in Victoria after trying to shore up Liberal-held seats on day five of the campaign. Mr Morrison visited a small business in the seat of Deakin, which could be under threat despite Liberal MP Michael Sukkar's 6.4 per cent margin. Mr Sukkar has come under fire for supporting Peter Dutton in last year's leadership spill. Mr Morrison also launched Liberal candidate for Chisholm Gladys Liu's campaign in a bid to boost her battle against Labor's Jenny Yang. Sitting Chisholm MP Julia Banks left the Liberal Party after Malcolm Turnbull was dumped to sit as an independent and is aiming to beat Health Minister Greg Hunt in Flinders. The children of Australia's most notorious terrorist Khaled Sharrouf have been reunited with their grandmother in a refugee camp in Syria. Karen Nettleton has made it to the al-Hawl camp in northern Syria where those fleeing Islamic State's last enclave at Baghouz, mainly women and children, ended up. Among them are a heavily pregnant Zaynab, 17, Hoda, 16 and Humzeh, 8, as well as Zaynab's two toddler daughters. Mrs Nettleton has not seen her grandchildren since 2014. She has made two previous trips to Iraq to find her grandchildren, to no avail. Sharrouf was killed in an air strike in September 2017, along with his two older sons, Abdullah, 12, and Zarqawi, 11. The children's mother, Mrs Nettleton's daughter Tara, died of medical complications in 2015. Mrs Nettleton has been negotiating with Australian and Kurdish officials to get the youngsters home but it has been frustrating going. "We don't get a yes or no answer. All they've said is that once we get to Turkey, they'll give us all the help that they can, our medical, dental, physio, anything that we need," Mrs Nettleton told ABC TV's Four Corners program. "We weren't the ones that chose to come here in the first place," Zaynab told ABC TV. "I mean we were brought here by our parents. And now that our parents are gone, we want to live. And for me and my children I want to live a normal life just like anyone would want to live a normal life." Her sister Hoda, who was 11 when she was taken out of Australia, told Four Corners: "I didn't know I was in Syria until after we crossed the borders and I heard people speaking Arabic. "I asked my Mum where we were. And she told me we were in Syria. I started crying." South Australian police have been fined $390,000 over the death of a cook and cleaner who became trapped in a walk-in freezer at a police training centre in the Adelaide Hills. But no officers or individuals will be held to account over the death of Debra Summers in 2016. Ms Summers died from hypothermia after becoming locked in the freezer at the Echunga facility. Police pleaded guilty in the South Australian Employment Tribunal to breaching work safety laws and Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams said on Tuesday the force was "mortified" over the death of the 54-year-old. "It's terrible what happened to Deb. We are deeply sorry for the family," she said. "We will never let anyone in our workplace down again." But Ms Williams said a full inquiry had been conducted and no disciplinary action would be taken against any individual officers or staff over the incident. Tribunal deputy president Brian Gilchrist said the death of Ms Summers was both unexpected and preventable. "No one deserves to die at work because of their employer's lack of care," Judge Gilchrist said. "And there is no penalty that this court can impose that will right the wrong that has occurred. "Nor can there be any correlation between the size of any fine that might be imposed and the value of Ms Summers' life. "Her life was priceless." In earlier submissions, prosecutor Jeff Powell said issues with the freezer and problems at the training centre had either gone unnoticed or unattended to for years. "Quite apart from the obvious and foreseen perils of someone working alone at a worksite, the precise issues with the walk-in freezer were not only foreseeable and obvious, they too were forseen," Mr Powell said. He said a technical document had detailed how the freezer should be serviced every six months, including a check of the emergency release system. Had the document been adhered to, "in all likelihood the precise consequences here would have been avoided", the prosecutor said. SafeWork SA executive director Martyn Campbell said the fine imposed on police was one of the highest for a breach of work safety laws. But Mr Campbell said no financial penalty could make up for the loss the Summers family had suffered. "I hope that this judgement brings them a sense of justice and allows them to begin the healing process," he said. Today's Birthday, April 17: Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician (1967- ) Baby number two is on the way for Barnaby Joyce and ex-staffer Vikki Campion, with the couple revealing they plan to name the boy after members of the Akubra-loving MP's family. The couple told the Sunday Telegraph in January that their baby boy, due in March, will be called Thomas Timothy, with the first name honouring Joyce's father and the second honouring his brother who died of cancer in 2018. Joyce resigned as deputy prime minister and Nationals leader in February 2018 after revelations surfaced of his affair with Campion. Born in the NSW town of Tamworth, Barnaby grew up one of six children on a sheep and cattle farm near Woolbrook. He studied financial administration at Armidale's University of New England, where he played rugby union for St Albert's College and met his future wife Natalie Abberfield. After graduation in 1989, Joyce worked on farms, as a rural banker and an accountant before setting up his own practice in St George, Queensland. In 2004, Joyce was elected a Queensland Senator and was quickly branded a maverick, crossing the Senate floor 28 times before he was elevated to the ministry. He resigned from state politics ahead of the 2013 federal election to return to NSW and contest his hometown lower house seat of New England, dethroning independent Tony Windsor who had held the seat since 2001. In 2015, the then-agriculture minister made international headlines after he made actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard publicly apologise for breaching biosecurity laws by bringing their dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia. Joyce replaced the retiring Warren Truss as deputy prime minister in early 2016, but was forced to recontest his local seat after the Federal Court ruled him ineligible to sit in Canberra as he had been conferred dual citizenship via his New Zealand-born father. "To comfort Mr Joyce in his hour of need, I have sent him a box of New Zealand's finest kiwi fruit (assuming this passes his biosecurity laws)," Heard posted on Twitter after hearing the news. Joyce re-entered parliament in December 2017 but gave up his ministerial positions and leadership of the Nationals following his affair with Campion and allegations he helped her get work in the offices of other ministers. Joyce has four daughters from his marriage with his now-estranged wife Natalie, and a son, Sebastian, with Campion. The Australian embassy in Spain was evacuated over a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax. The drama unfolded about midday local time (8pm AEST) on Tuesday when embassy staff in Madrid received the threat over the telephone. "The building in which the Australian embassy Madrid is located was safely evacuated by local authorities due to a bomb threat," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson in Canberra said. The embassy is housed in the 57-storey Torrespacio building in Madrid's business district, along with other foreign missions including the British, Canadian and Dutch embassies. Authorities evacuated the whole building, with the Australian embassy tweeting it would be closed for the rest of the day or until further notice. However, the building was declared safe about three hours later, with authorities declaring it a hoax and occupants allowed back in. "The building has since been declared safe and the Australian embassy is fully operational," DFAT said late on Tuesday night. Sydney retirement villages have been inspected as part of NSW government plans to reform the industry and better protect residents and their families. Fair Trading inspectors conducted spot checks last week to ensure retirement villages were complying with NSW regulations and legislation. The inspections were driven by complaints received in 2018. NSW Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson said inspectors found operators were generally compliant but minor administrative issues were identified. Fair Trading will work with operators to rectify those issues. The inspections are part of a NSW government plan to reform the industry after an inquiry into the state's retirement villages in 2017. More inspections will be carried out and residents will be educated about their rights, Mr Anderson said in a statement. "Residents of NSW deserve greater peace of mind when their loved ones buy into a retirement village," he said. The package of reforms, due to start on July 1, includes annual meetings where residents can discuss contracts with operators, new requirements for emergency plans and mandatory rules of conduct. The NSW government will also introduce a 42-day limit on the length of time retirement villages can charge for services after the departure of a resident. Trust in government is at its lowest point in 50 years, with much work needed to improve integrity and honesty, a new study shows. The Grattan Institute's Commonwealth Orange Book report shows that while state governments have led the way on fighting corruption, the federal government had done "very little to improve the integrity of its processes in more than a decade". By international standards, Australia was about the middle of the pack on "trust", but only a quarter of Australians think "people in government can be trusted to do the right thing" - the lowest since the survey began in 1969. The study said this was important because a loss of trust in political institutions can undermine democracy and make it harder to bring in reform. A key concern among voters was governments looking after their own interests, or those of powerful groups, rather than the public interest. Reform of the way parties are funded would go some way to addressing this. The report noted public funding was only 32 per cent of political party funding in Australia at the 2016 election, while disclosed private funding made up 26 per cent and the remainder - more than two-fifths of the money received - was undisclosed. "A high share of donations came from businesses in industries with the most to gain or lose from government decisions," the report said. Trust had also been eroded by the perception politicians receive personal gifts and benefits, such as corporate-funded travel and hospitality. Weaknesses also remain in systems for investigating corruption and misconduct in the public sector and among politicians. In particular, half the federal public sector is outside the jurisdiction of the Australian Public Service Commission, and no agency is responsible for investigating the conduct of politicians unless a report is made to the Australian Federal Police. "There is no clear point of contact for members of the public or whistleblowers to report corruption or misconduct," the report said. Solutions recommended in the report included: * commonwealth integrity commission * cap on spending on election advertising * code of conduct for all parliamentarians * $5000 threshold for real-time donation disclosure * publication of ministerial diaries. James Bennett experienced all of the emotions of grief after a cardiac event robbed him of his sight overnight. "It's like somebody close to you dying," the 72-year-old told AAP. "You say 'why me, why me' to begin with, and you go through all of those stages." With the help of a social worker and a counsellor, Mr Bennett realised his blindness was not a barrier to living a productive life, as many others who had experienced sight loss had done before him. He re-learnt a series of life skills including how to use a computer and found a fresh job to his liking in human services. "I said 'Well, if other people can do it, I can do it.'" Mr Bennett said after two years, he felt like he had remastered all of the functional elements of his life. But he does wish some Australians better understood the challenges experienced by people with vision loss. He often finds people aren't understanding about his need to bring his guide dog into business premises or taxis. Other people try to be helpful but neglect to ask him whether their help his needed, such as one woman who tried to steer him into boarding the wrong train when he was in line to catch the right one. According to a survey of 169 clients of Guide Dogs NSW and ACT, Mr Bennett isn't alone in feeling that way. Overwhelmingly respondents (92 per cent) felt society could do more to recognise the daily challenges faced by those with sight loss. Discussing sight loss also remains a taboo, according to 43 per cent of the group. And 12 per cent of respondents said they felt lonely every day. Guide Dogs NSW and ACT chief executive Dale Cleaver said he hopes his organisation was alleviating some of these concerns by helping people to be independent and connected to the community. Mr Bennett says the organisation has helped him significantly and he's now a board member. According to the Centre for Eye Health, more than half a million Australians will be living with sight loss from next year. Police are hunting for a man who shot and killed a Brisbane doctor just outside the doctor's home on Monday night. Skin cancer doctor Luping Zeng was packing his car with the garage door open at his family's MacGregor home when a man pulled up, shot him and fled the scene. Dr Zeng later died at Princess Alexandra Hospital. Detectives are searching for a man they say was driving a light-coloured sedan or hatchback at the time, and have asked anyone in the area to come forward with CCTV or dash cam footage. Dr Zeng had three decades of medical experience, spoke three languages and was a highly regarded member of Brisbane's Chinese community. He moved to Australia in 2000 and worked at the Waterford 7 Day Medical Centre and Skin Cancer Clinic. The government has accused Labor of covering its tracks after detailed policy documents on key elements of its tax reforms were removed from its website and replaced with simplified fact sheets. The Australian reported on Wednesday Labor previously had almost 100 paragraphs posted on its housing policy, including charts and diagrams explaining the negative gearing and capital gains changes. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office described the overhaul of Labor's policy pages as being part of a total website update. But Treasurer Josh Frydenberg seized on the change to attack Labor on its policies. "Not only has (Labor Treasury spokesman) Chris Bowen been exposed for using inaccurate figures to justify his housing tax, he has now been caught out trying to cover his tracks," he told The Australian. FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN: DAY 7 -- WHERE THE LEADERS ARE CAMPAIGNING * Prime Minister Scott Morrison will head to Tasmania * Labor leader Bill Shorten is in Perth -- WHAT THE COALITION WANTS TO TALK ABOUT The economy, with PEFO being released on Wednesday. Plus Bill Shorten's struggle to answer some questions on super policy on Tuesday and revelations detailed policy papers had been replaced with simplified fact sheets on Labor's campaign website. -- WHAT LABOR WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Health and how great Western Australia is. Bill Shorten will announce more funding for blood cancers, while campaigning in WA where several Liberal-held seats are vulnerable. -- THE LATEST POLLS * A UComm poll in the Hobart Mercury shows the Liberal candidate in Bass, Bridget Archer, ahead of Labor MP Ross Hart 54-46 on a two-party preferred basis. -- WHAT IS MAKING NEWS: * The Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) is being released on Wednesday, with updated forecasts two weeks after the budget was handed down. * Controversial LNP MP George Christensen reportedly spent $3000 of taxpayers' money for travel from Canberra to domestic cities to connect with flights to the Philippines. * Former Greens leader Bob Brown will start the anti-Adani convoy in Hobart, as the local boss of the controversial Queensland mining project says he expects Labor to tick off on it. -- THEY SAID WHAT? "I could have done it in a more sensitive way. But we all make mistakes, I made a mistake, and I apologise." - Peter Dutton to Labor opponent Ali France on his comments about her using her disability as an excuse not to move. "We've got two parties stuck in the past, we've got this embarrassing debate about electric vehicles. I mean this is wacky stuff, it is bonkers."- Greens leader Richard Di Natale. "I like him. He's not got a lot of charisma, but I prefer a politician that's not full of ... like, the Trump type." - Adelaide resident Anne Murphy after meeting Bill Shorten. The unsolved kidnapping and gang rape of a Melbourne schoolgirl more than 30 years ago is being reinvestigated by Victorian police who are appealing to the public for information. Days after announcing a $350,000 reward, Sexual Crimes Squad detectives will staff an information caravan in Richmond between 10am and 12pm, then at South Yarra between 1pm and 3pm to encourage anyone with information to come forward. The 18-year-old girl, who died in 2008, had been selling flowers on the night of Friday, November 22, 1985, and was walking along Chapel Street in South Yarra after 10pm when she was grabbed by a man and thrown into a car before being bound, gagged and blindfolded and driven to a property where she was brutally assaulted over a number of hours by at least three men, police say. A large bushfire is burning uncontrolled in the Adelaide Hills, with residents urged to take immediate action. The scrub fire sparked about 6.15am at Gorge Road, Paracombe, prompting a watch and act alert for Paracombe, Athelstone, Castambul and Montacute, near Black Hill conservation park in the Mt Lofty Ranges. "Take action now as this bushfire may threaten your safety. If you are not prepared, leave now and if the path is clear, go to a safer place. Do not enter this area as conditions are dangerous," SA Police said. AAP FactCheck Investigation: Are natural disasters costing Australia $18 billion per year? The Statement "$18b is the cost of natural disasters in Australia so there is a cost to not taking action [on climate change]." Labor leader Bill Shorten. April 17, 2019. [1] The Verdict True - The checkable claim is true. The Analysis Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claims the government's inaction on climate change is proving costly, resulting in bigger energy and natural disasters bills. AAP FactCheck examined the Labor leader's claim that natural disasters were costing Australia $18 billion per year. AAP FactCheck found the claim to be true. Mr Shorten's office told AAP FactCheck the source of his claim was the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities' (The Roundtable) report into Building Resilience to Natural Disasters in our States and Territories. The report, released in November 2017, said the total economic cost of natural disasters in Australia over the decade to 2016, averaged $18.2 billion per year. It forecast that cost to grow by 3.4 per cent per year and total around $39 billion per year by 2050 [2]. The report's calculations included emergency response efforts, damage to property and infrastructure, death and injury, effects on health, wellbeing, employment and community, and flow-on effects to businesses and networks such as network outages and disruptions to business and supply chains. The Roundtable report describes its estimates as "conservative" because they "exclude a number of unquantified impacts" [2]. The Roundtable's figures are supported by a separate Deakin University study led by Professor Mehmet Ulubasoglu which found the 2011 floods in south-east Queensland alone cost $14.1 billion [3]. The Insurance Council of Australia reported this year's Townsville floods have already resulted in more than $1 billion in insurance losses. [4]. Prof Ulubasoglu's study also supports the Roundtable's prediction that the economic cost of natural disasters will exceed $30 billion per year by 2050 [3]. There are other reports which investigate the economic impact of natural disasters. The 2018 International Federation Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) World Disasters Report found the damage bill for the decade in Australia was about $37 billion - an average of $3.7 billion per year [5]. Similarly, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) released a government-funded report in April 2018 putting the average annual loss from disasters between 1967 and 2013 at $3.65 billion. [6] However, both of these reports have narrower scopes than the Roundtable report Mr Shorten referenced. [6] [7] Based on this research AAP FactCheck concludes Mr Shorten's claim is true. The Verdict True - The checkable claim is true. The References 1: 'Bill Shorten in the Perth Breakfast Studio'. ABC Radio Perth. April 17, 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/bill-shorten/11024322 2: 'Building Resilience to Natural Disasters in our States and Territories'. Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities. (Pages 16 and 20) November 2017: http://australianbusinessroundtable.com.au/assets/documents/ABR_building-resilience-in-our-states-and-territories.pdf 3: 'Deakin research shows economic impact of natural disasters in Australia'. Deakin University. November 28. 2017: https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/media-releases/articles/deakin-research-shows-economic-impact-of-natural-disasters-in-australia 4: 'Insurance losses due to weather catastrophes hit $2.2 billion'. By Mina Martin. Insurance Business Magazine Australia. March 27, 2019: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/insurance-losses-due-to-weather-catastrophes-hit-2-2-billion-163265.aspx 5: 'World Disasters Report'. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (Page 179). 2018: https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/10/B-WDR-2018-EN-LR.pdf . 6: 'Updating the costs of disasters in Australia'. Professor John Handmer, Dr Monique Ladds and Dr Liam Magee for the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Australian Journal of Emergency Management. April 2018: https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-apr-2018-updating-the-costs-of-disasters-in-australia/ 7: 'EM-DAT Glossary - E'. The International Disaster Database: https://www.emdat.be/Glossary#letter_e A video grab taken from AFPTV footage shows WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as he is driven by British police to Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London on April 11, 2019 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's seven-year hideout in Ecuador's London embassy ended spectacularly Thursday when British police arrested him on an extradition request from the United States to face hacking charges. Footage shot by the Russian video news agency Ruptly showed a frantic-looking Assange -- his worn face framed by a bushy white beard and shock of silver hair -- being huddled out of the building by burly men in suits and pulled into one of two waiting police vans. A Ruptly reporter who shot the scene and requested anonymity told AFP that Assange shouted "UK must resist" as he was hauled away by at least seven men dressed in dark suits and ties. The scene took place on a plush side street in the heart of London that has been Assange's refuge from prosecution since 2012. "No one is above the law," British Prime Minister Theresa May told to a round of cheers in parliament. The moment of high drama came after Ecuador, which has grown increasingly frustrated with Assange's stay under pro-US President Lenin Moreno, withdrew its asylum. Police took Assange from the Ecuador embassy saying his asylum had been revoked UK police said Assange had been initially arrested for breaching his bail conditions in 2012 and then "further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities". Within hours, pony-tailed Assange appeared in court for a brief hearing where he gave a thumbs-up sign to the press gallery and sat reading a copy of Gore Vidal's book "History of the National Security State" about the US military-industrial complex before the hearing began. Judge Emma Arbuthnot pronounced Assange guilty of the bail charge, which carries a sentence of up to a year in prison, and remanded into custody to face sentencing at an unspecified later date. He also faces a separate hearing on the US extradition request on May 2. Assange had long suspected that he was secretly wanted by Washington for his decision to publish a trove of classified Pentagon documents detailing alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. US authorities had steadfastly refused to confirm reports that they had issued a sealed indictment against Assange -- until Thursday. The US Justice Department said Assange was being charged with a computer hacking conspiracy relating to his work with former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in March 2010. "Assange is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," a US Justice Department statement said. "If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison" - 'Violation of international law' - Julian Assange Assange will now be at the heart of a legal and diplomatic tug of war pitting Assange and his legions of supports -- including the authorities of Russia -- against the US justice system. His US-based attorney Barry Pollack condemned "an unprecedented effort by the United States seeking to extradite a foreign journalist to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information". WikiLeaks accused Ecuador of breaching international law by withdrawing his asylum. "Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law," the whistleblowing website. Ecuador's Moreno insisted that he had "asked Great Britain for the guarantee that Mr Assange will not be extradited to any country in which he could suffer torture or face the death penalty". - 'Dark moment for freedom' - Assange's case has opened up broader debate about security and free speech. His supporters view him as a crusader who fearlessly exposes injustices such as torture and alleged war crimes committed by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange's critics accuse him of cosying up to authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and putting Americans' lives at risk. Fugitive former US government contractor Edward Snowden -- himself wanted for leaking details of secret US surveillance programmes -- called Assange's arrest a "dark moment for press freedom". Assange was expected to appear in Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain of "strangling freedom". But UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Assange's "has hidden from the truth for years" and was trying to "escape facing justice". "He is no hero," Hunt said. - 'Truman Show' - WikiLeaks on Wednesday had claimed that it was being blackmailed by "dubious characters" who had obtained security camera footage of Assange inside the embassy. WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson accused Ecuador authorities of gathering the images as well as copies of private documents prepared for Assange by his lawyers. Hrafnsson said these had then found their way into the hands of a group in Spain that was demanding $3 million (2.7 million euros) not to publish them. "Since Moreno took power in Ecuador (in 2017), Julian Assange has been living in a Truman Show type (surveillance) situation," Hrafnsson said. Thousands of Iraqi refugees are crammed into camps in northeastern Syria alongside Syrian women and children who fled the last stand of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" before its defeat by Kurdish-led forces in March Syrian Kurds on Thursday announced a deal with Baghdad for 31,000 displaced Iraqis, mostly women and children, to return from camps in northeastern Syria to Iraq. Tens of thousands of people live in the camps, which swelled during the months-long battle by a Kurdish-led force against the last vestige of the Islamic State group's "caliphate". "A delegation from the Iraqi cabinet visited the autonomous administration to discuss the return to Iraq of displaced Iraqis, estimated to number 31,000, and an agreement was reached," Kurdish official Mahmud Kero told AFP. "So far 4,000 people have signed up and we are waiting for the Iraqi government to open up the Iraqi border" to begin the returns, he said. Kero said many of the displaced, including children born on Syrian soil, did not have Iraqi identity papers. "We have asked the Iraqi government to find a solution," he said. Those expected to return do not include suspected IS fighters who surrendered or were caught fleeing the jihadists' last redoubt and are now held at Kurdish-run jails. "We have asked for the return of all Iraqis including those accused of belonging to IS," Kero said. He said they had called for "the trial of those accused of belonging to IS on Iraqi soil". An Iraqi official said on Tuesday that Baghdad had made preparations for the return of tens of thousands of citizens, most of them "women and children". They were mostly displaced from Nineveh and Salaheddin, two Sunni-majority provinces north of Baghdad that were once IS bastions, said Ali Abbas, an official at the ministry of displacement and migration. - 'IS families' - The returnees would be housed in a camp near northwestern Iraq's Sinjar region, to be completed within two months, he said. The Iraqi authorities are preparing security checks to sift through the new arrivals as "there are signs that some could be IS families", he said. "We can't just let them melt back into society." He said they would follow "cultural and religious courses" to rehabilitate them after they were "brain-washed" by IS. The jihadists declared a "caliphate" after sweeping across a swathe of Syria and Iraq larger than the United Kingdom in 2014. They have since lost all that territory in the face of multiple offensives. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces last month announced the defeat of the IS proto-state after tens of thousands of people streamed out of the jihadists' last patch of territory, around the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border. But the jihadists maintain a presence in Syria's vast Badia desert as well as sleeper cells in populated areas, and have continued to claim deadly attacks in SDF-controlled areas. Syria's Kurds hold thousands of suspected jihadist fighters, including Syrians, Iraqis, and around 1,000 men of other nationalities. Their countries of origin have been reluctant to repatriate them or put them on trial at home. Iraq has offered to try hundreds of foreign suspected jihadists in Baghdad in exchange for millions of dollars, three Iraqi officials have told AFP. Iraq has already put on trial several hundred IS foreign jihadists and handed down death sentences to around 100. None of those sentences has yet been carried out. Sudanese Defence Minister Ahmed Awad Ibnouf announces the army's ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir in an eagerly awaited state television broadcast that follows four months of nationwide protests The Sudanese army has removed veteran president Omar al-Bashir from power and detained him, Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced on state television on Thursday. "I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place," Ibnouf said. Bashir, who ruled with an iron fist since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, was ousted after deadly force failed to end four months of nationwide protests for his ouster. "We have replaced him by a transitional military council for two years and have suspended Sudan's 2005 constitution," Ibnouf said, reading from a statement. "We announce a state of emergency across the country for three months, and we have ordered the closing of the country's borders and airspace until a new announcement is made." Ibnouf said the military council had also declared a nationwide ceasefire, that includes the war-torn regions of Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan where Bashir's government had long been battling ethnic minority rebels. Sudanese Defence Minister Ahmed Awad Ibnouf announces the army has removed president Omar al-Bashir from power The uprising that resulted in the army's removal of president Omar al-Bashir from power on Thursday started with protests in December over a hike in bread prices. Here is a timeline: - Bread protests - Hundreds take to the streets in central Atbara and other cities on December 19 to protest the government's tripling of bread prices. The protests erupt the same day as the main opposition leader -- ex-prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi who was driven out in Bashir's 1989 coup -- returns from exile. Some protesters chant "No to hunger". In Atbara, they set fire to the headquarters of Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP). - First deadly clashes - The protests spread to Khartoum and other cities on December 20, demonstrators chanting "freedom, peace, justice" and calling for "the fall of the regime". Clashes break out as police try to disperse the crowds and eight demonstrators are killed. Other NCP offices are torched. Troops are deployed in Khartoum and other cities. On the sixth day of demonstrations, Bashir breaks his silence on December 24 and vows "real reforms". - Bashir resists - With no let-up in the near-daily demonstrations, 22 political groups issue a joint call on January 1 for a "new regime". Bashir sacks the health minister on January 5 over rising costs of medicine. Four days later, thousands chant support for Bashir at a rally in Khartoum. But in the capital's twin city of Omdurman there are more deaths in anti-government protests. On January 13, protests spread to the war-torn region of Darfur. Bashir tells supporters there: "Demonstrations will not change the government." - Emergency rule declared - On February 11, Human Rights Watch releases videos documenting violence by security forces against protesters including live fire, tear gas and beatings. Ten days later, security agents arrest several opposition activists as protesters try to march on the presidential palace. Bashir declares a nationwide year-long state of emergency on February 22, also dissolving the federal and provincial governments and appointing army and intelligence officers as provincial governors. Two days later, he swears in a new prime minister as riot police confront hundreds calling for him to resign. On March 1, Bashir hands his powers as chief of the ruling NCP to his deputy. - Sit-in at army HQ - The protests become less regular after the state of emergency and Bashir on April 4 acknowledges that demonstrators had "legitimate" economic concerns, calling for dialogue. But on April 6, thousands march again in Khartoum, gathering for the first time outside the military headquarters and chanting "One Army, One People". They set up camp at the complex, which also houses the president's residence, defying attempts by police and security agents to dislodge their sit-in with tear gas and gunshots into the air. On April 9, police follow the policy of non-intervention by the military and order their forces not to take action against the demonstrators. State media report that 11 people including six members of the security forces have been killed in one day, raising the overall official death toll in the demonstrations to 49. - Bashir ousted - On April 11, as state media announce the military is preparing an "important" statement, Khartoum residents flood the area around army headquarters, some chanting "the regime has fallen". Hours later, in an statement on state television Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announces Bashir has been removed from power and detained by the army. "I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place," Ibnouf says. A transitional military council would replace Bashir for two years, he adds. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long nationwide state of emergency Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, long wanted on genocide and war crimes charges, was finally brought down in a popular uprising by the very people he ruled with an iron fist for 30 years. One of Africa's longest-serving presidents, the 75-year-old had remained defiant in the face of months-long protests that left dozens of demonstrators dead in clashes with security forces. But his fate was sealed when the army bowed to the demands on the street and intervened on Thursday to oust Bashir, who swept to power in a coup backed by Islamists in 1989. In what was clearly a last ditch effort to quell the protests, Bashir had imposed a state of emergency on February 22 after an initial crackdown failed to rein in the demonstrators. Omar al-Bashir At first the emergency rule curbed the scale and intensity of the protests, but before long demonstrators staged a massive rally outside the military headquarters that reverberated with chants of "overthrow, overthrow". Bashir's last minute overtures offering to hold dialogue with youths and acknowledging their economic concerns were legitimate failed to pacify the protesters. For years the Sudanese leader had proven himself to be a political survivor, evading not only the International Criminal Court (ICC) but also a myriad of domestic challenges. A career soldier, Bashir was well known for his populist touch, insisting on being close to crowds and addressing them in colloquial Sudanese Arabic. Sudanese celebrated the end of Omar al-Bashir's three-decade rule He was indicted by the Hague-based ICC in 2009 on war crimes charges over a long-running conflict in Darfur, but went on to win re-election twice in polls boycotted by opposition groups. In 2010, he was also indicted by the ICC for alleged genocide. But it was a government decision to triple bread prices that brought protesters onto the streets in December last year, as the country grappled with regular shortages of food, medicines and foreign currency. The protests morphed into nationwide demonstrations against Bashir 's rule, triggering unrest that also left hundreds wounded and thousands jailed. Bashir addressed several loyalist rallies, promising to promote economic development and peace across the country, but his words fell on deaf ears. - Defiant to the end - Known for his trademark dancing and waving of a stick before addressing loyalists, Bashir had defiantly said at a recent rally of supporters that "demonstrations will not change the government". But as the pressure on the street grew, he stopped talking of bidding for a third presidential term in a vote that had been due to be held next year. Despite the ICC indictments, Bashir had regularly visited regional countries and also Russia. Days before the protests erupted he travelled to Damascus to meet Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, becoming the first Arab leader to do so since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. At home, Bashir last year hosted talks between neighbouring South Sudan's leaders, helping to broker a tentative peace deal after five years of intense conflict in the world's newest country. Bashir was known for his populist touch and addressed crowds in colloquial Sudanese Arabic South Sudan had gained its independence in 2011, when Bashir surprised his critics by giving his blessing to a secession that saw the south take the bulk of Sudan's oil fields, some six years after a peace deal ended two decades of north-south conflict. He also joined a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite rebels in Yemen, improving ties with resource-rich Gulf nations, although the policy had been criticised by his opponents at home. Bashir, who has two wives and no children, was born in 1944 in Hosh Bannaga, north of Khartoum, to a farming family. He entered the military at a young age, rising through the ranks and joining an elite parachute regiment. He fought alongside the Egyptian army in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. In 1989, then a brigade commander, he led a bloodless coup against the democratically elected government. Bashir was backed by the National Islamic Front of his then mentor, the late Hassan al-Turabi. - Hosting bin Laden - Under Turabi's influence he led Sudan towards a more radical brand of Islam, hosting Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and sending jihadist volunteers to fight in the country's civil war with the south Sudanese. Bashir had remained defiant in the face of protests, rejecting calls for him to step down In 1993, Washington put Sudan on its list of "state sponsors of terrorism" and four years later slapped Khartoum with a trade embargo -- only lifted in 2017 -- over charges that included human rights abuses. Bashir sought to end Sudan's isolation in 1999, ousting Turabi from his inner circle. But when insurgents launched a rebellion in Darfur in 2003, his government's decision to unleash the armed forces and allied militia brought him further international criticism. More than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict, the UN says, and more than two million displaced. Since 2011, Bashir also faced insurgencies in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, launched by the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North. The International Criminal Court issued two arrest warrants against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 Experts said Thursday the toppling of Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir raised the possibility of him standing trial before the Hague-based International Criminal Court, where he faces genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. Here are four key questions about Bashir and the ICC, the world's only independent tribunal set up in 2002 to try those suspected of the world's worst crimes. Why is Bashir wanted by the ICC? Darfur, a Sudanese region the size of France has been torn by violence since 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government under Bashir, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation. About 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and another 2.5 million displaced, according to the United Nations. Most of those displaced still live in sprawling camps. In 2005, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC for investigation after an international commission found that there was reason to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed. The ICC's chief prosecutor at the time, Luis Moreno Ocampo, opened a probe into Bashir and other suspects in Darfur's conflict later that year. Following investigations, the ICC issued two arrest warrants against Bashir in 2009 and 2010. The latter warrant contained three counts of genocide -- the "most heinous" of crimes. What are the charges against Bashir? Bashir is facing a total of 10 counts for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was also the first sitting president of a country to be wanted by the ICC and the first person to be charged with genocide. Pre-trial judges at the ICC said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that Bashir and other high-ranking members of his government formed a common plan to carry out a counter-insurgency campaign against rebel groups opposing the Sudanese government. The judges concluded that Bashir acted with specific intent to destroy in part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups during the campaign since 2002. Omar al-Bashir, as the "de jure and de facto" president of Sudan "played an essential role in coordinating the design and implementation of the common plan," the ICC said. Bashir, 75, has always denied the charges. Why hasn't he been arrested? The International Criminal Court does not have a police force and relies on member states to carry out arrest warrants against suspects. But despite two warrants against Bashir, he continued to travel with impunity to various countries in Africa and the rest of the world. This included to ICC member states South Africa and Jordan, which under the court's founding Rome Statute had an obligation to arrest him. Both countries however have argued that Bashir was a sitting head of state and therefore was entitled to immunity. The ICC however ruled in 2017 that Pretoria flouted its duties when failing to arrest Bashir, while referring Jordan to the UN Security Council for its "non-compliance" to arrest Bashir. The court's judges however admitted that further action by the Council was unlikely, saying the body has failed to take measures against states who shirked their duties. What happens now? Bashir's toppling could raise the possibility that he is sent to the ICC to face the charges, said Asser Institute international law expert Christophe Paulussen. "Of course, chances are bigger that a new ruler would want to work with the ICC, than in the past, when the very same ruler was wanted by the ICC," he told AFP. "The arguments by some states in which they say they don't have to work with the ICC because of immunity will play no further role," added Paulussen. However, reality is always a lot more unpredictable. "It could be that in exchange for his freedom Bashir may agree to go (in exile) to a 'safe haven' where he won't be bugged," Paulussen said. Frederiek de Vlaming of the University of Amsterdam agreed, saying much depended on Sudan's new rulers. "They may also decide to put him on trial at home," in which case the ICC's role would be limited, De Vlaming said. US President Donald Trump is bidding to make history by negotiating with North Korea but so far he has little to show for his efforts to get a rollback of the country's nuclear weapons program South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to try and find a path forward from the debris of a failed nuclear summit between the US president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Both Trump and Moon are heavily invested in bringing North Korea out of the cold but the unsuccessful summit in Vietnam at the end of February was a setback for the two allies that has yet to be resolved. Trump will give Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook the red carpet treatment at the White House before talks in the Oval Office. Although trade and the role of the huge US troop presence in South Korea are hot topics, North Korea dominates. "The two leaders will have in-depth talks ... to coordinate their stance on setting up a peace regime on the Korean peninsula through complete denuclearization," Yoon Do-han, the senior South Korean presidential press secretary said ahead of the visit. Trump has emerged as an unlikely peacemaker in the Korean peninsula, reversing his initially bellicose approach with a determined effort to put Washington and Pyongyang on a historic path to reconciliation. But if an initial meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore last year broke the ice, the follow up in Hanoi ended with no progress on US demands for North Korea to start dismantling its nuclear weapons program or North Korea's desire to see an easing of international sanctions. South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets with Donald Trump at the White House to sift through the debris of a failed nuclear summit between the US president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un The two leaders cut their talks short, skipping a scheduled final lunch and the expected issuing of a joint statement. In Washington, the Hanoi outcome brought Trump praise from Republican legislators who'd worried he would give too much away in pursuit of big headlines. Trump continues to face criticism that he is out of his depth in talks with Kim and that sitting down with the dictator has yet to bring much benefit. But he insists that while he retains an unusually good personal relationship with Kim, he will maintain a tough negotiating line. "Sometimes you have to walk," Trump said, slipping into his real estate dealer's lingo, after the Hanoi meeting. - Kim unbowed - For Moon, the aftermath has been even more complicated. He has staked his presidency on engagement with isolated North Korea, pushing for a resumption of South Korean tourism to the North's Mount Kumgang and operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, where companies from the South used to be staffed by workers from the North. But Moon's plan to unveil details of such projects on March 1, right after the Hanoi summit, was scrapped and he is under pressure from opponents on the right. One lawmaker branded him the North Korean's "top spokesman." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will not break under international sanctions and will "deal a telling blow to the hostile forces who go with bloodshot eyes" Kim himself has used the impasse to speak out against international sanctions and warn in colorful, defiant terms that his country will not bow to pressure. The socialist economy will "deal a telling blow to the hostile forces who go with bloodshot eyes miscalculating that sanctions can bring the DPRK to its knees," a state media report quoted him as saying on Thursday, using the acronym for the North's official name. Shortly after the Hanoi summit, a series of satellite images emerged suggesting increased activity at the North's Sohae rocket site, triggering international alarm that the nuclear-armed state might be preparing a long-range or space launch. Many in rural areas of war-torn Afghanistan have scant access to health care, and polio rates are rising The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it had suspended work in Afghanistan after the Taliban announced a "ban" against the humanitarian group and the World Health Organization. According to a Taliban statement, the ICRC had not "acted upon its agreements" with the Taliban. The insurgents, who control or influence about half of Afghanistan, also accused the WHO of "suspicious movements" during a vaccination campaign. As a result, the Taliban has "decided to ban the operation of these two organisations across the country until further notice," the militants said, noting they would not guarantee health workers' safety. ICRC spokesman Robin Waudo said the organisation had put its activities on hold in war-torn Afghanistan, where many in rural areas have scant access to health care and where polio rates are rising. "We acknowledge this announcement and have suspended our activities in the country due to the withdrawal of security guarantees," Waudo told AFP. "Therefore, we are now in the process of contacting the (Taliban) to initiate a bilateral and confidential dialogue in view of the statement." Jin Ni, a WHO spokeswoman in Afghanistan told AFP that officials "acknowledge the reports and are working on better understanding the situation." The Taliban last August cancelled a "security agreement" with the ICRC, which suspended activities as a result. According to the Taliban, the ICRC resumed its activities in October following talks. The number of polio cases worldwide has fallen by more than 99 percent since 1988, but the WHO still considers Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan to be polio-endemic. Israel's first spacecraft to the moon was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida Israel's first spacecraft to the moon was expected to make its historic landing there Thursday, making the Jewish state the fourth and smallest country to complete the trip. The landing is scheduled for around 10:25 pm (1925 GMT). So far, only Russia, the United States and China have made the 384,000-kilometre (239,000-mile) journey and landed on the Moon. Israeli NGO SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the two main partners, describe the project as the "world's first spacecraft built in a non-governmental mission," with philanthropist Morris Kahn putting up $40 million of the $100 million budget. Other partners who joined later come from "the private sector, government and academia," the IAI website says. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fresh off his victory in Tuesday's general election, was expected to watch from the control room in Yehud, near Tel Aviv. The country's president, Reuven Rivlin, has invited 80 middle school space buffs to view the landing with him at his official Jerusalem residence, his office said in a statement. The 585-kilogramme (1,290-pound) Beresheet, which means "Genesis" in Hebrew, is an unmanned spacecraft resembling a tall, oddly shaped table with round fuel tanks under the top. Israel's first lunar mission Although the journey is 384,000 kilometres, Beresheet will travel a total of 6.5 million kilometres due to a series of orbits. Beresheet was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on February 22 with a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's private US-based SpaceX company. Its speed has reached 10 kilometres per second, (36,000 kilometres per hour). For Israel, the landing itself is the main mission, but the spacecraft also carries on its one-way trip a scientific instrument to measure the lunar magnetic field, which will help understanding of the moon's formation. "We are all very exited," a senior IAI engineer, identified only as Daniel because of the sensitivity of his job, told Israeli public radio four hours before the scheduled landing time. "We've checked everything that can be checked but always something can go wrong." The data will be shared with US space agency NASA. The craft also carries a "time capsule" loaded with digital files containing a Bible, children's drawings, Israeli songs, memories of a Holocaust survivor and the blue-and-white Israeli flag. - Google prize - The project began as part of the Google Lunar XPrize, which in 2010 offered $30 million in awards to encourage scientists and entrepreneurs to come up with relatively low-cost moon missions. Although the Google prize expired in March without a winner, Israel's team pledged to push forward. The project includes other partners, among them the Swedish Space Corporation, whose ground satellite station network provided support. NASA has made its Deep Space Network available to transmit data and has installed a small laser retroreflector aboard the lander to test its potential as a navigation tool. Asked in December whether the project had so far gone as planned, SpaceIL co-founder Yariv Bash said "hell no". On the Moon "Back when we got started, we thought it was going to be a two-year project, the budget would be less than $10 million, and the spacecraft will weigh less than five kilogrammes," he said. "And here we are eight years later with a project with a budget of almost $100 million." The Israeli mission comes amid renewed global interest in the moon, 50 years after American astronauts first walked on its surface. China's Chang'e-4 made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3, after a probe sent by Beijing made a lunar landing elsewhere in 2013. US President Donald Trump's administration announced in March it was speeding up plans to send American astronauts back to the moon, bringing forward the target date from 2028 to 2024. India hopes to become the fifth lunar country in the spring with its Chandrayaan-2 mission. It aims to put a craft with a rover onto the moon's surface to collect data. Japan plans to send a small lunar lander, called SLIM, to study a volcanic area around 2020-2021. The United States remains the only country to have walked on the moon, with 12 astronauts having taken part in six missions between 1969 and 1972. French farmer Paul Francois, left, and his lawyer Francois Lafforgue at a press conference in Lyon, southeast France, after an appeals court upheld his lawsuit against Monsanto over its Lasso weedkiller A French court on Thursday upheld a guilty verdict against chemicals giant Monsanto over the poisoning of a farmer who suffered neurological damage after using one of its weedkillers, the latest legal setback for the company over its controversial pesticides. Cereal farmer Paul Francois has been fighting Monsanto, a formerly US company which was bought by Germany's Bayer last year, for the past 12 years. In the first ruling of its kind against Monsanto anywhere in the world, a French court in 2012 found it guilty of poisoning Francois. He said he began experiencing symptoms including blackouts, headaches and loss of balance and memory after inhaling fumes while using the now-banned weedkiller Lasso. Monsanto appealed and lost in 2015 but decided to go a third round. "I won, and I'm happy, but at what cost?" Francois told reporters after the verdict. He denounced what he called years of "legal harassment" by Monsanto, which can still appeal Thursday's ruling by the Cour de Cassation, a top French appeals court. The ruling, he said, was "a message to the government," which he urged to ban other toxic pesticides that contain glyphosate, used in Monsanto's top-selling Roundup. "History will judge them for not acting," he said, referring to a campaign pledge by President Emmanuel Macron to phase out glyphosate in France, which he backed down on last year. Monsanto is facing thousands of US lawsuits over glyphosate exposure, and last month was ordered by a San Francisco court to pay around $80 million to a retiree suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. - 'Not a chemist' - Francois said he fell ill in 2004 after accidently inhaling fumes from a vat containing Lasso, a monochlorobenzene-based weedkiller that was legal in France until 2007 but which had already been banned in 1985 in Canada and in 1992 in Belgium and Britain. He argued that Monsanto was aware of Lasso's dangers long before it was withdrawn from the French market, and sought damages of more than one million euros ($1.13 million) for chronic neurological damage that required long hospital stays. The court in Lyon, southeastern France, rejected the company's appeal but did not rule on how much Monsanto might have to pay, which will be determined in a separate ruling. It did order the company to pay 50,000 euros immediately for Francois's legal fees. In its ruling, the court found that Monsanto should have clearly indicated on Lasso's labelling and instructions for use "a notice on the specific dangers of using the product in vats and reservoirs". "The plaintiff's assumed technical knowledge does not excuse the lack of information on the product and its harmful effects -- a farmer is not a chemist," it added. Speaking after the verdict, a lawyer for Monsanto France, Jean-Daniel Bretzner, said it would probably appeal, since the ruling applied to Lasso's producer -- in this case, Monsanto Europe. Parent company Bayer confirmed it was weighing an appeal. "Supposing that Paul Francois was accidently exposed to Lasso, by definition such exposure is rare," it said in a statement. - Wave of lawsuits - It was the latest conviction against Monsanto involving its weedkillers and pesticides, which have been widely used around the world for years. Last month, a San Francisco court ordered the $80 million pay-out to a retiree who blames its popular Roundup weedkiller, which contains glyphosate, for causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The company said it would appeal as it faces thousands of similar lawsuits in the United States. It had already been ordered last year to pay $78.5 million to a California groundskeeper who attributed his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to using Roundup as well as Monsanto's Ranger Pro. Monsanto denies that Roundup causes cancer and has challenged findings by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), which classified glyphosate as a "probable carcinogen" in 2015. But Bayer, which paid $63 billion for Monsanto last year, has seen its stock plunge some 40 percent since the takeover was completed last June, largely reflecting fears of Monsanto's exposure to lawsuits. Chef Bruno Serato has served three million pasta dinners to needy children over 14 years For thousands of poor or homeless children in California, you could say that Chef Bruno Serato is a real super-hero, vanquishing hunger by the plateful -- three million meals in 14 years, to be exact. His powers lie in the pasta topped with tomato sauce that he prepares on weekdays for some 5,000 underprivileged kids living in the region of Anaheim, in southern California. "With the pasta, I can win the war against hunger," jokes the 62-year-old during a recent interview at his famed restaurant "The White House," located some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. "I don't need missiles, I don't need guns, I don't need stuff like that," he adds. "I just need pasta to win the war." Every week, from Monday through Friday, Serato faithfully boils nearly 800 pounds (350 kilograms) of spaghetti and potfuls of sauce to feed hungry children through his Caterina's Club foundation, named after his mother. The genesis for his project dates to April 18, 2005, when Serato, who was born in France to Italian parents and who moved to the United States in 1980, toured a children's center near his restaurant. Chef Bruno Serato says if you want to help others, but aren't sure how, start with a simple "hello" He was accompanied by his mother, who was visiting from Italy and who was horrified by what some of the children were eating for dinner because their families couldn't afford a proper meal. One six-year-old boy, who lived in a motel and whose parents had no money or even a kitchen in which to cook, was munching on chips. "Like all Italian mothers, she said: 'If he's hungry, he can eat pasta' and we immediately headed to the restaurant kitchen to make him some," recalled Serato. "I haven't stopped making pasta since," he added. Serato has since served three million meals to hungry children in nearly 90 sites, including schools and community centers, throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. On Thursday, he and his foundation are celebrating that milestone Thursday with 200 children invited to his restaurant. He recently decided to shut down his upscale restaurant at lunch to focus on the meals for the children. "We were busy at lunch before but never fully booked," he said. "So I made a choice." - Giving little by little - Giving has become a way of life for Serato. Born in 1956 in Laon, in northern France, he fondly recalls his bucolic childhood with six brothers and sisters. Chef Bruno Serato gives a high-five to a boy as he serves spaghetti to children, some of whom come from homeless backgrounds His parents were agricultural workers, and though they were poor and he often wore hand-me-downs, Serato says he never lacked for anything. "I ate spaghetti with marinara sauce every day because it didn't cost anything, and I never went hungry!" He says people love to help others, but often don't know how to get started. "Just start with one small thing," he advises. "You can start with a 'hello,' a 'good morning.' Do one plate of pasta, give a hug, give a little jacket that you dont use to someone who needs it. "Start low-key, dont start with a big deal. I mean, I didnt start with 5,000 pasta (meals). Start very low-key," he said. Actor and activist George Clooney, seen here in 2018, says that the toppling of Sudan's veteran leader Omar al-Bashir is not sufficient Actor and activist George Clooney said Thursday that the fall of Sudan's veteran strongman Omar al-Bashir was not enough and called for the dismantling of the military-led system. The Hollywood heartthrob, who has been arrested protesting against Sudan's campaign in Darfur that the United States described as genocide, called for Bashir to be extradited and prosecuted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. "The people of Sudan have been waiting for this day for a long time, but it is only a tentative first step towards real change," Clooney said in a joint statement with John Prendergast, the human rights campaigner with whom the actor founded The Sentry Project, which researches illicit money and war crimes in Africa. The two said that Defense Minister Awad Ibnouf, who announced Bashir's detention and declared two years of military rule, was just as deeply involved in the bloody, racially tinged war in Darfur. "Removing the leader of a violent, corrupt system without dismantling that system is inadequate," they said. "The next steps are crucial. The international community must provide all possible support to ensure that the transition is a negotiated and inclusive one, and that the next president of Sudan reflects the will of its people," they said. Bashir, who swept to power in a 1989 coup, was one of Africa's longest-serving leaders but has faced months of mounting protests, triggered initially by a hike in the price of bread. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army general, came to power after the ousting of Islamist Mohamed Morsi, who himself was elected after the uprising that felled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak Strongmen in the Middle East and North Africa will be eyeing warily popular protests, fed by frustration with living standards and an elite perceived as corrupt, that helped push veteran Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and now Sudans Omar al-Bashir from power. While recent events in Algeria and Sudan have been unique to those countries, analysts say the rapid downfall Bouteflika and Bashir are a warning to authoritarian leaders in the region that they will ignore popular anger, especially over economic grievances, at their peril. The Sudanese army said Thursday that Bashir had been removed from power and detained after 30 years in power following four months of protests. Last week, mass protests led Algeria's ailing Bouteflika to step down last week after 20 years. In both situations, longtime rulers were pushed aside by existing security structures on the back of mass protests, in a sign for authoritarian leaders that an army can be a foe as well as a friend. Protests persisted in Algeria after lawmakers appointed a regime stalwart as the country's first new president in two decades But this also dashed popular hopes for a true revolution, leaving a potential for further instability. And as populations surge in the region, with the demographic switching towards a younger, more digitally savvy generation, discontent may deepen further. - 'Lesson for autocrats' - "The Algerian and Sudanese contexts are very different indeed. But at the same time, there is a lesson here for autocrats and dictators, that the craving for justice, democracy, and equal opportunities is universal," said Marc Pierini, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party lost control of Turkey's two biggest cities in March polls, will be watching events in Sudan particularly closely after hosting Bashir on multiple occasions despite an ICC arrest warrant "In both countries, people are fed up by seeing the people sitting in power, calling all the shots, and pocketing the money," said Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Tunisia and Libya, Syria, Morocco and Turkey. "It is also interesting that armed forces are not necessarily solidly behind these autocrats anymore and perhaps have a longer view," he told AFP. Algeria's neighbour Morocco is run by a monarchy while heavyweight Egypt is headed by strongman President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army general. He came to power after the ousting of Islamist Mohamed Morsi who himself was elected into power after the uprising that felled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. - 'Looking on with worry' - Sharan Grewal, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said it was difficult to predict whether the latest convulsions would trigger a repeat of the 2010-11 Arab Spring protests that ousted regimes in Egypt and Tunisia and led to war in Syria and Yemen. "That said, revolutions do tend to occur in waves," he said, citing the Arab Spring and the so-called colour revolutions in post-Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia in the previous decade as well as the fall of Communism in eastern Europe in 1989. Organisers of protests for the ouster of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir rejected his toppling by the army Thursday as a "coup conducted by the regime" and vowed to keep up their campaign Noting that the demands of the protesters to beat corruption and improve living standards resonate beyond Sudan and Algeria, he added: "You can be sure that dictators across the region are looking at these uprisings with worry." Haim Malka, senior fellow and deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said regimes have been "slow to grasp and adjust to a combination of demographic, technological and economic shifts". "The region will face more turbulence as citizens and regimes attempt to renegotiate the contours of the social contract," he told AFP, adding: "It will take years" for a new equilibrium to emerge. - 'Between a rock and a hard place' - The tremors in Algiers and Khartoum will reverberate well beyond the Middle East. Another strongman to leave the stage this spring was Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down in what analysts saw as a bid to ensure a controlled power transition at a time of increased economic uncertainty. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party lost control of Turkey's two biggest cities in March polls and is now contesting the results in Istanbul, will be watching events in Sudan particularly closely after hosting Bashir on multiple occasions in defiance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. And even when a leader is removed from power it's far from the end of the story. Anthony Skinner, director at Verisk Maplecroft risk assessment firm, said Bouteflikas interim successor Abdelkader Bensalah was "between a rock and a hard place" as he sought to cater to the demands of protestors while ensuring stability. "I expect protestors to sustain pressure on the political elite," he said, even as police resort more to water cannon, tear gas and truncheons. "The administration wants to stick to the current roadmap without having to make further concessions," he said. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (pictured April 6, 2019) called a meeting with his top security chiefs in response to mounting "kidnapping, banditry and other associated issues confronting the nation" Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari summoned his top security chiefs to a closed- doors meeting on Thursday, facing rising pressure to address worsening security, especially in his northwestern political heartlands. The meeting at the presidential statehouse was in response to mounting "kidnapping, banditry and other associated issues confronting the nation", chief of defence staff General Gabriel Olonisakin told reporters. A "revised strategy" was agreed after the president ordered the chiefs to "immediately and ruthlessly... ensure that all those bandits are immediately dealt with," he said. The army, navy and air force chiefs attended, along with the national security advisor and other security officials. Nigeria has been shaken by a spate of large-scale attacks that have coincided with an ongoing insurgency by Boko Haram jihadists in the country's northeast. A week of sporadic clashes this month left more than 100 dead, led by bandit attacks, particularly in Zamfara State -- the theatre for village raids, cattle theft and kidnapping for ransom. Violence spilled into neighbouring Kaduna State, compounding a security crisis following spates of communal attacks and a conflict between farmers and herders, predominantly over land. In Buhari's northwestern home-state of Katsina, 14 people were killed on Sunday in clashes between cattle thieves and a civilian militia armed by the government to support the security forces, police said. A security offensive, codenamed PUFF-ADDER, was launched against the gangs last week. A protest march on Saturday in the Nigerian capital Abuja demanded Buhari end the violence, particularly in Zamfara. Buhari, recently re-elected, has repeatedly denied that he is indifferent to the atrocities. "How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits?," he said on Saturday. President Erdogan visited Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum in December 2017 and welcomed him several times to Turkey -- but said he hoped Sudan would move "towards a normal democratic process" following the 75-year-old's removal from office Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said he hoped Sudan would return to a "normal democratic process" after an uprising led to the army toppling President Omar al-Bashir, a close ally of Turkey. The Sudanese defence minister announced earlier on Thursday that Bashir had been removed from power and detained by the army following months of protests in the northeast African country which began in December over higher bread prices. "I hope that Sudan overcomes this affair with fraternity and ease, and I believe the country should work towards a normal democratic process," Erdogan said during a press conference in Ankara with the president of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Erdogan said the situation was unclear with no "reliable information" regarding Bashir's whereabouts. "But let me say this, the most important desire is for Sudan to get past this period with national reconciliation and peacefully, because these countries have suffered a lot from these kind of coups," Erdogan added. Bashir visited Turkey several times despite being wanted on charges of genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was one of Erdogan's guests when the new Istanbul airport was inaugurated in October. After a visit by Erdogan in 2017 which led to a strengthening of ties between the two countries, Sudan agreed to let Turkey restore the Red Sea port of Suakin Island, which thrived during the Ottoman era, but fell into disrepair. Erdogan at the time denied there were plans to build a military base but said the renovated port could attract Hajj-bound pilgrims to the island and boost tourism. Ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir (pictured March 2019) is "wanted for some of the most odious human rights violations," according to Amnesty International Ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir should be handed over to the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International said after the army overthrew his three-decade iron rule on Thursday. The London-based human rights organisation also urged the military authorities to ensure that new emergency laws do not undermine civil liberties. "Bashir is wanted for some of the most odious human rights violations of our generation, and we need to finally see him held accountable," Amnesty secretary general Kumi Naidoo said in a statement. "The Sudanese authorities should now turn Bashir... over to the International Criminal Court so that the victims of these unspeakable crimes can see that justice is done." The 75-year-old is wanted by the ICC in The Hague on charges of genocide and war crimes. Amnesty said it was "alarmed" by the new emergency measures that have been installed under the incoming transitional military council. "Sudan's military authorities should ensure that emergency laws are not used to undermine people's rights," said Naidoo. "The transitional authorities must take all necessary measures to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power in Sudan. That means respecting the rights to freedom of expression and assembly." Naidoo said the world should recognise the courage Sudanese people have shown in demanding their civil liberties. He added: "Today's events should also serve as a wake-up call to leaders around the world who think they can get away with denying people their basic rights." Pope Francis (pictured April 10, 2019) hopes that "hostilities will finally cease" and the "armistice will be respected" in South Sudan Pope Francis called Thursday for warring South Sudanese factions to respect the latest armistice after a two-day Vatican retreat aimed at shoring up the fragile peace. "I express my heartfelt hope that hostilities will finally cease, that the armistice will be respected," the pope told President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar at the Vatican. The pontiff said he hoped "that political and ethnic divisions will be surmounted, and that there will be a lasting peace for the common good of all those citizens who dream of beginning to build the nation". The arch-rivals last saw each other in October last year, shortly after the signing of a power-sharing deal, when Machar made a brief return to Juba for the first time since fleeing on foot in a hail of gunfire in July 2016. Machar was Kiir's vice president until a falling out in 2013 which kickstarted a civil war just two years after independence from Sudan. Battles between those from Machar's Nuer community and Kiir's Dinka people were characterised by brutal violence, rape and UN warnings about "ethnic cleansing". South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (R, pictured September 2018) and his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar (L) last saw each other in October 2018, shortly after the signing of a power-sharing deal The meeting between the two men had been billed as "an occasion for encounter and reconciliation, in a spirit of respect and trust," the Vatican said, describing it as "both ecumenical and diplomatic at the same time". After the retreat, the pope kissed the South Sudanese leaders' feet, saying: "Your people is awaiting your return to your country, the reconciliation of all its members, and a new era of peace and prosperity for all." "People are wearied, exhausted by past conflicts: remember that with war, all is lost! Your people today are yearning for a better future, which can only come about through reconciliation and peace." In 2015 a peace deal was signed that saw Machar return as vice president in 2016, but the deal collapsed within months, with fierce battles in the capital. The fresh conflict engulfed even more of the country. Machar fled on foot to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and went into exile in South Africa and later Sudan which played a key role in the latest peace deal. The power-sharing agreement will again reinstate Machar as vice-president, and the unity government is meant to be in place in May, however, observers warn implementation of the deal has stalled. Crucially, the two men have yet to negotiate security control of the capital, moves to establish a national army, and other sticking points. Several ceasefire agreements and peace pacts have failed to end the fighting, which has led to the death of an estimated 380,000 people, uprooted a third of the population, forced nearly two-and-a-half million into exile, and triggered bouts of deadly famine. Jet Airways was until recently India's second-biggest airline but is on the brink of collapse with debts of more than $1 billion India's Jet Airways cancelled several international flights on Thursday and grounded another 10 aircraft after failing to pay lessors, deepening the woes of the beleaguered carrier. "We have cancelled all long-haul west-bound international flights from India from tonight until tomorrow (Friday) morning," a Jet Airways spokesperson told AFP late Thursday. The cancellations affected five flights to London, Paris and Amsterdam. Thursday and Friday services to Colombo and Singapore were also cancelled but a flight to Kathmandu did run. The west-bound flights were scheduled to start again from Friday afternoon but services to Asian countries were expected to remain suspended on Friday, the spokesman added. The development comes as a consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India tries to sell a majority stake in the debt-laden airline to keep it flying. Jet Airways was until recently India's second-biggest airline but is on the brink of collapse with debts of more than $1 billion. The carrier has been forced to ground the majority of its fleet as it struggles to pay aircraft lessors and staff. On Thursday, it told the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had grounded 10 more planes due to non-payment. The airline now operates just 16 planes out of a fleet of 119. Its operational fleet is now thought to be below the number required by Indian aviation regulators to fly overseas. Thousands of customers have been stranded in recent weeks after hundreds of flights were cancelled, in some cases with little or no notice. The Mumbai-based airline has also defaulted on several loan payments. Last month, creditors injected $218 million of "immediate funding support" into Jet Airways as part of a debt resolution plan. The move saw the State Bank of India-led consortium take control of the struggling airline from founder Naresh Goyal, who stepped down as chairman. The consortium started a stake sale process on Monday, giving prospective bidders until Friday to submit expressions of interest. Any interested parties will then have until April 30 to make a formal bid. A collapse would deal a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pragmatic pro-business reputation during a mega six-week-long election that started on Thursday. Alarm bells for Jet Airways first rang in August when it failed to report its quarterly earnings or pay staff, including pilots. It later reported a loss of $85 million. In February, it secured a $1.19 billion bailout from lenders to bridge a funding gap, but its crisis has deepened. The carrier has been badly hit by fluctuating global crude prices and a weak rupee, as well as fierce competition from budget rivals. David Attenborough said the planet was experiencing a 'fresh extinction' that called for concerted action Overconsumption of the world's natural resources is unsustainably cutting into its ecological "capital," revered British naturalist David Attenborough warned Thursday. "Financial systems have a lot in common with natural world systems. Both are economies," Attenborough said Thursday during the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. "If you deal with your investment... it's fine if you can take the profit, you take the investment, but you wouldn't be so silly as to eat into the capital. But that is what we're doing with the natural world all the time." The BAFTA winner and long-time presenter of BBC wildlife documentaries spoke with IMF chief Christine Lagarde. He said human beings and their domesticated animals now accounted for 96 percent of the global mass of all mammals. "We've eliminated the rest," he said. "Seventy percent of all bird species have gone. We are in terrible, terrible trouble." "I find it difficult to exaggerate the peril that we are in. We are in the process of a new fresh extinction which we know all about from geological time," said Attenborough. "This is the new extinction -- and we're halfway through it." Early colonists in North America did not understand how their consumption of one species affected populations of others, he added. He pointed to the hunting of sea otters for their fur, which increased populations of sea urchins that had been preyed upon by the otters. The urchins then consumed more kelp, reducing spawning grounds for fish, which had previously been a great source of wealth, said Attenborough. "When you remove the kelp forests the fish could no longer survive," said Attenborough. "When you did realize it you could deal with it but it requires understanding." He also warned the time had long since come to deal with climate change. "The rate at which the climate is changing and warming, unless we act on the Paris Agreement to restrict that, we're going to be in real trouble," he said. "Otherwise, if we just go on thinking this is going to be fine, we are going to be heading for major catastrophes. No doubt about that." The Event Horizon Telescope project provided the first ever image of a black hole and its fiery halo Anonymous to the public just days ago, a US computer scientist named Katie Bouman has become an overnight sensation due to her role in developing a computer algorithm that allowed researchers to take the world's first image of a black hole. "I'm so excited that we finally get to share what we have been working on for the past year!" the 29 year-old Bouman, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, gushed on her Facebook account Wednesday after the image was published. The term "black hole" refers to a point in space where matter is so compressed that it creates a gravity field from which even light cannot escape. The massive black hole in the photo released Wednesday is 50 million light years away at the center of a galaxy known as M87. While the existence of black holes have been long known, the phenomenon proved impossible to witness. In 2016, Bouman developed an algorithm named CHIRP to sift through a true mountain of data gathered by the Event Horizon Telescope project from telescopes around the world to create an image. The volume of data -- four petabytes (4 million billion bytes) -- was contained in a mountain of computer hard drives weighing several hundred pounds that had to be physically transported to the Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To guarantee the accuracy of the image, the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysics Center, operated by Harvard University, gave the data to four different teams. Each team independently used the algorithm to obtain an image. After a month of work, the four groups presented their results to the other teams. "That was the happiest moment I've ever had [when] I saw all the other teams had images that were very similar, with the lower half brighter than the top half. It was amazing to see everyone got that," Bouman told The Wall Street Journal. "No one algorithm or person made this image," wrote Bouman, who in the fall will begin work as an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech). "It required the amazing talent of a team of scientists from around the globe and years of hard work to develop the instrument, data processing, imaging methods, and analysis techniques that were necessary to pull off this seemingly impossible feat," she said on Facebook. "It has been truly an honor, and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with you all." Ilhan Omar, a Democratic lawmaker, has been at the center of an escalating row following a speech in which, conservatives allege, she downplayed the deadliest attacks on US soil The top Democrat in the US Congress ordered a safety review for a Muslim lawmaker and her family Sunday after accusing President Donald Trump of putting her in danger by tweeting a video of her spliced with footage of the 9/11 attacks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took time out from an official trip to issue a strong statement urging Trump to remove the clip featuring Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar. "Following the president's tweet, I spoke with the sergeant-at-arms to ensure that Capitol Police are conducting a security assessment to safeguard Congresswoman Omar, her family and her staff," she said. "The president's words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger. President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video." Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, meanwhile, defended the president Sunday against accusations that he was inciting violence toward Omar. Omar has been at the center of an escalating row after a clip emerged of her characterizing the deadliest attack on US soil as "some people did something." On Friday, Trump tweeted a video that juxtaposed the snippet -- which Omar's fellow Democrats say was taken out of context -- with images of the hijacked planes used in the attacks crashing into the World Trade Center's twin towers that once dominated New York's skyline. Menacing music accompanies Omar's words. The clip, which had been viewed more than 9.4 million times as of Sunday afternoon, ends with the words: "SEPTEMBER 11 2001 WE REMEMBER." Omar said in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday that many of the increased threats she had received were "directly referencing or replying to the President's video." "Violent crimes and other acts of hate by right-wing extremists and white nationalists are on the rise in this country and around the world," she said. "We can no longer ignore that they are being encouraged by the occupant of the highest office in the land." "We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop." Prominent Democrats including Beto O'Rourke, Kamala Harris and Omar's fellow first-time Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were quick to rush to Omar's defense, accusing the president and other Republicans of deliberately de-contextualizing her remarks and endangering her life. Sanders, however, defended Trump, telling ABC television's "This Week" that "the president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence towards anyone." But, she added: "It's absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and (Democrats) look the other way. "I find her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress and I think that it's a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments, and the big question is why aren't Democrats doing it as well." - 'Unwavering love for America' - The controversy arose after Omar delivered a 20-minute address to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) shortly after the New Zealand mosque attacks in March. "For far too long, we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it," she said. "CAIR was founded after 9/11," she added, "because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." The civil rights group was in fact founded in 1994 but grew significantly after 2001. The speech did not initially receive significant attention until the snippet in question was highlighted weeks later by controversial Australian personality Mohammad Tawhidi who refers to himself as the "Imam of Peace." Omar mounted a trenchant fightback, tweeting Saturday: "No one person -- no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious -- can threaten my unwavering love for America. "I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans." bur-oh-ska-qan/gle Alaa Rajab (L), Louisa Akavi and Nabil Bakdoune were abducted in northwest Syria more than five years ago A New Zealand nurse believed abducted with two drivers by Islamic State militants in Syria in 2013 may still be alive, the International Committee of the Red Cross has revealed for the first time in an appeal for news of her whereabouts. Louisa Akavi was snatched along with Syrian drivers Alaa Rajab and Nabil Bakdounes while travelling in a Red Cross convoy delivering supplies to Idlib, in the northwest of the country. Armed men stopped their convoy on October 13, 2013, and abducted seven people, four of whom were released the following day. The ICRC said it believed they were abducted by the Islamic State group (IS). "Our latest credible information indicates that Louisa was alive in late 2018," the group said Sunday in a statement from Geneva. "The ICRC has never been able to learn more details about Alaa and Nabil, and their fate is not known." New Zealand said it disagreed with making the abduction public but did confirm it had dispatched a special forces unit to Syria to search for Akavi. "This has involved members of the NZDF (New Zealand defence force) drawn from the Special Operations Force, and personnel have visited Syria from time to time as required," New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said Monday. "This non-combat team was specifically focused on locating Louisa and identifying opportunities to recover her. "The efforts to locate and recover Louisa are ongoing, and there are a number of operational or intelligence matters the government won't be commenting on," he said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed disappointment at the information released by the ICRC and refused to answer questions at her weekly press conference on Monday. "It absolutely remains the government's view that it would be preferable if this case was not in the public domain," she said. - 'Compassionate humanitarian' - Peters said information about the kidnapping had not been previously released for fear that any publicity would place the hostages at greater risk, and New Zealand media outlets which knew Akavi had been taken hostage agreed not to publish the story. "In these situations the priority must be the safety of the hostage and we received clear advice that any publicity would place Louisa at even greater risk," Peters said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed disappointment at the information released by the ICRC "The government is very grateful for the cooperation of media outlets over many years in respecting this advice and undertaking not to publish ... and we thank them for their principled approach." ICRC operations director Dominik Stillhart said it was an "extremely difficult time" for the families of the three. "Louisa is a true and compassionate humanitarian. Alaa and Nabil were committed colleagues and an integral part of our aid deliveries. "We call on anyone with information to please come forward. If our colleagues are still being held, we call for their immediate and unconditional release." Akavi had carried out 17 field missions with the ICRC and the New Zealand Red Cross, the statement said. Rajab and Bakdounes were "dedicated husbands and caring fathers", it added. A spokesman for Akavi's family, Tuaine Robati, said she knew the dangers she faced. "She's been through tough times in her job before but she's stuck at it because she loves it," he said. "Louisa is an incredibly experienced nurse and aid worker who knew the risks of her job. Our family misses her very much and is concerned for her safety." The war in Syria, which began in 2011, has claimed more than 370,000 lives and forced millions of people to flee their homes. The Kurdish-led SDF, backed by a US-led coalition, captured the last IS bastion in eastern Syria on March 23, and had detained thousands of suspected IS fighters. But this could make it more difficult to find Akavi. The New York Times has reported the Red Cross has reason to believe she is alive, because at least two people described seeing her in December at a clinic in Sousa, one of the final villages to be held by IS jihadists. "We are speaking out today to publicly honour and acknowledge Louisa's, Alaa's, and Nabil's hardship and suffering," the ICRC statement said. The organisation has 98 foreign workers and 580 Syrians working in the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accuses IS of abducting thousands of people since 2014. Former prime minister Najib Razak (shown at the start of his trial on April 3) and his cronies are accused of stealing billions of dollars from 1MDB and spending it on everything from high-end real estate to artworks and a luxury yacht Toppled Malaysian leader Najib Razak returned to court for the second day of his high-profile corruption trial Monday, with the former premier accused of plundering large sums from scandal-hit state fund 1MDB. The 65-year-old finally went on trial this month over his alleged role in looting the investment vehicle, the first of several court cases he is expected to face over the controversy. The ex-prime minister and his cronies are accused of stealing billions of dollars from 1MDB and spending it on everything from high-end real estate to artworks and a luxury yacht. The allegations played a large part in prompting voters to oust his corruption-plagued coalition, which had been in power for six decades, at historic elections last year. Since then, Najib has been arrested and hit with dozens of charges over the scandal. The ex-leader's highly-anticipated trial began on April 3, with Najib denying seven charges related to the theft of 42 million ringgit ($10.2 million) from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. It is just a fraction of the money Najib is accused of stealing -- he has also been charged in a separate case over the alleged transfer of $681 million to his bank account. He arrived at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur Monday for the second day of proceedings, wearing a dark suit and tie, and passed through a scrum of journalists before entering the courtroom and taking his seat in the dock. - Bank raid - The main witness called Monday was Azizul Adzani Abdul Ghafar, an investigating officer from the central bank, who was part of a team that raided the branch of a local lender, AmBank. The officers seized documents related to accounts held by Najib at the bank, accounts belonging to SRC International, and accounts held by another company. The stolen money from SRC was allegedly sent to Najib's accounts at AmBank. Earlier Najib's defence team cross-examined Companies Commission of Malaysia official Muhamad Akmaluddin Abdullah, who had testified when the trial opened, on matters related to SRC's records. What is Malaysia's 1MDB scandal? After the trial was adjourned for the day, Najib's chief lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the prosecution would have to prove the ex-leader knew the money flows were illicit to convict him. "There can be many transactions. The issue is does (Najib) know the exact thing that is going on, does he know in fact it is from illegal sources?" he told reporters outside court. "The prosecution need to show that he is complicit, that he is part of the conspiracy." Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing over the looting of 1MDB. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who came out of retirement to lead an alliance to a shock election victory against Najib's government last year, has pledged to bring Najib to justice and recoup the huge sums of cash stolen from 1MDB. The US Department of Justice, which is investigating the 1MDB controversy as money was allegedly laundered through the American financial system, believes $4.5 billion in total was looted from the fund. Malaysia has also charged Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs over the scandal, alleging the bank and its former employees stole billions of dollars from 1MDB. The US Supreme Court has heard a case over whether to deny a trademark on the basis of "immoral" and "scandalous" words -- and how to define those terms What's in a name? The US Supreme Court expressed skepticism Monday over the government's argument that a clothing line named "Fuct" has chosen a name so offensive it should be refused a trademark. The nine justices are weighing a provision of US law that allows the government to deny trademark requests on the basis of "immoral" or "scandalous" words -- and whether that is unconstitutional, given the First Amendment right to free speech. "Obscenity," "profane words," "dirty words" -- the venerable judges bandied about various phrases to avoid saying the name of the label -- suffice it to say, it rhymes with plucked. "I really don't want to go through the examples. I really don't want to do that," said Justice Neil Gorsuch, to snickers from onlookers. It all started with provocateur, artist and designer Erik Brunetti, who founded the streetwear brand in 1990. Under the label, he has since freely sold clothing with anti-religious, anti-government slogans and motifs, often parodying pop culture. But in 2011, authorities refused to register "Fuct" at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), citing a provision that dates back to 1905. Brunetti, feeling that his rights had been violated, took his fight to the courts. In December 2017, a federal appeals court ruled in his favor, agreeing that the trademark law violates the First Amendment. But President Donald Trump's administration then asked the top court to give a final ruling on the matter, which they will do in a few months. - Drawing a line - The provision in question "does not restrict respondent's ability to express himself, through use of his mark or otherwise, but simply denies him the advantages associated with federal trademark registration," the US administration argues. But several justices expressed doubt on the ease of drawing a line between what would be acceptable and what isn't. "Once you get to 'shockingly offensive,' you get to viewpoint. One way or another, it's always subjective," said progressive Justice Sonia Sotomayor. For Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "in the niche market that these goods are targeting, the word is mainstream." Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh called application of the trademark law "erratic and inconsistent." Indeed, in a brief to the court, law professors Barton Beebe and Jeanne Fromer of NYU School of Law noted that the fashion brand PHUC -- pronounced the same way as the swear word at issue before the high court -- got a trademark. During the hearing, right-leaning Justice Samuel Alito noted that much profanity is simply used to "get attention." - Censorship of ideas? - The way Brunetti sees it, the seemingly capricious nature of authorities' decision-making is a way to censor ideas they dislike -- noting that in rejecting his application, the USPTO stated he had sold clothes with "revolutionary themes, proudly subversive graphics and in-your-face imagery." "His assaults on American culture critique capitalism, government, religion and pop culture," it added. Brunetti has asked the Supreme Court to apply the same reasoning it did in a 2017 case when it ruled that an Asian American band could trademark its name "The Slants" despite its racist connotations. "We have said time and again that 'the public expression of ideas may not be prohibited merely because the ideas are themselves offensive to some of their hearers,'" Alito wrote in that ruling. People pay their respects before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out to pay tribute to their leaders on Monday, the most important day of the isolated, nuclear-armed country's ritual calendar. In the North April 15 is known as the Day of the Sun, the anniversary of the 1912 birth of the country's founder Kim Il Sung, whose son Kim Jong Il succeeded him and grandson Kim Jong Un, the current leader, inherited power in turn. North Koreans are taught from birth to revere the Kim family and the ceremonies surrounding such occasions are one of the ways in which authorities reinforce loyalty. From early morning, a steady stream of citizens arrived at Mansu hill in Pyongyang, where giant bronze statues of the two elder Kims look out over the capital. Platoons of soldiers, staff of work units, families, newlyweds and tourists all lined up before the images, advancing to place flowers at their base. North Koreans are taught from birth to revere the Kim family and the ceremonies surrounding occasions such as the 'Day of the Sun' are one of the ways in which authorities reinforce loyalty "Let us pay tribute to the great president Kim Il Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il," intoned an announcer half-hidden by floral baskets, and all bowed in unison, the troops saluting. Retired colonel Ra Man Ok, 84, wiped tears from her eyes as she stood before the statues, took a few paces backwards still facing the images, and bowed an extra, second time. "I want to pay tribute with my spirit to the great leaders because I am too old to repay their benevolence with my labour," she told AFP, wearing the uniform in which she had marched in a military parade decades ago. "My motto is that everybody can realise their hopes only by following the leadership of our party through all trials and difficulties." Ordinary North Koreans always express wholehearted support for the authorities when speaking to foreign media. - Loyal spirit - In pride of place before the statues, cordoned off with a chain, stood a giant floral tribute in the name of Kim Jong Un. Citizens lined up from early morning before the giant statues to pay tribute to their leaders This year's anniversary -- which is also marked by other events including mass dances and a flower festival -- comes days after Kim reinforced his already unshakeable grip on power with a generational reshuffle at the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the country's rubber stamp legislature. The nonagenarian head of the parliament Kim Yong Nam -- who also acts as the North's ceremonial head of state as Kim Il Sung officially remains Eternal President despite dying in 1994 -- was replaced by Choe Ryong Hae, considered one of Kim Jong Un's right-hand men. Outgoing premier Pak Pong Ju, who turned 80 last week, made way for Kim Jae Ryong. Kim told the SPA meeting that he was open to another summit with US President Donald Trump after their February meeting in Hanoi broke up without agreement -- but only if Washington adopted a "proper attitude". Soldiers, workers, newlyweds and families come to pay their respects at Mansu hill where giant bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il look out over the capital Their last talks foundered with Washington demanding North Korea give up its nuclear arsenal, while US officials say Pyongyang offered only limited concessions in exchange for lifting almost all the sanctions against it. "The United States came to the negotiating table after thinking only about completely unrealisable methods," Kim said according to a transcript issued by the official Korean Central News Agency. "The US-style dialogue of unilaterally pushing its demands does not fit us," he added. "We are neither pleased nor willing to see summit talks like the Hanoi summit talks re-enacted." Hostile moves by the US, he said, "seriously get on our nerves. I am very displeased with such a trend." April 15 is known as the 'Day of the Sun', the anniversary of the 1912 birth of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung At the statues, engineer Ri Yang Myong, 60, said: "I will fulfil my responsibility to uphold the leadership of the respected Marshal Kim Jong Un and will ensure my sons become loyal men who loyally follow the leadership of the respected marshal." He brought his five-year-old granddaughter Ji Ye to the statues for the first time, he said, to teach her that it was a family tradition. "Visiting this place on the national holidays is the law in my family," he added. "I want to make sure she has a loyal spirit." South Korea is the world's only advanced economy to make consensual gay sex between soldiers a crime under military law Productive and driven, he was a model army officer, but he had a secret: he was in a gay sexual relationship with a fellow soldier -- a crime under South Korea's military law. He kept his sexuality hidden from everyone, including friends and family, only meeting his lover off-base and after work. Same-sex acts are legal for South Korean civilians, although homosexual people live largely under the radar as it remains a conservative society, influenced by evangelical Christianity. But the South Korean military classes openly gay men in its ranks as having "special needs" and campaigners say it actively pursues soldiers who have consensual same-sex intercourse with each other. "I worked very hard as an officer, but none of that mattered when I became a suspect," the 27-year-old, who asked for anonymity, told AFP. "There were days when I just wanted to die," he added, explaining that he was caught after authorities discovered his messages on his partner's phone. He faced a criminal conviction and a possible forced outing to his parents, whom he had hoped would never find out the truth about his homosexuality, describing them as "conservative, devout Christians". South Korea has a conscript army to defend itself against the nuclear-armed North, with all able-bodied male citizens obliged to serve for nearly two years. Doing so is seen as a patriotic duty, and failure to complete service can bring enduring stigma that affects social standing, employment prospects and more. South Korea is also the world's only advanced economy to make consensual gay sex between soldiers a crime under military rules. Under clause 92.6 of its criminal code, known as the military sodomy law, soldiers can be jailed for two years with labour if convicted at a court-martial. For homosexual men this can mean having to live a double life. - 'Military witch-hunt' - The officer was among 22 soldiers arrested during a 2017 inquiry into homosexual activity in the army. He was luckier than most in his position: he was charged during his last month of service, so his case was transferred to a civilian court and he was later acquitted. It was the first time a soldier charged under the military sodomy law had been found not guilty. And while he has begun a civilian life with a new job, and thus far avoided his family finding out any details of his sexual orientation -- prosecutors have since appealed, leaving him in a legal and social limbo as he awaits the next hearing. He said: "It is as if my entire existence was being denied." "I should never have been charged... in the first place," he added. Same-sex acts are legal for South Korean civilians, although homosexual people live largely under the radar as it remains a conservative society, influenced by evangelical Christianity but the military has strict laws on what is allowed South Korea's armed forces used intrusive "witch-hunt like" tactics in the search for alleged wrong-doing according to the Military Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK), an advocacy group in Seoul. As part of the 2017 probe, investigators forced suspects to message dating app users in front of them to hunt down other gay soldiers, it said. Three navy officers are currently under investigation for violating clause 92.6, MHRCK told AFP, after one revealed he was gay to a military counsellor, who then reported him. "The fact that a military therapist disclosed the soldier's sexual orientation without consent says a lot about human rights in South Korea's military," explained the organisation's head Lim Tae-hoon. The navy said the inquiry was being carried out according to the military criminal code, and on the orders of the defence ministry. - 'Archaic and discriminatory' - Authorities regularly cite the need to preserve military discipline as the main reason for the sodomy law. "The ban needs to remain in place as it is required to maintain a sound and wholesome lifestyle and discipline in the military, which is a communal institution," a defence ministry official told AFP. Consensual heterosexual sex is not a crime in South Korea's military, but its conscript army is predominantly male. Allowing homosexuals to serve in the military was a highly disputed issue around the world for decades. A landmark court ruling in India scrapped a colonial-era ban on same-sex relations last year, but the country's army chief said in January that gay sex would not be tolerated in his forces -- one of the largest in the world. In the South, 12 of the 2017 detainees -- the officer AFP interviewed is not among them -- have challenged article 92.6 in the country's Constitutional Court. The law has already been appealed to three times since it was enacted in 1962, and was upheld in a 5-4 ruling as recently as 2016. The situation has been criticised by a number of global rights organisations, including Amnesty International, which called the law "archaic and discriminatory". Last month, Human Rights Watch called for the military sodomy law to be repealed in a brief to the Constitutional Court, branding it a "blight on the country's human rights record". Graeme Reid, the organisation's LGBT rights director, said: "Criminalizing adult consensual same-sex conduct should be relegated to the history books - it has no place in Korean society." Twenty-three journalists and 13 media companies face fines and prison terms for allegedly breaching a gag order not to report on last year's trial of Cardinal George Pell (C) for child sex abuse The lawyer defending Australia's biggest news organisations against contempt charges for their reporting of Cardinal George Pell's sex crimes conviction denounced on Monday what he called an unprecedented attack on press freedom in the country. Twenty-three journalists and 13 media companies face fines and prison terms for allegedly breaching a gag order not to report on last year's trial of Pell for child sex abuse. Pell, 77, the most senior Catholic cleric convicted of sex crimes, was found guilty in December of abusing two choirboys and is serving a six-year prison term. He has appealed the conviction. The court had banned all reporting of the case pending a second trial scheduled for this month, but the gag order was lifted in February when that trial was cancelled. Some foreign media, including The New York Times and the Washington Post, reported Pell's conviction in December, while local media ran cryptic articles complaining that they were being prevented from reporting a story of major public interest. The Australian media and reporters were accused of abetting contempt of court by the foreign press and of "scandalising the court" by breaching the suppression order, despite none of them reporting on the charges involved or mentioning Pell by name. If convicted, journalists face prison terms of up to five years and the news organisations fines of up to AU$500,000 (US$ 360,000). Matthew Collins, representing the accused media at the first hearing on the matter on Monday, said such wide-ranging contempt charges had "no precedent" in Australian legal history. "There are simply no cases of which we are aware in Australia where media organisations, editors or journalists have been charged, much less found guilty, of contempt in circumstances such as these," he was quoted by local media as telling the court in Melbourne. Collins added that a guilty verdict on any of the charges would have a "chilling effect" on open justice in Australia. He added that the contempt allegations lacked specific examples of how any of the accused news companies or journalists actually breached the gag order when they never mentioned Pell or the crimes for which he was convicted. The accused include Australia's two biggest newspaper companies, Rupert Murdoch's Nationwide News and the former Fairfax group now owned by broadcaster Nine, as well as leading newspaper editors and reporters. Judge John Dixon agreed that prosecutors had not provided sufficient detail of the charges against each news organisation and journalist, asking "does this involve one trial or 36 trials, or something in between?". He ordered prosecutors to provide detailed statements of claim to the accused and set a new hearing for June 26. Thousands of passengers have been stranded after Jet cancelled flights because it could not pay its bills India's stricken Jet Airways appeared to be edging closer to collapse Monday after lenders failed to take a decision on whether to release crucial funds to keep the debt-laden carrier flying. Thousands of passengers have been stranded in recent days after the airline, which has debts of more than $1 billion, cancelled all international flights as it cannot pay its bills. Jet CEO Vinay Dube said in an email to staff Monday that the cancellation of all international flights was being extended to Thursday because an emergency cash injection had not yet been made available. "As you are aware, we have been working with the lenders to secure interim funding for our operations. The interim funding has not been forthcoming thus far..." he wrote. Dube added that the board of Jet would meet on Tuesday to discuss "the next steps forward". The airline has only seven jets left after dozens of others were seized by creditors in recent weeks. Pilots, engineers, and ground staff who have not been paid for three months have said they will strike if the banks do not inject emergency funds. They had planned to strike from Monday but postponed the action until after the bankers' meeting. The State Bank of India-led lenders took control of Jet last month, pledging to give $218 million of "immediate funding support" as part of a debt resolution plan. But most of the funds have not been released and Jet, which is now operating a skeleton service, needs the money desperately or could go bust within days, Indian media reports say. The lenders met for several hours on Monday but failed to agree on how to proceed. SBI said in a statement that "necessary support to facilitate the (debt resolution) process is being extended by the banks in the consortium". "Cooperation by and support from all the other stakeholders will be the key to the success of the process," it added. Jet has been in a tailspin for months. All of its international flights have been suspended since late Thursday, with Europe and North America particularly badly hit. Hundreds of staff protested in New Delhi and Mumbai over the weekend demanding to be paid and calling for the company to be rescued. The Mumbai-based firm has defaulted on loans and repeatedly failed to pay staff and lessors in recent months. The SBI-led consortium is trying to find a buyer for Jet, which was until recently India's second-biggest airline by market share. A deadline passed Friday for prospective bidders to express an interest in acquiring a 75 percent stake in the carrier. Etihad Airways, which owns a 24 percent stake, has submitted an expression of interest to buy a controlling stake of up to 75 percent, according to media reports. Naresh Goyal, who founded the airline but quit as chairman last month, has also lodged a bid, as have several private equity groups, newspapers said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, for whom a collapse of Jet would be a blow as it seeks a second term in a national election, convened a crisis meeting on Friday evening. Singapore's proposed 'fake news' law includes powers for ministers to order sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem false Nearly 100 academics worldwide have expressed concern over Singapore's proposed law against "fake news", warning it could threaten academic freedom and hurt the city-state's ambition to become a global education hub. The government this month unveiled a bill containing tough measures, including powers for ministers to order sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem false, and extreme cases, to take them down. If an action is deemed malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, companies could be hit with fines of up to Sg$1 million ($740,000), while individuals could face jail terms of up to 10 years. Authorities in the tightly-controlled country insist the measures are necessary to prevent online falsehoods sowing social divisions, but the move has sparked anger from press freedom groups and tech giants such as Facebook and Google. Now ninety-seven academics from around the world with expertise in Singapore and Asia have signed a letter warning the proposed legislation "may deter scholarship and set precedents harmful to global academia". "We are concerned that the proposed legislation will have unintended detrimental consequences for scholars and research in Singapore," said the group, who included academics from Harvard and Yale, as well as institutions in Britain, Australia, and parts of Asia. The letter, released at the weekend, also warned the law could compromise "Singapore's notable efforts to develop itself into an internationally-recognised hub for excellence in higher education". Singapore is home to several leading higher education institutes, which attract academics from around the world. The group, called Academics Against Disinformation, also said they wrote to the education ministry to express their concerns. The ministry was cited in local media as saying the draft law does not restrict opinion and will not affect academic research work, but the academics said they could not accept the response as a guarantee. Singapore is among several countries seeking to legislate against fake news, and the bill is expected to pass easily through parliament, which is dominated by the long-ruling People's Action Party. The remarks come as Moon (L) tries to reignite stalled talks between Kim Jong Un (R) and Donald Trump South Korean President Moon Jae-in is willing to go anywhere to meet Kim Jong Un for a fourth summit, he said Monday, hailing the North Korean leader's willingness to salvage high-stakes talks with the United States. Kim said Friday he was open to a third meeting with US President Donald Trump if Washington offered "mutually acceptable terms" after their second summit in Hanoi broke down in part over Pyongyang's demands for immediate sanctions relief. Moon, who brokered the talks between Washington and Pyongyang, welcomed Kim's "firm commitment for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" and called for what would be his fourth meeting with the North's leader. "As soon as North Korea is ready, I hope the two Koreas will be able to sit down together, regardless of venue and form," Moon told a meeting with his top aides. "I will spare no effort to ensure that the upcoming inter-Korean summit becomes a stepping stone for an even bigger opportunity and a more significant outcome." The remarks come after Moon's brief summit with Trump at the White House last week as he tries to reignite the stalled diplomacy. Moon, who has long backed engagement with the nuclear-armed North, has been pushing for the resumption of inter-Korean economic projects, but doing so would fall foul of international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang. Trump and Kim held their first landmark summit in Singapore last June, where they signed a vaguely-worded agreement on the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula." The failure to reach agreement at their second summit in Hanoi has raised questions over the future of the accord. Washington has blamed the deadlock on the North's demands for sanctions relief in return for limited nuclear disarmament, but Pyongyang said it had wanted only some of the measures eased. In a speech to Pyongyang's rubber-stamp parliament on Friday, Kim said the Hanoi meeting raised questions about Washington's intention but added he will wait until the end of the year for the US to make "a courageous decision". Trump has welcomed further talks with Kim, insisting their personal relationship was "excellent". The China-backed 640-kilometre (400-mile) rail link will connect Malaysia's east and west coasts Malaysia would have faced a $5-billion penalty if a China-backed rail project was axed, the prime minister said Monday, after a deal was reached to revive the controversial scheme. Last week Malaysia and China agreed to push ahead with the railway at a 30-percent lower cost, lifting a suspension slapped on the project when a corruption-plagued regime lost power in Malaysia last year. It was among several Beijing-financed infrastructure initiatives put on hold after the change of government, as new leaders sought to reduce a mammoth national debt and amid concerns of corrupt dealings under the administration of ex-leader Najib Razak. Malaysia and China's agreement to restart the project at a reduced cost of 44 billion ringgit ($10.7 billion) -- inked in Beijing on Friday -- could help improve ties which had been strained since Najib, a close Beijing ally, was ejected from power. The 640-kilometre (400-mile) east coast rail link will run from northern Malaysia, near the Thai border, to a port outside Kuala Lumpur, and is seen as a key project in China's Belt and Road infrastructure drive. Announcing further details Monday, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that the government "was faced with the choice to either renegotiate or pay termination costs of about 21.78 billion ringgit ($5.3 billion), with nothing to show for it. "As such, we chose to go back to the negotiating table and call for a more equitable deal, whereby the needs of the Malaysian people would be prioritised." He also announced that the main Chinese company in the scheme, China Communications Construction Company, would form a joint venture with a Malaysian firm to help operate and maintain the line, which would ease the burden on Malaysia. The Chinese firm had agreed to refund one billion ringgit from a 3.1 billion ringgit advance payment previously paid by Malaysia towards the project, he said. The route of the line has been altered so it would pass through five states, instead of four, to allow more parts of the country to benefit from the railway, Mahathir said. The completion date had been pushed back to 2026, from 2024 under the original agreement. Malaysia will still need to take a loan from a Chinese state-owned bank to fund the line but it will be less than under the original deal. Mahathir, 93, returned for a second stint as premier in May last year after he led a reformist alliance to a surprise victory at the polls, toppling Najib's coalition which had been in power for over six decades. Najib has since been slapped with dozens of charges over his alleged role in looting state fund 1MDB, and went on trial over the scandal this month. Sudanese protesters have kept up a sit-in outside army headquarters in Khartoum since April 6 Sudan's military rulers faced pressure from demonstrators and Western governments to hand power to a new civilian government Monday as activists warned of an attempt to disperse a 10-day-old mass protest outside army headquarters. Thousands remained camped outside the complex in Khartoum overnight after protest leaders issued demands to the military council set up following the ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir. The organisation that spearheaded the months of protests leading to Bashir's fall, the Sudanese Professionals Association, called on their supporters to boost the numbers at the complex. "There is an attempt to disperse the sit-in from the army headquarters area, they are trying to remove the barricades," the SPA said in a statement, without saying who was responsible. "We call on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area to protect our revolution." Witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. Britain's ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, met the new military council's deputy and stated his "top request was no violence and no attempt to forcibly break the sit in". Witnesses said troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure In the meeting with Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Himeidti, Siddik wrote on Twitter that he also backed the SPA's call for a civilian administration. The talks came a day after the embassies of Britain, the United States and Norway issued a joint statement saying the "legitimate change" the Sudanese people demanded had not taken place. "It is time for the transitional military council and all other parties to enter into an inclusive dialogue to effect a transition to civilian rule," they said. The SPA has said a transitional government and the armed forces must bring to justice both Bashir and officials from his feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). - Council 'committed' to transition - The military council on Sunday met with political parties and urged them to agree on an "independent figure" to be prime minister, an AFP correspondent at the meeting said. "We want to set up a civilian state based on freedom, justice and democracy," a council member, Lieutenant General Yasser al-Ata, told members of several political parties. Tens of thousands of people have massed non-stop outside the army headquarters since April 6 A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered a list of demands during talks with the council late Saturday, according to a statement by the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group. But in a press conference, the council's spokesman did not respond to the protesters' latest demands. He did however announce the appointment of a new NISS head after the intelligence agency's chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. The foreign ministry said military council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was "committed to having a complete civilian government" and urged other nations to back the council in order to achieve "the Sudanese goal of democratic transition". In the latest shake-up, Burhan on Monday named Lieutenant General Hashim Abdelmotalib as the army's chief of staff. - Follow the money - American actor George Clooney, who has campaigned hard to draw attention to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, over the weekend urged world powers to pressure the military "to turn over full executive power to a civilian-led transitional government". "The most potent form of leverage would be to go after the assets laundered by Bashir and his allies through the international financial system," Clooney wrote in a joint Washington Post column with rights activist John Prendergast. The military council's deputy Himeidti is a field commander for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) counter-insurgency unit, which rights groups have accused of abuses in Darfur. But at the protest site Monday, witnesses said demonstrators put up a banner with a photograph of Himeidti which read: "We will not forget that you stood with us." Burhan has pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would face justice and that demonstrators detained under a state of emergency imposed by Bashir during his final weeks in power would be freed. The president's departure in a coup failed to satisfy the protesters, who have pushed for justice for Bashir-era officials Bashir ruled Sudan with an iron fist for 30 years before he was deposed last week following mass protests that have rocked the country since December. Tens of thousands of people have massed non-stop outside the army headquarters since April 6, initially urging the military to back their demand for Bashir's removal. But his departure in a coup failed to satisfy the protesters, who have pushed for justice for Bashir-era officials. The SPA has also called for the confiscation of properties belonging to the ousted president's National Congress Party and the release of soldiers who sided with their movement. Late on Sunday, the military council said it has set up a committee to register NCP properties and seize control of them. The EU's 28 member states had struggled for months to agree on a mandate to open trans-Atlantic talks, with some fearing the delay would restart a trade war with President Donald Trump European Union countries on Monday overruled France and gave the green light for Brussels to open trade talks with Washington as soon as possible and defuse trans-Atlantic tensions. The EU's 28 member states had struggled for months to agree on a mandate to open the talks, with some fearing the delay would restart a trade war with US President Donald Trump. But EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg approved a mandate to negotiate "an agreement limited to the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods only" and another accord designed to remove non-tariff barriers. The ministers said the mandate would exclude agriculture products, which EU trade minister Cecilia Malmstrom said amounted to a "red line" for Europe. US officials have pushed for farm products to be included. "I will now get in contact with our American partners with a view to organising a date for the first round as soon as possible," Malmstrom told a press conference in Brussels. "If we agree to start, I think it can go quite quickly," the Swedish commissioner added. Malmstrom underlined the determination of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to finish the talks before its five-year term ends on October 31. - 'Climate chaos' - EU sources said France voted against the mandate and Belgium abstained during the Luxembourg meeting. Pursuing a limited trade deal is a key element of a truce negotiated in July that came close earlier this month to imploding after the US threatened $11 billion in fresh trade tariffs against Europe. Paris voted against the mandate over worries about domestic blowback just months ahead of European elections, set for May 23 to 26. French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted the US first sign back up to the Paris climate accord after Trump dumped the pact in 2017, infuriating Macron. EU trade minister Cecilia Malmstrom said she w"ill now get in contact with our American partners with a view to organising a date for the first round as soon as possible" But only a qualified majority of EU members was needed to support the talks, meaning France's "non" remained largely symbolic. Greenpeace has called on the Commission and national governments not to enter into trade negotiations with any country that rejects the Paris climate pact. "EU-Trump trade talks would seriously call into question the EUs resolve on climate change," Greenpeace's Naomi Ages said, warning time was running out to prevent "climate chaos." In a bid to win France over, its EU partners agreed to insist on environmental guarantees during the talks with Washington. In another sop, they also made a specific mention that TTIP, a far more ambitious transatlantic trade plan that never materialised, be officially called "obsolete". The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Paratnership talks stalled following widespread protests in Germany, France and Austria over fears it would undermine EU standards on food and health. At France's demand, agricultural products are also off the table. - 'Ease trade tensions' - Berlin wants the limited deal in order to placate Trump and avoid US auto tariffs that would punish Germany's cherished exports. The mandate from the EU stipulates that the talks would end if the US pursued more levies against Europe, including on cars. It also says the EU cannot conclude the negotiations as long as the metal tariffs remain. The limited deal concerns only industrial goods, excluding the automotive sector. Fishing is also included, but not agriculture, services or public procurement. The US however insists its wants to discuss agriculture, while Europeans would like to include cars. Both sides will have to bridge the gaps before the start of talks. At a meeting last July at the White House, Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pledged no new tariffs following those on steel and aluminium. That peace was in danger earlier this month after the US threatened to impose tariff counter-measures of up to $11.2 billion on a host of European products in response to subsidies received by aircraft maker Airbus. But Malmstrom said: "This is a welcome decision that will help ease trade tensions." The UN calls the situation in Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis French weapons are being used by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, according to a classified note revealed by French media on Monday which contradicts the claims of France's government. The note from the French military intelligence service, published by new investigative media outlet Disclose, concluded that the UAE and Saudi Arabia deployed French weaponry from artillery to ships in their war against Huthi rebels. Under pressure from rights groups in France over the sales, the Paris government has always insisted that French arms are only used in defensive circumstances to deter attacks by the Huthis. France, the third-biggest arms exporter in the world, counts Saudi Arabia and the UAE as loyal clients in the Middle East, its biggest regional market in 2017. Those two countries intervened in 2015 to support the Yemeni government against Huthi rebels, which are backed by Iran, in a war that has left around 10,000 dead and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. The UN calls the situation in Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis. - Artillery, tanks, ships, helicopters - The classified note -- provided to the French government in October 2018, according to Disclose -- said that 48 Caesar artillery guns manufactured by the Nexter group were being used along the Saudi-Yemen border. Leclerc tanks, sold in the 1990s to the UAE, have also been used, as have Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets, while French missile-guiding technology called Damocles might have been deployed, according to the assessment. Cougar transport helicopters and the A330 MRTT refuelling plane have also seen action, and two French ships are serving in the blockade of Yemeni ports which has led to food and medical shortages, the DRM military intelligence agency concluded. Asked for comment by AFP, the French government said that "to our knowledge, the French weapons owned by members of the coalition are for the most part in defensive positions, outside of Yemen or in military bases, not on the frontline." Disclose is a new investigative website working in partnership with established media companies including public broadcaster France Info, online brand Mediapart and Franco-German television channel Arte. President Donald Trump last year said he wanted to slash America's 14,000-strong troop presence in Afghanistan by about half The United States does not want to pursue a "precipitous" withdrawal from Afghanistan, a top Democratic lawmaker said in Kabul on Monday amid an ongoing push to end the war. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who sits on the influential Senate Armed Services Committee that oversees the US military, also stressed that women must have a place at the table as the US tries to negotiate with the Taliban. President Donald Trump last year told advisors he wanted to slash America's 14,000-strong troop presence in Afghanistan by about half, prompting criticism he was seeking to rush a withdrawal. "What we've heard here (is) that whatever negotiated settlement ends the conflict, that it be done in a way that's very deliberate, that ensures a transition that all sides can participate in, and that there should not be a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan," Shaheen told reporters at the US embassy. Congressional colleagues agreed, she said, adding "that's the position of the administration as well". "There is a deliberate position that may not always be reflected in the tweets that come from the White House," she said, referring to Trump's penchant of firing off unexpected foreign policy messages. Shaheen also sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is the only woman on the panel. She said it is vital for women to be included in talks with the Taliban, whose regime shredded any Western notion of women's rights and executed women for allegations of adultery. "What we know from the data is that when women are engaged, there is about a 35 percent more likely chance that those negotiations will ... endure for a longer period of time," Shaheen said. It's important that "whatever comes out of any peace negotiations, that we support having women at the table." A fresh round of talks is expected to take place later this month between Afghan political leaders, including some officials from the Kabul government, and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha. The Taliban have long refused to speak officially with Kabul, dubbing the government a "puppet" of the West, and the militants have insisted that government officials are attending only in a "personal capacity". The makeup of the delegation has not yet been announced, but an initial list reportedly only had two female participants. Trump would add 'some great features' and rebrand the aircraft US President Donald Trump lambasted the Boeing 737 Max plane on Monday, saying it should be improved with unspecified new features and given a new name. The model has suffered two deadly crashes in a matter of months, the first last October in Indonesia with the death of all 189 people on board and then in Ethiopia on March 10, killing all 157 aboard. Both accidents took place shortly after takeoff. Investigators are focusing on a system that is supposed to help the Boeing workhorse aircraft avoid stalling in flight. "What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name," Trump wrote in an early morning tweet. "No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?," he added. It is not the first time Trump has weighed in on the Ethiopian crash. Two days after the plane went down, he tweeted that these days jetliners are "becoming far too complex to fly". He added: "Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better." F1 chief executive officer Chase Carey compared the Hanoi track to Britain's Silverstone Formula One boss Chase Carey said next year's inaugural race in Hanoi will be "uniquely exciting" thanks to a street track he hopes will help make the event a global spectacle. Carey was speaking Monday after inspecting initial work on the 5.6 kilometre (3.5 mile) track that will combine existing roads with newly-built routes in the Vietnamese capital, which is hosting its first F1 race from April 2020. "We think this track can really be a special race that provides some uniquely exciting racing and competition," he told reporters. "It's the combination of a city race -- we're in the city centre -- a street race which always has some special elements to it, and a track that I think we've really had the opportunity to work (on) from day one," said Carey. The course has been designed "in a way that we think can deliver some special racing for fans," he added. The track is around Hanoi's My Dinh stadium, about 13 kilometres from the city centre after it was deemed too expensive to hold the race in the city's famed Old Quarter. Carey compared plans for the Hanoi track to Britain's Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, which he called "historic" sites. Carey said he was happy with Hanoi's pre-race progress so far but warned organisers to keep at it. "There's a lot to get done, so the right thing is to continue to worry, not to take things for granted." Formula One announced last year it would host its first ever race in Vietnam as it seeks to gain a foothold in Asia, where the franchise has a patchy track record. The track is around Hanoi's My Dinh stadium, about 13 kilometres from the city centre The Marina Bay Sands street track night race in Singapore remains F1's crown jewel in Asia, with the city state's Grand Prix drawing 263,000 fans last year. But Malaysia, South Korea and India have all pulled the plug on hosting races in recent years after hemorrhaging money. Vietnam -- where racing is a marginal sport -- is hoping to avoid those pitfalls. It has not said how much it will cost to host the event, but has vowed not to dip into government coffers to fund it. Instead the country's largest privately-owned conglomerate VinGroup is the main financial backer. Carey hopes Vietnam will adopt a winning formula to ensure it doesn't go the way of past flops. "It's got to have all the elements that creates the race at the centre, creates that excitement, and that energy and that breadth of activities that really enables it to be the spectacle we want it to be," he said. A flag of the Islamic State group lies on the ground in the Syrian village of Baghouz after the group's "caliphate" was defeated in March by US-backed forces A handful of foreigners remain missing in war-torn Syria, even after the announced fall of the Islamic State group "caliphate" last month following years of abductions and executions. The International Committee of the Red Cross Monday appealed for news of a New Zealand nurse believed abducted by IS in 2013. Following is what we know about Louisa Akavi and other foreign nationals still believed to be held or missing in war-torn Syria, whether detained by IS or other parties: - Louisa Akavi - Alaa Rajab (L), Louisa Akavi and Nabil Bakdounes were abducted in northwestern Syria more than five years ago while travelling in a Red Cross convoy The New Zealand nurse was snatched along with Syrian drivers Alaa Rajab and Nabil Bakdounes in 2013 while travelling in a Red Cross convoy delivering supplies to Idlib, in northwestern Syria. The ICRC has said it believed they were abducted by IS, two years into the civil war and the year before the extremists declared a cross-border "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq. US-backed forces last month expelled IS from their last patch of that proto-state in eastern Syria, but the jihadists maintain a presence in the war-torn country and neighbouring Iraq. New Zealand has said it disagreed with making the abduction public, but confirmed it had dispatched a special forces unit to Syria to search for Akavi. The New York Times reported the ICRC had reason to believe she was alive, because at least two people described seeing her in December at a clinic in the eastern village of Sousa, one of the last villages held by IS. - John Cantlie - The British journalist was detained by IS on November 22, 2012. British photojournalist John Cantlie was abducted in Syria in November 2012 He was kidnapped along with US reporter James Foley, who became the first of a string of foreign hostages to be slain in gruesome propaganda videos. Cantlie however appeared in several subsequent videos released by IS in which he delivered jihadist propaganda to the camera in the style of a news report. His last appearance was during the battle for Mosul in late 2016. He looked gaunt and tired. In February, media reports quoting Britain's Security Minister Ben Wallace said Cantlie could still be alive. But the Free John Cantlie support group on Twitter said those reports were not substantiated, although they hoped they turned out to be true. - Austin Tice - The 36-year-old American journalist was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012 by unidentified armed men after reporting south of Damascus. His kidnapping was never claimed by any organisation. US special envoy for hostage affairs, Robert O'Brien, said in November there was every reason to believe he was alive and still detained in Syria. Marc and Debra Tice, the parents of US journalist Austin Tice (portrait L) who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012, address a Beirut news conference In December, Tice's father said he believed the Syrian government was best placed to help bring the journalist home. - Grigory Tsurkanu and Roman Zabolotny - The pair, believed to be Russians, were captured in September or early October 2017 in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria. Moscow never confirmed the identity of the two men, who appeared in an IS propaganda video. A Cossack group identified them as two veterans from southern Russia in their late thirties. This undated handout picture provided by the Don Cossack Host organisation shows Roman Zabolotny, whom it identified as one of two Russian veterans captured by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria in September or early October 2017 Some Russian media reports said they were mercenaries for a shadowy outfit called Wagner which has been sending ex-servicemen to fight alongside Syrian regime forces. A Russian newspaper said they were executed but their deaths were never confirmed. - Sky news team - Mauritanian national Ishak Moctar and Lebanese citizen Samir Kassab went missing on October 15, 2013, along with their Syrian driver, near the northern city of Aleppo. They were believed held by IS but their fate was never confirmed and they are still considered missing. The pair were believed to still be alive in 2016 and held in the then de-facto Syrian IS capital of Raqa. - Paolo Dall'Oglio - Italian Jesuit priest Paolo Dall'Oglio, seen in this 2012 picture, was abducted in Syria in 2013 The Jesuit priest known to most as Father Paolo was a well-known figure in Syria, where he lived for years in the 6th century Deir Mar Musa monastery that he renovated, north of Damascus. He was exiled from Syria in 2012 for meeting with members of the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's regime and kidnapped by IS near Raqa when he returned the following year. He was reported to have been executed and his body dumped in a crevice soon after, but his death was never confirmed by any party. Legislation passed by the US congress in 1979 required Washington to provide Taiwan with means of self-defence The United States commitment to Taiwan's security remains "rock-solid," a former top-ranking US official said Monday, as the two sides commemorated the 40th anniversary of legislation guaranteeing US support for the island. The laws passed by the US congress in 1979 required Washington to provide Taiwan with means of self-defence even as the United States switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Former US House speaker Paul Ryan led the delegation to the island this week, which included congressmen and senior officials, to mark the anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act alongside Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen. Since the legislation was passed, Washington has remained Taipei's most powerful unofficial ally and its leading arms supplier. It manages its relations through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). "Ours is a friendship grounded in history, shared values, and our common embrace of democracy, free markets, the rule of law, religious freedom and human rights," Ryan said at a ceremony at AIT's new office complex in Taipei. "And our commitment to Taiwan's security remains rock solid." He hailed the 40th anniversary of the legislation as a "tremendous milestone" in US-Taiwan relations. Ryan, 49, was the most powerful Republican in Congress when he served as speaker from October 2015 to January 2019. He currently holds no government position. "Our security cooperation contributes to regional peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region," added US de facto ambassador to Taiwan Brent Christensen. Chinese military aircraft, including Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets, flew over the waters off southern Taiwan earlier Monday in the latest of a recent string of military drills around the island. In response, President Tsai accused China of "challenging stability in the Taiwan Strait". Donald Trump's administration has sought to strengthen ties with Taiwan. It announced plans last year to sell it $330 million spare parts for several aircraft including the F-16 fighter and the C-130 cargo plane. Trump also signed legislation paving the way for mutual visits by top officials and the US government approved a licence required to sell submarine technology to Taiwan. US warships periodically conduct "freedom of navigation" exercises in the Taiwan Strait, the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, which prompt anger in Beijing. China has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan amid worsening ties since Tsai came to power in May 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of "one China." Chilean Nicolas Zepeda is the sole suspect in the disappearance of Japanese student Narumi Kurosaki, 21, who went missing in France in December 2016 French investigators were to arrive in Chile on Monday to question a man suspected of killing his former Japanese girlfriend, who was last seen at her university residence in France in 2016, a source close to the inquiry told AFP. Nicolas Zepeda is the sole suspect in the disappearance of Narumi Kurosaki, 21, who went missing in the eastern French city of Besancon on the night of December 4, 2016, after having dinner with her ex-boyfriend. Her body has not been found despite extensive searches of a nearby forested area. Authorities in France believe she was suffocated by Zepeda in a jealous rage. He has denied any role in her disappearance. Zepeda returned to Chile before French police issued an arrest warrant but a Chilean judge rejected France's request to have him arrested and extradited, citing insufficient evidence. French authorities later asked if they could visit the country to interview Zepeda, a request that was granted last month. The Besancon prosecutor Etienne Manteaux, along with a judge overseeing the case and two police investigators, are expected to participate in the questioning of Zepeda this week, the source said. But the questions themselves will be posed by a Chilean prosecutor who will then decide whether or not to charge Zepeda and arrest him, in which case France would again request his extradition. Zepeda, a teaching assistant in his mid-twenties, was seen at a restaurant outside Besancon with Kurosaki the night she disappeared. He has admitted going to her room afterwards, where he claims they had consensual sex. Fellow students at her dormitory said they heard terrified cries and banging noises in the residence on that night but no traces of blood were found in her room. Manteaux, the prosecutor, said last November that Zepeda had bought five litres of flammable liquid and matches at a supermarket days before Kurosaki disappeared, and that his hire car was returned covered in mud. Zepeda had also posted videos online threatening his ex-girlfriend after she began a relationship with another man. In their search for her body, police have focused their efforts on the vast Chaux forest area on the outskirts of Besancon, but have been unable to find any trace of the student. Sudanese protesters have kept up a sit-in outside army headquarters in Khartoum since April 6 Sudanese protest organisers on Monday demanded the new military council be scrapped, as demonstrators kept up calls for a civilian government at a sit-in outside army headquarters. Thousands of demonstrators have continued to rally in support of demands for civilian rule, despite an apparent attempt to disperse them following the ouster last week of veteran president Omar al-Bashir. "We want the military council to be dissolved and be replaced by a civilian council having representatives of the army," said Mohamed Naji, a senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association. The organisation which spearheaded months of protests leading to Bashir's fall also demanded the sacking of the country's judiciary chief and prosecutor general. The SPA's latest demands came as the military council faced mounting public and diplomatic pressure to hand over power to a civilian administration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "a rapid transfer of power to a civilian transitional government," in a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. "This must be followed by a credible, inclusive political process that meets the expectations of the Sudanese people with regard to economic and political reforms," her office said in a statement. Sisi meanwhile reiterated Egypt's support for "the brotherly Sudanese people's will" and said Cairo would "not interfere in its internal affairs", according to a presidential statement. And the 55-member African Union threatened to suspend Sudan if the military fails to hand power over to civilians within 15 days, saying "a military-led transition would be completely contrary to the aspirations of the people of Sudan". Their comments come a day after the Khartoum embassies of Britain, the United States and Norway issued a joint statement calling for "inclusive dialogue to effect a transition to civilian rule". - 'We are not moving' - Witnesses said troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure Outside army headquarters crowds remained camped outside the complex, despite SPA warnings of "an attempt to disperse the sit-in". "We call on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area to protect our revolution," the SPA said in a statement, without saying who was responsible. Witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. "I felt frustrated when they tried to break the sit-in, but I still trust the army because it's not possible that they would give up on protesters," said demonstrator Mohamed al-Fatih. Portraits of people killed in the months of rallies covered the facades of several buildings in the area. "Until we see tangible results, we are not moving from here," said protester Abdulhadi Hajj Ahmed. A 10-member delegation representing the protesters delivered a list of demands during talks with the council late Saturday, according to a statement by the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group. But in a news conference, the council's spokesman did not respond to the protesters' demands. - Shake-up at the top - Tens of thousands of people have massed non-stop outside the army headquarters since April 6 The military council however met with political parties on Sunday, urging them to agree on an "independent figure" to be prime minister, an AFP correspondent at the meeting said. "We want to set up a civilian state based on freedom, justice and democracy," a council member, Lieutenant General Yasser al-Ata, told members of several political parties. The foreign ministry said military council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was "committed to having a complete civilian government" and urged other nations to back the council in order to achieve "the Sudanese goal of democratic transition". Burhan has pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would be held to account and that demonstrators detained under a state of emergency imposed by the president during his final weeks in power would be freed. The SPA says Bashir must also face justice, along with officials from his feared National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. As part of the shake-up at the top, a new NISS head and army chief of staff have been appointed. Bashir ruled Sudan with an iron fist for 30 years before he was deposed last week following mass protests that have rocked the country since December. A member of the military council said Sudan's next civilian government would decide whether to hand Bashir over to the Hague-based International Criminal Court where he has been wanted since 2009 on war crimes charges over the long-running conflict in Darfur in western Sudan. "The decision whether to extradite (Bashir) to ICC will be made by a popularly elected government and not the transitional military council," Jalaluddin Sheikh told journalists on Monday during a visit to Ethiopia. Utah rolled this online program out to thousands of young children in the state. The Obama administration funded it through its Investing in Innovation grant program to the tune of more than $11 million. And now Waterford UPSTART , an educational software program whose creators say can help prepare children for kindergarten through 75 minutes each week of online learning, has received one of its largest money infusionsthis time from a philanthropic effort organized by the same group that puts on TED Talks. UPSTART is one of eight organizations awarded funding through The Audacious Project . The Audacious Project, housed at TED and now in its second year, raised $280 million to distribute among this years grantees, though it did not publicize how much individual grantees received. The awards were announced April 16. UPSTARTits name comes from Utah Preparing Students Today for a Rewarding Tomorrow, though it is used in many other states nowplans to use this money to roll out its program to all 50 states, said Andy Myers, the chief operating officer for the Waterford Institute, based in Salt Lake City. Its chief focus will be providing its services to children, in the year before they start kindergarten, who would not be able to access a traditional preschool program. We know how competitive and prestigious The Audacious Project is, Myers said, noting that there were 1,500 applicants for funding this year. The funders are really smart people trying to make a difference in the world. As UPSTART has expanded to more childrenNorth Carolina is considering funding UPSTART as an alternative for children who are on a waiting list for its state-run preschool programit has drawn serious criticism. Some early-childhood advocates say that its an attempt to provide a cheap alternative that cant offer the deeper enrichment and social interaction that comes from a high-quality early-childhood program. UPSTART also runs counter to recommendations that young children limit their time in front of screens, critics say. What were worried about is that by funding this online preschool project, its really going to undermine efforts to understand what is really good and needed for young children, said Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin, the co-director of the organization Defending the Early Years. We dont want anyone to believe this problem [of access] is solved. Defending the Early Years and other organizations sent a letter to The Audacious Project before the awards were announced, urging it to rethink its decision. Myers said that UPSTART is not a preschool. Rather, its a kindergarten-readiness program. In some places, the program has been used as additional enrichment for traditional preschool programs, such as Head Start. People dont realize we support and would love to see universal preschool. We support and love to see children having an opportunity to play. We really dont have any disagreement on those two points, he said. But not everyone has access to high-quality preschool. We have something that we know works, Myers said. To not make that available to families who have no other choice just doesnt make sense to us. Related stories: for the latest news on policies, practices, and trends in early childhood education. UN envoy Martin Griffiths was in rebel-held Sanaa last week to push the Huthis to agree to a redeployment of forces in Hodeida Yemen's government and Huthi rebels have accepted a detailed plan for a much-delayed pullback from the flashpoint city of Hodeida, the UN envoy said Monday, but no timetable was announced for the withdrawals. The redeployment of forces was agreed in December under a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden that offered the best hope in years of moving toward an end to the war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. UN envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that "both parties have now accepted a detailed redeployment plan" for the first stage of the pullback from Hodeida. Griffiths said he received assurances from Huthi leader Abdul Malik al Huthi when they met in Sanaa last week that his forces would support the Hodeida agreement, but the envoy sounded a note of caution after so many delays. "Let us be clear that when -- and I hope it is when and not if -- these redeployments happen, they will be the first voluntary withdrawal of forces in this long conflict," he said by videoconference from Amman. The United Nations announced a deal on the two-stage pullback from Hodeida city and its ports in February, but the redeployment failed to materialize on the ground and the peace effort has since stalled. The United States put the onus on the Huthis to unblock the process and begin redeployments as agreed in the plan. "The Yemeni government has demonstarted a clear commitment to the United Nations led process," acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the Security Council. "It is time for the Huthis to also show the international community that they too are serious about the UN process and the agreements that they themselves reached in Stockholm," he said. - US warns Huthis - The Red Sea Mills grain silos in Yemen's city of Hodeida are said to hold enough food to feed 3.7 million people but UN aid agencies have been blocked from accessing the site since September The United States, which has supported the Saudi-led coalition backing the government in Yemen's war, also accused the Huthis of blocking access to a food storage site that contains enough grain to feed 3.7 million people for a month. The Red Sea Mills "remain closed and the food stocks within may be rotten," said Cohen. "At this point only the Huthis are blocking access to the Mills and they alone will be to blame if the food spoils." The Red Sea port of Hodeida is the entry point for the bulk of imported goods and relief aid to Yemen. The detailed plan on the pullback was negotiated by Danish General Michael Lollesgaard who heads a UN monitoring mission. Following the deal on the first stage, Lollesgaard will now focus on the second phase and seek to resolve disputes over the deployment of local forces in areas from where there has been a pullback. Griffiths said he was laying the groundwork for broader serious negotiations on ending the war in Yemen but added: "We all need to see tangible progress in Hodeida before moving to focus on the political solution." The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to push back an advance by Huthi rebels who continue to hold the capital Sanaa, and restore Hadi to power. The conflict has unleashed the world's worst humanitarian conflict, according to the United Nations, with millions facing famine. The attack happened at a village close to Chibok, where parents of abducted girls commemorated the fifth anniversary of the kidnapping Boko Haram militants raided a village near the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok just as locals marked the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls five years earlier, vigilantes and residents said Monday. The militants late Sunday stormed into Kwarangulum village, 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Chibok Town, looting food and destroying property. The gunmen, who arrived aboard four trucks, were "shooting indiscriminately and setting homes on fire," local vigilante David Bitrus told AFP. The militants, believed to be from a Boko Haram faction loyal to longtime leader Abubakar Shekau, "burned the whole village after taking what the trucks could carry" in terms of food, he said. A Chibok community leader, Ayuba Alamson, said village residents had fled hours before the jihadists' arrival after receiving tip-offs from local people who had seen the gunmen heading in their direction. The attack came just hours after hundreds of Chibok residents rallied at the girls boarding school in the nearby town to commemorate the April 14, 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls. Their disappearance sparked outrage and calls for their release from around the world. Fifty-seven girls escaped shortly after the kidnap, 107 were released after negotiations and 112 remain in captivity. Recently re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday promised to rescue the remaining girls. "We will not rest until all the remaining girls are back and reunited with their families", he said in a statement released on his Twitter account. He also promised to secure the rescue of Leah Sharibu, the last remaining captive of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Dapchi Town, Yobe State, last February. Boko Haram's decade-long conflict has killed 27,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in northeast Nigeria. The violence has spread to nearby Niger, Chad and Cameroon, with the affected counties forming a regional military coalition to fight the group. The United States is sanctioning seven financiers who allegedly helped funnel money to the Islamic State group -- seen here are 10,000-dinar banknotes in Iraq The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on financiers with bases in Belgium, Kenya and Turkey on charges they funneled money internationally for the Islamic State extremist group. The Treasury Department said it had pinpointed successors to Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi, who was killed in a US-led coalition air strike in Syria in 2017 after allegedly sending millions of dollars earmarked for the jihadists. The United States imposed sanctions on seven people including Mushtaq Talib Zughayr al-Rawi, who as of late 2018 was living with his family in Belgium, according to the Treasury Department. Forces seized evidence during a raid on the Islamic State group last year that showed Mushtaq was helping fund them by exploiting the Iraqi government's electronic payment machines designed to distribute payments to public employees and retirees, the Treasury Department said. "Treasury is dedicated to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS by cutting off all remaining sources of their terror funding around the globe," said Sigal Mandelker, the department's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. Rawi's network dates from the 1990s in Iraq, when it used the region's hawala system, the informal network of money transfers conducted through face-to-face guarantees, to evade biting international sanctions on the country then ruled by Saddam Hussein. The Treasury Department also sanctioned a money exchange company, Al-Ard Al-Jadidah, said to connect Iraq's hawalas with the northern Turkish city of Samsun. An Islamic State member in Iraq allegedly received $1 million through the exchange last year, it said. Also targeted in the latest sanctions was Kenya-based Halima Adan Ali, who the Treasury Department said was part of a network that moved more than $150,000 through the hawala system to Islamic State fighters in Syria, Libya and central Africa. She has been arrested twice by Kenyan authorities and also served as a recruiter for Somalia's Al-Shabaab militants, according to the Treasury Department. With the announcement, the United States will seize any assets it finds which belong to the sanctioned individuals and bar any Americans from financial dealings with them. Waiting for the full Mueller report: US President Donald Trump A redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report on the probe into the Russia links of US President Donald Trump's campaign team will be released Thursday, the Department of Justice announced Monday. The release of the 400-page report will come more than three weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr's controversial summary allowed Trump to declare it "a complete and total exoneration" of him after nearly two years of investigation. Barr said Mueller found no evidence that Trump's 2016 campaign team conspired to collude with Moscow to influence the election. The attorney general also said there was not enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. But Mueller himself took no stance on the weight of the evidence of obstruction, Barr noted, raising doubts over whether Trump had truly been exonerated by the report. Barr has been under pressure since his March 24 summary to release the entire report, which wrapped up a 22-month investigation that saw 34 people charged, including six former Trump aides. But he has stressed he will only release a version with intelligence information and secret material from the investigation grand jury convened by Mueller blacked out. Critics say the grand jury material is crucial to understanding whether there was evidence of criminal behavior by Trump, and Democrats in Congress are demanding an unexpurgated version of the report. Since Barr's initial summary Trump and the White House have been pushing the view that the probe was unwarranted from the beginning, comprised biased investigators and involved allegedly illegal spying on his campaign by the FBI. "The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax," Trump tweeted Monday. "Since there was no Collusion, why was there an Investigation in the first place! Answer - Dirty Cops, Dems and Crooked Hillary!" he wrote. Residents of Dubai took to the streets to celebrate in November 2013 after the Emirati city was chosen to host the World Expo 2020 Dubai's Expo 2020 global trade fair is expected to give the United Arab Emirates an economic boost of over $33 billion, consultants Ernst and Young said in a study released Monday. Next year's mega-event would add 1.5 percent to UAE's gross domestic product per year over the period that started in 2013 and runs until 2031, said EY partner Matthew Benson. Major new construction projects and other impacts of the six-months extravaganza would create some 50,000 jobs yearly over the same period, he told a press conference. The city-state of Dubai, one of the UAE's seven sheikhdoms, has long become a favourite tourist attraction, valued for its safety and known for its luxury resorts and opulent shopping malls, one of which boasts an indoor ski slope. Dubai assumes that Expo 2020 -- which runs from October 20 next year to April 20, 2021 -- will attract some 25 million visits, Benson said. The economic impact includes "direct, indirect and induced effects" of the first Expo to be organised in the Middle East and Africa, he said. The Expo 2010 in Shanghai drew 93 million visitors, and Expo 2015 in Milan attracted over 22 million. Dubai's government has already spent over $40 billion on major infrastructure projects related to Expo including a $2.9 billion new Metro line and an $8 billion expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport, next to the Expo site. The Metro line links the $13.4 billion Dubai South Villages and Dubai Exhibition Centre, projects currently underway. Al Maktoum Airport, when complete, will have the capacity to handle 160 million travellers per year. The 4.4 square kilometre (1.7 square mile) Expo site south of Dubai is due to be redeveloped into a full-fledged city after the Expo, the so-called District 2020, home to a mega exhibition centre and scores of companies, organisers said. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a meeting with evangelical leaders April 11 in Rio Brazil's outspoken far right president Jair Bolsonaro has explained to Israeli authorities that remarks he made about the crimes of the Holocaust being forgivable had been misconstrued. Brazil's new leader made the comments last Thursday as he met with evangelical leaders and was talking about a visit he made early this month to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. "We can forgive but we cannot forget. And that is my statement. Those who forget the past are condemned to having no future," Bolsonaro had said. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin took to Twitter in response, although without mentioning the Brazilian leader by name. "We will always oppose those who deny the truth or those who wish to expunge our memory -- not individuals or groups, not party leaders or prime ministers. We will never forgive and never forget," Rivlin wrote. In a letter sent to Israeli authorities over the weekend, Bolsonaro insisted that he had been misunderstood. He referred again to his visit to Israel. "In the guest book at the Holocaust Museum, I wrote 'Those who forget the past are condemned to having no future.' So any other interpretation only interests those who want to distance me from my Jewish friends," he wrote in the letter, which was posted on social media by the Israeli ambassador to Brazil, Yossi Shelley. Bolsonaro raised eyebrows in other ways during his visit to Israel, saying for example that Nazism was a leftist political movement. In his new letter, he sought to clarify his concept of forgiveness. "Forgiveness is something personal, never in an historic context such as the case of the Holocaust, in which millions of innocent people were murdered in a cruel genocide," Bolsonaro wrote. Bolsonaro visits the Wailing Wall during a visit to Israel earlier this month Shelley defended Bolsonaro, saying his letter left no doubt that he believed the Holocaust was "the biggest genocide in history." Shelley called the president a friend of the Israeli government and people. Bolsonaro has sought close ties with Israel since coming to power in January. He has pledged to follow the US lead in moving his country's embassy to Jerusalem. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of few foreign heads of state or government that attended Bolsonaro's inauguration. At home, Bolsonaro is a former military man who has praised the country's time as a dictatorship from 1964 to 1985 and made remarks that insulted blacks, gays and women. A nurse prepares the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York on April 9, 2019 Measles cases in the United States surged nearly 20 percent over the past week to 555, even as authorities in New York, site of the two biggest outbreaks, faced court challenges over their attempts to compel vaccinations. The new figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed there were 90 additional confirmed cases as of April 11 from the previous week, bringing the total for the year to 555. The latest US tally came as the World Health Organization reported a 300 percent increase in measles cases worldwide in the first three months of 2019. Driven by a spreading US movement against vaccinations, the US flareup is the second worst since the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease was officially declared eradicated in 2000. Detected in 20 US states, the biggest measles hotspots are in New York City, with 285 cases in a population of 8.5 million people, and New York's Rockland County, with 184 confirmed cases out of 300,000 inhabitants. To stem the epidemic, both Rockland County and the New York mayor's office have declared health emergencies and taken extraordinary measures, to the great displeasure of opponents of vaccines. On April 9, New York City ordered the vaccination of every person living or working in the four most heavily affected areas in the Williamsburg sector of Brooklyn, under penalty of criminal prosecution and a $1,000 fine. In Rockland County, which lies about 40 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River, authorities last month barred all unvaccinated minors from public places. Those actions have been challenged in court, reflecting the intensity of emotions surrounding the issue. In Rockland, a judge granted a temporary injunction on the ban after parents charged that it was disproportionate since the measles outbreak has not claimed any lives yet. In New York City, five parents filed suit on Monday with the state Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the mayor's vaccination order. "There is insufficient evidence of a measles epidemic or dangerous outbreak to justify the respondents' extraordinary measures, including forced vaccination," the suit argues. New York state requires school age children to receive a series of vaccinations before being integrated in the school system, but the law authorizes waivers for religious reasons, which are now being challenged. Besides the influence of the anti-vaccination movement, the controversy has a religious dimension because most of the New York cases have occurred in areas with large Orthodox Jewish populations. The lawyer for the parents who brought Monday's suit, Robert Krakow, stressed, however, that two of them were not Jewish. And a number of leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community have said there is nothing in the religion that prohibits vaccination. In all, an average of 275 flights a day will be canceled Boeing faces a wave of flight cancelations by US airlines and pressure from President Donald Trump to rebrand its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft, a month after the plane was grounded worldwide in the wake of deadly crashes. American and Southwest Airlines say the grounding will disrupt scheduled flights through the summer, during the peak travel season which helps generate corporate profits. American is canceling all 737 MAX flights through August 19 while Southwest, which owns the largest 737 MAX fleet, with 34 planes, is canceling them until August 5. United Airlines, which also ordered the 737 MAX 9, did not respond to an AFP query. In all, an average of 275 flights a day will be canceled, which are likely to put a dent in airline profits and could cause the companies to raise airfares. American already cut a key industry revenue metric -- Total Revenue per Available Seat-Mile, or TRASM -- saying it will rise one percent in 2019, down from a prior estimate of two percent. Southwest is allowing affected passengers to reschedule flights at no additional cost. "Neither Airbus nor Boeing like cancelations and there are stiff contracts which make this very difficult," said Scott Hamilton, managing editor of the aviation news site Leeham News and Analysis. "The companies will swap airplane types, however, if it comes to this." All 737 MAX aircraft have been banned from the world's skies since mid-March after suffering two fatal crashes less than five months apart: a Lion Air flight crashed in the Java Sea in October, leaving 189 dead, and the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, which killed 157 people. Crash investigators have zeroed in on the planes' anti-stall system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS. And Boeing, which has already ceased 737 MAX deliveries and slowed the pace of production, a buildup of delays could increase the penalties it must pay client airlines, Hamilton said. Trump tweeted early Monday that Boeing had to give its scandal-stricken aircraft a new image. - Rebuilding trust - "What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name," he said. President Donald Trump urged Boeing to rebrand its 737 MAX But Hamilton said Trump was right to doubt his own expertise. "Trump is a boob. Boeing isn't going to rebrand the 737," Hamilton said, pointing to Boeing's log of more than 4,600 backorders, a key sales revenue driver, and adding that the order cancelations so far were "inconsequential." Aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group agreed. "Pretty much all of President Trump's pronouncements on aviation are safely and best ignored," he said. Boeing is finalizing software upgrades for the MCAS, which it has pledged to submit to regulators in the coming weeks so that the 737 MAX grounding order can be lifted. "We're focused on testing and implementing the software update and rebuilding the trust of our airline customers, pilots and the traveling public," a spokesperson told AFP. "We know we have a deep responsibility to everyone who flies on our airplanes to ensure that the MAX is one of the safest aircraft ever to fly." Rebranding the aircraft would impose additional costs on the airlines which would be required to fully retrain pilots, while an updated model involves less intense additional training. Flight cancelations show the airlines, that had hoped to have the planes back in the air by May, now expect it will be longer before the aircraft can return to service. Aviation analysts largely agree and expect the grounding to be lifted by the end of August. In the meantime, the industry is working to regain the trust of the flying public. The US Federal Aviation Administration, which must certify the 737 MAX's airworthiness, released a video last week in which its interim chief Daniel Elwell said the agency was working to keep pilots informed. The FAA also said the agency would not rush to get the 737 MAX flying again. Waiting for the full Mueller report: US President Donald Trump A redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian meddling in the US election will be released Thursday, the Justice Department said as President Donald Trump again lashed out at the most politically explosive probe in modern US history. The report could feature allegations that Trump tried to obstruct the investigation, although Attorney General Bill Barr has said there is not sufficient evidence to establish he committed such a crime. Mueller himself has offered no conclusion on this, according to a brief summary of the report from Barr, who was handpicked by Trump. Ahead of the 400-page report's release, Trump and the White House have sought to blunt any possible damage by calling Mueller's investigation illegal and claiming it involved the FBI "spying" on the president's 2016 election campaign. "The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax," Trump tweeted Monday. "Since there was no Collusion, why was there an Investigation in the first place! Answer - Dirty Cops, Dems and Crooked Hillary!" he wrote. - Trump claims 'complete exoneration' - Barr's four-page March 24 summary of the report, which capped a politically charged 22-month investigation into possible wrongdoing by the president and his advisors to cooperate with a hostile power and sway an American presidential election in his favor, left open as many questions as it answered. Barr said Mueller found no evidence of criminal conspiracy by Trump's campaign to collude with the Russian government to skew the 2016 election in Trump's favor over Democrat Hillary Clinton. But court cases arising from the investigation -- Mueller charged 34 people, including six former Trump aides and 26 Russians -- have detailed multiple contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians. Special Counsel Robert Mueller: his final report in the Russia meddling investigation remains secret Those included top officials of the campaign and members of Trump's family seeking "dirt" on Clinton in a June 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer in New York. Barr also said in his summary there was not enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction of justice. But he acknowledged, in a detail that set off new speculation, that Mueller himself elected not to rule either way on that point. Barr quoted Mueller as saying: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Even so, Trump declared it "a complete and total exoneration" of him. Barr has been under pressure since his March 24 summary to release the entire report, which the White House says it has yet to view. Barr's redacted version then will not likely be the end of the story. The attorney general has stressed he will release a version that blacks out intelligence information and secret material from the investigation of grand jury convened by Mueller. Critics say the grand jury material is crucial to understanding whether there was evidence of criminal behavior by Trump, and Democrats in Congress are demanding an unexpurgated version of the report. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said they are prepared to issue a subpoena for the uncensored report if Barr does not give it to them voluntarily. - Concerns over Barr's neutrality - Attorney General William Barr testified in Congress that he will open an inquiry into "spying" against Donald Trump by the FBI at the origins of the probe led by independent prosecutor Robert Mueller Barr himself has raised doubts over whether he will handle the report without political bias. Before Trump recruited him to lead the Justice Department last year, he wrote several critiques of the Mueller investigation, including one in which opined that Mueller had no legal grounds to charge Trump with obstruction. And in front of Congress last week he said he was opening a probe into the origins of the Russia meddling investigation, saying it was possibly that the FBI "spied" on the Trump campaign without grounds. He offered no evidence. That came on the same day that Trump said the investigation amounted to treason and an attempt to take over his government. It was "an attempted coup," Trump said. "This was an attempted takedown of a president." Pete Buttigieg has catapulted from relative obscurity to the front ranks of Democrats vying for their party's presidential nomination When Pete Buttigieg declared his candidacy for US president, he was greeted with a roaring cheer and the drip, drip, drip of a leaky roof in a former auto plant. The 37-year-old -- who has catapulted from relative obscurity to among the leaders of a crowded Democrat pack in the latest polls -- spoke in front of thousands Sunday in the cavernous Studebaker complex in his hometown. The roof was a reminder that the entire plant has been abandoned and decaying for decades. But just steps from where Buttigieg gave his speech was a far different scene -- gone were rusted roofs and broken windows. Instead, that section of the complex had been redeveloped into gleaming new offices for high-tech companies. Studebaker is one of the young mayor's proudest success stories -- and an example of where he wants to take America's Rust Belt. "There is a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back," Buttigieg said in his speech. Fed up blue-collar workers voted for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016 largely on his promise to revitalize American manufacturing and return their towns to their former glory. But Buttigieg is now trying to win over those same voters with a competing vision. "That's why I'm here today. To tell a different story than 'Make America Great Again,'" he said, invoking President Trump's campaign slogan. "It's time to walk away from the politics of the past, and toward something totally different." - A growing city - "Mayor Pete," as he's affectionately called, is proposing to do for America what he has done for South Bend. The city managed to reverse decades of decline, and attract new development and investment. Its population has grown slightly every year since 2013, two years after Buttigieg became mayor. The labor force has grown, unemployment has declined, and wages are up, according to a report by Indiana University. Attendees listen to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announce his presidential candidacy for 2020 in his hometown The changes inspired Gillian Shaw, a New Jersey native, to remain in South Bend after she completed her studies at nearby University of Notre Dame. She co-founded a healthcare technology company that is located in the Studebaker building. "I moved here the same year that Pete was elected mayor," she said. "And I have seen just the revitalization of this city, and I love it and I want to be part of it." These are no small achievements for a town Newsweek in 2011 called one of America's 10 dying cities. "The mayor was able to create a sense of optimism," said South Bend-based political science professor Elizabeth Bennion of Indiana University. - Challenges - The question before voters will be whether Buttigieg has shown enough results in his hometown to steer the world's biggest economy. Like the Studebaker plant, South Bend is an unfinished project. Its streets are mixed with new development and buildings that look barely used, if not vacant. Indiana University forecasted that South Bend and surrounding areas will grow in 2019, but at "a fairly modest rate." Bennion said the city "continues to face many of the same challenges of other urban cities," including high poverty and homicide rates. Pete Buttigieg (R) waves to supporters with his husband Chasten Buttigieg also will have stiff competition for the hearts of Trump voters. Eighteen Democrats have already declared they are running for their party's nomination to face Trump in 2020. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also is claiming the Middle America mantle, saying she can speak to swing voters. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, is aiming squarely for the Rust Belt. The democratic socialist polls twice as well as Buttigieg and last week traveled to Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- all states where blue-collar workers narrowly handed Trump the presidency. And then, there is Joe Biden. The former vice president during the Barack Obama administration is widely expected to declare his candidacy soon. "A lot depends on what Biden does," because the former VP appeals to the same voters Buttigieg is courting, said Paul Beck, a political science professor at Ohio State University. "I would think that if Biden enters in, that's going to be somebody who will be a very serious competitor to Buttigieg," Beck said. - 'Does he have longevity?' - So far, Buttigieg has captured voters' imagination with a carefully-crafted narrative: a results-oriented mayor, a married gay man who talks earnestly about his religious faith, a Rhodes scholar and an Afghanistan war veteran. Recent polls in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire show Buttigieg in third place behind Biden and Sanders. His standing in nationwide polls is also steadily rising, with some surveys showing him closing in on high-profile rivals such as Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke while one survey by Emerson Polling had him in third place nationwide. New figures show that he has already raised $7 million in donations, well ahead of many of the more established candidates, with the New York Times calling him "the surprise darling of donors, both big and small" on Tuesday. The political rise has been so swift that staffers have struggled to keep up. When Buttigieg delivered his campaign launch speech, he had no speechwriter to assist him. None had been hired yet. India's Jet Airways has defaulted on loans and most staff have not been paid for many months Jet Airways shares plunged Tuesday amid reports the board of the stricken Indian airline would suspend all operations after lenders refused to release emergency funds to keep the carrier flying. An emergency board meeting was called for Tuesday after the latest blow to the debt-laden company which is teetering on the brink of collapse. Thousands of passengers have been stranded in recent weeks after the airline, which has debts of more than $1 billion, cancelled international flights because it cannot pay its bills. Chief Executive Vinay Dube called the board meeting after lenders led by the State Bank of India failed on Monday to agree to give needed emergency cash. "The management will seek guidance from the board on the next steps forward," Dube said in an email to staff late Monday as he announced that the cancellation of international flights was being extended to Thursday. Shares plummeted about 19 percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex index as the exchange sought clarification from Jet over a CNBC TV18 report that the airline was "likely to temporarily shut down its operations". Jet's share price is now worth barely a third of its value of 640 rupees (95 cents) of one year ago. Indian dailies and news channels said suspending all flights was one option open to the board although this could mean Jet would lose its operating license. Business Standard quoted sources saying the airline had only enough fuel to keep its seven remaining jets running until Tuesday afternoon. An official from the National Aviation Guild, the union for Jet pilots, told AFP: "The airline is flying seven planes right now. The minimum number to keep its scheduled operations licence." Jet has been in a tailspin for months. Its fleet has been cut from about 120 in December. It has defaulted on loans and most staff have not been paid for many months. A consortium of lenders took control of Jet in March, pledging to give $218 million of "immediate funding support" as part of a debt resolution plan. - 'Goyal pulls out' - The lenders met for several hours on Monday but failed to agree on how to proceed. Later the State Bank of India released a statement saying the banks were trying to help Jet. "Cooperation by and support from all the other stakeholders will be the key to the success of the process," it added. The SBI-led consortium is trying to find a buyer for Jet, which was until recently India's second-biggest airline by market share. A deadline passed Friday for prospective bidders to express an interest in acquiring a 75 percent stake in the carrier. Etihad Airways, which owns a 24 percent stake, has reportedly submitted an expression of interest to buy a controlling stake. The Press Trust of India news agency reported Tuesday that Jet founder Naresh Goyal had pulled out of bidding, deciding not to try to retake control of the airline that he ran until last month. The SBI was expected to announce a shortlist of prospective bidders later on Tuesday. They would then have until April 30 to submit formal bids. A collapse of Jet would deal a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-business reputation as he seeks a second term in ongoing national elections. An Indonesian election worker transports ballot boxes and election material by horse to a remote village in Jember, East Java From sending ballot boxes by elephant in Sumatra to keeping voters safe in Papua's rebel territory, Indonesia is pulling out all the stops for one of the world's biggest one-day polls across a vast archipelago of 260 million. On Wednesday, over 190 million registered voters in the Muslim-majority country will cast their votes in just eight hours of polling, with the election commission battling torrential downpours, voter fraud and damaging cyber attacks. And if that wasn't hard enough, the world's third-largest democracy behind India and the United States is staging a first for its two-decade-old system, which rose from the ashes of a military-backed dictatorship: holding presidential, parliamentary and local polls all in one day. "This is a very big country so well do our best," Arief Budiman, the commission's chief, told a recent gathering of journalists and diplomats. "But we're very busy this year." Indonesia He's not kidding. Calling on four-legged transport, motorbikes, speedboats and planes, officials have been distributing cardboard ballot boxes -- guarded by armed security staff -- to every corner of the 4,800 kilometre (3,000 miles) long archipelago, which is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. While elephants carried ballot boxes through Sumatra's Aceh province, horses were used to reach to remote communities in the southeast corner of Java island. "The path is muddy during the rainy season so we need to use horses to transport election material," said Suhartanto, the police chief in Tempurejo sub-district, who goes by one name. The lightweight ballot boxes -- replacing metal ones used in previous polls -- are up to the job, Budiman insisted, declaring them to be "very strong". "You can sprinkle water on them -- but not a flood," he said. officials have been distributing ballot boxes to every corner of the 4,800 kilometre (3,000 miles) long archipelago, which is home to hundreds of ethnic groups and languages This was confirmed this week near Jakarta when hundreds of spoiled boxes were left in a muddy heap after torrential rain flooded a storage warehouse. Plastic bags are being inserted into the boxes to protect millions of ballot papers in a tropical country used to pounding rainstorms. - 'Communal voting' - A record 245,000 candidates are vying for public office, with current president Joko Widodo facing off against ex-general Prabowo Subianto for the top job. The polls kick off early Wednesday at over 800,000 plus ballot stations staffed by millions of election officials, starting in easternmost Papua where a separatist insurgency has simmered for decades. Security will be tight in parts of the mountainous region after rebels massacred more than a dozen employees at a state-backed contractor in December. Violence also erupted as election material was delivered before local polls last year, resulting in the deaths of several police and election officials. A record 245,000 candidates are vying for public office, with current president Joko Widodo (C) facing off against ex-general Prabowo Subianto for the top job But armed rebels aren't the only election challenge in Papua, which shares an island border with independent Papua New Guinea. Voters in parts of the mineral-rich region use a communal voting system called "noken", in which a village head collects votes and represents the group at the ballot box. It is a challenge to the concept of direct voting and a headache for local officials who have tried -- and failed -- to change the fraud-prone system in a country where vote buying is already rife. "Usually, voters choose candidates who are from their village or family," said Papua's election commission head Theodorus Kossay. "Also, what often happens is that the number of votes that are actually filed can be different from what was agreed upon by the group, which leads to cheating." Meanwhile, police on the tourist hotspot of Bali this week scuffled with a small group of Papuans who staged a rally calling for people not to cast a ballot. - Hack attacks - Training millions of electoral officers -- many working an election for the first time -- has been another challenge. A few staff at each station were trained, and then expected to teach the rest of their colleagues, as tens of millions of voters work out who to vote for among the sea of candidates. "The biggest challenge is doing voter education," Budiman said. "The first key if you want to have fair elections is by building trust" with voters, he added. To that end, a mobile phone app was created by the commission to give Indonesians -- including technology friendly millenials -- details about every candidate and their policies. The agency, which has discounted opposition claims of millions of voter-list irregularities, is also battling repeated cyber attacks that threaten to disrupt the vote. Some were purportedly launched by hackers in Russia and China, though it declined to confirm those claims. "They could be Indonesian, they could be from overseas or any country," Budiman said. "But we'll handle it all." Performers dressed as sacred Lao ancestors and their lion cub dancing at the Wat Xiengthong Buddhist temple to mark the Laos New Year celebrations in Luang Prabang Barefoot and cloaked in swinging bamboo ropes, two masked performers dressed as Laos' legendary "ancestors" walk the streets of Luang Prabang on an annual outing for raucous new year celebrations drawing hundreds of worshippers to the normally sleepy city. Revellers splash water on the pair and their gold-studded masked lion cub during the annual procession at the height of the city's days-long holiday celebrating the Buddhist new year. Some revellers wait all year to catch a glimpse of the procession, which stems from Laos folklore. As legend goes, Laos' heavenly king put out a call for earthly volunteers to cut a massive vine which was blocking farmers from growing rice and vegetables. No one offered until an elderly couple -- Pou Nyer (grandfather) and Nyar Nyer (grandmother) -- said they would do it, despite knowing such a difficult task would end in their deaths. The guardian lion "Singkheo Singkham" leaves to take part in the Laos New Year procession in Luang Prabang After they were killed by the giant vine, the king called on Laotians to forever worship the couple and their lion cub, and they are now believed to be the country's ancestral protectors. Today two male performers represent the sacred duo and two more their lion cub, with the costumes and masks coming out just once a year for a parade that ends with a dance at the glimmering golden Wat Xien Thong temple, one of the country's oldest and most scared, on the banks of the Mekong River. When the festivities are over, the costumes are carefully returned to a special chest in a temple across town dubbed the "sanctuary of the divinities", where they will rest for the next 12 months. The procession is the culmination of days of merrymaking in the UNESCO-listed city, a tourist hub that drew more than 755,000 visitors last year, according to Laos official data. Elsewhere in town, elephants are dressed up and paraded through the streets and alms are offered at sunrise to orange-robed monks in the city's ornate temples. Revellers traditionally splash water on the legendary ancestors "Pou Nyer" and "Nyar Nyer" during their annual procession Luang Prabang And on the sandy banks of the river, worshippers carve knee-high sand stupas decorated with images of beloved monks and holy flowers. For some, the annual celebrations are reason enough to book a trip. "I planned my trip to see the Laos new year ... it's my first time," French tourist Couelle Guillaume told AFP. "It was unique to see ... different culture and ethnicities." Tigers are considered critically endangered in Malaysia Malaysian authorities have arrested two suspected poachers from Vietnam and seized body parts from tigers and bears, a minister said Tuesday, as the country clamps down on rampant wildlife trafficking. The Southeast Asian nation is home to swathes of jungle and a kaleidoscope of rare creatures from elephants to orangutans and tigers, but they are frequently targeted by poachers. Two Vietnamese men, aged 25 and 29, were arrested Monday by a wildlife enforcement team in a national park in eastern Terengganu state, said Xavier Jayakumar, water, land and natural resources minister. The men were in possession of claws and teeth from the Malayan tiger, he said. The species once roamed the jungles of Malaysia in the thousands but is now critically endangered, with just a small number believed left in the wild. They also had teeth and claws from bears, teeth from wild boars, as well as hunting equipment including machetes, axes and wire for setting traps, the minister said. "The two suspects have been arrested and will be remanded for three days to assist in the investigation," he said. Tiger pelts are prized collectors' items and fetch a high price on the black market, while many animals' body parts are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, including Vietnam and China. Sudanese demonstrators have attempted to maintain the festival mood of the demonstrations despite mounting fear of action by the army to disperse their sit-in Sudanese protesters Tuesday hardened their demand that the military men in power quickly step down and make way for civilian rule, refusing to budge from their sit-in outside army headquarters. The country's new military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in another apparent concession to the protesters, meanwhile fired prosecutor general Omer Ahmed Mohamed. "Freedom, peace, justice," read banners carried by hundreds of University of Khartoum academics who marched to the protest site, demanding the transitional military council resign. The pro-democracy demonstrators fear the army is seeking to hijack the street revolution that last Thursday ended the three-decade reign of president Omar al-Bashir, who was toppled by top commanders. Mass protests in Sudan The often festive mood of the protesters has grown more tense amid fears the army will try to clear out the demonstrators with force. Witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were seen removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. Vehicles carrying paramilitary forces deployed on a bridge that connects the protest site with north Khartoum, a witness said. State television later showed extensive footage of the protests, something that never happened during Bashir's rule. - 'Not going anywhere' - One demonstrator, Ahmed Najdih, predicted "the army will try to make another attempt to disperse the protesters because it is under huge pressure". "But we are not going anywhere. We will not lose our patience. We know what happened in Egypt and we don't want that to happen to us." In neighbouring Egypt, the so-called Arab Spring revolution of 2011 toppled veteran president Hosni Mubarak and replaced him with elected Islamist Mohammed Morsi only for him to be overthrown in 2013 by then army chief, now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Protest leaders in Sudan have gradually toughened their approach towards the military council, as policy announcements from its uniformed officers have multiplied. Amid widespread anger at the number of faces from the old regime, the protesters secured the replacement of its first chairman, a longtime Bashir loyalist, after just 24 hours last week. A mural on a Khartoum wall shows some of the more than 60 demonstrators who have been killed by the security forces during efforts to crush the protests The honeymoon of his successor, General Burhan, has lasted just days. As weekend talks on the transition failed to make headway, protest leaders who initially demanded a "swift" handover to civilian rule, began demanding first an "immediate" handover then the military council's dissolution. - Wooing world opinion - The protesters have highlighted their sacrifices in murals painted outside army headquarters of some of the more than 60 of their comrades killed in clashes with the security forces. The military council has pledged that individuals implicated in killing protesters would be held to account and that demonstrators detained under a state of emergency imposed by the president during his final weeks in power would be freed. It has held briefings with Western diplomats and sent an envoy to the African Union's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa before it met on Sudan on Monday. But the 55-member AU stood by its longstanding opposition to all military coups, giving the military council just 15 days to hand over to civilian rule or face suspension from the body. On Tuesday, the British minister of state for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, said the "UK supports AU call for Sudan to return to civilian rule soon". And UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Nicholas Haysom as an envoy to Sudan to work with the union on mediating an end to the crisis. The head of Sudan's militatry council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been shown by state media talking to demonstrators but his relations with protest leaders are increasingly strained In a bid to woo Western opinion, the military council has backtracked on its position towards longstanding warrants for Bashir's arrest issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Having initially refused to deliver Bashir or any other Sudanese abroad for prosecution, a member of the council said Monday that the decision would be up to a civilian government. Protest leaders say Bashir must face justice, along with officials from his feared National Intelligence and Security Service whose chief Salih Ghosh resigned on Saturday. Uganda said later it would consider granting asylum to Bashir. "If Uganda is approached to grant asylum to Bashir it is an issue that can be considered at the highest level of our leadership," state minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem told AFP. Uganda is one of several African nations which have hosted Bashir in the past without handing him over to the ICC, despite being signatories of the tribunal. Protesters are demanding a complete overhaul of the political system in Algeria Thousands of Algerian students chanting "peaceful" rallied Tuesday in the capital as they defiantly faced police officers who barred them from reaching the focal point of weeks of protests. "We will continue to march until a transitional (authority) led by clean politicians is set up," Mira Laifa, a medical student, said as she took part in the demonstration. "We will continue what we have started," added fellow university student Linda. Police were massively deployed around Algiers' iconic post office building, preventing the protesters from reaching what has become the emblematic point of rallies since anti-government demonstrations first erupted in February. Algerians are demanding a complete overhaul of the political system in the North African country, including the ouster of an interim government that was set up after veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned last week. They are demanding that regime stalwarts be excluded from any political transition in the country, where presidential elections are due to take place on July 4 according to acting president Abdelkader Bensalah. Tuesday's protest came as state television reported that the head of the constitutional council tasked with vetting election candidates had stepped down. Tayeb Belaiz was one of the many top figures facing the ire of protesters in Algeria. Demonstrators fear that the election will not be free and fair if they are held under the same judicial framework and institutions as those of the Bouteflika regime. "Free Algeria," chanted the students on Tuesday. "Algerian students want a transitional government," read a sign held up by protesters, as the crowds shouted "the people want them all to leave" in reference to the interim authorities. Meanwhile students from a dozen universities told AFP that their campuses were on strike and would remain closed until the political system is changed. The vice president of the UN-backed government in Libya, Ahmad Maitig, warns 800,000 people could flee towards Europe if violence continues from an offensive on Tripoli by a military strongman, Khalifa Haftar Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) appealed Tuesday for Europe's support against military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is waging an offensive on Tripoli, warning continued violence could see 800,000 people try to flee to the West. "It interests the whole of Europe to see a peaceful and democratic Libya," GNA vice president Ahmad Maitig told the foreign media press association in Rome. He said Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini "shows big support for the peace process" and brushed off reports France favoured Haftar, saying "the position of the French government is to support the national accord government". The fight for Tripoli has sparked international alarm over Libya, which has been wracked by unrest since the NATO-backed 2011 overthrow of former dictator Moamer Kadhafi But he repeated warnings that the offensive by Haftar's forces could spark an exodus of displaced Libyans and migrants. Some "800,000 people can easily reach Europe," he said, adding that Islamic State group fighters currently held as prisoners could be among them. There were "more than 400 (IS) prisoners" in Libya whose whereabouts could not be secured should Haftar push on to take the capital, he said. "These prisoners are terrorists and we were working with the international community to keep them and hold them. At the same time we see some international partners, our international team players, supporting the attack and supporting Haftar. "This is something not understandable for the GNA," he said. - 'No deal' - Maitig also dismissed the idea the government would intervene to prevent Libyans and migrants fleeing for Europe under an EU-approved deal signed between Italy and Libya in 2017. "There is no agreement on keeping the migrants in Libya at all. Zero. The agreement was to prepare the Libyan coastguard... that is it." Libya is a major transit point for migrants desperate to reach Europe. A 2017 deal signed by Italy to boost Libya's coastguard has dramatically cut numbers making the risky Mediterranean Sea voyage The accord for Italy to train Libya's coastguard -- signed in a bid to end Europe's biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War -- saw a significant drop in the flow of African migrants across the central Mediterranean. Some 265 migrants have landed in Italy so far this year, compared to 7,500 last year in the same period and over 30,000 the year before, according to the interior ministry. Libya has long been a major transit country for migrants desperate to reach Europe via the Mediterranean. International aid groups have warned migrants could be used as human shields or forcibly recruited to fight. Libya has been in turmoil since NATO-backed forces overthrew former dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, seen here (left) meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, launched his offensive on Tripoli from his eastern bastion Haftar's offensive began shortly before a conference set for this month to discuss Libya's future -- an event the UN cancelled as the forces closed in on the capital. Haftar, who leads the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), has pushed out from his power base in the country's east towards the Libyan capital in the west, the seat of the UN-backed unity government led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The chief of Peshawar's bomb disposal squad told AFP the militants had planted a motorcycle bomb at the gate of the building, and linked it to more than 50kg of explosives An entire three-storey building was blown apart Tuesday as Pakistani security forces detonated a huge amount of explosives hidden inside, after a bloody, hours-long gun battle with militants holed up in a crowded city. Video footage by an AFP reporter at the scene shows the building collapsing in the blast, with a cloud of dust and debris rising from the fallen structure. Officials said the militants -- who have not yet been identified -- had used the building, in a residential area in the northwestern provincial capital of Peshawar as a hideout. Shafqat Malik, chief of Peshawar's bomb disposal squad, told AFP the militants had planted a motorcycle bomb at the gate of the building, and linked it to more than 50 kilogrammes of explosives throughout the structure. Officers from the bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled detonation of the motorcycle device, Malik said, triggering the explosives inside and bringing the building crashing down. The blast came after security forces had fought the militants for 17 hours, authorities said. In the moments before the explosion in the video footage, bullet holes can be seen across the building's facade. "During exchange of fire, five terrorists have been killed," the Pakistan military said in a statement, adding that one police officer was also killed. The Pakistan military said five terrorists and one police officer were killed Qazi Jamil, police chief for Peshawar city, told reporters that militants opened fire on security forces with automatic guns, and also used mortars and hand grenades. He said the fight began late Monday and continued overnight, and added that investigators were working to identify the militants. Neither the military nor Peshawar police named which of the myriad militant groups operating in Pakistan that the fighters belonged to. Islamabad has fought a long battle with Islamist militancy, with tens of thousands of people believed killed. Peshawar, near the Afghan border, was for years at the centre of much of the violence. But security across the country, including in Peshawar, has dramatically improved since a government and military crackdown in recent years. Analysts warn, however, that Pakistan has yet to tackle the root causes of extremism. Afghanistan is sending a massive government delegation to Qatar this week to meet Taliban officials for talks Afghanistan published Tuesday a lengthy list of delegates who will meet with the Taliban in Doha this week, including government officials, in what could become the highest-level dialogue between the sworn enemies in years. A massive roster published by the presidential palace comprises 250 names, including President Ashraf Ghani's chief of staff, Abdul Salam Rahimi, as well as his election running mate, Amrullah Saleh, the former head of Afghan intelligence. Other delegates named on the list come from many walks of Afghan life including youth leaders, tribal elders and -- significantly -- 52 women. The last time the Taliban met with the Afghan government was at secretive talks in Pakistan in 2015, which were quickly derailed by the news that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar had died. The three days of talks in Qatar, scheduled to start Friday, come amid a months-long push led by Washington for peace nearly 18 years after the US invasion, and as fresh violence rips across Afghanistan. Any contact between the Kabul government and the Taliban is seen as hugely significant, because the insurgents view Ghani as a US stooge and his government as a puppet regime, and have long refused to speak with them directly. They have insisted that any government officials attending this week's talks will be doing so only in a "personal capacity". The US, which has cited significant progress after holding direct talks with the militants in Doha several times since September, is not expected to attend. The militants have not announced a final list of who is headed to Doha, and distanced themselves from a report that suggested their delegation might also include women. The peace process thus far has been widely criticised for a lack of female representation, and US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has pushed for greater inclusivity. While the Taliban previously met with Afghan representatives and politicians in Moscow in February, those talks did not include members of Ghani's government. The spokesman for former president Hamid Karzai, who was at the Moscow talks, said Karzai supported the "intra-Afghan" conference in Doha but would not be attending. Kabul has also been left out of the talks with the Khalilzad and the US delegation, prompting concerns the Afghan government is being sidelined in its own peace process and underscoring the importance of this week's meetings in Doha. This month, the United Nations said it had lifted travel bans for 11 Taliban delegates so they could attend talks. That list includes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Islamist movement and its top political leader, as well as Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's chief negotiator and former deputy minister of foreign affairs. The Taliban last week announced the start of Operation Fath, this year's spring offensive, and violence has continued apace across Afghanistan despite Khalilzad calling for a ceasefire. Fighters loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) hold a position west of the city of Aziziah on April 14, 2019 United Nations Security Council diplomats began negotiations Tuesday on a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya after forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli. The proposed text seen by AFP warns that the offensive by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) "threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis." The council "demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the situation, commit to a ceasefire, and engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities throughout Libya," the draft says. After Britain circulated the text late Monday, a first round of negotiations was held during which Russia raised objections to references criticizing Haftar, diplomats said. "They were very clear. No reference anywhere," a council diplomat said. Britain was hoping to bring the measure to a vote at the council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russia's objections as a hurdle. At least 174 people have been killed and more than 18,000 displaced since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli on April 4, according to UN figures. A rocket attack on the city killed two people and injured four on Tuesday. Last week, Russia blocked a draft council statement that would have called on Haftar's forces to halt their advance on Tripoli. - Influence in Libya - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) met with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar (L) in Cairo just days after Haftar's forces launched an offensive on Tripoli The proposed measure echoed a call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Libya to personally advance prospects for a political solution when the offensive was launched. Haftar, seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital, now controlled by a UN-recognized government and an array of militias. Haftar backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognize the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya "immediately to re-commit" to UN peace efforts and urges all member-states "to use their influence over the parties" to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar -- which has tense ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi -- has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftar's hands. Russia and France, two permanent council members, have praised Haftar's battlefield successes in defeating Libyan armed groups aligned with the Islamic State in the south of the country. Haftar's offensive on the capital forced the United Nations to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster of Moamer Kadhafi. Guterres has said that serious negotiations on Libya's future cannot resume without a ceasefire. An iPhone 6S: a battle between Apple and chip-maker Qualcomm over royalties and access to patents is playing out in a US court in San Diego How much are iPhone chips worth? That more or less is the question to be decided by a US court as Apple seeks billions in damages from former chip supplier Qualcomm. Since Apple originally filed suit in January 2017, the two US firms have been suing each other in multiple countries in a multi-front battle. At the heart of the battle are the royalties Qualcomm charges for its patented chips, which enable smartphones to connect to mobile networks. Apple accuses Qualcomm, which holds the most patents for chips, of taking advantage of its dominant position to charge exorbitant amounts for its chips or access to its patents. The iPhone maker refuses to pay up and is also seeking what could be billions of dollars in compensation. Qualcomm denies the allegations and accuses Apple of abusing its position and of taking legal action to negotiate prices down. After jury selection in the San Diego federal court, arguments are expected to begin Tuesday. Apple chief Tim Cook and Qualcomm's CEO Steve Mollenkopf are both expected to appear during the trial, which is set to last around a month. The stakes are high for Qualcomm, which earns a significant chunk of its revenue from royalties paid by manufacturers for its patented technology. "In order to purchase Qualcomm chips or obtain access to patents pledged to a cellular standard, Qualcomm demands that third parties pay Qualcomm a royalty much greater than the value of Qualcomm's contribution to the standard," Apple argues. "What this means in the case of the iPhone is that when Apple engineers create a revolutionary new security feature such as touch ID, which enables breakthrough technologies like Apple Pay, Qualcomm insists on royalties for these and other innovations it had nothing to do with and royalty payments go up," it said. "Even when Apple sells an iPhone with added memory-256GB instead of 128GB -- Qualcomm collects a larger royalty just because of that added memory," according to the company, which claims it has been overcharged by "billions of dollars." - Contradictory rulings - Following its initial US lawsuit, Apple filed two more suits in China on the same basis. Qualcomm counter-sued. Also in early 2017, the US Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm for alleged antitrust law violations in the sale of certain components and licenses to smartphone makers, including Apple. In April 2017, it was forced to pay $815 million to Canada's Blackberry in a royalties dispute. And since 2015, through both convictions and settlements, it has paid high antitrust fines in China, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union. The Apple-Qualcomm spat has also led to reciprocal patents complaints. While Apple claims some of Qualcomm's patents aren't valid, Qualcomm accuses Apple of violating them -- and has sought to ban iPhone sales or imports in several countries, including the US. This has led to contradictory legal rulings. In March, a US court ruled in Apple's favor, a few hours after a judge of the same court ordered a partial ban of iPhone imports. That decision is awaiting review by a panel of judges and then possibly US President Donald Trump because iPhones don't directly compete with any Qualcomm products. A few days earlier, Qualcomm won a point as Apple was ordered to pay $31 million for patent infringement. Meanwhile, by the end of 2018, Qualcomm had secured a ban on the sale of certain iPhones in China and Germany -- again for patent violations -- but Apple may still appeal. "Yellow vest" protesters in the Libyan capital say France is backing military strongman Khalifa Haftar who has launched an offensive to seize Tripoli Dozens of "yellow vest" protesters rallied Tuesday in the Libyan capital to denounce what they said was France's support for military strongman Khalifa Haftar who has launched an offensive on Tripoli. The demonstrators donned yellow vests in a nod to the jackets worn by anti-government protesters who have been rallying across France since November. "France must stop backing the rebel Haftar," read one sign held up by the demonstrators gathered in central Tripoli's Algiers Square. Another sign read: "France supplies weapons to the rebels (in exchange) for petrol." Fierce fighting between forces loyal to Haftar and those backing the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) has rocked Libya since the offensive on Tripoli was launched earlier this month. At least 174 people have been killed and 758 wounded in the battle for control over the Libyan capital, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Pro-government forces and Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) accuse each other of targeting civilians, with each launching daily air raids in addition to clashes on the ground. Haftar is seen by his allies -- Egypt and the United Arab Emirates -- as a bulwark against Islamists who have gained a foothold in Libya after the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. But many also consider France as a key backer of the military strongman, a charge denied by French authorities. Tuesday's protesters called for diplomatic ties to be severed with countries that "back aggression" on Tripoli. "Supporting Haftar by other governments is a declaration of war" against Libya, read another sign held by protesters. Last week, a French diplomatic source said authorities in Paris have "no hidden plans" concerning Hafter and would not recognise his legitimacy should he overrun Tripoli. But supporters of the UN-backed GNA say France has blocked resolutions at the UN Security Council, the European Union and other international bodies denouncing Haftar's offensive. A British-drafted resolution obtained Tuesday by AFP at UN headquarters in New York has been presented to the Security Council and demands an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed measure said the offensive by the LNA "threatens the stability of Libya and prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis". The GNA on Tuesday called for Europe's support against Haftar. Criticism of Pakistan's security establishment has been seen as a red line for the country's media, with journalists complaining of intimidation tactics if they cross that line A reporter critical of Pakistan's powerful army and intelligence services is being prosecuted for "cyber-terrorism," global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Tuesday, slamming the case for trying to "intimidate" Pakistan's journalists". RSF said Shahzeb Jillani, who works for Pakistani television station Dunya News and has worked for the BBC and Deutsche Welle in the past, faces charges under a controversial electronic crimes act and two criminal code provisions. The charges include "defamatory remarks against the respected institutions of Pakistan" and "cyber-terrorism", the watchdog said, calling on a Karachi court to dismiss the charges. "Pakistan's authorities are yet again manipulating the laws in order to silence a journalist who dared to cross a red line by criticizing certain institutions," said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk. "It is shocking to see how, little by little, case by case, the Pakistani security agencies are tightening their vice in order to intimidate the entire media profession into censoring themselves." Criticism of Pakistan's powerful security establishment has long been seen as a red line for the country's media, with journalists and bloggers complaining of intimidation tactics including kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross that line. Self-censorship is rife, and the Committee to Protect Journalists said the army had "quietly but effectively set restrictions on reporting" in a report released September last year. The complaint against Jillani accuses him of making "audacious remarks against invisible security forces of Pakistan" during a 2017 Dunya television appearance, and making similar comments in 2019. The initial police report into the complaint, seen by AFP, notes that in investigating the claim it was also revealed that Jillani had tweeted "sarcastic, derogatory, disrespectful and defamatory language" against Pakistan and institutions including the military and army chief. The report said the tweet was tantamount to creating a "sense of fear, panic, insecurity in the Government institutions, general public, and Society". Jillani is due to appear in court in the southern port megacity of Karachi on Wednesday, according to RSF. "We are already exercising self-censorship but the invisible red lines are getting narrower day by day," Jillani told AFP. The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) in a statement also condemned the case against Jillani, saying the laws have been "coercive and controversial" and against free speech, calling for them to be replaced. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to get formal backing to remain as premier Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to receive formal backing to remain premier for a fifth term Wednesday, but tough negotiations to form a coalition government await following last week's elections. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin must choose who will form the next government and is expected to pick Netanyahu to do so on Wednesday night after final election results are announced. Rivlin's office said Tuesday he planned to meet with his choice for premier at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) Wednesday and that both would speak publicly about an hour later. The final vote results, published Tuesday evening by the central elections committee, put Netanyahu's right-wing Likud at 35 seats, the same as his main rivals from the Blue and White alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz. Together with allied right-wing and religious parties, Netanyahu has received the backing of 65 lawmakers from the 120-seat parliament, who told Rivlin over Monday and Tuesday meetings they thought the incumbent premier should be tasked with forming the next coalition government. Only 45 members of parliament supported Gantz, with the 10 members of the Arab parties recommending nobody. Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman had held off on publicly backing Netanyahu until Monday night, when he did so before supporters. His party, Yisrael Beitenu, also told Rivlin on Tuesday that it would back Netanyahu and its five seats will be crucial for the prime minister as he forms his next coalition. But Lieberman also said he would condition his joining the coalition on the adoption of a law aimed at having ultra-Orthodox Jews serve in the military like their secular counterparts. He has insisted that the version of the law he proposed when he was defence minister be adopted in full and says he will even remain in the opposition or be prepared to go to new elections if he does not receive assurances on the subject. Ultra-Orthodox Jews studying in religious seminaries are currently exempt from mandatory military service, a practice many Israelis view as unfair. But attempts to change the law have met with strong opposition from ultra-Orthodox political parties, which according to the final results would control 16 seats in the next governing coalition. Political leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up some 10 percent of Israel's population of nearly nine million, have warned they are not prepared to compromise over Lieberman's demands. Complications in passing a law on the subject contributed to the holding of early elections last week. Lieberman resigned as defence minister in November after accusing Netanyahu of being soft on Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walks alongside visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif Damascus in this handout picture released by the Syrian presidency's Facebook page on April 16, 2019 Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Damascus on Tuesday ahead of a fresh round of talks next week in Kazakhstan towards ending Syria's eight-year civil war. Iran and Russia are key allies of the Damascus regime, and along with rebel backer Turkey have sponsored the so-called Astana negotiations track to end the conflict. Kazakhstan is to host a fresh round of talks on April 25-26 in its capital, last month renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan. In Damascus, Zarif and President Bashar al-Assad discussed "the next round of Astana talks and the importance of lasting communication between Damascus and Tehran for continued cooperation", the presidency said in a statement. Both countries are facing a flurry of sanctions by Western nations including the United States, with Washington this month designating Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation. Syria is in the grips of a growing fuel crisis that it blames on these sanctions. Zarif and Assad accused Western countries headed by the United States of "launching wars and economic terrorism against anyone who did not agree with them" in regional matters, the presidency said. Earlier on Tuesday, Zarif met his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem. After the meeting, Zarif told journalists Iran, Russia and Turkey would be focusing on the jihadist-held bastion of Idlib in northwestern Syria, pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said. The region on the border with Turkey is held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and is in theory protected from a massive regime offensive by a Russia-Turkey deal. The September accord aimed to set up a buffer zone around Idlib, but was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw from it. "The Astana guarantors... need to abide by the commitments linked to the Idlib file," including "disarming terrorists groups and them leaving Idlib", Zarif said, according to Al-Watan. Regime forces have continued to bombard Idlib despite the deal, increasingly so in recent weeks. Zarif is expected to visit Turkey after Damascus. Endless rounds of UN-backed Syria peace talks have failed to stem the bloodshed, and Iran, Russia and Turkey have sponsored the parallel Astana negotiations track since early 2017. Tehran has provided steady political, financial and military backing to Assad throughout the war, which has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since 2011. The Syrian regime has made a military comeback with Russian military support since 2015, and now holds almost two-thirds of the country. The altar surrounded by charred debris inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after a fire that devastated the cathedral President Donald Trump on Tuesday relayed Americans' "condolences" to French President Emmanuel Macron over the fire at Notre-Dame cathedral, the White House said. "We stand with France today and offer our assistance in the rehabilitation of this irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization. Vive la France!" Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Sanders called Notre Dame, which was heavily damaged in the blaze, an "iconic structure" that "has served as a spiritual home for almost a millennium." The statement called France the oldest US ally and said "we remember with grateful hearts the tolling of Notre Dames bells on September 12, 2001, in solemn recognition of the tragic September 11th attacks on American soil. Those bells will sound again." The White House's measured words contrasted with Trump's shocked, off-the-cuff reaction on Monday, when he asked whether the French fire services shouldn't be bringing water tankers to try and extinguish the blaze from the air. "Must act quickly!" he tweeted as French firefighters scrambled to try and control the inferno. French authorities pointedly responded in a tweet written in English that "all means are being used, except for water-bombing aircraft," because the force of falling water could destroy the ancient building. Later, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Bernier, a fire chief who speaks for the national civil defense organization, reacted in less diplomatic fashion, calling Trump's suggestion "risible". New York has mandated measles vaccinations following an outbreak of the disease among the Orthodox Jewish community The origins of the measles outbreak in the United States are not a mystery. Persons infected with the virus brought it to the United States from Israel and Ukraine and passed it on to members of their tight-knit communities, many of whom had not been vaccinated. The challenge for US health authorities is stopping the outbreak from spreading further. A total of 555 cases of measles have been recorded in the United States since January 1, most of them in New York and Clark County in Washington state. In New York, the most hard hit has been an Orthodox Jewish community in Brookyln. They were infected by visitors from Israel, where a measles outbreak began a year ago. This fall, it spread through Brooklyn schools and synagogues among children who had never been vaccinated or had not had the recommended followup shot between the ages of four and six years old. A boy is vaccinated for measles in the village of Lapaivka near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv In addition to Brooklyn, another Orthodox Jewish community in New York state, in Rockland County, has also been affected. About 200 cases have been reported there, also infected by visitors from Israel. An outbreak in the state of Michigan -- where 39 cases have been reported -- has been traced to a single person, according to The Washington Post. The Orthodox Jewish man arrived in the United States from Israel, spent time in Brooklyn and then drove to Detroit, where he spread the disease through visits to synagogues and markets. - Child from Ukraine - In Clark County, Washington, the measles outbreak is concentrated among a Russian-speaking community. Nurses wait to provide measles vaccinations at the Rockland County Health Department in Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York A child brought the virus back from Ukraine in December and it spread to 74 other people, mostly children, through schools, supermarkets and a bowling alley. "This kid was in a pocket of kids that weren't immunized by choice," said Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for the Washington state department of health. "And that's how it started out." "What we know about this cluster is they all match each other," Lindquist said. "We did DNA fingerprinting, or genetic sequencing, essentially. "And they all match each other identically. And they all match the Ukraine strain," he said. One theory links the outbreaks in Israel and Ukraine to an annual pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman by tens of thousands of Orthodox Jewish men to visit the grave of a revered rabbi. Dr. Patrick O'Connor of the World Health Organization told The New York Times that the major Ukraine outbreak may have supercharged a modest one in Israel. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, acting director of the Center for Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said all the measles cases in the United States have come from other countries. "In Washington state, the strain is traced through Ukraine," Messonnier said. "The outbreaks in New York City and New York state are traced to a strain that was found in Israel." A nurse prepares the measles, vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York The number of cases in the United States are relatively few compared to other places but the seond most since the turn of the century, when the disease was declared eliminated. "We certainly are concerned that it will be the largest number of cases since elimination in 2000," Messonnier said Tens of thousands of cases of measles have been reported in Africa and Europe. Ukraine alone has reported more than 30,000 cases and 11 deaths since January. In the United States, the outbreaks have mostly been confined to tight-knit communities where vaccination rates are lower than the national average of more than 90 percent. There have been outbreaks previously, for example, among the Amish community in Ohio in 2014 and Somali immigrants in Minnesota in 2017. Health authorities have moved aggressively to prevent the disease from spreading. In Clark County, 849 non-vaccinated students were barred from 15 schools where children had come down with measles. "We were very aggressive about isolating any cases, quarantining anybody who was exposed to those cases, and excluding kids from school if they were unimmunized," said Lindquist, the Washington state health official. "And that is what's slowed this outbreak down," he said. "Currently, we have not had a case in almost 42 days." In New York, the mayor has ordered the vaccination of all residents of Williamsburg, a Brooklyn neighborhood, and threatened to impose fines of $1,000. Demonstrators outside of Sudan's army headquarters call for a quick turn to civilian rule The United States is willing to remove Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism if its new military leaders take tangible steps, a US official said Tuesday. Sudanese officials have for years sought to get off the list, engaging in inconclusive talks with the United States. A State Department official said that Washington had renewed its willingness to consider a delisting during meetings with the military rulers who last week ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in the wake of months of street protests. A way to rescind the designation "may be available if there is a fundamental change in the leadership and policies and if the Transitional Military Council is not supporting acts of international terrorism and provides assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future," the official said on condition of anonymity. But the official said that the United States was not considering delisting Sudan "at this time." The comments come two days after the top US diplomat in Khartoum, Charge d'Affaires Steven Koutsis, met with the deputy head of the military council, Mohammad Hamdan Daglo. The US official said that the United States was also encouraging the military council to "move quickly" to include civilians in the interim government and hold elections. Protesters have remained on the street, calling on the military council to step aside. The United States had turbulent relations with Sudan during Bashir's three decades in power, in which he allied himself with Islamists, was accused of plotting genocide in the Darfur region and during the 1990s gave refuge to Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. But in his later years, Bashir sought smoother ties with the United States and especially wanted the removal of the terror label, which had severely deterred foreign investors. Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine director Omar Shakir (pictured May 2018), a US citizen, will have until May 1, 2019 to leave Israel, according to the decision by the Jerusalem district court An Israeli court on Tuesday approved the interior ministry's decision to expel Human Rights Watch's country director for allegedly supporting a boycott of the country. Omar Shakir, a US citizen, will have until May 1 to leave Israel, according to the decision by the Jerusalem district court, which rejected his appeal against the original expulsion order, noting he could take it to the supreme court. The district court delayed Shakir's deportation while it heard HRW's challenge against the ministry's decision to terminate his work permit. "Those who call to boycott Israel aim their arrows at it, but the individuals living in it are the ones who pay the price of the boycott," Tuesday's ruling said. The court also noted that "it has been proven" that Shakir "continues to publicly call for a boycott on Israel or parts of it, while at the same time asking that it opens its gates for him." Hence "the interior minister's decision to not enable the petitioner that is reasonable under the circumstances and does not justify intervention," it said. In 2017, Israel passed a law banning entry to foreigners who support boycotting the country. The law was passed in response to a movement to boycott Israel by those seeking to pressure the country over its occupation of Palestinian territory. Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism -- a claim activists deny, saying they only want to see the occupation end. HRW denied in response that the group or Shakir promoted a boycott of Israel, saying that Tuesday's ruling was a "new and dangerous interpretation of the law," since it equated criticism of businesses operating in the occupied West Bank to boycotting Israel. "The decision sends the chilling message that those who criticise the involvement of businesses in serious abuses in Israeli settlements risk being barred from Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank," Tom Porteous, deputy program director at HWR, said in a statement. HRW said it would challenge the decision with the supreme court and seek an injunction allowing Shakir to remain in Israel for the duration of the process. Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan welcomed the court's ruling, saying it was his ministry that had submitted the incriminating evidence and expulsion recommendation to the interior ministry. "Boycott activists must realise that there's a price to their boycott activity against Israel and its residents," he said. "Shakir is pretending to be a human rights activists, but much of his activity is advancing boycotts against Israel," Erdan said in a statement. Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tells reporters that Ankara is expecting another waiver on US sanctions against Iran Turkey voiced hope Tuesday that the United States will extend an exemption in sanctions to allow it to keep buying oil from Iran, despite tensions between the allies on multiple fronts. Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak met President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday and discussed the range of disagreements including Ankara's major weapons purchase from Russia, said Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It was a positive meeting overall," Kalin told reporters in Washington. Kalin said Turkey was hopeful that the Trump administration would issue another waiver for Turkey after last year demanding that all nations stop buying oil from Iran. "Certainly we are expecting an extension for Turkey," Kalin said, adding that Ankara has not received a formal notice. The United States has given six-month exemptions to eight countries -- China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey -- that run out on May 2. Kalin said Turkey had reduced its imports from Iran despite disagreeing with the US sanctions, which Trump imposed unilaterally after pulling out of an international accord under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear program. "People should not expect Turkey to turn its back on Iran just like that," he said, pointing to the countries' shared border and historic relationship. "We want to maintain good relations with Iran and we believe that the way to deal with Iran is more engagement rather than more sanctions." Relations between the United States and Turkey deteriorated after the NATO ally said it would buy the S-400 missile defense system from the alliance's main nemesis Russia. The United States has responded by suspending Turkey's participation in the key F-35 fighter-jet project. Kalin renewed Turkey's offer to form a joint committee to examine US concerns that Russia would gain data in Turkey to help the S-400 system shoot down the Western planes. He said that Russian air defenses are already operating in war-torn Syria, where Israeli F-35s frequently enter the airspace. "When you consider the airspace in the region, it should be very easy for Russians to gain access to that sensitive data already," Kalin said. "If they are waiting for Turkey to install these S-400s in Turkey to get that information, that wouldn't make sense." Kalin was in Washington to participate in a conference of the American-Turkish Council, a business group, at the Trump International Hotel. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar made a hush-hush visit to the Pentagon amid strains in the US-Turkey relationship over Ankara's plan to buy a Russia missile defense system Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held unannounced talks with acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan Tuesday amid tensions over Ankara's plans to buy a Russian missile defense system and its threat to attack Kurdish fighters in Syria. The two "met as strategic partners," Pentagon spokesperson Charles Summers said in a brief statement to the press after the meeting. "They focused their discussion on interests, rather than positions, and on the importance of US-Turkish cooperation bilaterally and as NATO allies in achieving mutual security and economic prosperity for both countries and the region," Summers said. Summers made no mention of the spat over the US threat to halt a joint F-35 fighter jet program with Turkey if it buys Russia's S-400 missile defense system. Washington has already frozen deliveries of aircraft and parts, saying the US aircraft system is too sensitive to be operated in tandem with the Russian equipment. On April 2, Shanahan said he was confident Turkey would reverse course and buy the US Patriot missile defense system instead, but Ankara has made no such commitment yet. Last week, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the delivery of the S-400 system could be earlier than initially planned, according to the Hurriyet daily. In parallel to tensions over the missile system, the US-Turkey relationship has been strained by Ankara's threat to launch an offensive in northeast Syria against the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces, which battled the Islamic State group with backing from Western air strikes and other support. Ankara links the SDF to the Kurdish separatist PKK movement at home, which it considers a terrorist organization. Meeting in Washington with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in early April, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of "devastating consequences" if Turkey strikes Syria. Antonio Segovia(R), of the Chilean prosecutor's office, and Etienne Manteaux, of the French prosecutor's office, speak during a press conference in Santiago April 16, 2019 regarding the 2016 disappearance of Japanese student Narumi Kurosaki in France French investigators met with prosecutors in Chile Tuesday, the day before the planned questioning of Nicolas Zepeda, a Chilean man who is the sole suspect in the 2016 disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, a Japanese university student, in eastern France. "We expect Mr. Zepeda to respond to all of the evidence we have," Besancon public prosecutor Etienne Manteaux, who arrived in Santiago earlier in the week, told reporters. "It's possible that Mr. Zepeda will respond tomorrow in a way that makes us doubt his guilt (in killing 21-year-old Narumi Kurosaki) ... The question of extradition could come later," Manteaux said. The meeting between Chilean authorities and the French delegation -- which included a judge overseeing the case and two police investigators, along with Manteaux -- lasted an hour. "We were asked to carry out several operations following the investigation in France," said Antonio Segovia, director of the International Cooperation and Extradition Unit in the Chilean prosecutor's office. "The French delegation is here to assist in the execution of these operations, which will be carried out by a Chilean public prosecutor." In this case, it is only the Chilean prosecutor who can decided whether or not to arrest the suspect after his interrogation. The outcome of that decision would then determine whether or not France would submit an extradition request so Zepeda could be tried in France. A Chilean judge had previously denied a request to arrest and extradite Zepeda, citing insufficient evidence. Japanese student Kurosaki had been living in the university city of Besancon in eastern France when she disappeared on the night of December 4, 2016, and despite extensive searches her body has not been found. Investigators in France believe 28-year-old Zepeda, who had been broken up with Kurosaki for several months, suffocated her in a jealous rage. He returned to Chile before French police issued an arrest warrant. Kurosaki was last seen hours before her disappearance having dinner with Zepeda in a restaurant in Ornans, near Besancon, Fellow students in her dormitory reported hearing terrified cries and banging noises later that same night, Manteuax said in November. No trace of blood was ever found in Kurosaki's room and Zepeda denies any involvement in her disappearance. A Yemeni child walks through the rubble of a building destroyed in an air strike in the southern city of Taez President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution from Congress directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the second such move of his presidency. The resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers -- a step he condemned in a statement announcing his veto. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said. The veto was the second of his presidency, after he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March. Vetoing the measure is an "effective green light for the war strategy that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis to continue," said International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband. "Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure." Trump argued that US support for the bloody war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels was necessary for a variety of reasons, "first and foremost" to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries." These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes the Saudi-led coalition has either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether. The president also said the resolution would "harm the foreign policy of the United States" and "harm our bilateral relationships." - War crimes - And it would "negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran's malign activities in Yemen," Trump said, referring to two Sunni Muslim militant groups and his Shiite bete noire. US President Donald Trump has issued the second veto of his presidency, overriding a congressional resolution directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen The resolution, which passed the US House of Representatives earlier this month and the Senate in March, was a historic milestone, as it was the first time in history that a measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the president's desk. Democrats argued that US involvement in the Yemen conflict -- through intelligence-sharing, logistical support and now-discontinued aerial refueling -- is unconstitutional without congressional authority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- the country's most senior Democratic politician -- took aim at Trump's veto in a series of tweets on Tuesday. "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world," Pelosi wrote. "Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress & perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis." Senator Bernie Sanders, a lead author of the Yemen resolution and a Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, said that "the people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs." "I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bi-partisan resolution to end U.S. involvement in the horrific war in Yemen," Sanders tweeted. Critics of the intervention warn that Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities in the four-year war. Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher. Both the Saudi-led alliance and Huthi rebels have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children. Art professor Andrew Tallon's laser scan of the Notre-Dame cathedral At Vassar College in the United States, a university team gathered the week before the devastating fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris to plan an ambitious project: inventorying about a terabyte of 3-D modeling data of the famed Gothic masterpiece. The precious data -- the most accurate in the world -- is the work of Andrew Tallon, a Francophile American art professor who loved medieval architecture and was passionate about Gothic cathedral. He died in November. His technique was nothing new, but his application of the tools was innovative. In 2011 and 2012, funded by a foundation, Tallon used a laser device to accurately measure the interior and exterior of the cathedral, which was ravaged by flames this week. He placed the device in about 50 places to measure the distance between each wall and pillar, recess, statue or other form -- and to record all the imperfections intrinsic to any centuries-old monument. Art professor Andrew Tallon at his office at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in November 2009 The result is over a billion points in the "point cloud." The final computer-generated images reconstruct the cathedral down to the smallest detail, including its tiny defects, with a precision of about five millimeters (0.1 inches). These images, for example, confirmed how the west side of the cathedral was a "total mess... a train wreck," Tallon told National Geographic in 2015, pointing to the misalignment of the interior columns. He wanted to get "into the mind of the builders," said his former student Lindsay Cook, a Francophile like Tallon who is now a visiting assistant professor of art at Vassar. "He was interested in using laserscan data to find moments like small ruptures in the construction, places where things were not exactly straight or in plumb, where you could see the hand of an individual architect at work, and in that case the hand of individual masons," Cook told AFP. - 'A fitting memorial' - A general view shows debris inside the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on April 16, 2019, a day after a fire that devastated the famed structure From these measurements were born the images published in a book in 2013 and shown in an exhibition at Notre-Dame in 2014. But the bulk of the data remains untapped in the form of 1s and 0s on some hard drives. Notre-Dame can probably be reconstructed without this data, but laser modeling brings precision to the photographs and drawings held by architects in France. This is particularly useful for elements such as roofing and the spire, which were more difficult to measure physically. The 19th-century spire collapsed in the fire, and the roof is largely devastated. The modeling will help restorers to identically recreate the part of the vault that has collapsed inside. "If eventually the authorities wish to use this, then of course it would be shared with them," said Cook. The data is currently on external hard drives at Vassar, with copies at Columbia University, where academics collaborated with Tallon as part of the "Mapping Gothic" project. If architects ask for the data, it would have to be delivered in person, as it is too large to be transmitted over the internet. If Tallon's "scholarly work can somehow inform those who will be taking on the daunting task of restoring a cathedral to its former glory, it will be a fitting memorial for a very wonderful scholar who devoted so much to Notre-Dame," said Vassar dean Jon Chenette. On other hard drives, historians will also find, if they wish one day, another inheritance from Tallon: laser modeling of the cathedrals of Beauvais, Chartres, Canterbury and even the Basilica of Saint-Denis. A last-minute settlement cut short a courtroom clash betweeen Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm said Tuesday they have agreed to "dismiss all litigation" against each other worldwide in what had been a sprawling battle over royalty payments. The last-minute settlement cut short a courtroom clash between the tech giants just as it was getting underway in California. For two years, the companies had fought a multi-front brawl that could have required Qualcomm to pay billions. The news sent Qualcomm's stock price soaring more than 23 percent on Wall Street, its best one-day performance in nearly 20 years. The deal includes a six-year license agreement with the option to extend for two years, and a payment to Qualcomm from Apple, the companies said. At the heart of the battle were the royalties Qualcomm charges for its patented chips, which enable smartphones to connect to mobile networks. Apple accused Qualcomm, which holds the most patents for chips, of taking advantage of its dominant position to charge exorbitant amounts for its chips or access to its patents. Qualcomm denied the allegations and accused Apple of abusing its position and of taking legal action to negotiate prices down. "I believe both Apple and Qualcomm got deeper into this than they wanted to," analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said in a statement. "This settlement should be good for the wireless industry as companies should feel free to invest in research, get paid a fair price for those inventions, and consumers take advantage of those innovations at a very rapid pace." Several hours after the deal was announced, Intel said it was withdrawing from the 5G smartphone modem business, without indicating whether its decision was a cause or consequence of the agreement its rival signed with Apple. - Recent defeats for Qualcomm- The stakes had been especially high for Qualcomm, given that it earns a significant chunk of its revenue from royalties paid by manufacturers for its patented technology. Apple had argued that Qualcomm's royalty demands meant it was effectively insisting on payment for innovations by Apple -- such as touch ID or Apple Pay -- that Qualcomm "had nothing to do with." Apple said it had been overcharged by billions as a result and, following its initial US lawsuit, the iPhone maker filed two more suits in China on the same basis. Qualcomm counter-sued. Also in early 2017, the US Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm for alleged antitrust law violations in the sale of certain components and licenses to smartphone makers, including Apple. In April 2017, it was forced to pay $815 million to Canada's Blackberry in a royalties dispute. And since 2015, through both convictions and settlements, it has paid high antitrust fines in China, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union. This has led to contradictory legal rulings. In March, a US court ruled in Apple's favor, a few hours after a judge of the same court ordered a partial ban of iPhone imports. Meanwhile, by the end of 2018, Qualcomm had secured a ban on the sale of certain iPhones in China and Germany -- again for patent violations. 'Talon out': Benin President Patrice Talon has faced protests over free-market reforms and changes to the electoral code Benin votes for a new parliament on April 28, but a country that was once seen as a model of democracy in Africa is facing a worrying political crisis. Voters in the small West African state will get only one choice of members of parliament -- for the first time in three decades, the opposition will not take part. Election watchdogs last month ruled that only two parties, both allied to President Patrice Talon, met toughened conditions of admissibility under new electoral laws. Their decision effectively barred the entire political opposition from fielding candidates. "This is the first time that opposition parties will not be taking part in legislative elections since the return of the democratic era in 1991," said Steve Kpoton, a lawyer and political analyst. Before 1991, Benin struggled under decades of authoritarian rule. The transition to democracy brought a flowering of political competition -- five years ago, voters could chose from 20 parties for the 83 seats in parliament. - New election rules - But this year, lawmakers from the ruling party pushed through a new electoral code. Talon says that changing the electoral code will simplify Benin's complex political mosaic Critics say the rules were too tough and bureaucratic, and opposition parties failed to meet all the administrative requirements in time. Eric Houndete, deputy speaker of parliament and the leader of an opposition coalition, warned of public anger. "Benin will not allow 83 personal deputies of the head of state to be appointed to parliament," he said. Public protests have been broken up by security forces. Talon, elected in 2016, portrays himself as reformer and modernist. He defended the electoral code, saying it would bring together the scores of political parties into simpler blocs. "There are more than 250 political parties... each of these new parties includes dozens of political movements," Talon said this month. A protestor at a rally last month holds up a sign reading 'Talon, let exiled citizens return to rebuild the country' Instead, he said he wanted to see parties coalesce into a third and fourth coalition to counterbalance the two main parties -- that both back him -- in parliament. "I am pragmatic, I am a realist," Talon said. "I am someone who moves forward despite the difficulties." But Talon, a 60-year old millionaire former businessman who made his money in cotton and ports, has also been repeatedly accused of authoritarianism since coming to power. - 'Attack on democracy' - Civil society groups say the new electoral code is a "democratic retreat." "An election can only be democratic when it brings into competition political forces favourable to power, and political forces opposed to power," said civil society coalition Social Watch Benin. Former presidential candidate Sebastien Ajavon The coalition, along with other groups, has suspended its role in the electoral process, including not deploying observers. "Civil society cannot condone this serious attack on democracy", said Hubert Acakpo, chief of a watchdog group called SOS Credible Elections. Kpoton, the analyst, warned the vote would produce a parliament "exclusively" under the power of the president, and able to change the country's constitution. Others fear that is exactly president's aim. "Talon's plan is to revise the constitution as he pleases," said Corneille Nonhemi, a young activist who wanted to run as a candidate for the Social Liberal Union (USL). The USL party is led by Sebastien Ajavon, a wealthy businessman who ran against Talon in the 2016 presidential elections. Ajavon has sought asylum in France after a special court last year handed him a 20-year term for alleged drugs offences -- a trial his legal team denounced as a sham and politically motivated. Talon has offered words of comfort to those who were unable to register for the vote, saying that elections were not everything. "Life does not stop there," the president said. The signs of activity at North Korea's main nuclear site come after the Hanoi summit between leader Kimg Jong Un and US President Donald Trump ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme Activity has been detected at North Korea's main nuclear site, suggesting Pyongyang may be reprocessing radioactive material into bomb fuel since the collapse of a summit with Washington, a US monitor said Wednesday. The possible signs of fresh reprocessing activity last week come after a February summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Since then North Korea has said it was mulling options for its diplomacy with the US and Kim said last week he was open to talks with Trump only if Washington came with the "proper attitude". The Center for Strategic and International Studies said satellite imagery of the Yongbyon nuclear site on April 12 showed five railcars near its uranium enrichment facility and radiochemistry laboratory. "In the past these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns," the Washington-based monitor said. "The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." Trump and Kim held their first landmark summit in Singapore last June, where the North Korean leader signed a vaguely-worded deal on the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But their failure to reach agreement at their second summit in Hanoi on walking back Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for relaxation of sanctions has raised questions over the future of the wider process. The US president walked away from a partial deal proposed by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle the Yongbyon complex. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for the North's weapons programme. Yongbyon is not believed to be the North's only uranium enrichment facility and closing it down would not in and of itself signal an end to the country's atomic programme. North Korea suspended nuclear and missile testing during the diplomatic process in 2018 but the International Atomic Energy Agency has said there were indications that Yongbyon has been in use as recently as the end of February. Before razing the home of killed Palestinian shooting suspect Salah Barghouti, Israeli border police already demolished the house last month of his brother Assam who is on trial for the December killing of two soldiers Israeli forces destroyed the home on Wednesday of a Palestinian who was killed during his attempted arrest on suspicion of carrying out a December shooting. Seven peopls were wounded in the December 9 attack near the Israeli settlement of Ofra in the occupied West Bank, one of them a pregnant woman who gave birth prematurely to a baby who later died. The suspected gunman, Salah Barghouti, was killed as security forces attempted to arrest him in a December 12 raid. On Wednesday, border police and defence ministry officials "demolished the apartment in which Salah Barghouti lived" in the village of Kobar, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah, the army said. Border police already razed the home of Barghouti's brother, Assam, in the same village on March 7. Assam Barghouti faces trial in the December 13 killing of two soldiers in a separate shooting nearby. He is also accused of helping his brother carry out the Ofra attack. The armed wing of Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, claimed Salah Barghouti as one of its "fighters." Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against its citizens. It says the measure acts as a deterrent to future attacks but human rights groups condemn the practice as collective punishment since family members suffer from the actions of relatives. Gou, the head of tech giant Foxconn, announced his bid after he said he had secured the blessing of a local sea goddess The boss of tech giant Foxconn said Wednesday he will be running for president of Taiwan -- after securing the backing of a local Sea Goddess. Gou, who announced this week he was stepping back from frontline operations at the Apple supplier, said he would seek the nomination of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party. "I am willing to join the party's primary. If I win I will represent the KMT in the 2020 elections," he said at a KMT meeting in Taipei. Guo also said he would "fully support" the party's candidate if he failed to secure the nomination. Earlier Wednesday while visiting a temple of local sea goddess Matsu in New Taipei city, the 69-year-old said the goddess "told me to step forward ... to help the people." Gou is expected to face KMT heavyweights including former party chairman Eric Chu and former parliamentary speaker Wang Jin-pyng, who have announced their intentions to run for president. Chu lost to incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the 2016 presidential elections. Tsai, 62, has said she will seek re-election in the January 11 polls. She faces a challenge from pro-independence former premier William Lai in the party's primary. The DPP is set to announce its presidential candidate later this month. Also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn assembles Apple iPhones as well as parts and accessories for other international brands. Known for his aggressive dealmaking, Gou has been snapping up investments from Japan to India in a bid to diversify from electronics assembly. Gou was born in 1950 in Taipei to parents who had fled the Communist victory in China's civil war. He studied shipping management in college while supporting himself with part-time jobs. He started his business in 1974 making television parts with an investment of Tw$100,000 ($3,250 at current exchange rates) from his mother, and later began producing computer parts -- eventually growing to become the world's biggest contract electronics maker. Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, seen here addressing supporters at a Khartoum rally before his ouster and detention by the army last week, ruled the country with an iron fist for three decades Ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has been transferred to a Khartoum prison following his toppling by the army last week, a source from his family told AFP on Wednesday. "Last night, Bashir was transferred to Kober prison in Khartoum," the source said without revealing his name for security reasons. Bashir was ousted by the army last Thursday after four months of protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule. The country's new military rulers had said he was being held "in a secure place". Witnesses said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Force outside the prison in north Khartoum. "There are troops in vehicles mounted with machine-guns near the prison," a witness told AFP. Kober prison was built by the British during colonial rule and is located on the east bank of the Blue Nile in a northern district of the capital where Bashir grew up. The area was previously known as Kober, taking its name from the prison, but Bashir later changed the name to Omar al-Mukhtar after a hero of Libya's struggle against Italian colonial rule. The brick-built prison, which is surrounded by a high concrete wall, holds hundreds of inmates at any one time, many of them crammed in tiny cells. It has a special wing for political prisoners where several opposition leaders and activists were held during the four months of protests which led up to Bashir's overthrow. The wing is run by the feared National Intelligence and Security Service rather than the police. "In those small cells, they keep six to seven people, mostly smugglers, black marketeers, human traffickers and petty criminals," said an AFP correspondent who was detained in the prison during previous protests against Bashir's rule in January 2018. "There is a bathroom in each cell but no beds -- only mattresses and mosquitoes." Safa Kabir, an actress and model who has appeared in top Bangladeshi television dramas, told a private radio station this week she did not believe in the afterlife A Bangladeshi actress has been forced to apologise after remarks construed as admitting atheism in a country where people have been murdered for renouncing religion. Safa Kabir, an actress and model who has appeared in top Bangladeshi television dramas, told a private radio station this week she did not believe in the afterlife. "I don't believe in life after death. Actually, I never believe in what I can't see," she said, in comments that some took as a rejection of Muslim beliefs in heaven and hell. The remarks caused a storm on social media, with footage of the interview going viral, and Kabir faced a torrent of criticism in the conservative Muslim country. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old then posted an apology on Facebook, denying she is an atheist. "If I committed any mistake, I seek forgiveness from the most merciful. He is the most merciful and forgiving. He will definitely forgive me," she wrote. "If my words hurt any one's belief, I am sorry for this and I ask for forgiveness," she added in a post that quickly accumulated over 60,000 comments. Atheism is largely taboo in Bangladesh, where nearly a dozen atheist activists have been brutally attacked and killed by suspected Islamist extremists in recent years. Many leading atheists have fled the country and are living in exile in the West. Turkey has backed rebels while Iran has supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (C) in his country's long war Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Iran's foreign minister, who arrived in Ankara to brief him on his meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey supports Syrian opposition rebels and Iran backs Assad in Syria's long war, but the two sides have been expanding contacts amid international efforts to end the fighting. Kazakhstan will host a fresh round of Syria talks on April 25-26 in its capital, recently renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan. "I had a long interview with Bashar al-Assad. I will be giving details of these discussions to Mr. Erdogan," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in translated comments. Ankara broke ties with Damascus in 2011 after the start of the Syrian war, and Erdogan has in the past described Assad as an "assassin". But Erdogan acknowledged in February that low-level contacts have been taking place and his rhetoric has also softened in tone in recent months. "In Syria, from the start, on the ground, we do not agree with Iran on many issues," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday. "But we have decided to cooperate with Iran for a political solution." Repeated rounds of UN-backed Syria peace talks have failed to end the bloodshed, and Iran, Russia and Turkey have sponsored the parallel so-called Astana negotiations since early 2017. Talks among the three countries have focused on the jihadist-held bastion of Idlib in northwestern Syria, local Syrian media have reported. That region bordering Turkey, is mostly held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and is in theory protected from a massive Syrian regime offensive by a Russia-Turkey deal. The September accord aimed to set up a buffer zone around Idlib, but was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw. Algerians rallied Wednesday outside the powerful General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) headquarters Hundreds of Algerians rallied Wednesday outside the offices of the country's biggest union, calling for its chief to quit over his ties to ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. "Free the union," read a protesters' placard outside the powerful General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) in the capital Algiers, where Abdelmadjid Sidi Said has been secretary-general since 1997. An AFP photographer said an estimated 1,000 people rallied for the resignation of Sidi Said, who for years was one of Bouteflika's most enthusiastic backers and initially supported the ailing leader's bid for a fifth term. It was the veteran president's decision to seek re-election which brought vast crowds onto the streets for weeks of demonstrations, which prompted the 82-year-old to quit on April 2. After more than a month of mass protests, Sidi Said ultimately welcomed the army chief's call for Bouteflika to be declared unfit to rule. Despite the president's resignation, rallies have continued as protesters push for Bouteflika's inner circle to step down and a broad overhaul of the political system. Along with Sidi Said, demonstrators have targeted prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who has since been sacked, and tycoon Ali Haddad who has been detained. They have also challenged the appointment as interim leader of Abdelakder Bensalah, formerly upper house speaker, who has set presidential elections for July 4. Saudi Arabia earlier this month opened a consulate in Baghdad, in another sign of warming ties with Iraq Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi met Saudi King Salman on Wednesday during his first official trip to Riyadh, days after his maiden visit to the Gulf kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran. The meeting, reported by official Saudi media, comes amid a steady warming of ties between Baghdad and Riyadh after decades of strain. The two countries signed 13 major agreements, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television said, without giving further details. Saudi Arabia this month announced a billion-dollar aid package for Iraq, pledging stronger relations as the kingdom competes with Iran for influence over Iraq. The Gulf powerhouse severed relations and closed its border with its northern neighbour after late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But a flurry of visits between the two countries in recent months has indicated a thawing of ties as Riyadh seeks to counter Iran's strong presence in Iraqi politics. Baghdad is also seeking economic benefits from closer ties with the wealthy kingdom, especially as it looks to repair the destruction left by years of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) group. Iran has been highly influential in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam in 2003, and was a key player in the territorial defeat of IS. Abdel Mahdi, named premier last October, has said Iraq now wants good relations with both Tehran and Washington. The US reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran's energy and finance sectors last year. But it has granted Baghdad several temporary exemptions to allow it keep importing Iranian gas and electricity, crucial to Iraq's faltering power sector. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - In a story April 10 about an Ohio bill that would ban abortions after the first detectable heartbeat, The Associated Press erroneously reported one of the states that passed similar legislation. It was North Dakota, not North Carolina. A corrected version of the story is below: Bill banning abortions after heartbeat sent to Ohio governor No topic seemed off limits as abortion-rights supporters in Ohio fought the latest - and perhaps last - battle over a twice-vetoed heartbeat abortion ban, which appears poised this time to be signed into law. By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - No topic seemed off limits, including tales of back alleys and coat hangers, as abortion-rights supporters in Ohio fought perhaps the last battle over a twice-vetoed heartbeat abortion ban, which Gov. Mike DeWine has said he will sign. After nearly 10 years of fighting, Democrats let loose during the run-up to final House and Senate approval Wednesday with lessons from slavery, predictions of economic harm, references to the book of Genesis, and testimonials about their own rapes. Faith groups brandished banners and made pleas for religious tolerance. An advocate for reproductive rights threatened Republicans with the loss of young voters' support in 2020. Opponents vowed to sue. Ohio's closely divided politics have slowed the progress of the so-called heartbeat bill as it has caught momentum elsewhere, forcing years of debate in the state where the movement originated. Five other states have now passed similar bans, two of which have been blocked by the courts. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who took office in January, has said he will sign the bill, after former GOP Gov. John Kasich vetoed it twice. State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, a Democrat from a storied Youngstown political family, shed tears during the debate, exasperated at a bill she said would harm Ohio and its future. "I'm concerned that we will have companies that will choose not to locate here due to our oppressive laws. I'm concerned that doctors will leave the state of Ohio," she said. "I'm concerned that our kids are going to leave, that we're going to lose a large amount of young people who don't want to live in an oppressive atmosphere." Opponents' protests did nothing to budge a largely closed-mouthed GOP majority on the committee. They appeared confident that prohibiting pregnancy termination once a fetal heartbeat is detected is the best thing for the unborn, for women and for the state. Republicans dominated an 11-7 party-line vote that sent the bill to the full House, where it's scheduled for a vote Wednesday. State Rep. Candice Keller, a Middletown Republican, called the legislation "the most compassionate bill we've ever passed." Keller rejected suggestions that everyone knows someone who has had, or will need, an abortion; that women will continue to have abortions, only unsafely; even that reproductive rights are about women rather than the men who impregnate them and the male doctors who abort those pregnancies. "If we are really about empowering the women of Ohio and empowering the women of this country, we will begin to tell the truth about the abortion industry and the enormous amount of profit that is made on the backs of women," she said. During floor debate Wednesday, two female representatives who said they had been raped, slammed the bill for not making exceptions for rape and incest. Another female lawmaker said her great-grandmother bled to death in a bath tub trying self-administer an abortion. House Health Committee Chairman Derek Merrin criticized those who say abortion drives down health care costs. His conscience, he said, tells him abortion is wrong. "My heart, Mr. Speaker, tells me it's wrong. My understanding of the law and of the constitution tells me it's wrong. And in the spirit of fairness, equality, and justice, I know it's wrong," Merrin said. Prohibiting abortions at the first detectable heartbeat means prohibiting virtually all abortions, said Dr. Michael Cackovic, a specialist in maternal fetal medicine at Ohio State University Medical Center. He said current standard practice, which involves transvaginal ultrasound, can reliably detect a heartbeat five to six weeks into pregnancy. "Essentially, that's three to four weeks after conception, or one to two weeks after a missed period," he said. Cackovic said the heartbeat prohibition would require women who want an abortion to determine they're pregnant using an over-the-counter pregnancy test and to race to have the procedure between four and five weeks into pregnancy. "You're going to be doing more procedures and subjecting women to more procedures and medications to get abortions, because they're rushing between that four and five weeks to get it accomplished," he said. About a third of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, he said, so the law also would force many women who don't want to be pregnant to get abortions needlessly, when they might naturally have miscarried. State Rep. Beth Liston, a Dublin Democrat and a pediatrician, said proponents' hopes of challenging the viability standard upheld in the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision aren't grounded in science. She said she favors the idea from Genesis that breath begins life. "Simply put, you need lungs and a brain to live, and there's no technology in the world that will change that," she said. The House's 56-39 vote sent the bill to the Ohio Senate, which agreed to House changes 18-13 before sending the bill to DeWine, a Republican who took office in January. The earliest bans on heartbeat abortion, in Iowa and North Dakota, have been blocked by the courts. Three more states - Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia - have more recently passed bills amid growing national momentum. The Georgia bill has not yet been signed by the governor. ___ Associated Press writers David Crary in New York and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus contributed to this report. NEW DELHI (AP) - At least four people were killed in clashes Thursday on the first day of polling in India's general elections, a six-week process that's seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, officials said Thursday. Police said two workers of Andhra Pradesh state's ruling Telugu Desam party were killed in a confrontation with supporters of a regional opposition party, YSR Congress. One election official was killed in an alleged attack by suspected insurgents in India's remote northeast, the Election Commission said. Violent clashes were also reported elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh state, where voters are casting ballots for 25 members of India's lower house of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, and 175 state assembly seats. Another person was killed by government forces during a protest in disputed Kashmir. Outside of Andhra Pradesh, voting was taking place Thursday in 17 other Indian states and two Union Territories in the first of a seven-phase election staged over six weeks. Turnout was estimated at more than 60% of voters. At least 15 electronic voting machines were damaged by some angry voters during the voting in several states, Chandra Bhushan, an election commission official, told reporters. With 900 million of India's 1.3 billion people registered to vote, it is the world's largest democratic exercise. Over the course of the election, 543 Lok Sahba seats will be decided from about a million polling stations across India. Kashmiri women voters stand in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station at Shadipora, outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) With Modi as their frontman, the BJP won a clear majority in 2014 elections. Under the leadership of political dynasty scion Rahul Gandhi, India's National Congress party, which ruled the country for more than half a century since the 1947 independence, has struggled to coalesce India's many opposition parties into a coherent effort that could go head-to-head with the BJP. Surveys show the ruling party projected to come out first again in this year's polls, though with a smaller mandate. Supporters of Modi say the tea seller's son from Gujarat state has improved the nation's standing in the world. India's economy has continued to grow under Modi, jostling with the United Kingdom for the fifth-largest in the world. "I vote for the progress of my country," said businessman Manish Kumar after casting his ballot for the BJP in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh state. Tapan Shome, an accountant, said he and his wife voted "to make India a good, prosperous country." But India's growth hasn't meant a better employment outlook in the country, where an estimated 1 million people join the labor pool each month. According to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy, employment contracted by 3.5 million jobs in the year following a 2016 demonetization program to remove most of India's banknotes from circulation. And Modi's critics say his party's Hindu nationalism has aggravated religious tensions and violence against Muslims and other minorities in constitutionally secular India. Since a suicide bombing in disputed Kashmir killed 40 Indian paramilitary forces in February, the BJP campaign has played up the threat of Muslim-majority Pakistan. Voting also began Thursday for two parliamentary seats in Kashmir, a Himalayan region split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The vote came amid tight security and calls for a boycott by Muslim separatists who say the polls are an illegitimate exercise. Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear guarded polling stations and nearby roads. After the polls closed, violence broke out. Government forces fired at anti-India protesters killing a teenage boy and wounding at least five others in northwestern Handwara area, police and medics said. The protesters were chanting slogans demanding an end to Indian rule over the region and throwing stones at troops, who fired bullets. Anti-India protests and clashes were also reported from northern Palhalan area as well. In Kashmir's northern Baramulla area voter turnout was estimated around 35%, compared to 38% in 2014. Many people said they came out to vote only to express their disapproval of the BJP, calling it an "anti-Muslim" and "anti-Kashmiri" organization. The BJP's election manifesto promised to scrap decades-old special rights for Kashmiris under India's constitution that prevent outsiders from buying property in the territory. "I didn't want to vote but then there's an imminent threat by politicians like Modi who are up in arms against Kashmiris," said Abdul Qayoom, a voter in Baramulla town. "They've taken our rights; now they want to dispossess us from our land. We want to stop people like Modi." The voting follows a sweeping crackdown with police arresting hundreds of Kashmiri leaders and activists. Authorities also banned the movement of civilian vehicles on a key highway to keep it open exclusively for military and paramilitary convoys two days a week during the general election. The first round Thursday could prove important for the BJP, which won only 32 of 91 seats in the first phase of the 2014 elections. It is seeking to improve its tally this time. Voting concludes on May 19 and counting is scheduled for May 23. ___ This story has been corrected to show India's population is 1.3 billion. ___ Associated Press writers Omer Farooq in Hyderabad, Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar and Shonal Ganguly in New Delhi contributed to this report. An Indian soldier guards as Kashmiri voters queue up to cast their votes outside a polling station at Shadipora, outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) Indians stand in queues to cast their votes at a polling booth for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) A woman shows the indelible ink mark on her index finger after casting her vote at a polling booth for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad, India Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) A policeman guides a woman to her respective polling booth as others wait in a queue to cast their votes for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad, India Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Indians stand in queues to cast their votes at a polling booth for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad, India Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) A polling officer puts indelible ink mark on the index finger of a voter for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad, India Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) An Indian helps an elderly woman to walk towards a polling booth to cast her vote for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad, India Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard as a young boy dressed as a policeman stands next to his mother in a queue to cast their votes in village Sawaal near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people.The election, the world's largest democratic exercise, is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A policeman stands guard as Indians wait in a queue to cast their votes in village Sawaal near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people.The election, the world's largest democratic exercise, is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A young boy dressed as a policeman stands as Indians wait in a queue to cast their votes in village Sawaal near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people.The election, the world's largest democratic exercise, is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) An Indian Mishing tribal woman, carrying her infant casts her vote during the first phase of general elections in Majuli, Assam, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. The election, the world's largest democratic exercise, is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Kashmiri voters line in a queue to cast their votes at a polling station at Shadipora, outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) An Indian Mishing tribal woman, looks back to ensure her vote has been cast as she prepares to leave the voting compartment during the first phase of general elections in Majuli, Assam, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Voters in 18 Indian states and two Union Territories began casting ballots on Thursday, the first day of a seven-phase election staggered over six weeks in the country of 1.3 billion people. The election, the world's largest democratic exercise, is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) An elderly Indian Mishing tribal woman, right, leaves after casting her vote at a polling booth during the first phase of general elections in Majuli, in the eastern Indian state of Assam, Thursday, April 11, 2019. With 900 million of India's 1.3 billion people registered to vote, it is the world's largest democratic exercise. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) A Muslim woman leaves after casting her vote in village Shahpur near Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Polls opened Thursday in the first phase of India's general elections, seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A Muslim woman walks into a polling station to cast her vote in village Shahpur near Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Polls opened Thursday in the first phase of India's general elections, seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Indians stand in a queue to cast their votes at a Polling booth for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad on the Thursday, Wednesday, April 11, 2019. India's national elections begins Thursday with millions of voters casting their ballots for 91 of 543 seats in the first phase, choosing their representatives from among 1,300 contestants. Voting is spread over seven days will conclude May 19, and counting will begin May 23. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) An Indian Muslim family shows indelible ink mark on their index fingers as they leave in a three-wheeler after casting their vote for the first phase of general elections, near Ghaziabad on the Thursday, Wednesday, April 11, 2019. India's national elections begins Thursday with millions of voters casting their ballots for 91 of 543 seats in the first phase, choosing their representatives from among 1,300 contestants. Voting is spread over seven days will conclude May 19, and counting will begin May 23. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) A Muslim woman lifts her veil to identity herself to a polling agent before casting her vote in village Shahpur near Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Polls opened Thursday in the first phase of India's general elections, seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Treasury Department has missed a deadline to deliver President Donald Trump's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee chairman. It's another early step in a battle between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over access to Trump's business and financial dealings, with the dispute likely to end up in court. In a letter to Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his department hasn't decided whether to comply with the lawmaker's demand and will consult with the Justice Department and "carefully" review the request further. Neal asked for Trump's returns a week ago. "The legal implications of this request could affect protections for all Americans against politically-motivated disclosures of personal tax information, regardless of which party is in power," Mnuchin wrote on Wednesday. Mnuchin said the Treasury respects lawmakers' oversight duties and would make sure taxpayer protections would be "scrupulously observed, consistent with my statutory responsibilities" as the department reviews the request. Neal reacted cautiously and is expected to have a fuller response later this week after consulting with House lawyers. Other Democrats accused the administration of dragging their feet. "How many lawyers and how much time does it take for Secretary Mnuchin to understand that 'shall' means 'shall'?" Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said in a statement that alluded to the 1924 statute that mandates the IRS provide any taxpayer's returns when asked by a handful of top lawmakers. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mnuchin said Tuesday that his department intends to "follow the law" and is reviewing a request by a top House Democrat to provide Trump's tax returns to lawmakers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Access to Trump's returns would give Democrats information into the president's business dealings and potential conflicts of interest Trump had told reporters before Mnuchin sent the letter that he "would love to give" the returns, but would not do so while he was under audit, a stand he long has taken. The IRS says there's no rule against subjects of an audit from publicly releasing their tax filings. Neal asked the IRS last Wednesday to turn over six years of Trump's tax returns within a week. Trump has broken with decades of presidential precedent by not voluntarily releasing his returns to the public. In recent weeks, Trump has said that the American people elected him without seeing his taxes and would do it again. "Remember, I got elected last time - the same exact issue," Trump said. "Frankly, the people don't care." The president has told those close to him that the attempt to get his returns amounted to an invasion of his privacy and was a further example of the Democratic-led "witch hunt" - which he has called special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation - meant to damage him. Trump has repeatedly asked aides about the status of the House request and has inquired about the "loyalty" of the top officials at the IRS, according to one outside adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Democrats didn't expect the department to comply, but they haven't sketched out their next steps. Neal has adopted a methodical approach to seeking Trump's returns. He has the option of eventually seeking to subpoena the records or to go to court if Treasury does not comply, but it's not clear he'll adopt a more confrontational approach just yet. Neal's initial letter didn't lay out any consequences for the IRS if it didn't comply, and a spokesman said a likely course would be a second, more insistent, letter. "We intend to follow through with this," Neal said. The request for Trump's tax filings is but one of many oversight efforts launched by Democrats after taking back the House in last fall's midterms. The law that Neal is relying on says the IRS "shall furnish" any tax return requested by the chairmen of key House and Senate committees. Most tax lawyers believe the law is written in such a way that Mnuchin will ultimately likely have to furnish Trump's returns to Congress in some fashion, but there are also tight restrictions on the release of the information. Mnuchin told lawmakers that his department will "follow the law," but he hasn't shared the department's interpretation of the statute. The White House did not respond to questions as to whether the president asked Mnuchin or the IRS head to intervene. The president's outside attorney also did not respond to a request for comment. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrives to testify before a House Appropriations subcommittee during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Washington. Mnuchin said Tuesday that his department intends to "follow the law" and is reviewing a request by a top House Democrat to provide Trump's tax returns to lawmakers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government during a hearing, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mnuchin said Tuesday that his department intends to "follow the law" and is reviewing a request by a top House Democrat to provide Trump's tax returns to lawmakers. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - In a major reversal, South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the easing of the country's decades-old ban on most abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. Abortions have been largely illegal in South Korea since 1953, though convictions for violating the restrictions are rare. Still, the illegality of abortions forces women to seek out unauthorized and often expensive procedures to end their pregnancies, creating a social stigma that makes them feel like criminals. The court's nine-justice panel said that the parliament must revise legislation to ease the current regulations by the end of 2020. It said the current abortion law was incompatible with the constitution and would be repealed if parliament fails to come up with new legislation by then. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed, court officials said, but current regulations will remain in effect until they are replaced or repealed. An easing of the law could open up the door to more abortions for social and economic reasons. Current exceptions to the law only allow abortions when a woman is pregnant through rape or incest, when a pregnancy seriously jeopardizes her health, or when she or her male partner has certain diseases. A woman in South Korea can be punished with up to one year in prison for having an illegal abortion, and a doctor can get up to two years in prison for performing an unauthorized abortion. Protesters celebrate after listening to a judgment during a rally demanding the abolition of abortion law outside of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2019. South Korea's Constitutional Court has ruled that the country's decades-long ban on abortions is incompatible with the constitution, setting up a likely easing of restrictions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Thursday's verdict was a response to an appeal filed in February 2017 by an obstetrician charged with carrying out about 70 unauthorized abortions from 2013-2017 at the request or approval of pregnant women. Most other countries in the 36-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the so-called most developed countries, allow abortions for broad social and economic reasons. South Korea is one of only five OECD member states that don't allow such abortions, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The South Korean public has been sharply split over the abortion law. There have been heated panel discussions on TV and internet programs; activists, both for and against, have for months stood with placards near the court. Dozens gathered on Thursday. After the ruling, women's rights activists cheered. Some shook their placards and shouted: "Abolish the anti-abortion law!" Roseann Rife, Amnesty International's East Asia research director, called the ruling "a major step forward for the human rights of women and girls in South Korea." Also outside the court were anti-abortion advocates, some of whom cried. Some held placards carrying images of fetuses and messages such as "Who can speak for me?" and "Don't kill me, please." Housewife Mok Youn-hee was in tears and said she was "heartbroken" by the court decision. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea expressed "deep regret" over the verdict. It's not clear exactly how many abortions take place in South Korea. In a recent survey of 10,000 women aged between 15 and 44, about 7.6%, or 756 respondents, said they had undergone an abortion. They mostly cited worries about difficulty in continuing their studies and jobs, economic problems and a desire to wait, according to the survey conducted by the state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point. Though abortions are illegal, only a handful of women and doctors are prosecuted each year in South Korea. According to government records, there were only 15 indictments on abortion-related cases in 2013. Activists say most abortions in South Korea, whether lawful or unlawful, take place at registered hospitals. But it's not easy to find hospitals offering illegal abortions and they usually charge high prices because the procedures are not covered by medical insurance programs. Ham Sooyeon, leader of the nonprofit Korea Pro-Life group, said before the ruling that rather than easing the abortion restrictions, South Korea should find ways to improve support systems for poor, single mothers and their children and change public views on single mothers. A woman wipes tears during a rally demanding the abolition of abortion law outside of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2019. South Korea's Constitutional Court has ruled that the country's decades-long ban on abortions is incompatible with the constitution, setting up a likely easing of restrictions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) South Korea's Constitutional Court chief judge Yoo Nam-seok, center, and other judges sit for the ruling on decriminalization of abortion at the court in Seoul Thursday, April 11, 2019. South Korea's Constitutional Court has ruled that a decades-long ban on abortions is incompatible with the constitution, setting up a likely easing of restrictions. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP) South Korea's Constitutional Court chief judge Yoo Nam-seok, right, arrives for the ruling on decriminalization of abortion at the court in Seoul Thursday, April 11, 2019. South Korea's Constitutional Court has ruled that a decades-long ban on abortions is incompatible with the constitution, setting up a likely easing of restrictions. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP) A pro-life demonstrator holds a banner near police officers during a rally supporting South Korea's anti-abortion regulations outside of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2019. In a major reversal, South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the easing of the country's decades-long ban on abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Pro-life demonstrators hold banners during a rally supporting South Korea's anti-abortion regulations outside of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2019. In a major reversal, South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the easing of the country's decades-long ban on abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) A pro-life demonstrator holds a banner near a police officer during a rally supporting South Korea's anti-abortion regulations outside of the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2019. In a major reversal, South Korea's Constitutional Court on Thursday ordered the easing of the country's decades-long ban on abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Britain's departure from the European Union (all times local): 3:30 p.m. Germany's foreign minister says the delay granted to Britain on leaving the trade bloc should be used to determine how to avoid a no-deal Brexit but should not be taken as a sign that the EU would renegotiate an agreement. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin on Thursday "a decision was taken that averted the unregulated Brexit for the time being, however this must not be misinterpreted in such a way that there is new negotiating scope about the agreement." He says it's in Europe's best interests to prevent a no-deal "hard Brexit," which is why the extension was given. He says "I hope the extra time that has now been granted will be used to swiftly bring things to a mutually beneficial conclusion." British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, walks away after speaking with the media after she arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) ___ 2:20 p.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May is urging Parliament to come together behind a Brexit compromise as quickly as possible to avoid taking part in European elections set for late May. She told Parliament she still hopes an agreement can be reached even though the House of Commons has three times rejected her withdrawal plan. May says constructive talks with the opposition Labour Party are ongoing and may lead to an agreement that both the Conservatives and Labour can back. If that approach fails, she again promised a series of votes in Parliament on a limited number of options and agreed to accept the results. The prime minister says she knows the country is "intensely frustrated" by the failure to deliver Brexit on time and urged lawmakers to "reflect" over the upcoming Easter break. ___ 10 a.m. A German trade association is welcoming the extension to Britain's Brexit deadline but says the uncertainty caused by Britain's protracted deliberations is not helping anyone. The Federal Association of Wholesale, Foreign Trade, Services e.V., known as the BGA, says: "The EU has chosen the lesser evil; no one would be served by chaos." But it says, "the economic price for this is that companies on both sides of the Channel are being left up in the air for the coming months on the shape of future economic and trade relations." BGA adds "this crippling uncertainty clouds the mood and leaves its economic impact on both sides of the Channel." ___ 9:25 a.m. A senior German government official is calling on Britain to "deliver right now" on Brexit and says the delay to its departure from the European Union should be "as short as possible." EU leaders have set a new Oct. 31 deadline but left open the possibility of an earlier departure if London ratifies a withdrawal agreement. In a tweet, Germany's deputy foreign minister, Michael Roth, said the so-called "flextension" should be as "short as possible! All options are on the table! Dear British friends, deliver right now." Manfred Weber, a German who leads the biggest group in the European Parliament, said Europe showed "patience and unity" to avoid a damaging 'no-deal' Brexit but "the political uncertainty in London has been extended, which risks affecting debates about the future of Europe." In a tweet, he voiced his hope that the U.K. can "deliver Brexit before the European elections" in late May. ___ 8:30 a.m. U.S. President Donald Trump has complained that the European Union is treating Britain unfairly over Brexit. In a tweet after Britain was granted an extension to its departure from the EU to Oct. 31, Trump said it is "too bad that the European Union is being so tough." He also said the EU is "likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States" and promised that will change. ___ 8:20 a.m. Conservative Party legislator Ken Clarke says he does not believe British Prime Minister Theresa May will be able to convince the party to back her Brexit withdrawal deal. The former Treasury chief told the BBC that the Conservative Party's right-wing would continue blocking her deal and trying to replace her. May plans to press Parliament to pass her withdrawal plan in time to avoid European Parliament elections in late May. It has been defeated three times. Clarke says the only way forward is for May's government to compromise with the Labour Party to produce a consensus. He says a solution would be one that takes Britain out of the European Union's political institutions but keeps close economic ties. "This is a perfectly sensible compromise and I think she would get it through Parliament," he said. ___ 7:40 a.m. Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has voiced her "relief" that there won't be a 'no-deal' Brexit this Friday after Britain was granted an extension to Oct. 31 to leave the European Union. In a tweet, the leader of the Scottish National Party, warned of tough negotiations ahead and said the extra time should be used to allow "people to decide if they still want to leave." Sturgeon has been a staunch opponent of Brexit and said "Scotland's interests must be protected" in any agreement. Scotland voted in favor of remaining in the EU in the 2016 referendum that saw Britain as a whole opt to depart. ___ 7:30 a.m. One of Britain's leading business lobby groups says the Brexit extension granted to the country at a summit in Brussels overnight means an "imminent economic crisis" has been averted. However, the Confederation of British Industry is warning that a fresh start is needed to avoid more acute uncertainty in the run up to the new Oct. 31 Brexit deadline. CBI director-general, Carolyn Fairbairn, said businesses will be adjusting their plans to cope with a potential 'no-deal' Brexit later in the year but won't be cancelling them. She says Britain's leaders must make productive use of the time afforded by the extension announced by the EU following hours of discussions. "Sincere cross-party collaboration must happen now to end this crisis," she said. Cross-party talks between the government and the opposition Labour Party have not produced a breakthrough in the Brexit impasse. ___ Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit European Council President Donald Tusk, left, speaks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, center, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, second left, prior to a dinner during an EU summit in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders met Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP) British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, leaves with her delegation at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks as she arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Britain's Prime minister Theresa May, left, and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, look at a tablet ahead of a pre-dinner meeting during an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders met Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (Kenzo Tribouillard, Pool Photo via AP) French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, leaves with her delegation at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Britain's Prime minister Theresa May, left, and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, look at a tablet with other leaders including Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa, top right, and Finland's Prime minister Juha Sipila, right, ahead of a pre-dinner meeting during an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders met Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (Kenzo Tribouillard, Pool Photo via AP) British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) An anti-Brexit campaigner holds a sign in front of an EU flag during a protest outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) An anti-Brexit campaigner wears an EU and Union Flag during a protest outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) BERLIN (AP) - German prosecutors have searched over a dozen offices and homes across the country as part of their investigation into a massive tax fraud going back more than a decade, officials said Thursday. The scheme involved so-called cum-ex transactions in which participants would lend each other shares so they could collect reimbursement for taxes they hadn't paid, costing taxpayers across Europe billions of euros (dollars). Frankfurt prosecutors said about 170 officers raided 19 premises in four German states Tuesday. In total, German authorities are conducting 10 separate investigations into cum-ex schemes, some of which involved bank employees. After it was discovered, authorities closed legal loopholes that had made the scheme possible. Separately, a court in Switzerland on Thursday convicted a former employee of Swiss private bank Sarasin of passing confidential client information to a journalist - blowing the lid on the cum-ex tax scheme. The defendant, a German citizen, was sentenced to 13 months in prison and a fine of 20,400 Swiss francs ($19,960), suspended for two years, for "economic espionage" and attempted harassment, according to a statement by the Zurich regional court. The sun rises over the buildings of the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) A German lawyer who used the documents in a civil case was acquitted of economic espionage. But the Zurich court found him guilty of inciting others to break Swiss banking law and sentenced him to a fine of 165,600 Swiss francs, suspended for two years. A third defendant, who also worked for Bank Sarasin, was also found guilty of incitement and sentenced to a suspended fine of 129,600 Swiss francs. The verdicts can be appealed. LONDON (AP) - Granted a Brexit reprieve by the European Union, British Prime Minister Theresa May urged lawmakers Thursday to pause, reflect on the need for compromise - and then fulfill their "national duty" to approve a divorce deal and take Britain out of the EU. But there is little sign the U.K.'s divided and exhausted lawmakers will heed the EU's plea not to waste the six months of extra time granted to Britain at an emergency summit in Brussels. Updating the House of Commons hours after the 27 other EU leaders agreed to postpone Brexit until Oct. 31, May said she knew the country was "intensely frustrated" by the impasse. "I never wanted to seek this extension," May said. She urged members of Parliament to take stock and "reflect" over a 10-day Easter break that starts Friday. "We need to resolve this, so that we can leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible," she said. "This is our national duty as elected members of this House." Consensus, however, was in short supply British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the podium after addressing a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, with whom May hopes to strike a compromise accord, called the Brexit delay "another milestone in the government's mishandling of the entire Brexit process." "The prime minister stuck rigidly to a flawed plan and now the clock has run down, leaving Britain in limbo," Corbyn said. And there was little solace for May on her own side of the House of Commons, as pro-Brexit lawmakers from her Conservative Party accused her of capitulating to Brussels. Brexiteer Conservative legislator Peter Bone said May had once vowed that she would not keep the U.K. in the EU past June 30. "So I expect her to say when she's leaving in the next few days and then the announcement of a Conservative leadership contest," he said. May went to Brussels Wednesday seeking to postpone Brexit after U.K. lawmakers rejected - three times - the divorce deal she had struck with the EU. The bloc had already granted Britain a delay once from the original March 29 deadline. Last month EU leaders gave Britain until Friday to approve a withdrawal plan, change course and seek a further delay to Brexit, or crash out of the EU with no deal to cushion the shock. Economists say a no-deal Brexit could lead to a deep recession as tariffs and other barriers are imposed on U.K. exports and customs checks delay goods at British ports. EU leaders, weary of the Brexit melodrama and divided over how long a delay to grant, met for more than six hours before agreeing to postpone Brexit until Halloween. Britain has the option of leaving before that if May succeeds in getting a withdrawal agreement ratified by Parliament. "Please, do not waste this time," European Council President Donald Tusk pleaded. Like many things Brexit-related, the extension was a messy compromise that left many unsatisfied. May came to the summit in Brussels seeking a delay to June 30. Some European leaders favored a longer extension, but French President Emmanuel Macron was wary of anything more than a very short delay. May said she was satisfied with the flexible extension to Oct. 31, which keeps alive her hope the U.K. might leave by June 30. May told the House of Commons - in an oft-repeated mantra - that passing an EU withdrawal agreement quickly would allow Britain to avoid taking part in European parliamentary elections set for late May, an unpalatable prospect to many Conservatives. With many pro-Brexit Conservatives refusing to back May's deal on the grounds that it keeps the U.K. too closely bound to EU rules and regulations, the prime minister has tried to strike a deal with the left-of-center Labour Party. Talks over the past week have not made a breakthrough, though they continued Thursday, and neither side seemed willing to abandon them yet. Labour, which seeks to retain close economic ties with the EU after Brexit, accuses the government of failing to offer concrete changes to its Brexit blueprint. The party also fears any promises made by May could be undone by her successor, who is likely to come from the staunchly pro-Brexit wing of the Conservative Party. "If the government is serious, the red lines must move and we must see a real compromise," Corbyn said. British businesses expressed relief at the Brexit delay. The Confederation of British Industry said it meant an "imminent economic crisis" had been averted for now. But the delay does not solve Britain's Brexit conundrum. If May can't win support from the Labour Party, she plans to ask Parliament to vote on several Brexit options. But lawmakers have done that before - and ended up rejecting everything on offer. Pro-EU campaigners argue that politicians have failed and the next few months should be used to hold a new referendum on whether to leave the EU or remain. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a tweet after the extension was granted that the British people should be allowed to "decide if they still want to leave." Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, tweeted that Britain's choices were "revoke, a public vote or a sensible cross-party deal." "Whatever the choice of the British people & Parliament, I hope the #Brexit nightmare ends well before Halloween," he wrote. ___ Associated Press writers Raf Casert, Mike Corder and Angela Charlton in Brussels, Danica Kirka in London and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Protestor flags fly opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, leaves with her delegation at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, leaves with her delegation at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) Protestor flags fly opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A Polish senator who caused outrage by saying Poland should be "purged" of those "not worthy of belonging to our national community" said Thursday he is sorry if his words were taken the wrong way and that it is nonsense to think he plans any purges. Grzegorz Bierecki made his controversial comments Wednesday during a ceremony in his eastern Polish constituency of Biala Podlaska on the ninth anniversary of a plane crash that killed the Polish president and 95 others. "We will not stop until we have fully purged Poland of people who are not worthy of belonging to our national community," Bierecki said. A clip of his words circulated on social media and drew condemnation. Many of the critics of the ruling Law and Justice party, to which Bierecki belongs, said his language recalled that of fascists in the 1930s. Bierecki is an influential financial backer of several pro-government media outlets that have shaped public discourse in recent years. In an interview Thursday with the pro-government wPolityce news portal, Bierecki said his remarks were misunderstood, and dismissed the idea that he wants to purge some from the country as "obvious nonsense." Polish Senator Grzegorz Bierecki talks to reporters in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Critics of Poland's right-wing ruling party are voicing outrage after one of its senators said Poland should be "purged" of those "not worthy of belonging to our national community." They say the language Grzegorz Bierecki used recalled that of fascist politicians of the 1930s. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Asked if he would apologize, Bierecki said: "I can say that I am very sorry that someone could interpret my words like that." He said he only meant that those responsible for the 2010 plane crash in Russia, which killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, "should not perform public functions, should not be present in Polish politics." Many of the victims were members of the Law and Justice party, which is led by the late president's surviving twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Some in the ruling party blame rival Donald Tusk, the prime minister at the time who is now a top EU leader, accusing him of failing to ensure the security of the presidential delegation. A state investigation blamed mistakes made by inadequately trained pilots and Russian air traffic controllers in bad weather. Earlier in the day, Lech Walesa, the anti-communist leader and former president, called Bierecki's words "scandalous" and said parliamentary leaders and other state institutions responsible for guarding civil rights "should take appropriate disciplinary and legal steps." The head of the main opposition party, Grzegorz Schetyna, said: "Poland, to be proud and strong must not - cannot - be 'purged' of anybody. The republic must be a home for all Poles!" Rafal Pankowski, a sociologist who runs an anti-extremism organization, Never Again, said the use of such language is a global issue but of special relevance in Poland because nationalists have been pushing a narrow definition of Polishness through their influence on the authorities. Poland was for centuries a multiethnic nation that was home to ethnic Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, Belarusians, Germans and others. The genocide of World War II and redrawing of borders after the war left it ethnically almost homogeneous. "It's about whether we see the national community as a closed unit based on blood, ethnicity, or religion, in this case Catholicism, as a marker of identity. Or do we want to subscribe to another understanding of Polish identity which is in line with the multicultural heritage of Poland?" Pankowski said. "Bierecki claims the right to say who belongs to the national community and who doesn't, and this is scary," Pankowski said. "The exclusionary idea that labels people as traitors or enemies of the national community is a real concern." ___ Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this report. YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Three people were killed and seven civilians abducted in an attack on a police installation in western Myanmar that authorities blame on the Arakan Army rebel group, media reported Thursday. A report in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said about 200 insurgents, who claim to represent the Rakhine ethnic minority in the western state of Rakhine, attacked a security police headquarters in Mrauk-U town on Tuesday night. Rakhine is best known for a brutal counterinsurgency campaign by the military against the Muslim Rohingya minority, which caused more than 700,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. But while Rohingya insurgents have been largely inactive for more than a year, the Arakan Army has been engaged in increasingly fierce fighting with government forces since late last year. The Arakan Army, which is aligned with Rakhine's Buddhist population, seeks autonomy for the region, and is seemingly bigger and better armed and organized than its Muslim rivals. The government declared the Arakan Army a terrorist organization after it killed 13 police officers and wounded nine in attacks on Jan. 4. Earlier this month, the U.N. main human rights agency expressed concern about the upsurge in fighting between Myanmar's army and the Arakan Army's guerrillas, especially attacks on civilians by both sides. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the agency had "credible reports of the killing of civilians, burning of houses, arbitrary arrests, abductions, indiscriminate fire in civilian areas, and damage to cultural property." Thursday's report said the police base attackers abducted four women and three children and that one officer's family member was killed, while two policemen died and seven were reported missing. It said the insurgents retreated after around six hours once Myanmar soldiers arrived to reinforce the police. Separately, the military's information office announced that 23 suspected Arakan Army members were arrested in a village as part of a sweep against the insurgent group. MOSCOW (AP) - Russian lawmakers approved Thursday a bill that would expand government control over the internet and whose opponents fear heralds a new era of widespread censorship. The bill would install equipment to route Russian internet traffic through servers in the country. That would increase the power of state agencies to control information and block messaging applications, while users would find it harder to circumvent government restrictions. The bill's backers say it's a defense measure in case Russia is cut off from the internet by the United States or other hostile powers. Nikolai Zemtsov, a lawmaker who backed the bill, told The Associated Press that Russia could cooperate with ex-Soviet countries on a "Runet" where news from critical Western media was restricted. "It could be that in our limited, sovereign internet we will only be stronger," he said. But the move has caused concern in a society that has become used to an open internet. Several thousand people took to Moscow's streets in protest last month. A man walks past an ads poster at an Internet devices shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Russian lawmakers approved Thursday a bill that would expand government control over the internet and whose opponents fear heralds a new era of widespread censorship. The bill would install equipment to route Russian internet traffic through servers in the country. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky) Sergei Boiko, a libertarian activist who helped organize the protests, said there could be further demonstrations. "The aim is to establish the authorities' monopoly on information in the country," he told the AP. "It's now no longer the Soviet times when it was enough to control the mass media, the telegraph and printing presses. That was enough. Now they need to control a broader environment, and they need to control the internet." Boiko predicted internet speeds in Russia would slow dramatically due to the installation of equipment required by the bill, and said it could "pickle" Russia's fast-developing tech sector. "The authorities are prepared to accept the degradation of the internet in Russia for the sake of controlling it," he said. The bill passed by 322-15 in a second reading in the lower house of parliament. The second reading is when amendments are finalized, and is usually the most important. The bill must pass a third reading and the upper house before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. Since last year, Russian authorities have been trying to block the messaging app Telegram, which has refused to hand over users' encrypted messages in defiance of a court order. Telegram's traffic used millions of different internet protocol addresses, meaning attempts to block it resembled a game of whack-a-mole. Many unrelated apps, online stores and even Volvo car repair services were temporarily knocked offline last year before Russian officials eased their pressure. The new law could make a block easier. Russia already requires certain personal information about Russian citizens to be stored on servers in the country. That measure led to the social network LinkedIn being blocked in 2016. By moving to exert more control of the internet, which is not overseen by a central authority, the Russian government is taking a page from China's playbook. China subjects its 700 million internet users to extensive monitoring and tight controls. Beijing has a system of automated filters - known as the "Great Firewall" - to block political content as well as sites related to gambling and pornography. Chinese users are prevented blocked from using Western internet sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, leaving the market open for homegrown giants like Tencent. Chinese regulators have ratcheted up control on local microblogs such as Weibo, ordering them to set up a mechanism to remove false information. They've also been cracking down on virtual private networks - software that can be used to get around internet filters by creating encrypted links between computers and blocked sites. ___ Francesca Ebel in Moscow and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report. LONDON (AP) - Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, say they have decided to keep plans around their first baby's arrival private. Kensington Palace officials said in a statement Thursday that Harry and Meghan "look forward" to sharing the news of their baby's birth once they have had a chance to celebrate privately as a new family. The decision means that Harry and Meghan are not likely to pose for the world's photographers and TV crews on the hospital steps with their newborn, a break from the royal tradition followed by Prince William and his wife Kate, the duchess of Cambridge, when she gave birth to their three children. As a future king, William is expected to help mark great occasions, while Harry - sixth in the line of succession - has more leeway. Both have in the past expressed deep misgivings about intrusive press coverage. Harry and Meghan - an American actress best known for her work on "Suits" - wed in May in a spectacular, internationally televised ceremony at Windsor Castle. They are expecting their first child in late April or early May. The palace press office has announced very few details about their plans, refusing to comment on unconfirmed British press reports that Meghan may opt for a home birth. FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex leave after the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in London. Guinness World Records said Wednesday, April 3 that a new Instagram account opened by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan is the fastest-ever to gain 1 million followers. The account, which was opened Tuesday, reached the 1 million mark in under six hours, easily beating a record held by Korean pop sensation Kang Daniel. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) Harry and Meghan say they have not learned the gender of their baby. The couple recently moved from central London to a more secluded house near their wedding venue. They recently set up an Instagram account, leading to speculation they may post the first pictures of their baby on that site. That account broke an Instagram record for quickly attracting millions of fans. They said in their statement they are grateful for the goodwill messages they have received from around the world. Harry and Meghan have asked people who want to send them baby gifts to instead donate to selected charities for children and parents in need. They mentioned several charities in particular, including The Lunchbox Fund, WellChild, Baby2Baby and Little Village, which all have different connections to the royal couple. FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, Britain's Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, leaves after visiting the National Theatre in London. Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan, say they have decided to keep plans around their first baby's arrival private, Kensington Palace officials said in a statement Thursday April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, FILE) FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, March 8, 2019, Britain's Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, leaves King's College after joining a panel discussion convened by The Queen's Commonwealth Trust to mark International Women's Day in London. Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan, say they have decided to keep plans around their first baby's arrival private, Kensington Palace officials said in a statement Thursday April 11, 2019.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, FILE) Wellwishers welcome Britain's Prince Harry as he arrives for the official opening of 'Future', a new Youth Zone in London, Thursday April 11, 2019. The purpose built youth facility for the borough's young people has been created by the charity OnSide Youth Zones. (Chris Jackson/PA via AP) Britain's Prince Harry arrives for the official opening of 'Future', a new Youth Zone in London, Thursday April 11, 2019. The purpose built youth facility for the borough's young people has been created by the charity OnSide Youth Zones. (Chris Jackson/PA via AP) Britain's Prince Harry meets a wellwisher as he arrives for the official opening of 'Future', a new Youth Zone in London, Thursday April 11, 2019. The purpose built youth facility for the borough's young people has been created by the charity OnSide Youth Zones. (Chris Jackson/PA via AP) Britain's Prince Harry arrives for the official opening of 'Future', a new Youth Zone in London, Thursday April 11, 2019. The purpose built youth facility for the borough's young people has been created by the charity OnSide Youth Zones. (Chris Jackson/PA via AP) KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A Taliban attack on a security outpost early Thursday set off an hours-long gunbattle that killed seven policemen in central Ghazni province, said Arif Noor, the provincial governor's spokesman. Two policemen were also wounded in the fighting in Waghaz district of Ghazni province, a region heavily controlled by the Taliban, who later claimed responsibility for the attack. The insurgent group continues its daily onslaught against Afghanistan's security forces even as the militants continue to talk peace with the United States. The Taliban have agreed to take part in an all-Afghan gathering later this month in Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office. The meeting is considered a significant first step toward a settlement between the country's warring sides that could possibly lead to an eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops and an end to Afghanistan's protracted war. But the Taliban say they will not recognize any government official attending the gathering as a representative of the Kabul government, only as an individual Afghan participant. The Taliban are coming to the negotiating table from a position of relative strength. The religious movement controls or holds sway in roughly half of the country, according to Washington's own Congress-appointed watchdog on reconstruction. In northern Samangan province on Thursday, the head of the provincial council Raz Mohammad said the Taliban arrested 60 truck drivers for failing to pay a tax on trucks passing through Taliban-controlled territory. Mohammad said the Taliban charge about 7,000 afghanis (about $90) a month for each truck passing through their area. The trucks haul charcoal from area mines. Speaking with The Associated Press by phone, a Taliban spokesman said he had no information on the arrest and suggested that local militias who aren't connected to the Taliban could be responsible for the shakedown. Hashim Bayan, the spokesman for Samangan's provincial police chief, confirmed the arrest of the 60 truckers and said they were picked up near the border with neighboring Balkh province. In a separate incident, at least 15 policemen surrendered to the Taliban in the northwestern province of Badghis, according to provincial council member Mohammad Naser Nazari. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's Election Commission said Thursday it is sending officials to investigate after videos circulated online of thousands of ballots for next week's polls scattered throughout a warehouse in neighboring Malaysia. One of the videos shows police at the warehouse in Malaysia's Selangor state and people holding up voting papers and commenting they'd been marked in favor of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and legislative candidates for parties in his coalition. Another video, apparently from a second location in Malaysia, shows two women making holes in ballots, which is how a vote is marked in Indonesia's elections. Election Commission official Ilham Saputra said the commission "will immediately set up a team and send its members there to ascertain what really happened." Presidential and legislative elections in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy after India and the U.S., are set for April 17. Saputra said Indonesians living in Malaysia would vote on Sunday and ballots had been sent to the country a week ago. Indonesian electoral workers prepares ballot papers to be distributed to polling stations in Bali, Indonesia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. The world's third-largest democracy is gearing up to hold its legislative and presidential elections on April 17. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) He said the Overseas Electoral Commission advised that it hadn't rented a shophouse in Malaysia, a term for a low-rise business premise that also doubles as a residence. Yaza Azzhara, who heads the Indonesian election monitoring committee for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, told TVOne there were an estimated 10,000-20,000 ballots found in two locations. She said that she and opposition representatives opened some of the voting papers, which were postal ballots, and they'd been marked for Widodo and his running mate. In other cases, they were marked for a Widodo-allied legislative candidate who's the son of Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia. "When I arrived at the first location, the shophouse door was open. According to some members (of the opposition committee) who suspected that there was a pile of ballot papers inside, they entered through a window and opened the door from inside," Azzhara said. Some of the ballots were in brown bags with official Overseas Electoral Commission padlocks and these hadn't been marked, she said. Opinion polls from the second half of March showed Widodo had a large lead over his challenger, former special forces general Prabowo Subianto, but as many as 20 percent of voters were undecided. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014. While campaigning in a Jakarta satellite city, Widodo told reporters he had ordered an investigation into the marked ballots. "If that's true, it's a violation and should be reported to the National Election Supervisory Board," he said. BEIJING (AP) - A train carrying aluminum ore derailed in a central Chinese province, killing at least four people, local authorities said Thursday, in the latest in a series of industrial accidents to strike the country. The city government of Gongy in Henan province said the train crashed into a village home after jumping the tracks around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Two other people were listed as missing, it said. The 25-car train is owned by a subsidiary of Aluminum Corporation of China and ran on a 22-kilometer (14-mile) track built in the 1950s specially for transporting ore. TV footage showed tangled cars from the train spread across a forested area. China experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines or risk prosecution. Skirting of safety regulations - sometimes with the collusion of corrupt local officials - is generally given as the cause. In March, 78 people were killed in a blast at a chemical plan that had numerous safety violations in one of China's worst industrial accidents in recent years. 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. PARIS (AP) - French opposition lawmakers from the right and left are combining efforts to try to block President Emmanuel Macron's plan to privatize Paris airports. France's lower house of parliament, the National assembly, definitively adopted on Thursday a measure allowing the government to privatize the group operating Paris' three airports, Aeroports de Paris, or ADP. Opposition lawmakers from the left and right launched a long process that could ultimately lead to a popular referendum under a procedure introduced in 2008. The Constitutional Council will examine their request. The state owns 50.6% of ADP and did not specify how much it would sell. The centrist government says the move would raise 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion), money that would help finance investment in new technologies. Opponents say Paris airports are strategic hubs. FILE - This June 23, 2011 aerial file photo shows Roissy Charles De Gaulle hub 2, north of Paris. French opposition lawmakers from the right and the left are joining efforts to try to block the government's plan to privatize Paris airports. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File) BANGKOK (AP) - A small but deadly fire at one of the Thai capital's biggest shopping malls may have started in a basement room before spreading to an eighth-floor document room because of a bad vent, officials in Bangkok said Thursday. City officials said at a news conference that the investigation of the blaze was still in its early stages and what caused the basement fire was not yet clear. They said smoke and burning matter from that blaze that was supposed to vent though a chimney may have backed up and started the upstairs fire. Two people were killed in Wednesday's fire and 20 were injured. The mall's operating company, Central Pattana, said the two dead were employees who fell from windows trying to escape the smoke and flames. The CentralWorld mall was closed Thursday for a cleanup but due to reopen Friday. The mall complex also includes a hotel, convention center and an office tower. In response to concern that was raised about the mall's evacuation, Central Pattana said in a statement that alarms had not been set off simultaneously in all areas of the building in order to try to avoid panic. A shopper told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that he had heard alarms and announcements to leave the building. WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The European Union's top advocate says Poland has violated EU law with legislation in 2018 that lowered the retirement age for top court judges and forced many of them out of their jobs. In his opinion, Advocate General Evgeni Tanchev said Thursday the Polish law that lowered the retirement age to 65 and ousted almost 30 Supreme Court judges violated judicial independence and the principle that they cannot be removed. He recommended that the EU Court of Justice rule that the legislation is contrary to EU law. The ruling is expected with weeks. Under heavy criticism from the EU and from experts at home, Poland's right-wing government waived the regulations and reinstated the judges, but the EU believes the case should be considered in the interest of its justice regulations. BRUSSELS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron's drive for a swift end to the European Union's long-running, slow-moving Brexit crisis divided a summit that finally granted Britain another delay in leaving the bloc. Over a dinner of scallops and cod, 27 European leaders wrangled between a long-game strategy, favored by European Council President Donald Tusk, to give Britain up to a year to figure out how to leave the EU and Macron's desire to put pressure on British Prime Minister Theresa May by keeping any delay short. Macron was happy to play hard ball to ensure that Britain doesn't disrupt the EU on its way out the door. Some pro-Brexit lawmakers in Britain have suggested they could make trouble for the bloc if they stay. "The key for us is to remain grouped together," Macron said. "We have a European renaissance to lead. We don't want the Brexit problem to block us on this point." In the end, the EU leaders hammered out a compromise - giving May more time than Macron wanted to give her to steer a departure deal through her country's bitterly divided parliament, while simultaneously shaving months off Tusk's suggestion. As Wednesday night ebbed into the wee hours of Thursday, Macron stood his ground, insisting on a shorter delay than Tusk and most other EU nations wanted. May had requested pushing the Brexit deadline back to June 30, but did not object to a longer delay. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he leaves the building at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) Leaders ultimately coalesced around Oct. 31 - Halloween - as the latest Brexit deadline, averting a potentially disruptive no-deal British departure that would have happened Friday if no extension had been agreed. "We had a very intensive debate," was how German Chancellor Angela Merkel characterized the summit. Hanging tough in Brussels could also pay domestic political dividends for Macron, projecting strength at a time when he is weakened by yellow vest protesters at home. "There seem to be those who think it is good politics for Macron at home to stand up to the British," said Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London and Director of the UK in a Changing Europe Initiative. "One of the things that certainly seems to have happened is that he annoyed a lot of people in Brussels last night by what many saw as his unnecessary theatrics." A senior EU official at the talks acknowledged that it was "a difficult moment" but said the atmosphere remained constructive. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the talks. While May now has until Oct. 31 to find backing for her unloved Brexit withdrawal deal, Britain could still leave earlier if talks with the country's opposition Labour Party find a compromise that can win a majority in Parliament. "I continue to believe we need to leave the EU, with a deal, as soon as possible," May told reporters. Manfred Weber, a German who leads the biggest group in the European Parliament, said Europe showed "patience and unity" in avoiding a damaging no-deal Brexit. But he added that "the political uncertainty in London has been extended, which risks affecting debates about the future of Europe." Germany's Spiegel Online called the early-morning agreement a "classic Brussels compromise." "The EU retained its unity on Brexit - albeit only just," it said. The British press compared the latest Brexit machinations to Wednesday's other big news - the publication of the first-ever photograph of a black hole. "Here's another inescapable black hole," The Times wrote under the photo, referencing Britain's Brexit impasse. ____ Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he leaves the building at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he leaves the building at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. European Union leaders meet Wednesday in Brussels for an emergency summit to discuss a new Brexit extension. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool) British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) NEW YORK (AP) - Amazon's Jeff Bezos challenged other retailers to raise wages and improve benefits for their employees, saying the competition will help everyone. Bezos covered a wide range of topics in his annual letter to shareholders Thursday that was released on Twitter and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission . "Today I challenge our top retail competitors (you know who you are!) to match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage," Bezos wrote. "Do it! Better yet, go to $16 and throw the gauntlet back at us." Late last year, Amazon jumped ahead of many rivals by raising its minimum wage for U.S. workers to $15 an hour. That pay hike was not universally praised by all workers, who said the company cut two employee benefits as well: monthly bonuses and the chance to own some of Amazon's sky-rocketing stock. Amazon did make some adjustments afterward to ensure workers were getting a raise. Target and Walmart have increased starting wages for workers over the past few years as the job market grew hotter and people could find better pay and benefits elsewhere. Target Corp. said last week it would raise the minimum hourly wage by a dollar in June to $13 per hour, the third pay hike in less than two years. The Minneapolis retailer has said it plans to raise starting hourly wages to $15 by the end of 2020. FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2018, file photo Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, speaks at The Economic Club of Washington's Milestone Celebration in Washington. Bezos said in a letter to shareholders Thursday, April 11, 2019, that as Amazon grows, so does the size of its "failed experiments." He said Amazon is willing to continue to take risks and learn from its failures, while simultaneously supporting successful areas of its business like its third-party sellers and retail locations. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) Walmart Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas, raised its starting pay to $11 an hour in early 2018. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press Thursday, Walmart defended its record, noting it has increased starting wages by more than 50% in the last three years and currently has an average hourly total compensation of more than $17.50. It touted benefits like advanced job training and paid time off. A top spokesman at the world's largest retailer was also quick to mock on Twitter Amazon's challenge with its own jab on the issue of taxes. "Hey retail competitors out there (You know who you are) How about paying your taxes?" Walmart's Dan Bartlett tweeted. Bartlett shared an article that cited a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy which noted that Amazon will pay no federal income taxes for the second straight year. Bezos's letter also comes as pilots from three carriers who fly for Amazon Prime Air and DHL cargo jets are planning to protest poor working conditions including low pay and severe attrition issues Thursday near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, according to a press release from union group Airline Professionals Association. They also plan to call to an end to stalled contract negotiations. The pilots staging protests are from Atlas Air, Southern Air and ABX Air. The airport is the largest hub for each of the airlines. And it appears that Amazon, well-known for giving low priority to the short-term growth interests of Wall Street, will continue taking big risks if it sees a potential pay-off in the long run. In his letter Thursday, Bezos said Amazon's Fire phone was a failure, but that its Echo and Alexa smart speakers have been tremendously successful. "As a company grows, everything needs to scale, including the size of your failed experiments," Bezos wrote. "If the size of your failures isn't growing, you're not going to be inventing at a size that can actually move the needle. Amazon will be experimenting at the right scale for a company of our size if we occasionally have multibillion-dollar failures." Bezos said one "big winning bet" can cover the cost of the clunkers, and that calculus has been playing out at Amazon. Amazon.com Inc. churned out profits last year that exceeded $10 billion, more than tripling net income from the previous year. ___ Follow Anne D'Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - An appointee of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has reported to prison for his role in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal. Bill Baroni started serving his 18-month sentence Tuesday in the Loretto Federal Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Baroni was an executive of the authority that operates the bridge. He was convicted in 2016 and sentenced to 24 months in what prosecutors said was a plot to create traffic jams to retaliate against a mayor who wouldn't endorse Christie. In November, a federal appeals court threw out civil rights counts against Baroni and co-defendant Bridget Kelly and ordered they be resentenced. Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, is scheduled to be resentenced April 24. The former Republican governor wasn't charged, but the scandal derailed his presidential ambitions. LONDON (AP) - Following the decision early Thursday by the European Union to delay the U.K.'s departure for a second time, not much is clear about Brexit bar the certainty that the divisions in British society and in Parliament will remain. The so-called "flextension" until Oct. 31 given to Britain to approve a Brexit withdrawal agreement will require the country to hold elections for the European Parliament on May 23 - provided the withdrawal agreement hasn't been passed by lawmakers. Few think that's going to be likely after Prime Minister Theresa May saw the deal she agreed with the EU voted down by lawmakers on three occasions this year. The extension at least provides more time for May to break the logjam, though it could easily just prolong the national agony. European Council President Donald Tusk acknowledged as much when he delivered a message to Britain: "Please do not waste this time." A look at what could happen next: MAY'S MARKETING CAMPAIGN Protestor flags fly opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) For two years, May pledged that Britain would leave the EU on March 29, 2019. But this is the second time she has been forced to agree to a delay. The prime minister addressed the House of Commons Thursday afternoon and urged members to use the upcoming Easter break to "reflect on the decisions that will have to be made" in search of compromise. She said that if talks with Labour do not lead to a plan both sides could back, then the government would ask Parliament to vote on a small number of options. She said the government would agree to accept the decisions and that the opposition would have to agree to that as well. May stressed that Britain can still leave the EU without taking part in the European Parliament elections if lawmakers approve her deal by May 22. May has in recent months failed to sway many hard-line Brexiteers in her party partly because of deep opposition to provision in the withdrawal agreement about making sure the border between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, remains seamless. It remains to be seen whether her pleas win anyone over. Many of them find the prospect of Britain participating in the European elections unpalatable, given that it will be almost three years since Britain voted to leave the EU. ___ CROSS-PARTY COMPROMISE Having failed to win enough support from her own Conservative Party, May last week began negotiations with the opposition Labour Party. Labour favors a softer Brexit than the government's plan and is seeking a close economic relationship with the bloc through a customs union. That's anathema to many Conservatives, who say it would prevent Britain from striking its own trade deals with countries like the United States, China and India. Several days of talks have failed to produce a breakthrough. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says the government hasn't been willing to compromise on its "red lines." Still, the negotiations are set to continue. ___ LET PARLIAMENT DECIDE If the talks fail, May says she will let Parliament vote on a variety of Brexit alternatives, including the government's proposed deal, in hope something can command a majority. A so-called "soft Brexit" might get through Parliament and would be welcomed by the EU, allowing Britain an orderly departure before Oct. 31. But it could also blast open rifts within both the Conservative and Labour parties. Pro-Brexit government ministers could resign, increasing pressure on May to quit. The prime minister has already said she will resign if her Brexit deal is approved and Britain leaves the EU, but rivals are circling. Corbyn, meanwhile, would face rebellion from the large number of Labour lawmakers who want a new referendum on Britain's departure from the EU. ___ NEW PRIME MINISTER The pressure on May is increasing, with hard-line Brexit supporters criticizing the prime minister for twice begging the EU to delay Britain's departure and many mainstream Conservatives suggesting she has failed to build consensus. If May were to resign, the Conservative Party would elect a new leader who would become prime minister. Front-runners include Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and his predecessor Boris Johnson, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Labour is pushing for a general election that could bring it to power for the first time since 2010. Conservatives hope to avoid such an outcome amid fears the Brexit stalemate will lead to an electoral wipeout that would open the door for what they see as Corbyn's damaging left-wing policies. ___ NO DEAL As it stands, the next Brexit cliff-edge is Oct. 31. Most politicians, economists and business groups think leaving the world's largest trading bloc without an agreement would be damaging for the EU but disastrous for the U.K. It could lead to tariffs on trade between Britain and the EU, customs checks that could cause gridlock at ports and shortages of essential goods. Many pro-Brexit lawmakers dismiss such warnings and say Britain should be prepared to leave without a deal and then wring concessions from the EU. But Parliament has voted repeatedly to rule out "no-deal," and even passed a law that forces the government to ask for delay rather than crash out. But a 'no-deal' Brexit is still the legal default and could happen if lawmakers fail to reach a compromise and the EU refuses to grant another extension. If that happens the only way to stop Britain crashing out would be for the government to choose the "nuclear option" and revoke the decision to leave. ___ NO BREXIT Among pro-EU Britons, there are rising hopes that Brexit can be stopped. With one Brexit day gone and another following, the government has lost control of the timetable. Support is growing for the idea that any Brexit deal agreed by Parliament should be put to the public in a "confirmatory referendum," with the other option being to stay in the EU. The proposal is backed by many in Labour and other opposition parties, plus some of May's Conservatives. The government has ruled out holding another referendum, saying voters made their decision in 2016. But with divisions in both Parliament and the Cabinet, handing the decision back to the people could be seen as the only way forward. ___ Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit Protestor flags fly opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Thursday, April 11, 2019. European Union leaders on Thursday offered Britain an extension to Brexit that would allow the country to delay its EU departure date until Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) CAIRO (AP) - After 30 years in power, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was arrested and deposed by the military on Thursday, following nearly four months of protests against his rule. The army has also taken over the country for the next two years and imposed a three-month state of emergency, plunging the nation into new uncertainty. Bashir's time in power will likely be remembered as among the most oppressive in Sudan's modern history. For the last decade, he has been under a cloud of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in the region of Darfur. Here is a timeline of key events in the rise and fall of al-Bashir: 1980s - A career army officer, al-Bashir assumes a leading role in the war against rebels in the south. 1985 - Sudanese military overthrows former President Jaafar al-Nimeiri in a bloodless coup. The military quickly hands power to an elected government, which proves dysfunctional and only rules for a few years. 1989 - Leading an alliance of the military and Islamist hard-liners, al-Bashir stages a coup against Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, dissolving the government and all political parties. He appoints himself chair of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, which rules the country, and is named defense minister. FILE - In this May 18, 2018, file photo, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir speaks during the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Istanbul, Turkey. Sudan's armed forces were to deliver an "important statement" and asked the nation to "wait for it" on Thursday, April 11, 2019, state TV reported, as two senior officials said the military had forced longtime President Omar al-Bashir to step down.(Presidential Press Service/Pool via AP, File) 1990 - Coup attempt fails to unseat al-Bashir. 1991 - Al-Bashir and his Islamist allies impose Islamic or Sharia law, fueling the division between the country's Muslim, Arabized north and the mainly animist and Christian south. August 1993 - U.S. State Department lists Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism. October 1993 - Al-Bashir is appointed president. 1996 - Al-Bashir is re-elected president. 1997 - U.S. imposes sanctions against Sudan's government, accusing it of supporting terrorism. June 1998 - Sudanese legislators draft a new constitution that lifts the ban on political parties. December - Al-Bashir dissolves the parliament after an Islamist political ally proposes laws limiting the president's powers. 2000 - Al-Bashir wins another presidential election with over 85% of the vote. 2003 - Rebel groups in Darfur attack the government in an uprising against alleged abuses and mistreatment by authorities. Al-Bashir seeks help from the Janjaweed militias, whose brutal tactics terrorize people in the region and displace more than 2 million people. A small peacekeeping force from the African Union arrives. 2005 - Under international pressure, a peace deal is reached between al-Bashir and the southern Sudanese rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The agreement gives southern Sudanese the right to determine whether the south would remain part of Sudan. July 2008 - International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor calls for an arrest warrant against al-Bashir, citing charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in Darfur. The Sudanese government, which is not a party to the treaty creating the ICC, denies the accusations and proclaims al-Bashir's innocence. March 2009 - The ICC issues an arrest warrant for al-Bashir - the first time that the ICC seeks the arrest of a sitting head of state - charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity but not genocide. Later, a second arrest warrant is issued against al-Bashir, this time with a genocide charge. April 2010 - Al-Bashir is re-elected with about 68% of vote in the country's first multiparty elections in more than 20 years. Two main opposition rivals withdraw over alleged fraudulent practices. July 2011 - South Sudan gains independence after a referendum in January. South Sudan's independence causes economic difficulties in Sudan as the new country gains control over the southern oil fields, which had accounted for three-quarters of the country's oil production. April 2015 - Al-Bashir wins another five-year term in a vote marred by low turnout. November-December 2016 - Hundreds of protesters take to streets against a government decision to slash fuel subsidies, as required by the International Monetary Fund. October 2017 - U.S. announces partial lifting of long-standing sanctions against Sudan, citing progress by Khartoum in fighting terrorism and its commitment not to pursue arms deals with North Korea. January 2018 - Protests break out across Sudan against price hikes caused by government austerity measures. August 2018 - Sudan's ruling National Congress Party says it would back al-Bashir as its candidate in the 2020 presidential election. Dec. 16, 2018 - Al-Bashir becomes the first Arab League leader to visit Syria since civil war erupted there nearly eight years ago. He is greeted at the Damascus airport by Syrian President Bashar Assad. Dec. 19, 2018 - Anti-government demonstrations erupt across Sudan, initially over steep price rises and shortages, but soon shift to calls for al-Bashir to step down. Security forces respond with a fierce crackdown that kills dozens. Feb. 19, 2019 - Al-Bashir declares a state of emergency, bans all unauthorized gathering and gives security forces sweeping powers in efforts to quash the protests. April 6 - A large sit-in protest begins outside the military's headquarters in Khartoum. Over the next five days, security forces kill 22 people in attempts to clear the sit-in. The protests gain momentum after the resignation earlier in the week by Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, in response to similar demonstrations. April 11 - Sudanese army arrests al-Bashir and says it takes over for the next 2 years, suspending the country's constitution and closing its borders and airspace. A three-month state of emergency is also imposed. MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian court on Thursday released from jail a U.S. investor who faces charges of embezzlement and placed him under house arrest. Michael Calvey had been behind bars since mid-February on charges of embezzlement from the Russian bank Vostochny, in which his investment firm Baring Vostok has a controlling stake. Baring Vostok is one of the largest foreign investment firms in Russia and the arrest of Calvey shook investors' confidence in Russia. One of Calvey's co-defendants, former bank chairman Alexei Kordichev, also was granted release into house arrest. But in granting that move, the court said Kordichev had admitted guilt and testified against other figures, Russian news reports said. Details of Kordichev's testimony were not immediately known. Four others charged in the case remain in jail. Baring Vostok has said the case results from a dispute between bank shareholders. Calvey denies wrongdoing. Founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey is seen through a glass of a cage with a reflection of a police officer, in the court room in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A Russian court has released from jail a US investor who faces charges of embezzlement and has placed him under house arrest. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) The case alleges that Calvey took a 2.5-billion-ruble ($37 million) loan from the bank and that in turn he transferred to the bank his shares in a company called IFTG that he said were worth the amount of the loan, but were actually worth far less. Calvey on Thursday proposed the dispute be resolved by the bank selling the IFTG shares, saying he believed such a sale would fetch at least 2.5 billion rubles ($37 million). Thursday's decision came a day after Russia's Investigative Committee asked to change his detention terms. The application cited his charitable work, investments in Russia and a large number of people supporting him. "Changing the preventive measures in Calvey's case for house arrest is a good sign for the investment climate," Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said Thursday, according to state news agency Tass. Calvey's arrest shocked the Moscow business community because he had avoided political controversy and helped develop Russian tech companies. His house arrest will be valid for three days, then its extension considered. Founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey, center, leaves a court room in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A Russian court has released from jail a US investor who faces charges of embezzlement and has placed him under house arrest. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey, second right, leaves a court after a session in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A Russian court has released from jail a US investor who faces charges of embezzlement and has placed him under house arrest. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey leaves a court room in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A Russian court has released from jail a US investor who faces charges of embezzlement and has placed him under house arrest. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) TIRANA, Albania (AP) - Military police have been sent to Albania's only international airport to boost safety after heavily armed men stole a large sum of cash while it was being loaded onto a passenger plane. Two armored military police vehicles were seen Thursday driving around the airport. Defense Minister Olta Xhacka noted that about half of the airport's area belongs to the military. Regular police were present inside the airport. The Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj assured passengers that they were guaranteeing "maximum security" at the airport. The thieves took the cash as it was loaded onto an Austrian Airlines plane on Tuesday afternoon. One robber was shot dead in an exchange of fire with police, but the cash was not recovered. Policemen patrol the Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport on Thursday, April 11, 2019. The Albanian Defense Ministry on Wednesday sent in the military to secure the country's only international airport after heavily armed men stole a large sum of cash as it was loaded onto a passenger plane. One robber was shot dead by police but the others escaped with the money, reported by Albanian media to be as much as 10 million euros ($11.3 million). (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) Military police guard outside Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport on Thursday, April 11, 2019. The Albanian Defense Ministry on Wednesday sent in the military to secure the country's only international airport after heavily armed men stole a large sum of cash as it was loaded onto a passenger plane. One robber was shot dead by police but the others escaped with the money, reported by Albanian media to be as much as 10 million euros ($11.3 million). (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) Military police guard outside Mother Teresa Tirana International Airport on Thursday, April 11, 2019. The Albanian Defense Ministry on Wednesday sent in the military to secure the country's only international airport after heavily armed men stole a large sum of cash as it was loaded onto a passenger plane. One robber was shot dead by police but the others escaped with the money, reported by Albanian media to be as much as 10 million euros ($11.3 million). (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration's proposal for creating a Space Force as a new military service drew bipartisan skepticism in the Senate on Thursday, with several lawmakers questioning the need for expanding the military bureaucracy. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan pitched the proposal as vital to maintaining what he called America's "margin of dominance" in space as potential adversaries like Russia and China develop the capability to challenge U.S. use of space. "Both China and Russia have weaponized space with the intent to hold American capabilities at risk," Shanahan told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Every member of this committee has access to the classified threat picture, but the bottom line is: the next major conflict may be won or lost in space." Committee members agreed that the U.S. needs to innovate in space and move more quickly to improve defenses of U.S. satellites and other interests in space. But several members, both Republicans and Democrats, expressed skepticism about a Space Force, which is a high priority of President Donald Trump. Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine, said he thinks the current approach, with the Air Force handling the bulk of space responsibilities, is working well. "I'm genuinely undecided, although as you can tell, I'm skeptical," King said. "I don't think it's broken," he added, referring to the current Pentagon approach to space. "You're doing a good job. Why are we going to 'fix' it?" Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington , Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the proposed Space Force. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, also raised doubts. "I guess we need some convincing that there is a necessity for a sixth branch without our armed forces," she said. The sharpest criticism came from Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. "None of the ideas I've heard today clearly spell out how a Space Force leads to improved security in space," she said. "Instead, all I see is how a new Space Force will create one more organization to ask Congress for money. And there is no reason to believe that adding an entirely new Space Force bureaucracy and pouring buckets more money into it is going to reduce our overall vulnerability in space. I think the taxpayers deserve better than this." Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that the administration's proposal leaves some issues unresolved, but he argued that it should be approved to address urgent problems. He called it an "80% solution" that can be refined over time. Some committee members noted that Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who testified alongside Shanahan, had publicly questioned the need for a Space Force in 2017. Sen. Doug Jones, an Alabama Democrat, asked Wilson whether she would be recommending the creating of a Space Force if Trump had not ordered it. She did not answer yes or no but said Trump has helpfully elevated public discussion of space issues. "We need to give him credit for that," she said. A Space Force, if approved by Congress, would be the first new military service since the Air Force was created in 1947. It would be the smallest service by far, with between 15,000 and 20,000 members. Less controversial is a Pentagon plan to resurrect U.S. Space Command, which existed for many years before being eliminated in 2002. Space Command would be responsible for military operations in space, such as defending satellites, with personnel trained and equipped by the Space Force. A police officer asks activists with Code Pink to lower their signs as Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, foreground left, appears before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington , Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the proposed Space Force. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, second from left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, left, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, second from right, and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. John Hyten, right, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington , Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the proposed Space Force. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Air Force Heather Wilson, second from left, accompanied by Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, left, and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. John Hyten, right, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington , Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the proposed Space Force. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, right, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, left, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington , Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the proposed Space Force. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) NEW YORK (AP) - Authorities say a flight to Los Angeles returned to New York's Kennedy Airport shortly after takeoff because it had struck a sign and light on the runway. American Airlines Flight 300 was carrying 101 passengers when it took off at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday. It landed safely at 9:09 p.m. and taxied to the gate. The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane apparently hit a runway sign and light. Passenger Scott Laser told WABC that the plane veered left during the impact and then took a sharp right turn during the takeoff. Laser says he and others were crying. The airline says that no injuries were reported and that it's reviewing the takeoff. American apologized to passengers for their disrupted travel. BERLIN (AP) - A Berlin museum is opening an exhibition based on years of research into expressionist painter Emil Nolde that chips away at the remnants of his image as a victim of the Nazi regime. Nolde, who died in 1956, was among the prominent artists whose work was condemned as "degenerate art" under Nazi rule. But he was also a Nazi party member and, as the exhibition presented Thursday at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum shows, an anti-Semite and believer in Nazi ideology who held out hopes of winning the regime's recognition even after he was banned in 1941 from exhibiting, selling and publishing. The show also explores Nolde's elevation as an artistic pioneer and Nazi victim after World War II. It closes with "Breakers," which hung for years in Chancellor Angela Merkel's office until Merkel recently returned it to Berlin's museum authority for the exhibition. "Our view of Nolde will have to change, and our thinking about this artistic figure will have to be a different one," museum director Udo Kittelmann told reporters. "It is only now obvious how systematically he ingratiated himself with Nazism and particularly its anti-Semitism." The exhibition is the result of a research project that started in 2013. Historians and curators Aya Soika and Bernhard Fulda were granted unrestricted access to archives containing more than 25,000 documents at the Nolde Foundation in Seebuell, near the Danish border, where the artist lived. The exhibition includes documents from throughout Nolde's career, including anti-Semitic letters from the artist dating back to before World War I. It explores his conviction that he was a misunderstood artistic genius and his claim that he was boycotted by a supposedly Jewish-dominated art scene. People gather around the paintings ' Paradise Lost', right, and ' The Sinner', left, of Emil Nolde, during the press preview of an exhibition about the artist at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Nolde, who died in 1956, was perhaps the most famous of the artists whose work was classed as "degenerate art" under Nazi rule. But he was also a Nazi party member and, as the exhibition presented Thursday at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum sets out, an anti-Semite and a believer in Nazi ideology until the regime's defeat. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Nolde was Heinrich Himmler's guest of honor at an event in 1933, months after Adolf Hitler took power, and positioned himself as a pioneer of pure "German" art in a 1934 memoir. In 1935, Essen's Museum Folkwang acquired more than 450 graphic works by Nolde. In 1937, however, 48 Nolde works were taken from German museum collections to become part of the Nazis' traveling "degenerate art" exhibition. Nolde wrote to propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels asking him to end the "defamation" of his work and trumpeting his "fight against the foreign infiltration of German art." He did succeed in getting some works returned, and meanwhile produced a series of "Viking Paintings" more in tune with the tastes of the time. Nolde, whose Nazi party membership has long been known, was exonerated in the post-war denazification process, largely because of his ban from exhibiting. His work later found a place in the offices of Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and, more recently, Merkel. Merkel hasn't commented on giving up the Nolde paintings from her office, beyond saying she'd been asked to return the loan. She also hasn't given a reason for deciding against hanging two replacement works she was offered by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, another expressionist whose work was classified as "degenerate" but who is known to have made anti-Semitic statements during WWI. After the war, the perception of the Nazi era was that "there were perpetrators, followers and victims, and Emil Nolde could, thanks to the 'degenerate art' campaign, easily be classified in the group of the victims," Nolde Foundation director Christian Ring said. "Emil Nolde has a lot to thank Adolf Hitler's reactionary taste in art for." Ring conceded that, after the war, the foundation contributed to upholding Nolde's misleading image. "Today, more than 50 years later, we in Seebuell no longer see any reason to protect Nolde from himself," he said. "His art, which was pioneering for expressionism and modernism, is strong enough to withstand the discussion about his relationship with Nazism." A man takes pictures of Emil Nolde's painting 'Breakers' during the press preview of an exhibition about the artist at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Nolde, who died in 1956, was perhaps the most famous of the artists whose work was classed as "degenerate art" under Nazi rule. But he was also a Nazi party member and, as the exhibition presented Thursday at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum sets out, an anti-Semite and a believer in Nazi ideology until the regime's defeat. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) The sculpture 'Head of Emil Nolde' by Gustav H. Wolff is displayed at the entrance of an Emil Nolde exhibition at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Nolde, who died in 1956, was perhaps the most famous of the artists whose work was classed as "degenerate art" under Nazi rule. But he was also a Nazi party member and, as the exhibition presented Thursday at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum sets out, an anti-Semite and a believer in Nazi ideology until the regime's defeat. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Paintings of Emil Nolde, are displayed at the Painting Gallery in the artists house at the village Seebuell in winter of 1941/1942, at an exhibition in the Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 11, 2019. Nolde, who died in 1956, was perhaps the most famous of the artists whose work was classed as "degenerate art" under Nazi rule. But he was also a Nazi party member and, as the exhibition presented Thursday at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum sets out, an anti-Semite and a believer in Nazi ideology until the regime's defeat. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) BERLIN (AP) - A German court has found a 26-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife guilty of murder for killing his parents and then bricking the bodies behind a wall. German news agency dpa reported that the Nuremberg-Fuerth regional court sentenced the couple to life in prison Thursday. Their names were not released. Prosecutors said the man bludgeoned his 66-year-old mother to death with a hammer as she lay in bed in December 2017, then killed his 70-year-old father, too. The prosecutors argued that while the man's wife wasn't present for the slayings, she was jointly responsible because she had urged the husband to kill his parents "to have him to herself." The couple also entombed the parent's bodies behind a wall in their house, where investigators found them weeks later. The verdict can be appealed. OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - A private boarding school in Maryland says it has found evidence that five former faculty members sexually assaulted more than 20 students over several decades. The Baltimore Sun reports the McDonogh School in Owings Mills sent families a letter about the findings Tuesday. The letter says the allegations don't involve current faculty or students. It says an investigation was launched in 2016 when a former student from the 1980s told officials he had been sexually assaulted by Alvin J. Levy and Robert E. Creed. Levy was indicted on a sexual abuse charge by a school graduate in 1992 but died before his scheduled court date. Creed pleaded guilty in 1985 to sexual offense and abuse of a minor and has since died. The school notified police and hired a firm to conduct an external investigation, which found Levy and Creed may have assaulted 19 male students over four decades. It also found that three other former faculty members may have assaulted five female students during the 1970s and 80s. The letter did not identify those faculty members, but did say police have been notified. County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger says the victims have been contacted. He says one of the former female students was willing to testify in court. However, Shellenberger said he did not have the evidence required to build a case because the incident occurred in the 1980s, when state law required the encounter to be forced or for the victim to be younger than she was. The investigation also found that some of the allegations were previously reported to school officials who failed to take appropriate action. Head of School David Farace apologized in the letter. The Sun reported that the investigation by New York-based T&M Protection Resources comes after county police confirmed in 2018 an investigation into a separate incident of alleged sexual assault between students in the boys' dormitory. The newspaper says county police and the school didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. ___ Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The country's largest electric company says it's challenging an order by North Carolina's environmental agency to excavate coal ash from all of its power plant sites in the state. Duke Energy Corp. said Thursday it will file an administrative appeal by May 1. The order could cut the risk of toxic chemicals leaking into water supplies but add billions of dollars to electricity bills. The company has said it wants to cover the storage pits at six power plants with a waterproof cap, calling it a cheaper option that would prevent rain from passing through and carrying chemicals through the unlined bottoms. The Charlotte-based company says complete excavation would cost about $10 billion, nearly double current estimates. Consumer advocates are demanding the company's shareholders pay that bill instead of customers. HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) - A proposed 145-mile (233-kilometer) transmission line that would serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower to reach the New England power grid cleared a major hurdle Thursday with approval of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The three-member panel unanimously approved Central Maine Power's $1 billion project, but further regulatory approvals will be necessary for the project to become a reality. CMP's New England Clean Energy Connect would allow 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to reach consumers in Massachusetts to meet that state's green energy goals. Commissioners concluded that there are substantial benefits for Maine, as well, including reduced carbon pollution, lower electric rates and enhanced energy reliability, along with $258 million in incentives. Commission Chairman Mark Vannoy said Thursday that the economic and environmental gains are needed in a region trying to balance the need for more energy with environmental stewardship. "We're at a critical point here: It's needed, it's necessary, and the state of Maine is moving forward," he said, calling the outcome "a good result for Maine ratepayers." But a staff attorney for the Natural Resources Council of Maine called the decision "deeply flawed" and accused regulators of siding with "Central Maine Power's corporate interests over the best interests of the state of Maine and ratepayers of Maine." "This decision dramatically overstates the benefits while dramatically undervaluing the negative impacts to the state of Maine," Sue Ely said. Though the project is being funded by Massachusetts, critics say it would destroy Maine's unspoiled wilderness without guarantees of environmental benefits. They also say it would snuff out homegrown green energy projects, like solar and wind power, in Maine. Much of the project calls for widening existing corridors, but a new swath would be cut through 53 miles (85 kilometers) of wilderness in western Maine. It would cross the Appalachian Trail, 263 wetlands and 115 streams, according to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Further approvals are necessary. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission and other regulators all have to approve some aspect of the CMP project. The Department of Environmental Protection will make the final decision on CMP's site permit and compliance with the state Natural Resources Protection Act, agency spokesman David Madore said. Maine Public Advocate Barry Hobbins and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills both endorsed the project after CMP sweetened the deal with a package of benefits for Maine. The utility's $258 million in incentives would provide $140 million for rate relief for retail customers, $50 million for low-income energy customers, $15 million to subsidize heat pump purchases and $15 million for electric cars and charging stations. Supporters say the project would provide electricity for a million homes and drive down electricity rates for all of New England. An independent consultant, London Economics International LLC, concluded carbon dioxide emissions would be lowered by 3.6 million metric tons per year. A subsidiary of CMP, which is part of Connecticut-based Avangrid, would be created to oversee construction of the power line to ensure Maine ratepayers are insulated from costs. The utility hopes to receive all regulatory approvals by year's end and for construction to begin next year, said Thorn Dickinson, vice president for business development. SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) - Police in North Macedonia say they have detained five men, including two Chinese citizens and a customs official, on suspicion of smuggling a critically endangered species of eel. Police said Thursday that four of the suspects allegedly purchased 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of juvenile European eels, known as glass eels, with estimated value of 120,000 euros ($135,000), in Bulgaria for a buyer in Malaysia. The European eel is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Authorities discovered the live cargo hidden in a car in which the four were travelling during a routine highway control. Police say the eels were to be flown from Skopje's international airport to Kuala Lumpur. The customs official is accused of granting the four a free pass from Bulgaria into North Macedonia. SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) - North Macedonia's authorities say a man is in the hospital after being shot by a sentry while apparently trying to enter the country's main military base in the capital, Skopje. A defense ministry statement says the man was shot in the leg before dawn Thursday after ignoring the sentry's challenge and warnings to keep away from the wire perimeter fence of the Goce Delcev barracks. It said the sentry fired two warning shots in the air before turning his gun on the approaching man, whose motives were unclear and who was apparently unarmed. He was hospitalized under police guard. An army spokesman, Lt-Col Toni Janevski, told The Associated Press that police and judicial officials are investigating the incident. As the U.S. student loan balance surpasses $1.5 trillion, a trio of contests promise a lucky few a shot at putting a dent in their debt. While most of the over 44 million people with student loan debt can't count on winning an oversized novelty check to pay off their balance, they can turn to tried-and-true tactics like income-driven repayment plans to lower monthly payments or refinancing to pay off student loans fast . But for a select group, these games do bring relief. Here, three winners share behind-the-scenes details about what it's like - and what it takes - to win. 'PAID OFF' GAME SHOW TruTV's "Paid Off With Michael Torpey" pits contestants against one another to eliminate some or all of their student debt. It returns for a second season in May. Jodeci Richards, 27, of Atlanta won almost $10,000 on the show - about enough to wipe out her remaining loans from Florida State University. She filmed the show in March 2018, but didn't receive the payout until after the episode aired in July. In the meantime, she continued making payments. FILE- In this Jan. 9, 2019, file photo University of Georgia undergraduate students avoid walking under the university arch on the first day of the spring semester in Athens, Ga. As the U.S. student loan balance surpasses $1.5 trillion, a trio of contests promise a lucky few a shot at putting a dent in their debt. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) "I didn't want to fall behind," she says. "Navient, Sallie Mae - they get a little antsy." BEHIND THE SCENES: The audition process was lengthy, beginning with a Google form application , then phone calls, video interviews, an in-person callback and a background check. Richards said she was a skeptic throughout. "If this is real, they're not going to send a Google form," she remembers thinking. "I wound up actually trying to do a background check on their background checkers, because I wanted to cover myself." NATTY STORIES CONTEST Under its Natural Light brand, Anheuser-Busch is giving away $1 million to help 70 people pay down college debt in 2019. To enter, student loan borrowers must post a video to social media by May 18 about why they went to college. The video must include the green dollar-sign tab found on limited-edition cans of Natural Light, and the social post must include #NattyStories and #Contest. RJ Young, 31, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, won $40,000 in the 2018 contest. His entry explains that he went to college to learn to tell compelling stories, but that he needed student loans to pay for it. Young has a bachelor's, master's and is pursuing a Ph.D. in English. He estimates that he owed over $100,000 before winning. BEHIND THE SCENES: Prize money is taxable income. (Richards' winnings were also taxed.) After Young received his check, he used some of the cash to hire an accountant. The remainder stayed in his bank account for almost a year while Young sorted through how the winnings affected his 2018 income taxes. "It's a first world-problem," Young says. He warns future winners to "be careful who you talk to about it. Not everyone wants to help you." GIVLING APP Givling is a trivia game and crowdfunding effort in which users play for cash prizes and $50,000 toward student loan or mortgage repayment. Players win $50,000 in loan repayment by getting to the top of Givling's queue. They climb the queue by playing trivia, watching ads, buying merchandise, purchasing coins to play extra trivia and using Givling's sponsors, which include SoFi and Uber Eats . The app funds the prizes - and makes money - from sponsorships, merchandise sales and in-app coin purchases. Once enough is raised, the player at the top of the queue wins $50,000 and the process repeats for the next-in-line player. Rosheeda Sylvestre, 36, of Brooklyn, New York, won in March. At that time, she had about $52,000 in student loans remaining, down from the roughly $100,000 she owed for two bachelor's degrees and a master's. The money is applied directly to winners' loans in eight weekly installments; Sylvestre estimates she'll be debt-free by May. BEHIND THE SCENES: Players get two free trivia games daily, but the most competitive players drop tens of thousands of dollars to race to the top of the queue. Sylvestre says she spent about $10,000 on coins and sponsorship offers, and $11,000 on merchandise. She used a 0% interest credit card that she plans to pay off before interest accrues. She also donated the merchandise she purchased and claimed it as a tax write-off. In total, she spent about $21,000 over nine months before winning. Givling's loan repayment prizes aren't taxable because they're crowdfunded, says Givling Chief Marketing Officer Seth Beard. The trivia cash prizes are taxable. ________________________________________ This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Teddy Nykiel is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: teddy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @teddnykiel. RELATED LINKS NerdWallet: How to pay off student loans fast http://bit.ly/nerdwallet-pay-off-student-loans-fast "Paid Off With Michael Torpey" application https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSefUU91LExKB4gCajZA48U5ktXvowFyrEBqWmc7ra2OxZPvOg/viewform Givling https://givling.com/givling/ WASHINGTON (AP) - The International Monetary Fund on Thursday urged candidates in Argentina to carry on with the IMF-supported economic program after October's presidential elections. Managing Director Christine Lagarde said it "would be foolish" to abandon the $56 billion program because it puts a priority on protections for the poor. President Mauricio Macri will be seeking re-election, but he's seen his popularity ratings plunge amid economic difficulties. Former center-left President Cristina Fernandez is tied with him in most polls even though she faces numerous investigations into alleged corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. Following last year's devaluation of the peso, Argentina was forced to seek a record financing deal with the IMF, a move that brought back bad memories for Argentines who blame the Fund for introducing policies that led to the country's worst crisis in 2001, when one in every five Argentines went unemployed and millions slid into poverty. Fernandez has been critical of the Macri administration for seeking help from the Fund. During a news conference to open the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending organization, the World Bank, Lagarde said the IMF program is beginning to show results and the Argentine economy will soon enter a recovery phase. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at a news conference, during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The Fund projected this week that Argentina's gross domestic product will grow 2.2% in 2020 after contracting 1.2% this year and 2.5% in 2018. Argentine lawmakers in November approved an austerity budget for 2019 that aims to cut the primary deficit before debt payments to zero, down from 2.6% of GDP in 2018. ___ Luis Alonso Lugo on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/luisalonsolugo OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a man who they say intentionally drove his SUV into a pedestrian in a Florida parking lot. The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that 36-year-old Luis Alberto Ferri is charged with aggravated battery for an act described as "bizarre, cruel and reckless." Investigators released security video of the Feb. 23 attack. It shows the SUV stopping to let the pedestrian walk by, but then accelerating and swerving into the person, leaving the victim with a broken leg. Ferri turned himself in on Tuesday, after investigators released security video they said showed him inside a nearby grocery store. He's being held on $50,000 bond. Jail records didn't list an attorney. WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) - A wanted Pennsylvania woman who taunted a sheriff's department online by asking if they "do pick up or delivery" has gotten a response: They do both, and she's in custody. Chloe Jones commented on a Facebook post by the Greene County Sheriff's Office featuring her as one of the county's most wanted, writing "Do you guys do pick up or delivery??" followed by four crying-laughing emojis. Police say she had failed to appear in court on assault charges. She then got into arguments with other commenters and claimed she was at a hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. Police there tracked her down this week, and she was extradited to Pennsylvania. Court records don't say whether she has a lawyer to comment on her behalf. The sheriff's office took to Facebook again to announce her arrest and add that Jones "and her witty comments are taking a hiatus from our Facebook comments section due to the jail not having internet for her to use." CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - In a story April 11 about the New Hampshire Senate voting to repeal the death penalty, The Associated Press reported erroneously how the relatives of murder victims, retired prosecutors and others testified. They testified in favor of the bill, which is against the death penalty, not against the bill. A corrected version of the story is below: New Hampshire poised to repeal death penalty The New Hampshire Senate has voted to repeal the state's death penalty, sending the bill to Republican Gov. Chris Sununu By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire is on track to become the next state without the death penalty now that both the House and Senate have voted with veto-proof majorities to repeal its capital punishment law. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a death penalty repeal bill last June, and the Senate lacked the votes to override it in September. But momentum grew after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in November, and an identical bill has passed both chambers with more than the necessary two-thirds majority needed to override Sununu's planned veto. The House vote 279-88 last month, while the Senate vote Thursday was 17-6, with five Republicans joining 12 Democrats voting in favor of repeal. "State-sanctioned killing is cruel, ineffective and inherently flawed," said Sen. Martha Hennessey, D-Hanover. "It is time to abolish the death penalty in New Hampshire. Now is the time." Thirty states allow capital punishment, though in four of them, governors have issued moratoria on the death penalty, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Twenty states have abolished or overturned it. New Hampshire hasn't executed anyone since 1939. The repeal bill would not apply retroactively to Michael Addison, who killed Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs in 2006 and is the state's only death row inmate. But supporters of capital punishment argue that courts will see it differently. "The day that this passes and is signed into law, Mr. Addison's sentence will be converted to life in prison," said Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry. "Please talk to Mrs. Briggs about that, the wife of the police officer that was murdered in the line of duty. She will not be able to speak to her husband again, whereas Mr. Addison will be able to talk to his family and have them come up to visit him." Laura Briggs has largely stayed out of the debate over the death penalty bill over the years, but she spoke last month against a repeal in part because her son's now working in law enforcement. "The death penalty is about protecting society from evil. It's not about an eye-for-an-eye or revenge. It's about protecting our society from evil people that do evil things," she said at the time. Carson echoed those comments Thursday. "We're not talking about getting revenge or soothing the families soul or anything else like that," she said. "This is about justice nothing more, nothing less." Other relatives of murder victims, however, testified in favor of the bill, as did retired prosecutors, clergy and former death row inmates who were exonerated and released. Sen. Harold French, R-Franklin, said their comments helped solidify his previous opposition to the death penalty, which had been based mainly on the cost associated with lengthy appeals in capital murder cases. "As I get older I realized for a fact we're actually all on death row and it's just a matter of time before our names get called. When my name gets called, I'm going to go before the Lord with a huge basket full of regrets and misdeeds, just like you will. But I tell you what won't be in that basket of misdeeds," he said. "What won't be in there is that I did not turn a deaf ear to those who came and took the time to speak to us to get rid of the death penalty." Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, kept her remarks short, explaining simply that her father was killed when she was 7 years old. "He never saw us grow up. My mother forgave whoever it was, and I will vote in favor of this bill," she said. A spokesman for Sununu reiterated the governor's opposition to the bill Thursday. "Gov. Sununu continues to stand with crime victims, members of the law enforcement community and advocates for justice in opposing a repeal of the death penalty," Ben Vihstadt said in a written statement. WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund said Thursday the world is facing a time of high uncertainty with 70% of the global economy caught in a growth slowdown that could be worsened by self-inflicted wounds such as unnecessary trade battles. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said that while her agency is forecasting a rebound in growth next year that forecast is "precarious and subject to downside risks" with rising trade tensions a top threat. Trade flows have been shaken by the Trump administration's efforts to force China to stop stealing technology and coercing foreign companies to hand over trade secrets. The trade war between the United States and China, the world's two biggest economies, has disrupted supply chains and shaken business confidence and contributed to a deterioration in the global outlook. That slowdown in global prospects and what to do about it was expected to be the key agenda item when global finance officials hold meetings over the next three days in Washington. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will represent the United States at those discussions revolving around the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending institution, the World Bank. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at a news conference, during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Speaking at an opening news conference, Lagarde said when officials were gathering a year ago for the spring finance meetings, 75% of the global economy was enjoying a synchronized upswing. Now, she said, 70% of the global economy is enduring slower growth. While she said the IMF is forecasting a rebound to stronger growth next year, numerous risks could derail that forecast. She said those include unresolved trade tensions, high debt burdens for individual countries and corporations and political missteps such as a botched exit by Britain from the European Union. "We are at a delicate moment," Lagarde said. The IMF, citing heightened trade tensions, this week downgraded its forecast for growth this year in the United States, Europe, Japan and the world overall. The fund's economists expect global growth to decelerate from 3.6% last year to 3.3% in 2019 -- tied with 2016 as the weakest performance since the recession year 2009. Growth in word trade is expected to expand just 3.4% - a sharp slowdown from the 4% trade growth the IMF had expected in its previous forecast in January and down from actual growth of 3.8% in trade last year. At a separate news conference Thursday, David Malpass, the new president of the World Bank, said that the current slowdown in global growth is jeopardizing the fight against extreme poverty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Malpass, a longtime critic of the World Bank, was nominated by President Donald Trump earlier this year for the top job at the bank. He was elected by the bank's 25-member board of directors last week after a lobbying campaign in which he sought to convince the other nations that his goal was to improve the bank's operations not impose a dramatic overhaul. He has said that he supports the World Bank's efforts to deal with global climate change problems despite the fact that Trump pulled the United States out of the global climate treaty. Although Malpass has criticized the bank for lending to China at the expense of poorer countries, he told reporters Thursday that he was "looking forward to a constructive relationship with China." In a separate interview with CNBC, Malpass said that after he was nominated by Trump, he traveled to 10 major countries including Japan, South Korea and China to discuss his goals if he was selected as the World Bank's 13th president. He succeeds Jim Yong Kim, who had been nominated by the Obama administration. The institution has always been headed by an American while the IMF has always been led by a European. "I talked with President Xi of China," Malpass said. "He was supportive of the idea that the World Bank ... that our relationship with China is evolving in a positive way where we can be constructive together." In remarks released by Treasury that Mnuchin will make to the IMF's policy committee on Saturday, Mnuchin said the United States believed the IMF, which supplies emergency loans to countries in financial crisis, has "ample resources" to do it jobs currently and the United States does not see a current need to boost the quotas that member countries pay into the IMF to fund operations. The finance meetings will include talks Thursday and Friday with the Group of 20 finance officials, representing the world's largest economies, and will conclude Saturday with meetings of the policy-setting panels of the IMF and World Bank. The G-20 discussions will help prepare the agenda for a leaders' summit in Osaka, Japan, to be attended by Trump and other world leaders on June 28-29. World Bank President David Malpass speaks at a news conference during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) World Bank President David Malpass speaks at a news conference during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at a news conference, during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) NEW YORK (AP) - Federal prosecutors in New York are planning to meet with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos about his allegations that the National Enquirer tried to blackmail him with help from Saudi Arabia, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday. The billionaire will meet with prosecutors in the coming days as part of an inquiry into claims that the Saudi government hacked his phone and obtained private information that ended up in the tabloid's possession, the person told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The meeting comes after Bezos' longtime security consultant, Gavin de Becker, wrote in The Daily Beast last month that private investigators had "concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos' phone and gained private information." The Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., has had business dealings with Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom has denied any role in hacking Bezos' phone or providing his private information to the Enquirer. Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs said recently that the kingdom had "absolutely nothing to do with" the matter. "This sounds to me like a soap opera," the minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, told CBS' "Face the Nation." ''This is something between the two parties." Messages were sent to AMI seeking comment Thursday. An attorney for the company, Elkan Abramowitz, has denied that the Enquirer committed extortion and defended the tabloid's handling of the situation as part of a standard legal negotiation. FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2018, file photo, Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, speaks at The Economic Club in Washington. Federal prosecutors in New York are planning to meet with Bezos about his allegations that the National Enquirer tried to blackmail him with help from Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) Bezos, the world's richest man, has said the Enquirer threatened to publish explicit photographs of him unless he publicly declared that the tabloid's coverage of him was not politically motivated and stopped investigating how it obtained private texts between Bezos and his mistress, former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that AMI paid $200,000 to Sanchez's brother, Michael Sanchez, to obtain Bezos' intimate texts. But de Becker suggested the Enquirer had been aware of Bezos' affair before it ever reached out to Sanchez's brother, and that the "initial information came from other channels." De Becker didn't describe what evidence he had backing his assertion that Saudi Arabia got access to Bezos' phone, saying he couldn't disclose specifics of the investigation "to respect officials pursuing this case." He said his inquiry "included a broad array of resources," including discussions with Saudi dissidents and whistleblowers and "people who personally know" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan declined to comment. Bezos' attorneys also had no comment. When he first aired his allegations against the Enquirer in a blog post, Bezos alluded to a possible relationship between AMI and Saudi Arabia, writing that "the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve." Last year, the tabloid produced a glossy magazine that included 97 pages saluting Saudi Arabia ahead of bin Salman's arrival in the U.S. on a public relations blitz to promote his country. AMI sent a letter to the Justice Department in May saying it had allowed a representative of the Saudi government to review a draft of the magazine and suggest changes before it went to press. The company said neither the Saudi crown prince nor his representatives had asked for the publication to be produced, that it was made solely based on a business decision, and that no foreign funding was involved. The letter sought guidance on whether AMI's relationship with Saudi Arabia required it to register as a foreign agent under U.S. law. The Justice Department said that, based on the information provided by the company, it did not. AMI's chief executive, David Pecker, is a longtime friend of President Donald Trump. During the 2016 election, the company assisted Trump's presidential campaign by paying $150,000 to Playboy centerfold Karen McDougal for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump and then burying the story. The U.S. attorney in New York agreed not to prosecute the company in exchange for its cooperation into an investigation of Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes. That agreement required the company to break no laws. CHICAGO (AP) - A red brick two-flat on Chicago's South Side that once belonged to gangster Al Capone has been sold after being on the market for years. Listing agent Ryan Smith says the 2,820-square-foot (262-square-meter) building in the city's Park Manor neighborhood sold last week for $226,000, more than twice the $109,900 asking price. The buyer wasn't identified. The previous owner listed the building in 2009 for $450,000 and lowered the price over the years. Capone paid about $15,000 for the building in 1923. The names of his mother and wife were on the deed. The Capone family owned the building until the death of his mother in the 1950s. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in 1989 rejected bids to make the building a landmark. PARIS (AP) - Religious statues set atop Notre Dame Cathedral have come down for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration of the monumental Paris church's towering spire. A 100-meter-high (105-yard) crane lowered the copper statues representing the 12 apostles and four evangelists onto a truck, giving the public a ground-level look for the first time on Thursday. The figures regular posts look over the Paris from Notre Dame's 96-meter-high peak. The 3-meter-tall statues are being sent to southwestern France for work that is part of a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the cathedral spire and its 250 tons of lead. The religious statue representing St. Paul perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) The religious statue representing St. Andrew perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) The religious statue representing St. Andrew perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) The religious statue representing St. Andrew perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) The head of a religious statue representing St. Thomas atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is loaded in a box prior to descend to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) A Pennsylvania man created a digital image of himself pointing an AR-15 rifle at a group of praying Jewish men and posted it online, one of several cyber threats he made against Jewish, Muslim and black people, prosecutors said Thursday in announcing a criminal charge. Corbin Kauffman, 30, used aliases to post hundreds of racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic messages, images and videos, several of which contained threats, prosecutors said. Kauffman "expressed a desire to commit genocide and 'hate crimes,' and called for or depicted images of the killing of Jewish people, black people and Muslim people," the U.S. attorney's office in Scranton said in a news release. The Lehighton man was charged April 1 with interstate transmission of threats, a federal crime that carries a maximum of five years in prison. Kauffman's lawyer, Christopher Opiel, declined to comment Thursday. Kauffman was released from custody pending the outcome of his case on condition that he stay off the internet. An arrest warrant said that on March 7, Kauffman, posting under the username "KingShekels," sent an image of a notebook page with a swastika, dripping blood and the words, "MURDER YOUR LOCAL JUDEN." It was signed "CK Shekel." Kauffman also sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti at a park; plastered a display case at Chabad Jewish Center in Ocean City, Maryland, with white supremacist and anti-Semitic stickers; and posted photos of the vandalism, according to prosecutors. Last fall, a gunman with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons opened fire at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, killing 11 worshippers. Authorities in that case say Robert Bowers expressed hatred of Jews. Bowers, 46, has pleaded not guilty. "Pennsylvanians know all too well how dangerous these kinds of white supremacist threats can be," U.S. Attorney David Freed said in a statement that referenced the synagogue massacre, as well as hate-inspired mass shootings at a New Zealand mosque and a black church in South Carolina. "We don't know what might have happened, but we take these threats seriously." Michael Harpster of the Philadelphia FBI said that while the agency "does not and will not police ideology, we stand ready to intervene whenever threatening language crosses the line into illegal activity." WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (all times local): 12:55 p.m. President Donald Trump says the U.S. wants to see sanctions against North Korea continue for now. In an Oval Office meeting with the leader of South Korea on Thursday, Trump said he thinks that sanctions being used to pressure Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) to give up his nuclear weapons program are at a level that's "fair." It is South Korean President Moon Jae-in's first meeting with Trump since Trump's unsuccessful summit with Kim in Vietnam in February. Moon has been acting as a go-between to resolve the nuclear standoff. Moon has worked aggressively to foster better relations between the North and the South and doesn't want to see nuclear talks derailed. President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-In in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump says the U.S. wants sanctions to "remain in place." ___ 12:45 p.m. The leader of South Korea says that since President Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) in Vietnam, there has been a marked reduction in "military tension" with North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is meeting with Trump at the White House for the first time since the unsuccessful summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi. Moon said Thursday that South Korea believes that Trump will be able to solve the nuclear standoff through dialogue. Moon says the important task now is to "maintain the momentum of dialogue" and hold a third summit in the future. Trump says a third summit could happen but that's it's "step by step." He wouldn't say whether he had talked to Kim since the Hanoi meeting in late February. ___ 12:40 p.m. President Donald Trump says he's going to talk with the president of South Korea about prospects for future meetings to negotiate an end to the nuclear standoff with North Korea. Efforts to get North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) to give up his nuclear weapons tops the agenda of Trump's meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump says that it's going to be a "productive" day of talks and that over time "tremendous things will happen" with North Korea. Trump also says that he continues to have good relations with Kim and that they had a good meeting in Vietnam although they didn't accomplish what they wanted. A third summit between Trump and Kim has not been announced. The South Korean leader has been shuttling between Washington and Pyongyang (pyuhng-yahng) to keep the nuclear talks on track. ___ 12:15 p.m. President Donald Trump is meeting with the leader of South Korea to discuss a way forward for nuclear talks with North Korea. It is President Moon Jae-in's first meeting with Trump since an unsuccessful nuclear summit with Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) in February in Hanoi. And it comes amid uncertainty over whether Kim is considering backing out of negotiations or restarting nuclear and missile tests. The South Korean leader has been shuttling between Washington and Pyongyang (pyuhng-yahng) to keep the nuclear talks on track. The Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that at a party meeting on Wednesday, Kim stressed "self-reliance" in his country to "deal a telling blow to the hostile forces" that "go with bloodshot eyes miscalculating that sanctions can bring" North Korea "to its knees." President Donald Trump walks with South Korean President Moon Jae-In to the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose for photographs with South Korean President Moon Jae-In and his wife Kim Jung-Sook outside the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose for photographs with South Korean President Moon Jae-In and his wife Kim Jung-Sook outside the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet South Korean President Moon Jae-In and his wife Kim Jung-Sook on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to greet South Korean President Moon Jae-In and his wife Kim Jung-Sook on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-In in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) South Korean President Moon Jae-In meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) MINSK, Belarus (AP) - The president of Belarus on Thursday threatened to retaliate against Russia for what he called its "insolent" trade restrictions. The statement by President Alexander Lukashenko reflected simmering tensions between the former Soviet neighbors. Russia and Belarus are allies with close political, economic and military ties, but they regularly engage in vociferous trade arguments. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for a quarter-century while relying on Russian loans and cheap energy to keep its Soviet-style economy afloat. He has described a recent Russian oil price hike as part of Moscow's efforts to force Belarus to abandon its independence. Speaking at a meeting with Cabinet officials, Lukashenko said Russia "has grown insolent and started twisting our arm" by banning agriculture products from Belarus. He suggested that Belarus could retaliate by shutting down for repairs transit pipelines that carry Russian crude oil to the West. "If you need to make repairs to the pipelines that carry oil and oil products via Belarus, do it," Lukashenko told officials. "Because the good things we do for the Russian Federation turn out badly for us." Russian officials have accused Belarus of serving as a conduit for counterfeit supplies of Western agricultural products that Moscow banned in retaliation for the U.S. and the EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine. FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 file photo, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Sochi, Russia. Belarus' president has lashed out at Russia, blasting its trade restrictions against his country and threatening to retaliate. President Alexander Lukashenko's statement reflects simmering tensions between the two neighbors and allies, who have close political and economic ties but often engage in angry bickering. Lukashenko said Thursday, April 11 that Russia "has grown insolent and started twisting our hands" by banning Belarusian agricultural products. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool Photo via AP, File) "They don't like our carrots or lettuce or cucumbers," Lukashenko said of Russia. "They close their market for us." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that Russia and Belarus have economic disagreements but dismissed Lukashenko's claim that Moscow was deliberately putting pressure on Belarus. "Russia provides a huge amount of direct and indirect aid to Belarus," he said. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Attorney General William Barr, Congress and the Russia probe (all times local): 1:35 p.m. The Senate's top Democrat says Attorney General Robert Barr has "destroyed the scintilla of credibility he had left" with his testimony before Congress this week. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York made the remark to reporters a day after Barr told a Senate committee that he believes "spying" occurred on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Schumer says Barr was purposely using phrasing employed by conspiracy theorists and "the president's allies on Fox News." Conservatives have accused the FBI of improperly investigating whether Trump's campaign had inappropriate contacts with Russia. Schumer says he and fellow Democrats have little faith Barr will be "fair and dispassionate" in deciding what material to withhold when he releases a report by special counsel Robert Mueller. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined at right by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Mueller investigated Russian involvement in the Trump campaign. ___ 1:05 p.m. President Donald Trump says he believes Attorney General William Barr was correct in saying that spying did occur on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Trump was asked about Barr's comments during an Oval Office meeting Thursday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump says what Barr claimed "was absolutely true." Trump says he would go a step further and call it "illegal spying," adding "there was spying in my campaign and his answer was a very accurate one." Barr suggested to Congress the origins of the Russia investigation may have been mishandled, but later said he wasn't sure there had been improper surveillance. Still, his remarks have given Trump a new avenue to make the assertion that his 2016 campaign was unfairly targeted by the FBI. __ 1 a.m. Attorney General William Barr says he thinks "spying did occur" against Donald Trump's presidential campaign. His comments before a Senate panel on Wednesday suggest the origins of the Russia investigation may have been mishandled. Barr's remarks aligned him with the president at a time when his independence is under scrutiny. Barr did not say what "spying" may have taken place, but he seemed to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a Trump aide. He later said he wasn't sure there had been improper surveillance but wanted to make sure proper procedures were followed. Barr was testifying for a second day at congressional budget hearings that were dominated by questions about special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation. President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. Trump declared that "I know nothing about WikiLeaks" after its disheveled founder Julian Assange was hauled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to face charges, a stark contrast to how candidate Trump showered praise on Assange's hacking organization night after night during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Attorney General William Barr reacts as he appears before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee to make his Justice Department budget request, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in Washington. Barr said Wednesday that he was reviewing the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. He said he believed the president's campaign had been spied on and he was concerned about possible abuses of government power. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on the Environmental Protection Agency's decision not to compel General Electric to restart dredging in the Hudson River (all times local): 1:30 p.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to hold General Electric accountable for cleaning up the Hudson River. The EPA on Thursday declined to compel Boston-based GE to restart dredging in the Hudson River. The federal agency issued a certificate to GE that it completed its remedial action under the federal Superfund program. Cuomo and fellow Democrat Attorney General Letitia James say New York state intends to sue the EPA over its decision. They claim levels of the contaminant PCB remain unacceptably high in the riverbed and in fish. EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez stressed that GE can still be compelled in the coming decades to do more work, including additional dredging. Cuomo says the Trump Administration is putting corporations' interests ahead of public health and the environment. ___ 10:25 a.m. The Environmental Protection Agency has declined to compel General Electric to restart dredging in the Hudson River, despite calls from New York officials and environmentalists. EPA Regional Administrator Peter Lopez said Thursday more time and testing are needed to fully assess GE's $1.7 billion Hudson River cleanup. The federal agency issued a certificate to Boston-based GE that it completed its remedial action under the Superfund cleanup. But Lopez said the certificate does not leave Boston-based GE "off the hook" for more work if the EPA later concludes additional cleanup is needed. Critics had urged the EPA to withhold the certificate, saying river PCB levels remain too high. GE completed removal of 2.75 million cubic yards (2.1 million cubic meters) of PCB-contaminated river sediment north of Albany in 2015. ___ 9:20 a.m. The Environmental Protection Agency says more time is needed to assess General Electric's $1.7 billion Hudson River cleanup, and it's not calling for more dredging at this time. The federal agency said on Thursday it issued a certificate to Boston-based GE that it completed its remedial action under the Superfund cleanup. But the agency said more monitoring of the river and the fish is needed to judge the cleanup's effectiveness. Many New York officials and environmentalists had urged the EPA to withhold the certificate, saying river PCB levels remain too high. GE completed removal of 2.75 million cubic yards (2.1 million cubic meters) of PCB-contaminated river sediment north of Albany in 2015. The EPA says GE could potentially be compelled to conduct additional dredging if future river conditions warrant. ___ 1 a.m. The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to make an announcement on General Electric's $1.7 billion Hudson River cleanup. Regional Administrator Pete Lopez is slated to discuss the Superfund cleanup with reporters Thursday morning. Last week, New York's top environmental official said the federal government was about to announce Boston-based GE met its cleanup goal, despite opposition from environmentalists and state officials. Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos told the Albany Times Union editorial board that his office has been in contact with the EPA over a potential finding that GE's dredging satisfies a 2002 agreement with regulators. The "certificate of completion" could absolve GE of further liability for polychlorinated biphenyls in the river. Seggos, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a number of environmental groups believe PCB levels remain too high. CAIRO (AP) - Sudan's defense minister, who led the overthrow Thursday of autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir, has had his assets blocked by the U.S. Treasury since 2007 for supporting and managing militias accused of carrying out genocide in the country's Darfur conflict. In a televised statement, Gen. Awad ibn Ouf declared that the military had removed and arrested al-Bashir and that it will rule the country for the next two years as part of a transitional council along with the powerful security and intelligence agencies. His appearance made him the face of military rule, and the general is likely to become the country's formal leader, though the makeup of the council has not yet been announced. That has stunned and angered protesters who have been holding rallies for months demanding al-Bashir's ouster and the establishment of civilian-led democracy. Ibn Ouf, in his mid-60s, is a longtime insider in the leadership of al-Bashir's 30-year rule. He rose up in the ranks to become chief of Sudan's military intelligence and was made defense minister in 2015. Al-Bashir named him as a vice president in February. He was among other Sudanese officials placed on a U.S. sanctions list for his role in the bloodshed in the western region of Darfur. Al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide over the conflict in which 200,000 people were killed. The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated government of discrimination. The government in Khartoum was accused of retaliating by arming local nomadic Arab tribes in militias known as the Janjaweed and unleashing them on civilian populations. The militias became notorious for massacres and rapes. Government officials denied the charges. Sudanese celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo) In 2007, the U.S. Treasury Department blocked ibn Ouf's assets along with two other Sudanese officials for their role in "fomenting violence and human rights abuses in Darfur." It accused them of acting as "liaisons" between the government and the Janjaweed. It said ibn Ouf "provided the Janjaweed with logistical support and directed attacks." At the time, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. said, "Even in the face of sanctions, these individuals have continued to play direct roles in the terrible atrocities of Darfur." George Clooney and John Prendergast, co-founders of The Sentry, an investigative initiative created to uncover the financial networks behind conflicts in Africa, singled out ibn Ouf for his role in Darfur and said al-Bashir's ouster is not enough. "Removing the leader of a violent, corrupt system without dismantling that system is inadequate. The next steps are crucial," the two said in a statement. They urged the international community to help Sudan to have a new president who "reflects the will of people." FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a dispute over a defendant's shoes led to a judge ordering a detention sergeant to be handcuffed and briefly charged with contempt of court. The Miami Herald reports Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan called murder case defendant Richard Walker to testify Wednesday in his courtroom. The sergeant told the judge Walker's shoes, which his lawyer had brought for the court appearance, weren't checked and approved by sheriff's officials. Usan insisted that Walker testify. The sergeant resisted, citing security rules. The judge said the sergeant was in contempt and ordered another deputy to handcuff her. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony says the deputy was following procedure and that properly vetting an inmate's attire is not done in a courtroom. The matter was resolved when Tony spoke to the chief judge. RENO, Nev. (AP) - Computer scientist Chris Schmandt doesn't visit Nevada for the casinos, but he does appreciate the state's nightlife. Schmandt of Boston prefers to go beyond the glowing reach of lights in Las Vegas and Reno to relax in the most remote corners of the state. "I'm one of those people who thinks about what the world was like before electricity," said Schmandt, who noticed Nevada's dark night skies while poring over satellite images depicting the spread of light pollution across North America. "I was looking for places to go and NASA has a nice composition image of the Earth at night from space," Schmandt said. "I figured the dark places were places where there weren't a lot of people. And there is a lot of dark in Nevada." Soon, people won't have to search satellite photos to learn about Nevada's position among the best places for night sky enthusiasts to escape light pollution. That's because a remote area in the northwest corner of the state is poised to become just the seventh spot on the planet to be designated a Dark Sky Sanctuary. The designation for the Massacre Rim area about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Reno will be just the fourth sanctuary of its kind in the United States and the first in Nevada. "I figured the dark places were places where there weren't a lot of people. And there is a lot of dark in Nevada" Other U.S. dark sky sanctuaries include Cosmic Campground in New Mexico, Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah and Devils River-State Natural Area Del Norte in Texas. There are also sanctuaries outside the U.S. in New Zealand and Chile. "This designation literally puts Washoe County on the Dark Sky map," said Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, a group that led the charge for the designation. "We are just thrilled that this special place has been recognized for its natural values." Friends of Nevada Wilderness announced the designation last weekend. The designation shows the International Dark Sky Association, founded in 1988 in Tucson, Ariz., considers the area to have "exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment" and should remain protected for scientific, ecological and cultural benefit. Research shows artificial light can disrupt wildlife which depend on natural cycles of light and darkness for everything from hunting to sleeping to migration. Skies unpolluted by artificial light, which are rare throughout much of the world, also provide a glimpse at the way the sky and landscape would have looked to people throughout the majority of humans' time on the planet. "The sky ruled more of your life than it does now," Schmandt said. It won't change any access rules or regulations for Massacre Rim, a designated wilderness study area of 101,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management about 160 miles (257 kilometers) east of Redding, California near the Nevada and Oregon state lines. But it will elevate its profile as a destination for people who want to experience solitude and starlight the way humans would have experienced it before electricity and industrialization. "The sanctuary designation is for places that have extremely dark skies," said Adam Dalton, the association's Dark Sky Places program manager. "Sanctuaries not only are dark but are really remote." BLM spokesman Jeff Fontana said the agency wrote a letter of support for the designation in 2016. To achieve the designation, workers from Friends of Nevada Wilderness had to document the darkness of the sky using objective measurements. The group, which advocates on behalf of wilderness designations in the state, sent workers into the field on several nights in April and July of 2018. They drove around the fringe of the area and hiked into the interior and used light-measuring instruments to capture readings to show how the look of the sky rated on the Bortle Scale, a nine-point system that measures the visibility of stars and other natural light in the night sky. "It is something magical to drive around the WSA at night," said Kurt Kuznicki, associate director of Friends who helped take readings. "You start drinking coffee at 10 o'clock at night and drive around listening to the radio." They documented qualities such as the ability to see distinct features of the Milky Way, entities such as the M33 galaxy and natural starlight bright enough to cause objects to cast shadows. Their findings showed the area ranked at the top of the Bortle Scale and worthy of the Dark Sky Sanctuary designation. Kuznicki said visiting Massacre Rim at night reminded him of hiking into the Golden Trout Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra with his dad in the early 1970s. It was on those trips from Long Beach, where Kuznicki was raised, that he gained an appreciation for escaping light pollution that prevents people in urbanized areas from the primeval experience of a pure night sky. "I would like to see folks appreciate the resource they have in northern Washoe," Kuznicki said. "Right in our backyard we have these special places and we have the opportunity to protect it right now." ___ Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com NEW YORK (AP) - David Oyelowo kept his distance from the rest of the actors while filming the upcoming six-part retelling of "Les Miserables ." It wasn't personal. Dominic West would often invite his fellow actors out for a bite or just to hang out but Oyelowo would repeatedly decline. West wondered why it was so hard to get to know Oyelowo. The reason was because Oyelowo was playing the morally rigid, obsessive Inspector Javert and felt he had stay an arm's length away to remain in character. "I wanted to feel like an outsider. I wanted to feel like a shark," said Oyelowo. "I like to lose myself in whatever I'm doing. I think that gives you a better chance of making the audience go on that journey with you." The added preparation can be seen on PBS' "Masterpiece" beginning Sunday when Javert begins his hunt for the heroic fugitive Jean Valjean, played by West, in a powerful adaptation of Victor Hugo's mammoth novel by screenwriter Andrew Davies. The six-hour series is grounded in the sprawling, tumultuous book, not the musical. It also stars Lily Collins as Fantine, Derek Jacobi as the Bishop of Digne and Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier. This April 8, 2019 photo shows actors Dominic West, from left, Lily Collins, and David Oyelowo posing for a portrait in New York to promote their PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) Several of the actors admitted they were initially skeptical about the project so soon after the recent Tom Hooper-directed film until they read or reread Hugo's book, something West calls "incredibly accessible masterwork." The series tells the tale of the long-suffering Valjean and his never-ending flight from Javert. Their relationship - a former criminal who shows he can change and the policeman who doesn't believe in redemption - is played out against a backdrop of student revolution and a new generation finding their voices. Huge themes are explored, including the plight of the underclass, the notion of inherent criminality, the force of justice and the role of citizens. Some are touched on in the musical theater version but the new series promises a fuller look. "People, of course, may tune in thinking they know the complete story. But this allows for six hours of material," Collins said. "It was amazing to be able to have an entire episode dedicated to what would have normally been a song lyric." Oyelowo said he thinks the new PBS adaptation can co-exist with the musical. "The way I think about it: For those who love the book, this six hours gives you the opportunity to see these characters come to life in a way that I think is authentic to the book," he said. "And for those who love the musical, you get to go a little bit deeper and, if you need to go and cheer yourself up afterwards, by all means go and listen to 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.'" Audiences will find no rose-colored adaptation. There is grime and filth, sweat and gore. The back alleys and prisons are positively hellish. As Collins said: "You feel like you can smell Paris." "We definitely didn't want to do the chocolate box, polite version of this because we wanted it to be relevant to now," said Oyelowo. "We wanted to show what life actually was like then." Because of the shooting sequence, Collins' hair did not have to be cut as Fantine falls from a seamstress to a prostitute, selling her locks to keep her daughter safe. But West's scalp was less lucky, looking like he lost a battle with an angry lawn mower. "It's interesting how pretty much my entire performance is dictated by the hairstyles," he laughs. The cast immediately saw in the novel connections to the modern day, even though "Les Miserables" described events in nineteenth century Paris. Oyelowo pointed to both Fantine's financial misery and the unjustness of Valjean's imprisonment. "You only have to be alive and in the work force in 2008 to know what the economic crash meant for so many people," he said. "Same thing when it comes to this idea of inherent criminality. That is something that we see politicians attributing to certain sections of society and manifesting in the prison-industrial complex." As for Oyelowo's onset standoffishness, that melted away on the last day of shooting in Cannes. He and West had a great night out, prompting West to say: "We should have done this months ago!" Oyelowo explained why he had been so distant. West was astonished. "You come across actors who are just so much more committed than you," he said, laughing. ___ Online: http://pbs.org/masterpiece ___ Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits This April 8, 2019 photo show actors Dominic West posing for a portrait in New York to promote his PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) This April 8, 2019 photo shows actor David Oyelowo posing for a portrait in New York to promote his PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) This April 8, 2019 photo shows actress Lily Collins posing for a portrait in New York to promote her PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) This April 8, 2019 photo shows actress Lily Collins posing for a portrait in New York to promote her PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) This April 8, 2019 photo shows actor David Oyelowo posing for a portrait in New York to promote his PBS mini-series "Les Miserables," premiering on Sunday. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP) Powerful storms swept across the South on Sunday after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least eight people, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town. Three children were among the dead. Nearly 90,000 customers were without electricity in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday Sunday, according to www.poweroutage.us as the severe weather left a trail of destruction. Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. The tree "flattened the car like a pancake," said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriff's Office. The children, ages 8 and 3, were dead at the scene, while both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said. At least one person was killed and about two dozen others were injured after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in East Texas during a Native American cultural event in Alto, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis said the fatality that was reported was of a woman who died of her critical injuries. In neighboring Houston County, the sheriff's office said one person was killed in Weches, 6 miles southwest of Caddo Mound. Roman Brown moves part of a wall out of his way as he looks for a friends medicine in their destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after a storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district canceled classes until its buildings can be deemed safe. A tornado flattened much of the south side of Franklin, Texas, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. Franklin is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas. The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph (225.3 kph). It destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were hospitalized for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from damaged dwellings. Heavy rains and storms raked Mississippi into the night Saturday as the storms moved east. Roy Ratliff, 95, died after a tree crashed onto his trailer in northeastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference, adding that a tornado had struck. Nineteen residents were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. A tornado was reported in the area 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, at the time. In Hamilton, Mississippi, 72-year-old Robert Scott said he had been sleeping in his recliner late Saturday when he was awakened and found himself in his yard after a tornado ripped most of his home off its foundation. His 71-year-old wife, Linda, was in a different part of the house and also survived, he said. They found each other while crawling through the remnants of the house they have lived in since 1972. "We're living, and God has blessed us," Scott, a retired manager for a grocery store meat department, said Sunday as neighbors helped him salvage his belongings. National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported, but officials reported damage to several businesses and vehicles. The storm is expected to continue moving toward the Northeast where its impact has already been devastating. The Times Gazette reported several homes and businesses were damaged after an apparent tornado struck Shelby, Ohio, Sunday about 4 p.m. Shelby is about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) northeast of Cleveland. The Richland County Emergency Management Agency reported about a half-dozen homes were damaged and at least six people were taken to a hospital to be treated for storm-related injuries. The National Weather Service has issued tornado watch warnings for parts of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. But the majority of damaged remained in the Southern part of the U.S. The storm damaged a roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, and Mississippi State University's 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado neared the campus in Starkville. University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus. The large storm system also caused flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported. Authorities said 13-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez drowned in a drainage canal after flash flooding struck Bawcomville, near Monroe, said Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department. Separately, one person died when a car was submerged in floodwaters in Calhoun, also near Monroe. As the storm moved into Alabama, a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged mobile homes in Troy, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Montgomery. Near the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, a county employee died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, said Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after being taken to a hospital. The forecast of severe weather forced officials at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, to start the final round of the tournament early on Sunday in order to finish in midafternoon before it began raining. Sandra Cotten of Flora, Miss., looks at her uprooted 100-year old oak tree that now lies across her yard and two streets, Sunday, April 14, 2019. Cotten recalled hearing a loud "swosh" as the massive oak fell next to her house in Saturday's severe weather. She lamented the tree's loss for the summer shade it provided. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) A roof a home that was blown off a home rests on the ground in Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) A man looks at a piece of wood that was blown through the windshield of his daughters truck in Hamilton, Miss., after a storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Robert Scott looks through a family Bible that he pulled out of the rubble Sunday, April 14, 2019, from his Seely Drive home outside of Hamilton, Miss., after an apparent tornado touched down Saturday night. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Roman Brown, left and Sam Crawford, right move part of a shower wall out of their way as they help a friend look for their medicine in their destroyed home Sunday, April 14, 2019, along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after an apparent tornado touched down Saturday, April, 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Riley Carter, left and Thomas Boles, center help Jerry Whitaker, right clean up the remains of his brothers house on Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after a storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Leslie Harrington kneels down to help a former neighbor and family friend look for jewelry in her destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) In this image made with a wide angle lens, debris is littered on the ground where a home once stood in Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) David Poole of Flora, Miss., recalls seeing the falling debris from Saturday's storm as he begins clean up Sunday, April 14, 2019. Poole, 63, said he spent much of the evening outside his home with a broom, sweeping away flash flood waters from the intense rain. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Vehicles travel through a flooded section of Highway 61 South following severe weather on Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Vicksburg, Miss. Authorities say a possible tornado has touched down in western Mississippi, causing damage to several businesses and vehicles. John Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, says a twister was reported Saturday in the Vicksburg area of Mississippi and was indicated on radar. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP) A gas station is damaged following severe weather, Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Vicksburg, Miss. Authorities say a possible tornado has touched down in western Mississippi, causing damage to several businesses and vehicles. John Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, says a twister was reported Saturday in the Vicksburg area of Mississippi and was indicated on radar. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP) Shop owners and workers stand outside of their shops and walk through debris in the Pemberton Quarters strip mall following severe weather Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Vicksburg, Miss. Authorities say a possible tornado has touched down in western Mississippi, causing damage to several businesses and vehicles. John Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, says a twister was reported Saturday in the Vicksburg area of Mississippi and was indicated on radar. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP) Debris is strewn in flooded water in the Pemberton Quarters strip mall following severe weather Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Vicksburg, Miss. Authorities say a possible tornado has touched down in western Mississippi, causing damage to several businesses and vehicles. John Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, says a twister was reported Saturday in the Vicksburg area of Mississippi and was indicated on radar. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP) Tree limbs await removal so insurance adjusters can review the damage from Saturday's storm, in Flora, Miss., Sunday, April 14, 2019. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Far from the din of Washington, Ivanka Trump toured businesses run by women in Ethiopia on Sunday while promoting a White House global economic program for women. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser visited a coffee shop and textile company in Addis Ababa. It was her first stop in Africa on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Aiming to offer assistance and learn about the struggles of women in business, she took part in a traditional coffee ceremony, visited with weavers and announced new financial support for businesses. "Investing in women is smart development policy and it's smart business," Trump said, sitting in Dumerso Coffee, a dimly lighted space with a woven ceiling, tile floor and colorful paintings. Alongside were women who work in the industry. "It's also in our security interest, because women, when we're empowered, foster peace and stability," she said. This is Ivanka Trump's first visit to Africa since the president launched the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. It's a program she hopes will outlast an administration better known for "America First" isolationism. She has drawn praise for taking on this project and for making the trip. But thousands of miles from Washington, she is sure to be shadowed by her father's efforts to cut international aid, as well as his past disparaging comments about Africa. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, reacts as she tries her hand at a traditional weaving loom at Muya, a manufacturing center of textile and traditional crafts, with Muya founder Sara Abera, Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and later this week the Ivory Coast to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Ivanka Trump arrived in Ethiopia early Sunday, flying commercial. She first visited the coffee shop and then went to the textile and craft manufacturer Muya, where she was greeted by dancers and chatted with women seated at colorful looms. She took a seat at one herself. She also noted that she was in the country with Africa's second-highest population. "Ethiopia's success is Africa's success," she said. "We learned today that the quality of the coffee is second to none. You shared with me that Ethiopian cotton rivals cotton anywhere in the world. And then of course the skills and the craftsmanship of the Ethiopian people. We hope more people realize their full potential." Ivanka Trump was accompanied by Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and David Bohigian, the acting president of the Overseas Private Investment Corp., which provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. OPIC, working with Ivanka Trump, last year announced a project geared at women. At the coffee shop they announced a loan, issued by a local women-focused bank and backed by USAID, for a coffee business owned by women. At Muya, they announced additional OPIC financing. Later in the trip, she plans to meet with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In Ivory Coast, she will visit a cocoa farm and participate in a meeting on economic opportunities for women in West Africa. That gathering is part of the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, a program that Ivanka Trump pushed the bank to introduce. She will be joined in Ivory Coast by a U.S. congressional delegation that will include U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the White House. Reaction to the visit reflected the contradictions of Ivanka Trump's role. Activist Marakie Tesfaye, who founded a group in Ethiopia for women, welcomed the attention. "I think she's coming genuinely to empower women and it's good that she's coming because she will push forward our agenda," she said. Ethiopian journalist Sisay Woubshet was more skeptical, citing Donald Trump's past comments. "I don't think people will have a good feeling about his daughter's visit this time around to promote her global initiative towards women." For Ivanka Trump, those challenges come with the territory. She has spent two years promoting a family-friendly agenda in an administration focused on hard-line immigration tactics and protectionist trade policies. To questions about international aid spending, she has said the administration strives to be generous in a "fiscally responsible way," and has argued that investing in her project, which builds on previous White House efforts, is a way to promote security in developing countries. The new global women's initiative involves the U.S. State Department, the U.S. National Security Council and other American agencies. It aims to assist women in developing countries with job training, financial support and legal or regulatory reforms. Money for the effort will come through USAID, which initially set up a $50 million fund using dollars already budgeted. The president's 2020 budget proposal requests an additional $100 million for the initiative, which will also be supported by programs across the government as well as private investment. Experts praised the government-wide approach, which will incorporate new and existing programs, though some stressed that it was early in the process. The investment comes as the president is proposing cuts to foreign aid, and as the administration is expanding a ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions. "The part of the proposal which is around looking at laws - that is a good thing to focus on," said Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, referencing the initiative's support for changing laws, regulations and customs that create barriers preventing women from fully participating in the workforce. But he said the abortion-related ban could have a negative economic impact. "I think one of the most powerful tools for women's economic empowerment is the ability to choose when and how many children they have," Kenny said. Daniel Runde of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Ivanka Trump was strategically building on the work of past administrations. He called her an effective "goodwill ambassador" for the issues and a smart emissary to send to Africa. Hillary Clinton, as U.S. secretary of state, "provided high-level attention to these issues," said Runde, who previously worked for USAID and is an informal adviser to the administration on development policy. "Ivanka Trump is playing a similar role to the role that Secretary Clinton played." ___ Associated Press writers Elias Meseret in Addis Ababa, and Alexis Adele in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, contributed to this report. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, center, attends a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Kidist Birhanu, left, and Eleni Melesse, with USAID, right. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump sips coffee during a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and then Ivory Coast to promote a global economical program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) A woman bows while roasting coffee beans as another holds out a bowl of popcorn as they greet White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, with Muya founder Sara Abera, as she arrives at the manufacturing center of textile and traditional crafts, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and Ivory Coast this week to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, right, reacts as she is greeted with singing and dancing at Muya, a textile and traditional crafts manufacturing center, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast this week to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump walks in a short rainfall under an umbrella after attending a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, center, attends a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Kidist Birhanu, left, and Eleni Melesse, with USAID, right. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, with Dumerso Coffee cafe owner Hirut Birhanu, right, is welcomed to a coffee ceremony at the cafe, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Kidist Birhanu, left, invites White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump to smell the coffee during a coffee ceremony at Dumerso Coffee, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, with Muya founder Sara Abera, right, tours traditional weaving at Muya, a manufacturing center of textiles and traditional crafts, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and Ivory Coast this week to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, reacts to a warm greeting from traditional weavers during a tour of Muya, a manufacturing center of textiles and traditional crafts, Sunday April 14, 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and Ivory Coast this week to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) The Latest on severe weather in the South (all times local): 11:35 p.m. A suspected tornado hit a rural Ohio city, as the storm that pummeled the South made its way to the Northeast. The Times Gazette reported several homes and businesses were damaged after an apparent tornado struck Shelby, Ohio, Sunday about 4 p.m. Shelby is about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) from Cleveland. The Richland County Emergency Management Agency reported about a half-dozen homes were damaged and at least six people were taken to a hospital to be treated for storm-related injuries. A man looks at a piece of wood that was blown through the windshield of his daughters truck in Hamilton, Miss., after a storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The National Weather Service has issued tornado watch warnings for parts of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Sunday's warnings come as a severe storm in the South destroyed homes, hospitalized people and caused the deaths of eight people. ____ 4:15 p.m. Two more deaths have been blamed on the weekend storms that ravaged the South, bringing the death toll to at least eight. One of the deaths in East Texas was that of a person initially among those injured when a tornado tore through the Caddo Mound State Historical Site during a Native American cultural festival Saturday. Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis says the woman has died of her critical injuries. The National Weather Service says a tornado rated EF-3 with winds of about 140 mph (225 kph) tore through the Caddo Mound area. In neighboring Houston County, the sheriff's office has confirmed one person was killed in Weches, some 6 miles (10 kilometers) southwest of Caddo Mound. ____ 2:15 p.m. A party of about two dozen members of a South Carolina music school is finally on its way to China. Severe thunderstorms Saturday forced them to spend the night at a Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport terminal. The 38-member entourage from the Horry (OH'-ree) County School of Music, along with 17 chaperones, left Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday for Dallas-Fort Worth, but storms forced their flight to divert to Little Rock, Arkansas. By the time they finally arrived at DFW, their travel plans had been completely disrupted. Tour leader Amanda O'Brien said that after some confusion, American Airlines representatives were able to get them on their way to Beijing late Sunday morning. Airline spokesman Ross Feinstein said the addition of hail to Saturday's storms and the resulting need to inspect aircraft for resulting damage forced cancellation of 350 flights from DFW Saturday. DFW Airport spokesman Casey Norton said another 47 DFW-bound flights had to be diverted elsewhere. The result: almost 7,000 people spent the night in DFW terminals, Norton said. ___ 1:28 p.m. Three more deaths are confirmed from powerful storms sweeping through the southern United States, bringing the death toll to at least six. In Louisiana, Deputy Glenn Springfield of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department said Sunday that two people died in floodwaters Saturday. He says 13-year-old Sebastian Omar Martinez died during flash flooding in the community of Bawcomville, near Monroe. Responders pulled him from a drainage canal. Several hours later, a person died in a submerged vehicle near Interstate 20 in Calhoun. A county employee in Alabama died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees toppled by the storm. Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says the worker was struck about 2:15 a.m. Sunday near in the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown and died after being taken to a hospital. His name was not immediately released. Two children died in Texas when a tree fell on a car in which they were riding, and an elderly man was killed when a tree fell on his trailer in Hamilton, Mississippi. ____ 12:30 p.m. Authorities say at least 25 people were taken to hospitals for treatment in East Texas after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Police Chief Jeremy Jackson says the injuries occurred during a Native American cultural event in Alto, Texas. Alto is about 130 miles southeast of Dallas. Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell says at least eight of those were injured critically. Damage to the town's schools has prompted the Alto Independent School District has canceled all classes until its buildings have been found to be safe. The National Weather Service was sending a survey team to Alto on Sunday to confirm if the storm was, indeed, a tornado. However, the area had been under a tornado warning at the time the storm hit. ___ 11:30 a.m. Local authorities say the intense tornado that struck the Central Texas town of Franklin destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex and part of the local housing authority building. Robertson County Judge Charles Ellison told KBTX-TV of Bryan-College Station that the south side of the town of about 1,700 residents is destroyed. Emergency Management Coordinator Billy Huggins said more than a dozen people were injured in Franklin, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Austin. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening. The National Weather Service rated the tornado EF-3 with winds of about 140 mph (225 kph). ___ 11:05 a.m. Authorities in Mississippi have identified the man who they say was killed after a tornado struck his town. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley says 95-year-old Roy Ratliff died late Saturday when a tornado toppled a tree onto Ratliff's home in the town of Hamilton. Hamilton, Mississippi, is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that a hospital clinic, some apartments, several storage units, a mechanic's shop and the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department all had major damage from the tornado. Another shop and the Monroe County Morgue were destroyed. ___ 10:45 a.m. Local emergency management officials say one person is dead after a tornado swept through a northern Mississippi town late Saturday. Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference Sunday that a man was killed in Hamilton when a tree fell on his trailer. Clay said 19 people were taken to hospitals for treatment, including two in critical condition. Hamilton, Mississippi, is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. ___ 8:35 a.m. A possible tornado has left damage in southeastern Alabama on Sunday morning. Power poles and trees were knocked over and parts of buildings were left hanging across utility lines in Troy, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Montgomery. A mobile home community was damaged, but no injuries are being reported. The National Weather Service detected a possible twister on radar, but it's unclear whether a tornado or straight-line winds caused the damage. The Storm Prediction Center says trees and power lines are down in Brewton near the Florida line, and some power is out. Homes were damaged about 250 miles (402 kilometers) to the north in Glencoe, and there's scattered damage south of Birmingham. About 65,000 homes and businesses are without power in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama along the path of storms crossing the region. ___ 12:45 a.m. Multiple people have been reported injured as tornadoes continued to flare along the Mississippi-Alabama state line late Saturday and early Sunday. Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley says multiple people were injured and multiple homes were damaged in Hamilton, Mississippi, which is 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. A tornado was reported in the area at the time. At least one mobile home was destroyed, throwing a man from the mobile home. No fatalities were reported. The roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, was damaged, although the cause was unclear. A twister hit Vicksburg, Mississippi early Saturday evening. Earlier, two children died in East Texas after a tree fell on their moving car. ___ 11:30 p.m. Deadly storms continue to move across the South after spawning suspected tornadoes and damaging several homes. The National Weather Service says a twister was reported Saturday night in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported, and news footage showed shattered windows and rooftop debris. In East Texas, authorities say two children were killed when high winds toppled a tree onto the back of the family car while it was in motion. The Angelina County Sheriff's Office says an 8-year-old and 3-year-old died after the tree hit the back of the car in Lufkin, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Houston. The parents in the front seats were not hurt. The weather service also says preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado with winds of 140 mph touched down in Franklin, located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas. ___ This story has been corrected to show Hamilton, Mississippi is about 140 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, not 60 miles. A roof a home that was blown off a home rests on the ground in Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Insulation from a home hangs in a downed tree in Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Robert Scott looks through a family Bible that he pulled out of the rubble Sunday, April 14, 2019, from his Seely Drive home outside of Hamilton, Miss., after an apparent tornado touched down Saturday night. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Sandra Cotten of Flora, Miss., looks at her uprooted 100-year old oak tree that now lies across her yard and two streets, Sunday, April 14, 2019. Cotten recalled hearing a loud "swosh" as the massive oak fell next to her house in Saturday's severe weather. She lamented the tree's loss for the summer shade it provided. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Roman Brown, left and Sam Crawford, right move part of a shower wall out of their way as they help a friend look for their medicine in their destroyed home Sunday, April 14, 2019, along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after an apparent tornado touched down Saturday, April, 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) A wreath hangs in a tree along with storm debris along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after a storm moved through Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Kayla Easterling of Flora, Miss., looks at a tree-limbed covered automobile that belongs of a member of her church, Sunday, April 14, 2019. The vehicle was one of several properties damaged or destroyed by Saturday's severe weather. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Tree limbs await removal so insurance adjusters can review the damage from Saturday's storm, in Flora, Miss., Sunday, April 14, 2019. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Roman Brown, left and Sam Crawford, right move part of a wall out of their way Sunday, April 14, 2019, as they help a friend look for their medicine in their destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after an apparent tornado touched down Saturday night, April, 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Roman Brown moves part of a wall out of his way as he looks for a friends medicine in their destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after a storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Leslie Harrington kneels down to help a former neighbor and family friend look for jewelry in her destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Riley Carter, left and Thomas Boles, center help Jerry Whitaker, right clean up the remains of his brothers house on Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss. after a storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Leslie Harrington kneels down to help a former neighbor and family friend look for jewelry in her destroyed home along Seely Drive outside of Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Powerful winds from Saturday's storm uprooted this old oak tree in Flora, as residents begin cleanup Sunday, April 14, 2019. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) David Poole of Flora, Miss., recalls seeing the falling debris from Saturday's storm as he begins clean up Sunday, April 14, 2019. Poole, 63, said he spent much of the evening outside his home with a broom, sweeping away flash flood waters from the intense rain. The storm was one of several that hit the state. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) A pine tree lies across what remains of a trailer on Center Hill Road outside of Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) In this image made with a wide angle lens, debris is littered on the ground where a home once stood in Hamilton, Miss., after a deadly storm moved through the area Sunday, April 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) Vehicles travel through a flooded section of Highway 61 South following severe weather on Saturday, April 13, 2019 in Vicksburg, Miss. Authorities say a possible tornado has touched down in western Mississippi, causing damage to several businesses and vehicles. John Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, says a twister was reported Saturday in the Vicksburg area of Mississippi and was indicated on radar. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is set to report that it raised more than $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, edging out his top two Democratic rivals combined, according to figures it provided to The Associated Press. The haul brings the campaign's cash on hand to $40.8 million, an unprecedented war chest for an incumbent president this early in a campaign. The Trump campaign said nearly 99% of its donations were of $200 or less, with an average donation of $34.26. Trump's fundraising ability was matched by the Republican National Committee, which brought in $45.8 million in the first quarter - its best non-election year total. Combined, the pro-Trump effort is reporting $82 million in the bank, with $40.8 million belonging to the campaign alone. Trump formally launched his reelection effort just hours after taking office in 2017, earlier than any incumbent has in prior years. By contrast, former President Barack Obama launched his 2012 effort in April 2011 and had under $2 million on hand at this point in the campaign. Obama went on to raise more than $720 million for his reelection. Trump's reelection effort has set a $1 billion target for 2020. FILE - In this Aug. 11, 2015, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meets supporters after addressing a GOP fundraising event in Birch Run, Mich. Trump's re-election campaign tells The Associated Press it will report raising more than $30 million in the first quarter of 2019. That's slightly more than his top two Democratic rivals combined. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement that Trump "is in a vastly stronger position at this point than any previous incumbent president running for re-election, and only continues to build momentum." Trump's fundraising with the RNC is divided between two entities: Trump Victory, the joint account used for high-dollar gifts, and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, the low-dollar digital fundraising operation known internally as "T-Magic." The campaign is set to launch a traditional "bundling" program - which it lacked in 2016 - in the coming weeks. Bundlers are mid-tier donors who bring in contributions from their associates. Together, the Trump entities have raised a combined $165.5 million since 2017. Trump is benefiting from the advantages of incumbency, like universal name recognition and his unrivaled position atop the Republican Party. Among Democrats, dollars are divided across a candidate field of well more than a dozen, while the Democratic National Committee remains in debt and has suffered from being dramatically outraised by the RNC in recent months. Bernie Sanders topped the Democratic field in the first quarter, raising slightly more than $18 million, followed by Kamala Harris with $12 million and Beto O'Rourke with $9.4 million. Trump is reporting a haul of $30.3 million. Republicans have trailed Democrats in online fundraising ever since the medium was invented roughly two decades ago. But Trump has closed the gap, driving small-dollar donors who make recurring donations to the GOP like the party has never seen before. According to RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump's campaign has already had eight seven-figure fundraising days this year, and has taken in money from more than 1 million new online donors since Trump's inauguration - including 100,000 this year. The Republican committee said it is planning on spending $30 million on maintaining and growing Trump's email list alone, recently expanded its headquarters space to an annex in Virginia and will soon invest in developing an app. In 2015, Trump swore off outside money, declaring in his opening speech: "I'm using my own money. I'm not using the lobbyists'. I'm not using donors'. I don't care. I'm really rich." He quickly reversed course on high-dollar donations after he won the GOP nomination, bowing to the financial pressures of running a general election campaign, and he'd already raised millions online through the sale of merchandise like his signature red Make America Great Again hats. Trump gave or loaned $66 million to his 2016 campaign, but has yet to spend any of his own cash for his reelection effort. Aides don't expect that to change. TOKYO (AP) - The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel Monday from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in what will be a decades-long process to decommission the facility. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said workers started removing the first of 566 used and unused fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3. The fuel units in the pool located high up in reactor buildings are intact despite the disaster, but the pools are not enclosed, so removing the units to safer ground is crucial to avoid disaster in case of another major earthquake similar to the one that caused the 2011 tsunami. TEPCO says the removal at Unit 3 will take two years, followed by the two other reactors, where about 1,000 fuel units remain in the storage pools. Removing fuel units from the cooling pools comes ahead of the real challenge of removing melted fuel from inside the reactors, but details of how that might be done are still largely unknown. Removing the fuel in the cooling pools was delayed more than four years by mishaps, high radiation and radioactive debris from an explosion that occurred at the time of the reactor meltdowns, underscoring the difficulties that remain. Workers are remotely operating a crane built underneath a jelly roll-shaped roof cover to raise the fuel from a storage rack in the pool and place it into a protective cask. The whole process occurs underwater to prevent radiation leaks. Each cask will be filled with seven fuel units, then lifted from the pool and lowered to a truck that will transport the cask to a safer cooling pool elsewhere at the plant. The work is carried out remotely from a control room about 500 meters (yards) away because of still-high radiation levels inside the reactor building that houses the pool. This image released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) shows the operation floor above a cooling pool at Unit 3 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The operator TEPCO of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel from the cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. (Tokyo Electric Power Co. via AP) "I believe everything is going well so far," plant chief Tomohiko Isogai told Japanese public broadcaster NHK. "We will watch the progress at the site as we put safety first. Our goal is not to rush the process but to carefully proceed with the decommissioning work." About an hour after the work began Monday, the first fuel unit was safely stored inside the cask, TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Kimoto said. Monday's operation was to end after a fourth unit is placed inside the cask, he said. No major damage was found on the fuel unit Monday, but plant officials will closely examine if there are any pinholes or other irregularities, Kimoto said. The removal, however, raises a storage capacity concern at the plant because the common pool, where fuel from the Unit 3 pool heads to, already has 6,000 fuel units and is almost full. Kimoto said TEPCO has made room at the common pool for the incoming fuel by moving years-old and sufficiently cooled fuel into dry casks for safer, long-term storage, though further details are being worked out. In 2014, TEPCO safely removed all 1,535 fuel units from the storage pool at a fourth reactor that was idle and had no fuel inside its core when the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami occurred. Robotic probes have photographed and detected traces of damaged nuclear fuel in the three reactors that had meltdowns, but the exact location and other details of the melted fuel are largely unknown. Removing fuel from the cooling pools will help free up space for the subsequent removal of the melted fuel, though details on how to gain access to it have yet to be decided. Experts say the melted fuel in the three reactors amounts to more than 800 tons, an enormous amount that is more than six times that of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, where one reactor had a partial core melt. In February, a remote-controlled robot with tongs removed pebbles of nuclear debris from the Unit 2 reactor but was unable to remove larger chunks, indicating a robot would need to be developed that can break the chunks into smaller pieces. Toshiba Corp.'s energy systems unit, which developed the robot, said the findings were key to determining the proper equipment and technologies needed to remove the melted fuel, the most challenging part of the decommissioning. TEPCO and government officials plan to determine methods for removing the melted fuel from each of the three damaged reactors later this year so they can begin the process in 2021. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi In this image released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), a fuel is placed into a protective cask inside a cooling pool at Unit 3 to be transported to another storage site at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The operator TEPCO of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel from the cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. (Tokyo Electric Power Co. via AP) This image released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) shows an operation to remove fuel from a cooling pool at Unit 3 of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The operator TEPCO of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel from the cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. (Tokyo Electric Power Co. via AP) FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2018, file photo, a cooling pool where a total of mostly used 566 sets of fuel rods are stored underwater and covered by a protective net, waits to be removed in a step to empty the pool at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant ahead of a fuel removal from its storage pool in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeast Japan. The photo was taken when an installation of a dome-shaped rooftop cover housing key equipment is near completion at the Unit 3 reactor. The Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday, April 15, 2019, workers started removing the first of 566 fuel units from the pool at Unit 3, one of three reactors whose cores melted through. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File) A Tokyo Electric Power Co. worker explains the operation at Unit 3 of Fukushima nuclear plant, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan Monday. April 15, 2019. The operator of the tsunami-wrecked nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. (Kyodo News via AP) The screen shows that the first of 566 used and unused fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3 are being removed, at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan Monday. April 15, 2019. The operator of the tsunami-wrecked nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. (Kyodo News via AP) Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers remotely make operation for removing fuels at Unit 3 of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan Monday. April 15, 2019. The operator of the tsunami-wrecked nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. The work is carried out remotely from a control room about 500 meters (yards) away because of still-high radiation levels inside the reactor building that houses the pool. (Kyodo News via AP) The cooling pool is seen at bottom before fuel units are removed at the Unit 3 of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan Monday. April 15, 2019. The operator of the tsunami-wrecked nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. The work is carried out remotely from a control room about 500 meters (yards) away because of still-high radiation levels inside the reactor building that houses the pool. (Kyodo News via AP) FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2018, file photo, an installation of a dome-shaped rooftop cover housing key equipment is near completion at Unit 3 reactor of the Fukushima Dai-ich nuclear power plant ahead of a fuel removal from its storage pool in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeast Japan. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday, April 18, 2019, workers started removing the first of 566 fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3. The fuel units in the pool are not enclosed and their removal to safer ground is crucial to avoid disaster in case of another major quake. (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File) FILE - This Sept. 4, 2017 aerial file photo shows Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant reactors, from bottom at right, Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3, in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant for the first time is removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in the decades-long process to decommission the plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday, April 15, 2019, workers started removing the first of 566 fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3. The fuel units in the pool are not enclosed and their removal to safer ground is crucial to avoid disaster in case of another major quake.(Daisuke Suzuki/Kyodo News via AP, File) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Sunday, April 14, 2019, to inspect the reconstruction effort following the tsunami, quake and nuclear accident in 2011. (Kyodo News via AP) About a third of the nations 4-year-olds1.3 million children were enrolled in state-funded preschool programs nationwide during the 2017-18 school year, an increase of about 35,000 children during from the previous year. at the current rate of growth, it would take 20 years for state preschool programs to have enough seats to enroll half of the nations 4-year-olds. For 3-year-olds, the number enrolled was much lower than for older children: About 227,000 were enrolled in state-funded programs, or about 6 percent of the 3-year-old population overall. The figures come from the annual State of Preschool yearbook published by the National Institute for Early Education Research, based at Rutgers University. Currently, 44 states and the District of Columbia offer state-funded preschool. The holdouts: Idaho, Indiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Indiana recently changed eligibility for its On My Way Pre-K program, so it no longer meets NIEERs definition of state-funded preschool. At least one parent or guardian has to be working or in school for children to qualify for Indianas program. Montana and North Dakota started small programs in the 2017-18 school year, moving off the list of states that have no state funding for preschool. Montanas program served a little over 300 4-year-olds, while North Dakotas program enrolled 965. The organization found that much of the growth in state programs for 4-year-olds came from an infusion of funds from the federal Preschool Development Grant program, created during the Obama administration. But though the Preschool Development Grants still exist, they are much different now than they were during the Obama years , which saw 18 states receive a total of $1 billion over four years. With that money now gone, its a question as to whether states will be able to sustain the same number of preschool seats, the report notes. The enrollment numbers change when including all public programs for preschool, such as Head Start, which is federally funded. About 44 percent of 4-year-olds and 16 percent of 3-year-olds were served by state preschool and Head Start combined. State funding per child for preschool varied dramatically, from a low of $777 per child in North Dakotas new program, which enrolled 965 children from low-income families in the 2017-18 school year, to $17,545 per child in the District of Columbia, which enrolls 85 percent of the citys 4-year-olds and 73 percent of its 3-year-olds. States contributed an average of $5,170 per child enrolled in state preschool. The report also examined salary parity for preschool teachers. Few states require equal salary for pre-K teachers and K-3 teachers with similar qualifications; at the same time, 28 states require preschool teachers to have at least a bachelors degree. Preschool pay gaps of $20,000 to $30,000 per year are common, the report notes. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - New Zealand's foreign minister confirmed Monday that a New Zealand nurse has been held captive by the Islamic State group in Syria for almost six years, information long kept secret for fear her life might be at risk. The status of nurse and midwife Louisa Akavi, now 62, is unknown, but her employer, the International Committee of the Red Cross, says it has received recent eyewitness reports suggesting she might be alive. The New York Times on Sunday became the first media organization to name Akavi, ending a more than 5 -year news blackout imposed by New Zealand's government and the Red Cross with the cooperation of international media. The collapse of the Islamic State group has raised hopes that Akavi and the two Syrian drivers kidnapped with her might now be discovered. In a statement, the ICRC said that as recently as December, Akavi may have been seen by at lest two people at a clinic in Sousa, one of the Islamic State group's last outposts. There were also reported sightings in 2016 and 2017, Red Cross officials said. "We continue to work together (with the Red Cross) to locate and recover her," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. "This has been a uniquely complex and difficult case. "Louisa went to Syria with the ICRC to deliver humanitarian relief to people suffering as a result of a brutal civil war and ISIS occupation." This undated photo released by International Committee of the Red Cross, the organization's New Zealand nurse Louisa Akavi. New Zealand's foreign minister has confirmed the nurse has been held captive by the Islamic State group in Syria for almost six years, information long kept secret for fear her life might be at risk. The status of nurse and midwife Akavi, now 62, is unknown but her employer, the International Committee of the Red Cross, says it has received recent eyewitness reports suggesting she might be alive. (International Committee of the Red Cross via AP) "Where a New Zealander is held by a terrorist organization, the government takes all appropriate action to recover them. That is exactly what we have done here," Peters said. Peters said New Zealand had sent a small multi-agency team, including special forces, to Iraq to gather information on Akavi. "This has involved members of the New Zealand Defense Force, drawn from the Special Operations Force, and personnel have visited Syria from time to time as required," he said. "This noncombat team was specifically focused on locating Louisa and identifying opportunities to recover her." Akavi was taken captive in 2013 in the city of Idlib in northwest Syria. It is believed she was offered for ransom and may have been used as a human shield. New Zealand's government believed at one point that she may have died. But there are hopes her medical skills might have caused her captors to spare her. Akavi's family said they miss her and are proud of the work to which she's dedicated her life. "We think about her every day and hope she feels that and finds strength in that," said a video statement issued by family spokesman Tuaine Robati. "We know she is thinking of us and that she will be worried about us too." New Zealand's government is reported to have opposed the ICRC's decision to allow The New York Times to report Akavi's name and nationality. At a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern refused to answer questions about Akavi but indicated she was disappointed the ICRC had gone public before her fate had been learned. "You'll forgive me, I hope, for not commenting on that case," Ardern said. "It remains the government's view that it would be preferable if the case was not in the public domain." Dominik Stillhart, director of operations for the ICRC, said the organization had decided to permit publication in the hope it would elicit new information on her whereabouts. "We have not spoken publicly before today because from the moment Louisa and the others were kidnapped, every decision we made was to maximize the chances of winning their freedom," Stillhart said in a statement. "With Islamic State group having lost the last of its territory, we felt it was now time to speak out." He said the collapse of the Islamic State group in Syria may mean new opportunities to learn more about Akavi's situation and the ICRC also feared it risked losing track of her in the aftermath of IS's collapse. Akavi is of Cook Islands descent and lives in Otaki, a small town north of Wellington. She is the longest-held captive in the history of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Stillhart called her "a true and compassionate humanitarian." He said strenuous efforts had been made to secure her release. Negotiations in 2013 and 2014 were not successful. In 2014, she was among a group of hostages moved by IS only hours before a raid by U.S. special forces that aimed to free them. "We call on anyone with information to please come forward," Stillhart said. "If our colleagues are still being held, we call for their immediate and unconditional release." Stillhart later defended the ICRC's decision to publicize Akavi's case after years of silence. "Every decision was to maximize the chance of Louisa's freedom ... and every decision was coordinated with the New Zealand government," Stillhart said at a news conference in Geneva. "That included the difficult decision to go public. We think with new information from the public, we can redirect the investigation for Louisa." This undated photo provided on Monday, April 15, 2019, by International Committee of the Red Cross shows Syrian driver Nabil Bakdounes. New Zealand's foreign minister has confirmed a New Zealand nurse has been held captive by the Islamic State group in Syria for almost six years, information long kept secret for fear her life might be at risk. The collapse of ISIS has raised hopes Louisa Akavi and two Syrian drivers, Nabil Bakdounes and Alaa Rajab, kidnapped with her might now be discovered. (International Committee of the Red Cross via AP) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - President Donald Trump will use Tax Day on Monday to visit Minnesota, an erstwhile Democratic stronghold he hopes to flip in 2020 after nearly winning it in 2016. Questions remain, however, about just how much he's politically benefiting from his signature legislative accomplishment. Minnesota, which gave the country Democratic Vice Presidents Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, hasn't given its 10 electoral votes to a Republican since Richard Nixon in 1972. Trump came within 1.5 percentage points of carrying the state in 2016 thanks to his strength among rural voters. The state's Democrats saw a huge overall resurgence during the anti-Trump backlash of 2018, notably in traditionally Republican suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Giving the president hope is the memory that his popularity outside the Twin Cities area helped the GOP flip two Democratic U.S. House seats last year. "I'm glad he's coming to Minnesota," said state Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, the top Republican in state government. "I think he realizes Minnesota's in play." Ahead of Trump's visit, Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, talked up the 2017 tax law during a teleconference with reporters Friday. He said it's working exactly as its proponents predicted and that it quickly made the U.S. an attractive place to do business again, leading to increased hiring and higher wage growth. He also said the tax cuts continue to provide "sustained, long-term nourishment for our economy." Trump planned to visit a truck and equipment company in the suburb of Burnsville on Monday for a roundtable discussion on the tax cuts and the economy. FILE - In this June 20, 2018 file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Duluth, Minn. Trump heads back to Minnesota on the nation's tax filing deadline, Monday, April 15, 2019, eager to remind voters in a state he nearly carried in 2016 about the $1.5 trillion Republican tax cut. It's a policy achievement that won't resonate with everyone in Minnesota, where the loss of the state tax deduction hurt some taxpayers. And national polls show most Americans don't have a clear idea what the tax cuts did for them. (AP Photo/Jim Mone File) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic presidential candidate, on Sunday criticized Trump's tax cuts, saying they added trillions of dollars to the nation's debt and disproportionately helped the wealthy. "That tax bill was a major missed opportunity," she said. "That tax bill should have been a bill that would have not only brought some taxes down for working people but also could have funded a major infrastructure investment." So far Trump doesn't appear to be getting a lot of credit for the tax changes. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll last week showed that the vast majority of Americans don't think they even got a tax cut. Just 17% of those polled believed their taxes went down. More evidence came from a report by tax preparer H&R Block on Thursday that said Americans are undergoing a "confusing tax experience" this season. While its customers' overall tax liability fell 24.9% in the first year under the new tax law, refunds were roughly flat at just 1.4%. While the average filer is better off, it said, they're not seeing it in their refunds, "which many people think of as their 'bottom line.'" Federal data also shows a negligible increase in refunds. According to the IRS, as of March 29 the average refund nationally was $2,893, which is just $20 more than at the same point last tax season. Further muddling the picture is that the federal deduction for state and local taxes was capped at $10,000, which matters in high-tax states such as Minnesota, California and New York, among others. Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk said that might be why Trump is visiting. "It was a pretty bad bill for Minnesota," said Bakk, a Democrat who is considered one of the Legislature's leading tax experts. "He's coming on the last day you can file - he's coming here to try and put a smiley face on a real pig that Minnesota got handed." This has been a frustrating filing season for many Minnesota taxpayers and preparers. The GOP-controlled 2018 Legislature and Democratic former Gov. Mark Dayton were unable to agree on how to sync the state's code with the federal changes. That wasn't Trump's fault, but the extra paperwork and hassles in understanding the diverging rules are likely further obscuring the benefits of the federal changes for Minnesota taxpayers. Trump plans to talk trade during his visit, but that's another tricky issue for him in Minnesota. His tariffs on imported steel are popular among blue-collar workers in the state's north, where the iron mining industry has seen a resurgence thanks to increased demand from domestic steelmakers. His mentions of steel tariffs drew loud cheers at a raucous campaign rally last year in Duluth, which is in northern Minnesota. But Trump's trade war with China has depressed already low prices for some of southern Minnesota's most important farm exports - soybeans and pork. Trump has had strong support in Minnesota's farm country, but continued low prices amid uncertainty about whether farmers can plant in time due to the wet spring will put that to the test. TAMUNING, Guam (AP) - A Guam hospital has received a $2.4 million boost in Medicare funds following changes to the amount provided by the federal government for each eligible patient. The Guam Memorial Hospital Authority received the extra funds after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agreed to "rebase" patient rates, Pacific Daily News reported Sunday. There will be a 26% increase in the rate for nightly hospital stays, up to $1,646, effective April 17, according to Lillian Perez-Posadas, the hospital's administrator. The hospital expects the new rate will equal about $6 million each year for payments on Medicare, Medicaid and Medically Indigent Program accounts, officials said. "These additional funds will definitely go a long way" toward helping the hospital fulfill its mission, Perez-Posadas said in a statement. The hospital received $6.3 million in January for adjustments to fiscal 2014 to 2016 Medicare cost reports due to the financial restructuring, officials said. The hospital anticipates another adjustment payment for its fiscal 2017 Medicare cost report, officials said. The hospital each year bills about $43.9 million for services to Medicare patients, but is paid only about half of that amount, officials said. The decision to rebase the hospital's patient rates is a significant victory in its decades-long effort to update Medicare reimbursement levels that have remained unchanged since the 1990s, the newspaper reported. WASHINGTON (AP) - With release of the special counsel's fuller report looming, President Donald Trump and his campaign are twisting the words of his attorney general and the facts of the Russia investigation. His 2020 campaign is telling supporters in fundraising pitches that Attorney General William Barr had revealed illegal spying against Trump during the 2016 presidential race. But it's not true. While Barr told lawmakers that he believed spying took place, he never concluded it was illegal and made clear several times he was not suggesting a crime had occurred. Meanwhile, Trump kept up his refrain that special counsel Robert Mueller had totally exonerated him despite Mueller's exact quotes in Barr's summary that he did not. A redacted version of Mueller's full report is expected in the coming days. The misstatements were among a number of factual faux pas and flips in rhetoric this past week. With his government seeking to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Trump seemed to draw a blank on a hacking organization he praised to the rafters during the 2016 campaign because of the discomfort it caused his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. And speaking before Monday's tax filing deadline, Trump seemed to change the grounds upon which he is refusing to release his taxes: It's not because he can't, but because he doesn't want to. In this April 11, 2019, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) A look at the claims: RUSSIA INVESTIGATION TRUMP CAMPAIGN: "Just this week, Attorney General William Barr said what the President has thought all along, he believes 'unlawful spying did occur' against Donald J. Trump's presidential campaign." - fundraising email sent Saturday to Trump supporters. TRUMP CAMPAIGN: "AG Barr believes the Obama Admin illegally spied on Pres Trump." - text sent Friday to Trump supporters. THE FACTS: The email puts words in Barr's mouth and seeks to raise money in doing so. Barr never said there was illegal spying. During a Senate hearing Wednesday, the attorney general actually made clear he had no specific evidence to cite that any surveillance was illegal or improper. "I think spying did occur," Barr told lawmakers. "But the question is whether it was adequately predicated and I'm not suggesting it wasn't adequately predicated, but I need to explore that." He later added: "I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred. I am saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it." ___ TRUMP: "I've been totally exonerated. No collusion. No obstruction." - remarks Wednesday at the White House. TRUMP: "I'm not concerned about anything, because frankly there was no collusion and there was no obstruction." - remarks Thursday with South Korea's president. THE FACTS: Barr's four-page summary of Mueller's nearly 400-page report did not "totally" exonerate Trump. Mueller specifically states in the report, as quoted by Barr: "While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." The summary of principal conclusions by Barr, released in late March, notes Mueller did not "draw a conclusion - one way or the other - as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction," but rather set out evidence for both sides, leaving the question unanswered of whether Trump obstructed justice. Barr said ultimately he decided as attorney general that the evidence developed by Mueller was "not sufficient" to establish, for the purposes of prosecution, that Trump committed obstruction. In Senate testimony Wednesday, Barr acknowledged that Mueller did not ask him to draw a conclusion on the obstruction question, nor did he know whether Mueller agreed with him. Barr said he would be able to explain more fully after releasing a public version of Mueller's report. ___ WIKILEAKS TRUMP, asked if he still "loves" WikiLeaks: "I know nothing about WikiLeaks. It's not my thing." - remarks Thursday with South Korea's president. THE FACTS: WikiLeaks was very much Trump's thing in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign, when candidate Trump showered praise on the anti-secrecy organization night after night. On the same October day that the "Access Hollywood" tape emerged, revealing that Trump had bragged in 2005 about groping women, WikiLeaks began releasing damaging emails from Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta. Trump and his allies seized on the dumps and weaponized them. "WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks," Trump said in Pennsylvania. "This WikiLeaks is like a treasure trove," Trump said in Michigan. "Boy, I love reading WikiLeaks," Trump said in Ohio. All told, Trump extolled WikiLeaks more than 100 times, and a poster of Assange hung backstage at the Republican's debate war room. At no point from a rally stage did Trump express any misgivings about how WikiLeaks obtained the emails from the Clinton campaign or about the accusations of stealing sensitive U.S. government information, which led to the charges against Assange on Thursday. The U.S. is seeking Assange's extradition from Britain. Asked Sunday about Trump's claim he knew nothing about Wikileaks, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News the president "was making a joke during the campaign and was talking about the specifics of the case at that moment." ___ TAX RETURNS TRUMP: "As you know, I got elected last time with this same issue. ... I would love to give them, but I'm not going to do it while I'm under audit." - remarks Wednesday to reporters at the White House. THE FACTS: Nothing's preventing Trump from releasing his tax returns. Being under audit is no legal bar to anyone releasing his or her returns. Asked repeatedly at a House hearing Tuesday whether any regulation prohibited a taxpayer from disclosing returns when under audit, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig responded "no." Trump declined to provide his tax information as a candidate in 2016 and as president, something party nominees have traditionally done in the name of the transparency. By withholding his tax returns, Trump has not followed the standard followed by presidents since Richard Nixon started the practice in 1969. During the campaign, Trump said he wanted to release his returns but because he was under a routine audit, "I can't." After the November midterm elections, Trump claimed at a news conference that the filings are too complex for people to understand. ___ JOB APPROVAL TRUMP, tweeting a Fox Business Network graphic showing his "soaring approval" at 55% overall: "Great news! #MAGA" - tweet Thursday. THE FACTS: The graphic on the Georgetown University poll was incorrect: The poll found 55% had an "unfavorable" rating of Trump, not his job approval, from a different poll question. Fox Business issued an on-air correction but Trump's tweet remains. ___ CLIMATE CHANGE TRUMP: "We withdrew the United States from the one-sided Paris climate accord, where you don't do any more drilling for oil and gas. That was going to cost us a lot of money. No more oil and gas with the Paris accord. That's good for Paris, but that's not good for us. Right?" - remarks Wednesday at a ceremony for the signing of executive orders meant to accelerate pipeline construction. THE FACTS: Wrong. The Paris accord does not ban any form of energy development. It does not impose emission caps on signatory countries. The accord is a set of voluntary targets determined by individual nations. ___ IMMIGRATION TRUMP: "Mexico must apprehend all illegals and not let them make the long march up to the United States, or we will have no other choice than to Close the Border and/or institute Tariffs. Our Country is FULL!" - tweet April 7. THE FACTS: Despite the overwhelmed southern border, there's plenty of room in the United States. Dozens of countries have greater population density. It's only full in terms of the people Trump doesn't want. His claim of a U.S. with no vacancies for more immigrants is at odds with his own statement two months ago that encouraged "the largest" influx of legal immigrants ever. It also belies a U.S. reality of aging baby boomers and falling birth rates, which make immigrants increasingly important to sustain a level of population growth for the U.S. economy to keep expanding. The nation's population growth is at its lowest since 1937, with the 18-and-under population declining both nationally and in 29 states, according to William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution. Economists say that restricting immigration would probably weaken economic growth. A shrinking labor force could also harm the health and stability of safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Trump himself seemed to acknowledge the realities during his State of the Union address in February, declaring, "I want people to come into our country, in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally." He's now describing a U.S. bursting at the seams, unable to take any immigrants, including those seeking legal asylum. Immigrants as a whole make up a greater percentage of the total U.S. population than they did back in 1970, having grown from less than 5 percent of the population to more than 13 percent now. In 2030, it's projected that immigrants will become the primary driver for U.S. population growth, overtaking U.S. births. ___ TRUMP on separating migrant children from their parents when caught crossing into the U.S. illegally: "I'm the one that stopped it. President Obama had child separation." - remarks to reporters Tuesday. THE FACTS: No, he's the one who started it on a broad scale. He instituted a "zero tolerance" policy aimed at criminally prosecuting all adults caught crossing into the U.S. illegally. That meant detention for adults and the removal of their children while their parents were in custody. During the Obama administration and the early Trump administration, such family separations were the exception. They became the rule under his policy. He suspended the practice in June because of a public uproar. ___ TRUMP on the family separations: "President Obama had the law. We changed the law, and I think the press should accurately report it but of course they won't." - remarks to reporters Tuesday. THE FACTS: This is false. Trump did not achieve any change in the law. Trump's zero-tolerance policy was of his own making. His administration is operating under the same immigration laws as Obama's. During the Obama administration and before Trump's zero-tolerance policy was introduced, migrant families caught illegally entering the U.S. were usually referred for civil deportation proceedings, not requiring separation, unless they were known to have a criminal record. Then and now, immigration officials may take a child from a parent in certain cases, such as serious criminal charges against a parent, concerns over the health and welfare of a child or medical concerns. ___ ENERGY and ENVIRONMENT TRUMP: "We have the cleanest air and water, they say, in the world. We are the best."- remarks Wednesday at the signing of orders on pipelines. THE FACTS: Not true about air. U.S. drinking water is among the best by one leading measure. Trump's own Environmental Protection Agency data show that in 2017, among 35 major U.S. cities, there were 729 cases of "unhealthy days for ozone and fine particle pollution." That's up 22 percent from 2014 and the worst year since 2012. Findings for 2018 are incomplete. The State of Global Air 2019 report by the Health Effects Institute rated the U.S. as having the eighth cleanest air for particle pollution - which kills 85,000 Americans each year - behind Canada, Scandinavian countries and others. The U.S. ranks poorly on smog pollution, which kills 24,000 Americans per year. On a scale from the cleanest to the dirtiest, the U.S. is at 123 out of 195 countries measured. On water, Yale University's global Environmental Performance Index finds 10 countries tied for the cleanest drinking water, the U.S. among them. On environmental quality overall, the U.S. was 27th, behind a variety of European countries, Canada, Japan, Australia and more. Switzerland was No. 1. ___ TRUMP: "With the help of the incredible workers in this room, the United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, anywhere on the planet. Not even close. Made a lot of progress in the last two and a half years, haven't we? Huh? Took down a lot of barriers." - signing ceremony. THE FACTS: As he's done many times before, Trump is crediting himself with things that happened under Obama. Here's what the government's U.S. Energy Information Administration says: "The United States has been the world's top producer of natural gas since 2009, when U.S. natural gas production surpassed that of Russia, and the world's top producer of petroleum hydrocarbons since 2013, when U.S. production exceeded Saudi Arabia's." As for crude oil specifically, the information agency says the U.S. became the world's top crude oil producer last year. That is largely attributed to the shale oil boom that began during the Obama administration, which has sent production from the Permian Basin in the southwest surging. ___ TRUMP: "Under this administration, we have ended the war on American energy like never before." - signing ceremony. THE FACTS: It wasn't much of a war. U.S. petroleum and natural gas production has increased by nearly 60% since 2008, according to the Energy Information Administration, achieving pre-eminence during the Obama administration. That said, the Trump administration is more closely aligned with fossil fuel interests as it works to restrain environmental obstacles and the power of states to stand in the way of pipelines and other energy development. ___ Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire, Mary Clare Jalonick, Ellen Knickmeyer and Seth Borenstein in Washington and Nomaan Merchant in Houston contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia's prime minister said Monday a Chinese company building a rail link across the Southeast Asian nation will jointly help to manage and operate the network, part of revised deal that will get the stalled project off the ground at a lower cost and ease strained relations. The East Coast Rail Link across peninsular Malaysia was suspended after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's alliance swept into power last May and said it would review large-scale infrastructure projects to rein in surging national debt that it blamed mostly on corruption in the previous government. Canceling the project risked alienating China, Malaysia's largest trading partner, which considered the railway connecting Malaysia's west coast to eastern rural states a key part of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The project was revived last week after the contractor, state-owned China Communications Construction Company Ltd., agreed to cut the cost by one-third to 44 billion ringgit ($10.7 billion). Mahathir said Monday the government chose to renegotiate the deal rather than pay compensation of 21.78 billion ringgit ($5.3 billion). He said the fact that the project cost can be reduced sharply by 21.5 billion ringgit ($5.2 billion) showed that the cost had been inflated when former Prime Minister Najib Razak's government awarded the main contract to CCCC in 2016. The rail project will now cost 68.7 million ringgit ($16.7 million) per kilometer, down from 95.5 million ringgit ($23.2 million) previously, he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gestures during a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, April 15, 2019. Malaysia's government decided to resume a China-backed rail link project, after the Chinese contractor agreed to cut the construction cost by one-third. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Under the new deal, Mahathir said CCCC will form a 50:50 joint venture company with Malaysia Rail Link to provide technical support and share the operational risk. He said CCCC's involvement as rail operator will help attract Chinese investment along the rail link corridor. CCCC has also agreed to refund part of a 3.1 billion ringgit ($753.4 million) advance payment, with 1 billion ringgit ($243 million) to be paid over the next two months, he said. Although the rail project will be shortened by 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) to 648 kilometers (402.6 miles), he said the double-track line will have 20 stations and cut through five states, instead of four previously. He said the new alignment will also mean avoiding having to tunnel through a mountain range in central Selangor state, which is the longest pure quartz dyke in the world. The project, which is now slated for completion by the end of 2026 instead of 2024, is largely financed by China. Mahathir said the government is still negotiating the loan amount with China's EXIM Bank but that it will be reduced substantially and this will result in paying less in interest on the loan. He said the government is also "taking advantage of the agreement to work out the purchase of palm oil by China," but didn't give further details. Officials said work on the rail link could resume by next month. Apart from the rail link, Mahathir's government last year also cancelled two China-backed pipelines costing 9.3 billion ringgit ($2.3 billion) after discovering that 90 percent of the project's costs had been paid but only 13 percent of work had been completed. The government has said it is investigating whether any money in the rail project had been channeled by Najib's government to repay debts at the 1MDB state investment fund. A massive financial scandal at 1MDB led to the election loss of Najib's coalition last May and Najib is currently on trial for multiple corruption charges linked to 1MDB. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, April 15, 2019. Malaysia's government decided to resume a China-backed rail link project, after the Chinese contractor agreed to cut the construction cost by one-third. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrives for a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Monday, April 15, 2019. Malaysia's government decided to resume a China-backed rail link project, after the Chinese contractor agreed to cut the construction cost by one-third. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - On the cusp of an expected White House run, Joe Biden is returning to a familiar role this week as the one of the nation's top eulogists. The former vice president will speak Tuesday at the funeral of Fritz Hollings, the longtime South Carolina Democratic senator who was Biden's Capitol Hill deskmate and friend. The tribute will add to the already memorable eulogies Biden has provided for everyone from Strom Thurmond to John McCain and Ted Kennedy, reflecting his status as the go-to man to speak about the legacies of Washington's one-time titans. But his presence at Hollings' funeral also underscores Biden's unique - and complicated - role in American politics in 2019. It's a reminder of his decades-long presence on Capitol Hill at a time when some Democratic activists are putting a premium on fresh faces. And his relationships with Republicans, Democrats and one-time segregationists like Thurmond and Hollings come at a time when Democrats are placing greater emphasis on gender and racial diversity. In the run-up to a widely expected presidential campaign, it's these types of connections that Biden thinks make him stand out as a stabilizing figure in hyper-partisan times. But it's also what could make him a hard sell to Democrats in a presidential primary. Those close to him see eulogies like the one he's slated to deliver on Tuesday as an example of the unifying role Biden can play in polarizing times. "He grew up with these people. He learned from them, he came to become a leader with them," said Matt Teper, Biden's chief speechwriter in the first term of the Obama administration. "Republican or Democrat didn't matter. They were all living it together." In this April 11, 2019, photo, former Vice President Joe Biden departs from a forum on the opioid epidemic, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. As he prepares to note the passing of longtime South Carolina Sen. Fritz Hollings, Biden is returning to his role as eulogizer in chief. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Politics aside, Biden is known as a poignant eulogist. Those close to him say that's because he's someone who has known profound grief following the 1972 car accident that killed his first wife and young daughter. That sorrow was compounded by the 2015 death of his son, Beau, a tragedy that weighed so heavily on Biden that he pointed to it as a reason not to seek the White House in 2016. "There's a politician way of delivering a eulogy, and a more human way of delivering a eulogy," said Jon Favreau, a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama. "Joe Biden's eulogies are as human as they come, and I suspect that he connects so well with people who are experiencing grief because he's endured more than most." Biden acknowledged as much during a 2009 memorial service for Kennedy. The then-vice president credited the longtime Democratic senator from Massachusetts for encouraging him to remain in politics following the car accident that claimed his wife and daughter. "He crept into my heart, and before I knew it, he owned a piece of me," Biden said. "I wouldn't be standing here were it not for Teddy Kennedy. ... He sort of took over the role of being my older brother." Biden has turned to eulogies to express appreciation for those who stood by him during difficult political moments. During his 2003 eulogy of Thurmond , a Democrat-turned-Republican who once ran for president as a Dixiecrat opposed to civil rights for African-Americans, Biden praised the senator as someone who stood by him during the confirmation battle of doomed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. "Strom Thurmond stood by me when others didn't and when it was against his political interest to do so," Biden said. "When partisanship was a winning option, he chose friendship, and I'll never forget him for it." In 1972, Biden entered the Senate with Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who opposed civil rights legislation and once called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "the single most dangerous piece of legislation ever introduced in the Congress." Although he didn't eulogize the ultra-conservative Helms, Biden attended his funeral and spoke about him in a speech six months later. He also referenced Helms in a commencement address at Yale University, recounting how his perception of Helms changed once he came to know him on a personal level. "It's awful hard having to reach across the table and shake hands. No matter how bitterly you disagree, though, it is always possible if you question judgment and not motive," Biden said. He's been more coy in remembering other Republicans. In his August remembrance of McCain , Biden noted that he and the Arizona Republican drew ire from both their caucuses by regularly sitting together in the chamber rather than with their partisans. "My name's Joe Biden. I'm a Democrat," he said, sparking a chuckle from the audience in Phoenix before turning serious. "And I loved John McCain." Biden and his supporters see these moments as bipartisan flourishes, the type of overtures that could be helpful in appealing to white working class voters. And they're not going away, even after he was roundly criticized recently for declaring his successor, Mike Pence, a "decent guy" despite his opposition to LGBT civil rights measures. Last week, Biden called former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush a "hell of a governor." But Biden allies say his nature is to make deeper connections with those around him. Dick Harpootlian, a Democratic South Carolina state lawmaker who's known and advised Biden for 40 years, said the former vice president "was going to be friends with people he wanted to be friends with." ___ Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Reach Kinnard at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP and Beaumont at http://twitter.com/TomBeaumont LAS VEGAS (AP) - In a story April 15 about unions and the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, The Associated Press reported the wrong state in which Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined striking Stop & Shop workers on a picket line. It was in Massachusetts, not New Hampshire. A corrected version of the story is below: Unions urge Democrats to focus on kitchen table economics Some people in the labor movement are expressing concerns about whether 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are focused on the issues they care most about, such as kitchen table economics By MICHELLE L. PRICE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) - Ardently liberal, pro-labor and anti-corporate cash, the field of Democrats running for president may look like a union activist's dream. But some key labor leaders are starting to worry about the topics dominating the 2020 conversation. The candidates are spending too much time talking about esoteric issues like the Senate filibuster and the composition of the Supreme Court and not enough time speaking the language of workers, several union officials said. Those ideas may excite progressive activists, they said, but they risk alienating working-class voters. "They've got to pay attention to kitchen table economics," said Ted Pappageorge, president of the Las Vegas Culinary Union that represents 60,000 hotel and casino workers. "We don't quite see that." Terry McGowan, president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139, in Wisconsin, said many of the issues driving the 2020 primary so far are distractions. "The people that are into politics, the people who like sideshows, they're into that," he said, citing the debates over reparations for slavery and immigration as examples. "The masses just want to feed their families." The unease may be an early warning sign for Democrats, who watched as many white, working-class voters, including many union members in key Rust Belt states, chose Trump three years ago. Democrats are hoping to win back some of those voters next year, a challenge that is made harder, some argue, by labor's struggle to build its membership and influence its rank and file. Democrats' early messages may not help, some said. "You see where some of the party's being driven. It's no secret," said Rusty McAllister, executive secretary of the Nevada AFL-CIO. McAllister pointed to "Medicare for all" - the health care proposal of choice for several candidates - as an example of Democrats' not seizing on labor's top priorities. Many unions already organized and fought for private health insurance for their members. "That's not something that I think that labor is as much focused on as some of the progressives are," McAllister said. Such concerns - which stretched from the progressive-minded organizing halls of Nevada to the Rust Belt precincts - were typically focused on the conversation, not the candidates. The early 2020 primary has included detours into debates over the Senate filibuster, the composition of the Supreme Court and breaking up technology companies. Ken Broadbent, business manager of the Pittsburgh-based Steamfitters Local 449, worried that Democrats are too focused on environmental plans like the Green New Deal, a blueprint for shifting the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels, and will neglect the importance of swing state Pennsylvania's rich natural gas deposits in creating jobs. "Jobs is where we've got to keep things focused," Broadbent said. To be sure, many unionists are excited about the presidential field. Contenders include liberal stalwarts like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose campaign became the first in U.S. history with a unionized workforce, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who joined striking Stop & Shop workers on a picket line in Massachusetts on Friday. California Sen. Kamala Harris hired a top Service Employees International Union executive for her campaign and made her first proposal one to raise teacher's pay. Former Vice President Joe Biden made clear that he plans to appeal to union workers, if he gets in the race. "You are coming back," he told the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers last week. "We need you back." Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the competition in the crowded field has amplified workers voices and issues. She noted that prominent presidential candidates quickly supported Los Angeles public school teachers when they struck in January. Warren, Sanders, Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker have all proposed various taxes on higher-earning families, a departure from most past Democratic hopefuls who have treaded carefully on the issue. "It feels different than at other times," Weingarten said. "There is far more attention and focus on working people's economic needs." Major endorsements are likely several months away, especially because the labor movement is treading carefully after complaints that its leadership was too quick to back Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary over Sanders. For labor, much is at stake. Despite Republican gains, particularly with trade union members, labor remains an essential part of the Democrats' coalition. Unions spent $169 million in 2018 on federal elections, largely on Democrats' behalf, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Democrats won union workers by a strong 59%-39% margin in 2018, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate. But other big donors and - small, online ones, too - increasingly compete with labor's organizing muscle as key to Democratic victories. Activists on a broad array of issues, from gay rights to criminal justice, compete with unions for candidates' attention. And the labor movement itself is split on its priorities, with some pushing for a focus on trade while other who represent more diverse workforces want to zoom in on immigration. All this comes as Republicans have pushed several state laws weakening organized labor. And, last year, the Supreme Court ruled that government workers can't be forced to contribute to the unions that represent them in collective bargaining, dealing a blow to public service union's pocketbooks. As candidates court unions for endorsements, labor leaders say they are listening for a comeback plan. Any proposal aimed at workers "must include ensuring the opportunity to join a union, no matter where you work, since that's the best way to raise wages, improve working conditions, create family-sustaining jobs and begin to fix our rigged economy and democracy," said SEIU president Mary Kay Henry. At a conference of North America's Building Trades Unions in Washington on Wednesday, several Democratic contenders talked about outlawing so-called "right to work" laws that prevent unions from automatically deducting dues from members, said the group's president, Sean McGarvey. But, he added, he heard "very little about the actual structural changes to the National Labor Relations Act, or things they could put in place to give people a real free choice to join a union." ___ This story has been corrected to provide the correct name of the group North America's Building Trades Unions. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Leaders of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo tribes expressed frustration Monday with federal oversight of oil and gas leases on public holdings near ancient Native American cultural sites and endorsed legislation to restrict natural gas development around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Acoma Pueblo tribal Gov. Brian Vallo told members of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources at a hearing in New Mexico that not enough is being done to safeguard sacred sites scattered beyond the national park at Chaco Canyon. Many of the sites involve more than just physical features that can be surveyed by archaeologists, he said, referring to the less tangible aspects of Chaco. "Only we can identify these resources," he said. Lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona and New Mexico's Debra Haaland and Ben Ray Lujan said they were profoundly moved by a visit Sunday to ancient Chaco dwellings and nearby industrial sites where they used infrared camera technology to view methane escaping into the atmosphere. "You could see the plumes coming out and moving across the sky," Lujan said. "There's no question that this is occurring." CORRECTS TO CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK -FILE - In this Nov. 21, 1996, file photo, tourists cast their shadows on the ancient Anasazi ruins of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Advocates for greater restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling near ancient Native American cultural sites in the Southwest are urging Congress to establish new precautions. A congressional subcommittee on energy ventured thousands of miles from Washington to hold a field hearing Monday, April 15, 2019 on the impacts of air pollution on sacred ruins and landmarks. New Mexico's delegation to Washington wants to halt new drilling leases near Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Eric Draper, File) The House committee was exploring the possible impacts of air pollution on sacred sites. They also quizzed New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on her administration's push to contain emissions of methane through stricter local regulation. New Mexico's all-Democratic House delegation is seeking to halt new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal holdings within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Grijalva said Chaco Canyon deserves the same consideration for protections as Yellowstone National Park, which received an ecological buffer under legislation signed this year by President Trump. The Trump administration is seeking to eliminate 2016 Environmental Protection Agency rules requiring energy companies to reduce flaring of methane. In response, New Mexico has initiated a process for developing its own regulations to reduce flaring and leakage, while giving oilfield regulators new authority to issue citations and fines. Panelists on Monday did not include oil producers or Bureau of Land Management officials that oversee federal mineral leasing. Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California said Republican members of the subcommittee declined to attend the field hearing or appoint witnesses. Oil industry representatives say robust protections already are in place within the national park at Chaco Canyon, and beyond the park, federal authorities including the Bureau of Land Management require detailed land surveys prior to drilling. "Those archaeological surveys are baked into the process," said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance that represents more than 300 oil and natural gas companies. "Any development on those leases would have to go through cultural surveys as specified under the Natural Historic Preservation Act and other laws." She doubts the Republican-led U.S. Senate will endorse the buffer. "It's largely a messaging thing at this point," she said of Monday's hearing. The proposed buffer zone includes a mix of state, federal and tribal lands - as well as parcels owned by individual Navajos. A significant portion of the land would not fall under the legislation, which calls for tribal autonomy. There already are more than 130 active wells within that area, according to the Bureau of Land Management. In recent years, federal land managers repeatedly have deferred any interest by the oil and gas industry in parcels that fall within the proposed buffer. New Mexico has promised to pursue its own moratorium on oil and gas lease sales on state trust land within the buffer zone, at the direction of Democratic State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard. The Bureau of Land Management continues to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on revamping a resource management plan for broader San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. It's one of the nation's oldest production areas. The partnership between the agencies was meant to ensure tribes would be consulted and that scientific and archaeological analysis would be done to guarantee cultural sensitivity. U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Lujan, left, and Debra Haaland of New Mexico speak at a field hearing of a House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday, April 15, 2019, about the affects of air pollution on sacred Native American cultural sites. Leaders of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo tribes expressed frustration at the hearing with federal oversight of oil and gas leases on public holdings near ancient Native American cultural sites and endorsed legislation to restrict natural gas development around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. New Mexico's all-Democratic House delegation is seeking to halt new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal holdings within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) Rickie Nez, resources committee chairman of the Navajo Nation Council, testifies at a a field hearing of a U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday, April 15, 2019, about the affects of air pollution on sacred Native American cultural sites. Leaders of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo tribes expressed frustration at the hearing with federal oversight of oil and gas leases on public holdings near ancient Native American cultural sites and endorsed legislation to restrict natural gas development around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) Democratic U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, right, speaks at a field hearing of a House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday, April 15, 2019, about the affects of air pollution on sacred Native American cultural sites. Leaders of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo tribes expressed frustration at the hearing with federal oversight of oil and gas leases on public holdings near ancient Native American cultural sites and endorsed legislation to restrict natural gas development around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. New Mexico's all-Democratic House delegation is seeking to halt new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal holdings within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham testifies at a field hearing of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday, April 15, 2019, about the affects of air pollution on sacred Native American cultural sites. Leaders of the Navajo Nation and Pueblo tribes expressed frustration at the hearing with federal oversight of oil and gas leases on public holdings near ancient Native American cultural sites and endorsed legislation to restrict natural gas development around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) CORRECTS TO CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2005 file photo, tourist Chris Farthing from Suffolks County, England, takes a picture of Anasazi ruins in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Advocates for greater restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling near ancient Native American cultural sites in the Southwest are urging Congress to establish new precautions. A congressional subcommittee on energy ventured thousands of miles from Washington to hold a field hearing Monday, April 15, 2019 on the impacts of air pollution on sacred ruins and landmarks. New Mexico's delegation to Washington wants to halt new drilling leases near Chaco Culture National Historic Park. (AP Photo/Jeff Geissler, File) OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - The white suspect in three recent arson fires that destroyed African American churches in Louisiana is scheduled for a bond hearing. The clerk of court's office in St. Landry Parish says the hearing for 21-year-old Holden Matthews is scheduled for Monday morning before state District Judge James Doherty. Matthews, the son of a St. Landry Parish sheriff's deputy, was arrested Wednesday on three charges of arson of a religious building. Three black churches were torched in 10 days. Two were in the city of Opelousas. Another was in a nearby town. Authorities have stopped short of saying there was a racial motive. But Gov. John Bel Edwards called the burnings a reminder of past acts of racial intimidation. And the NAACP said the fires were examples of "domestic terrorism." CORRECTS ARREST DATE TO WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 - This booking image released by the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal shows Holden Matthews, 21, who was arrested Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in connection with suspicious fires at three historic black churches in southern Louisiana. Matthews faces three counts of simple arson of a religious building on the state charges. Federal investigators also were looking into whether hate motivated the fires. (Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal via AP) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Six people appeared in a New Zealand court Monday on charges they illegally redistributed the video a gunman livestreamed as he shot worshippers at two mosques last month. Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen O'Driscoll denied bail to businessman Philip Arps and an 18-year-old suspect who both were taken into custody in March. The four others are not in custody. The charge of supplying or distributing objectionable material carries a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. Arps, 44, is scheduled to next appear in court via video link on April 26. The 18-year-old suspect is charged with sharing the livestream video and a still image of the Al Noor mosque with the words "target acquired." He will reappear in court on July 31 when electronically monitored bail will be considered. Police prosecutor Pip Currie opposed bail for the 18-year-old suspect and said the second charge, involving the words added to the still image, was of significant concern. New Zealand's chief censor has banned both the livestreamed footage of the attack and the manifesto written and released by Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who faces 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges in the March 15 attacks. TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by the lawyers for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to end his detention following his arrest for the fourth time on financial misconduct allegations. The court decision came Friday, and was relayed to foreign media on Monday. Separately on Monday, Ghosn's lawyers filed an appeal of that decision, which rejected their earlier appeal against the extension of his detention through April 22. Ghosn was arrested in November and released on bail last month, but was arrested again on April 4. He has been charged with falsifying financial documents in under-reporting his retirement compensation and with breach of trust in dubious payments. He says he's innocent, noting that the compensation was never decided and claiming the payments were legitimate. It's unclear when the detention may end or his trial will start. In this image made from video released by Carlos Ghosn via his lawyer on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, former Nissan chairman Ghosn speaks on camera in Tokyo. Japan's Supreme Court turned down an appeal by the lawyers for Ghosn to end his detention following his arrest for the fourth time on financial misconduct allegations. The court decision came Friday, and was relayed to foreign media Monday, April 15, 2019. (Carlos Ghosn via AP) Long detentions and multiple arrests are routine in Japan, but rearresting a person who cleared bail, as Ghosn did, is unusual. Ghosn led Nissan for two decades, rescuing it from the brink of bankruptcy. Shareholders voted him off the company's board last week. In a video released by his lawyers before his latest arrest, Ghosn said some executives plotted against him in what he called a "conspiracy" over unfounded fears about losing Nissan's autonomy to alliance partner Renault SA of France. ___ Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en BAGHDAD (AP) - After decades of conflict, Iraq is seeking to reclaim a leadership role and status in the Arab world with a centrist policy and a determination among the country's top leaders to maintain good relations with both Iran and the United States. A flurry of recent diplomatic activity and high-profile visits to the Iraqi capital, including this month's re-opening of a Saudi Consulate in Baghdad - for the first time in nearly 30 years - points to a new era of openness as the nation sheds its war image and re-engages with the world. "Iraq is coming back to the neighborhood," President Barham Salih told The Associated Press in a nearly hour-long interview last month. The veteran politician laid out a vision centered on an "Iraq First" policy, saying his country can no longer afford to be caught in regional disputes. "For almost four decades Iraq was the domain in which everybody pursued their agenda at the expense of the Iraqi people. It's time we say we need a new political order ... in which Iraq must be an important pillar," Salih said. Iraq has emerged from a ruinous three-year war against the Islamic State group and faces the mammoth task of reconciling, rebuilding and returning tens of thousands of displaced to their homes. And while the extremists' territorial "caliphate" has been defeated in Iraq and Syria, the militants have now shifted to an insurgency campaign of targeted assassinations, car bombings, and suicide attacks. The issue of Iran-backed Shiite militias who fought IS alongside Iraqi security forces poses a challenge to the government's central authority, and the country's oil-based economy is suffering from wide-scale corruption. FILE - In this March 11, 2019 file photo, Iraqi President Barham Salih, right, walks with visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, before their meeting at Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq is seeking to reclaim a leadership role in the Arab world after decades of conflict. It is focusing on a centrist policy and its top leaders are determined to maintain good relations with both Iran and the United States. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File) "Iraq's path to reclaiming a leadership role in the Arab world will depend on how successful its leaders are in tackling security and economic challenges at home," Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute wrote recently. Amid rapidly escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Iraq also needs to maintain a delicate balance with the two as Baghdad has strong ties with both countries. The dynamics are complex. The Shiite-majority country lies on the fault line between Shiite Iran and the mostly Sunni Arab world, led by powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and has long been a theater in which Saudi-Iran rivalry for regional supremacy played out. Relations have been particularly frosty with Riyadh, which broke relations with Baghdad following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and never really warmed much as Iraq was increasingly pulled into Iran's orbit in later years. Iraq needs much help and investment to rebuild its cities - something it can only get from oil- and gas-rich Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. But it can also ill afford to alienate Iran, which holds enormous political and military sway in Iraq through powerful militias and pro-Iran politicians. "We have 1,400 kilometers of borders with Iran, we simply cannot ignore that reality," Salih said, adding that it's in Iraq's national interest to nurture good relations with Iran, with which Iraq fought an eight-year war in the '80s. He said Iraq, however, was also keen on good relations with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other regional countries. Mindful of the need to counter Iran's growing influence in the region in the post-IS order, Saudi officials have sought closer ties with Iraq, and last week sent a high-level delegation to Baghdad where the kingdom's consulate was inaugurated. The Saudi delegation's visit followed a trip to Baghdad last month by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during which the two sides signed several agreement designed to boost bilateral relations. It's a stark contrast from past years when Baghdad was shunned and isolated, first because of international sanctions after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait, and later, after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled him, when Iraq sank into cycles of sectarian bloodletting. Amid the violence, international dignitaries avoided visits to the Iraqi capital, and when they did, made them brief and unannounced for security considerations. In 2007, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon famously ducked behind the podium during a live press conference with the prime minister at the time, Nouri al-Malki, as a rocket slammed outside the building. Now, Iraqi leaders say their country is not part of any regional conflict. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in his first foreign trip last month traveled to Cairo to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. They were joined by Jordanian King Abdullah II for a tripartite summit on measures to strengthen economic cooperation. On Tuesday, Abdul-Mahdi announced he will soon be visiting Saudi Arabia to sign several agreements. Some are even suggesting that Iraq could play a mediating role between regional foes. Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, on a visit to Baghdad earlier this month, said Iraq is a unique position to play an important regional role "in the reconciliation between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran." Watheq al-Hashemi, an Iraqi political analyst, said it's an opportunity for Iraq to again become an important regional player. But for that to happen, Iraqi politicians "need to put country before sect and act as statesmen," something he says they've had trouble doing for a long time. FILE - In this April 4, 2019 file photo, Saudi Minister of Commerce and Investment, Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, center, and Iraq Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim, second left, wave as they arrive for the opening ceremony of a Saudi Arabia consulate in Baghdad, Iraq. A flurry of recent diplomatic activity and high-profile visits to the Iraqi capital, points to a new era of openness as the nation sheds its war image. Iraq needs much help and investment to rebuild its cities -- something it can only get from oil- and gas-rich Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File) FILE - In this Saturday, April, 6, 2019 file photo, released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, speaks with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, in Tehran, Iran. Iraq is seeking to reclaim a leadership role in the Arab world after decades of conflict. It is focusing on a centrist policy and its top leaders are determined to maintain good relations with both Iran and the United States. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File) FILE -- In this Dec. 26, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet members of the military at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. Iraq is seeking to reclaim a leadership role in the Arab world after decades of conflict. It is focusing on a centrist policy and its top leaders are determined to maintain good relations with both Iran and the United States. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2017 file photo, Haider, left, and Abdullah carry belongings they collected from their damaged house to wash before returning to live in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq. A flurry of recent diplomatic activity and high-profile visits to the Iraqi capital, points to a new era of openness as the nation sheds its war image and re-engages with the world. Iraq needs much help and investment to rebuild its cities -- something it can only get from oil- and gas-rich Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) NEW DELHI (AP) - India's ailing Jet Airways drastically cut back its operations on Monday amid talks with investors on purchasing a controlling stake in the debt-laden airline. Once India's largest carrier, Jet Airways is currently operating only seven of its 14 aircraft, and is flying only domestic routes, according to spokesman Gaurav Sahni. A recovery plan led by government-owned State Bank of India and other creditors has so far been unable to staunch the bleeding at the airline, which had 119 aircraft on Dec. 31, when the company first defaulted on some of its $1.5 billion in debt. Also on Monday, Jet Airways pilots demonstrated in Mumbai after deciding against a strike, saying they had not been paid in four months and asking India's government for a lifeline. "The appeal is to the prime minister to save Jet Airways, to save 20,000-plus jobs which are at stake here, to pay our salaries," said Jet Airways captain Asim Valiani. Company Chairman Naresh Goyal, who founded the airline in 1992, resigned from the board last month but submitted an expression of interest on Friday to make a bid, Indian news media reported. Jet Airways aircrafts are seen parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, Monday, April 15, 2019. India's ailing Jet Airways has drastically reduced operations amid talks with investors to purchase a controlling stake in the airline and help it reduce its mounting debt. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Goyal built the airline into India's largest carrier by offering an alternative to the unreliable schedules of the country's state-owned airlines. But it has been struggling for more than a decade since it borrowed heavily to compete against a new crop of budget airlines. Jet Airways was pinched further last year when the government imposed a 5% import tax on jet fuel even as petroleum prices worldwide rose. Around the same time, the company announced it was low on working capital. Employee pay became irregular. Pilots and engineers began to jump ship, taking jobs at rival Indian airlines. Aircraft lessors began taking back leased planes in lieu of payment. Mark D. Martin, chief executive of aviation consultancy Martin Consulting, said by Monday evening, Jet Airways creditors should have a list of bids for a controlling stake in the airline. But Martin wasn't optimistic. "What are you buying into? You've lost your fleet, you've lost your pilots. How much of a value proposition is it to buy Jet?" he said. Sahni, the airline spokesman, said international flights were scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Employees of Jet Airways gather to demand clarification on unpaid salaries at Jet Airways headquarters in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 15, 2019. India's ailing Jet Airways has drastically reduced operations amid talks with investors to purchase a controlling stake in the airline and help it reduce its mounting debt. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Employees of Jet Airways gather to demand clarification on unpaid salaries at Jet Airways headquarters in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 15, 2019. India's ailing Jet Airways has drastically reduced operations amid talks with investors to purchase a controlling stake in the airline and help it reduce its mounting debt. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has begun consultations with representatives of the new parliament's factions ahead of tapping the country's next prime minister. The talks should be a formality, given the results of last week's general election. The ruling Likud and its traditional nationalist and Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties hold a 65-55 parliamentary majority and are expected to vouch for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rivlin started his series of meetings on Monday with officials from Likud. He'll then meet members of the 10 other elected factions, in order of largest to smallest, to hear their recommendations, before formally appointing the candidate he believes has the best chance of building a parliamentary majority. In one of the president's few non-ceremonial roles, he asks that leader to form a government within 42 days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's presidential election Wednesday pits incumbent Joko Widodo against former special forces Gen. Prabowo Subianto in a repeat of the 2014 contest. Widodo, a furniture exporter and heavy metal fan who had a meteoric rise in Indonesian politics, chose a conservative Muslim cleric as his vice presidential candidate. Subianto's running mate is a self-made tycoon. A look at the presidential and vice presidential candidates: ___ JOKO WIDODO Usually known as Jokowi, Widodo began his political career in the central Javanese city of Solo and hit the big time when he became governor of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, in 2012. A down-to-earth style and reputation for clean governance helped propel him to the presidency in 2014. Widodo, 57, was likened to Barack Obama, and progressive voters hoped that as the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite he would address a catalog of major human rights abuses in the country. But while in office, he has been unwilling to press for accountability that threatens powerful institutions such as the military. Instead he has emphasized nationalism while also fending off attacks that he is insufficiently Muslim. This combination photo taken on Saturday, April 13, 2019, left, and Sunday, April 7, 2019, right, show Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and his challenger in the upcoming election Prabowo Subianto during their campaign rallies in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's presidential election Wednesday, April 17, 2019 is a re-run of the 2014 contest when Widodo, a furniture business owner who became Jakarta governor, vied with the former special forces general to lead the world's third-largest democracy and most populous Muslim-majority nation. (AP Photo) Widodo's signature policy has been improving Indonesia's poor infrastructure. He also continued the poverty alleviation policies of his predecessor. ___ MA'RUF AMIN One of the most important religious figures in Muslim-majority Indonesia, Amin was selected as Widodo's running mate to shore up his support among pious Muslims. He was chairman of Majelis Ulama Indonesia, the country's council of Islamic leaders, and supreme leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, the world's largest Muslim organization. But an avuncular persona belies Amin's reactionary beliefs. Amin, 76, has been a vocal supporter and drafter of fatwas against religious minorities and LGBT people. Human Rights Watch says the fatwas, or edicts, have legitimized increasingly hateful rhetoric by government officials against LGBT people, and in some cases fueled deadly violence by Islamic militants against religious minorities. ___ PRABOWO SUBIANTO Subianto, a former special forces general who was dismissed from the military in 1998, is making his second run at the presidency after narrowly losing to Widodo in 2014. A strident nationalist, he has run a fear-based campaign, highlighting what he sees as Indonesia's weakness and the risk of exploitation by foreign powers or disintegration. Subianto, 67, has sometimes highlighted a novel about a future world war that briefly mentions Indonesia as part of the basis for those fears. He was a star officer during the Suharto era and married the dictator's daughter. After Suharto was forced from office by social and economic chaos in 1998, Subianto was dismissed from the military. Soldiers under his command had kidnapped student activists, some of whom remain missing. ___ SANDIAGA UNO A self-made tycoon and deputy governor of Jakarta, Uno - commonly known as Sandi - has reportedly spent millions of his own money on the campaign. Articulate and youthful looking at 49, he has been more active on the campaign trail than his running mate and has been the ticket's way of appealing to the burgeoning number of young voters. Nearly a decade ago, Uno was profiled by CNN as an inspirational entrepreneur from humble roots who claimed to have the ear of then Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. His role in the 2019 campaign has raised his profile nationally and he is already talked about as a possible 2024 presidential candidate. FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2018, file photo, Indonesian presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto, second from left, and his running mate Sandiaga Uno, left, Joko Widodo, second from right, and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin, show the ballot numbers that will represent them in the upcoming presidential election, during a draw at the General Election Commission office in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's presidential election Wednesday, April 17, 2019 is a re-run of the 2014 contest when Widodo, a furniture business owner who became Jakarta governor, vied with the former special forces general to lead the world's third-largest democracy and most populous Muslim-majority nation. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File) FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2018, file photo, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and his contender in the upcoming election Prabowo Subianto share a light moment during a ceremony marking the kick-off of the campaign period for next year's election in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's presidential election Wednesday, April 17, 2019 is a re-run of the 2014 contest when Widodo, a furniture business owner who became Jakarta governor, vied with the former special forces general to lead the world's third-largest democracy and most populous Muslim-majority nation. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File) FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2014, file photo, then Indonesia's President-elect Joko Widodo, right, greets his political rival Prabowo Subianto during a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's presidential election Wednesday, April 17, 2019 is a re-run of the 2014 contest when Widodo, a furniture business owner who became Jakarta governor, vied with the former special forces general to lead the world's third-largest democracy and most populous Muslim-majority nation. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's supreme leader on Monday approved the use of special emergency funds to deal with damage from major flooding that has killed at least 76 people and injured more than 1,000 over the past several weeks. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the government permission to use the National Development Fund, which collects some of the country's foreign revenue for emergency needs, should the country's regular budget not be enough. President Hassan Rouhani asked the country's supreme leader last week to release about $2 billion from the fund. Since March, the devastating flash floods have been hitting the northern and western parts of Iran, with damages estimated at nearly $2.5 billion so far. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also launched an international emergency appeal Monday seeking 5.1 million Swiss francs ($5 million) to financially help tens of thousands of families in Iran impacted by the floods and to replenish emergency stocks of tents, blankets, plastic sheets and food items. "We are making every single resource we have available to save and support people. But it is not enough," Zahra Falahat, an official with the Iranian Red Crescent, said in a statement. The Iranian Red Crescent said an estimated 2 million people need humanitarian assistance as a result of the floods that have swept across the country, wiping out entire villages. The organization has described it as the worst disaster to hit Iran in 15 years. The Red Crescent said heavy rains and flash floods have affected more than 2,000 cities and towns across almost all of Iran's 31 provinces. It said an estimated 10 million people have been affected in some way, including more than half a million displaced from their homes, some permanently. The Red Crescent said it has provided about 239,000 people with temporary shelters. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan official says a gunman opened fire at a wedding ceremony in eastern Khost province, killing at least three people before he fled the scene. The motive for the attack was unknown and no militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting on Sunday night in the district of Tani. The Taliban and other militant groups are active in the province, though shooting attacks on wedding parties are rare. Talib Mangal, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the three people killed were wedding guests and that 12 others were wounded in the shooting. He says provincial officials have launched an investigation. HELSINKI (AP) - Riding a wave of populism across Europe and campaigning to slow down Finland's efforts to fight climate change, the euroskeptic Finns Party came within 6,800 votes of winning the country's parliamentary election - a result that smashed even the party's own predictions. One newspaper headline read "An all-time election thriller." The result of Sunday's vote has the potential to upend politics in Finland, a European Union member of 5.5 million people that shares a long border with Russia and has one-third of its land above the Arctic Circle. It also highlighted the struggle by Europe's traditional political parties to retain supporters. For decades, the centrist Center Party, the conservative National Coalition Party and the left-leaning Social Democrats have dominated Finnish politics. This time, they jointly received mere 49% support among voters, a historically low figure. With all votes counted Monday, the top three parties in election were separated by only two seats in the country's 200-seat Eduskunta legislature, which could make negotiations over forming Finland's next coalition government difficult. The opposition Social Democrats, led by former finance minister and union leader Antti Rinne, took 17.7% of the votes and 40 seats, far from the 101 seats needed for a majority. Chairman of The Finns Party Jussi Halla-aho, left, Party Secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo and Campaign manager Ossi Sandvik, right, attend The Finns Party parliamentary election party in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday, April 14, 2019. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP) Right behind came the Finns Party with 17.5% and 39 seats and the National Coalition Party with 17% of the votes and 38 seats. The Center Party of outgoing Prime Minister Juha Sipila was fourth with 13.8% of the vote and the Green Party came in with 11.5%. Preliminary voter turnout was 72%, election officials said. "It was surprisingly tight, because there were only two seats there between the No. 1 and No. 3 (parties)," said Markku Jokisipila, a professor at the University of Turku's Centre for Parliamentary Studies. "This was the first time in twenty years that the Social Democratic Party is No. 1, but because the big three parties are so close to each other, it will be a difficult starting point for forming a government." Immigration is still an important rallying cry for the Finns Party but focusing on anxieties over how much it will cost to fight climate change appeared to produce an electoral bonanza. "It's better than expected," said Finns Party supporter Riikka Purra. "Of course, we knew it would be nice, but this is awesome!" Greenpeace Finland called Sunday's vote the "climate election," saying "never before has climate and the limits of planet Earth been discussed with such seriousness in Finland." Jussi Halla-aho, the leader of the Finns Party, said he wanted "a more moderate and sensible climate policy" that wouldn't chase companies and industries away from Finland to countries like China. With the exception of the Finns Party, all other main parties agreed to the IPCC report last year on the suggested global response and the impacts of global warming of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. On Monday, it was not clear what political parties would join together to form the next government. "At the moment, it seems that other parties are rejecting the possibility of being in the same government with the Finns. But it remains to be seen, because Finnish politics used to be rather pragmatic," Jokisipila told The Associated Press. "It was surprisingly tight." Other challenges for the new government include preserving Finland's generous but costly health and welfare system as the nation rapidly ages. Despite the fact that many of the Finns Party's key rural voters feel it will cost too much to fight climate change, most political parties in Finland support actions to curb global warming. Finland is launching a new nuclear power plant next year and last month decided to phase out coal as an energy source by 2029. "The new Cabinet will have to answer to citizens' climate concerns and draft a government program making Finland the first welfare state that will abandon fossil fuels in a sustainable and fair way," said Sini Harkki, head of Greenpeace Finland. One political observer said Finland's political landscape was fragmenting, just like some of its fellow EU nations. "This follows the European development, where there are plenty of mid-sized political parties with not too high support. The field is fragmented and ideologically very different," Johanna Vuorelma of the University of Helsinki told the Finnish public broadcaster YLE. "The era in Europe when there was only one major party (in each country) getting a large amount of votes is over," she said. Social Democratic leader Party Antti Rinne speaks to the media at the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle studios in Helsinki, Finland Monday morning, April 15, 2019. Results from Finland's parliamentary election illustrated the struggle by Europe's traditional political parties to retain supporters, with the center-left Social Democratic Party winning the most votes and followed closely by a populist party that wants to temper national efforts to curb climate change. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva via AP) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A nationwide strike of Poland's public school teachers entered its second week Monday with the right-wing government, which is paying generous benefits to pensioners and other targeted groups, saying it doesn't have money to meet teachers' pay demands. Teachers are demanding a 30% raise, arguing that most of them earn less than supermarket cashiers. But after boosting benefits for pensioners and parents of young children, and giving tax exemptions to young professionals, the Polish government said it only can afford to a pay increase half the size of what teachers cited and won't discuss going any higher. "There is no money in the 2019 state budget for the increases to be higher" than the 15% pay raise for this year the government offered, Education Minister Anna Zalewska said. The declaration was a sign of how politics overrode fiscal discipline in the lead up to May's European Union parliament elections and Poland's general election in the fall, as well as of the limit to the government's largesse. Poland's deficit was 0.5% of GDP during the 2018 budget cycle, while the government said it wants to keep it this year within a raised limit of 3% of GDP. In shaping public spending decisions, the ruling Law and Justice party is guided "less by the intention to meet the needs of various professional groups, but rather by the drive to secure itself victory in the elections," said Ewa Marciniak, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw. A cyclist rides by a school where teachers are taking part in nationwide pay strike, with banners declaring the participation in the strike and also parent's support for it, in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, April 15, 2019. The right-wing government says it has money only to grant half of the teachers' demands in a sign that its policy of pre-election spending has reached its limit.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Marciniak also thinks the government doesn't want to grant teachers' demands because "it fears that could lead to similar calls from other professional groups," such as nurses, doctors and police officers. The pre-election bonuses Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski promised for families and pensioners this year cost about 20 billion zlotys ($5 billion.) Citing that figure, head of main teachers' union ZNP, Slawomir Broniarz, said striking educators don't accept that the government cannot find money to pay them more. "We want to earn proper money and live in dignity," Broniarz said in calling for negotiations to resume immediately. Poland's teachers have net earnings of 1,800 zlotys to 3,000 zlotys ($470 to $780) a month. "Our situation is really scandalous," said Marta Machajek, who teaches high school English in Warsaw. "This is not really about hikes," Machajek said. "This is about catching up with the rising national average. Teachers can see the widening gap between their situation and that of their students' parents, especially if the parents work in the private sector or in corporations, and they feel like paupers." The majority of Poland's hundreds of thousands of teachers continue to strike, idling schools and kindergartens. Many parents have had no childcare option except taking their small children along to work. The strike, however, did not prevent primary school graduation exams from being held Monday in almost 13,000 schools for some 377,000 students. Whether high school matriculation exams will take place next month remains uncertain. Still, massive rallies have been held in support of the teachers. Marciniak sees the public backing as a criticism of the government policies. "Some of my colleagues say that timing a strike during key exams is unethical, but I think this is the only pressure mechanism the teachers have," Machajek said. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has proposed scheduling negotiations that include parents as well as teachers for some time after the long Easter weekend. A woman walks by a school where teachers are taking part in nationwide pay strike, with banners declaring the participation in the strike and also parent's support for it, in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, April 15, 2019. The right-wing government says it has money only to grant half of the teachers' demands in a sign that its policy of pre-election spending has reached its limit.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) A woman walks by a school where teachers are taking part in nationwide pay strike, with banners declaring the participation in the strike and also parent's support for it, in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, April 15, 2019. The right-wing government says it has money only to grant half of the teachers' demands in a sign that its policy of pre-election spending has reached its limit.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Warsaw residents gathered in the city's Old Town to show support for the striking teachers' whose nationwide pay protest has been going for five days without any signs the government could grant their demands, in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 12, 2019. Similar rallies were held in some other cities.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Warsaw residents gathered in the city's Old Town to show support for the striking teachers' whose nationwide pay protest has been going for five days without any signs the government could grant their demands, in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 12, 2019. Similar rallies were held in some other cities.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - Mia Farrow will never forget the day she watched a baby die in her mother's arms. "It was a little girl staring at her mother and finally she just stopped breathing. I just moved away and listened to the mother's cry," the actress and human rights activist told The Associated Press in South Sudan's capital, Juba, earlier this month. She recalled the death as she visited the country again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. Farrow, who has worked as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, has spent two decades traveling the world and advocating for human rights, especially for women and children. Crouching in a displacement camp in Juba earlier this month, she jotted notes while listening intently to women express fears about being sexually assaulted and not having adequate shelter for families during the upcoming rainy season. "I don't know many people who could endure what they're enduring," Farrow said. In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, human rights activist Mia Farrow, center-left, plays a game with children during a visit to an internally displaced person's camp in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) As South Sudan emerges from five years of civil war that killed almost 400,000 people, some 1.5 million people are on the brink starvation, the United Nations and South Sudan's government said earlier this year. The International Rescue Committee calls the current approach to fighting malnutrition "inadequate," asserting that it leaves millions of children with acute malnutrition untreated, Mesfin Teklu Tessema, the group's global senior director for health, told the AP. "What we've seen on the ground, despite everybody's best efforts, we're not able to save as many lives as we could," Mesfin said. With the current approach 50 million children around the world are acutely malnourished and approximately 80% aren't receiving the treatment they need, he said. The group proposes treating moderate and severe acute malnutrition as one condition, using a single high-calorie therapeutic food instead of two and delivering aid to families in their homes via trained community health workers rather than making people seek care at a clinic. That can mean walking for days in search of help, Mesfin said. For the approach to be adopted the U.N needs to agree. The world body remains skeptical. "There are still a lot of evidence gaps," Lauren Landis, director of nutrition for the U.N. World Food Program, told the AP. The U.N. wants to be sure the treatment is fully tested and works in a wide range of settings, she said. Both WFP and the U.N. children's agency are supporting similar pilot programs, in a few cases partnering with the International Rescue Committee, looking at how to simplify the detection and treatment of malnutrition. While sending trained community health workers into remote areas is one way of reaching more people, organizations need to weigh the risks and the benefits, one expert said. "There are a lot of problems with quality, control, monitoring and accountability," said Sarah Vuylsteke, former deputy head of access in South Sudan. The end goal should remain that everyone is able to access clinics and health care freely, she said. Having seen the country before and after civil war, Farrow has a clear message for South Sudan's government as it tries to implement a fragile peace deal signed in September. "Just stop fighting ... and find a way to peace," she said. "Peace is the door out of this misery." Civilians continue to bear the effects of years of fighting. In a recent visit to the town of Aweil in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, the AP saw dozens of hungry children swarm large pots of grains during a feeding program. The program is part of a new initiative launched by UNICEF and WFP with the aim of providing daily meals to 75,000 children at schools across the country. One of the children, 10-year old Malong Garang Deng, hung his head. Without school feedings he only eats once a day and sometimes there is nothing at all, he said. He lifted a frail arm, trying to flex a muscle. "I'm hungry," he said. "But I've adapted. Even if I can't eat I can still be strong." ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa In this photo taken Tuesday, March 26, 2019, children push their plates out to receive a portion of cooked grains during a lunchtime feeding program initiative launched by UNICEF and the World Food Programme with the aim of providing daily meals to 75,000 children in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, in South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, human rights activist Mia Farrow plays with a baby lying on his mother's lap while speaking to a group of women during a visit to an internally displaced person's camp in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, children play outside a community center at an internally displaced person's camp, during a visit by human rights activist Mia Farrow, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, human rights activist Mia Farrow takes notes while speaking with staff from the International Rescue Committee while visiting an internally displaced person's camp in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, March 26, 2019, a young boy stands with a group of school children as they welcome donors who were launching a new joint education in emergencies initiative with the aim of providing daily meals to 75,000 children, in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, in South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, March 26, 2019, South Sudanese perform a traditional dance as they welcome donors who were launching a new joint education in emergencies initiative with the aim of providing daily meals to 75,000 children, in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, in South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, human rights activist Mia Farrow smiles while interacting with women and children in an internally displaced person's camp in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In this photo taken Tuesday, April 2, 2019, a young boy plays with a homemade toy car made from a juice carton at an internally displaced person's camp, during a visit by human rights activist Mia Farrow, in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Human rights activist Mia Farrow spoke to The Associated Press as she visited South Sudan again in her new role as envoy for the International Rescue Committee, helping the aid group to promote a global initiative to change the way humanitarian organizations approach malnutrition. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The corruption trial of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak entered a second day Monday, with a central bank investigator taking the stand in the case involving the transfer of suspicious money into Najib's bank accounts. One of few Southeast Asian leaders to be arraigned after losing office, Najib was solemn as he sat in the dock listening to the testimony. Central bank investigator Azizul Adzani Mohamad Ghafar, the second witness, testified he secured documents in 2015 related to the bank accounts of Najib, SRC International and another company. SRC is a former unit of 1MDB state investment fund, which U.S. investigators say was pilfered of billions by Najib's associates. The scandal involving 1MDB helped lead to Najib's election defeat last May. The trial is the first of several against Najib, who faces 42 graft charges in one of the country's biggest criminal proceedings. It specifically involved seven charges related to the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($10.2 million) from SRC into Najib's bank accounts via intermediary companies between 2011 and 2015. He was accused of using his position to receive the money for approving a government guarantee for a government loan to SRC, committed criminal breach of trust and accepting proceeds from unlawful activities. Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, gets into a car after his court appearance at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, April 15, 2019. The corruption trial of Najib entered its second day, with a central bank official testifying that he has documents showing money from a company linked to a state investment fund was transferred into Najib's personal bank account. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters after the hearing ended for the day that prosecutors must prove that the former leader was aware that the money transferred into his account was from illegal sources. "Just because money comes into my account doesn't mean I am in full knowledge that it comes from a wrong source because many individuals are involved," Shafee said. "Prosecution needs to show that he is complicit, he is part of the conspiracy." He said the defense will grill Azizul in their cross-examination Tuesday. Prosecutors said at the start of the trial on April 3 that Najib, who set up 1MDB in 2009, was the real power behind the fund. They said evidence will show that part of the money funneled from SRC was used by Najib for a shopping spree at Chanel in Honolulu, renovation works at two of his private homes and also disbursed to political parties in what was then the ruling coalition. Najib smiled but didn't speak to reporters as he left the court. His wife, Rosmah Mansor, also has been charged with money laundering and tax evasion linked to 1MDB. She has also pleaded not guilty and her trial date has not been set. CAIRO (AP) - Sudanese protesters on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks with opposition leaders over the weekend and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday in which activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. Last week, Sudan's military ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir following four months of street protests against his rule, then appointed a military council that it says will rule for two years or less while elections are organized. Demonstrators fear that the army, dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which is behind the protests, repeated its key demand at a press conference in Khartoum, saying the military must immediately give power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. "The trust is in the street," said prominent activist Mohammed Naji al-Asam, referring to the ongoing sit-in. The SPA also called on the international community to support civilian rule. The African Union meanwhile gave Sudan's military 15 days to hand over power to a "civilian-led political authority" or face suspension from the union's activities. It said a civilian authority should hold elections "as quickly as possible." Demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) Earlier in the day, the SPA urged people into the streets, saying "There is an attempt to break up the sit-in. We appeal to everyone to head to the area to protect your revolution and gains." There were no clashes and no one was hurt in the attempted dispersal, but the incident renewed concerns that the military could renege on its promises not to use force against the peaceful demonstrators. Previous attempts to break up the sit-in before al-Bashir's ouster last Thursday killed dozens of people. Videos circulated online showing hundreds of troops outside the military compound in Khartoum. In the footage, an officer is heard saying they came to open roads, "clean the area" and remove the barricades set up by the protesters to protect their gathering. Some protesters are then seen in the footage sitting down on the ground in front of the soldiers, who subsequently move away. In some videos the protesters chant "Revolution," as well as slogans against al-Bashir's Islamist supporters. Protester Nourhan Mostafa said the sit-in will continue until "the demands the Sudanese revolution are met." Also Monday, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the transitional military council, announced an overhaul of the military leadership and appointed a new chief of staff, according to a military statement. The statement said Gen. Hashem Babakr was appointed the joint chief of staff, replacing Gen. Kamal Abdel-Marouf al-Mahi, who was ousted along with Defense Minister Awad ibn Ouf a day after al-Bashir's overthrow. Babakr, 63, was appointed by al-Bashir as chairman of the joint operations authority in February. Since his ouster, al-Bashir - president for nearly 30 years - has been under house arrest in Khartoum. The military said he was removed from power in response to the demands of the people. A military spokesman said Sunday it will name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet - but not a president - to help govern the country. The announcement was unlikely to satisfy the protesters. Lt. Gen. Shamseldin Kibashi said in televised remarks that the military had begun to overhaul the security apparatus and wouldn't break up the demonstrations outside the military headquarters. The U.S., Britain and Norway on Sunday urged the military authorities to "listen to the calls from the Sudanese people." Sudan's uprising began in December as a series of protests against the rising costs of fuel and food, but soon shifted to calls for al-Bashir to step down. Dozens of people were killed in a security crackdown aimed at quashing the protests. The protests against al-Bashir gained further momentum after Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, resigned earlier this month in response to weeks of similar protests. Demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) Demonstrators walk past army vehicles protecting the entrance to a rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) Demonstrators wave a national flag and flash the victory sign at a rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) Demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) Demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The Sudanese protest movement on Monday welcomed the "positive steps" taken by the ruling military council, which held talks over the weekend with the opposition leaders and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident earlier Monday where activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the ongoing protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, but eventually backed off. (AP Photo/Salih Basheer) COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Danish police say 23 people have been detained for violence after a far-right provocateur tossed a copy of the Quran in the air in an immigrant neighborhood in Copenhagen. Copenhagen police said Monday the detainees were suspected of being behind dozens of arson fires of cars and garbage containers mainly in Noerrebro, an immigrant district in the Danish capital. The unrest started after Rasmus Paludan, a lawyer who cites freedom of speech rights as he stages demonstrations across Denmark under heavy police protection, threw Islam's holy book in the air several times in Noerrebro. Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen called Paludan's demonstration "a meaningless provocation." GENEVA (AP) - A year after claims of sexual assault and harassment rocked the U.N. agency that fights HIV, UNAIDS looked like it might be on the mend. The top deputy facing the allegations had departed, the leader who presided over the troubled institution announced plans to bow out early and managers vowed to correct the agency's "toxic" atmosphere in a scathing probe. But the upheaval is not over. Confidential documents obtained by The Associated Press show UNAIDS is grappling with previously unreported allegations of financial and sexual misconduct involving Martina Brostrom, who went public last March with claims that one of the organization's top officials assaulted her in 2015. As part of a preliminary internal inquiry, investigators for the World Health Organization, which oversees UNAIDS, wrote that they had found "evidence" that Brostrom and her former supervisor may have taken part in "fraudulent practices and misuse of travel funds," the documents show. The inquiry was put on hold in late 2016 after Brostrom asked for whistleblower protection in a formal complaint to UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe alleging that Dr. Luiz Loures, one of Sidibe's deputies, forcibly kissed her and tried to drag her out of a Bangkok hotel elevator. In a statement that did not identify Brostrom by name, UNAIDS said the investigation was suspended "to safeguard the integrity of a potentially related sexual harassment case." Edward Flaherty, a lawyer for Brostrom, said she had no knowledge of any such inquiry. This Monday, April 8, 2019 photo shows the headquarters building of UNAIDS in Geneva. Documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal the U.N.'s AIDS agency is grappling with previously unreported allegations of financial and sexual misconduct involving a staffer who went public in 2018 with claims she was sexually assaulted by a top deputy. (AP Photo/Jamey Keaten) "She is unaware, and has not been advised, of any such investigation and denies any assertion of impropriety," Flaherty said of the Swedish employee. The ongoing turmoil is a damaging distraction for an agency at the center of multibillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded U.N. efforts to end the global AIDS epidemic by 2030. The virus affects more than 37 million people worldwide and kills more than 900,000 people every year. The allegations of sexual assault and managerial mismanagement prompted Sweden to announce last year it would suspend its funding to the agency. The Scandinavian country is UNAIDS' No. 2 donor, providing more than $30 million in 2017. "Anytime there are claims about misuse of funds, it's incredibly damaging to an agency's credibility," said Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. "UNAIDS goes into countries to protect those who are marginalized, including sex workers, drug users, poor communities - to advocate for AIDS prevention and treatment," Sridhar said. "How can they do that when it's widely known there's an internal culture that permits bad behavior?" Brostrom's complaint against Loures prompted two inquiries - a U.N. investigation that concluded there was insufficient evidence to support her claims and an independent assessment of the agency's management that found a culture of impunity and "defective leadership." Amid the resulting criticism, Sidibe announced he would step down in June, six months early. Loures left after his contract expired last March. Brostrom, who some credited with sparking a #MeToo movement at the U.N., told Sidibe in November 2016 that her work environment became increasingly fraught immediately after the alleged assault by Loures. Brostrom was working as a technical adviser in UNAIDS' Office of Special Initiatives when the problems with Loures began. "LL started to explicitly block my work, excluded me from participation in key meetings in areas in which I was leading and blocked my requests for duty travel," she wrote in an email that was provided to the AP. She said she became "the victim of a malicious and anonymous defamation campaign in early 2016." According to internal documents reviewed by the AP, the U.N. ethics office and other senior UNAIDS officials received a series of anonymous emails in early 2016 alleging misconduct by Brostrom's former supervisor, prompting the preliminary internal review that ultimately grew to include examining Brostrom's own conduct. Brostrom told officials that immediately after the alleged attack by Loures, she called her mother, a friend and her then-supervisor to tell them what happened. Brostrom's mother told WHO investigators that her daughter "was very upset and she was crying and she didn't think that such a thing could happen to her." When Brostrom went public with her story, two other women described similar encounters with Loures, who denies all the allegations. "I have always said that the allegations made against me are false," Loures told the AP in an email Saturday. Loures said Brostrom's accusations against him were only made after he took steps to investigate the misconduct of her former male supervisor. "I found (they) had not taken permission for travel on several occasions and had cheated the system," he said. Brostrom and her former supervisor are both currently on leave from UNAIDS for undisclosed reasons. The WHO investigation into them remains preliminary. In the preliminary report obtained by the AP, which described discussions with both Brostrom and the supervisor regarding potential misconduct, officials noted that they reviewed an array of documents, including more than 1,900 emails. In one confidential memo provided to the AP, WHO investigators said they found evidence that Brostrom and her ex-boss "may have engaged in unprofessional conduct," including the misuse of funds. The two were reproached for "abusing U.N. privileges by requesting special U.N. rates when booking hotels for the purpose of having sexual encounters." The preliminary review found one instance where Brostrom and her colleague apparently told hotel management "to forge an invoice" to claim their personal costs were business-related, the memo said. WHO investigators also wrote that they found evidence suggesting the pair routinely used their work email accounts "to exchange messages with explicit sexual language, profanity and nudity." WHO's initial investigation concluded "such conduct may have exposed UNAIDS to high reputational risk" and referred the matter to UNAIDS to determine "the best course of action." The July 2018 memo was marked "confidential" and sent from WHO's Office of Internal Oversight Services to Gunilla Carlsson, deputy executive director at UNAIDS. The sexual assault and harassment case against Loures has been reopened and is now in the hands of the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services following criticism of how it was handled by UNAIDS and WHO. The investigation into potential misconduct by Brostrom and her former supervisor will resume "as soon as appropriate," UNAIDS spokeswoman Sophie Barton-Knott said in an email. The lingering inquiries mean UNAIDS' new leader will inherit unfinished business that casts a shadow over donor support. Global health expert Sridhar called for UNAIDS' management to be overhauled. "I wouldn't give up hope on UNAIDS, but there needs to be a new leadership to change the culture there," she said. "People tend to behave badly when they think that kind of corruption is permitted." Sweden's foreign ministry said it was not planning to restore funding to UNAIDS imminently. The U.S. is UNAIDS' biggest donor, supplying the agency with more than $82 million in 2017. _____ Cheng reported from London. FILE - This Wednesday, July 18, 2018 file photo shows UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe in Paris, France. Amid an assessment of the agency's management that found a culture of impunity and "defective leadership," Sidibe announced he would step down in June 2019, six months before the scheduled end to his term. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, file) TOKYO (AP) - A U.S. Marines commander in Japan has asked service people in the southwestern region of Okinawa to keep a low profile to show respect after a sailor allegedly stabbed a Japanese woman and then killed himself, the latest in a series of crimes that have outraged residents. "As a sign of respect to a community that is angry and in shock, we should be unobtrusive," Lt. Gen. Eric Smith said in a letter dated Sunday. The letter was made available Monday by a U.S. military official. The letter, addressed to base leaders, asked everyone to avoid unneeded shopping, eating out or being overly loud so as to "demonstrate solidarity with our Okinawan neighbors." The U.S. military identified the sailor as Gabriel A. Olivero from North Carolina. Japan's Foreign Ministry said the sailor stabbed the woman and killed himself Saturday. Okinawan people have long resented the heavy presence of American troops, including the resulting crime, aircraft noise and accidents, and destruction of nature. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, right, hands out a letter of protest to Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, U.S. Marines commander in Japan, at Okinawa Prefectural Government Office in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, Monday, April 15, 2019. The commander is asking service people on the southwestern region of Okinawa to keep a low profile to show respect after a sailor allegedly stabbed a Japanese woman and then killed himself. (Kyodo News via AP) "It's just the decent, right, and neighborly thing to do," Smith said in the letter, while noting that most American troops are doing good work and he was not asking them to hide or be ashamed. Although Okinawa accounts for less than 1% of Japan's land space, it hosts about half of the 54,000 American troops stationed in Japan, and is home to 64% of the land used by the U.S. bases in the country under a bilateral security treaty. A plan to relocate a Marine Corps air station called Futenma to a less populated part of Okinawa has also been contentious. Denny Tamaki, who was elected Okinawa's governor in October, is pushing to have the base moved off the island. Tamaki met with Smith on Monday to discuss the need for more efforts to contain crime by U.S. service people on Okinawa. ___ Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en LONDON (AP) - The European Union has approved a copyright overhaul that aims to give more protection to artists and news organizations but which critics say will stifle freedom of speech and online creativity and punish smaller web companies. Artists, celebrities and tech experts have spoken out both in favor and against the EU directive, which the 28 member states are required to adopt as law and got final approval from the European Council Monday. Here's a look at key issues. ___ WHAT DOES THE DIRECTIVE SAY? The most vigorously debated part of the legislation is a section that makes companies responsible for making sure that copyrighted material isn't uploaded to their platforms without permission from the original creator. It puts the legal onus on platforms to prevent copyright infringement but critics say it will end up having a chilling effect on freedom of expression on the internet and could result in censorship. FILE - In this Saturday, March 23, 2019 file photo, people protest against the copyright bill, in Leipzig, Germany. The European Union approved on Monday April 15, 2019, a copyright law that aims to give more protection to artists and news organizations but which critics say will stifle freedom of speech and online creativity and punish smaller web companies. (Peter Endig/dpa via AP) Another section of the bill that caused concern requires search engines and social media sites to pay for linking to or offering up snippets of news articles. ___ HOW WILL IT AFFECT INTERNET PLATFORMS? Some sites would be forced to license music or videos. If not, sites would have to make sure they don't have unauthorized copyrighted material. Critics worry that could lead to costly automatic filtering. And paying for links could create further costs. That could give tech giants an edge over smaller companies. Google said last year it spent more than $100 million on Content ID, its copyright management system for approved users on YouTube, where more than 400 hours of content is uploaded every minute. The figure includes both staffing and computing resources. ___ HOW WILL IT SHAPE INTERNET CONTENT? Critics say it could act as censorship and change internet culture. They say the automatic filters are blunt instruments, deleting some material that should be allowed online. YouTube has warned of unintended consequences, saying that in cases where copyright is uncertain, it would have to block videos to avoid liability. Some consumers worry that the new rules would bring an end to parodies and viral internet "memes" that have powered online culture and are often based on or inspired by existing songs or movies or other content. The EU denies this. "The new law makes everyone a loser," said Julia Reda, a lawmaker with the Pirate Party, which campaigns for freedom of information online. "Artists, authors and small publishers will not get their fair remuneration and internet users will have to live with limited freedoms. Artistic diversity has made the Internet colorful, but unfortunately the copyright directive will make the Internet duller." ___ WILL IT HELP CONTENT CREATORS? It depends on whom you ask. The music industry and other groups that collect royalties say the revamp will help give writers, artists and creators more protection of their rights and incomes, by requiring tech giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google to pay them more for their work. Some authors and artists fear they won't earn significantly more money but their creativity will be stifled. Google estimates it has paid out more than $3 billion to rights holders through its Content ID system, which was created in 2007. ___ HOW HAVE PEOPLE REACTED? Some high profile artists have spoken out in favor. Former Beatles member Paul McCartney wrote an open letter to EU lawmakers encouraging them to adopt the new rules. But many appear worried it will change the internet as we know it. More than 5.2 million people signed an online petition against them. Internet luminaries such as Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales have spoken out against it. So has the former frontman for the band Fugees, Wyclef Jean, who has said he is better off financially because fans can freely share his music on internet platforms. Germany wants the rules to be implemented in such a way "that upload filters be averted if possible, and that user rights - freedom of opinion, about which there has been a lot of discussion here - be preserved," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday. Last month, tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Germany to protest against the directive. Poland's leader has said his country will not implement it, arguing it threatens freedom of speech. ___ WHAT'S NEXT? The EU's member countries have two years to comply by drafting their own national laws. Six countries - Italy, Sweden, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - voted against it, so implementation is likely to be uneven, setting the stage for possible legal challenges. ___ Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report. BRUSSELS (AP) - Belgian authorities say they have arrested a man on suspicion that he was part of a terrorist group and might have been planning an attack. Federal prosecutors said Monday the 22-year-old Belgian man, identified as Jimmy K., is charged with "taking part in the activities of a terrorist group." Searches were conducted in three Belgian towns in connection with the arrest but no weapons or explosives were found. No other details were provided. State broadcaster RTBF says the man was detained early Sunday at his grandmother's house in Wavre, 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of the capital, Brussels. It said he had converted to Islam and become radicalized and was in the early stages of preparing an attack. RTBF did not identify the source of its information. LONDON (AP) - Joan Collins has thanked firefighters for their quick response after a blaze erupted in her London apartment. The 85-year-old actress shared video images of a charred wall on social media after the weekend fire. She also tweeted thanks to the "marvelous" firefighters who tackled the "terrifying" blaze. Collins said her husband Percy Gibson was a "hero" for trying to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. The London Fire Brigade said Monday that the blaze in the ritzy Belgravia neighborhood was caused by sunlight reflecting off a shaving mirror and setting fire to a bathroom blind. It said such fires were a particular risk at this time of year. The brigade said Collins and Gibson were both checked at the scene but did not need hospital treatment. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, said Monday that the U.S. wants the rest of the world to be more like Taiwan - praise that will likely anger Beijing, which has long been sensitive to cooperation between the U.S. and the democratically governed island that China claims as its own. "Taiwan is a democratic success story, a reliable partner and a force for good in the world," Ryan said at a celebration for the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which guides U.S. policy toward Taiwan. While the U.S. does not have formal diplomatic ties with the island, the act requires Washington to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself. "We want the rest of the world to be more like Taiwan," said Ryan, who led an American delegation to the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy. He said both parties care deeply about the "critically important relationship" between the U.S. and Taiwan. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who also spoke at the event, praised the two parties' "enduring partnership" as one that has "withstood the test of time." Taiwan split from mainland China during a civil war in 1949, and only 17 mainly small, developing nations recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Over the past year, Beijing has employed increasingly strident rhetoric around "re-unifying" the island with Communist Party-ruled mainland China, declaring that it has not ruled out the use of force. Ryan said the U.S. "commitment to Taiwan's security remains rock-solid." Last month, Taiwan asked to purchase new fighter jets and tanks from the U.S., its main supplier of military weapons. American arms sales to Taiwan have long been a thorn in U.S. relations with China. CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Dozens of high-profile Australian journalists and major media organizations were represented by lawyers in a court on Monday on charges relating to breaches of a gag order on reporting about Cardinal George Pell's convictions for sexually molesting two choirboys. Reporting in any format accessible from Australia about the former Vatican economy chief's convictions in a Melbourne court in December was banned by a judge's suppression order that was not lifted until February. Such suppression orders are common in the Australian and British judicial systems, and breaches can result in jail terms. But the enormous international interest in a criminal trial with global ramifications has highlighted the difficulty in enforcing such orders in the digital world. Lawyers representing 23 journalists, producers and broadcasters as well as 13 media organizations that employ them appeared in the Victoria state Supreme Court for the first time on charges including breaching the suppression order and sub judice contempt, which is the publishing of material that could interfere with the administration of justice. Some are also charged with scandalizing the court by undermining public confidence in the judiciary as well as aiding and abetting foreign media outlets in breaching the suppression order. Media lawyer Matthew Collins told the court that convictions could have a chilling effect on open justice in Australia. He described the prosecutions as unprecedented under Australian law. "This is as serious as it gets in terms of convictions, fines and jail time," Collins said. Justice John Dixon urged lawyers to consider whether all 36 people and companies would face a single trial or whether there should be 36 trials. He ordered prosecutors to file detailed statements of claim against all those charged by May 20 and defense lawyers to file responses by June 21. The parties must return to court for the next preliminary hearing on June 26. Media organizations are standing by their reporting, including Australia's largest newspaper publisher, News Corp., which said in a statement that it would "vigorously defend all charges and resolutely stand by our editors and journalists." Court documents list 32 overseas-based media organizations and websites that breached the suppression order, but none has been charged. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment would prevent such censorship in the United States, so attempting to extradite an American for breaching an Australian suppression order would be futile. As soon as Pell was convicted on Dec. 11 of oral rape and indecent acts involving two 13-year-old boys while he was archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s, news began to spread around the world on social media. Collins told the court that Australian media did not name Pell or say what he had been convicted of. Pell was described as an "Australian with a worldwide reputation convicted of an awful crime," ''a high-profile Australian known across the world ... convicted of a serious crime," ''a high profile person found guilty of a terrible crime," ''a very high profile figure convicted ... of a serious crime" and an "internationally prominent person found guilty of appalling crimes," court documents show. Australia's largest-circulation newspaper, Melbourne's Herald Sun, owned by News Corp., had published on its front page headlines "CENSORED - the world is reading a very important story that is relevant to Victorians," referring to residents of Victoria state. "The Herald Sun is prevented from publishing details of this significant news. But trust us, it's a story you deserve to read," the newspaper added. The newspaper's editor and published have been charged. Melbourne's second most popular newspaper, The Age, reported that rampant use of suppression orders by Victorian courts was "almost absurd" in the digital era. Its editor and publisher are charged. The Associated Press had a reporter in the court during Pell's trial and abided by the suppression order. The AP reported full details of the case and published photographs and video as soon as the order was lifted. Like some other international media organizations with reporters in the court, the AP has Australia-based staff who could have been as exposed to prosecution for breaching the order as the Australian media. The suppression order was designed to prevent the December convictions from influencing the jury in a trial that was to be held in April on allegations that Pell groped two boys in a swimming pool as a young priest in the 1970s. Those charges were dropped in February, so the suppression order was lifted. But media still face charges for sub judice contempt, even though there will be no second jury. Breaching a suppression order carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The other charges are common law contempt offenses with no set maximum penalties. Pell was sentenced on March 13 to six years in prison. He must serve a minimum of 3 years and 8 months before he is eligible for parole. He is to appeal his convictions in June. BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union approved Monday its terms for negotiating a new trade deal with the United States, but set up a possible show-down with Washington by refusing to include agricultural products in the talks. Making public the mandate for the EU's executive commission to conduct negotiations on their behalf, the bloc's member countries said that the new deal will focus exclusively on eliminating tariffs on industrial goods. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the commission wants to wrap the talks up within six months, and that she would contact her U.S. counterpart Robert Lighthizer later Monday to work out when formal negotiations might begin. "We are now ready to move ahead into the next phase of EU-U.S. relations," Malmstrom told reporters in Brussels. "If we agree to start, I think it can go quite quickly. There are sensitivities, absolutely, but we can manage this quite quickly." The commission's term in office expires at the end of October. The trade talks are the result of a preliminary deal reached last July by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump as Brussels sought to head off a looming trans-Atlantic trade war after Trump slapped tariffs on imports of EU steel and aluminum. The United States has long wanted more access to the EU's protected market for farm products. But William Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Trump "gave agriculture away" in his meeting with Juncker, agreeing to focus U.S.-EU talks on non-automotive industrial products. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom talks to journalists during a news conference at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Leaving out agriculture is likely to hobble the negotiations at the outset, Reinsch said. But he added that "there are ways out of the mess" - the two sides could agree, for instance, to tackle farm trade in a later round of talks. Trump imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum from the EU on June 1. He said the move was to protect U.S. national security interests, but the Europeans claim it is simply protectionism and breaks global trade rules. In response, the EU introduced "rebalancing" tariffs on about 2.8 billion euros worth ($3.2 billion) of U.S. steel, agricultural and other products. Trump has held out the threat of slapping auto tariffs on European cars should the trade talks fail to progress. Malmstrom has previously warned that the EU would break off any trade negotiations if he does. Asked whether U.S. Congress would accept any deal that does not involve agriculture, Malmstrom said: "This is limited, but still meaningful, win-win negotiations that we are offering and that was agreed between the two presidents." Before Trump came to office, the Europeans had been trying for three years to conclude a more wide-ranging Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Pact with the United States. The pact was meant to lift trade barriers between the world's biggest trading partners, spark sorely-needed economic growth and create new jobs. Malmstrom underlined that the terms of that draft agreement are obsolete and that TTIP, as it is known, is now officially "in the freezer." ___ Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom talks to journalists during a news conference at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) BERLIN (AP) - The German government is dismissing talk of a stimulus package for Europe's biggest economy as growth slows amid international trade tensions and one-off factors at home. A prominent lawmaker in the governing coalition had raised the possibility of a stimulus program and the head of Germany's main industry lobby group has called for more government investment. On Wednesday, the government is widely expected to halve its growth forecast for this year from the 1% it predicted in January. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the budget already foresees increasing investment, and "we see no need for a stimulus program." He added that the economy is "in more difficult times" but is still growing. Seibert added that the government "links solid budgets with a strengthening of investments." LONDON (AP) - Environmental protesters blocked access to several major London landmarks and vandalized oil company Shell's headquarters Monday as they tried to bring the city to a standstill. The group Extinction Rebellion was seeking to paralyze parts of central London to highlight demands for the British government to declare a climate emergency. Thousands of protesters converged on Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square. Some activists glued themselves to windows at Shell headquarters near Waterloo, and others smashed glass revolving doors and sprayed the building with graffiti. Many carried signs pleading with the government to make fighting climate change a top priority. Police said three men were arrested in the ongoing protests. They have not been identified or charged. Extinction Rebellion drew attention to its cause two weeks ago when members stripped to their underwear in the public gallery in Parliament during a Brexit debate. A demonstrator bangs a drum during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Protester Olivia Evershed, 23, said climate policies must be altered quickly to prevent catastrophic changes. "If we don't do anything to change this, our children will die," she said. Police advised Londoners to leave extra time for their journeys because of possible delays caused by the protest. Protesters aim to keep the demonstrations going for two weeks. Demonstrators hold a banner during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Demonstrators listen to speakers during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Demonstrators hold a banner during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A demonstrator dressed in a bird costume attends a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A demonstrator holds a banner during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A skeleton is carried past the Winston Churchill statue as demonstrators take part in a 'Funeral Procession' during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A climate change protester cycles round marble Arc offering free rides to children in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) A woman dressed as a wood nymph during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) A general view of Oxford Circus occupied by climate change protesters during a demonstration in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Skeletons are carried as demonstrators take part in a 'Funeral Procession' during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) DALLAS (AP) - Police in Dallas have arrested a 29-year-old man in the brutal beating of a transgender woman in an attack that was caught on cellphone video. Dallas police say Edward Thomas was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday "for his role" in the attack. He was jailed on suspicion of aggravated assault, and records don't list an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Police did not say whether anyone else would be arrested in the beating, which happened Friday in broad daylight in front of a crowd of people, but said the case is being investigated as a hate crime. The woman told police she was attacked after a minor traffic accident. A purported video shows a man in a white shirt viciously beating the woman, apparently into unconsciousness, while the crowd looks on and homophobic slurs are shouted. Several women eventually carried the victim's limp body to safety. Family members told Dallas television station WFAA that the woman suffered facial fractures and injured her right arm in the attack. Leslie McMurray, a transgender woman who is an education and advocacy coordinator at the Resource Center in Dallas, called the attack "terrifying." This undated photo provided by the Dallas County Jail shows Edward Thomas. Police in Dallas have arrested Thomas in the brutal beating of a transgender woman in an attack that was caught on cellphone video. Dallas police say Thomas was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, April 14, 2019,"for his role" in the attack. (Dallas County Jail via AP) "You could just feel the energy and the malevolence of this crowd escalate as the violence ensued and there was no voice standing up saying stop," McMurray, who wasn't present during the attack, told WFAA. "There's no reason that our lives are less valuable than someone else or that we should be someone's punching bag just because we're transgender." Last November, the FBI reported that 7,175 hate crimes were committed in the United States in 2017, the most recent year for which the agency had compiled data. Of those, 1,130 were based on sexual orientation bias and 119 on gender identity bias. The data showed a 5% increase in hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation bias and a 4% decrease in hate crimes motivated by gender identity bias. Of crimes motivated by gender identity bias, 106 targeted transgender people, a 1% increase from 2016. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - The developers of a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany applied Monday for a third route south of Denmark's Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, as they try to overcome objections from the country. The Danish Energy Agency says Nord Stream 2 has applied for an alternative route in the seas south-east of Bornholm in Denmark's exclusive economic zone. It could not say when a permit might be granted but said only one can be granted. The Switzerland-based Nord Stream 2 confirmed it had been asked to submit an application for another route. It said in a statement that asking for a third route option "can only be seen as a deliberate attempt to delay the project's completion," adding European consumers could lose as much as "at least 20 million euros" a day. The planned Baltic pipeline will transport natural gas via a 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) pipeline from Russia to Europe. It has come under fire from the United States and some European countries claiming it could increase Europe's dependence on Russia as a supplier of energy. Washington, which wants to sell its liquefied natural gas to Europe, has threatened sanctions against companies involved in the undersea pipeline. While it is wholly owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom, half of the project's 8 billion euro ($9 billion) cost is covered by five European energy and chemicals companies including Shell, BASF and ENGIE. Russia, Finland, Sweden and Germany have already issued permits. BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his re-election and stressed the need to work toward a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Merkel's office said she insisted, in a phone conversation Monday, on the continued relevance of a two-state solution, saying that should be the goal of international efforts. Merkel also expressed her willingness to work closely and trustingly with the incoming Israeli government. During the final stretch of his election campaign, Netanyahu pledged for the first time to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in a desperate bid to rally his right-wing base. Netanyahu has reneged on election eve promises before, but should he follow through on this one, it would mark a dramatic development and potentially wipe out the already diminishing hope for Palestinian statehood. There is a way around the notoriously sluggish internet in West Virginia. You just need a car and some time. Kelly Povroznik can tell you, when she happens to get a good signal. She teaches an online college course so hampered by unreliable connections that she has had to drive a half-hour to her brother's place just to enter grades into a database. "It added so much additional work for me, and I just don't have the time," said Povroznik, who lives in Weston, West Virginia. "I just kept wanting to beat my head into a wall." Across rural America, a bandwidth gap separates communities like Weston from an increasingly digital world where high-speed internet has become a fundamental component of modern life, putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to economic growth and quality of life advancements. A $4.5 billion federal grant program earmarked to expand wireless internet in rural areas was supposed to address the problem, but it's on hold while the Federal Communications Commission investigates whether carriers submitted incorrect data for the maps used to allocate grants. The broadband maps deemed Weston, a city of about 4,000 people, too well connected to qualify for a grant - even though the problems there are obvious to anyone who's tried to send emails from their phones or gotten lost because Google Maps wouldn't work. In this Friday, April 5, 2019, photo, Kelly Povroznik grabs a few carrots from inside her storage space to give to her horses in their pasture outside of Clarksburg, W.Va. Povroznik teaches an online college course that has been hampered by slow connections on her computer and phone. There is widespread agreement that expanding broadband internet in rural America is desperately needed. (AP Photo/Craig Hudson) FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel concedes that the agency doesn't know for sure where the needs are most acute, calling it "embarrassing" and "shameful." "Our maps simply do not reflect the state of deployment on the ground. That's a problem," Rosenworcel said. "We have a digital divide in this country with millions of Americans who lack broadband where they live. If we want to fix this gap and close this divide, we first need an honest accounting of high-speed service in every community across the country." Lawmakers across the country are concerned that flawed, carrier-submitted maps on cellphone and home internet connectivity are crippling the effectiveness of various grant programs. In February, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joined 10 other senators in pushing the FCC for more accurate baselines. Disagreements over the data have led to wildly different figures on high-speed internet availability nationwide - and a growing sense that the government just doesn't know. On one end, the FCC says more than 24 million people lack access to broadband at home. On the other, a recent study by Microsoft - which is pushing its own approach to extending broadband to rural areas - found that 162.8 million Americans don't use the internet at high speeds, a problem that may point to cost of access, as well as lack of availability. Part of the discrepancy has to do with how the FCC collects data. The agency considers an entire area covered if a carrier reports that a single building on a census block has fast internet speeds. Experts say this method allows carriers to attract more customers by advertising larger coverage areas. Critics argue that it is a poor way to determine internet speeds and have long called for more granular data. Complaints about the wireless map have poured in to the FCC. The Rural Wireless Association, a trade group, asked the agency to investigate data submitted by Verizon and T-Mobile, suggesting the companies overstated coverage. The companies have denied doing so. The February letter from Manchin and the other senators implored FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to use crowdsourced data and public feedback to create more accurate maps. Some of them have since introduced legislation to force the FCC to widen the scope. Federal lawmakers from New Hampshire sent a separate letter, saying the FCC was forcing cash-strapped local governments there to disprove overstated claims made by carriers in the agency's formal process for challenging the mapping data. All told, only about 20 percent of the 106 carriers, government and tribal entities who could have challenged the FCC's wireless map data actually did so, according to the FCC. The whole process frustrated Manchin, who told the AP in an email: "As long as we continue to rely on carriers just telling us what they cover, we will never have a complete picture that depicts the real-world experiences of West Virginians." The FCC put the grant process for the $4.5 billion program on hold late last year as it launched an investigation into whether one or more major carriers violated rules and submitted incorrect maps. The investigation is ongoing. Christopher Ali, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, said the looming mapping question leaves the government flailing blindly at a problem that prevents it from meeting the needs of rural America. "We can't fix a problem when we don't know where it exists," he said, "and at the moment we don't know where broadband deserts exist." Povroznik knows they exist in Weston, where she had to come up with work-arounds - including jumping in her car - to cope with spotty connections that disrupted her ability to field questions submitted by students online. She saw some improvement after switching service providers. "In this technologically advanced world that we live in, it shouldn't have been as difficult as it was for me to get this situation resolved," she said. ___ Tali Arbel contributed to this story from New York. In this Friday, April 5, 2019, photo, Kelly Povroznik kisses her horse Rambling Jack goodbye after having tended to him and her other horse Blackjack at their pasture outside of Clarksburg, W.Va. Povroznik teaches an online college course that has been hampered by slow connections on her computer and phone. There is widespread agreement that expanding broadband internet in rural America is desperately needed. (AP Photo/Craig Hudson) LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is getting a respite from Brexit with a walking holiday in Wales - but there is no pause for political rivals hoping to take over her job. The prime minister's Downing Street office said Monday that May and her husband, Philip, started a short vacation on Saturday. Britain's Parliament is on an Easter break until April 23, after months of bruising battles that saw lawmakers reject May's European Union divorce deal three times. May enjoys hiking in the Welsh mountains. During a visit there in 2017, she infamously decided to call a snap election to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations. Instead, she lost her parliamentary majority and has struggled ever since to push through her EU withdrawal plans. Asked whether May was considering another election, spokesman James Slack said: "No." Meanwhile, several of May's Cabinet colleagues were spending the break raising their profiles ahead of an anticipated leadership contest. FILE - In this Thursday, April 11, 2019 file photo, British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels. May's Downing St. office says the prime minister and her husband Philip started a short walking holiday in Wales on Saturday, April 14. Parliament is on an Easter break, after months of bruising battles in Parliament over Brexit that saw May's European Union divorce deal rejected by lawmakers three times. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, file) May has said she will step down once Britain has ratified a divorce agreement with the EU - although with Parliament still deadlocked, it's unclear when that might happen. Pro-Brexit members of the Conservative Party are already demanding she quit for so far failing to take Britain out of the EU. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, one likely contender, gave a high-profile speech Monday on knife crime that stressed his humble roots and childhood in a crime-plagued neighborhood. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a leading Brexiteer, warned in the Daily Telegraph that politicians must "leave the EU, and do it properly" or face the wrath of voters. Leaders of the 27 remaining EU nations agreed last week to delay the deadline for Brexit until Oct. 31 - the second extension the bloc has given Britain. If Parliament does not approve May's withdrawal plan, Britain faces an abrupt exit from that could lead to a deep recession as tariffs and other barriers are imposed on U.K. exports and customs checks delay goods at British ports. The government has held talks with the left-of-center opposition Labour Party in an attempt to find a compromise that can win the backing of Parliament. So far there has been no breakthrough, but negotiations are continuing. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt - another potential successor to May - said getting Brexit finished was the government's "absolute priority." "This is a focus of, not just Theresa May, but the whole Cabinet," Hunt told the BBC. "Everyone recognizes this. It is also what the country wants as well." ___ Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit FILE - In this March 27, 2019, file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend her weekly Prime Minster's Questions at the House of Commons, in London. The EU agreed to postpone the March 29 departure date, but gave Britain only until April 12 to pass May's original agreement, come up with a new plan and seek a further extension, or leave without an agreement or a transition period to smooth the way. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File) FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2018 file photo, British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, walks ahead of European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at EU headquarters in Brussels. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 that a no-deal exit of Britain becomes day after day more likely after the UK parliament again rejected alternatives to the government's unpopular European Union divorce deal. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota (all times local): 10 a.m. President Donald Trump is escalating his feud with Rep. Ilhan Omar, accusing her on Twitter of making "anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful U.S. HATE statements." The comments come a day after the Minnesota Democrat said she's faced increased death threats since Trump spread a video that purports to show her being dismissive of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She's accused Trump of fomenting right-wing extremism and urged him to stop. Trump is also going after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He's accusing her of having "lost all control of Congress" and "getting nothing done," and says, before she decides to "defend her leader, Rep. Omar," she should look at her past comments. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sits with fellow Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee during a bill markup, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 6, 2019. House Democrats are rounding the first 100 days of their new majority taking stock of their accomplishments, noting the stumbles and marking their place as a frontline of resistance to President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) He asserts, without evidence, that Omar is "out of control, except for her control of Nancy!" __ 12:22 a.m. Rep. Ilhan Omar says she's faced increased death threats since President Donald Trump spread around a video that purports to show her being dismissive of the 2001 terrorist attacks. "This is endangering lives," she said, accusing Trump of fomenting right-wing extremism. "It has to stop." Her statement late Sunday followed an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she has taken steps to ensure the safety of the Minnesota Democrat and the speaker's call for Trump to take down the video. Soon after Pelosi's statement, the video disappeared as a pinned tweet at the top of Trump's Twitter feed, but it was not deleted. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended Trump earlier Sunday, saying he wished no "ill will" upon the first-term lawmaker. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar is releasing her latest tax return as she calls on President Donald Trump to "quit hiding from the American people" and make his returns public. The Minnesota senator released her 2018 tax return Monday. She's previously released 12 years of returns , dating back to the first year she ran for federal public office. She says it's because she believes in "transparency and accountability." Trump has refused to make his tax returns public. He's traveling Monday to Minnesota, a state he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and that he's hoping to flip in 2020. Klobuchar's 2018 return shows that she and her husband, attorney and law school professor John Bessler, paid $65,927 in federal taxes on an adjusted gross income of $338,121. BURKE, Va. (AP) - Virginia's governor pulled out of an event where he would have faced protesters for wearing blackface in the 1980s. The Washington Post reported that Gov. Ralph Northam cited safety concerns for cancelling his appearance at a Sunday fundraiser for a Democratic state senator in northern Virginia. The protesters were assembled in Burke by the Fairfax County NAACP and the state Republican Party. Northam had faced calls to step down in February after a racist photo surfaced from his 1984 medical school year book. It included a photo of a person in blackface standing next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Northam denies being in that photo. But he has admitted to wearing blackface while portraying Michael Jackson at a dance party in the 1980s. ___ Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com PARIS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed an important address to the nation that was to lay out his responses to the yellow vest crisis because of the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Macron was planning to announce on Monday evening a series of measures after three months of a national debate that encouraged ordinary people to propose changes to France's economy and democracy. Instead he headed to the scene of the fire. The French presidency didn't reschedule the speech yet. When he does speak, Macron is expected to respond to protesters' concerns over their loss of purchasing power with possible tax cuts and measures to help retirees and single parents. Other proposed changes could affect France's democratic rules. Some observers say Macron may open up the possibility that citizens could propose referendums. FILE - In this Feb.23, 2019 file photo, a protester wears a a yellow vest with a drawing depicting French President Emmanuel Macron and the word "target" during a de demonstration in the streets of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the nation Monday April 15, 2019 to lay out his responses to the yellow vest crisis after three months of national debate meant to encourage ordinary people to propose changes to the country's economy and democracy. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File) The French leader has repeatedly said he won't reintroduce a wealth tax on the country's richest people - one of the protesters' major demands. The yellow vest movement, prompted by a fuel tax hike in November, has expanded into a broader revolt against Macron's policies, which protesters see as favoring the rich and big businesses. Their protests, which often turned violent, especially in Paris, provoked a major domestic crisis that sent Macron's popularity to record low levels. Still, the number of demonstrators has been falling in recent weeks. Most yellow vests leaders have urged supporters not to take part in Macron's national debate, saying they did not believe the government's offer to listen to the French. Ingrid Levavasseur of the yellow vests published an open letter Monday called "M. President, don't play the illusionist." She demanded measures to boost purchasing power and maintain public services. Macron has already made concessions, but they failed to extinguish the anger of the yellow vest movement. In December, he abandoned the fuel tax hike, scrapped a tax increase for retirees and introduced a 100-euro ($113) monthly bonus to increase the minimum wage, a package estimated at 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion). FILE - In this Jan.26, 2019 file photo, a yellow vest demonstrator walks alongside a police officer with the words 'condolences Mr Macron, you are no longer President, during a march in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the nation Monday April 15, 2019 to lay out his responses to the yellow vest crisis after three months of national debate meant to encourage ordinary people to propose changes to the country's economy and democracy. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) FILE - In this March 16, 2019 file photo, a news stand burns during a yellow vests demonstration on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the nation Monday April 15, 2019 to lay out his responses to the yellow vest crisis after three months of national debate meant to encourage ordinary people to propose changes to the country's economy and democracy. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - A Kosovo court has ordered a Serb man to be detained while he awaits trial on charges of genocide and war and humanitarian crimes during Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence. The court says in a statement Monday that the man, identified only by his initials as Z.K., is suspected of belonging to a Serb police unit that killed four ethnic Albanians and tortured and robbed a family of 19 in a southern Kosovo village in March 1999. Since the war the defendant, who was arrested last week, has been living in Kragujevac, Serbia. About 10,000 people died and about 1,650 remain missing from the war, which ended after a 78-day NATO air war that stopped a bloody Serb crackdown against ethnic Albanian independence fighters. Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. envoy for Yemen announced Monday that the government and Houthi rebels have reached agreement on the military plan for the initial redeployment of forces from the key port of Hodeida. Martin Griffiths told the Security Council by video link from Amman that "when - and I hope it is when and not if - these redeployments happen they will be the first voluntary withdrawals of forces in this long conflict." He said agreement on the first phase of withdrawals was reached in negotiations between the parties and Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the U.N. operation monitoring a broader cease-fire and redeployment agreement reached in Sweden in December. Griffiths called Hodeida, whose port handles about 70 percent of Yemen's commercial and humanitarian imports, "a test of many things," including leadership, and he expressed hope "that we shall see in the coming days the people's trust vindicated in this." The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iranian-backed Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the internationally-recognized government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015. The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country has killed thousands of civilians, left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. Violations and lengthy delays in implementing the agreement reached in Sweden have been blamed by the U.N. and diplomats largely on the lack of trust. Nonetheless, there has been concerted international pressure on the parties to implement the Hodeida deal, which is widely seen as a crucial first step toward much more difficult negotiations to end the war. A U.N. official has said the first phase of redeployment involves a pullback of several kilometers (miles) by the Houthis and coalition forces, and the second phase involves a withdrawal of 18 to 30 kilometers (11 to18 1/2 miles), depending on the location and fighters. In some places in Hodeida city, the opposing forces are facing each other about 100 meters (yards) apart, the official said. Griffiths told the Security Council he was grateful to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has repeatedly told him he wants "to see these redeployments happen," and to Houthi leader Abdul Malik at Houthi, who reconfirmed his support for the Hodeida agreement when they met in the capital, Sanaa, last week. "We will now move with all speed towards resolving the final outstanding issues related to phase two and the status of local security forces," Griffiths said. Nonetheless, he remained cautious. Griffiths reminded the council that when he first briefed members almost a year ago he said "a political solution was available to resolve the conflict," but added "that at any time war can take the chance of peace off the table." "Both these propositions hold true as much today as a year ago," Griffiths said. The U.N. envoy said there must be progress in Hodeida before moving to focus on the political solution, but he also told the council he would be "derelict" if he didn't prepare the groundwork for political consultations. U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the council that while the cease-fire in Hodeida has largely held, "we have seen a pronounced escalation of violence in other parts of the country," especially in Hajjah, just north of Hodeida. He said front-lines are now just a few kilometers from the main water source in Hajjah's Abs District, which serves about 200,000 people, and if fighting damages or cuts off the facility "we could very quickly see a major catastrophe." If fighting moves south to the Hodeida border, "up to 400,000 more people could be displaced," he added. Lowcock stressed that there is a "continuing and very real risk of famine," and that humanitarian agencies are confronting "an alarming resurgence in the cholera epidemic that we have successfully rolled back last year." Nearly 200,000 suspected cases have been reported so far this year - almost three times as many as in the same period last year, he said. In addition, Lowcock said, more than 3,300 diphtheria cases have been reported since 2018, the first outbreak in Yemen since 1982, and new measles cases surged earlier this year to nearly twice the levels reported at the same time in 2018 - "itself a record-breaking year." The U.N. World Food Program is delivering emergency food assistance to more than 9 million people every month and intends to increase this to 12 million people, Lowcock said. But four months into 2019 the U.N. appeal has received only $267 million - about 10 percent of the $2.6 billion pledged in February, just 6 percent of what is needed, and "80 percent less than what we had at this point last year." "I implore all our donors to convert their pledges into cash as quickly as possible," he said. Virginia Gamba, the U.N. envoy for children and armed conflict, told the council that more than 3,000 children were recruited and used in the Yemen conflict between April 2013 and the end of 2018, and more than 7,500 children were killed and maimed. Of the more than 3,000 recruited, almost 40 percent were used in active combat, half of them under the age of 15, she said. Of the more than 7,500 casualties, Gamba said, one-third were girls. She said almost half the deaths and injuries to children were caused by airstrikes, "for which the coalition bears the main responsibility." She said 40 percent of the casualties were the result of ground fighting and the Houthis were responsible for the majority, followed by Yemeni government forces. BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) - At least 146 people have been killed since a Libyan military commander launched an offensive on the capital earlier this month, the U.N. said Monday, as Italy called for an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of his forces. The World Health Organization said 614 others have been wounded since the Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army launched its offensive on April 5. It did not specify whether those killed and wounded were civilians or fighters. The fighting pits the LNA against rival militias loosely affiliated with a weak U.N.-backed government based in the capital, Tripoli. The U.N. says more than 13,500 people have been displaced. The clashes threaten to ignite civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich North African country is split between rival governments in the east and west. Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called for an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of Hifter's forces, saying that a military campaign would not bring stability. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte meets the media at Chigi Palace premier office in Rome, Monday, April 15, 2019. Italy's premier called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya and a withdrawal of the Libyan National Army forces, saying that a military campaign cannot bring stability to the northern African nation. Premier Giuseppe Conte spoke Monday after meeting with Qatar's foreign minister in Rome. (Giuseppe Lami/ANSA via AP) He spoke Monday after meeting with Qatar's foreign minister in Rome. "We hope and we are working with full determination to prevent a continuation of military hostilities," Conte said, adding that he has personally intensified diplomatic contacts to reach a political solution under U.N. auspices. "We must prevent a humanitarian crisis that would be devastating, not only for the obvious impact on our country and the European Union," Conte said. "It is also in the interest of the Libyan population. We must never forget that in cases of armed conflict, the civilians are the ones who bear the greatest consequences." Since 2011, Libya has become a major conduit for African migrants fleeing war and poverty and seeking a better life in Europe. Italy and other European countries have provided aid to Libyan authorities to try and stem the flow of migrants. WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. terrorism label for Iran's Revolutionary Guard formally took effect on Monday, amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions that are due to expire or be extended early next month. The Guard's formal designation as a "foreign terrorist organization" - the first-ever for an entire division of another government - kicked in with a notice published in the Federal Register. The move adds a layer of sanctions to the elite military unit and makes it a crime for anyone in or subject to U.S. jurisdiction to provide it with material support. Depending on how broadly "material support" is interpreted, the designation may complicate U.S. diplomatic and military cooperation with certain third-country officials, notably in Iraq and Lebanon, who deal with the Guard. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the step with great fanfare last week, opening a one-week consultation period with Congress during which members could have raised objections. Lawmakers were broadly supportive, but congressional Iran hawks are now expressing concern that the administration may extend waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions. Those sanctions, which are unrelated to the Guard designation, were imposed last November following Trump's withdrawal of the U.S. from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal that May. They target major elements of Iran's economy, notably its energy sector, by hitting foreign companies and governments with so-called "secondary sanctions" if they continue to do business with targeted Iranian entities. A main goal has been to dry up revenue from Iran's oil exports, which the U.S. says is the main driver of the country's funding of destabilizing activities throughout the Middle East and beyond. Wearing the uniform of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, lawmakers chant slogan during an open session of parliament in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Chanting "Death to America," Iranian lawmakers convened an open session of parliament Tuesday following the White House's decision to designate Iran's elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization. (AP Photo/Hamidreza Rahel/ICANA) In order not to shock oil markets with the sudden loss of Iranian crude, the administration granted several waivers that allowed some nations and Taiwan to continue their imports as long as they moved to reduce them to zero. Those waivers are due to expire in early May, and Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere are urging the administration not to renew any of them. They say extending even some of the eight waivers would run counter to Trump and Pompeo's stated goal of keeping "maximum pressure" on Iran. U.S. officials have been coy when asked about the waivers, leading to concern among hawks that some or all of them may be extended. The administration's point man for Iran, Brian Hook, has said that three of the waivers won't need to be extended as those countries have eliminated all Iranian oil imports. But he has remained silent on the other five. Pompeo has similarly refused to comment on the possibility of extensions. In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, Pompeo was pressed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about whether the oil sanctions waivers, as well as waivers related to technical cooperation at Iranian nuclear facilities, would be extended. He suggested that some at the State Department were pushing for extensions. "Let me urge you and urge the department unequivocally not to grant the nuclear waivers and not to grant the oil waivers," Cruz said, "I think maximum pressure should mean maximum pressure." Pompeo demurred, but during a trip to South America over the weekend he bristled when asked if the Iran hawks had reason to be concerned. "It's ludicrous," he told reporters accompanying him. "It's ludicrous. Look, people want to tell stories, people want to sell newspapers. I've got it. Congressmen will grandstand, I've got that too. The State Department's going to get it right. We understand our mission." Cruz was not impressed. "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee needs to understand why some in the State Department think it's a good idea to keep enriching the Ayatollah with oil billions and to let Iran keep spinning centrifuges in a bunker that they dug into the side of a mountain so they could build nuclear weapons," he said in a statement released by his office. BERLIN (AP) - A wave of migrants from what is now Greece and Turkey arrived in Britain some 6,000 years ago and virtually replaced the existing hunter-gatherer population, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature. Scientists examining samples of ancient remains dating as far back as 8500 BC found the dark-skinned foragers who had inhabited the British Isles since the last Ice Age left comparatively little trace in the genetic record after the transition to farming, suggesting there wasn't much interbreeding with the newcomers who arrived around 4000 BC. By contrast, the same Aegean migrants mixed extensively with local populations when they introduced farming to continental Europe about 1,000 years earlier, according to previous DNA studies. "It is difficult to say why this is, but it may be that those last British hunter-gatherers were relatively few in number," said Mark G. Thomas, a professor of evolutionary genetics at University College London who co-wrote the study. "Even if these two populations had mixed completely, the ability of adept continental farmers and their descendants to maintain larger population sizes would produce a significant diminishing of hunter-gatherer ancestry over time." The researchers from Britain and the United States found that the remains of Britain's early farmers were genetically similar to those discovered in what is now Spain and Portugal, indicating this population traveled east to west through the Mediterranean, and then up to Britain. Strikingly, the newcomers appear to have arrived first on the western coast before spreading to other parts of Britain, suggesting they didn't cross the English Channel using the shortest possible course but instead braved the wilder Atlantic route. FILE - In this Wednesday Feb. 7, 2018, file photo a full facial reconstruction model of a head based on the skull of Britain's oldest complete skeleton on display during a screening event of The First Brit: Secrets Of The 10,000 Year Old Man at The Natural History Museum, in London. Scientists say a wave of migrants from a region that is now Greece and Turkey arrived in Britain some 6,000 years ago and virtually replaced the existing hunter-gatherer population, according to a study published Monday April 15, 2019, in the journal Nature. According to Nature, genetic samples of ancient remains show there was little interbreeding between the newcomers and the darker-skinned foragers that had inhabited the British Isles for millennia. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP, File) "This route is a continuation of the Mediterranean coastal dispersal route but of course in much more complicated maritime circumstances," said Carles Lalueza-Fox of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain. Lalueza-Fox, who wasn't involved with the study, said the findings match what is known about the spread of megalithic structures along Europe's Atlantic coast. Perhaps the best-known of these structures is Stonehenge in Britain. "This work highlights the complex population turnovers affecting a rather marginal area of Northwestern Europe and points out the need to investigate all regions with ancient data to understand the shaping of modern human genetic diversity," said Laluelza-Fox. In their paper, Thomas and his colleagues also note the "considerable variation in pigmentation levels in Europe" during the Stone Age as shown from the genetic samples they examined. Whereas Britain's outgoing hunter-gatherers - including the oldest known Briton, "Cheddar Man" - likely had blue or green eyes and dark or even black skin, the farming populations migrating across Europe are believed to have had brown eyes and dark to intermediate skin. ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Prosecutors have dropped a criminal case against a Maryland woman who was charged with assaulting White House counselor Kellyanne Conway during a confrontation last year at a restaurant in a Washington suburb. A trial for Mary Elizabeth Inabinett, 63, of Chevy Chase, was scheduled to start Monday morning in Montgomery County, Maryland. Instead, a county prosecutor asked a judge to dismiss the charges. Police had charged Inabinett last November with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. Conway declined to comment on the dismissal. Conway had told police she was attending a birthday party with her teenage daughter at a Mexican restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland, last October when she felt somebody grab her shoulders from behind and shake her. The woman who confronted Conway yelled, "Shame on you" and "other comments believed to be about Conway's political views," according to a charging document prepared by Montgomery County police. Conway wasn't injured, the document says. FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2019, fjle photo, counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington. Prosecutors have dropped a criminal case against a Maryland woman who was charged with assaulting White House counselor Kellyanne Conway during a confrontation last year at a restaurant in a Washington suburb. A trial for 63-year-old Mary Elizabeth Inabinett was scheduled to start Monday, April 15, 2019, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Instead, a county prosecutor asked a judge to dismiss the charges. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Montgomery County prosecutor Kathy Knight said Inabinett sent Conway a letter apologizing for the incident. "She has apologized for choosing this time and place to vent her political views," Knight said. "That was inappropriate." Knight noted Inabinett had never been arrested for a crime before. Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office said dropping the charges is "the best resolution for this particular set of circumstances." Maraya Pratt, an attorney for Inabinett, said Monday that she couldn't immediately comment. Another attorney for Inabinett, William Alden McDaniel, Jr., said in a statement in February that his client didn't assault Conway and was merely exercising her right to express her personal opinions about a public figure in a public place. aIn a CNN interview earlier this year, Conway said she was standing next to her middle school-aged daughter and some of her daughter's friends when the woman began shaking her "to the point where I thought maybe somebody was hugging me." She said it felt "weird" and "a little aggressive," so she turned around to face the woman. "She was just unhinged. She was out of control," she said. "Her whole face was terror and anger." Conway said she told President Donald Trump about the incident "long after" it happened. She said Trump asked her, "Are you OK? Is your daughter OK? Are the other girls OK?" The restaurant's manager told police the woman who confronted Conway had to be forcibly removed from the premises. Conway told police the woman yelled and gestured at her for 8 to 10 minutes before she was escorted out of the restaurant. Conway's daughter provided officers with a short video clip and photograph of the encounter. ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. JERUSALEM (AP) - The European Union is calling for a renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in the wake of Israel's election last week. The EU statement Monday said it would work with the sides "in order to make progress toward a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party won the most seats in last Tuesday's election. It is expected to form a new right-wing coalition in the coming weeks dominated by hardliners who oppose Palestinian independence. During the campaign, Netanyahu talked about annexing West Bank settlements, a step that would likely kill any chance of a two-state solution. There have been no substantive peace talks since Netanyahu took office a decade ago. The Trump administration has not said whether it supports a two-state solution. WASHINGTON (AP) - None of the Supreme Court's justices wanted to say the four-letter word. The high court was discussing a trademark case Monday involving a Los Angeles-based fashion brand "FUCT." But the justices did some verbal gymnastics to get through about an hour of arguments without saying the brand's name. Chief Justice John Roberts described it as the "vulgar word at the heart of the case." Justice Samuel Alito called it "the word your client wants to use." And Justice Stephen Breyer called it "the word at issue." The case has to do with a portion of federal law that says officials should not register trademarks that are "scandalous" or "immoral." Officials have refused to register the brand's name as a result. But the artist behind the brand, Erik Brunetti, argues that portion of law should be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on speech. The government is defending the century-old provision, arguing it encourages trademarks that are appropriate for all audiences. Lawyer Malcolm Stewart, who was arguing for the Trump administration, said the law is not a restriction on speech but rather the government declining to promote certain speech. Los Angeles artist Erik Brunetti, the founder of the streetwear clothing company "FUCT," poses for a photo in Los Angeles Thursday, April, 11, 2019. "We wanted the viewer to question it: Like, is that pronounced the way I think it's pronounced?" he said of his streetwear brand "FUCT," which began selling clothing in 1991. On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear Brunetti's challenge to a part of federal law that says officials should refuse to register trademarks that are "scandalous" or "immoral." (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Stewart, for his part, also went to great lengths not to say the name of the brand, calling it "the equivalent of the profane past participle form of a well-known word of profanity and perhaps the paradigmatic word of profanity in our language." Brunetti and others like him who are denied trademark registration under the "scandalous" provision can still use the words they wanted to register for their business, nonprofit or brand, a point some justices underscored. They just don't get the benefits that come with registering a trademark. For Brunetti, that would largely mean a better ability to go after counterfeiters who knock off his designs. Brunetti's lawyer, John R. Sommer, got the closest to saying the brand's name, using the phrase "the F word" and noting his client's brand "isn't exactly" a "dirty" word. "Oh, come on. You know, come on," responded Alito, adding: "Be serious. We know...what he's trying to say." It wasn't clear from arguments how the case might ultimately come out, but Brunetti would seem to have a strong case. Two years ago, the justices unanimously invalidated a related provision of federal law that told officials not to register disparaging trademarks. In that case, an Asian-American rock band sued after the government refused to register its band name, "The Slants," because it was seen as offensive to Asians. During Monday's argument, some of the justices seemed troubled by what they suggested are inconsistent decisions by the United States Patent and Trademark Office about what gets tagged as scandalous or immoral. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted that the office has refused to register some trademarks both by saying they are scandalous and, ironically, too confusingly similar to something that is already registered. For example, the office refused to register "FUK!T" for being scandalous and immoral but also confusingly similar to the already registered "PHUKIT." Justice Neil Gorsuch said, "There are shocking numbers of ones granted and ones refused" that "do look remarkably similar." Gorsuch suggested that the outcomes in such cases were as arbitrary as the "flip of a coin." "I don't want to go through the examples," he said to laughter. "I really don't want to do that." The case is 18-302, Iancu v. Brunetti. ___ Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey says he has decided not to address graduates and their families at a Jesuit college in Omaha because he doesn't want his support for abortion rights to be a distraction. Kerrey told Creighton University's president, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, in a letter that the May 18 commencement "should be a moment of celebration and not disrupted by politics." The state Republican Party's executive director, Ryan Hamilton, said last week that Creighton should find a different speaker and "take a stand for their pro-life values." He disagreed Monday that the issue is political. Kerrey says he supports Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Hendrickson told the campus that he appreciated Kerry's desire not to shift the focus away from students. Kerrey also served as Nebraska's governor. GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in the deaths of an elderly Wisconsin couple (all times local): 3:25 p.m. Police say a 17-year-old Wisconsin boy fatally shot his grandparents and was planning to cause harm at his high school. Police found the elderly couple in their home in Grand Chute on Sunday morning. Investigators say Alexander M. Kraus of nearby Neenah was arrested at the home. They say he acknowledged shooting the couple and said he had a plan to cause harm at Neenah High School. Police identified the couple Monday as 74-year-old Dennis L. Kraus and 73-year-old Letha G. Kraus. Police confirmed they were Alexander Kraus' grandparents. Kraus is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon. ___ 11:15 a.m. Police say a 17-year-old boy has admitted he fatally shot an elderly couple he knew in eastern Wisconsin and that he was planning to cause harm at his high school. Grand Chute police officer Travis Waas told the Associated Press Monday that police responding to a 911 call for assistance found the bodies of the couple in their home in Grand Chute about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Waas declined to release details of the call. Police say Alexander M. Kraus, of Neenah, was arrested at the house. Waas says Kraus acknowledged shooting the two and that he had a plan to cause harm at Neenah High School, where he is a junior. Police and school officials haven't disclosed the nature of those plans. Kraus is being held in the Outagamie County Jail on possible charges of first-degree intentional homicide. ___ 7:06 a.m. Police have arrested a high school junior in the killing of two people at a home in eastern Wisconsin. Police officers found the victims at the house in Grand Chute during a welfare check Sunday. The 17-year-old boy was arrested at the home. The teen is being held at the Outagamie County Jail on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Authorities haven't released the victims' names, but police said in a news release that the teen knew them. No information has been released about how they died. Grand Chute police say the killings were "an isolated incident, with no danger to the public." Neenah Joint School District said in a statement Monday that the student also planned to cause harm at the high school. The district and police have released no details of the alleged plan. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilian authorities said Monday they knew about structural risks in the area where a pair of buildings collapsed but were unable to act due to the threat posed by organized crime. Rio de Janeiro's mayor's office and firefighters said that 10 people, including five children, were killed when two buildings in the Itanhanga neighborhood fell last week. The most recent casualty was an adult woman found dead early Monday morning. "As of yet we have managed to rescue 10 people from the rubble but there is still evidence of 14 potentially missing people," Sgt. Moses Torres of the Rio fire department told The Associated Press. "We have a lot more hope in situations like this, for example, than Brumadinho because the buildings collapsed in such a way that they can sustain life for an extended period," Torres said, referring to the January failure of a mining dam which killed 228 people. On Monday, the state attorney general's office said that the two buildings were part of an illegal construction scheme led by militias. Such criminal organizations often take over suburban areas in Rio to build and sell unregulated housing in a process called "grilagem." The office said that it had observed militias conducting such business in the area of the collapsed buildings as far back as 2005. But it said that courts had blocked legal actions to limit construction in the area. Residents watch a helicopter fly past transporting an injured person who was rescued from the rubble of two buildings that collapsed in the Muzema neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 12, 2019. The collapse came in a western part of the city that was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) In January, a specialized anti-organized crime unit conducted an operation in the area to arrest 13 individuals associated with the militias, but residents said such groups continued to tax businesses and locals. Residents were using the condemned structures up until their collapse last Friday after days of heavy rain. In February, Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella said that the city had been unable to make drainage improvements in the area due to militia activity, but police had secured the neighborhood and work was underway to resolve the issues. "After being abandoned for so many years, I expect the area to be redeemed for Rio de Janeiro," Crivella said at the time. He first met with community leaders in March 2017 to announce a plan to improve sanitation in the area. A residents' association, however, said authorities had failed to make any improvements. Rio's Secretary of Infrastructure Sebastiao Bruno said that the city will now need to demolish three buildings surrounding the collapsed structures. Rescuers are still combing the wreckage day and night hoping to find survivors. Firefighters accompany an injured child who was rescued from the rubble of two buildings that collapsed in the Muzema neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 12, 2019. The collapse came in a western part of the city that was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Residents react with relief after learning that their relatives are survivors of the two collapsed buildings in the Muzema neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 12, 2019. The collapse came in a western part of the city that was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Firefighters remove on a stretcher a woman rescued from the rubble of two buildings that collapsed in the Muzema neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 12, 2019. The collapse came in a western part of the city that was particularly hard hit by heavy rains this week that caused massive flooding. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A judge was right when he cleared the way to remove a Confederate monument at a north Louisiana courthouse, a federal appeals court has ruled. A local official applauded the decision but said the case probably isn't over. The case involves a monument erected in 1906 in a parish known as "Bloody Caddo" during the Reconstruction era. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans again rejected claims Monday from the United Daughters of the Confederacy's Shreveport chapter. "We definitely applaud the decision," Caddo (KAD-oh) Parish Commissioner Steven Jackson said in a telephone interview from Shreveport. He was in the majority on the commission's 7-to-5 removal vote in 2017. The commission respects the Daughters of the Confederacy's right to continue in court, he said. The chapter is considering its options and hasn't decided its next step, attorney Dick "Dave" Knadler (NAYD-ler) said in an email. The group could ask the full 5th Circuit for a rehearing. It could also ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011, file photo, Sean Bordelon, left, and Raphiel Heard, of Shreveport, pause after reading the inscription on the Confederate soldier's monument in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse in Shreveport, La. A federal appeals court says a judge was right when he cleared the way to remove a Confederate monument at a north Louisiana courthouse. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, April 15, 2019, again turned back claims from the United Daughters of the Confederacy's Shreveport chapter. The group says it has a "private property interest" in the land where the statue stands in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse. It also claims parish officials violated its rights to free speech and equal protection. (Douglas Collier/The Shreveport Times via AP, File) A federal judge in Monroe threw out the lawsuit last year, ruling that the group failed to prove it had any "private property interest" in the spot where the monument stands. Judge Robert James also rejected arguments that the commission had violated the group's rights to equal protection under law and free speech. A 2009 U.S. Supreme Court ruling states, "placement of a permanent monument in a public park is best viewed as a form of government speech," he noted. A three-judge panel upheld that 20-page opinion, calling it "exhaustive and well-reasoned." On Monday, the judges declined to reconsider. When the commission voted in October, two members cited the parish's post-Civil War reputation as "Bloody Caddo" as a reason to remove the monument from courthouse grounds, The Times reported . The parish was the most violent in a violent state, with less than 3% of Louisiana's population but 16% of all homicides in the state during Reconstruction, university professor Gilles Vandal wrote in a 1991 history article. "It's time for us to remove the curse of Bloody Caddo for blacks who were slaughtered," Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts said before the vote. The monument, erected in 1906, features a statue of a young soldier on a pedestal, surrounded by busts of four Confederate generals on lower pedestals. A life-sized figure of Clio, the muse of history, points to a book of remembrance that bears the words "Love's tribute to our gallant dead." Jackson said the Daughters of the Confederacy seem inclined "to run the course as much as they can. That's the judicial procedure. Sometimes it's long for a reason. We respect that." The commission wants to give the group the choice of moving the monument wherever it chooses, he said. "I don't know that we really have a particular preference where we would like it to be moved. We just feel that it doesn't belong in front of the courthouse," he said. PARIS (AP) - A French investigative website said Monday that weapons made in France "may have been used to commit war crimes" in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Disclose based its report on a classified note from France's military intelligence service saying that French-made weapons, including artillery, tanks, ships and fighter-bomber jets, "may have been used to commit war crimes." The French media nonprofit said the report was given to President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting of a restricted defense committee held at the presidential office in October. Entitled "Yemen: security situation," it details the positioning of French-made weapons in the conflict. "It demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of civilians live under the threat of these arms, and provides information that allows us to demonstrate that some of these weapons may have been used to commit war crimes," Disclose said. "The French government is today aware of the risk of this," it added. The Saudi-led coalition has fought Yemen's Houthi rebels since 2015 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The French government did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. France previously said its weapons were only used defensively. Reacting to the report, Amnesty International urged France "to immediately suspend all arms transfers that could be used by any of the warring parties in Yemen - once and for all." CARMICHAELS, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania state police are investigating how a woman became trapped in a drainpipe at a closed power plant. Emergency crews in Greene County were called to FirstEnergy's now-shuttered Hatfield Power Plant in Carmichaels on Monday morning. Trooper Forrest Allison says a worker was about to drain a pond on the property into the nearby Monongahela (muh-NAHN'-guh-hee-luh) River when he heard the woman shouting from the drainpipe below. Allison says "if he had turned on the valves, all the water would have rushed to where she was." Crews helped the 39-year-old Greene County resident out. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Allison says it's unclear how the woman ended up in the pipe, and police are investigating. WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal lawmakers say they'll approve badly needed funding for Washington's transit system, but only if it avoids buying new rail cars from China. The Washington Post reported Saturday that U.S. Senators from Virginia and Maryland proposed the idea in new legislation. It reflects growing concerns that China's state-owned rail company could hurt American manufacturers and make the system vulnerable to cyberespionage. Dave Smolensky, spokesman for the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, dismissed the espionage concerns. The company also said the U.S. should be promoting competition. The company has won four major U.S. rail car contracts. It is pursuing a Metro contract worth more than $1 billion to build up to 800 of the new rail cars. There are no U.S. transit rail car manufacturers. The bidding deadline is May 31. ___ Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com DETROIT (AP) - A man convicted of murder for killing a man at a trucking business before allegedly fatally shooting another man in a different suburban Detroit community has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Forty-six-year-old Vernest Griffin of Sterling Heights was sentenced Monday. A Wayne County jury earlier found him guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the February 2018 fatal shooting in Taylor of 60-year-old Keith Kitchen. Griffin declined to address the court. Authorities said Griffin had lost his job at the company in November 2017. Griffin also is awaiting trial in Oakland County on first-degree murder and gun charges in the slaying of 58-year-old Eriberto Perez at an aluminum stamping firm in Pontiac. Griffin was captured after a shootout with officers. Jonathan Wolman, who over more than 45 years in journalism served as editor and publisher of The Detroit News and previously worked as a reporter, Washington bureau chief and executive editor at The Associated Press, died Monday in Detroit. He was 68. His family told the News that Wolman died of complications from pancreatic cancer. Wolman had been editor and publisher of the News since 2007, running the newspaper during a financially challenging period that included staff layoffs, a cutback to only two days a week of home delivery, and a relocation from the massive headquarters building that it had occupied for nearly a century. However, Detroit - even as it careened into and then out of bankruptcy in 2013-14 - has survived as one of a shrinking number of U.S. cities with more than one major daily newspaper. The News has a joint operating agreement with its rival, the Detroit Free Press, in which the newspapers consolidate business operations while fielding separate editorial staffs. "Jon came to Detroit at a time of incredible uncertainty, not only for the News, but for the industry," said the News' managing editor, Gary Miles. "He was a steadying, calming influence who put a priority on the big picture: the accuracy and fairness of our news report." Miles recalled Wolman's "painstaking analysis" as the paper's management grappled with budget cuts and staff reductions. Even amid the austerity, Miles said, Wolman oversaw expansion of the paper's investigative and projects unit, and maintained a strong focus on national and world news at a time when many regional papers were cutting back. In this Dec. 16, 2008, photo, Jonathan Wolman, Editor and Publisher of The Detroit News, speaks during an announcement at the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News during a news conference in Detroit. Wolman, who served as editor and publisher of The Detroit News and previously worked as a reporter, Washington bureau chief and executive editor at The Associated Press, died Monday, April 15, 2019, in Detroit. He was 68. (AP Photo) "He was incredibly kind," Miles said. "Some decisions clearly pained him. But he kept the long-term interests of the News, its staff and its readers, paramount." Peter Bhatia, editor of the Free Press, praised Wolman as "a magnificent person and an outstanding journalist." "He has kept his newspaper relevant and engaged in the community and has been a fierce and appropriate advocate for the News in its partnership with the Free Press," Bhatia said. Wolman's tenure in Detroit encompassed one of the most turbulent periods in the city's history. The bankruptcy filing was preceded by years of plummeting population and tax base; more recently there's been an incomplete but inspiring recovery. Wolman came to Detroit from Denver, where for three years he was editor of the Denver Post's editorial page. Prior to his job in Denver, Wolman had a nearly 31-year career with AP, starting in 1973 as a reporter in Madison, Wisconsin. From 1975 until late 1998, he worked at AP's Washington bureau, rising from reporter to news editor to a powerful bureau chief who focused coverage squarely on politics, the White House and campaigns. He held that post for nearly 10 years before moving to New York to become AP's managing editor, and was promoted to executive editor in May 2000. In 1981, he was praised by AP managing editor Wick Temple for overseeing coverage of the space shuttle Columbia's first flight. "Jon pulled it together from all sites, got no bylines and worked 22 hours a day," Temple wrote to other AP managers. "He was a delight." Later, Wolman helped oversee AP's 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning report about the 1950 No Gun Ri massacre during the Korean War, as well as AP's coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But it was political coverage that was Wolman's career-long obsession and his focus as a journalist. Some colleagues suggest that one of his finest moments came late on Election Night in 2000, when it was clear that the presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore had come down to the closely fought state of Florida. At 2:16 a.m. on Nov. 8, Fox News Channel declared Bush the winner in Florida, and within minutes NBC, CBS, CNN and ABC did the same. The AP said the race was still too close to name a winner. Wolman, then AP's New York-based executive editor, was in the Washington office at the time while his successor as bureau chief, Sandy Johnson, faced intense pressure to join the networks in calling the election for Bush. But based on input from experienced colleagues, Johnson knew the Florida outcome wasn't clear and stood her ground; Wolman backed her completely. Many news organizations, including AP, had already had to backtrack once after exit polls and an analysis of early returns wrongly indicated that Gore had won Florida. "He could have pulled rank on Sandy and called it - but that night he knew he was working for her," said Ron Fournier, whose byline was on the main election story. "Jon deserved credit for knowing to trust his people." AP's non-call was vindicated as the nearly deadlocked election outcome became entangled in a long legal battle before being decided in Bush's favor by the U.S. Supreme Court. Johnson credited Wolman with building a strong AP staff in Washington. "He took a chance on people, putting them in roles that perhaps they weren't obviously ready for, including me," she recalled. "He created an esprit de corps in Washington that in turn set the bar higher for all of us." Louis D. Boccardi, AP's president from 1985 to 2003, said that Wolman - for all his versatility in management - "was at heart a reporter." "I never saw him happier than when he was working with writers on a big story or with a team shaping a report on a major investigation," Boccardi said. "He was a newsman, through and through." Carole Feldman, a veteran reporter and editor at the Washington bureau, described Wolman as a supportive boss "who mentored new people coming into the bureau and put his trust in them to handle the biggest story." Terry Hunt, whose 46-year AP career included 25 years as chief White House correspondent, said Wolman was "incredibly smart, very analytical and had a solid grasp of politics." "He read more than anyone I know. He didn't sleep much," Hunt recalled. "He was demanding, sometimes blunt and direct. But always fair." AP's current executive editor, Sally Buzbee, who worked for Wolman in AP's Washington bureau, said he never lost his intense interest in national politics, remembering a coffee after Donald Trump won the presidency where Wolman cited election results, county-by-county, in Michigan. "He lived and breathed politics, and he made the Washington bureau a strong, competitive force in national political coverage," Buzbee said. Wolman grew up in a newspaper family. His father, Martin Wolman, sold papers as a boy and was publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison from 1968 to 1984. Jon was among five children of Martin and Anne Wolman. One of his siblings, Jane, died in a car crash in 1967; the others include Nicky, Lewis and Ruth. Wolman attended the University of Colorado for two years before transferring to the University of Wisconsin's main campus in Madison, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1972. He is survived by his wife, Deborah Lamm; three children: Jacob, Emma and Sophia, and Emma's husband, Ian Irvine. A service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Donations in Wolman's name may be made to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Jewish Family Services of Metro Detroit. In this May 22, 2000, photo, Associated Press President and CEO Louis Boccardi, third from right, and Vice President and Executive Editor Jonathan Wolman, second from right, congratulate AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning team at Columbia University in New York. Jonathan Wolman, who served as editor and publisher of The Detroit News and previously worked as a reporter, Washington bureau chief and executive editor at The Associated Press, died Monday, April 15, 2019, in Detroit. He was 68. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) FILE - In this Jan. 25, 1978, file photo, Associated Press staffer Jonathan Wolman, of the Washington Bureau, poses for a photo. Wolman, who over more than 45 years in journalism served as editor and publisher of The Detroit News and previously worked as a reporter, Washington bureau chief and executive editor at The AP, died Monday, April 15, 2019, in Detroit. He was 68. (AP Photo/File) BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - A Marine is in custody following the shooting death of a fellow Marine in a barracks on a military base in South Carolina. News outlets report 21-year-old Cpl. Spencer T. Daily is being held following the shooting death of Tyler P. Wallingford, who also was a 21-year-old Marine corporal. Wallingford was shot Friday night in a barracks at the Marine Corps Air Station at Beaufort, South Carolina. A Marine statement says both men were aircraft ordnance technicians with the same fighter attack training squadron. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the shooting. Authorities haven't announced any charges, but the statement describes Daily as a suspect. SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Indiana is asking a federal judge to rule against a Texas-based nonprofit that wants to open a South Bend abortion clinic. The group is asking a judge to block Indiana's licensing rules so that it can open a clinic to perform medication-induced abortions. Whole Woman's Health Alliance first applied for a license in October 2017. Indiana's attorney general's office filed documents Monday asking the judge to reject the group's bid for a preliminary injunction. The filing says Indiana's "interests in enforcement outweigh the harms Whole Woman's Health might suffer pending a final decision on the merits." An Indiana administrative panel rejected the nonprofit's request to open a South Bend clinic last year, saying its application lacked necessary information. The group reapplied for a license in January. CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters in Southern California have rescued 13 ducklings from a storm drain. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports churchgoers called police Sunday afternoon after hearing the ducks chirping from the drain in Chula Vista. Fire officials say the ducklings might have fallen through holes in a grate while walking through a parking lot. Firefighters used a net to lift the birds out. Chula Vista Battalion Chief Rich Brocchini says rescuers found the ducklings' mother, but she flew away when they tried to capture her to relocate the family. He says the ducklings will be taken to the San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife where they will be raised until they can survive on their own. ___ Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Year after year, Nebraska's conservative lawmakers have rejected measures calling for limited and highly regulated medical marijuana. They're poised to do it again, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. If so, Nebraska will join a growing number of conservative states with unusually easy marijuana access, all because red-state lawmakers refuse to touch the issue and thereby make way for ballot initiatives. Last year, Oklahoma became a vivid example. Billboards there now display a smiling white-coated doctor offering same-day service for marijuana prescriptions. Idaho, Wyoming, and Mississippi may face marijuana ballot initiatives soon after legislators rejected medical marijuana with tight controls. Meanwhile, 18 other states, including more liberal Illinois, New York and Vermont, have legislated restrictions that make legal marijuana harder to get. "It's a head-scratcher," said Bryan Boganowski, founder of the pro-marijuana group NORML in Omaha, about the Nebraska Legislature's position. "I have no idea what's going on down in Lincoln." In this April 11, 2019 photo, Shelley Gillen is photographed in her Bellevue, Neb., home with her 17-year-old son, Will, who wears a helmet to protect him from damage during debilitating seizures. Gillen advocates the legalization of medical marijuana that could help her son's seizures. Nebraska's conservative lawmakers are poised to once again reject measures calling for allowing limited and highly regulated use of medical marijuana, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Since 2010, legislators have rejected medical marijuana bills three times, even measures that allowed only low levels of the drug's active ingredient and restricted it to creams and oils with a ban on smoking. They refused to approve programs as neighboring states took action, ranging from legalizing recreational marijuana in Colorado to approving highly limited access in Iowa. Nebraska advocates tried again this year, but with a threat: Lawmakers could approve a bill that requires people to get a state-issued registry card, limits the potency of marijuana, allows its use only for certain medical conditions and lets patients have no more than 8 ounces of the drug in their home, or supporters would place a measure with almost no restrictions on the ballot. From the experience in other states, there is general agreement that Nebraska voters would approve such a ballot measure. The ballot measure that passed overwhelmingly in Oklahoma allows any doctor to prescribe marijuana for any health complaint. Nebraska state Sen. Anna Wishart, who sponsored the legislative bill, said she's trying to find a compromise with skeptical lawmakers but gives her measure less than a 30 percent chance of passing. Opponents, including Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, say they want nothing to do with marijuana, even if the result is dispensaries opening everywhere selling to anyone claiming a minor ailment. "It's not my job to make a decision that I think compromises public safety in the state just because of the threat of a ballot initiative," said state Sen. Matt Williams, a leading opponent of the bill. Williams said he was willing to legalize cannabidiol, or CBD, a chemical compound in marijuana, but not parts of the plant that cause users to get high. But he said Wishart and legalization advocates are "completely unwilling to discuss that." Wishart said some patients need the whole plant because the oil alone doesn't help their medical condition. Another opponent, state Sen. Curt Friesen, said he's uncomfortable legalizing a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved. "We're not qualified to do that," Friesen said. "If the people want to vote to bring in medical marijuana or recreational marijuana, then we'll deal with that." The draft Nebraska ballot measure would guarantee a constitutional right to use and grow marijuana if a doctor recommends it with no restrictions on what diseases qualify. It would only ban smoking the drug in public places. If voters approve it in the 2020 general election, patients would be free to grow an "adequate" supply. Lawmakers could still try to impose some restrictions after the vote, but such an effort in Oklahoma was dropped after protests from supporters. Shelley Gillen, whose 17-year-old son, Will, suffers from debilitating seizures, said she's hoping for some resolution soon. "In the long run, having it go to the ballot would probably be more beneficial to more people who are ill," she said. Marijuana-related ballot measures could appear in as many as nine states in the 2020 election, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that helped lead successful campaigns in Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada and Utah. Medical marijuana is already legal in some form in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Ten states and the District have legalized recreational use. In Montana, the prospect of a ballot drive has prompted lawmakers to call for a formal study into the impact of legalizing the drug for recreational use. Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said his group would rather have state legislatures take action so that costly ballot campaigns could be avoided. "We're not in the business of forcing policies on electorates that don't want them," he said. "Our purpose is to step in when voters are being ignored." ___ Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte In this Jan. 25, 2019 photo, Neb. State Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln testifies during a legislative hearing in Lincoln, Neb., on LB 110, a bill that proposes to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska. Nebraska's conservative lawmakers are poised to once again reject measures calling for allowing limited and highly regulated use of medical marijuana, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In this Jan. 25, 2019 photo, Neb. State Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln testifies during a legislative hearing in Lincoln, Neb., on LB 110, a bill that proposes to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska. Nebraska's conservative lawmakers are poised to once again reject measures calling for allowing limited and highly regulated use of medical marijuana, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In this April 11, 2019 photo, Shelley Gillen is photographed in her Bellevue, Neb., home with her 17-year-old son, Will, who wears a helmet to protect him from damage during debilitating seizures. Gillen advocates the legalization of medical marijuana that could help her son's seizures. Nebraska's conservative lawmakers are poised to once again reject measures calling for allowing limited and highly regulated use of medical marijuana, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In this April 11, 2019 photo, Shelley Gillen is photographed in her Bellevue, Neb., home with her 17-year-old son, Will, who wears a helmet to protect him from damage during debilitating seizures. Gillen advocates the legalization of medical marijuana that could help her son's seizures. Nebraska's conservative lawmakers are poised to once again reject measures calling for allowing limited and highly regulated use of medical marijuana, but their decision this year could have the unintended consequence of ushering in one of the most unrestricted medical marijuana laws in the country. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - An aluminum company planning to build a $1.7 billion plant in Appalachia said Monday it's forging a partnership with a Russian company that until recently faced U.S. sanctions. Russian aluminum giant Rusal wants to invest $200 million in a Kentucky taxpayer-backed aluminum rolling mill that Braidy Industries intends to build near Ashland, Kentucky. Rusal would supply aluminum for the new mill from a smelter under construction in Siberia. Rusal said it would assume a 40 percent ownership stake in the mill in return for the investment, the Russian company said in a release. Braidy would hold the other 60 percent share in the plant, which will produce aluminum sheet primarily for the transportation industry, including the automotive, aerospace and marine sectors. The project is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs and more than 650 full-time jobs once the plant starts production, which is expected in early 2021. The plant is to be built not far from where Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia meet on the Ohio River. Rusal had been among Russian companies hit with U.S. sanctions for connections to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The U.S. Treasury Department announced in January it was removing Rusal and two other companies from its sanctions list on the grounds that the companies have reduced Deripaska's direct and indirect shareholding stakes in the three companies. File-This Aug. 22, 2018, file photo shows a sign declaring the future home of Braidy Industries' aluminum mill in Ashland, Ky. An aluminum company planning to build a $1.7 billion plant in Appalachia is forming a partnership with a Russian company that until recently faced U.S. sanctions. Russian aluminum giant Rusal wants to invest $200 million in an aluminum rolling mill that Braidy Industries intends to build near Ashland, Kentucky. Rusal says it would assume a 40 percent ownership share in the mill in return for the investment. Braidy Industries would hold the other 60 percent share. (AP Photo/Adam Beam, File) Deripaska has sued the Treasury Department and wants a federal judge to lift sanctions against him. He was slapped with sanctions targeting tycoons with close ties to the Kremlin. In Kentucky, Braidy announced plans for the mill two years ago but has been working since to complete financing. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who is seeking re-election this year, has touted the project as evidence of his leadership in bringing jobs to Appalachia. Braidy would not have been able to form the partnership with Rusal if the sanctions were still in place. "Anyone that will help me rebuild Appalachia with prosperity ... I will welcome," Braidy CEO Craig Bouchard said in a phone interview Monday. "We're very, very cautious and careful about observance of all rules, regulations and laws. This is a non-controversial item for us. We're business people, not politicians." Kentucky lawmakers approved an unusual, $15 million investment in the Braidy project that was worked out by Bevin's administration, making taxpayers partial owners of the mill. Bouchard said Monday that Kentucky will reap $22 million in state income taxes every year if the mill meets projections. Bevin, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, said Monday that the Rusal investment will have a "powerful impact on the economic revitalization and industry diversification in eastern Kentucky." Thousands of coal jobs have disappeared from eastern Kentucky in the past decade, and the spinoff effect has hurt many other businesses in the region. Rusal is among the world's largest aluminum producers. Bouchard touted the environmental benefits of the partnership. "The bottom line is that without Rusal we could not build an environmentally-conscious mill of this scale," he said. "We enter the market with the perfect customer proposition - low cost, high quality and low carbon is the future of aluminum." Braidy and Rusal said they have entered into a letter of intent and expect to sign a binding document in the second quarter of 2019. Lord Gregory Barker, executive chairman of En+ Group, the parent company of Rusal, said the announcement is "an important first step in forging the long-term partnership that will be vital to building this globally unique plant." "Of all prime producers around the world only Rusal, the largest outside China, has the capacity to supply such a large new plant with the high-quality, low-carbon aluminum it needs," he added. The Kentucky project's debt will be raised from several financial institutions, Rusal said. Braidy's recent security filings indicate that the company was in the "late stages" of completing financing for the mill. Just last year, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Braidy still had to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to complete construction of the Kentucky project. PARIS (AP) - An extreme-right Frenchman has been convicted and sentenced to a year in prison for denying the Holocaust and was ordered jailed. His lawyer in the complex case was fined. A Paris court on Monday convicted Alain Soral, 60, for publishing on his internet site the conclusions of the lawyer, Damien Viguier, in an earlier case. Viguier, fined 5,000 euros ($5,650) for his conclusions, which were deemed to have negated the Holocaust, said on Soral's site that they were appealing the conviction. Neither was present at the court. An arrest warrant for Soral was issued. Denying the Holocaust is a crime in France. The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism praised the ruling, saying the decision to impose a prison sentence on Soral, convicted in the past, shows the "exceptional character" of the decision. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Visiting Africa to promote female economic development, Ivanka Trump on Monday sought to spotlight laws and customs that hold women on the continent back, from restrictions on property ownership to gender-based violence. The president's daughter and senior adviser, on a four-day trip to promote a White House global women's project, spoke about roadblocks for women during a policy discussion with Ethiopia's president and after signing a joint statement with the African Union Commission. "We can and we must address these barriers to women's equality and countries' prosperity," Trump said during a panel discussion held at the headquarters of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa. She pointed to the limited number of female landowners on the continent and said some countries have laws allowing men to block their wives from working. In the agreement, the United States and the African Union Commission pledged to help empower women and to fight problems such as child marriage, human trafficking and sexual abuse. She signed it at the commission's headquarters along with Kwesi Quartey, the commission's deputy chairman. Trump highlighted the "collective goal" to eliminate gender-based violence and stressed the shared focus on improving access to education and business opportunities. On her second day in Ethiopia, Trump delivered her message on gender equity in a country long considered a patriarchal society, where women and girls struggle with access to jobs and education. Female genital mutilation continues in some areas, although the government has outlawed the practice. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, shakes hands with Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Monday April 15, 2019, after they met and signed a statement together at the AUC headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Ethiopia has pursued sweeping political and economic reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Last year, lawmakers approved a cabinet with women making up a record 50 percent of ministers and elected President Sahle-Work Zewde, the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial post. Trump met separately with both leaders Monday, sitting with Zewde in a formal room at the presidential palace. "I can say that you came at the right time. Africa is on the rise," Zewde told Trump as the two participated in the panel discussion before a packed, largely female audience. During the event, Trump and David Bohigian, acting director of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, announced a new financing initiative for women in Africa. Known as OPIC 2X Africa, the effort will directly invest $350 million - and seek additional private investment - in businesses and funds owned by women, led by women or working to help women. OPIC provides loans, loan guarantees and political risk insurance, funding projects that stretch across continents and industries. Trump started her day at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where she met with religious leaders and laid a wreath to mourn the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash that occurred soon after takeoff last month. Ivanka Trump, the US president's daughter and senior advisor, center, arrives to attend the African Women's Empowerment Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Monday April 15, 2019. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene) Ivanka Trump, the US president's daughter and senior advisor, attends the African Women's Empowerment Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Monday April 15, 2019. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, center, walks with Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde, center right, after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday April 15, 2019. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day trip to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast on behalf of a White House project intended to boost 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico became the national leader in pecan production last year after Hurricane Michael struck down large swaths of Georgia's crop, new U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers show. New Mexico produced about 90 million pounds of pecans in 2018 compared to Georgia's 56 million, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports . Georgia, traditionally the largest pecan-producing state, saw its crop crippled by the storm, cutting production by almost half from 107 million pounds. Lenny Wells, associate professor of Horticulture with a focus on pecans at the University of Georgia, said 17 percent of the state's pecan acreage was lost to the storm. Georgia lost about $100 million in pecan crops, $260 million in trees, and up to $200 million in future income, Wells said. "We had some pretty severe devastation," Wells said. File - This Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, shows branches of a damaged cotton tree in Newton, Ga. New Mexico was the national leader in pecan production last year thanks to Hurricane Michael striking down large swaths of Georgia's pecan crop, new U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) The storm landed in the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10 and quickly moved into Georgia's southwest corner with winds up to 125 mph. It proceeded into the state with winds sustained at about 100 mph. Hurricane Michael was the first Category 3 storm to impact Georgia since the 1890s, the National Weather Service reported. In 2017, about 97 percent of New Mexico's 90 million pounds of pecans were produced in five of its 33 counties, according to the most recent data from the USDA's New Mexico Annual Bulletin. About 73 percent of the statewide crop came from Dona Ana County, with Eddy County producing about 11 percent. Records show Texas and Arizona ranked third and fourth in pecan production. New Mexico reported a growth of almost 50 million pounds in the past decade from 43 million pounds in 2008. ___ Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/ STRASBOURG, France (AP) - France's Marine Le Pen, one of the leading voices of the far right in the European Union, is throwing her political weight behind Italian hard-line interior minister Matteo Salvini to set up a major populist group in the EU legislature after next month's elections across the bloc. The head of France's National Rally party said Monday that "we have mandated Matteo Salvini ... to try to build this very big group of the Defense of European Nations" in the European parliament. Even though far-right populist parties sometimes have widely diverging stances on issues, Le Pen says there is more that unites them than divides them. Currently, populist parties are spread across different groups in the legislature, such as Christian Democrat and Socialist groupings. Some, like Le Pen's party, have long stood alone in the parliament. Far right figures have often made plenty of noise in the legislature but have been sidelined when it came to wielding parliamentary power. In recent years, however, populist and far-right parties have made inroads in several EU nations, from Salvini's Italy to the Hungary of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the rise of the right in last Sunday's Finnish elections. Le Pen was the presidential challenger to Emmanuel Macron in the final round two years ago but lost heavily. Far-right leader of the National Rally party Marine Le Pen, attends a media conference for the upcoming European elections next month in Strasbourg, eastern France, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) They hope that by uniting they will make be able to make their voice count in the 28-nation EU too for the first time. They are going their own way in the election campaign but hope to stand together afterward. "We want to go further and get the (parliamentary) group which is the biggest, the strongest possible," Le Pen said. With Britain possibly being forced to take part in the May 23-26 elections despite the country's plans to split from the EU by Oct. 31, Le Pen also held out a hand to Britain's populist firebrand Nigel Farage. "He is welcome if he wants to join. Even if it might be just for a moment," she said. Far-right leader of the National Rally party Marine Le Pen, speaks during a media conference for the upcoming European elections next month in Strasbourg, eastern France, Monday, April 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) PARIS (AP) - The Latest on a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local): 8:30 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron says the fire consuming Notre Dame Cathedral is taking part of all of France's people with it. Macron tweeted after the blaze broke out in the cathedral's spire on Monday he was sad "to see "a part of us being on fire." He extended "thoughts for all the Catholics and all the French." His administration says Macron was heading to Notre Dame. Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) ___ 8:20 p.m. The deputy mayor of Paris says Notre Dame Cathedral has suffered "colossal damages" from a fire that started in the spire and caused it to collapse. Speaking to BFMTV, Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said first responders now trying to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored in the cathedral. A cathedral spokesman has said the entire wooden interior of the Notre Dame is burning and likely to be destroyed. ___ 8:15 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted about the fire engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump wrote on Twitter after the fire broke out Monday: "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris" and made suggestions for how first responders should tackle it. He said: "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out," adding: "Must act quickly!" Firefighters were trying to contain the fire when the cathedral's spire collapsed. Authorities say the wooden interior now is burning. ___ 8:05 p.m. The soaring spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has collapsed in flames, and a church spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the 12th century landmark is burning and likely to be destroyed. A massive fire engulfed the roof of the cathedral in the heart of the French capital on Monday afternoon as Parisians watched in horror. Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media: "Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame." The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions. The cause of the blaze isn't yet known, but scaffolding could be seen on the roof of the burning structure. The spire was undergoing renovation. ___ 7:55 p.m. Police in Paris say the cause of the massive fire enveloping the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral isn't yet known. The French capital's police department said no deaths have been reported from Monday's fire. The police department didn't say anything about injuries. The peak of the 12th century cathedral is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work. Located on the Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris, the Gothic cathedral is among the most famous from the Middle Ages and was built on the ruins of two earlier churches. ___ 7:45 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a televised speech to the nation because of a massive fire enveloping the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Flames are shooting out of the roof behind the nave of the 12th cathedral, one of the world's most visited landmarks. The sight stopped pedestrians in their tracks along the Seine River, which passes under the cathedral. Authorities said the fire could be linked to renovation work. It's unclear if anyone has been hurt in the fire. Macron's pre-recorded speech was set to be aired later Monday on French TV. Macron was expected to lay out his plan to address the citizen complaints that gave rise to the yellow vest protests that have rocked France since November. ___ 7:35 p.m. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says firefighters are trying to contain a "terrible fire" at the city's Notre Cathedral. An AP reporter at the scene of Monday's fire says the roof at the back of the cathedral, behind the nave, is in flames and yellow-brown smoke and ash fill the sky. Hidalgo urged residents of the French capital to stay away from the security perimeter around the Gothic-style church. The mayor says city officials are in touch with Roman Catholic diocese in Paris. ___ 7:30 p.m. Firefighters are battling a massive blaze at the French capital's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Flames and black smoke were seen shooting from the base of the medieval church's spire on Monday. The peak of the church is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work. Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) View from the top of the Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral with the Eiffel Tower in background as the religious statues descend to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Workers secure a religious statue perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral as it descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Detail of the religious statue representing St. Thomas in reference to French architect Eugene Viollet Le Duc perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is loaded on a truck as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) RED BLUFF, Calif. (AP) - Officials say a Northern California police officer shot and killed a man who was threatening to strike officers with a large stick. Red Bluff Police Chief Kyle Sanders said in a statement that after officers encountered the man on a street he repeatedly refused to obey orders to drop the stick and walked away from them during the confrontation shortly after midnight Sunday. Police did not describe details about the stick. Officers first used a stun gun and a bean bag shot at the man to try to get him to comply but those efforts didn't work, Sanders said. When the man came toward the officers with the stick raised, Red Bluff Cpl. Stephen Harper fired a shot, striking the man in his upper torso, Sanders said. He said in a statement that officers began life-saving measures and the man was taken to a hospital where he died. But a witness told KRCR-TV in Redding that it took several minutes before officers began administering CPR. The man's identity was not immediately released. Harper, a 15-year veteran of the department, has been put on administrative leave while officials investigate. Red Bluff is about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of San Francisco. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump spoke over the weekend with former President Jimmy Carter about his China policies and "numerous other topics." White House spokesman Hogan Gidley says Trump reached out to Carter on Saturday after the former president wrote him "a beautiful letter" about ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and China. Trump's norm-breaking presidency has strained relations among the traditionally genial club of former presidents, and he has publicly feuded with the families of the other three former living American leaders. He was not asked to speak at the funeral last year for former President George H.W. Bush. Gidley says Trump "has always liked" Carter and his wife Rosalynn, and that Trump "extended his best wishes to them on behalf of the American people." SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro says he raised $1.1 million in the first quarter of his 2020 run. The former San Antonio mayor's numbers, released Monday, lag well behind other contenders in the crowded field of Democrats. He's also short of the 65,000-donor threshold to guarantee a spot in the first debates this summer, though Castro has met the polling criteria to get on the stage. Castro says he knows he's not a front-runner but believes momentum is building. His campaign says they've raised an additional $570,000 since the start of April. Castro has made immigration a central part of his early campaign and has vowed to visit all 50 states. Bernie Sanders leads the money race so far , with the Vermont senator pulling in $18 million. Julian Castro, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, greets supporters during a rally in San Antonio, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) PARIS (AP) - The Latest on a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local): 10;05 p.m. A group of Americans from Maine had just finished visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and were in a nearby park when they heard it was on fire. Freeport resident Lucy Soule, 22, said it was "weird" having been in the church right before this happened. "Now you can smell it burning." Soule and her father, Win Soule, 58, and Libby Heselton, 53, are on a weeklong trip to Paris where they planned to "see all the sights" and had just finished their visit to Notre Dame. They had been in the cathedral at 5:30 p.m., about an hour before the fire. Win told The Associated Press "Now I feel sorry for the people tomorrow. They won't be able to see it." Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) He says "it's incredible. I'm not religious, but this is clearly very important to a lot of people." ___ 9:50 p.m. The fire chief in Paris says it's unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep a fire at Notre Dame from spreading and causing more destruction. Fire Chief Jean-Claude Gallet said outside the iconic cathedral as his crews battled the blaze from both the exterior and interior: "We are not sure we are capable of stopping the spreading" to Notre Dame's second tower and belfry. Gallet said: "If it collapses, you can imagine how important the damage will be." Flames already have reached one of Notre Dame's towers and brought down the church spire that extended 96-meters-high (315-feet. ___ 9:40 p.m. The Vatican has issued a statement about the "terrible fire" that has "devastated" Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Vatican said: "The Holy See has seen with shock and sadness the news of the terrible fire that has devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame, symbol of Christianity in France and in the world." The statement says the Vatican is praying for firefighters "and those who are doing everything possible to confront this dramatic situation" on Monday. It also expressed "our closeness to French Catholics and the population of Paris, and we assure our prayers for firefighters ___ 9:05 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency. Macron reached the landmark cathedral on Monday evening and went straight into meetings at the nearby Paris police headquarters. France's civil security agency says "all means" except for water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze. The defense agency said those were unsuitable for fires like the one at Notre Dame because dumping water on the building could cause the whole structure to collapse. ___ 9:00 p.m. The mammoth fire that destroyed the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral has spread to one of the church's landmark rectangular towers. An Associated Press reporter at the scene of Monday's fire in Paris watched the flames blazing behind an oblong stained-glass window in the tower. Paris police say fighters are inside the cathedral working to put the flames out while others work from the exterior. Red smoke is pouring out of the cathedral. A Notre Dame spokesman said earlier that the church's entire wooden interior was in flames. French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived at Notre Dame. ___ 8:35 p.m. French writer and historian Camille Pascal says a massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral has caused "the destruction of invaluable heritage" and "we can be only horrified by what we see." Pascal told French broadcaster BFMTV: "It's been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris" and its bells pealed for both "happy and unfortunate events." He recalled that Notre Dame's bells sounded a death knell after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris. Authorities are investigating if renovation work on the cathedral's fire was a factor in starting or spreading the fire. On Thursday, 16 religious statues were removed from the peak for the first time in over a century to be taken for cleaning and therefore escaped the blaze. ___ 8:30 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron says the fire consuming Notre Dame Cathedral is taking part of everyone in France with it. Macron tweeted after the blaze broke out in the cathedral's spire on Monday he was sad to see "a part of us being on fire." He extended "thoughts for all the Catholics and all the French." His administration says Macron is heading to Notre Dame. ___ 8:20 p.m. The deputy mayor of Paris says Notre Dame Cathedral has suffered "colossal damages" from a fire that started in the spire and caused it to collapse. Speaking to BFMTV, Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said first responders now trying to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored in the cathedral. A cathedral spokesman has said the entire wooden interior of the Notre Dame is burning and likely to be destroyed. ___ 8:15 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted about the fire engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump wrote on Twitter after the fire broke out Monday: "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris" and made suggestions for how first responders should tackle it. He said: "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out," adding: "Must act quickly!" Firefighters were trying to contain the fire when the cathedral's spire collapsed. Authorities say the wooden interior now is burning. ___ 8:05 p.m. The soaring spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has collapsed in flames, and a church spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the 12th century landmark is burning and likely to be destroyed. A massive fire engulfed the roof of the cathedral in the heart of the French capital on Monday afternoon as Parisians watched in horror. Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media: "Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame." The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions. The cause of the blaze isn't yet known, but scaffolding could be seen on the roof of the burning structure. The spire was undergoing renovation. ___ 7:55 p.m. Police in Paris say the cause of the massive fire enveloping the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral isn't yet known. The French capital's police department said no deaths have been reported from Monday's fire. The police department didn't say anything about injuries. The peak of the 12th century cathedral is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work. Located on the Ile de la Cite in the center of Paris, the Gothic cathedral is among the most famous from the Middle Ages and was built on the ruins of two earlier churches. ___ 7:45 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a televised speech to the nation because of a massive fire enveloping the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Flames are shooting out of the roof behind the nave of the 12th cathedral, one of the world's most visited landmarks. The sight stopped pedestrians in their tracks along the Seine River, which passes under the cathedral. Authorities said the fire could be linked to renovation work. It's unclear if anyone has been hurt in the fire. Macron's pre-recorded speech was set to be aired later Monday on French TV. Macron was expected to lay out his plan to address the citizen complaints that gave rise to the yellow vest protests that have rocked France since November. ___ 7:35 p.m. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says firefighters are trying to contain a "terrible fire" at the city's Notre Cathedral. An AP reporter at the scene of Monday's fire says the roof at the back of the cathedral, behind the nave, is in flames and yellow-brown smoke and ash fill the sky. Hidalgo urged residents of the French capital to stay away from the security perimeter around the Gothic-style church. The mayor says city officials are in touch with Roman Catholic diocese in Paris. ___ 7:30 p.m. Firefighters are battling a massive blaze at the French capital's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Flames and black smoke were seen shooting from the base of the medieval church's spire on Monday. The peak of the church is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work. People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Oleg Cetinic) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) In this photo taken from inside a cafe, a police car patrol while Notre Dame cathedral isburning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A massive fire engulfed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital Monday, toppling its spire and sending thick plumes of smoke high into the blue sky as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) View from the top of the Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral with the Eiffel Tower in background as the religious statues descend to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Workers secure a religious statue perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral as it descends to earth for the first time in over a century as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Detail of the religious statue representing St. Thomas in reference to French architect Eugene Viollet Le Duc perched atop Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is loaded on a truck as part of a restoration, in Paris Thursday, April 11, 2019. The 16 greenish-gray copper statues, which represent the twelve apostles and four evangelists, are lowered by a 100 meter (105 yard) crane onto a truck to be taken for restoration in southwestern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Lori Hinant) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A firefighter tackles the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Fire fighters try to extinguish the fire as Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Notre Dame cathedral is seen burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) People watch as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Notre Dame cathedral is burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) People watch Notre Dame cathedral burning from the Seine river banks in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Notre Dame cathedral is seen burning in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's trip to Minnesota (all times local): 2:20 p.m. President Donald Trump says he's celebrating Tax Day. Trump flew to Minnesota on Monday to highlight the $1.5 trillion package of corporate and individual tax cuts he signed into law in 2017. U.S. taxpayers across the country are rushing to meet a midnight Monday deadline for filing their income tax returns with the IRS. A smattering of boos rose from the audience at a trucking company in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville after Trump said "today is Tax Day that we're celebrating." Trump says incorrectly that he enacted the largest package of tax cuts in history. But the facts don't bear that out. President Donald Trump, center, arrives to speak during a roundtable discussion at Nuss Truck and Equipment in Burnsville, Minn., Monday, April 15, 2019. He is flanked by Jovita Carranza, left, current treasurer at the Department of the Treasury, and Nuss Truck and Equipment President Bob Nuss, right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Trump's package considerably trails Ronald Reagan's 1981 tax cuts, Barack Obama's 2013 extension of George W. Bush's tax cuts, and others. __ 1:05 p.m. President Donald Trump is spending America's tax filing day in Minnesota. Trump arrived in Minneapolis on Monday and was headed to a trucking company in the suburb of Burnsville to host a roundtable discussion on the economy. The president says the economy is doing well. He also says a package of corporate and individual tax cuts he signed into law in 2017 are "working very, very well." Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said Sunday the tax cuts added trillions of dollars to the nation's debt and disproportionately helped the wealthy. Trump's tax day visit also renews attention on his refusal to release his tax returns. Trump narrowly lost Minnesota to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 but hopes to claim victory here in 2020. A South Dakota man linked to an admitted Russian covert agent is accused of obtaining at least $2.3 million from 78 people for bogus investments dating to at least 1997, according to documents unsealed Monday. Businessman and conservative political operative Paul Erickson, of Sioux Falls, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. An affidavit that had previously been blocked from public view alleges that he promised returns of up to 150 percent while spending the money on personal expenses such as motels, flights and college tuition for Maria Butina, Erickson's former girlfriend. Although some of the accusations go back 20 years, the affidavit said Erickson came to the attention of the FBI in 2016 when a woman selling land in the North Dakota oil patch told authorities that a group of investors had paid Erickson $100,000 for the same land. The investigation led authorities to conclude that Erickson ran fraudulent schemes involving two other primary businesses, the manufacturing of a specialized wheelchair and the construction of retirement homes around the country. Erickson's attorney, Clint Sargent, did not immediately return a phone message left Monday by The Associated Press. The charges against Erickson, 57, appear unrelated to the case of Butina, 30, who pleaded guilty in December to trying to infiltrate conservative political groups as a Kremlin secret agent. Butina said in her plea agreement that she "sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics" and that Erickson helped her as she tried to use his ties with the National Rifle Association to set up the back channels. Some of Erickson's investors are named in the affidavit, including Mark Sanford, the former congressman and South Carolina governor. Authorities say in one instance Erickson tried to convince a woman to invest in the specialized wheelchair by telling her that Sanford put money into the company. Erickson promised the woman a return of between 125 and 150 percent on her investment, the affidavit said. Sanford allegedly told the FBI he invested in the oil patch property and not the wheelchair. Erickson, described by one of his victims as a "charismatic gentleman," was national political director for Pat Buchanan's challenge to President George H. W. Bush in the 1992 Republican primary. He also was a media adviser to John Wayne Bobbitt, the Virginia man whose wife cut off his penis with a kitchen knife in 1993. And he joined with Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist later imprisoned for corruption, in producing an anti-communist action movie Erickson's trial is currently scheduled for July. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Monday that he carefully considered all arguments before signing legislation that makes it a crime for a doctor performing a second-trimester abortion to use instruments such as clamps, scissors and forceps to remove the fetus from the womb. "I read every letter that came in," the first-term governor told The Associated Press when pressed to expand on his approval. He had made no comment last week when he signed the bill into law. The bill passed easily in the GOP-led Legislature last month. Abortion-rights groups argue that banning the procedure known as dilation and evacuation is unconstitutional because it interferes with private medical decisions. The bill becomes effective if a federal appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court allows its enforcement. State Health Department data show the procedure has not been reported in North Dakota since 2015, when eight such abortions were performed. Last month, Burgum signed a bill that requires abortion providers to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions that it's possible they could still have a live birth if they change their mind. Opponents say there is no medically accepted evidence that a drug-induced abortion can be reversed. Burgum's approval of the legislation marked a victory for anti-abortion advocates who were not certain of his support, given his relative silence on abortion issues in the past. In his first gubernatorial debate, Burgum did not take a position on abortion, saying he preferred allowing North Dakota residents to vote on abortion issues, instead of the Legislature. After criticism from an opponent, he said in a later debate he would have supported some of the nation's toughest abortion laws passed in North Dakota in 2013, including one that would have banned abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, something that can happen before a woman knows she is pregnant. That law never went into effect after the state's lone abortion clinic filed a successful lawsuit. North Dakota spent $326,000 to unsuccessfully defend the law and paid the clinic $245,000 in a settlement. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kenyan officials say Cuban doctors deployed along the border with Somalia are being evacuated following the kidnapping last week of two Cuban doctors. Suspected Islamic extremists kidnapped two Cuban doctors in Mandera County on Friday as they were heading to work, killing one of their police bodyguards. Lamu County officer in charge of health Anne Gathoni said Monday that the remaining Cuban doctors had been evacuated from Lamu because they had been traumatized by the kidnapping of their colleagues. The two, an orthopedic surgeon and a physician, had been deployed to Lamu by the government in July, 2018. Somalia's al-Shabab extremist rebels are suspected of carrying out the kidnapping. The extremist group has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight the militants. SHANGHAI (AP) - Automakers showcased electric SUVs and sedans with longer range and luxury features Tuesday at the Shanghai auto show, wooing Chinese buyers as Beijing slashes subsidies that helped to launch the industry. Two of China's biggest state-owned automakers unveiled models they said can travel 600 kilometers (370 miles) on one charge, or nearly double the range of global competitors. If that can be achieved, it would raise the standard for an industry trying to compete with gasoline models by defusing "range anxiety" or fear of being stranded with a dead battery. China's communist leaders have spent heavily seeking to make the country a leader in electrics. They're now shifting the burden to automakers by imposing sales targets. That requires brands to create consumer-friendly models at a time when they are struggling with a sales slump. "Competition will become more fierce," said Ma Fanglie, chairman of BJEV, the electric unit of state-owned BAIC Group. BJEV, one of the biggest electric producers by sales volume, unveiled the EX3 sedan, which it said can travel up to 630 kilometers (390 miles) on one charge. Ma said it is one of five new electric models under a plan to "transform and upgrade" BJEV into a brand that can compete without subsidies. General Motors, Nissan, China's Geely Auto and other brands displayed dozens of electric models, from luxury SUVs to compacts priced under $10,000. The auto show, the world's biggest, opens to the public Saturday following a preview for media. Chinese automaker Geely Auto displays a sedan from its new electric brand Geometry during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China's leaders have been promoting "new energy vehicles" for 15 years with subsidies for developers and buyers. That, along support including orders to state-owned utilities to blanket China with charging stations, is helping make the technology a mainstream product. "After an initial push from the government, now customers are really wanting and demanding EVs," said Nissan's director of electric vehicles, Nic Thomas. Electric vehicles are key for government-led development of Chinese global competitors in technologies from robotics to biotech. Those ambitions set off Beijing's tariff war with President Donald Trump. Washington, Europe and other trading partners complain Chinese subsidies to technology developers and pressure on foreign companies to share know-how violate its market-opening commitments. China lags Europe, the United States and Japan in battery and other vehicle technology but is developing fast. It has about half of global production capacity for batteries, an electric car's biggest and most expensive component. Last year's Chinese sales of pure-electric and hybrid sedans and SUVs soared 60% over 2017 to 1.3 million, or half the global total. At the same time, industry revenue was squeezed by a 4.1 percent fall in total Chinese auto sales to 23.7 million vehicles. That skid that worsened this year as first-quarter sales fell 13.7% from a year ago. Subsidies end next year. Under the new system, automakers must earn credits for sales of electrics equal to at least 10% of purchases this year and 12% in 2020. Longer-range vehicles can earn double credits. That means some brands can fill their quota if electrics make up as little as 5% of sales. Most automakers still lose money on each electric vehicle. But industry analysts say that as the cost of batteries and other components falls, electrics could become cost-competitive with gasoline models and profitable for their producers within five years. In Shanghai, the GAC electric car unit GAC New Energy unveiled the Aion LX SUV, which it said can travel 600 kilometers (370 miles) on one charge. The unit's deputy general manager, Xi Zhongmin, said no price or release date have been decided. Most Chinese brands target the domestic market, but Geely has global ambitions. Its electric brand, Geometry, displayed a sedan with an advertised range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) on one charge. Geely says the Geometry A, unveiled last week in Singapore, will be marketed worldwide. Geely's parent, Geely Holding, also has a joint venture with Mercedes parent Daimler AG to develop an electric version of the German automaker's smart brand. "Geely wants to become the choice of customers for electric driving," said Geely Group's CEO, Yang Xueliang. China's BYD Auto, the biggest global electric brand by sales volume, displayed three new pure-electric models that were unveiled last month. All promise more than 400 kilometers (280 miles) on one charge. On Monday, GM unveiled Buick's first all-electric model for China. GM says the four-door Velite 6 can travel 301 kilometers (185 miles) on one charge. VW showed off a concept electric SUV, the whimsically named I.D. ROOMZZ, designed to travel 450 kilometers (280 miles) on one charge. Features include seats that rotate 25 degrees to create a lounge-like atmosphere. China is a top market for global automakers, giving them an incentive to go along with Beijing's electric ambitions. Also Tuesday, Nissan Motor Co. and its Chinese partner displayed the Sylphy Zero Emission, an all-electric model designed for China. Based on Nissan's Leaf, the lower-priced Sylphy went on sale in August. Mercedes Benz displayed its first all-electric model in China, the EQC 400 SUV, with a 400-kilometer (280-mile) range. It is one of 10 electrified models the German automaker says it will release worldwide, with most made in China. Also this week, Mercedes said it will launch a roadside "butler service" in China offering recharging for drivers who run out of power and other services. "We want to take away every reason a customer might say, umm, is it really time go electric?" said Hubertus Troska, a Daimler AG board member. ___ AP researcher Yu Bing contributed. A woman takes a photo of the interior of a new car from Chinese automaker Geely Auto under its new electric brand Geometry during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) A worker dusts off the roof of the Velite 6, Buick's first all-electric model for China during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The Sylphy Zero Emission, an all-electric model designed for China is displayed at the Nissan booth during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Volkswagen unveils a concept electric SUV, the whimsically named ID. ROOMZZ during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Volkswagen unveils a concept electric SUV, the whimsically named ID. ROOMZZ during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) FILE - In this April 29, 2018, file photo, visitors watch an electric-powered SUV manufactured by Chinese automaker NIO during the China Auto Show in Beijing. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand.(AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Auto, the biggest global electric brand by sales volume, prepares to show the latest cars during the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Attendees wait to visit the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) A man waits near a sign for the Auto Shanghai 2019 show in Shanghai Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Automakers are showcasing electric SUVs and sedans with more driving range and luxury features at the Shanghai auto show, trying to appeal to Chinese buyers in their biggest market as Beijing slashes subsidies that have propelled demand. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto. Some election facts and figures: ___ BY THE NUMBERS The election is a huge logistical exercise costing about 27.6 trillion rupiah ($1.9 billion). Indonesians are casting votes not only for president but about 20,500 other candidates standing for the Senate and legislatures at the national, provincial and district levels. Election officials are providing more than 1.6 million bottles of halal-certified indelible ink for voters to dip a finger in after casting ballots at some 810,000 polling stations. The Election Commission estimates more than 17 million people are involved in ensuring the elections run smoothly, including volunteers, guards and registered witnesses for every polling station. But poster-sized ballots have drawn criticism as a challenge for elderly voters. In this Monday, April 15, 2019 photo, Workers prepare ballot boxes for distribution ahead of April 17 elections in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) ___ DEMOCRATIC OUTPOST After three decades of military rule ended in 1998, Indonesia has become the most robust democracy in Southeast Asia, a region where authoritarian governments and stage-managed elections are the norm. But despite being the world's most populous Muslim nation, the third-largest democracy and a member of the Group of 20 major economies, Indonesia has a low profile on the world stage. That is slowly changing, with the country recently becoming a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, announcing a bid to host the 2032 Olympics and analysts forecasting its economy to be among the world's five largest by 2030. ___ CAMPAIGN ISSUES The presidential contenders are stark contrasts in background and personality. The slightly nerdy Widodo is admired for his friendly, down-to-earth manner. Subianto, from a wealthy family, is prone to explosions of anger and has an emotional, tub-thumping style of campaigning. Both are nationalists and Muslims, though Subianto's nationalism sits at the extreme end of the spectrum. Subianto's campaign has been negative and fear-based, emphasizing what he sees as Indonesia's current dire situation and the risk of exploitation by foreign powers or disintegration. Widodo, the front-runner in all credible polls, has emphasized his government's efforts to improve infrastructure and reduce poverty, and can show progress in both areas. In this Monday, April 15, 2019 photo, workers load ballot boxes onto a truck for distribution ahead of April 17 elections in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) In this Saturday, April 13, 2019 photo supporter holds up a poster of Indonesian President Joko Widodo during campaign rally at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) WASHINGTON (AP) - Top administration officials have been discussing ways to increase pressure on countries with high numbers of citizens who overstay short-term visas, as part of President Donald Trump's growing focus on immigration heading into his re-election campaign. The administration could introduce new travel restrictions on nationals from those countries, according to two people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose private conversations. The idea, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is just one of many under discussion by an administration that is increasingly desperate to satisfy a president who has been angry about the influx of migrants at the border as he tries to make good on his 2016 campaign promises and energize his base going into 2020. The ideas have ranged from the extreme - including Trump's threat to shut down the southern border and consideration of again separating children from parents - to more subtle tweaks to the legal immigration system, including efforts to clamp down on visa overstays, which, according to the nonpartisan Center for Migration Studies, exceed illegal border crossings. Plans are also in the works to have border patrol agents conduct initial interviews to determine whether migrants seeking asylum have a "credible fear" of returning to their homelands. Border patrol agents are the first officials who come into contact with migrants, and the thinking is that they'll be less sympathetic than asylum officers. And officials have been considering raising asylum standards and changing the court system so that the last people in are the first to have their cases adjudicated. Some of the ideas have been proposed, rejected and then proposed again. The administration has also been weighing targeting the remittance payments sent home by people living in the country illegally. And White House aide Stephen Miller in particular has been pushing Homeland Security officials to move forward with plans to punish immigrants in the country legally for using public benefits, such as food stamps. President Donald Trump walks towards the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Monday, April 15, 2019. Trump is heading to Minnesota for a tax day event. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said both are topics of focus for the White House. "It is a top priority for the administration, as has been for two years, to reduce overstay rates for visas and the visa waiver program - and it's well known that the administration is working to ensure faithful implementation of immigration welfare rules to protect American taxpayers," he said. At the same time, Trump suggested Monday that his threat to send migrants to so-called sanctuary cities in an apparent effort to exact revenge on Democratic foes is taking effect, even though it remains unclear whether such a plan is feasible. "Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!" Trump tweeted just days after aides insisted the plan had been shelved. Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment on what, if anything, had changed Monday. And it's unclear whether Homeland Security has taken any steps to implement the contentious plan. Lawyers there had previously told the White House that the idea was unfeasible and would be a misuse of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement funds. ICE is already strapped for cash and resources, and some believe such a plan would actually end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to for them to put down roots and stay in the country. Trump has recently gutted DHS's leadership amid frustrations over agency pushback against the White House on immigration matters. Democrats on Monday demanded that White House and agency officials turn over internal documents on the administration's deliberations over the sanctuary city plan. "Not only does the administration lack the legal authority to transfer detainees in this manner, it is shocking that the president and senior administration officials are even considering manipulating release decisions for purely political reasons," read a letter signed by three House committee chairmen. Trump, meanwhile, has insisted he has "the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities." He continued to rail about the situation at the border during an appearance in Minnesota on Monday and made the case that the issue could be a winning one for Republicans in 2020, telling the crowd that the GOP could "retake the House" over this issue. Many moderate Republicans urged Trump to avoid harsh immigration talk in the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections, warning that it could hurt the party's chances, especially in the suburbs. The Republicans wound up losing the House. U.S. officials say a flood of migrant families, largely from Central America, is overwhelming the southwestern border. The U.S. Border Patrol said the 53,000 families apprehended in March set a record, though Democrats say the administration is worsening the problem by aggressively detaining people caught entering illegally and limiting the number of applicants for refugee status who are processed. ___ Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report. President Donald Trump walks down the steps of Air Force One at Minneapolis-Saint Paul Air Reserve Station in Minneapolis, Monday, April 15, 2019. Trump is in Minnesota to tout the 2017 tax law. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Vallarta Hosts International Mariachi Fair April 22-24 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Semana Santa and Pascua holidays are a time of celebration with plenty of cultural activities and music to enjoy in cities throughout Mexico, so what better time to host a Mariachi Festival? And since the Mariachi originated in the State of Jalisco, what better place to host that festival than in Puerto Vallarta? From April 22-24, Puerto Vallarta will host the 2019 International Mariachi Fair, an event designed and organized to promote the tradition of Mariachi and the Mexican culture on a local, national and international level. Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Mariachi is a timeless Mexican tradition that goes beyond influential music - it is the sum of a cultural revolution, encompassing the essence of Mexico with elaborate costumes, rhythmic dancing and patriotic values. Discover its complex origins, its distinctive musical elements, and above all its deep-rooted significance to the people of Mexico - right here in Puerto Vallarta! The director of the International Mariachi Fair, Hector Turrubiates, said that it was decided to hold this event in Puerto Vallarta because this popular vacation destination is one of the gateways for international tourism in Mexico. Hector Turrubiates explained that, in addition to musical presentations, the Mariachi Fair will feature workshops, contests, conferences and training for not only mariachi groups, but for anyone who is interested in this musical genre that is part of the essence, identity and national culture of Mexico. In addition to private events, public galas will be held so that all visitors and locals can enjoy a first class show, since the main objective of the event is to achieve a broad exposure of mariachi music as a pillar of Mexican identity. "We chose Vallarta because there are many national and international tourists and many members of the mariachi music guild here," Turrubiates said. The organizer added that musicians who wish to become professionals will have an opportunity to participate in the Mariachi International Music Congress, which will attended by some of the best mariachis and 15 of the best teachers of this genre. He also announced that there will be Mexican Folkloric dance performances, lectures on social media networks, musical instrument sales and production, and just about everything that has to do with the music industry that supports the diffusion of mariachi. FOUR GALAS Hector Turrubiates said that after the Congress there will be four mariachi galas: the first one will be held at the International Convention Center on April 24, where awards will be given to the best Mariachi musicians. Afterwards, a concert featuring the Mariachi Corona and the Mariachi Estrella de Mexico groups will bring the Congress to a spectacular close. On the 25th there will be a free concert with Folkloric ballet on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon; while on April 26th and 27th, eight of the best mariachi groups in the country will perform at Teatro Vallarta, in a show called Yo soy de Jalisco ("I am from Jalisco"). The mariachis Toritos, San Francisco, Corona, Guadalajara, Estrella de Mexico, Real de Oro and Jalisco es Mexico will participate in all of these activities. "There are private and public concerts, the free ones on the Malecon will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday..." The organizer added that 20 mariachi groups will participate in all of the events, 13 of them are coming to take classes, that is, 150 students, while the others are elite mariachis who will be performing at private shows. The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust congratulates this initiative, considering that this is a great international showcase of Mexican folklore, and during the Easter Week holidays, national and international tourists can enjoy the best of Mexican music par excellence. CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - As a college student fighting for racial equality in the early 1960s, Jim Clyburn was invited to the office of then-Gov. Fritz Hollings in an attempt to assuage racial tensions bubbling on the campus of South Carolina State University. Clyburn, now the majority whip and third ranking Democrat in the U.S. House, said he wasn't sure how the governor would receive him and the other protesters. After all, Hollings had campaigned previously against school desegregation. But during their meeting, Clyburn said that he could sense a change in Hollings. Clyburn told a crowd of hundreds at Hollings' funeral Tuesday that even though the Southern Democrat asked the activists not to tell reporters he had been sympathetic to their cause, "He opened up to us, and we opened up to him. "I knew that we had just heard and felt what was in him." Hollings died April 6 at his home on Isle of Palms at age 97. Pallbearers for U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings carry his casket back to the hearse following a funeral service of Summerall Chapel on The Citadel campus Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Hollings died earlier this month at age 97. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) The funeral at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel, Hollings' alma mater, capped three days of mourning for the former governor and longtime U.S. senator. Hundreds of former staffers, lawmakers, friends and relatives attended. Earlier, hundreds of mourners filed past Hollings' body as it lay in repose at the state Capitol. The long arc of Hollings' career, from his days at The Citadel to service in World War II and more than five decades in public service, were recalled by Clyburn and others, including former Vice President Joe Biden , Hollings' desk mate and friend in the Senate for more than 30 years. Biden said Hollings, then chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, helped him not only to win his seat in 1972 but also to summon the strength to occupy it following the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a car crash. "He was also there for me when I was at the bottom," Biden said, calling Hollings and wife Peatsy "the first people to bring me back from the black hole that I was in." Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who challenged Hollings in 1986, recalled Hollings as "the magnificent lion of South Carolina." McMaster brought a moment of levity after a mostly somber Biden eulogy as he recalled his campaign staff suggesting that Hollings should take a drug test, to which Hollings responded "that he would take a drug test if (McMaster) would take an IQ test." Southern racial dynamics were a running theme throughout Hollings' career, which began with three terms in the state House, followed by his election as governor in 1958. Although he had campaigned against desegregation, Hollings later built a national reputation as a moderate. In his farewell address as governor, he pleaded for legislators to peacefully accept integration of public schools and the admission of the first black student to Clemson University. "This General Assembly must make clear South Carolina's choice, a government of laws rather than a government of men," he told lawmakers. Shortly afterward, Clemson was peacefully integrated. In his 2008 autobiography, "Making Government Work," Hollings wrote that in the 1950s "no issue dominated South Carolina more than race" and that he worked for a balanced approach. "I was 'Mister-In-Between. The governor had to appear to be in charge; yet the realities were not on his side," he wrote. "I returned to my basic precept ... the safety of the people is the supreme law. I was determined to keep the peace and avoid bloodshed." Hollings had served 38 years and two months when he retired from the Senate in 2005, making him the eighth longest-serving senator in U.S. history. The sharp-tongued orator whose rhetorical flourishes in the deep accent of his home state enlivened many a Washington debate never reached the levels of influence he hoped. His bid for the Democratic presidential nomination was unsuccessful. He sometimes blamed that failure on his background, rising to power as he did in the South in the 1950s as the region simmered with anger over segregation. On Tuesday, Clyburn also recalled a more recent poignant moment with Hollings, who several years ago had asked his old friend to sponsor legislation removing Hollings' name from a federal courthouse in South Carolina. "That's unheard of," Clyburn said, although he said it ultimately didn't surprise him at all. Hollings, he said, wanted his name removed to make room for U.S. District Judge Waties Waring, whose dissent in a case paved the way for the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that public-school segregation was unconstitutional. That kind of selflessness, Clyburn said, marked Hollings' ultimate transformation from desegregation opponent to champion of equality and understanding. "I was moved to tears because I know South Carolina well, and I thought I knew Fritz Hollings well," Clyburn said, his voice cracking with emotion. "There was much more to him. ... Thank God a man can grow. Fritz grew, and I grew along with him." ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP Citadel cadets march to Summerall Chapel before the start of U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings' funeral on The Citadel campus Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Hollings died earlier this month at age 97. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) Pallbearers for U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings carry his casket back to the hearse following a funeral service of Summerall Chapel on The Citadel campus Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Hollings died earlier this month at age 97. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) Former Vice President Joe Biden. and his wife Jill greet people in front of Summerall Chapel before the start of former U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings' funeral on The Citadel campus Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Biden delivered one of the eulogies for his former Senate colleague. Hollings died earlier this month at age 97. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) PARIS (AP) - The Latest on the fire that swept through Paris' Notre Dame cathedral (all times local): 11:50 p.m. Among those watching with horror as fire engulfed the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral was a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Justice Stephen Breyer is an architecture lover who heads the jury of the annual Pritzker Prize, the top international prize in architecture. Breyer watched TV coverage of the Paris blaze in his chambers and says it was "horrific" to see the legendary building in flames. He said Tuesday there was a moment where it seemed "awful and irredeemable." But he said his spirits rose as he realized the cathedral could, and would, be rebuilt. People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) In his words, "The future is still there. It's not going to be a void at the center of Paris." Breyer says his feelings for Notre Dame stem from his very first trip outside the United States when he was 18 and an exchange student in Paris. ___ 10:05 p.m. Hundreds of people have gathered near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for another prayer vigil. A crowd carrying candles and singing religious songs marched from the Church of Saint-Sulpice and grew on the way to a Left Bank plaza that faces Notre Dame. The Saint-Suplice church, built in the 17th century and important to French Catholicism, caught on fire last month but had nowhere near as much damage as the older cathedral. At the plaza by Notre Dame on Tuesday night, vigil participants sat around a statue of the Virgin Mary while listening to a small string orchestra and doing more singing. Organizers said in a statement they want to show their attachment to Notre Dame. ___ 9:50 p.m The United Nations says it will be supporting the French government in rebuilding fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral through its Paris-based cultural agency UNESCO "in whatever way they feel is most necessary." U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that the cathedral is a UNESCO world heritage site "so I know our colleagues there will do whatever they can" following Monday's fire. He said Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, who tweeted Monday that he was "horrified" at the blaze at the landmark cathedral, "will fully support UNESCO's efforts." ___ 9:45 p.m. The Archbishop of Turin says that the Notre Dame fire brought back painful memories of the 1997 blaze that tore through the chapel built to house the Shroud of Turin. Monsignor Cesara Nosiglia on Tuesday recalled the dramatic events of April 11, 1997, when firefighters rescued the shroud - venerated as the holy cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after his crucifixion - from its bulletproof, climate-controlled glass case. The shroud was not in the chapel itself, which was nearly destroyed, but in another area of the Duomo cathedral where it had been relocated years earlier during renovation work. Nosiglia said "our suffering has been renewed, because Notre Dame, like the Duomo complex, doesn't just mean history, art and stone. These monuments are living treasures of the churches and of the people. They have universal value." The dome of the Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin inside the Duomo will be illuminated in the colors of the French flag Tuesday night in an expression of solidarity with France. Restoration on the chapel was completed only last September, after being closed for 28 years. The cause of the blaze was never determined. ___ 8:55 p.m. Pope Francis has phoned French President Emmanuel Macron to express his solidarity over the fire at Notre Dame, hours after the Vatican culture minister offered art experts who could possibly advise on reconstruction efforts. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Francis called Macron Tuesday and tweeted: "During the exchange the Holy Father expressed his solidarity with the French people after the blaze that ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris." Earlier Tuesday, Culture Minister Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi suggested that experts from the Vatican Museum could offer their services as the French begin to rebuild. He stressed though that Notre Dame is owned by the French government and has autonomous sources of funding. Francis sent an official message of condolences to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit, in which he called Notre Dame the "architectural gem of a collective memory." ___ 8:20 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to see the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral to be rebuilt within five years. Macron said Tuesday in a televised address to the nation that "we will rebuild Notre Dame cathedral even more beautiful." He added that "we can do it and once again, we will mobilize" to do so. Macron, who also said "we have so much to rebuild," thanked firefighters and police and donors who are giving money for the renovation. ___ 8 p.m. The president of the University of Notre Dame said the school will donate $100,000 toward the renovation of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire. The Rev. John Jenkins announced the donation Tuesday, a day after the fire destroyed the cathedral's spire and roof. Jenkins says the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the university's campus in Indiana will toll 50 times Tuesday evening, to represent the 50 Hail Marys of the rosary and mark the start of the Paris cathedral's rebuilding. Jenkins says the cathedral's "exquisite Gothic architecture has for centuries raised hearts and minds to God. We join in prayer with the faithful of the cathedral and all of France as they begin the work of rebuilding." ___ 7:40 p.m. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that One World Trade Center's spire be lighted in the colors of the French flag in solidarity with the people of France and the Catholic community worldwide. Cuomo says the lighting on Tuesday night will be a tribute to the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral, "one of the world's most sacred and celebrated religious monuments." The flags of France and the United States contain the same colors, but different patterns. The French flag has a white center flanked with blue and red. The U.S. flag has red and white stripes, with white stars on a blue background in the upper left corner. ___ 7:15 p.m. The White House says the bells of Notre Dame cathedral "will sound again." Press secretary Sarah Sanders says President Donald Trump offered his condolences Tuesday to French President Emmanuel Macron over the fire that caused major damage to the iconic building. She says America stands with the French, the city of Paris and millions of visitors from around the world who seeks solace at the cathedral. Sanders adds that France is America's oldest ally and that Americans remember "with grateful hearts" the tolling of Notre Dame's bells the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. She says "those bells will sound again" and closes her statement with "Vive la France!" The extent of any damage to the bells and their support structure is unclear. ___ 6:50 p.m. Spain's Culture Ministry says it has convened an extraordinary meeting of the country's Council of Historic Patrimony to discuss fire safety and other measures after a blaze ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Culture Minister Jose Guirao tells Radio Nacional de Espana on Tuesday that the fire was "an alarm call" that is prompting authorities to review safety procedures and security installations. He said Spanish cathedrals are well-protected "but there's no such thing as 100% safe." The Culture Ministry says in a statement that the Council of Historic Patrimony was due to review safety procedures at a meeting earlier this month but ran out of time. A new meeting focusing solely on fire safety and other protection measures will be held in Madrid on April 26. ___ 6:45 p.m. A Paris judicial official says investigators have questioned about 30 people after the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. He said most of them were employees working on the renovation of the monument. The official, speaking anonymously on an ongoing investigation, said the cathedral's fire alarms sounded twice on Monday evening. The first time, some people, including a fire official permanently working on the site, went to check under the roof and saw nothing. The second time it was already too late because the fire was too strong, the official said. He added that 40 to 50 investigators are working on the case but are not allowed to enter the monument yet for safety reasons. ----By Nicolas Vaux-Montagny ___ 6:30 p.m. Some will call it a miracle. According to Notre Dame's heritage director, only one piece of architecture inside the sacred building has been damaged. Laurent Prades told The Associated Press that the high altar, which was installed in 1989, was hit and harmed by the cathedral's spire when it came crashing down in the flames. "We have been able to salvage all the rest," said Prades, who witnessed the recovery first hand overnight. "All the 18th-century steles, the pietas, frescoes, chapels and the big organ are fine," he said. Among the most famous elements inside the cathedral, Prades added that the three large stained-glass rose windows have not been destroyed, though they may have been damaged by the heat and will be assessed by an expert. ___ 6:05 p.m. Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" has rocketed to the top of the bestseller list of Amazon in France in its original version. Meanwhile, the English translation of the 1831 novel is also number one in sales in the category of historical fiction. Telling the story of Quasimodo, a deformed bell-ringer of the cathedral in the 15th century, the book helped rally support for Notre Dame's massive renovation later in the 19th century. Campaigning for the preservation of the cathedral, Hugo described it as crumbling and marked by "countless defacements and mutilations," contributing to alert the public about the issue. ___ 5:45 p.m. Video shot inside Notre Dame cathedral after the fire shows many tiles and columns have been spared by the disaster. Images broadcast Tuesday by French news channel BFM TV also show several pieces of wooden furniture, including chairs and benches, seemingly intact, but there is a gaping hole in the nave's roof, with a pile of burnt debris lying underneath. The fire which broke out Monday evening caused major damages to much of the almost 900-year-old building. ___ 5:35 p.m. British Prime Minster Theresa May says the bells at London's landmark Westminster Abbey will be rung Tuesday afternoon to mark 24 hours since the fire broke out at Notre Dame cathedral. She says this will be done "to underline our solidarity with France and her people." Bells at cathedrals and churches will also be rung Thursday in a further demonstration of concern for France's loss. The prime minister offered British help with the rebuilding of Notre Dame, calling it "one of the most beautiful buildings in the world." She says the Westminster Abbey bells will sound at 5:43 local time (1643 GMT; 12:43 p.m. EST) Tuesday afternoon. ___ 5:25 p.m. Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic has offered sympathy and help to rebuild the Notre Dame cathedral after the devastating fire, but tabloids under his control called the disaster "God's punishment." Many in Serbia are angry at France for reportedly displaying a flag of Kosovo outside Notre Dame for World War I centennial commemorations last year, and for taking part in the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia. Headlines late Monday on the websites of pro-government tabloids Alo and Informer said "God's Punishment has caught up with them." The articles were later removed after triggering outrage on social networks. Some commentators said they are "indifferent" to the fire because of France's alleged lack of support for Serbia's claim on Kosovo. Serbia does not recognize the 2008 declaration of independence of its former province. Vucic said "all citizens of Serbia are sad over Notre Dame. We stand by our French friends and ready to help rebuild that symbol of French and world civilization." Serbia and France have a long history of friendship. France played a major role in helping Serbs form their state in the Balkans after World War I. ___ 5:05 p.m. French interior minister Christophe Castaner says there are still some risks that may endanger the structure of Notre Dame cathedral. Castaner told reporters Tuesday after a brief visit to the cathedral that it is "under permanent surveillance because it can still budge." He added that state employees will need to wait 48 hours before being able to safely enter the cathedral and take care of the art works that are still there. Some were too big to be transferred. Castaner said: "We will be standing at (Notre Dame's) bedside." ___ 5 p.m. All bridges surrounding Notre Dame cathedral in Paris are blocked by police - but that hasn't deterred tourists and Parisians from clustering as close as they can to the fire-scarred monument. Sidewalks on the both sides of the Seine River were packed with curious spectators, both tourists and French bemoaning the disaster. Notre Dame sits on an island in the middle, the Ile de la Cite. Still, the working river was in motion. A barge loaded with gravel slid past the cathedral Tuesday. Annie Guy, a retired school principal from the Toulouse region, said she is "truly pained." Guy said: "It's the beauty of a monument and our history." She recalled that French schoolchildren learn that the island housing Notre Dame was the birthplace of France. ___ 4:40 p.m Czech President Milos Zeman is offering France the expertise and assistance of leading Czech specialists to help restore Notre Dame cathedral. In a letter to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Zeman said Tuesday that the Czech Republic is, like France, a country with many Gothic and medieval historic buildings and palaces. Zeman said that "the fire of Notre Dame affects us all." Zeman offered teams of top restoration experts that work at Prague Castle, the historic seat of Czech presidency, which includes St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic architectural masterpiece. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said his country is also ready to send France financial assistance. ___ 4:30 p.m. Greece's government has offered France assistance in restoring fire damage to Notre Dame cathedral. The culture ministry says Greece is willing to provide academic experts and skilled technicians from its own restoration projects if help is needed. The ministry has extensive experience with major conservation and restoration works on Greece's ancient and mediaeval monuments. These include a decades-long program on the Acropolis of Athens, whose 2,500-year-old marble temples and other monumental buildings were badly damaged over the centuries by fire, explosions and warfare. A ministry statement Tuesday expressed deep sorrow for the Notre Dame blaze. ___ 4:20 p.m. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is urging his countrymen and others in Europe to contribute to the rebuilding of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire. Steinmeier said Tuesday that the footage of the landmark Paris building burning would "probably leave no one in Europe untouched." He called for "the citizens of this country and the whole of Europe to support the reconstruction of Notre Dame." Steinmeier added that the cathedral "is not only a great building, it is a great European landmark, a landmark of European culture and an important document of European history." ___ 4:15 p.m French companies Total and L'Oreal are pledging to each donate 100 million euros ($113 million) to support the reconstruction of Notre Dame cathedral. A few hours after billionaire tycoons Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault announced Tuesday that they would give a total of 300 million euros, oil and gas giant Total said it would contribute 100 million euros "to help the reconstruction of this architectural jewel." Cosmetics maker L'Oreal promised the same amount to rebuild "a symbol of French heritage and of our common history." Among other contributors, Bouygues construction group CEO Martin Bouygues said he and his brother Olivier would donate 10 million euros. ___ 3:55 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a Cabinet meeting Wednesday fully dedicated to the aftermath of the fire at Notre Dame cathedral. The French presidency says a morning session will be followed by one in the afternoon focusing on the national fund-raising campaign and the reconstruction work. Macron is to speak by phone with Pope Francis later Tuesday. The French leader has postponed a speech and a news conference aimed at responding to the yellow vest crisis for an indefinite period, to respect "a moment of great national emotion." Macron was initially planning to announce measures this week addressing the concerns of anti-government protesters. ___ 3:45 p.m. The French Bishops' Conference says that the bells of all cathedrals across the country will ring on Wednesday at 6:50 p.m. local time (1850 GMT; 12:50 p.m. EST), the time when the fire started Monday at Notre Dame in Paris. The Bishops' Conference said Tuesday in a statement that this will show the solidarity of all dioceses toward Paris and that the fire at Notre Dame "is a shock that affects far beyond just the Catholics of our country." France counts 103 Catholic cathedrals. ___ 3:25 p.m. France's culture minister says the "most precious treasures" of Paris' Notre Dame cathedral have been saved after a devastating fire, including the crown of thorns Catholic relic and the tunic of Saint Louis. Culture Minister Franck Riester told reporters outside Notre Dame that other works are being transferred from a storeroom in City Hall to the Louvre on Tuesday and Wednesday. There they will be dehumidified, protected and eventually restored. He said that the cathedral's greatest paintings will be removed starting Friday. He said, "We assume they have not been damaged by the fire but there will eventually be damage from the smoke." Monday's fire destroyed the cathedral roof and collapsed the spire. ___ 3:00 p.m. European Union chief Donald Tusk says the message of encouragement to France after the Notre Dame cathedral fire should be that "it's not the end of the world" and that the damage will be repaired. Tusk told Polish reporters Tuesday in Strasbourg after a European Parliament debate on Brexit that it was the duty of all Europeans and all Poles to give France courage after this "dramatic" event. Recalling his native Poland's efforts to rebuild its cities, many reduced to rubble, after World War II, Tusk said that his compatriots "have the right and the duty to say - You will manage, this is not the end of the world." ___ 2:50 p.m. The director of UNESCO says expert work must be carried out immediately to protect Notre Dame Cathedral's remaining structure after a devastating fire. Audrey Azoulay told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it's too early to say whether the treasured rose windows of Notre Dame are unscathed because art experts haven't been able to study the site yet after Monday's apparently accidental fire. She said "the first 24, 48 hours" are crucial to protecting the stone and wood structure from water damage and assessing next steps. She warned that parts of the cathedral remain "extremely fragile," notably hundreds of tons of scaffolding set up around the cathedral spire that collapsed. She said Notre Dame has "a particular place in the world's collective imagination." Notre Dame is part of a UNESCO heritage site that includes the surrounding quais and islands, and UNESCO has offered its expertise to help rebuild. ___ 2:45 p.m. Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of Paris fire brigade, is being hailed as a hero after taking part in the recovery of the crown of thorns at Notre Dame cathedral. Speaking to reporters at the cathedral, Paris' 15th district mayor Philippe Goujon said Tuesday that Fournier insisted on being allowed to enter the edifice with fire fighters and played a role in the relic's rescue. Fournier's bravery had been noted already after the Nov. 2015 Bataclan attack, when he tended to the injured and prayed over the dead. According to an interview he gave to Christian Family magazine after that attack, Fournier was based in Germany and in the western Sarthe region, before joining the Paris fire brigade. He also served in the Diocese of the French Armed Forces and was based for a time in Afghanistan. ___ 2:30 p.m. Pope Francis is offering his prayers that Notre Dame, the "architectural gem of a collective memory," will once again be a shrine to the Catholic faith, a symbol of the French nation and a spiritual and architectural gift to humanity. In a heartfelt note of condolences sent to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit, Francis said Tuesday that the fire was particularly devastating given that it came during Holy Week, the somber days leading up to Easter during which Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Francis wrote: "This catastrophe has gravely harmed a historic building. But I am aware that it has also affected a national symbol dear to the heart of Parisians and all French people in the diversity of their convictions. Because Notre Dame is the architectural gem of a collective memory, a place of gathering for great events, a witness of the faith and prayer of Catholics in the heart of the city." Francis praised the courage of the firefighters and invoked his blessings on the nation. 2:10 p.m. The chief architect of Cologne cathedral says it could take decades to repair the damage caused to the Notre Dame cathedral by a massive fire. Peter Fuessenich, who oversees all construction work for the Gothic cathedral in the German city, told broadcaster RTL on Tuesday that "it will certainly take years, perhaps even decades, until the last damage caused by this terrible fire will be completely repaired." Cologne cathedral was heavily damaged during World War II and work to repair it is still ongoing more than 70 years later. Fuessenich called the fire in Paris "a tragedy with a European dimension" as many churches and cathedrals across the continent were inspired by buildings in France. He said that "when the last stone was set in Notre-Dame, the first one was laid here in Cologne, and in this respect it affects us all very much." According to Fuessenich, the timbered roof of Cologne cathedral's was replaced with an iron frame during the 19th century, meaning a fire there would be less devastating. ___ 1:50 p.m. A representative of one of the five companies which had been hired to work on renovations to the Notre Dame cathedral's roof says "we want more than anyone for light to be shed on the origin of this drama." Julien le Bras' company has 12 workers involved in the refurbishment, though none were on site at the time of the fire. Le Bras insisted that "all the security measures were respected," and "workers are participating in the investigation with no hesitation." Various officials have suggested the fire could have been linked to the renovation work. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said the investigation is in its early stages and is focusing on hearings while the site is being secured. ___ 12:45 p.m. Queen Elizabeth II has sent a message of sympathy to French President Emmanuel Macron after a fire ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The British monarch says she was "deeply saddened" to see the cathedral ablaze, and expressed "sincere admiration to the emergency services who have risked their lives to try to save this important national monument." British politicians and religious leaders have also sent messages of goodwill and offers of help in rebuilding the medieval building. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Church of England, tweeted an image of the fire-damaged cathedral with a passage from the Bible: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'" ___ 12:30 p.m. The Vatican's culture minister has offered words of hope to France following the devastating fire at Notre Dame, saying the cathedral is a "living creature" that has been reborn before and will continue to be the "beating heart" of France. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi opened a Vatican press conference with a personal reflection on the cathedral. He noted it was a place of encounter for both believers and nonbelievers drawn to its beauty and in some cases, such as the 19th century French poet Paul Claudel, were converted to the Catholic faith as a result. Ravasi, whose office oversees the patrimony of the Catholic Church worldwide, said he was moved by the scenes of faithful and tourists alike weeping as Notre Dame went up in flames. He suggested that the Vatican, particularly its art experts at the Vatican Museums, could play a possible role in the rebuilding given their expertise. ___ 12:25 p.m The Paris prosecutor says there's no evidence of arson in the Notre Dame fire and that they're working on the assumption that the blaze was an accident. Remy Heitz says the investigation will be "long and complex." Speaking Tuesday, after the blaze was put out, he said 50 investigators are working on the probe. He says they will be interviewing workers from five companies that had been hired to work on renovations to the cathedral's roof, which was being repaired before the fire and which is where the flames first broke out. ___ This version corrects that 50 investigators are working on the probe, not five. ___ 11:55 a.m. An aide says that Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, has offered assistance and Polish specialists for the task of rebuilding Paris' Notre Dame cathedral that was damaged by fire. Krzysztof Szczerski said Tuesday that Duda has written to French President Emmanuel Macron to express Poland's grief and solidarity at the loss of heritage and cultural identity. He said that in a gesture of "European solidarity" Duda offered Poland's experience and world-class experts in the reconstruction of historic buildings. Warsaw and many other places were rebuilt from World War II rubble. He said that a Polish chapel at the cathedral was affected by the fire but was not damaged. A precious copy of Poland's most revered icon as well as relicts of Polish-born pope St. John Paul II have been rescued. ___ 11:55 a.m. Germany's foreign minister says his country is prepared to help with the rebuilding of Notre Dame cathedral after a devastating fire. Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter that French President Emmanuel Macron has called for help from outside France and "Germany stands ready to do that in close friendship." Maas added that "we are united in sorrow. Notre Dame is part of the cultural heritage of mankind and a symbol for Europe." ___ 11:40 a.m. Egypt's top Muslim cleric has expressed sadness over the fire that destroyed part of the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, describing it as a "historic architectural masterpiece." Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's seat of learning, wrote on Facebook: "Our hearts are with our brothers in France." ___ 10:35 a.m. Paris' deputy mayor says Notre Dame's organ, among the world's most famous and biggest, remains intact after a devastating fire at Paris' main cathedral. Emmanuel Gregoire told BFMTV Tuesday that a plan to protect Notre Dame's treasures was rapidly and successfully activated. The impressive organ dates to the 1730s and was constructed by Francois Thierry. It boasts an estimated 8,000 pipes. Gregoire also described "enormous relief" at the salvaging of pieces such as the purported Crown of Christ. ___ 10:20 a.m. Egypt's Coptic Church has expressed "profound sadness" over the massive blaze that burned parts of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The head of Egypt's Copts, Pope Tawadroz II, said in a statement that the fire was a "huge loss for entire humanity" and affected "one of the most important monuments in the world." The Foreign Ministry in Cairo also expressed "great regret and pain" over the fire, citing Notre Dame's "historical and culture value" for France and world heritage. ___ 10:15 a.m. Pope Francis is praying for French Catholics and the Parisian population "under the shock of the terrible fire" that ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said on Twitter on Tuesday that the pope "is close to France" and that he is offering prayers "for all those who are trying to cope with this dramatic situation." The Vatican on Monday expressed "shock and sadness" at the fire that caused extensive damage to a cathedral that is "a symbol of Christianity in France and in the world." ___ 10 a.m. Funding for the reconstruction of Notre Dame is piling up at a spectacular rate, with two of France's richest families together quickly pledging 300 million euros. Businessman Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to the cathedral devastated by fire Monday night. A statement from Francois-Henri Pinault said: "This tragedy impacts all French people" and "everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage." That donation was then trumped by French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH, which pledged 200 million euros. LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity." ___ 9:50 a.m. European Union chief Donald Tusk is calling on the bloc's member countries to help France rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral saying the site in Paris is a symbol of what binds Europe together. Tusk, who chairs summits of EU national leaders, told lawmakers Tuesday that the blaze reminds Europeans of "how much we can lose." Tusk said: "At stake here is something more than just material help. The burning of the Notre Dame cathedral has again made us aware that we are bound by something more important and more profound than treaties." Parliament President Antonio Tajani invited EU lawmakers, meeting in Strasbourg, France, to contribute their day's salary to help finance reconstruction. ___ 9:45 a.m. A spokesman for Paris firefighters says that "the entire fire is out" at Notre Dame cathedral. Gabriel Plus said Tuesday morning that emergency services are currently "surveying the movement of the structures and extinguishing smoldering residues." Plus said that now the fire is out "this phase is for the experts" to plan how to consolidate the edifice. ___ 9:10 a.m. French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million-euro donation from another French billionaire, Francois Pinault. A statement Tuesday from LVMH said the luxury goods group and the Arnault family would make the donation to a rebuilding fund for the cathedral, which was consumed by flames Monday evening. LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity." The Pinault family's earlier 100 million-euro donation was widely reported by French media. ___ 8:45 a.m. A French cultural heritage expert says France no longer has trees big enough to replace ancient wooden beams that burned in the Notre Dame fire. Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine, told France Info radio that the wooden roof that went up in flames was built with beams more than 800 years ago from primal forests. Speaking Tuesday, he said the cathedral's roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire because "we don't, at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were cut in the 13th century." He said the restoration work will have to use new technologies to rebuild the roof. ___ 8:40 a.m. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that architects and other experts would meet at the cathedral early Tuesday "to determine if the structure is stable and if the firefighters can go inside to continue their work." Officials consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place at the global architectural treasure, but that news has done nothing to ease the national mourning. In this image made available on Tuesday April 16, 2019 flames and smoke rise from the blaze at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. An inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers, and a frantic rescue effort saved the monument's "most precious treasures," including the Crown of Thorns purportedly worn by Jesus, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Cedric Herpson) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Debris are seen inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) People gather ahead of a vigil at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) People walk toward the Notre Dame Cathedral to attend a vigil, in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Artists display their paintings close to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) People gather at Saint Sulpice church in Paris before attending a candlelight vigil at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) French President Emmanuel Macron sits at his desk after addressing the French nation following a massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, at Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, April 16 2019. Macron said he wants to see the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral to be rebuilt within five years. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP) Fire fighters are seen between towers of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) Fire fighters are seen in a tower of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) Holes seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) WARSAW, Poland (AP) - As foreign leaders expressed solidarity with France as it mourned the damage at Notre Dame Cathedral, people around the world shared their grief on social media along with unforgettable memories from the Paris landmark. They posted selfies and family photos that were taken at Notre Dame days, years or decades before a fire burned through the Gothic church's roof and brought down the spire on Monday. Some wrote of their disbelief. Others, saying no words adequately expressed their feelings, posted dramatic images of the architectural masterpiece engulfed in flames or the spire falling. For the French people, the extensive damage felt like a wound to the national identity and served as a reminder of their heritage from the France that was devoutly Christian before secularism became the law of the land. But millions of international visitors have been to Notre Dame, a must-see during school trips, honeymoons and family vacations. The cathedral has moved people of faith but also inspired non-believers, all finding wonder in the light filtered through stained-glass rose windows and a reward for making it to the top of the stairs. Even people who haven't visited yet said they struggled to come to terms with the loss. The Rev. Philip Hobson, pastor of Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Mt. Sinai, New York, said he felt a connection from movies, putting together puzzles of those famous stained glass windows with his family, and now seeing the pictures and comments of his parishioners. "Our assumptions of what is permanent are challenged. Not sure what to make of all of it," Hobson wrote on Facebook. People make pictures of Notre Dame cathedral Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Moscow photographer Evgeny Feldman said Notre Dame has been part of an arrival ritual for his trips to the French capital. "It has always been a magical moment for me - to fly into Paris, drop your bags, take the bikes and take a ride by the facade of the cathedral late at night," Feldman wrote on Facebook. "I very much hope that in a few years, in a few decades, I will still be able to take a bike at night (or a hover-board!) and take a ride on the square in front of it and gaze in amazement at the sculpture, towers and stain glass," the 28-year-old wrote. Famed primatologist Jane Goodall recalled in a posted excerpt from her book "Reason for Hope" how a visit to Notre Dame during the 1970s "marked an epiphany in my thinking about my place on Planet Earth and the meaning of my life." Goodall said gazing at a rose window in the mostly vacant church, hearing a piece by Bach playing in a distant corner for a wedding, was a "suddenly captured moment of eternity" and "perhaps the closest I have ever come to experiencing ecstasy, the ecstasy of the mystic." "How could I believe it was the chance gyrations of bits of primeval dust that had led up to that moment in time - the cathedral soaring to the sky; the collective inspiration and faith of those who caused it to be built; the advent of Bach himself," she wrote. Ying Xin, a Chinese dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York, posted a video on Instagram of a dance she improvised in front of Notre Dame last year. Reminiscing about her spontaneous performance, she said she was inspired to dance in front of the monument while walking around Paris on her first night in the city. "It was dark out and the cathedral was stunning all lit up at night. It was the perfect Paris moment," she wrote. The French president has said he would seek help from the "greatest talents" in the world to rebuild Notre Dame within five years. Many foreign governments said they were considering contributions to what would be a significant architectural undertaking. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recalled how predominantly Catholic Poland rebuilt the capital of Warsaw after German bombs caused vast destruction during World War II. "We will rebuild the Cathedral of Notre-Dame together as Europeans," he vowed. Rich Matthews, 43, attended a Catholic school in Kansas City as a boy, Notre Dame de Sion. He made a point of seeing the Paris cathedral in 2015, right after coordinated terrorist attacks on Nov. 13 killed 130 people in the city. His children, ages 6 and 7 at the time, were frightened after the attacks even though they lived in Dallas, Texas. The older one had just attended her first concert - Ariana Grande - and declared she never would go to another after the Paris attackers chose a stadium concert as one of their targets. "My wife and I decided to teach our young children a lesson. We would not be afraid, we would not 'stop' going to things," Matthews said. "We had time if we could do our family Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon, we could leave right after it and get back Sunday and be at work and school on Monday. And that's what we did." He posted a photo of the family in front of Notre Dame with the words: "Glad we saw it." _____ Nataliya Vasilyeva and Kate dePury in Moscow and Sylvia Hui contributed to this report. ___ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral The Notre Dame cathedral is seen on sunrise after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Firemen inspect the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Christophe Enaa) People watch and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People watch and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People stand to watch and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People stop to see and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Tourists gather in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Montreal basilica is inspired by the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP) Notre Dame cathedral is pictured from the top of the Montparnasse tower, Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Firefighters declared success Tuesday morning in an over 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Firefighters talk near the rose window of Notre Dame cathedral Tuesday April 16, 2019 in Paris. Experts assessed the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame Tuesday morning to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the cathedral that had survived almost 900 years of history. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) The dome of the Chapel of the Shroud is illuminated with the colors of the French flag in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Archbishop of Turin says that the Notre Dame fire brought back painful memories of the 1997 blaze that tore through the chapel that is home to the Shroud of Turin. Monsignor Cesara Nosiglia on Tuesday recalled the dramatic events of April 11, 1997 when firemen rescued the shroud, venerated as the holy cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after his crucifixion, from its bulletproof, climate-controlled glass case.(Alessandro Di Marco/ANSA via AP) The dome of the Chapel of the Shroud is illuminated with the colors of the French flag in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Archbishop of Turin says that the Notre Dame fire brought back painful memories of the 1997 blaze that tore through the chapel that is home to the Shroud of Turin. Monsignor Cesara Nosiglia on Tuesday recalled the dramatic events of April 11, 1997 when firemen rescued the shroud, venerated as the holy cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after his crucifixion, from its bulletproof, climate-controlled glass case.(Alessandro Di Marco/ANSA via AP) FILE - In this Friday, June 3, 2016 file photo, a man paints the Notre Dame cathedral surrounded by the flooding Seine river in Paris, France. The Gothic structure, which sustained a devastating fire Monday, April 15, 2019, has inspired writers, painters and filmmakers for hundreds of years. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) The facade of the Fenice theater is illuminated with the colors of the French flag in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP) MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's lower chamber of parliament has adopted a bill that would expand government control over the internet, raising fears of widespread censorship. The State Duma on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to support the bill, which still has to be approved by the upper chamber of Russian Parliament and signed into the law by the president. The bill requires internet providers to install equipment to route Russian internet traffic through servers in the country. That would increase the power of state agencies to control information while users would find it harder to circumvent government restrictions, and the quality of the connection may suffer. Proponents of the bill say it is a defense measure in case the United States or other hostile powers cut off the internet for Russia. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia's Election Supervision Agency said Tuesday about 320,000 overseas voters in neighboring Malaysia's biggest city should vote again in presidential and legislative elections after finding evidence that postal ballots had been tampered with. Election officials rushed to Malaysia last week to investigate claims of vote fraud after videos circulated online showed thousands of ballots for Wednesday's elections scattered throughout a shophouse. Opposition party representatives said the ballots for Indonesians living in Kuala Lumpur were marked in favor of President Joko Widodo, who is campaigning for re-election, and a legislative candidate who is the son of Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia. The agency "found legal ballot papers that allegedly were marked by non-legitimate voters at two locations in Selangor, Malaysia," said Rahmat Bagja, one of the agency's commissioners. He said that requirements for the elections to be free, fair and honest were violated and recommended that Indonesia's Election Commission dismiss two members of the election organizing committee in Kuala Lumpur to avoid conflicts of interest. One of them is Indonesia's deputy ambassador to Malaysia, Krishna Hannan. Workers carry ballot boxes to be distributed to polling stations in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto.(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) The Election Commission is responsible for organizing elections and the Election Supervision Agency is responsible for overseeing them. About 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in the elections for president, the Senate and national, provincial and district legislatures. Opinion polls show Widodo has a large lead over his challenger, former special forces general Prabowo Subianto, whose campaign has repeatedly alleged major irregularities with voter rolls. Bagja said the overseas vote in Sydney should be reopened because many expatriate Indonesians in the Australian city were unable to cast ballots in time. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the organization is the Election Supervision Agency, not Election Commission. JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli authorities extensively interrogated a Jewish American activist leaving the country about her work with a non-profit organization, the group said Tuesday. Israel has come under scrutiny in the past for detaining and interrogating pro-Palestinian activists and prominent critics at its borders, but the Abraham Initiatives called this the first time an advocate of "shared society" between Arabs and Jews inside Israel had been targeted. The Abraham Initiatives activist Laura Mandel was flying home to San Francisco after attending a conference for the group when security officers at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport pulled her aside for questioning about her involvement with the organization, which aims to advance the rights of Israel's Arab citizens. The group is widely considered mainstream, working closely with state agencies and government ministries. Mandel was, by her account, asked about her activities and contacts in Israel, as well as why an American Jew would be interested in Arab-Jewish relations. She said that after authorities questioned and inspected her for nearly two hours, they confiscated her laptop, medication and other personal belongings, to be returned at the end of the flight. Israel's Airport Authority said it was "sorry for having caused offense," but that it was following security procedures mandated by law. An undated portrait of Laura Mandel, a U.S. member of the International Board of The Abraham Initiatives. The Abraham Initiatives said Tuesday its board member Laura Mandel was leaving Israel for the U.S. when security officers questioned her for an hour and a half about her involvement with the organization, which works to advance the rights of Israel's Arab citizens. (David Zanes via AP) The Abraham Initiatives, which has headquarters in Lod, near Tel Aviv, New York City and London, linked Mandel's interrogation to an increasingly hostile political climate, in which "anyone in contact with Arabs, whether citizen or non-citizen, is labelled a potential threat." The incident reflects a "deterioration in the state's relations with its Arab citizens," the organization said of Israel. Also, the incident follows Israel's turbulent election season, marked by divisive campaigning that many Arab citizens call racist incitement. On election day, Arab factions filed a complaint that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party dispatched over 1,000 activists equipped with concealed cameras into polling places in Arab towns. Netanyahu defended the move as helping to secure a "legitimate vote." Arab lawmakers, who represent over 20 percent of Israel's citizens, called the cameras voter intimidation, meant to suppress Arab turnout. The Abraham Initiatives co-director Amnon Be'eri-Sulitzeanu said he fears Israel's hard-line atmosphere, exacerbated by the recent passage of laws that Arabs view as discriminatory, have emboldened security forces to "harass not only peace activists," such as Jewish-American commentator Peter Beinart, who was interrogated about his politics by airport authorities last year, "but also those who promote a shared society among citizens of the state." The group pledged to take legal action against the state. NEW DELHI (AP) - Beleaguered Indian airline Jet Airways' stock fell sharply on Tuesday after its former chairman reportedly withdrew plans to bid for a controlling stake in the company and news media said its flight operations might be temporarily halted. Naresh Goyal, who founded Jet Airways in 1992 and saw it soar to become India's largest airline, abandoned plans to bid for a controlling stake as part of a rescue plan led by government-owned State Bank of India, according to Mark Martin, chief executive of aviation consultancy Martin Consulting. "Somebody has obviously arm-twisted him to withdraw that bid. Who's orchestrating all this?" Martin said. It was not immediately clear who else might submit a bid for the company. Etihad Aviation Group purchased a 24% stake in Jet Airways in 2013. Also on Tuesday, the BSE stock exchange in Mumbai announced it was seeking clarification from Jet Airways of Indian news reports that the company planned to temporarily shutter its operations. Jet Airways' stock was off 7.6% at Tuesday's close. Jet Airways aircrafts are seen parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, Monday, April 15, 2019. India's ailing Jet Airways has drastically reduced operations amid talks with investors to purchase a controlling stake in the airline and help it reduce its mounting debt. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) The company "has not reached that stage" of deciding whether to temporarily close down, spokesman Gaurav Sahni said. The airline reported a net loss in the quarter that ended in December of 5.8 billion rupees, about $83 million. Jet Airways pilots demonstrated in Mumbai on Monday, saying they had not received a salary in four months. State Bank of India and other creditors have so far been unable to staunch the bleeding at Jet Airways, whose fleet of aircraft has dwindled to 14 from 119 on Dec. 31, when the company first defaulted on some of its more than $1 billion in debt. This week, it reduced its operations to only seven aircraft flying domestic routes. Sahni said international flights, which were set to resume Tuesday, would resume instead on Thursday. MADRID (AP) - A hoax bomb threat called in to the Australian Embassy in Spain prompted the evacuation of a 57-story office tower in Madrid's business district on Tuesday, Spanish police said. Staff at the embassy in Madrid received a phone call with the security threat around midday on Tuesday, said a National Police spokeswoman who wasn't authorized to be identified by name in media reports. She said police are investigating the call after deeming it a false alarm. The tower had been evacuated by the time police and emergency services arrived at the scene, she added. The Australian Embassy tweeted that it would be closed for the rest of the day and until further notice. At 235 meters (770 feet), Torre Espacio is one of four skyscrapers dotting the northern part of the Spanish capital's skyline. Apart from the Australian legation, it houses the embassies of the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as offices of several multinational companies. SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is joining the University of Notre Dame faculty and will be a guest lecturer in political science and economics. The school announced Monday that the Wisconsin Republican will discuss topics during the 2019-20 academic year including the fundamentals of American government, the current state of political polarization, and Catholicism and economics. Ryan didn't seek re-election last year. He'll be among other former lawmakers and government officials sharing real-world policy and political experience with students at Notre Dame. The school announced earlier this year that former Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly was returning to his alma mater as an instructor after losing his re-election bid. Denis McDonough, one of former President Barack Obama's top White House aides, earlier joined the school's international affairs program. JIM THORPE, Pa. (AP) - A judge has ruled that the former police chief of a small Pennsylvania town should stand trial on charges he and a friend raped a child over a seven-year period when the two were teenagers. A judge issued the ruling Monday following a preliminary hearing for 27-year-old Brent Getz. The ex-Weissport chief's friend, 28-year-old Gregory Wagner, will also stand trial. The two Leighton men were charged last month with rape and related charges. Both remain jailed on $250,000 bail. State prosecutors said the child was 12 when she alleged assaults by Wagner in 2012, but no charges were filed. Police revisited the case last year and the victim alleged the men had raped her hundreds of times when she was between the ages of 4 and 11. New Pedestrian Path into Mexico Now Open to Public San Ysidro, California - Border-crossers walking into Mexico on Monday enjoyed an open and green new pedestrian plaza and walkway near PedEast at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The makeover is the latest project completed as part of a major overhaul of the San Ysidro land border crossing with Mexico. "I think it was really necessary," said Chula Vista resident Felipe Vivanco, who was walking across the border into Mexico to visit Tijuana on Monday. "I think it adds a little bit of beauty to this border crossing." The new plaza and walkway is located on the southeast side of the recently opened PedEast facility and right off the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System trolley and bus station. San Ysidro, the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere, has been undergoing a massive $741 million modernization and expansion to process travelers quickly and securely. San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Wells said most of the upgrades to improve pedestrian border wait times have already been made, and future developments are aimed at improving the aesthetics and accessibility of crossing the border. "This is about making the experience of crossing the border much more pleasurable," said Wells. The brand-new walkway leads to the same building in Mexico for processing southbound travelers, which is only a few years old. The new pathway is located southeast of the new PedEast facility, which opened in August, with 22 inspection lanes inside a structure with high translucent ceilings, tall doors and large windows. That building replaced the eight-lane temporary structure that had been serving those who cross on the eastern side of the port. It significantly improved northbound pedestrian wait times, going into the United States from Mexico. Nearly three years ago, the new 14-lane PedWest facility opened. Both sides process northbound pedestrians. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry process some 70,000 northbound vehicle passengers and 25,000 northbound pedestrian border-crossers a day. PedWest also has a place for pedestrians to enter Mexico, but it closes to southbound traffic at night. That crossing is near the Virginia Avenue Transit Center. Another part of the multi-million, multi-phase expansion project involves realigning part of southbound Interstate 5 into Mexico's El Chaparral Port of Entry. The construction will expand the number of southbound vehicle inspection lanes on the U.S. side from five to 10, and from 10 to 19 at El Chaparral. The first three lanes will open in mid-May, and the rest should be finished by the end of June. The entire project is slated to be completed in October. Tijuana resident Jose Alfonso Espinoza Saldana said the new pathway open Monday was much more appealing, pointing out the trees and the cleanliness. "This has a much better ambiance," said Espinoza. "The old path was much longer too. When people are walking, and carrying heavy bags or items, it really makes a difference. Its much easier to cross this way." Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress in San Diego's delegation worked together to obtain the funding for the reconstruction of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Because the El Chapparal or PedWest southbound border crossing closes at 10 p.m., pedestrians traveling in San Ysidro late at night previously had to go to the PedEast side to cross into Mexico. The only path going into to Tijuana after 10 pm was a dark and winding path that might not have put first-time travelers at ease. "This much nicer than the old path. The old sidewalk into Mexico at night was dark and confusing on this side, but this is so much more well-lit," said Tijuana resident Maria Mendez, who was traveling with her toddler son. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Former astronaut Owen Garriott, who flew on America's first space station, Skylab, and whose son followed him into orbit, has died at age 88. He died Monday at his home in Huntsville, Alabama, according to NASA. "Dad had a great 88 orbits around the sun!" tweeted son Richard, a computer game developer who paid the Russians $30 million for a ride to the International Space Station in 2008. Owen Garriott served on the second Skylab crew in 1973, spending close to 60 days in space, a record at the time. He also was part of the ninth space shuttle mission, flying aboard Columbia in 1983 and operating a ham radio for the first time from orbit. While he never flew in space again, Garriott traveled to Kazakhstan in 2008 for his son's launch aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. They were the first U.S. father and son space travelers. The first second-generation astronaut, a Russian, launched just months before Richard Garriott and accompanied him back to Earth. "While he was normally very "Spock like" ... our adult bonding around the experience of space was a rare treasure we shared," Richard Garriott said Tuesday via Twitter. In this 1973 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Owen K. Garriott floats in front of the Apollo Telescope Mount console in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. The space agency said Garriott died at his home in Huntsville, Ala., on Monday, April 15. 2019. He was 88. (NASA via AP) "In 50 years, from my father's Apollo era to our new commercial era, much has been accomplished," he tweeted. "Yet, none without the risks undertaken by those early pioneers!" Owen Garriott was born in Enid, Oklahoma and served with the Navy. He was selected as an astronaut in 1965. As an associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, he was one of the first six scientist-astronauts picked by NASA. Garriott later held other positions within NASA, including director of science and applications at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He left NASA in 1986. Condolences streamed in from fellow astronauts. "Saddened to learn the passing of former Astronaut Owen Garriott who pioneered long-duration spaceflight aboard #Skylab," tweeted Scott Kelly, who spent a U.S.-record one year aboard the International Space Station. Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin described Garriott as "a good friend and an incredible astronaut." "Godspeed Owen," Aldrin tweeted. FILE-In this Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 file photo, U.S. astronaut Owen Garriott looks a space ship that will carry new crew members, including his son U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott, to the international space station at the launch pad in Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Garriott has died at his home in Huntsville, Ala. A statement released by the space agency says Garriott died Monday, April 15, 2019. He was 88 (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File) MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian court on Tuesday granted parole to a Moscow student who was sent to prison for trying to join the Islamic State group in Syria. The court in Russia's northwest upheld Varvara Karaulova's plea to cut her prison sentence by one year and 10 days. The 23-year old Moscow State University student was sentenced to 4 years in prison in December 2016. She was arrested in Turkey, where she was trying to cross into Syria after her father filed a missing person's report. At least 4,000 Russian citizens, mostly from predominantly Muslim regions, have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join IS. Philosophy major Karaulova, from a middle-class, non-Muslim Moscow family, was unusual among Russian IS recruits who typically hailed from impoverished provincial backgrounds in the North Caucasus. Karaulova, a convert to Islam, insists that she fell in love with a man she met online and wanted to marry him in Syria but did not share the radical ideology of the IS. Her father had pleaded with the court to acquit Karaulova, saying that he was seeking help from Russian authorities by filing a missing person's report, not vengeance against his daughter. Karaulova, who was expelled from university shortly after her arrest, told the court on Tuesday that her trip to Turkey was "the most foolish thing I have ever done in my life and the one I'm still punishing myself for." Her father, Pavel Karaulov, who attended the hearing in Vologda, told the RIA Novosti news agency that he was "over the moon" with the ruling and hoped that his daughter can soon return to her studies and "live to the full." FILE In this file photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, Varvara Karaulova, who was detained last year in Turkey as she was reportedly trying to cross the border into Syria, sits in a cage in the Moscow District Military Court in Moscow, Russia. A Russian court on Tuesday granted parole to a Moscow student who was sent to prison for trying to join the Islamic State group in Syria. (Andrey Nikerichev/Moscow news agency via AP) Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the Russian presidential human rights council, who visited Karaulova in custody, welcomed the ruling, saying in remarks carried by Tass that she was a "victim of terrorism." Until recently Russia, unlike many European countries, has been repatriating women and children who followed their husbands to IS-controlled areas, considering them less of a security threat if kept at home. The repatriation program for women, however, stalled somewhat last year due to reported disagreements between some federal law enforcement officials and regional leaders. Children born to Russian IS members are still repatriated. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A Bahraini court sentenced 69 people to life in prison and revoked the citizenship of 138 defendants on terrorism-related charges, the public prosecutor said Tuesday, in one of the largest mass trials ever held in the country. It also marked the single largest revocation of citizenship in Bahrain, a small island-nation off the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The Europe-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said the verdict brings to 990 the number of people ordered stripped of their nationality since 2012. Critics say authorities in Bahrain have increasingly used a law allowing the government to withdraw Bahraini citizenship from people charged with terrorism-related activities to also target political activists and human rights advocates. The public prosecutor's office said 70 defendants in Tuesday's case were sentenced to between three years and 10 years imprisonment. Close to 100 suspects were fined roughly $265,000 each. The defendants, of which 109 are in custody and 60 were tried in absentia, can appeal. Charges against the group include forming a terrorist cell inside Bahrain with help from Iran, launching terrorist attacks, and training and using weapons and explosives. The group was labeled as "Hezbollah Bahrain." Based on the names of the defendants, all appear to be Shiite Bahrainis, said Sayed Ahmed Al-Wadaei, director of advocacy at BIRD. In the years since Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw tens of thousands from the country's majority Shiites demand greater rights from the Sunni-led monarchy, authorities have dismantled opposition political groups, imprisoned activists, forced others into exile and clamped down on independent media outlets. Amid the crackdown, local Shiite militant groups have carried out numerous attacks on security forces. Amnesty International said Tuesday's verdict "makes a mockery of justice" and "demonstrates how Bahrain's authorities are increasingly relying on revocation of nationality as a tool for repression." In another recent mass trial in February, 167 people were convicted, primarily for participation in a non-violent sit-in, said Amnesty. In May of last year, 115 people were stripped of their citizenship following a single trial with the sentences upheld on appeal. Al-Wadaei of BIRD said the Interior Ministry revoked his citizenship in 2015 on charges related to his political activism and human rights work. His daughter, born in 2017, to a Bahraini mother was rendered stateless and is without a passport because Bahraini law only passes citizenship through the father. Al-Wadaei, who is based in London and seeking permanent residence in the U.K., said other Bahrainis who've been stripped of their nationality since 2012 have mostly been Shiite Bahrainis. Many have been deported to Iraq and Lebanon, and a few others have been able to seek asylum in the U.K. and Canada. COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - A Coast Guard lieutenant accused of stockpiling guns and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and network TV journalists is seeking his release from federal custody since prosecutors haven't charged him with any terrorism-related offenses. Christopher Hasson, 49, has remained in custody since his Feb. 15 arrest and subsequent indictment in Maryland on firearms and drug charges. Hasson's attorney, Liz Oyer, wrote in a court filing Monday that prosecutors recently disclosed that they don't expect to seek any additional charges. In a February court filing, prosecutors called Hasson a "domestic terrorist" and said he "intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country." They also said he is a self-described white nationalist who espoused extremist views for years and drafted an email in which he said he was "dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth." During a Feb. 21 detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Day agreed to keep Hasson held in custody but said he was willing to revisit his decision if prosecutors didn't bring more serious charges within two weeks. Oyer, an assistant federal public defender, is asking Judge Day to schedule another detention hearing for Hasson "at the earliest agreeable date for all parties." Oyer said her client's alleged domestic terrorism activities were "the heart of the government's case for detention." A prosecutor wrote in the February court filing that the drug and firearms charges were the "proverbial tip of the iceberg." "No other crimes have been charged," Oyer wrote. "Moreover, during a recent status call, government counsel advised the Court and defense counsel that it does not expect to file a superseding indictment in this matter." FILE - This image provided by the U.S. District Court in Maryland shows a photo of firearms and ammunition that was in the motion for detention pending trial in the case against Christopher Paul Hasson. The Coast Guard officer accused of stockpiling guns and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and network TV journalists is seeking his release from federal custody since prosecutors haven't charged him with any terrorism-related offenses. Hasson has remained in custody since his Feb. 15, 2019 arrest and subsequent indictment in Maryland on firearms and drug charges. (U.S. District Court via AP, File, File) Prosecutors haven't responded in writing to Oyer's request. Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Robert Hur's office, declined to comment. Hasson pleaded not guilty last month to charges of illegal possession of firearm silencers, possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful user, and possession of a controlled substance. He faces a maximum of 31 years in prison if convicted of all four counts in his indictment. Investigators found 15 guns, including seven rifles, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition at Hasson's basement apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland, prosecutors said. Hasson's Feb. 27 indictment also accuses him of illegal possession of tramadol, an opioid painkiller. Prosecutors claim Hasson drew up what appeared to be a computer-spreadsheet hit list that included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and presidential hopefuls Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. Several network TV journalists - MSNBC's Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough and CNN's Chris Cuomo and Van Jones - also were mentioned. A different public defender has accused prosecutors of making inflammatory accusations against Hasson without providing evidence to back them up. Hasson, a former Marine, worked at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington on a program to acquire advanced new cutters for the agency. A Coast Guard spokesman has said Hasson will remain on active duty until the case against him is resolved. BERLIN (AP) - A German comedian has lost a court case against Chancellor Angela Merkel's description of a crude poem he wrote about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "deliberately hurtful." Amid tensions with Turkey over a TV satire poking fun at Erdogan, Jan Boehmermann read the poem on television in 2016 to illustrate something he said wouldn't be allowed in Germany. Merkel's spokesman said she considered the poem "deliberately hurtful," which Merkel later said was a mistake. Prosecutors dropped an investigation of Boehmermann for lack of evidence of any crime. Berlin's administrative court on Tuesday rejected Boehmermann's bid to ban the government from repeating Merkel's assessment, since it was clear that wouldn't happen. It also found Merkel's comments weren't unlawful and didn't constitute "prejudgement" of the case against Boehmermann. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will discuss the opioid crisis at an Atlanta summit. The White House announced the April 24 appearance at the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit on Twitter Tuesday, saying the Trumps will speak "about their fight to end the opioid crisis in America." Trump has declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency and is spending billions of dollars to combat it. Opioid abuse claimed nearly 48,000 American lives in 2017. The first lady focuses on opioids in her national campaign to help children be their best. The four-day drug abuse summit attracts a range of interested parties, including medical professionals, public health and elected officials, and others. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway addressed the gathering in 2018. CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The Latest on the funeral of Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings (all times local): 12:45 p.m. Speaking through tears, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has remembered his political mentor Fritz Hollings as a strong leader who was capable of transformative change on the issue of race. Clyburn said at Hollings' funeral in Charleston Tuesday that he was moved when Hollings asked that his own name be taken down from a courthouse, replaced by that of a judge whose dissent led to the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling desegregating public schools. Hollings initially campaigned against desegregation when running for governor in the 1950s. But he evolved on the issue, later advocating for integration. As a South Carolina State University student, Clyburn said he met with the then-governor and knew that Hollings' attitude on race was changing, although he hadn't ever shared that thought publicly until now. ____ FILE - This July 20, 1983 file photo shows Senator Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) in Washington, DC. Hollings, a moderate six-term Democrat who made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1984, has died. He was 97. Family spokesman Andy Brack says Hollings died early Saturday, April 6, 2019. (AP Photo/File) 12:15 p.m. Former Vice President Joe Biden credits his longtime Senate desk mate Fritz Hollings with making sure he made it to the chamber in the first place. Biden told a crowd of hundreds Tuesday at Hollings' funeral at The Citadel that Hollings both encouraged him to run for the Senate and urged him to take his seat following a car crash that killed Biden's first wife and daughter. Biden told Hollings' children that he knows their grief seems insurmountable now, but it will pass. Gov. Henry McMaster also spoke of the late senator, saying, "the magnificent lion of South Carolina roars no more." ___ 10:30 a.m. Politicians, colleagues, admirers and friends have begun to arrive at funeral services for South Carolina's Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, one of the last larger-than-life Democrats who once dominated the politics of the South. Former Gov. Dick Riley, state Democratic Chairman Trav Robertson and associate Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison were among those gathering Tuesday ahead of 11 a.m. services at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel in Charleston. Former Vice President Joe Biden will be among the speakers. Hollings died earlier this month at 97. The funeral caps off three days of mourning for the former governor and longtime U.S. senator, whose body lay in repose Monday at the state Capitol. When he retired from the Senate in 2005, Hollings had served 38 years and two months, making him the eighth longest-serving senator in U.S. history. ___ 1 a.m. Mourners are gathering to say goodbye to South Carolina's Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, one of the last larger-than-life Democrats who once dominated the politics of the South. Funeral services are set to begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel in Charleston. Former Vice President Joe Biden is among the speakers. Hollings died earlier this month at 97. The funeral caps off three days of mourning for the former governor and longtime U.S. senator, whose body lay in repose Monday at the state Capitol. Hollings' long and colorful political career included an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. When he retired from the Senate in 2005, Hollings had served 38 years and two months, making him the eighth longest-serving senator in U.S. history. FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2004 file photo, Sen. Ernest ''Fritz'' Hollings, D-S.C., who is retiring in January, addresses the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this image from video. Hollings, a moderate six-term Democrat who made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1984, has died. He was 97. Family spokesman Andy Brack says Hollings died early Saturday, April 6, 2019. (AP Photo/APTN, File) JIM THORPE, Pa. (AP) - Jacqueline Zito spends as much time as she can on the Glen Onoko Falls Trail - one of the most scenic and well-known hiking paths in all of Pennsylvania - and was eager to get back out there after recent cancer surgery. "The Glen is my best friend," she said Tuesday, admiring one of the roaring, rain-swollen waterfalls. "This place heals me. It's my church, my therapy and my gym." Come May 1, it'll also be off-limits. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has decided to close Glen Onoko because of longstanding concerns about the trail's safety, prompting backlash and bewilderment from hikers and nature lovers. The commission's spokesman did not return multiple calls and emails Tuesday, but state Rep. Doyle Heffley, who represents the area, said that game commission officials had informed him of the decision. Glen Onoko has been the scene of dozens of serious accidents over the years, and several deaths, straining the region's all-volunteer fire departments. Rescues and recoveries can require as many as two dozen first responders. The cascading falls are on the southern end of Lehigh Gorge State Park, a popular attraction in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Philadelphia. It's drawn tourists from the city and throughout the region since the 1800s. Visitors once arrived by train, staying at an opulent Victorian hotel that stood near the falls until it burned in 1911. Jacqueline Zito poses for a portrait with her dog, Sally, at the base of Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe, Pa., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Zito and other hikers are opposed to a Pennsylvania Game Commission plan to shut down the popular falls trail over safety concerns. Pennsylvania officials are closing one of the most scenic and popular hiking trails in the state because of longstanding concerns about its safety, prompting backlash from hikers. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) The problem is that too many people have gotten themselves in trouble on the steep, rocky and slippery terrain, said Mark Nalesnik, coordinator of the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency. Some get too close to the edge of the steepest falls and plummet over the side. Others wander off the trail and become lost. "It's very labor intensive for our emergency responders," Nalesnik said. "The same four or five people who go in can't complete the thing on their own because it's too taxing, too dangerous and too far to carry someone out on a basket. I don't believe the general public realizes how much of an effort it takes to safely and successfully rescue someone out of that area." The falls trail seemed more crowded than normal Tuesday. Some people said they came because they'd heard about the pending closure, and wanted to experience the trail one last time. Like many locals and outdoors enthusiasts, Brandon Huffman, 23, lamented the loss of a trail enjoyed by generations. "It's going to hurt a lot of people. It's really a shame and I hope they reconsider," he said. Huffman, who grew up in nearby Jim Thorpe and has hiked Glen Onoko many times, said that as long as a hiker has good shoes and sticks to the trail, it's not that difficult. "To close off nature doesn't send the best signal," he said in a phone interview. "Nature can be dangerous. You just have to have your wits about you and have some common sense." An online petition to keep the trail open quickly attracted thousands of signers. Zito, 52, who lives nearby, was among them. She acknowledged that some come unprepared in flip-flops or get too close to the edge. Zito once yelled at a young man who was standing at the lip of the falls while using his cellphone. But she said closing the trail altogether punishes everyone. "I don't know what I would do without it," she said. Gary Meinhardt hikes the Glen Onoko Falls Trail in Jim Thorpe, Pa., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Meinhardt and other hikers are opposed to a Pennsylvania Game Commission plan to shut down the popular falls trail over safety concerns. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) An unidentified woman makes her way to the base of the waterfalls just off the Glen Onoko Falls Trail in Jim Thorpe, Pa., Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to close the popular falls trail to the public over safety concerns, sparking outrage from outdoors enthusiasts. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) DALLAS (AP) - Dallas police say a man was offered $200 to beat a transgender woman in an attack that was recorded as a crowd gathered to holler and watch. A police affidavit released Monday says the woman accidentally backed into a vehicle before the driver of that vehicle pointed a gun at her and refused to let her leave unless she paid for the damage. Police say that as a crowd gathered, someone offered $200 to 29-year-old Edward Thomas to beat the woman, who suffered a concussion, fractured wrist and other injuries. Police say a second person stomped on the woman's head in Friday's attack but hasn't yet been charged. Thomas was being held Tuesday at the Dallas County jail on a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Jail records don't indicate whether he has an attorney. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria and Iran said Tuesday the United States is waging "economic terrorism" against countries that have different opinions and should pursue its aims through diplomacy instead. Syrian state news agency SANA quoted President Bashar Assad as saying the Trump administration's decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization was an "irresponsible move." Assad spoke at a meeting with Iran's visiting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said the U.S. move was "stupid." Syria is in the grip of a severe fuel crisis aggravated by sanctions on the Assad government and Iran, its close ally. Tehran has given the Syrian government billions of dollars in aid and sent Iran-backed fighters to battle alongside its forces - assistance that, along with Russian air power, has helped turn the tide in Assad's favor. SANA quoted Assad as saying that the U.S. designation of the Revolutionary Guard "is a continuation of the wrong policies adopted by the United States and could be considered as one of the factors of instability in the region." Zarif said the Trump administration's designation of the Revolutionary Guard and recognition of Israel's sovereignty on Jerusalem and Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are related and show the "failure of Washington's policies," according to SANA. This photo released on the official Facebook page of Syrian Presidency shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, speaking with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Zarif has blasted upon arrival in Syria the Trump administration decision to designate Tehran's Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization calling it a "stupid act." (Syrian Presidency Facebook page via AP) Zarif was scheduled to meet with Syria's prime minister and foreign minister before heading to neighboring Turkey. Russia, Iran and Turkey, who back rival groups in Syria's conflict, have been sponsoring talks in Kazakhstan to try to end the crisis that has killed some 400,000 people. Zarif resigned in February after being kept in the dark about a surprise visit by Assad to Tehran, but Iran's President Hassan Rouhani rejected his resignation and he remained in his post. Amid public concerns about school safety fueled by high-profile school shootings, new federal data show reports of student fights, bullying, and other forms of victimization have continued a decades-long trend of decline. At the same time, schools have ramped up security measures, like the use of cameras and restricted entrances. The data come as a new, separate poll shows Americans think schools have gotten less safe since a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., 20 years ago this month. Indicators of School Crime and Safety, a report compiled by agencies within the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, includes the latest data derived from student, teacher, and principal surveys and other federal data sources. Here are some key findings. Fear of Harm at School Students ages 12-18 were slightly more likely to say they feared attack or harm at school than away from it, according to data collected in 2017, perhaps because they have more contact with peers in a school environment than away from it. Still, rates of students reporting such fears have declined since 2001. Student Victimization at School Reports of victimization at school have also declined over time, the data show. Students ages 12-17 have reported lower rates of theft, assault, and violent offenses like rape and robbery. Student Discipline and Class Disruption Schools reports of common discipline problemsthose that occurred at least once a weekwere topped by bullying, reported by 11.9 percent of schools; and student acts of disrespect for teachers other than verbal abuse, reported by 10.3 percent of schools. About 42.8 percent of teachers surveyed said student misbehavior interfered with their teaching and about 37.5 percent said class-cutting and tardiness interfered. The data also show changing perceptions in who enforces school rules over time. School Safety Measures Since the 1999 attack at Columbine High School, which changed conversations about school safety and violence, schools around the country have ramped up various security measures tracked by the federal report. Public schools reporting the use of security cameras increased from 19 percent in 1999-2000 to 81 percent in 2015-16, the report says. And the amount of public schools that said they controlled access to their buildings increased from 75 percent to 94 percent iin the same time period. Another increase: The percentage of public schools with a plan in place for procedures to be performed in the event of a shooting increased from 79 percent in 2003-04 to 92 percent in 2015-16. The following chart shows common safety and security measures in use by public schools during the 2015-16 school year. Parents See Schools as Less Safe, Poll Finds The new federal data come as a poll conducted in March finds Americans see schools as less safe than they were 20 years ago. About 67 percent of respondents to the AP/ORC poll said schools have gotten less safe in the last two decades , 19 percent said they are about as safe as they were before, and 13 percent said they are more safe. Among parents responding to the poll, 30 percent said they were extremely or very confident in their schools ability to respond to an active shooter, 43 percent said they were moderately confident, and 27 percent said they were not very confident, the poll found. Respondents were more likely to blame issues like bullying and the availability of guns for school shootings than the schools themselves. As Education Week has written before, defining and tracking school shootings is difficult because people often have different ideas about what criteria should be used. Some imagine mass rampage shootings, and others would include more targeted events. Our school shooting tracker counts incidents where a gun was fired on school property or on a school bus by someone unauthorized to carry it, during school hours or at a school event, injuring at least one person. Education Week counted 24 such incidents in 2018. A school shooting database maintained by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School uses broader criteria, counting every instance a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week, or reason (e.g., planned attack, accidental, domestic violence, gang-related). Using that criteria, the database counted 97 incidents in 2018, the most in any single year since 1970, the earliest year for which data is available. Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Child welfare authorities had received abuse reports about a Wichita couple whose 3-year-old son was found dead in a crib at their mobile home where a baby also was found in critical condition, according to police. Capt. Brent Allred provided no details Monday on the Kansas Department for Children and Families' involvement with the family of Zaiden Javonovich, whom investigators believe had been dead for days before his body was found. The welfare agency, which has been under fire after other child deaths, declined to comment while it's investigating the case. Although welfare officials had received reports, police officers hadn't received such reports before finding the child's body Thursday while responding to a domestic disturbance at the home. Police encountered Zaiden's parents - 28-year-old Patrick Javonovich and 22-year-old Brandi Marchant - as they walked back to the home. Inside, officers found Zaiden's body wrapped in a blanket in a crib. Allred said Zaiden suffered "obvious injuries," but he didn't elaborate. Officers also found an injured 4-month-old boy, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Allred said the baby is improving. "It's shocking to see adults treat their kids in the way these two were treated," Allred said. "It's, I say, pathetic, because that's what it is." In this undated booking photo provided by the Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sheriff, is 28-year-old Patrick Javonovich. Police say child welfare authorities had received abuse reports about a Wichita couple, Javonovich and Brandi Marchant, whose 3-year-old son, Zaiden Javonovich, was found dead at their mobile home. Police say an autopsy will determine the cause of death for Javonovich, whose parents were booked into jail last week on suspicion of felony murder. (Sedgwick County Sheriff via AP) Zaiden's 22-year-old mother, Brandi Kai Marchant, and 28-year-old father, Patrick Javonovich, made their their first court appearances on Tuesday. They both face five charges, including first-degree murder with alternative underlying felonies of neglect and abuse, The Wichita Eagle reported. They also face two counts of abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child. Their bonds were set at $200,000 each. The home, where the family had lived for a couple months, had food and no signs of drug use, police said. Allred said Marchant has two other children but doesn't have custody of them. Javonovich has one other child who sometimes visits on weekends. The Wichita area has seen several child abuse homicides. The victims include 3-year-old Evan Brewer, whose body was found encased in concrete, and 5-year-old Lucas Hernandez, whose body was found under a rural bridge months after he went missing. The agency had extensive involvement with both children before their deaths. While campaigning last year, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly repeatedly described problems in the child welfare system as among the most pressing the state faces. Lawmakers now are considering increasing funding to add more child welfare workers. CAIRO (AP) - The Latest on developments In Libya (all times local): 7:30 p.m. The U.N. political mission in Libya is condemning the increased use of heavy weapons and indiscriminate shelling in and around the capital Tripoli. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday the heavy weapons and shelling have damaged houses, schools and civilian infrastructure. He said the number of people displaced due to hostilities in the Tripoli area has increased to near 20,000, including more than 2,500 in the last 24 hours, according to the U.N. migration agency. Dujarric said many families fleeing the conflict are heading to central Tripoli and its immediate surroundings but more than 14,000 have sought safety outside the capital including in Tajoura, Al Maya, Ain Zara and Tarhouna. FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2018 file photo, a fighter under the UN-backed government prepares his gun during clashes in southern Tripoli, Libya. Various militias, many of which are little more than criminal gangs, are mobilizing to fight over the capital, Tripoli after forces led by self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, launched a surprise offensive to retake Tripoli on April 5, 2019, from the transitional government supported by U.N. and Western nations led by Fayez Sarraj. Hifter's opponents view him as an aspiring dictator. (AP Photo/Mohamed Ben Khalifa, File) He said Libyan first responder teams report that civilian evacuations are increasing, including a significant number of casualties. Fifty civilian casualties have been confirmed so far, including 14 deaths, but these individually verified cases must be considered "a minimum," Dujarric said. He said U.N. humanitarian staff report that centers set up by local authorities now house some 1,500 displaced people, and more than 8,000 people have been reached with some form of humanitarian assistance. __ 5:10 p.m. A proposed U.N. resolution demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the fighting and commit to a cease-fire. The British-drafted resolution also calls on all parties to immediately re-commit to attending a U.N.-facilitated political dialogue "and work toward a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Libya." The draft resolution, circulated to Security Council members and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, expresses "grave concern" at military activity near the capital Tripoli which began after Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army launched its offensive on April 3. It says the offensive "threatens the stability of Libya" and prospects for the national dialogue and a political solution in Libya and has had a "serious humanitarian impact." Security Council members have been divided over Hifter's offensive. ___ 11:20 a.m. The U.N. migration agency says recent clashes between rival Libyan militias for control of Tripoli have displaced more than 18,000 people. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday in New York that the International Organization for Migration reported that 13 civilians are among the 146 killed so far in clashes since the self-styled Libyan National Army launched a major military offensive on April 5. Dujarric says around 3,000 migrants remain trapped in detention centers in and close to conflict areas. The fighting pits the Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Hifter against militias affiliated with Tripoli's U.N.-backed government. The clashes threaten to re-ignite civil war such as the 2011 one that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Libya is split between rival governments in the east and west. FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's top lawyer is challenging subpoenas from the governor's administration seeking the names of teachers who might have used sick days that shut down schools as they attended statehouse rallies earlier this year. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's administration has 10 days to rescind the subpoenas that the state Labor Cabinet sent recently to several school districts, Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear said Tuesday in a letter to Bevin and the state's labor cabinet. If the administration doesn't comply, Beshear said he'll take them to court - again. It's the latest clash between Bevin and Beshear, who have squared off in legal disputes over the governor's use of executive powers. The bitter adversaries could end up running against each other in this year's gubernatorial election. On Tuesday in Louisville, Bevin declined to answer reporters' questions about Beshear's demands. His office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The labor cabinet issued a statement that said: "Attorney General Beshear is wrong. The Labor Cabinet has complied and will continue to comply with Kentucky law." Beshear said the subpoenas amount to teachers being "under attack from their own government" for speaking out at rallies. FILE - In this March 12, 2019 file photo Karen Schwartz, a teacher at Phoenix School of Discovery in Louisville, stands with other teaches and their supporters to protest perceived attacks on public education, in Frankfort, Ky. Kentucky's attorney general said Tuesday, April 16, he is challenging subpoenas from the governor's administration seeking the names of teachers who might have used sick days that shut down schools as they attended statehouse rallies while the legislature met this year. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, file) The subpoenas violate free speech rights and might constitute "intimidation, threats or coercion" in violation of state law, he said. "The subpoenas issued by the Labor Cabinet are unlawful, and they are another attempt by this governor to bully our teachers," Beshear told reporters. Widespread absences in some school districts forced cancellation of classes for up to a few days while teachers converged on Kentucky's Capitol earlier this year, drawing Bevin's criticism. Kentucky teachers did not go on strike. They used sick days to close schools in protest of several education bills. The measures included one that would have indirectly supported private schools with tax credits for scholarship funds. The protests were part of a wave of teacher activism across the country that began last year in West Virginia and spread to other states, including Oklahoma and Arizona. In its subpoena to Jefferson County Public Schools, which covers Louisville and is the state's largest district, the Labor Cabinet asked school officials for records giving the names of employees who called in sick on dates when "sickouts" occurred in late February and March. It also sought any documentation that teachers provided to prove they were sick, including doctors' notes. The cabinet also wanted copies of the district's sick leave policies and copies of records in which district officials discussed the decision to close schools due to sickouts. "This is the Labor Cabinet trying to step in the place of a school district to go after teachers when the school district doesn't think they've done anything wrong," Beshear said Tuesday. Beshear's office said in a release that the subpoenas were part of a "supposed inquiry" into possible violations of labor law. Because teachers were not protesting their work conditions, but instead objected to legislation dealing with financial and structural support of public schools, the sickouts amounted to constitutionally protected free speech, Beshear said. Asked whether his action might be seen as politically motivated, he said: "I might be running for governor, but I still have a job as attorney general. And my job is to stand up for people when they're being bullied, especially by their own state government." Beshear is among four Democrats running for governor in the May 21 primary. The others are state House Minority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, former state auditor Adam Edelen and frequent candidate Geoff Young. Bevin, who is seeking a second term, faces GOP primary challenges from state Rep. Robert Goforth, William Woods and Ike Lawrence. Kentucky is among three states electing governors in 2019. The others are Louisiana and Mississippi. ___ Associated Press Writer Dylan Lovan in Louisville contributed to this report. SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - A former Georgia police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a fleeing man now faces a lawsuit seeking monetary damages for wrongful death. The suit filed Monday in coastal Camden County says 33-year-old Tony Green was killed "without justification or excuse" when he was shot multiple times June 20 even though he was "unarmed and did not pose an imminent threat." Atlanta attorney Reginald Greene sued on behalf of Green's minor daughter, identified in the lawsuit only by the initials T.G. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages from the city of Kingsland and from Zechariah Presley, who was fired as a Kingsland police officer after the shooting. Presley is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 30 on charges of voluntary manslaughter and violating his oath as an officer. The ex-officer is white and the man he shot was black. The shooting outraged African Americans in Kingsland, a small city of about 16,000 people near the Georgia-Florida line. Some of Green's friends and relatives argued that the manslaughter charge was too lenient. Video footage recorded by police has been reviewed by investigators, but hasn't been released. A grand jury that indicted Presley in November declined to charge him with murder. Under Georgia law, voluntary manslaughter is punishable by one to 20 years in prison. FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Kingsland Police Department shows Officer Zechariah Presley. The former Georgia police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a fleeing man now faces a lawsuit as well. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed, Monday, April 15, 2019, in coastal Camden County on behalf of a minor daughter of 33-year-old Tony Green, who died after being shot multiple times June 20. Presley was fired after being charged with Green's death. (Kingsland Police Department via AP) The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released few details about the shooting, saying only that Presley was following a vehicle Green was driving when Green got out and began to run. The two men got into a brief scuffle, the agency said, before Green began to flee again and Presley fired multiple gunshots, killing him. Presley's attorney in the criminal case, Adrienne Browning, said Tuesday she does not represent him in the civil case. She referred a reporter to attorney Patrick O'Connor, who did not immediately return a phone message. Kingsland city attorney Stephen Kinney also did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. CAIRO (AP) - Sudan's ruling military council says it has fired the country's top prosecutor days after the military ousted autocratic president Omar al-Bashir. Tuesday's statement by the council says its head, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, dismissed general prosecutor Omar Abdel-Salam and two of his aids. The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the protests, has called for the dismissal of all top judges and prosecutors among a package of demands. Those include the prosecution of those behind the Islamist-backed military coup in 1989, the dissolution of all pro-government unions and a freeze on the assets of top officials in al-Bashir's government. Last week, Sudan's military ousted al-Bashir following four months of street protests against his rule, then appointed a military council it says will rule for no more than two years while elections are organized. PARIS (AP) - Two of France's richest men, long locked in a very public rivalry, are once again pitted against each other - this time over flashy and competing donations to rebuild Notre Dame. Billionaire luxury tycoons - Bernard Arnault, 70, and Francois Pinault, 82 - are among France's fiercest business competitors and patrons. On Tuesday, their rivalry reached dramatic heights when it was announced Pinault, his son and their company Artemis would immediately donate 100 million euros ($113 million) to help finance renovations to Notre Dame after it was seriously damaged in an inferno during building works. Hours later, Arnault shot back with an announcement that he, his family and his luxury company LVMH would pledge double that amount - 200 million euros ($226 million) - for the restoration of the church that was immortalized in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" - an eternal story of obsession and jealousy. The famed rivalry of Arnault and Pinault, whose names rhyme, goes back decades. "They're like competing boys, but the stakes run into the billions," said Long Nguyen, fashion editor at Flaunt magazine. FILE - In this Sunday, May 17, 2015 file photo Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek pose for photographers upon arrival for the screening of the film Carol at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Businessman Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to fire damaged Notre Dame cathedral. A statement from Francois-Henri Pinault said "this tragedy impacts all French people" and "everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage." (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File) Arnault is France's - and Europe's - richest man and CEO of the world's biggest luxury group, LVMH, the owner of iconic fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Pinault founded the world's second-biggest, Kering, formerly PPR, that acquired rival brand Saint Laurent in a face-off. "The Notre Dame donations are the latest in a long line ... They run competing fashion houses and both like the center stage," he added. Both men also possess a sizeable art collection - and a desire to show it off in competing museums. Pinault's son Francois-Henri married actress Salma Hayek and is often in the society pages, while Arnault's son Antoine fathered children to supermodel Natalia Vodianova. The two were reportedly on friendly business terms until the late 1990s. Some commentators have linked the souring of pair's relations to a bidding battle over the ownership of Italian fashion house Gucci, which eventually went to Pinault's Kering group. Then, the battling turned to art. Arnault opened the Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed by architect Frank Gehry, in 2014 to showcase his vast personal art trove in Paris' far western suburbs. Some critics have branded it a vanity project, with French media claiming that the glimmering building's final price tag came in at close to $900 million. Meanwhile Pinault, who with his son is estimated to represent France's sixth fortune, is following hot on Arnault's heels and is set to open his multimillion-dollar contemporary art museum, the Collection Pinault-Paris, next spring. Since 2001, Pinault has gradually been ceding control of his business interests to his eldest son Francois-Henri, 56, to concentrate on his art collecting. The museum, designed by another big-name architect, Tadao Ando, will display the octogenarian tycoon's personal contemporary art collection. The website highlights its prime central location "in the very heart of Paris" in the city's former stock exchange. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns cosmetics giant L'Oreal, and Total also each pledged 100 million euros to go toward the restoration over the 850-year-old cathedral. ___ Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamson_K FILE - In this Friday, March 1, 2013 file photo Antoine Arnault and Natalia Vodianova arrive for Dior's Ready to Wear's Fall-Winter 2013-2014 fashion collection presented in Paris. As the France woke up in collective sadness at the fire damage to Notre Dame cathedral, its richest businessman, Bernard Arnault, the father of Antoine, and his luxury goods group LVMH answered that call with a pledge of 200 million euros ($226 million). A communique said that the Arnault family was "in solidarity with this national tragedy, and join in the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, a symbol of France, of its heritage and togetherness." (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 file photo CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault arrives to present the group's 2018 results during a conference in Paris. As the France woke up in collective sadness at the fire damage to Notre Dame cathedral, its richest businessman, Bernard Arnault, and his luxury goods group LVMH answered that call with a pledge of 200 million euros ($226 million). A communique said that the Arnault family was "in solidarity with this national tragedy, and join in the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, a symbol of France, of its heritage and togetherness."(AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) Antoine Arnault, son of LVMH president Bernard Arnault, and his wife Natalia Vodianova, right, arrive at the damaged Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. French big French companies Total and L'Oreal are pledging to donate 200 million euros to support the reconstruction of Notre Dame cathedral. A few hours after billionaires tycoons Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault announced they would give a total of 300 millions, oil and gas giant Total said the firm would contribute 100 million euros "to help the reconstruction of this architectural jewel." L'Oreal promised the same amount of money to rebuild "a symbol of French heritage and of our common history." Among other contributors, Bouygues construction group CEO Martin Bouygues said he and his brother Olivier would donate 10 millions. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) BERLIN (AP) - The German parliament has fined the far-right Alternative for Germany party more than 400,000 euros ($452,200) for accepting illegal campaign donations. The Bundestag said in a statement on Tuesday that two senior party members received free advertising from a public relations firm based in Switzerland ahead of regional elections in 2016 and 2017. Officials said Joerg Meuthen and Guido Reil, who are both members of Alternative for Germany's national board and running for the European Union's legislature, shouldn't have accepted the advertising because PR firm Goal AG wasn't known as the donor at the time. Alternative for Germany known by its German acronym AfD, says it plans to challenge the fine in court. The party alleged the Bundestag's decision was "politically motivated." AfD could receive further fines over donations co-leader Alice Weidel got from Switzerland in 2017. SODUS, N.Y. (AP) - The wife of a former Texas police chief has accepted a plea deal in a western New York double homicide. Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Christine Callanan says the plea on Tuesday by Charlene Childers reduced her second-degree murder charge to first-degree manslaughter. She'll be sentenced June 27. Her husband, former Sunray, Texas police chief Timothy Dean, has pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree murder charges and was expected to be tried alongside Childers next month. Prosecutors say Dean and Childers drove to the town of Sodus in October and killed Amber Washburn and Joshua Niles. Friends and relatives say Niles had recently won custody of the two children he had with Childers. Defense lawyer Rome Canzano says Childers' expressions of remorse were considered in the plea negotiations. ISTANBUL (AP) - Turkey's ruling party on Tuesday asked that a recent municipal election it lost in Istanbul be invalidated, as partial vote recounts in the city and the fight for the country's commercial hub continued. The Justice and Development Party, or AKP, filed its "extraordinary objection" to the March 31 election results for Istanbul metropolitan mayor with Turkey's electoral board. Citing alleged irregularities, the party previously pushed for a recount of votes, and that process is still underway in one Istanbul district. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP and its nationalist ally won a majority of local election votes across Turkey but lost in the capital, Ankara. In Istanbul, unofficial contested results give the main opposition party's mayoral candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, a 13,827-vote lead over AKP candidate Binali Yildirim. That difference has dropped from some 25,000 votes with the partial recount. Speaking to reporters after filing the objection, Ali Ihsan Yavuz, the AKP's deputy chairman, said their previous request for a total recount was not granted. He asserted that had all votes been recounted "this election would have resulted in our benefit." He said the elections were marred by "organized irregularity" and submitted three suitcases of documents purportedly documenting fraud to the electoral board. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, third left, his party's mayoral candidate for Istanbul Binali Yildirim, left, his ministers Bekir Pakdemirli, third right, Mevlut Cavusoglu, second right, and Suleyman Soylu, right, atttend funeral prayers for Mustafa Yazici, 93, the father of Hayati Yazici, a close friend of Erdogan, second left, during funeral prayers, in Istanbul, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Erdogan's ruling party still appealing the results of the local elections in Istanbul, where the opposition has a razor-thin lead and Erdogan said Wednesday election results in Istanbul should be canceled over irregularities.(Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) The board is expected to rule on the ruling party's request after all recounts are complete. If it accepts the AKP's objection, Istanbul could repeat the election on June 2. Both Ankara and Istanbul had been held by Erdogan's conservative, religious-based party and its predecessor for 25 years. Istanbul, with its 15 million residents and strategic location straddling Europe and Asia, is Turkey's financial and cultural heart. It made up 31% of Turkey's GDP of $851 billion in 2017 and draws millions of tourists. The Istanbul metropolitan mayorship and its subsidiaries had a total budget of $8.8 billion last year. The municipality has awarded lucrative contracts to businesses close to the government over the years and offers huge financial resources and employment opportunities. Erdogan's rise to power began as Istanbul mayor in 1994 and he has repeated numerous times in pre-election rallies: "Whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey" and "Whoever loses Istanbul, loses Turkey." On Monday, ruling party candidate Yildirim said the elections were tarnished with "irregularities, mistakes, stains, vote thievery, among others." Prior to the elections, his party had said the safety of ballot boxes was guaranteed. Opposition candidate Imamoglu has demanded that he be given the mandate to begin his job as Istanbul mayor. His party has said the AKP's objections lacked credible evidence and asserted that the ruling party aimed to drag out the process to push for new elections. The AKP still holds 24 of Istanbul's 39 municipal districts. Ekrem Imamoglu, centre, the opposition, Republican People's Party's (CHP) mayoral candidate in Istanbul, talks to members of the media, in Istanbul, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, says it will seek a re-run of last week's mayoral election in Istanbul, citing alleged irregularities. The party suffered a major setback in the elections. Opposition candidates won in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and squeezed out the ruling party in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at an assembly for religious schools, in Istanbul, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Erdogan's ruling party still appealing the results of the local elections in Istanbul, where the opposition has a razor-thin lead and Erdogan said Wednesday election results in Istanbul should be canceled over irregularities.(Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) Ekrem Imamoglu, centre, the opposition, Republican People's Party's (CHP) mayoral candidate in Istanbul, is photographed by a supporter following a media conference in Istanbul, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, says it will seek a re-run of last week's mayoral election in Istanbul, citing alleged irregularities. The party suffered a major setback in the elections. Opposition candidates won in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and squeezed out the ruling party in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition, Republican People's Party's (CHP) mayoral candidate in Istanbul, talks to members of the media, in Istanbul, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, says it will seek a re-run of last week's mayoral election in Istanbul, citing alleged irregularities. The party suffered a major setback in the elections. Opposition candidates won in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and squeezed out the ruling party in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) GULFPORT, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in Florida say a 71-year-old man filled a squirt gun with urine and sprayed a woman who was walking her dog. Gulfport police said in an arrest report that Joel William Benjamin approached the woman on Sunday and squirted her several times with urine. The report says Benjamin told officers he would "do it again," but it was unclear what motivated the attack. He faces a misdemeanor battery charge and left jail after posting a $500 bond. A lawyer for Benjamin wasn't listed on jail records. Gulfport is near St. Petersburg on Florida's Gulf Coast. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A proposed U.N. resolution demands that all parties in Libya immediately de-escalate the fighting and commit to a cease-fire. The British-drafted resolution, circulated to Security Council members and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, also calls on all parties to immediately re-commit to attending a U.N.-facilitated political dialogue "and work toward a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Libya." The draft resolution expresses "grave concern" at military activity near Tripoli, which began after Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter's self-styled Libyan National Army - aligned with a rival government in the east - launched its offensive April 3. The internationally supported U.N.-backed government, which is weaker, is based in Tripoli. The draft says the offensive "threatens the stability of Libya" and prospects for the national dialogue and a political solution in Libya, and has had a "serious humanitarian impact." The Security Council is divided over Hifter's offensive. Hifter is supported by Russia, France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see him as the best hope of stabilizing the troubled country and combatting extremists. FILE - This Sept. 21, 2018 file photo, shows fighters under the UN-backed government on the front lines during clashes in southern Tripoli. Libya is on the verge of an all-out war involving a rogues' gallery of militias, many of which are little more than criminal gangs armed with heavy weapons. The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, launched a surprise offensive to retake Tripoli on April 5, 2019 from the transitional government supported by U.N. and Western nations led by Fayez Sarraj. (AP Photo/Mohamed Ben Khalifa, File) A proposed press statement soon after the offensive began that urged the Libyan National Army to halt the offensive was blocked by Russia, one of the permanent council members. Such statements require approval by all 15 council members. Britain's proposed resolution stresses the need for the parties to engage with U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame "with the aim of achieving a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political solution to bring security, political and economic sustainability, and national unity to Libya." U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "would welcome a strong and united response from the Security Council." The U.N. chief was in Tripoli promoting a national conference of all Libyan parties when Hifter announced the offensive. The conference has now been postponed, and Dujarric said that since he left he has been calling for a cease-fire to deliver humanitarian aid and "for first responders to be able to do their work without getting shot at." WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Wisconsin on the night of the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington. Trump's re-election campaign announced Tuesday that the rally will be held April 27 at Green Bay's Resch Center. Trump eked out a narrow victory in the state in 2016. The president has bucked tradition and skipped the annual black-tie affair every year since taking office. He recently said he's skipping this year's dinner for the third year in a row because it's "so boring" and "so negative." He said he would hold "a very positive rally instead." Presidents and first ladies have traditionally attended the dinner. It's a fundraiser for college scholarships and an occasion where politicians, journalists and celebrities mingle. Journalism prizes are also awarded. MEXICO CITY (AP) - Municipal authorities in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas tried to block a caravan of about 2,000 Central American migrants from entering the town of Huixtla. The Huixtla government declared an emergency Monday night and told stores to close when the migrants streamed in anyway. Members of the caravan pushed past police and headed for the town center, although officials wanted them to stay at an improvised shelter farther away. The municipality said in a taped statement that "the majority of the people coming are not coming peacefully, as we might have hoped." Officials also told townspeople to stay indoors, warning that the migrants were a threat to safety. The town's cold reception contrasts with the warm welcome it gave to caravans just last year. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An inmate who stabbed four fellow prisoners and a guard in separate, bloody attacks that led to internal prison security changes is on a hunger strike inside Ohio's toughest lock-up, alleging mistreatment. Inmate Greg Reinke said he's being harassed by guards, denied proper recreation time and lives in a bare cell so empty that he's forced to place his clothes on the floor. He said inmates who have been convicted of killing guards aren't being treated as poorly as he and fellow inmate Casey Pigge, also charged in the guard's attack. "But for us it's like they've come up with their own set of rules and procedures," Reinke told The Associated Press in an April 7 letter. It "seems as if they make it up as they go along." The two are housed in the state supermax in Youngstown, a facility typically reserved for inmates with bad prison behavior records. Reinke had missed 14 meals as of Tuesday, meeting the agency's definition of a hunger strike, said Sara French, a spokeswoman with the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Pigge is not on a hunger strike, she said. French denied Reinke is being mistreated, but acknowledged he's held at a high-security level because of his "assaultive behavior." That level does not allow meeting with other inmates for church services or group activities, she said. File- This Jan. 8, 2001. file photo shows the Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) in Youngstown, Ohio. An inmate who stabbed four fellow prisoners and a guard in separate bloody attacks is on a hunger strike inside Ohio's toughest prison, alleging mistreatment. Greg Reinke is housed at the state's supermax prison in Youngstown. He says he's being harassed by guards, denied proper recreation time and lives in a bare cell with no place to put his clothes. Sara French is a spokeswoman with the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. She confirms Reinke has missed 14 meals as of Tuesday, April 16, 2019, meeting the agency's definition of a hunger strike. French denied Reinke is being mistreated. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) A message seeking comment was left for Reinke's lawyer. Reinke alleged similar mistreatment in January, which was also denied by the prison system. Reinke, 38, pleaded guilty last month to charges including attempted murder for the attacks at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Reinke was sentenced to 54 years for using a homemade knife to repeatedly stab handcuffed prisoners after slipping his own handcuffs in 2017. The bloody attack on prisoners caught on a video obtained by the AP. Reinke was sentenced to an additional 32 years behind bars for an attack about eight months later on a corrections officer. Prosecutors allege Reinke and Pigge stabbed the officer 32 times. Pigge has pleaded not guilty, and his case is pending. Pigge previously was convicted of three separate killings, including strangling a fellow inmate on a medical transport bus. At the time of the attacks, Reinke was serving a life sentence for aggravated murder for a 2004 shooting in Cleveland. Last month, two inmates attacked by Reinke in the June 2017 stabbing filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the warden of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, two officers and other staff over the assault. LONDON (AP) - Notre Dame in Paris is not the first great cathedral to suffer a devastating fire, and it probably won't be the last. In a sense, that is good news. A global army of experts and craftspeople can be called on for the long, complex process of restoring the gutted landmark. The work will face substantial challenges - starting immediately, with the urgent need to protect the inside of the 850-year-old cathedral from the elements, after its timber-beamed roof was consumed by flames . The first priority is to put up a temporary metal or plastic roof to stop rain from getting in. Then, engineers and architects will begin to assess the damage. Fortunately, Notre Dame is a thoroughly documented building. Over the years, historians and archeologists have made exhaustive plans and images, including minutely detailed, 3-D laser-scanned re-creations of the interior. Duncan Wilson, chief executive of the conservation organization Historic England, said Tuesday that the cathedral will need to be made secure without disturbing the debris scattered inside, which may provide valuable information - and material - for restorers. A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) "The second challenge is actually salvaging the material," he said. "Some of that material may be reusable, and that's a painstaking exercise. It's like an archaeological excavation." Despite fears at the height of the inferno that the whole cathedral would be lost, the structure appears intact. Its two rectangular towers still jut into the Paris skyline, and the great stone vault stands atop heavy walls supported by massive flying buttresses. An edifice built to last an eternity withstood its greatest test. Tom Nickson, a senior lecturer in medieval art and architecture at London's Courtauld Institute, said the stone vault "acted as a kind of fire door between the highly flammable roof and the highly flammable interior" - just as the cathedral's medieval builders intended. Now, careful checks will be needed to determine whether the stones of the vaulted ceiling have been weakened and cracked by the heat. If so, the whole vault may need to be torn down and re-erected. The cathedral's exquisite stained-glass rose windows appear intact but are probably suffering "thermal shock" from intense heat followed by cold water, said Jenny Alexander, an expert on medieval art and architecture at the University of Warwick. That means the glass, set in lead, could have sagged or been weakened and will need minute examination. Once the building has been stabilized and the damage assessed, restoration work can begin. It's likely to be an international effort. "Structural engineers, stained-glass experts, stone experts are all going to be packing their bags and heading for Paris in the next few weeks," Alexander said. One big decision will be whether to preserve the cathedral just as it was before the fire, or to take a more creative approach. It's not always a straightforward choice. Notre Dame's spire, destroyed in Monday's blaze, was added to the Gothic cathedral during 19th-century renovations. Should it be rebuilt as it was, or replaced with a new design for the 21st century? Financial and political considerations, as well as aesthetic ones, are likely to play a part in the decision. Getting materials may also be a challenge. The cathedral roof was made from oak beams cut from centuries-old trees. Even in the 13th century, they were hard to come by. Nickson said there is probably no country in Europe with big enough trees today. Alternatives could include a different type of structure made from smaller beams, or even a metal roof - though that would be unpopular with purists. The restored building will have to reflect modern-day health and safety standards. But Eric Salmon, a former site manager at the Paris cathedral, said it is impossible to eliminate all risk. "It is like a street accident. It can happen anywhere, anytime," said Salmon, who now serves as technical director at the Notre Dame cathedral in Strasbourg, France. The roof of Strasbourg's Notre Dame was set ablaze during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. It took up to five years to restore the wooden structure. Nowadays the roof is split into three fire-resistant sections to make sure one blaze can't destroy it all. Smoke detectors are at regular intervals. Still, Salmon said that what worked in Strasbourg may not be suitable for Paris. Each cathedral is unique. "We are not going to modify an historic monument to respect the rules. The rules have to be adapted to the building," he said. Experts agree the project will take years, if not decades. Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organization, said restoring Notre Dame "will last a long time and cost a lot of money." A government appeal for funds has already raised hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) from French businesses. But few doubt that Notre Dame will rise again. "Cathedrals are stone phoenixes - reminders that out of adversity we may be reborn," said Emma Wells, a buildings archaeologist at the University of York. "The silver lining, if we can call it that, is this allows for historians and archaeologists to come in and uncover more of its history than we ever knew before. It is a palimpsest of layers of history, and we can come in and understand the craft of our medieval forebears." ___ Casert reported from Strasbourg, France. Angela Charlton in Paris and Gregory Katz in London contributed to this story. ____ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral A hole is seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) A man walks nside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) debris are seen inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) A hole is seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) Holes seen in the dome inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - Turkey "expects" the Trump administration to grant it waivers from U.S. sanctions related to its purchases of Iranian oil and Russian air defenses, a top aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. Presidential spokesman and senior adviser Ibrahim Kalin told a news conference he couldn't be certain that the waivers would be granted. But, he said Turkey had made a strong case that should be heeded. Waivers for Turkey could set the White House on another collision course with Congress over foreign policy. Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere have been angered by waivers that followed Iran sanctions, arguing that they hurt the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran. And senior lawmakers from both parties have come out in strong support of sanctions if Turkey purchases Russian missile systems. The United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran, including on its energy sector, in November after President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. At the same time, it issued waivers allowing Turkey, six other countries and Taiwan to continue purchases to avoid roiling oil markets and to lessen the economic blow. "We are expecting an extension for Turkey," Kalin said. "We have made it clear we would like to continue to buy Iranian oil. People should not expect Turkey to turn its back on Iran just like that." The waivers allowing Turkey and others to import Iranian oil expire early next month. U.S. officials have said that three of the eight waivers won't require extensions when they expire on May 2 because those recipients have already eliminated their imports of Iranian oil. But they have refused to say whether any of the other five will be extended. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with a supporter as he arrives to speak at an assembly for religious schools, in Istanbul, Saturday, April 13, 2019. Erdogan's ruling party still appealing the results of the local elections in Istanbul, where the opposition has a razor-thin lead and Erdogan said Wednesday election results in Istanbul should be canceled over irregularities.(Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) Kalin also said Turkey wants a waiver for sanctions that will likely be triggered should it take delivery of Russia's advanced S-400 missile defense system over Washington's objections. Turkey's purchase of the S-400 has created a deep rift between the NATO allies, with U.S. officials warning of significant consequences if it is finalized and Turkish officials saying it's a done deal that won't be cancelled. Kalin said Erdogan and other Turkish officials have been pressing Trump to use a presidential exemption to spare Turkey from sanctions under legislation known as the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which is aimed in part at Russia's defense industry. The exemption allows Trump to bypass the mandated sanctions should he determine it is in U.S. national security interests to do so. "If it comes to it, of course we would expect President Trump to use his waiver," Kalin said. He stressed that he could not speak for Trump or other U.S. officials but said that Trump had promised Erodgan that he would personally look into the situation. Kalin said he expected delivery of the S-400 system to be completed within 2 to 3 months. In addition to the sanctions, the Pentagon and State Department have said the S-400 purchase will jeopardize Turkey's participation in the U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft program. U.S. officials say Turkey's use of the Russian surface-to-air missile defense system would be a threat to the F-35 program and have already suspended some aspects of Turkey's participation. Kalin said Turkey was hopeful the U.S. would agree to a Turkish proposal to set up a technical committee to review possible security threats posed by the S-400. Kalin spoke to reporters at the Turkish Embassy as he wrapped up a trip to Washington with other senior officials in Erdogan's government, including the ministers of defense, finance and trade. In addition to their meetings with U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, the officials all spoke at the American-Turkish Council's annual conference on U.S.-Turkey relations. The conference was held at the Trump International Hotel. Shanahan met Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar for about 40 minutes in the Pentagon on Tuesday, according to Defense Department officials. The meeting touched on all the ongoing areas of debate between the two nations, including Turkey's plans to buy the Russian S-400 and the continuing fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, they said. Acting chief Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers Jr. said Shanahan and Akar "focused their discussion on interests, rather than positions, and on the importance of U.S.-Turkish cooperation" in gaining security and prosperity for both nations and the region. ___ Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's foster care system has failed to shield children from abuse and they are sometimes forced to stay in refurbished jail cells and homeless shelters, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The 77-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court details stories of foster children being neglected or harmed while under Department of Human Services care, including a 16-year-old girl sent to a juvenile jail after she had previously tried to kill herself. The agency has weathered years criticism over the way it treats children and has paid out tens of millions of dollars to settle previous complaints. The lawsuit also comes as the state agency fights off criticism from lawmakers over a recent news report that found a 9-year-old girl had been placed in an out-of-state residential facility in Montana, where she was injected with Benadryl to control her behavior and went without visits from a caseworker for six months. More than 80 children are housed outside Oregon. "The big problem is that Oregon has failed to develop specialized placements or even enough placements for kids in care," said Marcia Lowry, executive director of A Better Childhood, one of the nonprofits behind the lawsuit. "Oregon goes well beyond what even the national problems are." In a statement, DHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht said the agency is committed to finding children appropriate placement, especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He said it is taking steps to address the problems identified in the lawsuit, and is finalizing a long-term, statewide plan to recruit more foster families. In this Monday, April 15, 2019, photo Elizabeth Graves, a 27-year-old resident of Portland, Ore., who was in foster care for more than five years, poses for a photo in a Portland, Ore., park. Children that are still under the care of Oregon's foster care system filed a lawsuit Tuesday, April 16, alleging the state exposed them to abuse and further neglect. Graves is not a plaintiff, but she says she was shuffled through 15 foster care families between the ages of 13 and 18 and many of the allegations in the lawsuit bring back bad memories for her. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) DHS also plans to reassess its use of out-of-state facilities, he said. At a legislative hearing last week, Pakseresht recognized flaws within the system, but maintained that the agency still provides quality services for the 7,500 youth in its care. "We do make mistakes," Pakseresht told lawmakers. "A few mistakes - 10 mistakes, 20 mistakes, 30 mistakes - are never acceptable, but they don't constitute a system that is broken." Since 2006, the agency has paid $39 million in legal settlements over allegations of abuse and neglect. But Christine Shank, one of the managing lawyers in the case, said the fundamental problems within DHS haven't changed. "We're hoping this case can really be a catalyst for systemic change," said Shank, a lawyer with Disability Rights Oregon. In the case of the 16-year-old girl, lawyers say she landed in state care after her father refused to get her mental health services. Her lawyers say she remained without therapy as she was shuffled between facilities, including homeless shelters, out of a lack of placement options. At the Klamath Falls, Oregon, facility, which houses both juvenile inmates and at-risk foster youth, lawyers say the girl lived in a cinder-block cell where she couldn't keep any personal items except a book. She underwent daily extensive treatment for substance and sexual abuse, despite having never suffered from either. She had individualized therapy once a week, which her lawyers called inadequate. The lawsuit argues DHS hasn't done enough to shield children from abuse and neglect, a violation of their federal due process rights. The lawsuit also says the department has failed to provide foster children with a permanent, stable living situation. A 2016 federal audit found only 20% of foster children had "permanency and stability in their living conditions," while the majority were placed with foster parents who "may not have had the necessary skills" to care for them. The department made "concerted efforts" to provide children with permanent homes in 41% of cases. Elizabeth Graves, who is not associated with the lawsuit, said she entered DHS care when she was 13, and was moved between 15 foster and group homes within five years. Now 27, she said she still suffers from nightmares over the emotional abuse she endured. She became pregnant at 15, and said her circumstances began to improve when was sent to a Portland facility specifically serving girls who have young children or are pregnant. She received individualized attention plus parenting lessons. But, less than an hour after Graves gave birth, she said DHS intervened and put her son up for adoption. According to Graves, her caseworker had determined she was too young to care for the child. "I did everything to prepare for him," she told The Associated Press. "I spent all that time at the group home learning how to take care of him and even set up a room for him. I cried and begged but they just took him from me." She now works as a credit card banker in Portland. "I wouldn't have experienced the trauma I have today if I wasn't in foster care," she said. "I really hope this lawsuit finally does something. Kids are suffering and nobody is doing anything." ___ Follow Sarah Zimmerman on Twitter at @sarahzimm95 . This undated photo provided by A Better Childhood, shows a girl's room at the Youth Inspiration Program, a facility for at-risk foster youth housed within a juvenile detention center, in Klamath Falls, Ore. Children still under the care of Oregon's foster care system filed a lawsuit Tuesday, April 16, 2019, alleging the state provided inadequate services and exposed children to abuse and further neglect. (A Better Childhood via AP) QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - The parents of a Swedish programmer suspected of plotting to blackmail Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno over his abandonment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made an anxious plea Tuesday for authorities to release their son. Dag Gustafsson acknowledged that his son, Ola Bini, had a friendship with Assange but said his ties with the hacker who lived in Ecuador's London embassy while evading U.S. and British authorities for nearly seven years ends there. "Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more," he said, sitting before a screen with an image of his son, dressed in cap and smiling slightly. The 36-year-old was arrested last Thursday at the airport in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito as he prepared to board a flight to Japan. The arrest came just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, ending a prolonged ordeal over what do with one of the world's highest-profile fugitives. Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo contends that Bini traveled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She said he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Moreno's ex-mentor turned arch enemy, former President Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum in 2012. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini for hacking-related crimes and had him ordered detained for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference flanked by his wife Gorel Bini, and his son's lawyer Carlos Soria, in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Relatively little is known about Bini. Friends and loved ones have described him as a computer geek who felt most at ease solving complex programming problems. Though he had defended the WikiLeaks founder's free speech rights in an online blog, his Ecuadorian girlfriend couldn't recall him ever expressing strong support for Assange. Gustafsson said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit organization and has a "burning passion" for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. "For us, it's surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations," he said. Carlos Soria, Bini's lawyer, said several of his client's judicial rights had been violated. He said authorities failed to swiftly notify the Swedish embassy of his detention, provide access to a lawyer or a translator. He said Bini also spent his first night of detention without access to food or water. "That are a lot of irregularities that happened in his detention," he said. Moreno moved to swiftly end Assange's asylum as relations between the silver-haired Australian and the South American nation grew increasingly tense. Ecuadorian authorities have accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing feces on the embassy's walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing in Britain for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. The U.S. is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. The parents of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Gorel Bini, left and Dag Gustafsson, hold a press conference with their son's lawyer Carlos Soria, in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, attends a press conference in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer, pictured on the screen in the background, who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) The parents of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Gorel Bini, left and Dag Gustafsson, arrive at a provisional detention center where their son is being held in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson and his son's lawyer Carlos Soria, attend a press conference in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) - In a story April 16 about Democratic presidential candidates addressing flooding damage in Iowa, The Associated Press erroneously reported the location of Sen. Bernie Sanders' rally. The rally was held in Malcom, Iowa, not in Poweshiek. A corrected version of the story is below: Iowa flooding presents campaign challenge for some 2020 Dems Iowa flooding presents campaign challenge for some 2020 Democrats By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee recently toured this waterlogged town near the Missouri River, blasting President Donald Trump as complicit in the flooding that has plagued large swaths of western Iowa in recent weeks. "We have a president who says that climate change is a hoax," said Inslee, who has centered his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign around the consequences of a warming planet. "He has diminished the ability of the federal government to protect its citizens, and that's an outrage." Inslee is virtually alone among his fellow presidential contenders in touring sections of Iowa devastated by flooding. Although there are more than a dozen declared candidates in the race for the White House, only Inslee and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar have visited the flooded sections. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will visit the area on Wednesday and participate in a Senate committee field hearing on the issue. Most of the other contenders make passing mention of the flooding at campaign events, expressing their condolences to victims and emphasizing the need to combat climate change or invest in infrastructure. But the relative silence from other candidates highlights the bind many of them are in as local issues and presidential politics collide in the nation's leadoff caucus state. Several candidates who are also senators voted against legislation recently that would have directed some disaster relief to Iowa. They have argued the measure didn't provide enough money for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from a massive hurricane. As additional flooding is expected in the coming weeks, Republicans have seized on the Democratic opposition to paint the 2020 contenders as disingenuous. There's "plenty of time for politics when 2020 comes around," Vice President Mike Pence told an audience in Pacific Junction last week after surveying flood damage there. "Right now, Iowa needs disaster assistance. And it's time for Congress to act." "When they come out here, I don't even see how they can show their face west of Des Moines given the fact they voted no" on the bill, Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufman said of the senators running for president. Gillibrand along with Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders - all presidential candidates - voted against the bill but have noted the flooding at campaign events. The White House hopefuls would much rather talk about another Iowa issue: wind energy. Trump's recent erroneous claim that noise from wind turbines causes cancer amounted to something of a political gift for Democratic candidates. In a state where wind energy made up 37% of the state's energy in 2017, there is broad, bipartisan agreement that the president's comments were misinformed. He received a rebuke from the state's two Republican senators, with Sen. Chuck Grassley calling the comments "idiotic." For some 2020 candidates, like former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who's been criticized for a lack of policy detail, Trump presented an opportunity to showcase their policy bona fides. He frequently touts the 37% figure at campaign events and quipped, "I don't think that wind turbines cause cancer ... in fact, I think they cause jobs," at a recent campaign event. At a town hall in Malcom, Iowa, earlier this month, Sanders joked that "we were a little bit nervous about coming back to Iowa 'cause you've got all these wind turbines all over the place!" The decision to avoid flood-stricken areas may ultimately come down to politics. Many of the most severely flooded counties, including the two that Klobuchar and Inslee visited, voted Republican in the last presidential election and may not be home to many Democratic caucusgoers compared to more urban regions such as Des Moines and Sioux Falls. In Hamburg, a town of fewer than 1,100 people, some of the residents weren't impressed by Inslee's visit - or his message. Ronald Wayne Perry, the 69-year-old owner of an auto repair shop the governor visited when he toured the town, blames the flooding on the Army Corps of Engineers for not managing the floodwaters properly - "and so does everybody in this town," he said. "Climate change didn't have anything to do with this," he added. "It snows here a lot every time. Just basically the same thing that happened here this year happened a few years ago." And nothing Inslee can say or do would win his vote. "If he's a Democrat, I don't care who he is, if he's my best friend, I won't vote for him," Perry said. JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli court on Tuesday upheld a deportation order against Human Rights Watch's local director and gave him two weeks to leave the country. The Jerusalem District Court rejected an appeal by Omar Shakir to remain in the country, saying that his activities against Israel's West Bank settlements amount to a boycott of the country. Israel enacted a law in 2017 barring entry to any foreigner who "knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel." Tuesday's ruling was the first time the law was applied to someone already residing in the country. Shakir, a U.S. citizen, has worked as the New York-based group's Israel and Palestine director since October 2016. Israel's interior minister ordered Shakir's deportation in May 2018, calling him a "boycott activist." The court said that Shakir "continues his actions publicly to advance a boycott against Israel, but it's not on the stages at conferences or in university panels, rather through disseminating his calls to advance boycott primarily through his Twitter account and by other means." It cited Shakir's support on Twitter for AirBnb's decision to remove postings from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as an example. AirBnb later backtracked on that decision. Human Rights Watch said neither the organization nor Shakir promotes Israel boycotts, but has called for companies to cease operations in West Bank settlements because they "inherently benefit from and contribute to serious violations of international humanitarian law." Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek these territories for a future state. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal. The court upheld the law applying to boycotts of "areas under (Israel's) control," namely the West Bank, not just of Israel proper. Human Rights Watch said the court's ruling "threatens the ability of all Human Rights Watch staff members to access both Israel and the West Bank." "The decision sends the chilling message that those who criticize the involvement of businesses in serious abuses in Israeli settlements risk being barred from Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank," said Tom Porteous, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch. The court gave Shakir until May 1 to leave the country. The group said it would appeal the decision and seek an injunction blocking the deportation while legal proceedings continue. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose ministry leads anti-boycott efforts, praised the ruling. "Boycott activists need to understand that what was will no longer be," he said. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The new Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday accused the United States of declaring "financial war" on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be "born dead." In his first interview with the international media since taking office over the weekend, Mohammad Shtayyeh laid out plans to get through the financial crisis he has inherited and predicted that the international community, including U.S. allies in the Arab world, would join the Palestinians in rejecting President Donald Trump's expected peace plan. "There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump," Shtayyeh said during a wide-ranging hour-long interview. Shtayyeh, a British-educated economist, takes office at a difficult time for the Palestinians, with his government, the Palestinian Authority, mired in a dire financial crisis. The PA administers autonomous zones in the West Bank. The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars of aid, including all of its support for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Israel has also withheld tens of millions of dollars of tax transfers to punish the Palestinians for their "martyrs' fund," a program that provides stipends to the families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed as a result of fighting with Israel. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh listens during an interview with The Associated Press, at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Stayyeh accused the United States of declaring "financial war" on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be "born dead." (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) The Israelis say the fund rewards violence, while the Palestinians say the payments are a national duty to families affected by decades of violence. Furious about the withholding, the Palestinians have in turn refused to accept partial tax transfers from Israel. Without its key sources of revenue, the Palestinian Authority has begun paying only half salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants, reduced services and increased borrowing. In a new report being released Wednesday, the World Bank said the Palestinian deficit will grow from $400 million last year to over $1 billion this year. "Israel is part of the financial war that has been declared upon us by the United States. The whole system is to try to push us to surrender" and agree to an unacceptable peace proposal, Shtayyeh said. "This a financial blackmail, which we reject." Shtayyeh laid out a number of proposals for weathering the storm. He said he has imposed spending cuts by reducing perks for his Cabinet ministers. He said he would seek to develop the Palestinian agricultural, economic and education sectors and seek ways to reduce the Palestinian economy's dependence on Israel. For example, he proposed importing fuel from neighboring Jordan, instead of from Israel, and even floating a Palestinian currency. He also said the Palestinians would seek financial backing from Arab and European donors. Despite the tensions with Israel and the U.S., Shtayyeh said the Palestinians remain committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war. That includes establishing a capital in east Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed and claims as part of its eternal capital. The two-state solution has enjoyed overwhelming international support for the past two decades. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-line political allies reject Palestinian independence. Netanyahu secured another term in office in elections last week and is expected to form a new coalition with religious and nationalist parties that oppose the two-state solution. On the campaign trail, Netanyahu even raised the possibility of annexing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a step that could extinguish any remaining hopes for an independent Palestine. Netanyahu has received a boost from Trump, who has given Netanyahu a number of diplomatic gifts since taking office. Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the U.S. Embassy to the holy city, slashed aid to the Palestinians and shuttered the Palestinian diplomatic office in Washington. In a departure from Republican and Democratic predecessors, Trump also has notably refused to endorse the two-state solution. His peace team, led by son-in-law Jared Kushner, has repeatedly pushed back the release of a peace plan it says it is preparing, and it remains unclear if or when it will be released. Kushner's team has said little about their proposal. But their limited public statements have indicated it will call for large amounts of economic investment in the Palestinians, but given no sign that it will include their demand for independence. Shtayyeh said that after all of the U.S. moves in favor of Israel, particularly the recognition of Jerusalem, there is nothing left to negotiate. He said any proposal that ignores key Palestinian demands will be rejected by the international community. The European Union this week reiterated its call for peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state. "Where are we going to have the Palestinian state?" he asked. "We are not looking for an entity. We are looking for a sovereign state." "Palestinians are not interested in economic peace. We are interested in ending occupation," he said. "Life cannot be enjoyed under occupation." Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh italks during an interview with The Associated Press, at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Stayyeh accused the United States of declaring "financial war" on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be "born dead." (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina legislator who loaned his campaign $250,000 is leading fundraising among 10 Republicans facing a May primary for a congressional seat left vacant because a ballot-collection scandal that voided November's election. State Sen. Dan Bishop of Charlotte collected $130,717 from individuals and $6,500 from political committees in the year's first quarter in addition to a quarter-million dollars of his own money, reports filed Monday with the Federal Elections Commission show. Bishop had nearly $381,000 on hand at the end of March en route to a May primary in the special election for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. A state elections board in February found last year's contest was tainted and ordered the new election. An investigation found the Republican candidate in November, Mark Harris, recruited a political operative in a rural county who collected and could have tampered with mail-in ballots. The operative has since been charged with state election crimes but has professed his innocence. The finance reports are an early glimpse into which Republicans have an advantage in the fight to win nomination and face Dan McCready, the Democrat who apparently lost narrowly to Harris in November. McCready has no primary opponent but has reported contributions of $1.5 million in the quarter and had $1.46 million on hand. Former Mecklenburg County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour was second in the GOP pack ahead of the May 14 primary, raising less than half of what Bishop garnered from individuals. Ridenhour reported raising almost $64,000 and holding more than $62,000 in cash. His contributions included $1,000 from former U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, who lost last year's primary to Harris and endorsed Ridenhour. The candidate also got $2,800 from Dan DiMicco, the retired head of Charlotte-based steelmaker Nucor Corp. Ridenhour said he didn't expect to top Bishop in fundraising since he was only active for the last month of the quarter. FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2018 file photo, state Sen. Dan Bishop speaks during a joint N.C. House-Senate committee meeting on judicial reform and redistricting held at the Legislative Office Building in downtown Raleigh, N.C. Bishop, who loaned his campaign $250,000, leads fundraising among 10 Republicans seeking a congressional seat left vacant because a ballot rigging probe voided last November's contest. (Chris Seward/The News & Observer via AP) I'm "definitely getting strong support from some major donors but then I'm also just as excited about having around 250 people donate to the campaign," he said. "I think it shows real strong grass roots support." Realtor Leigh Brown reported raising $37,880 during the quarter, with all but $2,300 of her individual donations coming from people around the country who also work in the real estate industry. The National Association of Realtors political action committee is spending more than $674,000 on ads at three Charlotte TV stations backing Brown, the Charlotte Observer reported. Brown sued the FEC Thursday after it didn't vote in favor of allowing her to keep advertising her real estate business without it counting as campaign advertising. Brown has promoted her real estate business on radio for 13 years and has a contract with a conservative talk radio station in Charlotte that reaches listeners over a wide span of the 9th district. Spots for Leigh Brown & Associates shouldn't count as campaign ad for Leigh Brown, the candidate, her lawyers argued. A hearing is scheduled April. 26. Harris' favored candidate, Union County Commissioner Stony Rushing, reported raising almost $36,300 during the quarter, all from individuals. He had $20,549 on hand at the end of the period. Stevie Rivenbark Hull of Fayetteville raised $11,085 and ended the quarter with $7,073 in cash on hand. The other five GOP candidates did not show quarterly reports to the FEC. McCready's campaign spent $507,560 in the quarter, including salaries for 15 people, showing he is ramping up to face the eventual Republican nominee. The Democrat's campaign also reported returning a $2,000 contribution from freshman U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. McCready spokesman Aaron Simpson did not respond when asked why the campaign returned the money on March 30. Omar has attracted nationwide attention and made some Democrats uncomfortable with remarks about the power of Jewish influence in Washington, but she has also attracted support and raised nearly $830,000 in the first quarter for her re-election. ___ Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesio . ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece's Supreme Court has upheld a damage award of 800,000 euros ($900,000) for the family of a student who was fatally shot while riding a motorcycle past an army camp. The court's decision, made public on Tuesday, upheld a lower court ruling which the Greek government had appealed. The government argued the amount awarded was excessive. The 22-year-old student died on July 25, 2000 from bullet wounds he received while riding at night past the Skaramangas army camp west of Athens. A junior officer was convicted of firing the rounds while investigating reports of suspicious whistling near the camp's perimeter fence. He received a 13-year prison sentence. The motorcycle was on a highway 170 meters (yards) away from the fence when the student was hit. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A series of scandals surrounding Virginia's top Democrats has made it difficult for them to raise money in a key election year. Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring all posted anemic campaign finance reports Monday that are far below what their predecessors have raised at similar points in past election cycles. The trio was set to help use their name recognition and fundraising prowess to help Democrats flip control of the General Assembly later this year before several scandals erupted. Now it's unclear what kind of financial help they can bring. "When campaigns come looking for cash this fall, there just won't be any," said John March, spokesman for the Republican Party of Virginia. Northam first admitted, then denied that he'd appeared in a racist photo that surfaced in his medical school yearbook. He did say he wore blackface in the 1980s while dressed as Michael Jackson at a dance competition. Herring later admitted to wearing blackface in college, just days after calling for Northam to resign and after rumors of his own action began swirling in the capital. Two women came forward with allegations that Fairfax sexually assaulted them several years ago, allegations he denies. All three politicians have resisted calls to resign. All 140 legislative seats are up for grabs this year, when there are only three other states having legislative elections. Virginia is the only one where Democrats have a reasonable chance of flipping control of the legislature, and the contests will be closely watched as possible bellwethers for the 2020 election cycle. In this Feb. 26, 2018, photo, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring attends a news conference near the White House in Washington. A series of scandals surrounding Virginia's top Democrats has made it difficult for them to raise money in a key election year. Herring, Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax all posted anemic campaign finance reports Monday, April 15, that are far below what their predecessors have raised at similar points in past election cycles. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Lawmakers were not allowed to raise any money during this year's legislative session, but governors typically raise big bucks after the session ends. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe raised more than $530,000 in 2015 after the session ended, and former Gov. Bob McDonnell raised $428,000, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit money-in-politics tracker. Northam, by contrast, raised just $2,500 for his political action committee after the session ended this year. Northam reported spending $341,000 last quarter, including $25,000 at a law firm and $15,000 for a crisis communications firm a week after his scandal broke. He reported having about $1.2 million in the bank at the end of March. Fairfax did not raise any money after the session ended. Herring, who said last year he plans to run for governor in 2021, raised about $17,000 - far below the $64,000 he raised four years ago when the session finished. Northam has appeared to recover, for the most part, from his near-fatal political fall. He's back to making regular appearances, and Democrats and other allies who called on him to resign have signaled a willingness to work with him again. But he recently had to cancel an appearance at a fundraiser for Sen. Dave Marsden after protesters objected to the governor being there. He also canceled plans to be a commencement speaker at his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, and won't participate in any other graduation ceremonies amid the persisting scandal, news outlets reported. Northam's spokeswoman Ofirah Yheskel said Monday that he decided weeks ago to skip ceremonies over concern he would divert focus from the graduates. While a governor's PACs have traditionally been the main source of a party's campaign cash during off-year legislative elections, Virginia's lax campaign finance rules make it easy for other groups to fill the void. Virginia has no limits on contribution amounts, and there are several Democratic groups actively raising money. "We will have the resources we need to finish the work we started in 2017 and flip the General Assembly blue," said Jake Rubenstein, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia. FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2019, file photo, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks during a news conference in the Governor's Mansion in Richmond, Va. A series of scandals surrounding Virginia's top Democrats has made it difficult for them to raise money in a key election year. Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring all posted anemic campaign finance reports Monday, April 15, that are far below what their predecessors have raised at similar points in past election cycles. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - YouTube might need a few more humans. The machines whose job is to tamp down conspiracy theories are not cutting it just yet. As people around the world Monday turned to YouTube to watch Notre Dame Cathedral burn in Paris, an automated system attached background information about the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York to livestream videos of the fire. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but authorities said it appeared to be accidental, not arson or terrorism. The background note was posted by a system YouTube recently put in place to combat well-known conspiracies about such events as the moon landing or 9/11. In this case, the algorithm might have had the opposite effect, fueling speculation about the cause of the fire and who might be behind it. It's the latest example of artificial intelligence misfiring - and a sign that we have a long way to go before AI becomes smart enough to understand nuance and context. In a statement, YouTube explained that the background information - an entry from the Encyclopedia Britannica - was mistakenly placed there by algorithms intended to protect users from fake material that spreads in the wake of some news events. In this image made available on Tuesday April 16, 2019 flames and smoke rise from the blaze as the spire starts to topple on Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. An inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers, and a frantic rescue effort saved the monument's "most precious treasures," including the Crown of Thorns purportedly worn by Jesus, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Thierry Mallet) YouTube's algorithms have a history of misfiring and labeling videos inappropriately. Joshua Benton, director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, noted several in a blog post Monday. Last fall, for instance, YouTube labeled a video of a professor's retirement from Michigan State University with the Encyclopedia Britannica entry for "Jew," along with a Star of David placed under the image. The professor, Ken Waltzer, had been head of the university's Jewish studies program, but Benton noted that nothing in the video's title or description mentioned anything Jewish. YouTube's algorithm, which is presumably primed to bat down anti-Semitic conspiracies, somehow did that on its own. When YouTube announced its anti-conspiracy efforts last summer, it said it would counter bogus information with sources people generally trusted, such as Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica. It said it would add background from these sources to videos that feature common conspiracy subjects (for example, vaccinations, school shootings or the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing), regardless of whether the videos supported a conspiracy theory. Videos of the Notre Dame fire were shown by large, trusted news organizations. YouTube's artificial intelligence, however, made no exceptions. On Monday, the company quickly fixed the Notre Dame error and said its systems "sometimes make the wrong call." It turned off the information panels for the videos of the fire but did not say whether it was looking at the practice more broadly. "I think they are sort of back and forth about how much good this is doing," Benton said. "It does get at the core question that we see with Facebook and YouTube and any other tech platform that aspires to global scale. There is just too much content to monitor and you can't have human beings monitor every video." Instead, we have machines that are clearly still learning on the job. "It's one thing to get something wrong when the stakes are low," Benton said. "When it's the biggest news story of the world, it seems like they could have more people looking at it." ___ Associated Press Writer David Bauder contributed to this story from New York. KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - A celebrated former Ukrainian military pilot accused of plotting an attack on parliament has been freed from jail. A court in Brovary, outside the Ukrainian capital, refused to extend Nadiya Savchenko's arrest, setting her free Tuesday after a year behind bars. Savchenko was arrested in March 2018 on charges of planning to attack parliament with hand grenades and automatic weapons. She rejected the charges as an attempt by President Petro Poroshenko to get rid of a powerful challenger. Savchenko became a national hero in Ukraine after spending years in a Russian prison. She was freed in 2016 under international pressure, but after returning home to a hero's welcome quickly fell out with Poroshenko, accusing his government of corruption and incompetence. Poroshenko is trailing comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of Sunday's runoff. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania is getting an official amphibian, a nocturnal, unsightly salamander that's sometimes known as a snot otter, lasagna lizard or mud devil. The House voted 191-6 Tuesday to grant the honor to the Eastern hellbender, which can grow to be more than 2 feet (a half meter) long and is battling declining numbers across much of its range in the United States. The path to legislative recognition was not smooth, as the Eastern hellbender faced a stiff challenge from another amphibian called Wehrle's salamander. Rep. Garth Everett, R-Lycoming, who helped shepherd the bill through the House, said hellbenders had been on decline. "Not many people have actually seen hellbenders," Everett said after the vote. "They live only in very clean streams, and they live under rocks." They are the largest North American amphibian, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, and their jarring appearance has inspired a colorful set of nicknames that also include devil dog, ground puppy and Allegheny alligator. FILE - In this March 23, 2012, file photo, Ned S. Gilmore, collections manager of vertebrate zoology, shows a hellbender salamander in the collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is getting an official amphibian, a nocturnal salamander that can grow to be more than two feet long. The House voted 191-6 on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, to grant the honor to the Eastern hellbender, and Gov. Tom Wolf's office said he plans to sign it. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's student leadership council began the campaign to designate it as the state's official amphibian, and their efforts were aided by Lycoming College's Clean Water Institute. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said hellbenders were plentiful in Pennsylvania as recently as 1990. Their numbers have since been decimated in Eastern states by pollution and sedimentation, researchers say. Their range generally covers the Appalachian Mountains, from southern New York to northern Georgia. Among the factors researchers also worry about are disease and warming water temperatures caused by climate change. Hellbenders do not have federal protected status, and while some states give them protected status, Pennsylvania does not. Wehrle's salamander, which is common, is named after the late naturalist R.W. Wehrle, of Indiana, Pennsylvania. CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - A Florida jury on Tuesday found a man guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. Jurors in Clearwater, Florida, deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting John Jonchuck, whom prosecutors portrayed as a vengeful man who planned to kill his daughter to keep her away from her mother and grandmother. The Tampa Bay Times reported that no one from Jonchuck's family was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. And no friends or relatives spoke on behalf of Phoebe or her father before the sentencing. Jonchuck, who was stoic when the verdict was read, hugged his attorneys and said, "Yes, your honor," when asked if he understood that the verdict carries an automatic life sentence. He was then fingerprinted and taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs. Jonchuck's lawyers had asked the judge to delay sentencing for a week because they have some issues to check. But when they failed to provide a reason, Judge Chris Helinger proceeded with the sentencing. "I am satisfied that justice was done," the newspaper quoted Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe as saying. "My immediate reaction is killing children doesn't make one a very sympathetic character." The judge thanked jurors for their attention during the monthlong trial. "There's no way I can express my appreciation for your service," she said. "I've never had a trial this long and I've been here about 12 years as a judge." Defendant John Jonchuck hugs his attorney Jessica Manuele after a jury found him guilty, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. Jonchuck was found guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP, Pool) No one disputed that Jonchuck, now 29, dropped his daughter Phoebe 62 feet (18 meters) into Tampa Bay in January 2015, and that he had a long history of mental problems. But prosecutors claimed his action was premeditated. Assistant state attorney Paul Bolan told jurors that Jonchuck was motivated by anger over worries that Phoebe's mother was going to take the girl away from him and his own mother's doting attention to her granddaughter when she had been inattentive to him growing up. "It was rage that drove him to it on top of that bridge," Bolan said. "Did he know what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong? The answer is clearly yes." But assistant public defender Jessica Manuele told jurors Jonchuck loved Phoebe more than anything else in the world and that there's no evidence he acted out of "unbridled anger." His delusions led him to believe Phoebe was possessed and that the archangel, Michael, was coming, Manuele said. He poured salt outside her window to keep spirits away, she said. At the moment he threw her off the bridge, "he thought he was protecting his daughter," Manuele said. "It will never make sense because it's insanity." Twelve hours before Phoebe's death, Jonchuck's divorce lawyer, Genevieve Torres, called a state child protection hotline, fearing for the girl's safety, authorities said. Torres told the Department of Children and Families operator that Jonchuck had driven to three churches in his pajamas with Phoebe in tow that morning, called Torres "God" and asked her to translate his stepmother's century-old Swedish Bible, which he carried and had become obsessed with. Jonchuck was also paranoid that Phoebe wasn't his child, Torres said. But the operator thought the attorney was more worried about Jonchuck's safety than the girl's and did not report the call to authorities, they said. Just after midnight the next day, Jonchuck's PT Cruiser raced past officer William Vickers, who was heading home from a shift in his patrol car. He started following Jonchuck, but never got close enough to read the license plate and didn't know Phoebe was inside, authorities have said. As they reached the bridge's crest, Jonchuck stopped and got out. Vickers, fearing an ambush, stopped behind him, pulled his gun and yelled at Jonchuck to show his hands. He saw no weapon. Jonchuck yelled at the officer, "You have no free will." He grabbed Phoebe from the back seat, held her over the side momentarily and then dropped her, according to police accounts. Jonchuck drove off but was soon arrested. Vickers scrambled down a ladder to a dock below the bridge but couldn't see Phoebe in the dark water. A marine rescue boat was summoned, and her body was found hours later. Defendant John Jonchuck is directed by a Pinellas County Sheriff deputy to the finger print area after a jury found him guilty, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. Jonchuck was found guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP, Pool) Defendant John Jonchuck leaves the courtroom after the jury was released by the judge to deliberate, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. A Florida jury on Tuesday found Jonchuck guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP, Pool) Defendant John Jonchuck is fingerprinted by Pinellas County Sheriff deputies after a jury found him guilty, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. Jonchuck was found guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP, Pool) BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Native American voters face poor access to polling sites, discrimination by poll workers and unfair identification requirements, tribal leaders told members of Congress who traveled Tuesday to a reservation in North Dakota where voting rights were a key issue in last year's U.S. Senate race. A House elections subcommittee's meeting at the Standing Rock reservation was the latest in a series of on-site visits across the country on voting-rights issues. Activists told the panel that obstacles still remain more than five decades after Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which aimed to eliminate such impediments for minority voters. "There continues to be barriers - interpersonal and systemic - at our polling locations in our tribal communities and for our Native voters across the state," said activist Prairie Rose Seminole, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation in northwestern North Dakota. The bulk of the two-hour hearing focused on North Dakota's voter ID requirements, which have led to two federal lawsuits by tribes who allege the rules are discriminatory and suppress the American Indian vote, which leans Democrat in a Republican-dominant state. The voter ID dispute drew national attention last fall because of a U.S. Senate race in North Dakota that was seen as critical to Republicans' chances to keep control of the Senate. Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer defeated Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who was seeking a second term. North Dakota requires that a voter ID include a provable street address, which Secretary of State Al Jaeger says guards against fraud. Tribes allege the moves by state GOP leaders disenfranchised members who live on reservations where street addresses are uncommon or unknown and where post office boxes are the primary addresses. Charles Walker, left, representing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, testifies on 4-16-2019 in front of the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections at a field hearing in Fort Yates, N.D., related to voting rights and election administration accountability. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP) "The state knew this and they used it to suppress tribal voters," said Charles Walker, judicial committee chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux. State officials have denied that. The U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed the state to continue requiring street addresses on voter IDs, though Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a dissent that "the risk of voter confusion appears severe." The decision led to an intense effort by tribes and advocacy groups to get tribal members to the polls with proper ID during November's general election. It was largely successful but cost the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock tribes a combined $14,000, in part because they waived normal fees for tribal IDs. "Fifteen dollars is milk and bread for a week for a poor family," said Turtle Mountain Chippewa attorney Alysia LaCounte, who broke down in tears during her testimony. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, an Illinois Republican, noted during the hearing that Cramer won handily despite high Native American voter turnout. Native American Rights Fund attorney Jacqueline De Leon responded: "We don't think that outrage is a get-out-the-vote strategy, right?" "There are voter suppression issues going on throughout Indian Country that aren't nearly getting the attention or resources that were poured into North Dakota because it just so happened that Sen. Heitkamp was running for re-election, and the Senate balance of power elevated this issue to the national stage," DeLeon said. Davis replied, "So this was all a conspiracy to beat Heidi Heitkamp?" North Dakota Republican leaders have denied that Heitkamp's surprise 2012 win influenced state voter ID law. OJ Semans Sr., co-executive director of the Four Directions advocacy group, which has been successful in voting rights lawsuits in South Dakota and other states, implored the subcommittee to work to increase federal dollars that states can dedicate to helping Native American voters. "The backbone of democracy is going to be given a brace, because people are going to vote," he said. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Charles Walker is judicial committee chairman of Standing Rock, not the CEO of Three Affiliated Tribes. ___ Follow Blake Nicholson on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/NicholsonBlake LAS VEGAS (AP) - A national gun control lobbying organization on Tuesday made Nevada the latest Western state where it is trying to show that gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association are behind a "Second Amendment sanctuary" drive. The Brady advocacy group said it believes gun rights advocates improperly orchestrated resolutions by rural lawmakers and sheriffs who say they won't enforce a new state law requiring background checks on all gun sales, including purchases at gun shows and on the internet. "These Nevada county commissions and sheriffs have gone rogue," Brady President Kris Brown said in a statement saying the officials are endangering public safety by declaring they won't enforce strict background checks. "If your job is to keep your constituents safe and defend public safety, you should have a vested interest in keeping guns out of dangerous hands," she said. The National Rifle Association didn't immediately respond to messages about the Brady organization filings seeking emails and communications from commissioners in four of Nevada's 17 counties and sheriffs in three. Don Turner, head of the pro-gun Nevada Firearms Coalition, said he supports the counties and sheriffs for balking at laws "that infringe on U.S. and Nevada constitutions." FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, file photo, Simon Winson of Manchester, England fires a fully automatic machine gun at Machine Guns Vegas in Las Vegas. Strict gun laws keep the real guns out of reach for most people, especially outside the U.S., indoor shooting ranges with high-powered weapons have become a hot tourist attraction. A gun control lobbying organization is adding Nevada to efforts to show gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association are behind a "Second Amendment sanctuary" drive in several Western U.S. states. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Brady spokesman Max Samis acknowledged that communications and lobbying happens on both sides of the gun issue. "This is different," he said. "This is telling law enforcement officers not to enforce the law." The push for documents in Nevada follows requests by the Brady organization for records last month in New Mexico, where at least 26 county commissions approved so-called Second Amendment sanctuary ordinances in opposition to an expanded gun background checks law due to take effect July 1. Brady is considering similar action in Washington state, Illinois and Colorado, Samis said. In Washington and Illinois, officials in mostly rural areas have vowed not to enforce new gun buyer screening laws. In Colorado, gun rights activists say about half the state's 64 counties have symbolically declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuary areas in opposition to a "red flag" gun law signed last week by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. It allows firearms to be taken from people a judge deems to pose a danger. The officials in several rural Nevada counties focus on a law set to go into effect next January. A newly Democratic-majority Legislature passed the measure and Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak quickly signed it in February, more than two years after a background check initiative was passed by voters in 2016. Sisolak called it a memorial to victims of the October 2017 Las Vegas Strip massacre that became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Despite lawsuits, the initiative was not enacted during the Republican administration of former Gov. Brian Sandoval and former Attorney General Adam Laxalt. They insisted it was flawed and that the state does a better job of checking records of gun buyers than the FBI. Elected officials in Nevada's two largest urban areas, Las Vegas and Reno, have said they will enforce the new state background screenings law when it goes into effect. In rural Nye County, Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said she wanted to see what the Brady campaign seeks before she comments about the public documents filing. Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts referred to a letter he sent in February to Sisolak, saying he would "refuse to participate, or stand idly by, while my citizens are turned into criminals due to the unconstitutional actions of misguided politicians." "Nowhere in my letter does it say I am not enforcing the law," Watts said Tuesday. DETROIT (AP) - The Latest on the second-degree murder trial of a former Michigan trooper in the death of a Detroit teenager (all times local): 3:55 p.m. Jurors have gone home after a brief period of deliberations in the trial of a former Michigan State Police trooper who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Detroit teen. Damon (Da-MAHN') Grimes crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died after he was shot with a Taser in Detroit in 2017. Mark Bessner says he believed the 15-year-old was armed during a chase. But Grimes wasn't carrying a weapon. Jurors heard closing arguments Tuesday and discussed the case for an hour. They will return Wednesday to Wayne County court. It's the second trial for Bessner. His first trial last fall ended without a unanimous verdict. Former Michigan state trooper Mark Bessner listens to Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Matthew Penney delivers his opening argument in Bessner's trial, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, Detroit. Bessner is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Damon Grimes in 2017. It's the second trial after a jury last fall couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP) ___ 1:10 p.m. A prosecutor is urging jurors to convict a former Michigan State Police trooper of second-degree murder in the death of a Detroit teen, saying there wasn't a "lick of common sense" in firing a Taser at a boy riding an all-terrain vehicle. Damon (Da-MAHN') Grimes crashed the ATV and died. Mark Bessner is on trial for a second time after the first trial last fall ended without a unanimous verdict . The trial moved to closing arguments Tuesday after Bessner declined to tell his version of what happened in 2017 on a Detroit street. It was a major shift in strategy: He offered emotional testimony at the first trial, telling jurors that he believed the 15-year-old had a gun. Grimes didn't have a weapon. Defense attorney Richard Convertino says the ATV was in poor condition and Bessner feared for his safety. ___ 11:19 a.m. A former Michigan State Police trooper charged with murder in the death of a Detroit teen says he won't testify in his own defense. Mark Bessner is on trial for the second time after a jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict last fall. He testified at the first trial but told a judge Tuesday that he will remain silent this time. It's a major shift in strategy. Damon (Da-MAHN') Grimes was 15 years old in 2017 when he crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died after Bessner shot him with a Taser on a Detroit street. Prosecutors say the Taser was unnecessary and created a high risk of danger. At the first trial, Bessner told jurors that he believed Grimes was armed. The teen had no gun. LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) - The Latest on lockdowns at Columbine High School and other Denver-area schools (all times local): 10:35 p.m. Investigators say a woman who made undisclosed threats that led to tightened security at Columbine High School bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition shortly after landing in Denver from Miami. Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the FBI in Denver, says a "massive manhunt" is underway for 18-year-old Sol Pais. She flew into Colorado on Monday night and was last seen in the foothills west of Denver. Phillips says Pais did not specifically threaten Columbine, but investigators were concerned because she has expressed an infatuation with the 1999 shooting. Doors were locked at Columbine and at more than 20 other schools in the Denver area on Tuesday afternoon after the threat. A student leaves Columbine High School late Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Littleton, Colo. Following a lockdown at Columbine High School and other Denver area schools, authorities say they are looking for a woman suspected of making threats. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) The lockouts come just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at Columbine that killed 12 students and a teacher. ___ 6 p.m. FBI officials in Colorado say the woman who made undisclosed threats against Columbine High School is "infatuated" with the 1999 school shooting and is considered armed and dangerous. The FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a notice Tuesday for police to be on the lookout for 18-year-old Sol Pais. It says she tried to buy firearms and that police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the FBI say Pais traveled to Colorado on Monday night and was last seen in the foothills west of Denver. It's not clear where she came from. The threats led school officials locked the doors of Columbine and about 20 other schools in the Denver area before releasing students for the day. ___ 4:50 p.m. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says the threat that prompted a lockdown at Columbine High School and other Denver-area schools involved someone who was armed and "may be interested in harming our schools or our kids." Polis said Tuesday the Colorado Department of Public Safety was working with the FBI to protect public safety. He said he had no other information. The Department of Public Safety urged schools urged schools to tighten security, and more than 20 put lockdowns in place. The lockdowns come just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at Columbine High School that killed 12 students and a teacher. Authorities say they are looking for a woman suspected of making threats. They say she should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. ___ 4:10 p.m. All schools in the Denver area are being urged to tighten security after what appears to be a credible threat caused a lockout at Columbine High School and more than 20 other schools in the area. Patricia Billinger, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety, says the agency made the recommendation because Tuesday's threat was deemed "credible and general." At least one school district heeded the advice. Aurora Public Schools tweeted that students were being released in a "controlled manner," and additional security was put in place throughout the district as a precaution. The lockouts come just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at Columbine High School that killed 12 students and a teacher. Authorities say they are looking for a woman suspected of making threats. They say she should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. ___ 3:45 p.m. Following a lockdown at Columbine High School and other Denver area schools, authorities say they are looking for a woman suspected of making threats. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the FBI says 18-year-old Sol Pais traveled to Colorado on Monday night and made threats but they didn't provide any details about the threats. They say she was last seen in the foothills west of Denver, where some of the schools put on lockdown are located. They didn't say where she traveled from. Authorities said Pais is armed and considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached. Doors were locked at Columbine and at least over 20 other schools in the Denver area as the sheriff's office said it was investigating a possible threat against schools that was related to an FBI investigation. Students were dismissed on time but after school activities were canceled at Columbine. ____ 2:55 p.m. Students are leaving classes after tightened security at Columbine High School and over 20 other Denver-area high schools after a lockdown caused by a possible threat. Students wearing backpacks came out the main door at Columbine on Tuesday afternoon, soon after school officials announced that students in all the schools put on lockdown were safe and would be dismissed at their normal times. The students walked to crosswalks and buses parked near the entrance. Officials said after school activities will be held at all schools except Columbine, but didn't explain why. A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Mike Taplin, said the lockdowns involved an FBI investigation but he couldn't provide any details. The sheriff's office previously said the lockdowns were prompted by an investigation into what appeared to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools The lockdowns come just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at the school that killed 12 students and a teacher. ____ 2:30 p.m. Authorities say tightened security at Columbine High School and about a dozen other Denver-area schools is related to an FBI investigation. A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Mike Taplin, said Tuesday's school lockdowns involved an FBI investigation but he couldn't provide any details. The sheriff's office previously said the lockdowns were prompted by its investigation into what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools A message left for an FBI spokeswoman wasn't immediately returned. School officials say the doors were locked but classes were continuing at Columbine and two other nearby schools and at other schools farther away in the same district. The lockdowns come just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at the school that killed 12 students and a teacher. There was no immediate indication whether there was any connection to the anniversary. ____ 1:40 p.m. Columbine High School and about a dozen other schools are on lockdown as law enforcement says it is investigating what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools. School officials say the doors were locked but classes were continuing Tuesday at Columbine and two other nearby schools and at other schools farther away in the district. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said deputies were posted at the schools involved. The lockdown comes just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting at the school that killed 12 students and a teacher. There was no immediate indication whether Tuesday's lockdown has any connection to the anniversary. This combination of undated photos released by the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 shows Sol Pais. On Tuesday authorities said they are looking pais, suspected of making threats on Columbine High School, just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting that killed 13 people. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office via AP) ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Ivanka Trump met with the vice president of Ivory Coast as part of a trip to Africa focused on women's economic development. The president's daughter and senior adviser arrived in the country Tuesday, traveling from Ethiopia. She met with Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan at the presidential palace. Gender inequality is a serious issue in Ivory Coast. A 2018 gender gap report from the World Economic Forum ranked it 131 out of 144 countries. The government has pledged to improve conditions for women as part of the terms for a grant from the U.S. government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation. The White House said the meeting focused on Ivory Coast changes, including efforts on behalf of and current barriers for women. U.S. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, waves back at airport workers as one blows a kiss and others wave as she arrives at the airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday April 16, 2019, after flying in from Ethiopia. Trump is visiting Ivory Coast to promote a White House global economic program for women, after a previous stop in Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) U.S. White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump exits an Ethiopian Airlines plane, Tuesday April 16, 2019, on arrival to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Trump is visiting Ivory Coast to continue promoting a White House global economic program for women, after a previous stop in Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, left, walks with Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan, center, at the Presidential Palace, Tuesday April 16, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Trump is visiting Ethiopia and Ivory Coast to promote a White House global economic program for women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) DENVER (AP) - Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday met with survivors of the Columbine High School attack and other survivors of the state's mass shootings just four days before the 20th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. Hickenlooper, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has been touting gun control measures he signed following the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, which killed 12 people. But Tuesday's event had a somber tone and barely touched on the reliable Democratic vote-getting issue of gun control, instead veering into an inconclusive discussion of the need for improved mental health services for both the victims of mass shootings and for potential perpetrators. Hickenlooper kicked off the hourlong discussion at a Denver church by noting recent suicides of survivors of last year's Parkland High School shooting and of the father of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. The former governor, who's called for federal funding of more long-term counseling for those affected by mass shootings, asked the group about the lingering impact of the trauma. Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was one of 13 people killed at Columbine, worries there's been too much emphasis on "be strong" after recent attacks. "You need to balance that with the reality that some people are still traumatized," he said. Democratic state Rep. Rhonda Fields, whose district includes the site of the Aurora massacre and whose son was killed earlier in an unrelated homicide, is concerned that resources aren't getting to those who need them. Democratic presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper, right, hugs Michael Davis during a meeting with survivors of victims of mass shootings in Colorado Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Denver. Michael Davis lost his daughter, Claire, in December 2013 during a shooting at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) "There is a ripple effect when it comes to mass shootings," she said. "I don't know if people know how to ask for help sometimes because the focus seems to be on the parents or the students who were right there." Coni Sanders, whose father, Dave Sanders, was the lone teacher killed at Columbine, now runs a mental health provider. She said she's seen improvements in the system after 20 years. But Sanders worries about the underfunded mental health system in general. She counsels domestic abusers and others referred by courts but said it's almost impossible for people with mental health issues to find help outside the criminal justice system. Absent a threat that they may imminently harm someone, they're often waved away, she said. "Unless you go to an emergency room and actually are in crisis, there's no help," Sanders said. Mauser added that people often deflect calls for gun control with references to mental health but said that truly tackling mental health issues will cost a great deal of taxpayer money. Hickenlooper, who noted that the state invested $30 million more in mental health care after Aurora, said discussion of mass shootings often centers around gun control, which, he said, is good. But, he added, they need to be broader. "This is something we really haven't addressed," Hickenlooper said. Coni Sanders, front, who lost her father, Dave, in the massacre at Columbine High School, listens as Democratic presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper, back right, speaks during a meeting with survivors of victims of mass shootings in Colorado Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Democratic presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper, left, speaks as Michael Davis, back, look on during a meeting with survivors of victims of mass shootings in Colorado Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Denver. Davis lost his daughter, Claire, in a mass shooting at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colo., in December 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Democratic presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper, back, hugs Colorado state Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, during a meeting with survivors of victims of mass shootings in Colorado Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Denver. Fields lost her son and his fiancee in a shooting in 2005. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) APPLETON, Wis. (AP) - A 17-year-old typed out pages on how he planned to fatally shoot his grandparents and law enforcement found those notes with a book on an executioner in the teen's backpack after he called 911 and confessed to the killings, prosecutors in Wisconsin said Tuesday. Alexander M. Kraus was charged Tuesday in Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wisconsin, with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus. Each charge carries a life sentence. Outagamie County Court Commissioner Brian Figy ordered Kraus held on a $2 million cash bond. Greg Petit, Kraus' attorney, declined to comment Tuesday, telling The Associated Press after the hearing he "doesn't know enough" yet about the case. Police found the bodies Sunday at their home in Grand Chute, a small city about 110 miles (180 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, after a male called the police and said he needed to be arrested in the deaths, according to a criminal complaint. An autopsy found that Dennis Kraus was shot once in the head and Letha Kraus suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the right forearm. There were "several pages" in a red folder outlining how Kraus would kill his grandparents, investigators said in the complaint, which provided no motive for the shootings. The complaint mentioned a book found in Kraus' camouflage backpack about an executioner, but provided no details. Alexander M. Kraus, 17, is handed documents by his attorney Gregory Petit during his initial appearance Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in the Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wis. Kraus was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the deaths of his grandparents, 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus. Each charge carries a life sentence. (Danny Damiani/The Post-Crescent via AP) Police have said Kraus also told investigators he was planning to cause unspecified harm at Neenah High School, where he was a junior. No details of the nature of that plot have been revealed and it was not mentioned in the complaint released Tuesday. The school district said police determined there is no danger to students or faculty. Messages left at a number listed for Kraus' home address in Neenah were not immediately returned Tuesday. Kraus told detectives he shot his grandfather in the head first then "tried to shoot his grandmother in the head," according to the complaint. Police said Letha Kraus' body was found lying on top of Dennis Kraus' body in the kitchen of the home. Officers found a shotgun with a knife taped to the end of the barrel and a knife sheath on the bed of a downstairs bedroom. A search of an upstairs bedroom uncovered a shotgun on the bed with two gun cases and ammunition, a "large amount of various ammunition" on the floor, and several more guns in a gun cabinet, the complaint said. Kraus told police he stayed at his grandparents' home the night before the killing. Wisconsin is one of six states that treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has included provisions in his state budget that would move 17-year-olds back into juvenile court. Alexander M. Kraus, 17, is shackled during his initial appearance Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in the Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wis. Kraus was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the deaths of his grandparents, 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus. Each charge carries a life sentence. (Danny Damiani/The Post-Crescent via AP) ROME, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia man who has acted in zombie movies is accused of beating two women and forcing one of them to taste his blood. The Rome News-Tribune reports 30-year-old Eliot Ryan Rutledge faces charges including false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Rutledge allegedly trapped a woman inside his home in Rome, Georgia, in August 2018 and assaulted her by punching, elbowing and poking her. Floyd County Jail documents report the same woman was assaulted at his home between June 2017 and October 2018. He's also accused of hurting another woman in January by choking and biting her and forcing his cut hand into her mouth to make her taste his blood. IMDB.com credits Rutledge with producing and acting in the 2017 short films "Gangsters and Zombies" and "Gangsters and Zombies II." ___ Information from: Rome News-Tribune, http://www.romenews-tribune.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom has kept up a frenetic pace in his first 100 days, jousting with President Donald Trump, traveling to Central America, placing a moratorium on executions and pledging bold action on housing and clean water. It's in contrast to Jerry Brown, his predecessor and fellow Democrat who favored a more measured approach to governing the nation's most populous state. While Newsom publicly reveres Brown, he's said it's time for a greater emphasize on poverty and affordability issues. He's substantially altered two of Brown's signature projects, the high-speed rail and twin water tunnels, but says it's with an eye toward improvement. In a Monday interview with The Associated Press, Newsom summed up his approach: "I could wait for things to take shape and hope things come around. Or I could try to advance an agenda and hold myself to a higher level of accountability. . . I'm willing to take the heat on these things; I'm willing to engage on the front end not the back end." BATTLING TRUMP California has added several lawsuits to its 40 plus against the Trump administration under Newsom, including one to block an emergency declaration to pay for a border wall. In removing most National Guard troops from the border, Newsom called Trump's immigration actions "absurd." In this photo taken Monday April 15, 2019 Gov. Gavin Newsom poses for a photo at his Capitol office in Sacramento, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's traveled to Central America, battled with the Trump administration on immigration, placed a moratorium on the death penalty and pledged bold action on housing and clean water. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) He's also moved to protect the individual mandate that requires people to buy health care and slammed Trump's threats to withhold federal emergency aid from last year's wildfires. "We have to be the positive alternative to Trump and Trumpism," Newsom said. EL SALVADOR Newsom visited El Salvador this month to learn about the poverty and violence forcing thousands to seek asylum in the United States. He defended the trip against critics who said he should instead focus on poverty at home. "I don't know of another issue that's more resonant and more topical and relevant, in California and this nation, than the issue of asylum seekers, the issue of immigration," he said. But a governor has limited power over immigration and the most tangible idea Newsom left with centered on economic development. He said California could help El Salvador market its surfing industry and invited Salvadoran officials to California to pitch investors. DEATH PENALTY Newsom's most significant action may be his moratorium on executions for the 737 people on death row. The state hasn't executed anyone since 2006, but voters passed a ballot measure in 2016 to speed up the process. Newsom said he couldn't allow it knowing the state might execute innocent people. He also dismantled the "death chamber" at San Quentin State Prison and halted lethal injection protocols. He may go a step further in commuting some death row sentences entirely, but he said Monday he's waiting for clarity from the state Supreme Court, which blocked several of Brown's commutation requests. Relatives of murder victims have launched a tour urging Newsom to change his mind. HIGH-SPEED RAIL Newsom's changes to a troubled high-speed rail project marked a challenge to Brown's priorities and a lesson in the perils of an unclear message. He declared there wasn't a current path to complete the train from Los Angeles to San Francisco. His office them scrambled to clarify Newsom was still committed to the project. The confusion gave Trump an opening to threaten pulling back $3.5 billion for the project. That would drastically undercut the state's ability to finish current construction in the Central Valley. The state's high-speed rail agency will release an updated plan to lawmakers May 1. Newsom wants to build 171 miles (275 kilometers) of track in the Central Valley before heading west to the San Francisco Bay Area. He said his remarks were designed to address the project's ballooning costs and unrealistic deadlines. Newsom chafed at suggestions he was dismantling Brown's legacy. In the same February speech, he also rolled back Brown's plan to build two giant tunnels to reroute the state's water, saying he favored one. AFFORDABILITY AND POVERTY Newsom has already sued one city for failing to meet its housing goals and threatened to take away transportation funding from others that don't comply. Lawmakers are skeptical about the idea of linking money for road repairs to housing. Perhaps sensing their resistance, Newsom drafted sample legislation that wouldn't link that money until 2023. In his budget, Newsom gave $1 billion in tax credits and loans to accelerate housing development and added $750 million to help local governments ramp up housing production. All of that is still winding through the Legislature. Newsom also said addressing the state's affordability crisis is a priority. He has focused on improving access to clean water in the Central Valley, where he said as many as a million people don't have drinkable water. He's proposed a tax on water users and farmers, an idea that failed in the Legislature last year. He visited a town with water problems during his first week in office. "It's my effort to change the conversation from last year that ended up short," he said. FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump talks with then Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, left, and as California Gov. Jerry Brown listens during a visit to a neighborhood impacted by the wildfires in Paradise, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) FILE - This Feb. 26, 2015, photo shows a full-scale mockup of a high-speed train, displayed at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Newsom says the administration's attempt to take back $3.5 billion granted for the state's bullet train is "political retribution" for California suing over Trump's emergency declaration to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE In this March 13,2019 file photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation a chair is removed from the death penalty chamber at San Quentin State Prison, in San Quentin, Calif. In his first 100 days as governor, Gavin Newsom has placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP, File) FILE -- In this April 8, 2019 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom receives a traditional Panchimalco handmade textile during his visit in Panchimalco, El Salvador, Monday, April 8, 2019. Newsom traveled to El Salvador to discuss the immigration issues. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, File) FILE - This Dec. 7, 1993 file photo shows Richard Allen Davis appearing with his public defender, Bruce Kinnison, in a Sonoma County Municipal Court in Santa Rosa, Calif. Davis was sentenced to death since his 1996 conviction in the kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggrieves goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) FILE -- In this April 9, 2019 file photo President-elect of El Salvador Nayib Bukele, right, accompanies California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, on a visit the Museum of Art of El Salvador, MARTE, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Newsom traveled to El Salvador to discuss the immigration issues. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez,File) FILE -- In this March 13, 2019 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his decision to place a moratorium on the death penalty during a news conference at the Capitol, in Sacramento, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's traveled to Central America, battled with the Trump administration on immigration, placed a moratorium on the death penalty and pledged bold action on housing and clean water. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2016 file photo, a man stands outside his tent on Division Street in San Francisco. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, outlined his plans in his proposed budget to spend $1.75 billion on housing in a state that is woefully short on units and $500 million on homelessness. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) FILE -- In this Jan. 7, 2019 file photo California Governor Gavin Newsom his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and their children wave after taking the oath office during his inauguration as 40th Governor of California, in Sacramento, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's traveled to Central America, battled with the Trump administration on immigration, placed a moratorium on the death penalty and pledged bold action on housing and clean water.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE -- In this Jan. 7, 2019 file photo California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during his inauguration as his son, Dutch, listens behind the podium, in Sacramento, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's traveled to Central America, battled with the Trump administration on immigration, placed a moratorium on the death penalty and pledged bold action on housing and clean water. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE -- In this April 7, 2019 file photo California Gov. Gavin Newsom with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, visit the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero at Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador, Newsom traveled to El Salvador to discuss the immigration issues. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's placed a moratorium on the death penalty, set aggressive goals to increase housing and battled with the Trump administration on immigration. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, Pool, File) File- In this Nov. 13, 2018 file photo, California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, right, and Gov. Jerry Brown talk with reporters after their meeting at the Capitol, in Sacramento, Calif. In Newsom's first 100 days as governor, he's traveled to Central America, battled with the Trump administration on immigration, placed a moratorium on the death penalty and pledged bold action on housing and clean water. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File). OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A coalition of business and faith leaders pushing a package of bills aimed at lowering Oklahoma's highest-in-the-nation prison incarceration rate are running into a familiar obstacle - the state's elected district attorneys. Led by former Republican House Speaker Kris Steele, the bipartisan group hosted a rally on Tuesday and called on the Legislature to pass the package of bills aimed at stopping Oklahoma's skyrocketing prison population growth. The bills would reduce criminal penalties for several nonviolent crimes and retroactively apply a state question approved by voters in 2016 that made drug possession a misdemeanor. Other bills would overhaul the state's bail system and reduce the likelihood of imprisonment for technical probation or parole violations. "This is a pivotal moment in Oklahoma history," said Steele, flanked by dozens of women from a program in Tulsa that helps them adjust to life outside of prison. "We have the right people in place. Now is the time to act." Oklahoma's new Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has said reducing the state's prison population is a top priority, but many of the proposals are facing fierce opposition from district attorneys and law enforcement. "The District Attorneys Association doesn't have any problem with well thought out criminal justice reforms, but some of the proposed legislation would create havoc in the criminal justice system," said Brian Hermanson, the top prosecutor for Kay and Noble counties. Former Republican House Speaker Kris Steele, right, addresses a group of criminal justice reform advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Oklahoma City. A coalition of business and faith leaders is pushing a package of bills aimed at lowering Oklahoma's highest-in-the-nation prison incarceration rate. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Hermanson said the plan to retroactively apply State Question 780 to currently incarcerated inmates would require each of those cases to be reevaluated and returned to counties to be litigated again. "That can be much more responsibly dealt with through the pardon and parole process," Hermanson said. Stitt spokeswoman Donelle Harder said the governor remains committed to losing the state's dubious distinction as the nation's leader in incarceration. She said among the governor's priorities are funding the district attorneys through the state's general fund rather than having prosecutors rely on collecting fees and fines from defendants. Many ex-inmates find it impossible to get back on their feet after being released from prison because of crushing debt from court costs. "The biggest feedback he got from Oklahomans was about the debt," Harder said. "That's what people feel at the end of the day." Oklahoma's state prison facilities are at 112 percent of capacity, and staffing levels are so low at some facilities that some fear the U.S. Justice Department could demand the state make changes, said Bobby Cleveland, director of the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals. Cleveland pointed to what is happening in Alabama , where the GOP-controlled Legislature was forced to boost funding by $40 million, mostly to increase pay and hire an additional 500 officers for state prisons, to stave off a lawsuit from the Department of Justice over prison violence. "The same thing's going to happen here if they don't do something now," said Cleveland, who is seeking a pay raise for Department of Corrections workers. ___ Follow Sean Murphy at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce President Roy Williams speaks to a group of criminal justice reform advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Oklahoma City. A coalition of business and faith leaders is pushing a package of bills aimed at lowering Oklahoma's highest-in-the-nation prison incarceration rate. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Rhonda Bear, a formerly incarcerated and second-chance business owner, speaks to a group of criminal justice reform advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Oklahoma City. A coalition of business and faith leaders is pushing a package of bills aimed at lowering Oklahoma's highest-in-the-nation prison incarceration rate. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts Tuesday, April 16, 2019, speaks to a group of criminal justice reform advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Oklahoma City. A coalition of business and faith leaders is pushing a package of bills aimed at lowering Oklahoma's highest-in-the-nation prison incarceration rate. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) NEW YORK (AP) - The Martha Stewart brand is getting a new home. Sequential Brands Group, which bought the Martha Stewart brand nearly four years ago for about $353 million, said Tuesday that it is selling it to Marquee Brands for about $175 million. As part of the deal, Marquee will also acquire the brand of TV chef Emeril Lagasse. Marquee owns several clothing and footwear brands, including Ben Sherman and Body Glove. The company says the acquisition will help it grow into the home and food categories. Stewart will still oversee the brand, which she founded in the 1990s, and includes magazines, cookware and towels. More recently, the brand struck a deal to make products containing CBD, a compound derived from hemp and marijuana that doesn't cause a high. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The veto - the second in Trump's presidency - was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump wrote in explaining his Tuesday veto. Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing. The U.S. provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began in 2014. The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. FILE - This April 10, 2019, file photo shows a view of the site of an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) Trump said the measure was unnecessary because except for counterterrorism operations against Islamic State militants and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen. He said there were no U.S. military personnel in Yemen accompanying the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis, although he acknowledged that the U.S. has provided limited support to the coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and - until recently - in-flight refueling of non-U.S. aircraft. The president also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes with his constitutional power as commander in chief. He said the U.S. is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000 Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen. "Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," Trump said. "In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a 'cheap' and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia." House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday night saying: "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis." Pelosi added: "This conflict must end, now. The House of Representatives calls on the President to put peace before politics, and work with us to advance an enduring solution to end this crisis and save lives." Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Trump's veto "shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation." Kaine accused Trump of turning a blind eye to Khashoggi's killing and the jailing of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. "I hope my colleagues will show we won't tolerate the Trump administration's deference to Saudi Arabia at the expense of American security interests by voting to override this veto," Kaine said. The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries. David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian aid group, said: "This veto by President Trump is morally wrong and strategically wrongheaded. It sets back the hopes for respite for the Yemeni people, and leaves the U.S. upholding a failed strategy." Trump issued his first veto last month on legislation related to immigration. Trump had declared a national emergency so he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the emergency declaration and Trump vetoed that measure. WASHINGTON (AP) - Ecuador's president on Tuesday accused Julian Assange of hosting numerous hackers at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to give them directions on how to propagate information on topics important to the WikiLeaks founder and his financiers. President Lenin Moreno said that Swedish programmer Ola Bini, who is in custody in Ecuador, was one of the hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. Moreno said Bini hacked cellphones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuador's government. In Quito earlier in the day, Bini's parents made an anxious plea for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he did nothing wrong. "Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more," said his father, Dag Gustafsson. Meanwhile, demonstrators clashed with police in Ecuador's capital during a protest against Moreno's action against Assange, his firing of state workers and the government's taking of a loan from the International Monetary Fund. Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno, left, speaks at an event at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Moreno made his allegations while at the Inter-American Dialogue during his five-day visit to Washington. He will not have meetings with officials from the Trump administration. Assange had enjoyed asylum since 2012 at the embassy in London but relations between the silver-haired Australian and Ecuadorian officials had grown increasingly tense. Moreno's government has accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing feces on the embassy's walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. The U.S. is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Ecuador's president suggested Assange was able to operate equipment and collaborate with embassy staffers for a long time thanks to the support of Moreno's predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange. "There are other answers that fit with someone's else money, which (this person) kept taking away from Ecuador in order to keep power and in order to go back to power," Moreno said without referring specifically to Correa at first. But at a later point, Moreno said "the president" spends $3 million a month to propagate his ideas and has been receiving money from the socialist government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to perform economic studies. He did not specify an amount. Moreno said his government has not requested cooperation from the United States for the investigation of Assange and Bini. But, he added, "if we need it, we will request. Let's not forget this is a country with very high technology." Ecuadorian Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo contends Bini traveled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She says he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Correa. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini with hacking-related crimes and had him ordered detained for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Bini's father said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit group and has a "burning passion" for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. "For us, it's surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations," Gustafasson said. ___ Luis Alonso Lugo on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/luisalonsolugo Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno speaks at an event at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference flanked by his wife Gorel Bini, and his son's lawyer Carlos Soria, in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, attends a press conference in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The ace Swedish programmer, pictured on the screen in the background, who was an early, ardent supporter of WikiLeaks was arrested in Ecuador last week in an alleged plot to blackmail the country's president over his abandonment of Julian Assange. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Protesters clash with police blocking them from advancing closer to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Protesters were demonstrating against the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government, including the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Julian Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) A man is detained by police blocking protesters from advancing closer to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Protesters were demonstrating against the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government, including the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Julian Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) People wearing Julian Assange and Guy Fawkes masks protest the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government as they march to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Demonstrators protested the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Police advance on protesters with batons to keep them from advancing closer to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Protesters were demonstrating against the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government, including the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Julian Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Protesters clash with police blocking them from advancing closer to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Protesters were demonstrating against the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government, including the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Julian Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Red paint thrown by protesters covers the shields of police blocking demonstrators from advancing closer to the presidential palace, as a protester braces behind a home-made sheild in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Protesters were demonstrating against the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government, including the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Julian Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) A protester wearing a Julian Assange image on her back protests the policies of President Lenin Moreno's government as demonstrators march to the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Demonstrators protested the recent firing of state workers, the taking of an IMF loan and the removal of Assange's asylum status. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A crowdfunding campaign for three African American churches in Louisiana recently gutted by arson was climbing Tuesday after social media posts urging the public not to forget the plight of the small houses of worship as the eyes of the world were on the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. "As we hold Paris in our hearts today, let's also sent some love to our neighbors in Louisiana," a Tuesday tweet from Hillary Clinton read. Freelance journalist Yashar Ali, with 394,000 followers, struck a similar tone, tweeting that the Notre Dame restoration "will be well funded" and urging support for the Louisiana churches. "It's a blessing, truly a blessing," the Rev. Freddie Jack, president of the Seventh District Missionary Baptist Association, said of the fundraising campaign in a telephone interview Tuesday night. The three churches are members of the association. Suspect Holden Matthews, 21, is in custody in connection with the Louisiana fires and faces charges that include hate crimes. The fires happened in and around Opelousas beginning in late March. Matthews was arrested a week ago. The campaign hit $500,000 Tuesday evening, with contributions ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars. FILE - In this April 4, 2019 file photo, firefighters and fire investigators respond to a fire at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, in Opelousas, La. Authorities have arrested a person in connection with suspicious fires at three historic black churches in southern Louisiana, a federal prosecutor said. The suspect was in state custody, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph announced late Wednesday, April 10 in a news release labeling the fires "despicable acts." (Leslie Westbrook/The Advocate via AP, File) "It's all working out for the greater good," Jack said, when asked about the connection being made to the Notre Dame fire. The money raised is to be distributed equally among the three century-old churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, which burned on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas; and Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, which burned over the following 10 days. PHOENIX (AP) - Detained asylum seekers who have shown they have a credible fear of returning to their country will no longer be able to ask a judge to grant them bond. U.S. Attorney General William Barr decided Tuesday that asylum seekers who clear a "credible fear" interview and are facing removal don't have the right to be released on bond by an immigration court judge while their cases are pending. The attorney general has the authority to overturn prior rulings made by immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department. It's Barr's first immigration-related decision since taking office. The American Civil Liberties Union said late Tuesday that the plan was unconstitutional and that it planned on suing. Typically, an asylum seeker who crosses between ports of entry would have the right to ask a judge to grant them bond for release. Under the new ruling, they will have to wait in detention until their case is adjudicated. "There will be many, many people who are not gonna even have the opportunity to apply for release now," said Gregory Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Chen said that about 90 percent of asylum seekers pass their credible fear interview, the first step in seeking asylum. The decision doesn't affect asylum-seeking families because they generally can't be held for longer than 20 days. It also doesn't apply to unaccompanied minors. FILE - In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, file photo, U.S. Attorney General William Barr reacts as he appears before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee to make his Justice Department budget request in Washington. Barr decided Tuesday, April 16, 2019, that asylum seekers who clear a "credible fear" interview and are facing removal don't have the right to be released on bond by an immigration court judge while their cases are pending. The attorney general has the authority to overturn prior rulings made by immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) Barr's ruling takes effect in 90 days and comes amid a frustrating time for the administration as the number of border crossers has skyrocketed. Most of them are families from Central America who are fleeing violence and poverty. Many seek asylum. There were a total of 161,000 asylum applications filed in the last fiscal year and 46,000 in the first quarter of 2019, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts. Sarah Pierce, policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, said the number of decisions by immigration judges that the administration of President Donald Trump has referred to itself for review is unprecedented. The administration - under both Barr and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions - has reviewed a total of 10 immigration rulings. That's compared to four under all of President Barack Obama's tenure and nine during George W. Bush's. "This has been a really unprecedented use of power to influence the immigration system," Pierce said. FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2018, file photo, Honduran asylum seekers are taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents after the group crossed the U.S. border wall into San Diego, Calif., seen from Tijuana, Mexico. Detained asylum seekers who have shown they have a credible fear of returning to their country will no longer be able to ask a judge to grant them bond. U.S. Attorney General William Barr decided Tuesday, April 16, 2019, that asylum seekers who clear a "credible fear" interview and are facing removal don't have the right to be released on bond while their cases are pending and will have to wait in detention until their case is adjudicated. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's veto of a congressional resolution on U.S. involvement in war in Yemen: 8:40 p.m. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The veto is just the second in Trump's presidency. It has been expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. Passing the never-before-used war powers resolution has been viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. In explaining his veto, Trump calls the resolution "an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." He also says it endangers the lives of American citizens and service members. FILE - This April 10, 2019, file photo shows a view of the site of an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. ___ 7:40 p.m. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution passed to end U.S. military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict. Trump vetoed the measure Tuesday. Congress lacks the votes to override him. Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom. SHANGHAI (AP) - China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter despite a tariff war with Washington as Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown started to gain traction. The world's second-largest economy expanded by 6.4% over a year before in the three months ending in March, the government reported Wednesday. That matched the previous quarter for the weakest growth since 2009. "This confirms that China's economic growth is bottoming out and this momentum is likely to continue," said Tai Hui of JP Morgan Asset Management in a report. A revival in Chinese growth and demand for imports could help to shore up weakening global economic activity. China is the biggest export customer for its Asian neighbors and a top market for autos, mobile phones and other consumer goods, food and industrial technology. Communist leaders stepped up government spending last year and told banks to lend more after economic activity weakened, raising the risk of politically dangerous job losses. Beijing's decision to reverse course temporarily on a campaign to rein in rising debt "is starting to yield results," Hui said. In this Tuesday, April 9, 2019, photo, workers sewing clothing for export at an garment factory in Donghai county in east China's Jiangsu province. China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter despite a tariff war with Washington, suggesting Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown might be gaining traction. (Chinatopix via AP) Consumer spending, factory activity and investment all accelerated in March from the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. The economy showed "growing positive factors," a bureau statement said. Forecasters expect Chinese growth to recover this year. They had predicted a revival last year but pushed back that time line after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese imports over complaints about Beijing's technology ambitions. The fight between the two biggest global economies has disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment, battering exporters on both sides and rattling financial markets. The two governments say settlement talks are making progress, but penalties on billions of dollars of each other's goods are still in place. At a news conference to release an annual report on the state of U.S.-China trade relations, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, Timothy Stratford, said trust between the sides had "reached a low point." However, Stratford said the ongoing trade talks were the "most extensive, and the most valiant effort of the two governments to reach agreement that we've seen in at least two decades." "So it seems that the only choice that is attractive is that the two sides have a deal that is a really good deal and that holds together," Stratford said. Meeting deadlines is less important that "making sure that the final deal is a really good deal that will hold together," he said. China's Communist leaders also are promising to make the state-dominated economy more productive by giving entrepreneurs and foreign companies a bigger role in autos, finance and other industries. China's top economic official, Premier Li Keqiang, reduced the 2019 annual growth target of 6 to 6.5% in March after last year's rate fell to a three-decade low of 6.6%. Li warned of "rising difficulties" in the global economy and said the ruling Communist Party plans to step up deficit spending this year to shore up growth. The stimulus measures have temporarily set back official plans to reduce reliance on debt and investment to support growth. Also in March, exports rebounded from a contraction the previous month, rising 14.2% over a year earlier. Still, exports are up only 1.4% so far this year, while imports shrank 4.8% in a sign of weak Chinese domestic demand. Auto sales fell 6.9% in March from a year ago, declining for a ninth month. But that was an improvement over the 17.5% contraction in January and February. Investment in construction will support growth but "the outlook is cloudier for the rest of China's economy" due to weak auto sales and a global manufacturing slowdown, Bill Adams of PNC Financial Services Group said in a report. He said full-year growth is likely to be just 6.2%. Economists warn that even if Washington and Beijing announce a trade settlement in the next few weeks or months, it is unlikely to resolve all the irritants that have bedeviled relations for decades. The two governments agreed Dec. 1 to postpone further penalties while they negotiate, but punitive charges already imposed on billions of dollars of goods stayed in place. Even if they make peace, the experience of other countries suggests it can take four to five years for punitive duties to "dissipate fully," Jamie Thompson of Capital Economics said in a report last week. Chinese leaders warned previously any economic recovery will be "L-shaped," meaning once the downturn bottoms out, growth will stay low. Credit growth accelerated in March, suggesting companies are stepping up investment and production. Total profit for China's national-level state-owned banks, oil producers, phone carriers and other companies rose 13.1% over a year ago in the first quarter, the government reported Tuesday. Revenue rose 6.3% and investment rose 9.7%. ___ National Bureau of Statistics: www.stats.gov.cn In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, photo, a worker transfers an aluminium product at a factory in Nanning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter despite a tariff war with Washington, suggesting Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown might be gaining traction. (Chinatopix via AP) In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, photo, a worker transfers an aluminium roll at a factory in Nanning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter despite a tariff war with Washington, suggesting Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown might be gaining traction. (Chinatopix via AP) FILE - In this March 8, 2019, file photo, trucks move at a container port in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province. China's economic growth held steady in the latest quarter amid a tariff war with Washington in a sign Beijing's efforts to reverse a slowdown might be gaining traction. (Chinatopix via AP, File) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Latest on Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections (all times local): 5 p.m. Both candidates in Indonesia's presidential election have addressed supporters after preliminary results showed President Joko Widodo leading his rival Prabowo Subianto by about 10 points. Widodo said he was aware of his lead and thanked election workers and government agencies for a smooth election. He called for the nation to reunite after the divisions of the election campaign. He said: "From the indications of the exit poll and also the quick counts, we can see it all, but we must be patient to wait for the official counting from the Electoral Commission." Subianto urged his supporters not to cause chaos but also told them to be vigilant against voter fraud. He said his campaign's own exit poll had shown him ahead. Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his wife Iriana cast their ballots during the election at a polling station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Tens of millions of Indonesians were voting in presidential and legislative elections Wednesday after a campaign that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultranationalist former general whose fear-based rhetoric warned the country would fall apart without his strongman leadership. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) ___ 4:15 p.m. Vote counts from five independent survey groups show Indonesian President Joko Widodo has a clear election lead over rival Prabowo Subianto. The quick counts from reputable survey organizations that use a sample of polling stations have been reliable in past elections. Official results from Wednesday's election are expected in May. With 50% to 80% of sample polling stations counted, the survey organizations showed Widodo winning about 55% of the vote. Around 193 million people were eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Widodo campaigned on progress in reducing poverty and improving Indonesia's infrastructure. Subianto, a former special forces general, painted a picture of a weak Indonesia at risk of disintegration without his leadership. He also promised to lower prices of essential goods. ___ 3:25 p.m. Early preliminary results in Indonesia's presidential election show President Joko Widodo ahead of challenger Prabowo Subianto by 10 to 12 percentage points. The so-called "quick counts" from reputable survey organizations that use a sample of polling stations have been reliable in past elections. With between 40% and 50% of sample polling stations counted, four polling organizations showed Widodo winning 54% to 56% of the votes. About 193 million people were eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Official results from the Election Commission are expected in May. ___ 1 p.m. Voting has ended in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections, with tens of millions of people casting votes without widespread hitches. Preliminary results based on so-called "quick counts" as votes are publicly tallied at polling stations are expected to start rolling in within two hours. The quick counts from reputable survey organizations have been reliable in past elections. Voting appeared to go smoothly, though ballots weren't available at two districts in Jayapura, the capital of easternmost Papua province, where angry residents argued with police. About 193 million people were eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. The presidential campaign pits President Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, a former general from the era of the Suharto military dictatorship that ended two decades ago. ___ 12:15 p.m. People in two districts of Jayapura, the capital of volatile Papua province in Indonesia's east, were unable to vote after ballots and ballot boxes weren't delivered. Yosina, a resident in Abepura district who uses a single name, said, "We are very disappointed, we have waited for nothing since this morning. We want to cast our vote but ballot box was not there." Police officers pushed her away from the polling station after she shouted, "This is a big question mark for us, don't fool us, we are smart, don't play with us." Theodorus Kosay, chairman of the province's election commission, said the problems arose because of delays in replacing damaged ballots and lack of volunteers. The election in the two affected districts was postponed until Thursday. Voting in Papua, which is two hours ahead of Jakarta time, ended more than an hour ago. ___ 11 a.m. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has voted in presidential and legislative elections, holding up a finger dipped in inedible ink to show reporters and saying his next stop is playing with his grandson and eating with his wife. Asked if he was feeling optimistic about the results of Wednesday's poll, Widodo said: "Always. We should stay optimistic at work." Preliminary results from the presidential and legislative elections are expected to starting rolling in about two hours after polls close at 1 p.m. Opinion polls showed Widodo with lead as large as 20 percentage points over his challenger Prabowo Subianto, though analysts say the race is likely tighter. ___ 8:30 a.m. Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has voted in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections and says he confident of winning despite polls showing that he trails President Joko Widodo by up to 20 percentage points. After voting, Subianto, a former special forces general, echoed his campaign themes of a weak Indonesia at risk of disintegration. Speaking in English, he said "I promised that we will work for the good of the country. If it's chaos or not it's not coming from us, but I guarantee that we don't want to be cheated anymore, that Indonesian people don't want to be cheated anymore." ___ 7 a.m. Voting is underway in presidential and legislative elections in Indonesia, the world's third-biggest democracy, after a campaign that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultranationalist former general. The first votes were cast in easternmost provinces after polling booths opened at 7 a.m. followed an hour later by central regions such as Bali and then the capital Jakarta and western provinces. Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands, has three time zones. About 193 million people are eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. The campaign pit President Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, a former general from the Suharto military dictatorship era. A man in Thor's costume shows his inked finger after casting at a polling station during election in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Voting is underway in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections after a campaign that that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultra-nationalist former general. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto casts his ballot during the presidential election at a polling station in Bogor, Indonesia, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Voting is underway in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections after a campaign that that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultra-nationalist former general. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) People cast their ballots in front of movie Avengers characters cutoutsvat a polling station during election in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Voting is underway in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections after a campaign that that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultra-nationalist former general. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) SYDNEY (AP) - Rugby Australia said Wednesday that Wallabies and New South Wales fullback Israel Folau has requested a Code of Conduct hearing over his possible dismissal for making anti-gay comments on social media. Folau responded to Rugby Australia's breach notice issued to him on Monday in relation to his Instagram post on April 10 when he made references to homosexuals going to hell unless they repented. He had made similar posts last year and was warned but not sanctioned. Rugby Australia said it will make arrangements with the Rugby Union Players' Association to help organize the Code of Conduct hearing. Rugby Australia said last week it plans to terminate Folau's contract because of the comments. "Israel has responded formally today to request a Code of Conduct hearing which, under the circumstances, was not an unexpected outcome," Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said. "We will now work to confirm a date for the hearing as soon as possible ... and make no further comment on the matter." ____ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports In this June 25, 2016, photo Australian rugby union player Israel Folau points to the sky after scoring a try against England during their rugby union test match in Sydney. Folau, one of the sport's top players, published a message on his Instagram account that said "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators. Hell awaits you." (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) In this June 25, 2016, photo, Australian rugby union player Israel Folau, wearing tape on his wrist adorned with a cross, runs toward the try line to score against England during their rugby union test match in Sydney. Folau, one of the sport's top players, published a message on his Instagram account that said "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolators. Hell awaits you." (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) MEXICO CITY (AP) - Maps, renderings and charts paper the walls of a government conference room. They lay out in detail the plans for a rail line that could be Mexico's biggest infrastructure project in a century. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has put the multibillion-dollar Mayan Train project on a fast track. He says it will provide an economic boon for the poor communities of Mexico's long neglected southeast by bringing in more tourists and the hotels, restaurants and other businesses needed to serve them. Yet, among the papers on that wall at Mexico's tourism development agency is a chart showing that the Mayan Train is being pursued at a pace that outside observers say could threaten its feasibility, the environment and the people the president wants to help. The chart in the Fonatur offices outlines planning, contracting and building times for 45 recent train projects in Canada, Australia, Britain and France. Those projects, which do not approach the Mayan Train's length, averaged seven to 10 years to complete. And there's the rub: Lopez Obrador is limited to a single six-year term and wants the trains running before he leaves office Dec. 1, 2024. The chart says the nearly 950 miles (1,525 kilometers) of the Mayan Train will be finished in 4.8 years, with nearly all of the time savings coming from the planning and contracting phases. "Yes, we've skipped some steps, but we are forced to by the circumstances of the political terms," said Rogelio Jimenez Pons, director of Fonatur who says government planners are also working with international experts and the United Nations. "It's a six-year term, so if you don't get at least a year of operation for the project it's at serious risk." Rogelio Jimenez Pons, director of Fonatur, points to photos of a planned train through the Yucatan Peninsula, during an interview in Mexico City, Monday, March 18, 2019. Mexico's president has put the multibillion-dollar Mayan Train project on a fast track, saying it will provide an economic boon for the poor communities of Mexico's long neglected southeast by bringing in more tourists and the hotels, restaurants and other businesses needed to serve them. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Lopez Obrador himself underlined that point by making one of his first presidential acts the cancelling of a partially built $13 billion new airport for Mexico City that was begun by his predecessor. The Mayan Train would circle the Yucatan Peninsula and drop a spur south to near the border with Guatemala. It would serve tourists and workers at Cancun and the glistening resorts of the Riviera Maya, but also haul cargo. Lopez Obrador says the project will fulfill his dream of helping the people of the southeast and will display a new brand of inclusive development and respect for the environment. "Not a single tree will be felled," the president has said - a promise that strains credulity for a project that is intended to travel through jungle, even if it is along existing right of way. An immediate question for many is whether planning and executing a megaproject can really be carried out so quickly. And what about its projected cost of $6.3 billion to $7.9 billion (120 billion to 150 billion pesos)? The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, a public policy think tank, published a study last month predicting the cost would come in at four times that - $25.3 billion (480 billion pesos). Its report also urged not to rush the project without careful planning. "There aren't serious cost-benefit analysis studies, nor a study about demand, nor a serious study of bids that will really have a projection of this train," said Ana Thais Martinez, a researcher who wrote the study. She also noted that Mexico's other recent rail project, a 36-mile (58-kilometer) commuter line between Mexico City and Toluca, is already 90% over its initial $2 billion budget and remains unfinished after more than six years of construction. It was supposed to be completed by 2017. Jimenez Pons, the Mayan Train's point man, said the government will pay only about 10% of the project's cost, while the private sector picks up the rest through what will essentially be costly contracts to operate the train service. Development around each of the line's 15 proposed stations would be overseen by Fonatur, but by using real estate investment trusts the land would remain in the hands of property owners, essentially making them partners. The train's cargo hauling service is to be its most important source of revenue, while passenger ticket prices are expected to be subsidized, Jimenez Pons said. Martinez's report noted that running passenger and freight trains on the same line is complicated, and it suggested the government's expectations for cargo revenue could be overly optimistic. There are also concerns about the environmental impact. New track would be laid through the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-recognized area of wide biological diversity that is Mexico's largest tropical jungle and home to important pre-Hispanic archaeological ruins. And the region is perforated by underground rivers and caverns. A Fonatur presentation based on a preliminary environmental study in the state of Campeche obtained by The Associated Press highlighted potential "critical impacts" on wildlife during construction of track, stations and associated tourism infrastructure. Some effects could be mitigated, but they would require careful study, it said. So far, people in the areas that would be affected say they have received little information about the project and its impact, even as land speculation surges around them. Jimenez Pons promises that all of the required environmental impact studies and public consultations with indigenous communities will be completed. Jimenez Pons has known Lopez Obrador for decades and says the president has been thinking about this train for many years as a way to benefit the southeast. "This isn't a whim, an imposition or because Mexico's president is from the southeast," Lopez Obrador said in December at an indigenous ceremony in Palenque where he sought Mother Earth's blessing for the project. "Above all it's an act of justice, because it's been the most abandoned region, and now the southeast's hour has arrived." Einar Jesus Medina Borges has been shuttling tourists around the colonial gem of Merida in a horse-drawn carriage since he was a teenager. The train sounds good to Medina, who heads the local carriage drivers' union, because it could bring more tourists to his inland city. Still, he has concerns. "What we also have in mind is what ecological impact is this project going to have?" Medina said. "The people in charge of all this need to make sure it causes the least ecological damage, ecological impact, possible." Another concern is not so much the train itself, but the tourist infrastructure that would be developed around proposed stations, especially one that would serve the Calakmul reserve. If government projections prove true, bringing 3 million annual visitors to an area that has only about 30,000 residents today would be a mammoth change. "The project has major ecological implications and the design has to change and the magnitude has to change so nothing serious happens," said Jorge Benitez, an ecologist who has studied the reserve for years and published a paper on the potential impact of the train. He has joined a technical advisory board to the project and says officials have so far been receptive to his concerns and have even heeded calls to include the construction of wildlife corridors over the rail line. Jimenez Pons said environmental impact statements are beginning for areas, including Calakmul, where there are no existing railways - about half the proposed route. But the time pressure looms. "We're racing the clock, but it's possible," he said. ___ Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Merida contributed to this report. A former train station stands in Merida, Mexico, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A new, government proposed Mayan Train line would circle the Yucatan Peninsula and drop a spur south to near the border with Guatemala, tying in this former station to get people to the new rail line. (AP Photo/Peter Orsi) Rogelio Jimenez Pons, director of Fonatur, points to a map of a planned train line through the Yucatan Peninsula, during an interview in Mexico City, Monday, March 18, 2019. The Mayan Train would circle the Yucatan Peninsula, serving tourists and workers at Cancun and the glistening resorts of the Riviera Maya, but also haul cargo. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2018 file photo, tourists visit the archeological site of Tulum on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. So far, people in the areas that would be affected by a government proposed Mayan train say they have received little information about the project and its impact, even as land speculation surges around them. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) A former train stop, called La Plancha, stands next to an old railroad in Merida, Mexico, Thursday, April 11, 2019. A new, government proposed Mayan Train line would circle the Yucatan Peninsula and have 15 stations. (AP Photo/Peter Orsi) Rogelio Jimenez Pons, director of Fonatur, gives an interview in front of a map of a planned train line through the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico City, Monday, March 18, 2019. Jimenez Pons, the Mayan Train's point man, said the government will pay only about 10% of the project's cost, while the private sector picks up the rest through what will essentially be costly contracts to operate the train service. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) MANDAN, N.D. (AP) - The co-owner of a North Dakota business where four people including her husband were slain says she and others don't know why the suspect would target anyone at the company. Chad Isaak, 44, a chiropractor in Washburn, faces four felony counts of murder in the April 1 deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and three workers in Mandan, a town of 22,000 near the state capital of Bismarck. Isaak lived on property managed by the company, but police have said that while they have plenty of evidence - spent shell casings, a knife and gun parts - they still haven't identified a motive. That was still the case as of Monday, Deputy Chief Lori Flaten said. Jackie Fakler said RJR officials had few interactions with Isaak, who lived in a mobile home park the company had begun managing just last June. Marketing executive Ben Pace called those few interactions "all very normal." Fakler said rumors that RJR was raising Isaak's rent or had ordered him to get rid of his dog are false. "I don't think anything could make sense out of it, no matter what," she said. Robert Fakler, 52, and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, and married co-workers Lois Cobb, 45, and William "Bill" Cobb, 50, were shot or stabbed to death before the business opened that Monday. Jackie Fakler said the four victims typically came to work early. It also wasn't uncommon to have an unlocked door while there were workers on the premises. In this Sunday, April 14, 2019, photo, RJR Maintenance and Management office manager Deanna Finnie, left, co-owner Jackie Fakler, center, and marketing executive Ben Pace pose for a photograph at the business in Mandan, N.D., where four people were brutally slain on April 1. Chiropractor Chad Isaak, who lived on property managed by the company, is charged with felony murder in the deaths of co-owner Robert Fakler, Jackie's husband, and three workers. (AP Photo/Blake Nicholson) "This is like home to a lot of people, and it's like being at home and leaving your front door unlocked while you're home," Pace said. The victims were in different areas of the building and were killed within 13 minutes, according to Fakler. The Cobbs were in the office area; Fakler and Fuehrer in the back shop area. Police followed evidence from surveillance video at RJR and other businesses to arrest Isaak three days after the slayings. Court documents allege Isaak took one of the company's vehicles, drove about a block, then walked to his own truck parked in the area. Fakler said it wasn't unusual for Bill Cobb to leave a company truck running with the keys in it. "(Police) got a lot of footage everywhere," she said. "I think they were able to track (Isaak) from here to him leaving town." After Isaak got back to Washburn, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Mandan, he allegedly went back to work at his chiropractor office. A client of his, Dora Sorenson, has said Isaak "didn't appear any different." Fakler said, "It doesn't make sense how anybody could walk away, go to work. None of it makes sense." She and Pace credited police with making a quick arrest but said they are not privy to much more information than the public. Fakler said she's relieved with the arrest "but then now you're flooded with all the questions - why? What could have been so horrible that he had to take four people's lives?" Isaak remains jailed on $1 million bond. He hasn't responded to interview requests and doesn't yet have an attorney listed to represent him. He could enter pleas at a May 14 hearing. Isaak could face life without parole if convicted. North Dakota doesn't have the death penalty. ___ Follow Blake Nicholson on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/NicholsonBlake FILE - In this Monday, April 1, 2019 file photo, cars are parked outside RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, N.D. Chiropractor Chad Isaak is charged with felony murder in the April 1 deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler and three workers in Mandan. Isaak lived on property managed by RJR, but police haven't identified a motive. (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File) VATICAN CITY (AP) - The soaring beauty of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral as it echoed with Gregorian chants so moved French poet Paul Claudel on Christmas Day 1886 that the avowed atheist converted to Catholicism on the spot. "In an instant, my heart was touched and I believed," Claudel, who remained a committed Catholic until his death nearly seven decades later, wrote of the religious transformation that is commemorated with a plaque on the floor. While the imposing Gothic cathedral has become a tourist mecca, Notre Dame remains at its heart a place of worship, a powerful expression of religious reverence crafted from stone. A regular evening Mass was in progress when a fire broke near the top of the landmark church, and worshippers were evacuated quickly. The global reaction to images of flames chewing through the roof, up the spire that pointed to heaven before the blaze brought it down, and threatening the entire cathedral made clear Notre Dame was bigger than any one faith still touched the faithless. Pope Francis and other religious leaders commented on this quality of transcendent universality while offering prayers and technical expertise to help rebuild. That a cathedral Francis called the "artistic and spiritual patrimony of humanity" went up in flames during Holy Week, the solemn days before Easter when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, intensified the sense of loss and devastation. People pray on their knees by the Seine riverside in front of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers, and a frantic rescue effort saved the monument's "most precious treasures," including the relic revered as Jesus' Crown of Thorns, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Some commentators, particularly figures from the religious right, saw the fire-ravaged structure that represented the height of French Catholicism as a metaphor for the demise of the Catholic Church in Europe, where secular trends long ago emptied pews and drained the priesthood of fresh vocations. But the outpouring of grief and determined vows to bring Notre Dame back to life seemed to signal that for all the talk of a Catholic crisis in Europe, the French, at least, still see in Notre Dame the essence of themselves. In a condolence note to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit, Francis called the church the "architectural gem of a collective memory." He said he prayed it would retake its place as an emblem of the French nation and its diversity. Notre Dame draws 13 million people across its portals each year, a significant share of them tourists coming to admire the building's vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses and stained-glass windows. Many visitors also come to worship. There are four Masses every day except Sunday, when there are five. The Sunday evening service is usually celebrated by the Paris archbishop and broadcast on Catholic television and Radio Notre Dame, reaching the faithful beyond the stone walls. "Even though it belongs to the French state, it remains a living creature where they celebrate the liturgy, where they have meetings of faith and where even non-believers enter to have an experience of beauty," the Vatican's culture minister, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, said. But Ravasi also stressed that many of Christianity's holiest sites are in constant evolution. While Notre Dame "has a secret spiritual dimension" that makes it a place "where even a non-believer senses the transcendent," the spire that collapsed during the fire only dated from the 1800s, he said. Representatives of religions outside Catholicism made clear the cathedral burning in the center of Paris carried significance for them, too. An official of the Russian Orthodox Church quoted by state news agency RIA Novosti called the blaze "a tragedy for the entire Christian world, and for all who appreciate the cultural significance of this temple." The church's secretary for inter-Christian relations, Hieromonk Stefan, also had concern for the safety of Notre Dame's most precious relic, venerated as the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ. Stefan called it "a sacred object for all Christians." The Church of England's director of cathedrals and church buildings, Becky Clark, stressed that "no matter the destruction, the spirit of what it means to be a cathedral can and does survive such catastrophes." She cited historic precedence in England: The spire of Lincoln Cathedral that collapsed in the 1500s. St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by German bombs in 1940. "All have been rebuilt, sometimes taking on new forms, to stand as reminders of eternity and resurrection which are the foundation of the Christian faith," she said. ___ Barry reported from Milan. ___ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral Smoke is seen around the alter inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) Man kneels as people came to watch and photograph the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Experts are assessing the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the almost 900-year-old building. With the fire that broke out Monday evening and quickly consumed the cathedral now under control, attention is turning to ensuring the structural integrity of the remaining building. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People walk toward the Notre Dame Cathedral to attend a vigil, in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Debris are seen inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) People attend a vigil in Paris, Tuesday April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) This aerial photo provided Tuesday April 16, 2019 by the Paris Fire Brigade shows Notre Dame cathedral burning, Monday April 15, 2019. Experts assessed the blackened shell of Paris' iconic Notre Dame Tuesday morning to establish next steps to save what remains after a devastating fire destroyed much of the cathedral that had survived almost 900 years of history. (Benoit Moser/BSPP via AP) Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The dome of the Chapel of the Shroud is illuminated with the colors of the French flag in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The Archbishop of Turin says that the Notre Dame fire brought back painful memories of the 1997 blaze that tore through the chapel that is home to the Shroud of Turin. Monsignor Cesara Nosiglia on Tuesday recalled the dramatic events of April 11, 1997 when firemen rescued the shroud, venerated as the holy cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after his crucifixion, from its bulletproof, climate-controlled glass case.(Alessandro Di Marco/ANSA via AP) People stand inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary, the Votive Church, in Szeged, 170 kilometres , 106 miles, southeast of Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The town of Szeged has offered 10,000 euros for the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral that was partially destroyed by a fire in Paris last night. Hundred and forty years ago Paris was among the European capital aiding Szeged after the great flood devastating the city, and now Szeged wants to help the French capital as a sign of European solidarity. The Hungarian government has also expressed its readiness to grant financial and professional assistance to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame. (Tibor Rosta/MTI via AP) MILAN (AP) - Authorities on Wednesday arrested an Italian convert to Islam and a Moroccan resident who met over the Internet and were preparing to fight with Islamic State in Syria. Sicilian prosecutors who ordered the arrests said investigators had identified the Italian suspect, 25-year-old Giuseppe Frittatta, from social media posts. They included extremist propaganda as well as photos of himself holding a knife with a 26-centimeter (10-inch) blade calling for deaths to "all westerners." The 18-year-old Moroccan, Ossama Gafhir, is alleged to have induced Frittatta toward extremism, and was following stringent fitness routine to prepare for combat. Frittata - a Sicilian who changed his name to Yusef - allegedly was in contact with extremists in Italy and abroad, including an American that prosecutors are trying to identify who provided Islamic State battlefield details. The arrests were carried out in northern Italy. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said the arrests reinforced his decision to close Italian ports to humanitarian rescue boats with migrants, "seeing that we already have potential terrorists at home." Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, who met Tuesday with the deputy premier of Libya's U.N.-backed government, Ahmed Maitig, said renewed fighting could create a "humanitarian crisis that could expose our country to the risk of arrivals by foreign fighters." Salvini told reporters that some 500 "terrorists" were in Libyan jails, adding "we don't want to see them arrive by sea." TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Terry Gou, chairman of the world's largest contract assembler of consumer electronics, including Apple's iPhones, said Wednesday he intends to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and China-friendly policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election. The Foxconn Technology chairman who also ranks among Taiwan's richest people with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $7.8 billion is seeking the opposition Nationalist Party's nomination for the 2020 presidential race against an incumbent hampered by low public approval ratings. "I am willing to participate in the primary election," Gou said at the party headquarters in Taipei. "If I am not chosen, it means I didn't work hard enough." He told reporters earlier in the day he was inspired by the Chinese sea goddess Matsu to seek office. "Three days ago Matsu came to me in a dream. She told me she hoped the people will have a better life." "Peace, stability, economy and future - these . words are the script of my religion," Gou said. Terry Gou, chairman of the world's largest contract assembler of consumer electronics, during a press conference at the Nationalist Party's headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Gou said Wednesday he intends to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and China-friendly policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election. (Eiichi Shiozawa/Kyodo News via AP) Gou's candidacy would be the first for a Taiwan business mogul and may appeal to Taiwanese who want a different leadership style, said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of Polaris Research Institute, a think tank in Taipei. Middle class Taiwanese dissatisfied with stagnating incomes are most likely to vote for him, he said. "He will value timeliness and if something has run its course, he will quit it," Liang said. "We will see efficiency and control of costs." Gou is likely to face criticism from China skeptics in Taiwan over Foxconn's 12 factories in nine Chinese cities, said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. Manufacturing costs less in China than in Taiwan, where Foxconn is headquartered. Foxconn factories employ hundreds of thousands of people in China and have a reputation for sometimes harsh work conditions. Gou, the 68-year-old son of a police officer who moved to Taiwan after the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949, began his career in plastics before branching out into electronics and later mobile phones. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and has threatened to take it by force if it deems necessary. More than 80 percent of Taiwanese oppose unification with China, the island government's Mainland Affairs Council said in January. Despite that, the Nationalists favor closer ties with Beijing, largely as a way of recharging the island's high-tech economy through access to China's massive economy. "He's got some problems he's got to solve, especially his relations with China, both political and business," Huang said. China despises current President Tsai Ing-wen for refusing to endorse its claim to Taiwan as a part of Chinese territory and has cut all ties with her government while seeking to isolate it diplomatically. Recent months have seen China step up military drills around Taiwan in what is seen as an effort to intimidate the island's 23 million people into backing pro-China parties. Gou also has a reputation at Foxconn for being strict with employees, Huang said. "His personality is sort of the same as (U.S. President Donald) Trump: 'What I say, is what goes,'" Huang said. Foxconn announced in 2017, to much fanfare, that it planned to invest $10 billion in Wisconsin and hire 13,000 people to build an LCD factory that could make screens for televisions and a variety of other devices. ___ AP video journalist Johnson Lai contributed to this report. In this image made from video, Terry Gou, the head of the world's largest electronics supplier, Foxconn, gestures during a press conference at the Nationalist Party's headquarters in Taipei, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Gou said Wednesday he plans to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and pro-China policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai) In this image made from video, Terry Gou, right, the head of the world's largest electronics supplier, Foxconn, receives the certificate of honorary member from Nationalist Party's chairman Wu Den-yih during a press conference at the Nationalist Party's headquarters in Taipei, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Gou said Wednesday he plans to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and pro-China policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai) In this image made from video, Terry Gou, center, the head of the world's largest electronics supplier, Foxconn, gestures during a press conference at the Nationalist Party's headquarters in Taipei, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Gou said Wednesday he plans to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and pro-China policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year's election. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai) FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2019, file photo, Terry Gou, chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., also known as Foxconn, delivers a speech during the company's annual carnival for employees in Taipei, Taiwan. Gou, head of Foxconn, world's largest electronics supplier, says Wednesday, April 17, 2019, willing to run in Taiwan presidential primary Wednesday, April 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Imprisoned former South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday requested a temporarily release so she can be treated for health problems her lawyer says are causing "burning" and "cutting" pain. An official from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it will soon review Park's request. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules against speaking to the media. South Korean criminal law allows prisoners with serious health problems to be treated at hospitals under the eye of prosecutors before returning to prison after recovery. Yoo Young-ha, Park's lawyer, said she has been dealing with disc problems and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the passageways for spinal nerves, in her neck and back areas, which he said have caused intense pain and sleeping problems. While Park has been permitted to make several visits to a Seoul hospital to receive pain management treatments, her conditions have worsened to a point where more serious medical care and surgery are required, Yoo said. Park "has been struggling with a level of pain that makes it impossible for her to sleep normally, but she has been persevering with superhuman will," Yoo said. "It's no longer possible to treat the conditions while she stays in prison." FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2017, file photo, former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, arrives to attend a hearing on the extension of her detention at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea. Prosecutors on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, said imprisoned Park requested a temporarily release so she can be treated for health problems her lawyer says are causing "burning" and "cutting" pain. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) The prosecution official did not confirm any details on Park's health. The 67-year-old Park is serving a prison term of more than 30 years after being convicted in a massive corruption scandal that led to her removal from office and arrest in 2017. Millions of protesters had poured onto the streets calling for Park's ouster amid allegations that she colluded with a longtime confidant to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and extortion and allowed the friend to secretly manipulate state affairs. Park has denied wrongdoing and refused to show up in court during her trials. Yoo said he recommended that Park apply for a release on bail after she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in her neck last August, but she refused. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The U.S. decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization is a dangerous development that could lead to chaos, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday. Speaking at a joint news conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Turkish minister also said that U.S. sanctions were harming the people of Iran. The United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran, including on its energy sector, last November, after President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation against the Revolutionary Guard with great fanfare last week. "When we start adding other countries' armies to terror lists, then serious cracks will occur in the system of international law," Cavusoglu said. "Trust in the global system will decline and total chaos will ensue." "Our conscience does not accept that the brotherly Iranian people be punished," Cavusoglu said of U.S. sanctions on Iran. "Such steps put regional stability, peace, calm and economic development under risk." This photo released on the official Facebook page of Syrian Presidency shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, speaking with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Zarif has blasted upon arrival in Syria the Trump administration decision to designate Tehran's Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization calling it a "stupid act." (Syrian Presidency Facebook page via AP) Zarif arrived in Turkey after visiting Syria where he met President Bashar Assad. Russia, Iran and Turkey, which back rival groups in Syria's conflict, have been sponsoring talks in Kazakhstan to try to end the war. Zarif said he would tell Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about his talks with Assad, adding that Iran wants to help Turkey and Syria establish "good relations." The U.S. designation - the first-ever for an entire division of another government - adds another layer of sanctions to the powerful paramilitary Iranian force and makes it a crime under U.S. jurisdiction to provide it with material support. LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) - The first SWAT team members to see the horror in the Columbine High School library had to step around bodies and ignore a wounded student's plea for help as they searched for shooters they didn't know had already died by their own hands. As member Grant Whitus put it, officers carried something home with them that day, a level of trauma and a sense of futility that stayed with them for years and may have contributed to the team's demise. "It was just beyond anything I'd ever thought I'd see in my career," he said of the rampage that killed 12 students and a teacher and was the nation's worst school shooting at the time. "So many children were dead." Amid the emotional toll of the experience, the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team began to fall apart. By 2002, only three members of the 10-person team remained. The others were reassigned or left the department. On the 20th anniversary of Columbine, the effects of trauma experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings are still largely unknown. Experts say agencies are reluctant to let researchers interview officers and dredge up potentially painful memories. Many officers also view seeking psychiatric help as a sign of weakness and see their own mental health care as secondary when civilians experience grave loss. In this April 9, 2019, photo, Grant Whitus poses for a portrait at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Whitus' marriage fell apart a year after he led his SWAT team into Columbine High School's library, where he was the first to find the dead children's bodies. (AP Photo/John Locher) "That's what they signed up for, right? To deal with this violence and see these violent outcomes," said labor attorney Eric Brown, who handles cases for Newtown, Connecticut, police officers. "So there's not a lot of empathy for them when they show the signs of PTSD or other mentally disabling side effects." But attitudes are changing. A group of global law enforcement administrators recently started work on uniform guidelines for psychological care for officers who respond to the worst carnage. And state legislatures are taking note, with four states, including Colorado, recently passing laws to extend workers' compensation for mental health to police officers and other first responders. Colorado officers were on heightened alert just this week after a Florida teenager who authorities say was obsessed with the Columbine shooting made threats against the Denver area. The body of Sol Pais, 18, was discovered Wednesday in the mountains outside Denver with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. After the 1999 Littleton attack, Jefferson County Regional SWAT team members went through a group debriefing and were offered department-paid therapy. But due to the stigma attached, therapy wasn't an accepted option, Whitus said. Whitus was divorced within a year as he dove into rebuilding the team and changing how the department responds to active shooter situations. He became head of the team, but tragedy struck again in 2006 when it responded to a shooting at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey. A man entered the school, took several students hostage and assaulted them, then fatally shot one and himself as SWAT moved in. After that, there was another exodus from the SWAT team, with eight of the 12 sheriff's department members leaving - including Whitus - over the next three years. Al Joyce, an officer in Golden, Colorado, was on the team and left within a year. He said he still has nightmares about what he should have done and left law enforcement in 2012. Current Jefferson County Regional SWAT leadership declined to comment for this article. But Sgt. Sean Joselyn, who was recruited by Whitus and was a member of the team at Platte Canyon, said attitudes had been changing because of Columbine. The team had "check-in" meetings in the months after, but he doesn't recall members talking about how they felt and doesn't know why so many left. Part of the issue, experts say, is mental health services available after traumatic events vary from police agency to police agency. Most departments provide debriefings immediately after mass shootings. But researcher Michele Galietta, an associate psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said those meetings should instead take place months later to see how an officer is doing after returning to a normal routine. The International Association of Chiefs of Police said in March it is in the early stages of developing policies for police departments for providing psychological care following "critical incidents." A voluntary accreditation organization, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, offers a standard for employee assistance programs that include peer-to-peer counseling and confidential therapy. Meanwhile, researchers say a new generation of police officers is rising to leadership positions, which is starting to change attitudes toward mental health. Organizations such as Blue H.E.L.P., which tracks police officer suicide, also have started to advocate for better mental health care for officers. Since 2017, four states - Colorado, Texas, Vermont, South Carolina - have passed laws to extend workers' compensation to first responders for mental health issues such as PTSD, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. Another five states - Alabama, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Connecticut and Florida - have legislation pending this year. Whitus now lives in Lake Havasu, Arizona, but still works to prevent school shootings through a business that places armed security guards in private schools. He also operates a security company for marijuana businesses. He said he'd like to see all officers exposed to traumatic situations undergo mandatory counseling. That might help prevent future SWAT teams from falling apart like his did - twice. But barriers remain, including the culture within some SWAT teams that makes it taboo for members to talk to outsiders or even each other if they're struggling. It's a culture Whitus admits he once contributed to. "If they told me, I'd be like, 'What's wrong with you? You're a SWAT guy,'" he said. "So I'm part of the problem." ___ Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report. FILE - In this April 20, 1999, file photo, members of a police SWAT team march to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., as they prepare to do a final search of the school after two gunmen opened fire on campus. The shooting shocked the country as it played out on TV news shows from coast to coast. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File) In this April 9, 2019, photo, Grant Whitus poses for a portrait at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Whitus' marriage fell apart a year after he led his SWAT team into Columbine High School's library, where he was the first to find the dead children's bodies. (AP Photo/John Locher) In this April 9, 2019, photo, Grant Whitus poses for a portrait at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Whitus' marriage fell apart a year after he led his SWAT team into Columbine High School's library, where he was the first to find the dead children's bodies. (AP Photo/John Locher) In this April 9, 2019, photo, Grant Whitus holds the Jefferson County Sheriff's Star at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Whitus received the award for his actions on several incidents while with the Jefferson County Regional SWAT team, including Columbine High School. Whitus' marriage fell apart a year after he led his SWAT team into Columbine High School's library, where he was the first to find the dead children's bodies. (AP Photo/John Locher) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo, former SWAT officer Al Joyce walks in Norway, Maine. Joyce left his job in law enforcement in Jefferson County, Colorado, after a school shooting and now works as a cashier. Joyce was part of the team that in 2006 stormed a classroom in Platte Canyon High School in the town of Bailey, southwest of Denver and saw the aftermath of a shooting. It wasn't long before the nightmares began and he started drinking heavily to avoid them. He ended up leaving the SWAT team, divorcing his wife and withdrawing from the world. "I wanted to just shut down, turn off," he said. "It didn't work out so well."(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) In this Tuesday, March 12, 2019 photo, former SWAT officer Al Joyce poses in Norway, Maine. Joyce left his job in law enforcement in Jefferson County, Colo., after a school shooting and now works as a cashier. Joyce was part of the team that in 2006 stormed a classroom in Platte Canyon High School in the town of Bailey, southwest of Denver and saw the aftermath of a shooting. It wasn't long before the nightmares began and he started drinking heavily to avoid them. He ended up leaving the SWAT team, divorcing his wife and withdrawing from the world. "I wanted to just shut down, turn off," he said. "It didn't work out so well."(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) At least four people have been killed on the first day of polling in Indias general elections, which are seen as a referendum on prime minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Police said two workers of Andhra Pradesh states ruling Telugu Desam party were killed in a confrontation with supporters of a regional opposition party, YSR Congress. One election official was killed in an alleged attack by suspected insurgents in Indias remote north east, the Election Commission said. Violent clashes were also reported elsewhere in the state, where voters are casting ballots for 25 members of Indias lower house of parliament and 175 state assembly seats. Another person was killed by government forces during a protest in disputed Kashmir. Outside of Andhra Pradesh, voting was taking place in 17 other Indian states and two union territories in the first of a seven-phase election staged over six weeks. 2019 Lok Sabha elections commence today. I call upon all those whose constituencies are voting in the first phase today to turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise. I specially urge young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 11, 2019 Turnout was estimated at more than 60% of voters. At least 15 electronic voting machines were damaged by some angry voters during the voting in several states, Chandra Bhushan, an election commission official, told reporters. With 900 million of Indias 1.3 billion people registered to vote, it is the worlds largest democratic exercise. Over the course of the election, 543 parliamentary seats will be decided from about a million polling stations across India. With Mr Modi as leader, the Bharatiya Janata Party won a clear majority in 2014 elections. Under the leadership of political dynasty scion Rahul Gandhi, Indias National Congress party, which ruled the country for about half a century since the 1947 independence, has struggled to coalesce Indias many opposition parties into a coherent effort that could go head-to-head with the BJP. Surveys show the ruling party projected to come out first again in this years polls, but with a smaller mandate. A polling station in Uttar Pradesh (Altaf Qadri/AP) Supporters of Mr Modi say the tea sellers son from Gujarat state has improved the nations standing in the world. Indias economy has continued to grow, vying with the UK to be the fifth-largest in the world. But Indias growth has not meant a better employment outlook in the country, where an estimated one million people join the labour pool each month. According to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy, employment contracted in the year following a 2016 demonetisation programme to remove most of Indias banknotes from circulation, by 3.5 million jobs. Mr Modis critics say his partys Hindu nationalism has aggravated religious tensions and violence against Muslims and other minorities in constitutionally secular India. Since a suicide bombing in disputed Kashmir killed 40 Indian paramilitary forces in February, the BJP campaign has played up the threat of Muslim-majority Pakistan. Voting also began for two parliamentary seats in Kashmir, a Himalayan region split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety, amid tight security. Voting concludes on May 19 and counting is scheduled for May 23. Theresa May is facing MPs after the EU offered the UK a six-month Brexit delay, pushing the withdrawal date to Halloween. The Prime Minister is making a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday following the second extension to the Brexit process, which definitively stopped the clock on a no-deal withdrawal happening on Friday. The six-month extension to October 31 was a compromise solution thrashed out by EU leaders after French President Emmanuel Macron dug-in against a longer delay lasting into 2020. The deal has drawn sharp criticism from Tory Eurosceptics and prompted questions about how long Mrs May can stay in power. Mrs May told an early morning press conference that she still wanted the UK to leave the EU as soon as possible. If a withdrawal deal could be ratified within the first three weeks of May, the UK could still avoid participation in that months European Parliament elections and leave the EU in June, she said. (PA Graphics) Acknowledging huge frustration among voters that the UK has not yet left the EU, she said: The choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear. So we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest. European Council president Donald Tusk did not rule out further extensions beyond October. And he sent a message to the UK: This extension is as flexible as I expected, and a little bit shorter than I expected, but its still enough to find the best possible solution. Please do not waste this time. Former Brexit secretary David Davis insisted that no progress had been made in Brussels and that pressure on Mrs May to quit as PM will increase, telling the BBC: I think what is likely to happen is the pressure for her to go will go up. The pressure on her to go will increase dramatically, I suspect, now. Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised the latest delay after the UK was originally scheduled to quit the bloc on March 29 and said there is some symbolism in the new Halloween Brexit date. He said: I thought the Prime Minister said a few weeks ago that she wouldnt agree to any extension and now we are getting quite a long one. I dont think its a good idea and it is not delivering on the referendum result. People expected to leave on March 29 and here we are heading towards Halloween. Theres some symbolism in that I think. Environment Secretary Michael Gove declined to answer questions on whether there would be a challenge to Mrs May for the Tory leadership before the new Brexit deadline. Commons Leader and prominent Leave backer Andrea Leadsom played down speculation that the latest delay could mean the end of Brexit. She said: We have to use this time to make sure that we deliver the Brexit we are all looking for, that we work closely with the EU and that they are genuinely helping to make sure we do deliver on the referendum there wont be any changing our minds about that. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: I think it is a good thing that there is an extension. We needed it. The real question for the Prime Minister is what is she going to use this time for? Because we cant carry on going on as we are at the moment Talks between the Government and Labour to find a compromise way forward on Brexit will continue at official level on Thursday. European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepare to announce details of the new agreement (AP Photo/Riccardo Pareggiani) Mrs May said: I do not pretend the next few weeks will be easy or that there is a simple way to break the deadlock in Parliament. But we have a duty as politicians to find a way to fulfil the democratic decision of the referendum, deliver Brexit and move our country forward. Nothing is more pressing or more vital. Referring to the cross party talks, Sir Keir said: The negotiations are in good faith. But there is a long distance between us. The talks are on-going but there are challenges in there. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK can leave at any time if the Withdrawal Agreement reached last November is ratified by the Westminster Parliament. (PA Graphics) If the UK fails to take part in elections to the European Parliament on May 23-26, it will automatically leave without a deal on June 1. A review of progress will take place at the scheduled June 20 European Council summit in Brussels, but Mr Tusk stressed that this would be an opportunity for taking stock and not for any new negotiations. The term of the current European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker ends on October 31. Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel share a smile as the European Council summit gets under way (Olivier Hoslet/AP) A UK exit by that date would get round the diplomatically awkward requirement for London to appoint a new Commissioner to his successors team. Mrs May gave a one-hour presentation setting out her case for an extension to June 30, with a break clause allowing the UK to leave as soon as her Withdrawal Agreement was ratified. But she had to leave the EU27 to discuss the UKs future in her absence over a dinner of scallop soup and loin of cod. It took five hours of wrangling before she was summoned back from the residence of UK ambassador Sir Tim Barrow at almost 1am Brussels time (12am BST) for her agreement to be sought. She consulted Attorney General Geoffrey Cox by telephone before confirming that the new deal was acceptable. EU27/UK have agreed a flexible extension until 31 October. This means additional six months for the UK to find the best possible solution. Charles Michel (@eucopresident) April 10, 2019 Senior British sources indicated that the PM intended to stand by her promise to the Tory 1922 Committee of backbenchers to stand down once the first phase of Brexit negotiations are complete. A Halloween Brexit would mean the second phase dealing with the future UK/EU trade and security relationship would not get under way until late in the autumn. And were done. (1) Flextension to Oct 31st (2) Well take stock of situation at our regular summit in June (3) UK to take part in @Europarl_EN election or must leave on June 1st without a deal. Good night ! Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 11, 2019 Mrs Leadsom confirmed the House of Commons intends to be in recess after it rises on Thursday until April 23. The Commons Leader was cheered by some MPs as she told them of the details, which is subject to them agreeing a motion on the order paper. Meanwhile, DUP leader Arlene Foster, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson were meeting EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday to discuss issues related to the Northern Ireland backstop. Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd was branded cowardly and selfish as he was jailed for an extra six months for going on the run to avoid justice. He was brought before the Old Bailey for the first time since he skipped bail ahead of his trial last summer over the death of Charlotte Brown in a boat accident. The 31-year-old, who was extradited from Georgia, admitted breaching his bail and was jailed on Thursday for six months on top of his six-year manslaughter sentence. During the hearing, Shepherd came face to face with Ms Browns parents Graham Brown and Roz Wickens, but avoided eye contact throughout. Passing sentence, Judge Marks told Shepherd the case was overwhelming, unanswerable. In making a conscious, deliberate and considered decision to go on the run, he had hugely added to the distress of Charlottes family who could not have known when, if at all, you would be apprehended, you the person who had spent the last hours of her life with their beloved daughter and sister. He said: Your conduct in absenting yourself from justice for so long was as cowardly as it was selfish. Judge Marks said Shepherds absence from his trial interfered with the administration of justice. He said: A serious and highly unusual feature of the case was the fact that, although your lawyers were unaware of your whereabouts, you have provided them with a means of communicating with you, although I was not told of the mechanism as to how this worked. The effect of this was, as I gleaned during the trial, that notes of the entirety of the evidence were being sent to you on a frequent basis via the internet, were received from you about certain aspects of the case. In other words, you were in effect having your cake and eating it. This is not how our system of justice is intended to operate. Judge Marks said Shepherds decision to flee to Georgia rather than face justice had greatly exacerbated the feelings of Ms Browns family who were already distraught. The family of Charlotte Brown outside court (Victoria Jones/PA) Speaking outside, Ms Browns father said the family felt a sense of relief. He said: Due to Shepherds recklessness and negligence, Charlotte isnt here to defend herself. There is a sense of relief, finally, that we are going to get some justice for Charlotte. To us he has shown no remorse and he hasnt taken any responsibility for the dreadful actions he caused that night. Charlotte would still be here today if it wasnt for Shepherd. Her tearful sister Katie said: As a family, we are relieved that Jack Shepherd is now back in the country and commencing his prison sentence. Its a step closer to justice for Charlie. Shepherd has continued to prolong our agony, making wild accusations against our family. I feel throughout the whole process that he continues to be in denial of any kind of responsibility, as though hes almost convinced himself hes the victim. Earlier in mitigation, Andrew McGee said Shepherd was overwhelmed by his fear of a prison sentence and wished to apologise to Ms Browns family. He said: He was terrified by the prospect of a prison sentence and he remains terrified by that prospect. It was not deliberately callous or cavalier. It was not cynical or calculated. The court heard that the defendant travelled to Georgia in March 2018 and was in phone contact with his lawyers on May 14 when he informed them he was unlikely to attend trial. Shepherd, originally from Exeter, last appeared at the Old Bailey in November 2017 when he pleaded not guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence and was granted bail. Last summer, he was found guilty in his absence of killing 24-year-old Ms Browns in a speedboat accident on the River Thames. Jack Shepherd was extradited from Georgia on Wednesday (Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia/PA) His trial was told that he was responsible for the speedboat, which had a series of serious defects, including to its steering. Jurors heard that he and Ms Brown had been drinking champagne and went on a late-night high-speed jaunt in his boat past the Houses of Parliament on their first date. Shepherd had handed the controls to Ms Brown just before it capsized, tipping both of them into the cold water, the court was told. The speedboat owned by Jack Shepherd (Metropolitan Police/PA) The defendant was plucked from the Thames alive, but his date was killed. Jurors in the trial were only told that Shepherd was not in the dock, rather than that he had failed to attend or gone on the run. Shepherd has already launched an appeal against his conviction. Jackie Bird, one of Scotlands best-known broadcasters, has presented her final news bulletin for the BBC. The presenter has been the main face of the Reporting Scotland news programme for the last 30 years. Ms Bird, also known for her coverage of annual Scottish TV events such as the Hogmanay celebrations and Children in Need, presented her final bulletin on Wednesday night. Her shock departure was confirmed on Thursday as it emerged she left the studio with only a few close colleagues aware that she had presented her final programme. Ms Bird also presents annual festivities like the Hogmanay celebrations on BBC Scotland (BBC Scotland/PA) She revealed she is not leaving the BBC and wants to have more time to present, write and produce other projects in future. She said in a statement: Im not leaving the BBC, Im just vacating the news desk. Ive been fortunate to cover most of the major news stories in Scotland over the last 30 years. She joked: Ive been planning this for a while. I thought Id give it until Brexit was sorted, but I fear I might have to stay for another 30 years. Ms Bird, who has been with Reporting Scotland since 1989, said she has been privileged to be involved in so many memorable news events, from seismic political changes to reporting live from Afghanistan. She added: Ive presented the programme from Washington to Westminster, and last year anchoring from France on the centenary of the Armistice was an honour. None of this would have been possible without some tremendous colleagues and its them that I will miss most, but its time to move on. Ms Bird is said to be keen to become more involved in ad hoc current affairs specials, such as the investigation she fronted into the Glasgow bin lorry crash. She also wants to become more involved in writing for TV and radio, while features involving in-depth interviews also form part of her plans. Her intention to quit Reporting Scotland is understood to have taken senior colleagues by surprise. Ms Bird pictured presenting Reporting Scotland in 1995 (BBC Scotland/PA) BBC Scotland head of news Gary Smith said: Jackie is one of the most talented and committed journalists Ive ever worked with. Her passion and energy for the job are unsurpassed. As a TV news presenter, she is the ultimate professional who copes supremely well with whatever comes her way. Shes also great fun. For many in the newsroom and the audience across the country she just IS Reporting Scotland. Ill miss her, the team in the newsroom will miss her, Scotland will miss her. BBC Scotland director Donalda MacKinnon also paid tribute to the presenter, saying: She was an inspiration to many female colleagues, particularly during her earlier years when newsrooms were largely dominated by men. I am certain that she will continue to inspire and influence in all she does next. SNP MSP Joan McAlpine, convener of the Scottish Parliaments Culture Committee, said: Jackie is a respected broadcaster and a familiar face to many households in Scotland. I wish her all the best with all future BBC projects. Scottish Conservative culture spokeswoman Rachael Hamilton said Ms Birds departure is a huge loss for the BBC and the wider media and said the presenter will be an extremely tough act to follow. Scottish Labours culture spokeswoman Claire Baker said of Ms Bird: For over three decades she has reported on some of Scotlands most tumultuous moments with impartiality and professionalism. Im sure many viewers will be joining me in wishing her the best for the future and look forward to seeing her on our screens again soon. Sudans military has arrested President Omar al-Bashir, ousting him from power in the wake of escalating protests against his 30-year rule. The defence minister said the military will rule the country for the next two years with an emergency clampdown. The military control risks inflaming protesters. Tens of thousands of Sudanese converged throughout the day at the protest movements main sit-in outside the militarys General Command Headquarters in Khartoum, cheering, singing and dancing after word emerged in the morning that Mr al-Bashir would be removed. Sudanese celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan (AP) But the announcement that finally came appeared to confirm the fears of many protesters that the military would shrug off demands for a civilian transition. Defence minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf appeared on state TV in military fatigues and announced that the military has removed and arrested Mr al-Bashir. He said a military council decided on by the army, intelligence agencies and security apparatus will rule for two years, after which free and fair elections will take place. The minister also announced that the military has suspended the constitution, dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency for three months, closed the countrys borders and airspace and imposed a night curfew for one month. Protesters celebrate in Khartoum, Sudan (AP) Earlier in the day, protest leaders had said they were in talks with the military over a transition and said they would not accept a military coup, vowing to continue their sit-in and rallies unless a civilian body controlled the transition. Mr al-Bashir came to power in a 1989 coup, leading an alliance of the military and Islamist hardliners. Over the course of his rule, he was forced to allow the separation of South Sudan and became a pariah in many countries, wanted by the international war crimes tribunal for atrocities in Darfur. The protests that erupted in December have been the biggest challenge to his rule. Security forces responded from the start with a fierce crackdown that killed dozens. Sudanese celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan (AP) Mr al-Bashir had banned unauthorised public gatherings and granted sweeping powers to the police since imposing a state of emergency in February. Security forces have used tear gas, rubber bullets, live ammunition and batons against demonstrators. Amazon staff listen to recordings of customer interactions with voice-based assistant Alexa to help train the artificial intelligences responses. The tech giant uses review teams around the world to analyse and annotate some recordings gathered from Amazon Echo smart speaker devices with the interactions then used to improve the programming of the Alexa software, a report from Bloomberg said. The Alexa companion app, which is used to set up smart devices and manage settings linked to the assistant, keeps a log of interactions between users and the assistant, and can be listened to or deleted from within the app. The report claimed staff had on occasions reported hearing recordings they described as distressing, but Amazon said it had procedures in place for workers to follow when they heard such audio, including sharing via an internal chat room to relieve stress. It also said these chat rooms were used to help identify muddled words, as well as to share amusing recordings. In a statement, Amazon confirmed that it did use some recordings as part of its work to improve Alexas ability to understand human language and speech patterns, but had strict security systems in place to keep user data safe. We take the security and privacy of our customers personal information seriously. We only annotate an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings in order to improve the customer experience, said a spokeswoman. For example, this information helps us train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand your requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone. We have strict technical and operational safeguards, and have a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of our system. Employees do not have direct access to information that can identify the person or account as part of this workflow. All information is treated with high confidentiality and we use multi-factor authentication to restrict access, service encryption, and audits of our control environment to protect it. The help page of the Amazon website dedicated to Alexa states that Amazon may use your requests to Alexa to train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, explaining that the more data used to train these systems, the better the voice assistant is able to work. It also confirms that the company associate your requests with your Amazon account to allow you to review your voice recordings, access other Amazon services and to provide you with a more personalised experience. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg rejected a claim that the social network used microphones in mobile devices to listen in on users as a `conspiracy theory (Chris Ratcliffe/PA) Concerns have been raised by some in the past that smart speaker systems could be used to constantly listen in to user conversations, often with the aim of targeting users with relevant advertising. Last year, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg was asked by a committee of the US Senate if the social network used microphones in mobile devices to listen in on people, something he strongly denied, labelling it a conspiracy theory. The popularity of smart speakers has grown exponentially since they were first introduced to the UK in 2016. According to research from last year, one in 10 people has one or more smart speakers in their home, with Amazons range of Echo smart devices the market leader. A man suffered a fractured eye socket when he was assaulted before the Grand National race at Aintree. Merseyside Police issued an appeal for witnesses following the attack at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday. A spokesman said the victim was assaulted by another man at about 5.10pm, shortly before the world-famous steeplechase was about to start. The incident happened close to the front rail, near the Lord Daresbury & Princess Royal Stand, on the racecourse side. We're appealing for info following an assault at #AintreeRacecourse on Sat, 6 April. A man sustained a fractured eye socket shortly before the #GrandNational. Did you see anything? Please contact @MerPolCC, 101 or @CrimestoppersUK with info. Read more pic.twitter.com/aF7PmQWR2n Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) April 11, 2019 Detective Inspector Gary Stratton said: Despite the good nature of the vast majority of racegoers it is disappointing to see that an incident such as this occurred, with a man suffering a serious injury as a result. We are carrying out a number of inquiries and are particularly keen to speak to a man described as a white male with blond hair, wearing a beige jumper and a checked shirt. Aintree (Peter Byrne/PA) We believe he may have vital information to assist our investigation and would ask him, or anyone who recognises the description, to please get in touch. Anyone with information is asked to contact @MerPolCC or call 101 quoting reference 19100160830. A six-month-old kitten had a miraculous escape after surviving a wash cycle. Poppys owners, from Launceston in Australia, only discovered she was in the machine some 30 minutes into the cycle after searching the whole house when they realised nobody in the family knew where she was. Kim Burr told ABC News: We got the biscuits out, looked through all the cupboards we went all over the house, but we couldnt find her. And then I thought maybe. I stopped the wash and there she was. Poppy was limp and barely breathing when the family found her, so they took her to Launcestons Animal Medical Centre, unsure if she was even still alive. But while she was concussed, had water in her lungs and had suffered some bruising, incredibly she had no serious injuries. Tim Laws, from the Animal Medical Centre, said it was quite amazing that Poppy had survived. Ive seen some unusual things in my time, but Ive never seen a cat do this before, he told ABC. (Animal Medical Centre) Poppy was treated for a couple of days before being sent back home to her family. The centre confirmed that the kitten was now back to her normal self and had suffered absolutely no lasting damage. She is a miracle cat, Ms Burr told ABC. Shes a very special cat. Julian Assange faces extradition to the US after he was arrested and forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London almost seven years after he sought refuge there. Police detained the WikiLeaks founder after the Ecuadorian government withdrew his asylum, blaming his repeated violations of international conventions and daily-life protocols. Scotland Yard said in a statement that Assange was held for failing to appear in court in June 2012 and further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities, at 10.53am after his arrival at a central London police station. In a statement, the Home Office said: We can confirm that Julian Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America. He is accused in the United States of America computer related offences. In a tweet, Assanges lawyer Jennifer Robinson also said he had been arrested not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request. The US Justice Department inadvertently revealed the existence of a criminal case against Assange in a court filing last year. Ms Robinson said he faces a charge of conspiring with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who leaked a trove of classified material to WikiLeaks in 2010. Police carry WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London (PA/DailyDOOH) Assange was seen shouting and gesticulating as he was carried from the embassy in handcuffs by seven men and put into a waiting Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) van shortly after 10am on Thursday. Scotland Yard said: The MPS had a duty to execute the warrant, on behalf of Westminster Magistrates Court, and was invited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorian governments withdrawal of asylum. Ecuadors president Lenin Moreno said on Twitter: In a sovereign decision Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols. In a sovereign decision Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols. #EcuadorSoberano pic.twitter.com/pZsDsYNI0B Lenin Moreno (@Lenin) April 11, 2019 UK government ministers welcomed the move with both Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeting that no-one is above the law. Mr Hunt said: Julian Assange is no hero and no one is above the law. He has hidden from the truth for years. Thank you Ecuador and President Lenin Moreno for your cooperation with the Foreign Office to ensure Assange faces justice. But WikiLeaks said Ecuador had acted illegally in terminating Assanges political asylum in violation of international law. URGENT: Ecuador has illigally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law. He was arrested by the British police inside the Ecuadorian embassy minutes ago.https://t.co/6Ukjh2rMKD WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019 His arrest comes a day after Wikileaks accused the Ecuadorean Government of an extensive spying operation against Assange. WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website, claimed meetings with lawyers and a doctor inside the embassy over the past year were secretly filmed. Supporters of Assange also reported increased police activity at the embassy in recent days. Police officers outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London (John Stillwell/PA) Australian Assange came to prominence after WikiLeaks began releasing hundreds of thousands classified US diplomatic cables. But in 2010 an arrest warrant was issued for him for two separate allegations one of rape and one of molestation after he visited Sweden for a speaking trip. Assange launched a legal battle against extradition to Sweden from the UK but when that failed he entered the embassy, requesting political asylum. Assange refused to leave, claiming he would be extradited to the US for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks if he did so. The Ecuadorian government at the time was sympathetic to his cause but a regime change in 2017 heralded a less supportive approach and after 2,487 days in the embassy building in the shadow of Harrods, he was finally removed. In May 2017, Swedens top prosecutor dropped a long-running inquiry into a rape claim against Mr Assange. The Swedish woman who alleged that she was raped by Assange welcomed his arrest. Elisabeth Massi Fritz, who represents the unnamed woman, said the news was a shock to my client and something we have been waiting and hoping for since 2012. Ms Massi Fritz also said, in a text message sent to The Associated Press, we are going to do everything to have the Swedish case reopened so Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape. And she added that no rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served. An SNP MP has said Nicola Sturgeon cannot delay a second Scottish independence vote, despite the UK winning a second extension to the Brexit process. Angus MacNeil said while Theresa May had persuaded European Union leaders to give the UK more time to agree on its departure process, the SNP must not follow suit. The long-serving MP tweeted: The #Brexit can has been kicked down the road again ..we cannot follow suit by kicking the #indyref2 can behind it. His comment came as a former candidate for the partys depute leadership urged Ms Sturgeon to stage a second independence referendum in September five years on from the first vote. Will Theresa May become Theresa June or Theresa October .. #MaysDisease = complex version of can-kicking tomorrow-never-comes :) #Brexit Angus B MacNeil MP (@AngusMacNeilSNP) April 11, 2019 Chris McEleny, also a member of the partys ruling national executive, said it was time for independence supporters to press with everything we have for a second ballot. With the UK now having until October 31 to complete the Brexit process he said that a referendum on Scottish independence before October will allow the 200k EU nationals who live here to vote in it and allow Scotland to choose its own future with Europe. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to the Prime Minister (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Scottish First Minister has repeatedly pledged to set out her position on a possible second independence referendum when there is more clarity on Brexit. While she said she was relieved the UK would not be crashing out of the EU on Friday without a deal, she said the Prime Minister must use this additional time to stage a second European referendum. Ms Sturgeon called for Government talks with Labour, which are taking place in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock, to be opened up to other parties and the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales. It is a relief that - thanks to the patience of the EU - we will not be crashing out tomorrow. But the UK must not waste this time - allowing people to decide if they still want to leave is now imperative. And Scotlands interests must be protected. Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) April 11, 2019 She said that Scotland remaining inside the European single market, allowing the country to benefit from free movement of people, was the minimum the PM would need to offer for her talks to be successful. In a letter to Mrs May the SNP leader said: We now have the gift of more time from the EU, and that must be used constructively to re-set the UK Government approach. Your ongoing talks with the leader of the Opposition should now broaden to include other parties, the devolved administrations, business and civic society, and open up the range of options on the table in an effort to reach a genuine consensus. If such talks are to stand any chance of success you must be prepared to recognise in particular that it is essential for Scotland, at the very least, to stay inside the Single Market and continue to benefit from freedom of movement. Ms Sturgeon added: Further, and more fundamentally, the Scottish Government considers that any deal agreed by the UK Parliament should be put to another referendum, with the alternative proposition on the ballot paper being to remain in the EU. The extension to 31 October provides enough time to do this, and it is essential that no time is lost in making the necessary preparations. However Mr McEleny, the SNP leader on Inverclyde Council, argued: People in Scotland should be given the opportunity to voice their preference on the future they want for Scotland. Before the UK leaves the EU, it is now time to press with everything we have to give people the opportunity to decide if they want Scotlands future relationship with the EU decided for them or if they want to take that decision into their own hands by deciding that Scotland should become an independent country. An independence referendum in September of this year would give us that opportunity. Whatever your views on Brexit, independence is not the answer. Sign up to Scotland in Union and help us campaign and promote Scotlands place in the UK: https://t.co/Zd9RygczJy pic.twitter.com/NBkJyipGaA Scotland in Union (@scotlandinunion) April 3, 2019 Pamela Nash, chief executive of the pro-UK campaign group Scotland in Union, urged the First Minister to rule out holding another independence vote. Ms Nash, a former Labour MP, said: The SNP is deeply split over its plans to scrap the pound, and now there are fresh splits emerging over Nicola Sturgeons indyref2 strategy. It is deeply irresponsible and reckless to advocate a divisive second independence referendum as early as this autumn. With the Brexit deadline extended and further uncertainty for our economy, the very last thing we need is even more constitutional uncertainty. Its time for Nicola Sturgeon to listen to the majority of people in Scotland and drop the threat of an unwanted second independence referendum. Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister has said that a no-deal Brexit looks less likely today than it did a week ago. Simon Coveney was addressing questions in the Irish parliament about the impact of a crash Brexit on the agricultural industry. He said: I want to reassure people that if we do face a no-deal Brexit, which looks less likely today than it did last week, we will be ready to support farm families through what will be a difficult period of change and disruption. We do know that Ireland is more exposed and more vulnerable to a no-deal Brexit or the wrong outcome from Brexit. We export over a billion (euro)s worth of beef to the United Kingdom and over a billion (euro)s worth of diary product. We also import billions of euros worth of food and drink from the UK so should that be subject to tariffs in the future and other non-tariff trade barriers, it would be very damaging to the Irish agricultural industry and to Irish farming. Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said that a no-deal Brexit looks less likely to happen (PA) Speaking during leaders questions in the Dail, Independent TD Dr Michael Harty said that Brexit threatens Irelands agricultural industry. The issues in Brexit have been well identified, but any form of Brexit will have a negative impact whether it is a soft Brexit with a Withdrawal Agreement involving the UK staying within the Single Market and the Customs Union or a hard Brexit where the UK cuts its ties almost completely with the EU, he added. The loss of the UK market is going to be substantial in relation to the beef and diary industry. The imposition of tariffs is going to add to that and delays in transport across the UK in relation to the land bridge will have a serious blow to agricultural exports. Mr Coveney moved to reassure Irish farming families saying there will be a significant support package for farmers to help in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He added: Hardly a Cabinet passes without (Agriculture) Minister (Michael) Creed raising these issues and challenges that emerge from Brexit. I want to reassure farm families theres 130,000 farm families in Ireland about 100,000 get some farming from beef and about 70,000 will get all of their farming from beef. Farm subsidies in Northern Ireland could halve by 2030 due to Brexit, an industry expert has warned. Farmers will have to do more for less funding due to changes envisaged under any scenario short of Remain, a consultant from the Andersons Centre said. Any kind of exit from the EU will see the UK leave the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which has underpinned the sectors finances for decades. Michael Haverty from Andersons said: The fear seems to be that, without some commitment, future politicians will raid farm funding for other purposes. Michael Haverty said, relative to the world market, Northern Ireland produce is expensive (Michael McHugh/PA). We dont believe that funding will disappear completely, but will be at much lower overall levels in a decade. He said possibly 50%-60% of present funding in real terms would reach farmers by 2030 if the European system was replaced by a UK one. Last summer Northern Irelands agriculture department consulted on a framework around the CAP. It is intended to boost competitiveness and ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of agriculture. Productivity and protecting the environment are priorities. Mr Haverty said: Relative to the world market, Northern Ireland produce is relatively expensive. Therefore a quality-focused market orientation approach that emphasises and enhances the unique selling points of Northern Ireland produce is crucial. A conference supported by the Irish Farmers Journal and the Livestock and Meat Commission on the prospects for Northern Irelands agriculture industry was held in Armagh on Thursday. Michael Haverty speaking about Brexit and the challenges it presents the industry at the @FJNorth and LMC 2019 Spring Conference. #springconference pic.twitter.com/r1kYItllCq LMC NI (@LMCNI) April 11, 2019 It also addressed labour requirements. Thousands of workers are needed to pick fruit alone. A Government white paper has suggested five-year permits would be available for higher-skilled workers. The proposed threshold defining higher income would be 30,000, beyond the level of many migrant workers currently in Northern Ireland. Mr Haverty said the Governments Migration Advisory Committee appeared to want less cheap labour so productivity would be boosted. He added: It is not clear that the current proposals really understand the situation in the agrifood sector. Statistics showed the employment of indigenous labour has been relatively static. (PA Graphics) Mr Haverty said: This suggests that immigrants have not taken locals jobs. Instead a ready supply of good quality and cheap labour has allowed the sector to grow. That may have actually supported higher paid domestic jobs in the sector. Mr Haverty said that without a deal there would be a degree of chaos. Profitability is likely to be down as the costs involved with any trade, imports or exports, are a deadweight loss to the farming sector. The British Armys Household Cavalry has marked the start of the ceremonial season as they were put through their paces in Londons Hyde Park. Famed for its glittering breastplates and plumed helmets, the military unit paraded in front of Major General Ben Bathurst the general officer commanding the household division to prove their readiness for another summer of pageantry. The Major General (right) arrives for the annual inspection of the Household Cavalry (Rebecca Brown/PA) With more than 165 soldiers and horses taking part in the event on Thursday, they were joined by two French and two Danish counterparts from their equivalent mounted regiments. Staff corporal Carl Lacey said the annual inspection is immensely important, adding that it is crucial to refresh the drills and process in the minds of the horses and soldiers. This is the precursor to the regiment going on parade in front of Her Majesty, he said. The major general comes and gives us a tick in the box that he is happy with our turn out, the way that the horses look and are behaving. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment make their way to Hyde Park (Rebecca Brown/PA) He said the inspection is as close to the format seen on the Queens birthday parade as possible, with the soldiers and horses replicating moves that will be performed. With hundreds of hours of preparation leading up to the inspection, the mass of glinting metal and immaculately presented equines trotted across the grass in a display of military precision. The Major General inspecting the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (Rebecca Brown/PA) Based in Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, the mounted regiment of the Household Cavalry provides ceremonial troops for all state occasions including the opening of Parliament. The cleaning and maintenance of the uniform and horses kit can take up to 10 hours four hours for what the soldier or officer would wear, and five hours for the items worn by the horse. Up to three kilograms of beeswax is used on the jackboots worn by the soldiers and can take seven hours per boot to polish up to their patent shine. A one-year-old girl has died in hospital after falling from the window of a third-floor flat. The toddler fell from a block on Dumbarton Road in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, on Wednesday. She was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow but has since died from her injuries. Police Scotland appealed for witnesses following the incident, near Boquhanran Road at around 2.10pm. Officers said there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. An open window at the block of flats on Dumbarton Road, Clydebank (Andrew Milligan/PA) A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal. Detective Inspector Steve Martin said: The little girls family have been left devastated by the loss of their child and we are investigating the circumstances surrounding what happened. I continue to appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time, who may have rendered assistance to the family or emergency services, to please get in touch. I would also ask any motorists who were in the vicinity to check their dash-cams in case they have captured anything which may be of significance. Anyone with information is asked to contact the family protection unit based at Clydebank Police Station on 101, quoting incident number 1888 of April 10. Medicines prescribed to reduce the symptoms of prostate disease have been linked to an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. A new study looked at health records from around 55,000 UK men who had been prescribed 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors over an 11-year period. A team led by the University of Edinburgh and UCL found the drugs were linked to an increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes of about one third. It follows previous short-term studies which suggested the drugs, which include finasteride and dutasteride, might affect metabolism and could reduce the bodys response to insulin an early sign of type 2 diabetes. Men with enlarged prostates are commonly prescribed 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors that reduce the production of hormones called androgens. They help treat symptoms such as reduced urinary flow. The study authors stressed prostate patients should not stop taking their medicines (Peter Byrne/PA) The study authors stressed patients should continue taking the drugs, but said they may need extra health checks. The findings suggest that in a population of 500 men on the treatment for 20 years, 16 extra cases of diabetes are likely to develop. A similar effect was seen when the team repeated the study with health records from a group of Taiwanese men. Professor Ruth Andrew, from the British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science at Edinburgh University, said: These findings will be particularly important for health screening in older men who are already typically at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. We will now continue our studies to better understand the long-term outcomes so we can better identify patients at greater risk. Laurence Stewart, consultant urologist at Spire Murrayfield Hospital and honorary consultant at NHS Lothian, said: These findings should not be a major concern for men taking 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medications. As doctors, we may need to review the way we monitor our patients to make sure we are extra vigilant for early signs of diabetes. Anyone with concerns should speak to their GP or urologist for advice on alternative treatments. Laura James, head of clinical services at Prostate Cancer UK, said: While this study does show a small increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when men take medicines such as finasteride, the overall risk is low, and men certainly shouldnt change treatment as a result. However, it would be sensible for clinicians to monitor men who are taking this medicine in case they do develop diabetes, and we welcome any research which highlights potential side effects of treatments. The research was published in the British Medical Journal and was funded by the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation. Researchers from the Universities of Dundee and Newcastle and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan also contributed to the study. Sudans military has overthrown President Omar al-Bashir amid increasingly bloody protests over his repressive 30-year rule and the deteriorating economy. But pro-democracy demonstrators were left angry and disappointed when the defence minister announced the armed forces will govern for the next two years. Al-Bashirs fall comes just over a week after similar protests in Algeria forced the resignation of the North African nations long-ruling, military-backed president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Omar al-Bashir (Mohamed Abuamrain/AP) Together, the developments represent a second generation of street protests eight years after the Arab Spring uprisings that ousted a number of long-entrenched leaders around the Middle East. But like those popular movements of 2011, the new ones face a similar dynamic a struggle over the aftermath of the leaders removal. Protest organisers in Sudan quickly denounced the armys takeover and vowed to continue rallies until a civilian transitional government is formed, raising the possibility of a clash with the military. Tens of thousands of demonstrators were massed at a sit-in they have held for nearly a week outside the militarys headquarters in central Khartoum, the capital. Sudanese celebrate after the military forced Omar al-Bashir to step down (AP) After the televised announcement of al-Bashirs arrest by defence minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf who is himself under US sanctions for links to atrocities in Sudans Darfur conflict many protesters chanted angrily: The first one fell, the second will too. Some shouted: They removed a thief and brought in a thief! Mr Ibn Ouf said a military council that will be formed by the army, intelligence agencies and security apparatus will rule for two years, after which free and fair elections will take place. He also announced that the military had suspended the constitution, dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency for three months, closed the countrys borders and airspace and imposed a curfew for one month. #Sudans brave people have called for change, but it must be real change. A military council ruling for 2 years is not the answer. We need to see a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership. And we need to ensure theres no more violence. : @lana_hago pic.twitter.com/UoIdFbTfOb Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) April 11, 2019 Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called for real change, saying that a military council ruling for two years is not the answer. He tweeted: Sudans brave people have called for change, but it must be real change. A military council ruling for 2 years is not the answer. We need to see a swift move to an inclusive, representative, civilian leadership. And we need to ensure theres no more violence. Al-Bashir, whose whereabouts were not immediately known, came to power in a coup of his own in 1989, backed by the military and Islamist hardliners. He kept an iron grip on power and brutally suppressed any opposition, while monopolising the economy through allied businessmen. Over his three decades in control, he was forced to allow the secession of South Sudan after years of war, a huge blow to the norths economy. He became notorious for a brutal crackdown on insurgents in the western Darfur region that made him an international pariah, wanted on genocide charges. The United States targeted his government repeatedly with sanctions and air strikes for his support of Islamic militant groups. Protesters celebrate in Khartoum, Sudan (AP) Throughout, he was a swaggering figure known to dance with his cane in front of cheering crowds. The street protests that erupted in December were met with crackdowns by the government that left dozens of people dead and eventually turned the military leadership against al-Bashir. Several times in the past week, army troops trying to protect the rallies exchanged fire with security forces. The protests were initially fuelled by anger over the deteriorating economy but quickly turned to demands for the presidents removal, and gained momentum last week after Mr Bouteflikas resignation in Algeria. Word of al-Bashirs removal first emerged in the morning, when state TV announced that the military was about to make an important statement. That prompted thousands of protesters to march towards the centre of Khartoum, cheering, singing and dancing in celebration. The announcement finally came hours later, from Mr Ibn Ouf, a key power figure in al-Bashirs regime. I, the defence minister, the head of the Supreme Security Committee, announce the uprooting of this regime and the seizing of its head, after detaining him in a safe place, he said. Sudanese celebrate after officials said the military had forced longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to step down after 30 years in power in Khartoum, Sudan (AP) He denounced al-Bashirs government for bad administration, systemic corruption, absence of justice, adding: The poor became poorer and the rich became richer. Hope in equality has been lost. He also said al-Bashirs crackdown against protesters risked splitting the security establishment and could cause grave casualties. Mariam al-Mahdi, a leading member of the opposition Umma, called the militarys takeover a dangerous move. Our demands are clear: We dont want to replace a coup with a coup, al-Mahdi said. The protest movement has been a mix of young activists, students, professional unions and traditional opposition parties. Security forces came down hard from the start, using tear gas, rubber bullets, live ammunition and batons. Al-Bashir banned unauthorised public gatherings and granted sweeping powers to the police after imposing a state of emergency last month. After Mr Bouteflikas fall, the Khartoum protesters launched the sit-in, and the crackdown grew bloodier, with at least 22 people killed since Saturday. Theresa May has told MPs it is their national duty to pass a Brexit deal after withdrawal from the EU was again pushed back. Addressing the Commons after the EU offered the UK a six-month Brexit delay until October 31, Halloween, the Prime Minister said Parliament needed to come together for the national good. Mrs May said agreeing a deal was the only way to avoid the UK holding European Parliament elections on May 23. The Prime Minister told MPs: We need to resolve this. So that we can leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible. This is our national duty as elected members of this House and nothing today is more pressing or more vital. Mrs May said Brexit talks with the EU had been difficult but she had fought Britains corner. The Prime Minister said: The discussions at the council were difficult and unsurprisingly many of our European partners share the deep frustration that I know so many of us feel in this House over the current impasse. Mrs May said, if agreement on a deal could not be reached, the Government will put alternatives to MPs in a series of votes and would abide by the result. She said: I hope that we can reach an agreement on a single unified approach that we can put to the House for approval. But if we cannot do so soon, then we will seek to agree a small number of options for the future relationship that we will put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue. And as I have made clear before, the Government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House. But to make this process work, the Opposition would need to agree to this too. (PA Graphics) The PM said: I welcome the discussions that have taken place with the Opposition in recent days and the further talks which are resuming today. This is not the normal way of British politics and it is uncomfortable for many in both the Government and opposition parties. Reaching an agreement will not be easy, because to be successful it will require both sides to make compromises. But however challenging it may be politically, I profoundly believe that in this unique situation where the House is deadlocked, it is incumbent on both front benches to seek to work together to deliver what the British people voted for. Mrs May said the European Council had reiterated that the Withdrawal Agreement could not be re-opened. She said: Crucially, any agreement on the future relationship may involve a number of additions and clarifications to the Political Declaration. Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel share a smile as the European Council summit gets under way (Olivier Hoslet/AP) Mrs May said she had argued against conditions being imposed on the UK during the delay. The PM said she had made clear that Britain would continue to be bound by all our ongoing obligations as a member state, including the duty of sincere co-operation. Prominent Tory Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash accused the Prime Minister of abject surrender to the EU and asked if she would resign. Mrs May replied: I think you know the answer to that. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: The second extension in the space of a fortnight represents not only a diplomatic failure, but it is another milestone in the Governments mishandling of the entire Brexit process. The six-month extension to October 31 was a compromise solution thrashed out by EU leaders after French President Emmanuel Macron dug-in against a longer delay lasting into 2020. Former Brexit secretary David Davis insisted that no progress had been made in Brussels and that pressure on Mrs May to quit as PM will increase, telling the BBC: I think what is likely to happen is the pressure for her to go will go up. The pressure on her to go will increase dramatically, I suspect, now. Commons Leader and prominent Leave backer Andrea Leadsom played down speculation that the latest delay could mean the end of Brexit. She said: We have to use this time to make sure that we deliver the Brexit we are all looking for, that we work closely with the EU and that they are genuinely helping to make sure we do deliver on the referendum there wont be any changing our minds about that. If the UK fails to take part in elections to the European Parliament on May 23-26, it will automatically leave without a deal on June 1. A review of progress will take place at the scheduled June 20 European Council summit in Brussels, but Mr Tusk stressed that this would be an opportunity for taking stock and not for any new negotiations. The term of the current European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker ends on October 31. The deal stopped the clock on the UK crashing out of the EU with no deal on Friday. It has been almost seven years since Julian Assange, and until last year his cat, first sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Since June 2012, a lot has changed in the UK and across the world. There was a different Pope, a different Archbishop of Canterbury, and Prince Harry was a single man. Stars including David Bowie were still alive back in 2012, when Assange first sought asylum (PA/Myung Jung Kim) Nelson Mandela, Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, Neil Armstrong, David Bowie and Gene Wilder were all still alive. Barack Obama and David Cameron were both in their respective first terms as US President and Prime Minister, while nobody had even coined the term Brexit. Though leaving the European Union was just a glint in the eyes of several Conservative backbenchers, 2012 saw the push for Scottish independence, led by then First Minister Alex Salmond. Alex Salmond on the independence campaign trail, back in 2012 (PA Danny Lawson) His successor, Nicola Sturgeon, is again pushing for Scottish independence because of Brexit, while Mr Salmond now works for Russia Today, the Russian state broadcaster. Chris Grayling was still a Conservative minister and perhaps the most explosive political story we could look forward to was Tory MP Andrew Mitchell allegedly calling a police officer a pleb. June also saw Vladimir Putin in his new role as president of Russia, after serving four years as prime minister, a role which he holds to this day. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian president Vladimir Putin (PA/Matt Cardy) Angela Merkel was only halfway through her tenure as Chancellor of Germany, and Donald Trump dropped out of the 2012 US presidential election, saying: I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and, ultimately, the general election. When Assange first entered the Ecuadorian embassy, computers were only running Windows 7, and during his time holed up there, there have been 16 types of iPhones. Uber had not yet launched in London, and Deliveroo did not exist. This was an era when Tindern has just launched, when people mainly still met each other in bars, clubs or through friends. Tinder was a little-known app that had just been launched in 2012 (Jonathan Brady/PA) The UK had only just got Netflix, the Simpsons was only in its 23rd Season, and the first Avengers film had just been released. The UK charts saw Cheryl Cole, Coldplay and Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band all in the top five. Since then, a judge ruled that Gary Barlow had been engaging in tax avoidance schemes, Cheryl Cole has re-married, divorced and had a child with One Direction star Liam Payne, while Coldplay have gone on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. Women are still not enjoying the same opportunities to make music in Northern Ireland as men, a talent development scout has said. A campaign to achieve gender balance in traditional music and folk will feature in the Womens Work festival in Belfast in June. Charlene Hegarty, talent development and project coordinator at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, said women were making a valuable contribution to the local scene. The programme for this year's Women's Work - an annual Belfast festival aiming "to do something positive regarding the position of women in the music industry - has launched. Here's the lowdown https://t.co/2HKBZx2Muz pic.twitter.com/c2YzeGJPhT The Thin Air (@thethinair) April 11, 2019 She added: That is not because females are not making music, they are making music as often as males but the representation and opportunities available were not historically there, so we are trying to do our bit to change that. In the UK in 2017 a quarter of line-ups at large music festivals featured a female. In the US less than a tenth of women were headliners. The Womens Work festival will last for five days from June 5. The 2019 Womens Work Festival will include a discussion on achieving gender balance in the industry (Carrie Davenport/PA) At the @_WomensWork launch at the @OhYeahCentre hearing all about the exciting events that will be apart of this year's festival pic.twitter.com/zUBkZibdxt Aine Cronin-McCartney (@MccartneyCronin) April 11, 2019 It features a tribute to Blondie, as well as a womens Irish hip hop night. The programme also includes a conversation with Genesis, who is a Columbian beauty queen, activist and musician. The Guilty Feminist, an award-winning podcast presented by Deborah Frances-White, will be recorded live at the Limelight bar on June 8. Lord Mayor of Belfast, Deirdre Hargey, said: Belfast boasts a vibrant and diverse music scene that everyone can be proud of. Our reputation for developing world-class talent continues to go from strength-to-strength and the contribution women make to that success cannot be underestimated. A British woman held in Dubai over Facebook posts calling her ex-husbands wife a horse is expected to return to the UK after she was fined. The family of Laleh Shahravesh, 55, were said to be ecstatic after a court appearance on Thursday in which a judge ordered her passport to be returned. The Detained in Dubai campaign group welcomed the news, but cautioned that serious concerns remain regarding the many risks for foreigners in the UAE. Ms Shahravesh, from Richmond, south-west London, was detained under strict cybercrime laws when she visited the country with her daughter Paris, 14, three years after writing the posts. The Facebook comment which landed Laleh Shahravesh in court (PA) She called Samah Al Hammadi, from Tunisia, a horse in a post after she discovered her ex-husband Pedro Correia Dos Santos had remarried in 2016. She was arrested when she travelled to the United Arab Emirates on March 10 for Pedros funeral after his death from a heart attack. Her teenage daughter Paris was allowed to return to Britain after the pair were held by police for 12 hours, but Ms Shahraveshs passport was seized, Detained In Dubai said. The campaign group said Ms Hammadi did not attend Thursdays hearing and had appointed a new lawyer who asked for more time to review the case. Later on Thursday a spokesman for the group said: After an emotional but anti-climactic court hearing this morning, in which the judge adjourned Lalehs case until a later date, Detained in Dubai received the welcome news that the judge has ordered Laleh to pay a fine of 3,000 UAE Dirham (624), and that her passport should be returned. She is then free to return to the UK. At the time of writing, Lalehs attorney has paid the fine, and procedures are under way to recover her passport. He said She should be home by early next week. Lalehs family is ecstatic. Daughter Paris is relieved, and all involved express their gratitude for the outpouring of public support. Radha Stirling, the campaign groups chief executive, said: We maintain that the case against Laleh should have been dismissed at the outset, and while we are pleased that her nightmare is over, her conviction on this absurd case sets a dangerous precedent. We are pleased that Laleh will be allowed to return home to be reunited with her daughter Paris; but serious concerns remain regarding the many risks for foreigners in the UAE, as well as the apparent docility of the UK consular staff in the Emirates and the refusal of the FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) to update its travel warnings for British citizens to provide them with a more accurate evaluation of the dangers they face in the UAE. The British mother had faced two years in prison and a 50,000 fine. A guilt-wracked woman has been jailed for at least 15 years for stabbing her IT executive husband during a regular boozy session dubbed fight night. Natasha Welsh, 43, stabbed lovable rascal Martin Welsh with a 15cm kitchen knife on October 26 last year at the family home in Hendon, north-west London. Their 21-year-old son Kyle had been upstairs on his Playstation and ran down to find his father dying from a stab wound to the chest. Court sketch of Natasha Welsh appearing in court at the Old Bailey, London (Elizabeth Cook/PA) At the time of the killing, Welshs relationship with the 47-year-old Celtic fan had turned toxic, jurors were told. The couple were regular drinkers who would consume more alcohol on a Friday, which they called fight night. The mother-of-two was said by her children to have the strength of 10 men and behaved like a lunatic while under the influence of alcohol. Alcoholic Welsh had accepted killing her husband but denied murder, claiming she had no memory of that night. But a jury found her guilty and she was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years at the Old Bailey. Victim Martin Welsh, 47, originally from Scotland, was said to be a `joker and `lovable rascal (Metropolitan Police/PA) Judge Alexia Durran told Welsh: In recent years, your life has revolved around alcohol. You started drinking in the afternoon before your husband returned from work. In a heightened state of intoxication and anger, you picked up a kitchen knife from the block on the work surface and stabbed Martin in the chest. I accept you are wracked by guilt about killing Martin and the effect on your children. In a statement, the couples daughter Charlie told how she and her younger brother feel we have lost both parents, not one as a result of the verdict. She said they missed their big bubbly father immeasurably, but added: We know in our heart of hearts our dad would not want our mum to suffer in this way. He did genuinely love her no matter what happened and that is the main reason he would never leave her. Mr Welshs sister Maryrose Welsh said he was a joker and a lovable rascal who had a wide circle of friends in his native Scotland as well as London. Julian Assange was branded a narcissist by a judge as he faced court after struggling with police as he was dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy. The WikiLeaks founder gave waiting photographers the thumbs up through the window of a white van as he arrived on Thursday afternoon. He was greeted by a packed press bench and a full public gallery, also mainly made up of journalists, as he entered the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court. With his long, grey hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail, and white straggly beard, Assange looked older than his 47 years as he swaggered in wearing a black suit, and open-necked black shirt. Assange saluted the public gallery and gave a thumbs up to one of his supporters, who was wearing a high-visibility vest and a pin badge featuring his heros face. Julian Assange arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court (Victoria Jones/PA) He then sat calmly reading his copy of Gore Vidals History Of The National Security State as the court waited for his lawyers to arrive, prompting District Judge Michael Snow to remark: If they are much longer I will have to ask security to go and get them. Assange stood to state his name and date of birth, before James Hines, representing the US government, told the judge Assange had been arrested on Thursday morning on two warrants. He outlined the long history of the case, which dated back to an allegation of sexual offences in Sweden in August 2010. Assange went to the Ecuadorian Embassy on June 19 2012 after exhausting his legal options, his challenge against an extradition order having failed in the Supreme Court. Mr Hines said a warrant for his arrest was issued on June 29 2012 and Assange remained in breach of bail despite Swedish prosecutors being forced to drop the case against him because they could not interview the suspect. A further warrant was issued in December 2017 after the US applied to extradite Assange. The court heard police officers arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Knightsbridge at around 9.15am and were met by the ambassador. He indicated he was preparing to serve upon Mr Assange documentation revoking his asylum, said Mr Hines. Officers tried to introduce themselves to him (Assange) in order to execute the arrest warrant before he barged past them, attempting to return to his private room. He was eventually arrested at 10.15am. He resisted that arrest, claiming this is unlawful and he had to be restrained. Officers were struggling to handcuff him. They received assistance from other officers outside and he was handcuffed saying, this is unlawful, Im not leaving. He was in fact lifted into the police van outside the embassy and taken to West End Central police station. Vivienne Westwood speaks to the media outside Westminster Magistrates Court (Victoria Jones/PA) The court heard the US has requested Assanges extradition over an allegation that he conspired with intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to download confidential documents. Assange was then asked to stand as the courts clerk read out the charge that he had failed to surrender to custody on June 29 2012. He entered a plea of not guilty, but there was a moment of confusion as Assange was then told he was charged under a different section of the Bail Act. When asked if he still denied the charge, Assange replied: Im a bit curious as to why theres been this sudden change. There were giggles in court as the judge explained: The computer produced the wrong section. Assange again pleaded not guilty, telling the judge his lawyer Liam Walker, would make the appropriate representations. Mr Walker said that his defence of reasonable excuse partly relied on his claim the Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot, who has previously dealt with the case, was biased against him. He alleged her husband, Lord Arbuthnot, was directly impacted by the activities of WikiLeaks and Assange. But the visibly angry judge told Mr Walker it was unacceptable for him to air the claim in front of a packed press gallery. This is grossly unfair and improper to do it just to ruin the reputation of a senior and able judge in front of the press, he said. Finding Assange guilty of breaching the Bail Act, the judge said of Assange: He has chosen not to give evidence, he has chosen to make assertions about a senior judge not having the courage to place himself before the court for the purpose of cross-examination. Those assertions made through counsel are not evidence as a matter of law. I find they are not capable of amounting to a reasonable excuse. He went on to describe Assanges defence as laughable, adding: Mr Assanges behaviour is that of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests. Supporters outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London (Victoria Jones/PA) He hasnt come close to establishing reasonable excuse. His behaviour through his counsel is shameful. Remanding Assange in custody, the judge told him he will be sentenced at a date to be set in Southwark Crown Court, the judge added: This is a case which merits the maximum sentence, which is 12 months in the Crown Court. He will next appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on May 2 by prison video-link in relation to the extradition case, which will be listed for a mention hearing every seven days. In a final barbed remark, the judge suggested Assange should get over to the US and get on with your life. Assange waved to the public gallery as he was taken down to the cells. Outside court, a crowd of about 20 of his supporters had gathered on the pavement with signs reading Free Assange and No Extradition. They chanted: Theres only one decision. No extradition and True journalists support Julian Assange. Speaking to a waiting pack of reporters, photographers and camera operators, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said: Anyone who wants the press to be free should consider the implications of this case. If they will extradite a journalist to the US then no journalist will be safe. This must stop. This must end. Julian Assange is in the cross-hairs of the US administration over his whistle-blowing activities, according to Labour. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott raised this as the reason why the Wikileaks founder would be subject to an extradition warrant from the US. Her remarks came after Home Secretary Sajid Javid updated MPs about the arrest of Assange following almost seven years of him living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Speaking in the Commons, Ms Abbott said she was glad Assange will be able to access medical care because there have been worrying reports about his ill health. She said: On this side of the House we want to make the point that the reason we are debating Julian Assange this afternoon, even though the only charge he may face in this country is in relation to his bail hearings, is entirely due to the whistle-blowing activities of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. Ms Abbott went on: It is this whistle-blowing into illegal wars, mass murder, murder of civilians and corruption on a grand scale, that has put Julian Assange in the cross-hairs of the US administration. Diane Abbott said she was glad Julian Assange will be able to access medical care (Stefan Rousseau/PA) It is for this reason that they have once more issued an extradition warrant against Mr Assange. Ms Abbott said a UN panel ruled Assange was being arbitrarily detained and should be allowed to walk free from the Ecuadorian embassy. And she linked the case to that of Chelsea Manning, saying the treatment she is receiving could be the sort of treatment the WikiLeaks founder could also face if he was imprisoned in America. In response, Mr Javid said the whole country will be pretty astounded by the tone she has taken, saying Ms Abbott was suggesting that we should not apply the rule of law to an individual. He accused her of not giving quite correct information over her claims the UN had ruled in Assanges favour, saying the UN has no view on the Assange case. He said the 2016 panel she referenced was a small independent group that do not speak for the UN in any way whatsoever. Mr Javid said it came up with a deeply flawed opinion suggesting somehow he was indefinitely detained in the UK by the British authorities, when in fact the only person responsible for Mr Assanges detention is himself it was entirely self-inflicted. He added: Why is it whenever someone has a track record of undermining the UK and our allies and the values we stand for, you can almost guarantee that the leadership of the party opposite will support those who intend to do us harm? You can always guarantee that from the party opposite. Downing Street has warned talks with Labour to end the Brexit deadlock will not continue for the sake of it after EU leaders granted a second delay to Britains withdrawal from the bloc. Theresa May returned to face her critics after another round of late night diplomacy in Brussels saw the EU set a Halloween deadline of October 31 for the UK finally to reach agreement on the terms of its withdrawal. In the Commons, the Prime Minister brushed off a call to resign from veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash who described her acceptance of the latest extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process as an abject surrender. However senior Tories warned the pressure on her to go would increase dramatically amid frustration among MPs that there is still no certainty as to when Britain will leave. Mrs May told MPs that under the terms of the extension it was still possible Britain could avoid voting in European elections on May 23 if Parliament was able to pass a deal before that date. However she acknowledged that reaching agreement in talks with Labour will not be easy as it would require compromise on both sides, but said that it was in the national interest that they should try. (PA Graphics) This is not the normal way of British politics and it is uncomfortable for many in both the Government and opposition parties, she said. But however challenging it may be politically, I profoundly believe that in this unique situation where the House is deadlocked, it is incumbent on both front benches to seek to work together to deliver what the British people voted for. Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would continue to engage constructively in the negotiations which he described as serious, detailed and ongoing, but warned ministers would have to compromise if they were to succeed. He hit out at what he said was an apparent attempt by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox to scupper the talks by trying to rule out a customs union a key Labour demand. Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel share a smile at the European Council summit (Olivier Hoslet/AP) Mrs May however suggested the two sides were not as far apart on the issue as was sometimes claimed. I think there is actually more agreement in relation to a customs union than is often given credit for when different language is used, she said. A No 10 source said they would continue to pursue the dialogue as long as they believed it was making progress, but added: Bluntly, we wont continue to talk for the sake of it. (PA Graphics) Mrs May said that if they could not agree a single unified approach, they would seek to agree a small number of options which they would put to the House for MPs to vote on. As I have made clear before, the Government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House. But to make this process work, the opposition would need to agree to this too, she said. Following her Commons statement, Mrs May and Mr Corbyn held a short meeting at Westminster when they agreed to continue the talks process, Labour said. In the Commons, some Tory Brexiteers voiced their anger that the country was facing an extended delay, something Mrs May had said previously she would not countenance, having already missed the original March 29 leaving date. Sir Bill Cash accused Mrs May of an `abject surrender (Jonathan Brady/PA) Sir Bill said: Does the Prime Minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender last night has generated across the country, having broken promises 100 times not to extend the time? Mark Francois, deputy chairman of the pro Brexit European Research Group, accused the Prime Minister of sheer obstinacy and warned Mr Corbyn could string you along in the talks only to collapse them. The Labour leader said the second Brexit extension in the space of a fortnight represents not only a diplomatic failure, but is another milestone in the Governments mishandling of the entire Brexit process. Donald Tusk urged the UK not to waste the Brexit delay (ec.europa.eu/PA) Earlier former Brexit secretary David Davis said Mrs May had failed to make any progress in Brussels and warned demands for her to quit would intensify. The pressure on her to go will increase dramatically, I suspect, he said. The six-month extension to October 31 was a compromise thrashed out by EU leaders after French President Emmanuel Macron dug in against a longer delay lasting into 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, the UK can leave at any time if the Withdrawal Agreement reached last November is ratified by the Westminster Parliament. European Council president Donald Tusk did not rule out further extensions, but said the October extension should be enough to find the best possible solution. He added: Please do not waste this time. The Irish Government has been urged to launch legacy investigations into Troubles killings that took place in its jurisdiction. Northern Irelands Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson made her first presentation on legacy proposals at Leinster House on Thursday. Among her recommendations was for Ireland to establish a mechanism similar to the proposed Historical Investigations Unit in Northern Ireland to carry out investigations into incidents that took place in the Irish Republic. Maura Fay, 85, from Artane, Dublin, touches the name of her late husband Patrick on the memorial on Talbot Street to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan Bombings. (PA Archive) She also urged that legislation allowing effective information sharing for legacy inquests is established, and that transparent processes and a robust appeals system are in place around national security to help build trust with families. A number of incidents related to Northern Irelands troubled past took place in the Irish Republic. These include the killing of 34 people on May 17 1974 after the Ulster Volunteer Force planted a series of bombs in Dublin and Monaghan and the IRAs murder of Lord Mountbatten and three others in Sligo in 1979. A cross in Mullaghmore Bay near to where Lord Mountbattens boat was blown up in 1979. (Niall Carson/PA) On Thursday, Ms Thompson made a presentation to the Oireachtas committee on the Good Friday Agreement, and urged they use their influence to press the Irish Government on the matter. She told the committee that there was a sense of isolation and inequality felt by victims who live outside Northern Ireland. I believe there is a good understanding of the issues, I believe there is a sense of it being very difficult to move on, Ms Thompson told the committee. I need to be more reassured that both governments feel that this is something that is not only important but urgent and doable. The process of dealing with the past in Northern Ireland has been stalled amid the ongoing impasse over re-establishing devolved government at Stormont. Northern Ireland has been without devolved government for over two years. (Niall Carson/PA) There have been proposals to establish a Historical Investigations Unit as well as an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval and an Oral History Archive. Ms Thompson said she does not believe many convictions will be secured, but said having investigations is important for bereaved families. The purpose of historical investigations should not be defined narrowly in terms of numbers of prosecutions, she said. That is not really primarily in the end what these investigations need to deliver, it is evident from previous and ongoing investigations, new information and evidence can be uncovered and that families who want answers can be better served than they have been, even if the evidence, as is likely in many cases, is insufficient to secure a conviction. The critical issue for many families and communities as well is access to information about the circumstances leading to the death of people they love, and acknowledgement of the harm that has been done to them. Independent TD Maureen OSullivan, who chairs Justice for the Forgotten which represents survivors and families of the victims of the May 1974 blasts, commended Ms Thompson. What you are saying is so true to their story, their experience and what they have been looking for, they have been waiting 46 years now, she said. The issue of the definition of a victim, which has sparked rows over whether perpetrators should be included, was raised by Fermanagh MP Michelle Gildernew. During her contribution, the Sinn Fein MP revealed she was diagnosed with PTSD in 2013 as a result of the conflict. Ms Gildernew said while the Dublin and Monaghan bombings understandably get a lot of attention, she said there were also bomb attacks in Cavan. The pain of those families is the exact same of Jonathan Parrys, anybody who has lost a loved one knows what it feels like to be a victim, she said. To that end is there any progress on the definition of a victim. Ms Thompson responded: We have a definition in law which is the one I operate under which is an inclusive definition. I understand why that is difficult for some people and I dont think it is a perfect definition, however I dont know what a perfect definition would look like and I dont think a conversation about who should be excluded from consideration of their pain is a healthy one to have as a way of dealing with the past. Sinn Feins justice spokesman said it was outrageous that a man who admitted sexually assaulting three passengers is allowed to carry women in his taxi as part of his bail conditions. Donnchadh O Laoghaire raised the case in the Dail of the man who pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault. The bail conditions, he said, allow him to collect female passengers, as long as they dont sit in the front seat. The defendant is to be sentenced next month. Mr O Laoghaire said that he accepts the courts decisions and sentencing and the remit of the judiciary adding that he would not comment in a way that would influence that. Sinn Feins Donnchadh O Laoghaire described the bail conditions as `outrageous (Niall Carson/PA) Speaking during Leaders Questions he added: The man has pleaded guilty to these incidents. Bail conditions for this man have stipulated that he can drive a taxi but that female passengers are not permitted as front seat passengers. This is outrageous. How can anyone feel safe in a taxi, no matter where they are seated, that is being driven by a man who has pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault? What mother or father would not be worried that this man could collect their daughters tonight. It is unsafe, absolutely wrong and our legislation should not allow it. It is frightening that such a man could drive a taxi in Dublin tonight. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said: As a father of three daughters, it is important that parents and young people can have faith that, when they get into a taxi, they are safe. But I think I need to be careful about referring to any individual cases, he added. Its a serious issue and of course legislation should be tested and, if necessary, changed to ensure that people who are travelling in taxis are protected appropriately and people who are given a licence to drive taxis are appropriately vetted to make sure that, whether its women or men who travelling in taxis, are given the appropriate legal protections they deserve. He added that the Government is committed to preventing and addressing sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Chancellor Philip Hammond has mocked prominent Tory Brexiteers for engaging in a suicide pact during failed bids to beat Theresa May to the Tory leadership, it has been reported. Mr Hammond used a speech in the US on Friday to say Environment Secretary Michael Gove and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson had formed an unintended suicide pact in the 2016 leadership contest, the Daily Telegraph said. The Chancellor said that Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom had effectively knifed herself during the race to become Prime Minister, according to the newspaper. Theresa May became Conservative leader and Prime Minister in 2016 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mrs May is facing calls to quit and trigger a new leadership contest, with ex-cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith saying she should stand down as early as next month. Mr Johnson hit back at David Lammy after the Labour MP defended comparing some Tory Brexiteers to the Nazis. Mr Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Mr Lammys comments were a peculiar outburst which has been brought on by Brexichosis. The remarks came as Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, Mrs Mays defacto deputy, said talks with Labour on trying to end the Brexit deadlock would continue over the Easter parliamentary recess. However, the discussions were not expected to resume on Monday, according to Labour sources. The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Hammond said in a speech at the British embassy in Washington DC the Tories have the joy of a leadership contest ahead. Mr Gove and Mr Johnson became rivals during the 2016 leadership contest which saw the field narrow to Mrs May and Mrs Leadsom. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson (Brian Lawless/PA) Mrs Leadsom then dropped out of the contest after controversy was sparked by remarks which appeared to suggest that being a mother put her in a better position to be leader. Referring to the leadership battle, the newspaper reported Mr Hammond as saying: If you remember last time this happened in 2016, Gove and Johnson knifed each other in an unintended suicide pact. Which left just Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May. And then Andrea Leadsom knifed herself in a private suicide pact and Theresa May inherited the prime ministership without anybody casting a single vote. (PA Graphics) Digital Minister Margot James said she would not serve under Mr Johnson if he became Tory leader. Asked if she would stay in the party if someone who supports a hard Brexit became leader, Ms James told BBC Radio 4s The Westminster Hour: Well, I think it would slightly depend who it was. Ms James added: I have already said I wouldnt serve under Boris Johnson. Not just because his Brexit views, but because of his performance as foreign secretary as well which I felt really let the country down. Private landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants at short notice and without good reason under a major shake-up of the rental sector, the Government has said. Prime Minister Theresa May said the move would end the threat of so-called no-fault evictions which give tenants as little as eight weeks notice after a fixed-term contract has come to an end. Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire said the proposed changes would effectively create open-ended tenancies. Ending Section 21 evictions will transform the lives of England's 11 million renters, giving them room to breathe and finally put down roots. One in four families privately rent, as do hundreds of thousands of older people. #EndSection21 pic.twitter.com/LyrsjzkBZf Shelter (@Shelter) April 15, 2019 Announcing a consultation process on Monday, Mr Brokenshire said the Government was taking action because of evidence that the end of tenancies through the so-called Section 21 process is one of the biggest causes of family homelessness. Campaigners welcomed the proposals, although the National Landlords Association warned of chaos if the Government introduces badly thought-out legislation that could put investors off creating more homes. Mrs May said private sector renters have the right to feel secure in their home, settled in their community and able to plan for the future with confidence. The changes will give tenants more assurance (Yui Mok/PA) But, millions of responsible tenants could still be uprooted by their landlord with little notice, and often little justification, she said. This is wrong and today were acting by preventing these unfair evictions. Landlords will still be able to end tenancies where they have legitimate reasons to do so, but they will no longer be able to unexpectedly evict families with only eight weeks notice. Mr Brokenshire said: By abolishing these kinds of evictions, every single person living in the private rented sector will be empowered to make the right housing choice for themselves not have it made for them. And this will be balanced by ensuring responsible landlords can get their property back where they have proper reason to do so. The proposals would see landlords having to provide a concrete, evidenced reason already specified in law for bringing tenancies to an end. At present landlords can evict tenants at any time after the fixed-term contract has come to an end, and without specifying a reason. Shelter said the proposals represent an outstanding victory for Englands 11 million private renters. This change will slam the brakes on unstable short-term tenancies and give tenants everywhere a massive boost in security, for which the government will deserve great credit, its chief executive, Polly Neate, said. Getting this new legislation through parliament is critical to people being able to stay in their rented home as long as they need, so we look forward to the government passing this law as quickly as possible. Section 21 is to go: The government has announced shock plans to scrap Section 21 - with @RLA_News warning changes could make life harder for some tenants https://t.co/dcjGYIUuta NRLA - National Residential Landlords Association (@NRLAssociation) April 14, 2019 Shadow housing secretary John Healey said: Any promise of new help for renters is good news, but this latest pledge wont work if landlords can still force tenants out by hiking the rent. For nine years, the Tories have failed to tackle problems facing private renters. Tenants need new rights and protections across the board to end costly rent increases and sub-standard homes as well as to stop unfair evictions. Labour is committed to giving renters the rights they deserve, including control on rents, indefinite tenancies and new legal minimum standards. Labours London mayor Sadiq Khan said it is crucial the Government adopts the proposals as soon as possible. Even this Government can no longer ignore the fact that the private rented sector is totally unfit for purpose, as Londoners struggle with huge rents and deposits, ongoing insecurity, and often poor-quality housing, he said. David Smith, of the Residential Landlords Association, said the body recognised there were calls for change, but warned of serious dangers of getting such reforms wrong. With the demand for private rented homes continuing to increase, we need the majority of good landlords to have confidence to invest in new homes, he said. This means ensuring they can swiftly repossess properties for legitimate reasons such as rent arrears, tenant anti-social behaviour or wanting to sell them. This needs to happen before any moves are made to end Section 21. National Landlords Association chief executive Richard Lambert said property owners had to use Section 21 because they have no confidence in the courts to deal with possession claims quickly and surely. If the Government introduces yet another piece of badly thought-out legislation, we guarantee there will be chaos, Mr Lambert told the BBC. A Ministry of Housing spokesman said: Court processes will also be expedited so landlords are able to swiftly and smoothly regain their property in the rare event of tenants falling into rent arrears or damaging the property meaning landlords have the security of knowing disputes will be resolved quickly. A woman who spent time living on the streets and is now one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK has been appointed an ambassador for the Big Issue magazine. Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, 36, became homeless at the age of 15 and sold the Big Issue as a teenager. In an interview with the magazine, she said: Life was brilliant until my dad got ill. He was given six months to live but ended up living for six years. He was an awesome man. Him and my mum absolutely idolised each other. Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton applied to more than 30 fire services before she went to South Wales (Big Issue/PA) After he died she suffered very badly with her mental health. Things were really difficult. We were completely poverty-stricken. It wasnt long before I was sleeping rough. On and off, for two years I was either sleeping rough or vulnerably housed. We used to sleep in the doorway of a disused church until it was boarded up, I would sleep in subways. She said the Big Issue gave her an opportunity to earn money and have some dignity back. Ok, this is tough but here goes. I was homeless for around 2 years when I was 15. I've spent years hiding it, but I've written about it because I want to tell others in that place that your start in life doesnt determine where you end up, only where you start #theheatofthemoment pic.twitter.com/V5EffMxkEi Dr Sab Cohen-Hatton (@Sab_CohenHatton) March 13, 2019 When you live that life, you feel invisible. You feel like a ghost in society. If someone in the street falls over, people rush over to help, but there you are on the street corner with no food in your belly, nowhere to live, no clean clothes and people walk past you like you are not there, she said. On her escape from the streets into a firefighting career, Ms Cohen-Hatton said: I really wanted to join the fire service. Even when I was still homeless, this was what I was aspiring to. I applied to 30 different fire services across the country. I would have gone anywhere, but I got the job in South Wales and it was all up from there. I knew what rock bottom felt like. I knew what the worst possible day felt like and I certainly knew what vulnerability felt like. I saw it as an opportunity to rescue other people in a way that no one rescued me. That is something that I carry with me every single day when I go to work. Ms Cohen-Hatton has been a firefighter for 18 years and is currently deputy assistant commissioner of Surrey fire brigade. At present, only five per cent of firefighters are women. The contrast is even more noticeable in leadership roles like mine. Firefighter @Sab_CohenHatton, author of Heat of the Moment, tells us how she rose the top of her astonishing career: https://t.co/NEhclq91LX pic.twitter.com/ZE3lzzqV9j Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) April 14, 2019 She studied psychology and has written a book on life-and-death decision-making called Heat Of The Moment. The Big Issue, featuring Sabrina on the cover, is available to buy from April 15. Culprits behind the drone chaos at Gatwick had an insight into how the airport was reacting to the incident, its head of operations has said. The rogue operators could either see what was taking place on the runway or they were eavesdropping on radio or internet communications, said Chris Woodroofe, the airports chief operating officer. A number of drone sightings forced Britains second-busiest airport to shut down for 33 hours, disrupting 140,000 passengers journeys. The chaos continued despite a huge police operation and the Army was eventually called to bring the incident under control. 14.15: Our runway is still closed because of drone sightings. Flights are cancelled up to at least 16.00 today, while we constantly review the situation. Please do not set out for the airport for your flight without checking with your airline first. We're sorry for the disruption Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 20, 2018 Sussex Police said the possibility that the perpetrators could have included an airport insider is a credible line of inquiry. Speaking to the BBCs Panorama Programme, Mr Woodroofe said the disruption wreaked by the drones was terrible. It was clear that the drone operators had a link into what was going on at the airport, he said. Mr Woodroofe was the gold commander in charge of the airports response to the incident on December 19 and 21, which hit 1,000 flights. He said there was absolutely nothing that he would have done differently as the safety of passengers was of paramount concern. Passengers at Gatwick airport waiting for their flights following the delays and cancellations brought on by drone sightings (PA) It was terrible that 140,000 peoples journeys were disrupted, but everyone was safe. Mr Woodroofe said. Military anti-drone equipment, which can detect the flying machines and disable them by jamming radio signals, remained at the airport until March. Both Gatwick and Heathrow are investing millions in their own systems to prevent future flight disruption. We would know the drone was arriving on site and wed know where that drone had come from, where it was going to and wed have a much better chance of catching the perpetrator, Mr Woodroofe said. What this incident has demonstrated is that a drone operator with malicious intent can cause serious disruption to airport operations. And its clear that disruption could be carried over into other industries and other environments. TSB has announced a new fraud refund guarantee to ensure its 5.2 million customers are protected if they are an innocent victim of a scam. The bank has committed to covering customers against all types of transactional fraud losses, including cases where customers are tricked into authorising payments to fraudsters. The guarantee applies to fraud losses incurred on or after Sunday April 14 2019, setting TSB apart from its banking rivals. It will apply to existing and new personal and business customers, perhaps helping the bank win over consumers after it was heavily criticised for IT woes last year. In general across the industry, consumers are entitled to a refund when a fraudster takes money from their account without their knowledge. But when someone authorises a payment to a fraudster often because they have been tricked into thinking they are transferring money to a legitimate organisation the situation is much less clear cut and people have been losing large amounts of money. TSB has announced a new `fraud refund guarantee to protect customers if they are an innocent victim of a scam (Gareth Fuller/PA) Figures from trade association UK Finance show 354 million was lost last year through scams in which victims were tricked into transferring money directly from their account to a fraudster known as authorised push payment (APP) fraud. Financial providers were able to return a total of 83 million. Some 228 million of losses came from personal accounts and 126 million was from business accounts. Banks have been working together to help increase the chances of people getting their money back, but consumer campaigners who have heard from people devastated at losing their life savings have urged banks to do more. TSB, which came under fire in 2018 when customers were unable to access accounts due to a huge IT meltdown, said its latest announcement marks a significant step-change in banking, where customers are only refunded for fraud losses in limited circumstances. It said TSB customers will be refunded for any loss suffered from their account as a result of third-party fraud. The bank will be communicating the terms of the guarantee to its customers. Under the guarantee, customers will need to contact the bank to report fraud, and it will still investigate the fraud claim, including what happened and how, so it can inform the customer and ensure they are protected from future fraud. It will not pay out to customers who try to abuse the guarantee for example, by committing fraud on their own account or repeatedly ignoring safety advice. And it will not refund losses on retrospective claims as the guarantee only applies to losses on or after April 14. TSB said it may also adjust the conditions of the guarantee as time goes on to guard against abuse and help prevent and prosecute fraud and reflect requirements from regulators or enforcement authorities. The bank pointed to figures from UK Finance showing more than 1.2 billion was stolen by criminals committing bank fraud last year. TSB executive chairman Richard Meddings said: The vast majority of fraud claims across UK banking are from innocent victims of fraud who have been targeted by criminals and organised gangs. However, all too often these customers must fight to be refunded and are not treated as victims of crime. We want to provide peace of mind to our customers, thats why were proud to announce the TSB fraud refund guarantee. If a TSB customer innocently suffers a fraud loss on their account after being targeted by a criminal, well cover it. TSB said it is also tackling fraud in other ways, including preventing scams through increased education in local communities. It has also been partnering with local police forces to hunt down criminals, resulting in multiple arrests and successful prosecutions. Jenny Ross, Which? money editor, said: For years, people have lost life-changing sums of money to increasingly sophisticated scams, and then faced a gruelling battle to get their money back. We know that banks are far better placed to spot and prevent scams than their customers. Today, TSB has rightly recognised this and stepped up to take responsibility for refunding its customers across all types of fraud. Yet other high street banks are leaving their customers unprotected. All banks must now follow TSBs lead and ensure that their own customers are not left paying for the cost of this crime. Firefighters are still at the scene of a forest blaze which broke out on Saturday evening. Emergency services were called to the scene near Loch Doon, Dalmellington, in East Ayrshire at around 6.50pm on Saturday. East Ayrshire Council said the fire affected an area of around five miles and urged people to stay away while emergency services dealt with the incident. 23:50hrs Progress being made in tackling fire in Loch Doon/Braiden area. Were on standby supporting emergency services and local community. #eastayrshire East Ayrshire (@EastAyrshire) April 14, 2019 Three fire engines went to the scene on Saturday evening and the Forestry Commission and Police Scotland were also involved in dealing with the incident. One fire engine remained at the scene on Monday morning. A rest and welfare facility was set up in the community centre in Dalmellington for any local residents affected by the fire. Pete Buttigieg, a little-known Indiana mayor who has risen to prominence in the early stages of the 2020 Democratic US presidential race, has made his official campaign entrance. I recognise the audacity of doing this as a Midwestern millennial mayor, he said to cheers of Pete, Pete, Pete from an audience assembled in a former Studebaker car plant. More than a little bold, at age 37, to seek the highest office in the land. In the hours after his announcement, more than one million dollars (763,000) in donations poured in, said Lis Smith, speaking for the campaign. I just announced I'm running for president of the United States. Join in and donate if you can. It's going to be an amazing ride and I can't wait to be on it with you all the way to the White House: https://t.co/edZnUvfc2I pic.twitter.com/OTi0YsAG5R Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 14, 2019 The South Bend mayor, a Rhodes scholar and Afghanistan War veteran who has been essentially campaigning since January, has joined a dozen-plus rivals vying to take on President Donald Trump. The forces of change in our country today are tectonic, he said. Forces that help to explain what made this current presidency even possible. Thats why, this time, its not just about winning an election its about winning an era. Mr Buttigieg will return this week to Iowa and New Hampshire, which hold the nations first nominating contests, to campaign as a fully fledged candidate now being taken more seriously. Over the past few months, Mr Buttigieg has appeared frequently on national TV news and talk shows and developed a strong social media following with his message that the country needs a new generation of leadership. Mr Buttigiegs poll numbers have climbed. Pete Buttigieg announces that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination during a rally in South Bend (Michael Conroy/AP) Some polls put him behind only Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who sought the partys nomination in 2016, and former vice president Joe Biden, who has not yet said he is running. Mr Buttigiegs campaign has raised more than seven million dollars (5.3 million) in the first three months of this year, a total eclipsed by Mr Sanderss leading 18 million dollars (13.7 million) but more than senators Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker. Right now, its pretty fun, Mr Buttigieg said last month while visiting South Carolina , where he was met by larger-than-expected crowds. His challenge is finding a way to sustain the momentum over the long term and avoiding becoming a flavour of the month candidate. Scrutiny of his leadership in South Bend has increased, as has his criticism of vice president Mike Pence, who was Indianas governor when Mr Buttigieg was in his first term as mayor. Mr Buttigieg would be the first openly gay nominee of a major presidential party; he married his husband Chasten last year. Pete Buttigieg is joined by his husband Chasten Glezman (Michael Conroy/AP) He would be the first mayor to go directly to the White House. And he would be the youngest person to become president, turning 39 the day before the next inauguration, on January 20 2021. Theodore Roosevelt was 42 when he took office, while John F Kennedy was 43 and Bill Clinton 46. The campaign kickoff speech echoed themes that have resonated with voters during Mr Buttigiegs exploratory phase. He talks often about how political decisions shape peoples lives, including his own from serving as a lieutenant in the navy reserve in 2014, to being able to marry his husband and to not having to worry about how to pay for his fathers hospital bills after his fathers death this year. Mr Buttigieg also says the best way for Democrats to defeat Mr Trump may be to nominate a mayor experienced in helping to revive a Midwestern city once described as dying, rather than a politician who has spent years marinating in Washington. Mr Buttigieg has raised millions in donations (Darron Cummings/AP) He has criticised Mr Trumps campaign slogan, Make America Great Again, saying the way to move the country forward is not to look backward or cling to an old way of life. Theres a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back, he said. It comes from people who think the only way to reach communities like ours is through resentment and nostalgia, selling an impossible promise of returning to a bygone era that was never as great as advertised to begin with. South Bend, which neighbours the University of Notre Dame, was hit hard by the decline of manufacturing, dating to the 1963 closing of the Studebaker car plant that cost thousands of residents their jobs. The hulking, dilapidated factory loomed over the city for much of the past 60 years as what Mr Buttigieg called a daily reminder of South Bends past. A volunteer vacuums water on the floor as they prepare for the announcement by Pete Buttigieg (Michael Conroy/AP) Partially remodelled, it is now a mixed-use technology centre and the setting for Mr Buttigiegs announcement. The South Bend fire marshals office said the rally drew more than 4,500 inside and 1,500 outside. A steady stream of raindrops fell on speakers on the stage through the leaky roof. I like that hes young, said Tom Lacy, a 62-year-old retiree who came from Peoria, Illinois, for the event with his wife Candy on their 35th wedding anniversary. Hes so relatable. He doesnt seem like a politician to me. The contrast between him and our current president is unbelievable. Nausher Ahmad Sial, a 68-year-old developer from South Bend, said we need to try new blood. Mr Sial, who came to the US from Pakistan 35 years ago, said he has worked with Mr Buttigieg on development projects in the city and described the mayor as a very honest, very fair guy. The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant has begun removing fuel from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 tsunami disaster. Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said workers started removing the first of 566 used and unused fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3. The fuel units in the pool located high up in reactor buildings are intact despite the disaster, but the pools are not enclosed, so removing the units to safer ground is crucial to avoid disaster in case of another major quake. Tepco says the removal at Unit 3 would take two years, followed by the two other reactors where about 1,000 fuel units remain in the storage pools. Removing fuel units from the cooling pools comes ahead of the real challenge of removing melted fuel from inside the reactors, but details of how that might be done are still largely unknown. Workers are remotely operating a crane built underneath a roof cover (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File) Removing the fuel in the cooling pools was delayed more than four years by mishaps, high radiation and radioactive debris from an explosion that occurred at the time of the reactor meltdown, underscoring the difficulties that remain. Workers are remotely operating a crane built underneath a roof cover to raise the fuel from a storage rack in the pool and place it into a protective cask. The whole process occurs underwater to prevent radiation leaks. Each cask will be filled with seven fuel units, then lifted from the pool and lowered to a truck that will transport the cask to a safer cooling pool elsewhere at the plant. A cooling pool where a total of mostly used 566 sets of fuel rods are stored underwater and covered by a protective net (AP Photo/Mari Yamaguchi, File) The work is carried out remotely from a control room about 500 metres away because of still-high radiation levels inside the reactor building that houses the pool. About an hour after the work began, the first fuel unit was safely stored inside the cask, Tepco said. I believe everything is going well so far, plant chief Tomohiko Isogai told Japans NHK television from Fukushima. We will watch the progress at the site as we put safety first. Our goal is not to rush the process but to carefully proceed with the decommissioning work. In 2014, Tepco safely removed all 1,535 fuel units from the storage pool at a fourth reactor that was idle and had no fuel inside its core when the March 11 2011, earthquake and tsunami occurred. Robotic probes have photographed and detected traces of damaged nuclear fuel in the three reactors that had meltdowns, but the exact location and other details of the melted fuel are largely unknown. Removing fuel from the cooling pools will help free up space for the subsequent removal of the melted fuel, though details of how to gain access to it are yet to be decided. Experts say the melted fuel in the three reactors amounts to more than 800 tonnes. Theresa May could struggle to hang on to power if she cannot get her Brexit deal through Parliament before the European elections, the Foreign Secretary has warned. Jeremy Hunt said the total focus of ministers was to ensure the country did not have to vote in the elections to the European Parliament on May 23. Speaking during a visit to Japan, he acknowledged that the Government would be facing a very serious situation if it failed to do so. Under the terms of the latest extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process agreed last week by EU leaders, Britain can call off the elections if the Prime Ministers deal is passed by the Parliament before polling day. (PA Graphics) Many Tory MPs are furious that the elections may have to take place at all, amid warnings that the party is likely to suffer heavy losses if they go ahead. Mr Hunt acknowledged that the party could be heading for a disastrous showing at the polls if the country was required to vote. In terms of polling it certainly looks that way, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. That is why we dont want to be in those polls from a political point of view, but actually the bigger principle for people in Britain is that we voted to leave the EU and they want the politicians to get on with it. Jeremy Hunt held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo (Kimimasa Mayama/AP) Mr Hunt said it would be highly, extremely, very, very challenging for Mrs May if she was not able to get her deal through. That would be a very serious situation I dont pretend otherwise but we arent at that point, he said. I think the closer we get to that point the more my colleagues in the House of Commons will realise how high the stakes are. He said talks with Labour aimed at finding a cross-party consensus on the way forward were proving more constructive than many at Westminster had expected. I dont think we should rule out the possibility of getting some agreement across the House of Commons. It cant just be the Conservatives, he said. This is the total focus of not just Theresa May, but the whole Cabinet as well. It is time to put our shoulders into it and really make this happen. (PA Graphics) Mr Hunt acknowledged however that the talks may not be successful, in which case he suggested the Conservatives might have to go back to the DUP to find a way forward. We dont know if they are going to work and it may be that we need to find a way to rebuild the Conservative-DUP coalition, he said. The DUP MPs, who prop up the Conservatives at Westminster, have, however, made clear that they will not support the deal unless the Northern Ireland backstop is removed something the EU has said it will not countenance. Mr Hunt, who is widely expected to be a candidate for the leadership when Mrs May does step down, refused to be drawn on his own ambitions. But, speaking in Tokyo following talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he said the continuing uncertainty over Brexit was damaging Britain internationally. He said that other countries feared the UK would become submerged in the mire of Brexit indecision. It is absolutely clear that Brexit paralysis, if it continues for a long time, will be highly damaging to our international standing, he said. If my kids grow up to be half as intelligent and well behaved as the children at Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High school this morning Ill be a very proud Dad. Great to be teaching English in Japan again after a twenty year gap. pic.twitter.com/72wUkfRI8P Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) April 15, 2019 Ahead of his meeting with Mr Abe, Mr Hunt, who is fluent in Japanese, visited a local high school where he spoke to the pupils in their native tongue. Afterwards he tweeted: If my kids grow up to be half as intelligent and well behaved as the children at Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High school this morning Ill be a very proud Dad. Great to be teaching English in Japan again after a 20 year gap. Environmental protesters have blocked some of Londons busiest roads in a bid to bring the capital to a standstill. Activists are targeting five central locations as they demand the Government declare a climate emergency. The first human roadblock closed Waterloo Bridge to traffic in both directions on Monday morning before protesters descended onto the roads at Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. Hundreds of people gathered outside Oxford Circus Tube station around a bright pink boat, where some used makeshift devices to lock their arms together. We have taken Waterloo bridge! pic.twitter.com/wV9Wm6Zygu Extinction Rebellion (@ExtinctionR) April 15, 2019 In Parliament Square, others unfurled banners, held up placards and waved flags as speakers took to the stage. Campaign group Extinction Rebellion is expecting thousands to join the peaceful protests, which could last for weeks, as they demand the Government takes urgent action on climate change and wildlife declines. Organisers have warned activists they could face arrest for blocking traffic and Transport for London said travellers face disruption and delays. The movement has received support from actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson and former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. Speaking at a meditation on the eve of the protests Dr Williams said humans had declared war on nature. He said: We are here tonight to declare that we do not wish to be at war. We wish to make peace with ourselves by making peace with our neighbour Earth and with our God. Thompson has previously said of the demonstrations: It is time to stand up and save our home. Organisers said: The International Rebellion begins and Extinction Rebellion will be bringing London to a standstill for up to two weeks. There were colourful protests in Parliament Square (Kirsty OConnor/PA) They will be blocking five of the citys busiest and most iconic locations in a non-violent, peaceful act of rebellion where they invite people to join them for several days of creative, artist-led resistance. Demonstrators arrived at Londons Hyde Park on Sunday, some having journeyed to the city on foot in recent weeks from various parts of the UK for what is described as an International Rebellion. Monday will see people in at least 80 cities in more than 33 countries hold similar demonstrations on the same environmental issues, campaigners said. The protesters are aiming to cause disruption in central London (Jonathan Brady/PA) While organisers encouraged people to set up camp in Hyde Park overnight into Monday, they were warned they could be breaking the law by doing so is an offence under Royal Parks legislation. A spokeswoman for The Royal Parks said Extinction Rebellion had not asked for permission to begin the protest in the park and that camping is not allowed. But police said no arrests had been made by midday on Monday after earlier explaining their operational response to camping would be dependent on what if any other issues might be ongoing at the time. There will be environmental protests worldwide (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Scotland Yard said they have appropriate policing plans in place for the demonstrations and that officers will be used from across the force to support the public order operation during the coming weeks. Police advised people travelling around London in the coming days to allow extra time for their journey in the event of road closures and general disruption. Firefighters have extinguished a forest blaze which broke out on Saturday evening. Emergency services were called to the scene near Loch Doon, Dalmellington, in East Ayrshire, at around 6.50pm on Saturday. East Ayrshire Council said the fire affected an area of around five miles and urged people to stay away while emergency services dealt with the incident. Three fire engines went to the scene on Saturday evening and the Forestry Commission and Police Scotland were also involved. One fire engine remained at the scene on Monday morning but left at around 11am. CCTV footage has been released of a one-legged drug dealer who has been a fugitive for more than a year. Richard Wakeling, 52, from Brentwood, Essex, tried to import 8 million of liquid amphetamine into the UK in April 2016. He fled before his trial began and was sentenced to 11 years in his absence at Chelmsford Crown Court on April 9 last year. On Monday, the National Crime Agency released CCTV footage of him leaving his home on January 5 last year as investigators continue to try to track him down. The clip shows him chatting to a workman and getting into his white Audi Q3, registration number EF66 ZWR. He left Essex that day and travelled through Iver in Buckinghamshire, before catching a bus from Heathrow to Glasgow and taking a ferry from Stranraer to Belfast. CCTV still issued by the National Crime Agency (NCA/PA) The NCA said he has family in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Canada and Thailand. A week after he disappeared, his car was driven back to his home in Essex. NCA operations manager Paul Green said: Wakeling has been on the run for well over a year now and knows we are still looking for him. He should also know we will do everything in our power to bring him back to serve his sentence. I would urge him to hand himself in. Ive no doubt someone seeing this appeal will have information about his whereabouts. Anyone helping Wakeling or actively frustrating our efforts to find him could be arrested for assisting an offender. Teams in three of the four Champions League quarter-finals are separated by one goal or fewer heading into this weeks second legs. Manchester United face a return to the Nou Camp 20 years after their dramatic final victory over Bayern Munich at the ground, Manchester City have to turn around a deficit at home to Tottenham while Juventus have discovered Ajax are no pushovers. Even Liverpools 2-0 advantage from the home leg against Porto is not decisive. Here, Press Association Sport looks at some of the issues surrounding this weeks matches. Nou easy task for United Is Romelu Lukaku the right man for Manchester United in the Nou Camp? (Martin Rickett/PA) United have a 1-0 deficit to overturn as they go back to the Nou Camp in the year of their 20th anniversary of that last-gasp final win over Bayern. It is a formidable task considering the Catalans have lost at home just three times in the last three years in all competitions. They need their big players to step up and none more so than 80million striker Romelu Lukaku. He has scored just six times in the last 16 games and those came with three back-to-back doubles, including the win over Paris St Germain which got them through to this stage. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a decision to make on whether to persist with the big Belgian or opt for the more mobile, pacy Marcus Rashford and try to hit their hosts on the break. Guardiola has to get it right Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola cannot afford to make selection mistakes against Tottenham (John Walton/PA) Manchester Citys quest for the quadruple mean their focus is being split three ways but being a goal down to Tottenham from the first leg is sure to concentrate minds. With Pep Guardiolas side going toe-to-toe with Liverpool in the title race they are aware of the perils one slip-up could have, so must-win games have become the norm in the last four months. Guardiola was criticised for his tactics last week, leaving out the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane but he is unlikely to make the same mistake twice. Bernardo Silvas return to fitness will help but Fernandinho remains a doubt after missing Sundays win at Crystal Palace. At home City will look to overwhelm Spurs early on so they can hold some in reserve for when the two teams meet again in the league three days after. Without Kane, who is able? With Harry Kane injured Tottenham need someone to step up (Mike Egerton/PA) Harry Kanes ankle injury in the first leg puts the onus on others to come up with the goods for Tottenham. The clean sheet last week was only Spurs second in the last 17 encounters against City so the chances are they will need to score at the Etihad. Lucas Moura fired a hat-trick at the weekend but he is unlikely to find City as accommodating as relegated Huddersfield while Son Heung-min, rested on Saturday, performed well in Kanes absence earlier in the year and it was he who made the difference in the first leg. Christian Eriksen has scored just three times since the turn of the year but with possession likely to be at a premium he may be required to make the most of what ball Spurs get. Can lightning strike twice for Ajax? Cristiano Ronaldo presents the biggest barrier to Ajax springing another surprise (Martin Rickett/PA) Juventus will be confident, with an away goal, of seeing off Ajax but the Dutch side have already proved they are no respecters of reputations.They overturned a 2-1 home defeat to beat holders Real Madrid 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu and Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri is taking no chances having rested most of his players Cristiano Ronaldo was given the weekend off as the runaway Serie A leaders slipped to only their second league defeat at mid-table Spal. Ronaldo is the one obvious threat and the omens are not good for Ajax, who despite being unbeaten in their last four matches away to Serie A sides have lost nine of the 12 European ties in which they drew the home first leg, including four European Cup quarter-finals. Factor in influential midfielder Frenkie De Jong is an injury doubt and Ajaxs hopes of pulling off a second successive shock result look slim. No Porto walkover for Reds Hector Herreras return from suspension makes Porto more of a threat to Liverpool (Lynne Cameron/PA) It is the forgotten tie of the round. Liverpools current form is so good (11 wins and five draws) that their trip to the Estadio do Dragao, where they won 5-0 last year, is seen as a formality. But complacency is the one thing which could do for Jurgen Klopps side as Porto showed enough potential threat at Anfield to suggest this will be far from comfortable. Pepe and Hector Herrera return from suspension to strengthen the hosts and if Moussa Marega discovers the shooting boots he left at home last week it could be an uncomfortable night. Klopp will make minimal changes, most likely at centre-back and in midfield, as he believes in maintaining a consistent rhythm and will not be looking ahead to Sundays trip to Cardiff. The clock is ticking down to the end of Theresa Mays premiership, but midnight seems to have been pushed a little further back over the weekend. A clamour for her to quit followed the latest Brexit delay but this seems to have been quelled by Cabinet colleagues apparently willing to prop up the PM in the short term. For now, it seems leadership rivals are content to see Mrs May drain the poisoned chalice of Brexit, biding their time until the deadline starts looming once again in the run-up to Halloween. The Tories jockeying for position ahead of the big race are: Boris Johnson Boris Johnson arrives at the Palace of Westminster (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The front-runner among grassroots Tory members is still Boris Johnson, who has been strengthened by Mrs Mays decision to go into talks over a softer Brexit with Labour. The former foreign secretarys latest Daily Telegraph column sets out his leadership stall, calling for the country to be able to move on from Brexit and refocus on tax cuts and tackling crime. Sajid Javid Home Secretary Sajid Javid (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Home Secretary Sajid Javid is also putting out the bunting as he makes a speech on Monday on moving towards a public health model on knife crime treating violence as a disease in a bid to stop the death toll continuing to rise. Mr Javid has drawn criticism over the hostile environment policy towards immigration and his handling of asylum seekers crossing the Channel so may be trying to build a more compassionate image. Dominic Raab Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab (PA/Steve Parsons) Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is still in the running as a potential leader who would switch tack to a harder Brexit, having quit the Cabinet over Mrs Mays deal after four months in post. Mr Raab has had a series of articles in Sunday newspapers over the last few weeks as he tries to raise his profile and become more of a household name. Michael Gove Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove (Jonathan Brady/PA) The popularity of Environment Secretary Michael Gove flickers as wary Conservatives struggle to decide if he can be trusted after stabbing his Brexit partner Mr Johnson in the back during the last leadership contest. Mr Gove has shown himself to be a strong performer, laying into Labours Brexit policy as bollocks during one memorable debate, and is also unfailingly complimentary to colleagues. Andrea Leadsom Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom speaks in the House of Commons (PA) Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has revived her image, which was damaged by her gaffe over motherhood in the last leadership contest, with strong performances on womens rights in the Chamber. Mrs Leadsom has not wavered over Brexit either, still demanding German Chancellor Angela Merkel re-open the Withdrawal Agreement as late as last week, despite the EU negotiators refusal to countenance this. Penny Mordaunt International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt (Jonathan Brady/PA) International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt remains on the margins of the contest but has been unflappable in her Cabinet role as well as supporting Mrs May and backing Brexit compromise despite being a Leaver. Ms Mordaunts experience as a Royal Naval Reservist, serving as an acting sub-lieutenant, should stand her in good stead as accusations of sexism among some in the ERG faction continue to swirl. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has been appointed honorary professor of peace studies at Queens University in Belfast. Mr Ahern will take up the role at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. Mr Ahern, who served as taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. He also helped to negotiate the return of devolution to Northern Ireland in 2007. In his role as honorary professor, Mr Ahern will take part in workshops and masterclasses with students and will participate in events at the University. Mr Ahern will deliver his first lecture, the Harri Holkeri Lecture, next month, when he will reflect on Peace Process In Light Of Brexit Issues. Queens University Belfast has awarded former taoiseach Bertie Ahern an Honorary Professorship in Peace Studies (PA) The annual lecture recognises the achievements of former prime minister of Finland, the late Harri Holkeri, who used his skills as negotiator and consensus-builder to facilitate arms decommissioning and multi-party peace talks in Northern Ireland. Professor Hastings Donnan, director of the institute, said: Bertie Ahern has been an advocate and supporter of the Mitchell Institute and the university for many years and his political experience will be an asset to both teaching and research at Queens. We look forward very much to his contribution over the next three years. Mr Ahern said he was privileged to accept the role. He added: I have enjoyed working with Queens University since I received my honorary doctorate in 2008. Anne Connolly OBE, chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, and Dr Michael Maguire, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, have also been awarded honorary professorships at the institute. Professor Douglas MacFarlane from Monash University, Australia, has been awarded an honorary professorship in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Professor MacFarlane is a world-leading expert in using ionic liquids for electrochemistry, green chemistry, solar cells, batteries and biotechnology. The Sudanese military attempted to break up an anti-government sit-in outside its headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, protest organisers have said. There were no clashes and no one was hurt but the incident set off concerns that the military, which last week ousted Sudans long-time president Omar al-Bashir after four months of street protests against his rule, could renege on its promises not to use force against the peaceful demonstrators. Videos circulated online showing hundreds of troops outside the military compound in Khartoum. In the footage, an officer is heard saying they came to open roads, clean the area and remove the barricades set up by the protesters to protect their gathering. Some protesters are then seen in the footage sitting down on the ground in front of the soldiers who subsequently back off. Protesters also chant revolution in some of the videos, as well as slogans against al-Bashirs Islamist supporters. Protesters gather during a rally demanding a civilian body to lead the transition to democracy (AP Photo) The Sudanese Professionals Association, which is behind the protests, urged people to head to the sit-in and defend it from any new attempts by the military to disperse the demonstrators. There is an attempt to break up the sit-in, the group said. We appeal everyone to head to the area to protect your revolution and gains. Previous attempts to break up the sit-in before al-Bashirs ouster last Thursday had killed dozens of people. General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the transitional military council, has also announced an overhaul of the military leadership and appointed a new chief of staff. The statement said General Hashem Babakr was appointed the joint chief of staff, replacing General Kamal Abdel-Marouf al-Mahi who was ousted along with defence minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf a day after al-Bashirs overthrow. Little is known internationally about Babakr. The demonstration is taking place outside the army headquarters in Khartoum (AP Photo) Since his ouster, al-Bashir a president of nearly 30 years has been under house arrest in Khartoum. After his ouster, which the military said was in response to the demands of the people, the army appointed a military council to rule for two years or less while elections are organised. Protesters, who are in talks with the military council, fear that the army, dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. Protest organisers have urged the military to immediately and unconditionally hand power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. The political parties and movements behind the four months of protests said in a joint statement that they would remain in the streets until their demands are met. They said a handover to civilian rule would be the first step toward the fall of the regime. People across Scotland lost nearly half a million pounds in just six months as a result of doorstep scams, Police Scotland has revealed. According to official figures, 249 victims lost more than 700,000 between April and September 2018 after being targeted at home by criminals. The statistics were published ahead of the launch of a new campaign, Shut Out Scammers, which aims to raise awareness of offenders carrying out cold-calls. The Police Scotland campaign will be carried out in conjunction with a number of partner organisation in order to highlight prevention advice and support services. Although half of all victims of scams are said to be vulnerable, officers have warned that all householders can be targeted by fraudsters, many of whom have links to organised crime groups. We're in #Edinburgh today at the @clydesdalebank to launch our #ShutOutScammers campaign. Drop by for more info & advice or visit our website: https://t.co/DwtcUymuaa #WhosAtTheDoor pic.twitter.com/GUklcvJ73n Police Scotland (@PoliceScotland) April 15, 2019 Chief Superintendent John McKenzie said: Nobody is immune to this kind of crime. It is incredibly invasive and victims often feel embarrassed about being deceived. Police Scotland has warned people in Scotland about doorstep scams (Jane Barlow/PA) We take doorstep crime very seriously and understand the significant impact it has on victims. It is vital that people report crimes to us when they happen. Our Shut Out Scammers campaign will help us stop more members of our communities being targeted by those intent on defrauding them of cash or gaining access to their homes. We want to make sure victims know where to turn to so that they can receive all the necessary support and assistance. There is no specific look to a bogus caller or rogue trader. Be alert, and if you have any concerns at all, do not allow an individual entry to your home, or provide them with any form of payment and do not hesitate to phone the police immediately. Always ask for ID and only let callers in if they have an appointment and you know that they are genuine. The chief executive of one of the partnership organisations, Citizens Advice Scotland, Derek Mitchell said: A scam is a crime and should be treated as such. The Scottish CAB (Citizens Advice Bureaux) network is always happy to engage with campaigns like this to help people avoid scams, and to stress the importance of reporting them. Scammers rely on people not talking about them to friends and neighbours, so the more we talk about this issue the better. If you have experienced any type of scam we would urge you to report it. If we all work together we can beat the scammers. Sajid Javid has revealed he could have been drawn into a life of crime, as he admitted the bloodshed on Britains streets has left him fearing for his childrens safety. The Home Secretary described how he avoided being lured into shoplifting or drug dealing when growing up on what was dubbed the most dangerous street in Britain. He cited his personal experiences as a boy and a father as he set out his blueprint for tackling the national emergency of surging violence. In a speech in east London, Mr Javid said: Its not so difficult to see how, instead of being in the Cabinet, I could have actually turned out to have a life of crime myself. There were the pupils at school that shoplifted, and asked if I wanted to help. There were the drug addicts who stood near my school gates and told me that if joined in, I too could make some easy money. But I was lucky. I had loving and supporting parents, who despite their own circumstances gave me security. I had some brilliant teachers who motivated me. I had a girlfriend who believed in me and supported me despite my lack of prospects and went on to become my wife. Thanks to them all I have built a better life for myself and my family. Mr Javid, a father-of-four, described how recent increases in serious violence and knife crime have affected him as a parent. He said: I may be the Home Secretary, but Im not ashamed to confess I have stayed up late at night waiting to hear the key turning in the door. And only then going to bed knowing that they have come home safe and sound. I know that if I dont feel safe on the streets, if I dont think the streets are safe enough for my own children, or if we see our communities being torn apart by crime, then something has gone terribly wrong. The Government and police have come under intense pressure over violent crime. Earlier this year a spate of fatal stabbings prompted warnings of a national emergency. There were 285 homicides where the method of killing was by a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in 2017/18 the highest number since records started in 1946. In the year to September, police recorded about 1.5 million violence against the person offences a jump of nearly a fifth on the previous 12 months. Polling data released last week suggested that public concern about crime is at its highest since the riots of 2011. Ministers have announced a 100 million cash injection for police to tackle knife crime and relaxed rules on the use of enhanced stop-and-search powers in badly hit areas. In his speech, Mr Javid hit out at middle class drug users, saying their illicit habits were adding fuel to the fire that is engulfing our communities. He defended his decision to boost stop-and-search, insisting: There are people alive today because of stop-and-search. The Home Secretary wants to exploit data to improve the Governments understanding of the pathways to illegal activity, and harness technology to stop crime happening in the first place. Recent Home Office analysis found that the top 5% of crime hotspots accounted for 17% of total acquisitive offences, such as burglaries and car thefts. Mr Javid, who said serious violence should be treated like the outbreak of some virulent disease a national emergency, also sought to reassure frontline staff about the Governments proposed public health approach to the issue. Under the plans, state bodies could be made subject to a legal duty requiring them to have due regard to the prevention and tackling of serious violence. The proposals drew criticism from leaders in a number of the professions that would be affected. Mr Javid said: It is not about blaming those frontline staff for the violence, or asking them to do more. Far from it. It is about giving them the confidence to report their concerns, safe in the knowledge that everyone will close ranks to protect that child. When it comes to student learning, school facilities matter, according to the authors of an ambitious working paper from the California Policy Lab at UCLA and UC Berkley, recently presented at the Association for Education Finance and Policy conference. Researchers Julien Lafortune and David Sconholzer tracked the individual test scores, classroom grades, and attendance rates of more than 5 million individual Los Angeles Unified School District students between 2002 and 2012, before and after those same students moved from overcrowded, dilapidated schools to new facilities. They concluded that a more-than $10 billion, multiyear school construction effort had a positive academic impact on students. School facility investments lead to modest, gradual improvements in student test scores, large immediate improvements in student attendance, and significant improvements in student effort, says a summary of the paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. The researchers found that four years after having moved to a newly constructed school, students showed a modest improvement in English/language arts test scores and a slightly more modest improvement in students average math test scores. In addition, students average daily attendance rose by four days, and their teacher-reported grades rose. This matters, Lafortune said. There are still large gaps in the funding and quality of school buildings, and they tend to matter a lot when it comes to student achievement. Between 1975 and 1996, the Los Angeles district hadnt built any new schools, and as of 2000 its schools were on average 60 years old and severely overcrowded. Students were on staggered, year-round schedules and many were packed into portable units. The districts schools, many of which didnt have air conditioning, were crumbling. A state commission described the schools as overcrowded, uninspiring and unhealthy. Between 1997 and 2008, voters approved a series of bond issues that added up to more than $10 billion in new school construction for the city. Between 2002 and 2017, 131 schools were built, 65 campuses were expanded, and 170,000 new seats were added to the district. More than 1,800 parcels of land was acquired by the district and almost 4,000 houses and businesses were moved. Lafortune said he hasnt pinpointed what about the new schools led to the academic gains the researchers found. He also noted that, counterintuitively, students at newly constructed schools sat in slightly larger class sizes with less-experienced teachers and more disadvantaged students than at their old schools. He said further studies could explore what could be the underlying mechanisms driving the improvements flagged by the researchers, the impact the newly constructed schools have on teacher productivity and recruitment, and the impact they have on real estate prices and demographic compostion. The early findings also could feed into a growing body of research that buttresses the argument that more money leads to better academic outcomes, a theory disputed by many conservative politicians. A much smaller 2014 study by Christopher A.Neilson and Seth D. Zimmerman on the impact of a school construction boom in New Haven, Conn., found that students reading scores improved, but not math scores. America spends more than $49 billion per year on new schools and major capital projects, and $46 billion a year for maintenance and operations, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But, according to the NCES study, it will cost more than $925 billion over the next 20 years to get every school into overall good condition. Because more than 80 percent of school construction is funded by local tax dollars, the age and condition of school facilities is closely tied to a school districts poverty level. States such as Rhode Island and West Virginia have attempted to spread school construction bond money more evenly. Lafortune said his findings are an indication that local and state officials should consider the conditions of a school building heavily when looking for ways to boost students academic outcomes. Above Picture: The former Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles, once the scene of Robert F. Kennedys assassination, has since reopened as the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex. --Nick Ut/AP The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to make a four-day visit to Germany in May, Clarence House has announced. The visit, on behalf of the British Government, will demonstrate the depth and breadth of the UKGermany bilateral relationship and its enduring importance to both countries, Clarence House has said. Charles household added: The visit will highlight key themes in this relationship, as well as our shared history and cultural connections. The Prince and The Duchess will visit Berlin, Leipzig and Munich during the four-day tour. Their Royal Highnesses last visited Germany together in 2009. Find out more about #RoyalVisitGermany https://t.co/AvuGDbA2PF The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) April 15, 2019 The heir to the throne will meet Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during the trip which is the latest in a string of visits, dubbed Brexit diplomacy, the royal family have made to Europe as the UK leaves the EU. Charles and Camillas trip, from May 7-10, will see them visit the cities of Berlin, Leipzig and Munich. The couple will begin their tour of Germany in the capital where the prince will meet the president and that evening Charles and his wife will be guests of honour at the Queens birthday party, an annual event hosted by the British Ambassador, Sir Sebastian Wood, at his residence. The following day in Leipzig the prince and duchess will explore the citys cultural heritage and learn about the role its people played in the Peaceful Revolution that helped bring about the reunification of Germany in 1989. Charles and Camilla will spend the remaining days of their visit in Munich carrying out a series of engagements that reflect the themes of the tour. The prince will focus on partnerships for green growth, sustainable organic produce and economic co-operation while the duchess will meet women who have suffered domestic abuse as part of her commitment to support victims of domestic violence in the UK and overseas. Charles and Camilla go on a walkabout during a previous visit to Germany in 2009 (Chris Jackson/PA) Markus Soeder, minister president of Bavaria, will host a dinner for the couple at the Munich Residenz, a former royal palace, attended by key figures from politics, business, culture, science and education. Charles and Camilla will end their visit with a celebration of local produce at an organic farm, which was established to preserve traditional agriculture and crafts. The prince has visited Germany more than 30 times, both publicly and privately, while the duchess made her first official visit to the country in 2009 with her husband. The 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster have been remembered in Liverpool on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. Ninety-six lanterns were lit on the steps of St Georges Hall on Monday morning to mark 30 years since the disaster at the FA Cup semi-final. Pictures of the men, women and children who lost their lives in the crush on the Leppings Lane terrace of Sheffield Wednesdays ground were displayed on banners with the words Never forgotten and flowers were laid by family members, local politicians and members of the public. Speaking outside St Georges Hall, Louise Brookes, whose brother, Andrew, died in the disaster, said: Andrew has been dead now four years longer than he was alive. He was only 26 when he died and he had his whole future and whole life ahead of him. I really struggle with that. Ninety-six lanterns are lit on the steps of St Georges Hall in Liverpool (Eleanor Barlow/PA) Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and Lord Mayor Christine Banks laid wreaths on behalf of the people of Liverpool. Mr Anderson said the anniversary was an emotional day and a milestone. He said: Today we want to provide the city with an opportunity to be here, lay tributes and pay their respects and their thoughts to the families. I hope it gives them comfort that the city is thinking of them today. Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and Lord Mayor Christine Banks stand on the steps of St Georges Hall after laying wreaths to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster (Eleanor Barlow/PA) Metro mayor of the Liverpool city region Steve Rotheram, who was at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15 1989, said: We have never forgotten and we will never forget the 96. It will be a very raw day for those people affected, not just by the loss of a loved one but who were there, the survivors for instance, and those people who witnessed the events on the day. Its something that in my minds eye I can still conjure up images of because I was there on the day. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, whose cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10, was the youngest victim of the tragedy, was among those to pay tribute on social media. He posted a picture of the Hillsborough memorial on Twitter and wrote Never forgotten. The city will fall silent at 3.06pm - the time the match was stopped - and flags will be flown at half-mast (Eleanor Barlow/PA) The city will fall silent at 3.06pm, the time the match was stopped, to remember the 96. Flags on civic buildings will be flown at half mast and the bells of the Town Hall will toll 96 times. Traffic going through the tunnels which link the city to the Wirral will be stopped for one minute as the silence is held and the Mersey Ferries will mark the anniversary by sounding their horns. A memorial service is due to be held at Liverpool Cathedral at 2.45pm and The Kop at Anfield will be open between 1pm and 4pm for anyone who would like to sit for a period of reflection. Plans for a public commemoration event on the steps of St Georges Hall were cancelled after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of match commander David Duckenfield, who is charged with the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 of the victims. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is seeking a retrial, but it will be opposed by lawyers for the former chief superintendent at a hearing in June. Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell is due to be sentenced on May 13 (Owen Humphreys/PA) Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell is due to be sentenced on May 13 after he was found guilty of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act in respect of ensuring there were enough turnstiles to prevent unduly large crowds building up outside the ground before the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The Foreign Secretary has said giving Shamima Begum access to legal aid to challenge the decision to deprive her of UK citizenship would make him very uncomfortable. Jeremy Hunt said Ms Begum, who left the UK at the age of 15 to marry an Islamic State fighter, knew the choices she was making, but acknowledged that the UK is a country which believes people should have access to legal representation. The Daily Mail reports that Ms Begum is now hoping to get legal aid to challenge a decision to strip her of UK citizenship. Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Mr Hunt said: On a personal level, it makes me very uncomfortable because she made a series of choices and she knew the choices she was making, so I think we made decisions about her future based on those choices. However, we are a country that believes that people with limited means should have access to the resources of the state if they want to challenge the decisions the state has made about them and, for obvious reasons, those decisions are made independent from politicians. Mr Hunt added: The decision to deprive her of her citizenship was taken by a politician. Obviously the decision about whether she accesses legal aid or not has to be done independently. Shamima Begum (PA) Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, is a friend of the family. He told Today that Ms Begum should have legal aid to make sure the correct process is followed. Mr Babu said: Isis is a murderous organisation. They are a horrendous organisation and I dont think anyone in their right mind would be joining that organisation. She was a young woman. She was 15 when she was groomed. The police were aware of this, the counter-terrorism police were aware of this, the school she was at was aware of this, and the social workers at Tower Hamlets Council were aware of this. There has been no serious case review. Normally, when a young person dies as a result of failures in safeguarding, there is a serious case review. Mr Babu said that, in order for a proper review to take place, Ms Begum needed to get legal aid. I think legal aid is a principle of the British legal justice system. There will be people who can afford to have swanky lawyers, there will be people who have no money who are in desperate situations. A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said: We are unable to comment on individual cases. Anybody applying for legal aid in a Special Immigration Appeal Commission case is subject to strict eligibility tests. Mark Tipper, whose brother Trooper Simon Tipper was killed in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing, is among critics who have condemned the move as absolutely disgusting, according to the Daily Mail. He was refused funding to pursue a case in the civil courts, although the decision was later reversed following public outrage. Corey Stoughton, advocacy director at Liberty human rights group, described the granting of legal aid in this case as not just appropriate but absolutely necessary to ensure that the Governments decisions are properly scrutinised. She said: Stripping someone of their citizenship is among the most severe punishments a government can exercise, and the evidence that this decision will render Shamima Begum effectively stateless presents a powerful argument for subjecting this case to rigorous scrutiny in court. This case could have widespread repercussions for thousands of people, and more broadly for how the Government uses dramatic powers to take away fundamental rights. Jeremy Corbyn has defended the right of Islamic State (IS) bride Shamima Begum to apply for legal aid after being stripped of her British citizenship. The Labour leader said that, whatever crimes Ms Begum was accused of, she was entitled to proper legal representation. His intervention came as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the idea she could receive taxpayer funding to challenge the decision to remover her citizenship made him very uncomfortable. The Legal Aid Agency has refused to comment on a report by the Daily Mail that Ms Begum, who left the UK at the age of 15 to marry an IS fighter, has now been granted legal aid. IS bride Shamima Begum is reported to have been granted legal aid (PA) Home Secretary Sajid Javid took the decision to strip her of her rights after the teenager, now aged 19, turned up at the refugee camp in Syria. However Mr Corbyn said the decision by Mr Javid was very questionable and that it was up to the Legal Aid Agency to decide whether she should receive assistance. She is a British national and, therefore, she has that right, like any of us do, to apply for legal aid if she has a problem. She has legal rights, just like anybody else does, he said during a visit to an activity centre near Halifax. The whole point of legal aid is that if youre facing a prosecution then youre entitled to be represented and thats a fundamental rule of law, a fundamental point in any democratic society. We cannot and should not judge outside of a court. A court must make that decision and every person in front of a court, whatever theyre accused of doing, how heinous or bad the crime is, is entitled to that representation. However Mr Hunt said Ms Begum knew the choices she was making when she left for Syria, although he accepted that people were entitled challenge decisions which the state had made about them. On a personal level, it makes me very uncomfortable because she made a series of choices and she knew the choices she was making, so I think we made decisions about her future based on those choices, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. However, we are a country that believes that people with limited means should have access to the resources of the state if they want to challenge the decisions the state has made about them and, for obvious reasons, those decisions are made independent from politicians. Mr Javid said the award of legal aid was not a matter for ministers. Jeremy Hunt says Shamima Begum knew the choices she was making when she left for Syria (Dominic Lipinski/PA) In my understanding, its not the first time that someone who for national security reasons has had their citizenship deprived has received legal aid, he said. Mark Tipper, whose brother Trooper Simon Tipper was killed in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing, was among critics who condemned the reported award, telling the Mail it was absolutely disgusting. Mr Tipper was previously refused funding to pursue a case in the civil courts, although the decision was later reversed following public outrage. However Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in the Metropolitan Police and a friend of the Begum family, said legal aid was necessary to ensure the correct process was followed. She was a young woman. She was 15 when she was groomed, Mr Babu told the Today programme. I think legal aid is a principle of the British legal justice system. There will be people who can afford to have swanky lawyers, there will be people who have no money who are in desperate situations. A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said: We are unable to comment on individual cases. Anybody applying for legal aid in a Special Immigration Appeal Commission case is subject to strict eligibility tests. Five of the UKs Apache attack helicopters have been deployed to Estonia as a deterrent to a very credible threat from Russia. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson watched the aircraft take off from Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk. (PA Graphics) They will form part of Natos enhanced forward presence (eFP), which was established to deter potential aggression from the Kremlin, during their three-month deployment. Mr Williamson, speaking at the airfield, said: Its a very credible threat that we see from Russia and part of the reason that were deploying five Apache attack helicopters is making sure that were constantly adapting to a changing situation, but this is about deterrents. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson climbs out of the cockpit of an Apache helicopter at Wattisham Airfield (Joe Giddens/PA) This is about Nato nations standing together in unity as one and you see Great Britain playing the largest role in enhanced forward presence with the largest number of service personnel deployed. The enhancement of that deployment with the Apache attack helicopters is really vital and very, very important and its been very warmly welcomed by so many nations. The Apaches will be supported in Estonia by Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance helicopters. A further 110 UK personnel have been deployed to the Baltics as part of Operation CABRIT, taking the total there to around 1,000 UK personnel. Major David Lambert, commanding officer of 663 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, said the Apaches would take part in training exercises across the Baltic states while deployed to Estonia. One of these, called Exercise Iron Wolf and taking part in Lithuania, will involve up to 14 nations. Whenever you go somewhere new, theres always things that you learn about how to operate, said Maj Lambert. Mr Williamson enjoys a tour of the cockpit (Joe Giddens/PA) Your fieldcraft needs to change and in the UK we train very much in rolling countryside, it favours us in what we do. Actually putting ourselves in a really flat area in close proximity to the Russian border brings some new, complex challenges that we need to look at. Im really excited by the whole prospect. The creation of the ePF was decided at the Warsaw Summit in July 2016 amid concerns about Russian activity after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The eFP is a deployment of defensive but combat-capable forces in countries which include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. There are four multinational battlegroups across the region, led by Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States which aim to deter any potential Russian aggression. Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has been charged in Germany over the car manufacturers diesel emissions scandal. Prosecutors in Braunschweig say Mr Winterkorn failed to prevent the manipulation of engine software that let Volkswagen cars cheat on diesel emission tests. They claim he knew about the deceptive software since at least May 25 2014, despite his public statements he only became aware of the issue shortly before the scandal broke in September 2015. The prosecutors said Mr Winterkorn and four other defendants on fraud charges all of them top Volkswagen managers were part of an ongoing deception that started in 2006. The company has admitted installing software that could tell when the cars were on test stands for emissions certification. When the cars went on to everyday driving, the emission controls were turned off, improving mileage and performance but emitting far more than the US legal limit of nitrogen oxides, a class of pollutant that is harmful to health. Volkswagen admitted installing software that could tell when the cars were on test stands for emissions certification (David Cheskin/PA) The prosecutors say that the defendants added a software update costing 23 million euro in 2014 in an attempt to cover up the true reason for the elevated pollution emissions during regular driving. Mr Winterkorn and the others face from six months to 10 years imprisonment if convicted on charges of aggravated fraud involving serious losses. Bonuses collected due to sales based on the deception could be forfeited. Prosecutors said bonus that could be forfeited ranged from around 300,000 euro to 11 million euro (258,000 to 9.4 million). Volkswagen has paid more than 27 billion euro in fines and settlements in the months and years since being caught. The company apologised and pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the United States, where two executives were sentenced to prison and several others charged, although they could not be extradited. Drones should be properly integrated into traditional aviations mapping systems to avoid potentially deadly collisions, a standards expert said. A total of 117 near-miss reports have been filed, data up to late last year showed, although none have involved fatalities. A digital world map could be created so pilots can clearly see where other craft are, James Dunthorne told a conference in Belfast. The standards director at the trade association for remotely piloted aircraft said the future was robotic. He said: We have a good framework of regulations, we just need now aerodromes to be able to integrate drones into those areas of airspace effectively. If you have only got disparate systems how do we integrate air taxis, how do we integrate drones, how does a helicopter pilot know where a drone is when it is flying around? These are the things where we need a single map of the world in terms of air transportation so that any particular aircraft can see any other particular aircraft. He addressed a conference on drones at the Innovation Factory in West Belfast. Before Christmas, Gatwick airport ground to a halt after reports of drone sightings. The runway at the UKs second busiest airport was closed for 33 hours, causing cancellation or delays to around 1,000 flights. Examining the commercial potential of drone technology were (left to right) James Pick from COPTRZ, Niall Mulvaney from EVP, Shane Smith from Innovation Factory and Andrew Murray from EVP at a special event at the Springfield Road site in Belfast. Brendan Gallagher Photography/PA). Mr Dunthorne added: What we saw at Gatwick happen was a huge amount of confusion, a lack of preparedness, there was also not the right technology installed to be able to combat these machines. Since that has happened this has raised awareness around aerodromes around the country and they have changed the way they are doing things. He said airport managers had since created emergency action plans. Managers at Heathrow shut down the airport for just over an hour rather than two days. Mr Dunthorne said: It was clear that once they realised there was not a threat they were back up and running again. He added: You can have as many laws and regulations out there as you want but criminals will always do criminal behaviours. You can outlaw murder but there will always be people out there who commit murder. Regulations will only go so far. He said they needed to improve. There was clearly a risk from mid-air collisions from drones being flown in those areas when in the past it had been relied on the pilot to avoid those situations from happening. Clearly with the number of near-misses that has not been sufficient. It is clear that eyes are not good enough for avoiding collisions, every year we see countless mid-air collisions between manned aviation. I know people personally who have died through mid-air collision through manned aviation so peoples eyes are not good enough to be able to avoid collisions so what we need is a digital solution to this. Environmental protesters blocked some of Londons busiest roads and vandalised Shells headquarters as demanded action on climate change. Thousands of people gathered at five central London locations on Monday in a bid to bring the capital to a standstill. Some activists glued themselves to windows and smashed glass revolving doors at Shells HQ near Waterloo, while others climbed the building to spray graffiti and hang banners. Police said three men and two women were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and taken to a police station in central London in connection with the incidents at the Shell offices as officers remained at the scene into the evening. Campaign group Extinction Rebellion said it aimed to cause more than 6,000 damage so they can be tried by a jury in Crown Court. 1500 people at Parliament Square for day 1 or #InternationalRebellionWeek. We are demanding governments #StopTheEcocide. Come join us: https://t.co/PzxBohj9iu pic.twitter.com/qz9RKjAtL8 Extinction Rebellion (@ExtinctionR) April 15, 2019 Thousands of people joined protests across central London to demand the Government declares a climate emergency. Skateboarders replaced cars and lorries on Waterloo Bridge as the Thames crossing was closed to traffic and decorated with pot plants and trees. Police on the bridge said there were no plans to move protesters on but indicated that the response could change if there is major disruption at rush hour. One officer said: Its been very peaceful so far. Everyone has been really pleasant. The only grief weve had is from passing motorists shouting at them to Get a job thats about as exciting as its got. Conditions are imposed on #ExtinctionRebellion London The demonstration may only continue at the This is an emergency Extinction Rebellion protest at Marble Arch, W1.https://t.co/jSQAOluuhD Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) April 15, 2019 A bright pink boat became the focus for hundreds of activists stopping traffic at Oxford Circus, where some used makeshift devices to lock their arms together. Roads were also closed and drivers diverted around Marble Arch and Piccadilly Circus. At Parliament Square, people unfurled banners, held up placards and waved flags as speakers took to the stage. Later the Metropolitan Police imposed conditions on the protesters, restricting them to gathering in the area around Marble Arch. Londons protests are part of a wider campaign which will see people in at least 80 cities in more than 33 countries hold similar demonstrations on environmental issues, campaigners said. Organisers said: The International Rebellion begins and Extinction Rebellion will be bringing London to a standstill for up to two weeks. They will be blocking five of the citys busiest and most iconic locations in a non-violent, peaceful act of rebellion where they invite people to join them for several days of creative, artist-led resistance. There were colourful protests in Parliament Square (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Protester Olivia Evershed, 23, said: I hope that its really going to bring awareness about the emergency crisis that we are in, and encourage the Government to act. They can change a few of the laws along with the Paris agreement so that we can really work towards achieving a practical target. Weve got 12 years to act before there is irreversible damage to the environment and we start to see catastrophic changes. If we dont do anything to change this, our children will die. Laura Jordan, 52, said: This protest stands a good chance of working because we have a vast amount of ordinary people all saying the same thing. We need to change the way we do everything, the way we use fossil fuels. But this starts with the Government. The protesters aim to cause disruption in central London (Jonathan Brady/PA) The movement has received support from actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Speaking at a meditation on the eve of the protests, Dr Williams said humans had declared war on nature. He said: We are here tonight to declare that we do not wish to be at war. We wish to make peace with ourselves by making peace with our neighbour Earth and with our God. There are environmental protests worldwide (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Scotland Yard said it has appropriate policing plans for the demonstrations and officers will be used from across the force to support the public order operation during the coming weeks. Police advised people travelling around London in the coming days to allow extra time for their journey in the event of road closures and general disruption. EU member states have given the green light to controversial copyright changes in the latest step aimed at making tech giants more responsible for paying creatives, musicians and news outlets more fairly for their work online. Nineteen countries, including the UK, voted in favour, while six countries voted against and three abstained. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hailed the move as the missing piece of the puzzle for completing Europes digital single market. With todays agreement, we are making copyright rules fit for the digital age. Europe will now have clear rules that guarantee fair remuneration for creators, strong rights for users, and responsibility for platforms, Mr Juncker said. Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden were among the countries which voted against, and Belgium, Estonia and Slovenia opted to abstain from voting. Nineteen countries voted for, while six voted against (Victoria Jones/PA) The latest vote comes after the majority of MEPs approved the divisive reforms in March and rejected making any individual amendments by a slim majority of five votes. Supporters in the creative, music and journalism industries have long argued that the Copyright Directive will enable content-makers to be fairly paid for their work, while opponents, including the tech giants themselves, fear the changes will have an impact on freedom of speech and expression online. Two parts, Article 11 and Article 13, have been the most contentious since talks started, with the likes of YouTube warning that viewers across the EU could be cut off from videos. Musicians Sir Paul McCartney and Debbie Harry were among the most vocal supporters of the changes, alongside a number of groups including the European Alliance of News Agencies, which argued that it provides an opportunity to further develop quality news services and enables it to compete more fairly with tech giants. Former goreign secretary Boris Johnson criticised the reforms last month, calling it a classic EU law to help the rich and powerful and a good example of how we can take back control. EU member states will have two years to implement the reforms, although it is not clear what it would mean for the UK in the face of Brexit uncertainty. The EUs new copyright law is terrible for the internet. Its a classic EU law to help the rich and powerful, and we should not apply it. It is a good example of how we can take back control Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 27, 2019 This is a deeply disappointing result which will have a far-reaching and negative impact on freedom of speech and expression online, said Catherine Stihler, chief executive of the Open Knowledge Foundation. The controversial crackdown was not universally supported, and I applaud those national governments which took a stand and voted against it. We now risk the creation of a more closed society at the very time we should be using digital advances to build a more open world where knowledge creates power for the many, not the few. But the battle is not over. Next months European elections are an opportunity to elect a strong cohort of open champions at the European Parliament who will work to build a more open world. One of the worlds leading aircraft seats manufacturers is using drones to keep its production line running. Collins Aerospace transports spare parts from its storage centre a couple of fields away when it would take too long to travel by road. Every minute that the production line in Kilkeel, Co Down, is delayed equates to a 100 loss. Design engineer David Stevenson said: It takes 90 seconds to drop a part, stopping the loss of 100 a minute this was the right thing for us to do. Collins has built a new storage facility for its parts which is almost two kilometres away by road. The land route involves several junctions and can be congested at times with school-run parents. Coping with bad weather and battery power are key challenges facing drone manufacturers (John Stillwell/PA) Mr Stevenson said it was critically important spare parts could be quickly delivered to keep the production line operating. One seat is produced every seven minutes. He said the next step would be to carry larger quantities. We maybe want to start getting our full parts by drone, or have multiple drones flown by a single operator. He disclosed plans for an autonomous system which delivered on request, and could be implemented across the multinational company. Drones have their limitations, and doubts have been expressed that they could become commercially viable for all deliveries. Pressed on the position of a company like Deliveroo adopting the technology, standards director James Dunthorne said: I still struggle with the business case. Coping with bad weather and battery power are key challenges facing drone manufacturers. Ian Kiely, chief executive of Drone Consultants Ireland, predicted that by 2025 passenger drones would be rolled out more widely, most likely run using a new raft of satellites. A conference at the Innovation Factory in Belfast discussed the benefits of drone technology, from tracking the progress of forest fires to screening crops for moisture levels. They can also be used to deliver life-saving equipment to people stranded at sea. Mr Dunthorne said drones had received a bad press and suggested that may be linked to their historical links to the military. He said they had potential to improve safety and save lives. Environmental protesters have blocked roads in some of the busiest parts of central London as they called for the Government to declare a climate emergency. Campaign group Extinction Rebellion called for the peaceful demonstrations, which were focused on locations including Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Parliament Square. Protesters were creative with their displays (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Demonstrators lay Ruby the rhinoceros in Parliament Square (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Colourful costumes were also plentiful (Steve Parsons/PA) Waterloo Bridge came to a standstill as protesters set up camp (Jonathan Brady/PA) Crowds of people gathered in Parliament Square (Jonathan Brady/PA) Police speak to a demonstrator who glued herself to the front of the Shell building on the Southbank (Jonathan Brady/PA) Flags were out in force in Oxford Circus (Jonathan Brady/PA) Some watched on as the protest unfolded (Jonathan Brady/PA) One demonstrator took the chance to take a break on the grass near Marble Arch (Jonathan Brady/PA) These protesters set up camp near Marble Arch (Steve Parsons/PA) Others made their point about pollution with face masks (Jonathan Brady/PA) Parliament Square was awash with banners and flags (Jonathan Brady/PA) Others dressed up for the occasion (Jonathan Brady/PA) People of all ages joined the protest (Jonathan Brady/PA) Demonstrators wandered freely at Marble Arch (Jonathan Brady/PA) Some campaigners carried large banners (Jonathan Brady/PA) And even a boat was used to get their message across (Jonathan Brady/PA) Oxford Circus came to a standstill during the protest (Jonathan Brady/PA) This protester played her part in Parliament Square (Jonathan Brady/PA) Police took a relaxed approach with these demonstrators on Waterloo Bridge (Jonathan Brady/PA) Spirits were high among the participants (Jonathan Brady/PA) Flags fluttered from Waterloo Bridge (Jonathan Brady/PA) Facepainting was the order of the day for some supporters (Jonathan Brady/PA) Shamima Begum, who joined the Islamic State group at the age of 15, is hoping to access legal aid to challenge a decision to strip her of UK citizenship. Here is some information about the legal aid system. What is legal aid? Legal aid is the public money which is paid to lawyers to help them lodge legal battles for clients facing a court or tribunal hearing. It is aimed at ensuring that ordinary people have access to justice and is part of a safety net for someone who cannot afford to defend themselves. It can be particularly important if, as in many cases, someone finds themselves facing a legal battle against a major institution such as the Government or a local authority. Legal aid is the public money which is paid to lawyers (PA) It can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal and you usually need to show that your case qualifies for legal aid, that the problem is serious and you cannot afford to pay for legal costs, according to the Governments website. The situations are somewhat different in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland but, in general, to get legal aid you have to show that the situation is serious and you cannot afford to pay yourself. What cases can you get legal aid for? This type of funding could be available for a wide range of both criminal and civil cases. Criminal cases involving someone being arrested, charged or questioned by the police could be covered by legal aid. In civil cases it could include family matters such as mediation to resolve disputes about children and finance on a relationship breakdown, social services being involved with your children and injunctions against a violent or abusive partner or family member. The Law Society also says it could also be gained for cases covering housing matters, asylum and immigration, debt, welfare benefits and council tax reduction, mental health or mental capacity issues, community care and if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against. It may also be granted for other types of cases such as assistance at inquests or as exceptional case funding in some cases for human rights issues. How do you qualify for it? Legal aid is dependent on your financial position and also the strength of your case. There is a means test as part of a quite strict financial requirement which must be met in order to get the funding, a Law Society spokesman said. There is also a merits test in which the strength of the case is looked at. It means you cannot get it if you have a hopeless case, the spokesman said. The proceedings take place in England and Wales but the person in whose name the case is being brought does not have to be there. The person does not have to be a British citizen but they may still be entitled to legal aid because the proceedings will be within England and Wales. The issues in the Shamima Begum case are to be heard at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac), which brings it into the scope for potential legal aid funding. Siac has specialist expertise in immigration, intelligence and security issues. It works as a court of appeal for those under deportation orders from the Home Secretary, or those excluded from the UK. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have thanked royal fans for making a real difference by donating to charities in honour of their baby. A post on their @SussexRoyal Instagram account said: On behalf of The Duke and Duchess (and Baby Sussex), we thank you so much. The message added: Their royal highnesses wanted you to know the impact of your support the direct effect your donation, energy, and action made! YOU chose to be part of the collective good, and you have a made a real difference. Harry and Meghan asked the public to donate to four childrens charities, instead of sending royal baby gifts. The suggested charities are the Lunchbox Fund, Well Child, Baby2Baby and Little Village. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are soon to be welcoming their first child (Jonathan Brady/PA) In an update on Monday, the royal account revealed that Lunchbox can now provide 100,000 additional hot nutritious meals to children in need across South Africa. Little Village, a clothes, toys and equipment bank for young children, has received donations from around the world and had a surge in volunteer applications. Well Child, which helps seriously ill children to be cared for at home, can now provide more than 300 additional hours of specialist care by a Well Child nurse thanks to the donations. Baby2Baby, which helps children and parents in need in Meghans home city of Los Angeles, has received more than 5,000 products including cots, books, backpacks and nappies, along with money. Harry and Meghans request followed a viral global baby shower campaign started by Twitter user @freepeeper, urging well-wishers to donate to the charities Mayhew, the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), and WellChild. The Sussexes baby is due this month and will be seventh in line to the throne. A road in Ireland has been renamed the R2D2 in tribute to one of Star Wars most famous characters. New signs were unveiled on what was the R242 near Malin Head in Co Donegal to mark the location where scenes from the most recent instalment of the franchise, The Last Jedi, were filmed. A replica R2D2 droid joined other Star Wars characters on the islands most northerly point to celebrate the novel tourism initiative. The name change on a road that runs through the scenic Inishowen peninsula has been approved by Donegal County Council. It was initially agreed on a temporary basis but the switch is now set to become permanent. Adrian Hanna dressed as a Tusken Raider poses with an R2D2 replica (Niall Carson/PA) Jack Murray, a local councillor who also works with tourism organisation Explore Inishowen, first proposed the rebrand. It is so simple, because we had the R242 and just the one letter change and youve captured Star Wars and one of the famous characters in Star Wars R2D2, he said. The opening of the R2D2 road in Malin Head, County Donegal, Ireland (Niall Carson/PA) Hopefully for a long time tourists will come and get their photo taken with the R2D2 sign and see the beautiful location where Star Wars was filmed. The signage has been erected ahead of Inishowens first May The Fourth festival next month. Star Wars events are held around the world on May 4 due to the date sounding like the phrase synonymous with the movies, May The Force Be With You. The three day event in Inishowen will celebrate the areas links with the franchise. Jack Hanna from Downpatrick in County Down pushes his hand built R2D2 replica into position (Niall Carson/PA) Various locations along Irelands Wild Atlantic Way were used as locations for Star Wars. The rocky island of Skellig Michael off the coast of Co Kerry provided backdrops for the Last Jedi and the Force Awakens. Kerry already started its own May The Fourth festival last year. Adrian Hanna dressed as a Tusken Raider poses with an R2D2 replica (Niall Carson/PA) A range of dignitaries attended Mondays ceremony at Farrens Bar close to where the Last Jedi was shot at Malin Head. Star Wars superfans Adrian Hanna and his son Jack, from Downpatrick, Co Down, who are members of re-enactment group the 501 Legion Ireland Garrison, brought their home-made R2D2 droid as the special guest. Irish education minister Joe McHugh, a TD for Co Donegal, formally cut the ribbon at the ceremony. Star Wars fans dressed as Darth Vader (right) and Chewbacca on a boat trip to Skellig Michael off Kerry (Brian Lawless/PA) Today is about reinforcing something good that happened here a couple of years ago through Star Wars and the film creation, he said. Now we have the possibility of having an annual event here and its very much community focused as well. Tourism promotion body, Failte Ireland, has announced details of the festival programme on Inishowen. It includes a Star Wars themed 3km Fun Run, Yoda Yoga on the beach and outdoor drive-in movie screenings. Spanish police are investigating an incident involving two off-duty soldiers in a Magaluf nightclub, which left one of them in hospital. The incident is said to have occurred in the early hours of Monday morning at Banana Disco, Punta Ballena. One of the soldiers, a Scottish woman, was seriously injured and is understood to be in hospital. A British Army spokeswoman said: We are aware of an incident involving two off-duty soldiers in Spain. An investigation by the local Spanish police is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment further. Spanish police have been contacted for comment. The British Government is trying to cover up its role in state killings, Sinn Fein has claimed. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley is considering the shape of new structures investigating the toxic legacy of unresolved deaths during the 30-year conflict. Some MPs and veterans have pressed for a statute of limitations which would protect former soldiers from prosecution. Ms Bradley has said she does not support the measure and it was omitted from her recent consultation on addressing the past. Brexit is an unprecedented act of political vandalism. This election is an opportunity to say time is up on Brexit and on DUP/Tory cuts - @MaryLouMcDonald tells #LE19 manifesto launch pic.twitter.com/gdU7bdtWPW Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) April 15, 2019 Sinn Feins local government election manifesto said: The British Government has sought to cover up its role in the deaths of many Irish citizens and is seeking to introduce an amnesty for those it directed to carry out such killings. Sinn Fein will continue to oppose the British Governments policy on this issue and demand that the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House are implemented in a human rights-compliant manner. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has said the Ministry of Defence is working across Government to drive through a new package of safeguards to ensure members of the Armed Forces are not treated unfairly. He pledged the Government will urgently reform the system for dealing with legacy issues and said serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution. On Friday thousands of motor bikers demonstrated outside Parliament against the legal action facing former Soldier F and urged the Government to step in to protect veterans from prosecution (Kirsty OConnor/PA) One former serviceman, Soldier F, is to be prosecuted following the deaths of civil rights protesters shot in Londonderry on Bloody Sunday in 1972. On Friday thousands of motor bikers demonstrated outside Parliament against the legal action and urged the Government to step in to protect veterans from prosecution. A statute of limitations is backed by many Conservative backbenchers, including some who are former soldiers. Many unionists in Northern Ireland have expressed concern it could lead to an amnesty for former republican and loyalist paramilitaries. Integrity and genuine power-sharing are non-negotiable Sinn Fein Vice-President @moneillsf speaking at the launch of the partys local election manifesto in Ballymena #SF2019 pic.twitter.com/XeiqyhEsAs NewryArmagh SinnFein (@newryarmaghsf) April 15, 2019 Sinn Fein launched its manifesto for next months local council elections in Ballymena, Co Antrim. It focused on familiar themes like the political vandalism of Brexit, Tory austerity and the need to prepare for a United Ireland. Leader Mary Lou McDonald said: Brexit has added to uncertainty and instability. Under the Tory and DUP pact funding for health and public services isnt even enough to stand still and now they seek to impose Brexit against the will of the people. This is an unprecedented act of political vandalism. This election is an opportunity to say time is up on Brexit, time is up on the DUP/Tory cuts. Sinn Fein is standing 400 candidates across the island of Ireland in the local government elections, including 155 in Northern Ireland. The party would ban zero-hour contracts which it said had created insecurity and uncertainty for workers. In Ballymena this morning supporting all our council candidates for the launch of our local government manifesto. Sinn Fein are offering people the opportunity to elect strong, passionate & capable republican representation across the north on 2nd May #VotailSinnFein #le19 pic.twitter.com/pWYCuzIgAE Caoimhe Archibald (@CArchibald_SF) April 15, 2019 It urged the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to do more for communities. While PSNI has made progress in working with other statutory agencies such as health boards and social services in order to provide better outcomes for vulnerable people, we are concerned that the police are not properly engaging with local communities and community organisations to find local solutions to problems, it said. A UK Government spokesman said: The Governments 2017 NI manifesto made clear: We continue to believe that any approach to the past must be fully consistent with the rule of law. Conservatives in government have consistently said that we will not introduce amnesties or immunities from prosecution. The new legacy bodies will have the needs of victims and survivors at their heart. This position was very recently restated in the Governments response to an e-petition to Parliament on immunity for soldiers which sets out: This Government believes in the rule of law. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing it is right that this should be investigated and, where the evidence exists, for prosecutions to follow. We do not support amnesties or immunity from prosecution. This response also reasserts the Governments commitment to the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement. The US Justice Department expects to make a redacted version of special counsel Robert Muellers report on the Russia investigation public on Thursday morning, a spokeswoman has said. The redacted report would be sent to Congress and also made available to the public, Kerri Kupec added. As Washington counted down to the release, Donald Trump stepped up his attacks in an 11th-hour effort to undermine the reports findings. The president unleashed a series of tweets on Monday including two just minutes after the Justice Departments announcement focusing on the favourable toplines in the previously released summary produced by attorney general William Barr. Mr Mueller officially concluded his investigation late last month and submitted the confidential report to Mr Barr. Two days later, the attorney general sent Congress a four-page letter that detailed Mr Muellers principal conclusions. In his letter, Mr Barr said the special counsel did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates during the campaign, but Mr Mueller did not reach a definitive conclusion on whether Mr Trump obstructed justice. Instead, the special counsel presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question. Mr Barr said he did not believe the evidence was sufficient to prove that Mr Trump obstructed justice. Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction, Mr Trump tweeted. These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS! William Barr (Andrew Harnik/AP) In his letter, Mr Barr noted that Mr Muellers team did not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice. Democrats immediately called for Mr Mueller to testify and for his report to be released. Portions of the report being released by the Justice Department will be redacted to protect grand jury material, sensitive intelligence, matters that could affect ongoing investigations and damage to the privacy rights of third parties, the attorney general has said. Mr Trump and his allies are also attacking the origins of the Russia investigation, portraying it as an effort by Democrats and career officials in the Justice Department who wanted to bring down a president. The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax. That is, never forget, the crime. he tweeted. His long-asserted accusation though not supported by evidence that his campaign was spied on was given new life last week when Mr Barr, testifying before Congress, said spying did occur in 2016. He may have been referring to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained in autumn 2016 to monitor the communications of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing. The warrant was obtained after Mr Page left the campaign and was renewed several times. Critics of the Russia investigation have seized on the fact that the warrant application cited Democratic-funded opposition research, done by a former British spy, into the Trump campaigns ties to Russia. Mr Barr later softened his tone, adding: I am not saying improper surveillance occurred. A massive fire has engulfed the world famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, toppling its spire and threatening the entire wooden frame of the building. Officials said the fire may be linked to renovation work at one of the worlds most famous tourist attractions, French media reported. Hundreds of people on bridges around Notre Dame in Paris, watching in shock as fire engulfs the famed cathedral. Photos and videos on social media show the roof of the 850-year-old Gothic building covered in flames, issuing a plume of smoke above the city. The Paris fire brigade can be seen in videos dousing the blaze with water. A church spokesman said all of the cathedrals frame was burning after the spire collapsed. The emergency services were trying to salvage the priceless artwork stored in the cathedral. US President Donald Trump suggested on Twitter that the fire was put out with flying water tankers. So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, he wrote. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly! Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral (Thibault Camus/AP) Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo described it as a terrible fire and urged people at the scene to stay safe. Un terrible incendie est en cours a la cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris. Les @PompiersParis sont en train de tenter de maitriser les flammes. Nous sommes mobilises sur place en lien etroit avec le @dioceseParis. J'invite chacune et chacun a respecter le perimetre de securite. pic.twitter.com/9X0tGtlgba Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) April 15, 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: Our Lady of Paris in flames. Emotion of a whole nation. Thought for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our countrymen, Im sad tonight to see this part of us burn. Notre-Dame de Paris en proie aux flammes. Emotion de toute une nation. Pensee pour tous les catholiques et pour tous les Francais. Comme tous nos compatriotes, je suis triste ce soir de voir bruler cette part de nous. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019 Ashley Huntington, 21, an American university student studying in Paris, said: Our class ran what was supposed to be 30 minutes walking but we probably got here in 20 running. You could just get close and see the smoke. The smoke is everywhere in the sky. It seems like more pieces of the scaffolding are currently falling. She added: It just looks like its out of control. Ive never seen a fire in real life but the flames keep getting bigger and bigger. I dont think its getting better at all. The police right now are definitely making sure the public is cleared away. We keep getting pushed further and further away. Five people have appeared in court charged with breach of the peace after a brawl in Glasgow city centre. The four men and one woman were arrested after a large-scale disturbance on March 31. Three people were seriously injured in violence that followed an Old Firm tie at Celtic Park. Kahl Cullen, 23, Gemma Martin, 24, Andrew Quinn, 25, William Barclay, 27, and James Quinn, 20, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday charged with breach of the peace. They made no plea and were granted bail pending their next court appearance. Inquiries are continuing into the disturbance at Blackfriars Street in the Merchant City area. The Sudanese protest movement has welcomed positive steps taken by the ruling military council which held talks with opposition leaders over the weekend and released some political prisoners. The praise came despite a brief incident on Monday when activists said soldiers attempted to disperse the protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum, but eventually backed off. Last week, Sudans military ousted long-time President Omar al-Bashir following four months of street protests against his rule, then appointed a military council that it says will rule for two years or less while elections are organised. Demonstrators fear that the army, dominated by al-Bashir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. Demonstrators gather in Sudans capital (AP) The Sudanese Professionals Association, which is behind the protests, repeated its key demand at a press conference in Khartoum: The military must immediately give power to a transitional civilian government that would rule for four years. The trust is in the street, said prominent activist Mohammed Naji al-Asam, referring to the ongoing sit-in. The SPA also called on the international community to support civilian rule. The African Union gave Sudans military 15 days to hand over power to a civilian-led political authority or face suspension from the unions activities. It said a civilian authority should hold elections as quickly as possible. Earlier in the day, the SPA urged people into the streets, saying: There is an attempt to break up the sit-in. We appeal to everyone to head to the area to protect your revolution and gains. There were no clashes and no one was hurt in the attempted dispersal, but the incident set off concerns that the military could renege on its promises not to use force against the peaceful demonstrators. Previous attempts to break up the sit-in before al-Bashirs removal last Thursday killed dozens of people. Videos circulated online showing hundreds of troops outside the military compound in Khartoum. In the footage, an officer is heard saying they came to open roads, clean the area and remove the barricades set up by the protesters to protect their gathering. Some protesters are then seen in the footage sitting down on the ground in front of the soldiers who subsequently move away. Frances Marine Le Pen, one of the leading voices of the far right in the European Union, is throwing her political weight behind Italian hardline minister Matteo Salvini to set up a major populist group in the EU legislature after next months elections. The head of Frances National Rally party said we have mandated Matteo Salvini to try to build this very big group of the Defence of European Nations in the European parliament. Even though far-right populist parties sometimes have widely diverging stances on some issues, Ms Le Pen says there is more that unites them than divides them. Currently, populist parties are spread across different groups in the legislature, such as Christian Democrat and Socialist groupings. Some, like Ms Le Pens party, have long stood alone in the parliament. Matteo Salvini (Luca Bruno/AP) Far-right figures have often made plenty of noise in the legislature but have been sidelined when it came to wielding parliamentary power. In recent years, populist and far-right parties have made inroads in several EU nations, from Mr Salvinis Italy to the Hungary of prime minister Viktor Orban and the rise of the right in last Sundays Finnish elections. Ms Le Pen was the presidential challenger to Emmanuel Macron in the final round two years ago but lost heavily. The populist parties hope that by uniting they will make their voice count in the 28-nation EU for the first time. They are going their own way in the election campaign but hope to stand together afterwards. We want to go further and get the (parliamentary) group which is the biggest, the strongest possible, Ms Le Pen said. With Britain possibly being forced to take part in the May 23-26 elections despite the countrys plans to split from the EU by October 31, Ms Le Pen also held out a hand to Nigel Farage. He is welcome if he wants to join. Even if it might be just for a moment, she said. Theresa May has been warned that Brexiteer anger will explode if she strikes a Brexit pact with Jeremy Corbyn to keep the UK closely tied to the European Union. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage claimed the UKs democracy was under threat as he sought to build momentum for his movement ahead of the European elections. His comments came after Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that Mrs May could struggle to hang on to power if she cannot get her Brexit deal through Parliament before the May 23 European poll. Mr Hunt said the total focus of ministers was to ensure the country did not have to vote in the elections to the European Parliament on May 23. Speaking during a visit to Japan, he acknowledged that the Government would be facing a very serious situation if it failed to do so. But Mr Farage, speaking at a rally in Shoreham-by-Sea, said even a Brexit deal with Labour which allowed the elections to be cancelled would not save her from a Eurosceptic backlash. He said: The only way they could be stopped is if Mrs May signed up to a deal with Mr Corbyn which kept us stuck, permanently, in a customs union and under single market rules. A message to you Prime Minister: If you think by doing that deal and cancelling the European elections that the threat of Farage and the Brexit Party will go away, you are in for a rude shock. If you betray us that much, this will explode. Nigel Farage addressing the Brexit Party rally (Gareth Fuller/PA) He told his supporters: What we are now fighting for is much, much bigger than Brexit. What we are now fighting for is for the survival of the very principle of democracy in this country. Mr Farages new party was boosted by the defections of three MEPs, who followed him in shifting over from Ukip. Deputy chairman and East Midlands MEP Margot Parker, West Midlands MEP Jill Seymour and Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire MEP Jane Collins announced their resignations on Monday. Former British Chambers of Commerce director general John Longworth has also confirmed he will stand for the party in the European elections. NEW: John Longworth, former Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce is our latest candidate. Businessmen with real life experience know how to do deals. Our current political class are useless. pic.twitter.com/H6dieou5h5 Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) April 15, 2019 On the other side of the Brexit divide, the pro-EU centrist party Renew has given its backing to The Independent Group as the breakaway former Labour and Tory MPs seek to form their new party to contest the European elections. Many Tory MPs are furious that the elections may have to take place at all following the delay to Brexit. Mr Hunt acknowledged that the party could be heading for a disastrous showing at the polls if the country was required to vote. In terms of polling it certainly looks that way, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Mr Hunt said it would be highly, extremely, very, very challenging for Mrs May if she was not able to get her deal through. That would be a very serious situation I dont pretend otherwise but we arent at that point, he said. He said talks with Labour aimed at finding a cross-party consensus on the way forward were proving more constructive than many at Westminster had expected. A series of working groups are being set up within the Brexit talks with Labour to look at specific issues, Downing Street said. Business Secretary Greg Clark and his Labour shadow Rebecca Long-Bailey will look at services and consumer and workers rights, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and his counterpart Sue Hayman will consider environmental protections, and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Labours Sir Keir Starmer will look at security. With Parliament in recess, and Mrs May on a walking holiday in North Wales, no imminent breakthrough is expected. Theresa May became Conservative leader and Prime Minister in 2016 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Meanwhile, the Prime Ministers potential successors jostled for position in the Tory leadership race, with Home Secretary Sajid Javid making a high-profile speech on tackling crime which focused heavily on his personal history. Chancellor Philip Hammond mocked prominent Tory Brexiteers for engaging in a suicide pact during failed bids to beat Theresa May to the Tory leadership. Mr Hammond used a speech in the US on Friday to say Mr Gove and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson had formed an unintended suicide pact in the 2016 leadership contest, the Daily Telegraph said. (PA Graphics) The Chancellor said that Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom had effectively knifed herself during the race to become Prime Minister, according to the newspaper. Mr Hammond said in a speech at the British embassy in Washington DC the Tories have the joy of a leadership contest ahead. A huge fire has destroyed parts of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Here is how the devastating blaze unfolded. Monday April 15, 5.50pm BST (6.50pm local time) Reports begin to emerge of smoke coming from the building. The last visitors of the day are evacuated and the Paris Fire Brigade begin to fight flames emerging from the cathedrals roof. 7.05pm Part of the spire at Notre Dame collapses amid the raging fire. 7.10pm A church spokesman tells French media that all of Notre Dame Cathedrals frame is burning after the spire collapsed. 7.30pm First responders work to try to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored in the cathedral. A spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the Notre Dame is burning and is likely to be destroyed. 8.20pm French president Emmanuel Macron arrives at the scene of the fire to meet with police officials. 8.30pm The fire that destroyed the spire spreads to one of the churchs landmark rectangular towers. Paris police say firefighters have moved inside the cathedral. 8.50pm An official at Frances Interior Ministry warns firefighters may not be able to save Notre Dame. 9.05pm The fire chief in Paris says it is unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep the blaze from spreading and causing more destruction. If it collapses, you can imagine how important the damage will be, Jean-Claude Gallet says. Notre-Dame is aflame. Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight. https://t.co/27CrJgJkJb Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019 9.30pm 400 firefighters are at the scene of the fire. Laurent Nunez, from Frances Interior Ministry, says the fire is not limited to a certain area and may continue to expand. The cause of fire remains unknown. 9.40pm Parisians gather to pray and sing hymns outside the church of Saint Julien Les Pauvres across the river from Notre Dame. 10pm Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says firefighters are optimistic they can salvage Notre Dames main towers from flames. People who live nearby have been evacuated in case of a collapse. The Paris fire chief says the structure has been saved and the fire was stopped from spreading to the northern belfry. Firefighters tackle the blaze (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) 10.20pm Paris prosecutors say preliminary investigations indicate the fire was started accidentally. They have ruled out arson for now and say police will conduct an investigation into involuntary destruction caused by fire. Fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet confirms one firefighter was injured while tackling the blaze and says two-thirds of Notre Dames roofing has been ravaged. Fire crews will keep working overnight to cool down the structure. 10.30pm Mr Macron calls the blaze a terrible tragedy and says a fund will be launched to raise money for repairs. 12am Ms Hidalgo confirms on Twitter that the relic of the crown of thorns and a number of priceless artefacts were taken from the cathedral to Paris City Hall for safekeeping. Merci aux @PompiersParis, aux policiers et aux agents municipaux qui ont realise ce soir une formidable chaine humaine pour sauver les uvres de #NotreDame. La couronne d'epines, la tunique de Saint Louis et plusieurs autres uvres majeures sont a present en lieu sur. pic.twitter.com/cbrGWCbL2N Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) April 15, 2019 8am The Paris Fire Service, Pompiers de Paris, said on Twitter that Notre Dames structure and artworks had been saved, with two police officers and one firefighter slightly wounded. 8.45am Paris firefighters confirm that the blaze at Notre Dame cathedral has been fully extinguished. 9am French billionaire Francois Pinault said he is pledging to donate 100 million euro (86 million) to the rebuild as the cathedral is a symbol of spirituality and our common humanity. The businessman said he expects others to follow suit as it has to be a collective endeavour to renovate the Parisian landmark. The Notre Dame cathedral in Paris celebrated its 850th anniversary in 2013 with a refurbished organ and new bells. The structure, literally meaning Our Lady, stands on the Ile de la Cite in the River Seine and has been a key destination for tourists and worshippers for centuries. Flames and smoke rise as the spire of Notre Dame cathedral collapses (Dominique Bichon/AP) Here are some facts about the cathedral: Construction started in 1163 under the instruction of the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, after he ordered the original cathedral to be demolished. The first stone was laid by Pope Alexander III in the presence of King Louis VII, with the majority of work taking place under Maurice de Sully and his successor Odon de Sully. The two towers were completed in the mid-point of the 13th century while the building was completed entirely in the 14th century. The central spire was only added as part of a 25-year restoration project in the 19th century. The central spire was added as part of a 25-year restoration project in the 19th century (Dominique Bichon/AP) The twin towers house the 13-ton Emmanuel bell the oldest surviving bell in the cathedral, dating from the 15th century and recast in 1861. Other bells from the cathedral were melted down for cannons during the French Revolution. During the revolution, the cathedral was subject to desecration with statues of biblical kings beheaded. Notre Dame Cathedral is seen across the River Seine before the fire (Mike Egerton/PA) The cathedral is 130 metres long and 48 metres wide, with the main structure 64 metres high. The square facing the main entrance of Notre Dame is the so-called Kilometre Zero the point from which distances to Paris are measured. The EU has nothing to gain from the disruption a no-deal Brexit would bring to the UK, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said. Mr Juncker said the EU had adopted the necessary contingency measures, but said only those who seek to undermine the global legal order would benefit from such an exit. We have adopted the necessary contingency measures and we are ready for a no-deal Brexit, he told MEPs. But our union has nothing to gain from great disruption in the United Kingdom. The only ones who would benefit are those who resent multilateralism and seek to undermine the global legal order. Mr Juncker made the comments as he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on last weeks European Council summit at which Theresa May was offered a six-month Brexit delay. Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU had adopted the "necessary contingency measures" in case of a no-deal Brexit (Matt Cardy/PA) Donald Tusk, the council president, said the extension until October 31 meant the UK was likely to hold European elections next month. And he hinted that Brexit could be delayed further or even reversed as he said British MEPs may be members of the Parliament for more than several months. Mr Tusk said: One of the consequences of our decision is that the UK will hold European elections next month. We should approach this seriously as UK members of the European Parliament will be there for several months maybe longer. They will be full members of the Parliament with all the rights and obligations. I am speaking about this today because I have strongly opposed the idea that during this further extension the UK should be treated as a second category member state. No, it cannot. LIVE NOW - follow my report to the European Parliament on the special European Council meeting of 10 April 2019 #Brexit #EUCO https://t.co/nKzIi7Dx1R Charles Michel (@eucopresident) April 16, 2019 Therefore I also ask you to reject similar ideas if they were to be voiced in this House. He also said the European Union did not give in to fear and scaremongering about the UK disrupting the EUs functioning during a Brexit extension. He said: I know that some have expressed fear that the UK might want to disrupt the EUs functioning during this time but the EU 27 didnt give in to such fear and scaremongering. In fact, since the very beginning of the Brexit process the UK has been a constructive and responsible EU member state and so we have no reason to believe that this should change. At the summit one Prime Minister warned us not to be dreamers, not to think #Brexit could be reversed. But in this difficult moment, we need dreamers and dreams. We cannot give in to fatalism. At least I will not stop dreaming about a united Europe. https://t.co/qXkBC1tbtY Charles Michel (@eucopresident) April 16, 2019 Mr Tusk said he still had dreams of Brexit being cancelled. During the European Council one of the leaders warned us not to be dreamers, and that we shouldnt think that Brexit could be reversed, he said. I didnt respond at the time, but today, in front of you, I would like to say: at this rather difficult moment in our history, we need dreamers and dreams. We cannot give in to fatalism. At least I will not stop dreaming about a better and united Europe. European Parliament chief Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt expressed his fear that Brexit will poison the European elections. Guy Verhofstadt (Jonathan Brady/PA) Referring to the delay to Brexit, he said: I fear that it will continue the uncertainty. I fear that it will prolong the indecision. And I fear most of all that it will import the Brexit mess into the European Union. And moreover that it will poison the upcoming European election. Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage claimed his party would win a general election if Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn agree to a permanent customs union compromise. He told the European Parliament: The Brexit Party will sweep the board in these elections and there is only one way it can be stopped and that is if the governing party of Mrs May and the opposition of Mr Corbyn come together and agree to a permanent customs union, and indeed effectively membership of the single market. If that happens, the Brexit Party wont win the European elections but it will win the general election because the betrayal will be so complete and utter, so I dont believe its going to happen. In Westminster, cross-party talks between Labour and the Government are expected to continue on Tuesday at an official level. Meanwhile, the Independent Group set up by MPs who defected from Labour and the Conservatives has become a registered political party called Change UK. This means they can field candidates at the upcoming European Parliament elections. A soldier is in a serious condition in hospital after she was allegedly glassed by a friend in a nightclub in Majorca. The victim, named locally as Scottish woman Sarah Ann Garrity, 22, was seriously injured in the incident at Banana Disco, Punta Ballena, Magaluf, in the early hours of Monday. Both women are understood to be off-duty soldiers. A Guardia Civil spokesman said the woman was taken to hospital where her condition is described as serious. The other woman was arrested in connection with the incident. She appeared in court in Palma on Monday and was remanded in custody. The incident happened in Punta Ballena (Nick Ansell/PA) A British Army spokeswoman said: We are aware of an incident involving two off-duty soldiers in Spain. An investigation by the local Spanish police is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further. US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned the UK not to undermine the Good Friday Agreement when it leaves the EU. The senior Democrat said a quick trade agreement between the UK and the US after Brexit was not on the cards if there was any harm done to the accord. Speaking in Dublin, she said the UK had made the decision to leave the bloc and it should not think for one minute that theres any comfort for them in the fact that if they leave the EU that they would quickly have a US-UK trade agreement. Nancy Pelosi (J Scott Applewhite/AP) Thats just not on the cards, if theres any harm done to the Good Friday accords, she said. Dont even think about that. She said the Good Friday pact was not just a peace agreement, it was something much more. This isnt, for us, an issue or an agreement. Its a value, she said. Ms Pelosi made the comments at the Department of Foreign Affairs at the start of a two-day visit to Ireland. She was greeted by the countrys deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney, ahead of a meeting with Irish premier Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings. Mr Coveney said Ireland respected the UKs decision to leave the EU and had no desire to make life difficult for the United Kingdom. But he added that while Britain had the right to determine its own destiny, it did not have the right to determine Irelands future. Thank you to @SpeakerPelosi @RepRichardNeal @RepBrendanBoyle and all the US delegation for coming to visit Ireland at this important time. Your friendship and ongoing support is so valued and appreciated. #Brexit . pic.twitter.com/aTBsvnkqIp Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) April 16, 2019 Ms Pelosi is part of a delegation of high-ranking US politicians on a fact-finding mission to the country. On Wednesday, she will address TDs, senators and former politicians of the Irish parliament in the Dail chamber. The group will then meet President Michael D Higgins and Mr Varadkar will host a dinner at Dublin Castle. Leo Varadkar presents Nancy Pelosi with a copy of a letter signed by more than 300 congressman written in 1937 to congratulate Ireland on its new constitution (Brian Lawless/PA) The US delegation includes several members of the Friends of Ireland caucus, including congressman Richie Neal. The US politicians will also visit Northern Ireland. On Monday, Ms Pelosi said there would be no chance of a US-UK trade deal if there was any weakening of the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking at the London School of Economics, she said the accord was a model that could not be bargained away in another agreement. We were honored to be welcomed to Westminster yesterday by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, hearing his deep expertise on Parliament and on how to get the most of a call for Order! pic.twitter.com/b0Brk0zlgi Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 15, 2019 Ms Pelosi is the third most powerful politician in the US. Ahead of the visit, Mr Varadkar said: Its an honour to welcome the delegation from the US Congress to Ireland. This visit is more evidence of the deep and historic ties between our two countries and is a good opportunity to further deepen US-Ireland bilateral relations. We will discuss a range of issues including trade, visas, immigration and Brexit. The Queen and the royal family are all too well aware of the devastating impact of fire on one of their own cherished historic residences. More than a quarter of a century ago, a huge blaze broke out at Windsor Castle in 1992, damaging more than 100 rooms including the vast medieval St Georges Hall. The Queen inspects the ruins of Windsor castle with a firefighter in 1992 (Tim Ockenden/PA) As France mourns for Notre Dame Cathedral left ravaged by a catastrophic fire, witnesses said they were taking comfort from Britains ability to bring Windsor back to its former glory. The restoration of the Gothic castle the family home of kings and queens for almost 1,000 years was finished in 1997 and was described as the greatest historic building project undertaken in the UK in the 20th century. The full extent of the damage in St Georges Hall, Windsor Castle (Tim Ockenden/PA) The fire at the Queens favourite home in Berkshire began on the monarch and the Duke of Edinburghs 45th wedding anniversary. It was sparked by a workmans spotlight which accidentally set a curtain alight in Queen Victorias Private Chapel on Friday November 20 1992. More than 200 firefighters from seven counties battled the flames. At the peak of the operation they were using 36 pumps, discharging 1.5 million gallons of water. Firefighters tackling the blaze at Windsor (Fiona Hanson/PA) The Queen was at Buckingham Palace, getting ready to spend the weekend quietly at Windsor. Philip was thousands of miles away on a trip to Argentina for the World Wide Fund for Nature. Celebrations for their sapphire wedding anniversary were due to take place after the duke returned from Argentina on the Sunday evening. Staff rushed to remove precious works of art from the Royal Collection from the path of the fire, forming a human chain, helped by the Duke of York, who was in the castle at the time. Fortunately the fire break at the other end of St Georges Hall remained unbreached, so the Royal Library was undamaged. Only two works of art were lost a rosewood sideboard and a very large painting by Sir William Beechey, as many had already been removed from many rooms in advance of rewiring work, but the destruction to the building was far-reaching. The Queen at the scene of the fire 27 years ago (Sean Dempsey/PA) The fire destroyed 115 rooms, including nine State Rooms, and the roof of St Georges Hall collapsed. The distraught monarch visited on the day of the fire, and was also pictured the day after in her raincoat and Wellington boots grimly surveying the ruins of her much-loved home. Her son Andrew revealed: Her Majesty is absolutely devastated. She is inside the building, helping to take stuff out works of art and other things as a precaution. An aerial view of Windsor Castle smouldering after the 1992 fire (PA) The fire came at the end of a difficult year for the Queen. Just four days later, she branded 1992 her annus horribilis. Along with the problems in her childrens marriages, public opinion had turned against the royals amid fears that taxpayers would have to foot the bill for the castles repairs. In the end, the Queen agreed to pay 70% of the 36.5 million costs by opening Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time to generate extra income. It was also announced that she would pay income tax for the first time and cut down the size of the Civil List. The Restoration Committee was chaired by the Duke of Edinburgh, and intricate gilding work was undertaken to refurbish the interiors. St Georges Hall at Windsor Castle after the restoration was completed in 1997 (John Stillwell/PA) St Georges Hall was restored to a design close to the rooms 14th-century appearance, but with a 20th-century reinterpretation. A new hammer-beam roof was constructed from sustainable English oak using traditional methods and tools. At the scene of the Notre Dame fire, one man, who gave his name only as Fabrice, said he was grieving for the incredible timber beams and wooden carvings that characterised the catherdrals vaulted ceiling. The 55-year-old art historian said: The ceiling was known as the forest because of all the thousands of trees that were cut to build it. I feel very sad but also I am happy that most of the building is still here. He added that Notre Dame has been built over many centuries and that he took comfort in the way the British had repaired Windsor Castle. TV history presenter Dan Snow said on Twitter: Its overwhelming but remember that York Minster and Hampton Court burned in the 80s, Windsor Castle in the 90s and Cutty Sark in the 00s. Dresdens Frauenkirche, the Catherine Palace What we build, we can rebuild. Their essence endures. The Palace of Westminster is at risk of a huge fire, Jeremy Corbyn warned after the blaze which ripped through Notre Dame heightened concerns about the state of the home of the UK Parliament. Politicians have acknowledged that action is needed to safeguard the Houses of Parliament but have spent years wrangling over the best way to proceed and baulked at the billions of pounds required to restore the building. Labour leader Mr Corbyn said the state of the Palace of Westminster was very poor. The restoration and renewal programme is not expected to start in earnest until the mid-2020s after MPs and peers voted in early 2018 to leave the historic building to allow the work to be carried out. Mr Corbyn said the blaze at Notre Dame was very, very sad but praised the work of the firefighters in tackling it. He said: You can see the majesty and beauty of that building and to see it destroyed is devastating, I think, for everybody in Paris and indeed around the world, because you see beautiful buildings like that and think of the beautiful buildings weve got in this country. If any of those were destroyed in fire, how would we feel about it? He said the fire was a warning for MPs about the state of the Palace of Westminster and major work would have to be done. He said: The state of the building is very poor in Westminster and a fire risk is obviously huge with a building that has so much wood within it. We have taken far too long already putting our fire safety measures in place. Parts of the Palace are as old as Notre Dame and we must make sure that every fire precaution is taken as the major work goes ahead. God knows we've had enough warnings. Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) April 15, 2019 Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the Notre Dame fire was a crucial reminder of the importance of preserving historic buildings. The approval of the Restoration and Renewal programme by both House of Commons and Lords last year was a huge step towards the protection of the Palace of Westminster. Last year a major programme of work was completed to enhance fire safety, and when construction work starts as part of the Restoration and Renewal programme in the mid 2020s, fire risks will continue to be constantly assessed. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: It is important that the investment is made in the parliamentary buildings to ensure such a thing doesnt happen again. That is why it is the right thing to do to be making the investments that are in order to ensure that such an iconic building such as the Palace of Westminster isnt vulnerable to fire as well. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who sat on a joint committee of parliamentarians from both Houses which examined the issue, said: We have taken far too long already putting our fire safety measures in place. Parts of the Palace are as old as Notre Dame and we must make sure that every fire precaution is taken as the major work goes ahead. God knows weve had enough warnings. The 2016 joint committee report noted a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace. Fellow Labour MP Anna Turley said she was shocked by the state of the building when she was first elected to Westminster in 2015. On my induction my buddy was an engineer, she said. He showed me the electrics it looked a health and safety disaster (and fire) waiting to happen. The Notre Dame blaze has focused attention on the fire risks at the Palace of Westminster (Thibault Camus/AP) Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, effectively Theresa Mays deputy prime minister, said a water leak in the Commons earlier this month was a stark reminder of the need to deal with the buildings problems. Writing in the Bucks Free Press, the Aylesbury MP said: With each year that passes, the risk of a catastrophic fire grows. The Palace of Westminster was constructed in the mid-1800s as a state-of-the-art purpose-built home for Parliament after a fire in 1834 destroyed large parts of the old building, although the medieval Westminster Hall survived. Although architect Charles Barry put fire safety at the centre of his designs for the new palace by using cast iron and stone, the opulent interiors he created with Augustus Welby Pugin used vast quantities of combustible materials. This and the huge network of ventilation shafts and floor voids they created to aid ventilation had the unintended effect of creating ideal conditions for fire and smoke to spread throughout the building. (PA Graphics) Fire safety systems are in place throughout the Palace but they are antiquated and safety officers are required to patrol the building around the clock to spot signs of a blaze. A parliamentary spokesman said: Fire safety is a key priority for Parliament and protections are constantly reviewed and updated including at our active construction sites, and in planning for the future restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster. Last year we completed a major programme of works to enhance fire life safety measures in the Palace, and while this work continues we stand ready to learn any lessons that emerge from the fire at Notre Dame to ensure we do everything possible to protect our people and buildings on the parliamentary estate. A Moscow court has found a Norwegian man guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 14 years in a high-security prison. Retired Norwegian border inspector Frode Berg was arrested in Moscow in December 2017. He was accused of collecting information about Russian nuclear submarines for Norwegian intelligence. Prosecutors asserted that Berg was caught with documents he had received from an employee of a military facility who was shadowed by Russian intelligence. He denies the charges and his lawyer has called him a victim of a set-up. For years, the 63-year-old Berg had been a well-known figure in the Russian-Norwegian border area, taking an active role in cultural and humanitarian exchange projects. Vladimir Putin says he will wait for a verdict before considering a presidential pardon (Nick Potts/PA) Bergs lawyer, Ilya Novikov, told the Interfax news agency that he and his client do not see any point in appealing the verdict but instead would submit a plea for a presidential pardon. Bergs trial came up in talks between President Vladimir Putin and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in St Petersburg last week. Asked about a possible pardon, Mr Putin said he would wait for the verdict before weighing pleas for one. Comedian Frank Skinner will return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer ahead of his new stand-up tour in the autumn. Skinner began his live career at the Fringe in 1987 and went on to win The Perrier Award four years later. This year he will perform at the Gordon Aikman Theatre from July 31 until August 18. His new stand-up tour, Showbiz, runs from September 12 until December 11. Skinners last live stand-up show, Man In a Suit, sold out its debut run at Londons Soho Theatre and a subsequent five week residency at the Leicester Square Theatre. It ran for 24 consecutive nights at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014 and he went on to release it on DVD. Frank Skinner will perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Ian West/PA) Away from the stage his show on Absolute Radio draws more than one million listeners per week and has achieved 10 million podcast downloads. Funding for meals and activities during the Easter holidays has been announced for children from poorer families. Charities have been awarded 340,000 to offer children breakfast, healthy snacks and a hot lunch, as well as a range of games and activities. The funding will help feed more than 46,500 children who may have gone hungry over the Easter break. The Scottish Government has committed to support two national charities Cash For Kids and Children in Scotland and four regional projects provided by Centrestage in Ayrshire Dundee Bairns, Community Food Initiatives North East in Aberdeen and Achieve More Scotland, which covers Glasgow and West Lothian. The budget for the scheme has risen to 2 million in 2019-20, up from 500,000 last year. Announcing the funding at the Active Kids project in Kirkcaldy, which is run by the YMCA, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: While we provide free school meals to children in P1 to P3 and to those on low incomes throughout their time at school, we know it can be a struggle for some parents to provide meals and keep children entertained when their school takes a break. Six charities are to receive funding to feed children during the Easter holiday (Chris Radburn/PA) The school holidays should be a time for fun. This funding will allow projects working in rural and urban areas across Scotland to deliver fun activity programmes for children and young people in the school holidays and include healthy nutritious meals so no child goes hungry. This year we have committed to increase spending from 500,000 to 2 million to help support local authorities and the third sector to tackle food insecurity during the school holidays. The extra money will be a huge benefit to families who need it the most. The shocking scenes of the blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is exactly what we all dread to see, the architect in charge of the upkeep of Westminster Abbey has said. Architect Ptolemy Dean, Westminster Abbeys Surveyor of the Fabric, said: I just feel absolutely horrified that this could happen and there is nothing you can do when a fire like that grabs hold. You are left in hands of the fire brigade. I feel very horrified for the French authorities. You see pictures of the firefighters, the heroic firefighters, trying to get in and douse the flames. Last night our Surveyor of the Fabric, Ptolemy Dean, spoke to @BBCNews about the "cultural disaster" of the fire at #NotreDame. pic.twitter.com/tKLbI2i31L Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) April 16, 2019 He said Paris had been a powerhouse of impressive Gothic architecture from the 11th and 12th centuries, and it influenced many buildings in England including Westminster Abbey in central London. He added: It is exactly what we all dread to see a vital building going up in flames. The spread of the destruction was horrific and then seeing the fire ripping through those rooms Mr Dean said: It (Notre Dame) is a vital part of our historical progression and to have lost it would have been a catastrophe. He described the 850 year-old Gothic masterpiece as a quality asset for the city of Paris, adding: It is the same as if Westminster Abbey were to burn down. There is a great sense of national bereavement. A Westminster Abbey spokesman said the building has state-of-the-art fire detection systems and works very closely with London Fire Brigade (LFB) throughout the year in risk assessments, exercises, work plans and architectural briefings. He said the LFB concentrates on response times, and in a recent exercise two appliances were on the scene within five minutes of an alarm, quickly followed by others from all over London. It is worth noting that Notre Dames internal structure was wood whereas Westminster Abbey is mainly composed of stone. But should the worst happen, we have preparations in place to save our 750-year-old building. Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) April 16, 2019 The full-time security staff, known as the Abbeys Beadles, are also fully trained in fire procedures and work very closely with the LFB, according to the spokesman. Mr Dean said that we are always in a state of review about the way we undertake our work regarding fire safety at Westminster Abbey. He pointed out that lessons are learned from other disasters. This includes dry risers, which are pipes that can water push water up to the roof level, which were installed as a post-war precaution after a bombing in 1942. Mr Dean said firewalls are also in place to try and help stop the spread of flames. He added that fires in historic buildings are unfortunately common, pointing to the previous blazes which have hit sites such as York Minster, Windsor Castle and the Glasgow School of Art. The devastating fire at the Mackintosh Building, Glasgow School of Art (Andrew Milligan/PA) It will be interesting to understand more about the Paris fire and why it spread and if there are any lessons to be learned from the Paris fire disaster. No-one wants these things to happen again. Both Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame Cathedral have become tourist attractions but they are firstly religious buildings, and this disaster has happened during Easter week. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said: The terrible fire yesterday in Paris has for the time being devastated one of the greatest cathedrals of Europe. Its 850-year history has seen Notre Dame withstand revolutionary change and world wars. Now it has been laid low by an accidental fire during renovation works. That this should happen at the time of year when Christians focus on the passion and death of Christ seems strange and sad. The Church lives the passion. But the great cathedral will rise again, just as Christians everywhere will next Sunday on Easter Day celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mr Kipling cakes firm Premier Foods is expected to press ahead with a break-up of the group in the coming months, it can be revealed. The Press Association understands that the company, which has been under pressure from activist investors, has hired bankers at boutique advisory firm dAngelin & Co to help manage the process. In February, Premier launched a strategic review, bowing to pressure from investors Oasis and Paulson, who own more than 20% of the group and had called for a radical shake-up. Insiders believe that, while all options are on the table, including a sale, a break-up is now the most likely. Premier is also behind custard brand Ambrosia, Batchelors soups, Bisto gravy and Oxo cubes. It is understood that dAngelins involvement is at the behest of Paulson, which recently gained a seat on the food firms board. Premier Foods is set to be broken up (Premier Foods/PA) Premier has a market capitalisation of around 300 million but any break-up or sale would be complicated by its large-scale pension liabilities and 500 million debt pile. The activists scored a victory in November when chief executive Gavin Darby said he would stand down following criticism from Oasis. The group had been critical of his strategy, in particular when he oversaw the successful defence of a 60p-per-share takeover tilt from McCormick in 2016. Shares are currently trading at around 35p. Instead of tying up with McCormick, Premier in that year announced a collaboration agreement with Japans Nissin Foods. Premier has also recently scrapped plans to sell off Ambrosia, blaming the current business climate, and last year abandoned the sale of its fast-growing Batchelors brand. Both could again be put up for sale as part of a break-up. Premier said in February that Daniel Wosner and Orkun Kilic from Oasis and Paulson respectively will join the board as non-executive directors, along with Simon Bentley. Chief financial officer Alastair Murray is acting as interim boss while the hunt for a permanent successor to Mr Darby continues. An Orange march which was to pass a church where a Catholic priest was spat on has been re-routed after police warned of potential for significant disorder. The original route for the Apprentice Boys of Derry (Bridgeton) Easter Sunday parade would have passed St Alphonsus Church, Glasgow, where Father Thomas White was targeted as an Orange walk went by on July 7 last year. Father White was spat on as he spoke to parishioners outside the place of worship in London Road. Bradley Wallace was jailed for ten months in February after admitting assaulting the priest a charge aggravated by religious prejudice. We welcome the decision of @GlasgowCC to re-route the march planned for Easter Sunday morning past St Alphonsus and St Mary's. The right of ordinary people to go to Mass on Easter morning, free from intimidation and fear is one that must be respected and defended. Archdiocese of Glasgow (@ArchdiocGlasgow) April 16, 2019 Glasgow City Council re-routed the procession, which will go from Tullis Street to Cathedral Square and back, away from the church, following a meeting on Tuesday. A council spokesman said: Members chose to re-route the procession after hearing serious concerns, raised by Police Scotland, about the potential for disorder due to protests and counter-protests from people opposing or supporting the event. An orange walk has been re-routed away from a Catholic church (Jane Barlow/PA) The Archdiocese of Glasgow tweeted: We welcome the decision of @GlasgowCC to re-route the march planned for Easter Sunday morning past St Alphonsus and St Marys. The right of ordinary people to go to Mass on Easter morning, free from intimidation and fear is one that must be respected and defended. A mentally ill man who killed his mother and told police they had argued over the amount of milk in a cup of tea has been ordered to be detained indefinitely. Thomas Westwood initially claimed he had stabbed 68-year-old Susan Westwood after she threatened him with a knife at their home in Coventry on December 1 2017. The 47-year-old, who inflicted nine stab wounds using severe force, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility during a previous hearing at Warwick Crown Court. Opening the facts of the case against Westwood on Tuesday, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith QC said Westwoods claim that his mother had a knife was thought to be a symptom of his mental illness. Mr Grieves-Smith told the court Westwood asked to speak to a solicitor while on remand at HMP Hewell in Worcestershire and had expressed regret and admitted he had not acted in self-defence. Judge Andrew Lockhart QC was told Westwood, who is 6ft 3ins and weighs 18 stone, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Shortly before the killing at his one-bedroom home in Cavendish Road, Tile Hill, where Westwood slept on the sofa, he was seen outside by a neighbour in an agitated state. Westwood then dialled 999 at 8.35pm, suggesting his mother, who had mobility problems and had done all she could to support him, had wanted to slit his throat. Police and paramedics attended and the victims body was found on a sofa as Westwood continued to claim he had acted in self-defence. Thomas Westwood expressed regret while held at HMP Hewell (David Jones/PA) The court heard Westwood, who has suffered from mental health problems since the late 1980s, told a police officer he had made his mother a cup of tea but she had threatened him because the drink wasnt milky enough. Passing sentence over a video-link to a secure mental health unit, Judge Lockhart told Westwood that he had left his sons without a grandmother and torn apart his familys lives. As well as being made the subject of an indefinite hospital order, Westwood was sentenced to a 16-year prison term with an additional extended licence period of five years. The judge ruled that Westwoods condition was certainly not the sole cause of the offence but had affected his ability to control his anger. I find as a fact that she didnt attack you with a knife, the judge told Westwood. You told, in interviews, deliberate untruths about what your mother had done. There is no reason at all why she would ever attack you. This case is a tragedy for all involved. I am clear that whilst you have long-standing mental health problems, you felt great anger towards your mother anger was the primary and driving reason why you killed her. In a statement issued by police last year, Susans family said: We as a family have been left devastated and heartbroken. She was a kind, funny, generous warm loving person. To lose someone in your life is bad enough, but for Susan to be killed by someone she loved and supported endlessly is the cruellest blow. A new licensing scheme for the breeding of dogs, cats and rabbits will be put forward after securing public backing. The Scottish Government received 675 responses to a consultation on reforming the current system and 96.8% of respondents wanted regulation. Under existing legislation, potentially around 40 or more puppies can be produced in a year without any legal obligations or inspections for the breeder, while cat and rabbit breeders do not require a licence. Proposals to revamp the system follows concerns over animal welfare, particularly in relation to puppies sold by unlicensed dog breeders. More than half (57.2%) of those responding opposed the Governments proposals to limit litters to three a year, with 71.3% backing plans to limit lifetime litters to six. We love our pets in Scotland, so it is no surprise that so many people are in favour of our proposals to further protect the welfare of cats, dogs and rabbits @MairiGougeon #animalwelfare https://t.co/1ylOkBzbmi pic.twitter.com/MrKqBimF4v Net Zero Scotland (@ScotGovNetZero) April 16, 2019 The vast majority (95.2%) want those with criminal convictions to be banned from being given a licence and also want a national list of licensed premises (94.5%). New regulations will be drafted to modernise the breeding of dogs, cats and rabbits in Scotland (RPSCA/PA) Around four out of five respondents (79.7%) backed plans for licences lasting from one to three years based on a risk assessment while 20.3% were against this. Rural Affairs and Natural Environment Minister Mairi Gougeon said: We love our pets in Scotland, so it is no surprise that so many people are in favour of our proposals to further protect the welfare of cats, dogs and rabbits. The aim is to modernise the whole licensing process making it less onerous on those organisations already doing the right thing and, most importantly, ensuring that the system is centred around the welfare of animals. The Scottish Government will now work with local authorities, welfare organisations and individuals to bring these regulations forward. The brother of a 14-year-old girl who was knifed to death in the 1960s has said he is elated after the High Court ruled there must be a fresh inquest into her killing. No one was ever successfully prosecuted for the murder of Elsie Frost, who was stabbed on the way home from her sisters house in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in October 1965. On Tuesday, more than 50 years on, senior judges in London found there was fresh evidence which required a new inquest to be held. Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London after the ruling, Elsies brother Colin Frost who was just six when his sister was killed said: Its a massive step in the right direction, to say the very least. I dont think we really understand the enormity of it yet. Weve come a long way for this. Weve fought and fought and fought. We have had lots and lots of support from different people. It just feels as if weve vindicated everything. Im totally elated with what we are going to achieve for Elsie. We are going to leave a legacy after all this. His barrister Anna Morris earlier told the court that a fresh inquest was both necessary and desirable, adding that without one the full facts about the tragic death of Elsie Frost will never be recorded and the truth never known. She said significant investigations and inquiries advanced by the family led to a file being put together by the Crown Prosecution Service with a view to charging a suspect. Elsie Frost (West Yorkshire Police/PA) Ms Morris added that the evidence against the suspect, Beast of Wombwell killer Peter Pickering, was of such significance that West Yorkshire Police took the unusual decision to publicly state they strongly believed he was responsible for Elsies death, shortly after he died in March last year. The 80-year-old had been held under a hospital order for more than 45 years after admitting killing 14-year-old Shirley Boldy in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in 1972. Pickering died days after he was convicted of abducting and violently raping an 18-year-old woman, also in Barnsley in 1972, three weeks before Shirley was killed. Ms Morris said the investigative file gathered by West Yorkshire Police remains closed (and) will remain concealed from Elsies family and the public record unless a new inquest was ordered. She added that, without answers about how Elsie died, her family, her parents, her brother and her sister have never been able to properly grieve. An inquest in 1966 had implicated local man Ian Bernard Spencer, but his criminal trial was thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. Ms Morris told the court Mr Spencer maintained until his death that he was innocent, but he had lived with that shadow over him for the rest of his life. She said it was also necessary and desirable to correct the record and the injustice to the Spencer family. Ms Morris concluded that the death of Elsie did not just affect the Frost and Spencer families, but also affected the whole of the city of Wakefield, adding that Elsies killing was etched upon the citys psyche. Lord Justice Irwin, sitting with Mr Justice Jay, said: There will be a new inquest. The judge added that the courts reasons for its decision will be given at a later date. Speaking before the hearing, Mr Frost said he thought Pickering got away with the perfect murder back in 1965, which he said was very, very frustrating and very upsetting. He also said he had spoken to Mr Spencers son Lee, adding: We have said all along, we are fighting for the Spencer family as well. The Scottish Government should take steps to ensure children are prohibited from being locked in police cells, a Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP has said. MSPs have been debating legislation which would raise the age at which a person is considered old enough to be responsible for their actions and held criminally accountable for them, from eight to 12. However, there have been calls to raise the age beyond the proposed 12, to be more in line with an international standard of 14. In England and Wales, the age of criminal responsibility is currently set at 10 years old. Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said that setting the age at 12 would represent a fresh breach of international minimums. As part of amendments lodged for a Holyrood debate on the Age of Criminal Responsiblity Bill at Stage 3, Mr Cole-Hamilton added provisions to prevent children from being locked up. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have lodged amendments to the Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill (Jane Barlow/PA) The Lib Dem MSP also added an amendment calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised beyond the age of 12. He said: The experience of being arrested and charged is already a severe adverse childhood experience, but by permitting children to be detained in cells, we are cruelly adding another. Evidence highlights that detention in inappropriate conditions can have serious long-term repercussions for children and young people. A police cell is never the right place for a child. There are any number of more appropriate locations for children when they need a place of safety. As we approach the final hurdle for the Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill, the Scottish Parliament has an opportunity to kick-start a childrens revolution. If Parliament is prepared to be bold we can deliver on our promise to make Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up. Anything less and we are letting down the next generation. We cannot lead the world from the back of the pack. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Raising the age of criminal responsibility is the right decision for Scotland at this time and has already been widely supported across the Scottish Parliament. And we have made clear our intention to place a strong presumption against the use of police cells for children. If this Bill passes, children under 12 will no longer be arrested or charged and they will only be taken to a place of safety if there is an immediate threat and it is not safe for them to go home. The place of safety can only be used for a maximum of 24 hours. We have taken an evidence and expert led approach to ensure we meaningfully decriminalise children under 12 whilst ensuring the rights of victims are protected and community safety is maintained. We want to provide safe, responsive and responsible support for children in the most difficult circumstances, including when they are involved in harmful behaviour. As has been made clear, any use of a place of safety will be closely monitored, with a police station used only in emergency cases as a last resort and for the shortest time necessary until somewhere else can be found. The conviction of a man during the Troubles has been sent to Northern Irelands Court of Appeal for review. Michael Devine was convicted in 1981 of attempted murder, and firearms and terrorism offences. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the case back to a Belfast court over concerns about the absence of modern standards of fairness in the police interview process. A CCRC statement said: Having reviewed the case in detail, the commission has decided to refer Mr Devines case for appeal because it considers that there is a real possibility that the court will quash the conviction. He pleaded not guilty at trial but was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment which he served at the Maze. Mr Devine said: I am very pleased. The conviction of a man during the Troubles has been sent to Northern Irelands Court of Appeal for review (Clara Molden/PA). I am an optimistic person and have always believed that the truth about the nature of the evidence used to convict me in 1981 would eventually be brought to light. He said returning to court after almost 40 years would be an anxious time but he remained hopeful. At the end of the day all I really wanted was to have a fair hearing of the evidence and the facts, and it is my belief that the information uncovered and discovered by the CCRC will go some way to support that. The referral was based on the cumulative weight of a number of new factors including other Court of Appeal decisions, including one that casts doubt on the credibility of at least two officers connected with Mr Devines case, the CCRC said. It also considered new evidence from a forensic linguist expressing concerns about disputed statements and evidence potentially undermining the credibility of the senior interviewing officer. Mr Devines solicitor Joe Rice said: There was always unease about the nature of the evidence that led to Michaels conviction. This is now the first time our Court of Appeal will have the opportunity to examine the totality of the evidence in Michaels case. The picture above, taken by Philippe Wojazer, is powerfully symbolic. Though fire threatened to destroy this iconic cathedral, it has survived, and standing in the midst of the ruin is the altar cross gleaming powerfully through the smoke. This photo has become viral, and its understandable. I've not been to Paris. and therefore, I've not been to Notre Dame. To this point Notre Dame is not a sacred space that has spoken to me, except from afar through photos. Nevertheless, I understand the power of sacred space from being in other sites. During my 2013 trip to England I was able to take in such sacred spaces as Salisbury Cathedral, Bath Abbey, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's London, and though much smaller Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. At least in Christian contexts nothing in the United States is nearly as ancient as these sites, but we do have sacred spaces that speak to us. They might be our own places of worship. Still, Notre Dame has been standing at the center of Paris for the past 850 years, bearing witness to the sacred, and to see it threatened with destruction is heart-rending. It is interesting to watch reports of the people of Paris, a very secular city, weeping at the destruction of this ancient building. I heard reports that people were gathering to pray the rosary or sing Ave Maria (again in a highly secular city where few go to church). Why is this? Perhaps we're not as secular as we think. Perhaps there is within us a sense of the transcendent that speaks to us, and tragic events catch our eye and our heart. That leads me to the question of sacred space. It is often said that buildings don't matter. What matters, when it comes to church, is the people. The true church, the body of Christ, is not a building, it is a people. Yet, buildings and structures play important roles in our spiritual journeys. It needn't be an ancient cathedral built of stone. It might be a log church in Kentucky (Cane Ridge). In either case, there is something about the space that speaks to us. It is a reminder that there is a connection between the material and the spiritual. Early Christians considered Gnosticism and rejected it. When these sites are threatened, whether by an accidentally set fire, by an arsonist setting fire to a black church, or vandals attacking a synagogue or temple, we take notice---or at least we should.. As we proceed through Holy Week (and we are now at Holy Wednesday), we will consider the connection between the material and the spiritual. Many of us will gather Thursday evening to share in a service of communion, eating bread and drinking of the cup (even if only in small quantities) in remembrance of a meal shared long ago. We will gather on Friday to witness the crucifixion of Jesus and reflect on human suffering -- as Jurgen Moltmann would have us think, reflecting on the death of the Crucified God. Then we will gather on Sunday to celebrate resurrection. There is a reason why I find the bodily resurrection important. It bears witness to the physicality of our spirituality. Jesus' resurrection was not simply a dream sequence. He is the risen savior. A whisky infused Scotch Cross Bun created for Easter will be on sale in New York and London this weekend. Chef Rory Macdonald of Patisserie Chanson in Manhattan collaborated with Whyte & Mackay to create the treat, which is infused with The Dalmore 12 years old whisky and coated with a whisky glaze. It will be on sale from April 19-21 at Patisserie Chanson and at two of Mac & Wilds Scottish restaurants in London. Mr Macdonald, who was born in London, opened Patisserie Chanson in Manhattans Flat Iron district two years ago. The buns will be available in New York and London (Quentin Bacon/PA) He said: We celebrate the art of dessert-making at Patisserie Chanson and we know that Whyte & Mackay sets the highest standards in whisky craftsmanship, so this collaboration has been the perfect match. Weve used a nutriglaze, which means the whisky is heated but not to the point where the alcohol evaporates. This means the buns arent whisky flavoured its a pure whisky glaze so these Scotch Cross buns are the real deal. Taking inspiration from my Scottish roots my dad is Scottish and the spicy aromas of The Dalmore 12, the resulting Scotch Cross Bun is the perfect decadent, grown-up treat for Easter and we cant wait for people to try it in New York and in London. The Scotch Cross Buns will be available at Mac & Wild Fitzrovia and Mac & Wild Devonshire Square. Calum Mackinnon, co-founder of Mac & Wild, said: Were all about showcasing the best Scottish produce in unexpected and fun ways, so it was a no-brainer for us to get involved in this collaboration. Well be serving the Scotch Cross Buns with a little Mac & Wild ice-cream twist, paired with a dram of course. A spokesman for whisky makers Whyte & Mackay said: When Patisserie Chanson came to us with the idea of elevating the humble hot cross bun, we knew that they would produce something really special. Chef Rory pours passion and innovation into his creations in the same way that our company does with every drop of whisky. Shadow cabinet minister Richard Burgon has been urged to apologise for saying that Zionism is the enemy of peace. The frontbencher, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, denied making the remarks when challenged on TV, insisting that was not my view and I didnt make those comments. But footage has now emerged showing Mr Burgon saying: Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people. Exclusive: Richard Burgon repeatedly lied to @afneil when he denied saying Zionism is the enemy of peace. He said over and over that he wouldnt have said that because its not his view. This video I discovered shows him saying just that in 2014. Watch the whole thing. pic.twitter.com/RRW1M6yxzz Iggy Ostanin (@magnitsky) April 16, 2019 The Leeds East MP faced calls to apologise from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Amanda Bowman, vice president of the Board of Deputies, said: These comments were shameful. Richard Burgons denial and the subsequent revelation of his 2014 incitement against Zionists encapsulate the total sham of Labours approach to anti-Semitism. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon (Jonathan Brady/PA) At the very least he should apologise for his comments and for his denial of them. The Jewish community has been consistently gaslighted by the Labour Party and they continue to abdicate their responsibility to deal with anti-Semitism in their ranks. The footage of Mr Burgons comments, from 2014, was unearthed by investigative reporter Iggy Ostanin. JLC Chair @jonnysgoldstein has written to @RichardBurgon following the revelation of a video showing that he did say that Zionism is the enemy of peace. pic.twitter.com/c3HTTlF4TK Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) April 16, 2019 Mr Burgon is shown saying: The enemy of the Palestinian people is not the Jewish people, the enemy of the Palestinian people are Zionists and Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people. We need to be loud, we need to be proud in support of a free Palestine. Jewish Leadership Council chairman Jonathan Goldstein challenged Mr Burgon to issue a full apology and a clarification as well as a pledge to use responsible language henceforth. Andrew Neil, the BBC journalist who challenged Mr Burgon last year following reports of his comments, said: Wish Id had that clip from 2014 when I interviewed Mr Burgon. Challenged about the remarks by Neil in March 2018, Mr Burgon said: I didnt make those comments. Tens of thousands of pounds has been spent in just six months by Scotlands new social security agency to pay for staff travel, according to official figures. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Scottish Conservatives shows that between September 1 last year and February 28 2019, a total of 72,650 was spent by Social Security Scotland to cover travel costs. It includes a spend of 45,508 on rail travel, 13,833 on hired or leased vehicles, and a sum of 5,141 on air travel. Additionally, 5,001 was spent under a category including motor mileage, with 2,194 filed under miscellaneous travel and 973 spent on travel by taxi. Scottish Conservative MSP Michelle Ballantyne described the spend as extraordinary. Ms Ballantyne said: This is an extraordinary large amount to spend on travel in such a short period of time. Train tickets (Yui Mok/PA) Social Security Scotland hasnt even started administering any benefits yet they are spending tens of thousands of pounds on staff transport. With the SNP admitting that they wont even have the capability to handle social security payments until 2024, you have to question why this amount is so high. Its already embarrassing enough for the SNP that they have had to ask the DWP to continue delivering these powers on their behalf for another five years. Now the organisation they set up for social security payments is racking up a huge bill despite not having even begun to carry out their main function. A spokeswoman for Social Security Scotland said the agency started delivering benefits last September and had made a significant amount in payments. Travel costs are projected to account for less than 1% of overall operating expenditure in 2018-19. The spokeswoman said: We are building a new national public service and face-to-face communication with local authorities, stakeholders and most importantly the public is necessary. We have been delivering benefits since September 2018 and in those seventh months, in excess of 77,000 people have benefited from 197 million in payments through Carers Allowance, Carers Allowance Supplement and Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payments. We have staff travelling the length and breadth of the country to promote our benefits and establish our local service. We have established a head office in Dundee and a major site in Glasgow and now have over 400 staff. We are also working closely with the Scottish Government who are building the social security system we will administer and the Department for Work and Pensions. GPs could begin prescribing tailored technology to dementia patients to help them live at home for longer, scientists say. A new 20 million research centre, based at Imperial College London, will develop low-cost tools to better manage the condition outside of hospitals and care homes. Sensors which monitor activity, devices which track vital signs and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect changes in behaviour are among the approaches being explored. The vision is to create a dementia-friendly home, which continually assesses a patients wellbeing. Those behind the project believe it could cut hospital admissions from preventable illnesses and falls, by alerting healthcare workers to anything of concern as early as possible. Professor David Sharp, head of the new centre, said doctors could begin offering such technology to patients within the next decade, following further research. The GP might have a dashboard of different apps or different ways of engaging with people that they select, and then give a personalised package of apps that are particularly relevant to individuals, he said. I think we are not that far away from having that level of electronic engagement. He added: You might have your dementia engineer come over and deploy the technology into your home, and that would provide the kind of information that we are talking about. So this may sound like science fiction, but I think many of the elements of this are in place. Technology being developed by the team includes sensors to track heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, as well as brain activity, sleep and even a patients gait. This data could be collated and analysed, flagging symptoms such as a high temperature, which could indicate a possible infection, or changes in walking pattern, which may suggest someone is at risk of a fall. As part of the project, prototypes will be produced by engineers, tested with patients in a controlled setting, and then rolled out to a larger group to try out at home. Around 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, with the number expected to rise to one million by 2025. An estimated one in four hospital beds are occupied by people with dementia and 20% of these admissions are preventable, the researchers said. Prof Sharp believes the current dementia care system is broken, but said it could be transformed with the help of technology. If youre a dementia nurse, we think that our technology will allow you to prioritise how you use your time, it would allow you to be much more intelligent about the way you interact with patients, he said. If we can improve the way GPs are operating, we can do that more effectively. An elderly womans hands (Yui Mok/PA) If we can reduce hospital admissions, if we can keep people out of care homes and out of hospital for as long as possible, that has major economic wins. Science Minister Chris Skidmore said: Advanced technologies such as robotics and AI have great potential to support us in illness or old age. This project will help those living with dementia stay in their own homes for longer, with the dignity and independence we all deserve. The new centre joins six others which together make up the UK Dementia Research Institute. The project, a collaboration with the University of Surrey, will be funded by the Medical Research Council, Alzheimers Society and Alzheimers Research UK. Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimers Society, said: Weve seen technology transform the lives of people with other health conditions now, with the work of the UK Dementia Research Institute Care and Technology centre, this is dementias moment to benefit from the latest developments in AI, smartphone technology and social robotics. But this work has to go hand in hand with the promised Government overhaul of social care or scarce, expensive and poor quality dementia care will only undermine our efforts to improve peoples lives through technology. An independent review group has published its report into the differential treatment of breast cancer patients at NHS Tayside. The review was requested after it was revealed that the health board had given a number of patients a lower dosage of chemotherapy than they would have received across other Scottish health boards. The group, commissioned by Scotlands chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood and chief pharmaceutical officer Rose Marie Parr, was tasked with producing a risk assessment of the impact that clinical practice variations at the health board could have on patients. The report states: It appears that patients in NHS Tayside are being treated differently from patients in the rest of NHS Scotland with chemotherapy in the adjuvant and neo-adjuvant setting. The decision to treat differently lacks robust evidence or multidisciplinary consultation. The report also noted: Breast Cancer patients in NHS Tayside were not informed during the consent process of these variations in clinical practice. A number of women received lower doses of chemotherapy than they would have at other health boards (Rui Vieira/PA) The group recommended that a review of medicine governance, decision making and sign-off processes at NHS Tayside is carried out. Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said: I absolutely recognise that current and former patients, and their families, may be concerned and have questions with regards to their treatment, said Dr Calderwood. It is important that anyone who has concerns about their treatment speaks with their oncologist. NHS Tayside has been in contact with all patients affected to offer them an appointment with an oncologist. The Scottish Government welcomes NHS Taysides acceptance of all of the recommendations of the previous Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) report. The board is now developing an action plan to implement these urgently, and is also considering the recommendations of the Immediate Response Group report that has been published today. The key change is that the breast cancer chemotherapy dose regime is being adjusted to make sure patients are offered the same level of treatment as the rest of Scotland. NHS Tayside responds to publication of the Clinical Risk Assessment of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Report, Clinical Management of Breast Cancer https://t.co/9TjVXgxOVf NHS Tayside (@NHSTayside) April 16, 2019 Professor Peter Stonebridge, NHS Tayside acting medical director, said: We fully accept the findings of the Immediate Response Group (IRG) report which was commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. We have taken immediate action in response to the IRG report and the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Report which was published earlier this month. The key change is that we have adjusted the breast cancer chemotherapy dose regime to make sure patients in Tayside are offered the same as those in the rest of Scotland. We will also be offering Oncotype DX testing to eligible patients. We can also confirm that we have been back in contact with all patients affected to offer them an appointment with an oncologist, and all but 13 of those who want to take up the offer of an appointment have already been booked in to a clinic. A number of patients have already been seen by an oncologist and we have written again to those 13 patients who have not yet been appointed and we are awaiting their response. Patients and their families should be assured that we are taking this issue extremely seriously and putting in place all the necessary changes to ensure we provide a high-quality breast cancer service in Tayside. Ashleigh Simpson, Policy and Campaigns Manager (Scotland), Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now said: This report raises a series of concerning red flags over governance processes in NHS Tayside, and we welcome the recommendations for a review of its decision-making and patient communication procedures. Shadow cabinet minister Richard Burgon has said he regrets saying that Zionism is the enemy of peace. The frontbencher, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, had previously denied making the remarks, but acknowledged It is now clear that I did and I regret doing so. After footage from 2014 emerged showing Mr Burgon saying Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people, the senior Labour MP said I do not agree with that phrase and he would not use it now. Exclusive: Richard Burgon repeatedly lied to @afneil when he denied saying Zionism is the enemy of peace. He said over and over that he wouldnt have said that because its not his view. This video I discovered shows him saying just that in 2014. Watch the whole thing. pic.twitter.com/RRW1M6yxzz Iggy Ostanin (@magnitsky) April 16, 2019 He said that when he was first challenged over the comments in 2016, he did not recall making the remarks and asked for further details. He said: I received no reply, so I believed it was inaccurate to have claimed that I had used that phrase. It is now clear that I did and I regret doing so. Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Richard Burgon delivers his speech on the final day of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. He added: As I have subsequently said on numerous occasions when asked about this, I do not agree with that phrase. I recognise that such a phrase fails to distinguish between those seeking a peaceful solution in line with international law, and those, such as the current Israeli government, which is undermining efforts towards peace. The terminology has different meanings to different people and the simplistic language used does not reflect how I now think about this complex issue and I would not use it again today. It is being reported that I made those remarks in 2014, which was before I was elected as an MP. The Leeds East MP had faced calls to apologise from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council. Our statement responding to Richard Burgon's comments on Zionism. pic.twitter.com/YAVJvq6mSk Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) April 16, 2019 Amanda Bowman, vice president of the Board of Deputies, said: These comments were shameful. Richard Burgons denial and the subsequent revelation of his 2014 incitement against Zionists encapsulate the total sham of Labours approach to anti-Semitism. At the very least he should apologise for his comments and for his denial of them. The Jewish community has been consistently gaslighted by the Labour Party and they continue to abdicate their responsibility to deal with anti-Semitism in their ranks. The footage of Mr Burgons comments, from 2014, was unearthed by investigative reporter Iggy Ostanin. JLC Chair @jonnysgoldstein has written to @RichardBurgon following the revelation of a video showing that he did say that Zionism is the enemy of peace. pic.twitter.com/c3HTTlF4TK Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) April 16, 2019 Mr Burgon is shown saying: The enemy of the Palestinian people is not the Jewish people, the enemy of the Palestinian people are Zionists and Zionism is the enemy of peace and the enemy of the Palestinian people. We need to be loud, we need to be proud in support of a free Palestine. Jewish Leadership Council chairman Jonathan Goldstein challenged Mr Burgon to issue a full apology and a clarification as well as a pledge to use responsible language henceforth. Mr Burgon said: In the meeting, I was criticising Benjamin Netanyahus government and its aggressive expansionist policies. In the video I made it explicitly clear that I was of course not speaking about Jewish people. As I believed then and believe now, when discussing the issue of Israel and Palestine, you must clearly distinguish between the actions of a particular Israeli government and Jewish people as a whole. I have always stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in opposition to illegal occupation and discrimination and I will continue to do so in the search for a peaceful solution to decades of conflict. A senior judge has revealed that he was called for jury service and was only excused from the duty when he insisted that he was actually going to sit as the judge in the case. Judge Keith Cutler, the resident judge of Winchester and Salisbury since 2009, told a jury of his surprise when he was called upon to do his public duty as a juror. Speaking at Salisbury Crown Court, the senior circuit judge said that even though he replied to the summons stating that he was the judge in the pending trial, his reason was rejected and he had to contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau directly. Judge Keith Cutler during a site visit while coroner for the inquest of Mark Duggan (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He said: I was selected for jury service here at Salisbury Crown Court for a trial starting 23rd April. I told the Jury Central Summoning Bureau that I thought I would be inappropriate seeing I happened to be the judge and knew all the papers. They wrote back to me, they picked up on the fact I was the judge but said Your appeal for refusal has been rejected but you could apply to the resident judge but I told them I am the resident judge. I had to phone them up and they realised it was a mistake. Judge Cutler, who served as the coroner for the inquest of Mark Duggan who was shot by police in August 2011, sparking riots across London, and who has also served as president of the Council of Circuit Judges, said he would have been happy to have served as a juror if it had been appropriate. He said: I would have liked to have done the jury service to see what it was like and whether I would have liked the judge. A guide to jury summons issued by the Department of Justice states: The normal expectation is that everyone summoned for jury service will serve at the time for which they are summoned. However, it is recognised that there will be occasions when it is not reasonable for a person to serve at the time for which they are summoned. Nervous parents are finding out which primary school their children will be going to in September, as many get their first choice while others miss out on their dream school. Early indications from a Press Association survey suggest a lower proportion of children across England are gaining places at their first choice school this year. It also suggests that local authorities have seen a slight rise in the number of applications. At least 86% of youngsters are gaining their top preferences, with the figure rising as high as 98% in some areas. Of the 45 authorities that replied to a Press Association survey, there were 191,427 applications for primary school places, up from 191,154 last year. About 175,000 (91%) gained places at their first-choice, down from 92% last year. Parents are finding out which primary school their children will be going to in September (PA) A further 5% secured their second choice, while 1% got their third choice. More than 4,000 children (2%) missed out on a place at any of their top three schools. Today, thousands of parents will be finding out where their children will be going to primary school in September. 87% of primary schools are rated Good or Outstanding compared to 67% in 2010. #SchoolAdmissions https://t.co/okIeDbiFxO pic.twitter.com/UK1uZTleEM Department for Education (@educationgovuk) April 16, 2019 Northumberland County Council reported that 98% of applications had gained an offer from their most desired school. By contrast the figure from Liverpool City Council was only 87%. Liverpool also reported one in 20 children (5%) missing out on all of their top three choices. Separate figures collected by London Councils the local government association for Greater London show that 86% of this years 96,598 applicants in the capital secured their first-choice, lower than the 91% across the 45 authorities in the PA survey. Londons most competitive borough was Kensington & Chelsea, where only 66% of children bagged a place at their first choice primary school. The boroughs where the highest proportion got their preferred school were Barking & Dagenham (95%) and Newham (94%). Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders union NAHT, which represents the majority of primary school leaders in England and Wales, said: This can be an anxious time for families. Choosing the right primary school and securing a place there can feel like a battle for parents. The problem is that in an increasingly fragmented school system we lack a co-ordinated approach to place planning. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient school places, but the powers and resources necessary for them to do so have been removed. Until the Government creates a national strategy to guarantee there are enough school places for every child in England, the annual anxious wait for families will continue. Sara Williams, chairwoman of the Pan London Admissions Board, said: In London 94% of schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, which makes it very likely that parents will receive a high quality school place offer for their child. While the total number of primary school applications received in London this year was slightly lower than last year, pressure on different schools and local authority areas can vary. We will be keeping an eye on birth rates and patterns of population growth, but we expect demand for primary school places to continue at least at current levels and demand for secondary school places to grow considerably in the years ahead. The youngest woman to be jailed for plotting a terror attack on British soil has had her minimum term cut by senior judges to reflect her youth and indoctrination. Safaa Boular, 19, planned an attack with grenades and guns on the British Museum in London after her attempt to become an Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber in Syria was thwarted. Along with her mother and older sister she was a member of the UKs first all-woman terror cell. She was jailed for life with a minimum term of 13 years at the Old Bailey in August last year after being found guilty of two counts of preparing terrorist acts. But her tariff was reduced to 11 years at the Court of Appeal in London on Tuesday. Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with two other judges, said the original term was too long in light of her youth and the fact she had been subjected to indoctrination from the age of 12. He said: We are of the view, with respect to the learned (sentencing) judge, that he did not give sufficient weight to the particularly potent effect of the two factors of youth and grooming, or indoctrination, taken in combination. Whilst we have hesitated to differ from the judge below, we do conclude that insufficient weight was given to the fact that the appellant set herself on a course to this grave offending when she was only 15 years old and had, from the age of 12, been subjected to radicalisation by the malign influence of her mother and her mothers friends. The court heard that Boular was groomed by 32-year-old IS fighter Naweed Hussain, originally from Coventry, who she purportedly married in an online ceremony. Naweed Hussain (Metropolitan Police/PA) She and Hussain planned to carry out a suicide bomb attack in Syria but she was prevented from joining him after having her passport seized. Instead of committing a terror attack in Syria, she discussed a grenade and gun attack on the British Museum which she continued plotting after Hussain was killed in a drone strike in April 2017. She was arrested after the plans were uncovered by MI5 role-players and the Boular family home in Vauxhall, south London, was bugged. While in prison on remand she discussed further plans for a terror attack with her sister Rizlaine Boular, 23, using coded language by pretending to talk about preparations for an innocent Mad Hatters tea party. Rizlaine then set about arming herself with knives and scouting out targets around the Palace of Westminster, all the while being aided by her mother Mina Dich, 45. The older sister shared her plans with a friend and even practised the knife attack. After her arrest on April 27 last year, the day she planned to carry out the attack, Rizlaine admitted preparing acts of terrorism and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years. The Court of Appeal rejected her bid to challenge her sentence. Dich was jailed for six years and nine months, with an additional five years on licence, for helping Rizlaine. Hundreds of millions of euros have been pledged to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after it was ravaged by fire. Nearly 400 firefighters tackled the blaze, battling to stop it completely destroying the treasured facade after flames torched the roof, sending its spire crashing to the ground. (PA Graphics) French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the historic building, and more than 600 million euros (520 million) has been pledged already. French luxury and cosmetics group LOreal and its owners, the Bettencourt Meyers family, have pledged 200 million euros (173 million). The familys Bettencourt Schueller Foundation will contribute to the donation. French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have also pledged 200 million euros. "In the wake of this national tragedy, the Arnault family and the LVMH Group pledge their support for #NotreDame. They will donate a total of 200 million euros to the fund for reconstruction of this architectural work, which is an integral part of the history of France." pic.twitter.com/utvJT8xJht LVMH (@LVMH) April 16, 2019 The Pinault family has pledged 100 million euros (86 million) to help restore the 800-year-old cathedral. Francois-Henri Pinault was quoted in the French media as saying he and his father Francois had decided to donate the money to help with a complete reconstruction. Francois-Henri Pinault with wife Salma Hayek (PA) The younger Mr Pinault is chief executive of international luxury group Kering, which owns brands such as Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and is the president of French holding company Groupe Artemis, which owns Christies auction house. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme it was a shock to see the building on fire and added: We need to rebuild collectively this part of our history, of our culture, so its an urgent, urgent need to move forward, so I decided to unlock a very important amount of money to do that. Energy firm Total will contribute 100 million euros, chief executive Patrick Pouyanne tweeted. Debris inside Notre Dame (Christophe Petit Tesson/AP) Other donations reported include a million euros (860,000) from technology consulting firm Capgemini, and 20 million euros (17 million) from the holding company of the JCDecaux family, owners of one of the worlds largest outdoor advertising companies. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said on Twitter that the technology giant will donate but did not say how much. We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dames precious heritage for future generations. Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 16, 2019 He added: We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dames precious heritage for future generations. Mr Macron said he would be looking beyond our borders as the fundraising campaign got under way. In an emotional speech on Monday night, he said: I am solemnly telling you tonight: this cathedral will be rebuilt by all of us together. Describing Notre Dame as our history and the epicentre of our lives, he added: Its probably part of Frances destiny and it will be our project for the years to come. 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. Environmental protesters have occupied a bridge in Edinburgh as part of nationwide demonstrations demanding action to tackle climate change. Hundreds of activists from the Extinction Rebellion Scotland group blocked North Bridge as they called for the Scottish Government to declare a climate emergency. They were joined by dozens of cyclists who converged on the city centre, causing travel disruption and long tailbacks. Extinction Rebellion Scotland called for the Scottish Government to tell the truth about the climate and ecological crisis and reverse any inconsistent policies. Organisers said they intended to occupy the bridge until 9pm. Climate protesters join Extinction Rebellion Scotland on North Bridge (Andrew Milligan/PA) Tom Younger, who was part of the human barricade at the Princes Street end of the bridge, said the occupation was part of a much wider movement that included school strikes over recent months. The 28-year old said: We need to step up and make our voices heard. Were demanding the Government goes zero carbon by 2025. It needs to tell citizens the truth about whats happening and we need a citizens assembly to get us there because our political system isnt capable of delivering the changes that we need. We need those changes delivered in a democratic way if they are going to be for the benefit of everyone and not just the rich and powerful. Mr Younger, an anthropologist working with indigenous Peruvians, warned: People in countries like Peru are already starting to feel the impact of climate change, and were going to be feeling them very soon here in Scotland. Bobbie Winter-Burke, 31, said: I would rather not have to do this block the roads, mess up peoples day but its really critical that more people are aware of whats happening with the climate crisis. Governments arent telling the truth, the media isnt telling the truth, so we need to have people out in capital cities to raise awareness, to empower people to take non-violent direct action to show that its an important cause. The library worker added: It cant be ignored any longer and so thats why Im here today. Protestors are calling for the Scottish Government to reduce net carbon commissions to zero by 2025 (Andrew Milligan/PA) Police Scotland Superintendent Bob Paris said: A policing operation is in place to provide a proportionate response to any protest activity. The police have both a duty to prevent crime and disorder and (to) balance the qualified rights of protesters with the rights of the wider public under the European Convention on Human Rights. The demonstration is part of an international week of protests calling for governments and councils around the world to declare a climate emergency. It follows climate change activists scaling a crane to hang banners at Glasgow City Chambers on Monday. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Climate change is an extremely serious global issue. Scotland has been praised internationally for our world-leading efforts in this area. We are demonstrating this global leadership by setting the most ambitious statutory climate change targets of any country in the world for 2020, 2030 and 2040, which will mean Scotland is carbon neutral by 2050. We want to go further and achieve net-zero emissions for all greenhouse gases as soon as possible. We are currently awaiting advice from the UK Committee on Climate Change, which is due on 2 May. If the committee advise that we can now set even more ambitious targets, we will act on that. A New Jersey high schools stage production of Alien is coming back with help from the 1979 films director Ridley Scott. Alien: The Play was performed last month at North Bergen High School, which sits about two miles from the Lincoln Tunnel into New York City. Images of the productions elaborate sets and special effects drew a huge response online, and Scott wrote a letter to the school praising the students creativity. Sigourney Weaver played the character Ellen Ripley in the movie that spawned a franchise. She taped a YouTube video in which she called the production incredible. The plays director, teacher Perfecto Cuervo, said in an email that Scotts production company provided 5,000 US dollars (3,800) so the school could put on an encore performance on April 26. The first shipment of humanitarian aid from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has arrived in Venezuela. The organisation confirmed that medicine and supplies to treat needy patients has landed in Caracas. Happening NOW - Our @ifrc first consignment of medicines, medical supplies and equipment has arrived in #Venezuela. This is a great step forward to support vulnerable people in the country! https://t.co/7CGf7M1Jdu Francesco Rocca (@Francescorocca) April 16, 2019 Images shared on social media showed workers in blue vests with the Red Cross emblem lowering boxes of aid from a plane. The Red Cross announced in late March that it had obtained permission from officials to begin delivering assistance to the crisis-stricken country. The delivery marks a recognition by President Nicolas Maduro that the South American nation is experiencing a humanitarian crisis, which he has long denied. The opposition has made the aid delivery a key part of its campaign to oust the socialist leader. The worlds largest commercial passenger aircraft touched down in Glasgow on Tuesday, marking the start of a regular scheduled service between the city and Dubai. Glasgow Airport has spent more than 8 million upgrading its infrastructure to accommodate the Airbus A380, including the introduction of Scotlands only triple airbridge. The Emirates jet was welcomed by a kilted piper on the tarmac on Tuesday evening. Today we made Scottish aviation history as we welcomed the A380 to Glasgow #HelloA380 #GLA380 pic.twitter.com/Ts38oz73qj Glasgow Airport (@GLA_Airport) April 16, 2019 Airport managing director Mark Johnston said: Its a first in Scottish aviation history and a really exciting day for Glasgow Airport. Its an iconic aircraft and the airports really buzzing this evening. The superjumbo visited Glasgow in 2014 to mark 10 years of flights from the city by the Emirates airline. An Emirates A380, touches down at Glasgow Airport (Mark Runnacles/PA) With a wingspan of nearly 80 metres, the A380 can carry almost 500 passengers. Economy Secretary Derek Mackay, who attended the jets arrival, said: This represents enhanced connectivity and capacity for Scotland and Glasgow Airport. An aircraft of this size coming shows a vote of confidence in the city, in the country and the economy generally. Its great news. Three men have been arrested in Donegal in an investigation into a Romanian organised crime gang, Garda have said. Three Romanian men, aged 24, 25 and 31, were arrested following the search of a house in Letterkenny on Tuesday morning. Some of the items seized y Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) Garda described the operation as part of an ongoing investigation into a Romanian organised crime group which is believed to also impact on Northern Ireland. A large quantity of fraud paraphernalia was uncovered in the search. Suspected cloned credit cards, credit cards issued in false names, bank account details, false Romanian identity documents, credit card machines, till rolls and a number of suspected stolen Irish and UK passports and driving licences, along with two cars bought on finance obtained on bank accounts opened in false names, were seized. Some of the items seized by the Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny. (Garda/PA) A Garda spokesman said much of the seized items relate to suspected frauds in Northern Ireland, adding that officers are working with Europol and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The three arrested men are being detained at Letterkenny and Milford Garda stations. A modern restoration of Notre Dame would be the best use of the hundreds of millions of euros pledged for the immense project, rather than being stuck with the past, a leading expert on the cathedral has suggested. Professor Stephen Murray, who co-led a project to laser map the Gothic masterpiece in minute detail, said the building was revolutionary for its day and the vast sums of money could be used for a cutting-edge update. Notre Dame was within 15 to 30 minutes of complete destruction during the disastrous blaze that claimed the roof and spire, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said. Huge sums have been pledged to repair the beloved Paris landmark, which President Emmanuel Macron has set a target of five years to finish. He said France will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully as he addressed the nation little more than 24 hours after the devastating fire. Asked if there should be a modern answer for the buildings restoration, Prof Murray said: Thats what Gothic was all about. The 12th-century cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris was the highest-tech vision of a building they could conceive, he told the BBCs World Tonight. It was really a revolutionary building and the roof was a revolutionary piece of carpentry and I dont think we should be stuck with the past. We are children of the 21st century. Firefighters assess the damage to the Notre Dame Cathedral (Victoria Jones/PA) Prof Murray, who studied at Oxford University and the University of Londons Courtauld Institute, co-led a project that used laser scanners and ultra-high-definition photography to document the building. The expert on medieval art and Gothic architecture is now at Columbia University in New York. He said the buildings exterior would stay very much the same and the interior vaults would be restored, but suggested the roof could be radically different. Prof Murray said he expects the project to rebuild Notre Dame, which has received international offers of support, will unify France. Gothic architecture was very much about unifying a society in the great struggle to create something almost miraculous, and I suspect thats something we are going to see now in the 21st century, he said. Gothic architecture has been a way of bridging gaps and social divisions and silly arguments to pull people together to build something marvellous. Prof Murrays scans, made several years ago with late art historian Andrew Tallon, could prove to be invaluable when rebuilding work begins. But the immediate focus will be on securing the structure and salvaging what can be reused from the parts that crumbled in the blaze. Some of that material may be reusable, and thats a painstaking exercise. Its like an archaeological excavation, Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, told AP. Mr Macron announced a national subscription to help rebuild the monument as more than 600 million euros (519 million) was pledged by firms and wealthy individuals. Donors to the restoration project include French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH, pledging 200 million euro (173 million) after a reported 100 million euro (86 million) donation was promised by another French billionaire, Francois Pinault. LOreal Group, the Bettencourt Meyers family and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation jointly also pledged 200 million euro, while oil and gas company Total said it would give 100 million euro towards reconstructing the architectural jewel. Fifty investigators are now working on a long and complex probe into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. They will interview workers from five companies hired to work on renovations to the cathedral roof. It is believed the blaze was an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place. At one point it was feared the cathedral would be completely destroyed in the blaze, which lasted more than 12 hours. The tragedy prompted an outpouring of support internationally, with the Queen saying she was deeply saddened and Pope Francis offering his prayers. Nous sommes ce peuple de batisseurs. Nous avons tant a reconstruire. Alors oui, nous rebatirons la cathedrale Notre-Dame, plus belle encore, et je souhaite que cela soit acheve dici 5 annees, nous le pouvons. Et la aussi nous mobiliserons. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 16, 2019 The bells at Westminster Abbey tolled at 5.43pm on Tuesday afternoon 24 hours after the fire started and Prime Minister Theresa May announced bells at churches and cathedrals across England would ring in a further show of solidarity on Maundy Thursday. She described images of the destruction as truly heart-rending, adding: President Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral and I have conveyed to him that the UK will support this endeavour however we can. The cathedral housed a collection of valuable treasures, some which were salvaged and are due to be moved to the Louvre museum. Speaking in front of the cathedral, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said: The task is now the risk of fire has been put aside about the building, how the structure will resist. Many Parisians spent Tuesday mourning viewing the destruction of one of the citys most popular and admired landmarks. By Jane Chung SEOUL, April 17 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, supported by concerns over tightening global supply due to U.S. sanctions and fighting in Libya, as well as an unexpected fall in U.S. crude inventories. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $71.93 a barrel by 0034 GMT. Brent earlier hit a fresh five-month high of 71.96 a barrel, the highest since Nov. 8 when prices topped $72 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $64.45 per barrel, up 40 cents, or 0.62 percent, from their previous settlement. WTI is up more than 40 percent this year and Brent up more than 30 percent, on the back of a deal between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies including Russia to limit their output by 1.2 million barrels per day starting January. In June, the producer group and others will decide whether to continue to curb their production, although concerns have arisen over Russia's willingness to stick with the cuts. An unexpected fall in U.S. crude inventories also boosted oil prices. U.S. crude inventories fell by 3.1 million barrels in the week ended April 12 to 452.7 million, compared with analysts' expectations for an increase of 1.7 million barrels, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) released on Tuesday. "Crude oil prices continued its recent rise, as investors prepared themselves for a barrage of information from the U.S. shale industry," ANZ bank said in a note, pointing to the start of the U.S reporting season. Official data on U.S. production from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due to be released on Wednesday. (Reporting By Jane Chung; editing by Richard Pullin) MANAGUA, April 16 (Reuters) - Nicaragua's government said it released 636 prisoners on Tuesday as embattled President Daniel Ortega seeks to consolidate his hold on power nearly one year since the beginning of the biggest protests to shake his government. The gesture came on the eve of a march organized by Ortega's political opponents that the government has deemed illegal, potentially marking a new flashpoint in the conflict. The protests first erupted last April when Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, tried to cut welfare benefits. The protests soon spiraled into a broader resistance movement and became the sharpest test of his authority since he took office again in 2007. The prisoners were freed from various prisons in Nicaragua and will finish their sentences under home arrest, the government said in a statement. The terms of the release mean they cannot attend protests or other public gatherings. The government said the group includes 36 who were arrested during previous protests, but that none were political prisoners. The Civic Alliance, an opposition group, said in a statement, however, that 18 such detainees were released. All the political prisoners released came from the prison in Managua known as La Modelo, according to Brenda Gutierrez, a member of the Comite Pro Liberacion de Presos Politicos, a group working for the release of political detainees. State-controlled news network El 19 Digital said around 200 prisoners in total were released from La Modelo. A government spokesman did not reply to a request for details on where the other prisoners were released. The opposition wants the government to honor a pledge to release hundreds of prisoners still in custody who were detained during the protests of the past year. At least 324 people have been killed in the disturbances, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an autonomous arm of the Organization of American States. Ortega has called the protests an illegal plot by his adversaries to oust him, while critics have accused him of increasingly authoritarian tendencies. The government prohibited the opposition march planned for Wednesday afternoon on the grounds that those behind it were involved in "grave disturbances to public order" in past protests. But organizers appeared determined to ignore the state-ordered prohibition. "Today more than ever we call on the people to mobilize and express their desire for freedom in the most civic and peaceful way," the opposition National Unity coalition said in a statement on Tuesday. The march scheduled for Wednesday, as well as other opposition events set for Thursday and Friday, could reignite civil unrest. Thursday will mark a year since the start of the protests. The anniversary coincides with Christian commemoration of Holy Week, and the gatherings associated with it have often provided venues for public demonstrations. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has warned that the marches this week could turn violent. In a statement on Tuesday, her office noted that some 62,000 Nicaraguans had been displaced over the past year and that hundreds more had been arrested. A Cold War adversary of the United States, the 73-year-old Ortega also served a single term as president in the 1980s. (Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Peter Cooney and Alistair Bell) BUCHAREST, April 17 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Wednesday. CRIMINAL CODE A special parliamentary commission has quickly revised the criminal code on Tuesday after some of its initial changes were ruled unconstitutional by the country's top court in 2018. The government has stalled approving the changes that made past the consttitutional court via emergency decree. They include lowering the statute of limitations covering several offences, a move which would automatically shut down a number of ongoing corruption cases. Social Democrat Florin Iordache, the parliamentary commission head, said the changes could be approved by April 24. Opposition lawmakers have said they might challenge those changes at the Constitutional Court. CEE MARKETS Hungarian government bond yields retreated from multi-week highs on Tuesday as worries over economic slowdown in the European Union's main economies nudged Central European yields lower. ROMGAZ Romanian state-owned gas producer Romgaz expects a 28 percent drop on the year in its gross profit for 2019, largely driven by lower revenue from gas sales and higher tax expenses after a government tax decree. Ziarul Financiar COURT TRIALS The Supreme Court postponed until June 11 an appeal by the prime minister's economic adviser Darius Valcov against a preliminary prison sentence for influence peddling and money laundering. For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ------------------------------------------------------ SOFIA, April 17 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. 24 CHASA - Czech energy firm CEZ has entered into exclusive talks with Bulgarian financial group Eurohold for the sale of its Bulgarian assets. Talks will also be held with the other bidder, India Power, CEZ spokesperson said. -- Bulgaria may build a digital link to with Georgia under the Black Sea, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said after meeting his Georgian counterpart. (Monitor, 24 Chasa, Trud) -- The spending needs of Bulgarian households have increased faster than their income last year, statistics office data showed. (Monitor, Trud, 24 Chasa) PRAGUE, April 17 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Wednesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA========================== Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: http://emea1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/Apps/CountryWeb/#/2E/events-overview ============================NEWS/EVENTS========================= CEZ: Czech utility CEZ has started exclusive talks over the sale of its assets in Bulgaria with Bulgarian firm Eurohold, a CEZ spokeswoman said on Wednesday. NUCLEAR POWER: Slovak utility Slovenske Elektrarne says it expects further delays before new units are launched at its Mochovce nuclear power plant. PPI: Producer prices rose more than expected in March CEE MARKETS: Hungarian government bond yields retreated from multi-week highs on Tuesday as worries over economic slowdown in the European Union's main economies nudged Central European yields lower. EUROPE POWER: European prompt power prices fell on Tuesday, pressured by increased renewable and nuclear supply, while forwards dropped further from last week's multi-week highs as fuel and carbon prices headed south. ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change close on day in 2019 vs Euro 25.667 25.66 -0.03 0.12 vs Dollar 22.693 22.746 0.23 -1.24 Czech Equities 1,095.9 1,095.9 -0.65 11.08 U.S. Equities 26,452.66 26,384.77 0.26 13.4 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT ==========================PRESS DIGEST========================== ENERGY: Energy group Sev.en's operating director Alan Svoboda said in an interview the company was close to finalising deals for gas-fired plants with total capacity of "well over" 1,000 MW. Hospodarske Noviny, page 12 (Reuters has not verified the stories, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.) Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477 E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com ($1 = 22.6450 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Prague Newsroom) JOHANNESBURG, April 17 (Reuters) - South Africa's leading food producer Tiger Brands said on Wednesday it will fight a class action lawsuit over its role in the world's largest ever listeria outbreak. The listeriosis outbreak, the infection caused by the bacteria, killed more than 200 people in South Africa last year and was traced back to a factory run by Tiger Brands-owned Enterprise Foods. Tiger Brands confirmed to the stock exchange that it had received a summons with respect to the class action lawsuit, which has been in the offing for some time. "The company intends to defend the class action," the statement said, adding it would follow due legal process and issue further updates when appropriate. The company's shares were down 0.9 percent at 0811 GMT. The amount of damages being claimed was not identified in the summons, it continued, because the first stage of the class action is concerned with liability and not damages, which will be dealt with at a subsequent stage once there has been a ruling on liability. It said that the plaintiffs are seeking damages under the terms of the Consumer Protection Act and for exemplary, punitive or constitutional damages, which Tiger Brands said it has been advised are not recognised in South African law. While the company has product liability insurance cover, this does not include cover for exemplary or punitive damages, which are damages intended to punish the defendant for its conduct and deter it and others from similar behaviour in future. Listeriosis causes flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhoea and infection of the blood and brain. It poses a higher risk for newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weak immunity. (Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Louise Heavens) By Nidhi Verma and Subrat Patnaik NEW DELHI, April 17 (Reuters) - Indian refiners are increasing their planned purchases from OPEC nations, Mexico and the United States to make up for any loss of Iranian oil if the U.S. enforces sanctions more harshly from next month, sources and company officials said. All four Indian state-owned refiners that buy Iranian oil are confident of securing additional barrels from other producers, officials from the companies told Reuters. The state refiners have not yet placed orders for Iranian oil for May, when the current waiver expires, pending clarity from the United States. India's Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) have tapped Iraq to make up for Iranian oil, while Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has signed its first annual contract with U.S. suppliers and raised supplies from Mexico. "There will be no supply constraints. The supply can come from both OPEC and non-OPEC nations like the U.S.," said M. K. Surana, chairman of Hindustan Petroleum Corp, which purchased up to 1.5 million tonnes per year of Iranian crude in 2018/19. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia have gradually tightened supply through 2019 to reduce a global glut. OPEC and its partners may not renew the curbs when they expire after June because of the risk of over-tightening the market. IOC, India's top refiner and Iran's biggest Indian client, will cut Iranian oil imports to 6 million tonnes, or about 120,000 barrels per day, in the 2019/20 period from 9 million in 2018/19, and has raised the optional volumes it can buy from other producers to 2 million tonnes, a company official said. "Our optional quantities under term deals are higher than last year. We have optional contracts with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other suppliers... They will supply more if we want," the official said, adding his firm would also buy more U.S. oil if required. IOC also hopes to buy 1.5 million tonnes of Mexican oil in 2019, compared with 1 million tonnes last year, the source said. Officials from state-owned National Iranian Oil Co did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the Indian refiners' plans to purchase less Iranian crude. NO WATERTIGHT PLAN Refinery officials said their 2019/20 crude import strategy was not contingent on Iranian oil, and was more flexible than in previous years. "We don't have a watertight plan for the year, we have optional quantities so that it is possible to find replacement if any country goes out for any reason," said an MRPL official. During previous sanctions against Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq raised supplies to India to grow market share in the country, the world's third-biggest oil consumer and importer. Last year, MRPL signed its first annual deal with Iraq to buy 1.5 million tonnes of Basra oil in 2019. BPCL has signed a deal to buy 5 million tonnes of Iraqi oil in 2019 compared with 1.5 million tonnes in 2018, its head of refineries R. Ramachandran said, adding his company is considering buying more oil from South America. BPCL recently bought Brazilian crude and plans to buy Mexican oil as well, he said. "We have a strategy with and without Iran," he added. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Subrat Patnaik in New Delhi; editing by Christian Schmollinger) By Gergely Szakacs MAD, Hungary, April 17 (Reuters) - A Hungarian winemaker in the Tokaj region known for its golden dessert wine is selling a vintage for $40,000 a bottle, hoping to revive the royal heritage of a wine revered by kings and connoisseurs. The volcanic Tokaj region in northeast Hungary produces wine made with grapes with "noble rot", induced by the "Botrytis" fungus that shrivels grapes and concentrates their sugar. Tokaji Aszu first appeared in literature in 1576, but it was in the 17th century that the wine, also blended into Hungary's National Anthem by the poet Ferenc Kolcsey, became a favourite of enthusiasts for its richness and complexity. It is said France's Louis XIV, the Sun King, described the wine as "the wine of kings and the king of wines." Winemaker Royal Tokaji says the $40,000 edition is the world's most expensive wine on release. Other rarities may fetch higher prices at auction. "We have made a conscious decision to propel what has always been the most valuable product of Tokaj back into a price range where Tokaj wine belongs, with an exclusive, customised presentation," General Manager Zoltan Kovacs said. A smaller, 0.4-litre bottle of "Essencia", the richest and rarest of all Hungarian Tokaj wines according to the producer's description, costs about $424 at online retailers. So what justifies the whopping price tag for the 2008 vintage - the equivalent of four years of average take-home pay in Hungary or the price of a house in Tokaj? The bottle is a 1.5-litre hand-blown magnum with a special cork made in Portugal after laser-scanning the neck. It sits in a lacquered black box, which shines light through the bottle at the press of a button. A longer maturation period adds hints of green tea and rose hip to the flavour. There are only 18 bottles offered for sale, with the prospect of an increase in value, the wine will keep maturing in the bottle for decades or longer, said wine expert Matyas Szik. "This is what significantly increases the value of this wine as an investment, as the time to deal with these wines in earnest will come 30, 40, 50 years from now, either to taste or to trade," he said. The first buyer did not wait that long - shortly after placing the order, an unnamed Chinese investor threw a party for clients where the wine was promptly uncorked, Kovacs said. The high cost of the wine is also due to the scale of manual labour involved. The grapes are hand-picked one by one for a daily harvest of just 8-10 kgs in a good year. They are stored in containers where they produce a rich must. "If we take this bottle, it required 180-200 kgs of shrivelled grapes to produce the 1.5 litres. So, all in all, it takes about a tonne of green grapes to make this bottle of wine," Kovacs said. (Editing by Janet Lawrence) Film: Kalank Cast: Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Khemu, Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt Director: Abhishek Varman Hindi; U/A; 2 hours, 50 minutes Stars: 3 Stars So, heres the most important thing about Kalank please leave your logic at home. And please wait for the second half. Set in 1947, Roop (Alia), a village girl, wearing Rajasthani clothes, but bounding about snowy peaks, is pushed into a second marriage with Dev Choudhary (Aditya) by his fatally ill wife Satya (Sonakshi). Educated but born to a poor musician pitaji, Roop agrees to this loveless deal. She moves to the Choudharys mansion in Husnabad near Lahores red-light area, Hira Mandi. Roop and Dev: Pushed into a loveless marriage, all respect, no pyaar. (Still from Kalank: YouTube) Roop ignores her disinterested husband and his rich father, Balraj (Sanjay Dutt in granny glasses) who has a secret hidden in the folds of his jamawar shawl. Roop refuses to be a part of Devs life until Satya lets her learn music from Bahar Begum (Madhuri), Hira Mandis famous courtesan. Here, Roop meets Zafar, a kohl-eyed, swaggering sexy bastard (literally) who sweeps her off her feet. Does Roop succumb to Zafars charms? Does Dev claim his wife? Does Zafar also have a secret that hes hiding in his sex-pack abs? What's the secret hidden in those sex-pack abs? (Kalank poster) Does the first half ever end? Yes. Although the wait's a challenge. Most of the time, youre wandering about in hollow sets, all glass walls and synthetic chandeliers, zari, brocade and maang-tikas that give the chandeliers a run. But for all the bling, theres little depth. The sets are so astonishing, you imagine Karan Johar telling Abhishek Varman, chal yaar, throw everything in thus, theres a breath-taking Dussehra sequence in Hira Mandi which shows you everything in the world, from Venice to Bali to homage to Sanjay Leela Bhansali except for Hira Mandi. The opulent Chaudhary mansion reminds you of Raazi and its oppressiveness. The kohl-eyed, stubbly Varun reminds you of Shah Rukh Khan and how he would have ravished this role, while the deep-focus shots remind you of Pakeezah, without the depth. Youre not helped by the mostly flat acting of all except Madhuri Dixit, who, queen-like, lights up the screen. She simply raises an eyebrow, twirls a finger, twinkles her eyes and the screen goes ablaze. I wanted to join the front-benchers screaming with delight when, pre-interval, she naughtily murmurs, philhaal is guftagu se thak gaye hain hum. Bahaar Begum sets the screen ablaze simply by raising an eyebrow or twirling a little finger. (Image: Twitter) But, despite that, wait for the second half. It is here that Kalank actually lifts and you can safely say those three magical words Aditya Roy Kapur. Devs character comes into his own with great, but quiet, force. A scene where Dev and Zafar meet crackles theres far more chemistry here than between the heroes and heroines. (Theres also a guest appearance by Kriti Sanon doing an Aishwarya/Kajrare redux but can someone please make these women eat something more than quinoa before dancing kathak, which needs fullness for its lachak, for Gods sake!) Thankfully, its Adityas face that impresses hes impassive but conveys stormy feeling within. Without mouthing lines like Woh ek aandhi ki tarah meri zindagi me aaya. Kalank is full of bombast thats fine if you like masaledaar Bollywood. I only wish its actors had acted more, let the air literally collect the growling thunder of passion, instead of bizarre distractions, including a bull fight (dont ask youll see). After two decades, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit share screen space. (Source: YouTube/Kalank trailer) Yet, the second half is engaging. As the characters discover each others guilty secrets, hearts are shattered, nerves gathered, tension over looming Partition also grows. Kunal Khemu pulls off a fine act as the spiteful gunda Abdul who wants to force the Choudharys out his role is literally laced with venom. The finale's train sequence (involving apparently the worlds longest platform plus an ironic DDLJ-style twist) impacts it leaves you thinking of the mohalla dislikes that made up so much of the violence of Partition. And as Dev, Zafar and Roop flee a murderous mob, the escape leaves you enthralled and saddened as one great love dies. Just as it does in so many of our lives. Thats where Kalank hits you in the heart. Despite its overblown, frilly sets and its disco-ghunghroo lines, the movie moves you with its spotlight on sheer love. How you can fall in love, despite yourself. How you will be torn apart puzzling if love is a sin or a blessing. And finally, how you must love only when your love is respected. As Bahar murmurs, mohabbat usse karein jo aapki izzat kar sake aapki mohaabat ko aapse zyada mohabbat kar sake. Stunning numbers: Madhuri Dixit and Alia Bhatt in a still from the song 'Ghar More Pardesiya'. (Source: YouTube) Wise words. Both in love. And in politics. But thats another drama. Also read: Madhuri Dixit Returns: Be it 'Total Dhamaal' or 'Kalank', why Madhuri is beyond box office success Q. You had to leave Bangladesh. You faced difficult times then in West Bengal. Did Mamata Banerjee ever reassure you of a liberal and free atmosphere? No Mamata Banerjee is following in the footsteps of the previous government, especially in my case. It has been 12 years that I was forced to leave West Bengal. A leading English daily in the country invited me to Kolkata for its Lit Fest last year but they had to cancel it finally. Mamata Banerjee has been preventing a secular and humanist writer from entering the land which I love so much as my second home, and for which I left Europe for good. No entry for Taslima Nasreen: Mamata Banerjee has not facilitated Taslima Nasreen living or visiting West Bengal. (Source: PTI) As a Bengali writer, I am distraught that I am not allowed to live either in East Bengal or in West Bengal. It is so sad that two women, Hasina and Mamata, are against a feminist writer like me who has been fighting for women's equality over four decades. What an irony that even powerful women follow the patriarchal footprint in persecuting a woman who questions misogyny. So, even women can sacrifice a woman for protecting their vote bank. Votes matter, values dont. Q. Mayawati is the other challenger to Mamata for PM. Compare the two women leaders? Both Mayawati and Mamata have some issues but I think women in leadership is very important in South Asia where women are oppressed. Most female leaders do not fight for women's equal rights; they are spitting images of male leaders. Still, I feel women should have access to politics. As an incorrigible optimist, I hope some day, female leaders will try to get rid of their patriarchal mindset, they would not imitate male leaders to stay in power, they will appreciate women's identity and may try to work for safety and security for women, emancipate society in general and women in particular from traditional oppressive chains. Q. Asaduddin Owaisi is now presented as a champion of modern Muslims in India. What are your thoughts? I do not think Asaduddin Owaisi is a progressive man. He wears Islamic robes. He uses Islam for his political gains. He is anti-modernism, but he became a champion of modern Muslims! It is a joke. 'Asaduddin Owaisi does not want critical scutiny of Islam. He is anything but modern' (Source: PTI) He does not believe that Islam should go through the enlightenment process other religions have gone through by questioning unethical, unequal, unscientific, inhuman and irrational aspects of the religion he does not believe that Islam must not be exempted from the critical scrutiny that applies to all other religions. If he allows no critical scrutiny of Islam, it simply means that he does not believe in freedom of expression. Then he may be anything but modern. There are truly secular, humanist and enlightened people in the Muslim community who want laws based on equality, not based on religion. Owaisi wants personal laws based on religion, he does not want a universal civil code based on equality so, how can he be called modern or progressive? Q. Does India have freedom of speech, art and creative expression under Narendra Modi today? I have not experienced any problems though I never mince my words. In all reigns, there is freedom of speech, art and creative expression though sometimes, it is stifled. You cannot say that everything was hunky-dory when A ruled, or everything was bad when B ruled. There are ups and downs. Good and bad both occurred under all governments. Rape, hatred, corruption, crimes existed v they still exist. People do not change that quickly. There have been onslaughts on the freedom of expression by some governments in different parts of the world in different periods. But the repression could not last long. Generally, governments try to improve political, economic, social and educational environments for the better. Some may have a lack of experience, but I do not think anybody has bad intentions. Q. Do you think Congress and its leadership are more secular and better for minorities than the BJP? Better for minorities is different for different people. I never admit the idea that if you build more mosques and madrasas, if you allow them to keep their misogynistic personal laws, if you encourage them to wear burqas and hijabs which are actually anti-women, it is good for Muslims. Actually, it is against Muslims (as they are human beings) a sure recipe for their degradation. It is always better not to insist they stick with their religion if you want them to be truly secular and progressive. If you encourage them not to wear burqa or hijab, and become free women who believe in women's rights and freedom, if you encourage them to become enlightened, secular, humanist and feminist, you are really well-wishers of Muslims. If you introduce a universal civil code discarding separate personal laws based on their religion, you are real friends of Muslims. Muslims need to be jolted out of slumber. (Source: PTI) Muslims need to be jolted out of their slumber and get modern, secular and enlightened. If they are extremely religious and live as backward, ancient people, they are just losers. They should be smart and get good educations and good jobs. They should learn how to live peacefully with people of different religions. Modern Muslims will agree that anybody can criticize their saints and anybody has the right to express opinions but no one should have the right to attack them. Q. The radical maulvis have been controlled in Bangladesh. Do you think you could ever go back home? I do not think so I will be killed soon after I enter my country. No Bangladesh government allows me to enter my country. They need votes from the ignorant masses. Religious fanatics and ignorant masses will get furious if I am permitted to enter my country. They hate me because I oppose religious fanaticism. And I dont think maulvis have been tamed. Some war criminals were brought to justice but religious fanatics have been controlling society. So many atheist, secular, liberal writers, bloggers and activists were hacked to death for being critics of Islam. How many rallies have you seen against jihadis? Almost none. Either they sympathize with jihadis or they are afraid to speak up. It is the result of the Islamization that started in the 1980s. I am appalled at the apathy of the government. Instead of taking actions against jihadis, the government often takes action against writers and bloggers for hurting religious sentiments. Madrasas have been built everywhere. Boys are getting radicalized in these madrasas. 'I don't think Modi is a threat to Muslims'. (Source: PTI) Q. Do you feel that with Narender Modi coming to power, Muslims will be at threat? I do not think so. But I hope he will punish those extremists who are involved in lynching and killing Muslims over beef. More than 200 million Muslims live in India. India is home to Muslims. You cannot just throw them out of India. They are Indians. So far, Indian Muslims are peaceful compared to Muslims in many other Muslim countries. Politicians often try to put them in the backyard of modern society, so that they can just be used as vote banks. But Muslims should be treated as human beings and they have the right not to be controlled by imams or religious leaders. Q. Should Muslims vote for BJP? I am not a spokesperson for Muslims. It is for each individual to decide. What I feel is that they should not allow themselves to be treated as a vote bank. They should vote on the basis of progressive ideas not appeasement. I am against identity politics. Also read: No, Home Minister: Why Rajnath Singh's promise of BJP strengthening sedition law instantly reminds me of Jallianwala Bagh 11 hours ago Supply Chain Issues Take Bite Out Of Lennars Q4 Lennar Guides Weak With Supply Chain In Focus Lennar (NYSE: LEN) had a great quarter but we have one of those situations in which results were uninspiring and reveal the rot of inflation and systemic headwinds. Read Article Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Vice Chancellor Professor Otlogetswe Totolo has challenged government to dismantle Botswana Meat Commission and other state owned monopolies and allow for competition. He said the move will increase efficiency, productivity and enable technology transfer and skills. Citing BMC as an example, Professor Totolo, at the national competition symposium this week, said at its inception the parastatals monopoly on exports was justifiable.It may have been justifiable because of the difficulty at the time, farmers faced in accessing external markets, said the Professor. Some of the beef standards and quality requirements for accessing European Union (EU) markets include tough sanitary conditions. Although Professor Totolo applauds BMC monopoly during its early years, the Vice Chancellor bemoans that the intended plans to adhere to standards has partially been achieved through the monopoly system. But the downside is that supply has not been able to meet demand, even with the 18 196 quota. Yet, we do have players in the market who are able to meet requirements of these external markets, said Professor Totolo. The BIUST Vice Chancellor believes government can strengthen its role as a regulator. He said it is inevitable for some SOEs to be reconfigured, and in some cases close down, as they can no longer compete in the market, adding that such developments carry other social ills such as retrenchment or unemployment. Professor Totolo said monopoly breeds a lot of inefficiencies in production, service delivery and revenue collection, impacting negatively on the business and reducing social welfare. In addition, he said monopoly entities face no competition from anyone else, leading to inefficiency. In these instances, there is need, to carefully look at the service value chain with a view to introduce competition, raise efficiency and productivity, said the Professor. He highlighted that it would be wise to have different actors focused on production, distribution and revenue collection for better focus and specialisation of resources directed at a specific mandate to increase efficiency and productivity. Professor Totolo also believes there is need for Competition Authority to introduce anti-blocking rules, anti-competitive mergers, harmonise accountability, competitive neutrality, transparency and consistent application rules of subsidy or state aid. Last year, Gantsi North legislator, Noah Salakae told this publication that the countrys meat industry value chain is under siege due to export monopoly created through archaic Botswana Meat Commission Act (BMC) of 1965. Salakae said the Act is limiting full participation of farmers in the industry that holds potential to diversify the economy from being mineral resource dominated. The Act does not accommodate farmers. The whole thing (meat industry) is run by the minister. The minister issues export licenses periodically, why not have board of governors, said Salakae, highlighting that the countrys meat industry remains uncompetitive due to governments restrictive hand on exports.Salakae said the development has led to livestock rearing being a hobby than a business for most people. Despite reiterated calls for opening up the BMC monopoly, the Commissions management remains optimistic the parastatal can be restructured and start contributing positively to the national fiscal purse. We are fully engaged in a diversification strategy to regain China, US through AGOA and Russia is another market, said Brian Dioka, BMC spokesperson in an interview with Botswana Guardian last week. CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions (PIRM) and Underwriting & Workflow Solutions (UWS). The PIRM segment combines property information, mortgage information, and consumer information to deliver housing market and property-level insights, predictive analytics, and risk management capabilities. It also offers proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with decision-making and compliance tools in the real estate and insurance industries. This segment primarily serves commercial banks, mortgage lenders and brokers, investment banks, fixed-income investors, real estate agents, MLS companies, property and casualty insurance companies, title insurance companies, government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. The UWS segment combines property, mortgage, and consumer information to provide comprehensive mortgage origination and monitoring solutions, including underwriting-related solutions, and data-enabled valuations and appraisals. This segment also provides proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with vetting and onboarding prospects, and meeting compliance regulations, as well as understanding, evaluating, monitoring property values. It primarily serves mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, credit unions, commercial banks, fixed-income investors, government agencies, and property and casualty insurance companies. The company was formerly known as The First American Corporation and changed its name to CoreLogic, Inc. in June 2010. CoreLogic, Inc. was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. Read More Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Centene: APS Parent Inc., AWC of Syracuse Inc., Absolute Total Care Inc., AcariaHealth Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #11 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #12 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #13 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #14 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy Inc., AcariaHealth Solutions Inc., Access Medical Acquisition LLC, Access Medical Group of Florida City LLC, Access Medical Group of Hialeah LLC, Access Medical Group of Lakeland LLC, Access Medical Group of Miami LLC, Access Medical Group of North Miami Beach LLC, Access Medical Group of Opa-Locka LLC, Access Medical Group of Perrine LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa II LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa III LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa LLC, Access Medical Group of Westchester LLC, Accountable Care Coalition Direct Contracting LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Chesapeake LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers IV LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers V LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VI LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VII LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Florida Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland Primary Care LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Mississippi LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of New Jersey Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of North Texas LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northwest Florida LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Prime Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Physician Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Texas Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Texas Inc., Agate Resources Inc., AirLogix, Ambetter of Magnolia Inc., Ambetter of North Carolina Inc., Ambetter of Peach State Inc., America's 1st Choice California Holdings LLC, American Progressive Life and Health Insurance Company of New York, Apixio, Apixio Inc, Arch Personalized Medicine Initiative LLC, Arkansas Health & Wellness Health Plan Inc., Arkansas Total Care Holding Company LLC, Arkansas Total Care Inc., B2B Gestion Integra S.L.U., B2B Salud S.L.U., Bankers Reserve Life Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Blackcrow Asistencia Medica S.L, Bridgeway Health Solutions LLC, Bridgeway Health Solutions of Arizona Inc., Buckeye Community Health Plan Inc., Buckeye Health Plan Community Solutions Inc., CCTX Holdings LLC, CMC Real Estate Company LLC, CT Poprad s.r.o., CT Presov s.r.o., Calibrate Acquisition Company, California Health and Wellness Plan, Cantina Laredo Clayton LP, Cardium Health Services, Care 1st Health Plan of Arizona Inc., Care1st Health Plan Administrative Services Inc., Carolina Complete Health Holding Company Partnership, Carolina Complete Health Inc., Casenet LLC, Casenet S.R.O., CeltiCare Health Plan Holdings LLC, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts Inc., Celtic Group Inc., Celtic Insurance Company, Cenpatico Behavioral Health LLC, Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona LLC, Cenpatico of Arizona Inc., Centene Center I LLC, Centene Center II LLC, Centene Center LLC, Centene Company of Texas LP, Centene Europe Finance Company Limited, Centene Health Plan Holdings Inc., Centene Institute for Advanced Health Education LLC, Centene International Ventures LLC, Centene Investments LLC, Centene Management Company LLC, Centene Venture Company Alabama Health Plan Inc., Centene Venture Company Florida Inc., Centene Venture Company Illinois Inc., Centene Venture Company Indiana Inc., Centene Venture Company Kansas Inc., Centene Venture Company Michigan Inc., Centene Venture Company Tennessee Inc., Centro Inmunologocia De La Comunidad Valenciana S.L., Centurion Correctional Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, Centurion Detention Health Services LLC, Centurion LLC, Centurion of Arizona LLC, Centurion of Delaware LLC, Centurion of Florida LLC, Centurion of Kansas LLC, Centurion of Minnesota LLC, Centurion of Mississippi LLC, Centurion of New Hampshire LLC, Centurion of Pennsylvania LLC, Centurion of Tennessee LLC, Centurion of Vermont LLC, Centurion of West Virginia LLC, Centurion of Wyoming LLC, Chrysalis Medical Services LLC, Clinica Santo Domingo De Lugo S.L., Collaborative Health Systems IPA LLC, Collaborative Health Systems LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Maryland LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Virginia LLC, Comfort Hospice of Missouri LLC, Comfort Hospice of Texas LLC, ComfortBrook Hospice LLC, Community Medical Group, Community Medical Holdings Corporation, Comprehensive Health Management Inc., Comprehensive Reinsurance Ltd., Coordinated Care Corporation, Coordinated Care of Washington Inc., Country Style Health Care LLC, Discare CZ a.s., District Community Care Inc., Dr Magnet s.r.o., Elche-Crevillente Salud, Envolve Benefits Options Inc., Envolve Captive Insurance Company Inc., Envolve Dental IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Dental Inc., Envolve Dental of Florida Inc., Envolve Dental of Texas Inc., Envolve Health, Envolve Holdings Inc., Envolve Inc., Envolve Optical Inc., Envolve PeopleCare Inc., Envolve Pharmacy IPA LLC, Envolve Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Envolve Total Vision Inc., Envolve Vision Benefits Inc., Envolve Vision IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Vision Inc., Envolve Vision of Florida Inc., Envolve Vision of Texas Inc., Essential Care Partners LLC, Exactus Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Family Nurse Care II LLC, Family Nurse Care LLC, Family Nurse Care of Ohio LLC, Fidelis Care, Forensic Health Services LLC, Foundation Care LLC, Godgrace Asistencia Medica S.L., Golden Triangle Physician Alliance, Grace Hospice of Austin LLC, Grace Hospice of Grand Rapids LLC, Grace Hospice of Illinois LLC, Grace Hospice of Indiana LLC, Grace Hospice of San Antonio LLC, Grace Hospice of Virginia LLC, Grace Hospice of Wisconsin LLC, Granite State Health Plan Inc., Growly Asistencia Sanitaria S.L., HHS Texas Management Inc., HHS Texas Management LP, Hallmark Life Insurance Company, Harmony Behavioral Health IPA Inc., Harmony Behavioral Health Inc., Harmony Health Management Inc., Harmony Health Plan Inc., Harmony Health Systems Inc., Health Care Enterprises LLC, Health Net Access Inc., Health Net Community Solutions Inc., Health Net Community Solutions of Arizona Inc., Health Net Federal Services LLC, 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L., Integrated Care Network of Florida LLC, Integrated Mental Health Management LLC, Integrated Mental Health Services, Interpreta Holdings Inc., Interpreta Inc., Iowa Total Care Inc., Kentucky Spirit Health Plan Inc., LBB Industries Inc., LifeShare Management Group LLC, LiveHealthier Inc., Louisiana Healthcare Connections Inc., MH Services International Holdings (UK) Limited, MHM, MHM Correctional Services LLC, MHM Health Professionals LLC, MHM Services Inc., MHM Services of California LLC, MHM Solutions LLC, MHN Government Services LLC, MHN Services LLC, MHS Consulting International Inc., MHS Travel & Charter Inc., MR Centrum Melnick s.r.o., MR Poprad s.r.o., MR Zilina s.r.o., Magnolia Health Plan Inc., Managed Health Network, Managed Health Network LLC, Managed Health Services Insurance Corporation, Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Maryland Collaborative Care Transformation Organization Inc., Mauli Ola Health and Wellness Inc., Medicina NZ spol s.r.o., Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Inc., Meridian Health Plan of Michigan Inc., Meridian Management Company LLC, Meridian Network Services LLC, MeridianRx IPA LLC, MeridianRx LLC, MeridianRx of Indiana LLC, Michigan Complete Health, Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Care LLC, Nebraska Total Care Inc., Network Providers LLC, New York Quality Healthcare Corporation, Next Door Neighbors Inc., Next Door Neighbors LLC., North Florida Health Services Inc., Northern Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Novasys Health Inc., OB Care, OB Klinika, Ohana Health Plan Inc., Oklahoma Complete Health Inc., One Care by Care 1st Health Plans of Arizona Inc, Operose Health (Group) Ltd., Operose Health (Group) UK Ltd., Operose Health Ltd., OptiCare Health Systems - Managed Vision Business, PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, Panther Pass Co LLC, Panther Specialty Holding Co LLC, Pantherx Access Services LLC, Pantherx Specialty LLC, Parker LP LLC, Peach State Health Plan Inc., Penn Marketing America LLC, Pennsylvania Health and Wellness Inc., Phoenix Home Health Care LLC, Pinnacle Home Care LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Illinois LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Indiana LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Kalamazoo LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Missouri LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Wisconsin LLC, Premier Marketing Group LLC, PrimeroSalud S.L., Pro Diagnostic Group A.S., Pro Magnet CZ s.r.o., Pro Magnet s.r.o, Pro RTG s.r.o, Progress Medical A.S., Prowl Holdings LLC, QCA Healthplan Inc., Qualchoice Life and Health Insurance Company, Quincy Coverage Corporation, R&C Healthcare LLC, RMED LLC, RX Direct Inc., Rapid Respiratory Services LLC, Ribera Lab S.L.U., Ribera Salud II, Ribera Salud Proyectos S.L., Ribera Salud S.A., Ribera Salud Tecnologias S.L.U., Ribera Slaud Infraestructuras S.L.U., Ribera-Quilpro UTE, Salus Administrative Services Inc., Salus IPA LLC, Secure Capital Solutions 2000 S.L.U., SelectCare Health Plans Inc., SelectCare of Texas Inc., Seniorcorps Peninsula LLC, Servicios De Mantenimiento Prevencor S.L.U., SilverSummit Healthplan Inc., Social Health Bridge LLC, Social Health Bridge Trust, Specialty Therapeutic Care GP LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care LP, Sunflower State Health Plan Inc., Sunshine Health Community Solutions Inc., Sunshine Health Holding LLC, Sunshine State Health Plan Inc., Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions Inc., Superior HealthPlan Inc., The Practice Properties Limited, The WellCare Management Group Inc., Torrejon Salud S.A., Torrevieja Salud S.L.U., Torrevieja Salud UTE, Traditional Home Health Services LLC, Trillium Community Health Plan Inc., U.S. Medical Management Holdings Inc., U.S. Medical Management LLC, UAM Agent Services Corp., US Script, USMM Accountable Care Partners LLC, Universal American Corp., Universal American Financial Services Inc., Universal American Holdings LLC, WCG Health Management Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of America, WellCare Health Insurance Company of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Louisiana Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Nevada Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Washington Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Connecticut Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Hawaii Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of New York Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of North Carolina Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Southwest Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans, WellCare Health Plans of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Plans of California Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Massachusetts Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Missouri Inc., WellCare Health Plans of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Rhode Island Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Vermont Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare National Health Insurance Company, WellCare Pharmacy Benefits Management Inc., WellCare Prescription Insurance Inc., WellCare of Alabama Inc., WellCare of Arkansas Inc., WellCare of California Inc., WellCare of Connecticut Inc., WellCare of Florida Inc., WellCare of Georgia Inc., WellCare of Illinois Inc., WellCare of Indiana Inc., WellCare of Kansas Inc., WellCare of Maine Inc., WellCare of Michigan Holding Company, WellCare of Mississippi Inc., WellCare of Missouri Health Insurance Company Inc., WellCare of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare of New York Inc., WellCare of North Carolina Inc., WellCare of Ohio Inc., WellCare of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare of Pennsylvania Inc., WellCare of Puerto Rico Inc., WellCare of South Carolina Inc., WellCare of Texas Inc., WellCare of Virginia Inc., WellCare of Washington Inc., Wellcare Health Plans Inc., Western Sky Community Care Inc., Windsor Health Group Inc., Winning Security S.L., Worlco Management Services, and nirvanaHealth LLC. iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU stock has increased by 25.6% and is now trading at $32.16. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) President Advocate Duma Boko says the President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisis transformational agenda is still a dream.On 1st April Dr. Masisi celebrated his first anniversary as head of state. The president has indicated in his maiden state of the nation address that he intends to transform the countrys economy from a resource to a knowledge-based one. He also pointed out that as a matter of urgency his government would come up with ways of creating jobs, with the aim of reducing unemployment especially among young people.Boko told Botswana Guardian in an interview that there is no how the government of the day would achieve these key issues under the leadership of Dr. Masisi. He said there are no proper mechanisms put in place by the president to give assurance that he is walking the talk. According to Advocate Boko who is also Leader of Opposition in Parliament Botswana has under-achieved under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). He argued that the country has not even achieved half of its set targets since independence. He cited the recent performance of academic results of public schools where the top school stood at below 5 percent pass rate.If we now institutionalise this underperformance and accept it, we will become a country of non-achievers. We could have done better. In the 80s when the discovery of diamonds was established, we could have invested in infrastructure especially roads. If we did that, we could be a transport and logistics hub in southern Africa. We are the most fortunate landlocked country because we are in the central. So, we need to position Botswana both as a haven and a gateway. We become a haven so that those who flee violations of human rights should come here and assist Batswana in the development of this country. We should be a gateway into Zimbabwe, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and the rest of the region.He said if one looks at it that way one will realise that Botswana is sitting at a radius of 1.5 million potential customers. He posited that the region offers over 200 million customers adding that the country is strategically positioned. Advocate Boko pointed out that visitors to Botswana are estimated at 2.5 million every year and about 90 percent come by road. We have 90 percent of 2.5 million by road, what if our roads were even better? We need to invest in road networks that are world class, said the Leader of Opposition. He explained that when his party talks about creation of 100 000 jobs in 12 months and establishing a P3000 minimum wage President Dr. Masisi and his government together with their friends get offended. He argued that government should not be banished from involvement in the arena of production as the government of the day suggests. Boko believes that government should be involved in some creative and innovative partnership with businesses so as to harness and take advantage of what businesses present. The government can deploy public resources for the empowerment of its citizen and underwrite their active participation in the economy. He accused Dr. Masisi of talking about having citizens owning the economy while there is nothing to show as to how that would happen. What is the president talking about? Who is he talking to when he says the economy should be in the hands of the citizens. He has not identified his target, which Batswana to own what? When you say all these things you should give us something practical. As the UDC we are saying if the government needs to issue bonds to underwrite businesses in which Batswana participate and have an equity stake, then government should do that. We are not talking rhetoric because time for talking aspirations has passed. Today job seeking has also turned into a job because you need money and you have to travel around until you give up. We are now estimated to be sitting at around 35 percent of unemployment. If we use our conservative estimate that 30 percent of our population is unemployed and 70 percent of that are the youth, majority of which have tertiary qualifications, then we are sitting on a time ticking bomb. So, what we are saying is do not just say you will create jobs as our president is always saying. Tell them something tangible and give them something that they can hang on to and reveal how many jobs you intend to create in how long, he said. Recently Masisi revealed that government would create between 1000 and 2000 jobs for the youth in the Information Communication Technology. He said this would happen when internet is being connected to homes and businesses. He said he would not make a target of how many jobs would be created in how many months or years, citing the UDC job target as an unrealistic joke. Advocate Boko believes the 100 000 jobs is a modest and achievable number. He argued that the 100 000 jobs creation does not talk about only formal employment. It also according to him means allowing the informal sector to grow by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers to make doing business easy adding that this would be inclusive as everyone would be participating in the realisation of creating 100 000 jobs.Your President is busy talking about a knowledge-based economy. What knowledge is he talking about? Where are we in the knowledge scale and who are we competing with? The problem is even our financial system is configured to exclude new knowledge, exclude experimental and exclude research and development. This means this government does not like start-ups, argued Boko adding that there is disconnect between industry and academia, which is a bridge that needs to be closed. The closing of this gap according to the opposition leader will ensure that research centres and universities become centers of generational knowledge, which knowledge would be converted into products that respond to specific challenges. He said that as things stand there is no prospect of achievement by Dr. Masisi, saying the president should just wait for elections this year where he would be removed by the ballot and the UDC will take over power. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF's stock was trading at $56.05 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EFA shares have increased by 38.5% and is now trading at $77.63. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. KB Financial Group, Inc. engages in providing financial services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Life Insurance, Investment and Securities business. The Corporate Banking business segment provides services such as loans, overdrafts, deposits, credit facilities and other foreign currency activities. The Retail Banking business segment offers services such as private customer current accounts, savings, deposits, consumer loans and mortgage loans. The Other Banking business segment provides services relating to banking business besides corporate banking and retail banking services. The Credit Card business segment offers services such as domestic as well as overseas credit and debit card operations. The Investment and Securities business segment provides services such as investment banking and brokerage. The Life Insurance business segment provides products such as life insurance and wealth management. The company was founded on September 29, 2008 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. Read More 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 There is not enough analysis data for Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund. 4.7 Community Rank Outperform Votes Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund has received 133 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund has received 59 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund has received 69.27% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe JRO will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe JRO will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers. It also offers investment and wealth advisory services; digital investing services; financial services and solutions; and investment management, and trust and custody services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors. In addition, the company provides life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and annuity products; creditor and travel insurance to bank customers; and reinsurance solutions. Further, it offers client's debt and equity capital-raising services, as well as loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, and treasury management; strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and recapitalizations, as well as valuation and fairness opinions; and trade finance, risk mitigation, and other operating services. Additionally, the company provides research and access to markets for institutional, corporate, and retail clients; trading solutions that include debt, foreign exchange, interest rate, credit, equity, securitization and commodities; new product development and origination services, as well as risk management advice and services to hedge against fluctuations; and funding and liquidity management services to its clients. It operates through approximately 1,400 bank branches and 4,800 automated banking machines in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of American Tower: 10 Presidential Way Associates LLC, 3267351 Nova Scotia Company, 3286208 Nova Scotia Company, 3298099 Nova Scotia Company, 52 Eighty LLC, 52 Eighty Partners LLC, 52 Eighty Tower Partners I LLC, ACC Tower Sub LLC, AT Kenya C.V., AT Netherlands C.V., AT Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT Sao Paulo C.V., AT Sher Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT South America C.V., ATC Africa Holding B.V., ATC Africa Shared Services (Pty) Ltd, ATC Antennas Holding LLC, ATC Antennas LLC, ATC Argentina C.V., ATC Argentina Cooperatief U.A., ATC Argentina Holding LLC, ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ATC Atlantic C.V., ATC Atlantic II B.V., ATC Atlantic III B.V., ATC Backhaul LLC, ATC Brasil Servicos de Conectividades Ltda., ATC Brazil Holding LLC, ATC Brazil I LLC, ATC Brazil II LLC, ATC Burkina Faso S.A., ATC CSR Foundation India, ATC Chile Holding LLC, ATC Colombia B.V., ATC Colombia Holding I LLC, ATC Colombia Holding LLC, ATC Colombia I LLC, ATC EH GmbH & Co. KG, ATC Ecuador Holding LLC, ATC Edge LLC, ATC Ethiopia Infrastructure Development Private Limited Company, ATC Europe B.V., ATC Europe LLC, ATC European Holdings Inc., ATC Fibra de Colombia S.A.S., ATC France Cooperatief U.A., ATC France Holding II SAS, ATC France Holding SAS, ATC France Reseaux SAS, ATC France SAS, ATC France Services SAS, ATC GP GmbH, ATC Germany Holdings GmbH, ATC Germany Services GmbH, ATC Ghana ServiceCo Limited, ATC Global Employment B.V., ATC Heston B.V., ATC Holding Fibra Mexico S. de R.L. DE C.V., ATC IP LLC, ATC India Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Indoor DAS Holding LLC, ATC Indoor DAS LLC, ATC International Cooperatief U.A., ATC International Financing B.V., ATC International Financing II B.V., ATC International Financing II Holding LLC, ATC International Holding Corp., ATC Iris I LLC, ATC Kenya Operations Limited, ATC Kenya Services Limited, ATC Latin America S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., ATC MIP III REIT Iron Holdings LLC, ATC Managed Sites Holding LLC, ATC Managed Sites LLC, ATC MexHold LLC, ATC Mexico Holding LLC, ATC Niger Wireless Infrastructure S.A., ATC Nigeria C.V., ATC Nigeria Cooperatief U.A., ATC Nigeria Holding LLC, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited, ATC On Air + LLC, ATC Operations LLC, ATC Outdoor DAS LLC, ATC Paraguay Holding LLC, ATC Paraguay S.R.L., ATC Peru Holding LLC, ATC Polska sp. z o.o., ATC Ponderosa B-I LLC, ATC Ponderosa B-II LLC, ATC Ponderosa K LLC, ATC Ponderosa K-R LLC, ATC Sequoia LLC, ATC Sitios Infraco S.A.S., ATC Sitios de Chile S.A., ATC Sitios de Colombia S.A.S., ATC Sitios del Peru S.R.L., ATC South Africa Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ATC South Africa Services Pty Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure II (Pty) Ltd, ATC South America Holding LLC, ATC South LLC, ATC Spain LLC, ATC TRS I LLC, ATC TRS II LLC, ATC TRS III LLC, ATC TRS IV LLC, ATC Tanzania Holding LLC, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Tower (Ghana) Limited, ATC Tower Services LLC, ATC Uganda Limited, ATC Uganda ServiceCo (SMC) Limited, ATC Watertown LLC, ATC WiFi LLC, ATS-Needham LLC, ActiveX Telebroadband Services Private Limited, Adquisiciones y Proyectos Inalambricos S. de R. L. de C.V., Agile Airband Ohio LLC, Agile Connect LLC, Agile IWG Holdings LLC, Agile Network Builders LLC, Agile Networks Indiana LLC, Agile Networks Site Development LLC, Agile Towers LLC, Alternative Networking LLC, American Tower Asset Sub II LLC, American Tower Asset Sub LLC, American Tower Charitable Foundation Inc., American Tower Delaware Corporation, American Tower Depositor Sub LLC, American Tower Guarantor Sub LLC, American Tower Holding Sub II LLC, American Tower Holding Sub LLC, American Tower International Holding I LLC, American Tower International Holding II LLC, American Tower International Inc., American Tower Investments LLC, American Tower LLC, American Tower Management LLC, American Tower Mauritius, American Tower Servicios Fibra S. de R.L. de C.V., American Tower Tanzania Operations Limited, American Tower do Brasil - Cessao de Infraestruturas Ltda., American Tower do Brasil Communicacao Multimidia Ltda., American Towers LLC, BR Towers, Blue Sky Towers Pty Ltd, Blue Transfer Sociedad Anonima, Broadcast Towers LLC, CNC2 Associates LLC, California Tower Inc., Cell Site NewCo II LLC, Cell Tower Lease Acquisition LLC, Central States Tower Holdings LLC, Colo ATL LLC, Colo Atl, Communications Properties Inc., Comunicaciones y Consumos S.A., Connectivity Infrastructure Services Limited, DCS Tower Sub LLC, Eaton, Eaton Towers (Lilongwe) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana (M) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana Limited, Eaton Towers Holdings Limited, Eaton Towers Kenya Limited, Eaton Towers Limited, Eaton Towers Niger S.A., Eaton Towers Uganda Limited, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Eure-et-Loir Reseaux Mobiles SAS, GTP Acquisition Partners I LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners II LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners III LLC, GTP Costa Rica Finance LLC, GTP Infrastructure I LLC, GTP Infrastructure II LLC, GTP Infrastructure III LLC, GTP Investments LLC, GTP LATAM Holdings B.V., GTP LatAm Holdings Cooperatieve U.A., GTP Operations CR S.R.L., GTP South Acquisitions II LLC, GTP Structures I LLC, GTP Structures II LLC, GTP TRS I LLC, GTP Torres CR S.R.L., GTP Towers I LLC, GTP Towers II LLC, GTP Towers III LLC, GTP Towers IV LLC, GTP Towers IX LLC, GTP Towers V LLC, GTP Towers VII LLC, GTP Towers VIII LLC, GTPI HoldCo LLC, Ghana Tower InterCo B.V., Global Tower Assets III LLC, Global Tower Assets LLC, Global Tower Holdings LLC, Global Tower LLC, Global Tower Partners, Global Tower Services LLC, Gondola Tower Holdings LLC, Grain HoldCo LLC, Grain HoldCo Parent LLC, GrainComm I LLC, GrainComm II LLC, GrainComm III LLC, GrainComm LLC, GrainComm Marketing LLC, GrainComm V LLC, Haysville Towers LLC, IW Equipment LLC, IWD Equipment LLC, IWG Holdings LLC, IWG II Holdings LLC, IWG II LLC, IWG Miami LLC, IWG Towers Assets I LLC, IWG Towers Assets II LLC, IWG-TLA Australia Pty Ltd., IWG-TLA Canada Corp., IWG-TLA Encanto 1 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 3 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto LLC, IWG-TLA Holdings LLC, IWG-TLA Media 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Media LLC, IWG-TLA Telecom LLC, IWL-TLA Telecom 2 LLC, Idaho Tower Company LLC, InSite (BCEC) LLC, InSite (MBTA) LLC, InSite Borrower LLC, InSite Co-Issuer Corp., InSite Guarantor LLC, InSite Hawaii LLC, InSite Issuer LLC, InSite Licensing LLC, InSite Towers Development 2 LLC, InSite Towers Development LLC, InSite Towers International 2 LLC, InSite Towers International Development LLC, InSite Towers International LLC, InSite Towers LLC, InSite Towers of Puerto Rico LLC, InSite Wireless Development LLC, InSite Wireless Group, InSite Wireless Group LLC, Insite Wireless LLC, Invisible IWG Holdings LLC, Invisible Towers LLC, JT Communications LLC, LAP Inmobiliaria Limitada, LAP Inmobiliaria S.R.L., LL B Sheet 1 LLC, Lap do Brasil Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, Lease Advisors-AU PTY LTD, Loxel SAS, MATC Digital S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Infraestructura S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., MC New Macland Properties LLC, MCSU Properties LLC, MHB Tower Rentals of America LLC, MIP III Iron Holdings LLC, MIP III U.S. Iron LLC, Microwave Inc., Municipal Bay LLC, Municipal-Bay Holdings LLC, New Towers LLC, PCS Structures Towers LLC, R-CAL I LLC, RSA Media Inc., Repeater Communications Group I LLC, Repeater Communications Group II LLC, Repeater Communications Group III LLC, Repeater Communications Group IV LLC, Repeater Communications Group LLC, Repeater Communications Group V LLC, Repeater Communications Group VI LLC, Repeater Communications Group of New York LLC, Repeater IWG Holdings LLC, Richland Towers LLC, Signum/IWG Tower Corp., Southeast Network Access Point LLC, SpectraSite Communications, SpectraSite Communications LLC, SpectraSite LLC, T8 Ulysses Site Management LLC, TLA PR-1 LLC, TLA PR-2 LLC, Telecom Lease Advisors Management 2 LLC, Tower Management Inc., Towers of America L.L.L.P., Transcend Infrastructure Holdings Pte. Ltd., Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., Turris Sites Development Corp., Turris Sites IWG Corp, Tysons II DAS LLC, UNIsite, Uganda Tower Interco B.V., Ulysses Asset Sub I LLC, Ulysses Asset Sub II LLC, UniSite LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint FL Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint NE Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint PA Tower Venture LLC, Vangard Wireless LLC, Verus Management One LLC, Viom Networks, and Virdi IWG Holdings LLC. Editors Note: This is the ninth post in a series called A Look Back. In it, Ill be highlighting a particularly insightful response an educator or author has provided in a past column. You can see the previous eight here . Todays A Look Back shares a portion of a lengthy interview I did with Dana Goldstein in 2014 about her book, The Teacher Wars . You can read the entire interview at The Teacher Wars': An Interview With Dana Goldstein . Dana Goldstein is a reporter at The New York Times. LF: Your historical examples and anecdotes about the teaching profession and its challenges are fascinating. I suspect that Im not the only teacher who didnt know there was an early 19th-century predecessor to Teach For America that sent teachers to the U.S. Western frontier or that Susan B. Anthonys roots were in fighting for the rights of educators. This may very well not be a fair question considering that such a large portion of your book looks at our professions history, but what do you think are two or three stories/examples/lessons that are particularly relevant today? Dana Goldstein: This is a tough one! Eight of the books 10 chapters are historical, covering debates over public education and teaching that took place before I was on the scene as a journalist. Each day I spent at the library doing research, Id come home absolutely bursting with excitement over how relevant the past is to our contemporary debate over school reform. (Yes, Im a huge nerd.) If I were to pick a few broad themes I hope people take away from the history, heres what Id say: First, the genesis of the American teaching profession lies in our political systems hope that teachers can close inequality gaps, whether between Catholics and Protestants, immigrants and the mainstream, poor and rich, or black and white. Yet by paying teachers pretty badly and providing them with inadequate preparation and training, we neglected to truly empower teachers to fulfill these staggeringly high expectations. Second, so much of todays education reform movement, with its emphasis on rigorous academic standards and strict discipline for poor children, is borrowed directly from the ideas of African-American education theorists, dating back to the years just after the Civil War. I write about educators like W.E.B. Du Bois, Charlotte Forten, and Anna Julia Cooper, and about the work of contemporary scholars like Gloria Ladson-Billings and Lisa Delpit. This is material I cover in Chapters 3, 6, and 7. Its the tradition of combining love for the child with high, sometimes tough expectations. How do these strategies, and their meaning, shift when the teacher and the child are not from the same race or class? There is a difference between someone from your own community telling you no excuses and someone from outside saying that. Its a tough thing to talk about, but necessary considering the relative lack of diversity in the teaching forcea problem a lot of folks are trying to solve. Third, the obsession with rating and ranking teachers is not new. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, researchers experimented with something called the pupil change method. It was basically value-added measurement! I hope people will read the book to find out what happened back then when reformers tried to implement this. LF: In a few places in your book, you refer to people citing percentages ranging from 2 percent to 15 percent of current teachers who cannot improve their practice to an acceptable level. Thats a pretty wide range, and the term acceptable level can mean a lot of things. Based on your research, do you tend to agree with the lower or higher end of those percentages, how would you define acceptable level, and do you know how those percentages compare with other professions? Dana Goldstein: Really great, provocative question. I came up with this range2 to 15 percentby interviewing reformers, asking them what percentage of teachers, each year, they thought were beyond being helped and ought to get fired. The superintendent in New Haven, Conn., Garth Harries, is smart and thoughtful. He told me he is satisfied with his districts new system, which removes tenure protections just for the 2 percent of veteran teachers, annually, who are rated ineffective. In Colorado, state Senator Mike Johnston, a leading national reformer, offered the figure 10 percent. When I did classroom observations with Mike Miles, now the superintendent in Dallas, at a middle school in Colorado Springs (where he used to work), he told me he wanted to let go four of the schools teachers, which was about 15 percent. These are all guestimates. But given how difficult it is for high-poverty schools to staff up, I think the smaller numbers are the more realistic ones. Once you fire someone, you have to replace them, which is a challenge. I dont think teachers are any more likely to be bad at their jobs than other white-collar professionals. And as I demonstrate in the introduction, on the national level, teachers get fired more often, not less often, than other workers employed by large firms or by the government. The difference is that other professions often have more established training and mentoring procedures to help practitioners improve, and teaching, for the most part, lacks that. As a journalist, I hesitate to define acceptable teaching. I leave that up to the practitioners. But I do feel teachers themselves ought to be highly involved in determining what good teaching is. 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The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions Read More SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF's stock was trading at $29.04 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, SPYD stock has increased by 42.7% and is now trading at $41.43. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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. 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Ltd., Kellogg Supply Services (Europe) Limited, Kellogg Talbot LLC, Kellogg Transition MA&P L.L.C., Kellogg Treasury Services Company, Kellogg U.K. Holding Company Limited, Kellogg UK Minor Limited, Kellogg USA LLC, Kellogg de Centro America S.A., Kellogg de Colombia S.A., Kellogg de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Kellogg de Peru S.R.L., Kellogg's Produits Alimentaires S.A.S., Kelmill Limited, Kelpac Limited, Klux A Sarl, Klux B Sarl, Mass Food, Mass Food International SAE, Mass Food SAE, Mass Trade for Trade and Distribution SAE, McCamly Plaza Hotel Inc., Multipro Consumer Products Limited*, Multipro Private Limited*, Multipro Singapore Pte. Ltd*, Nhong Shim Kellogg Co. Ltd.*, Nikko Industries*, Nordisk Kellogg's ApS, PRUX S.a r.l., Padua Ltda, Parati Group, Parati Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda, Portable Foods Manufacturing Company Limited, Prime Bond Cyprus Holding Company Limited, Prime Bond Holdings Limited, Pringles, Pringles (Shanghai) Food Co. Ltd., Pringles Australia Pty Ltd, Pringles Hong Kong Limited, Pringles International Operations Sarl, Pringles Japan G.K., Pringles LLC, Pringles Manufacturing Company, Pringles Overseas Holdings Sarl, Pringles S.a r.l., Pronumex S de R.L. de C.V., RX Bar UK Limited, RXBRANDS Canada ULC, Ritmo Investimentos, Rondo Food Manufacturing S.A.E., RxBar, Saragusa Frozen Foods Limited, Servicios Argkel S.C., Shaffer Clarke & Co. Inc., Specialty Cereals Pty Limited, Specialty Foods L.L.C., Stretch Fibres*, Stretch Island Fruit Sales L.L.C., Sunshine Biscuits L.L.C., The Eggo Company, The Healthy Snack People Pty Limited, Trafford Park Insurance Limited, Uma Investments sp. z o.o., Vita+ Naturprodukte GmbH*, Wimble Manufacturing Belgium BVBA, Wimble Services Belgium BVBA, and Worthington Foods Inc.. The following companies are subsidiares of Dominion Energy: 96WI 8me LLC, Alamo Solar LLC, Align RNG Arizona LLC, Align RNG Arizona-Snowflake LLC, Align RNG California LLC, Align RNG California-Corcoran LLC, Align RNG Grady Road LLC, Align RNG LLC, Align RNG Magnolia LLC, Align RNG North Carolina LLC, Align RNG North Carolina-Bowdens LLC, Align RNG Utah LLC, Align RNG Utah-Milford LLC, Align RNG Virginia LLC, Align RNG Virginia-Waverly LLC, Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Azalea Solar LLC, BOE Holdings Inc., Blackville Solar Farm LLC, Blue Ocean Energy Marine LLC, BrightSuite Home LLC, BrightSuite Inc., BrightSuite Solar CT Inc., BrightSuite Solar SC Inc., BrightSuite Solar VA Inc., Buckingham Solar I LLC, CEA Americus LLC, CEA CO-Fort Morgan LLC, CEA Clovis LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Colorado LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Georgia LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Idaho LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC, CEA Dairy RNG New Mexico LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Texas LLC, CEA Greely LLC, CEA Mason LLC, CEA TX-Dimmitt LLC, CID Solar LLC, CNG Coal Company, CNG Power Services Corporation, Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, Catalina Solar 2 LLC, Clean Energy Asset USA LLC, Clean Energy Enterprises Inc., Clipperton Holdings LLC, Consolidated Natural Gas Company, Correctional Solar LLC, Cottonwood Solar LLC, Cove Point LNG LP, Cove Point LNG Limited, DE Arlington Solar LLC, DE Fluvanna Solar LLC, DE Hanover Solar LLC, DE Henrico Solar LLC, DE King William Solar LLC, DE Louisa Solar LLC, DE Newport News Solar LLC, DE Powhatan Solar LLC, DE Virginia Beach Solar LLC, DECP Holdings Inc., Dairy RNG Holdings LLC, Dairy RNG NY LLC, Dairy RNG NY-Curtin LLC, Dairy RNG OH LLC, Denmark Solar LLC, Dominion ACP Holding Inc., Dominion Alternative Energy Holdings Inc., Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Dominion Capital Inc., Dominion Cogen WV Inc., Dominion Energy Fuel Services Inc., Dominion Energy Gas Distribution LLC, Dominion Energy Generation Marketing Inc., Dominion Energy Inc., Dominion Energy Kewaunee Inc., Dominion Energy Marketplace LLC, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut Inc., Dominion Energy Overthrust Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Payroll Company Inc., Dominion Energy Questar Corporation, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline Services Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings II Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings Inc., Dominion Energy Services Inc., Dominion Energy Solar CA LLC, Dominion Energy Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc., Dominion Energy Southeast Services Inc., Dominion Energy Technical Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies II Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies Inc., Dominion Energy Terminal Company Inc., Dominion Energy Wexpro Services Company, Dominion Equipment III Inc., Dominion Equipment Inc., Dominion Fairless Hills Inc., Dominion Fowler Ridge Wind LLC, Dominion Gas Projects Company LLC, Dominion Generation Inc., Dominion Greenbrier Inc., Dominion High Voltage Holdings Inc., Dominion High Voltage MidAtlantic Inc., Dominion Investments Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline Holdings Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline LLC, Dominion MLP Holding Company III Inc., Dominion Mt. Storm Wind LLC, Dominion Nuclear Projects Inc., Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc., Dominion Person Inc., Dominion Privatization Florida LLC, Dominion Privatization Georgia LLC, Dominion Privatization Holdings Inc., Dominion Privatization Kentucky LLC, Dominion Privatization Maryland LLC, Dominion Privatization Pennsylvania LLC, Dominion Privatization South Carolina LLC, Dominion Privatization Texas LLC, Dominion Privatization Virginia LLC, Dominion Products and Services Inc., Dominion Projects Services Inc., Dominion Resources Capital Trust III, Dominion Retail Gas Holdings Inc., Dominion Solar Construction and Maintenance LLC, Dominion Solar Gen-Tie LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings I LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings II LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings III LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings IV LLC, Dominion Solar Projects A Inc., Dominion Solar Projects B Inc., Dominion Solar Projects C Inc., Dominion Solar Projects D Inc., Dominion Solar Projects I Inc., Dominion Solar Projects II Inc., Dominion Solar Projects III Inc., Dominion Solar Projects IV Inc., Dominion Solar Projects V Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VI Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VII Inc., Dominion Solar Services Inc., Dominion State Line LLC, Dominion Voltage Inc., Dominion Wholesale Inc., Dominion Wind Development LLC, Dominion Wind Projects Inc., ESCT-SA-Suffield LLC, Eagle Holdco Solar LLC, Eagle Solar LLC, Eastern Shore Solar LLC, Enterprise Solar LLC, Escalante Solar I LLC, Escalante Solar II LLC, Escalante Solar III LLC, Four Brothers Solar LLC, Fremont Farm LLC, Granite Mountain Holdings LLC, Granite Mountain Solar East LLC, Granite Mountain Solar West LLC, Greenbrier Marketing Company LLC, Greenbrier Pipeline Company LLC, Greensville County Solar Project LLC, Hardin Solar Energy LLC, Hecate Energy Cherrydale LLC, Hecate Energy Clarke County LLC, Hope Gas Inc., Imperial Valley Solar Company (IVSC) 2 LLC, Indy Solar Development LLC, Indy Solar I LLC, Indy Solar II LLC, Indy Solar III LLC, Innovative Solar 37 LLC, Iron Springs Holdings LLC, Iron Springs Solar LLC, Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas, Maricopa West Solar PV LLC, Moffett Solar 1 LLC, Moorings Farm 2 LLC, Mulberry Farm LLC, Mustang Solar LLC, PSNC Blue Ridge Corporation, PSNC Cardinal Pipeline Company, Pavant Solar LLC, Phone House, Pikeville Farm LLC, Prairie Fork Wind Farm LLC, Public Service Company of North Carolina Incorporated, QPC Holding Company LLC, Questar Corporation, Questar Energy Services Inc., Questar Field Services LLC, Questar Gas Company, Questar InfoComm Inc., Questar Southern Trails Pipeline Company, Questar White River Hub LLC, RE Adams East LLC, RE Camelot LLC, RE Columbia Two LLC, RE Kansas LLC, RE Kent South LLC, RE Old River One LLC, Richland Solar Center LLC, Ridgeland Solar Farm I LLC, SBL Holdco LLC, SCANA, SCANA Communications Holdings Inc., SCANA Corporate Security Services Inc., SCANA Energy Marketing LLC, SCANA Pharmacy LLC, SRFI LLC, Scana Corporation, Scott-II Solar LLC, Seabrook Solar LLC, Selmer Farm LLC, Siler Solar LLC, Sol Madison Solar LLC, Somers Solar Center LLC, South Carolina Fuel Company Inc., South Carolina Generating Company Inc., Southampton Solar LLC, Summit Farms Solar LLC, Sussex Drive Solar Project LLC, TA - Acacia LLC, TWE Myrtle Solar Project LLC, The East Ohio Gas Company, Trask East Solar LLC, Tredegar Solar Fund I LLC, VP Property Inc., Virginia Electric And Power Company, Virginia Power Fuel Corporation, Virginia Power Nuclear Services Company, Virginia Power Services Energy Corp. Inc., Virginia Power Services LLC, Virginia Solar 201 Projects LLC, Wakefield Solar LLC, Wexpro Company, Wexpro Development Company, Wexpro II Company, Wilkinson Solar LLC, Wrangler Retail Gas Holdings LLC, and Yemassee Solar LLC. The following companies are subsidiares of Lithia Motors: 797 Valley Street LLC, Albany CJD Fiat, Baierl Auto Group, Baierl Auto Parts LLC, Baierl Automotive Corporation, Baierl Chevrolet Inc., Baierl Holding LLC, Broadway Ford, Buhler Ford Inc, Cadillac of Portland Lloyd Center LLC, Camp Automotive Inc., Carbone Auto Body LLC, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Morgantown, Cranberry Automotive Inc., Crater Lake Ford Lincoln, Crater Lake Mazda, DCH (Oxnard) Inc., DCH Auto Group, DCH Bloomfield LLC, DCH CA LLC, DCH Calabasas-A LLC, DCH California Investments LLC, DCH California Motors Inc., DCH DMS NJ LLC, DCH Del Norte Inc., DCH Essex Inc., DCH Financial NJ LLC, DCH Freehold - V LLC, DCH Freehold LLC, DCH Holdings LLC, DCH Investments Inc. (New Jersey), DCH Investments Inc. (New York), DCH Korean Imports LLC, DCH Mamaroneck LLC, DCH Mission Valley LLC, DCH Monmouth LLC, DCH Montclair LLC, DCH Motors LLC, DCH NY Motors LLC, DCH Nanuet LLC, DCH North America Inc., DCH Oxnard 1521 Imports Inc., DCH Riverside-S Inc., DCH Simi Valley Inc., DCH Support Services LLC, DCH TL Holdings LLC, DCH TL NY Holdings LLC, DCH Temecula Imports LLC, DCH Temecula Motors LLC, DCH Thousand Oaks-F Inc., DCH Torrance Imports Inc., Dah Chong Hong CA Trading LLC, Dah Chong Hong Trading Corporation, Daron Motors LLC, Day Auto Group, Downtown LA, Driveway Motors LLC, Elizabeth Collision LLC, Florida SS LLC, Ford Lincoln of Morgantown, Freehold Nissan LLC, Fuse Auto Sales LLC, Hamilton Honda, Hazleton Honda, Hutchins Eugene Nissan Inc., Hutchins Imported Motors Inc., Jaguar Landrover Mission Viejo, LA Motors Holding LLC, LAD Advertising Inc., LAD Carson-N LLC, LAD Mission Viejo-JLR Inc., LAD Mobu Inc., LAD-AU LLC, LAD-MB LLC, LAD-N LLC, LAD-P LLC, LAD-T LLC, LAD-V LLC, LBMP LLC, LFKF LLC, LGPAC Inc., LLL Sales Co LLC, LMBB LLC, LMBP LLC, LMOP LLC, LSTAR LLC, Lithia AcDM Inc., Lithia Aircraft Inc., Lithia Anchorage-C LLC, Lithia Anchorage-H LLC, Lithia Armory Garage LLC, Lithia Auction & Recon LLC, Lithia Auto Services Inc., Lithia Automotive Inc., Lithia BA Holding Inc., Lithia BNM Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Baierl-S LLC, Lithia Bryan Texas Inc., Lithia Buffalo-A LLC, Lithia CCTF Inc., Lithia CDH Inc., Lithia CIMR Inc., Lithia CJDO Inc., Lithia CJDSA Inc., Lithia CJDSF Inc., Lithia CM Inc., Lithia CO Inc., Lithia CSA Inc., Lithia Community Development Company Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-F Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-M Inc., Lithia DE Inc., Lithia DM Inc., Lithia DMID Inc., Lithia Des Moines-VW LLC, Lithia Dodge of Tri-Cities Inc., Lithia Eatontown-F LLC, Lithia FLCC LLC, Lithia FMF Inc., Lithia Financial Corporation (previously Lithia Leasing Inc. and Lithia Credit Inc.), Lithia Florida Holding Inc., Lithia Ford of Boise Inc., Lithia Fresno Inc., Lithia HDM Inc., Lithia HGF Inc., Lithia HMID Inc., Lithia HPI Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Hamilton-H LLC, Lithia Hazleton-H LLC, Lithia Idaho Falls-F Inc., Lithia Imports of Anchorage Inc., Lithia JEF Inc., Lithia Klamath Inc., Lithia Klamath-T Inc., Lithia LBGGF Inc., Lithia LHGF Inc., Lithia LSGF Inc., Lithia MBDM Inc., Lithia MMF Inc., Lithia MTLM Inc., Lithia McMurray-C LLC, Lithia Medford HON Inc., Lithia Middletown-L LLC, Lithia Monroeville-A LLC, Lithia Monroeville-C LLC, Lithia Monroeville-F LLC, Lithia Monroeville-V LLC, Lithia Moon-S LLC, Lithia Moon-V LLC, Lithia Morgantown-CJD LLC, Lithia Morgantown-F LLC, Lithia Morgantown-S LLC, Lithia Motors Support Services Inc., Lithia NA Inc., Lithia NC Inc., Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #1, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #3, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #4, Lithia NDM Inc., Lithia NF Inc., Lithia NSA Inc., Lithia Northeast Real Estate LLC, Lithia Orchard Park-H LLC, Lithia Paramus-M LLC, Lithia Pittsburgh-S LLC, Lithia Ramsey-B LLC, Lithia Ramsey-L LLC, Lithia Ramsey-M LLC, Lithia Ramsey-T LLC, Lithia Real Estate Inc., Lithia Reno Sub-HYUN Inc., Lithia Reno-CJ LLC, Lithia Reno-VW LLC, Lithia Rose-FT Inc., Lithia SOC Inc., Lithia SSP LLC, Lithia Salmir Inc., Lithia Sea P Inc., Lithia Seaside Inc., Lithia Spokane-B LLC, Lithia Spokane-S LLC, Lithia TA Inc., Lithia TO Inc., Lithia TR Inc., Lithia Uniontown-C LLC, Lithia VAuDM Inc., Lithia VF Inc., Lithia Wexford-H LLC, Lithia of Abilene Inc., Lithia of Anchorage Inc., Lithia of Bend #1 LLC, Lithia of Bend #2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 1 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 3 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 4 LLC, Lithia of Billings II LLC, Lithia of Billings Inc., Lithia of Casper LLC, Lithia of Clear Lake LLC, Lithia of Concord I Inc., Lithia of Concord II Inc., Lithia of Corpus Christi Inc., Lithia of Des Moines Inc., Lithia of Eureka Inc., Lithia of Fairbanks Inc., Lithia of Great Falls Inc., Lithia of Helena Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-A Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-BGMCC LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-F LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-V LLC, Lithia of Killeen LLC, Lithia of Lodi Inc., Lithia of Maui-H LLC, Lithia of Missoula II LLC, Lithia of Missoula III Inc., Lithia of Missoula Inc., Lithia of Pocatello Inc., Lithia of Portland I LLC, Lithia of Portland LLC, Lithia of Robstown LLC, Lithia of Roseburg Inc., Lithia of Santa Rosa Inc., Lithia of Seattle Inc., Lithia of South Central AK Inc., Lithia of Spokane II Inc., Lithia of Spokane Inc., Lithia of Stockton Inc., Lithia of Stockton-V Inc., Lithia of TF Inc., Lithia of Troy LLC, Lithia of Utica - 1 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 2 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 3 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 4 LLC, Lithia of Walnut Creek Inc., Lithia of Wasilla LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 1 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 2 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 3 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 4 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 5 LLC, Medford Insurance LLC, Milford DCH Inc., Northland Ford Inc., PA Real Estate LLC, PA Support Services LLC, Paramus Collision LLC, Paramus World Motors LLC, Personalized Marketing LLC, Prestige Auto Group, RFA Holdings LLC, Ray Laks Acura, Ray Laks Honda, Sacramento-L Inc., Salem-B LLC, Salem-H LLC, Salem-V LLC, Sharlene Realty LLC, Shift Portland LLC, Southern Cascades Finance Corporation, Subaru of Morgantown, Tampa-H LLC, Tustin Motors Inc., Wesley Chapel-H LLC, Wesley Chapel-T LLC, Zelienople Real Estate I L.P., and Zelienople Real Estate L.L.C.. The following companies are subsidiares of Lear: AccuMED Corp., AccuMED Holdings Corp., Arada Systems, Autotech Fund II L.P.(Delaware) (5.56%, Beijing BAI Lear Automotive Systems Co. Ltd., Beijing BHAP Lear Automotive Systems Co. Ltd.(China) (50%, Beijing Lear Dymos Automotive Systems Co. Ltd., CelLink Corporation, Changchun Lear FAWSN Automotive Electrical and Electronics Co. Ltd., Changchun Lear FAWSN Automotive Seat Systems Co. Ltd., Chihuahua Electrical Wiring Systems S. de R.L. de C.V., China New Trend Group Co. Ltd, Consorcio Industrial Mexicano de Autopartes S. de R.L. de C.V., Cordelia Autoparts Sweden AB, Dunlop Cox Limited, Durango Automotive Wiring Systems S. de R.L. de C.V., EXO Technologies Ltd., Eagle Ottawa (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Eagle Ottawa China Ltd., Eagle Ottawa Fonseca S.A., Eagle Ottawa Foreign Holdings ApS, Eagle Ottawa Holdings Ltd., Eagle Ottawa Hungary Kft., Eagle Ottawa LLC, Eagle Ottawa North America LLC, Eagle Ottawa Warrington Ltd., Evolved by Nature Inc., Foshan Lear FAWSN Automotive Systems Co. Ltd., Grote & Hartmann, Guangzhou Lear Automotive Components Co. Ltd, Guilford Europe Limited, Guilford Europe Pension Trustees Limited, Guilford Mills, Guilford Mills Europe Limited, Guilford Mills Limited, HB Polymer Company LLC, Honduras Electrical Distribution Systems S. de R.L. de C.V., Hyundai Transys Lear Automotive India Private Limited, Industrias Cousin Freres S.L., Industrias Lear de Argentina SrL, Insys - Interior Systems SA, Jiangxi Jiangling Lear Interior Systems Co. Ltd., Kyungshin-Lear Sales and Engineering LLC, Lear (China) Holding Limited, Lear (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Lear (Shanghai) Auto Parts Technology Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Lear Automotive (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive EEDS Honduras S.A., Lear Automotive Electronics and Electrical Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Fabrics (RuiAn) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive India Private Limited, Lear Automotive Interior Materials (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Manufacturing L.L.C., Lear Automotive Metals (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Morocco SAS, Lear Automotive Operations Netherlands B.V., Lear Automotive Services (Netherlands) B.V., Lear Automotive Systems (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Systems (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Systems (Shenyang) Co. Ltd., Lear Automotive Systems (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd., Lear Canada, Lear Canada Holding S.a.r.l., Lear Canada Investments ULC, Lear Changan (Chongqing) Automotive System Co. Ltd., Lear Changan (Hangzhou) Automotive Seating Co. Ltd., Lear China Engineering LLC, Lear Corporation (Mauritius) Limited, Lear Corporation (Nottingham) Limited, Lear Corporation (UK) Limited, Lear Corporation (Vietnam) Limited, Lear Corporation Ara S.L., Lear Corporation Ardasa S.L., Lear Corporation Asientos S.L., Lear Corporation Belgium CVA, Lear Corporation Beteiligungs GmbH, Lear Corporation Canada ULC, Lear Corporation Changchun Automotive Interior Systems Co. Ltd., Lear Corporation China Ltd., Lear Corporation Czech Republic s.r.o., Lear Corporation Engineering (UK) Limited, Lear Corporation Engineering Belgium B.V.B.A., Lear Corporation Engineering Czech Republic s.r.o., Lear Corporation Engineering GmbH, Lear Corporation Engineering Hungary Kft., Lear Corporation Engineering II GmbH, Lear Corporation Engineering Italy S.r.l., Lear Corporation Engineering Morocco S.a.r.l., Lear Corporation Engineering Poland Sp. z.o.o., Lear Corporation Engineering Slovakia s.r.o., Lear Corporation d.o.o. Novi Sad, and United Technologies Automotive. Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. 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.. The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc.. Telstra Corporation Limited provides telecommunications and information services to businesses, governments, and individuals in Australia and internationally. It operates in four segments: Telstra Consumer and Small Business, Telstra Enterprise, Networks and IT, and Telstra InfraCo. The company offers telecommunication products, services, and solutions across mobiles, fixed and mobile broadband, telephony and Pay TV/IPTV, and digital content; and online self-service capabilities, as well as operates inbound and outbound call centers, owned and licensed Telstra shops, and the Telstra dealership network. It also provides sales and contract management; and product management services for data and Internet protocol networks, mobility services, and network applications and services products, such as managed network, unified communications, cloud, industry solutions, and integrated services and monitoring. In addition, the company engages in the development of industry vertical solutions; planning, design, engineering architecture, and construction of Telstra networks, technology, and information technology solutions; and delivering network technologies. Further, it provides telecommunication products and services through its networks and related support systems to other carriers, carriage service providers, and Internet service providers; access to fixed network infrastructure assets; disconnection services; and network services under the Infrastructure Services Agreement and commercial contracts, as well as holds fixed network infrastructure, including data centers, non-mobiles related domestic fiber, copper, HFC cable, international subsea cables, exchanges, poles, ducts, and pipes. The company was formerly known as Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited and changed its name to Telstra Corporation Limited in April 1993. Telstra Corporation Limited was founded in 1901 and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Read More Ventripoint Diagnostics Ltd., a medical device company, develops and commercializes diagnostic tools that monitor patients with heart disease worldwide. The company offers Ventripoint Medical System, a medical imaging system that is used to generate three-dimensional models with critical volume and functional measurements of a patient's heart chambers. It also develops a suite of applications for various heart diseases and imaging modalities, including congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, cardiotoxicity in oncology patients, and Covid-19 related heart issues. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Xylem: Aanderaa Data Instruments AS, Beijing United Gas Meters Co. Ltd., Bellingham & Stanley Ltd., Bombas Flygt de Venezuela S.A., CMS Research Corporation, EmNet LLC, FARADYNE Motors LLC, Faradyne Motors (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Flow Control LLC, Flowtronex PSI LLC, Fluid Handling LLC, Godwin Holdings Ltd., Goulds Water Technology Philippines Inc, Grindex AB, Grindex Pumps LLC, HYPACK Inc, Heartland Pump Rental & Sales Inc., IMT b.v., Jabsco Marine Italia s.r.l., Jabsco S. de R.L. De C.V., Lowara UK Ltd, Lowara Vogel Polska SP ZOO, Lowara s.r.l., MJK Automation ApS, MultiTrode Inc., Multitrode Pty Ltd, Nova Analytics Europe LLC, O.I. Corporation, PCI Membrane Systems Inc., Pension Trustee Management Ltd, Pims Pumps, Portacel Inc., Pure Technologies, SELC Electronics Ltd, SELC Group Ltd., SELC Ireland Ltd, Safe Sea Services FZC, Sensus, Sensus (UK Holdings) Ltd., Sensus Australia Pty Ltd, Sensus Canada Inc., Sensus Chile SA, Sensus Espana SA, Sensus France Holdings SAS, Sensus France SAS, Sensus GmbH Hannover, Sensus GmbH Ludwigshafen, Sensus Italia SRL, Sensus Japan Kabushiki Kaisha, Sensus Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sensus Maroc S.A.., Sensus Metering Systems (Fuzhou) Co. Ltd., Sensus Metering Systems (LuxCo 1) S.A R.L., Sensus Metering Systems (LuxCo 2) S.A R.L., Sensus Metering Systems (LuxCo 3) S.A R.L., Sensus Metering Systems (LuxCo 4) S.A R.L., Sensus Metering Systems (LuxCo 5) S.A R.L, Sensus Metering Systems IP Holdings Inc., Sensus Polska sp. zoo, Sensus Precision Die Casting (Yangzhou) Co. Ltd., Sensus SPA, Sensus Services Deutschland GmbH, Sensus Slovensko a.s., Sensus South Africa (Proprietary) Ltd., Sensus Spectrum LLC, Sensus UK Systems Limited, Sensus USA Inc., Sensus de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Sensus metrologicke sluzby s.r.o._Slovakia, Sensus Ceska republika spol. s r.o., Sentec Limited, Smith-Blair Inc., Texas Turbine LLC, Tideland Signal Corporation, Tideland Signal EMEA B.V., Tideland Signal LLC, Tideland Signal Limited, Tirinstal Investments Ltd, UGI Global Limited, Valor Water Analytics, Visenti Pte. Ltd, Water Asset Management Inc., Water Process Limited, Watercompany, Xylem (China) Company Limited, Xylem (Hong Kong) Limited, Xylem (Nanjing) Co. Ltd, Xylem Analytics (Beijing) Co. Ltd, Xylem Analytics Australia Pty Ltd., Xylem Analytics France S.A.S., Xylem Analytics Germany GmbH, Xylem Analytics IP Management GmbH, Xylem Analytics IP Management SCS, Xylem Analytics LLC, Xylem Analytics UK LTD, Xylem Australia Holdings PTY LTD, Xylem Brasil Solucoes para Agua Ltda, Xylem Canada Company, Xylem Delaware Inc., Xylem Denmark Holdings ApS, Xylem Dewatering Solutions Inc., Xylem Dewatering Solutions UK Ltd, Xylem Europe GmbH, Xylem Financing S.a.r.l, Xylem Germany GmbH, Xylem Global S.a.r.l, Xylem Holdings S.a.r.l., Xylem IP Holdings LLC, Xylem IP Management S.a.r.l, Xylem IP UK S.a.r.l., Xylem Industriebeteiligungen GmbH, Xylem Industries S.a.r.l., Xylem International S.a.r.l., Xylem Lowara Limited, Xylem Luxembourg S.a r.l., Xylem Management GmbH, Xylem Manufacturing Austria GmbH, Xylem Manufacturing Middle East Region FZCO, Xylem Middle East Water Equipment Trading & Rental LLC, Xylem Russia LLC, Xylem Saudi Arabia Limited, Xylem Service Hungary Kft, Xylem Service Italia Srl, Xylem Services Austria GmbH, Xylem Services GmbH, Xylem Shared Services Sp. Z.o.o., Xylem Technologies & Partners S.C.S, Xylem Technologies GmbH, Xylem Water Holdings Limited, Xylem Water Limited, Xylem Water Services Limited, Xylem Water Solutions (Hong Kong) Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Argentina S.R.L., Xylem Water Solutions Australia Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Austria GmbH, Xylem Water Solutions Belgium, Xylem Water Solutions Chile S.A., Xylem Water Solutions Colombia SAS, Xylem Water Solutions Denmark ApS, Xylem Water Solutions Deutschland GmbH, Xylem Water Solutions Espana S.A., Xylem Water Solutions Florida LLC, Xylem Water Solutions France SAS, Xylem Water Solutions Global Services AB, Xylem Water Solutions Herford GmbH, Xylem Water Solutions Holdings France SAS, Xylem Water Solutions India Private Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Ireland Ltd., Xylem Water Solutions Italia S.R.L, Xylem Water Solutions Korea Co. Ltd., Xylem Water Solutions Magyarorszag KRT, Xylem Water Solutions Malaysia SDN. BHD., Xylem Water Solutions Manufacturing AB, Xylem Water Solutions Metz SAS, Xylem Water Solutions Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Xylem Water Solutions Middle East Region FZCO, Xylem Water Solutions Muscat LLC, Xylem Water Solutions Nederland BV, Xylem Water Solutions New Zealand Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Norge AS, Xylem Water Solutions Panama s.r.l., Xylem Water Solutions Peru S.A., Xylem Water Solutions Polska Sp.z.o.o., Xylem Water Solutions Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Xylem Water Solutions Rugby Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Singapore PTE Ltd., Xylem Water Solutions South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Xylem Water Solutions South Africa Holdings LLC, Xylem Water Solutions Suomi Oy, Xylem Water Solutions Sweden AB, Xylem Water Solutions U.S.A. Inc., Xylem Water Solutions UK Holdings Limited, Xylem Water Solutions UK Limited, Xylem Water Solutions Zelienople LLC, Xylem Water Solutions(Shenyang) CO. Ltd, Xylem Water Systems (California) Inc., Xylem Water Systems Hungary KFT, Xylem Water Systems International Inc., Xylem Water Systems Japan Corporation, Xylem Water Systems Philippines Holding Inc., Xylem Water Systems Texas Holdings LLC, Xylem Water Systems U.S.A. LLC, YSI (China) Ltd., YSI (Hong Kong) Ltd., YSI (UK) Ltd., YSI Incorporated, YSI Instrumentos E Servicos Ambientais Ltda., YSI International Inc., YSI Nanotech Limited, and ylem Analytics Germany Sales GmbH& Co. KG. Brandeis students receive competitive study abroad scholarship Arlenne Arlenne 21, Arlenne Arlennes apply Out of an applicant pool of over 2,300 applicants, two Brandeis students have been selected as recipients of the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) scholarship. This prestigious and competitive scholarship aims to increase access to study abroad for underrepresented students. This year, Brandeis University celebrates the accomplishment and selection of two students as FEA scholars, Jaila Allen 21 andSerna 21.Jaila Allen 21 is a Health: Science, Society, and Policy , and Womens, Gender, and Sexuality studies major from Atlanta, Georgia. Jaila is studying abroad this fall 2019 semester in Copenhagen, Denmark. She received the FEA DIS study abroad scholarship for students studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark through the DIS program. Jailas top three goals for study abroad are: To learn about Denmarks outlook on LGBTQ+ people and their healthcare system; To learn how to cook at least five Danish dishes; To build lasting relationships with both her host family and other DIS students.Sernais a Sociology Education Studies , and International and Global Studies major from San Antonio, Texas.is studying abroad this fall 2019 semester in Seoul, South Korea. She is a recipient of the Malu Alvarez Global Access Scholarship through FEA. Three ofgoals for her semester is abroad are to visit historical places, learn to dance K-pop, and to try a lot of different Korean foods.The Office of Study Abroad at Brandeis aims to make study abroad accessible for all students and provides help and resources for students infor the Fund for Education Abroad scholarship, as well as other scholarship opportunities. Campus News Refugee Health Summit addresses links between housing and health From left, area refugees Chan Myae Thu, Steven Sanyu, Theo Have and Abdi Farah spoke about their experiences as part of a panel discussion moderated by Samina Raja, co-director of UB's Community for Global Health Equity (far right). Photo: Douglas Levere By DAVID J. HILL Todays summit is really the culmination of a lot of conversations that the organizing committee has had about the issues that remain of concern to the communities of refugees in Erie County and Buffalo. Kasia Kordas, co-director Community of Excellence for Global Health Equity As a medical case manager for Evergreen Health in Buffalo, Theo Have assists many refugee patients. Too often, Haves clients experience health issues that are directly related to their housing situation. For example, one patient who has to take daily medication for a chronic illness stopped doing so because she was facing eviction due to sanitation issues. Many refugees who resettle in the U.S. arent familiar with appropriate food storage. The woman was missing doctors appointments, which were preventing her from getting the medication she needed. How can you take your medication when you will be evicted in a couple of weeks, or even days? Have said. This was one of numerous examples demonstrating the correlation between housing and health discussed April 13 during UBs sixth annual Western New York Refugee Health Summit held at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The health summit was co-sponsored by UBs Community of Excellence for Global Health Equity and the Office of Global Health Initiatives in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. A timely topic Each years summit has featured a different topic of relevance to the regions New Americans. This years focus, however, was among the most pressing. While many Erie County residents, not just refugees, face housing challenges that adversely impact their health, the issues are often more compounded for those resettling here. The journey of each refugee is unique, but one thing that they have in common is the need to flee from something, whether that be conflict, violence or persecution, and to seek new life elsewhere. But such a journey includes incredible and sometimes unspeakable loss and heartache, Kasia Kordas, co-director of UBs Community of Excellence in Global Health Equity, said in her welcome address. A welcoming community such as ours and a secure, healthy home should serve as accommodations for this new life, but thats not always the case. Todays summit is really the culmination of a lot of conversations that the organizing committee has had about the issues that remain of concern to the communities of refugees in Erie County and Buffalo, added Kordas, who is also an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions. New York State resettles the most refugees in the nation, behind Texas, and one-third to one-half of them are resettled in Erie County, said Jessica Scates, administrative coordinator for UBs Community for Global Health Equity. Saturdays summit featured panelists who spoke about their experiences as refugees in Buffalo, along with reflections from representatives of community organizations that work with the refugee community about what theyve been seeing in recent years. Attendees of the Refugee Health Summit, which took place in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Photo: Douglas Levere Buffalos housing stock poses challenges Buffalo faces a variety of challenges with its housing, including poverty and one of the nations oldest housing stocks. You have this whole mix of a citys population going down, poverty going up, seeing more vacancy and home abandonment, but now in recent years seeing investment and speculation. So rents are going up even while neighborhoods are still dealing with that legacy of vacancy and quite poor conditions, said Andrea O Suilleabhain, executive director of the Partnership for the Public Good. Housing discrimination is also rampant, added Daniel Corbitt, associate director for Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), who said many people who are discriminated against dont realize that its illegal. They are focused more on providing a place of shelter for their family. They dont recognize that its a problem and perhaps even if they do they dont feel that they have the time to address this issue, Corbitt said. Panelists discuss some of the issues they've seen with housing in Buffalo. From left: Lila Rollo, coordinator, International Institute of Buffalo; Andrea O Suilleabhain, executive director, Partnership for the Public Good; and Daniel Corbitt, associate director, Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME). Samina Raja, far right, moderated the discussion. Photo: Douglas Levere Learning new social constructs Campus News Reverse Pitch transforms the traditional career fair 43North Content Director Nate Benson, left, and Jen Reed, director of talent strategy for 43North, give a brief history of the organization's mission during the Reverse Pitch event. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi By ROBBY JOHNSON I definitely wanted to know more and it turns out some of these companies are actually dealing with some really big clients. Joining 43North and the Western New York Incubator Network in organizing the event were UBs Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships office; Career Services; Inve[n|s]t; the Career Resource Center in the School of Management; the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; and UBs Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars. The Reverse Pitch idea is fantastic because it just allows folks to get to know the companies, said Nate Benson, director of content for 43North. With a career fair, its pretty traditional with wandering around and hoping that a founder is there. This is an opportunity where the founders or high-level staff are coming to you and pitching why you should come intern with ACV Auctions, 43North or ForSake. Since the Network never tried an idea like Reverse Pitch before, they gave it a chance and chose 43North, a startup competition funded by New York States Buffalo Billion initiative, as a partner to pilot it. The idea came to the Western New York Incubator Network, which is managed by UB, after reading Brian Felds Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City. Eight 43North companies visited UB last week to participate in Reverse Pitch, a new approach to the traditional career fair where students had the opportunity to sit back, relax and listen to each company pitch that their organization was one to work for. Students had the chance to meet with representatives from each participating company individually after the presentations. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi After an hour of getting to know each startup through a series of presentations, it was time for the students to go to work with their networking skills. Minutes after the final presentation, the room turned into a loud forum of discussion between employer and potential employee. The experience, compared to a normal career fair, was different than usual for both sides because of its efficiency. Each student had a good idea of which companies they wanted to talk to because of the earlier presentations, while, on the other side, each company could talk to someone very interested in their organization. Alex Montilla, a growth analyst for Burner Wellness, said that duality of benefits created by the event was evident, especially because the students that came up to him showed a lot of enthusiasm. Its good for them to know theyre talking to a company that cares just as much as we like to know that theyre driven as an individual, Montilla said. This has been great; theres a lot of ambitious students just looking to gain experience. Its great to give them an opportunity because its how I got my start as well. I was born and raised in Buffalo, interned with my company and now I have a full-time position. I can only hope that the same thing happens for some of the students here. Benson, who also talked with students about internships with 43North, said he was impressed by the students enthusiasm as well. The interactions have been fantastic, Benson said. [The students] are hungry to get to work, which from a startup perspective youre looking for folks who are hungry to work, eager to learn and eager to lend whatever expertise they have. Most importantly, many students also felt the event was beneficial. Jaskeerat Brar, a computer science major at UB, said that he came to the event mainly for ACV Auctions, but was impressed by the other companies based on what he learned during the presentation phase. I knew that Buffalo had a good startup scene and this caught my eyes because there were eight companies coming and one of them was ACV Auctions, Brar said. I definitely wanted to know more and it turns out some of these companies are actually dealing with some really big clients. It was pretty cool. They were really enthusiastic about everything and I got contact info from some great people and asked them some questions about their product, how it worked and how theyre going to play it in the industry As the final students filed out with the events completion, it was apparent to Tom Murdock, manager of the Western New York Incubator, that the event was a success and that another Reverse Pitch could definitely happen down the line. We saw a lot of companies interested to come in and a lot of students interested. It wasnt hard to sell, Murdock said. What well do now is follow up with each of the companies from here and asses how this works for them and how it can work better. We did this one with 43North, so maybe in the future we do one with just life sciences or all software companies. RBI has moved the NCLAT seeking modification of its order that restrained banks from declaring accounts of IL&FS and its group companies as NPAs. New Delhi: The RBI on Tuesday told the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal that banks will have to classify the accounts of debt-ridden IL&FS and its group companies as NPAs in terms of its master circular and the Supreme Court judgement. It is the obligations of the banks to mark any loan as NPA after a default of 90 days, and they cannot be relieved from doing that, said the Reserve Bank of India, adding that it is a process which every bank has to follow. Senior advocate Gopal Jain, representing the RBI, submitted before the NCLAT that true reflection in the books of the banks is important for fair accounting because it has early warning signals. "The whole thing is to have a transparent and fair accounting system, so that the health of the institution is not affected. "And whatever process, you are having for resolution in IL&FS, we are not on recovery and the resolution process, we are only saying banks has to record the position of NPA in terms of the master circular and the supreme court judgement, which recognises NPAs in the circular," Jain said. According to him, the job of the regulator is to have right policy for all the banks. He further said that banks are finalising their accounts and need clarification from the NCLAT on this. "There is obligations for the banks that after 90 days it has to show (as NPA) in their account," said Jain, adding "banks can not be relieved of their obligations for bad loans from their account book". The NCLAT-bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya said it would hear the RBI on next date of hearing, which is on April 29. The RBI has moved the NCLAT seeking modification of its order that restrained banks from declaring accounts of IL&FS and its group companies as NPAs. According to the apex bank, there was an overlap of power. Passing an order on February 25, the NCLAT had said : "We make it clear that due to non-payment of dues by the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited' or its entities including the Amber Companies', no financial institution will declare the accounts of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited' or its entities as NPA' without prior permission of this Appellate Tribunal". The appellate tribunal on Tuesday also took on record the information provided by IL&FS about the four amber listed group companies. It has also asked the government and IL&FS to be ready with similar information for the remaining 9 amber companies. During last hearing on April 9 the NCLAT had directed debt-ridden IL&FS to submit information over investment made by pension and provident funds in its four group firms, and also sought details of financial liabilities of those entities. Under its resolution plan, the government has categorised IL&FS group entities into green, amber and red categories based on their respective financial positions. PNB is part of a consortium of 26 lenders, led by SBI, which have exposure to Jet Airways' debt of over Rs 8,000 cr. New Delhi: Lenders to the cash-strapped Jet Airways are committed to reviving the air carrier but nothing has been finalised yet, Punjab National Bank (PNB) Managing Director Sunil Mehta said on Tuesday. PNB is part of a consortium of 26 lenders, led by State Bank of India (SBI), which have exposure to Jet Airways' debt of over Rs 8,000 crore. "Discussions for reviving the airline are underway and nothing has been finalised as of now. SBI Capital Markets is working on the revival package for Jet Airways," Mehta told reporters here. On Monday, SBI said the bid process for the orderly sale of equity in Jet Airways is currently being run by SBI Caps and is being vetted by the legal team and the prospective bidders will be shortlisted by SBI Caps shortly. SBI spokesperson Monday also said, "The bid process for the orderly sale of equity in Jet Airways is currently being run by SBI Caps and is being vetted by the legal team. The prospective bidders will be shortlisted by SBI Caps shortly." The lender also said the proposed equity conversion by banks, if any, will be undertaken as a transitory mechanism to facilitate the bidding-cum-sale process. SBI is acting on behalf of the group of lenders as part of the bank-led resolution process. "Necessary support to facilitate the process is being extended by the banks in the consortium. Cooperation by and support from all the other stakeholders will be the key to the success of the process," the SBI spokesperson had said. With no funds coming in from its lenders, the beleaguered Jet Airways had to extend the suspension of its international flights till April 18. Banks had earlier promised to pump Rs 1,500 crore into the airline. "The interim funding has not been forthcoming thus far, and as a result, we have extended cancellation of international operations through Thursday," said Jet Airways (India) CEO Vinay Dube in a letter on Monday to the airline's over 20,000 employees. The last flight of Jet Airways will leave the Amritsar airport at 2230 hrs for New Delhi as per its flight schedule. (Photo: PTI/File) Mumbai: Teetering for over four months due to cash-drought, Jet Airways, flying for over 25 years, on Wednesday said its last flight will takeoff later this night, after its lenders refused to offer a Rs 400-crore lifeline. "With immediate effect, we are compelled to cancel all our international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today," Jet Airways informed the exchanges. The airline said the decision follows the lenders refusing to offer a lifeline. "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going... and has decided to go ahead with temporary suspension of operations," the airline said. Accordingly, the last flight will leave the Amritsar airport at 2230 hrs for New Delhi as per its flight schedule. After a board meeting on Tuesday, the management had authorised chief executive Vinay Dube to make one last appeal to the lenders for an emergency Rs 400 crore funding, and if not the demand is not met, take a final call on the future of the airline on Wednesday. Late last night, Jet Airways was informed by State Bank of India, on behalf of the consortium of lenders, that they were unable to consider its request for critical interim funding, the airline said in the statement. The Telecom Department has prepared a rescue plan for MTNL and BSNL in form of a revival package. New Delhi: Crisis-ridden MTNL, whose revival package is in the works, has exuded confidence that it would not face any challenge in payment of April salaries to its 22,000 employees, as it plans to tap internal accruals and available cash. The comment assumes significance as distressed telecom PSUs Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) are saddled with massive debt and have faced problems in clearing staff salaries in the recent past. MTNL Chairman and Managing Director PK Purwar told PTI that the company will be able to pay April wages totalling about Rs 200 crore from internal accruals and its existing cash balance. "... we do not see any challenge in paying salaries for the month of April. We have sufficient cash balance and internal resources and will be able to meet our liabilities without any issue," Purwar claimed. The monthly wages totalling Rs 200 crore would be supported from Rs 250 crore that the telecom PSU has available as cash and cash equivalents, he added. "We are following up on all our legitimate claims...of almost Rs 1,000 crore (from various sources). Every single penny is being chased. There are outstandings from Telecom Department, also we have to receive some money in Income Tax refund (about Rs 100 crore), which we are pursuing," he said. The telecom PSU asserted that it has not sought "grants" from the Telecom Department with regard to its about Rs 500 crore pending dues. Purwar said that the state-owned corporation is chasing only "legitimate claims" which "need to be addressed". The Telecom Department has prepared a rescue plan for MTNL and BSNL in form of a revival package that entails components like Voluntary Retirement Scheme, asset monetisation, and allocation of 4G spectrum. The revival plan is expected to be taken up by the Cabinet soon, sources said. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used 35K crores (Rs 35,000 crores) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote on Twitter. London: Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used 35K crores (Rs 35,000 crores) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former Kingfisher Airlines boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he makes to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to PSU banks resulted in reports that claim he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first, he questioned. On a more personal note directed at Jet Airways founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why, Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the High Court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallya's appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a USD 40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regent's Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. All four Indian state-owned refiners that buy Iranian oil are confident of securing additional barrels from other producers, said officials. New Delhi: Indian refiners are increasing their planned purchases from OPEC nations, Mexico and the United States to make up for any loss of Iranian oil if the US enforces sanctions more harshly from next month, sources and company officials said. All four Indian state-owned refiners that buy Iranian oil are confident of securing additional barrels from other producers, officials from the companies told Reuters. The state refiners have not yet placed orders for Iranian oil for May, when the current waiver expires, pending clarity from the United States. Indias Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) have tapped Iraq to make up for Iranian oil, while Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has signed its first annual contract with US suppliers and raised supplies from Mexico. There will be no supply constraints. The supply can come from both OPEC and non-OPEC nations like the US, said M K Surana, chairman of Hindustan Petroleum Corp, which purchased up to 1.5 million tonnes per year of Iranian crude in 2018/19. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia have gradually tightened supply through 2019 to reduce a global glut. OPEC and its partners may not renew the curbs when they expire after June because of the risk of over-tightening the market. IOC, Indias top refiner and Irans biggest Indian client, will cut Iranian oil imports to 6 million tonnes, or about 120,000 barrels per day, in the 2019/20 period from 9 million in 2018/19, and has raised the optional volumes it can buy from other producers to 2 million tonnes, a company official said. Our optional quantities under term deals are higher than last year. We have optional contracts with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other suppliers... They will supply more if we want, the official said, adding his firm would also buy more U.S. oil if required. IOC also hopes to buy 1.5 million tonnes of Mexican oil in 2019, compared with 1 million tonnes last year, the source said. Officials from state-owned National Iranian Oil Co did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the Indian refiners plans to purchase less Iranian crude. No Watertight Plan Refinery officials said their 2019/20 crude import strategy was not contingent on Iranian oil, and was more flexible than in previous years. We dont have a watertight plan for the year, we have optional quantities so that it is possible to find replacement if any country goes out for any reason, said an MRPL official. During previous sanctions against Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq raised supplies to India to grow market share in the country, the worlds third-biggest oil consumer and importer. Last year, MRPL signed its first annual deal with Iraq to buy 1.5 million tonnes of Basra oil in 2019. BPCL has signed a deal to buy 5 million tonnes of Iraqi oil in 2019 compared with 1.5 million tonnes in 2018, its head of refineries R Ramachandran said, adding his company is considering buying more oil from South America. BPCL recently bought Brazilian crude and plans to buy Mexican oil as well, he said. We have a strategy with and without Iran, he added. A government report which was leaked in January this year also recorded that the unemployment rate in India rose to a 45-year high in 2017-2018. (Representational image) Mumbai: As per a report released on Tuesday by the Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University, almost 50 lakh people lost their employment between 2018 and 2019 after November 8, 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes would not be considered as legal tender. As per the report, the beginning of the decline in employment rate coincides with the governments note ban in 2016 but no "causal link" can be built up based on the information, says the report titled State of Working India 2019. The employment losses are higher when women are taken under consideration. The women workforce participation has also lowered, the report said. According to the report, "Whether or not this decline was caused by demonetisation, it is definitely a cause for concern and calls for urgent policy intervention," A government report which was leaked in January this year also recorded that the unemployment rate in India rose to a 45-year high in 2017-2018. The overall unemployment rate was pegged at around 6 per cent in 2017-2018, according to the National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) Periodic Labour Force Survey, held between 2017 and 2018. But NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar said the report was "not verified" and the "veracity of the data was not known". The report said unemployment has largely been driven by higher-educated men in both urban and rural areas, those in the age group of 20 to 24. "Clearly, there is a large differential impact by level of education. This is consistent with the idea that the informal sector, where we can expect the share of less educated men to be higher, was hit hardest by demonetisation as well as the introduction of GST," the report noted. All banknotes in the denomination of Rs 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender. Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it will put into circulation Rs 50 denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das. The RBI will issue Rs 50 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series bearing the signature of Das. The design of these notes is similar in all respects to Rs 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series, it said. "All banknotes in the denomination of Rs 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender," the RBI said. Speculation is rife that the actor turned politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam party president, Kamal Haasan, will be hosting the third edition of the Bigg Boss reality show. The show also marked the Vishwaroopam actors debut as a TV host. Kamal is apparently busy with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections campaigning for his party cadres contesting in the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Owing to his political commitments, the shooting of his film Indian 2 is yet to take off. A few reports suggested that Kamal might not take the additional burden of hosting the Bigg Boss Season 3. However, a reliable source confirmed that Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan was instrumental in making the show a huge success and he will host the BB Season 3 as well. The show might commence sometime in June. In a rare feat for an actress, who has made her presence felt across the south Indian film industry for over a decade, she is inching towards her personal milestone of 25th film even as she gears up for her Bollywood debut starring alongside Emraan Hashmi this year. It will also feature Rishi Kapoor in a special role, directed by popular Malayalam director Jeethu Joseph of Drishyam fame. After Tamil and Telugu, Vedhika Kumars first Kannada project was Sangama opposite Golden Star Ganesh following which she went on to feature in several power-packed roles. Her performance in Paradesi directed by Bala was very well appreciated by both critics and the audience. Further, she made yet another impact in a periodical drama followed by well balanced acts in glamorous and performance oriented roles. As far as Kannada films are concerned, her latest was Shivalinga alongside Century Star Shivarajkumar and then Gowdru Hotel. While her next with Real Star Upendra in Home Minister is ready for release, her most expected sequel from the hit franchise Kanchana 3, is releasing worldwide this Friday including in Kannada (dubbed version). She talks about her scary thriller wrapped in humour, and much more in an exclusive interview with Bengaluru Chronicle. After the immense success of Shivalinga and then a unique venture titled Gowdru Hotel, I have a series of interesting films lined up for release including the most expected Kanchana 3. The Kanchana series is one of the most popular sequels, and I am glad that I am back in Kanchana 3 after Muni with Raghava Lawrence sir. It is going to be an additional treat for Kannada fans as they can enjoy the movie simultaneously with its release worldwide as the dubbed version in Kannada is releasing too. Soon, Home Minister with Upendra is scheduled for release, says Vedhika. The Tamil hit movie Muni, which is the first of the four sequels from the Kanchana series is a horror-comedy movie written and directed by Raghava Lawrence. Its immense popularity led to the remake of the movie in Kannada as Kanchana starring Upendra in the first two sequels. Until Muni, either there were horror movies or comedy ones but Raghava sir blended both the genres into perfection into horror-comedy which is why it became a huge success. In fact, when he first approached me for Muni, I got scared hearing his narration. I could relate it to myself as I cannot sleep alone at night and would keep the lights on too. I never ever watched a horror movie all alone by myself but Muni changed it all. It is even enjoyed by kids and eases the scary parts with rib-tickling humour, she adds. While she has signed her next in Tamil alongside Adi Saikumar, her big debut in Hindi which also marks the debut of Malayalam director Jeethu Joseph features Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor. It is going to be a thriller for which I have almost done with the shooting part of it. Apart from Adi Saikumars project, I have just signed another Tamil which I will reveal it in the coming days. Kanchana 3 will see me in a never seen role in my career. I needed a change, and working for it was more like a vocational fun experience despite all the seriousness it went into its making. It is one of the longest films I have shot till date for over 70 days, as it is made on a big scale considering its enormous popularity and audiences expectations. More than as an actress, I am eager to watch it as a fan of this hit franchise film, Vedhika shares. The 11 activists who has accused her interrogators of sexual abuse and torture during nearly a year in custody, face charges that include contact with foreign media, diplomats and human rights groups. (Photo: AFP) Riyadh: Eleven Saudi women's rights activists were due back in court Wednesday in a trial that has drawn international criticism; just days after campaigners reported a new crackdown on their supporters. The 11 activists, among them Loujain al-Hathloul who has accused her interrogators of sexual abuse and torture during nearly a year in custody, face charges that include contact with foreign media, diplomats and human rights groups. A panel of three judges at the Riyadh criminal court was expected to respond to the defence case, submitted by the women earlier this month. Western diplomats and media have been barred from attending the high-profile trial. The women are expected to attend separate court hearings, according to people with access to the trial. Riyadh has faced pressure from Western governments to release the women, most of whom were detained last summer in a wide-ranging crackdown against activists just before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on female motorists. Three of them, activist Aziza al-Yousef, blogger Eman al-Nafjan and preacher Rokaya al-Mohareb, have been granted bail. In an apparent crackdown on the women's supporters earlier this month, Saudi authorities arrested at least nine writers and academics, including two US-Saudi dual nationals. Aziza's son, Salah al-Haidar, is among the two Americans detained. Last Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had pressed Saudi Arabia, a close ally of President Donald Trump's administration, to release the US citizens. The crackdown is the first since the brutal murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights record. Loujain's siblings, based overseas, have said they are being pressured by people close to the Saudi state to stay silent over her treatment in detention. People close to the Saudi establishment have warned that public criticism by family members could prolong their detention. At one emotionally charged court hearing, some women broke down as they accused interrogators of subjecting them to electric shocks, flogging and groping in detention, two people with access to the trial told AFP. A Saudi prosecutor roundly rejected the accusation, witnesses said, reiterating the government's stance. In a career spanning over two decades, global make-up mogul Bobbi Brown has moved on from developing lipstick shades at a chemists to setting up her own makeup brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and then to finally giving it up to venture into new avenues. For someone who became famous for introducing moderate and natural makeup style as opposed to the dominant use of the bright colours in the hip 80s, Browns journey has surely been a wild one. I wanted to teach women just how simple makeup could be. And I wanted women to realise that makeup is meant to enhance rather than to cover up, and that true beauty lies in your health and vitality. Ive always believed that what you put inside your body is as important as what you put on your face, shares Brown who was on her maiden India trip for the India Make Up Show, curated by Mumbai-based Brothers Incorporated. Having shown her magic on actress Tamannaah Bhatia in Mumbai, Brown is all set to take the Delhi makeup scene by a storm on April 20. She is naturally beautiful and confident, she says about Tamannaah, adding, Id love to work with Priyanka Chopra. She is one of the most beautiful women on the planet and seems very down to earth and cool. The entrepreneur, who has worked with many Hollywood celebrities, is quick to share that her most memorable moment involves working with supermodel Naomi Campbell and French photographer Patrick Demarchelier for the Vogue cover in 1989. It happened to be my first Vogue cover too! I did a lot of beauty spreads with Vogue over the years that I am really proud of. There were also moments like doing makeup for LWren Scotts show at London Fashion Week to celebrating my 20-year anniversary at Bobbi Brown with a film by Bruce Weber. Ill always cherish these moments, she shares. In love with the rich culture and history of India, the American professional makeup artist appreciates the range of makeup styles used by Indian women. Some like a more natural look, while others like to experiment with textures and colours and transform themselves into works of art, she reveals. Although, that one Indian style which the makeup artist wants to take back with her, interestingly has nothing to do with makeup, but with clothing. I would definitely like to learn to wear a saree with a lot of traditional Jaipur jewellery, she reveals. The professional, who actively advocates for natural and healthy looking skin, believes that makeup should enhance ones features and not hide them. I love when you can see freckles and lines. When you look like you, you look your best, she advices. According to her, makeup should make one feel good about oneself, even if thats by sporting statement lips or glossy eyelids. The expert advices to just go for it. Ive loved seeing people put their own take on the trends, sometimes its subtle and sometimes its bold. We should be celebrating individuality and allow people to be who they are, she smiles. When asked if the numerous makeup brands flocking the market is somewhat dismantling the idea of staying natural, pat comes the reply: You can wear makeup and still look natural. I love seeing new entrepreneurs in this space, and I think they are doing an amazing job of creating new products and encouraging positive conversations around beauty. It reminds me a lot of when I started my brand. However, there is one makeup trend that the expert has never really understood. Ive never been a fan of contouring, its just not my aesthetic. It tells women that theres something wrong with their faces. Theres beauty in a full face, so I dont like to paint in a cheekbone that doesnt exist, she rues. On social media you can get an insight into a different view and become more accepting of diverging realities. (Photo: Representational/Pexels) New Delhi: Are you frustrated with your monotonous work routine and the pressure of deadlines? Has academic competition gotten on your nerves to the extent that it might someday drive you to insanity? Is the daily news on hate crimes, murders, warmongering, terrorism and rapes making you experience a bout of negativity, so much so that you want to throw up? Are you sick of the maddening world of social media and the perpetual cyber bullying? We assume its a Yes. In todays world, it has become hard to express yourself freely. Everything we say or do is judged and monitored so closely that we have lost out on our freedom of speech and expression. Our opinions are moulded by those who hold power as we are apprehensive of putting our real side in front of the world for the fear of being evaluated. We have lesser friends in the real world and more in the virtual world, which makes us, feel lonely and deprived of emotional attachments. Relationships suffer in the midst of this, making us feel more depressed. Mental health is aggravated by the constant pressure to think a certain way, to look a certain way and to behave a certain way. Individuality has lost out on significance and everyone wants to become a clone of their favourite celebrity or YouTuber. Anxiety and depression have become so common that every third person has been on medication for it. Latch on to a Social Networking Platform We feel trapped in our own minds and in our bodies. To get rid of this toxicity and to alleviate our stress, it is good to take a break once in a while and pen down our thoughts. When we write things down, it not only enables us to vent out our anger and frustration but also releases the negativity that keeps building up in us when we dont talk about our problems. Indian social media platforms have given people the opportunity to freely and anonymously express themselves. Find a Space where you can express unabashedly Since individuals can set their identity to anonymous on such top social networking sites, it becomes easier for people to put out their true emotions and opinions, sans the fake layers that people generally pad themselves up within the social world. Anonymity is like an added advantage because you not only can express your opinions, but you can do it with your identity hidden from the world, which makes your lay, bare your soul. It is definitely easier to speak about issues when you know that you will not be judged or ridiculed for it. Express and Emote We know the world can be a cruel place to live in, people can be mean and disappointing, loneliness can make you feel miserable such top social networking platforms can come to your rescue in situations like these. Write down your opinions on everything and anything ranging from politics, showbiz, international affairs, love, and relationships and post it anonymously. Sometimes talking is important to prevent your emotions from building up into a volcano that might erupt at a time when you are not ready to handle it. Yet, at times, we do not feel like talking to people who know us. It is, often; better to share things with someone who has no bias and preconceived notions about your life. Again, these platforms prove to be of utmost importance and help for such people who want to talk about their problem, but only under conditions of anonymity. Join a Community Despite having people an instant message away, we tend to feel that we have no one to talk to, which is because the world is coming closer with technology, yet is moving far from having true and meaningful relationships. Such platforms form a community where people can read and feel inspired by stories of other people like them. In case of those who are not like them, they can get an insight into a different view and become more accepting of diverging realities. Sharing your stories on such websites can help you overcome many of your problems and can also give you clarity of thought. Letting out your feelings can make you break free from a multitude of negative thoughts. Building this community can be of immense help to those who have been battling depression. For introverts too, this can be a blessing in disguise. So, dive right into this world of anonymity to escape loneliness and to get the taste of free speech. *Disclaimer: The article has been contributed by Sumit Mittal, Founder & CEO of VentAllOut. The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The faces and views appearing in this article do not reflect the views of Deccan Chronicle, and Deccan Chronicle does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same. An hour later, Rakesh called Laxman from Jyothis mobile phone and informed him that she had consumed an unknown poison to kill herself and was being admitted to Anupama Hospital in KPHB for treatment. Representational Images) Hyderabad: A 24-year-old woman working at Begumpet reportedly consumed poison due to unbearable harassment from a stalker died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city on Tuesday. KPHB police booked a case against Rakesh Reddy and is searching for him. He had admitted the victim, Siddirala Jyothi, at the hospital and absconded. According to KPHB police, Jyothi, was a native of Maisampally in Siddipet district. After completion of graduation, she moved to Hyderabad in search of a job and joined as a data entry operator in a company at Begumpet. She was living in a rented room in KPHB IV phase. For the last two years, Rakesh Reddy, a native of her village, who works with a private internet service providing company, stalked her, asking her to marry him. Learning about this, her father, S. Laxman, warned him and asked him to stay away from his daughter. Rakesh did not change his behaviour and continued to harass the woman by making phone calls. At around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, Rakesh and Jyothi met near a park in KPHB and spoke. At the same time, she spoke to her parents and younger sister over telephone, but did not complain about anything. An hour later, Rakesh called Laxman from Jyothis mobile phone and informed him that she had consumed an unknown poison to kill herself and was being admitted to Anupama Hospital in KPHB for treatment. After that, he went absconding. On Tuesday noon, Jyothi died while undergoing treatment, said police. Laxman told the media, After my daughter complained about harassment by Rakesh, I warned him. Rakesh is responsible for her death and we demand that police take stern action against him. KPHB inspector K Laxmi Narayana said that a case has been registered under sections 354, 354 D and 306 of IPC against Rakesh and a team is on the job to apprehend him. Sitharaman said, '100 per cent. It is always easy to hit at a woman when you talk about other things which dont become part of the conversation or which are not germane to the discussion.' (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Empathising with BJP candidate and actor Jaya Prada, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said political leaders should apply their minds before they speak about women-related issues. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sitharaman said, "100 per cent. It is always easy to hit at a woman when you talk about other things which dont become part of the conversation or which are not germane to the discussion. You easily pick up on things which are very personal or are gender specific and not called for at all. I find that coming very easily without a thought." "That is where I think all of us think before the word comes out of the vocal cord to the lips. There should be some kind of momentary application of mind at least," said the Defence Minister on Jaya Prada and other women politicians who have to face sexist remarks from male counterparts. On Sunday, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan had said in a public rally that "I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear." The Defence Minister asserted that politicians should respect one another. "We have to draw a line. Irrespective of the party line I think we have all learnt from good public discourse. It should be in the back of our minds what we talk about in politics as that is the legacy we leave behind for the next generation and we have a responsibility towards it," Sitharaman said. An FIR was registered against Khan for making an objectionable comment against the actor-turned-politician. The SP leader has, however, clarified that he did not name anyone. Questioned about her meeting Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the Defence Minister said she had gone to meet the ailing leader during election campaign there as he had suffered an injury while performing a ritual at a temple. "So, I thought that it was right that I go to the hospital and wish him well. I had not informed anybody including people in my party circles. On my way back to the airport, I thought I should visit him in the hospital and that is it," the Defence Minister said. In the times when political leaders are not known to show such civility to political rivals, the picture of Sitharaman calling on the bed-ridden Tharoor has been appreciated very widely on social media. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading KCR also instructed officials to ensure that no one is allowed to purchase the produce from farmers at an amount less than the minimum support price. (Photo: File) Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday asked officers to develop a strategy to provide minimum support price to farmers in the state. In tune with the thought process of Telangana government, in the recent past, the Centre has instructed its officers to establish crop colonies in every state. The efforts of the Telangana government to provide minimum support price to the farmer has become a role model to the entire country," the Chief Minister said at a high-level meeting at Pragathi Bhavan, his official residence. KCR also instructed officials to ensure that no one is allowed to purchase the produce from farmers at an amount less than the minimum support price. Rao, in a meeting with several ministers and other officials, suggested that through close coordination of Agriculture, Horticulture, Marketing and Civil Supplies departments and by providing minimum support price to farmers, the departments should work to make agriculture profitable. The Chief Minister said that the government should encourage consumption of healthy food products and produce them at large scale. "Healthy food products are also to be encouraged. We are also importing certain fruits not only from other states but also from other countries. It is better if we ourselves identify suitable land to grow and produce them, Rao said while emphasising on cultivating crops rather than importing. Rao also said that there should be agronomy training centres and agronomy consultancy in universities to improve agriculture methods. "For improved agriculture methods to the farmers, the agriculture extension officers are to be converted as agronomists. In every Assembly constituency, there shall be one agronomy training centre and in universities, there needs to be an agronomy consultancy, he said. The board with the tag line Musi Lifeline Own your river has a camera to film litterers. Hyderabad: Work has started to revive a four-km section of the 57-km Musi river stretch. For over a month now, piles of garbage primarily comprising concrete that has choke the river for decades is being removed tonne by tonne. The stretch from Puranapul to Imlibun has been selected for the first phase of the short-term operation. On Tuesday, a board was set up prohibiting people from dumping waste in the Musi. With the tag line Musi Lifeline Own your river, the board has a camera to film litterers. In June last year, then municipal minister K.T. Rama Rao asked officials to chalk out a plan to revive the Musi. The High Court also pulled up the government over the pollution in the river. Earlier this month, the legal service authorities convened a meeting with civic officials on the river clean-up. The direction was to focus on a number of lakes and the Musi. Mr Ashok Reddy Korem, managing director, Riverfront Development Corporation Limited, told this newspaper: The aim is to have a long-term plan to revive the river. We are working out strategies at a place where the impact is visible. He said 40 per cent of the water entering the Musi was being diverted to the Amberpet sewage treatment plant to cleaning. The Metro Sewerage Board had been asked to prepare a master plan to treat the rest. Asked where the garbage was being dumped, Mr Reddy said, Temporarily the waste is being dumped at a site on the riverfront. It will transported to an isolated location identified by the HMDA and dumped in a scientific manner. The corporation has taken up renovation of the walls, parks and the walkway. Principal secretary Arvind Kumar recently visited the riverfront and directed the authorities to check the functioning of the rubber dams which appear to be causing water stagnation especially in front of the High Court. A committee of four chief engineers has been formed to study the 12-feet dams and file a report. Hyderabad: The High Court building, which has seen several landmark judgments being delivered, will celebrate its centenary on April 20. The iconic building, which became functional on April 20, 1919, has seen judges order murder cases against cops involved in encounter killings, strike down Muslim reservation Bills and striking down sentences against the accused in the sensational Tsunduru Dalit massacre. The construction commenced on April 15, 1915, and was completed on March 31, 1919. On April 20, 1920, the High Court building was inaugurated by the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. The building, which stands on the southern bank of the Musi River, was built in red and white stones in Saracenic style by Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan. According to historians, the plan was drawn up by Shankar Lal of Jaipur, while the local engineer who executed the design was Mehar Ali Fazil, and chief engineer Nawab Khan Bahadur Mirza Akbar Baig. While digging the foundation for the High Court, ruins of the Qutb Shahi palaces, namely Hina Mahal and Nadi Mahal, were unearthed. After its construction, a silver model of the High Court, with a silver key, was presented to the Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan by the Judiciary during its Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 1936. The facsimile of the building was perfectly carved in a thick sheet of silver weighing about 300 kg. The model is now in the Nizams Museum in Purani Haveli. The main building, which was built to accommodate six judges, was extended as per requirements. It now consists of a huge library, an advocates hall, and a conference hall for the judges. The Registry of the High Court on Tuesday announced that the celebration will begin at 5 pm on April 20 and will take place on the buildings premises. A file picture of the Charminar: Somewhere in this area lies buried a duct which the GHMC is searching for. Hyderabad: The Charminar pedestrianisation project has encountered a strange problem. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had dug a 330-metre underground duct over a decade ago to shift the electricity cables and is now unable to locate it. The civic body had failed to mark the entry and exit of the duct. The GHMC subsequently laid a pavement on the area. The GHMC now faces the prospect of digging up the pavement to try and locate the duct. The job could cost the GHMC Rs 10 lakh. The corporation is looking for help from the government. According to highly-placed sources, the und-erground ducting was done in 2008-09 for cable shifting at Laad Bazaar. With the duct not marked and officials getting transferred, the new personnel who were unaware of the ducting works laid granite pavement over the area. The corporation will have to search for the duct by excavating the whole stretch to connect it to the new ducts at Gulzar Houz and Sardar Mahal Road. The civic body approached the electricity department to lay cables in the three stretches in the vicinity of the Charminar. The department has demanded `33 lakh. Sources said that the corporation has gone back to its old records to identify the location of the duct which was dug during the tenure of then commissioner Dr P.K. Mohanty. He said that the pedestrianisation project was already delayed due to the lack of co-ordination between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Heritage department, electricity, traffic police and departments within the GHMC. The negligence of the engineering officials in marking the underduct is now expected to cost more labour, money and time. The official said the cost of digging up the pavement, finding the duct and re-paving the place will cost `10 lakh. Regarding the eletricity department demanding `33 lakh, the officer said shifting the power cables and connecting them was a specialised task and the job of the electricity department and it should not be asking for money. Since utility shifting was a skilled work, the GHMC cannot do it by their own. The official said the issue would be taken to the notice of the municipal administration and urban development department to resolve the issue quickly. Asked about the issue, the electricity department official dealing with the project said that the department was not disowning the project but requesting the corporation to compensate it for the work hours and the labour. The Congress chief said he wanted to represent Wayanad as the 'beautiful place' symbolises different ideas, cultures and that the rest of the country can learn from Kerala and Wayanad. (Photo: ANI | Twitter) Wayand: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday reached out to the people of Wayanad, saying he did not want to make false promises, but was committed to resolving their issues after hearing their "heart and soul". Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he was not here to tell his 'Mann Ki Baat' but to understand the difficulties, including the night travel ban, man-animal conflicts and lack of medical facilities, being faced by the people here. "I am not like the Prime Minister.. I am not here to tell you that I will give you 2 crore jobs, Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. I will give farmers and give them whatever they want.. I am not going to lie to you.. Because I respect your intelligence.. your wisdom," Gandhi told a rousing crowd of thousands here. "I just don't want to have a relationship of just few months. I want a lifelong relationship with you. I want the sisters of Wayanad to say that I am like their brother, fathers and mothers to say that I am their son," he said. The Congress chief said he wanted to represent Wayanad as the "beautiful place" symbolises different ideas, cultures and that the rest of the country can learn from Kerala and Wayanad. "Once I decided to fight election from south India, I realised that Wayanad was the best place. Because it represents many different ideas, cultures...Kerala is an example of peaceful co-existence. There is a lot that the rest of the country can learn from Kerala and Wayanad," he said. Gandhi said he decided to contest from south India to make a point that the voice of south is as "important" as rest of the country. Hitting out at the Prime Minister, Congress President Rahul Gandhi Wednesday alleged that Narendra Modi has "divided" the country and made it fight within itself. Speaking to reporters here after the Parliamentary coordination committee meeting, Gandhi held Modi responsible for the rising unemployment among the youth, farmers' suicides and allegedly giving Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore as part of the Rafale deal. "Narendra Modi divided the country and made the country fight within itself. The most anti-national thing to be done in this country today is creating a situation by which 27,000 youngsters are losing their job every 24 hours. Anti-national behaviour is crippling our agricultural system and forcing thousands of farmers to commit suicide is anti-national behaviour," Gandhi said. "Taking Rs 30,000 crore and giving it to Anil Ambani is anti-national behaviour. Narendra Modi should answer why he allowed all these things to happen," he said. The Congress chief also pointed out that three major topics the country needs to discuss were economic backwardness, agrarian crisis and corruption, but Modi was not even ready to address the press. Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to the state, had addressed a series of rallies in central Kerala Tuesday. Gandhi, who is contesting from Wayanad, as a second constituency in addition to his stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, would be addressing four public meetings in the Lok Sabha constituency. Kerala goes to polls on April 23 in the third phase of polling. There are 20 constituencies in the state, which is witnessing a direct fight between the ruling CPI (M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF in most seats. However, the BJP-led NDA is giving a tough fight in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathnamthitta and Thrissur constituencies. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading Other monuments which would receive protection under the Telangana Heritage Act 2017 include eight monuments across the state listed by the Archaeological Survey of India, of which two Charminar and Golconda Fort are from Hyderabad. Hyderabad: Although all heritage structures and monuments in the city have provisions for ventilation and natural light to pass, they are under great threat due to human negligence. Structures like the Jubilee Hall, the High Court, the Jawahar Bal Bhavan and the British Residency Complex (Womens College, Koti) require urgent attention from the fire safety and heritage department officials. For the sake of convenience, officials have ducted the structures in order to lay electric cables for air conditioners, fans, lights, and other electrical appliances. Although fires have taken place at Jubilee Hall and at the High Court library due to overloading, fire safety officials continue to neglect the safety of heritage moments. A total of 163 heritage monuments have been listed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. These include structures of historical prominence that are over 100 years old, which display architectural significance and local importance. Other monuments which would receive protection under the Telangana Heritage Act 2017 include eight monuments across the state listed by the Archaeological Survey of India, of which two Charminar and Golconda Fort are from Hyderabad. A senior heritage department official said that barring the SalarJung Museum and open structures which were made out of stone and have sufficient ventilation, all other monuments are at high risk. The official said that although buildings like Jubilee Hall, High Court, State Central Library and the Jawahar Bal Bhavan have temporary fire safety, they were at a high risk of fires due to overloading. Despite the fires that broke out in Jubilee Hall and in the High Court Library, the heritage department officials seem to have learnt nothing. Several heritage structures are being used as offices and with wood, electricity, and books, these are under grave threat, the official said. Fire safety officials said that they have shared clear instructions and standard procedures with the office bearers. We try discussing our concerns regarding fire safety in heritage monuments, but we are barely ever taken seriously, lamented the fire safety official. Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi instructed the officials of various departments who came up with drafts of fire safety norms to categorise fire safety according to the nature of the structure. He said that fire safety norms should be prepared for both permanent structures and temporary ones where exhibitions, meetings, and other events could be held. He said that for temporary structures, organisers must take police permission and that the concerned officials must make a field visit prior to giving approval. He asked the officials to prescribe timelines depending on the nature of permission. Mr Joshi said that he would further seek suggestions from all the departments before submitting the same to the state government. The high court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. (Photo: Representational) New Delhi: Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with the Madras High Court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The move comes hours after the high court refused a request by China's Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The high court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban. The centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the high court's order, according to an IT ministry official. The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Google's move. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Bytedance challenged the court's ban order in Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. The top court had referred the case back to the high court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold, K Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said. TikTok earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. It did not comment further on the judge's decision. The company, however, welcomed the decision to appoint a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings. The high court has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for April 24. Salman Waris, a technology lawyer at TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, said the legal action against Bytedance could set a precedent of Indian courts intervening to regulate content on social media and other digital platforms. In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance argued that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. The company employs more than 250 people in India and had plans for more investment as it expands the business, it said. BJP national president Amit Shah and NDA candidate Suresh Gopi at the election campaign at Thekkinkadu maidan in Thrissur on Monday. (Photo: ANUP K. VENU) Thrissur/Kochi: BJP would stand rock solid behind the devotees on the Sabarimala issue and the party would do whatever possible to protect the sanctity and tradition of the shrine, party national president Amit Shah has said. He was speaking at an election rally organised at Thekkinkkad Maidan here on Tuesday afternoon as part of the election campaign of NDA candidate and actor Suresh Gopi who is contesting from Thrissur. Raking up the Sabarimala issue, Mr Shah said there were several Supreme Court orders which the state government had not yet implemented and the LDF and CPM should explain to the people of Kerala why they were keen on only putting into effect the Sabarimala woman entry order, he asked. To break the tradition of Sabarimala, DYFI men had been put on duty at Sabarimala under the pretext of cops. As mentioned in the BJP manifesto, the matters regarding faith, tradition and rituals of Sabarimala will be presented before SC and if that does not yield result, constitutional protection will be given to the tradition of the temple. BJP will do whatever it takes for keeping the sanctity of the hill shire, Shah added. He said as against the Rs 45,393 crore sanctioned for Kerala by the 13th Finance Commission during UPA, the NDA government has allocated funds up to nearly `2 lakh crore for NH development, Kochi Smart City, Ujjwala Yojana along with other projects. But, the state government had failed to effectively make use these funds, he said. Echoing similar sentiments, he said at another rally at Athani near Nedumbassery, campaigning for NDA candidate in Chalakkudy constituency A. N. Radhakrishnan, that BJP will go to any extent for the protection of faith in Sabarimala. Will blow fuse of your party Speaking at the rally, Suresh Gopi said some officials have chained him and stifled voice to not to speak about the particular situation in the state. You are trying to take out the fuse of our emotions, but we will blow the fuse of your party, he said. V. Muraleedharan, MP, and several leaders of BJP and BDJS took part in the rally. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Some of the gold was imported from Sweden and was being sent to the TTD after customs clearance.(Representional Image) Nellore: The police manning a check-post at Vepambattu in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu seized 1,389 kg of gold belonging to the TTD and took four persons into custody on Wednesday. According to TTD officials, they had deposited the gold at Punjab National Bank and it was being brought back to the TTD treasury as the term of the deposit expired around 20 days ago. The TTD officials said the board did not want to renew the deposit as the interest being offered by the bank was not satisfactory to it. Punjab National Bank officials also confirmed the claim, adding that the gold was being sent back to the TTD after the term of deposit maturity period according to the board's instructions. Some of the gold was imported from Sweden and was being sent to the TTD after customs clearance. The officials said that they were in possession of all documents to prove that the gold belonged to the TTD. They said they would meet the collector of Tiruvallur on Thursday to take possession of the gold and hand it over to the TTD. The bank officials said they had brought the issue to the notice of the Election Commission. Director general of police Ashutosh Shukla said that the gold would be released shortly. Meanwhile, TTD EO said they had deposited 8,500 kgs of gold in Andhra Bank and Punjab National Bank sometime back. He said they had given a letter to the Punjab National Bank to return the gold to the TTD treasury following the completion of maturity period. He confirmed that the gold was confiscated at a check post in Tamil Nadu and that the Bank was taking steps to get it released. CHENNAI: The AIADMK has sought the Election Commission to take action against DMK president M. K. Stalin for addressing the media during the silence period, saying it was an attempt at "indirect canvassing." Stalin had addressed news channels and criticised the leaders of other parties and this was clear violation of the model code of conduct, the party said in its complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo. Also, the ruling party sought action against MNM founder Kamal Haasan for a specific advertisement put out by it. In the complaint party spokesperson and advocate R. M. Babu Murugavel said silence period had come into effect from 6 pm since Tuesday under the MCC. The intention of Stalin is to canvas indirectly by way of addressing the press, which is against and violation of the Election Code of Conduct/Rules, he said. The AIADMK requested the CEO to take action against the DMK chief, by "issuing show cause notice for violating MCC" and also file a case against him. In a separate complaint, the party alleged that during a media interaction after the Election Commission rescinded the April 18 Lok Sabha polls to the Vellore constituency, Stalin had "criticised" the commission for its decision, saying it was a "blatant violation" of the poll code. The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled Tuesday by the EC following huge haul of cash from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The AIADMK also alleged that during a recent election meeting in Kancheepuram, Stalin had reportedly urged voters to accept money and sought action against him for his remarks. On MNM, the AIADMK told the EC that its poll advertisement in a regional daily dated April 16 carried some "unwanted photos" which was against the model code of conduct. "Direct Mr. Kamal Haasan to stop further release of the advertisement and take action against him," it said. XL Joinery has partnered with Carbon Footprint to sponsor the planting of 100 trees at a Bradford school, creating wildlife habitats and encouraging biodiversity. Both companies joined the pupils of the primary school earlier this month to celebrate the planting of the trees, all of which are native British species grown in the UK and include Dog Rose, Hazel, Elder, Rowan, Wild Cherry and English Oak. This activity comes off the back of XL Joinerys recent carbon neutral accreditation, which was awarded due to its ongoing commitment to reducing its CO2 emissions. The additional 100 trees in the schools grounds will not only create an ideal habitat for wildlife and preserve the natural environment, but also enabled the children to gain hands-on experience of how trees are planted and learn the importance of wildlife in their local area and beyond. Tim Wood, Marketing Manager at XL Joinery, said: Were thrilled to have partnered with Carbon Footprint and St Oswalds Church of England Primary School for the tree-planting activity. Reducing our impact on the environment is an important part of our company ethos, which is why were always looking for ways to actively help. We hope that the children enjoyed the activity as much as we did, and we look forward to seeing the trees come to life over the upcoming years! Dr. Wendy Buckley, Client Director at Carbon Footprint Ltd, said: Its great to see XL Joinery take a leading position in reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions. By supporting UK school tree planting, the company is also helping to educate the younger generations in environmental responsibility. Shaun Wiseman, Assistant Headteacher at St Oswalds Church of England Primary School, added: We were delighted when Carbon Footprint informed us that XL Joinery would be visiting our school for the tree-planting activity. Its wonderful to see the children become so involved with the initiative. On the other hand, the BJP is determined to improve its tally compared to previous polls, riding on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Representional Image) Bengaluru: The battle for the hearts and minds of Kannadigas is all set to begin on Thursday in 14 of the 28 constituencies in the state with a former prime minister, his two grandsons, two former chief ministers, a Union minister and a former Union minister among the 241 candidates in the fray. A tough contest is expected in many constituencies with the Congress-JD (S) coalition teaming up for the first time to checkmate the BJP. Most of the constituencies going to the polls in the first phase, are in Old Mysuru and a few in the coastal region, with stakes high for the alliance partners as an adverse result could impact the longevity of the coalition government. On the other hand, the BJP is determined to improve its tally compared to previous polls, riding on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Of the 14 seats, the BJP and Congress had won six each, and two were held by JD (S) in general elections held in 2014. In another first, the BJP has decided to support independent Mrs Sumalatha Ambareesh, in an effort to spoil the party for JD (S) leaders who have fielded Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya, the hotbed of Vokkaliga politics. This constituency witnessed a high decibel campaign with Mr Deve Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy pulling out all the stops to facilitate a successful debut for Nikhil while his opponent Mrs Sumalatha played the card of 'daughter-in-law of Mandya' and roped in a number of popular actors to drum up support for her. Besides, a number of former legislators and discontented Congress leaders and Karnataka State Farmers Association have joined the campaign in support of the widow of the late actor-politician Ambareesh. On Thursday, the spotlight would also be on Tumakuru, where JD (S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda, will face the battle of ballots for the first time after vacating Hassan Lok Sabha seat from where he was contesting since 1990s, for his grandson, Prajwal Revanna, son of PWD minister H.D. Revanna. The battle for three constituencies in Bangalore (North, South and central) is also interesting as there is a direct contest between the Congress and BJP, which has a strong support base in these urban seats. Other key seats are Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikmagalur, where the Congress-JD(S) combine is hoping to dent the BJP's continued dominance, taking advantage of the anti-incumbency factor against Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje respectively, who are seeking re-election. The BJP has set a target of winning 22 out of total 28 seats in the state. Strategists belonging to Congress-JD (S) combine claim that phase I could throw up many surprises with candidates of the alliance set to upset the calculations of leaders of the state unit of BJP. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. New Delhi: Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday spoke out against her party after the Congress reinstated some suspended party leaders who had recently misbehaved with her. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in @incindia over those who have given their sweat & blood, Ms Chaturvedi said in a stinging tweet. Taking to social media to express her dissatisfaction over the development, she said it saddens her to see that lumpen goons were let off by the party without any strict action. Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate, Ms Chaturvedi tweeted further. Her tweet was in response to a letter by the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee stating that action against people who misbehaved with Ms Chaturvedi, has been suspended. The letter states that party general secretary (UP West) Jyotiraditya Scindia has accepted the apology tendered by the leaders and revoked their suspension. Priyanka Chaturvedi had complained to the Congress leadership about the behaviour of some of the local leaders during a press conference over Rafale deal in Mathura. Ms Chaturvedi is among the prominent spokespersons of the Congress, who has come to the defence of the party while debating on several contentious issues. DHARMAPURI: As many as 700 voters have to depend on donkey's support. If not they would not be able to cast their votes to exercise their democratic rights in every election in this backward district. On Wednesday, four donkeys having the names of Tamil film stars - Rajani, Kamal, Ajith and Vijay, transported the EVM machines on their backs to the uphill Kottur village in Pennagaram assembly segment of Dharmapuri parliament constituency. The donkeys have been pressed into service by the Election commission of India because the village has no motorable road. C. Chinnasamy, a washer-man of Karagur village, who owns the donkeys, guided the officials through the four-hour trek to reach Kottur on Wednesday evening. "I have been transporting election materials since 1970 and every time that was possible only because of my donkeys. If not people could not cast their votes," Chinnasamy said. He added, "the election commission agreed to pay Rs.2, 000 for each animal for a single day starting from today (Wednesday) evening till the next day. Our job gets over after the EVMs are transported back from Kottur to the nearest road point. Then it reaches the counting center in government vehicles." 55-years-old P. Muniaammal, a voter in Kottur village said, "We have been voting in every single election with a demand to give us road. It has not happen till date. Our villagers are getting ready to cast their votes with big hope that the candidates contesting this election will fulfill our decent demand." In yet another village in Krishnagiri, the EVM machines and other election materials were transported as head load by the government staffs to uphill Ekkalnatham village in this district. The villagers having similar demand like Kottur people, issued poll boycott for not providing them road facility. "We issued poll boycott because our demands has not entered the deaf ears of the officials. It was recalled after the officials promised to take up the road works after the elections," 40-year-old A. Anandan told DC. He added, "our village has 1,500 strong population and 700 among them are voters. We were forced daily to trek a rugged path for four kilometers due to lack of road facility." According to 22-year-old C. Kanaga, few cases of post-maternal deaths have been recorded in this village when the pregnant woman was carried in the cradle to the nearest hospital. Kanaga, one such patient, gave birth to a male baby midway to the hospital, when the villagers were carrying her in a cradle after the woman had developed labour pain, a few years ago, it may be recalled. Bengaluru: As the D-day for citizens to cast their votes drew closer, social media on Wednesday was filled with political messages. While the electioneering drew to a close at 6 pm on Tuesday, messages were doing rounds on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. A message from a WhatsApp group highlighted votes to polled in favour of the BJP candidate for Bangalore South Tejaswi Surya. The message went on to state that if Modi is reelected, then the nation would be in safe hands for the next five years, Pakistan or China will not dare to try any misadventure and the countrys economic growth would continue. Further, a message read that Congress is fighting for less than 200 seats, Mamata for 42, Mayawati and Akhilesh for 37, JDS for 8 seats, with Stalin, Chandrababu Naidu, Kejriwal fighting only in their states and each of them in the Mahaghatbandhan is aiming to be the PM, so think twice and vote for the BJP. There were also people supporting Congress and slamming BJP's attitude of going for votes in the name of Pulwama terror attack victims. They slammed the polarizing ideology of the BJP and called upon people to vote in favour of Congress as it would uphold secularism. Election to the Lok Sabha constituencies and by-election for 18 Assembly constituencies has been scheduled on Thursday in TN. COIMBATORE: Electronic voting machines (EVMs) along with 106 polling booth materials were sent to 3,070 booths across Coimbatore district with tight police security on Wednesday from here. Election to the Lok Sabha constituencies and by-election for 18 Assembly constituencies has been scheduled on Thursday in TN. As many as 14 candidates are contesting for Coimbatore and 14 for Pollachi constituencies. Around 3,070 polling booths has been setup for the voters to poll in ten Assembly constituencies across the district out which 1,880 booths are identified as sensitive booths; web cameras are installed in the sensitive booths and will be brought under surveillance, said a higher official. Across the district around 5,000 police personnel are deployed on election duty along with them paramilitary force, special task force from neighboring Kerala, Tamil Nadu special task force and Tamil Nadu Commando force will join in election protection duty in sensitive areas and booths across the district. As many as 300 tempos gathered at Police ground on Avinashi road, around 50 cabs were arranged and made to assemble at the government school campus in new Sidhapudur for the micro observers, after loading the tempos and vans with booth materials including EVM, ink, candles, thread, matchbox among other materials numbering 106 in all, the tempos and vans were pasted with constituency details and booth numbers. The tempos were sent to the corresponding booths with tight police security on Wednesday. Ahmedabad: Six days ahead of the Gujarat polling, the young Patidar leader Hardik Patel has emerged as a star campaigner of Congress in the state. Having given all other party leaders in the state a good run for their money, Mr Patel is in high demand in Gujarat and even outside the state. Considering his busy campaign schedule, he has been allotted a helicopter by the party. According to state party leaders, he is the only leader who is in demand after the national leadership. All candidates want him to campaign for them. So far, Mr Patel has addressed more than 20 public meetings and by 21st April i.e. the last day of campaigning, he would have addressed nearly 50 plus rallies, said his aide and media co-ordinator Mr Nikhil Savani. Mr Patel attempts to attract voters by questioning the BJP and the Prime Minister on issues concerning farmers and unemployment. Mr Patel started campaigning on 3rd April when his close aide and the Congress MLA Mr Lalit Vasoya filed his nomination for the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat. Since then, he has been campaigning for the Congress, covering mainly constituencies dominated by the Patidar community. Party sources said that he will organise a massive roadshow and public meeting which will cover four Lok Sabha seats in the Ahmedabad east area on 20th April. Although he has addressed only one public rally outside Gujarat so far, he has become increasingly popular even outside the state. He has campaigned in Mumbai for the Bollywood actress and Congress candidate Ms Urmila Matondkar. Additionally, he has been listed as a star campaigner of Congress in UP and Rajasthan. In fact, he happens to be the only leader from the Gujarat Congress to be on UPs list of star campaigners. He will campaign in other states after 23rd April, Mr Savani said. Gujarat will vote for all 26 seats on April 23. Mr Patel emerged as a leader during the Patidar reservation agitation which took place in Gujarat in 2015. He also supported the Congress during the 2017 state Assembly elections. He joined the Congress one month ago on 12th March in Ahmedabad in the presence of the party president Mr Rahul Gandhi and other top leadership. The party further intended to nominate him as its candidate for the Jamnagar Lok Sabha seat but legal hurdles prevented him from fighting the election. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Mr Kolambkar expressed disappointment with his party leadership and said he will campaign for Mr Shewale. I am deeply disappointed with the Congress leadership. Mumbai: The Congress party was left red-faced on Wednesday as its senior MLA Kalidas Kolambkar announced that he will campaign for Shiv Sena candidate Rahul Shewale in the south-central Mumbai constituency. The MLA from Naigaon has already given ample indications of his plans to join the BJP ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections. In the south-central Mumbai constituency, Mr Shewale is contesting against Eknath Gaikwad from the Congress. Mr Kolambkar expressed disappointment with his party leadership and said he will campaign for Mr Shewale. I am deeply disappointed with the Congress leadership. He said he has not received any communication so far from his party leadership about the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress candidate Eknath Gaikwad also did not call me or send any message. I extend my support to Mr Shewale and will campaign for him, he said. Speculation is rife that Mr Kolambkar may join the BJP. Word that Mr Kolambkar plans to join the BJP started doing the rounds after an image of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was found on the banner put up at his office Tuesday. Raised right opposite the Congress Tilak Bhavan office at Dadar, the banner had the image of Mr Fadnavis instead of his current party leaders. I dont want to remain in the Congress any more. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis possesses strong will power for the development of the state, he said. Patna: Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has levelled serious allegations on RJD Chief Lalu Yadav, claiming that he had offered to topple Nitish Kumar government in Bihar if CBI cases against him were relaxed. Speaking about the issue Sushil Kumar Modi said when the Jharkhand high court gave a judgment in favour of Lalu Yadav and said that there is no need to investigate any other fodder scam case, the CBI went to Supreme Court and challenged the order. Lalu Yadav wanted finance minister Arun Ja-itley to stop CBI from challenging the Jharkhand HC verdict in the Supreme Court. He sent his aide Prem Gupta with an offer to topple Nitish Kumar government within 24 hours if he helped him but his request was turned down by Mr. Jaitley, Sushil Kumar Modi said. While calling Lalu Yad-av an opportunist Sus-hil Kumar Modi said that he has also been trying to run his party from jail. He is capable of doing anything to get his work done. He doesnt even refrain from taking BJPs help if required, Sushil Kumar Modi said. According to Mr. Modi, the development took place after the grand alliance comprising of RJD- JD(U) and Congress formed the government in Bihar. The RJD with 80 seats in Bihar assembly was the largest party in the grand alliance followed by the JD(U) with 71 seats and Congress 27 seats. However, the grand alliance government collapsed in July 2017 after CBI raided Lalu Yadavs residence in connection with a corruption case and also registered an FIR against his younger Son Tejashwi Yadav who was deputy Chief Minister. Within 24 hours Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of NDA government along with BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi who took oath as Deputy Chief Minister. Lalu Yadav was sent to jail in 2017 after Special CBI court in Jharkhand convicted him in connection with four fodder scam cases. Mr. Modis statement comes at a time when the entire Lalu Yadav family has been attacking Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Recently former Chief Minister Rabri Devi created a flutter in the political circle by claiming that poll strategist Prashant Kishor had met Lalu Yadav with an offer to merge RJD with JD(U) and declare Nitish Kumar a prime ministerial candidate. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. New Delhi: Union ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda and DMKs Dayanidhi Maran, A. Raja and Kanimozhi are among the 1,600-odd contestants in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 95 seats on Thursday across 11 states and the union territory of Puducherry. Thirty-eight of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will go to polls besides 18 Assembly constituencies. Polling in Vellore Lok Sabha seat, which is currently represented by the AIADMK, was cancelled on Tuesday by the Election Commission following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The EC also announced postponement of polling in Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23, saying the prevailing law-and-order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair polls. Besides Tamil Nadu, polling will also be held in 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry. Elections will also be held in 35 Assembly constituencies in Odisha. Of the 95 constituencies, the AIADMK holds the maximum of 36 seats, followed by the BJP with 27 seats. The Congress had won 12 of these seats in 2014, the Shiv Sena and the BJD 4 each, the JD-S and the RJD two each and the AIUDF, the NCP, the JD-U, the PDP, the AINRC, the PMK, the CPM and the TMC one seat each. Nearly 15.8 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Bhopal/New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday decided to pit firebrand saffron leader and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur against Congress veteran and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh in the prestigious Bhopal parliamentary seat. BJP president Amit Shah, while addressing a campaign rally in Odisha, said that his party decided to field Ms Thakur against the creator of the term saffron terror, Mr Digvijay Singh, so that the issue could be decided in the peoples court. The BJPs move to field Ms Thakur is being viewed as a conscious attempt by the party to revive the Hindutva plank in M.P. just as it is doing across the country. We consider the election in Bhopal to be the most significant for us. Pragyas victory in the polls will remove once and for all the Hindu terror tag set by some Congress leaders, a senior BJP leader here said. Congress Digvijay Singh is currently trying to shed his anti-Hindu image with temple runs in Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, considered an impregnable fortress of the BJP. It is a dharmayudh (a crusade), not an ordinary poll battle. It is a fight against those who are conspiring against nation, the self-proclaimed god woman told reporters in Bhopal on Wednesday. Ms Thakur, 48, who was a leader of the Akhil Bharativya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJPs student, was declared the BJPs candidate for Bhopal hours after she formally joined the party. It is absolutely no big challenge for me (to defeat Mr Singh). I am going to win the elections, she said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. Kandi/ Raghunathganj (WB): Trinamul Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday came out in support of DNK leader Kanimozhi, whose residence was searched by central agencies. Ms Banerjee accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being a fascist, for unleashing a reign of fear and trying to threaten parties opposed to him. Ms Kanimozhi is being harassed as DMK is opposed to BJPs divisive politics in south India, she told a poll rally at Kandi in Murshidabad district. Charging Modi with ruling the country by unleashing a reign of fear, Banerjee said that the country has never seen a Prime Minister like Modi who is feared by everyone instead of being loved and respected. It is a shame that BJP is using central agencies against Opposition leaders and parties to harass them. Yesterday the Income Tax (department) without any reason raided Kanimozhis house. Just because DMK and its leader M.K. Stalin are opposed to Narendra Modi and BJP, they (DMK leaders) are being unneccessarily harrassed, Banerjee said. Election officials assisted by those from the I-T department Tuesday searched the Kanimozhis residence at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. DMK president M.K. Stalin in a statement said the raids were an outcome of fear of a damning defeat for BJPs candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan in Tuticorin. For us a leader is a person who is loved and respected by people from various sections of the society. But for the first time since Independence, we have a leader like the prime minister who is ruling the country by a reign of fear. We have never seen such a fascist prime minister who is ruling like Hitler, Banerjee said. BHUBANESWAR: A group of Maoists on Wednesday unleashed terror in Odishas Kandhamal district by killing a poll official and torching a vehicle carrying election officials. Reports said the rebels blew up a polling van by triggering a landmine explosion at Barala village under Gocchapada village in Kandhamal district. Soon after, the opened fired at the injured polling officials killing one of them on the spot and three others were injured. The deceased was identified as Sanjukta Digal. The injured were rushed to Kandhamal district headquarters hospital. In another act of violence in the same Kandhamal district, the extremists threatened the poll officials and forced them to alight from the vehicle. The incident took place this morning when the poll officials were heading towards a booth located at Mungunipadar under Phiringia police limits in the district. The red rebels set the vehicle on fire after the officials vacated it. All poll officials were reportedly safe. Notably, banners and posters by the Maoists had earlier surfaced in the district, in which the ultras had urged the people to boycott the polls. The rebels, in the posters, opposed outsiders contesting from Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat. While the ruling BJD has fielded Dr Achyuta Samanta of Jagatising-hpur district, the BJP has fielded ex-MP Kharavela Swain for the seat. Following the Maoist violence, security was heightened in Kandhamal and other parts of the state for smooth conduct of the general elections. Five Lok Sabha constituencies Aska, Kandh-amal, Sundergarh, Barga-rh and Bolangir and 35 Assembly constituencies under them will go to elections in the second phase of 2019 polls on Thursday. Police DIG (western range) Kabita Jalan said that as per guidelines of the Election Commission of India, polling booths have been categorised as sensitive and critical and the scale of security deployment has been done in those booths accordingly. Congress president Rahul Gandhi offers prayers for his father and late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi near Papanasini where his ashes were immersed when he visited Thirunelli temple in Wayanad on Wednesday. Wayanad: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hailed Wayanad as a model for the rest of the country because of its glorious traditions of culture and communal amity. Addressing a massive gathering at the St Marys College grounds in Sult-han Bathery, Mr Gandhi rebutted the BJP propaganda about his choice of the constituency and said: I will send a message to the rest of the country that there is a place called Wayanad in the South where people work together to resolve their problems peacefully. He wanted to represent not only Amethi but also the voice of South India and realised that Wayanad was the best place. Because it represents different ideas and different cultures, he said and added that almost all communities can be found in this beautiful place. What is more important is the way the communities live together. Kerala is an example for peaceful coexistence, he said Throughout his speech, Rahul touched an emotional chord with the people saying that he had come to meet them not as a politician but as a brother, son and friend. Rahul Gandhi said that he has been fighting against the ideologies of Narendra Modi and RSS for the last five years. And the thinking behind their ideology is that one perspective, one person and one idea should rule this country, he said and pointed out that he has realised through extensive travel across the country that there are multiple voices, ideas and languages. He also promised the people to work with them to resolve their issues, including the decade-old ban on night traffic through National Highway, the human-animal conflict, lack of modern medical facilities and the conflict between development and environment. I dont believe in imposing solutions, but I believe in the wisdom and intellect of the people who can suggest solutions, he said. He came to the place about 30 minutes late but thousands of people, including women and children, waited patiently to have a look at the leader. He earlier performed rituals at the Mahavishnu Temple, Tirunelli, to propitiate the forefathers, including his father Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi, and also for the martyrs of Pulwama terrorist attack. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. 'I am used to such bashing. Now, they are blaming the entire community while defaming me. If you dare to defame a community, I will not tolerate it,' he said. (Photo: ANI | Twitter) Solapur: Attacking Congress and Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he is being targeted because he is from backward community. "The Congress and its allies say that all Modis in the society are thieves. The Congress and its allies have not kept any shortcomings in abusing of my backward caste. This time they have crossed the limits and abused the entire backward society," Modi said. "I have a question. Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We don't know how many more such Modis will come out," Gandhi had said recently. PM Modi said that he was used to such bashing. "Now, they are blaming the entire community while defaming me. If you dare to defame a community, I will not tolerate it," he said. He asked why label the entrie backward community thieves by calling him one. Addressing a poll rally in Maharashtras Madha, Modi slammed the dynastic politics of Sharad Pawar and claimed the NCP chief had "fled" the poll arena from Madha Lok Sabha constituency as he sensed defeat. Modi said to run such a big country, we need a strong leader. Slamming Gandhi, Modi said, "The 'naamdar' (dynast) first tried 'chowkidar chor hai' (slogan). Now they are trying to defame a backward community (Modi community). Being from a backward community, I am used to the suffering." Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading Mysuru: There may be many who believe otherwise but former chief minister and the ruling coalitions co-ordination committee head, Mr Siddaramaiah firmly believes that the so-called Modi wave is non-existent in the country as the BJP-led NDA government has failed to keep its promises or address the problems of the common man, farmers, youth and women. With the much-hyped achhe din remaining a dream, the BJP will not be able to win a majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha polls, said Mr Siddaramaiah during an interaction with media persons, hosted by Mysuru district journalists association on Tuesday. Asked what would work in favour of the Congress, the former CM said the alliances the party had struck with regional parties including the JD(S) in Karnataka would help it muster a good number of seats across the country and a minimum 20 in Karnataka enabling the UPA to bounce back to power at the Centre. On the BJPs claim that it was able to provide a stable government during its five-year tenure and people were aspiring for the same stability again, Mr Siddaramaiah quipped, Were the governments led by Dr Manmohan Singh for 10 years, Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi for 17 years and Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao for five years each, not stable? A stable government is not defined by its ability to remain in power for a long time but by the extent to which it makes people feel more secure. When asked if alliances had been beneficial to the Congress, he said, We won by huge margins in the bypolls held in Jamkhandi, Bellari, Mandya and Ramanagara last year while the margin of defeat in the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat fell drastically. Alliances will help us get a good number of seats. On the murmurs of discontent among Congress and JD(S) workers in places like Mandya and Mysuru, he asserted that there was no conflict in the coalition though there was dissatisfaction at the workers level. The JD (S) and Congress were rivals for several years but things are settling down now. I campaigned in Chamundeswari constituency with Mr G.T. Devegowda (who defeated him in the Assembly polls), we did not see any conflict among party workers. Our bigger enemy is the BJP, not JD (S), he said. When asked if the Lok Sabha poll results and the stability of the coalition government were interlinked, he said, There is no connection, the coalition government will continue. Recently, in Chamarajnagar, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa said the coalition government will collapse after May 23. Even if Yeddyurappa turns upside down (thipparlaaga haakidru sarkaara beesak aagalla), they cannot topple the coalition government in the next four years. On reports doing the rounds that the BJP would amend the Constitution if the party comes to power again, the former CM said, During the tenure of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a committee led by former Chief Justice of India Venkatachalaiah was formed to review the Constitution. (But it was stopped after several protests by the Congress and others. Without the knowledge of Mr Modi and Amit Shah, is it possible for a minister (Anant Kumar Hedge) to make statements on amending the Constitution? When asked why he was adamant on retaining Mysuru-Kodagu seat for the Congress, he said, We had won in Mysuru in 13 of the 16 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won thrice and the JD (S) has never won here. Also our vote share here is more. On Mr Narendra Modis reported call to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the Indian army, he said, Patriotism is being used to mislead people but they (BJP) will not benefit. Was the Indian army not there in the past 16 elections? Even we respect the army. It was Lal Bahadur Shastri who gave the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. In the post-independence era, there have been 12 surgical strikes and four wars. It is the first time that the army has been dragged into politics. The Congress which fought for Independence does not have to learn patriotism from the BJP. Who gave voting rights to those who turn 18? It was late Rajiv Gandhi. The Constitution and democracy are in grave danger. Unemployment has increased by 6.2 percent, which is the highest in the past 40 years, he said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading. The ruling AIADMK on Wednesday approached the Election Commission with a complaint of a violation of model code of conduct against DMK president M K Stalin for addressing the media. (Photo: File) Chennai: The ruling AIADMK on Wednesday approached the Election Commission with a complaint of a violation of model code of conduct against DMK president M K Stalin for addressing the media during the "silence period," saying it was an attempt at "indirect canvassing." The party also filed a number of other complaints with Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, including seeking action against MNM founder Kamal Haasan for a specific advertisement put out by it. Stalin was giving an interview to private channels and criticising the leaders of other parties and this was a clear violation of the model code of conduct, the complaint filed by party spokesperson and advocate R M Babu Murugavel said. The "silence period" had come into effect from 6 pm since Tuesday under the MCC, he said in an apparent reference to campaigning for Thursday's Lok Sabha polls to 38 seats in the state coming to an end. "The intention of Stalin is to canvas indirectly by way of addressing the press, which is against and violation of the Election Code of Conduct/Rules," the complaint said. The AIADMK requested the CEO to take action against the DMK chief, also state Leader of Opposition, by "issuing show cause notice for violating MCC" and also file a case against him. In a separate complaint, it alleged that during a media interaction after the Election Commission rescinded the April 18 Lok Sabha polls to the Vellore constituency, Stalin had "criticised" the commission for its decision, saying it was a "blatant violation" of the poll code. The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled on Tuesday by the EC following the recovery of a huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently. The AIADMK also alleged that during a recent election meeting in Kancheepuram, Stalin had reportedly urged voters to accept money and sought action against him for his remarks. Regarding Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), the AIADMK told the EC that it's a poll advertisement in a regional daily dated April 16 carried some "unwanted photos" which was against the model code of conduct. "Direct Kamal Haasan to stop further release of the advertisement and take action against him," it said. Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 prohibits election campaign activities through public meetings, processions, etc, and displaying of election matter by means of television and similar apparatus during 48-hours, between the deadline for the end of campaigning and the end of voting. The prohibition is aimed at providing a period of silence for quiet deliberation ahead of voting day. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. 'India is the land of Shivaji Maharaj and its security is responsibility of us all,' Shah said. (Photo: ANI). Tasgaon: Kashmir is an integral part of India and it would continue to remain so as long as the BJP exists, party president Amit Shah said here Wednesday. Shah's remarks came at a poll rally, in response to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's recent suggestion of having a separate prime minister for Kashmir. "No one can take away Kashmir from us. As long as the BJP exists, Kashmir will continue to be an integral part of India," Shah told the rally in western Maharashtra. "We will never allow two prime ministers in India," Shah said. The Congress wants to separate Kashmir from India, he added. Abdullah's comment that Jammu and Kashmir bargained for a separate Prime Minister and President and hopefully they would have it, has also drawn a strong response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who demanded during a series of poll rallies that the Congress explain its ally's comment. "India is the land of Shivaji Maharaj and its security is responsibility of us all," Shah said. Referring to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Shah said," If there is a goli (bullet) from there, India will send a gola (bomb) from here." Terrorists infiltrating in India will be searched and killed, he said. "Prime Minister Narednra Modi worked to make the country safe. Through Balakot air strike, we avenged the deaths of our soldiers," he said. "The chant of 'Phir ek baar Modi sarkar' is heard from all corners of the country now," the BJP chief said. Shah also targeted the Congress-NCP combine which was in power in Maharashtra for 15 consecutive years till 2014, when the BJP wrested power from it. "The Congress relegated Maharashtra on development front, while the BJP brought back the state on the path of development," he said. Five generations of Congress ruled the country but did nothing for India, he said. "What did (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi and (NCP president) Sharad Pawar do for the poor in India," Shah said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading. New Delhi: The BJP Wednesday demanded an apology from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his remarks suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became president because he was a Dalit. The party also urged the Election Commission to take cognisance of the matter and take action against Gehlot. "It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post made casteist remark against the president, who is the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said, addressing a press conference at the party office here. He said the remark showed "anti-Dalit" mindset of the Congress. "We request the Election Commission to take suo-moto cognisance of Gehlot's remarks against the president," he said. Rao said the BJP has also demanded an apology from Gehlot. Meanwhile, the party also attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his speech in Nanded. On Monday, Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of corruption and asked how come all "thieves" have 'Modi' as the common surname as he referred to fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. "Rahul Gandhi cannot accept the fact that a person from humble background, who is from a backward community, has become the Prime Minister today. For Rahul, only families can rule India," Rao said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading. The action of rescinding the suspension, party leaders claimed, was taken on the recommendations of Congress general secretary for West Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia. (Photo: File | PTI) New Delhi: The Congress was left red-faced Wednesday after its spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged that partymen, who had "misbehaved" and "threatened" her, were being let off. She lashed out at the party in public and accused it of giving preference to "lumpen goons" over those who had given their "sweat and blood" to the Congress. Chaturvedi, who is the Congress's communications department convener, said it is unfortunate and saddening that those who threatened her have got away without even "a rap on their knuckles". The Uttar Pradesh Congress had suspended some workers for misbehaving with Chaturvedi during a press conference in Mathura a few days ago. But, on Monday, the party issued a communication in which it rescinded all actions taken earlier against such workers who "misbehaved" with Chaturvedi in Mathura. "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in Congress over those who have given their sweat and blood. "Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," she tweeted. The action of rescinding the suspension, party leaders claimed, was taken on the recommendations of Congress general secretary for West Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia. Chaturvedi has been trending on social media for her "Kyunki Mantri Bhi Kabhi Graduate Thi" jibe at Union minister Smriti Irani, who is contesting from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh against Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading. Chennai: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has claimed that democracy is in great danger and usage of EVMs should be stopped. Also, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the nation, he urged the electorate of Tamil Nadu to vote out the Modi government at the Centre. What is there in Tamil Nadu now is not Anna DMK (AIADMK). It is Modi MK. Even one vote polled for AIADMK is a vote cast for Modi, the Andhra Pradesh CM said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at Anna Arivalayam DMK headquarters here, the TDP supremo who commenced his speech in Tamil, before switching to English, said that the relationship between the Tamils and Telugus is like brothers. Training his guns on Modi, he said I want to appeal to Tamil Nadu voters that democracy is in danger. Narendra Modi has done so much injustice to the nation and betrayed the nation. He said leaders like Periyar, former chief ministers M. G. Ramachandran and Annadurai were supportive of the people when they faced difficulties. Modi must learn from them. Kalaignar is a leader praised by the world. Stalin is like that now. People want to see Stalin as the Chief Minister, he said. Referring to the farmers protest in Jantar mantar for 100 days, he asked if the PM paid any attention to the ryots problems. Did he intervene in Jallikattu issue? he asked. On the EVMs, the CM said out of 10 populous countries, only three are using them partially. Germany one of the most advanced countries technologically started EVM in 2005 but discontinued its usage in 2009. Similarly, Netherland and Ireland also stopped it due to different concerns, he emphasised. He contended that EVMs are vulnerable, and that there is neither any auditing of EVMs today nor is there any regulator to oversee it. Lashing out at the Centre on the Income Tax raids, he alleged the searches were only targeted against those who opposed the BJP, and sought to know if similar raids were conducted in any BJP-ruled States. Income Tax raids were conducted only against DMK, Telugu Desam and (Karnataka Chief Minister) H D Kumaraswamy, he said sharing the dais with DMK candidates for the Lok Sabha elections to be held on Thursday. The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of targeting opposition leaders by using agencies like the Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, and said the people of India will give a befitting reply to the BJP in these elections. (Photo: File) New Delhi/Chennai: The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of targeting opposition leaders by using agencies like the Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, and said the people of India will give a befitting reply to the BJP in these elections. A day after income tax sleuths along with poll flying squad carried out raids at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi at Tuticorin, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said "the news" is that nothing was found during searches in her residence. The former finance minister alleged that the Income Tax department was taking "autocratic and partial" action in Tamil Nadu in the run up to Lok Sabha elections. "How is it that tip off on opposition leaders alone is received (by officials)," he wondered in his tweet in Tamil. He also said, "The marker of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu is the Income Tax departments autocratic and partial steps." Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that motivated I-T raids is the only tool left with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said the people can see through this. "Hounding Opposition leaders through motivated IT raids is the only tool left with Modiji. BJP has four allies- PM Modi, Sh Shah, ED and IT to fight these elections. People of India are seeing through this, they will give a befitting reply to BJP on May 23," Surjewala said on Twitter. Hounding Opposition leaders through motivated IT Raids is the only tool left with Modiji! BJP has four allies- PM Modi, Sh Shah,ED & IT to fight these elections! People of India are seeing through this,they will give a befitting reply to BJP on May 23!https://t.co/VOMQ5LMc26 Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 17, 2019 At the AICC briefing, when asked about the raids, Congress leader Kapil Sibal claimed that BJP is "flooded" with money and yet authorities are targeting opposition which is facing a cash "drought". "We all know that if any party is flooded with money, it is the BJP. The opposition is going through a drought period. And who is being targeted, those who are suffering from drought and those who are flooded are not being targeted. That's the beauty of Indian democracy and this government," he told reporters. "Cash: BJP flooded, Opposition drought. Yet Opposition raided (Kanimozhi). I guess Income Tax Authorities convinced BJP fighting this election without cash," Sibal also tweeted. Cash : BJP flooded Opposition drought Yet Opposition raided ( Kanimozhi ) I guess Income Tax Authorities convinced BJP fighting this election without cash ! Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) April 17, 2019 Election officials had Tuesday held searches at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuticorin in south Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. Authorities conducted a search at a store in Theni Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday night following inputs about suspected cash, during which police had to open fire in the air to disperse supporters of the TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK, who objected to the action. During the raids, cash to the tune of Rs 1.48 crore allegedly stashed to bribe voters was seized. The store was believed to be run by a supporter of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). Tamil Nadu goes to polls on Thursday. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. The chief minister said Modi came to power as he lured voters with his oratory skills and claimed the prime minister failed to fulfill any of his promises. (Image: File) Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning his contribution to the country over the last five years. "The prime minister failed on various fronts," Kumaraswamy said at an election meeting at Anavati in Shivamogga seeking votes for JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa. "Today when Modi is touring across the country, giving speeches and seeking votes, he asks people to vote for the security of the nation. Instead of development, he seeks vote for the safety and security of the nation," the chief minister said. Kumaraswamy appealed to the people to realise that the country was never insecure. The chief minister said Modi came to power as he lured voters with his oratory skills and claimed the prime minister failed to fulfill any of his promises. "You have to think what Narendra Modi has given to the nation. Did he provide any relief to the farmers? Did women get any security? Did he provide jobs to the unemployed youth? Which problem could he sort out?" the chief minister asked the gathering. Shivamogga is among the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that will go to the polls during the second phase on April 23. The first phase of polling, covering 14 other seats in the State, will take place Thursday. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. Madhu Bangarappa is the son of former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappa. He is in a direct fight with BJP candidate B Y Raghavendra, son of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analysis etc all. Happy reading. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. (Photo: File) Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he did not fall prey to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail, because India has the "mother of nuclear bombs". Addressing three poll rallies in his home state, Modi also claimed that the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. At a campaign rally at Surendranagar, Modi referred to the surgical strikes and air strikes by India inside Pakistan in response to terrorist attacks in Uri and Pulwama. "Earlier, terrorists from Pakistan would come here and go back after conducting an attack. Pakistan would threaten us, saying it has the nuclear bomb and will press the button (if India retaliated). We have nuclear of nuclear bombs (the mother of nuclear bombs). I decided to tell them, do whatever you want to do (but we will retaliate)," the Prime Minister said. "In the past our people would weep, go around the world saying Pakistan did this, did that....It is now Pakistan's turn to weep. Didn't our jawans kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not kill them by entering their houses? Shall we not take revenge for our martyred soldiers?" he asked the large crowd which replied in the positive. "Today is Mahavir Jayanti, the day to observe peace. But when shall we have peace? Will anyone listen to a weak man making an appeal for peace or to the warning of a strong man who can flex his mussels? Only the peace appeal of a strong man will be respected, not that of a weak person," Modi said. He also alleged that the Congress spoke ill of the armed forces. "You must have seen how the character of the Congress party has changed in this election. The way the Congress spreads lies, and questions the country's military, saying its seniors are street goons, the Air Force chief is a liar...If you say something like this, will it not make Pakistan happy?" he said. Modi also slammed the Congress for seeking proof of action against terrorists. "When we conducted the surgical strike, Congress questioned us. When we conducted the air strike, it asked for proof. Do you (Congress) trust your own sons or Pakistan's rhetoric?" the Prime Minister said. Earlier, speaking at a poll rally in Himmatnagar, Modi said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. Modi also said this election will decide if nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping sedition law. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a 'remote control government' and you know who was in control. In those 10 years, those sitting in Delhi tried to damage the interest of Gujarat and acted as if the state is not in India," Modi said. "Our police officers, and even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars. They (UPA) employed all means to break the Gujarat government," Modi said, alluding to the time when he was chief minister of the state. "Now should we give them a chance to destroy Gujarat once again? They (Gandhi family) are more angry as they are out on bail. They are thinking that they were ruling this country for four generations and this Gujju, this chaiwala forced them to go to the court and seek bail," he said. Modi said if voted to power again, he will ensure that they are behind bars. "You gave me a chance in 2014. I brought them (Gandhis) to the doors (of jail) and if you will give me another five years, they will go inside. But if they come to power again, their first target will be Gujarat, Modi said. Modi asked the crowd if people of Gujarat approve the language being used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi against him. "The British used golis (bullets), while the Congress is using gaalis (abuse) against us," he said. "Initially, they said anything about chaiwala, then they started saying things about chowkidar and now they are saying the entire community is chor, Modi said. Later, at a poll rally in Anand, Modi claimed that the Congress always insulted Sardar Patel and is now crushing his ideology too. "Congress has stomachache as the world's tallest statue is that of Patel," he said. Had Sardar Patel been the first prime minister of India, the country's situation would have been different, Modi said. "Congress operates through an eco-system by spreading lies. They will get a wrong story published in some paper. The next day, they will hold press conference," he said. "Congress will spread the wrong news against the government in the entire country through those who work in their eco-system," he said. "They will then get someone to file a PIL in the court on this "fake issue" and top advocate-leaders of Congress party will argue for the PIL. This is happening very often now," Modi said. Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses etc all. Happy reading. Bengaluru: Coming down heavily on Congress party as well as on Bangalore Central candidate, Rizwan Arshad, noted actor Prakash Raj, who is contesting from Bangalore Central seat as an Independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday lashed out at the party and Mr Arshad for posting photographs on social media platforms, which claimed he has backed out in favour of Mr Arshad. Immediately taking to Twitter, Mr Raj clarified that there was a candidate debate where he met Congress candidate (from Bengaluru Central) Rizwan Arshad. Mr Arshads PA has made a photograph of it (him shaking hands with Mr Arshad), sent it on WhatsApp groups which says that I have joined Congress, so you dont have to waste your vote on me. This was done by Mazhar Ahmed who claims to be Rizwans PA, Mr Raj said in his video clip. Mr Raj also claimed that he telephoned and slammed the lack of ethics of the person, who made the sick claim that the photos were a forward. How low can you stoop? Why dont they talk on issues, present a report card (on their performance) or develop a scientific temper with a vision for the problems we have in this country. Its sick and I am really angry about it. We need to teach these people ethics, the actor observed in an audio clip in which the telephonic conversation is recorded. The photograph of a handshake between Raj and Ahmed had gone viral on social media platforms, which was captioned Prakash Raj supports Congress. Dont waste your vote by giving it to Prakash Raj. It probably wasnt necessary for Benjamin Netanyahu, on the eve of the April 9 election, to declare that it was his intention to annex large chunks of the West Bank. He evidently did not wish to take any chances, though, despite the last-minute assistance from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Was it bluster? Probably not, especially if the far-right allies he needs to form his fifth coalition insist on that as the price for granting him immunity against pending corruption charges. It is often said that the ability to indict a sitting Prime Minister elevates Israel above other semi-democracies in West Asia, such as Egypt or Turkey. At the same time, there are not many democracies of any shade that would have re-elected a leader facing accusations of criminal misconduct. On the other hand, the status quo would hardly have been upended had the new Blue and White coalition led by former military chief Benny Gantz been elevated to a position where it could have had the first go at forming the next government. Ultimately, Blue and White fell just one seat short of Netanyahus Likud. Even with fewer seats, though, Likud may still have had a better chance of leading a fourth successive administration, given its willingness to form alliances with even the most retrograde elements on the political spectrum, including Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), representing the overtly racist heirs of assassinated rabbi Meir Kahane. His Kach party was outlawed by Israel in 1994 after a supporter killed 29 worshippers in a Hebron mosque; it was subsequently declared a terrorist outfit by the US. Even the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) felt obliged to distance itself from Netanyahu on this count, but more broadly remains a devout admirer, devoting its energies to denigrating American critics of Israel such as Rep. Ilhan Omar and Senator Bernie Sanders. It is quite amusing how AIPAC, shortly after Omar called it out for devoting its resources to encouraging blind faith in Israel and was slammed as anti-Semitic for doing so, the lobby group began funding advertisements against Sanders, who happens to be Jewish and leads the preliminary tussle among Democrats for next years presidential nomination. That, generally, is how most lobbying organisations operate, but its apparently anti-Semitic to associate Jews with money, even though some of them such as Sheldon Adelson, a leading far-right fundraiser, who didnt blanch or blink when Trump recently referred, at a gathering of Republican Jews, to Netanyahu as your Prime Minister, implying dual loyalty, a suggestion that would immediately have been slammed as anti-Semitic had it been made by a critic of Israel or Likud. Having earlier technically shifted the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, on the eve of the Israeli election Trump recognised Israels annexation of the Golan Heights, taken over from Syria in 1967, and furthermore declared Irans Revolutionary Guard to be a terrorist organisation. Netanyahu was quick to thank him, and promptly announced his intention to annex the West Bank, or at least substantial parts thereof. The US President has for two years trumpeted some kind of a peace plan for West Asia, masterminded by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and, to boot, the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who is inclined to go even further than Netanyahu in his support of the settlements illegal under international law, but mostly not under Israeli rules. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who has previously expressed the opinion that God possibly made Trump President to save the Jews (never mind that some of the most deplorable components of Trumps base are unabashedly anti-Semitic, even if they are rather impressed by Netanyahu in particular), recently noted that the annexation plans would not interfere with the White House-sponsored plan. Small wonder, then, that the Palestinians have preemptively rejected it, and that rejection may well be used as an excuse for annexing Palestinian territories. Netanyahus declaration on this front prompted a great deal of commentary along the lines that he was effectively killing any hope for a two-state solution. But that is nonsense. The two-state solution has been dead for years, even if it has not received a decent burial. The Israeli Prime Minister could certainly be accused of hammering the last nails into its coffin, but the gesture does not realistically mean much. The question is, what is the alternative? Logic points to a one-state solution leading to a binational democracy. But even that suggestion is deemed anti-Semitic because it would erode the possibility of an exclusively Jewish state. The likeliest prospect is an indefinite extension of the status quo alongside a slow but steady diminution of the occupied territories. The vague flicker of hope at the end of the tunnel has dimmed further since last week. But who will rage against the dying of the light? By arrangement with Dawn Unemployment being at a 45-year high it will be disastrous if Jet Airways, with 14,000 employees, is allowed to crashland. The airline suspended domestic and international Wednesday night as the Rs 400 crores it needed immediately to continue operations was refused by the State Bank of India. Hopes had been raised after it was reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked banks to bail out the airline, but the SBI didnt oblige. State-owned banks have to be cautious as they may face questions later from vigilance authorities and regulators for perceived malfeasance over losses. It will be interesting to see what decision is taken on May 10 by the SBI and the consortium of Indian lenders on the bid documents submitted by the airlines many eligible suitors. Jets fate will depend on a viable solution being found, and a quick revival of airline operations that will be a win-win for all parties concerned. It is imperative that a solution be found, particularly in the ongoing election season, as 14,000 jobs are at stake. Any failure will only add to the PMs troubles, specially after the notoriety earned over reneging on the promise to generate two crore jobs annually. As Jets fate hangs in the balance, its time to review the airline industrys working. Twelve airlines have gone down in 21 years, for varied reasons. There is cut-throat competition, leading to deep discounting of ticket prices. Airline turbine fuel and parking and landing charges are among the highest in India, not to mention poor infrastructure in cities like Mumbai and New Delhi. There are cases of aircraft parking for the night in Nagpur, not Mumbai, due to overcrowding and steep charges. The signs of activity at North Korea's main nuclear site come after the Hanoi summit between leader Kimg Jong Un and US President Donald Trump ended abruptly without agreement on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. (Photo: AFP) Washington: Satellite images from last week show movement at North Korea's main nuclear site that could be associated with the reprocessing of radioactive material into bomb fuel, a US think tank said on Tuesday. Any new reprocessing activity would underscore the failure of a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in late February to make progress toward North Korea's denuclearisation. Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies said in a report that satellite imagery of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site from April 12 showed five specialised railcars near its Uranium Enrichment Facility and Radiochemistry Laboratory. It said their movement could indicate the transfer of radioactive material. "In the past, these specialised railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns." the report said. "The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign." But a source familiar with US government assessments said that while US experts thought the movements could possibly be related to reprocessing, they were doubtful it was significant nuclear activity. Jenny Town, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Centre think tank, said that if reprocessing was taking place, it would be a significant given US-North Korean talks in the past year and the failure to reach an agreement on the future of Yongbyon in Hanoi. "Because there wasn't an agreement with North Korea on Yongbyon, it would be interesting timing if they were to have started something so quickly after Hanoi," she said. Trump has met Kim twice in the past year to try to persuade him to abandon a nuclear weapons programme that threatens the United States, but progress so far has been scant. The Hanoi talks collapsed after Trump proposed a "big deal" in which sanctions on North Korea would be lifted if it handed over all its nuclear weapons and fissile material to the United States. He rejected partial denuclearisation steps offered by Kim, which included an offer to dismantle Yongbyon. Although Kim has maintained a freeze in missile and nuclear tests since 2017, US officials say North Korea has continued to produce fissile material that can be processed for use in bombs. Last month, a senior North Korean official warned that Kim might rethink the test freeze unless Washington made concessions. Last week, Kim said the Hanoi breakdown raised the risks of reviving tensions, adding that he was only interested in meeting Trump again if the United States came with the right attitude. Kim said he would wait "till the end of this year" for the United States to decide to be more flexible. On Monday, Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brushed aside this demand with Pompeo saying Kim should keep his promise to give up his nuclear weapons before then. Town said any new reprocessing work at Yongbyon would emphasise the importance of the facility in North Korea's nuclear programme. "It would underscore that it is an active facility that does increase North Korea's fissile material stocks to increase its arsenal." A study by Stanford University's Centre for International Security and Cooperation released ahead of the Hanoi summit said North Korea had continued to produce bomb fuel in 2018 and may have produced enough in the past year to add as many as seven nuclear weapons to its arsenal. Experts have estimated the size of North Korea's nuclear arsenal at anywhere between 20 and 60 warheads. After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. (Photo: File) Beijing: China on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and France have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its "technical hold" on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. However, China blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, I don't know where you get such information." He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results," he said. On the issue of listing Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," he said. The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the UN Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they don't hope to bypass it to handle the issue," he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee." Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement. China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and France's moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesman's comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. Beijing: China on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and France have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its technical hold on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is moving towards settlement. After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. However, China bloc-ked the bid by putting a technical hold on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved dire-ctly to UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, I dont know where you get such information. He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 committee have rules and procedures. You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. Chinas position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We dont believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results, he said. On the issue of listing Azhar, Chinas position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement, he said. The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the UN Security Council. We firmly oppose that, he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner. Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement. On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue. Indonesian election workers dressed in superhero costumes register voters at a polling station in Surabaya on Wednesday. Indonesia kicked off one of the worlds biggest one-day elections, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. (Photo: AFP) Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has won a second five-year term, preliminary election results showed on Wednesday, in a victory for moderation over the nationalistic rhetoric of his rival, Prabowo Subianto. Vote counts from five independent survey groups showed Widodo with a clear lead over Subianto, a general during the era of the Suharto military dictatorship who warned Indonesia would fall apart without his strongman leadership. The so-called quick counts from reputable survey organisations that use a sample of polling stations have been reliable in past elections. With an average of 80 per cent of sample polling stations counted, the five survey organisations showed Widodo winning 54-56 per cent of the vote, a modest improvement on his 2014 showing. Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation, is an outpost of democracy in a Southeast Asian neighbourhood of authoritarian governments and is forecast to be among the worlds biggest economies by 2030. A second term for Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, could further cement the countrys two decades of democratisation. Addressing jubilant supporters a few hours after polls closed, Widodo said he was aware of his lead and called for the nation to reunite after the divisions of the campaign. From the indications of the exit poll and also the quick counts, we can see it all, but we must be patient to wait for the official counting from the Election Commission, he said. Subianto, who also lost to Widodo in the 2014 presidential election, had not yet conceded defeat. He said his campaigns exit poll and quick count showed that he had won but urged his supporters not to cause chaos. His campaign team has alleged massive voter list irregularities, but analysts say the claims are absurd and designed to undermine the election. The balloting was a huge logistical exercise with 193 million people eligible to vote, more than 800,000 polling stations and 17 million people involved in ensuring the polls ran smoothly. Helicopters, boats and horses were used to get ballots to remote and inaccessible corners of the archipelago. Conservative opponents had tried to discredit Widodo, a furniture exporter whose political career started as a small city mayor, as insufficiently Islamic. Widodo tried to neutralise the not-a-real-Muslim whispers with the selection of Maruf Amin, the leading Islamic cleric in Indonesia, as his running mate, though he risked alienating progressive and moderate supporters. Pre-election polls consistently gave a lead of as much as 20 percentage points to Widodo, widely known by the nickname Jokowi. Ive voted for Jokowi because five years in office was not enough for him to complete his brilliant programmes for infrastructure, health and education, said Eko Cahya Pratama, 43, after voting in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta. For me, this country is better to be managed by a man with a clean track record rather than a dirty one in the past, he said. After the results became clear, hundreds of Widodo supporters marched thro-ugh downtown Jakarta, some holding aloft a giant red and white Indonesian flag. Widodos campaign highlighted his progress in poverty reduction and improving Indonesias inadequate infrastructure with new ports, toll roads, airports and mass rapid transit. A The 1,381 kgs of gold seized by the flying squad of the Election Commission in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday was found to be belonging to countrys richest temple of Tirumala. The gold was deposited in Punjab National Bank for three years and the period expired some three weeks ago. The flying squad seized the gold as the staff of TTD carrying the gold had no proper documentation. TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal told media persons in Tirumala on Wednesday that the TTD Board had written to the PNB officials for restoration of the gold in the temple treasury. However, the Board has not received any letter from the PNB officials about bringing the gold to Tirumala. Equipped with a letter from TTD, Punjab National Bank officials from Tirupati left for Chennai to get the seized gold released. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board has been depositing the gold offered by the devotees of Lod Balaji in banks for the last several years for interest under gold monetisation scheme. The temple has deposited a total of 8,500 kgs of gold in several nationalised banks including State Bank of India, Andhra Bank, PNB and India Overseas Bank. PNB pays the highest 1.75 percent interest for gold. The other banks pay between 1.25 and 1.5 percent. Karnataka has not had a more fascinating and keenly contested Lok Sabha elections for quite some time. As the first round of the two-phase poll in the state begins on April 18, attention is clearly focussed on the straight electoral contest between the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) JD (S) alliance on the one hand and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other. Never in the recent past, has the state witnessed a straight fight between the two contending political formulations. The results from the state would not only have critical national ramifications but could well decide the future of the coalition government in the state. The backdrop for the polls in Karnataka would verily be the Assembly elections held a year ago. The voter in the state elected an Assembly in which no party emerged with a clear majority. While the BJP was ahead as the single largest party, it could not garner the required numbers even though provided an opportunity by the Governor. This paved the way for the formation of a Congress-JD(S) coalition government, with the smaller partner in the alliance bagging the Chief Ministers chair. It was clearly an alliance to keep the BJP out of power. It also cemented unity among the non-BJP forces in the state and was heralded as an experiment in uniting the non-BJP Opposition. The Lok Sabha elections from the state would be a critical test for the public response to this unity. For all the three key players, this election is critical. For the BJP, doing well in Karnataka is vital as this state is its only gateway to the South. In 2014, riding on a pro-Modi wave in Karnataka, the BJP won 17 seats. The Congress had to remain content with just 9 seats, though this was its highest tally in any of the states of the country in 2014. The JD(S) won two seats from is traditional strongholds. This time around, the Congress and the JD(S) were able to strike an alliance on seat sharing after protracted negotiations and heartburn in both camps. Both the parties concede that the alliance is a temporary arrangement for mutual survival and to challenge the BJP. It is clear that the glue that holds them together is to keep the BJP from winning. Many analysts have attempted to add up the vote share of the Congress and the JDS in the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and have asserted that the electoral arithmetic could well be in their favour. It is today conceded by most commentators that this election in Karnataka is not merely about the math but about the ground level chemistry that this election campaign is able to produce. It would be useful to assess the strengths and challenges faced by each of the political players in the electoral arena. Factors in BJPs campaign The BJP clearly sees Karnataka as a critical contributor to its 272+ game-plan. The frequent visits by the Prime Minister and other senior leaders of the party clearly underscore this point. The last time around (in 2014), all the BJP contestants from the state made it clear as part of their respective campaigns that electing them was ensuring one more seat for Narendra Modi in his prime ministerial bid. The CSDS-Lokniti Post Poll data of 2014 categorically indicates that while there was a strong anti-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) sentiment in the state, the Modi factor was crucial in propelling the party to victory. Six of every ten of those who voted for the BJP in the state stated that Modi was the factor that led them to vote for the party. This time around too, the party is banking on this factor. Yet unlike 2014, the BJP needs to defend its track record in governance rather than challenge the incumbent. The BJP has also played it safe by not replacing any of its sitting MPs, save one. Many of them are completing more than two terms and there could well be a mild breeze of anti-incumbency. Further, its claim to being a party with a difference, stands questioned with its giving tickets to several leaders who switched sides and joined them in the last minute. They have also thought it politically prudent to back the independent candidate in Mandya, as they see a vital opportunity to embarrass the JD(S). Questions have also been raised on whether the state unit of the party is working in unity. One saw an open rebellion in what was considered a largely cadre-based party, in the choice of many candidates. Will infighting which cost them victory in the 2013 Assembly elections be their undoing. What seems to work in favour of the party is the possible last mile advantage during the election campaign and its dedicated cadres on the ground. Challenges for Congress-JD(S) For the Congress party, succeeding in Karnataka is a significant factor in its attempts at a return to winning ways. The delay in the finalisation of the alliance and distribution of seats gave many of its candidates a late start. It also found it difficult to finalise candidates in several seats and did not risk changing sitting MPs. The biggest challenge that the party has faced is convincing its cadres and supporters of the need for an alliance with the JD(S). Especially in the Old Mysore region where the traditional competition has been between the Congress and the JD(S), the party cadres fear that the alliance may well lead to the BJP gaining ground in this region. Further, the factionalism within the party is patently visible, with leaders focussing on seats critical to their political future. As a result, one does not notice a well-planned strategy that cuts across constituencies, but more of constituency-specific plans keeping the local context in mind. The challenges that the party faces in Mysore and its inability to convince its cadres to work for the JD(S) candidate in Mandya is symptomatic of both the fissures within the alliance and the factionalism within the party. Many would also believe that the Congress conceded to the JD(S) much more seats than what was warranted. The fact that in the last minute the JD(S) returned back to the Congress the Bangalore North seat is an indication of the same. Further, with close to one-third of the seats (three of eight) being contested by the grandfather and his grandsons, the unhappiness within the JD(S) on the family control appears evident. The spirited defence of role of the family by the Chief Minister was indeed an honest reflection of ground reality but raised a host of questions on the internal democracy in political parties in India. For many of the seats it secured for itself, the JD(S) has fielded candidates who came to its fold merely to contest the elections. The election campaign has been quite shrill and negative with each party preferring to attack its opponents without really highlighting its own positive contribution. At the end of the day, the voter in Karnataka would assess the capacity of the competing political forces to present their agenda more effectively. While the BJP seeks votes for its leadership and a particular idea of India, the Congress-JD(S) have sought to shift the narrative to what they would term as the inability of the Modi government to deliver on its promises and sustain an inclusive agenda. Each of these narratives would play out in the constituency specific context. This is clearly an election too close to call. (Sandeep Shastri is a political/election analyst. He is Pro Vice Chancellor, Jain University and National Coordinator, Lokniti Network) Gun exchanges send civilians to forests/bushes Archives The fallout of the ongoing sociopolitical unrest in the Anglophone regions, has seen over a good number of persons, seeking refuge in the forests and bushes, with some establishing settlements. This invasion, according to environmentalists, pose a threat to animal habitat especially the future of some endangered species in forests or parks within the North West and the South West region. Coordinator of an environmental nongovernmental organisation and Award winning Environmental journalist Regina Leke, explains that the Cross River gorilla( found in forests along the Cameroonian-Nigerian border of Cross River State), like many other gorilla subspecies, prefers a dense forest habitat that is uninhabited by humans. Due to the Cross River gorillas body size they require large and diverse areas of the forest to meet their habitat requirements. To her, they risk migrating, which can easily lead to extinction. "It's a specie that is found only in that part of the world and they are less than 300 of them in the wild. With the current crisis, many people have moved to the forests, minus those who are seeking shelter in the forests. Most of these areas have become the camps of separatist fighters. I take for example the camps of Lebialem Division, which has some of these Cross River gorillas. It is at the highlands in a protected area that the government created in 2014. Now the Red Dragons are like the most dangerous separatist group. They are living in the forest and they are using some of these animals as food., said Leke. "Moreover they are establishing settlements, which reduces the habitat of the gorillas and other wildlife specie. So this can cause these animals to move, whereas migration is very dangerous for some species. Because when they migrate out of their comfort zones, some of them loss their lives, some find themselves in towns and are shot, some of them move to forest areas they are not used to and they end up dying. The crisis has affected endemic wildlife species., continued Leke. She regretted that another specie, Nigerian-Cameroon Chimpanzees around Oku as well as others were at risk. You cannot actually stop these persons from eating the animals because people have to feed. So what we can do is to join voices in calling on government to provide solutions to the ongoing crisis, so that life can return to normal and animals regain their place in the forests Another concern raised by the environmental journalist is the fact that some protected areas have become very exposed, due to the absence of Eco-guards, who have all ran away, abandoning the parks. She mentioned the Takamanda park in Mamfe which has rare species like the Nigeria-Cameroon Chimpanzees. "If a park is now exposed, the eco-guard that usually go there twice every month to do anti-poaching patrols to secure the forest, are no longer going there, imagine what is happening. Poachers even from different countries might exploit the area. Because we have what we call the trans boundary trade, which is a very dangerous activity to wildlife. They come, kill elephants, take their tusks in all impunity. What is happening at the Takamanda national park, is the same thing that is happening at the Korup national park in Mundemba, all eco-guards have fled, everybody is running for their lives., said the environmentalist. In order to preserve its wildlife, Cameroon created more than 20 protected reserves comprising of national parks, forest reserves, zoos and sanctuaries. In the Anglophone regions where people have fled their hoes to forests, and Eco guards abandoning their roles, it is feared that the country might loose its most cherished species. SALT LAKE CITY Police have arrested a man who they say has been "peeping and creeping" around a Salt Lake apartment complex since last year. Luis Alberto Rojano, 39, of Salt Lake City, was arrested March 27 for investigation of voyeurism, driving on a suspended license, driving without an interlock device and having an open container in his vehicle, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. Formal charges had not been filed as of Tuesday. But a search warrant affidavit indicates that police are having Rojano's cellphone examined by the Utah State Crime Lab to determine how extensive the alleged voyeurism might be. On March 20, Rojano went to an apartment complex at 650 N. 300 West "and looked into multiple windows of one of the apartments, using a bench to help him look in a window," according to the report. A woman who lives in the apartment was able to record Rojano using a surveillance camera, the warrant states. "I learned from the resident that Rojano had been coming to this apartment complex for possibly years peeping in windows," the warrant states. "The complex manager had several videos of Rojano peeping and creeping on the property." The complex manager referred the officer to the apartment complex president who "stated not only had she captured him on video peeping in a residents window, she had also caught him getting into a vehicle as he was leaving the complex," the affidavit states. Investigators collected information from residents and learned that Rojano was typically peering into windows on Wednesdays between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to the warrant. On Wednesday, March 27, an officer conducted surveillance on the complex and reported spotting Rojano on the property. "Rojano initially lied, but eventually confessed to peeping in windows since December 2018 at this apartment complex," according to the warrant. "Rojano stated he peeped in windows because it excited him sexually and gave him an adrenaline rush," the police report added. SALT LAKE CITY Multiple environmental groups teamed up Tuesday to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior, challenging its 2018 decision to allow a coal mine expansion 12 miles southwest of Bryce Canyon National Park. The complaint filed in U.S. District Court for Utah asserts the federal agency failed to take a "hard look" at the impacts that will come from the Alton Coal mine expansion, including pollution from trucks, possible impairment of night skies and noise. Alton Coal wants to mine an estimated 31 million tons of recoverable coal in a federal lease involving 2,114 acres. The lease is for 16 years, according to the suit, with an additional 10 years of reclamation activity. As Alton Coal Development sought the expansion, it touted the more than 100 new jobs it would bring, the generation of $6.5 million in wages and nearly $200 million in royalty revenue, of which Utah would get half. The lawsuit brought by the environmental groups says the negative impacts of coal mining such as dust, noise and pollution were not adequately contemplated by the federal agency and thus in violation of federal environmental laws. "The federal defendants' failure to take a hard look at the indirect and cumulative impacts of emissions from coal combustion violates (the law). The Bureau of Land Management's approval of the lease is therefore arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law," the suit states. In statement released by the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, the group's executive director, Jonny Vasic, said the BLM ignored health impacts. "The medical research on air pollution is well-established there is no safe level of air pollution exposure. Even levels far below the EPAs national standards precipitate a long list of human diseases, acceleration of the aging process and premature death," Vasic said. The suit was brought by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Parks Conservation Association, Grand Canyon Trust and WildEarth Guardians. The Stable bridge to a healthier Utah op-ed published on April 10 was confusing and misleading to anyone who has followed the journey from Proposition 3 to the legislatures replacement, SB96. It is inaccurate to state that 150,000 Utahns benefit from the new partial expansion in reality, roughly half of those potential enrollees are now being left out. It is also inaccurate to state that this partial expansion will create 14,000 jobs. That data from Utah Health Policy Project was based on the benefits of returning federal tax dollars to our state tax dollars that we are still largely leaving behind due to the legislatures plan. So much of the Stable bridge opinion piece would have been true under Proposition 3, but that is not what we ended up with. The reality of Medicaid expansion in Utah is a broken bridge approach that leaves tens of thousands of people falling through the cracks. Without full Medicaid expansion the benefits to low-income Utahns are not the same. Without full Medicaid expansion the benefits to Utahs economy cannot be the same. The legislative changes are absolutely not positive and necessary. They are more expensive, cover fewer people, subject to costly legal challenges, and could radically alter Utahs entire Medicaid system with potentially catastrophic long-term repercussions. There was a stable bridge to Medicaid expansion and Utahns voted for it in November. Unfortunately, our elected officials cut it down and partially closed the gap with a rickety replacement. Stacy Stanford Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY In March 2014, tragedy struck the Lindblad family when Lisa Lindblad was placed on life support as a result of brain cancer. For a lot of families, knowing what to do next is almost impossible. But her husband, David Lindblad, knew what steps were next, thanks to his wife's advance directive she had filled out before she went on life support. "For me, the advance directive made it so I knew that I was doing exactly what she wanted when she couldn't speak for herself," David Lindblad said in a video interview produced by the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Tuesday, in honor of National Healthcare Decisions Day, Huntsman Cancer Institute officials urged patients to fill out an advance directive legal documents that outline a person's health care wishes in the event they become unable to speak for themselves. "We never know when something might happen where we won't be able to speak up," said Sue Childress, director of nursing for the cancer institute. It's important to fill the form out before a crisis, Childress noted. "When no one's sick, when no one's in crisis, when everybody can just talk about it, is a much better time to have that conversation," she said. "Take your time filling out the paperwork and not feeling like you've got a timeline here, you know it's a matter of life and death situation." The paperwork itself is about eight pages and starts with naming a trusted person who would be in charge of a person's medical decisions if they ever were unable to speak for themselves. Dr. Jamie Brant, supportive care oncologist with the institute, encouraged healthy people to consider filling the form out in case anything happens. "Even if you're not having anything done, just having these conversations early I think makes a huge difference," Brant said. "Because it's really unpredictable." For David Lindblad, knowing his wife's wishes helped bring him peace of mind when she died. "That's the thing is that doing what we knew that she wanted leaves no regret. I don't have any of that," he said in the video. "I mean, I know everything we did was 100 percent what she wanted from the time that she couldn't speak for herself till she died." Only 37 percent of people in the U.S. have an advance directive, according to research published in Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed medical journal. Both Brant and Childress said they want that number to increase. "I think it's just never knowing what the next day will bring, being able to be clear about what's important to you and what brings quality of life so that decisions can be made to align with that," Brant said. While filling out the form helps family members or caretakers through the process, it isn't a perfect system, Brant said. "It's certainly not perfect even if you complete them, there's still tremendous grief with loss," she said. "But knowing that you were able to do what your loved one wanted or would've wanted in that situation I think alleviates at least a small part of that" This was true for the Lindblad family. Per Lisa Lindblad's wishes, she was removed from life support. However, she didn't immediately die, and in her advance directive she had requested that in that scenario she would like to be taken home to live her final hours. Her daughter, Ann-Marie Lindblad, said in the video that because her family knew what her mother wanted, no one wasted precious time arguing over what to do. "Nobody was fighting in the end, nobody was arguing if that was the right thing to do, nobody was, you know blaming anybody," she said. Instead, she said her family was able to enjoy her mother's last night alive and spend time with her knowing they had given her what she wanted. For families or caretakers who are now in charge of medical decisions for their loved one, who have no idea what they would want, it can be extremely difficult for them, Brant said. "(If) they've never discussed it and they really don't have a sense of what their loved one would want, (it) creates not only distress during that event but when and if the patient dies the grief that occurs afterwards can become more complicated with wondering if you made the right decision," she said. SALT LAKE CITY As the race for mayor of Utah's capital city continues to heat up, campaign finance reports show there's already plenty of money pouring into the competition. And while some candidates are just barely launching their campaigns, others are already hundreds of thousands of dollars in even though the candidate deadline isn't until June and the primary in August. In total, early bird candidates have already raised more than $473,000 combined, according to the most recent reports filed with Salt Lake City. But as more campaigns get off the ground, that amount will inevitably grow perhaps into what could become Salt Lake City's most expensive race yet. The front-runner, at least as far as dollars go, is businessman David Ibarra, with over $234,000 and counting. That's more than double what other campaigns have raised early on. "I am incredibly enthusiastic as to where we stand today as opposed to where we started," Ibarra told the Deseret News on Tuesday. Ibarra who is well known in Democratic circles but otherwise unknown to the overall voter collective said he started out with a name recognition disadvantage that his campaign estimates will cost him $300,000 to combat. Already his campaign has spent about $130,000 on digital ads and canvassing efforts he said are paying off. "Our name recognition has changed dramatically," Ibarra said. The most recent campaign finance reports were filed in February, with the next deadline not due until July 1. Ibarra declined to disclose more recent totals, but said his campaign contributions "are growing and will continue to grow, and we're delighted with our campaign efforts." University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank said it is somewhat surprising to see Ibarra take an early lead in fundraising because he struggles with name recognition, "but on the other hand" it's not surprising because of Ibarra's business background. Still, Burbank said Ibarra isn't necessarily a "leading candidate" at least not yet because he's up against opponents with much better name recognition, including former state Sen. Jim Dabakis and Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City. Money isn't everything in this race, Burbank said, though he added that Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski's withdrawal from the race "really opens things up" and could mean more players will be willing to pump money into the race now that more candidates appear to have a shot at the seat with no incumbent. "Those are all factors that make it harder to figure out exactly what's going to happen," Burbank said. Other campaigns Behind Ibarra, David Garbett, former executive director of the Pioneer Park Coalition, has raised more than $111,000. Dabakis has raised more than $100,000. Former Salt Lake City Councilman Stan Penfold has raised over $26,000. Those figures have likely grown since the February filing, along with fundraising for candidates who announced campaigns after the most recent contribution report deadline. Campaigns for Escamilla, Salt Lake City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall and former Downtown Community Council Chairman Christian Harrison haven't yet reported campaign fundraising efforts. Harrison sent a prepared statement saying he looks forward to releasing his disclosures in July and that he's "well on my way to funding an efficient, competitive and exciting campaign." "I'm committed to running my campaign for mayor the same way I will run this city: with the kind of leadership that gets all of us involved not just the well-heeled and well-connected," Harrison said. "Publicly funded campaigns are the only way to amplify the very voices we need so desperately to hear and to limit the corrupting influence of money in politics." Rudy Miera, Escamilla's campaign manager, also declined to disclose campaign finance totals ahead of the July deadline, but said, "We are very excited about the level of excitement that our campaign has received, and we're looking forward to this being an exciting race." Patrick Costigan, campaign manager for Mendenhall's campaign, said, "We've had a large amount of enthusiasm since announcing" the councilwoman's campaign. "I'm confident we'll be competitive when we file our first report in July," he said. Candidates including Aaron Johnson, a veteran; Richard Goldberger, a freelance journalist; and former Salt Lake City Council candidate Carol Rogozinski have opened personal campaign committees but haven't reported any campaign donations at this point. Goldberger told the Deseret News he hasn't raised any money yet, but he's "a guy with tremendous ideas" and he's a "different kind of candidate." Rogozinski said she also doesn't have much to report because she hasn't been actively trying to raise money and she's considering dropping out because she's now "more interested" in running for the Salt Lake City School Board in 2020. Johnson didn't return a request for comment Tuesday. The money For Ibarra, a big chunk of cash has come from his own pockets: $50,000. His campaign is also largely funded by businesses, with several donating the maximum allowed under Salt Lake City's mayoral race donation limit of $3,560. Big-dollar donations to Ibarra also include contributions from car dealerships across the state, including at least $21,000 from Murdock dealerships. As an owner of multiple businesses in consulting, insurance and technology, Ibarra said they're all in some way "related" to the automotive industry, "so if somebody needs help, I'm often the person they go to." In turn, those businesses want to support his campaign, he said. "If you look at my donor list, my money is coming from folks that know me, who believe (in me)," Ibarra said. "I'm very thankful to the folks that I've served all over this country that are wanting to be supportive in my effort to be mayor of Salt Lake City." Ibarra said those companies wouldn't be treated differently in the mayor's office if he won the election. "How could they get any special treatment?" he said. "They're not developers." For Dabakis, an art dealer, much of his campaign is also self-funded. He's cut several checks totaling about $58,000 to his own campaign. That's because, the former lawmaker said, he's "snooty about who I'll take money from." "Look, my whole life I have said, 'I hate pay-to-play.' I just hate it," Dabakis said, adding that he's at times returned donations because "I don't want money from people that are going to expect favors back." "But on the other hand, it costs money to run a campaign," Dabakis added, so he said he funds his campaign so he can stay competitive and still focus on ground-level campaigning. Garbett, whose family owns the home building company Garbett Homes, has received at least eight maximum donations from his own family members, totaling about $28,000. "They're enthused about my campaign. I would hope my family would believe in me," Garbett said, laughing. He said he started with reaching out to family and friends for support before branching out to other donors. Garbett said his initial fundraising "far exceeded my expectations" and put his campaign on "good footing" toward its goal to raise between $300,000 and $400,000. "I think we are about halfway to where we want to be," he said. Penfold, on the other hand, has taken in funds from the biggest number of donors, though the donations have been smaller, and none have approached the maximum amount allowed, according to financial reports. In a campaign email circulated at the close of the first financial quarter, Penfold thanked supporters for help reaching their first fundraising goal. "This campaign will not be won or lost by which candidate raises the most money, but by the ability to show broad, grassroots support in our community," Penfold wrote. "We accomplished that today." SOUTH SALT LAKE One man is in the hospital and another is in jail after a man confronted passengers leaving a bus at a South Salt Lake TRAX station, shooting haphazardly and hitting one man in the leg. Utah Transit Authority officials said the man yelled at passengers as they disembarked a bus around 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Meadowbrook Station, 3900 S. 300 West. The man then pulled out a gun, and without aiming it anywhere in particular, fired a single shot. That bullet hit another man in the leg, and the shooter tried to run from the scene but was apprehended by UTA police about five minutes after someone called for help. Police were still looking for the weapon an hour after the incident. Police said they don't believe the two men knew each other. The injured man was taken to the hospital in good condition, while the alleged shooter was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Busses were re-routed slightly and the TRAX platform was inaccessible while police investigated the incident. SALT LAKE CITY Catholics in Utah are continuing Holy Week celebrations while the tragic fire that tore through the faith's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris remains a fresh wound. "We're all kind of pretty devastated and overwhelmed by such a tragedy. The idea of such a historic building being devastated by fire, I think, is almost incomprehensible and certainly overwhelming," said the Very Reverend Martin Diaz, pastor at Salt Lake City's Cathedral of the Madeleine. First alarms triggered by the blaze rang out about 6:20 p.m. Monday. Within hours, the building's famed spire was destroyed, along with the roof's wooden beams. By 11:23 p.m., the Paris fire chief said firefighters had saved the rest of the structure. The impact reached worldwide and into Salt Lake City. "Our office here has been inundated with calls for people who want to make a donation, to help the reconstruction. So we've started a fund to give people the opportunity to make a donation, and then we'll send that to the Arch Diocese of Paris for the reconstruction," the Rev. Diaz told the Deseret News on Tuesday. He recalled times when he and the Choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine visited Notre Dame to perform and he helped lead services with the rector. "And I can only imagine how devastated he is," the Rev. Diaz said. He said he believes some worshippers are now questioning "the safety of our own cathedral. People (are) asking the question, 'What do you have in place?' The fire sprinkler system, the fire extinguishers, and that. I think this is not just a building but it's like an icon that reminds us of our connection to God. Very Reverend Martin Diaz, pastor at Salt Lake City's Cathedral of the Madeleine "I think people want to make sure that our own Cathedral of the Madeleine, an icon that it is, just a beautiful building that we have, so blessed to have here in Salt Lake City, is protected. Which it is," according to the Rev. Diaz. Meanwhile, eighth graders at St. John the Baptist Middle School in Draper on Tuesday performed the Stations of the Cross, a Christian devotion that focuses on events of Jesus Christ's day of crucifixion. "This is one of our most holy weeks for Catholics as we're leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and his ultimate resurrection," said school principal Patrick Reeder. The devotion benefited the students who performed it as well as those who were able to see it, Reeder said. "They're very moving, not only for the people that are watching it but also for the students." Holy Week represents the most important event on the liturgical calendar and is even bigger than Christmas, according to Reeder. In deference to that observance, he declined to discuss the fire at Notre Dame. "It's meant as a time of rest and reflection for all Catholics. And celebration. That's probably the more important part, the celebration." Diaz said he doesn't know if more people might come to church this week, but "I think people are sad and just recognizing the beauty that God gives us, and I think this is not just a building but it's like an icon that reminds us of our connection to God." Like Holy Week itself, the cathedral "reminds us of our connection with Jesus," he said. Donations for the reconstruction of Notre Dame can be made at the Cathedral of the Madeleine's mass or by calling the cathedral's office at 801-328-8941 and using a credit card. Donations can also be made directly on the Notre Dame de Paris website. Contributing: Paul Nelson Combats a Mamfe - 14/12/2017 Facebook Families of some nine contractors have expressed worry over the whereabouts of their sons, following their disappearance for over four months, during a mission they recently took to Mamfe, in the South West region. Relatives of one of the contractors by name, Tefang Dieudonne is said to have contacted a popular blogger, Mimi Mefo, to announce their disappearance. "The last time we spoke to him on phone was on December 5th, 2018. He told us that the network connection was poor. Since December 7th we have not heard from him... He has left a family behind, stranded. We are tired of carrying out findings; we have received no call yet. Taking care of the kids alone has been extremely difficult....", said the wife of Tefang Dieudonne. Family members say they left to Mamfe, to construct a bridge in Ebinci, and no word has been heard from them. Giving that Manyu division is one of the most hit areas of the fallout of gun exchanges between military and armed separatists, concerns are being raised over their silence for this long. Tefangs wife revealed that her husband, who traveled with eight other workers was coordinating the project under the Brecg company. The management of the company according to reports, hasnt yet explained what happened to Tefang Dieudonne and eight of his colleagues who are; Meuka Eliot, Efendenne Francois, Dawai Justin, Kouakam Joseph, Yomeni Romeo, Djouda Romuald, Fankem Amand, and Yovla Fidelis Suilaru. "Since they disappeared, the company has not uttered a word, we have been carrying out investigations on our own, and this has been totally fruitless, she continued. Hopes are high that these workers are still alive, as Tefangs wife continues to pray for his safe return along with the other eight workers. It remains unclear how the nine contractors went missing, but according to the site, sources have pointed accusing fingers at armed separatists, whom on their part have stayed mute on the subject, nor called the families for ransoms. SALT LAKE CITY Heres a look at the news for April 17. Which Salt Lake City mayoral candidates are ahead in fundraising? The race is already flush with cash. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney just sponsored a bill that would end a conflict between the federal government and Utah. So what is the bill about? After Notre Dame fire, Utah Catholics celebrate Holy Week with fresh wound. Ex-Davis High teacher who sexually abused students is seeking parole. BYUs Mark Pope is putting together his staff and setting sights on international recruiting. Ahead of FanX, Aladdin and Full House actor says he can never forget Robin Williams wild energy. In an opinion piece, Tom Christofferson says church policy change should remind us to listen with love this Easter. A look at our political coverage: A look at our most popular stories: News from the U.S. and world: SALT LAKE CITY In the future, if you need a new heart, scientists may be able to simply make one. Scientists in Israel have 3D-printed an artificial heart using human cells, according to research published Monday in the journal Advanced Science. "This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," Professor Tal Dvir of Tel Aviv University's School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology said in a statement published by CNN. Already, scientists have used 3D bio-printing to make corneas, ears and bladders, in addition to other tissues and biological structures. But scientists were previously only able to print simple tissues without blood vessels, according to CNN. Market Research Future predicts the 3D bio-printing market will be worth more than $1.9 billion by 2023. Outside the medical field, 3D printing has been used to create everything from cars to food, and has opened up possibilities in numerous industries. The technology has also provoked controversy in terms of how it should be regulated, especially regarding homemade 3D-printed guns. 3D-printed organs are no different. Two years ago, the Israeli Health Ministry established a committee to examine the wider implications of the medical use of 3D printers, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Theres a tendency to believe we can solve many problems by using these printers, which is not always true, one of the committee members Prof. Samer Srouji from the Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya told Haaretz. There were also cases that ended up with complications, causing infection and harm to the patient. This area requires regulation, with protocols and clear guidelines in place, he added. It will still be quite some time before 3D-printed hearts like the one made by researchers at Tel Aviv University can be used for actual transplants, according to Dr. Max Gomez of CBS New York. The newly unveiled artificial heart is made from human cells, but is roughly the size of a rabbit's heart, or a cherry. In addition, Dvir told Bloomberg the printed heart will need another month before cells are mature enough to beat and contract. Tests on animals would be required before the technology can be tried in humans, he added. Dvir predicted, "Maybe, in 10 years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world, and these procedures will be conducted routinely," according to the Times of Israel. In the meantime, cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in industrialized nations, according to the World Health Organization. "To date, heart transplantation is the only treatment for patients with endstage heart failure. Since the number of cardiac donors is limited, there is a need to develop new approaches to regenerate the infarcted heart," the study reads. In addition to being used for transplants, 3D-printed hearts could be used for more accurate, even patient-specific, drug testing, according to the study. All of the different cell types in the new heart, which include not just heart cells but blood vessels and supporting structures, came from a single human donor. "That's important because it prevents the possibility of rejection," Dr. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine told CBS. To create the heart, the researchers first performed a biopsy of the donors fatty tissue, which was then separated into cellular and acellular material. The cellular material was reprogrammed to turn into stem cells, and the extracellular material was processed and mixed back with the stem cells to became the "ink" for the 3D printer, according to the study. The process for regulating artificial organs is unclear. "Health systems in Western countries, including Israel, still dont know how to deal with this new technology, or how to incorporate it into the medical world from a regulatory perspective," Haaretz reported. "The field is currently wide-open and any developer or company is allowed to make 3D printers and incorporate them into various medical procedures." While scientists around the world are expressing excitement about medical breakthroughs with 3D-printing, some are also concerned. We can talk about several issues in this regard, Gil Siegal, director of the Center for Health Law and Bioethics at Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, and a professor at the University of Virginia, told the Israeli newspaper. For example, replacing or renewing organs will affect the life expectancy of patients. This raises issues of resources and priorities, the retirement age and the planets resources," he said. "Other issues revolve around the question of what a human being is and what the boundaries are of being human. Is a person who has 90 percent of his organs made by a printer still considered a human being? Does a person with upgraded, printed organs with improved capabilities still qualify as human?" "These questions will only become more important as the area advances and develops, Siegal added. SALT LAKE CITY An Illinois man who set off a pipe bomb at the Salt Lake City Library more than a decade ago wants a federal judge to throw out his conviction and give him a new prison sentence. An attorney for Thomas James Zajac, 65, argues in a new court filing that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision makes him innocent of one of the six crimes for which a jury convicted him in 2010. The high court found parts of the charge of using a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence unconstitutionally vague and made the ruling retroactive. "Mr. Zajac has now been convicted of an offense that is no longer criminal," according to his motion in U.S. District Court to vacate his prison sentence. A jury convicted Zajac of six charges: attempting to damage a building with an explosive device; using a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence; possession of an unregistered destructive device; felon in possession of a destructive device; possession of a destructive device following a domestic violence conviction; and using the mail to threaten the use of explosives. A federal judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated near Chicago. His release date is May 2037. At trial, prosecutors showed that Zajac became infuriated with Salt Lake police for arresting his son for DUI. Instead of directing his anger at his son, he traveled from Illinois expressly to place a bomb in the library as an act of revenge in September 2006. The explosion damaged a third-floor window and forced 400 people to evacuate. No one was injured. WEST JORDAN An elementary school sheltered in place Wednesday as police investigated a report of shots fired in the area. About 11:45 a.m., police received two to three calls from people claiming they heard shots in their neighborhood near 6600 South and 5500 West, said West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt. Nearby Jim Bridger Elementary School, 5368 W. Cyclamen Way, had students shelter in place as a precaution, according to the Granite School District. "There is no direct threat to the school and the protocol is precautionary to ensure student and staff safety," the district said in a tweet. As of 4 p.m., detectives were still trying to determine what, if anything, happened. Police received initial reports that a white Honda may be involved, Holt said. The first officers arriving in the area spotted a vehicle that matched that description, but when they tried to pull it over it fled. Detectives interviewed more witnesses at the scene where the shots were allegedly fired. Holt said some believed the noise was a car backfiring while others were sure it was gunfire. But investigators did not find any shell casings, receive any reports of injuries, or locate any evidence suggesting shots were fired, he said. Anyone with information on the incident can call police at 801-840-4000. MAGNA A West Valley man arrested following a six-hour standoff with police at a fast-food restaurant Tuesday night is also wanted in Cottonwood Heights for allegedly firing shots inside a house. Joshua Benjamin Williams, 36, was arrested after police say he pulled a gun on Unified police officers and then continued to fire shots out the restaurant window while it was surrounded by a SWAT team. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of 30 counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, transaction of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and three counts of aggravated assault. The incident began Tuesday night while police were looking for Williams in the Magna area. Williams was wanted by Cottonwood Heights police for an incident in their city Saturday afternoon. Williams was at a house near 6500 South and 2600 East on Saturday when police say he got into a dispute with someone inside and fired several shots before running away. No one was hurt. Based on a 911 call from Williams' grandmother, officers went looking for Williams on Tuesday in the Magna area, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. While they were looking, officers received a report of a suspicious man at a Burger King, 8443 W. Main, about 11 p.m. The man refused to leave, even though the restaurant was closed, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray. The man, who police identified as Williams, locked himself in a bathroom and refused to come out, she said. When officers arrived at the restaurant and attempted to talk to Williams, he pulled a gun on them, according to Gray. "Several shots were fired by Williams from the bathroom. SWAT officers were called to the scene. As they approached the business, Williams fired several more shots," the report states. After the first round of shots were fired, officers evacuated the restaurant's employees and called the SWAT team. For the next six hours, Gray said a negotiator attempted to get Williams to come out, and used tear gas at one point. Williams, however, would randomly fire shots out the restaurant from inside the bathroom, she said. Approximately 30 rounds were fired, according to the report. About 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the SWAT team was able to talk Williams into coming out and surrendering without further incident, she said. When interviewed by investigators, Williams said he was hiding in the bathroom because the "cartel" was after him, the report states. Williams was convicted in October of theft by receiving stolen property. In another case, he was convicted of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and sentenced to six months in jail, according to court records. SALT LAKE CITY While the human workers are isolated at various workstations throughout Amazon's new shipping center, robot-powered bin towers and whirring conveyors dominate a sprawling operation that processes hundreds of thousands of smile-bearing packages every day. Utah elected officials and media members on Wednesday got a tour of the 855,000-square-foot facility just west of the Salt Lake City International Airport. While operations began there last August, an Amazon official said the fulfillment center has now reached its full staffing of over 1,500 employees and is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An Amazon spokesman said it's physically impossible for any single shipping center to contain the entirety of the online retailer's merchandise, and many items are shipped by third parties, but the Salt Lake facility does stock 15 million of the company's "most popular" items. He also noted that Utah's only Amazon operation specializes in small-to-midsize items, and most of the packages going out the door are headed to customers in Utah and nearby areas. While the company took a hard pass on the state's application last year to become the site of Amazon's secondary headquarters, or HQ2, Gov. Gary Herbert touted the company's decision to build a shipping center in Utah as an economic windfall. "(Amazon's) technological advancements are nothing short of spectacular," Herbert said. "We as a state understand the ability for the private sector to do what they do best create economic expansion, wealth creation which creates jobs, in turn which raises the quality of life we have in this state." Amazon General Manager Mike Taylor said the facility utilizes "thousands" of robots in the process of receiving, picking, packing and shipping a slice of the daily orders received by one of the world's most valuable companies. How valuable? At midday on Wednesday, Amazon stock was trading around $1,866 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of nearly $920 billion. Last September, the company briefly passed the $1 trillion mark, something only achieved by one other U.S. company Apple which has since also slid back under the mark. While Amazon shareholders and executives have been made millionaires and billionaires by the Seattle-based company's arc of success since launching as a bookselling outlet in 1994, and company founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was personally worth a purported $150 billion before his recent divorce, most of the employees at the new Utah facility are at the other end of the economic spectrum. Amazon received a $5.7 million post-performance tax incentive package from the Governor's Office of Economic Development last year, but the potential rebates are only for 130 of the positions at the new facility. Those are the only jobs that pay over the Salt Lake County average wage. Most of the rest of the positions begin at the $15-an-hour rate that became the company's corporate minimum wage last fall. Initially, the jobs at the Salt Lake facility were advertised at $12.50 per hour. While Amazon's new minimum wage equates to about $31,200 in annual earnings, the rate is still short of a figure revealed in a June 2018 report on Utah housing affordability that noted the minimum wage for a full-time worker to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Salt Lake City is $18.85 per hour. Juliette Tennert, director of economic and public policy research at the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, told the Deseret News last fall that the wage change bodes well both for individual Utah Amazon employees and the state's economy. "Given that $15 per hour represents a fairly significant boost above what we were initially expecting, $12.50 an hour, we should see more money filtering through the economy for household spending and additional economic growth," Tennert said. "Its one thing if money is just shifting around in Utah, thats not a net gain, but the fact that Amazon is a global company means that wage bump is truly net new money." Tennert believes the move could also put pressure on other Utah companies that are paying less than $15 an hour to make changes to compete for employees in a state that continues to see very low unemployment rates. "With Amazon here, expanding and ramping up to a sizable workforce and then layering on this wage increase, that will increase competition for skilled labor," Tennert said. "I think that we could anticipate upward pressure on wage prices as other companies make moves to compete." Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, echoed Herbert's celebration of Amazon's decision to site a fulfillment center in the state, and described the company as a perfect fit for Utah, in spite of most of the new jobs falling well below the state's average income level and criticisms leveled at the company about its strategies being a small-business killer. "This is an amazing facility," Lee said. "We're honored and very fortunate to have it here in Utah. There are certainly stories about people who have been displaced by evolving technologies but I've also met with countless people who have started businesses in Utah based on the Amazon business model who have benefitted to a significant degree. "There are people we met today a young man from Provo who got a job here who started at that lower rate but is now a salaried member of the Amazon leadership team. The idea is that people can get a job and if they do well, they can be promoted in the company." Taylor walked tour attendees through the workflow at the facility, pointing out where incoming merchandise arrives, discussed how items are sorted into smaller bins that are stacked into towers that are mostly maneuvered around the warehouse by robots about the size of a square coffee table and around 6 inches tall. These bots can be seen in and around the facility, mostly on the other side of chain-link fences and engaged in a kind of stunted, but coordinated set of maneuvers, constantly moving merchandise toward its ultimate destination. All the sorted and picked items funnel to packing stations where completed orders are packaged into the familiar cardboard boxes and conveyed directly to waiting shipping trucks. One employee, Lucia Ponce, was busy at a merchandise "pick" station. Her job is to remove single items from a stack of small bins atop a line of nearby robots and place them in a larger bins on a conveyor system. Which item to pick, and where to put it, is a process guided by lights. A small spotlight targets the bin from which she needs to pull an item, and a large button illuminated with green LEDs shows her where to put it. Once in the bin, she pushes the button, and grabs the next item, and so on. When the big bin is full of the necessary items, it's simply pushed onto a live conveyor that whisks it away to another area. According to the company, Amazon operates some 75 fulfillment centers in North America at which about 125,000 full-time workers are employed. Temporary hires for the holiday shopping season can swell those forces by almost 100 percent. LEAMINGTON, Juab County Two people were killed and a child injured when their car hit head-on with a large utility truck while trying to pass another truck in the fog, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, a Chevy Suburban was heading east on state Route 132 in Juab County "in heavy fog" when it attempted to pass a semitractor-trailer, according to a statement from the Utah Highway Patrol. While the Suburban was in the westbound lane, it was hit by a Peterbuilt service truck. "The service truck attempted to avoid a collision but met the Suburban nearly head-on," the highway patrol stated. A man driving the Suburban and a woman in the passenger seat were killed, according troopers. A child in a car seat in the back was flown by medical helicopter to Utah Valley Hospital and was expected to survive. Names and ages of the victims, all from Utah, were not immediately released pending notification of family members. The driver of the service truck was not injured. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. SALT LAKE CITY One of the biggest opponents to sending U.S. military aid to Saudi Arabia's civil war in Yemen took issue with President Donald Trump's veto of a bill that would end American involvement in the ongoing conflict. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said he was disappointed but not surprised at the president's decision. Presidents in both parties have increasingly exercised more and more of the war power that belongs to Congress, he said. "I hope my colleagues will continue to recognize were fighting a war in which we have no business fighting. Were fighting a war thats never been declared by Congress," he said Wednesday. Lee and Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams were the only members of Utah's congressional delegation to vote for legislation to end U.S. support to the war in Yemen. The U.S. has backed Saudi Arabia in the fight against the Houthis, an Islamic sect that seized the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other parts of the country four years ago. The war has created refugees, orphans and widows, displaced countless families and left millions of people lacking access to food and clean water and facing rampant disease. The Saudi-led bombing campaign has killed or injured nearly 18,000 civilians, a quarter of whom are women and children, as of last month, according to the Yemen Data Project. Trump said the U.S. has provided limited support to the Saudi-led coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and, until recently, in-flight refueling of non-U.S. aircraft. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," he said in issuing the veto. Lee has long called for the end of U.S. involvement in the war, saying in a speech last year that continuing to support the Saudis, especially in light of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is "bad diplomacy." The U.S. serving as a "co-belligerent" by supporting Saudi Arabia in a civil war that most Americans know nothing about and would not consider a clear and present threat. "We do have to remember as a country that one of our most sacred duties as a government involves a decision of whether or not to go to war," Lee said. When were putting U.S. treasure, and more importantly U.S. blood on the line, and were putting the name of the United States on the line and potentially the lives of a whole lot of people in our own country and abroad on the line, thats sacred." Trump said there are no U.S. military personnel in Yemen commanding, participating in, or accompanying military forces of the Saudiled coalition. The U.S. has a duty to protect the more than 80,000 Americans who live in coalition countries that have been subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen, according to the president. Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets, including areas frequented by Americans. The war, Trump said, represents a "cheap" and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the U.S. and its ally, Saudi Arabia. Contributing: Art Raymond SPANISH FORK Spontaneous and adventurous, Jerika Binks "could pack bails of hay, just like any of us boys could," her brother said. "She would make you laugh, and some of the things that she would do, it would just drive you nuts to know how wild she was, very athletic, very strong," Jed Alvey, one of Binks' seven siblings, recalled Wednesday. He met with sheriff's officials, who announced the remains found in a ravine on American Fork Canyon were positively identified as Jerika Binks. On Sunday, a hiker discovered them in the rugged area and alerted police. On Binks' adventuring in the steep terrain, her brother said that he "wouldn't expect anything less" from her than "being outgoing and wanting to be out in the mountains." Binks, 24, was last seen leaving a residential treatment center near 300 North and 1100 East in American Fork about 9 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2018. She told her roommates she planned to go running, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office. She hadn't been seen since. Sheriff Mike Smith said her remains showed evidence of a severe broken shinbone and calf bone and foul play is not suspected. There wasn't cell service in the area where she was found, Sgt. Spencer Cannon has said. The sheriff's office is waiting to learn an official cause of death from the State Medical Examiner. "She had had some struggles with addiction, but she was meeting the challenge and had risen above that. And she had a bright outlook for her future and was looking forward to a future of work and school, and all those things," Cannon said. The discovery came after the hundreds of hours search and rescue crews and volunteers spent looking for her. "Some people think that we kinda had a year, you know, to grieve a little bit about it. But that's not the case. It hit my family just like it happened yesterday. But it was relieving, too, at the same time, to know that we at least get to bring her home," Alvey said of learning her remains had been found. He thanked the community for its "love and support" throughout the ordeal. After her disappearance, family members and volunteers continued searching for Binks and shared periodic updates on a Facebook page titled "Finding Jerika," which had amassed thousands of followers. Surveillance photos released by the family in May raised new questions about her disappearance. A National Park Service stop-motion activated camera captured her running down a closed part of the National Timpanogos Cave Trail in American Fork Canyon at 1:30 p.m. The family did not believe, however, that Binks was still in that area. Officials spent hours searching the area, as did volunteers with drones. The family believed foul play might have been involved in her disappearance, according to posts on the page. "Our Jerika is a fighter and has an incredible stamina and was very experienced in canyons and hiking trials, but accidents do happen and anything can happen to anyone, she did not go out running every day naive to what could happen in todays world," family members wrote in November. The family plans to reach out to the man who found her remains to thank him, Alvey said. Correction: A previous version misspelled the name of a Facebook page providing updates about the search for Jerika Binks as "Finding Jerica." The correct name is "Finding Jerika." With the presentation of their Women and Mens Pre-Fall 2019 line, renowned Italian label Bottega Veneta celebrates the debut of its new Creative Director Daniel Lee. It is his first collection for the label and he has, without any doubt, big shoes to fill. However he masters this task incredibly promising: while staying true to the key values plus features of the label, he adds some incredibly innovative, modern, yet refreshing approaches. His background might have helped him. He has, worth of mentioning this fact, a very impressive CV and, at the age of only 32 years, stations at big players in the fashion industry such as Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan. Before joining Bottega Veneta, he was responsible of the Ready- to- Wear designs at Celine. Interesting fact: we did not find him using Instagram. We found out he had studied at Central Saint Martin College of Arts and Design though. But now let us have a closer look at what this precious collection has to offer: This line was not presented in form of a runway show, but rather to a close circle only. It certainly stays true to Bottega Venetas key features, and these can be found in the quality, craftmanship, sophistication but also its colour code. It is a timeless, endlessly elegant yet very wearable collection. You can literally feel the Milanese spirit when observing these charming creations clearly. None of the pieces is screaming for attention, they even more impress you by their sophisticated, posh character. The note Made in Italy can be seen as an ode to Italian lifestyle. It embodies the warmth and generosity of its people, the strong family bonds, the community spirit- to name only a fewmatching this idea, the clothes appear warm, soft and protective. Due to their timeless approach, they can be worn for many years and are therefore a good investment. A mother may handle a coat or bag of this collection to her daughter later. The colour palette is a classy, timeless yet natural one: it comprises sheer white, amber, cognac, oxblood, olive green, espresso and Milanese black. A coat in striking yellow is one of our favourite pieces. Combined with Milanese black, this colour combination creates such a strong, statement look. In addition to this compelling colour choice, natural materials play a central role, such as cashmere and silk, wools, cottons and leather. Like the womensline, also the mensline creatively plays with looser silhouettes and shapes. These relaxed, comfortable shapes are eased by formal ones. You may therefore call these look incredibly formal- in a very informal way. It always stays classy, interpreted in a modern way. The art of intrecciato, which contains creative methods of knotting, weaving and braiding is a big inspiration for its accessoires. You can recognize that in various handbags and shoes, for instance the sandals and pumps of this collection. In its menswear line, this art can be found in its streamlined variations of classic mens footwear. Jewellery is preferably worn with hammered balls or chains in gold and silver. One of the highlights of this artistic creation is certainly the Arco Bag- a bag that can be purchased in various sizes and four colours. Its over- sized version certainly stands out and is such a good investment, as you can carry it for many years. Picture Credit: Bottega Veneta / www.bottegaveneta.com Review by Sussan Zeck for DSCENE Magazine Paul Atanga Nji Capture d'ecran The matter pitting the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) of detained Professor Maurice Kamo and the Minister of Territorial Administration that opened yesterday Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at the Administrative Court for the Centre region lodged in the Mfoundi Court premises is expected to resume today after it was adjourned yesterday. The Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul was absent at Tuesdays opening court session and is thus expected to appear today for the matter to proceed. He could however be represented given that the trial is taking place at the administrative court. The matter was adjourned to April 17, 2019 at 10:00am due to the absence of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Bibou Nissack, Maurice Kamtos spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. The CRM seized the Administrative Courts on April 9 in Douala and April 10 in Yaounde to reverse the April 5 decision of the Minister of Territorial Administration banning nationwide protests the opposition political party had envisaged from April 6 to April 13, 2019. Yakouba Mamadou, First Vice President of the CRM party said in a statement that instead of going frontal on the Yaounde regime, they have decided to seek legal redress to overturn Minister Atanga Nji Pauls decision. He went on to suspend an April 13 nationwide protest initially planned by the party. We thank and congratulate you [CRM members and sympathizers] for your enthusiastic militancy and support. We are equally aware of your mobilization towards the nationwide demonstrations planned for April 13. In this light, we have noted with consternation the illegal decision of the Minister of Territorial Administration contained in an April 5, 2019 communique prohibiting our protests. We have decided to attack the said decision before the law courts, the communique dated April 11, 2019 reads in part. Yakouba Mamadou adds that while the Administrative Court decides on the matter and true to the republican spirit that guides their actions, the public demonstrations initially planned for April 13 will thus take place on a later date. The CRM First Vice National President says theirs is a struggle to install an authentic democracy founded on a consensual electoral process that respects the choices of the electorate, protects liberties and fundamental rights, protection of the public wealth of the country, and restoration and preservation of peace in the country especially a return to normalcy in the restive North West and South West regions. Yakouba Mamadou calls on CRM militants to remain mobilized and vigilant especially against those who are organizing a coup against democracy, peace and stability of Cameroon. Justice Jean-Paul Nguimout of the Administrative Court for the Centre Region is expected to preside at todays session and look into the merits of the CRM case when his court opens at 10 oclock today. Nevertheless, the Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji Paul had threatened to apply the dispositions of Law no 90-56 of 19 December 1990 which gives him the power to suspend or ban a political party should the CRM leave him with no other choice. Furniture designer TROY SMITH is already known for creating his wonderfully colourful and creatives pieces by hand, with a flare for using unconventional materials. His shapes are reminiscent of classic 20th century lines with a modern twist. AVAILABLE NOW IN PRINT $22.90 & DIGITAL $4.90 The Toronto based designer sits down with our Editor KATARINA DJORIC for an exclusive interview to talk about his beginnings, finding inspiration and true furniture investment pieces. Read more after the jump: What is your background and how did design become your passion? I was born and raised in Canada. Ive lived in a number of cities but now reside in Toronto, the busiest financial city in Canada with the largest design and arts scene in the country. My father was a custom home builder and I grew up around renovations and projects of that matter. I started as an apprentice when I was 18 and was in construction full time for over a decade before I attempted to try my hands at design. It started with a simple idea of sculpture where I turned rebar into functional furniture. I built the first collection and was immediately accepted into Canadas largest design fair and then ICFF in Manhattan. After this it snowballed into creating new material and discovering where I wanted to fit into the design world. It also involved learning about manufacturing and where to find the outlets that would show and support my work. I never went to design school or had an industry mentor so everything Ive learned about the design world, Ive figured out on my own. When youre determined and love something, you find a way. I didnt grow up in family of artists so becoming one was not an obvious choice, but through traveling, asking questions, working with my hands and meeting people along the way, Ive discovered something that has become my greatest passion. It has led me to ask why we as humans are so connected to art. If you werent a designer what would you be? Id be custom home builder, a clothing designer or an covert undercover agent. What comes first the materials or the design idea? Sometimes materials dictate the form and other times form dictates the materials. But mostly my projects come from an idea or something Ive seen. I sculpt something in my mind until Im ready to put pencil to paper. Which means for me form comes first, but again not always. Where do you seek design inspiration? Design inspiration can come from anywhere really but travel is good. Im a very visual person, I see something that catches my eye and work from there. Sometimes it can be from a piece of furniture or an idea that can be turned into furniture, something that can become practical. I like to put imagery into my design, something that you can remember, something that says this is a Troy Smith. A shape, something very recognizable like a heart, something were all familiar with as people. When starting a new project how do you begin the process? Do you traditionally start with sketches? Most of the time I build something In my mind first, I like to work out how the pieces will go together. This is a strong suit of mine as I had many years building custom homes and understand the steps required to get to a final result. After Ive formed that idea in my head I will draw it in one of my sketch books. After that someone on my team will take that sketch and turn them into working mechanical drawings. Ill go back and forth with that till the drawings are to scale and I can see on paper what I imagined in my mind. After that my team will render in hi-res a 3D model where I can see form, color, proportion and material. The furniture is able to come to life and its the best place to see if things need tweaking. With 3D rendering you are able to change material so easy, you can have a photo realistic image that represents your idea without taking the risk of multiple prototypes. After this is all done, off to the workshops! How long does it take to develop the product? Some projects linger, others are fast. It really depends on which way the wind is blowing and what is needed of you at the time. Some ideas are quick and come to you so clearly. Its easy to see your vision on paper right away, you know what youre looking for. Others take time to develop and youre not quite as decided on what the final outcome should be. Possibly the idea takes time to clarify and can get left on the workbench for a while. It really just depends on whether the idea is a strong or needs some more nurturing. Who are some of the other designers you admire? For me Mattia Bonetti is a personal favourite. His commitment to individualism rather than commercialism is attractive to me. He has such passion for his work and is so original, he clearly designs for the love of it. I also love Studio Job, their wacky creativity and highest level of quality and craftsmanship is impressive. Also Herve Van Der Straten is another original designer. John Makepeace is an amazing woodworker. Joseph Walsh is another woodworker and sculptor I admire. What gets you excited these days? Originality in design, quality, and selection of materials. I see so much of the same with little thought for comfort and usability. I see that most furniture is created for look rather than purpose. I like to see something that is created for both. What is your dream project? At this point I would like to work on a design hotel where I was in charge of the interior furniture, the interior design as well as the architecture and landscape design. I feel like the idea could become more harmonious if the same person did all of it. Of course its a tall order for complex large projects, but throughout history this was the model of how things were done. If we are going to invest in two major pieces for the home, what should those be? Hard question. It depends on what you use the most in your home and what is special to you. For this reason I would say chairs as theyre used every day. Secondly, a dining table another thing we use every day. But as a furniture designer I think everything in your home should reflect who you are, Its a representation of you. But as an investment piece probably a cabinet, this type of object can be passed down. What do you do in your spare time? I like to travel and enjoy places of warmth and culture. I also have been painting large abstract paintings for about 5 years now. I like to tinker around the house as well, I like to enjoy my home. Are you working on any special new designs or projects at the moment? I am constantly working and designing new furniture and refining my skills as a designer. In 2018 I designed over 30 different objects, so far in 2019 Im at 7. Ive been a little hooked on living room arm chairs lately, not sure why that is. I think its because I want 2 new ones for my living room! What is next for you? Right now Im focusing on putting out strong work and making sure each piece of furniture is as best as it can be. Im also working on getting my name and furniture in front of as many eyes as possible so I can share with the world my body of work. Ive been toying with looking for a space in a major city around the world where my work can best be represented in the best light. Letting people know who and what kind of product I make is important to me as its the integrity of work that is a representative of me. Keep up with Troy Smith on @troysmithdesigns Order DESIGN SCENE Summer 2019 issue AVAILABLE NOW IN PRINT $22.90 & DIGITAL $4.90 Cross Section of South West chiefs W. MUSA The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji has issued an order, suspending the homologation of consultative talks for chieftaincy issues in Fako Division. According to the letter, addressed to the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, referenced, 00000016/L/MINAT/CAB and dated April 8, 2019, the letter quotes the Minister as saying that, due to the many petitions that have been received by his ministerial service as far as designation of traditional rulers are concerned, the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, should put a halt to the homologation processes towards the designation of chiefs in Fako till further notice. It should be noted that there has been a series of petitions from several villages following the designation of Chiefs in Fako recently. Most designations have been through a voting system by supposed kingmakers in the presence of the Divisional Officers which is said to be against the tradition and customs of Fako. The result is that, so many royal families have lost their rights to inheritance to influential and administratively favored postulants or pretenders to the throne. It is also noted that it has been a common phenomenon that there are some villages in Fako which are made up of the chief, his wife and children only. The aim of the creation of such villages is to apply for land surrendered by the Cameroon Development Corporation, the CDC. We are also aware of the delay in the enthronement of Paramount Chiefs Elect in Buea and Limbe following several consultative talks. Pundits are quick to believe that it may have something to do with the many petitions flooding the front desk of Minister Paul Atanga Nji. According to an attestation issued by the Senior Divisional Officer For Fako, the Chief Elect was asked to act as such, while waiting for the homologation of the designation by order of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation. We gathered from sources at the Ministry of Territorial Administration that as part of his success story in his first 100 day project, the Minister of Territorial Administration is bent on putting a stop to such practices which has increased drastically in recent years. Our source say putting an end to illegal chieftaincies talks in Fako is the mission of the Minister reasons why he has decided to place an indefinite suspension on all Chieftaincy Homologation processes in Fako Division till further notice. Fresh consultative talks are not new in Fako Division; hence one may not be in doubt if at the end of the day, the Minister of Territorial Administration orders for fresh consultative talks in some of the villages which already have mass land selling persons as Chiefs Elect or Chiefs Designates. The population of Fako are however hopeful that traditional values will soon be restored and the rightful persons ascend to the throne and save them from ancestral calamities. Gateway Construction buys site in Georgetown for new headquarters Journal Staff Reporter By BRIAN MILLER Journal Staff Reporter A commercial property at 5527 - 5531 Airport Way S. in Georgetown has sold for a little over $4.2 million, according to King County records. The buyer was Airport Way Properties LLC, associated with Gateway Construction Services, which specializes in tenant improvements. Its brokers were Mike Roy and Kevin Skillestad of Neil Walter Co. We're extremely excited to have a new home on Airport Way, says Gateway founder Chris Nielsen. The firm was established in 2001. Gateway has hired Magellan Architects of Redmond to do feasibility studies for a new headquarters. Depending on the parking requirements, says Nielsen, there could be up to three stories of new construction, or the firm could renovate one of two old warehouse buildings now on the south site. He expects to settle on a plan in about three months. The sellers were two local investors who acquired three parcels in the 1990s for $831,000. They were represented by Mark Temmel of Temmel Real Estate and Adam Simon of Real Assets Property Services. The property had been listed at $4.5 million for about six months. The deal was worth about $163 per square foot for the land, which also includes a nearby, non-contiguous parking lot to the north at 5507 Airport Way (between Stellar Pizza and The Cutting Board). The 19,500-square-foot south site has two one-story commercial buildings that are now home to Earl Harper Studios and Dallas Watson Flooring. Their leases last into 2020, says Nielsen. The buildings date to 1950 and 1928. We've got some time to make a decision, he says. Gateway is now based a few blocks west in Georgetown, with about 7,000 square feet in the Hathaway Building. That building sold last year for $12 million to local firm JSH Properties and Village Investment Partners of Belmont, California. Nielsen says the company is now about midway through a two and one-half lease extension. He says Gateway would probably hire a general contractor if it opts for demolition and new development on the south site. A final selection of an architect will depend on the scale of the project. The three-story plan would include structured parking and ground-floor retail bays facing Airport Way. Our goal is to keep that Georgetown-Airport Way theme with that funky retail. We want to keep those tenants down there. The new headquarters will be across the street from Elysian Brewing, and close to many bars and restaurants. Another benefit to staying in the neighborhood, says Nielsen, is that he and his employees will be able to walk to all their favorite lunch spots. Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517. Motanga Andrew Monjimba Archives Following a suspension of the homologation of traditional rulers in Fako Division by the Minister of Territorial Administration on April 8, 2019, Cameroon-info.net reviews the July 16, 2017 installation of Emmanuel Engamba Ledoux as Senior Divisional Officer for Fako Division. Some of the speeches at the ceremony were a pointer to todays turn of events. In his welcome address that fateful day, the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council, Motanga Andrew Monjimba, called on the new SDO to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility, abnegation and impartiality in the handling of issues across Fako Division. Without bluffing, Motanga came down hard on the issue of land grabbing and land merchandise, which he said has grown to such a proportion that if not curbed, succeeding generations of Fako children shall not have where to build or farm for themselves. We are also very helpless in the face of unscrupulous land grabbing and wanton sale of national and State land in Fako Division. This is a stock in trade put in place by a well-lubricated machinery. We need a strong hand to deal with this callous activity by mindless merchants, Motanga said. Motanga also listed a series of other economic demands that the Fako people will like to see their new SDO push to fruition: the protracted Limbe Deep Seaport Project that has remained just on papers for so long, the Limbe Shipyard Project still under construction, among others, The Post reported. Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai, during the installation handed over the files of a decade long unresolved Limbe Paramount Chieftaincy Crisis to Ledoux. Okalia, today Governor of the South West Region, was in July, 2007, the then SDO of Fako when the late Paramount Chief of Limbe, HRH Chief Ferguson Manga Williams, passed away. By tradition, the SDO was supposed to conduct consultative talks with the ruling family and proceed to designate a new successor. 10 years after (as at July 16, 2017), the same Okalia was in Limbe to commission a new SDO, when the Paramount Chieftaincy stool was still vacant. Ledoux immediately went to work and held consultative talks to fill the Limbe and Buea Paramount Stools. John Elufa Manga Williams was in July 2018 chosen to occupy the vacant Limbe Paramount stool, while Esuka Endeley had on February 5, 2018 been designated to ascend the stool. It is not known if the Governors admonishment for Ledoux to use his sense of wisdom and spirit of good judgment to hold consultative talks with the kingmakers of the Buea and Limbe Paramount Chiefdoms was respected given the many petitions that have since flooded Yaounde. From Okalias pronouncements on July 16, 2017, it was clear that the designation of who to succeed the late Chief Manga Williams, who died in 2007 in Limbe and the late Chief SML Endeley, who died on July 7, 2015 has been a herculean task to himself and all the other SDOs who had succeeded him in Fako. Your Division is also known as a village where chieftaincy disputes or ascending to chieftaincy stools baffles all reasons. Potentially, everyone here is ready to mislead you and to make of you, after attaining their objectives, their scapegoat, Okalia said. To him, the problem of chieftaincy in Fako has been made more complex by the fact that almost everyone wants to be a chief and by this, they are always ready to come and mislead any administrator with just the wrong information. As a result of this confusion, the Limbe First Class Chieftaincy stool has been vacant since the death of Chief Manga Williams in 2007 and that of Buea in 2015, Okalia had said. He had urged Ledoux to steer clear of those who will come just to derail him, urging him to do his utmost best to work towards the development of the Division and avoid being misled. He implored him to work closely with the people. I will always be there to support you, he promised. Senator Charles Mbella Moki, in his own words of advice that fateful July 16, 2017, admonished the new SDO (Engamba Ledoux) to use his high sense of reasoning and make the speeches of the Government Delegate and the installation speech of the Governor his daily points of reference. I know that he is going to bring satisfaction to the people of Fako Division by the Grace of God, Senator Mbella Moki said. It remains unclear is Engamba Ledoux indeed has been using the Motanga and Okalia speeches on the day of his installation as his daily points of reference. Saudi Aramco eyes expansion into India with 25% in Reliance Saudi Aramco, the world's largest crude oil producer, is in "serious discussions" to acquire up to a 25 per cent stake in Reliance Industries' refining and petrochemicals businesses, the Times of India reported. The Saudi oil giant, which is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) as part of a major expansion drive, is investing worldwide in a bid to expand production and secure market for its products. Saudi Aramco, which aspires to be the worlds leading integrated energy and chemicals producer, is investing worldwide to emerge as a global giant that would eclipse all current global majors, including Chinas Sinopec, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch shell etc. A 25 per cent stake sale could fetch Reliance Industries around $15 billion, valuing the Indian company's refining and petrochemicals businesses at around $60 billion, according to the report. Reports citing sources said the Saudi oil giant, which claims spare capacity of 2 million barrels per day, is planning to invest heavily in Indian fuel retail and petrochem market. The agreement on valuation could be reached around June, the Indian newspaper reported, citing people with knowledge of the development. Goldman Sachs is said to have been mandated to advise on the proposed deal, the report added. With the proposed joint venture with Indias state-run oil companies for a West Coast refining complex failing to take off, Aramco is looking to acquire stake in the world's biggest refining complex. It may be noted that during Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Delhi in February the Saudi ruler had spoken of investment opportunities worth more than $100 billion in India over the next two years. Saudi Aramco chief executive officer Amin Nasser had also met Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani to discuss the company's businesses including crude, chemicals and non-metallics. Aramco has also signed 31 agreements and memoranda of understanding worth $27.5 billion with local and international suppliers, Nasser said. He did not provide details of the deals. "We signed $27.5 billion (24 billion euros) in a total of 31 commercial collaborations," Nasser said in a statement at an investment forum held in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran. Last month, Aramco said it signed agreements and MOUs with scores of energy companies worth over $50 billion at a showcase investment summit that several international companies and dignitaries boycotted over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Insider-turned-critic Khashoggi was killed and reportedly dismembered in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on 2 October in what the kingdom said was a "rogue" operation. More than 1,000 local and international energy service and equipment suppliers and manufacturers attended Monday's forum. OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia, which pumps over 10 million barrels per day of crude oil and around 12 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, plans to invest $500 billion in the next 10 years, according to CEO Nasser. Last month, the Saudi oil giant signed an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, under which Saudi Aramcos subsidiary, Aramco Overseas Company BV (AOC) will purchase 17 per cent stake in South Korea's Hyundai Oilbank, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings. The investment is valued at approximately $ 1.25 billion. AOCs investment in South Koreas Hyundai Oilbank will support Saudi Aramcos crude oil placement strategy by providing a dedicated outlet for Arabian crude oil to South Korea. Hyundai Oilbank is a private oil refining company established in 1964. The Daesan Complex, where Hyundai Oilbanks major facilities are located, is a fully integrated refining plant with a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The business portfolio of Hyundai Oilbank and its 5 subsidiaries includes oil refining, base oil, petrochemicals, and a network of gas stations. AOC is a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. It provides support services to Saudi Aramco and, through its investments and joint ventures, forms an integral part of the global Saudi Aramco oil, gas, and chemicals enterprise. LS polls in Vellore cancelled after cash seizure; I-T searches Kanimozhi's house The Election Commission of India (ECI) has cancelled the election to the Vellore parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu after unaccounted cash of over Rs11.48 crore was unearthed during an income tax raid at a DMK leader's house. As per the EC, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at the residence of Durai Murugan, MLA and Treasurer of DMK Party, and his son Kathir Anand, who is contesting from Vellore parliamentary constituency, on 31 March. I-T sleuths had also conducted searches at Kingston Medical College, which is run by the Durai Murugan Educational Trust. The EC action comes after a police complaint against Anand and two DMK functionaries on the basis of I-T raids on 20 April. The Income Tax Department, along with Election Commission's static surveillance team, also carried out a joint search at the Thoothukudi residence of DMK leader K Kanimozhi on Tuesday, just two days ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu. I-T officials entered her Kuringi Nagar residence in Tuticorin, a few hours after the campaign for the 18 April elections came to an end in Tamil Nadu. Nearly 10 officials from income tax department and flying and static squads of the Election Commission carried out the searches on Tuesday evening, based on information that cash was stored there, an I-T official said. However, sources said that the department did not find anything at her house. "On the information shared by local administration, Income Tax Department searched premises related to DMK's Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi. Verification is on. Kanimozhi was there and she cooperated with the team. The department found nothing," reported news agency ANI quoting sources. "We received information from Tuticorin collector that the upper portion of the residence is being used for storing cash. Based on the information from the collector, we entered the residence along with two squads. We are only checking whether any money is being stored there," a senior income-tax investigation official had said. However, I-T officials have seized cash from the premises that housed the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam party offices in Andipatti, Theni, today. Reports said, the Income Tax Department seized unaccounted cash packed in envelopes meant to be distributed to voters in Theni where a bi-election is scheduled for tomorrow (18 April). According to the taxmen, the cash was neatly packed in 94 packets/envelopes on which the ward number, number of voters and the amount at ?300 per voter was written. All the wards mentioned are within the Andipatti Assembly segment, which will go to the polls on 18 April. The premises belonged to a functionary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) party. In addition, the AMMK party office was found functioning on the ground floor. A postal ballot paper for Andipatti assembly by-election, already marked for the AMMK candidate, was also found in the premises and was seized during the raid in Andipatti on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Google, Apple block viral video app TikTok in India after court ban Google has blocked access to the viral video app that was hugely popular with youngsters in the country, after the government asked the two companies to comply with a court order banning the app because of its ill-effects on the youth. The move comes hours after the Supreme Court refused to lift a ban imposed by the high court in Tamil Nadu. The Madras HC had also refused a request by Chinas Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, which, it said, could block one of its key markets. Sources said the centre sent instructions to the two US-based companies on Monday after the Supreme Court refused to stay the 3 April order of the Madras High Court that had directed the centre to ban Tiktok app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it. The Madras High Court had contended that the mobile app encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its ruling came on public interest litigation seeking a ban on it. The IT ministry said it had sent letters to Apple and Google to abide by the state courts order. The app was available on Apples platforms till late on Tuesday, but was not available on Googles Play store in India. Apple to is reported to have removed TikTok from the App Store in India since. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India, especially among the youth, but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. Youngsters mostly use the app to lip-sync jokes, clips and footage related to movies, along with memes and videos, some scantily clad. Bytedance challenged the HCs ban order in the Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech. The top court had referred the case back to the state court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedances request to put the ban order on hold, K Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said. The high court, however, appointed a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings. It has also requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for 24 April. ByteDance in its petition filed in the Supreme Court, ad argued that a very minuscule proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. 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. Pelerins Camerounais a La Mecque Archives The Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul, chairman of the National commission has revealed that 2,839 Cameroonians will undertake the pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca this 2019. The minister made the revelation Monday, April 15, 2019 as he chaired a preparatory meeting with pilgrim guides in a bid to ease the journey to the Muslim Holy land. Atanga Nji said the above number of pilgrims is the quota reserved for Cameroon by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Atanga Nji disclosed that the number of pilgrims from Cameroon had increase by 350, the result of the work the commission has since engaged in. This 2019, an innovation is the choice to lodge the pilgrims in a hotel 400 meters away from the Prophets Mosque in Medina. The Al-Masjid an-Nabawi is a mosque established and originally built by Prophet Muhammad, situated in the city of Medina in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. It was the third mosque built in the history of Islam, and is now one of the largest mosques in the world. It is the second-holiest site in Islam, after the Great Mosque in Mecca. As a result of this innovation, Cameroonian pilgrims will only walk for four minutes to get to the holy mosque of The Prophet, something that used to take them an hour or more. The minister has also taken special provision for women to be transported to the holy land in a special air carrier. He advised pregnant women not to engage in the pilgrimage because they will be denied visas. The minister took a commitment to ensure that pilgrims without passport get same within the shortest possible delay. For the purpose of the biometric registration of the pilgrims, a special registration centers have been opened in the Northern regions and in the Center region. The pilgrims will leave Cameroon on July 29 and return on August 24, 2019. The Hadj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every adult Muslim is supposed to make at least once in his or her lifetime: the fifth of the Pillars of Islam. Marie-Therese Ward, who lives near Dunleer, has enjoyed massive success over the past fifteen months as a Cosplayer in a fashion art form that she became involved with as a hobby. Ms Ward is known as Empty Cosplay in her fashion art form field. She designs and creates costumes out of EVA foam in her spare time and wears them to conventions and gaming festivals. Each costume starts as a black foam which she cuts, moulds and paints by hand to create amazing Cosplay costumes. Marie-Therese is already a national award-winning and talented Cosplayer in her field. She started working on her first costume in January 2018 and attended her first convention as a Cosplayer in April 2018 which was the Dublin Comic Con Anime Edition. Here she was delighted to win Best Craftsmanship in the Cosplay competition with her Maiev Shadowsong Cosplay from World of Warcraft, the multiplayer online role-playing game. Marie-Thereses second Cosplay event was based on the Demon Hunter concept art from Diablo 3. It was showcased at the Dublin Comic Con in August 2018 where she won first prize in the adult category. Her success with the Demon Hunter costume continued at the Omnicon in Limerick where she won the Masters Category. After that Marie-Therese placed runner up in the professional category at Con in Dublin. Recently Marie-Therese finished her third Cosplay fashion art piece Kassandra from Assassins Creed Odyssey. This new costume won the Masters Category at Shurikon in Dublin and along with the title Marie-Therese also gets to be a Cosplay judge at Shurikon 2020. Meantime Marie-Therese is currently working on Astrids armour from the new movie How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. You can find about Marie-Thereses progress and previous projects on her Facebook page @EmptyCosplay and Instagram @Empty_cosplay. Winning Cosplay competitions has been a fantastic experience for Marie- Therese. She says: Cosplay for me is an amazing hobby. I love making the costumes, attending conventions and taking part in the competitions; winning is an added bonus to the whole convention experience. I enjoy getting up on stage, doing a little performance and showing people what I have created. If the judges think my costume is good enough then Im absolutely delighted but overall I just do it for fun and I welcome any feedback that the judges may have on how to improve for the future. The Irish Cosplay community is so welcoming and there are so many Cosplayers who inspire me that it really does add to the convention experience to be there as a Cosplayer and to meet other like-minded people. Explaining how her she first got interested in creating Cosplay costume Marie-Therese explains: I have wanted to Cosplay for years; every time I attended a convention I was inspired and amazed at the costumes people were wearing and I knew I wanted to start creating my own. "At the beginning of 2018, I finally plucked up the courage to contact some Irish Cosplayers online for information on how to get started. Most people would start with a fabric or bought Cosplay but I drove straight into the deep end and began working on an armour costume, using foam mats and shaping them with a heat gun. When I attended my first convention in costume people couldnt believe that it was my first Cosplay; no one really knew who I was but that didnt matter they were still so welcoming and it made me want to continue making costumes. With each new Cosplay costume, I create I try to challenge myself and learn new things. Patient undergoing surgery at Shisong Cardiac Centre Facebook The cardiac centre of the Saint Elisabeth Catholic General Hospital in Shisong, Bui division of the North West region has announced that it will carry out cardiac tests in Douala next week. This information is contained in a communique signed by the general manager. Following the communique, the tests will take place at the Saint Padre Pio hospital in Akwa Nord. The team from Kumbo, it indicates, will screen and consult children and adults for cardiovascular diseases in the Littoral region from April 24 to 25. The tests, the Catholic hospital indicates, will vary in price depending on whether those tested are old or new. New patients would pay 34,000 FCFA for consultation and screening while old patients would pay 5,500 FCFA for follow-up, it states. The consultation, the communique also states, will run from 8:00a.m to 3:00p.m. daily. The hospital is asking all interested to come ready to buy drugs should they be prescribed, as medications will be available on site. The Shisong Cardiac centre is the only existing one in the Central African Sub-region. It was officially inaugurated in Shisong on November 19,2009 by then Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda. It was created with overall objective to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, CVD, by providing quality low cost treatment to patients. The health facility is estimated to have brought hope to about 37,000 children and 500,000 adults with congenital cardiac disorders from within and out of Cameroon. The screening exercise in Douala comes timely, as a study conducted in 2017 in some two health centres in Douala, revealed that the burden of sudden cardiac death in Cameroon, which is 33.6 deaths per 100 000 person per year, is close to the incidence reported in several Western and Asian populations. Scientists propose that prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation is suboptimal and needs to be developed according to international recommendation. The study also called for specific preventive strategies targeting the most vulnerable groups of young people and women should be deployed. It also revealed most sudden cardiac deaths, occurred during the night. Australias small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are bracing for a double whammy of disruption from the back-to-back Easter/Anzac Day public holidays coupled with a Federal election. 59% of SMEs say major political events such as elections have impacted their business in the past. 27% of SMEs expect the 2019 Easter/Anzac holiday period to negatively impact their business, with 52% needing to juggle staff leave. 59% of SMEs say improved access to cashflow would help their business weather disruptive events. 44% of SMEs will consider an online lender as a source of cashflow funding to be better prepared New research commissioned by OnDeck, a leading online SME lender, confirms that Anzac Days proximity to Easter combined with the upcoming Federal election will negatively impact many SMEs. The stars have aligned for the nations employees, who can look forward to a 10-day holiday at the cost of just three days annual leave, thanks to this years confluence of Easter and Anzac Day. However, its not so positive for SMEs, which are already bracing for the impact of the Federal election. The research found that 59% of SMEs surveyed say their business has been impacted by previous major political events, notably elections. Over one in four (27%) SMEs expect the Easter/Anzac Day period to disrupt normal trading. SMEs operating in the accommodation/food services sector buck this trend, with 59% expecting an uptick in business over the extended holiday period. Mr Cameron Poolman, Chief Executive Officer, OnDeck Australia, says, Negativity around the proximity of Easter/Anzac Day is likely being driven by the need to manage employee leave requests. One in two (52%) SMEs expect staff to take leave over the period, with one-third (31%) of these business owners expressing concerns about possible staff shortages. A similar proportion (29%) are expecting their cashflow to shrink over the public holiday period. Federal election brings uncertainty Along with the disruption of the upcoming public holidays, the research found that six out of ten (59%) small business have been impacted by political events such as Federal elections. Of these SMEs, 47% experienced a slowing of normal business operations, and 30% reported a drop in revenue. Mr Poolman notes, The possibility of a change in Federal government often sees consumers and businesses put major purchases or projects on hold at least until the polls have delivered a clear result. While thats understandable, the SME sector bears the brunt of this wait-and-see approach. Improved cashflow would allow SMEs to be better prepared Many SMEs are ill-prepared for major disruptive events. The survey found that just one in three (36%) are completely prepared for annual calendar events such as public holidays. Just 17% of SMEs are completely prepared for political events, which have a less certain outcome. One survey respondent summed up the view of many, asking, How can you prepare for the unpredictable? Three of out five (59%) SME owners agree that improved access to cashflow would help their business weather a major event, a figure that rises to 69% among SMEs with annual turnover exceeding $200,000. SMEs are willing to explore a variety of options to access additional cashflow: 57% will consider trying their luck with a bank 46% will explore dipping into their personal money 44% will consider using an online lender 27% will potentially resort to a credit card 17% may turn to family or friends. Mr Noah Breslow, Global CEO of OnDeck, says, Cashflow is the lifeblood of many SMEs. So it makes sense that additional funding can help SMEs navigate difficult the trading conditions that can accompany a critical event be it a Federal election or back-to-back public holidays. We know however that SMEs face a high rejection rate from mainstream banks: 23% have been knocked back for bank funding in the past. Among those that have sought finance, 29% say the protracted application and approval process has negatively impacted their activities so its not a seamless solution. Moreover, 65% of SMEs were negatively impacted by being turned down by a bank for finance. Online lenders offer a quick and easy application process, and we are not just a positive option for SMEs rejected by their bank. Online lenders such as OnDeck also offer the advantage of speed and convenience for those businesses that would be eligible for bank lending, and this can be a critical advantage in preparing for events that are likely to have a short-term impact, concluded Mr Breslow. PORTALES Police on Tuesday announced they had obtained arrest warrants on four people in connection to a recent ongoing Portales homicide investigation. Three were in custody that afternoon and the only one still at large was arrested that evening. Court documents describe the April 7 shooting death of Adam Florida Holts as an armed robbery turned deadly, with two young men charged with 1st-degree murder and two other people charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Manuel Silva, 23, and Korbin Baldridge, 19, will be served with their warrants at their respective detention facilities, according to a news release from the Portales Police Department. The warrants charge each man with murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, tampering with evidence and felon in possession of a firearm. Fabian Duran, 32, was arrested within hours of public broadcast of his outstanding warrant for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He was booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday night. Holts, 35, was found dead inside a camper trailer on the 400 block of North Avenue B shortly after midnight April 7 in Portales. A witness told police that she and several others were inside the trailer with Holts when two men entered clad mostly in black and with bandanas over their faces. One wielded a shotgun and the other a handgun; witnesses reported hearing one or more gunshots, and Holts was later discovered inside the trailer with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest area, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Morgan Carmichael, 21, told police she was outside the trailer in her Volkswagen Jetta at the time of the shooting. She said her brother Baldridge and boyfriend Silva went inside with the intention of retrieving a handgun allegedly stolen from Duran, which had been conveyed to Holts in order to settle a drug debt. She stated Fabian Duran planned on going to the camper trailer with Manuel Silva and Korbin Baldridge. Fabian Duran was supposed to kick the door in and go retrieve his gun while Korbin would take drugs found in the camper trailer, PPD Det. Amador Lujan wrote of the interview with Carmichael. Morgan stated she was aware prior to going to the camper trailer of the events planned in order to retrieve the handgun and the drugs but did not expect anyone to get shot. Carmichael said that while waiting outside during the alleged robbery attempt, she saw Fabian Duran drive around the block in his white in color suburban but never stopped. A 17-year old girl, seated in the back of Carmichaels Volkswagen during the incident, told police Duran was present at Carmichael and Silvas residence on Portales West 17th Lane earlier that night along with Baldridge. Carmichael allegedly drove Silva, Baldridge and the juvenile from the scene of the incident. Last week PPD said Carmichael and Silva were persons of interest in their investigation, and on Sunday afternoon they were both detained. Silva was arrested on a fugitive warrant and charged with aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer after leading Clovis police on a motor vehicle and foot pursuit Sunday afternoon; Carmichael was riding passenger at the time, and spoke with police but was not charged in any way until Tuesday. The arrest warrant generated on Carmichael charges her with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, harboring a felon, accessory to armed robbery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The case goes April 26 before a grand jury in Roosevelt County, according to PPDs news release. An informed observer could have spotted this showdown a mile away. Democrats took the New Mexico House of Representatives and the Governors Office, bolstering the majority they already had in the state Senate. As one mass shooting after another dominated the news, Democrats rolled out gun control measures, ultimately passing a measure that requires background checks for nearly all gun buys. In response, at least 26 New Mexico counties passed Second Amendment sanctuary ordinances. A number of sheriffs declared they flat-out wouldnt enforce the law. The most recent chapter in the saga, according to an April 6 Albuquerque Journal story, was state Attorney General Hector Balderas, a Democrat, writing a letter to law enforcement agencies in New Mexico warning them of their duty to uphold the law, even when they dont agree with it. In theory, we agree with Balderas. The Albuquerque Journal has traditionally held that public servants dont get to pick and choose what laws to enforce, whether its guns or cooperating with immigration agents. We even agreed with legislators that expanding background checks was a common-sense check on weapons trading. Why wouldnt you want to background check everyone who buys a gun? But political posturing and base pandering aside, law enforcement agencies have a point, and Balderas has a serious problem. How are New Mexico law enforcement officers supposed to enforce this law? If Bobby wants to sell his .22 to Susie, whats to stop him from conducting the transaction in his own living room? Or a more modern example: If gunluvr42 wants to sell a 9 mm to 2A4eva on Craigslist, whats to stop the two from meeting up in the parking lot of Wal-Mart to make the trade? Is Johnny Law supposed to start staking out Facebook groups and newspaper classifieds to make sure two private citizens dont somehow conduct a gun sale without running background checks on each other? The logistics pose a real challenge. Hopefully Balderas will dispense with the public scolding and get down to offering helpful direction. Albuquerque Journal Lycee deido archives A student (whose name we are yet to get), is currently in a critical situation at a hospital in Bonassama Douala, after sustaining a wound on the forehead from an attack by his school mate. The incident occurred in Government Bilingual High School, GBHS Bonaberi, is said to have occurred this Tuesday, 16th April 2019, at the school campus, where his attacker, hit his forehead with an old plank. Unfortunately, a rusted nail was on the piece of wood, and it entered the victims forehead. School authorities are yet to comment on the incident, as the student struggles for his life at the public hospital in Bonassama. This incident comes few hours after schools resumed for the shortest and decisive term of the academic year 2018/2019. Monday's reopening was exploited by the Governor of Littoral, Ivaha Diboua along with his collaborators, to check security measures taken in schools across Douala, in order to prevent an incident of murder like that of GBHS Deido. Few weeks ago, a student was stabbed to death by a former student, which sparked an outcry on social media for schools to be better secured and some actors punished. The Minister of Secondary Education, Dr. Nalova Lyonga, recently visited the school and the family of the deceased, while promising to hold collaborators check security measures in schools, in order to avoid future attacks Tom Udalls announcement that he wont seek another term as U.S. senator really brought out the politics in New Mexico. Already, two Democrats have announced theyll seek to replace Udall, and theres plenty of speculation about others interested in vying for the crown jewel of statewide office. Lets consider only a few. First to announce was U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who has come a long way in the 10 years hes been the House. I remember being wholly unimpressed that first time he ran in 2008, when his father, the late New Mexico Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, and then-Gov. Bill Richardson muscled him through for his first 3rd District election. At that time, he struck me as more of a front man for the Democratic machinery than a qualified candidate for the job, but he handily won and, over the years, became far more refined, a much abler politician. Hes now assistant speaker, the fourth highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House, so a promotion to the Senate now appears within his grasp, if he can convince New Mexicans hes right for the job. His home base is in north-central New Mexico, where he and his family name are both familiar and respected. Down south, however, hell have to visit a lot of small-town coffee shops to become familiar enough to win their votes. He gets three big breaks in the announcements that Attorney General Hector Balderas and U.S. Reps. Xochitl Torres Small and Deb Haaland wont run for the Senate seat. Balderas has run before for the Senate (losing to Martin Heinrich in 2012) and would have been a strong contender for Udalls seat, given his charisma as well as his record as state auditor and AG. Torres Small and Haaland, on the other hand, have just been elected to their first terms in the House and would have faced a backlash if they had abandoned their new seats for a shot at the Senate. Still, Lujan faces a formidable Democratic challenger in Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who has also announced a bid for the Senate seat. Her base is in Albuquerque, but she has support around the state too. As secretary of state, shes proven herself to be a progressive Democrat, advocating big changes that still havent come to fruition namely, open primaries and ranked choice elections. At this moment in which women are stepping up to run for a plethora of offices, the timing could be right for her, even in Lujans northern stronghold. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, as of this writing Susana Martinez has not announced anything, but Ill be a little surprised if she does run. She left office with low approval ratings and, besides, Im not so sure she even likes politics anymore. But theres still plenty of time for her to prove me wrong. As for Steve Pearce, the former 2nd Congressional District representative who now chairs the state GOP, hes a three-time loser in statewide races, but when did that ever stop anybody? From Abraham Lincoln forward, history is replete with losers who eventually won. Well see if he has the fire in his belly for another long-shot candidacy. Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at: [email protected] Ive got issues. We all do. For me, its all about public education. Its what Ive dedicated my professional life to, and I have pretty strong feelings about supporting public schools, teachers, and students, and protecting the institution of public education from attacks by persons like Michigans own Betsy DeVos. Your issue may be affordable health care. Or making sure we all have clean drinking water. Or defending the rights of our friends in the LGBTQ community. Or making our government more transparent and responsive to the needs of our citizens, instead of bowing to pressures from special interest groups. If youre like me youre always on the lookout for information about the things you care aboutand may become frustrated at times with the lack of any sort of coverage on your issue from the mainstream media. Especially if youre a Progressive. And thats where Eclectablog comes in! Because we care about Progressive issuesand so do you! And Progressive issues tend to be the stuff that most of us actually care about. The things that impact our kids, our families, our friends, and our communities. Like well-supported schools, and health care, and clean water, and civil rightsfor everyone. But we need your help. 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The more eyes we get on these posts means more potential support for all of the issues we care aboutincluding yours! And, as always, thank you for your ongoing support. It means a lot. Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 5:56PM Embed from Getty Images In an unexpected move, Apple and Qualcomm have reached a settlement and agreed to drop all ongoing lawsuits, which have spanned the globe and started at least a couple years back. Apple will also pay Qualcomm an undisclosed amount and the two have reached a six-year global patent licensing deal that extends for another two years. Qualcomm will also supply parts to Apple for multiple years, which as The Verge suggests could mean we'll see Qualcomm modems in the iPhone again. Apple and Qualcomm have been fighting over Qualcomm's patent licensing practices, with Apple claiming that Qualcomm was charging exorbitantly high fees for essential patents. And while Qualcomm has been sued over its licensing practices and monopolistic behaviours around the world, the company has managed to pressure Apple a bit in recent months. It won iPhone bans in Germany and China over patent violations as well as a lawsuit in the US that put a high price on some of its patents. This means, Qualcomm could end up raising the price on Apple, making the latter more inclined to settle. It could also mean that the companies didn't want to spill any of its secrets publicly in court with both sides claiming they have details to spill. What the settlement means is we could expect the two companies to return to business as usual for at least the next six years. The loser here could be Intel as Apple relied on Intel to provide iPhone modems while it couldn't reach an agreement with Qualcomm. We could see Apple splitting its modem orders between the two companies once again. The agreement could also mean that Apple might get access to Qualcomm's 5G modems, which is a piece of tech Intel is still developing. Just days after two teenagers were shot and killed by a fellow student in a rural Kentucky high school, Principal Patricia Greer got a call from one of the few people who could understand exactly what she was experiencing. It was Frank DeAngelis, the former principal of Columbine High School. With Greers phone constantly ringing and dozens of decisions to be made, DeAngelis call helped clear the fog and reassured her there were other educators who understood what she was facing. I cant recall the words in that conversation, to be quite honest, Greer said of DeAngelis, who was principal at Columbine on April 20, 1999, when two students shot and killed 13 people. But I think there was a sense of, I am going to be there to help you, other people have done this, youre going to be able to do this. Few principals have walked in DeAngelis and Greers shoes as leaders of schools that have been devastated by on-campus gun violence. Those who do often find themselves with questions and worries about how to manage a recovery process, but few people to turn to who can answer from lived experiences. You truly do feel isolated from the outside world when it comes to the next steps, said Andy McGill, the K-12 assistant principal in the rural West Liberty-Salem school district in West Liberty, Ohio, where a student shot and injured two others, one seriously, in January 2017. McGill persuaded the student to put down his gun and, with Principal Greg Johnson, kept the shooter in a bathroom until police arrived. In the immediate aftermath, I did not feel isolated from my building, from my community, even surrounding schoolsyou dont feel isolated in that way because there is such an outpouring and outreach, McGill continued. But when the dust settles, and you are looking at what do we do next, what should we do next, those answers arent readily available. Specter of Violence While shootings in schools that lead to injuries or deaths remain statistically rare, the specter of such violence has had a firm grip on Americans collective psyche since the Columbine High School massacre 20 years ago. School leaders who have experienced the terror, the grief, and the difficult path to recovery say a new move to formalize a loose network of support will be an invaluable source of emotional and logistical support. DeAngelis, Greer, McGill, and Johnson are now part of the newly launched Principals Recovery Network, which is made up of current and former principals whove led schools during and in the aftermath of a shooting. The group was convened by the National Association of Secondary Schools Principals just before this weeks 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. The principals hope to serve as a kind of rapid-response team to offer guidance and support to their colleagues and prepare them for a new normal they will encounter. They want to offer a sympathetic and knowledgeable ear at a time when principals are bombarded from all sides with well-meaning support and advice. The members also hope to apply pressure to decisionmakers about the need for more mental health care in schools for both students and staff and to advocate for additional resources to address that growing need. The NASSP said the network will be part support organization for principals and part advocacy group that will champion policies to make schools safer. In some ways, the Principals Recovery Network formalizes what principals who are connected through shared tragedies have been doing informally for yearsreaching out to the latest members to become part of an unfortunate kinship. Advocating for Mental Health When a news alert of a shooting flashes on their phones, they send emails and texts to the school leader offering guidance and letting them know that they can reach out whenever they need to talk. DeAngelis has made several of those calls since Columbine, including to many of the members of the Principals Recovery Network. So have Johnson and McGill, who were the beneficiaries of similar calls. Michael Bennett, an assistant superintendent in the Schodack Central school district near Albany, N.Y., said one reason he is joining the group is to stress the importance of mental health services for educators and students. He also wants to prepare principals for a recovery process that has no timeline or end date. Bennett, who was a teacher at Columbia High School in East Greenbush, N.Y., in 2004 when he was shot in the leg by a student, did not talk about the incident publicly for 14 years, until last years mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. Bennett said he would have benefited from tapping a network like this after the shooting at Columbia High School, which later in his career he led as assistant principal. He didnt seek help for weeks after the incident, and he only did so after his anxiety levels had built up and his superintendent recommended counseling, he said. More than a decade after the incident, Bennett said he is still uncomfortable in large crowds, and loud noises, news coverage of shootings, and fireworks can be triggers. Part of this network is to look at the well-being of the principals, and [to have] good insights into what the faculty and staff are going through, he said. We are all pretty good at supporting the students and finding ways to support them, but when an adult says theyre OK after something like this, dont just accept that. Keep an eye out for red flags, watch for whatever changes you may see, because it is something that will be ongoing and life-changing. The aftereffects of any school shootingincluding those where no one was killedcan be traumatizing, said Johnson, the Salem, Ohio, principal. Although one student was seriously injured in the West Liberty-Salem shooting, the school initially celebrated that there had been no fatalities and that the injured student was able to return to school just weeks later. But Johnson and his staff soon found out that for the students who had fled the campus during the incident thinking that someone had died, the resulting trauma was just the same as if there had been a casualty, he said. Small Steps to Recovery Principal Recovery Network Members A group of principals and former principals who have led schools during or after a shooting are now part of a support network to help school leaders and their communities in the aftermath. The list includes the dates a shooting took place at these schools. Elizabeth Brown, principal, Forest High School, Ocala, Fla. (April 20, 2018) Jake Heibel, principal, Great Mills High School, Great Mills, Md. (March 20, 2018) Ty Thompson, principal, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2018) Patricia Greer, principal, Marshall County High School, Benton, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2018) Warman Hall, principal, Aztec High School, Aztec, N.M. (December 7, 2017) Jeff Meisenheimer, principal, Lees Summit North High School, Lees Summit, Mo. (Sept. 29, 2017) Greg Johnson, principal, West LibertySalem Middle/High School, West Liberty, Ohio (Jan. 20, 2017) Andy McGill, K-12 assistant principal, West LibertySalem district, West Liberty, Ohio (Jan. 20, 2017) Lauren Ford, former principal, Procter R. Hug High School, Reno, Nev. (Dec. 7, 2016) Denise Fredericks, principal, Townville Elementary School, Townville, S.C. (Sept. 28, 2016) Kevin Lein (injured in shooting), former assistant principal, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, S.D. (Sept. 30, 2015) Stacey Ting-Senini, principal, Sparks Middle School, Sparks, Nev. (Oct. 21, 2013) George Roberts, former principal, Perry Hall High School, Baltimore County, Md. (Aug. 22, 2012) Andy Fetchik, former principal, Chardon High School, Chardon, Ohio (Feb. 27, 2012) Michael Sedlak, former assistant principal, Chardon High School, Chardon, Ohio (Feb. 27, 2012) Michael Bennett (injured in shooting), former assistant principal, Columbia High School, East Greenbush, N.Y. (Feb. 9, 2004) Frank DeAngelis, former principal, Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo. (April 20, 1999) Source: National Association of Secondary School Principals Denise Fredericks, the principal of Townville Elementary School in Townville, S.C., said some small moves helped her school begin its healing process after a 6-year-old died in a shooting on the schools playground in September 2016. The school added floating subs to alleviate some of the stress on teachers. School leaders began announcing when fire drills would start, and would only pull the alarm when students were leaving the building. Volunteers from a local church served as huggers to high-five students on their way back into the building after the drills, she said. Those at the school learned not to use balloons for celebrations because the sounds of balloons popping were a frightening reminder of the shooting to some children. I wished someone had told me that, Fredericks said. We learned it. I know its a little thing, but its a little thing thats a big thing. One of the most important things principals must do, Fredericks said, is to pay close attention to the individuals in the building. There is no weakness in allowing someone to break if they need it, she said. You may have a setback now and again; thats OK, just get back up and keep going. There is no blueprint for recovery, said Greer, the principal from Benton, Ky. Some of it just comes from listening to your staff and students about what would make them feel safe. Students said bag searches and wand metal detectors would make them feel safer. The school now has a metal detector, and bags are searched, Greer said. I would advise a principal to talk to their faculty and staff and listen to those voiceslisten to what they are saying, she said. Frank DeAngelis was 43 and in his third year leading Columbine High School when normal life ended forever with what was then the deadliest school shooting in the nations history. DeAngelis drew on his Catholic faith, his family and friends, and therapy to return to the school, determined to keep alive the memory of the beloved 13" who were killed that day and rebuild the spirit of the school. The toll on him included his first marriage and, for a while, his health. After the shootings, he poured even more hours than before into increasing feelings of connection, attending as many school events as possible and reaching out to disaffected students. DeAngelis says he is still correcting news media misrepresentations of the school from 20 years ago. In his just-published memoir, They Call Me Mr. De, he challenges the notions that Columbine was ever a place where bullying ran rampant or that the killers were kids on the outside. Wrong. Instead, he writes, What we saw were two kids in Advanced Placement classes. To this day, on every April 20, DeAngelis calls each family who lost a loved one and each former student who was injured in the shooting. He spends his time speaking to educators and to groups across the county who intersect with schools around safety concerns. And he continues to reach out to survivors of school shootings, especially principals and students, telling them that they need to find their support system for the long haul, as he did. This interview was conducted by Education Week contributing writer Bess Keller. How did the events of April 20, 1999 and its aftermath change you as a person and as a school leader? As a principal, you feel that youre responsible for your kids, youre responsible for your staff. So Ive had a lot of survivors guilt. If I had to say my strength as a leader prior to the shootings and after, it is the relationships I had with my kids, with my staff, with the community. What helped with the recovery for all of us is those relationships. It allowed me to take my leadership to a level that no one was ever expecting. You had been principal at Columbine High School for three years when the shootings happened, and you stayed for another 15 years. Why did you decide to stay? At the time of the shootings I was pursuing a doctoral degree from the University of Denver with the thought of becoming a superintendent. The night of the tragedy, I had to come up with something to tell the people the next day because I was going to have to speak to the students and the staff and community members, and I made a decision that night that we [the school community] needed to stay together and form this bond. I promised them that I would be there for the next three years until the class of 2002 graduated. That was after I offered to resign or be transferred, and the president of the school board said, You can stay as long as you want to stay. What got you through those first few days after the tragedy? Two days after, there was a community vigil at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Littleton, Colo. There were about 1,200 people in the church. Father Ken Leone called me up to the altar, and he brought a lot of my students up there who were part of the churchs youth group. And he had them pray. We also carried on this whispered conversation. He said, Frank, you encountered the gunman; you should have died. But Gods got a plan for you. Its going to be a tough journey, but God is going to be with you every step of the way. You were put in this situation to help rebuild the community and the school. See Also: 20 Years After Columbine, Principals Form Network to Cope With Shootings You stayed long after the three years you promised. The summer of 2001, I knew it might be my last year at Columbine. But I did some reflecting, and I decided that I didnt fulfill what Father Leone asked me to do, to rebuild that community. We just werent there. So thats when I made a commitment to stay until every kid who was in the elementary and middle [Columbine feeder schools] had graduated. All those kids were deeply impacted. And then a parent prevailed on me to stay for children who had been in preschool. When I retired in 2014, I felt like I had done what Father had asked me. And people tell me Columbine needed me. But I needed Columbine. It helped me to heal. Despite the fact that there continue to be horrendous school shootings, youve said schools and public safety people have made a difference. Tell me about that. I look at how many shootings have been stopped because of things we have in place now. Twenty years ago, the protocol used by responding officers was: No one go in before the SWAT team arrives. Now, theyre sending in single officers to engage the perpetrator because what research shows is these shootings are usually over within 10 minutes. So if you can engage right away, its going to decrease the possibility of deaths or injuries. There are increased security measures at schools, advances in first-responder communication, and schools practice lockdowns. Something that came out of Colorado is a system called Safe2Tell, which is a 24/7 anonymous tip line. It empowers our students because so many times these perpetrators are broadcasting their intentionseven more so than 20 years ago because of social media. Is what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in your mind a game changer? What we saw those kids from Parkland do last yearthey basically called the adults out, saying youve done nothing, and mass shootings continue to happen. And they got the attention of politicians and others. When I met with some of the top [Stoneman Douglas student] leaders last year, I said you need to keep this passion, but you need more than passion. If politicians are not doing what you feel is going to stop some of these shootings from happening, then you need to make sure that you get out and do your research and get your age group to vote. I also said, make sure you take care of yourself. I saw them last summer when they were going from city to city. Wheres the support system? I worried about who is taking care of them. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Eight statesincluding three of the nations largest, California, Florida, and Michiganare doing a poor job of looking out for vulnerable students in their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to an analysis by the National Urban League, a prominent civil rights group . The analysis considers how plans in 36 states and the District of Columbia handle the performance of subgroups of students, including English-learners, students in special education, racial minorities, and poor students, and how states plan to support struggling schools and ensure that schools serving high-poverty populations get their fair share of resources. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are doing sufficient work, the analysis found. Another nineColorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Islandwere rated excellent. Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 17) Growing business in Ghana AfricaOnline, Ghanas leading ISP and a Gondwana International Networks (GIN) subsidiary, has appointed industry stalwart, Foster Plender as its MD. Plender, who was in a consulting capacity within GIN before his appointment, brings with him decades of telecommunications experience across both African and European markets. I am excited to lead AfricaOnline as it continues to grow and develop as one of Africas foremost Internet and related connectivity services providers. Ghana is showing signs of significant growth, Plender says the country is building itself into a key business hub for West Africa: We are seeing an uptake in global investment, infrastructure development and an increase in Internet penetration. There is a definite uptake within vertical sectors as well as growth of last mile fibre and wireless technology, 4G mobile, and high throughput satellite deployments. Through its new Ka-Band satellite broadband service, JOLA, powered by Avanti, Plender says that remote communities will benefit from access to the internet and bring along with it such opportunities as distance learning and telemedicine services as examples. 4G network launched in Sierra Leone Ericsson and Orange have launched a 4G network in Sierra Leones capital, Freetown, which will provide its residents with fast and reliable 4G access. Orange will use Ericsson Radio System products and solutions to offer 4G in 60 sites, which is designed for low latency and fast mobile broadband in a cost and energy-efficient manner, optimising use of frequency bands and realising fibre-like access speeds over the air. With reduced latency, consumers in Sierra Leone can enjoy online services, including HD video and network games. Orange also revealed plans to continue the Ericsson Radio System rollout across Sierra Leone. This will enable Orange to serve everything from 2G to 5G, through a risk-free implementation of a series of building blocks. The solution enables Orange to deploy and evaluate new features, in high-traffic areas, before rolling them out more widely. Ericsson Radio System, with its end-to-end portfolio of hardware, software and services will help Orange Sierra Leone get quality mobile broadband performance smoothly and profitably. East Africa to get expanded broadband services Liquid Telecom Kenya and Nokia have announced a two-year partnership to upgrade their existing fibre network to support OTN/DWDM technology with an initial network capacity of 500 G. This will result in a faster and more reliable connection along the route from the Indian Ocean to datacentres in neighbouring countries. Powered by the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS), the upgrade allows Liquid Telecom to meet the growing demand from its carrier, mobile operator and internet service provider (CSP/ISP) customers for higher-capacity inter-networking services. The network will support high-capacity connections from the submarine landing stations in Mombasa, Kenya, to major datacentres in Nairobi, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, as well as surrounding markets. Liquid Telecom will become the first communications solutions provider to connect through their own network with nearly every country that borders Kenya whilst also providing an alternate fibre route to submarine for other landlocked countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and DRC. The deployment began in October 2018, and is expected to provide enhanced services to thousands of corporate customers and FTTH users, and has the potential to reach over 85-million mobile subscribers. Nigeria gets new smart feature phone MTN has started to roll out its new Smart S 3G phone across all of its African markets. The telco launched MTN Smart, a smart feature phone running on Kai Operating System (KaiOS) in Nigeria. MTN Smart comes with two cameras, a two-day battery life with 2000 mAh battery, the SC7731EF processor, 2,4-inch screen, 256 MB RAM and 512 MB of storage. The MTN Smart is available in all MTN stores across Nigeria for $22,14 and comes with 500 MB monthly data free the first six months. MTN Nigeria, Chief Marketing Officer, Rahul De described the development as the first African smart feature phone. We want to bring connectivity to everybody. We believe that connectivity leads to growth in the nations economy. With connectivity, the growth of the economy becomes faster, he said. The phone is significantly cheaper and still supports popular apps such as WhatsApp and YouTube. MTN said its Smart S 3G would be priced to be one of the cheapest such phones available on the market. Affordability of smartphones has remained a challenge, hence, the reason for a smartphone with so many features selling at a low cost, said De. The phone also supports dual-SIM and a microSD card with up to 32GB of storage. Expansion into Zimbabwe Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has opened a new office in Harare, Zimbabwe. This new office is the fibre optic companys first network expansion into African markets outside of South Africa. The DFA Zimbabwe operations are headed up by Simon Chimutsotso, a seasoned executive with extensive experience in rolling out telecommunications infrastructure in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa. An accomplished executive team will support him in planning and deploying the initial sections of the high-speed Zimbabwean network, which will be made available on a wholesale open-access commercial offering. DFA pioneered the wholesale open-access model in South Africa more than a decade ago and has demonstrated its viability by attracting leading mobile network operators, Tier 1 internet service providers, and public sector customers as anchor tenants on their network. DFA has rolled out network infrastructure in all of the major South African metropolitan areas and has extended its footprint to large and small towns, amounting to over 13 000 km of ducting space. The companys entry into Zimbabwe is in line with its strategic intent of expanding into sub-Saharan and other African markets. Dealing with telecoms fraud in Africa Unitel was elected to chair the GSMA Association Africa Fraud and Security Group (AFASG), a specific working group dedicated to dealing with critical fraud and security issues for the telecommunications industry in Africa. The mandate has a period of two years, renewable for two more, upon evaluation of the work carried out and subject to a new election. The appointment is the result of an application process which is based on the presentation of a Strategic Leadership Plan for the group in Africa, submitted to the consideration of its members. Unitel competed with MTN (which has 18 operations in Africa) and with Wana Corporate, Morocco. The role of chair will be assured by the director of risk, fraud and security of Unitel, Jose Carlos Sobreira Martins. The AFASG includes the major telecommunication groups in Africa such as: Orange, MTN, Airtel, Vodafone/Vodacom and Millicom/Tigo, in addition to other individual mobile operators and associate members such as technology vendors such as Ericsson and Huawei. Send your comments to engineerit@ee.co.za Related Articles Peter Voser replaces the former CEO of ABB, Ulirch Spiesshofer, as interim CEO. Ulrich Spiesshofer resigns as CEO of ABB. The Supervisory Board has appointed its Chairman, Peter Voser, as interim CEO. Ulrich Spiesshofer (55) has been CEO of ABB since 2013. "Under his leadership, ABB has become a global leader with a focus on digital technologies," said Peter Voser (61). He has repositioned the company and has led growth across all businesses. ABB will now focus on continuing its strategy to achieve its financial goals. The sale of ABB Power Grids will continue and the organizational structure will be simplified. ABB will focus on digitization, electrification, automation and robotics. After 14 years with the company, Ulrich Spiesshofer sees the ABB ship on a good course and it is increasingly gaining momentum. He will now take a break before making any further decisions regarding his professional life. Peter Voser thanked him on behalf of the Supervisory Board, the employees and personally for the work he had done and wished him all the best for his future endeavors. ABB will hold its Annual General Meeting on May 2, 2019 in Zurich as planned. Ekrem Imamoglu becomes new Istanbul mayor Opposition CHP's Istanbul candidate gets the certificate of election from provincial election council. Following a number of recounts from Turkeys local elections last month, the Istanbul mayoral candidate from the main opposition party on Wednesday received his certificate of election from electoral authorities. SUPREME ELECTION COUNCIL GAVE THE CERTIFICATE Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP) was awarded the certificate of the election at Caglayan Courthouse, where the Istanbul Election Council is located, to become mayor of Istanbul. The certificate followed recounts in districts of the metropolis -- where some 15 million people live -- such as Maltepe, Buyukcekmece and Fatih. The regional election council that awarded Imamoglus certificate is part of the supreme council. Millions of Turkish voters cast their votes nationwide on March 31 in local elections to choose the nation's mayors, city council members, mukhtars (neighborhood officials), and members of elder councils for the next five years. Lufthansa issues first quarter profit warning Lufthansa reported an operating loss of 336 million euros ($380 million) for the first three months of the year, hurt by rising fuel costs and excess capacity in Europe, sending its shares down. Germanys biggest airline said in an after-hours update on Monday that a 202 million euro rise in fuel costs had contributed to the loss, while ticket prices fell significantly at Lufthansas other airlines, which include SWISS and Austrian Airlines, as well as budget carrier Eurowings. LUFTHANSA IS DUE TO PUBLISH DETAILS The size of the loss was far greater than analysts had expected. Lufthansas stock was down 1 percent at 0925 GMT, underperforming Germanys bluechip index by around 2 percent and dragging down shares of rivals Ryanair, EasyJet and Air France KLM. Lufthansas loss added weight to concerns across the industry and follows a bleak report from easyJet, which said on April 1 it expected to report a 275 million pound ($360 million) loss in the six months to the end of March. The fall in Lufthansas earnings was accentuated by a tough comparison with the previous year when the insolvency of Air Berlin removed a major competitor in its home market, it said. Lufthansa reported an operating profit of 52 million euros for the same period a year earlier. The first quarter is traditionally the weakest for airlines, analysts at Independent Research said, but added that the risk of a profit warning had risen. Lufthansa said it expects revenues to pick up in the second quarter as booking levels recover, adding that for 2019, it still expects to make an adjusted operating profit margin of 6.5-8.0 percent. Lufthansa is due to publish detailed results for the first quarter on April 30. Sudan's Al-Bashir moved to another prison Sudans former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been moved from house arrest to prison, according to media reports on Wednesday. HE HAS BEEN MOVED FROM HOUSE ARREST TO PRISON Al-Bashir was moved to the maximum security Kober prison in Bahri in the capital Khartoum, where other officials from the former regime were being held, the reports said. The ruling military council has yet to confirm the report. Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan since 1989, was ousted by the military last week after months of protests against his 30-year rule. He is facing arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the conflict in the western Darfur region. Turkey: 139 irregular migrants held in Izmir Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe since the beginning of Syrias civil war. A total of 139 irregular migrants were held in the Cesme, Menderes and Urla districts of Turkeys Izmir province Wednesday. 139 IRREGULAR MIGRANTS Security personnel spotted groups of migrants who were attempting to illegally cross into Europe. The irregular migrants, who were aboard rubber boats, were held by the Turkish Coast Guard off the countrys western coast. All of the migrants were later referred to provincial migration directorates. Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of Syrias civil war. Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry. Turkish defense minister warns his US counterpart Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar held a meeting with US defense minister Patrick Shannan. Turkeys defense minister and his US counterpart on Tuesday met in Washington to discuss recent political and military developments. TURKEY'S EXPECTATIONS ON SAFE ZONE According to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Hulusi Akar and Patrick Shanahan discussed developments in Syria, bilateral relations, other regional security issues, and defense industry cooperation between both countries. As strategic partners, we continue to work on economy and security, Hulusi Akar said following a meeting with his US counterpart Patrick Shanahan in Washington to discuss recent political and military developments. Akar said the US has presented Turkey a new proposal on the air and missile defense systems. Akar reiterated Turkeys views and expectations on the proposed Safe Zone in Syria, S-400 procurement, F-35 aircraft and latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the statement. It said Akar underlined the importance of cooperation between Turkey and the US on the basis of a strategic partnership that would ensure stability and security of both countries. The Pentagon said the two leaders met as "strategic partners." A Pentagon spokesman said in a statement that both Shanahan and Akar emphasized: "The importance of US-Turkish cooperation bilaterally and as NATO Allies in achieving mutual security and economic prosperity for both countries and the region." Zarif: I will submit Assad report to Erdogan Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Turkey will continue telling the US that the embargoes on Iran are "wrong", Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday. THE CONCERNS WERE CLEARLY DISCUSSED Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, he said Turkish ministers had clearly conveyed their concerns to the US about embargoes on Iran during a recent visit. "We will continue telling the US that the embargoes [on Iran] are wrong," Cavusoglu said. The US unleashed tough sanctions on Iran last November that hit all core parts of the economy, including oil exports, shipping and banks. He added that the solidarity and decisiveness between Iran and Turkey on the issue is the "important" part of the subject. Zarif said he had had a "long" meeting with Bashar al-Assad in Syria and will share its details with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I will submit a report about this talk to President Erdogan ," Zarif added. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials. WASHINGTON--Scientists have long known that Earth and Mercury have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid. Now, in a new study, scientists report evidence that Mercury's inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's solid inner core. Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. This large core -- huge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar system -- has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core. The findings of Mercury's solid inner core, published in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters, help scientists better understand Mercury but also offer clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time. "Mercury's interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet's weak magnetic field, relative to Earth's," said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Mercury's interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet's. Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools." To figure out what Mercury's core is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. The team used several observations from NASA's MESSENGER mission to probe Mercury's interior. The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet's spin and gravity. The MESSENGER spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury in March 2011 and spent four years observing this nearest planet to our Sun until it was deliberately brought down to the planet's surface in April 2015. Scientists used radio observations from MESSENGER to determine Mercury's gravitational anomalies (areas of local increases or decreases in mass) and the location of its rotational pole, which allowed them to understand the orientation of the planet. Each planet spins on an axis, also known as the pole. Mercury spins much more slowly than Earth, with its day lasting about 58 Earth days. Scientists often use tiny variations in the way an object spins to reveal clues about its internal structure. In 2007, radar observations made from Earth revealed small shifts in Mercury's spin, called librations, that proved some of the planet's core must be liquid-molten metal. But observations of the spin rate alone were not sufficient to give a clear measurement of what the inner core was like. Could there be a solid core lurking underneath, scientists wondered? Gravity can help answer that question. "Gravity is a powerful tool to look at the deep interior of a planet because it depends on the planet's density structure," said Sander Goossens, a researcher at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. As MESSENGER orbited Mercury over the course of its mission and got closer and closer to the surface, scientists recorded how the spacecraft accelerated under the influence of the planet's gravity. The density structure of a planet can create subtle changes in a spacecraft's orbit. In the later parts of the mission, MESSENGER flew about 120 miles above the surface, and less than 65 miles during its last year. The final low-altitude orbits provided the best data yet and allowed for Genova and his team to make the most accurate measurements about the internal structure of Mercury yet taken. Genova and his team put data from MESSENGER into a sophisticated computer program that allowed them to adjust parameters and figure out what the interior composition of Mercury must be like to match the way it spins and the way the spacecraft accelerated around it. The results showed that for the best match, Mercury must have a large, solid inner core. They estimated that the solid, iron core is about 1,260 miles (2,000 kilometers) wide and makes up about half of Mercury's entire core (about 2,440 miles, or nearly 4,000 kilometers, wide). In contrast, Earth's solid core is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) across, taking up a little more than a third of this planet's entire core. "We had to pull together information from many fields: geodesy, geochemistry, orbital mechanics and gravity to find out what Mercury's internal structure must be," said Erwan Mazarico, a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. The fact that scientists needed to get close to Mercury to find out more about its interior highlights the power of sending spacecraft to other worlds, according to the researchers. Such accurate measurements of Mercury's spin and gravity were simply not possible to make from Earth. New discoveries about Mercury are practically guaranteed to be waiting in MESSENGER's archives, with each discovery about our local planetary neighborhood giving us a better understanding of what lies beyond. "Every new bit of information about our solar system helps us understand the larger universe," Genova said. ### Founded in 1919, AGU is a not-for-profit scientific society dedicated to advancing Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. We support 60,000 members, who reside in 135 countries, as well as our broader community, through high-quality scholarly publications, dynamic meetings, our dedication to science policy and science communications, and our commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as many other innovative programs. AGU is home to the award-winning news publication Eos, the Thriving Earth Exchange, where scientists and community leaders work together to tackle local issues, and a headquarters building that represents Washington, D.C.'s first net zero energy commercial renovation. We are celebrating our Centennial in 2019. #AGU100 Notes for Journalists This paper is freely available through May 31. Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) can download a PDF copy of the article by clicking on this link: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2018GL081135 Journalists and PIOs may also request a copy of the final paper by emailing Lauren Lipuma at llipuma@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number. Neither the paper nor this press release is under embargo. Paper Title "Geodetic evidence that Mercury has a solid inner core" Authors Antonio Genova: Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Sander Goossens: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.; Erwan Mazarico, Frank G. Lemoine, Gregory A. Neumann, Weijia Kuang, Terence J. Sabaka: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A.; Steven A. Hauck II: Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber: Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.; Sean C. Solomon: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, U.S.A. AGU press contact: Lauren Lipuma +1 (202) 777-7396 llipuma@agu.org Contact information for the researchers: Antonio Genova, Sapienza University, Rome antonio.genova@uniroma1.it Gastrointestinal devices such as stents, endoscopic tubes, balloons and drug delivery systems can help clinicians treat patients with a range of conditions. But currently available methods for triggering where and when drugs are released or when a device is triggered to disassemble or change shape are often slow, which can restrict the utility of such tools. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT are designing devices that can be triggered by the ingestion of a warm liquid to break down into smaller segments that can be excreted. In proof-of-concept experiments in preclinical models, the team tested two devices -- one that could be induced to change conformation in the esophagus to exit following the delivery of a drug, and the other that could reside unperturbed in the stomach until intentionally triggered. The team's results are published in Science Translational Medicine. "We are intrigued by a simple question: when you ingest a hot liquid, what happens as it travels down your esophagus and into the stomach?" said co-corresponding author C. Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD, a gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer in the Division of Gastroenterology at the Brigham. "What we've found is that there are essentially two zones -- the esophageal and the gastric -- which means that we may be able to control and trigger gastrointestinal devices in these two regions with precision using warm water." The first device the team tested was inspired by a blooming flower. This capsule-sized esophageal system with petal-like structures can close up like a bud when a warm fluid is ingested. The prototype, which was tested in pigs, unfurled in the esophagus, making contact with the esophageal wall and releasing milli-needles loaded with model drugs. When warm water was administered, the prototype fully closed and passed from the esophagus into the stomach. The second device tested was a highly flexible, gastric resident device capable of releasing drug of extended-- a device intended to stay in the stomach and release a regular dosage of a drug for weeks. Ingesting a warm liquid did not disturb the functioning of the device, but directly spraying warm water into the stomach with the aid of endoscope helped break down the device into pieces that could safely pass through the gastrointestinal tract in the pig model. "Our approach was to employ design principles of transformable architected materials (mechanical metamaterials) whose shape and volume can be considerably altered through thermal actuation, as a new approach for developing gastrointestinal (GI) technologies with fast and robust response," said first author Sahab Babaee, a postdoctoral associate in the Langer Lab at MIT. The authors note that the current work provides a proof of concept, but additional testing will be needed to characterize heat dissipation in humans. The team is currently identifying and prioritizing conditions to optimize this new approach for where it is needed most. "Currently, many gastric devices need to be removed by pulling them out through the esophagus. We anticipate that temperature-triggered systems could usher in the development of the next generation of stents, drug delivery and sensing systems housed in the gastrointestinal tract," said Traverso. ### Co-authors of this work include: Simo Pajovic, Ameya R. Kirtane, Jiuyun Shi, Ester Caffarel-Salvador, Kaitlyn Hess, Joy E. Collins, Siddartha Tamang, Aniket V. Wahane, Alison M. Hayward, Hormoz Mazdiyasni and Robert Langer. Funding for this work was provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (grant numbers OPP1139921 and OPP1139937) and NIH grant EB000244. Several co-authors are co-inventors on provisional application numbers 62/767,749, 62/767,954, and 62/767,798, filed by MIT related to this work. Complete details of all relationships for profit and not for profit for Traverso can be found here. A list of entities with which Langer is involved, compensated, or uncompensated, can be found here. Paper cited: Babaee, S et al. "Temperature-responsive biometamaterials for gastrointestinal applications" Science Translational Medicine DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau8581 PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Researchers have designed a new type of adhesive patch that can be placed directly on the heart and may one day help to reduce the stretching of heart muscle that often occurs after a heart attack. The patch, made from a water-based hydrogel material, was developed using computer simulations of heart function in order to fine tune the material's mechanical properties. A study in rats showed that the patch was effective in preventing left ventricle remodeling -- a stretching of the heart muscle that's common after a heart attack and can reduce the function of the heart's main pumping chamber. The research also showed that the computer-optimized patch outperformed patches whose mechanical properties had been selected on an ad hoc basis. The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was a collaboration between computer modeling and mechanics researchers in Brown University's School of Engineering, cardiology researchers from Fudan University and material scientists from Soochow University. "Part of the reason that it's hard for the heart to recover after a heart attack is that it has to keep pumping," said Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown and a co-author on the paper. "The idea here is to provide mechanical support for damaged tissue, which hopefully gives it a chance to heal." Prior research had shown that mechanical patches could be effective, the researchers say, but no one had done any research on what the optimum mechanical properties of such a patch might be. As a result, the thickness and stiffness of potential patches varies widely. And getting those properties right is important, Gao says. "If the material is to hard or stiff, then you could confine the movement of the heart so that it can't expand to the volume it needs to," he said. "But if the material is too soft, then it won't provide enough support. So we needed some mechanical principles to guide us." To develop those principles, the researchers developed a computer model of a beating heart, which captured the mechanical dynamics of both the heart itself and the patch when fixed to the heart's exterior. Yue Liu, a graduate student at Brown who led the modeling work, says the model had two key components. "One part was to model normal heart function -- the expanding and contracting," Liu said. "Then we applied our patch on the outside to see how it influenced that function, to make sure that the patch doesn't confine the heart. The second part was to model how the heart remodels after myocardial infarction, so then we could look at how much mechanical support was needed to prevent that process." With those properties in hand, the team turned to the biomaterials lab of Lei Yang, a Brown Ph.D. graduate who is now a professor at Soochow University and Hebei University of Technology in China. Yang and his team developed a hydrogel material made from food-sourced starch that could match the properties from the model. The key to the material is that it's viscoelastic, meaning it combines fluid and solid properties. It has fluid properties up to a certain amount of stress, at which point it solidifies and becomes stiffer. That makes the material ideal for both accommodating the movement of the heart and for provided necessary support, the researchers say. The material is also cheap (a patch costs less than a penny, the researchers say) and easy to make, and experiments showed that it was nontoxic. The rodent study ultimately showed that it was effective in reducing post-heart attack damage. "The patch provided nearly optimal mechanical supports after myocardial infarction (i.e. massive death of cardiomyocytes)," said Ning Sun, a cardiology researcher at Fudan University in China and a study co-author. "[It] maintained a better cardiac output and thus greatly reduced the overload of those remaining cardiomyocytes and adverse cardiac remodeling." Biochemical markers showed that the patch reduced cell death, scar tissue accumulation and oxidative stress in tissue damaged by heart attack. More testing is required, the researchers say, but the initial results are promising for eventual use in human clinical trials. "It remains to be seen if it will work in humans, but it's very promising," Gao said. "We don't see any reason right now that it wouldn't work." ### Other coauthors on the paper were Xiao Lin, Aobing Bai, Huanhuan Cai, Yanjie Bai, Wei Jiang, Huilin Yang and Xinhong Wang. The work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the U.S. National Science Foundation (CMMI-1562904). Wednesday, April 17, 2019, CLEVELAND: Previous research has suggested that specific factors about the doctor performing colonoscopy - for example, a gastroenterologist versus a surgeon, female versus male - were associated with different rates of detection of precancerous polyps. However, a Cleveland Clinic-led research team found that those previously described differences among endoscopists are not true. Adjusting for a myriad of both patient- and doctor-related factors not previously accounted for, Cleveland Clinic researchers concluded that the previously cited differences disappeared in adenoma detection based on the endoscopist features - except when it comes to the detection of sessile serrated polyps, which are difficult to detect and a known precursor of colorectal cancer. The study data - published in JAMA Surgery - showed that lower sessile serrated polyp detection was only associated with endoscopists who had a lower annual volume of colonoscopies and longer years since completion of medical training. A colonoscopy is a common endoscopic procedure, with more than 14 million examinations performed in the U.S. annually. The efficacy of a colonoscopy to prevent colorectal cancer depends on the quality of the endoscopist to detect and remove lesions that can turn into cancer, such as adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. "There are national benchmarks that define a high-quality endoscopist. Asking your endoscopist about their personal colonoscopy quality metrics can empower patients to make informed choices about their colonoscopy provider," said Carol Burke, M.D., vice chair of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study. Cleveland Clinic's research team conducted a large, single-center retrospective study that analyzed data from 16,089 average-risk, screening colonoscopies performed by 56 providers (gastroenterologists, 60.7 percent; surgeons, 26.5 percent; advanced endoscopists, 12.5 percent) between January 2015 and June 2017. Twenty-five percent of endoscopists were female and 25 percent were international medical graduates. The providers' median time from training was 16.3 years and they performed a median of 267 colonoscopies per year. Provider characteristics considered in the study included endoscopist specialty, gender, location of medical school, years since fellowship, number of colonoscopies performed per year, practice setting and presence of trainee during colonoscopy. The analysis also accounted for numerous patient characteristics not considered in some studies, including age, gender, smoking status, comorbidities such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, medication use, and colonoscopy-related factors, including timing of procedure (month and time of day), location where colonoscopy was performed, cecal intubation rate, number of polyps found, quality of bowel preparation and withdrawal time. Using natural language processing, the researchers were able to extract and read large amounts of textual data from the electronic medical records of the 16,089 patients that would otherwise have been difficult to access. Only endoscopists performing more than 100 colonoscopies per year were included. In the study, the average adenoma detection rate was 31.3 percent, which was above the minimum national standards suggested by the ASGE-ACG quality task force guidelines. The results of this analysis showed that no endoscopist characteristics - including medical specialty and gender - are associated with adenoma detection rate. Regarding the proximal sessile serrated polyp detection rate, the overall rate of 4.6 percent was similar to other recent studies. The only endoscopist factors associated with a lower proximal sessile serrated polyp detection rate included endoscopists who perform lower volumes of colonoscopies and who are further from their medical training. "Sessile serrated polyps were characterized in 2005. They are often in the proximal colon, very subtle with their flat appearance, and thus difficult to detect. These features are probably why proximal sessile serrated polyps are a major cause of interval colon cancer - cancer that occurs between two colonoscopies. Our findings reinforce the need for endoscopists to stay abreast of current resources to improve their detection and resection of sessile serrated polyps," Dr. Burke said. ### About Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Among Cleveland Clinic's 66,000 employees are more than 4,200 salaried physicians and researchers and 16,600 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic's health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 11 regional hospitals in northeast Ohio, more than 180 northern Ohio outpatient locations - including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers - and locations in southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2018, there were 7.9 million total outpatient visits, 238,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 220,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic's health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CCforMedia and twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org. Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request. Artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science that is transforming scientific inquiry and industry, could now speed the development of safe, clean and virtually limitless fusion energy for generating electricity. A major step in this direction is under way at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, where a team of scientists working with a Harvard graduate student is for the first time applying deep learning -- a powerful new version of the machine learning form of AI -- to forecast sudden disruptions that can halt fusion reactions and damage the doughnut-shaped tokamaks that house the reactions. Promising new chapter in fusion research "This research opens a promising new chapter in the effort to bring unlimited energy to Earth," Steve Cowley, director of PPPL, said of the findings, which are reported in the current issue of Nature magazine. "Artificial intelligence is exploding across the sciences and now it's beginning to contribute to the worldwide quest for fusion power." Fusion, which drives the sun and stars, is the fusing of light elements in the form of plasma -- the hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei -- that generates energy. Scientists are seeking to replicate fusion on Earth for an abundant supply of power for the production of electricity. Crucial to demonstrating the ability of deep learning to forecast disruptions -- the sudden loss of confinement of plasma particles and energy -- has been access to huge databases provided by two major fusion facilities: the DIII-D National Fusion Facility that General Atomics operates for the DOE in California, the largest facility in the United States, and the Joint European Torus (JET) in the United Kingdom, the largest facility in the world, which is managed by EUROfusion, the European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy. Support from scientists at JET and DIII-D has been essential for this work. The vast databases have enabled reliable predictions of disruptions on tokamaks other than those on which the system was trained -- in this case from the smaller DIII-D to the larger JET. The achievement bodes well for the prediction of disruptions on ITER, a far larger and more powerful tokamak that will have to apply capabilities learned on today's fusion facilities. The deep learning code, called the Fusion Recurrent Neural Network (FRNN), also opens possible pathways for controlling as well as predicting disruptions. Most intriguing area of scientific growth "Artificial intelligence is the most intriguing area of scientific growth right now, and to marry it to fusion science is very exciting," said Bill Tang, a principal research physicist at PPPL, coauthor of the paper and lecturer with the rank and title of professor in the Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences who supervises the AI project. "We've accelerated the ability to predict with high accuracy the most dangerous challenge to clean fusion energy." Unlike traditional software, which carries out prescribed instructions, deep learning learns from its mistakes. Accomplishing this seeming magic are neural networks, layers of interconnected nodes -- mathematical algorithms -- that are "parameterized," or weighted by the program to shape the desired output. For any given input the nodes seek to produce a specified output, such as correct identification of a face or accurate forecasts of a disruption. Training kicks in when a node fails to achieve this task: the weights automatically adjust themselves for fresh data until the correct output is obtained. A key feature of deep learning is its ability to capture high-dimensional rather than one-dimensional data. For example, while non-deep learning software might consider the temperature of a plasma at a single point in time, the FRNN considers profiles of the temperature developing in time and space. "The ability of deep learning methods to learn from such complex data make them an ideal candidate for the task of disruption prediction," said collaborator Julian Kates-Harbeck, a physics graduate student at Harvard University and a DOE-Office of Science Computational Science Graduate Fellow who was lead author of the Nature paper and chief architect of the code. Training and running neural networks relies on graphics processing units (GPUs), computer chips first designed to render 3D images. Such chips are ideally suited for running deep learning applications and are widely used by companies to produce AI capabilities such as understanding spoken language and observing road conditions by self-driving cars. Kates-Harbeck trained the FRNN code on more than two terabytes (1012) of data collected from JET and DIII-D. After running the software on Princeton University's Tiger cluster of modern GPUs, the team placed it on Titan, a supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and other high-performance machines. A demanding task Distributing the network across many computers was a demanding task. "Training deep neural networks is a computationally intensive problem that requires the engagement of high-performance computing clusters," said Alexey Svyatkovskiy, a coauthor of the Nature paper who helped convert the algorithms into a production code and now is at Microsoft. "We put a copy of our entire neural network across many processors to achieve highly efficient parallel processing," he said. The software further demonstrated its ability to predict true disruptions within the 30-millisecond time frame that ITER will require, while reducing the number of false alarms. The code now is closing in on the ITER requirement of 95 percent correct predictions with fewer than 3 percent false alarms. While the researchers say that only live experimental operation can demonstrate the merits of any predictive method, their paper notes that the large archival databases used in the predictions, "cover a wide range of operational scenarios and thus provide significant evidence as to the relative strengths of the methods considered in this paper." From prediction to control The next step will be to move from prediction to the control of disruptions. "Rather than predicting disruptions at the last moment and then mitigating them, we would ideally use future deep learning models to gently steer the plasma away from regions of instability with the goal of avoiding most disruptions in the first place," Kates-Harbeck said. Highlighting this next step is Michael Zarnstorff, who recently moved from deputy director for research at PPPL to chief science officer for the laboratory. "Control will be essential for post-ITER tokamaks - in which disruption avoidance will be an essential requirement," Zarnstorff noted. Progressing from AI-enabled accurate predictions to realistic plasma control will require more than one discipline. "We will combine deep learning with basic, first-principle physics on high-performance computers to zero in on realistic control mechanisms in burning plasmas," said Tang. "By control, one means knowing which 'knobs to turn' on a tokamak to change conditions to prevent disruptions. That's in our sights and it's where we are heading." ### Support for this work comes from the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship Program of the DOE Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Administration; from Princeton University's Institute for Computational Science and Engineering (PICsiE); and from Laboratory Directed Research and Development funds that PPPL provides. The authors wish to acknowledge assistance with high-performance supercomputing from Bill Wichser and Curt Hillegas at PICSciE; Jack Wells at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility; Satoshi Matsuoka and Rio Yokata at the Tokyo Institute of Technology; and Tom Gibbs at NVIDIA Corp. PPPL, on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, N.J., is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmas -- ultra-hot, charged gases -- and to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. The Laboratory is managed by the University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the largest single supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. The transition from hunting and gathering to farming and herding is considered a crucial turning point in the history of humanity. Scholars think the intensive food production that came along with the Neolithic Revolution, starting around 10,000 B.C., allowed cities to grow, led to technological innovation and, eventually, enabled life as we know it today. It has been difficult to work out the details of how and when this took place. But a new study published in Science Advances begins to resolve the scale and pace of change during the first phases of animal domestication at an ancient site in Turkey. To reconstruct this history, the authors turned to an unusual source: urine salts left behind by humans and animals. Whereas dung is commonly used in all sorts of studies, "this is the first time, to our knowledge, that people have picked up on salts in archaeological materials, and used them in a way to look at the development of animal management," says lead author Jordan Abell, a graduate student at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The team used the urine salts to calculate the density of humans and animals at the site over time, estimating that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. The results suggest that domestication may have been more rapid than previously expected. They also support the idea that the Neolithic Revolution didn't have just one birthplace in the Fertile Crescent of the Mideast, but rather occurred across several locations simultaneously. At the ancient settlement of A??kl? Hoyu?k in central Turkey, archaeological evidence suggests that humans began domesticating sheep and goats around 8450 BC. These practices evolved over the next 1,000 years, until the society became heavily dependent on the beasts for food and other materials. Abell explains that it can be difficult to reconstruct the scale and pace of this evolution using bone fragments and fossilized dung. So he and his colleagues asked themselves what other clues might have been left behind by a bunch of animals onsite. "And we thought, well, humans and animals pee, and when they pee, they release a bunch of salt," says Abell. "At a dry place like this, we didn't think salts would be washed away and redistributed." As it happened, co-authors Susan Mentzer from the University of Tubingen and Jay Quade from the University of Arizona, where Abell worked on this project as an undergraduate, had previously documented some unusually high levels of salts around A??kl? Hoyu?k, and were perplexed by what they meant. Using this data and others, the new study supports the idea that the salts likely came from the urine of humans, sheep and goats. The study uses the abundance of the salts over time to track the growth of the community and its animals over a period of 1,000 years. Working with Turkish archaeologists, including Istanbul University's Mihriban Ozba?aran, who heads the A??kl? Hoyu?k dig, the team collected 113 samples from all across the site -- from trash piles to bricks and hearths, and from different time periods -- to look at patterns in the sodium, nitrate and chlorine salt levels. They found that, overall, the urine salts at A??kl? Hoyu?k increased in abundance over time. The natural layers before the settlement was built contained very low levels of salts. The oldest layers with evidence of human habitation, spanning 10,400 to 10,000 years ago, saw slight increases but remained relatively low in the urine salts. Then the salts spike during a period from 10,000 to 9,700 years ago; the amount of salts in this layer is about 1,000 times higher than in the preceding ones, indicating a rapid increase in the number of occupants (both human and animal). After that, the concentrations decrease slightly. Abell says these trends line up with previous hypotheses based on other evidence from the site -- that the settlement transitioned first from mostly hunting sheep and goats to corralling just a few, then changed to larger-scale management, and then finally shifted to keeping animals in corrals on the periphery of the site as their numbers grew. And although the timing is close to what the study authors expected, the sharp change around 10,000 years ago "may be new evidence for a more rapid transition" toward domestication, says Abell. Using the salt concentrations, the team estimated the number and density of people plus sheep and goats at A??kl? Hoyu?k, after accounting for other factors that might have influenced the salt levels. They calculated that around 10,000 years ago, the density of people and animals occupying the settlement jumped from near zero to approximately one person or animal for every 10 square meters. By comparison, modern-day semi-intensive feedlots have densities of about one sheep for every 5 square meters. Although it is not currently possible to distinguish between human and livestock urine salts, the urine salt analysis method can still provide a helpful estimate of sheep and goat abundance. Over the 1,000 year period, the team calculated that an average of 1,790 people and animals lived and peed on the settlement every day. In each time period, the estimated inhabitants were much higher than the number of people that archaeologists think the settlement's buildings would have housed. This indicates that the urine salt concentrations can indeed reflect the relative amounts of domesticated animals over time. The researchers plan to further refine their methods and calculations in the future, and hope to find a way to differentiate between human and animal urine salts. They think the methodology could be applied in other arid areas, and could be especially helpful at sites where other physical evidence, such as bones, is lacking. The study's results also help shed light on the geographic spread of the Neolithic Revolution. It was once thought that farming and herding originated in the Fertile Crescent, which spans parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, then spread outward from there. But mounting evidence, including today's study, indicates that domestication and the transition to Neolithic lifestyles took place concurrently over a broad and diffuse swath of the region. Anthropologist and co-author Mary Stiner from the University of Arizona said that the new method could help to clarify the larger picture of humanity's relationship to animals during this transitional period. "We might find similar trends in other archaeological sites of the period in the Middle East," she said, "but it is also possible that only a handful of long-lasting communities were forums for the evolving human-caprine relationships in any given region of the Middle East." ### Gines Duru and Melis Uzdurum from Istanbul University were also authors on the paper. Scientist contact: Jordan Abell Email: jabell@ldeo.columbia.edu Office: 845-365-8454 Cell: 347-494-1602 The precise last position of the Boeing 777 of Malaysia Airlines (MH370) that disappeared from radar screens on 8 March 2014 is still unknown. Multiple large-scale search missions have failed. The discovery of several items of debris along the shore of the western Indian Ocean in the subsequent years had brought renewed hope. Shortly after the sighting of the first piece of debris, a flaperon on La Reunion in 2015, a team of scientists at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre of Ocean Research Kiel started to simulate its possible drift in the hope of narrowing down the area of the possible crash site. A few months later, a European consortium was able to refine the calculations by adding the effect of surface waves. Their result: the most likely crash-site region of the MH370 is located west of Australia, north of the then search area. Since then, even after the end of the search effort, the researchers under the leadership of GEOMAR in co-operation with the UK's National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the Mercator Ocean group in Toulouse and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading continued their work on simulating the drift of marine debris. The goal was to establish strategies for future quasi-real-time applications of the drift of objects or organisms in the ocean. In their quest, they addressed the importance of considering surface waves in the calculations, of using advanced simulation techniques and statistics, and whether or not the use of more pieces of debris would refine their results. From their point of view, in addition to surface ocean currents and wind, the so-called "Stokes drift" is also of central importance for the drift of objects in the uppermost layer of the ocean surface. Stokes drift describes the net movement of floating objects caused by the passing of surface waves. The recent study proves that Stokes drift is much more important for analysis than previously assumed. "Ignoring Stokes drift in the simulations can lead to major errors, as we have demonstrated with the MH370 example. For any application where surface drift is studied, Stokes drift should be included to provide more precise tracking results", explains Dr. Jonathan Durgadoo of GEOMAR, lead investigator of the study. The research team assessed the differences in using the methods of forward- and backward-tracking in time. The path of an object can be traced back in time or can be predicted. "The different tracking approaches provide a robust methodology and enable an assessment of uncertainties. These can be minimised by simulating sufficient numbers of virtual objects", continues Jonathan Durgadoo. In the case of MH370, the research team also extended their initial analysis, which was based solely on the flaperon found on La Reunion in 2015, to also include other items of debris that were recovered in other locations. Despite considering these other wreckage parts, the crash area could not be refined. The research team surmises that more knowledge of the buoyancy characteristics of the debris is required. They further acknowledge the uncertainty in estimating the time difference between the washing up of debris on land and their recovery. "Unfortunately, no further information is available to us. Our current estimations suggest that, with at least five items of debris, an optimal area for the most probable crash-site region can be achieved", emphasises Prof. Dr. Arne Biastoch, head of the research team at GEOMAR. However, there is very little hope for new information on the drift characteristics of the debris. Dr. Jonathan Durgadoo still draws a positive balance: "The exercise of estimating the surface drift of debris from MH370 has led to an improved preparedness for future applications". "The study also demonstrates the strength of the European partnership we have developed through our shared use of the NEMO ocean modelling framework" adds Prof. Dr. Adrian New of the UK's National Oceanography Centre. According to the research team, the results obtained from the MH370 case can also be applied to completely different surface drift simulations. For example, it is also possible to track and predict more accurately the spread of plastic waste or of passively drifting organisms such as fish larvae or plankton. ### Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - Cancer is a disease that afflicts an alarming number of people, with one in two being diagnosed with a type of cancer during their lifetime. The global cancer burden has risen to 18.1 million people in 2018, which makes cancer one of the leading causes of death worldwide. While clinical developments and advances in early detection and treatment have already changed the lives of many people suffering from this disease, there is still a tremendous need to develop new knowledge and make new breakthroughs in cancer drug discovery and development. Effective cancer research is unthinkable without collaboration. The field is immense and new developments are occurring all the time, so partnerships are key - whether internal, external or interdisciplinary. Today, Insilico Medicine, a biotech company developing the end-to-end drug discovery pipeline utilizing next-generation artificial intelligence, announces its partnership with Arctoris, the world's first fully automated cancer research laboratory providing robotic experimentation in the cloud, Science Entrepreneur Club, a life sciences network and Cluster Market, a leading online equipment sharing and booking platform enabling and accelerating science. The goal of this collaboration is to conduct BioTarget, which is dedicated to finding new molecules for cancer treatments from collaborating partners worldwide, and to raising awareness for entrepreneurship and innovation amongst scientists. We also aspire to unite the life science ecosystem by educating, inspiring biotech companies to form powerful connections and receive grants for experiments. The initiative is supported by Cancer Research UK, the world's largest independent cancer research charity organisation. "Our mission is to enable the brightest minds worldwide to tackle one of the hardest problems, cancer, by putting cutting-edge research capabilities at scientists' fingertips. BioTarget is a unique way to identify and bring together the next generation of cancer biotech companies, and we are proud to be a founding partner of this unique collaborative effort," said Martin-Immanuel Bittner, Co-Founder & Director of Arctoris. "This collaboration was established for a single purpose: to support combined efforts to find a cure for and eliminate cancer. By using our resources and working with others dedicated to a common cause, there is a hope that together we can beat this disease," said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., Founder, and CEO of Insilico Medicine, Inc. ### About BioTarget 2019 BioTarget is the world's first biotech competition for emerging companies dedicated to finding new molecules for cancer treatment. BioTarget also aims to raise awareness for entrepreneurship and innovation amongst scientists in academia and industry alike. It allows companies to showcase their innovation to a great audience, meet leading biotech investors and industry professionals that can help them reach the next milestone towards developing new drugs for cancer patients.. Official Website: https://www.biotarget.org/ For further information, images or interviews, please contact: Insilico Medicine Contact: Klug Gehilfe ai@pharma.ai Official Website: http://insilico.com/ About Insilico Medicine, Inc Insilico Medicine is an artificial intelligence company headquartered in Rockville, with R&D and management resources in Belgium, Russia, UK, Taiwan, and Korea sourced through hackathons and competitions. The company and its scientists are dedicated to extending human productive longevity and transforming every step of the drug discovery and drug development process through excellence in biomarker discovery, drug development, digital medicine, and aging research. Insilico pioneered the applications of the generative adversarial networks (GANs) and reinforcement learning for generation of novel molecular structures for the diseases with a known target and with no known targets. In addition to working collaborations with the large pharmaceutical companies, the company is pursuing internal drug discovery programs in cancer, dermatological diseases, fibrosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, diabetes, sarcopenia, and aging. Through a partnership with LifeExtension.com, the company launched a range of nutraceutical products compounded using the advanced bioinformatics techniques and deep learning approaches. It also provides a range of consumer-facing applications including Young.AI. In 2017, NVIDIA selected Insilico Medicine as one of the Top 5 AI companies in its potential for social impact. In 2018, the company was named one of the global top 100 AI companies by CB Insights. In 2018 it received the Frost & Sullivan 2018 North American Artificial Intelligence for Aging Research and Drug Development Award accompanied with the industry brief. Brief company video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l62jlwgL3v8 Arctoris Contact: Martin-Immanuel Bittner martin-immanuel.bittner@arctoris.com About Arctoris Based in Oxford, UK, Arctoris is the world's first fully automated cloud lab for cancer research, enabling academic scientists worldwide to directly configure a wide range of cancer research experiments online, and have them completed at its robotic facility. Arctoris offers its clients and partners a wide range of techniques to cover cellular and molecular biology, providing a platform solution from experiment design via robotic experimentation to data storage and visualisation. Arctoris is actively partnering with academic centres and drug discovery companies to move their drug candidates forward, leveraging its robotic platform to generate data of unprecedented quality and depth. Official Website: https://arctoris.com/ About Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK is the world's largest independent cancer research charity that conducts research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Research activities are carried out in institutes, universities and hospitals across the UK, both by the charity's own employees and by its grant-funded researchers. It also provides information about cancer and runs campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the disease and influencing public policy. Cancer Research UK's work is almost entirely funded by the public. It raises money through donations, legacies, community fundraising, events, retail and corporate partnerships. Over 40,000 people are regular volunteers. Official Website: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ About Science Entrepreneur Club The Science Entrepreneur Club aims to boost innovation by uniting the key stakeholders in the life science industry. The SEC provides (early stage) scientific entrepreneurs with a revolutionary network and platform to showcase their innovative technologies, accelerate their company and find investors. Their events provide you with a unique opportunity to blend with the most innovative entrepreneurs and give you an insight into the hidden world of startups. Official Website: https://www.science-entrepreneur.com/ About Cluster Market Cluster Market is building a world leading online equipment sharing and booking platform enabling and accelerating science. Clustermarket's marketplace is giving scientists easy and affordable access to equipment and technical services in nearby institutions. Research facilities/labs have the opportunity to promote their resources to external businesses, colleagues or even international collaboration partners. Official Website: https://www.clustermarket.com/ Scientists for the first time compared complete genome data of different ethnic groups in Russia. Using a special algorithm, they traced the development history for some groups. In the future, such data can be used in other important studies: for example, it can help to identify genetic risk factors in various populations of Russian people. The results are published in Genomics. The Russian Federation is a large country uniting many nationalities and populations. However, their genetic diversity is still understudied: existing researchs consider either a specific population or a part of the genome. At the same time, a comparison of whole genome data from different populations can help to learn more about the spread of diseases and resistance to them. Therefore, St. Petersburg State University initiated the "Russian Genomes" project, in terms of which scientists from various organizations create a database of genetic data of Russian population. Recently, this work has brought new results: for the first time, researchers managed to compare the whole genome data of several populations. Scientists analyzed 204 genome datasets of different populations from other papers and added to this 60 new genomes from Pskov, Novgorod and Yakutia. All in all, 264 representatives of 55 ethnic groups were examined during the study. The researchers used a special program written by ITMO University to predict demographic history for three of these populations.This demographic history describes the populations development: how and when they were one ancestral population, how the population size changed, what were the rates of their migration. "We developed a program to search for the optimal demographic history according to the genomes of samples of the populations. This required calculation and analysis of different alleles occurrence frequency. The program then built many demographic histories to find out which of them is more appropriate for this data," says Ekaterina Noskova from the Laboratory of Computer Technologies at ITMO University. It turned out, for example, that in the past the current inhabitants of Pskov, Novgorod and Yakutia were one population of about 2000 people. But 7000 years ago the Yakuts separated from it, and about 1,200 years ago representatives of Pskov and Novgorod divided. Since then, all three populations began to grow sharply in numbers. According to scientists, comparing the genome of different populations, as well as their development histories, helps to understand, which gene variants cause diseases and which, on the contrary, protect from them. Therefore, for the next step of this study the researchers plan to carefully analyze the data and look for correlations with diseases. ### Reference: Genome-wide sequence analyses of ethnic populations across Russia Daria V.Zhernakova et al. Genomics. 19 March 2019 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0888754318307419 La Trobe University researchers have found the heaviest drinking 10 per cent of Australians drink over half the alcohol consumed in Australia, downing an average of six standard drinks per day. Published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the study also found Australia's heaviest drinkers are more likely to consume cheap alcohol, such as beer and cask wine. The study was led by La Trobe's Centre for Alcohol Policy and Research (CAPR), and funded by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE). Lead author from La Trobe University, Dr Michael Livingston, said the findings are concerning. "We found that the heaviest drinking 10 per cent of Australians drink 54.4 per cent of all alcohol consumed in Australia", Dr Livingston said. "This group are drinking well above the NHMRC's low-risk drinking guidelines, which not only jeopardises their health, but has negative flow-on effects for families and communities." Dr Livingston said the study also showed that heavy drinkers are more likely to be middle-aged men living in rural and regional areas. "We know that rural areas have disproportionately high levels of consumption and alcohol-related harm compared to metropolitan areas." "We found that 16 per cent of this heavy-drinking subset live in outer regional and remote areas, compared with 10 per cent of other drinkers." The study also found that the heaviest drinkers were more likely to drink cask wine and beer as their main drinks, and they were more likely to drink at home. Significantly, cheap alcohol is the standout common factor among Australia's heaviest drinkers. "Surprisingly, we found drinking patterns didn't correlate strongly with other socio-demographic factors such as employment status and neighbourhood disadvantage," Dr Livingston said. FARE Chief Executive, Michael Thorn said the CAPR study reinforces the important role of regulating alcohol prices as a population-wide measure to reduce alcohol harm. "This research provides important evidence that addressing cheap alcohol is a highly targeted way to reduce harm among Australia's heaviest drinkers," Mr Thorn said. This study further supports governments overseeing or considering introducing a floor price on alcohol, which is one of the reforms underway in the Northern Territory. "The trend towards packaged liquor sales continues apace, with more than 80 per cent of the alcohol consumed in Australia now sold as packaged liquor," Mr Thorn said. The alcohol industry maximises profits through this business model, which includes discounting, special offers and other point-of-sale promotions like shopper-dockets. "This is concerning as packaged liquor stores are linked with high rates of assaults, domestic violence, chronic disease and road crashes," he said. Mr Thorn said chain superstores such as Woolworths' Dan Murphy's contribute to this harm, particularly in relation to the risk of trauma. "An earlier study found that each additional chain outlet is associated with a 35.3 per cent increase in intentional injuries (including assaults, stabbing, or shooting) and a 22 per cent increase in unintentional injuries (including falls, crushes, or being struck by an object)," Mr Thorn said. Mr Thorn said the superstore model enables Woolworths to sell as much alcohol as possible, as cheaply as possible, to the most vulnerable people in our country. "Clearly government has a responsibility to address the problem of cheap alcohol by fixing the way alcohol is taxed, introducing floor prices and halting the proliferation of harm-causing packaged alcohol sales," Mr Thorn said. Data for the study came from the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey and the 2013 International Alcohol Control Study. ### Even thousands of years ago people wore clothing with colourful patterns made from plant and animal-based dyes. Chemists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have created new analytical methods to examine textiles from China and Peru that are several thousand years old. In the scientific journal Scientific Reports they describe their new method that is able to reconstruct the spatial distribution of dyes, and hence the patterns, in textile samples. Chemists Dr Annemarie Kramell and Professor Rene Csuk from MLU examined two ancient textile samples. One comes from the ancient Chinese city of Niya and was probably once part of a shirt. It is over 2,000 years old. The other sample comes from Peru and dates back to 1100 to 1400 AD. It was produced by the Ichma people who lived in Peru at that time. Today, there is often little evidence of the colourfulness of such ancient clothing. "Time has not treated them well. What was once colourful is now mostly dirty, grey and brown," says Rene Csuk. Over time, the natural dyes have decomposed as a result of the effects of light, air and water, explains the chemist. In the past, only natural dyes were used. "The roots of a genus of plants called Rubia, for example, were used to create the red colours, and ground walnut shells produced the brown tones," says Annemarie Kramell. Even back then, people mixed individual materials to create different shades. The researchers have developed a new analytical method that allows them to detect which materials were used for which colours. With the aid of modern imaging mass spectrometry, they have succeeded in depicting the dye compositions of historical textile samples as isotopic distributions. Previously, the dyes had to be removed from the textiles. However, that previous method also destroyed the pattern. This new approach enables the chemists from MLU to analyse the dyes directly from the surface of the textile samples. To do this, the piece of material under investigation is first embedded in another material. "The piece is placed in a matrix made up of a material called Technovit7100. Slices are produced from this material that are only a few micrometres thick. These are then transferred to special slides," explains Csuk. Similar methods are used, for example, in medical research to examine human tissue. The advantage is that this method can be used to study very complex samples on a micrometre scale. "This enables us to distinguish between two interwoven threads that held originally different colours," says Csuk. As part of the new study, researchers were able to detect indigo dyes in the samples. However, the method can also be applied to many other dye classes and provides insights into the process of textile production in past cultures, the two scientists conclude. The research was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the project "Silk road fashion: Clothing as a means of communication in the 1st millennium BC, Eastern Central Asia". The Hans Knoll Institute in Jena and Dr Gerd Hause from MLU's Biocentre were also involved in the project. ### Hamilton, ON (April 17, 2019) - One in five Ontario children and youth suffer from a mental disorder, but less than one-third have had contact with a mental health care provider, says the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS). Although those overall results echo a similar study from 1983, the new study found a much larger proportion of children and youth with a disorder had contact with other health providers and in other settings, most often through schools. The new study, called the 2014 OCHS for when data collection started, found that the patterns of prevalence among different sexes and age groups have changed. Hyperactivity disorder in boys four to 11 years old jumped dramatically from nine to 16 percent, but there has been a substantial drop in disruptive behaviour among males 12 to 16 years old from 10 to 3 per cent. There has been a steep increase in anxiety and depression among both male and female youth from 9 to 13 per cent. At the same time, there was a significant rise in perceptions of need for professional help with mental health disorders, rising from seven per cent in the original OCHS in 1983 to 19 per cent in the 2014 OCHS. However, the study authors say it is difficult to estimate whether it is tied to the growing prominence of anti-stigma and mental health awareness campaigns over the past three decades. In 30 years, the prevalence of any disorder increased in communities with a population of 1,000 to 100,000, rather than large urban areas, and there is strong evidence that poor children are more likely to have a disorder if their neighbourhood is one where violence is more common. The study also found that in the past year more than eight per cent of youth thought about suicide, and 4 per cent reported a suicide attempt. The 2014 OCHS study included 10,802 children and youth aged four to 17 in 6,537 families. It replicated and expanded on the landmark 1983 Ontario Child Health Study of 3,290 children in 1,869 families. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has simultaneously published eight papers on different aspects of the 2014 OCHS results. "This is a very robust study we feel represents the situation in Canada," said Michael Boyle, co-principal investigator of the study. "That means there are more than a million Canadian children and youth with a mental health problem. This needs to be addressed." Co-principal investigator Kathy Georgiades added: "This study underscores the continued need for effective prevention and intervention programs." ### Boyle and Georgiades led the 2014 OCHS research team of the Offord Centre for Child Studies of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). Boyle is a professor emeritus and Georgiades is an associate professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences of McMaster and holds the David R. (Dan) Offord Chair in Child Studies. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ontario Ministry of Education. Editors: A more detailed backgrounder on the eight papers is below. The papers and a related editorial may be found at https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cpab/current Backgrounder Top-note findings of 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Hamilton, ON (April 17, 2019) - Listed below are a few of the key findings of the eight papers from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) published today in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, along with information regarding the corresponding authors. The principal investigators are members of the Offord Centre for Child Studies of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. The papers may be found at: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cpab/current Six-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Service Contacts among Children and Youth in Ontario: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Eighteen to 22 per cent of children and youth met criteria for at least one mental disorder in the preceding six months of the Ontario Child Health Study. Behaviour disorders are the most common among children (four-11 years) and anxiety disorders most common among youth (12-17 years). Among children and youth with a parent-identified mental disorder, 26 per cent of children and 34 per cent of youth had contact with a mental health provider. However, 60 per cent had contact with one or more providers or service settings, most often through schools. Corresponding author: Katholiki (Kathy) Georgiades, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Prevalence and Correlates of Youth Suicidal Ideation and Attempts: Evidence from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Eight per cent of youth aged 14 to 17 had suicidal thoughts, and 4 per cent endorsed attempting suicide in the past year. Suicidal thoughts and attempts often co-occur with mental disorders and high risk behaviours, particularly depression, non-suicidal-self-injury and heavy episodic drinking Corresponding author: Katholiki (Kathy) Georgiades, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Children's Mental Health Need and Expenditures in Ontario: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study This study found making needs-adjustments to population counts by using population estimates of child mental health need provides additional value for informing and evaluating funding allocation decisions for children's mental health services. Corresponding author: Laura Duncan, MA, research co-ordinator, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour and Child Mental Health Problems: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study When exposed to high levels of neighbourhood antisocial behaviour, children living in households below the poverty line are at much higher risk for behavioural problems. However, children living in households below the poverty line are at lower risk for emotional and behavioural problems when they live in neighbourhoods with higher concentrations of poverty. Corresponding author: Michael Boyle, PhD, professor emeritus, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Changes in the Prevalence of Child and Youth Mental Disorders and Perceived Need for Professional Help between 1983 and 2014: Evidence from the Ontario Child Health Study This paper examines whether there have been changes in the prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for professional help among children (age 4-11) and youth (age 12-16) between the 1983 and 2014 Ontario Child Health Studies, and whether these changes differ by age, sex, and demographic background. The overall prevalence of perceived need for professional help increased from seven to 19 per cent among four to 16 year olds. An increase in any disorder among children (15 to 20 per cent) was attributable to an increase in hyperactivity among males (nine to 16 per cent). Although the prevalence of any disorder did not change among youth, conduct disorder decreased (seven to 2.5 per cent) while emotional disorder increased (nine to 13 per cent). The prevalence of any disorder increased more in rural and small-medium urban areas versus large urban areas. The prevalence of any disorder decreased for children and youth in immigrant but not non-immigrant families. Corresponding author: Jinette Comeau, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Sociology, King's University College at Western University, London, ON Tracking Children's Mental Health in the 21st Century: Lessons from the 2014 OCHS This study highlighted changes in children's mental health over the past 30 years and ongoing concerns about limited service access for children with mental health needs. The lack of information on children's mental health in Ontario makes it impossible to tell if the health care system is responding to children's needs. This challenge could be resolved by collecting information at regular intervals on children's mental health in the general population, as well as from children using community-based child mental health agencies. Collecting information from both sources (general population and agencies) would make it possible to evaluate service access, effectiveness, and resource allocation. Corresponding author: Michael Boyle, PhD, professor emeritus, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Findings: Policy Implications for Canada 2014 OCHS is a 30-year report card on children's mental health, showing that in Canada we need to do better. The main findings are: 1) prevalence of childhood mental disorders remains high; 2) service reach remains low; 3) needs have increased over the past 30 years; and 4) exposure to avoidable adversities (such as income disparities and violence) influcences children's mental health. Governance of children's mental health services in Canada resides within provinces/territories and often spans multiple sectors including health care, schools, early childhood education and children's mental health and related services - making central expert leadership and planning crucial for improving children's mental health in the next 30 years. Next steps include: 1) ensuring coherent policy leadership in each province/territory; 2) making and sustaining comprehensive children's mental health plans that address both prevention and treatment; 3) ensuring the use of effective interventions; 4) reaching all children with mental disorders with innovative service approaches; 5) addressing avoidable childhood adversities; and 6) ensuring adequate and dedicated children's mental health budgets. Corresponding author: Charlotte Waddell, MD, professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study - Methodology The study is a province-wide, cross-sectional study of child health and mental disorder among 10,802 four to 17 year olds living in 6,537 households. Corresponding author: Michael Boyle, PhD, professor emeritus, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON CORVALLIS, Ore. - An Oregon State University scientist is part of a $10.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop a vaccine for gonorrhea. Aleksandra Sikora, a researcher with the OSU College of Pharmacy and Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, will work with principal investigator Ann Jerse of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences plus collaborators from five other universities. The grant will fund the establishment of the Gonorrhea Vaccine Cooperative Research Center with the goal of having a vaccine ready for clinical trials - trials that use human subjects - in five years. "We are very thrilled," Sikora said. "With this award we can take our research to the next level for developing a vaccine against an ancient disease that continues to plague humankind. Additionally, it gives us, my students, all the personnel in my lab the chance to interact with the top gonorrhea researchers in this country. And even though we are spatially separated, the vaccine center provides the opportunity to meet every year, and an external board oversees what we're delivering and helps ensure we stay on track." Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen that causes gonorrhea, is considered a "superbug" because of the bacteria's resistance to all classes of antibiotics available for treating infections. The need for a vaccine is critical as gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease that results in 78 million new cases worldwide each year, is highly damaging if untreated or improperly treated. It can lead to endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, epididymitis and infertility. Babies born to infected mothers are at increased risk of blindness. Up to 50 percent of infected women don't show any symptoms, but those asymptomatic cases can still lead to miscarriage, premature delivery and severe consequences for the patient's reproductive health. A vaccine works by introducing an "invader" protein known as an antigen that triggers the body's immune system and subsequently helps it quickly recognize and attack the organism that produced the antigen. Sikora has been researching N. gonorrhoeae for years and has published many papers, including one last summer describing the SliC protein that blocks human lysozyme (the first line of defense against invading bacteria), which was a historic finding. Recently, Sikora helped lead an international collaboration with researchers from the World Health Organization and performed proteomic profiling on the 2016 WHO N. gonorrhoeae reference strains; proteome refers to all of the proteins any given organism produces. For each of the 15 strains, researchers divided the proteins into those found on the cell envelope and those in the cytoplasm. More than 1,600 proteins - 904 from the cell envelopes and 723 from the cytoplasm - were found to be common among the strains, and from those, nine new potential vaccine candidates were identified. "We created a reference proteomics databank for researchers looking at gonococcal vaccines and also antimicrobial resistance," Sikora said. "This was the first such large-scale proteomic survey to identify new vaccine candidates and potential antibiotic resistance signatures." The findings added new momentum to a vaccine quest that also received a boost in summer 2017, when a study in New Zealand showed that patients receiving the outer membrane vesicle meningococcal B vaccine were 30 percent less likely to contract gonorrhea than those who didn't get the vaccine. "All previous vaccine trials had failed," Sikora said. Gonorrhea and meningococcal meningitis have different means of transmission and they cause different problems in the body, but their source pathogens are close genetic relatives. With the NIH grant, Sikora will lead the Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMV) and Proteomics research core, the mission of which is to provide a centralized platform for standardized OMV preparations, highly pure antigens, and proteomics and bioinformatics analyses. She'll also be in charge of a project that will study incorporating antigens into nanoparticle platforms called nanodiscs, an attempt to increase vaccine potency and efficacy. ### In addition to OSU and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the other institutions in the grant are Duke University, the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina, Emory University and the University of New Mexico. Chronic bacterial infections in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients are worsened by a previously unappreciated biological agent: a group of viruses that infect the bacteria. The viruses form a biofilm that sequesters antibiotics away from bacteria, potentially contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in CF patients' lungs, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found. A paper describing the study, which involved 110 children and adults with CF, will appear April 17 in Science Translational Medicine. It is the first to explore how filamentous phages, which are stringy bacteria-attacking viruses, can contribute to lung disease. Understanding how the viruses work could lead to better CF therapies. "Phages haven't been thought of as pathogens that affect humans," said lead author Elizabeth Burgener, MD, an instructor of pediatrics at Stanford. "This is a whole new paradigm of thinking about them." The study's co-senior authors are Paul Bollyky, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology, and Carlos Milla, MD, professor of pediatrics. Milla and Burgener are pediatric pulmonologists at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, where they treat CF patients. Because phages infect only bacterial cells, scientists have assumed that the viruses do not act on human health. The new study's findings contradict this assumption: CF patients with phage-infected bacteria in their lungs fared worse than those with uninfected lung bacteria. "We saw that phage infection of the lung bacteria is associated with more antibiotic resistance in patients," Burgener said. Scientists have struggled to understand how an aggressive bacterial species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, persists in the lungs of CF patients who are receiving antibiotics, she added. "We think the virus is helping Pseudomonas to establish chronic infection in CF patients' lungs and potentially making patients sicker over time." Sticky substances Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the lungs to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus. Over time, patients tend to develop chronic bacterial infections, which can lead to respiratory failure and death. By adulthood, the lungs of about half of CF patients are infected with Pseudomonas. The infection is linked to worsened prognosis. "When somebody first grows Pseudomonas, we try to eradicate it with antibiotics," Burgener said. Patients inhale high doses of antibiotics directly into their lungs. But the bacteria often keep growing. To see how the phages and bacteria might work together, the researchers took advantage of a quirk of the biology of filamentous phages: When these phages infect the bacteria, they do not kill them; rather, the still-living bacteria incorporate the phage DNA into their own DNA and begin churning out lots of viral particles. The researchers looked at genetic analyses of Pseudomonas bacteria from the lungs of 34 CF patients in Denmark. The patients had had their bacterial DNA sequenced repeatedly over time, allowing the researchers to see whether phage DNA had been persistently incorporated into the bacterial genomes. Patients were more likely to develop consistent phage infections as they got older, supporting the idea that the virus-infected bacteria come to dominate CF patients' lungs over time. The average age of patients without the phages was 13, while the average age of phage-infected patients was 19. Burgener and her colleagues also collected sputum samples from 76 people with CF, both adults and children, who were receiving treatment at Stanford. The team tested the sputum for genetic signatures from Pseudomonas and filamentous phages and found that 58 people had Pseudomonas infection. The researchers studied information from the patients' medical records on lung function, what bacteria had been growing in their lungs over time and other health indicators. Among the Stanford patients, carrying phage-infected Pseudomonas was more common as patients got older. Phage-infected Pseudomonas bacteria were more likely than bacteria without the virus to be resistant to three antibiotics commonly used to treat CF -- aztreonam, amikacin and meropenem -- but not to another antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. "The thing that really stood out was that patients with phage and Pseudomonas had significantly more antibiotic resistance than patients that didn't have phage," Burgener said. How does antibiotic resistance happen? The researchers previously showed that phage particles glom together into a liquid-crystal structure, a slimy biofilm, which grabs onto antibiotic molecules. In the new study, they tested whether this could prevent antibiotics from diffusing to bacteria. The phage biofilm sequestered aztreonam, amikacin and meropenem away from bacteria, the team showed. "We think the biofilm is protecting Pseudomonas," Burgener said. As the biofilm sequesters antibiotics, the bacteria sees sub-therapeutic levels of the drugs, allowing individual drug-resistant bacteria to grow and gradually take over in the lung. The researchers think the physical properties of the different types of antibiotic molecules -- such as whether the drugs have charged or neutral surfaces -- may explain why some antibiotics get stuck in the phage biofilm and others do not. "If we're able to confirm these results, it may affect how we choose antibiotic therapy for patients who have CF and Pseudomonas," Burgener said. The next step is to understand how CF patients' bodies respond to the phages, Burgener said, adding, "It's shocking how much effect the phages have on the host immune system." Bollyky recently led another study that suggests it may be possible to vaccinate against the phage. "Ideally, we'd be able to give a vaccine to CF patients when they're young," Burgener said. "Hopefully we can prevent Pseudomonas infection." ### Other Stanford co-authors of the study are graduate students Johanna Sweere, Michelle Bach and Naomi Haddock; former postdoctoral scholar Xiou Cao, PhD; Lu Tian, ScD, associate professor of biomedical data science; and biostatistician Laurence Nedelec, PhD. Bollyky is a member of Stanford Bio-X and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford. Bollyky and Milla are members of the Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute. Scientists from the University of Montana, Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen also contributed to the research. The Stanford scientists involved in the research were supported by Stanford's Maternal & Child Health Research Institute; the Stanford Training Program in Pulmonary Biology, part of a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (grant T32HL129970); a pilot grant from Stanford's Translational Research and Applied Medicine Program; the Ross Mosier Laboratories Gift Fund; NIH grants R21 AI137432 and R01 AI12492093; the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; and the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust Bank of America. Stanford's Departments of Pediatrics, of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology also supported the work. The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu. Print media contact: Erin Digitale at (650) 724-9175 (digitale@stanford.edu) Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu) SMU physicist Jodi Cooley has been named the 2019 Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award recipient. The award, given by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), recognizes educators who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. Cooley will be honored in July during the AAPT Summer Meeting in Provo, Utah. Past recipients of the award include well-known physicists such as Michio Kaku, Lisa Randall and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Cooley, who joined Southern Methodist University in 2009, is an associate professor of experimental particle physics in SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences who opens her research lab to undergraduates. She will organize a campus rock hunt on Dark Matter Day, analyze an action film or bring out a Slinky to make physics real for her students. When she delivered the featured address at SMU's 2012 Honors Convocation, Cooley spoke about the value of failure. Cooley's current research interest is to improve our understanding of the universe by deciphering the nature of dark matter. She and her colleagues operated sophisticated detectors in the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota from 2003 to 2015. The Department of Energy and National Science Foundation is now funding construction of an even deeper location, SNOLAB in Canada, to improve the search of dark matter. Cooley will be one of the researchers at SNOLAB, using detectors that can distinguish between elusive dark matter particles and background particles that mimic dark matter interactions. Cooley is a principal investigator on the SuperCDMS dark matter experiment and was a principal investigator for the AARM collaboration, which aimed to develop integrative tools for underground science. She has won numerous awards for her research including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2018. She also received an Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation and the Ralph E. Powe Jr. Faculty Enhancement Award from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities. SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU's alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in seven degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world. ### WOODBURY, N.Y., April 17, 2019 -- Pancreatic cancer can be difficult to treat and often responds poorly to chemotherapy due to the presence of tumor cells located within the dense protective tissue, called the stroma. Research funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Collective, a partnership between Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer and guided by Dr. Tony Hunter at the Salk Institute was published today in Nature and has found that the interaction between pancreatic stellate cells (PSC's) and pancreatic cancer cells could be "exploitable" due to the presence of a key protein and lead to the development of new targeted strategies for pancreatic cancer therapy. The tumor microenvironment, which exists within the stroma, contains many cells, but predominantly consists of PSCs, which interact with pancreatic cancer cells and lead to tumor progression and metastasis. Dr. Hunter's research focuses on further examining the interplay between the PSCs and pancreatic cancer cells and the key protein known as Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF), which is responsible for the activation of PSCs in the cancer cells. In a normal pancreas LIF protein levels were undetectable but were dramatically elevated in the tissue of patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In both mouse and human pancreatic cancer tissue, the level of LIF was elevated in activated PCS cells and indicate that PSCs are responsible for the production of LIF. "If we can block LIF pharmacologically or genetically, then we may be able slow down a tumor's progression and metastasis making it easier to administer chemotherapy and prolong survival," said Dr. Hunter. ### This research was supported by the Stand Up To Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team, and the SU2C-Cancer Research UK-Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team. Additional authors on this paper include Dream Teams Leader Daniel Von Hoff, MD and Team Investigator Erkut Borazanci, MD (The Translational Genomics Research Institute, a division of City of Hope; and Honor Health); and Dream Team Co-leader Ronald M. Evans, PhD and Team Investigator Michael Downes. PhD (Salk Institute for Biological Studies); and Team Investigator Tannishtha Reya, PhD (UC San Diego School of Medicine). Dr. Hunter and his team have found that the level of LIF in the blood determines how well a patient will respond to treatment. Patients with high LIF in the blood will have a poorer response to chemotherapy treatment and may have further disease progression than a patient who has a lower LIF level. His research has found that in mice deficient in LIF, pancreatic cancer cells in tumors were significantly smaller and the tumor was further reduced in size when treated with chemotherapy, suggesting LIF plays a role in chemotherapy resistance. This research suggests that the presence of high levels of LIF correlates with disease progression and the tumor response to chemotherapy revealing that it could be useful as a biomarker to indicate a patient's therapeutic response. About the Pancreatic Cancer Collective The Pancreatic Cancer Collective is an initiative of the Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer to improve pancreatic cancer patient outcomes. Together, these leading cancer research organizations will attract new collaborators; improve diagnosis of pancreatic cancer using big data; find new treatments for pancreatic cancer; and support the next generation of pancreatic cancer investigators. Engaging thought leaders, researchers, institutions, and companies, the Collective will innovate and accelerate research on the edge of science. For more information, visit http://www.pancreaticcancercollective.org About Lustgarten Foundation Lustgarten Foundation is America's largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Based in Woodbury, N.Y., the Foundation supports research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer, facilitates dialogue within the medical and scientific community, and educates the public about the disease through awareness campaigns and fundraising events. Since its inception, Lustgarten Foundation has directed $154 million to research and assembled the best scientific minds with the hope that one day, a cure can be found. Thanks to separate funding to support administrative expenses, 100% of your donation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research. For more information, visit http://www.lustgarten.org. About Stand Up To Cancer Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and media leaders who utilize the industry's resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to increase awareness about cancer prevention as well as progress being made in the fight against the disease. As SU2C's scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, conduct rigorous, competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress. Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, Ellen Ziffren, and Kathleen Lobb. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, has served as SU2C's president and CEO since 2011. PHILADELPHIA -- Cancer is a disease of dysregulated gene expression. Now, researchers from Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) find that a new, large category of molecules called transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived fragments have extensive interconnections to gene templates and gene products that differ by cancer type. Moreover, these interconnections can be impacted by the sex of the cancer patient. The findings could provide new angles of attack that are specific to each cancer and also be tuned to the sex of the patient, the researchers say. tRNAs are fundamental molecules that help transform genetic material into the proteins that carry out tasks in the cell. They do this by attaching to intermediary gene copies called messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and interpreting them into proteins. In recent years, researchers have been uncovering evidence that small pieces of these tRNAs known as tRNA-derived fragments, or tRFs, are just as important as the full-length molecule. Now, in a new study published April 17 in the journal Cancer Research, Isidore Rigoutsos, Director of the Computational Medicine Center and the Richard H. Hevner Professor in Computational Medicine at Jefferson and his team describe their analyses of data from 32 cancer types and reveal an array of complex relationships among tRF, mRNAs, proteins, genomic architecture, repetitive elements and the mitochondrion. These findings have important implications for cancer development and research into new therapeutic targets. Enzymes cut tRNAs into fragments of such varying lengths that researchers initially wondered whether tRF might not be cellular debris. But in previous research, Dr. Rigoutsos and his team showed that the size and the specific sequence of these tRF depend on the kind of cell in which they are found. The same "maternal" tRNA produced multiple "daughter" fragments that differed in breast cancer cells than in prostate cancer cells, for example. "This made us wonder what happens in other cancers," says Dr. Rigoutsos, who is also a researcher at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center - Jefferson Health. In their latest study, the researchers probed 32 publicly available cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas to search for links between tRF and molecules that have traditionally been studied in cancers. The analysis revealed that all 32 cancer types harbor essentially the same tRF and mRNAs. However, the researchers found tRF and mRNA associate with each other in specific pairs that differ in each cancer. Surprisingly, even though the tRF seem to select different mRNA partners in each cancer, these mRNA belong to the same biological processes. The discovery suggests more ways in which cancers might differ from one another. It also suggests that the expression of the same gene can go awry differently in different cancer types. "This is important because when we try to cure disease, we first look at the mRNA," Dr. Rigoutsos added. "But, these tRF-mRNA associations could provide valuable insights for how to approach research into treatment because, they appear to be involved in a different relationship in every cancer." An unexpected aspect of the new study was the discovery of an involvement of the mitochondrion in the 32 cancers. The mitochondrion is an organelle that has been a component of the cells of higher organisms for several hundred million years. It provides these cells with the energy they need to function. The mitochondrion also maintains its own collection of 22 tRNA whereas the nucleus maintains a separate collection of 610 tRNA. The Jefferson team showed that tRF from the 22 mitochondrial tRNA are responsible for nearly half of all tRF-mRNA associations they found. Intrigued by the mitochondrion's apparent deep involvement, the team examined whether there was something special about the mRNA with which the mitochondrial tRF were associated. Another surprising finding came to light. The genomic regions harboring genes whose mRNA were positively correlated with mitochondrial tRF were enriched in repetitive elements. Repetitive elements are variable-length sequence segments that have many copies spread throughout an organism's genome. These elements account for more than half of the human genome. In contrast, the team also found that mRNA that were negatively correlated with mitochondrial tRF were depleted in repetitive elements, the researchers found. "The links to repetitive elements were something we really did not expect," says Dr. Rigoutsos. "For several decades, the research community has been debating whether repetitive elements serve any purpose. And now, out of the blue comes the mitochondrion with an outsized set of connections to mRNAs that contain repeat elements." But the surprises did not stop there. When Dr. Rigoutsos and his team examined the tRF-mRNA pairs by sex, they discovered one more layer of complexity. In bladder, kidney and lung cancer, they found many tRF-mRNA pairs that are present only in male patients, or, only in female patients with the disease. "We are not aware of previous work that linked tRF with the sex of patients and with mRNA in the cancer context. This is valuable in that it suggests that sex can modulate tRF and their associations with mRNA," says Dr. Rigoutsos. This study adds to the team's previous findings from healthy individuals and triple-negative breast cancer and prostate cancer patients that uncovered links between tRF and race/ethnicity. It appears that tRF may be behind sex- and race/ethnicity-based health disparities. The findings also suggest that the involvement of tRF in cellular processes at large may be far more pronounced than thought. ### The work was supported partially by a William M. Keck Foundation grant (IR), by NIH/NCI R21-CA195204 (IR), and by Institutional Funds. Article reference: Aristeidis G. Telonis, Phillipe Loher, Rogan Magee, Venetia Pliatsika, Eric Londin, Yohei Kirino, and Isidore Rigoutsos, "tRNA Fragments Show Intertwining with mRNAs of Specific Repeat Content and Have Links to Disparities," Cancer Research, DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0789, 2019. Media Contact: Edyta Zielinska, 215-955-7359, edyta.zielinka@jefferson.edu RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (April 15, 2019) - The U.S. Army awarded up to $50 million over five years to eight academic teams pursuing basic research across scientific disciplines. The teams will study topics including heat energy transfer between nano-structured materials, modeling of plant and pollen distribution, and understanding to the restorative effects of sleep. The awards are a part of the Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, known as MURI. The MURI program supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional scientific and engineering discipline. The awards are typically funded at $1.25 million per year for three years with an option for two additional years. "MURIs provide unique opportunities for small teams of experts from diverse research areas to work together and develop disruptive solutions to some of our most promising scientific challenges," said Dr. David Stepp, acting director, Army Research Office. "These research efforts enable profound and significant breakthroughs that unite disparate scientific disciplines and initiate new opportunities for transition to Army applications." Since its inception in 1985, the tri-service MURI program has successfully convened teams of investigators to combine insights from multiple disciplines to both facilitate the growth of newly emerging technologies and address the DODs unique problem sets. The highly competitive MURI program complements the department's single-investigator basic research grants and has made immense contributions to both defense and society at large. For example, a MURI led to the development of optical materials that can be designed to have properties not possible with conventional optics, called transformative optics. The potential long-term applications are extensive, and may one day rival the impact of the laser. Future DOD applications include ultra-thin and lightweight optical elements replacing heavy, bulky glass optics for technologies such as gun sights, satellites, and other imaging systems, as well as more efficient energy harvesting, or enhanced detector sensitivity. Another notable MURI team was key to driving the creation and success of the new field of mechanochemistry whereby scientists identify mechanisms for converting mechanical energy to chemical changes and designing and synthesizing bulk materials that detect stress and repair damage. In the long term this research may enable the development of a national research agenda geared towards protecting Soldiers using responsive materials. This year, the eight projects funded by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, through its Army Research Office include: How sleep clears your brain: slow waves, glymphatic waste removal, and synaptic down-selection, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, University of Rochester, in collaboration with researchers at University of Rochester and University of Wisconsin-Madison Formal Foundations of Algorithmic Matter and Emergent Computation, Dr. Dana Randall, Georgia Institute of Technology in collaboration with researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Arizona State University Networked palynology models of pollen and human systems, Dr. Anthony Grubesic, Arizona State University in collaboration with researchers at Arizona State University, University of Texas at Austin, and Emory University Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer and Energy Conversion in Nanogaps of Nano- and Meta-Structured Materials, Dr. Sangi Reddy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in collaboration with researchers at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Purdue University; Stanford University; and Yale University Investigating energy efficiency, information processing and control architectures of microbial community interaction networks, Dr. James Boedicker, University of Southern California in collaboration with researchers at University of Southern California; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and California Institute of Technology Predicting and Controlling the Response of Particulate Systems through Grain-Scale Engineering, Dr. Jose Andrade, California Institute of Technology in collaboration with researchers at California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Louisiana State University and A&M College Quantum State Control of Molecular Collision Dynamics, Dr. Arthur Suits, University of Missouri in collaboration with researchers at University of Missouri; Stanford University; University of Colorado, Boulder; Harvard University; University of New Mexico; and University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundations of Decision Making with Behavioral and Computational Constraints, Dr. Ali Jadbabaie-Moghadam, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University For the fiscal 2019 competition, the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals in 24 areas important to DOD and the military services. From a merit-based review of the 295 proposals received, a panel of experts narrowed the proposals to a subset from which the 24 final awards were selected. The awards will be provided to these teams located across 73 U.S. academic institutions, subject to satisfactory research progress and the availability of funds. ### About CCDC ARL The CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more effective to win our Nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. Maxwell's demon is a machine proposed by James Clerk Maxwell in 1897. The hypothetical machine would use thermal fluctuations to obtain energy, apparently violating the second principle of thermodynamics. Now, researchers of the University of Barcelona have presented the first theoretical and experimental solution of a continuous version of Maxwell's demon in a single molecule system. The results, published in the journal Nature Physics, can have applications in other fields, such as biological and quantum systems. "Despite its simplicity and the large amount of work in the field this new variant of the classical Maxwell demon has remained unexplored until now", notes Felix Ritort, professor from the Department of Fundamental Physics of the UB. "In this study -he adds-, we introduced a system able to extract large amounts of work arbitrarily per cycle through repeated measurements of the state of a system". Finding the favourable moment Waiting for such a propitious occasion to get benefits is something we all know. This behavioural pattern is the same of a speculator waiting for the right moment in stock exchange, or a predator waiting for a prey to be near. "From a thermodynamics point of view, that certain intuitive aspect in trying to look for the right moment is what takes more energy. The answer is whether it is possible to get the same energy from the propitious moment than the inverted one in the searching process, i.e. through a thermodynamically reversible process", notes Marco Ribezzi, researcher at the UB and the School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry (ESPCI Paris/CNRS). "Our experiments demonstrate it is possible to find the right moment, and not very common at the same time, and to use it in a reversible way. These results show the underlying thermodynamic structure to a general problem that can find many applications, for instance, in the field of biology", notes Ribezzi. According to the researchers, the new version of Maxwell's demon could have consequences in self-organization and selection processes that occur during evolution of the biological matter. For instance, this device could be relevant in the regulation of biological networks in generation, transmission and transduction of signals through cell membranes. The experimental testing has been conducted in a system of optical tweezers, which enables the manipulation of a molecule each time, in this case a DNA molecule. With the right force on this structure, it is possible to unfold it, but if the force is small enough, the unfolded state becomes rare, so it finds the precise moment it was looking for. When the molecule is in a rare state, it has more energy and it is possible to use it. "The rarer the episode, the harder for us to find it, but the more energy we can get from it", notes Ribezzi. "The astonishing complexity of the living matter could be seen as the result, over several evolutionary timescales, of a big process of energy extraction in proper environments to store big amounts of information which is hidden by noise and randomness", concludes Ritort, also member of the Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBER-BBN). ### Within the program Future and Emerging Technologies (FET), this study has been conducted as part of the European project Information, Fluctuations and Energy Control in Small Systems (INFERNOS), with the aim to experiment on the Maxwell's mechanism at a nanoscale, i.e the creation of electronic and biomolecular nanodevices to follow the principle of Maxwell's demon. Referencia de l'article: M. Ribezzi-Crivellari and F. Ritort. Large work extraction and the Landauer limit in a continuous Maxwell demon. Nature Physics, abril de 2019. Doi: 10.1038/s41567-019-0481-0 New data published this week in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice suggests that oral immunotherapy is safe for preschool-aged children with peanut allergies. The research, led by scientists and pediatric allergists at the University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, is the first to demonstrate the safety of peanut oral immunotherapy for a large group of preschool-aged children when offered as routine treatment in a hospital or clinic rather than within a clinical trial. "Although there have been many clinical trials of peanut oral immunotherapy in older children, and one trial in preschoolers, there has been a lack of real-world data due to safety concerns of offering this treatment to preschoolers outside of a research setting," said Lianne Soller, the study's lead author and allergy research manager at BC Children's Hospital. "But our findings confirm in a real-world setting that this treatment is not only safe but is well-tolerated in a large group of preschool-aged children." Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a treatment protocol in which a patient consumes small amounts of an allergenic food, such as peanut, with the dose gradually increased to a determined maximum amount. The goal typically is to reach desensitization, where a patient can ingest more of the allergenic food without triggering a dangerous reaction--protecting them in the event of accidental exposure. Patients must continue to consume a determined amount of the allergen regularly as maintenance. Preschool children likely less fearful of their food allergens Allergists from across Canada followed 270 children who were given OIT for peanut allergy from April 2017 to November 2018. Children were between the ages of nine months and five years, and all were required to have a convincing diagnosis of peanut allergy made by an allergist. Children were seen by a pediatric allergist in a community or hospital clinic approximately every two weeks, where they were fed a peanut dose that gradually increased at every visit. Parents also gave children the same daily dose at home, between clinic visits, until they reached a maintenance dose of 300 mg of peanut protein over eight to 11 clinic visits. Symptoms and treatment of allergic reactions at clinic visits and at home, including epinephrine use, were recorded in the patient's medical chart. Parents were also provided with instructions on how to manage at-home allergic reactions, when to administer epinephrine, and when to hold off on an OIT dose, such as during a severe cold or flu. Most children given OIT reached maintenance stage The researchers found that 243 children (90 per cent) reached the maintenance stage successfully, while 27 children, or 10 per cent, dropped out. Reasons for dropping out included repeated allergic reactions, the child refusing to consume the daily dose, and parental anxiety. It took an average duration of 22 weeks of oral immunotherapy for patients to reach the maintenance stage. Although nearly 68 per cent of preschoolers experienced at least one allergic reaction during the build-up phase, the researchers found the majority of reactions were mild (36.3 per cent) or moderate (31.1 per cent). Only 0.4 per cent of children experienced a severe reaction and 11 children (four per cent) received epinephrine. This study's findings build on a 2017 randomized clinical trial of 37 preschoolers receiving OIT. None of the children involved in that study experienced a severe reaction. However, the smaller study may have been too small to enable detection of a severe reaction, which the researchers believe may account for the 0.4 per cent experiencing severe reactions in this new study. "The goal of our project was to confirm the safety of preschool peanut OIT in a much larger sample of patients in the real world," said Dr. Edmond Chan, the study's senior author. "We were impressed that among over 40,000 doses of peanut that were administered, only 12 resulted in reactions requiring epinephrine." Chan, a pediatric allergist who is also the head of the division of allergy and immunology at UBC and a clinical investigator at the BC Children's Hospital, said he hopes the findings provide guidance to health-care practitioners treating preschool children in their clinics. "Many allergists do not believe OIT should be offered outside of research settings, and have not routinely offered it as a therapy for peanut allergy in their clinics due to safety concerns," he said. "We hope that our data demonstrates that the treatment is safe in preschoolers, and could be offered to families of preschool children with peanut allergy who ask for it. There appears to be a big difference in outcomes in preschoolers compared to older children." 'Having a child with serious allergies can be very socially isolating' Ravinder Dhaliwal's daughter Saiya was one of the patients offered OIT as part of this research. At 10 months old, Saiya broke out in hives when she tried peanuts for the first time. As a pediatric nurse, Dhaliwal immediately knew her daughter likely had a peanut allergy. Further testing confirmed Saiya was allergic to peanuts along with many tree nuts. Last year, Saiya received OIT for peanut allergies with Chan at BC Children's Hospital. She responded well to the treatment, even asking Chan to put her on an accelerated schedule, and he agreed because she was responding so well. "Saiya shows why OIT works so well in preschoolers," said Dhaliwal. "She's very fortunate to have never had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut, so she has no fear or anxiety. She was excited to go through the program. She'd ask me all the time, 'when can I eat a peanut butter sandwich?'" Now five years old, Saiya is also in the final stages of OIT for tree nuts, for which there is even less experience in clinical practice. "It blows my mind to think about how far we've come," said Dhaliwal. "Having a child with serious allergies can be very socially isolating. Now we can go to potlucks, we can go to restaurants, we can go to friends' houses, and we don't have to worry about accidental exposure. It's been very freeing." 'We don't have to live in fear anymore' Clementine Cheng knew her daughter Tryphaena was at a high risk for food allergies because her older child had serious allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. When Tryphaena developed hives after eating a granola bar when she was a year old, Clementine's concerns were confirmed. "I didn't have much hope," said Cheng. "I assumed she'd be allergic for the rest of her life." More than a year ago, Tryphaena, now six, started the OIT program at BC Children's Hospital and has responded well. Soon, she'll have one more test of eating a large amount of peanuts in the clinic (an oral challenge) to see if she reacts. If she doesn't, she'll be considered fully desensitized to peanuts. "It's very emotional to see your child ingesting nuts without having a reaction," said Cheng. "It's been really exciting to be able to offer her different foods without worrying about an accidental exposure. We don't have to live in fear anymore." Future goals of the research The data were collected as part of a Canada-wide collaboration between allergy researchers and community allergists called the Canadian Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy (CPP-OIT) project. The group now hopes to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of peanut OIT desensitization and sustained unresponsiveness for patients who choose to stop daily peanut OIT. ### The recent wave of immigration into Europe is nothing new for Italy; its proximity to Africa has made it a destination for years, particularly for sub-Saharan refugees. But geographers are keeping an eye on this gateway nation, where newly identified Afro-Italian youth are leading a movement to reform Italy's citizenship laws and women entrepreneurs are emerging as a force. Camilla Hawthorne, assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, says economic stagnation and a resurgence of racist nationalism are shaping conversations about what it means to be Italian in the 21st century. "Italy's economy is struggling, unemployment is high, the far-right won the recent election, and xenophobia is on the rise. These are trends we're seeing across Europe and elsewhere," said Hawthorne. At the same time, Italy is now home to nearly 1 million Italian-born children of immigrants who, by law, lack citizenship. How the country responds to their demands for recognition and rights, and the emergence of Afro-Italian women entrepreneurs who are transforming notions of beauty and what it means to be Italian, will shape the future of the country, said Hawthorne. "These people are the future of Europe. They make up 10 percent of Italy's youth population," said Hawthorne, author of an article in the current online issue of Social & Cultural Geography. "Birthrates of white Europeans are declining across Europe. Tensions are coming to a head in Italy because it is the first point of arrival for many immigrants, and black Italians are the most prominent group challenging the persistent conflation of whiteness with being Italian." Italian citizenship law, known as jus sanguinis, or "right of blood," stipulates that Italian-born children of immigrants have no automatic right to Italian citizenship. Instead, at the age of 18, they have one year to prove they have lived in Italy continuously from birth. Otherwise, those who are not employed or enrolled in higher education are at risk of being deported to their parents' home country. It's only in the last five or so years that black youth have begun calling themselves "Afro-Italian," according to Hawthorne. "They are beginning to collectively identify as 'Afro' or 'Black' and to mobilize politically from these identities," she said. "We are in the midst of the largest mass movement of people across borders in recent history. We can learn from what's happening in Italy." Entrepreneurs redefine what it means to be Italian Hawthorne's article, "Making Italy: Afro-Italian Entrepreneurs and the Racial Boundaries of Citizenship," highlights the emergence of Afro-Italian women entrepreneurs and their impact on dominant narratives about immigrants and "Italian-ness." These women specialize in black fashion, style, and hair-care products, and they are leveraging the internet to market their products, build community, challenge norms of Italian beauty, and expand the scope of the "Made in Italy" brand to include products made specifically for Afro-Italians. Italian-Ghanaian Evelyne Afaawua founded a Facebook page in Italian about the care of natural black hair, originally called "Afro Italian Nappy Girls." Based in Milan, Nappytalia is now a multi-platform social media presence, and Afaawua recently launched a line of organic natural hair products for black women; Nappytalia joins AfroRicci, another Afro-Italian enterprise and the first company to launch "Made in Italy" products for Afro-textured hair. The AFRO Fashion Association, founded in 2015 by Italian-Cameroonian journalist Michelle Ngonmo and Italian-Ghanaian fashion designer Ruth Maccarthy, launched the first Afro Fashion Week in the world's fashion capital of Milan in 2017. The event featured designers from Africa, as well as fashion inspired by African textiles, with an explicit goal of promoting a new culture the organizers called "Afro." This new sense of "Italian-ness" unites the traditional Italian aesthetic with cultural influences drawn from subSaharan and Latin American black cultures; it is evident in the use of West African wax print fabrics in clothing, and the incorporation of cocoa and shea butters in Italian cosmetics. "This marriage of African fabrics, colors, and patterns with Italian style stands in contrast to media depictions of an 'African invasion,' " said Hawthorne. "It counters resurgent racist narratives that immigrants are lazy or taking away jobs." These women entrepreneurs are receiving widespread media coverage and building community and mobilizing for the rights and dignity of black women in Italy--a message that's being as well-received as their products. Their success has the potential to awaken Italy's moribund economy and even to revitalize a stagnant nation. "As Italy has embraced insularity and far-right, anti-globalist politics, it has lost some of its cosmopolitan flair," observed Hawthorne. "Rather than always being cast as Europe's outsiders, these new generations could be a cultural bridge that re-connects Italy to the rest of the world." Inclusion/Exclusion: What does solidarity look like? The emergence of Afro-Italian youth activism and women's entrepreneurship represent a new chapter--but fissures could emerge. Hawthorne cautions that Italy's entrepreneurial and activist "citizens-in-waiting" could be forced to pit themselves against newly arrived black refugees, who get labeled by the media and politicians as "unproductive." "Citizenship can be a path to racial inclusion for Italian-born children of black immigrants, but at the same time, the reform of these laws could also become a tool of oppression against black refugees," noted Hawthorne. "Potential allegiances among black citizens-in-waiting and black refugees can't be taken for granted." Some activist youth worry about alienating themselves from their own immigrant parents as they pursue citizenship by portraying themselves as "authentically Italian." Italy's embrace of far-right ethno-nationalism and the stunning failure of citizenship reform legislation in 2017 seems to have prompted Afro-Italian activists to engage more broadly, said Hawthorne. "They are thinking beyond Italy," she said. "They're connecting with first-generation black immigrants and refugees, and linking their struggles to mobilizations in other places, like the Dreamers and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. They are thinking about the legacies of Italian colonialism in Africa." "Looking at the children who are being born in Italy today, the big question is who counts as Italian? Who counts as European?" said Hawthorne. "Afro-Italian youth political activism is shifting to focus on anti-racism through broader black diasporic alliances. They are finding the answer in solidarity." ### Scientists report the first cases of foot disease for endangered huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia in a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of California, Davis' One Health Institute, with partnering institutions in Chile and the United States. In the study, published April 17 in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers found foot lesions in 24 huemul deer in Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins National Park between 2005 and 2010. The park remains one of the few strongholds for the species, which lives in the rugged mountainous terrain of southern Argentina and Chile. The foot disease causes severe pain, swelling, partial or complete loss of the hoof and in many cases, death. Affected animals become unable to move and forage, leaving them susceptible to starvation and predation. Researchers identified parapoxvirus as the likely cause of the disease. About 40 percent of the 24 affected deer died, suggesting the virus could pose a considerable conservation threat to the already vulnerable species. "We knew that deer were getting sick and dying from this disease for many years, but we didn't know what was causing it," said corresponding author Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian with the UC Davis One Health Institute and director of the Latin America Program within UC Davis' Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. "We're really excited that we found a potential cause for this disease. Now we need to learn from it so we can be better prepared to help this species." ICONIC SPECIES Culturally iconic, the huemul deer appears alongside the condor on Chile's coat of arms and symbolizes biodiversity in the region. While only about 2,500 remain in the wild today, huemul deer were once widespread in Patagonian forests. Then, in the 19th century, habitat loss, poaching and livestock disease began contributing to their decline. Today, the huemul deer is the most endangered deer in South America. "Considering the critical situation of huemul deer, this finding is a significant first step toward identifying and implementing solutions," said lead author Alejandro Vila, the Scientific Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Chile. "We will continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders for the recovery of this flagship species." CATTLE CONSIDERATIONS The lab analysis provided some indication that this disease may have originated with livestock, as well, but more research is needed to confirm. Parapoxvirus DNA present in the sample was highly associated with bovine viruses. Three-quarters of the deer affected by the foot disease were found in the Huemules Valley, where cattle were introduced in 1991 before being removed in 2004. The remaining quarter of affected deer were found in the more isolated Bernardo and Katraska Valleys, which were always free of cattle and had no cases of the foot disease until six sick deer were found between 2008 and 2010. BETTER MONITORING COULD HELP The study said a better system for monitoring the population, collecting high-quality samples and ensuring their delivery for lab analysis could help researchers, land managers and wildlife veterinarians more quickly identify problems huemul deer face and find ways to help them. "It's very rare to link an endangered species with the cause of a disease," Uhart said. "Disease is one reason this species is not doing well. A collaborative framework that involves the different stakeholders can help us put the right pieces in place to diagnose and help the species." Such a framework requires collaboration among academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and government agencies, the authors emphasize. "We are very pleased with the outcome of this collaborative investigation," said Alejandra Silva, Regional Director of the National Forestry Service (CONAF) for Magallanes and Antarctica. "Given how complex it is to work in remote and isolated locations and the costs involved in pursuing sophisticated diagnostics, we recognize the value of partnering with academia and the non-governmental sector to solve problems threatening our wild species." ### COAUTHORS AND FUNDING Additional coauthors for the study include Cristobal Briceno of University of Chile; Denise McAloose and Tracie Seimon from Wildlife Conservation Society in New York; Anibal Armien from University of Minnesota; Nicholas Be from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Elizabeth Mauldin and James Thissen from University of Pennsylvania; Manuel Quezada from University of Concepcion in Chile; and Ana Hinojosa, Jose Paredes, Ivan Avendano, and Alejandra Silva from CONAF in Chile. The study received financial support from CONAF, Michel Durand, Weeden Foundation, Agnes Gundt, Wuppertal Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A team that studies how biological structures such as cactus spines and mantis shrimp appendages puncture living tissue has turned its attention to viper fangs. Specifically, the scientists wanted to know, what physical characteristics contribute to fangs' sharpness and ability to puncture? They report their findings in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. Like most venomous snakes, vipers have fangs that function primarily as hypodermic needles, said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher Stephanie Crofts, who conducted the analysis of viper fangs with U. of I. animal biology professor Philip Anderson. But vipers - a group that includes rattlesnakes, asps and puff adders - tend to have hinged jaws that fold the fangs up into their mouths for storage. Viper fangs are smooth and efficient, Anderson said. "They typically don't have to hold on very long," he said. "They sink their fangs in and out, and they're done." The researchers wanted to know which characteristics of the fangs made them good at puncturing. "The question was: How do we measure sharpness?" Crofts said. "Intuitively, we think we know what is sharp and what isn't, but in biology, we have to measure specific morphological traits." The Field Museum in Chicago lent the researchers fangs from a variety of species. The team used 28 viper fangs for its tests. For each fang, the researchers measured the angle of the tip (was it wide or narrow?), how rounded the tip is, and its surface area. They mounted each fang to a machine that can apply and measure the force required to puncture something - in this case, cubes of ballistics gel of uniform size and density. Mechanical engineers on the team also manufactured a series of metal punches with varying tip angles, degrees of bluntness and surface areas, and the team also tested those using the same methods. "With the punches, we could very tightly control the different parameters," Crofts said. "It was a way of isolating those different metrics." The tests revealed that the angle of a fang's tip contributed the most to sharpness. Even a narrow fang with a rounded tip tended to perform better than a wider fang that was intact - not rounded or dulled - at its end. "The narrowness of the tip angle is what's really important," Crofts said. "I found that a little surprising, because most measures of sharpness focus on the roundedness of the tip. That does come into play, but it's secondary to that overall angle." "This study tells us what aspect of shape to measure when we want to measure sharpness," Anderson said. "Whether we're looking at biological systems or other systems, the tip angle appears to be the primary factor driving sharpness." ### The National Science Foundation supported this research. Editor's notes: To reach Philip Anderson, call 217-300-2855; email andersps@illinois.edu. To reach Stephanie Crofts, call 773-263-8228; email scrofts@illinois.edu. The paper "How do morphological sharpness measures relate to puncture performance in viperid snake fangs" is available to members of the media from the U. of I. News Bureau. ANN ARBOR--The benefits of self-driving cars will likely induce vehicle owners to drive more, and those extra miles could partially or completely offset the potential energy-saving benefits that automation may provide, according to a new University of Michigan study. In the coming years, self-driving cars are expected to yield significant improvements in safety, traffic flow and energy efficiency. In addition, automation will allow vehicle occupants to make productive use of travel time. Previous studies have shown that greater fuel efficiency induces some people to travel extra miles, and those added miles can partially offset fuel savings. It's a behavioral change known as the rebound effect. In addition, the ability to use in-vehicle time productively in a self-driving car--people can work, sleep, watch a movie, read a book--will likely induce even more travel. Taken together, those two sources of added mileage could partially or completely offset the energy savings provided by autonomous vehicles, according to a team of researchers at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability led by Dow Sustainability Doctoral Fellow Morteza Taiebat. Conceivably, the added miles could even result in a net increase in energy consumption, a phenomenon known as backfire, according to the U-M researchers. The study published April 17 in the journal Applied Energy. "The core message of the paper is that the induced travel of self-driving cars presents a stiff challenge to policy goals for reductions in energy use," said co-author Samuel Stolper, assistant professor of environment and sustainability at SEAS. "Thus, much higher energy efficiency targets are required for self-driving cars," said co-author Ming Xu, associate professor of environment and sustainability at SEAS and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the College of Engineering. In the paper, Taiebat and his colleagues used economic theory and U.S. travel survey data to model travel behavior and to forecast the effects of vehicle automation on travel decisions and energy use. Most previous studies of the energy impact of autonomous vehicles focused exclusively on the fuel-cost component of the price of travel, likely resulting in an overestimation of the environmental benefits of the technology, according to the U-M authors. In contrast, the study by Taiebat and colleagues looked at both fuel cost and time cost. Their approach adapts standard microeconomic modeling and statistical techniques to account for the value of time. Traditionally, time spent driving has been viewed as a cost to the driver. But the ability to pursue other activities in an autonomous vehicle is expected to lower this "perceived travel time cost" considerably, which will likely spur additional travel. The U-M researchers estimated that the induced travel resulting from a 38% reduction in perceived travel time cost would completely eliminate the fuel savings associated with self-driving cars. "Backfire--a net rise in energy consumption--is a distinct possibility if we don't develop better efficiencies, policies and applications," Taiebat said. The possibility of backfire, in turn, implies the possibility of net increases in local and global air pollution, the study authors concluded. In addition, the researchers suggest there's an equity issue that needs to be addressed as autonomous vehicles become a reality. The study found that wealthier households are more likely than others to drive extra miles in autonomous vehicles "and thus stand to experience greater welfare gains." ### Support was provided by the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program at the University of Michigan. Study: Forecasting the Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicles on Energy Use: A Microeconomic Study of Induced Travel and Energy Rebound Morteza Taiebat Samuel Stolper Ming Xu Locking a biochemical gate that admits fuel into immune-suppressing cells could slow tumor progression and assist the treatment of multiple cancers, says new research from the Wistar Institute, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and others. Published April 17 in the journal Nature, the study found elevated levels of fatty acid transporter protein 2, or FATP2, in a type of cell known to muffle immune responses and impede cancer therapies. After isolating tumorous cells from humans and mice, the researchers also discovered substantially higher numbers of an energy-granting lipid that FATP2 helps produce and traffic into cells. Collectively, the study's findings implicate FATP2 in maliciously rewiring the body's most common white blood cells, which otherwise act as first responders in fighting infections. When the researchers knocked out a gene linked to FATP2, they found that the tumors of several cancers -- lymphoma, lung carcinoma, colon carcinoma and pancreatic cancer -- grew markedly slower in mice. Administering the FATP2-inhibiting compound Lipofermata -- identified by Nebraska's Concetta DiRusso in the mid-2000s -- likewise helped slow and even reject tumors when paired with a drug that disrupts cellular replication. The study suggests that targeting FATP2 in the immune-suppressing cells could block the resulting buildup of lipids and mitigate tumor progression without significant side effects, the team said. "I think the unique thing, and why this will cause some excitement, is that this is not specific to one cancer," said DiRusso, a study co-author and George Holmes University Professor of biochemistry. "Being able to target some of the cells that are common to different cancers is something that's highly desired. "It doesn't wipe (tumors) out totally, but it's a piece of the picture. We're now more interested in combination therapy. It's not one target but (instead) targeting in multiple ways, because cancer is smart. Cancer finds a way around our best drugs, which is why these combinations of drugs are so powerful and, we expect, more effective." The Wistar Institute's Dmitry Gabrilovich and colleagues first noticed an uptick of FATP2 in solid tumors several years ago. Their observation prompted Gabrilovich to contact Nebraska biochemist Paul Black, who has studied the fundamentals of how fat molecules cross cellular membranes. The Black Lab's early research in yeast identified a gene segment and associated protein that activate and carry fatty acids into cells, where they get metabolized for energy or embedded into membranes. That protein? FATP2. "If you've got a gate sitting on the membrane that controls the amount of fat that gets in, and then you start screwing around with that gate, it's going to impact things downstream," said Black, Charles Bessey Professor and chair of biochemistry. "And if a cancer cell needs to be fed lipid so it can undergo metastasis and really become a nasty disease, it has to up-regulate that protein. So this gate is playing a very pivotal role in all of these metabolic systems." Black's prior research also helped determine that there were two genetic variants of FATP2: one to prime fatty acids for metabolism, another to actually transport them across cellular membranes. That important distinction informed the efforts of DiRusso's lab, which screened more than 100,000 anti-FATP2 compound candidates to suss out which might help combat obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The blue-ribbon candidate, Lipofermata, essentially eliminates fat accumulation in tissue cultures and reduces the absorption of lipids in mice by more than 60 percent -- leading DiRusso to patent the drug's use in treating metabolic diseases. So when Black was contacted by Gabrilovich, he quickly touched base with DiRusso. The duo ultimately supplied Gabrilovich with the biochemical insights, samples and Lipofermata needed to carry out his team's experiments. "Whether it be cancer biology or diabetes or whatever you're going after in this biomedical world, you can't do it by yourself anymore," Black said. "Long gone are the days where we can just sit up and be a little silo somewhere, just doing our own things. Some of our early mechanistic work was done that way, but the work (now) is far too complicated. It's just a ton of information. "We don't know the full story yet, but the data that's coming out is going to really drive this stuff forward very, very quickly." ### The Wistar Institute and Nebraska researchers authored the Nature study with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh, Duke University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Moscow State Medical University. The team received support from the National Institutes of Health under grants CA R01CA165065 and AI110485. Researchers from the Otago Global Health Institute have secured funding from the e-Asia Joint Research Programme and the Health Research Council of New Zealand to help improve the management of tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia. McAuley Professor of International Health Philip Hill and his colleagues, Associate Professor Katrina Sharples and Research Fellow Dr Sue McAllister, will receive $450,000 over three years to carry out a study, which aims to increase the number of cases of TB being publicly notified in Indonesia. The Otago researchers will work with their long-term collaborators at the University of Padjadjaran, Indonesia, as well as researchers at Harvard University in the United States on the project, attracting more than $200,000 of further funding from their respective national health funders under the e-Asia programme. TB is the third leading cause of death in Indonesia - in 2014/15 the country recorded 1 million cases of the disease. Professor Hill says that over half of the TB cases are not notified with private healthcare practitioners (who provide the majority of healthcare) but notify less than 10 per cent of all diagnosed TB cases. "This study is important as private practitioners rarely notify the TB cases that they diagnose and as a result the management of such cases is compromised," Professor Hill explains. The researchers will undertake a tailored intervention trial involving the use of an electronic referral and notification system among private providers, as well as education and individual plans for providers in a bid to boost notifications. Professor Hill says this project is of potential importance to Indonesia and beyond. "This project provides an exceptional opportunity to combine specific expertise and develop capacity of scientists in each country. The results will be of local and global interest, shedding light on an issue of importance to global TB control." The Otago Global Health Institute is a research centre within the University of Otago with staff from a variety of departments and divisions working together on global health initiatives. Its main aim is to work with partners both in New Zealand and globally to help find solutions to tackle pressing global health problems. The e-Asia Joint Research Programme is a coalition of national research funding institutions from 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nation countries and eight East Asia Summit participating countries, including New Zealand. Projects are required to be multilateral and to promote collaboration, innovation and support economic development in the East Asian Region. ### For further information, contact: Professor Philip Hill McAuley Professor of International Health Tel 03 479 9462 Mob 021 279 7214 Email Philip.hill@otago.ac.nz Liane Topham-Kindley Senior Communications Adviser Tel 03 479 9065 Mob 021 279 9065 Email liane.topham-kindley@otago.ac.nz A world-record result in reducing errors in semiconductor electron 'spin qubits', a type of building block for quantum computers, has been achieved using the theoretical work of quantum physicists at the University of Sydney Nano Institute and School of Physics. The experimental result by University of New South Wales engineers demonstrated error rates as low as 0.043 percent, lower than any other electron spin qubit. The joint research paper by the Sydney and UNSW teams was published this week in Nature Electronics and is the journal's cover story for April. "Reducing errors in quantum computers is needed before they can be scaled up into useful machines," said Professor Stephen Bartlett, a corresponding author of the paper. "Once they operate at scale, quantum computers could deliver on their great promise to solve problems beyond the capacity of even the largest supercomputers. This could help humanity solve problems in chemistry, drug design and industry." There are many types of quantum bits, or qubits, ranging from those using trapped ions, superconducting loops or photons. A 'spin qubit' is a quantum bit that encodes information based on the quantised magnetic direction of a quantum object, such as an electron. Australia, and Sydney in particular, is emerging as a global leader in quantum technology. The recent announcement to fund the establishment of a Sydney Quantum Academy, underlines the huge opportunity in Australia to build a quantum economy based on the world's largest concentration of quantum research groups here in Sydney. No practice without theory While much of the recent focus in quantum computing has been on advances in hardware, none of these advances have been possible without the development of quantum information theory. The University of Sydney quantum theory group, led by Professor Stephen Bartlett and Professor Steven Flammia, is one of the world powerhouses of quantum information theory, allowing for engineering and experimental teams across the globe make the painstaking physical advances needed to ensure quantum computing becomes a reality. The work of the Sydney quantum theory group was essential for the world-record result published in Nature Electronics. Professor Bartlett said: "Because the error rate was so small, the UNSW team needed some pretty sophisticated methods to even be able to detect the errors. "With such low error rates, we needed data runs that went for days and days just to collect the statistics to show the occasional error." Professor Bartlett said once the errors were identified they needed to be characterised, eliminated and recharacterised. "Steve Flammia's group are world leaders in the theory of error characterisation, which was used to achieve this result," he said. The Flammia group recently demonstrated for the first time an improvement in quantum computers using codes designed to detect and discard errors in the logic gates, or switches, using the IBM Q quantum computer. Professor Andrew Dzurak, who leads the UNSW research team, said: "It's been invaluable working with professors Bartlett and Flammia, and their team, to help us understand the types of errors that we see in our silicon-CMOS qubits at UNSW. "Our lead experimentalist, Henry Yang, worked closely with them to achieve this remarkable fidelity of 99.957 percent, showing that we now have the most accurate semiconductor qubit in the world." Professor Bartlett said that Henry Yang's world-record achievement will likely stand for a long time. He said now the UNSW team and others will work on building up towards two qubit and higher-level arrays in silicon-CMOS. Fully functioning quantum computers will need millions, if not billions, of qubits to operate. Designing low-error qubits now is a vital step to scaling up to such devices. Professor Raymond Laflamme is Chair of Quantum Information at the University of Waterloo in Canada and was not involved in the study. He said: "As quantum processors become more common, an important tool to assess them has been developed by the Bartlett group at the University of Sydney. It allows us to characterise the precision of quantum gates and gives physicists the ability to distinguish between incoherent and coherent errors leading to unprecedented control of the qubits." Global impact The joint University of Sydney-UNSW result comes soon after a paper by the same quantum theory team with experimentalists at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. That result, published in Nature Communications, allows for the distant exchange of information between electrons via a mediator, improving the prospects for a scaled-up architecture in spin-qubit quantum computers. The result was significant because it allows for the distance between quantum dots to be large enough for integration into more traditional microelectronics. The achievement was a joint endeavour by physicists in Copenhagen, Sydney and Purdue in the US. Professor Bartlett said: "The main problem is that to get the quantum dots to interact requires them to be ridiculously close - nanometres apart. But at this distance they interfere with each other, making the device too difficult to tune to conduct useful calculations." The solution was to allow entangled electrons to mediate their information via a 'pool' of electrons, moving them further apart. He said: "It is kind of like having a bus - a big mediator that allows for the interaction of distant spins. If you can allow for more spin interactions, then quantum architecture can move to two-dimensional layouts." Associate Professor Ferdinand Kuemmeth from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen said: "We discovered that a large, elongated quantum dot between the left dots and right dots, mediated a coherent swap of spin states, within a billionth of a second, without ever moving electrons out of their dots. Professor Bartlett said: "What I find exciting about this result as a theorist, is that it frees us from the constraining geometry of a qubit only relying on its nearest neighbours." Office of Global Engagement The history of this experiment goes back a decade to an US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) program led by Professor Charlie Marcus, a co-author who was then at Harvard before he moved to Copenhagen. Professor Bartlett said: "We all went to Copenhagen for a workshop in 2018 in part to work on this problem. Thomas Evans, a co-author of the paper, stayed there for two months supported by the Office for Global Engagement. OGE also supported Dr Arne Grimsmo, who was working on another project." He said the experiment and our discussions were well advanced by the time we got the OGE funding. But it was this workshop and the funding for it that allowed the Sydney team to go to Copenhagen to plan the next generation of experiments based on this result. Professor Bartlett said: "This method allows us to separate the quantum dots a bit further making them easier to tune separately and get them working together. "Now that we have this mediator, we can start to plan for a two-dimensional array of these pairs of quantum dots." ### Download images and a copy of the research at this link. Media enquiries Marcus Strom marcus.strom@sydney.edu.au +61 423 982 485 However, researchers have identified that this process - the biological gravitational pump (BGP) - cannot account for all of the carbon reaching the deep ocean, and a range of additional pathways that inject a much wider range of particles have been explored. Led by IMAS Professor Philip Boyd and including scientists from France and the US, the Review article in the journal Nature proposes that the additional pathways known as particle injection pumps (PIPs) move just as much carbon as the BGP. Professor Boyd said the research, based on a review of previous studies and new modelling, could reshape understanding of how carbon reaches the seafloor and what happens while it is there. "Our study goes a long way to finally solving one of the real puzzles that oceanographers have grappled with for a number of years," Professor Boyd said. "The ocean stores huge amounts of carbon indirectly absorbed from the atmosphere and in doing so plays a major role in moderating the climate impacts of anthropogenic carbon emissions. "We can measure the sinking flux of carbon-rich particles and compare it with the gradient of dissolved inorganic carbon from low levels near the surface to high levels in the deep ocean. "But until now we haven't been able to 'balance the books' in explaining the mechanisms that transport and store carbon, as the BGP only explains around half of the carbon that is present." Professor Boyd said new ocean observation technologies and the datasets they provide have shown in unprecedented detail the way in which PIPs contribute to the carbon cycle. "PIPs are a range of physical and biological mechanisms that move carbon, including ocean eddies and zooplankton which feed on phytoplankton and excrete carbon-rich faeces as they migrate to deeper water. "By combining the effects of the biological gravitational pump with PIPs we can, for the first time, balance the books and fully account for ocean carbon storage. "This breakthrough is vital in allowing us to establish a baseline against which we can measure and understand future changes in ocean carbon and its effects on the global climate. "It also highlights a number of areas that require further research, so we can better understand the mechanisms involved and their relative contribution to the ocean carbon cycle. "The more we discover about the ocean the more we are coming to appreciate how complex and four dimensional it is, with multiple processes interacting and feeding back on each other over time. "As the ocean is such a major influence on global climate it is vital that we improve our understanding of the multi-dimensional mechanisms at work," Professor Boyd said. ### Downloadable media content: Video interview grabs of Prof Boyd talking about the research; Video social media version with Prof Boyd interview and graphic. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v6j1ifrrkhlspr1/AABsgtBUaYEKZh9HMzdhpvI_a?dl=0 There has been little research on factors associated with resilience and recovery among those in chronic and disabling pain who have had suicidal thoughts. A new nationally representative study from the University of Toronto found that almost two-thirds of formerly suicidal Canadians (63%) with chronic pain were free from suicidal thoughts in the past year. "Social support played a key role in remission; the biggest factor in recovery from suicidal thoughts was having a confidant, defined as having at least one close relationship that provide the person in chronic pain a sense of emotional security and well-being. Even when a wide range of other characteristics such as age, gender and mental health history were taken into account, those with a confidant had 87% higher odds of being in remission from suicidal thoughts compared to those with no close relationships" reported lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair at University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging. "Clearly we need targeted efforts to decrease social isolation and loneliness among those experiencing chronic pain. These participants reported that pain prevented some or most of their activities, so they were particularly vulnerable to social isolation. More awareness by the general public that mobility limitations associated with chronic pain can make it difficult for individuals to socialize outside the household, could encourage friends and family to visit and phone more and thereby decrease loneliness" stated Fuller-Thomson. "In our study, individuals living in poverty and those struggling to meet basic living expenses, were more likely to still have suicidal thoughts. Living in poverty may also limit access to needed resources to alleviate pain symptoms, and increase hopelessness that symptoms could improve, thereby presenting poverty as a barrier to suicide remission. This study was conducted in Canada where free and universal health care is available, and thus health care costs should not have been burdensome. Thus, we hypothesize that the negative association between poverty and remission from suicidal thoughts might be even stronger in countries without universal health care, such as the USA" reported co-author Lyndsey D Kotchapaw, a recent graduate of the MSW program at the University of Toronto. "This study's findings that individuals with chronic pain with a history of depression and anxiety disorders were less likely to remit from suicidal ideation, is consistent with literature on mood disorders and suicidality in the general population. Previous research indicates that individuals with chronic pain take longer to recover from depression compared to those without chronic pain. A barrier to suicide remission may be difficulties in problem solving, which is a common symptom of affective disorders" noted Kotchapaw. Respondents in chronic pain who were in remission from suicidal thoughts were also significantly more likely to be older, women, white, better educated, and more likely to use spirituality to cope with daily difficulties. The study, published online this month in the Journal of Pain, was based on a nationally representative sample of 635 Canadians who reported that they had ever "seriously thought about committing suicide or taking (their) own life" who also reported that they currently had chronic pain which prevented some or most of their activities. Data were drawn from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. "With close to two-thirds of formerly suicidal Canadians in chronic pain free of any suicidal thoughts, these findings provide a hopeful message of resilience and recovery in the context of disabling pain and help to improve targeted outreach to those most at risk for unremitting suicidality" stated Fuller-Thomson. ### Article details: Fuller-Thomson, E & Kotchapaw, LD. Remission from suicidal ideation among those in chronic pain: What factors are associated with resilience? Journal of Pain. A full copy of the paper is available to credentialed journalists upon request. Please contact esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca or call 416 209-3231. UTSA associate professor Becky Huang researches the development of language and literacy among school-age bilingual/dual language learners (DLLs) and how it affects their reading skills and success in the classroom. To expand on her work, Huang was awarded a three-year, $376,000 grant for a new project examining bilingual/DLLs in San Antonio. The project is being supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The researcher, based in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies in the UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), will begin working with Spanish-English bilingual/DLLs in first and third grade this May. She will assess the students' oral language proficiencies in English and Spanish and how their oral language predicts their English reading outcomes. The number of school-age bilingual/DLLs has increased exponentially in recent years. According to data from the Migration Policy Institute, bilingual/DLLs make up 49 percent of the young child population (ages 0 to 8) in Texas. Since 2000, Texas has experience a 31 percent growth in its young bilingual/DLL population, as compared to a 24 percent increase nationally. Huang has studied bilingual/DLLs for years and is eager to work with students in the San Antonio region. In the past, Huang has studied Mandarin-English bilingual/DLLs in California and Massachusetts as well as in her hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. "Bilingual/Dual language learners are a large population in San Antonio. As a professor at UTSA, an urban serving university, I'm hoping this research will help us understand the predictors of bilingual/DLLs' language and reading outcomes, and the results can inform instruction and assessment for bilingual/DLL students," explained Huang, the grant's principal investigator (PI). During individualized sessions in her laboratory on campus, Huang and her research team will work with each child on language and reading tasks. She intends to make the sessions fun for the children. Each child participant will also receive a certificate of completion and a gift card at the end of the session. To complete this project, Huang plans to see 100 students per year, for a total of 300 students, over the course of three years. In addition to the local participants she will be working with on UTSA campus, the UTSA researcher will visit elementary schools in local school districts to work with dual language elementary students on their school campus. "I'm focusing on reading outcomes because reading is very important for success in school. If a child can't read well, it can negatively impact their success in other subjects," explained Huang. Huang's mentors on this project include Nicole Wicha, an associate professor of biology in the UTSA College of Sciences who studies the neurobiology of bilingualism, and Lisa Bedore, chair and a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Temple University, who studies bilingual language development and assessment. A doctoral student in the UTSA Culture, Literacy and Language Ph.D. program and research assistants will help Huang with the project. The project will also be supported by the UTSA Center for the Inquiry of Transformative Literacies. In 2017, Huang completed a pilot study with support from a seed grant from the UTSA Achieving Literacy Initiative, a one-time targeted seed funding program sponsored by the Office of Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise, the College of Education and Human Development, and the Office of the President. The data collected from the pilot study helped secure the NIH award. In that study, Huang learned that English language proficiency was a significant predictor of bilingual/DLLs' English reading development. What remains unknown is the role of their native language proficiency, in this case Spanish language skills, in their English reading outcomes. This NIH-funded project will address this question and examine the contributions of both of their languages to reading. Huang leads an interdisciplinary research program that spans across applied linguistics, psychology, and education. She examines the factors that influence language and literacy development among bilingual/DLLs as well as the validity and fairness of assessments for this population. Huang is a former middle school teacher, and has taught English as a Second/Foreign Language to various bilingual/DLL age groups. ### Go to Google and type: "leading cause of accidental death in ..." Then type in a state -- any state in central Appalachia -- and hit search. The answer is the same: opioid overdoses and drug poisoning lead the way in fatalities in these states, far above former front-runners, such as car accidents and gun violence. Now, with a new grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), universities led by Virginia Tech will unite scientists, a range of health-care and service providers, and communities, including individuals in recovery, to confront the opioid problem, directly in the epicenter of the epidemic. "Everyone responds to the crisis according to their expertise, from first responders to treatment specialists to researchers, and there is so much we can learn from each other if we have better ways to share," said Kimberly Horn, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and in the department of population health sciences in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. "Research is key to unlocking new and better solutions. For instance, when we bring together research universities with emergency service providers, law enforcement, and major health care systems, such as Ballad Health in Tennessee and Virginia and Carilion Clinic in Virginia, to set research priorities and share best practices, we can reverse the tide." The effort, called the Opioid Research Consortium of Central Appalachia (ORCA), is led by Horn and co-principal investigator Robert Pack, the associate dean for academic affairs and a professor of community and behavioral health in the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). "Central Appalachia is at the epicenter of the opioid crisis," said Pack, who is also the executive director of East Tennessee State University's Center for Prescription Drug Abuse and Treatment and associate dean and professor in ETSU's College of Public Health. "The purpose of the grant is to facilitate planning for a research blueprint on opioids for the central Appalachian region." The consortium also includes faculty from Marshall University, the University of Kentucky, and West Virginia University. In central Appalachia, West Virginia, Southwest Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina have the nation's highest opioid death rates, and people have limited access to treatment. In addressing the addiction problem, regional groups have acquired a lot of knowhow. "It is this type of community-centered knowledge that leads us to do research that has high impact," Horn said. "These experiences help us conduct research that generates answers that are more meaningful for the people of central Appalachia -- in part because they help form the research questions." For example, experts from Marshall University and their communities around Huntington, West Virginia, have invaluable knowledge from nearly two decades of responding to the opioid problem. The Roanoke Valley Collective Response to the Opioid and Addiction Crisis, a new group that comprises more than 70 organizations and nearly 200 members representing professionals and community members from all aspects of the crisis, will serve as ORCA's initial community advisory group. "This is the kind of work that brings academics, communities and health care providers together to solve big problems," said Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech's vice president for health sciences and technology and the executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. "It is only through the lenses, expertise and experiences of those groups' collaborations that we are likely to solve problems such as the opioid crisis. I am delighted to see Dr. Horn and her colleagues taking the lead on this important initiative that represents for us the first Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute sponsored project." Consortium leaders will gather in May at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, to talk about next steps, including sharing resources, conducting joint research trials, and providing a research training platform for students. "Collaboration will be our key success factor," said Robert Trestman, chair of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. "All of us understand we cannot do this important work in a vacuum. We owe it to our patients and to our community to continue to strengthen our partnerships. This grant will enhance the work that is already under way." Leaders intend to establish an open, team-science culture comprising organizational and individual partners across higher education, private health care systems, state government, and community organizations. Most importantly, community and patient engagement is the centerpiece of this effort. "When we talk across siloes and institutions, with a tighter lens of the needs of our communities, we can make serious headway in our efforts to help the people of Appalachia," Horn said. ### CleverTap, the customer lifecycle management platform, has announced that 7-Eleven Philippines, a subsidiary of the global retail chain has chosen its platform to drive user engagement and retention for CLiQQ, their digital payments app. CLiQQ is the official 7-Eleven Philippines mobile app for WiFi, Rewards, and Payments. With its CLiQQ WiFi capabilities, 7-Eleven customers get easy access to the internet using the points theyve earned while purchasing at any of their stores across the Philippines. The app business is very important to us at 7-Eleven as it helps to establish a direct digital connection with the customers, said Jason Jan Ngo, Head of Information Technology Division at Philippine Seven Corporation. Jan Ngo further added, Were looking at the app as a one-stop solution; where our customers earn points when they make purchases at the store and pay via our 7/11 app while making it convenient to pay their bills, load e-money, transfer funds and more. Weve seen our user base grow substantially in the past year. With CleverTap, we are excited to be able to build real-time engagement with customers across channels 7-Eleven apps, as well as in-store POS, kiosks, and website. "We are proud to be associated with 7-Eleven Philippines who are synonymous with digital transformation. We see a tremendous opportunity in the South East Asian Market and are committed to help brands retain their users for life. Our aim is to provide 7-Eleven with a single source of truth by unifying data from multiple sources and helping them build long-term customer relationships at scale. said Anand Jain, Co-founder of CleverTap." He further added, The CLiQQ business is uniquely positioned since it has a strong brand value that stems from the 7-Eleven conglomerate. While its no surprise that it has been one of the most downloaded apps in the region in recent times, it has contributed significantly to the growth of 7-Eleven's consumer base. With CleverTap, they will be able to optimize the entire customer lifecycle from onboarding to retention and maximize customer lifetime value - leading to brand loyalty and increased market penetration. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) From: Joyce L. Gioia, CMC, CSP -- The Herman Group Austin , TX Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Herman Trend Alert April 17, 2019 Guaranteeing Jobs Over the years I have written about hospitality's recruiting nightmare; there is simply a global shortage of good people to serve guests in many ways. Recently, the biggest challenge for hoteliers has been recruiting and retaining front-line staff, including chefs, servers, and front desk people. Last month, when I was in Copenhagen, Denmark, I spent some time with the General Manager of the Scandic Front Hotel where I stayed. This Herman Trend Alert details the innovative program that Scandic Hotels is launching in Scandinavia to respond to this critical shortage. Skilled worker shortages in Denmark According to new statistics from Dansk Erhverv, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, 46 percent of its members and the employers' association's member companies have experienced that it was either "very difficult" or "difficult" to recruit skilled workers. Furthermore, there has been a shift away from vocational education towards college and university programs. We have seen this shift globally with devastating consequences for the Trades in many developed countries. Scandic's innovative program Responding to these shortages, Denmark's largest hotel chain has moved in new ways to attract the necessary skilled labor with the goal of doubling the number of skilled students it attracts, for its four new hotels in Copenhagen and Aarhus within the coming years. Furthermore, the hotel chain will create new internal development and internship courses for training students in these career paths. The bottom line is to guarantee jobs to the students who stay in the program. A brilliant---and necessary---move With Scandic's rapid development in the Danish market, this is a brilliant move. They believe this program, including the job guarantee will allow them to attract even more talented young people in the future. "The job guarantee is a guarantee that young people will have access to attractive career opportunities in an international, expanded business," said Anne Mette Pedersen, HR Director at Scandic. An excellent role model for other hoteliers Though probably not unique among the world's hotel chains, Scandic's job guarantee is a superior program for recruiting front-line staff who can grow into hospitality leaders. I believe that independent hotels and others will do well to use this excellent role model to respond to workforce shortages in their areas. The challenge may be that independents will not have the scale necessary to make the investments in the unique training programs worthwhile. Kudos to Scandic for their effective response to recruiting challenges. Special thanks to Jacob Brammer, General Manager at the well-run Scandic Front Hotel in Copenhagen for letting us know about this wonderful new program. To book a room with Scandic, visit their website. ********* Copyright 1998-2019 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. 336-210-3548 or http://www.hermangroup.com. To sign up, visit http://www.HermanTrendAlert.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." ********* The Herman Group is a firm of Strategic Business Futurists concentrating on workforce and workplace issues. We forecast the future and advise clients regarding relevant trends and how those trends may affect their lives. Applying our expertise as Certified Management Consultants, we advise corporate leaders regarding employee retention and organizational development to help them build workforce stability. We help organizations become Employers of Choice. We also work with Employer of Choice, Inc. to formally recognize employers that meet the stringent standards dictated by the labor marketplace. As authors of management books and as active professional speakers, we inform and inspire people to make a positive difference in the world of work. You did really get the ball rolling with our retention presentation, overall we have seen a move in the right direction with our turnover. In practice since 1980, we have served a wide variety of clients throughout the United States and in other countries. Our global affiliates assist us in sharing our expertise and advice with clients internationally. Our team of professional consultants and trainers is supported by an administrative staff that gets things done. We also have consultants certified to deliver our programs in your local area. Delivering to both small and large groups across 100 industries, The Herman Group has provided over 2,500 educational and informative keynote speeches and training seminars worldwide. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, we travel extensively to meet the needs of our clients. We can always be reached through the support team in our office at (800) 227-3566. Overseas callers may reach us through 336-210-3547. Should you have any questions after touring our website, please call or e-mail us at info@hermangroup.com. Get started now on improving the stability and performance of your workforce and increase your chances for success in the future. Accenture Federal Services is launching a new facility in San Antonio to help government agencies and commercial clients handle a swelling number of cyber threats. Employees at the center, housed at Accentures offices at 7050 Fairgrounds Parkway, will work around the clock to identify and eradicate those risks. The gap between flash and boom is very short, said Tom Greiner, AFS technology business lead. We can find something and get rid of it in seconds. John Goodman, AFS chief executive, said the center will employ cutting-edge technology. On ExpressNews.com: Accenture Federal Services adding hundreds of jobs in San Antonio The technologies involved are evolving very, very rapidly, and the range of threats is multiplying even faster, Goodman said. For any organization to be effective in protecting their networks, they need to be able to draw upon the latest technology and have the most up-to-date information about the array of threats. Security flaws are a concern for organizations of all kinds, but some agencies dont have the funds to set up a separate facility, get equipment and hire expensive employees devoted to cybersecurity. Accenture is pitching a way for those organizations to get the cyber services they need without having to fully invest in them, he said. Some U.S.-based companies also are required to work onshore, and Accentures center is designed to serve them, too, Goodman said. AFS, a subsidiary of Accenture LLP, chose to set up the new center in San Antonio because of its existing presence here and the access to talent, Goodman said. The company has more than 1,300 employees across several offices in the Alamo City. Earlier this year, it pledged to add 500 new jobs and invest $5 million locally over the next four years. The city and county are providing incentives for the expansion. On ExpressNews.com: SAISD to open cybersecurity early college high school on East Side San Antonios military community gives the company a pool of talent to draw from, Goodman said. Accenture also has apprenticeships and is involved in Cyber P-TECH, an early-college high school at Sam Houston High School on the East Side. The companys new facility will help us to grow and build our cyber workforce, and further strengthen our standing as a premiere technology and cybersecurity hub, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in statement. madison.iszler@express-news.net University of the Incarnate Word expects its incoming freshman class to be among the largest in its history this fall, with more of them coming from outside San Antonio. Compared to last year, applications and acceptances have jumped by more than 40 percent and the number of first-time freshmen who have already committed for the fall semester has grown by 30 percent. The university credits a change in its recruitment and marketing strategy for the increase. More than twice as many admitted students hail from the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo compared to last year, and the numbers of those accepted from Houston also have jumped. Heather Rodriguez, the UIW dean of enrollment, said the goal is for a freshman class of 950 students, up from 809 in 2018. Officials wont know how close they are to the goal until mid-June, she said, though the priority deadline for incoming students to pay their deposits and commit is May 1. The university will continue to accept students for both the fall and spring semesters after that. But 548 students had already committed as of April 15, compared to 404 on that day last year, Rodriguez said. With our population, they take a little bit longer to make their decision, she said, especially because many are first-generation college students who must carefully consider their options. The schools marketing and broader search for students ranges from mailed materials to social media posts to hosting events outside San Antonio that answer admitted students questions and make face-to-face connections with families, Rodriguez said. And it includes touting the schools academic scholarships, to let prospective students know right away about ways to pay. Tuition for full-time undergraduates is $29,900 per year, and room and board is $12,824 for the roughly one in four students who live on campus but 95 percent of UIW students receive financial aid, with an average aid award of $16,037 per year, according to the university. Like many colleges, UIW recruits through testing services like the ACT and the College Board. Now it is reaching out earlier, targeting sophomores who have taken the PSAT, the Preliminary SAT assessment that is also a qualifier for National Merit Scholarships. Rodriguez said the incoming freshman class contains more higher caliber students: recipients of Presidential and Provost Scholarships, which are awarded based on grade point average and scores on the SAT or ACT. No change is expected to the roughly 90 percent acceptance rate thats pretty much going to stay flat, she said. Of the students admitted so far, 950 of them, nearly one-fifth of the total, are in the Valley, Rodriguez said. Thats way up from the 424 Valley students admitted last year. The number from Laredo went from 73 to 213, nearly tripling. St. Marys Universitys freshman class is expected to grow for the third consecutive year, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Rosalind Alderman said, with more than 600 incoming students. Trinity University is projecting an acceptance rate of 29 percent this year, down from 34 percent last year, and its freshmens average ACT and SAT scores are expected to be higher than last years, said Tess Coody-Anders, its vice president for strategic communications and marketing. The number of applications increased though it declined from the regions where UIWs have grown, she said. Incarnate Word is the largest Catholic university in Texas. Enrollment at its Broadway campus is currently about 5,800. It has about 12,000 students in all programs, including online, a Mexico City campus and high schools run by the university, up from about 9,900 in 2014. It had grown from about 1,300 students in 1985 to 11,000 in 2016 under its former president, Lou Agnese, but though the pace will be slower, it still has some room to expand, President Thomas Evans said in a recent meeting with the Express-News editorial board. A new campus master plan and a strategic plan for the University, which is expected to be taken to the board of trustees for approval this fall, are likely to address ways to meet those needs in coming years. If it continues, we will need many more spaces to house and educate students and to office our faculty and staff, Evans said in a recent interview. We may be even going up on some of the buildings that we have. The question was: Can we really fit it in what we have? The answer was yes, we could, but it would be a lot easier to do if we could acquire some additional space. For now, the school is adding sections of certain classes and reserving seats for freshmen in them, Dean of Student Success Sandy McMakin said. We have been planning for this for a year, she said. John Stankus, an associate professor of physical chemistry and president of the Faculty Senate, said the growth has been a lot more focused and deliberate on identifying the right students for UIW not just those with the highest academic qualifications, but those with the potential to be successful. The wider geographic range of students is positive, he said. Keeping class sizes low is key, Stankus said. He was one of 500 students in his own freshman chemistry class, while the largest class he teaches now at that level is 26 students. He doesnt expect that to change, he said. The challenge with a new class coming in at any time is that we dont really have a good measure of what the distribution of classes that they need is, Stankus said. Were trying to look at that and be proactive. Growth isnt especially concentrated in any particular academic programs, Rodriguez said, though the popularity of direct-admit programs has increased. Introduced in 2016, they allow incoming students who meet high school GPA and test score requirements to be directly admitted into graduate programs in pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, optometry and medicine. The professional health programs have been a draw, McMakin said, as well as the growth of the Division 1 athletic programs. LTeitz@express-news.net Texas prison officials are investigating allegations that some of its officers penned Facebook posts apparently promoting inmate mistreatment as part of a social media fad called the "Feeling Cute Challenge." It's not clear where the challenge originated, but the posts feature men and women taking selfies in state, federal and county employee uniforms with captions ranging from tongue-in-cheek to inflammatory, accompanied by the hashtag #feelingcute. "Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today, IDK," one poster captioned a selfie of a woman wearing what appears to be a Texas Department of Criminal Justice uniform. "#feelingcute my (sic) gas the whole wing later," another poster wrote next to a selfie showing a man wearing a uniform featuring a TDCJ patch. Both posters' names match up to current prison employees, though neither responded to the Chronicle's request for comment and the department stressed that officials have not yet authenticated the posts. Inmate families began emailing department officials Monday with names and screenshots of posts, demanding immediate action. READ MORE: Its a crisis: Nearly one in three guards left the Texas prison system last year "The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is aware of the so-called feel cute challenge currently on social media," prison spokesman Jeremy Desel told the Houston Chronicle Tuesday morning. "A handful of correctional officers employed by this agency are under investigation for on and off-duty conduct violations as a result of the alleged posting of inappropriate photographs on social media." It's not clear how many employees are being investigated. "These officers in no way represent the thousands of TDCJ employees who go to work every day taking public safety seriously in all ways," Desel added. "If any of these allegations prove correct then swift disciplinary action as severe as termination of involved employees will occur." The "challenge" already raised eyebrows elsewhere in the country, after a water employee apparently joked about shutting off customers' utilities. "Feeling cute, might cut your water off later, IDK," wrote a man whose uniform identified him as a water worker in Georgia. That post sparked some backlash, and Columbus Water Works responded in a statement to the local paper there. "Although Columbus Water Works received very few comments on this post from customers," a spokesman told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "CWW certainly understands that continued discussions with our employees on social media usage and its potential impact is important." But the trend continued elsewhere, eventually popping up on a Facebook page titled Correctional Officer Life, where some posts from Texas started appearing last week. The page has more than 29,000 members across the country and has since been set to private. As of Tuesday morning, the page still boasted numerous "Feeling Cute" posts from men and women wearing correctional officer and sheriff's office uniforms, though many of the images offered inoffensive captions. "Good morning from Texas," wrote one woman sporting a prison worker uniform. "#feelingcutechallenge." But others from across the country included more eyebrow-raising captions. "San Diego BOP #feelingcutechallenge feeling cute may spray my partner to keep interesting," read the caption on one post. READ MORE: Texas prison too understaffed to take inmate to hospital for flesh-eating bacteria infection "Felt cute... might wrestle an inmate later," read the caption next to a selfie of a man in a sheriff's office uniform from Williamson County. The poster did not respond to a message from the Chronicle, and a sheriff's office spokeswoman did not immediately offer comment. Though the Texas prison system is investigating posts allegedly involving its employees, prisoner advocates and inmate families said the incidents raise concerns about the agency culture and the need for independent oversight, and some pushed for the termination of any employees found to be participating. "The families are enraged, this is a 'gotcha' moment for them," said Jennifer Erschabek, executive director of Texas Inmate Families Association. "So many times they have reported these types of incidents in these memes only to be told that there was no evidence." The posts, she said, are indicative of a problematic culture at the agency - one that she believes could be addressed through the creation of an independent oversight office, like what already exists in the juvenile prison system. Currently, there are two proposed bills up for consideration during the ongoing legislation that, if passed, would create an independent ombudsman to oversee the state's 104 prisons. "If TDCJ starts to realize where these issues are coming from they can start to be more preventive with hiring or education or training," she said. "We're just not getting what we need from the prison administration." Michele Deitch, an attorney and criminal justice expert who teaches at University of Texas-Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, said she hoped the department would see the alleged postings as more than "simply" a disciplinary matter. "I hope the agency is asking itself tough questions about what in its culture would allow any staff members, however small in number, to think that such sentiments are acceptable," she said. "That is the value of independent oversight it takes an outside entity to identify cultural issues that might fester and cause unhealthy dynamics between staff and prisoners." A spokesman for the correctional officers' union did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but former union chapter president Lance Lowry stressed that most corrections officers stayed out of the social media fray. "Out of the 25,000 state correctional officers in Texas, I've only seen a few violators," he said. "They don't represent the majority of the officers." Blood stains still mar the couch. Blue glass glimmers on the stove, beneath a broken timer riddled with bullet holes. Empty sacks of dog food clutter the back room, next to a stray surfboard, dusty piles of clothes and sundry supplies from an unfinished life. The lights are off, the windows broken. This is 7815 Harding Street, three months later. Now Playing: The Houston Chronicle was allowed to tour the home of 7815 Harding in Houston. The home was the scene of a botched drug raid on Jan. 28, 2019 that left the two homeowners dead and five police officers injured. Video: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle We just need some answers, said Cliff Tuttle, whose nephew died here on Jan. 28 in a botched drug raid. You cant grieve if you dont know what happened. Weeks later, they still dont. The autopsies still arent out. Theres no ballistics report. And police havent revealed any details about their investigation into the drug bust-gone-wrong. With those and other questions still swirling, the families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas returned on Tuesday to the scene of the gun battle that left their loved ones dead and five officers injured. It was the first time anyone had been inside since authorities scoured the home, and the first time the Tuttle family has spoken since the shootings. The family and neighbors continue to push back on accusations by police that the couple was dealing drugs. Cliff Tuttle said he wants an apology from those who have maligned them. Tell us what went on, give us all the reports, he said. Let us sit down as a family and say, This is what really happened. These are the people that did it. And we can make a decision and move forward. Nicholas brother, John Nicholas, emerged quietly after touring the home Tuesday. Ive been way up there (in Louisiana) and now Im down here, where it happened, he said. And its tough. 'CLEAR HER NAME': Mother of woman killed in drug raid speaks out The slain 59-year-old Navy veteran was born and raised in Houston, growing up in Denver Harbor and graduating from a nearby high school. His family loved the outdoors, and Dennis grew into a macho guy interested in fishing and surfing, his uncle said. He joined the Navy, Cliff said, because of his love for the water. He received an honorable discharge, his uncle said, and married and had two children. Dennis Tuttle went on to become a machinist, but eventually stopped working following a series of injuries. One of the worst was a car crash in which he suffered a major head injury after a pipe hit him. Cliff said his nephew endured chronic pain but did not believe he was a drug dealer. I dont think he was a drug dealer or user, he said. He lived in pain most of his adult life, from auto accidents and machine shop accidents. The pain took a toll, and eventually Dennis stopped going outside as much. He just went from being an outdoor person to an indoor one, his uncle said. Neighbors said he kept to himself, but vestiges of his past loves a boat, a surfboard still sit on the property, fading and out of use. He hung onto them, in part, in hopes his two children or their children might someday use them. Dennis settled into the house on Harding at least three decades ago. His father, Robert Tuttle who now lives outside of San Antonio owned the place when Dennis moved in. He hasnt been back since his sons death. Each person handles something like that differently, Cliff said. Hes not handling it well at all. Thats why Im here. THE FALLOUT: Houston police officer in drug raid had previous allegations against him Dennis met Nicholas in Houston about three decades ago when both were at the end of long-term relationships. They fell in love, and got married in a simple courthouse wedding in the late 1990s. For years, they lived quietly in the small Pecan Park home with their dogs. He was good to her they got along good and everything, her mother, Jo Ann Nicholas, told the Houston Chronicle last month. I want them to clear her name. In early January, police reportedly received a call complaining of drug activity inside the home. Using that tip, narcotics officers decided to set up an undercover buy, allegedly sending a confidential informant into the house to buy heroin. Officer Gerald Goines who has since retired under investigation used that supposed drug deal to justify a raid on the home. When undercover narcotics officers burst in the front door on Jan. 28, they shot dead a pit bull that lunged at them, setting off an exchange of gunfire. Tuttle and Nicholas were killed. In the days that followed, though, investigators realized they couldnt find the informant behind the alleged buy and began to suspect Goines may have lied about it all. The 34-year veteran officer and fellow narcotics Officer Steven Bryant were both relieved of duty and later retired under investigation. They could face criminal charges in connection with the failed raid, according to Chief Art Acevedo. The FBI launched a civil rights investigation. The Harris County District Attorneys Office announced its own probe into the shooting and is reviewing of more than 2,200 cases handled by Goines and Bryant. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Harris County DAs office reviewing 1,400 cases in fallout from botched drug raid As authorities pursue their investigations, attorneys for Tuttle and Nicholas are taking their own steps to learn what happened and explore possible legal action against the Houston Police Department. Mike Doyle, who is representing Nicholas relatives, said he plans to file a motion to investigate a move that would allow the court to give him the right to depose witnesses and ask for more evidence in the lead-up to a possible lawsuit. He and Tuttle attorney Boyd Smith are still working to get the autopsies, requests for which the county has thus far stymied. Right now we are just trying to help this family get answers, Smith said. Their name was dragged through the mud with his. The grieving families have also hired independent investigators and forensics experts to perform their own review of the shooting. On Tuesday, those experts assessed the bullet holes that pockmark the home, the bloodstains and spatters that cover two couches and other areas in the small house, and leftover debris strewn outside the home, the remnants from the raid and its aftermath. Its just hard seeing all the blood and bullet holes, Doyle said. It brings it all home. Its real people and a real house. keri.blakinger@chron.com st.john.smith@chron.com Express-News file photo The Department of Homeland Security has more than doubled its anti-terrorism grant for San Antonio, giving the city $3.25 million this year to address local needs to prevent, protect against, mitigate and respond to acts of terrorism, according to U.S. Rep. Will Hurd. The increase comes after Hurd, a San Antonio Republican, invited FEMA officials to come to Fiesta last year. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Manager Erik Walsh also met with DHS leadership during a February trip to Washington, D.C. A Mexican lawyer living in San Antonio is scheduled to be in court Thursday over allegations that he was part of a cross-border gun ring that smuggled high-power guns for a drug cartel. Ernesto Gutierrez Martinez, who is in his 50s, is seeking release on bond while he fights an indictment charging him with smuggling goods from the United States into Mexico and conspiracy to possess a gun used in a drug-trafficking crime. Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations claim he bought at least 70 guns many of them armor-piercing .50-caliber rifles from sellers in Texas, then took them to the border, where they were disassembled and smuggled into Mexico. There, operatives for the Gulf Cartel re-assembled and used them in clashes with the military and law enforcement, authorities allege. ATF special agent Chris Benavides testified at a bond hearing for Gutierrez in December that the guns are primarily used in war, and are favored by users to break holes in walls, to break holes in vehicles and small armored tanks. Theres been a trend ... that all the cartels, not a particular one, have all been seeking to acquire .50 caliber rifles, not specific on the manufacturer, but that type of caliber, Benavides testified. And the reason they're using that is also to shoot down helicopters from the Mexican military that would be following the convoys for the cartels. OnExpressNews.com: Amid the violence of northern Mexico, an oasis of dental work, pedicures and cheap tequila Gutierrezs lawyer, David Dilley, said in an interview this week that his client denies the allegations, and is asking U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Betsy Chestney at Thursdays hearing to reconsider her previous order keeping Gutierrez detained without bond. He does (legal work) remotely, mostly civil, I believe, Dilley said. During the December hearing, Benavides testified that Gutierrez, a legal U.S. resident, posted an ad on an online forum seeking to buy a .50-caliber rifle. In an undercover operation, the agents used a confidential informant who sold such a rifle to Gutierrez, and he asked the informant for more of the weapons, according to testimony. Gutierrez was detained at that May 22, 2018, gun meeting, but not arrested. Agents took his iPhone, bank receipts, two pistols and $10,000 in cash (tied with rubber bands) found in his car. He had told investigators at the time that he was an attorney in Mexico and had served clients here in the U.S., Benavides testified. But we saw nothing to show any type of billable hours or anything that would show revenue from his type of work he does for those individuals. What agents said they found is that two guns recovered in gun battles cartel operatives had with police in Mexico were connected to Gutierrez. Agents also said border crossing data showed Gutierrez had crossed into Mexico multiple times through various points of entry from Texas from January to May in 2018. After his detention, the crossings decreased but agents learned he continued visiting border cities in the Rio Grande Valley, according to testimony. They also found he had seven bank accounts. From January 2018 through October 2018 there was $113,000 in deposits, with 67 percent of them in cash, Homeland Security Investigations special agent Jonathan Morgan testified at the December hearing. The deposits were in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid triggers that require banks to report the transactions to the federal government, Morgan said. READ ALSO: Mexican businessman extradited to San Antonio in Zetas investigation In fact, they were all under $10,000 and showing characteristics commonly known with structuring, Morgan testified. There was also evidence that on one single day there was multiple deposits under the threshold amount at different financial institutions. Morgan also testified that a search warrant enabled agents to look at texts and other information on Gutierrezs iPhone. Investigators found he had been communicating with at least one person in Mexico, who is also charged with Gutierrez, and they talked about how the guns were for a Gulf Cartel operative nicknamed Juniorcito. There was well over a hundred communications, either through SMS, commonly known as a text message, or Facebook instant messaging with sellers from Texas Gun Trader, and Mr. Gutierrez, communicating about the purchase of a certain type of firearm, Morgan said. (By) analysis of those communications, we deduced that there was approximately 70 completed transactions. Defense attorney Dilley minimized the allegations. He got agents to admit, for instance, that Gutierrez told the government informant in May 2018 that the .50-caliber gun he bought was not going down south to Mexico. Dilley also argued that the agents had no solid evidence that Gutierrez bought 70 guns and smuggled them all to Mexico. Instead, Dilley argued, the agents leaped to conclusions or embellished details. Guillermo Contreras covers federal courts in San Antonio and international legal issues. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland Chris Steele slipped a few drops of sobering reality into an ultra-optimistic Monday letter to local firefighters. Steele, the president of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association (SAPFA), delivered an all-hands-on-deck message to membership, informing them that the union would not get involved in any council-district races and would concentrate all its political efforts on helping Councilman Greg Brockhouse unseat Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Brockhouse has worked as a consultant for the police union and done contract work for the firefighters. Its a connection he points to with pride, but one that Nirenberg has used against him, with allegations that Brockhouse is a puppet of SAPFA leadership. On ExpressNews.com: Brockhouse prepares to make his big move Recalling last Novembers charter-amendment proposition votes, in which the union went two-for-three, Steele wrote, If we work this race similar to the charter Vote/YES campaign, Greg will win hands down. A few sentences later, however, Steele acknowledged that this race will be much tougher than the charter-amendment campaign. Last November, the firefighters succeeded in persuading San Antonio voters to limit city manager pay to 10 times the salary of the lowest-paid full-time municipal employee and to enable SAPFA to unilaterally declare an impasse in collective bargaining and take the issue to binding arbitration. The union fell short only on Proposition A, which would have lowered the bar for anyone wanting to repeal a council ordinance by taking it to the voters. I am not going to sugar coat this, Steele wrote to union members. The ask To vote for Greg Brockhouse is much more difficult to win, than the ask to Vote/YES. BUT SAN ANTONIO FIREFIGHTERS NEVER BACK DOWN. WE WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE FRONT LINES. OUR ENEMIES WILL NEVER OUTLAST US AND WILL NEVER SHAKE US. WE WILL BE THE LAST MAN STANDING!!! Putting aside the excessive capitalization and the vaguely apocalyptic language about the unions unnamed enemies, Steele hit on a truth when he pointed to SAPFAs challenges in getting Brockhouse elected. For the May 4 municipal election (with early voting starting next Monday), the fire union will replicate the approach that worked so well in November: putting most of its focus on deploying union members to polling sites across the city, so they can make a last-minute pitch to wavering voters. While the police union is putting its resources into pro-Brockhouse mailers and yard signs, firefighters will do most of their advertising face-to-face, at the moment when it matters most. That tactic was effective last November, when we had a huge, built-in turnout for a statewide midterm election energized by the insurgent U.S. Senate campaign of Beto ORourke. More than 551,000 votes were cast in the 2018 midterms, a spike of 81 percent compared to the 2014 midterms. In the upcoming municipal election, well have a much smaller turnout. For example, two years ago, we had 116,222 municipal-election voters (11 percent of all eligible voters). Anyone who bothers to make it to the polls for a city election probably has made up their mind about the mayoral contest. The bigger challenge for Team Brockhouse will be getting voters to the polls in the first place. The firefighters camping-out-at-the-polling-site strategy doesnt help with that. In recent years, weve also seen the limitations of the firefighters political influence. In 2015, they endorsed former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte in the mayoral runoff. Van de Putte lost to incumbent Mayor Ivy Taylor. In 2017, SAPFA endorsed Manuel Medina, then the chairman of the Bexar County Democratic Party. Medina ran a strange, populist campaign designed to build a coalition between progressive Democrats and tea-party Republicans. He finished a distant third. All told, six of the nine municipal candidates the fire union endorsed in 2017 came up short. That brings us to the unions 2018 charter-amendment coup. That campaign succeeded because the union was selling something the public already wanted to buy. Fairly or not, many San Antonians resented then-City Manager Sheryl Sculleys $550,000 annual compensation and rebelled against it. The binding-arbitration vote was much closer, but it reflected a general sense that an outside presence might be needed to bridge the divide between the city and the fire union. On ExpressNews.com: Mayors race a referendum on housing As Steeles Monday letter to union members indicated, its not so easy to convince voters to fire their current mayor for a flawed, divisive challenger who sees the citys most daunting challenges transportation, housing and environmental protection and wants us to move slower, not faster; do less, not more. Last November, firefighters told voters that a vote for the proposed charter amendments was a way to return power to the people. The sales pitch for Brockhouse will be similar. But it wont be as easy. @gilgamesh470 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 plan to limit how much local governments can raise property taxes on homeowners lurched to life on Monday in the Texas Legislature after a 14-week stalemate. The Texas Senate passed a plan along mostly partisan lines that would bar school districts from increasing property tax collections by more than 2.5 percent without an election and block cities and counties from collecting more than 3.5 percent year-over-year without a vote. Currently, cities and counties can grow by 8 percent before voters have even a chance to fight the increase at the ballot box. But while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick acknowledged the plan still has a long way to go to clear the Legislature, he said it still represents a major step in fulfilling his promise to help homeowners struggling under the burden of ever-increasing property taxes. The average Texas homeowner pays 2.18 percent of his homes value each year, the third-highest rate in the U.S., according to a study by property data warehouse ATTOM. What they want is tax relief and my job as lieutenant governor is keeping my promise to people, Patrick said. And thats what we did today. The Legislature is exploring other ways to address property taxes, too. One alternative calls for a $2 billion reduction in Texas school taxes, which make up more than 50 percent of property tax bills. Yet another proposal would cut property taxes but increase the sales tax by a percentage point, pushing it from 8.25 percent in most communities to 9.25 percent. For subscribers: Gov. Abbott, top lawmakers push to raise sales taxes in swap Local governments say the plan the Senate approved provides minimal property tax relief, but still jeopardizes critical city services such as police and fire protection. The proposal does not actually cut current tax bills, and the caps would not apply to all local governments. Those with $15 million or less of tax revenue collections would be exempt from the cap, though the bill that passed the Senate offers voters in those places a chance to opt in. In February a more ambitious plan to limit all local governments to 2.5 percent annual increases without an election passed a key Senate committee. But Patrick could not get the bill to the full Senate because he did not have the required 19 votes in the 31-member chamber. But on Monday, leaders in the Senate revised the bill to raise the cap on local governments to 3.5 percent. State Sen. Kel Seliger, a Republican and former Amarillo mayor, announced that he would no longer block the bill. The bill passed the Senate hours later on an 18-13 vote, with Seliger joining the 12 Democrats in opposing the bill. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox While the bill passed the Senate, it is far from done. Next up is the Texas House, which has yet to pass a property tax reform bill. The House version exempts school districts from the annual property tax revenue caps, which likely would not fly in the Senate. The House bill also does not exempt cities and counties with less than $15 million in tax collections from the caps. The House and Senate must pass identical bills to change the law. On Friday, the House was expected to vote on its plan but pulled the measure at the last minute. For subscribers: High property taxes are the epicenter of Lt. Gov. Patricks re-election campaign Despite the uncertainty of how the House will respond to the bill, members of the Senate framed it as a historic victory. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, talked about how it had been 16 years since he and Patrick before either of them was in elected office started pushing the Legislature to pass property tax reforms. Ultimately, Patrick, a former TV broadcaster and radio talk show host, won a seat in the Senate and, in his 2014 campaign for lieutenant governor, promised to cut property taxes if he were elected. Two years ago, the Senate tried to pass a plan to lower the so-called rollback rate on cities and counties from the current 8 percent to 4 percent. The Texas House refused to back that plan, both in the regular session and in a subsequent special session. At the start of this year, Abbott called for a more aggressive cap of 2.5 percent, which seemed a tall order given the lack of consensus for a 4-percent limit two years ago. The caps on property tax increases are a critical component of the Senates plan, Bettencourt said. He said property values, particularly in high growth counties, have been skyrocketing to the point people cannot afford to stay in their homes. Their tax bills have been growing at two to three times faster than their ability to pay, Bettencourt said. Patrick said the multiple approaches to tackling property taxes is based on the states dubious history in providing relief for homeowners. In the past attempts, savings would disappear into thin air because local government grew too fast, he said. Hence, the push for caps on annual property tax revenue growth. Im focused on leaving here with real property tax relief and reform, Patrick said. Faith leaders and activists gathered Wednesday at the Texas Capitol to eat Chick-fil-A sandwiches and condemn the San Antonio City Council. Christian advocacy group Texas Values hosted Save Chick-fil-A Day to protest the councils decision to bar the Christian-owned fast-food giant from its airport a decision that will be revisited on Thursday. If theres a couple of things that are certainly clear in Texas, its that you dont mess with Chick-fil-A, and you dont mess with religious freedom said the groups president, Jonathan Saenz. Council members voted last month to keep the franchise, which is closed on Sunday, from opening at San Antonio International Airport after some said they couldnt support a company with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior. They cited the chains history of funding anti-LGBTQ organizations that support gay conversion therapy. Mayor Ron Nirenberg has framed the issue as a business decision, saying 15 percent of the airports traffic is on Sunday. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The councils vote made national headlines, drawing heavy criticism from conservatives, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin. Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he will investigate whether the council violated First Amendment religious freedom protections. San Antonio was one of the first, but they were not the last and what were saying is, enough is enough, said Rev. Dave Welch, head of the Houston-based U.S. Pastor Council. In Texas, were saying Chick-fil-A will not stand alone, religious freedom will be protected, your ability to practice your faith will be protected and tyranny will be turned back. Another speaker at Wednesdays rally went a step further as he called on the Texas Legislature to protect religious freedom. Let me remind you, legislators, that the eyes of Texas are upon you, and more importantly than that, the eyes of God are upon you, San Antonio businessman Weston Martinez said. We are going to be here to hold you accountable every step of the way, because weve got a liberal group in San Antonio that really wants to turn it into Sodom and Gomorrah. And were not going to stand by that. JIM WATSON, Contributor / AFP/Getty Images Top Texas officials will hold dueling press conferences Wednesday at the Texas Capitol about a resolution declaring a crisis at the Mexican border. Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn will join with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate Republican Caucus at 4 p.m. to discuss Senate Resolution 535, which refers to a recent surge of immigrants to the border as an emergency and called on Congress to act with all means necessary to provide funding to address it. We know that slaveholders in the American South used Scripture to justify keeping their fellow humans in bondage. They could find no words from Christ on this, for there are no words from him. Just a line in the New Testament from mere mortals presuming to speak for him. But perhaps it made those who tore apart families, who whipped insubordinates until they passed out, who sold children and cotton bales as similar commodities feel better to know that the monstrous crime of their daily enterprise could be a blessed act. These days, no less an authority than Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said recently that God wanted Donald Trump to become president. She offered no sourcing for this assertion, as is the case for vaporous claims that rise from the rot of the Trump presidency on a daily basis. But in blaming God for Trump, Sanders echoed a widespread Republican belief that the most outwardly amoral man ever to occupy the White House is an instrument of divine power. Mocking Sanders and the many Ned Flanders of the GOP team is unlikely to make much of a dent. Nearly half of all Republicans believe God wanted Trump to win the election. To them, secular snark is a merit badge on the MAGA hat. But there is a better way to sway the electorate of faith, as the rising Democratic stars Pete Buttigieg and Stacey Abrams have shown us. They apply something like a What Would Jesus Do? test to rouse religious conscience on the political battlefield. Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., is a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, a Rhodes scholar, married to a junior high school teacher. Hes gay and, more surprising for a modern Democrat, he is an out Christian, as quick to quote St. Augustine as Abraham Lincoln. Like Abrams and Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete says his faith made him a progressive. Scripture directs him to defend the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the societal castoffs. But Buttigieg goes much further than mere Bible-citing. Hes taking it directly to Trump and to Vice President Mike Pence, who flashes his piety like a seven-carat diamond on his pinkie finger. Its hard to look at the actions of Trump, Buttigieg said, and believe they are the actions of somebody who believes in God. The mayor calls Pence the cheerleader of the porn star presidency, and he wonders whether the vice president stopped believing in Scripture when he started believing in Donald Trump. Buttigiegs marriage to Chasten Glezman moved me closer to God, he said in a speech recently. To the Mike Pences of the world, he said, your quarrel is not with me your quarrel, sir, is with my creator. Abrams, who narrowly lost her race for governor of Georgia last year, also uses faith, part of a long African American tradition, to marshal Christian principles against the repulsive acts of man. The daughter of two Methodist preachers, she said in one of her television ads, My reading of the Bible says that Jesus Christ was a progressive. We should wince at any claim of providential partisanship. The founders were explicit about this in writing a strictly secular Constitution. George Washingtons Treaty of Tripoli, passed unanimously by the Senate, contains language stating that the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion. But when a president is held up by his own spokeswoman as an extension of divine will, and that president is embraced by the evangelical community as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, its fine to use the source material to fight back. The best Christian argument against Trump comes from Christ. The essence of Christianity is his exhortation that people treat the sick, the hungry, the poor, the imprisoned as they would treat him. Whatever you did to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did to me. Trumps policies? Cursed are the meek, for under Trumps command, children have been put in cages, and the poor in red states are denied the health care that should be available to them under Obamacare. Trump is all about self. His bigotry, his boasting, his lies, his pride, his scams of the vulnerable, his worship of materialism, his insults of the dead, his turning a blind eye to refugees, his bragging of adulterous behavior, his treatment of the least among us all of this is antithetical to Christian philosophy. Buttigieg is right to call him on this. Hes right to attack Pences hypocrisy. But the moral high ground is a fragile perch, best visited on rare occasions. Hes thrown down a needed challenge. Now let Trump and Pence try to prove him wrong. Successful candidates in upcoming Southside Independent School District board elections may not get to immediately assume their posts. The Texas Education Agency took over the district two years ago, removed the seven-member elected board and appointed five trustees to take their place. The appointees serve at the pleasure of Education Commissioner Mike Morath. The education commissioner has yet to announce when the appointees will be relieved of their duties and when elected board members can take their place. Three of the 10 candidates seeking election in May were among the elected board members removed from office in May 2017 after a TEA investigation uncovered governance issues, board members acting individually on behalf of the board and failure to comply with state contract purchasing regulations. School districts are best served by elected representatives from their own communities, but it does not always work out that way. Unfortunately, in dysfunctional school districts with runaway school boards, trustees cannot work together as a team and suspected criminal activity sometimes requires state intervention. So, if the TEA is in charge, why vote for any candidates at all? Well, because the TEA will not always be in charge and when it is not, it is in the best interest of the students and taxpayers that the communitys voters cast ballots for candidates who have never been elected to this board. Moreover, a fresh slate of board members ready to take office will offer TEA incentive for expediting the removal of its appointed board of managers and replacing them with those elected by the community. So, for Position 1, we recommend Maggie Morales, 26, a cashier at Bill Miller BBQ. She is a Southside ISD graduate and has earned a bachelors degree from University of the Incarnate Word and a masters degree from Our Lady of the Lake. A former intern in the district, Morales would bring a fresh perspective to the boardroom on what students in the district need as they head to college. In Position 2, we recommend Mary Silva, 66, a retired Southside ISD employee. Silva spent 40 years employed by the district working as a classroom aide, librarian, attendance clerk and as administrative assistant. Her children and grandchildren attended Southside schools and she currently has a great-grandson enrolled in the district kindergarten program. Silvas familiarity with the inner workings of the district would be an asset in putting the district back on course after the TEA intervention is concluded. In Position 6, we recommend Brenda Nagelhout-Olivarez, 53, an information management specialist in Edgewood ISD. She went to school in Northside ISD, as did her children. Her husband is a Southside ISD graduate. She is among the few candidates who have experience with schools in other school districts. That is a plus. She is interested in what is going on in the classroom. Unfortunately, this is not always something we hear from school board candidates. We need more board members who are focused on academics. In Position 7, we recommend Katie Farias, 39, who is employed in the district office of state Rep. Roland Gutierrez. Her husband, Gabe, was on the districts board of managers, but resigned that seat in November due to job obligations. Farias has children in the district and is involved in their schools. Her employment in a lawmakers office and her volunteer work in the schools give her a unique insight on Texas public education and would come in handy when it comes to setting local policy. I think the state should reconsider any actions that put a higher tax burden on us. Such action is not justified. Years ago, during the initiating of the Texas lottery program, we were told the lottery would be used for schools and programs concerning schooling. What is the story now? What happened to the funds that were and are being earned since this inception? Can anyone explain this to us? Where are those funds garnered by this program? Roberto Mendoza Handicaps suspect Where, oh where do you get those handicap parking placards? This place must be hidden until you mention the code word Jackson, as in whos on the $20 bill. We all notice so many able-bodied people easily walking in and out of the stores. Having a placard allows you to steal an up-front parking spot. At the very least the abuser could get out with a fake limp. Fred Machado Its not the economy Trump supporters keep saying, I dont approve of Trumps morals, but Ill vote for him again because he has done a great job as president. Really? What great things has he done? Separate children from their parents as a deterrent? How about tearing up treaties so other countries will think we cant be trusted to keep our promises? Or trying to take peoples affordable health insurance away without offering them anything better? Or saying some of the neo-Nazis who marched Charlottesville were fine people? Dont tell me its the economy. No president dictates the economy. Alex Pollard For thousands of people in central Connecticut, its not officially spring until the Meriden Daffodil Festival and New Havens Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival. The estimated 600,000 yellow-blooming plants are ready for the April 27-28 Meriden fest (after the April 21-22 pre-festival weekend) and now its up to the latter weekends weather to keep the crowds marching into 1,800-acre Hubbard Park for the 41st edition. Naugatuck Police Department NAUGATUCK - Police are looking for a 24-year-old woman who may frequent the Hamden or Milford area to charge her in a $50,000 theft. Stephanie Amber Metevier with last known addresses on Shepherd Street in Hamden or in the Milford area is accused of participating with others in a 2018 burglary that allowed her to gain access to a victim's financial information, police said. GREENWICH As a town resident, what do you see as your Greenwich? The Planning and Zoning Commission wants to know. Commission Chair Margarita Alban is directing community members to a Facebook group called Images of Greenwich, which can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/imagesofgreenwich/. For over five years, the 6,000-plus members of the group have been posting beautiful snapshots of different places around town. But last week, the pages admin and creator Jim Ramsey told contributors that Alban had asked for their help as the P&Z collects photos showing our community character. He called this an important opportunity. ... If you have any images that fit that description (as you interpret it), and you wish to contribute to the process of preserving Greenwichs character and charm, please post. Its part of an effort to get residents feedback on preserving Greenwichs character and charm, Alban said. Many of the photos show off the Cos Cob waterfront, winter at Greenwich Point, the shoreline from the Greenwich Boat & Yacht Club, the soldiers and sailors monument on Greenwich Avenue, Binney Park and other more. In another Facebook post, Alban said, These dont have to be cool (or) creative images. They should just be what says home to you about Greenwich and that may be a very ordinary seeming detail but it will actually speak volumes about proportion, heritage and character. The posted images could be used as part of the ongoing work on the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, Town Director of Planning and Zoning Katie DeLuca said. But the main idea is to get public input. The original intent was to see pictures of buildings that people thought represented their ideals so that we can use that to craft the vision and subsequent regulations to dictate how the town changes, DeLuca said. We ... have had a fair bit of response, but not one of the photos has been of a building. Instead, weve seen stone walls, Crocus Hill and Tods Point. She added, These photos echo what we heard during our public workshops, which is that community character is found most readily in the natural, historic and vegetative beauty of the town. DeLuca called the responses very interesting and telling. This ties into discussions before the Planning and Zoning Commission, she said. When a proposed development draws opposition as was seen with apartments on West Putnam Avenue, the move of Greenwich Academys day care program or a new synagogue on Mason Street neighbors often express concerns about traffic and neighborhood character. This effort will allow both residents and officials to build on that idea of character, she said. Public comment in our zoning meetings tends to center around preservation of community character, DeLuca said. But what is that in a town with eclectic architecture and diverse neighborhoods? ... The point of this exercise is to hear from the community. And that is the fun of it because it will inevitably change depending on each individuals perspective and location, whether it be the backcountry, shoreline, downtown, Cos Cob, Glenville, Byram, etc. Land use and zoning regulations are the most powerful tool that the town has to enhance its character and identity, she said. And DeLuca said she hopes more photos will be posted. Community character refers to a distinct identity or sense of place, she said. It is the impression made by a neighborhood or towns natural setting, history, qualities and assets, social activities, cultural and artistic offerings. It is more than just the visual identity, as it is also how people interact with the environment built or natural. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Stop, Dont Shop was the message on signs carried by striking employees at Stop & Shop stores throughout Connecticut last week. So we were prepared when we drove into the Stop & Shop parking lot on Kings Highway Cutoff in Fairfield last Saturday. We had no intention of shopping, but needed to get some cash from the Peoples Bank ATM inside the store to carry us through the weekend (journalists can empathize). The workers gladly made way to let us into the building, and we expressed support for their cause. (I could do no less, as a former member of the Almalgamated Meat Cutters union at the old King Cole store in Bridgeport during my high school years.) The striking workers seemed exuberant at the Fairfield store last Saturday. They were getting loads of support from area politicians, members of other unions, and the public. That very day, the Teamsters union, whose members drive the trucks that deliver food and other products to the stores, announced it was supporting the Stop & Shop employees. On Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Stop & Shop workers in Boston. Talks this week between the grocery giant and the five union affiliates of the United Food & Commercial Workers produced no agreement. The president of the Farmington-based UFCW Local 919 addressed union members Tuesday from the negotiating table in Providence, R.I., estimating Stop & Shops revenue losses at $20 million a day since the strike began. On Tuesday, Stop & Shop apologized to the public for the incovenience the strike has caused. Stop & Shop acknowledged that it has limited its offerings during the strike affecting 240 supermarkets in New England. Stop & Shop President Mark McGowan said in a letter Tuesday that most stores would remain open for 12 hours, seven days a week. However, he said bakery, customer service, deli, seafood counters and gas stations would not be operational. Stop & Shop also said additional police and security personnel were at some stores as a precaution. Negotiations through a federal mediator were ongoing this week, but the sides seemed far apart. And the wide-ranging support the striking workers were receiving seems to us to be based on the perception that the companys demands are unfair. Stop & Shop can buy as many ads as they want, but they cant change the facts, the five United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Unions (328, 371, 1445, 1459, and 919) said in a statement. Stop & Shops latest proposal will drastically increase out-of-pocket health care costs, kick approximately 1,000 employees spouses off of their health care plan, and make it more challenging for 31,000 people to provide for themselves and their families. If the companys most recent offer becomes a reality, every working family, neighborhood, consumer, and community will be hurt. Stop & Shops parent company, Ahold Delhaize, made more than $2 billion in profits last year and received a U.S. tax cut of $225 million in 2017. The company is claiming the proposed cuts are necessary but was refusing to provide financial information to verify that claim. The UFCW local unions represent some 31,000 Stop & Shop employees. Stop & Shop and the unions that represent its employees are both huge. But perhaps the reason the employees were getting so much support in Fairfield and other local towns is that residents see the workers as their neighbors, and supporting them in their struggle against a giant conglomerate seemed like the neighborly thing to do. Tom Henry is the editor of the Fairfield Citizen Greenwich police assisted in the bust of a major drug ring that was operating out of Port Chester, N.Y., according to the Westchester County district attorney. The sweep was a culmination of a yearlong investigation stemming from fatal heroin overdoses. Port Chester Police, in collaboration with Greenwich Police, began investigating dealers in their communities working across state lines, Westchester D.A. Anthony Scarpino said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. Five men were taken into custody in early-morning raids on Wednesday in multiple locations in Port Chester, authorities said. Greenwich police took part in the arrests. The investigation also provided critical evidence that sparked a 68-count indictment of 12 defendants who were arrested last week in Mount Vernon and the Bronx, N.Y., Scarpino said. The drug gang was selling heroin packaged in glassine envelopes with a stamp that resembled the New York Yankees logo, investigators said. Todays arrests are the culmination of an investigation that began in late 2018 after the Port Chester Police Detective Bureau, and the Greenwich Police Department noted an upsurge in overdose deaths attributable to heroin and fentanyl. Acting with a sense of urgency, the agencies involved functioned seamlessly in a combined effort, Port Chester Police Chief Richard Conway said. The defendants are Eleonay Narvaez, 49; Javelle Ross, 38; Kaley Herring, 56; Andre Price, 42; and Eugene Rodrigues, 60. They were each charged with multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance. All five were remanded into custody. Ross, who is due in court April, 30 was held on bail of $75,000 cash or $150,000. Bail was not set for the others. Narvaez and Herring are due in court April 30. Price and Rodrigues are due in court May 1. A sixth defendant named in the indictment, Rafael Olivera, 46, was arrested last week in the Bronx and was held at Rikers Island in New York City. His arraignment is pending. Police also seized bundles of heroin that was ready to be sold, Scarpino said. The Port Chester police chief said the investigative work held its share of hazards. The officers involved performed admirably. They did so often under the most challenging and dangerous conditions. I could not be more proud of our departments participation in this endeavor, and could not be more grateful than I am to every law enforcement officer who participated, Conway said. Scarpino praised the collaborative effort to help us stop the scourge of heroin and other opioids. Drug dealers are plaguing our area, he said. The opioid crisis is ruining lives and killing too many. ... Pooling our resources on the local and state levels is our best chance of stopping the flow of deadly drugs before more lives are lost. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com HARTFORD Truck and bus drivers who illegally stray onto the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways would be hit with $500 fines under a bill that was overwhelmingly approved Wednesday in the House of Representatives. Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told lawmakers that too many trucks are regularly crashing into bridge overpasses on the parkways. A fatality occurred as recently as November, 2017 in Stamford, when a truck stopped short of a bridge overpass and a motorist behind the vehicle crashed into it. This bill is necessary as weve seen over the last several years several instances in which trucks are on our state parkways, Stafstrom said. Certainly any of us who drive from Fairfield County to the Capitol know its a regular occurrence to see trucks and trailers. The current penalty for commercial vehicle encroachment is $100. The legislation would include rented box trucks and trailers of any kind. The bill, which next heads to the Senate, was approved 98-45 after a 14-minute debate in which opponents warned that $500 is a lot of money for truckers, many of whom are self-employed. Eight Democrats voted against the legislation including Rep. Juan Candelaria of New Haven and Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport. Hennessy, a career trucker, called the bill a little outrageous, during the debate. Theres a lot to being a truck driver and mistakes do happen, he said, stressing that most truck drivers who find themselves on the parkway end up there by accident. As a driver on the Merritt Parkway on a daily basis, there is a truck, or a vehicle, blocking one of our historic bridges almost on a daily basis, said Rep. David Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, who voted for the bill. It takes hours of our life on this parkway. But he wondered why the state Department of Transportation has not fulfilled the requirements of previous legislation, from 2017, that required a program of height-restriction warnings and signage on the parkways. I will tell you, last session there was a tractor trailer going northbound in the southbound lane, said Rep. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan, who voted for the bill. It takes at least one trooper and frankly it should take two to make sure it is safely removed from the highway. Republicans who voted in favor of the bill included Rep. Bill Buckbee of New Milford, Rep. Fred Camillo of Greenwich, Rep. Laura Devlin of Fairfield, Rep. Livvy Floren of Greenwich, Rep. Steve Harding of Brookfield, Rep. Kathleen Kennedy of Milford, House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby, Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria of Seymour, Rep. Brenda Kupchick of Fairfield, Rep. Gail Lavielle of Wilton, Rep. Ben McGorty of Shelton, Rep. J.P. Sredzinski of Monroe, and Rep. Terrie Wood of Darien. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Toyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan. Read More COLUMBUS The Ohio Poultry Association (OPA) selected its 2019 award recipients during the organizations annual meeting and banquet held April 12 in Columbus. This year there were four awards that honored individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to Ohios egg, chicken and turkey farming communities. Awards and recipients: Golden Egg Award: Tom Stoller, Van Wert, Ohio The Golden Egg Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated their commitment to advancing the mission and values of the poultry community. Stoller grew up on his familys fourth-generation commercial layer operation that has transformed since the 1920s from a small hatchery into one of the nations leading table egg farms. He served as a past president of OPA and member of the American Egg Board. His commitment to the advancement of the poultry and agriculture communities has been recognized numerous times during his career by acting as a leader in addressing environmental issues in Ohio. Good Egg Award: Cindy Kirkland, Dublin, Ohio This award is presented to a person who has the best interest of the Ohio poultry industry in mind every day. Kirkland has played a role in culinary projects and campaigns including OPAs most recent initiative, Dish on Eggs, in which she leveraged her extensive culinary expertise to create, test and photograph numerous recipes. In addition to her role with Dish on Eggs, Kirkland has assisted with the planning and preparation behind the Ohio Agricultural Councils Hall of Fame Breakfast that takes place each year during the Ohio State Fair. She has also been a judge for OPAs culinary competitions at the Ohio State Fair and often works behind the scenes to prepare all materials for TV cooking demonstrations and other OPA culinary initiatives. Meritorious Service Award: Dr. Keith Honegger, Bluffton, Indiana The Meritorious Service Award is given each year to someone in the academic field who has made a significant impact on the regional egg and poultry community. Honegger has served as a veterinarian in the poultry industry for more than four decades. For the last five years, Honegger has worked with Elanco as a poultry technical consultant. In this role, he develops effective vaccination schedules and provides veterinary support to commercial layer and broiler companies in disease diagnosis, serological testing and vaccine application training. During his 43 years serving as a poultry veterinarian, Honegger has remained focused on addressing the needs of his customers, no matter the company he represents, and advancing and supporting the OPA community. Industry Partner Award: Ohio Pork Council The Industry Partner Award honors an organization that supports the mission of OPA and its members. The Ohio Pork Council has worked side-by-side with OPA on an array of projects throughout the years. Most recently, OPA has worked with the Ohio Pork Council, along with other Ohio livestock commodity organizations, to lead statewide efforts on water quality. For more information, visit www.ohiopoultry.org. Location: Ashland, Ohio College/University attended: Ohio State Major: Food Science Career: Quality Supervisor at Ardent Mills Loudonville, Ohio Why did you choose Ohio State University? Growing up on a family dairy farm, I knew I wanted a career related to agriculture, and I love food. Food Science allowed me to combine the two. (Also attending Ohio State is sort of a family tradition.) How are you using what you learned in college today? Teamwork and planning is a large part of my job today, along with following and abiding by regulations to make sure the flour produced is safe for our consumers. Advice for students thinking about college By attending Ohio State, I was able to explore, learn, and meet new people. It allowed me to grow and I use that experience in my work today. What were some of your best college experiences? Some of my best college experiences are the friends I made and the memories along the way. Go Buckeyes! Location: Gainesville, Florida College/University attended: Ohio State University Major: Agricultural communication and public affairs Career: Marketing and Communications Specialist at the University of Florida Why did you choose Ohio State University? Ohio State had a communication program focused in agriculture and the faculty were extremely knowledgeable in their discipline. I also liked the location; Columbus was close enough that I could easily go home for the weekend, but far enough away that I felt like I could explore and find out who I was and what I wanted to do. The sheer size of the campus and the number of students were appealing to me as well, because I could meet a lot of different people and experience life that was different from what I was used to in my rural hometown. How are you using what you learned in college today? My programs taught me the technical skills I use every day. Im constantly using my graphic design skills, writing media releases, taking photos and developing social media strategy, which I learned throughout my classes. Through student organizations, I also learned how to navigate conflict, manage budgets and think through complex problems. I would say I use those skills just as much as what I learned in class. Advice for students thinking about college: Its OK to change your major and be unsure of what you want to be when you grow up. Half of the value of college is learning what you do not like and finding out what you do not want to do for your career. The other half, in my opinion, is learning about something you are interested in and building relationships with faculty and your peers (that you will probably be working alongside in a few years). What were some of your best college experiences? I joined a service group called Ohio Staters, Inc., which gave me a lot of great experiences. We were a small group, so we spent a lot of time together, but Staters also gave me avenues to work on some of my own projects, like putting a giant Script Ohio sculpture on campus as a tribute to the band. Aside from that, I really loved the chances I got to travel with my friends. I went to the United Kingdom for a study abroad program, flew to Oklahoma State University for a conference and spent spring break traveling through California with our college ambassador team. These opportunities taught me a lot about agriculture, but also gave me new avenues to build relationships with a lot of people I work with or am friends with today Farmers have called for more action to improve the security of tenure for farm tenants across the UK as many lack the ability to plan long term. Defra and the Welsh government have recently opened consultations on legislative change for farm tenancies, but farmers have called for the UK Treasury to think afresh about how it can use its fiscal levers to deliver longer term farm tenancies. The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) Chief Executive, George Dunn, said: There is wide spread agreement that the landlord tenant system in agriculture provides opportunities for new entrants, enables entrepreneurship to flourish and provides liquidity to land which is the most fixed factor of production in agriculture. However, the sector has been affected adversely by short-term thinking from policy makers, landowners and those who advise them. 85% of all new Farm Business Tenancies (FBT), which together now account for nearly half of the land farmed by tenant farmers in England and Wales, is let for terms of five years or less. Few farm tenancies are let for periods of 10 years or more. Average lengths of term on tenancies including a house and buildings barely reach 10 years. Mr Dunn said: With such short lengths of term, tenants lack the ability to plan long term either in relation to their farming activities or their desire to take part in diversification and agri-environment schemes. Landlords are reluctant to use anything like the full extent of the legal flexibility available but have gained considerably from the legislation and its the associated tax benefits. He added: With much higher demand than supply, landlords can offer short-terms, for high rents at little risk and obtain, into the bargain, 100% Agricultural Property Relief from Inheritance Tax. By contrast the short-term nature of tenancies is holding back progression, investment and sustainable land use, he said. The TFA argues that the government should be using its taxation policy to encourage longer tenancies. In particular, the group said it would like to see a change in the availability of Agricultural Property Relief from Inheritance Tax to landlords. Mr Dunn said: Currently, landlords are able to protect their let agricultural estates from Inheritance Tax regardless of the tenancy terms they offer. To my mind we are not getting nearly enough value for such an important tax advantage. The TFA believes that if this relief was restricted only to those landlords prepared to let for 10 years or more, then more sustainable tenancies would be produced as a result. Livestock rustlers have stolen more than 200 sheep, worth over 20,000, from a Dorset farm. The incident happened on farmland near Dorchester between Friday 22 March 2019 and Monday 8 April 2019. 211 mainly Suffolk, Texel and cross breeds were stolen from the farm located on fields along the A37. Each sheep is valued at 95, bringing the total loss to over 20,000. The sheep tag numbers involved are 230336 and 341825. Police are now appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. PC Matthew Brennan said this theft has had a 'big impact' on the victim. We are carrying out a number of enquiries to find those responsible, he said. I am appealing to anyone who has any information about the theft to please contact us. We would also urge farmers and members of the rural community to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity they encounter. It follows new figures which show that livestock worth 2.5m were stolen in 2018 amid an increase in organised large scale animal thefts across the UK. Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190052667. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Its a puzzle which has challenged anthropologists for centuries but at last it seems there may be an answer to the question about the origins of Stone Henge but its not what you may have expected. Druids and even aliens have been linked with the famous stone circle in Wiltshire in England in the past. However, the results of a new study published in Nature magazine suggest the ancient relic was originally constructed by farmers from Turkey. Apparently, DNA recovered from Neolithic skeletons indicates links with an ancient Anatolian race who migrated north from the Mediterranean region around 6,000 years ago. They were successful enough to replace the indigenous people, who had been largely hunter-gatherers since the previous Ice Age, with primitive agriculture becoming the norm in northern Europe from around 4,000BC onwards. The theory suggests the farmers originated from the area which is now modern-day Turkey, moving from east to west as far as Spain and Portugal first. However, the report indicates their descendants then moved north, arriving first on the United Kingdoms western shores before moving inland to locations such as Wiltshire where they were better equipped for survival. Even if these two populations had mixed completely, the ability of adept continental farmers and their descendants to maintain larger population sizes would produce a significant diminishing of hunter-gatherer ancestry over time, Prof Mark Thomas of University College in London is quoted as saying in Turkeys Daily Sabah newspaper. The paper produced by Prof Thomas and his team also suggests genetic samples recovered could suggest skin colour could be a factor in identifying the creators of Stone Henge. Past studies have shown ancient tribes folk resident in the UK since the Ice Age were thought to have been dark-skinned with blue or green eyes whereas the DNA samples suggest the more-recently-arrived farmers had lighter skin and brown eyes. Sources: https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2019/04/15/anatolian-farmers-built-britains-famous-stonehenge-study-says?platform=hootsuite https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/stone-henge-builders-origin-dna-migrant-farmers-a8872336.html Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category critic's rating: 2.0/5 Trailer : The Curse of La Llorona Its said that back in the 17th century Mexico, La Llorona, a.k.a. the Weeping Woman, drowned her two kids in a fit of jealous rage when she caught her husband in the arms of another woman. Her spirit was cursed because of that and was destined to walk the earth, stalking children and killing them. The film is not set in the 17th century however but in 1973 Los Angeles. Why 1973, you may ask -- well, thats to tie it to (rather clumsily) the Conjuring universe.Social worker Anna Garcia (Linda Cardellini), who works in the child support department, is assigned to investigate the house of a woman know to be abusive towards her kids. She learns that Patricia Alvarez (Patricia Velasquez) has been forcing her two young sons to live in a closet. Furious, Anna gets the mother arrested and sends the kids into an orphanage. Patricia tries to argue that all she wants is to keep her children safe but no one listens to her. The boys get drowned later that night and a distraught Patricia, who knows that the spirit of La Llorona is behind the killings, invokes the spirit and beseeches it to kill Annas children Samantha (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) and Chris (Roman Christou). How, with the help of a shaman (Raymond Cruz), the family is able to defeat the spirit forms the crux of the film.Debutant director Michael Chaves seems to be a big fan of the Conjuring franchise as he has faithfully copied the template of Conjuring films. But thats where the similarities end. Because while the films directed by James Wan are genuinely scary, this one is not. Also, in the Conjuring films, we get to invest emotionally in the characters and hence are affected by whats happening to them on screen. Here, nothing of that sort happens and that kind of weakens the impact.Director Chaves used all sorts of horror tropes, from doors making awful noises, creaking steps, leaking taps, banging windows, and glass breaking et all are utilised relentlessly to drive the point home. Then, jump cuts, the staple of horror film directors, are used like every five minutes and this excessive usage dilutes their essence. The film uses a plot device straight out of the Poltergeist (1982), what with children being sucked into a portal. Not that the film totally screws up when it comes to creating horror. For instance, watching a pair of ghostly hands appearing out of nowhere to shampoo the daughter and later trying to drown her does give you the creeps but such moments are few and far between. The problem, in essence, of this horror film, is that it doesnt scare much. La Llorona is built up as an immortal force of nature but doesnt actually do anything to us. She doesnt even harm the children, failing to do so despite repeated attempts.The film is also let down by lack of a coherent screenplay. How come a social worker is so rich she has a pool the size of a small lake? The shaman conveniently knows of a cure and even has the necessary equipment to carry it out. And he also thinks nothing of using the family as bait to force the spirit out. Really? Wasnt his primary goal was to keep them out of harms way? The film contains some cheesy dialogue as well, most of them falling in the lap of Raymond Cruz, who plays the shaman.Linda Cardellini has given a believable performance as a distraught mother who is willing to do anything, even fighting an evil spirit in order to save her children. The child actors have also done a fine enough job. The rest of the cast appear one-dimensional and dont contribute much to the film.All said and done, this rather absurd and unintentionally comic horror film is strictly for those fans who dont want to miss anything remotely connected the Conjuring universe... Urmila Matondkar had asked for police protection after Congress and BJP workers got into a scuffle two days ago while she was canvassing at the Borivali railway station and the police acted immediately on her complaint and offered protection till the elections are over. It is again reported that Urmila Matondkar was confronted by BJP workers again despite having police security. A group of BJP supporters chanted slogans during a roadshow of actor and Congress candidate Urmila Matondkar in suburban Malad, police said. This was the second time Matondkar, who is pitted against the BJP's Gopal Shetty in Mumbai North seat, faced slogan-shouting supporters of the BJP party. A group of BJP supporters arrived as Matondkar was riding a van along Daftary road in Dindoshi, and started chanting "Modi, Modi" near her vehicle, a police officer said. The policemen present at the spot kept Congress and BJP workers away from each other to avert a clash, he said. After chanting slogans, the group left, he added. Right after the first scuffle two days ago, a distraught Urmila Matondkar said, ''This is just the beginning and may take a violent turn. I have asked for police protection as there is a threat to my life. I have filed a police complaint.'' The actress turned politician further stated, ''Those who confronted our rally indulged in vulgar dancing and used abusive language. May be they wanted to scare the women who were walking near us. I am mentally disturbed and I am in shock due to the incident." A Fan Threw Her Bra At Nick Jonas In Front Of Priyanka Chopra & Her Reaction Is UNEXPECTED! (Inputs From PTI) Rating: 2.5 /5 Star Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur Director: Abhishek Varman Kalank Movie Review: Alia Bhatt | Varun Dhawan | Madhuri | Karan Johar | Sanjay | FilmiBeat With a tear rolling down her eye, Roop (Alia Bhatt) breaks the fourth wall and asks the audience, "Aapne is kahaani mein kya dekha, kalank yaa mohabbat?" Wait, is she confused just like us? To get a better picture, let's hit the flashback button and step into the world of Kalank. Set in the pre-partition period in Husnabad in outskirts of Lahore, Roop (Alia Bhatt), a young, carefree girl gets married to Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) while his wife Satya (Sonakshi Sinha) emotionally watches the nuptial with the patriach of their house, Dev Chaudhary (Sanjay Dutt). At the same time in the same town in a place called Hira Mandi, a koel-eyed blacksmith named Zafar (Varun Dhawan) dances 'First Class' with exuberance outside Begum Bahar (Madhuri Dixit)'s chamber, unware of how his fate is all set to change forever. Like Alia's Roop mentions in the film, "Mere gussa mein liye gaye Ek faisle ne hum sab ki zindagi barbaad kar di." As forbidden romance seeps in with Roop-Zafar's love-story, Balraj and Begum Bahar too are forced to confront their past which threatens to tear their present apart along with the dangling danger of the partition. Abhishek Varman's Kalank has lots of gloss- right from opulent sets to resplendent costumes. Unfortunately, they fail to camouflage the feeble story and screenplay. Also, the film borrows heavily from many films from the past. (Amitabh Bachchan's Trishul being the most evident one). The disjointed screenplay too takes a toil and leaves you exhausted with its lazy pace. Having said that, the film does have some shining moments which leave you choked up with emotions. Most of them mostly surface in the last 30 minutes of the film. Speaking about the performances, Alia Bhatt succeeds in portraying the complexities of Roop, a character torn between love and her duties with conviction. However, it's Abhishek's weak writing which makes her go a little off the track at places. In one of the most meatiest roles of his career, Varun Dhawan gets to dabble with a role that's high on intense emotions. The lad bravely takes it heads on, but he still has a long way to go when it comes to mouthing heavy-duty dialogues. Madhuri Dixit is incandescent as the courtesan Begum Bahar and portrays the love, pain and empathy which her character demands with sheer brilliance. Sanjay Dutt too puts up a good show. However, one wished these two had more scenes together which could have added a greater impact. Sonakshi Sinha chews the most of whatever she's offered in a limited screen space. Aditya Roy Kapur leaves a mark with his stoic silences, but fails to rise above Verman's poorly-sketched character. Kunal Kemmu delivers a good act. Binod Pradhan's striking visuals perfectly captures the pre-partition era and the rich frames leave you mighty impressed. Shweta Venkat Mathew's editing could have been a little more sharp to make the film a little more taut. Also, the VFX in Varun's bull-fight scene comes across as funny and could have been easily avoided to prevent the unintentional chuckles. While the songs of Kalank are a visual treat to watch, the audio fares below the expectation levels. Barring the title track and Ghar More Pardesiya, the rest fail to linger for long. With a stellar cast and a magnum production budget, Kalank looked every bit promising on paper. But, it simply fails to translate on the big screen. To put in Begum Bahar's way, "Weak story and direction ka anjaam aksar tabaahi hi hota hai." I am going with 2.5 stars. Last year, the bold and beautiful Ileana D'Cruz returned to Telugu cinema with Amar Akbar Anthony and gave her fans a reason to rejoice. Sadly, the film turned out to be a failure of epic proportions which sank without a trace. To make matters worse, the Goan beauty too did not make much of an impact with her performance. Now, it seems that she is set to bag her next Tollywood movie. According to reports, the Kick beauty might soon be roped in to play the female lead opposite Manchu Vishnu in the Dhee sequel to be helmed by Srinu Vaitla. Apparently, he initially wanted to cast Rakul Preet as the female lead but changed his mind for reasons best known to him. If this indeed happens, it might upset the Spyder girl's fans big time while sending Ileana's supporters into a state of frenzy. In case you did not know, Dhee was a popular romantic-comedy that hit screens in 2007 and emerged as a success. The film featured Manchu Vishnu and Genelia D Souza in the lead. Meanwhile, Ileana currently has the Bollywood movie Pagalpanti in her kitty. Touted to be a romantic-comedy, the film will see her act alongside Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Dutt. On the other hand, Rakul currently has NGK and De De Pyaar De in her kitty. Rakul Preet's Bold Photos Go Viral: Did She Have A Wardrobe Malfunction? Deets Inside Poonam Kaur on Tuesday (April 16, 2019) filed a complaint with the Hyderabad Police, stating that a 'fake' audio clip of her talking about Pawan Kalyan is being circulated online to tarnish her reputation. While speaking to the media, the actress said that she has no clue about who was behind the controversy and added that some people are using the issue to gain political mileage "I do not know who is behind this. I complained to the police about the online harassment I was facing for the last two years and requested them to take action. I wish that no woman should undergo what I went through in the last two years. It was done by some people just for some political agenda, and spoiling a woman's life in the wake is a mistake. I have full trust in the police that they will take necessary action," she added. The cops have reportedly asked for legal advice on the matter and are likely to register a case based on the feedback. Interestingly, this controversy has broken out just a short while after former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's daughter YS Sharmila registered a similar case against miscreants for spreading rumours of her having an 'affair' with actor Prabhas. Pawan Kalyan And Poonam Kaur's Love Story To Be Revealed? Audio Tapes To Be Leaked Soon? Teaming up with Google, AMP Real URL will extend the benefits of AMP while giving publishers more control of their content and analytics Cloudflare, the leading Internet performance and security company, today announced that it is launching AMP Real URL to give Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) publishers the ability to display content under their own unique domains, rather than AMP-generated domains. With AMP Real URL, Cloudflare customers using AMP can get all the performance benefits of AMP without sending visitors to a domain they do not control. The AMP Project, founded by Google, is an open-source initiative aimed at optimizing mobile content and making it available anywhere, instantly. AMP is great at providing content quickly to users and is especially crucial for driving traffic to eCommerce sites and news publishers. Google Search directs Internet users to AMP-enabled results (identified by a lightning bolt). Historically, AMP required the Google URL to appear in a browser's address bar, meaning that publishers could not display their own domains and direct visitors to their own sites. AMP Real URL keeps traffic on publishers' sites, giving them control over their pages, analytics, and the way their content is displayed to users. To build this at scale, Cloudflare worked with Google to implement an emerging standard called Signed Exchanges. This technology, paired with Cloudflare's global network of 175 data centers in 75+ countries, allows Cloudflare to digitally sign each AMP page it delivers to Google's AMP Cache. Supported browsers will now show actual domains (example.com) instead of the Google AMP URL (google.com/amp/example.com) so that publishers can control their own cookies, analytics, and brand in their URL bar. Cloudflare is currently the only company with a CDN solution to implement AMP Signed Exchanges. Cloudflare customers can enable this feature with one-click on their dashboards, and it will roll out over the next few weeks. "The AMP Project has allowed site owners and publishers to deliver fast content globally and monetize their sites. We've enjoyed working with Cloudflare to develop solutions to make AMP the best it can be," said Malte Ubl, Technical Lead for the AMP Project at Google. "Cloudflare Workers made this seamless to develop and deploy, and will help scale better AMP URLs to the web community." Publishers and website owners using Cloudflare and AMP will experience: Brand Protection: Instead of featuring content on a Google domain, publishers will now be able to direct AMP traffic to their primary website domain. Instead of featuring content on a Google domain, publishers will now be able to direct AMP traffic to their primary website domain. Easier Analytics: AMP Real URL greatly simplifies web analytics for its users by ensuring all visitors, AMP or otherwise, can coexist on the same domain. AMP Real URL greatly simplifies web analytics for its users by ensuring all visitors, AMP or otherwise, can coexist on the same domain. Increased Screen Space: Publishers can enjoy more space to display their content on mobile screens. Previously, publishers using AMP had to make room for a "grey bar" at the top of their pages-space they could otherwise use for their own branding and monetization purposes. Publishers can enjoy more space to display their content on mobile screens. Previously, publishers using AMP had to make room for a "grey bar" at the top of their pages-space they could otherwise use for their own branding and monetization purposes. Reduced Bounce Rate: Website visitors may be more likely to stay on sites with publisher-branded domains. Website visitors may be more likely to stay on sites with publisher-branded domains. Content Signing: By relying on cryptographic techniques, AMP Real URL ensures that the content delivered to visitors has not been manipulated, protecting the sites and brands it is used on. "AMP has been a great solution to improve the performance of the Internet and we were eager to work with the AMP Project to help eliminate one of AMP's biggest issues-that it wasn't served from a publisher's perspective," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "As the only provider currently enabling this new solution, our global scale will allow publishers everywhere to benefit from a faster and more brand-aware mobile experience for their content." Media, eCommerce, and recruiting organizations are eager to use AMP Real URL to further take advantage of the benefits of AMP: "AMP has played a key role in helping us to more effectively reach our audience and develop our online community," said Andrew Warner, CTO of Genius. "We're keen to use AMP Real URL to better manage our online presence and keep our users engaged on the site." "AMP is a crucial part of helping our business to grow and reach consumers everywhere," said Sumantro Das, Senior Director, Product Innovations Growth Brands GM, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "With AMP Real URL, we now have more control over our brand and can run analytics on our business site." "The performance benefits of AMP deliver value to our business and we are excited to see how AMP Real URL is able to take that even further," said Solomon Moskalenko, Director of Interactive, US Xpress Trucking, The Johnson Group. AMP Real URL is built on top of the same Cloudflare Workers infrastructure which thousands of developers use to deploy code on top of Cloudflare's global network. Today, Cloudflare customers can enable AMP Real URL, for free. To learn more about AMP Real URL, check out the resources below. AMP Real URL Product Page AMP Real URL Blog About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world's largest networks that powers more than 10 trillion requests per month, accounting for 10 percent of all Internet requests. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Company Cultures list, and ranked among the World's 10 Most Innovative Enterprise Companies by Fast Company. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Washington, D.C., London, Munich, Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006056/en/ Contacts: Daniella Vallurupalli +1 650-741-3104 press@cloudflare.com Customers can look forward to a more seamless payment experience on the Singapore Airlines website and app Singapore Airlines has partnered with Adyen, the payments platform of choice for many of the world's leading companies, to ensure a frictionless payments experience for customers when they book online or in-app. Working with Adyen, Singapore Airlines has enjoyed an increase in authorization rates, flexibility on fraud risk management and richer data insights, resulting in a more seamless payment experience for its customers across the globe. In line with Singapore Airlines' vision to be the world's leading digital airline, the partnership will center on Adyen's solutions to optimize the payments process. This includes the use of Adyen's direct credit card acquiring capabilities which eliminates the need to run payments across multiple third-party platforms, increasing Singapore Airlines' already healthy payment authorization rate by leveraging Adyen's RevenueAccelerate. Singapore Airlines can identify legitimate customers as the solution taps on Adyen's global, cross-industry data network to block fraudulent transactions, leaving the genuine travelers unhindered. This unlocks more revenue for Singapore Airlines and a creates frictionless experience for customers. "For Singapore Airlines, best-in-class customer service begins with the booking," said Warren Hayashi, President of Adyen, Asia-Pacific. "At Adyen, we have seen that payments data can be the jet fuel that powers global expansion for airlines. Payments data remains a valuable resource for companies who seek to understand their customers better and improve revenue. We are pleased to partner with Singapore Airlines to power seamless payments experience for travelers regardless of location, device or payment method." For more information, please visit www.adyen.com. About Adyen Adyen (AMS:ADYEN) is the payments platform of choice for many of the world's leading companies, providing a modern end-to-end infrastructure connecting directly to Visa, Mastercard, and consumers' globally preferred payment methods. Adyen delivers frictionless payments across online, mobile, and in-store channels. With offices across the world, Adyen serves customers including Facebook, Uber, Spotify, Cathay Pacific, Grab, Klook, Lorna Jane, Freelancer.com, Kogan.com and Showpo. The cooperation with Singapore Airlines as described in this merchant update underlines Adyen's continuous growth with current and new merchants over the years. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006072/en/ Contacts: Press Dani Hanlon Ogilvy dani.hanlon@ogilvy.com +65 6213 9944 Pui-San Wong Adyen puisan.wong@adyen.com +65 3158 5065 Regulatory News: Press Release 17 April 2019 Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI) is delighted to announce the signing of the agreement with Biggar Leith for the acquisition of the Italian super-premium gin brand Malfy. Malfy is a range of super-premium gins distilled by the Vergnano family in the Italian region of Moncalieri, and already present in several international markets such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Each gin in the Malfy range is distilled using genuine Italian ingredients such as Italian juniper, coastal grown Italian lemons and Sicilian blood oranges and pink grapefruits. The range includes 4 different variants: Originale, Con Limone, Con Arancia and Gin Rosa. For Christian Porta, Managing Director in charge of Global Business Development of Pernod Ricard: "This acquisition is true to our long-standing strategy of investing in brands with strong potential in growing categories. In line with the launch of our "Transform and Accelerate" strategic plan, we will continue actively managing our fantastic portfolio of brands." Elwyn Gladstone, Founder of Biggar Leith, said: "We are excited to see Malfy gin move to the Pernod Ricard family of brands. We believe that with their stewardship and expertise in building super-premium spirits brands, Malfy will continue to flourish." With this acquisition, Pernod Ricard expands its portfolio further into the fast growing super premium and flavoured gins categories, following the partnership with Monkey 47 in 2016 and the acquisition of Ungava in 2018. This transaction is expected to close shortly. To download the full version of the press release, go to www.pernod-ricard.com. About Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard is the world's n2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of 8,987 million in FY18. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 19, 000 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 "Brand Companies" and 86 "Market Companies" established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard's strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index. About Biggar Leith Biggar Leith owns a small portfolio of spirits from established, family-owned distilleries who are dedicated to innovation and quality. The company searches the globe for brands whose bottles transmit the personality and stories of the people who make them. RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisor, Chiesa Shahinian Giantomasi PC acted as legal counsel, and JJB Advisors acted as management consultant to Biggar Leith in connection with the transaction. Biggar Leith is based in the New York area. More information available at www.BiggarAndLeith.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416005925/en/ Contacts: Pernod Ricard Julia MASSIES VP, Financial Communication Investor Relations +33 (0) 1 41 00 42 02 Adam RAMJEAN Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 41 00 41 59 Fabien DARRIGUES External Communications Director +33 (0) 1 41 00 44 86 Emmanuel VOUIN Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 41 00 44 04 Biggar Leith Contacts Elwyn Gladstone (Elwyn@BiggarAndLeith.com) Mark Teasdale (Mark@BiggarAndLeith.com) GS010-treated eyes showed continuous recovery of visual functions from nadir (worst vision post-treatment) in both best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) GS010-treated eyes recovered 21 ETDRS letters from nadir at Week 72 Bilateral improvements in visual function corroborate previously observed parallel evolution of GS010- and sham-treated eyes in both RESCUE and REVERSE trials Mean BCVA in both GS010- and sham-treated eyes improved from off-chart values at Week 48 to on-chart values at Week 72 40% of eyes achieved a clinically meaningful BCVA improvement from nadir (0.3 LogMAR or 15 ETDRS letters) at Week 72 GS010 continued to be safe and well-tolerated through 72 weeks Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006022/en/ Figure 1. Time Course Visual Acuity, Change from Baseline to Week 72 in ETDRS Letters Equivalent in RESCUE GenSight Biologics (Paris:SIGHT) (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, today announced results from the second scheduled readout, at Week 72, of the RESCUE Phase III clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a single intravitreal injection of GS010 (rAAV2/2-ND4) in 39 subjects whose visual loss due to 11778-ND4 Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) occurred up to 6 months prior to study treatment. These subjects received GS010 in one eye and a sham injection in the other eye, with drug treatment randomized between best- and worst-affected eyes. The key measure of visual function best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) -continued to improve at Week 72 compared to Week 48, demonstrating sustained recovery from the lowest point, or nadir, experienced in the acute phase of the disease. By Week 72, GS010-treated eyes improved by -0.413 LogMAR (+21 ETDRS letters equivalent) from nadir, compared to the Week 48 improvement of -0.257 LogMAR (+13 ETDRS letters equivalent). This recovery at week 72 could not yet completely offset deterioration from baseline through the acute phase: GS010-treated eyes were still below baseline by 0.192 LogMAR (-10 ETDRS letters equivalent), compared to 0.380 LogMAR (-19 ETDRS letters equivalent) at Week 48. Figure 1. Time Course Visual Acuity, Change from Baseline to Week 72 in ETDRS Letters Equivalent in RESCUE Consistent with all readouts so far in the RESCUE and REVERSE trials, sham-treated eyes had a BCVA evolution that closely tracked that of GS010-treated eyes. At Week 72 of RESCUE, sham-treated eyes improved by -0.435 LogMAR from nadir (+21.7 ETDRS letters equivalent). The U-shaped curve thus closely matched that of GS010-treated eyes, so a statistically significant difference in visual acuity between GS010- and sham-treated eyes could not be shown. The strength of the bilateral recovery shifted the mean BCVA in both sets of eyes from being off-chart at Week 48 to on-chart at Week 72. In addition, 40% of GS010- and sham-treated eyes improved by a clinically meaningful difference of -0.3 LogMAR (+15 letters ETDRS) from nadir. Similarly, 58% of GS010-treated and 50% of sham-treated eyes improved by a clinically meaningful difference of -0.2 LogMAR (+10 lett ETDRS) from nadir. Figure 2. Time Course LogMAR Visual Acuity to 72 Weeks in RESCUE Note: LS Means Least Squares Means Table 1. Change from Nadir* in Best-Corrected Visual Acuity (LogMAR and ETDRS Letter Equivalents) LogMAR Visual Acuity ETDRS Letter Equivalent Week 48 Week 72 Week 48 Week 72 n Mean (SD) n Mean (SD) GS010- Treated eyes 36 -0.257 (0.358) -0.413 (0.527) 34 +12.8 (17.9) +20.6 (26.3) Sham- Treated Eyes 36 -0.236 (0.319) -0.435 (0.501) 33 +11.8 (15.6) +21.7 (25.1) Note: *As per Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP), nadir was defined as the lowest post-treatment LogMAR value up to week of interest. Light Perception/No Light Perception, or LP/NLP, vision was not included in the analysis. Contrast sensitivity (CS), a second visual function, evolved in a manner similar to BCVA: while values for GS010-treated eyes and sham-treated eyes remained below baseline, CS also recovered so that the gap to baseline diminished at Week 72 compared to Week 48. The two sets of eyes closely matched each other, so that the difference between their CS values was not statistically significant. Figure 3. Time Course LogCS Contrast Sensitivity to 72 Weeks in RESCUE Note: LS Means Least Squares Means Table 2. Change of Contrast Sensitivity from Baseline (LogCS) Week 48 Week 72 n Least-Squares Mean (Standard Error) n Least-Squares Mean (Standard Error) All GS010- Treated eyes 36 -0.34 (0.07) 38 -0.25 (0.07) All Sham- Treated Eyes 36 -0.32 (0.07) 38 -0.28 (0.07) Note: A mixed model of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used with change from baseline at week 72 as the response. "This improvement in visual function from Week 48 to Week 72, both in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, strengthens our belief in the benefits of GS010, looking at the shift of the mean BCVA from off-chart to on-chart at Week 72. These results show a more favorable trend than the outcome we usually observe in clinical practice for LHON ND4 patients," commented Dr. Catherine Vignal, Head of the department of Neuro-Ophthalmology at the Rothschild Foundation, and Principal Investigator at the Department of Ophthalmology at Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des XV-XX, Paris. One difference between results from the REVERSE and RESCUE trials of GS010 lies in anatomic findings. The data so far do not indicate differential protection for the anatomy of GS010-treated eyes: in both drug-treated and sham-treated eyes, the relevant anatomy, as shown by various OCT measurements (tRNFL thickness, PMB thickness, GCL volume), continued to thin at Week 72, although the rate of thinning decreased between Week 48 and Week 72. Among the OCT measures in the trial at Week 72, the ETDRS macular volume showed a difference between GS010-treated and sham-treated eyes (0.096 mm3, p 0.0012). "By design, the population in Rescue is very heterogeneous, and the structure of their retina is also highly variable, from marked atrophy of nerve fibers to edema. At unmasking, which happens after week 96, we will separate our subjects by their baseline OCT findings. In the sub-group with edema, thinning over time will be a good finding. In those with baseline atrophy of nerve fibers, increases in thickness will be a good sign. This mix of OCT findings at entry masks the true OCT findings at week 72 in Rescue," commented Dr. Robert C. Sergott, Director, Wills Eye Hospital, Neuro-Ophthalmology and Director, William H. Annesley, Jr, EyeBrain Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. Based on preliminary analysis of the safety data, GS010 was well-tolerated through 72 weeks. There were no serious ocular adverse events or discontinuations due to ocular issues. The most frequently seen ocular adverse events were related to the injection procedure itself. Transient elevations of intraocular pressure were occasionally seen but secondary to intraocular inflammation likely due to administration of GS010. Such episodes were without sequelae and responded to conventional treatment. There were no systemic serious adverse events or discontinuations related to study treatment or study procedure. "We are excited and extremely gratified to see a picture of a sustained recovery of visual function emerge from RESCUE results at Week 72," said Bernard Gilly, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GenSight. "The findings continue to be consistent with what was observed in REVERSE at 48 and 72 weeks as well as with RESCUE at 48 weeks, and bolster our confidence in the benefits that GS010 can deliver to patients and motivate us to work with the authorities to bring GS010 as early as possible to the market RESCUE subjects will be evaluated again at 96 weeks, and then data will be unmasked, allowing more detailed subject-level analyses to be conducted. Results from RESCUE at Week 96 are expected to be available by the end of Q3 2019. Week 96 data from the REVERSE trial are expected earlier, in May 2019. The third interventional study for GS010, REFLECT, is a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled Phase III trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of bilateral injections of GS010 in patients up to one year from onset of vision loss due to LHON. The first patient in REFLECT was treated in March 2018. The Company will host a conference call today, April 17, 2019, at 10am CEST in French, and at 2.30pm CEST (8.30am EST) in English, to discuss these results. Webcast Conference call in French Dial-in numbers: France: +33 (0) 1 7037 7166 United Kingdom: +44 (0) 20 3003 2666 Password: GenSight Webcast link: https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/gensightbiologicsfr/20190417_1/ Webcast Conference call in English Dial-in numbers: United States: +1 212 999 6659 France: +33 (0) 1 7037 7166 United Kingdom: +44 (0) 20 3003 2666 Password: GenSight Webcast link: https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/gensightbiologicsen/20190417_1/ A replay of the calls and webcasts will be available by using the above links. About GenSight Biologics GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics' pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight Biologics' lead product candidate, GS010, is in Phase III trials in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease that leads to irreversible blindness in teens and young adults. Using its gene therapy-based approach, GenSight Biologics' product candidates are designed to be administered in a single treatment to affected eyes by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery. About GS010 GS010 targets Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) by leveraging a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) proprietary technology platform, arising from research conducted at the Institut de la Vision in Paris, which, when associated with the gene of interest, allows the platform to specifically address defects inside the mitochondria using an AAV vector (Adeno-Associated Virus). The gene of interest is transferred into the cell to be expressed and produces the functional protein, which will then be shuttled to the mitochondria through specific nucleotidic sequences in order to restore the missing or deficient mitochondrial function. About Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a rare maternally inherited mitochondrial genetic disease, characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells that results in brutal and irreversible vision loss that can lead to legal blindness, and mainly affects adolescents and young adults. LHON is associated with painless, sudden loss of central vision in the 1st eye, with the 2nd eye sequentially impaired. It is a symmetric disease with poor functional visual recovery. 97% of patients have bilateral involvement at less than one year of onset of vision loss, and in 25% of cases, vision loss occurs in both eyes simultaneously. The estimated incidence of LHON is approximately 1,400 to 1,500 new patients who lose their sight every year in the United States and Europe. About RESCUE and REVERSE RESCUE and REVERSE are two separate randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled Phase III trials designed to evaluate the efficacy of a single intravitreal injection of GS010 (rAAV2/2-ND4) in subjects affected by LHON due to the G11778A mutation in the mitochondrial ND4 gene. The primary endpoint will measure the difference in efficacy of GS010 in treated eyes compared to sham-treated eyes based on Best-Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), as measured with the ETDRS at 48 weeks post-injection. The patients' LogMAR (Logarithm of the Minimal Angle of Resolution) scores, which are derived from the number of letters patients read on the ETDRS chart, will be used for statistical purposes. Both trials have been adequately powered to evaluate a clinically relevant difference of at least 15 ETDRS letters between treated and untreated eyes adjusted to baseline. The secondary endpoints will involve the application of the primary analysis to best-seeing eyes that received GS010 compared to those receiving sham, and to worse-seeing eyes that received GS010 compared to those that received sham. Additionally, a categorical evaluation with a responder analysis will be evaluated, including the proportion of patients who maintain vision (< ETDRS 15L loss), the proportion of patients who gain 15 ETDRS letters from baseline and the proportion of patients with Snellen acuity of >20/200. Complementary vision metrics will include automated visual fields, optical coherence tomography, and color and contrast sensitivity, in addition to quality of life scales, bio-dissemination and the time course of immune response. By protocol, readouts for these endpoints are at 48, 72 and 96 weeks after injection. The trials are conducted in parallel, with 37 subjects for REVERSE and 39 subjects for RESCUE, in 7 centers across the United States, the UK, France, Germany and Italy. Week 96 results are expected in 2019 for both trials, after which patients will be transferred to a long-term follow-up study that will last for three years. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: REVERSE: NCT02652780 RESCUE: NCT02652767 About REFLECT REFLECT is a multi-center, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bilateral injections of GS010 in subjects with LHON due to the NADH dehydrogenase 4 (ND4) mutation. The trial is planned to enroll 90 patients with vision loss up to 1 year in duration and will be conducted in multiple centers in Europe and in the US. In the active arm, GS010 will be administered as a single intravitreal injection to both eyes of each subject. In the placebo arm, GS010 will be administered as a single intravitreal injection to the first affected eye, while the fellow eye will receive a placebo injection. The primary endpoint for the REFLECT trial is the BCVA reported in LogMAR at 1-Year post-treatment in the second-affected/not-yet-affected eye. The change from baseline in second-affected/not-yet-affected eyes receiving GS010 and placebo will be the primary response of interest. The secondary efficacy endpoints include: BCVA reported in LogMAR at 2-Years post-treatment in the second-affected/not-yet-affected eye compared to both placebo and the first-affected eye receiving GS010, OCT, color and contrast sensitivity and quality of life scales. The first subject was treated in March 2018. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: REFLECT: NCT03293524 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006022/en/ Contacts: GenSight Biologics Thomas Gidoin Chief Financial Officer tgidoin@gensight-biologics.com +33 (0)1 76 21 72 20 RooneyPartners Media Relations Marion Janic mjanic@rooneyco.com +1-212-223-4017 Solebury Trout Group US Investor Relations Chad Rubin crubin@troutgroup.com +1-646-398-2947 James Palmer Europe Investor Relations j.palmer@orpheonfinance.com +33 7 60 92 77 74 AroCell announces today that we have established a Scientific Advisory Board to support the company in its planned expansion for the coming years. The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) will have the objective to support the CEO and company in various matters related to AroCell's expansion in the field of in vitro Diagnostics (IVD). The Scientific Advisory Board will focus on scientific, clinical and regulatory matters relating to AroCell's expansion into the EU, USA and other new markets. The first member of the SAB is Johan von Heijne, CEO of Pharm Assist Sweden AB. Johan has long experience from various roles as CEO in companies working in the field of IVD and medical devices. His expertise in regulatory matters which he has built up over the years will be valuable for AroCell. The fact that he has a genuine and deep knowledge of AroCell as being board member since 2017 and acting CEO during part of 2018 will add further value to AroCell. "I am very pleased that a SAB is in place at AroCell and I welcome Johan as its first member. We expect that the SAB will grow further and contribute to the company over the coming years" says Michael Brobjer, CEO of AroCell. "AroCell's technology and ambitious growth plan is solid and I'm eager to continue to contribute as part of the newly formed SAB" says Johan von Heijne, CEO of Pharm Assist Sweden AB. The aim of the SAB will be to contribute in evaluating possible clinical trials to be initiated and conducted by AroCell, regulatory expertise as well as market introduction knowledge. The SAB will constitute of 3-4 members and meet regularly as needed. Additional members will be introduced during 2019. For more information: Michael Brobjer, CEO Telephone: +46 information was submitted for publication through the agency of Michael Brobjer, April 17, 2019, at 08:00. About Pharm Assist Sweden AB Pharm Assist is a professional consultancy service company offering quality and regulatory solutions for medicinal products and medical devices. Founded in 1996, the company has assisted more than 200 pharmaceutical and medical device companies over the years. About AroCell AroCell AB, +46 (0)8 121 576 90. For more information; www.arocell.com Attachment For the first time, two companies with French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) accreditation1 have established a strategic partnership to protect the security of Operators of Vital Importance (OIV) and Operators of Essential Services (OSE). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005275/en/ Michel Van Den Berghe, CEO of Orange Cyberdefense, and Jacques de La Riviere, President of Gatewatcher, signing the partnership agreement (Photo: Business Wire) Customers will benefit from the combined expertise of the two companies with the best level of protection, detection and reaction to cyberattacks. Orange Cyberdefense, the French leader for cyber security in France, is integrating Trackwatch probes published by Gatewatcher into its monitoring services at the heart of its 10 Security Operations Centres (SOC) around the world. Already deployed to several Orange Cyberdefense customers, the Gatewatcher detection system can identify the most complex threats. "This alliance between trusted partners offers a cutting-edge response to the needs of strategic enterprises to secure their essential assets, pursuant to French and European legislation," emphasises Michel Van Den Berghe, CEO of Orange Cyberdefense. "Cyber security is above all about innovating to defend our customers: At the heart of these challenges is the combined strength of the Orange Cyberdefense teams and Gatewatcher's expertise to detect the most advanced threats,"declares Jacques de La Riviere, President of Gatewatcher. The two partners will combine their expertise to orchestrate the detection chain and together will develop compromise markers to protect information and industrial systems. About Gatewatcher Gatewatcher is the first publisher of specialised advanced intrusion detection software developed in France and given ANSSI accreditation under the Law for Military Planning. Founded in 2015 by Jacques de La Riviere, its President, and Philippe Gillet, its Technical Director, both alumni of the leading French ESIEA graduate school of engineering, Gatewatcher was boosted by the Le Village by CA accelerator from 2015 to 2017. For more information on www.gatewatcher.com, Twitter: @GATEW4TCHER, LinkedIn. About Orange Cyberdefense Since 2016, Orange Cyberdefense has managed all Orange cyber security activities for enterprise. Orange Cyberdefense designs, operates and monitors defence systems that protect critical assets. With sales of 303 million in 2018 and annual growth in excess of 12%, Orange Cyberdefense is the leader in cyber security in France and developing into one of the main players in the European market. With more than 1,300 employees spread across the largest cities in France and abroad, Orange Cyberdefense helps businesses and administrations to develop, implement and manage their cyber security strategies. About Orange Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion in 2018 and has 151,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2018, including 92,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of more than 264 million customers at 31 December 2018, including 204 million mobile customers and 20 million fixed broadband customers worldwide. The Group is present in 27 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the Orange Business Services brand. In March 2015, the Group presented its new strategic plan Essentials2020, which places customers' experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of its new generation networks. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). For more information (online and from your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com or follow us on Twitter: @presseorange. Orange and all other Orange products or services mentioned in this press release are trademarks owned by Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited 1 "Security Incident Detection Service Provider" (Prestataire de detection des incidents de securite PDIS) for Orange Cyberdefense and the basic qualification Security Visa for Gatewatcher's Trackwatch detection system. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005275/en/ Contacts: Press contacts: Orange Nathalie Chevrier: 01 44 44 93 93 nathalie.chevrier@orange.com Orange Business Services Caroline Cellier: 01 55 54 50 34 caroline.cellier@orange.com Gatewatcher - Anne-Laure de La Riviere: 06 80 59 26 05 annelaure.delariviere@gatewatcher.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (the "Company"), is pleased to report an updated lithium ("Li") and potassium ("K") resource statement for its Pastos Grandes brine project in Salta province of Argentina. The NI 43-101 resource statement, detailed in Table 1 below, includes 4,120,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate ("Li 2 CO 3 ") equivalent (LCE) and 15,342,000 tonnes of potash ("KCl") equivalent in the Measured and Indicated Resource categories, with an additional 798,000 tonnes of LCE and 2,973,000 tonnes KCl in the Inferred Resource category. Compared to resource estimates completed by Montgomery & Associates in its previous report titled Measured, Indicated and Inferred Lithium and Potassium Resource Estimate Pastos Grandes Project Salta Province, Argentina and dated December 22, 2017, the updated resources represent an almost 100% increase in the Measured and Indicated LCE tonnage (2017 value of 2,131,000 tonnes LCE). Farhad Abasov, President and CEO of Millennial Lithium, commented on the updated resources for the Pastos Grandes Project: "We are very excited to see from calculations by our hydrogeological consultants Montgomery & Associates, an approximately 100% increase in the Measured and Indicated lithium resources estimate over the 2017 Measured and Indicated Li resources. This sizable increase in our resource positions Millennial as one of the most prospective lithium brine projects in the world with the potential for a significant lithium operation. The Company now has significant Measured and Indicated lithium resources which, on the completion of ongoing studies, have the potential to be converted to Probable and Possible reserves in support of our Feasibility Study on the Company's planned lithium carbonate processing operation. Our development work continues with the Feasibility Study and the construction of the pilot processing plant, both slated for completion in Q2." Table 1. Updated Pastos Grandes Brine Resource Statement Phase II Resource Category Brine Volume (m3) Avg. Li (mg/l) In situ Li (tonnes)* Li 2 CO 3 Equivalent (tonnes*) Avg. K (mg/l) In situ K (tonnes)* KCl Equivalent (tonnes)* Measured 9.5E+08 446 425,000 2,262,000 4,734 4,508,000 8,597,000 Indicated 8.6E+08 406 349,000 1,858,000 4,114 3,357,000 6,745,000 M+I 1.8E+09 427 774,000 4,120,000 4,440 8,045,000 15,342,000 Inferred 3.5E+08 428 150,000 798,000 4,457 1,559,000 2,973,000 *Cut-off Grade = 300mg/L Lithium *Tonnages are rounded to the nearest thousand The reader is cautioned that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability The resource estimate was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 and uses best practice methods specific to brine resources, including a reliance on core drilling and sampling methods that yield depth-specific chemistry and effective (drainable) porosity measurements. The resource estimation was completed by independent qualified person Mr. Michael Rosko, M.Sc., C.P.G. of the international hydrogeology firm E.L. Montgomery and Associates (M&A). The resource is defined over a 45 square kilometer footprint using results from rotary and core drilling and depth-specific packer sampling. In addition, the brine was also sampled during long-term (21 days) and short-term pumping (72 hours) tests. The new measured, indicated, and inferred resource was derived from geological and grade/width block models derived from 15,135 metres of core and rotary drilling. The average spacing between core holes is less than 1 km. Geophysical surveys were used to assist with location and anticipated depths for the core holes, but also to identify potential fresh water and to extend the inferred resource. Over most of the basin, the brine resource occurs to within 1 metre of surface and its thickness is defined by the extent of drilling. The maximum depth drilled was 641 metres near the center of the mining concessions, bottoming in a sandy aquifer. The deepest brine sample was obtained at a depth of 641 metres and had a Li concentration of 495 milligrams per litre. The chemistry of the Pastos Grandes brine is judged to be very favourable. Brine density and the ratios of magnesium and sulfate to lithium are: Density of the brine ranges between 1.20 and 1.22 g/cm 3 Average Magnesium/Lithium ratio: 6.2 Average Sulphate/Lithium ratio: 19.3 Based on the geologic model, approximately 76% of the brine volume in this resource is hosted by predominantly silty and sandy units and 21% by mixed halite. The balance is hosted in gravel or clay dominated units. The total contained lithium and potassium values are based on measurements of effective (drainable) porosity distributed throughout the aquifer volume that defines this resource. This method of porosity determination is designed to estimate the portion of the total porosity that can theoretically be drained by pumping; however, these in situ estimates may differ from total extractable quantities. The porosity of the resource volume varies with geology but to date effective porosity has been predictable within distinct hydrostratigraphic units; the average for the entire saturated aquifer considered in the resource is approximately 11%. Portions of the resource located in the clastic sediments at the margins of the salar have been demonstrated to have fresh and brackish water overlying brine. In these areas, fresh water inflow from the surface mixes with salt water in the basin; the resulting lower density fresh water and brackish fluid float on top of the more dense brine before entering the salar margins. Resource Estimation Methodology A total of 15,135 metres of drilling from 33 holes was evaluated for this resource estimate calculation. Other core holes and wells were drilled but were shallower. A total of 144 drainable porosity results and 311 depth-specific brine sample analyses were used in the computations, not including QA/QC samples or composite samples obtained during pumping tests. The average spacing of vertical samples for brine chemistry analysis was variable with an average of 25 metres for depth-specific brine samples. Of the 33 holes used for the resource analysis, all were terminated due to drill limitations (hydrogeologic basement was not encountered). The total thickness of the basin and the total thickness of saturated sediments are unknown. Based on drilling, additional brine-bearing aquifer material is likely to exist below 600 metres in the concession area. The consultants chose to estimate the updated resource using Leapfrog Edge, a well-known 3-dimensional block modeling software tool. Hydrostratigraphic units have variable thickness and were determined by the consultants based on observed lithology and anticipated similar hydraulic properties. The values for drainable porosity and grade (lithium and potassium values) for each hydrostratigraphic unit were derived from direct measured values from the well. The unit thicknesses combined with the areas yield a volume. The volumes combined with the drainable porosity values, representing the amount of fluid available from the formation yield the volume of brine. Applying the grade, represented as lithium carbonate and potassium chloride equivalents reported as weights by volume of brine then provides the estimated resource for each block, which are then summed. The primary analytical laboratories for the data used in this resource are NORLAB in Jujuy, Argentina and SGS Laboratory in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both laboratories are accredited to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO14001:2004 for their geochemical and environmental labs for the preparation and analysis of numerous sample types, including brines. The porosity determinations were made by Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas and Geosystems Analysis (GSA) of Tucson, Arizona. Core Laboratories is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description, production enhancement and reservoir management services. Core Laboratories has demonstrated that its Quality Management System is in compliance with certification to ISO 9000:2008. The scope of this registration is:providing state of the art petrophysical and geological analysis and interpretation of core samples from rock. GSA has gained abundant experience since 1994 in methods used by Core Laboratories and has provided services to various other lithium projects located in Argentina and globally. Qualified Person The resource evaluation work was completed by Mr. Michael Rosko, M.Sc., C.P.G. of Montgomery and Associates Consultores Limitada ("M&A"). Mr. Rosko is a Registered Geologist (C.P.G.) in Arizona, California, and Texas, a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, and is a qualified person (QP) as that term is defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Rosko and hydrogeologists from M&A have been on site multiple times during the various phases of drilling and sampling operations. Mr. Rosko has extensive experience in salar environments and has been a QP on many lithium brine projects. Mr. Rosko and M&A are completely independent of Millennial Lithium. Mr. Rosko has reviewed and approved the content of this news release. Program design and exploration support was provided by Mr. Iain Scarr, (B.Sc. - Geology, MBA, CPG) of Millennial Lithium. Mr. Scarr is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Association of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and a QP as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Scarr has spent significant time on site at Pastos Grandes during all drilling and sampling operations and has extensive experience with lithium projects at other lithium bearing salars. A Technical Report prepared under the guidelines of NI 43-101 standards describing the resource estimation will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this release. To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at (604) 662-8184 or email info@millenniallithium.com. MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP. "Farhad Abasov" President and CEO, Director MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP. 1177 West Hastings Street Suite. 2000 Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 2K3 Tel: (604) 662-8184 Fax: (604) 602-1606 E-Mail: info@millenniallithium.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (hereinafter referred to as "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation statements relating to the Preliminary Economic Assessment, estimated capital and operating costs, productions rates, cash flows, rates of return, mine life or mineral resources, securing of debt for future project construction, purchase of future mine production, the timing for completion of an Feasibility Study and other matters related to the exploration and development of the Project, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. By their very nature 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 the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include unsuccessful exploration results, changes in metals prices, changes in the availability of funding for mineral exploration, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions, title disputes as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words 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" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. 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 forward-looking 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44123 Press Release Nokia's advanced technical solution will enable Nordic Telecom to offer broadband public protection and disaster relief (BB-PPDR) and IoT services across the Czech Republic. New spectrum paves the way for first responders to use LTE to vastly improve public protection and disaster relief efforts 17 April, 2019 Prague, Czech Republic - Nokia and Nordic Telecom have launched the world's first Mission Critical Communication (MCC)-ready LTE network in the recently opened up 410-430 MHz band. As a result of Nokia's advanced and future-proof mobile broadband solution, the Czech operator Nordic Telecom will be able to jumpstart public protection and disaster relief efforts with innovative services only possible on mobile broadband networks. LTE-based critical communications that enables real-time video and data services is the biggest need of disaster relief responders around the world. On top of the mission critical requirements, high security, high datarate and low latency, the public safety community also requires wide area coverage, which is best supported by low frequency bands. With the recently opened 410-430 MHz band that can now serve as a dedicated spectrum for MCC/PPDR and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in Europe, accelerated LTE adoption for critical communications and mobile broadband applications is around the corner. Jan Cornej, Investment Manager, Nordic Telecom said, "As a pioneer in this space, we are looking forward to proving to the market that modern and new generation MCC services can be provided on an LTE network. We are very happy to announce our cooperation with Nokia who is providing us with a completely secure and future-proof solution, dedicated local team, technical advisory and professional services." Ales Vozenilek, country head for Czech Republic at Nokia said, "The superior capacity and throughput performance of LTE allows first responders to leverage applications, like video, to be better informed and act faster. Advanced prioritization mechanisms provide mission-critical grade service availability and security. Our solution will now enable a new segment of services on the market, opening a new cooperation in the ecosystem of critical communication networks." Nokia will deploy it's LTE radio network solution, IP network technology, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex (DWDM) technology and will install Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPPT) application solutions like Group Communication. 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 (https://nokia-my.sharepoint.com/personal/sarah_miller_nokia_com/Documents/PR%20folder/Enterprise/Nordic%20Telecom/www.nokia.com) Media Inquiries: Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com (mailto:press.services@nokia.com) 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 The retail giant uses CleverTap's customer lifecycle management platform to drive successful online and in-store user engagement and retention strategies SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CleverTap, the customer lifecycle management platform, today announced that 7-Eleven Philippines, a subsidiary of the global retail chain, has chosen its platform to drive user engagement and retention for CLiQQ, their digital payments app. CLiQQ is the official 7-Eleven Philippines mobile app for WiFi, Rewards, and Payments. With its CLiQQ WiFi capabilities, 7-Eleven customers get easy access to the internet using the points they've earned while purchasing at any of their stores across the Philippines. "The app business is very important to us at 7-Eleven as it helps to establish a direct digital connection with the customers," said Jason Jan Ngo, Head of Information Technology Division at Philippine Seven Corporation. Jan Ngo further added, "We're looking at the app as a one-stop solution; where our customers earn points when they make purchases at the store and pay via our 7-Eleven app while making it convenient to pay their bills, load e-money, transfer funds and more. We've seen our user base grow substantially in the past year. With CleverTap, we are excited to be able to build real-time engagement with customers across channels including 7-Eleven apps, as well as in-store POS, kiosks, and website." "We are proud to be associated with 7-Eleven Philippines who are synonymous with digital transformation. We see a tremendous opportunity in the Southeast Asian market, and are committed to helping brands retain their users for life. Our aim is to provide 7-Eleven with a single source of truth by unifying data from multiple sources, and helping them build long-term customer relationships at scale," said Anand Jain, Co-founder of CleverTap. He further added, "The CLiQQ business is uniquely positioned since it has a strong brand value that stems from the 7-Eleven conglomerate. While it's no surprise that it has been one of the most downloaded apps in the region in recent times, it has contributed significantly to the growth of 7-Eleven's consumer base. With CleverTap, they will be able to optimize the entire customer lifecycle - from onboarding to retention, and maximize customer lifetime value - leading to brand loyalty and increased market penetration." About CleverTap CleverTap is a customer lifecycle management platform that helps brands deliver delightful customer experiences at scale. Over 8,000 companies around the world, including Vodafone, Star, Sony, Domino's Pizza, GO-JEK, Cleartrip, and BookMyShow trust CleverTap to deliver personalized experiences and improve the impact of omnichannel marketing across the entire customer lifecycle. CleverTap is backed by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, Accel and Recruit Holdings, and operates out of San Francisco, London, Singapore, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter . Press Contact Ketan Pandit PR for CleverTap ketan@clevertap.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/559274/CleverTap_Logo.jpg Investment consulting and advisory firms Meketa Investment Group, Inc. ("Meketa") and Pension Consulting Alliance, LLC ("PCA"), today announced they have completed the formal combination of the two firms. This follows the January announcement that the two organizations had signed an agreement to join forces, with the combined firm to be known as Meketa Investment Group, Inc. The combination of Meketa and PCA has brought together two of the industry's most experienced and highly-regarded firms, known for providing creative investment solutions to leading institutions and organizations. The firm's collective client assets under advisement now represent approximately $1.8 trillion, including over $100 billion in private markets and real estate assets. Meketa serves a variety of public and private institutional investors, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans as well as non-profits and corporations, in non-discretionary and discretionary capacities. "Having collaborated on client relationships for many years, and with a similar approach to capital markets and institutional investing, we believe the combination of Meketa and PCA is a logical step in the evolution of both organizations," said Stephen McCourt, Co-CEO, Meketa. "We thank all those at both firms who worked so diligently over the past several months to make this combination a reality, and sincerely thank our clients for helping make possible our continued success." In keeping with the planned integration, PCA Founder and Managing Director Allan Emkin, and PCA Managing Director Christy Fields, have now joined Meketa's Board of Directors, while PCA Managing Directors Judy Chambers and Neil Rue are now members of Meketa's Executive Committee. In addition, other management committees now include representatives from Meketa and PCA, and all members of PCA's board have become Meketa shareholders. Meketa will continue its tradition of extending ownership to top-performing employees, with staff of both legacy firms eligible to become Meketa shareholders. New Meketa shareholders will be announced in the coming weeks. "We believe the sharing and building upon of best practices developed by Meketa and PCA over many decades offers an opportunity to enhance our organizations' resources, geographic coverage, and services," said Peter Woolley, Co-CEO, Meketa. "We remain confident that leveraging our combined institutional knowledge and client experience will help ensure we continue as thought leaders in the industry and further our goal of consistently providing best-in-class service to our clients." The newly expanded Meketa is now serving clients from six cities across the United States, as well as London. The firm will continue to operate as an independent fiduciary and remain fully employee-owned. About Meketa Founded in 1978, Meketa is an employee-owned, full service investment consulting and advisory firm. As an independent fiduciary, the firm serves institutional investors in non-discretionary and discretionary capacities. Meketa's collective client assets under advisement represent approximately $1.8 trillion, including over $100 billion in private markets and real estate assets. For more information, please visit www.meketagroup.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005098/en/ Contacts: Philip Nunes BackBay Communications 617.391.0792 phil.nunes@backbaycommunications.com Rita McCusker Meketa Investment Group 781.471.3515 rmccusker@meketagroup.com SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global DNA & gene chip market size is expected to reach USD 10.7 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., at an 11.4% CAGR during the forecast period. DNA and gene chips have gained much success in providing high throughput capabilities for comprehensive genome studies to enhance disease knowledge and target them. This technology has emerged as a valuable and promising solution across various aspects of disease management. These factors have been driving the market. Key suggestions from the report: Based on product, consumables dominated the market with the largest share. This is due to presence of large number of entities engaged in providing reagents and kits associated with the use of DNA chips The cancer treatment and diagnosis segment accounts for a significant share in the market owing to rising inclination toward development of companion diagnostics and growing usage of DNA microarrays in cancer diagnosis and treatment Implementation of gene chip for drug discovery is also expected to increase in the coming years owing to growing demand for personalized medicine By end use, academic/government research institutes accounted for the largest share in 2017. Ongoing research projects on gene expression analysis in these institutes have attributed for the estimated share In terms of region, North America dominated the market with by revenue. High penetration of major revenue generating companies in U.S. has contributed to its leading share Asia Pacific is projected to witness the fastest year-on-year growth owing to rising healthcare spending in developing economies and increase in R&D investment Some of the prominent market participants are Agilent Technologies; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Incorporated (Affymetrix, Inc.); Illumina, Inc.; Macrogen Inc.; and Arrayit Corporation. These players are engaged in mutual partnerships with research communities and other diagnostic firms for use of gene chips for targeting disease prognosis. Read 132 page research report with TOC on "DNA and Gene Chip Market Analysis Report By Product (Consumables, Instrumentation), By Application (Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment, Drug Delivery, Genomics), By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dna-gene-chip-market Conventional means of gene analysis allow investigation of relatively small amounts of genes at a time, which further emphasizes on the uptake of DNA microarray technology. DNA microarray technology allows concurrent analysis of very large numbers of nucleic acid fragments in a single experiment. Continuous development of new tools to support and enhance reliability of DNA microarray technology is likely to drive this market at a significant pace in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, healthcare entities are engaged in exploiting novel solutions for enhancing and combining data generated from gene chip with data generated from high throughput technologies. Mutually beneficial partnerships between microarray developers and pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical companies for acceleration of genomic and biomedical research activities is anticipated to spur market growth in the coming years. Grand View Research has segmented the global DNA & gene chip market on the basis of application, product, end use, and region: Find more research reports on Biotechnology Industry, by Grand View Research: DNA & Gene Chip Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Cancer diagnosis and treatment Gene expression Genotyping Genomics Drug discovery Agricultural biotechnology Others DNA & Gene Chip Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Consumables Instrumentation DNA & Gene Chip End -use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Academic & Government Research Institutes Hospitals & Diagnostics Centers Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies Others DNA & Gene Chip Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany U.K. Asia Pacific Japan China Latin America Brazil MEA South Africa Israel Rubella Diagnostic Testing Market - Rising prevalence of chronic diseases due to togavirus is the major factor driving the rubella diagnostic testing market. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases due to togavirus is the major factor driving the rubella diagnostic testing market. DNA Sequencing Market - Demand for accurate, inexpensive and fast DNA sequencing data has led to the evolution and dominance of a new generation of sequencing technologies. Demand for accurate, inexpensive and fast DNA sequencing data has led to the evolution and dominance of a new generation of sequencing technologies. Apoptosis Market - HIV infection, organ transplant rejection and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome followed by growing demand for healthcare services is expected to develop apoptosis based therapies. 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 WESLEY CHAPEL, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Vantagepoint AI does it again with a donation of more than $10,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children. 'It's not the first time we've been able to do this,' said Vantagepoint President Lane Mendelsohn, 'and I guarantee it won't be the last!' Vantagepoint AI, (www.vantagepointsoftware.com) is the software company that developed the first artificial intelligence (AI) trading software in the world available to retail investors and traders. Located in the Tampa Bay area for 40 years and still family-owned, the company's primary goal is to empower traders daily. Vantagepoint also has a philosophy of doing well and doing good. By sharing forward a percentage of its profits, Vantagepoint is helping to create a circle of empowerment within its community. Additionally, many of the traders using Vantagepoint's software have chosen to contribute to Shriners on their own; one has even identified Shriners as the beneficiary of his trading successes in his will. Since it began its efforts to support children in the Tampa Bay area two years ago, Vantagepoint has been able to donate more than $40,000.00 to Shriners. Vantagepoint has donated over $640,000 to the local community since 2007. 'We chose to support Shriners Hospitals for Children because we felt that one of the most crucial times for families not to have to focus on finances is when their child is sick. The fact that Shriners helps families no matter their ability to pay for services resonated with us', explains Mendelsohn. At a recent Vantagepoint event, Mendelsohn was able to present the latest donation from the Vantagepoint family to Bentley, who won the hearts of everyone at the event. Bentley personifies why Shriners' role in the community is so important. Along with Bentley, his mom, Linda, and Lisa Buie, from the Shriners organization, were on hand to accept the donation of $10,127 from Vantagepoint. 'I'm grateful to have a successful business here in Tampa and proud that my team works so hard that we can continue to support Shriners. It's a joy to give a portion of our profits to a group that is doing such meaningful work. I am humbled and thrilled that some of our traders have chosen to follow our lead by giving on their own too -- no family should have to worry about finances when their child needs life-changing help,' adds Mendelsohn. To find out more about how you help support Shriners Hospitals for Children when you become part of the Vantagepoint AI family of traders, and to see the software in action with a free lesson at www.vantagepointsoftware.com/demo or by calling 1-800-732-5407. You too can do well and do good! About Vantagepoint AI, LLC. Headquartered in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Vantagepoint AI, creators of Vantagepoint Software, is a leader in trading software research and software development. Vantagepoint forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 86%. Using artificial intelligence, Vantagepoint's patented Neural Network processes predict changes in market trend direction up to three days in advance, enabling traders to get in and out of trades at optimal times with confidence. Vantagepoint software was recently recognized as the Most Trusted Online Trading Software Solution as well as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Tampa Bay. Vantagepoint also employs a family of over 60 team members and is actively committed to giving back in the Tampa Bay community and to Shriners Hospitals for Children. https://www.vantagepointsoftware.com/news/Vantagepoint-AI-Makes-ANOTHER-%2B%2410%2C000-Donation-to-Shriners-Hospitals-for-Children/ Social Post: Vantagepoint AI Does It Again! - Another donation of over $10,000! President Lane Mendelson says, 'It's not the first time we've been able to do this, and I guarantee it won't be the last!' Since it began its efforts to support children in the Tampa Bay area two years ago, Vantagepoint has been able to donate more than $40,000.00 to Shrinersand now Vantagepoint traders are following suit themselves with donations. Along with Bentley, his mom, Linda, and Lisa Buie, from the Shriners organization, were on hand to accept the donation of $10,127 from Vantagepoint. By sharing forward a percentage of its profits, Vantagepoint is helping to create a circle of empowerment within its community. MEDIA CONTACT Andrew Rowe Communications Specialist 8139730496 info@vantagepointsoftware.com SOURCE: Vantagepoint AI View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542062/Vantagepoint-AI-Makes-ANOTHER-10000-Donation-to-Shriners-Hospitals-for-Children Collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital includes ground-breaking GINAKIT2 Phase 1 trial GINAKIT2 is evaluating highly innovative CAR therapy utilizing natural killer T cell (CAR-NKT) therapy, CMD-501, in children with relapsed or refractory (R/R) high risk neuroblastoma Collaboration is also developing off-the-shelf CAR-NKT products for hematological and solid tumors Cell Medica, a leader in next-generation cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announced today that its collaborators from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital will be presenting the latest progress related to its innovative CAR therapy utilizing natural killer T cells (CAR-NKT) at the upcoming 22nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Cell Therapy (ASGCT) April 29 May 2 in Washington, D.C. Chris Nowers, Cell Medica's CEO, said: "Our next-generation CAR-NKT platform combines the unique natural antitumor properties of NKT cells with innovative CAR constructs, enabling the possibility of producing multiple highly tumor-specific therapeutic products. We believe this approach could open up the broad potential of NKT cells to serve as a basis for off-the-shelf cell therapies targeting both solid and hematological tumors. We look forward to the important new updates that our collaborators at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital will be sharing at ASGCT." Details of the three oral presentations: Harnessing Natural and Engineered Properties of iNKT Cells for Adoptive Cancer Immunotherapy Presenter: Dr. Leonid Metelitsa, Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine Session Title: NK cells Versus iNKT cells (Education Session) Session Date/Time: Monday Apr 29, 2019 1:30 PM 3:00 PM Presentation Time: 1:30 PM 2:00 PM Room: Georgetown NKT Cells Co-expressing a GD2-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor and IL-15 Show Enhanced In Vivo Persistence and Antitumor Activity Against Neuroblastoma Presenter: Dr. Andras Heczey, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine Session Title: Oral Abstract Session V Session Date/Time: Tuesday Apr 30, 2019 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Presentation Time: 8:15 AM 8:30 AM Final abstract number: 367 Room: Heights Courtyard 3 Development of an Allogeneic Universally Tolerated NKT Cell Platform for Off-the-Shelf Cancer Immunotherapy Presenter: Dr. Leonid Metelitsa, Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine Session title: Cancer Gene Therapy Session Date/Time: Wednesday May 1, 2019 3:45 PM 5:30 PM Presentation Time: 5:00 PM 5:15 PM Final abstract number: 682 Room:Monroe The full abstracts can be accessed at: https://www.asgct.org/global/documents/asgct19_abstracts_-final ENDS Notes to Editors About ASGCT The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting provides an international forum where the latest gene and cell therapy developments are presented and critically discussed. As the leading American conference focusing solely on gene and cell therapy, ASGCT's annual meeting brings together more than 3,400 professionals including scientists, physicians, and patient advocates. Find out more at: https://annualmeeting.asgct.org/am19 Media registration is open at: https://annualmeeting.asgct.org/forms/media_registration.php About GINAKIT2 GINAKIT2 is a first-in-human, dose escalation evaluation of CMD-501 in children with relapsed or refractory (R/R) high risk neuroblastoma (NCT03294954). Neuroblastomas occur primarily in children and account for 7-10 percent of all pediatric cancers. Ninety percent of patients are younger than 5 years at diagnosis. R/R high risk neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest types of childhood cancer and the current median survival is around 1-3 years. Almost all neuroblastomas express GD2, which is targeted by CMD-501. This study is supported by a grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), awarded to Baylor College of Medicine investigators, Drs. Heczey and Metelitsa. Find out more at: https://www.neuroblastomastudy.com/ About Cell Medica Cell Medica is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the treatment of solid and hematological cancers by developing next generation chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer T cell (CAR-NKT) therapies. Developing a portfolio of primarily allogeneic therapies, the company's revolutionary platform engineers CARs on invariant NKT cells (iNKTs), a subset of T lymphocytes. A robust pipeline spanning both hematological and solid tumors is being created in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. Headquartered in London, UK, the company also has facilities in Houston, US and Zurich, Switzerland. For further information, please visit www.cellmedica.com. Follow Cell Medica on Twitter and LinkedIn About Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health sciences center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 16th among medical schools for research and 5th for primary care by U.S. News World Report. Baylor is listed 21st among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and number one in Texas. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, part of CHI St. Luke's Health. Currently, Baylor trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant and orthotics students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston). About Texas Children's Hospital Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005366/en/ Contacts: Cell Medica Chris Nowers, CEO +44 20 7554 4070 Kevin S. Boyle Sr., CFO +1 832 581 4476 info@cellmedica.com Instinctif Partners (Media enquiries) Tim Watson/Sue Charles +44 20 7457 7861 cellmedica@instinctif.com DUBAI, UAE, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the independent reports that projected a boost of more than $30 billion in the UAE economy and numerous job openings, Sami Raja, CEO of Sami Raja Consultancy announced his complete support to SMEs and Entrepreneurs who are involved with the event. With numbers predicting a massive boom in the business opportunities created by the event, more and more Small and Medium Enterprises and independent entrepreneurs will shift their focus to doing direct or related business with the Expo 2020. However, when involved with such a global level event, there will be a few sure glitches along the way of doing business. With over a decade of presence in the business consulting field, Sami has now identified strategies that can help SMEs and startups meet the demand put forth by the event. On making the announcement, he said, "With an event of such a scale and ambition as the Expo 2020, it is natural for smaller investors to feel overwhelmed at some stage. With proper counsel and guidance, they can easily tap into the event's full potential and create more jobs as well as drive in more profit." He added, "As a consultancy firm, we find ourselves in the role of mentor to other businesses who are looking forward to maximizing their sales and profit results from the upcoming event. Like any other business operating within the UAE, we have identified potential markets for others as well as for ourselves." In his role as the founder and CEO of Sami Raja Consultancy, Sami utilizes his experience and extensive connections in the global market to help SMEs, startups and corporates in the areas of business setup and restructuring, sales and marketing strategies, financial planning, tax management, and local sponsorship. Since it's establishment in 2016, his consultancy firm has played a key role in business strategizing and planning for some of the big names across the Middle East. About Sami Raja Consultancy Sami RajaConsultancy is a full-service business consulting dedicated to serving both SMEs and fortune 500 firms. The firm was established in 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and takes pride in its ability to have evolved into a well-known name in the company formation and business restructuring industry in Dubai. Headed by a visionary leader, Sami Raja Consultancy continues to grow, forging partnership with formidable private and government institutions, and imparting the most up-to-date knowledge about business intelligence in the region to their clients, saving them money and exhaustion in the process. www.samiraja.ae VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Orsu Metals Corporation (TSX-V: OSU) ("Orsu" or the "Company") announces the results of a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for its Sergeevskoe Gold Project in Zabaikalsky Region, Russia. The Mineral Resource estimate was independently prepared by Wardell Armstrong International Ltd. ("WAI") in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012)/CIM Definitions Standards and NI 43-101 requirements. A Technical Report covering the Mineral Resource estimate will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. Highlights: An Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into an open pit constrained by the license boundary at Sergeevskoe. Dr. Alexander Yakubchuk, Director of Exploration of Orsu commented: "The maiden Mineral Resource was identified by Orsu from scratch during just two years of work within approximately 900x600 m area. Orsu now has a robust understanding of the gold grade distribution at Sergeevskoe and will specifically target higher grade areas in order to improve the geostatistical parameters in the higher grade shoots and therefore the average gold grade of the system. While the gold-mineralized system is constrained by the license boundary in the east, it remains widely open westward and to the north. Furthermore, the constructed block model clearly indicates a grade increase with depth in excess of 3 g/t gold." Dr. Sergey V Kurzin, Executive Chairman of Orsu commented: "I would like to thank our exploration team for building a solid foundation for the Company. Given that only less than one square kilometer of Orsu's 7.6 square kilometer property has been drilled so far, a maiden pit and license constrained resource makes an excellent start. Our recent work has generated an abundance of additional targets to be tested in 2019." An Inferred Mineral Resource was estimated for a large stockwork, containing 122 segments of sheeted subparallel quartz-tourmaline-sulfide veins in nine domains. The individual vein segments are separated by faults or unmineralized intervals. The most important divide is represented by the Shirotnyi Fault (Figure 1). To its south are Zone 23 West, Zone 23 Middle, Zone 23 East, Adit 5 West, and Adit 5 East domains. To the north are the Intermediate, Klyuchi West, Kozie and Peak Klyuchi domains. Figure 1. Plan view of Mineral Resource domains and gold grade distribution in the unconstrained block model at Sergeevskoe. Historically recognized mineralization is shown in grey-blue. Klyuchevskoe open pit can be seen to the east. From these domains, an Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into a pit constrained by the license boundary to the east at Sergeevskoe (Table 1). Table 1 also shows sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade within a pit constrained at different cut-off grades ("COG") for the Sergeevskoe project, limited by the license boundary Table 1. Open pit Mineral Resource estimate with base case at 0.5 g/t cut off grade and sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade at different cut-off grades for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project as at 15 April 2019. Table 1- Open pit Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate COG Tonnes (Mt) Grade (g/t Au) Contained Metal (Au '000 oz) 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 25.22 25.09 23.93 21.59 18.64 1.47 1.47 1.52 1.61 1.75 1,192 1,186 1,169 1,118 1,049 Notes: (1) CIM Definition Standards were followed for Mineral Resources; (2) Mineral Resources reported for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project are classified as Inferred by Phil Newall, an independent Qualified Person as defined by CIM Definition Standards; (3) Mineral resources are limited to an optimised open pit shell based on appropriate economic and reasonable mining parameters as provided by Orsu Metals Corporation; (4) Mineral Resources are not reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability based on a Feasibility Study or Pre-Feasibility Study; (5) All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate, and apparent errors may occur due to rounding; (6) Contained metal refers to estimated contained metal in the ground not adjusted for metallurgical recovery; (7) The mineral resources reported represent the sub-celled model with no account of potential mining dilution of the mineralisation. Figures 2 and 3 show distribution of gold mineralization, constrained by the pit and the license boundary, which corresponds to the Inferred Mineral Resource estimate. Figure 3 also shows gold-mineralized blocks within a pit, unconstrained by license boundary, and beyond the pit envelopes. Figure 2. Cross section (looking west) showing grade distribution in gold-mineralized stockwork over a >500 m width along the eastern license boundary of the Sergeevskoe gold project. Figure 3. Long vertical projection showing grade distribution with resource pit outlines constrained by Sergeevskoe license boundary as well as pit outline unconstrained by license boundary. The existing open pit at the adjacent Klyuchevskoe gold deposit is shown for reference. GROWTH POTENTIAL Based on the results, Orsu considers that there is a strong potential to grow the mineralization envelope at the Sergeevskoe Gold Project beyond that identified in this maiden Mineral Resource estimate. The mineralization is open both along the westward strike and downdip. In particular, there is a strong possibility to identify new mineralization at the western continuation of Klyuchi West and Intermediate domains, and only partly drill-tested mineralization in between these domains and Kozie domain. The western extension of Zone 23 remains open, with some gold mineralization recognized in historical holes and by Orsu during scout sampling at the Sergeeva prospect some 500 m west. Peak Klyuchi requires additional attention as a direct continuation of the Intermediate mineral domain. Kozie domain is also open westward, with gold mineralization intercepted in Orsu's trench SKZTR17-11 (see Figure 1). Of key interest for growth potential is the testing of the downdip continuation of gold mineralization in the Intermediate, Klyuchi West and Zone 23 domains, particularly due to a clear increase in gold grade (see Figures 2 and 3). The reported gold mineralization at Sergeevskoe was drill-tested to a depth of 750mRL from approximately 950-1000mRL topographic surface, whereas Klyuchevskoe gold mineralization is drill-intersected to a depth of 450-500mRL. In addition, there are numerous occurrences of gold mineralization and geochemical/geophysical anomalies not yet tested by Orsu beyond the area of detailed works within the Company's 7.6 square km license area of the Sergeevskoe project (see press release dated September 21, 2016). DETAILS OF MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE DATED 08 APRIL 2019 Details of Mineral Resource estimate dated 08 April 2019 The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared by WAI under the direction of Phil Newall and Andrey Tsoy. Dr Phil Newall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). Mineral Resources for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012) and the 2014 CIM Definition Standards by Phil Newall, an independent Qualified Person as defined by the 2014 CIM Definition Standards. WAI has approved this written disclosure of the Mineral Resource estimate. Data verification The Qualified Person has verified the database the Mineral Resource estimate is based on. This verification was done by personal inspection of drill core, drill sites and trenches during site visits in 2017 and 2018, and by checking database content against primary data sources and historical information. Exploration Information The estimate is based on 17,300 m of diamond drilling (82 drillholes) and 5,300 m of channel sampling (39 trenches), completed during Orsu's exploration campaign between January 2017 and October 2018. Section lines for drilling are spaced approximately 80 m apart. The vertical spacing between intersections is also typically 80 m. The central part of Zone 23 and eastern part of Klyuchi West were drilled along the section lines spaced approximately 40 m apart. Historical data are completely excluded from the mineral resource estimate. In the opinion of the Qualified Person, the core and channel samples collected by Orsu are sufficiently accurate and reliable for use in Mineral Resource estimation, and at the time of preparing this mineral resource estimate, there are no known material data quality issues related to drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors. Intervals identified by Orsu geologists as potentially mineralized were sampled, typically on one-meter lengths. The half-core samples from drill core and channel samples from trenches were assayed in the ALS and SGS Laboratories in Chita for gold and silver, as well some pathfinder elements. Standard QA/QC protocols were followed, including analysis of duplicates and standards and check analyses by ALS and SGS Laboratories in Chita, Russia and in the Stewart Assayers Laboratories in Kara-Balta, Kyrgyzstan, all independent from Orsu. The results of this QA/QC checking will be presented in the forthcoming Technical Report. Estimation methodology and parameters A wireframe interpretation of gold-mineralized zones was constructed in all domains at a nominal threshold of 0.5 g/t gold. Based on the limits of the current sampling coverage, the modelled domains have a variable strike length of 300 to 600 m northwest, west-east and southwest. The wireframes were interpreted downdip for up to 300 m as supported by drilling data, but Intermediate domain veins and some others were interpreted only to a depth of some 150 m. Most zones remain open downdip and along strike to the west. The gold-mineralized zones generally dip vertically to 60 degrees, both to the north and southwest, with variable true thickness of 2 to 20 m. The mineralization is hosted in Permian granite, Jurassic granodiorite porphyry stock and magmatic breccia, intercepted by four types of dykes (diorite porphyry, felsite, hybrid porphyry, and lamprophyre). The dykes are mineralized in their entirety or at least along the selvages. However, most hybrid and all rare lamprophyre dykes are not mineralized at all, post-dating the mineralization. Orsu dated occasional molybdenite specs from the quartz-sulfide vein at the Klyuchi West domain using the rhenium-osmium technique, which corresponded to 159.3 + 0.7 Ma as defined by ALS Minerals laboratory in Vancouver, Canada. The best mineralized veins were identified in the hosting granite, which is more than 100 m.y. older than gold mineralization. The mineralization is hosted in closely-spaced and steeply-dipping linear (sheeted) quartz veins and veinlets, forming a stockwork traced to a depth of 300 m, whereas along strike the stockwork forms three major swarms at Adit 5 (in granite and along the granodiorite porphyry dykes), Zone 23 (almost exclusively in granite) and Klyuchi West-Kozie (in granite, granodiorite porphyry stock and magmatic breccia), each traced for a distance of 400 to 900 m. The three swarms merge near the eastern license boundary forming a 500-m-wide mineralized corridor (see Figure 2). Topography was modelled based on detailed survey performed by Orsu contractors. Drill collar locations were measured with centimetre precision. The Mineral Resource Estimate was carried out with a 3D block modelling approach using Datamine Studio 3 software. Exploration data were imported and verified before existing geological and mineralisation envelopes were re-defined creating 3D wireframes based on appropriate cut-off grades representing the various mineralised zones seen at Sergeevskoe. Sample data were selected using the geological and mineralisation wireframes and selected samples were assessed for outliers before being composited as the basis for geostatistical study. The wireframe envelopes were used as the basis for a volumetric block model based on a parent cell size of 10m x 10m x 10m. Variogram models were constructed based on composite data and used for ordinary kriging and variogram ranges for using Inverse Power Distance squared (IPD2) as the principal estimation methodology. The resultant estimated grades were validated against the input composite data and classified in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012)/CIM Definition Standards and based on an assessment of geological and grade continuity and assay data quality. Mineral Resources were further limited based on an expectation of eventual economic extraction by being constrained within an optimised open pit shell generated using appropriate economic and technical parameters. For the mineralized domains and the host rocks, a variable density value was used using the formula (Density = - 0.00072 x (Au g/t)2 + 0.1363 x (Au g/t) +2.6687) for converting volumes into tonnages, which correlate with increase in specific gravity and assayed gold values as collected and measured by Orsu. A density factor of 2.65 t/m3 was applied for the oxide material based on measurements by Orsu. A density factor of 2.0 t/m3 was assumed for the poorly consolidated overburden material, averaging 2 m in thickness. All estimated tonnes are on a dry basis. An oxide surface was constructed 30 m below and in parallel to the topographic surface based on average visually logged depth of oxide in drill core. The portion of the mineralization model that met the CIM definition of a Mineral Resource ("reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction") was established by using NPV Scheduler software to generate a pit shell to constrain reporting of the near surface resource. The input parameters for the pit shell are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Economic parameters for pit shell Parameters Units Amount Geotechnical Pit slope Mining factors Dilution Loss Operating costs Waste mining cost Oxide resource mining cost Primary resource mining cost Overburden mining cost Processing cost G&A Royalty, selling cost (Au) Metal prices Gold Deg % % US$/trock US$/trock US$/trock US$/trock US$/tore US$/tore % US$/oz 51 0 0 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.0 8.0 1.5 6.0 1350 All Mineral Resources were classified as Inferred, based on the intersection spacing relative to the interpreted continuity and potential complexity of the deposit. However, some portions of Mineral Resources may formally correspond to the Indicated category, which require further constraining. The Company is not aware of any legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources. Qualified Person Alexander Yakubchuk, the Company's Director of Exploration, Ph.D., MIMMM, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the exploration information disclosures contained in this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement: This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward-looking statements. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. ENDS For further information, please contact: Alexander Yakubchuk, Director of Exploration, Orsu Metals Corporation Doris Meyer, Corporate Secretary, Orsu Metals Corporation Tel: +1-604-536-2711 ext 6 SOURCE: Orsu Metals Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542221/Orsu-Metals-Announces-a-Maiden-Inferred-Mineral-Resource-at-Its-Sergeevskoe-Gold-Project-Russia JOHANNESBURG, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- South African-based Bitcoin company, Centbee, announced today that it has closed its Series A round with entrepreneur Calvin Ayre, founder of Antigua-based investment firm, Ayre Ventures and CoinGeek. Ayre, who has invested 1 million (R18.3 million), announced that, "Centbee has a track record of making Bitcoin easily usable and accessible to everyone including merchants and consumers. They support the original Bitcoin protocol in the form of Bitcoin SV, and have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to attract users and we're proud to support their further growth." The deal was facilitated by nChain, leading blockchain advisory, research and development firm, which previously took an equity stake in Centbee in January 2018. Jimmy Nguyen, Chair of nChain Group's Strategic Advisory Board and Founding President of the Bitcoin Association (which advances Bitcoin SV's global ecosystem) remarked: "Centbee has one of the most user-friendly Bitcoin wallets and merchant payment solutions we have seen. It is built using the original Bitcoin protocol, now alive only in the form of Bitcoin SV, which has a plan for massive blockchain scaling. This enables Centbee to offer low fees and fast transaction speeds. We will continue to work with Centbee as it sparks greater merchant and consumer adoption of Bitcoin BSV in Africa and worldwide." Ayre's investment is part of a broader collaboration to advance the Bitcoin SV ecosystem. nChain will also support Centbee with its technical consulting services and access to its vast intellectual property portfolio (which is aimed at benefiting growth of the BSV blockchain). Centbee is a Bitcoin wallet provider that makes it easy for consumers to acquire, store and spend Bitcoin with retailers and other merchants. Centbee supports Bitcoin SV because it is the only blockchain that fulfils the original Bitcoin design and protocol. Based in South Africa, Centbee was founded by co-CEOs, Lorien Gamaroff and Angus Brown. Gamaroff is a leading expert in blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. He has consulted and advised regulators and corporates internationally and is highly regarded globally as an educator and presenter. Brown has 20 years' experience in payments and banking including the role of CEO of eBucks.com, a world-first bank-backed digital currency created in 2000. "Centbee has made it easy for customers to buy Bitcoin SV easily at over 50 000 till points in South Africa," says Brown. "Through this, we will help people move money simply and cheaply across borders to support family and friends. The investment will be used for product development, scaling and growth." Gamaroff is pleased with the progress made over the last few months at Centbee, "Our development roadmap is well defined with exciting payment and remittance products coming to market this year. We look forward to the next phase in our growth and development." Centbee is a gold member of AlphaCode , powered by Rand Merchant Investment Holdings , which identifies, partners and grows disruptive and scalable fintech businesses. Head of AlphaCode, Dominique Collett said: "We are delighted that Centbee has attracted the interest of two of the world's most prestigious investors in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. It certainly augurs well for the growth and development of Centbee and Bitcoin SV globally." The Centbee Wallet is available in the Apple and Google Play stores. About Ayre Group Founded by entrepreneur Calvin Ayre, the Ayre Group has investments and interests across the world. With a passion for content and publishing, fintech, real estate and property in seven countries around the world, Ayre Group supports and drives the world's most disruptive innovations. Website: ayre.ag About nChain Group The nChain Group is the global leader in advisory, research and development of blockchain technologies. Its mission is to enable massive growth and worldwide adoption of Bitcoin SV, the original Bitcoin protocol as represented in Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper - focusing on Bitcoin SV as the true Bitcoin. Website: nChain.com About Centbee Centbee is a fintech startup based in South Africa, that builds products and services that make it easy to send, store and spend Bitcoin. Their vision is to help users pay for real-world goods and services using Bitcoin payment processes. The Centbee wallet, available in the App Store and Google Play store, enables the purchase of Bitcoin SV at till-points in over 50 000 retailers across South Africa. Centbee Remit makes it easy to send money across borders in less than one minute. Website: centbee.com About Bitcoin SV Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) is the only Bitcoin implementation that follows the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper, and conforms to the original Bitcoin protocol and design. BSV is the only public blockchain that maintains the original vision for Bitcoin and will massively scale to become the world's new money and enterprise blockchain. Website: bitcoinsv.io About Bitcoin Association Bitcoin Association is the leading global organization for Bitcoin business. It brings together merchants, exchanges, application developers, enterprises, miners and others in the Bitcoin ecosystem to advance the growth of Bitcoin commerce. Bitcoin Association supports Bitcoin SV (BSV) as the original Bitcoin. As an inclusive organization, it welcomes companies and organizations who support or wish to learn about BSV and Satoshi Vision, even if you also support other cryptocurrency or blockchain projects. Website: https://bitcoinassociation.net/ Upcoming: Coingeek Toronto Conference - May 29-30, Toronto, Canada Come learn more about what Bitcoin can do with "No Limits" and the latest on-chain scaling developments with Bitcoin SV at the CoinGeek Toronto conference May 29-30. It's easy to register. And pay with the world's new money and you'll receive a discount by using BSV via Coingate. LONDON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) today announces its support for a worldwide ban on animal testing for cosmetics by backing Humane Society International on its BeCrueltyFree initiative. The campaign is leading legislative reform to prohibit cosmetics testing on animals in all major global beauty markets by 2023. Avon has committed to support BeCruetlyFree to drive regulatory change in key markets around the world - predominantly in Latin America and Southeast Asia - towards the desired global ban. Avon will also support the recently launched Non-Animal Cosmetic Safety Assessment Collaboration (NACSA). NACSA aims to promote best practice in animal-free safety assessment among companies and government health authorities to promote faster acceptance and use of modern non-animal approaches, particularly in countries such as China, where cosmetic animal testing is still required by law for some products. By throwing its weight behind Humane Society International and joining its ever-growing network of supportive beauty giants, Avon believes an end to the era of cosmetic animal testing will be achieved more swiftly. Avon was the first major cosmetics company to end animal testing 30 years ago and has decades of experience in developing non-animal approaches to product safety evaluation. It collaborates with partners across the world, including advocacy organizations and NGOs to accelerate the adoption of non-animal-test methods. Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer at Avon, said: "Avon's been working to end animal testing for 30 years, but as an industry there is still more to do. I'm proud of our contribution to driving change to date. But we're even stronger if we work with others. It's crucial that we open up more partnerships with other change-agents to end the unnecessary and unacceptable practice of animal testing for cosmetics. "We're confident that through collaborations with HSI and other committed partners we will accelerate the transition to alternative approaches to animal testing and result in a worldwide ban in the foreseeable future. It's a future that we at Avon are committed to and that millions of Avon Representatives and their customers around the world demand." As part of Avon's support for HSI's campaign, it will continue to actively collaborate with global partners to accelerate the adoption of a worldwide ban on animal testing. The new multi-year collaboration between Avon and HSI will include Avon's support for robust legislation to prohibit cosmetic animal testing in key global beauty markets and participation alongside other leading brands to enhance capability across companies and regulatory authorities so safety decisions for cosmetics are based on exclusively non-animal approaches. HSI Vice President for Research & Toxicology Troy Seidle said: "We couldn't be more pleased to welcome Avon to our BeCrueltyFree campaign family. As a household name in so many of our priority campaign regions thanks to its direct-to-consumer marketing model, Avon's reach will provide a significant boost to our efforts to abolish cosmetic cruelty across the globe. Other socially conscious beauty brands are encouraged to join Humane Society International in supporting meaningful legislative change to usher in a new era of ethical beauty worldwide." About Avon Products Inc. For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Millions of independent sales Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis. Avon supports women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women's causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avonworldwide.com. Stand4Her About Humane Society International Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - on the Web at hsi.org. Forward-Looking Statements This material contains "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Avon's involvement with the Humane Society International. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of business disruption, competitive uncertainties, and general economic and business conditions in Avon's markets as well as the other risks detailed in Avon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Avon undertakes no obligation to update any statements in this material after it is posted to the Investor Relations section of our website. 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. SACRAMENTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Falcon Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: FLCN), a company focusing on the marketing, sale, and distribution of CBD products and products derived from industrial hemp such as protein powder, hemp seeds and hemp oil has commented on the recent news that CVS began selling topical CBD products. Universally known as CBD, Cannabidiol (the scientific name for CBD) is one of at least 80 active cannabinoids identified in both cannabis and industrial hemp. It is a major constituent of both plants, although the percentages of total composition can vary greatly from strain to strain. Unlike THC (the other prevalent cannabinoid), CBD is non-psychoactive while having the potential to possess a variety of therapeutic properties. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp, removing this plant rich in CBD and nutritional supplements from the Controlled Substance Act and categorizing it as an agricultural commodity. This bill will allow states to regulate hemp farming while moving the industrialization of the hemp plant forward. As industrial hemp once again becomes one of America's most popular agricultural crops, the amount of CBD processed from the plant will grow exponentially. The hemp-CBD market is projected to grow from $600 million in 2018 to $22 billion by 2022. Over the past week, CVS, one of North America's largest drug store chains began selling topical CBD products. In an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, CVS CEO Larry Merlo commented on CVS now selling CBD products, "We're going to be carrying them in 8 states. We're going to be carrying the topical products only. " Merlo added, "Anecdotally, we've heard from our customers that have used those products, it's helped for pain relief, arthritis and other ailments. We're going to walk slowly but we think this is something the customers are going to be looking for as part of the health offering." William Delgado, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Falcon Technologies commented, "We applaud CVS's entry into the CBD market. Several weeks ago, we announced that we filed a provisional patent application titled "CBD Formulations to Treat Acne". We are also working diligently behind the scenes to create CBD formulations for other skin conditions." Delgado added, "It is critically important that our shareholders and investors understand we are one step ahead. The whole world is focusing on CBD topical formulations for pain. We believe it goes well beyond that and we will be announcing additional progress and CBD topical formulations over the next few weeks and months." About Falcon Technologies, Inc. (a/k/a Eco-Growth Strategies, Inc.) Falcon Technologies, Inc. (a/k/a Eco-Growth Strategies, Inc.) is a nutraceutical company developing a range of CBD-based products. The company's mission is to employ best practice science to source, manufacture and package all of its CBD products from within the United States. The company performs farm site visits and manufacturing site visits and sources its products from only the highest quality hemp farms and processors in North America. The company also aims to launch a line of CBD products specially formulated for animals by the end of 2019. CBD Disclaimer The statements made regarding CBD products including our future products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products and the testimonials made have not been confirmed by FDA- approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this notice. SAFE HARBOR ACT Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. 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: William J. Delgado (775) 443-4740 djwllc@hotmail.com SOURCE: Falcon Technologies, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542248/Falcon-Technologies-Comments-on-CVS-Now-Selling-CBD-Products-in-Select-Stores-in-the-United-States SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Sales Force Automation Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005355/en/ Global Sales Force Automation Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire) The growing necessity to gain real-time insights into the sale prospects and to streamline the entire sales process is driving the demand for sales force automation category across the end-user sectors like BFSI, consumer goods and retail, IT and telecom, pharmaceutical, and FMCG. The extensive adoption of cloud-based sales force automation solutions in addition to the integration of social media platforms into the sales force automation solutions is driving the category spend momentum to a significant extent. However, buyers might be challenged with excess procurement spend because of the increasing training costs borne by service providers owing to the frequent software upgrades of the automation solutions. Request a Free Sample of this sales force automation market intelligence report here! Automating sales processes are benefitting buyers in the US with sales data and information about leads from anywhere and from any device while also reducing the requirement for cold calls. Such category benefits are expected to drive the spend momentum in the US. The category value in APAC is expected to touch a figure of USD2.52 bn by 2023. This growth is chiefly credited to the necessity of automating the sales process in the region. Availability of service providers that can offer industry-specific and customized solutions is favoring a large-scale category adoption in North America as the region had claimed about 32.01% of the category revenue last year. Insights offered in this sales force automation procurement research report include supply market forecasts, major cost drivers, and category management insights. Such insights are relevant for both the buyers and the suppliers who seek a risk-free and a cost-effective procurement strategy. The category spend segmentation done in this sales force automation market intelligence report will guide the investors in identifying the best investment areas as well as help them in identifying cost-saving opportunities in the market. Get free customization of this sales force automation market intelligence report to get information tailored to your every requirement. "Before procuring the sales force automation tool, buyers must conduct a pilot test to assess the tool's functionalities that are core to the internal operations of the sales team," says SpendEdge procurement expert Tridib Bora. This sales force automation procurement research report has estimated the following cost drivers to influence the category growth in the coming years: Growing demand for cloud-based systems will drive the category growth Rise in employee salary is anticipated to increase the category price growth Purchase the full sales force automation market intelligence report here! SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the information technology category provide detailed supply market forecasts and cost drivers that impact category growth. Such information will help procurement managers as well as the suppliers to determine the total cost of ownership and change their procurement strategies accordingly. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports provide category management insights and information on the procurement best practices for the category. Report scope snapshot: Sales force automation Category pricing insights Pricing outlook Total cost of ownership analysis Supplier cost structure Interested to know more about the scope of our market intelligence reports? Download a FREE sample Cost-Saving Opportunities Supplier-side levers Buyer-side levers Quantifying cost savings by negotiation strategies Want customized information from the sales force automation procurement research report? Get in touch Category ecosystem Competitiveness index for suppliers Buyer power Supplier power score To view the table of contents of this market intelligence report, Download a FREE sample Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for numerous categories. Now access latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now Related Reports: Global Disaster Recovery as a Service Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Servers 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/20190417005355/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Mobile Wallet Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005362/en/ Global Mobile Wallet Services Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire) The mobile wallet services category credits a significant share of its accelerating spend momentum to the exponential growth of the e-commerce industry. This industry accounts for extensive usage of mobile payment methods that ease the payment process for customers. Emergence of the high-speed cellular network is boosting the usability of mobile payment which will consequently, propel the demand for mobile wallet services across the significant economies during the forecast period. Download the free sample of this mobile wallet services market intelligence report here! Availability of an array of deals, discounts, and rewards is luring millennials in the US towards using mobile wallet services to make payments at e-commerce and retail stores. Convenience in payment is resulting in faster adoption of contactless payments across most of the retail stores which are consequently spurring the demand for mobile wallet services in the US. Government-led initiatives to foster a cashless economy coupled with digitization will pave the way for an impressive spend growth of the mobile wallet services in APAC. Meanwhile, in Europe, smartphone users are significantly contributing to the growth of the category. This mobile wallet services market intelligence report offers a detailed overview of the key cost drivers and category management insights that can aid in devising a sustainable procurement strategy. This mobile wallet services procurement research report also highlights the current supply market developments to help the buyers choose the appropriate vendors who can promise a steady supply assurance along with quality solutions. Not what you are looking for? Request for personalization of this mobile wallet services market intelligence report. "The quantity and quality of partnership of a prospective supplier with banks, financial institutions, and payment gateway service providers do not only testify the nature of the services delivered but also assure on the supplier's adherence to financial regulations," says SpendEdge procurement expert Anil Seth. This mobile wallet services market intelligence report has highlighted the following factors to play critical roles in influencing category spend. They include: Mobile wallets issued by telecom and banking entities will increase competition Buyers can maximize topline growth by engaging with global service providers Purchase the complete mobile wallet services market intelligence report to know more about the complete scope of this report SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the financial services category offer information on critical cost drivers and category pricing strategies to help the buyers achieve significant cost-savings. The supply market forecasts offer 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: Mobile wallet 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 mobile wallet 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 numerous categories. Now access latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now. Related Reports: Global Corporate Purchasing Cards Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report Global Accounting and Auditing 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/20190417005362/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us Landmark London conference to showcase the success of North American Cannabis Industry where 27% of businesses are led by women, and opportunities for UK business, with the European medical cannabis market set to emerge as a $60-billion-dollar-a-year industry LONDON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- North America's largest medical cannabis growers are convening in London on 18thMay 2019 (www.3CMconference.com) to showcase the refreshing commitment to gender equality and pay parity in this booming, highly-paid industry. Medical cannabis became legal in the UK in November 2018. Female empowerment in the fast-emerging global medical cannabis business is a big theme in 2019, with many predicting it to make a major impact in the UK workforce. American women are leading the way, already commanding 27% of leadership roles, according to Forbes. And Canada's biggest cannabis companies are starting to report comparable figures too. Women are destined to play an even larger role in the industry as leaders and as legal consumers too. In fact, their numbers virtually doubled in the US in 2018, statistics show. With the European medical cannabis market set to emerge as a $60-billion-dollar-a-year market, some of these companies are already expanding into the UK. As Britain's medical cannabis regulations gradually loosen, they will be recruiting ambitious, career-minded women in ever-increasing numbers. The conference will offer an opportunity to meet some of the female power players and key influences who are shattering the glass ceiling in dramatic, ground-breaking fashion. Additionally, several leading lights from Britain's pro-medical cannabis community will be presenting poignant, uplifting messages. They include Billy Caldwell's mother, Charlotte Caldwell, and Alfie Dingley's mother, Hannah Deacon. The equally important roles that women play as educators, doctors, medical scientists, and product innovators in this burgeoning global industry will also be important themes at this conference. The following topics will be extensively covered by the A-list speakers: How women can benefit from this transformative health & wellness revolution How women are thriving in a new, highly-regulated industry The many ways that forward-thinking cannabis/CBD companies embrace female leadership and mentorship The secrets to succeeding in the medical cannabis industry How to join this booming global business, which will soon be worth more than US $100 billion a year Speakers at the event include: Jeannette Vandermarel : A former ER nurse, Jeannette is the Co-Founder of The Green Organic Dutchman, the world's largest organic cannabis producer, which has a billion-dollar market capitalization and is expanding worldwide, along with being a passionate advocate for female advancement to the C-suite level of the cannabis industry. A former ER nurse, Jeannette is the Co-Founder of The Green Organic Dutchman, the world's largest organic cannabis producer, which has a billion-dollar market capitalization and is expanding worldwide, along with being a passionate advocate for female advancement to the C-suite level of the cannabis industry. Dr. Dani Gordon , MD is the CEO & Co-founder of UltraResilience.com, a double board-certified medical doctor, writer and speaker, a leading specialist in clinical cannabis medicine and currently consults with cannabis companies in the UK and Europe . Her expertise also includes Integrative Medicine, stress resilience, burnout syndrome, chronic fatigue and holistic mental health. is the CEO & Co-founder of UltraResilience.com, a double board-certified medical doctor, writer and speaker, a leading specialist in clinical cannabis medicine and currently consults with cannabis companies in the UK and . Her expertise also includes Integrative Medicine, stress resilience, burnout syndrome, chronic fatigue and holistic mental health. Hannah Deacon : Heroic Mother of Alfie Dingley , and Tireless Medical Cannabis Campaigner. : Heroic Mother of , and Tireless Medical Cannabis Campaigner. Donna Shields MS, RDN: Co-Founder of The Holistic Cannabis Academy, a leading US online education platform for medical practitioners and cannabis industry professionals. Co-Founder of The Holistic Cannabis Academy, a leading US online education platform for medical practitioners and cannabis industry professionals. Dr. Rachel Knox , MD, Dr. Janice Knox MD and Dr. Jessica Knox MD: A family of leading California -based specialists in clinical cannabis, with over 500 patients a month, the Knox family are renowned advocates for medical cannabis. Marc Davis, CEO of Capital Markets Media, which is organising the conference said: "Attendees will hear inspiring stories of female empowerment in the workplace and will also learn about the many opportunities available to patients, healthcare professionals, and even investors." Jill Swainson, senior vice president and general counsel for Aurora Cannabis, Canada's second largest medical cannabis company, said: "This industry is more progressive than the rest of the corporate world in North America, especially in the areas of gender representation, cultural diversity, and supporting the LGBTQ community." Aurora and other multi-billion-dollar, NYSE-listed companies will be well-represented at the inaugural "Women, CBD and Medical Cannabis" conference with featured speakers including female A-listers from Canada, California, Florida and Colorado - the world's largest medical cannabis markets. For more information, visit: www.3CMconference.com Early-bird tickets are now on sale. The following day an additional Networking Event Retreat will be offered. NOTES TO EDITORS: Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - ArcWest Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AWX) ("ArcWest") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases dated January 16th, 2019 and March 20, 2019, Strikepoint Gold Inc. (TSXV: SKP) (OTCQB: STKXF) ("Strikepoint") has completed its acquisition of 100% of ArcWest's Willoughby Property (the "Property"). The Property is situated about 30 kilometers east of Stewart, British Columbia in the province's famed Golden Triangle. Under the terms of transaction set out in the definitive agreement: Strikepoint has acquired 100% of the Property; Strikepoint has made a cash payment to ArcWest of CAD$85,000; Strikepoint has issued 3,000,000 common shares to ArcWest; and ArcWest will retain a 1.5% net smelter return royalty, which can be reduced by Strikepoint to 1% for an additional cash payment of $1,000,000. ArcWest President & CEO Tyler Ruks commented: "The Willoughby transaction will provide ArcWest with a significant share position in Strikepoint and a royalty on the Willoughby project. This will provide ArcWest shareholders with exposure not only to exploration upside at Willoughby, but to Strikepoint's entire project portfolio, which includes exciting high grade precious metals properties in BC's Golden Triangle, and throughout the Yukon. The Strikepoint team has a track record of discovery, wealth creation for shareholders, and significant prior exploration experience with Willoughby. We are confident that the Strikepoint team will make exciting discoveries that will benefit ArcWest shareholders." For further information please contact: Tyler Ruks, President and CEO at +1 (604) 638 369 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44139 LONDON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Military Aerospace Coatings Market by Resin Type (Polyurethane, Epoxy), by Technology (Liquid-Based Technology, Powder-Based Technology), by Aircraft (Fixed-Wing, Rotary Wing), by Application (Original Equipment Manufacturer, Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul), Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Market Definition: Military aerospace coatings are high performance, polyurethane topcoat designed and developed for exterior and interior application on military aircrafts and helicopters. They can also be used on general aviation and commercial aircraft. The exterior surface of the aircraft or helicopter usually requires attractive painting to maintain the appearance and protection against corrosion. These coatings are designed with withstand the extreme environmental conditions which requires a strong resistance power. Market Overview and Trends Aerospace coating can also be called as aviation coating, aircraft coating or aircraft paint. The market size of aerospace industries has significantly increased in past few years leading to extraordinary demand of aerospace coatings. As the requirement of coatings in aerospace industry is highly specific, helicopters, airplanes, jets, and other aircrafts are coated with specialized innovative aerospace coatings. The aerospace coatings are designed mainly to prolong the life of the aircraft structures. To make these coatings efficient, researchers are opting for advanced technologies such as nanotechnology and chrome-free and powder-based technology that improves the properties of the coating material used. Nanotechnology based coatings are also used on turbine blades and other mechanical components which have to tolerate high temperatures and friction wear. Also, research studies are being conducted towards developing radiation-curable coatings for military applications. Since past few years, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has taken significant initiatives to explore the limits of where UV-cure coatings can be used for aerospace applications. Such initiatives tends to fuel the research and development and ultimately open new avenues in the industry. Download samples here: https://www.visiongain.com/report/global-military-aerospace-coatings-market-2019-2029/download_sampe_div Market Dynamics: Factors Influencing the Market Growth: Governments across the globe are focusing on strengthening their defense sector to become a global super power. Due to this, the aerospace industry is experiencing a tremendous growth across the globe, which is largely contributing to the growth of military aerospace coating market. Increasing research and development activities and growing investment in purchasing aircrafts. Factors Restraining the Market Growth: Volatile nature of prices of raw material Safety regulation with respect to the chemicals such as lead To find out more about this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/global-military-aerospace-coatings-market-2019-2029/ Market Segmentation 2019-2029: The military aerospace coatings market is segmented on the resin type, technology, aircraft, application and geography. Resin Type Polyurethane Market, 2019-2029 Epoxy Market, 2019-2029 Others Market, 2019-2029 Technology Liquid-Based Technology Market, 2019-2029 Powder-Based Technology Market, 2019-2029 Types of Aircrafts Fixed-Wing Aircrafts Market, 2019-2029 Rotary Wing Aircrafts Market, 2019-2029 Application Original Equipment Manufacturer Market, 2019-2029 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Market, 2019-2029 Geographic breakdown Focused regional forecasts and analysis explore the future opportunities: North America Market, 2019-2029 Europe Market, 2019-2029 Asia-Pacific Market, 2019-2029 LAMEA Market, 2019-2029 Competitive Analysis: The major players operating in the military aerospace coating market adopt various organic and inorganic strategies to enhance the market presence. Companies focus on partnerships and collaborations, contracts and agreements, and mergers and acquisitions as their primary growth strategies. In April 2017 Edge Aviation Services, Associated Painters, and Eirtech Aviation collaborate to form International Aerospace Coatings, a global aircraft painting company. In September 2017 Sherwin-Williams developed its next generation military 85285E aerospace coating. Major Market Players: PPG, Akzo Nobel, Sherwin-Williams, Akzonobel, Hentzen Coatings, Mapaero, 3Chem, Creative Coatings, Zircotec Ltd. and Qioptiq. 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. Companies covered in the report include: 3Chem Akzo Nobel Argosy International Asahi Kinzoku Kogyo Inc. BAE Systems BASF SE, Brycoat Inc. Cheaerospacel Creative Coatings General Dynamics Henkel AG Hentzen Coatings Hohman Plating & Manufacturing IHI Ionbond AG, International Aerospace Coatings Holdings Lockheed Martin Mankiewicz Gebr. Mapaero Merck Performance Materials Northrop Grumman PPG Industries, Inc. Qioptiq Sherwin-Williams United Technologies Zircotec Ltd. To discuss this report please e-mail Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongain.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg Cardston, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - American Creek Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AMK) ("American Creek") is pleased to announce that JV partner Tudor Gold has retained P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") of Brampton, Ontario for assistance in planning the upcoming 2019 drilling season, with a view to eventually compiling an initial Mineral Resource Estimate pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 for the Treaty Creek Property located immediately adjacent to Seabridge Gold's KSM and just north of Pretivm's now producing Brucejack/Valley of the Kings high grade gold mine in northwestern British Columbia. P&E Mining Consultants Inc., established in 2004, provides geological and mine engineering consulting reports, Mineral Resource Estimate technical reports, Preliminary Economic Assessments and Pre-Feasibility Studies. P&E undertook the initial Mineral Resource Estimate for Pretium Resources Inc.'s Brucejack Property and the resulting Technical Report that supported the $100M IPO. Ken Konkin, Tudor Gold's Exploration Manager stated, "I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Eugene Puritch, P. Eng, FEC and President of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and his team of professional geologists and professional engineers on several projects in North and South America. P&E Mining Consultants specialize in geological modeling and mine design and their work is of the highest standards. I look forward to working again with Eugene and his geo-scientists and engineers in order to determine the optimum drill hole spacing required for the drill program. Our goal is to fast-track the exploration program at Treaty Creek during this summer adding value to Tudor's Goldstorm target in the most efficient and economic methods possible. Once drilling begins, P&E Mining Consultants will conduct a site visit and complete a project review." Darren Blaney, CEO of American Creek stated: "We very much look forward to having Tudor and Mr. Konkin commence the much anticipated 2019 Treaty Creek drill program building on the last hole from 2018 that ran 563 meters of 0.98 g/t gold. Securing a top tier firm to oversee the drilling and maiden resource calculation is a very positive step in the advancement of the Treaty JV. The Golden Triangle region is heating up and attracting attention and this upcoming season is shaping up to be very significant." About American Creek American Creek is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with a strong portfolio of gold and silver properties in British Columbia. Three of those properties are located in the prolific "Golden Triangle"; the Treaty Creek and Electrum joint venture projects with Tudor Gold/Walter Storm as well as the 100% owned past producing Dunwell Mine. The Corporation also holds the Gold Hill, Austruck-Bonanza, Ample Goldmax, Silver Side, and Glitter King properties located in other prospective areas of the province. For further information please contact Kelvin Burton at: Phone: 403 752-4040 or Email: info@americancreek.com. Information relating to the Corporation is available on its website at www.americancreek.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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44141 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Alchemist Mining Inc (CSE: AMS) ("AMS" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") for the acquisition of a 15% interest in Island Therapeutics. The purchase price shall be $150,000 Canadian dollars, paid in the common shares of the capital of Alchemist with an option to acquire up to 49% of the company. Founded and grown within the beautiful Cowichan Valley on British Columbia's Vancouver Island, Island Therapeutics specializes in hand-crafted transdermal patches, full spectrum oil tinctures, and other CBD-infused natural healing remedies. The passion for cannabis shines through all of their delicately fashioned products. "Our partnership with Island Therapeutics represents the beginning of the next phase of our business roadmap," said Alchemist CEO, Paul Mann. "Having built out our technology platform to handle the licensing, compliance, back of-house product, and customer management (including the banking and point of sale), we are now beginning to on-board producers of high-quality craft cannabis products for supply to our US and Canadian distribution networks. Transdermal delivery of cannabis products are known to be the most effective method of delivery into the bloodstream. The great advantage being that it bypasses the lungs, liver, and stomach which are places where the body naturally filters or breaks down the cannabinoid. With transdermal delivery, you get 100 percent of the medicinal value of the CBD." "The Alchemist proposition really resonated with us. Our agreement with them allows us to focus on producing high-quality, compliant, white label and branded products, under license in the USA, and to the Canadian market from our facilities on Vancouver Island in British Columbia Canada," said Ely Trinczek CEO of Island Therapeutic. On Behalf of the Board, Paul Mann, CEO Alchemist Mining Inc. For further information on this release, please contact: Sukh Sandhu Investor Relations Investors@alchemistinc.ca 604-601-2093 About Alchemist Inc. Upon affecting the Fundamental Change as announced on September 25, 2018, Alchemist's goal is to be a global provider of technology solutions to the cannabis sector. It will be primarily focused on investing and building a sustainable portfolio of business entities, by actively identifying opportunities in the developing global cannabis market, through a combination of acquisitions, incubations and investments, with a goal to create shareholder value. Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. SOURCE: Alchemist Mining Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542242/Alchemist-Signs-Binding-Letter-of-Intent-with-Island-Therapeutics-to-License-and-Deliver-Handcrafted-Transdermal-Patches-and-other-Cannabis-Infused-Natural-Healing-Remedies Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Blackhawk Resource Corp. (CSE: BLR) (the "Corporation" or "Blackhawk"), is pleased to provide an update on its future plans related to make a strategic shift into the cannabis and CBD industry. As previously announced Blackhawk is entering the cannabis and CBD industry through two acquisitions, CFPM Management Services Ltd., which operates under the name, The Green Room ("The Green Room"), and Noble Line Inc. ("Noble"), which operates in the on-line CBD industry. With the acquisition of The Green Room shareholders will have the opportunity to benefit from one of the fastest growing industries in North America. Fred Pels, CEO of The Green Room stated, "With the United States Congress passing the Farm Bill in 2018, (Agricultural Improvement Act) and over 30 states legalizing some form of cannabis, whether it be medical, recreational or both, The Green Room's management team expects that full federal legalization is coming. In preparation for this eventual event, The Green Room has identified and started the process of reviewing several locations in Washington, Oregon, and California, states that have legalized cannabis. With extensive knowledge gained from the Canadian cannabis legalization process, the Green Room team has identified new markets in States currently transitioning to legalized cannabis. The Green Room will be working in tandem with policy makers on both municipal and state levels to ensure the expansion of the Green Room brand is efficient and effective. Potential U.S. acquisitions will be scrutinized based on current revenue, potential revenue and foreshadowed value once federal legalization comes into play. Through our existing contacts in the U.S., we will be able to quickly build the necessary infrastructure and systems to promote The Green Room brand and position it as a market leader. The Green Room expansion strategy is not just locations, but rather their quality, thereby ensuring the right demographics, customer volume and the opportunity to achieve high volume sales and maximize profitability." "Through the additions of The Green Room and Noble, we plan to give our investors and shareholders exposure to the booming retail cannabis business led by one of the most acclaimed and successful cannabis entrepreneurs of our era. Mr. Pels has been a pioneer in the industry for years and he plans to take his experience, knowledge and successful industry relationships and leverage them to turn The Green Room into one of the most recognized brands in North America" says Dave Antony, CEO of Blackhawk Resource Corp. For further information on please contact: Dave Antony Blackhawk -Chief Executive Officer (403) 531-1710 dantony@blackhawkcorp.com Fred Pels The Green Room (780) 901-3733 fred@greenroommed.ca Scott Seguin Noble Line Inc (403)-510-2461 scott@noblehemp.com NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES Reader Advisory Neither the CSE nor its Regulatory Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"), including details about the Transactions. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the Corporation's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, environmental risks, operational risks, competition from other industry participants, stock market volatility, the risks that the parties will not proceed with the Transactions, that the ultimate terms of the Transactions will differ from those that currently are contemplated and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, its forward-looking statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. Risks, uncertainties, material assumptions and other factors that could affect actual results are discussed in our public disclosure documents available at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, the Corporation does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Completion of each Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, CSE acceptance and if applicable, shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with each Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied on. Trading in the securities of Blackhawk should be considered highly speculative. The CSE has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved or disapproved the contents of this press release. All information contained in this press release with respect to the Corporation and Green Room was supplied by the Corporation and Green Room, respectively, for inclusion herein. This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act")), absent registration or an exemption from registration. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and, therefore, may not be offered for sale in the United States, except in transactions exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44142 The global black beer market is expected to post a CAGR of over 2% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005393/en/ The global black beer market will post a CAGR of over 2% during the period 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) Consumers are increasingly preferring craft beer owing to the varieties available and the distinctive taste because of the addition of ingredients different from those used in regular beer. To meet the rising demand for craft beer, new breweries are being established globally. The bigger players in the market are also entering the craft drinks segment by acquiring small craft breweries. The growth in the craft beer segment can also be attributed to the rising demand for premium drinks by millennials and Gen-X consumers. As a result, the demand for black beer is also expected to grow during the forecast period. As per Technavio, the expansion of breweries globally will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This global black beer market 2019-2023research report also analyzes other important trends and market drivers that will affect market growth over 2019-2023. Global black beer market: Expansion of breweries globally Globally, brewers are focusing on expanding their production capacities to diversify into new markets as well as increase their sales revenue. For instance, in November 2017, Grupo Modelo, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, announced its plan to build a new brewery in Apan, Mexico. The new brewery is expected to have an initial capacity of over 10 million barrels, and the plant is to produce over 9 million bottled beers per day. Such expansions are expected to drive better scales of economy for beer producers, resulting in higher profit margins during the forecast period. "Apart from the expansion of breweries globally, the rising consumption of alcoholic drinks and increasing popularity of beer in developing countries are some other major factors that are expected to drive the growth of the global black beer market, during the forecast period," says a senior analyst at Technavio. Global black beer market: Segmentation analysis This market research report segments the global black beer market by distribution channel (off-trade and on-trade) and geographical regions (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA). The European region led the market in 2018, followed by North America, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. However, during the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the increasing middle-class population, improving per capita income, and inclination of millennials toward beer. Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Landscape Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market size and forecast Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation Geographical Segmentation Regional comparison Key leading countries Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005393/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 www.technavio.com TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Blended Perspectives was engaged by Equitable Bank (EQ Bank) to assist with modernizing its Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), using Atlassian tools. Equitable Bank (EQ Bank) required both an audit-compliant and functional SDLC to support both Kanban and Agile methodologies. The overall initiative around processes and tools had a significant improvement in performance and standardization for the whole IT organization. According to Dan Broten (VP of Technology), the overall initiative, of which the Atlassian tools design and implementation by Blended Perspectives played a significant role in the modernization and growth of our Application Development department. Bene?ts observed over the past 1.5 years: Tripled the size of the organization and the number of concurrent projects/sprints with the processes established 1.5 years ago. Dramatic improvement in production release controls via integrated version release notes; closed known audit deficiencies with the best in class framework. Doubled the amount of production releases (per month) in one year. Goal to double again this coming year. 500 percent more builds per day with revised agile methodology and scaling of people and tech. Goal to double again this coming year. A key factor in selecting the Atlassian tools was the availability of a cloud solution, enabling a more streamlined process working with external development partners. This has enabled collaboration ?exibility with partners and vendors to signi?cantly contribute to increased productivity and results. Apart from Atlassian tools used for implementation, Confluence, Jira Software, Jira Service Desk, and Jira Core, Blended Perspectives worked with additional software partners including //Seibert/Media - Draw.io, Comalatech, Easy Agile, SmartBear and SoftwarePlant. "Blended was able to work e?ectively with our Delivery and Operations teams to implement best practices, end-to-end development tools and its con?gurations-based processes and approaches, which were instrumental in our forward progress." - Dan Broten, VP of Technology Blended Perspectives is Canada's largest Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, providing consulting, managed hosting, installation, data migration, performance tuning and certified Atlassian training. We have deep expertise in all Atlassian products with certified experts covering the full lifecycle for SDLC, Service Desk and broader business application support. Founded in 2007 after years of experience serving clients in Canada, Europe, USA and Australia, Blended Perspectives' mission is to enable corporations to unleash the power of their teams and to leverage the true potential of their businesses via enhanced tools and processes. Equitable Bank (EQ Bank) is a Canadian bank founded in 1970. The bank provides residential and commercial real estate lending services. In 2013, it became a Schedule I Bank o?ering savings products. It is now Canada's ninth largest independent bank, with more than $25 billion in assets under management. Contact: Rita Rusu, Marketing Manager rita.rusu@blendedperspectives.com SOURCE: Blended Perspectives Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542146/Blended-Perspectives-Contributed-to-Improving-Build-Performance-by-500-Percent-for-Equitable-Bank-With-Atlassian-Cloud-Tools Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Walker River Resources Corp. (TSXV: WRR) ("Walker" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received a 2-year extension from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (the"BLM") for its Notice of Intent (the"NOI") exploration permit to conduct further drilling on the Lapon Canyon Gold Project, located approximately 60 kilometres southeast of Yerington, Nevada. The NOI exploration permit with the BLM covers the disturbance areas created to establish drill road access and drill sites within the Lapon Canyon Project. The Company, when possible, attempts to drill multiple holes from single drill pads on existing roads to minimize the amount of surface disturbance created by drilling activities. This practise has allowed the Company to drill many more holes under a NOI than would be possible if each drill hole was drilled from a single drill site. The Company has secured the required bonding to cover reclamation on the areas of permitted disturbance for the 2019 drill program. The Company can amend the NOI exploration permit over the next 2 years to increase the permitted disturbance areas for additional drill sites and access roads at the Lapon Project. At this time, the Company has planned for an additional 30-hole drill hole program on the project with preparation for drill mobilization and start up well underway. Michel David, President & CEO of the Company says, "We are very pleased that the BLM has extended the Notice of Intent permit for the next 2 years. This will provide the Company with the ability to continue to drill the Lapon Canyon Project, without any permitting delays. In many instances, we have been able to drill multiple holes from each permitted drill site, maximizing our permitted and bonded drill sites without exceeding our permitted disturbance amounts." Mr. David continues: "Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is almost complete. We are now fully permitted for the upcoming 2019 exploration and drill programs that will begin shortly." The 2018 drill program was successful in expanding known gold mineralized zones previously discovered by the Company, including the discovery and delineation of new gold mineralized zones. The drilling also was designed to acquire technical and geological information on the structural trends. This was essential, in the preparation of the up coming 2019 drill program, for planning of drill pad emplacement and drill access routes. The Company's consultant, Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp. ("Fladgate") of Thunder Bay, ON., (see news release 02-28-18) a full-service mineral exploration consulting firm, has completed its interpretation, compilation and update of the Lapon Project's digital database with the 2018 drill results. Fladgate's initial interpretations of the Lapon digital database enhanced the planning, design and success of Walker's late 2018 drill program. The information from the compilation and interpretation of the 2018 drill program will greatly aid in acceleration of drilling, geological mapping and understanding of the gold mineralization at the Lapon Project. Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is nearing completion. The drill program is scheduled to begin during the first week of May. Further updates on the Lapon Project will be released as they become available. Finally, the Company wishes to welcome Mr. Yves Caron, geol (OGQ), M.Sc. to its advisory board. Mr. Caron has extensive experience in exploration and development of precious and industrial metal projects. Yves has also been a board member of several active exploration companies with advanced projects. About the Lapon Project The Lapon Project consists of 96 claims (1,940 acres) situated in the Wassuk Range, easily accessible by secondary state roads from the main highway (25 kilometres). A state grid power transmission line passes within three kilometres of the Lapon Project. The Lapon Project is located within the Walker Lane shear zone, a 100-kilometre-wide structural corridor extending in a southeast direction from Reno, Nevada. Within this trend, numerous gold, silver, and copper mines are located, notably the historic Comstock Lode mines in Virginia City. Also, the past producing Esmeralda/Aurora gold mine, with reported production of some one million ounces and the Anaconda open pit copper mine in Yerington, Nevada. The Lapon Project is cut by a series of steeply dipping cross fault structures cutting across the Walker trend, analogous to other cross fault structures responsible for many gold and base metal deposits in the world. These faults are heavily sheared and altered (sericite, iron oxides) with abundant silica, varying in width from 60 to 300 meters. Four of these structures have been discovered at Lapon, and at least two can be traced for over four kilometers. Small-scale high-grade mining began on the project in 1914. Approximately 600 meters of drifts and raises were developed from two adits and a two-stamp mill was built. Further underground work was carried out, returning numerous assay values in the range of one ounce per ton, with a sample at the end of an adit returning 20.6 ounces per ton. (National Instrument 43-101, Montgomery and Barr, 2004). Additional work on the Project in the following years, included the installation of a ball mill and milling facilities. The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by E. Gauthier, geol., Eng (OIQ) a director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Michel David" ________________________ Michel David, Chief Executive Officer and Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Walker River Resources Corp. Tel: 819 874-0030 Fax: 819 825-1199 Email: info@wrrgold.com Website: www.wrrgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange Nor Its Regulation Service Provider (As That Term Is Defined In The Policies Of The TSX Venture Exchange) Accepts Responsibility For The Adequacy Or Accuracy Of This News Release. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44130 ~Board nominees include Paul Geyer, Jan Lederman & Robert Napoli; Michael Volker and James Pratt to retire from the Board~ VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / TIMIA Capital Corporation ("TIMIA" or the "Company") (TSX-V:TCA / OTC: TIMCF) today announced that its Annual General Meeting will be held on May 14th at 10:00am, at Room C300, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC. Matters to be addressed at this AGM include changes to the composition of the Board of Directors and re-appointment of the auditors. Jan Lederman, of Valhalla Private Equity, Paul Geyer, of Discovery Parks and Nimbus Synergies, and Robert Napoli, of Promerita Capital Partners, have been nominated to TIMIA's Board of Directors and have been added to the Company's slate of Directors at its upcoming AGM in May. Mike Volker, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and James Pratt will not be standing for re-election and are retiring from the Board to pursue other interests. It is expected that Howard Atkinson, a current director, will be appointed by the Board to the Chairman position following the AGM. "TIMIA is at a key inflection point of its growth, and Paul, Jan and Robert will strengthen our board through this next phase of the Company's evolution," said Mike Walkinshaw, CEO of TIMIA. "These new board members bring executive experience from private equity organizations, U.S. public companies, and technology lending, making them a great strategic fit for the Board of TIMIA." Further information on the full Board slate can be obtained in the Information Circular, which has been filed on SEDAR. "Michael Volker's deep expertise and experience in the Canadian private technology company eco-system has been invaluable," added Walkinshaw. "His leadership role in local, national and international angel associations, as well as other angel investment organizations, has provided deep insights into the current status of the private technology company eco-system." "James Pratt provided experience and deeply-valued counsel to TIMIA over the past 6 years," said Walkinshaw. "His financial and operational guidance, through acting as CFO for most of that period, has created value for our shareholders. We wish both Michael and James the very best in their new adventures." Biography of New Directors Jan Lederman Jan is a Co-Founder & President of Valhalla Private Equity and a Director at Genome Canada. She is a past Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Manitoba; retired senior partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, LLP; and a co-founder of Innovate Manitoba, a private sector led non-profit formed to drive innovation, accelerate startup growth, and stimulate access to capital in Manitoba. Jan is an active angel investor and a Director of a number of startups. Jan practiced business law for 30 years and retired as a partner of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP in 2015. In practice, Jan focused on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, startups, investment, and finance. Jan was for many years named to the Best Lawyers in Canada in Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Leveraged Buy-Outs and Private Equity Law. In addition to her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor, Jan holds a Certificate from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and a Blue Belt in Innovation Engineering. Jan was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012 and the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Award in 2002 in recognition for her contributions to the community. In 2018 she was honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award of Excellence by the University of Manitoba. Paul Geyer Paul Geyer is a successful Medtech Entrepreneur, experienced Board member, Angel Investor and Venture Capitalist. Over the past 27 years as an investor and serial entrepreneur, Paul has built several successful companies, including Mitroflow International Inc., Neovasc Inc. and LightIntegra Technology Inc. Paul is well known for his work supporting and mentoring entrepreneurs and future leaders of the tech industry. His passion for giving back is seen in the many board roles he has held, including: Administrative Chair, LightIntegra Technology Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Neovasc Inc.; G7 Fellow, Creative Destruction Labs - CDL West; Board of Directors, Entrepreneurship at UBC; Board of Directors, BCTECH; Advisory Council Member, UBC Engineering, Applied Science; and Industry Advisory Council, UBC Electrical Engineering department. In 2010 Paul was awarded the British Columbia Angel Investor of the year, and in 2011 he received the BC Life Sciences Leadership Award. He holds a B.A.Sc, Electrical Engineering from The University of British Columbia (1983 - 1988) and Certified Director, Certified Director Program, UCLA Anderson School of Management (2006), Canadian Securities Course (1988). Robert Napoli Robert is co-founder and managing director of Promerita Capital Partners, and has twenty years of experience in corporate finance and investment. For the past fourteen years, Robert has focused on subordinated debt, mezzanine and equity investing. He has completed over 80 deals across various industries, including buyouts, acquisitions and growth financing. Prior to Promerita Group, Robert was co-founder and vice president of First West Capital, an institutionally backed subordinated debt and mezzanine finance provider for small and medium sized companies. Robert previously held executive roles in investment management and corporate finance with other leading global and regional firms including Vancity Capital & PricewaterhouseCoopers. Robert is the past President of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), BC Chapter, the middle market deal association for corporate finance and M&A professionals. He holds two Honours Degrees in Commerce and Law from Monash University, Australia along with a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, is a CPA-CA in Canada and Australia and is a former adviser to the Accounting Standards Board of Canada (AcSB) on Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE). About TIMIA Capital Corporation TIMIA Capital Corporation is a specialty finance company that provides growth capital to technology companies in exchange for payments based on monthly revenue. This alternative financing option complements both debt and equity financing, while allowing entrepreneurs and existing stakeholders to retain ownership and control of their business. TIMIA's singular focus is the fast growing, global, business-to-business Software-as-a-Service (or SaaS) segment. We align ourselves with entrepreneurial management teams growing their sales from $1 million to $10 million in Annual Recurring Revenue. For more information about TIMIA Capital Corporation, please visit www.timiacapital.com. For more information, please contact: Darren Seed Vice President, Capital Markets & Communications Mike Walkinshaw, CEO TIMIA Capital Corporation (604) 398-8839 IR@timiacapital.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 news release. Forward-Looking Information Certain information and statements in this news release contain and constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements normally contain words like 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing' and similar expressions, and within this news release include any statements (express or implied) respecting the expected appointment of Howard Atkinson to the Chairman position. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, including, without limitation, the following assumptions: that the Company and its investee companies are able to meet their respective future objectives and priorities, assumptions concerning general economic growth and the absence of unforeseen changes in the legislative and regulatory framework for the Company. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to TIMIA's business. Material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements set out herein include, but are not limited to, the Company having insufficient financial resources to achieve its objectives; availability of further investments that are appropriate for the Company on terms that it finds acceptable or at all; successful completion of exits from investments on terms that constitute a gain when no such exits are currently anticipated; intense competition in all aspects of business; reliance on limited management resources; general economic risks; new laws and regulations and risk of litigation. Although TIMIA has attempted to identify factors that may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, predicted, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of TIMIA. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. TIMIA undertakes no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement. SOURCE: TIMIA Capital Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542251/TIMIA-Announces-AGM-Date-and-New-Nominees-to-Board-of-Directors Simultaneous creation of Global Lab Center of Excellence IRVINE, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Agendia, Inc., a world leader in precision oncology, announced today that it has created a new Center of Innovation and R&D Excellence in the Netherlands to leverage the considerable technical expertise and experience of its scientists, researchers and collaborators in the European market, and to accelerate advancing next generation sequencing technology in the diagnostics space. A strong focus of the Center of Innovation and R&D Excellence will be product support of Agendia's current next generation sequencing (NGS) offering for the rapidly growing base of customers in Europe and Asia employing the decentralized proprietary testing. The current offering of the combined MammaPrint and BluePrint testing addresses multiple treatment decisions for patients with breast cancer. A second and equally important focus for the Center is the discovery and development of additional global service and product offerings using NGS technology. Patient samples for clinical assessment designated for microarray analysis, one of the testing platforms offered by Agendia, will be consolidated in the Irvine, CA laboratory at the Agendia Lab Center of Excellence. In Europe, Agendia will focus on serving customers through in-country testing using next generation sequencing. Agendia has contracted, trained and certified several European sites to perform de-centralized MammaPrint and BluePrint NGS testing. Additional laboratories in the EMEA region have communicated their strong interest in collaborating with Agendia and soon will be able to provide this service to physicians and patients in their respective countries. European customers ordering tests processed with microarray technology will continue to experience the same high level of service as delivered previously as Agendia's Amsterdam office remains the center for physician and patient contact. Mark Straley, Agendia CEO, said, "We are very pleased to strengthen Agendia's scientific legacy in the Netherlands by advancing our focus on next generation sequencing. Fifteen years ago, Amsterdam Genomics Diagnostics (Agendia) was founded by exceptional, world-renowned researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute. We attribute our current scientific strength to our beginnings and we are confident in the Center of Innovation and R&D Excellence to continue this tradition for our future." About MammaPrint MammaPrint is an in vitro diagnostic medical device, performed as a testing service in a central laboratory, using the 70-gene expression profile of breast cancer tissue samples to assess a patient's risk for distant metastasis. The device is FDA-cleared and CE-marked, enabling use in the European Union. MammaPrint is indicated for use by physicians as a prognostic marker only, along with other clinical-pathological factors. It is not intended to determine the outcome of disease, nor to suggest or infer an individual patient's response to therapy. MammaPrint is the only test of its kind recommended for lymph node-negative and lymph node-positive patients by both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). The test is also recommended by many other national and international clinical practice guidelines. About BluePrint BluePrint is an 80-gene complementary gene expression test provided with MammaPrint which allows functional molecular subtyping of a breast cancer sample into three distinct subtypes: Luminal-type, HER2-type and Basal-type, each with marked differences in long-term outcome and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. About Agendia Agendia is a privately held, leading precision oncology company focused in breast cancer that develops and markets genomic diagnostic products, which help support physicians with their complex treatment decisions. Agendia's breast cancer tests were developed using an unbiased gene selection by analyzing the complete human genome. The company's offerings include the MammaPrint Breast Cancer Risk-of-Recurrence Test, and the BluePrint Molecular Subtyping Test, both on microarray technology, whereas the new MammaPrint BluePrint Breast Cancer Recurrence and Molecular Subtyping Kit, is on NGS technology. The MammaPrint BluePrint next-generation sequencing-based kit is a CE-marked device currently available for use in cancer centers in select regions of the world. Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - CFN Media Group ("CFN Media"), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces the publication of an article covering the expansion of Cansortium (CSE: TIUM.U). The company, one of Florida's largest medical marijuana companies and the only one based in the state, with head offices in Miami, is once again expanding its retail presence with the addition of a Knox Medical dispensary in Casselberry, FL. Cansortium controls one of 14 operating licenses in Florida - a state with the fastest growing medical cannabis patient population in the US - opened Orlando's first dispensary in 2017. The company's new location, 10 kilometers northeast of central Orlando, is designed to augment the Orlando dispensary and make it easier for residents in the north and eastern suburbs to obtain medical marijuana, whether in-store or through Knox's delivery service. Focus on Quality, Patient Satisfaction While many of its competitors have saturated the Florida market, Cansortium has taken a far more measured, strategic approach and set itself apart by focusing on high standards and patient needs. Knox Medical dispensaries look more like pharmacies than the head shops which have sprung up throughout the state since the legalization of medical cannabis. Their locations are designed to be highly-visible, easily-accessible, convenient to shop at and get in & out of, and all are wheelchair-accessible. Their interiors are warm, professional, sleek and modern, staffed with knowledgeable salespeople who can guide patients through the process of selecting the right products and understand the importance of safeguarding patient privacy. Until last month, Florida's medical patients were limited to extract-based products, but a 2017 ban on the smoking of cannabis flower was finally overturned on March 19, 2019, meaning that as well as offering derivatives such as CBD/THC oils, vapes, tinctures, topical, etc. patients will now be able to obtain flower through Knox Medical, and the new law allows them to receive two and a half ounces of whole flower cannabis every 35 days. Cansortium's proprietary cultivation techniques give it an advantage over competitors relying solely on legacy cultivation practices. Its cultivation operations and R&D are overseen by a world-renowned PhD agronomist, and its proprietary drying & terpene extraction process requires only six hours per cycle, as opposed to the six days required using conventional methods, while preserving terpenes and whole plant profiles. The company currently operates a GMP-certified 31,000 sq. ft greenhouse and 9,000 sq. ft processing facility, with an additional 187,000 sq. ft. of cultivation space being added in 2019. Casselberry will be the tenth Florida Knox Medical dispensary, with an additional thirteen in development and seven more planned. The Casselberry dispensary is scheduled to open April 12th, 2019 pending final inspection and Cansortium anticipates doing similar numbers to the existing Orlando facility. The Bigger Picture Cansortium also has retail, cultivation, and processing operations in Texas, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, as well as Colombia - the anticipated hub of the red hot emerging Latin American cannabis market. It's recently expanded into Canada, the first federally-legalized recreational market in the world, and a domestic expansion into Michigan, where license-holders are allowed an unlimited number of dispensaries, is currently underway. The company is also engaged in strategic expansions into Argentina, Australia, and the emerging European market - which is expected to outpace the US and Canadian markets combined. Cansortium has a proven record as a successful strategic first-mover in large markets with high barriers to entry, and its extensive regulatory expertise enables it to navigate the steadily-evolving medical cannabis regulatory framework, making it one to keep on your radar as the year progresses. Keep watching this page, or visit http://cansortium.com/ for more information. Please follow the link to read the full article: https://www.cannabisfn.com/cansortium-setting-up-shop-in-casselberry-growing-florida-footprint/ About CFN Media For Visitors and Viewers CFN Media's Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry. For Cannabis Businesses & Companies CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention. Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a company's message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets. Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the world's preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets. Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany Disclaimer CannabisFN.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.cannabisfn.com (the 'Site') is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. CannabisFN.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. CannabisFN.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on CannabisFN.com along with financial and corporate news. The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/ Contact: CFN Media Frank Lane 206-369-7050 flane@cannabisfn.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44148 A well-known market intelligence company, Infiniti Research, has recently announced the completion of their latest market intelligence study for a fashion retailer. The study highlights how the client was able to adequately allocate resources to meet the changing market requirements. Also, the study explains how Infiniti's market intelligence solution helped the client to curtail the losses incurred and enhance their profit margins by 22%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005616/en/ Market intelligence study for a fashion retailer (Graphic: Business Wire) Growing consumerism, inventory management, sustainability, millennial buying behavior, and entry of new players have increased challenges for fashion retailers. This has pressurized companies in the fashion retail industry to leverage a market intelligence study to drive change and flourish in the fast-changing industry. Our solutions help businesses keep tabs on target market segments and track emerging market trends. Request a FREE brochure to know more about our solutions portfolio. The business challenge: The client is a well-known European fashion retail industry player. The company was facing a decline in their overall sales rate along with a dip in the frequency of shoppers. Hence, they decided to conduct a market intelligence study to understand the dynamism in the European fashion retail industry. With Infiniti's market intelligence solution, the client wanted to gauge customer behavior and keep track of market changes. Make smarter business decisions with Infiniti's market intelligence solutions. Request a free proposal to know how our market intelligence solution can help. The solution offered: With the aid of Infiniti's market intelligence solution, the client was able to gain in-depth insights into the European retail industry. The market intelligence study helped the client uncover the reason behind their dipping sales rate. The solutions also empowered the client to adequately allocate resources to meet the changing market requirements. In a span of 4 months, the client was able to curtail the losses incurred and enhance their profit margins by 22%. Infiniti's market intelligence solution helped the client to: Create effective marketing strategies Keep track of market changes Wondering how your business can benefit from Infiniti's market intelligence solution? Request more information from our experts! Infiniti's market intelligence solution offered predictive insights on: Identifying new market opportunities Customizing their products and services Interested in achieving high growth for your business? Get in touch with us to know how our market intelligence solution can help. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005616/en/ Contacts: Infiniti Research Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 844 778 0600 UK: +44 203 893 3400 https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us Oran Muduroglu is appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors Fredrik Brag is reappointed as Median's Chief Executive Officer Regulatory News: Median Technologies (Paris:ALMDT), The Imaging Phenomics Company (ALMDT) announces today that on April 10th, the Board of Directors decided to adopt a new governance structure for Median aiming at dissociating the functions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive officer. The Company's new governance was effective immediately. As a result, on April 10th, 2019, Oran Muduroglu was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. Fredrik Brag will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Median Technologies. By separating the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, the new governance structure will allow Fredrik Brag to focus on deploying Median's strategy to drive the Company to success under the Board of Directors' guidance and supervision. Oran Muduroglu's broad experience and knowledge of the medical imaging industry as well as his vision will be key to the success of Median Technologies' strategy as regards the development, partnerships policy and general business activity for iBiopsy, the Median's imaging phenomics platform, plus the development of Median's iCRO activity experiencing a strong growth. Oran Muduroglu is a recognized leader in healthcare technology successfully building solutions that improve the quality of, and access to healthcare information. He has over 25 years of healthcare industry experience. Oran Muduroglu joined Verily 2017-2018, as Business Leader for the Health Platform activities of the company. Prior to joining Verily, Oran was the CEO of Medicalis, which was acquired by Siemens in 2017. Prior to joining Medicalis, Oran was the CEO of Health Informatics at Philips Medical Systems. Prior to joining Philips Medical Systems, he was the CEO of Stentor, a company he co-founded in 1998, which was acquired by Philips in 2005. In the early 1990s, he served as vice president of sales and marketing at Cemax, an early pioneer in image management and advanced visualization, and prior to that, he was a senior product manager at Toshiba Medical. Oran received his Bachelor of Science Hons, in Engineering, from King's College London. "On behalf of Median, I congratulate Oran for his new role at Median. His great knowledge of our company and of our business sector, as well as his strategic vision and vast experience in setting up partnerships with luminary medical institutes and industry players will be key for Median moving forward. Oran has all the necessary skills to address all our strategic challenges ", Fredrik Brag, co-founder and CEO said. "I am very proud and happy to take on these new responsibilities on the Board of Directors and I would like to thank all the members of the Board of Directors for the trust they place in me", Oran Muduroglu, Chairman of the Board of Directors said. "At the instigation of Fredrik Brag, Median has positioned itself as a differentiated player in medical imaging, positioning itself on all segments in which imaging plays a fundamental role: new therapies development, medical innovation and radiological routine. With iBiopsy, Median is a precursor in its vision of what the most advanced artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies enable for predictive and precision medicine in order to cure patients and streamline healthcare systems with an eye on reducing overall care costs", he added. About Median Technologies: Median Technologies provides innovative imaging solutions and services to advance healthcare for everyone. We leverage the power of Imaging Phenomics to provide insights into novel therapies and treatment strategies. Our unique solutions for medical image analysis and management in oncology trials and iBiopsy for imaging phenotyping, together with our global team of experts, are advancing the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools to monitor disease and assess response to therapy. Median Technologies supports biopharmaceutical sponsors and healthcare professionals around the world to quickly and precisely bring new treatments to patients in need. This is how we are helping to create a healthier world. Founded in 2002, based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, with a US subsidiary and another one in Shanghai, Median has received the label "Innovative company" by the BPI and is listed on Euronext Growth market (ISIN: FR0011049824, ticker: ALMDT). For more information: www.mediantechnologies.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005596/en/ Contacts: Median Technologies Emmanuelle Leygues Head of Corporate Communications +33 6 10 93 58 88 emmanuelle.leygues@mediantechnologies.com Press ALIZE RP Caroline Carmagnol Aurore Gangloff + 33 1 44 54 36 66 median@alizerp.com Investors ACTIFIN Ghislaine Gasparetto +33 1 56 88 11 11 ggasparetto@actifin.fr Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Bayhorse Silver Inc. (TSXV: BHS) (the "Company" or "Bayhorse") announces, subject to TSX-V Exchange approval, a non-brokered flow-through private placement for up to 7,500,000 Units at $0.125 per Unit for gross proceeds of $937,500. Each $0.125 Unit will consist of one (1) flow-through common share and one (1) transferable common share purchase warrant, with each warrant exercisable into one (1) common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.20 cents, exercisable for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. In addition to any other exemption available to the Company, participation in the non-brokered financing is also open to all existing shareholders, even if not accredited investors, under the "existing shareholder" exemption of National Instrument 45-106 as promulgated in Multilateral CSA notice 45-313 in participating jurisdictions. Proceeds of the financing are to fund the upcoming exploration program on the Company's newly acquire Brandywine gold/silver project. An airborne VTEM survey is planned for a nine square kilometer area covering the past historic gold and silver and base metal mining area on the property, as well as the gold and silver bearing massive sulphide exploration target identified by historic geochemical soil sampling and magnetic survey, as disclosed in the Company's news release, BHS2019-08. The VTEM survey will identify targets for a drill program to test the massive sulphide zone at depth. The readily accessible, 1,432 hectare, brownfield Brandywine deposit has undergone several exploration phases including bulk tonnage shipments to smelters, extensive drilling, and extensive geochemical and geophysical studies. (2018 Brandywine Minfile Report) A recent grab sample taken from the recently exposed massive sulphide outcrop, 100 meters south of the Placer Dome's 1989 gold and silver soil sampling grid, assayed 1 g/t gold and 45 g/t silver. Grab samples are select samples and are not necessarily representative of the mineralization on the property The analytical method used for the silver analysis consists of 1 Assay Ton (AT) samples subjected to fire assay with gravimetric finish. Assays were conducted by Christopherson Umpire Assayers of Osburn, Idaho The Brandywine deposit conceptually falls within a class of high gold-silver volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits that include the Eskay Creek deposit of northern British Columbia; the Green's Creek deposit on Admiralty Island near Juneau, Alaska; the Bawdwin deposit in Myanmar; and the Rosebery deposit of Tasmania. This family of deposits is particularly silver and lead rich with important gold, zinc, copper and other metal values. The most definitive indications of the nature of the mineralization on the property are two reported smelter shipments as follows: A 50 ton bulk sample in 1967 grading 83.1 g/t gold, 354 g/t silver, 9.9% lead, 7.4% zinc, 0.30% copper per ton to East Helena, Montana, smelter from the Silver Tunnel and Main Zone (Melling, 1994, Walus2011). A 500 ton sample grading 14.2% lead, 12.5%zinc, 339 g/t silver, and 2.57 g/t gold per ton to the Cominco Smelter in Trail in 1977 (Walus, 2011, Melling, 1994). The analytical method used for the silver analysis consists of 1 Assay Ton (AT) samples subjected to fire assay with gravimetric finish. Assays were conducted by Christopherson Umpire Assayers of Osburn, Idaho. The Company advises that the information is of a historic nature. Historic production estimates and grades reported have not been verified. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to verify the historical estimates nor classify the historic estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Bayhorse Silver Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. Dr. Stewart Jackson, P.Geo., a Qualified Person and Consultant to the Company has prepared, supervised the preparation of, and approved the technical content of this press release. On Behalf of the Board. Graeme O'Neill, CEO 604-684-3394 Bayhorse Silver Inc., a junior exploration company, has earned 100% interest in the historic Bayhorse Silver Mine Oregon, USA. and has optioned the Brandywine, precious metals rich, volcanogenic massive sulphide property located in BC, Canada. The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive exploration and mining expertise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44149 MOSCOW, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PhosAgro and the Siberian Tiger Centre have signed a cooperation agreement. The document was signed by PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev and the general director of the Siberian Tiger Centre, Sergei Aramilev. PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev said: "As one of the leaders in the global fertilizer industry, we are pleased to support projects to study and preserve the population of the largest tiger on the planet. "The Russian Far East, where the Siberian tiger lives, and where we are the only federal fertilizer producer to have an office, is of strategic interest to us. It is therefore a great honour for us to take part in the preservation of its ecosystem." "The Siberian tiger is inextricably linked with the environment of the southern areas of the Russian Far East. The forest serves as home to the tiger and ungulates, and serves as a source of food for both humans and the predator that inhabit the area. Therefore, by protecting the tiger we are not only protecting the whole ecosystem, but we are helping the local population," Sergei Aramilev commented. "We are pleased that PhosAgro will be supporting with us with this difficult challenge. We know that they share our values and now, thanks to their financial support, we can do even more to preserve the environment for future generations. The Centre faces immense challenges and we appreciate the support of all our sponsors, without exception." The Siberian tiger is one of the rarest tiger subspecies, the largest and the only one adapted to life in the harsh winter. It is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the IUCN Red List. Russia is home to 580-600 of these predators living in the wild, which represents 95% of the global population of the subspecies. About the Company PhosAgro is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P2O5 content of 39% and higher. The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P2O5 content of 39%, a top-three producer of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP). PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, 39 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in 100 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia. PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes. More information about PhosAgro can be found on the website: www.phosagro.ru. Revenue of 67.0 million, with organic growth1 of +2.1% Acceleration in Subscription revenue (+11.2%), in line with the roadmap License growth (+6.7%) and Maintenance resilience (+0.8%) Launch of several new technological components of the AMPLIFY platform Acquisition of Streamdata.io, adding event-based API technology to the AMPLIFY platform Regulatory News: Axway (Paris:AXW) (Euronext: AXW.PA) launched 2019 by bringing together its customers and employees at several events in Europe and the Americas to present the Group's mid-term vision and ambitions. These events were also an opportunity to launch several new components of the hybrid integration platform AMPLIFY, which should support the ramp-up of Subscription activities over the full year. Axway aims to become a leader in hybrid integration platforms by the end of 2020 and the Group's investment efforts in Research Development in the second half of 2018 enabled a significant new step towards this objective. In early 2019, the AMPLIFY offer was listed among the best existing offers on this market by a well-known independent research firm. In parallel, Axway announced the acquisition of the start-up Streamdata.io at the end of March 2019, to further enhance the technological capabilities of the AMPLIFY platform. This acquisition allows the Group to offer its customers an event-driven API management offer, capable of handling events and data in real time, as well as a complete digital transformation methodology built around the adoption and maturity of APIs throughout their lifecycle. Strengthened by these developments, Axway will continue to accelerate the execution of its strategy throughout 2019. Technological investment will be maintained at a high level, while Sales and Marketing efforts will be intensified to maximize the adoption of its new offerings by large organizations. Patrick Donovan, Chief Executive Officer of Axway, said: "As we continue to move forward with our strategy, I'm pleased with the initial results of our recent Research Development efforts. In the first quarter of 2019, our innovations enabled us to establish the foundations of our AMPLIFY offer. We are now able to explain to customers not only the capabilities of our platform, but also the roadmap we propose regarding improvements to their existing systems. In the first three months of the year, our signatures were more strongly supported by License activity growth than by the annual contract value of new Subscription deals signed. However, over the full year, the gradual acceleration of our Sales and Marketing efforts should enable us to continue with confidence on the path towards our 2020 ambitions." 1 Alternative performance measures are defined in the glossary at the end of this document. Comments on Q1 2019 activity Axway Software: Consolidated revenue 1st Quarter 2019 (m) Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Restated Q1 2018 Reported Total Growth Organic Growth Constant Currency Growth Revenue 67.0 65.7 63.2 6.0% 2.1% 2.1% In Q1 2019, Axway Software revenue amounted to 67.0 million, representing organic growth of 2.1%. Business growth at constant exchange rates was also 2.1%, while total growth was 6.0%. Currency fluctuations had a positive impact of 2.5 million on revenue for the quarter, while the scope of consolidation remained unchanged. Axway Software: Revenue by business line 1st Quarter 2019 (m) Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Restated Q1 2018 Reported Total Growth Organic Growth License 9.1 8.5 8.2 11.0% 6.7% Subscription 10.9 9.8 9.1 19.1% 11.2% Maintenance 36.2 35.9 34.7 4.2% 0.8% Services 10.9 11.5 11.2 -2.7% -5.1% Axway Software 67.0 65.7 63.2 6.0% 2.1% License activity generated revenue of 9.1 million in Q1 2019 (14% of Group revenue), representing organic growth of 6.7%. Total activity growth amounted to 11.0% in the quarter. License sales momentum, historically weak at the beginning of the year, was offset by the signature of one of the two deals initially scheduled for the end of 2018. The first quarter traditionally offers little indication of annual License revenue trends. The Group recalls that this revenue is likely to vary significantly quarter-on-quarter, due to the progressive transition of Axway's business mix towards Subscription offers. Subscription activity grew organically by 11.2% in Q1 2019, reaching 10.9 million (16% of Group revenue). Overall, activity growth totaled 19.1% for the period. This strong performance is due to significant growth in the annual contract value (ACV) of new Subscription contracts signed in the second half of 2018. In Q1 2019, new Subscription contract ACV amounted to 1.4 million, down 18.5% compared to the high comparison base of Q1 2018 (1.7 million). This was mainly due to the wait and see attitude generated at the beginning of the year by the launch of new technological components on the hybrid integration platform AMPLIFY planned at the end of March. The signature metric, which takes into account the good momentum of License sales and the lower ACV of new Subscription contracts signed in Q1 2019, therefore fell 2.8% compared to Q1 2018. Over the full year, the planned intensification of commercial investment should lead to a more positive trend and the gradual construction of a more promising pipeline for the Group. Maintenance revenue grew slightly to 36.2 million (54% of Group revenue) in Q1 2019, representing organic growth of 0.8% compared to Q1 2018. For the first three months of the year, Axway recurring revenue, which includes multi-year Subscription and Maintenance contracts, represented 70% of Group revenue, or 47.1 million. Finally, Services activity revenue decreased by 5.1% organically over the quarter to 10.9 million (16% of Group revenue). Activity was successfully refocused on higher value-added contracts in 2018, to enable improved profitability in 2019. However, commercial trends remained challenging in the first quarter and confirms the expectation of a full-year single digit decline in Services. Axway Software: Revenue by geographic area 1st Quarter 2019 (m) Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Restated Q1 2018 Reported Total Growth Organic Growth France 20.5 17.3 17.3 18.0% 18.0% Rest of Europe 13.7 14.5 14.5 -5.7% -6.0% Americas 29.3 30.3 28.0 4.5% -3.4% Asia/Pacific 3.6 3.5 3.4 7.0% 4.0% Axway Software 67.0 65.7 63.2 6.0% 2.1% France generated revenue of 20.5 million in Q1 2019 (31% of Group revenue), representing organic growth of 18.0%. This strong growth in sales is mainly related to the high level of License sales and the significant growth in the Subscription activity during the quarter. Rest of Europe fell 6.0% organically over the quarter, with revenue of 13.7 million. (20% of Group revenue). While Subscription activity grew strongly in all countries in the region, this was not enough to offset the decline in License and Services activities. The Americas (USA Latin America) generated revenue of 29.3 million (44% of Group revenue) in Q1 2019, representing an organic decline of 3.4%. This decrease in revenue in the region is mainly attributable to the significant decline in License activity, which was only partially offset by growth in other activities over the quarter. Finally, in the Asia-Pacific region, revenue amounted to 3.6 million in the quarter, representing organic growth of 4.0%. Financial position at March 31, 2019 At March 31, 2019, Axway's financial position remained solid with cash of 45.9 million and bank debt of 45.3 million. Change in the workforce At March 31, 2019, Axway had 1,878 employees (25% in France and 75% internationally) compared to 1,848 at December 31, 2018. 2019 Targets 2020 Outlook For 2019, the Group confirms that it anticipates: A return to organic business growth, that should continue into 2020 and enable Axway to achieve a revenue of around 300 million, An operating margin on business activity of between 8% and 10%, representing a low point during the transformation of the business model, before a rebound in profitability expected in 2020. Financial Calendar Friday, April 26, 2019: Publication of the 2018 Registration Document. Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 2:30pm: Combined General Meeting Etoile Business Center, Paris. Wednesday, July 24, 2019, after closing: Publication of 2019 Half-Year Results. Thursday, July 25, 2019, 9:00 am: Presentation of 2019 Half-Year Results - Cloud Business Center, Paris. Glossary Alternative Performance Measures Restated revenue: Revenue for the prior year, adjusted for the consolidation scope and exchange rates of the current year. Organic growth: Growth in revenue between the period under review and the prior period, restated for consolidated scope and exchange rate impacts. Growth at constant exchange rates: Growth in revenue between the period under review and the prior period restated for exchange rate impacts. ACV: Annual Contract Value Annual contract value of the Subscription agreement. TCV: Total Contract Value Full value of the Subscription agreement including both recurring revenue over the contract term and one-time payments. Signature metric: Amount of License sales plus three times the annual value (3xACV) of new Subscription contracts signed over a given period. Profit on operating activities: Profit from recurring operations adjusted for the share-based payment expense for stock options and free shares, as well as the amortization of allocated intangible assets. Disclaimer This presentation contains forward-looking statements that may be subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the Group's growth and profitability, notably in the event of future acquisitions. The Group highlights that signatures of license contracts, which often represent investments for clients, are more significant in the second half of the year and may therefore have a more or less favorable impact on full-year performance. In addition, the Group notes that potential acquisition(s) could also impact this financial data. Furthermore, activity during the year and/or actual results may differ from those described in this document as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties set out in the 2017 Registration Document filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers, AMF) on April 26, 2018 under number D.18-0393. The distribution of this document in certain countries may be subject to prevailing laws and regulations. Natural persons present in these countries and in which this document is disseminated, published or distributed, should obtain information about such restrictions and comply with them. About Axway Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA), as a software company, unlocks digital experiences by connecting individuals, systems, businesses and customer ecosystems with digital infrastructure solutions. AMPLIFY, Axway's hybrid integration platform, connects data from any device anywhere, expands collaboration, fuels millions of apps and supplies real-time analytics to build customer experience networks. From idea to execution, Axway's expertise in API management, secure file exchange and B2B/EDI integration have solved the toughest data challenges for more than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.investors.axway.com/en or Axway IR mobile App available on Apple Store Android. Annexes Axway Software: Impact on revenue of changes in scope and exchange rates 1st Quarter 2019 (m) Q1 2019 Q1 2018 Growth Revenue 67.0 63.2 6.0% Changes in exchange rates +2.5 Revenue at constant exchange rates 67.0 65.7 2.1% Changes in scope +0.0 Revenue at constant scope and exchange rates 67.0 65.7 2.1% Axway Software: Changes in exchange rates 1st Quarter 2019 For 1 Average rate Q1 2019 Average rate Q1 2018 Change US Dollar 1.136 1.229 + 8.2% View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005642/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: Arthur Carli +33 (0)1 47 17 24 65 acarli@axway.com Press Relations: Sylvie Podetti +33 (0)1 47 17 22 40 spodetti@axway.com A $600,000 prize fund has been announced to support investigative journalists seeking to discover the real reasons for Oleg Deripaska's inclusion in OFAC's SDN list and the imposition of sanctions on companies he founded. Sanctioning Investigation aims to incentivize real journalistic enquiry into the processes driving the imposition of US sanctions, amid claims that the Department of the Treasury and OFAC regularly go beyond their legal authorities for domestic political reasons. Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts consisting of leading figures from the fields of journalism, academia, law and politics. All entries must adhere to the core principles of journalism generally accepted by leading news organisations and professional bodies. A preliminary selection round will identify the most promising investigations, which will receive up to $25,000 in funding to cover their costs. The overall winner will receive $300,000, with $200,000 and $100,000 awarded to the second and third place winners. More information including deadlines, application procedures and T&Cs can be found on the website http://www.sanctioninginvestigation.com/ Information for editors In April 2018, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on industrialist Oleg Deripaska, crippling his businesses and leaving at risk millions of people connected to those businesses. To justify its action, the Treasury referred to a string of allegations against the businessman, but has produced no supporting evidence. These allegations have been continuously rehashed by the media and the authorities without being substantiated or even substantially questioned. The $600,000 prize fund announced today by EMPP Law Firm aims to support investigative journalists seeking to discover the sources of these allegations and the true reasons for the imposition of sanctions on Oleg Deripaska. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005776/en/ Contacts: Mergen Dorayev, +7 (495) 945 51 90. investigation@empp.ru Archival Photos Available With respect to the devastating fire that tore through the Notre-Dame de Paris, National Geographic was fortunate enough to visit the 850-year-old cathedral earlier this year for the most recent season of THE STORY OF GOD WITH MORGAN FREEMAN to get an intimate look at the church and the priceless relic, the Crown of Thorns, which is thought to be the crown placed on Jesus' head during Crucifixion. Fortunately, the irreplaceable crown was saved. For any news story relating to Monday's incident, National Geographic is granting access to THE STORY OF GOD WITH MORGAN FREEMAN footage visiting Notre-Dame from The Gods Among Us episode. Download Notre-Dame/Crown of Thorns Clip: https://rumpus.natgeonetworks.com/_Y0ARoFBdtVMVxR Download Drone Footage of Interior of Notre-Dame: https://rumpus.natgeonetworks.com/_YRCJZ30RVVUVAR Mandatory Requirements: Broadcast use: Either verbal courtesy: Footage from National Geographic's The Story of God with Morgan Freeman or chyron: Courtesy: National Geographic Online use: Must link back to National Geographic: To learn more visit: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/ Download vintage photos from the National Geographic archive, which can be seen in this feature: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2m25d0sdz2jw5p5/GFX-TLA-TEXTv3.mov?dl=0 In addition, archaeology expert Kristin Romey is available for interviews to discuss "Why history says Notre-Dame will rise again" and how "Many historic icons face the same threats as Notre-Dame." About THE STORY OF GOD WITH MORGAN FREEMAN: The series explores the impact of religion on the human journey by examining the aspects of faith or lack thereof that shape us daily. With Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman as a guide, audiences are transported to some of the world's holiest sites to investigate the similarities of religious principles across faiths and their impact on the world. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005815/en/ Contacts: Jennifer Driscoll Jennifer.Driscoll@natgeo.com 212-656-0707 Anticipation Support Builds at RockForALTSO, SweatForALTSO HFA's Spring Fling for ALTSO Last Wednesday, at Proper West, the alternative investment community united at HFA's Spring Fling for ALTSO to raise awareness and funds for long-time industry supported charity A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO). Sponsored by Wilshire Phoenix, Seward Kissel LLP, and AlphaWeek, over $10,000 was raised at the event which will support ALTSO's mission of providing free, high-quality prosthetic limbs and mobility aids to children in the developing world through the age of 21. "Wilshire Phoenix is extremely passionate and devoted not only to helping each of our clients and investors reach their goals but also to giving back. It was our pleasure to have co-hosted such a special event alongside Seward and Kissel LLP and AlphaWeek, with special thanks to Gregg Bateman and Greg Winterton, respectively for their unwavering commitment to such an important cause. Thank you to Tim Seymour for his continued support of ALTSO and to Frankie Edgar, who has a big heart in and outside the ring. This HFA event brought together the financial community to honor an incredible charity and best-in-class organization. I look forward to further supporting ALTSO's CoolKids in the months and years to come," said Bill Herrmann, Managing Partner of Wilshire Phoenix. This event is just one of many coming up globally for the charity. Tickets are available now for UK, NYC and Chicago events, listed below. Sponsorships are also available in all three cities with the addition of new, exclusive branding opportunities on a first come first served basis. For sponsorship opportunities contact ALTSO Executive Director, Gabriella Mueller Evrard at gevrard@altso.org Upcoming ALTSO UK Events SweatForALTSO London sponsored by Hentsu Thursday, May 9th, 7:30pm // Boom Cycle Monument Special thanks to sponsor Hentsu, who is matching every dollar raised to double the impact of this event! ALTSO UK's 2nd Annual Rocktoberfest London Wednesday, June 19th, 7pm // 8 Northumberland Ave Upcoming ALTSO NYC Events RockForALTSO at the Cutting Room Wednesday, May 22nd, 6:30 pm // Cutting Room ALTSO's 16th Annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest NYC Thursday, Oct. 24th, 7pm // Hard Rock Cafe Upcoming ALTSO Chicago Events ALTSO's 8th Annual Rocktoberfest Chicago Thursday, Oct. 10th, 6pm // City Winery The charity's much anticipated, Rocktoberfest events begin in London in June, followed by Chicago NYC respectively in October. Bands for the three events already include ALTSO All Stars, The OverGrouds, Sunday Mornings, The Autopilots, The Cause, The Operators, The Simpletones, The Wrong Boys, Chicago Rock Exchange, and more. Current Rocktoberfest sponsors already include, GlobeTax, Kreston Reeves, SteelEye, and Wilshire Phoenix. Interested in playing at Rocktoberfest? For information on available packages please contact ALTSO Executive Director, Gabriella Mueller Evrard at gevrard@altso.org About ALTSO Since its inauguration in 2002, ALTSO has treated nearly 18,000 children and continues to provide free, high-quality prosthetics and mobility aids to more than 1,000 children annually. When a child is treated under ALTSO's programs, they don't just gain or regain their mobility they have access to walk the average of 3 miles to school each day, to earn an education, gain self-esteem and become independent. ALTSO also commits to providing each patient with treatment through the age of 21 to ensure each CoolKid has the ability to gain high education, vocational and/or job skills in order to ensure the opportunity to earn gainful employment. For organizational and media inquiries please contact: Gabriella Mueller Evrard; Executive Director; 212.683.8805; gevrard@altso.org or: Mitch Ackles; HFPR; 646.657.9230; mitch@hedgefundpr.net View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005864/en/ Contacts: Gabriella Mueller Evrard Executive Director 212.683.8805 gevrard@altso.org or: Mitch Ackles HFPR 646.657.9230 mitch@hedgefundpr.net Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 16 April 2019. PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 16 April 2019 was 24.21 USD 18.55 GBP and year-to-date performance was 40.5%. Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft). Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005928/en/ Contacts: Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989 media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) (the 'Company' or 'Emerald Bay') is pleased to announce that the Company has completed the first phase of testing in the Isabella #2 re-entry well. The first phase included multiple cement squeezes to isolate fluids coming into the wellbore from the previous operator's completions. The Company has drilled to, and tested, the Buda formation at approximately 8300 feet and found commercially viable results. Due to the partnership recently identifying additional opportunities in the area, the next step at Isabella will be to isolate and test the Navarro formation at approximately 6200 feet. The Company has scheduled a large, 200,000 pound, frack to stimulate 25 feet of the Navarro. Further updates will be provided as they become available. About Emerald Bay Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadeloupe, Texas, where the Company currently now owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company. For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at: http://bit.ly/8020EBY For further information, please contact: Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, by telephone at (403) 262-6000 Email: info@ebyinc.com www.ebyinc.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542326/Emerald-Bay-Energy-Completes-First-Testing-Phase-at-Isabella-2-Well Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Reservoir Capital Corp. (CSE: REO) ("REO") announces today that it will likely miss its filing deadline of April 30, 2019 to file its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 (the "Annual Financial Statements") and related management discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), as required by applicable Canadian securities laws. On September 21, 2018, the Company underwent a reverse takeover transaction where it acquired a 60% interest in Kainji Power Holding Limited ("KPHL"), a non-reporting company incorporated in the Republic of Mauritius. KPHL's primary asset is the ownership of a minority interest in Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited ("MESL"). As this is the first year that REO is required to include financial information of KPHL and MESL in its Annual Financial Statements, REO has encountered delays in completing its Audited Financial Statements, and as a result the Company has applied to the British Columbia Securities Commission for a Management Cease Trade Order ("MCTO"). Because of the delays, the Company will file its Annual Financial Statements, MD&A, and CEO and CFO certificates (collectively, the "2018 Annual Financial Statements") after the filing deadline of April 30, 2019 as prescribed by National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102"). The Company currently expects to file the 2018 Annual Financial Statements sometime before June 30, 2019 and will issue a news release announcing completion of such filings at such time. Until then, the Company intends to comply with the provisions of the alternative information guidelines as set out in National Policy 12-203 - Management Cease Trade Orders for as long as it remains in default, including the issuance of bi-weekly default status reports, each of which will be issued in the form of a news release. During the MCTO, the general investing public will continue to be able to trade in the Company's listed common shares, however, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and such other directors, officers and persons as determined by the applicable regulatory authorities, will not be able to trade the Company's shares. REO is not currently subject to any insolvency proceedings. If REO provides any information to any of its creditors during the period in which it is in default of filing the Annual Financial Statements, the Company confirms that it will also file material change reports on SEDAR containing such information. About Reservoir Capital Corp. REO's Vision & Mission is to assemble a portfolio of producing and near-production clean energy assets in emerging markets. REO's strategy to achieve its Vision is to approach owners of privately-held quality assets and offer them diversification, liquidity and exposure to a growing portfolio assembled following a disciplined investment policy. REO's investment policy consists of taking carefully selected minority economic interests in key geographies, targeting regular dividend income over long periods, while offering the potential for capital gain in the medium term. Further Information Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of REO should be considered highly speculative. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the operations or financial results of REO are included in REO's CSE Listing Statement and most recently filed quarterly report, each of which is filed with applicable Canadian securities regulators and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). The CSE have neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. For further information, contact: Lewis Reford CEO, Reservoir Capital Corp. Telephone: 416-399-2274 Email: ceo@reservoircap.team NEITHER THE CSE NOR THE INVESTMENT INDUSTRY REGULATORY ORGANIZATION OF CANADA ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Forward Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this news release contains "forward-looking statements", and "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of REO. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, REO's management expectations that it will miss the filing deadline for the 2018 Annual Financial Statements and the ability of REO to file the 2018 Annual Financial Statements within the time period described herein. These statements generally can be identified by use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intends", "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. These forward looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary include without limitation, risks relating to the preparation and timing of the filing of the 2018 Annual Financial Statements and general economic conditions. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, REO has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation that management of REO will be able to file its 2018 Annual Financial Statements within the time period described herein. REO does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements, unless and until required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in REO's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44156 EDMONTON, AB / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Titan Logix Corp., (TSX Venture: TLA) ("Titan" or the "Company"), a technology company specializing in advanced technology fluid management solutions, announces its results for the second quarter ended February 28, 2019. Financial Highlights Summary (in Canadian dollars) Three months ended Six months ended February 28, 2019 February 28, 2018 February 28, 2019 February 28, 2018 Revenue $ 1,404,828 $ 937,860 $ 2,880,389 $ 1,820,000 Gross profit (GP) $ 760,079 $ 528,888 $ 1,532,346 $ 939,823 GM % 54% 56% 53% 52% Operating earnings (loss) before other items and income tax $ 3,933 $ (155,187 ) $ (201,902 ) $ (406,674 ) Finance income and other items $ 163,330 $ 107,339 $ 323,033 $ 172,733 Net earnings (loss) $ 167,263 $ (47,848 ) $ 121,131 $ (233,941 ) EPS (diluted) $ 0.01 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ (0.01 ) Financial Position As at February 28, 2019 As at August 31, 2018 Working capital $ 10,599,401 $ 10,065,265 Total assets $ 16,671,833 $ 16,750,962 Long-term liabilities $ - $ - Total equity $ 16,260,346 $ 16,139,215 Q2 FISCAL 2019 HIGHLIGHTS Revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 ending February 28, 2019 improved to $1,404,828, a $466,968 or 50% increase from the $937,860 recorded in the comparative prior period. This improvement is primarily due to an increase in demand for the Company's guided wave radar (GWR) product line in the mobile tanker truck market in the U.S. as a result of the increase in oil prices. The gross profit for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 increased by $231,191 to $760,079 or 54% of revenue compared to $528,888 or 56% of revenue in the comparative prior period. This improvement is primarily due to the increase in revenue. In the current fiscal quarter, the Company improved from an operating loss of $155,187 in the comparative prior period to an operating income before other items of $3,933. This improvement in the operating income before other items was primarily due to revenue and gross profit improvements combined with a decrease in sales and G&A expenses which offset an increase in engineering costs. Net earnings after income taxes were $167,263. This compares with a net loss after taxes of $47,848 in the prior period. This improvement was primarily a result of the increase in revenue and gross profit improvements. "Market conditions have improved in the U.S. and we are pleased to report demand for our signature GWR products is up substantially. The higher revenues combined with cost improvements taken over the last several quarters delivered positive results that resulted in higher net earnings than seen in several quarters. We are investing in sales representatives to support our software as a service business model that enhances the value of our traditional sensor technology by providing data to our customers in real time," said CEO, Alvin Pyke. The Company's unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and the management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") which includes the Company's Business Outlook, for the second quarter ended February 28, 2019, are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the Company's website, www.titanlogix.com. About Titan Logix Corp.: Founded in 1979, Titan Logix Corp. ("Titan" or "the Company") is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative fluid measurement and management solutions. The Company's products include Guided Wave Radar (GWR) gauges for level measurement and overfill prevention, primarily for use in the mobile tanker truck market, level gauges for storage tanks, and communication systems for remote alarming and control. Titan's products are mainly used in the upstream/midstream oil and gas industry. Secondary industries for its products include the aviation, waste fluid collection, and chemical industries. Titan's products are designed to be a part of a complete Supply Chain Management (SCM) solution. The ultimate solution consists of Titan's products integrated with best-in-class data management to enable end-to-end Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions for our customers' SCM. Titan Logix Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and its shares trade under the symbol TLA. 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. Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward looking information within the meaning of securities laws. Implicit in this information are assumptions regarding our future operational results. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by the company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned that actual performance of the company is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and could differ materially from what is currently expected as set out above. For more exhaustive information on these risks and uncertainties you should refer to our Management Discussion and Analysis in respect of the year ended August 31, 2018 which is available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on our current estimates, expectations and projections, which we believe are reasonable as of the current date. You should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While we may elect to, we are under no obligation and do not undertake to update this information at any particular time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Contact Information: Alvin Pyke Chief Executive Officer Ph: (780) 462-4085 Email: invest@titanlogix.com www.titanlogix.com TSX Venture, TLA SOURCE: Titan Logix Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/542307/Titan-Logix-Corp-Reports-Fiscal-2019-Q2-Financial-Results Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Pan Global Resources Inc. (TSXV: PGZ) (OTC: PGNRF) (the "Company") today announced the completion of a 2,944 metre program of exploration drilling at its Aguilas Project in Spain. The drill program included a total of 20 drill holes ranging from approximately 100 to 230 metres depth. Approximately half of the drilling was on targets on the Torrubia Cu trend and half along a 4.1 kilometre segment of the Zumajo Pb-Zn-Ag trend. This program included wide-spaced drill holes testing for iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) style mineralization associated geophysics and soil Cu geochemistry targets on the Torrubia copper trend. On the Zumajo trend, the program includes drill holes testing beneath the peak Pb-Zn-Ag soil geochemistry anomalies, IP resistivity geophysics targets and testing down-dip or along strike from the main mine workings at San Juan, San Rafael, San Luis and San Cayetano. All samples are being sent for testing and analysis to ALS Laboratories in Seville, Spain. The company expects final results in May. Tim Moody, President and CEO, states: "With the first round drilling in the Aguilas Project completed, we look forward to receiving the final results and advancing the exploration. The first drill holes on the Torrubia trend show many components of a large iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) style system and drilling on the Zumajo polymetallic trend shows breccia, vein and stock work style polymetallic mineralization extends well beyond the historic mine workings." The Company also announced the grant of a total of 1.73 million options to directors, management, consultants and contractors. The options are for a ten-year term at an exercise price of $0.10 per option share. Qualified Person Robert Baxter (FAusIMM), a Director of Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Baxter is not independent of the Company. About Pan Global Resources Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development. The company is committed to operating safely and with respect to the communities and environment where we operate. On behalf of the Board of Directors www.panglobalresources.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: info@panglobalresources.com Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission. 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/44157 Indian energy giant Adani has urged the Australian government to give its controversial coal mine project 'a fair go' and indicated that the opposition Labor Party would not derail the proposed billion dollar project if it comes to power Melbourne: Indian energy giant Adani has urged the Australian government to give its controversial coal mine project "a fair go" and indicated that the opposition Labor Party would not derail the proposed billion dollar project if it comes to power. Gautam Adani-led Adani Group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north. The massive coal mine in Queensland state has been a controversial topic, with the project expected to produce 2.3 billion tonnes of low-quality coal. ''All we're asking for (is) a fair go and to be treated like everyone else. I think at certain points, that has not been the case. We're certainly not whinging about it. We just want to get on with it now. We want a fair go," Adani Mining chief executive officer Lucas Dow, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He said the sort of scrutiny that the project was facing on the management plans was unprecedented. The Adani project which still requires to clear few more approvals from the Queensland Government, including groundwater modelling, recently received the clearance from the federal government for development. Commenting if the mine project could run any risk if the Labor Party comes to power, Dow said "I think (Federal Labor) has been crystal clear that if they are to form a government they won't be in the habit of creating sovereign risk by ripping up the existing approvals." He said that he was satisfied by recent assurances given by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen. "Shorten and Bowen have been at pains to say...they won't be creating sovereign risk and potential compensation requirements," he said. The federal approval came just before Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the federal election are set for next month. Dow denied directly lobbying with the Prime Minister for the final approval before the election announcement and said, ''We provided updates on both sides of politics, to be able to give people clarity in terms of exactly where our project was up to, what we need to be able to do, to be able to then step in and start delivering jobs for thousands of Queenslanders.'' Meanwhile, environmental groups have continued their campaign against the mine. "We don't really know why these approvals were granted in such a rush," Christian Slattery of Australian Conservation Foundation said, adding "We have big concerns about the integrity of that process given that there was substantial pressure on the minister from other members of the Government." Last year, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicated the party's "skeptical" stance towards the project but said the approvals will not be revoked even if they win. "We don't know what they'll be up to by the time we get into government. So we'll deal with facts and the situation we're presented with if we win the election in 24 weeks' time," he said. "We'll be making decisions at that point based on the national interest. Of course we're not interested in sovereign risk or breaking contracts. We'll be guided by the best science and the national interest." Carmichael would be the largest coal mine in Australian and one of the biggest in the world. The Coalition has been split over the project - rural Queensland MPs have been strongly supportive, while urban Liberals have worried it could damage their electoral chances. The Opposition has been walking a similar political tightrope as it seeks to capture seats in central Queensland while holding off inner-city Greens challengers. Adani said last year it would fully fund the coal mine and rail project itself, but did not give an updated estimate of the cost of the mine. The mine previously estimated at about $2.9 billion. Chinas economy grew at a steady 6.4% pace in the first quarter from a year earlier, defying expectations for a further slowdown Beijing: Chinas economy grew at a steady 6.4 percent pace in the first quarter from a year earlier, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. The upbeat readings, which also showed faster growth in retail sales and investment, are likely to add to optimism that China may be starting to stabilize, relieving some investor anxiety over the sputtering global economy. But analysts say it is too early to call a sustainable turnaround, and further policy support is likely still needed to keep the momentum going. Many had expected a recovery only in the second half of 2019. Beijing has ramped up fiscal stimulus this year to bolster growth, announcing billions of dollars in additional tax cuts and infrastructure spending, while Chinese banks lent a record 5.8 trillion yuan ($865 billion) in the first quarter, more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of Switzerland. We think we need more evidence to call a full-fledged recovery of the Chinese economy. Our view for the economy is still cautious, said Jianwei Xu, senior economist, Greater China at Natixis in Hong Kong. We think it (the stronger-than-expected data) is somewhat linked to the stimulus, but we cant attribute it all to it. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth to slow slightly to 6.3 percent in the January-March quarter, the weakest pace in at least 27 years. Government support measures are gradually having an effect on the economy, although it still faces downward pressure, Mao Shengyong, spokesman at the National Bureau of Statistics, cautioned on Wednesday. First-quarter growth was supported by a sharp jump in industrial production, which surged 8.5 percent in March from a year earlier, the fastest pace in over 4-1/2 years. The reading easily beat analysts estimates of 5.9 percent and the 5.3 percent seen in the first two months of the year. Construction materials such as steel and cement showed strong gains. Industrial output will likely maintain steady growth, with exports expected to keep expanding, Mao said. Chinas exports rebounded more than expected in March. But economists have cautioned that the export gains could have been due to seasonal factors rather than a recovery in sluggish global demand. Tit-for-tat U.S-China tariffs also remain in place, though the two sides appear to be nearing a deal that could end their nine-month-long trade war. The jump in industrial output was also somewhat at odds with trade data last week, which showed imports shrank for the fourth straight month, pointing to still sluggish domestic demand. Improving retail sales Retail sales rose 8.7 percent in March, also exceeding analysts estimates of 8.4 percent growth and the previous 8.2 percent. Sales were led by sharply higher demand for home appliances, furniture and building materials, pointing to strength in Chinas residential property market. New home prices grew slightly faster in March after slowing in the previous month, data on Tuesday showed, bolstered by price gains in smaller cities. Auto sales extended their decline in March, falling 4.4 percent from a year earlier compared with a 2.8 percent drop in the previous month. The fall in Chinas auto output and sales are expected to ease and return to growth, the statistics bureaus Mao said. Fixed-asset investment expanded 6.3 percent in January-to-March from a year earlier, in line with estimates and picking up from the previous period. Real estate investment rose 11.8 percent in the first three months, quickening slightly from the 11.6 percent gain in the January-to-February. Analysts polled by Reuters expect Chinas economic growth to slow to a near 30-year low of 6.2 percent this year, as sluggish demand at home and abroad and the Sino-US. trade war continues to weigh on activity despite a flurry of support measures. The government aims for economic growth of 6.0-6.5 percent in 2019. China has rolled out many policies to support growth - the key is to implement them, Mao said. On a quarterly basis, GDP in the first quarter grew 1.4 percent, as expected, but dipped from 1.5 percent in October-December. Analysts do not expect a sharp rebound in Chinas economy like recoveries in the past, which produced a strong reflationary pulse worldwide, noting its latest stimulus measures have so far been relatively more restrained. Support measures will take time to fully kick in, and corporate balance sheets are expected to remain under stress if profits are slow to recover from their worst slump in more than seven years. The central bank has already slashed banks reserve requirement ratio (RRR) five times over the past year and is widely expected to ease policy further in coming quarters to spur lending and reduce borrowing costs. But some analysts said authorities could be more cautious about further stimulus if data remains solid. Aviation watchdog DGCA on Tuesday asked airlines to reduce fares on ten domestic routes to 'reasonable levels' as ticket prices on these high-density routes have risen up to 30 percent in last one month, according to a senior official New Delhi: Aviation watchdog DGCA on Tuesday asked airlines to reduce fares on ten domestic routes to "reasonable levels" as ticket prices on these high-density routes have risen up to 30 percent in last one month, according to a senior official. Amid concerns over a spike in airfares, mainly after grounding of scores of planes by ailing Jet Airways, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a meeting with representatives of various airlines. Speaking about various steps being taken to address capacity and other issues, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said the DGCA reviewed airfare movement in 40 high-density sectors. A comparison between current ticket prices and those during 7-14 March period, when it was a normal season, was done by the watchdog. It was found that airfares rose 10-30 percent on 10 routes and on those routes, airlines have been asked to reduce the ticket prices to "reasonable levels", Kharola told reporters here. A senior DGCA official said the regulator would continue to monitor airfare movements on a daily basis and also engage with the airline for appropriate action. Airlines were advised to continue to monitor at their level and provide information to the DGCA to keep fares low as far as possible, he noted. "Airlines representative also intimated DGCA that they have removed the few higher buckets from the sale and offering tickets to passengers in lower fare buckets. "DGCA will continue to monitor fare movement on a daily basis and engage with the airline for appropriate action," the official added. According to him, the regulator monitors domestic airfares on a daily basis, particularly on high-density routes and routes where an alternate mode of transport is not available or is difficult. Based on the monitoring process, the DGCA engages with airlines when the spurt in airfares is observed in any sector for appropriate action, he added. Kharola said that around 21 planes are expected to be added to the fleet of domestic carriers by the end of May. Out of them, eight have been brought in since the beginning of March and another three are expected to the inducted in the coming weeks. Without naming any airline, he said that some of them are in discussions with lessors to take deregistered aircraft of Jet Airways. Together, there would be a "good number" of additional planes to meet the peak season demand, he added. Earlier in the day, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu had called for a review of issues related to struggling Jet Airways, including rising fares and flight cancellations. "Directed Secretary @MoCA_GoI to review issues related to Jet Airways, especially increasing fares, flight cancellations etc," Prabhu said in a tweet. Besides asking Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola to take necessary steps to protect passenger rights and safety, Prabhu also called for working with all stakeholders for their well being. The state refiners have not yet placed orders for Iranian oil for May, when the current waiver expires, pending clarity from the United States. New Delhi: Indian refiners are increasing their planned purchases from OPEC nations, Mexico and the United States to make up for any loss of Iranian oil if the US enforces sanctions more harshly from next month, sources and company officials said. All four Indian state-owned refiners that buy Iranian oil are confident of securing additional barrels from other producers, officials from the companies told Reuters. The state refiners have not yet placed orders for Iranian oil for May, when the current waiver expires, pending clarity from the United States. Indias Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) have tapped Iraq to make up for Iranian oil, while Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has signed its first annual contract with US suppliers and raised supplies from Mexico. There will be no supply constraints. The supply can come from both OPEC and non-OPEC nations like the US, said MK Surana, chairman of Hindustan Petroleum Corp, which purchased up to 1.5 million tonnes per year of Iranian crude in 2018/19. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia have gradually tightened supply through 2019 to reduce a global glut. OPEC and its partners may not renew the curbs when they expire after June because of the risk of over-tightening the market. IOC, Indias top refiner and Irans biggest Indian client, will cut Iranian oil imports to 6 million tonnes, or about 120,000 barrels per day, in the 2019/20 period from 9 million in 2018/19, and has raised the optional volumes it can buy from other producers to 2 million tonnes, a company official said. Our optional quantities under term deals are higher than last year. We have optional contracts with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other suppliers... They will supply more if we want, the official said, adding his firm would also buy more US oil if required. IOC also hopes to buy 1.5 million tonnes of Mexican oil in 2019, compared with 1 million tonnes last year, the source said. Jet Airways will be the seventh airline to go down since May 2014 and the 13th one after East West was shuttered Mumbai: With the lenders rejecting a lifeline of Rs 400 crore Wednesday Jet Airways, which has been on a wing and prayer since January, informed exchanges that it is forced to cancel all operations temporarily. The airline will operate its last flight tonight. "With immediate effect, we are compelled to cancel all our international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today," Jet Airways informed the exchanges. "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going... and has decided to go ahead with a temporary suspension of operations," the airline said. Accordingly, the last flight will leave the Amritsar airport at 2230 hrs for New Delhi as per its flight schedule. Since the 25 March resolution to infuse Rs 1,500 crore into the airline is yet to fructify, the once leading airline has been defaulting on payments, forcing its lessors to retake almost all its planes and was operating just about six planes as of Tuesday. An official announcement of grounding of operations is expected anytime now as the Jet Airways board had Tuesday authorised chief executive Vinay Dube to make one last appeal to the SBI-led consortium to get a life-line of Rs 400 crore Wednesday, before taking a final call on the future. Jet will be the seventh airline to go down since May 2014 and the 13th one after East West was shuttered. During the past five years, airlines like Air Pegasus, Air Costa, Air Carnival, Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Zoom Air have all gone belly up even as the government boasts of double-digit growth for more than four years in tow. "The Jet Airways management's request for Rs 400 crore emergency funds has been rejected," banking sources told PTI. A source at the Jet Airways also said the airline was likely to shutter soon as the banks have not extended it the required financial support. "The airline has failed to garner the funds it was desperately looking for to continue operations," he said. The airline is currently operating only five planes from 123 aircraft in the fleet till last December. According to sources, the government is maintaining distance from the Jet affairs citing the matter is a commercial decision of banks. Jet Airways is flying its last flight tonight as it temporarily shuts down operations, according to a company statement Jet Airways is flying its last flight tonight as it temporarily shuts down operations. The airline has put out a statement that it is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The cash-strapped airline is yet to receive a loan of about Rs 1,500 crore as part of a rescue deal with government-owned lenders. The last flight will operate tonight, as the beleagured airline was unable to get emergency funding from the lenders or any other source. Consequently, the 9W-2502 Amritsar-Bombay-Delhi will be the last Jet Airways flight, said media reports. The statement said: "This decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the Company and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from its Board of Directors. "Jet Airways has informed the DGCA, and the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Finance and other relevant government institutions, of this course of action. With deep sadness and a heavy heart we would like to share that, effective immediately, we will be suspending all our domestic and international flight operations. More: https://t.co/SaQ2iwIBRJ Jet Airways (@jetairways) April 17, 2019 "Over the last several weeks and months, the company has tried every means possible to seek both interim and long-term funding. Unfortunately, despite its very best efforts, the airline has been left with no other choice today but to go ahead with a temporary suspension of flight operations, the statement said. Rivals gain from Jet Airways' plight The troubles at Jet Airways sent airfares soaring and its pains were the gains for rival carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet which took over most its slots at premium airports. The formal grounding announcement will lead to exponential spike in airfares amid the peak summer travel demand. Under a debt resolution plan approved by the airline's board on 25 March, founder Naresh Goyal agreed to cede control to the lenders consortium and also resigned from the chairmanship. His wife, Anita, too quit the board. He had also agreed to halve his stake in the airline to around 25 percent. But the 2 April Supreme Court order quashing the 12 February, 2018 RBI circular (which ended all debt recast plans even on a one-day default) put paid to the resolution plan as banks were left with no leeway to restructure the loan and pay the promised Rs 1,500 crore interim funds which would have been converted into equity at Re 1 a share and also take over the management control. Before its last flight tonight from Amristar to Delhi, Jet's fleet diminished to just five aircraft and 37 flights from 123 planes and some 650 daily flights till December last. "This (temporary grounding) decision has been taken after a painstaking evaluation of all alternatives that were made available to the airline and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from the board," the airline said, adding it has informed the civil aviation and finance ministries besides the regulator DGCA, of its decision. The carrier, however, said it will now await the bid finalisation process by the lenders. Earlier this month, SBI Caps, on behalf of the lenders, had invited bids for selling between 32.1 percent and up to 75 percent stake in the airline and the bids were open from 8 April through 12 after a two-day extension. The airline said the expressions of interest were in and bid documents were issued to the eligible recipients Wednesday. Banks Tuesday identified four biddersEtihad Airways, the national investment fund NIIF, private player TPG and another fund house Indigo Partners as eligible bidders who have time till May 10 to submit the final financial bids. "We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company," the airline said, adding it will continue to support the bid process initiated by the lenders. "However, we must also be realistic that the sale process will take some time and will throw up several more challenges for us, many of which we don't have the answers as of today," chief executive Vinay Dube said in a communication to the employees. "For example, we don't have an answer today to the very important question of what happens to the employees during the sale process," he said. Meanwhile, JetPrivilege, the company that handles Jet's loyalty programme JPMiles, in a statement said, "We would like to assure our members that the value of their JPMiles are secure and remain intact as members still have the choice to redeem their JPMiles to fly free across more airlines and destinations anywhere." Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Wednesday it will support the resolution process within the existing regulatory framework. In its first reaction on the latest Jet Airways development, the ministry also said that the DGCA and other regulators are monitoring the situation carefully to ensure that all existing rules regarding refunds, cancellations, and alternate bookings are followed strictly. --With PTI inputs Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube said on Tuesday in a letter to employees that the carrier had stressed to its lenders the need for some urgent funding, critical to the continuation of its operations. Mumbai: Lessors to Jet Airways have applied to deregister another four Boeing Co 737 planes, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on its website on Wednesday, even as the embattled carrier seeks emergency funding from its lenders. Latest analysis of data disclosed by the DGCA shows that Jet Airways lessors have, so far, sought to deregister and repossess at least four dozen of the planes operated by the airline. Once deregistered, lessors are free to reclaim a plane and lease it to another airline anywhere in the world. The moves come even as Jet Airways scrambles to secure emergency funds and its lenders try to hurry through a sale process to identify an investor willing to acquire a majority stake in the airline and attempt to turn it around. Lenders are likely to invite binding bids from four shortlisted suitors, private equity firms TPG Capital and Indigo Partners, Indian sovereign wealth fund National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), and the UAEs Etihad Airways that already owns a minority stake in Jet Airways, local media reported. TPG declined to comment, while the other three did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Jet Airways will be forced to shut down as soon as Wednesday if it does not get emergency funding from its lenders, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube said on Tuesday in a letter to employees, seen by Reuters, that the carrier had stressed to its lenders the need for some urgent funding, critical to the continuation of its operations. At its peak, Jet Airways had over 120 planes and hundreds of daily flights. The airline, once Indias leading private carrier, has been forced in recent months to cancel hundreds of flights to dozens of domestic and overseas destinations. On its website, the crisis-hit Jet Airways disclosed it was operating only about three dozen flights on Wednesday. Shares in the company, which have tumbled about 60 percent in the last year, closed on Tuesday at Rs 240.50 a share. The company still has a market capitalisation of $393.8 million, as investors cling to hopes of a rescue. Indian markets were closed due to a public holiday on Wednesday. Mehul Chokis is a key player in the Rs 14,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam Mumbai: The Mehul Choksi-run Gitanjali Gems, which owes over Rs 12,550 crore to 31 financial creditors and a key player in the Rs 14,000-crore PNB scam, is headed for liquidation as the committee of creditors have voted to end the resolution process citing time over-run. Choksi and his nephew diamantaire Nirav Modi are absconding after the biggest financial fraud came to light in February 2018 and are facing extradition from Antigua and Britain, respectively. Together uncle-nephew duo have defrauded the state-run Punjab National Bank of Rs 14,000 crore between 2011 and 2017, using fake letters of undertaking through the bank's Brady House branch in south Mumbai's tony Horniman Circle area, which is a stone throw away from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters here. The lenders of Gitanjali Gems have rejected a resolution proposal and have voted for liquidation, citing time over-run beyond the 180 days,the company informed the exchanges on Tuesday. The committee of creditors met on 28 March, and with a majority of 54.14 percent, rejected a plea to continue with the resolution process, and instead chose to go in for liquidation, it added. "The 180 days since the resolution process began ended on 6 April. Since extension is not approved by the lenders, the next logical step is to go for liquidation," the company said in a BSE filing. In an exchange filing, ICICI Bank had earlier claimed dues worth Rs 890.20 crore from Gitanjali Gems, with a 7.09 percent voting share in the committee of creditors. Overall, as many as 31 financial creditors have claimed dues worth over Rs 12,558 crore from Gitanjali Gems once owned by Choksi. According to media reports, PNB has the largest exposure of Rs 5,518.5 crore and the highest voting share of 43.94 percent. Corporation Bank (Rs 543.82 crore), and Allahabad Bank Rs 521.81 crore) are among the other major lenders to the jewellery company. The corporate affairs ministry had earlier sought the NCLT intervention to attach the properties owned by Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle Choksi, across the world. Modi and Choksi and their families used to own or control as many as around 114 companies. Sebi is also looking into the matter and the Ministry is also seeking the help of the Central Board of Direct Taxes to ascertain the assets of the prime accused and other related parties. In a departure from his earlier views, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala said the ruling BJP will not get a clear majority in the ongoing polls Mumbai: The poor have not benefited from the bull run in the markets in the past four decades and we need to stand guard against populist moves like wealth tax, veteran investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala said Tuesday. He said the poor, who have missed out on personal growth opportunities, decide governments through their votes and the leaders they choose serve the core constituency. Citing the example of the US, where one of the nominees of the next presidential race has promised to impose a wealth tax, he said, similar moves will be implemented across the world if the trend continues. "We will have consequences which will not be good," Jhunjhunwala said, speaking at the launch of ITI Mutual Fund, the 41st AMC to have set up shop in the country. American president Donald Trump is also a product of such tendencies and is talking of making America great again, he said. Explaining the perils of wealth tax, he said in the absence of consistent dividends, he will have to sell down 2.5 percent of his holding every year to comply with the tax requirements. Domestically, even Congress president Rahul Gandhi is talking about a lot of populist policies, he said, underlining the need to be vigilant. In a departure from his earlier views, Jhunjhunwala said the ruling BJP will not get a clear majority in the ongoing polls. However, it will be a major partner in the next government, he said, adding from an economic perspective, there won't be any veering off the policies as they remained consistent with different governments since the 1990s. Even as markets breach new highs, he advised investors that this is not the best time to invest and recommended a cautious outlook as always the gains are limited when the expectations are high. "We shouldn't be aggressive till the election results," he said. Jhunjhunwala said another factor he worries about is a possible nuclear attack by Pakistan, adding there are enough rogue elements in that country who may not hesitate to use the N-button. The RBI will issue Rs 50 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series bearing the signature of Shaktikanta Das. Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it will put into circulation Rs 50 denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das. The RBI will issue Rs 50 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series bearing the signature of Das. The design of these notes is similar in all respects to Rs 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series, it said. "All banknotes in the denomination of Rs 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender," the RBI said. Reliance Industries will sell stakes in firms that own its fleet of very large ethane carrying ships to Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) for an undisclosed sum of money New Delhi: Reliance Industries will sell stakes in firms that own its fleet of very large ethane carrying ships to Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) for an undisclosed sum of money. In a statement, RIL said its Singapore-incorporated subsidiary Reliance Ethane Holding Pte Ltd (REHPL) has signed "binding definitive agreements for a strategic investment by MOL" and an unnamed strategic minority investor in six limited liability companies. REHPL owns these six limited liability companies which are special purpose vehicles that own the Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs). It did not give financial details of the deal. "Transaction closing is subject to regulatory approvals. Post-closing, SPVs shall be jointly controlled by REHPL and MOL," the statement said. Reliance imports some 1.6 million tonne of ethane from the US to replace natural gas and naphtha as feedstock at its petrochemical plants in western India. Use of ethane, a natural gas component that is produced in large volumes in North America after the shale gas revolution, has reduced the company's petrochemicals feedstock cost by about 30 per cent. It in 2017 began receiving consignment or cargo of ethane from the US. VLECs are used to transport liquefied ethane from the US to the Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Company at Dahej in Gujarat. Reliance, which used 2.5 million tonne a year of naphtha as feedstock in petrochemical crackers, has contracted ethane supplies for more than 20 years from the US. Ethane reduced naphtha usage by 5,00,000 tonne. Ethane is used as feedstock in the company's crackers in Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat and Nagothane in Maharashtra. Reliance had in 2014 ordered building of six VLECs at Samsung Heavy Industries' shipyards in Korea. Japan's biggest shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines will manage and operate the ships for RIL. "Given MOL is currently the operator of all the six VLECs, investment by MOL will deepen our relationship with them and ensure continued safe and efficient operations of the VLECs. "We welcome MOL as a strategic partner into the SPVs as they move beyond the current operator role to the joint owner and operator role in the SPVs," P M S Prasad, Executive Director, RIL, said. Takeshi Hashimoto, Member of the Board, Executive Vice President, MOL said, the investment would enable MOL to add six unique VLECs, which the company has been operating for some time now, as owners to its existing fleet of over 850 vessels. These vessels include LNG carrier, other tankers, dry bulkers, car carriers, ferries, and coastal RoRo ships and cruise ships, Hashimoto added. "MOL has detailed knowledge about these assets having supervised the construction and delivery of the six VLECs and subsequently operating them since their delivery. We are therefore happy and look forward to using this strategic opportunity to be a joint owner and to significantly strengthen our existing relationship with Reliance," he said. (Disclosure - Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd) Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, is in talks to buy stake in Reliance Industries' oil refineries and petrochemical complex, sources privy to the development said New Delhi: Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil exporter, is in talks to buy stake in Reliance Industries' oil refineries and petrochemical complex, sources privy to the development said. Aramco opened talks with Reliance as $44-billion mega refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, where it was taking a 50 percent stake along with UAE's ADNOC, got delayed after ruling BJP-government scrapped plans to acquiring land for the project in coastal Maharashtra. The sources said talks have been going on for few months now but there is nothing concrete that has materialised just as yet. Reports suggested Aramco may take 25 percent stake for $10-15 billion but sources discounted such a valuation saying market capitalisation of Reliance at Tuesday's closing price on BSE was over Rs 8.5 lakh crore, at least half of which or Rs 4.25 lakh crore (about $60 billion) would be coming from refinery and petrochemical business. A 25 percent stake would translate into $15 billion without even considering any premium of giving a firm a foothold into a well-established business in the world's third largest energy consuming nation, they said. Reliance declined to comment on the issue. "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis," a company spokesperson said. "We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under Securities Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations 2015 and our agreements with the stock exchanges". Aramco has on multiple occasions in the past disclosed its discussions with Reliance. The last such comment was on February 20 when its CEO Amin Al-Nasser visited here as part of a high-level delegation visiting India along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions with Reliance first came to light in December when Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih visited Reliance owner and richest Indian Mukesh Ambani. Al-Falih, who has known Ambani for over a decade now, travelled to Udaipur that month to attend the pre-wedding festivities of Ambani's daughter Isha's marriage with Ajay Piramal's son Anand. During the visit, he also held talks with Ambani and he later tweeted: "we discussed opportunities for joint investments and cooperation in petrochemical, refining and communications projects". In January, Aramco CEO met Ambani, possibly as a follow-up of that meeting. Reliance operates two refineries at Jamnagar with a total capacity of 68.2 million tonnes per annum. The company plans to expand its only-for-exports special economic zone (SEZ) refining capacity to just over 41 million tonnes from current 35.2 million tonnes but does not have any plans to set up a new refinery in the country. It is presently focused on expanding petrochemical and telecom business, the sources said. Crude oil is the basic raw material for the manufacturing of petrochemicals. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is keen to get a foothold in the world's fastest-growing fuel market to get a captive customer for the crude oil it produces. Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, and its partner Abu Dabhi National Oil Co (ADNOC) have picked up 50 percent stake in a planned $44-billion refinery in Maharashtra but the project is facing problems in acquiring land due to protests from local politicians. Aramco and ADNOC will together hold 50 percent stake in the 60-million tonnes per annum (MTPA) refinery and adjacent 18 MTPA petrochemical complex planned to be built at Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra by 2025. The two will supply half of the crude oil required for processing at the refinery. Like other major producers, the two are looking to lock in customers in the world's third-largest oil consumer through the investment. Kuwait too is looking to invest in projects in return for getting an assured offtake of their crude oil. Saudi Aramco is also keen on retailing fuel in India. A refinery in India can also be a base for it to export fuel to deficit countries in Europe and the Americas. India has a refining capacity of 247.6 million tonnes, which exceeded the demand of 206.2 million tonnes (Disclosure - Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd) The biggest challenge regarding employment in the country is the gap between demand and supply. Most assessments have consistently stated the increasing unemployment rate in the country. The Azim Premji Universitys Centre for Sustainable Employment has just released its report, State of Working India Report 2019. The report has combined figures of household-level unemployment rate and policy challenges to ensure employment to millions of jobless people. The report is based on CMIE data. The report has used the Consumer Pyramids Survey (CPS) of CMIE which includes income, expenses, savings, borrowings, investments and ownership of assets of households. The period for assessment is from 2016 to 2018, a crucial period for Indian economy because of demonetisation and GST, the two major macro level economic initiatives ever since liberalisation in 1991. The report has highlighted an increasing trend of unemployment from 2011. Both, the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) and CPS indicate a steady growth rate of unemployment at 6 percent which is higher than the decade between 2000 to 2011. The report reveals that about five million people have lost jobs between 2016 and 2018. The rate of participation of the labour force participation in 2018 was 42.9 percent and 52.8 percent in 2016-17. The most disturbing figure is the low labour force participation of women that stood at 11 percent compared to a participation by males at 71.8 percent in 2018. Female work participation rate was 26.9 percent in 2016-17 compared to males at 76.8 percent. Graph 1 indicates share of unemployment among different educated groups (Source: The State of Working India Report 2019) The relationship between education and job skills do not match. There have been reports of persons with doctorate degrees working as office assistants or peons. So skill and capacity hardly match when it comes to jobs. Insufficient employment generation The biggest challenge regarding employment in the country is the gap between demand and supply. One of the reasons for the privatisation of the Indian economy was the demand for employment. It was expected that a free market economy will remove the license raj system and ensure huge employment opportunities. However, nearly three decades after Indias experiments with liberalisation and privatisation, we have still not been able to absorb the unemployed including the educated youth. There has been no formal project in the country to ensure employment to its people. The government can implement target-oriented hunger eradication programmes like the National Food Security Act and to some extent, the minimum income scheme such as MGNREGA. However, implementing a massive employment generation programme is still not possible within the government programme. The State of Working India Report 2019 proposes a universal basic service (UBS) scheme for employment generation. It is a very simple approach which puts onus on the government rather than on the private sector. The report emphasizes on health and education. Interestingly, the reports argument is based on the recent public debate of spending three percent of GDP for healthcare from current 1 percent. There is also a similar demand for spending six percent of GDP for education from the current four percent. It seems that this report wants to give a solution-centric assessment which makes it different from CMIE and NSSO data. The solution which State of India report 2019 suggests is to have a general acceptance (between education and healthcare) since these are two essential services which are important for survival of the people. The fact remains that these two sectors are increasingly neglected in the state and central government budget allocations. Graph 2 explains the trend of government investment on public health (capital and revenue) from 1991-92 to 2015-16. (Source: http://epwrfits.in) Declining capital investment compared to revenue indicates the increasing infrastructural gap in this sector. The private sector cannot provide basic public health on a massive scale. Spending in this sector would benefit the rural sector. Private sector cannot ensure employment generation through healthcare since it prefers only tertiary care and to some extent medical education. There is a huge infrastructural inequality in the education and healthcare sector. So the idea of spending on these two sectors is welcome. However, it should follow a crowding in (private sector investment) rather than a crowding out approach. Access to similar provisions are equally important. Interestingly, the solutions suggested in the report are focused on public investments. It is true that the current economic environment does not support such arguments. The chapters on the importance of manufacturing sector and fiscal policies in employment generation lay emphasis on state investments. This is a fact in a country like India. The report has acknowledged the importance of public investment and also indicates the importance of responsible private investments. It is good blend of Amartya Sens capability approach and theory of cross subsidy for manufacturing development. That is the contribution of this report to the policy debate. ((The writer is Assistant Professor, Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences) Boeing has the worlds most valuable aerospace brand, having seen the value of its overall corporate image rise by 61 percent to $32 billion in 2018 Paris: Negative publicity over the grounding of Boeings 737 MAX jet following two fatal accidents is set to wipe $12 billion off the value of the plane makers brand, Brand Finance said. The UK-based brand consultancy firm updated the estimate in response to a Reuters query after US President Donald Trump urged Boeing in a tweet to fix and rebrand its troubled jetliner. Brand Finance had previously estimated the damage to the value of Boeings reputation at $7.5 billion immediately after the 10 March crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner, the second fatal accident involving the same model in five months. Boeing has the worlds most valuable aerospace brand, having seen the value of its overall corporate image rise by 61 percent to $32 billion in 2018, according to the same branding firm. US President Donald Trump on Monday urged Boeing Co to rebrand its 737 MAX jetliner following two fatal crashes, but the planemaker said it was focused on fixing the problem and brainstorming over next steps to win back public trust. What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name. No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 Airline officials said they have held lengthy meetings with Boeing over the past weeks about how to regain the publics support once the grounded planes are returned to service. A full rebranding of the MAX was not likely, according to a person familiar with Boeings thinking, who noted that renaming an aircraft is a significant undertaking. Asked about Trumps advice, delivered in a Twitter post, a Boeing spokesman said rebuilding public trust was their focus, with pilots playing a pivotal role. Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks London: Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when the government used 35K crores (Rs 35,000 crores) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote in his latest intervention on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 percent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former Kingfisher Airlines boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he makes to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to PSU banks resulted in reports that claim he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first, he questioned. On a more personal note directed at Jet Airways founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination. Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become Indias largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 percent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 percent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the U.K. to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why dont Banks take the money I offered first ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why, Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the High Court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallya's appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a USD 40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regent's Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI) led a consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. After Gujarat, Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for those who lost died in storms in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur. New Delhi: After Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms for three Congress-ruled states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur. "An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur and various parts of the country has been approved from the PM's National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted on Wednesday. The relief for the residents of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur came soon after Chief Minister Kamal Nath accused the prime minister of being partial to Gujarat. "Modi ji, you are the PM of country, not only Gujarat's. More than 10 people have died because of lightning strikes amid unseasonal rain and storm in MP. But are your sentiments limited to Gujarat only? Even if you do not have a government of your party but people are here, too," the Madhya Pradesh chief minister tweeted. Unseasonal rain and storm created havoc in many parts of the country, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Nine people lost their lives in various districts of Gujarat. As many as 16 people died across Madhya Pradesh in the past two days and six died in Rajasthan. Amit Shah also targeted the Congress-NCP combine which was in power in Maharashtra for 15 consecutive years till 2014, when the BJP wrested power from it. Tasgaon (Maharashtra): Kashmir is an integral part of India and it would continue to remain so as long as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) exists, party president Amit Shah said in Tasgaon rally on Wednesday. Shah's remarks came at a poll rally, in response to National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah's recent suggestion of having a separate prime minister for Kashmir. "No one can take away Kashmir from us. As long as the BJP exists, Kashmir will continue to be an integral part of India," Shah told the rally in western Maharashtra. "We will never allow two prime ministers in India," Shah said, alleging that the Congress wanted to separate Kashmir from India. Abdullah's comment that Jammu and Kashmir bargained for a separate Prime Minister and President and hopefully they would have it, has also drawn a strong response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who demanded during a series of poll rallies that the Congress explain its ally's comment. "India is the land of Shivaji Maharaj and its security is responsibility of us all," Shah said. Referring to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Shah said," If there is a goli (bullet) from there, India will send a gola (bomb) from here. Terrorists infiltrating in India will be searched and killed." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked to make the country safe. Through Balakot air strike, we avenged the deaths of our soldiers," he said. "The chant of Phir ek baar Modi sarkar is heard from all corners of the country now," the BJP chief said. Shah also targeted the Congress-NCP combine which was in power in Maharashtra for 15 consecutive years till 2014, when the BJP wrested power from it. "The Congress relegated Maharashtra on development front, while the BJP brought back the state on the path of development," he said. Five generations of Congress ruled the country but did nothing for India, he said. "What did (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi and (NCP president) Sharad Pawar do for the poor in India," Shah said. Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who is undergoing trial in the 2008 Malegaon Blast, has been announced as BJP candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat: Timeline of the case Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 25 April, 2017. It has been republished after the BJP decided to field Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who is undergoing trial in the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, as the party's candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. *** The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on Tuesday. However, co-accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit was denied bail by the court. Pragya Singh Thakur is to furnish Rs 5 lakh bail amount, two sureties of same amount, and has also got to submit her passport to the National Investigation Agency, according to the news agency ANI. In addition to this, she will also have to appear on dates in the trial court. Seven people were killed on 29 September, 2008, at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra. The probe into the blast brought into focus the activities of right-wing Hindu groups. Here is a brief time-line of the events in the case: With inputs from agencies Jyothi Radhika Vijayakumar gained appreciation for her accurate translations of Congress chief Rahul Gandhis speeches in Wayanad on Tuesday On the day when veteran Congress leader PJ Kurien fought an uphill battle translating Rahul Gandhis speech from English to Malayalam in Keralas Pathanamthitta, Jyothi Radhika Vijayakumar gained appreciation for her accurate translations of the Congress chiefs speeches in Wayanad. Jyothi is a lawyer and a sociology professor at a civil service academy in Thiruvananthapuram, according to The Indian Express. She is also the daughter of D Vijayakumar, a Congress leader who contested the Chengannur by-election last year. Jyothis translation of Rahuls English speech in Pathanapuram was appreciated to such an extent that she was asked to do the same for the leaders speech in Wayanad. I constantly watch Rahul Gandhis speeches. I have imbibed a lot of things from him, both political and personal. Thats part of my mental space, what he says and his ideas. I like watching and listening to him. Like listening to music, I listen to his speeches, The Indian Express quoted Jyothi as saying. In the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Rahul is contesting from Wayanad, apart from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. On the same day as Jyothi effortlessly translated his speeches, Kuriens translation from English to Malayalam invited laughs from the audience. The Kerala Congress leader had a difficult time understanding Rahuls words, forcing the latter to repeat lines, according to The News Minute. Jyothi, who is a part of the Kerala Congress social media team, first expressed her wish to translate speeches in 2011 and has been translating speeches for Gandhi and his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi ever since. I can handle Malayalam, English and Hindi, The News Minute quoted her as saying. Translating speeches may not be an easy task. Among the speeches which have been lost in translation include Narendra Modis address during his first visit to Kerala as prime minister, Brinda Karats 2016 speech and Rahuls speech last month in Tamil Nadu. Last month, when Gandhi addressed a rally in Tamil Nadus Nagercoil, his attack on the BJP, stating that the Rafale deal was awarded to Anil Ambani, KV Thangkabalu said in Tamil, Anil Ambani will never speak the truth. In 2014, when Modi apologised in Hindi for his late visit to Kerala, BJPs K Surendran translated it as "I am very happy to come to Kerala", according to The News Minute. Inaccuracy of the literal translation of speeches may not be the sole problem. Having a thorough knowledge of the source language and target language alone is not adequate. There should be an ideological connect. Otherwise, a translator will lose track of the spirit and emotional message of the speaker, The Hindu quoted BJP leader H Raja as saying. As per the notification, the KEAM 2019 examinations have been rescheduled to 2 May and 3 May, 2019. KEAM 2019 Admit Card Released | The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala (CEE) released the KEAM 2019 admit card on Wednesday. Candidates who registered for KEAM 2019 can visit the official website of the board cee.kerala.gov.in to check and download their admit card. They will have to carry a printout of the admit card at the time of examination. According to a CEE notification, the KEAM 2019 examinations have been rescheduled to 2 May and 3 May. Earlier, the exams were set to be held on 27 and 28 April. The results are expected on 25 May. Steps to download KEAM admit card 2019 : Step 1: Visit the official website: cee.kerala.gov.in Step 2: On the homepage, click on the KEAM 2019 link. Step 3: Now click on the link for KEAM 2019 admit card. Step 4: Once, the login page opens, enter your application number and password Step 5: After logging in successfully your admit card will be displayed on the screen. Step 6: Use the link to download the admit card and take a print out for future reference. Candidates are advised to check whether the personal details furnished on the admit card are correct. After downloading the admit card, candidates must keep it safely as they won't be permitted to sit for the examination without it. Nothing wrong in seeking the help of a super-speciality private hospital with world-class amenities and experienced doctors and surgeons, but it did puncture the healthcare claims of the Kerala government. Kerala witnessed an unusual spectacle Tuesday: an ambulance rushing from Kasargode at the northernmost tip of the state to Thiruvananthapuram in the southernmost tip with a 15-day-old critically-ill infant for a heart surgery. In a state notorious for its accident-prone roads and a lack of highways, where a 100-kilometre road trip takes three hours, this was bizarre. But everybody, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, oblivious of the foolhardiness of the act, made it appear like some outstanding feat. Many blindly participated because they were kindhearted: they shared the details on social media feeds, and TV channels spread the news wide so that people on congested roads volunteered to step aside for the ambulance. The state police also chipped in to make the the trip as quick as possible. Even while facilitating the drive, or at least sympathising with the family of the child, some people asked the obvious question: Why the hell were they taking this risk of travelling 600 kilometres on such terrible roads instead of using an air ambulance? If the extraordinary journey was to save time, why not fly? But very few asked the more critical question: Why did the doctors and parents of the child have to go all the way to Thiruvananthapuram, passing through 12 other districts, that too, in a case that even the chief minister was aware of? The real and most fundamental question: Where are the other hospitals? Probably, when notified by some sensible folks, the state health minister asked the ambulance to cut short the trip and go to a private hospital in Kochi. She also promised the family of the child that the state government would take care of the cost of the surgery. It was encouraging that the Kerala government realised its folly midway through the strange road trip after participating in it for a sufficiently long time without any application of mind. Still, when it intervened, it took refuge in a private hospital, thus veritably admitting there were no government institutions capable of paediatric heart surgery in the seven districts of central and northern Kerala. Even in Kochi, when it stopped the ambulance and offered to help, it was not with the support of a government institution. While there is nothing wrong in seeking the help of a super-speciality private hospital with world-class amenities and experienced doctors and surgeons, it did puncture the healthcare claims of the Kerala government. Where were the teaching hospitals in other districts, how come not a single government hospital en-route was capable of handling paediatric heart surgery, which often happens under emergency conditions? Does every child in such condition have to travel such long distances? If the care is offered through the private sector, what exactly is the role of the public sector, that too in a state ruled by a Left party? In January, Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a speech criticised Keralas healthcare sector. Health Minister KK Shailaja hit back with wounded pride by saying that the state had world-class hospitals and treatment facilities and it was even attracting people from across the globe. She also listed the schemes and achievements of her government in healthcare. However, what she hid behind in her statement was the fact these world-class facilities were a property of the private sector. The crazy ambulance ride on Tuesday and her reliance on a private hospital to save the child was an obvious admission to this reality. It was also a clear indication to which way the states healthcare is moving. The child is now being taken care of by the government at Amrita Hospital, reportedly under a scheme called Hridyam which offers free treatment of children with congenital heart disease. A look at the hospitals listed under the scheme shows why a sick child had to be transported under risky conditions this far, and why a single government facility was unable to handle it. Of the seven hospitals empanelled, only two are in the government sector: the Kottayam Medical College and the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute in Thiruvananthapuram, which is a government of India establishment. Obviously, the state government has outsourced the surgeries to private hospitals instead of equipping its facilities and human resources which essentially strengthens the states intellectual and technical assets for common public good. This points to a disturbing trend in Keralas healthcare: its public health infrastructure, which once contributed to the states unique global brand of Kerala Model of Development, is now giving way to the private sector. The state, which for several decades, starting with the princely states of Travancore and Kochi, invested heavily in public health and achieved health standards comparable to industrialised nations, now has one of the most privatised healthcare sectors in India, which various studies peg between 65 and 90 percent. A 2014 state government report (Twelfth Five Year Plan Expert Committee Report) citing the National Health Accounts said the share of the private sector in the states healthcare was as high as 90 percent. It also said that 12 percent of rural and eight percent of urban households had been pushed into poverty because of high healthcare bills. The state has one of the highest out of pocket expenses on healthcare. The present government is accelerating this transition by promoting health insurance which essentially helps the private sector get more business as a study in Tamil Nadu had indicated and outsourcing many of its responsibilities to the private sector. Instead of universal healthcare, which bilateral organisations such as World Health Organisation advocate, the state is pursuing an insurance-driven model. In other words, the government is facilitating the irreversible takeover of the healthcare sector jointly by insurance companies and private/corporate hospitals. This is the same model that has ruined Americas healthcare sector and made it inaccessible to millions of people. A study in Tamil Nadu, which embraced insurance earlier than Kerala, has shown that such a move will only help the private sector and will even affect the availability of personnel for the government hospitals. As the private sector gets bigger and bigger, which the government seems to be facilitating, the public healthcare sector will even struggle to get well trained doctors and surgeons, as the Hridyam outsourcing model suggests. Its ironic that such an accelerated transition is happening during the rule of CPM, apparently a Marxist-Leninist party. In the span of seven days, rigorous efforts were made by wildlife professionals to reunite a leopard cub with her mother. (Above video courtesy of Rohan Bhate) In the span of seven days, rigorous efforts were made by the forest department and NGO wildlife professionals to reunite a leopard cub stranded in a burned down sugarcane field, with her mother. On 9 April, farmers in Satara districts Karad who were harvesting sugarcane found two leopard cubs in the field. On closer inspection, they saw that one was already dead. Seeing the other one alive, they were overcome with fear, and set the field ablaze, causing their mother to flee. After preliminary checks the next day, and confirming the living cubs health status, the district Range Forest Officer (RFO) Ajit Sajane, NGO Creative Nature Friends representative Rohan Bhate and two guards consulted experts, including Dr Ajay Deshmukh, at the Leopard Rescue Centre in Manikdoh, Junnar. They learnt that reuniting the cub with her mother was an easy possibility. The dead cub was taken for a post-mortem, while the female cub, around 30 to 40 days old and weighing two kilograms, was carefully nursed and fed. At around 6.30 pm on 10 April the next day, the group brought a crate and placed it at the exact location the cubs had first been found. Locals were asked to leave the field undisturbed, and infrared cameras were set-up to keep an eye on the cub through the night. That night, the mother came into the field; first at around 8 pm, when she stayed till 8.30 pm, and then coming back for short intervals at 9:30 pm, 10 pm and 4 am. She sniffed around the crate, but left the cub in there. The mothers pattern of visiting continued the next two days, coming and leaving from the same route as observed by the camera, visiting at the same timings, sniffing and staying around but not taking the cub with her. The group speculated that part of the reason for her hesitance was that this was the first time the female gave birth. They remained confident that she would take the cub away, since she visited regularly each day, and decided to make it easier for her to spot her cub. The next day, on 13 April, it rained heavily and the mother did not appear. The group decided to take further actions, removing the crate and placing the cub on a mound of bricks, so the mother could access her more easily. However, while she did not come out in the clearing, they could hear the mother growling as they arranged the new setup. The group collected the cubs urine and spread it around on the bricks where the cub was kept, so the mother would be at ease, guided by the scent. The mother arrived at about 9:15 pm on 14 April. She stayed all night, milking her cub and looking for the other one, finally leaving at around 5 am on 15 April with her cub. *** The area most populated with leopards in Maharashtra is Punes Junnar area, where such rescue attempts have been carried out more than 50 times. While officials here have had cases of leopards needing rescue before (there have been three or four attempts previously), this is a first of its kind in Kurad, involving a cub. The population of leopards is increasing. Bhate finds that "in the last ten years, leopards have been spotted in 39 new villages". For the past two decades, leopards have adapted so that sugarcane fields serve as their natural habitat. Every new generation of leopards instinctually prefers the fields and surrounding civil areas to actual jungles as their home. Sajane cites the example of a leopard who was captured in Pune and taken to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, fitting it with a GPS chip. Following the chip, they found that the leopard had taken to the road, travelling over 200 kilometres in a matter of three to four days, returning to its civil habitat in Pune. The locals are not accepting of leopards in civil spaces and according to Sajane, the highest priority is "to change the mindset of the people". According to him, his district doesnt have any recorded incidents of leopards attacking human beings, and claims that "it doesnt happen". Leopards focus on the easy prey they find in civilisation, including stray dogs, goats and calves. The only solution to this problem, according to Sajane, is making people aware that "they are also animals and human beings are also animals", and that "we have to live along with them". Bhate says that while the forest departments wildlife wing conducts a regular census, the territorial wing doesnt have such records for other areas. They "dont have any records of how many leopards are roaming outside the protected area". Bhate feels that "in the near future, this is going to cause a big havoc", and that immediate expert attention is required to bring order to the situation. According to Sajane, awareness is the main concern of the government, besides setting up rapid response teams. When an incident such as this is recorded, a team strives to get there within an hour, and they have the training to capture such leopards if the need arises. Without modern equipment like tranquiliser guns, the officials are doing their best with the limited infrastructure. Wildlife laws are being implemented more strictly more and punishment is guaranteed. "We are getting results", says Sajane, and adds that "the forest department is very positive", doing their duty and having accepted the fact that changing someones mindset isnt something they are going to achieve in a day or even a year, but might well take generations. While people are sometimes rescuing and helping trapped animals, such wildlife attacks have been reported before, attesting to the rising human-animal conflict and highlighting the need for the urgent spread of awareness. Ever since the Ayodhya movement, Lucknow has turned into a Hindutva bastion. Editor's note: In this series on contemporary history, consulting editor Ajay Singh takes us to places and talks about people who left yesterday's indelible mark on todays politics. In 1967, judge Anand Narain Mulla was sitting in the India Coffee House in Hazratganj of Lucknow, surrounded by friends, when he spontaneously recited a couplet: Voh Kaun hain jinhe tauba ki mil gayee fursat, hame gunah bhi karne ko jindagi kam hai (Who are those who get time to atone, I find my life inadequate even for sinning). Mulla, a learned jurist-cum-poet of Kashmiri Brahmin origin, evoked instant wah wah in response. In the midst of that poetic conversation which usually defined the manner of conducting a friendly dialogue in Lucknow, a friend suggested, Mulla Saab, why dont you commit one more sin then and contest the election from Lucknow? Mulla mulled over the suggestion deeply and said, The idea is not bad. Those were the times when an anti-Congress wave was sweeping across the country. The socialists, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), communist in West Bengal and CN Annadurai in Tamil Nadu had challenged the Congress hegemony. The Congress fielded a noted industrialist and liquor baron VR Mohan as its candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency. Though judge Mulla had no relation with politics and is today better remembered for his indictment of Uttar Pradesh Police and calling it the biggest gang of criminals during his days as a judge of the Allahabad High Court, he finally decided to contest under the pressure of his coffee-house friend circle. He filed papers as an Independent candidate in the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, against the Congress Mohan. Given Mullas love for Urdu poetry and his steadfastly secular credentials, he found himself against the BJS as well. Since the Assembly elections were also held simultaneously, the results were surprising in many ways, said Dr Ram Kapoor, an eye specialist who recounted these political tales with great relish. In the Lok Sabha polls, Mulla won convincingly, followed by the Congress and the BJS in the vote tally. In the Assembly elections, the BJS won four out of five seats of this parliamentary constituency. People of Lucknow were so nuanced and discerning in 1967 that they chose different representatives to Lok Sabha and the state Assembly. The message was clear: Voters of Lucknow cannot be taken for granted. The most distinguished Member of Parliament from Lucknow, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, got this message quite early in his career. He lost from Lucknow twice, in 1957 and 1962, before he could finally ingratiate himself with the electorate of Lucknow in 1991. But he was acutely conscious of his electorates discerning preferences. He used to say jokingly to his close friends, Lucknow ke voter ka bharosa nahi (Dont take voters of Lucknow for granted). Vajpayees consistency in winning the Lucknow seat from 1991 till 2004 was a measure of his determination to keep his ears to the ground. Ever since the Ayodhya movement, Lucknow has turned into a Hindutva bastion. The electorate has been consistent in giving its mandate to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections irrespective of political trends sweeping around it. This part of Awadh region (Lucknow) has cultivated a unique cultural etiquette and social moorings which desist any form of extremism, said professor Mohammad Muzammil, a scholar of economics and great connoisseur of Urdu poetry. In his view, despite radical socio-economic changes, Lucknow has retained the essence of its cultural distinctness that is often expressed through Urdu poetry. Lucknow acquired the status as the centre of political power being the prime ministers constituency during the Vajpayee era and also being the capital of the most populous state but of late that status is substantially affected by varied political cultures. Yet, even a casual conversation with old residents in Chowk, Hazratganj or Kaiserbagh reveals the tenacity with which they refuse to part with the famed Lakhnavi Tehzeeb (sophistication, refinement or etiquette). In this cultural context, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh emerges as perfectly in sync with the citys social psyche. He is contesting from Lucknow again after winning handsomely in 2014. He comes across as a suave and mature leader who consciously shuns extreme ways and uses a restrained language even in political discourse. People of Lucknow seem unambiguous about their political choice. There is no challenge to Rajnath Singh in Lucknow is a common refrain. Having said that, it will be a mistake to take Lucknow voters for granted, as an old Lucknowite cautioned once again. People of Lucknow take pride in their distinctness so much, he said, that they have history of defying the prevalent trend. Reciting an Urdu couplet by noted poet Krishna Bihari Noor, he summed up Lucknow: Main ek katra hi sahi, mera alag vajood to hai, Hua kare jo samunder meri talash me hai (I am a mere drop but I do have a distinct identity, let there be an ocean who yearns for me). Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that onus to prove whether a terrorist camp was hit during the Balakot air strikes was on Pakistan. New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that onus to prove whether a terrorist camp was hit during the Balakot air strikes was on Pakistan. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sitharaman said that Islamabad was making a mockery of itself by taking defence attaches and selected journalists to a madarsa that was not even touched by the Indian Air Force on 26 February, instead of the terror training centre that was attacked. "It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed. They took 40 days to take a small group of journalists and defence attaches and limited that picnic they had of these people only to the madrasa. I am telling you the madrasa was at the lower end of the foothill and behind the madrasa. Inside the dense forest was the training camp. So Pakistan is making a mockery of itself," she said. #WATCH Defence Minister N Sitharaman to ANI when asked 'why is int'l media not willing to believe India's explanation on Balakot': It's for Pak to show that they've not been hit...they took nearly 40 days to take a group of defence attaches & some select group of journalists.... pic.twitter.com/xblwCUUtrO ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 When questioned about the Indian government maintaining silence over the outcome of Balakot airstrike, the defence minister said, "Before the attack took place, many Pakistani websites claimed that the targeted terror camp was recruiting youngsters. The world-renowned notorious terrorist who handled many attacks like the 2008 Mumbai terror attack was calling out to young men to join him. Not only this, recruiters of the terrorist outfit were even hiring retired trainers to train future jihadis. If you look into the websites, you will know how many people were being trained in the camp. So from there, one can calculate an approximate number," Sitharaman said. Talking about her experience of handling the Balakot air strike, she said, "You are not concerned that much about the success or failure of the operation. It is your men and their lives that is the major concern. You just hope that everything goes fine. I got a call at 4 o'clock in the morning saying everyone was safe, and it was only then that I felt relieved." Early on 26 February, 12 Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets entered Pakistani airspace and dropped 1,000-kilogramme laser-guided bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed camps across the Line of Control. In the air strikes carried out at the massive JeM camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, India said a "large number" of terrorists, including top commanders, were eliminated. Amid row over the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing concern at the politicisation of the armed forces, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that credibility of the appeal made was lost after some of the senior retired personnel named in the letter said they neither signed it nor were a party to it. New Delhi: Amid row over the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing concern at the politicisation of the armed forces, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that credibility of the appeal made was lost after some of the senior retired personnel named in the letter said they neither signed it nor were a party to it. In an exclusive interaction with ANI, the defence minister made it clear that she was against the politicisation of the armed forces. However, she asserted that highlighting the strong political will of the government due to which actions such as the Balakot air strike and the surgical strikes took place did not amount to politicisation. "All of us will have to be conscious that we do not do anything which could raise questions on our credibility. Even if one individual has a problem and says that I have not signed it (the letter) or I am not a party to it, then the credibility of the whole appeal is lost," she said. More than 150 veterans of the Indian armed forces reportedly wrote to Kovind urging him to stop the politicisation of the military in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The letter urged Kovind to take all necessary steps to urgently direct all political parties that they must forthwith desist from using the military, military uniforms or symbols, and any actions by military formations or personnel, for political purposes or to further their political agendas. The letter went viral before it reached the President. And as soon as the letter came out, two former services chiefs including Air Chief Marshal NC Suri and former Army Chief General SF Rodrigues denied having given their consent for the letter. "We in the services have always done what the government in power ordered us. We are an instrument of the state. We are apolitical. Anyone can say anything and then sell it as fake news. I don't know who this gentleman is who wrote this (the letter)," General (retired) Rodrigues had told ANI. Sitharaman said that she has not met with any of the veterans who wrote the letter. She underscored that though nobody has stopped the veterans from approaching the President, the timing of the letter was bound to raise questions. "All this gives rise to questions, what is this? who has written it?. I concede that they have every business to write to the supreme commander but I am entitled to my right of questioning it," she said. The defence minister stated that while she agrees with the sentiment that there should be no politicisation of the armed forces, she also believes that it is not wrong to highlight the tough decisions made by the government. "Does this mean the government should not speak about what decisions it takes? Without the kind of political will we had and the way we gave a free hand to the armed forces, was it possible to carry out such operations? After the 2008 attack nothing happened, she said. It is not like everything happened in 2019. The action was taken in 2016 after Uri attack as well, she added. Sitharaman said she was "only highlighting the fact that a government must have a clear mindset that it needs to stand up to defend the sovereignty of the country and therefore, talking about the political will, which made the difference is not the politicisation of the armed forces" The minister said during the political campaign in various parts of the country including Kerala from where she returned on Tuesday, the common people wanted her to talk about the Balakot strikes. "I speak for a while on development or on issues related income being doubled for farmers, sanitation and so on. People from some corner of the crowd would shout Balakot or Pulwama. I dont respond for some time. But then you have leaders on the dais who say that you should speak about it as the defence minister. The moment I utter the word Balakot or Pulwama, you should hear the sound of applause which envelopes the environment, she said. The defence minister underlined that the "mood in the country at present was similar to what it was post the Uri attack." "People were looking up to us. They wanted the government to take action to curb terrorism," she added. The minister also highlighted that unlike the perception that issues pertaining to Pakistan or border don't get much attention down south, youth in huge numbers from the southern states are aspiring to join the armed forces post the Balakot air strike. "I am getting reports that apart from public meetings and campaigning, for recruitment into the armed forces, there is a hike in demand now. People want to join the forces as they see what is happening. In Tumkur, people asked me in Kannada to speak about Balakot air strikes". During the silence period, which usually begins 48 hours before the voting day and ends after polling ends, no active campaigning by the candidates or political parties is allowed, and television or any digital media cannot carry any election-related matter. With the election season in full force, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) keeping a close watch on Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations across the country amid the ongoing Lok Sabha election, political parties and their members are on their toes. Recent bans on politicians for inflammatory speeches and derogatory remarks are also examples of ECI's strict action to ensure free and fair polling throughout the country in the seven-phase election which ends on 23 May (counting day). However, there is another important component of ECI's guidelines to be followed during the election campaign the silence period, which reigns in media's responsibility also. The election silence is a ban on political campaigning prior to voting, to give voters a peaceful time to consider and make a final decision on their vote. What is silence period? During this period, which usually begins 48 hours before the voting day and ends after polling ends, no active campaigning by the candidates or political parties is allowed, and television or any digital media cannot carry any election-related matter. According to The Telegraph, there are many countries which operate a period of election silence during polls, however, the duration of it differs. In some countries, the period starts shortly before the election. For instance, it comes into effect 24 hours before the polling day in Singapore (called a cooling off day), Bulgaria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Russia, Albania, and Poland, and from 2 pm the day before in Ireland. In India, Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 mandates a period of 48 hours until the conclusion of the poll for election silence. In 2016, the commission proposed an amendment to include print media in the ban under, as currently, only digital media comes under election silence observance rule. However, the inclusion of print media under the purview of the Act is yet to be done. Print media is exempt from the provisions Earlier, in 2015, the election panel had to use its constitutional powers to ban newspaper advertisements on a case-by-case basis during the Bihar Assembly elections in October-November 2015. Thereafter, in August 2018, the commission had again raised the issue at an all-party meeting. In January, the commission had written to the law ministry seeking amendments to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act to bring print media, news portals and social media under the purview of the 48-hour ban on electioneering prior to the conclusion of poll. It also sought insertion of a provision in Section 126(2) that will require courts to only take cognisance of complaints made under the authority of the ECI or the state chief electoral officer, regarding violation of the silence period, The Times of India reported. The ECI said it had considered an earlier report of the committee set up to review provisions of Section 126, and was proposing amendments to extend the scope of the 48-hour ban to cover print media and intermediaries as defined in Section 2(w) of the Information Technology Act, the report states. According to The Times of India's report, it further sought to add an explanation clause to Section 126(2) to define electronic media as including internet, radio and television including IP television, satellite, terrestrial or cable channels, internet/digital versions of print media, mobile and such other media either owned by the government or private person or both. Print media, if added, would include any newspaper, magazine or periodical, poster, placard, handbill or any other document. The Law Commission, in its 255th report, had recommended amendments to Section 126, the EC said, adding that even former CEC S Y Quraishi, in a letter to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh in April 2012, had recommended that print media be brought within the ambit of the 48-hour campaign ban. Guidelines to follow during the silence period Recently, ahead of the General Election, ECI put up updated guidelines in accordance with the rules and reasons for the implementation of the silence period. As per the commission's notice, the provisions of Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 inter-alia prohibit election campaign activities through public meetings, processions, etc, and displaying of election matter by means of television and similar apparatus. The purpose sought to be served by this prohibition is to provide a period of tranquil (silence period) for the electors before the voting day. It further says that issues related to an alleged violation of the provisions of Section 126 have to be raised before the commission; particularly on infringement of the provisions of clause (b) thereof dealing with telecast broadcast of election matters on electronic media during the silence period. The ECI letter states that later, for reviewing the working of Section 126 in the context of advancements in communication technology and rise of social media, a committee was constituted by the commission with the mandate of reviewing the provisions of Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and other related provisions and to make suitable recommendation in this regard. The committee, it says, took views of all recognised national and state parties. In the report, submitted by the committee apart from various recommendations, the committee has proposed for an advisory to political parties for every compliance with the letter and spirit of the provisions of Section 126. The commission also called upon all political parties to instruct and brief their leaders and campaigners to ensure that they observe the silence period on all forms of media as envisaged under the Act, and their leaders and cadres do not commit any act that may violate the spirit of Section 126. As per the ECI directive, in a multi-phased election, the silence period of the last 48 hours may be on in certain constituencies while the campaign is ongoing in other constituencies. In such an event, there should "not be any direct or indirect reference amounting to soliciting support for parties or candidates in the constituencies observing the silence period". That is, the commission has stated that campaigning in one constituency going for polls later, should not affect or disrupt the silence period being observed in another constituency which is scheduled to vote in the immediate next phase. Also, during the silence period, star campaigners and other political leaders are to refrain from addressing the media by way of press conferences and giving interviews on election matters. Meanwhile, with reference to activities on social media, while individual accounts on Facebook advocating for a party do not account for a breach of Section 126, the partys organisational handles doing so will bring in violation. A shift in the bank's location is what seems to have transpired, but it is a development that has been outside the ambit of the Gudha residents awareness Women and men, both young and old, of the Gudha village in the Mahoba district of Uttar Pradeshs Bundhelkhand are unanimous in their resolve concerning the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. They have decided not to cast their votes. The reasons, however, are not the usual ones; this intended boycott is not about farm distress, or water shortage, or a lack of development and governance, even though all of those would qualify for Bundelkhand at large. What has tipped the Gudha village residents over is the alleged disappearance of their local bank. Says Budhi bai, a village elder, her voice laced with rage, Our village bank has been functioning for the last 35 years with no problem or difficulty. But now it has disappeared. What crimes have we committed, for this to have happened? Our votes will be registered when the bank comes back. Budhi bai is leading a group of villagers as perturbed as herself, holding banners of protest, all of whom are standing outside the building that used to be the local Allahabad Bank office. A location shift is what seems to have transpired, but it is a development that has been outside the ambit of the residents awareness. With a chunk of the population comprising daily wage labourers, having a bank nearby is essential, sometimes the crucial difference between a day that features all square meals. The bank has now moved to Gaurhari, which adds significant travel time for the residents of Gudha. The sense of betrayal is hence palpable. In the words of Udhav Prasad, If they had any problem, say a need for a new building, they couldve discussed it with us first. We are a big village with about 10,000 inhabitants. Nine clusters are governed under our nyay panchayat. Why has the bank been shifted to Gaurhari village which is under the jurisdiction of a different nyay panchayat? Mohan Lal, another resident, seems to have had a consultation with the bank officials before they disappeared, allegedly overnight, They said there were problems with the office building and we guaranteed to build a new structure within eight days. They had even been allotted land for construction. Chingutta estimates foul play in action. According to him, bank deposits would have run up to crores over the decades it has been functional, The minimum deposits start from Rs 20 and they went up to Rs 500 over the years, and everybody in the village has an account in the same bank. So, there must be some other reason. The jaunt up to the new branch in Gaurhari implies foregoing a whole day in time, labor and wages, he further rues. No officials have yet responded to the complaints of the locals; indeed the only administrative response so far has been the appearance of the local police, who came to remove the protest banners. The BDO (Block Development Officer) Sahadev had a vague response to the questions, There was an order by a circular requiring them to shift. However, we will make sure there is another branch in Gudha again, soon. The functioning of the banking system, especially in the context of last-mile connectivity, has been under duress with the implementation of the governments ambitious Jan Dhan Yojana. In the four-plus years since 2014, more than 310 million people have been brought into the formal banking system. According to the official figures, 99 percent of households in both rural and urban India have at least one member with a bank account due to the scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The push to open bank accounts saw the simultaneous shift of various welfare benefits as well, subsidies and direct benefit transfers linked to bank accounts. And while these have been touted as big successes of the Bharatiya Janata Party government, what has been a mapping and indeed foresight failure is the establishment and capacity of physical infrastructure, and how that did not or could not keep pace with the surge in the number of account holders over the years. On the ground, this has effectively meant huge inconveniences to the rural population, who have to travel far, wait in long queues and deal with a lack of accountability from already-overworked bank officials. According to the Reserve Bank of Indias Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2017-18, the number of new Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) opened in Tier-6 centers (rural centers with population less than 5000) has dropped from 2429 branches to just 626 in 2014-15 and 2017-18 respectively. Reports have also shown that the nature and frequency of transactions in a rural bank are not enough for its sustenance dealing with ubiquitous bad loans a constant item on the troubleshooting agenda. And so it seems that the mystery of the disappearance of the local bank in Gudha village of Mahoba is not a case that is wont to be cracked anytime soon with the ongoing panchayat-level power tussle with bank officials and block authorities, the people of Gudha will need to conjure up a Plan B, and fast. Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand. Villagers in Chutka, Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh are hoping to use the power of the ballot in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to prevent the setting up of a nuclear power plant. 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 *** Mandla: Villagers in Chutka, Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh are hoping to use the power of the ballot in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to prevent the setting up of a nuclear power plant. Their determination is evident in the many posters tacked to trees which state, Vote only for the party that cancels the power plant. This is the story of people determined to fight against forced evictions, environmental pollution and loss of livelihood due to the government for the third time. These villagers were earlier displaced due to the Bargi Dam project and anti-encroachment drives. In 2009, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) decided to establish a 1,400 MW atomic power station in Chutka village and identified the Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Ltd. (MPPGCL) as the nodal agency to execute the project. The project got the in-principle approval from the government in 2011 and was allotted 16.5 hectares of land. This project is estimated to displace 70,000 people in 54 villages in Mandla. The cause of Chutka villagers has found supporters in leading environment activists like Medha Patkar. In a recent news report, Patkar stated that, "Under the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the governor has the power to annul any law that goes against tribal interests; the government is doing the opposite." She even cited a Supreme Court ruling in the case of the people affected by the Omkareshwar Dam project that states, "Payment of compensation does not mean the affected people have accepted the terms." Mandla is covered under the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, where land cannot be acquired without the consent of the Village Assembly. According to activists and news reports, land was allotted to MPPGCL without the consent of the Village Assembly, violating the Forest Rights Act. Patha, Kundla and Tatighat Village Assemblies have rejected the governments proposal to set up the nuclear plant. Locals have also refused the governments rehabilitation plan to shift them to Potla village. They even held Gram Sabha meetings, where their intention of not leaving their lands was openly declared. Dadulal Kudape, a 55-year-old villager said, "Mother nature has given us everything from food to drinking water. We do not need electricity or any nuclear plant. We have been fighting since 2009, but the government has tried every possible trick to displace us. We will continue to demand that they scrap the disastrous nuclear project. We do not need multi-storey buildings to live in because we are happy in our huts. Our Gram Sabha also refused to give consent to use our lands." The villages likely to be impacted by the power station project are located on the banks of the Narmada river, 65 kilometres away from Mandla and 80 kilometres away from Jabalpur, and have rich natural resources. Travelling 70 to 80 kilometres through the dense Satpura forests, it is hard to miss the scent of the Mahua flowers. You can find Mahua flowers being dried in courtyards across these villages. These flowers are used for making medicine and also a form of local liquor. Villagers' lives centre around the collection of the Mahua flowers, along with gathering other forest produce. Agriculture is the main source of income. In May 2017, the power plant was given forest clearance for diversion of 119.46 hectares of forest area by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. These villagers don't have access to proper roads or transport: just one bus is plying from the neighbouring town of Narayanganj. They do not want to pay the hefty price of displacement in the guise of progress. "This is third time we have had to rebuild our homes," said Premvati Bai, 60. "We were displaced from Sarangpur (Bijasen) during the Bargi Dam project. At that time, the government tricked us and our houses got flooded. We built shelters in forest, but forest guards broke them as well. Now, we have shifted to Chutka and are not ready to leave this land." Although the villagers have held steadfast to the claim that they did not agree to give their lands, the state government records revealed otherwise. Answering a question from MLA Ram Pyare Kulaste about this project in the Assembly, the then revenue minister Rampal Singh said that in 2012, 287.21 hectares of land was acquired with the permission of the Gram Sabha. He also stated that villagers in Patha, Chutka, Tatidat, Manegaon received compensation as per the rules. In 2015, the state government deposited Rs six to fifteen into accounts of about 450 project-affected families. Villagers allege that the state administration forcefully passed the proposal in the Gram Sabha in 2012 with heavy police presence and barred their entry. Prem Singh Kudape said, "We tried to enter the Gram Sabha at Patha village, but were not allowed inside. Many proposals were passed in the Gram Sabha following that session against the displacement." In 2012, villagers called for a Gram Sabha meeting and listed 20 demands, including compensation fixed at Rs 60 lakh per acre, five acres of land for every adult, a job for a member of every affected family and 10 percent of the profits of the power station to be spent on the health and education of the affected villagers. Vinod Kumar Gunjam, a 22-year-old from the village said, "The compensation is not enough for us as we have been facing displacement since the construction of the Bargi dam. Why should we pay the cost of development every time? This time we are ready to take this fight to any level, but we will not leave our lands." Lending support, Patkar appealed to the state government to follow the proposal of the Gram Sabha. She and other activists also raised concerns around radiation-related hazards, as the proposed project is located in a seismically-active zone. Rajkumar Sinha, an activist working for the anti-Chutka movement said, "Tribals were not consulted and never agreed to the compensation amount. When they realised the government was duping them, many of them instructed their banks to not to reveal their account numbers to the government. Authorities imposed fake cases against villagers, who are raising their voices to demoralise them. The government is trying to play every possible trick to displace villagers." According to media reports, in September 2018, villagers impacted by the proposed power plant refused to share their Aadhaar details with MPPGCL to receive government compensation. However, MPPGCL obtained this information via banks and deposited the compensation amount directly into the accounts of the affected villagers. Villager, Sharad Yadav said, "People from the block office and bank came to our village and asked us to open bank accounts. They lured us saying that they will give Rs 15 lakh, which was promised by the NDA government. Most of us signed up because of this and after a few months the government credited compensation to our accounts. We are not willing to leave our village for such low compensation." There is some amount of anger and disappointment directed at the current MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, as he has not supported the villagers in their fight. "Our MP was not even ready to accept that we are facing displacement for the third time," said Dadulal Kudape, an affected villager. "We have to struggle a lot to prove that we had been displaced by the Bargi project. They displaced us from Bargi by playing tricks and now the government is trying to harass us. Authorities do not approve our PM housing schemes. We boycotted the Jila Panchayat elections in 2018, but this time we will vote for our demands." Kulaste remained unavailable for comment. Villagers claimed that in hopes of bolstering their cause, they voted for the Congress to bring down the BJP government. They approached the newly-elected Kamal Nath government to discuss their issues with the project via their local MLA Ashok Marskole. The chief minister assured them that the Chutka project would be reviewed, as the state had a power surplus. Nath reportedly said the Madhya Pradesh government decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court regarding the order to evict tribals. He also stated that a special committee would be formed to advise the government on the effective implementation of the Fifth Schedule of provisions. Marskole, who opposes the power project, is determined to see villagers receive their due. "The previous government bypassed laws and tried to forcefully evict villagers," Marskole said. "I am a social worker before an MLA and I know the reality of those villagers. Many people are still fighting for their compensation from the Bargi dam project. Now, villagers of Chutka have to face displacement for the third time. I have approached the chief minister and senior leader Digvijay Singh. Digvijay also wrote to the central government during his Narmada Parikrama Yatra a year ago." Villagers are also worried about the likely adverse environmental impact from the plant. According to a study by Chutka Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Movement, Madhya Pradesh, the plant will consume 7,25,76,000 cubic metres of water every year from the reservoir, which will reduce the total flow of water to the Narmada river. Besides, water waste from the plant could pose a risk of radiation, thus polluting the reservoir. Take, for instance the Rawatbhata (Rajasthan) Nuclear Power Plant, where NPCIL has prohibited fishing around a 12 kilometre radius due to radiation concerns. Geographically, the proposed location of the plant is in a seismic zone posing the possibility of natural disaster striking the facility. This plant is also likely to adversely impact biodiversity in the region. The location/region was hit by the 1997 earthquake and saw minor volcanic eruptions in April 2011. Speaking about the potential environmental impact of the nuclear plant, Marskole adds, "As of now only 10 villages are affected by the project, but once the station is set up, hundreds of villages nearby would face hazardous pollution. We have to protect the Narmada from pollution. The government should explore solar or wind power to generate electricity." As Chutka's villagers exercise their vote, the potential power plant project is likely to determine the future of political candidates in the region. The author is a Bhopal-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters Hong Kong: Govt supports blood donation Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan today encouraged government employees to donate blood to save lives. Mr Cheung and Prof Chan visited a vehicle donated by the Lions Clubs to the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS), parked at the Central Government Offices, to show the Governments full support for blood donation. Since there is no substitute for blood and the shelf life of blood is limited, the BTS needs donors to donate on a continuous basis in order to provide blood supply for transfusions for needy patients," Mr Cheung said. "The total attending number of donors only accounted for 2.7% of the population within the blood donation age bracket in 2018. In view of the ageing population, we wish to appeal to more people to become regular donors." The blood donation vehicle will visit housing estates, schools, community centres and parks in the coming months. The public can also make blood donation appointments online. This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Two University of Bristol academics, Professors George Davey Smith and Michael Kendall, have achieved the rare distinction of being elected Fellows of the world's most eminent scientific academy, the Royal Society, for their exceptional contributions to science. George Davey Smith, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Director of the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC IEU), hosted by the Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences, has led important developments in our understanding of what determines and how to prevent ill-health within society. His research has focused on how social inequalities in health are generated by exposures over an entire life course, and the use of genetic data to improve understanding of how environmentally modifiable risk factors influence disease risk in populations. He has contributed to over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications, and has worked on many international projects, ranging from HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in Nicaragua, research into the emerging non-communicable disease burden in India and studies of socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in health in the USA, India and several Nordic countries. Professor Davey Smith pioneered an innovative approach to epidemiological study, called Mendelian randomization, which leads to more valid inference about the causes and prevention of disease, and is now very widely used in studies internationally. Professor Davey Smith said: "I am honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Working in the field I do is a team effort, involving many people who have skills I don't possess, and our work receiving recognition is a reflection of the fantastic environment for population health sciences that Bristol provides." Michael Kendall, BGS Professor of Geophysics and Head of the Geophysics Group in Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, is a seismologist whose research has led to discoveries in areas ranging from the Earth's crust to its core. He is a pioneer in the application of seismic anisotropy to better understand the dynamic behaviour of the Earth's boundaries on a range of scales. From the Canadian Arctic to Ethiopia, Professor Kendall has worked internationally, providing new insights into the behaviour of tectonic plates. He has spent nearly 20 years working in East Africa, revealing the role of the mantle in the breakup of continents. His breakthroughs have come from an ability to translate discoveries and solve problems across disciplines, including volcanology and glaciology. Early in his career he recognised the importance of human-induced seismicity, working closely with industry and regulators across a range of applications. Professor Kendall explained: "To reveal how the Earth works, I have studied its boundaries but looking across disciplines with a wide range of people has been essential in pushing new boundaries. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have worked with talented young scientists and to have had very supportive and collaborative colleagues. I am really happy to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society." Professor Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, added: "Over the course of the Royal Society's vast history, it is our Fellowship that has remained a constant thread and the substance from which our purpose has been realised: to use science for the benefit of humanity. This year's newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society embody this, being drawn from diverse fields of enquiryepidemiology, geometry, climatologyat once disparate, but also aligned in their pursuit and contributions of knowledge about the world in which we live, and it is with great honour that I welcome them as Fellows of the Royal Society." BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, facing trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, will contest the Lok Sabha election from Bhopal. BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, facing trial in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, will contest the Lok Sabha election from Bhopal against Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the Sangh parivar. A post-graduate in history, she worked with the RSS' student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga Vahini, women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The Indian Express further reports that her father Chandrapal Singh Thakur had been actively involved with RSS. On 29 September, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 injured when a bomb went off near a mosque in Malegaon in north Maharashtra. According to the prosecution, it was the handiwork of a Hindu extremist group. Arrested in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Thakur was given a clean chit by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2015, but the trial court refused to discharge her from the case. Significantly, the NIA had said there was no evidence against Thakur, but the court had said it was difficult to accept NIA's claim that she had nothing to do with the crime, given that her motorcycle was used in the blast. "There is evidence to suggest that the accused number one (Thakur) had knowledge about involvement of her motorcycle," the court had said in its ruling. "[Thakur] had also expressed dissatisfaction about causing less casualties in the blast. Hence, it is difficult to accept submissions on behalf of the NIA and the accused number one that she had no concern with the present crime," the court had also said. The court had dropped the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against her, and she is now being tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in 2017. Thakur has rejected all the allegations made against her in the case and has called them part of "a Congress conspiracy", a claim which has also been supported by BJP. She has also alleged that she was tortured during her stay in prison by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and state police. According to a report in The Times of India, Thakur had given a statement on video over this issue to a team of lady officers from Maharashtra police. Thakur had claimed that "the Maharashtra police beat her with leather belts through the nights, starved her for 24 days without even a morsel of food, gave her electric shocks, verbally abused her and made her listen to objectionable pornographic recordings in the company of male undertrials." Huffington Post further quoted Thakur as saying, "I call Digvijaya Singh dikbhramit because his direction is never right. He conspired against over personal vendetta." Anirban Ganguly and Shiwanand Dwivedi's 'Amit Shah and the March of BJP' narrates the personal and political journey of the national president of the largest political party in the world, captures the ideological world that shaped him and gives an account of the party that he is leading and shaping today. For a leader who altered India's electoral map by leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to successive historic victories post the May 2014 general elections, there is very little that is recorded or narrated. Anirban Ganguly and Shiwanand Dwivedi's Amit Shah and the March of BJP narrates the personal and political journey of the national president of the largest political party in the world, captures the ideological world that shaped him and gives an account of the party that he is leading and shaping today. To the political worker, the observer and to anyone even remotely interested in Indian politics, irrespective of their profession or political leaning, especially since the unfolding of Indian politics in the summer of 2014, this is an exploration of the political life and journey of one of its central characters. Amit Shah and the March of BJP is published in India by Bloomsbury. The following is an excerpt from the book. *** Amit Shahs arrival in UP in 2013, as national general secretary proved providential and turned the hope of forming a government in Delhi by winning UP into a reality. However, it was also true that Amit Shahs knowledge about UP in the initial days, before this, was akin to the knowledge that leaders of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu would perhaps have of the politics of a state like Kashmir. He was practically unaware of UPs political parties, its society and the role and behaviour of castes in the states complex political arena. For Amit Shah, the expert in micromanaging elections, UP was a tough challenge. The party and its workers in the state, faced with continuous defeat and organisational failure had turned despondent. Shah had a few niggling questions when he surveyed the scene in the state. Why was the party in such a condition in the state? The more he tried to free himself from the question, the more did the matter seize him. Trying to alter the situation in the state would be like trying to erect walls on a foundation of sand, but despite this Shah was determined to work for a massive turnaround for the party in the state. He took up the challenge head on. It was September 2010 and Amit Shah was on his first visit to Varanasi. At that time he was neither the partys national president, nor its general secretary and he had no connection whatsoever with UP. His sole identity then, in those crucial years, was that of a Gujarat BJP MLA and a former state minister who led a secluded existence in Delhi because of a direction by the Supreme Court. The same evening, having attended the sacred Mangala Aarti of Lord Vishwanath, Shah joined the Ganga aarti like any other ordinary devotee. Later, that evening, he was to undergo a strange experience while walking along the timeless bank of Ganga and looking at the ripples. Shah felt strange ripples rising within himself, these were waves of thoughts, of a deep inward rumination of which he had no inkling, it was a state of being which he had never experienced before. A cycle of certain fundamental questions on the civilisational, spiritual, religious and defining spirit and dimension of the sacred and immortal city of Varanasi began spiraling within him. Certain questions began haunting him: Why is this immortal city in such a state of degeneration? Is the lap of Mother Ganga only meant to dump the dirt that others generate? Is it the fate of these Ghats to be forever infested with flies and garbage? Ganga is not merely a river, she is the giver of life, a mere look at her dissolves sin, she is the lifeline of our society. What have we done to her? She needed to be saved. Is it the fate of this eternal city of spirituality to be forever assaulted by neglect and corruption in the name of development? It was an experience that left a deep imprint on his psyche. After all what had happened to this state? To this city? Shah was agitated, the misery appalled him. Shah had no inkling of the future. There was nothing at that time that bound him to Kashi (Varanasi). He had no elections or electoral politics in mind at that point in time. In fact, his mind was far removed from these. There 187 was no possibility then of Narendra Modi becoming the partys prime ministerial candidate. Yet Shahs heart had hitched itself to the city, the thought of its plight was gnawing at him from within. It was as if he had to repay a debt to the city of Kashi. Shah told one of his confidantes, As soon as I get a chance, I will do something for this city and this state. Seeing the condition of the party, Shah had come to the conclusion that it had to be liberated from a leadership Shahs Mission UP 188 Amit Shah and the March of BJP which was becoming irrelevant and lacked a base, and in its place a new leadership base would have to be created. The backward castes which were at the forefront of this polarisation also needed an effective leadership in order to bring about an actual social change on the ground. A new organisational structure would have to be built at the booth level and the focus and strategy should be not on winning elections but on winning booths. The agenda of Hindutva would have to be linked to social engineering. It is with the threads of these elements that Shah tied the knot of his resolve for winning UP, Uttar Pradesh Sankalp. He knew well that the road to Delhi passed through Lucknow. By June 2013, the ineffective and confused UPA 2 was moving towards completing its term. The goals that Shah had in mind for the state were about to change the trajectory of Indian politics. Sitting at the then dilapidated party office in Lucknow, Shah got busy drawing up strategies and battle plans that would eventually have effects which were then beyond the imagination of his competitors and adversaries. When Amit Shah visited UP on 12 June 2013, he had less than a year left for the mega elections of 2014. Views and counter views were flying thick and fast about Shahs inexperience of UP politics, with many doubting whether he would be able to spearhead Narendra Modis campaign. Shahs personality unfolded along with his political training. It would be interesting to mention here that Shah's active association with politics began in 1977, to be precise, when at the age of thirteen he had set out to campaign and stick posters for the formidable Sardar Patels daughter and sometime secretary, Maniben Vallabhbhai Patel (1903-1990), who stood for elections in protest against the Emergency and Indiras excesses. Shahs eyes were set on his target like Arjuns in the epic Mahabharata was stuck on the birds eye at which he had to aim his arrow. A target of recruiting full-time workers for every booth was set and completed. A communication channel through these workers was put in place. They were directed to be in daily contact Shahs Mission UP 192 Amit Shah and the March of BJP with the core team at Lucknow and to continuously provide inputs and feedback from the ground. In each assembly segment, groups of workers were formed. When the results of the Lok Sabha elections were declared on 16 May, by winning seventy-one seats from the state, the BJP had achieved an unparalleled feat. It had polled 42.3 per cent of the votes, which was 24.8 per cent more than the 2009 figure. Amidst all the euphoria and praise, one question that was repeatedly asked was how did Amit Shah so accurately analyse the situation in UP and feel its pulse just within a year? In fact, without wasting a single minute, Shah had visited almost all fifty-two districts as soon as he had taken over the reins in UP, travelling for 142 days at a stretch. Travelling about 93,000 kms, Shah drew up a detailed contact and communication campaign for booth workers across all the Lok Sabha seats in the state. Prime Minister Modi counters punches on nationalism, Rafale, Ram Mandir and demonetisation with the skills of a heavyweight boxer in a hard-talking interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi Sreemoy Talukdar Like a boxer before a prize fight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in, well, prime condition. Hes got the footwork, punches, feints and the hunger. And the reach. A hard-talking interview conducted by Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi has framed the fighter in fearful symmetry, catching the way Modi sets the agenda even as he weaves and sidesteps questions and issues intended to discomfit him. On the tricky ground of demonetisation, the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) nationalism agenda, Ram Mandir, Congress allegations on graft and subversion of institutions and party patriarch LK Advanis jibes, Modi kept his balance and managed to manoeuvre the narrative to a way that suits him. Most of the responses were aggressive, indicating a measure of self-confidence. The interview also showcased Modis communication skills. Apart from oratorical tools such as tailoring tone, module, delivery and rhetoric in accordance with the audience, using the correct body language, language and clever use of semantics, Modi also did something that is unique to good public speakers. He uncovered hidden connectionsin not too overt a mannerand let the audience reach conclusions. For instance, take the hard, direct question on the Rafale deal, where the Oppositionread Congresshas alleged massive financial irregularities. Aware that the BJP enjoys a high degree of trust compared to the Congress when it comes to corruption, Modi went on the offensive. I have been in public life for years. I was chief minister of a state. Even the leader of Opposition, from the Congress, said you cant accuse Modi of corruption. So, however hard they try, the people of India will never accept lies That wasnt the half of it. Modi went on to describe the Congresss Rafale campaign as a failed attempt to wash the Bofors stain by creating a false equivalence. He (Rahul Gandhi) wanted to wash the Bofors stain on his father by raising Rafale. The Congress has been destroyed by defence scams. So, they try to make the same allegations against all governments. The Bofors-Rafale connection has figured in the media before, mostly suggesting the fighter deal could be Modis Waterloo, but the twist lay in shifting the narrative to allegations against Rahuls father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The message is that a member of a family that has faced corruption allegations is in no position to take a position on it, especially against someone who enjoys a high degree of public faith. This argument is persuasive precisely because it suggests a different perspective. On the Advani blog, where the superannuated patriarch took a potshot at Modi and warned the BJP against painting political rivals as anti-nationals, Modi referred to the Congresss abuse of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as traitor to suggest that the margdarshak chief was merely reiterating the BJP line. It wasnt utterly convincing, but it was a deft move out of a tight corner. Modis definition of nationalism was interesting. He sought to place his partys poll agenda within a larger context where nationalism is a dynamic concept signifying a greater public good, and therefore the Opposition charge that the BJP is trying to deflect from the real issues is blunted. If I try to deliver a clean India, isnt that nationalism? If I put a roof over the heads of the poor, isnt that nationalism? If the poor dont have the money for treatment in hospital and face death, is that nationalism? What is nationalism? If I can provide opportunities to people to improve their lives, that in my view is nationalism. And if that is the definition of nationalism, then we are nationalists. The binary is laid out in a way that opposing this all-pervasive, dynamic concept of nationalism may well result in the Opposition walking into the anti-national trap. Modi is also a master at changing the narrative while retaining credibility. In Indian politics, socialism and its ham-handed ways of bringing equality (that ends up doing the opposite) still sells. Modi is no Margaret Thatcher or Ronald Reagan, and he doesnt strive to be a PV Narasimha Rao. He is, however, a pragmatist and is aware that doles and entitlements such as Congresss Nyay (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme may be unimplementable and bad for the economy but have potential as a political tool. He challenged the very credibility of the Congress in delivering the concept of nyay, or justice, by recounting numerous incidents where the party, as the power in the Centre, failed to deliver justice. He also pointed out that Congresss tagline Ab hoga nyay (Now, there will be justice) is an admission that they have done injustice during the last 60 years of being in power. When they talk about nyay, what about justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots? What about nyay for the victims of triple talaq? What about the farmers of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh who were promised loan waivers? In his reference to victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, space scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was framed in a false case and jailed, the Samjhauta Express blast, which saw the coinage of the term Hindu terror, the treatment meted out to former Prime Minister Rao, and allusions to BR Ambedkar, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as men who are also seeking justice for not being given a proper place in history, Modis punch was ready. The call for nyay is coming from every corner of this country. I dont believe they are capable of delivering justice. If this exemplifies how Modi shifts narratives, his reference to Mayawati showcases use of realpolitik. The BSP chiefs recent comments during a rally where she asked Muslims to vote for her party has raised the political temperature, but Modi went noticeably soft on Mayawati, holding his haymakers for the self-claimed narrative-setters. It is unsurprising that Mayawati is making such statements as she is facing defeat. She is appealing to Muslims to specifically vote for her. I am more worried about the secular brigade Had someone made such an appeal to Hindus, they would have expressed outrage. The award wapsi gang would have returned their awards and a signature campaign would have started. Why is this group silent? The biggest threat to India is these people who hide behind the mask of secularism There are two attempts being made here. One, a window of opportunity is being kept open for a post-poll scenario should the BJP and its pre-poll allies fall short of its target. The BSP having done business with the NDA before, albeit during another era, Modi considers Behen-ji a potential ally. Two, his real ire is directed against the torchbearers of secularism in India who, he believes, have changed the meaning of the word secular into appeasement and it is time this narrative is reclaimed. This deftness was also evident when fielding a question on a Ram temple. He avoided the commitment trap and kept it open-ended while not forgetting to take a dig at the media for repeatedly raking it up. When we speak about it, they say, You have no issue, but Hindutva. When we stay silent on it, they say, Why dont you speak on Ram mandir? In this, and while defending demonetisation as a policy masterstroke instead of a ham-handed blunder, renaming of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath as Bhrasht Nath (ostensibly referring to the income tax raids) as well as raising questions against Rahuls decision to contest from Wayanad while running away from Amethi (an incorrect charge), Modi showed that he retains his ability to shape the conversation. The slugging has begun in right earnest, and Modi has shown that he will stand toe-to-toe with his opponents and trade blow for blow. DMK leader Kanimozhi was present during the I-T department raids at her Thoothukudi house and cooperated with the team, which left her house after finding nothing. Income Tax Department and the Election Commission's flying squad returned empty handed after raiding Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) leader Kanimozhi's home at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, on a tip-off that turned out to be a "false one", reports say. The raids were carried out the same day the Election Commission escalated the recovery of Rs 11.50 crore in cash at a DMK candidate's house to President Ram Nath Kovind and got the Vellore Lok Sabha polls cancelled. Every other constituency in Tamil Nadu will vote on Thursday, 18 April, in Phase 2 of the election. NDTV and The Indian Express both quoted sources as having said that the intelligence inputs I-T sleuths had received appeared "incorrect". No case has been registered against Kanimozhi either. ANI had reported of allegations that "lots of cash" was stashed on the first floor of her house in Thoothukudi. Kanimozhi was present during the raids and cooperated with the team, which left her home after finding nothing. Protests by DMK workers erupted across Thoothukudi as soon as news of the I-T raids spread. Many protesters also gathered near Kanimozhi's house and shouted anti-Modi slogans while the raids were underway. The DMK leader, who is party chief MK Stalin's sister and the party's candidate from the Thoothukudi seat, spoke to reporters shortly after the raid and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party cannot prevent her from winning the election. "The BJP cannot prevent my success through this Income Tax Department raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized," Kanimozhi said. Tamil Nadu: DMK workers protest as IT Dept conducts raids at house where DMK candidate Kanimozhi is staying, in Thoothukudi pic.twitter.com/Ybhyb20Wjh ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2019 "They want to intimidate us through this. They have come to stop elections in Thoothukudi. But I know that DMK volunteers will work with more enthusiasm now," she added. DMK president Stalin also reacted to the raids with outrage. "BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundarajan's houses have cash worth crores and crores of rupees. Why are no raids being conducted there? Who will take action? Modi has used the I-T Department, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the judiciary and now the Election Commission of India to interfere in the electoral process," he claimed. Stalin further alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had orchestrated the raids out of a fear of losing. "This is basically murder of democracy. Rs 2,000 notes are being widely offered in the elections, will you report this? In Theni constituency, Rs 1,000 notes are being offered to voters, what about that? Tamil Nadu minister Velumani is accused of distributing money, his close aide Sabesan's home was raided, but no one reported anything about this," he added. With inputs from ANI BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said it was 'unfortunate' that a senior Congress leader like Ashok Gehlot made a 'casteist' remark against the president. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday demanded an apology from Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot for his remarks suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became president because he was a "Dalit". The party also urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to take cognisance of the matter and take action against Gehlot. "It is very unfortunate that Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, a senior Congress leader who himself is on a constitutional post made casteist remark against the president, who is the custodian of the Constitution," BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said, addressing a press conference at the party office in Delhi. He further alleged the remark showed "anti-Dalit" mindset of the Congress. "We request the Election Commission to take suo-moto cognisance of Gehlot's remarks against the president," he said. Rao said the BJP has also demanded an apology from Gehlot. Meanwhile, the party also attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his speech in Nanded. On Monday, Rahul attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of corruption and asked how come all "thieves" have "Modi" as the common surname as he referred to fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. "Rahul Gandhi cannot accept the fact that a person from humble background, who is from a backward community, has become the Prime Minister today. For Rahul, only families can rule India," Rao said. Cash distribution is no new phenomenon in Tamil Nadu, where voters now expect money exchange for their ballot for a particular party or candidate. In 2017, in the run-up to the RK Nagar bypoll in Tamil Nadu necessitated after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's death, an Income Tax Department raid at the state health minister's home had found that the ruling AIADMK had allegedly planned to distribute Rs 89 crore among the two lakh voters. A Chennai resident had described the RK Nagar by-election as "auction". Today, with a much larger election looming, there's an even bigger auction underway in Tamil Nadu (or so it seems). In fact, the cash-for-votes crisis escalated to such an extent in the state that the Election Commission was forced to recommend cancelling the Lok Sabha election in Vellore, after which President Ram Nath Kovind rescinded the polls on Tuesday. This was after I-T sleuths found a stash of Rs 11.5 crore in cash at the houses of DMK's Vellore candidate Kathir Anand last week, charging him under the Representation of the People Act for giving "wrong information" in his election affidavit and two party functionaries for bribery. On Tuesday, Anand wrote to the Election Commission, accusing it of colluding with the BJP to help AC Shanmugam, the Vellore candidate fielded by its ally AIADMK. Soon after, it was learnt that the I-T Department, in another raid, had seized Rs 1.48 crore in cash in Tamil Nadu's Theni district where a bypoll is scheduled in the Andipatti Assembly segment for Thursday from a location from where TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK ran a party office. Investigators found the cash "neatly packed in 94 packets" as well as envelopes on which the ward number, number of voters and "Rs 300 per voter" was written. On 30 March, I-T sleuths had also seized Rs 20 crore from raids conducted at the home of Anand's father, DMK treasurer Durai Murugan in Vellore. During this search, too, investigators had found a lists of voters' names as per their wards and booths, indicating that the money was meant to bribe the electorate. Money raining on voters is no new phenomenon in Tamil Nadu, where it emerged during the RK Nagar bypoll that people had no qualms about accepting bribes for votes, asserting that it was not politicians' money being distributing but "money looted from the public exchequer". Every election season, the poll watchdog has its work cut out for it in Tamil Nadu, which always emerges the epicentre of cash-for-votes allegations. More often than not, the state leads in terms of the cash and other items, such as gold bars and jewellery, seized ahead of polls when the Model Code of Conduct is in effect. In fact, till end March, Tamil Nadu accounted for one-fifth of the Rs 143.47 crore seized across all states and Union Territories Rs 38.25 crore of the total was confiscated in Tamil Nadu. The Times of India quoted a former chief election commissioner as saying that cash distribution was "the main problem in Tamil Nadu" when the poll code is in effect. Now whether it is a "problem" depends on perspective it's a win-win for those getting the money and those bagging the votes. Multiple cancellations of elections in Tamil Nadu Vellore, RK Nagar, Thanjavur and Aravankurichi, in the recent past expose the significant role that distribution of cash plays in the politics of Tamil Nadu. So much so that the poor voters now expect money for their support. With its well-oiled machinery to distribute cash during elections, Tamil Nadu poses a great challenge to the Election Commission during polls. Instead of being deterred by the deployment of a large number of election observers and flying squads to stem the flow of cash during the polls, the perpetrators are only prompted to get more nifty and adopt more innovative ways to meet their end. This includes going to the extent of using ambulances and government vehicles as well as stuffing money in tyres. The streamlined cash flow system along with the unneglectable collusion of authorities makes it a near impossible task for the Election Commission to nip the problem in the bud. The high volumes of unaccounted cash seized also indicate the uncertainty and lack of confidence the two main Dravidian parties have in the voters of Tamil Nadu who had historically flip-flopped between the DMK and AIADMK. "Poor voters expect bribes from political candidates, and candidates find various ways to satisfy voter expectations. From paying to dig a community well to slipping cash into an envelope delivered inside the morning newspaper (famously known as the 'Thirumangalam formula'), politicians and their operatives admitted to violating election rules to influence voters," WikiLeaks noted in 2011. This emphasises how inherent the practice of distributing cash for votes is in Tamil Nadu. "Observers and participants see bribery as a fact of life in India's elections... Our experience in South India suggests that the practice of paying cash for votes is widespread, and that it is likely to swing the elections, especially close contests, given India's predominately poor electorate," WikiLeaks concluded. Whether it is a "fact of life in India's elections" could be debatable, but that bribery is the "way of life" in Tamil Nadu elections is a stark reality. Apart from bypolls, all Lok Sabha seats Tamil Nadu, besides Vellore, will vote in Phase 2 of the General Election on Thursday. Nirmala Sitharaman claimed Imran Khans statement that India-Pakistan peace talks have a better chance if the BJP returns to power is a Congress ploy to oust Narendra Modi. New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khans statement that "there may be a better chance of India-Pakistan peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power" is a ploy by the Congress to oust the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. "I wouldn't know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made, and this is individually my perception and not my partys or the governments take, there have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, 'Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us oust Modi)'. I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things that have been set in motion by the Congress. I don't know what to make of this honestly," the defence minister told ANI in an exclusive interview. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Reacting to Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between 16 and 20 April, Sitharaman said, "I don't know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him... god knows (who is his source in India), but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me." When asked whether the Supreme Court's decision to look into the allegedly stolen or acquired documents in the Rafale case weakened the government's position, the Union minister said, "I dont think our position has become weaker. We are firm on our stand. The attorney general gave an explanation the next day. Documents from the Ministry of Defence are classified. Every time a document of this nature or even a page comes out, in my understanding, it is stealing of information. The ministry is looking into the matter as to how it came out." When questioned whether she thought the procurement of documents pertaining to the Rafale deal was illegal, the minister said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That's what I have been harping on about. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come out through a legitimate manner, then it is said to be stolen. Now what has come out does not alter the discourse on Rafale. Even if we include the matter on these illegally obtained pages, it does not alter the clear process that was adopted. We are not worried at all." Sitharaman also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark against Modi, which he attributed to the Supreme Court. #WATCH Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to ANI on "SC's decision to look into the allegedly stolen documents in Rafale deal": I don't think our position has become any weaker, on the contrary we are firmer in what we are saying now.... pic.twitter.com/flbS9Aezhf ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 "But then has the Supreme Court said that Modi ji gave this much money to Anil Ambani? Did the Supreme Court say this? When did the Supreme Court say this? Did the Supreme Court even remotely say that Modi is a chowkidar and chori ki hai? Is this not taking liberty with the institutions? That too the Supreme Court, where every word is well thought out. It is putting words in the court's mouth, and therefore, if the court is looking into the matter, it is only fair," Sitharaman said. Further underlining the government's dedication towards equipping the armed forces, the defence minister said, "Post Rafale, too, the Defence Acquisition Council meets every fortnight. We have been clearing things that are vital for the armed forces. Nothing has stopped us. The speed during Manohar Parrikar's time and Arun Jaitley's time continues even now." On giving emergency powers of up to Rs 300 crore to the services to meet their critical requirements, Sitharaman said, "Earlier also we had given emergency powers post-Uri attacks. We had also given them the power to choose what they want to buy. If they want to quickly purchase some ammunition post Pulwama, they can go ahead. So this happens, at least under the Modi and the NDA government. Armed forces have the margin of acquiring quickly." Union minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday courted controversy by saying the country will see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the way it views a 'thief's wife' while claiming that the Congress general secretary will have no impact on the outcome of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. Durg: Union minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday courted controversy by saying the country will see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the way it views a "thief's wife" while claiming that the Congress general secretary will have no impact on the outcome of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. To a question on whether Priyanka Gandhi will contest the general elections from Varanasi, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election, Bharti said, "It is a democracy, anybody can fight election from anywhere". When asked to comment on the impact the Congress leader could have on the poll outcome, the firebrand BJP leader told reporters in Chhattisgarh's Durg, "Kuchh nahi. Jiska pati chori ke aarop mein ho, usko to log kis nazar se.....chor ki patni ko kis nazar se dekha jata hai Hindustan ussi nazar se dekhega unko (Nothing. Why will she have an impact... Whose husband is facing theft charges? She will be seen the way India sees a thief's wife)." Bharti also targeted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, saying by choosing to contest elections from Amethi and Wayanad, he has accepted defeat. He is the national president of his party and can fight as many elections as he wants, the BJP leader said. She also slammed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada and sought that he be barred from contesting the election. Bharti said the Election Commission's decision to award equal punishment to Khan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was an "injustice" to the latter. He (Adityanath) took the name of God and did not insult any woman, she said, adding Khan should be slapped with all provisions of IPC related to insulting women. The EC on Monday imposed a nationwide campaign ban on Adityanath for 72 hours for his "provocative" communal remarks, which it said had the "propensity to polarise the elections". A three-day campaign ban has also been imposed on Khan for his alleged "khaki underwear" jibe against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, who is his rival BJP candidate in Rampur Lok Sabha seat. The all-India ban came into force from 6 am Tuesday. Bharti on Tuesday campaigned for BJP's candidate in Durg Lok Sabha constituency which goes to polls in the third phase on 23 April. The Sangh, by now, had made its political entry into coastal Karnataka by winning the Municipal Corporation elections in Udupi. At 28, VS Acharya took charge as the youngest ever Municipal Commissioner. He later emerged as one of the most significant politicians for the BJP, going on to become the Home Minister of Karnataka in 2008. But this decade was not his to shine. Editor's note: This is the thirteenth reported piece in an 18-part series on the contemporary history of Hindutva in coastal Karnataka. The series features interviews, videos, archival material and oral histories gathered over a period of four months. Read other articles of the series here *** The 1970s as a decade was fraught with inconsistencies. The Sangh, by now, had made its political entry into coastal Karnataka by winning the Municipal Corporation elections in Udupi. At 28, VS Acharya took charge as the youngest ever Municipal Commissioner. He later emerged as one of the most significant politicians for the BJP, going on to become the Home Minister of Karnataka in 2008. But this decade was not his to shine. Instead, from his own neighbourhood, another Mogahaveera leader emerged Manorama Madhvaraj thanks to a social engineering strategy which captured the imagination of smaller lowered caste communities across Karnataka. It was called the 'Devaraj Urs Formula'. This formula, when applied to Dakshin Kannada, witnessed the Congress trying to pander to communities such as Moghaveeras, Devadigas and Billavas by elevating their leaders to important positions. Manorama Madhvaraj was one such leader, though her husband, Madhvaraj, had already been an MLA before her. A veteran of the Indian National Congress, Manorama is all smiles when we start talking about her initial days in power. The first woman cabinet minister of Karnataka, she was elected as an MLA in 1972 and went on to become an MP in 2004. "The Moghaveeras were proud that a woman from the community was contesting elections, they fully supported me. Indira Gandhi was very popular among the masses for her measures. But the rich were angry," says Manorama. "On one hand, we nationalised banks in 1969, there were four in Dakshin Kannada itself, and on the other hand, we took land from landlords and bestowed ownership right on tenant communities in 1974. Why won't they be angry?" she says. "But it all came to an end when they killed her," she adds referring to Indira's assassination in 1984. Indira enjoyed considerable support in Dakshina Kannada as it was under her governance that the Land Reforms were introduced in 1974. The popularity enjoyed by Indira Gandhi is endorsed by another leader whose rise is attributed to her, former Union Minister Janardhan Poojary. "I received a call from her in the middle of the night. My life changed after that," Poojary said. He filed his MP nomination papers the very next day and for the next five terms, he was undefeated. Congress indulged in all types of formulas to form newer bases for support. They particularly tried to focus on Moghaveeras, Devadigas and Billavas. Manorama Madhvaraj, Janardhan Poojary and Veerappa Moily were given important portfolios as they belonged to these three castes which garnered a substantive chunk of support. Moily was the first chief minister from Dakshin Kannada to rule Karnataka. But this is also the period that RSS ramped up its support base from being just Brahmin-dominated to including almost all the other lowered castes of Dakshin Kannada. Both Poojary and Madhvaraj can't explain how this happened. While Madhvaraj quickly changed the topic, Poojary thought of them as invincible. "They will say whatever required to convince you, they are everywhere," he says, before trailing off into silence. The truth is far from this though. While Poojary's closest aide and biographer is a local BJP leader, Madhvaraj herself contested from a BJP ticket in 2013. Both are weary about it. The journey of RSS, from being an organisation which was scorned after the assassination of Gandhi to an organisation which was accepted, needs to be scrutinised. During the early 1970s, RSS itself went through a major upheaval, with a change in command from MS Golwalkar to Madhukar Dattatreya Deoras. Deoras was a disciple of Hedgewar. He had kept away from the RSS during Golwalkar's time as they disagreed on the kind of work RSS should be doing. We find mention of this in The RSS: A view to the inside written by Walter K Anderson and Shridhar D Damle: "Deoras reoriented the RSS to include involvement in poltics and social reforms. In fact, his disagreement with Golwalkar's view on activism wsa strong enough for Deoras and his brother, Muralidhar alias Bhaurao to pull out of the daily functioning of the sangh for several years. Golwalkar's choice of Deoras as his successor marked the end of the organisation's quietist rebuilding process and the start of a new and more assertive RSS. In his early speeches after becoming sarsanghchalak, he spoke of the need for the RSS to act assertively on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged." Natesh Ullal is a filmmaker from Mangaluru. His earliest memory of the RSS is playing games at a neighbouring ground, led by a pracharak. "Once a week, we would have somebody talk to us about personalities like Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Subash Chandra Bose and historical figures." Poojary too, who studied at Bokkapatna Government School, shares a similar memory. "There was a shakha in my school and they used to play games every day," says Poojary. But while RSS was relatively new during Poojary's time, Natesh was born after it had been banned once for being involved in Gandhi's assassination. Due to this, the RSS and its new-born political wing Jan Sangh did not have many takers in the years to follow. Natesh recollects an incident from his childhood when a group of students from his school went to Sanganiketan for a program. When they returned, all of them were caned by their parents for attending the program. He also remembers taking part in a Jan Sangh election campaign as a child. Children were given cloth-made badges which said 'Vote for BJS'. The students had had to pin the badges to their chest and have it on for the entire day. When his family saw the badge, they were very angry. "There was an aversion to Jan Sangh and RSS. We used to make fun of the Brahmin who used to run the shakha in our area. At times, there would be nobody. He would give instructions, do exercises by himself and then salute the saffron flag by himself," says Natesh reiterating that in the 60s and 70s he only recollected people taunting the organisation. Evidently, a region where Gandhi had a strong following, the RSS was admonished publicly in Mangalore in the years following his killing. "This feeling went away to an extent with our generation. RSS started being seen as an organisation which leads social service activities, like helping out during cyclones and floods. They led many activities during the Cyclone in Andhra Pradesh in the 70's. There were hardly any organisations doing this kind of work, so youngsters signed up without much coaxing." Golwalkar, after the first ban on RSS was revoked in 1949, pushed his karyakartas to build shakas across Coastal Karnataka. The work of the RSS during the time of Golwalkar, remained shaka-centric. This approach didn't receive mass support. "The hangover of RSS's involvement in killing Gandhi still hadn't escaped from the minds of people and this huddling in one place made everybody more suspicious," says Natesh. But with the coming of Deoras in 1973, RSS was reoriented as a voluntary organisation. This is what finally worked for the RSS. Within a few years, the RSS grew and by the time the 1975 emergency arrived, RSS had a large enough base to take on Indira Gandhi's government. They pretty much rode on the anti-Indira wave to establish themselves as one of the saviours of democracy in India. India is in the midst of the world's biggest General Election, where nearly 900 million voters will be electing members of the new Lok Sabha the Lower House of the Parliament India is in the midst of the world's biggest General Election, where nearly 900 million voters will be electing members of the new Lok Sabha the Lower House of the Parliament. Moreover, 15 million voters will be exercising their right to vote for the first time after turning 18 years of age. Spread across seven phases, the Lok Sabha polls began on 11 April and will conclude on 19 May. The counting of votes will take place on 23 May. The Lok Sabha comprises 543 directly elected seats and two nominated members belonging to the Anglo-Indian community. However, the 543 directly-elected seats are distributed in varying proportion among the 29 states and seven Union Territories in India. A brief look at the composition of the Lower House of the Indian Parliament and how the number of seats is determined for each state in the Union highlights how Indias electoral representation is influenced by population. Seat division as per 1971 Census The Lok Sabha did not always have 543 seats. Between 1952 and 1976, the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha rose steadily. During the 1952 elections, the Lok Sabha consisted of 489 seats. In the 1957 and 1962 elections, the Lok Sabha consisted of 494 seats. The 7th Amendment in 1956 capped the maximum number of elected seats at 520 500 from India's states and 20 from Union Territories. In the first two Lok Sabha, there were also some two-member constituencies, wherein, as the name suggests, the electorate would elect two members from a single constituency. This practice was discontinued prior to the elections to the third Lok Sabha. In the 1967 elections, the Lok Sabha composition underwent a major change as the number of seats rose to 520. The dramatic rise in the number of seats could be attributed to the population data of the 1961 Census. In the 1971 general elections, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha reduced by two from 520 to 518. With the passing of the 14th and the 31st Amendment, the maximum number of directly elected seats rose to 552, where 530 come from states and 20 from the Union Territories. The 1977 elections, as epoch making as it was, also marked the beginning of a stable Lok Sabha. The number of seats remained at 542 until the 2004 elections. The number of seats were determined through the population Census of 1971. However, in 1976, the Congress government passed the 42nd Amendment, which froze the delimitation of Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assembly constituencies until after the 2001 Census. This was done by amending Article 170 (relating to composition of Legislative Assemblies) of the Constitution. The sixth Lok Sabha also saw the number of nominated members being fixed at two both belonging to the Anglo-Indian community. Prior to the sixth Lok Sabha, there was another nominated member belonging to the North East Frontier Agency (modern-day Arunachal Pradesh). Moreover, in the first three Lok Sabha, Andaman & Nicobar, Goa, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep too had nominated MPs. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government passed the 91st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which extended the stay on redrawing of India's electoral maps till 2026. Currently, the Lok Sabha consists of 543 directly elected seats and two nominated members from the Anglo-Indian community. Population factor key to determining seats The Delimitation Commission of India, which is entrusted with the job of creating constituencies that have roughly the same population, subject to geographical considerations and the boundaries of the states. The Delimitation Commission was last formed in 2002 after the passing of the 84th Amendment. It was formed under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court Justice Kuldip Singh. However, due to the ban on increasing the number of seats, the commission only redrew the boundaries of the already existing constituencies. While the exercise created some new constituencies, they did not add to the existing 543 constituencies in the Lok Sabha. The present composition of the Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 Census, as stated earlier in the report. As per the delimitation in 1971, even a Union Territory with a population of 10 lakh would get its own constituency. The average population size of the Lok Sabha constituency was pegged at 10 lakh. This meant that the seats were allotted to states in the ratio of 1:1,00,00,00. This ratio also roughly corresponded to the total population of India in 1971 54 crore. However, with the Union government prioritising family planning and population control across India, the role of the Delimitation Commission greatly diminished in the next three decades. This had an indirect impact on the redrawing of the electoral maps. The main reason behind the NDA governments push for the 84th Amendment too is attributed to the uneven successes of family planning in India. While states in south India have achieved greater successes in population control, the same is not true about states in the Hindi heartland. By imposing an all-round delimitation of seats, there are high chances of states that were successful in population control losing Lok Sabha seats, while those failing to control their population gaining additional seats. However, with Indias population more than doubling in the last five decades, there is now a crisis of malapportionment of the electorate. While a MP in Uttar Pradesh caters to around 3 million people in his constituency, the figure goes down to just 1.8 million in Tamil Nadu. In 2001, political scientist Alistair McMillan documented the drastic over- and under-representation of the electorate. McMillan calculated that Tamil Nadu should have had seven fewer Lok Sabha seats, while Uttar Pradesh should have gained seven more. A Carnegie report in 2019 further added that in the event of a population-centric delimitation of seats, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan would gain 22 seats while the southern states will lose 17 seats. Current composition in numbers The state of Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populous in India, has 80 Lok Sabha seats, followed by Maharashtra with 48 seats. The eastern state of West Bengal sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, Bihar contributes 40 seats in the Lok Sabha. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu contributes 39 seats to the Lower House. Except for Delhi, which sends 7 MPs to the Lok Sabha, every other Union Territory is only represented by a single Member of Parliament. The North East states of Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland too send one MPs each to the Lower House of the Parliament. Others states in the region like Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya contribute two seats each. Goa, India's smallest state, too sends two representatives to the Lok Sabha. Gujarat elects 26 MPs while Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh send 25 MPs each to the Lok Sabha. Karnataka consists of 28 constituencies while Madhya Pradesh comprises of 29 constituencies. Kerala, Odisha and Telangana send 20, 21 and 17 MPs respectively to the Lower House of the Parliament. Punjab, Haryana and Chhattisgarh elect 13, 10 and 11 Lok Sabha members respectively. States of Assam and Jharkhand send 14 MPs each to the Lok Sabha. The state of Jammu and Kashmir sends six MPs to the Lok Sabha. Chhattisgarh: The first phase of polling in Bastar witnessed a 5 percent increase in overall voters' turnout this election in comparison to 2014 (59 percent). Even, in Dantewada, where the Maoists killed the sitting BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and his four security personnel by triggering an IED blast on 9 April two days ahead of the first phase of polling on 11 April, the polling recorded was 56 percent, which is 6 percent more than in 2014 Kanker/ Raipur: In less than 24 hours, the second phase of polling in Lok Sabha election will begin in three constituencies of Chhattisgarh, including two Left-Wing extremism (LWE) hit constituencies Kanker and Rajanandgaon. The other one being Mahasamund. Will voters of these three constituencies show courage, like Bastar did, by defying Maoist threats and clocked 66 percent polling? The first phase of polling in Bastar witnessed a 5 percent increase in overall voters' turnout this election in comparison to 2014 (59 percent). Even, in Dantewada, where the Maoists killed the sitting BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and his four security personnel by triggering an IED blast on 9 April two days ahead of the first phase of polling on 11 April, the polling recorded was 56 percent, which is 6 percent more than in 2014. Despite low voting in the two worst Maoist-affected segments, both Bijapur and Konta registered growth from 35.5 percent and 31.23 percent respectively in 2014 to 41 percent and 40 percent in 2019. The first phase polling outcome shows that the Adivasis have succeeded in overcoming their fear. This trend we saw during the assembly election last year. They are gradually having trust on administration and police, Bastar commissioner Amrit Xalxo told Firstpost. Among the three Lok Sabha constituencies to go to polls on 18 April, five Assembly segments in Kanker and Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituencies have a high concentration of Naxals affected due to which polling will be concluded at 3 pm. It is left to be seen whether the voting percentage in these areas will surpass figures of 2014. After the first phase of polling, the Maoists continued with their aggressive posturing in order to create terror among the voters of the region. On the occasion of Ram Navami celebrations, the armed cadre of the Naxals attacked and injured security personnel and looted his weapons. In Kanker, they burnt an earthmover. Meanwhile, the police also recovered landmines in the region. The villagers were threatened against voting. The Maoists told the villagers that their "hands will be chopped" if they voted. "Not only via pamphlets, but the Maoists also visited villages to warn voters. They came to this village and threatened us that if electoral ink is found on the finger of any voter, his or her hand will be chopped off," a village head from Kanker, on the condition of anonymity, told Firstpost. The names of the village and its mukhiya (head) have been concealed for the safety of villagers. But voters in several villages have said that they will cast their vote as they did during the Assembly elections. This time, the number of voters who will come out to vote compared to 2014, will be more. Andarwaalon ka aatank bandh hona chahiye (There should be an end to Maoist terror), the mukhiya added. Ahead of the first phase of polling, the Maoists had put up banners and posters, issued press releases and painted slogans on walls, appealing the voters to boycott Lok Sabha election by dubbing it as Fraud election. The administration believes that voters will still come out in large numbers during the second phase as well. The increase in voting percentage this time indicates that people are fed up with Naxals and their ideology, vis-a-vis an increase in faith in the democratic process. It's a victory of the ballot over bullet. Both police and security forces have ensured utmost safety and security to voters in these volatile areas," Inspector General (Bastar range) Chhattisgarh Police Vivekananda told Firstpost. A CRPF commandant said, "Besides providing security, we've been creating awareness among villagers for quite some time now to come out and exercise their voting right. Now, the villagers are getting convinced that positive change is possible only through democracy." One striking aspect of this election is that unlike in the past, there has been no large display of banners, posters and festoons by the BJP as well as by the Congress across the towns and villages. The contest in Rajnandgaon will be an interesting one as its the former chief minister Raman Singhs constituency. His son Abhishek Singh, the sitting BJP MP was denied ticket and a lesser-known candidate Santosh Pandey has been chosen over him against Congress Bholaram Sahu. The contest in non-Maoist affected constituency Mahasamund will be between two Sahus Chunnilal Sahu from BJP and Dhanendra Sahu from Congress. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel held two back to back public rallies on Tuesday in Kanker to ensure Congress victory. The BJP has fielded Mohan Mandavi as its candidate against the Congress Viresh Thakur. Considering the sensitivity of the belt in the Naxal-hit constituencies, the government has sealed the borders of Chhattisgarh that shares with Maharashtra, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, with additional check posts for a strict vigil. Out of 70,000 security force personnel deployed in the three LS constituencies, more than 40,000 have been stationed in 22 Naxal hyper-sensitive and sensitive areas. All parties, irrespective of ideology, are playing the same game. Instead of pointing fingers at one, it would be worthwhile looking at the system that encourages such behaviour from politicians Azam Khans son has said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) punished his father because he is a Muslim. According to Abdullah, son of the Samajwadi Party leader who is contesting from Rampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Azam was banned for 72 hours from campaigning not because of his despicable comments against BJP candidate Jaya Prada, but because of his religion. There are two things at work in the charge leveled by Azam's son. One is an obvious attempt to polarise the electorate to eke out maximum mileage from ECIs penal action. The second is more nuanced. It is a barely concealed outrage at ECIs audacity to punish his father for saying something in a political campaign. Azam, incidentally, is a repeat offender. He was barred from campaigning during 2014 Lok Sabha polls as well. During a rally in Rampur, the SP leader, who had a bitter falling out with his one-time protege Jaya Prada, said: For 10 years the person sucked the blood of Rampur, I held that persons finger and brought the person to Rampur. I made her familiar with the streets of Rampur. I didnt let anyone touch her. No dirty words were used. You made the person your representative for 10 years. Hindustan waalon, uski asliyat samajhne main aapko satrah baras lag gaye (understanding the persons real face you took 17 years). I realised in 17 days that the underwear beneath is of the khaki colour. Abdullahs justification, that his father did not take any names or gender isnt true. The ECI was compelled to act after the comments triggered nationwide outrage. Azam wasnt the only one who faced the ECI's ire. The commission, using powers conferred to it under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, also barred Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning for 72 hours for his remarks on Ali vs Bajrangabali and banned BSP chief Mayawati for 48 hours for urging Muslims to vote in favour of SP-BSP alliance. Another BJP leader, Maneka Gandhi, also faced similar action for her comments against Muslims. But the reaction by the different political parties to these penal steps by the ECI tells us something about the secular-communal divide in Indian political discourse that is cast in stone. According to this narrative, the Sangh Parivar and its political affiliate, the BJP, is the harbinger of communal politics in India that is a threat to Indias secular fabric painstakingly upheld by the Congress party and various other regional outfits. Every political discourse rests on this axiomatic assumption. From talking heads in studios to lengthy columns in print and digital space, podcasts to books, journals and scholarly articles, the iron rule in Indian politics has survived and is not open to questioning, even if there are ample reasons to do so. Part of this has to do with the unbridled power that the Congress has enjoyed since Independence that has allowed the party to create sustainable structures to uphold its ecosystem even when it is out of power and remain in control of all avenues of mind space. The ecosystem is resilient, fiercely loyal and can launch perception wars by manipulating the narrative. It controls the setup in education system, civil society and media by denial-of-platform mechanism: not allowing any rival ideology to take root. Sanitised history of Indian Independence has been force fed to generations, carefully weeding out any alternative reading of Indias Independence and progress. This elaborate structure is only now facing some sort of a pushback. Political power hasnt changed hands for the first time, but even when Congress has been out of power the political dispensation at the Centre worked within the super structure built by the Congress: as Atal Bihari Vajpayees NDA did. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to challenge this super structure by bypassing it, and he has found an unlikely ally in his endeavour: technology. The advent of social media has given a voice to the silent majority and democratised political discourse. Naturally, power brokers don't like it. The axiomatic assumptions are still there, chiefly because the alternative voice is not mature enough having been subjected to decades of denial, but it is growing. In this context, let us now see how the parties have reacted. Azam sounded defiant and angry, suggesting that he never meant to disrespect Jaya, who won from Rampur as SP candidate in 2004 and 2009 before falling out with SP leadership. Azam has said he will give up contesting if charges are proven: an incredible attempt to claim the moral high ground. Mayawati dragged the ECI to court and tried to file a plea against the poll panel in Supreme Court, but the judges would have none of it and refused to entertain her plea. The Congress, interestingly, remained quiet all through. Though it is not part of the SP-BSP alliance, none of the Congress leaders took umbrage at Azam's comments, his sons justification or Mayawatis call to Muslims. On Tuesday, Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjyot Singh Sidhu asked Muslims in Bihars Katihar to stay united, not to split their votes and ensure BJPs defeat and Modis ouster: I am here to warn my Muslim brothers. They (BJP) are dividing you. By bringing people like (Asaduddin) Owaisi in here, by making a new party stand for elections, they want to divide your vote for winning. If you people unite and vote unitedly then everything will overturn and Modi will be finished This will be a sixer. Hit such a sixer that Modi is sent out of the boundary. Sidhus reference was to Owaisis AIMIM party that, Congress fears, will eat into its Muslim vote bank and benefit the BJP. The ECI is looking at Sidhus comments and a police complaint has been filed against him. On Wednesday, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot took potshots at President Ram Nath Kovind. The Congress leader claimed Ram Nath Kovind was made president because of his caste, dragging the highest office of the land into the dirt of caste and community politics. While one Congress leader a chief minister demeans the constitutional head of India, his party colleague urges Muslims to vote out BJP. Elsewhere, BSP chief Mayawati plays the same game while alliance partner SPs candidate and his son reinforce the communal divide. The BJP is guilty of the same crime, but the reaction of the parties has been vastly different. If anything, the Congress and other Opposition parties have been more brazen in their approach to polarise the electorate on communal lines. If appealing to caste and communities are a violation of model code of conduct, then the ECI would be found sorely wanting because for every violation that is reported, 10 others are not and the commission seems to be sorely lacking in will and ability to check the menace that will become more acute as the campaign reaches its final stages. The final point is about the secular-communal narrative. All parties, irrespective of ideology, are playing the same game. Instead of pointing fingers at one, it would be worthwhile looking at the system that encourages such behaviour from politicians. Outdated definitions must be challenged. Lucknow's current representative in Lok Sabha is Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who has earlier also served as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is a politically charged city in general. During elections, it becomes even more charged because of its high-profile candidates. Lucknow has a long history of sending political heavyweights to Parliament. It has been represented by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for five times and its current representative in Lok Sabha is Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who has earlier also served as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, apart from holding the post of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president in past. When the incumbent is a political heavyweight like Singh, it is expected that other political parties would field candidates that can pose some challenge. But it seems Opposition has already ceded ground. At least the choice of candidate hints at this conclusion. Samajwadi Party (SP), which entered in an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, has decided to field Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha. Shatrughan recently joined Congress after quitting the BJP, a party with which he had a three-decade-long association. Following Poonam's nomination, it is quite obvious that Shatrughan will campaign for his wife and will seek votes for her, by pitting her credentials against the BJP candidate. Being a Congress member, he is not expected to seek vote for his wife against the Congress candidate. However, many in BJP believe it will not be an easy task for Shatrughan to campaign against Singh as it was on the behest of Singh that Shatrughan was given the BJP ticket from Patna Sahib in 2014 elections. According to a report in The Indian Express during 2014 elections, BJPs Bihar leadership had opposed Sinhas candidacy as they felt that local factors were not in his favour. But Rajnath Singh backed Sinhas candidature in the partys central election committee and ensured that Sinha was repeated in Patna Sahib," The Indian Express report quoted an anonymous source as saying. But then, because there are no permanent friends and foes in politics, Poonam agreed to contest against Singh in Lucknow. While SP might be relying on the significant number of Kayastha votes, past experience has shown that the Kayastha community has voted for Singh and BJP. SP will also try to reap in the popularity of Shatrughan Sinha and the attached glamour quotient. However, the roadshow of Rajnath Singh that was organised on Tuesday before he filed his nomination paper witnessed huge crowd, clearly hints at his mass appeal and is considered even bigger than Shatrughan's star appeal. Rajnath has a huge share of his own loyal voters who shall vote for him, irrespective of the caste affinities. In 2014, all the three major political parties in the state Congress, BSP, and SP fielded Brahmin candidates (Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Nakul Dubey and Abhishek Mishra respectively) to consolidate and attract Brahmin votes. In spite of that, Singh got around 55 percent of total votes polled and won by a huge margin. On the other hand, Poonam Sinha is considered as a rank outsider with no political experience and support base in Lucknow. The Congress choice of candidate is even more interesting. Congress has decided to field Acharya Pramod Krishnam. Krishnam is a spiritual guru and had earlier contested Lok Sabha elections from Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh in 2014 on the Congress ticket. He lost his deposit. The winning BJP candidate Satyapal Singh Saini got 3,60,000 votes. Krishnam got only 16,034 votes, just 1.52 percent of the total votes polled. He stood fifth, even when he was not in contest with any political heavyweight. In this context, it does not require much arithmetical analysis to ascertain his winning chances, when pitted against a political leader like Singh. Krishnam who is self-styled spiritual guru and runs an ashram in Sambhal which was also his home district in his 2014 election affidavit had declared his profession as agriculture. He was in news in 2015 when he compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Indian Mujahideen and blamed him for "growing intolerance" in the country. In 2016, he was again in the news when he faced ire of some Hindu groups. Given the political credentials of the candidates of both SP and Congress, especially when juxtaposed against the incumbent MP, the adventure of a tough fight is the last thing to expect. Instead, what will be interesting to see is how Shatrughan will campaign against Singh, his one-time party senior and his savior in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In Lucknow that goes to polls on 6 May, it will be the campaigning, not the contest, that will be closely watched. Rahul Gandhi struck a chord with the voters in Wayanad, the second constituency he is contesting from in the Lok Sabha election. Congress president Rahul Gandhi struck a chord with the voters in Wayanad, the second constituency he is contesting from in the Lok Sabha election, by hinting that he will retain the seat even if he wins from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Clearing speculations rife across the country that he will abandon the southern seat if he wins from the North Indian constituency, the Gandhi scion said in his first election rally in the constituency that he will be with them to solve the issues they are facing. Rahul spoke about the developmental issues faced by the remote districts people and promised to help in resolving the same. He specifically talked about the Wayanad peoples demand for better roads, health infrastructure, including a new medical college, and the serious problems faced by the tourism and hospitality trade on account of restrictions imposed in connection with the conservation efforts in the Bandipur tiger reserve. The St Marys ground in Sulthan Bathery, where Rahul addressed an overly enthusiastic crowd, was overflowing with people and the spontaneity of their participation was palpable. It is the same ground where his grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi had addressed election campaign meetings in the past. I decided to contest from south India to make a point that the voice of the south is as important as rest of the country, Rahul said. He added that the decision to contest from Wayanad was prompted by the fact that it was a beautiful place, symbolising different ideas, cultures and that the rest of the country can learn from Kerala and Wayanad. I'm not like PM of India, I'll not come here and lie to you because I respect your intelligence, wisdom and understanding, he said. "I don't want to have a relationship of just few months. I want a lifelong relationship with you. I want the sisters of Wayanad to say that I am like their brother, fathers and mothers to say that I am their son," he said. The Congress president reached the venue after performing shradham (a Hindu ritual for the dead) at the famous Papanasini temple in Thirunelli, where the ashes of his late father had been immersed in a stream deep inside the dense woods. As the name suggests, a dip in the stream is believed to be capable of washing off ones sins. Rahul performed the ritual for seven generations of his forefathers as well as the martyrs of Pulwama attack, delivering a symbolic message of peace and unity as an answer to the controversial remark by BJP chief Amit Shah, comparing Wayanad to Pakistan on account of the similarity of Muslim League flags with those of that country. The Congress president highlighted the fact that Wayanad stood for tolerance and unity and had never experienced communal strife, irrespective of such imputations by saffron elements. It was such a track record of the place that prompted him to choose the seat. Rahul said he considered it an honour to contest from Wayanad, which implied a message of recognition of the importance of south India in the nationhood. The voice, language, culture and feelings of the people of South India are no less important than those of anybody else," he declared, hinting at the increasing intolerance shown by the Sangh Parivar towards values and cultures that do not align with their own. I've not come here as a politician who is going to tell you what to do or what I think. I'm not here to tell you my 'mann ki baat', I'm here to understand what is inside your heart, your soul, he said, and promised that his association with Wayanad would be a life-long affair. The Congress president paid back to the prime minister in the same coin that Modi had done. In an obvious reference to the charge that Congress was siding with anti-national elements, he accused Narendra Modi of dividing India and making it fight within itself. By bringing economic misery to the people, Modi had become an anti-national, he said. Similarly, by encouraging corruption, the prime minister was acting against the interest of the nation, he further alleged. His biggest anti-national act is of course creating a situation where 27,000 youngsters are losing their job every 24 hours, he said. Rahuls presence has no doubt created a new wave of enthusiasm among the Congress and UDF circles. But all that has not deterred P Suneer, the Congress presidents closest rival, from exuding confidence. Suneer, who is contesting for LDF on the CPI ticket, even claims that Wayanad will be Rahul Gandhis Waterloo, although very few agree with his view. Suneer believes he has a few tricks up his sleeves that will give Congressmen a shock. His election campaign events are a nondescript affair, keeping in line with the rather low profile presence of Communists in the area, despite his importance in the CPI setup. But he believes that when it comes to the crunch, there are undercurrents that will turn to his advantage. Suneer belongs to the dominant Muslim community and he hopes to polarise votes in his favour, especially in view of a certain consolidation of Muslim votes in the wake of the diatribe by Amit Shah and Modi over the composition of Wayanads electorate. Amit Shahs green virus charge has not gone down well with the community, which may want to give BJP a spirited response. As a first choice, such votes should go in favour of Rahul, who is seen as the run-away victor, but the Communists have tried hard to create the impression that the credentials of local Congress in fighting BJP are suspect. This, they believe, will help Suneer. BJP candidate Thushar Vellappally, whom Amit Shah hand-picked to face Rahul Gandhi, is capable of putting up only a symbolic fight. Thushar was widely expected to contest from Thrissur and had even started the groundwork for the campaign in the constituency. But with Rahul picking Wayanad as his second constituency, the BJP central leadership suddenly realigned its strategy. With Rahul entering the fray, the contest in Wayanad may just turn out to be a one-way affair, with everybody in the rival camp trying only to reduce his victory margin. Congress and JD(S), between them, had secured 51.8 percent of the votes to BJPs 43 percent in 2014 in Karnataka. The second phase of polling on Thursday, including in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in southern Karnataka, will not only decide the fortunes of several veteran politicians, but also the fate of the 11-month-old HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in the state. When the May 2018 Assembly polls resulted in a hung verdict, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi rushed to offer chief ministership to JD(S)s Kumaraswamy, primarily to keep the BJP away which was at a sniffing distance of power, being short by just nine seats and also to forge an alliance with the JD(S), keeping Parliament elections in mind. Congress and JD(S), between them, had secured 51.8 percent of the votes to BJPs 43 percent in 2014 in Karnataka and they had done even better in the Assembly elections. The leaders calculation was that if they avoided contesting against each other, they could win as many as 22-24 of the 28 seats at stake. The swearing-in of the Kumaraswamy government on 23 May last year, on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, was turned into a show of Opposition unity and the forging of mahagathbandhan to unseat Narendra Modi from power at the Centre. Much water has flowed down the Cauvery river since then. The Kumaraswamy government has survived many a crisis, and in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the seat-sharing between Congress and JD(S) has been anything but smooth. There is widespread dissatisfaction in the Congress for having to concede seats which traditionally belonged to it. With constant prodding from Rahul Gandhi and HD Deve Gowda, leaders of the two parties have been campaigning together, but in a number of constituencies, the party workers have virtually rebelled against the leadership, making them jittery about the outcome of the elections. In this phase, the JD(S) has three important battles to win, all involving family members: HD Deve Gowda from Tumakuru and his two grandsons, Prajwal Revanna from Hassan and Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Mandya. Hassan and Mandya appeared to be a perfect launching pad for the third generation of Gowdas as most of the Assembly seats in these segments are held by the JD(S), Vokkaligas constitute more than 70 percent of voters and the family enjoyed the advantage of being in government. If everything went as per plan, JD(S) should have bagged seven Lok Sabha seats, including these three. But ever since the candidates were announced a month ago, the public mood towards the Gowda family has turned so hostile that Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is clearly shaken. His campaign speeches are full of abuses directed at his opponents and the media and taunting words against local Congress leaders for not following the 'coalition dharma', and very often, punctuated with shedding of tears in public in a display of self-pity. Kumaraswamys son Nikhil is fighting hard in the face of a sympathy wave in favour of Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya, Prajwal Revannas claim for inheritance of Hassan is being strongly challenged by A Manju of the BJP, and the patriarch Deve Gowda himself is looking a little bit lost in the unfamiliar territory of Tumakuru, which incidentally, the JD(S) has never won. Woes of the Congress The Congress, having sacrificed Muddahanume Gowda, a winning candidate from Tumakuru to accommodate Deve Gowda, has five seats at stake in this phase, none more important than Mysuru, which is a prestigious fight for Siddaramaiah to retain his own political base. CH Vijayashankar, a fellow Kuruba, is pitted against sitting BJP candidate Pratap Simha, who has both his caste and the Modi factor working in his favour. In the neighbouring Chamarajanagar, 72-year-old, five-time MP Srinivasa Prasad has been persuaded by the BJP to return from retirement and take on Dhruvanarayan of the Congress, who was looking for a hat-trick of wins. In Kolar, KH Muniyappa of the Congress appears poised for the eighth straight victory as the BJP, in a surprise move, put up a weak and little known Muniswamy against him. In Chikkaballapur, former chief minister Veerappa Moily appears to be fighting a losing battle against BN Bacche Gowda of the BJP, whom he had defeated by around 9,000 votes in 2014. Last time, Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) being the third candidate in the fray, had helped Moily sail through by garnering 1.5 lakh votes, but now, Moily has the disadvantage of facing Bacche Gowda, riding on public sympathy, in a direct fight. Moily also faces peoples anger for failing to make Yettinahole drinking water scheme a reality. In Bangalore Rural, DK Suresh, brother of Congress strongman DK Shivakumar, is poised to retain his seat with little difficulty, while in the three metropolitan constituencies Bangalore South, Bangalore North and Bangalore Central the BJP candidates are hoping to ride largely on the Modi factor to emerge victorious. Union minister Sadananda Gowda, who had won by a margin of 2.29 lakh in 2014, is facing a stiff challenge from state minister Krishna Byre Gowda in Bangalore North; in Bangalore Central, PC Mohan is taking on Rizwan Arshad to try and complete a hat-trick of wins, while actor Prakash Raj as an independent candidate, is trying to woo voters with his brand of alternative politics'. BJP caused a needless controversy about the candidate for Bangalore South, represented by late Ananth Kumar for six consecutive terms and considered an impregnable fortress of the BJP. Ananth Kumars wife Tejaswini, assured by local leaders as the partys natural choice, had begun campaigning for nearly two months when, on the last day of filing nominations, the BJP leaders sprang a surprise by naming an unknown Tejaswi Surya as the candidate, leading to a mini-revolt by the state BJP. The 28-year-old Surya, an articulate prodigy of the RSS camp, was soon engulfed in a sexual abuse allegation appearing on social media. With the local leaders keeping away from Suryas campaigning, BJP chief Amit Shah had to rush to Bengaluru to hold a road show and convince everyone that the party had chosen to groom Surya as a future leader with whom they should all cooperate. Surya is pitting against Congress veteran BK Hariprasad, and it will be interesting to see whether the Congress can snatch this seat from the BJP after nearly four decades. After playing the victim card on Monday, BSP chief Mayawati used the EC 48-hr ban to formally launch her 24-year-old nephew Akash Anand into politics, letting everyone speculate if she has picked him as her successor At 9 pm on Monday Mayawati began her press conference in Lucknow with a laugh and then telling the media persons she had no other option but to call them at that hour in the evening because Election Commission had imposed a ban on her to hold public rallies, road shows, interviews and any kind public utterance through media from 6 am, next morning. The way she began gave a sense that she had already prepared a strategy to counter the EC's 48-hour ban on any public statement to the best of her advantage. She was playing the victim card to the hilt and how as a grassroots leader who came up the political ladder fighting against all odds, she was still fighting it out with all her famed instincts. She was sending out a very strong a message to her supporters that she was held guilty for a crime she never committed. The goal was clearly to give a talking point to her party cadre and supporters as well as to agitate their minds so that they come out to take on rival BJP in the ongoing parliamentary election. Mayawati also termed the EC order illegal and unconstitutional (EC is a Constitutional body), a murder of democracy, black day in Indian history and a cruel act against her fundamental rights. Towards the end of the press conference, the BSP chief gave a peep into her strategy without revealing as to what was to come the next day. Mayawati didn't attend the Agra rally on Tuesday, the last day of campaigning for the second phase of polls, because of the EC order, but the rally was organised as scheduled and she sent her representative to the rally with her message. She asked her followers to give the person due honor as they would give her. An astute politician that she is, she kept her cards close to her chest. She was using the EC ban as a blessing in disguise, formally launching her 24-year-old nephew Akash Anand, an undergraduate from a university in Britain, into politics and without saying in as many words but letting her party workers, supporters and rest of the political class go on speculating whether she had just projected him as her successor. Akash was seated on the podium with Akhilesh Yadav on one side and senior BSP leader Satish Mishra on the other side. He spoke, reading from a written script just as Mayawati does. That part was noted and has been commented by some. Many wondered if Akash was only copying the style of his aunt or was it part of the script that was handed over by her. It should be noted that she had said in media conference that her representative would carry her message. Agra has substantive population of Jatavas, the community Mayawati belongs. Five years ago when Mayawati was re-elected as national president of BSP, she had said in a party conclave that she would look for her successor, somebody from Chamar or Jatav community, much younger to her but not from her family. Later, she appointed her brother Anand Kumar as party vice-president with the rider that he wouldnt not contest any parliamentary or Assembly election but would focus only on organisational work. It was seen as a U-turn by Mayawati, giving a top post to her brother (who possibly could be her successor) after speaking against dynastic politics and inherent nepotism. Powerful BSP leaders like Swami Prasad Maurya and Nasimuddin Sidiqui quit the BSP after that. Kumar did not have the required capacity to be Mayawati's successor. Akash made a quiet entry in politics, as a key aide of BSP chief some time back. His first public appearance with her, at least when it was noted, was in May 2017 in Shabirpur in Sharanpur where a clash between Rajputs and Dalits had taken place. Bhim Sena chief Chandrashekhar aka Ravan was making news and was finding support from the community. Sources said Akash was spotted in various meetings with Mayawati including in critical ones like seat-sharing. His formal launch in politics as Mayawati's special representative has stirred political circles in Uttar Pradesh. Akash is young and educated. He has a long way to go. He also has to prove himself before he could be taken as Mayawatis successor. But there is feeling among a section of BSP supporters that he could be Mayawatis choice to counter Bhim Sena chief Chandrashekher. Mayawati has been critical of Chandrashekher while the latter has refrained from commenting against her, biding his time and making the BSP cadre and supporters believe that he has the appetite and stamina to be the future leader of Dalits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his chowkidar chor hai barb, and said anyone challenging the family and dynasty faces abuse. Korba/Bhatapara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his "chowkidar chor hai" barb, and said anyone challenging the "family" and "dynasty" faces abuse. Addressing poll rallies in Chhattisgarh, Modi said surgical and air strikes against Pakistan and demonstration of India's anti-satellite missile capability were all possible only because of the strength of people's vote. Addressing a poll rally at Bhatapara in Balodabazar district, he said the anti-BJP alliance has lost its sleep after seeing a "wave" in favour of the saffron party. "The Congress and its mahamilavati (adulterated) friends have lost their sleep after seeing a wave in favour of the BJP in the entire country and in frustration they are hurling abuses at me. People of the country are seeing this," he said. "As soon as they (the Congress and opposition parties) will come to know the strength of crowd in my rally today, they will start abusing more, he said. Modi said, "They are saying whosoever has Modi in their names are thieves. What kind of politics is this? They have branded an entire community as thief that too only to get applause and to insult your chowkidar (watchman)." "This is the sultanate mentality which sees every exploited and neglected person as a slave. Today naamdar is abusing Modi and tomorrow they will abuse tribals and later everyone else. Click here for information on constituencies, dates and election news of Chhattisgarh "They make fun of dressing style of tribals. Whosoever challenges their family and dynasty, faces abuses from them," Modi said. In his speeches, the PM has been describing Rahul as a naamdar (dynast). "The Sahu community in Gujarat is called Modi and Rathore in Rajasthan. I am stunned...which kind of language they are using? Are all Modis thieves," he asked. "The truth is that when they abuse backward class people and tribals, they do not look into their own position," he added. Most members of the naamdar family are out on bail, he said without naming the Gandhi family. "Now they pick up chief ministers who are out on bail. It has become their criteria for choosing a CM," Modi said in an apparent reference to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is out on bail in a sex CD case in the state. The PM said the current Lok Sabha polls are more than just electing Members of Parliament. "It was because of your support that I reached Delhi in 2014 and took major decisions. This time the election is not limited to just choosing a party, an MP or a government...rather it is about building a new India," he said. "India has conducted surgical and air strikes across the border and launched an anti-satellite missile. India now has the capability to shoot down satellites of enemies in just three minutes. Who did all these," Modi asked people at the rally to which they replied he did it. However, Modi credited people for these achievements. "Your answer is wrong. Modi did not do these things. These were possible because of the strength of your one vote. Because of the strength of your vote the country is emerging as a shakti (power) in the world," he said. Earlier, addressing a rally in Korba district, Modi targeted the Congress, claiming that it was "hand in glove" with Naxals. Modi said Naxal influence in the area where BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed in a blast had been considerably reduced. "Why did this happen now," he said, referring to the Naxal attack which claimed Mandavi's life. Mandavi and four security personnel were killed last Tuesday when their convoy was attacked by naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. "Perpetrators of violence and terror are dancing with joy after Congress manifesto assurances. Will you allow Congress to compromise on your national security," he said. "The Congress is encouraging naxals in Chhatisgarh," Modi said. Encouragement to naxalism is seen in Congress manifesto which calls for scrapping of sedition law, he said. "Congress ka haath vikas ke saath ya vinash ke saath," he said. "Does Chhattisgarh want landmine or electricity and water pipeline," he added. Congress party's poll promise to strip the army of special power has led to celebration among those forces who are engaged in spreading violence, Modi said. Modi said the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been stopped in Chhattisgarh after the Congress government came to power in the state last year. Similarly, the state government had stopped sending list of farmers who will be beneficiaries of the PM Kisan Yojana, he said. Modi said on 23 May when "Modi sarkar" will be re-elected, the PM Kisan Yojana will be implemented and a host of other schemes for farmers would also be initiated including pension for farmers, farm labourers and small traders. Chaturvedi re-tweeted a journalist who had shared a Congress notice that talked about how Chaturvedi had complained about a few party leaders misbehaving with her and they were reined-in by the party post it. However, after hearing their explanation and discussions with Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh West, Jyotiraditya Scindia they were again welcomed in the fold. Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi has spoken out against her party on Twitter after it reinstated some leaders who were suspended for misbehaving with her. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get prefence in @incindia over those who have given their sweat&blood. Having faced brickbats&abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate. https://t.co/CrVo1NAvz2 Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) April 17, 2019 Chaturvedi retweeted a journalist who shared a Congress notice that stated that the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee reinstated some party leaders who were suspended for misbehaving with her. The leaders returned to the fold after discussions with and providing an explanation to Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh West, as per the notice. While the letter is dated 15 April, 2015, the journalist who posted the letter clarified that that is a typo and the letter was written on 15 April, 2019. Chaturvedi said the leaders misbehaved with her during a recent press conference in Mathura on the Rafale deal. This is the first time that Chaturvedi, who has been active in attacking the ruling dispensation and Congress' Opposition over various issues including the Rafale deal, has openly acknowledged her displeasure with the internal workings of the grand old party. Not just consolidation of Muslim votes, BJP's Udhampur candidate Jitendra Singh faces disgruntled Dogra voters who are unhappy with the party for not supporting the community's demand for CBI enquiry in the Kathua rape and murder case Kathua: Located in a narrow lane in Rasana village, nearly 50 kilometres from Jammu is the home of Sanji Ram, the main accused in the Kathua rape and murder case of a minor Muslim Gujjar girl. A year has passed since the incident took place. And as campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha Election gains momentum, Ram's house is all decked up with national flags and stickers of Lal Singh, an ex-BJP leader and minister in the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh and another minister Chandar Prakash Ganga were forced to resign from the state cabinet after they took part in a rally demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. The former forest minister later quit the BJP as well and launched his own party, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan, in February and is aggressively campaigning against the BJP in this predominantly Hindu belt. A number of local residents, including Ram, who are accused in the Kathua rape and murder case, are presently being tried in a Pathankot court in Punjab. Rams family is actively campaigning for Singh. It may be recalled that the body of a minor girl from the nomadic Gujjar community was found in Rasana village near a temporary shelter where her family was staying. The Gujjars spend winters in the plains of Jammu and Punjab and return to the mountains of the Kashmir valley during summers. Singh's rebellion is a cause of worry for the BJP. Kathua (population of 6,16,435) is one of five Assembly segments the other four being Bani, Basohli, Billawar and Hiranagar that are part of the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency and had voted overwhelmingly for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. But Singh is now threatening to split this solid BJP Hindu vote bank. With locals now wary of the BJP, and the consolidation of Muslim votes in other areas of Udhampur constituency, BJP MP Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election from the seat has a fight on his hands. His opponent, Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress, has the support of National Conference and PDP as both of them have decided not to field their own candidates to avoid splitting what they call the "secular" vote bank. Kathua's voters are angry that Ram and the other accused in the murder and rape case have been denied bail and have spent the last year in jail while Gujjar activist Talib Hussain who spearheaded the protests seeking justice for the victim in the case, is roaming free despite being an accused in rape and domestic violence cases. Hussain, who was booked in another case following a domestic violence complaint by his wife, recently joined the PDP. Ram's wife Darshana Devi was not willing to speak with this reporter during a visit to Rasana. "Many media persons visited us earlier but have portrayed a wrong picture of the incident," she said, adding, "The entire Hindu community was targeted despite the fact that no one has been proven guilty so far." Members of the Dogra community seem to hold a grudge against the state government and the BJP. However, they share a different opinion with outsiders. When this reporter asked Naresh Kumar, a Dogra who runs a shop along the National Highway in Kathua in Hindi, he replied that the BJP wave is still present in the area and only a few people were supporting Singh. However, when the same question was presented in Dogri, the language of the ethnic Dogra community of Jammu and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Kumar shared a contrasting opinion. "Tus te apne ge ho te tusen pata hai Kashmiri politicians te media ne kiyan Rasana case Dogren de khilaaf ghumaya. BJP power vich onde oyi vi sadi CBI di demand puri nai kari saki te un usi bhugatna pau (You are one among us and you know how Kashmiri politicians and media used the Rasana case to blame the Dogras of Jammu. The BJP despite being in power failed to fulfill our demand of a CBI inquiry into the incident and now the party will repent," Kumar said in Dogri. At the core of the Dogra's resentment towards the BJP is the saffron party's poor response to the community's demand for a CBI inquiry into the Kathua murder and rape case. "A sit-in by residents of Rasana village demanding a CBI inquiry continued for over a year but no BJP leader visited us. We did not trust the local police crime branch as it was working on the directions of the then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to tarnish the image of the Hindus of Jammu," said Kumar. "Is it possible that Ram, who has grandchildren, can be mastermind of such a crime? he asks, sharing the community's strong belief in the innocence of the accused. Kumar is not the only Dogra who holds the view that the PDP-led government tried to use the case to malign the Hindu community and the BJP did nothing to counter it. "Our pleas for a CBI enquiry fell on deaf ears," said Subedar Major (retired) Bhishan Das Sharma of Rasana village, adding, We would have accepted the CBIs conclusions even if our own men were found to be the real culprits." "Those accused in other rape cases are out on bail and joining Kashmir-centric parties while our men are in jail without getting bail," said Darbari Lal, a local cart puller while referring to Hussain. Sitting under the same tree where local residents held a sit-in protest for over a year Lal said, "We are being discriminated only because of the BJP which claims to be a Hindu party." Udhampur goes to polls on 18 April. The author is Ludhiana-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters DMK candidate Kathir Anand has written a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that the election watchdog is colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party to help their candidate, after polls in Vellore constituency were cancelled. New Delhi: DMK candidate Kathir Anand has written a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that the election watchdog is colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party to help their candidate, after polls in Vellore constituency were cancelled. In his letter to poll body, Anand stated, "The raids were staged and managed by the ruling party to get a bogus report from the IT department, which acted as judge, jury and executioner. Based on this bogus report, the ECI has cancelled elections projecting as if the money seized was from me and that the said money was stored for distribution to the voters." The DMK candidate accused I-T department of detaining him illegally to help BJP-AIADMK alliance candidate. "There was no warrant during the entry and I was illegally detained for about three days during the search by I-T department preventing me from campaigning... to help BJP-AIADMK combine candidate AC Shanmugam and also to damage the prospects of my victory," Anand stated. On Tuesday, President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the recommendation by the Election Commission and cancelled voting in Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, in the wake of seizures of large amounts of unaccounted cash from the state. Click here for constituencies, polling dates and election news of Tamil Nadu The DMK leader also said that AIADMK's candidate from the constituency AC Shanmugam is engaged in large scale cash distribution. "Further, despite our several complaints that the BJP-AIADMK alliance is engaged in large scale cash distribution by its candidate AC Shunmugam and his agents and worker, no action whatsoever has been taken against him." Anand alleged the raids of the income tax (I-T) department at his mothers residence and a college of which he was a managing trustee were illegal and stage-managed by the ruling BJP-AIADMK parties "The raids are highly motivated, preplanned to enable the Department to provide a false, misleading report to Election Commission to damage my election prospects and to stop the elections in the Vellore Parliamentary constituency," he stated. Anand has urged the Commission to let elections take place in Vellore constituency and said if the poll body fails to do this he will be constrained to initiate action before the constitutional court. Vellore was scheduled to go to polls on 18 April along with 38 other Parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The only Indian state with a female Gross Enrolment Ratio at college level of around 41 percent, which is nearly double that of its closest contender, has under eight women running for the 17th Lok Sabha The only Indian state with a female Gross Enrolment Ratio at college level of around 41 percent, which is nearly double that of its closest contender, has under eight women running for the 17th Lok Sabha. It currently has 10 percent women in the 16th Lok Sabha a statistic that is now impossible to achieve at the hustings on 18 April. The ruling combine of the AIADMK, BJP and their numerous allies fields a grand total of two women for the upcoming election. Maragatham, sitting MP of Kancheepuram (SC), a veteran of Standing Committees, who rose up from elected Union positions, from the AIADMK and Tamilisai Sounderarajan, state BJP president, locked against Kanizmohi of the DMK in Thoothukkudi. The DMK-Congress alliance fielded just three women two from the DMK, of which one is Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, running from the charged Thoothukudi constituency and the other, Thamizhachi Thangapandian contesting from the rich, urbane Chennai South seat. The Congress fields Jothimani Sennimalai, former national general secretary of the Youth Congress and erstwhile councillor, from Karur. The rebel TTV Dinakaran-led, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam has two women running. Charubala Thondiaman, former Mayor of Tiruchirapalli and a well-known politician in that Parliamentary seat. The other, AS Ponnuthayi, former union chairman of Rajapalayam, fights the Tenkasi (SC) seat. The abysmal numbers are only shored up to 7.9 percent thanks to the small, noisy Tamil nationalist party, Naam Tamilar Katchi which is fielding 50 percent women candidates this season, impressively educated, and from diverse, challenging, backgrounds. Kaliammal, a fisherwoman with an MBA is fighting for Chennai North, educators and social activists who protested the Chennai-Salem highway, Sterlite, Jallikattu and Koodankulam, Prakalatha and Seethalakshmi are braving it in Vizhuppuram and Erode respectively. That makes more seats a contest between more than just a solo woman against an array of men candidates. NTK's campaign discourse has an explicitly vocalised theme of women's political power, in stark contrast to the established regional and national parties, the message of which oscillates predictably between the foibles of the the other and the glory of their own. Kamal Hassan's Makkal Needhi Maiam is debuting with just two women, Kamala Nasser in Chennai Central, and bike racer and social activist Mookambika Rathinam, in Pollachi, who was one of the early informants behind the recent horrific sexual assault revelations. In addition to the women contestants from the DMK and AJ Sherin of the NTK, who is pursuing her PhD, Chennai South has a transgender contestant, Radha alias Ramanujam in the fray. The Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati has Essakkiammal running in Tirunelveli, its lone woman face. The sum total including Independents is 67 women and 845 men contesting for the 39 Lok Sabha seats, as per Form 7 issued by the Election Commission, amounting to under eight percent women candidates on the ballot. What's noteworthy is that 10 of the 39 seats offer zero choices for women's representation, not even Independents. As seen below, electoral outcomes in Tamil Nadu have historically been unrepresentative of women: The feminisation of Tamil Nadu politics is the juggernaut that is its female voters. This is a state where women voters shaped recent political history by voting en bloc for J Jayalalithaa, the former chief minister. Women voters now outnumber men in 35 of 39 constituencies, but the electoral discourse has little to do with gender-balanced governance policies. Purely from the perspective of larger parties those with a greater likelihood of garnering wins, the electoral contestation politics of Tamil Nadu is no more feminised than before. It is one party, call it an anomaly or beacon, the NTK with barely one to two percent of the vote, that has buoyed the trajectory of the women candidates in this iteration. It is unclear if even four women will get elected from Tamil Nadu to the Lower House of Parliament this time, as with the 16th Lok Sabha. Instead, it may be as low as one, or two, jarring with the remarkable progress in Tamil Nadu's female HDI. Periyar's radical feminism with its legions of female participants, never was adopted by the Dravidian parties, as seen in the data. As per their inputs to consecutive elections, the champions of social justice have reserved political justice for men alone. It merits mention that improving women's political representation, is in equal measure, working on party men to dismantle patriarchal attitudes, norms and structures. After all, representative outcomes cannot exceed unrepresentative inputs. The author is a co-founder of Shakti - Political Power to Women and Citizens for Bengaluru. She tweets @tarauk Reuters By Koh Gui Qing and Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) - A University of Minnesota student who said she was raped last August by Richard Liu, the chief executive officer of China's e-commerce retailer JD.com Inc, filed a civil lawsuit against him in a Minneapolis court on Tuesday, nearly four months after prosecutors declined to press criminal charges. Liu, through his lawyers, maintained his innocence throughout the law enforcement investigation, which ended in December. The lawsuit in Hennepin County court seeks undisclosed damages and names Richard Liu and JD.com as defendants. It also identifies the student for the first time as Liu Jingyao, a Chinese woman who is not related to the JD.com executive. "Defendant Liu was physically larger in size and significantly stronger than the plaintiff and used his superior size and strength to subdue and rape her," the court document said. Richard Liu's attorney, Jill Brisbois, did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. JD.com also did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. The student first accused Richard Liu of rape in August when he was visiting the University of Minnesota to attend a doctor of business administration programme directed at Chinese executives. Liu, 46, who started JD.com as a humble electronics stall and expanded it into an e-commerce company with 2018 net revenues of $67 billion, was arrested on Aug. 31 but released without charge about 17 hours later. He soon returned to China and continued his executive role, as prosecutors in Minnesota investigated the rape allegation to determine if criminal charges were warranted. In December, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman announced he was not charging Richard Liu as there were profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Richard Liu said subsequently on Chinese social media, Weibo, that while he had broken no law, he felt utter self-admonishment and regret for the enormous pain his actions on that day caused his family, especially his wife, internet celebrity Zhang Zetian. Also known as Liu Qiangdong, he would have faced up to 30 years in prison under Minnesota law if convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Reuters previously reported details of what happened while Richard Liu was in Minneapolis for a week long residency programme at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, including a description of the alleged attack and the events around it given by the then-anonymous student. "We are proud of the incredible courage our client has shown revealing her name for all the world to see, so that justice may be done," Florin Roebig, P.A., one of the law firms representing Liu Jingyao, said in a statement on Tuesday. Florin Roebig declined to comment on the amount they were seeking in damages, but the court filing showed it was more than the $50,000 threshold required. Spokesmen for the University of Minnesota and the Hennepin County Attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. JD.COM 'VICARIOUSLY LIABLE' The lawsuit accused Richard Liu and JD.com of a total of six counts of false imprisonment, civil assault and battery, and sexual assault or battery. JD.com is "vicariously liable" for Richard Liu's behaviour because his alleged actions happened while he was "seemingly" at work-related activities, the court document said. The assault and battery also began in the presence of two other JD.com employees, Vivian Yang Han and Alice Zhang Yujia, the court filing said. Reached on her cell phone for comment, Yang hung up. Zhang did not respond to a message seeking comment. "Those employees were not only present but helped facilitate" Richard Liu's alleged assault of the student, according to the lawsuit. "The offensive contact caused the plaintiff physical and emotional injuries," the court filing said. "It also caused her to withdraw from all classes during the fall 2018 semester at the University of Minnesota and to seek professional counselling, care, and treatment." The lawsuit said that when police visited the student's apartment after being alerted to the rape allegation, Richard Liu tried to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement, according to an officer's body camera footage. The lawsuit said Liu was "staring down" at her while being removed from her apartment, angrily saying "'what the hell?'" (Reporting by Koh Gui Qing and Lawrence Delevingne in New York; editing by Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. tech2 News Staff Xiaomi has a ton of smartphones and smartphone series in the Indian market right now. However, not all of them are going to keep getting the latest MIUI updates. Xiaomi has released a list of smartphones which will stop getting updates. The Chinese smartphone maker has given out a list of 10 smartphones which will not be getting the MIUI 11 upgrade or any Global Beta update going ahead. However, the company will keep on providing Android security updates for now, but there is no information on till when this will continue. We have already reported that three phones will not be getting the MIUI 11 update. The following phones are in Xiaomi's blacklist for future updates. Redmi 6 Redmi 6A Redmi Y2 Redmi 4 Redmi 4A Redmi Note 4 Redmi 3S Redmi 3X Redmi Note 3 Redmi Pro Is your phone on the list? If it is time for an upgrade. The Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) is a good option in the budget category. tech2 News Staff With Earth Day less than a week away on 22 April, American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited people to celebrate the planet through a #PictureEarth contest. Photographers whether you're a professional, an amateur, or someone who cares little for "photography" are invited to share images of the life, natural beauty or motion around them. For inspiration, NASA's blogpost announcing the contest said the contest will welcome "blooming flowers, ancient trees, colourful insects, furry and feathered animals, crashing waves, molten lava, puffy clouds, frozen ice, and warm sunlight," among other things in nature. How do you #PictureEarth? NASA wants contestants to capture anything in nature that can answer: What makes your location on Earth special? Where is the colour of our living planet seen? Is there a texture or pattern in your surroundings? What makes Earth our home in the vast universe? The photographs can be shared with "#PictureEarth" on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on 22 April along with the photo location to qualify. NASA plans to then showcase the best of the lot in videos and composite images of natural beauty from around the world. "Our satellites and instruments #PictureEarth daily. Some take visible light photos, much like your camera. Others peer into the infrared, microwave and radio spectrums, which our human eyes cant see," the blogpost reads. "Each satellite picture reveals a small detail of the land, water, atmosphere, and life on Earth...a single brushstroke in the masterpiece that is our home planet." And now NASA is turning to you and me to add pieces to its super-massive photo puzzle of our Planet Earth. Agence France-Presse Measles cases rose 300 percent worldwide through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, the UN said Monday, as concern grows over the impact of anti-vaccination stigma. Measles, which is highly contagious, can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has in recent months sounded the alarm over slipping vaccination rates. "Preliminary global data shows that reported cases rose by 300 percent in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. This follows consecutive increases over the past two years," it said in a statement. "While this data is provisional and not yet complete, it indicates a clear trend. Many countries are in the midst of sizeable measles outbreaks, with all regions of the world experiencing sustained rises in cases," it added. The agency noted that only about one in 10 actual measles cases are reported, meaning the early trends for 2019 likely underestimate the severity of the outbreaks. So far this year, 170 countries have reported 112,163 measles cases to WHO. At this time last year, 163 countries had reported 28,124 cases. Unvaccinated 'clusters are a problem Measles an airborne infection causing fever, coughing and rashes that can be deadly in rare cases had been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare systems. But the so-called anti-vax movement driven by fraudulent claims linking the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, and a risk of autism in children has gained traction. Repeated studies the most recent involving more than 650,000 children monitored for more than a decade have shown that there is no such link. But according to WHO, global coverage for the first vaccine dose has been "stalled" at 85 percent, while 67 percent of people have received the second dose. The provisional 2019 data shows that cases have spiked "in countries with high overall vaccination coverage, including the United States," WHO warned. "The disease has spread fast among clusters of unvaccinated people," it added. New York's mayor declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn last week, after a measles outbreak emerged in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where some had resisted vaccination on religious grounds. Calls have mounted in several countries to make measles vaccinations mandatory, including in Germany. Australia earlier this month launched a major education campaign to encourage residents to get vaccinated. Turning the tide against measles will require "effective public-facing communication and engagement on the critical importance of vaccination, and the dangers of the diseases they prevent," WHO said. 700 percent spike in measles cases While WHO has identified the junk science behind anti-vax propaganda as a public health threat, the data highlighted that measles still hits hardest in unstable countries with weak health systems. The most dramatic rise in cases through the early part of the year was reported in Africa, which has weaker vaccination coverage than other regions. Africa saw a 700-percent increase compared to last year. At least 800 children have died from measles since September in Madagascar, where rampant malnutrition and a historically poor vaccine rate are driving the world's worse current outbreak. In conflict-scarred Yemen cases shot up more than 300 percent in 2018 compared to 2017. Venezuela, where the disease was once contained, has also seen tens of thousands of cases as the country's economic and political crises continue to push the healthcare system to the brink of collapse. tech2 News Staff What an ironic week for NASA's spaceflight media team. It was days ago that a NASA release announced that spaceflight has a bunch of unpleasant side-effects, some of which last six months (and counting). Days later, they've now gone ahead and announced their next big plan: sending humans to the frigid, icy expanse that is the lunar South Pole. The last time NASA (or any humans, for that matter) flew to the Moon was in the 1970s, during the Apollo missions, all of which took place in and around the equator. However, all the probes that have sustained our interest in exploring the moon have come back saying the same thing: the South Pole could be a gold-mine for lunar research. Why bother with the South Pole? After ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 probe confirmed the presence of water on the Moon, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Chinese probes have located the densest collection of water deposits in the South pole in the form of ice. The South Pole also has the only known surface that can reflect solar wind a steady stream of charged particles released from the Sun's upper atmosphere that the Earth's magnetic field protects us from for the most part. Some areas near the Shackleton crater (see image) in the South pole also get plenty of sunlight almost throughout the day, which is a promising prospect to harvest solar power. In addition to the number of "cold traps" of ice-water found by robotic probes, there are also regions of the South pole that have a magnetized crust. This is an anomaly, according to researchers, and exists on the surface because of metallic remnants that was dislodged from the core during the massive impact that formed the South pole-Aitken (SPA) basin. "We know the South Pole region contains ice and may be rich in other resources based on our observations from orbit, but, otherwise, its a completely unexplored world," Steven Clarke, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. A new challenge for NASA A manned mission to the lunar South pole also offers NASA a new challenge an environment largely unexplored by astronauts. Robotic probes from the US, Japan, India and most recently, China, have collectively made it the most well-studied region on the moon, according to the statement. The challenge, if any, has been the region's rugged terrain and relatively weak communication infrastructure. Though, the 'dark side', which is tidally-locked away from our view on Earth, is far more tricky where communication is concerned. NASA intends to send the first installments of the Lunar Orbital Gateway ahead of the 2024 moon mission, but we're yet to hear how they plan to execute their planned polar first. All said and done, their decision to send astronauts trekking to the South pole is in line with their main objective: to enable long-term human exploration of the Moon and Mars by extension. Water is a critical resource to make that objective happen, and that's exactly what NASA's choice of landing site has in abundance. But well before that, ISRO may have sent its second lunar probe Chandrayaan-2 to the South pole later this year. It will attempt to make a soft-landing and explore resources including water, mineral composition and magnetism in the South Pole. Considered among the finest examples of European Gothic architecture, Notre-Dame is visited by more than 13 million people a year. It sits on an island in the Seine, overlooking the Left Bank hangouts of Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. Paris: Parisians gave thanks to see the bell towers and great stained-glass rose window of Notre-Dame still standing on Tuesday after firefighters laboured through the night to douse the flames that gutted one of the most potent national symbols of France. Authorities said they suspected the fire was caused by accident. President Emmanuel Macron declared that the cathedral would be rebuilt. Industrialists pledged hundreds of millions of euros. Ordinary people sang, wept and prayed below the cathedral that has towered above the capital for more than 800 years. More than 400 firemen were needed to tame the inferno that consumed the roof and collapsed the spire of the gothic masterpiece. They worked through the night, finally quelling the blaze some 14 hours after it began. "Yesterday we thought the whole cathedral would collapse. Yet this morning she is still standing, valiant, despite everything," said Sister Marie Aimee, a nun who had hurried to a nearby church to pray as the flames spread. "It is a sign of hope." From the outside, the imposing bell towers and outer walls, with their vast buttresses, stood firm, though the insides and the upper structure had been eviscerated. Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz said there was no obvious indication the fire was arson. Fifty people were working on what would be a long and complex investigation, officials said. One firefighter was injured but no one else was hurt, with the fire starting at around 6.30 pm after the building was closed to the public for the evening. Firefighters examined the facade, with its spectacular 10-metre filigreed stained-glass, rose window still intact. They could be seen walking atop the belfries as police kept the area in lockdown. Investigators will not be able to enter the cathedral's blackened nave until experts are satisfied its walls withstood the heat and the building is structurally sound. The fire swiftly ripped through the cathedral's oak roof supports, where workmen had been carrying out extensive renovations to the spire's timber-framed supports. The Paris prosecutor has opened an investigation into "involuntary destruction by fire". Police on Tuesday began questioning the workers involved in the restoration, the prosecutor's office said. Hundreds of stunned onlookers had lined the banks of the river Seine late into the night, reciting prayers and singing as they stood in vigil while the fire raged. It was at Notre-Dame that Henry VI of England was crowned "King of France" in 1431, that Napoleon was made emperor in 1804, and Pope Pius X beatified Joan of Arc in 1909. Presidents Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand were mourned there. Messages of condolence flooded in from around the world. Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, was praying for those affected, the Vatican said, adding: "Notre-Dame will always remain and we have seen this in these hours a place where believers and non-believers can come together in the most dramatic moments of French history." Britain's Queen Elizabeth expressed deep sadness while her son and heir Prince Charles said he was "utterly heartbroken". Chancellor Angela Merkel offered German help to rebuild a part of "our common European heritage". Vow to rebuild Considered among the finest examples of European Gothic architecture, Notre-Dame is visited by more than 13 million people a year. It sits on an island in the Seine, overlooking the Left Bank hangouts of Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. "Notre-Dame de Paris is the cathedral of the people, of the people of Paris, of the French people, of the people of the world. It is part of those references of our history, of what we have in common, of what we share," said interior minister Christophe Castaner. The cathedral is owned by the state and has been at the centre of a years-long row between the nation and the Paris archdiocese over who should finance restoration work to collapsed balustrades, crumbling gargoyles and cracked facades. Within 24 hours, companies and local authorities had pledged more than 700 million euros to rebuild it, including 500 million from the three billionaire families that own France's giant luxury goods empires: Kering, LVMH and L'Oreal. It was too early to estimate the cost of the damage, said the heritage charity Fondation du Patrimoine. Paolo Violini, a restoration specialist for Vatican museums, said the pace at which the fire spread through the cathedral had been stunning. "We are used to thinking about them as eternal simply because they have been there for centuries, or a thousand years, but the reality is they are very fragile," Violini said. Human Chain The company carrying out the renovation works when the blaze broke out said it would cooperate fully with the investigation. "All I can tell you is that at the moment the fire began none of my employees were on the site. We respected all procedures," Julien Le Bras, a representative of family firm Le Bras Freres. Officials breathed a sigh of relief that many relics and artworks had been saved. At one point, firefighters, policemen and municipal workers formed a human chain to remove the treasures, including a centuries-old crown of thorns made from reeds and gold, and the tunic believed to have been worn by Saint Louis, a 13th-century king of France. "Notre-Dame was our sister, it is so sad, we are all mourning," said Parisian Olivier Lebib. "I have lived with her for 40 years. Thank God that the stone structure has withstood the fire. By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the first time against foreign companies that use properties Communist-ruled Cuba confiscated since Fidel Castro's revolution six decades ago, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the first time against foreign companies that use properties Communist-ruled Cuba confiscated since Fidel Castro's revolution six decades ago, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The major policy shift, which will be announced on Wednesday, could expose U.S., European and Canadian companies to legal action and deal a blow to Cuba's efforts to attract more foreign investment. It is also another sign of Washington's efforts to punish Havana over its support for Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton on Wednesday will explain the administration's decision in a speech in Miami and will also announce new sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, countries he has branded a "troika of tyranny," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It is unclear, however, whether such property claims will be acceptable in U.S. courts. The European Union has already warned it could lodge a challenge with the World Trade Organisation. Trump threatened in January to allow a controversial law that has been suspended since its creation in 1996, permitting Cuban Americans and other U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business in Cuba over property seized in decades past by the Cuban government. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of lawsuits. The complete lifting of the ban could allow billions of dollars in legal claims to move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and Europe, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that began investing in the island, an old Cold War foe, since former President Barack Obama began a process of normalizing relations between the two countries from the end of 2014. U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president, partially rolling back the detente initiated by Obama and reverting to Cold War rhetoric. A six-decade U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the country's National Assembly, meeting over the weekend, declared the Helms-Burton Act "illegitimate, unenforceable and without legal effect". Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech on Saturday that the United States "has pushed the precarious relations with our country back to the worst level ... trying to activate the hateful Helms-Burton Law, which aims to return us in principle to ... when we were a slave nation of another empire." "BUMP" IN BUSINESS, OFFICIAL SAYS Trump is going ahead despite protests by European leaders to U.S. counterparts. The U.S. official dismissed the EU's warning of a possible WTO challenge and a cycle of counter-claims in European courts as doomed to fail. Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Sherritt International Corp and Spains Melia Hotels International SA. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. Defending the decision, the U.S. official said allowing lawsuits would cause only a "bump" in the business world but would send a message of U.S. resolve against Havana. In addition to halting any further waivers of Title III, the administration will begin enforcement of Helms-Burton's Title IV, which requires the denial of U.S. visas to those involved in "trafficking" confiscated properties in Cuba. Trump's decision followed threats by his top aides in recent weeks to take actions against Cuba to force it to abandon Maduro, something Havana has insisted it will not do. Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency. The United States and most Western countries have backed Guaido as head of state. Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup and Maduro is backed by Cuba, Russia, China and the Venezuela military. Trumps toughened stance on Cuba as well as Venezuela has gone down well in the large Cuban-American community in south Florida, an important voting bloc in a key political swing state as he looks toward his re-election campaign in 2020. In Bolton's speech on Wednesday, he is expected to announce further measures against Cuba. While the specifics are unclear, the administration is considering a range of options, including sanctions against senior Cuban military and intelligence officials over their role in Venezuela and the tightening of limits on U.S. trade with the island, according to two people familiar with the matter. Experts say it is unclear how activating Title III will affect investors in Cuba given legislation in some countries like Canada blocking enforcement of Helms-Burton against their companies. This is a fringe policy decision that has not been tested legally," said James Williams, president of Engage Cuba, a Washington-based lobbying group working to normalise relations with Cuba. Some 5,913 claims held by U.S. companies and individuals have been have been certified by the U.S. Justice Department and are now estimated to be worth roughly $8 billion. Cuban law ties settlement of any claims to U.S. reparations for damages from Washington's embargo and what it considers other acts of U.S. aggression. Cuban estimates of that damage range from $121 billion to more than $300 billion. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; additional reporting by Susan Heavy and David Alexander in Washington and Sarah Marsh and Marc Frank in Havana; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections on Wednesday, pitting President Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. Jakarta: Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections on Wednesday, pitting President Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7 am local time in restive Papua. The vote is slated to end at 1 pm in Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted archipelago. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 percent Muslim. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots to make clear their candidate choice and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes as well as elephants and horses to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. 'Indonesia First' The poll has been punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online that threatens to sway millions of undecided voters. Widodo has campaigned on his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But his rights record has been criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate has also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, whose strongman image is underscored by a penchant for slamming lecterns as he accuses Jakarta of selling the country off to foreign interests. Subianto joined by running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy financier has courted Islamic hardliners, promised a boost to military and defence spending and, taking a page from US president Donald Trump, vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. Subianto's long-held presidential ambitions have been dogged by strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago, and a chequered past. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. Photo: Wayne Moore - File Photo Coun. Maxine DeHart Kelowna residents need to do more to protect their property from crime. That's the concern of one city councillor following a survey on crime and safety in the city. "Car theft. Why are people not locking their cars. In shopping centres, how many times do we tell people don't put things out there that people can see," said Coun. Maxine DeHart following the presentation. "Sometimes I get frustrated with that. We all just have to use a little common sense." The survey, conducted by NRG Research Group out of Vancouver, concluded nearly everyone in the city feels safe within their own neighbourhood. However, it also states nearly a quarter of all resident believe property crime has risen in their neightbourhood over the past year. Nine in 10 people who say they have been victimized by crime say they had experienced property crime. Colleen Cornock, the city's crime prevention supervisor says the survey is just a preliminary step. She says the city will take a look at certain programs such as Block Watch, to see if there are gaps in engagement. "We're looking at the indicators for a safe neighbourhood. Trying to bolster that with Neighbourhood Watch or Block Watch programs," she said. "We've had an ongoing campaign of Don't Be An Easy Target for the City of Kelowna. One of the driving forces of getting the perception of safety survey underway was to better target that campaign to our community and learning better mediums to getting that messaging out." DeHart was also disturbed that nearly half (47%) of people who said they were victimized by crime didn't report it to police. "I think that's the most disturbing thing that I saw in the whole report," said DeHart. "Sometimes they think it's small, some petty thing. But, there's this other thing that police couldn't do anything about it. Can we do something better?" Through the crime prevention unit, Cornock says they are engaging with the business and residential communities about the importance of reporting suspicious activity, as well as crimes that have already taken place. By Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Shelling could be heard late on Tuesday in several parts of the Libyan capital Tripoli as Europe and the Gulf were divided over a push by eastern forces commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the city. By Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Shelling could be heard late on Tuesday in several parts of the Libyan capital Tripoli as Europe and the Gulf were divided over a push by eastern forces commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the city. Nearly two weeks into its assault, the veteran general's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) is stuck in the city's southern outskirts battling armed groups loyal to the internationally-recognised Tripoli government. But residents in central districts could hear just before midnight shelling louder than in previous nights. No more information was immediately available. As the rockets fell, the U.N. Security Council was due to consider a British-drafted resolution that would demand a ceasefire in Libya and call on all countries with influence over the warring parties to ensure compliance. Foreign powers are worried but unable to present a united front over the latest flare-up in the cycle of anarchy gripping Libya since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011. The conflict has brought a growing humanitarian toll - 174 people, 756 injured and almost 20,000 displaced according to latest United Nations tallies - and sunk for now an international peace plan. It threatens to disrupt oil flows, foment migration across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, and allow jihadists to exploit the chaos. Qatar said an existing U.N. arms embargo on Libya should be strictly enforced, to prevent Haftar, 75, from receiving arms. Benghazi-based Haftar enjoys the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, who view him as an anchor to restore stability and combat Islamist militants. Those three nations cut ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing it of support for militants and Iran. Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Italian daily La Repubblica a postponed U.N. peace forum should be rescheduled and Haftar's army made to withdraw. The arms embargo must be implemented "to prevent those countries that have been providing ammunitions and state-of-the-art weapons from continuing to do so," he said. Past U.N. reports say the UAE and Egypt have both supplied Haftar with arms and aircraft, giving him air superiority among Libya's multiple factions. East Libyan authorities say Qatar and Turkey back rival, Islamist-leaning factions in western Libya. U.N. MAY DEMAND CEASEFIRE The Gulf diplomatic divisions echo those in Europe, where former colonial ruler Italy and France have sparred over Libya. Paris has given Haftar support in the past, viewing him as the best bet to end the chaos since a NATO-backed rebellion to end Gaddafi's murderous four-decade rule. Italy, with considerable oil interests in the OPEC member, supports the Tripoli government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and was furious with French reluctance to back a recent European Union resolution urging Haftar to halt his advance. Nevertheless, Serraj has managed to keep the LNA at bay, thanks largely to armed groups who have rushed to aid them from other western Libyan factions. "The war ends with the withdrawal of these (LNA) forces and return from where they came," Serraj said in a statement on Tuesday. Though Haftar presents himself as a champion against what he calls terrorism, opponents cast him as a would-be dictator in the mould of Gaddafi. About 70 people protested against him at the central Algiers Square in Tripoli on Tuesday. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Elumami in TRIPOLI, Valentina Za in Milian, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Michelle Nichols in New York ; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. LONDON (Reuters) - Police have arrested 290 people in two days of protests after climate-change activists blocked some of London's most important junctions including Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, causing traffic chaos. LONDON (Reuters) - Police have arrested 290 people in two days of protests after climate-change activists blocked some of London's most important junctions including Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, causing traffic chaos. The protests, led by British climate group Extinction Rebellion, brought parts of central London to a standstill again on Tuesday. Extinction Rebellion, which generated headlines with a semi-nude protest in the House of Commons earlier this month, is demanding the government reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Police said they expected the demonstrations to continue in coming weeks and had to strike the right balance between allowing the right to peaceful protest while ensuring disruption was kept at a minimum. "At this time, ongoing demonstrations are causing serious disruptions to public transport, local businesses and Londoners who wish to go about their daily business," Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said on Tuesday. Activists had been told they must confine any demonstrations to the Marble Arch area, and police were taking action against protesters in other locations. More than a dozen activists had been arrested at Waterloo Bridge near parliament by lunchtime on Tuesday. Others were sitting in the road with linked arms, chanting at the police "Rebellion! Rebellion!" and "We are peaceful! What about you?" Five arrests were for criminal damage after the Royal Dutch Shell building near the River Thames was targeted on Monday. Two protesters on Monday climbed up scaffolding, writing "Shell Knows!" in red paint on the front of the building and three protesters glued their hands to revolving doors at the entrance. Tents littered the prime shopping area of Oxford Circus on Tuesday morning, with some activists huddled beneath a model boat with the words "Tell the Truth" across its side. One placard read: "Rebel for Life". Activist Katy Fowler, 39, from Machynlleth in Wales, said reaction from the public had been very positive. "People have come up to us to thank us emphatically," she said. "There is an awareness and a hunger for something to be done." (Reporting by Paul Sandle, Hannah Mckay and Andrew Marshall and Elisabeth O'Leary; Additional reporting by Bhanu Pratap in Bengaluru; writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison and Tom Brown) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The head of Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council has fired the three highest-ranking public prosecutors, the TMC said on Tuesday, after protesters demanded an overhaul of the judiciary as part of steps toward civilian government. By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The head of Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council has fired the three highest-ranking public prosecutors, the TMC said on Tuesday, after protesters demanded an overhaul of the judiciary as part of steps toward civilian government. The Sudanese Professionals' Association spearheading the revolt has issued a long list of demands for wholesale change to end repression and ease an economic crisis after the military deposed veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir last week. In a statement, the TMC said council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had sacked chief prosecutor Omar Ahmed Mohamed Abdelsalam and deputy public prosecutor Hesham Othman Ibrahim Saleh, as well as head of public prosecutions Amer Ibrahim Majid. Alwaleed Sayed Ahmed Mahmoud was appointed to carry out Abdelsalam's duties, it said. Mahmoud's background was not immediately known. In its first news conference on Monday, the SPA - which led months of protests that led to Bashir's overthrow after 30 years in power - called for the TMC to be dissolved in favour of an interim civilian ruling council with military representatives. It also called for Abdelsalam's removal along with the chief of the judiciary and his deputies, and added that mass protests would not cease until the demands were met. The judiciary chief was not mentioned in the TMC statement. On Tuesday, hundreds of University of Khartoum professors carrying signs reading "civilian transitional government" and "democracy" marched to a protesters' sit-in outside the Defence Ministry that began on April 6, a Reuters witness said. Academics are among the most respected groups in Sudanese society, adding powerful symbolism to the march. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called TMC head Burhan to offer his backing, a spokesman for Sisi said. The spokesman said in a statement that Sisi had affirmed "Egypt's full support for the security and stability of Sudan and its support for the will and choices of the Sudanese people". TMC member Jalal al-Deen al-Sheikh met African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa and gave him a letter from Burhan on the situation in Sudan and inviting Mahamat to visit, the state news agency SUNA said. It quoted Sheikh as saying Mahamat had expressed "understanding" for the decisions the TMC had taken so far. The AU's Peace and Security Council on Monday called for the TMC to transfer power to a transitional civilian-led authority within 15 days or risk Sudan being suspended from the AU. On Monday, Sheikh told a news conference in Addis Ababa, where the African Union is based, that the TMC was already in the process of picking a prime minister for civilian rule - ahead of elections promised within two years. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Yousef Saba and Lena Masri; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Susan Thomas) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will not remove Sudan from the state sponsor of terrorism list until the country's leadership and policies change and the military no longer holds power, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. 'We will be willing to look at removing Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism if there is significant change in the country's leadership and policies,' the State Department official told Reuters By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will not remove Sudan from the state sponsor of terrorism list until the country's leadership and policies change and the military no longer holds power, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. "We will be willing to look at removing Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism if there is significant change in the country's leadership and policies," the State Department official told Reuters. The Trump administration suspended talks on normalizing relations with Sudan after the military deposed veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir last week saying it would oversee a two-year transition, followed by elections. The move was rejected by protesters, who for weeks maintained pressure on Bashir to step down, mainly over his mismanagement of the economy, and called on the military to hand over power to civilians. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, cutting it off from financial markets and strangling its economy. Washington lifted a 20-year trade embargo against Sudan in 2017 and was in the process of discussions on removing it from the U.S. terror list when the military stepped in on April 11 to depose Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years. The Trump administration suspended the next round of the talks, scheduled for the end of April, after the military took control. "It is important that the will of the people is respected, and that Sudanese people be allowed a peaceful transition," the official said, adding that lifting the designation at this time was "out of the question" and restrictions remain in place. Ihab Osman, chairman of the U.S.-Sudan Business Council, said it was important that the United States and its allies, Britain and France, maintain pressure on the military. Osman told Reuters in an interview the United States should also help rebuild Sudan's economy by supporting debt relief under a World Bank-backed Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC), which Sudan has qualified for. The initiative would write off Sudan's debts to global institutions and bilateral creditors, freeing up resources for such things as health care services. Osman said while the U.S.-Sudanese relationship is largely defined by counter-terrorism cooperation, there also "has to be something in it for the Sudanese people." "We are not asking the United States to do the heavy lifting, or bankroll Sudan, but we need it to send the right signals," said Osman, acknowledging the suspension of U.S.-Sudan talks. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. worth paying multiplex prices for worth a look, but wait for DVD, unless your favorite actor is in it give it a miss my reaction under consideration my reaction under gag order for now not yet seen by me From what I have experienced and seen over the years and in particular the last 5 or so years. There might be some small differences between all okanagan communities, but all are suffering from lack of ability to retain workers in almost any particular work area. It is not surprising to hear that tourism based companies are suffering from this now as well. Most workers that fill those jobs do so at 15 or under dollars an hour, here in the okanagan especially that is no longer a living wage and has not been for a while. For the high cost of housing if you can find it, a lower wage in which to get a rental, and having to travel with an increase in gas all factor heavily into the attractiveness of a community to workers in those industries. Some workers do not drive, however if you are unable to find affordable or any rentals in the same town then that eliminates the other town from attracting these workers. Years before workers could live on seasonal work and switch between seasonal jobs to get full time work. Those days seem to be getting further and further apart now. Seasonal workers who stay in these communities or even move around, can no longer depend that they will be able to get sustainable work throughout the year. Also that seasonal work might be able to sustain them through the next season of work if there is a down turn. What I keep hearing from people I talk to and that seek me about to talk about housing is that lack of housing in their price range. Even for people who make 2000 or more after taxes are struggling to find housing that is at or under 50% of their monthly income. The most common range I see if people paying between 1000 to 1500 for even a 1 bedroom, I have seen a few examples of even a roommate situation going for even as high as 950.00 a month. So while Pentiction may have more people applying for jobs, the number that stays or are able to stay long term I would say remains the same as the smaller towns like Oliver and Osoyoos. I would also say another reason Penticton might see higher numbers of applicants is from the existing population based in Penticton. This meaning people who already own or rent in Penticton and do not need to search for accommodations. More and more are still living with relatives who have or own a home, this is becoming an increasingly popular trend. This allows more income for the household while the renter can maintain more affordable rates than the market is asking for. As we see this older population scale down we will either see an inheritance of these properties and a culture shift towards a more affordable communal living arrangement in families and generation gaps. The other option being that we see a generation that becomes more fractured as housing becomes even more scarce as those properties are lost to various other factors. I think the example of a program director for housing in Penticton being unable to find housing and moving else where speaks volumes as to the just hard it in reality. Over the next few years I think we are going to find a large portion of what an employer needs to do to attract workers is invest in their own housing. Communities are going to need to step up and provide for themselves and rely less on government funding and programs to keep ahead of the curve. If we do not step up to support in a real way our communities then will lose their resilience to these external and internal forces affecting our various work forces. Shawn Hathaway Photo: Contributed Councils from three governments on the Westside gathered this week for the first of what they say will be many council-to-council gatherings. Governments of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Peachland gathered Monday to discuss topics of mutual concern and interest. Representatives from all three governments did meet earlier in the year to specifically discuss the establishment of a Westside Hub, a support network to assist the most vulnerable within the region. The Hub was also discussed Monday. WFN Chief Roxanne Lindley said the meeting was a chance to discuss common issues that affect all three communities. Discussing these important topics will help to ensure the health and well being of our Greater Westside," she said. "This is an important step in moving our collaborative relationship forward and in helping our governments work together. West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom said the energy in the room was "fantastic," adding an improved relationship with other regional governments is one of the top priorities of council. Aside from the Hub, those in attendance also discussed the recent announcement by BC Hydro to delay a second transmission line into the region. Homelessness was also discussed, including a point-in-time count, an emergency shelter serving the communities during the colder months and coordination with BC Housing for more permanent solutions. I am so encouraged to see how much we can accomplish when neighbours meet with neighbours to discuss our mutual interests and concerns, said Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin. This is an important first step, and my council and I look forward to many more collaborative approaches to the opportunities and challenges facing the Greater Westside." After two-year long battle, Qualcomm and Apple in a surprise move have announced an agreement to dismiss all litigation between the two companies worldwide. Qualcomm also said that worldwide litigation will be dismissed and withdrawn, including claims involving Apples contract manufacturers. The settlement includes a one-time payment from Apple to Qualcomm, but the amount was not disclosed. The companies have also announced that they have reached a six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a two-year option to extend, and a multi-year chipset supply agreement. Qualcomm said that this agreement contributes to increased stability for licensing business and reflects value and strength of Qualcomms intellectual property. Since early 2017, Qualcomm and Apple have been waging a wide-ranging legal war over royalties that Qualcomm charges for use of its patented cellular technology. As for Apple, it no longer pays royalties to Qualcomm and has also ditched using Qualcomm chips from the latest iPhone models. Qualcomm has sought to ban iPhone imports in the U.S., Germany, and China. With the new multi-year chipset supply agreement, we can expect Qualcomms 5G modems to power next years iPhones. Source 1, 2 TikTok app has been removed from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store after Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by court order to prohibit downloading of TikTok Mobile Application. This comes after the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court yesterday refused a request by the Chinas Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on the app. The court responded to the petition earlier this month, which sought a ban on the app stating that the app promotes disturbing content and degrades culture. It also said that medias are prohibited from telecasting the videos made using the app. Last week Bytedance challenged the state courts ban order in Indias Supreme Court, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. In the filing the company argued that a very minuscule proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. The court directed to appoint senior advocate as an independent counsel in the case to examine the implications of the app. It has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case, and the next hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 24. Source 1, 2 Photo: Contributed A petition is making the rounds in Vernon, asking Interior Health not to put an overdose prevention site in the downtown core. The business owner who started the petition has asked her name, nor the business name be published, for fear of retribution. She said she has already been harassed and her business vandalized by what she calls criminal elements of the street entrenched community. Her concern, she said, is if an OPS is put in the city centre, it will attract more of the criminal element to the area and many of her customers have already expressed concerns about the area of downtown she is in. There are lots of people who already don't want to come here, so we have lost lots of clientele, she said, adding one client was afraid to leave her store because a woman had all belongs spread out in front of the business. That client has never been back. Her fears are an OPS in the area will draw more unwanted people to the area. I have no problem with the homeless, they don't bother us at all. They are being bothered by the criminals too. And it is that criminal element on the street that are causing problems for everyone. I'm just one owner. There are dozens who have signed the petition, she said, adding many downtown businesses have similar concerns. The fear for many of us is retribution, she said of businesses not willing to speak up about the problem. It's scary. She said she is not opposed to the site so much as locating it downtown. On March 25, representatives from Interior Health met with city council to inform them an OPS was ordered for the city by the provincial government as a way to save lives in the middle of the opioid crisis. The big issue at council was where it will be set up. The announcement a site was pending sparked a lengthy debate among council, with some members wanting the city to have more input into where the site will go. On April 8, IH announced it was cancelling its request for proposals for an overdose prevention site in Vernon and putting the project on hold. IH will be seeking input from stakeholders about how the service is designed, and intends to repost the RFP in the near future. Overdose prevention sites provide designated spaces to monitor people who use drugs and ensure that Naloxone and other lifesaving first aid is available in the event of an overdose. Unlike supervised consumption (injection) sites, overdose prevention sites do not require an application for exemption from federal drug laws. Samsung just launched the Galaxy A70, the companys latest A-Series smartphone in India, after it was introduced last month. It has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Infinity-U Super AMOLED display with 20: 9 aspect ratio, is powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 675 SoC. It has 6GB 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 also has a 32-megapixel front camera. 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 RAM, 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 White, Blue and Black colors, is priced at Rs. 28990 and will be available for pre-order from between April 20 and April 30. Consumers who pre-book can purchase Samsung U Flex, Bluetooth headset worth Rs. 3,799 for Rs. 999. It will be available across all retail stores, Samsung e-Shop and Samsung Opera House as well as Flipkart from May 1st. Commenting on the launch, Ranjivjit Singh, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung India, said: Our recently launched Galaxy A line has seen an unprecedented success since its launch. It has reached a milestone of USD 500 million in sales within 40 days of launch. We are confident that we will make Galaxy A line a $4 billion brand by the end of 2019. At Samsung, its our endeavour to deliver new experiences to our consumers. We are witnessing a change from an era of static to an era of live and Galaxy A70 is built for this era of live which allows them to capture experiences, connect and share it with the world in real time. With its best in class display, revolutionary Samsung Pay, path breaking triple rear camera and top notch processor, the newly launched Galaxy A70 is all about experience. I am sure our consumers will be delighted with this ultimate powerhouse. Apple launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September 2017. Recently, Apple started to assemble the iPhone 7 at Wistron facility in Bengaluru and the company is expected to start assembling iPhone X in Chennai soon. But this did not bring an impact on the prices. It seems to change soon as according to new reports, Apple is said to launch a revised iPhone 8 in order to boost the share of Mid-Tier smartphone market. According to reports from Taiwan, Apple is said to be working on launching a revised version of iPhone 8. The revised iPhone 8 is said to retain the 4.7-inch LCD display and is expected to be powered by a new A13 SoC on a new PCB design. The revised iPhone 8 is expected to sport a single-lens rear camera and 128GB base storage. The current iPhone 8 is priced at $599 (Rs.41,500 in India) for the 64GB storage variant and $699 (Rs.48,500 in India) for 64GB storage variant of iPhone 8 Plus. But, Apple is expected to price the revised iPhone 8 aggressively at around $649(Rs.45,050 approx in India) as the company is attempting to boost its share of the mid-tier smartphone market. The production units are expected to reach 20 million, with all orders going to manufacturer Pegatron. The revised iPhone 8 is said to launch in March 2020. Source Last week, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) reported strong results for the first quarter of 2019. Revenue for the core airline segment rose 7.5% year over year. Adjusted earnings per share surged 28% to $0.96, cruising past analysts' estimates and management's own guidance. Following the earnings release, several top Delta Air Lines executives spent an hour discussing the company's strategy and recent performance with Wall Street analysts and the media. Here are five key highlights from their remarks. 1. AmEx partnership renewal will drive revenue growth Last week, we were pleased to announce a contract renewal with American Express, extending our agreement through 2029. ... Delta's benefit is expected to grow to $7 billion by 2023, up from $3.4 billion last year, and just $1 billion at the start of this decade. -- Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian Delta Air Lines recently signed a long-term renewal of its important credit card partnership with American Express (NYSE:AXP). The current AmEx deal had been set to expire in 2022, but the two companies extended their agreement to 2029. While the exact terms of the new agreement are confidential, Delta expects approximately $500 million of incremental revenue this year from the renewal. That likely indicates that American Express offered improved terms in order to maintain its valuable relationship with Delta. Delta expects steady growth in revenue from the AmEx partnership beyond 2019, as the number of co-branded credit card holders grows and those cardmembers increase their spending. And there will be another big step-up in revenue in 2023, presumably due to Delta getting an even better revenue split from American Express. As a result, management is highly confident that this high-margin revenue stream will more than double to $7 billion between 2018 and 2023. 2. Diversifying the top line During the first quarter, 55% of our revenues came from premium products and non-ticket sources. Premium product revenues were up 8% to more than $3 billion in the March quarter on a 4% increase in premium capacity. Looking forward, premium revenue growth should accelerate through the year. -- Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein The American Express partnership is just one of several growing revenue streams helping Delta rely less on the pricing of economy fares, which have been more-or-less commoditized. For example, Delta got about 35% of its passenger revenue from business class and extra-legroom seats last quarter. New sales techniques and the rollout of premium economy seats across Delta's widebody fleet are driving strong growth in this premium product revenue. The company also expects revenue from its third-party maintenance business to grow at a double-digit clip this year -- surpassing $800 million -- before reaching $2 billion within five years. 3. Customers value the Delta SkyMiles program Demand for SkyMiles as a currency is stronger than ever. Mileage redemptions grew 12% in the March quarter, as we provided customers more opportunity to use their miles. ... Increasingly, customers are using miles for products and services beyond just award tickets, as we expand miles as a form of payment. -- Hauenstein The SkyMiles loyalty program is another key driver of sticky, high-margin revenue. Delta has invested in giving customers more options for redeeming their miles, with a particular focus on upgrades to premium seats. These upgrades can now be purchased with miles as part of the initial fare or at any point thereafter, including in the Delta app when checking in. These efforts are driving strong growth in loyalty redemptions. That's helping to boost Delta's earnings growth, because the carrier defers revenue when it doles out SkyMiles and only books that revenue when the miles are redeemed. Furthermore, the big uptick in SkyMiles redemptions indicates that customers are finding the program more worthwhile. Over time, that will make the SkyMiles currency even more valuable to business partners like American Express. 4. Another aging aircraft type is on the way out [W]ith the efficiency gains we've made through our fleet transformation, we expect to accelerate the retirement of our MD-90 fleet. --Delta Air Lines CFO Paul Jacobson Delta Air Lines' cost performance was just as impressive as its revenue performance last quarter. Adjusted nonfuel unit costs ticked down slightly in Q1, while fuel efficiency improved 2.1% year over year. An aggressive program to upgrade Delta's fleet has been the primary driver of the company's improving cost trends. Recognizing the success of this effort, Delta recently decided to retire its remaining MD-90s earlier than expected. As of the end of Q1, Delta had 37 MD-90s, with an average age of 22 years. It already has plans to replace its last 79 MD-88s by the end of 2020, but with more than 160 new narrowbody jets set to arrive between now and 2021, Delta should be able to retire its last MD-90s by sometime in mid-to-late 2021, if not earlier. The airline plans to offer more details in the coming months. 5. Free cash flow is accelerating The March quarter result and incremental benefit from AmEx give us increasing confidence in achieving the high end of our full-year free cash flow guidance of $3 billion to $4 billion compared to $2.3 billion last year. -- Jacobson Delta's aggressive fleet renewal plan has driven a substantial increase in capex recently. This caused free cash flow to recede quite a bit from the highs of a few years ago. However, Delta has been predicting a rebound in free cash flow to between $3 billion and $4 billion this year. Now, management is increasingly confident about hitting the high end of that target range, largely thanks to the $500 million in incremental revenue expected from the American Express partnership renewal. An increase in cash tax payments could cause free cash flow to decline again in 2020. But after Delta finishes funding its pension plan -- and as its profit continues to grow -- free cash flow should be able to march even higher, allowing Delta to reward its shareholders with steady dividend growth and share buybacks. What happened Shares of HEXO Corp. (NASDAQ:HEXO), a licensed Canadian cannabis producer, are on the move, thanks to a positive outlook from an analyst at Bank of America. Investors encouraged by the investment bank's optimism pushed the stock 11.5% higher on Wednesday. So what Bank of America initiated coverage of HEXO with a buy recommendation and a $10 price target, which was 66% above the stock's closing price yesterday. The analyst, Christopher Carey, went a step further and named the Quebec-based company a "top pick in cannabis." At the top of Carey's list of reasons to like HEXO is the stock's relatively low valuation. The cannabis producer's market cap has risen to $1.4 billion at recent prices, which seems like a lot for a company with annualized revenue of just $40.1 million. (Both figures are in U.S. dollars.) While that's a nosebleed valuation in any other industry, it's still low enough to make HEXO one of the most reasonably priced Canadian cannabis companies trading on U.S. exchanges. Now what HEXO has supply agreements with four provincial governments, one of which could be worth 1 billion Canadian dollars in revenue over the next several years. Looking beyond Canada's borders, HEXO is taking steps to become an international player in a global cannabis market expected to reach CA$630 billion annually. To this end, the company is developing a 350,000-square-foot facility in Greece, which it hopes will soon be able to supply medical marijuana markets now opening up in the EU. HEXO finished January with CA$224 million in working capital, after operations lost CA$6.9 million during the three months ended January. If the company remains disciplined, it can probably begin producing positive cash flow before resorting to another dilutive share offering. Photo: Pixabay On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Penticton residents will have an opportunity to grieve together after the multiple fatal shootings that took place Monday morning. On Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m., Concordia Lutheran Church will open its doors to the public, and has asked media not to attend. "Pastor Michael and other leaders will be available should anyone desire to talk and/or pray individually. The sanctuary and narthex will be open as places for prayer and remembrance," reads a post on their Facebook. On Wednesday evening, a candle light vigil will be held at Gyro Park. "The Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce and The Ooknakane Friendship Centre is encouraging Penticton and area residents to attend a candle light vigil to show support for the families and friends of the victims who died in the tragic shooting," reads a news release. The vigil will begin at 7:30 p.m. Photo: Contributed Paramjit Bogarh A cold-case Vernon murder trial has been set for 2020. Last May, Paramjit Singh Bogarh, 58, was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the 1986 killing of his wife, Saminder Kaur Bogarh, and he was extradited to B.C. from his home in California. On Monday, Bogarh elected to be tried by a judge alone, with no jury, and an eight-week trial was scheduled for March 2020. Paramjit's brother, Narinder Singh Bogarh, has also been charged, but he's believed to be residing in India. The BC Prosecution Service is still seeking his extradition. Saminder was living with Paramjit in Vernon with their two-year-old son after they immigrated to Canada in 1983. American extradition documents allege Paramjit and and his brother Narinder met in Vancouver in December 1986. The following day, Narinder travelled to Kelowna, where he stayed in a hotel room for three days under a false name and rented a vehicle on Dec. 31. Saminder was stabbed to death on Dec. 31, 1986. The documents go on to state that the couple's two-year-old son told the RCMP, Daddy hit mommy with a knife and blood came out. DNA analysis from blood at the scene allegedly matched a sibling of Paramjit, and Narinder was Paramjit's only sibling in Canada at that time. A few days later, Narinder allegedly had surgery on his hand in Vancouver for injuries that were consistent with a persons hand slipping off the handle of a knife onto the blade after the knife was suddenly stopped. He then flew to India. Paramjit, meanwhile, allegedly left his two-year-old son in Canada, and moved to California. Years later, in 1999, Paramjit allegedly admitted to killing his wife, after he was confronted about those rumours during an election campaign for leader of a Sikh temple in California. Additionally, RCMP officers interviewed Narinder in India in 1997 and 2000, and he allegedly confessed to killing Saminder, but claimed he acted alone. None of the allegations laid out in the extradition documents has been tested in court. Charges were filed in January 2018, and Paramjit was extradited to Canada several months later. He's remained in custody ever since, having been denied bail last July. The case has since been moved to Supreme Court in Kelowna, and a voir dire is scheduled to begin on Feb. 10, 2020. A voir dire is a trial within the main trial, sometimes used to determine the admissibility of evidence. The main trial, scheduled for eight weeks, is set to start on March 2. Photo: CTV News Three boys are facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of a 17-year-old whose body was found in a car in a wooded area in Hamilton, police said Tuesday. Investigators said they were called to the scene Monday evening on reports of a crash and found the vehicle, which appeared to have left the road. Officers found the teen inside and tried to revive him but he was declared dead, they said. Police said the injuries he had were inconsistent with a car crash. An autopsy performed Tuesday showed he died from a gunshot wound, police said. Witnesses reported seeing three youths fleeing the area, and police said boys matching those descriptions were arrested nearby. Police said the three were expected in court Tuesday to each face a murder charge. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack and there is no risk to the public, nor are they seeking any other suspects. The suspects cannot be publicly named because they are underage and police said they will not be releasing any additional details on the case. The victim's relatives have asked for privacy as they grieve. Handyman Connection Announces New Owners Of Jeffersonville, Indiana Location Leading Home Repair Company Offers Renovation and Restoration Services to Local Communities April 17, 2019 // Franchising.com // JEFFERSONVILLE, IN - Handyman Connection, a home repair company in operation for more than 25 years, announced today it has sold its Jeffersonville, Indiana location to new franchisees Daniel Lee and Erron Hickerson. Handyman Connection of Jeffersonville provides home renovation and restoration services to the communities of Clarksville, Jeffersonville, Sellersburg, Hamburg, Borden, Utica, Charlestown and surrounding areas. The center also provides services to East Louisville, Kentucky and surrounding areas such as Prospect, Crestwood, Lyndon and Indian Hills. Prior to joining Handyman Connection, Hickerson worked in the construction industry as a Field Operations Manager while Lee held a career in healthcare as an Operations Manager. Lee also served as a combat medic in the United States Air Force for ten years. As residents of Jeffersonville for nearly a decade, the first-time franchisees will work with local home owners to create their ideal living space. Handyman Connection has a wonderful reputation and provides us with the tools and resources needed to give the residents in our local communities a quality service they can trust, said Daniel Lee. Its a privilege of ours to join a company of this standing. Were passionate about what we do and always look to accomplish the best possible results for our homeowners. Alongside our dedicated craftsmen, we look forward to working with the members of our community in Jeffersonville and beyond. Ranked as the #1 Handyman Company by Qualified Remodeler, Handyman Connection operates more than 68 locations throughout 25 states and Canada. For more than 25 years, the brand has offered homeowners across North America a complete resource for professional craftsmanship and exemplary customer service. Handyman Connection offers a variety of services ranging from traditional home repairs to painting, remodeling and more. To request a free, no-obligation project estimate, contact Handyman Connection at (888) 766-3189 or visit us at handymanconnection.com/jeffersonville. About Handyman Connection ?Since 1991, homeowners across North America have been calling on Handyman Connection for our professional craftsmanship and exemplary customer service. Each Handyman Connection franchise is locally owned and operated, backed by the company that helped launch the industry. Our values are steeped in a long-standing dedication to the people we serve, and truly differentiate Handyman Connection as a home repair company. Media Contact: Chelsea Bear Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 cbear@fish-consulting.com SOURCE Handyman Connection ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus IHG Signs Agreement with Valor Hospitality Partners Africa Continues growth momentum in the region and expands presence in the Sub-Saharan Africa April 17, 2019 // Franchising.com // InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the worlds leading hotel companies, has signed a Master Development Agreement with Valor Hospitality Partners Africa to roll out multiple franchise hotels over the next 10 years, across IHGs portfolio of brands in midscale, upscale and luxury segments. The agreement will see IHG expand its presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, including key countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya. The development adds to IHGs growing pipeline in the Middle East and Africa and cements its position as one of the leading operators in the region. Valor Hospitality Partners Africa is a subsidiary of Valor Hospitality Partners Global that manages and asset manages projects across America, the UK, Middle East, South Africa and South East Asia. IHG currently operate hotels with Valor Hospitality Partners in America and the UK. Speaking on the announcement, Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG said: Valor has been our long-term partner in America and the UK for many years and we are pleased to be building our network with an experienced existing operating partner in new markets. This signing is in line with our growth ambition in the region and will add approximately 1000 rooms to our portfolio in the African continent, primarily in the midscale segment and select hotels in upscale and luxury segments. This will allow us to cater to the increasing number of diverse domestic and international travellers looking for quality branded accommodation in Africa. He added: We currently have 26 operating hotels across eight countries in Africa, and we are looking at expanding our presence further by close to 40%, in 3-5 years.Graham Wood, Managing Director of Valor Hospitality Partners Africa added: We are thrilled to further strengthen our partnership with a global hospitality leader such as IHG and expand our portfolio in Africa with their well-established brands that are loved by travellers across the world. We have consistently benefitted from IHGs global distribution system in the Americas and the UK, best in class revenue management tools, and their commitment to deliver commercial success in partnership with their owners. With the new brands IHG have added in recent months, this agreement presents us with a unique opportunity to provide a range of high-quality branded accommodation options to suit the evolving needs of guests travelling to Africa. IHG currently operates 26 hotels across four brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express , in Africa. **Figures as of December 31st, 2018 About IHG IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, voco Hotels, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Resort, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,600 hotels and approximately 837,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with more than 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG Rewards Club, our global loyalty programme, which has more than 100 million enrolled members. In February 2019, IHG acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, adding 16 hotels (1,347 rooms) to its system and 18 hotels to its development pipeline. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Groups holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales. More than 400,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally. Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.ihgrewardsclub.com for more on IHG Rewards Club. For our latest news, visit: www.ihgplc.com/media and follow us on social media at: www.twitter.com/IHGCorporate, www.facebook.com/IHGCorporate and www.linkedin.com/company/intercontinental-hotels-group Media Contact: Ankita Chopra ankita.chopra@ihg.com +971 4 213 6043 Parisa Chum parisa.chum@ihg.com +971 4213 6067 SOURCE IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Perkins Names Ms. Dowm Hawley 2018 Franchisee of The Year GM of the Year, Valued Business Partner of the Year and Give Kids The World Award Recipients also announced MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 17, 2019 // PRNewswire // - At its annual Brand Conference attended by nearly 500 owners, managers and business partners, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery announced that Ms. Dowm Hawley, Owner/Operator of the Perkins located at 1700 Old Trolley Road in Summerville, South Carolina is the recipient of the company's most prestigious award, "Franchisee of the Year." In presenting the award, Jeff Warne, President & CEO of Perkins & Marie Callender's, LLC stated, "Ms. Hawley epitomizes overall excellence in operations and brand standards; she is a leader who inspires others and contributes to the improvement of the system while positively representing the Perkins brand both within her restaurant and the community." In addition to Franchisee of the Year, the company named Candice Johnson from Perkins of Mason City, Iowa General Manager of the Year; Basic American Foods as its Valued Business Partner of the Year; and Harry Graebe and Rod Rader and their restaurant teams as Give Kids The World award recipients. 2018 Franchisee of the Year, Dowm Hawley: Upon graduating from Marshall University with an undergraduate degree in management and a master's degree in marketing, Dowm Hawley joined the Perkins family in 1998 and shortly thereafter, in 2003, opened the Trolley Road Perkins. A strong believer in the Perkins brand, Dowm credits the success of her restaurant to the outstanding management team and staff all of whom are steadfast supporters of the brand and exemplify Perkins' commitment to "Kindness Served Daily." Testament to Hawley's success are her restaurant's impressive results in categories ranging from quality assurance to sales, guest counts and employee retention. Dowm is an active member of her church, community and the area at large. She sits on a committee for the Summerville Mayor's office that appropriates the hotel and restaurant tax in the community and brings visitors to the city; sponsors a scholarship at Charleston Southern University; and is a member of the Board of Visitors at the University. 2018 General Manager of the Year, Candice Johnson: Ms. Johnson began her career with Perkins in 2013 as a server. Since Candice's promotion to General Manager at the Mason City, Iowa Perkins in 2017, the store has significantly improved productivity and experienced increased sales. Candice focuses on training systems and believes that happy employees make happy guests, which ultimately leads to positive growth. Ms. Johnson began her career with Perkins in 2013 as a server. Since Candice's promotion to General Manager at the Mason City, Iowa Perkins in 2017, the store has significantly improved productivity and experienced increased sales. Candice focuses on training systems and believes that happy employees make happy guests, which ultimately leads to positive growth. Valued Business Partner, Basic American Foods: When Jack Hume founded Basic American Foods in 1933, he did so with the belief that taste and integrity were paramount aspects of a partnership, and, according to Chris Adair, Director of Supply Chain Management, Perkins & Marie Callender's, such has been the case since the company first started working with Perkins in 1995. When Jack Hume founded Basic American Foods in 1933, he did so with the belief that taste and integrity were paramount aspects of a partnership, and, according to Chris Adair, Director of Supply Chain Management, Perkins & Marie Callender's, such has been the case since the company first started working with Perkins in 1995. Give Kids The World Award Recipients, Harry Graebe and Rod Rader: Harry Graebe of Perkins in Madison, Wisconsin and Rod Rader of the Grand Island, Nebraska Perkins were the Give Kids The World (GKTW) corporate and franchise honorees respectively, recognized for their outstanding contributions and fundraising efforts supporting GKTW. Give Kids The World has been Perkins' designated charity since 1990; it exists to fulfill the wishes of all children with critical illnesses and their families from all around the world. About Perkins Restaurants & Bakeries: Founded in 1958, the Perkins system consists of nearly 400 restaurants in 32 states and Canada. Additional information can be found at www.perkinsrestaurants.com. SOURCE Perkins Restaurant & Bakery ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Grafton Group has conditionally agreed to acquire Polvo, a Dutch company, for 131 million (113 million). Polvo specialises in ironmongery, tools and ventilation systems. It trades from 51 branches and reported revenue of 127.3 million last year (109 million). Grafton is the parent company of brands including as Selco, Buildbase and Plumbase. This acquisition increases its presence in the Southern, Western and Eastern regions of the Netherlands, where it already owns the Isero tools store business. The combined businesses will have revenues in excess of 300 million and will trade from 113 branches. The transaction is expected to be completed before the end of June 2019. The announcement caused Graftons shares to rise 6.1% to their highest since the economic downturn in 2007. Gavin Slark, CEO of Grafton, (pictured) said: "This acquisition will complement our existing Isero business, increase our exposure to the attractive, fast growing Dutch market and support our strategy of creating a more balanced portfolio of businesses internationally. Polvo is a long-established high quality business and brand that gives Grafton a unique opportunity to materially increase its scale and consolidate its market leadership position in The Netherlands." Photo: Bombardier The results are in. The residents of Penticton do not like Air Canadas new schedule at the Penticton airport. The City of Penticton has released the results of a survey it launched after Air Canada announced it would be cutting its early morning and late night flights in and out of the community in favour of larger planes. The changes are slated to come into place on May 1. The municipality says it received 2,614 responses from people across the Okanagan and 1,581 from Penticton. This is clearly a very important issue not only to Pentictons business community and residents but to the entire region, says director of development services, Anthony Haddad. We had hoped to get 2,000 and are very pleased with the amount and quality of the feedback we have received. Many of the respondents took the time to provide specific detail on the impact these changes will have. We believe it makes a strong case for the early morning flight to Vancouver and the late night return. Respondents of the survey welcomed the introduction of the larger Q400 aircraft for its ability to operate more reliably in low cloud, but 71 per cent said the current schedule fits their needs. The Penticton Airport has a stable customer base, a city news release says. More than half of participants travel 4 to 6 times per year or more and have maintained their travel pattern for more than 5 years. Over 80 per cent of survey participants said the 6 a.m. departure to Vancouver and 10:50 p.m. arrival describe the flights and fairly or very important to their travel needs. That goes for the 6 a.m. flight in particular, with 93% of business travellers saying its important and more than one-in-three travellers saying they will reduce travel through the Penticton airport if the changes stay in place. The results affirm the importance of the current schedule to the leisure traveller who needs to make connections but also the business traveller who is trying to get a full day or two of meetings in Vancouver, says Haddad. The results of the survey will be shared with Air Canada in the coming weeks. Photo: RCMP Daniel Snyder UPDATE: 7:20 p.m. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue and Penticton Search and Rescue scoured the Glenrosa area Tuesday with no sign of Daniel Snyder. A COSAR member says crews have packed up for the night, but will resume the search tomorrow if Snyder is not found. RCMP have not provided any further information at this time. Police have asked anyone with information about Snyder's whereabouts to call police, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477. ORIGINAL: 4:15 p.m. A 34-year-old West Kelowna man has gone missing in the Glenrosa area. Police are seeking the public's help in finding Daniel Snyder, who was last seen Monday just before 6 p.m., south of Mount Boucherie. Snyder's vehicle was located at the end of Glenrosa's Webber Road just after 6:30 p.m., near hiking trails. Despite an extensive search, police have not been able to find him. A Glenrosa resident says there has been a large police and Search and Rescue presence around Blue Jay Drive all day Tuesday, and helicopters have been circling the area. Police are very concerned for Mr. Snyders health and wellbeing, and friends and family report that it is out of character for him to be out of contact for this long, said Cpl. Meghan Foster. Police describe Snyder as a 5-foot-10 caucasian man with a slim build, green eyes, a red beard and a bald head. He was last seen wearing a dark-coloured toque and a tan or grey jacket. Police have asked anyone with information about Snyder's whereabouts to call police, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Photo: yourparamedics.ca Emergency dispatchers, nurses and care aides in British Columbia will soon have easier access to workers' compensation for mental-health disorders associated to their work. Labour Minister Harry Bains says the regulatory changes are about fairness and support for workers who experience mental harm because of their jobs. Bains says people in certain professions are more likely to encounter trauma on the job that can lead to mental illness. The government changed the Workers Compensation Act last year to add a list of mental-health disorders associated with jobs like police and firefighters, and now Bains says they're expanding that to the other occupations. BC Nurses Union president Christine Sorensen says 2016 WorkSafeBC statistics show nurses accounted for 12 per cent of claims because of mental disorders and the changes will provide resources and support for nurses who are suffering from mental injury. Oliver Gruter-Andrew, the CEO of the 911 call centre E-Comm, says the change is good news because people experience a high level of emotional stress as they work to save lives. Photo: The Canadian Press James Oler A four-day gap in the whereabouts of a 15-year-old girl is enough to dispute whether she was removed from Canada in 2004 to marry a member of a fundamentalist sect in the United States, a lawyer argued Tuesday at the trial of a former member of the church. Joe Doyle, who is serving as an amicus curiae or friend of the court to ensure a fair trial, said Crown prosecutors haven't proven that the girl was in Canada when the leader of the sect called James Oler and allegedly ordered him to bring the child to the United States to get married. Oler is charged with removing the girl from Canada to marry a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which practises polygamy in Bountiful, B.C., and the United States. He was acquitted in 2017 by a judge who was not convinced Oler did anything within Canada's borders to arrange the girl's transfer to the U.S. But the B.C. Court of Appeal agreed with the Crown that proof of wrongdoing in Canada was not necessary and ordered a new trial. Oler is self-represented and did not call any witnesses or make a case in his defence. In his closing argument, Doyle argued prosecutors hadn't accounted for the window when the girl was last seen in Bountiful but then identified by a witness four days later in northern Idaho at a highway rest stop on June 24, 2004. Doyle raised the possibility that the accused and the girl were potentially already in the United States visiting other communities associated with the fundamentalist sect when Warren Jeffs allegedly called Oler. Special prosecutor Peter Wilson questioned Doyle's suggestion that Oler and the girl may have already been in the United States in the four-day window, describing his argument on their movements as "fanciful." "Maybe it did anything can happen," he added. Doyle also questioned the credibility of church records seized by U.S. law enforcement officials a decade ago at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas. The court has heard the girl's marriage was documented by priesthood records kept by Jeffs, the church's president and prophet. One priesthood record describes the phone call that Jeffs made to Oler. Some of the documentation was incomplete and uncertified, which is contrary to the church's doctrine, Doyle said. "What is not known about these records and is still not known is which person or persons prepared them, when were they prepared, what information led to their preparation and where that information came from," he said. In his closing arguments on Monday, Wilson contended that Oler should have known the girl would be subject to sexual activity following her marriage based on the nature of church doctrine and the role of women in the faith. Women do not have financial assets and need permission to travel or pursue post-secondary education, former church members told the trial. They were taught that their role within the religion was to be a celestial wife in polygamous marriages and to bear children. Justice Martha Devlin of the B.C. Supreme Court has reserved her decision and tentatively scheduled a ruling on June 24. Georgian Orthodox Cathedral to be built in Cyprus - GeorgianJournal Photo: The Canadian Press A Canada Post employee drives a mail truck through downtown Halifax on July 6, 2016. Parcel delivery is booming, but Canada Post will struggle to make a profit in coming years due to a continuing decline in letter mail, higher employee costs and billions in capital spending, says a corporate forecast quietly tabled in Parliament. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese Parcel delivery is booming, but Canada Post says it will struggle to meet its government-mandated goal of self-sustainability in coming years due to an ongoing decline in letter mail, higher employee costs and billions in needed capital spending. In a corporate forecast quietly tabled in Parliament, the Crown corporation says it is expecting to achieve "modest" profits of between $10 million and $125 million from 2019 through to 2023 but those will be driven primarily by its Purolator subsidiary, while the base Canada Post segment will post losses. "Although Canada Post is in a financially viable position today, the forecasted growth in parcels revenue will not be enough for the Canada Post segment to achieve profitability throughout this plan's period, nor will it be enough to make Canada Post financially self-sustaining in the long term," the document says. The "key strategic issue" for Canada Post is to chart a course to achieve sustainability goals the Liberal government identified in early 2018 after a review of Canada Post's mandate, it says, adding it will require government attention to do so. The plan addresses several priorities from government, including the order to end the Harper Conservatives-era program (suspended during the review) to replace door-to-door deliveries with community mailboxes. The document says Canada Post has spent about $4.7 million since last summer to dismantle 2,280 community mailbox sites in 12 municipalities where it had begun but didn't complete the conversion, including removing modules, pads and retaining walls and replacing curbs which had been cut to allow access. The five-year plan estimates Canada Post will need to invest $3.6 billion to keep up with the growth of e-commerce shipping while modernizing to meet shipper and customer expectations and stay ahead of competitors. Meanwhile, employee costs are rising, in part due to a rural pay equity ruling last fall identified as the main cause of an estimated $264 million loss in 2018. The ruling is expected to add $140 million in annual costs going forward. Canada Post says it expects to have to increase borrowing by about $500 million by 2023 to cover capital needs and to make special employee pension plan solvency payments, expected to start at over $500 million in 2020 and total over $1.8 billion by 2023. It forecasts a post office sector loss of $22 million for 2019 as total revenue grows 3.5 per cent or $234 million to about $7 billion. It says a 13 per cent increase in domestic parcel volume will be offset by a drop in letter mail activity of about five per cent. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said it had no one available on Tuesday to comment on the corporate report. Postal workers went on rotating strikes in late October, but about a month later the Liberals legislated an end to job action due to a growing backlog of parcels ahead of the holiday shopping period. In January, Canada Post raised the price for an individual stamp on a letter sent within Canada by a nickel to $1.05, while imposing other increases for mail within the country by between a dime and 35 cents. The new rates were the first increase since March 2014 and were expected to generate $26 million in new revenues. Sony brings WH-XB700 wireless headphones to India for Rs 8,990 News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Sony has a new offering in its Extra Bass series. Sony has introduced its new WH-XB700 headphones These headphones borrow some features from the previous EXTRA BASS headphones while adding multiple improvements including refined vocal clarity and an indulgent sound. The headphones claim to offer 30-hour battery life with quick charge function. The WH-XB700 headphones also have an upgraded quick charge function that provides one and a half hours of wireless playback after 10 minutes of charging. The WH-XB700 also comes with passive operation function that allows users to connect a 3.5mm Aux cable with their device. The headphones come equipped with the in-built Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa feature. They also provide a hands-free, voice-controlled experience to its users. Pressing the custom button placed on the left earpad housing will launch the preferred voice assistant. Moreover, the WH-XB700 also compatible with the company's Headphones Connect app which enables customization of CLEAR BASS, Surround (VPT) and Sound Position Control. The headphones will be available in Black and Blue color and will carry a price tag of Rs 8,990. Previously, the company launched the WI-C600N wireless noise-canceling headphones. The wireless headphone comes in a neckband design for a comfortable fit and claims to offer a premium audio output. The headphones packs 6-mm drivers to deliver the audio output. It also features Sony's in-house DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) technology which enhances the overall audio quality. The Sony WI-600N carries a price tag of Rs 10,990 and will be available in single black color option. Best Mobiles in India Apple and Google removes TikTok from its app stores after MeitY orders News oi-Karan Sharma You can't download TikTok app anymore in India but you can use it. Apple and Google remove the app from its app stores after MeitY orders. TikTok has been in the news headlines in India from last few weeks and after the legal tussle, the country has banned the downloading of the Chinese video-sharing app. Yes, you heard it correct, now you won't be able to see TikTok on Apple's App Store and on Google Play Store any more. On April 16, MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) asked Google and Apple to remove the TikTok app from their app stores. On April 17 (today) the companies have obeyed the orders and remove the app. TikTok is one of the most famous apps in India which allow users to make videos and share it on social media. The company found itself in a legal tussle when Madras High Court on April 4, asked central to put a ban on the app on the grounds of encouraging pornography. At the starting of this week, the Supreme Court of India refuses the orders of Madras High Court to put a ban on imposing a ban on the TikTok app. Just in case if you don't know, the US federal trade commission (FTC) fined the app with $5.7 million which is approx Rs 40 Crores back in February this year. The US fined the app on the allegations of child privacy law violations. Opinion Though the app is removed from the app stores of both iOS and Android platforms, it doesn't mean people in India can't use the app. The existing users of the app can still use it and share videos on their social media accounts. They can also share the app via soo many sharing apps like Share it, WiFi transfer and more. This means there is no point of banning or removing the app from apps stores. If India really wants to prevent the current generation from getting addicted to the app then they should ban the app completely from the servers which will restrict the usage of the app. 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 NASA's planet-hunting TESS discovers new exoplanet 53 light years away News oi-Vishal Kawadkar NASA TESS locates a new exoplanet that is 80% of the mass of our Sun. NASA's planet-hunting probe - the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), has discovered a new exoplanet which is said to be orbiting a star named HD 21749. The star is around 53 light years away from the Earth and is roughly 80 percent of the mass of the Sun. Considering the newly found exoplanet is circling its star very closely, astronomers would assume that it might be potentially inhabitable, at least for the life we know. But, it's still a great discovery for TESS, which has only been in the business for a year. TESS is supposed to be the new torchbearer for NASA's planet-hunting missions and show better results than the iconic Kepler Space Telescope, which has found over 2,500 exoplanets in its lifetime. That is around 70 percent of all the exoplanets discovered to date. In order to discover more exoplanets, TESS leverages transit observation method which observes the potential candidate stars for brightness blips. As with the new exoplanet, it lies in very close proximity of its prime star and completes one complete orbit in 7.8 days. Besides, Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet which is said to be 60 times bigger than our planet. The five-billion-year-old planet was discovered using NASA's exoplanet-hunting space telescope, TESS. The exoplanet, dubbed TOI-197.0 or "hot Saturn" thanks to its size and hot temperature. The researchers at Aarhus University, Denmark say that this is "one of the best-described exoplanets of this type to date." 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 Vernon Fire Rescue were called to a wetland area behind Clarence Fulton Secondary School Tuesday afternoon for a call of a brush fire. The fire was in the tall reeds that border the wetland. Dep. Fire Cpt. Darren Cecchini said the fire was knocked down quickly and was not a threat to nearby homes or the school. Some kids were seen in the area but they fled once we arrived and the police arrived. They are being dealt with by the RCMP, said Cecchini, adding this was the second fire crews were called to. At 1 p.m., fire crews responded to small grass fire on Tronson Road. TORONTO, April 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blueberries Medical Corp. (CSE: BBM) (OTCQB: BBRRF) (FRA: 1OA) (the Company or "Blueberries") a Latin American licenced producer of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-derived products, has signed a definitive joint venture agreement (the Agreement) with the International Research Center on Cannabis and Mental Health (IRCCMH or the Center) for the development of medical education programs for physicians and patients in Latin America and product formulation. IRCCMH is a leading research and academic organization in the cannabis sector with extensive experience in cannabis research and education, pharmacology, product formulation and the efficacy of cannabis-based treatments. Based in New York and aligned with the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, IRCCMH is comprised of renowned scientists, educators and clinicians and was created to bridge a gap between research and clinical practice. IRCCMH also creates education programs for physicians and patients and acts as advisor to several state-sponsored medical cannabis programs and has guided state regulators to create and implement cannabis programs in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Utah, California and other states. Founded by Jan Roberts, LCSW and Jahan Marcu, Ph.D, the Centers founders and staff are regarded as thought leaders in the sector and have also been deeply involved with several other leading cannabis focused associations and are respected authors and speakers within the industry as further detailed below. "This collaboration agreement with IRCCMH provides an outstanding opportunity for Blueberries to leverage IRCCMHs deep sector expertise to help educate physicians in Latin America and develop medical treatments for patients in the Latin American market and beyond. As cannabis regulation evolves globally, education and awareness are paramount to its adoption and the establishment of early mover advantages," stated Dr. Patricio Stocker, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. IRCCMH is a highly respected institution in the United States and their focus on education and research aligns with our goal of providing effective and responsible treatment to a broad spectrum of patients and customers globally. The agreement will emphasize education for prescribing doctors and patients and provide educational tools for all parties. This alliance will ensure that we are developing products and treatments that the medical community needs, with a streamlined process for reaching patients in these evolving markets. IRCCMH will leverage its background and expertise to support the development of Blueberries commercial and educational initiatives. Together with IRCCMH, Blueberries is developing a treatment-focused medical education program designed to assist physicians in prescribing cannabis-based treatment plans to patients (the Program) in Latin America. A comprehensive patient and physician education program will be a cornerstone of Blueberries strategy for the introduction and adoption of cannabis-based treatments, positioning Blueberries as an early leader in the Latin American medicinal cannabis market. IRCCMH is excited about our collaboration with Blueberries Medical and the opportunity to leverage our expertise in cannabis-based patient care, research and education in rapidly evolving global markets, stated Jan Roberts, founder of IRCCMH stated, This affiliation will help Blueberries position themselves in Latin America as a leader in medical cannabis treatment and will ensure that the research, education, and unique expertise of IRCCMH will impact a growing segment of medical treatment with cannabis in this region of the world. This initiative will initially be rolled out through the companys previously announced partnership with El Manantial Medical Centers in Bogota which will provide the platform, resources, patients and expertise needed to launch the Program and commercialize the formulations and products developed through the collaboration with the IRCCMH. Blueberries is further extending its patient & physician network currently, replicating the El Manantial Medical Center model with other physicians, institutions and medical associations. In addition to the development of best in class educational programs for the education of physicians and patients in Latin America, access to IRCCMHs team of specialists with deep expertise in medical cannabis will facilitate faster product development and generate the appropriate formulations and product standardization to accelerate the commercialization of the Companys medicinal cannabis products, initially through El Manantial Medical Centers rapidly growing patient base and the Companys other strategic arrangements. About IRCCMH & IRCCMH Founders Based in New York and aligned with the Silver School of Social Work at NYU and building upon years of expertise working with cannabis and mental health in the United States, IRCCMH was created to bridge a gap between research and clinical practice. IRCCMH was co-founded by Jan Roberts and Dr. Jahan Marcu in 2017 to provide quality research and education to the medical cannabis community. IRCCMH is a community-based institute in New York City that collaborates with universities, researchers, foundations, state institutions, and other organizations to leverage the best talent in the field. The Institute works to build educational seminars, expand research with universities, and provide consultation for healthcare professionals and regulatory organizations in order to improve patient care. Through its numerous projects, Marcu and Roberts have been instrumental in creating dialogues in areas of cannabis education and investigation that hadnt been previously addressed. For more information visit www.irccmh.org/about-irccmh . Jan Roberts, LCSW: CEO & Director of Translational Research Jan Roberts is a co-founder for IRCCMH and serves as CEO and Director of Translational Research. Ms. Roberts is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who owns and operates one of the largest collaborative care practices in the mid-Atlantic region - Partners in Health and Wellbeing. Ms. Roberts is a clinician and an entrepreneur with an activist spirit who has extensive experience running both non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations. Ms. Roberts teaches at NYU Silver School of Social Work and is currently working on a funded study of Mental Health Clinicians and Knowledge and Attitudes on Cannabis. She is also Guest-Editor for a Special Issue on Cannabis and Mental Health for the Clinical Social Work Journal (CSWJ). Ms. Roberts' current work is focused on the clinical application of cannabis in mental health settings and focusing on maladaptive coping strategies rather than a substance-based approach to treating addictions. As a result, Ms. Roberts is especially interested in educating fellow mental health clinicians on the most recent research findings to address stigma and lack of knowledge related to cannabis, the endocannabinoid system and mental health outcomes. Jahan Marcu, Ph.D.: COO & Director of Experimental Pharmacology and Behavioral Research Jahan Marcu, Ph.D., is a co-founder for IRCCMH. Dr. Marcu is the former Chief Science Officer at Americans for Safe Access (a medical cannabis advocacy non-profit) and former Director of the Patient Focused Certification program, which is a health and safety oversight program that assesses regulatory compliance at cannabis operations. He is co-founder and past-chairman of the CANN subdivision of the Chemical Health and Safety Division (DCHAS) of the American Chemical Society. His is also on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Cannabinoids as Medicine. He has a background in analytical chemistry and molecular pharmacology, and received his Ph.D. for contributions in characterizing the structure and function of the cannabinoid receptors. He is an author of the American Herbal Pharmacopeia's Cannabis Monograph and serves on multiple expert government, trade association committees and scientific organizations. Dr. Marcu has helped create medical cannabis educational training for clinicians and for workers in the medical cannabis industry, and has been invited to speak at many international conferences and universities, including the University of Leiden, Temple University School of Medicine, Princeton Hospital, and Yale University. Dr. Marcu is also a court qualified expert witness on cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids. Dr. Marcu is a recipient of the Billy Martin research award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society. About Blueberries Medical Corp. Blueberries is a Latin American licensed producer of naturally grown premium quality cannabis with its primary operations ideally located in the Bogota Savannah of central Colombia and operations currently being established in Argentina. The Company is led by a specialized team with proprietary expertise in agriculture, genetics, extraction, medicine, pharmacology and marketing, Blueberries is fully licensed for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of CBD and THC-based medical cannabis in Colombia. Blueberries combination of leading scientific expertise, agricultural advantages and distribution arrangements has positioned the Company to become a leading international supplier of naturally grown, processed, and standardized medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products. Additional information about the Company is available at www.blueberriesmed.com . For more information, please contact: Camilo Villalba, Chief Operating Officer Tel: +57.313.483.0131 Email: cvillalba@blueberriesmed.com Jessika Angarita, Pacta Relations angarita@pactarelations.com Tel: +1 (305) 877 4710 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: expectations relating to the potential benefits of the Agreement and the Companys partnership with the Center, expectations regarding the development and commercialization of the Companys products, and future growth plans. 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: fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Colombian and international medical cannabis market and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in Colombia or internationally; and employee relations. 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. LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hunt Mining Corp. (the Corporation or Hunt) (TSX VENTURE: HMX OTCQB: HGLD) is pleased to disclose its most recent silver-gold concentrate shipment information from the Martha Project (Martha Project) located in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The total, contained troy ounces of silver and gold in concentrate were 19,922 and 31.5 troy ounces, respectively. April 2019 Shipment from Martha Project (based on Alex Stewart International outbound port assays) Shipment Weight (dmt) Ag g/t grade (weighted average) Au g/t grade (weighted average) Silver (troy ounces) Gold (troy ounces) April 16.007 38,711 61.3 19,922 31.54 Troy ounce = 31.1035 grams dmt = dry metric tonne g/t = grams per tonne Silver and gold grades are based on independent sampling and assaying performed by Alex Stewart International, a global, independent, certified analytical services company. Rounding may result in differences in contained ounces Donald J. Birak, an independent geologist, is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical content of this press release. Additional information on the Martha Project and other Santa Cruz, Argentina projects can be viewed on the Company website at: www.huntmining.com . About Hunt Mining Hunt Mining Corp. has continued to develop its properties as an active and aggressive explorer in Santa Cruz since 2006. During that time, Hunt's wholly owned subsidiary, Cerro Cazador S.A., has completed exploration activity including 62,000 meters of HQ core drilling, 416 line kilometers of Induced Polarization geophysical surveys and more than 20,000 surface soil, sediment, channel, chip, and trench samples, beyond the historical work previous to the same properties. Hunt also owns a 100% interest in the Martha Mine, located in the Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. For more information contact: Dean Stuart Investor Relations T: (403) 617-7609 E: dean@boardmarker.net Bob Little Chief Administration Officer T: (509) 290-5659 E: blittle@huntmining.com Neither the TSX Venture nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Martha - Ongoing activity at the Martha Project is being undertaken without established mineral resources or reserves and the Corporation has not established the economic viability of the operations on the Martha Project. As a result, there is increased uncertainty and economic risk of failure associated with these activities. Hunt filed an updated NI 43-101 Technical Report (Technical Report) for the Martha Project, dated October 12, 2018 titled Martha Silver and Gold Project, Santa Cruz, Argentina, which is currently available on SEDAR and on the Corporations website at: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES RAMAT DAVID, Israel, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Water Ways Technologies Inc. (TSXV: WWT) ("Water Ways" or the "Company"), is pleased to provide a business update from the Company's founder and chief executive officer Mr. Ohad Haber. Dear Water Ways Shareholders, On behalf of the Company I wish to thank you for your support. We are very excited to showcase years of experience in the global irrigation markets and represent Israel as a public company trading on a Canadian stock exchange. Since we have completed our public offering the Water Ways team has been working on deploying the capital to pursue growth initiatives as we continue to expand our global footprint. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide an update on some of the activities that we have been undertaking since completing the TSXV listing on March 19, 2019. Overall, our 'bread and butter' continues to be the rolling-out of Israeli irrigation technology innovation in emerging nations the countries which in our view can benefit the most from gaining access to clean water and improving the agricultural outputs. Since starting the capital raising and the listing process in Canada in early 2018, we have also embarked on a mission to aggressively expand our business plan in the global legal cannabis sector, which we have advanced from a concept to tangible projects in multiple countries. While the cannabis sector continues to represent a modest proportion of our current revenues, we continue to expand our footprint in this lucrative sector. In addition to the core projects that we have been pursuing since 2018, summarized below is an update of several areas around the world where we have focused over the past few weeks to sustain our growth opportunities1: Canada As announced in a press release dated March 19, 2019, we signed a letter of intent to acquire certain assets of a Canadian distributor of irrigation and agriculture components located near London, Ontario. The distributor was established in 2004 and finished the year ended October 2018 with sales of approximately $3.74 million. We've recently received a further update that the distributor had unaudited sales for the 4 months ending February 28, 2019 of approximately $1.56 million representing substantial growth over the same period in 2018. Water Ways intends to establish a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary which will acquire the distributor's assets and leverage their business relationships with the Canadian farming community to market and sell irrigation projects and components. Water Ways further intends to retain the distributor's sales force to focus on marketing and selling irrigation projects to the growing needs of Canadian cannabis licensed producers. The Company expects to close the transaction in Q2 of 2019. During our most recent visit to Canada we also sponsored and visited a Canadian premiere of the Sustainable Nation movie, hosted by the Jewish National Fund of Canada and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, which follows three individuals who are doing their part to bring sustainable water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet, using solutions developed in water-poor Israel. We thank the organizers for inviting us to participate in this event. China The Company has reached an understanding with one of its agents to establish an entity in the People's Republic of China to sell and market Israeli irrigation equipment and components to the Chinese market and pursue turnkey irrigation projects. The agent has over 20 years of extensive experience and knowledge of the Chinese market. The Company intends to acquire certain assets of the agent, including his network of subagents, and it is expected that the agent will become the CEO of the new entity. Sales in the past 3 years, for this agent in China, ranged between $3 to $6.5 million. The Company intends to focus its marketing of irrigation equipment for growing vegetables in greenhouses and on irrigation solutions for apple plantations. Uzbekistan In the last quarter of 2018, the Company added a sales executive, focused on CIS countries, to its sales force. As a result, the Company signed, in January, its first irrigation project in Central Asia, which is a drip irrigation project for a cotton field in Uzbekistan. Initial value of the project is approximately $0.5 million and is expected to be delivered in Q2 2019. The Company expects to deliver other projects in Central Asia in 2019. Mexico I have recently visited a number of prospects in Mexico to secure additional business relationship to deepen our footprint in Mexico. We are currently negotiating with a number of irrigation and agricultural equipment distributors with a view of forming a Mexican-based subsidiary to focus on sales and marketing of irrigation products and equipment as well as turnkey irrigation projects to the Mexican market. The Company is also looking to acquire the operations of those distributors into one entity becoming a substantial player in the Mexican irrigation market. Cannabis Industry Expansion Update Canada Following the successful implementation of a Cannabis project in Israel and one in Columbia the Company has put a substantial amount of effort to penetrate the Canadian cannabis and hemp cultivation markets. It was determined that the most optimal way to penetrate the market is through establishing ongoing distribution relationship with buyers of irrigation and cultivation equipment throughout the country. Europe and Latin America We are currently in negotiations to deliver turnkey irrigation solutions to cannabis and hemp cultivators in several European and Latin American countries and in Israel. The Company has entered into an understanding with a veteran of the cannabis growing business and a former CEO of one of the first licensed producers in South America to single-source commercial cannabis and CBD (Hemp) cultivation solutions including dehumidification, lighting technologies, irrigation, fertigation and benching. Israel Medical Cannabis The Company gained experience thorough its delivery of the irrigation, fertigation and IOT (Internet of things) control system to an Israeli subsidiary of the Cronos Group (TSX:CRON), which is a greenhouse cultivation project located at Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, approximately 50km north of Tel Aviv. As a result of its experience, the Company is currently in the process of submitting bids for similar projects to a number of future licensed producers in the Israeli market. The Company expects to receive at least one additional project in Israel by the end of the year. An overview of our focus in the cannabis sector is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtV6XrV7Ybk . As you can see it has certainly been a busy time at our head offices at Kibbutz Ramat David! When I started Irri-Al-Tal over 15 years ago, my vision was to employ the knowledge and experience with innovative Israeli technologies throughout the globe where it is most needed small and medium size farmers, which oftentimes fall under the radar of larger suppliers. The past 12 months is the first time the Company has had an opportunity to deploy investor capital to grow its business and I want to thank all investors for their vote of confidence. We are excited about the future of Water Ways as we continue to expand our global footprint and gain a presence in new markets. Stay tuned for further updates on the progress in our technology division, 2018-year end financial results and evolution of the M&A strategy that we are finalizing in order to continue rapid growth. Sincerely, Ohad Haber President, CEO and Chairman of the board Water Ways Technologies Inc. About Water Ways Technologies Water Ways is the parent company of Irri-Al-Tal Ltd. ("IAT") which is an Israeli based agriculture technology company that specializes in providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers. IAT competes in the global irrigation water systems market with a focus on developing solutions with commercial applications in the micro and precision irrigation segments of the overall market. At present, IAT's main revenue streams are derived from the following business units: (i) Projects Business Unit; and (ii) Component and Equipment Sales Unit. IAT was founded in 2003 by Mr. Ohad Haber with a view of capitalizing on the opportunities presented by micro and smart irrigation, while also making a positive mark on society by making these technologies more widely available, especially in developing markets such as Africa and Latin America. IATs past projects include vineyards, water reservoirs, fish farms, fresh produce cooling rooms and more, in over 15 countries. For more information, please contact Ronnie Jaegermann Director +972-54-4202054 ronnie@irri-altal.com https://www.water-ways-technologies.com/ Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to Water Ways, including receipt of the Final Exchange Bulletin and the proposed listing date, are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Water Ways' current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Water Ways, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information, including: expected sales volumes, timing of and approval of the Acquisition by the TSX Venture Exchange; timing of establishing new operations. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Water Ways in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Water Ways does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Water Ways undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Water Ways' results and forward-looking information and calculations may be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. ________________________ 1 All figures are in Canadian Dollars, unless otherwise noted BOSTON, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AliGo Mobile has launched a new service that uses a classic Airstream trailer to deliver beautiful smiles to consumers at their workplaces. AliGo Mobile visits local businesses and office parks to provide onsite Invisalign consultation, care and management, making it quick and convenient to access high-quality orthodontic care. Sixty-five percent of all adults could benefit from orthodontic treatment . Orthodontics not only improve the appearance of smiles, but also help address bite issues, TMJ symptoms, and make teeth easier to clean, reducing potential cavities and gum disease. While more and more adults are addressing their smile concerns, carving out time for regular follow up office visits (usually every 6-8 weeks) can be problematic. AliGo Mobile provides a fantastic solution for busy professionals who want to straighten their teeth, but dont have time to visit the orthodontist office during business hours, said Dr. Sam Levine, Founder of AliGo and owner of a Lexington-based practice. We bring the orthodontist to you. The AliGo Mobile team provides complete Invisalign treatment and follow up care in its Airstream trailer (complete with waiting and exam rooms) parked in your office parking lot. Treatment includes a complimentary Invisalign consultation using an impressionless 3D scanner, bi-monthly monitoring of treatment progress, and complimentary tooth whitening given to patients with their retainers at the end of treatment. Aligners are hand-delivered to patients, and AliGo Mobile offers flexible payment options, including FSA and HSA. There is no cost to businesses that host AliGo Mobile, making the service an easy additional health and wellness benefit that they can offer to employees. So much of an employee's time is spent at the workplace. Offering onsite health and wellness benefits can be an attractive employee benefit as employers compete for talent, said Dr. Levine. By partnering with AliGo Mobile, businesses can give their employees easy access to scheduling appointments with a certified orthodontist, saving them time and money. "Working with AliGo Mobile has been simple, easy, and effective, said Erin Tremblay, Event Specialist for Longfellow Real Estate Partners. We are so thankful to be able to offer our tenants a convenient, high quality service that promotes well-being. We aim to make our tenants' lives easier and more convenient, that way they can leave work and spend their free time doing the things they love." To request an AliGo Mobile visit for your office, or for more information, visit: https://aligomobile.com About AliGo Mobile AliGo Mobile is a mobile orthodontic office specializing in Invisalign treatment. The team coordinates visits to local businesses and office parks to provide orthodontic care directly to consumers. AliGo Mobile helps companies deliver an important employee benefit and saves employees both time and money, while helping them look and feel their best. Connect with AliGo Mobile on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . IMAGES AVAILABLE Media Contact: Crystal Woody crystal@carltonprmarketing.com (781) 457-6112 WALTHAM, Mass., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GET Group North America , a leading-edge provider of end-to-end solutions for secure credentials with over 20 years of experience in identity management, today announced a partnership with Secure Planet, an I 3 affiliated company, which provides facial recognition-based solutions of the highest overall quality, security, and value to U.S. Government, industry and commercial clients. Under the terms of the agreement, Secure Planets cutting-edge facial recognition technology will be incorporated in select GET Group NA offerings, including its CoreID Personal Data Management System (PDMS) and its GET mID Digital Identity Solution. Secure Planets facial recognition solutions are developed in the U.S. and built around the state-of-the-art Rank One Computing facial recognition algorithm. They can be deployed in hand-held or man-portable modes depending on customer requirements. Facial extraction and matching from still imagery and videos are available in both modes, in a connected or disconnected environment and over a variety of distances. Secure Planet has led the pack in terms of developing a facial recognition algorithm that provides the highest degree of accuracy, quality and performance, said Gerald Hubbard, Director of Marketing and Communications, GET Group North America. By incorporating their technology into our offerings, we will best enable government agencies, motor vehicle departments, municipalities, law enforcement organizations, and corporate enterprises to implement optimal identity management solutions. Secure Planet offers a mid-range facial recognition capability that can leverage facial images captured via streaming video. It can collect and match unconstrained faces from individuals at ranges between five and 350 meters in daylight conditions. Images that are seamlessly extracted from the streaming video can be automatically matched against a database of millions of individuals without a network connection to remote computing resources. Similarly, its mid-range still-image facial recognition solution can collect still-images of unconstrained faces of persons at ranges between five and 350 meters in daylight conditions. We strive to consistently test and improve our facial recognition algorithm in order to provide the most accurate offering possible, said Dr. Doug Dyer, Chief Scientist at Secure Planet. Like us, GET Group is committed to proving the best and most effective solutions for managing identities. The combination of our technologies will allow governments and organizations to help prevent identity fraud and grant correct access to only authorized individuals. About GET Group NA GET Group North America is an experienced provider of high-assurance security solutions that enhance Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) operations. As a leading-edge systems integrator, GET Group NA and its partners design, manufacture, and implement end-to-end solutions for secure credentials that enable government agencies, motor vehicle departments, municipalities and law enforcement organizations to implement the latest in identity management technologies. From photo ID cards to drivers licenses to passports, GET Group NA delivers advanced personalization capabilities that prevent identification fraud and accommodate diversified customer needs. About Secure Planet Secure Planet, an I3 affiliated company, is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Secure Planet comprises PMP certified personnel, senior biometric system developers, test engineers and subject matter experts with global deployment and operational expertise who provide solutions of the highest overall quality, security, and value to U.S. Government, industry and commercial clients. Secure Planet has demonstrated product-delivery success including 300+ Biometric Identity Verifiers (BIVs) to SPAWAR Atlantic and the sale of TacID Mobile, an Android and iOS based facial recognition application and TacID Workstation, a Windows and Linux based application, to the U.S. Government. Luxembourg 17 April 2019 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY, ISIN LU0075646355, the Company) today announced that at the 2019 Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the AGM) on 17 April 2019, all resolutions were approved by the general meeting. In addition, at the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders (the EGM) which took place on 17 April 2019 after the AGM, the sole resolution relating to the authority of the Board of Directors to repurchase and, as the case may be, subsequently to cancel Company shares and reduce the issued share capital accordingly, was also approved by the general meeting. At the AGM, the payment of a special dividend of NOK 1.50 per common share was approved. The last day the shares will be traded including the right to receive a dividend will be 24 April 2019 and holders of common shares and ADRs on record at the close of business on 26 April 2019 will be entitled to the dividend. The first trading date ex-dividend will be 25 April 2019. The date of payment of the dividend will be 3 May 2019. Due to the Norwegian public holiday on 1 May 2019, there will be two days for corrections and claims following the dividend record date, being one day less than usual. The minutes of both the AGM and EGM which detail the resolutions passed, the result of the votes cast in relation to each resolution are attached hereto. The minutes may be inspected at any time at the registered office of the Company and can be found on the Companys website www.subsea7.com. ******************************************************************************* Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry. We create sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. ******************************************************************************* Contact for enquiries: Isabel Green Investor Relations Director Tel +44 20 8210 5568 isabel.green@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this announcement may include forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of words like anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, might, plan, predict, project, scheduled, seek, should, will, and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements reflect our current views and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The principal risks and uncertainties which could impact the Group and the factors which could affect the actual results are described but not limited to those in the Risk Management section in the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements 2018. These factors, and others which are discussed in our public announcements, are among those that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements: actions by regulatory authorities or other third parties; our ability to recover costs on significant projects; the general economic conditions and competition in the markets and businesses in which we operate; our relationship with significant clients; the outcome of legal and administrative proceedings or governmental enquiries; uncertainties inherent in operating internationally; the timely delivery of vessels on order; the impact of laws and regulations; and operating hazards, including spills and environmental damage. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on our future results. Given these factors, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Attachments Alanna Kelly A Kelowna woman says she was sexually exploited and put in vulnerable situations while under the care of a social worker from the Ministry of Child and Family Development. In my time with the ministry, I just got more traumatized, she said. The now 24-year-old woman, who weve chosen not to identify, says she was under the care of Siobhan Stynes from 2012 to 2015 and was moved from one bad home to another by the Ministry. She now lives with constant anxiety and complex post-traumatic stress from her time while under the care of Stynes. Accusations against Stynes surfaced in Nov. 2018, amidst shocking allegations against Ministry social worker Robert Riley Saunders claiming he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from vulnerable aboriginal youth in his care. Lawsuits against Saunders allege his supervisor, Stynes, had direct knowledge of the theft from joint bank accounts that were encouraged by Saunders. Stynes also directly inflicted emotional and psychological abuse on the plaintiff[s], the lawsuits allege. The woman says she trusted Stynes and thought she had her best interest at heart. But it wasnt until years later that she realized she was abused. She confided in her social worker when she was 17 that she had been raped. The rape in itself was traumatizing, but one of the most traumatizing parts was how they reacted, she said. She says Stynes manipulated her into writing an apology letter to the perpetrator of the alleged sexual assault and intimidated her further by claims she would be criminally charged if she didnt apologize. I had to apologize to them for the rape incident and then I had to write a letter to my rapist and apologize to him, she said. Siobhan was saying what happened to me could have impacted his future. In the foster home, she was locked in a room which had bars on the window and she felt completely isolated. Siobhan had been in the home to see it and never said anything about the bars. She cut off my social contact and I was no longer allowed to attend youth group. I was ostracized by my social worker and by my foster parents, she said. At one point she was so depressed she threw herself down a set of stairs and had to be hospitalized. Stynes was removed as a team leader and shuffled into a new role within the Okanagan-branch of the Ministry of Children and Family Development in November. The Ministry would not tell Castanet whether Stynes is still employed. We are unable to comment on personnel matters, said spokesperson Shawn Larabee. The woman says her greatest fear is having her three-year-old son taken away and wants an apology letter from Stynes. I think they targeted vulnerable youth, she said. It's all the same story as (mine), kids not being listened to or taken care of. None of these allegations have been proven in court and neither Stynes or her lawyer have responded to our request for comment. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated the woman was 15. Pune, India, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Market Research Futures (MRFRs) report on the activated carbon market predicts an 8.14% CAGR during the forecast period (2018-2023). With such a rise, the market can quite effectively surpass the USD 7,032.5 million valuation by the end of 2023. At first, it seems to be the source of all pollution but then emerges a different truth. Activated carbon is one component that can take down the pollution level quite comprehensively. For industries, this is one of the reasons that makes activated carbon a lucrative option. The rise in the activated carbon market in the coming years would be quite substantial. Activated carbon, also known as activated charcoal, is a form of carbon treated with oxygen to increase the space between atoms. What makes it dynamic is its ability to percolate across sectors and aid them decisively. Activated carbon is quite popular among industries. It can act as a filter and hold back a lot of chemicals from getting infused in air or water. Industries are all looking for eco-friendly measures to reduce their carbon footprint. Activated carbon has a large internal surface area and prevents the penetration of toxic gases by trapping them. Through the adsorption technique, it forms new compounds by reacting with chemicals. Some components do come to it like they have been attracted. Using such features, companies have started using it in granular or powder form to purify air and securing mercury, H2S, and BTX. Its integration in the defense sector is also quite impactful. The military is benefiting from it as in battlefields and various operations, activated carbon saves lives from poisonous gases. The manufacturing of gas masks includes activated carbons as a key element. Ancient Chinese treatments and Indian Ayurveda regarded activated charcoal highly for its healing features. Its impact as a detoxifying agent is immense. It can help in digestion by absorbing digestive byproducts. Using this feature, several pharmaceutical companies have developed drugs. Activated charcoals impact in the skincare sector is quite substantial as it can effectively remove bacteria, chemicals, and dirt from the skin. Many skincare product manufacturers have started using the product as a component for face wash and scrubber. Active charcoals performance in dental care is quite extensive as it can effectively get rid off substances that stain the teeth. Its application as a water purifying agent extended its market percolation opportunities. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1744 Head-to-Head Among the influential activated carbon market players, the creme de la creme have been profiled by MRFR in the report comprise Osaka Gas Chemicals Co., Ltd (Japan), Cabot Corporation (US), Silcarbon Aktivkohle GmbH (Germany), Haycarb Plc (Sri Lanka), Kuraray Co., Ltd (Japan), Donau Carbon GmbH (Germany), DESOTEC Activated Carbon (Belgium), Prominent Systems, Inc. (US), Oxbow Activated Carbon (US), Kureha Corporation (Japan), and Lenntech BV (the Netherlands), among others. Whats New? In March 2019, researchers from the U.S.-based Purdue University came up with a method that nearly removes all traces of the excess oil from the produced water. The method requires exposing activated charcoal to sunlight to heat the water to purify it. Activated charcoal then absorbs the excess oil. The process would help the managing of wastewater in the U.S. The same month also witnessed the launching of a new water filter from LifeStraw that can remove microplastics, E.coli, and other parasites by using activated carbon ion exchange filter. Segmentations at a Glance MRFRs keen analysis of the Activated Carbon Market has segmentations based on type and application. By type, the activated carbon market can be segmented into powdered, granular, extruded, and others. In 2017, the powdered activated carbon segment recorded dominance over 53% of the global market, and the report predictions suggest an 8% CAGR on the cards during the forecast period with which the segment can reach up to USD 3800 million mark. The widespread use in water purification, gas and air purification in sectors such as the automotive, industrial chemicals, and food & beverage industries has ushered in prospects for the powdered charcoal segment. Based on the application, the water purification segment reigned over 36% of the global market share in 2017. Its use in the residential and industrial sector is extensive. Browse Report Page @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/activated-carbon-market-1744 Mapping Regional Prospect The report published by MRFR on the activated carbon market includes Asia Pacific (APAC), North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America. The APAC market is clearly on the drivers seat. With a market coverage of 45%, as recorded in 2017, the region is further predicted to register the highest CAGR of 9% during the forecast period. The burgeoning region with several emerging economies is incorporating activated carbon in great quantity into the industrial sector. It has been triggered by government initiatives as well. North America, with a market worth of USD 914 million, in 2017 can be considered the second largest market. Activated charcoal is gaining substantial accolade in the region as mercury-remover. Government policies and EPA demands have made it necessary to include activated charcoal in the manufacturing process of several ingredients. Latin Americas prospect of reaching to the USD 430 million worth by 2023 can be attributed to the increasing consumption of the activated carbon in water purification and air purification procedures. Browse Related Reports: Make an Enquiry before Buying Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1744 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Pune, India, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Market Research Future (MRFR) predicts the CBD Oil Market valuation to touch USD 2,177.99 million by 2023. This can be attributed to the legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical use. The approval of the 2018 Farm Bill in the United States which has legalized hemp farming is expected to bolster the market demand significantly. The market can grow at 36.36% CAGR from 2018 to 2023 (forecast period). The topic of natural ingredients has entered the mainstream conversation, with consumers requesting its inclusion in everyday products. With its benefits outweighing its side-effects, naturally-derived products are gaining focus. Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active compound found in cannabis plants and found its way in clinical trials for treating anxiety, depression, cognition, and pain. Market Scope Prevalence of Diseases - Rising cases of glaucoma, fibromyalgia, and others have elicited the demand for CBD products. CBD is known for alleviating pain and reducing inflammation by interacting with neurotransmitters. But its approval by federal regulatory agencies to be used in foods can act as a growth deterrent. Increased Research Funding - Infusion of capital by private organizations for studying the benefits of CBD is expected to work in favor of the market. In 2016, the National Institutes of Health, U.K., decided to expend close to USD 21 million for gaining insights into the therapeutic efficacy of CBD. Industry News The approval of the bill which would extend the application of medicinal CBD oil is expected to be welcome news for hemp producers. This comes in the back of the acceptance of the oil in the medicine, Epidolex, used for treating epilepsy. Manufacturers can produce oil which can be used for treating individuals with autism, multiple sclerosis, mitochondrial disease, and Crohns disease. Dispensaries in Virginia, U.S., were given approval by the government for commencing business due to legalization of hemp farming. This move can be beneficial for patients suffering from chronic ailments. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7355 Competition Analysis Renowned players in the CBD oil market include IrieCBD, ENDOCA, Bluebird Botanicals Ltd., CBD American Shaman, Isodiol International Inc., Medical Marijuana Inc., Canopy Growth Corporation, CV Sciences Inc., Elixinol Global Limited, and Aurora Cannabis. Segmentation Analysis The global CBD Oil Market is segmented by product, application, and distribution channel. By product, the marijuana-derived oil segment can exhibit 35.13% CAGR over the forecast period to accrue close to USD 1,134.33 million. This can be attributed to its use in treating neurological disorders. On the other hand, the hemp-derived oil segment can display a CAGR above 37% during the assessment period. This can be credited to its approval of its benefits by the medical community. Among applications, the neurological disorders segment is expected to bode well for the CBD oil market. This can be credited to the inherent properties of CBD oil for reducing anxiety levels. Fibromyalgia is the second biggest application which can net high revenues for the market. By distribution channel, e-commerce websites can accumulate close to USD 1,382.62 million by 2023. Availability of smartphones and the reliance on applications to gain access to marijuana stores are factors expected to drive segment growth. Retail pharmacies are anticipated to showcase a CAGR close to 36.99% during the assessment period due to these stores being responsible for dispensing prescriptions at the right dose. Access Details of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cbd-oil-market-7355 Regional Analysis Region-wise, the market is segmented into the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World (RoW). The Americas was the dominant region in the global market in 2017 and will continue its reign over the forecast period due to the legalization of medical marijuana and approval of hemp farming. The use of marijuana in mitigating the pain of chronic malaises of patients is expected to augur well for the market. The market has an estimated valuation of USD 1,695.20 million by 2023. The European region can be lucrative for the CBD oil market owing to the legalization of medical marijuana in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Austria, and the Netherlands. Formation of companies to bring down production costs and expedite research and development on the benefits of marijuana is expected to be the biggest growth driver. On the other hand, the APAC CBD Oil market size can balloon to USD 203.12 million by 2023 due to increasing use of medical marijuana for treating cases of epilepsy. The market has high potential and will be open to investments on the legalization of hemp farming. Browse Related Report: CBD Hemp Oil Market : https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cbd-hemp-oil-market-6501 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. English French Kia becomes one of the only automotive brands to offer two distinct electric models in one lineup Both the 2019 Kia Niro EV and 2020 Kia Soul EV qualify for new Federal government incentives With short and long range models available, Canadians can now choose which real-world electric vehicle fits their lifestyle best TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kia Canada has become one of the industrys only brands to offer two distinct electric models by announcing pricing today for the all-new 2019 Kia Niro EV and 2020 Kia Soul EV. The pricing comes on the same day that Federal government announced new incentives for electric vehicles was announced with both models meeting the requirements of the new regulations. For further information on the Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) Program, please visit the Government of Canadas ZEV website to view the announcement. Both the 2019 Kia Niro EV and 2020 Kia Soul EV boast real-world design, utility and driving dynamics and are available with a brand new long-range motor that will deliver 383 kilometres of range or more, providing sufficient range for most driving needs. Were excited to be bringing not one but two real-world electric vehicles to the market and, with these new Federal incentives, there was never a better time for Canadians to take a good hard look at an EV, said Michael Kopke, Director of Marketing, Kia Canada Inc. With more than 383 kilometres of driving range without compromising design, features or driving fun, the 2019 Kia Niro EV and 2020 Kia Soul EV are here to make the switch to electric easy for Canadians. Available now, the 2019 Kia Niro EV is available in two well-equipped models: 2019 Kia Niro EV EX $44,995 2019 Kia Niro EV SX Touring $53,995 Available this summer, the 2020 Kia Soul EV will be available in two well-equipped models: 2020 Kia Soul EV Premium $42,595 2020 Kia Soul EV Limited $51,595 For more information on the entire Kia lineup, please visit Kia Canadas media site at KiaMedia.ca . About Kia Canada Inc. Kia Canada Inc. (KCI), established in 1999 and celebrating 20 years in Canada, is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) based in Seoul, South Korea. Kias full line of award-winning vehicles offers world-class quality and customer satisfaction through a network of 194 dealers nationwide. The company employs 170 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters, various locations across Canada and at its regional office in Montreal, Quebec. Kias brand slogan "The Power to Surprise" represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation. From compact to crossover to industry leading EVs, every Kia delivers an extraordinary combination of precision engineering, outstanding performance, innovative features, and advanced safety systems. Having sold close to one million vehicles, popular Canadian models include Soul, Sportage, Sorento, Forte - winner of 2019 AJAC Best Small Car and Stinger winner 2019 AJAC Car of the Year. To learn more about the Kia advantage, visit kia.ca or Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Instagram . Website : Kia.ca Mark James Corporate Communications Manager Kia Canada Inc. T: 905-755-6251; E: mjames@kia.ca Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e79bcbf-1846-4fae-a678-a405bbc7f96b http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2b4afe8-2295-4679-b9a2-23880cf5a4fd GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: PAC; BMV: GAP) (the Company or GAP) today announced the filing of its annual report, corresponding to the year ended December 31, 2018, with the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) as well as on Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These documents can be accessed on the websites maintained by the BMV (www.bmv.com.mx) or SEC (www.sec.gov), respectively, or on GAPs corporate website at www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx under Investors. In addition, shareholders of the Company may receive a hard copy of these reports, which include GAPs audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge by contacting i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc. at +1-212-406-3691 or via email at gap@i-advize.com. Company Description Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexicos Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAPs shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PAC and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GAP. In April 2015, GAP acquired 100% of Desarrollo de Concesiones Aeroportuarias, S.L., which owns a majority stake in MBJ Airports Limited, a company operating Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts, and are based on managements current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, plans and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and article 42 of the Ley del Mercado de Valores, GAP has implemented a whistleblower program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that may involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party that is in charge of collecting these complaints, is 01 800 563 00 47. The web site is www.lineadedenuncia.com/gap . GAPs Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARHT Media Inc. (ARHT or the Company) (TSXV:ART), the global leader in the development, production and distribution of high-quality hologram content through its patented Holographic Telepresence technology, continues to advance within the education sector as the Company recently beamed a hologram of Columbia Business School Professor Rita Gunther McGrath from New York City to join a panel discussion in Hong Kong titled 'The Power of Purpose for Individuals & Organizations.' "Moderating the panel discussion with Rita as a hologram was as easy as if she were in the room. I could tell when she had something to say or when she had something to add to the conversation, and it felt very natural to interact with her," stated Abigail Croft, Managing Director Bridge Partnership. ARHT's Holographic Telepresence technology made it possible for Professor McGrath to attend the event remotely without having to travel, while allowing her to appear in a manner that gave a sense of presence and made it feel like she was actually there in-person. Her appearance was another testament to how the Company's technology can increase access to subject matter experts in a meaningful and cost-effective manner no matter where they are located. We bring the best in the world to the rest of the world stated ARHT CEO Larry OReilly, this is yet another example of naturally integrating a global expert into an academic discussion in real-time, even though Prof McGrath was thousands of miles away. Professor McGraths hologram joined the Q&A session that included NiQ Lai, COO & CEO of the Hong Kong Broadband Network, Kathryn Greenberg, CEO of the Shared Value Project Hong Kong, Timothy Henry, Co-CEO / Managing Partner of the BRIDGE Partnership & Co-Founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement. The panelists were invited to share their thoughts on how they harness the power of purpose within their work especially when overcoming challenges and creating opportunities. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f5537267-28f3-44e4-ad14-4d72f8d52796 The discussion was part of the BRIDGE Breakthrough Events series and took place on March 27th, 2019. It was aimed at senior executives and business leaders in Hong Kong focusing on building a community of learners to help foster greater engagement and innovation. Professor McGrath is a strategic management scholar and professor of management at the Ivey League Columbia Business School. She is well known for her expertise on strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship. ARHT continues to make progress within the academic world, now having worked with members from many prominent institutions globally that include the Imperial College in London, The Ivey Business School in Canada as well as the Association of MBA's, an organization that is affiliated to some of the top business schools in over 70 countries. About ARHT Media ARHT Medias patented holographic telepresence technology is a complete end-to-end solution that creates a sense of presence for audiences as though the holographic presenter was actually live in the room. With no noticeable latency, ARHT Media creates two-way live communication with a 3D holographic presenter anywhere in the world possible. We can also playback pre-recorded content and 3D animations on our displays to deliver rich holographic experiences. Connect with ARHT Media Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ARHTmedia Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ARHTmediainc LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/arht-media-inc- For more information, please visit http://www.arhtmedia.com or contact the investor relations group at info@arhtmedia.com. ARHT Media trades under the symbol ART on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange. ARHT Media Press Contact Salman Amin samin@arhtmedia.com This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure related to the Companys participation in 'The Power of Purpose for Individuals & Organizations event; the Companys sales funnel; the Companys technology; the potential uses for the Companys technology; the future planned events using the Companys technology; the future success of the Company; the ability of the Company to monetize the HumaGram technology; the development of the Companys technology; and interest from parties in ARHTs products. Generally, forward looking 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 state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". 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 but not limited to: general business, economic and competitive uncertainties; regulatory risks; risks inherent in technology operations; and other risks of the technology industry. 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. 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. Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The veto the second in Trump's presidency was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump wrote in explaining his veto. Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing. The U.S. provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began in 2014. The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. Trump said the measure was unnecessary because except for counterterrorism operations against Islamic State militants and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen. He said there were no U.S. military personnel in Yemen accompanying the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis, although he acknowledged that the U.S. has provided limited support to the coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and until recently in-flight refuelling of non-U.S. aircraft. The president also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes with his constitutional power as commander in chief. He said the U.S. is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000 Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen. "Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," Trump said. "In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a 'cheap' and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia." House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Tuesday night saying: "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis." Pelosi added: "This conflict must end, now. The House of Representatives calls on the President to put peace before politics, and work with us to advance an enduring solution to end this crisis and save lives." Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Trump's veto "shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation." Kaine accused Trump of turning a blind eye to Khashoggi's killing and the jailing of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. "I hope my colleagues will show we won't tolerate the Trump administration's deference to Saudi Arabia at the expense of American security interests by voting to override this veto," Kaine said. The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt U.S. security co-operation agreements with more than 100 countries. David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian aid group, said: "This veto by President Trump is morally wrong and strategically wrongheaded. It sets back the hopes for respite for the Yemeni people, and leaves the U.S. upholding a failed strategy." Trump issued his first veto last month on legislation related to immigration. Trump had declared a national emergency so he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the emergency declaration and Trump vetoed that measure. Vancouver, April 17, 2019 - Volcanic Gold Mines Inc. (TSXV: VG) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement financing with the issuance of 1,500,000 units at $0.25 per unit, for proceeds of $375,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at $0.35 for one year from closing. The common shares and warrants issued in the placement are subject to a resale restriction until August 17, 2019. The proceeds of the financing are intended to be used for general working capital purposes. About Volcanic Volcanic brings together an experienced and successful mining, exploration and capital markets team focused on building multi-million ounce gold resources in underexplored countries. Through the strategic acquisition of mineral properties with demonstrated potential for hosting gold resources, and by undertaking effective exploration and drill programs, Volcanic intends to become a leading gold company. For further information, visit our website at www.volgold.com. Volcanic Gold Mines Inc. Simon Ridgway, Executive Chairman 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 statements Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the Company's business goals and the intended use of the private placement proceeds. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. 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 results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the intended use of the private placement proceeds; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the private placement proceeds will be spent as stated; that the Company's stated goals and planned exploration and development activities will be achieved; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Vancouver, April 17, 2019 - Walker River Resources Corp. (TSXV: WRR) ("Walker" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received a 2-year extension from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (the"BLM") for its Notice of Intent (the"NOI") exploration permit to conduct further drilling on the Lapon Canyon Gold Project, located approximately 60 kilometres southeast of Yerington, Nevada. The NOI exploration permit with the BLM covers the disturbance areas created to establish drill road access and drill sites within the Lapon Canyon Project. The Company, when possible, attempts to drill multiple holes from single drill pads on existing roads to minimize the amount of surface disturbance created by drilling activities. This practise has allowed the Company to drill many more holes under a NOI than would be possible if each drill hole was drilled from a single drill site. The Company has secured the required bonding to cover reclamation on the areas of permitted disturbance for the 2019 drill program. The Company can amend the NOI exploration permit over the next 2 years to increase the permitted disturbance areas for additional drill sites and access roads at the Lapon Project. At this time, the Company has planned for an additional 30-hole drill hole program on the project with preparation for drill mobilization and start up well underway. Michel David, President & CEO of the Company says, "We are very pleased that the BLM has extended the Notice of Intent permit for the next 2 years. This will provide the Company with the ability to continue to drill the Lapon Canyon Project, without any permitting delays. In many instances, we have been able to drill multiple holes from each permitted drill site, maximizing our permitted and bonded drill sites without exceeding our permitted disturbance amounts." Mr. David continues: "Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is almost complete. We are now fully permitted for the upcoming 2019 exploration and drill programs that will begin shortly." The 2018 drill program was successful in expanding known gold mineralized zones previously discovered by the Company, including the discovery and delineation of new gold mineralized zones. The drilling also was designed to acquire technical and geological information on the structural trends. This was essential, in the preparation of the up coming 2019 drill program, for planning of drill pad emplacement and drill access routes. The Company's consultant, Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp. ("Fladgate") of Thunder Bay, ON., (see news release 02-28-18) a full-service mineral exploration consulting firm, has completed its interpretation, compilation and update of the Lapon Project's digital database with the 2018 drill results. Fladgate's initial interpretations of the Lapon digital database enhanced the planning, design and success of Walker's late 2018 drill program. The information from the compilation and interpretation of the 2018 drill program will greatly aid in acceleration of drilling, geological mapping and understanding of the gold mineralization at the Lapon Project. Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is nearing completion. The drill program is scheduled to begin during the first week of May. Further updates on the Lapon Project will be released as they become available. Finally, the Company wishes to welcome Mr. Yves Caron, geol (OGQ), M.Sc. to its advisory board. Mr. Caron has extensive experience in exploration and development of precious and industrial metal projects. Yves has also been a board member of several active exploration companies with advanced projects. About the Lapon Project The Lapon Project consists of 96 claims (1,940 acres) situated in the Wassuk Range, easily accessible by secondary state roads from the main highway (25 kilometres). A state grid power transmission line passes within three kilometres of the Lapon Project. The Lapon Project is located within the Walker Lane shear zone, a 100-kilometre-wide structural corridor extending in a southeast direction from Reno, Nevada. Within this trend, numerous gold, silver, and copper mines are located, notably the historic Comstock Lode mines in Virginia City. Also, the past producing Esmeralda/Aurora gold mine, with reported production of some one million ounces and the Anaconda open pit copper mine in Yerington, Nevada. The Lapon Project is cut by a series of steeply dipping cross fault structures cutting across the Walker trend, analogous to other cross fault structures responsible for many gold and base metal deposits in the world. These faults are heavily sheared and altered (sericite, iron oxides) with abundant silica, varying in width from 60 to 300 meters. Four of these structures have been discovered at Lapon, and at least two can be traced for over four kilometers. Small-scale high-grade mining began on the project in 1914. Approximately 600 meters of drifts and raises were developed from two adits and a two-stamp mill was built. Further underground work was carried out, returning numerous assay values in the range of one ounce per ton, with a sample at the end of an adit returning 20.6 ounces per ton. (National Instrument 43-101, Montgomery and Barr, 2004). Additional work on the Project in the following years, included the installation of a ball mill and milling facilities. The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by E. Gauthier, geol., Eng (OIQ) a director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Michel David" ________________________ Michel David, Chief Executive Officer and Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Walker River Resources Corp. Tel: 819 874-0030 Fax: 819 825-1199 Email: info@wrrgold.com Website: www.wrrgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange Nor Its Regulation Service Provider (As That Term Is Defined In The Policies Of The TSX Venture Exchange) Accepts Responsibility For The Adequacy Or Accuracy Of This News Release. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44130 Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation. Photo: The Canadian Press John Brittain leaves the Penticton courthouse Tuesday. A friend of John Brittain, the 68-year-old man accused of killing four people in Mondays shooting spree, says he was not the type of person to ever act violently. John is a quiet, unassuming kind of person," Dave Folstad, Sr. told CTV News Tuesday. "Easy to talk to, friendly to just knock on the door and hed come for a walk with me." Hes a warm, respectable person," Folstad said, explaining he met Brittain at the public speaking group Toastmasters. "I've never seen him raise his voice Hes not the kind of person who you would expect to have any enemies." Brittain worked as an engineer with the City of Penticton until he retired in 2014. Mayor John Vassilaki described Brittain at a Tuesday media conference as "a gentle person," and one who "wouldn't hurt a fly." He now faces four counts of murder. The victims in Mondays shootings have now been identified by neighbours, family online and court and land title records as Rudi Winter, Susan and Barry Wonch and Darlene Knippelberg. All were in their 60s and 70s. The families have asked us to convey that yesterday's events and the loss of their loved ones is extremely difficult to comprehend, the Penticton RCMP said in a statement Tuesday, while asking the families' privacy be respected. Police have not commented on a motive for the case, but a family member of Winter has said she suspected it was due to a neighbours dispute. The City of Penticton told CTV News it has dealt with several complaints between the Winters and a neighbour, but would not elaborate. Folstad told CTV Brittain "still has friends in the community who care about him," despite the lack of details on the case right now. "People watching in the news are curious and think maybe hes some sort of monster, but I think it will come out that hes been an ideal citizen for 60 years and this is something thats total opposite of what youd expect," he said. A candlelight vigil for the shooting victims is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight in Gyro Park. with files from CTV Vancouver Every state has an unclaimed property program that returns money, stocks, dividends, utility deposits, insurance proceeds and other valuables to people who have lost track of them. When Terry Brown took over as Virginias claims processing manager, the unit had been backlogged for three years and the average time to process a claim was 120 days. Today, theres no backlog, and the average processing time is less than nine days. The unit did this without more money, more people or new technology.Brown and her team achieved these process improvement results using business management concepts such as Lean and Six Sigma. Process improvement is a useful tool, and the results achieved by folks like Brown are impressive. But Kristen Cox, executive director of the Utah Governors Office of Management and Budget, would argue that it alone isnt the solution for all of the complex challenges faced by government.Cox is a practitioner and advocate of the theory of constraints, which looks at the goals and the core problems that prevent systems from achieving their objectives. Cox says that the theory of constraints is more than just process improvement. It is all about helping people get clear on designing the right policy or service in the first place before even going down the road of process improvement, she told me recently.In, Cox and her co-author, economist Yishai Ashlag, have distilled the essence of the theory of constraints into a cute little fable in which decorating the fish stands for doing the common and ineffective things that have no real impact on performance. They refer to those actions as the seductive seven, and its a familiar list: more money, technology, reorganization, training and communication, data, accountability, and strategic planning. We feel gratified, they write, when we successfully launch a new strategic initiative, secure more resources, or stand up a new IT or data analytics platform. But we need to ask, did we substantially move the needle after all of this work?From creating a culture of innovation to developing predictive analytics, Cox and Ashlag line up all of our favorite performance improvement toys and dump cold water on them. But the good news is that what comes out is ideas that can truly allow governments to make dramatic improvements in peoples lives. In case studies from areas as diverse as traffic congestion, government contracting and benefits eligibility determination, they show how to identify the core problem and address it in ways that would significantly improve outcomes.Given the enormous legacy costs that most governments have, the challenge is to meet the needs of those they serve largely within existing resources. Here, too, Cox and Ashlags work is important because a critical piece of their method is to identify those things that governments candoing so that more resources can be focused on the right things. Capacity isnt the issue. Cox told me that of the many systems shes worked with, I havent been in one that didnt have significant capacity. Meaning, they had all the resources they needed to gain huge improvements.The critical question today isnt about big or small government. Its about more competent government thats equal to the needs of those it serves. Thats what I think well get when we put tools like those advocated by Cox and Ashlag into the hands of folks like Brown. SPEED READ: The less teachers make, the more likely they are to strike, according to a Center for American Progress study. Missouri has three of the lowest-paid districts where teachers have yet to protest. Strikes may have inspired increases in education funding in other states. Teaching isn't a lucrative profession practically anywhere in America, but what drives some educators to strike over their pay and others to accept it?It likely won't come as a surprise that, according to a new analysis, most of the places with the lowest pay have recently been home to walkouts or strikes. The data also suggests that the action in some states is having a spillover effect in others.The analysis, published Tuesday by the left-leaning Center for American Progress (CAP), shows that seven out of the 10 states with the lowest average teacher salaries in 2018, adjusted for cost of living, experienced statewide teacher strikes, walkouts or rallies last year that have often led to raises. In the other three, legislation addressing teacher salaries has been introduced or passed within the last two years.A similar trend exists at the district level, says the studys author, Lisette Partelow. Nearly all of the 32 lowest-paying school districts have seen either teachers or state legislators take action to raise educators' pay.In fact, just five of the lowest-paying districts havent seen any movement, and three of them -- Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis -- are in Missouri.Does that mean the Show Me State is the next target for teacher protests? Not necessarily, says Partelow."A lot of the action weve seen has happened very organically," she says. "So it is hard to predict why certain states have had them and what states will have them next. But the clear trend is that lowest-paying states are having more activity."Strike or not, a recenteditorial noted that the state is "hemorrhaging teachers" thanks to its average starting salary of $31,842. "Even Mississippi," the authors wrote, "typically the benchmark for lousy services, pays [teachers] more. Thats simply disgraceful for a state led by officials who proclaim the importance of education."CAP's analysis also shows that teacher protests may be influencing legislators beyond their own states. Even though some form of teacher action only occurred in 13 states last year, bills to increase funding for teachers and education were introduced in 27 states last year.The teacher strikes over the last 14 months have largely centered upon low pay and school funding cuts since the Great Recession. In fact, it wasnt until this year that a majority of states even reached their pre-recession funding levels for education . Nearly all of the six states with teacher strikes or walkouts last year also had some of the nations most severe education cuts over the last decade.While teacher pay can be an indicator of unrest, its only part of the story, says Partelow.California, for example, ranks higher in average pay than most states. But in school districts where the cost of living is high, those dollars are stretched. Thats part of why teachers in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento went on strike this year. Dissatifaction with education policies -- not just funding -- also factored into those protests. Opportunity, it is said, only knocks once. So when it comes to attracting private developers to invest in so-called opportunity zones, several states and cities are working hard to make themselves stand out.The zones were created in the 2017 federal tax overhaul as a way to entice companies to invest in underdeveloped areas. A company can reduce the capital gains taxes it owes on previous investments if it invests in low-income communities that have been designated as opportunity zones. On Wednesday, the Trump administration released new guidelines for the program.But with 8,700 opportunity zones across the country -- many in big cities that already attract considerable development dollars -- some places are worried about distinguishing themselves. What would make an investment in, say, Oklahoma City any more attractive than one in Boston?So state and local governments are adding incentives to help make themselves even more desirable.West Virginia lawmakers are looking at an income tax exemption for new opportunity zone investment. Florida is trying to align its opportunity zones with preexisting enterprise zones, which would give investors the benefits of both programs. In Connecticut, some legislators want to exempt historic preservation requirements in opportunity zones if the building has been vacant for more than five years. Maryland lawmakers are considering two bills -- one that would offer tax credits to opportunity zone businesses that hire former inmates and another that would offer historic preservation tax credits to businesses that locate in opportunity zones.Youre seeing OZs prompt a number of common-sense reforms, says John Lettieri, president and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank that drafted the opportunity zone legislation.At the local level, five mayors -- of Erie, Pa.; Louisville, Ky.; Oklahoma City; South Bend, Ind., and Stockton, Calif. -- have released an investment plan aimed at attracting opportunity zone investment.Oklahoma City's downtown opportunity zone also covers its tax increment financing district, allowing investors to benefit from both programs. And thanks to a 2017 ballot initiative in which voters approved $50 million for job creation, the city is able to negotiate additional tax incentives for businesses in return for an agreed-upon number of jobs to be created. Mayor David Holt says he plans to use all the tools available to attract opportunity zone businesses to his city.If you are looking for ways for cities to not just sit back and wait for people to invest in opportunity zones," Holt says, "we have a little to play with.Still, attracting businesses to small and midsize cities remains a challenge. Oklahoma City, for all of its efforts, has not yet secured an investment in any of its 117 opportunity zones.But Holt remains optimistic. He says the opportunity zone program has already put cities like his on the map and that investors are considering places they may not have looked at in the past.If nothing else, opportunity zones get people looking around at places around the country, Holt says. So maybe people look at the best deal in OKC and invest here instead of the 200th best deal in Los Angeles. An Innovative Idea A Slow Start Hospital Housing Macy Valdez works in Denver but for a long time didnt think she could afford to live here. She earns $38,000 a year as a receptionist at the Saint Joseph Hospital cancer center, too little to afford rent in many downtown apartments.Yet since January, Valdez, 28, has been living in a one-bedroom apartment seven blocks from her office in a building complete with a game room, a gym and a pool. She moved in thanks to a city program that blends public and private funds to subsidize rents for lower-income workers.City leaders nationwide have been calling Denver to learn about the Lower Income Voucher Equity program LIVE Denver, for short since Democratic Mayor Michael Hancock announced the first-of-its-kind partnership in 2017. The program has been profiled in national newspapers, and Denver officials regularly tout it at housing conferences.But nearly two years in, LIVE Denver is serving only three households and might never achieve the scale city leaders promised. Saint Joseph Hospital is the only employer to partner with the city so far. City officials now expect the program to serve about a hundred households, a quarter of the 400 households they initially estimated.Valdez pays $1,100 a month, $100 more than she previously spent in a town 10 miles away. Still, she considers the rent a steal, given the location and the fact that shes no longer living with a roommate. Through the program, a small portion of her rent payments are set aside in a savings account.Asked whether she could have afforded her apartment at the market rate, Valdez laughed. Absolutely not, she said. One-bedroom apartments in her building start at $1,600.Denvers struggles might offer a lesson to other cities seeking to launch an affordable housing subsidy, particularly one aimed at middle-class residents. What were seeing now is cities are on the front line of dealing with the housing affordability crisis, said Elisha Harig-Blaine, program manager for housing at the National League of Cities.Denver leaders say theyre rolling out the program slowly so they can get things right. We want to make sure that, as were exploring and pursuing those innovative approaches, were doing so very thoughtfully and very intentionally, said Laura Brudzynski, director of housing policy, programs and HOPE Initiative at the Denver Office of Economic Development and Opportunity.But the slow progress has frustrated many of the programs private sector supporters.Tracey Stewart, family economic security investment director at Gary Community Investments, a philanthropic funder of LIVE Denver, said her organization is still excited about the pilot. But, she added, it will serve only a fraction of city residents struggling to pay for housing.Even though this is an interesting and pretty innovative project youre just going to hear a lot of people say, So what?Denver, like other booming cities, has an affordability problem. Ten years ago, the typical apartment in the city rented for $776. By 2017, the cost was $1,286, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey. The skyline is now dotted with apartment buildings designed to tempt young professionals with amenities such as dog parks, swimming pools and courtyard fire pits.Although the average Denver households income also increased over that period, about half of metro area residents spent more than 30% of their income on housing, according to a 2017 study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Families that pay more than that share of their income on housing are considered cost-burdened by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.A few years ago, Denver civic leaders and city officials started to brainstorm a partnership with employers and building owners that, they hoped, would bring rents in good-quality, market-rate housing within the reach of more workers.The result was LIVE Denver, a housing voucher funded by the city, employers and foundations. Its focused on helping working people who earn too much to qualify for federal housing vouchers but not enough to pay typical city rents. Federal vouchers typically have long waiting lists and provide recipients with limited options.City leaders also saw an opportunity to fill apartment vacancies.Many residents need an affordable option today, not a year from now, Mayor Hancock said when he announced the plan in a 2017 speech. I am excited to announce that we will pilot a new partnership to open 400 existing, vacant apartments to low- and moderate-income residents struggling to find an affordable place to live.The two-year pilot program has a financial education component, too. Participants get help managing their money, and 5% of their rent payments are set aside in a savings account they can access when the pilot ends. Total payments are calculated to comprise 35% of participants monthly income.To participate, single people must earn annual wages of between $25,200 and $50,400, and a family of four must have a household income between $35,960 and $71,920.Although early city procurement documents suggested that the city was looking to partner with owners of luxury buildings, Erik Solivan, Brudzynskis predecessor and one of the architects of LIVE Denver, said in an interview with Stateline that the program targets existing, rehabbed buildings, not the true top of the market.Despite the buzz around the program, progress has been slow.Solivan resigned in 2018 after a year on the job because, he told Stateline, he was frustrated with the mayors leadership on housing. That left the LIVE Denver program without a vocal champion. Until last fall, the Denver Housing Authority which administers LIVE Denver didnt have a full-time staff member in charge of managing partnerships with developers and employers.There was a lack of committed leadership, committed resources, said Mike Zoellner, managing partner of ZF Capital, a Colorado real estate development and investment company, who approached the city with a public-private partnership idea that evolved into LIVE Denver.The Denver City Council approved $1 million, plus $180,000 in administrative costs, for a scaled-down version of the program last July that would serve just 125 households.City officials decided theyd focus on lower-income renters, and on families who need larger apartments than the studio or one-bedroom units the city initially assumed would be the bulk of the program. That meant higher costs per household.Its not surprising that its taken a while to get off the ground, said Josh Leopold, senior research associate at the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, of LIVE Denver. Any attempt to pool money from a lot of players takes time and involves sorting through legal and financial issues, he said.Brudzynski said city officials had also hoped to allow some low-income participants to receive both LIVE Denver funds and federal housing vouchers. But officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibited the city from pairing the two programs, she said.LIVE Denver would have been easier to launch if the city had had more housing experts on staff, Solivan said. With more expertise, he said, the city and the Denver Housing Authority could have made a more forceful legal case to the federal government.Other adjustments were made to the program too. Rather than restricting renters to a database of available units, the program now gives participants more say, said Celia Smoot, director of housing at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the nonprofit that manages the LIVE Denver fund. That means more one-on-one negotiations with landlords, she said.Smoot said that even with a subsidy, its not easy to find satisfactory housing for some low-income participants. The challenge is for the families who are at the lower end of the scale, she said. Because we really want people to live in good housing.Stewart, of Gary Community Investments, suggested that the citys changing housing stock could be part of the problem. The city is coming in with these ideas at a time and space when, literally, single-family housing structures have been replaced by one-[bedroom], two-[bedroom] and micro-suite apartments, she said.As the only employer to partner with the city so far, Saint Joseph Hospital has paid to house three employees and could support as many as 20, according to Sister Jennifer Gordon, vice president for mission integration at the hospital. I would love to have 20. I dont know if well get there, she said. The hospital has paid $100,000 to join the program.Although the hospital works hard to pay its employees fairly, it cant afford to raise everyones wages to a level that would make Denver rents affordable, Gordon said. And raising wages might lead building owners to raise rents. It becomes sort of chasing ones tail, she said.For Valdez, the program has been an opportunity to live downtown, with easy access to shops, restaurants and the hospital where shes worked for over two years. Her previous commute took about 30 minutes on a good day and an hour in heavy traffic, she said.Her employer has benefited, too. Shes the only person on her team who lives within walking distance of the hospital, she said, and during last months bomb cyclone blizzard, she walked to the cancer center to call patients and tell them their appointments were cancelled.Other employers have talked to the city about getting involved, and building owners remain enthusiastic, the citys private sector partners say.Affordable housing is not one silver bullet, said Nancy Burke, vice president of government relations for the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Apartment Association. This is just one thing we could do as property managers to offer units to this program, and our members were really interested.ZF Capitals Zoellner said, We dont have a shortage of apartment owners that want to participate in this. Its just taken time to iron out the details of the program, he said, such as ensuring compliance with fair housing laws and figuring out who pays security deposits. Its really just working through some of those practical logistics, he said.But he added that hes been reflecting recently on the hassle and bureaucracy involved in partnering with the city, and whether its been worth it. Maybe we should be thinking about a private [sector] solution, he said. The retirement papers arrived a few days before Nathaniel Crump's death, forcing a decision upon the young firefighter that neither he nor his family wanted to make.But by that point in mid-2017, the 30-year-old Crump had already had to return to work at the Little Rock Fire Department's Station 3, one of the city's busiest stations, despite a diagnosis of Stage 4 colon cancer.As a non-subscriber you may enter once for a chance to win. By becoming a paid subscriber you'll receive additional chances to enter and win with unlimited content access."We were in our 20s when Nathaniel was diagnosed," Crump's widow, Jessica, recalled in an interview last week. "Him getting cancer -- he was fit, healthy -- was, was totally unexplainable. He had no family history."Crump's doctors linked the deadly cancer to the noxious fumes and soot encountered on the job, Jessica Crump said, but after exhausting his sick leave, her husband was forced to return to work in the final weeks of his life. When he could no longer work, he was forced to take sharply reduced earnings through early retirement.Firefighter activists say that at the time of Crump's death in June 2017, Arkansas had some of the weakest laws in the country related to line-of-duty cancer, providing only a $150,000 death benefit. But with a trio of bills signed recently by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, they say, Arkansas has risen to the nation's forefront in protecting firefighters with cancer.In the first step taken by lawmakers, through House Bill 1345 (now Act 638 of 2019), Arkansas will join 33 other states that offer the presumption that cancer is linked to a firefighter's duties and will provide a disability benefit, according to the First Responder Center for Excellence.Lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 585 (now Act 823) to establish a state trust fund for a firefighter cancer relief network. Louisiana district attorneys oppose a bill that would prohibit prosecutors from putting sexual assault and domestic violence victims in jail in order to compel them to testify in criminal cases against their perpetrators."This tool is very, very necessary for us to use on rare occasions," said Charles Ballay, Plaquemines Parish's top prosecutor and head of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association. "This is rarely, rarely ever used, but it is a tool that must be used sometimes."Ballay, who said opposition from the state's DAs is unanimous, testified Tuesday (April 16) before the Senate Judiciary C Committee, which advanced the bill to the full Senate for consideration on a 5-2 vote. The vote is just the first step in a long process, one over which district attorneys have a lot of sway, particularly if the bill gets to the House.Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, sponsored the bill, in large part, because a judicial watchdog group, Court Watch NOLA, discovered New Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro was jailing sexual assault and domestic violence victims to get them to testify in criminal cases. At least two women who had survived rape and domestic violence were jailed for about a week each in 2016, according to the organization.Cannizzaro has said the practice of jailing victims or witnesses is rare. Out of 28 people held to compel testimony, the district attorney said in February that two involved sex crimes and 21 involved either murder or attempted murder.Morrell's legislation, Senate Bill 146, would provide sexual assault and domestic violence exceptions to the "material witness warrant" used to compel people to testify."Simply put, you re-traumatize a victim by incarcerating them to make them testify," Morrell said.The New Orleans City Council has approved two resolutions since 2017 urging Cannizzaro to change his policy. With the district attorney declining to do so, New Orleans City Councilwoman Helena Moreno said she approached Morrell about a legislative fix at the state level. Moreno, who used to serve in the Louisiana House, presented the bill with Morrell Tuesday."I would say it is most cruel way to try to entice testimony from someone," Moreno said.Moreno said she's willing to discuss alternatives to material witness warrants for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, such as safe houses, ankle bracelets or other types of monitoring.District attorneys say the threat of jail sometimes helps force victims into assistance programs they might otherwise resist. They also note that victims cannot be put in jail unless a judge signs off on a warrant.Prosecutors say material witness warrants in general are pretty rare. From 2012 to 2017, the district attorneys association estimated only 150 material witness warrants were granted among 750,000 cases. Very few of those were material witness warrants for victims of sexual assault or domestic violence, according to the group.Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, implied that Morrell's legislation was a proposal in search of a problem. District attorneys in his area do not throw witnesses, let alone victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, in jail on a regular basis, he said."I understand you have a problem in your parish," White said. "My question is: How big a problem is it?"Morrell responded that the policy is problematic, even if it isn't used all that often."Sometimes when something is wrong, you have to correct it," Morrell said. "The fact that we even have this in statute and it is allowed is offensive in itself." Cook County, Ill., which is home to Chicago, might be the next jurisdiction to work with Code for America on automatically expunging cannabis convictions, at least if States Attorney Kim Foxx gets her way.Foxx told the Chicago Sun-Times this week that she is on track to start clearing thousands of minor cannabis convictions in the months to come. Her office, however, is still working on the best way to accomplish that mission. Part of that work involves potentially enlisting the nonprofit and nonpartisan civic tech group, Code for America (CfA), to help. Foxx told the newspaper that CfA could potentially provide infrastructure support, helping to identify batches of individuals who might have minor past convictions cleared.As of now, though, no formal agreement has been made between Foxxs office and CfA. Foxx, however, estimates that thousands of convictions might be cleared as a result of this work, and theres certainly precedent to suggest shes right.In fact, earlier this year CfA announced that it had partnered with local government and court officials in Californias Los Angeles and San Joaquin counties to clear upward of 54,000 similar pot convictions, following prior work it did with San Francisco to clear more than 8,000 convictions there. Those California clearances came after voters in that state legalized recreational marijuana.What Code for America did was create an algorithm that could identify in seconds individuals with convictions eligible to be cleared, subsequently doing so. This saved both residents and public servants from having to engage in lengthy and time-consuming expungement processes.The situation in Cook County is a little different. Foxxs office has for years now not pursued minor marijuana convictions, and in talking with the newspaper, she describe the automatic expungement of past convictions as a means of emphasizing that point. CfAs past work in California suggests it could certainly help the states attorney do that. (TNS) It appears local governmental entities may not receive federal financial assistance to help with expenses related to the recent flooding of the Missouri River, according to an emergency management official.The Missouri River was above its flood stage for the Leavenworth area 23 days in March and April. The river crested at a depth of 31.3 feet on March 23, making it the second worst flood on record. The flood stage for the Leavenworth area is 20 feet.Two financial thresholds have to be met in order for local government entities to qualify for federal aid to help pay for costs associated with the flood. Flood-related expenses from government entities in Leavenworth County have to total about $288,000. And flood-related expenses across the state have to total about $4.2 million.Kim Buchanan, deputy director of Leavenworth County Emergency Management, believes local government entities in Leavenworth County will meet their threshold. But based on preliminary numbers, it appears the threshold for the entire state may not be met.Chuck Magaha, director of Leavenworth County Emergency Management, has estimated that expenses in Leavenworth County will total about $375,000.Buchanan said preliminary numbers for statewide expenses total about $1.3 million.Earlier forecasts had predicted the Missouri River would flood again this week in Leavenworth.The river is on the rise in the Leavenworth area. But forecasters no longer believe it will reach flood stage.A forecast posted Tuesday on a National Weather Service website predicts the river will crest Thursday at a depth of 17.7 feet.Twitter: @LVTNewsJohnR2019 Leavenworth Times, Kan.Visit Leavenworth Times, Kan. at www.leavenworthtimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) An MTA contractor, while working to fix an error in how it was installing positive train control technology on Long Island Rail Road trains, has discovered it made another mistake further setting back completion of the federally required, $1 billion crash-prevention project, officials said Monday.The news came at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Boards railroad committee meeting in Manhattan, where board members received an update on the project. Deborah Chin, the MTAs director of positive train control, or PTC, said that during re-installation of one of hundreds of undercar scanner antennas recently recalled because of calibration errors, workers discovered another mistake in how a related component was being installed.Chin said that contrary to the manufacturers directions, workers from the MTAs PTC contractor, a joint venture of Bombardier Transportation and Siemens Rail Automation, had been soldering variable capacitors onto the antennas' circuit boards, rather than bolting them.We corrected that [original problem] and started to move forward, only to find it was masking another problem, said Siemens Mobility Management president John Palichug, who acknowledged the heat applied to the electrical component from the soldering changed its characteristics and made it defective.PTC works by having the antennas on trains communicate with radio transponders installed along tracks to automatically slow down or stop a train that goes too fast or violates a signal.The latest blunder coming less than two months after the contractor vowed it had stepped up its quality-control efforts incensed MTA officials, including the authoritys new chairman, Patrick Foye, who called the error appalling.None of us would accept this level of failure from a brother-in-law or a sister-in-law. I would not accept this from a startup, MTA Board member Neal Zuckerman told the contractors representatives at the meeting. I certainly would not accept it from an $80 billion revenue, publicly traded company that serves across the globe It is a completely unacceptable standard.Chin said the latest foul-up sets the project back another couple of weeks, as the contractor has to make further repairs to nearly 1,000 LIRR train antennas before they can be reinstalled. The contractors said they are testing a solution to the new problem, and aim to have it resolved by October.Under the U.S. Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which stemmed from a Chatsworth, California, commuter train crash that killed 25 people, railroads were required to have PTC in place by the end of 2015. When it became apparent that most railroads could not meet the deadline, federal lawmakers agreed to push it to 2018. Having encountered various delays, the LIRR last year sought and was granted another extension until 2020 to complete the project. Missing the deadline could result in fines as high as $27,904 a day.Despite the latest glitch, MTA officials said they still expect to meet the deadline, but acknowledged several issues are threatening the projects timely completion.Following the discovery of the original scanner antenna recall, the MTA conducted an audit of the contractors PTC manufacturing facility in Pittsburgh, and found the contractors recall repair process was not well established, nor properly staffed, Chin said. The contractor also has been slow to resolve a software problem unique to the LIRRs track switching system.Palichug said Siemens and Bombardier remain committed to meeting the MTAs schedule, and have added a tremendous number of people to the effort.Were certainly throwing people and talent and facilities at it right now, Palichug said.Unconvinced of the contractors ability to effectively manage the project, MTA officials said they will continue to have representatives monitor their work. MTA Board member Susan Metzger told the contractors representatives they should feel totally embarrassed that such a measure is necessary.State Sen. James Gaughran, D-Huntington, in a statement, said the MTA shared the blame for allowing careless mistakes to perpetuate and attempting to minimize these tremendous errors. He noted that, at a Senate hearing in Mineola last month, MTA officials assured lawmakers they were taking the necessary steps to prevent further mistakes in the project.If we cannot count on the MTA's hand-picked contractor to complete this project competently or the MTA to properly oversee it, then what are we doing here? Gaughran said. (TNS) When is a tie vote not a tie vote? When it involves electronic voting at Town Meeting On Saturday, Town Meeting members were deciding on Article 7A sub-section D to reinstate $55,000 for spring cleanup when a rare tie vote occurred, 58-58. Time seemed to stand still as everyone in the Plymouth North High School performing arts center stared in disbelief and tried to comprehend what had just happened.Suddenly, the silence was broken when one member spoke up and told Town Moderator F. Steven Triffletti that his vote in favor of the article had not been recorded by the electronic voting equipment provided by Option Technologies Interactive . The tally was changed and the article passed, but now other members were upset because the system had failed once again, and there was no confidence in the vote's accuracy. The system has failed in the past, causing a significant impact.A second vote was taken and this time the article was approved 60-57. This scenario illustrated the concern about the reliability of the electronic voting program and the continuing struggle to have it work in a timely and correct fashion."We're frustrated," said Town Manager Melissa Arrighi. "It's a continuous problem."Town Meeting on Saturday was marred by problems with the equipment. Several times during the morning session, there was difficulty in getting the voting software to display on the big screen in front of the auditorium. At the beginning of voting, a green light beams from the stage and a 20-second countdown is shown on the screen. That only happened in unison sporadically."We've been doing the voting at Town Meeting for five or six years with success," said Mark Fite, president of Option Technologies Interactive, a Florida vendor that handles voting requirements for numerous municipalities and companies. "There was a system software incompatibility with the public access television system that caused the problem. Once we disabled the program, everything ran smoothly."It is believed that a screen saver installed by PACTV, which was broadcasting Town Meeting on local cable television, on one of the computers caused the problem. This same situation had been an issue in the past, Arrighi said."We've had this problem before," she noted. "We are going to have to take a more active role in ensuring it doesn't happen again."The problem seemed to be fixed in the afternoon. Things ran smoothly for the most part until near the end when the tie vote occurred and caused consternation among members.The bug bit again on Monday night during the continuation of Town Meeting. This time, the green light timed out before the countdown ever got started. In addition, the roll call of how members voted froze on the big screen and would not scroll through the entire list. This problem appeared to be unrelated to the situation that occurred Saturday. Town Meeting members were not amused."These problems undercut the importance of voting. I'm embarrassed that this machinery does not work well. We are not getting the value for the money," said Precinct 5's Michael Withington, who received a round of applause from his fellow members.Unrecorded or misrecorded votes is another concern. With the first article of Special Town Meeting at the start of the day, several members complained their votes had not been recorded. At least nine people stated their votes were not shown on the screen after balloting. The tally was manually adjusted to include the missing votes, which did not change the outcome.Fite insists this is a result of operator error. Members must vote using a handheld device they receive when they check in at Town Meeting. The unit looks similar to a television remote with a keypad of buttons from 1 to 10. For Plymouth, members select 1 for "yes", 2 for "no" and 3 for "abstain." The other buttons don't function."They are either not pushing the buttons properly or they are not using it in the time allotted," Fite said. "If the device is not working correctly, we replace it. However, when we test the handheld units, we usually find there is no problem."Several Town Meeting members expressed their displeasure with the electronic voting equipment on Saturday. Arrighi said she complained to Option Technologies and received an apology. She is considering other options for the future but stated neighboring towns have had similar problems with other vendors. The combination of finicky software and human error may just be a condition that modern democracy will have to learn to live with."Don't get me wrong," Arrighi said. "People love it (electronic voting). We just wish it worked better. I don't think anyone wants to go back to counting hands or paper ballots during votes." Photo: The Canadian Press A police officer stands outside the Cannabis Culture shop during a police raid, in Vancouver. In the weeks before cannabis became legal across Canada, Toronto's once booming network of weed retailers all but disappeared. Nearly 80 pot shops advertising themselves as dispensaries had shut their doors en masse, urged on by warnings that anyone caught contravening Ontario's new sales laws would be barred from receiving a legitimate retail licence in the future. Mark Sraga, the city's director of investigation services for the department of Municipal Licensing and Standards, said only about a dozen dispensaries remained open in the days immediately before Oct. 17 the day recreational marijuana was legalized nationwide. But when word came that cannabis supply shortages were prompting the government to cap the number of licences at just 25 provincewide and dole them out via lottery, Sraga said pot shops began cropping up again. Today Sraga said a team of nine city staff close dispensaries every week, only to see new operations spring up in their place. He said at least 21 illegal storefronts are in business today, citing their persistent presence as evidence that legalization has not yet come close to fulfilling one of the federal government's primary goals. "The national strategy was to eliminate the illegal market in cannabis," Sraga said in a telephone interview. "To me it's been a failure on that policy issue because the illegal market is thriving." The faces of Canada's illegal cannabis market are as varied as the legal regulatory schemes currently unfolding across the country, experts said, noting unlicensed dispensaries are not prevalent in every province. But preliminary numbers support critics' assertions that removing penalties for recreational cannabis use is not enough to stamp out black market activity. Data prepared by Statistics Canada indicates consumers spent $1.48 billion on cannabis products during the last three months of 2018. The agency reports, however, that 79 per cent of that money was spent on the illegal market. Michael Armstrong, a Brock University associate professor who has been studying the business side of legalization, said the numbers paint a more nuanced picture when broken down by province. In provinces that have made legal purchasing more feasible, such as Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Alberta, legal cannabis sales made up between 29 and 39 per cent of market activity, Armstrong said. But in Ontario, where pot could only be purchased legally online until April 1, legal market share was just 13 per cent during the quarter. The situation was worse in British Columbia, he said, noting the province's one legal storefront and online sales operation took in just four per cent of the cash consumers spent on cannabis during the quarter. There, as in Ontario, dispensaries that figured largely in the black-market landscape prior to legalization are once again doing brisk business. Last week the province's public safety minister announced a provincewide enforcement team put in place last fall would start to ramp up its efforts to make the dispensaries close their doors. Mike Farnworth said the 44-member team wouldn't immediately be shutting down unlicensed pot stores but would instead inform operators about new licensing regulations governing marijuana sales in the province. "I think, right now, what they have been doing is what you could call education, visiting illegal operations and letting them know (the team) is up and running," Farnworth said. Police in Ontario have taken a more aggressive approach, with 10 forces across the province banding together to shutter dispensaries. Ontario Provincial Police Det. Insp. Jim Walker said the various police services have formed a joint task force that's made at least 44 arrests since its activities kicked into high gear in January. Led by the OPP, the joint task force has been acting on intelligence the provincial government gathered about the cannabis black market in the year before legalization, he said. Walker, who is deputy director of the force's Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, said that while illegal online operations and pop-up shops are surfacing with increasing frequency, dispensaries still make up the bulk of the team's work. Illegal storefronts are still highly lucrative, Walker said, adding officers with the task force have dismantled businesses bringing in daily totals of as much as $20,000. "There's a reason individuals are doing it and it's not for the betterment of the community," he said. "It's because of the significant amount of money to be made." Armstrong, however, questioned the effectiveness of the police strategy, noting that closing a dispensary is more likely to force the proprietor to conduct business underground rather than cease operations altogether. "If you shut them down, you don't shut down demand, you're shutting down that one supplier," he said. "Shutting down dispensaries is an important step once there's a legal alternative. Until there's a legal alternative, I see it as largely a waste of police resources." Voting centers Town Halls 6 p.m. April 17, Northeast Courthouse, 645 Grapevine Highway, Hurst. 6 p.m. April 18, Arlington Sub-Courthouse, 700 E. Abram St., Arlington 5:30 p.m. April 23, Lake Worth Activity Center, 7005 Charbonneau Road 6 p.m. April 29, Resource Connection, Magnolia Room, 2300 Circle Drive, Fort Worth 6 p.m. April 30, Vernon Newsom Stadium, community room, 3700 E. Broad St., Mansfield (TNS) A plan some say could make voting easier on Election Day is on the drawing board in Tarrant County.Elections Administrator Heider Garcia plans to talk about voting centers in the coming weeks. The centers would let voters cast ballots at any polling place in the county as soon as the November election.Voters already may vote at their choice of polling sites during early voting. This would allow the same on Election Day.It makes it easy for people, Garcia said. You can vote anywhere, just like in early voting.Garcia plans to detail the possibility of switching to vote centers during a series of town hall meetings that run from April 17-30. This approach , which could still include a paper trail for voters who want one, is geared to save money, boost voter turnout and make voting easier by not locking voters in to only one polling place, he said.Possible drawbacks include confusion, people heading to their once-traditional voting sites that could be closed and a change in the overall voting experience, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures State Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth, has filed a bill to prevent vote centers in counties with a population of larger than 400,000. Tarrant County has a population of more than 2 million.In the upcoming 2020 election, youre going to have voters using new equipment, she said. It will take them longer to cast their ballots. Also, we are losing straight ticket voting , so in bigger counties with longer ballots, it will take voters longer to vote.Klick said her proposal, House Bill 4048 , would grandfather in any counties that already have converted to voting centers. The measure is scheduled for a hearing before the House Elections Committee Monday.Texas lawmakers have until the end of their legislative session, May 27, to pass laws. More than 50 other Texas counties including Collin, Hood, Parker and Travis have turned to this option And even more counties, such as Harris County , are applying to do it.A proposal to switch to vote centers would have to be approved by Tarrant County officials and the state of Texas before it could go into effect.It would go hand-in-hand with a plan for new voting equipment that already is underway, Garcia said.County commissioners last year said they wanted to make sure vote centers would not eliminate paper trails on Election Day. Garcia said hes looking at technology that would let people cast ballots on a touch screen then print them out on paper to review before casting their ballots.Typically, there are around 360 polling sites on Election Day.Switching to vote centers and eliminating some voting sites that are close to each other could drop that number to 280 to 300 sites, Garcia said.A citizens advisory committee has been studying the issue and reviewing plans since last year.Garcia plans to detail how voting centers would work in Tarrant County during five upcoming public meetings I will tell people this is what vote centers are, this is how they work, get feedback and see what people think, he said. If everything lines up and is approved, we are hoping we could do this in November. More than 10,000 adults went missing in Los Angeles County last year, according to California state records. A substantial number of those people were elderly, with cognitive impairments, including dementia or Alzheimer's, which puts them at a higher risk of getting lost.Now, a program launched by L.A. County is using a radio tracking system to keep an eye on the whereabouts of those most at risk. The LA Found Initiative, launched last October, uses voluntary monitoring devices to find at-risk individuals in the event that they become lost. It is coordinated by the Countys Sheriffs Department and Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services Department.Concern over the issue was partially sparked by the disappearance and death of Nancy Paulikas , a 55-year-old woman with early onset Alzheimer's who wandered away from her family while touring a Los Angeles museum in 2016.Paulikas' disappearance and death was a big catalyst for change, according to Veronica Sigala, program manager for the County's Adult Protective Services department, which oversees the program. It was a tragedy, she said. But what we learned from that is that we needed to do better in L.A. County.Public concern manifested into a task force convened in 2017 by the county's Board of Supervisors. The task force would eventually settle upon a number of suggestions for increasing its efficiency in locating lost people, one of which was partnering with a tracking technology vendor to assist law enforcement in finding lost individuals.The county decided to partner with Project Lifesaver , a public safety nonprofit founded by former law enforcement officials that utilizes arm bands equipped with radio frequency technology police can use to triangulate the approximate location of someone wearing one.If the individual wearing a device goes missing, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department can quickly deploy personnel to help law enforcement agencies locate the individual, said Rebecca Friedman, who works with L.A. County. The goal of the program is to create a uniform and coordinated response to missing persons, she said.Cinthie Lopez Paz, a county human services administrator working with LA Found, said the countys program is fairly unique because it uses a more case management style approach, emphasizing mental health, outreach and client care alongside its law enforcement operations.The county's human services and the sheriffs department have worked well together on the project, according to Paz. In my many years with the county, I havent seen a collaborative effort like this, in how well we are able to navigate the entire county system in order to provide assistance to our clients.Families or caregivers may come forward to request that their loved one be fitted with a bracelet designed by Project Lifesaver. The bracelets carry a rechargeable battery and the caregiver is trained how to maintain it.So far, the program has used the bracelets to successfully locate and recover four individuals who had wandered off, said Sigala and Paz.While the program originally only had 30 bracelets, the state soon secured additional funding and was able to purchase more bracelets. The county currently has 235 people enrolled in the Project Lifesaver pilot, said Friedman.While initial funds for the program came from the county, funding has grown through donations from a diversity of state and local organizations. In the future, Sigala said, the program hopes to grow its donor base and be able to expand services significantly with potential investment in a host of other tracking technologies. (TNS) Connected microwaves, smart light bulbs, intelligent electrical outlets.Theyre on the frontier of the Internet of Things, or IoT, a catchall term for everyday devices with online connectivity built in to make them more convenient or useful. But like any online device, they can turn against their owners if hackers gain access.A bill moving forward in the Oregon Legislature would require such devices to have reasonable security features to guard against hacking and protect owners privacy. It echoes a similar bill that won approval from California lawmakers last September.The Oregon House of Representatives approved the bill 53 to 5 on Tuesday. It now heads to the state Senate.Oregon House Bill 2395 requires manufacturers to take steps such as giving each device a unique password, so hackers cant crack multiple devices by obtaining the password for one.Another suggested measure: requiring users create a new means to authenticate themselves before gaining access to the device. Thats another step that gives each device some individual security, which could prevent them from being used in a coordinated attack.In 2016, hackers compromised 100,000 connected devices and used them in a massive attack that disrupted a company that provides a key role in routing internet traffic. That resulted in many popular internet sites going offline for several hours.Stephen Ridley, chief executive of Portland online security startup Senrio, said the Oregon bill is a sensible first step toward improving security. He called it basic hygiene, analogous to a requirement that health professionals wash their hands before interacting with patients.Oregons legislation wont prevent all hacking, Ridley said, but will address the problems that are easiest to prevent and start a broader conversation about how to secure the emerging technology.A simple series of suggestions like the ones that are in this bill are probably best and constitute good forward momentum, Ridley said.Oregons Department of Justice made the bill a priority for the current session, arguing that it could help prevent attacks like the ones that took place in 2016.The features should protect information that the connected device collects, contains, stores or transmits from access, destruction modification, use or disclosure that the consumer does not authorize, Cheryl Hiemstra, the departments deputy legislative director, wrote in written testimony supporting the bill.Other backers include the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. Policy director Kimberly McCullough testified that the proliferation of connected microphones, cameras and other gadgets that can collect personal data will be intolerable without legal safeguards for consumers.This bill is a common-sense approach to ensuring that Oregonians can trust that the information collected by digital devices is secure from data breaches and hackers, she said in written testimony GlobalAutomakers, a trade group of motor vehicle manufacturers, opposed the bill in its original version. The organization said the Oregon legislation lacked an exemption for automakers, which California had. GlobalAutomakers said its industry is already subject to federal regulation and has put in place its own measures to protect consumers.The trade group didnt immediately respond to a question Tuesday about whether subsequent amendments addressed automakers concerns. (TNS) Hammond police are encouraging residents to bring the time-tested concept of the neighborhood watch into the digital age with a new crime information sharing app.Known as Neighbors, the app allows users to join a neighborhood-based network where they can share videos, photos and text messages while receiving real-time crime and safety alerts from police.Neighbors is a product of Ring, a California-based subsidiary of Amazon known for its home security camera and lighting systems. The Hammond Police Department is one of just a handful of law enforcement agencies in Indiana that are using the app, according to Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.This app will provide the police department an additional method of communication within our neighborhoods and will allow our residents to keep their neighbors and our police up to date on what is happening in their part of the city, McDermott said in a statement Wednesday.The Neighbors app is free and can be downloaded to Apple and Android smartphones, according to Hammond police. After users opt in to a specific neighborhood, they can customize their accounts to receive crime notices from both neighbors and police. They can also upload photos and videos from any device including Ring cameras.While police can share information with the public with the Neighbors app, they cannot use it to tap into the video feeds of residents with Ring camera systems, according to Hammond police Lt. Steven Kellogg.The only videos the police department can view are the ones released by the residents, he told The Times.Kellogg also cautioned the Neighbors app is not meant as a substitute for calling 911 to report a crime in progress or other emergency. Photo: GoFundMe Paul Derkach. One of the men who was shot during a Salmon Arm church shooting Sunday has a long road to recovery. On Sunday, a gunman entered the Church of Christ in Salmon Arm and shot Paul Derkach and Gordon Parmenter. Parmenter died on scene and Derkach was rushed to Royal Inland Hospital by air ambulance. He immediately had surgery and friends say it was a miracle he did not lose his lower right leg or foot. He has a long road of recovery ahead that may include more surgeries and medical procedures in the near and distant future, said Kendra Joy on a GoFundMe page. A rod has been placed in his right leg from his knee to ankle. Matrix Savage Gathergood is alleged to have burst into the Church of Christ during bible service , shooting the two men. He's now facing a first-degree murder charge. Police say Gathergood knew at least one of the victims. A GoFundMe was created with the goal of raising enough money so that Derkach can get through five months of living expenses. He is devoted to his family and his church family, and is an amazing, loving dad and grandpa to his daughters and many grandkids, said Joy. He is actively involved in his community and is well known as a kind friend and light to so many people. We are so thankful he is still here with us. A GoFundMe was also created for Parmenters wife Peggy. Gathergoods first court appearance will be on April 23 in Salmon Arm. Proterra is partnering with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. to create a $200-million credit facility in support of a battery lease program. Mitsui, a leading Japanese investment and trading company, holds a diversified portfolio of businesses in various sectors, including mobility, infrastructure and renewable energy. The battery leasing credit facility, the first of its kind in the North American public transit industry, is expected to lower the upfront costs of zero-emission buses and put Proterra electric buses at roughly the same price as a diesel bus. By decoupling the batteries from the sale of its buses, Proterra enables transit customers to purchase the electric bus and lease the batteries over the 12-year lifetime of the bus. As a result of the battery lease, the initial capital expense for the electric bus will be similar to a diesel or CNG bus, and customers can utilize the operating funds previously earmarked for fuel to pay for the battery lease. Additionally, under the 12-year battery lease, Proterra will own and guarantee the performance of the batteries through the life of the bus, decreasing operator risk. The battery lease agreement also provides a performance warranty on the batteries and new batteries at mid-life to help customers ensure they always have plenty of energy to meet their route needs and hedge against future replacement battery costs. This battery lease program removes one of the biggest barriers to electric bus adoption, and transit agencies will now be able to modernize fleets faster and achieve their zero carbon goals sooner. Were seeing innovation both in technology and in businesses around the mobility sector. We are pleased to take an initiative to support the transit industry alongside Proterra, as the company expands its battery lease program to enable the rapid adoption and a broader commercialization of its electric buses. There is a unique opportunity for markets to provide the necessary capital to accelerate the imminent transition to 100 percent battery-electric bus fleets and reduce carbon emissions. Yosuke Matsumoto, General Manager of New Business & Innovation Division at Mitsui In addition to the battery-leasing initiative, Proterra and Mitsui have established a program to use batteries from the leasing program in secondary applications after the end of their useful life in a vehicle. Proterras E2 battery packs are designed with secondary usage in mind, with simplified integration for easy removal and a form factor that enables repurposing. In 2015, the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act specifically authorized the ability to lease batteries separate from a vehicle. Since then, more than a dozen Proterra customers, including Park City, UT and Moline, IL, are already using or have agreed to use the battery lease program. Park City, UT was the first customer to enter into a battery service agreement with Proterra for a fleet of six Catalyst buses that were funded as part of the 2016 Low or No-Emission Bus Program. Park City plans to lease batteries for its next set of seven Catalyst vehicles in pursuit of its long-term goal of going 100 percent electric. Proterra has been a leader in offering flexible financing options to lower upfront costs of an electric bus to be competitively priced against diesel buses. In addition to battery leasing, Proterra established a bus leasing program, which allows customers to pay for the use of a bus over time, with the option to permanently transition the bus into a fleet at the end of the lease term. Currently four customers are taking advantage of leasing buses, including Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago and Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York. New Flyer of America Inc. congratulated the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) as it welcomed its first battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE transit bus. New Flyer previously reported the order for five forty-foot battery-electric Xcelsior CHARGE transit buses in September 2017. TriMet partnered with Portland General Electric (PGE) to purchase, own, and maintain six ABB chargers and the related infrastructure. The program was funded in part with a $3.4-million grant from the Federal Transit Administrations 2016 Low and No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Deployment Program. TriMet is operating the forty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE bus on Line 62-Murray Blvd in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The route covers 13 miles and 700 feet in elevation change. The pilot bus will be joined by four additional Xcelsior CHARGE buses this summer, creating an all-electric bus route. The buses will operate between the Sunset Transit Center and Washington Square Transit Center, with depot chargers installed at TriMets Merlo Operating Facility and one on-route charger installed at the Sunset Transit Center to rapidly recharge batteries each round trip. TriMet connects people in the Portland, Oregon surrounding areas, providing more than 97 million trips per year. California-based Enevate Corp., a developer of battery technology to address extreme-fast charge times for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, announced that Thai energy giant Bangchak, through its Bangchak Initiative and Innovation Center (BiiC), has invested in the company. The companies did not disclose the investment amount. Enevates HD-Energy Technology for EVs features five-minute fast charging with high energy density and long driving range with added focus on low-temperature operation for cold climates, low cost and safety benefits. This short charging time is superior to any other Li-ion technology available today. Enevate licenses its silicon-dominant HD-Energy Technology to battery and EV automotive manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. Lisa Tannebuam / Contributed photo On Sunday, April 28, famed harpist Lisa Tannebaum will perform a benefit concert at the Treetops Performance Center in Stamford, with the proceeds used to help bring Music That Heals performances to Greenwich Hospital. Tannebaum is expected to perform an eclectic selection of musical styles, including baroque, romantic, modern, pop, ending with a 1950s big band surprise, according to a news release. Guest flautist Maryly Culpepper will also be joining in on a few musical selections. NEW FAIRFIELD The neighborhood where a New Fairfield couple died in a murder-suicide was quiet Tuesday afternoon, and law enforcement officials were being tight-lipped about the incident. New Fairfield police directed inquiries about the murder-suicide to Connecticut State Police Troop A in Southbury. The dispatcher with Troop A said information would have to come from the state polices Public Information Office. The Public Information Office confirmed the murder-suicide Tuesday night, but didnt provide further details, including when or where it happened. The office said it could not release the identities of the people involved, citing a state statute protecting victims of family violence, but News 12 Connecticut identified the couple as Michael and Jennifer Ciorra. Michael Ciorra was stabbed, while his wife Jennifer Ciorra died from carbon monoxide, according to News12 reports. Voting records show Jennifer Ciorra was 47 and her husband was 51. Investigators believe, according to News 12, that Jennifer Ciorra beat and stabbed her husband before she killed herself. First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said Tuesday night that since Connecticut State Police are still investigating, she couldnt comment on the incident. Property records show the Ciorras lived on Cornell Road. On Tuesday, a neighbor on Cornell Road said she believed the murder-suicide happened Monday morning. Cornell Road is a dead-end street, with less than 30 homes lining both sides. A LinkedIn profile for Michael Ciorra said he was working at a company called Global Foundries. The profile said he had worked at the companys East Fishkill, N.Y., location for three years and 10 months. Manage a team responsible for all aspects of Business operations for Global Foundries Fab 9 &10, his LinkedIn job description said. Responsibilities include capital planning coordination, spending & resource management,monthly metrics reporting and forecasting/budgeting support. Neighbors told the television station that the couple left behind two sons. Although the ages of their sons werent clear, News 12 reported that the New Fairfield School District would have grief counselors available on Wednesday and Thursday. The towns last murder was May 1, 2017, when 32-year-old Steven Flood raped and murdered his roommate in a home they shared near Candlewood Lake. This story will be updated when more information is available. CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story said the Ciorras lived on Cornell Drive. The street name is Cornell Road. GREENWICH A watchdog group is ramping up lobbying efforts to prevent the expansion of the Westchester County Airport and making the issue of groundwater contamination in Westchester and Greenwich a top issue. The Coalition to Prevent Airport Expansion is proposing a series of measures aimed at cleaning up a toxin called PFAS, which was used in firefighting exercises at the airport, as well making the issue of water quality another argument to stop any expansion of the regional airport. The airport, which lies on the border of Greenwich, Armonk and Purchase, N.Y., has been the source of water contamination in Rye Brook and Greenwich. One residence in Greenwich has tested positive for PFAS contamination in the last year. The Greenwich Town Director of Health, Caroline Baisley, said Wednesday no other homes in Greenwich were found to have elevated levels of PFAS. The chairman of the airport advocacy group, George Klein, told a roomful of local residents on Wednesday that an expansion of the airport, which has been discussed in previous years, would have negative impacts on the environment. Our airport in acreage is larger that LaGuardia Airport. Theres lots of capacity, lots of room for expansion. We dont want expansion, Klein said at the community meeting held in a conference room in Rye Brook. The presence of toxins around the airport is more extensive than previously known, the Westchester County government administration revealed this week. According to new tests done last year in a more systematic survey carried out by the new administration of County Executive George Latimer 26 out of 52 test wells revealed the presence of PFAS. The issue of water safety should be a priority in any discussions about the airport, Klein said. These are forever chemicals, because they persist in the environment. And they had to be remediated. The group wants to see an airport czar appointed to oversee environmental issues in the airport, Klein said. It is also looking for a systematic and expanded water-testing schedule. A ban on the foam that caused the contamination, after less toxic substances are approved, is also on the groups wish list. Klein, a retired internet-technology executive and environmental advocate affiliated with the Sierra Club, said he would be eager to partner with community and neighborhood leaders from Greenwich on the environmental and water-safety issue. We welcome contacts with Greenwich, he said. Baisley, the Greenwich health director, said the town administration had been staying on top of the water issue. Were dealing with it, we brought in the state department of environmental protection, the state department of health, they did extensive sampling, she said, They did the whole area, the entire envelope that could be affected. The PFAS issue was an emerging one with new standards still being formulated, Baisley said. Residents in the King Street area were encouraged to have their water tested on a regular basis, she said. PFAS, a group of chemicals previously used in a wide range of consumer products, was withdrawn from the market in 2002 after being linked potentially to cancer and other maladies. It was a component in fire-fighting foam used at the airport. According to a set of bullet-points from Latimer, Unfortunately, we are finding PFAS in our testing of the ground water monitoring wells. ... The county has hired a consultant to help us track where the water is migrating to and how to best deal with remediation. ... Westchester County is committed to working cooperatively to protect our drinking water. The county administration held a briefing on the issue Tuesday, revealing the presence of PFAS in 26 of the 52 test wells. The Coalition to Prevent Airport Expansion is also working on the issue of airport noise, which Klein said posed health threats. Latimer has opposed a transfer of the county-owned airport to a private firm, a move that was initiated by the previous administration. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com On Monday night the whole world turned its eyes to Paris, France, where the cathedral Notre Dame caught on fire. After the building suffered major damage to its roof and its spire collapsed, plenty of companies pledged to donate millions to restore the landmark. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, also tweeted a promise that Cupertino will be helping finance the rebuilding efforts. We are heartbroken for the French people and those around the world for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. Relieved that everyone is safe. Apple will be donating to the rebuilding efforts to help restore Notre Dames precious heritage for future generations. Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 16, 2019 Cook did not clarify how much would Apple plans to donate and if it has anything to do with money at all. The company could also provide 3D mapping engineers that have been working on improving the Apple Maps platform since its launch several years ago. So far, over 600 million were gathered in pledges, coming from French companies like LOreal, Total, as well as the owners of brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, YSL as well as a bunch of smaller contributors. Although Apple is yet to clarify the comments by its CEO, it is the first major non-French organization to voice its will to help the restoration works. Cupertino actually boasted about its culture of giving earlier this year. During 2018, the company matched every donation, made by its employees, eventually gathering up to $125 million that eventually went to organizations all over the world. Source On Tuesday in a San Diego courthouse, both Apple and Qualcomm have unexpectedly settled all their legal disputes. This was discovered when Apple and Qualcomm released a joint press release detailing their agreements to drop litigations, just as Qualcomms head lawyer finished delivering opening remarks. According to the release, the settlement involves a payment from Apple to Qualcomm for an undisclosed amount, a six-year license agreement effective as of April 1 2019, which includes a two-year option to extend. The two also entered a multi-year chipset supply agreement. Today, our innovations are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As we lead the world to 5G, we envision this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables. This unexpected news sparks life into rumors about whether Apples 2020 iPhones would indeed feature 5G modems built by Qualcomm or Intels as initially planned. Following initial lawsuits, Apple had to rely solely on Intel to provide LTE modems for iPhones, thus eliminating its reliance on Qualcomm, until now, it seems. Perhaps now that Apple is well on its way to developing and manufacturing its own chipsets, it wont rely on Qualcomm as much as it had in the past. While Qualcomm and Apple can now work together, it doesnt mean that it will rely entirely on Qualcomm like the majority of Android smartphone makers do. For reference, Samsung and Huawei do produce their own chipsets while Apples proprietary chipsets are produced by TSMC a Taiwanese chip maker. The iPhone 6S (2015) used Qualcomm baseband modems The first lawsuits from Apple against Qualcomm claimed that the chipmaker was charging excessive royalties. This followed by Qualcomm suing Apple for infringing on other patents due to a power management feature embedded in the OS - eventually, sales of older iPhones were banned in some regions. There was much back and forth over the past few years until this past November, when Qualcomm CEO said were on the doorstep of a resolution with Apple. Almost two years after Qualcomm CEO said that Apple would settle - it did. Following Tuesdays news about Qualcomm and Apple. Qualcomms stock price shot up by 21% by the end of the day. Apples stock fluctuated throughout the day but remained unchanged by the NYSEs closing. Source | Via Sprint and T-Mobile are in the final stages of a merger, nearing completion. Following extensive periods of review periods by regulators and a grueling hearing before a committee of US Representatives, a new report from The Wall Street Journal says the outcome isnt so bright. According to people familiar with the matter, staff members of the US Department of Justice have already told T-Mobile and Sprint that the merger isnt likely to be approved in its current state. The cause is apparently the DOJs antitrust division, who is worried about the impact of the industry when four major carriers become three. The nations third- and fourth-biggest carriers by subscribers are facing challenges on several fronts, but their most immediate hurdle comes from the Justice Departments antitrust division, which is considering whether the deal would present an unacceptable threat to competition. This was a heated topic of debate at the Congressional Hearing and it seems the DOJ is concerned about the impact on current Sprint employees and the fate of their jobs, as well as the raising of service rates following the merger, which has proven to happen in similar mergers throughout Europe. In a meeting earlier this month, Justice Department staff members laid out their concerns with the all-stock deal and questioned the companies arguments that the combination would produce important efficiencies for the merged firm, the people said. Following the reports release, Legere Tweeted in response that the premise of the story is simply untrue, also stating that the carrier has no further comment on the story. The premise of this story, as summarized in the first paragraph, is simply untrue. Out of respect for the process, we have no further comment. This continues to be our policy since we announced our merger last year. https://t.co/3q9CVgkRfv key info: https://t.co/N5YvuuJtPZ John Legere (@JohnLegere) April 16, 2019 Sprint and T-Mobiles argument for the merger is that the two carriers need each other to push forward with 5G and with Sprints accumulating debt, it needs T-Mobile so the carrier doesnt go bankrupt. Legere also claimed that the merger would drive costs down and pass the savings onto the customers. The final decision is still several weeks away as per the report. But the two carriers are said to remain in talks with government officials and regulators. Several states will reportedly file lawsuits to block the merger for the same concerns. Source Samsungs revamped A-series are already the most populous family in the company with its 10 members and if they all end up performing as well as the first three the company might regain its leading position in India. Samsung India VP Ranjivjit Singh disclosed that the company managed to ship out a combined 2 million units of the new Galaxy A10, A30 and A50 since sales began on March 1. With the Galaxy A20 and A70 hitting the market soon, the brand representative believes A-devices could amount to $4 billion in sales by the end of the year. When the rest of the portfolio in the A series becomes available we are sure of not only achieving but exceeding our target. - Ranjivjit Singh Samsung is clearly keen to take the value-for-money battle to Xiaomi in the Indian market. The new A and M series started brightly and if the company keeps it up it might finally stop bleeding market share and return to growth. Via Haiti - Politic : Lapin deposits his documents in the Chamber of Deputies, first delay in the Senate Monday, having deposited his documents in the Senate according to the prescribed of the Constitution, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27472-haiti-flash-pm-jean-michel-lapin-deposites-his-documents-at-the-senate.html, acting Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin chosen by the Head of State as a potential successor to Ceant, went Tuesday afternoon to the Chamber of Deputies to deposit his documents for the stage leading to the ratification of its General Policy and ministerial Cabinet. At the level of the Senate, the President Carl Murat Cantave announces a first delay, he explains that the documents will wait 8 days in the secretariat because "the senators are on vacation"... also he is not able to announce a date for the presentation of the General Policy of the designated Prime Minister. Moreover, according to rumors circulating in the corridors of the National Palace, the next Government could be an opening Government, in which several ministers (between 4 and 7) would be proposed to the moderate opposition. It is also said that only 2 ministers resigning from the Ceant Government would be reinstated. To be continued... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27472-haiti-flash-pm-jean-michel-lapin-deposites-his-documents-at-the-senate.html Who is Jean Michel Lapin ? https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27465-haiti-portrait-who-is-jean-michel-lapin.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Security : PM promises to fight against urban guerilla On Tuesday, after tabling his documents in the Chamber of Deputies, acting Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin declared on sporadic shotguns of automatic weapons from La Saline, be aware of the situation of insecurity in the country. Asked by journalists about the daily gunfire that forces the population to stay at home, especially in the suburbs of the capital but also in the provinces, the Head of Government replied "We are part of the population. All buildings in the area are affected by these bandits. So, we are aware [...] the country has developed, since 1986, a form of banditry that has evolved to put the State today in front of an armed guerrillas," affirming that several measures will be taken, following a special meeting of the High Council of the National Police (CSPN) that morning, without any further details because of national security, on these measures and the time when they will be applied, to put an end to these armed gangs that terrorize the Haitian population. In view of the events, the armed gangs do not envisage a truce during the Holy Week, even seeming to redouble their activities, whereas beyond the speeches and the promises, the State can not reassure the population nor to convince that the Haitian National Police (PNH) and its special units are able to regain control of the situation and restore calm, while the head of Gang Arnel is allowed to publicly challenge the Police https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27429-haiti-flash-arnel-challenges-the-pnh-to-reach-the-arrest-him.html and the latter failed for the 3rd time to capture him https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27383-haiti-flash-the-gang-leader-arnel-enters-war-with-the-pnh.html See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27429-haiti-flash-arnel-challenges-the-pnh-to-reach-the-arrest-him.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27383-haiti-flash-the-gang-leader-arnel-enters-war-with-the-pnh.html TB/ HaitiLibre Published on 2019/04/16 | Source Still cuts of Lee Yo-won from "Different Dreams" have been released. Advertisement Her management released still cuts of Lee Yo-won from "Different Dreams", a special drama celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the forming of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. "Different Dreams" is an action drama taking place during the Japanese Invasion, and it is about a Joseon doctor named Lee Yeong-jin who was raised in the hands of the Japanese, and Kim Won-bong, the leader of a secret independence society. Lee Yo-won plays Lee Yeong-jin, a Joseon physician who was raised in the hands of the Japanese, and a secret spy for the independence army. In the stills, Lee Yo-won is wearing a doctor's gown and smiling towards someone. The white gown suits her perfectly and she looks like a real doctor. In previous still cuts, Lee Yeong-jin was portrayed as the charismatic independence movement spy, which contrasts to these stills. Lee Yo-won's transformation increases anticipation for her upcoming role as Lee Yeong-jin in "Different Dreams". ___________ "Different Dreams" is directed by Yoon Sang-ho, written by Jo Gyoo-won, and features Lee Yo-won, Yoo Ji-tae, Lim Ju-hwan, Nam Gyu-ri, Lee Hae-young-I, Lee Young-sook. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2019/05/04~Upcoming, Sat 21:05 on MBC. Published on 2019/04/17 | Source Seungri of boy band Big Bang's sideline as an eager pimp for rich friends and investors had allegedly been going on for much longer than initially thought. Advertisement Police are now investigating charges that Seungri supplied prostitutes to clients as early as December of 2015. At the time, Japanese investors and other acquaintances were visiting Seoul, and the floppy-fringed teen idol is accused of setting them up with a dozen prostitutes. Police obtained testimony from some of the women that they had sex with the men, while financial records show Seungri sent money to them. "The women he invited make their living from providing sex for money", an investigator said. "There is no way of escaping the charges by claiming that the sex was spontaneous and based on mutual attraction". Another strand of the investigation focuses on a lavish party Seungri, who is notorious for his ostentatious lifestyle, threw in Palawan, the Philippines in 2017. He is accused of flying out a gaggle of Gangnam bar hostesses to pleasure his guests. Earlier this week, police said they will seek an arrest warrant. Seungri's lawyer declined to comment, explaining "Police are shamelessly leaking information to the media. We are no longer making public comments about anything related to the police investigation". Read this article in Korean Published on 2019/04/16 | Source Nam Joo-hyuk played almost 3 roles in "The Light in Your Eyes"; Lee Joon-ha standing on the cliff of despair, Hye-ja's husband who died at such a young age, and Hye-ja's doctor who looks just like her late husband. Advertisement He worked with the Hye-ja (Kim Hye-ja) in her 70s and Hye-ja (Han Ji-min) in her 20s. Nam Joo-hyuk had to travel 50 years back and forth in time for this act. "Joon-ha who struggled in the year 2019, Joon-ha the public relations officer, Joon-ha the doctor and Joon-ha from the 70s; I played almost four different characters. I didn't want them to all be different. I tried to make them seem like one person", said the actor. "I think someone like Joon-ha exists. So does Hye-ja. That helped me to concentrate more". The romance with Han Ji-min's character was short and painful. About working with her, Nam Joo-hyuk said, "I didn't meet her much, so maybe that's why the viewers thought that we were much more affectionate and yearning for each other. Otherwise, we got along pretty well on set". Is he regretful that the romance wasn't sweet enough? "Romance wasn't the key in this drama so no. I did think the couple should be very loving. I learned a lot from Han Ji-min. She made me think I want to be that kind of person". With Kim Hye-ja, a senior actor, Nam Joo-hyuk said, "It was an unbelievable experience working with her". He also said "It was an honor" a couple of times. "Just watching her on the set was unbelievable. She told me never to lose focus, and to work hard to become a good actor". Apparently, director Kim Seok-yoon was the atmosphere maker of the set. He was 80% responsible for the laughter. "He's a great leader. When we had dinner for the first time he said he'd 'heal' me and it was exactly what I expected the story to be". "While playing Joon-ha I realized there was something he didn't let go of. It may have seemed like he was only alive because he couldn't die but actually, he was struggling to be happy. That is how he managed to survive, and when nothing happens is what happiness is for him". Nam Joo-hyuk's next project is "The School Nurse Files" on Netflix. He meets with Jung Yoo-mi here. He said, "I just have to do my best and make sure I don't regret it". Editors note: This adds comment from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., that was not available by printing deadline. In a flashback to 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reversed its decision to cut the Port of Raymond between Montana and Saskatchewan from its reduced schedule and returned it to 24-hour-a-day operations. A press release from Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., said during a telephone call Tuesday, John Sanders, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, announced his decision to reinstate full hours of operation at the Raymond Port of Entry. He also also committed to holding listening sessions to reengage with local communities on the issue, the release said. Keeping the Raymond Port of Entry open at 24-hour status is a big win for rural Montana and jobs across our state, Daines said. I appreciate Acting Commissioner Sanders understanding that our rural economy strongly depends on trade with Canada, and the ports of Raymond, Morgan, Opheim and Scobey are essential for our farmers and ranchers. I will continue fighting to keep Montanas ports of entry operating at full hours. Montanas ports of entry are critical for farmers, ranchers, and business owners in eastern Montana, Gianforte said. I made it clear to CBP from day one that they should reverse its decision and actually listen to Montanans. CBPs decision today is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to CBP listening to Montanans about the importance of leaving these ports open. A release from the office of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said the decision came after he had a face-to-face meeting with the Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan last week. Tester specifically pressed McAleenan to abandon the Trump Administrations proposal to reduce service hours at four of Montanas ports of entryincluding the Port of Raymond and show greater transparency when making decisions that impact Montanas number one industry, the release said. The proposal to reduce port hours along Montanas northern border harms our agriculture economy, and its a positive development that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reversing course on the Port of Raymond for now, Tester said. But this Administration has got to show greater transparency on decisions of this magnitude. Next time they take aim at Montanas economy, they better show up and listen to folks on the ground first. CBP said in a release it is reassessing feedback received on the adjustment of hours at the Port of Raymond, Montana. While that review continues, CBP will be restoring the port to a 24 hour schedule effective next Tuesday. CBP will continue to monitor and analyze traffic and workload at the Raymond Port of Entry and encourages community members to provide feedback at the following email address: [email protected], the release said. CBP announced earlier this year it was planning to cut hours at Raymond, north of Plentywood and Culbertson, and at the ports of Opheim, Scobey and Morgan north of Malta. It reduced the hours at Raymond effective April 14, but said it was still considering feedback on its plans to reduce hours at the other ports. CBP announced in 2015 it was reducing the hours at Raymond, but after a year of opposition, including from Sens. Daines and Jon Tester, D-Mont., announced in December 2016 it would remain a 24-hour port. An international committee comprising members from Alberta and Montana have been pushing for more than a decade to upgrade the hours at the Port of Wildhorse north of Havre, which is now a part-time port with permit-only commercial traffic. Will be on agenda again in two weeks An old fire engine from the Havre Fire Department sits in the yard of the City Shop as the city prepares to donate it to Rudyard Fire Department Tuesday in Havre. Monday Havre City Council approved a resolution that incorrectly donated the engine to Kremlin. Rudyard Volunteer Fire Department will receive the truck. When the Havre City Council approved donating a fire truck that is no longer used to the Kremlin Rural Fire District, it was voting on the wrong motion. Havre Fire Chief Mel Paulson said Tuesday afternoon that the wrong district was listed in the resolution - the Rudyard Volunteer Fire Department was the entity that had accepted the donation. "It's all on me," Paulson said. "... I think I had my wires crossed." Paulson said a resolution proposing donating the truck to the Rudyard department will be on the next City Council agenda. It's next meeting is May 6. Paulson said that after the Havre Fire Department acquired its new fire engine last fall, the 1973 Howe fire engine was sitting unused, and he wanted some department to be able to use it. He said he talked to several fire departments, including at Dodson, Kremlin and Rudyard, all by telephone. When he was told by a member of the Rudyard Volunteer Fire Department their department would take the engine, Paulson said, it stuck in his mind that that volunteer was with the Kremlin department. He said he had contacted all of the fire chiefs, and no one seemed upset about the mixup. "They all thought it was funny," he said. Senator demands answers from Amtrak as he prepares to fight for needed funding A month before Amtrak long-distance passenger rail lines is a topic on the agenda at a National Passenger Rail Association meeting in Cut Bank, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he is leading a bipartisan effort to strengthen rural Amtrak service and hold the Trump Administration accountable for attempts to gut funding for the Empire Builder Line as the Senate gears up to draft next years budget, a release from Testers office said. The release said Tester is pressing Amtrak President Richard Anderson to reaffirm his support for rural Amtrak routes, including Montanas Empire Builder. In a bipartisan letter, Tester underscored the important role Amtrak plays in rural communities across Montanas Hi-Line. Congress purposely created a national network of long-distance and state supported train service throughout the nation, regardless of how rural it may be, Tester wrote. Amtrak is a web of essential connections that bind our country together and link rural communities with major markets and economic opportunities. It provides residents of these communities with transportation options on which families, seniors and businesses rely to access jobs, create economic opportunities, see our beautiful country and visit family. The federal investment in Amtrak ensure small, midsize and rural communities served by Amtraks long-distance and state-supported routes continue to receive this essential service. In all three federal budgets submitted to Congress since taking office, President Trump has gutted Amtrak funding including a proposal to eliminate the Empire Builder Line the release said. The latest budget proposes phasing out all long-distance routes and replacing them with other options. The release said Tester is pushing Anderson to answer specific questions regarding Amtraks commitment to rural areas, including: Amtraks decision to eliminate ticket agents, why did Amtrak calculate totals based on weekly boardings on routes that do not run daily? Amtraks accounting methods used to determine the cost of operating long-distance service. Is Amtrak planning to alter any long-distance train routes? Is Amtrak planning to introduce any new short-distance routes? What basis does Amtrak claim that demand for long-distance service is down, despite usage numbers rising? Tester used his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to successfully fight the presidents proposed plan to zero out the Empire Builders funding in this years budget, the release said. Tester also worked with both parties last year to secure an additional $1.3 billion for National Network Grants that support Amtraks long-distance service. Tester is demanding Amtrak to respond to his questions by April 29. Rail Passenger Association is holding its Northwest Division meeting in the Elks Lodge in Cut Bank Saturday, May 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featured speakers and guests include U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., state Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, and Rail Passenger Association President Jim Mathews of Washington, D.C. Representatives of Tester and Rep. Steve Daines, R-Mont., also plan to attend, a release from the association said. The meeting will include discusions of The Importance of Amtraks Long-Distance Trains, The Empire Builder - 90 Years of Operation and The Future of the FAST Act Surface Transportation Bill That Expires in 2020. Online: Testers bipartisan letter to Amtrak: https://www.tester.senate.gov/files/Letters/Amtrak%20Oversight%20Letter.pdf/. Serena Ekegren-Dawson and Destiny Martin hug during a dress rehearsal of "I am (not) my Mother" Monday at Montana State University-Northern's Little Theatre in Havre. The play, originally written by Suzanne Beal, was adapted by director Audrey Barger to tell local stories. Montana Actors' Theatre is starting a run this week of a play by a Virginia playwright adapted specifically to this part of north-central Montana Suzanne Beal adapted her play "I am (not) my Mother" just for Havre, taking stories from community members in the region to bring something everyone can relate to at the show's opening Friday in Cowan Hall's Little Theatre at Montana State University-Northern. "It touches everyone," director Audrey Barger said. "I love how universal it is. I love how everyone can relate to it. It's just done in a beautiful and touching way and represents everyones relationship with parents or their mother, even if it's good or bad because we all go through different times with relationships with our mothers." Barger said that although the performance was previously advertised as a readers' theatre it is now a full-length production. She said the play is a heart-warming, at times comedic, compilation of skits, tales, music and poetry all rolled into one production, Barger said. She said that she first found the play through her friend Margaret Hencz, Beal's sister, and became interested in the play. She got the script and spoke with Beal, who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Barger said, adding that Beal decided she wanted to have the play adapted to the local area and flew to Havre at the beginning of the year. Barger said they hosted story circles in the North Harlem Hutterite Colony, Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation and two in Havre, with Hencz hosting one circle. Women from all of these communities shared stories with Beal and talked about women in their lives. After that, Barger said, Beal flew back to Virginia where she incorporated the stories she heard into the script. "A script that was written specifically for us, with stories of our local women and their mothers and daughters and their relationships," Barger said. "It's very relevant, it's very relatable, very universal and not just for women but for men, as well, because everyone has a mother." It is a non-traditional play "but it's us," she said, with mothers, grandmothers, a bit of history, all incorporated into the script. She added that music will be incorporated into the play, as well, with the cast singing songs at different times goes along with the script. Beal will also be available after the performance Saturday, April 27, for a question-and-answer session about the process of creating the script. Barger said her favorite part of production was how it touches people, how it addresses the art of learning, and getting along. "I'm proud of the whole thing," she said. "The whole thing is pretty amazing." MAT tries to encourage writers by holding one or two local productions each season, Barger said. Beal isn't necessarily local but the story is. Havre Daily News/Ryan Berry Angela Murri performs a monologue during a dress rehearsal of "I am (not) my Mother" Monday at the Little Theatre in Havre. Barger said three of the play's six actors, Angela Murri, Jamie Lynn McCoy and Sharon Dolph, participated in the story circles and contributed to the script. Barger added that they will not be playing their own parts in the story. She said she wants people to leave feeling comforted and hopes memories will return to them after they watch the performances, memories of growing up, their relationships with their own mothers and role their mothers played in in their lives, regardless if it is good or bad. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. All performances will be at 8 p.m. at the Little Theatre, Thursday through Saturday, April 18-20 and 25-27. Doors and Backstage Lounge will open at 7:30 each night. "You should definitely grab your mothers or your daughters or whatever and bring them to the play," Barger said. An international team of scientists, led by the University of Glasgow, have announced a new advance in our understanding of how bacteria in our gut can provide positive health benefits. Published today in Nature Chemical Biology, these breakthrough findings provide evidence that it may be possible to design drugs that can mimic these positive health benefits in a way that might be used to treat diseases such as type II diabetes. It is known that bacteria in the gut can provide positive health benefits, but the mechanism by which gut bacteria works has been unclear. Scientists think one possibility is that gut bacteria, by fermenting starches in food such as oats and pulses (like beans and chickpeas), produce compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). One of these SCFAs is acetic acid the main component of vinegar. Once produced, these SCFAs activate specific receptor proteins in our body. Once activated, the receptors can provide health benefits to our bodies. In a four-year study funded by BBSRC and the MRC, the Glasgow team used a combination of genetics and pharmacology to find out if one of these receptor proteins called short chain free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFA2) when activated selectively by drugs, generated responses in the body that underpin the health benefits of gut bacteria. Andrew Tobin, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at the Universitys Institute of Molecular Cell & Systems Biology, said: This is a major advance in our understanding our how our bodies respond to food and how the bacteria in our gut provide health benefits. Through a clever genetic trick, we have been able to determine firstly, that the levels of glucose in our blood and fat in our bodies can be controlled by gut bacteria. This is done via a specific receptor protein in our body, and we believe that the positive health benefits of gut bacteria can be mimicked by drugs that activate this receptor protein. Professor Graeme Milligan, Gardiner Chair of Biochemistry, added: By generating a genetically-altered mouse that contains a form of FFA2 that can be activated only by a drug, we found that FFA2 can control the speed of food moving through the gut, the release of hormones that can control glucose levels and the release of fat from fat tissue. ENDS About BBSRC The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. Funded by government, BBSRC invested 469 million in world-class bioscience in 2016-17. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. BBSRC Carolina Village comes out strong for Clear Creek Greenway Brendan Shanahan, an engineer with the city of Hendersonville, presents the Clear Creek Greenway plan to an audience made up mostly of Carolina Village residents. The graying of the greenway movement was on display Tuesday afternoon when a crowd of senior citizens turned out to ask questions and mostly express support for the proposed Clear Creek Greenway, a three-quarter mile walking trail and bike path that would connect Carolina Village and Berkeley Mills Park. Unlike many public input and information sessions on bike-ped paths, the crowd was older and mostly retired. Many were residents of Carolina Village, which has pledged $250,000 toward a matching grant the city is seeking for the project, which is projected to cost $933,600. The city of Hendersonville is seeking a $341,800 grant from the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, matched by the Carolina Village donation and $341,800 from the city. The greenway would run in an east-west direction for about four-fifths of a mile and would connect Carolina Village and the northern terminus of the 3-mile Oklawaha Greenway, which runs from Jackson Park to Berkeley Park. A Carolina Village bus transported 14 residents to the City Operations Center for the greenway presentation and about that many drove themselves, Carolina Village Executive Director Kevin Parries said. Forty people in all attended the presentation, nearly all of them seniors. Brendan Shanahan, a civil engineer with the city, fielded questions about the greenway path, security, whether it would flood and what chance Hendersonville stands of getting a state grant. The city will be competing with local government bodies across the state, including two neighbors in the county. The Henderson County Board of Commissioners was expected to authorize a grant application on Wednesday for $217,000 to reroute the Oklawaha Greenway between Jackson Park and Seventh Avenue to higher ground. The town of Fletcher is seeking a PARTF grant of $400,000 to acquire land for walking trails in a partnership with Fernleaf Community Charter School. Carolina Village residents appear to be strongly in favor of the new greenway. We had a town hall meeting where we had probably 180 people, where Brendan gave this same presentation, Parries said. We also have some walking trails that got interrupted by the construction but were going to restore those back. Carolina Village also wants to move five Life Fitness exercise stations to the trail. Residents have enjoyed them for some time and now can be opened up to the public. The Clear Creek Greenway would cross Clear Creek Road because there's not enough room under the bridge for the trail. Plans for the 10-foot paved path include a pedestrian bridge across Mud Creek. The city also has included in a greenway master plan an extension along Clear Creek that would pass under I-26 and run to Highlands Square, the Sam's and Walmart shopping center. Rakan Mansouri was seen drawing on a bus stop by gardai A body-piercing enthusiast caught scrawling graffiti on a city centre street had black paint on his hands when gardai stopped him, a court has heard. Rakan Mansouri (30) was seen drawing on a bus stop and as they spoke to him, gardai saw similar black markings on other property in the area. The case against him was adjourned at Dublin District Court for a full valuation of the clean up of the damage caused. Mansouri, of Steeplechase Hill, Ratoath, pleaded guilty to criminal damage. Dublin District Court heard that the incident happened at Abbey Street Lower last February 12. Gardai on patrol at 2.30am saw the accused drawing on a bus stop with a paint marker. While speaking to the accused, they saw the same markings on a post box and glass restaurant divider, as well as an advertising board outside a newsagents. The accused had black paint on his hands. There was a clean-up fee to remove the graffiti, the court heard. A garda sergeant said the value of the damage to the bus stop and advertisement board had been estimated at 100, but there was no valuation for the post box or the restaurant divider. The accused had no previous convictions of any kind, the court heard. Compensation Mansouri was intoxicated at the time of the incident, his solicitor Michael French said. He had taken 200 to court to offer as compensation. Judge Bryan Smyth said the case would have to be adjourned for a full estimate of the damage, for compensation to be measured. He adjourned the case to a date later this month, remanding Mansouri on continuing bail. A close associate of veteran crimelord John Gilligan is suspected of ordering an arson attack which could have led to the murders of an innocent woman and her three children. Gardai have not been able to find enough evidence to charge the west Dublin thug who they suspect orchestrated the attack - which was not intended to target the young family who were almost killed in the inferno. Maggie Green (31) was in her rented apartment in Inchicore, Co Dublin, with her three children when it was set on fire on the night of September 18, 2017. Maggie and her children Francie (9) and Savannah (7) were left fighting for their lives and suffered horrific permanent injuries. Her eldest child, John (13), was treated for smoke inhalation and is still traumatised by the incident. Jailed Expand Expand Previous Next Close Mum Maggie Green Mum Maggie Green in hospital after the arson attack on her home in Inchicore, Dublin. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mum Maggie Green Last month, Ian O'Connor (29), of Emmet Crescent, Inchicore, was jailed for 10 years for the shocking crime after Dublin Circuit Court heard that he also threw a pipe bomb at another family home less than a month later. "Gardai have worked on the theory that the Inchicore arson attack was ordered by a close associate of John Gilligan who had been in a disagreement with another criminal," a senior source told the Herald. "O'Connor is believed to have thought that the other criminal who was in dispute with Gilligan's associate was in the apartment at the time, but this was not the case and the entirely innocent occupants of the house had a very lucky escape. "There was not enough evidence to get charges against the Gilligan associate, who is in his 20s and also would have had no idea that Ms Green and her children were to be targeted." Hated criminal Gilligan (66) is not suspected of having any involvement or knowledge of the arson attack. He will not serve any more jail time in Northern Ireland after he was arrested with more than 22,000 in a suitcase at Belfast International airport last August, which prosecutors alleged was criminal property. The prosecutor confirmed at a hearing at Coleraine Magistrates' Court in January that if found guilty, the maximum sentence that the accused could face would be six months. Gilligan had already served five months on remand, the equivalent of a 10-month sentence. Expand Close Francie Green in hospital after the arson attack / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Francie Green in hospital after the arson attack The crimelord (inset) is still contesting the charges in the North and he remains on bail after he was allegedly caught trying to take 22,800 in a suitcase on a flight to Spain. His associate who is suspected of ordering the Inchicore arson attack is on bail in this jurisdiction in relation to serious drugs charges and he has also been involved in a bitter west Dublin feud that has led to four gun murders. Ian O'Connor pleaded guilty to arson at Tyrone Place, Inchicore, on September 18, 2017. He also admitted arson at Ailesbury Road, Dublin, on October 15, 2017. Speaking after O'Connor was sentenced last month, Maggie Green told the Herald that she feared he would target her family home again once he was released from prison. "I'm absolutely disgusted by the judge's sentence," she said. "O'Connor received 12 years for what he done to my family, but the judge suspended the final two on condition that he keeps the peace. "He was then sentenced to six years' imprisonment for the other fire, but it will run concurrently with the first. "This means that the other family got no justice at all. "With good behaviour, I'm convinced he'll be out in six years." Ms Green said she felt O'Connor was not remorseful in court and does not believe prison will rehabilitate him. "He's a very sick and evil man," she added. "Myself and my children are so scared thinking about the day when he's released. Monster "I fear that he'll come after us again because we're the reason he's behind bars. A man like that needs to be locked up for life. "My children and I are covered in scars and every time I look at them I think about what this monster has done." The court heard that in the first attack, the heat of the fire caused a hearing aid to melt in Savannah's ear, leaving her with a permanent scar. Ms Green was asleep in her apartment along with her three children and woke to find the stairs on fire. Ms Green was trapped upstairs by the fire and tried unsuccessfully to smash the windows to escape. She covered her two youngest children with wet towels in her bedroom and was choking on smoke when they were rescued by the fire brigade. Her eldest son had fallen asleep while watching television downstairs and woke up to the sight of the front door on fire. John escaped via a balcony at the back of the apartment with the help of a neighbour who brought him a ladder. O'Connor admitted starting the fire by pouring petrol in the letterbox and onto the front door. He said he owed money to certain people who had instructed him to light the fire and had told him that there would be no one in the house. Gardai said O'Connor believed that his family would have been pipe-bombed had he not lit the fire. O'Connor was given a bag of cocaine beforehand, but said he did not do it for the drugs. In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, Ms Green said her seven-year-old daughter's hearing aid had melted in the fire, causing a permanent scar to her ear. The court heard all four members of the family sustained injuries. Ms Green said she thought that she and her children were all going to die. She said she remembered her youngest son telling her that he was going to heaven and that he would come back and help them escape from the fire. A retired nurse had been insulted for being straight in a gay bar when she threw a glass that struck another woman on the head, knocking her out. Paula Flood (50) had been antagonised by a gay man in the well-known Dublin bar when she "lashed out" and threw the glass, missing him but hitting the woman who was an "unintended target". Adjourning the case, Judge Michael Walsh said it was a "nasty, unprovoked attack" and told Flood to take part in a restorative justice programme. He said more information on the victim's medical expenses was needed before compensation could be measured. Flood, of Whitechurch Drive, Rathfarnham, admitted assault causing harm to the woman and producing a glass as a weapon in the course of a dispute. Dublin District Court heard that the incident happened in the George Bar, on South Great George's Street, on February 7, 2015. A garda said the victim was socialising in the pub. Separately, Flood got into an altercation with a man, who walked away from her. Frightened Flood threw a glass in his direction and missed him, instead hitting the victim on the back of the head. The woman fell to the ground and lost consciousness for a few moments. She was taken to St James's Hospital but had no obvious cuts to her head and was given painkillers. However, in a victim impact statement she said she suffered concussion for six to eight weeks after. She had headaches, had difficulty concentrating at work and became forgetful. She suffered a milder form of concussion for months, the court heard. What happened frightened the woman and when she eventually returned to the George Bar she began crying and had to leave. She had to cut down on social events as a result. She hated having people behind her and would now sit with her back to the wall. "Flood was antagonised by another individual for being a straight individual in a gay bar," defence solicitor Michael French said. The man insulted her, she was "relatively intoxicated" at the time and lashed out. Flood was very remorseful. She had worked as a nurse but suffered from severe anxiety and had retired. THE third most powerful politician in America has warned US President Donald Trump and Brexiteers not to even think about a US-UK trade deal if there is any threat of a hard border in Ireland. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said a trade agreement that damages peace in Ireland "just can't possibly happen". Addressing a small gathering in the Department of Foreign Affairs at the start of a two-day visit, Ms Pelosi said the Good Friday Agreement is "not just a peace agreement" but something that resolved hundreds of years of conflict. She said America, including president Bill Clinton and former senator George Mitchell, had worked hard to ensure people on this island could live in harmony. "This isn't for us an issue or an agreement. It's a value," Ms Pelosi said. Ms Pelosi, who regularly clashes with Mr Trump, went on to say that while speaking with UK politicians in recent days, she made clear the position of the Democratic Party. She said the UK people had voted to leave the EU and politicians must facilitate that. However, she added: "And as they work that out, not to think for one minute that there's any comfort for them that if they leave the EU they will quickly have a US-UK trade agreement. Harm "That's just not in the cards if there is any harm done to the Good Friday accords. Don't even think about it." Ms Pelosi said that US politicians were not taking sides. "We're just holding to our values. It's an ideal that is a model for the world. Other places copy so that they can make peace and find common ground," she said. Tanaiste Simon Coveney told the same lunch gathering that Ireland respects the UK's decision to leave the EU. "We have no desire to make life difficult for the UK," he said, adding that Ireland would be the strongest voice in the EU when it comes to supporting a close relationship in the future. "We want our nearest neighbours to thrive and to prosper." Mr Coveney said Britain will make its own decisions about the future but "they do not have the right to determine ours". Today, Ms Pelosi will address TDs, senators and former politicians at a special event to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Dail. Along with a delegation of congressmen, she will then meet President Michael D Higgins, and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will host a dinner at Dublin Castle. The US delegation includes several members of the Friends of Ireland caucus. The US politicians will head north tomorrow to see the Border for themselves and attend a number of events in Derry. Mr Coveney described the trip as a "significant visit - an occasion to celebrate the deep and enduring US-Ireland ties of kinship and friendship, of culture and trade, of shared interests and shared values". At private talks they discussed economic and trading relationship between the two countries, as well as immigration. Shards of stained glass from priceless medieval windows. A gaping hole above the choir area where the spire crashed down. Charred debris from the collapsed roof scattered on the ground. After firefighters put out the last remnants of the fire that ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, daylight revealed the extent of the damage caused by the blaze Monday evening. A picture taken on April 16, 2019 shows the altar surrounded by charred debris inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral. [Photo: AFP] Tourists and Parisians, united in their shock at the damage to one of the great monuments of human heritage, watched from the safety of the opposite bank of the Seine, kept away by a police cordon. But journalists could witness the extent of the damage through one of the great doors which opened to reveal the piles of rubble and charred debris inside. But in a luminous sign of hope, a golden cross was still intact at the back of the cathedral, shining defiantly in the gloom. Intact stained-glass windows and statues could also be seen, though sculpted arches were blackened by smoke and pews destroyed. - 'It was hell' - Cathedral clerics who saw the damage to the interior said they were struggling to believe what they witnessed. A picture taken on April 16, 2019 shows an interior view of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral. [Photo: AFP] Philippe Marsset, the vicar general of Notre-Dame, was among the first to enter the cathedral. "It felt like I was looking at a bombing," Marsset said of the cathedral, where he was ordained a priest 31 years ago. "It was hell," he said, describing the moment when the blaze was discovered on the soaring roof shortly after evening mass ended shortly before 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Monday. Church officials raced to remove as many artefacts, paintings and other cultural treasures as they could before being evacuated by firefighters trying to stop the flames from spreading. But the blaze kept springing up as globs of molten lead fell from the soaring heights of the church. "All night long I saw men going past with tears in their eyes. I described it this way: It was total chaos, but we can't let it knock us down," Marsset said. "This church was built 850 years ago. It withstood the wars, it withstood the bombings, it resisted everything," he said. - 'History of my life' - Onlookers from France and abroad remained transfixed by the sight of the cathedral, relieved that its main structure had been saved but worried about how it could be rebuilt. "I'm devastated, even if I haven't been a Catholic for a long time," 88-year-old Claire told AFP at the scene on Tuesday morning. "I was baptised here." Her eyes filled with tears as she watched the cathedral from the riverbank. "For me, this place is the centre of the world. It carries the history of France and beyond. And also the history of my own life, and 800 years before." A picture taken on April 16, 2019 shows the partially collapsed vault above the nave of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral. [Photo: AFP] Aurora, 33, an Italian living in Paris for the last half-decade, said she had jumped on her bicycle before dawn "like paying tribute to a sick elderly parent". "Notre-Dame, it's like the Eiffel Tower, it's like my grandmother. It's like the Colosseum in Rome had burned down. I had to go," she said. But onlookers also worried about how the spirit of the building could be kept through a restoration. "Those who built it are no longer with us. Do we know all its details, all its secrets?" asked Christelle, a 27-year-old Congolese student. - 'Miraculous and heroic' - But in the end there was relief that a lot was able to be saved, with much of the stonework as well as the two massive square bell towers largely unscathed. "We're all just dumbfounded. It's more than miraculous, it's heroic," Marsset said, calling the firefighters who toiled throughout the night "heroes." But he appeared lost for words when asked about what would happen now, as Christians worldwide prepared to celebrate Easter next Sunday. "We had things planned for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We don't yet know where to do these. It's as if our mother has been wounded," he said. Why Gov. Tom Wolf says he has no plans to issue new mask mandates news Pakistan has long faced accusations that its government either is complicit with or looks the other way when it comes to terror organisations that operate on its soil. Pakistan has just one more month to demonstrate to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its associate regional body, the Asian Pacific Group (APG) that it has undertaken the necessary steps to address its terror financing-related deficiencies by the May deadline. Though FATF will ultimately judge Pakistan on technical grounds, India plays an influential role in FATFs assessment of Pakistans terror finance regime, as it serves as co-chair of the APG Joint Group. The APG makes recommendations to FATF regarding the progress of its members. As Pakistan seeks to undermine Indias role in the review process, how else can India ensure FATF holds Pakistan to account until it makes the necessary reforms? India has pushed FATF to clamp down on Pakistans terrorism ties, but has not shown the same urgency when it comes to Iran. FATF is the global body devoted to setting standards for combating money laundering and terror financing. FATF identifies countries that do not have sufficient regulations in place to counter money laundering and terror financing and places them on one of its two high-risk public documents. The grey list comprises monitored jurisdictions, for which FATF encourages its members to consider the money laundering and terror finance risks arising from the strategic deficiencies of these jurisdictions. grey listed countries have the opportunity to reform their systems through the completion of an action plan, so that those wishing to transact in these jurisdictions can do so with higher confidence. Those that fail to improve their policies may be moved to the blacklist of high-risk jurisdictions and could be subject to countermeasures, such as prohibiting the establishment of branches of foreign banks in Pakistan. FATF calls on its members to apply enhanced due diligence measures on blacklisted nations, including procuring information on the source of funds of customers. Countries on the blacklist also have the opportunity to address their strategic deficiencies through an action plan. FATF grey listed Pakistan in 2018 for failing to act against Lashkar-e-Taiba and its suspected political front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Lashkar-e-Taiba militants carried out the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed over 160 people. Concerned that it might land on the grey list, Pakistan renewed its expired ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa days prior to the February 2019 meeting, but this was insufficient. In February 2019, the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for a bombing in Kashmir that killed at least 40 Indian soldiers. At its triannual plenary, a week after the bombing, FATF noted that Pakistan had only made limited progress on its action plan, stating Pakistan does not demonstrate a proper understanding of terror finance risks posed by active terrorist organisations. FATF named the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Falah-i Insaniat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Haqqani Network, and the Taliban as groups of concern. If Pakistan does not fully complete its action plan by October 2019, it risks being moved to the blacklist. Pakistan has been slow to implement its action items, often enacting legislation only when threatened with being placed on the blacklist. In early March, the Pakistani government announced it would crack down on institutions affiliated with Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The government reportedly sealed or took over administrative control of several establishments run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its charity, the Falah-i Insaniat Foundation. However, the government made no arrests, calling into question its commitment to aggressively eliminate the threat posed by these groups. The Pakistani state reportedly supports Hafiz Saeed, the emir and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Moreover, Bill Roggio, editor of Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal, reports that many Jamaat-ud-Dawa charitable fronts operate inside Pakistan, with the knowledge and support of the state. He notes, Pakistan also routinely rounds up known terrorist leaders and places them under protective custody, only to release them when foreign pressure wanes. Even after major terror attacks, Pakistan failed to take meaningful action to curb these groups. In the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Pakistan claimed to detain the responsible groups members and shutter their offices, yet the offices were soon reopened and its leaders were released. As long as Pakistan continues its complicity with the terrorist groups that operate on its soil, FATF will be hesitant to remove it from the grey list of monitored jurisdictions, and the market will respond accordingly. Pakistan is not the only country undergoing an action plan for its terror financing. FATF placed Iran on the blacklist for its insufficient terror finance legislation. Irans financial system is built on deceptive practices, front companies, and fraudulent activities. Iran agreed to an action plan to address its anti-money laundering and terror financing deficiencies in June 2016. Similar to Pakistan, Irans parliament at times passed legislation usually with unacceptable conditions and loopholes in the weeks prior to plenaries, hoping to persuade FATF to remove it from its blacklist. Despite this, FATF has granted four extensions even though Tehran failed to complete its reform plan. FATFs importance comes from its credibility as a technical organisation that does not allow politics to influence decision-making. If politics is allowed to seep into the Iran-related decision-making process, then it will make it that much harder to hold Pakistan accountable as well. FATFs leniency with Iran could set a precedent for its policy toward Pakistan. If India wants FATF to hold Pakistan accountable for its financing of terrorist entities, it should be at the forefront of ensuring Iran finally completes its action plan without conditions and loopholes. Toby Dershowitz is senior vice president of government relations and strategy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Serena Frechter is a government relations analyst The views expressed are personal As I write this from Berlin, I am prostrate before the images of fire, devastation, and ash engulfing Notre-Dame de Paris Our Lady of Paris. She is a treasure of civilisation, both for those who believe in heaven and for those who do not. She represents the Europe of beauty, of holy hopes, of greatness and gentility. Like you, like everyone, I am heartbroken. The tragedy invokes a slew of memories. Victor Hugos immortalisation of the cathedral in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, of course, comes to mind. So, too, does the verse of Louis Aragon: Nothing is as strong, not fire, not lightning, As my Paris defying danger Nothing is as beautiful as this Paris of mine. One also recalls an opening line from Baudelaire: I am beautiful, O mortals, like a dream in stone. It was not written about Notre Dame, but it certainly could have been. The memories extend well beyond the written word. The cathedral itself has borne witness to centuries of French history, including episodes that are now the stuff of legend. It has stood with France through its mystic knighthood, in its glory and in its gloom. I think of the mass in celebration of Pariss liberation in 1944, and of a younger sisters conversion there. I weep with her, as I weep with all Christians who have had to watch their visible church go up in smoke, the plume perhaps taking a part of their invisible church with it. The next morning, I think of Notre Dame as the France of the Resistance. She embodies the Gothic holiness and tranquillity of the Seine. She is faith and beauty made manifest. And, of course, the words of Hugo and Aragon are still there, dancing in my insomniac head. I ask myself how I will face the day. How will we face tomorrow? Hugo supplies the answer: Time is the architect, but the people are the mason. For a Parisian, it is torture to see the looped images of the citys heart being gripped by the violence of the flames. More than a church has fallen. In a way, Notre Dame is the soul of humanity itself, and a piece of that humanity has now been scarred. We Parisians believed our venerable lady to be immortal. Yet there she slumps, wounded and helpless against fate, as were we all while watching the inferno. Yet in the wake of those sorrowful images has come a wave of fellow feeling. Italians, Swedes, Irish, Spaniards, Chinese, Algerians all have joined in communion with the people of France. As after an attack, all are saying, Je suis Paris. Finally, in burning, Notre Dame reminds us of the fragility of our history and heritage, of the precariousness of what we have built, and of the finite nature of millennial Europe, homeland of the arts, to which Notre Dame is one of the loftiest testaments. Looking ahead, what are we to think? What should we do? We must hope that Notre Dames sacrifice will awaken slumbering consciences; that, through this disaster, people will realise that Europe is Notre Dame writ large. More than a political union, it is a great work of art, a brilliant bastion of shared intelligence, but also home to an endangered legacy. That legacy is too important to lose. We cannot allow pyromaniacs to divide the people of Europe. We must remember that we, together, are builders of temples and palaces, creators of beauty. That is the lesson of Notre Dame in this Holy Week. French president Emmanuel Macron, who for two years has appealed for unity in rebuilding Europe, now is appealing for unity in rebuilding Notre Dame. Together, we must restore the heart of France. My literary review, La Regle du Jeu , will contribute to the national fund for that purpose. I urge all readers to do the same. We the people are the masons. Bernard-Henri Levy is one of the founders of the Nouveaux Philosophes (New Philosophers) movement. He is the author, most recently, of The Empire and the Five Kings The views expressed are personal Project Syndicate Actor Prateik Babbar, who was last seen in Baaghi 2 alongside Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani, is all set to play a villain in AR Murugadosss next that stars Rajinikanth in the lead role. Titled Darbar, the film is being shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously and is slated for a Pongal 2020 release. Prateik is said to have joined the shooting than began last week. Prateik said in a statement, It is such a dream come true to have bagged this project in such little time. This year is looking very positive for me and Sanya (his wife) has been such a great influence on my life professionally and personally. I cant wait to commence shooting with Rajinikanth sir and Murugadoss sir this week and create some magic, added the actor, who will shoot in Mumbai . The actor, who is said to be working on his physique for the role, has shared a workout video on Instagram. Also read: Student of The Year 2 actor Tara Sutaria to make her singing debut in Ahans Shettys launchpad, RX100 The film features Rajini as a cop--he has played roles of police officers in films like Moondru Mugam, Geraftaar, Hum and Pandiyan. The trilingual film stars Nayanthara as the female lead. The tabloid also quoted a source as saying, Murugadoss was impressed by Prateik in Baaghi 2 and decided to cast him. He plays the antagonists son and will feature in important scenes with Rajini. After Mumbai, the team heads to Tamil Nadu for the remaining portions. Prateik, who recently tied the knot with fiancee Sanya Sagar in February, has several films in the pipeline, including Nitesh Tiwaris Chhichhore, Anubhav Sinhas Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai and Mahesh Manjrekars Power. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Alia Bhatts mother, Soni Razdan, has seemingly responded to allegations made by Kangana Ranauts sister Rangoli Chandel, that she has no right to discuss Indian politics because she isnt a citizen of the country. She questioned Kanganas agenda, and said that it is because of Mahesh Bhatt that she got her big break in Bollywood. Taking to Twitter, Soni wrote that she is a human being first, and then a citizen. She wrote, Urging people to vote against hate has nothing to do with citizenship and everything to do with being a human being. We are all human beings first and citizens of the world we live in. Secularism and democratic principles are values and its those that I stand for. #VoteOutHate. Urging people to vote against hate has nothing to do with citizenship and everything to do with being a human being. We are all human beings first and citizens of the world we live in. Secularism and democratic principles are values and its those that I stand for. #VoteOutHate Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019 I do actually. My father is Indian. Lived in India since I was 3 months old. Pay taxes. Hold an Overseas Citizen of India card. If my hard earned income is good enough to be used to better this nation then I have a right to voice my opinions too. #VoteOutHate https://t.co/pizCzuTJEQ Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019 Reacting directly to a comment by a Twitter user, in which they wrote, Get lost British citizen ...u have no place in India to preach, Soni wrote back, I do actually. My father is Indian. Lived in India since I was 3 months old. Pay taxes. Hold an Overseas Citizen of India card. If my hard earned income is good enough to be used to better this nation then I have a right to voice my opinions too. #VoteOutHate. On Tuesday, Kanganas sister Rangoli had attacked Soni and Alia, who are both British citizens and therefore not able to vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. She had written on Twitter, These non Indians who are living off this land, using and abusing its people and its resources, lying about intolerance and spreading hatred, time to think about their agenda and not to get carried away with their provocations. Rangolis response presumably came after Alia admitted in a recent interview that she would not be able to vote in the elections, because she doesnt hold an Indian passport, and a tweet by Soni, in which she spoke about mob lynchings. Kangana has been on an unrelenting offensive against Alia, whom she has accused of being a puppet of producer Karan Johars and a mediocre actor. The one-sided feud began after the release of Kanganas Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, which Alia allegedly did not help promote on her personal social media, which Kangana had expected, despite Alia being under no obligation to do so. Alia acknowledged the allegations on Twitter recently, responding to a message from her Highway co-actor, Randeep Hooda. Randeep had written, Dearest @aliaa08 Im so glad you are not letting the opinions of very occasional actors and chronic victims affect you and your work .. kudos to you for your continued efforts to outdo yourself. Alia baby ko bachane ko nepotism gang ki khud ki himmat nahin toh tujhko aage kiya, I know during film Ungli what u did, kitna harass kiya tune Kangana ko aur kitna bada chatukar hai tu Karan Johar ka....(contd) @RandeepHooda Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) April 16, 2019 In a now deleted tweet, Soni had written that it was her husband who gave Kangana a break in Bollywood, and wondered what her personal agenda was. Shed written, according to Indian Express, Mahesh Bhatt is the man who has given her a break she goes on to attack his wife and daughter. Daughter over and over again. What is left to be said then about abusing and hatred I wonder. Apart from character of course. Agenda ? Whats hers ? Follow @htshowbiz for more Salman Khans latest poster from Bharat is out and along with the actors look from the 70s, it also gives us first good look at Katrina Kaifs character in the Ali Abbas Zafar film. Salman shared the new Bharat poster and wrote, Aur phir humare zindagi mein aayi Madam Sir @katrinakaif #BharatKaJunoon. While Salman is dressed as a miner, Katrina is wearing a white shirt and beige pants. There is a map of Kuwait behind the two. It seems Salman is working at an oil rig. Earlier, in an interview to Mid Day, Katrina had said her decision to do Bharat had nothing to do with Salman. I read the script from start to finish in three hours and immediately called him to tell him that I loved it. I realised there was an opportunity of going the extra mile with this character. So, it had nothing to do with my friendship with Salman or Ali. In fact, Salman did not even call me after I signed the film. We met directly on the set, she said. Katrina stepped in as the films lead actor after Priyanka Chopra bowed out last year due to her impending wedding. On Tuesday, Salman revealed his look as a circus artiste. The 53-year-old actor gave a sneak peek into how his character would look in the 60s; he was seen dressed in a white embroidered jacket teamed up with a retro style pair of sunglasses. In an earlier poster, he was seen as an old man from the 2000s. Disha Patani who is also a part of the film can also be seen in the poster. Salman captioned the photo, Jawaani humari Jaaneman thi! According to reports, the Dabangg actor will be seen in five different looks in the film spanning over a period of over 60 years, as his story runs parallel to that of India after independence. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat is one of the biggest releases of the year. The movie stars Katrina, Tabu, Sunil Grover and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. Earlier, a teaser, unveiled in January, depicted Salman in several avatars, narrating the story of his characters life. This is Salmans third collaboration with Ali Abbas Zafar after Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). The trailer of Bharat will be out on April 24; the film will release on June 5. Kalank Director - Abhishek Varman Cast - Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sonakshi Sinha, Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt Rating - 2.5/5 First things first, the film is gorgeous. Supposedly set in pre-Independent India, Kalank appears instead to have been filmed inside a Good Earth catalogue curated by Baz Luhrmann. In a disreputable neighbourhood, a courtesan stands in her doorway while gondoliers paddle about in what looks to be a moat behind her, and later, when she feels the need to cry, she walks first to the centre of the elaborate golden motifs painted on her floor before dropping to her knees and wailing cinematically. This is as baroque as it gets. We see revolutionaries wearing different shades of mustard, with a scene set around the kite festival of Basant Panchami, but, as Kalank goes on, we are conditioned to exorbitant colours frequently matching from scarlet umbrellas to marsala walls and columns. Rioters holding swords march in fiery streets, dressed as if theyd first bickered about a suitably Prussian shade of blue. Watch - Raja Sens movie review of Kalank Directed by Abhishek Varman and shot by the masterful Binod Pradhan, the makers of Kalank not only want every frame to be a painting, but every dialogue a proverb, every scene a portent. The result is beautiful but tedious, an opera that needed a stout songstress to warble through it midway. You sing well, says the courtesan to a young ingenue, but there isnt enough salt. This indefinable namak goes a long way in Indian art, and the older woman blames the blandness on a potential lack of spice in the girls life. The girl Roop (Alia Bhatt) may agree, caught in a passionless marriage via Victorian circumstances: a wealthy woman with a few years to live has brought Roop to be her husbands bride after she passes away. The names are literal. The pretty girl is Roop, the outsider is Baahar Begum, the upright lady is Satya, her husband is Dev (like in pati-dev), and the boy who wins women over is named Zafar, meaning victor. Played by Varun Dhawan, eyes tinged with kohl and misery, Zafar brings Kalank alive, a blacksmith forging swords with serrated edges, speaking in lines as lethal. He doesnt lay a hand on a woman without permission or payment, and an awestruck Roop wonders aloud: even he must have a limit. He does not. Inhi tez jumlon se Heera Mandi ke auraton ke dil kaat rakhe hain, admires his friend, emphasising how in a film with exclusively poetic lines, Zafar gets the last word because of his sharpness of his phrases. Dhawan revels in the melodramatic syntax, committing to the films pitch and making the audience root for him. Bhatt is fine in their scenes together, but otherwise appears reluctant to embrace this gaudy a cinematic style, while Sonakshi Sinha, as Satya, is rather effective as a woman perpetually biting her tongue and biding her time. Aditya Roy Kapoor is suitably detached as Dev, a man wondering where to start rebuilding his life, while Sanjay Dutt does little but glower in silence. Above them all reigns Madhuri Dixit, playing Baahar Begum with stately grace, her tear-filled eyes flashing with defiance. Despite an odd, Kathak-caricaturing dance, Dixit outdoes the films extraordinary backdrops. The lady is an enchantment. The films politics are naive and laughable. From verbose lines to extreme opulence, Kalank is too theatrical and stage-y to appear current, which is why the old-world setup works until it doesnt. More attention is paid to the chikan embroidery on Roops husbands kurtas than to the films climactic revolution, and the third act exposes the storys hollowness, even as the film flits irritatingly and inconsequentially between timelines. The end asks the audience a question, but it means little. The visuals linger. A necklace fastened around Roops neck with velvet drawstrings; a fake bird in a theatre performance spectacularly getting its wing sliced off; a harp the size of a house; and the first time Zafar meets Roop. During a Ram-Leela performance at Dussehra, he shows up with wet, blue-skinned Rams rising from the water behind, and when the lovers touch, burning Ravana heads cast a glow on their encounter. Kalank often feels too much, and I only wish it made me do the same. It is a stunningly plated meal, but needed salt. Follow @htshowbiz for more The second meeting of officials from India and Pakistan to discuss technical points related to the Kartarpur corridor project was held at the Zero Line along the international border at Dera Baba Nanak on Tuesday. During the meeting, Indian officials reportedly requested their Pakistan counterparts to construct a 300-m bridge in flood-prone areas across the border, which can be the bane of pilgrims with the rising level of water in Ravi river during the monsoon season.. The officials discussed the alignment of the corridor which will be around 5-km long. Out of this, nearly 4.5 km will fall in Pakistans territory. They also discussed security arrangements for the corridor. Both the countries have already laid foundation stones of the project being executed to give Indian devotees access to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, the last resting place of Sikhisms founder Guru Nanak, which is 3 km from the international border. In the meeting that lasted from 11 am to 2 pm, the officials of Punjab irrigation department also took part, apart from the officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Land Port Authority of India (LPOI). An official present in the meeting, seeking anonymity, said the NHAI will construct a 100-m bridge on the Dhusi Bund defence wall in the Indian territory and Indian experts urged Pakistan to construct a 300-m bridge in its territory so that devotees do not face inconvenience during the monsoon season. The Pakistan officials reportedly said they have already started work on the construction of a road for the corridor and they will work as per the prepared plan. The Indian side was represented by Akhil Saxena of LPAI, Maneesh Rastogi and YP Jadon of NHAI, and officials of the Union home ministry and the irrigation and drainage departments of Punjab. Experts from Pakistan included officials of Pakistan Frontier Works Organisation, ministry of religious affairs and foreign ministry. The Indian and Pakistani flags kept fluttering at the makeshift venue throughout the duration of the meeting. Security was so tight that pilgrims were not even allowed to pay obeisance from the raised platform from where people can view the Kartarpur Sahib shrine across the border through binoculars installed by the BSF. Like the March 19 meeting, media persons were kept away from the meeting venue and Indian experts made no official briefing about the deliberations. Meanwhile, cabinet minister and local MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in statement, Now, there is every possibility that the corridor will see the light of the day before the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev that will commence in November. Earlier, India had postponed the proposed meeting between the officials of two countries at the Wagah border, which was scheduled for April 2. The first meeting of technical experts of both sides was held on March 19 at the Zero Line at Dera Baba Nanak. The first delegation-level joint meeting was held at Attari on March 14 to discuss the modalities and the draft agreement for the project. I am sometimes asked, What really is public health? The term refers to the health of populations, in contrast to clinical health, which considers one patients well-being. Public health also has a larger prevention component for example mass immunisation programmes. It has multiple components: disease surveillance, epidemiology (transmission routes of diseases), designing programmes for scale (supply, demand, advocacy components), monitoring and evaluation, effective management, financing and more. Indias polio programme is one of the worlds great public health successes. Surveillance was precise, household by household, reaching even the remotest areas. There was active engagement with the community, involving religious leaders. There was creative use of media. Remember Amitabh Bachchans catchy sirf do boond (just two drops) appeal delivered in his trademark baritone? Logistics for safe distribution of vaccines were carefully worked out. The polio programme was much more than a techno-medical campaign. Indeed, its success was in the seamless coming together of business, social and medical skills. Seen from this perspective, Indias public health system has a problem of too little and too many. It is well known that there are too few doctors in rural areas: One for over 11,000 citizens against the global norm of one for 1000. Our focus this week is on the added problem that even within those meagre numbers, there are too many doctors, and not enough specialist managers and social scientists, especially at the sub-district level. Clinical doctors valiantly manage everything from disease surveillance to data reporting and accounting, and they are often ill-equipped. Doctors flock to more lucrative private practice in cities. Newly minted MBAs head for enticing jobs in business. It is very difficult to get people to take on rural service. The problem can be resolved only if it is made mandatory. Public health service should be required, without option, from anyone who has had the benefit of an education in medicine, social sciences, business management and engineering. In 2009, the Union health minister revealed that medical students pay annual fees of Rs 15,000 as against Rs 3.5 lakh spent on them. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) charge a fee of Rs 2 lakh against a cost of over Rs 6 lakh. This is tax payers money. Its time students paid back at least a part of their debt to the nation. Their degrees should be given only after such mandatory service. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu recently made a stirring call for three years of mandatory rural service for doctors. Tamil Nadu and Odisha have had some form of required rural service for medical students; various other states are taking steps in that direction. Thailand has had such a system since 1972. The ambit of a medicine course goes beyond medical skills. Working at the village level, I ask myself: What if frontline data was being collected thoughtfully, by workers trained in the elements of data sharing and usage? Can we not have supervisors with management training, who are more effective with such data in their hands? Why not simple hand-held technologies used to share data between health workers, developed with inputs from the community? And what if adolescent girls worked as change agents at the village level, guided by those familiar with the dynamics of social change? All this and more are possible, from my experience. Over the last 15 years, I have led the setting up of large public health programmes in fields as diverse as HIV and maternal and child health, with an unusual recruiting strategy. I offer positions to just as many people with no background in medical health to speak of, but who have superb business and data analytical skills. I do this, convinced that the best marriage is between medical and business skills. I know it works. After all, I started off in public health with a similar profile. In election season, political parties are talking about devoting more funds to public health. Perhaps, a chunk of this could be kept for attracting talent. Fellowship programs such as Teach for India, the Gandhi Fellowship and others run by governments have shown that quality talent is willing to stay in the social sector, on acquiring initial exposure. Over time, mandatory rural service could be extended to other important causes such as education, agriculture, livelihoods and skill development as well. Ashok Alexander is founder-director of the Antara Foundation The views expressed are personal The Delhi government on Tuesday directed all its hospitals to file an institutional FIR in case of violence against doctors or medical staff. All HODs (heads of departments) of hospitals or medical institutions are hereby directed that in case of any incident involving abuse or violence by the patients or their attendants, an FIR/ complaint is required to be filed by the concerned hospital/ institutions immediately. In no case, the individual doctor/para-medical/nursing/ administrative staff, etc., should be asked to lodge the FIR/complaint, a circular read. The order said non-compliance of the directions would be viewed seriously. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) had raised the issue of registering institutional FIRs in a recent meeting with the chief secretary of Delhi. This is to reiterate to the hospitals that the cases have to be registered. We have received complaints of instances where it was not being done, Rajeev Khirwar, health secretary, said. A recent meta-analysis of studies on violence against doctors in India found that 100% doctors in the emergency department and 75% of all doctors faced either physical or verbal violence. The rate of physical violence, 50%, was higher among psychiatrists, the study said. The study suggests better conviction under laws to protect medical personnel as one of the steps to curb violence. It is a great win for the DMA that the circular was issued. There has been an increase in cases of violence against doctors and it is good to see the government taking action, said Dr Girish Tyagi, president-elect, DMA. In 2015, an institutional FIR was lodged for the first time in a Delhi government hospital under the Medicare Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Property) Act, 2008. The action was taken after 20,000 resident doctors of government hospitals went on strike raising safety concerns. In 2017, when the Federation of Resident Doctors Association called a strike after an incidence of violence, the government had communicated the need for institutional FIRs to all its hospitals. The problem is that it does not get followed. Recently, there was a case of violence at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya and an institutional FIR was initially not being filed, said Dr Sumedh Sandanshiv, president of the association. Registering a personal FIR becomes difficult for a doctor or medical staff as they are summoned by the court for every hearing as opposed to the institutional authorities being called in. The victim might keep getting summons by the court years after the incidence. Now, for example, if a resident doctor who has come to Delhi from another state registers an individual complaint, then even after his residency is over he would have to keep travelling back to Delhi for the hearings. If it is an institutional FIR, the authorities in the hospital would be responsible. The victim might be called in just a couple of times initially for identification, etc, said Dr Sandanshiv. Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, son of former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand chief minister ND Tiwari, who filed a paternity suit against the veteran Congress politician and proved that he was his biological father, was declared dead on arrival at a Delhi hospital on Tuesday. The hospital said the cause of death can be confirmed only after a post-mortem examination. Rohit was 40 years old. Max Hospital received an emergency call from the residence of Mr. Rohit Shekhar Tiwari at 04:41 pm this afternoon. An ambulance brought Mr Tiwari to Max Hospital, Saket, where he was declared brought dead at the hospital emergency. As per established procedure, we have informed the authorities, the hospital said in a statement. A post-mortem examination will be conducted only if his family demands it, the hospital said. Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, who left for Delhi Monday morning from Haldwani, had plans to join the Congress. He was in Haldwani to cast his vote for the Lok Sabha election on April 11. He stayed with his paternal cousin, Deepak Balutia, and interacted with locals with the intention of joining the Congress. He told me about his talks with senior Congress leaders about joining the party, Balutia said, adding that Rohit Shekhar Tiwari described the Congress as his home. A lawyer by profession, he worked as an advisor to the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav from 2015 to 2017. After that, he was involved in taking care of his father until the latters death in October last year. He is survived by his mother and wife.ND Tiwari had not married Rohits mother Ujjwala before his birth. He filed a paternity suit claiming ND Tiwari to be his biological father in 2012. A DNA test confirmed his claim. In 2014, ND Tiwari married Ujjwala. Delhis iconic new structure, the Signature Bridge, has almost choked the citys lifeline, the river Yamuna. Five months after the bridge was inaugurated on November 8, 2018 the debris dumped into the river to carry out the construction of the bridge has not been removed. Over time, this debris has combined with the soil and hardened, hampering the flow of water to such an extent that the entire aquatic ecosystem is now under threat, according to a spot check at the choke point by Hindustan Times, and multiple hydrogeology experts. The experts said that the obstruction under the bridge was seriously affecting the rivers flow, and if it was not removed before the 2019 monsoon, it could even alter the rivers morphology by creating new islands that will affect its flow for good. The Yamuna gets more than 75% of its water during the monsoon months and only about 25% from melting glaciers. This [obstruction] would seriously affect the rivers longitudinal connectivity with time. The flow of biota [aquatic plants and animals] would be disrupted, said Shashank Shekhar, an assistant professor of geology, with specialisation in hydrogeology, at Delhi University. As the rivers flow has been hampered, there would be less water downstream during the summer. The river would try to extract more water from the aquifers, which sustain it during the summer, to maintain the equilibrium. This would affect the water level of the aquifers. Explaining morphology, Shekhar said, the river brings loads of sediments during the monsoon. If the flow is disrupted, the river slows down and starts dropping the sediments halfway. This can lead to formation of new islands, which are not natural riverine islands, he said. While the Signature Bridge was constructed by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), the project was being overseen by the state Public Works Department (PWD). A DTTDC officer, who asked not to be named, admitted the debris had not been removed. Work regarding [the] removal of the debris under the bridge has just been initiated. The work would be completed before the monsoon arrives. We are doing it on a priority basis, he said. I will have to check how much debris is there. If there is any such debris blocking the river, it would be removed as soon as possible, said Sanjeev Kherwar, Delhis PWD secretary. The 675-metre Signature Bridge, built at a cost of 1,518.37 crore, is an eight-lane carriageway that was thrown open in November 2018 to connect north and northeast Delhi and reduce the traffic burden on the Old Wazirabad Bridge. It connects the Outer Ring Road on the western bank of the Yamuna river with Wazirabad Road on the eastern side. AK Gosain, a professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and a specialist in hydrological modelling, warned that the river cannot wash off the construction debris and demolition waste on its own. If it was just the soil then the river could have washed it off naturally. But the construction and demolition waste have reduced the cross-section of the river, he said. This is a serious problem. In 2014, environment activist Vikrant Tongad moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) urging that an environment clearance of the Signature Bridge project and its impacts on the river should be conducted. On the orders of the NGT, the assessment study was done by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and clearance issued in 2017. This kind of debris is a violation of the environment clearance. The NGTs landmark judgment of Maili se Nirmal Yamuna also prohibits dumping of any debris or solid waste in the river or its floodplains. Such activities would hamper the rivers ecological flow and disturb the aquatic life, Tongad said. Experts say that if the flow of a river is obstructed and its biotic life affected, it would take a toll on Yamunas health. A healthy river is always better for the sustenance of a city through which it is flowing. It is always better to have a healthy river with life in it than a dead drain in which aquatic life has almost vanished, said Shekhar. A 20-year-old man who was to be married next month, first lost his leg and then his life after being pulled down from a moving train by a mobile phone snatcher in west Delhis Mayapuri on Friday night, police said. Relatives of Roshan Kumar, the victim, said he was speaking to his fiancee at the door of the passenger train when the snatcher struck. Dinesh Kumar Gupta, deputy commissioner of police (Railways), said that Kumar lost his right leg when he fell, and died on Monday night of the multiple other injuries he had suffered in the incident. Before his death, Kumar and his uncle had told us that they could identify the snatcher. We showed them many photographs of local criminals, but we havent been able to make a breakthrough yet, said the DCP, adding that the section pertaining to culpable homicide not amounting to murder was being added to the first information report. Kumar, a welder, lived with his relatives in Dhankot village of Gurugram, while his parents stayed in Nawada in Bihar. He had been engaged in November and was to be married on May 18, said his uncle Tulsi Ravidas who was witness to the crime. His aunts, uncles and grandparents who lived with him in Dhankot were going to Nawada for the preparations. We were travelling in a passenger train to New Delhi railway station to drop them off, said Ravidas. It was a crowded train and Roshan received a call from his fiancee. He wasnt able to speak to her clearly, so he moved to the door and stood holding a pole. The train had passed the Delhi Cantonment railway station and was passing through Mayapuri Phase 1 when the snatcher struck at around 10.45 pm. There were five to six men standing outside the train. Roshan had barely spoken to his fiancee for two minutes when one of the men suddenly climbed the train, snatched at his mobile phone. While the man tried to escape by getting off the train, Roshan too was pulled down with him and fell under the train, said Ravidas. Ravidas and others pulled the emergency chain of the train and brought it to a stop. The train stopped nearly a kilometre later. Roshan had suffered injuries to his head and lower body, but was conscious, said another of Roshans uncles Rupesh. The victims mobile phone was gone and his wallet containing 8,000 too was missing, said an investigator. Rupesh alleged that onlookers had gathered, but no one helped the victim for almost 10 minutes after the fall. One man was kind enough to pick the severed leg and hand it over to us in a polythene cover, said Rupesh.The family took him in an e-rickshaw to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he was admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU). He died at around 11 pm on Monday. Several medical aspirants from the state, who received their hall tickets on Tuesday for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), were allotted examination centres far away from their homes. Many students from Washim and Akola districts, who picked Akola as their preferred centre, were allotted a centre in Akole city of Ahmednagar district around 410km away from Akola. Faiz Anwar Yunus Khan, an aspirant from Washim, said that though he and some of his friends got the examination centre in Akole, some were correctly allotted centres in Akola. It takes around eight and a half hours to reach the examination centre from my home, he said. Students from the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) also complained about not being allotted their preferred choice of centres. I have received numerous calls from students complaining about the examination centres allotted to them. It wasnt a problem until this year, said Muzaffar Khan, a medical education counsellor from Thane. This is the first time that NEET will be conducted by a new agency. Until Last year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had this responsibility. NEET is the nationwide examination for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical and dental courses. The examination will be held on May 5, between 2 and 5 pm. The agency had offered a choice of 18 cities in Maharashtra for examination centres, including Akola, Ahmednagar, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane. While registering for the examination, the students could select four of these cities, in their order of preference. Some candidates in the city and their parents are also unhappy about their centres. My child was allotted a centre in New Panvel, even though we a resident of Dadar and had opted for Mumbai as the first choice for centre. As it is the examination day is a stressful time for students and there are risks with travelling long distances, said a parent. The aspirants have complained about other issues as well in their admission tickets. The names of my mother and father have been swapped. I have written a complaint e-mail to the concerned agency, said Vedant Somani, an aspirant from Barshi (Solapur). Actor Anushka Sharma along with husband Virat Kohli played the perfect host to IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore along with MS Dhoni and others present at the dinner. The Zero actor looked stunning in a combination of a blue top and white skirt with interesting silhouettes and pleats. She kept her hair open and accessorised with a watch. The minimal look is perfect for a summer evening, a weekend brunch and even comfortable travel wear. The couple looked radiant in pictures circulating across social media. Recently, Anushka Sharma was spotted at the airport with husband Virat Kohli in another great casual outfit composed of a mesh top and khakhi pants. She completed the monochrome outfit with a pair of light sunglasses and accessorised with a gold watch. The look has the perfect colour for the summer season and is great for a casual outing. Actor Anushka Sharmas style has always been a mix of contemporary and classic. While the actor looked ethereal in traditional wear by designers like Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra over the years, she also nailed the edgy pantsuit, gowns and casual wear like a pro. She has never hesitated in trying new silhouettes and patterns and her airport looks and public appearances are proof that the actor keeps experimenting with a range of style and fashion statements. Be it monochrome or colours, the gorgeous actor has it all covered in style and how. Her shirt dresses, matching separates, oversized bags and refreshing neutral summer make-up makes the actor stand out among her contemporaries. Clearly, less is more for Anushka Sharma and we love it. Anushka Sharmas recent top 5 looks: Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter From classic traditional wear to street style, Sara Ali Khan style is relatable and effortless. So far, we have seen the Simmba actor have a girl-next-door appeal as well as the perfect muse for traditional wear. The millennial style icon is currently on a vacation in New York with friends and the pictures are absolute travel goals. Unlike India, Sara has a completely different avatar in NYC in puffer jackets, fur jackets, brights uggs, casual sweatshirts and laidback sweatpants. Her no-make look is refreshing and the latest photographs are proof the actor can pull-off literally anything. In one of her looks, she paired a minimal monsoon half jacket with wide red pants and a graphic printed top. She kept her hair neat with a ponytail. Sara also sported summer dresses, giving SS 2019 trend goals for her followers. Sara Ali Khan doesnt shy away from exploring new trends like neons, sequins, flared trousers, multi-coloured ensembles, bold jewellery and overall, an original look. She is gorgeous and her elegant demeanour speaks of her royal lineage but the most significant trait that puts her above the rest is her free-spirited self that we all got to see on talk shows, interviews and events. The millennial style icon is as real as it gets and she exudes newness, untamed charm and she seems like one of us. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter People who regularly use cannabis may require more than two times the usual level of sedation when undergoing medical procedures, warns a new study. Some of the sedative medications have dose-dependent side effects, meaning the higher the dose, the greater likelihood for problems, said lead researcher Mark Twardowski from Western Medical Associates in Colorado, US. That becomes particularly dangerous when suppressed respiratory function is a known side effect, Twardowski added. For the study, the researchers in Colorado examined the medical records of 250 patients who received endoscopic procedures after 2012, when the state legalised recreational cannabis. Patients who smoked or ingested cannabis on a daily or weekly basis required 14 per cent more fentanyl, 20 per cent more midazolam, and 220 per cent more propofol to achieve optimum sedation for routine procedures, including colonoscopy, showed the findings published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Cannabis has some metabolic effects we dont understand and patients need to know that their cannabis use might make other medications less effective. Were seeing some problematic trends anecdotally, and there is virtually no formal data to provide a sense of scale or suggest any evidence-based protocols, Twardowski said. Cannabis use in the United States increased 43 per cent between 2007 and 2015. An estimated 13.5 per cent of the adult population used cannabis during this period, with the greatest increase recorded among people 26 and older, according to the study. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Guava Island Director - Hiro Murai Cast - Donald Glover, Rihanna, Letitia Wright, Nonso Anozie Rating - 4/5 A year after it was reported that Donald Glover and Rihanna were working on a secret project together in Cuba, the results are ready to be shown to the world. Guava Island isnt the duet album that many wouldve expected, nor is it a concert documentary. Its a narrative film - at 55 minutes barely long enough to be called a feature - that adds to the aura of Glovers alter ego, Childish Gambino, and reasserts his stature as one of Americas foremost creative artistes. Guava Island, on the surface, appears to be just the sort of passion project that is afforded to filmmakers after massive early success, but upon further inspection reveals itself to be a densely layered work of art. Watch a clip from Guava Island here Glover and his Atlanta director Hiro Murai (who makes his feature debut with Guava Island) present their very unique brand of social and cultural criticism, wrapped as always in a (distractingly) vibrant package. In Atlanta, they swept away the superficiality that is usually associated with hip-hop, and told a realistic story about what it is like to be a black man in America. Guava Island peels back the layers of artifice that have obscured the worlds vision of the USA, and reveals the ugly truth inside. Unexpectedly but appropriately, Guava Island is a companion piece to Jordan Peeles recent horror picture, Us - dense with symbolism and metaphor. Its a fable of sorts, about gods and mortals, love and war. A very, very long time ago, long before the birds, cars, and even coffee beans, the seven gods of the seven lands created the duelling truths: love and war, Rihannas character says in the films animated opening segment, before adding, rather sagely, but wherever there is love, war will follow. The gods then decided that humans would need a place away from these elements - a small island, in the centre of the world - and they called it Guava. And it is on this mystical island that our story takes place. Attracted by the islands magical qualities, the Red family took over its resources, and its people, subjecting them to a lifetime of servitude. Everyone on the island is made to work in some capacity for the evil corporation, and forced to wear red uniforms; their identity and culture wiped clean. And along comes Deni, a messiah figure of sorts, played by Glover. He is a musician - an artistic, creative rebuke to everything that the Red family stands for. The film spends a day in the life of Deni; his story is told with tragic, almost genius parallels to Ryan Cooglers Fruitvale Station. But Guava Island successfully veils its darkness - much like how the Red family buries the islanders inherent creativity - by breaking out into regular musical numbers. Perhaps one of the most forceful moments of the film is when Glovers character launches into a provocative takedown of his country. America is a concept, he says to a factory co-worker with aspirations of emigrating there one day; To get rich, you have to make someone else richer. And then Glover erupts into a reprisal of his groundbreaking 2018 song, This is America, set to the clashing and clanging beats of factory equipment, his iconic dancing exuding an almost warlike intensity. This reminded me of Us We are Americans scene. Like Peeles film, Guava Island also uses visual motifs to great effect - the colours red and blue, in particular, perhaps signify the duality of American politics - and deep symbolism - Nonso Anozies villainous character surrounds himself with caged birds, while Deni is often likened to a free spirit. Both films are concerned with the idea of freedom - while Us used the potent image of Lupita Nyongo in chains to invoke imagery of slavery, the residents of Guava Island are often seen in queues, sequestered, and controlled en masse. We live in paradise, Deni says, but none of us actually have the means to live here. There are grand, humanist ideas at work here, conveyed ironically with the help of Amazon Prime. Although it is similar in ambition to Beyonces Lemonade - a stunning visual album released as a 65-minute film on HBO - Guava Islands summery vibe is more in line with Lana Del Reys Tropico, an allegorical 30 minute film about sin and redemption. Its the sort of obscure gem that needs to be championed. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar Scientists at DESY and the London Centre for Nanotechnology, at University College London, have developed a new method for examining the astonishing properties of a special class of iridium oxides known as iridates. The team of principal author Pavel Alexeev, from the Dynamics Beamline P01 at DESYs X-ray source PETRA III, is presenting the procedure in the journal Scientific Reports. Many oxides belonging to certain groups of transition metals (chemical elements with an incomplete d electron shell) are known for their exotic magnetic and electronic properties. These can be attributed qualitatively to a range of interactions between the charge of the electrons, their magnetic moment, their localization within the crystals and their atomic orbitals. The relative strengths of the various interactions determine whether an oxide is magnetic, an insulator, an electrical conductor or even a superconductor. The so-called 4d and 5d transitions metals are particularly interesting in this respect. The properties of many of these oxides can be specifically adjusted by applying external electric or magnetic fields, or exerting pressure on the material. This makes them interesting for numerous applications in micro- and nanoelectronics, for data storage and information processing. Such behaviour is particularly pronounced in the oxides of 5d transition metals, such as tantalum, tungsten, osmium and iridium. The oxides of iridium are especially remarkable because they lose their magnetisation when subjected to pressure, and even under normal conditions develop unexpected magnetic structures. Although some of their properties have been known for quite a while, efforts to explain this behaviour are still in their infancy. This makes it all the more important to develop methods that provide detailed insights into such materials. A particularly suitable and extremely sensitive method of studying the electronic and magnetic properties of solids is nuclear resonant scattering (NRS) using synchrotron radiation. This method uses the nuclei of the atoms of certain isotopes as local probes for the materials properties. In view of its numerous possible applications, specialised measuring stations have been set up for this purpose on the P01 beamline at PETRA III, which are used by many scientists from all over the world every year. Among other things, the method allows the orientation of atomic magnetic moments to be determined with great accuracy. NRS therefore complements other X-ray techniques and in contrast to neutron techniques makes it possible to study small samples, for example when used on samples subject to high pressure. In this experiment, NRS was employed for the first time to study the magnetic properties of iridiums (Ir) oxides. The method uses the isotope 193Ir as a probe for the magnetic properties of the iridium atoms in the sample, making this the first time that this isotope was used for NRS. Expanding the NRS technique to a new isotope opens up a completely new field of application in a range of different research areas, says Hans-Christian Wille, the scientist in charge of the P01 beamline. The relatively high transition energy of 73 kilo-electronvolts found in this isotope presented a challenge, since the intensity of the photons and the efficiency of the detector both drop sharply as the photon energy increases. Designing an efficient X-ray optical system and a new, fast detector were therefore crucial to the success of the experiment. The present study looked especially at those oxides of iridium having what is known as a perovskite structure. These include strontium-iridium oxide Sr 2 IrO 4 , a prominent example of the new class of so-called spin-orbit Mott insulators. In terms of its magnetisation and electronic structure, this oxide is very similar to lanthanum cuprate La 2 CuO 4 , the starting compound for many high-temperature superconductors. For this reason, a careful study of Sr 2 IrO 4 might afford insights into the origins of and mechanism behind high-temperature conductivity in cuprates. The Hyderabad police on Wednesday registered a case against a popular theatre actor for allegedly asking a 21-year-old female student to remove her clothes as part of the course at his theatre workshop. According to the complaint lodged by the woman with the Narayanaguda police, she had been attending classes in acting and dancing for the last two weeks at Sutradhar, a theatre group and acting school at Himayatnagar. The school was run by Vinay Varma, a reputed theatre artiste in Hyderabad. On April 15, I went to the workshop at Sutradhar Theatre in the morning. As classes were going on, Varma asked us to close the doors and windows and then asked us to remove our clothes. Everybody was shocked and could not say anything. There was only one more girl in the class and the others were boys and all of them obliged. However, I strongly resisted, the woman told reporters after lodging the complaint. She said Varma got angry when she questioned why she should remove her clothes. He shouted at us saying whoever was not willing to do what he said, would be thrown out. While the others obliged, I came out and decided to lodge a complaint, the woman said. When contacted, Varma admitted that he had asked the students to remove their clothes, but had never insisted that it was compulsory. I did not ask them to become completely nude but only asked them to take off their shirts or upper clothes. It was part of the acting workshop, which has been going on for several years. This was only to make them act according to the given situations. It never turned into a controversy in the past, he explained. He said when the woman made it a big issue at the workshop he had asked her to drop out from the acting workshop and had even offered to return her fee. But she got offended and I understand her feelings. She lodged a complaint with the police. Now I will explain my stand in court, Varma said. The Narayanguda police registered a case against Varma under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (insulting the modesty of a woman) and have taken up the investigation. Sutradhar theatre group has been staging shows and training actors for the last two decades. Varma, who shot to fame with his popular drama Main Rahi Masoom, has also acted in several films in character roles. Authorities conducted search at a store in the Theni Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night following inputs about suspected cash, during which police had to open fire in the air to disperse supporters of the TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK who objected to the action, officials said. The raiding team, comprising officials of the Election Commission-appointed surveillance squad and the income tax department, seized bundles of cash allegedly meant for distribution among voters, they said. When the team arrived at the store in Andipatti in Theni district, believed to be run by a supporter of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), the shopkeeper fled the spot after downing the shutter. Soon, an argument broke out between AMMK workers and the officials which resulted in a commotion and police fired four rounds in the air, they said. No one was injured in the firing, a senior official said. Four AMMK volunteers were detained in connection with the incident. The officials said a number of neatly packed packets containing cash. The packets have ward numbers and number of voters written on them and 300 is written on each of the packets. The raid is continuing, the senior official said. Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 18. Earlier, the Election Commission countermanded election to the Vellore parliamentary constituency on charges of illegal cash being used to lure voters there. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) The Andaman and Nicobar police have moved a local court seeking letters of request to a US court seeking their assistance in getting two American citizens to join the investigation into John Allen Chaus murder in November last year. A reclusive and endangered Sentinelese tribe killed Chau, an American citizen, when he ventured onto the forbidden North Sentinel Island. We have approached our local court. Prima facie, the two persons appear to have facilitated Chaus visit to the island. We want to question them, said Andaman and Nicobar police chief Dependra Pathak. The North Sentinel Island is home to the about 40-200 Sentinelese . Chau had bribed local fishermen to take him near the island from where he swam across to the prohibited island. Police retrieved Chaus handwritten notes saying he was going to the island to introduce Christianity. Police have registered two first information reports in the case. The first case is related to Chaus murder while another is against him and others for violating Indian laws by entering the prohibited island. An officer said that investigations have revealed a 54-year-old woman from Tennessee and a 25-year-old man from Colorado had come to Andaman and held meetings with Chau between November 5 and 10 in Port Blair. The two were from ALL NATIONS, a group set up to build churches in the remote corners of the world. We have handwritten notes of Chau, where he has made the mention of the two US nationals. One of the arrested persons, Alexander has also confirmed the two American citizens were part of the meetings held at Alexanders house to discuss Chaus visit. HT emailed ALL NATIONS seeking a comment. But until late Wednesday night, there was no response. Another officer privy to the investigation, who did not wish to be named, said their investigation revealed the two left Andaman on November 10 a day before Chaus first trip to the island. Chaus plan was to go on November 11 but it was postponed because of a cyclone. We suspect that there were many others from ALL NATIONS who knew and helped Chau violate laws and enter the forbidden island. In the second grenade attack in south Kashmirs Pulwama in two days, a Central Reserve Police Force constable was injured on Wednesday after suspected militants lobbed a grenade towards a CRPF camp at Tral Awantipora. Police said militants fired a grenade from an under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) towards the CRPFs 180 Battalion camp at Nowdal area of Tral. A UBGL is a weapon accessory that is fitted below the barrel of a gun and fires a grenade in a trajectory. The grenade attack came on the eve of the second phase of the general elections, in which Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in central Kashmir goes to the polls. An official at the police control room in Awantipora said the grenade exploded outside the camp, injuring a CRPF constable. Shiv Parshad received minor splinter injuries, he said, adding that the constable was immediately shifted to a hospital. On Tuesday, unidentified persons hurled a grenade towards the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in Tral area of Awantipora. Fortunately, it caused no damage. The grenade exploded outside the house of NC leader, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, moments after a meeting between party workers and the NC Lok Sabha candidate from Anantnag, Hasnain Masoodi, had concluded. The polls for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat in south Kashmir will be held in three phases on April 23, 29 and May 6. The CRPF was targeted in a major terrorist attack on February 14, with a suicide bomber ramming his car into a bus carrying the troopers in Pulwama district. At least 40 CRPF troopers lost their lives in the attack. After the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack, tensions between India and Pakistan had flared, culminating in air skirmishes along the border and the Balakot strike deep inside Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday fired a salvo at both Pakistan and the Congress party while addressing a rally at Surendranagar in Gujarats Saurashtra region. In his address, Modi said, Our neighbor (Pakistan)... export of terrorism is its only occupation. The countrys condition deteriorated due to the indecisiveness of the Congress government. One after another problems sprang up, but they could not offer any solution. We changed the policies and went ahead with conviction. Today, in Jammu and Kashmir, we take action against those who try to ignite the fire. He added, Earlier, Pakistani terrorists used to come and go. Pakistan used to threaten us, it used to say we have a nuclear bomb and we will press the button. I want to say we have double the nuclear capacity. I say (to Pakistan), do whatever you can. He further said, Earlier, India used to cry foul to the world whenever Pakistan threatened us. But now Pakistan will cry. Didnt our soldiers attack them inside their homes? You tell me, should we break into the houses and beat them or should we sit idle? Shouldnt we take revenge for each and every martyr soldier? Addressing the crowd, Modi added, Today is Mahavir Jayanti. Today we should celebrate peace. But when can we have peace? You need to show your power to maintain peace in the world. If you are weak, then no one will let you be in peace. Lashing out at the Congress, PM Modi said, Congress calls Indias army chief a street goon. It calls the air chief a liar. Dont you think such talk will make Pakistan happy? The Congress is asking for proof of the air-strike. Now, do you have faith in Indian soldiers or in the Pakistans statements?. Delivering a nearly 20-minute long speech in Gujarati, Modi said, You need a strong leadership to run the country. The country needs majboot (strong) government and not majboor (helpless) government. The Congress partys special adviser (Sam Pitroda), who frequently comes from the US, made a statement - middle class is selfish. It should be taxed to run the country. The Congress plans to break the back of the middle class. On the other side, the BJP has increased the income tax exemption limit to 5 lakh, Modi said. Personal enmity led to the murder of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) leader Ajay Salaria in Punjab, the police said as it ruled out a terror angle. Salaria, 30, of Gurdaspur districts Jagatpur village was killed in an attack with sharp-edged weapons and firearms at Adda Purana Shalla locality on April 5. At a press conference, Gurdaspur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Swarndeep Singh said Rakesh Masih alias Geshi was arrested at a toll plaza at Gharaunda in Haryanas Karnal district on Monday, while two of the accused Dharminder alias Meeta and Sandeep Kumar alias Prince had surrendered at a Gurdaspur court on April 12. The fourth accused Manpreet Singh alias Manni who had helped the alleged killers in fleeing the spot on his motorcycle was arrested on April 7. All the accused are in their twenties. The SSP said the police recovered a country made pistol, two sickles and a motorcycle that were used in the crime from the accused. The pistol with four cartridges was recovered from Rakesh Masih, while a sickle was recovered from Dharminder and Sandeep. A case under IPC sections 302,148 and 149, and sections 25, 54 and 59 of Arms Act (later added sections 216 and 120-B of the IPC) was registered against five persons. Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya has extended his sympathies to Naresh Goyal, the founder of crisis-hit Jet Airways, as he questioned the Centre for bailing out ailing Air India, saying that being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination. In a series of tweets, Mallya also reiterated his offer to pay 100 percent back the money he owes to the banks. Mallya expressed his solidarity with Naresh Goyal, who has stepped down from the board of the airline and on Tuesday pulled out of bidding, deciding not to try to retake control of the airline that he ran until last month. The development came after some of the prospective investors objected to his entry. Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why? Mallya asked on Twitter. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination (sic), he tweeted. Mallya, once known as the king of good times, is facing charges in India of financial irregularities amounting to over 9,000 crore. He has been putting forth his version of events through social media in recent weeks, most recently on March 31. He has reiterated inside and outside the court that he is willing to repay the loans, wondering why authorities in India have not been taking up his offer to settle. Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 percent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the U.K. to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why dont Banks take the money I offered first ? (sic), he said on Wednesday. The businessman flew to the UK in March 2016 as a consortium of banks owed 9,000 crore by his defunct Kingfisher Airlines closed in on him to recover the money. In India, he has been declared a fugitive economic offender. Mallya has filed a renewal application in the appeals court of the high court in the United Kingdom and sought an oral hearing for permission to appeal against the February 4 order of the home secretary to extradite him to India. Mallya had five working days to apply for an oral hearing since April 5, when Justice William Davis refused permission on the basis of his written application and the responses received from the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service. The renewal application will now be listed in the high court based on its schedule in the coming days and weeks, officials said. The Catholic priest in Goa, who warned people against voting for the BJP, called the partys president Amit Shah a devil and blamed former chief minister Manohar Parrikars cancer on the wrath of god, has apologised after a probe by the Election Commission against him. The Bharatiya Janata Party had approached the poll body seeking action against Fr Conceicao da Silva, saying he was creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party and a specific religion. Acting on a complaint filed by the BJP, the district election officer has censured da Silva in an order and advised him to confine himself to his priestly duties as per customs and traditions. This office has received a complaint about hate speech by the parish priest of Our Lady of Snows Church Raia, Salcete Additional District Magistrate Agnelo Fernandes Agnelo Fernandes has conducted an inquiry in the matter. The parish priest has admitted that he had made such a statement the order read. Also read: Goa priest blames Parrikars cancer on wrath of god, BJP demands probe South Goa district electoral officer Ajit Roy has said the priest has also regretted his statement and apologised for hurting the sentiments of the people. The priest has tendered his unconditional apology, the apology has been accepted and has been strongly warned not to repeat such things in the future and has been advised to confine himself to his priestly duties as per customs and traditions, failing which strict action will be taken by law, Roy said. In an undated recording which surfaced on social media, Fr Conceicao da Silva is heard saying that those who earn the wrath of God are always punished. Referring to the allegedly unheeded protests against coal dust at Goas port town of Vasco da Gama over the last two years, the priest said that the decision to continue coal handling led to Parrikars suffering. For 500 years when the Portuguese were here, Hindus, Christians and Muslims lived as brothers. Isnt it? But when the BJP party came, they caused divisions. They have one Amit Shah -- a big devil. Thousands of Muslim youth were burned. A member of Parliament was burnt when Modi was the chief minister (of Gujarat). This is the BJP party, the priest is also heard saying. The Election Commission has also given a humble call to all religious leaders, sect priests, community leaders and others in Goa to refrain from making hate speech or any aggressive statements which had the potential to communal and caste feelings and making any appeal on caste or communal feelings. Earlier, the office of Goas archbishop issued a statement regretting the statement, saying priests are advised not to mention in public any names of candidates or of political parties. It is a matter of regret that, nonetheless, there are a few instances when this particular advice is not followed. The concerned priest, in this case, has been cautioned to refrain from making such statements. We sincerely regret any pain or hurt that these statements may have caused, the archdiocese said in a statement. A day after being repatriated from Pakistan, Indian fishermen recalled tales of horror and how they lost the hope of returning to India when a war-like situation emerged between the neighbouring countries in the aftermath of Pulwama attack. One hundred fishermen, who were arrested for trespassing into Pakistani waters and violating international maritime borders, were repatriated from Pakistan via Attari-Wagha border on Monday evening. They were kept in Amritsars Red Cross Bhawan, from where they would be leaving for Gujarat on Wednesday. The released fishermen say they were confined to barracks after Pulwama attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy, in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed. I along with 43 other fishermen was arrested by Pakistani coast guards for entering into the neighbouring countrys territory in December 2017. We were lodged in a Karachi jail in Pakistan. There were around 500 Indian prisoners in the jail. In February, when the war-like situation emerged, all Indian prisoners were confined to three different barracks. We were not allowed to come out of the barracks even for a minute, said Rohit, 40, of Gir Somnath district in Gujrat. Another fisherman Mukesh, 20, said, In February, the jail officials told us that a war has broken out between India and Pakistan and thus we were to be confined to barracks until the situation normalises. After hearing this, some of us had lost the hope of returning to our country. We prayed for peace between the countries. Earlier, the jail officials used to tell us that we would be released soon. But after the situation escalated in February, no one told us anything about our release. When we were released on Saturday, we did not take it seriously as we had lost any hope of returning to our country, said Bharat, 23. Another fisherman Dhanu, 45, said, We are very happy that finally we are in our country. As there is no clear demarcation in the Arabian Sea, we totally rely on the GPRS system in boats. But sometimes it too fails and we inadvertently cross the border. The government of both the countries should have a pact to release fishermen immediately on crossing the border by mistake. Most of the fishermen do not own boats and work on salary ranging between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month. We are forced to do the same work after returning to Gujrart as there is no other source of income in our area, said a fisherman. The repatriated fishermen are of the second batch of the total 360 Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jail. On last Monday, Pakistan had repatriated 100 fishermen in the first batch. Pakistan had announced to set free the prisoners in four batches. Third batch of 100 fishermen will be repatriated on April 22 and the fourth batch of 55 fishermen and 5 civilians will be released on April 29. In a faux pas, the Punjab government put an image of Gautam Buddha instead of Lord Mahavir in an advertisement published in newspapers on Wednesday to greet people on Mahavir Jayanti. The advertisement, which appeared in all leading English and vernacular dailies in the state, infuriated members of the Jain community who accused the state government of hurting their religious sentiments. They demanded an apology and another advertisement with the correct photo. The state government had issued the advertisement to greet people on the birth anniversary of 24th Jain Tirthankara, an apostle of truth, non-violence and righteousness. Mahavir Sewa Sansthan president Rakesh Jain expressed shock over the mistake. We do not have anything against Gautam Buddha, but the picture is inappropriate, he said, adding, The advertisement has been a regular feature since 2007. It was I who requested the then Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government to issue the advertisement every year, but there has never been such a grave error. A meeting of members of the Jain community was held at Guru Nanak Bhawan in Ludhiana to discuss the issue. Vishwa Jain Sangthan state coordinator Dr Sandeep K Jain also shot off a letter to chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh, on the issue. When contacted, information and public relations secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said he was not aware of the ad. Director, public relations, Anindita Mitra did not respond to calls and SMSes to her. Other officials also refused to comment. An investigation into a suspected 2.5 lakh crore corruption case involving a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) contract with RasGas Company Limited of Qatar, which was raised in Parliament in 2012 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power, has found no evidence of wrongdoing, prompting the government to close the case. The government decided that no further inquiry is called for in the matter an internal committee set up by the oil ministry found nothing amiss in the contract, and on the advice of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the matter has been closed, an oil ministry spokesman said. The oil ministry constituted the internal committee under its additional secretary & financial adviser (AS&FA) in November 2012 to investigate the deal after the matter was raised in the parliament on December 1, 2011.Other member of the panel was the director general of the ministrys Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH). Lok Sabha member Vilas Baburao Muttemwar had raised the matter in the house. Whether attention of the Government has been drawn to the alleged 2.5 lakh crore Liquefied Natural Gas scam? he asked the oil ministry. Giving him a reply in writing, the then minister of state in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, RPN Singh, said that the matter was under examination. Muttemwar had been the minister of state for new and renewable energy in the first term of the UPA government. The allegation was that Qatar-based RasGas Company Ltd, which merged with Qatargas in January 2018, had been contracted to supply high-value, rich gas to the Indian firm Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), but had been supplying relatively low-value, lean gas that caused material loss to the buyer. Giving details of the panels findings, the oil ministry spokesperson said: For change in gas specifications from rich to lean gas, the committee mentioned that (there is) no authoritative data to conclusively point that there could have been a price differential between rich and lean gas in (the) market. The committee suggested separate handling of rich gas to lean gas instead of co-mingling. The findings of the committee were examined in the ministry and it was decided that no further inquiry is called for in the matter. Further, a copy of the inquiry report was sent to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) by vigilance department of the ministry. CVC advised the ministry to allow the matter to rest. In view of this, the matter has been closed, the spokesperson said in a written reply to queries from Hindustan Times. The ministry did not provide specific details on this matter. PLL did not respond to an email query. According to oil sector experts, rich gas is more valuable than lean gas. While lean gas is primarily made up of methane (C1) that is used as a fuel, rich gas also has other hydrocarbon components including ethane (C2), propane (C3) and butane (C4) and is used for value-added products such as petrochemicals and cooking gas (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG). According to the website of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), rich gas contains five or six gallons or more of recoverable liquid hydrocarbons per thousand cubic feet. Lean gas contains less than 1 gallon of recoverable liquid hydrocarbons per thousand cubic feet. PLL, which had been sourcing about 7.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from RasGas, first negotiated the deal in 1998-99. While, PLL is a private company, the oil secretary is the chairman of its board, and it is promoted by four public sector oil companies, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), GAIL India Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). An oil and gas sector expert, who was part of the negotiating team, confirmed that the original deal had been signed for supply of rich gas. Besides fuel, rich gas supply would have helped our petrochemical plants, which would have economic value, the expert, who was once chairman of a state-run energy firm, said on condition of anonymity. Another expert, who was also a member of the negotiating team, said on condition of anonymity that the deal for rich gas had been signed as promoters of state-run energy companies and promoters of PLL wanted it to be used for manufacturing petrochemicals. PLL imported LNG from Qatar at a fixed price of $2.533 per unit (per million metric British thermal unit or mmBtus) for the first five years. Later, the gas price was linked to the market price. According to a government statement issued on February 26, 2009, PLL signed a contract with RasGas, Qatar in July 1999 for import of 7.5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) for a period of 25 years. As per the contract, supply of 5 mmtpa LNG commenced in 2004 and the supply of balance 2.5 mmtpa LNG was scheduled to commence in the last quarter of 2009. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This week on Grand Tamasha, Milan Vaishnav (Director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) sits down with the new Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) to the Government of India, Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian. Milan had talked with Subramanian at the Georgetown University India Ideas Conference, hosted by the Georgetown India Initiative in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). In his first official visit to Washington, Subramanian speaks with Milan about Indias macro-economic fundamentals, the status of Indias twin balance sheet challenge, and the road map for Indias Goods and Services Tax (GST). They also discuss the new wave of minimum income support schemes cropping up across India and their impact on the fiscal deficit. FICCI President Sandip Somany also joined Milan and Subramanian for the conversation. They also took questions from a live audience. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have approached the Election Commission against the release of a Bengali movie the two parties allege is a thinly veiled biopic of chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The Bengali film, titled Baghini Bengal Tigress, tells the story a girls rise to the position of a chief minister after overcoming political foes in a manner that is allegedly strikingly similar to Banerjees life, who fought the Left Front for three decades before wresting power in a historic victory in 2011. The films makers said they originally planned to release the movie ahead of the 2016 state assembly polls but now have scheduled it for May 3, three days ahead of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. With teasers of the movie already out, the CPI-M alleged it was a Mamata Banerjee biopic. The party submitted a memorandum to the EC, seeking a stay on its release till the elections finish. The BJP has also written to the poll watchdog. We have submitted a letter to the EC and the Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal requesting them to review the film Baghini before it is released on May 3 on similar lines that was done by the EC in the case of another biopic depicting Narendra Modi, said BJP Bengal state committee member Shishir Bajoria, one of the signatories of the letter. The makers of the movie insist that it is not a biopic as name of the protagonist, played by threatre actor Ruma Chakraborty, is Indira Banerjee. The Special Task Force (STF) of state police on late Tuesday night arrested all the four accused, including three policemen, in the case of robbery that was carried out on April 4, using the official car of Inspector General (IG), Garhwal range. The arrests were made after five days of the case being registered. The three accused policemen, including an inspector and two constables, robbed a Dehradun-based property dealer, Anurodh Pawar, of about 1 crore. They took the IGs car and posed as officials carrying out checks to ensure that model code of conduct (MCC) was being followed during polls. All the four accused, including one property dealer Anupam Sharma, inspector Dinesh Singh Negi and two constables, Manoj Adhikari and Himanshu Upadhyay, were arrested on Tuesday late evening, said Ashok Kumar, director general, law and order. On the night of April 4, Anurodh Pawar met Sharma to receive the payment. Pawar, after receiving the payment from Sharma, was allegedly waylaid by the three cops while he was on his way home in his car. The three took the bag from him citing checking under MCC. Officials of Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday said that the accused trader and the inspector had conspired to carry out the robbery as Sharma had to make a payment to Anurodh Pawar for a land deal, and he was not willing to do so. During the investigation, evidence, including CCTV footages, were found against the four. They were thoroughly interrogated by the police and arrested, said an STF official. When Pawar inquired about the money with the I-T department the next day, the department denied seizing any such amount. Pawar then lodged a complaint against Sharma and the three policemen on April 9. Over 60 people were killed and crops damaged after rain, thunderstorm and lightning hit parts of north, west and central India at the start of a summer in which such extreme weather events could be fairly common, officials and experts said on Wednesday. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat took the maximum hit due to the change in weather over Monday and Tuesday, while residents in Delhi experienced intermittent showers and strong winds that brought down the temperature by up to 10 degrees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains in various parts of the country, his office tweeted. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said. Modi approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those killed, the PMO said, adding that the government also approved Rs 50,000 each for the injured. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a warning for thunderstorms, hail and lightning in parts of north and northeast India. It added that fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, northeast Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the next 24 hours. There is no forecast for any western disturbance in the next seven days, except for one on April 22, which will only affect Jammu and Kashmir. Western disturbances are cyclonic circulations which originate over the Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea and Black Sea, and move eastwards across north India and bring precipitation when the weather system reaches the Himalayas. During the winter, parts of north India, including Delhi, experienced 18 western disturbances many of which brought rain and a sudden drop in temperature as opposed to the average five to six western disturbances that the region experiences in an average winter season. The weather department also predicted a higher-than-normal number and intensity of heat waves this summer. This will, in turn, make conditions favourable for intense dust storms and thunderstorms, which will bring down the temperatures for a brief period in northwest India in April and May. High temperatures in Delhi and northwest India, particularly Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, induced the recent thunderstorms, said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet Weather. On April 15, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. It fell to 30.7 degrees Celsius six degrees below normal on Wednesday after the thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday. There are four parameters important for thunderstorm formation intense heat, availability of moisture, instability of atmosphere and a cyclonic circulation. Heating this year may be one of the factors in favour of storms, but there will be thunderstorms only if there is adequate moisture. There will be dust storms where there is no moisture, said M Mohapatra, director general of meteorology at IMD. He added that the temperature will be comfortable for the next two-three days and then rise significantly. Professor SK Dash of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi said, We know that warmer atmospheric conditions have increased the incidents of lightning and thunderstorms in many parts of the world. Heat plays a major role in bringing on thunderstorms. The exact mechanism of climate change induced thunderstorms is still being studied. IMD earlier said that weak El Nino conditions prevailing over the equatorial Pacific Ocean will lead to higher temperatures in northwest and central India. El Nino is a weather phenomenon characterised by warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Nino years are characterised by a weak monsoon and more episodes of heat waves. In the rain and storms triggered by this weeks western disturbance, 24 people died in Rajasthan, said disaster management, relief and civil defence department secretary Ashutosh Pednekar. Madhya Pradesh revenue secretary Manish Rastogi said, We have reports of 21 deaths due to squalls from all over the state. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, officials put the toll at 10 and three, respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, two people were killed by lightning on Wednesday. Apart from the Centre, the affected states too announced aids for the victims families. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot condoled the deaths, directing authorities to conduct a survey of losses and damages caused. The western state also announced a compensation of ?4 lakh each for the families of the victims. Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath too expressed grief over the deaths. According to the MP Congress, the state government announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the family of those killed. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani announced an aid of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased. Last year, thunderstorms claimed 166 lives in Uttar Pradesh (April-May) and 75 in Jharkhand (June-July). Dust storms killed over 150 lives in Uttar Pradesh (May) and 68 in Rajasthan (April-May). However, the national capital was largely unaffected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an election rally at Himmatnagar in Gujarat on Wednesday, said that the UPA government had tried to topple the then Gujarat government and had falsely implicated and jailed the now BJP president Amit Shah and Gujarati police officers. In an indirect reference to the alleged fake encounter cases, including the Sohrabbudin Sheikh and Ishrat Jahan, Modi said, From 2004 to 2014, a remote controlled government ruled from Delhi. And, who had this remote-control in hand?... In that 10 years didnt Delhiwale cause maximum possible loss to Gujarat? Didnt they treat Gujarat as if it was not a part of Hindustan? Didnt they falsely implicate our police officers and our Amitbhai Shah and put them behind bars? He added, Didnt they leave a single stone unturned to topple the Gujarat government? They employed every possible trick in the book to destroy Gujarat in those 10 years. Should they be given another chance? Should we give them any opportunity? And, now it is all the more problematic. Because they are out on bail. They have a problem that how can a chaiwala challenge a family whose four generations have ruled. The whole family is out on bail. In five years, I have brought them to jail gate. In 2019, I will put them behind bars. The Himmatnagar rally in north Gujarat was the second public address by the PM since the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced. All 26 seats of Gujarat will go to poll in the third phase of elections on April 23. Bringing up the issue of terrorism and the air-strike at Balakot in Pakistan, Modi said, You tell me, in the Pulwama massacre...our brave soldiers were killed. Wouldnt the Congress have used the incident to defame Modi in the entire country? But, Modi did air strike, used planes to bomb and destroy everything (at Balakot). He further said, (They) killed our soldiers in Uri. Should Modi remain silent? Does it make him comfortable? I am raised by the soil of Gujarat... this is the land of Sardar Saheb... and we did a surgical strike. Our soldiers went, destroyed them (terror camps in Pakistan) but it troubled the Congress. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suffered a setback on Wednesday with senior leader and former MP M A A Fatmi resigning from the party and announcing his intention to contest from the Madhubani seat. Fatmi resigned from the RJD after almost 30 years of association with the party. Earlier, he had joined hands with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in 1989 and made his way to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1991 from the Darbhanga parliamentary seat. I have resigned from the party with a heavy heart. I did not have any other option after I was almost shown the door when Tejaswi Prasad Yadav talked about suspending me from the party for the next six years on Tuesday. This is the treatment meted out to senior leaders like me, who have nurtured the RJD and given their prime years, Fatmi said. The former MP said he would file his nomination papers from the Madhubani parliamentary seat tomorrow, the last date of nomination for the seat going to polls in the fifth phase on May 6. Asked whether he would contest as an independent or from any other party, Fatmi said it would be evident on the following day. I may contest as an independent or on a symbol of a national party, he said. There are speculations that the former union minister, considered a big Muslim draw in the Darbhanga- Madhubani belt in north Bihar, is vying for a ticket from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Fatmi, a four time MP, had developed cold relations with the RJD top brass including opposition leader Tejaswi Prasad Yadav recently, after he was denied a ticket from the Madhubani parliamentary constituency, the seat allotted to Vikassheel Insaan Party, a small ally of the grand alliance. Once considered close to the RJD chief, Fatmi had tried to put pressure on the RJD leadership especially Tejaswi and Lalu to allot him a ticket by withdrawing the seat from VIP having given an ultimatum that the party should take a call by April 17. But, Tejaswi on Tuesday rejected Fatmis ultimatum saying the senior leader did not have a natural claim on the seat and cannot seek it as his birthright, leaving the estranged leader fuming. Fatmi had resigned from all party posts yesterday, indicating that the leader had rebelled. RJD has become a family-run party and only one family matters in all decisions. Lalus elder son and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav has been indulging in all sorts of anti-party activities and even fielded his nominees from Jehanabad and Sheohar against RJDs candidates. But, why is no action been taken against him, he asked. The exit of Fatmi could upset electoral prospects of the grand alliance in the Madhubani seat. Even Congress senior leader and former MP Shakeel Ahmed has already filed his nomination from the seat as an independent candidate. In this poll season, several top Bihar politicians have left their parent party to join other outfits or contest as independent candidates in protest against not being allotted a ticket. The rebel leaders include former BJP MP from Banka Putul Kumari who is contesting the seat as an independent after leaving the BJP whereas BJPs sitting MLC Sachhidanand Rai has announced his candidature from the Maharajganj seat against BJPs official nominee Janardhan Singh Sigriwal. Again, sitting BJP MP from the Valmikinagar seat Satish Chandra Dubey has announced to contest the seat as an independent against NDA ally JD(U)s candidate Baidynath Prasad Mahto. In the Hajpiur seat, the infighting in the RJDs first family is visible with Lalus elder son Tej Pratap Yadav fielding his own candidate Balender Das against RJDs candidate Shiv Chandra Ram. A passengers attempt to ensure her flight was safe and sound yielded some rather sorry results. The woman in China threw six coins into the planes engine for good luck. Only, her actions resulted in her being detained by police and the plane being grounded for several hours. The woman was flying from Hohhot to Chifeng from a Tianjin Airlines flight when she tossed six coins into the planes engine before take-off, reports South China Morning Post. Her actions resulted in the plane being grounded hours until staff looked for the coins. Meanwhile, 100 passengers due to fly on the plane had to be transferred to another flight. To eliminate any hidden risks and to ensure flight safety, Tianjin Airlines quickly decided to notify passengers to change aircraft at 8.17am. At 8.40am they had all changed to the new aircraft, and the flight took off from (Hohhot Baita International Airport) at 10.06am, the airline said. Staff eventually found all six coins. (Weibo/CCTV) A crew member had seen the woman tossing the coins and alerted authorities, reports DailyMail. Identified by her surname, Yang, the woman admitted to police about tossing the coins in the hope of a safe flight. Staff eventually found all six coins. The woman was sentenced to 10 days in detention for her actions, according to a post by CCTV on Weibo. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An appeal to find two people pictured outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris minutes before the fire devastated large parts of the 850-year-old church has gone viral on social media. A heart-warming photo clicked by a US tourist shows what appears to be a father and daughter playing happily outside the iconic landmark in the French capital on Monday. Tourist Brooke Windsor, 23, says she took the picture about an hour before the blaze ripped through the Paris landmarks main stone structure. In a bid to find them, she posted the photo on Twitter. Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this, she wrote. I took this photo as we were leaving #NotreDame about an hour before it caught on fire. I almost went up to the dad and asked if he wanted it. Now I wish I had. Twitter if you have any magic, help him find this pic.twitter.com/pEu33ubqCK Brooke Windsor (@brookeawindsor) April 16, 2019 The tweet has been retweeted over two lakh times by people across the world determined to help Windsor track down the pair. Windsor, from Michigan told the BBC she had yet to identify the man and girl in the photo but was hopeful of doing so. She admitted that she was unsure whether they were father and daughter, saying it was simply the dynamic I observed from them while debating on interrupting this moment. @ everyone in my dms: -I do not know for sure if it was a dad and daughter, its simply the dynamic I observed from them while debating on interrupting this moment. It may be an uncle, brother, friend, who knows until we find them. -It was taken at 5:57 local time (1/?) Brooke Windsor (@brookeawindsor) April 16, 2019 She called on Twitter users to step up and help her find them. If it were me, Id want the memory. Hoping he feels the same way, Windsor, who is visiting the French capital with a friend, said. The flames quickly reached the roof of the cathedral, destroying the wooden interior before toppling the spire. Windsor said she stood among thousands of people in streets around the cathedral solemnly watching the fire in horror. We watched in shock and heartbreak with the rest of Paris, she said. As France comes to terms with the disaster, her poignant photo was described as historic and a special moment in time by Twitter users. This is going to become THAT photo. Michelle Bhasin (@michellebhasin) April 16, 2019 So sad to see the building looking serine and safe in the sun. Just before this dreadful disaster. Theodora Wayte (@Theodora8) April 16, 2019 That's a keeper! Amazing photo. Could be historic too. Scott Greene (@Scotty_Ballgame) April 16, 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to reconstruct the historic building even as the fire still burned, while a number of companies and business tycoons have so far pledged about USD 677 million between them. Alliance negotiations between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress in Delhi took a dramatic turn after Congress President Rahul Gandhi put out a tweet on 15 April. An alliance between the Congress & AAP in Delhi would mean the rout of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress is willing to give up 4 Delhi seats to the AAP to ensure this. But, Mr Kejriwal has done yet another U turn! Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out, Gandhi said. AAP has responded to Gandhi by saying that it wants an alliance not just in Delhi but Haryana and Chandigarh as well. Gopal Rai, a minister in the Delhi government, put out a tweet on Monday saying that the Congress wants to defeat the BJP in Delhi but it wants the BJP to win all 11 seats in Haryana and Chandigarh (by not allying with the AAP). These statements suggest that the Congress is not willing to offer seats to the AAP in Haryana and Chandigarh in return for an alliance in Delhi. An HT analysis suggests that gains from an AAP-Congress alliance are not as straightforward in Haryana as they are in Delhi. The combined vote share of the AAP and the Congress was more than that of the BJP in six out of seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won all seven seats in Delhi in 2014. However, the BJP and its ally Haryana Janhit Congress would not have lost any seat even if the AAP and the Congress were together in Haryana in 2014. Combined vote share of the AAP and Congress was more than that of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in only Rohtak and Sirsa. Rohtak went to the Congress, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won the Sirsa seat. The AAP and Congress would have been able to defeat the BJP in Chandigarh if their votes were to be added together. These statistics suggest that while an AAP-Congress alliance in Haryana might not yield tangible gains to either of the parties, the latter might end up ceding space to the former. Unlike in Delhi and Punjab, the AAP has not been successful in establishing itself as a political force in Haryana. In Delhi AAPs growth has come at the cost of the Congress. While not having an alliance with the AAP might make sense from a preserving political turf viewpoint for the Congress, neither the AAP nor the Congress can expect to make major gains in Haryana if they contest on their own. Assembly elections were held in Haryana months after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Both the Congress and the BJP contested these elections alone. Extrapolating the assembly results at the parliamentary constituency (PC) level shows that the Congress would have got just one Lok Sabha seat in these elections. Congresss PC-wise vote share also came down in six out of the 10 PCs in Haryana between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The AAP did not contest the Haryana assembly elections after its shock defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. To be sure, the AAP might have complicated the alliance talks in Haryana by going ahead and announcing an alliance with the newly formed Jananayak Janata Party (JJP), which is a splinter group of the INLD. The JJP candidate Digvijay Singh Chautala, who contested as an independent, polled much more votes (28.8%) than the Congress (17.3%) and official INLD (2.6%) in the January 2019 by-election in the Jind assembly constituency in Haryana. The BJP won the seat with a 38.7% vote share. The AAP is yet to come clean on whether it will break its pact with the JJP or ask the Congress to accommodate the JJP in the alliance it wants to form in Haryana. If the JJP is able to replace the INLD like it did in the Jind bypoll, and it ties up with the Congress and the AAP, it could lead to a complete consolidation of Jat votes in the state; Jats make up the main social base of the INLD. On paper this could be an extremely formidable coalition. However, this will entail a significant sacrifice on part of the Congress in terms of Lok Sabha seats. The reward for this sacrifice in Haryana could be a lifeline for the Congress in Delhi, where the party has finished third in all assembly, Lok Sabha and municipal elections since AAP came into the fray in 2013. That the AAP is interested in forging an alliance with the Congress in Delhi also shows that it is unsure about its prospects if it contests alone. As of now the Congress and the AAP seem to trying to safeguard against upsets at the hands of the BJP without letting the other side have a better bargain. It will be interesting to see how or whether they can resolve this contradiction in the next few days. Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. A woman shows her queueing number before casting her vote at a pooling center during the presidential election in Kuta on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on April 17, 2019. Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation.[Photo: AFP/SONNY TUMBELAKA] More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7:00 am local time (2200 GMT Tuesday) in restive Papua. The vote is slated to end at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) in Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted archipelago. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 percent Muslim. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite -- but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes -- as well as elephants and horses -- to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. (Story includes material sourced from AFP.) Aldo and my dad (the late Jean-Claude Poilevey) were really good friends, Oliver Poilevey said. We stayed in touch; we still go to his restaurant. Wed talked about doing a Belgian restaurant one day (Zaninotto grew up in Brussels), and wed looked around, but nothing came of it. Then Bruce Finkleman (co-founder of 16 On Center, which owns Revival) suggested doing a pop-up. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is serving a 72-hour ban from poll campaigning imposed by the Election Commission for violation of the Model Code of Conduct. But the chief minister is not falling behind in sending his message across. On the second day of the ban, Adityanath met a Muslim woman from Uttar Pradeshs Gonda district. The woman said she was a victim of instant triple talaq, declared unconstitutional last year by the Supreme Court. I was beaten up and thrown out of my house by my husband and in-laws, Naziya said after her meeting with Adityanath. She met the chief minister along with her child and a relative. She said Adityanath assured her of action. The meeting took place shortly before Adityanath was to leave for Ayodhya, a tour that the BJPs star campaigner delayed with a detour to meet differently-abled children at Lucknows Mohan Road. Adityanath met visually impaired girls here before leaving for Ayodhya. The Aydohya schedule of Adityanath was reworked to accommodate his visit to a Dalit locality in the city. The chief minister dined in a Dalits home. In Ayodhya, Adityanaths itinerary includes meetings with saints associated with the Ram Janmabhumi Nyas including Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the head of the trust, and visits to Digambar Akhara, the makeshift Ram Temple and the Hanumangarhi temple. Earlier on Tuesday, when the ban came into force, Adityanath visited Lucknows Hanuman Setu temple for a public recitation of Hanuman Chalisa. The poll panels ban on Adityanath came over his Ali versus Barjang Bali remark at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. Before heading to Ayodhya, Adityanath also met BJPs Gorakhpur candidate Ravi Kishan, the actor-turned-politician. Adityanath has represented the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat uninterrupted between 1998 and 2017, when he was appointed UP chief minister after the assembly polls. The BJP sufferred an embarassing defeat in the Lok Sabha bypoll in Gorakhpur later. Ravi Kishan, the Bhojpuri actor, is Adityanaths pick for Gorakhpur. The crisis in the Grand Alliance (GA) deepened on Tuesday with two top leaders of the RJD and Congress giving up their party positions to contest the Lok Sabha elections as independent candidates. Four-time Darbhanga MP, Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi of RJD and former union minister-cum-Congress partys senior spokesperson, Shakeel Ahmad have turned renegades and would be contesting the prestigious Madhubani seat that has gone into the share of Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP) making its political debut this election. While Ahmad, who gave up the Congress partys national spokesperson post, filed his nomination papers on Tuesday forenoon, Fatmi, who relieved himself from all the positions he had held in the RJD, said he would be filing his nomination as an independent from the same seat on Thursday. But neither Ahmad nor Fatmi have resigned from their parties. Having taken the big leap, the two leaders are now staring at imminent disciplinary action by their parties. Contesting elections is the democratic right of a politician. You cannot forcibly hold anyone to a party. But if any leader goes against the partys decisions, he would be liable for disciplinary action that would include six years of complete ban from rejoining the party, said RJDs leader of opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, sending a clear signal to Fatmi that should not consider himself indispensable. The RJD is contesting 20 of Bihars 40 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress fighting in nine seats as part of the Grand Alliance. Ahmad after filing his nomination papers pinned hope that the party leadership will be considerate to him and would give him the Congress symbol to go for a friendly contest . I have tendered my resignation as partys senior spokesperson so that my comments are not attributed to that of Congress, he said, while giving a clear signal that he was prepared for any action the party might take against him. Fatmi said he is still hopeful of a positive response from the party. I have resigned from all the positions including the member, parliamentary board and RJDs national council, though I havent resigned from party yet. I shall wait for a positive response from my party leadership till April 18, which happens to be the last date for filing nominations for Madhubani seat. In case they do not give me the party symbol, I will contest as an independent candidate. Fatmi also made a significant statement that he would give a second thought to his contesting elections only if Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad managed to get party symbol. Ahmad, who represented Madhubani seat twice in 1998 and 2004, said his decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate would not end his long association with the party. Even if I win as an independent, I shall remain a loyal Congressman and would continue to strengthen the hands of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Earlier in the day, Ahmad in a tweet said he was sending his resignation as party senior spokesperson to his party chief. Later, addressing a large gathering of his supporters before filing his nomination, Ahmad said that Grand Alliancs had fielded a weak candidate in Madhubani which would have meant a cakewalk for BJP candidate here. Ahmad was flanked by Congress MLA from Benipatti, Bhawana Jha. Ahmad pointed out that a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supported candidate was contesting against Congress candidate Ranjit Ranjan in Supaul. If RJD can support a candidate against an official Congress candidate, then why cant the Congress do the same in Madhubani? Ashok Yadav, son of senior BJP sitting MP Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, is the BJP candidate in Madhubani. Badri Purve, considered to be an RJD import, is the Vikashseel Insaan Party (VIP) nominee. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president, Madan Mohan Jha said he was out of state and unaware about the latest developments in Madhubani. It would not be appropriate for me to make any statement without knowing the exact details at this point of time. Let me gather all the information, he said when asked about his reaction to Ahmad filing nomination as an independent candidate. A day after the Union home ministry cancelled the visa of Ferdous Ahmed, the Bangladeshi actor who triggered a controversy by appearing in a Trinamool Congress rally, Ahmed said he was sorry for the incident and respected all political parties in India. The huge electoral exercise in the worlds largest democracy drew my interest since India and Bangladesh share rich history. We cherish with gratitude Indias huge contrition during the 1971 War.... I am a member of the cultural community and have many friends in West Bengal. The elections drew my attention. I got carried away and I joined some of my friends in a campaign. This was not planned.... I was driven by emotions and not by loyalty towards any specific party. Nor did I have any intention to insult any political party, Ahmed said in a long statement in Bengali after returning to Bangladesh. The 45-year-old actor was also blacklisted by India, which means he will be unable to get a visa for India in the future. The Peoples Representative Act 1951, which governs how elections are conducted in India, does not expressly deal with foreign nationals campaigning for a party but visa rules forbid any foreign entity from participating in political activities in India. The action against Ahmed came after the MHA asked the Foreigners Regional Registration Office to ascertain if Ahmed had violated visa rules. Ahmed was in India on a business visa and stoked controversy on Sunday when he was seen campaigning for the Trinamools candidate from Raiganj, Kanaia Lal Agarwal. The Bharatiya Janata Party complained to the Election Commission (EC), alleging a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. TMC leaders remained silent. Agarwal claimed that he did not know who took part in the campaign. I have great respect for all Indian political parties, their leaders and laws of the country. Getting emotionally charged and taking part in the campaign was a grave mistake. Many people have misunderstood me. It is not right for a citizen of one country to take part in election campaign in another country. It was an unintentional mistake. I hope I will be forgiven by everyone, Ahmed said in the statement. Incidentally, another Bangladeshi actor, Gazi Abdun Noor, was seen taking part in a road show led by TMC leader Madan Mitra in the Kamarhati area which is part of the Dum Dum constituency from where TMC MP Saugata Roy is contesting for the second time. Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday complained to the chief electoral officer in Bengal and demanded action against Noor on the same grounds that apply to Ahmed. Noor was not taking part in the campaign. He had come to meet me. Since I was leaving for the road show, I asked him to come along, said Mitra. Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan may be contesting a Lok Sabha election for first time and has been barred from campaigning by the Election Commission for 72 hours, but this 'Mulsim poster boy' of the SP faced a similar situation in the last Parliamentary election as well. Known for making controversial statements, to this nine-time Rampur MLA it hardly matters if he is a minister or not or if its election season or not. Azam was banned for the entire poll season in 2014 for his remarks against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and other statements. This time, the poll panel has banned him for his statement against rival Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Rampur Jaya Prada. But, Azam and Jaya Prada's war of words began much before Azam became Rampur candidate and Jaya was pitched against him by the BJP. Last year, around the same time, Jaya Prada had likened Azam with Alauddin Khilji after she watched the movie Padmaavat. Azam was quick to hit back. At an event in Rampur, he said: "In Padmaavat, I heard Khilji's character is very bad. Padmaavati left this world before Khilji's arrival. But now, a woman, a naachne waali (dancer), has made some remark about me. Tell me, if I entertain this 'naachne gaane wali', how will I concentrate on politics?" Perhaps it was the same acrimony between the two which is at play now between the two. Once known as a political patron and his protege, it was Azam Khan who took Jaya under his wings and helped her win her first Rampur elections in 2004 as an SP candidate. By 2009 Lok Sabha polls, they fell out when Azams relation became bitter with Jaya's political mentor Amar Singh. Azam (70) began his political career in Janta Dal (Secular), moved to Lok Dal, then to Janata Party and then became the founder member of Samajwadi Party in 1992. He fell out with Mulayam Singh Yadav when Mulayam inducted former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh into the SP. He was expelled from the party in 2009. Mulayam revoked the expulsion in December 2010. Now, he son Abdullah Azam Khan is Suar (Rampur) MLA of the SP and wife Tazeen Fatima is an SP Rajya Sabha member. One who never tires of shooting from his mouth, some of his remarks for which he faced the flak were: "Allah punished Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi 'forcible' sterilisation during the Emergency and 'shilanyas' at the disputed site in Ayodhya. "It were the Muslim and not the Hindu soldiers who won the Kargil war for India"(Kargil ki pahadiyon ko fateh karney wala koi Hindu nahin tha. Kargil ki pahadiyon ko fateh karney wala Musalaman fauji tha). He had also made an appeal to take revenge on the "murderers of Muzaffarnagar". In the winters of 2014, Azam demanded that the Taj Mahal be handed over to Waqf board. Shortly before the Lok Sabha polls, Azam Khan as UP minister in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet hogged the headlines nationwide when he alleged that some of his buffaloes were stolen and a team of over 100 police personnel and sniffer dogs was deployed to trace the buffaloes. They were found later. Once when he was in the Akhilesh Yadav government, Azam held a birthday bash for Mulayam. When some newspersons sought to know who funded the birthday bash, Azam had replied: "Dawood Ibrahim and Taliban funded it (Fund Taliban se aaya hai. Kuch Dawood ne diya hai, kuch Abu Salem se aaya hai). Azam Khan was Kumbh Minister and when in 2013 he went to attend an event at Harvard for making a presentation on the success of Kumbh mela, Azam was detained at the Boston airport. He cut short his trip in protest over "humiliating frisking process" there. In 2015, Azam came under severe criticism for calling Bharat Mata 'Daayan'. On the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, Azam said they were the result of the action of superpowers like America and Russia and "history will decide who is a terrorist." In 2015, as UP minister, Azam Khan was quoted as saying in Bareilly that RSS volunteers were homosexuals and that's why they did not get married. In 2017 UP Assembly elections, while addressing party workers in Rampur, he referred to "shameful violent happenings" in places such as Kashmir, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tripura. He had said excesses by security forces had led to "women in some places chopping off the private parts of Armymen". Assam, which provided a foothold for the BJP to gain entry into the northeast, is polling for five parliamentary constituencies on Thursday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election 2019. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which won seven seats in the last Lok Sabha election, and Congress are the two key players in Assam. The Narendra Modi-led party formed a government in Assam in 2016 as it pushed the Congress out of its stronghold. Click here for full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2019 Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) of perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) are the other prominent parties in the state. WATCH: HT POLL TRACKER | Phase 2: Changing equations in Tamil Nadu and the J&K test The AGP and BPF have come together with the ruling BJP to fight the Lok Sabha election 2019, while Congress and AIUDF continue to challenge them. The BJP, AGP and BPF are against the Congress and AIUDF for the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Also read: Here is all you need to know about Assam Polling is being held in Assam after massive state-wide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 (CAB), which proposes to give citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis from Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Stiff resistance from student bodies, indigenous groups and even by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies in Assam and other states of the northeast deterred the government from tabling the legislation, which is now set to lapse, the issue is expected to dominate the political discourse in the state. Read: Citizenship bill an issue in Assams remote Karimganj seat The National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) drive undertaken by the government to determine the citizens of Assam is another issue which could also affect the poll outcome. Karimganj, Silchar, Autonomous District, Mangaldoi and Nawgong Lok Sabha seats are polling on Thursday and have substantial Muslim voters. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won Mangaldoi and Nawgong, seats. The AIUDF won in Karimganj and Congress won Silchar and Autonomous District. The Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency has been held the BJP for the last 20 years. Rupak Sharma is fighting to retain the seat for the BJP and is pitted against Pradyut Bordoloi of the Congress. Read: BJP seeks to retain power in Assams Mangaldoi Mangaldoi is another constituency where the BJP won since 2004 and this year Dilip Saikia of its ally AGP is contesting from the Lok Sabha seat. Saikia is up against Bhubaneswar Kalita of the Congress. Three-time MP and Congress leader Biren Singh Engti will aim to retain the Autonomous District Lok Sabha seat he won in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He fighting Harensingh Bey of the BJP. Sushmita Dev of the Congress, the sitting member of Parliament from the Silchar Lok Sabha seat, is contesting against Rajdeep Roy Bengali of the BJP. In the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat, reserved seat for members of Scheduled Castes, Radheshyam Biswas of the AIUDF will face Kripanath Mallah of the BJP and Congress leader Swarup Das. Biswas had won the Bengali-dominated seat in 2014. The votes will be counted on May 23 along with the rest of the country. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is facing its toughest challenge against the BJP in this Lok Sabha election as three of its 42 parliamentary constituencies poll on Thursday. The BJP is hoping to make gains in the bitterly-fought state that saw frequent showdowns with the Trinamool in the run up to the elections. Lok Sabha seats of Jalpaiguri, Raiganj and Darjeeling which is in the Bharatiya Janata Partys kitty will witness a fierce Trinamool-BJP contests as the central party is keen to expand its footprint in West Bengal, the third-largest state in the country in terms of Lok Sabha seats. Click here for full coverage of Lok Sabha elections 2019 The Trinamool Congress, which now wants to extend its dominance beyond West Bengal, recorded its best-ever performance in the last Lok Sabha election as it swept 34 of the 42 seats in the state decimating the Left in its victory march, while the BJP made impressive inroads winning two seats. The Congress won four seats and the CPI(M)-led Left Front managed to win only two seats in its worst-ever showing in a Lok Sabha election. Also read: In north Bengal, BJP set to emerge as main challenger to TMC One of several factors playing out in the polls is the controversial citizenship amendment bill that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre brought to give non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan Indian citizenship. Raju Bista, entrepreneur and managing director of a private company, is fighting from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, which comprises the hill towns of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong as well as the plains of Siliguri, has a sizeable Gorkha population. The BJP had won the Darjeeling seat in 2009 and 2014 with the support of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Also read: Mamata Banerjee looks to counter challengers on home turf Bengal The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and a faction of GJM, the major local outfits that have carried out movements demanding a separate state Gorkhaland, offered support to Bista. In Raiganj, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Md Salim is perhaps facing the toughest battle in the state. Also read: Bengals key Left face on a sticky wicket amid four-cornered contest in Raiganj The Trinamool Congress has fielded MLA and civic-body-chief Kanaia Lal Agarwal. The Congress has nominated Deepa Dasmunsi, former MP and wife of late Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, and the BJP has given the ticket to Deboshree Choudhury, one of its state units general secretaries. The parliamentary constituency of Jalpaiguri, once a bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is now under the eastern states ruling party. Trinamool Congress Bijoy Chandra Barman will look to retain Jalpaiguri. He is pitted against the CPI(M) leader Baghirath Chandra Roy (CPI-M), Mani Kumar Darnal of the Congress and Jayanta Kumar Roy of the BJP. After meeting BJP president Amit Shah, who met five of their six demands, the 111 farmers of Tamil Nadu who decided to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have cancelled their plans, said National South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association Tamil Nadu president P Ayyakkanu. Speaking over the phone Ayyakkanu said, We called on BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi on April 7. We submitted a memorandum comprising our six demands, including interlinking of rivers, profitable price of produce to famers, writing off loans of farmers from nationalised bank until they get profitable price of their produce, no import of genetically modified seeds and food from foreign countries, and Rs 5,000 monthly pension for each farmer above 60 years, even if they have son, daughter and land. We also told them that they should not differentiate between small, marginal and big farmers because if there is drought, or a flood, all farmers would be affected equally. Excluding writing off the loans, the BJP president accepted all the demands and assured of looking into them seriously. Therefore, we have decided not to contest election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, he said. He said that they demanded that farmers be given interest-free loan up to Rs 5 lakh. The BJP president assured of the looking into the demand seriously. He said that the farmers had got their train tickets booked to reach in Varanasi on April 24. But they have cancelled their tickets. Now they will visit the city in June to offer prayers to Baba Kashi Vishwanath to solve their problems. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said it will initiate fresh talks with the Congress to convince the latter to agree to an alliance in Haryana and Chandigarh, apart from Delhi. The AAP, however, said its candidates for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will start filing their nomination papers beginning on Thursday given the uncertainty surrounding an alliance between the two parties. AAPs top leadership Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how the party would present to the Congress its case for an alliance covering 18 parliamentary seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. These include the seven in Delhi, 10 in Haryana and one in Chandigarh. The last date of filing nominations in Delhi and Haryana is April 23 (Tuesday), which means the Congress and AAP have at the most a week to seal an alliance. Neither an alliance will be forged nor broken on Twitter. AAP wants to talk about the alliance by meeting a Congress representative face-to-face. In todays meeting, held at AAP national convener Kejriwals residence, it was decided that Sanjay Singh will do the talks from our side, said senior party leader Rai. Congress has previously declined an alliance with the AAP in states other than Delhi on grounds that the ground realities differed from state to state. In Delhi, it has offered to contest three seats, leaving four to AAP. Efforts for an alliance in Delhi have been driven by a desire to not divide the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) votes in the capital, where the two parties together secured a vote share that was higher than that of the BJP in 2014 although the latter won all seven seats. Delhi deputy chief minister Sisodia urged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to also appoint a party delegate to firm up a seat-sharing deal to defeat the BJP in the 18 seats. AAPs response came a day after Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Kejriwal got into a public spat on Twitter over the alliance efforts. Gandhi had said the Congress had already offered AAP four seats in Delhi and it was up to the latter to decide. Sparring between the two parties continued on Tuesday with Delhi Congress in-charge PC Chacko saying that the AAP was creating a big show on social media, but on the negotiating table, it was stuck with impractical demands. Their demands are nowhere near the ground reality. Apart from statements to the media and social media posts they (AAP) have shown no willingness to proceed with the talks, he said. Chacko said that after Gandhis tweet on Monday, he had sent a message to AAPs Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh for negotiations. I have been waiting for a reply, he said. Singh, however, said the AAP was still unaware of the person being delegated by the Congress for the talks. So far, neither do we know who is going to do the talking from the Congress, nor have we received any kind of communication from them, the AAP leader said on Tuesday evening. When asked to respond to Congresss claim that the AAP, by seeking to extend the alliance beyond Delhi,was trying to increase its presence in national politics, Rai questioned what was wrong in the party doing so. It is good if by doing so AAPs presence will increase. Congress should not have a problem with that. In fact, the Congress should support and help in increasing the presence of all opposition parties. That is how the BJPs presence will decrease in the country. The Congress should do away with its arrogance and think with a cool head, he said. Rai, who is also Delhis labour minister, said the partys west Delhi nominee Balbir Singh Jakhar would file his nomination on Thursday and Chandni Chowk candidate Pankaj Gupta, east Delhi candidate Atishi and north-west Delhi nominee Gugan Singh would file their nominations on Saturday. On Monday, south Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha, north -east Delhi candidate Dilip Pandey and New Delhi candidate Brajesh Goel would file their nomination papers. He said before filing their nomination papers, the candidates would perform a road show in which senior party leaders would participate. On Monday, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accused the Kejriwal-led AAP of making a U-turn over the alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about when the talks were still on. Delhi goes to the polls on May 12 and, so far, only the AAP has declared its candidates for all seven parliamentary constituencies. Known for the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), a prominent centre of learning, the city of Aligarh is also known for its lock industry. More in the news for controversies related to Jinnahs portrait on AMU campus and reservation row at the university, the city longs for improvement in infrastructure and civic amenities which continue to remain unattended. AMU holds the status of a distinguished seat of education and the AMU students union (AMUSU) has produced prominent politicians. The Aligarh constituency is set for Lok Sabha elections and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already addressed a mega rally at Numaish Maidan which is not new to public meetings. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has also campaigned for the alliance candidate. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Chaudhary Ajit Singh had also attended the public meeting. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and others have also left no stone unturned to win Aligarh. DOMINATING ISSUES Caste and religion dominate elections in Aligarh. Although the city has AMU but other colleges continue to be affiliated with Dr BR Ambedkar University of Agra. The demand for a university for Aligarh remains unfulfilled. Traffic jams is a perennial issue in Aligarh. The city also lacks connectivity with the southern part of the country. Moreover, sugarcane and potato farmers have their own set of problems and lack of industrialisation fails to support agriculture produce of the area. Lawyers have also been pressing for a separate high court bench for west UP. A section of residents also believes that the city should be a part of the national capital region (NCR) as Delhi is close to it. CM Yogi Adityanath and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman were in Aligarh for the announcement of defence corridor but early implementation remains to be done. The lock industry seeks better labs here and despite being important seat of hardware industry, Aligarh still awaits attention. POLITICAL SCENARIO While the BJP has replaced its sitting MP in Agra, Hathras and Fatehpur Sikri, it has retained sitting MP Satish Gautam in Aligarh. Gautam is known for raising the Jinnah portrait controversy and SC/ST reservation issue at AMU. He initially faced opposition within the party and was not believed to be the chosen one for former chief minister Kalyan Singh who still remains a force to reckon with in Aligarh. BSP candidate Ajit Baliyan represents SP-BSP-RLD alliance and aims to bring back the success of BSP which won this seat in 2009. Congress candidate Bijendra Singh had won from Aligarh in 2004 and has made the contest not only triangular but interesting too. With no major party fielding a Muslim candidate this time, the inclination of Muslims, who form a fair part of the population, remains anybodys gamble. POLITICAL HISTORY The parliamentary seat of Aligarh remained loyal to the Congress in first four elections between 1952 and 1957 but in 1962, the seat was won by the Republican Party of India (RPI). Then came the dominance of the Bharatiya Kranti Dal (BKD) which won in 1967 and 1971 with Chaudhary Charan Singh having a say in the area. The JP Movement brought success for the Janata Party in 1977 and for Janata Party (S) in 1980 but the Congress, riding on sympathy wave after Indira Gandhi assassination, won in 1984. This was followed by the emergence of Janata Dal in 1989. Then came the era of BJP and its candidate Sheela Gautam won in election in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999. The Congress won the election in 2004. Photo Caption ::: File photos of buildings in AMU Campus at Aligarh. At his first poll rally in Keralas Wayanad after choosing it as his second Lok Sabha seat, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he wanted to send out a message by contesting from the south. Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi said, came first to his mind when he decided to contest from a seat in southern India apart from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. I wanted to send a message that the South is as important as rest of the country. Your voice is as strong as others, he said. In a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he was in Wayanad to understand whats inside to peoples hearts and not talk about his Mann ki Baat. He praised Kerala for its diversity and accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of trying to impose a single agenda in the country. The Congress boss said Kerala was a perfect example of diversity where various communities live in harmony. You know how to respect others, he said. Giving a personal tough to his speech, Rahul Gandhi told the public he will always be with them through their problems. Consider me as your son and best friend, he said. Before the rally, Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at Thirunelli temple and paid obeisance to his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi whose ashes were immersed Papanasini river here. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said Gandhi wanted to visit the temple earlier but couldnt due to security reasons. He has performed all rituals for his grandmother, father, forefathers and victims of the Pulwama incident, said Venugopal. Kerala goes to polls on April 23 in the third phase of the staggered parliamentary elections. There are 20 constituencies in the state, which is witnessing a direct fight between the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF in most seats. The BJP-led NDA is also a strong contender in a seats such as Thiruvananthapuram, Pathnamthitta and Thrissur constituencies. As a counterpoint to Black One, it raises questions about what that means now verses how it was presented at the time, OMalley says. Connecting work that is 15 years apart, using two words to do that, thats pretty powerful. From my point of view, its not a contrarion phrase. It has elements that have a role similar to how contemporary art can reference historical art or ideas. Within the metal scene there are other relevant elements, why not express that now? Why not be free to express symbolically all of these other elements inside the music, color and texture, with this beautiful, detailed recording of sound. Lets also do that with the symbolism of the cover art and all the visuals. A day after the Election Commission of India temporarily barred four leaders -- UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Maneka Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati and SP leader Azam Khan -- from campaigning for violating model code of conduct, the focus is back on the powers that the Commission enjoys to ensure free and fair polls. The observations made by the representative of the Election Commission that we found we have powers, made in the Supreme Court, have become a point of discussion with many officers who recalled how the 10th chief election commissioner (CEC) of India TN Seshan (1990-96) stamped the Commissions authority and ensured his words were treated as law by politicians and officers alike. TN Seshan established the ECs authority. As CEC, he came on a visit to review preparations for elections in the early nineties. When the then UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Shaival Kumar Mukerjee presented his report, Sheshan said the report was not even worth using as a toilet paper. After this, Seshan de-notified the CEO, recalled former chief secretary Alok Ranjan. Read | Violations pile up a day after EC gag on leaders Remembering a meeting of district magistrates that Seshan had convened in New Delhi, Ranjan said: I led a team of 10 district magistrates from Uttar Pradesh. A DM from Himachal Pradesh reached there three minutes late and apologised. Seshan asked him to leave immediately. At one point, Seshan turned to UP team and asked us to ensure that the chief minister follows the MCC in letter and spirit or else the Commission would ensure this. Another former bureaucrat Surya Pratap Singh recollected how on Seshans directives, he refused to allow landing of the then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadavs helicopter in Badaun. Mulayam was scheduled to address a public meeting in Badaun but the MCC had come into force a day prior to it. This was the beginning of Seshan era. I enquired from the ECI whether to allow him to land in a government helicopter and I got a no in reply. Following the directive, I did not allow the CMs helicopter to land. The chopper was diverted to Moradabad where it finally landed. Mulayam was furious but I did my duty, said Singh. Another retired officer, who did not wish to be named, said it was Seshan who made the EC a tough institution. Politicians always want that they should be allowed to do whatever they like to win an election. Though the ECI has limited powers, Seshan showed the way the elections should be conducted. Sheshan made it simple, the officer said. EC has the power to defer or countermand an election. If a candidate defies the ECIs writ, a simple notice of why the polling in his/her constituency may not be deferred serves as a deterrent. If the election has been held and the CEC comes to know of irregularities, it has the power to countermand the election, he added. The EC has acted against star campaigners but a short-term ban will serve no purpose. The ban should be imposed for a longer duration, he said, adding that Seshan ensured action against all the errant authorities, including governors of states. Merciless Seshan TN Seshan, IAS topper of 1955 batch, became Election Commissioner of India in December 1990. He was known for his big stick that motivates the election staff to implement election manual and forced politicians to adhere to poll code. Once, a returning officer in Uttar Pradesh had said, We are at the mercy of a merciless person. As per the government record, during his tenure, the booth capturing incidents decreased to 255 in 1993 from 873 in 1991. Known as the father of election reforms in India, Seshan took politicians flouting poll code head on. In Uttar Pradesh, one of the big catch was then governor Motilal Vora. He was, however, cleared after an EC inquiry into allegations of misconduct in his sons constituency in Madhya Pradeshs Durg, now in Chhattisgarh. Another was Uttar Pradesh MP and minister of state for food and civil supplies Kalpnath Rai. He was campaigning for his nephew in November 1994 in Ghazipur. The minister was interrupted during his address by district magistrate and cautioned him to wind up the campaign citing time restriction. He was even cautioned to countermand the polls. Rai later threatened to go on hunger strike. Also Read | Mayawati rushes to Supreme Court against ECs campaign ban, gets no reprieve The Election Commission of India on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to state BJPs Himachal Pradesh president Satpal Singh Satti for violating the model code of conduct, a day after he allegedly used an expletive against All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi. Chief electoral officer Devesh Kumar said, Himachal Pradesh BJP president Satpal Singh Satti was served a notice for violating the model code of conduct. Kumar said an FIR under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the BJP president in Baddi. Satpal Singh Satti has been asked to reply within 24 hours from the receipt of the notice. Members of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) on Tuesday staged a protest against BJP state chief Satpal Singh Satti, for making derogatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi, outside the DC office. HPCC members raised slogans against Satti and raised slogans against him. They demanded that the BJP high command sack Satti from his post. However, BJP denied the allegation and claimed that the Congress is misguiding the people by tampering with the facts through video-editing. Congress has also lodged an FIR against Satti and has already filed a complaint with the state election commission. Read | Violations pile up a day after EC gag on leaders Earlier, HPCC had demanded a public apology from the BJP and Satti. A video was shared on social media where Satti can be seen using explicit terms against the AICC president during a public meeting in Solan Legislative Assembly. Meanwhile, BJP has filed an FIR against the Congress party and its leader for making threats, criminal intimidation, instigating physical violence and for other electoral offences. BJP has also filed a complaint to the Election Commission against Congress for criminalisation of politics in the state. Another video has been circulating on social media, where Congress worker, Vinay Sharma, who was additional advocate general during Congress regime, was seen issuing threats of bodily harm and instigating people to cut Sattis tongue by offering a reward of 10 lakh for the same. BJP spokesperson Randhir Sharma said, The truth is that the party chief was narrating a post that had gone viral on social media in which some people had used derogatory terms. He was reading the post and advising party workers to be patient while commenting about any political leader but the Congress has shamelessly used only a small portion of the video. He also claimed that the BJP had a recording of the public meeting in question and can prover that the Congress is conspiring against the BJP. BJP general secretary Chandra Mohan Thakur claimed the Congress had become directionless. He said, It is shameful that the Congress party and its leaders are stooping low and resorting to tactics of pressure and threat. Indian authorities poured security forces into the restive region of Kashmir on Thursday as it took centre stage for the second round of the countrys enormous national election. Tens of thousands of troops, paramilitaries and police have been sent to the regions main city, Srinagar, which will be one of 97 constituencies across India to take part in the latest vote. Kashmir has surged into Prime Minister Narendra Modis campaign since a February bomb attack that killed 40 paramilitaries and brought India and Pakistan -- which both control part of divided Kashmir -- to the brink of war. Authorities have shut many roads in Srinagar and urged residents to avoid some parts of the city. Extra armed troops were deployed along streets and the banks of the river Jhelum. More than 157 million of the 900 million electorate are eligible to cast ballots on the second of seven days of voting in the worlds biggest election. Modi has put national security at the centre of his campaign to secure a second five-year term. While seen as the favourite, he faces an increasingly tough challenge from opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi has gone on a relentless attack against the economic record of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). - Attacks and insults - Thousands of candidates from more than 2,000 parties are competing for 543 seats in parliament. The last vote is on May 19 and final results will be released on May 23. The first day of voting a week ago saw heavy turnout and security forces on high alert after a roadside bomb in Chhattisgarh, a central state where Maoist rebels operate, killed five people days before polls opened. Insults and fake news have proliferated on social media during the campaign, and police squads have been on the hunt for money and gifts intended to sway voters to back certain parties. Voting in a constituency in the southern state of Tamil Nadu was cancelled altogether after $1.5 million in cash was seized by authorities. It is the first time a ballot has been cancelled during an election over suspected vote-buying, officials said. - Good days - Modi and the right-wing BJP swept to power in a 2014 landslide with their promise of achhe din (good days). He has simplified the tax code and made doing business easier. But despite growth of about seven percent a year, Asias third-biggest economy has not provided enough jobs for the roughly one million Indians entering the labour market each month. And in rural areas, thousands of indebted farmers have killed themselves in recent years. Modi sought to counter critics of his campaign in a television interview this week when he said: If farmers die, then it is an election issue, but when soldiers die then it is not an election issue? How can that be? Critics say the BJP has also since sought to impose a Hindu agenda on India, emboldening attacks on Muslims and low-caste Dalits trading in beef -- cows being holy for Hindus -- and re-writing school textbooks. Gandhi, 48, who wants to become the fourth member of his family to take the prime ministers office, has accused Modi of causing a national disaster. His Congress party has already profited from voter dissatisfaction by taking three key state elections in December. Gandhi has pledged to end abject poverty by 2030 and give cash transfers to 50 million families, while the BJP has promised a $1.4-trillion infrastructure blitz to create jobs. Modi, who has adopted the moniker chowkidar or watchman of the nation, has been addressing three rallies a day in a bid to drum up enthusiasm. The reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been targeting the National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, during election rallies in the state is because Pawar has been instrumental in forging a grand alliance against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said Suhas Palshikar, noted analyst and election researcher. The NDA is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. He was speaking at a programme organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists on Tuesday. WATCH: HT POLL TRACKER | Phase 2: Changing equations in Tamil Nadu and the J&K test Palshikar said, Pawar has played a key role in getting all the parties together and forging a grand alliance at the national level against the ruling NDA government headed by the BJP. This is one of the main reasons why PM Modi targets him (Pawar) during every election rally in the state. Speaking about the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Palshikar said, Unlike the previous general elections held in 2014, where there was a Modi wave in the country, this election will be difficult for the BJP as the results might turn out to be different. He added, The BJP has been focusing on issues like surgical strikes and air strikes among others. However, it has been refraining from speaking about unemployment and economic growth of the country. People might be supporting Modi, however, the results could turn out to be different in this election. The results of this Lok Sabha election is very important as it will shape the future course of action for the country, said Palshikar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack at Rahul Gandhi at his Maharashtra rally on Wednesday, accusing the Congress president of targeting him and his community because he was from a backward community. I have been abused many times by the Congress and its allies but this time they branded the entire backward community as thieves, PM Modi said. It was a counter to Rahul Gandhis recent attack, also delivered at a Maharashtra rally, where he asked people why all thieves have Modi in their names. Gandhi listed fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and former cricket administrator Lalit Modi as two examples and wondered how many more such Modis will come out. PM Modi said it was a reflection of how the opposition looked at the backward classes. Recently the naamdar (a reference used by the PM for Gandhi) branded an entire community as thief. He says everyone having Modi in his name is a thief. They abuse me because I am from backward community. This is how they view people from backward castes. Also Read | Sultanate mentality: PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi over chowkidar campaign The prime minister was speaking at Akluj in Solapur district of Maharashtra that is part of the Madha Lok Sabha constituency. The sitting MP from the seat and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader, Vijaysinh MohitePatil shared dias with PM Modi. Vijaysinh Mohite-Patils son Ranjitsinh recently joined the BJP after the NCP refused ticket for the Lok Sabha elections. At the rally, PM Modi targeted NCP chief Sharad Pawar saying, Sharad Rao attacked me over my familyYou cant walk the path as ModiYour model is a particular family of Delhi, you learn from them and follow them. PM Modi was initially expected to address the election rally at Baramati in Pune, from where Pawars daughter Supriya Sule is in the field. However, the plan was reworked and PM Modi addressed his public rally in Solapur. Baramati is Pawars home turf and has been an NCP bastion for decades. The NCP chief was a six-term MP from this seat till 2009, when he vacated it for his daughter Supriya Sule, who is looking for a third consecutive win from Baramati. At his rally, PM Modi took a dig at Sharad Pawar for deciding not to contest the Lok Sabha polls. He said, Now I know why Sharad Rao ran away from the battlegroundSharad Rao is a smart player. He gauges which way the wind is blowing. He never does anything which may harm him or his family even if someone else is made a scapegoat. The prime minister said this is the first time that people are campaigning to bring back the government to power. People are campaigning on their own to bring Modi back, to give the reins of the country to Modi again, he said. Kanchan Kul o f the BJP is contesting against Sule. She is the wife of Maharashtra legislator Rahul Kul of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP), one of the BJP allies in the state. The BJP expects Kul to give a tough fight to Sule. In 2014, RSP chief Mahadev Jankar had contested against Sule and lost by a margin of nearly 70,000 votes. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the 2008 Malegaon blasts accused fielded by the BJP from Bhopal against her long-standing critic Digvijaya Singh, has hit the ground running. Minutes after she was named the BJPs candidate, Sadhvi Pragya Singh appeared before television cameras to declare that she was ready for the big fight. She also packed in few sharp jibes at Digvijaya Singh as she gave some pointers about her campaign. I have a clean chit. The conspiracies against me have failed, said the ochre-robed Sadhvi Pragya Singh, standing with former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Bhopal is considered as one of the safest Lok Sabha seats for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh that BJP has never lost for 30 years. Former President Shankar Dayal Sharma was the last Congress candidate to win the seat. This was in 1984. The Congress had hoped to change his pattern this time when it fielded Digvijaya Singh from the state capital. Digvijaya Singh, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister between 1993 and 2003, was reluctant but finally gave in. Sadhvi Pragya Singh said she was inexperienced but it didnt mean that Digvijaya Singh was a stronger candidate. A non-believer can never be strong because he doesnt have truth on his side, she told reporters. Digvijaya Singh and the Sadhvi Pragya Singh have been bitter critics of each other for years, mostly triggered by the Congress leaders sharp statements against her after she was named as a terror suspect in the 2008 bomb blasts that killed six people in Maharashtras Malegaon. She was also an accused in the murder of Sunil Joshi, a worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) who was shot dead in December 2007. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was later acquitted in the case. Digvijaya Singh was one of the key faces in the Congress to issue statements against what he described as Hindu fundamentalists. In her first media interaction on Wednesday, Sadhvi Pragya Singh recalled the role that Digvijaya Singh had played in building the narrative on Hindu fundamentalists. The seed that he sowed... linking Hindutva and saffron to terrorism... it was an insult and that will be an issue I will fight to get respect for the saffron, she said. We will unitedly fight against the people who are conspiring against the nation. We will win this Dharm Yuddh (crusade), she said, according to news agency ANI. After spending 10 years in jail due to Congress conspiracy, I have come here to fight the political and religious war, she said, blaming the Congress for the trial in the Malegaon case in which she has been charged as an accused. Pragya announced she had become a sadhvi in 2007 at the Allahabad Kumbh and was ordained by the popular seer Swami Avadheshanand Giri, the head of the powerful Juna Akhada. The third of five children, Sadhvi Pragya Singh joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the early nineties. Thakur moved to Madhya Pradesh as her father was transferred from Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh to Lahar in Bhind district of the central state in the seventies as an agriculture department employee. Her father again shifted to Surat around 2000 when Pragya was setting out for a post-graduation in history. The Tripura Congress has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has imported artificial fingers and fake indelible ink to cheat during the election in the East Tripura constituency, which is scheduled to vote in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 23. State Congress vice president, Tapas Dey, in a letter to Chief Electoral Officer S Taranikanti on Tuesday evening, mentioned that they had received reports of fake indelible ink being used in the parliamentary elections in the first phase in West Tripura constituency. A similar kind of ink and artificial fingers, imported by the BJP in the state are likely to be used in the East Tripura seat also, Dey wrote in the letter. Fake indelible ink was used during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the West Tripura constituency. We apprehend that similar ink is likely to be used during the polls in the East Tripura seat too. This will facilitate multiple false voting in the state, the Congress veteran wrote in the letter. WATCH: HT POLL TRACKER | Phase 2: Changing equations in Tamil Nadu and the J&K test In turn, the BJP claimed YouTube was the source of such fake news. These videos went viral five years ago. These are all fake news. I request the opposition parties to concentrate on their campaign rather than making such wild allegations, BJP chief spokesperson Dr. Ashok Sinha said. Polling in the East Tripura seat, scheduled for April 18, was deferred to April 23 on issues related to security and law and order, a notification issued by the Election Commission stated on Tuesday night. The ruling BJP and opposition parties CPM and Congress welcomed the decision of the Election Commission. After the poll was deferred, the Election Commission transferred Tripuras Additional Director General (Law and Order) Rajiv Singh due to several incidents related to failure of law and order under his command. VS Yadav, an IPS officer of 1987 cadre, was directed to take charge as Special DGP. The West Tripura constituency, one of the two Lok Sabha seats of the state, went for polls in the first phase on April 11. The constituency saw a total voter turnout of 83.1%. Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Punjab minister and the Congresss star campaigner, continued with his spate of attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Campaigning for the Congress in Gujarat, Sidhu on Wednesday took swipes at PM Modi citing demonetisation, zero-balance bank account opening scheme and the governments push for yoga. America ne 100 dollar bana diya, England ne 50 pound bana diya lekin tumne 500 ka kaatke, 1000 ka kaatke 2000 ka gulabi kar diyaRashtrabhakti ki baat karte ho (the US introduced $100, England introduced 50 pound but you withdrew currency denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 and introduced Rs 2,000 notes instead, and you talk of patriotism), said Sidhu at an election rally in Ahmedabad. He was referring to November 2016 decision of the government announcing demonetisation of high-value currencies of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. The decision had, in effect, withdrawn about 86 per cent of the money in circulation at the time. WATCH: People hungry but made to do Yoga: Sidhus jibe at PM Modi The government defended demonetisation as a necessary step for course correction in the Indian economy. The Opposition, on the other hand, criticised the government saying that notes ban decision led to huge job loss and caused damage to the informal economy. Sidhu, who switched sides from the BJP to the Congress ahead of 2017 Punjab Assembly election, targeted PM Modi over jan dhan bank accounts for which the BJP-led government ran a campaign under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) to bring even the poorest section of society to the ambit of banking. Is it your patriotism Mr Narendra Modi that people who have empty stomachs are being made to perform yoga? Stomach is empty and people are being made to do yoga, peoples pockets are empty but are made to open bank accounts, said the Congress leader referring to the governments campaign for opening zero-balance bank accounts. PM Modi, in his public speeches and interviews, has claimed that since the PMJDY was launched in August 2014, the scheme has ensured that every family has access to banks. The Opposition has, however, called the scheme a failure. Sidhus fresh attack on PM Modi came close on the heels of his remarks at an election rally in Bihar which stoked a controversy. In Katihar Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday, Sidhu asked the Muslim voters to vote en bloc against the BJP-led ruling coalition. I have come here to warn you. They (BJP) are dividing you by bringing people like (Asaduddin) Owaisi, by making a new party contest elections here to divide your votes and secure victory. If you stay togetheryou make 64 per cent of the population here, you are in majorityif you vote together, everything will turn upside down, Modi will be finished, said Sidhu. An FIR has been lodged against Sidhu for violating the model code of conduct by exhorting Muslim voters against PM Modi. The FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Election Commissions flying squad. I have always considered former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh the best investigative reporter in the country. People might recall how he chased the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and came out with incontrovertible proof about how one RSS worker was killed by another in his home state, even if then BJP government did not take action against the killers. In the wake of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, he had alleged that then Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad chief Hemant Karkare had been in conversation with him only that morning and expressed his apprehensions about some alleged saffron terrorists who hailed from Madhya Pradesh. When people disbelieved him, like a good investigator, he launched a search into Karkares phone records and produced a printout which clearly had the same time and date as Singh had claimed that Karkare had called him. A few years later, when Nitin Gadkaris star was rising in the BJP, Singh decided to pay a visit to Nagpur, Gadkaris hometown. There had been some allegations about Gadkaris financial deals, but he had not yet been tripped up by his own party men who wanted to cut him down in high stride. Singh nosed around Nagpur, even ending up on the street where Gadkari lived. Next to Gadkaris bungalow, he discovered the house of a doctor who ran a popular and large hospital in the city. Next thing one knew, Singh had admitted himself to the hospital for exhaustion and dehydration. Now such was Singhs celebrity status that he knew the doctor would not be able to resist dropping in on such a high-profile VIP patient admitted to his hospital and personally attending to him. When the doctor did drop in on him, Singh was quick to strike up a friendship with the medic the next logical step would be that he would get invited to the doctors home for lunch or dinner. He did. When Singh arrived at the doctors home, of course, the conversation turned to his high-profile neighbour (Gadkari) and Singh, I am told by a friend who was privy to that meeting, casually threw in questions that were actually aimed at probing Gadkaris lifestyle and financial status. I dont know if Singh got what he was looking for, but I always thought his nosing around was in the best tradition of a good cop or reporter. Even if he had, Gadkari got guillotined by his own party and Singhs investigation came to nought. I am reminded of all this because I have now discovered another political leader who is proving to be an equally good investigator and doing the job that the media should. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray, in his clinical takedowns of Narendra Modi and the BJP, has been arming himself with details, statistics, photographs, videos and, most importantly, irrefutable facts on the ground on camera that any reporter should be proud of. When the union government, in showcasing its Digital India scheme, called a remote village in Amravati district fully digitised, MNS workers promptly visited the village to discover that despite a mobile tower there was no Wi-Fi in the village, people did not have mobile phones nor did they have ATM cards for their bank accounts. Raj actually launched a hunt for the villager who had been compelled by the government to model for its ad, where he claimed he was rolling in wealth and prosperity ever since his village was digitised. At his recent rally in Solapur, Raj produced the very model who had left for greener pastures in search for a job and relocated to Pune. When Raj had earlier alleged that the governments claims on Digital India were fraudulent, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis countered it saying Raj was lying. This time around, he may not have a counter. I have never been a fan of Raj Thackeray, but I must say he has pioneered a means of political communication that is unique and unbeatable. This could soon become the norm with all parties and leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Raj Thackeray could soon be driving the indolent Indian media out of business. Actor Vishal and filmmaker Mysskin, who are all set to reunite for Thupparivaalan 2, met recently at Cappadocia in Turkey where Vishal is shooting for the Sundar C directorial. A picture from their meeting has been posted on social media by Vishals publicist. Apparently, discussions were held regarding Thupparivaalan 2, which is expected to go on the floors later this year. A source close to Vishal confirmed that the film will be produced by the actor and will roll from November after the completion of Sundar Cs project. Also read: Inside Pankaj Tripathis new sea-facing apartment that the actor called his dream home In Thupparivaalan, Vishal played a detective called Kaniyan Poogundran, modeled after Sherlock Holmes. Actor Prasanna played his sidekick, a character close to Sherlocks partner Dr Watson. Even before the films release, Vishal confirmed he would be reuniting with Mysskin for the sequel. Thupparivaalan was a box-office winner. The film ended Vishals dry spell for success. During the films release, there were reports that the film was heavily inspired from Sherlock Holmes. Mysskin had said only his lead characters were inspired by Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Everyone gets inspired from something or the other. Edgar Allen Poe came up with the first detective story and then came Sherlock Holmes. There is a thin line between inspiration and plagiarism, Mysskin had said in a statement. My story has nothing related to Sherlock Holmes or other detective movies. Thupparivaalan has anecdotes from Subramaniya Bharathi, Mahatma Gandhi; there is love, friendship and ego. This is something I always wanted to write, he added. The film, which also starred Vinay Rai, Andrea Jeremiah and Anu Emmanuel, has been regarded as Vishals best work in a long time. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Langstraat said in a phone interview that she thinks Martin and Ewing are ideal winners for these awards since the library aims to honor writers who are relevant both in the literary world and in pop culture. Both have ties to Chicago: Ewing especially, but also Martin, who earned bachelors and masters degrees of journalism at Northwestern University. A 33-year-old Indian IT programmer has been sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation for hacking 15 client websites after his employer deducted USD 1,080 from his salary, according to a media report. The Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday charged the man with hacking websites and issuing threats, Gulf News reported. The man, who was not identified, was also handed a three-month suspended jail term and will be deported immediately, the report said. According to official records, the defendant, who worked as a computer programmer with the media company, resigned and threatened to hack its client websites after 4,000 dirhams (USD 1,080) was deducted from his salary. He sent WhatsApp messages to another programmer at the company saying that he will hack the websites if the company did not repay him the 4,000 dirhams deducted from his salary. He was informed that the deduction would be made if he resigned before the end of the probation period, said the company owner. After investigation, the police said that the data found on the defendants personal laptop confirmed that he had accessed the websites. The defendant denied the charges. China on Wednesday said the issue of designating Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN was moving towards a settlement, and asked the US not to push through a resolution to list him at the UN Security Council. The foreign ministry also rejected reports that the US, the UK and France had asked China to lift its technical hold on the listing of Azhar as a terrorist at the UNs Islamic State and al-Qaeda Sanction Committee by April 23, failing which the three nations will formally move the resolution for discussion, voting and passage at the UNSC. On the issue of the listing of Masood Azhar, Chinas position remains unchanged. We are also having communication with relevant parties and the matter is moving towards the direction of settlement, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a regular news briefing. Responding to a question on the US move, Lu said: Regarding what you said, relevant parties are forcing a new resolution through the Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In relevant discussions, most members expressed that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 Committee and they dont hope to bypass the 1267 Committee to handle the issue, Lu said, using another name to refer to UN sanctions committee. In an article in the Chinese embassys official magazine, Chinas ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui, had said his country attaches importance to Indias concerns related to the listing of Azhar and will strengthen communication to find a proper solution. Angered by Chinas blocking of efforts to designate Azhar as a global terrorist for the fourth time on March 13, the US had on March 27 circulated a draft resolution within the 15-member UNSC to list the JeM chief. Also read: Masood Azhar: Inside the mind of a global terror merchant The three countries are hoping to increase pressure on China as the introduction of a resolution at the Security Council will lead to an open debate and Beijing will be forced to explain why it has been shielding the head of a designated terror group, apparently at the behest of Islamabad. Lu added China hopes the relevant country can respect opinions of most members of Security Council to act in a cooperative manner and to help resolve this issue properly within the framework of the 1267 Committee. He added, The matter is now moving in the direction of the settlement. As to the specifics for the discussion in the 1267 Committee, there are clear procedures and regulations regarding the UN Security Council and its subsidiary bodies. We think members should follow and abide by such procedures, he said. Asked if Beijing had been set a deadline of April 23 to lift the hold on the move to designate Azhar at the 1267 Committee, Lu said: I dont know from where you get such information, but the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies like the 1267 Committee, they have clear rules of procedures and you have to seek clarification from those sources. Chinas position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation and we dont believe that any efforts without consensus of most members will achieve satisfying results. While blocking all moves to designate Azhar at the UN, China has argued that there was no consensus on the issue among member states and there wasnt enough evidence against the JeM head. The JeM claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide car bombing of a bus carrying CRPF personnel in Pulwama, J&K, that killed 40 troopers. On February 26, IAF bombed JeMs main terrorist camp in Pakistans Balakot in reprisal for the terror attack. US President Donald Trump has used his veto powers to refuse to sign a Congressional resolution that would have ended American support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, the President said in a message to Congress, as his reasons for returning the resolution without his signature. This was President Trumps second veto of his term so for. In his first, he turned down a resolution that had sought to overturn his declaration of national emergency to find alternate sources of money, which had been turned down by Congress, to fund a wall along the border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration. The resolution on Yemen passed the Democratic-led House of Representatives 247 to 175 earlier this month, in a vote largely along party-lines. It passed the Republican-led senate 54-46 in March with seven Republicans voting for it, in a clear rebuke of the presidents foreign policy. The United States has been aiding Saudi-led military operations against Yemens Houthi rebels who are backed by Iran. Escalating in 2015, when the rebels took control of most of western parts of Yemen and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country, the civil war has created a humanitarian crisis in the country, pushing it to the brink of a famine. An estimated 7,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict thus far, according to the United Nations. President Trump said in his message to Congress that its resolution was unnecessary because the US was not directly involved in the hostilities in Yemen, apart from counter-terrorism operation against al Qaeda. And the US was only providing limited support to the Saudi-led coalition with intelligence and logistics, such as mid-air refueling for their aircraft. Missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis have targeted areas frequented by American citizens, the president went on to state in the message. And, he added, the Yemen conflict represents a cheap and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, blasted the presidents veto. The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world, he wrote on twitter. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress & perpetuate Americas shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis. US lawmakers have been critical of the US support of the Saudi-led operations also because of the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, on the orders allegedly of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin-Salman. President Trump has disregarded US intelligence assessment and sided with the crown princes strong denial of any role in it. Many tense-up when prime ministers in some countries announce an address to the nation there is similar anxiety in the United Kingdom when Prime Minister Theresa May goes on her favourite walking break in north Wales. The reason is that May famously decided on calling the 2017 mid-term election while on a five-day walking holiday in the sylvan Snowdonia with her husband, Philip May. Soon after returning the Easter break in April 2017, she stood outside Downing Street and announced the mid-election. The election outcome wasnt exactly what she hoped for: she ended up losing the Conservative partys majority won in 2015 under David Cameron, forcing her to seek support of the 10-member Democratic Unionist party to form the government. Last week, following months of bruising headlines and worse over Brexit, May again went up the Welsh pastures with her husband for the week-long Easter break, raising temperatures again at least one tabloid claimed Westminster was in panic. Will she decide on another election? After all, it is one of the several options discussed to resolve the Brexit impasse. The new Brexit date is October 31, while talks with opposition Labour havent exactly been successful so far. Such was the anxiety that the Downing Street spokesman was specifically asked if she is considering another election during the holiday. The answer was a brief No, but that hasnt stopped tongues wagging in the Westminster bubble. May said in 2017 that she had thought long and hard about holding the mid-term election while relaxing in Snowdonia, where she says she and Philip love going there because the scenerys great, the hospitality is great, we get a great welcome there and its a wonderful part of the country. The couple was spotted two days ago at a service station in Shropshire, walking almost unnoticed among travellers who had stopped for a break. May was due to return to London on Thursday in time for the Easter weekend, and for another round of Brexit negotiations The work were trying to do is not easy, said Arne Duncan, CREDs managing partner and former U.S. secretary of education in the Obama administration. Its not about individual transformation; its about changing neighborhoods and building healthy communities, and the hardest thing for men to do is to make yourself vulnerable, and our guys grow up having to keep a mask of hardness on in order to survive, he said. I think a lot of people still think what were doing is crazy. Were really trying to demonstrate and prove that these men are the solution and not the problem. Were going to walk with them and support them; they are going to lead Chicago to a safer place. The beauty of vintage is that you can get pieces made of better materials something made of 100 percent silk or head-to-toe sequins that are going to be constructed better than something that is made today and also be more approachable in terms of a price point, Embrey said. Thats what we look for garments that have already stood the test of time and are going to continue to be workhorses. 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. Yet Notre Dame is still subject to the laws of physics and scores of unanswered questions about the continued viability of its structural skeleton, which rises more than 108 feet from the floor of the cathedral to the top of its criss-crossing vaults. Appointment 17 April 2019 The award-winning Casa Palopo welcomes local celebrity chef Eduardo Gonzalez to lead culinary operations at the luxury boutique hotel. In his role, Chef Gonzalez will oversee new menu development and food and beverage programming to enhance the overall gastronomic experience at Guatemala's first and only Relais & Chateaux property. Chef Gonzalez is locally renowned for his role in the television program "Flavors of my Land," in which he and his co-host focused on ingredients native to Guatemala. He is currently the host of "A Menu for All," a daily cooking program that features simple recipes and techniques for the at-home cook. The son of a farmer, Chef Gonzalez spent his childhood lending a hand at his father's fincas, where he dev eloped a love for the land. He studied agronomy, intrigued by the process of crop production. Today, Chef Gonzalez's 23 years of experience include restaurant openings, internships at Michelin-star restaurants and culinary school instructor, always leading with his passion for locally grown ingredients and traditional recipes. He brings this approach to Casa Palopo, where newly launched menus feature dishes such as Pepian, a spicy stew that's recognized as the national dish, as well as Trucha Asalmonada, a fresh local trout filet in orange sauce, roasted coriander seed and cilantro sauce served with sauteed spinach and sweet potato puree, among other dishes to satisfy every palate. The new menus also zero in on local herbs and ingredients like vanilla and cacao native to Guatemala. Chef Gonzalez arrives at Casa Palopo on the heels of a highly anticipated property expansion. Last year, the hotel debuted six brand new rooms and suites inspired by local artisan s. The new food and beverage menus and culinary programming will continue to elevate the guest experience at Casa Palopo, while raising curiosity toward Guatemala's emerging food culture. Appointment 17 April 2019 Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver's renowned luxury hotel, is pleased to announce Safwan Abu Risheh's return to the prestigious property as managing director. A key member of the hotel's opening leadership team, Mr. Abu Risheh is highly committed to upholding Rosewood Hotel Georgia's reputation as a legendary hotel in Canada and around the world. Boasting extensive experience in luxury hotel operations and a deep passion for the hospitality industry, Mr. Abu Risheh will oversee all facets of Rosewood Hotel Georgia in his new position as managing director. In 2011, Mr. Abu Risheh served on Rosewood Hotel Georgia's opening team where he held the position of Director of Finance. He returns to the iconic Vancouver hotel with more than nine years of strategic leadership for the Rosewood brand, and more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry overall. Most recently, the energetic leader acted as corporate director of finance for Rosewood Hotel Group, and previously, area director of finance for Rosewood's West Coast properties. In years prior, Mr. Abu Risheh served as director of finance in Vancouver, Beirut and Amman during a seven-year career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Before joining the Four Seasons team in 2004, Mr. Abu Risheh started his hotel career within Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Holding degrees in leadership and business from both Cornell University and Damascus University, Mr. Abu Risheh brings a hands-on, entrepreneurial approach to his new role as managing director of Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Notre Dame is our history, it's our literature, it's our imagery, Macron told his people. It's the place where we live our greatest moments, from wars to pandemics to liberations. ... I'm telling you all tonight we will rebuild this cathedral together. This is probably part of the French destiny." Press Release 17 April 2019 Melia Hotels & Resorts has appointed lifestyle brand Rituals to supply all in-room amenities throughout its hotels in Spain and EMEA from spring 2019. Inspired by the wisdom and ancient traditions of Asian culture, Rituals offers an extensive collection of luxurious products for both the home and body. Advertisements Rituals has created an exclusive range of bathroom products, based on The Ritual of Dao, for Melia Hotels & Resorts. The bespoke line will feature shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, shower gel and hand & body lotion. The Ritual of Dao is an ancient Chinese philosophy centred on achieving balance between Yin and Yang. The collection was created using calming ingredients including White Lotus - a symbol of purity and spiritual growth in the Far East - and Yi Yi Ren, which originates from China where it has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine due to its nourishing and medicinal properties. Melia Hotels & Resorts has selected Rituals for the collaboration, for their leading and innovative commitment to sustainability, focusing on three pillars: reduce, re-use and recycle. Rituals aims to achieve 100 per cent recyclable packaging by 2023 and offers eco-friendly refills for body creams, day and night creams, hand washes and fragrance sticks. Rituals uses FSC-certified paper for secondary packaging of their products or recycled paper. All wood used for product packaging is PEFC-certified, sourced from sustainably-managed forests in Europe. Melia Hotels International has been named one of the world's leading companies in combating climate change by the "Carbon Disclosure Project" index, following the group's exemplary drive toward reducing its impact on the planet. By 2020, the company will look to reduce water use per stay by 8 per cent and achieve 70 per cent overall green energy use. It will look to achieve sustainability certification for 52 per cent of hotels, generalise sustainability clauses and codes in agreements and relationships with suppliers, ensure 90 per cent of suppliers are local, and reduce CO 2 emissions by 18.4 per cent per stay. Melia Hotels & Resorts is committed to its guests' health and wellness, ensuring their stay at any urban or resort destination caters to and supports all aspects of their wellbeing. The brand offers state-of-the-art fitness facilities, Happy Showers which infuse users with Vitamin C, vegan and vegetarian food options and in-room exercise equipment. Neil Ebbutt, Rituals Director Travel Retail, commented: "Signing this partnership with a hospitality brand as well-known and respected as Melia Hotels & Resorts underlines our commitment to continually strengthening our amenities proposition. This channel plays an important role in our strategy to target travellers at every touchpoint of their journey: at home, at the airport, on the plane and even when they reach their holiday or business destination. We look forward to introducing Rituals and the brand's 'slow down' philosophy, luxurious products and true lifestyle credentials to Melia Hotels & Resorts." Susanna Mander, Melia Hotels & Resorts Head of Global Marketing, said: "Finalising the partnership with Rituals is an important step in Melia Hotels & Resorts' commitment to providing our guests with urban and resort destination hotels with wellbeing at their heart. We are determined to deliver a considered wellness package, whilst remaining sustainably conscious, which Rituals has made it easy for us to do. The alignment between our values makes Rituals the natural amenities partner for Melia Hotels & Resorts." Melia Hotels & Resorts currently operate in more than 100 city and resort destinations worldwide. The brand is set to expand throughout 2019, with openings in key destinations in Africa, APAC, the Middle East and traditional markets such as the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Press Release 17 April 2019 InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a Master Development Agreement with Valor Hospitality Partners Africa to roll out multiple franchise hotels over the next 10 years, across IHG's portfolio of brands in midscale, upscale and luxury segments. The agreement will see IHG expand its presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, including key countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya. The development adds to IHG's growing pipeline in the Middle East and Africa and cements its position as one of the leading operators in the region. Valor Hospitality Partners Africa is a subsidiary of Valor Hospitality Partners Global that manages and asset manages projects across America, the UK, Middle East, South Africa and South East Asia. IHG currently operate hotels with Valor Hospitality Partners in America and the UK. Advertisements Speaking on the announcement, Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG said: "Valor has been our long-term partner in America and the UK for many years and we are pleased to be building our network with an experienced existing operating partner in new markets. This signing is in line with our growth ambition in the region and will add approximately 1000 rooms to our portfolio in the African continent, primarily in the midscale segment and select hotels in upscale and luxury segments. This will allow us to cater to the increasing number of diverse domestic and international travellers looking for quality branded accommodation in Africa." He added: We currently have 26 operating hotels across eight countries in Africa, and we are looking at expanding our presence further by close to 40%, in 3-5 years. Graham Wood, Managing Director of Valor Hospitality Partners Africa added: "We are thrilled to further strengthen our partnership with a global hospitality leader such as IHG and expand our portfolio in Africa with their well-established brands that are loved by travellers across the world. We have consistently benefitted from IHG's global distribution system in the Americas and the UK, best in class revenue management tools, and their commitment to deliver commercial success in partnership with their owners. With the new brands IHG have added in recent months, this agreement presents us with a unique opportunity to provide a range of high-quality branded accommodation options to suit the evolving needs of guests travelling to Africa." IHG currently operates 26 hotels across four brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express , in Africa. **Figures as of December 31st, 2018 Supplier News 17 April 2019 Eden Prairie (Minneapolis), MN - Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier group representation firm, is teaming up with the Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) and Society B to give back to communities where they host events. The program, created by Teneo, includes an innovative approach to raise funds for KINF to provide school supplies to students and teachers across America. It is designed to enable and encourage Teneo-member hotels, resorts, destination management companies, staff and clients to participate in raising money to support KINF's programs. Teneo's clients can contribute by purchasing Society B merchandise with 10% of the purchase price going directly to KINF or three additional charities; or through a new fundraising website for KINF created by Teneo https://teneohg.com/upcoming-events/giving-back/. The site also contains information about the seven networking events that Teneo will host throughout the year in major US cities where the program will be introduced and encouraged. "Since its inception six years ago, Teneo has been in the forefront of developing innovative social engagement programs that invite participation from our members and clients," says Teneo President Mike Schugt. While these efforts were very successful, Teneo saw the need to expand the potential for funding educational initiatives. Past programs, held at Teneo's networking events around the US and Mexico, focused on gathering school supplies, socks for the homeless and children's shoes. "We saw from our past programs, how important school supplies were to kids in economically challenged communities," Mike Schugt says. "And, we were greatly impressed by Kids in Need's track record in tackling this problem." Since its founding in 1995, Kids in Need Foundation has distributed $1 billion in school supplies, directly benefiting more than six million students and nearly 200,000 teachers. Teneo will be contributing $8,000 to launch the program and has invested nearly $40,000 in gift cards of $50 allotments, which will be provided to planners attending future Teneo events to encourage purchases through Society B in support of KINF. "In the past, Teneo purchased the supplies and backpacks and shipped them to each city where our events were taking place," notes Mike Schugt. "Now, The Kids in Need Foundation, which has all these supplies on hand, packages and ships needed supplies directly to the local schools that they have determined are most in need. This helps ensure resources go directly to KINF, targeting those schools most in need and greatly reducing Teneo's carbon footprint in the process," he says. The new partnership also enables Teneo to expand its fundraising efforts and most importantly, continue to increase participation by its members and clients. "We also wanted to continue to benefit the communities where our events are held," Mike Schugt said. "Kids in Need Foundation maintains a listing of over 14,000 teachers who have requested supplies and we can quickly ascertain which schools in each city where we host an event, needs our support." Teneo staff members do the research and help make the decision as to which schools can benefit. They will also work with the Kids in Need Foundation and Society B to update the Teneo donation website with news of events, new programs and products and fundraising progress. The program will be launched on April 23rd, at a networking event at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The fundraising efforts will continue throughout the year at Teneo's networking events held in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and West Orange (NJ). "Corporate social responsibility engagement is an integral part of our business model, and we are very excited by the potential of this new initiative," says Mike Schugt. "Teneo is about building authentic relationships that will benefit our members and clients, our staff and our communities. This dynamic new arrangement enables us to expand our charitable outreach on a local and national level, engage our core audience in a positive, ongoing effort, while raising awareness of community issues and providing creative solutions." About Kids in Need Foundation The Kids in Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids in Need Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995, has distributed $1 billion in school supplies, directly benefiting more than six million students and nearly 200,000 teachers. For more information, visit www.KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @KidsInNeed. About Society B Society B is an online marketplace featuring high quality artisanal products that are either charitable or made according to fair trade practices. Products include apparel, jewelry, handbags, skin care and home goods. Designed to be the most charitable and impactful place to shop online, Society B donates 10% of all salesnot just profitsto charity. For more information visit www.societyb.com Opinion Article 17 April 2019 It's no secret that Google has played a significant role in the hospitality industry when it comes to online searches and generating direct bookings vs indirect bookings via OTAs. Online travelers often turn to Google when researching hotels, resulting in millions of hotel search queries each day. With so many eyes on these search engine results, it's important for hoteliers to be aware of Google's new hotel advertising product. Looking to compete with other hotel booking sites, Google quietly released its own hotel booking site on March 8th. On Google Hotel Search, online travelers can search for hotels by price, location, ratings, view hotel details and photos, as well as book a room. For hoteliers looking to keep their share of direct bookings, Google Hotel Ads should be a priority sooner rather than later. Google Hotel Ads display your hotel availability and rates on Google Search, Maps, and the Assistant. Hotel properties can connect their existing system to show latest rates and availability or manually manage rates, room types, and availability to be shared on Google. These campaigns work similar to a typical paid search campaign. In order to use this tool you'll need to create a Google Hotel Center account to send and manage hotel rates and availability displayed across Google. From there you would connect prices and availability to your ads by linking your Hotel Center account to a Google Ads account. Advertising your hotel can then begin by setting campaign parameters such as budget and duration. Then, once the ads run, you are able to review reports in Google Ads. Not even a month after the release of their Hotel Search site, Google is already teasing an "engagement rewards" program. Although the program is still in the works, the idea is that the program will help companies to attract users, engage them, and increase conversions. The continued advances to Google Hotel Search are bound to shake things up for the hotel industry. For more on Google's new hotel updates, check out Vizergy's blog: Forget OTAs - Hotelier's Biggest Competitor for Direct Bookings is Google. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser The 19-story, 264-guest room Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area, located just blocks from Mayo Clinic and Mayo Civic Convention Center, opens its doors today. The 19-story, 264-guest room Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area, located just blocks from Mayo Clinic and Mayo Civic Convention Center, opens its doors today. This hotel incorporates a nature inspired design, bringing serenity to those seeking treatment at Mayo Clinic. To bring this theme to life, public spaces throughout the hotel feature a variety of tile, stone and wood elements that give the spaces a natural aesthetic. Metal elements are also incorporated throughout to reflect the exterior of the hotel. A giant master staircase, featuring hand crafted wooden rails and granite stairs, is the center focal point of the hotel lobby. Additionally, all guestrooms feature Cambria counter tops which incorporate a custom-designed stone pattern. The hotel lobby features a visually soothing, large-scale painting entitled Everlasting Hope, by artist Amy Donaldson. This beautiful work of art reflects the nature-focused interior design of the hotel and, according to Donaldson, was envisioned as an expression of perfect love. We are thrilled to be introducing this level of hotel accommodation to the Rochester market, said Miki Radovanovic, opening general manager, Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area. Our ownership, local community and team members greatly look forward to opening our doors and welcoming guests. Additional hotel features and amenities include: DINING Dining options abound near Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area, both from the numerous local eateries and a variety of gourmet on-property offerings. Located in the lobby, Pittsburgh Blue Steakhouse features perfectly-aged Midwestern beef and an extensive wine list. Benedicts, located on the second floor, presents a variety of classic breakfast and lunch dishes. AMENITIES Guests seeking exercise or relaxation have a variety of options, including a 24-hour fitness center with Precor equipment and free weights, heated indoor infinity pool, whirlpool, sauna and steam room. The property also includes a 17th floor Executive Lounge, 19th floor VIP Lounge, rooftop terrace and close proximity to scenic running and bike paths along the Zumbro River. MEETINGS & EVENTS With 20,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area is the perfect venue for conventions, weddings, business meetings and social events. The Dr. John H. Noseworthy Hall and Doctors Mayo Hall offers breathtaking views, upscale dining offerings and world-class service, along with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and various room configuration options. To celebrate the hotels opening, Hilton Honors members will earn an additional 1,000 Points per night for bookings between May 1 and October 31, 2019 when booking directly with Hilton. Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic Area is located at 10 East Center Street, just eight miles from Rochester International Airport (RST). Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource The new-build Hotel & Serviced Apartment project, due to open in 2021, will consist of 300 rooms including 50 serviced apartments, a conference hall, five meeting rooms, a gym, an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge/bar and a Sky Bar. Radisson Hospitality AB, part of Radisson Hotel Group, is adding a new location for the Park Inn by Radisson portfolio with the signing of Park Inn by Radisson Tashkent City Hotel & Apartments in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The newly built hotel and apartment project is due to open in 2021 in the capital of Uzbekistan. Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Radisson Hotel Group,said: "We're excited to bring the Park Inn by Radisson brand to Uzbekistan, a country where tourism is growing rapidly. In 2018, Uzbekistan welcomed five million tourists with Tashkent being a popular choice among travelers as the country's most cosmopolitan city. We're delighted to be bringing a new brand to such a vibrant region and offering this market something fresh and exciting." The partner of this project is LLC "Lotus Gas Invest", the owner of the brand Real House, one of the leading construction companies in Tashkent. The new-build Hotel & Serviced Apartment project, due to open in 2021, will consist of 300 rooms including 50 serviced apartments, a conference hall, five meeting rooms, a gym, an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge/bar and a Sky Bar. Park Innby Radisson is an upper midscale hotel brand that delivers stress-free experiences, good food and upbeat environments. This will be 24th Park Inn by Radisson Hotel across the Russia & CIS region bringing the portfolio to 6194 rooms keeping the brand as the largest midscale brand in the region. The hotel will be located in Tashkent City the largest and the most ambitious real estate project in Uzbekistan. It will have a prime city center location and is part of the large-scale development called "Tashkent City", consisting of business centers, congress halls, shopping and leisure complexes and residential districts due to be completed by Q4 2021. Tashkent is the most visited city in Uzbekistan followed by the ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. It is the cultural and political center of the country, rich in museums and Soviet-era monuments. The hotel will have easy access to the historical city center and will be located only 6km from International Airport (TAS) named after Islam Karimov and 4km from Tashkent main train station. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Last month, the ill-timed death of actor Kristoff St. John left fans and family in a state of shock. The 52-year old actor was found lifeless in his California home February following sudden heart failure. Kristoff's filmography contains numerous cameos in an array of television series such as Roots: The Next Generations and The Cosby Show. However, the late actor was most recognized for his recurring role on the soap opera classic The Young and the Restless where he played the fictional character Neil Winters. The role made way for a Daytime Emmy Award as an Outstanding Younger Actor in Drama Series back in 1992. Since the actor's death, the family has been struggling to cope with the loss while also battling over the distribution of assets. To make matters more complicated, American Express is now reportedly suing St. John's estate over unresolved debt. According to legal sources, the filed claim cites an owing sum of $33,007.30. The lawsuit was filed two months following the actor's death. As St. John has not left a will behind, both his father and daughter have filed legal motions to acquire administrator status over the estate. With this new hefty bill underway for immediate payment, things are sure to get trickier. [Via] Bill Cosby's continued to maintain his innocence after dozens of women came forward with allegations that he sexually assaulted them. His sentencing has prompted him to liken himself to Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, referring to himself as a "political prisoner." Earlier this month, the comedian reached a settlement with seven alleged victims who were involved in a defamation case against him. He denied that he approved of the decision, and now, he's placing the blame on his insurance company. Mark Makela/Getty Images Cosby's insurance company, American International Group, struck a deal with a woman named Chloe Goins who claimed that Cosby assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008 when she was just 18. However, Cosby's lashed out against AIG, calling their conduct "despicable." AIGs conduct is despicable and I can only imagine how terribly theyre treating their policyholders, who dont have my means and my resources, Cosby said in a statement to Deadline. In the agreement, the AIG paid off the woman who filed the lawsuit over the alleged incident in 2008. "It was proven by the Los Angeles Police Department that I was not at the Playboy Mansion on the date in question, and was not in the State of California, Cosby said. This womans supposed friend confirmed that she made up this story by denying that they knew her and, most importantly, denying that they visited the Playboy Mansion with her. He continued, AIG continues to act egregiously by settling these heinous claims without my knowledge and/or consent; and AIG continues to show theyre complicit in this scheme to destroy me and my family." Adding, I encourage all of AIGs policyholders to drop this pathetic insurance company quickly, before they destroy you and your family. Ms. Goins lawsuit never should have proceeded and I will still pursue my claims against her. G-Eazy dropped off his latest single, "West Coast" in February which featured the rising L.A. star, Blueface. Now, G Perico's returned with a new freestyle on G-Eazy and Blueface's collab while delivering his perspective of Los Angeles. G Perico is back with a new freestyle over Eazy's latest single. Straight off the bat, the Los Angeles rapper pays his respect to Nipsey Hussle, rapping, "Puma check, Paper Plane check/ 'Fore a start, long live King Nip." Perico adds his own twist and swag to the record while detailing his experiences coming up in South Central. Perico released his project, Guess What? last year, and shortly after, dropped off his tape, Screw Worthy. Since then, he's dropped off his collaboration with Polyester The Saint, "Love Letter" which arrived towards the end of 2018. Quotable Lyrics I'm die-hard in a Slauson with a bodyguard That boy sick, he gets paid to catch bodies boy Yeah I slug but love ain't really live here South Central, you can't trust yo friends here According to MUSO, a data firm that analyzes that specializes in web-based private eye work, Game of Throne's premiere was pirated a whopping 54 million times within 24 hours of its original airing. MUSO also lists the viewership "Winterfell" in the 17 million range. When you account for the successive airings that ensued after its 10 pm start time, the total easily eclipsed the 1 billion mark in total views. Based on their findings, the highest piracy rates were reported in China and India. MUSO believes the Chinese GOT fanbase was mad with envy over the government 's censorship plan that saw a 6-minute sex scene omitted from the Mandarin-Cantonese regional broadcasts - so planned around the wall. Despite considerable global efforts to tackle piracy over the past couple of years, this data shows that consumers are still being driven to unlicensed sources to find content, MUSO chairman Andy Chatterley wrote in a statement. Its imperative that rights holders understand that piracy audiences are some of their most dedicated fans, which, above all else, presents a vast commercial opportunity. As a consequence of the big hype job leading into Season 8, many GOT fans resorted to streaming/torrenting the first 7 Seasons in the months that preceded Sunday's unveiling. MUSO says Game of Thrones content occupies just about every spot in the field surveys they've employed in the past month or so. Interestingly enough, streaming partners like Amazon and Hulu were not counted among the 54 mill they found in the ballot box. [Via] Believe it or not, Brooklyn Nets veteran forward Jared Dudley has played a critical role in the team's first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 33-year old journeyman helped lock up Ben Simmons as the Nets stole Game 1 in Philly, but a strained calf kept him on the sidelines for Game 2, as the Sixers evened the series with a blowout victory. During his media availability today, the Nets' unexpected x-factor said that he'll be back in the lineup for the pivotal Game 3 on Thursday night, and he expects to play "a lot." He also had some thoughts about Simmons, and how the Nets can limit his output moving forward. "I think that Ben Simmons is a great player in transition. Once you slow him up in the half-court, I think hes average. Hes a player that, when he picks up speed, hes a load." https://twitter.com/_/status/1118595368491659267 https://twitter.com/_/status/1118614023409414144 This isn't the first time that Dudley has used his words to get in Simmons' head. Prior to the Nets' 111-102 win in Game 1, Dudley said in an interview on WFAN's Carlin, Maggie and Bart: We will leave him wide open until he proves in this league that he can make it. Right now hes not even attempting it. So we know that hes not going to be able to do that for the most part." Simmons had just nine points and three assists in Game 1, but bounced back with a triple-double in Game 2 while Dudley watched from the sidelines. Game 3, airing on TNT, is scheduled to tipoff at 8pm ET tomorrow night. https://twitter.com/_/status/1118585867260628994 https://twitter.com/_/status/1118594772988506120 Kevin Abstract is going about ARIZONA Baby's deployment on a piece by piece basis. What was initially conceived as a short order exercise in the eyes of the public, will soon become an episodic project, starting with this afternoon's submission of "Baby Boy' via Brockhampton's YouTube channel. Did anyone really think he'd stop at 9-minutes of action? Those you listened to all 9-minutes of ARIZONA Babywhen it dropped last week, remarked upon its deeply subjective material. Kevin Abstract touched on a few deep-seated issues, including the oppression he faced in his younger days in Texas. On "Baby Boy," the prominent Brockhampton member feeds into this idea that a happily thereafter exists with his chosen family. Driven by a mellifluous guitar and his pleasing singing voice, "Baby Boy" is tentatively listed as part of a project entitled GHETTO baby. The accompanying video begins with two actor-friends trading compliments in a loving embrace, bereft of the nitpicking Abstract described on the shortened ARIZONA project. Kev is one day removed from rubbishing rumor of a Brockhampton breakup. His latest video single only pushes the narrative further away from the worry warts. Quotable Lyrics: Spent my days alone, when God left me all alone He's all I got, he's all I got I should let him know how much I need him now He's all I got, he's all I got Somethin' is missing now, I need to find the right way to your house. It was just a few years ago when Kevin McCall's name was associated with some of the most influential artists in the music industry. Whether he was working on his own music cor penning hits for some of your favorites, McCall had a promising career. He collaborated with Chris Brown, Big Sean, Tank, Trae Tha Truth, Keke Palmer, Tyga, Gucci Mane, J. Valentine, Joe Jonas, and Justin Bieber. McCall began dating America's Top Model winner Eva Marcille and after the two had a daughter together, many thought that this was the making of a Hollywood power couple. However, soon McCall was in the headlines for less than favorable news. He had public arguments with artists on social media, including his well-publicized beef with Chris Brown. Then, there were accusations of trouble in his relationship with Eva to the extent of a restraining order being issued against him and denial of his parental rights. When things calmed and the dust was settled, fans assumed that McCall was minding his business, working hard, and laying low. Eva has kept herself busy and now she's a peach holder for Real Housewives of Atlanta. Just last month, the show featured a storyline where she talked briefly about her relationship with McCall, whom she calls her daughter's donor, and how she has had to live in multiple homes because of his stalking behavior. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Every time I move, he finds me, Marcille continued. Because of that, I live in multiple places. Safety is a priority for me. She also said, I still feel a sense of threat. I have had to move five times, and I still feel a sense of uneasiness. Hes just so petty sometimes. Ive walked outside of my balcony before and hes been standing in the dark. And it is the scariest feeling ever. McCall, who is in a relationship, quickly took to social media to blast his ex, along with her new husband, and deny claims that he's a threat to her. "Show me the Eva Marcille documents Im(Ill WAIT) its public knowledge right? Lets start posting my records with these violent claims if you can do that Then You can mute me like R. Kelly But Im starting to feel We both victims of a modern witchHunt (and N***az is the witches). Its sad when she gotta keep using my name for her storyline, if I was the husband I would be like 'Real hoe of Atlanta' is you out your mind, or is you still obsessed with your childs Father? Why is he in our story line so much aint I enuff headline for our relationship? Now, TheShadeRoom is reporting that McCall has been arrested on charges of domestic abuse, according to documents. They state that he was taken into custody on Monday morning and booked at the Compton Courthouse in Los Angeles. His formal charge is one felony count of injuring a spouse or cohabitant. It allegedly stems from an incident that occurred on January 14, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office. His bail is set at $75,000 and his arraignment was scheduled for today. Further details regarding the incident have yet to be made public. Lil Baby's been taking it easy in 2019 so far. He had one hell of a run in 2018 with the release of three projects including his debut album and his joint project with Gunna, Drip Harder. It appears as though he's taking a bit of a break after flooding the market and solely delivering guest verses. Back in March, he joined forces with the self-proclaimed King Of R&B, Jacquees, for their collaboration, "Your Peace." Now, he links up with a rising Atlanta rapper for their track, "Call Me Daddy." Poplord is a name out of Atlanta you should start getting familiar with now. Over the weekend, he teamed up with Lil Baby for "Call Me Daddy," a humorous yet infectious single. Poplord delivers a catchy hook and proves that he could hold his own alongside one of hip-hop's biggest names right now. Peep the new single below. Quotable Lyrics I just bought a bitch a new penthouse Hunnid floors up with the bust down rollie And the neckless to match Now, she forever call me daddy Throughout history, artists have used music as an outlet to share their frustrations, even to the point of using lyrics that some believe advocate violence. There is no one particular genre that has perpetuated violence more than another, but overall rap and hip hop has bore the brunt of responsibility. Authorities have always had a keen eye on hip hop artists, especially those with violent lyrics, but as we live in an era where the line between art and reality is becoming less defined, people are being held to a different standard; a standard that has landed a few artists in jail. A 26-year-old man named Christopher Maurice McCallum, rap name Jun Jun McCallum, was recently arrested over what some claim to be lyrics to a song, while others say he was threatening violence against the masses. According to a news report, McCallum posted a rap on Facebook where he said he was feuding with several others in the Ocala and Gainesville, Florida area. In the rap, he stated that he planned on attending a concert at the Eight Seconds venue where another artist named Yungeen Ace was performing and alluded to doing something violent there. Authorities claim that the lyrics also threatened a mass shooting at the University of Florida campus because McCallum said, catch you at a Gator game and shoot the whole campus up. McCallum has been charged with threatening a mass shooting and is being held on $50,000 bond. After the Parkland school shooting in 2018, Florida laws were changed to make mass shooting threats a crime. Activists are drawing similarities between McCallum's case and that of Jamal Knox, a young rapper who was arrested after he posted a song online. On the track, Knox stated that he would cause harm to local police officers, naming them specifically. Knox was taken to court and sentenced to two to four years in prison over his lyrics that a judge stated wasn't protected under the First Amendment. Killer Mike, 21 Savage, Chance The Rapper, Yo Gotti, and many other well-known rappers have banded together to help get Knox released from prison. Tomorrow's Thursday, and you know what that means. Supreme has an all-new drop set to release via their online shop as well as their stores worldwide. On the heels of Supreme's collaborative collection with Jean Paul Gaultier comes a range of different apparel and accessories, including the Supreme x Hot Wheels collab and an assortment of Supreme x '47 Brand Oakland Raiders gear. Supreme The Supreme x Raiders collection is highlighted by the embroidered Harrington jacket shown above, which comes in both black and khaki. The range also includes embroidered chino pants, a trio of denim vests, crew necks and a knit hat. The Supreme x '47 Brand x Oakland Raiders collection will be available exclusively via Supremes online shop, as well as Supreme stores located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, London, and Paris starting tomorrow, April 18. Check out some of the Oakland Raiders-branded apparel below. Supreme Supreme Supreme Supreme Supreme Supreme Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., was just one of the many places of worship participating, Thomas said. Another was Notre Dame de Chicago, 1334 W. Flournoy St., which has ties back to early French-speaking settlers of Chicago. Kroger, the nations largest grocer, has launched a self-driving grocery delivery service in Houston, the latest salvo in a hyper-competitive grocery market that has supermarket chains investing heavily in new technology to win over online shoppers. Company officials on Tuesday showcased the first of dozens of autonomous delivery vehicles planned for Houston: Toyota Priuses outfitted with cameras, sensors and self-driving computer software. Shoppers at Krogers Meyerland store who live in ZIP codes 77401 and 77096 can order groceries through the companys website and have their purchases pull up in a self-driven Prius. The Cincinnati-based grocer plans to bring the autonomous delivery service to its Buffalo Speedway store later this year, with plans to ultimately expand the program citywide. We are creating a seamless shopping experience for our customers so they can get anything, anytime and anywhere, said Marlene Stewart, Krogers Houston division president. The introduction of autonomous delivery vehicles ups the ante in Houstons fierce grocery wars, which has only intensified after technology and e-commerce giant Amazon bought Austin-based Whole Foods in 2017. The $13.7 billion acquisition sent shockwaves throughout the grocery business, prompting competitors such as Walmart, H-E-B and Kroger to engage in a fierce technological arms race to offer ever more convenient grocery pickup and delivery options to draw shoppers. The grocery business is so competitive, everybody is fighting for their market share, said Ed Wulfe, chief executive of Houston-based retail brokerage Wulfe & Co. Theyre always looking for something that gives them an edge over their competition. Walmart, the nations largest retailer, last year began delivering groceries in the Houston area and is running several autonomous vehicle pilot programs with plans to bring the technology to the Bayou City. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company recently announced plans to deploy autonomous robots at several local stores to scrub floors, scan shelves and unload delivery trucks. H-E-B, the Texas grocery heavyweight, last year acquired Favor, an Austin-based food delivery company. The San Antonio chain, which is building a technology and innovation hub in Austin, offers online ordering for home delivery at 48 stores in the Houston area and is piloting a self-checkout mobile app at several Texas stores. Looking ahead Kroger, one of the first grocers to offer grocery pickup and delivery in Houston, has embraced e-commerce and new technologies. The company last year launched its Scan, Bag and Go technology in the Houston area, allowing customers to use a wireless handheld scanner or a smartphone to scan and bag groceries as they shop in the store. It also struck a deal with U.K.-based technology company Ocado to use automated robots to pick, sort and pack online grocery orders in distribution centers. In January 2018, Kroger partnered with Nuro, a Mountain View, Calif.-based self-driving delivery startup, to develop a grocery delivery service. Nuro, founded in 2016 by a pair of Google veterans, has raised $1 billion from investors, including Silicon Valley venture capital firm Greylock Partners and Japanese holding conglomerate SoftBank, to make autonomous vehicle deliveries affordable for the mass consumer. We believe this technology isnt just for an elite group of people, but for everybody, said Dan Mitchell, Nuros head of product operations and community engagement. The Kroger-Nuro partnership launched a pilot program in Scottsdale, Ariz., in August. Over the next seven months, the companies made more than 2,000 deliveries to customers living in one ZIP code around a Frys Market, a Kroger subsidiary. Mitchell said the autonomous vehicles were well-received in Arizona, with shoppers reveling in the novelty of self-driving cars by taking photos and sharing them on social media. Deliveries cost $5.95 per order. Customers using the autonomous vehicle delivery service will have to pick up their groceries from the vehicle curbside, notified of their arrival via text message. Nuros autonomous vehicles will have a safety operator at the drivers seat who can take control in case of emergencies, as well as a co-pilot monitoring the technology. The vehicles had no accidents during its Arizona pilot program, Mitchell said. Quincy Allen, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, said governmental agencies will closely watch Krogers autonomous delivery program as it expands. Safety remains our top priority, and we expect Kroger and Nuro to meet our safety standards, Allen said. Favorable climate Kroger and Nuro said they chose to launch its self-driving delivery service in Houston because of its growing population, warm climate, flat topography and business-friendly regulations. The companies plan to expand the program to a second Houston store, 5150 Buffalo Speedway, serving residents living in ZIP codes 77005 and 77025, later this year. Eventually, the autonomous Priuses will be replaced by Nuros all-electric and truly driverless delivery vehicle, which features a top speed of 25 miles per hour and is capable of holding 12 or 20 grocery bags. Customers use a unique code to unlock the vehicle to pick up their groceries. Nuros Mitchell did not give a timeline for when the new vehicles will debut in Houston. Kroger has identified 12 to 14 local stores for future expansion, but declined to share more details. The company, which has 105 stores in the Houston area, envisions automated deliveries will expand to stores nationwide. Autonomous vehicles can provide benefits to retailers and customers, freeing up parking space and cutting down on traffic congestion. While there are fears that they can replace human delivery drivers, Kroger said it plans to hire six workers to pick and sort home deliveries at the Meyerland store. Nuro, during its pilot program in Arizona, had nearly 50 employees operating its fleet of autonomous vehicles. Wulfe, the retail broker, said he sees autonomous deliveries becoming popular among busy families with young children, senior citizens in nursing homes and young millennials in apartments. Times are changing fast, Wulfe said. If you blink, you might see a driverless car in the lane next to you. Microsoft and Intel will collaborate on a Houston business program designed to bolster companies creating sensors and robotics to ease big-city problems, such as transportation and disaster response. The Ion Smart Cities Accelerator, a partnership of the two tech giants along with startup hub Station Houston and the collaborative manufacturing workspace TXRX Labs, will start its programming on Aug. 1. It will provide six months of structured curriculum and six months of pilot programs, which will allow the companies developing internet of things applications to test their products in real-life situations. The program will initally launch in the same building as Station Houston and then move to the Ion, the former Sears building that will anchor the Midtown innovation district, after it opens by late 2020. Relative to smart cities implementations, which are complex, I think this one is unique in that Mayor (Sylvester) Turner and the city have their arms around exactly what its going to take to be successful, said Rodney Clark, vice president of Microsofts internet of things sales. On HoustonChronicle.com: Mayor, Microsoft join forces for latest tech push in Houston Microsoft has pledged to invest $5 billion globally into the internet of things, which provides internet connectivity to appliances, meters and other everyday devices for collecting, analyzing and sharing data. Microsofts Azure cloud platform and internet of things services power and connect devices such as sensors, cameras and street lights. Smart cities technology in Houston could stop commuters from accidentally driving into flooded underpasses by alerting drivers of high waters. It could also detect when people with limited mobility are waiting at a crosswalk, providing them additional time to reach the other side. The latter would help a pedestrian safety initiative that Turner announced last week following the deaths of a man in a wheelchair and the woman who stopped to help him. They were hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. Where you can utilize technology to delay the time sequence, to provide more time, Turner said, is a very real example and can enhance our Safe Streets initiative. The Ion Smart Cities Accelerator will rent 7,000 to 10,000 square feet of office space at 1301 Fannin, the same building in which Station Houston is located. TXRX Labs, which provides consulting, equipment and education for activities that include 3D printing and IoT hardware development, is building a prototyping lab at 1301 Fannin and will work with the Ion architect, Shop Architects, to build another lab at the Midtown innovation district. The Ion Smart Cities Accelerator curriculum is designed for companies advanced beyond one person and an idea. The first group will have at least 10 companies from across the country. Applications will be accepted starting June 1. Microsoft and Intel are helping develop the curriculum, finance the accelerator program and identify problems for the startups to solve. Their financial commitment to the accelerator program was not disclosed. On HoustonChronicle.com: Venture fills gaps in connecting Houston's tech startups and big energy players After completing the first six months of the program, the companies will get pilot programs. They get to pilot their smart cities applications - it could be hardware, it could be software, it could be both - in the fourth largest city in the United States, said Station Houston CEO Gaby Rowe, which creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for startups. One local pilot program using Microsoft technology in an internet of things product is already underway. BeSafe Technologies, of Raleigh, N.C. is creating a digital map of Stovall Middle and Aldine High schools, with details including doors and which way they swing, where utilities can be shut off and if the building has any hazardous materials. These maps would aid first responders in an emergency. The companys ActiveShield product incorporates cameras, sensors and other devices into this digital map. BeSafe Technologies is working with Tempe, Ariz.-based Insight Enterprises to integrate these cameras and sensors. The pilot program is expected to later add a live video feed providing first responders a real-time look inside the schools, panic buttons for teachers to press if they feel threatened and a mobile app on which teachers and first responders can communicate, said BeSafe Technologies CEO Kevin Harrington. Selina Chapa, deputy superintendent for the Aldine Independent School District, called the pilot program a wonderful opportunity for the district to ensure our students are safe. At LyondellBasells Bayport plant, dozens of construction workers in neon vests are dwarfed by bulldozers moving mounds of dirt. A crane rises several stories into gray blue sky. Steam plumes puff from towers behind the construction site as a maze of silver, yellow and blue pipes form the veins of a petrochemical plant in the middle of a massive growth spurt. The Houston petrochemical company is pumping new life into the heart of the Bayport plant - which just marked its 50th anniversary this week - with a multimillion dollar expansion, part of a broader $2.4 billion project that is LyondellBasells biggest capital undertaking to date. Construction crews working for the S&B Construction are completing ground preparations and foundation work before hauling in more cranes to begin above ground construction on a new 34-acre unit that produce fuel additives, said Darren Dickens, who oversees maintenance at the plant. That site is connected via pipeline to the second half of the project, a 140-acre plant under construction at LyondellBasells Channelview complex that will produce chemicals used in carpeting, cushions, coating, paints and packaging. Fluor is the engineer on the project. Once the project is complete in 2021, the Bayport-Channelview project will be the largest propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol plant in the world, according to the company. Propylene oxide is used in the manufacture of bedding, furniture, carpeting, coatings, building materials and adhesives, while tertiary butyl alcohol will be converted to two high-octane fuel additives that can be blended into gasoline to reduce emissions. The project is generating an estimated $453 million in economic benefits to the Houston region, plus 2,230 construction jobs at peak construction and 160 permanent jobs. Since Bob Patel took the reins as chief executive officer in 2015, LyondellBasell has expanded, acquiring Ohio plastics maker A. Schulman for $2.25 billion last year and investing billions into upgrading its plants, including the Bayport-Channelview project. A new polyethylene unit in La Porte is expected to be completed in the third quarter. Patel said this wave of expansions isnt over yet. LyondellBasell is evaluating more potential Gulf Coast projects and would focus on growing existing infrastructure. Patel said global demand for petrochemicals is rising and the Gulf Coast can tap into ample supplies of ethane, a byproduce of oil and gas drilling and feedstock for petrochemicals. This supply-demand relationship, Patel said, should make those new investments profitable for years to come. When we commit to these projects were thinking about it in terms of decades, Patel said. On HoustonChronicle.com: For LyondellBasell CEO, pollution is personal The 880-acre Bayport complex traces its roots to 1969 when it was ran by the Oxirane Chemical Company, a joint venture between subsidiaries of Atlantic Richfield Co. and Halcon International Inc. Eventually the plant came under LyondellBasell's ownership when Lyondell and Basell merged in 2007. The Bayport complex generates more than $530 million in annual economic activity and supports 1,150 jobs, according to the company. The plant - which has earned industry safety awards from the industry group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers - houses a fire station on site and several volunteer firefighters. Preventive maintenance - like updates to cooling towers underway in Bayport - and extensive safety training are critical to maintaining Bayports safety record. Any time there is a safety incident or malfunction at any of the companys global, no matter how minor or uncommon, Patel said he personally reviews the incident with his plant managers to see if there is anything to learn or improve upon. And expansion projects such as the one in Bayport and Channelview provide opportunities to modernize equipment to further improve safety. The key is continuous improvement, Patel said. I tell my team, you can never relax. You always have to be thinking about how else can we get better. It's goodbye ... but maybe not farewell ... for Big Star Bar. The dive bar's lease at 1005 West 19th Street, which expires May 31, was not renewed, owner Brad Moore told Chron.com. According to Moore, beginning in June, Big Star will operate at its current location on a month-to-month basis until the landlord sells the property, while he looks for a new Heights-area locale to reopen the iconic watering hole. A classic dive bar with cheap beer, a jukebox, pool table, and extensive outdoor area with fire pits and picnic tables, Big Star opened its doors in 2008. Over the years, artists including The Suffers have stopped by to perform free sets. Houston band: The Suffers' gear and trailer stolen in Dallas The bar has hosted numerous themed events including the popular John Waters night, and served as a venue for several weddings. Before its location at West 19th Street closes, Big Star will have two final blowout bashes. A belated 10-year anniversary is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend on May 25 and May 26. Plans for an official closing party will commence once the property has been sold, Moore said. "I'm not sad or angry about this," Moore said. "Things change. Big Star Bar changed my life and I'll look back on it with pride." Moore has also pioneered such distinguished bars as Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar & Spirit Lodge downtown, Grand Prize Bar in Montrose, Lil' Danny Speedo's Go Fly A Kite Lounge in the Second Ward, and Sassafras in Oak Forest. Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message A few weeks ago, deep in a sermon and full of Jesus, the Rev. Leslie Jackson popped a button off his black robe. It was a wonder he hadnt done it before. At the sermons climax as the congregation clapped approval, as amens and yeses poured in Jacksons preaching bordered on aerobic. He bounced on his feet. He swiveled at the waist to address the choir. Underscoring stressed syllables, his arms slashed the air like a symphony conductors. Jacksons style is riveting, but given that hes a black preacher in the South, its not surprising. Whats really surprising about St. Peter United Church of Christ is this: When Jackson turns to make eye contact with the choir, the eyes he meets belong to his husband, Marcus Carter. Houston has lots of black preachers, and a fair number of openly LGBT ministers. But Jackson is both African-American and gay which is rare in church hierarchy. The second surprise is whos in Jacksons Jesus-praising congregation. Here, the crew in the pews isnt all LGBT, or all African-American. Its black and white and Hispanic, straight and lesbian and gay, babies and seniors and pretty much every age in between. At the weekly call to stand and greet your neighbors, the congregants swarm the churchs aisle, everybody hugging everybody the white-haired woman with an oxygen tank, the lesbian couple visiting from Lubbock, the buff T-shirted minister with a man bun carrying his toddler daughter. But the third surprise cuts the deepest: Its where, exactly, that Jackson is preaching. St. Peter, founded in Spring Branch by German immigrants in 1848, is among the oldest churches in Harris County, and until recently, one of the most traditional a place whose elderly congregation still hewed to their German forebears restrained style of worship, a place where hymns are accompanied by a small woman pedaling away at an old-school pump organ. On Easter Sunday this year, St. Peter will celebrate Christs resurrection and transfiguration and also the churchs own. Mosquitoes and malaria In 1848, a leaky ship carrying German immigrants to Galveston nearly sank in the Gulf of Mexico. But two of the immigrant families journeyed to Spring Branch, a flyspeck settlement of five other German-speaking families already busy turning forest into dairy farms. The seven families, as Spring Branch history buffs call the citys founders, met to give thanks for the newcomers survival. And at that prayer meeting, they founded a Lutheran church named for St. Peter, after the apostle who carried the gospel into new lands. It wasnt easy, starting a church in the immigrants new land. The church took five years to build. Wet weather brought mosquitoes and malaria, leaving people too sick to care for their cattle. Thieves stole the logs families managed to cut. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Twice once in 1859, once in 1867 yellow fever struck Spring Branch, wiping out so many people that they were buried in mass graves in the churchs cemetery. In 1864, the little church itself burned down. Through it all, the St. Peter congregation persisted and grew. They called a pastor, started a school, sawed new logs for a new building. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Its the rebuilt church, the one from 1864, that still stands today. The prim white clapboard building looks a lot like the churches that similar German settlers built in small towns across Hill Country. But wedged among Long Point Roads car lots and fast-food joints, its white steeple comes as a jolt. The little white building stayed the same, even as the world around it changed radically. Spring Branchs forests and farms gave way to suburban houses and strip malls. The farmers kids learned English, and the church changed denomination, joining with other German evangelical churches. By 1937, only a handful of members were left. Finally, the church changed its services from German to English. The immigrants descendants returned, and once again the church thrived. Evelyn Kingsbury Miss Evelyn, they call her at St. Peter is the great-granddaughter of Jacob Schroeder, a patriarch from the seven families. She was christened in the church 84 years ago, and married there, too. She remembers when the church had big barbecues, with men staying up all night to cook. For its enormous turkey dinners, her Grandma Hillendahl would mix dressing in a brand-new washtub. That grandma demanded strict good behavior: no running in church, sit still on the hard wooden pews. That was hard, she remembers, when a visiting preacher spoke only German, a language she didnt understand. Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer But though German gave way to English, many of St. Peters other traditions remained even as its denomination merged with another denomination, and that one in turn merged with yet another. Eventually the church found itself a member of the United Churches of Christ, a loose-knit denomination that largely lets individual congregations set their own rules. In 1948, the growing church built a fellowship hall. And in 1961, it built a big brick sanctuary, attached to the little white church by an umbilical-cord breezeway. Membership peaked around 1966, with 550 members. Then came the long, slow decline. Americans in general stopped going to church in the numbers they once did, and the immigrants great-great-grandchildren moved away from Spring Branch. As far back as 1993, the Houston Chronicle reported that St. Peter might have to merge with another congregation or close. But still, St. Peter survived. On Sundays, it rented out the big sanctuary to other congregations, and it moved its own services back into the little white chapel. Pastor Vicki Sheil-Hopper came to St. Peter in 2013. The first time she walked into that old building, she said, the presence of God overwhelmed her. The intimate space, with its hard pews and pump organ, whispered of a history stretching far beyond her own life. After her sermon, when it came time to say the Lords Prayer, one of the congregants said it in German. Sheil-Hopper got goosebumps. She loved the church, and she stayed, becoming its lead minister. But for every baptism, she did five funerals. By 2018, only about a dozen people attended each Sunday. Most were in their 70s or 80s. Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer A couple of younger families did join the church, but even then, their children didnt seem likely to stick. Carly Schuhsler, now 20, went to St. Peter with her mom, Cathy. Carly liked singing, but she couldnt stand the churchs tiny old-school choir and its starchy quiet hymns. Even descendents of the seven families recognized that their church couldnt go on that way. We prayed for new people to come, said Kingsbury. We needed young people. Once again, St. Peter was dying. Jackson, the preacher, is 41 with two masters degrees. One is in management, and in 2017, he had a good job overseeing the Houston Food Banks employee training. The other a divinity degree from Columbias Union seminary wasnt quite lying dormant, but close. Hed once dreamed of leading a major church, but with his progressive evangelical beliefs, his full-body preaching style, and his proud gay relationship, he didnt fit into the big ones that he tried. So he preached on the side. He became minister of education for Cathedral of Hope Houston, a satellite church launched in 2009 by Dallas 4,000-member Cathedral of Hope, the largest LGBT church in the U.S. Cathedral of Hope Houston, though, had stayed tiny, with only 23 members in part because the church had had three rented homes, and lost members with each move. The church had landed at St. Peters, where it rented the sanctuary, when the minister told Jackson she planned to retire and wanted him to take her place. He was stunned. That dream, hed thought, was dead. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer But he and his husband agreed that he should follow his calling, and should go all in, give it everything he had. He quit his job at the food bank. Most of Cathedral of Hopes congregation, like its retiring minister, were white lesbians. But Jackson wanted the church to be insistently welcoming to all people. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Even in diverse Houston, he knew, that kind of church wouldnt be easy to create. Martin Luther King observed that 11 a.m. Sunday is the most segregated hour in Christian America, and thats still largely true today. Religious services are rarely just dry classes in doctrine. With their music, their style, their teachings about the nature of the world and how people should behave in it, theyre powerful assertions of identity and culture. The church he was envisioning built on no ones tradition. It was something new. He knew what a big change he was asking for, and from his management studies, he knew how hard change comes for any organization. But in the first months, when membership dropped from 23 to 15, he and his husband worried theyd made the wrong bet. They prayed. And at last, the people theyd imagined began to show up: people of all ages, different races and ethnicities, straight and gay and transgender. Membership doubled, tripled, quadrupled. By the end of 2018, Cathedral of Hope Houston had 85 members a long way from a megachurch, maybe, but growing. Cathedral of Hope Houston rented St. Peters sanctuary, and last year, as his church began taking off, Jackson was considering yet another a move. He wasnt sure that St. Peter, as a landlord, would or could make the physical upgrades that his growing congregation needed. He sent his lay leader to a meeting with his St. Peters counterpart with a list of fixes theyd need if they were going to renew their lease. Instead, St. Peters lay leader proposed a merger. Together, the two churches would become St. Peter United. The Cathedral of Hope members were astonished. The elderly, white, traditional congregation would intentionally meld with the wildly diverse one? The pump-organ service would coexist alongside one with big-screen Oprah videos, a drum set, and gospel praise music? Not to mention Jackson himself a black, gay, button-popping preacher? As the two churches discussed the details, the idea began to seem almost inevitable. Jackson would be head minister and would continue to command the big brick sanctuary on Sundays, but Sheil-Hopper would stay on, and would continue leading the restrained traditional services in the chapel. A few from Cathedral of Hope grumbled that theyd miss the churchs name, but most agreed that St. Peters history took priority. The Cathedral of Hope congregation would get a forever home. And St. Peters would get the vibrant young people its congregation had prayed for. My God Is Awesome Since January, when the two churches officially merged, the congregations have been getting to know each other, beginning to meld into one. After the parallel services, everyone gathers in the fellowship hall for coffee and homemade cookies. For Easter, the combined church will celebrate its merger with lemonade and an egg hunt. Occasionally the old and the new congregations even cross over, trying out each others services. Cathy Schuhsler still loves the traditional service, but lots of weeks she attends Jacksons instead. That way, she gets to see Carly, her daughter, sing with the choir. On a recent Sunday, the choir stood in a line in front of the sanctuary, backed by a drum and piano, with lyrics on the big projection screen so the congregation could join in. Carly stood in the middle of the choir, the small, pale center of a rainbow coalition. My God is awesome, the choir sang. My God is awesome, the congregation echoed. Most of the choirs members moved to the music none more so than Marcus Carter, Jacksons husband, on the far right-hand side of the choir. Carter trained as a dancer, studying under Alvin Ailey, and the music lit up his whole body. He can move mountains, the choir sang, growing louder. He can move mountains, the congregation echoed. Carly, in the center of the choir, didnt move at all. She looked for all the world like the great-great-grandchild of one of St. Peters German founders, standing stock-still as if to appease a stern grandmother. But her smile lit her face. Keep me in the valley, the choir sang, still swelling. The congregation echoed. Some people began clapping to the beat. Hide me from the rain, they sang. Jackson pumped his hands in the air, the sleeves of his black robe waving. My God is awesome, they sang. Our God is awesome, Jackson thundered into his wireless mike. The music welled up, growing somehow even bigger and louder. Carly and Carter avatars of the old church and the new were both beaming now, as if this moment was the best part of their weeks, the place where they each felt most at home. And St. Peter United felt so full of life that it might burst. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's recent call for increased regulation of the Internet sidestepped the biggest questions of all: Is Facebooks business model the real problem, and if so, is it redeemable? Over the last couple of years, Facebook rolled from scandal to scandal. Consider this small sample of Facebook scandals from 2018: Cambridge Analytica harvested the personal data of millions of peoples Facebook profiles without their consent and used it for political purposes. Facebook gave big companies greater access to its users data without users permission. U.K. lawmakers published internal Facebook emails, including some that involved Zuckerberg, which paint a picture of a company aggressively hunting for ways to make money from the reams of personal information it was collecting from users. It was also disclosed that a Facebook software bug may have affected close to 7 million people who used a Facebook login and gave permission to third-party apps to access their photos. Facebooks reputation has taken quite a beating. In a March 30, Washington Post op-ed, Zuckerberg called for increasing regulation of the Internet in four areas: harmful content, election protection, effective privacy and data protection, as well as data portability. Given Facebooks shoddy reputation, its hard to take these policy recommendations at face value, regardless of their merits. After all, until 2014, Facebooks motto was, Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough. In Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy, Jonathan Taplin argues that Silicon Valley increasingly resembles some kind of nightmarish children's playground, populated by overgrown babies with no idea of the consequences of their actions. Breaking things can have profound societal consequences. Given recent political developments around the world, Taplin's assertion that technology undermined democracy does not sound too batty. Its now quite clear that frictionless sharing on social media gave rise to the fake-news phenomenon. Its also now widely accepted that this had a serious impact on both the 2016 U.K. Brexit referendum and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Its this cavalier attitude about breaking things that led Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan to describe Silicon Valley executives as moral Martians. Facebook's refusal to accept responsibility for harm in the wake of the recent Christchurch attack led New Zealands privacy commissioner to describe the company as morally bankrupt. Zuckerberg also seems oblivious that Facebook's biggest problem may be its advertising-based business model. Where do Facebooks hefty profits come from? Not from me, you may say. The advertisers pay to advertise. But advertising is just a cost of doing business, and advertisers pass that cost to consumers in the price of their goods and services. We have is an opaque market in which consumers support internet companies via, essentially, an invisible tax. Ethan Zuckerman, director of the MIT Center for Civic Media, called the advertising-based business model the original sin of the Internet. But market opaqueness is just one problem. As we now know, internet advertisers require data to ensure effective delivery of ads, so we not only pay for "free information" with an invisible tax, but we also pay by providing our personal information. Thanks to the success of surveillance capitalism, the internet has become a huge surveillance machine. Most curiously, Zuckerberg manages to discuss internet regulation without once mentioning Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a fundamental piece of U.S. legislation that provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by third-party users. The law states: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." By allowing Facebook and other Internet companies to operate as a platform, rather than as a publisher, Section 230 frees them from liability for the content that they publish. The explosive growth of social-media platforms would have not been possible without Section 230. Yet this explosive growth has led to widespread manipulation. By co-opting social-media platforms, unscrupulous actors ranging from disgruntled individuals to state-run intelligence operations have found a ready way to distribute false, misleading and harmful content to millions. This proliferation of "bad speech on social-media platforms has become politically untenable, and now all social media platforms are actively fighting "fake news." Recently, for example, social-media platforms banned the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for violating their "abusive behavior" policy. Thus, in spite of Section 230, social-media platforms seem to be accepting responsibility for the content they publish. In other words, they are starting to behave with some restraint, like publishers, rather than platforms. It is not at all clear, however, whether a platform like Facebook, with more than 2 billion active users, can behave like a traditional publisher. First, there is the difficulty of vetting content from so many users. With fewer than 40,000 employees, Facebook clearly cannot have people review all its content; algorithmic filtering is a must. But if we have learned anything over the last few years, it is how good people are at outsmarting algorithms. Facebook removed 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch attacks within 24 hours, yet many archived versions remain available. More fundamentally, do we really want Facebook to regulate the speech of more than 2 billion people? The Washington Post, in response to Zuckerbergs op-ed, called that the dark side of regulating speech." Traditional publishers regulate speech on their platforms, but there are numerous platforms. In contrast, there is only one Facebook. So the fundamental question is: Are social media redeemable? We now know that the utopia of frictionless sharing leads to filter bubbles, fake news and extreme content. Is allowing Facebook to act as the global censor the only answer? Is there a middle path between these two extremes? Those are the questions Zuckerberg should be addressing. Facebook users, investors and lawmakers need to know. Last week, the shocking image of two burning twin towers from the 9/11 attacks appeared on the cover of the New York Post, along with a caption calling out Rep. Ilhan Omar. Heres your something, it read. This was a dangerous exploitation of a national tragedy to gain political points. As a fellow Muslim woman of color who wears a hijab and understands the deadly implications of Islamophobia and bigotry, Im disappointed that another member of Congress, my very own Rep. Dan Crenshaw, played a role. The controversy emerged from a video clip of a speech that Omar, D-Minnesota, gave at a recent banquet for the Council on American Islamic Relations, whose stated mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims. Omar was speaking to a majority Muslim audience about how the civil liberties of Muslim Americans have been stripped away after 9/11. Far too long, she said, we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. And frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something, and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. It is evident from the full video that Omar was using the phrase some people did something to distinguish between American Muslims who had their civil liberties revoked and the foreign terrorists who committed the attacks. But this context was stripped away when a questionable imam tweeted an edited version and added: Ilhan Omar mentions 9/11 and does not consider it a terrorist attack on the USA by terrorists, instead she refers to it as Some people did something, then she goes on to justify the establishment of a terrorist organization (CAIR) on US soil. Omar did not do that, but Crenshaw, R-Texas, jumped to share the tweet with a base that had previously accused her of being anti-Semitic, adding, First Member of Congress to ever describe terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 as some people who did something. Unbelievable. These words were shared thousands of times more. They were cited by a Fox & Friends host who invoked an anti-Muslim trope by questioning Omars loyalty to the U.S. Then came the New York Post cover. All this occurred just days after a man was arrested in New York for threatening to kill Omar and harassing her staff. Finally, President Trump shared the clip spliced with video of the burning towers on Friday, adding, WE WILL NEVER FORGET! When Omar called out Crenshaws rhetoric as incitement, referencing the death threats she regularly receives, he doubled down. I never called you un-American. 2. I did not incite any violence against you. 3. You described an act of terrorism on American soil that killed thousands of innocent lives as some people did something. Its still unbelievable, as is your response here. What is unbelievable are not Omars words or response, but Crenshaws refusal to acknowledge his role perpetrating a lie and the real harm his political attack could cause. Had he done his research, he would know that he was furthering a false and Islamophobic narrative that has deliberately attempted to link Omar (and Muslim Americans in general) to 9/11. (Last month, a poster with Omars image underneath the burning towers was displayed in the rotunda in the West Virginia Capitol). He would also know that Muslims mourned along with the rest of the country during the attacks, as they, too, lost loved ones, including a first responder, Mohammad Salman Hamdani. Finally, he would know Omar was one of the co-sponsors of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Members of Congress have a responsibility to exhibit better decorum than internet trolls, firing off whatever reaction comes to mind. Unfortunately, Crenshaw and other Republicans such as Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, who consistently calls Omar anti-Semitic, have shown a lack of concern for the negative repercussions of their speech. Words matter. These members of Congress may not have directly incited violence against Omar, but they are not absolved from blame, as their speech could be weaponized and encourage those who want to commit heinous acts. Hate crimes, even though underreported, increased in the last three years, with Muslim and Jewish people being targeted most often for religion and black Americans for race and ethnicity. Trumps rallies held in 2016 had an effect, as a recent study showed that hate crimes rose dramatically in counties that hosted them. Im sure many of Crenshaws constituents would agree with me that potentially endangering a fellow member of Congress to score political points is reprehensible. If Crenshaw were actually concerned about Omars intentions, he could have reached out to her office. Instead, he wrongly called her out on a social media platform that limits conversations to 240 characters, not nearly enough to include the context in a single post. Crenshaw of all people should understand all this, as he said after his Saturday Night Live appearance after Pete Davidsons apology to him: I would appreciate if everyone would stop looking for reasons to be offended, and We can remember what brings us together as a country and still see the good in each other. It would do a lot of good for Crenshaw and others to follow his own advice. Jose Gonzalez Carranza was baffled when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at his house on April 8, his attorney said. While he'd come to the U.S. illegally 15 years earlier, he'd been granted a reprieve from deportation after his wife, Army Pfc. Barbara Vieyra, was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. But Gonzalez, 30, suddenly found himself hauled away to Nogales, Mexico - and separated from his 12-year-old daughter, Evelyn Gonzalez Vieyra, who is a U.S. citizen. "It didn't make any sense," said Ezequiel Hernandez, Gonzalez's attorney, in an interview with The Washington Post. "If I was an ICE agent or a government attorney and I was told by my administration that I need to deport people, his would not be the first case to choose." By Monday evening, hours after the Arizona Republic first reported on his case, ICE abruptly reversed course and returned Gonzalez to Phoenix, Hernandez said. Gonzalez's fate is now back in the hands of the immigration court, the attorney added. 'BREAKING POINT': In El Paso, surge of migrant families and no quick fix ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The office of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., told the Republic that they were working with Hernandez and ICE to resolve the case. Gonzalez illegally crossed into the U.S. from Veracruz, Mexico, in 2004, the Republic reported, and married Vieyra in 2007. A first-generation American, Vieyra had dreamed of joining the U.S. armed forces since she was a girl helping her Mexican-born parents raise Jersey cows on a dairy farm outside Mesa, Arizona, according to the East Valley Tribune. One year after marrying Gonzalez, soon after Evelyn's birth, she enlisted in the Army and became a military police officer, the Tribune reported. When she deployed to Afghanistan with the Fort Hood-based 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, she told her sister the sacrifice of leaving Evelyn behind would be worthwhile. MORNING REPORT: Get all the news you need to start your day in Houston with our HoustonChronicle.com newsletter "She always said, 'I'll be able to come back and it won't be like I've missed her whole life. I'll just have missed a part of her life but I'll be able to give her a better life,'" Guadalupe, her sister, told the Republic at the time. But she never returned. On Sept. 18, 2010, enemy fighters in the Konar province east of Kabul attacked her unit with rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devises, killing her. She was 22. After her death, her husband was granted parole in place, an exemption under U.S. immigration law for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit" for the families of service members. Based on that ruling, Hernandez said, an immigration judge later canceled deportation proceedings against Gonzalez. SEEKING ASYLUM: A no-show could mean an 11-year-old girl is deported from Houston But in 2018, ICE refiled its deportation case for reasons that remain unclear, Hernandez said. A judge then ordered Gonzalez deported when he didn't show up for a December hearing - but the orders to attend had been sent to the wrong address, the attorney said. "We have evidence it went to the wrong address," Hernandez said. "There were little errors throughout this case." When Hernandez learned about the deportation order, he filed a motion to reopen Gonzalez's case, triggering an automatic stay until a judge could rule. The attorney said he provided evidence of the stay to ICE, which was holding Gonzalez in a correctional center outside Phoenix. But on Wednesday, ICE deported him to Nogales. On Monday, the attorney alerted the Republic, which wrote a story that quickly churned up national outrage. "It's the height of cruelty for ICE to deport the father of a child whose mother died while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan," Cecillia Wang, deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Republic. A few hours after the story posted online, Hernandez said an ICE official called asking to be put in touch with Gonzalez, who had been staying in a shelter for recently deported people in Nogales. 'SKY WENT DARK': Trump policy is upending lives before judge's order Soon after, he was brought across the border by Customs and Border Protection agents, taken to Tucson and then returned to Phoenix by around 7 p.m. on Monday, Hernandez said. The attorney said ICE did not explain to him their reason for bringing him back to the U.S. Gonzalez hopes to see his daughter again soon, Hernandez said. "He's back to his regular life, for now," Hernandez said. But an immigration judge will still have to rule on his petition to reopen his case. The attorney said he will argue that deporting Gonzalez would be unfair to a child who has already lost one parent. "There is extreme and unusual hardship on this little girl," he said. "Not every deportation includes a child whose mom was killed in Afghanistan." Statik, the Woodlawn artist, was working on a new piece of art Tuesday his Instagram handle in bold, purple letters with some pandas and the face of a black man to contribute to Project Logan, a rotation-based, curated area of wall art near the Milwaukee and Fullerton intersection in Logan Square, visible from the Blue Line. Flash ABC, an artist and the curator of Project Logan, said the community has changed during the eight years he has worked on this project. He said he thinks the registry is an attempt to protect street artists but not necessarily graffiti. The Republican leaders of Texas would like to raise your taxes. To be fair, they probably wouldnt put it quite that way. And Republican leaders more generally would like you to know that the GOP probably gave you a tax cut last year, via the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. You may not have noticed, while rushing to file your federal taxes by the Monday deadline. The few provisions that targeted working families werent ambitious enough to make a noticeable difference for most working people, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy noted in September 2018, explaining that policymakers were more aggressive in making provision for wealthy Americans. The law does include some tax cuts for middle-income Americans, but Republican leaders in Congress may have oversold the impact of those. According to the institutes analysis, 53 percent of the $1.5 trillion worth of benefits realized as a result of its passage went to the top 5 percent of taxpayers. Most working Americans only saw their paychecks go up modestly, if at all. In any case, Texas Republican leaders are taking a different tack than their counterparts in Washington, and they should be commended for that. Every man, woman and child in the state of Texas would chip in a bit more to state coffers, under a plan announced last week by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The trio propose to raise the states sales tax rate from 6.25% to 7.25%, as part of their overarching push to provide Texas homeowners with property tax relief and reform before this years regular session adjourns in May. Their support for a constitutional amendment raising the state sales tax, they explained, is contingent on passage of the property-tax reform plan that the three endorsed in January, which would restrict the amount of new revenue raised by local governments. If the one-cent increase in the sales tax passes, it will result in billions of dollars in revenue to help drive down property taxes in the short and long term, wrote Abbott, Patrick and Bonnen in a joint statement. In other words, any changes to the states sales tax rate would arguably be better understood as part of a tax swap than a tax hike, per se. The property tax reform plan has proved controversial in part because the Big Three also called on the legislatures budget-writers to provide for expanded investments in public education already the largest slice of a skimpy, sugar-free pie. The political will is there, but the arithmetic is uncooperative. If the growth of property tax revenue is capped, or severely constrained, the state may have problems in the future coming up with much more for public education, absent an expansion of the revenue base. Local leaders strongly oppose efforts to curb property tax growth, saying it would limit their ability to provide essential services; some lawmakers have promised that school districts would get more state funds to make up for lost revenue. Raising the sales tax would help budget-writers circle that square. Many conservative lawmakers including a number of the hard-line members of the House Freedom Caucus have expressed tentative approval for the proposed tax swap, at least if the additional revenue raised via a sales tax hike is dedicated to property tax relief. There are exceptions, of course. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who sponsored the Texas Senates property tax reform measure, announced Tuesday that he opposes the idea of raising the sales tax, even if the plan has the approval of the Big Three. Whether it's income tax, property tax, sales tax, or whatever tax, I'm not voting for an increase, Bettencourt told Lubbock-based radio host Chad Hasty. Even more significant is that many of the Democrats in the Legislature are skeptical of sales tax hikes too, albeit for different reasons. From their perspective, the state should pay its fair share for public education in Texas, but Republicans should find a better way to do so because the sales tax is regressive. In other words, raising the sales tax would have a bigger impact proportionally on the pocketbooks of lower-income Texans than wealthy ones; the less money you earn, the larger the share of your income youre likely to spend. In addition to that, the sales tax is volatile. Policymakers predict that raising it would generate an additional $5 billion in the first year; it could be more than that, or less, depending on fluctuations in the state economy, some of which are hard to anticipate. All things considered, I think the proposed sales tax hike is unlikely to pass, but Abbott, Patrick, and Bonnen deserve some credit for proposing a measure that acknowledges the fiscal reality. The reality is that Texas needs to expand its revenue base in order to continue supporting core services like public education. This is a young and rapidly growing state. For Republican leaders to acknowledge as much, rather than continuing to kick the can down the road, is a good thing. That acknowledgment will facilitate the states ability to pursue the reforms that we know to be necessary and which the Texas Legislature will be reluctantly compelled to pursue someday. erica.grieder@chron.com The indictment, which also names El Chapo and several of his top henchmen, alleged that the cartel used jumbo jets, submarines and tunnels to smuggle massive amounts of drugs into the U.S., much of which was later distributed in wholesale quantities through a network built by Chicago twins Pedro and Margarito Flores. One person has died aboard a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Houston, an airline spokesperson confirmed. Flight 440 left around 10 a.m. in Frankfurt and landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 1:55 p.m. today, according to flightstats.com. REWARD OFFERED: Scooter thief shoots middle finger at surveillance camera The passengers name and cause of death havent been identified. Local authorities will take over the investigation, said Tal Muscal, head of corporate communications for Lufthansa in the Americas. 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. Even a saints-encrusted pistol couldn't protect this guy from the cops. Deputies took a sizable bite out of the Houston drug scene during a routine traffic stop Friday. Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office found nearly 10 kilos of methamphetamine, 21 grams of cocaine and several firearms, all seized and now off the streets, officials said. REWARD OFFERED: Scooter thief shoots middle finger at surveillance camera Deputies seized an AR long gun and two pistols, which both had grips appearing to depict saints. One looks to have St. Joseph carrying baby Jesus while the other depicts La Virgen de Guadalupe. They also seized about $4,200 in cash, officials said. 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 AUSTIN As the Texas House passed a bill Tuesday requiring physicians to care for any baby that survives an attempted abortion, a former nurse-turned-lawmaker led a Democratic protest, calling the measure a malicious lie. The bills author, Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, argued Texas law does not go far enough to ensure a baby born alive after a failed abortion is cared for by a physician. His bill would impose civil penalties of at least $100,000 against a physician who fails to provide appropriate medical treatment to the child. In this situation, in this instance where an attempted abortion has failed and a baby is alive outside of the womb, were advising and telling and putting a stake in the ground as to what that physician should do. I dont think thats a charade. I think thats why were here. Such scenarios are rare, according to FactCheck.org, a project out of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Abortion-rights groups say failing to provide care to an infant is already illegal and argue the legislation is an attempt to spread lies and fear about the procedure and its risks. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox When it came time to debate, former nurse and state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, read a statement saying her party would not legitimize the bill by trying defeat it or change it. She blasted the legislation as an attempt to turn lies into law. She said the idea that many women deliver a viable fetus after an abortion attempt is false, quoting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. As a nurse, I am insulted. I am insulted by the implication or any other nurse or doctor. would not do any and everything in our power to provide care to any medically stressed human being. The bill passed the House 93-1 Tuesday. Fifty members joined Howard in abstaining from voting for or against it. Republican Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston, also declined to vote for or against the bill. The bill is still a ways from becoming law. The Senate passed a similar proposal this month, requiring lawmakers to iron out differences between the two versions, then take it back before both chambers for a final vote before sending it to the governor for his signature. After three chemical fires ignited in a three-week period in the Houston area spewing plumes of noxious black smoke into the air for days, shutting down schools and sending entire cities indoors to shelter in place lawmakers say its too soon to know whether new laws are needed to improve prevention or emergency response. Instead, state Sen. Carol Alvarado and Reps. Ed Thompson and Mary Ann Perez will wait on the results of investigations by agencies such as the Harris County Fire Marshal and U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The fire marshals office has said its too early to guess how long the inquiries may take. In five weeks, the legislative session ends. We can speculate all we want, but I want to see the report and then try to make whatever changes I view are necessary to keep the constituents safe, said Perez, D-Pasadena, whose district includes some of Deer Park, where a petrochemical storage facility caught fire on March 17. Still, environmental advocates say the lawmakers should be doing more to support existing bills that would increase accountability for polluters and to quash bills the advocates say would decrease oversight of chemical companies and restrict local governments abilities to take them to court. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox While the timing of the fires happened to coincide with the legislative session, advocates pointed to Houston Chronicle reporting from 2016 that showed theres a major chemical incident in the greater Houston area every six weeks. It doesnt seem like the Legislature has gotten the memo that people are demanding action, said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, an Austin-based environmental advocacy group. Unfortunately, as they have in previous sessions, rather than strengthening environmental safety programs, they seem to be going in the opposite direction, working to further erode some of the safety standards we have in place. At least one gap highlighted in recent legislative hearings about the fires will get immediate attention: lawmakers are backing a budget request for more air monitors to detect pollutants and provide the public with more timely information. As levels of cancer-causing benzene spiked after the Deer Park fire, city officials said there was at times a three-hour delay in Texas Commission on Environmental Quality readings from handheld monitors, which the agencys employees have to transcribe from paper to a computer. For subscribers: Deer Park plant on fire at Intercontinental Terminals Co has history of environmental violations The tenor of some members of the Houston delegation was decidedly more aggressive at legislative hearings last month on the Deer Park fire. After hearing reports of slow reaction times to the fire and hours of delay in providing air quality information to the public, several lawmakers said they saw a need for legislative action. Perez criticized the amount of time it took Intercontinental Terminals Company to report which chemicals were burning in the Deer Park fire, delaying notices to the public. Since then, though, she said shes spoken to company officials, including ITC CEO Bernt Netland, who assuaged some of her concerns and reassured her the company cared a whole lot. She added she still believes some procedural changes need to be made to improve their reaction time. We talked about leaving the water cleaner than it was before the spill, making everything right, Perez said. And he agreed. OK, well, time to dust off the knees and keep walking and everything will heal. But weve got to do whatever we can in order to make it right. Thompson, R-Houston, who had also suggested a need for legislation at the hearing, said this week that his questions about the fires, including what caused them, need to be answered first. I understand the urgency of this, Thompson said. Thats not lost on me at all I hesitate to do something that later on we might look back and say, Well that was a little premature to do that. Alvarado, D-Houston, agreed and said until the investigations wrap up, her focus is on TCEQ budget requests for a new mobile air monitoring van and updated software. She said she also plans to encourage local authorities to build a fire station closer to the Houston Ship Channel, where the ITC facility is located. Now, the nearest fire station is about 15 miles away. For subscribers: KMCO Crosby plant fire: Facility poses high potential for harm, long history of safety violations Bills calling for tougher standards stall With six weeks remaining in the legislative session, some bills that environmental advocates say would increase accountability for companies like ITC have stalled in committee. The bills would cut out exemptions for polluters, mandate better protections for above-ground storage tanks and require penalties be at least equal to the economic benefit of a companys noncompliance. Under present laws, the penalties are not enough of a deterrent in some cases, Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, said at the hearing on the Deer Park fire. For example, in 2017, ITC was issued a fine about $3,000 less than the economic benefit of not fixing a leak, she said. As those bills stagnate, advocates point to legislation that they say will weaken controls on polluters, which has recently passed out of committees. House Bill 2826, sponsored by Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, would give the Attorney General, rather than the Comptroller, the power to approve or deny state agencies and local governments contracts for outside attorneys retained on a contingency fee. It also requires that the public receive notice of the meeting at which the contract would be approved along with information about why its necessary. Bonnen said at a March committee meeting that the bills goal is to increase transparency. For subscribers: In wake of Deer Park fire, Harris County officials lament lack of air monitors Adrian Shelley, director of the Texas office of the nonprofit Public Citizen, said local governments already abide by many of the bills disclosure requirements under existing law and called the bill paralysis by analysis. There should be oversight over how public dollars are spent, Shelley said. Its just that when you combine a whole bunch of seemingly good kinds of transparency elements together into a large, onerous, prescriptive process the actual intent of such legislation is to hamper those political subdivisions from operating in nimble ways. Just one week after the Deer Park fire, Harris County filed suit against ITC for failing to prevent the incident and the resulting pollution from hazardous chemicals that flowed into the air and waterways. Rock Owens, Harris Countys chief environmental prosecutor, said the bill would likely cause a delay in the filing of such suits. Owens said the county seldom needs to hire outside attorneys in environmental cases as it already employs lawyers with specialized knowledge. The Deer Park suit did not require outside attorneys. Certain larger cases, however, such as the one it launched against German car manufacturer Volkswagen for enabling emissions test cheating, do require them, he said. In that case, Attorney General Ken Paxton had requested the county drop its suit so he could pursue two suits of his own, but the county declined. For subscribers: Lawmakers target lapses in Deer Park fire response, lax regulations Environmental advocates are also sounding alarms about House Bill 3114, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-College Station, which would give the TCEQ the ability to hire administrative law judges to preside over permit and enforcement dispute hearings. The cases are currently heard by judges employed by the independent State Office of Administrative Hearings. That set-up would create a conflict of interest by giving the TCEQ the ability to choose judges in its own cases, Shelley said. A SOAH opinion is advisory, he said. TCEQ gets the final say anyway. But you still have to believe an independent agency is going to conduct a better hearing, and that better hearing is going to lead to more accurate recommendation. Kacal says his bill would allow the agency to hire judges with a greater level of subject matter expertise and lead to more consistency in the judges findings. A plan for a tax swap that would raise Texas sales taxes to among the highest in the nation has run into trouble in the state Senate, less than a week after it was first pitched by top Republican lawmakers. I dont see a tremendous appetite over here in the Senate for that proposal, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who is the leader of the GOP caucus, said Tuesday in an appearance on the Chad Hasty Show on Lubbocks KFYO News Talk Radio. Bettencourt said Texas has a bad history with tax swaps, which is creating reservations about the plan floated last Wednesday by Republicans Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The three leaders called for increasing the statewide sales tax by 1 percentage point to 7.25%, which would tie California for the highest in the nation. Combined with local-option sales tax increases, the rate would be 9.25% in most of Texas. In a statement issued to the media, they said the move would raise billions of dollars in revenue that could be used to reduce property taxes for homeowners and businesses. By state estimates, a one-percent sales tax increase would bring in about $5 billion a year, though collections fluctuate with the economy. For subscribers: Gov. Abbott, top lawmakers push to raise Texas sales tax to 7.25 percent None of the three responded to requests for comment Tuesday, and they have yet to elaborate on how the plan would work. In explaining the obstacles in the Senate, Bettencourt stressed that members have not yet been able to see a bill spelling it out. That could come next week, he said. There are just 6 weeks left in the Legislative session considered late in the session for something that lawmakers havent explored in public hearings over the past 14 weeks. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, Bettencourt said he is not trying to declare that the proposal is dead. Rather, he said he is acknowledging that the idea isnt very popular because lawmakers are not yet assured that every dollar of the sales tax increase would go back toward property tax relief. It doesnt matter if its income tax, property tax, sales tax, or whatever tax, Im not voting for an increase, Bettencourt said. Bettencourt pointed to 2006 when the Legislature reduced school property taxes by increasing franchise taxes on businesses. While the measure provided temporary property tax relief, those gains were short-lived as property taxes started ticking back up once again. Texas homeowners now pay 2.18 percent of the value of their house each year in property taxes on average, the third-highest rate in the nation, according to a recent study by the real estate data warehouse ATTOM. Texas has no income tax and relies heavily on property tax revenue to fund public schools and local government. There is good reason to be leery of tax swaps, said Jared Walczak a senior policy analyst for the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group in Washington, D.C. He said other states such as New Jersey and Connecticut have tried them, and also saw the savings wiped away in the matter of a few years. It is very tough to get a tax swap right, Walczak said. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Shortly after it was announced last week, the tax swap plan was opposed by Democrats in the Legislature and by left-leaning groups that say sales taxes hit the poor hardest. Bettencourt isnt the only Republican insisting on more details before supporting the idea. State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said he also needs assurances that all the increased sales tax revenue would go to property tax relief. The push for the tax swap comes as the Legislature is working on two other very different plans targeting the escalation of property taxes. The Texas Senate on Monday passed a plan that would bar school districts from increasing property tax collections by more than 2.5 percent without an election and block cities and counties from collecting more than 3.5 percent year-over-year without a vote. Currently, cities and counties can take an 8 percent increase in property tax revenue before voters have a chance to fight it at the ballot box. The Texas House has a rival plan that doesnt include a cap on school districts but does set a 2.5 percent rate on cities and counties. That bill has not reached a vote in the Texas House, which has in recent years refused to support plans to set a similar cap as low as 4 percent. The two chambers are also debating a school finance plan that would dedicate at least $2 billion to lowering school property taxes. French Catholics were the majority in Chicago in its early years and Cyrs preaching at the first parish, now Old St. Marys, alternated between French and English homilies. But Notre Dame de Chicago is the successor to St. Louis Parish founded in the 1850s for French-speaking Catholics, according to histories of Chicago Catholicism. Notre Dame Parish was founded in 1864 by French-speaking immigrants from Quebec, Canada, Hays said. NASA astronaut Christina Koch soon will hold the title for longest female spaceflight in history after the space agency announced Wednesday that her mission on the International Space Station has been extended until February 2020 Koch, 40, has been living on the space station since March 14. NASA made the announcement that she will live on the space station for 328 days Wednesday morning. "One month down. Ten to go. Today the possibility has become reality," Koch, 40, tweeted Wednesday morning. "Privileged to contribute my best every single day of it." Most astronauts who go to the space station stay just six months. But if everything goes according to plan, Koch will beat the current record held by retired astronaut Peggy Whitson, who lived on the space station for 288 days between 2016 and 2017. But Koch will not beat former astronaut Scott Kelly's record for longest single spaceflight of a NASA astronaut 340 days set between 2015 and 2016. More Information Here are the current flight plans for the International Space Station, as announced by NASA: June 24: NASA's Anne McClain, Canada's David Saint-Jacques and Russia's Oleg Kononenko -- currently living on the space station -- will return to Earth. NASA's Christina Koch and Nick Hague, as well as Russia's Alexey Ovchinin, will remain aboard the space station. July 20 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing): NASA's Andrew Morgan, European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano, and Russia's Alexander Skvortsov launch to the space station, joining Koch, Hague and Ovchinin. Sept. 25: NASA's Jessica Meir, Russia's Oleg Skripochka and United Arab Emirates' Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, launch to the space station. Oct. 3: Hague, Ovchinin Almansoori return to Earth. February 2020: Koch, Parmitano and Skvortsov return home. Spring 2020: Morgan, Meir and Skripochka return home. Source: NASA See More Collapse NASA said Wednesday morning that Koch's extended mission will help scientists compile more data about the effects of long-duration spaceflight on humans. That information is more important than ever as NASA makes plans to return to the moon in 2024 and, eventually, travel to Mars. "Astronauts demonstrate amazing resilience and adaptability in response to long duration spaceflight exposure," said Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientist of the Human Research Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This will enable successful exploration missions with healthy, performance-ready astronauts." Kelly's nearly one-year mission on the space station has yielded numerous scientific results since he returned to Earth. But comparing him to his twin brother, fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, NASA was able to learn many things about how space impacts the human body. The results were published last week in the journal, Science. For example, researchers discovered that Scott Kelly's telomeres the ends of his DNA strands lengthened during his mission. Telomeres protect chromosomes without them, cells don't work properly and typically shorten as humans age. Once he returned to Earth, the telomeres shortened rapidly within 48 hours and returned to mostly normal within the following months, according to the study. Koch was selected as an astronaut in 2013. She was born in Michigan, but considers North Carolina her home state. She has three degrees from North Carolina State University: a master's degree in electrical engineering and two bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering physics. She arrived on the space station in March alongside NASA's Nick Hague and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin. The March mission was Hague and Ovchinin's second attempt to live on the space station: In October, they were robbed of their chance after the Russian Soyuz spacecraft transporting them there had to make an emergency landing because of a rocket booster failure. She was supposed to participate in NASA's first all-female spacewalk in its 60 year history last month, but it was scrubbed because there were not enough suits to fit both her and NASA's Anne McClain. Also on Wednesday, NASA announced that United Arab Emirates astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori will fly to the space station Sept. 25, returning home Oct. 3 alongside Hague and Ovchinin. Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and science for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. In the bitter struggle over Prop B, both Mayor Sylvester Turner and the firefighters union have accused the other side of negotiating in bad faith. Were concerned that the mayors failure to promptly turn over important city financial information may give credence to the firefighters narrative. The Houston Chronicle editorial board has largely agreed with the mayor on policy, first in opposing the firefighters pay parity ballot initiative that would amount to 29 percent raises on average. After voters approved the measure in November, we urged the mayor to implement it even if it meant following through on the layoffs Turner had long warned would be needed to pay the Prop B bill, estimated between $79 million-$113 million the first year. Attempts by Turner and officials with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association to work out specifics have more often led to name-calling and recrimination than to any sort of compromise. With 220 firefighter layoffs on the agenda for the Houston City Council this week, we had a flicker of hope that a last minute deal would be reached to help save jobs and scarce resources in this revenue-capped city. Thats not likely. And part of the blame goes to the mayor, who appears to be dragging his feet in getting the firefighters the information they need to compare pay and ensure parity with police. They told us we would get it months ago, firefighter union president Patrick Marty Lancton told the editorial board Tuesday. I think whats confusing to me is this shouldnt take more than five minutes. Lancton says he cant legally get his members to vote on any compromise if he cant give them solid numbers showing the impact to their paychecks. To add to the concern, the mayors office has yet to provide city Comptroller Chris Brown with all the information he requested in an April 4 memorandum. Sent to the mayors finance director, Tantri Emo, Browns memo seeks to clarify why the mayors estimate of Prop B costs for the first year is $34 million below the comptrollers. Brown asks why, for instance, the mayor assumes pay raises for only 3,217 employees leaving about 730 fire employees out. Brown asks for information on why firefighters seem to be excluded from certain kinds of incentive pay police enjoy, including tuition reimbursement and clothing allowance. Brown also seeks to clarify how many firefighters will be disqualified from pay parity if they dont meet the educational requirements of their police counterparts. These are all important questions that deserve answers. The mayor might have a perfectly legitimate argument that firefighters demanding pay parity with police of corresponding rank and experience should also have equal education. He might also be right that pay parity doesnt require every parity with regard to bit of compensation. But he should be transparent about his assumptions and interpretations of the law. No doubt, the issue is complex. Thats no excuse to stall on data. If the mayor was confident enough of his offices estimates on Prop B-related costs and layoffs to repeat them over and over in public comments, then he should have the calculations readily available to back them up. The mayor likes his cards close to his vest, says Councilman Dwight Boykins, who represents District D, but is wary of Turners lack of transparency and has threatened to delay Wednesdays vote on layoffs if firefighters havent received their information. That move makes sense. But yet another obstacle only prolongs the long slog toward implementing Prop B that is dividing this city, from public officials to first responders on the front lines. Its time for both sides to put egos, hurt feelings and stalling tactics aside and earnestly work on a compromise. Lancton, the firefighter union president, says his side has made plenty of concessions, but he should realize that layoffs are virtually unavoidable unless his members are willing to phase in the raises over four or five years. The city is required to balance its budget and given the constraints of a revenue cap, the mayor is merely being true to his word during the campaign that Prop Bs passage would likely require layoffs, with the fire department taking the brunt. Turner should be credited with agreeing to look for ways around the layoffs. But for his part, the mayor must accept that after the voters spoke in November, it became his job to make it work. That includes being open and transparent about any implementation costs and how parity is determined. Regarding Love for Texas and Misplaced ideas (Letters, Saturday): I can almost sympathize with the writers. I was born in West Texas and raised in Houston and Central Texas with the same sense of Texas exceptionalism that the writers obviously were. We were taught from an early age that Texas was bigger, and therefore better, than other states. We learned that the Alamo defenders were heroes, fighting for Texas freedom and independence. We learned that somehow we were the natural inheritors of that heroism, that bigness, that betterness. But thats a childish, cartoon-character history told to us in grade school. Its time to put away childish things. As long as modern Texans cling to backward bedtime stories about how great we are because of how great our antecedents were, we avoid doing the hard work of actually being better. Sean Kelly McPherson, Houston Dont look to California Regarding Texas could use California as blueprint for property tax reform (Business, Sunday): Business columnist Chris Tomlinson suggests that Texas use Californias 1978 Proposition 13 as a model to fix our property tax problems. He lists all the things he views as positives that came of Prop 13 and provides a brief side note that cuts to public services, including public education, would be devastating. I was 13 and attending junior high school in the Pasadena, Calif., school district in 1978, and my memory of Prop 13 was coming to the horrifying realization that having a few hundred extra dollars was more important to some people than their childrens education. Teachers became my heroes as they coped with up to 60 students per class at my school some of them sitting on the floor for lack of desks because all the other junior highs in my district had to be closed for lack of funding. The stress that year was life-changing. That, Mr. Tomlinson, is why Texas liberals howl when similar measures are suggested here; our children deserve better, as did we in California in 1978. Kathleen Ruhleder, Houston Confident in Texas voting Regarding SB9 is a bad idea (Editorial, Tuesday): As a citizen who has gone through training to serve as a deputy voter registrar , alternate election judge and poll worker and served in these rolls the last two elections, I can say with full confidence, that in my experience, voter fraud is a made-up problem. The check-in process for a voter leaves no uncertainty if the voter is registered to vote or not. There are several steps taken with checks along the way to insure the integrity of the vote, including provisional ballots, curing votes, the role of the volunteer who assists those who need help and county election officials to provide guidance if there is a question of validity. The process and the procedure to become a registered voter and cast a valid vote is not easy and is certainly not teeming with fraud. Rachel Gutow-Ellis, Bellaire Every four minutes, someone in Texas is suddenly faced with the unexpected tragedy, pain and fear as the result of a traumatic injury. A frenzied race against death is made to a hospital where a team of trained professionals is waiting to mend wounds and save lives. No one ever plans on becoming a trauma patient and yet, every year, approximately 130,000 Texans find themselves admitted to hospitals following a horrific motor vehicle collision, a spray of gunfire, a near-drowning or a freak event they never saw coming. That doesnt include countless others who are treated and released. At Memorial Hermann, we treat more than 12 percent of the states inpatient trauma victims earning us the distinction of being home to one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the nation. For decades, trauma centers like ours have consistently been there for Texans in their most dire times of need, thanks in part to a law passed in 2003 which established the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP). Given that a significant percentage of trauma cases originate from motor vehicle collisions, the program was designed to levy surcharges against reckless drivers such as those convicted of excessive speeding or driving while intoxicated. By holding these drivers accountable for their dangerous behavior, the state sought to establish a steady stream of funding that would help trauma centers offset the expensive cost of providing such sophisticated, life-saving care, regardless of a patients ability to pay. The proposal made sense at the time, but despite Texas lawmakers best intentions, the DRP has left many unhappy with the way the money is collected and distributed and has created an endless cycle of debt for thousands of Texas residents. Though Memorial Hermann and many Texas health systems continue to rely on state trauma funding to help sustain our trauma care networks, the DRP has fallen short of expectations, and we agree with the programs critics that it needs to be replaced. That is why we have partnered with lawmakers, members of our law enforcement community, county sheriffs and justices of the peace to devise a better funding mechanism we believe will accomplish the goal of underpinning the states trauma infrastructure, grow as our state population grows, avoid an unreasonable administrative burden and be more equitably funded. Thanks to individuals such as State Reps. John Zerwas, M.D. and Sarah Davis, as well as State Sen. Joan Huffman, we are closer than ever to finding a solution. State representatives recently heard testimony regarding House Bill 2048, which would abolish the DRP and replace it with more reliable funding for the states trauma centers. State senators will consider the Senate companion legislation, Senate Bill 918. House Bill 2048 and Senate Bill 918 propose a new funding source for state trauma services, generated through a minimal increase in state traffic fines, an extra $2 added to the automobile insurance fee, and additional fines for those convicted of driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence behaviors proven time and again to cause trauma. Not only does this legislation repeal a deeply unpopular program, it also ensures a sustainable funding stream for the high quality trauma care that Texans have come to expect. Trauma programs have strengthened the states health care safety net by expanding access and providing more advanced treatment options for patients brought to trauma centers across Texas, improving outcomes for those whose lives are on the line. We have not always been so fortunate. When I began my career as a registered nurse working in the trauma center that was then called Hermann Hospital, under the tutelage of the legendary trauma surgeon Dr. James Red Duke, the state did not fund trauma care. Trauma centers constantly scrambled to find sufficient funding and always anguished about how they would stay open, creating a dangerous situation for patients with the most critical needs. Thanks to the financial support from the state, originating with legislation passed in the Legislature , Texas trauma centers are among the best in the nation, renowned for administering healing and compassionate care during the most challenging circumstances. Trauma funding made our state better equipped to heed trauma victims calls for help and, as a result, countless lives have been saved. It is imperative that Texas continues to adequately support our states vital trauma infrastructure. We believe that HB 2048 and SB 918 represent the most equitable, stable source of funding for state trauma centers, while also addressing the concerns of the many stakeholders with whom our system collaborated in its development and preserving the ability of the exceptional trauma networks - such as Memorial Hermanns - to continue providing around-the-clock emergency care whenever and wherever it is needed. Flanagan is vice president of trauma, Memorial Hermann Health System. Retired Texas educators dedicated their lives to educating our children. Now many are facing a financial crisis, since most have not seen any cost-of-living increase to their monthly pension in more than a decade, while their health care premiums are eating away at what little money they do get. The Texas Legislature has made clear this session that it wants to address this crisis by strengthening the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), the 17th-largest pension system in the world. A bill in the Texas House by Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, is a thoughtful approach that sends an important message to Texas educators our work matters. Pension math is surprisingly simple. Public pensions depend on worker contributions, employer contributions, state contributions and investment returns to generate promised pensions to retirees. Teachers already contribute 7.7 percent of their modest salaries to their pensions. After taxes, insurance, rent and utilities, there isnt much left to give. TRSs investment managers take great pains to ensure the pension system remains resilient and is among the best-managed pension systems in the world. But the gap between the state contribution and member contributions simply does not reflect Texas values. The bill changes that by ending the commitment gap between the state and the educator. Currently, the state contributes only 6.8 percent of the employees payroll to TRS. This is far below the constitutional cap of 10 percent , and in fact, the state contributed the legal minimum of 6 percent for years and years. Texas contribution also is less than half the amount contributed by any of the other states that provide pensions for teachers instead of Social Security. Because most teachers in Texas cant meaningfully tap into Social Security benefits, the state has an added obligation to do more. Since the vast majority of teachers in Texas pay into their pensions as a replacement for Social Security, it also frees the state from having to pay the employer share of Social Security taxes. Due to two excessive federal regulations, those retirees that do receive Social Security payments for work they have done outside of public education are subject to severe offsets and face steep financial penalties for any spousal or survivor benefits for which they would otherwise be eligible. For many Texas teachers, their TRS pension has to make ends meet, because its all they have. Until the TRS fund is actuarially sound, it cannot enact a cost-of-living increase for retirees. Increasing the states contribution rate has become particularly crucial after the TRS Board of Trustees reduced its assumed rate of returns last summer. The board made a prudent reassessment of its long-term investments but the decision also pushed the system into actuarial unsoundness. The fairest way to adjust for that recalculation and return TRS to a healthy condition is for the state to improve its share of contributions. The other promising feature of the bill is what it offers current retired teachers in the near term a one-time supplemental payment, a 13th check, of up to $2,400. Though other pension bills this session also offer supplemental payments, this is the only one to provide something that genuinely resembles an extra monthly payment. Thats why its the only bill that offers retirees considerable relief. The average TRS retiree receives a little less than $2,100 per month in pension payments. A 13th payment would give many retirees room to breathe for the first time in years. It might mean being able to afford medications and food or being able to fully cover utilities and rent. Retirees saw their health care costs skyrocket this year, and this payment would begin to bring some relief. Lasting change for retired teachers comes, of course, from a true cost-of-living adjustment, something that has never happened for anyone who retired before the summer of 2004. Annuities that paid the bills 15 years ago simply cant cover retirees needs in 2019, particularly in our states fastest-growing areas. Teachers are central to the health of our communities, and a resilient pension system is a strong tool for recruiting educators to Texas schools. The Legislature knows this, which is why senators and representatives are working hard to solve TRSs current problems. The proposed legislation is the best shot this term for relieving the pressures retirees face, ensuring the pension system remains strong for active teachers and encouraging future educators to embark on a career in our state. Malfaro is president of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents 65,000 public school employees across Texas. 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. Smyth retired in 2014, but his reputation was challenged earlier this year by two men who claimed he molested them at Maryville in the early 2000s when they were teenagers. The archdiocese removed him from ministry and said he would no longer live at the rectory of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a stones throw from Maryville, while it investigated the claims. Nepalese restaurants, favored by Finns, have a dark side. An investigation by Helsingin Sanomat reveals systematic exploitation of workers. The restaurants are run by a small, tightly knit group of owners. Helsingin Sanomat julkaisi maaliskuussa selvityksen nepalilaisten ravintoloiden tyooloista. Tama juttu on englanninkielinen kaannos. Alkuperaisen suomenkielisen jutun voit lukea tasta. Nepalinkielinen tiivistelma loytyy tasta. In March Helsingin Sanomat published an investigation of working conditions in Nepalese restaurants. This is an English translation of the article. You can read the original Finnish version here. An abbreviated Nepalese translation of the article can be read here. When Suman had been working for a few months, he got his first day off. That meant he only had to work for seven hours. Typically the shift would begin in the morning around nine and end after the restaurant closed after ten oclock in the evening. Sometimes the workload went up to almost eighty hours a week. On weekends and holidays the toil could continue for 16 hours. A long shift, the Nepalese say. Suman and two other men worked as cooks in the popular Nepalese restaurant Mount Sherpa. It still serves customers in the centre of Kuopio, a stones throw from the central square. Suman didnt get any actual compensation. Every now and then small sums of money were transferred to his account. The contract wage was paid to his Nordea account, but the account was controlled by the owner. Suman didnt see a penny of the payments. For a year and a half Suman tolerated the exploitation. Then he did something remarkable. He walked to the police station in Kuopio. That was two and a half years ago. Last December the Pohjois-Savo District Court sentenced the owner of Mount Sherpa, Purna Adhikari, on three counts of aggravated tax fraud, two counts of accounting offence and three counts of human trafficking to conditional imprisonment for one year and eight months. According to the court, the restaurants working conditions had gravely violated the Finnish law and the owner had taken advantage of the mens vulnerable position. The conviction was rare, but exploitation is much more common. An investigation by Helsingin Sanomat reveals that many Nepalese restaurants, favored by Finns, have a dark side which has remained hidden from the public view until now. The restaurants routinely have cooks working shifts which can extend up to 16 hours. Workers coming to Finland also have to pay for their job, and compensation for the work is often minimal. Over the span of five months, HS interviewed nineteen Nepalese and one Indian, fifteen of which work or have worked in Nepalese restaurants. They have experiences from more than ten restaurants, over many years, from different parts of Finland. The Nepalese dont speak here with their real names, because they are afraid of losing their jobs and consequently their residence permits. Some are worried about their own as well as their familys safety. Three of the workers are in the Assistance system for victims of human trafficking, an official government body helping people who have been exploited. The stories that the Nepalese tell are similar in many respects. Similar events and practices show up time and again: cooks are made to work with enormous or at the very least illegal workloads, and the payment is nowhere near official working regulations. One cook tells HS he worked every day for 14 hours, with no days off, after arriving to Finland. The job paid no extras or overtime, and after taxes he earned less than a thousand euros a month. About half of that sum went to the restaurant owner to pay off the cooks debt. When I complained about the conditions, the owners threatened to send me back to Nepal, the man tells HS. Another cook says that for a year he worked 13 hours a day and was paid a few hundred euros a month. He lived in an apartment owned by the restaurant owner. His income was so small that he saved money by washing his hair with liquid used for dishes. Almost all the workers say that they had to pay the restaurant owners to get a job in Finland. The sums range from around 5 000 euros to over 15 000 euros. One Nepalese cook claims that he had to sell his assets in Nepal in order to be able to come to Finland. Many tell of borrowing money in their home country from their relatives, for example. Some could not afford to pay, so they agreed to work in Finland for free. The conditions are dire. Workers often sleep in crowded apartments with other cooks. One Nepalese man interviewd by HS shared a two-bedroom apartment with six other cooks. Individual workers from different cities tell of the owner confiscating their passports. Many say that they must work even if they have become sick or have injured themselves. Helsingin Sanomat has backed up the workers stories by examining police investigation material, court documents, bank statements, private messages, official documents and other items. HS has also interviewed experts from, among others, the police, the Regional State Administrative Agency, the Assistance system for victims of human trafficking and Victim Support Finland (Riku), an NGO focused on helping victims of crime. HSs investigation covers over a dozen restaurants. Based on the cooks stories the problem is even larger. HS does not however have evidence of exploitation in all Nepalese restaurants. The Nepalese workers themselves have wanted to speak of the abuse. They have brought the issue to HS in the hope that government officials would tackle the problem. One Nepalese person interviewed for this article wonders how the exploitation has been able to continue for years. Another, who had worked for years in the kitchen of a Nepalese restaurant, said that many cooks are still in a very difficult situation. We hope that the Finnish government will intervene. This is systematic criminal activity. There is an unusually large number of Nepalese restaurants in Finland. Most likely the restaurant density is higher than in any other Western country. In the metropolitan area alone the restaurants number around fifty. The first Nepalese restaurant in Finland was founded in 1993 in Kallio, a neighbourhood of the capital Helsinki. It was called Himalaya. The founder was a man named Devi Sharma. Devi Sharma and his wife Manju Sharma in their restaurant Himalaya in Helsinki. He arrived in Finland in the 1980s together with Hemraj Sharma. Both were around thirty. The two hail from Nepals countryside, a poor region called Gulmi. In Finland they initially worked in the restaurant business and then decided to become entrepreneurs. Their businesses were a success. Today they own numerous restaurants in the capitol region. Devi Sharma and his wife Manju Sharma control the restaurants Himalaya, Lali Gurans, Gurkha and Yeti Nepal. Hemraj Sharma runs the Mount Everest restaurants. Devi and Hemraj Sharma have both presented themselves in public as pioneers of the Nepalese restaurant boom in Finland. They worked for some time in India, which is why the food in Finnish Nepalese restaurants represents in many respects the kitchen of the Punjabi region, situated on the border of India and Pakistan. At first Finns shied away from the spiciness of Nepalese food, but after a while they warmed up to it, Hemraj Sharma recalled the early days of the restaurant boom in February (HS 11.2.). Hemraj Sharma is considered to be one of the most influential restaurant owners. The Nepalese people interviewed by Helsingin Sanomat see the two businessmens affairs in a darker light. Those interviewed almost unanimously name Devi Sharma the central figure in a network of Nepalese restaurant owners. One Nepalese person, who has observed the restaurant business for years, calls the network a cartel. Others speak plainly of owners. Hemraj Sharma is considered the second most influential businessman in the network. Ram Aryal, the owner of the restaurant Satkar and the cousin of Hemraj Sharma, arrived in Finland after the two pioneers. Devi Sharma, Hemraj Sharma and Ram Aryal are all from the same region in Nepal. One Nepalese cook says they are called the three roots, because they were the first to come to Finland. Ram Aryal arrived to Finland after Devi Sharma and Hemraj Sharma. Devi and Hemraj Sharma, and later others, have brought in relatives from Gulmi to work in their restaurants. Later on they have brought in relatives of relatives, and other Nepalese people. Last year, in an interview of a Nepalese tv-channel, Devi Sharma boasted of having brought a total of 1 500 Nepalese workers to Finland. The figure is impossible to confirm, but indirectly Sharma has certainly brought in hundreds of Nepalese cooks to Finland over the years. Many of his workers have later set up their own restaurants, for which more workers have been brought in from Nepal. HS has information according to which the Helsinki police department suspects that Devi and Manju Sharma are guilty of human trafficking. The investigation is related to the conditions of a person who worked in Devi Sharmas restaurant and home. The investigation has been going on for around two years. Devi Sharma confirms the investigation. Both Devi and Manju Sharma consider it baseless. HS met Devi and Manju Sharma in Helsinki. In the interview Devi Sharma claims that the investigation got started after his former housemaid had been talking crap. This is not true. I have worked here for a long time as an entrepreneur and brought in many workers. I am the number one Nepalese taxpayer in Finland. This is jealousy. HSs investigation shows that the restaurant owners keep in contact and act in a very organized manner. A good example of this is what happens to workers if they tell police or other officials about their condition. According to the Nepalese interviewed by HS, a cook who does this will find it very difficult to find work again in Nepalese or other South Asian restaurants. One Nepalese person interviewed by HS, who has observed the restaurant field for years, says that the owners exchange information. If you speak to the police, you will become an outcast in the eyes of the cartel. According to Suman, it has become impossible for him to get a job in a Nepalese or South Asian restaurant. The owners act like a mafia. They are related and they assist each other in exploiting people. A lions share of the the big and well-known restaurants is owned by a group of roughly thirty Nepalese businessmen. The vast majority are from the same poor region of Gulmi. They are closely related and also have financial ties. For example, Devi Sharma owns the restaurants Gurkha and Yeti Nepal with his inner circle. Hemraj Sharmas brother owns the restaurant Mount Everest Nokka, and the deputy chair member of the companys board is Ram Aryal. Many of the restaurants in Helsinki are situated in central locations and the food is moderately priced especially at lunch time a combination that is economically challenging. Exploitation in the restaurants is a familiar phenomenon to the police as well. Detective chief inspector Minna Immonen of the police department of Eastern Finland was in charge of investigating Sumans case. She has investigated human trafficking cases for close to two decades. According to Immonen, the restaurant owners can threaten workers and their families back in Nepal, sometimes in brutal ways. One cook interviewed by HS was accepted into the Assistance system for victims of human trafficking. The decision states the following: According to your statements, your employer has directly hinted that its easy to kill a person in Nepal. The employer has told you that they have the means to pay someone 50 euros to stab a person in Nepal. According to Immonen, the restaurant owners are a tight knit community that coordinates or at least discusses together things such as the treatment of workers and what information to give to authorities. Moreover, the owners confer about accepting new entrepreneurs and recruiting workers, Immonen says. Some Nepalese workers claim that their employers have sent them to work for the owner of a different restaurant. One cook interviewed by HS was sent to a different city. According to Immonen, the restaurant owners make recruiting trips to their home country. With the help of social media, family relations and other networks, new recruits are constantly found. The owners make a deal with them on how much they have to pay to get a job in Finland. Immonen says that for some people the owners paint a false image of what life in Finland will be like. The first years salary can be agreed to be less than one thousand euros a month, with a substantial raise in the second year. Often, the promises turn out to be false. Others might be told that if you work for a few years as a kind of slave, you can set up your own restaurant and exploit others, Immonen says. The cartel-like activity of the restaurant owners has also been noticed at Victim Support Finland, the NGO helping victims of human trafficking and other crimes. It has become generally apparent in cases of exploitation that the restaurant owners often have close ties. Our clients find it very difficult to become re-employed if they have filed in a claim about their employer, says Pia Marttila, a senior advisor at Victim Support Finland specialized in human trafficking. At the moment, Victim Support Finland has eleven Nepalese clients. Devi and Manju Sharma say that if another owner needs advice, they will help. They deny that the owners coordinate the treatment of workers, working conditions, recruitment or other activity. Devi Sharma says that the owners do talk among themselves about whether to hire a worker. Its the same thing in Finland. A Finnish company will check if a person is trustworthy. When I worked at Elanto, the restaurant chiefs were calling each other that Devi wants to work here, can I trust him. This happens between the Nepalese restaurants, too. Sharma does not believe that claims of exploitation in the restaurants are true. If the owner doesnt pay the worker, why does the worker go on for six years in the same place instead of quitting after a few months? Why doesnt he go directly to the police? Devi Sharma says that he would not employ a worker that has told the police of being a victim of exploitation. According to Sharma, such claims would be fraudulent. Hemraj Sharma and Ram Aryal also deny the coordinated activity of restaurant owners. Both say that they havent heard of owners blacklisting workers who have tried to improve their working conditions. Hemraj Sharma and Ram Aryal say that they have at some point read about cases of exploitation in newspapers, but other than that the phenomenon isnt familiar. Devi Sharma, Hemraj Sharma and Ram Aryal say that their restaurants adhere to the law and collective bargaining agreements. Suman managed to eventually land a job at a Finnish restaurant. Hes afraid that one day the work will end. If that happens, he might have to return to Nepal. This type of fear is most likely the biggest reason for the exploitation to remain hidden. The cooks get a residence permit on the basis of having a job waiting in Finland. Becoming unemployed may mean that one has to leave the country. If cooks complain about their working conditions, the owners threaten to fire them. Only after acquiring a permanent residence permit is the employee free from this hook. This typically means a five year waiting period. If workers bring their families to Finland, their position is more vulnerable, because keeping the family in Finland necessitates a certain level of income. Some of the workers are too helpless to try and improve their condition. Some dont speak a word of Finnish and dont know anything about the country. Some are afraid of the police. Some cant even write or read, one Nepalese person describes the situation. The workload is so heavy that attending language classes can be impossible, and the owners also try to prevent it. One worker says that his employer changed his work shifts after hearing that the worker intended to attend a Finnish language class in his free time. Many dont want to speak of exploitation because the perpetrators are their own relatives. Despite the miserly conditions some feel a sense of gratitude toward the owner, for bringing them to Finland. One person interviewed by HS says that the owners have brought in their relatives as workers precisely because they believe relatives will not talk to the police. The owners also paint a powerful image of themselves. For example, Devi Sharma is the leader of the Finnish section of the ruling communist party of Nepal. According to the Nepalese HS has interviewed, the owners have also spread rumors in the community that police and Victims Support Finland are on their side. Devi Sharmas restaurant Gurkha and Hemraj Sharmas restaurant Mount Everest have bought notable advertisements in the official magazine of Victim Support Finland. The magazine is a professional publication, the advertisers of which are mainly law firms as well as labor and industry interest groups. According to Nepalese people interviewed by HS, the owners have presented the magazine ads as proof of cooperation with the authorities. People at Victim Support Finland have become worried that the ads have been used to try and influence the workers decision to seek help. According to Devi Sharma, neither he nor the restaurants other owner know what the Gurkha advertisement is about. The other owner however says that the advertisement salesperson called him and he wanted to support the magazine. At first Hemraj Sharma says that he is not aware of any advertisement. When HS shows him the advertisement, he says that it was bought accidentally. Devi and Hemraj Sharma, and Ram Aryal, say that their workers are able to move freely and study Finnish. They deny any kind of attempt to insulate their employees from the surrounding society. Nepal is a country that sends it labor abroad. Of the countrys 30 million citizens around 3,5 million work in other countries, mainly as construction workers and housemaids in the Middle East and Malesia. Over the last seven years 260 Nepalese restaurant workers have come to Finland, the vast majority of them cooks. The reason for leaving is simple. People come here for a better life, says Suman, who used to work in the Kuopio restaurant. Nepal is one of the worlds poorest nations. Many send money from Finland back to their families. When the whole family has settled permanently in Finland, one can quit the onerous job of a cook and live on social security, as a number of people describe possible opportunities in the future. One Nepalese worker interviewed by HS says that he tolerates the exploitation so that his family can have an education and a good life in Finland. Suman worked in Nepal as a cook and an accountant. Then he met a man who lured him to Finland with promises of a better standard of living. The man was the brother of the restaurant owner convicted for human trafficking. The owner had promised Suman that if he worked for a year from morning to night with no compensation, he would get a shorter workweek and a salary. Suman was cheated. Events similar to Sumans case are repeated from one cooks story to the next. Everything begins with bringing the worker to Finland. Once a cook has been recruited, they are interviewed at the Finnish embassy in Kathmandu for the residence permit. HS has seen instructions that the restaurant owner in Kuopio had drafted for Sumans interview. One of the points states that if asked by embassy officials whether he had to pay for the job, the worker must deny. In reality the jobs cost money, and the payment is collected by the restaurant owner. Some close relatives notwithstanding this applies to everyone, say Nepalese workers interviewed by HS. Almost no one has come here who hasnt had to pay, says one cook, who still works in a Nepalese restaurant. He had to pay the owner over 15 000 euros. Sometimes the money is paid to the owner on credit. In this case the worker must labor for no pay until the debt has been settled. This is what happened in Sumans case, too. Suman says that he agreed to the arrangement because he could not afford to pay the over 10 000 euros demanded by the owner. Some of the money demanded for a job in Finland is paid back in Nepal. HS has seen documents which show that a cook who came to Finland paid a restaurant owner thousands of euros in Nepal. Part of the money is paid in Finland. One cooks bank records, seen by HS, show a payment of over 5 000 euros soon after the cook arrived in Finland, made to a person dictated by the restaurant owner. According to one Nepalese worker he was first told that he wouldnt have to pay anything to come to Finland. Later the owners demanded compensation from him. HS has seen messages concerning these demands. In one message the cook asks the owner of a restaurant in Vantaa, called Sagarmatha, whether a sum equal to around 10 000 euros is sufficient. The owner however responded that she didnt want to discuss the matter in writing. The police department of Eastern Uusimaa is investigating a case of possible exploitation in the case. The owner denies any wrongdoing and says that she has not demanded money for the job. Demanding payment for a job has, according to many Nepalese interviewed by HS, led to owners easily firing workers. Then you can bring in a new worker, and demand payment from him, says one Nepalese person. The practice of exploitation is recognized by both detective chief inspector Immonen from Eastern Finlands police department and special researcher Tuija Hietaniemi from the National Bureau of Investigation. According to them, the abuse uncovered by HSs investigation is widespread in Nepalese restaurants. The common assumption is that exploitation happens in close to all Nepalese restaurants, Hietaniemi says. Workers pay substantial amounts of money in order to get here. After that they are held in terrible conditions and they are made to do a senseless amount of work. The victims are too afraid to speak out. The bed of a Nepalese cook in the apartment of a restaurant owner in Southern-Finland. The apartment housed many cooks, which is typical. HSs investigation shows that labor conditions are the worst in the first years. After arriving here I had no off days. I worked for fourteen hours every day for a year, says one cook who still works at a Nepalese restaurant. Another employee says that he worked for 300 hours a month with no days off for two years. The man was employed in Devi Sharmas Himalaya restaurant in Helsinkis Ratakatu. Devi Sharma denies that exploitation has taken place in his restaurant. He says that the work shift is around eight hours a day and the salary is in line with the collective bargaining agreement. The contracts of Nepalese workers regularly state a salary of around 1 800 euros before taxes. However, some have to pay a portion of their salary back to the owner. One Nepalese person interviewed by HS says that he transferred part of his wage back to the employer. Some of the money he took out from an ATM and gave as cash. Some cooks dont get paid at all, especially during the first years. Some are paid a few hundred or thousand euros now and then. This is what happened to Suman. According to the District Court, the owner stole wages and extras from him to the amount of 58 000 euros. In some cases the employer has taken control of the workers bank card and internet banking codes. To officials it looks like everything is paid according to the law, but in reality the money is used by the owner. This is what happened in the Kuopio human trafficking case. The owners wife bought items from a childrens store, among other places, using Sumans bank card. Some do really get the salary stated in their work contract. The hourly wage can still end up being very small, since the workload can be up to 250300 hours a month, the Nepalese workers say. Based on interviews that HS conducted, this is the most usual form of exploitation. The figures differ completely from what is commonplace in the restaurant business. For example, a cook working 250 hours a month should earn 3 637 euros a month based on the collective bargaining agreement of Service Union United. Many Nepalese interviewed by HS have worked even longer and earned at most 1 800 euros. Sunday-, overtime- and other extra compensation is usually not paid according to the regulations, or at all. HS asked one Nepalese cook to dissect his work week in Devi Sharmas Himalaya restaurant. According to the cook, his workload extended to over 300 hours a month. He was paid less than 1 800 euros. Based on a calculation of Services Union United, he should have been paid 5 571 euros. The cook worked around sixty overtime hours a month. On a yearly basis that amounts to 720 hours, which means an extra five working months in a regular office job. The law allows overtime for up to 250 hours in a calendar year. When one has been in Finland for longer, he usually is allowed to work less. That means a living standard much higher than in Nepal. One Nepalese cook says that the more a worker understands Finnish regulations and can speak English and Finnish, the better owners treat him. The employers also devise extra costs to collect from the workers. One example of concerns families. Finnish law requires a certain level of income from a person who wants to bring his family to the country. According to the Nepalese workers, the owners will agree to raise the salaries of cooks in order for them to be able to bring in their families. But the raise is then transferred back to the employer. Sometimes the owner has demanded an extra payment for doing this. That means the worker ends up paying his employer for the possibility to reunite with his family. At the same time that people are brought from Nepal to Finland, money flows the other way. A sizeable grey economy surrounds restaurants that reap large profits with the help of exploiting workers. Many Nepalese interviewed by HS say they have seen this with their own eyes. Laxmi, a Nepalesese woman who worked in Devi Sharmas restaurant and home, tells of seeing Sharma handle large quantities of cash and lunch vouchers. Laxmi is not her real name. For a few years she has been living in a secret address. Laxmis case is the one investigated by the police. According to Laxmi, stacks of cash bound with a rubber band were held in a metal box. Once a month they were taken out. Then the money was spread on a bedsheet and counted. Laxmi says every month she helped Devi Sharma count the profits collected from the restaurants. She wasnt allowed to touch the cash. She counted the lunch vouchers and watched as Sharma counted the cash. The amount of euro bills could amount to well over ten thousand euros a month, Laxmi says. Devi Sharma denies that any type of grey economy takes place in his restaurants or that the type of cash handling that Laxmi portrays has happened. Many Nepalese say that during lunch time only the owners and their inner circle are allowed to work the cash register. Cash and lunch vouchers are not registered, or the register is later corrected so that previous sales are stricken out. One Nepalese cook interviewed by HS says he saw bags of cash being carried from a restaurant in Southern Finland to the owner. According to him black money, as the Nepalese call it, can amount to over a thousand euros on a good day and a few hundred on a bad one. The employees say that cash is hidden in the restaurant, from where its taken to the owners home. After the human trafficking case in Kuopio however, the practice has changed in at least some restaurants. Now the money is taken to a relatives place, because the owners know that a dog was used in Kuopio, says one Nepalese worker. Hes referring to a detection dog used by the police to find money in the home of the restaurant owner convicted for human trafficking. Cash was found. According to police investigation material, there were 4 865 euros between the bed and the mattress. 5 975 euros were found in a leather bag, 7 000 euros in a fabric bag and 2 125 euros in a bag draped in images of flowers. At the bottom of a cardboard box the police discovered 30 000 euros. A large share of the cash that the owners collect is sent to Nepal. According to the Nepalese interviewed by HS, the practice is that everytime someone goes back, they take a stack of cash with them. Almost all of the money goes back. Devi has brought in hundreds of people to Finland, and when one of them flies to Nepal, he has to take money with him, Laxmi says. She has herself taken cash to Nepal twice, 5 000 and 8 000 euros. Laxmi says she gave the money to a relative of Devi Sharma. She says her understanding is that Sharma uses the money to buy land and real estate. Devi Sharma denies this. He says that cash generated by his restaurants is not transferred back to Nepal at all. Detective chief inspector Immonen says she recognizes the large grey economy surrounding the restaurants. Many diners still pay with cash, especially during lunch time. When one investigates exploitation in the restaurants, a question comes to mind: how is it possible that abuse on this scale has gone relatively unnoticed in Finland? Officials do say that for a long time they have been worried about exploitation in the restaurant field. There have, however, been only a few crimes reported. Hietaniemi, from the National Bureau of Investigation, says that the low number of reports doesnt indicate a lack of abuse. Instead, its a sign of how dependent the workers are on their employers. The problem doesnt have to do with just Nepalese but generally South Asian and Chinese restaurants. Every now and then the abuse comes to light. In 2012 Pirkanmaas District Court sentenced the owners of a Vietnamese restaurant for human trafficking and aggravated financial crimes. In Helsinki, the owners of a Bangladeshi restaurant were sentenced in 2015 to prison for human trafficking. A year later in Vantaa, four Indian men running a pizzeria were sentenced to prison for human trafficking and forbidden from running the company. There have only been a few sentences concerning Nepalese restaurants in the last years. Why does no one address the problem? Police does not, in practice, investigate exploitation in the restaurants unless it gets a tip-off or someone reports a crime. This very rarely happens. The organizations, like Victim Support Finland, can only help the victims. The official body in charge of supervising the restaurants is the Regional State Administrative Agency, whose job it is to make sure that regulations concerning working conditions are adhered to. For this investigation, HS pored over reports on fifty-six occupational health and safety inspections that the Agency has conducted in Nepalese restaurants in the last few years. They display various problems here and there, but the abuse that the Nepalese workers speak of does not really show up. How can that be? Katja-Pia Jenu, an inspector in charge of occupational health and safety at the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland, says that the Agency cannot be very probing in its inspections. The owners are usually prepared for the inspectors visit. Thats the problem here. Often everything looks good on paper, Jenu says. The workers dont talk about the abuse. Everyone knows what to say if the inspector comes. If, for example, someone who is supposed to be off based on the duty list is actually working, the inspector is told that the restaurant needed to call in more workers due to a spike in customers. The National Bureau of Investigations Hietaniemi says that exposing work-related exploitation demands extremely effective outside supervision. That doesnt really exist. The Regional State Administrative Agency is overextended as it is, and can only do a small amount of inspections. All the officials are short on resources. Even if the police didnt have grounds to suspect a crime has been committed, it could proactively collect intelligence on Nepalese restaurants. Based on this type of information the police could focus more targeted surveillance on a restaurant. This type of work, however, consumes a lot of time and money. A few years ago the police conducted a targeted campaign at Chinese restaurants. Last year Jenu proposed a new target to the National Police Board. For the next target we suggest Nepalese restaurants, in which exploitation is systematic, based on information received by Victim Support Finland and us, Jenu wrote. The campaign never took place, and officials havent received extra resources. Every year Finns buy hundreds of thousands of meals from Nepalese restaurants. The widespread exploitation of workers in the restaurants raises questions about the role of the consumer. If people stopped dining, it could cause a loss of jobs and difficulties for the cooks also. On the other hand: if one buys the food, does one end up supporting the exploitation of workers? There are no easy answers. Whats clear at the very least is that illegal activity makes life more difficult for honest entrepreneurs, including Nepalese ones. New restaurants are being opened constantly. Just in the last few months there have been numerous news items of Nepalese restaurants being set up across Finland. Suman came to work in Finland almost four years ago. He does not want to go back to his native country. Anything could happen, Suman says. In Nepal they can find someone to kill me, if they pay them a few thousand euros. Suman feels that the owners are now at the peak of their powers. He has received threatening messages from the owners inner circle. One persons messages label Suman a criminal and a backstabber and ask are you dead yet. Another person writes that your days are numbered. In Kuopio Mount Sherpa continues to operate. At least one of the victims of human trafficking has continued to work in the restaurant. A few weeks ago the officials raided the restaurant again. Suman has not gotten back his stolen wages. The police had confiscated assets worth over 200 000 euros from the restaurants owners, but the tax authority took its own share before the victims. This month Suman received 167,25 euros, his first compensation for the damages. Suman says hes bitter at the restaurant owners and at the Finnish justice system. Next year, Sumans residence permit expires. He intends to seek permanent residency. After that, Suman does not know what he will do. Do you feel like you might have been a victim of exploitation? You can get help from Victim Support Finland (Riku) anonymously and free of charge. Contact Pia Marttila at help@riku.fi, or +358406309669. BCC Suspends Nursing Program For One Year PITTSFIELD, Mass. Berkshire Community College is suspending its nursing program for a year. The decision is another blow hopefully a short-term one to nursing education in the region following the impending closure of Southern Vermont College. The associate's degree program will go on hiatus for first-year students in 2019 to address lingering issues and begin re-enrollment of new students in fall 2020. "We have a 50-year history of graduating excellent practitioners and this brief pause allows us to address specific areas of focus that have been highlighted by our accrediting and licensing bodies," said college President Ellen Kennedy in a statement announcing the hiatus on Wednesday morning. The change won't impact currently enrolled students, who will continue their education. And the college will accept bridge students or re-admission into the program. The hiatus focuses solely on first-year students entering the program. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing last July cited the college on a number of issues, which college officials have characterized as "housekeeping," and dropped the state accreditation to "approval with warning." College officials met with the boards and Dean of Enrollment Management Christina Wynn said they had been told that the program will be restored to full accreditation. BCC is still awaiting the "official word," she said. ACEN had reviewed the program during its March board meeting, Wynn said. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing also did a site visit last fall. "We have unofficial news that they are going to restore us to full status. We're waiting on the official from them," Wynn said. However, ACEN and MassBORN had both filed a number of recommendations regarding curriculum and outcomes. Wynn said the decision to temporarily suspend the program is eyed to fully implement those changes. "A strength of our program has been our faculty," Vice President for Academic Affairs Jennifer Berne said in the statement. "BCC's nursing faculty are committed to providing excellent nurses for our community. It is out of respect for this tradition that the faculty agreed that taking a year to respond to the increasingly evidenced-based and scientifically rigorous standards from our regulators was the wisest approach to ensure the quality of our future nursing graduates." The change in status last year was triggered by a low percentage of graduates passing the National Council Licensure Examination exam for nurses to become certified. In 2017, just 74 percent of the program's graduates passed the exam on their first try. The college reported that number had been bolstered to 84 percent in 2018. College officials say changes to the means testing from a rolling average to a single year affected how its graduates were portrayed. Since its classes are smaller, only one or two test failures can impact its passing rate. Plans were made to address those issues and a number of others cited by the board. In the midst of the drop in accreditation and efforts to restore it, Director of Nursing Tochi Urbani resigned and an interim director, Christine Martin, was named. The college is still looking for a dean of nursing to head the program. The program has been considered one of the college's gems for a long time prior to the recent trouble. The nursing program has consistently provided a pipeline for nurses for local health care providers. "The college has been a critical partner with us in addressing the pipeline for the health-care profession in our region," said President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems David Phelps in a prepared statement. "BCC has kept us involved during this process and we understand the reason for and support this decision." iciHaiti - Economy : Arrival of a new cargo of fuel Monday the company National Distributors SA (DINASA), which supplies the service stations "National" and "Sodigaz" confirmed that 19,000 barrels of gasoline, 35,000 of diesel and 25,000 of kerosene, arrived in the port of the capital, stating that this new cargo will mitigate Haiti's fuel shortage in the past two weeks A shortage that has had a negative impact also on the production of electricity. Herve Pierre-Louis, Director General of the Electricity of Haiti (EDH), recently revealed that energy production was very low due to the shortage of fuel and drought https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27059-haiti-notice-significant-drop-in-electricity-production.html For his part, Fils-Aime Ignace Saint-Fleur, Director General of the Monetary Office of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD), affirms for the umpteenth time that the fuel shortage will be reduced in the market and that the long lines of waiting in front of service stations is already being reduced gradually. This is far from reassuring consumers who make reserve despite the ban of the Government, to avoid in case of further shortage, to have to pay the black market, 2 or 3 times the price per gallon at the pump... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27385-haiti-flash-increasing-fuel-scarcity-at-the-pump-anger-rumbles.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27367-haiti-politic-stop-of-the-collection-of-trash-in-the-capital-for-lack-of-fuel.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27245-haiti-economy-the-oil-sector-strongly-disagrees-with-the-decision-of-the-bmpad.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27059-haiti-notice-significant-drop-in-electricity-production.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26989-haiti-rd-haitians-furious-against-the-militarization-of-the-dominican-c.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26705-haiti-dr-haitian-taxi-motos-get-fuel-in-dajabon.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26608-haiti-politic-towards-the-end-of-fuel-scarcity-in-gas-stations.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26149-haiti-notice-bmpad-denies-rumors-of-fuel-shortages.html S/ iciHaiti Close to Chicago, Ogle, Boone and LaSalle counties have passed such resolutions and are among the more than 50 percent of Illinois counties to do so in the past year. Campbell keeps a map in which counties that have passed resolutions are colored green and those where no action has taken place are marked red. There also are yellow and orange counties, for those that are voting soon and those where a movement is underway to introduce the resolution to the county board. Villegas was arrested Tuesday after he approached the girl from behind, forced his hand down her shirt and touched her while they were on a sidewalk in the 2400 block West 36th Street about 6:35 p.m. April 8, police said. U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood approved the deal on April 9. But Suburban Express which was previously ordered by Wood to stop retaliating against customers who posted negative reviews remained defiant. The company posted on Facebook that it felt it was being extorted by the state, continued to deny claims made in the lawsuit and noted the agreement included no admission of wrongdoing. Lawmakers are still working out details, Steans said, but they plan to include provisions that would lower barriers for entry into the marijuana industry and help businesses get started in communities with high rates of poverty, unemployment and violence and large numbers of residents returning from prison. Critics have said the financial requirements for getting a state license to grow or sell medical marijuana have closed the doors of the growing industry to many minority-owned businesses. Perspective: The conversations dont reveal much beyond the office being caught flat-footed, as Crepeau reports, by the media requests for information about the offices stunning decision to drop the charges against Smollett. Foxx tried to tamp down the criticism in a late-March op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, explaining that low-level felonies, particularly those involving someone with no criminal history, are routinely resolved before they go to trial. But she also suggested the evidence and testimony were such that a conviction wasnt a certainty. You can read that piece here. The report is not expected to place the president in legal jeopardy, as Barr made his own decision that Trump shouldn't be prosecuted for obstruction. But it is likely to contain unflattering details about the president's efforts to control the Russia investigation that will cloud his ability to credibly claim total exoneration. And it may paint the Trump campaign as eager to exploit Russian aid and emails stolen from Democrats and Hillary Clinton's campaign even if no Americans crossed the line into criminal activity. Rebuilding the Notre-Dame cathedral has emerged as a priority for prominent business owners, and not just those in France. It's been just two days since the Monday evening fire that devastated much of Paris's 856-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral, but entrepreneurs, business owners, and wealthy individuals have already pledged about $1 billion in donations towards the rebuilding efforts. In a public address on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron set a five-year goal to restore the building, which was already undergoing a major renovation at the time of the fire. "I believe profoundly that we will turn this tragedy into a moment to come together," Macron said. Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted Tuesday that the company will donate an unspecified amount to rebuilding efforts, but a number of entrepreneurs and business leaders have committed to donate specific amounts to the cause. Here are five business owners who have pledged significant sums to help rebuild Notre-Dame. ?1. Henry Kravis The co-founder of New York-based private equity firm KKR, Henry Kravis and his wife have pledged to donate $10 million toward rebuilding efforts, according to a statement from KKR. 2. Bernard Arnault The family of Bernard Arnault, the French billionaire and CEO of luxury-goods conglomerate LVMH Group, will donate 200 million (about $226 million) to the cathedral's reconstruction fund, according to a company statement. LVMH owns luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Moet & Chandon champagne. 3. Francois-Henri Pinault Francois-Henri Pinault, the chairman CEO of luxury goods company Kering, a direct competitor to LVMH, pledged 100 million (about $113 million) to the rebuilding efforts, through the family's investment arm, Artemis. Kering oversees fashion brands including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga. 4. Martin and Olivier Bouygues Martin Bouygues, the CEO of French construction company Bouygues, and his brother Olivier said they will donate 10 million (about $11 million) to help with the repairs. The brothers added that their company would help assemble construction workers needed to conduct the repairs. 5. The Bettencourt Family The largest shareholder of French beauty company L'Oreal, the Bettencourt family said they would donate 200 million (about $226 million) to help rebuild the cathedral. The news yesterday that the massive, multi-billion dollar legal fight between Apple and chip maker Qualcomm has come to an end has big-time ramifications for Apple--and for the rest of us who use smartphones every day (heck, almost every minute of every day). The battle started several years ago, when Apple claimed that Qualcomm had been overcharging it for chip licensing fees going back to 2013. Then, in 2017, Apple stopped paying. The whole thing wound up in court, one of a series of multi-billion-dollar lawsuits between the two companies. Who cares about a big fight between two giant companies? In short, anyone who wants a 5G iPhone. As long as the dispute was ongoing, Apple was likely going to have to use chips from Intel, and Intel is reportedly "behind schedule" on producing a 5G chip. The settlement came just as both companies were beginning a $30 billion federal court trial over just one aspect of the case. Terms weren't disclosed in detail, except to say that: the lawsuits are over, Apple is making an unspecified payment to Qualcomm, and the two companies worked out a six-year licensing agreement as part of the deal. Just how much Apple has to pay will likely be revealed eventually, since both Apple and Qualcomm are public companies that have to report financial results. "The multiyear deal is a huge vindication for Qualcomm," analyst Ben Wood told the Financial Times, "and likely an acknowledgment by Apple that it had run out of options ... There was a growing body of evidence that Intel, its current chip set provider, was struggling to deliver a 5G solution in a timely manner." Wall Street agreed, by the way. Qualcomm's stock jumped about 25 percent after news of the settlement. So, two big takeaways: First, 5G is going to mean much faster internet on your phone than you're used to now. Exactly how much faster is a guessing game, but some estimates say it could be as fast as most hard-wired internet is now. One estimate suggests 5G could transmit information at about 300 megabits per second; the average home internet speed in the United States in 2018 was about one-third of that. Other estimates vary, but basically they all say 5G should be really fast compared to what we're all used to. However, if you're an iPhone user and you want to keep using iPhones, you could have been left out if Apple didn't have access to a steady stream of 5G chips. Second, there's what this means for Apple itself, on a broader scale. Apple has been shifting and trying to open up new businesses--its push into content, for example--and one reason for that is that iPhone sales have been dropping hard. But even though the party is smaller, it's not yet over: Apple did $52 billion in iPhone sales in the last quarter of 2018, a number that only seems small when you compare it to the same quarter a year earlier ($61 billion). George Lucas has a favourite Star Wars character that might surprise you. The director, who created the beloved film franchise, has revealed that one of his best-loved characters is Jar Jar Binks, who is widely detested by the fandom. Speaking in a video shown at a fan event celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, Lucas said: [It] is one of my favourite movies and of course Jar Jar is my favourite character, he said via video. The backlash to the alien character was so intense that actor Ahmed Best said he considered taking his own life in a moving post he shared on Twitter. He said the resentment hew faced still affects [his] career today. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 13 1 /13 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Who are you, Rey? It seems extremely likely (some might even say crystal clear) that The Rise of Skywalker will shed light on Rey's origins namely her possible Skywalker heritage. It is unknown exactly how this will play out, though. Is Rey a Skywalker by blood, or by spirit? YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown The return of the lightsaber Rey still has the blue lightsaber she inherited from Luke! And it works! YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown This fighter means trouble It definitely looks like the fighter Rey is about to jump over (and presumably damage with her lightsaber) is Kylo Ren's. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Dark warrior Speaking of Kylo Ren, what is he up to? Well, he's definitely up to no good. And he's accompanied by a Stromtrooper, which rarely means good news. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown On the mend Kylo Ren's helmet is shown getting re-forged. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Duo In case any one had doubt: Poe and Finn are back. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown A new friend Looks like BB-8 has a new droid buddy! Very cute. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Co-pilot Look at Chewbacca flying the Millenium Falcon with Lando Calrissian! YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Big reveal Speaking of Lando, the trailer marks the return of Billy Dee Williams, who last played the character in Return of the Jedi 36 years ago. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Wait a minute Eagle-eyed viewers have pointed out on Twitter that this medal is extremely similar to the ones Luke and Han Solo receive from Leia during a ceremony at the end of A New Hope. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Leia's return Carrie Fisher's Leia can be seen in the trailer giving Rey a heartfelt hug. Deleted scenes from The Force Awakens were used in order to feature Fisher, who died in December 2016, without resorting to CGI. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Wreckage It looks like Rey is staring at the Death Star II here, possibly on Endor. YouTube / Star Wars Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer shot-by-shot breakdown Listen Yes, this is a dark screen. At the end of the trailer, the screen goes black, and Palpatine's cackling laugh can distinctly be heard a surprise that few saw coming. YouTube / Star Wars Last week saw the first trailer released for Episode IX, which will be titled The Rise of Skywalker. The JJ Abrams film will be released in December and will be the final chapter of a trilogy before The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss embark on a new trilogy of Star Wars projects going into the 2020s. The arrival of a semi-mysterious package is always a joy, particularly when it involves booze. And while discerning drinkers are still able to get their fix at shops and supermarkets, these outlets simply cant beat the reach of specialists who make it their business to search high and low for new and exciting beverages. There are myriad online subscription services offering regular drop-offs to your door; and with them the chance to discover fantastic products, often from small, independent or far-flung producers which you may not have otherwise come across. How we tested Weve worked our way through a wide range of beer and cider subscription services, weighing up the quality and variety of products in each; value for money; ability to customise; and uniqueness of offering. In our list youll find everything from no-frills boxes that do what they say on the tin to selections of the rare and luxurious, and everything in between. Most work on a rolling basis with no strings attached you can cancel your subscription up to a few days before payment and many are P&P-free. Always check the small print before signing up so youre aware of the level of commitment. Read more: Sadly, theres a dearth of subscription services that include both beer and cider so currently you must pick one or the other. Suppliers, take note. With that said, all thats left to ask is: Whats in the box? The best beer and cider subscription boxes for 2021 are: Best overall Fetch cider club: 39.99, Fetchthedrinks.com Fetch cider club: 39.99, Fetchthedrinks.com Best customisable box Craft Metropolis craft beer club: 36, Craftmetropolis.co.uk Craft Metropolis craft beer club: 36, Craftmetropolis.co.uk Best for global brews Honest brew beer subscription: 22.90, Honestbrew.co.uk Honest brew beer subscription: 22.90, Honestbrew.co.uk Best for elevating your beer game Beer Merchants premium club: 65, Beer-merchants-club.myshopify.com Beer Merchants premium club: 65, Beer-merchants-club.myshopify.com Best for craft beer connoisseurs Beer52 craft beer discovery club: 24, Beer52.com Beer52 craft beer discovery club: 24, Beer52.com Best for rich, high-alcohol brews Imperial beer club: 12, Imperialbeerclub.com Imperial beer club: 12, Imperialbeerclub.com Best for alcohol-free beers Dry Drinker six month mixed styles beer box: 19.99, Drydrinker.com Dry Drinker six month mixed styles beer box: 19.99, Drydrinker.com Best craft cider box Crafty Nectar discovery box: 28.50, Craftynectar.com Crafty Nectar discovery box: 28.50, Craftynectar.com Best for nibbles Borough Box craft beer and snack gift subscription: 34.99, Fodabox.com Borough Box craft beer and snack gift subscription: 34.99, Fodabox.com Best for live tastastingtng sessions BeerBods beer club: 24, Beerbods.co.uk BeerBods beer club: 24, Beerbods.co.uk Best box that gives back Brewgooder beer club: 20, Brewgooder.com Fetch cider club Best: Overall Rating: 10/10 During the grand unboxing of our package from Fetch The Drinks, we were delighted to discover not one or two but three Great Taste Award-stamped bottles among the 12 we received. Fetch deals predominantly with specialist, independent producers which use traditional methods; from household name Thistly Cross to Bristols Beard and Sabre (whose Dolores hopped cider we loved), UK cider royalty Tom Oliver and of course, plenty of Somerset and Devon cider makers. The selection had a good range of fruity and medium to dry ciders and perries, plus a copy of Full Juice magazine with articles from top writers like Pete Brown and Gabe Cook. Becoming a member of Club Fetch also gets you a discount on its pick-your-own cases and 35 pint bag-in-box ciders hard to come by for home delivery as well as invitations to special events. Wassail! Buy now 39.99 , Fetchthedrinks.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Craft Metropolis craft beer club Best: Customisable box Rating: 9/10 Londons callingCraft Metropolis continues to focus on breweries in the capital where it opened its first bar and shop in December but since the last edition of this round-up its expanded and now offers beers from around the UK. Its other USP is that you can choose the contents of your box if you so wish (the option for a hand-picked selection is still there for those who enjoy the element of surprise); premium brews are on offer here for a little extra, anything from 25p up to a few quid for the more adventurous items. You can add mystery beers into your own selection, and youll get the chance to refresh your choice each time. We were treated to beers from city favourites such as The Kernel, Anspach and Hobday and Pressure Drop; and, from beyond the Big Smoke, the likes of Brew York. Excellent value and fully customisable, Craft Metropolis has got this down. Buy now 36 , Craftmetropolis.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Honest brew beer subscription Best: For global brews Rating: 8/10 Honest Brews subscriptions offer up value and flexibility, with a choice of six, nine or 12 beers per month, available in a mix of styles or, if you prefer to avoid the dark side, IPAs and Pales only; with the sun shining, we opted for the latter. Expect craft brews from the UK and around the globe our box included beers from Londons Gipsy Hill, Rascals in Dublin and Estonias Puhaste pulled from Honest Brews ever-changing selection of fresh and seasonal hopped goodness. The company also has a membership scheme which offers a discount on its standalone bottle shop plus early access to new arrivals. Buy now 22.90 , Honestbrew.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Beer Merchants premium club Best: For elevating your beer game Rating: 9/10 Reaching up to the top shelf for the first (but not last) time in our round-up, the Premium Club is for those who are ready to elevate their beer game. Beer Merchants claims to have superior pulling power when it comes to bringing in exceptional brews, operating as it has been since 1979. Here, were talking big flavours from spontaneous fermentation, reserve brews, time on wood; beers to be uncorked, shared and enjoyed with food and conversation assuming that at some point guests will once again be a thing. Highlights from our case included the funky Solbaer Farmers Reserve, the wonderfully tart Oude Gueuze Tilquin LAncienne and an imperial stout with coffee, wafer, vanilla and cocoa nibs (drool). The number of beers in the box varies depending on their size. Its more expensive of course, but we all have our priorities. Buy now 65 , Beer-merchants-club.myshopify.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Beer52 craft beer discovery club Best: For craft-beer connoisseurs Rating: 8/10 Beer52 promises to take you on a voyage of discovery with its subscription service, with a different theme guiding its selection each month. Most of the time thats a country or region, the latest, however, focuses on the Best of 2020 and features beloved breweries that deliver time and again like Buxton, Siren, Tiny Rebel and Galway Bay. These are accompanied by the excellent Ferment magazine, which is packed with in-depth coverage of the craft alcohol scene and follows the monthly theme, plus a snack. A choice of mixed beers or light styles only is available, with the latter being vegan-friendly. Other recent editions have included Maine in New England, Hungary and Helsinki, so if youre looking for a globetrotting experience this could be the service for you. Buy now 24 , Beer52.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Imperial beer club Best: For rich, high-alcohol brews Rating: 8/10 For the uninitiated, imperial, in the context of beer, refers to bold, high-alcohol brews; luxurious and rich in flavour, regardless of style. In its mission to explore the category, Imperial Beer Club has sidestepped the standard subscription format; instead you buy in for 12 a year, and this gives you presale access and 10 per cent off its boxes. This gives the club flexibility to really push it in terms of what it offers. It has, within reason, a carte blanche on the price of each box, but theres no obligation to buy: your membership gets you the chance to try boundary-pushing brews and whether you pay up to 100 for the experience is up to you. The latest edition put the spotlight on Derbyshires adventurous Torrside Brewing, specifically its Monsters series, with imperial stouts, a smoked wheat wine and barley wines (our favourite ideally with a blue cheese pairing) being just a few of the selection. And if youre partial to a sour (guilty as charged), be sure to check out the teams next project, the Sour Beer Club, coming soon. Buy now 12 , Imperialbeerclub.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Dry Drinker six month mixed styles beer box Best: For alcohol-free beers Rating: 9/10 If for any reason you want to expand your knowledge of alcohol-free beers, this is, quite simply, the box. Dry Drinker is a great resource for anyone who is taking a break for however long; the website deals in everything from spirits to wines to beer and cider, and all have we got to say it? Your subscription gets you 12 hand-picked bottles per month for six months, and we loved the variety here: low and no-alcohol brews from big players like Mikkeller and Viru, through to specialist alcohol-free producers such as Klokk & Co in Norway and Jump/Ship in Scotland. Alcohol-free beer has for the past couple of years been shaking off long-held negative perceptions its time to find out what the category has to offer. Buy now 19.99 , Drydrinker.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Crafty Nectar discovery box Best: Craft cider box Rating: 8/10 The UKs original craft cider box, Crafty Nectar, brings together traditionally made ciders from small producers like Severn Cider and Dorset Nectar, and even makes its own ciders too. There are several subscription plans available: as well as the standard six-bottle box you can opt for a mini taster box of three ciders, or a fine cider box containing two exceptional bottles rare, slow-fermented, wood-aged; the good stuff. Many of its picks are award-winning and you can expect a range of styles in each box. Buy now 28.50 , Craftynectar.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Borough Box craft beer and snack gift subscription Best: For nibbles Rating: 8/10 Borough Box offers a cornucopia of fine food and drink from independent producers; with boxes, hampers and subscriptions covering all the bases. This box puts equal emphasis on the beers themselves and the nibbles to go with them, with six of each in the selection. In this case its less about going for wild, off-the-beaten-track beers and more about dependable craft brews to enjoy in the garden, or on movie night, as you munch away on snacks such as Italian oven-baked cheese and duck crackling. Our box contained light and easy-going brews from Five Points, Fourpure and Yeastie Boys two of each. Available as a one-off taster or for three, six or 12 months, it would, of course, make a lovely gift for a couple, but theres nothing to stop you gifting yourself. It will soon be available to order with vegetarian-only snacks. Buy now 34.99 , Boroughbox.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} BeerBods beer club Best: For live tasting sessions Rating: 9/10 BeerBods has been around since the early days of the subscription box as we know it; its been running a tasting club for years and is the most social service going. Members open one beer per week on a Thursday evening, after receiving the story of the weeks pick in an email, and tune in to their social channels for a live tasting. Most recently that was Heavy Cross by the Borders Brewing Company; looking back youll find a fantastic range of breweries from the UK and beyond in the archive, complete with stories and tasting notes, on BeerBods website. Its upped its game during these strange times, with regular virtual pub quizzes on top of its usual tastings and weekly newsletters. A great way to expand your knowledge and get into the finer details, whether social distancing or not. Buy now 24 , BeerBods {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Brewgooder beer club Best: Box that gives back Rating: 9/10 Brewgooders is the subscription service with a conscience: since 2016 the company has been on a mission to bring clean water to a million people by donating 100 per cent of its profits to clean water charities operating in countries such as Malawi. The service started out as an office beer club and later moved to home deliveries as a result you can order anything from 12 to a whopping 288 beers to be delivered once a week, fortnight, month or two months. Choose from bottles or cans of its crisp and zesty Clean Water lager, cans of the Chilloozy session IPA, brewed with oats for a full body, or Moyo Juice, Brewgooders take on a tropical pale ale, laced with mango and passionfruit. Buy now 20 , Brewgooder.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} The verdict: Beer and cider subscription boxes We were impressed by the range of top-notch ciders, excellent value and added perks of the Fetch Cider Club; it gets our best buy. If you want a fully customisable service, Craft Metropolis is the way to go and the social aspect of BeerBods wins it kudos. For the true beer geeks (apologies for the cliche) we liked Imperials unapologetic and unique approach to the subscription box. Voucher codes For the latest discounts on beer, spirits and other drinks, try the links below: Beer Hawk discount code BrewDog discount code Well cheers to this round-up of the best IPAs to suit every palate IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. A television advert for a plug-in diffuser that calms anxious dogs has been banned due to a lack of evidence that the devices work. A number of different pet brands sell plug-in diffusers designed to help calm anxious or stressed pets. Typically, the plug-ins use pheromones which are picked up by special receptors on your dog or cat's face. These pheromones are designed to mimic those used by mother dogs to communicate with their puppies and provide a strong signal of comfort and security. The now-banned advert for Ceva Animal Healths Adaptil plug-in featured a dog pawing at the door after being left alone at home, before the owner said: I tried Adaptil. Just plug it in - easy. The dogs from Instagram Show all 6 1 /6 The dogs from Instagram The dogs from Instagram Noodle the Dachshund is just over a year old and comes with her own hashtag (#OodlesOfNoodle) The dogs from Instagram Three-year-old Staffie Ramsey was malnourished when he was adopted as a puppy but is now big and boisterous with ripped muscles and a cheeky grin The dogs from Instagram Winny the Welsh Corgi has been credited with the breed's upsurge in popularity The dogs from Instagram Bruno the miniature Dachshund has 66,700 followers The dogs from Instagram Mika the Husky has 58,900 followers The dogs from Instagram Elle the French Bulldog has 8,868 followers You can see he's relaxed. The same dude, just better behaved. Now when I'm out and about he's no problem, which is great." A female voiceover then said: "Best behaviour starts with Adaptil", while text along the bottom of the screen stated: "Behavioural therapy may be required. Ask your vet for advice." The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed that a viewer had complained, saying the adverts claims that Adaptil could alleviate anxiety and improve behaviour were misleading and unsubstantiated. Recommended Burger King removes chopsticks advert after being accused of racism In response, Ceva Animal Health provided a number of studies which it said showed that Adaptil had anxiety-reducing properties and said the product was proven to help adult dogs cope in challenging or worrying situations, helped to promote learning, and ensured puppies became well-behaved, confident and resilient dogs. The company also said the advert clearly suggested owners use Adaptil as a complementary option alongside behavioural advice to help dogs cope with being separated from their owner, and that any additional help required should be sought from a behaviourist or vet. Despite this, the ASA ruled that the advert led consumers to believe that the diffuser could treat anxiety and behavioural issues in dogs caused by separation from their owners, and that, once the device was plugged in, owners would begin to see results with no further training or instruction necessary. It also said that a number of the studies submitted by Ceva to support the advert's claims were not relevant, did not provide sufficient substantiation or involved sample sizes that were too small. "Because the advertiser had not submitted sufficient evidence to support their efficacy claims regarding behavioural and anxiety-related issues associated with owner separation, we concluded the ad's claims were likely to mislead, the ASA said. We told Ceva Animal Health not to claim or imply that Adaptil could treat anxiety-related and behavioural issues associated with owner separation unless they held adequate evidence to demonstrate that was the case. The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form. Speaking of the news, a Ceva Animal Health spokesperson said: We understand the ruling. Ceva Animal Health is the leading science-based company in behavioural products and prides itself on its ongoing dedication to animal welfare through evidence-based practice. The move comes just weeks after the ASA banned a separate television advert for promoting dangerous and daring behaviour. The advert by Scottish whisky brand The Macallan showed a man growing wings as he tumbled towards the ground before on-screen text read: Would you risk falling for the chance to fly? Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The final frame stated The Macallan. Make the call, accompanied by an image of the brands whisky in a glass. The ASA deemed the advert irresponsible and ruled it must not appear again in its current form. A leading restaurateur and celebrity chef has said that Italian food must be cooked exclusively by Italian chefs in order for it to be authentic. Speaking on ITVs Good Morning Britain on Monday, Aldo Zilli, who helps run several Italian restaurants under the San Carlo group, revealed he only hires Italian chefs to work for him. You grow up in Italy, you grow up with your parents, you grow up with those flavours and I dont think anyone else from outside that country is going to understand that food," he said. Zilli went on to criticise Italian restaurants in the UK that serve spaghetti bolognese, which he said does not exist in Italy. Its not a national dish, he continued before adding that spaghetti carbonara, which is also popular in the UK, is not traditionally made with cream in Italy as it is here. If you go to Chinatown, no restaurants have an Italian chef, theyve got Chinese chefs. If you go to Brick Lane, Indian chefs everywhere, Indian restaurants everywhere. But Italian food has to be Italian food, he added. Zilli made the remarks as part of a debate on the daytime show about cultural appropriation in the food industry. The conversation was tied to the recent criticism aimed at British chef Gordon Ramsay, who described his new Mayfair restaurant, Lucky Cat, which is set to open in June, as an authentic Asian eating house, prompting people to accuse him of belittling Asian culture. Angela Hui, a freelance writer for London-based food publication Eater, described the restaurant as a real-life Ramsay kitchen nightmare, remarking that she was the only east Asian person in a room full of 30 to 40 journalists and chefs at a recent preview event. Ramsay responded to the criticism on Instagram, writing that while its important for critics and reviewers to have freedom of speech, the slew of derogatory and offensive social media posts that appeared on Angela Huis social channels, were not professional". It is fine to not like my food, he added, but prejudice and insults are not welcome. Burger chain Carls Jr is embracing the CBD trend with the release of the fast-food industrys first cannabis-infused burger. On Wednesday, the chain announced that it will be selling the Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight (CBD), featuring a sauce infused with CBD, on 20 April. As of now, the burger will only be available on the cannabis-themed holiday at one location in Denver, Colorado. However, if the CBD burger is a hit, the chain said it will consider bringing it on as a permanent menu item. The burger itself will feature two 100 per cent charbroiled beef patties, pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and Crisscut fries and will be topped with a special hemp-based CBD oil-infused version of Carls Jr signature Santa Fe Sauce. Cannabis around the world Show all 13 1 /13 Cannabis around the world Cannabis around the world Morocco Farmers destroy cannabis plantations under Moroccan police supervision in the northern Moroccan Larache region, pictured here in 2006 AFP/Getty images Cannabis around the world Colorado Growing business: Cannabis on sale at River Rock Wellness Sam Adams Cannabis around the world Oakland Oaksterdam in Oakland, California, is the world's only university dedicated to the study and cultivation of cannabis Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Cannabis around the world Seattle A cannabis smoker marks the start of the new law by the Space Needle in Seattle Getty Images Cannabis around the world China Cannabis growing wild in China, where it has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria Cannabis around the world Uruguay Uruguay has voted to make the country the first to legalize marijuana AFP/Getty Cannabis around the world Colorado A groundswell of support from the public led to full legalisation in Colorado Getty Images Cannabis around the world Berlin A man smokes licenced medicinal marijuana prior to participating in the annual Hemp Parade, or 'Hanfparade', in support of the legalization of marijuana in Germany on August 7, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The consumption of cannabis in Germany is legal, though all other aspects, including growing, importing or selling it, are not. However, since the introduction of a new law in 2009, the sale and possession of marijuana for licenced medicinal use is legal. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Cannabis around the world UK The UK latest figures show 2.3 million people used cannabis in the last year AP Cannabis around the world Amsterdam Tourists visiting Amsterdam will not be banned from using the citys famous cannabis cafes Getty Images Cannabis around the world Merseyside These 25 cannabis plants, seized in Merseyside police, could have generated a turnover of 40,000 a year Cannabis around the world San Francisco April 20, 2012: People smoke marijuana joints at 4:20 p.m. as thousands of marijuana advocates gathered at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The event was held on April 20, a date corresponding with a numerical 4/20 code widely known within the cannabis subculture as a symbol for all things marijuana. Reuters Cannabis around the world Spain A cannabis users' association will pay the town of Rasquera more than 600,000 a year for the lease of the land Patty Trevino, senior vice president of brand marketing at Carls Jr said: From our early introduction into plant-based options to bringing the rare indulgence of truffles to our menu with the new Bacon Truffle Angus Burger, our customers have come to expect innovative and unique menu offerings, and were thrilled to be the first quick service restaurant to be testing CBD infused options. To create the new CBD sauce, the chain has partnered with local Colorado company Bluebird Botanicals for its hemp-derived oil. Fully embracing the holiday, the CBD burger will be available at the Carls Jr restaurant located at 4050 Colorado Blvd in Denver, Colorado, for $4.20. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive chemical compound found in the marijuana plant. The popularity of CBD has grown exponentially in recent years as companies have incorporated it into everything from beauty products to beverages. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Consuming CBD does not result in changes to mood or perception. Rather, consumption has reported benefits such as relaxation and pain-relief. India has banned the hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok over concerns that it was being used to share pornography. In response to an order from the Madras High Court, both Apple and Google removed the Chinese app from its online stores. The removal of TikTok from the Play Store and App Store means people with an iPhone or Android smartphone will no longer be able to download it, however anyone who already has it installed on their device will still be able to use it. TikTok has grown into a global viral sensation among children and teenagers since launching in China in 2016. The firm claims to have around 500 million users around the world, with more than 120 million people in India currently using the app. By allowing its users to film and edit short videos of themselves, TikTok claims it is able to "empower everyone to be a creator directly from their smartphones." 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 But the app has also been accused of illegally collecting information about children and allowing the dissemination of pornographic content. According to the Madras High Court, young users of TikTok are also vulnerable to sexual predators. Reaction on social media in India appeared to be largely critical of the ban, with people taking to Twitter and Facebook to express their dismay at not being able to download the app. Others suggested that the ban amounted to online censorship on the part of the Indian government and could potentially set a dangerous precedent for other apps and services. More legal hearings are due to take place at both the Madras High Court and India's Supreme Court later this month. A TikTok spokesperson said the firm was "optimistic" about the outcome and had "faith in the Indian judicial system". TikTok recently agreed to pay $5.7 million (4.3m) to settle a case relating to its Musical.ly app, which the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claimed was used to illegally collect data on children under the age of 13. The February settlement also required to remove any TikTok users who were under 13 years old from its app. By the late 1970s, Higgins had begun writing less frequently for the Tribune. However, her byline occasionally appeared in the paper through the end of 1983. One of her final articles was on the Star Wars trilogy film Return of the Jedi, and featured an interview with filmmaker George Lucas and information on how readers could see the California redwoods shown in the film. Age restrictions on pornography will come into effect in July, the government has announced. After 15 July, all internet users will be forced to prove themselves to be over 18 or be entirely blocked from seeing adult content. Under the new rules, any commercial provider of online pornography will have to carry out robust age-verification checks on users to ensure they are adults. Those checks could include having internet users enter personal details into a privately owned database or buying a pass from newsagents. There will be a number of different ways for people to prove their age, the government said, all of which will be rigorous and are not simply typing in a date of birth or ticking a box. If pornographic websites fail to comply with the rules, they could have payment services withdrawn or be blocked for all UK users. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The government says it has introduced the rules to stop children being damaged by pornographic content on the internet, which it says is too readily available. Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online, minister for digital Margot James said. The introduction of mandatory age-verification is a world-first, and weve taken the time to balance privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content. We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this. But digital rights campaigners have strongly attacked the new rules, arguing they represent a severe limit on the way the internet works and could compromise the privacy of the people who cooperate with them. The government needs to compel companies to enforce privacy standards, said Jim Killock, executive director of Open Rights Group. The idea that they are optional is dangerous and irresponsible. Having some age verification that is good and other systems that are bad is unfair and a scammers paradise of the governments own making. Data leaks could be disastrous. And they will be the governments own fault. The government needs to shape up and legislate for privacy before their own policy results in people being outed, careers destroyed or suicides being provoked. Recommended Tumblr defends controversial porn ban despite drop in traffic The new rules will be enforced by the British Board of Film Classification, the organisation that rates films that are shown and sold in the UK. The BBFC will give websites an implementation period before 15 July to ensure they have time to comply with the new standards. The introduction of age-verification to restrict access to commercial pornographic websites to adults is a ground-breaking child protection measure. Age-verification will help prevent children from accessing pornographic content online and means the UK is leading the way in internet safety, said BBFC chief executive David Austin. On entry into force, consumers will be able to identify that an age-verification provider has met rigorous security and data checks if they carry the BBFCs new green AV symbol. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The BBFC was given the job of regulating online pornography in February 2018, and has been attempting to figure out how the wide-ranging checks could work ever since. The Internet Service Providers Association said that internet companies may be asked to entirely ban websites that dont comply with the rules, but that it expected most pornography providers to do so. ISPs have an enforcement role in this policy to block websites that do not comply with these regulations and it is important to clarify that ISP blocking will only be used as a last resort, said Andrew Glover, the chair of the IPSA. Our members are expecting high levels of compliance from online pornography providers, and it is the role of the regulator, the BBFC, to ensure that these sites remain committed to age verification Good Friday marks the day on which Christians around the world commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The religious observance takes place during Holy Week, a couple of days before Easter Sunday. Heres everything you need to know about Good Friday: When is it? This year, Good Friday falls on Friday 10 April on the Gregorian calendar. Its date coincides with the middle of the Jewish festival of Passover. According to the Julian calendar, which is still used in parts of the eastern Orthodox church, Good Friday will take place this year on Friday 17 April. 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Show all 20 1 /20 2016 Easter celebrations around the world 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Willy Salvador, 59, hangs from a cross as part of his penitence during a reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for Good Friday celebrations ahead of Easter in the village of San Juan, Pampanga Getty images 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines articipants lie on the ground after whipping their bloodied backs with bamboo as part of their penitence during a ceremony reenacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for Good Friday celebrations ahead of Easter in the village of San Juan. Getty images 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines articipants whip their bloodied backs with bamboo as part of their penitence during the re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for Good Friday celebrations ahead of Easter in the village of San Juan. Getty images 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Hungary Dancers of 'Matyo Folklor Art Association' in traditional clothes, react as boys throw water in Mezokovesd, some 130 km east of Budapest. Getty images 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines A resident carries a statue of Jesus Christ to the church in preparation for the Good Friday procession during Holy Week celebration in Gasan, Marinduque. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Ruben Enaje, who is portraying Jesus Christ for the 30th time, screams while a resident acting as a Roman soldier pulls up a nail on his palm Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Penitent Ruben Enaje, who is portraying Jesus Christ for the 30th time, is carried on a stretcher by rescuers after he was nailed on a wooden cross during a Good Friday crucifixion reenactment in Cutud town, Philippines Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Mexico A man holding a rabbit looks at men dressed as ancient Romans as they take part in a procession, during Holy Week celebrations, in Taxco. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world South Africa Nuns carry a cross during a silent march celebrating Good Friday in Durban. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Mexico Masked penitents prepare before the start of a procession, a part of Holy Week celebrations, in Taxco. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Penitents locally called "Morions" wear masks and centurion garbs as they take part in a Good Friday procession as part of Holy Week celebration in Gasan, Marinduque. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world El Salvador Members of the El Jesus Nazareno brotherhood participate in the Los Cristos Procession as part of Holy Week celebrations in the town of Izalco. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Paraguay Actors take part in a re-enactment during a Holy Week procession to prepare for Good Friday celebration in Luque city. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Paraguay Actors take part in a re-enactment during a Holy Week procession to prepare for Good Friday celebration in Luque city. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Peru Local and foreign inmates participate in a performance of the play Jesus Christ Superstar to celebrate Holy Week at Sarita Colonia prison in Callao. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Penitents wearing masks, known locally as "Morions" take a selfie during the start of Holy Week celebrations in Mogpog, Marinduque. Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Hungary Hungary Reuters 2016 Easter celebrations around the world Philippines Resident portraying Roman soldier pulls up a nail on a foot of penitent Ruben Enaje in Pampanga, Philippines. Reuters Good Friday marks the sixth day of Holy Week, an annual Christian observance leading up to Easter Sunday. It follows Maundy Thursday, and precedes Holy Saturday and Easter Day. What is Good Friday? Good Friday is the day on which Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, prior to when he was believed to have been resurrected. While the name Good Friday isnt mentioned in the Bible, the religious text tells the story of how Christ was beaten and mocked by Roman soldiers before being made to carry a cross to the site of his subsequent crucifixion. Due to the events commemorated on the holy day, some might question why its known as Good Friday. Rather than indicating that the day is a joyous occasion, the good in Good Friday actually comes from the antiquated definition of the word, meaning pious or holy. While its widely believed that Christ was crucified on a Friday, the day of the week of the crucifixion is not mentioned in the Bible. Some speculate that the crucifixion may have taken place on a Wednesday or Thursday, due to a line in the Gospel of Matthew in which Christ states that he would be dead for three days and three nights. Its commonly understood that Christ was resurrected on a Sunday morning. How is it observed? In several sectors of Christianity, including eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic, Good Friday is observed by some Christians by attending church services and by fasting. However, this will not be possible this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, with places of worship being closed. The holy day is also traditionally commemorated by carrying out reenactments of the events which led to Christs crucifixion, known as the Passion of Jesus. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events To read more about Easter and why the date of the Christian festival changes every year, click here. Passover, otherwise known as Pesach in Hebrew, is regarded as one of the most important festivals in Judaism. Every year, Jewish families celebrate the festival by sitting around the Seder table and recounting how Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt following years of slavery. So when does Passover take place this year, what's the history behind it and how is it observed? Heres everything you need to know: When does it take place? Passover begins on Saturday 27 March this year and lasts for seven or eight days. The festival is traditionally observed for eight days by many Jewish people around the world, including those who left Israel as part of the Jewish diaspora. For those celebrating Passover for eight days, it will end this year on the evening of Sunday 4 April. Jewish families recall how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt on Passover (Getty Images/iStockphoto) In the Torah (the body of Jewish scripture), Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nissan, the day in the Hebrew calendar on which the Jewish departed from Egypt thousands of years ago. Its no coincidence that the observance coincides with the Christian festival of Easter, with Good Friday falling a couple of days after the first day of Passover this year. In the ancient languages of Latin and Greek, Easter was called Pascha, which derives from the Hebrew word Pesach. How important is it? Raymond Simonson, CEO of north London Jewish community centre JW3, says that Passover is one of the most important Jewish festivals. Even the most secular Jews, who might not celebrate any other festival - they might not fast on Yom Kippur, or go to synagogue on Jewish New Year, he says. If theres one festival theyll do its more likely to be Pesachthan anything else. During Passover Jews eat matzah, which is unleavened bread (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Whats the story of Passover? During Passover, Jewish people remember how Moses freed the Israelites from slavery under the reign of the Egyptian Pharaohs, as stated by the Torah. Moses was raised as the adopted son of the Pharaohs daughter, who found him in an ark by a riverbank in Egypt. Following orders by the Pharaoh to drown all male Hebrew children in the river Nile, Moses' mother had given him away in the hopes that he would survive. As an adult, Moses discovered his true identity and was instructed by God to lead the enslaved Jewish people from Egypt to Canaan, which was regarded as the promised land. Recommended Jewish and Muslim paramedics pray together in Israel amid outbreak Moses proceeded to ask the Pharaoh to let his people go, which the Pharaoh initially refused. According to the Book of Exodus, Moses warned the Pharaoh that if he failed to free the Israelites, Egypt would be hit by a host of terrible plagues. After the people of Egypt were subjected to 10 plagues, including blood, frogs, boils, locusts, darkness and the death of every firstborn son, the Pharaoh eventually relented and allowed the Jewish people to leave Egypt with Moses. The Jewish people spent 40 years travelling in the desert before reaching the promised land. Why is it called Passover? Jewish people believe that when the Pharaoh initially turned a blind eye to the plagues wreaking havoc on his people, God then inflicted the worst plague of all the death of every firstborn male in Egypt. In order to protect the firstborn sons of the Israelites, God instructed Moses to tell the Jewish people to mark their front doors with lambs' blood. God then proceeded to "pass over" the houses that had been daubed with lambs' blood, thus sparing the firstborn Israelite sons from the deadly plague. Jewish people read from the Haggadah during the Seder night (Getty Images/iStockphoto) How is it celebrated? During Passover, Jewish families come together for a traditional meal called the Seder, which means order, because everything is done in a particular order. This order is followed by reading instructions in a book called the Haggadah. The whole theme of the special meal on the Sedernight is to remember the exodus of Egypt as if we were there, explains Simonson. Its not when they were, our ancestors. Its when I left Egypt, this is what happened to me. Its educational and experiential. We must remember what it was like when we were slaves, so we must fight so there are no more slaves and everyone is free." The Seder plate includes a variety of foods, each which is symbolic. The lamb bone represents the blood of the lamb that adorned the doors of the Jewish people as God passed over them; the roasted hard-boiled egg is a symbol of mourning; the maror (bitter herbs) represents the bitterness the Jews had to endure as slaves; the charoset (a sweet, brown concoction) represents the mortar used to build the Egyptian pyramids; and the dipping of parsley into salt water represents the tears of the enslaved Jewish people. What is matzah? According to the Book of Exodus, the Israelites left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread didnt have time to rise. This why Jewish people eat unleavened bread during Passover, otherwise known as matzah. It is traditionally viewed as the bread of the poor, and is therefore consumed to remind Jewish people of the hardships their ancestors endured. Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity Show all 4 1 /4 Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity A Jewish woman named Renee Rachel Black and a Muslim man named Sadiq Patel react next to floral tributes in Albert Square REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS Muslim man comforts elderly Jewish woman in symbol of Manchester unity REUTERS For seven or eight days after the first Seder night, Jewish people abstain from eating all sorts of leavened foods including bread, cakes and muffins. Some people come up with creative solutions to this, including Simonson. I make lasagne but with sheets of matzah instead of pasta, he says. During the Seder night, many Jewish children play a game in which one piece of matzah, called the afikoman, is hidden. The child who finds the afikoman at the end of the meal wins a prize. What other foods and drink are consumed during Passover? Whether to eat rice or beans is one of the most discussed customs or traditions, Simonson states. Its what everyone seems to be talking about at the moment. Some grains and other foods, such as beans, peas, corns, rice, chickpeas and sesame, are traditionally prohibited by some Jewish people during Passover. These are known as kitniyot. However, many Sephardic Jews - Jewish people who can trace their ancestry back to the Iberian Peninsula during the early Middle Ages - continue to eat kitniyot on Passover. It depends on your family and background, Simonson says. Every year, more and more people say: Hold on, this kitniyot isnt forbidden by law in the same way. Its more of a tradition to do with how they were packed in sacks. Every piece of food on the Seder plate is symbolic (Getty Images/iStockphoto) How do Jewish people prepare for Passover? As leavened goods are banned during the festival, the weeks leading up to Passover are traditionally spent cleaning. Every nook and cranny is scrubbed to get rid of even the tiniest forbidden crumb that might lurk there. Some say this tradition is the origin of the more widely known "spring clean". Many Jewish people use crockery during Passover that has been set aside for especially for the festival. Mark Carney has warned banks they cannot ignore the catastrophic effects of climate change and must be at the heart of tackling the problem. Along with other central bankers from around the world, he called on governments and financial institutions to take a pivotal role in keeping temperature rises well below 2C as pledged under the Paris climate agreement. Mr Carney said the enormous human and financial costs of climate change are having a devastating effect on our collective wellbeing. Moving to a low-carbon economy will require a massive reallocation of capital, he and Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau wrote in an article for The Guardian. If some companies and industries fail to adjust to this new world, they will fail to exist. "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 prime responsibility for climate policy will continue to sit with governments, Mr Carney and Mr Villeroy said. And the private sector will determine the success of the adjustment. But as financial policymakers and prudential supervisors, we cannot ignore the obvious risks before our eyes. A group of 34 central banks and supervisors representing half of global greenhouse gas emissions are to release their first report on Wednesday under the banner of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). The report is to make four key recommendations aimed at turning commitments on greenhouse gases into actions. It will say that central banks should make monitoring of climate-related financial risks central to their day-to-day work. The group also tells central banks to make sure their own balance sheets are environmentally sustainable, make public any data they have on climate-related risks and support collaboration to develop solutions. The existential threat of climate change has again been highlighted this week as thousands of people blocked roads and bridges across London, bringing widespread disruption to the capital. Protests were part of a global campaign organised by UK group Extinction Rebellion, which has planned demonstrations in 80 cities and 33 countries. The UKs biggest investor this week said it would apply further pressure on companies that it believes are not doing enough to curb climate change. Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM), which invests more than 1 trillion of pension funds and other savings, pulled millions of pounds last year from eight companies including Russian oil giant Rosneft, Subaru and the China Construction Bank. LGIM also said it would continue to vote against companies boards if they do not meet certain standards on the environment, gender diversity and other governance issues. Charlie Kronick, Greenpeace UKs oil finance advisor, said LGIMs stance on climate change was absolutely a positive step. He added: Asset managers need to go beyond voting against the appointment of board members who refuse to act on the climate emergency they face, and vote against pay packages that reward executives for failing to align with a 1.5 degree future, and against the appointment of auditors that dont fully and accurately disclose the risks that the company faces from climate change. Investors need to disclose how they vote on resolutions at highly polluting companies, as well as the rationale for voting on climate resolutions at any listed company. This isnt virtue signalling, its good business. Jeremy Corbyn is the latest opponent of Sats exams in primary schools but teachers have been calling for the tests to be abolished for years and they havent been alone in their fight. Last summer, a number of parents kept their children out of school during Sats. Now Labour believes it is time for the exams for 10 and 11-year-olds to go as a regime of extreme pressure testing has led to young children crying, vomiting and having nightmares because of stress. In 2017, the government responded to opposition, announcing it would phase out the tests for seven-year-olds after critics said they placed too much pressure on children. In the second half of last year the German economy shrank, so the new official forecast for growth this year of only 0.5 per cent comes not as a surprise but a shock. Italy is already officially in recession, while France is growing very slowly. So the UK economy is growing faster than the three biggest eurozone economies at the moment. There is an obvious point here to be made about Brexit. The UK has confounded expectations that the uncertainties generated by the attempts to leave the EU would push the economy into recession. This weeks employment figures were strong, and there are forecasts that next month unemployment will drop even further, to 3.8 per cent. But core Europe is in trouble. Why? The first thing to say is that Germanys problems have very little to do with Brexit and a lot to do with a wider slowdown in the world economy. There has been a slight fall in export orders to the UK for plant and machinery, but that is not the main problem. It has been hit by two other things. Two separate pipe bombing attacks have struck Northern Ireland in one night. The first alert was raised at around 10pm on Thursday in the village of Rasharkin, County Antrim. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said officers recovered two viable pipe bomb-type devices and residents were evacuated from their homes. One device was located on the windowsill outside one property while the second was thrown through a front window of a second home, a spokesperson added, appealing for witnesses to come forward. Little over an hour later, two other pipe bombs exploded outside a house in Armagh, 50 miles to the south. Remembering The Troubles in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Remembering The Troubles in pictures Remembering The Troubles in pictures A British soldier attacks a protester in Derry on Bloody Sunday Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Northern Ireland Civil Rights movement marches in London in 1968 to demand the same voting rights afforded to the rest of Britain Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association marching on the streets of Derry in 1968 BBC Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Battle of the Bogside in Derry in August 1969 was among the first violent episodes of the Troubles The Battle of the Bogside in Derry in August 1969 was among the first violent episodes of the Troubles Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures British soldiers take cover behind their armoured cars as they use CS gas to disperse rioters in Derry on Bloody Sunday PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures Hugh Gilmore (third left) clutches his stomach after being shot by a British soldier on Bloody Sunday. Gilmore was one of 14 to be shot dead on 30 January 1972 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A man receives attention after being shot on Bloody Sunday in Derry PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A young man is led away by paramedics after being injured on Bloody Sunday PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures The British Embassy at Merrion Square in Dublin is bombed following a march to protest three days after the Bloody Sunday shootings Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Independent MO for Mid-Ulster Bernadette Devlin talks to the press after she hit Home Secretary Reginald Maudling for lying about the Bloody Sunday shootings in his statement to the House of Commons the day after the incident. Devlin had been in Derry at the time of the shootings and was moved to strike the Home Secretary after he claimed that British soldiers had only fired at protesters in defence Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Members of a Catholic community in Newry stage a protest against the Bloody Sunday shootings AFP/Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Relatives mourn over the coffin of a victim of Bloody Sunday on 1 April 1972 Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Thousands attend the annual Bloody Sunday memorial march in Derry on 30 January 1995 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures UK prime minister Tony Blair and the Irish taoiseach Bertie Ahern sign the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A view over residential Derry in 2019 shows a mural on Rossville Street, where soldiers opened fire on Bloody Sunday Getty Police said the blast damaged a front door but three people who were inside the property at the time were unhurt. Insp Ryan Moore said: We are working to establish a motive for this attack and I am appealing for information. The Independent understands that police are not currently investigating the two attacks as linked. Cathal Boylan, a Sinn Fein MLA representing Armagh, said: These devices put residents lives at risk. Im relieved that no one has been hurt. I would appeal to anyone with information to contact the police. Another security alert was underway in Lurgan, County Armagh, on Wednesday morning but the cause was not immediately known. Pipe bombs have become a common method of attack since the late Troubles in Northern Ireland, being used by terrorists, paramilitaries, vigilantes and criminals. There have been concerns about a potential uptick in sectarian violence in the wake of a car bombing, hijackings and other incidents that hit Derry in January. At the time, Theresa May told MPs: This house stands together with the people of Northern Ireland in ensuring that we never go back to the violence and terror of the past. Republican terrorist group the New IRA claimed responsibility for the Derry car bombing, as well as sending parcel bombs to targets in mainland Britain in March. Police have shut down the public's access to wifi on the London Underground in an attempt to disrupt planned protests by climate protesters. The blocking of the Tube's internet access, which was not made public before being implemented, comes amid a takeover since Monday of some of London's busiest streets by Extinction Rebellion, an environmental group attempting to force adequate government action over runaway climate change. In the interests of safety and to prevent and deter serious disruption to the London Underground network, British Transport Police (BTP) has taken the decision to restrict passenger WiFi connectivity at Tube stations," British Transport Police told The Independent. "This follows intelligence that Extinction Rebellion protesters intend to cause disruption to Tube services." A spokesperson added: We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we would like to assure passengers that this decision is not taken lightly." Police say the group have caused "serious disruption" affecting half a million people in the capital over the past two days. Almost 300 activists have been arrested amid protests in Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge and Piccadilly Circus. But XR say they are planning to disrupt Tube services on Wednesday after the government failed to meet its members to discuss their demands. "XR will nonviolently disrupt Tube services to highlight the emergency of ecological collapse," XR said in a statement. "We sincerely apologise to all those who may suffer as a consequence of this disruption. In any other circumstances we would never dream of disrupting the Tube but this is an emergency." A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: Were working closely with the police to manage the impact of disruption to Londons transport network. Customer WiFi in Underground stations has been temporarily switched off after a request from British Transport Police. We will restore access as soon as we are able to do so. International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Show all 38 1 /38 International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists make some noise at the occupation of Oxford Circus in London Reuters International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied A climate activist is arrested after spray painting a demand for climate laws on the entrance to Bristol Magistrates Court Bristol Live /SWNS International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters in New York stage a "die-in" near City Hall in New York on April 17 Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home as activists have glued themselves to the fence outside on April 17 SWNS International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied An activist waters the plants at the occupation of Waterloo Bridge in London PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists sit in a boat on the River Thames in London on April 16 Reuters International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Two activists stand atop a DLR train while another has superglued his hand to the carriage in Canary Wharf DLR station in London Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied An activist sits in a hammock while occupying Oxford Circus in London AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters form a road block on the North Bridge in Edinburgh on April 16 PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters dance as a DJ plays at Oxford Circus in London on April 17 Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Police remove a protester from the roof a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters at the "Temple of Peace & Quiet" occupy Waterloo Bridge in London PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Police remove a protester from the roof a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters in New York stage a "die-in" near City Hall in New York Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters set up atop a lorry blocking Waterloo Bridge PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied An activist walks past the camp on Waterloo Bridge early in the morning of April 17 in London Reuters International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters on the Shell building in London during the protests PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied An activist halts a train by superglueing his hand to it Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists take part in a protest in Berlin on April 15 Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists lie under a lorry on Waterloo Bridge in Central London during the protest PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied A demonstrator is arrested on Waterloo Bridge during the second day of protests PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists carry a skeleton along the North Bridge in Edinburgh Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists sit in the protests by Parliament Square in London EPA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters stand on Waterloo Bridge in Central London during the protests AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters carry giant wasp puppets in the protest by Parliament Square in London Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied A protester is arrested on Waterloo Bridge in Central London Reuters International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists take part in the second day of protests on Waterloo Bridge PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Activists wait under a float in the protest in Central London Reuters International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Waterloo Bridge is covered in graffiti after the protest in Central London Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied APRIL 15: Environmental campaigners block Oxford Circus during a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on April 15, 2019 in London, England. With demonstrations blocking a number of locations across the capital, the group aims to stop traffic for up to five days Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Demonstrators lay Ruby the rhinoceros during a Extinction Rebellion protest in Parliament Square in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday April 15, 2019. Activists have pledged to block five central locations in a non-violent act of resistance and rebellion that campaigners say could go on for weeks PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Environmental campaigners walk across Waterloo Bridge as they take part in a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on April 15, 2019 in London, England. With demonstrations blocking a number of locations across the capital, the group aims to stop traffic for up to five days. Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group stage a demonstration in Parliament Square London on April 15, 2019. - Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group started a programme of demonstrations designed to block five of London's busiest and iconic locations to draw attention to what they see as the "Ecological and Climate Emergency" of climate change. AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group stage a demonstration in Parliament Square London on April 15, 2019. - Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group started a programme of demonstrations designed to block five of London's busiest and iconic locations to draw attention to what they see as the "Ecological and Climate Emergency" of climate change. AFP/Getty International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Demonstrators take part in a 'Funeral Procession' during a climate protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, April 15, 2019. Extinction Rebellion have organised a nationwide week of action, they are calling for a full-scale Rebellion to demand decisive action from governments on climate change and ecological collapse. They plan to engage in acts of non-violent civil disobedience against governments in capital cities around the world. AP International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Protesters erect eco-friendly toilets to accompany the growing number of tents around Marble Arch. International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Demonstrators during a Extinction Rebellion protest in Parliament Square in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday April 15, 2019. Activists have pledged to block five central locations in a non-violent act of resistance and rebellion that campaigners say could go on for weeks. PA International climate protests enter fourth day: London sites occupied Demonstrators during a Extinction Rebellion protest in Oxford Circus in London PA TfL and BTP's decision was criticised by privacy watchdog Big Brother Watch as "disproportionate" and "deeply authoritarian". "Shutting down digital infrastructure in response to a peaceful protest is deeply authoritarian," said Griff Ferris, legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch. "While the police and transport networks have a duty to keep everyone safe, indiscriminately restricting everyone's ability to access wifi and communicate on the underground is disproportionate and the kind of action that's usually only taken in response to terror attacks. "The authorities should not be using draconian powers to suppress people's right to peaceful protest." In the face of climate breakdown scientists have warned we have 12 years to stop catastrophic global warming XR has three demands. It is demanding the UK government declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025, and create a so-called citizens assembly made up of members of the public, which would lead decision-making in the fight against climate and ecological breakdown XR said there were set to be protests in at least 80 cities in more than 33 countries. Any hi-tech solution to the problem of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open after Brexit is at least ten years away, a leaked Home Office document has said. The memo said the cost and complexity of using new technology to remove the need for border checks meant "the challenges of this work cannot be underestimated". The finding will come as a blow to Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, who have repeatedly insisted that technology could be used to keep the border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit, removing the need for the controversial Northern Ireland backstop. The memo, seen by Sky News, was drawn up by the Home Office's Policy Unit and sent to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Treasury. It says there could be a possible technological solution but that it would come with a huge array of difficulties. The solution would involve companies uploading data on goods and using blockchain technology, sensors and automated collection to pay tariffs. The memo said: "If all these technologies are brought together this could allow a seamless collection and analysis of the data needed. It would also provide the ability to target interventions away from the border itself." But it also warned of a series of practical problems in introducing the technology, including cost, time and complexity. It said: "The challenges of this work cannot be underestimated... No government worldwide currently controls different customs arrangements with no physical infrastructure present at the border." Warning that the technology would take over a decade to introduce, the document said: "Current realisation for a similar technological solution in the UK is 2030." The memo also highlighted the cost and difficulty of implementing such a project and questioned whether the government would be able to deliver it. It said: "Any future system must operate with 28 government agencies and a myriad of interconnected existing and planned IT systems. There is currently no budget for either a pilot or the programme itself. And it will be expensive. "This suite of technology would need to operate on both sides of the border; as such it would require agreement and commitment from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and possibly the EU too. It is a big and complex project, with possibly tight deadlines. "Government does not have the strongest track record on delivery of large tech projects." Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Show all 30 1 /30 Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Pro-Brexit leave the European Union supporters attend a rally in Parliament Square after the final leg of the "March to Leave" in London AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit The protest march which started on March 16 in Sunderland, north east England, finished on what was the original date for Brexit to happen before the recent extension Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter sips a can of Stella in protests outside of the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Dedicated anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray and likewise pro-Brexit campaigner Joseph Afrane go head to head near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A pro-Brexit marching band in Parliament Square Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Remain supporters wave EU flags from a bus in Parliament Square PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter shouts slogans outside parliament EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter protests outside parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter protests outside of the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters protest outside of the Houses of Parliament REUTERS Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A pro-Brexit flag is waved in Parliament Square AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit The March to Leave nears the Houses of Parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit protester holds a sign outside parliament EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters carry the coffin of democracy AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters march outside parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters take part in the March to Leave protest in London PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters protest outside parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter holds a sign outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A man holds satirical paintings of politicians Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit An pro-Brexit float on the March to Leave march in London Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Far-right activist Tommy Robinson addresses protesters outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Tommy Robinson supporter arrives at the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A jogger gestures rudely at a Brexit supporter outside of the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter outside the Houses of Parliament PA The question of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open after Brexit has been at the heart of the row over Britain's EU withdrawal in recent months. The EU insisted on the backstop, which would see the UK temporarily enter into a customs union with the EU if no other deal is agreed, to ensure there was not a return to a hard border even if Britain leaves the bloc without a deal. But Eurosceptics say the policy would see the UK tied to EU tariffs and rules indefinitely and therefore unable to strike new trade deals with other countries. The government and the EU have agreed to look at "alternative arrangements", such as new technology, that could be introduced to remove the need for the backstop to come into effect. The Liberal Democrats have accused other anti-Brexit parties of damaging the chances of success in the European elections by refusing to fight on a joint ticket. Vince Cable lashed out at The Independent Group and the Greens for rejecting his pleas to stand joint candidates on 23 May, to boost the number of MEPs demanding a second referendum. The Lib Dem leader revealed that his party proposed fighting together a move that one election expert has predicted could have delivered an extra six seats in Brussels. Frustrated campaigners for a Final Say public vote also believe a unified campaign would have excited voters and delivered an even greater reward. Sir Vince said voters would be forced to choose between a variety of different parties offering the same message, under a proportional voting system. It would be better, I think, from the point of view of the supporters of British membership of the EU if we were fighting together under the same banner, he told BBC Radio 4. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty Certainly that's something we would like to have seen, but that wasn't possible, we didn't get a positive reaction to that, so we are going on our own. Sir Vince added: People out there who've seen this argument polarised would probably have preferred us to fight under the same banner and certainly that's something we would have wanted. It is understood that the deadline for registering with the Electoral Commission as a joint entity for the European parliament elections passed two weeks ago. Change UK, the new party name for The Independent Group, has said it wants no alliance and no pacts, but to be a new party standing on its own, a stance echoed by the Green party. The Independent revealed today that experts believe Theresa May has already run out of time to stop UK participation in the elections, because her deal cannot be fully ratified by 22 May. And Donald Tusk, the European Council president, has suggested the UK will continue to be represented in the assembly for several months maybe longer, as Tory-Labour compromise talks remain deadlocked. The Lib Dems have now announced their full list of candidates, campaigning for a fresh Brexit referendum and to Remain in the EU. Of the 73 UK seats in the European parliament, the Greens currently have three and the Lib Dems just one, after elections five years ago. Under the PR system, a party needs to reach a minimum threshold to win a seat, which varies by region from 10 per cent in the south-east to 30 per cent in the north-east. The Commission has now approved the application by the breakaway group of former Labour and Tory MPs to become Change UK in time for the poll. However, candidates will have a blank space next to their names on the ballot papers after a proposed logo was rejected. The watchdog said the design the acronym TIG, in white letters on a black background, with #Change underneath was likely to mislead voters. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) The churches of Baclaran and Quiapo are two of the most popular destinations in Manila for devotees. The Baclaran Church (formally known as the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help) is located in Roxas Boulevard and attracts Filipinos and foreigners alike. During Wednesdays, devotees swarm to the famous icon of Mary and pray the novena. Meanwhile, the Quiapo Church (officially named the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene) is where devotees of the dark-skinned Jesus Christ go to; the statue is believed to be miraculous. The annual traslacion, attended by over a million Filipinos yearly, also ends in this church. For a lot of Filipinos, or perhaps for all believers of higher beings, connecting with the holy involves meditating or praying through or with material objects that signify their devotion. It is not surprising that the places of worship are also flooded with kiosks and vendors selling various kinds of merchandise from a mini statue of Sto. Nino to bracelets that are known to be kontra usog. During Holy Week, while most of these religious products being sold are essentially the same, there are additional goods like a Semana Santa sash or the woven palm leaves that can only be purchased this time of the year. One of the famous sites inside Baclaran is the area where devotees light a candle and pray to an image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. However, because it is Holy Week, this image is covered with purple cloth. Photo by JL JAVIER Vendors outside the Baclaran Church say that in any day of the week, any Sto. Nino product is usually the bestseller. Photo by JL JAVIER A wide variety of Sto. Nino clothes are also sold alongside the Sto. Nino figures. The sizes of the clothes depend on the kind of figure you purchase. Photo by JL JAVIER A handheld fan with an Our Mother of Perpetual Help novena printed on it. The vendor of this product says that shes been selling the fans since 1996 and this has been the main source of income for her family. Photo by JL JAVIER Seventy-seven-year-old Elisa Ouano, a candle vendor outside Quiapo Church, has been selling an assortment of candles since she was 28 years old. Here, she is praying over a bundle of candles before a devotee lights them up. Photo by JL JAVIER These red bracelets allegedly come from Benguet and made by Igorots themselves as a kontra usog for babies. Photo by JL JAVIER Christians begin the Holy Week on Palm Sunday, where they wave their palaspas (pictured above), recreating those who welcomed Jesus as he made his way to the Holy City. Photo by JL JAVIER Outside Quiapo Church is what they call a pabasa, which is a continuous chanting of the Pasyon. Photo by JL JAVIER Devotees of the Black Nazarene also typically use this Semana Santa sash to wrap around their heads as they pray during the Holy Week. Photo by JL JAVIER Our school went on lockdown. I lent my emergency cellphone to my classmates so they could call their parents. No one was allowed to leave school until a parent signed us out. But the frenzy of parents trying to find their kids turned our front hall into a madhouse. I spotted my mom and we ran out of there. Senior Labour MPs say Jeremy Corbyn must back a fresh Brexit referendum unequivocally within weeks or Nigel Farage will snatch a shock European elections victory. Worried backbenchers piled pressure on the Labour leader to shift his stance before the 23 May poll, after the former Ukip leader was revealed to be on course to triumph at the head of his new Brexit Party. A survey gave Mr Farages party a healthy five-point lead at 27 per cent of the vote, leaving both Labour (22 per cent) and the Conservatives (15 per cent) trailing in his wake. It came as the Liberal Democrats accused other anti-Brexit parties of boosting their opponents by refusing pleas to fight on a joint ticket. Labour supporters of a Final Say referendum seized on evidence that Mr Corbyn was heading for a further disastrous slump if his manifesto backed forcing through a Brexit deal in alliance with Theresa May. 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 A customs union deal the aim of the current cross-party talks would see Labour dip to just 15 per cent, according to the poll of 1,855 adults by YouGov, handing the Brexit Party a 10-point win. But undiluted support for a further public vote would lift Labour to 23 per cent, with Mr Farages outfit only three points ahead. Owen Smith, a former Labour leadership contender, told The Independent: Its very clear that Labour is losing support among our voters because the leadership has refused to give unambiguous support to a peoples vote on Brexit. We should never forget that the majority of Labour supporters voted Remain in 2016 and if we want to beat the Brexit parties we have to honour their views. Stephen Doughty, a former shadow minister, echoed the fear, saying: We must put a public vote on Brexit at the core of our European manifesto Recommended Nancy Pelosi says Brexit must not threaten seamless Irish border Pro-European voters who in all other respects support Labour need to see that message loud and clear. Otherwise we risk leeching support to other parties which can only benefit Farage and his forces. Sir Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat leader, also said it would be a game-changer if Labour came out clearly to campaign to stay in the EU. But he admitted: I find it difficult to see they could do that given that Jeremy Corbyn has said repeatedly he is there to deliver Brexit, but it certainly would change the nature of the argument. Mr Farages surge follows the burst of publicity the Brexit Party received at its campaign launch last week, when Annunziata Rees-Mogg the sister of the leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg was unveiled as a candidate. It also heightened Tory fears that their party is heading for a crushing defeat, which would trigger fresh calls for the prime minister to quit. Justine Greening, the former Conservative education secretary, hinted she would quit if that resulted in her party adopting a harder Brexit position. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Its certainly a challenging time I think for me to be in the Conservative Party, she said. For me it was about three things: opportunity, a strong economy and well-managed public finances. And clearly I think if we become the Brexit party, that really goes against those three core tenets of what I think being a Conservative Party member is all about. Sir Vince lashed out at the Independent Group and the Greens for rejecting his pleas to stand joint candidates on 23 May, to boost the number of MEPs demanding a second referendum. He revealed his party had proposed fighting together a move that one election expert has predicted could deliver an extra six seats in Brussels. Frustrated campaigners for a Final Say public vote also believe a unified campaign would have excited voters and delivered an even greater reward. It would be better, I think, from the point of view of the supporters of British membership of the EU if we were fighting together under the same banner, Sir Vince said. Certainly thats something we would like to have seen, but that wasnt possible, we didnt get a positive reaction to that, so we are going on our own. Change UK, the new party name for the Independent Group, has said it wants no alliance and no pacts, but to be a new party standing on its own, a stance echoed by the Green Party. The YouGov poll put the Greens top among the pro-Remain parties on 10 per cent, ahead of the Liberal Democrats (9 per cent) and Change UK (6 per cent). The Independent revealed today that experts believe the prime minister has already run out of time to stop UK participation in the elections, because her deal cannot be fully ratified by 22 May. The last member of an American wild reindeer population has been moved to a new wilderness with other caribou in the hope of increasing numbers. American reindeer are now considered extinct right across the lower 48 US states the area comprising most states but excluding Alaska. The survivor was captured three months ago and held in a special pen, where she was introduced to four Canadian caribou from endangered herds in the hope they would bond. The capture marked an end for the only herd that occasionally crossed from Canada to the lower 48 states. Now the group have been released in British Colombia, north of the US-Canadian border, and have met up with another herd. Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Show all 15 1 /15 Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts It's estimated an elephant is killed every 20 or 25 minutes on average in Africa Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Broadcaster Nicky Campbell spoke passionately against trophy hunting and legal imports of animal parts Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Protesters at the fifth annual Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in London marched through central London Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Thousands of people joined the fifth annual Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in London Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Stanley Johnson, father of Boris Johnson, is a passionate supporter of the campaign to save elephants and rhinos from extinction Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Protesters at the fifth annual Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in London called for a UK ban on trophy imports Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Thousands of protesters at the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos marched to Downing Street Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Some protesters in London against trophy hunting dressed in wildlife costumes Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Campaigners fear elephants, rhinos and lions will become extinct if trophy hunting continues Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Protesters at the fifth annual Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in London against trophy hunting marched through central London Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Some protesters in London against trophy hunting dressed in wildlife costumes Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Protesters at the fifth annual Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in London called for a UK ban on trophy imports Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Protesters stopped traffic as they marched through London Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Campaigners fear elephants, rhinos and lions will become extinct if trophy hunting continues Paul Nicholls Protesters demand a UK ban on imports of 'trophy hunt' animal parts Lobbying for a ban on imports of hunted wildlife parts Palmerston the cat joined Denise Dresner, of Action for Elephants, John Stevenson, of Stop Ivory, actor Peter Egan, Cordelia Britton, of Four Paws, Mark Jones, of Born Free and Eduardo Goncalves, of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, as they delivered a letter to Downing Street Paul Nicholls Wildlife chiefs say the populations are closely enough related that the surviving female will have a better chance of survival than if she were left alone. Gray ghosts in the area of British Colombia, northern Idaho and northeastern Washington have drastically declined. By 2009, the Selkirk herd was estimated to have only about 50 members. Climate change and human activity such as hunting, logging, the building of roads and power lines, oil exploration and mining have destroyed their habitats and allowed more predators than ever to move in. Last year three caribou from the southern Selkirk herd all of which wore radio collars were known of; but scientists finally concluded the other two had died. Darcy Peel, of a caribou recovery project with the British Colombian government, told The Independent the hope was that the female would continue to integrate with the others and eventually breed. There was no opportunity for her to contribute to the genetic diversity before, he said. But at least this way provides an opportunity for the remaining ones to contribute to efforts in British Colombia to boost populations. He said the environment and temperatures were similar enough for her to settle in. The group were released into the wild north of the city of Revelstoke. Shes now where she belongs, said Cory Legebokow, of the caribou recovery project. Protecting the animals former range in the northern US mountains could provide a fighting chance, for their return, Andrea Santarsiere, of the Center for Biological Diversity told Columbian.com. However, the Canadian government faces pressure to allow more logging in caribou habitat. Police in Ohio arrested a man who allegedly attempted to use an iguana as a weapon. A Facebook post from the Painesville Police described officers responding to a disorderly conduct complaint on April 16 at Perkins Restaurant, a local chain. At the restaurant, an unnamed 49-year-old male removed an iguana from his shirt and swung it around his head by its tail and then threw the iguana at the store manager. Its unclear what provoked the action. According to the polices Facebook post, the alleged iguana swinger was apprehended a few blocks away, where he resisted arrest. Per the same post, the suspect faces charges of Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest and Animal Cruelty. The iguana, whom the police have named Copper, was released by the station to the Lake County Humane Society, where hell be taken to a veterinarian to be checked for injuries. Neither the Lake County Humane Society nor the Painseville Police have responded to the Independents request for information on what would happen to Copper after his vet appointment. In the Facebook posts comments, Ohio locals have chipped in with offers to house the iguana themselves, seemingly hoping for a bright ending for the swung reptile. Lions, tigers and camels on the loose in rural Ohio Show all 1 1 /1 Lions, tigers and camels on the loose in rural Ohio Lions, tigers and camels on the loose in rural Ohio 658798.bin AP As tragic as this is, wrote one user, it's a blessing for Copper." The photos seem innocuous. Several people posed in front of mirrors. Others snapped selfies in cars. They made funny faces or just smiled. Some even added fun filters tiny, floating pink hearts and golden butterflies. But the captions accompanying the pictures, which appear to be of uniformed corrections officers from various states, were another story. Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today, IDK, one post read, according to the Houston Chronicle. The rest of the posts continued in a similar vein. Death row in California's San Quentin prison Show all 8 1 /8 Death row in California's San Quentin prison Death row in California's San Quentin prison A condemned inmate exercises in a cage out in the yard of San Quentin prison Getty Death row in California's San Quentin prison San Quentin State Prison opened in 1852 and is California's oldest penitentiary. The facility houses the state's only death row for men that currently has 700 condemned inmates Getty Death row in California's San Quentin prison The lethal injection facility at San Quentin prison AP Death row in California's San Quentin prison A condemned inmate stands in a cell out in the yard of San Quentin prison Getty Death row in California's San Quentin prison An armrest in the interior of the lethal injection facility at San Quentin prison AP Death row in California's San Quentin prison A cell on death row in San Quentin Getty Death row in California's San Quentin prison A cage on death row in San Quentin Getty Death row in California's San Quentin prison A cell on death row in San Quentin Getty Feeling cute, might shoot your baby daddy today...idk. Feeling cute, might take your homeboy to the hole later. Feeling cute, Im still going to lock you down. What were intended as spin-offs of the viral #FeelingCuteChallenge have since sparked outrage this week as many argued the posts made light of serious issues surrounding the treatment of inmates. Recommended Author compares US prison system to white supremacy According to local media reports, at least two state corrections departments have launched investigations into employees accused of taking part in the challenge. As with many social media trends, the origins of the challenge are murky, but participation is fairly straightforward. All people have to do is share a photo of themselves at their jobs or in their work uniforms along with text that begins with Feeling cute, or some version of the phrase, followed by a joke about their line of work. The challenge is a variation of the feeling cute, might delete later meme. The Feeling cute hashtag began picking up steam several weeks ago on social media as teachers, postal workers, first responders, firefighters and law enforcement officers, among many others, shared versions of the meme. Some took offence to posts from police officers joking about arresting people or pulling drivers over for tint. Mentally ill man beaten by Placer County prison officers A now-viral post from a Georgia water employee who said he might cut your water off later also drew criticism, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported last week. The trend soon caught on with correctional officers, many of whom shared their images in a now private Facebook group called Correctional Officer Life, the Chronicle reported. The group has about 30,000 members and describes itself as a place to discuss, share, socialise and study experiences in officers life from all over the world. Americas Police Problem, a website dedicated to law enforcement accountability, gathered nearly 40 different posts from the Facebook group and published them on Sunday, accusing the officers of taking the challenge to a new dangerous level. Captions ranged from jokes about using Taser guns or other force on inmates to planting drugs on them or putting them into the box, a reference to a type of solitary confinement. The people behind the posts were identified as officers from several states, including Texas, Georgia, Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma. The Chronicle matched the names of two people who posted memes that referenced gassing inmates to current Texas prison employees. In a statement to The Washington Post on Wednesday, Jeremy Desel, a spokesperson from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said officials there were aware of the posts. A handful of correctional officers employed by this agency are under investigation for on- and off-duty conduct violations as a result of the alleged posting of inappropriate photographs on social media, Mr Desel said. He added: These officers in no way represent the thousands of TDCJ employees who go to work every day taking public safety seriously in all ways. If any of these allegations prove correct, then swift disciplinary action as severe as termination of involved employees will occur. Prisons minister Rory Stewart admits government shouldn't have cut officer numbers Officials from the Georgia Department of Corrections condemned the social media posts. The alleged actions of these individuals do not reflect the conduct expected of any GDC employee, and will not be tolerated, spokeswoman Joan Heath said in an email on Wednesday. If the allegations are found to be substantiated, swift and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. In Missouri, after a Jefferson City corrections officers post about taking your homeboy to the hole raised concerns, prison officials said on Tuesday they were also investigating, KOMU reported. All department of corrections employees are trained in the prevention and reporting of harassment, discrimination and unprofessional conduct and are expected to help ensure that interactions with offenders and fellow employees are professional and respectful, Karen Pojmann, communications director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, told the news station. Officials from the other state corrections departments did not respond to requests for comment. Recent investigations into prisons across the US have revealed accounts of abuse. Last February, three Milwaukee County Jail employees faced felony charges after a mentally ill inmate was allegedly denied water for a week as punishment and died of dehydration, The Washington Post reported. In May 2018, three officials at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn were charged with sexually assaulting at least six female inmates, according to the New York Times. On social media, the contents of the posts a number of which have been taken down, but not before still images were taken weathered fierce backlash. One Twitter user described the officers actions as disgusting. I hope theyre still feeling cute on the unemployment line, another person wrote on Facebook. The Washington Post Abortion could be made illegal in the US with Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, the Michigan attorney general has warned. Concerns have been raised Roe v Wade the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion nationwide in 1973 could be overturned or radically undermined with new conservative justices Mr Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch sitting on the Supreme Court. Dana Nessel, a Democrat who is the first openly LGBT+ person elected to statewide office in Michigan, told a crowd of abortion rights supporters it is likely Roe v Wade will be struck down by the high courts conservative majority, but that she would not enforce such a ban in her state. I will never prosecute a woman, or her doctor, for making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy, Ms Nessel said to applause at a Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan summit. Michigan never formally repealed a 173-year-old law that bars women from getting an abortion. Having a pregnancy terminated could become a felony in the state, apart from when a womans life is in danger if Roe v Wade were to be overturned. Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Show all 7 1 /7 Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Derry Girls cast members Siobhan McSweeney and Nicola Coughlan (right) join MPS and women impacted by Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Heidi Allen (second right) joins the protest PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster A luggage tag on a suitcase, symbolising the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for terminations PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster The campaigners march across Westminster Bridge PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Counter-protesters Rebecca Morgan (left) and her daughter Helen, one, demonstrate in favour of Northern Ireland's current laws Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Protesters supporting Northern Ireland's abortion laws at Parliament Square Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Demonstrators pull suitcases to symbolise the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for a termination AFP/Getty Images I think I can go four or maybe eight years without sending women to be butchered in back alleys, Ms Nessel said, adding that citizens must elect candidates who support abortion rights. She added: If we can not and will not commit to make reproductive freedoms a priority in 2020 then we most certainly will lose them for the remainder of all of our lives and for those of future generations as well. The state Republican Party tweeted at Ms Nessel that her statements are further evidence that you have decided to only uphold the laws that you agree with. We will accept your resignation at any time. Recommended My abortions brought me my daughter Some 57 per cent of registered voters say Roe v Wade should remain intact, according to a Fox News poll from February. The attorney generals comments come in the context of Republican-led state legislatures moving to implement restrictive abortion bans across the US. Abortion opponents in states across the US have been emboldened to attempt to provoke new legal battles that could lead Supreme Court justices to revisit the key case. But critics argue the Republicans are unnecessarily launching legal battles that will end up being both expensive and futile with taxpayers potentially footing the bill. Last week, Ohio became the seventh state to pass legislation that bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected and legislation is pending in 11 other states. None of the signed bills have successfully become law so far. The heartbeat bills make it illegal for women to receive an abortion once a heartbeat has been detected in the foetus. This can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy a point at which many women do not yet know they are pregnant. Rights organisations have accused the Trump administration of attacking womens reproductive rights by reinstating the global gag rule, appointing anti-abortion rights activists to key posts in federal departments that handle womens health and striving to cut Title X funding to health providers that carry out abortions or make abortion referrals. Earlier this month, legislation was introduced in Alabama that would make carrying out an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy punishable by 10 to 99 years in jail even in cases of rape and incest. The bill, which has more than 60 co-sponsors in the 105-member Alabama House of Representatives, equates legalised abortion to some of historys gravest atrocities likening having your pregnancy terminated to the Nazi campaign of extermination that led to the mass murders of Jews and others during the Holocaust. Colorado police and the FBI are hunting an 18-year-old woman they say is armed and extremely dangerous, and who prompted a lockdown at Columbine High School just days before the 20th anniversary of the deadly shooting there. That school and 20 others were ordered to undergo the special security measures after police received what they called a credible threat. Police have identified the suspect as 18-year-old Sol Pais. The Jefferson County Sheriff's office and the FBI said the teenager travelled to Colorado on Monday night and made threats, but provided not further details. The law enforcement agencies she had last been seen in the foothills west of Denver, where some of the schools put on lockdown are located. Students left classes on time, but after-school activities were cancelled at Columbine in Littleton, Colorado. 'Put armed police in every US school': NRA goes on the offensive as America mourns school shooting Show all 2 1 /2 'Put armed police in every US school': NRA goes on the offensive as America mourns school shooting 'Put armed police in every US school': NRA goes on the offensive as America mourns school shooting 24.getty.jpg Getty Images 'Put armed police in every US school': NRA goes on the offensive as America mourns school shooting NRA.jpg Getty Images She is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous, the sheriff's said in a statement. She is a white female, 18 years old, approximately 5'5 in height, with brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, camouflage pants, and black boots. The Denver Post said police considered Ms Pais to be infatuated with the shooting at Columbine, in which 13 students and staff were killed by pupils Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who took their own lives after police responded. The mass shooting of 20 April 1999 appeared to make an inflection point in relation to gun violence and mass shootings at schools, triggering a series of copycat incidents. Among the mass school shootings that followed were Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and Parkland. New York High school students walk out on 19th anniversary of Columbine to protest gun violence For the generation of students that was educated in the 20 years since Columbine, lockdowns and security drills have become a constant of school life. The AP pointed out security firms have forged a multibillion-dollar industry, introducing surveillance video, panic buttons and upgraded doors and locks. Police changed their strategies for responding to a gunman intent only on killing. Donald Trump has called for the arming of teachers as a means to respond to something that plagues the country, a proposal that has been met with a mixed response from educators and police. Less than 24 hours after a crowd in Pennsylvania shocked Fox News hosts by expressing overwhelming support for Bernie Sanders Medicare for All plan, the cable network has punched back at the Vermont senator. After the veteran politician received support during the town hall event by indicating they would switch over to public health plans, Fox and Friends the networks morning talk show brought in a tax expert who expressed some major reservations about Mr Sanders plans to reimagine the American economy. If you look at healthcare, free tuition, family leave, child care those proposals will all have a price tag of over $20,000 per taxpayer, Maya MacGuineas, the president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said, discussing a study by the group from the 2016 campaign. Mr Sanders has acknowledged that his controversial plan would be expensive, but has claimed that the system he would put in place a virtual overhaul of the US healthcare system would ultimately save the US money through lowered healthcare costs. But detractors have attacked the plan, and others he has proposed, as too expensive and without a clear funding source. The presidential candidate has said he would pay for the plans at least in part by raising taxes on the ultra wealthy in America. 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 Ms MacGuineas continued: I don't know whether they plan to finance all of that or add that to the very large national debt, but the costs are certainly high. I know trillion is kind of hard to get your arms around. But when you bring it down per taxpayer, we are talking more than $20,000 increase in taxes. The guest on Fox and Friends wasnt the only critic of Mr Sanders appearance during the network's town hall, when moderator Brett Baier was met with cheers when he asked the Pennsylvania crowd if theyd support Mr Sanders Medicare for All. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In a tweet, Mr Trump seemed to suggest that Mr Sanders appearance was a betrayal to him form the conservative news outlet. So weird to watch Crazy Bernie on @FoxNews. Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the audience was so smiley and nice. Very strange, and now we have @donnabrazile? Mr Trump tweeted, referring to the former Democratic strategist who is now a contributor at the network. Beto ORourke has thrown his support behind the Green New Deal along the campaign trail, comparing the existential threat of climate change to that of the Second World War at a recent event. Speaking at the University of Virginia Tuesday, the 2020 presidential hopeful praised Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her proposal, which seeks to address global warmings potentially extensive adverse impacts on the global economy, national security and public health. One of the reasons I like Representative Ocasio-Cortez's proposed Green New Deal is that it calls to mind another time in this country's past when we faced an existential challenge," the former El Paso congressman said Tuesday. In that case, it was to our way of life to the western democracies, to our allies in Europe, to our fellow Americans, he continued. In the midst of the Great Depression, this country was willing to sacrifice men and women all over the United States to make sure that we defeated Germany, and we won that war and for the following 75 years that we made this world safe for democracy. The Democrat concluded, The Green New Deal calls that sacrifice and service in scale of commitment when it talks about the challenges that we face today. 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 Green New Deal has served as a lightning rod on both sides of the political aisle: while Washington newcomers like Ms Ocasio-Cortez and progressive 2020 candidates like Mr ORourke have sought to make the far-reaching proposal a legislative reality, centrist Democrats have pushed back, seeking reforms for climate change on less of a grand scale. Republicans have largely derided the resolution as a supposedly unrealistic measure, however, while the far-right has used it to claim Democrats are trying to take away cars and cows. The resolution does not actually call for a removal of either. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to serve in the US House of Representatives, similarly described climate change as a systemic threat to our country during a town hall on MSNBC last month. First all of, we've been here before. We've been here before with the Great Depression. We've been here before with World War II, even the Cold War," she said at the time. "And the answer has been an ambitious and directed mobilisation of the American economy to direct and solve our problem, our biggest problem." Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events She continued, To get us out of the situation, to revamp our economy, to create dignified jobs for working Americans, to guarantee health care and elevate our educational opportunities and attainment, we will have to mobilise our entire economy around saving ourselves and taking care off this planet. Donald Trump has used his veto power to block a bill that would have ended US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Issuing just his second presidential veto since entering the White House, Mr Trump struck down a measure that had been passed by the Senate last month, and a version which had been given the green light by the House of Representatives two weeks ago. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Mr Trump said in a statement to the Senate, that was released by the White House. The United Nations estimated last year that 6,872 civilians had been killed and 10,768 wounded, the majority in Saudi-led air strikes, since the military operation against Houthi rebels began in March 2015. Thousands of others have died from diseases such as cholera, which have taken grip as the nations already feeble infrastructure has been weakened as a result of the conflict. Food aid for Yemenis stolen Show all 21 1 /21 Food aid for Yemenis stolen Food aid for Yemenis stolen People walk in a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen People stand near their rooms inside a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A baby sleeps inside a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A woman sits with her baby inside a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen Sisters play in their room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen The entrance of the hangar of the United Nations in Aden, Yemen, in this 23 July 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A man sells aid supplies at a market in Aden, Yemen, in this 23 July 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen The entrance to the port where aid is received, in Aden, Yemen, is shown in this 23 July 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen This 24 July 2018 photo shows a gas station on a road in Shabwah, Yemen. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A worn-out list of registered names for aid by Relief International, part of the World Food Program, is posted in Aden, Yemen in this 23 July 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A truck carries aid on a road in Aden, Yemen, in this 23 July 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A man fixes his scarf at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen Children play in a room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen Children look out of their room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A woman holds her baby as she leaves her room in a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A family poses for a photograph in their room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A family sits in their room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A bucket filled with bread at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, is shown in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A family poses for a photograph in a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A child stands in a room at a shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) Food aid for Yemenis stolen A shelter for displaced persons in Ibb, Yemen, is shown in this 3 Aug 2018 photo. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) The operation against the rebels has included the militaries of Saudi Arabia Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. Qatar ended its involvement in 2017. The US has been providing crucial in-flight refuelling services to the coalitions jets, along with logical and targeting help. The UK has provided training and intelligence support, along with the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, despite calls from activist and some politicians to prohibit them. Yemeni mother Shaima Swileh arrives at San Francisco International Airport to see dying son for last time The vote earlier this year by Congress, was the first time a decades-old war powers resolution had been invoked to try to stop a president involving the nation in a conflict without the authorisation of legislators. It marked a major rejection of the presidents unquestioning support for the kingdom, especially following the murder last October of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Now Mr Trump had vetoed the bill, it will up to congressional leaders to determine whether they have the two-thirds majority in both chambers to overturn the presidents actions. The ongoing Democrat-led congressional investigations into Donald Trump are determined to unravel the conspiracy behind the stealing of Hillary Clinton campaign emails and the alleged part played in that incident by WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, according to diplomatic sources. The inquiry by the US House of Representatives intelligence committee is said to be particularly focused on how the emails, as well as those of the Democratic National Committee, were hacked and made public, gravely damaging Hillary Clintons campaign and helping Donald Trump to the White House. The report into Trump and Russia by special counsel Robert Mueller is due to be made public, with redactions by attorney general William Barr, on Thursday. However, a number of inquiries, by state prosecutors as well as congressional committees, will continue into various accusations against the president, including alleged collusion with the Kremlin. Assange, who was arrested last week after Ecuador withdrew his asylum status and he was expelled from the countrys embassy in London, is now facing extradition to the US over the hacking and dissemination of US intelligence and defence documents in 2010. However, the US Department of Justice can add further charges if and when Assange is sent back to America. The WikiLeaks founder may also face an investigation into alleged sexual assault in Sweden, although no request for extradition has come so far from authorities in Stockholm. 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 Last July the US Department of Justice charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers, from the GRU, with carrying out the emails hack, with the indictment stating they had been in contact with WikiLeaks. A number of people close to Trump are said to have been in touch with Assange about the emails. The most high profile of this group, Roger Stone, a long-term close adviser to the US president, was arrested in January as part of Muellers investigation. The special counsels indictment states that during the election campaign Mr Stone talked regularly to Trump officials about the information, called Organisation 1 in the document, WikiLeaks possessed which would be damaging to Hillary Clintons campaign. In August 2016 Mr Stone reportedly emailed Sam Nunberg, another Trump adviser, that he was communicating with Assange through an intermediary who is a personal friend. He tweeted a few days later Julian Assange is a hero. A few days later he added: I actually have communicated with Assange, I believe the next tranche of his documents pertain to the Clinton Foundation ... The house intelligence committee, according to sources, is looking at attempts made by Mr Stone to secure a presidential pardon for Assange were he to be extradited to the US. In text messages which have emerged, Mr Stone told a friend, Randy Credico, in January: I am working with others to get JA a blanket pardon. Its a very real possibility Mr Stone, in an email to Mother Jones magazine, confirmed: I most definitely advocated a pardon for Assange. Mr Credico, who Mr Stone said was his contact with Assange, claimed the WikiLeaks founder asked him to set up a meeting with Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, chair of the house intelligence committee, to prove there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mr Schiffs office responded: Our committee would be willing to interview Julian Assange when he is in US custody, not before. Mr Credico has since retracted his claims about Assange, and he and Mr Stone have accused each other of lying. However, Michael Cohen, Trumps long-time personal lawyer and confidante, had also claimed the US president knew Mr Stone was in communication with Assange. Trump says he has not seen or read the Mueller report Speaking to a congressional inquiry, Mr Cohen described a speakerphone conversation in which: Mr Stone told Mr Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr Assange told Mr Stone that within a couple of days there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clintons campaign. Mr Trump responded by stating to the effect, Wouldnt that be great. Congressman Schiff had said that allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks was a very important investigative thread his committee will pursue. WikiLeaks has denied any collusion between itself and Assange with Russia or the Trump campaign. Mr Trump, who praised WikiLeaks dozens of time during the election campaign, saying repeatedly I love WikiLeaks, has since tried to claim, after Assanges arrest, that I know nothing about WikiLeaks. Philip Lacovara, a lawyer on the Watergate prosecution team that investigated Richard Nixon and his associates, told Politico that Assanges arrest has reopened the Russia collusion affair. He added the department of justice evidently retains considerable interest in the information Assange can supply. He knows where the hacked DNC emails came from, and he knows when and how the Trump campaign learned about this treasure trove of political dirt. He also knows whether the Trump campaign coordinated the timing of leaks for political advantage. He is also likely to know whether anyone from the Trump campaign actively solicited additional hacking. My point here, if it is my point and not that of a darker force guiding me, is that we must not denounce intuitive, reverse-intellectual theorizers like Beck and Steyn and Carlson and others. We must continue to put them on television and allow them to utilize other platforms to amplify their voices and inform people who want the partial destruction of a historic Parisian cathedral to really mean something that it doesnt actually mean. Attorney General William Barr is set to release the Mueller report on Thursday, shedding light on many aspects of the investigation that has sparked massive speculation during Donald Trumps first two years as president. Roughly a month after receiving the report in the first place, Mr Barrs release comes as Democrats have repeatedly and loudly demanded a full an un-redacted copy of the document, a request that appears unlikely to be totally met by the Justice Department. On Wednesday night the eve of the reports release the Washington Post said the department of justice would release a report that was only lightly redacted. It said it will reveal that Mr Mueller decided he could not come to a conclusion on the question of obstruction of justice because it was difficult to determine Mr Trumps intentions and some of his actions could be interpreted innocently. But it said it would offer a detailed blow-by-blow of his alleged conduct. While most of the report remains under wraps, heres what we know so far about what is inside and what we might expect to learn. The report says that Mr Trumps campaign did not collude with Russia during the campaign Mr Barr indicated in a letter to Congress that the Mueller report found that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, in spite of numerous reports over the past two years indicating that Trump campaign officials met with Russian sources during that time. With those reports as backdrop, the idea that Mr Muellers team determined no collusion or conspiracy existed has been a contentious one since Mr Barrs letter was released. 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 report will talk about Mr Trumps decision to fire former FBI director James Comey The existence of the Mueller investigation at all can actually be traced back to Mr Comeys firing, which the former FBI director reportedly found out about by taking a look at news reports on television. Mr Trump said following the firing that the Russia investigation played a part in his reasoning for the firing leading to claims that the president obstructed justice in the firing. Mr Barr has indicated he does not believe sitting presidents can obstruct justice while doing their job, and has indicated the Justice Department does not view the evidence on this issue as being weighty enough to bring charges against Mr Trump. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events We may get more information about interactions between Mr Trump and Mr Comey before that firing Mr Comey, after his firing, released memos he wrote just after meetings with Donald Trump, alleging that the president pressured him to drop the Russia investigation. The report is likely to tell us a bit more about those meetings, and who was involved. We will likely learn how much contact the Trump campaign had with Russia including a now-infamous meeting in Trump Tower We already know that Donald Trump Jr and several other top Trump campaign officials met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya after being promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump Jr and others have claimed they got no real intelligence from that effort, but it remains to be seen what the Mueller probe found. How much did Roger Stone interact with WikiLeaks? At the centre of all the hacking and leaking that Russia managed to get away with is WikiLeaks, the platform where stolen emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign were published. Roger Stone, a top adviser to Mr Trump, has some level of connection with that group. The extent of those talks, if any, could become apparent with the release of the report. White House officials are reportedly suffering breakdown-level anxiety over whether the Mueller report will expose them as a source of damaging information about Donald Trump. More than a dozen current and former administration personnel cooperated with special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia, according to NBC News. The report is expected to be made public in redacted form by attorney general William Barr on Thursday, following pressure from Congress to release the findings in full. Some officials and their lawyers have allegedly asked the Justice Department to clarify if the report will make their identities obvious out of fear over Mr Trump or his allies reaction if it reveals they criticised the president or revealed negative information about him. They got asked questions and told the truth, and now theyre worried the wrath will follow, a former Trump official told NBC. One person close to the White House told NBC News there was breakdown-level anxiety among current and former officials who spoke with Mr Muellers office at the direction of the presidents legal team. The Justice Department has not specified a time and provided no insight into how much of Mr Muellers report will be redacted upon release on 18 April, but the president is already ramping up his attacks on those involved in the probe. Sarah Sanders says Congress wouldn't be smart enough to decipher Trump's tax return The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax, Mr Trump falsely tweeted on Monday. In fact, Mr Mueller is a registered Republican and there is no suggestion his team engaged in a partisan investigation. Mr Trump on Wednesday doubled down on this claims, wrongly claiming the Russia probe was initiated by dirty cops and Hillary Clinton. 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 Mr Barr, in a four-page summary to Congress last month, reported Mr Mueller had cleared Mr Trump and his campaign of colluding with Russia, but said the former FBI director had steered clear of ruling on whether the president obstructed justice. Mr Trump claimed the investigation exonerated him on both counts, something that was not true. He also pressed Mr Barr to launch an investigation into why the FBI began its probe of members of his campaign team, claiming he was the victim of an attempted coup. Close Trump says he has not seen or read the Mueller report Donald Trump and his staff in the White House are preparing for the imminent release of the Mueller report, which has reportedly led to "breakdown-level" anxiety in the West Wing. That waiting game comes as Mr Trump has doubled down on his demand for better border security, and follows after attorney general William Barr announced new US policy that asylum seekers who cross illegally between ports of entry would no longer have the right to ask a judge to grant them bond for release. Under the new Justice Department policy, those migrants will have to wait in detention until their case can adjudicated a process that can take a considerable amount of time given America's backlogged immigration courts. Mr Trump has also turned on Fox News after the right-wing news channel hosted a town hall debate with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Trump tweeted that the event had been "stuffed with Bernie supporters," adding: "What's with @FoxNews?" Mr Barr is expected to release his report on Thursday morning, when he will hold a press conference to discuss the issue. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Meanwhile, the race for the Democratic nomination to take the president on in 2020 has been heating up just under eight months until the first votes will be cast in that primary season. Currently leading the pack of candidates are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and at least in recent polls Pete Buttigieg, who has outperformed expectations in the past couple of weeks. Read The Independents updates as they happen in our live blog below. Donald Trump has turned on Fox News after the right-wing news channel hosted a town hall with Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders. Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews Studio last night in the now thriving (Thank you President Trump) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the interview with Crazy Bernie Sanders, Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening. Big complaints about not being let in stuffed with Bernie supporters. Whats with @FoxNews? The presidents claim his supporters were barred from the event was contradicted by local media, who reported a range of political groups were in the audience, including Trump supporters. So weird to watch Crazy Bernie on @FoxNews, Mr Trump had tweeted earlier. Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the audience was so smiley and nice. Very strange, and now we have @donnabrazile? Mr Trumps attack on the town hall crowd came after many expressed support for Mr Sanders Medicare for All healthcare plan, apparently blind siding Fox News. The morning after the event, Fox & Friends, a news show which consistently supports Mr Trump and his agenda, invited a tax expert to cast reservations about Mr Sanders healthcare plan. Mr Trump later renewed his attack on Mr Sanders, who piled more pressure on the president to release his tax returns after earlier this week making public his own. A number of Fox News audience members support Bernie Sanders universal healthcare plans (Fox News) Bernie Sanders and wife should pay the Pre-Trump Taxes on their almost $600,000 in income, Mr Trump tweeted. He is always complaining about these big TAX CUTS, except when it benefits him. They made a fortune off of Trump, but so did everyone else and thats a good thing, not a bad thing! 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range Show all 6 1 /6 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The mug 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The can cooler 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The tee 'WITCH HUNT!' Trump cashes in on Mueller report with merchandise range The can cooler I believe it will be Crazy Bernie Sanders vs. Sleepy Joe Biden as the two finalists to run against maybe the best Economy in the history of our Country (and MANY other great things)! I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul! It is not clear why Mr Trump signed off using a phrase usually reserved for the dead. How much of Special Counsel Robert Muellers highly-anticipated report into Russian interference in the 2016 election will be seen by Congressional lawmakers and the public Thursday largely depends on one man William Barr. The attorney general under Donald Trump has vowed to release the report this week with redactions that fall under four colour-coded classifications: classified information, grand jury information, information pertaining to ongoing investigations and information that may infringe on the privacy of peripheral third parties. Mr Barr, who was confirmed earlier this year after being appointed to lead the Justice Department under Mr Trump, stopped short of vowing to release the full findings of the special counsel during his Congressional hearings. He released a statement to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees prior to his testimony confirming he received the report. I am reviewing the report and anticipate that I may be in a position to advise you of the special counsels principal conclusions as soon as this weekend, the attorney general wrote. The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Mr Barr, mostly along party lines in February. Mr Barr, who previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993, succeeded Jeff Sessions after the former head of the Justice Department and Mr Trump became entrenched in a public feud over Mr Sessions decision to recuse himself from overseeing the Russia probe. Democrats, who largely voted against Mr Barr, said they were concerned about his non-committal stance on making Mr Muellers report public. Mr Barr promised to be as transparent as possible, but said he takes seriously the Justice Department regulations that dictate the report should be treated as confidential. Opponents of Mr Barr also pointed to a memo he wrote to Justice officials before his nomination. In it, he criticised the Russia investigation for the way it was presumably looking into whether Mr Trump had obstructed justice. 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 Mr Barr wrote that the president could not have obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey since it was an action the president was constitutionally entitled to take. That view has alarmed Democrats, especially since the obstruction inquiry has been central to Mr Muellers investigation. Mr Barr vowed that he would not be bullied, said Mr Muellers investigation is not a witch hunt and agreed that Mr Sessions was right to recuse himself from the probe. He said he was a friend of Mr Muellers and repeatedly sought to assuage concerns that he might disturb or upend the investigation as it reaches its final stages. When the president nominated Mr Barr, he called him a terrific man and one of the most respected jurists in the country. I think he will serve with great distinction, Mr Trump said. The position catapults him from Justice Department outsider free to theorise and speculate on the special counsels investigation, to the man at the centre of the legal and political firestorm that will accompany its conclusion. Friends say Mr Barr is accustomed to pressure-cooker situations by virtue of his experience as attorney general under President George HW Bush and other senior Justice Department jobs. He oversaw the departments response when Los Angeles erupted in riots after the Rodney King verdict and when Cuban inmates took hostages at a federal prison in Alabama. He blessed Bush administration pardons in the Iran-Contra scandal and offered legal advice on the White Houses ability to invade Panama. Lawmakers in both parties said a permanent replacement for Mr Sessions was urgently needed when Mr Barr was nominated by the president. All I can say is if America ever needed a steady hand at the Department of Justice, it is now, Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on the Senate floor in February. [Matthew] Whitaker has done a good job as interim attorney general, but we are looking for a new person to bring stability, improve morale, and be a steady hand and mature leadership at a time when our country is very much divided. Mr Graham said Mr Barr stood out head and shoulders above others who could have been nominated. To the American people, you can go to bed here soon knowing that the Department of Justice is in good hands, he added. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The Associated Press contributed to this report A man in South Korea set fire to his own apartment before stabbing neighbours as they tried to flee the building, killing at least five and injuring 13 others. A 12-year-old girl and a grandmother were among the dead, police in the southern city of Jinju said, while the death toll could continue to rise with a number of the injured in critical condition. Police have arrested a 42-year-old suspect, who has been identified only by his last name An. According to Korea Times, An was detained after a confrontation with police at the apartment building in which blanks, live rounds and finally a Taser were used. The fire started after the attacker sprayed petrol inside his home and ignited it at around 4.30am on Wednesday. He then went outside and shouted Fire!, seemingly to flush out other residents of the building, police said. The attacker then started stabbing neighbours in the emergency stairwell, using what police described as a lethal tool. One resident was able to call emergency services, and police said they detained the man at 4.50am. Some residents also suffered from smoke inhalation, before firefighters extinguished the blaze around 20 minutes later. Police said the man was not intoxicated at the time of the attack, and that he told officers he committed the crime due to a grievance over unpaid wages, according to the Yonhap news agency. But a spokesman for Jinju police told reporters: The suspect kept changing his story and it didn't make any sense. He admitted to the arson and killing but refused to disclose the cause of his crime. An was a day labourer who was not due any wages, the spokesman said, and also received government welfare support. He had lived alone at the apartment block since 2015 and previously had a number of run-ins with his neighbours, including an incident where he sprayed soy sauce and vinegar on an apartment door in a row over noise. Police said investigations into the suspects health and occupational records continued. Nancy Pelosi has said that the seamless border in Ireland must not be imperilled by Brexit, during an address to the Irish parliament. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives told assembled members of Irelands main political bodies that America would continue to stand with them to protect the values of the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking as part of a year-long celebration to mark 100 years since the first sitting of Dail Eireann (the Irish parliament), Ms Pelosi said: We must ensure that nothing happens in the Brexit discussions that imperils the Good Friday accord, including but not limited to the seamless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Reiterating comments she made earlier in the week during a speech in London, she added: Let me be clear. If the Brexit deal undermines the Good Friday accords there will be no chance of a UK-US trade agreement. I say that hopefully, that we will not have to face that reality, but I say it as a prediction. Ms Pelosis words were met with applause by a packed chamber of parliamentarians, and special guests including U2 frontman Bono who she praised at length, noting that after attending so many of his concerts, she was glad to see he was in her audience for a change. She also remarked on the legacy of John Hume and the late Martin McGuinness, and delivered a powerful tribute to the Northern Ireland peace process. Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters We treasure the Good Friday accord because it is not just a treaty, it is an ethic, it is a value, it is an article of faith for us, it is a beacon to the world. We treasure the Good Friday accord because of what it says is possible for the entire world; a reason to hope in every place that dreams that reconciliation will be possible for them too. America will continue to stand with you in protecting the peace that the Good Friday accords have realised. Now, the first generation born into the hope of Good Friday the children born then are 21 years old now are entering their adulthood, knowing peace, we cannot jeopardise that. We must not and we will not allow that progress to be undermined. Referring to the well-known links between the US and Ireland, Ms Pelosi noted: While I dont have Irish grandparents, we do take pride in having Irish grandchildren. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events On climate change, Ms Pelosi noted that the US had much to learn from Irish initiatives, and said: We must do better and we must do more, together ... We have a moral responsibility to future generations to hand this planet over in a responsible way. She also advocated for Ireland receiving a temporary seat on the UN Security Council in 2021, which was met with loud applause. Ms Pelosi attended a cultural celebration at Irelands historic GPO building on Tuesday evening, and will attend a reception at Dublin Castle on Wednesday night. Images of the skeletal frames of Notre Dame cathedral, enveloped in billowing smoke and flame, stopped us dead on April 15. What is so familiar from thousands of holiday photographs and postcards was suddenly made unfamiliar, strange. The stunned Parisians watching in horror as a staple of their city was destroyed before their eyes brought to mind the faces of New Yorkers watching in disbelief as first one, then another tower came down in 2001, or the faces of Iraqi citizens watching the statue of Saddam Hussein topple in Iraq in 2003. There are obviously very different political contexts to these events some acts of terrorism, some natural acts of destruction but what they share is the strange sense of watching one era of history end in real time: the end of a cultural icon that has stood, in Notre Dames case, through so many historical periods. The many comment pieces we will see throughout the next few weeks will talk about the importance of this fire, not only in literal terms but its place in the cultural imagination the loss of what the cathedral represents, its symbolic value as much as its literal one. They wont be the first. These expressions of cultural loss enter a long and storied tradition. Throughout history we have seen examples of writers and commentators expressing shock, disbelief, horror and awe over buildings disappearing before their eyes; wood and steel structures turning, rapidly and unstoppably to debris; of cities turning to dust. One of the most famous examples we have is Pliny the Younger writing in a letter about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD: Ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood. Notre Dame before and after Show all 19 1 /19 Notre Dame before and after Notre Dame before and after The cathedral with the spire standing tall (left) and (right) after the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after As viewed from the Montparnasse Tower before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after As viewed from the Montparnasse Tower after the fire AP Notre Dame before and after The heart and transept before and one day after the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after The nave of the cathedral before the fire Alamy Notre Dame before and after The nave of the cathedral after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after The rose window in the cathedral before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after After the fire a hole has been exposed in the roof above the window Twitter Notre Dame before and after The cathedral from the Seine before and after Reuters Notre Dame before and after Inside the cathedral before the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after The burning roof has left a hole in the nave Reuters Notre Dame before and after The nave after the fire was extinguished AP Notre Dame before and after Inside the cathedral after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after A view from the Seine of the cathedral before and after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after An aerial shot of Notre Dame before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after An aerial shot of Notre Dame during the fire shows the wooden roof burning and collapsing AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after Tourists gather near the cathedral and then seen afterwards Reuters Notre Dame before and after The spire of the cathedral is shown before and during the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after A scorched section of the exterior after the fire Reuters We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room. It is not unlike the physical response that Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary of the 1666 Great Fire of London: So near the fire as we could for smoke; and all over the Thames, with ones face in the wind, you were almost burned with a shower of firedrops. Recommended Parisians mourn the loss of their beloved cathedral When we could endure no more upon the water; we to a little ale-house on the Bankside, over against the Three Cranes, and there staid till it was dark almost, and saw the fire grow; and, as it grew darker, appeared more and more, and in corners and upon steeples, and between churches and houses, as far as we could see up the hill of the City, in a most horrid malicious bloody flame, not like the fine flame of an ordinary fire it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses, and all on fire and flaming at once; and a horrid noise the flames made, and the cracking of houses at their ruins. So home with a sad heart. Reliving trauma These writers typically describe the scene they witness and the physical sensations they experience an attempt to record the physical experience of the event for the historical record. Writing about an event can also be, in some cases, a form of reliving or reenacting it, especially if the event was personally traumatic. The Last Day of Pompeii, Karl Briullov, 18271833 (Yale Center for British Art) For many of these writers, there is a linking of the destruction of buildings with dead bodies. The article the American writer Jack London wrote for Colliers Magazine about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco juxtaposes the destruction of buildings with the dead of the earthquake: Wednesday night saw the destruction of the very heart of the city. An enumeration of the buildings destroyed would be a directory of San Francisco. An enumeration of the buildings undestroyed would be a line and several addresses. An enumeration of the deeds of heroism would stock a library and bankrupt the Carnegie medal fund. An enumeration of the dead will never be made. All vestiges of them were destroyed by the flames. The number of the victims of the earthquake will never be known. The Great Fire of London by Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg circa 1997 (Russian Museum) Edith Wharton wrote in similar terms about the devastation she witnessed on her trips to the war zones during World War I for articles written for Scribners Magazine in 1915, published later as Fighting France: Ypres has been bombarded to death, and the outer walls of its houses are still standing, so that it presents the distant semblance of a living city, while near by it is seen to be a disembowelled corpse. Every window-pane is smashed, nearly every building unroofed, and some house-fronts are sliced clean off, with the different stories exposed, as if for the stage-setting of a farce. Fearful and tragic spectacle Whartons comparison with the theatrical is not untypical. We can see a similar sense of the unbelievable, the farcical, in John Updikes response to 9/11 in The New Yorker of September 24 2001: As we watched the second tower burst into ballooning flame there persisted the notion that, as on television, this was not quite real; it could be fixed; the technocracy the towers symbolised would find a way to put out the fire and reverse the damage. There is also, of course, in all of these writers a fear for the self, even if we know the self is not in danger: We knew we had just witnessed thousands of deaths; we clung to each other as if we ourselves were falling, Updike writes. The particularly strange sense of spectacle that accompanies the modern destruction of landmarks means the moment can be eternally replayed, as images become iconic. This can link spectacle with mourning, as visual culture theorists such as Marita Sturken have noted. Wharton, writing about the destruction of the Cathedral of Rheims in 1914 another Notre Dame found beauty in its strange ruins: When the German bombardment began, the west front of Rheims was covered with scaffolding: the shells set it on fire, and the whole church was wrapped in flames. Now the scaffolding is gone, and in the dull provincial square there stands a structure so strange and beautiful that one must search the Inferno, or some tale of Eastern magic, for words to picture the luminous unearthly vision. [] And the wonder of the impression is increased by the sense of its evanescence; the knowledge that this is the beauty of disease and death, that every one of the transfigured statues must crumble under the autumn rains, that every one of the pink or golden stones is already eaten away to the core, that the Cathedral of Rheims is glowing and dying before us like a sunset. There may be either sadness or comfort in knowing that our sensations today of something having been irreplaceably lost, of the destruction of culture and of part of ourselves, is not new. Alice Kelly is a Harmsworth Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford. This article first appeared on The Conversation Cathedrals like Notre Dame have always welcomed people, even when their own communities have rejected them, when they are outcasts in spirit as well as body in need of sanctuary. That, after all, is what Victor Hugos novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, is all about. They are places of both belonging and anonymity, big enough to hold a world of difference. The great Gothic cathedrals of northern France those grand and beautiful peoples churches of the 13th century, as someone once called them were built by the people for the people, the products of great communities rather than great kings. The community of Paris in the middle ages, which contributed to the construction of Notre Dame, was a truly international one, with scholars, craftsmen and merchants from Italy, England, Scotland, Flanders and Germany all living, working and worshipping together. Notre Dame was the product of that brilliant mix. However, there is something else even greater. It is a chance to connect with people both living today and long gone. In my visits, I was able to feel a connection with those who had stood where I was standing and view what I was viewing over a period of 800 years. Not only was I able to feel inspired by a particular piece of art but also I was able to connect with the centuries of people who were inspired by the same piece. I could touch the stone they had touched. The workmen who built the towers had the same view I saw except it was ever changing from a village to a metropolis. I was able to connect with those who attended the coronation of Napoleon or the removal of the windows as a defense against Nazi bombings. The fund set up to rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reach 1bn (870m) today as donations continue to pour in from billionaires, corporations and ordinary citizens. The French president Emmanuel Macron has set out an ambitious five-year deadline to get the difficult and costly restoration work done. On Wednesday Stephane Bern, the TV personality who helped launch the fund to help pay for the reconstruction, told French media: We are about 900 million euros and the billion mark will be exceeded today. French companies Total and LOreal have promised to each donate 100m (87m) euros, while the billionaire families who own LVMH Group, Kering and LOreal pledged a combined total of 500m (435m). The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with offers of assistance. Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Show all 13 1 /13 Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Thesupermat/CC-BY-SA Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Getty Images/iStockphoto Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Rose windows Among the most famous architectural features of the Gothic masterpiece, the stained glass rose windows are treasured artworks. The three rose windows, which date back to the 13th century, adorn the north, south and west facades. There were hopes the windows had escaped being destroyed by the fire after firefighters stopped its spread. Photos the following morning suggested the circular window of the nave had remained intact. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Destroyed: Irreplaceable wooden roof Crowds of tourists and Parisians watched in horror as the spire and roof of Notre Dame cathedral came crashing down to the ground. EPA Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Descent from the Cross The cross and statue on Notre Dame's high altar - sculpted by Nicolas Coustou in 1723 - were believed to have survived in tact despite being surrounded by smoke and debris. Reuters Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Great Organ With nearly 8,000 pipes, some dating back to the 1700s, Notre Dame's master organ is one of the largest in the world. The monumental instrument, the largest in France, was fully restored in 2013 with each pipe cleaned. Paris' deputy mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire, said the instrument remained intact following the fire. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Bells Housed in the two western towers, Notre Dame's bells have rung out at key moments in France's history. Emmanuel, the largest bell, was lifted into the south tower in 1685 and weighs over 23 tonnes. The fire was prevented from spreading to the bell towers. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Crown of Thorns Believed to be a relic of the wreath of thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion, the object was stored in the cathedral's treasury. French King Louis IX brought the relic, which is contained in an elaborate gold case, to Paris in 1238. The Crown of Thorns was saved and has been taken into safekeeping. AP Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Tunic of Saint Louis The tunic allegedly worn by Saint Louis IX as he brought the Crown of Thorns to Paris was kept inside the cathedral. It has been saved. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Statues on the roof The week before the fire, religious statues set atop the cathedral were removed for the first time in over 100 years as part of the restoration project. A 100-metre-high crane lowered the copper statues representing the 12 apostles and four evangelists onto a lorry. AFP Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Destroyed: Spire Crowds of tourists and Parisians watched in horror as the spire and roof of Notre Dame cathedral came crashing down to the ground. EPA/I Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Unknown: Choir screen It is not known what happened to the detailed choir screen at Notre Dame cathedral. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Some of the artworks from Notre-Dame sheltered as the fire devastated the cathedral AFP/Getty It comes as Pope Francis thanked rescuers who put their lives at risk to salvage the cathedral from a devastating blaze, and said he was eager to see it restored. May the Virgin Mary bless and support the work of reconstruction. May it be a harmonious work of praise and glory to God, he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peters Square on Wednesday. Mr Macron is holding a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday dedicated to the disaster, which investigators believe was an accident possibly linked to renovation work. Emmanuel Macron speaks to the nation about restoring Notre Dame (AP) In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday night, the president said we will rebuild Notre Dame cathedral even more beautiful. The French government will open the redesign of the Notre Dames iconic roofline to international architects after Monday nights blaze, the prime minister announced on Wednesday. The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc, said Edouard Philippe. Or if, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, we should endow Notre-Dame with a new spire. Some criticism has already surfaced among those who say the money could be better spent elsewhere, on smaller struggling churches or workers. Meanwhile the presidents five-year deadline which happens to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the government wants to make a major showcase struck some as unrealistic. Pierluigi Pericolo, in charge of restoration and security at the St. Donatian basilica in Nantes, said it could take two to five years just to secure Notre Dame, given its size. Its a fundamental step, and very complex, because its difficult to send workers into a monument whose vaulted ceilings are swollen with water, he told France-Info. A fire fighter makes his way on a balcony of Notre Dame cathedral Wednesday (AP) The end of the fire doesnt mean the edifice is totally saved. The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside. Some 30 people have already been questioned in the investigation, which the Paris prosecutor warned would be long and complex. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site Wednesday morning. Firefighters are still examining damage and shoring up the structure after Monday's fire collapsed the cathedrals spire and destroyed the roof. Remarkable footage shows firefighters battling Notre Dame flames Among those questioned are workers at the five construction companies involved in work renovating the church spire and roof that had been under way when the fire broke out. A plan to safeguard the masterpieces and relics was quickly put into action after the fire broke out. The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dames most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported after the fire broke out, authorities said. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christ's head during the crucifixion. The cathedrals famous 18th century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes also survived. Some of the paintings and other art works are being dehumidified, protected and eventually restored at the Louvre. Additional reporting by AP A leading British architect who helped restore Windsor Castle after it was a ravaged by fire has said a shortage of building specialists could impede Emmanuel Macrons target of rebuilding the Notre Dame within five years. As bells rang across France in commemoration of the blaze, a French government official warned the Paris landmark would have burned to the ground on Monday night in a "chain-reaction collapse" had firefighters not moved as rapidly as they did. A fund set up to rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was fast approaching 1bn (870m) as donations continued to pour in from billionaires, corporations and ordinary citizens. The French president wants the cherished cathedral returned to glory in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024 following Mondays devastating blaze, but some have already cast doubt on the ambitious deadline. Francis Maude, director at the Donald Insall Associates, told The Independent it would be difficult, but he believes it can be done. Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Show all 13 1 /13 Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Thesupermat/CC-BY-SA Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Getty Images/iStockphoto Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Rose windows Among the most famous architectural features of the Gothic masterpiece, the stained glass rose windows are treasured artworks. The three rose windows, which date back to the 13th century, adorn the north, south and west facades. There were hopes the windows had escaped being destroyed by the fire after firefighters stopped its spread. Photos the following morning suggested the circular window of the nave had remained intact. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Destroyed: Irreplaceable wooden roof Crowds of tourists and Parisians watched in horror as the spire and roof of Notre Dame cathedral came crashing down to the ground. EPA Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Descent from the Cross The cross and statue on Notre Dame's high altar - sculpted by Nicolas Coustou in 1723 - were believed to have survived in tact despite being surrounded by smoke and debris. Reuters Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Great Organ With nearly 8,000 pipes, some dating back to the 1700s, Notre Dame's master organ is one of the largest in the world. The monumental instrument, the largest in France, was fully restored in 2013 with each pipe cleaned. Paris' deputy mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire, said the instrument remained intact following the fire. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Bells Housed in the two western towers, Notre Dame's bells have rung out at key moments in France's history. Emmanuel, the largest bell, was lifted into the south tower in 1685 and weighs over 23 tonnes. The fire was prevented from spreading to the bell towers. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Crown of Thorns Believed to be a relic of the wreath of thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion, the object was stored in the cathedral's treasury. French King Louis IX brought the relic, which is contained in an elaborate gold case, to Paris in 1238. The Crown of Thorns was saved and has been taken into safekeeping. AP Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Tunic of Saint Louis The tunic allegedly worn by Saint Louis IX as he brought the Crown of Thorns to Paris was kept inside the cathedral. It has been saved. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Safe: Statues on the roof The week before the fire, religious statues set atop the cathedral were removed for the first time in over 100 years as part of the restoration project. A 100-metre-high crane lowered the copper statues representing the 12 apostles and four evangelists onto a lorry. AFP Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Destroyed: Spire Crowds of tourists and Parisians watched in horror as the spire and roof of Notre Dame cathedral came crashing down to the ground. EPA/I Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Unknown: Choir screen It is not known what happened to the detailed choir screen at Notre Dame cathedral. AFP/Getty Notre Dame fire: What was lost and what was saved Some of the artworks from Notre-Dame sheltered as the fire devastated the cathedral AFP/Getty Its ambitious, but I think its achievable if things go well, said Mr Maude. One of the things that makes me think it can be done [in five years] is the restoration of Windsor Castle. It shows projects of considerable magnitude can be undertaken in that sort of time frame. However he warned that the specialist labour force needed for such a complex and delicate operation was in short supply, and delays getting the right people could hamper the project. What you need is an expert project manager who would be able to identify the materials that are in restricted supply, he explained. The same applies to specialist labour force which is needed for the stone carving, the lead on the roof, repairs to the stain glass windows and for the internal decorations and other finishes. There are a number of other big, high-profile projects which will take a large part of the labour supply needed, the specialist craftsmen theres the restoration of the Palace of Westminster and of the Canadian parliament in Ottawa. Its going to place a certain demand on the skilled specialists that there are." Westminster Abbey bells chime to mark 24 hours since Notre Dame fire started Mr Maude added: One would not expect people to down tools, as it were. If theyve already been engaged in one project, you would expect them to be committed to that project. The warning came as the French government announced an international design competition to replace the cathedrals iconic spire, destroyed during the fire. Edouard Philippe announces competition to replace Notre Dame spire (AP) Prime Minister Edouard Philippe suggested on Wednesday that architects may be able to completely remodel the spire added to the cathedral in the 19th Century as part of renovation project led by French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc, he said. Or if, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, we should endow Notre-Dame with a new spire. Even Mr Philippe acknowledged that it would be difficult to restore the whole building in just five years. This is obviously an immense challenge, a historic responsibility, Mr Philippe said. Prominent French conservation architect Pierluigi Pericolo told Inrocks magazine it could take triple that time. No less than 15 years ... its a colossal task, Mr Pericolo said. Mr Pericolo worked on the restoration of the 19th century Saint-Donatien basilica, which was badly damaged by fire in 2015 in the French city of Nantes. He said it could take between two to five years just to check the stability of the massive cathedral that dominates the Paris skyline. Its a fundamental step, and very complex, because its difficult to send workers into a monument whose vaulted ceilings are swollen with water, Mr Pericolo added. The end of the fire doesnt mean the edifice is totally saved. Debris inside the cathedral after the 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno that claimed its spire and roof (AP) French companies Total and LOreal have promised to each donate 100m (87m) euros to the restoration, while the billionaire families who own LVMH Group, Kering and LOreal pledged a combined total of 500m (435m). The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with offers of assistance. Despite extensive damage, many of the cathedral's treasures were saved, including Notre Dame's famous rose windows, although they are not out of danger. Paris firefighters' spokesman, Gabriel Plus, said that even though they are in good condition, a "threat" continues to the gables, or support walls, because of the heavy stone statues perched on top of them. Remarkable footage shows firefighters battling Notre Dame flames "The roof no longer holds (the gables) up. They are holding up all by themselves," he said, adding that some statues must be removed to lessen the weight on the gables. Scaffolding that had been erected for a renovation of the spire and roof must also be properly removed because of its weight and because it is now "crucially deformed", he added. The cathedral is still being monitored closely by firefighters and experts to determine how much damage the structure suffered and what needs to be dismantled to avoid collapse. Notre Dame before and after Show all 19 1 /19 Notre Dame before and after Notre Dame before and after The cathedral with the spire standing tall (left) and (right) after the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after As viewed from the Montparnasse Tower before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after As viewed from the Montparnasse Tower after the fire AP Notre Dame before and after The heart and transept before and one day after the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after The nave of the cathedral before the fire Alamy Notre Dame before and after The nave of the cathedral after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after The rose window in the cathedral before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after After the fire a hole has been exposed in the roof above the window Twitter Notre Dame before and after The cathedral from the Seine before and after Reuters Notre Dame before and after Inside the cathedral before the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after The burning roof has left a hole in the nave Reuters Notre Dame before and after The nave after the fire was extinguished AP Notre Dame before and after Inside the cathedral after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after A view from the Seine of the cathedral before and after the fire Reuters Notre Dame before and after An aerial shot of Notre Dame before the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after An aerial shot of Notre Dame during the fire shows the wooden roof burning and collapsing AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after Tourists gather near the cathedral and then seen afterwards Reuters Notre Dame before and after The spire of the cathedral is shown before and during the fire AFP/Getty Notre Dame before and after A scorched section of the exterior after the fire Reuters A plan to safeguard the masterpieces and relics was quickly put into action after the fire broke out. The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dames most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported after the fire broke out, authorities said. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christs head during the crucifixion. The cathedrals famous 18th century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes also survived. Some of the paintings and other art works are being dehumidified, protected and eventually restored at the Louvre. Notre Dames rector, Bishop Patrick Chauvet, has said he would close the once-functioning cathedral for five to six years acknowledging that a segment of the near 900-year-old edifice may be gravely weakened. Addditional reporting by agencies Two sisters from Saudi Arabia who are trapped in Georgia have appealed for asylum after fleeing the ultra-conservative kingdom. Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, claim they are in danger and will be killed if they are forced to return to Saudi Arabia. The sisters, who created a Twitter account called Georgia Sisters, said their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia and are looking for them. We are two Saudi sisters who fled from Saudi Arabia seeking asylum, the siblings wrote in their first Twitter post on Tuesday evening. Yet, the family and the Saudi government have suspended our passports and now we are trapped in Georgia country. We need your help please. The sisters appeared with their faces showing and their hair uncovered which is taboo for conservative families in Saudi Arabia. They say they are showing their faces so the world can remember them in case something were to happen to them. Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Show all 10 1 /10 Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Street protests greeted Mohammed Bin Salman during his visit to Tunisia AFP/Getty Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit A mural depicting Mohammed Bin Salman washing his hands of blood Simon Speakman Cordall Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit A protester holds a banner accusing Mohammed Bin Salman of being a war criminal AP Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Protesters pass down Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis Simon Speakman Cordall Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit A Tunisian man holds up a cartoon that depicts Donald Trump assisting Mohammed Bin Salman in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi AP Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit A poster depicting a war ravaged Yemeni child Simon Speakman Cordall Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Protesters hold up saws in reference to the reportedly gruesome manner in which Jamal Khashoggi was disposed of AFP/Getty Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Protesters pass down Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis Simon Speakman Cordall Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Protesters chant slogans as they move down Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis Reuters Tunisians protest against Saudi Crown Prince's visit Protesters pass down Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis Simon Speakman Cordall Maha said in a video later posted on Twitter: We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights. They asked for protection from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in another video, Wafa said: We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia (are) too weak to protect us. We are seeking the UNHCR protection in order to be taken to a safe country. Some social media users have reacted by using the hashtag #SaveSaudiSisters to generate support for them. The deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, contacted the women via Twitter. Have already sent an email to our Middle East & North Africa team, and also inquiring about who we have in Georgia, he said. Saudis are able to enter Georgia visa-free meaning the country has become a transit point for numerous other Saudi women who have fled the kingdom in recent years. Under the kingdoms restrictive guardianship system, women are legal minors and cannot marry, divorce, travel, get a job, be released from prison or have elective surgery without permission from their male guardians. Women are also forbidden from mixing freely with members of the opposite sex. It was unclear how the two sisters had left the country. Suad Abu-Dayyeh, the Middle East and North Africa expert of Equality Now, an NGO which promotes the rights of women and girls, said: It is totally understandable why an oppressive system built upon gender discrimination would drive these two sisters to take such drastic action as fleeing their home and family in hope of finding sanctuary in another country. Governments and businesses around the world need to place greater pressure on authorities in Saudi Arabia to take necessary measures in guaranteeing the rights and safety of women and girls, including Wafa and Maha, and to accelerate efforts to repeal discriminatory legal provisions that require women and girls to seek authorisation from a male guardian in order to exercise what should be state protected civil liberties. Saudi women who run away are often escaping abusive male relatives but women caught running away can be forced into restrictive shelters, forced into reconciling with abusive partners or detained on charges of disobedience. The guardianship system makes it almost impossible for victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse to seek justice or protection because the police often insist that women and girls obtain their guardians authorisation to file complaints even if the complaint concerns the guardian. Recommended US bans 16 Saudi nationals from entering country over Khashoggi murder Saudi women and migrant domestic workers who report abuse, including rape, sometimes face counter-accusations, leaving them open to criminal prosecution, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Women may be charged with moral crimes, such as khilwa (which means mixing with unrelated members of the opposite sex) or with fleeing from their homes. Saudi Arabia imposes a very strict interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism. Last month, two Saudi sisters fleeing their family in Saudi Arabia secured emergency visas after hiding for months in Hong Kong, according to their lawyer. The young women, who are referred to by the aliases Reem and Rawan and who are aged 18 and 20, departed Hong Kong for a new country of residence, which has not been named. Lawyer Michael Vidler said the sisters were granted emergency humanitarian visas after six months in Hong Kong. Mr Vidler said the siblings are now beginning their lives as free young women. It came after 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun was granted asylum in Canada after using Twitter to attract global attention to her predicament and barricading herself in a Bangkok hotel room. The Saudi teen used the social media site to help stop her deportation from Thailand when she was stopped en route to Australia in January. Ms Alqunun fled her abusive family during a trip to Kuwait and feared her relatives would kill her if she was returned to Saudi Arabia. Around a dozen womens rights activists have been detained many since May after campaigning against the guardianship system. Some were also keen to set up alternative shelters for women runaways, saying that current shelters in the kingdom are run similarly to detention centres. Saudi Arabia has faced extensive scrutiny and criticism over its human rights record after detaining womens rights activists. It has also been criticised for its role in the war in Yemen and over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdoms Istanbul consulate in October. The Independent contacted Maha and Wafa al-Subaie for comment. The EU has condemned the United States after Donald Trump triggered a law that would ramp-up sanctions against European countries doing business in Cuba. The White House announced on Wednesday it would allow US citizens to sue foreign firms that do business deals involving property seized during the 1959 Cuban revolution. The new rule, which will likely open EU businesses up to lawsuits from America, comes amid a backdrop of US-EU trade tensions and a hardening policy in Washington against the Caribbean state. Companies from Europe and other parts of the world have established growing business interests in Cuba in the decades since the end of the Cold War, but the US has maintained a strict embargo on the country since the early 1960s. The new powers, which ban trafficking in property seized during the Cuban revolution, were included in the 1996 Helms Burton Act signed in law by Bill Clinton, but were never actually used until now. Brussels says the move to trigger the sanctions by the US is contrary to international law and a breach of a number of treaties signed by Mr Trumps predecessors. "In the light of the United States Administration's decision to not renew the waiver the European Union reiterates its strong opposition to the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures that are contrary to international law," the EU's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and trade chef Cecilia Malmstrom said in a joint statement. This decision is also a breach of the United States' commitments undertaken in the EU-US agreements of 1997 and 1998, which have been respected by both sides without interruption since then. In those agreements, the US committed to waive Title III of the Helms-Burton Act and the EU, inter alia, suspended its case in the World Trade Organisation against the US. Land and property was redistributed during and after the 1959 Cuban revolution (Getty) The two EU chiefs added that the EU would consider all options at its disposal to protect its legitimate interests, including action against the US at the World Trade Organisation. Brussels also said any European companies sued in the US would be allowed to recoup any damages through EU courts. Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Show all 20 1 /20 Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Donald Trump sits in the living room at Mar-a-Lago in 1993. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago under Trump. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967. The following pictures show the interior of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Many of them are from before Trump bought the property in 1985 but, as the newer pictures show, he hasn't done much with the place US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago under Trump in 2015 The Washington Post/Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Function room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Donald Trump sits in the living room at Mar-a-Lago in 1993. Rex Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The living room in Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Master bedroom at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Library at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Cloister at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Entrance hall at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Spiral staircase at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home The dining room at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Patio at Mar-a-Lago in 1928 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Cloister at Mar-a-Lago in 1967 US National Park Service Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 Getty Inside Mar-a-Lago - Trump's holiday home Mar-a-Lago in 2018 AFP/Getty Speaking on Wednesday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the new measures, telling reporters: Citizens opportunities for justice have been put out of reach for more than two decades. Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement. The latest move by the US mirrors a similar policy of targeting European countries doing business with Iran. In response, the EU updated its blocking statute to help European firms do deals with the middle eastern country. The EU says the lifting of sanctions against Iran is vital so that the country can see the benefits of its cooperation on curtailing its nuclear programme. A powerful jihadi group in Syria is promoting the use of bitcoin to its followers, calling it one of the most important inventions of the last decade. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a coalition of rebel groups that includes a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, extolled the virtues of the cryptocurrency in its weekly magazine released over the weekend. The article lists a number of advantages of using bitcoin, arguing that it is safe because of the anonymity it provides and that there are no restrictions on its use. HTS currently controls most of Idlib province in northern Syria, and is the most powerful remaining opposition force still committed to ousting the countrys president, Bashar al-Assad. The group receives most of its funding through taxes and tariffs on residents in areas under its control. But is also relies on a steady stream of funding from private Gulf donors, according to the Counter Extremism Project. The group has come under increased pressure over the past year from the Syrian government and its ally, Russia, which has long threatened to launch an offensive to recapture the territory. Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009 On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System' Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices Lazlo Hanyecz Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Silk Road opens for business Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin Screenshot Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The first bitcoin ATM appears On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures The fall of MtGox The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's big split On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin's price sky rockets Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year Reuters Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures What goes up... Bitcoin price crashes spectacularly, losing half of its value in a matter of days Getty Images Bitcoin's volatile history in pictures Bitcoin plunges The cryptocurrency eventually bottoms out below $4,000 in 2019 before slowly rebuilding momentum to outperform more traditional assets Getty Images Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is by no means the only militant group to see the benefits in cryptocurrency. Over the past few years, many have called for donations through virtual currencies. As early as 2014, Isis supporters had posted tutorials online about how to make bitcoin donations to the group. In November 2018, a Pakistani-American woman was jailed for using bitcoin to launder money for Isis. And last month, the Palestinian group Hamas released a video which urged supporters to support it by sending bitcoins, as part of a crowdfunding campaign that began back in January. In response to the growing threat, the US Treasury enforced sanctions against cryptocurrency wallet addresses for the first time last year. A woman was detained by police after throwing six coins at a plane to pray for a safe flight. The 66-year-old female passenger, referred to only as Yang, was spotted tossing the coins from the steps up to the aircraft by a member of cabin crew, who alerted security. She was removed from the plane and the Tianjin Airlines flight from Hohhot Baita International Airport in Inner Mongolia to Chifeng city in the same province was delayed by two hours before taking off on a replacement jet. Flight GS6681 had to wait while staff searched the tarmac for the six one jiao coins to ensure none of them had been thrown into the engine, Tianjin Airlines said in a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The female passenger could be punished further by the airline for the security scare. The world's healthiest and happiest airports Show all 8 1 /8 The world's healthiest and happiest airports The world's healthiest and happiest airports Therapy dogs at Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport employs therapy dogs to assist with anxious and stressed passengers Vancouver International Airport The world's healthiest and happiest airports The rooftop swimming pool at Changi Airport, Singapore This airport also includes its own cinema Changi Airport, Singapore The world's healthiest and happiest airports Green space at Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport scored top marks for outdoor and green space Vancouver International Airport The world's healthiest and happiest airports The outdoor terrace at San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is the seventh busiest airport in the US San Francisco International Airport The world's healthiest and happiest airports Fancy a dip? A pool at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest airport and number three in the ranking Dubai International Airport The world's healthiest and happiest airports Frankfurt Airport With an open-air roof terrace, dedicated silent chairs, a quiet room and peaceful leisure facilities, Frankfurt International Airport came top in the ranking Frankfurt Airport The world's healthiest and happiest airports Work out The transit lounge gym facilities at Changi Airport's Terminal 2 Changi Airport, Singapore The world's healthiest and happiest airports The spa at Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport came seventh in the ranking Vancouver International Airport Its far from the first time a flight has been delayed by coin tossing, a common good luck ritual in China. Two women were detained in March for throwing coins at a Lucky Air plane for luck. The passengers were boarding a flight from Jinan in Chinas Shandong province to Chengdu in Sichuan when they threw the coins. Flight 8L9616 was delayed by two hours while crew checked the aircraft engine. It followed a passenger being sued by the same airline, Lucky Air, in February for throwing coins into the engine. The domestic flight, from the city of Anqing to Kunming, was grounded due to safety concerns. The 162 passengers were flown the next day following a full engine check. The budget carrier claimed the flight cancellation cost in the region of 140,000 yuan (16,000), and announced legal action would be taken against the passenger. A passenger on a Lufthansa flight has died. The unnamed passenger passed away during an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Houston in Texas. The passengers name and cause of death were not immediately released. George Bush Intercontinental Airport staff took a call about the passengers death at around 1.30pm on Tuesday 18 April, a Houston Airports spokesperson told KTRK-TV. As is normal procedure, upon arrival, all passengers must remain onboard while the local authorities and police complete their job, said Lufthansa in a statement. Airlines that went bust Show all 12 1 /12 Airlines that went bust Airlines that went bust Air Berlin Air Berlin, which operated flights to and from Berlin Tegel, went bankrupt in 2017 Getty Airlines that went bust Small Planet Lithuanian airline Small Planet filed for insolvency at the end of 2018 Igor Dvurekov Airlines that went bust Monarch Airlines The airline ceased operations in October 2017 AFP/Getty Airlines that went bust VLM Antwerp-based VLM went bankrupt in September 2018 Flo Weiss Airlines that went bust Germania German airline Germania filed for insolvency in February 2019 Getty Airlines that went bust Kingfisher Founded in 2005 ceased flying in October 2012 AFP/Getty Airlines that went bust Cobalt Cobalt, based in Larnaca, Cyprus, stopped flying in October 2018 Steve Lynes Airlines that went bust Mexicana An airline that had been in operation since 1921, went bust in August 2010. It was Mexico's largest airline AFP/Getty Airlines that went bust WOW Air Icelandic Wow Air ceased operation in March 2019 Getty Airlines that went bust Primera Primera, known for its cheap transatlantic fares, went bust in October 2018 Getty Airlines that went bust Transaero A privately-owened airline founded in Russia, 1990 lasted until October 2015 Getty Airlines that went bust Malev After 66 years, Hungary's national airline went stopped flying in 2012 AFP/Getty A delay to de-board LH 440 was expected and so therefore the LH 441 (Houston-Frankfurt) departure was pushed back to one hour later. Flight LH440 took off from Frankfurt at 10am and landed in Houston just before 2pm. Recommended Emirates passenger dies after plane to Dubai diverts to Kerala Investigations into the cause of death are ongoing. An elderly passenger died onboard a transatlantic flight from Germany to New York in February. United Airlines flight UA961 was around two hours into its journey to Newark airport from Frankfurt when the 71-year-old woman suffered breathing problems. Other passengers began performing CPR on the woman, according to the Irish Sun, and an onboard defibrillator was also used. She was believed to have suffered a heart attack. When the prime minister applied for and got a second extension to the Article 50 period, she did so because she wanted to save the country from the disastrous consequences of leaving the EU without a deal. She did the right thing, putting the country first. Theresa May has known about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit for years. Paper after paper has crossed her desk, warning her what it would mean. Most recently the cabinet secretary the most senior civil servant in the country laid these consequences out before cabinet: food price rises, shortages of some foods, chaos at the ports, the need to stockpile medicines, direct rule for Northern Ireland and, most dangerous of all, a weakening of our national security. No deal would not only leave our country poorer, but it would also weaken us. No responsible prime minister could embrace such an outcome. No leader could will these consequences on their own country. But how did we get here? Why was the application for an extension and the rejection of no deal seen as such a betrayal, not only by Brexiteer Conservative MPs, but by a significant proportion of the population? For the answer to this, the prime minister need only look in the mirror. In an age of cynicism about MPs, people may brush off the latest Boris Johnson article, or switch channels to get away from the latest deliberately outrage provoking outburst from Nigel Farage, but they still listen to their prime minister. For two years, May has legitimised and normalised a no-deal outcome through her slogan no deal is better than a bad deal. She has employed thousands of civil servants making preparations for an outcome no responsible leader could pursue. By keeping the option open she gave the time and space to people far less scrupulous than her to whip up support for this outcome. She portrayed as a bargaining chip a course she knew would involve colossal self-harm for the country. It is not surprising that many people believed it. May has spent around 4bn preparing for no deal. In my constituency I see real and urgent need all the time and theres so much good that could be done with even a small portion of this money. It could be spent on schools trying to pay for enough staff. It could be spent on having more police officers on our streets. It could help families struggling to make ends meet. Theresa May blames MPs for Brexit delay following EU summit Then, after legitimising this outcome for two years, May turned up the heat with her parliament against the people broadcast a few weeks ago. I am on your side, she declared, after listing her view of the publics frustrations. You are tired of the infighting, tired of the political games tired of MPs talking about nothing else but Brexit. As parliamentarians, we too were on the publics side, yet we were set against them by the prime minister. She said: So far parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice. All MPs have been willing to say is what they do not want. The implications were not lost on any of us who had been through the enemies of the people headlines or the memory, still fresh, of our murdered colleague Jo Cox. The prime minister didnt do these things because she is a bad person. She is a doughty, dutiful and diligent public servant. But duty is not just a busy schedule it is about leadership too. Leadership which meets the moment the country is in and reaches beyond the immediate confines of party. It should not be left to backbench MPs to defend parliamentary democracy when the leader of our country undermines it and legitimises its rejection. But perhaps there is a glimmer of light in the cross-party talks she has begun. For in bringing the leader of the opposition into the process she has given him a choice. He can either strike a deal with her to deliver Brexit and in so doing assume co-ownership of it. Or he can insist that whatever Brexit plan is agreed it is put to the people for their decision. If they endorse an actually existing Brexit proposal, then we leave on that basis. If they dont and decide to remain after all, then that is also what we do. For at this time, with no majority in parliament and no clear route ahead, it is not only the prime minister, but also the leader of the opposition on whose shoulders the call of leadership falls. Pat McFadden is Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East A year ago I was in an Israeli prison, denied my basic rights and stripped of my childhood. The crime that led to eight months of incarceration was not mine, but that of Israels continued occupation of Palestine. As with so many child prisoners who are subjected to the horrors of Israeli military detention, one of the toughest daily struggles was being separated from my family. Last week, my family was torn apart once again: this time, Israeli forces came and took away my 15-year-old brother Mohammed. This is the price we pay for Israels occupation. Every mother and father is forced to live in fear of their children being the next target. Palestinians in the West Bank are subjected to military law, which is used as a tool to repress, silence, and prevent our resistance to occupation. Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Show all 7 1 /7 Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Children play as their parents prepare for their homes to be destroyed (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank A toddler plays in the dirt of Khan al-Ahmar village (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Palestinian flags festoon the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar as they await eviction (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Children play as their parents brace themselves for the bulldozers (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Iman, 7, says she does not want to leave her home (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank The demolition order includes the villages school, which provides education for some 170 children from five different Bedouin communities. (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank The playground of the school which will likely be demolished in the coming days (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent We do not have equal rights to the Israeli settlers who live on stolen land in our neighbourhoods. This prevents us from living normal lives and threatens our existence, but it is protected by Israel's legal system. Across the West Bank exists a framework of dual legal systems: Jewish settlers are afforded rights under Israeli civilian law, while we Palestinians have ours taken away by military law two very different processes and outcomes implemented on grounds of ethnicity. Experts say this meets the definition of apartheid, and children are not immune from this suffering. There are currently more than 200 Palestinian children, including my brother, in Israeli jails. Each year, Israel arrests and prosecutes around 700 children, some as young as 12. They are usually accused of throwing stones. After being separated from their families, exposed to physical, psychological, and emotional abuse, a number of children are coerced into signing confessions put in front of them by Israeli interrogators often in a language they do not understand. Very few children are granted access to a lawyer or allowed a family member present during interrogation. With 99 per cent of court cases against Palestinians resulting in conviction, signing a confession and making a plea bargain is often presented as the fastest way of being released and reunited with family. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events From the moment of arrest, Palestinian children encounter abuse at the hands of Israeli forces. In 2013, UNICEF published a report into the widespread, systematic and institutionalised ill treatment of children in the military detention system. Of the 38 requirements they set out to protect Palestinian children, Israel has only implemented four, with another 15 being partially addressed. According to the charity Defence for Children International Palestine, three out of four experience physical violence, and nearly half suffer the traumatic experience of being ripped from their families in the middle of the night by armed soldiers. The British government is aware of what is happening. A delegation of lawyers was sent by the Foreign Office to report on the situation in 2012. It came back with damning conclusions that mirrored those of UNICEF a year later. More recently, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign submitted a petition with over ten-thousand signatures demanding urgent action, and MPs tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM 563) that is the fourth most supported in this Parliamentary session. Today, on Palestinian Prisoners Day, I join them in asking the British government to hold Israel accountable and give Palestinians back their childhoods. My case garnered international attention, and Im thankful for the many messages of support I received from people in the UK during my nightmarish ordeal in prison. But I will not truly be free until we all are. Ahed Tamimi is a Palestinian activist who was imprisoned for assaulting an Israeli soldier in December 2017. She is represented by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and has had organisations including Amnesty International campaign on her behalf The moment when the blazing spire of Notre Dame collapsed, to cries of despair from the watching crowds on Monday, has already established itself as one of the most bleak and abiding memories of 2019. The gilets jaunes riots that have plagued the streets of Paris and other cities since November last year means that the city has been no stranger to scenes of violence and destruction in recent months. But there is something about the collapse of a monument that has endured for centuries that strikes at the core of all of us. You do not have to be a Christian to feel this. I have grown up in the shadow of cathedrals all my life starting with Chichester, whose soaring medieval spire can be seen for miles around. Over the centuries sailors have used it as a landmark because its visible from the sea, but for every Chichester resident whos been travelling, that spire scoring itself against the sky is the first sign that youre coming home. More recently my family lived next to St Pauls Cathedral where my father was a canon. Since the original church was established here in AD 605, St Pauls has been ravaged by three major fires subsequent to these, its dome standing resilient against a blazing sky has become an iconic representation of Londons survival in the Blitz. It is no surprise that St Pauls symbol is the phoenix. Along with the motto Resurgam (I shall rise again), its testament to the continual determination of the human spirit to rise from the ashes. Notre Dame in film Show all 14 1 /14 Notre Dame in film Notre Dame in film Sid and Nancy (1986) Rex Features Notre Dame in film Ratatouille (2007) Notre Dame in film Count Your Blessings (1959) Alamy Stock Photo Notre Dame in film Dallas (1978) Alamy Stock Photo Notre Dame in film Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) Alamy Stock Photo Notre Dame in film Before Sunset (2004) Notre Dame in film Amelie (2001) Notre Dame in film Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Alamy Stock Photo Notre Dame in film Assignment Paris (1952) Alamy Stock Photo Notre Dame in film Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) Rex Features Notre Dame in film Charade (1963) Rex Features Notre Dame in film Midnight In Paris (2011) Notre Dame in film Irma Vep (1996) Rex Features Notre Dame in film An Education (2009) Rex Features Whether or not youre religious, a cathedral sits on an extraordinary faultline in our culture. It is the place where the ancient meets with modern, the physical meets with the spiritual, grandeur meets with humility. I love the fact that when you walk into a cathedral, the first thing you do is look up. Its reminder both of your own insignificance and the hope that such buildings inspire. Even in a secular age, its difficult to find any non-religious architecture that manages in quite the same way to evoke the sheer unknowability of what what we all aspire to and the enormity of what we combat daily. These are the kinds of places we go to when people we love are dying, when we want to celebrate births, when we want to reflect on seemingly impossible hopes, or feel we are drowning in despair. Theres something about the stillness of centuries in these buildings that allows us, for a brief moment, to feel connected to the dreams and disasters of everyone else who has passed through the doors. In the silence of a cathedral at prayer, we do not need to put on an act and impress anybody any more its a place where we can simply be, letting the rattle of thoughts in our heads play out for better or worse. Yes, of course theres the pageantry and the splendour too the moments when the cathedral is called on to evoke either the joy of a whole nation in a celebratory service, or its grief when theres a major disaster. France of course, with its strict division between church and state, is extremely wary of the idea that a cathedral might represent it at such times. Theres also the history of the church as a persecutor though that has in the main been to do with the selfish and venal attitudes of those whove cynically manipulated its texts and power structures to their own ends. More importantly in our success-and-status obsessed world, a cathedral is one of the few places which asserts that the most important aspects of our lives transcend ego, that even as we rejoice we are constantly subject to forces beyond our control. In a cathedrals architecture, and in its music, it may seem to epitomise some of humanitys great achievements, but its also a constant reminder of the need to be humble that we are all, when it comes to it, little more than dust. Of course some people will try to hijack yesterdays tragedy for political ends. Although the conclusion right now is that it was a terrible accident linked to renovation works, there are mutterings about other more deliberate recent assaults on churches and churchworkers both in France and across Europe. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Any such form of persecution is utterly to be condemned, but we must also be wary of the nasty form of extreme right wing politics that is increasingly using the church as a symbol of a white immigrant-free Europe that must be salvaged at all costs. You only need to look at places like Hungary, where Viktor Orban proclaims himself as the defender of a truly Christian Europe, or at the populist academy that Steve Bannon has established in Italys Trisulti monastery to understand the sinister forms of rhetoric that will emerge. Which is why its all the more important for those of us who abhor such extremism to treat this terrible incident for what it is a tragedy for everyone. A building that crystallises centuries of human experience, an edifice that, whatever you think of the creed that inspired it, has asserted daily that life goes beyond the limitations of physical reality. A building that, because of the place it has occupied on Pariss skyline, has symbolised to millions who live there that whenever theyve been travelling, finally they are coming home. A home that, after yesterday, feels as if it has had the heart torn out of it. Who wouldnt shed tears for that? And what will you say afterward, America? That is not to encourage or even predict that there will be an "afterward" -- that is, that someone will use violence to silence Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar , one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. But it is to say the possibility is real. Especially given that Donald Trump is leading a lynch mob against her. This comes after Jeanine Pirro of Fox "News" questioned whether Omar's faith -- she wears what Pirro called a "he-jab" -- was incompatible with being an American. And after an altercation in the West Virginia capital over a poster linking Omar to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 . And after a Trump supporter was arrested for allegedly threatening to "put a bullet in her f------ skull." Now here comes Trump, not to tamp down extremism, but to fire up the mob. His pretext: four words. They came last month in a speech Omar gave to a gathering of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR was, she said, founded "because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." "Some people did something." That's how Omar described the 9/11 attacks. To be sure, it's fair to question what she said and how she said it. Besides being factually inaccurate -- CAIR was founded in 1994 -- it was an arguably inartful way of describing an attack that left 3,000 people dead. It was also, arguably, an effective way of drawing a distinction between the great, peaceful mass of Islam and the small band of moral freaks who hijacked airplanes that crystalline Tuesday morning. But for all that Omar's words were, arguably, they have been one thing, indisputably: a weapon in the hands of intolerance. And intolerance has no greater champion than Trump. So it was unsurprising to see him go on Twitter to ramp up the mob, posting a video that juxtaposed Omar's words with news footage of that dreadful morning. "WE WILL NEVER FORGET," he tweeted. This was on Friday. Two days later, Omar was reporting a spike in death threats and security people were imposing new measures to protect her. A brown-skinned Muslim from Somalia, it seems, is forever on probation, her love of country always suspect. Yet a pale-skinned putative Christian from Queens has no need to prove his patriotism, even after he observes -- on Sept. 11 itself, yet -- that the fall of the Twin Towers means he now owns the tallest building in Lower Manhattan. Indeed, he can even go on to be president. And isn't it telling that a country that supposedly holds that tragedy sacred forces that day's first responders to periodically beg a resistant Congress for money to cover the cancers and other disorders their heroism has left them with. But it's Ilhan Omar who is the outrage, right? Not our gross neglect of 9/11's heroes, not these naked appeals to bigotry, not the putrescent soul of a man who would put someone else's life in danger for political gain. None of that. Just her. So what will you say, America, in the awful event of afterward? Likely, you'll say what you always say. "This is not who we are. We're better than this." It's a fable we keep telling ourselves. As practiced as we have become in seeing the betrayal of our highest ideals, we are still unable to face the contradiction, the lie, that keeps betraying them. So if this unhinged hatred leads where unhinged hatred so often does, maybe the best thing we can do for ourselves, the best gift we can leave to posterity, is to at last admit the truth. "Better than this?" No. Granted, we had a chance to be. But we chose otherwise. (Leonard Pitts is a columnist for The Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, Fla., 33132. Readers may contact him via e-mail at lpitts@miamiherald.com.) (c) 2019 THE MIAMI HERALD DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC. Just before the announcement to evacuate, I sat in the Notre Dame, struck again by its beauty. The mass taking place was reverential, and the singing echoed around the building in that wonderful way it always does in old churches. Tourists were moving around taking pictures, so struck by the grandeur of the place they had possibly not noticed the signs banning photography they were making noise, but trying not to. Hours later, that sacred atmosphere I had found inside the cathedral had been forced outside by fire. There were thousands gathered by the nearby station. Some were singing. Some seemed shell-shocked. Some cried. Although some continued to drink, eat and laugh in Parisian bars that night, I saw with my own eyes that many people were devastated by what had happened. So touched were some that 1bn (866m) has already been pledged to reconstruct the cathedral. Much of the money will come from the family behind some of Pariss most renowned fashion houses. I think this response reveals uncomfortable truths about what our culture values and what it does not. The Notre Dames appeal is in its heritage and history. I too am utterly in awe of the fact that generation after generation has preserved, expanded and protected the cathedral and its treasures for hundreds of years. Notre Dame fire: Global tributes Show all 5 1 /5 Notre Dame fire: Global tributes Notre Dame fire: Global tributes Fenice theatre, Venice The Fenice theatre in Venice illuminated with the colors of the French flag EPA Notre Dame fire: Global tributes The dome of the Chapel of the Shroud, Turin The dome of the Chapel of the Shroud in Turin illuminated with the colors of the French flag EPA Notre Dame fire: Global tributes One World Trade Centre, New York City One World Trade Centre is lit in the colors of the French flag in solidarity with the people of France REUTERS Notre Dame fire: Global tributes Stari Most bridge, Mostar The Stari Most bridge in the Bosnia and Herzegovina city of Mostar lit in colours of the French flag AFP/Getty Images Notre Dame fire: Global tributes Empire State Building, New York City Empire State Building is lit in the colors of the French flag in solidarity with the people of France REUTERS But Frances ability to do so is a privilege it has denied others. If you stroll further along the bank of the Seine, you will come to the Musee du Quai Branly, which is dedicated to the study, preservation and promotion of non-European arts and civilisations. After 126 years, Frances president Emmanuel Macron has just ordered that 26 pieces in the museum looted during the colonial era be returned to Benin. I understand why some are grieving the damage to the Notre Dame so heavily, but I also know that not everyone can afford this sentimentality. Other countries are still campaigning for the return of some of their most precious artefacts which were looted during the colonial era. Nigeria, where I originate from, is one of them. For the most part, these countries demands have not yet been met. Their efforts to preserve their artefacts are not so different from what the Paris fire service was doing that night. But culturally, that issue is interpreted very differently. There are also those who live in and around Paris who cannot afford this kind of sentimentality. The Notre Dame can be saved at any cost it seems, but not them. On a taxi ride through Pariss banlieues (loosely translated as the ghetto) today, I saw villages of tents where homeless people live on the ring roads. In my work with children from some of the poorer areas outside Paris, there was a little boy in my class who was full of joy because he was finally moving out of his mouldy social housing. The other children in the class who werent as lucky said nothing. The recent gilet jaunes protests are a testament to the fact that some feel they have been left behind. Descriptions of the Notre Dame as a symbol of national unity thoughtlessly excludes and marginalises them. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I am forced to face the reality that mourning the Notre Dame so intensely is a profoundly elite exercise. A frank metaphor for where we stand in Europe today in terms of race and class. If burning buildings have people in them, you might have to wait a while for the government and local authorities to act. If it contains historical artefacts, the government will be there right away but it wont matter anyway because there are billionaires ready to step in with their cheque books. The damage to the Notre Dame is sad, no doubt. The Notre Dame was free to enter and it probably helped people from all walks of life survive in its own way. Drawing parallels is not always helpful, and it is certainly not a question of one or the other. Still, it would bring me joy if a politician could say with conviction that they would end the issue of homelessness in five years (as Macron said about repairing the Notre Dame). Perhaps the cathedral fire gives us a unique opportunity to revisit what our culture values, and make sure it isnt just artefacts of European origin. Perhaps it gives us a unique opportunity to remember that there are many different things and people worth saving. Like a bad dream, Spain is waking up to a resurgent far right. A new anti-immigration party, Vox, is breaking through as the country approaches a general election on 28 April. Polling currently puts Vox at 10 per cent as the Conservative rights fragments. Given Spains economic situation with high unemployment and a stagnant economy it is perhaps surprising that Vox is only now reaping the electoral rewards. Last December it won 12 seats in regional elections in the province of Andalusia, previously a safe stronghold for the socialist PSOE. If projections prove to be right, Vox would be the first party of the far right to win more than a single seat in Spains parliament since General Franco died in 1975 and the country returned to democracy. There are many parallels between Vox and Nigel Farages new Brexit party and Ukip under Gerard Batten. Its support is most pronounced in poorer areas where immigration has been high. As well as the usual anti Islam warnings and rallying cries against immigration, Voxs leader has spoken of an ideological battle against the progressives. It also opposes gender violence laws. Spains electoral board has banned the party from participating in the only TV debate scheduled for the forthcoming election. We can learn from this in the UK. The usual response of the far right to criticism of their actions or policies is that to deny them a platform is to deny them free speech. However, with free speech comes responsibility responsibility that Ukip and the Brexit Party willfully ignore with what they say and who they surround themselves with. Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Nigel Farage speaks at the launch of his new Brexit Party's campaign for the European elections Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Brexit Party candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, sister of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaks at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A supporter waits for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters wait for Farage to speak AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage's socks Reuters Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Farage and prospective candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg wait at the launch AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Supporters listen as Farage speaks AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Free T-shirts for all attendees AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures Posters on the seats for supporters of the Brexit Party AFP/Getty Farage launches his new Brexit Party: in pictures A safety sign is pictured AFP/Getty Gerard Batten has appointed Tommy Robinson as an advisor on rape gangs and prison reform. Robinson is facing contempt of court proceedings and has been videoed describing himself as king of the whole Islam race. Lord Pearson, a Ukip peer has invited Tommy Robinson to the House of Lords for lunch and gone on LBC radio to describe Islamophobia as a stupid word. Last weekend, Batten defended a Ukip European Parliament candidate, who in 2016 tweeted that I wouldnt even rape you about Labour MP Jess Phillips. Batten said to Andrew Marr that the tweet was satire. As he launched the Brexit party last week, Farage spoke labout putting the fear of God into MPs because of the way they have handled Brexit. After the referendum he threatened to pick up a rifle if Brexit wasnt delivered. Its almost as if hes forgotten what happened to Jo Cox. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Ukip and the Brexit party are registered political parties. Nigel Farage has his own show on LBC and writes for the Daily Telegraph. Gerard Batten is interviewed regularly on prime time political shows. Those media establishments who pay them are doing so, knowing full well that they are giving a platform to people who have between them incited violence against MPs, made light of comments about rape towards female MPs and whipped up hate against the Islamic community. Spain knows full well the horrific consequences of facism under Franco. They have done the right thing by preventing a dangerous far right party from getting a seat at election debates. Its time we followed their lead. Ask a Tory backbencher or minister when Theresa May should stand down, and the answer depends heavily on who they want to succeed her. Hardline Eurosceptics cant wait to force May out of Downing Street. They have every incentive to inflict a fourth Commons defeat on her Brexit deal next month; they hope to install one of their tribe in her place to complete the Brexit process. The latest threat to May is a plan for grassroots Tories to call an emergency meeting of their body, the National Convention, to pass a vote of no confidence in her. An early contest would suit former ministers Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, who would be less tainted by the governments failure to deliver Brexit. They might feel free to make unrealistic demands for the EU to change the Irish backstop, or pledge to leave without a deal, even though that course is opposed by the majority of MPs. Conversely, cabinet ministers with an eye on Mays job would rather delay a leadership contest. There are eight of them at the last count Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Matt Hancock, Amber Rudd, Andrea Leadsom, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt. Most of them argue the six-month delay to Brexit does not leave long enough for a leadership election, and that the right time is after the UK has left, so the focus can switch to domestic policy. Which, roughly translated, means they would rather take over when May has finally found a way out of the Brexit mire, so the mud sticks to her rather than them. May has no intention of quitting until she wins Commons approval for a deal. But events could soon spiral out of her control. She is braced for heavy Tory losses in the council elections on 2 May and the European parliament elections on 23 May, a meeting with the voters she is unlikely to avoid. How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Show all 13 1 /13 How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Daily Mail How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Daily Mirror How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign The Sun How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign The Times How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign The Independent How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign The Daily Telegraph How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Daily Express How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Financial Times How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign i How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign Metro How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign City AM How newspapers reported Theresa May's promise to resign The Scotsman If May manages to hang on until the autumn, it could be one of the longest leadership elections in recent history. The jockeying for position by cabinet ministers is not even disguised now. While the prime minister is on a short break in Wales, potential successors are displaying their wares. I cant imagine that May was overjoyed that Javid said something has gone terribly wrong when people do not always feel safe on the streets. On whose watch, I wonder? In a highly personal speech, the home secretary highlighted his impressive back story, saying he could have ended up in a life of crime. Unconvincingly, Javid denied his speech was a leadership bid, complaining that some people detect one whatever he does even if I go to the mens room. Hunt, like other contenders, professed loyalty to May, saying it was not the time for leadership campaigns, but did not resist a sideswipe at his foreign secretary predecessor, Johnson. Hunts rivals are happy to talk him up as leading the pack, knowing that the frontrunner rarely wins the Tory race, as Michael Heseltine, Kenneth Clarke, Michael Portillo and David Davis can testify. The person who could decide the Tory contest is Rudd, the work and pensions secretary. She is being courted by other candidates as her endorsement would bring with it other MPs in her One Nation group. On Tuesday, Rudd said it was entirely possible she would run, but I doubt she will. I suspect the die was cast when she discussed her plans with close allies before penning a joint newspaper article with cabinet colleagues David Gauke and Greg Clark, which defied May by opposing a no-deal exit. Rudd knew that proposing a Brexit delay would make it very difficult for her to win the leadership. Refreshingly, she put the national interest above self-interest. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events She does not rule out backing Boris, although that would be harder before Brexit has been resolved, given the differences between them on the issue. I detect an improvement in Johnsons prospects since May failed to take the UK out of the EU on 29 March. The Tories have slumped in the opinion polls since, as Leave voters desert them. In turn, this has encouraged some Tory MPs who do not love Boris to reappraise him, and conclude he might offer their best hope of defeating Labour. As one Tory MP put it: The terrible poll ratings may be bad news for us but theyre good news for Boris. Crucially, his enemies may now find it harder to conspire to keep Johnson off the shortlist of two names chosen by Tory MPs, who then go into a ballot of the partys 120,000 members. If he makes the run-off, Boris will be very difficult to stop. Although May will keep her counsel about who should succeed her, its a safe bet she would not want it to be Johnson. Yet she may depart with her party in such dire straits that it makes a Boris premiership more likely. A couple of years ago, my grandfather told me that if you want to be anything, you have to be a nuisance. This advice is worth taking notice of, especially in the context of votes at 16. If young people really believe in the value of their voice at the ballot box, this is the time to become a nuisance and make change happen. We stand at a crossroads in British political history. Institutions are brittle and trust in traditional politics is low. So, do we progress or regress? This is also, however, a point in time during which young people are incredibly engaged with politics and political activism. These are people deeply connected with certain political issues and who have no formal outlet for their voice. It was 50 years ago today that the voting age was reduced to 18, under the Representation of the People Act (1969). It only seems fitting that we do the British thing and ask for more. I recently set up the centrist group Young Independents, a youth group backing the new Change UK party, made up of MPs who are defectors from Labour and the Tories. As part of my role new Ive spoken to hundreds of young people, many interested in getting involved with our work even though the centre ground is not traditionally linked to youth. Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Show all 60 1 /60 Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Anu Shukla Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Phil Watson Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Dogs rallied in Brexit protest Hundreds of protesters gathered with their dogs for the 'Brexit is a Dog's Dinner' rally near Parliament in Westminster on Sunday 10 March 2019. Campaigners said they were concerned about the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare. They said Brexit will make it difficult to take pets abroad, lead to a deficit in vets in the UK and increase the cost of animal healthcare. From bulldogs to whippets, dogs gathered to feast on treats and snacks at specially prepared dinner tables where they were served by their very own butler. The event was organised by the Wooferendum group, which also staged an event in August last year to demand a stop to Brexit. Ben Starr Theres no doubting theres a change in appetite. In 2016, 64 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds registered to vote turned up at the polls to cast their ballot. Imagine what that figure would be like now, after Brexit. Given this, why are votes at 16 still so controversial? I can only see that it is a case of a political establishment fearing the traditionally radically young. Its a well rehearsed argument but worth remembering that at 16 you can give your life to the Army, or to another person by getting married. You can change your name by deed poll, buy premium bonds and pilot a glider. You can leave home and drive an invalid carriage (whatever that might be). All this, and yet no representation within our democracy. Theres no sense in this archaic voting system. Fear and complacency is no excuse for keeping young people out. If the Votes at 16 campaign were to succeed and make history five decades after the last extension in enfranchisement, it would bring into suffrage the politicised generation in British history. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events To me, that sounds like no bad thing. If young people were more encouraged to vote, and better understood the the importance of doing so from an early age, politicians would no longer be able to give them and their views the cold shoulder. Activism is not enough. Without votes at 16, young people will never be listened to. How many of us are comfortable with that? Cash, luxury watches and vehicles have been seized in Cork following searches by gardai. Members of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), in conjunction with the Garda Emergency Response Unit, and the Southern Region Armed Support Unit and other units, conducted searches as part of an operation targeting an organised crime gang on Wednesday morning. Seven residential premises, three businesses and one plot of land were searched in Co Cork. Ten vehicles including a 191-registered Toyota Landcruiser, 191-Ford Focus, 181-Toyota HI Lux, 181-Ford Focus Sport, and a 2015 UK-registerd Toyota Hi Lux were seized. Cash to the value of 31,500 euro, four Rolex watches and documentation in relation to the ownership of assets, financial documentation, mobile phones and electronic storage devices were also uncovered. Gardai said the CAB investigation centres on members of an extended family based in Co Cork, who are involved in fraud, theft, deception, extortion, burglaries and in the sale and supply of controlled drugs. The gang is suspected of using intimidation to instil fear into their victims and charge exorbitant rates for substandard work. They are also suspected of extorting large sums of cash from elderly and vulnerable persons for unnecessary work and engaging in theft and burglary in the areas where they carry out work. Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Clavin said: (The) search operation is a significant development in the CAB investigation and is viewed as a major disruption to the activities of this gang. The European Union has "nothing to gain" from seeing great disruption in the UK as a result of Brexit, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said. He said the EU has adopted the necessary contingency measures to deal with a no-deal Brexit but that such a scenario would suit nobody. As Brexit slipped down the agenda in Brussels and Strasbourg, EU Council President Donald Tusk told MEPs the UK would continue to be represented in the European Parliament for "several months - maybe longer". He disagreed with one of the bloc's premiers who had said the EU should abandon hope of the UK reversing its decision to leave. "During the European Council one of the leaders warned us not to be dreamers, and that we shouldn't think that Brexit could be reversed," he said. "I would like to say, at this rather difficult moment in our history, we need dreamers and dreams. "We cannot give in to fatalism. At least I will not stop dreaming about a better and united Europe." However, the European Parliament chief Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt expressed his fear that Brexit will "poison" the European elections which take place next month. Easter is the great Christian celebration of hope, the time when we are told that provided we have led good and righteous lives, we can look forward to eternal life in the hereafter. The dedication shown by those who fatten cattle is akin to a religious belief - a belief that someday your faith will be rewarded. Yesterday morning that day moved possibly a step closer with reports emerging that prices appear to have begun the long road to recovery, with 3.75/kg for bullocks and 3.85/kg for heifers available. This is not exactly road to Damascus stuff, as that extra 5c/kg had been hovering around for a little while, but the reports I got suggested it had become more widespread over the weekend. I did speak to agents in the south and the west who continue to quote 3.70/kg and 3.80/kg, yet in the next parish their competition had moved the goalposts by that 5c/kg. Prices for cull cows, while remaining apparently steady, do seem to be showing signs of tightening: agents who had been starting their quotes at 2.50-2.60/kg for better P grades a week ago were yesterday up to 2.70/kg, with maybe a shake more for the right customer. R grades are at 3.00-3.10/kg with O grades on 2.80-2.90/kg. Prices for bulls, however, show little sign of recovery, with quotes yesterday seeing U grades at 3.50-3.60/kg, Rs on 3.40-3.50/kg and O grade bulls on 3.30-3.40/kg. Meanwhile, some plants are continuing to offer only 3.00/kg for O grade Friesians. Reduction The national kill was back 289hd on the previous week at 35,295. It's a small reduction but every little helps. As the agriculture committee peruse the various submissions made on the future of the Irish beef sector, I hope they consider the initiative taken by Foyle Meats (Carrigan's) of Donegal, who have adopted a policy of paying quality payments across all grades of bullocks and heifers once they fall within market-specified weights and retentions - as opposed to the far more restricted policy adopted by other plants. FARMING organisations have reacted angrily to the cut in March milk prices by both Glanbia and Lakeland Dairies last Friday. Glanbia said it was paying 30.5c/L (VAT inc), down 1c/L, while Lakeland Dairies announced a price of 31.56c/L (VAT and lactose bonus included) for March supplies. ICMSA's dairy committee chairperson, Ger Quain, said that farmers were entitled to be cynical about milk price given the decision of two of the country's biggest milk processors to cut their milk price. "It is an extraordinary situation where the Ornua PPI can rise month after month with either no corresponding rise in farmer milk price or price rises that are wholly insufficient or proportionate to the rise in the index. We then see a marginal fall in the index that is largely explicable by factors outside dairy markets - Brexit, for instance - and literally that week farmers see their milk price cut," said Mr Quain. "The plain fact is that Irish co-ops have been lagging near the bottom of the European price per litre table for a very considerable time; that are already underpaying on any kind of 'like-for-like' comparison with their European counterparts." The move by two of the country's largest processors comes as milk production is on target to top 8bn litres this year, with deliveries to some producers up 12-13pc in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2018. Glanbia said its March price is "in line with current market returns". Glanbia chairman Martin Keane said: "Glanbia Ireland has maintained its base price of 30c/L to reflect current market returns. "While global milk supply growth is lower than previous years and oil prices have increased, market demand in some regions is being adversely affected by challenges that include lower economic growth, Brexit and trade wars. IFA's dairy chairman Tom Phelan said the decision by the two to cut their respective milk price was a big blow for farmers. IFA had lobbied co-ops intensively over the past two weeks, outlining in detail the 10 reasons why they should hold their price. "The decision by both co-ops is unwarranted. Cashflow on dairy farms is critical at this time of the year. "When you consider that Ornua will be paying a 19m year-end operating bonus to member co-ops, up 27pc on last year, you'd have to say the decision by Glanbia, in particular, is completely unjustified," said Mr Phelan. Kerry Group's March milk is unchanged at 31c/L (vat inclusive). It said based on average March milk solids, the price return inclusive of vat and bonuses is 33.34c/L. A spokesperson for Kerry said the base price and bonus levels are unchanged but, as always at this time of each year, the level of solids reduces with the significant increase in milk volumes as cows approach peak production. Dairygold confirmed yesterday that its base price for March milk supplies is unchanged at 31.19c/L, based on standard constituents of 3.3pc protein and 3.6pc butterfat, inclusive of VAT and bonuses. This equates to a farm gate milk price of 33.78c/L based on average March milk solids for all Dairygold milk suppliers, said a Dairygold spokesperson. A MAYO sheep farmer has been charged with cruelty to his flock after it is alleged that 35 sheep which were found dead on land he was renting starved to death. Martin Walsh (44) of Ballintleva, Clogher, Westport was charged with a total of 35 counts of being in breach of the Animal Health and Welfare Act following the discovery of the dead sheep on land in Co Mayo in March 2018. The sheep were located on land rented by Mr Walsh at Shammerbaun, Kilkelly, Co Mayo and on March 16, 2018, gardai received a report of animals being neglected on the land. Mr Patrick Reynolds, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions told a sitting of Castlebar District Court on Tuesday that when Garda Ferghal OCaheny visited the land he noted a number of dead sheep. The Department of Agriculture were contacted and the following day, Garda OCaheny and a department official revisited the land and found 35 dead sheep. Mr Reynolds said they noted that the land was of poor quality and there was no feed for the sheep. Mr Reynolds added it is alleged that the sheep starved to death. Judge Fiona Lydon accepted jurisdiction in the case and Mr Myles Gilvarry, solicitor for Mr Walsh said his client was pleading not guilty to the offences and would be seeking a hearing date. When asked how long the case would take, Judge Lydon was told it would take much of the day. She adjourned the case until May 7 for mention to fix a date for hearing. An application for legal aid on behalf of Mr Walsh was deferred to a later date. Residents of a planned upmarket apartment block development in Foxrock in south Dublin will able to avail of 'pay as you go driving' from five shared GoCar vehicles to be based at the address. Last month, the Granville Partnership lodged plans with An Bord Pleanala for 142 build- to-rent apartments at Roselawn and Aberdour, Stillorgan Roadd, Foxrock. In order to reduce the car dependency of the residents, GoCar Carsharing Ltd has confirmed to the appeals board that it intends to provide five shared vehicles for the development. The firm is Ireland's leading car-sharing service with 40,000 members and 600 cars and vans across 18 counties. Colm Brady, CEO of GoCar's parent, the Europcar Mobility Group, confirmed that GoCar is planning to locate its first vehicles in a new residential development this summer arising from an agreement with a developer and as part of the planning process. He said that 30 different builders have made contact with his firm since the start of this year seeking letters of commitment from it to provide GoCars in their new residential developments. "We have had more developers wanting to have in place GoCars in their developments in the first quarter of this year than throughout the whole of 2018," Mr Brady said. He said developers will be able use the availability of a GoCar in the marketing of their new developments while it allow reduces the need to provide expensive and inefficient car spaces for each apartment. Mr Brady said that the likes of Dublin City Council encouraging car-sharing in new developments "is a game- changer for us". Mr Brady said that 400 companies across the country are using GoCar's fleet. He said that the firm has eight GoCars located around Barrow Street in Dublin's Silicon Docks to meet the demand of Google workers and other tech workers in that area. Mr Brady said that GoCar has doubled each year for the past three years and it is his ambition to continue to double in size each year. He said: "The number of new people signing up to our service each month is frightening. We are hitting a sweet spot with customers." Kingspan will likely use a mix of existing cash reserves and debt to fund a proposed 700m acquisition of two divisions of Belgian group Recticel. The deal would tighten Kingspan's grip on the European insulation market, adding Recticel's manufacturing units in Belgium, France, Britain and Slovenia. The company declined to say how it will fund the deal after confirming yesterday it had made an offer for the insulation and flexible foams division of the mattress manufacturing group. However, analysts estimate that, should the deal go through, it will be funded through a mix of cash and debt equity. If the deal goes ahead it is likely to nudge Kingspan's net debt to 1.6 times earnings on a pro forma basis, which is comfortably inside the Cavan-headquartered group's preference to keep debt below a multiple of two times its earnings. In a brief statement Kingspan said it has already entered into an exclusive back-to-back agreement with a third party who will buy Recticel's flexible foams businesses, should the initial deal go ahead. Recticel said the Insulation division had sales of 271.2m in 2018 and an adjusted EBITDA of 44.7m, and the Flexible Foams division had sales of 621.5m and adjusted EBITDA of 41.5m. Shares in the business were trading up almost 4pc yesterday, while Recticel's shares were suspended, having jumped over 20pc in early trading. Flor O'Donoghue, analyst at Davy Stockbrokers, said the potential deal looked like a "smart move" for Kingspan, which would not be considered out of the unknown. "This is consistent with Kingspan's strategy, the group likes to consolidate markets," Mr O'Donoghue said. "This gives the business direct access into France, a region it is not in at the moment." He added that there is "probably a lot of hurdles to be jumped" before any deal is finalised. Recticel's flexible foam business had sales of 621.5m in 2018, while it reported earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (ebitda) of 33m in the division. Meanwhile its insulation business, which Kingspan will hold on to, had sales of 271.2m and ebitda of 44.7m for the year. Last year Kingspan - which is headed by CEO Gene Murtagh - spent 472.3m on acquisitions, including Synthesia Group, its first manufacturing presence in Southern Europe. In 2018, Kingspan generated record income of almost 4.4bn and trading profit was 445.2m for the year. Half of those expecting to buy their first home say they will need help from their parents. The financial pressure on prospective first-time buyers is also evident from survey findings that show it is now taking longer to save a home deposit. More than half of those who hope to be buyers have been saving for two years, according to a survey. This is up from 40pc of potential buyers who reported a year earlier that they were saving for two years. The cost of property and a lack of supply are the main challenges for prospective first-time buyers, research commissioned by Bank of Ireland has found. Half of those surveyed said the cost of property was the biggest challenge facing them. More than half of first-time buyers surveyed said they will need help from family to secure their mortgage. Some 51pc of those surveyed are likely to receive a financial gift towards a deposit, and a third are planning to move in with their parents to increase the amount they can save, although the high cost of property is making saving more difficult. Unaware The research found over three-quarters of first-time buyers have a deposit savings plan in place. But the length of time it takes to save is increasing, with 51pc saving for two years or more, up 10pc since 2017. For the vast majority, a house is the preferred choice rather than an apartment. The survey was conducted by Red C among prospective first-time buyers aged 25 to 45. The amount of money first-time buyers save each month increased over the past year from an average of 461 in 2018 to 538 a month this year. More than half of first-time buyers said they were unaware of the Government help-to-buy incentive, despite the potential of the scheme to save them up to 20,000. This lack of awareness comes despite 44pc of first-time buyers looking to build or buy a new home. Head of mortgages at Bank of Ireland Brian Vaughan said: "Buying your first home is a challenging process and the survey makes it clear most have a deposit savings plan in place, with the average amount being saved increasing year on year." He said it was concerning that many were unaware of the Government incentives that could save them thousands. Irish author Roddy Doyles latest book has been shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. Doyle made the six-strong shortlist with Charlie Savage, an anthology of his weekly columns for the Irish Independent about a middle-aged Dubliner. The judging panel described Charlie Savage as a belly-achingly funny, surprisingly optimistic and heart-warming book written by a writer at the very height of their literary powers. A book to savour, and to re-read time and again. Judges decided to withhold the prize in 2018, saying none of the 62 submitted novels prompted unanimous, abundant laughter from the panel. Expand Close Charlie Savage by Roddy Doyle published by Jonathan Cape on March 14, at 14.99. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlie Savage by Roddy Doyle published by Jonathan Cape on March 14, at 14.99. The prize was beset by further controversy when bestselling Irish author Marian Keyes slammed the sexist imbalance of the comic fiction prize, which has only been awarded to a woman three times in its 18-year history. Say what you like about me, my books are funny, they are comic. What else do I have to do to qualify? the Limerick-born author complained. This year, however, women dominate the shortlist, with four female authors in the running. British authors Nina Stibbe (Reasons to be Cheerful) and Lissa Evans (Old Baggage) both make their third appearance on the shortlist, and are joined by US writer Jen Beagin (Vacuum in the Dark) and Londoner Kate Davies (In at the Deep End). New Zealander Paul Ewens Francis Plug and Doyles Charlie Savage complete the shortlist. The winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction will presented with a case of champagne and a rare breed pig named after their winning novel at the Hay Festival (May 23-June 2). Video of the Day Courtroom dramas are a Hollywood staple, and over the years they have given us timeless classics like 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution, A Few Good Men, and The Verdict - the stage play of which is about to make its Irish debut at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. The movie of The Verdict starred Paul Newman as Frank Galvin - an Irish-American alcoholic lawyer down on his luck who takes a malpractice case against a Catholic-run hospital in Boston when a young woman, Deborah Ann, has been left in a permanent vegetative state after a routine breech birth. The case is the answer to Frank's prayers, as it looks like the pay day he so desperately needs. Boston archdiocese offers to pay compensation to keep the case out of court. Unfortunately for the archbishop and the God-like doctors who treated Debbie, Frank has developed a conscience and wants justice for her. The case proceeds to court but Frank's efforts are thwarted at every opportunity as the high-powered defence run rings around him. In the production at the Gaiety, Frank's role is played by Ian Kelsey. For the first act the stage is split in two, with Frank's office on one side and an Irish bar on the other. There are a lot of Irish characters, themes and music in The Verdict, but audiences need to be aware that this is Boston-Irish culture. Further, this is Boston-Irish culture from four decades ago. In other words, modern Irish audiences need to park their sensibilities at the door. Similarly, The Verdict is now very much a period piece, and needs to be treated as such. While the play is set in the early 1980s, the prevailing attitudes including sexism and racism are straight out of the 1970s. Frank's character is also problematic for modern audiences - the drunken, macho hero who sleeps on his office floor and cheats on his wife doesn't play well with millennials. When Donna, a young attractive waitress, takes a shine to the shambolic man who downs whiskey for breakfast, it appeared preposterous to my modern mind. But Donna has her reasons. Kelsey has enough stage presence and charisma to rise above the bluster of Frank and make him a credible character. It is to Kelsey's credit that despite Frank being anathema to modern tastes you can't help rooting for him. The pub where he drinks when he's not sleeping on his office floor, is run by Eugene, played by Michael Lunney, a busy man, as he also plays Daniel Jonathan Crowley MD, plus he also directed and designed the show. While Kelsey delivers an excellent performance, the star of the show is Denis Lill as Moe Katz, Frank's mentor, father-figure and ex-partner. The second act takes place in the courtroom. As the trial unfolds the tension is palpable as the verdict is uncertain. There are a couple of shocks and surprises, but I'm saying nothing more. Hollywood needs more courtroom dramas. In the meantime, get to the Gaiety. 'The Verdict' is at The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, from this Tuesday to Saturday. www.gaietytheatre.ie A man who was serving a five-year driving ban for causing the death of a young mother has been caught drink-driving. Ciaran McBride, of Listrakelt Road, Derrynoose, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance and driving with excess alcohol, at Armagh Magistrates' Court yesterday. The offences occurred on the Derrynoose Road in Keady on February 11. The 33-year-old's solicitor told the court the defendant's "mental health deteriorated" following the incident and that he had become "dependant on alcohol". Upon reading the pre-sentence report, prepared by probation, District Judge Brian Archer stated: "This man was involved in a very serious road traffic incident in the Republic of Ireland that resulted in a fatality. Three years later he is drink-driving with a reading of 87mg of alcohol in breath." McBride caused the death of Tipperary woman Nicola Kenny (26) on September 5, 2016, just a day after the birth of her only child Lily Rose. As well as the five-year ban, the Armagh man was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay 10,000 in compensation to Ms Kenny's parents. Defence solicitor Chris Rafferty said: "In relation to the offence, Mr McBride instructs that since then, his mental health has deteriorated, and he has become dependant on alcohol." Judge Archer retorted: "That's even more of a reason for him not to be behind the wheel of a vehicle." Judge Archer told McBride: "I could very well have sent you to prison for driving while disqualified given your record." The defendant was sentenced to a combination order consisting of 75 hours of community service and two years on probation. In addition, McBride was handed a 30-month driving disqualification. Judge Archer warned the defendant: "If you commit any further motoring offences you will be going to prison." The jury in the Tipperary 'love rival' murder trial has been told it cannot convict someone on the basis of online computer searches. Bernard Condon SC, for the accused Patrick Quirke, said there was "no hard evidence" his client murdered Bobby Ryan, a part-time DJ also known as Mr Moonlight. Mr Condon asked the jury to apply "fairness" when considering Google searches which were conducted on Mr Quirke's computer for "DNA" and "human body decomposition timeline". The searches took place months before Mr Ryan's body was found in an underground tank at a farm in Co Tipperary in April 2013. On the third and final day of his closing statement at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Condon told the jury of six men and six women they should be aware of the "substantial limitations" of the computer evidence. He said they could not say the searches were linked to the murder case. The barrister also said there was "a great risk of an enormous leap being made" by the jury, when the height of the prosecution's case was that the searches were suspicious. Mr Condon said there was nothing in the searches about bodies decomposing in water or an airtight container. He asked the jury what weight they could put on the searches and said that while they may have been "macabre", people do the strangest things on their computers. This was just a fact of life, he said. If Mr Quirke was the killer and wanted to know what condition the body was in, he could have lifted the lid on the tank to look, Mr Condon said. The defence barrister also played down the significance of searches of the RTE website for news about Mr Ryan. "I don't think there was a person in Tipperary who didn't look up Bobby Ryan," he said. Mr Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his alleged love rival Mr Ryan (52) on a date between June 3, 2011, and April 2013. The prosecution alleges Mr Quirke killed Mr Ryan so he could rekindle his affair with Mary Lowry, the widow whose farm Mr Quirke was leasing. She was Mr Ryan's girlfriend at the time of his disappearance. The trial heard Mr Ryan left her house at Fawnagown, Co Tipperary, at 6.30am on the morning of June 3, 2011, and his body was discovered in an underground tank on the farm 22 months later. Mr Condon finished his eight-hour closing speech yesterday. The court will not sit again until next Tuesday when Ms Justice Eileen Creedon will deliver her charge to the jury before it begins deliberating. In his closing speech, Mr Condon said a note found in Mr Quirke's house was "of very little relevance" to the case. The prosecution has suggested the note was written prior to Mr Quirke being questioned by gardai in April 2013 and some of it was consistent with answers given in the interview. But Mr Condon told the jury it was more likely it was written afterwards. The note contained questions about Ms Lowry. "Why wouldn't Mr Quirke be suspicious of Mary Lowry?" Mr Condon asked jurors. "You might say he is a nosey parker," he said. But this "was a very long way away from finding he was a killer", said Mr Condon. He pointed out Mr Quirke told gardai he was "inquisitive by nature". Mr Condon said where there were two versions of events possible on the evidence, the jury had to accept the one favourable to the defence. Earlier, Mr Condon told the jury there was "no hard evidence" against his client and also raised questions about the Garda investigation. The barrister said the jury had been presented with "a forensically barren landscape" and many unanswered questions. He likened the jury's job to that of a scientist. They had "a huge decision" to make and needed to approach things with scepticism and test the theories put forward. Mr Quirke claims to have found the body when he was going about agitating slurry, but gardai believed this was a "staged" discovery. The defence counsel criticised the investigation, saying prosecution counsel Michael Bowman SC had said gardai could have done better when the body was found as there was a failure to video its removal from the tank. Mr Condon said there was no search of Ms Lowry's house at the time of the disappearance. The house was only searched 22 months later after being redecorated. The barrister said the Garda sub aqua team should have been used to recover Mr Ryan's body and not the fire brigade team that did. He criticised the failure of gardai to keep the water from the tank which had been collected in a vacuum tanker. Mr Condon also pointed out the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem examination, Dr Khalid Jaber, did not go to the scene. Professor Jack Crane, the former state pathologist for Northern Ireland, who appeared as a prosecution witness, "had difficulty reading Dr Jaber's notes", while Dr Michael Curtis, the acting State Pathologist, said the approach taken on the day was "suboptimal", Mr Condon told the jury. A student suspended by a secondary school over allegedly selling 20 of cannabis to a fellow student has lost his High Court challenge over a planned disciplinary hearing. In his judgment dismissing the action, Mr Justice Garrett Simons found the case was premature and had been taken when "the disciplinary process was still in train" and when "no decision has been taken to expel the student." The judge added that the student's application to judicially review the proposed disciplinary hearing into the allegations against him was "inappropriate" in circumstances where there was an alternative remedy available. The student had a statutory right of appeal against any decision to permanently exclude him from the school under Section 29 of the Education Act. That appeal, heard by a three-person committee appointed by the Department of Education, takes the form of a full hearing on the merits, with the committee having the jurisdiction to make a determination on the issues raised. That option should be taken before a case is commenced, the judge added. Neither the student nor the school can be identified by order of the court. Through his father, the student had sued the school's board of management after it commenced a disciplinary process late last year after cannabis was found in a schoolbag on the school premises. The student, who remains suspended pending the outcome of the process, admitted personally using cannabis outside of school but denies possessing it while on the school premises or being involved in the supply of the drug. He had challenged the disciplinary process on grounds including that the school principal had contaminated the decision-making process when conducting an investigation into the allegations. It was claimed that in breach of fair procedures the principal had made findings of fact in relation to the allegations, which was something exclusively reserved for the school's board of management. It was claimed that this gave rise to an apprehension that the board had prejudged the matter. It was also alleged that the student would not have been allowed to challenge the evidence against him at the proposed disciplinary hearing before the board of management. The board opposed the action and denied there had been any breach of fair procedures. The school also argued the teen's application was premature in circumstances that the disciplinary process had not been completed. In his ruling, the Judge said the circumstances of the case came "nowhere close to meeting the threshold for court intervention." He rejected criticisms of the school principal and said any concerns could be addressed before the board. The board, he said, had yet to embark on any substantive consideration of the matter. The Judge said that there were good reasons why courts should exercise restraint in matters relating to school discipline. There must be regard to the statutory appeal process, which is likely to be more expeditious than legal proceedings, he said. The Judge also said that the legal costs in this case, are likely to run to six figures., Speaking in general terms the judge said there would be a chilling effect on schools if it becomes standard practice for aggravated students to bring judicial review proceedings rather than opt for an appeal before a section 29 committee. School boards might hesitate before opting to expel students because the school might end up being exposed to significant legal costs, even if they win their case, he added. It was preferable that disputes in school disciplinary matters be dealt with by way of inexpensive statutory appeal processes, the Judge concluded. A CLOSE associate of John Gilligan is suspected of ordering an arson attack which could have led to the murders of an innocent woman and her three children. Gardai have not been able to find enough evidence to charge the west Dublin man who they suspect orchestrated the attack which was not intended to target the young family who were almost killed in the blaze. Maggie Green (31) was in her rented apartment in Inchicore, Co Dublin, with her three children when it was set on fire on the night of September 18, 2017. Maggie and her children Francie (9) and Savannah (7) were left fighting for their lives and suffered permanent injuries. Expand Close Francie Green in hospital after the arson attack / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Francie Green in hospital after the arson attack Her eldest child, John (13), was treated for smoke inhalation and is still traumatised by the incident. Last month, Ian OConnor (29), of Emmet Crescent, Inchicore, was jailed for 10 years for the shocking crime after Dublin Circuit Court heard that he also threw a pipe bomb at another family home less than a month later. Gardai have worked on the theory that the Inchicore arson attack was ordered by a close associate of John Gilligan who had been in a disagreement with another criminal, a senior source told Independent.ie. OConnor is believed to have thought that the other criminal who was in dispute with Gilligans associate was in the apartment at the time, but this was not the case and the entirely innocent occupants of the house had a very lucky escape. There was not enough evidence to get charges against the Gilligan associate, who is in his 20s and also would have had no idea that Ms Green and her children were to be targeted. Gilligan (66) is not suspected of having any involvement or knowledge of the arson attack. Expand Close Aftermath of the arson attack / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aftermath of the arson attack He will not serve any more jail time in Northern Ireland after he was arrested with more than 22,000 in a suitcase at Belfast International airport last August, which prosecutors alleged was criminal property. The prosecutor confirmed at a hearing at Coleraine Magistrates Court in January that if found guilty, the maximum sentence that the accused could face would be six months. Gilligan had already served five months on remand, the equivalent of a 10-month sentence. Gilligan is still contesting the charges in the North and he remains on bail after he was allegedly caught trying to take 22,800 in a suitcase on a flight to Spain. Expand Close John Gilligan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Gilligan Read More His associate who is suspected of ordering the Inchicore arson attack is on bail in this jurisdiction in relation to serious drugs charges and he has also been involved in a bitter west Dublin feud that has led to four gun murders. Ian OConnor pleaded guilty to arson at Tyrone Place, Inchicore, on September 18, 2017. He also admitted arson at Ailesbury Road, Dublin, on October 15, 2017. Speaking after OConnor was sentenced last month, Maggie Green told Independent.ie that she feared he would target her family home again once he was released from prison. Im absolutely disgusted by the judges sentence, she said. OConnor received 12 years for what he done to my family, but the judge suspended the final two on condition that he keeps the peace. He was then sentenced to six years imprisonment for the other fire, but it will run concurrently with the first. This means that the other family got no justice at all. With good behaviour, Im convinced hell be out in six years. Ms Green said she felt OConnor was not remorseful in court and does not believe prison will rehabilitate him. Hes a very sick and evil man, she added. Myself and my children are so scared thinking about the day when hes released. I fear that hell come after us again because were the reason hes behind bars. A man like that needs to be locked up for life. My children and I are covered in scars and every time I look at them I think about what this monster has done. The court heard that in the first attack, the heat of the fire caused a hearing aid to melt in Savannahs ear, leaving her with a permanent scar. Ms Green was asleep in her apartment along with her three children and woke to find the stairs on fire. Ms Green was trapped upstairs by the fire and tried unsuccessfully to smash the windows to escape. She covered her two youngest children with wet towels in her bedroom and was choking on smoke when they were rescued by the fire brigade. Her eldest son had fallen asleep while watching television downstairs and woke up to the sight of the front door on fire. John escaped via a balcony at the back of the apartment with the help of a neighbour who brought him a ladder. OConnor admitted starting the fire by pouring petrol in the letterbox and onto the front door. He said he owed money to certain people who had instructed him to light the fire and had told him that there would be no one in the house. Gardai said OConnor believed that his family would have been pipe-bombed had he not lit the fire. OConnor was given a bag of cocaine beforehand, but said he did not do it for the drugs. In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, Ms Green said her seven-year-old daughters hearing aid had melted in the fire, causing a permanent scar to her ear. The court heard all four members of the family sustained injuries. Ms Green said she thought that she and her children were all going to die. She said she remembered her youngest son telling her that he was going to heaven and that he would come back and help them escape from the fire. Future vision: An artists impression of the of the Centre for Creative Design at the proposed new development at UCD, close to the underpass on the N11 A novel international recruitment drive by UCD to employ 500 more academic staff is well under way as part of an ambitious five-year development plan at Ireland's largest university. There has been huge interest for the first 65 positions, which the university hopes to fill by September. The move to boost academic staff numbers by 500 - a 42pc increase on existing levels - comes hand-in-hand with preparations for a multi-million-euro building programme at Belfield. After years of Government cuts, which are blamed for a slide down the international rankings by Irish universities, it represents a determined effort by UCD to strengthen its position globally. UCD President Professor Andrew Deeks said it was "not playing the rankings game; we are concentrating on delivering the best experience to Irish students and international students, and have research of a quality and quantity comparable to peer universities around the world. "If the systems are sound the rankings should take care of themselves." UCD unveiled a blueprint for its 'future campus' last year, and Prof Deeks told the Irish Independent it had now applied to the newly established Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund to support the project. Two key buildings targeted for completion within five years are a landmark 48m Centre for Creative Design, at UCD's N11 entrance, and a Centre for Future Learning. The university is also developing more student accommodation. UCD recently advertised the first 65 new assistant professor/lecturer positions, known as Ad Astra Fellows, and to date it has received 483 applications, with more expected before next week's deadline. The adverts sparked considerable interest in the US, UK and elsewhere around the globe, although how that is translating into applications is not yet known. Prof Deeks said it was "a good time to be going to the market for academics, particularly junior academics, given Brexit and the geopolitical situation in the world generally; Ireland is a very attractive place". The combination of austerity-era cuts, which hit staffing levels badly, and rising enrolments has left Government funding per student at half what it was in 2008. Higher education student numbers are expected to continue rising. UCD is preparing for an added intake of about 6,600 students - half domestic and half international - over the next decade. A campaign by the seven universities for a reversal of cuts as well as a sustainable funding model for higher education has not yielded results, for the moment at least. At UCD, the academic staff-student ratio has fallen to 21:1 and, through the new initiative, it is seeking to restore it to 16:1, the international average for research-intensive universities. In face of the continuing strict limit on the number of posts the Exchequer will fund, UCD will self-finance the new positions. Prof Deeks said it was "looking to be more entrepreneurial" and as well as internal savings and revenue from international students, funding would come from a new English Language Academy, expected to be fully up and running next year. UCD has not pre-determined what posts will be filled by the Ad Astra Fellows and appointments will be made on the basis of matching track record and potential with its teaching and research priorities. Detectives are investigating a gun attack last night at the home linked with a Dublin criminal with associations to the Kinahan gang. Shortly after 10.30pm the property in Finglas south was targeted, but no injuries were reported. A number of shots were fired through a window of the home in the Deanstown area before the gunman fled the scene. Local gardai and members of the Armed Support Unit (ASU) rushed to the scene and an investigation is now underway by detectives based in Finglas. The target of last night's shooting is believed to be a Kinahan-linked criminal known locally as 'Mr Flashy', aged in his mid 20s. However, the gun attack is not believed to be linked to the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan feud. The suspected drug dealer and his associates are currently involved in a number of feuds in the west Dublin area. This includes a dispute with other criminals from the Finglas area, as well as providing support to one of the gangs involved in the Corduff feud. In a second shooting incident a house on Sheephill Avenue in Corduff was shot at just after 1am. The living room window was shattered in the attack and a person was seen running away from the scene. Gardai are investigating if there is any link between the two shootings and if they are connected to an increasingly violent feud between two gangs in Finglas and Corduff. There was another garda operation in Corduff this morning when Gardai raided a house in Corduff Grove shortly after 8am. A team of specialist Gardai who arrived in four garda vehicles entered and searched a house. One garda could be seen at the house with a sledgehammer and a crowbar. Taking a stand: The IFA stages a Fair Deal protest at the Department of Health in Baggot Street, Dublin The final compensation bill for the CervicalCheck controversy could potentially spiral after it emerged yesterday that another 1,776 women whose slides are currently being reviewed are to be included if they want to take a case. Health Minister Simon Harris announced that the Cabinet gave the go-ahead yesterday to the heads of the bill to set up a tribunal of compensation where women who developed cervical cancer after getting an incorrect result can bring an action for damages. It was originally believed this tribunal would be confined to the group of 221 women caught up in last year's controversy. However, Mr Harris said it will also be open to any of the 1,776 women who developed cervical cancer whose smear tests are currently being examined in an independent review by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. This independent review started earlier this year and will report in the summer. Women will be told if the smear test result was "discordant" with that found by the review team but it will not say if there was negligence involved. A woman from this group who is found to have a wrong test result would be entitled to make a claim to the tribunal. However, in all cases the women will have to prove negligence in order to secure compensation. The tribunal will be heard in private and is seen as an alternative to going to the High Court. But women will still be able to go to court if that is the route they want to take. Mr Harris said that as well as the proposed tribunal, work is advanced on an ex-gratia scheme for women affected by the non-disclosure of the CervicalCheck audit and this will be open for applications shortly. This is to provide a payment to the 221 group for the failure to disclose to them a CervicalCheck audit showing they had received a wrong smear test result. Women or bereaved families are to be written to shortly and invited to apply for the ex-gratia payment, which will be based on various criteria. It is expected to take into account the impact the non-disclosure had on them. An Irishman has warned tourists heading to the Spanish island of Tenerife to be vigilant after he was sprayed with a date-rape drug and forced to empty his bank accounts. David Nelson (27) was on a trip away with friends in March and has shared his "horrible experience" to help raise awareness about a dangerous drug known as 'Devil's Breath'. Mr Nelson, an engineer from Bray, Co Wicklow, who is currently working in Switzerland, was staying in Adeje and went out for drinks in the Playa de las Americas area on March 23. At the end of the night he lost the group and went to get a taxi back to his apartment when he was approached by a woman. He claims she tried to seduce him and when he pushed her away, he was "sprayed in the face with a substance". "I was later informed by police it was the date-rape drug Devil's Breath," he told the Irish Independent. "I remember very few things after being sprayed. My phone was taken, gold watch, bracelet, 600 from my wallet and I was then taken to an ATM and the girl proceeded to take what money she could from my Irish and Swiss bank accounts until the cards declined. This drug turns you into a zombie." The police report described the woman as being between 20 and 30 years old with curly hair. He said the police told him that tourists are regularly attacked with the drug scopolamine, more commonly known as Devil's Breath. The substance has been blamed for thousands of crimes in South America and has now become a problem in European countries. The US Overseas Security Advisory Council has issued many warnings about the drug, which it says can "disorient the victim and cause prolonged unconsciousness and serious medical problems". The Department of Foreign Affairs says that while it doesn't comment on individual cases, it acknowledged Spanish authorities have warned of date-rape drugs being used. Meanwhile, a candlelit vigil was held over the weekend for another Irishman who was reported missing in Tenerife in the same week that Mr Nelson was robbed. Father-of-two Peter Wilson (32) was last seen on the island on March 23. He travelled there from Dublin Airport on March 22 and was staying in the Malibu Park Hotel. His family and friends have appealed on social media for anyone who may have seen him to get in contact. He is believed to have been in the Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas areas. Budgeting for the Fair Deal scheme this year made provision for just a marginal increase in numbers, the industry's representative body has warned. Nursing Homes Ireland said the HSE Service Plan for 2019 projected an increase of 91 people over the course of 12 months in the Fair Deal. But the funding of nearly 1bn for the nursing home scheme is already under pressure as nearly 200 more residents required financial support. The HSE confirmed its target in 2019 was to support 23,042 people availing of Fair Deal and by February the numbers had risen to 23,228. It comes as farmers demonstrated outside the Department of Health in Dublin, criticising the Government delay in changing the scheme to cap contributions based on working farm assets at three years. And inside the Dail, the Government faced questions over the administration of the scheme. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin told Taoiseach Leo Varadkar he knew one case where funding was approved for an elderly person but six weeks later the money still had not materialised. "It suggests, Taoiseach, that the allocation has already been used up," he said But the Taoiseach replied that this was not the case: "I can assure you it has not been all used up." However, Tadhg Daly of Nursing Homes Ireland called on the Government to move quickly to a decision to increase funds for Fair Deal. "Otherwise it will create massive waiting times for Fair Deal which will knock on to hospitals that will not be able to cope with overcrowding," he warned. The HSE said: "The Fair Deal approval process, once the application form has been fully completed, is currently being maintained at approximately four to five weeks. There is only one waiting list so there are no variances across the country." Meanwhile, protesting farmers called on Minister for Older People Jim Daly to commit to the promise made last July. They want him to implement the three-year cap, and save farmers livelihoods from becoming unviable due to the cost of nursing home care. IFA president Joe Healy said: "The money is running out for farmers in some cases and the fear and the threat of having to sell some or all of their land is causing huge stress." Mr Daly said: "The HSE has noted that the number of residents in nursing homes whom are supported by the scheme to be ahead of forecast by 0.7pc for the year to date. "In line with all good governance practices, the Department of Health is engaging in a detailed analysis and validation of this data to understand if specific trends can be identified in a real-time setting." Responding to farmer demands, he said he was committed to treat farm and small business assets equally and said it is his intention to bring heads of a Bill to Government next month. "The policy change, to cap contributions based on farm and business assets at three years where a family successor commits to working the productive asset, has been approved by Government." It is unclear when the legislation will pass but it hope is it will move through the Oireachtas this year. Survivors of mother and baby homes have expressed frustration that a report that includes powerful testimony of harrowing experiences in the institutions won't be published in full until next year. The recommendations of the Collaborative Forum of former residents have been released including calls for health supports for survivors and a national monument. But on legal advice to the Government, the full report won't be published until a delayed Commission of Investigation concludes its work in February 2020. This delay was described as a "matter of genuine regret" in a foreword to the recommendations signed by Forum members Susan Lohan, Conrad Bryan and Samantha Long. They said their "deepest wish" is for the report to be published at the earliest opportunity. Mr Bryan said in the absence of this he wanted to outline the impact the institutions had on the health of survivors. He told of one women who had been raped, became pregnant, ended up in one of the institutions and had a difficult birth. As the now-elderly woman put it she was left "a completely broken person" with long-term health impacts including stress and numerous operations. Mr Bryan also outlined the experience of a child - also now elderly - who lived in a similar 'county home'. There was a mortuary and the individual has flashbacks of seeing dead bodies. They also remember being put to work on a farm at the age of six or seven and have ongoing health issues they attribute to their time in the institution. Terri Harrison, a member of the Forum, whose child was given up for adoption against her will, said survivors like her endure a "living bereavement". "When our children were taken from us, we had to learn to live with that and that's what we do to this day," she said. Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said the Government will develop proposals for a package of health and well-being supports for survivors. A working group is to report by September in time for measures to be included in Budget 2020. She said she is proposing to amend key provisions of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill to take account of issues raised by the Forum. She is also developing a memorial programme which will include a scheme for funding. Forum recommendations included bringing in a module on mother and child institutions in the schools' history curriculum as well as the creation of a national monument. One location suggested for this is the Phoenix Park. The stench inside the property was vile with the tenants having kept the windows closed for over a year. Photo: RedFM A CORK landlord faces spending thousands of euro repairing a house after it was left virtually destroyed by tenants who packed months of rubbish inside the property. The landlord was horrified, on investigating a complaint of a pest infestation from neighbours, to discover the tenants had stored months of rubbish until the rotting debris reached from the floor to the ceiling of most rooms Her house was also soiled by waste from cats and dogs who had been kept inside for weeks at a time. The stench inside the property was vile with the tenants having kept the windows closed for over a year. Expand Close Pet waste was strewn on some floors. Photo: RedFM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pet waste was strewn on some floors. Photo: RedFM The tenants, who had been in the property for several years, voluntarily left the house within days of being told the landlord wanted to inspect her property amid pest infestation concerns. Neighbour Elaine - who does not want her family or the property to be identified - said the photographs taken inside the house were truly horrific. "Almost every room in the house was destroyed," she told the Neil Prendeville Show on RedFM. "She (landlord Kristine) was horrified - I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen the photographs myself," she said. The kitchen in the house had rubbish bags stacked from the floor to the ceiling - while dishes, saucepans and pots were left unwashed and stained with rotting food. Pet waste was strewn on some floors. Expand Close Almost all the furniture in the house was damaged or wrecked - while the bedding was so soiled it had to be destroyed. Photo; RedFM / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Almost all the furniture in the house was damaged or wrecked - while the bedding was so soiled it had to be destroyed. Photo; RedFM Drink cans and fast food wrappings were scattered across almost every other room in the house. "In one corner, there was a big pile of faeces from their cats and dogs." Almost all the furniture in the house was damaged or wrecked - while the bedding was so soiled it had to be destroyed. The tenants had even left several of their pets behind when they left. Elaine, who lives next door to the property, said the alarm was only raised because of her concerns over how rats and mice were getting into her adjoining property. "We had caught over a dozen what we thought were mice in our house," she said. "We were told by the pest control people that there was no point treating our house unless the house next door was treated because that was where they were coming from." Elaine said her family were horrified when they were told the captured mice, as they thought, were in fact baby rats. "My children were refusing to sleep in their bedrooms because they were so upset," she said. "You could near the scratching throughout the night in the attic and in the blocks by the window sills." "It was absolutely unbelievable what they found inside the house," she said. THE infrastructure used to rollout broadband to rural Ireland will not be owned by the State despite plans to invest 3bn over the next 25 years. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dail that the consortium charged with bringing high-speed interest to some of the countrys most remote parts will own the infrastructure. He said the 3bn cost would be for both rolling out a fibre network and maintaining it into the future. At any point if the contractor fails to deliver the Government can step in, he said. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the idea of taxpayers paying 3bn and not owning the system at the end needs to be fully explained. He accused the Government of trying to dip feed information on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) in a bid to put distance between it and the controversy over costs at National Childrens Hospital. Mr Martin told the Dail that the estimates had ballooned from the 512m figure quoted in 2014. The Taoiseach argued the original bill was for a different project. That was a cost for connecting 1,100 villages. The State subvention was never capped at 500m, he said. Mr Varadkar described the NBP as possibly the biggest ever investment in rural Ireland. Its not going to be done cheaply and its not going to be done quickly, he said. The Cabinet is expected to have a special meeting in early May to sign-off on the contract for the NBP. Just one bidder, Granahan McCourt, remains in the contest. Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald, said the Taoiseach had on Tuesday told the Dail for the very first time that the broadband project would cost 3bn. She accused Mr Varadkar of trying to represent this as a different plan to the one originally estimated to cost 500,000 but in 2012 then Communications Minister, Pat Rabbitte, had said the plan was to roll out broadband to every home and business in the State. What has changed, incredibly, is its costs. Its now going to cost six times the original cost, Ms McDonald said. The Sinn Fein leader said there were serious concerns about the ownership of the new network with the prospect of the Government paying in 25 years time to buy it back from the developers. She said the Taoiseachs claim to make broadband a personal crusade was not credible and if he was . Mr Varadkar rejected the Sinn Fein arguments saying various plans and strategies had been considered. He believed her party would oppose the broadband rollout if they got into government and he argued that Sinn Feins suggestion of giving the project to a semi-state company was illegal under EU public procurement law. Undated handout photo issued by the Garda of credit cards seized by Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny, Co Donegal: Garda/PA Wire Gardai have busted members of a Romanian organised crime gang suspected of involvement in fraud and credit card scams across Europe. This morning detectives attached to national garda units along with local officers carried out a search of a house in Letterkenny, Co Donegal where three males were arrested. The men, aged 31, 24 and 25-years-old, are suspected of being linked to a Romanian organised crime gang who are also being investigated by the PSNI and Europol. A large amount of items linked to widespread fraud, including cloned credit cards, bank account details, and false Romanian documents were recovered. Credit cards issued in false names, credit card machines, till tolls and suspected stolen UK and Irish passports and driving licences were recovered as well. Two cars bought on finance with bank accounts opened in false names have also been seized along with documentation linked to fraud investigations in Northern Ireland. Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by the Garda of credit cards and other items seized by Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny, Co Donegal: Garda/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Undated handout photo issued by the Garda of credit cards and other items seized by Garda during the search of a house in Letterkenny, Co Donegal: Garda/PA Wire The garda operation was led by members of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) and National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), who were assisted by local gardai in Milford and Letterkenny. Gardai said that the investigation includes enquiries from Europol, the EU law enforcement agency, and the PSNI. The three arrested men are currently detained under Section 50, Criminal Justice Act, 2007 as amended and are detained at Letterkenny and Milford Garda Stations, a garda spokeswoman said. COMMUTERS face traffic chaos in Dublin city centre on Good Friday as climate change protesters plan to take over OConnell Bridge. Extinction Rebellion activists who grabbed headlines for staging a naked protest in the Houses of Parliament caused significant disruption in London city centre on Tuesday. They plan to take over the Tube network on Wednesday. But the demonstrators are planning a no move march and sit down on OConnell Bridge at lunchtime on Friday. The timing of the protest will coincide with the significant numbers of people who plan to leave Dublin for the Easter bank holiday weekend. Police in London said there were over 290 arrests in two days as a result of the climate change protests. Spokesperson for the group Ciaran OCarroll told independent.ie that on Tuesday evening they had members locked onto a structure on Oxford Circus for several hours, causing traffic chaos. The reaction has been surprisingly positive in a way I havent seen before at a protest, he said. There seems to be a shift in perspective. It is more mixed from drivers some people understand, others less so. And Mr OCarroll, who was born in Glasgow to Irish parents, said that although the next immediate plan after the Tube disruption was for swarming tactics in London which included roving road blocks, they have their sites set on Dublin. We will gather at Spire at 1pm and will have a very slow march over OConnell Bridge, he told independent.ie. We will take the march down to a no move march, we will stay on OConnell Bridge for as long as it takes to get a response from the government. We wont be blocking the Luas or emergency vehicles but it will be blocked to road traffic, he added. We have people prepared to stay there for as long as it takes. Read More Mr OCarroll said that according to their Facebook page, 500 people have committed to attend and a further 2,000 were interested in attending. We have seen a huge spike in interest following the events in London, he said. THE family of an Irishman who died after being struck by an on-duty police officer have said they "will never fully know what happened" after the driver involved chose not to make a formal statement. Brendan Keogh (29), who was originally from the village of Mullinalaghta in Co Longford, was walking along the busy intersection of Highway 99 and Garibaldi Way in Squamish town in Vancouver, British Columbia at around 10.30pm local time on March 13 last year when he was struck by an on-duty officer with the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Services, who was driving an unmarked SUV. Mr Keogh was cared for in Vancouver General Hospital, before being transferred to the Mater Hospital last summer. Sadly, he never regained consciousness and died in August. The British Columbia police oversight agency has now said it will not be recommending charges against the officer. Expand Close Brendan Keogh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brendan Keogh Mr Keogh's family called the report into his death "meaningless" as they said they will never fully have the answers about what happened to their beloved son and brother. Mr Keogh's devastated parents Marian and Kevin and sisters Niamh and Aine said in a statement released to Independent.ie: "We have received the report from the Investigators in Canada in relation to the accident that led to the passing of our dear son Brendan. "The Authorities there have decided that they will not recommend that anyone is referred for further investigation for prosecution arising from these tragic events. "The Police Officer whose vehicle drove into our son on that dark and wet night in British Colombia has chosen not to make any statement to the authorities about the tragic events. "That is her right. Because she has exercised that right, we will never fully know what happened as Brendan is no longer with us and therefore the two parties central to the incident have not made statements, Brendan because he could not and the Officer concerned because she chose not to. "The report in so far as it attributed any blame to Brendan is meaningless to us as the two central parties have not been heard and in view of the decision not to refer for prosecution, there will now be no trial or hearing of the issues." The Keogh family also paid tribute to Brendan and reflected on how his death has affected them. "Brendan just turned 29 when he died. He was a wonderful brother to his two sisters who cherished him. "He is a tremendous loss to his family who were all so close to one another. He was a kind young man to all and full of life," the family's statement said. "He had many dreams and ambitions which he hoped to follow. He will be missed by all his family and his close network of friends. "We as a family feel very proud of Brendan and everything he achieved in his short life." Read More They were speaking this morning after the British Columbia police oversight agency said it will not be recommending charges against the officer. "The evidence collected does not provide grounds to consider any charges against any officer, Ronald MacDonald, the chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office, said. "I do not consider that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges. His comments were reported in the Squamish Chief newspaper. The report found that the officer was driving in the slow lane under the speed limit - and went through the intersection on a green light. The officer hit the brakes before the collision, he said. "There is nothing in the evidence collected that suggests [the officer] was driving in a manner that would appear to a reasonable person to be way dangerous or without proper care and attention," Mr MacDonald wrote. "To the contrary, all the evidence shows she was driving as a reasonable driver would." Mr Keogh was sober, and Mr MacDonald suggested that the Irishman's vision may have been affected by the weather conditions. "[He] made a tragic error when he crossed the highway, against the traffic signal, on a dark and rainy night, in dark clothing," Mr MacDonald said. "This placed him in front of [the officers] vehicle. The collision was unfortunately unavoidable." U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is met by Ceann Comhairle Sean OFearghail and Cathaoirleach Denis ODonovan at Leinster House Pic: Mark Condren NANCY Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has said two decades of peace cannot be jeopardised by Brexit. In a historic address at Leinster House, Ms Pelosi told current and former Oireachtas members that the Good Friday Agreement is a beacon to the world. We treasure the Good Friday Accord, she said. In a contribution that focused mainly on the strong ties between Ireland and the United States, Ms Pelosi also gave her backing to the Governments bid to win a seat on the UN Security Council. She urged Irish politicians to be leaders on climate change. And Ms Pelosi praised Ireland as a modern nation that has blossomed, citing the recent referendums on marriage equality and abortion. The event to mark the 100th anniversary of the first sitting of Dail Eireann was also attended a number of US congressmen who are travelled as part of Ms Pelosis delegation. And Bono, along with his wife Ali Hewson, were seated in the distinguished guests gallery inside the Dail chamber. His appearance caused a stir among TDs and senators, many of whom queued up to shake his hand afterwards. The Speaker praised him for his contribution to music and campaign work. She said both Ireland and the US "know the joy of independence" and both "endured the traumatic experience of civil war and the satisfaction of rebuilding our nations". "It is these mutual experiences that our nations affirm for each other and to the world our democratic values and commitment to freedom. When Ireland proudly proclaimed its independence our people stood together. To applause, she repeated her view that there will be no trade deal between the US and UK after Brexit if there is any possibility of the Good Friday Agreement being undermined. We must ensure that nothing happens in the Brexit discussions that imperils the Good Friday Accord, including but not limited to, the seamless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland, she said. The late Jake Anderson (21) from Clerihan, a village near Clonmel Tributes have poured in for a young sportsman who died in a fatal road collision. Jake Anderson (21), from Clerihan, a village near Clonmel, Co Tipperary, died when his car collided with a truck on the N24 at Ballingarrane at about 8pm on Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the truck escaped without injury. Mr Anderson was the sole occupant of the car. Described as a "popular and cheerful" young man, he was an avid rower with Clonmel Rowing Club. A spokesperson for the club told the Irish Independent that his death has come as a terrible shock to the entire community. "Jake first joined the club at 14 and was always so supportive and positive, especially to the younger rowers. "He was a fantastic club member and just a lovely, popular and cheerful young man who came from a wonderful family," the spokesperson said. "We're all devastated to hear what happened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family." Mr Anderson went to school in Clonmel and worked as an apprentice pipe-fitter. It's understood that a family liaison officer has been working with the victim's family, who are well known in the local area. Mayor of Clonmel Richie Molloy also expressed his condolences. "The town is very shocked to hear that someone so young has died," he told the Irish Independent. "The stretch of road where it happened is fairly wide, but the weather in Clonmel was atrocious on Monday night. "My condolences and prayers are with his family during this very sad time," he said. Friends and loved ones of Mr Anderson also took to social media to express their grief. Funeral details are yet to be announced. The road at the scene was closed for a number of hours yesterday to facilitate an examination of the area by Garda forensic collision investigators. Cause Gardai are trying to establish the exact cause of the fatal accident. The victim was travelling in the direction of Clonmel at the time and the truck was heading towards Cahir. Tipperary saw a total of 11 road-related fatalities in 2018, according to Garda figures. And in January of this year, 19-year-old Laura Quinn from Kilshane, Co Tipperary, died after her car struck a tree. Anyone with information relating to this week's tragedy is asked to contact Clonmel garda station on 052 6177640. Gardai are also appealing for anyone who has dashcam footage of the crash to come forward. His body was later removed to University Hospital Waterford. Photo: Tony Gavin The Health and Safety Authority are investigating two fatal workplace accidents in the south-east which occurred less than 24 hours apart. A man in his 70s suffered fatal injuries when emptying a septic tank on a farm at around 10am yesterday in Ferrybank, Co Waterford. It is understood the man was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to University Hospital Waterford where a full post mortem examination will be carried out. Meanwhile, a father of two who died following a fall at a house in Co Carlow on Monday is to be buried tomorrow. John Doyle, 49, from Clonegal, had been delivering construction materials to a single house which is being built in Leighlinbridge, when the accident occurred around lunchtime on Monday. It is understood, Mr Doyle had been unloading the truck and may have fallen from a height as he was checking the vehicle. Strong winds may have been a contributory factor to the freak accident. Emergency services from Carlow town were called to the scene but despite efforts from ambulance paramedics Mr Doyle died later at St Lukes Hospital in Kilkenny. Mr Doyle is survived by his wife Elizabeth and two young daughters Shauna and Rachel. He is predeceased by his parents Bab and John. According to a death notice on rip.ie, his remains are reposing at his home until Thursday morning when his Funeral Mass will be held at 11am in St Brigids Church in Clonegal with burial in the adjoining cemetery. The Government is looking at other options for the roll-out of rural broadband as the estimated costs have soared to as much as 3bn over 25 years. It comes amid mounting Opposition pressure and concern in government that the National Broadband Plan (NBP) will be seen as having runaway costs like the National Children's Hospital. A decision on the future of the NBP had been expected this week but it has been delayed until after Easter. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dail more time is needed. He said: "We want to do this and we want to do it right. And before we bring a decision to Cabinet, we want to ensure there is no better alternative." Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald was scathing of the Government's management of the roll-out and said the delays had gone on too long. "We are now faced perhaps again with a scandalous cost over-run that might be commensurate with the debacle around the National Children's Hospital," she said, adding the original estimated cost for the plan was 500m. Responding to Ms McDonald, Mr Varadkar said: "You asked about plans B, C and D. We are examining all of those because we want to be convinced that the business case, costs and everything else are deliverable, that it is done in accordance with the public spending code." Mr Varadkar rejected her criticisms and argued she "neglected to mention" that the 500m estimate had been for a "very different project". He said the original estimate was based on bringing fibre to 11,000 towns and villages; this wasn't the same as bringing it to 540,000 homes, farms and businesses. Mr Varadkar also acknowledged estimates that the NBP could cost as much as 3bn over 25 years saying it is a "huge project of huge scale". The NBP has been beset with delays and difficulties, including two bidders dropping out. National Broadband Ireland, a consortium led by US businessman David McCourt, is the only remaining bidder for the project. Communications minister Richard Bruton has said "due diligence" on the NBP is close to completion. The Irish Independent understands there is a possibility the future of the NBP could be considered at a special Cabinet meeting in Cork next month. THIEVES used a digger to rip an ATM from a wall in Co Antrim. It is the 15th theft of a cash machine on the island of Ireland since March last year. Expand Close Passers by look at the scene in Market Square in Bushmills, Co Antrim, after a digger was used in an early-morning attack to rip a ATM from the wall of a shop. PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Passers by look at the scene in Market Square in Bushmills, Co Antrim, after a digger was used in an early-morning attack to rip a ATM from the wall of a shop. PA In the latest robbery, the culprits used a tractor and trailer to transport a digger to the Market Square area of Bushmills, Co Antrim, at around 3.30am yesterday. The excavator was then used to rip the machine from the wall. Both the tractor and the digger were set alight and destroyed by fire, with police and the fire service attending the scene. Traditional Unionist Voice MLA Jim Allister said a lack of police presence had left the area "wide open for these gangs" and the "criminals were winning". The Diamond area of the town remained sealed off as police continued their investigations. There is concern in Bushmills over the loss of the machine just ahead of the busy Easter holidays. One witness said: "At about 3.20am, I heard a massive crash followed by another crash. I though it was thunder. It's unreal that this has happened in our village. "It now means people will not be able to get cash, especially coming up to the Easter holidays, when the village will be very busy with tourists, given its location in proximity to Bushmills Distillery and the Giant's Causeway." A short time later another vehicle was found burnt out at the nearby Craigboney Road near Bushmills. It is believed both incidents are linked. There has been a spate of thefts of cashpoints at various mainly rural locations across Northern Ireland over recent months. On Friday, police issued an appeal for communities to be on the look-out for heavy plant machinery operating in the early hours of the morning. They also urged builders to ensure their machinery was secured, revealing one incident was thwarted because a digger was fitted with a functioning immobiliser. "We need communities to help be our eyes and ears," said PSNI Detective Chief Inspector David Henderson. Police have set up a special team of detectives to investigate the thefts. They have also upped patrols at vulnerable and high-risk locations. Police have defended their response to the spate of thefts, saying they "can't be everywhere at once" and called on the public's support to try and catch those responsible. Over recent days police have posted several updates of their officers visiting cash machines throughout Northern Ireland. "We don't have crystal balls," one officer said on Facebook in response to criticism of police actions. There are concerns communities could be left without cash machines. Retail NI, which represents independent traders, has said shop owners feel "under siege" and that they will be next. Mr Allister has expressed his anger at the latest theft after a similar raid in Ahoghill earlier this month. He said: "The paucity of policing in north Antrim is, I believe, making life easy for the criminals. With barely a police officer or police vehicle available within north Antrim during the night, with such service as there is withdrawn to Coleraine, the area has been left wide open for these gangs, who are not ignorant of the opportunities lack of policing presents. "After Ahoghill, I expected targeting of ATMs, in terms of surveillance and increased patrols by the PSNI, but once more the criminals are winning. This is not good enough. "This is not just another ATM theft, but the ripping of a vital service out of the village of Bushmills." It was impossible to ignore the feeling that a little bit of history was being made as I silently steamed down the 'back straight' in an electric Ferrari at Powerscourt last week. The car, and the drive, brought together several strands of a story few could have imagined a couple of years back. This was a real, not imaginary, foretaste of things to come. Yes, the Electrifi company is to invest 50m developing a range of high-performance electric cars over the next three years in Co Wicklow. That means they will become the first company to make cars in Ireland in almost 40 years. Manufacturing has already started in the Electrifi's sister plant based in Wales; with first cars to leave the Irish plant by the end of the year. I spoke with the Electrifi founder, Cork-born Norman Crowley, who believes this could be the start of something big for the Irish economy. From Clonakilty near Ballinascarthy, the home of Henry Ford, Mr Crowley's father led the fundraising for the statute of the Model T that adorns the village. It's a nice little link with the man who revolutionised transport in his time. Mr Crowley believes the potential for transformative change right now creates huge opportunities for "new and existing" players in the automotive sector. "The global market opportunity in electric vehicles is predicted to top more than $500bn between now and 2025," he adds. On that basis, he believes a revived car manufacturing industry here could employ more than 30,000 with huge spin-offs for the economy. Initially Electrifi will modify classics from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin into electric cars with Formula 1 style performance. They will be rebuilt and configured with latest technology and powered by Tesla batteries and motors. We will see a new range of fully electrified classic cars early next year, it is hoped. But they are going to cost a lot. Prices will kick off at 750,000 for higher-end models. Over time far more affordable cars - costing 30,000 - will come on stream. Money does not seem to be an object for high-end buyers: Electrifi has already sold out its capacity for the next 18 months; cars are being shipped to the UK, Middle East and US. From later this year, visitors to the company's Powerscourt estate headquarters will be able to see the cars being hand built and tested. They may be dream machines for many now but they carry real prospects. It is 'highly likely' we will see electric vehicles (EVs) take a 10pc share of the new-car market by the end of next year, a world expert told me in Dublin. Kjell Arne Wold (below), from Audi headquarters, says the advent of more, and less expensive, cars alongside the growing perception of serious savings on running costs will swing buyers to electric in ever increasing numbers. He's prepared to go further than that: "As we head towards 2025 it (electric vehicle market share) will surpass 30pc. And it could even be dramatically higher because many governments have signposted bans on fossil fuels. In Ireland's case it's 2030." Expand Close Kjell Arne Wold / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kjell Arne Wold But Kjell points out: "It (the ban) is not going to happen in 2030. It will happen well in advance so there will be a sharp increase in the number of electric vehicles being bought." Kjell is project manager Audi e-tron launch and spoke at the recent tech summit in Dublin. He previously worked for seven years at Tesla, helping to establish its success in northern Europe from 2010 until 2017 before joining Audi on the e-tron electric vehicle project. So he is well placed to give insight into what the overall future holds for us as he leads his own brand's electrification strategy. As an electric car driver of 10 years, he is convinced the advent of EV is "happening very quickly". He adds: "I think right now it's a struggle to keep up and to keep people educated. "We can't be too careful; it is a big change for many people. Technology is changing quicker than people. Over the next few years - up to 2022 - the automakers will really be tapping into the premium and expensive electric cars: Tesla, Audi e-tron, Jaguar." But the real take-up surge will come as carmakers move into less expensive vehicles that are mass produced for smaller families and first-time buyers. Kjell is at pains to emphasise how important it is that people are educated on matters such as range and consumption. He believes the old fear of running out of battery power has been, or certainly is being, overtaken by a compelling argument to save money on running costs. Important too is the need to have a car that is solid and sound (a dig at the perceived quality of non-established car builders perhaps?). "It is now a battle on range and consumption when really the question is that the car is a good car. Whether buying a Hyundai Kona or an Audi etron the real need is that it is a safe car and you need to be taken care of when you have a problem," he says. "When you transition you should be more concerned about quality and not range." He argues that Tesla has changed from really expensive high-powered cars to having the majority of their sales transiting towards shorter-range battery packs. "That is as a result of customers learning from existing owners; you no longer drive until the tank is empty. You treat your car like you do a cell phone; you plug in whenever you can," he says. That is all about changing the mindset. So what about the range versus cost battle? "One litre of petrol in Ireland costs 1.40; that will take a car 20km or so. How much will it cost for an EV to do the same distance - let's say with 200kWh? Now 1kHh is 16 cents. So it costs 65 cents for the electric EV to cover 20km. "If I saw a sign out side a petrol station saying it was selling for 65 cents-a-litre there would be queues around the corner." At the moment public charging in Ireland is free but that will change this year. It is also likely that 50pc of owners will mostly charge at home mostly, the rest at shopping centres or work. Such trends have a major impact on owners and would-be buyers, he believes: "When customers see the savings they immediately change their outlook." So when will EVs become affordable? The Volkswagen ID will be affordable - it is due here for next year - he says. So will Audi's Q4 e-tron - "much more affordable" (from now until 2025 there will be 12 full-electric Audis). "And that is just Audi." To pinpoint how swiftly and firm the changeover could be, Kjell draws my attention to an annual survey in his native Norway. People were asked if they would revert to fossil fuel vehicles if all the electric-car incentives were withdrawn. A substantial 80pc said they would not go back. "It is my own mindset that it would be a step back. I don't want to go back," he says. But on the basis of expected take-off in Ireland, and across Europe, he stresses how vital that it is far more is spent on research and development. "We need to spend a lot more money on R&D to make sure there will be enough supply," he adds. "We need to be prepared for a huge increase in demand. "We need to keep researching on the likes of the solid state battery." Why? Because, Kjell believes, we are much nearer to massive electric-car use and demand than we think. * Are you thinking of buying an electric car? Let us know: ecunningham@independent.ie A group of Irish food producers have pledged to reduce the amount of plastics they use to wrap or store their products. The food producers, which include Keelings fruit, Monaghan mushrooms and Manor Farm poultry, recently formed the Plastics Action Alliance group to address the issue of plastic packaging. Aidan Cotter, the independent Chairman of the Plastics Action Alliance, said the group wanted to demonstrate that it has "a real and binding commitment to the reduction of the use of plastic across our member companies". He added: "Some of the objectives we have set are ambitious, but we are confident that they will be met. In a statement today, the group said its key objectives were to reduce both the use and quantity of plastic packaging without compromising on quality, shelf life and consumer experience, and to eliminate unnecessary single use plastics from everyday activities across all of their sites by the end of 2020 water bottles, straws coffee cups etc. The companies, which also include ABP (beef), Aurivo (dairy), Manor Farm (poultry), Irish Country Meats (lamb), and Rosderra (pork), also said they would aim to no longer use PVC in packaging where viable alternatives exist with the required functionality by the end of 2020. Read More Plastics Action Alliance's other aims include: Ensure a 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging by the end of 2025 Use cardboard packaging that is certified PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement) or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) by end of 2020 Proactively search for new materials from renewable sources. Redesign packaging to reduce the amount of plastic in each pack. Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic packaging through improved design, innovation or alternative renewable options by 2025. All plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 No packaging waste from any participant sites will go to landfill by the end of 2020 Other companies in the Plastics Action Alliance are Country Crest/Ballymaguire Foods (vegetables and prepared meals), Natures Best (salads); C&D Foods (petfood); and Bandon Co-Op (dairy. Nancy Pelosi is an Italian American with a formidable political track record. As the third most powerful politician in the United States, she certainly packs a punch when she speaks. And her blunt message to President Donald Trump and the UK Brexiteers has a very encouraging ring for the Irish Government and people. Speaking in Dublin, she warned Mr Trump and the Brexiteers not to even think about a US-UK trade deal if there is any threat of a Border in Ireland. It was notable that there was no caveat to dilute the strength of her message - this one came straight from the shoulder. It can serve as another reminder that Ireland still packs a punch in the USA - but let's not get the head staggers here. True, the speaker in the US House of Representatives said a trade agreement that damages peace in Ireland "just can't possibly happen". She was addressing a small gathering at the Department of Foreign Affairs' splendid headquarters, Iveagh House. The attendees were seated at six tables, named for counties to which key people were linked. Thus, Ms Pelosi was at the 'Cork table' along with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, while European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee was the lead at the 'Meath table'. Ireland's redoubtable ambassador in Washington, Dan Mulhall, headed the table from his native Waterford. So much for the protocol - but let's stay with the US speaker's core message. Ms Pelosi said the 1998 Good Friday Agreement is "not just a peace agreement" - but something that resolved hundreds of years of conflict. She rightly said America, including president Bill Clinton and former senator George Mitchell, had worked hard to ensure people on this island could live in harmony. "This isn't for us an issue or an agreement. It's a value," she said. Ms Pelosi went on to say that while speaking with UK politicians in recent days she made clear the position of the Democratic Party. She said the UK people had voted to leave the EU and politicians must facilitate that. But she added: "And as they work that out, not to think for one minute that there's any comfort for them, that if they leave the EU they will quickly have a US-UK trade agreement. That's just not on the cards if there is any harm done to the Good Friday accords. Don't even think about it." Ms Pelosi said US politicians were not taking sides: "We're just holding to our values. It's an ideal that is a model for the world. Other places copy it so that they can make peace and find common ground." Mr Coveney told the same gathering Ireland respects British voters' decision to leave and does not want to make life difficult for them. "We want our nearest neighbours to thrive and to prosper," the Tanaiste said diplomatically, adding though that the UK has no right to determine Ireland's future. There is no denying the volume of US political and financial investment in establishing and sustaining peace in Northern Ireland. And the bulk of that came from Ms Pelosi's Democratic Party colleagues, Mr Clinton and the heaven-sent envoy, senator George Mitchell, without whom the deal very probably would not have happened. But we must also recognise that it is Ms Pelosi's job to oppose the current US president, using her party's majority position in the House of Representatives to do this. Brexit is as good a point of differentiation as any other. Neither is there much dividend for her in offering any succour to ardent Brexiteers in the UK. The impact of how her words play here, and are relayed to Irish-Americans is of far greater interest. So yes, she is definitely "playing politics" here. But then again, that is what politicians are wont to do - and we should not be too harsh about that. Just because this message suits Ms Pelosi's other political work does not undermine its value. In fact, you could argue that the more pragmatic reasons for her words further reinforce the validity of her message. Much is rightly made of Ireland's political reach on display around each St Patrick's Day in Washington. The access is unprecedented for such a small nation and much is due to the loyalty of Irish-Americans, who have selflessly supported their ancestral land down the years. So, there is benefit for Ireland. There's been a bit of grief following the revelation that just 38pc of new fathers are taking their paternity leave entitlement. Although Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty professed herself "delighted" at the take-up after the scheme was introduced, it means that in reality almost two-thirds of families are not availing of it. This compares badly with places like Iceland, where 91pc do, Quebec (86pc) and France (80pc). The EU is set to introduce a compulsory 10-day leave period for all new fathers, so our two weeks already compares favourably, especially given the six EU countries (including Germany) which don't offer leave at all. What is the intransigence among Irish dads? These days they're all hands-on, I'd say upwards of 90pc of them attend their child's birth, they're a dab hand with the nappies and night feeds and, most importantly, want to be far more involved than their own fathers were. The UK, which has an utterly dismal record (just 2pc of dads take paternity leave), cites a lack of information about what's available and a huge stigma about not being taken seriously by their employer if they hop off on 'holiday' to mind their kids. Women, of course, have faced this for decades. Even though it is now technically unlawful for employers to say anything but "brilliant" when you announce you're pregnant, there's buckets of anecdotal evidence, especially in smaller companies, showing bosses are not only dismayed at the thought of a female employee disappearing for the best part of a year, but are actively managing their recruitment methods to avoid taking them on in the first place if they are of child-bearing possibilities. I was the victim of it myself many moons ago, with it being made clear in no uncertain terms that anything more than 16 weeks off would be considered an indulgence. Britain's 'Share the Joy' campaign to encourage dads' leave had a glaring flaw, which opponents point to in its failure. It requires mothers to give up part of their maternity leave to be shared with dad. In other words, his rights to care for his children are at his partner's behest, rather than statutory. Yet a Swedish study found that for every month a father took leave to care for children, his partner's long-term earnings rose by 6.7pc as she returned to work earlier. We need junior taxpayers. The country's ageing population means that while there are five taxpayers supporting every pensioner in 2019, this reduces dramatically to just 2:1 by 2050 (just when today's young parents are retiring). That, of course, is unsustainable, as countries like Italy and France have already discovered. The French responded by paying families to have a third child, the Nordics by extending paid parental leave for a year and supplementing child care. We are taking baby steps, excuse the pun, but they are too few and too slow. We are learning to crawl while other countries are at the top of the climbing frame. When will the time come, do you think, that women bearing children are seen as the asset they are, underpinning the future economy rather than being viewed as a drain upon it? When will it be OK for every dad to automatically involve themselves in that, and every employer to be far-sighted enough to make the financial link between its future pension responsibilities and today's short-term support? We're not the best by a long shot. Admittedly, we're not the worst either. One newspaper ran a story headlined, "Top investment banker actually took all his paternity leave for once". It wasn't a parody; it was the 'Wall Street Journal'. And it was in 2016. Charlene McKenna celebrated her engagement with a night out in Dublin, left, and with new fiance Adam Rothenburg, right Irish actress Charlene McKenna celebrated her forthcoming nuptials with a liquid lunch in the company of her best pals as she toasted her recent engagement in style. Last month saw her fellow Ripper Street actor Adam Rothenberg go down on bended knee and ask his partner of five years to marry him on March 26 - Charlene's 35th birthday. The 43-year-old American star proposed to her while they were in Manhattan, where the couple spend a lot of time for work purposes. And the Monaghan actress made sure to celebrate the recent proposal during a weekend visit home as she headed to Dublin hotspot Isabelle's to catch up with pals. In a picture posted from the South Anne Street venue she was joined by pals including fellow actress Aoibhinn McGinn as they clinked champagne glasses. Expand Close Charlene McKenna celebrated her engagement / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlene McKenna celebrated her engagement She was also pictured holding a giant inflatable ring balloon over her head as she enjoyed the fun-filled afternoon with her pals. But she is keeping the details of her wedding under wraps for now and has yet to speak publicly about the romantic proposal. She first met Rothenburg (inset below) while filming BBC drama Ripper Street, which was originally made in Dublin and she played the part of a prostitute named Rose while he was renegade Captain Homer Jackson. The loved-up pair managed to keep their relationship to themselves for a while until she confirmed the romance in 2016. Charlene previously dated Poldark star Aidan Turner and has clearly learned the hard way about keeping her personal life out of the public eye. However, the smitten star couldn't help herself from gushing about her handsome partner, joking how they were a "total cliche" by meeting on the set of the historical drama series. Video of the Day "Adam is just one of the smartest and most talented people I have ever met, and he's an amazing anchor for this acting world we're in," she said. "He's older than me so that's very grounding because he has no interest in the hype, as he has kind of been there and done that. "I often think he would make a wonderful psychologist, as we have really good in-depth chats and he's a very good person." She revealed the happy news herself on Instagram, posting a picture of her with him while holding her hand aloft sporting a sparkling diamond ring. A delighted McKenna captioned the pic, 'Sure G'wan...' along with a ring emoji. She revealed before how much the pair have in common, in that they're both one of six children, their mothers' families are from Scotland and they have a shared love of music. Eva Mendes attends Eva Mendes x New York & Company "Everyday Chic" Collection Launch on March 19, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for New York & Company) Eva Mendes Filming a commercial for her design label Nyc & Co in Times Square on March 3, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images) Eva Mendes attends Eva Mendes x New York & Company "Everyday Chic" Collection Launch on March 19, 2018 at New York & Company Headquarters in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for New York & Company) Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes seen at Tao Restaurant for SNL after party on September 30, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images) Eva Mendes visits New York & Company Store on March 15, 2019 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York & Company) Eva Mendes attends the grand opening of New York & Company Miami store and the debut of her new collection on March 16, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for New York & Company ) Eva Mendes said having children was the furthest thing from my mind until she met her long-term partner Ryan Gosling. The Hollywood actress started dating her former co-starr after meeting on the set of 2011 film A Place Beyond The Pines and the two are famously protective of their family life, only confirming their relationship after several years of dating. There are only a handful of pictures of them together throughout their eight year relationship. Mendes, 45, and Gosling, 38, now have two daughters Esmeralda, four, and two-year-old Amada. However, 2 Fast 2 Furious star Mendes told Womens Health magazine she was not thinking about becoming a mother before she met Gosling. Expand Close Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes in 2014 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes in 2014 She said: It was the furthest thing from my mind. Ryan Gosling happened. I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him. "We're just starting to get out of survival mode. I'm starting to feel like a person again. We have an amazing support group: Ryan's mom, my mom, Ryan's and my sisters. It's a village that helped us." She said she is particularly grateful for the support she receives from her inner circle, especially since her mother raised her and her three siblings largely single-handedly. "My heart goes out to women who do this alone. I basically come from a single-parent household; although I love my dad, my mom mostly raised four of us on her own." Mendess film career began in the late 1990s with appearances in horror films such as Children of The Corn V: Fields Of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut. She got her big break in 2001s Training Day and later earned roles in Hitch and Ghost Rider. Expand Close Eva Mendes attends Eva Mendes x New York & Company "Everyday Chic" Collection Launch on March 19, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for New York & Company) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eva Mendes attends Eva Mendes x New York & Company "Everyday Chic" Collection Launch on March 19, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for New York & Company) Video of the Day And she said that motherhood has taken over her Hollywood career and she hasn't appeared in an acting role since 2014, focusing instead on being a full-time mother to their two daughters. She has all but shunned her former life and shunned the red carpet during Gosling's much-lauded performance in La La Land in 2017, even skipping out on the Oscars that year, saying at the time that "she'd rather be with our girls." In her Women's Health interview, she expanded on her feelings, saying: I felt a lack of ambition if I can be honest. I feel more ambitious in the home right now than I do in the workplace. Mendes rarely gives interviews and it's usually done so in conjunction with her fashion line with New York & Company. Joel Edgerton with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander with employees at Rosa Madre in Temple Bar. Picture: Instagram Hollywood actor Joel Edgerton and Vogue editor girlfriend Christine Centenera seen leaving The Merrion Hotel and visting the Book of Kells in Trinity College Hollywood actor Joel Edgerton is enjoying some downtime from his back-to-back blockbuster career in Dublin. The 44-year-old, from Australia, has spent much of the last seven years throwing himself into his work - opposite Ruth Negga in Loving, Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow and Will Smith in Bright - but even rising stars need to get away now and then. He and girlfriend, fashion director at Vogue Australia Christine Centenera were pictured leaving the five star Merrion Hotel for a day of sightseeing on Tuesday, which included a walk around Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Expand Close Joel Edgerton with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander with employees at Rosa Madre in Temple Bar. Picture: Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joel Edgerton with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander with employees at Rosa Madre in Temple Bar. Picture: Instagram The couple, who have been dating for more than one year, have been travelling across Europe in recent weeks and are fresh from a visit to Paris after returning home to Sydney last month. Last night, they enjoyed dinner with Michael Fassbender and wife Alicia Vikander at iconic Italian restaurant Rosa Madre in Temple Bar, where they were also joined by Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham. Fassbender and Vikander have been spending the last number of weeks in Dublin after filming for his latest project The Green Knight wrapped in Tipperary. Earlier this month, he was spotted dining at Shouk restaurant in Drumcondra celebrating his 42nd brithday. A sign warning people of measles in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg in New York City earlier this week The measles epidemic gripping the US was spread to Michigan last month by a New York man who was travelling across the country to raise money for charity, health officials have revealed. The carrier was fundraising in Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community before he drove to Detroit, where he spread the disease through visits to synagogues and markets. Feeling ill when he arrived on March 13, he saw a doctor who misdiagnosed his symptoms as bronchitis. Since the unnamed man arrived in Michigan, 39 cases have been confirmed in the state. "Every one of our cases has had a link to the initial case," said Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer for Oakland County in Detroit. The World Health Organisation yesterday declared the number of measles cases around the world has increased by 300pc in the past year. The surge in cases in America is believed to be linked to travellers from the tight-knit Jewish community visiting infected areas in Ukraine and Israel and returning home as carriers. Ecuadors president has accused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of hosting hackers at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Lenin Moreno said Assange had given them directions on how to propagate information on issues important to both him and his financiers. Mr Moreno added that Swedish programmer Ola Bini, who is in custody in Ecuador, was one of the hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Mr Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. Mr Moreno said Bini hacked mobile phones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuadors government. In Quito earlier in the day, Binis parents called for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he had done nothing wrong. Expand Close A protester wears a Julian Assange mask during a demonstration against the policies of Ecuadorian leader Lenin Morenos government (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A protester wears a Julian Assange mask during a demonstration against the policies of Ecuadorian leader Lenin Morenos government (AP) His father, Dag Gustafsson, said: Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more. Meanwhile, demonstrators clashed with police in Ecuadors capital during a protest against Mr Morenos action against Assange, as well as his removal of state workers and the governments acceptance of a loan from the International Monetary Fund. Mr Moreno made his allegations at the Inter-American Dialogue during a five-day visit to Washington. He will not have meetings with officials from the Trump administration. Assange had enjoyed asylum since 2012 at the embassy in London but relations between the Australian and Ecuadorian officials had grown increasingly tense. Mr Morenos government has accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing faeces on the embassys walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. Expand Close President Lenin Moreno (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Lenin Moreno (AP) The US is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Ecuadors president suggested Assange was able to operate equipment and collaborate with embassy staffers for a long time thanks to the support of Mr Morenos predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange. Mr Moreno said: There are other answers that fit with someones else money, which (this person) kept taking away from Ecuador in order to keep power and in order to go back to power, though he did not refer specifically to Mr Correa at first. However, at a later point, Mr Moreno said the president spends three million dollars a month to propagate his ideas and has been receiving money from the socialist government of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to perform economic studies. Mr Moreno said his government has not requested cooperation from the United States for the investigation of Assange and Bini. But, he added, if we need it, we will request. Lets not forget this is a country with very high technology. Expand Close The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The father of detained Swedish programmer Ola Bini, Dag Gustafsson, speaks at a press conference (AP) Ecuadorian interior minister Maria Paula Romo contends Bini travelled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She said he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Mr Correa. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini with hacking-related crimes and have detained him for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Binis father said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit group and has a burning passion for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. For us, its surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations, Mr Gustafasson said. Shares in Bunzl came under selling pressure on Wednesday after the outsourcing and distribution firm posted slowing first quarter growth. The company saw sales rise 4% in the period, which the firm said represents a slowdown that it linked to mixed macroeconomic and market conditions. Bunzl pointed in particular to its business in North America, which experienced slower underlying growth of approximately 1% as a result of lower sales to customers in the grocery and retail sectors. Investors reacted badly to the news, sending shares down nearly 10% to 2,310p in morning trade. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Markets have been right to worry about a global economic slowdown if you look at Bunzls gloomy update. It supplies goods to companies so they can do business, rather than items they sell on to their customers. For example, this includes coffee cups for cafes, cleaning products for hospitals and food wrap for supermarkets to protect their goods. Therefore, it can be considered an economic bellwether. The fact that underlying revenue growth during its first quarter seems to have slowed in all markets is a major alarm bell. The big question is whether life is getting to get even tougher in its second quarter. But Bunzl added that it has seen good growth in the safety, processor, agriculture and convenience store sectors, and flagged 2% underlying revenue growth in Continental Europe, UK and Ireland and the rest of the world. The group also said that it has acquired Dutch distributor Coolpack for an undisclosed amount. Coolpack is engaged in the supply of specialist packaging to supermarkets and the pharmaceutical, food processor and foodservice sectors. Growth through acquisitions to consolidate the markets in which the company operates is an important part of Bunzls consistent and proven strategy, Bunzl added. A total of 880 million euro (760 million) has already been donated by business leaders and ordinary worshippers towards the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after it was ravaged by fire. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site on Wednesday morning after French president Emmanuel Macron set a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. Mr Macron is holding a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday dedicated to the Notre Dame fire response. Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info that 880 million euro has been raised so far. Contributors include tech giant Apple and magnates who own LOreal, Chanel and Dior, as well as ordinary Catholics and others from around the world. Authorities have said the cause of the fire was accidental, possibly related to renovation work. Expand Close The hole the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral after the fire (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The hole the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral after the fire (AP) Firefighters are still examining damage and shoring up the structure after the fire collapsed the cathedrals spire and destroyed the roof. Bells will toll at cathedrals around France on Wednesday evening in honour of the monument. Remarkably, no-one was killed in the fire, after firefighters and church officials evacuated the site quickly during a Mass. The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with larger offers. Expand Close Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been donated to restoring the cathedral (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been donated to restoring the cathedral (AP) Some criticism has already surfaced among those in France who say the money could be better spent elsewhere, on smaller struggling churches or helping workers. Meanwhile, Mr Macrons five-year deadline which happens to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics struck many as unrealistic. Pierluigi Pericolo, in charge of restoration and security at the St Donatian basilica in Nantes, said it could take two to five years just to secure Notre Dame, given its size. He told France-Info: Its a fundamental step, and very complex, because its difficult to send workers into a monument whose vaulted ceilings are swollen with water. Expand Close A vigil was held in Paris following the fire (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A vigil was held in Paris following the fire (AP) The end of the fire doesnt mean the edifice is totally saved. The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside. Some 30 people have already been questioned in the investigation into the blaze, which the Paris prosecutor warned would be long and complex. Among those questioned are workers at the five construction companies involved in renovation work on the church spire and roof, which had been under way when the fire broke out. A plan to safeguard the masterpieces and relics inside was quickly put into action once the alert was raised. The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dames most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported to safety, authorities said. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christs head during the crucifixion. The cathedrals famous 18th-century organ which boasts more than 8,000 pipes also survived. Some of the paintings and other artworks are being dehumidified, protected and eventually restored at the Louvre. Norwegian Air has been accused of being trapped in a Mad Men universe. (Norwegian Air/PA) Norwegian Air has told its female staff that they must carry a doctor's note at all times if they want to wear flat shoes. The airline, which has been fiercely criticised, told its women employees they must wear heels which are at least 2cm tall, in a 22-page dress code. Women are required to have a doctor's note at all times and update it every six months if they want to wear flat shoes. Norway's largest airline has been accused of being trapped in a "'Mad Men' universe" - a reference to a popular US period drama which portrays the sexist and patriarchal attitudes of the 1960s. "It is almost comical that we face these issues in 2019," Ingrid Hodnebo, a women's spokesperson for the country's Socialist Left Party, told Norwegian newspaper 'VG'. "While the rest of society has moved on, Norwegian is stuck in the 'Mad Men' universe from the 1950s and '60s". Norwegian Air said staff are allowed to wear flat shoes in the cabin and the doctor's note refers to female footwear when worn outside the cabin. ( Independent News Service) 1653 W. Grace St., Chicago: $1,875,000 | Listed: Oct. 18, 2021 This six-bedroom home has four full baths, two half baths, six outdoor decks and an in-ground heated resistance pool. The kitchen is equipped with a Thermador double oven with a custom stainless steel hood, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a wine refrigerator and a breakfast island with a vegetable sink. The first floor also has a dining room, a family room with a fireplace, a living room, two built-in pantries and deck access. The second floor has four large bedrooms and an office with custom built-ins. The third floor has a bathroom with a skylight, double sink, large soaking tub, and separate shower. The primary bedroom suite, also located on the third floor, has his and her walk-in closets with custom built-ins and a reading nook. A full basement with radiant heated floors, a wine cellar, a three-car garage and a catwalk from the house to the garage deck complete this home. Agent: Nicole Duran, @properties, 773-905-9472 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. Climate change activists sit at Waterloo Bridge during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Members of the so called 'Red Brigade' march in disobedience on the street from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus to protest in London, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The group Extinction Rebellion is calling for a week of civil disobedience against what it says is the failure to tackle the causes of climate change. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Extinction Rebellion demonstrators on Waterloo Bridge, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire Climate change activists dance at Oxford Circus during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in Oxford Circus, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. Photo: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire A woman walks past Extinction Rebellion demonstrators camping near Waterloo Bridge, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire Extinction Rebellion demonstrators camp near Waterloo Bridge, London, as more than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire Protestors block the roads in parliament square in London, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, with Big Ben's clock tower shrouded in scaffolding back right. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in Parliament Square, London, as the climate change protests in the capital continues. Photo: Jennifer McKiernan/PA Wire Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in Parliament Square, London. More than 200 people have been arrested as police deal with ongoing climate change protests. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Police detain a climate change activist demonstrating during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Climate change activists gather at Oxford Circus during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls In Pictures: More than 300 climate change campaigners arrested since Monday as London comes to a standstill Close Protesters arrested during three days of disruption in the capital are re-joining climate change demonstrations hours after being freed from custody. Scotland Yard has arrested more than 300 people since Monday as activists continue in their bid to bring London to a standstill. The force has dismissed rumours its cells are full and warned people they face arrest and prosecution if they continue to protest on Waterloo Bridge and in the Oxford Circus area. But some activists have already re-joined demonstrations after being released from custody. Katerina Hasapopoulos was held on Monday after activists smashed glass doors at Shell's headquarters in Waterloo and spray-painted graffiti on to the building. On Wednesday she was back on Waterloo Bridge, where protesters have been told they face arrest if they do not comply with a condition to continue demonstrations in the Marble Arch area. "As soon as I was out of the cell I went and served some food at Marble Arch, then came here," she said in a press statement released by the Extinction Rebellion (XR) group. "I'm here because it's vitally important - we are facing an unprecedented emergency, and we need to take emergency action. "I left my three children, all under six, at home with their father to do this, because their future depends on it." Caroline Vincent, 56, who was arrested on Waterloo Bridge on Tuesday, also plans to return to protest at Parliament Square on Wednesday night. "They arrested me for obstructing the highway. They were very polite, I was equally polite," she told the Press Association. "I spent the night at Sutton police station and was released this morning. "I will be back on the streets tonight. I'm on Parliament Square duty." Ms Vincent, who has a PHD in biology and runs a business in the pharmaceutical industry, said she was freed from custody pending further investigations. "We don't know yet what's going to happen. The most likely thing will be they won't have the time and the money to prosecute all of us," she said. "I was a law-abiding citizen all my life and it goes really against the grain of how I was brought up." She said she joined the protests to raise awareness of the forthcoming "ecological crisis" and hopes to continue demonstrating until the end of next week. "I'm not worried to get arrested - what it takes is what it takes," Ms Vincent, who has dual French and British nationality, continued. "We need the numbers to get arrested to have the press talking about us." Grandmother-of-four Lucy Craig, 71, said she also plans to re-join the protests after she was arrested at Oxford Circus on Monday. "If they arrest me again, so be it, I've got nothing to lose," she said. Earlier, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's home in north London became the latest target on the third day of climate change demonstrations across the capital. Two men and two women from the Extinction Rebellion (XR) group used glue and a bike lock in a bid to prevent police from removing them from outside the house on Wednesday. They said they all support Mr Corbyn but want the Labour Party to go further than declaring a "climate emergency". As they left, one protester, Tracee Williams, 55, said: "We just really felt we had to bring it to his front door." Wisdom of youth: Activist Greta Thunberg has called on politicians to take action urgently. Photo: Getty Images Police have arrested 290 people in two days of protests after climate-change activists blocked some of London's most important junctions including Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, causing traffic chaos. The protests, led by climate group Extinction Rebellion, brought parts of central London to a standstill again. And tomorrow they have pledged to target the Tube network. Extinction Rebellion, which generated headlines with a semi-nude protest in the House of Commons earlier this month, is demanding the UK government reduces greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Police said they expected the demonstrations to continue in the coming weeks and had to strike the right balance between allowing the right to peaceful protest while ensuring disruption was kept at a minimum. The organisation told the Irish Independent that it was planning to carry out a disruptive protest in Dublin city centre on Good Friday at 1pm. "We will gather at the Spire at 1pm and continue with a very slow march over O'Connell Bridge. We will take the march down to a 'no move march' and we will stay on O'Connell Bridge for as long as it takes to get a response from the Government," said spokesman Ciaran O'Carroll. "We won't be blocking the Luas or emergency vehicles but we will be blocking road traffic. "We have people prepared to stay there for as long as it takes." Meanwhile, Swedish teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg addressed European politicians in Strasbourg and told them that now is the time "to panic". The 16-year-old told EU leaders in Strasbourg: "I want you to act as if the house is on fire." She said that "if our house was falling apart, you wouldn't hold three emergency Brexit summits and no emergency summit regarding the breakdown of the climate and environment". During a speech met with a standing ovation, Greta fought back tears as she warned about rapid species extinctions, soil erosion, deforestation and ocean pollution. In a reference to the international funding effort launched to rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, she urged MEPs and officials to use "cathedral thinking" to tackle climate change. Firefighters stand in front of the towers of a skyscraper housing embassies, after a bomb threat, in Madrid. Photo: Juan Medina/Reuters A skyscraper housing embassies in Madrid was evacuated yesterday after a bomb threat was received by telephone at the Australian embassy there, a police spokeswoman said. The 57-storey, 235-metre-high Torre Espacio, one of four towers located in the Spanish capital's financial district, also houses the embassies of Britain and Canada. A British embassy spokeswoman said its staff had been evacuated around midday. TV footage showed a police cordon and fire trucks outside the building. Business owners have offered millions to restore the devastated Notre Dame cathedral after the fire A still image taken from a video shows flames at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France April 15, 2019. REUTERS TV/via REUTERS Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames that began in the early evening burst rapidly through the roof of the centuries-old Notre-Dame cathedral and engulfed the spire, which collapsed, quickly followed by the entire roof. Flames illuminate the night sky as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The cathedral is on an island in the Seine. Photo: REUTERS Firefighters tackle the blaze as flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Flames and smoke rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Horror: A woman reacts as she watches flames engulf the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral. Photo: AFP/Getty Images A woman prays next to Notre Dame Cathedral after it suffered heavy damage from a fire. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Francois-Henri Pinault, his wife Salma Hayek and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to fire damaged Notre Dame cathedral Firefighters use hoses as Notre Dame cathedral burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. A catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations Monday, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a fire which destroyed much of the building on Monday Photo credit: Victoria Jones/PA Wire The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a fire which destroyed much of the building on Monday evening Photo credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire TWO of France's richest men, long locked in a public rivalry, are once again pitted against each other - this time over flashy and competing donations to rebuild Notre Dame. Billionaire luxury tycoons - Bernard Arnault, 70, and Francois Pinault, 82 - are among France's fiercest business competitors and patrons. Their rivalry reached dramatic heights when it was announced Mr Pinault, his son and their company Artemis would immediately donate 100 million to help finance renovations to Notre Dame after it was seriously damaged in an inferno during building works. Hours later, Mr Arnault shot back with an announcement that he, his family and his luxury company LVMH would pledge double that amount - 200 million - for the restoration of the church that was immortalised in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback Of Notre Dame - an eternal story of obsession and jealousy. The famed rivalry of Mr Arnault and Mr Pinault goes back decades. "They're like competing boys, but the stakes run into the billions," said Long Nguyen, fashion editor at Flaunt magazine. Mr Arnault is France's - and Europe's - richest man and CEO of the world's biggest luxury group, LVMH, the owner of iconic fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Mr Pinault founded the world's second-biggest, Kering, formerly PPR, that acquired rival brand Saint Laurent in a face-off. Expand Close Francois-Henri Pinault, his wife Salma Hayek and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to fire damaged Notre Dame cathedral / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Francois-Henri Pinault, his wife Salma Hayek and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to fire damaged Notre Dame cathedral "The Notre Dame donations are the latest in a long line ... They run competing fashion houses and both like the centre stage," he added. Both men also possess a sizeable art collection - and a desire to show it off in competing museums. Mr Pinault's son Francois-Henri married actress Salma Hayek and is often in the society pages, while Mr Arnault's son Antoine fathered children to supermodel Natalia Vodianova. The two were reportedly on friendly business terms until the late 1990s. Some commentators have linked the souring of the pair's relations to a bidding battle over the ownership of Italian fashion house Gucci, which eventually went to Mr Pinault's Kering group. Then, the battling turned to art. Mr Arnault opened the Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed by architect Frank Gehry, in 2014 to showcase his vast personal art trove in Paris' far western suburbs. Some critics have branded it a vanity project, with French media claiming that the glimmering building's final price tag came in at close to $900 million. Meanwhile Mr Pinault, who with his son is estimated to represent France's sixth fortune, is following hot on Mr Arnault's heels and is set to open his multimillion-euro contemporary art museum, the Collection Pinault-Paris, next spring. Since 2001, Mr Pinault has gradually been ceding control of his business interests to his eldest son Francois-Henri, 56, to concentrate on his art collecting. The museum, designed by another big-name architect, Tadao Ando, will display the octogenarian tycoon's personal contemporary art collection. The website highlights its prime central location "in the very heart of Paris" in the city's former stock exchange. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns cosmetics giant L'Oreal, and Total also each pledged 100 million to go towards the restoration of the 850-year-old cathedral. Jet2s profits took off last year but its performance could be weighed down by Brexit uncertainty this summer (Anna Gowthorpe/PA) Jet2 owner Dart Group has said its profits for last year will be higher than expected, but warned of Brexit clouds during the current year. The company said its growing leisure travel business had helped bolster results for the year to March 31 2019. As a result, group profit before foreign exchange revaluation and tax is set to be slightly ahead of market expectations. But the year ending March 31 2020 could be affected by economic uncertainty in the UK, particularly around Brexit. Dart said bookings for this years all-important summer period had so far reflected some consumer uncertainty. Pricing for both the groups flight-only bookings and its package holiday products is more competitive, in a bid to secure holidaymakers. The extension of the Brexit deadline to the end of October was viewed as positive for travel operators by the market, due to the greater certainty for travellers making trips during the summer. Shares in the likes of easyJet and Tui rose following the announcement. The worst thing that could happen is that were not able to fly to Europe. I think the chance of that happening is extremely lowSteve Heapy, Jet2 Dart said there was still time in the leisure travel booking cycle, meaning the board remains optimistic of meeting current market expectations for profit in the year to March 2020. Earlier this year, Jet2 boss Steve Heapy warned of higher prices for holidaymakers in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The worst thing that could happen is that were not able to fly to Europe, he said. I think the chance of that happening is extremely low. I think well end up with something in the middle whereby were able to fly into Europe, but I think it might be more expensive and there might be more restrictions. Mr Heapy said the business would consider adding more flights to locations such as Turkey if it was not allowed into Europe. A woman carries a water container and water purification pills distributed by workers of Venezuelan Red Cross REUTERS/Manaure Quintero NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. Workers of Venezuelan Red Cross distribute humanitarian aid in the form of water containers and water purification pills in the Agua Salud neighbourhood in Caracas REUTERS/Manaure Quintero NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. Empty water containers to be handed out with purification pills are lined up during the Red Cross' first aid shipment in Caracas, Venezuela (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) THE first shipment of humanitarian aid from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has arrived in Venezuela. The organisation confirmed that medicine and supplies to treat needy patients has landed in Caracas. Images shared on social media showed workers in blue vests with the Red Cross emblem lowering boxes of aid from a plane. The Red Cross announced in late March that it had obtained permission from officials to begin delivering assistance to the crisis-stricken country. Expand Close Workers of Venezuelan Red Cross distribute humanitarian aid in the form of water containers and water purification pills in the Agua Salud neighbourhood in Caracas REUTERS/Manaure Quintero NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Workers of Venezuelan Red Cross distribute humanitarian aid in the form of water containers and water purification pills in the Agua Salud neighbourhood in Caracas REUTERS/Manaure Quintero NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. The delivery marks a recognition by President Nicolas Maduro that the South American nation is experiencing a humanitarian crisis, which he has long denied. The opposition has made the aid delivery a key part of its campaign to oust the socialist leader. Bernie Sanders became a millionaire in 2016, putting him in the top 1pc of earners in the US, according to the senator's long-anticipated release of 10 years of his tax returns. The release confirms Mr Sanders's income crossed the $1m (885,000) threshold in 2016 and 2017, although he reported lower earnings in his most recent return. In the Vermont senator's 2018 return, he and his wife, Jane Sanders, earned more than $550,000, including $133,000 income from his Senate salary and $391,000 in book sales. The Sanders campaign said he paid 26pc effective tax rate in 2018. The release comes as Mr Sanders faces criticism that his new-found wealth contradicts his political message of democratic socialism in his 2020 presidential campaign. During a Fox News town hall meeting on Monday, the senator said his increased income came from the publication of his book, 'Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In'. Bestseller At the televised meeting, Mr Sanders said he would not apologise for his recent wealth. "That money in my case, and my wife's case, came from a book I wrote, a pretty good book, you might want to read it," he said. "It was a bestseller, it sold all over the world, and we made money. So if anyone thinks I should apologise for writing a bestselling book, I'm sorry I'm not going to do it." He also challenged Donald Trump to release his tax returns. "I guess the president watches your network a little bit, right?" Mr Sanders said to moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. "Hey, President Trump. My wife and I just released 10 years. Please do the same." Mr Trump broke from decades of presidential tradition by refusing to show voters his tax returns during his 2016 presidential campaign. In 2016, Mr Sanders released just one year of his tax returns and faced criticism from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for refusing to release multiple years of tax documents. Mr Sanders's tax returns show he is among the top 1pc of earners in the US, which some critics argue undermines his calls for an economy and government that works for everyone, not just the 1pc. According to the Economic Policy Institute, families in the US earning $421,926 or more a year are part of this group. ( Independent News Service) Greta Thunberg showed Pope Francis a sign urging him to join the climate strike (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Swedish teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg has brought her climate change campaign to the Vatican. The 16-year-old met with Pope Francis and carried a sign saying Join the climate strike. Expand Close The pope has made tackling climate change a key feature of his papacy (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The pope has made tackling climate change a key feature of his papacy (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Ms Thunberg arrived late for Francis general audience and took her seat in the VIP section in St Peters Square. Francis went up to her at the end of the audience, where Ms Thunberg showed off her sign. Expand Close The pope greeted Ms Thunberg in the VIP section of St Peters Square (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The pope greeted Ms Thunberg in the VIP section of St Peters Square (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) She is in Rome to headline Fridays school strike, the growing worldwide youth movement she spearheaded demanding faster action against climate change. Ms Thunberg will also address the Italian parliament. In Francis, Ms Thunberg has found a kindred spirit. The Jesuit pope has made fighting climate change and caring for Gods creation a pillar of his papacy. Staff members, former staff, and friends of the Capital Gazette pose for a photo at the newsroom in Annapolis. Photo: Josh Davisburg/The Baltimore Sun A local newspaper in the US has been awarded a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a mass shooting in its own newsroom. The 'Capital Gazette', based in the city of Annapolis, Maryland, won a special citation for the courage of its staff in reporting the massacre in which five colleagues were killed. The paper published on schedule the day after the atrocity - believed to be the worst mass attack on journalists in US history. Employees John McNamara, Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith, Gerald Fischman and Rob Hiaasen all died during the incident last June. A reader said to have had a long-standing grudge against the paper has been charged with five counts of murder. Jarrod Ramos will stand trial in November. Speaking shortly after the $100,000 prize was announced, surviving staff said the recognition was "bittersweet". Reporter Chase Cook said: "Since it's so connected to something so tragic, there was no euphoric pop-off of excitement." Editor Rick Hutzell added: "Clearly, there were a lot of mixed feelings. No one wants to win an award for something that kills five of your friends." Prizes also went to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal for investigations of Donald Trump. ( Independent News Service) President Donald Trump waves to members of the media as he walks on the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 15, 2019, after visiting Minnesota. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President Donald Trump has vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end US military assistance in Saudi Arabias war in Yemen. The veto the second in Mr Trumps presidency was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Mr Trump wrote in explaining his veto. Congress has grown uneasy with Mr Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authoritiesDonald Trump Many lawmakers also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Mr Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing. The US provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition air strikes since the conflict began in 2014. Expand Close President Donald Trumps veto was expected (Evan Vucci/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trumps veto was expected (Evan Vucci/AP) The fighting in the Arab worlds poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. Mr Trump said the measure was unnecessary because except for counterterrorism operations against Islamic State militants and al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen. He said there were no US military personnel in Yemen accompanying the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis, although he acknowledged that the US has provided limited support to the coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and until recently in-flight refuelling of non-US aircraft. The president also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes with his constitutional power as commander in chief. He said the US is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000 Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen. Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump said. In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a cheap and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia. House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46. Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voted to end US military assistance to the war, saying the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered demands moral leadership. The top Republican on the committee, Representative Michael McCaul, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. Mr McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt US security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries. Mr Trump issued his first veto last month on legislation related to immigration. Mr Trump had declared a national emergency so he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the emergency declaration and Mr Trump vetoed that measure. In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to register to be a donor, Boatman said. With the Tuesday event at South Middle School, Boatman said she hopes the students will be inspired to become organ donors when they get their drivers licenses. A young Florida woman who travelled to Colorado and bought a shotgun for what authorities feared would be a Columbine-inspired attack just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution. We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe. FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019 During the manhunt, the FBI said Pais was infatuated with Columbine and threatened violence ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999. The FBI described her extremely dangerous. The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, authorities said. Agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreational area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. All classes and extracurricular activities for about half a million students were cancelled as a precaution, though sheriffs spokesman Mike Taplin said the young womans threats were general and not specific to any school. Were used to threats, frankly, at Columbine, said John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, when the manhunt was over. This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention. Earlier, Dean Phillips, agent in charge of the FBI in Denver, had said: This has become a massive manhunt and every law enforcement agency is participating and helping in this effort. Authorities said Pais had last been seen not far from Columbine, in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver, in a black T-shirt, camouflage trousers and black boots. UPDATE: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY! Details are coming soon. We appreciate your tips and patience #findsol #solpais @fbidenver pic.twitter.com/vnrA48xPD4 Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) April 17, 2019 The alert also said police who came into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Colorado governor Jared Polis said federal, state and local law enforcement were dedicating all of their resources to locate this dangerous individual. We know that there is a lot of anxiety right now in Colorado, Polis said in a statement. Because of the threat, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours on Tuesday and some cancelled evening activities or moved them inside. Expand Close Students leave Columbine High School following a lockdown (David Zalubowski/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Students leave Columbine High School following a lockdown (David Zalubowski/AP) Paiss parents last saw her on Sunday and reported her missing to Florida authorities on Monday night, police in Surfside, Florida, said. Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School pupil, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was baffled to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Another classmate, 17-year-old junior Drew Burnstine, said Pais was a quiet, smart student who sat alone in class and never caused problems or indicated that she wanted to harm anyone. Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The first warning arrived on Thursday. Just a few hours after David Bernhardt was confirmed as the leader of the federal agency with the most responsibilities in Indian Country , an email announced he was being sued. According to one faction of the California Valley Miwok Tribe , the new Secretary of the Interior -- aided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs -- was infringing on the sovereign nation's inherent rights. David Bernhardt and the BIA are allowing non-tribal individuals, who we believe are casino developer funded, to hold a secretarial election to make themselves members of our tribe and pursue their own agenda," Silvia Burley , who has previously been recognized as the legitimate leader of the tribe , said in the missive. If this election goes forward it will trample on tribal sovereignty and ultimately set the precedent that non-tribal individuals can take control of tribes across the country," Burley warned. A day later, the federal judge assigned to the case didn't seem as alarmed . At the conclusion of a hearing on Friday, he denied Burley's request to stop the secretarial election , and the BIA was allowed to finish collecting ballots on Monday. But the dispute is far from over. Now that the BIA is moving forward despite questions about the election, attorney Peter D. Lepsch said Burley will continue to fight for a role in determining what happens to her people in central California. "The BIA should know better," Lepsch told Indianz.Com after the hearing in the nation's capital. "The actions they are taking set potentially an enormous precedent and threaten internal tribal matters." Bernhardt, too, should know better, according to critics in Congress. The same day the secretarial election concluded, two key Democrats announced that the new Secretary of the Interior, who has repeatedly presented himself as model of ethical behavior, was being investigated by his own agency for ethical lapses. In a letter sent to Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), the Office of Inspector General at the Department of the Interior confirmed that it was looking into complaints against Bernhardt. Not just one complaint, either, butof them. "We will conduct our review as expeditiously and thoroughly as practicable," Deputy Inspector General Mary L. Kendall told McCollum, who chairs the House subcommittee in charge of Interior's funding and Udall, who serves as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and is the top Democrat on the McCollum's counterpart panel in the Senate The seven complaints largely focus on allegations that Bernhardt, a longtime lawyer and lobbyist who joined the Trump administration 18 months ago , made decisions about former clients in his role as Deputy Secretary of the Interior. During his confirmation process for that position, and again for his new one, he pledged he would not do so. With a spectator in a swamp creature mask sitting just a couple of rows behind him, Bernhardt said on March 28: "I have implemented an incredibly robust screening process to ensure that I don't meet with former clients or participate in particular matters involving specific parties that I have committed to recuse myself from." Mystery solved? The Trump administration disappeared Bryan Rice, former director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, almost a year ago without so much as an explanation. Then, at today's confirmation hearing for David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Interior, this happened ... pic.twitter.com/cx2ZlcTZkI indianz.com (@indianz) March 28, 2019 Interior employees, in fact, know that Bernhardt has carried around a list of former clients as part of his effort to avoid matters affecting entities that paid his bills when he was in the private sector. But they also know it contained dates that indicated when he would able to able to participate in certain matters, a timing issue he alluded to in his first ethics letter on file with the department. "He's the ultimate swamp creature," one tribal advocate said in reference to Bernhardt's need to maintain such a list. A second person who does business with Interior also has been told about the dates on the document, which The Washington Post reported was the size of a "small card." Bernhardt's allies, though, aren't troubled by the allegations. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee , dismissed them as the work of "well-funded groups that are working very hard, very energetically against his nomination." But Murkowski, who also chairs the Senate subcommittee in charge of Interior's funding, the one where Udall is the highest-ranking Democrat, made a statement that has since turned out to be incomplete in light of the new developments. "We were told that there are no open investigations into Bernhardt," Murkowski said on April 4 as she advanced the nomination to a final vote on the Senate floor, one in which almost every Democrat voted against confirmation. In addition to McCollum, a former co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, and Udall, who won't be seeking re-election, other Democrats requested investigations into Bernhardt. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and several other colleagues received similar letters on Monday that cited the "seven complaints." Outside groups -- maybe well-funded, maybe not -- also lodged complaints . One was the Campaign Legal Center , a non-partisan watchdog. The story of David Bernhardt is a classic story of the problem with lobbyists passing through Washingtons revolving door," Delaney Marsco the group's ethics counsel, said on Monday after receiving its own letter referencing the "seven complaints." During the George W. Bush administration, Bernhardt held a number of key positions at Interior , including director of the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs and counselor to then-Secretary Gale Norton , who was the first woman in the job. He eventually became Solicitor, the highest-ranking legal official at the department, an office that has played a key role in the Indian Country actions seen as affronts to the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government. Indianz.Com Video by Kevin Abourezk: David Bernhardt at National Congress of American Indians 2017 'Lip service' at the Department of the Interior Since the start of the Trump administration in January 2017, tribes have endured a series of policy debacles at the Department of the Interior , an agency that includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs , the Bureau of Indian Education and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians . They include: A move to reorganize all bureaus, agencies and offices at Interior into a "unified" system of 12 regions . The proposal would do away with the existing regions of the BIA implicating treaty rights and the way in which tribes do business with the department. As Deputy Secretary, Bernhardt has told tribal leaders that the BIA won't be included in the restructuring but information about the decision hasn't been forthcoming from Washington. The withdrawal of a pro-treaty rights legal opinion that was formulated in the wake of the #NoDAPL movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Trump administration put the opinion on hold at the same time it approved the infrastructure project over the objections of tribes. The opinion was evenutally rescinded altogether even after a federal judge ruled that the pipeline approval process was flawed. The matter remains under litigation. A decision to scale back the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations to a smaller number of reservations. Tribes that were left out of the new push weren't told about the action before the announcement. The Trump administration also won't commit to finding a way to extend the funding for ongoing and future land consolidation efforts . The money is due to run out within the next couple of years. A refusal to approve gaming agreements for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe despite pledges to do so, including one made directly by former Secretary Ryan Zinke, who resigned after facing questions about his role in the matter. A federal grand jury has looked into Zinke's handling of the debacle, including whether he lied about a meeting in which he told the leaders of the tribes, along with the governor of Connecticut, of his intentions. The meeting, which took place on Mohegan homelands in June 2017 , has been described to Indianz.Com by multiple sources. The gaming agreements have since been approved, but only after the tribes initiated litigation. The Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into the matter a year ago but no conclusion has been reported to the tribes. Access to our public lands has been a priority for this Administration, which is why it was wonderful to celebrate the restoration of fishing and recreational access at Fletchers Cove on Friday! pic.twitter.com/8C5ZeRx0pB Secretary David Bernhardt (@SecBernhardt) April 15, 2019 A controversial proposal to revamp the fee-to-trust process in which tribes restore their homelands, making it more difficult for them to do so. As Deputy Secretary, Bernhardt told tribes in February that the department was not going to move forward with the initiative due to widespread tribal opposition. However, a separate policy that imposes additional hurdles on off-reservation land-into-trust applications remains in place, according to a senior BIA official. A failure to follow through on regulations that would boost tribal economies by addressing state and local taxation on their lands. As Deputy Secretary, Bernhardt told tribal leaders that he was still open to the rule as of October 2017. But a document circulating within Interior and described to Indianz.Com by those who have seen it indicates that the update to the so-called Indian Traders rule was removed from an internal priority list after Bernhardt joined the department and before he made his remarks to tribal leaders. A decision to dismantle the Bears Ears National Monument despite strong support from Indian Country, followed by another directive to limit tribal involvement in an area in Utah where ancestral villages, sacred sites, burial grounds, gathering sites and other important places of worship and pilgrimage are located. The matter is being litigated in federal court amid questions about energy companies influencing Interior's recommendation to dramatically reduce the boundaries of the monument. A failure by the department to fully support the loan guarantee program at the Bureau of Indian Affairs . As Deputy Secretary, Bernhardt refused to clear up a legal issue that had some within Interior convinced the government would be able to walk away from loan guarantees -- worth tens of millions of dollars -- that were promised to tribes, according to advocates who were told of the dispute. BIA staff was able to work with legal officials to resolve the matter but the department has since proposed to eliminate the program in its fiscal year 2020 budget Indianz.Com Video by Kevin Abourezk: David Bernhardt on Indian Trader Regulations A decision to halt all homelands applications in the state of Alaska, another development made without tribal consultation or public notice. The action was taken a day after the Senate confirmed Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney , who is from the state, but before she was sworn into her post at the department. The Solicitor at Interior also rescinded an opinion that affirmed the ability of tribes in Alaska to follow the land-to-trust process , even though they secured a court victories in favor of their rights. The legal official who rescinded the pro-treaty rights opinion as well as the Alaska land-into-trust opinion has since been nominated to serve as Solicitor at Interior . Daniel Jorjani took both of those actions in his role as Principal Deputy Solicitor, a position which did not require Senate confirmation. His wife, Aimee Jorjani, is on track to securing approval to serve as Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation , an independent federal agency that deals closely with tribal cultural and historic resources. Another decision affecting Alaska, this one to re-examine the way in which tribes gain recognition of their governments under the Indian Reorganization Act . During a consultation session in December, a senior political official at the Bureau of Indian Affairs admitted that the department was told by the White House to take up the initiative, again without prior notice. A proposal for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to stop issuing Certificates of Indian Blood (CDIBs) that was quickly questioned by tribes across the nation. Freedom of Information Act requests submitted by the Galanda Broadman law firm indicate the proposal surfaced within the agency without so much as a paper trail. A decision to rescind a homelands application for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe , whose ancestors were among the first to welcome European settlers nearly 400 years ago. The move paves the way for the tribe's reservation to be taken out of trust, something that hasn't happened since the disastrous termination era As Deputy Secretary, Bernhardt has told tribes that the department is constrained by a restrictive U.S. Supreme Court decision and another top official has attempted to undermine a pro-tribal legal opinion on the matter. The Trump administration, overall, has been silent on a Congressional "fix" to the Carcieri v. Salazar decision despite it being a long-standing priority of Indian Country. California Valley Miwok Tribe - Chairperson Silvia Burley pictured with Department of the Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins at the 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference, Washington DC 12.01.2011 Posted by California Valley Miwok Tribe on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Notices Join the Conversation Related Stories There are a few actors who know how to strike the right kind of work-life balance. Even with impending work commitments, they know how to take time out and be with their family. Shahid Kapoor is one such actor. Instagram Being an actor means that your personal life is always in the spotlight and Shahid has been no exception. From his arranged marriage to Mira Rajput to his two babies, fans have always got a closer look at actor's personal life-thanks to Mira and Shahid's social media accounts and the paps! Actor Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira Rajput are currently holidaying in London. Mira, who is an active social media user has been giving everyone a glimpse of their vacation and it's mostly about food and loads of shopping. Shahid was busy with the shoot of his film Kabir Singh and this looks like an apt vacation for the actor. Have a look at the pictures! Instagram Instagram Instagram On the work front, Shahid Kapoor is all geared up for the release of his film Kabir Singh. The teaser of the film was unveiled on social media a few days ago. In the film, Shahid will be playing the title role of a surgeon Kabir Singh, who goes on the path of self-destruction after being rejected by his girlfriend. Popularity came at a price for Sophie Turner. The actress who shot to fame at the age of 14 for playing the role of Sansa Stark in Game Of Thrones says negative comments about her character in the American fantasy drama show made her consider suicide. The 23-year-old actress revealed that depression got worse after she hit puberty and it intensified further around the age of 17. She was actually giving in to her social media bullies and doubting her acting skills and appearance. I would just believe it. I would say, 'Yeah, I am spotty. I am fat. I am a bad actress.' I would just believe it. I would get (the costume department) to tighten my corset a lot. I just got very, very self-conscious, she said. Simple things like getting dressed would make her burst into tears. I had no motivation to do anything or go out. Even with my best friends, I wouldn't want to see them, I wouldn't want to go out and eat with them. I just would cry and cry and cry over just getting changed and putting on clothes and be like, 'I can't do this. I can't go outside. I have nothing that I want to do. Getting out of the bed was a task for her. I've suffered from my depression for five or six years now. The biggest challenge for me is getting out of bed and getting out of the house. Learning to love yourself is the biggest challenge. But things are better off now, and the credit goes to the love of her life. She credits fiancee Joe Jonas for helping her find happiness. Now that she is done with Game Of Thrones, she wants to focus on her mental health, she said. Shah Rukh Khan the name needs no introduction. The superstar of Bollywood, also hailed as King Khan, has fans across the globe. And where there is Shah Rukh Khan, the love is in the air! This was proved yet again as Shah Rukh Khan headed to the special screening of Zero at the closing of 9th Beijing International Film Festival. As he reached the airport, a huge crowd of fans surrounded him. SRK Universe China team waiting for King Khan outside the airport pic.twitter.com/gQaITZkfqU SRK Universe (@SRKUniverse) April 17, 2019 They were all cheering for him, shouting his name, and swooning at the same time. The excitement was onto a different level. Wherever he goes, he gets maximum love World's biggest superstar Shah Rukh Khan pic.twitter.com/155e5iE7lL SRK Universe (@SRKUniverse) April 17, 2019 And Shah Rukh Khan was so overwhelmed seeing the unconditional love. He just couldnt contain his emotions. SRK is live on weibo and answering the questions asked by FANs of China Here is his love for all of you pic.twitter.com/gulFqHfBfL SRK Universe (@SRKUniverse) April 17, 2019 He was blushing as fans kissed his hands. What a warm and happy welcome here in China by SRK UNIVERSE China. Thx for the gifts, the flowers and the kisses. I am Red all over!, he wrote on Twitter. What a warm and happy welcome here in China by SRK UNIVERSE China. Thx for the gifts, the flowers and the kisses. I am Red all over!! pic.twitter.com/0VFGjPBWQl Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 17, 2019 Shah Rukh Khan just couldnt contain his emotions. Just look how this fan grabbed his hand, kissed it and screamed I love you! Shah Rukh Khan along with filmmaker Kabir Khan will be taking part in China-India Film Cooperation Dialogue, which is an effort to forge ways for the development of Indian as well as Chinese movies and creation of opportunities to strengthen film cooperation between the two countries. Also Read: 9 Countries Where Bollywood Is Badshah Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) Five years since the release of romantic comedy film "That Thing Called Tadhana," Sagada in Mountain Province is still on a tourism boom. But with the deluge of local and foreign tourists, the natives are calling for a more sustainable and responsible tourism. The local government of Sagada teamed up with a nonprofit organization to create a striking campaign released days before the start of the Holy Week to inform tourists on how to be respectful to their culture, their land, and the people who live there. One local told tourists to show respect to burial sites. Sagada is home to the famous Hanging Coffins wherein coffins are placed on the side of cliffs. He also told them to listen to tour guides and avoid areas which are considered sacred. This is similar to the call of another local who said tourists should ask for permission before taking photos of the natives. He added that tourists should never ask the locals to pose in their traditional attire of "bahag." One also called for tourists to conserve water as this commodity is also what they use for the irrigation of the farms and rice terraces. An elder also asked tourists to be modest and reiterated that there are no sex workers in Sagada. A young woman called for the tourists to be understanding of small businesses in the area, adding it will help if they book and order in advance so their food can be prepared before they get to the restaurant. Tracey Santiago of Responsible Travel Philippines said the messages from the locals were rehashed from an existing 2015 guideline created through a consultation with the LGU and the natives. "Yung guidelines, ang ganda ng pagkaka-craft, but very few people read it. 12 guidelines yun. 'Yung iba hindi nila tinatapos basahin, they will just read a few. Tapos wala na, itatapon na," she told CNN Philippines on Wednesday. They knew they had to repackage it. So in the age of social media, the group and the LGU decided to make a visual campaign that will be released online. "At first we took videos and then pinapabasa namin sa kanila. Pero bago namin i-shoot iyun, pinabasa na namin sa kanila. (Sabi nila) 'Ay oo, tama ito, totoo ito,'" Santiago said. After the videos, they took photos of the locals and saw that it created a more lasting impact. "Because you may not be hearing them but you're able to look at their eyes and at their face, you're able to see and feel the expression, especially 'yung guidelines na na nandoon are more of pleads of the community. It hits you," she said. Santiago said that even though the campaign focuses on the locals of Sagada, tourists can apply these rules to whatever place they are visit. "What we're trying to promote here is more than responsible tourism, it's a kind of mindset that when you try to change your ways positively when you travel, you also create positive changes in the community. That's the kind of consciousness we want to promote," she said. The Department of Tourism also reminded travelers to practice responsible tourism by respecting local traditions and practices. It also urged sustainable tourism. Cash strapped Jet Airways has announced temporary suspension of all operations after it failed to secure Rs 400 crore in emergency funding from the lenders. According to an official statement, the last flight will take off at 10:30 PM. Jet Airways is staring at an imminent shutdown, which could be followed by insolvency, bringing an end to an episode in the Indian aviation history. The airline, which in its prime, flew 119 aircrafts was reduced to just five on its last day. REUTERS What Jet Airways has been reduced to today is far from what it was during its heyday when it used to operate to 52 destinations across the world and was regarded as one of the best-managed airline operating in India. Jet Airways Jet Airways which was set up in 1991 and began operations two years later in 1993 as an air taxi service from Mumbai. BCCL Naresh Goyal, the founder of Jet Airways began his career as a ticketing agent for Lebanese International Airlines and later worked with a number of other international airlines before setting up his own firm. Like most of his compatriots, Goyal too took advantage of the open skies policy in the early 1990s and ventured into the aviation sector. The good days Unlike its competitors, which were budget carriers, Jet Airways was a full-service carrier. While most of the others who began flying along with it fell by the side one by one, Jet continued to grow by leaps and bounces. In 2005 the company went public making Goyal a billionaire. Forbes had declared him the sixteenth richest person in India, with a net worth of $1.9 billion. BCCL The company continued to grow and made its first major acquisition in 2007, buying Subrata Roy's Air Sahara for Rs 14.5 billion and renamed as JetLite. The new airline gave Jet space in budget carrier scene too while the parent company continued to operate as a full-service airline. This was followed by the launch of another low-cost carrier - Jet Konnect. In 2012 Jet Airways merged the two brands, JetLite and Jet Konnect and operated as Jet Konnect. BCCL Jet Airways, which by this point was the largest airline in India with a market share of 22.6% continued its impressive growth and got UAE-based Etihad Airways onboard as a partner. Etihad had purchased 24 percent stakes while Goyal remained the single largest investor controlling 51 percent shares. Trouble begins The fortunes of Jet Airways took a turn for the worse as the Indian aviation sector, in general, was in turbulence due to a number of reasons including rising aviation fuel price and operating costs. It was around the same time another private full-service carrier in India, Kingfisher Airways too hit turbulence and eventually shut down. REUTERS By this time Jet, which merged JetKonnect with the main brand was playing catch up with the likes if IndiGo, SpiceJet, and GoAir in the low-cost carrier market and continued its downward spiral incurring more and more debt. Bad to worse Meanwhile, Jet Airways was also battling a PR crisis over a number of mishaps onboard the airline including one where passengers were left bleeding from their noses and ears after the crew failed to regulate the air pressure. Late last year the signs of the acute financial crisis became apparent as the company began handing out pink slips to its staff, which was dubbed as cost optimization. This was followed by reports that including pilots and engineers are not getting their salaries. By earlier this year it became obvious that the airline is in deep trouble and only something extraordinary can save it. BCCL Initially, all eyes were on Etihad Airways which still has 24 percent stakes in Jet Airways. But the policy of no FDI more than 49 percent along with Goyal refusing to give up control ket UAE's national carrier away from investing more. Uncertainty continues Last month as it became clear that the airline won't survive without a miracle, the government intervened and asked the bakers to bail out the ailing airline to avoid another Kingfisher-like crisis. REUTERS The lenders' consortium led by SBI agreed for a bailout on the condition that Goyal gives up his position as CEO and board member. At the time when the banks took control of Jet, the airline was in desperate need of Rs 1500 crore in emergency funding to stay afloat. The banks have so far unsuccessfully tried to sell Jet Airways, which is currently sitting on a debt of over Rs 8,500 crore. With no solution at sight Jet, it is almost certain to go into insolvency, leaving some 16,000 staff in an uncertain future. Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya extended his sympathies for cash-strapped Jet Airways. In a series of tweets he posted, Mallya said he was sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure. Taking to Twitter, Mallya held the central government responsible for the collapse of his Kingfisher airlines as well as Jet Airways, an airline, he said, India should be "extremely proud of." "Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination," he tweeted. Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 In another tweet, the 63-year-old reiterated his offer to "pay 100 per cent" back to the banks. "I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma ?" he said. "Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 per cent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the UK to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first ?" Mallya added in a follow-up tweet. I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become Indias largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 percent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 percent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the U.K. to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why dont Banks take the money I offered first ? Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) April 16, 2019 The liquor baron also said it is "sad" that so many airlines in India have "bitten the dust." Mallya, who is facing trial for alleged fraud and money laundering amounting to Rs 9,000 crore, is currently facing trial at a London court. (With inputs from agencies) The politics and elections in Tamil Nadu is an enigma. Whether it is the state assembly or to the Lok Sabha, polls are fought on local issues. Also, the two main national parties, the BJP, and Congress have failed to make much of an impact it the state which is dominated by the AIADMK and DMK. Lok Sabha Election 2019 is not different. While the BJP is contesting the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu as an ally of the AIADMK, the Congress has tied up with the DMK. The state goes to polls on Thursday, April 18 in the second phase of the Lok Sabha Election. Like most parts of the country, farmers issue and the agrarian crisis is one of the most talked about topics this election season. For the past couple of years, Tamil Nadu has experienced an acute shortage of the annual monsoon resulting in droughts and repeated crop failures. In Tamil Nadu, according to government figures, 106 farmers and 1,776 farm labourers committed suicides between 2014-17 due to the agrarian distress. AFP/ FILE Despite the magnitude of the crisis, it largely went unattended and under-reported outside the state. It all changed in March 2017 when some 150 framers from across the state took their protests to the national capital. It caught the attention of the media instantly as even seasoned reporters who had seen all kinds of protests at Jantar Mantar had not witnessed anything like that. The 150 farmers, who represented the nearly 30 lakh distressed farmers Tamil Nadu had come to Delhi with the skulls and bones of their loved ones, who killed themselves due to debt. AFP/ FILE To bring the much-needed attention to their plight, the farmers did everything possible from flogging themselves to symbolically hanging themselves and eating grass to dead mice. While a lot of their actions looked more theatrical, what it achieved was to highlight the crisis, which was not limited to the state. It also inspired farmers from other states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab also to take to the streets and even to the national capital to press for farmer debt relief and better price for their produce. BCCL Last month some 111 farmers from Tamil Nadu had announced their plans to contest the election from Varanasi against PM Modi but called it off after a meeting with Amit Shah, who agreed to consider their demands including interlinking of rivers, better price for crops, loan waiver, ban import of GM seeds and pension for farmer above 60 years. #ITCounts is an Indiatimes initiative to move beyond the noise and the name-calling and focus on issues that really matter to our generation. We aim to be more about migration, pollution, LGBTQ rights, women's issues and healthcare than about Pakistan, political posturing and trolling. If you have any suggestions/inputs/feedback or advice please hit us up at kabeer.sharma@timesinternet.in On November 8, 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation, a move that made around 80 per cent of the entire currency in circulation invalid instantly, it was touted as the most decisive step in the fight against black money, corruption, counterfeit notes, and terrorism. But, what followed was unforeseen chaos, people lining up for hours on long queues in front of banks and ATMs to withdraw money and deposit their now invalid life savings. BCCL There were also reports of people dying after standing in the queues for long hours and others died in the hospitals because they couldn't get the required money on time. Amid all the confusion the government stuck to its stand, claiming it was a big success. However after the March 31 deadline to deposit the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes ended, the government was on the back foot and began changing its position on what the ultimate aim of demonetisation was. It went from the fight against back money to making India a digital economy to making more people pay income tax and many more. BCCL All these while the Reserve Bank of India sat on releasing the report on the cash that came back after demonetisation. The government wanted to project the amount that did not come back as the amount of black money (which they estimated will be around 10-15%) However in April 2018, the RBI in its annual report stated that, of the total value of Rs 15,417.93 billion SBNs (specified bank notes) demonetised, currency worth Rs 15,310.73 billion has returned to the banking system. In other words, 99.3 percent of the total banned notes have returned home. Amid all the allegations and counter allegation over the benefits and side effects of demonetisation, one thing has been widely accepted - it was a disaster for the informal economy and small businesses. BCCL The figures were so embarrassing for the government, that earlier this year it delayed the publication of the National Sample Survey Offices (NSSOs) employment survey for 2017-18 which would show the government in poor light just ahead of the elections. PC Mohanan, the acting chairperson of the National Statistical Commission and JV Meenakshi a member of the organisation resigned over the delay. While it was reported in the media that post-demonetisation the unemployment in India was at a 40-year-high the government told the Parliament that it did not have data on the impact of demonetisation on jobs in the unorganized sector. BCCL While the NSSO report is yet to be published, another study on job losses has painted a bleak picture. 50 lakh people lost their jobs after demonetisation, and Indias unemployment had reached its highest at 6 percent in 2018, double of what it was in the decade between 2000 and 2010, researchers at the Azim Premji University's Centre for Sustainable Employment has found. The report also stated that unemployment is highest among the 20-24 years age-group, both in rural and urban areas. BCCL "In general, women are much worse affected than men. They have higher unemployment rates as well as lower labour force participation rates," the report states. The report, State of Working India 2019 released on Tuesday, however, stated that The beginning of the decline in jobs coincided with demonetisation in November 2016, although no direct causal relationship can be established based only on these trends. The study is based on data from the private firm CMIE rather than the Centres Periodic Labour Force Survey, which the government has refused to release. BCCL Given the fact that demonetisation has left a deep scar on the economy and employment, it is not surprising that the BJP including PM Narendra Modi who in the past used every given opportunity to call it a masterstroke has hardly mentioned it during the Lok Sabha Election campaign. The only notable mention the PM made about demonetisation was during an interview with DD News. In the interview, PM Modi claimed that demonetisation only crippled those with black money and those who don't have black money are happy. In a great example of empathy and help, an exhausted dog was rescued off Thailand by an oil rig worker who now has promised to adopt the plucky pooch. The dog swam for 220 km and the tan-coloured animal named Boonrod his rescuers which means survivor from karma in Thai was fished from the ocean on Friday by rig workers who spotted dog's head bobbing between waves in the Gulf of Thailand. AFP However, there was no news on how he got there or for long he had been swimming in the sea, but local media speculated he may have fallen off a fishing vessel and he swam towards the rig. Currently, the dog is recovering in Songkhla under the care of a vet, said an animal charity group. Since he came onto the platform, he didnt cry or bark at all, Chevron worker Vitisak Payalaw who rescued along with other posted in social media platform Facebook. he added, He likely lost a lot of body water from the sea water. Vitisak also said that as the canine recovered, he would adopt him. AFP Boonrod didn't get to shores for two days despite being rescued as he stayed on the rig for two nights before another vessel came and picked him up on its way back to the shores at the port in Songkhla province on the morning of April 15. The animal rights group, Watchdog Thailand posted a video in which Boonrod was welcomed on the shore and was greeted by lei of yellow flowers and lots of neck scratches from workers at the port. Thank you for seeing the value of a little life that floats so far, said Facebooker Wanna Wongvorakul. Boonrod was placed in the care of local charity group Smile Dog House. So far his health is ok... its only skin problems that hes suffering from now, a Smile Dog House staff told AFP. (With AFP Inputs) With the Apple Watch, the company has been shifting its wearable line away from simply an additional screen to focus more on the health benefits of the device. And nothing backs up their claims more than seeing the Apple Watch in action saving lives. Earlier this week, an Apple Watch allowed emergency services in Germany to rush to the aid of an 80-year-old woman in her home. The Series 4 Watch's new fall detection feature had pinpointed that she'd taken a tumble in her apartment. As explained when the new features launched a while ago, the Watch uses built-in sensors to detect when a person has fallen down. After that, it pops up a notification that the user has to tap to snooze if they're all right. If they don't and the Watch doesn't detect any movement for a bit, it automatically dials emergency services. "Her watch was equipped with a fall detection system and alerted the emergency services after the fall," reported Munich's fire department. "A dispatcher in the control center accepted the emergency call. He heard a Watch announcement telling him that a person had fallen heavily. The Watch also transmitted the coordinates of the scene of the accident." Police then used the coordinates to locate the woman's apartment address and dispatched an ambulance. When they arrived, they found the door locked and the woman unable to open it, so they broke it down to enter. And not just EMTs, the watch also alerted the old woman's son, whose phone number was registered in the Watch as an emergency contact. The good news is that the woman wasn't seriously injured from the fall, just merely shaken up. She was well enough to not have to go to the hospital in fact, with her son caring for her after the paramedics had checked her out. It's incidents like this that highlight just how good the Apple Watch is. Most people don't need a wrist-bound shortcut to their phone, they probably just carry their phone everywhere anyway. But with people ages 65 and over, a wearable device that helps monitor your health and can also call for help when you're unable to is a huge deal. It also has a number of redundancies built in so false alarms from the fall detection feature are not very likely. So how much more relaxed would you be leaving your old parents at home, knowing there's a device to let you know something is wrong even if they can't? Merely hours after courts instructed the Indian government to have TikTok banned from the country, the popular short-video app has vanished from Apple and Google's app stores. But with over 100 million users in India, and more joining every single minute, people are finding alternate means to search and download TikTok app on their smartphones. Google Trends At least, that's what seems to be the case, if you look at recent Google Search trends. More people are searching for how to download TikTok APK on Google from India, and its search graph -- the red line visible above -- is on the rise. The search for TikTok APK download search queries are shooting up after Madras High Court's initial April 5 verdict on the social app -- where it asked TikTok to be banned. What is a TikTok APK? Because Google and Apple have removed the TikTok app from their respective app stores, interested users are looking for different ways to get hold of the app. In the case of iPhone it's complicated, but Android users can get the app's "APK" (or Android Package Kit) from an unauthorised, third party app store. And TikTok app is still visible and available for download from these non-Google app stores. This is just one website, there are several others that are doing the exact same thing -- hosting the banned TikTok app for anyone to access. APK Mirror That's right, because of Android and Google's open app ecosystem, Google Play Store isn't the only place for Android users to download apps from. There are several other websites which hosts apps that you can download and install on your Android phone -- but it requires turning off your Android phone's security setting. Why downloading unauthorized APKs is a security risk And the minute you turn off your Android phone's security setting, allowing it to install apps from non-Google Play Store, you are effectively increasing your risk of getting exposed to malware or spyware and installing it inadvertently on your phone through these apps. If you are installing Android apps that aren't signed and verified by Google (with a green tick mark below them), you are taking a risk every single time. Hackers and malware creators can just use the TikTok logo and put it on their malicious app and fool you into downloading it on your Android phone, if you aren't careful. Google verified app Security software companies like Kaspersky, Symantec and Sophos, routinely advise against installing Android apps which 1) Don't originate on the Google Play Store, and 2) Don't have Google's verification certificate. So you may laugh at the TikTok ban and ridicule the Indian government's actions, but for your own safety and security you probably shouldn't look for alternate ways to download and install the TikTok APK on your Android phone. Yesterday, the Madras HC heard a complaint about the now notorious TikTok app, though we're still to hear what the outcome was. In the meantime, the Supreme Court refused to put a stay on the interim ban the HC had called for, which means the app has been de-listed. Reuters But has the ban been effective? Have people stopped using TikTok in India -- both new users and existing users? Can people still access the TikTok app from other places, not Google or Apple? Let's try to answer all these questions below... TikTok app is still available on other app stores The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) reportedly instructed both Google and Apple to take down TikTok from the Play Store and App Store respectively. Google complied last night and Apple followed suit earlier this morning. But while those are the two largest app platforms out there, they're not by a long shot the only ones. In fact, we've confirmed TikTok is still very much accessible on other third party app stores belonging to Xiaomi and Huawei at the very least. Not to mention it's not hard for Android users (which are what most Indians are) to download the app's APK from elsewhere. So what's happened is that this ban is looking less like decisive action by an authority, and more like panicked flailing. TikTok app is still active on installed devices Furthermore, the ban and de-listing just stops you from downloading the TikTok app, it does nothing to interfere with its working if you'd already installed it before. So the Madras HC has (debatably) stopped new kids from joining the app, but the kids already on the platform are left to fend for themselves. And it's not like that's impossible to tackle either. If you're really worried about an app's dangers and negative influences, it's possible to block access to the app servers. What's instead happening is the equivalent of locking the kitchen door and standing guard after the kids are already inside stuffing their faces with cake. TikTok ban: Justified fear or arbitrary censorship? Ok, so this point is a lot more nuanced, so bear with me. There have been fears for a while now that TikTok, and apps like it, are a hunting ground for pedophiles. And in fact, that fear is very valid. At its core, the app is full of kids sharing short videos of themselves doing what they think are silly things. The problem is that they can be easily exploited using some of the apps built-in features. Take the split-screen "duet" for instance. This was originally meant for two people to lip sync a song side by side, or show off dance moves. They're not recording together either. One person records on their half of the screen and, when another user thinks they can work with it, they record for the other half. Over time, people have learned to use this to act out scenes across panels. For instance, a common theme among many youngsters is to pretend to make out across the panels, to the soundtrack of a cutesy song. Until of course someone with less wholesome ideas gets in on it. You can imagine how wrong that could go how quickly. However Bytedance, the company that owns TikTok, doesn't fully agree. They're the ones that pushed for a stay on the ban in the SC, the hearing for which will take place on April 22, claiming that the move undermines the freedom of speech in India. And to an extent, they have a point. Banning a singular commercial service and not other like it can easily look like government censorship, not to mention a violation of Internet Freedom. After all, this follows a nation-wide porn ban, the blocking of Reddit, and a ban on PUBG. Each of these instances were unjustified, vaguely worded, and only carried out in patchwork form. It's argued that this ban is to protect Indian kids from pornography and the like, but that's not seeing the forest for the tree in front of you. Basically, the entire Internet is dangerous for kids, that's why parents should be involved in their digital habits. Banning TikTok doesn't end its effects. It just moves as users shift to copycat apps, or even adds cybersecurity threats when people try to illegally obtain the app from online third-party sources. Is it an anti-Chinese app agenda? That's why a lot of people have been wondering whether TikTok's ban has anything to do with the fact that it's a Chinese app. It's not news that India is wary of its Eastern neighbour. We use their smartphones and apps, but we're always on the lookout for betrayal. For instance, many apps classified as spyware by the Indian government are Chinese in origin. It is common knowledge after all that China has strict control over all data in the country, thanks to its enclosed Internet called the "Great Firewall". This means companies with their servers in the country are subject to intense scrutiny and surveillance. And yes, that also includes your data. So is the TikTok ban just another piece of an anti-Chinese agenda? No one can really say. Things are still up in the air It's important to note though that this is an interim ban, not a final decision, meaning the entire issue could swing either way. The Madras HC seems bent sticking to its pre-formed decision, so it comes to whether the SC sees viable evidence to the contrary. If that happens, Tik Tok could be back up and running in India again in no time. Somehow though, I don't think that's the case. This may in fact truly be TikTok's last hurrah in the country. TikTok has many viral and crazy videos, and while you can hate them or love them, you cant ignore them. With millions of followers on the app, people can become overnight sensations From fake Alia Bhatt to Gareebo ka Ranveer Singh, TikTok has turned many commoners onto big celebrities. The latest star on the block is 19-year-old, Vishnupriya Nair. Hailing from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, the new celebrity already has 2.6 million fans. Her latest video in which she can be seen lip syncing the famous song Khuda ki Inayat made her a star overnight as the video bagged her 3.6 million likes. Here is the video: In other videos, she can be seen lip syncing some other famous Bollywood songs such as Tere Liye and Naino Wale Ne. These videos also have likes in millions. According to a report, Vishnupriya is pursuing B.Com, and her father works in a 5-star hotel in Aurangabad. While people are becoming overnight sensation thanks to this app, it has also proved to be a nuisance in more than one way. Google and Apple app stores have removed the app after the Madras High Court said that TikTok encourages 'pornography' and is bad for children. A couple of days ago a Delhi man was shot while making a video on the app. In a bid to save trees, all state-run schools in Tamil Nadu are set to start book banks. The school education department ordered all the government schools to start collecting books from the students passing out the academic year. GlobalGiving The books will be distributed to students in the upcoming academic session. According to the Times of India, Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational services Corporation gets around 40,000 tonnes of paper to print 8 crore textbooks and around 8 lakh trees are cut every year for the same. The move is expected to save around 2 lakh trees every year and the initiative was introduced as per the order of National Green Tribunal. AFP A similar initiative was taken by the Delhi government, last year. The states education department asked its schools to collect old books of students of all classes and make book banks. The books were then provided to the underprivileged kids through the school management. A four-hundred-year-old painting and all the artwork inside the Notre Dame were damaged by the immense fire that engulfed the Paris Cathedral on Monday. However, the holy symbol (cross) and the altar in the cathedral remained untouched. People took to Twitter and expressed their amazement at the cross remaining intact, but this tweet in particular, caught people's attention. A Twitter user named Kaylee Crain posted a picture and wrote After all the aftermath and destruction of the Notre Dame fire, the alter and cross remained untouched. Please explain to me how you dont believe in God after seeing this. After all the aftermath and destruction of the Notre Dame fire, the alter and cross remained untouched. Please explain to me how you dont believe in God after seeing this. pic.twitter.com/xUFmB7VnRG Kaylee Crain (@kayleecrain__) April 16, 2019 However, giving it a scientific explanation, another Twitter user said Because the melting point of gold is 1064C and a wood fire burns at around 600C. Which is true, by the way! Because the melting point of gold is 1064C and a wood fire burns at around 600C https://t.co/IkVfPS8W6c Dan Broadbent (@aSciEnthusiast) April 16, 2019 Other people also explained to her that it was not 'God' but science: 1. Those bricks are also untouched. I now believe in bricks. I am now convinced that bricks are my lord and saviour. Mark Hardwicke (@markahardwicke) April 16, 2019 2. Your suggestion that a roughly 600C fire could somehow melt a metal with a 1064C melting point PERFECTLY illustrates why we desperately need education reform! I'm sorry the education system has so clearly failed you. We obviously need to do better. :-( ASPK (@aspk93) April 16, 2019 3. You used Celsius. She's never gonna listen to you now. Ef Sternberg (@elfsternberg) April 17, 2019 4. If there was a god it would have never happened. tweetthat (@tweetthat17) April 16, 2019 5. LOL - created the universe, can't put out a fire. Because that makes sense. NotSoAngryAtheist (@NSAAtheist) April 16, 2019 6. There is a difference in having faith in God and being illogical. The fire is now out, but the cathedral's iconic spire fell. French President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to the nation, promised Parisians that they will "rebuild this cathedral together." In the hours after the fire had been extinguished, millions of dollars had already been donated to help rebuild the cathedral. Picture Credits: Reuters We have seen many cases of dowry where women have been burned or abused for not fulfilling her in-laws' demands. But this woman set her husband on fire, killing him for not having a fair complexion in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly. The incident happened on Monday when the accused - Prem Shri - set the victim - Satyaveer Singh - on fire while he was sleeping, reported The Times of India. The victim Satyaveers brother Harveer Singh said that his sister-in-law didnt like his brother because of his dark complexion. Representational Image Harveer also told TOI that she always used to comment on his brothers dark complexion, but he never thought that she would take such a big step. They were married for over two years and the couple also has a five-month-old daughter. Inspector Sehdev Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Kurh Fatehgarh, said that initially, an FIR was registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code but later it was converted to section 302 (murder) after the death of Satyaveer Singh. Prem Shri also suffered burn injuries on her legs. Indian American author Veera Hiranandani is the recipient of the 2018 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Childrens Literature for her book, The Night Diary. Born to a Jewish American mother and Indian American Hindu father, she says that belonging to two different cultures and not always fitting in has probably made me a stronger person. (Veera Hiranandani/Facebook photo) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party chief M.K. Stalin (right) DMK principal secretary T.R. Balu (center) and DMK women's wing secretary M. Kanimozhi, hold the party's manifesto during its release for the forthcoming general election at the party's headquarters in Chennai on March 19. (Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images) The EU's industrial mineral exports to the US face a major threat that could see America apply import tariffs on the material because of a long-running row over EU subsidies to Airbus. The US Trade Representative (USTR) office has released a shortlist of products that... Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic... The referendum legislation was proposed by Kifowit in response to controversy the Library Board has found itself involved in during the past couple of years. Many people thought the board was initially unresponsive when it considered cuts in staff and hours several years ago, and last year when the board looked at the future of the West Branch on the far West Side. A young Nigerian woman, Lizzy(26) has drawn the attention of social media, after a video of her was post on Pastor Tony Rapus page. Lizzy, apparently from a well-to-do home, judging by her primary(Caleb) and secondary school(Vivian Fowler) background was on the brink of self-destruction before help came through the humanitarian pastor. Mr Rapu who picks up drug addicts from the streets and help them overcome their addiction has shared the story of Lizzy, a beggar at the day and a prostitute at night who does these things, just to raise money to fuel her heroin addiction which she got into through an ex-boyfriend. See video Many Nigerians have found it hard to wrap their heads around how a girl from an obviously wealthy home, ended up on the street as a prostitute and a drug addict. Where are her parents, did they ever try to help her, whos to be blamed? These are the many questions, Nigerians are asking. A few reactions How did a parent we who paid this amount of fee at vivian Fowler allow their kid end up in drugs. pic.twitter.com/n7C0v0YwUC Bliss Digital prints (@__blissDigital) April 17, 2019 ''She went to Vivian Fowler'', ''She is from a well to do family''. Heroine and cocaine ain't cheap drugs which makes it a habit that can be cultivated by the wealthy. These drug menace have eaten too deep into the society, how many more Lizzy do we still have out there? Sixty9 (@Ghetto_Overseer) April 17, 2019 Watching that girl that's addicted to Crack and heroine story just made me realise that as a parent you can do your best but your children will still choose their path. She went to Vivian Fowler and Caleb but now she's living on the streets. I'm really really rooting for her. LamLam (@MideMicheals) April 17, 2019 https://twitter.com/RickAnji/status/1118439591340650497?s=19 https://twitter.com/Oluwatomie_ROL/status/1118442413490622466?s=19 Lizzy is so young that i cant hold my self but cry.. Vivian Fowler isn't a poor man's school. But how her parents ignored her, still beats my imagination. Crazy world OMOTOBY (@Tobycriz) April 17, 2019 Former US first lady, Michelle Obama has received severe backlash for using the phrase divorced dads to describe the countrys relationship with President Donald Trump. While promoting her new book Becoming in London, Mrs Obama for lack of a better metaphor, described the countrys relationship with Trump as one that has turned bad. The former first lady equated the troubles America is experiencing with that of a youngster, who goes to spend the weekend with his/her divorced father The visit is fun at the first few hours as there will be lots of interesting things but the teenager eventually becomes sick. The reactions from people were quick especially from divorced dads who felt slighted by the comments, explaining how it somehow made divorced dads look inferior to divorced moms. One disappointed admirer of Michelle Obama said via a tweet: I admire @MichelleObama, but I really wish she wouldnt use divorced dads as a metaphor for Trump. I hear some of them are quite awesome. Someone else said, As a divorced dad, I do my best to raise my son into a kind of man of which we all can be proud. Your comment doesnt help people see that Im conscientious and competent to do a good job. Another wrote; I love @MichelleObama, but comparing @realDonaldTrump to a divorced dad does a great disservice to many men who do everything they can to raise their children and provide them with safe, loving homes. I speak from the heart about this, on behalf of my own dad and many others. One even wrote: Hey @MichelleObama thanks for stereotyping all of us divorced dads. Maybe you arent aware, but stereotypes are hate speech used to perpetuate myths in order to oppress segments of society unjustly. I am extremely hurt by your comments. #divorceddad #MichelleObama Kevin Hunter, the estranged husband of talk show host Wendy Williams has come out to slam claims that he sexually assaulted a musician he once managed. The artiste, whose name has been given as Aveon Falstar claims Kevin sexually assaulted while signed to his label. In an interview on unWineWithTashaK YouTube channel, Falstar claimed all through 2018, Hunter assaulted him sexually. According to Falster, a producer on The Wendy Williams Show had invited him to perform on Wendys post-show, however, Hunter was not impressed with his musical talents but his mistress, Sharina Hudson convinced Hunter to sign Falstar to his label. Falstar claimed the relationship was not sexual at first until Hunter moved him to a condo. Falstar said: It wasnt a sexual relationship. It was much more of an amusement. It was much more of a put me down and keep me as your boy toy relationship. We did [have sex]. He came over and practically raped me at 3 oclock in the morning. The artiste also claimed his attorney sent Hunter a pre-lawsuit to address the sexual assault and sexual humiliation, Hunter ignored it. Reacting to the allegation, Hunters lawyer via a statement to Page Six: Vanguard Following a recent bloody conflict between Tiv and Jukun communities in Ukum and Wukari local government areas of Benue and Taraba states, governments of both states have resolved to set up a peace committee to visit the affected communities to assess the level of destruction and find a lasting solution to the crisis. Thisday A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, yesterday discharged the suspended Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo and one other person of the N115 million fraud allegation against them. The Sun Gunmen suspected to be hired assassins rained a hail of bullets on the President General of Nimo Town Union, Anambra State, Chief Anthony Frank Igboka, killing him instantly before escaping through the scene at Nimos Oye Market in Njikoka local government area. Thisday A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, yesterday discharged the suspended Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo and one other person of the N115 million fraud allegation against them. Guardian The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the recently conducted general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his party yesterday insisted that the final results, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were those transmitted online to INECs website (www.inecnigeria.org). Leadership The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it demolished a portion of fence, a gate house, and a gate, belonging to the management Daar Communications Plc, owners of AIT and Raypower, at its Asokoro district head office because of encroachment. The Nation A former lawmaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Anthony Igboka, was on Tuesday night shot dead by unknown gunmen. Tribune The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Tuesday presented the Certificate of Return to the re-elected Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike at the commissions headquarters in Port Harcourt. The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said that Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmakers would not chair any committee in the next parliament. He made this remark during a dinner organised by President Muhammadu Buhari for elected APC lawmakers on Tuesday at the Banquet Hall of the State House Presidential Villa, Abuja. Nigerians while reacting to the coment have fired heavy shots at him. Reactions: Is Oshiomole a senator now? Nengzz (@nityohegh) April 16, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Same tough talk to remove Saraki,d ogara and same tough talk that PDP wont win any state.make this ugly brief man rest abeg Ebererachael (@Ebererachael) April 16, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js what kind of house will it be? Where they speak Hausa translated to Yoruba. He forgot hes Edo who didnt win yet a chairman Kessler George (@1Verich) April 16, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js He is only talking tough bcos military thuggery would help them install NASS leadership Henry (@HHenryr) April 16, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js A Twitter user simply identified @obidiojochide has taken to her handle to share the story of how she lost a job she was supposed to resume today while on her way to the office. She reportedly said her employer sacked her because she disagreed with the idea of working on a Saturday through a chat while heading to the office. Her tweet: https://twitter.com/obidiojochide/status/1118408567982297088 Following the passage of the new Police Reform bill today, 17th April, Senate President Bukola Saraki has expressed optimism on the Performance of the men of the Nigerian Police. Saraki in his reaction through his Twitter handle has the new police bill would strengthen the Police institutional frameworks and equally bring lasting reforms to the countrys petroleum industry and electoral processes. What he said: 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. The mayor said the city informed the organization of the availability of neighborhood assistance grants for such events. The city was able to grant Indivisible Aurora $3,000 from that program. Also, the non-profit Aurora Downtown group said it could donate $1,500 toward the event, and might be able to find other ways to help the group. Read more: Marsh examines how cyber insurance market is surging Allianzs most recent annual risk survey saw cyber security climb to the second spot on the list of businesss concerns, behind only business interruption, after ranking 15th on the list five years ago. The average cost of a cyber claim is almost double the average cost of a fire loss that AGCS experiences," Browne told AFR. The UK government has indicated it believes there are US$600 billion worth of cyber losses annually throughout the global economy. Thats certainly eye-watering. The Allianz leader said the global interconnectedness of businesses was leading to vulnerabilities and that it was up to the insurance industry to understand the accumulation risk that exists with cyber exposure. I think the sophistication of cyberattacks is growing at a speed that no industry is able to keep up with, and I think even the most resilient companies when it comes to patching their IT systems [and] ensuring that they have robust data centres, are likely to be taken by surprise because the sophistication of the hacking community is incredibly impressive," Browne told the publication. You can have an attack that commences in one country, and within hours it has spread across continents. And that makes it incredibly challenging for the insurance industry to model the overall risk and to understand how were managing that accumulated exposure. A spokesman for Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said cyber was one of the biggest issues facing businesses and individuals today. Furthermore, a spokesman for Insurance Australia Group noted that cyber security was one of the biggest issues facing businesses and individuals today, leading to the exponential growth of the cyber insurance industry. Ward Dedman, chief executive of insurance brokerage EBM, meanwhile, said small and medium-sized businesses face significant potential costs from the new range of exposures created by the rapid rise of the internet. It could be as simple as someone holding your business to ransom, as in you cannot operate your business because your system gets locked out unless you pay them something, Dedman told AFR. You need legal support, you need IT support, so [cyber insurance] picks up the cost of all that support and allows you to get back to running your business. So there can be a pretty significant interruption to your business as a result. The new rules also state that the compensation threshold for homes in flood-prone areas will be cumulative, which means the total cost of the damages will be added after each flood. That threshold also only applies to damages to the home, not the homeowner. We want to avoid people benefiting, year after year, from financial help without a maximum amount, Quebecs public security minister Genevieve Guilbault explained in a statement. With this new measure, when the maximum is reached, the person will be faced with a choice: take the last cheque and no longer be compensated or benefit from the other options were offering. In addition to the cap, the new disaster relief program now has a streamlined claims process, cutting down the paperwork homeowners would need to complete before they can be eligible for relief. CBC News has translated into English (from French, on the governments website) some of the other new features of the relief program. Following the transaction, Gil will continue to serve his clients, and the Grosslight brand will operate under PCFs stewardship. We are excited to partner with such an iconic agency in the Los Angeles area as well as the broader insurance community, commented PCF Insurance CEO Peter Foy. Our presence in Southern California is now one of the largest by any privately-held brokerage. Read more: PCF Insurance Services moves into NY and Chicago areas with acquisitions Earlier this month, PCF completed two other acquisitions: Hipskind Seyfarth Risk Solutions in Chicago, and Broadfield Group, dba. Warwick Resource Group in New York. According to an earlier release, the two agencies were drawn to the growth potential they would experience as part of PCF. The experience of sharing their passion for science with peers from around the globe was so positive, Anna Gonzales, science curriculum coordinator at West Aurora School District 129, applied to the International Schools Science Network to have them attend the Southeast Asia science fair as participants. The district's grant writer assisted with the application. In her new role, Reyes will generate prospects, handle existing accounts, and design custom insurance plans for her clients. Reyes brings 13 years of industry experience to her role. Founded in 2009, AAdvantage Insurance serves the St. Louis area. It specializes in farm, commercial, home, auto and life insurance VIAA is a network of more than 120 independent agencies in Missouri and Illinois, and is a regional founding member of the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA). VIAA generates more than $200 million in written premium. Max Meade (pictured) is a cannabis insurance adviser for Brown & Brown Metro, LLC, a Brown & Brown company. He has been specializing in cannabis insurance for more than three years and currently has a book of approximately 40 clients throughout the US, ranging from dispensaries and cultivators to consultants and ancillary service providers. According to Meade, the education and advocacy piece that brokers should be providing around cannabis insurance is sometimes lacking. Too often, brokers are focused on a transactional play where they tell cannabis start-ups: You need this coverage, this coverage and this coverage, without explaining why those coverages are needed, said Meade. At Brown & Brown, were not just going to ping an email to a client and process a quote. We want to help our clients understand their exposures and why they need certain coverages, because a lot of them have never had that help before, he told Insurance Business. Were here to walk our clients through the insurance process and well stick with them the whole way. We will go through the application line by line, question by question, and we will give them explanations they havent had before. Helping clients understand the how and the why is really important. For insurance brokers who want to fulfil their promise of advocacy to cannabis clients, its important to stay ahead of the curve with regards to new regulation, legal case studies and so on. Meade spends a lot of time attending industry events, connecting with important stakeholders, and learning how all of the different cannabis businesses operate along the supply chain. Brokers in states that have not yet given the go-ahead for adult-use recreational schemes, can also look to and learn from states that are already online. Among the states that have an adult-use recreational program, no-one has yet said they wish they didnt do it, but each state has said they wish they did a few things a bit differently, said Meade. The benefit for all these states coming online now is that they can learn from, talk to, and get input from states like California and Colorado. It makes it a bit easier for the new states to roll out their programs because they can take the bits that are working well in other states and build from that. Were also starting to get valuable data from the states like California and Colorado real quantitative data that we can use to help our clients. At present, marijuana is legal for recreational use in 10 states. The insurance market is relatively small and mainly consists of players in the excess and surplus space. This presents opportunities for brokers if they do their networking and their homework. Meade explained: Right now, because of how limited the space is, were able to really get to know the carriers we work with. We have a good idea of what their bread and butter is, and what risks they like to take on. Some are really CBD-heavy whereas others like the plant or crop side of things. As this point, because of the work Ive done getting to know the markets in the past few years, I know exactly who to go to for what risk. The manufacturing experience is something thats been focused on logistics and supply chains, and youve had robotics and other equipment that have driven the manufacturing process. This has changed where a lot of this equipment is now maintained, updated, and secured through the internet and through IP addresses, [but] historically, a manufacturing entity has not been focused on IT security as theyve been focused on operational security or physical security, said Shawn Ram (pictured), head of insurance for Coalition, which offers a suite of comprehensive insurance coverage and free cyber security tools. When a cyberattack targets a manufacturer, there are several immediate and long-term consequences. The short-term impact is clearly business interruption logistics and supply chain processes go down and youre unable to produce product, explained Ram. The problem with manufacturing is oftentimes, manufacturers produce products that are going into other devices and other equipment months down the road. Theres a long tail for manufacturing, and so the longer-term impact is that you have suppliers and customers who are very upset, so there is reputational damage long-term. The cyber insurance space has only just started catching up to the risks facing manufacturers since the coverages primarily tended to focus on data breach and the loss of private information, like PHI or credit card numbers. The issue with cyber today is that cyberattacks go far beyond impacting privacy. They will impact things like bodily injury, property damage, pollution, and business interruption, Ram said. The cyber industry has not appropriately addressed some of these more tangible or operational-related risks. In response to manufacturers cyber risk, Coalition has unveiled coverage tailored specifically to these businesses that covers data exposure, as well as property damage, bodily harm, and pollution in the aftermath of a breach, while also providing preventative tools before and after incidents occur to mitigate damage. Its very easy in our industry to solely focus on coverage, but this is a more complete solution, commented Ram, adding, We believe these tools actively prevent claims and actually improve the risk profile of an account. If you have 80 employees and youre a contractor, youre large enough to implement risk management procedures, loss control, and claims, and chances are that your employee turnover is lower, said Todd Pollock (pictured), senior vice president of workers compensation at Worldwide Facilities, which launched its workers compensation division in 2018. If you own a restaurant and your turnover is 25%, and there are 10 or 12 employees, youre going to look at that exposure a lot differently than you would a larger account. The resources that a larger company has can range from more oversight of employees for example, a manager that oversees a group of 15 employees and can keep an eye on their activities, quickly identifying when an employee is acting unsafely as well as the time and money to devote towards consistent training programs. Meanwhile, a small business owner could be juggling a variety of projects, while also being the head of all the departments in their company. Lets say you have a landscaping operation where there are 10 people. The person that owns that business is running the business, acquiring the customers, and, in most cases, wearing many hats, said Pollock, adding that on the other hand, If you have a landscaper that has 100 employees, you probably have a full-time staff that helps you with operating the business, and youre not stretched so thin. You have more time to spend on important tasks, like hiring the right people. Read more: Workers compensation market has never been this competitive Besides helping find coverage for restaurants, landscapers, and contractors, other examples of exposures in the small business arena that Worldwide Facilities can write include auto repair shops, colleges and school, day cares, hotels and motels, janitorial operations, retailers and wholesalers, sand and gravel hauling companies, as well as social services. The workers comp division boasts hundreds of class codes, low minimum premiums, competitive pricing, flexible payments options, and fast turnaround, while also being open to accepting new ventures. While Worldwide Facilities has expertise in small business exposures, thats not the only area it specializes in. We write accounts of all sizes in all exposures. We can write mom and pop operations, we can write a restaurant with two employees, we can write a contractor that has one employee, or we can write a contractor that has 500 employees, said Pollock. With its carrier relationships in one hand and diverse expertise in the other, Worldwide Facilities brings high-quality service to exposures across the board. Im at the AAIS Main Event this week and Ive learned a lot. I go to a lot of different events for a lot of different reasons. I go to this event in part to network and meet people that the Academy can help, and in part to learn about what some people in the insurance world are working on that I might not be fully up to date on. Oh yes. Its a learning event for me. Keep learning isnt just a slogan I use. I mean it. Everyone must continually and intentionally keep learning. This years event really opened my eyes to three topics in particular: the cannabis business around the US, insights into the minds of some key regulators, and the use of blockchain for insurance carriers. Let me hit a few of the highlights for you. Cannabis is growing around the country. The cannabis business truly is taking off. 48 of 50 states have taken some action toward legalizing the use of cannabis and cannabis derivatives. That includes everything from full legalization to simple decriminalization. Lets define a few terms. By full legalization, we mean that cannabis products in some form or another are available based on medical necessity and that they are available for recreational use by adults. By decriminalization, we mean that in some states, the state has made the decision not to prosecute individuals for the possession or use of cannabis products in certain circumstances. Cannabis, cannabis derivatives, and cannabis products all refer to items that include one or more of the active chemical components found in cannabis. You already know what products those are. You dont need me to explain any further. The growth of the industry is not surprising considering the trend toward legalization around the country. What is surprising is that even in places where it is legal in one form or another, the industry struggles finding insurance coverage. It was even more surprising to learn this from the organization that created the first standard market business owners policy designed for use specifically for the cannabis industry in California. There is a strong excess and surplus market for this coverage, but it has yet to take off in the standard market. I attribute the reluctance of standard market carriers to the fact that there is a tension still to be resolved between the federal government (which still considers cannabis as a schedule one controlled substance) and the several states. In my opinion, no large carrier will file or use any forms or programs designed for cannabis businesses until this tension is handled. NOTE: Please dont read anything above as my approval of this particular business. And dont read this disclaimer as my rejection of this type of business. Im simply telling you about something that you need to be watching because if it isnt a business thats looking for coverage in your area, wait. It will be. Some regulators are on board with shorter, easier to read, policies. A few weeks ago, we all read the news that Berkshire Hathaway has created their new type of business owners policy. You probably also remember that our friends at Lemonade announced last year that they were interested in making policy language simpler using their Policy 2.0. If youre like me, you wondered what was going on in the minds at Berkshire. Certainly, that company wouldnt think that this would work out. It turns out that this kind of new policy has some regulatory approval and even backing by some regulators. I found out that Berkshires product has been approved in several states already. It turns out that some regulators want simpler policy language for the customers so much that they are willing to let a company (like Berkshire) experiment. They feel like there will be challenges to the policy language, but that it should only need a few tweaks to be solid policy. As with any cutting-edge product, the proof will be in the profitability. Will consumers trust that it protects them? Will agents trust that they wont have any issues if they sell it? Will this be what consumers really want in the future? Or is it something that will fizzle out because of poor uptake, poor results, or poor showing in the courts. I will remind you that none of us wanted music, games, social media on our phones until someone gave them to us. Blockchain will help in reporting while preserving confidentiality. This was probably the most mind-blowing part of the day to me. I admit that I have a basic understanding of what blockchain is, how it started, and what the dominant use of blockchain is so far. Blockchain is a shared ledger technology that allows authorized users to post a block to the chain and those blocks can never be deleted or changed. In the words of one of the speakers today, blockchain (in three words) is: distributed, immutable ledger. All clear now? Maybe this will help. All of the users in the blockchain have copies of the same transaction history. Whenever one member adds a transaction, that is added to everyones copy of the history. Once a transaction is posted to the chain, it cannot be deleted. It also cannot be changed, unless everyone in the blockchain agrees to it. Today, we were talking about the use of blockchain as a tool to aid in helping regulators when they make a data call. In short, an advisory organization (AAIS), any member insurance company, and the regulator all become members of the blockchain. The regulator puts out a data call, for example, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation could send out a call for data related to all losses due to Hurricane Michael. That request for data goes to the advisory organization and the requested data is released to the OIR, while maintaining all company privacy. The way I understand it, it would make the data call process faster, easier, and more secure for everyone. I cant pretend to be expert in all of the things that I am learning. I can tell you that Ill chew on more stuff as the days go by and will probably reach out to a few contacts with more questions. I like finding out what I dont know. It helps me to know what to learn next. Keep learning! Topics Cannabis Training Development Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman has announced that her department, along with a working group of stakeholders, will this summer hold the Pennsylvania NextGen Insurance Academy to provide college students with an up-close look at various careers in the insurance industry. The insurance industry provides fulfilling careers in areas such as risk management, actuarial science, finance, accounting, public policy and criminal justice, Altman said in a press release issued by her office. This academy will give college students the chance to meet and network with insurance industry professionals from the public and private sectors and learn about job opportunities. The Pennsylvania NexGen Insurance Academy will be held August 12-15 in Harrisburg, Penn. It is designed for rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors. The academy itself is free, with breakfast and lunch provided each day. Students will be responsible for transportation, lodging, dinners and any other expenses related to attendance. Registration is open through May 15. Careers in the insurance industry are varied and rewarding, helping individuals and families find financial security for their health, homes, businesses and vehicles, and provide for their loved ones through life insurance, Altman said. Insurance industry professionals help people find the right coverage at the right price for their particular situation, help insurers set appropriate rates to provide affordable coverage while keeping the business solvent and able to pay claims and protect policyholders and insurance companies by investigating and rooting out fraud. Students will participate in workshops focused on various insurance careers. Upon completion, participants will earn a Pennsylvania NextGen Insurance Academy Certificate. Source: Pennsylvania Insurance Department Topics Market Education Universities Pennsylvania South Africas leading food producer Tiger Brands said on Wednesday it will fight a class action lawsuit over its role in the worlds largest ever listeria outbreak. The listeriosis outbreak, the infection caused by the bacteria, killed more than 200 people in South Africa last year and was traced back to a factory run by Tiger Brands-owned Enterprise Foods. Tiger Brands confirmed to the stock exchange that it had received a summons with respect to the class action lawsuit, which has been in the offing for some time. The company intends to defend the class action, the statement said, adding it would follow due legal process and issue further updates when appropriate. The companys shares were down 0.9 percent at 0811 GMT. The amount of damages being claimed was not identified in the summons, it continued, because the first stage of the class action is concerned with liability and not damages, which will be dealt with at a subsequent stage once there has been a ruling on liability. It said that the plaintiffs are seeking damages under the terms of the Consumer Protection Act and for exemplary, punitive or constitutional damages, which Tiger Brands said it has been advised are not recognized in South African law. While the company has product liability insurance cover, this does not include cover for exemplary or punitive damages, which are damages intended to punish the defendant for its conduct and deter it and others from similar behavior in future. Listeriosis causes flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhea and infection of the blood and brain. It poses a higher risk for newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weak immunity. (Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Louise Heavens) Topics Lawsuits A new report shows that in 2017, Michigans insurance industry made an economic contribution of more than $38 billion to the states economy. The report released by Insuring More for Michigan also shows that more than 80,000 individuals were directly employed by the industry last year. The insurance industry also contributed nearly $60 million to charities across the state. According to the report, property/casualty insurance companies employ 17,000 individuals across the state while working with tens of thousands of independent agents throughout Michigan. Additionally, the property/casualty insurance sector has contributed more than $16.5 billion to Michigans economy. The Insuring More for Michigan report was assembled by Public Sector Consultants, an independent, nonpartisan company based in Lansing, Mich. The report is available at: https://publicsectorconsultants.com/2019/04/10/insuring-more-for-michigan/. Topics Michigan Market The Trump administration will allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the first time against foreign companies that use properties Communist-ruled Cuba confiscated after Fidel Castros revolution in the 1950s, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The move, which will be announced on Wednesday, could expose U.S., European and Canadian companies to legal action, dealing a blow to Cubas efforts to attract more foreign investment. It is also another sign of Washingtons efforts to punish Havana over its support for Venezuelas socialist President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trumps national security adviser John Bolton on Wednesday will explain the administrations decision in Miami and will also announce new sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, countries he has branded as a troika of tyranny, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump threatened in January to allow a controversial law that has been suspended since its creation in 1996, permitting U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business in Cuba over property seized in decades past by the Cuban government. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act had been fully waived by every president over the past 23 years due to opposition from the international community and fears it could create chaos in the U.S. court system with a flood of lawsuits. The complete lifting of the ban could allow billions of dollars in legal claims to move forward in U.S. courts and likely antagonize Canada and Europe, whose companies have significant business holdings in Cuba. It could also affect some U.S. companies that began investing in the island, an old Cold War foe, since former President Barack Obama began a process of normalizing relations between the two countries from the end of 2014. U.S.-Cuban relations have nosedived since Trump became president, partially rolling back the detente initiated by Obama and reverting to Cold War rhetoric. A six-decade U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has also remained officially intact. The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the countrys National Assembly, meeting over the weekend, declared the Helms-Burton Act illegitimate, unenforceable and without legal effect. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech on Saturday that the United States has pushed the precarious relations with our country back to the worst level trying to activate the hateful Helms-Burton Law, which aims to return us in principle to when we were a slave nation of another empire. BUMP IN BUSINESS, OFFICIAL SAYS Among the foreign companies heavily invested in Cuba are Canadian mining firm Sherritt International Corp. and Spains Melia Hotels International SA. U.S. companies, including airlines and cruise companies, have forged business deals in Cuba since the easing of restrictions under Obama. Defending the administrations decision, the senior U.S. official said allowing Cuba-related lawsuits would cause only a bump in the business world but would send a message of U.S. resolve against Havana. In addition to halting any further waivers of Title 3, the administration will begin enforcement of Helms-Burtons Title 4, which requires the denial of visas to and exclusion from the United States of those involved in trafficking confiscated properties in Cuba. Trumps decision on Helms-Burton followed threats by his top aides in recent weeks to take actions against Cuba to force it to abandon Maduro, something Havana has insisted it will not do. Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency. The United States and most Western countries have backed Guaido as head of state. Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup and Maduro is backed by Cuba, Russia, China and the Venezuela military. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; additional reporting by Susan Heavy and David Alexander in Washington and Marc Frank in Havana; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker) Topics Lawsuits USA Canada Millions of people may be able to show their smartphones rather than a plastic card to prove theyre legit to drive, vote or buy a beer in coming years. Louisiana in July became the first state to make digital licenses available to anyone who wants them, and at least 14 other states either have developed a program, run a pilot or are studying the possibility, according to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Seventy-seven percent of American adults already own a smartphone, including 94 percent of adults under 30, and many state motor vehicle officials think residents will appreciate the convenience of having their drivers license available in an app. Officials also like that the licenses are connected to a central database and can be updated easily with, for example, suspensions or revocations. And unlike plastic cards that can easily be counterfeited or tampered with, mobile licenses are less susceptible to fraud, they say. But as is often the case when something analog goes digital, privacy advocates worry about the potential for government overreach and fear the digital licenses and motor vehicle databases will become vulnerable to hackers. These are shiny new things, and states are only talking about the upsides, said Chad Marlow, a senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union in New York. It is very important the public understand there are significant risks with digital drivers licenses. I think it is irresponsible for states to offer them [without explaining those risks]. Colorado, Delaware, Maryland and Wyoming are among the states that have started a digital drivers license pilot program. Others are exploring the possibility. This is a quantum leap improvement over what has been the traditional model for how we ask for and receive identification, said Geoff Slagle, director of identity management at the motor vehicle administrators association. With this approach, Im able to verify that the MVA actually created that license for you and that it was overseen by them. Only one state New Mexico does not allow drivers to use an electronic copy of their insurance card during a traffic stop, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. Supplement Not Replace Slagle said digital drivers licenses wont replace plastic ones; theyll simply be a supplement. Everybody still will have to carry a physical license for the foreseeable future. Eventually, officials envision people using digital licenses not only for traffic stops and airport ID but also in bars, grocery stores, casinos, banks, doctors offices and as voter ID at polling places. About 35,000 of Louisianas approximately 4 million drivers have signed up to have their license available on the LA Wallet app, said Paige Paxton, a field administrator for the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. And on Election Day, the secretary of states office allowed voters to display digital licenses instead of plastic ones. We like to move with the times. We saw the potential, Paxton said. Our plan is to eventually make it so your registration, insurance or any credential would be on LA Wallet. The program was jointly designed by the motor vehicles office, the Louisiana State Police and the Department of Public Safety. It was developed for free by Envoc, a Louisiana software firm, Paxton said, and there has been no cost to the state. Louisiana residents can download the Apple or Google app for free but must pay a $5.99 activation fee (most of which goes to the software developer; the rest to Google or Apple) that covers them until their drivers license expires. Drivers must use a PIN number, fingerprint or both to access their license, which is linked to the DMV data system. This is not a static thing, Paxton said. Its a live connect. For now, the app only can be used for stops by Louisiana police and for voting, and drivers still must carry a physical license for the foreseeable future, Paxton said. Louisianas Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is developing a policy and training materials for its officers. LA Wallet was developed after the state legislature passed a measure in 2016 allowing the creation of digitized licenses as an alternative to physical ones. To address privacy concerns, the law says that displaying a digital license doesnt serve as consent or authorization for police or anyone else to search or view any other data or app on the mobile device. And at the request of state police, Paxton said, the policy goes even further: Under its hands-off procedure, police can check the license without having to take the phone from the driver. Our state police were concerned, Paxton said, that there was a potential that someone could say, Hey, you broke my phone. So, whos liable for that if a screen is shattered? The system has been working fine for state troopers, said Lt. Nick Manale, a Louisiana State Police spokesman. Were not aware of any problems with it, as long as the driver has cellphone connectivity, he said. And they always have a physical drivers license as a backup. The app, which Paxton said does not track users location, also is built so the screen only shows whats needed. If a store clerk or bouncer scans it, for example, the app would show only whether the person is old enough to drink. Digital Skeptics But critics such as the ACLUs Marlow are skeptical that digital licenses in Louisiana or anywhere else are a good idea. By unlocking the license, phone owners could expose their data to whoever is checking it, Marlow said. And, he added, while an officer normally would need a warrant to search a phone, in the real world, drivers who dont know the law could be pressured into handing over the phone, allowing access to everything from contacts to text messages. And he worries hackers could access data being transmitted to and from the DMV database. A group formed by the motor vehicle administrators association has been working on a plan to provide standards that would make it possible for digital licenses to work across states. This way, a license from one state could be checked and verified by a device in another. Wyoming is one of several states that joined a pilot last year to test digital licenses. As part of the first phase, Wyoming officials wanted to see, for example, whether information could be transferred from a tractor-trailer digital drivers license directly to a highway patrol officers cruiser behind the truck. It worked, said Misty Zimmerman, a deputy program manager at the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Wyoming is now planning the second phase of its pilot program. The first phase was very smooth. There were no hurdles whatsoever, Zimmerman said. We have not made any formal commitment [to offer digital licenses to the public]. However, from a department standpoint, I feel we would greatly benefit from having this option for our citizens. Biometrics Iowa, which in 2016 became the first state to start a digital license pilot program, is moving ahead with its plan to offer mobile licenses, turning to a system that uses biometrics and beefed-up security. The state hired a French multinational company that specializes in providing secure credentials, IDEMIA, to develop the pilot for just under $50,000, said Mark Lowe, director of the state Department of Transportation. After a competitive bidding process for the current digital license project, Iowa awarded the company a contract of $1.2 million initially. It hopes to start the digital license by late 2019 or early 2020. The drivers app would be able to interact with another device used by the person checking the license. The device-to-device exchange would authorize information sharing and verify that the person is who he says he is. The really powerful thing is that once we bind you to that credential and verify it, you can use it for hunting and fishing licenses, weapons permits, tax returns all sorts of things, Lowe said. Theres a ton of convenience and efficiencies. Iowa is working with other states to make sure its system can be used outside the state. Lowe said thats the biggest hurdle developing common standards across states. But privacy advocates are concerned about states creating digital license programs that use device-to-device communications rather than just scanning a barcode, as is done in airports and grocery stores. Thats 1984 stuff, said Alan Butler, senior counsel at the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit research group. Youre opening up a new channel of attack or breach or nonconsensual monitoring of a person. It creates substantial privacy and data security risks with no added benefit. And the ACLUs Marlow worries about expanding the use of digital licenses. Whats stored on your physical drivers license is limited, Marlow said. But the digital one has the potential to store a lot more information, and that could be hacked. But Slagle, of the motor vehicle administrators group, said the ACLU should be more concerned about plastic licenses, which are vulnerable to fraud and counterfeiting. They should be super excited about something coming along that helps to solve some of those problems, he said. Slagle and Lowe predict that every state eventually will offer digital licenses. It is not a question of whether or not this is happening, its a question of how fast this happens, Slagle said. Were going to do this as fast as we can, but we want to make sure that we get it right. Topics Cyber Auto Louisiana Personal Auto Law Enforcement Iowa The first person in Illinois to be exonerated, in part, due to DNA evidence, Cruz said he had no support system in place and did not know how else to hide from the onslaught of this unwanted celebrity status. So he turned to drugs and alcohol, and it wasnt until six years after he was freed that, looking directly into the face of one of his young children, it suddenly hit him how lost I was. U.S. Supreme Court justices tiptoed around the offensive word at the center of a free speech case on Monday as they considered a challenge to a federal law that restricts trademarks on immoral and scandalous words and symbols. The nine justices heard about an hour of arguments in a case involving Los Angeles-based clothing designer Erik Brunettis streetwear brand FUCT, which sounds like a profanity but is spelled differently. The F-word word in question, which government lawyer Malcolm Stewart described as the paradigmatic profane word in our culture, was not uttered openly in the famously decorous courtroom. Several justices signaled reservations about striking down the provision in U.S. trademark law, which has been on the books for more than a century. They appeared particularly concerned about limiting the governments ability to withhold trademarks featuring the most offensive words, including racial slurs. But other justices indicated that the law is written so broadly that it violates free speech protections under the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment. The court could well follow the course it took in 2017 when it struck down a similar law forbidding the registration of disparaging trademarks in case involving an Asian-American dance rock band called The Slants, a name trademark officials deemed offensive to Asians. Justice Elena Kagan said the argument by President Donald Trumps administration in defense of the law appeared to be based largely on a commitment that the government would ban only trademarks featuring the most offensive words. Thats a strange thing for us to do, isnt it? Kagan asked. Justice Neil Gorsuch followed a similar line of questioning, wondering whether the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices decisions on which trademarks to grant that feature offensive words are based on the flip of a coin. I dont want to go through the examples. I really dont want to do that, Gorsuch added, steering clear of any profanities. Justice Samuel Alito dismissed the suggestion by Brunettis lawyer, John Sommer, that FUCT could be treated differently because it is not spelled the same as the word it sounds like. Oh come on, be serious. We know what he is trying to say, Alito said, though he avoided saying the brand name. A Washington-based federal appeals court ruled in Brunettis favor in 2017. The Trump administration appealed that ruling to the conservative-majority Supreme Court, arguing that striking down that provision would unleash a torrent of extreme words and sexually graphic images on the marketplace. Brunetti challenged the law on free speech grounds. Having a federally registered trademark would make it easier for him to protect his brand against counterfeiters. When the FUCT trademark application, filed in 2011, was denied, the trademark office said the brand would be perceived as the phonetic equivalent of the profanity, observing that Brunettis products contained sexual imagery, misogyny and violence. Brunetti said the brands name is clever because people think it is pronounced as a profanity. The acronym, he added, also means Friends U Cant Trust. When the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which specializes in intellectual property, ruled in Brunettis favor in 2017, it acknowledged that it was not eager to see vulgar trademarks proliferate. But it criticized the governments attempts to police them and said the law has been applied unevenly. Speech may not be banned even if it expresses ideas that offend, the court ruled in that case. A ruling is due by the end of June. Related: More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas, killing dozens, the state is still waiting on billions in federal recovery dollars. In the meantime, Texas lawmakers are looking to prepare the state the most disaster-prone in the nation for future storms. During their first session since Harvey a close second to Hurricane Katrina on the list of costliest tropical cyclones in U.S. history legislators have filed dozens of bills this year aimed at storm recovery, response and preparedness. And they appear poised to withdraw billions from Texas historically flush emergency savings account to bankroll a variety of disaster-related items measures that disaster response and flood control experts say are rare for any state, but especially historically frugal Texas. Much of the money would go to school districts that saw sharp declines in property values and student enrollment after Harvey and to state agencies that diverted resources to respond to the storm. But most of it would go to help communities finance overdue flood control projects and to help them secure billions more federal recovery and flood mitigation dollars. Specifically, the legislation calls for the money to be funneled into a special account from which grants and low-interest loans would be doled out to communities for projects that may not be eligible for federal funding. It also would be used to help storm-battered communities pay for the so-called local match they must send to the federal government before it will release billions more dollars to repair storm-battered government facilities, and harden public and private structures so they can better withstand future storms. The Texas Senate wants to put $1.8 billion toward those efforts, while the Texas House wants to invest more than $4 billion though it wants to ask voters for permission to spend most of that. Lawmakers will have to settle those differences before the session ends in late May. Whatever they settle on, the sum is sure to be a small sliver of the tens of billions of Harvey-related dollars Texas will receive from the federal government when its all said and done. But state lawmakers argue its still a major step. Last month, state Sen. Brandon Creighton a Republican whose Houston-area district suffered during Harvey described the upper chambers proposal as probably the most comprehensive, forward-reaching approach that any state has offered following a disaster. According to several disaster recovery and flood management experts who reviewed the legislation, Texas is indeed ahead of the curve in some aspects of disaster preparedness, but they say its behind other states in other areas. University of Maryland research engineering professor Gerald Galloway, a former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district commander who contributed to a retrospective Harvey report ordered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said its a big deal for any state to invest its own money in such initiatives rather than looking solely to the federal government for help, which most states do. What I have watched is that over the last year or two years, Texas has looked the demon in the eyes and said: We recognize that these (storms) are big deals, he said. Texas is following the first of the principles: Learn what your problem is and start developing plans to deal with it. Its much better than saying: Lets talk some more about it. Theres an awful lot of that going on around the country. A Strategic Wish List Indeed, lawmakers spent months studying ways to improve disaster response and storm preparedness ahead of the current legislative session, holding numerous public hearings at the state Capitol and in coastal communities last year. Many of the dozens of bills now under consideration mirror the recommendations that resulted. I commend the House and Senate, which have both proposed using rainy day funds to help rebuild Texas stronger and more resilient than before disaster struck, Abbott said in a speech in February, a few weeks into the legislative session. The Republican noted that the federal government has appropriated more than $30 billion in aid, but said we all know, more resources are needed to help Texans rebuild. One major proposal was creating a statewide flood plan. Much like Texas State Water Plan, it would be a wish list of projects compiled on a regional basis with the overarching goal of mitigating flooding across the state. And communities with projects that make the list such as detention pond construction or dam repairs would be eligible for financial assistance from the state. While both the Texas House and Senate leaders support the creation of a statewide flood plan and a revolving fund to help communities pay for projects, they disagree on how much to spend and how to approve the money; A measure under consideration in the Texas House would ask voters for permission to withdraw $3.26 billion from the states rainy day fund, while the Senate has proposed pulling $840 million from the savings account without voter input. Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said it appears that few if any states maintain such a statewide wish list of flood control projects, though he said recent research indicates that at least a dozen states help communities pay for them in one way or another. Its always a positive when states step up and own part of the flood risk management problems happening in their own state, Berginnis said. But he suggested other states are much farther ahead when it comes to managing flooding. For example, he said Illinois pays for floodplain mapping to identify high-risk areas an initiative the federal government typically handles and has stricter regulations for development within them. Minnesota does all of those things, Berginnis said, while also offering a program that gives communities grants to use as local matching money to help draw down federal funds or to do projects on their own. Effective states also do planning and coordination, he added. The Big Ask The federal government typically requires communities to pay for a certain percentage of major projects no matter the type. After disasters, communities often look to their states for help with that local match. About two-thirds of states cover some or all of local matching funds after disasters, said Daniel Craig, a former recovery director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency who now serves as chief operating officer at Tidal Basin, a private disaster recovery consultancy. Texas has never chipped in to help with matching funds at least in recent memory and lawmakers have openly worried about whether doing so this time will set a precedent. Houston-area officials lobbied aggressively for local match assistance on behalf of all 55 Harvey-impacted counties, noting that $1.3 billion from the state would help draw down $11 billion in federal money. This is our one, big ask, said Bill Kelly, director of government relations for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. The House and Senate have both proposed putting up about $600 million. Lawmakers also have proposed funneling $200 million to coastal communities to draw down some $4 billion in federal dollars to build or rehabilitate dozens of miles of levees in southeast Texas. The project is a major component of a larger coastal protection system that local officials and scientists have long envisioned for the state to safeguard it from deadly storm surge during hurricanes. Weak and Uneven Building Codes Another measure Craig said many states have already pursued amid a push from FEMA is locking down contracts for debris removal before storms hit so local officials dont have to find contractors in the midst of a natural disaster. A bill thats sailed through the Texas Capitol this year would do just that. Theres been a huge emphasis on that and its great to see Texas adding that as kind of a priority, Craig said. Recovery doesnt start until debris is taken off the streets. Enacting stricter building codes such as requiring minimum building elevations or restricting construction in flood-prone areas is another example of something Texas is now considering that other states implemented years ago. The Texas General Land Office has endorsed the idea, calling the states current building codes weak and uneven. However, a key bill that would require Texas to adopt more up-to-date municipal building code standards something Florida, Virginia, Louisiana have already done has languished. Craig, the former FEMA official, said Florida completely overhauled its state building codes in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 to make homes and buildings more resistant to hurricanes he described it one of the most sweeping packages a state has ever done as far as resiliency and mitigation. Still, it might be a tough sell in pro-business Texas, he said. A Missing Piece? Galloway, the former Army Corps district commander, also noted that Texas is not openly addressing the overarching issue that figures prominently in many other states plans: The looming threat of climate change. The term was noticeably absent from the Harvey report Galloway worked on for Abbott, which instead emphasized the need for future-proofing. Creating a climate change preparedness plan that would be a startling one for Texas, Galloway said. I think its important for people to acknowledge that there are changes we are having bigger storms and we are having longer storms and you need to have a plan that deals with that. At least a half dozen bills filed this year by Democratic state lawmakers that would require the state to plan for climate change havent received public hearings. The U.S. Department of Defense has conducted a study on climate change threats why shouldnt Texas do the same? state Rep. Mary Gonzalez of Clint said in a statement last month when she filed a bill that would require Texas A&M; University to study the impacts of global warming on the state. As the second largest state in the country, we need to do our part to keep Texans safe and protected. Still, the measures that Texas lawmakers are considering this year are exciting to Roy Sedwick, the executive director of the Texas Floodplain Management Association, who has advocated for such policies for years with limited success. This is the first time weve seen some really real, good, positive moves toward making some big changes, he said. Im hoping Texas will catch up and become a leader. This article originally ran in The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/04/16/texas-leading-disaster-preparedness-yes-and-no-experts-say/. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Related: Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Legislation USA Flood Climate Change Hurricane Early assessments show Saturdays tornado outbreak damaged more than 250 homes, businesses and public buildings across Mississippi. The National Weather Service has counted at least 10 tornadoes in Mississippi on Saturday, ranging from Escatawpa on the Gulf Coast as far north as Greenwood Springs in Monroe County. The worst damage is around Hamilton in Monroe County, where one man died. Emergency managers say 130 homes, 14 apartments, two businesses and three public buildings are damaged or destroyed there. Gov. Phil Bryant visited Hamilton on Monday. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency set up a mobile command center there providing workspace and augmenting communications while cell and radio towers are repaired. In Warren County, including Vicksburg, preliminary assessments show 50 homes, 15 businesses and three public buildings were damaged or destroyed. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Mississippi A special inspection of a nuclear power plant in Mississippi has resulted in two low-level citations, as its operator says it has continued trying to make improvements. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in a March 29 report , says Entergy Corp. operators at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station couldnt get a water pump system to operate during the Dec. 12 shutdown because of training and simulation problems. We respect and value the NRCs feedback, spokesman Mike Bowling wrote in an email. We are currently reviewing the report for full understanding and incorporation into our plans for continuous improvement and achieving excellence. The NRC planned an annual community meeting April 16 in Port Gibson to discuss the 2018 safety record of Grand Gulf, one of only three nuclear plants nationwide not rated at the highest safety level. Since 2016, the plant has often run at less than full power, which can stress power supplies and cause higher prices across the region. The plant is 90 percent owned by New Orleans-based Entergy and 10 percent owned by Cooperative Energy, a Mississippi group supplying power to member-owned cooperatives. Entergys subsidiaries in Mississippi, Arkansas, New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana buy power from the plant. The report lays out a minute-by-minute timeline of Grand Gulfs response on Dec. 12. The trouble began when a control valve that was supposed to be closed began to open. As operators tried to close it, it began to open more, forcing an unplanned reactor shutdown, known in nuclear industry parlance as a scram. After the scram, operators struggled to keep the pressure right inside the reactor as they tried to add water to keep the still-hot reactor core from overheating. They tried to start a water-pumping system called the reactor core isolation control system, but the system was unable to pump water into the reactor because the pressure inside the reactor was too high. After operators released pressure and briefly turned on a high-pressure water spray system, pressure decreased enough that the original pumping system began pushing water into the reactor. The water level inside then got too high, causing the original pumping system to automatically shut down. Operators restarted the pumping system after water levels went down. NRC inspectors cited Entergy for a training failure because its simulation system didnt accurately reflect what would happen. Deficiencies in the simulator modeling had provided licensed operators with unrealistic or negative training, NRC wrote in its citation. Regulators wrote that the incident also raised questions about whether Entergy is providing training to maintain a knowledgeable, technically competent workforce. The federal nuclear regulator also cited Entergy for failing to fix a problem with a different pump system that had repeatedly switched off during shutdowns over the years. Grand Gulf had another shutdown on Feb. 23 after a problem with a turbine valve. Entergy reported no complications with scram response. That was at least the seventh unplanned decrease in output at the plant in an 18-month period, according to NRC documents. In the 109 days since the reactor came back to full power following the Dec. 12 incident, Grand Gulf has operated at less than full power output on at least 27 days, NRC records show. Clearly they have kind of persistent problems with controlling this reactor, said Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist and acting director of the Nuclear Safety Project with the Union of Concerned Scientists. The unplanned scram rate is high. Virden Jones, the executive director of the Public Utilities Staff in Mississippi, said his agency has hired consultants to monitor Grand Gulf and has met several times with management. He said Entergy has promised that it is working on a plan to increase reliability. Entergy was already spending to add staff and increase training at the plant before Dec. 12. The company announced in January it would hire 70 people at Grand Gulf, increasing workers to 890. We are investing in the plant by fixing equipment and hiring skilled people, which will allow us to continue safe and secure operations through our 2044 license, Bowling wrote in an email. It is important to reinforce that the NRCs assessment stated Grand Gulfs overall performance preserved public health and safety. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Training Development Mississippi A licensed Miami insurance agent has been arrested after she allegedly obtained and transferred more than 300 homeowner insurance policies without homeowners knowledge or consent and pocketed nearly $476,000 from the policy premium differences in this scheme, according to a statement from Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Claudia Odila Romoleroux, owner of RND Insurance Corporation, is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $877,000 in premiums for 307 homeowners policies. Romolerouxs alleged scheme including supplying mortgage companies with fraudulent documents and requesting the homeowners escrow money be sent to her business account to pay for new policies. Unbeknownst to these homeowners, Romoleroux allegedly used a portion of that money to pay for cheaper policies with inadequate coverage. Through this alleged fraud impacting homeowners and leaving them vulnerable, Romoleroux pocketed nearly $476,000. Romoleroux was arrested on April 4 and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of grand theft, uttering forged instruments, insurance fraud, identity theft and organized scheme to defraud. If convicted, Romoleroux faces up to 25 years in prison. Her insurance license will be immediately suspended upon the filing of formal charges. Patronis said the arrest is part of his work to protect Floridians from the costs of insurance fraud, noting last year, DFS detectives arrested more than 180 fraudsters in Miami-Dade County alone. Source: Florida Department of Financial Services Topics Agencies Fraud Homeowners California regulators expressed skepticism that Pacific Gas & Electric Corp.s new leaders have enough professional experience to instill the deep corporate culture of safety they say the company has lacked. The utility has been blamed for more than a dozen of Californias most destructive wildfires in the past two years. The five-member California Public Utilities Commission questioned veteran PG&E board member Richard Kelly about the safety qualifications of 10 new board members and incoming chief executive Bill Johnson, who starts May 1. It safe to say that there is still anxiety, CPUC president Michael Picker said at a commission meeting in San Francisco. Picker and other commissioners said a majority of the board appear to have little experience with building corporate safety programs. Kelly defended their resumes, saying it was imperative that PG&E board members have financial skills to help the company emerge from bankruptcy protection, which it filed for in January. I think we really were looking for people who would bring profound experience in compliance and safety culture, Kelly said. Johnson was hired to run PG&E after serving six years as chief executive of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a publicly owned utility. Were hoping he brings the skillset needed to change the culture, Kelly said. Im hoping well see a new PG&E with him in charge. Northstar Consulting Group, hired by the PUC, reported last month that PG&E continues to lack an overall safety strategy, a shortcoming identified two years ago. Northstar said in the report that a new safety plan PG&E developed fell short and that it continues to be concerned that the companys divisions are adopting safety plans independent of each other. Northstar also said PG&E managers arent providing enough supervision of safety inspectors in the field. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California A Montana Senate committee has revived a bill to strengthen DUI laws by including it in a budget companion bill. The DUI bill, requested by Attorney General Tim Fox, was tabled by a House committee. Republican Sen. Keith Regier earlier this week proposed including the DUI language in the companion bill and requiring it to pass in order for the state to hire a missing persons specialist to help local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement better investigate such cases. Several lawmakers criticized leveraging support for the missing persons bill to garner support for the DUI measure. That provision was removed. The DUI bill includes conditions that allow trained officers to draw blood if a person refuses a breath test. Fox, a Republican, is running for governor in 2020. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Politics Montana Amazonas - Large Brazils Superior Court of Justice (STJ), which has the power to deliver final decisions regarding legality (constitutional matters are addressed by the Brazilian Supreme Court STF), has reaffirmed that sales to the free trade zone of Manaus (FTZM) which is in the state of Amazonas must be equal to export transactions. Companies that have sold inputs or merchandise to the FTZM can therefore recover tax credits to foster exports, under the Special Regime for Reintegrating Tax Values for Exporting Companies (REINTEGRA). The free trade zone of Manaus was established in 1967 to promote the development of Brazils inner Amazon region by establishing an industrial, commercial and agricultural hub. Decree-Law 288/67 set up the FTZM by granting significant tax exemptions and incentives. It set forth that the sale of domestic goods to the FTZM for consumption or manufacturing processes must be equal to foreign trade transactions, for tax purposes. It is important to note that in general, exports from Brazil are exempt from taxes. The REINTEGRA, originally established by Law 12546/11, grants exporters deemed credits related to the social contributions on gross revenues (PIS and COFINS), which are connected with the sales of products pointed out in Decree 8415/2015. Such PIS and COFINS credits, which range from 0.1% to 3% depending on the type of good and period considered, can be offset with other federal taxes or refunded to taxpayers. The Federal Revenue Service has historically prevented refunding those credits, and this is largely due to the fact that the National Tax Code notes that exemptions and similar tax reliefs should be literal rather than indirect exemptions. The legislation that instituted the tax benefit used the expressions direct sales to abroad and sales to a trading company aiming specifically at exportation, and this would ultimately not comprise sales to the FTZM. As a result, taxpayers considered that they had grounds to challenge that stance, and filed lawsuits. The STJ had precedents noting that transactions with the FTZM were equivalent to exports. Recently, the First Panel of the First Section of the STJ reinforced its position in favour of taxpayers by ruling in Special Appeal 1679681-SC (by three votes to two) that the PIS and COFINS deemed credits granted by the REINTEGRA are applicable when sales to the FTZM are performed. Despite the STJs interpretation, the precedents related to this matter are only binding for the parties in the lawsuits, and the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service may still deny the credits in this situation. Nonetheless, taxpayers can request in court their right to use PIS and COFINS deemed credits in courts regarding their sales for the FTZM in accordance to the REINTEGRA, and to also recover (with interest) such credits related to the past five-years. Ricardo M. Debatin da Silveira Rogerio Gaspari Coelho This article was written by Ricardo M. Debatin da Silveira (rsilveira@machadoassociados.com.br) and Rogerio Gaspari Coelho (rcoelho@machadoassociados.com.br) of Machado Associados. The material on this site is for financial institutions, professional investors and their professional advisers. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQ. Share this article Capitalist vs. Socialist Economies: An Overview Capitalism and socialism are economic systems that countries use to manage their economic resources and regulate their means of production. In the United States, capitalism has always been the prevailing system. It is defined as an economic system in which private individuals or businesses, rather than the government, own and control the factors of production: entrepreneurship, capital goods, natural resources, and labor. Capitalism's success is dependent on a free-market economy, driven by supply and demand. With socialism, all legal production and distribution decisions are made by the government, with individuals dependent on the state for food, employment, healthcare, and everything else. The government, rather than the free market, determines the amount of output (or supply) and the pricing levels of these goods and services. Communist countries, such as China, North Korea, and Cuba, tend toward socialism, while Western European countries favor capitalist economies and try to chart a middle course. But even at their extremes, both systems have their pros and cons. Key Takeaways Capitalism and socialism are economic systems that countries use to manage their economic resources and regulate their means of production. Capitalism is based on individual initiative and favors market mechanisms over government intervention, while socialism is based on government planning and limitations on private control of resources. Left to themselves, economies tend to combine elements of both systems: capitalism has developed its safety nets, while countries such as China and Vietnam may be edging toward full-fledged market economies. Capitalism In capitalist economies, governments play a minimal role in deciding what to produce, how much to produce, and when to produce it, leaving the cost of goods and services to market forces. When entrepreneurs spot openings in the marketplace, they rush in to fill the vacuum. Capitalism is based around a free-market economy, meaning an economy that distributes goods and services according to the laws of supply and demand. The law of demand says that increased demand for a product means an increase in prices for that product. Signs of higher demand typically lead to increased production. The greater supply helps level prices out to the point that only the strongest competitors remain. Competitors try to earn the most profit by selling their goods for as much as they can while keeping costs low. Also part of capitalism is the free operation of the capital markets. Supply and demand determine the fair prices for stocks, bonds, derivatives, currencies, and commodities. In his seminal work, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, economist Adam Smith described the ways in which people are motivated to act in their own self-interest. This tendency serves as the basis for capitalism, with the invisible hand of the market serving as the balance between competing tendencies. Because markets distribute the factors of production in accord with supply and demand, the government can limit itself to enacting and enforcing rules of fair play. 1:43 What is Socialism? Socialism and Centralized Planning In socialist economies, important economic decisions are not left to the markets or decided by self-interested individuals. Instead, the governmentwhich owns or controls much of the economy's resourcesdecides the whats, whens, and hows of production. This approach is also referred to as central planning. Advocates of socialism argue that the shared ownership of resources and the impact of central planning allow for a more equal distribution of goods and services and a fairer society. Both communism and socialism refer to left-wing schools of economic thought that oppose capitalism. However, socialism was around several decades before the release of The Communist Manifesto, an influential 1848 pamphlet by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Socialism is more permissive than pure communism, which makes no allowances for private property. Key Differences In capitalist economies, people have strong incentives to work hard, increase efficiency, and produce superior products. By rewarding ingenuity and innovation, the market maximizes economic growth and individual prosperity while providing a variety of goods and services for consumers. By encouraging the production of desirable goods and services and discouraging the production of unwanted or unnecessary ones, the marketplace self-regulates, leaving less room for government interference and mismanagement. But under capitalism, because market mechanisms are mechanical, rather than normative, and agnostic in regard to social effects, there are no guarantees that each person's basic needs will be met. Markets also create cycles of boom and bust and, in an imperfect world, allow for "crony capitalism," monopolies, and other means of cheating or manipulating the system. In socialist societies, basic needs are met; a socialist system's primary benefit is that the people living under it are given a social safety net. In theory, economic inequity is reduced, along with economic insecurity. Basic necessities are provided. The government itself can produce the goods people require to meet their needs, even if the production of those goods does not result in a profit. Under socialism, theres more room for value judgments, with less attention paid to calculations involving profit and nothing but profit. Socialist economies can also be more efficient in the sense that theres less of a need to sell goods to consumers who might not need them, resulting in less money spent on product promotion and marketing efforts. Special Considerations Socialism sounds more compassionate, but it does have its shortcomings. One disadvantage is that people have less to strive for and feel less connected to the fruits of their efforts. With their basic needs already provided for, they have fewer incentives to innovate and increase efficiency. As a result, the engines of economic growth are weaker. Another strike against socialism? Government planners and planning mechanisms are not infallible, or incorruptible. In some socialist economies, there are shortfalls of even the most essential goods. Because there's no free market to ease adjustments, the system may not regulate itself as quickly, or as well. Equality is another concern. In theory, everyone is equal under socialism. In practice, hierarchies do emerge and party officials and well-connected individuals find themselves in better positions to receive favored goods. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry will be a keynote speaker at a Cork conference on the so-called "blue economy" in June. Mr Kerry, who lost the US Presidential election to George W Bush in 2004 before being appointed Secretary of State by Barack Obama in 2013, will speak on climate change and marine management at the Our Ocean Wealth Summit in City Hall on June 9 and 10. Authorities alleged that Liebich severely beat Steven Quinn while he was babysitting the boy on Feb. 8, 2002, in their Willowbrook-area apartment. Later that day, when the boys mother arrived home from work, Steven seemed lethargic, and she and Liebich took the boy to a hospital. He died days later. The childs autopsy documented dozens of injuries, with the cause of death listed as blunt-force trauma to his head and abdomen. Prosecutors at trial said he died "at the hands of a monster." Opposition parties are calling on the Government to take action after the forecast for economic growth was cut. A slowing of the pace of growth in key export markets is being blamed for the revised estimate. British workers pay grew at its joint fastest pace in over a decade as employers extended their hiring spree, adding to signs that uncertainty about Brexit is prompting firms to take on workers rather than commit to longer-term investments. Contrasting with other sluggish readings of the UKs economy, total earnings, including bonuses, rose by an annual 3.5% in the three months to February, official data showed. That was the joint highest rate since mid-2008 although in the month of February on its own the pace of wage growth slowed. Britains labour market has defied the approach of Brexit, helping households whose spending drives the economy. Employment grew by 179,000 in the three months to February, helping to keep the unemployment rate at 3.9%, its lowest since early 1975, said the Office for National Statistics. However, the jobs surge could reflect nervousness among employers about Brexit and risks aggravating Britains long-standing productivity problem, the Achilles heel of the worlds fifth-biggest economy. Workers can be hired and then fired if the economy takes a hit, whereas investment in technology and new machinery which helps the economy over the long term fell throughout 2018. The elongated period of uncertainty has kept businesses in a hiring cycle, said Tej Parikh, an economist at the Institute of Directors. Without a pick-up in investment, low productivity will also keep wages from growing further, particularly when considering the higher regulatory costs businesses are facing this tax year, he said. Data earlier this month showed output-per-hour rose by only 0.5% in 2018, well below the annual average of 2% before the global financial crisis. Accountancy firm Deloitte said this week that large British-based businesses were increasingly focused on cashflow as they worried about the long-term economic hit from Brexit. The ONS said the increase in jobs over the past year was all coming from full-time workers, both employees and self-employed. Average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by an annual 3.4%, said the organisation. It was the first fall in that measure of pay growth since the middle of last year. The strength of the labour market is pushing up wages more quickly than the Bank of England has forecast. Reuters The Dairygold Co-op board has maintained the March milk price at the February level of 31.19 cent per litre (cpl), including VAT, and a 0.65cpl quality and sustainability bonus. Kerry has also announced an unchanged milk price, but Glanbia and Lakeland played safe and cut their March price. A press statement from Lakeland Dairies (which knocked 0.5cpl off the February price) said weakness in the European markets continues, especially for butters and powders, driven by Brexit uncertainty, and persistently high volumes of dairy products in storage. Fluctuation in the eurosterling exchange rate was also a significant contributing factor. But the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions in New Zealand were a market positive. Glanbia suppliers will get 1cpl less for March milk, compared to February. Glanbia Chairman Martin Keane said the global milk supply growth is lower than in previous years, and oil prices have increased, but market demand in some regions was being adversely affected by challenges that include lower economic growth, Brexit, and trade wars. Butter prices have weakened, and the market is currently working through the large volume of intervention powder stocks that were purchased late last year. IFAs Dairy Chairman Tom Phelan said the decision by Glanbia and Lakeland to cut their respective milk price was a big blow for farmers. When you consider that Ornua will be paying a 19m year-end operating bonus to member co-ops, up 27% on last year, youd have to say the decision by Glanbia, in particular, is completely unjustified, he said. ICMSA Dairy Committee chairman Gerald Quain said dairy farmers were entitled to be both cynical and very angry. However, a new worry has emerged for Irish co-ops, in the shape of the United States government proposing additional import duties on a selection of EU dairy products, as part of a wider $11bn range of tariffs. A preliminary list of targeted dairy products includes yogurt, butter and cheese, with the largest impact expected on cheeses, including speciality European cheddar, a market which Glanbia recently entered. The EU exported just under 134,000 tonnes of cheese to the US in 2018, and about 75% of this volume could be affected if all the proposed tariffs are implemented. The US is proposing the tariffs because the World Trade Organisation recently ruled that the EU gave illegal subsidies to airplane manufacturer Airbus, giving the company an unfair advantage over others, including Boeing in the US. Because of this, the US is allowed to impose additional tariffs on imported EU products. On the other hand, a low double-digit increase in Chinese dairy imports this year is predicted by market analysts at Rabobank, unless the China-US trade war escalates. Chinese demand is powering New Zealands 10-in-a-row GDT auction price rises since December 4, including a 0.5% grain last Tuesday. But it highlights dairy market volatility, only partly reversing 13 auction index falls in a row in 2018. The index fell 26% then. But Rabobank analysts say dairy price prospects are good on the other side of the world, and commodity prices will remain elevated to mid-year at least, due to a global supply crunch, exacerbated by a 10% production slump in Australia over the last three months. Annual growth in New Zealands milk production is expected at only 3%, with their dry summer spoiling what promised to be a record year. The GDT butter index rose 3.5% Tuesday, a tenth consecutive rise, totalling 42% since the start of the year. It could rise further on Chinese demand, due to that countrys food social media fad around muddy buns, which has boosted demand for butter. African swine fever in China has become a major world food markets event, with the Chinese loss in pork production now estimated at nearly 30%, larger than the US annual pork production, or equivalent to the EUs annual pork supply. With ASF now affecting an estimated 150-200 million pigs, the expected Chinese pork supply shortfall will create challenges and opportunities for global meat exporters, predicts Rabobank, one of the worlds leading food and agriculture lenders. Rabobanks experts expect Chinese pork production losses in 2019 of 25% to 35%, with sizeable breeding herd losses that will delay recovery of the worlds biggest pork industry for years. Wholesale pork prices have climbed more than 9% since last July in China, which has the highest per capita pork consumption after Vietnam and the EU. The disease has spread to Vietnam, where Rabobank predicts pork production losses to exceed 10%. ASF has also entered Cambodia, and could move further into Southeast Asia. Since its discovery in August, 2018, ASF has spread to every province in mainland China. The pork losses cannot easily be replaced by other proteins such as chicken, duck, seafood, beef, dairy products, eggs, and sheepmeat, for Chinas population of 1.4 billion. Nor will larger imports be able to fully offset the loss, say Rabobanks experts. In 2020, the Chinese pork supply could be even tighter. Rabobank expects available global protein supplies to be redirected to China, but says global protein customers are now scrambling to secure long-term protein supplies. This unprecedented shift in trade will likely create unexpected product shortfalls in markets previously served by these suppliers, creating short-term market volatility that will ultimately result in higher global protein prices, said the banks market analysts. A secular shift towards lower Chinese pork consumption will support increased demand for poultry, beef, seafood, and alternative proteins that will shape global production trends. The EU, the US, and Brazil are thought to be best placed to respond to increased import demand for pork and other animal proteins into China and Southeast Asia, because they have exportable surpluses, and access to markets in China and Southeast Asia. Irish pig farmers are among those hoping that Chinese demand will rescue them, after their significant financial losses due to low prices for over 14 months. However, the potential for ASF outbreaks in Europe to restrict exports cannot be ruled out, with ASF endemic in parts of Eastern Europe, such as the Baltic States and parts of Poland, and Russia. ASF was also confirmed in wild boars in Belgium last September. Despite tariffs on US pork exports to China, part of a simmering trade war between the two global powers, China made its biggest-ever purchase of American pork in the week to April 4, pushing up Chicago hog futures. But the US cannot currently export poultry to China, due to a ban associated with avian influenza, imposed in 2015. In Canada, pig prices are reported to have jumped by more than 20% in Saskatchewan in the past few weeks, attributed to demand from China. China replacing the US as New Zealands largest export market for beef is also attributed to the shock slump in the Chinese pork supply. The annual World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, has been cancelled due to fears of African swine fever spreading. Here, new posters at the Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Ireland West, and Kerry Airports warn people not to bring pork into Ireland, for fear of African swine fever spreading into Ireland, which has never had a case of the disease. African swine fever is a severe, usually fatal viral disease of pigs and wild boar. It is caused by a virus first discovered in Kenya in 1921. Going through the village of Ballineen the other night, I was stopped by the guards. Naturally enough, I was asked to blow the bag. I happily agreed, for I had nothing to fear, but fear itself. I passed with flying colours, confusing the guard no end. I dont understand it, says he, surely you are after drink. Indeed I am not, I said, I havent touched a drop since Shrove Tuesday. Well, I never. And what has you worn out and beat up so? he asked, tilting back his cap before examining the breathalyser a further time, for he was distraught with confusion. That may be true, I replied, but alas and alack for you, and you out here on a cold night, you wont be earning any sergeants stripes from the likes of me.. Sure tis the farming, I explained to him. Hours of toil, days of torturous work, and nights of sleepless anxiety. Thats what has me looking bedraggled. Too little money and too much work has me as wretched as any drunk. Farming is my addiction, I said, in a matter-of-fact way. And I went on talking to the guard for another half an hour, about farming and the difficulties attached to it, for twas a quiet night on the beat, and I had little else to be doing. In the finish, a more likely candidate for the bag pulled up, with all his windows rolled down. He had a brazen head on his shoulders, that had all the hallmarks of a man who enjoyed a tipple. The guards attention went from me and to the new arrival like a fox to a chicken. He waved me on, wishing me a good night. And as I drove off, I was truly glad to see the back of the man in blue. For while I had nothing to fear from the bag, I had everything to fear regarding my jeep. If he had bothered to look under my jeep, instead of being focused on the bag, he would have spotted that I was resting on four of the baldest tyres that ever free-wheeled down the Geata Ban (which is one of our main thoroughfares out here in mid-Cork). The front tyres were nothing short of an embarrassment, while one tyre in particular on my rear had all the tread-bearing quality of a balloon. It should have been fines, penalty points and a day in front of a magistrate for me, instead I was relieved to be going home. The following morning, with my tail between my legs, and little else to boast about, I struck back for Rosscarbery, to my friend Kenneth and his tyres-by-the-coast business. Ken has tyres with tread a-plenty, and prices that wont leave you flat either. My only problem with Ken is that I dont go back to him half often enough. Anyhow, he hoisted on four tyres with tread the likes of which youd only see on a jeep being driven by Vladimir Putin on a hunting safari in Siberia. Theyd take a fellow up the side of Kilimanjaro. I was like the king of the road once again, the new tyres providing me with all the safety I needed, and the height of extra tread had me sitting two inches taller on the journey home, giving me the pleasure of seeing over ditches and into fields long hidden from view. The Rosscarbery tyres will keep me on the right side of the law and between the two ditches for many years to come. Almost 150 asylum seekers have been living in direct provision centres for seven years or more. Department of Justice figures supplied to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) breakdown the amount of time asylum applicants have been resident in emergency accommodation. The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service figures shed light on the extremely long periods that applicants must live in direct provision centres, such as Mosney in Co Meath. Figures show 142 residents have been in accommodation for 84 months or more, 65 for between 72, and 84 months and 146 applicants have been in centres for between 60 to 72 months. Thousands more in emergency accommodation have stayed for long periods, including more than 1,700 who have been resident in centres for between 24 and 48 months. Elsewhere, the PAC has also received figures from the Department of Justice which show that some 100 claims have been made by the Irish Prison Service in respect of tuberculosis. The claims have been handled by the State Claims Agency, department secretary general Aidan O'Driscoll has told the PAC by letter. He also tells the committee that, of the 100 claims, 66 were concluded or dealt with by January 25 this year. Mr O'Driscoll said he has sought extra information about compensation levels and will come back to TDs and senators with those figures. Meanwhile, the HSE will today tell PAC by correspondence that there was "no conflict of interest" in picking financial services firm PwC to carry out a review of the escalating costs for the 1.7bn national children's hospital. This is despite the fact that health authorities previously engaged the services of PwC over the second phase of the new hospital build last year, prior to the controversy over the massive rise in the project cost. The HSE letter says: "The HSE has in place a framework for the provision of professional services to assist in the Programme for Health Service Improvement. "This provides resourcing for expertise to be drawn down as required. Under the terms of this framework, it was agreed that PwC would carry out the review of the escalation in the cost of the new children's hospital. "In the context outlined above, the HSE is satisfied there is no conflict of interest." The roll-out of the National Broadband Plan would cost in the region of 3bn, the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar said the Government needed to spend a little bit more time before it could bring a decision to Cabinet on the matter. He revealed the cost, including Vat, contingencies and so on, could be in the region of 3bn, albeit spread over 25 years. However, the benefits must be borne in mind, he said during Leaders Questions in the Dail. It is 540,000 homes, farms and business and over one million people. It is a huge project of huge scale. Mr Varadkar said: We want to do this and to do it right. Before we bring a decision to Cabinet, we want to ensure there is no better alternative. He was responding to questions from Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald, who pressed him on other options if the Cabinet decides not to proceed. Deputy McDonald asked about plans B, C and D. We are examining all of those because we want to be convinced that the business case, costs and everything else are deliverable, that it is done in accordance with the public spending code, that is being technically reviewed, that international expertise and an outside panel have examined the plan, that all of the alternative ideas being floated are not better and that it cannot be done cheaper or quicker. We want to be satisfied with all of those things, make a Cabinet decision and bring the plan before the joint committee and Dail to allow Members to examine the facts also, he added. Ms McDonald, however, said the whole process has been marked by delay which has generated massive frustration and impatience right across those rural homes and communities which the Taoiseach described, and now he says he wants more time. The Taoiseach challenged me on using the term multiples of the 500m but it is the phrase he used himself. He said it would likely cost multiples and, as such, it is his language not mine. What we want to know now is the final cost, she said. It is astonishing that the head of Government would take such a laissez-faire approach to final costings. Only one bidder remains in the process for the contract to roll out high-speed broadband to more than 500,000 homes across the country. Fianna Fail communications spokesman Timmy Dooley said it was extremely negligent to continue the process with just one bidder. The obvious outcome has arrived the Government has backed itself into a corner and the remaining bidder is holding all the cards. As the Taoiseach confirmed in the Dail today, the remaining bidder, a private investment firm operating out of Boston, with limited experience in the Irish market, expects to be paid 3bn of taxpayers money to build a 1.5bn network. This an appalling betrayal of taxpayers and those citizens who are still waiting for broadband. The burial place of well over 800 children who died in the care of Bessborough Mother and Baby Home is unknown - despite "very extensive inquiries and searches". The findings are contained in the long-awaited burials report from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission. The long-running inquiry found that some 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. However, it could only establish the burial place of some 64 children who died between 1922 and 1928 despite "very extensive inquiries and searches". Of these, 53 are buried in St Josephs Cemetery, two are buried in St Finbarrs Cemetery. Five of the remaining children died after being transferred to Cork District Hospital and are "likely" to have been buried at Cork District Cemetery, Carrs Hill. However, the Commission has no documentary evidence of this. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried. The burials of children who died in the three Sacred Heart Homes (Bessborough, Castlepollard and Sean Ross) are not recorded at all. "More importantly, there is no certainty about where they are buried," said the report. The Commission pointed out that it was clear that in the initial years of operation, the Order took responsibility for the children that died in Bessborough and used a number of cemeteries in the locality. However, it speculated that the "abrupt cessation of child burials at St Josephs in June 1928 may have had something to do with costs". Death registers for both Bessborough and Sean Ross Abbey were handed over to the HSE by the Order in 2011 and were later reported on by the Irish Examiner. In the case of Bessborough, the register shows that 470 infants and 10 women died in Bessborough between 1934 and 1953. A total of 273 deaths took place in just a six-year period between 1939 and 1944. The interim report's findings on Bessborough Mother and Baby Home More than 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. However, the Commission says it has been unable to establish where the vast majority of those children are buried. The small on-site burial ground was confined to the congregation, and the Commission said it seemed only one child was buried there. The Commission has been able to establish the burial place of only 64 children. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried. Bessborough Mother and Baby Home - which opened in 1922 - was owned and run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Commission said that more 900 children who were born in, or admitted to Bessborough died in infancy or early childhood. Most died either in the Sacred Heart Maternity Hospital soon after birth or in the Bessborough Home itself to which infants were transferred some weeks after birth (many more died in the Home than in the Maternity Hospital). The Commission says it believed it unlikely from an early stage that all the children who died in Bessborough were buried in the estate's small burial ground, which would not have been large enough for the number of children involved and "in any event, it would be unlikely that children would be buried in the same burial ground as members of the congregation". The report says members of the congregation who provided affidavits and/or oral evidence to the Commission were able to provide "remarkably" little evidence about burial arrangements, and that "the congregation does not know where the vast majority of the children who died in Bessborough are buried". The report also deemed it "rather surprising" that a nun who was in Bessborough for most of the 50 years between 1948 and 1998 did not remember any child deaths, although 31 children died in the 10 years between 1950 and 1960 alone. Another congregation member who was in Bessborough from 1978-1985 told the Commission that one baby died during her time there. Maps, site searches, interviews, and a public appeal Forensic archaeologists and the Commissions researchers reviewed all available maps and aerial images as part of their investigations, and conducted a site survey. They interviewed a landscaper who had conducted extensive groundwork on the estate over a 30-year period, including work that required him to dig up to eight feet deep in an area marked 'Children's Burial Ground'. He found no evidence of human remains. Finally, a public appeal for information or evidence of burials on the estate produced no results. Nonetheless, the Commission considers it "highly likely" that children who died in Bessborough were buried within its 60-acre grounds - due in part to how expensive it would have been to arrange off-site burials in the 1940s in particular, when many of the deaths occurred and when petrol was scarce. However, it found "no physical or documentary evidence (of child burials in the grounds)". It also notes the possibility that burials took place in grounds that no longer form part of the Bessborough estate, a total area of about 200 acres. However, without physical evidence of possible locations in the 60-acre grounds of the current estate (and the 200-acre area of the old estate), the Commission said it "did not consider it feasible to excavate 60 acres, not to mention the rest of the former 200-acre estate". The Commission examined the burial records of other possible burial sites in Cork. During the period under review (1922-1998) eight burial grounds were in operation in Cork city and surrounding hinterland. These were: St Josephs Cemetery, Tory Top Road (53 children who died in Bessborough were buried here) St Finbarrs Cemetery, Glasheen Road (two burials) St Michaels Cemetery, Mahon (two burials) Cork District Cemetery (All Saints), Carrs Hill (five likely burials) Douglas Municipal Cemetery, Douglas St Marys Cemetery, Curraghkippane St Catherines Cemetery, Kilcully Rathcooney Cemetery, Glanmire REPORT SUMMARIES Dublin Union/St Patricks, Navan Road (Pelletstown) Pelletstown and the Dublin Union were one institution with separate premises run by the Daughters of Charity. The children who died here were mainly buried in the "Angels Plot" at Glasnevin Cemetery where detailed records are kept. A small number were also buried in Mount Jerome while the Commission is continuing to check others. The burial register records the children as "abandoned", "deserted" and/or "illegitimate". The Commissions report notes the analysis of deaths at the home is complex for reasons including that many of the children were sent there because they were very ill. More than 950 children who died here between 1920 and 1977 were sent to the medical schools at UCD, Trinity and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, for anatomical studies. The sending of the bodies of unclaimed deceased residents from institutions to medical schools was common practice until the mid-60s. The Commission found that the bodies of a number of children were transferred for anatomical studies before the 48-hour period for claiming the body was over. The law states that bodies cannot be sent to medical schools until at least 48 hours after death to enable family members to claim the body and/or object to the body being sent for anatomical studies. All but 18 of the children received as anatomical subjects were illegitimate children. In general, they were buried in Glasnevin more than a year after their death. There was no distinct section of the Poor Ground for these bodies and the usual practice was for the remains of a number of anatomical subjects to be collectively buried in the same plot on the same day. These children were identified in the Glasnevin Poor Ground Burial Registry by the letters AS (anatomical subject). Sean Ross Sean Ross Abbey Records concerning the Sean Ross Mother and Baby Home show that more than 1,000 children and 29 mothers died there or in the District Hospital, Roscrea, where they were sent when they became very ill. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the Sean Ross home, despite a canon law requirement to keep a record of burials. There is no certainty about where these children are buried. The Commission said that an affidavit about the burials provided by the congregation was "in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The affidavit states that all of the children buried in the Sean Ross burial ground received the rites of the Catholic Church and that the congregation did not bury infants in unapproved cemeteries. The Commission says this may well be true but the congregation provided no evidence to support (these assertions). The congregation had said that the child burial grounds were "created within existing by-laws and with the approval of the local Bishops". The Commission said it had no reason to doubt that the bishops were aware of them. The involvement of local bishops and priests in the institutions will be documented in the Commissions final report. The congregation also said the infants buried at Sean Ross were buried without cost to local or central government. The Commission dismissed this, saying it was not true in respect of some, if not all, of the burials, and said it had seen evidence of burial bills being sent to the local authority. The Commission has carried out a geophysical study and a test excavation of the site and is examining the results of the excavation. Bethany Home A memorial at the former Bethany home Bethany Home was located in Blackhall Place, Dublin between the years 1922 and 1934 and in Orwell Road, Rathgar after that. The homes records have been digitally copied and are being analysed by the Commission. Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harolds Cross, Dublin, was the main burial site for the children who died in the Bethany Home. The report notes the cemetery has kept very good records of all burials. The cemeterys burial registers show that 240 children who were born in, or at one time admitted to Bethany, died between September 1922 and October 1964. Of that 240, 213 were recorded as coming directly from the Bethany Home. These, and 18 stillborn children, were buried in unmarked graves at Mount Jerome Cemetery. The Commission notes it seems unlikely that they were buried in the same place as baptised children. The oldest recorded age at death was 36 months; the others were all aged 19 months or under. There are at least 20 other children who died and are not recorded in the Mount Jerome burial register. Bethany Home survivors identified over 310 Bethany children buried there. The Commission said that once a particular grave was full, it was closed and the next available grave with spare capacity was used. The Bethany children were buried in, or next to, those used for other private/public adult or child interments. The burial records show that the children were usually buried within two to three days of their death. There is no evidence of any child from Bethany being used as an anatomical subject before being interred in Mount Jerome. Cork County Home The Commission has established that, between 1922 and 1998, 552 illegitimate children died in Cork County Home/St Finbarrs Hospital. So far, no burial records have been found for these children. It is likely that they are buried in Carrs Hill Cemetery but there is no documentary evidence available. Both the Cork County Home and the Cork District Hospital were renamed St Finbarrs in the 1950s. Castlepollard The Commission has so far established that over 220 children died in Castlepollard (or in hospitals to which they were sent) and there were eight mothers who died from complications of pregnancy/childbirth. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in respect of burials in Castlepollard, despite a canon law requirement to keep such records. An affadavit from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the institution, was deemed " in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The Commission found that the children who died in Castlepollard are likely to be buried in the burial ground there. However, there is no documentary evidence to confirm this. Castlepollard ceased to be a mother and baby home in 1971. The Commission has made digital copies of the records it can find relating to Castlepollard, and is in the process of analysing them. Report summaries compiled by Peter Towe A Cork farmer whose defective tractor was responsible for the death of a boy has failed to stop a second prosecution being taken against him over the incident. The High Court has ruled that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) can proceed with a prosecution against George Ross, over the death of Michael Haulie Murphy, at Knocknacullota, Killavullen, Co Cork, on August 23, 2013. The 14-year-old boy, who was the son of one of Mr Rosss employees, fell out through the door of the tractor, which was kept shut with plastic cable ties, as the lock was broken. The ruling follows an application by Mr Ross, aged 67, of Convamore, Ballyhooly, Co Cork, for a judicial review of the decision by the HSA to initiate a prosecution against him in Cork Circuit Criminal Court, under the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, on the grounds that the tractor was an unsafe place to work because of the defective door lock. Mr Ross is challenging the proceedings because he was convicted and fined 700 by Mallow District Court in October 2014 under the Road Traffic Act for allowing to be driven a vehicle that was a danger to the public. Mr Ross claimed he should not be prosecuted a second time for what is substantially the same offence. Lawyers for the farmer argued it was an abuse of process to be facing another trial, where the offences were on an ascending scale of gravity. They also claimed that the trial for the workplace offence should have taken place at the same time as the other prosecution. Mr Justice Michael Twomey said the road traffic offence was minor, while the other was a serious and indictable offence, where Mr Ross could face trial by a jury, as it carried a maximum fine of 3m and a two-year prison sentence. The judge said the difference between the two offences was highlighted by the fact that there was no requirement that any harm was actually caused to any person under the road traffic offence, unlike the offence under workplace legislation. Mr Justice Twomey said the elements necessary to prove the two offences were not the same. He claimed the two charges were different in nature, in degree, and in moral turpitude. The court noted that Mr Ross was aware, since mid-2015, that the HSA was conducting an investigation into the accident, as it had seized his tractor after his prosecution in Mallow District Court. Mr Justice Twomey said the farmer should have known a prosecution was possible, if not probable. He added: For this reason, Mr Ross should not have been surprised that the death of a young boy might lead, at a minimum, to further investigation and perhaps a charge The judge said it was perhaps understandable why Mr Ross had sought to prohibit the HSA prosecution, which he regarded as a second trial, as the degree of the farmers moral culpability for Michaels death was very different to other deaths that appeared before the courts. Mr Justice Twomey said it would also have been preferable if the HSA proceedings could have been prosecuted more quickly. Although Mr Ross should not have had the prospect of a trial hanging over him for four years, Mr Twomey said the power to prohibit a prosecution should only be used in exceptional circumstances and its use was not justified in the case before him. Attorney Sramek stated that under the statute there are certain things that the electors can demand be done and that the township is obliged to do that, according to minutes. The request here is not something that the township is obliged to follow but that the township can consider it. Middle-ranking gardai are calling for a real-time insurance database to help them catch uninsured drivers. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors wants Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to take action on the area. At the third day of their annual conference, delegates cited figures from the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland which estimated there were 150,000 uninsured vehicles in the Republic. Sergeant Roger Nicholson, from the Westmeath branch, told the conference the detection of drivers without motor insurance was a very important task for all gardai and the roads policing unit, in particular. He said gardai were currently detecting about 12,000 uninsured drivers a year despite penalties of fines up to 5,000, five penalty points and, at the discretion of the court, a jail sentence not exceeding six months. He said the number of claims made relating to uninsured or untraced drivers in 2015 was 2,516 and that this increased to 2,758 in 2017. He said: All vehicles are required to have their disc displayed on the windscreen but this does not state that the driver is insured. He said gardai had the power to seize vehicles under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 2010 for driving without insurance and other offences. But they were still required to give drivers ten days to produce their certificate of insurance or exemption at a garda station of their choice. He said changes in the act required that all vehicles insured in the Republic of Ireland need to be included on the national fleet database. This would allow gardai check if a vehicle is insured or not by pointing a registration reader at the vehicle. We do not have access to a real-time database, he said. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has provided the Policing Authority with a report into the collapsed prosecution against Garda employee Lynn Margiotta over the production of sick notes. The case against Ms Margiotta and her brother, Tony Margiotta, collapsed last month after a judge in the Circuit Criminal Court ruled Ms Margiottas rights to a solicitor and privacy had been breached. The Irish Examiner yesterday highlighted a litany of unexplained aspects to the investigation into Ms Margiotta, including the circumstances of two arrests and the manner in which she and her brother were charged. Three weeks before her first arrest by colleagues with whom she had worked she had lodged a complaint of bullying against a garda member. Speaking at the AGSI conference, Mr Harris confirmed that he reported the issue to the Policing Authority. Dr. Tony Margiotta, from Hollystown, Dublin 15, leaving court after the case. PIC: Collins Courts Asked whether the case was in any way related to the bullying allegation Ms Margiotta had made, Mr Harris said he was unaware of the specifics of that complaint. For most of the last four and a half years, she has not received an income from the force, despite being an employee since 1999. Ms Margiotta had been accused of acquiring the sick notes by deception and her brother was accused of producing these for her. Dr Margiotta never denied he had given her the sick notes but always maintained that there was nothing unusual in this. The investigating garda told the Circuit Criminal Court he believed Ms Margiotta was unwell for the periods she claimed to be but that was irrelevant to the issue of whether she had acquired the sick certificates by deception. Ms Margiottas solicitor, Yvonne Bambury, has called for a full and impartial inquiry into what she said were the unprecedented circumstances of the case. An asylum seeker with a heart condition who was unable to walk 200 metres without extreme breathlessness spent his last few weeks of life in extreme distress as he had to take repeated trips by bus from Cork to Dublin for medical treatment, his widow has claimed at his inquest. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that her 46-year-old husband was treated at the Mater Hospital in Dublin when the pair first arrived in Ireland in January 2017. The Algerian couple were initially based at the Baleseskin Reception centre in Dublin. The woman told Cork Coroner's Court that her husband had received medical attention at Connolly and the Mater Hospitals from January to June 2017. The man, who had a defibrillator implant, was rushed by ambulance to both hospitals for breathlessness during that period and was advised to attend follow up appointments at the arrhythmia clinic in the Mater. The couple were transferred to the Kinsale Road Accommodation Centre in Cork in June 2017 in spite of their concerns about being so far away from the Mater. The man was rushed by ambulance from the Cork centre to Cork University Hospital (CUH) on two occasions from June to his death in August 2017. His widow said her husband suffered hugely as a result of having to travel to Dublin for several scheduled medical and asylum appointments in Dublin. She stated she was "extremely traumatised as a result of the manner in which her husband died". "My husband died just nine weeks after his transfer took place and his last weeks were categorised by stress, anxiety and acute illness as a result of his transfer. "He was forced to spending extensive periods travelling on buses when he should have been resting." The man died on August 12 2017 at CUH. An incision procedure had been carried out onsite to remove fluid from his heart after he presented at A and E feeling ill. His care had not been transferred formally from the Mater to CUH and no notes had been forwarded. However, staff at CUH said he received the best possible care The widow of the deceased said the day after his death she was transferred back to Dublin. Linda Keating, Assistant Principal Officer at RIA, told the inquest that services at CUH were equivalent to those on offer at the Mater. She said the man had been assessed by the HSE medical team prior to his transfer to Cork. She acknowledged that they had received a transfer request prior to his death. She stated that the couple received overnight accommodation when they went to Dublin for appointments. Breda Keane, manager of the Kinsale Road accommodation centre, said the widow of the deceased had been extremely distressed about his placement in Cork and that a transfer application had been made for their return to Dublin. Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, said that the man died from the cardiac disease ARVD. The congestive heart failure was due to his condition associated with pericarditis, haemorrhage or bleeding due to sepsis and an infection from his defibrillator. Ciaran Lewis, SC, representing the widow said that no consideration was given to accommodating the man in any centre outside of Cork. He stressed that staff at the Mater were fully cognisant of the medical history in the case and that there was no transfer of notes. The jury recorded a verdict of natural causes. They recommended that asylum seekers with medical complaints be furnished with the relevant medical information when being transferred to a different centre. A heroin addict with a gambling problem found that fishing money out of church collection boxes was the easiest way he could think of to pay for his addictions. The 62-year-old who was jailed for five months last week had 11 more counts to come against him for thefts or having implements enabling him to steal. Charles Nolan of Deerpark hostel, Friars Walk, was using narrow bars from clothes hangers, and tweezers to pull notes out of donation boxes. When Judge Olann Kelleher imposed a five-month jail term on him last week, it was indicated that there were more charges being processed at that time. Judge Kelleher said today: It is more serious than I realised. The judge imposed a seven-month sentence to run concurrently with the five months imposed last week. Michael Quinlan, solicitor, said the defendant had a heroin addiction and found that the easiest way to get money to feed his addictions even though it is not the nicest way was to steal from the collection boxes. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said the accused told gardai that he had a gambling addiction. The thefts on which he was jailed yesterday were committed at the Church of the Annunciation in Blackpool, and St Augustines on Grand Parade. Last week he was sentenced for thefts at St Peter and Pauls Church and Holy Trinity Church in Cork city. Garda Lorraine ODonovan said Nolan was still turning up at churches when he was out on bail on condition that he would stay away from churches. A State Commission has found that the bodies of hundreds of children from one Dublin mother and baby institution were used in anatomical research up to the late 1970s. In its fifth interim report released today, The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes said a number of childrens remains were transferred from the Dublin Union and associated institutions, including Pelletstown, before the 48-hour period for claiming the body was over. The law states that bodies cannot be sent to medical schools until at least 48 hours after death to enable family members to claim the body and/or object to the body being sent for anatomical studies. Minister for Children, KatherineZappone Report summaries, compiled by Peter Towe: Dublin Union/St Patricks, Navan Road (Pelletstown) Pelletstown and the Dublin Union were one institution with separate premises run by the Daughters of Charity. The children who died here were mainly buried in the "Angels Plot" at Glasnevin Cemetery where detailed records are kept. A small number were also buried in Mount Jerome while the Commission is continuing to check others. The burial register records the children as "abandoned", "deserted" and/or "illegitimate". The Commissions report notes the analysis of deaths at the home is complex for reasons including that many of the children were sent there because they were very ill. More than 950 children who died here between 1920 and 1977 were sent to the medical schools at UCD, Trinity and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, for anatomical studies. The sending of the bodies of unclaimed deceased residents from institutions to medical schools was common practice until the mid-60s. The Commission found that the bodies of a number of children were transferred for anatomical studies before the 48-hour period for claiming the body was over. The law states that bodies cannot be sent to medical schools until at least 48 hours after death to enable family members to claim the body and/or object to the body being sent for anatomical studies. All but 18 of the children received as anatomical subjects were illegitimate children. In general, they were buried in Glasnevin more than a year after their death. There was no distinct section of the Poor Ground for these bodies and the usual practice was for the remains of a number of anatomical subjects to be collectively buried in the same plot on the same day. These children were identified in the Glasnevin Poor Ground Burial Registry by the letters AS (anatomical subject). Sean Ross Sean Ross Abbey Records concerning the Sean Ross Mother and Baby Home show that more than 1,000 children and 29 mothers died there or in the District Hospital, Roscrea, where they were sent when they became very ill. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the Sean Ross home, despite a canon law requirement to keep a record of burials. There is no certainty about where these children are buried. The Commission said that an affidavit about the burials provided by the congregation was "in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The affidavit states that all of the children buried in the Sean Ross burial ground received the rites of the Catholic Church and that the congregation did not bury infants in unapproved cemeteries. The Commission says this may well be true but the congregation provided no evidence to support (these assertions). The congregation had said that the child burial grounds were "created within existing by-laws and with the approval of the local Bishops". The Commission said it had no reason to doubt that the bishops were aware of them. The involvement of local bishops and priests in the institutions will be documented in the Commissions final report. The congregation also said the infants buried at Sean Ross were buried without cost to local or central government. The Commission dismissed this, saying it was not true in respect of some, if not all, of the burials, and said it had seen evidence of burial bills being sent to the local authority. The Commission has carried out a geophysical study and a test excavation of the site and is examining the results of the excavation. Bethany Home A memorial at the former Bethany home Bethany Home was located in Blackhall Place, Dublin between the years 1922 and 1934 and in Orwell Road, Rathgar after that. The homes records have been digitally copied and are being analysed by the Commission. Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harolds Cross, Dublin, was the main burial site for the children who died in the Bethany Home. The report notes the cemetery has kept very good records of all burials. The cemeterys burial registers show that 240 children who were born in, or at one time admitted to Bethany, died between September 1922 and October 1964. Of that 240, 213 were recorded as coming directly from the Bethany Home. These, and 18 stillborn children, were buried in unmarked graves at Mount Jerome Cemetery. The Commission notes it seems unlikely that they were buried in the same place as baptised children. The oldest recorded age at death was 36 months; the others were all aged 19 months or under. There are at least 20 other children who died and are not recorded in the Mount Jerome burial register. Bethany Home survivors identified over 310 Bethany children buried there. The Commission said that once a particular grave was full, it was closed and the next available grave with spare capacity was used. The Bethany children were buried in, or next to, those used for other private/public adult or child interments. The burial records show that the children were usually buried within two to three days of their death. There is no evidence of any child from Bethany being used as an anatomical subject before being interred in Mount Jerome. Bessborough, Cork More than 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. However, the Commission says it has been unable to establish where the vast majority of those children are buried. The small on-site burial ground was confined to the congregation, and the Commission said it seemed only one child was buried there. The Commission has been able to establish the burial place of only 64 children. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried. Bessborough, Cork Bessborough Mother and Baby Home - which opened in 1922 - was owned and run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Commission said that more 900 children who were born in, or admitted to Bessborough died in infancy or early childhood. Most died either in the Sacred Heart Maternity Hospital soon after birth or in the Bessborough Home itself to which infants were transferred some weeks after birth (many more died in the Home than in the Maternity Hospital). The Commission says it believed it unlikely from an early stage that all the children who died in Bessborough were buried in the estate's small burial ground, which would not have been large enough for the number of children involved and "in any event, it would be unlikely that children would be buried in the same burial ground as members of the congregation". The report says members of the congregation who provided affidavits and/or oral evidence to the Commission were able to provide "remarkably" little evidence about burial arrangements, and that "the congregation does not know where the vast majority of the children who died in Bessborough are buried". The report also deemed it "rather surprising" that a nun who was in Bessborough for most of the 50 years between 1948 and 1998 did not remember any child deaths, although 31 children died in the 10 years between 1950 and 1960 alone. Another congregation member who was in Bessborough from 1978-1985 told the Commission that one baby died during her time there. Maps, site searches, interviews, and a public appeal Forensic archaeologists and the Commissions researchers reviewed all available maps and aerial images as part of their investigations, and conducted a site survey. They interviewed a landscaper who had conducted extensive groundwork on the estate over a 30-year period, including work that required him to dig up to eight feet deep in an area marked 'Children's Burial Ground'. He found no evidence of human remains. Finally, a public appeal for information or evidence of burials on the estate produced no results. Nonetheless, the Commission considers it "highly likely" that children who died in Bessborough were buried within its 60-acre grounds - due in part to how expensive it would have been to arrange off-site burials in the 1940s in particular, when many of the deaths occurred and when petrol was scarce. However, it found "no physical or documentary evidence (of child burials in the grounds)". It also notes the possibility that burials took place in grounds that no longer form part of the Bessborough estate, a total area of about 200 acres. However, without physical evidence of possible locations in the 60-acre grounds of the current estate (and the 200-acre area of the old estate), the Commission said it "did not consider it feasible to excavate 60 acres, not to mention the rest of the former 200-acre estate". Cork County Home The Commission has established that, between 1922 and 1998, 552 illegitimate children died in Cork County Home/St Finbarrs Hospital. So far, no burial records have been found for these children. It is likely that they are buried in Carrs Hill Cemetery but there is no documentary evidence available. Both the Cork County Home and the Cork District Hospital were renamed St Finbarrs in the 1950s. Castlepollard The Commission has so far established that over 220 children died in Castlepollard (or in hospitals to which they were sent) and there were eight mothers who died from complications of pregnancy/childbirth. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in respect of burials in Castlepollard, despite a canon law requirement to keep such records. An affadavit from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the institution, was deemed " in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The Commission found that the children who died in Castlepollard are likely to be buried in the burial ground there. However, there is no documentary evidence to confirm this. Castlepollard ceased to be a mother and baby home in 1971. The Commission has made digital copies of the records it can find relating to Castlepollard, and is in the process of analysing them. The report in full can be read here or below. Members of the Collaborative Forum on Mother and Baby Homes have expressed their disappointment at the Government's refusal to publish its full report. The forum - which is comprised of former residents of the institutions and advocates and is separate from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission - began its work in July of last year and presented a report of almost 90 pages to children's minister Katherine Zappone in December. However, Ms Zappone yesterday only published the recommendations of the forum - citing legal advice from the Attorney General. She said she intends to publish the full report after the Commission publishes its final report in February of next year. The Irish Examiner understands that the decision to not publish the report has caused a considerable degree of upset among members of the forum. The group had worked on the report and its recommendations for almost one year - with some members flying in from the US on a monthly basis for meetings. The forum was requested to attend a meeting with Ms Zappone on April 3 where she informed them that report could not be published in full on advice from the Attorney General. The report is believed to be extremely critical of a number of agencies including Tusla which holds a large number of records in relation to former Mother and Baby Homes. It is understood that one member of the forum sent a resignation email to Ms Zappone in recent days in protest at the decision not to publish the report in full. "I have lost all faith in the forum and I couldn't agree to recommendations being released without the backing of the report we worked so hard on," she said. In a foreward to the recommendations, forum members stressed that only the publication of the full report can allow the basis of its recommendations to be heard and understood. Those recommendations include a package of health and well-being measures for survivors, a memorialisation programme and a research project on language and terminology used to describe the reality of Irelands treatment of certain groups of mothers and children. The forum has also called for the scrapping of the Government's planned Information and Tracing Bill and its replacement with an alternative Identities and Personal Information Bill. It has also called for the creation of a "one-stop-shop" to house records from across State, religious orders, county and other sources so as "to enable access to identity, personal and institutional information by any person separated from their family of origin, or detained in State-funded or regulated Institutions". Ms Zappone said that a package for health and well-being measures which will be brought to Government for approval in September. However, the Minister stated that she will only seek to amend the current Information and Tracing Bill. I am pleased to receive the comprehensive list of recommendations, and I intend to publish the full report after the Commission of Investigation completes its work, subject to any further advices [sic] of the Attorney General at that time. "I have sent a copy of the full report to the Commission of Investigation," she said. Meanwhile Ms Zappone will publish a key report on burial practices at Irelands main mother and baby homes this morning. The investigation into the mother and baby homes was expected to be a journey into history and past practices long since laid to rest. But it has unearthed attitudes and behaviour that show history lives on. For along with the many hundreds of missing babies and reams of vanished records that the Commission has sought to trace, there is also an absence in some quarters of a willingness to help put things right. When asked where the 900-plus children who died in the Bessborough home in Cork were buried, the Sacred Heart Sisters who ran it provided the Commission with an affidavit that was "in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The Commission recently found out that some burial records relating to St Finbarr's Hospital were in the possession of Cork University Hospital since 2001 yet it has had to issue a discovery order to access them - a process still underway. Galway County Council has said it was not aware that babies were informally and inappropriately buried at the Tuam Home which it owned and maintained, yet there is ample evidence to the contrary. It has not explained why it would have no burial register for the children when it was legally obliged to keep such records. It was asked for a response to the detailed archaeological and technical documents sent to it 21 months ago showing the likelihood that the underground structure in which copious babies' remains have been found was designed for wastewater and sewage but it did not respond. It was sent the first draft of this report last November. It did not respond. The Bon Secour Sisters who ran Tuam were also sent the technical report about the underground structure. In response, the nuns found the resources to hire their own archaeologist to challenge the findings. These are only the responses of institutions whose lack of collective recall and documentary archive is described repeatedly as surprising and remarkable. Individuals have also been less than helpful. For every person who approached the Commission with a memory, anecdote or personal experience that lends weight to the belief that babies born to the poor and unwed were treated with scant regard in life and death, there are others who have stayed silent. "The Commission is of the view that there must be many people who know more about the burials which are described in this report and who have not come forward with relevant information," the report states. It repeats the sentiment several times in the 96 pages of narrative that accompany some 430 pages of technical findings. This is the fifth interim report of the Commission, set up in 2015 to investigate 18 institutions known as mother and baby homes between 1922 and 1998. This report focuses on the homes' burial practices. There are reasonably good records of children's deaths at the homes or in local hospitals where they were sent in their dying days. The very high number of deaths and their preventable causes will be dealt with in the Commission's final report next year. But there is a dearth of information about what happened to their remains. That has led to added grief for mothers and relatives who had nowhere to go to mourn their loss, and it has fuelled speculation that children may not have died at all but instead were sold off to childless American couples. Stonework being removed from the detached three-bay-two story folly whick was built in 1880 at Bessborough in Blackrock, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan. The report finds no evidence for this but the institutions involved have done little to quell those fears, some breaching the law of the land or Canon law by failing to keep records. Ironically, some private burial grounds where babies from homes were buried where under no such obligations to keep records but the Commission has found they did so. THE MAIN FINDINGS OF THE REPORT Burial records are available for only 50 of the 973 babies and children from the Tuam home Many were buried informally on the grounds of the Tuam home in underground chambers designed to hold wastewater and sewage There is no evidence that babies from Tuam whose deaths were recorded but for whom there is no burial record were instead sold to the United States Just 64 burials are recorded of the more than 900 babies from Bessborough who died It is likely some were buried at Carr's Hill Cemetery but no burial records have been produced It is likely some were buried on Bessborough grounds but much of the original 200 acres has been built on and no obvious signs of burial have been found on the remaining 60 acres In total, the burial locations of 1,279 children who died in Cork homes are unknown Rules governing the donation and sale of remains to medical schools were routinely breached with knock-on implications for burial records Many people who have information about unrecorded burials have yet to come forward to assist the Commission REPORT SUMMARIES Dublin Union/St Patricks, Navan Road (Pelletstown) Pelletstown and the Dublin Union were one institution with separate premises run by the Daughters of Charity. The children who died here were mainly buried in the "Angels Plot" at Glasnevin Cemetery where detailed records are kept. A small number were also buried in Mount Jerome while the Commission is continuing to check others. The burial register records the children as "abandoned", "deserted" and/or "illegitimate". The Commissions report notes the analysis of deaths at the home is complex for reasons including that many of the children were sent there because they were very ill. More than 950 children who died here between 1920 and 1977 were sent to the medical schools at UCD, Trinity and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, for anatomical studies. The sending of the bodies of unclaimed deceased residents from institutions to medical schools was common practice until the mid-60s. The Commission found that the bodies of a number of children were transferred for anatomical studies before the 48-hour period for claiming the body was over. The law states that bodies cannot be sent to medical schools until at least 48 hours after death to enable family members to claim the body and/or object to the body being sent for anatomical studies. All but 18 of the children received as anatomical subjects were illegitimate children. In general, they were buried in Glasnevin more than a year after their death. There was no distinct section of the Poor Ground for these bodies and the usual practice was for the remains of a number of anatomical subjects to be collectively buried in the same plot on the same day. These children were identified in the Glasnevin Poor Ground Burial Registry by the letters AS (anatomical subject). Sean Ross Sean Ross Abbey Records concerning the Sean Ross Mother and Baby Home show that more than 1,000 children and 29 mothers died there or in the District Hospital, Roscrea, where they were sent when they became very ill. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the Sean Ross home, despite a canon law requirement to keep a record of burials. There is no certainty about where these children are buried. The Commission said that an affidavit about the burials provided by the congregation was "in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The affidavit states that all of the children buried in the Sean Ross burial ground received the rites of the Catholic Church and that the congregation did not bury infants in unapproved cemeteries. The Commission says this may well be true but the congregation provided no evidence to support (these assertions). The congregation had said that the child burial grounds were "created within existing by-laws and with the approval of the local Bishops". The Commission said it had no reason to doubt that the bishops were aware of them. The involvement of local bishops and priests in the institutions will be documented in the Commissions final report. The congregation also said the infants buried at Sean Ross were buried without cost to local or central government. The Commission dismissed this, saying it was not true in respect of some, if not all, of the burials, and said it had seen evidence of burial bills being sent to the local authority. The Commission has carried out a geophysical study and a test excavation of the site and is examining the results of the excavation. Bethany Home A memorial at the former Bethany home Bethany Home was located in Blackhall Place, Dublin between the years 1922 and 1934 and in Orwell Road, Rathgar after that. The homes records have been digitally copied and are being analysed by the Commission. Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harolds Cross, Dublin, was the main burial site for the children who died in the Bethany Home. The report notes the cemetery has kept very good records of all burials. The cemeterys burial registers show that 240 children who were born in, or at one time admitted to Bethany, died between September 1922 and October 1964. Of that 240, 213 were recorded as coming directly from the Bethany Home. These, and 18 stillborn children, were buried in unmarked graves at Mount Jerome Cemetery. The Commission notes it seems unlikely that they were buried in the same place as baptised children. The oldest recorded age at death was 36 months; the others were all aged 19 months or under. There are at least 20 other children who died and are not recorded in the Mount Jerome burial register. Bethany Home survivors identified over 310 Bethany children buried there. The Commission said that once a particular grave was full, it was closed and the next available grave with spare capacity was used. The Bethany children were buried in, or next to, those used for other private/public adult or child interments. The burial records show that the children were usually buried within two to three days of their death. There is no evidence of any child from Bethany being used as an anatomical subject before being interred in Mount Jerome. Bessborough, Cork More than 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. However, the Commission says it has been unable to establish where the vast majority of those children are buried. The small on-site burial ground was confined to the congregation, and the Commission said it seemed only one child was buried there. The Commission has been able to establish the burial place of only 64 children. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried. Bessborough, Cork Bessborough Mother and Baby Home - which opened in 1922 - was owned and run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Commission said that more 900 children who were born in, or admitted to Bessborough died in infancy or early childhood. Most died either in the Sacred Heart Maternity Hospital soon after birth or in the Bessborough Home itself to which infants were transferred some weeks after birth (many more died in the Home than in the Maternity Hospital). The Commission says it believed it unlikely from an early stage that all the children who died in Bessborough were buried in the estate's small burial ground, which would not have been large enough for the number of children involved and "in any event, it would be unlikely that children would be buried in the same burial ground as members of the congregation". The report says members of the congregation who provided affidavits and/or oral evidence to the Commission were able to provide "remarkably" little evidence about burial arrangements, and that "the congregation does not know where the vast majority of the children who died in Bessborough are buried". The report also deemed it "rather surprising" that a nun who was in Bessborough for most of the 50 years between 1948 and 1998 did not remember any child deaths, although 31 children died in the 10 years between 1950 and 1960 alone. Another congregation member who was in Bessborough from 1978-1985 told the Commission that one baby died during her time there. Maps, site searches, interviews, and a public appeal Forensic archaeologists and the Commissions researchers reviewed all available maps and aerial images as part of their investigations, and conducted a site survey. They interviewed a landscaper who had conducted extensive groundwork on the estate over a 30-year period, including work that required him to dig up to eight feet deep in an area marked 'Children's Burial Ground'. He found no evidence of human remains. Finally, a public appeal for information or evidence of burials on the estate produced no results. Nonetheless, the Commission considers it "highly likely" that children who died in Bessborough were buried within its 60-acre grounds - due in part to how expensive it would have been to arrange off-site burials in the 1940s in particular, when many of the deaths occurred and when petrol was scarce. However, it found "no physical or documentary evidence (of child burials in the grounds)". It also notes the possibility that burials took place in grounds that no longer form part of the Bessborough estate, a total area of about 200 acres. However, without physical evidence of possible locations in the 60-acre grounds of the current estate (and the 200-acre area of the old estate), the Commission said it "did not consider it feasible to excavate 60 acres, not to mention the rest of the former 200-acre estate". Cork County Home The Commission has established that, between 1922 and 1998, 552 illegitimate children died in Cork County Home/St Finbarrs Hospital. So far, no burial records have been found for these children. It is likely that they are buried in Carrs Hill Cemetery but there is no documentary evidence available. Both the Cork County Home and the Cork District Hospital were renamed St Finbarrs in the 1950s. Castlepollard The Commission has so far established that over 220 children died in Castlepollard (or in hospitals to which they were sent) and there were eight mothers who died from complications of pregnancy/childbirth. There is no evidence that any record of burials was kept by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in respect of burials in Castlepollard, despite a canon law requirement to keep such records. An affadavit from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who owned and ran the institution, was deemed " in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The Commission found that the children who died in Castlepollard are likely to be buried in the burial ground there. However, there is no documentary evidence to confirm this. Castlepollard ceased to be a mother and baby home in 1971. The Commission has made digital copies of the records it can find relating to Castlepollard, and is in the process of analysing them. Report summaries, compiled by Peter Towe: The report in full can be read here or below. A mother who witnessed a boating tragedy unfold last February, which left Limerick girl Amy Mulcahy fighting for her life, has organised a Pelt a Politician fundraiser, bucket collection, and table quiz to support the girls long road to recovery. Amy, 12, was in a rowing boat with four friends when it overturned on a stretch of the River Shannon on February 23. Amy was trapped under the water surface for several minutes after her hair became entangled in the boats outriggers. She remains in a serious but stable condition at Temple Street Childrens Hospital in Dublin. Local mother of two Mary Hogan, who cannot swim, said she came upon the unfolding tragedy after hearing her son, who had raced to the riverbank, trying to calm Amys friends, who would not leave the boat without her. I couldnt do a thing, I cant swim. We couldnt do anything for her on the day so we are doing it now. Now is our time to step up and help that child, she said. The screams of those children trying to save their friend it will haunt me for the rest of my life. Those children were so brave. They did not leave their friend and I thought that was so commendable. I have never witnessed something so sad in my life. Ms Hogan said she has organised an old-fashioned family fun day, which will incorporate traditional carnival-style games, at St Marys Aid, Nicholas St, Limerick, from 10am to 6pm on April 20. Ms Hogan said she has enlisted the help of local Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan and Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe for what could prove to be a key attraction on the day. We have a framed cut-out where you put your head in, and somebody batters you with water balloons, said Mr Quinlivan. Im calling it Pelt a Politician. I have lots of sponges. The craic will be 90. In that ruling, Berrones contended that Deerfield overstepped its authority in April 2018 when it enacted a ban on assault weapons after the Illinois legislature had declared such regulations to be the exclusive power of the state. The village said the ban was an amendment to an earlier ordinance. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has denied the cost of the national broadband plan has ballooned to 3bn and also said the Government will have the option to buy out services in 25 years. Addressing concerns about ongoing delays in delivering high-speed broadband to half a million homes and premises in rural areas, Mr Varadkar defended the expected high cost for the project. He insisted that a 512m original estimate by the previous Fine Gael-Labour government in 2012 was to deliver broadband to 1,100 villages and not to the entire remaining parts of the country. While Mr Varadkar earlier this week admitted the rural broadband project could cost taxpayers 3bn, he rejected claims from Fianna Fails Micheal Martin and Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald that the final cost had ballooned to that figure. Mr Varadkar said the Government could, if a deal is agreed, intervene in 25 years and would have the option to buy out the broadband services. The same option could apply if the Government was unhappy with any private operators work on the plan in the meantime, he said. Three departments, including his own, were currently examining the next steps for a contract which, he said, it was hoped could be agreed in the next couple of weeks. It could then take a number of months to actually get that contract finalised, he said. Mr Varadkar also pointed out that governments had spent over 40bn on roads in the last two decades, and over 10bn in sewage and water services, but that very little had been dedicated to the areas of communications. Nonetheless, opposition leaders pressed Mr Varadkar to commit to a date when the broadband plan would be agreed by the Government. This follows a further delay this week, despite promises by Mr Varadkar that a decision on it would be made by Cabinet before Easter. Obviously, some more work needs to be done, he said. This matter is being analysed by Government, by my own department, by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and, of course, by the Department of Communications, Energy and Climate Action which is the lead department for this issue. The next step will be for the Government to make a decision on whether to accept the bid and designate a preferred bidder. That has not yet been done. I anticipate that can be done in the next couple of weeks. It will then take a number of months for contracts to be drawn up and signed. After that, the work commences in terms of roll-out on the ground. Nonetheless, Ms McDonald zoned in on the cost for taxpayers, arguing: We can argue the toss around semantics. The fact is that the aim of the national broadband plan has not changed, but what has changed, incredibly, is its cost. GP Lucia Gannon fears for the future of rural doctors. She tells Ailin Quinlan the government must get to grips with the shrinking numbers of GPs that threaten the health of small communities across the country. Bridget Mary Durkin hadnt set foot outside her house for more than 30 years. Aged 83, she lived in a state of freezing squalor in a secluded farmhouse a few miles outside the Co Tipperary village of Killenaule. The emergency call came in just as local GP, Dr Lucia Gannon finished her days work and minutes before the out-of-hours emergency service opened. There was no question that Gannon would even think of passing that call on to a different doctor Bridget Mary, she recalls, would only allow a certain few into her house, and Gannon was one of them. I had never managed to get her to discuss how she had come to live in such isolation and why she would not leave her house, she recalls. Diogenes Syndrome is a rare disorder, named after the Greek philosopher Diogenes, which I had only ever read about in my psychiatry textbooks, but Miss Durkin exhibited four of the commonest components of the condition: self-neglect, domestic squalor, compulsive hoarding of rubbish and social withdrawal. The farmhouse was cold and dismal, the windows mysteriously dark and hollow on approach, with only ever one weak light visible from a bare bulb in a front room. Ragged and stained full-length curtains hung like sails at half-mast on the windows of what would once have been the parlour. "This was where she usually received me, the GP recalls, adding that what disturbed her most about her visits to the house was the sight of the little bowls of blue pellets placed strategically adjacent to small and large holes in the skirting. On this one particular evening, Miss Durkin had been found on the floor by a neighbour who called the doctor. After examining her, Gannon felt she needed to be brought somewhere warm and safe, but she was also aware t the old lady had a profound fear of hospitals. Knowing what she was like, I was able to come up with a plan that she would go to a nursing home. If I had been a doctor on call arriving at the scene I wouldnt have known what to do with the lady, she says now. Id have struggled to find a solution to the problem. She knew me. We had a relationship over the years during which I would visit her at home and she trusted me not to force her to do anything against her will. There are many advantages to being a rural GP, says Gannon. One of the biggest is that you tend to know your patients well. Its easier to practise medicine when you know the patient, comments the 55-year-old who has just published a book about her work as a country GP in Killenaule. Gannon who arrived as a blow-in more than two decades ago, has served the local population of between 500 and 700 people ever since. Now the mother of three adults in their 20s, Gannon moved to the village in 1996 with her husband Liam Meagher also a GP and their two young children, to take over the villages existing practice from a retiring doctor. The couple, who along with their children once competed in the RTE series Irelands Fittest Family, built their own medical centre and have run a busy practice on the outskirts of the village ever since. Rural Irish practice has its downside the Galway native recalls with some nostalgia how earlier in her career as a GP registrar in Derbyshire in the UK, she had loved doing house calls. I would take my list of people to visit and set off in the early afternoon, taking my time, enjoying the scenery, listening to the car radio, before calling to a neat little house in a neat little village, occupied by an even neater little old man or woman, who needed a repeat prescription or had to have their blood pressure checked. Even the country lanes had names in Derbyshire and all the houses were numbered in a logical sequence. Doing house calls in Tipperary was not quite the same, she observes There never seemed to be enough time. I was always getting lost on country lanes, wrecking my shoes in mucky farmyards and gingerly making my way past unfriendly dogs, she recalls. However, the warmth of the community she and her husband have served for some 23 years, makes up for those physical discomforts: Now that Im older, I feel people care about me, and the children and my husband; they feel connected to us and know we have their best interests at heart. Theres a real feelgood sense to being a long-term GP in a small community. I believe the community has embraced us even though I come from Galway and Liam comes from Mayo, she remarks. And yes, being a GP and a mother-of-three did mean constant juggling: Theres always a balance going on, trying to balance career and motherhood with my availability to the public and to my children, she says. In general practice theres a lot of work done behind the scenes, and as a rural GP youre running your own business so youre never off-duty. Youre doing everything from managing staffing issues and arranging cover for the secretary if shes out sick to ensuring the toilet works. Diseases are more complicated now. Prevention is more complex and medico-legal issues are more complex. "A huge amount of paperwork, thinking, planning and organisation goes into a doctor sitting in front of you for a face-to-face consultation. Its a busy profession and getting ever busier as a result of falling GP numbers nationally, says Gannon, who will generally see between 20 and 30 patients in a full day. Theres a shortage of GPs. Were working harder now than we would have been 15 years ago because theres such demand for GP consultations. Unless the government gets to grip with the shortage she warns, the writings on the wall for rural communities: A local GP retired in a village not far away and although the job was advertised for three years nobody applied for it. There are a lot of GPs due to retire around the country in the next five years. The age profile of GPs is older and there are no people coming up to fill these posts. In her book she identifies the root of the problem as the series of cuts in government funding to GPs over the recession, to the extent that, by 2013, the sector had experienced a 38% reduction in pre-expenses income. These cuts, as she points out, were never reversed. Alongside this reduction in income, says Gannon, demand for free GP services was increasing, as was the complexity of the diseases being treated and the expectation that GPs take on more and more responsibility for chronic disease management. "Not long ago, I read an analysis of the reasons for the collapse of the road bridge in Genoa in August 2018. The author stated that the bridge did not have enough structural redundancies, so that when one cable gave way, the whole bridge collapsed. It struck me that general practice, like the bridge, has no structural redundancies. These have been deliberately removed, causing the structure to grow weaker under the ever-increasing traffic, leaving it in danger of complete collapse. The single biggest disincentive for young GPs, she warns, are these emergency cuts to GP funding. The 40% cut is making all the younger GPs nervous because you simply cannot build a business with the amount of government funding allocated to GP practices. She and Liam, she observes are now well-established. The mortgage on their clinic has been paid off, but in terms of their retirement, the future of the clinic is uncertain Gannon cannot see any young GP taking over the couples practice when they retire: They wont be able to afford to do what we did because theyre getting less money now than we got; the expenses, are higher, the diseases are more complex, the fixed costs are higher and the funding is less. Living where they do, she says, she doubts that she and her husband will have a GP to look after them in their old age: Unless something changes radically, I dont think that the type of GP care we have provided here for nearly a quarter of a century will be available to the community. No young GP would feel secure that this is a sustainable way of life and thats why theyre not coming to places like this. Her fears for the future are graphically illustrated in a final consultation with a patient she had known for years. The young woman, who had previously confided in her about the strain she was experiencing in the Leaving Certificate years, now needed a contraceptive implant procedure before leaving for college. It was always a bittersweet experience when young people gained entry to college and set out on the next part of their lifes journey, Gannon recalls. Just as I had to let my own children go, I had to let these young patients go. I made my note and closed her file. My next appointment was already waiting, a young mother with her new baby. As we both admired the sleeping baby, I couldnt help but wonder if there would be anyone sitting in my chair when this little one came to do her Leaving Cert. If she would have anyone to consult when she felt exam pressure, anyone to provide a contraceptive implant or to feel a tinge of sadness as she left Killenaule and moved into the wider world. All in a Doctors Day: Memoirs of an Irish Country Practice by Lucia Gannon, published by Gill Books, 16.99 Dingle heroes Walking on Cars tell Ed Power how they got past second-album syndrome, and why the band are turning their Cork gig into a sort of homecoming. A few years ago the exclusive club of Irish bands capable of selling out Dublins 3Arena welcomed a new member in the form of Dingles Walking On Cars. With tunes that blended folk and pop they were hailed a bit lazily as the homegrown Mumford and Sons. They certainly knew their way around an anthemic pop song, and were soon taking their seat at the top table of Irish rock. It was in many ways an unlikely success story. The group, all from rural Kerry, were childhood friends whod started playing together as a lark. In 2015, with minimal promotion or industry fanfare, their single Speeding Cars became a top 20 hit across Ireland and the continent. Twelve months later, before they had quite taken it all in, they sold out 3Arena. And then the wheels came off. Before we started our second album people were saying oh thats going to be the tough one, recalls Patrick Sheehy, who fronts the five-piece alongside Sorcha Durham. We didnt know what they meant. And then we dived into it. And we definitely felt the pressure. The problem was that while their 2016 debut Everything This Way had been half a decade in the plotting, its follow-up had to be put together in less than 18 months. That was huge change and initially it seemed to the group that they were being asked to become a musical production line. Knocking out track after track didnt come naturally. They grew a bit fed up and then slightly anxious. Theyd already scaled the mountain once. Could they do so all over again? We went into it with the wrong psychology, says Sheehy. We had the wrong aim. Too much time was spent focusing on the sound of the instruments rather than digging deep and being honest and real and creating something that was authentic. DRAWING BOARD After weeks of pained mucking about they sat back and listened to what they had done. It sounded, to them, like a bland facsimile of Everything This Way. So they scrapped it and started over. What we realised is that we had to be honest, says Sheehy. On the first record we were writing for the sake of writing for the love of it. So we stepped back and tried to recapture that. Sheehy, if anything bares his soul even more on the new LP, Colours. He croons wrenchingly about his difficult relationship with alcohol on the single Coldest Water. Hes far from an addict but came to realise that he was in certain social situations using drinking as a crutch. All his pain, regret, confusion and even shame, he poured into the lyrics, which are immensely powerful. Hes aware that Coldest Water has been doing well. But Sheehy is nonetheless taken aback when the Irish Examiner informs him that its headed for half a million streams on Spotify an indication that its poised to become a major hit. When you put yourself out there and people accept and appreciate it thats a good feeling. The sentiments can apply to a lot of things. People have all kinds of addictions: whether its food or drink or drugs or social media. It could be anything. Still, there were moments, he says, when the band feared that theyd said all they had to say and that a second album might never be forthcoming. There is a theory in the music industry that some artists peak to quickly and have nowhere else to go. What if Walking On Cars had stumbled into that trap? There are always those times you are totally uninspired, say Sheehy. You think, have I done my best work is that it? But then the following day you go back to the studio and theres a different energy and its all happening. So we just kept showing up and gradually we got there. Were delighted with the album now and cant wait for people to hear it. BIG IN GERMANY One surprise is how well the band are doing on the Continent. Germany, in particular, has embraced Walking On Cars. On their upcoming tour of the country they will be playing Vicar Street and Dublin Olympia scale venues a sign of how fast their fanbase has grown there. Even more impressive is the loyalty Germany has shown. In the three years since Everything This Way, the fanbase has patiently waited to hear what else the group has up its sleeves. People focus on the UK and American markets. Germany is absolutely huge, says Sheehy. Radio there latched on to Speeding Cars very quickly. And when you have a hit in Germany it just lingers on the radio for six to nine months. So that song got a crazy amount of action. There are acts in Germany who are huge stars but nobody else has heard of them. Theres a guy from Tralee, Rea Garvey, who weve toured with. He plays arenas in Germany and is a judge on The Voice there. Hes absolute massive. And he could walk down the street here and nobody would recognise him. Its mad. MUSGRAVE PARK Walking On Cars return to 3Arena on May 23. However, if theres a concert that the band are really looking forward to its their Musgrave Park show in Cork on June 21. Just up the road from Dingle its the closest to a homecoming for Sheehy and company, with more than 12,000 expected to attend. The day is also mushrooming into a mini-festival. Recent UK chart-topper Tom Walker is on the bill as is new Adele Lewis Capaldi, whose own Ireland and UK tour is a straight sell-out. Its going to be awesome, says Sheehy. To get Lewis Capaldi on the bill is ridiculous. The last time we did 3Arena a lot of Kerry people travelled up. I think theyll go to Cork on this occasion it will save them a bit of money on the petrol! Colours is out now. Walking On Cars play 3Arena, Dublin on May 23; and Musgrave Park in Cork on June 21 Aileen Lee profiles ceramicist Helen Ennis. Whats your background? I was born and bred in Dublin. After school, I did a couple of art and craft courses, and I decided that it was functional ceramics I wanted to get into. I knew I had an aptitude for throwing so I decided to get an apprenticeship and I was lucky to get one with Stephen Pearse Pottery in East Cork. There was a big team of throwers and glazers. I got to see how everything happened, from start to finish. I also got a good training in throwing consistently every single day of the week on the wheel. I did three years there. I was looking for work then in other potteries, and my predecessor who ran Dunbeacon Pottery was looking to sell the business and retire. It felt early in my life to take on a small business, but it was too good an opportunity to turn down. I have been running Dunbeacon Pottery since 2000. Whats a typical workday like for you? Ill try and be in the pottery by 9am and get some throwing done, get some clay processed, get handles made and then maybe in the afternoon Ill do glazing or for orders that have come in online, Ill get them packed up. I do every single part of the process. Customers coming into the studio will dictate the day as well, especially during the tourist season. Were down on the Mizen Peninsula so every day Ill have people coming in to have a browse of my showroom. They can also have a look into my studio while Im working away and see the process and interact as much as they like. Tell us about a recent project or design/favourite project or design you have worked on? There are three Michelin-starred restaurants in Cork and two of them have Dunbeacon Pottery in them, so thats something special for me. That would be the Mews down in Baltimore and the Chestnut in Ballydehob. I also supply Budds in Ballydehob and the Glebe in Skibbereen. Its nice that theyre sourcing local for their tableware, I really appreciate it, because I get a lot of knock-on business from that. Whats your design style? Style-wise for me, its got to function right and then its got to feel right in the hand. What/who inspires your work? Living here in West Cork inspires me. When I first moved here, I had ideas of ranges I wanted to make and they were probably more architectural-influenced but as soon as I was living here, I had to throw that out the window and just sit and let West Cork do its thing with me. Whats your favourite trend at the moment (if you have any)? I dont pay much heed to current trends because in my work, it takes so many years to develop a range and get it out there that theres not much point in me knowing that, lets say, orange is going to be the top colour next year. That means nothing to me. Whats your most treasured possession? Theres no one thing, to be honest. I am very happy that Im healthy, and happy to get up to go to work in the morning, that means a lot to me. Who is your favourite designer, or style inspiration? Helena Brennan is a potter that I would admire she was a mentor I worked with in Dublin before. Its nice to have a connection to people whose work you admire. Even though I have been working on my own for nearly 20 years here, most days the voices of my former teachers or mentors will come through my mind. What would be a dream project for you to work on? Theres always more to do and other glazes Im working away on in the background, so maybe it would be to get some space to develop more glazes. On the other hand, Im very happy creating what I create so long as there is a demand for what Im making, then Ill be happy to sell it. Have you any design tips for us? Keep it simple; sometimes less is definitely more, but always keep function to the fore. Four years after the establishment of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, the focus of its investigation has clearly moved away from Tuam and onto other headline-generating institutions like Bessborough and Sean Ross Abbey, writes Conall O Fatharta. We now know that more than 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough. Despite very extensive inquiries and searches, the Commission has been able to establish the burial place of only 64 children. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who owned and ran Bessborough do not know where the other children are buried. The Commission said it found this "very difficult to comprehend" and said that the affidavit on burial practices supplied by the Order "was, in many respects, speculative, inaccurate and misleading". The Commission carried out a site survey of Bessborough and said that, while it was clear there are a number of locations within the grounds where burials could have taken place, "there is no significant surface evidence of systematic burial anywhere except for the congregation [nuns] burial ground" on the property. Late last month, the Commission confirmed it had carried out a geophysical survey on the grounds of the Sean Ross Abbey on foot of information received from a member of the public. Bessborough Mother and Baby Home. It was the first time that any potential infant burial site outside of Tuam has been examined and comes more than three years after the first geophysical survey of the Tuam site. With the focus widening, the spotlight has now turned to Bessborough Mother and Baby Home the second largest institution of its type. To date, it has the highest infant mortality rate recorded at any Mother and Baby Home 82% in 1944. However, the Commission is charged with examining a range of issues in relation to the institutions it is examining - not just infant mortality and burial practices. It is also looking living conditions and care arrangements at the institutions, vaccine trials and adoption practices including whether or not the consent of mothers was full, free and informed. What is likely to find in relation to Bessborough? Over much of the past decade, this newspaper had uncovered a vast amount of detail on all of these practices. It is expected that the Commission will reveal even more given its access to the records. INFANT DEATHS The research of Catherine Corless with regard to the 796 children who died in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home was the catalyst for a State inquiry into all of these matters. When it became news that flashed around the world in 2014, the State was left with little option but to announce an inquiry. However, two years earlier, a call for an inquiry had also been made by senior management within the HSE. At that time, the McAleese Committee, which was examining the Magdalene Laundries, had requested records relating to the 10 institutions under its remit be examined by the HSE. Permission was granted to include two mother and baby homes in this trawl Bessborough in Cork and Tuam in Galway. This decision was based on potential pathways references by the advocacy group Justice For Magdalenes (JFM). Within eight months, HSE staff in Cork and Galway had turned up enough shocking material about both institutions that concerns were being expressed about whether or not these issues warranted a State inquiry in and of themselves. A 20-page report was prepared by the HSE in relation to the archive of material it had in relation to the Bessborough Mother and Baby Homes. The Order running that institution - the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary - had handed over their records relating to its operation of the institution to the HSE in 2011. They are now held by Tusla. The HSE report reveals that as well as handing over its administrative records for the institution, the Order also provided the HSE with a death register recording the names of hundreds of children who died in its care over a period of almost 20 years. The report points out that this register reveals infant death rates that were wholly epidemic and a cause for serious consternation. The register shows that 470 infants and 10 women died in Bessborough between 1934 and 1953. A total of 273 deaths took place in just a six-year period between 1939 and 1944. However, curiously, the Order reported 353 deaths to State inspectors in this period. The Commission said this discrepancy is accounted for by dint of deaths which occurred in the Bessborough Home and its adjoining maternity hospital being were separately recorded and notified. Running to more than 50 pages, the Order's death register it lists each childs name, date of death, former residence of the deceased, gender, age at last birthday, profession (which is marked son or daughter in most cases), cause of death, duration of illness, initials of the officer recording the death, and the date when the death was registered. The principal cause of death in some 20% of the deaths is marasmus (severe malnutrition). An unmarked grave for St Patricks Orphanage at St Finbarrs cemetery, Cork. Pictures: Eddie OHare Other causes of death in the entries include gastroenteritis, congenital debility, spina bifida, congenital syphilis, pneumonia, bronchitis, congenital heart, tubercular peritiorities, cardiac shock, heat stroke, tonsillitis, and prematurity. Curiously there are no death records for any years following 1953, notes the report. It also raises concerns that death certificates may have been falsified so that children could be brokered into clandestine adoption arrangements, both foreign and domestic a possibility the HSE report said had dire implications for the Church and State. The examination of the orders own records found that the women and children in its care were considered little more than a commodity for trade amongst religious orders. Minutes from meetings of the Sacred Heart Adoption Societys board of management further lend evidence to the orders preoccupation with materialism, wealth, and social status, while the wealth and social status of the adoptive parents was often the prime concern when deciding whether they would receive a child. It concludes by stating that the interconnectedness between Church and State demands a much more comprehensive exposition than has been offered here. The material being found in relation to Bessborough and Tuam compelled Dr Declan McKeown consultant public health physician and medical epidemiologist of the Medical Intelligence Unit in the HSE to write to principal officer at the DCYA and member of the McAleese Committee Denis OSullivan on November 1, 2012, to warn that adoption, birth and registration and the recording of infant mortality were issues that may require deeper investigation. As a result, the HSE report on Bessborough was not included in the final HSE submission to the McAleese Committee. While included in various earlier drafts, Denis OSullivan emailed then national director of Children and Family Services, Gordon Jeyes on November 7, 2012, to advise that any issues around mother and baby homes were outside the remit of the McAleese Committee. Material included beyond that is beyond the scope of our work eg, the scope does not extend to an examination of other places of refuge eg mother and baby homes, other than in the context of referrals from Magdalene laundries. If there are separate and validated findings of concern emerging from such additional research, obviously they should be communicated by HSE and through a separate process. The previous month, Nuala Ni Mhuircheartaigh of the McAleese Committee had emailed then HSE Assistant National Director of Child and Family Services Phil Garland acknowledging the Bessborough report, but stating it was heavily focused on broad narrative and context rather than fact. The Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes, published by the DCYA in July 2014 also failed to mention any of these concerns. When the Irish Examiner first revealed details of the HSE report in 2015, the DCYA said it had no knowledge of the report. The department later changed its position, stating that not only did it have a copy of the report, but so did the Department of Health. In a series of responses to parliamentary questions, the then childrens minister Dr James Reilly stated the 2012 reports findings are a matter of conjecture. While the author if the report does state that the conclusions of the report were conjecture, this was in reference to establishing the interaction between the State, the order running Bessborough and the order operating the two Magdalene laundries in Cork. The author stated all of the issues emerging from the records demanded "a much more comprehensive exposition than has been offered here". It was an invitation to carry out a full investigation based on examination of the Orders own records. However, nothing happened. The HSE report, however, is rock solid on the issue of infant death numbers as they are taken directly from the nuns own register. After all, similar information uncovered by Catherine Corless a number of years later is what lead to the establishment of a Commission of Investigation in the first place. Of course, we know that children died in the care of the Bessborough institution after 1953, albeit in far smaller numbers. It is not the number that is noteworthy, rather, the manner in which these children were buried. In February 2018, this newspaper revealed that children in the care of the institution who died as late as 1990 are buried in unmarked graves in a Cork city cemetery. Katherine Zappone. Three grave plots in St Finbarrs cemetery in Cork city were found to contain the remains of at least 21 children. Two of the three plots are completely unmarked. The third records just one name despite 16 children being buried in the grave. One of the unmarked plots was purchased by the former St Annes Adoption Society. Founded in 1954 by the then Bishop of Cork Cornelius Lucey, it was set up with the purpose of arranging the adoption of babies born to Irish unmarried mothers in Britain. It closed in 2003 and its records transferred to the Southern Health Board. They are now in the possession of Tusla. Buried in this plot are three girls and one boy who all died in early infancy. Their deaths occurred in 1979, 1983, 1988 and 1990. The death certificate for the last child buried in the plot in 1990 reveals that, although she died in St Finbarrs Hospital, she was in the care of the nuns at the Bessborough Home. A birth certificate could not be located for the child in this name. Nearby is a marked plot belonging to the former St Patricks Orphanage run by the Mercy Sisters. It operated a nursery for St Annes Adoption Society where children were kept until the society could arrange for an adoption to be contracted. A total of 16 children are buried in this plot from between 1957 and 1978. Although the grave is marked, it does not have a headstone and just one name that of the final child buried in the plot is recorded on a small brass plaque attached to a small wooden cross. Some of the children buried in this plot were born to unmarried Irish women living in Britain. They had been sent back to be adopted by Irish families. Some of the children have been buried in the names of their putative adoptive parents. However, three of the 16 were from the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home. Death certificates for two infants in the plot reveal that they died at the institution, while in another case, the child is listed as having been born in Bessborough but died in St Finbarrs Hospital. In another part of the cemetery, another little girl in the care of Bessborough who died in 1989 is buried in another unmarked grave. This is recorded as a non-perpetuity plot indicating that it does not have an owner. In short, a paupers grave. The discovery also threw up a problem with the terms of reference for the current inquiry as it would appear not all of these deaths can be investigated It seems obvious that they all should be. After all, all of the children are representative of the cohort of infant deaths that it is charged with examining - namely the children of unmarried mothers that who were destined for adoption until they died and were buried in unmarked grave plots. All but one of the deaths are in plots owned by a formerly State-accredited adoption agency St Annes Adoption Society, which closed in 2003 and by the St Patricks Orphanage, which operated as a nursery for St Annes Adoption Society. The problem is neither institution is listed as institutions under the commissions remit. In fact, of the 21 infant deaths uncovered during the Irish Examiner investigation, just five of those children were linked to an institution which falls under the remit of the commission - Bessborough Mother and Baby Home. While all of the deaths are indicative of the same issue, involve the same cohort of women and their children, the same lived experience, only the five that are linked to a mother and baby home which is under investigation can be examined. For its part, Tusla declined to say whether or not they reported these deaths to the Commission before the Irish Examiner raised the matter. What is clear is that Cork city cemeteries were used by the Order to bury infant remains. ILLEGAL ADOPTION It's clear that the records now held by Tusla in relation to Bessborough contain records relating to questionable adoption practices. The HSE said as much as far back 2009. Throughout 2009 and 2010, as the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary prepared to cease operating Bessborough as an adoption agency and transfer some 15,000-plus files to the HSE, the latter was determined to secure indemnity against legal action on any records it was to receive. An undated memo of a meeting the HSE held with the management group from the religious order notes its desire to manage liability for past Bessboro responsibility and ongoing re their activities as an adoption agency when and if it arises. In a letter on February 8, 2010, to solicitors representing the order, childcare manager in the HSE South region, Mike van Aswegen, said the HSE needed this assurance, as it had reason to believe that the past practices of the agency had not always been exemplary. In your correspondence, you refer to the need for providing an indemnity. "I believe that in this case we will need to be provided with this comfort, as we have good reason to believe that the practice from the agency has in the past not always been exemplary, he wrote. The following year, a HSE social worker revealed in 2011 that Bessborough Mother and Baby Home files contained information on the quasi-illegal deportation and adoption of children to the USA, Britain, and Australia. The revelation is contained in a business plan prepared by principal social worker in the South Lee region, Pat ODwyer, in 2011 in preparation for the HSEs takeover of the records. Mr ODwyer pointed out that the natural mothers and adopted people had been badly treated, rebuffed, misled, and in many cases dishonestly misdirected when seeking information. One of those women badly treated by both the nuns and the State right into the present day is Jackie Foley*. Jackie was just 16 years old in 1974 when she signed a consent form in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home form to have her son adopted. However, she did not sign her own name on the form. Instead, under instruction from and nun, she signed the name Micheline Power* - a woman who does not exist. Her mother and a solicitor were also present in the room. The writing of that signature led to all of the documentation used to eventually secure an adoption order being deliberately falsified including her son's baptismal certificate and birth certificate. Documents seen by the Irish Examiner reveal, and indeed name, individual nuns who worked at the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home and the affiliated Sacred Heart Adoption Society (SHAS) who were party to this. Jackies son is now 44. If he was to access his original birth certificate, which in Ireland he still cannot as a legal right, he will spend years searching for his mother under the name of a woman who does not exist. If this wasn't bad enough, the treatment of Jackie as an adult woman by various State agencies has been no better. Take Tusla for example, who now hold the records which reveal what happened to her as a teenager. Just last year, staff handling Jackies case were instructed in emails not to refer to situations like hers as illegal but instead as possible illegal registrations. Reference is made to having to hold our powder because that stuff is FOIable... and it could be used against us if someone takes a case. Staff are told that the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) are the only ones that can make a determination as to the legality or illegality of any adoption. In February 2017 Jackies son is now 44. If he was to access his original birth certificate, he will spend years searching for his mother under the wrong name. He will be looking for Micheline Power a woman who does not exist. Teddies and flowers which were placed at the gates to the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork, when news of the enormous scale of infant deaths at the home first broke in 2015. Picture: Des Barry But the historic treatment of Jackie replays in the present. Almost half a century later, the attitude of certain State agencies the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), and Tusla to her case is as cold-hearted as the nuns who forced her as a 16-year-old to sign away both her and her sons identities. Instead of offering support or offering assistance, emails between staff members show the attitude of Tusla to be one of institutional self-preservation. Just last year, staff handling Jackies case were instructed in emails not to refer to situations like hers as illegal but instead as possible illegal registrations. Reference is made to having to hold our powder because that stuff is FOIable... and it could be used against us if someone takes a case. Staff are told that the AAI are the only ones that can make a determination as to the legality or illegality of any adoption. In February 2017, a principal social worker at the AAI wrote to Tusla stating that in the case of Jackie's son, the adoption is a legal adoption. The AAI social worker made this determination despite the fact that it is a fully documented case where an illegal registration has resulted in the granting of an unlawful adoption. Jackies case told the AAIs predecessor, the Adoption Board, about her case as far back as 2005. Neither reported the case to the gardai, not in 2005 when first notified, and at no point since. As a result, Jackie herself reported the details of what happened to the gardai earlier this year. Ten years later, Jackies case was forced onto the AAI and Tuslas radar when she sought access to her records in 2015. Again, no one in either agency reported the matter to gardai. Jackie was not much older than a child when she was taken to Bessborough as a young, frightened teenager. Details from maternity register for the institution, released under freedom if information, revealed that girls as young as 12 pregnant as a result of rape were in Bessborough into the 1980s. The youngest child in the registers dates from 1968. The girl is listed as being just 12 and had been transferred from Bessborough to St Finbarrs Hospital in Cork, where her child had been stillborn in January 1968, as a result of ante-partum haemorrhage. However, the presence of children in Bessborough pregnant as a result of rape continued into the 1980s. For example, Maternity Record Book 40 lists a girl of 14 whose child was stillborn in 1982. The record simply states the child premature 33wks, gasped and died. VACCINE TRIALS The alteration of information in records is another feature of the various revelations made in this newspaper about Bessborough Mother and Baby Home. Material obtained by the Irish Examiner in 2016 showed that the files of children used for vaccine trials carried out at the institution were altered in 2002 just weeks after the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) sought discovery of records from the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary It had sought discovery of the records from the Order on July 22, 2002. An affidavit was sworn on October 3, 2002, and on a number of later dates in 2002 and 2003. The document listing the changes opens with: 8.8.02 Checked the 20 files. This is immediately followed by: 9.8.02 Made the changes. The changes made to files Nos 5, 8, 11, 12, and 15 to 20 are then detailed. The changes include: The alteration of discharge dates of mothers (by a period of one year and two years); The changing of discharge dates of children; The changing of admission dates of mothers; The alteration of the age of a mother (by two years); The alteration of dates of adoption; The changing of baptism dates and location of baptism; The insertion of certain named locations and information into admission books. A data protection request released to Bessborough vaccine trial victim Mari Steed in 2011 also confirms this timeline. A file listing details about both her and her natural mother was created on August 6, 2002. This was done following a request for Solicitor re Vaccine. Ms Steeds natural mother is listed as No 19 on Doctors List. The record lists All Counties DUBLIN above discharge information pertaining to her mother. The document listing the changes notes that this information was inserted into Ms Steeds original file. The entry reads: No 19 [house name redacted] Crossed out the Indoor Reg entry as it is corssed (sic) out in the Book. Inserted DUBLIN after All Counties. Another entry reads: No 17 [house name redacted] Changed nm [natural mother] disch from x/x/60 to x/x/62. Given that the trial took place between December 1960 and November 1961, this change has the effect of placing this woman in Bessborough during the period her child was vaccinated. If she was, in fact, discharged from Bessborough at the date given in 1960, she could not have been present to consent for her child to have been part of the vaccine trial. The question of consent was the key issue being examined by the CICAs Vaccines Module before it was shut down in 2003 following a Supreme Court ruling. A statement from solicitors representing the Order stated that it had no immediate knowledge of any specific event concerning alterations made to records. We are in contact with the commission in regard to the Mother and Baby Homes Investigation, which is having our full co-operation. For the present, as is appropriate, we will be dealing directly with the commission on all related matters, said a statement. In a separate statement, the order said it wished to categorically state that no documents were altered. In your recent correspondence, you are suggesting that something illegal or inappropriate had occurred in regard to the documents to which you refer, said the statement. This is entirely untrue, and we will continue to deal directly with the official commission on all such matters. In 2017, the Irish Examiner revealed that a previously unknown trial of lactose and baby formula was carried out using infants in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home by Glaxo Laboratories in the mid-1970s. The extend of vaccine trials on children in care in Ireland by British pharmaceutical companies on children in care in Ireland has slowly been emerging through the media over the past 20 years. These tests involved the trialling of various vaccine combinations by predecessor companies of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Glaxo Laboratories and Burroughs Wellcome. These revelations generated more questions than answers answers it is hoped the Mother and Baby Homes Commission can provide. However, the fact that Glaxo Laboratories was also trialling other products on children here namely lactose and baby formulas - is a new discovery. A trial sheet obtained by the Irish Examiner revealed that Glaxo Laboratories carried out a clinical acceptability and safety trial of Golden Ostermilk and Lactose, while a separate trial sheet reveals a trial of overseas milk powders (by 0111). The clinician responsible for the tests was Eithne Conlon a local Cork GP who worked with Bessborough for many years. The trial sheets recorded a range of reactions to the products. These included vomiting (slight, moderate, severe, or none), excessive regurgitation, wind (slight, moderate, severe, or none), stools (locae, normal, or constipated) and stool colour (yellow, grass green, olive green, yellow green, no stools, meconium, changing). Other abnormal conditions were also noted. These included excessive crying, irritability, napkin rash, thrush, and others. The latter trial sheet was contained in the records of Breda Bonass, who had sought information on her medical history from Tusla under Freedom of Information. The former only came to light when Ms Bonass sought further information from Tusla. However, the trial sheet for Golden Ostermilk and Lactose was also found in the antenatal records of other women and all contain identical details including patient numbers something which the FOI officer told Ms Bonass was perplexing. Ms Bonass asked the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and GSK for an explanation. The nuns responded via their solicitors, telling her they no longer held the records nor had any access to them and that she should go to Tusla. GSKs UK data protection section informed her that the data had been destroyed as the retention period has already expired some years ago. It told this newspaper it was unable to locate any records relating to a 1974 study but that it had located records relating to a trial from 1967. The assumption, therefore, would be that the 1974 studys purpose was to compare current milk powder with a newer formulation. "The records contain no names or information about the children involved, said GSK in a statement. With regard to the consent of mothers, GSK said that, due to the fact that it had no records, it could not confirm who gave consent but that its assumption was that it would have been those Sisters running the homes as the legal guardians. Obtaining consent would been left to the doctor conducting the trial. GSK said the identical sheets were probably blank forms or templates and that the information entered appear to be codes, possibly relating to a spreadsheet collating all responses. It also confirmed that this was the first time it was made aware of this study and that it had not been asked to disclose it in any official capacity, as this is clearly outside of the current Commissions [Into Mother and Baby Homes] vaccines inquiry. The Commission is only tasked with examining vaccine trials carried out by GSK legacy companies, not other forms of product testing that may have occurred. The inquiry has now been delayed until February 2020. The delays have caused anger to many of the survivors representative groups desperate for answers and justice. The above revelations relate to just one of the homes under its remit. It is looking at many more and, undoubtedly, has access to hundreds of thousands more records. The issue of Mother and Baby Homes, forced and illegal adoptions, infant deaths and the myriad of practices surrounding the confinement of thousands of women in Ireland are often spoken about as part of Ireland's past. They are not. The fact we still don't fully grasp the enormity of what happened shows this is a story with contemporary relevance. The more you investigate these matters, it is often more questions that emerge - not answers. The Commission has another 12 months to find them. From July 1, potential rental homes will no longer be available short-term, except with planning permission and even then rarely, says Eoin O Broin After much delay, the Government has finally introduced regulations for the short-term letting sector. Last week, the Oireachtas Housing Committee unanimously passed Housing Minister Eoghan Murphys amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2000, which are set to become law before the summer. The new rules will only apply to properties within rent-pressure zones and, as with the 4% cap, will expire at the end of 2021, unless extended by further legislation. Based on proposals made by the Housing Committee in October 2017, the regulations will operate on three levels and will apply from July 1, a month later than originally announced. If you let out a room in your own home, or let out your entire home, for less than 90 days in a year, you will not be affected by the new rules. You can carry on as before, without a need for planning permission or any additional charges. Important discussion on how to deliver affordable cost rental accommodation in Ireland at The Vienna Model conference in Richmond Barracks organised by @DubCityCouncil & @HousingAgencyIE pic.twitter.com/VZtIIdZICK Eoin O Broin (@EOBroin) April 16, 2019 If you let out a room in your own home, or let out your entire home, for more than 90 days, you will need to apply to your local authority for planning permission. Councils will be given guidance on how to deal with such applications. The cost of your application will be 3.60 per square metre for change-of-use, amounting to 180 for a small flat or 576 for a three-bed family home. If granted planning permission, no other costs (such as commercial water charges) will apply, as this is your principal residence. If you let out a second property, or entire properties, commercially, you will have to secure planning permission, irrespective of how long you let the property for. Standard planning fees will apply, as will commercial water charges. However, during last weeks Housing Committee meeting, Minister Murphy said that he expects the vast majority of these properties (i.e. non-principal residences) to be refused planning permission for short-term letting. He repeatedly referred to a blanket ban in all but the most exceptional of cases. So, the new regulations will have little impact on genuine, peer-to-peer home sharers or those letting out their own home part-time. However, for commercial, short-term lets in rent-pressure zones, the Governments clear intention is for those properties to be transferred back to the long-term rental market. The legislation defines short-term letting as 14 days, but this technical description does not have any impact on the planning permission requirement or, where planning is granted, how long a property can be let. Also, where a property currently has planning permission for short-term letting, this will not be affected by the new rules. It was disappointing that the Government did not also bring forward regulations for short-term letting platforms and agents. This was recommended by the Oireachtas Housing Committee in our 2017 report. The committee was strongly of the view that there should be a legal requirement for platforms to share information with both the local authority and Revenue on the length of time hosts let out their property. We also felt it should be an offence for platforms or agents to advertise non-compliant properties. In the absence of such measures, all of the onus for the effective enforcement of the new rules will fall on local authorities. This means that council planning departments will need adequate staff and resources, not only to process planning applications, but to track compliance. Enforcement of short-term letting has proved difficult in some cities, as individual hosts and some platforms have deliberately sought to circumvent the rules. However, other cities have high levels of compliance. The key to getting it right here is to ensure that hosts, platforms, and agents have clear information as early as possible on how the new regime works. There must be a consistency of message across all councils, and applications for planning permission must be dealt with quickly. The Government must send out a very strong signal that it intends to fully enforce the new rules and that non-compliance will be dealt with firmly and quickly. As one of the first TDs in the current Dail to call for the regulation of the short-term letting sector, back in 2016, I welcome the Governments move. We need clear and fair regulations that protect guests and hosts, while ensuring that short-term letting does not have a disruptive impact on the private rental sector. Unfortunately, in the absence of any regulations, a significant number of rental properties have been lost to the market because of short-term letting, particularly in our urban centres. While not the cause of our rental and homelessness crises, this loss has made things worse. Ultimately, a large volume of good-quality, affordable rental accommodation, provided by councils and approved housing bodies, along with greater security of tenure and rent certainty in the private sector, are the only long-term solutions to our dysfunctional rental system. However, ensuring that short-term letting is properly regulated is also necessary. Indeed, the Government should reconsider the 2021 sunset clause and simply allow local authorities to relax the blanket ban on commercial, short-term lets in rent-pressure zones as the rental and homelessness crises ease. Abandoning regulations fully would be short-sighted and could result in future disruptions. The short-term letting sector, just like the private and social rental sectors, needs fair and transparent regulation that protects hosts and guests alike. Eoin O Broin is a Sinn Fein TD for Dublin mid-west and spokesman on housing, planning, and local government. His book, HOME: Why Public Housing is the Answer, will be published by Merrion Press in May. Time and the exactitude of timings are often the defining elements in politics. At the start of a government, all seems possible. If a government is being re-elected, the stress of the election and of the build-up to it can lead to a slackening in its aftermath. The fact of being re-elected to your seat and, if fortunate, of being re-ensconced in ministerial office, dulls political energy, especially the energy required for change. The newly-elected are naive enough not to know that what is not done in the first six months or the first year will likely never be done. Bold manoeuvres require peak political fitness and being able to face down the lack of morale in your opposition, which only comes once, in the aftermath of their defeat. This Government, unlike any other I recall, has permanently been in the run-up to an election that has never occurred. It mightnt happen for some time now, either. Delaying Brexit again, until Halloween, approaches a scary moment for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. It is possible, but it seems unlikely, that there will be a quick fix in Britain, and things will be tied up before the European elections on May 24. If so, the summer is a wide-open savannah for electioneering. The Taoiseach could plan to be re-elected and re-ensconced before his summer holiday. The summer holiday after an election is the most relaxing in the political cycle. Even the re-elected, but defeated, know its time to graze beside the watering hole. If thats an attractive scenario, it is also unlikely. The only agreement that seems possible in Britain, with Labour, would split the Conservative Party. Jeremy Corbyn can circumnavigate the issues, do enough and as little to discomfort Mrs May, while holding his own coalition together, and wait for his opponents to be immolated in the flames of Brexit. So while it is possible, and things might change, an opening for an election here, before the summer, seems a slim hope for Varadkar. He could be brave, and go regardless. I think his deeds are more cautious than his sometimes careless language, so probably not. That means waiting on any number of Brexit scenarios that might play out in the autumn, before the latest October deadline. Powers of prophecy, as distinct from common punditry, would be required to see through that fog. Somebody always wins a bet on the Grand National, but I dont feel that lucky today. The context here, in September, is budget negotiation. Fianna Fail has made it clear that it is willing and available to do business. Presumably, there will be carefully-chosen fights, but there is absolutely no reason things cant be agreed. Delivering a budget doesnt necessarily lock the Taoiseach into government for the winter, which is exactly where Micheal Martin wants him. But all the while, time is passing, and opportunities narrowing. There is an unknowable denouement on Brexit, where, either it hasnt been agreed and there wont be another delay, or it becomes delayed again. And there is French president, Emmanuel Macron, who might not agree to any further delay at all, and, in circumstances where nothing is agreed, trigger a hard Brexit. Then, a scary moment becomes a nightmare. Managing the end-of-life process, like landing the aeroplane, is the trickiest moment in government. Your closing speech has to be your best. Pulling apart the edifice of government here, in circumstances reeking of political opportunism, wont end well. Going to the country against the flaming backdrop of no-deal will unnerve every beast in the forest. Staying on for the winter, because you cant get out, is a slow sapping of political capital. It is the considerable achievement of Fianna Fail, and of Micheal Martin, especially, to still be in existence, and seemingly now in contention. Confidence-and-supply will rank as the gold standard in masterly inactivity for years to come. I think they are in contention, but possibly unaware of, and unprepared for, the threat to come. The longer Martin can hold Varadkar in government, the smaller the handicap he has on the day the election is called. The day after, however, he and his party will face a public inquisition, under strobe lights more intense than any they have faced since 2007. Then, they were an unpopular incumbent government, fighting a rearguard action. It was because Fine Gael were deemed unready that an unloved Fianna Fail came back into government. The corollary is that the relentless test that Fine Gael and Enda Kenny faced, and failed, in 2007, now awaits Fianna Fail. Peak-Leo may have passed, Fianna Fail candidates in key constituencies may be better-placed than their national poll numbers indicate, but a fundamental questions remains: is Fianna Fail an alternative government, in-waiting? Because the sum of the combined parts of the two big parties is significantly less, the stakes may be smaller. But at stake is the driving seat in the government formation process thereafter. In 2007, a beleaguered Bertie Ahern succeeded in defining Enda Kenny in the one-on-one debate. In 2016, Fianna Fail were so far back in the field no such debate occurred, and, instead, a jumble of four leaders slugged it out, fairly pointlessly. Martin needs the framing of a one-on-one debate with Varadkar, but he cant be certain hell get it and Varadkar can be good on television. Down the field, the challenge deepens. Over-confidence and an innate ability to be overweening may temper the advantage of the Government, but stretches of the Fianna Fail front bench are conspicuously weak. That is compounded by a sense of a team that frequently doesnt exist outside the frame of the obligatory photograph. Martin has surprised his detractors with his stamina, but among his elected colleagues, there is little cohesion, and sometimes a marked absence of affection. It was always thus to an extent, but things will be tested. Policies will be relentlessly examined. Having a go wont get you far. All of which is to say that time generally and Brexit and its timings, especially influences when, and in what circumstances, we have an election. Becoming contenders again put Fianna Fail up for a test most of them have never faced, and seemingly dont realise is coming. For Martin, a surplus of singularity over collegiality may work in opposition, but elections require marshalling numbers across the airwaves, in and out of television studios and through the questioning glare of the media and public alike. The past economic crash will be raked up. It is true what Fianna Fail say about the election being closer than national polls indicate. That is precisely the reason they are closer to the tip of a red-hot poker than they realise. It is important to recognise the positive effects that institutional investment can have, according to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, who fails to see any downside to international corporations buying swathes of property in the country. Institutional investors spent more than 1.1bn on a record 2,923 Irish homes last year. Meanwhile, rents and the number of people living in rented accommodation rise. Is there a connection? What is happening here is similar to what has happened in major cities where the indigenous people were priced out. Mr Murphy told the Dail tenants are afforded greater security and have their homes managed more professionally by an institutional landlord. Where is the evidence for this? Has he forgotten that these major corporations are being given every possible financial incentive so that, essentially, they pay no tax to our exchequer? They can afford to pay more for properties, driving prices up for everyone else. Meanwhile, the Government demonises other property owners who carry on the legitimate business of letting their premises, enforcing a penal taxation regime and a regulation system. I remember the 1990s when people were encouraged to provide for their pensions. Many people took out mortgages to buy property so as not to be a burden on the State. Mr Murphy and his Government later stood by as the banks seized these properties, treating their owners as criminals, even when the rents could not be paid by tenants who had lost jobs. Historically, the private rental sector has been largely made up of small-scale landlords who will continue to provide private rental accommodation, according to Mr Murphy. Unlikely, Id say. The property owners are already voting with their feet, despite the usual 33% capital gains tax on the sale price of rental properties. And weve seen nothing yet it seems. The latest proposed legislation sets out to enhance the powers of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to act against property owners. People need to be made aware of the draconian nature of the upcoming Residential Tenancies (Amendment ) No.2 Bill, 2018. If passed, it will be even more difficult to evict rogue tenants. Far more serious than any of this, however, is the proposal to extend to the RTB, powers to investigate and impose criminal convictions on property owners, even where no complaint is made against them. Please take note criminal convictions in a parallel court system for property owners who seek only to carry on their legitimate business and for what crimes exactly? I urge people to vehemently oppose this legislation. During the worst housing crisis this country has ever seen, our leaders, instead of bringing stakeholders together are playing power games. Fiddling while Rome burns? Maureen Moran, The Lough, Cork If you would like to have your say on the issue of the day then visit here or send your submission to digitaldesk@examiner.ie French president Emmanuel Macron has set a target of five years for the ruined Notre Dame Cathedral to be rebuilt. Mr Macron outlined his hopes for the restoration in an address to the nation last night, little more than 24 hours after the fire. He said France will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully and pledged to mobilise as he thanked emergency services and donors who pledged money for the work. In a series of tweets after the address, Mr Macron said: We will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral, even more beautiful, and I hope that it will be completed within five years. In our history, we have built cities, harbours, churches. Many have burned or been destroyed, by wars, revolutions, mens faults. Every time we rebuilt them, he added. The fire of Notre-Dame reminds us that our history never stops, never, and that we will always have trials to overcome. Nearly 400 firefighters battled through the night before the blaze was declared fully extinguished at about 10am local time. Investigators believe the blaze was caused by accident, possibly as a result of restoration work. Fifty investigators are now working on a long and complex probe into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. They will interview workers from five companies hired to work on renovations to the cathedral roof. The tragedy prompted an outpouring of support internationally, as well as funds for the restoration. By last night, more than 600m had been pledged from French families and companies including Total and LOreal Group. The expansion increases the number of students enrolled in ECC courses for which theyll receive both high school and college credit and creates a new program in which students will be able to take college courses at their high schools, also for dual credit. The latter would begin in the 2020-21 school year. Burma UWSA Leader Repeats Demands for Autonomous Wa State on 30th Anniversary UWSA chief Bao Youxiang attends the groups 30th anniversary celebration in Panghsang on Wednesday. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy PANGHSANG, Wa Self-Administered ZoneWa leader Bao Youxiang demanded autonomy for his region at a celebration of the United Wa State Army (UWSA)s 30th anniversary on Wednesday, vowing that ethnic Wa will fight for their lives to make it happen. During his speech at a military parade to mark the anniversary in the Wa capital of Panghsang, on northern Shan States border with China, the chairman of the Wa State Peoples Government and UWSA commander-in-chief also told 7,600 troops and more than 3,000 guests that Wa state is an inalienable part of the Union of Myanmar, and solemnly promised not to split from it or seek independence. What we need is ethnic equality, ethnic dignity, ethnic autonomy, and we ask the government to give the Wa an autonomous ethnic state; then we will fight for our lives, the Wa leader was quoted as saying in an English translation of his speech provided by the UWSA. Until our political demands are realized, we will hold high the banner of peace and democracy on one hand, and armed self-defense on the other, and maintain the status quo, he added. Founded on April 17, 1989, the UWSA signed a ceasefire with Myanmars then military governmentthe State Law and Order Restoration Councilin the same year after splitting from the Communist Party of Burma. It also founded the United Wa State Party and the Wa State Peoples Government. Since then the UWSA has quietly grown into the largest, best-equipped ethnic armed group in Myanmar with an estimated 30,000 troops and 10,000 auxiliary members, according to Myanmar Peace Monitor. Since the ceasefire deal in 1989, there have been no clashes between the UWSA and the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw). The Wa army has demanded autonomy, like other ethnic armed groups in Myanmar. Myanmars 2008 Constitution acknowledges the Wa areas in Shan State as a self-administered region. The UWSA has not yet signed the governments Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). The group serves as the chair of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) alliance, some of whose members are still fighting the Myanmar Army. The government has pressured the UWSA to sign the NCA, but it and other members of the FPNCC want the government to amend some parts of the agreement first. On Wednesday the UWSA celebrated on a grand scale in Panghsangs Peoples Square. Bao Youxiang waved while inspecting his troops from the back of a jeep, a la Chinese President Xi Jinping. In front of the visitors, who included representatives of the Myanmar government, Wa troops showed off some of their military hardware including drones and anti-aircraft missiles. But some Wa sources and military analysts with knowledge of the Was weaponry said that despite earlier speculation that it would use the occasion for a grand display of its arsenal, the UWSA appeared to have decided to tone things down this time, perhaps to avoid embarrassing the Myanmar military. The Wa apparently chose not to show off the weapons and missiles it is known to have bought from China recently, possibly so as not to give the Tatmadaw too accurate a picture of its strength. Observers and journalists are forbidden to visit Wa troop encampments and military bases where the groups latest shopping items are stored. Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was absent from the ceremony, but sent a message to the event. In it, she urged the Wa to join the NCA, saying the agreement is just a threshold to pass though on the way to a democratic federal union that grants equality and self-determination for all ethnic people. I solemnly remind you that if there are other issues not covered in the NCA, you could deal with the government after signing the agreement, she said. The Wa leadership did not officially comment on the State Counselors message, but some high-ranking UWSA officials expressed a desire to see a tripartite meeting on the issue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar military chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing and Wa leader Bao Youxiang. Wa leaders were disappointed that the State Counselor did not attend the event. They quietly complained to ethnic delegates that the government sent only mid-ranking officialsdespite the presence of U Thein Zaw, vice chair of the governments Peace Commission and U Thein Swe, the Union minister for Labor, Immigration and Populationand that the Myanmar Army was only represented by officers at the rank of colonel. U Thein Zaw and U Thein Swe are also both members of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee. Chinese Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang, who attended the anniversary celebration, did not make any comment at the event. It is believed that during Sen-Gen. Min Aung Hlaings recent visit to Beijing, China asked him to extend the Tatmadaws unilateral four-month ceasefire period. The military announced the ceasefire in December. During the senior generals visit, the two sides discussed several issues including the peace process in northern Myanmar and the crisis in Rakhine State. Among those who declined personal invitations to attend the UWSA celebration was former Myanmar military spy chief General Khin Nyunt. Dubbed the Prince of Evil for his atrocities against democracy and student activists after the 88 Popular Uprising, the former Military Intelligence chief masterminded the ceasefire deal between the then military regime and the Wa in August 1989. Despite being ousted from his position in 2004, U Khin Nyunt made a lasting impression on the Wa. When an ethnic festival was held in Yangon in January this year, Wa representatives paid him a visit, relaying a message from their leaders that he was missed by them, and taking pictures with him. In a message to the UWSA event on Wednesday, the former general said he was proud to have received an official, verbal invitation and apologized for his absence, which he attributed to various reasons that prevented him from attending, despite his willingness. He said that while he hadnt made it to the Wa region since 2004, he was very glad to learn that development had progressed in the area. I will never forget what U Bao Youxiang said about non-secession from the Union, his standing with the military government on political issues, and his collaborations for regional development, anti-narcotics campaigns and border stability, U Khin Nyunt said. Wednesday, April 17th, 2019 (3:55 pm) - Score 2,659 Some 60 homes in the rural Essex village of Cornish Hall End near Braintree will become the first to benefit from the start of County Broadbands roll-out of a new rural Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which is being supported by an investment of 46m from Aviva Investors. At present locals are only able to receive a broadband speed of around 1-2Mbps, which comes via copper lines and ADSL2+ technology over Openreachs (BT) ageing infrastructure. One of the related cabinets has been upgraded to support Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) services but for most properties the lines are simply too long in order for that to work. By comparison the full fibre service being deployed by CB should be able to deliver Gigabit class performance. Prices start at 39.99 inc. VAT per month for an unlimited symmetrical 30Mbps package on a 24 month contract term and rise to 74.99 for the top 1000Mbps tier. County Broadbands demand-led ultrafast broadband network will also be rolling out to other rural communities in East Anglia (i.e. they seek interest from 30% of local premises before work can begin). The next on their list will be Cold Norton on the Dengie Peninsula in May 2019, with additional villages including Foxearth, Pentlow, Gestingthorpe, Bulmer, Stambourne, Wickham St Paul and Pebmarsh set to follow. Meanwhile the new service in Cornish Hall End will be fully operational by the beginning of May 2019. Lloyd Felton, CEO of County Broadband, said: This is an exciting day for Essex and were delighted to soon be welcoming Cornish Hall End as the first rural community in the county to join our new full fibre network, significantly changing the way residents and business owners live, work and play. Our FTTP infrastructure will propel forgotten villages across East Anglia into the 21st Century and beyond, whilst delivering significant investment in their long-term prosperity. It will also ensure they are fit for the future when every community will need ultrafast speeds to keep up with increasing digital demands. Councillor Peter Schwier, Braintree District Council, said: I am delighted that County Broadband is rolling out full fibre broadband to the vitally important rural areas of Braintree District. This new network is an ambitious schedule to full fibre-enable rural properties, dramatically improving speed, bandwidth and quality. It is not only needed today but future-proofs our rural communities and businesses and will enable everyone to enjoy the choice and benefits of unlimited, ultrafast broadband. Admittedly this isnt strictly speaking the start of their FTTP roll-out, since back in 2017 they also built a trial network to cater for 50 homes in the village of Broughton (here). The ISP currently has 3,000 customers on their wider network, although most of those hail from their more established Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) infrastructure in other parts of Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (England). The future goal of their new fibre network is to cover 30,000 premises in poorly served areas across the East of England region. These are the highest honors bestowed on faculty at Idaho State University and it is a distinction to receive one of these three awards, said Laura Woodworth-Ney, ISU executive vice president and provost for academic affairs. These are among our accomplished faculty and we are proud to recognize them. The 2019 ISU Distinguished Faculty are selected from the five finalists who all received Outstanding Faculty awards. The 2019 ISU Distinguished Faculty are: Distinguished Service, Cindy Seiger Seiger joined the ISU faculty in 2006 and has increased the opportunities for physical therapy students to participate in community outreach service activities. In 2014, she became the Idaho State Advocate for the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy. She is involved in multiple community outreach programs focused on assisting older adults to maintain a healthy lifestyle and remain independent. She is a class leader and master trainer for the Fit and Fall Proof program, a statewide, community-based fall-prevention exercise program. For the past 11 years, Seiger has conducted a year-round exercise class at the Pocatello Senior Center and her students have recorded more than 65 episodes of the program for Local Access Television. She initiated the nationally-recognized annual Humpty Dumpty had a Great Fall: A Falls Prevention Conference. She also involves her doctor of physical therapy students in service learning to promote engagement in local, national and international communities. The other faculty members receiving 2019 Outstanding Service Awards were Karissa Miller, clinical assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders; J. Patrick Brooks, professor of music and director of bands; Theodore Peterson, clinical associate professor of occupational therapy and director of occupational therapy admissions; and Nicki Aubuchon-Endsley, assistant professor of psychology and director of ISU Psychology Clinic. Distinguished Teacher, Marco Schoen Schoen, who has been at ISU for 18 years, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in both the mechanical engineering and the measurement and control engineering programs. Schoen graduated from the Swiss College of Engineering with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. While working as an engineer at Habasit Inc. in Switzerland, he was invited to participate with an employee training program. Working with and instructing new employees kindled his interest in furthering his education, which led him to the United States, where he obtained a Master of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in engineering mechanics. Schoens undergraduate classes at the senior level are tuned to prepare the students to enter industry successfully, focusing on a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge of the subject and skills, and techniques for a practical-industrial setting. All of his classes including at the graduate level contain hands-on projects that allow the students to bring their ingenuity and creativity to the classroom experience. Schoen maintains an undergraduate research experience program. The other 2019 Outstanding Teacher finalists were Wendy Mickelsen, clinical assistant professor of radiographic science; Diana Livingston Friedley, professor of voice; Tera Cole, associate lecturer of English; and Tyler Burch, assistant professor of marketing and management. Distinguished Research, Kathleen Lohse Lohse is an ecosystem scientist who works at the interface of ecology, earth system science and hydrology, studying the processes shaping ecosystems and their responses to anthropogenic changes. From this foundation, she tackles the challenges and complexities of sustainability and global change science. Her primary research interests include understanding the hydrologic and biogeochemical processes shaping watershed ecosystems, studying the ways in which land use and other human-caused changes are altering these processes in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and across these traditional disciplinary boundaries, and integrating social processes and other human dimensions into watershed and ecosystem management. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley. Her training was in soil science with an emphasis in ecosystem ecology/soil biogeochemistry. Prior to her employment at ISU in 2010, she worked at University of Arizona for three and half years as an assistant professor. She currently directs the National Science Foundation-funded Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory and was co-lead for ISU science EPSCoR MILES RII from 2013 to 2016. The other 2019 Outstanding Researcher finalists were David Delehanty, professor of biological sciences; Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, associate professor of geosciences and director of the University Honors Program; Tera Letzring, associate professor of psychology and director of experimental training; and Elizabeth Brunner, assistant professor of communication, media and persuasion. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the water supply crisis that crippled 1.2 million Filipinos in March was possibly an artificial shortage to justify an increase in water rates during the rate rebasing in 2022. "Pinopondo 'yung tubig kasi gusto price increase," he said. He recalled how the problem was immediately fixed when he threatened water concessionaires Ayala-owned Manila Water and Maynilad chaired by Manuel "Manny" Pangilinan to end the water supply woes. "Kung hindi ko sila sinabihan, 'Maglipad ako bukas sa Maynila. Pagdating ko, kung wala pang tubig 'yang gripo na 'yan, 'yung ulo ninyo ang gawain kong gripo.' Pagdating ko alas-dos may tubig na... I'm not trying to blame you but that's what you get for getting people 'yung mga elitista-elitista," he said at a campaign rally in Cagayan. Duterte's spokesman previously said that the water shortage may be "artificial" because the water supply in the main dam remains at a normal level. The President said he personally called the water providers to reprimand them for the inconvenience they've caused Filipinos in parts of Metro Manila and Rizal. "Why do you have to cause problem for the people when there are things that you can do at once... You derail everything in life. Hindi na makainom, hindi na Kalokohan. Kaya ako, pagka ganun, wala akong pasensya," he said. On March 7, customers of Manila Water were surprised by an unannounced water interruption. For at least a week, its 1.2 million customers have been experiencing no water supply or low water pressure. The water concessionaire attributes the shortage to the decreasing water levels at the La Mesa reservoir in Quezon City due to the dry spell. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Board of Trustees in March directed its regulatory office to study the suspension of increase in water rates. Duterte has also previously called for a review of the concessionaire agreement with Maynilad and Manila Water. Threat to MWSS officials Duterte also reiterated his warning to the MWSS officials that they can be sacked for failing to avert the water crisis and prepare for the El Nino phenomenon hitting the country. "This week I will be firing... Alam mo 'yang MWSS. Alam mo seasonal 'yan eh. It comes with regularity 'yang El Nino na 'yan. P***** i**, ilang taon kayo nandiyan and you do not prepare for it? And when it comes, walang tubig 'yung mga tao," he said. He said he won't hesitate to replace the MWSS officials with more competent people. "Maraming engineer dito na galing sa labas na mas marunong. Hindi lang nakakilala. There are millions of Filipinos waiting outside, more brighter than you, more smart. Kaya lang hindi nakilala kasi hindi mga politiko. I will not hesitate to replace you all," he said. John Suffolk: "All we can do is say: Guys, if you want to come and look, come and look. If you want to come and test, come and test. If you want to do verification, you are more than welcome to'." A senior Huawei official says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may soon declare a ban on trouser belts being made in China, claiming they are a risk to US national security as armies cannot fight with trousers round their ankles. John Suffolk, a former top British civil servant and now chief security officer at the Shenzhen-based telecommunications giant, made the remarks at the company's 16th annual global analyst summit which kicked off on Tuesday, The Guardian reported. Suffolk did not mince his words at any stage of his speech, saying he had realised some time ago that he was never going to convince the Americans that Huawei technology is not accessible to the Chinese Government. Whether it is because they genuinely believe Huawei are terrible people or China is a terrible country, [I] dont know, he said. All we can do is say: Guys, if you want to come and look, come and look. If you want to come and test, come and test. If you want to do verification, you are more than welcome to'. We dont believe there is much more we can do. For nearly two years, the US has been pushing countries it considers allies to avoid using equipment from Chinese companies, Huawei foremost, in 5G networks. But the US has produced no proof to back up its claims that these products could be used to spy for China. Only Australia and New Zealand have fallen in line with Washington's dictates, but Wellington has indicated that the initial refusal for telco Spark to use Huawei gear is not the end of the matter. That stance was reiterated by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a one-day China visit in April. Huawei sued the US on 7 March, seeking to be reinstated as a telco supplier in the country. Suffolk said the American Government had failed so far to produce any evidence to back up its claims that Huawei was a conduit for China to spy on foreign countries. Claims that Huawei's 5G technology could be broken into by Chinese spies to listen in on phone calls or to crash vehicles connected through an Internet of Things network were dismissed as fanciful. The US "cannot keep saying [Huawei] has got some dodgy technology. [NSA whistleblower Edward] Snowden revealed all kind of things going on with American technology, he said. No one has revealed anything that we do [is bad]. They are belittling national security national security is important and they shouldnt belittle it. They should face up to the reality that technology is complicated and should work together to solve the problems that we can. Pompeo has been the most active of the American officials who are trying to rally other countries to ban Huawei. China is just another country: it has a different value system, a different political system, but theyre just people like you or I. What is the real fear? Is it because its China or because the technology is better?" Suffolk asked. The reality is were a Chinese company, our founder is Chinese thats not his fault. Were very proud to be a Chinese company, but being a Chinese company means that in some quarters the spotlight will always be on you, and theres nothing you can do about it. America says it wants open competition but then says: Huawei, you cant work in America youre banned'. My belief is America should face up to competition, it should face up to competition because American citizens will benefit. Commpete, the former Competitive Carriers Coalition, has called for the resignation of the board of NBN Co, the company rolling out the Australian national broadband network, accusing it of comprehensively failing in its core mission, including driving a more competitive telecommunications sector. Commpete says the board should resign to allow an incoming government to save the project. According to Commpete, the massive public investment in building the NBN was predicated on the understanding it would transform Australian communications markets, and this was not just, or even primarily, about transformative technology. It was about driving a more competitive telecommunications sector to end the raw deal consumers have suffered for years due to inadequate competition, Commpete chair Michelle Lim said. Creating a separate, national, wholesale only access network removed the biggest barrier to competition: creating a level playing field to allow competitors equal access to customers. But the evidence is now in that NBN has failed to deliver against the core objective," Lim said. Lim cited market share data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission showing the proportion of NBN connections to challenger retailers has flatlined at below 7%. And Lim says the goal should be 30% market share to challenger retailers. Even more damning than this record of failure is the complete silence from NBN about how it is going to change to fulfil its core mission of lifting competition. The board has presided over this complacency and now must take responsibility for it. Lim said Commpete believed the NBN board had demonstrated no appreciation of the problem, let alone any imagination in how to promote bold action to reverse it, and should let new blood take over. The NBN is the most important Australian infrastructure project of the past 50 years because it is about so much more than just a piece of infrastructure. It is about affordable, innovative, responsive communications markets capable of making Australia the worlds leading digitally economy. Without a refreshed and passionate new vision, there is a risk more than $40 billion will have been spent for nothing. The board should now allow a refresh of the project to commence immediately to achieve the original competition goals. New Zealands competition regulator, the Commerce Commission, is set to recommend that the resale copper voice services of the countrys largest telco Spark be deregulated. The Commission flagged its intention to recommend the deregulation in a draft report released on Wednesday, and expects to provide its final report and recommendation to the government in July this year. As fibre and other next generation services have become available across New Zealand, consumers are making the switch away from legacy copper-based voice services. Other providers offer wholesale voice services that compete with these services meaning regulation is no longer necessary, Telecommunications Commissioner Dr Stephen Gale said. In 2016 the Commission completed an investigation into deregulating Sparks three resale voice services and, at that time, made a recommendation to the minister of communications not to deregulate and to defer the decision for two years. The Commisssion said at the time, it was concerned whether competitive alternatives to Spark's resale services were available and that retailers ability to switch to these alternatives was constrained. Over two years have passed since our 2016 investigation. We have revisited our recommendation using updated information and our draft view after our analysis is that we now consider regulation is no longer required to help promote competition, Dr Gale said. We consider that competition has been established, is increasingly effective, and is no longer dependent on access to these services. Submissions on the Commissions draft report close on 17 May. The Diversity Committee letter noted that while Tritons student body is 40 percent Latino, the college has only one Latino dean and there are no Latino administrators in senior executive roles. Additionally, the letter stated that African American students at Triton have a graduation rate of 7 percent, the college has lost three black administrators in less than three years and African American administrators have never been interviewed for senior executive positions. Students Present at John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference April 17, 2019 BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Students from all years, disciplines and academic interests presented research projects, artwork and music at Illinois Wesleyan Universitys 30th annual John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference (JWPRC) on Saturday, April 13. Held annually since 1990, JWPRC provides IWU students a venue to share their undergraduate research through poster presentations, oral presentations, art presentations or music performances. This years research projects represented nearly every academic discipline at Illinois Wesleyan. A complete list of JWPRC participants and research topics can be found within the conference program. As an example of JWPRC, Department of Biology sophomores Julia Chen 21, Ria Patel 21 and Julie Xu 21 gave an oral presentation of their research titled A Novel Bacteriophage Capable of Jumping Between Marine and Freshwater Hosts. The faculty sponsor for this research was Assistant Professor of Biology Richard Alvey. Their research focused on how viruses evolve when moving from host to host, and their findings will help to expand on mechanisms of host switching, phage evolution, and help define functions for newly discovered phage genes. Students performed original compositions during the John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference. From the Department of English, Adam Cady 20 presented his research titled La Batalla De Ideas Continua: The Revolutionary Writings of Jose Mart, with faculty sponsor Assistant Professor of English Molly Robey. In his research, Cady discussed the construed interpretations of Jose Mart from communist Cuba and capitalist America, arguing that neither are completely accurate. In the Business Administration Department, Ziyan Liu 19, David Nico Lopez 21 and Michael Modaff 19 presented Analyzing the Mobile App Industry and the Market of Internet Memes with its Application. Director of Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship (DTE) and Instructor in Business Administration Tara Gerstner 01 was the faculty sponsor for this research. This research analyzed the culture of internet memes and the way they are shared through social media. The project culminated with the development of an app designed entirely for meme sharing, titled Caption_It. Graduating teacher candidates presented their poster or oral presentations as a culmination of their capstone research experience during the annual Inquiries into Teaching and Learning Conference in conjunction with the JWPRC. Topics ranged from student engagement, to classroom technology, to grading policies. School of Music students had the opportunity to perform original compositions during the conference luncheon. The compositions included Solar Chips, A Work for Solo Double Bass by Mitchell Galgan 19 and Mono no aware (Unblossomed) by Minji Will 19. Fern Rosetta Sherff Professor of Music David Vayo was the faculty sponsor for both these projects. The Center for Natural Science Learning and Research (CNS) hosted dozens of student research poster presentations during the John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference. The School of Art hosted the BA/BFA Senior Exhibition Presentations. Macey Grant 20, Emily Wilkes 19 and Lixuan (Lucy) He 19 all showcased their work. Complementing the annual intellectual theme Changing Climates, JWPRC also featured keynote speaker Rene Scheltema, a documentary filmmaker and sustainability expert. In 2015, Scheltema debuted her documentary project Normal Is Over, which unravels how current patterns in the economy and food production have caused enduring environmental harm, as well as steps that can be taken to remedy this damage. Previous campus speakers Naomi Oreskes and Vandana Shiva were both featured in Scheltemas film. Oreskes, a geologist, science historian and author, spoke at IWUs Founders Day Convocation, and Shiva, an environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate and feminist, presented an address as part of the Adlai E. Stevenson Memorial Lecture Series. By Megan Baker 21 Awards-winning, Netherlands-based, eclectic band Trinity announces the release of its third North American single, Anthem Of Love, April 19 from The Fuel Music. Available April 19 at iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon.com, Spotify and more digital retail and streaming outlets everywhere through the link https://the-fuel-music.lnk.to/anthemoflove, the unifying single is meant to help create heavenly parties in and outside the church. Delivering this message to audiences around the world, the band performed for the first time at the 2019 World Youth Day, an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that reportedly drew 600,000 people to Panama City, Panama. While in Panama for this gathering Jan. 22 -27, Trinity recorded its Anthem Of Love video premiering exclusively today from Parade.com, the online destination for the most widely read magazine in America. Want to inject some positive energy into your day? Check out Anthem Of Love by Netherlands-based band, Trinity, encourages Parade contributor Laura B. Whitmore. This lively song and video span cultures to bring a melding of languages and styles, taking us on a musical journey of love and unity. I strongly believe that this world needs more people whore willing to be bridges; persons who have learned to let go and embrace something new at the same time, says Trinitys Elbert Smelt (lead vocals, flutes, saxophone) in Parade. Love is the anthem, the song of our hearts The hymn of forgiveness where everything starts From the first breath we take to the last one we breathe Lets sing the anthem of love in between (From the Anthem Of Love chorus) Weve danced to this song with people from all over the globe at many festivals. One of the most memorable times is definitely at World Youth Day in Panama, continues Elbert. Playing for so many believers from all over the world made us realize how we can only experience Gods love in unity. Because every person reflects a different aspect of Gods love. Just like sunlight is composed of many rays of colors: together all these colors become light. The new singles vibe, rhythm and Spanish-lyrics takes the band back to their days growing up in South America. Formed by three Dutch brothers raised as missionary kids in Lima, Peru, Elbert, Johan (acoustic guitars) and Niek Smelt (Drums, percussion), along with Dutch-raised Bert Bos (bass), Trinity is a Worldbeat band that fuses South American and Irish folk with African beats and pop grooves to create a unique, acoustic music experience. Produced by Grammy-nominated, multiple Dove Award-winning Ian Eskelin and Barry Weeks, Anthem Of Love is the third single from the bands album, The In Between, slated to release July 12 in North America. The new single follows Trinitys widely acclaimed Wherever We Go and Alive Again tracks, the latter song being played live by the band in radio studios across America last summer for audiences based in New York City to Washington, DC to Los Angeles. The bands performance at 94 FM The Fish (Nashville) inspired Randy Maricle, Salem Media Groups Director of Digital Sales and Strategy, to laud on Facebook, Somebody remember thisthese guys are here to stayyoure going to love them. Mike Alley, 95.1 SHINE FM (Baltimore), agrees that Trinity is the Next. Big. Thing. Jump in now so you can say you were on the ground floor! WAY FMs Network Program Director, Todd Stach, says following the bands acoustic performance at WAY FM, When for KING & COUNTRY came through before they were big, I said to them, This is the best live performance in a radio station Ive ever seen. I think you guys, with your energy, are right there with them. Accustomed to leading in front of large gatherings, Trinity has performed on the main stage of the Netherlands Xnoizz Flevo Festival (2010, 2012) and EO-Youth Day event (2013, 2016), and has played at Big Church Day Out festival (UK), the Himmelfarht Festival (Germany), the CREA Festival (Switzerland) and Seaside festival (Norway). The band also shared its music live at events in Russia, Kenia, Cambodia, Gambia, Peru, Senegal, France and Ireland. Were proud to call ourselves craftsmen of heavenly parties, and were experts at making peoples feet move, says Niek. Not with huge beats and technology, but with a unique acoustic approach that will disarm and free any crowd. For all the latest news about Trinity, including tour dates, music, videos and more, go to https://bandtrinity.com/, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Apple Music, YouTube and Spotify. About The Fuel Music: Established in 2008, The Fuel Music & Management, LLC, is a leading artist management and artist solutions company that independently distributes music internationally. Based in Nashville, TN, the Fuel team brings nearly 70 years of combined music industry experience in record label operations, major label distribution and marketing, and artist management for artists ranging from upstart bands to GRAMMY Award-winning, multi-platinum artists. More information on the company can be found at www.thefuelmusic.com. ### Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register With a variety of restaurants under their ownership, Chookaszian said the idea for the brew pub was cemented when they tasted the home brew of Scott Frank of Wilmette. He has been making beer at home and giving it away to friends and family for 10 years. Cobian was at the womans home in the 1800 block of Simpson Street on the evening of March 8 and at one point the woman saw Cobian crouching by the rear door of his car with the door open, prosecutors said. The woman told police she saw several flashes coming from the rear area of Cobians car and that Cobian then drove off, prosecutors said. Six shell casings were found at that location, said prosecutors. We hear a lot about the notion of two Americas, defined by political leanings as well as differences in socioeconomic status. I saw that firsthand and realized that the space between the proverbial haves and have-lesses has become a gulf, with only a sliver of previous groups like upper middle class or, for that matter, plain old middle class. QUEBEC CITY, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Komet Resources Inc. (Komet or the Corporation) wishes to announce that it has entered into an agreement to sell all the issued and outstanding shares that it holds in the share capital of its subsidiaries in Burkina Faso (the Share Disposition), Komet Ressources Afrique SA and Guiro Exploration SARL (the Subsidiaries), to CINI Solutions, a private corporation located in Qatar (CINI). CINI will pay the following consideration to Komet for the Share Disposition: (i) the assumption of all the debts of the Subsidiaries; (ii) 12 consecutive monthly payments of US$100,000 to Komet. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur at the end of April. CINI also holds a first right of offer on the Dabia South property in Mali until June 7, 2019 in consideration for a single cash payment of US$7,000,000. This transaction will allow Komet to cease all activities in Burkina Faso. The Corporation now intends on further developing its Dabia South property in Mali and will also focus its efforts on acquiring gold and base metal exploration and development opportunities in eastern Canada. For more Information on Komet Resources Inc.: Lucas Werner Claessens Chief Executive Officer Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: +1-647-647-2285 Investors relations: Carl Desjardins, Relations publiques Paradox inc. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: +1-514-341-0408 About Komet Resources Komet Resources Inc. is a Canadian-based gold mining and exploration Corporation, listed on the TSX-V, with a focus on exploration of its projects in Mali, West Africa. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (TSX-V: NVO; OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to provide an update regarding plans for the Companys Beatons Creek conglomerate gold project and its broader East Pilbara projects (collectively the East Pilbara gold assets). Novo recently announced a substantial resource upgrade (the 2019 Resource Estimate) at Beatons Creek (for further details see the Companys news release dated April 1, 2019). This increase in size and confidence of the 2019 Resource Estimate is important as it provides what the Company sees as critical mass to underpin an options study across the East Pilbara gold assets. Mr Paul Henharen of Acacia Management Consultancy P/L has considerable experience in this field and has been engaged to undertake the study in conjunction with Optiro P/L. The options study is expected to be completed during the third quarter of calendar 2019 and make recommendations on project development scenarios to take forward to more detailed economic studies. Novos East Pilbara gold assets extend beyond the Beatons Creek 2019 Resource Estimate. Other areas of interest include Novos 100%-controlled high grade Blue Spec gold-antimony deposit located 19km ENE of Nullagine (please refer to the Companys news release dated August 17, 2015), the Talga Talga gold deposit 21km N of Marble Bar (please refer to the Companys news release dated December 13, 2018) and an exploration pipeline of gold-bearing conglomerate prospects including Contact Creek and Virgin Creek, located 39 km NW and 27 km SW respectively from the town of Marble Bar (please refer to Figure 1 below map of Novos East Pilbara prospects). Each of these prospects are earmarked for further exploration or project development expenditure during 2019. In the Companys January 7, 2019 news release, Novo outlined an extended and expanded non-binding memorandum of understanding with Sumitomo Corporation of Tokyo, Japan involving a pre-allocated commitment of 5,000,000,000 Japanese Yen. The objective of this commitment is to provide ongoing financial support and resources to progress economic studies and develop Novos Australian gold projects, subject to mutual agreement on project development plans and transaction structures. Novo CEO and director Mr Rob Humphryson commented, concurrently with our prospects at Egina and Comet Well / Purdys Reward around 300-400km to the west, exploration works at our East Pilbara gold assets have continued apace and have added significant value to Novo. The increase in both size and confidence of the Beatons Creek conglomerate gold resource has provided the impetus to aggressively pursue options for a standalone gold production centre in the East Pilbara. Novo remain committed to our goal of rapidly developing our gold projects and we are very excited at the prospect of returning Pilbaras gold bearing conglomerates to production for the first time in almost 100 years. Dr. Quinton Hennigh (P.Geo.) is the qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is President, Chairman, and a director of Novo. About Novo Resources Corp. Novos focus is to explore and develop gold projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and Novo has built up a significant land package covering approximately 12,000 sq km. For more information, please contact Leo Karabelas at +1-416-543-3120 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Novo Resources Corp. Quinton Hennigh Quinton Hennigh Chairman and President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-looking information Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, the statements as to the Companys planned exploration activities and the prospect of gold production from the Companys East Pilbara gold assets. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the resource industry, economic conditions and risks and uncertainties inherent to mineral resource estimates as well as the performance of services by third parties and the issuance of necessary approvals and permits by regulatory authorities. WINNEMUCCA, Nev., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSE American: PZG) ("Paramount or the Company) announced today that it has closed the previously announced (April 11, 2019) royalty agreement with Franco-Nevada Corporation (Franco) (NYSE: FNV) (TSX: FNV) for a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty (NSR) on its Sleeper Gold property for US$2 million. The proceeds from the sale of the NSR will be used towards the continued advancement of the permitting efforts, feasibility level work and exploration at the Companys high grade, Grassy Mountain gold project in eastern Oregon. To stay informed of future press releases, subscribe to our E-Alerts Program and to learn more about our projects visit the projects section of our website. About Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. Paramount Gold Nevada is a U.S. based precious metals exploration and development company. Paramounts strategy is to create shareholder value through exploring and developing its mineral properties and to realize this value for its shareholders in three ways: by selling its assets to established producers; entering into joint ventures with producers for construction and operation; or constructing and operating mines for its own account. Paramount owns 100% of the Grassy Mountain Gold Project which consists of approximately 4,450 hectares located on private and BLM land in Malheur County, Oregon. The Grassy Mountain Gold Project contains a gold-silver deposit (100% located on private land) for which results of a positive PFS have been released and key permitting milestones accomplished (see press release dated May 24, 2018). Additionally, Paramount owns a 100% interest in the Sleeper Gold Project located in Northern Nevada. The Sleeper Gold Project, which includes the former producing Sleeper mine, totals 2,322 unpatented mining claims (approximately 60 square miles or 15,500 hectares). Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements This release and related documents may include "forward-looking statements" and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) pursuant to applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Paramounts future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Words such as "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although these words may not be present in all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release include, without limitation, statements with respect to: production estimates and assumptions, including production rate and grade per tonne; revenue, cash flow and cost estimates and assumptions; statements with respect to future events or future performance; anticipated exploration, development, permitting and other activities on the Grassy Mountain project; the economics of the Grassy Mountain project, including the potential for improving project economics and finding more ore to extend mine life; and mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conclusions made in the PFS; the quantity and grade of resources included in resource estimates; the accuracy and achievability of projections included in the PFS; Paramounts ability to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the price of silver, gold and other metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with current expectations; work meeting expectations and being consistent with estimates and plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: uncertainties involving interpretation of drilling results; environmental matters; the ability to obtain required permitting; equipment breakdown or disruptions; additional financing requirements; the completion of a definitive feasibility study for the Grassy Mountain project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs and between estimated and actual production; and the other factors described in Paramounts disclosures as filed with the SEC and the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta Securities Commissions. Except as required by applicable law, Paramount disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document. Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. Glen Van Treek, President, CEO and Director Christos Theodossiou, Director of Corporate Communications 866-481-2233 Twitter: @ParamountNV Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Walker River Resources Corp. (TSXV: WRR) ("Walker" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received a 2-year extension from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (the"BLM") for its Notice of Intent (the"NOI") exploration permit to conduct further drilling on the Lapon Canyon Gold Project, located approximately 60 kilometres southeast of Yerington, Nevada. The NOI exploration permit with the BLM covers the disturbance areas created to establish drill road access and drill sites within the Lapon Canyon Project. The Company, when possible, attempts to drill multiple holes from single drill pads on existing roads to minimize the amount of surface disturbance created by drilling activities. This practise has allowed the Company to drill many more holes under a NOI than would be possible if each drill hole was drilled from a single drill site. The Company has secured the required bonding to cover reclamation on the areas of permitted disturbance for the 2019 drill program. The Company can amend the NOI exploration permit over the next 2 years to increase the permitted disturbance areas for additional drill sites and access roads at the Lapon Project. At this time, the Company has planned for an additional 30-hole drill hole program on the project with preparation for drill mobilization and start up well underway. Michel David, President & CEO of the Company says, "We are very pleased that the BLM has extended the Notice of Intent permit for the next 2 years. This will provide the Company with the ability to continue to drill the Lapon Canyon Project, without any permitting delays. In many instances, we have been able to drill multiple holes from each permitted drill site, maximizing our permitted and bonded drill sites without exceeding our permitted disturbance amounts." Mr. David continues: "Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is almost complete. We are now fully permitted for the upcoming 2019 exploration and drill programs that will begin shortly." The 2018 drill program was successful in expanding known gold mineralized zones previously discovered by the Company, including the discovery and delineation of new gold mineralized zones. The drilling also was designed to acquire technical and geological information on the structural trends. This was essential, in the preparation of the up coming 2019 drill program, for planning of drill pad emplacement and drill access routes. The Company's consultant, Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp. ("Fladgate") of Thunder Bay, ON., (see news release 02-28-18) a full-service mineral exploration consulting firm, has completed its interpretation, compilation and update of the Lapon Project's digital database with the 2018 drill results. Fladgate's initial interpretations of the Lapon digital database enhanced the planning, design and success of Walker's late 2018 drill program. The information from the compilation and interpretation of the 2018 drill program will greatly aid in acceleration of drilling, geological mapping and understanding of the gold mineralization at the Lapon Project. Planning of the upcoming 2019 Exploration and Drill Programs is nearing completion. The drill program is scheduled to begin during the first week of May. Further updates on the Lapon Project will be released as they become available. Finally, the Company wishes to welcome Mr. Yves Caron, geol (OGQ), M.Sc. to its advisory board. Mr. Caron has extensive experience in exploration and development of precious and industrial metal projects. Yves has also been a board member of several active exploration companies with advanced projects. About the Lapon Project The Lapon Project consists of 96 claims (1,940 acres) situated in the Wassuk Range, easily accessible by secondary state roads from the main highway (25 kilometres). A state grid power transmission line passes within three kilometres of the Lapon Project. The Lapon Project is located within the Walker Lane shear zone, a 100-kilometre-wide structural corridor extending in a southeast direction from Reno, Nevada. Within this trend, numerous gold, silver, and copper mines are located, notably the historic Comstock Lode mines in Virginia City. Also, the past producing Esmeralda/Aurora gold mine, with reported production of some one million ounces and the Anaconda open pit copper mine in Yerington, Nevada. The Lapon Project is cut by a series of steeply dipping cross fault structures cutting across the Walker trend, analogous to other cross fault structures responsible for many gold and base metal deposits in the world. These faults are heavily sheared and altered (sericite, iron oxides) with abundant silica, varying in width from 60 to 300 meters. Four of these structures have been discovered at Lapon, and at least two can be traced for over four kilometers. Small-scale high-grade mining began on the project in 1914. Approximately 600 meters of drifts and raises were developed from two adits and a two-stamp mill was built. Further underground work was carried out, returning numerous assay values in the range of one ounce per ton, with a sample at the end of an adit returning 20.6 ounces per ton. (National Instrument 43-101, Montgomery and Barr, 2004). Additional work on the Project in the following years, included the installation of a ball mill and milling facilities. The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by E. Gauthier, geol., Eng (OIQ) a director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Michel David" ________________________ Michel David, Chief Executive Officer and Director FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Walker River Resources Corp. Tel: 819 874-0030 Fax: 819 825-1199 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.wrrgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange Nor Its Regulation Service Provider (As That Term Is Defined In The Policies Of The TSX Venture Exchange) Accepts Responsibility For The Adequacy Or Accuracy Of This News Release. /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/ Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Pan Global Resources Inc. (TSXV: PGZ) (OTC: PGNRF) (the "Company") today announced the completion of a 2,944 metre program of exploration drilling at its Aguilas Project in Spain. The drill program included a total of 20 drill holes ranging from approximately 100 to 230 metres depth. Approximately half of the drilling was on targets on the Torrubia Cu trend and half along a 4.1 kilometre segment of the Zumajo Pb-Zn-Ag trend. This program included wide-spaced drill holes testing for iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) style mineralization associated geophysics and soil Cu geochemistry targets on the Torrubia copper trend. On the Zumajo trend, the program includes drill holes testing beneath the peak Pb-Zn-Ag soil geochemistry anomalies, IP resistivity geophysics targets and testing down-dip or along strike from the main mine workings at San Juan, San Rafael, San Luis and San Cayetano. All samples are being sent for testing and analysis to ALS Laboratories in Seville, Spain. The company expects final results in May. Tim Moody, President and CEO, states: "With the first round drilling in the Aguilas Project completed, we look forward to receiving the final results and advancing the exploration. The first drill holes on the Torrubia trend show many components of a large iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) style system and drilling on the Zumajo polymetallic trend shows breccia, vein and stock work style polymetallic mineralization extends well beyond the historic mine workings." The Company also announced the grant of a total of 1.73 million options to directors, management, consultants and contractors. The options are for a ten-year term at an exercise price of $0.10 per option share. Qualified Person Robert Baxter (FAusIMM), a Director of Pan Global Resources and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Mr. Baxter is not independent of the Company. About Pan Global Resources Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively engaged in base and precious metal exploration in Spain and is pursuing opportunities from exploration through to mine development. The company is committed to operating safely and with respect to the communities and environment where we operate. On behalf of the Board of Directors www.panglobalresources.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission. 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. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Orsu Metals Corporation (TSX-V: OSU) ("Orsu" or the "Company") announces the results of a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for its Sergeevskoe Gold Project in Zabaikalsky Region, Russia. The Mineral Resource estimate was independently prepared by Wardell Armstrong International Ltd. ("WAI") in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012)/CIM Definitions Standards and NI 43-101 requirements. A Technical Report covering the Mineral Resource estimate will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. Highlights: An Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into an open pit constrained by the license boundary at Sergeevskoe. Dr. Alexander Yakubchuk, Director of Exploration of Orsu commented: "The maiden Mineral Resource was identified by Orsu from scratch during just two years of work within approximately 900x600 m area. Orsu now has a robust understanding of the gold grade distribution at Sergeevskoe and will specifically target higher grade areas in order to improve the geostatistical parameters in the higher grade shoots and therefore the average gold grade of the system. While the gold-mineralized system is constrained by the license boundary in the east, it remains widely open westward and to the north. Furthermore, the constructed block model clearly indicates a grade increase with depth in excess of 3 g/t gold." Dr. Sergey V Kurzin, Executive Chairman of Orsu commented: "I would like to thank our exploration team for building a solid foundation for the Company. Given that only less than one square kilometer of Orsu's 7.6 square kilometer property has been drilled so far, a maiden pit and license constrained resource makes an excellent start. Our recent work has generated an abundance of additional targets to be tested in 2019." An Inferred Mineral Resource was estimated for a large stockwork, containing 122 segments of sheeted subparallel quartz-tourmaline-sulfide veins in nine domains. The individual vein segments are separated by faults or unmineralized intervals. The most important divide is represented by the Shirotnyi Fault (Figure 1). To its south are Zone 23 West, Zone 23 Middle, Zone 23 East, Adit 5 West, and Adit 5 East domains. To the north are the Intermediate, Klyuchi West, Kozie and Peak Klyuchi domains. Figure 1. Plan view of Mineral Resource domains and gold grade distribution in the unconstrained block model at Sergeevskoe. Historically recognized mineralization is shown in grey-blue. Klyuchevskoe open pit can be seen to the east. From these domains, an Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into a pit constrained by the license boundary to the east at Sergeevskoe (Table 1). Table 1 also shows sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade within a pit constrained at different cut-off grades ("COG") for the Sergeevskoe project, limited by the license boundary Table 1. Open pit Mineral Resource estimate with base case at 0.5 g/t cut off grade and sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade at different cut-off grades for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project as at 15 April 2019. Table 1- Open pit Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate COG Tonnes (Mt) Grade (g/t Au) Contained Metal (Au 000 oz) 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 25.22 25.09 23.93 21.59 18.64 1.47 1.47 1.52 1.61 1.75 1,192 1,186 1,169 1,118 1,049 Notes: (1) CIM Definition Standards were followed for Mineral Resources; (2) Mineral Resources reported for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project are classified as Inferred by Phil Newall, an independent Qualified Person as defined by CIM Definition Standards; (3) Mineral resources are limited to an optimised open pit shell based on appropriate economic and reasonable mining parameters as provided by Orsu Metals Corporation; (4) Mineral Resources are not reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability based on a Feasibility Study or Pre-Feasibility Study; (5) All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate, and apparent errors may occur due to rounding; (6) Contained metal refers to estimated contained metal in the ground not adjusted for metallurgical recovery; (7) The mineral resources reported represent the sub-celled model with no account of potential mining dilution of the mineralisation. Figures 2 and 3 show distribution of gold mineralization, constrained by the pit and the license boundary, which corresponds to the Inferred Mineral Resource estimate. Figure 3 also shows gold-mineralized blocks within a pit, unconstrained by license boundary, and beyond the pit envelopes. Figure 2. Cross section (looking west) showing grade distribution in gold-mineralized stockwork over a >500 m width along the eastern license boundary of the Sergeevskoe gold project. Figure 3. Long vertical projection showing grade distribution with resource pit outlines constrained by Sergeevskoe license boundary as well as pit outline unconstrained by license boundary. The existing open pit at the adjacent Klyuchevskoe gold deposit is shown for reference. GROWTH POTENTIAL Based on the results, Orsu considers that there is a strong potential to grow the mineralization envelope at the Sergeevskoe Gold Project beyond that identified in this maiden Mineral Resource estimate. The mineralization is open both along the westward strike and downdip. In particular, there is a strong possibility to identify new mineralization at the western continuation of Klyuchi West and Intermediate domains, and only partly drill-tested mineralization in between these domains and Kozie domain. The western extension of Zone 23 remains open, with some gold mineralization recognized in historical holes and by Orsu during scout sampling at the Sergeeva prospect some 500 m west. Peak Klyuchi requires additional attention as a direct continuation of the Intermediate mineral domain. Kozie domain is also open westward, with gold mineralization intercepted in Orsu's trench SKZTR17-11 (see Figure 1). Of key interest for growth potential is the testing of the downdip continuation of gold mineralization in the Intermediate, Klyuchi West and Zone 23 domains, particularly due to a clear increase in gold grade (see Figures 2 and 3). The reported gold mineralization at Sergeevskoe was drill-tested to a depth of 750mRL from approximately 950-1000mRL topographic surface, whereas Klyuchevskoe gold mineralization is drill-intersected to a depth of 450-500mRL. In addition, there are numerous occurrences of gold mineralization and geochemical/geophysical anomalies not yet tested by Orsu beyond the area of detailed works within the Company's 7.6 square km license area of the Sergeevskoe project (see press release dated September 21, 2016). DETAILS OF MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE DATED 08 APRIL 2019 Details of Mineral Resource estimate dated 08 April 2019 The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared by WAI under the direction of Phil Newall and Andrey Tsoy. Dr Phil Newall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). Mineral Resources for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012) and the 2014 CIM Definition Standards by Phil Newall, an independent Qualified Person as defined by the 2014 CIM Definition Standards. WAI has approved this written disclosure of the Mineral Resource estimate. Data verification The Qualified Person has verified the database the Mineral Resource estimate is based on. This verification was done by personal inspection of drill core, drill sites and trenches during site visits in 2017 and 2018, and by checking database content against primary data sources and historical information. Exploration Information The estimate is based on 17,300 m of diamond drilling (82 drillholes) and 5,300 m of channel sampling (39 trenches), completed during Orsu's exploration campaign between January 2017 and October 2018. Section lines for drilling are spaced approximately 80 m apart. The vertical spacing between intersections is also typically 80 m. The central part of Zone 23 and eastern part of Klyuchi West were drilled along the section lines spaced approximately 40 m apart. Historical data are completely excluded from the mineral resource estimate. In the opinion of the Qualified Person, the core and channel samples collected by Orsu are sufficiently accurate and reliable for use in Mineral Resource estimation, and at the time of preparing this mineral resource estimate, there are no known material data quality issues related to drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors. Intervals identified by Orsu geologists as potentially mineralized were sampled, typically on one-meter lengths. The half-core samples from drill core and channel samples from trenches were assayed in the ALS and SGS Laboratories in Chita for gold and silver, as well some pathfinder elements. Standard QA/QC protocols were followed, including analysis of duplicates and standards and check analyses by ALS and SGS Laboratories in Chita, Russia and in the Stewart Assayers Laboratories in Kara-Balta, Kyrgyzstan, all independent from Orsu. The results of this QA/QC checking will be presented in the forthcoming Technical Report. Estimation methodology and parameters A wireframe interpretation of gold-mineralized zones was constructed in all domains at a nominal threshold of 0.5 g/t gold. Based on the limits of the current sampling coverage, the modelled domains have a variable strike length of 300 to 600 m northwest, west-east and southwest. The wireframes were interpreted downdip for up to 300 m as supported by drilling data, but Intermediate domain veins and some others were interpreted only to a depth of some 150 m. Most zones remain open downdip and along strike to the west. The gold-mineralized zones generally dip vertically to 60 degrees, both to the north and southwest, with variable true thickness of 2 to 20 m. The mineralization is hosted in Permian granite, Jurassic granodiorite porphyry stock and magmatic breccia, intercepted by four types of dykes (diorite porphyry, felsite, hybrid porphyry, and lamprophyre). The dykes are mineralized in their entirety or at least along the selvages. However, most hybrid and all rare lamprophyre dykes are not mineralized at all, post-dating the mineralization. Orsu dated occasional molybdenite specs from the quartz-sulfide vein at the Klyuchi West domain using the rhenium-osmium technique, which corresponded to 159.3+0.7 Ma as defined by ALS Minerals laboratory in Vancouver, Canada. The best mineralized veins were identified in the hosting granite, which is more than 100 m.y. older than gold mineralization. The mineralization is hosted in closely-spaced and steeply-dipping linear (sheeted) quartz veins and veinlets, forming a stockwork traced to a depth of 300 m, whereas along strike the stockwork forms three major swarms at Adit 5 (in granite and along the granodiorite porphyry dykes), Zone 23 (almost exclusively in granite) and Klyuchi West-Kozie (in granite, granodiorite porphyry stock and magmatic breccia), each traced for a distance of 400 to 900 m. The three swarms merge near the eastern license boundary forming a 500-m-wide mineralized corridor (see Figure 2). Topography was modelled based on detailed survey performed by Orsu contractors. Drill collar locations were measured with centimetre precision. The Mineral Resource Estimate was carried out with a 3D block modelling approach using Datamine Studio 3 software. Exploration data were imported and verified before existing geological and mineralisation envelopes were re-defined creating 3D wireframes based on appropriate cut-off grades representing the various mineralised zones seen at Sergeevskoe. Sample data were selected using the geological and mineralisation wireframes and selected samples were assessed for outliers before being composited as the basis for geostatistical study. The wireframe envelopes were used as the basis for a volumetric block model based on a parent cell size of 10m x 10m x 10m. Variogram models were constructed based on composite data and used for ordinary kriging and variogram ranges for using Inverse Power Distance squared (IPD2) as the principal estimation methodology. The resultant estimated grades were validated against the input composite data and classified in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012)/CIM Definition Standards and based on an assessment of geological and grade continuity and assay data quality. Mineral Resources were further limited based on an expectation of eventual economic extraction by being constrained within an optimised open pit shell generated using appropriate economic and technical parameters. For the mineralized domains and the host rocks, a variable density value was used using the formula (Density = - 0.00072 x (Au g/t)2 + 0.1363 x (Au g/t) +2.6687) for converting volumes into tonnages, which correlate with increase in specific gravity and assayed gold values as collected and measured by Orsu. A density factor of 2.65 t/m3 was applied for the oxide material based on measurements by Orsu. A density factor of 2.0 t/m3 was assumed for the poorly consolidated overburden material, averaging 2 m in thickness. All estimated tonnes are on a dry basis. An oxide surface was constructed 30 m below and in parallel to the topographic surface based on average visually logged depth of oxide in drill core. The portion of the mineralization model that met the CIM definition of a Mineral Resource ("reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction") was established by using NPV Scheduler software to generate a pit shell to constrain reporting of the near surface resource. The input parameters for the pit shell are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Economic parameters for pit shell Parameters Units Amount Geotechnical Pit slope Mining factors Dilution Loss Operating costs Waste mining cost Oxide resource mining cost Primary resource mining cost Overburden mining cost Processing cost G&A Royalty, selling cost (Au) Metal prices Gold Deg % % US$/trock US$/trock US$/trock US$/trock US$/tore US$/tore % US$/oz 510 01.2 1.2 1.5 1.0 8.0 1.5 6.01350 All Mineral Resources were classified as Inferred, based on the intersection spacing relative to the interpreted continuity and potential complexity of the deposit. However, some portions of Mineral Resources may formally correspond to the Indicated category, which require further constraining. The Company is not aware of any legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources. Qualified Person Alexander Yakubchuk, the Company's Director of Exploration, Ph.D., MIMMM, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the exploration information disclosures contained in this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement: This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward-looking statements. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2019) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (the "Company"), is pleased to report an updated lithium ("Li") and potassium ("K") resource statement for its Pastos Grandes brine project in Salta province of Argentina. The NI 43-101 resource statement, detailed in Table 1 below, includes 4,120,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate ("Li 2 CO 3 ") equivalent (LCE) and 15,342,000 tonnes of potash ("KCl") equivalent in the Measured and Indicated Resource categories, with an additional 798,000 tonnes of LCE and 2,973,000 tonnes KCl in the Inferred Resource category. Compared to resource estimates completed by Montgomery & Associates in its previous report titled Measured, Indicated and Inferred Lithium and Potassium Resource Estimate Pastos Grandes Project Salta Province, Argentina and dated December 22, 2017, the updated resources represent an almost 100% increase in the Measured and Indicated LCE tonnage (2017 value of 2,131,000 tonnes LCE). Farhad Abasov, President and CEO of Millennial Lithium, commented on the updated resources for the Pastos Grandes Project: "We are very excited to see from calculations by our hydrogeological consultants Montgomery & Associates, an approximately 100% increase in the Measured and Indicated lithium resources estimate over the 2017 Measured and Indicated Li resources. This sizable increase in our resource positions Millennial as one of the most prospective lithium brine projects in the world with the potential for a significant lithium operation. The Company now has significant Measured and Indicated lithium resources which, on the completion of ongoing studies, have the potential to be converted to Probable and Possible reserves in support of our Feasibility Study on the Company's planned lithium carbonate processing operation. Our development work continues with the Feasibility Study and the construction of the pilot processing plant, both slated for completion in Q2." Table 1. Updated Pastos Grandes Brine Resource Statement Phase II Resource Category Brine Volume (m3) Avg. Li (mg/l) In situ Li (tonnes)* Li 2 CO 3 Equivalent (tonnes*) Avg. K (mg/l) In situ K (tonnes)* KCl Equivalent (tonnes)* Measured 9.5E+08 446 425,000 2,262,000 4,734 4,508,000 8,597,000 Indicated 8.6E+08 406 349,000 1,858,000 4,114 3,357,000 6,745,000 M+I 1.8E+09 427 774,000 4,120,000 4,440 8,045,000 15,342,000 Inferred 3.5E+08 428 150,000 798,000 4,457 1,559,000 2,973,000 *Cut-off Grade = 300mg/L Lithium *Tonnages are rounded to the nearest thousand The reader is cautioned that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability The resource estimate was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 and uses best practice methods specific to brine resources, including a reliance on core drilling and sampling methods that yield depth-specific chemistry and effective (drainable) porosity measurements. The resource estimation was completed by independent qualified person Mr. Michael Rosko, M.Sc., C.P.G. of the international hydrogeology firm E.L. Montgomery and Associates (M&A). The resource is defined over a 45 square kilometer footprint using results from rotary and core drilling and depth-specific packer sampling. In addition, the brine was also sampled during long-term (21 days) and short-term pumping (72 hours) tests. The new measured, indicated, and inferred resource was derived from geological and grade/width block models derived from 15,135 metres of core and rotary drilling. The average spacing between core holes is less than 1 km. Geophysical surveys were used to assist with location and anticipated depths for the core holes, but also to identify potential fresh water and to extend the inferred resource. Over most of the basin, the brine resource occurs to within 1 metre of surface and its thickness is defined by the extent of drilling. The maximum depth drilled was 641 metres near the center of the mining concessions, bottoming in a sandy aquifer. The deepest brine sample was obtained at a depth of 641 metres and had a Li concentration of 495 milligrams per litre. The chemistry of the Pastos Grandes brine is judged to be very favourable. Brine density and the ratios of magnesium and sulfate to lithium are: Density of the brine ranges between 1.20 and 1.22 g/cm 3 Average Magnesium/Lithium ratio: 6.2 Average Sulphate/Lithium ratio: 19.3 Based on the geologic model, approximately 76% of the brine volume in this resource is hosted by predominantly silty and sandy units and 21% by mixed halite. The balance is hosted in gravel or clay dominated units. The total contained lithium and potassium values are based on measurements of effective (drainable) porosity distributed throughout the aquifer volume that defines this resource. This method of porosity determination is designed to estimate the portion of the total porosity that can theoretically be drained by pumping; however, these in situ estimates may differ from total extractable quantities. The porosity of the resource volume varies with geology but to date effective porosity has been predictable within distinct hydrostratigraphic units; the average for the entire saturated aquifer considered in the resource is approximately 11%. Portions of the resource located in the clastic sediments at the margins of the salar have been demonstrated to have fresh and brackish water overlying brine. In these areas, fresh water inflow from the surface mixes with salt water in the basin; the resulting lower density fresh water and brackish fluid float on top of the more dense brine before entering the salar margins. Resource Estimation Methodology A total of 15,135 metres of drilling from 33 holes was evaluated for this resource estimate calculation. Other core holes and wells were drilled but were shallower. A total of 144 drainable porosity results and 311 depth-specific brine sample analyses were used in the computations, not including QA/QC samples or composite samples obtained during pumping tests. The average spacing of vertical samples for brine chemistry analysis was variable with an average of 25 metres for depth-specific brine samples. Of the 33 holes used for the resource analysis, all were terminated due to drill limitations (hydrogeologic basement was not encountered). The total thickness of the basin and the total thickness of saturated sediments are unknown. Based on drilling, additional brine-bearing aquifer material is likely to exist below 600 metres in the concession area. The consultants chose to estimate the updated resource using Leapfrog Edge, a well-known 3-dimensional block modeling software tool. Hydrostratigraphic units have variable thickness and were determined by the consultants based on observed lithology and anticipated similar hydraulic properties. The values for drainable porosity and grade (lithium and potassium values) for each hydrostratigraphic unit were derived from direct measured values from the well. The unit thicknesses combined with the areas yield a volume. The volumes combined with the drainable porosity values, representing the amount of fluid available from the formation yield the volume of brine. Applying the grade, represented as lithium carbonate and potassium chloride equivalents reported as weights by volume of brine then provides the estimated resource for each block, which are then summed. The primary analytical laboratories for the data used in this resource are NORLAB in Jujuy, Argentina and SGS Laboratory in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both laboratories are accredited to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO14001:2004 for their geochemical and environmental labs for the preparation and analysis of numerous sample types, including brines. The porosity determinations were made by Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas and Geosystems Analysis (GSA) of Tucson, Arizona. Core Laboratories is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description, production enhancement and reservoir management services. Core Laboratories has demonstrated that its Quality Management System is in compliance with certification to ISO 9000:2008. The scope of this registration is: providing state of the art petrophysical and geological analysis and interpretation of core samples from rock. GSA has gained abundant experience since 1994 in methods used by Core Laboratories and has provided services to various other lithium projects located in Argentina and globally. Qualified Person The resource evaluation work was completed by Mr. Michael Rosko, M.Sc., C.P.G. of Montgomery and Associates Consultores Limitada ("M&A"). Mr. Rosko is a Registered Geologist (C.P.G.) in Arizona, California, and Texas, a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, and is a qualified person (QP) as that term is defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Rosko and hydrogeologists from M&A have been on site multiple times during the various phases of drilling and sampling operations. Mr. Rosko has extensive experience in salar environments and has been a QP on many lithium brine projects. Mr. Rosko and M&A are completely independent of Millennial Lithium. Mr. Rosko has reviewed and approved the content of this news release. Program design and exploration support was provided by Mr. Iain Scarr, (B.Sc. - Geology, MBA, CPG) of Millennial Lithium. Mr. Scarr is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Association of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and a QP as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Scarr has spent significant time on site at Pastos Grandes during all drilling and sampling operations and has extensive experience with lithium projects at other lithium bearing salars. A Technical Report prepared under the guidelines of NI 43-101 standards describing the resource estimation will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this release. To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at (604) 662-8184 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP. "Farhad Abasov" President and CEO, Director MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP. 1177 West Hastings Street Suite. 2000 Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 2K3 Tel: (604) 662-8184 Fax: (604) 602-1606 E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (hereinafter referred to as "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation statements relating to the Preliminary Economic Assessment, estimated capital and operating costs, productions rates, cash flows, rates of return, mine life or mineral resources, securing of debt for future project construction, purchase of future mine production, the timing for completion of an Feasibility Study and other matters related to the exploration and development of the Project, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events. By their very nature 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 the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include unsuccessful exploration results, changes in metals prices, changes in the availability of funding for mineral exploration, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions, title disputes as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words 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" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. 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 forward-looking 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. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution from Congress directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the second such move of his presidency. The resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a presidents war-making powers a step the president condemned in a statement announcing his veto. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Trump said. Vetoing the measure is an effective green light for the war strategy that has created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis to continue, said International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband. This veto by President Trump is morally wrong and strategically wrongheaded. It sets back the hopes for respite for the Yemeni people, and leaves the US upholding a failed strategy. Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure. The veto was the second of his presidency, after he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March. Trump argued that US support for the bloody war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels was necessary for a variety of reasons, first and foremost to protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries. These countries have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen, he said, referring to drone and missile strikes the Saudi-led coalition has either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether. The president also said the resolution would harm the foreign policy of the United States and harm our bilateral relationships. War crimes And it would negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Irans malign activities in Yemen, Trump said, referring to two Sunni Muslim militant groups and his Shiite bete noire. The resolution, which passed the US House of Representatives earlier this month and the Senate in March, was a historic milestone, as it was the first time in history that a measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the presidents desk. It was a reminder that Congress has the legal ability to compel the removal of US military forces, absent a formal declaration of war. Democrats argued that US involvement in the Yemen conflict through intelligence-sharing, logistical support, the sale of military equipment and now-discontinued aerial refueling is unconstitutional without congressional authority. Critics of the intervention warn that Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities in the four-year war. Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher. Both the Saudi-led alliance and Huthi rebels have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children. Greeces parliament on Wednesday began debate on a resolution to demand the payment of German war crime reparations, an issue long disputed by Berlin. These demands are always active. They were never set aside by Greece, parliament chairman Nikos Voutsis told reporters this week. The chamber is expected to approve later Wednesday, with cross-party support, a resolution calling on the government of Premier Alexis Tsipras to take all the necessary diplomatic and legal steps to claim and fully satisfy all the demands of the Greek state stemming from World War I and World War II. A parliamentary committee last year determined that Germany owes Greece at least 270 billion euros ($305 billion) for World War I damages and looting, atrocities and a forced loan during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Reclaiming war reparations has been a campaign pledge by Tsipras since 2015. He faces multiple electoral challenges this year, with his party trailing in polls. During a visit to Greece in January, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country recognised its historical responsibility. We recognise our historical responsibility. We know how much suffering we, as Germany in the time of Nazism, have brought to Greece, she said. In 2014, ex-president Joachim Gauck had also sought public forgiveness in the name of Germany from relatives of those murdered by the Nazis in the mountains of northern Greece. But when it comes to actual payments, Berlin has always insisted that the issue was settled in 1960 in a deal with several European governments. During the Greek economic crisis, there was further tension in Athens over draconian EU austerity and bailout terms seen to be imposed by Berlin hardliners. Relations have improved over the last three years after Tsipras government endorsed conditions linked to satisfying its creditors. Tsipras and Merkel also worked closely on finding common ground on migration and Balkans security. Sudans military rulers have transferred ousted president Omar al-Bashir to prison, a family source said Wednesday, as an array of protest groups marched through Khartoum to join a sit-in at the army complex. Following the dramatic end to Bashirs rule of three decades last week, he was moved late Tuesday to Kober prison in the capital, the source said without revealing his name for security reasons. Witnesses near the prison in north Khartoum said there was a heavy deployment of soldiers and members of a paramilitary group outside. The 75-year-olds whereabouts have been unknown since a military takeover on Thursday, when the countrys new rulers said he was being held in a secure place. Amnesty International called for Bashir to be immediately handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he faces charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the conflict in Darfur. His case must not be hurriedly tried in Sudans notoriously dysfunctional legal system. Justice must be served, said Amnestys Joan Nyanyuki. Bashirs detention has failed to pacify protesters, who launched anti-government demonstrations in December and have for days been camped out in front of Khartoums army headquarters. Scores of doctors in white robes marched from Khartoums main hospital towards the sit-in, carrying banners and chanting: freedom, peace, justice. Journalists held a separate rally, along with university students and scores of women from a Facebook group who call themselves the Information Network of the Revolution. The women who include doctors, lawyers and teachers are renowned for monitoring security agents who target protesters and publishing their information online in order to hold them to account. Tension at protest site Sudans military rulers have made some concessions, including the sacking Tuesday of prosecutor general Omer Ahmed Mohamed, but demonstrators fear their uprising could be hijacked. We faced tear gas, many of us were jailed. We have been shot and many have died. All this because we said what we wanted to, Fadia Khalaf told AFP. Khalid Mohamed, a medic, said: We got Bashir out, but we still have to get rid of the regime. Officials say at least 65 people have been killed in protest-related violence since December, with some of those killed immortalised in a Khartoum mural. While there have been scenes of celebration with demonstrators singing and waving their national flag the protest site has grown more tense amid concerns the army will try to clear the sit-in with force. Now we fear that our revolution could be stolen, which is why we are keeping our ground here. We are staying here until our demands are met, said Khalaf. Earlier this week witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area and that troops were removing the barricades which demonstrators had put up as a security measure. On Wednesday thousands of protesters remained at the site, cheering each other on despite looking fatigued. I feel those people who are doing the sit-in are like my sons and daughters. I have suffered under this regime, said a woman serving tea at a makeshift checkpoint set up by protesters. On taking power the army said a military council would run Sudan for two years, sparking a backlash from protest leaders. Just a day later former defence minister General Awad Ibn Ouf stepped down as council chief, sparking jubilation on Khartoums streets. His successor General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan oversaw weekend talks with political parties, which failed to make headway. AU warns military rulers The council declared a nationwide ceasefire, but the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA-AW) fighting government forces in Darfur denounced what it called a palace coup. On Wednesday, a rebel leader ordered a three-month suspension of hostilities in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states where his forces have been fighting government troops. Abdulaziz al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), issued the command as a goodwill gesture to give a chance for an immediate transfer of power to civilians. Sudans foreign minister has said Burhan is committed to having a complete civilian government and has called on other nations to back the council. Western powers have backed the protesters demands for a civilian administration, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have thrown their weight behind the military. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Burhan and the two discussed bilateral relations, SUNA state news agency said Wednesday, adding Burhan also received a letter from South Sudan President Salva Kiir offering support for the council. ab-jds/dv/del Facebook Perus former president Alan Garcia died in hospital on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head at his home as police were about to arrest him in a sprawling corruption case, a party official said. He was 69. Alan Garcia has died, long live Apra, said Omar Quesada, the general secretary of Garcias American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Apra) party. Garcia was resuscitated three times after suffering cardiac arrest while undergoing emergency surgery, before finally succumbing, Perus Health Minister Zulema Tomas had said. The Casimiro Ulloa Emergency Hospital in Lima earlier confirmed he had suffered a bullet wound to his head. This morning there was a regrettable accident: the president took the decision to shoot himself, Erasmo Reyna, Garcias lawyer, told reporters outside the hospital after Garcia was admitted. The attempted arrest took place at 6:30 am (1130 GMT) at Garcias home in Limas upmarket Miraflores neighborhood. Police were acting on an arrest warrant for money laundering that would have allowed Garcia to be held for 10 days, giving authorities time to gather evidence and prevent him from fleeing, the prosecutors office said. Perus President Martin Vizcarra expressed his sympathy on his Twitter account. Dismayed by the death of ex-president Alan Garcia. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones, Vizcarra wrote in a tweet. Asylum application denied Garcia, who was president from 1985-90 and again from 2006-11, was suspected of having taken bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht in return for large-scale public works contracts. In November, he sought refuge in the Uruguayan Embassy after a court ordered him not to leave the country for 18 months. He applied for asylum but following 16 days in the embassy he left when his request was denied. Garcia, a social democrat, claimed to be the target of political persecution, an accusation denied by centrist Vizcarra. On Tuesday, Garcia said he would neither try to flee nor hide again. In recent weeks, Garcia insisted that there is no statement, evidence or deposit that links me to any crime and even less so with the Odebrecht company or the execution of any of its projects. Although under investigation by the public prosecutors office, Garcia had not been charged with anything. Money laundering and bribes He was one of four Peruvian ex-presidents embroiled in various corruption scandals alongside Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-18), Ollanta Humala (2011-16) and Alejandro Toledo (2001-06). Kuczynski, who is accused of money laundering and was being held under a 10-day preliminary detention until April 20, was also taken to hospital on Wednesday suffering from high blood pressure. The 80-year-old was being treated in intensive care and had a cardiac catheter fitted, lawmaker Gilbert Violeta said. Toledo faces extradition from the United States, having been charged with taking a $20 million Odebrecht bribe. Odebrecht has admitted paying $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials over three administrations. Some of those payments were allegedly made during Garcias second term in office to secure a contract to build the Lima metro. Peruvian press reports also claim Garcia received a $100,000 payment from an illicit Odebrecht fund for giving a speech to Brazilian business leaders in Sao Paulo in May 2012. Prosecutors allege that Garcia and 21 other officials conspired to enable Dutch company ATM Terminals to win a 2011 concession to operate a terminal at the port of Callao, near Lima. Another ex-president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), is serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption. His daughter, opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, is being held in pre-trial detention for up to three years, accused of accepting $1.2 million in illicit party funding from Odebrecht for her 2011 presidential campaign. The death toll from rocket fire on the Libyan capital Tripoli, blamed by the UN-recognised government on strongman Khalifa Haftar, climbed to six on Wednesday as thousands more civilians fled the violence. The latest bombing came as world powers wrangled over the wording of a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, with Russia blocking criticism of Haftar, according to diplomats. Three of the six killed in the rocket fire on the southern Tripoli neighbourhoods of Abu Salim and Al-Antisar late on Tuesday were women, said the UNs humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA. Abu Salim mayor Abdelrahman al-Hamdi confirmed the death toll and said 35 other people were wounded. AFP journalists heard seven loud explosions as rockets hit the city centre, the first since Haftars Libyan National Army militia launched an offensive on April 4 to capture Tripoli from the government and its militia allies. The LNA blamed the rocket fire on the terrorist militias whose grip on the capital it says it is fighting to end. UN envoy Ghassan Salame condemned in the strongest terms the overnight shelling, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He added that responsibility for actions that may constitute war crimes lies not only with the individuals who committed the indiscriminate attacks, but also potentially those who ordered them. The bombardment came as diplomats at the UN Security Council debated a British-drafted resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Libya. The proposed text, seen by AFP, warns the Haftar offensive threatens prospects for a United Nations-facilitated political dialogue and a comprehensive political solution to the crisis. No Haftar criticism After Britain circulated the text late Monday, diplomats held a first round of negotiations in which Russia raised objections to references criticising Haftar, diplomats said. They were very clear. No reference anywhere, a council diplomat said. During a tour of the Tripoli neighbourhoods worst hit by the rocket fire on Tuesday night, unity government head Fayez al-Sarraj said the Security Council must hold Haftar to account for his forces savagery and barbarism. Its the legal and humanitarian responsibility of the Security Council and the international community to hold this criminal responsible for his actions, Sarraj said in footage of the tour released by his office. He said his government would seek Haftars prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. We are going to hand all the documentation to the ICC tomorrow (Wednesday) for a prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity, he said. At least 189 people have been killed and 816 wounded since Haftar ordered his forces to march on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization. More than 25,000 people have been displaced, including 4,500 over the last 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said. Britain was hoping to bring the ceasefire resolution to a vote at the Security Council before Friday, but diplomats pointed to Russias objections as a hurdle. As consultations continued in New York on Wednesday, Russias deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters we need to have a nice document but declined to give details on the areas of disagreement. Asked if the draft could be adopted this week, he said: It depends on them, not us, without elaborating. Proxy war Haftar, seen by other allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists, has declared he wants to seize the capital. He backs a rival administration based in eastern Libya that is refusing to recognise the authority of the Tripoli government. The draft resolution calls on all sides in Libya immediately to recommit to UN peace efforts and urges all member states to use their influence over the parties to see that the resolution is respected. Resolutions adopted by the council are legally binding. Diplomats have long complained that foreign powers backing rival sides in Libya threatened to turn the conflict into a proxy war. Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key Haftar supporter, while Qatar which has tense relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has called for stronger enforcement of the UN arms embargo to keep weapons out of Haftars hands. Russia and France, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, have praised Haftars battlefield successes in defeating militias aligned with the Islamic State group in the south of the country. Haftars offensive forced the UN to postpone a national conference that was to draw up a roadmap to elections, meant to turn the page on years of chaos since the 2011 ouster and Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed rebellion. Guterres has said serious negotiations on Libyas future cannot resume without a ceasefire. Authorities said at least five law enforcement officers are on leave while investigators look into a fatal shooting of a gunman after a chase. News agencies report they include three Shreveport police officers and two Caddo Parish sheriff's deputies. Such leaves are standard after fatal shootings. Officials say Trivenskey Odom, 27, was killed the evening of April 10, while brandishing and randomly firing a handgun. They say sheriff's deputies had chased him into Shreveport after getting a call saying he was threatening to harm himself and others. They were joined by Shreveport police and a Louisiana state trooper. They learned afterward that Odom also was accused of shooting a driver in the leg while stealing a car a few hours earlier. State police declined to identify the trooper. It doesnt matter how you define it, but Beacon Place of Waukegan received significant recognition recently when it was chosen as one of four finalists for a $100,000 grant from Impact 100 Chicago, an all-women, nonprofit organization where members each give $1,000 and then decide on where the pooled money will be distributed. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) The Philippine National Police (PNP) has yet to see any evidence of the existence of a tattoo indicating membership in the Chinese transnational organized crime triad a marking which is allegedly on the back of the President's son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte. PNP chief P/General Oscar Albayalde told CNN Philippines' The Source that so far, they have only heard of the supposed triad tattoo. "There are actually information like those. Pero wala pa naman kasi tayong nakita na talagang itong mga grupo na ito talagang tadtad sila or mayroon silang ganito," Albayalde said Wednesday. [Translation: There are actually information like those. But we haven't seen anything like this which would prove that members of these groups have these tattoos.] Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV first brought up in 2017 that President Rodrigo Duterte's son is a member of an international crime syndicate, as evidenced by a dragon-like tattoo on his back. The younger Duterte admitted he has a tattoo on his back, but did not say if it matches the senator's description. He has also repeatedly refused to show it. The tattoo supposedly indicating membership to the Chinese triad came to the fore anew amid a series of videos titled "The Real Narco-list" featuring a man identified as "Bikoy" who tagged the former Davao City executive, his brother-in-law Mans Carpio and his brother Waldo Carpio, and Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go. But Albayalde said these claims are "scripted" and "recycled," adding that the timing of its release is questionable, in light of the looming midterm polls. READ: Palace: Accusations vs. Paolo Duterte all 'black propaganda' "Everybody can have tattoos. If you say of a dragon, very common of a dragon because it symbolizes power and siyempre 'yung mga lalaki [of course, the men,] most of the time, they like the dragon It's a symbol of parang power tapos pagkalalaki [and masculinity,]" he said. While doubting the authenticity of Bikoy's claims, Albayalde said they would still be open to probing his allegations. They said they would also be tracking down the people behind the Bikoy videos as soon as a complaint is filed. Albayalde earlier said that they will take the initiative to identify the mastermind behind the videos, even though they have not received formal complaints. Go has debunked the claims in the video by baring his tattoo-less back during a media briefing. The President said he would soon respond to the Bikoy videos by releasing information on the people behind these, which was supposedly supplied by an unidentified foreign country. "What you did not know was that you were being listened to habang ginagawa niyo 'yung kalokohan niyo [while you were doing your dirty work]," Duterte said last night. "It was an intelligence report not from us, but from another country." Albayalde told CNN Philippines that they have no idea what-or who-Duterte was talking about. Former Vice Mayor Duterte has pointed to Trillanes as the brains behind the videos, but the senator has denied this. Vice President Leni Robredo also denied that the formerly ruling Liberal Party is behind the videos. Opposition lawmakers have called for an independent probe on Bikoy's claims, including the revival of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation into the 2017 methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) smuggling scandal. Senate Blue Ribbon committee chair Richard "Dick" Gordon, however, said accusers of the younger Duterte must present new evidence for him to reopen the probe. He appears to be on the way to getting his graduated income tax proposal approved by the Legislature which needs to do so by the end of May on the 2020 ballot. The progressive income tax was one of the planks of candidate Pritzkers gubernatorial platform, and he is expected to take the point in pushing for voter approval. The museum also will supply templates for children to create their own comic books. In addition, children can participate in activities such as pretending to be Spider-Man and getting caught in a web. They can also test their superhero skills, Salto said. Well have paper bags and ask them to use their X-ray vision to see whats in the bag. Well also have an agility test where they can crawl through tunnels. YUBA CITY, Calif. More than a year after law enforcement made a tragic and gruesome discovery in northwest Washington state that prompted a multi-state investigation, forensic evidence from a Sheriff's Office in California may have closed the convoluted case. The timeline of events related to 26-year-old Katherine Cunningham's death and ensuing manhunt may somewhat hard to follow, as the true order of events and that of investigator's discoveries do not align: March 3, 2018: Cunningham's decapitated body is found near a bunker filled with guns and ammo in Camano Island, Washington. She is believed to have been killed in mid-February. Cunningham's decapitated body is found near a bunker filled with guns and ammo in Camano Island, Washington. She is believed to have been killed in mid-February. Investigators begin looking for a person of interest in the case, 34-year-old Jacob Gonzales. The two may have been living together on the remote property. Gonzales is believed to be armed and driving his own vehicle, a 1990 Mitsubishi Montero. March 12, 2018: Investigators announce that they have connected Gonzales to a 1998 Honda Civic 2-door found abandoned near Yreka, California. This was confirmed to be Cunningham's car. Caifornia Highway Patrol had actually recovered the vehicle prior to the discovery of Cunningham's body in Washington. Investigators announce that they have connected Gonzales to a 1998 Honda Civic 2-door found abandoned near Yreka, California. This was confirmed to be Cunningham's car. Caifornia Highway Patrol had actually recovered the vehicle prior to the discovery of Cunningham's body in Washington. Cunningham's car is returned to Island County in Washington, where investigators obtain a search warrant finding a "samurai" sword wrapped in a blanket inside. The sword matched wounds found on Cunningham's body, and forensics found her DNA on the blade, Gonzales' DNA on the handle. April 7, 2018: Law enforcement recovers an unidentified body floating in the Feather River in Yuba City, California. The body shows signs of "severe decomposition" and there are no identifying documents. The body is listed as a "John Doe." Law enforcement recovers an unidentified body floating in the Feather River in Yuba City, California. The body shows signs of "severe decomposition" and there are no identifying documents. The body is listed as a "John Doe." For a period of months, there does not appear to be any movement in the search for Gonzales or the investigation into Cunningham's death. Now, more than one year later, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office has announced that the body has been positively identified as belonging to Gonzales, the homicide suspect wanted in Washington. Sutter County Sheriff's Office said that it did not become aware of Gonzales as a suspect until November of last year, after which investigators began to compare some identifying features. "Gonzales was suspected of beheading his girlfriend and possibly matched the description of our unidentified 'John Doe,'" the Sheriff's Office said. "After numerous conversations with other law enforcement agencies, it was determined that the information they provided pertaining to their homicide suspect matched identifiers belonging to our unidentified 'John Doe.'" Using DNA from John Doe, investigators compared it to DNA on file in Washington state gathered from Gonzales. "On April 16, 2019, our office received confirmation from the Department of Justice DNA Missing Persons Unit that the subject we classified as 'John Doe' was Jacob Gonzales, the homicide suspect wanted in Washington State," Sutter County said. Statements from the law enforcement agencies involved did not mention Gonzales' cause of death, nor did they indicate that the investigation into Katherine's murder or Gonzales' death would continue. MEDFORD, Ore. -- A lack of young skilled workers moving into the construction industry has caused concern among construction workers. This concern comes despite the consistent growth in construction jobs over the last year. According to the State of Oregon, construction grew 5,700 jobs in the month of March. Like any debate, there are many sides to the argument. One construction company in Medford said that there are plenty of young workers trying to get into the business. The problem is, the company has issues trying to get those young workers to pass a drug test. Some companies say that the issue is happening within the education system. They say a lack of teaching trades in schools has caused kids to only pursue a college degree. Brad Bennington of the Builders Association Southern Oregon, feels like young people are being exported out of the area. He said the cost of living in the valley has caused most young people to move away. Either they go to college, or they look for a place where they can afford to live. "You know we invest all this time and money in the talent our young people have. Only, many times to see them move away. We need to change that. We need our young people to stay here locally. They grew up here. We want them to stay here. We want them to build up the community here locally," said Bennington. All of them agreed, the lack of young people coming in causes great concern for the future of the industry. NewsWatch12 will be diving deeper into this issue. Not only in the construction industry, but in other trades as well. A new special, Skilled to Work, will air on Tuesday, April 23rd, at 6:30 p.m. The special will be 30 minutes long. After that, every reporter will feature a skilled worker from the area. The stories will air on Tuesdays, on NewsWatch12 at 6. Those feature stories will also air on NewsWatch12 This Morning, on Tuesdays. Overall, Peercy said the play shows there are always things we need to get off our chest, whether its something big or something small. Theres inherent power in giving someone else this knowledge that you had as a secret. We can all relate to the fact that sometimes this works out well where someone understands and is there for you, and other times, the opposite happens. They misunderstand or use it against you. Jury said it could take up to eight months for his architects to create the needed documents for village officials before going through a zoning hearing. If approved, the project could take 12 months to construct, he said. Im so glad that the park district supports our shelter, said Carol Macejak, a Morton Grove homeowner since 1972 and Wright-Way Rescues volunteer coordinator. We attend these events and we see so many people coming that have Wright-Way animals. I mean, no matter where I go,. I mean, its all over the area, not just close to the shelter, its all over, its amazing. 10 Shares Share As first reported by The Wall Street Journal late last month, the war against anti-vaccination propaganda now has a new battlefront. Pinterest, the social-media platform where users discover images and information, has begun blocking vaccine-related search terms on its site. Anti-vaccine content contradicts evidence-based science and established research, the company told WSJ, while cautioning that the search ban is only temporary; a band-aid in place until the site can identify an appropriate long-term solution. Other digital platforms like Facebook are exploring ways to block misinformation and cut off revenue streams for users who post anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. YouTube, for example, disabled ads on anti-vaxx channels so that those users cannot profit from advertising. But Pinterest, with its latest action, has taken by far the biggest step toward shutting down posts that contain anti-vaccine recommendations. I applaud any online company committed to protecting visitors from false and dangerous health content. At the same time, I worry that a wholesale ban on vaccine-related searches prevents access to vital and accurate information, along with the questionable content. At play are issues involving free speech, access to reliable medical information, and fake news, for which there are no easy answers. Nevertheless, social networks like Twitter and Facebook, along with internet search companies like Google and Bing, need to take immediate action to protect the safety of their users. Medical information online exists in a predominantly unregulated and uncensored universe. As a physician who has dealt firsthand with the consequences of misinformation, I believe improvements are possible and necessary. Here are three ways to heighten consumer protections and advance the credibility of online health information: 1. Alter the algorithms. Back in 2011, Google launched its Panda algorithm update and, in so doing, began raising the bar on the quality of its search returns. Panda was a necessary reaction to clever web marketers who had been gaming Googles algorithms for years. In its quest to improve the validity of content suggestions, the search giant revealed the kinds of questions that helped Panda discern good sources from bad. Questions like these served as guidance for anyone hoping to publish a high-ranking article: Would you trust the information presented in this article? and Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors? and Is the article short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics? And whether or not you noticed it, the update worked. Websites that used sneaky tricks like keyword stuffing suddenly stopped appearing in search results. Whats more, Google refined Panda over and over again, releasing multiple versions to stay ahead of spammers. If Google can rid the internet of low-quality content (and, even more importantly, agree on what constitutes low-quality content), why not deploy an algorithmic update that assesses the quality of medical content and asks the kinds of questions that can weed out false or misleading health information? 2. Default to credible sources. At a minimum, search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! should accept guidance from the medical community on which sources provide the most valuable and credible information. There is no shortage of reliable organizations that publish content on most health-related topics. They include the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI), Leapfrog Group, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). These independent agencies and organizations should be given priority and consistently placed ahead of for-profit companies in the search sequence. Likewise, studies from established and peer-reviewed medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) should appear in rankings above less-reputable publication or sources providing unvetted content. For example, lets say you go to Google and type in best cancer treatment hospitals or should I get my child vaccinated? Right now, the page-one results include paid placements, credible sources and several questionable websites that no doctor would share with a friend or loved one. Of course, I understand Googles revenue is dependent on paid search and the ad sales it generates. However, that unfettered approach needs to be limited in situations where the risk of harming consumers is great. We impose similar restrictions on dangerous products, so why not treat dangerous medical misinformation the same way? All digital platforms with a search function can take a lesson from Pinterest and put the safety of its users first. The last thing Facebook or Google needs is another Congressional inquiry into its practices. Either these companies self-regulate now or take their chances on facing the wrath of frustrated lawmakers. 3. Add warnings to dangerous sites. Wikipedia currently lists 25 different blocks and dozens of different warnings to curb abuses and filter out content it deems inappropriate. Theres a spam block and an advertising block. Theres an unsourced content block and even a sock puppetry block, which prevents users from posting content under multiple accounts (aka socking) in order to deceive or mislead others. These types of warnings help educate readers about suspicious content and should be implemented across the internet to warn visitors of dangerous health information online. These warnings could be developed by objective panels of experts (analogous to Wikipedias editors) and affixed to any website or platform that contradicts proven medical science. Health care is unlike any other consumer industry. When most shoppers come across a Rolex watch selling for $19.99 online, they know its a scam. But when it comes to medical information, many patients and parents dont have the scientific expertise to discern whats real from fake. Online, those who post misleading or deceptive information about vaccination risks, unproven cancer treatments and untested therapies for genetic disorders are stoking fears, raising false hopes and delaying necessary treatments. If internet search and social media companies want to be good corporate citizens, they should take these powerful first steps toward making health care information safer and more accurate for users. Freedom of speech is not absolute Most social and digital platforms have adopted hateful conduct or dangerous speech policies that strictly prohibit harassment or threats of violence. And they do so without unduly sacrificing freedom of speech the essential right that underpins our democracy and remains vital to public discourse. The courts have also drawn limits on the First Amendment when exercising it puts others at risk (e.g., screaming fire in a crowded movie theater). And theyre exactly the kind of restrictions that should be applied to medical pseudoscience. Pinterest has taken an important step, albeit temporary. Going forward, I would recommend that the company, along with its peers, provide a more surgical solution one that allows access to reliable information, but limits disproven, unscientific assertions. As the measles epidemic rages across 16 states, misinformation and pseudoscience present a clear and present danger. These three recommendations arent panaceas, but they can serve as vital first steps toward preventing further harm. Robert Pearl is a physician and CEO, Permanente Medical Groups. He is the author of Mistreated: Why We Think Were Getting Good Health CareAnd Why Were Usually Wrong and can be reached on Twitter @RobertPearlMD. This article originally appeared in Forbes. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 211 Shares Share Thanks to the internet, collaboration has never been so easy. If you need to learn about how to install a new irrigation system in your lawn, the resources are a few clicks away. You just need the time and motivation to make happen. On the medicine front, there has never been a time in the recent past (aside from a failed managed care push in the 1990s) that doctors have been as disgruntled. Perhaps its due to the ease of communication, but Ive never realized the momentum of doctors out there wanting to find their golden parachute outside of medicine. Reasons why doctors are unhappy The sky is the limit as to why doctors are becoming more pissed off at the health care system. Some of the more common changes contributing to this mentality include: Lumping doctors into the generic provider category. We all saw it coming: Allied health workers getting all lumped into a single category with the doctor. While support staff is critical to the function of a medical practice or hospital, there are philosophical, practical, and safety issues with blurring the distinctions among all of the health care workers who touch the patient. Something doesnt sit well when the call operator, IT guy, medical assistant, and scrub tech are all providers in the system. Increasing work thats not related to direct patient care. Yes, who likes doing online training modules on privacy acts? How about patient satisfaction improvement projects? Or who wants to chart an extra two hours every day to finish documenting all of the diabetics in their clinic? Some medical professions are also stuck going over labs that theyve ordered and calling patients every evening after clinic. This is where burnout happens doing all of the things that didnt require twelve years of medical training. Ever-narrowing salary range among all health care workers. Sure, doctors are still compensated near the top of the health care chain (right behind that of administration and C-suite folks), but its amazing how much the salary gap is narrowing between doctors and everyone else. We all understand that other health care workers are spending more for their rising cost of education, but anecdotal evidence tells me that its not that common for doctors to get raises over a career. At the same time, physician extenders are being given more autonomy and compensated more (Sorry guys, Im not throwing anyone under the bus. The problem is with our health care system.) Several of my colleagues have continually reported having stagnant wages while nearly doubling their clinical volumes over the past decade. The emergence of the side gig Id imagine that the motivation to find a side gig partly stems from the broken health care system and the possibility of no longer relying on our day job to sustain a living. Many of these side gigs stem from our pre-existing background in medicine; some of them are completely unrelated. I know cardiologists who have ventured into the restaurant business, and a pediatrician who decided to open his coffee stand at a sporting stadium. All of these ventures are time-consuming and take energy away from their families. It impresses me that some of these guys can do this despite having young families or jobs that eat up 65 hours a week. Many of these ventures turn out to be quite successful. Some of these guys end up generating enough income to sustain their lives outside of clinical practice, which I assume is the hope for many doctors. We dont hear about the ones that end up remaining as hobbies. Doctors shouldnt have to find side gigs Look, it doesnt matter how you spin it. If you want to be the next Doctor Oz, thats great. But if your goal during your entire working medical career in medicine is to find an out, something is wrong. The problem could be you. The problem could be the system. The problem could be you in the system, and maybe the side gig is your way out. I have many colleagues who incessantly whine about how horrible their medical practice is. Maybe the hospital is only giving them an extra $3 per hour for working overnight shifts. Maybe they are outspending their ability to earn from their day job. Make sure your side gig has a purpose Doctors need to have a purpose, whether its to come up with the next great product or to cure cancer. If having a side gig allows you become a better doctor, then that by itself is enough of a reason to venture out. Just be sure that youre not doing it simply because all of your coworkers are. Smart Money, MD is an ophthalmologist who blogs at the self-titled site, Smart Money MD. Image credit: Shutterstock.com In order to develop the site as presented, several waivers to the villages zoning ordinance must be approved by the Village Board, commissioners were told. According to the proposal shared with the plan commission, the apartment building will stand 75 feet high, which is 30 feet higher than allowed under the ordinance, and it will contain a density that is more than double what is allowed. 33 Shares Share Forgive the autobiographical nature of this post, but heres a recap on how I started down the path to becoming an infectious disease (ID) doctor. To begin, understand that my first year of medical school was rough going. In hindsight, this wasnt surprising. After majoring in English during college (with a minor in the Harvard Lampoon to develop good study habits, ha ha ha), then spending a year abroad teaching, I found medical schools unrelenting science courses and lecture hours an unpleasant blend of overwhelming and tedious. Meanwhile, most of my classmates were cruising including my future spouse, who attended all the lectures, took meticulous notes in colored pencil, and aced every test. Ouch. Any jealousy I felt about her breezing through the first year of med school was more than compensated for by gratitude. Its hard to imagine Id have made it to the second year without her. And so glad I stuck around, because our second-year microbiology course gave me a strong signal that I might actually like this medical business. Led by the articulate and worldly Dr. Arnold Weinberg, and ably taught by other superb teachers and section leaders, the course was endlessly stimulating, the very opposite of the metabolic pathways I had (barely) memorized during first-year biochemistry. I looked forward to every microbiology lecture and every lab. I loved this course for multiple reasons: Each disease had a story. The legionnaires convention in Philadelphia, the contaminated cooling tower of the hotels air conditioning system, and the (appropriately named) new disease due to Legionella pneumophila! The makers of gefilte fish at home who later developed Diphyllobothrium latum! The river rafters from Ethiopia who developed fever, myalgias, and eosinophilia and were ultimately diagnosed with Schistosoma mansoni! The visitor to the deserts of southern California with fever, pneumonia, skin lesions, and Coccidioides immitis! The names of the bugs were so poetic. Just look at that previous paragraph each microbe a musical mouthful of letters and syllables. Even the more common bugs sounded exotic and fascinating to my ears: Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterobacter (now Klebsiella) aerogenes, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Plasmodium falciparum. Just read those names out loud heaven! And does anything sound scarier than Toxoplasma gondii? Even the lab was fun. My experience in science labs had at that point been limited to dry exercises in organic chemistry as an undergraduate, and some snooze-worthy histology and pathology labs during first year of medical school. Microbiology lab, however, was a whole new ballgame culture plates, strange smells, actually seeing the bacteria and parasites under the microscope, and helminths in clear vials. It didnt hurt that one of my section leaders was the extraordinary pathologist Dr. Franz von Lichtenberg. Franzs enthusiasm for the material was 100 percent communicable and yes, I chose that word intentionally. This new, mysterious disease AIDS had just been identified. It was during microbiology that we first had lectures on this new problem. We didnt know yet what caused AIDS, but a sexually- and blood-transmitted infection seemed likely one of our lecturers posited that it would be cytomegalovirus. (He was wrong.) Plus, the vast majority of the complications were infectious, most of them rarely seen in patients with normal immune systems. Could there be anything more fascinating and important than an infectious disease that could be rapidly lethal in previously healthy people? After microbiology, the rest of medicine became much more interesting. Cardiology had endocarditis and rheumatic fever; pulmonary had pneumonia, empyema, and lung abscess; renal had pyelonephritis; neurology had meningitis, encephalitis, and brain abscess. You get the idea. Everyone I knew thought Id end up an ID specialist. After all, I was the only one who had memorized all of the oral and intravenous cephalosporins, a party trick I still bring out for the right company if they ask nicely. And after a brief flirtation with cardiology, I havent regretted my choice of ID one bit. Paul Sax is an infectious disease physician who blogs HIV and ID Observations, a part of NEJM Journal Watch. Image credit: Shutterstock.com PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A 40-year-old white man who murdered a black teen by running him down in his Jeep in Oregon has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 28 years. News outlets report Russell Courtier was sentenced Tuesday at the Multnomah County Courthouse in the 2016 death of 19-year-old Larnell Bruce. Jurors in March found Courtier guilty of murder, hit-and-run driving and the hate crime of intimidation after the prosecution argued Courtier was motivated by white supremacist beliefs in killing Bruce. Authorities say Courtier and Colleen Hunt were in a Jeep driven by Courtier and that he, with encouragement from Hunt, drove into Bruce following a fist fight with him at a convenience store. Hunt pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday afternoon. SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A man suspected of sexually abusing two children in 2012 was arrested in Eugene on Tuesday, Springfield police said. Maximiano Fonseca, 59, of Springfield faces charges of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse. Police said Fonseca was arrested as a result of a sexual abuse investigation. They said theyd been looking for Fonseca since March, when they first learned of the allegations. Fonseca was in Mexico at the start of the investigation but had recently returned to Oregon when investigators arrested him. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should contact detectives at 541-726-3721. EUGENE, Ore. -- University of Oregon students are protesting in solidarity with Extinction Rebellion's global week of actions. Extinction Rebellion is an initiative which promotes political and economic change. The protest on campus includes a tree sit and aims to stop logging on all public lands. Members of the Cascadia Forest Defenders are also supporting the protest. Many University of Oregon students said they support the effort. RTE and Rose of Tralee presenter, Daithi O'Se, is calling on the nation to host a Tea Day in aid of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI). Alzheimers Tea Day, the charitys largest annual fundraising campaign, takes place on Thursday, May 2. The ASI need to raise 500,000 to provide supports and services to help families living with dementia nationwide. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Alzheimers Tea Day. This campaign provides vital funds for services, which include: nationwide day care centres, respite, home care, social clubs, carer support groups, Alzheimer cafes and the busy National Helpline. It is estimated that there are 1,057 people living with dementia in Kilkenny and for every one person with dementia three others are directly affected. The number of people with dementia is expected to more than double over the next 20 years to 2,102 in 2039. Last year there were 1,200 Tea Day hosts and this year the Charity is looking to double that number. Were looking for people around the country to get involved with local Tea Day events; in their homes, workplaces, schools, local community centres, parishes or somewhere special. The ASI is asking people to invite their friends, family, colleagues and neighbours to have a cuppa, a chat and maybe a treat or two. Become a Tea Day Host Register here: www.teaday.ie to receive a Tea Day fundraising pack. The pack includes:An A3 poster, An invitation book, A collection box, 5 books of raffle tickets, A bank giro, Fun tips on hosting a Tea Day event. Registration deadline is Friday, 26th April. All funds that are raised locally stay local to support ASI services. 10 can provide an hour at an Alzheimers cafe for a person with dementia 25 can provide one hour of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy 50 can provide a session of Musical Therapy to people with dementia 100 can run a social club for one day Community Radio Kilkenny City (CRKC) will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the beginning of community radio in Kilkenny with a reception in Set Theatre tonight (Wednesday). A significant announcement is also expected to be made this evening regarding the future of Kilkennys only community radio station. It was 1979 when the Kilkenny Community Radio (KCR) first began broadcasting from a studio in Ballycallan. The late Mike Breen was the first voice on air and early presenters included Tomm Dowling, Kay Sheehy and Mike OBrien. Several of the KCR presenters are still involved with community radio as board members and/or presenters. Kay Sheehy is Chair of the Broadcasting Committee, and a member of the Board of CRKC. Mike OBrien is another founder member of Kilkenny Community Communications Co-op Society Ltd, the company that runs todays CRKC. Other KCR presenters, including Pat Treacy, Tomm Dowling, Kay B and Don Devlin, are all part of todays CRKC team. They were part of the heyday of pirate radio in Ireland that existed before the introduction of commercial radio in 1989. Several voices and faces from community radio in Kilkenny down through the years are expected to attend tonights celebration at which, no doubt, there will be plenty of reminiscing about the early days of community radio broadcasting. Without KCR there would be no Community Radio Kilkenny City. Community radio is so important; it gives communities a voice and part of its pro-community ethos is to provide education, training, and personal and professional skills for those trying to break into the world of broadcasting, says station manager Declan Gibbons. The Board is delighted to use the 40th anniversary to make a significant announcement about the future of the station. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice. Mezzano and Dec ran as write-in candidates after challenges to their petitions knocked them both off the ballot. With four seats available on the board and only three candidates on the ballot, one of the two write-in candidates was guaranteed a spot. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today A few clouds. Areas of patchy fog. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. Areas of patchy fog. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. * GRAPHIC-2019 asset returns:* China data boosts metals sentiment (Adds closing prices) By Zandi Shabalala LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - Copper prices hit a nine-month high on Wednesday as firmer-than-expected economic growth figures from China boosted expectations for higher demand in the world's top metals consumer. China's economy grew at a 6.4 percent pace in the first quarter from a year earlier, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. "The data is confirmation that there are clear tailwinds to Chinese growth into the second quarter and mid-year," said Deutsche Bank metal strategist Nick Snowdon. Benchmark copper touched its highest since July 3 at $6,608.50 per tonne before finishing down 0.9 percent at $6,556. China, which is in the midst of a trade conflict with the United States, ramped up fiscal stimulus this year to support the world's second largest economy after a slew of disappointing data pointed to a potential slowdown. But some analysts warned it may be too early to say the GDP data was a sign of a full turnaround in the Chinese economy and a break from narrow trading ranges for metals. "Whilst potentially the first quarter represents a key turning point for the balance of 2019, as to whether it presents a panacea to the mean reversion/range trading so evident in our space seems unlikely," said Alastair Munro at broker Marex Spectron. OUTPUT: China's crude steel output grew 10 percent in March compared with the same month a year ago as mills ramped up operations amid a profit margin recovery and less stringent curbs on production in the country's anti-smog crackdown. DATA: China's aluminium production fell 3.6 percent on a daily basis in March from the previous two months to its lowest rate since October, pressured by winter curbs on industry and low prices. This pushed Shanghai aluminium up as high as 13,995 yuan ($2,092.59) a tonne, its highest intra-day level since December. LME ALUMINIUM: LME aluminium inched down 0.3 percent to $1,850 per tonne. AUSTRALIA RAILWAY: A railway that carries zinc from major producers such as Glencore , MMG Ltd and South 32 across Australia's Outback is expected to reopen this month after it was damaged in floods. COLUMN: Zinc is coming under sustained attack from bearish funds. The trigger for the assault was Tuesday morning's London Metal Exchange (LME) stocks report, showing 10,625 tonnes of inflow into exchange warehouses. PRICES: Zinc climbed 0.4 percent to $2,819.50 per tonne, lead gained 1.4 percent to $1,946 while tin was down 0.5 percent at $20,405 per tonne. Nickel did not trade in closing rings, nor were there any bids or offers. In electronic trading, prices were down 0.7 percent at $12,865 a tonne at 1624 GMT. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Top Base and Precious Metals Analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Mai Nguyen, editing by Louise Heavens, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Ken Ferris) zandi.shabalala.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))LME price overview COMEX copper futures Base metals news All metals news All commodities news Metals diary Foreign exchange rates SPEED GUIDES )) (Updates prices) By Sethuraman N R April 17 (Reuters) - Gold prices on Wednesday held near 4-1/2-month lows touched in the previous session as economic data from China tempered concerns about global growth, boosting risk appetite. Spot gold was broadly steady at $1,275.77 per ounce at 1237 GMT, having fallen as much as 1.2 percent to $1,272.70, its lowest since Dec. 27, on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures were up 0.1 percent at $1,277.80 an ounce. "Investors are betting on the recovery of markets and that's mostly what's pulling gold down. The main market driver is moving from central banks to what is happening in the stock markets," said Carlo Alberto De Casa, chief analyst with ActivTrades. Data showed China's economic growth in the first quarter remained steady at 6.4 percent, beating expectations for a 6.3 percent expansion. World stocks inched higher after a raft of Chinese data signalled Beijing's recent stimulus drive might be paying off. Gold prices have fallen more than 5 percent since touching a 10-month peak in February. On the technical front, gold's break below key support levels, including the 100- and 50-day moving averages, signalled a further downside to prices, analysts and traders said. "From a technical point of view, the fall below $1,280 is a weak signal, with prices having already come below the 100-day moving average," De Casa said. Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell to a near six-month low of 752.27 tonnes on Tuesday. Holdings are down 4.5 percent so far this year. Further weakness in gold is possible in the near term, potentially testing the $1,259 level, which is likely to hold, Commerzbank technical analyst Karen Jones wrote in a note. Meanwhile, silver gained 0.5 percent to $15.04 an ounce. Spot platinum rose 1.1 percent to $886.35 per ounce, while palladium climbed 1.1 percent to $1,363.76. (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by David Evans and Mark Potter) (Kitco News) - The Romanian government continues with its plan to pass legislation that would force the nations central bank to repatriate all its gold held in foreign vaults. Romanian news outlets report that Tuesday that the governments Budget and Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies released a favorable report on the proposed legislation drafted by Social Democrats Liviu Dragnea and Serban Nicolae. However, there has been one major amendment to the bill. The proposed law would now see all the nations gold held in domestic vaults; the original bill allowed for 5% of its gold reserves to be held in foreign vaults. Currently Romania holds 103.70 tonnes of gold as part of its foreign-exchange reserves. About 65%, or 67.4 tonnes, of that gold is stored with the Bank of England. A draft bill was adopted by the Romanian Senate earlier this month and now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for a vote. However, the legislation continues to face criticism from the National Bank of Romania (BNR). The National Bank of Romania cannot support the legislative proposal in question in the form adopted by the Senate and cannot fully accept the proposals for amendments received from Senator Serban Nicolae, said a senior BNR expert during a debate at the Chamber of Deputies. I would like to point out that according to the European Central Bank, the central banks attribution and management of the official reserves of the member states involves taking decisions on holding, keeping, arranging, negotiating and daily management, as well as managing long-term international reserves. Proponents of the legislation have said that because of Romanias stable economy, there is no reason why the government should pay to hold its gold abroad. If the government goes forward with its plan to repatriate its gold, the country will join the ranks of other nations like Germany, Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands that have moved their holdings of the precious metal closer to home. Gold analysts have been watching central-bank gold demand closely as official gold demand is expected to continue to support prices through 2019. According to the World Gold Council, central banks collectively bought 651.5 tonnes of gold in 2018, the most purchases in more than 50 years. (Reuters) - At a truck stop in Ridgefield, New Jersey, driver Paul Richards reviews a notebook where he tracks miles driven and what he is hauling. His paycheck is down about 25 percent from the same period a year ago, and his weekly miles have dropped as well. "This hasn't been a very good week," said Richards, who carries building materials and recycled goods through the U.S. Northeast. "Last week wasn't, either." Across the United States, drivers, regional operators and industry officials say the $700 billion U.S. trucking sector slipped in late 2018, with the fall continuing into this year. While the decline in freight rates and hauling does not suggest the United States is headed into a recession, that softness is consistent with slippage in the economy as a whole. The effects have been uneven nationwide, with weaker orders and miles in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast than on the West Coast, economists and regional officials said. Trucking accounts for 70 percent of U.S. shipment tonnage, and is key to supplying the manufacturing, construction and retail sectors, all of which showed sluggishness in the first quarter. The most common factors for the decline include the U.S.-China trade war and weakness in the Farm Belt. An ACT Research index of truck carrier volumes that surveys about 60 fleets crossed into negative territory in November for the first time since July 2016. It briefly returned to positive territory in January but dipped again in February. It matches forecasts for a soft first quarter for U.S. gross domestic product, which is expected to come in at 1.8 percent growth, according to Reuters polling. "Clearly, the economy is slowing down," Kenny Vieth, president of ACT Research, said in a recent interview. "When the economy moderates, the trucking industry can be exceptionally worse than the overall economy because of the deep cyclical trend that characterizes the industry." To be sure, another indicator, the American Trucking Associations tonnage index, is at a healthy level at 117.4, still far above recession-era levels between 2008 and 2012, when it remained below 90. REGIONAL SOFTNESS The industry's softness is not uniform nationwide. Reuters spoke to 47 out of 50 state trucking associations, and of those that responded, 16, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee, said activity had slowed. Another 16 said there was little change, and the rest could not say one way or another. Shipments in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States have been hit harder than other regions, according to Bobby Holland, vice president and director of Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank Freight Data Solutions. In the Midwest, export tariffs on crops have hurt agricultural sales, and auto production is also moderating, he said. Neal Kedzie, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, said activity started to slow at the end of 2018. Brokers had been connecting trucking companies known as carriers with requests from those who needed to haul freight. Now, though, carriers are starting to reach out to brokers to find loads. "Carriers are having to do more searching on their own versus the brokers, who (before) had so much to deliver that they couldn't find enough trucks," Kedzie said. Northeast shipments were strong last year, U.S. Bank said, but state officials in Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island all told Reuters that early 2019 has been weaker. A year ago, Larry Hobson was driving 14 hours a day hauling refrigerated food from Tennessee to New England. Now he is working eight or nine hours a day, and his paycheck has dropped by about $1,000 a week because of the decrease. "I am a lot less busy," he said at a service center in Darien, Connecticut. PROFIT WARNINGS Spot total rates for freight have slumped as well, averaging $1.85 per mile in March, according to DAT Solutions, a freight exchange company. That's the lowest seasonally since 2017. That weakness is starting to show up in company results. In mid-March, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Covenant Transportation Group Inc warned of weak first-quarter results, saying average freight revenue per tractor was down 5 percent in early 2019 from the year-ago period, with average miles down more than 11 percent. "The truckload freight environment has been weaker this year from late January through mid-March," CEO David Parker said in a statement last month. Covenant shares are down more than 20 percent in the last six months. Analysts have lowered quarterly per-share estimates for J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc, Covenant and service company Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc by 9 percent, 40 percent and 5 percent, respectively, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. "There's no doubt that we have been seeing a deceleration in volumes," said Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations (ATA). "This is an indication that the economy is decelerating." April 17 (Reuters) - European shares eased from eight-month highs on Wednesday, weighed down by healthcare and mining stocks while investors looked past better-than-expected first-quarter economic growth in China. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.2 percent by 0930 GMT after five straight days of gains. All country indexes were flat to higher except London FTSE 100. China's economy unexpectedly steadied in the first quarter, defying expectations for a further slowdown, as industrial production jumped sharply and consumer demand showed signs of improvement. Analysts said it was too early to call a sustainable turnaround there, and further policy support would be needed to maintain momentum. "The reaction in equity markets was muted after the data release, probably because much of the positivity has already been priced in," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at FXTM. The positive China data spurred demand for auto stocks, the most among European sectors, as concerns over global growth eased. The data also pushed Germany's 10-year government bond yield to a four-week high. Banks rallied 0.6 percent and drove a 0.3 percent gain in Italy's bank-heavy. However, losses in basic resources and healthcare stocks outweighed. BHP Group PLC fell 3 percent, bringing down London's FTSE and the STOXX 600 as the world's biggest miner cut its forecast for iron ore output, a day after rival Rio Tinto slashed its output guidance. The healthcare sector also dropped 1.3 percent as Novartis fell after Jefferies reduced price target on its shares. Danone slipped 1 percent after the French food group's first-quarter sales slowed on weaker demand for infant formula products in China and a consumer boycott in Morocco. Its peer Nestle SA dropped about a percent ahead of its quarterly report on Thursday. Bunzl was the worst performer on the pan-European index, down nearly 9 percent after the business supplies distributor said first-quarter growth slowed as the grocery and retail business in its biggest market - North America - remained sluggish. Also capping losses was the tech sector , helped by a climb in chip stocks and Mobile telecom equipment maker Ericsson. ASML Holding rose more than 2 percent after the semiconductor equipment maker reported better-than-expected first quarter earnings and repeated it expects growth to accelerate through the year. European chip stocks - AMS, STMicro, Siltronic, Infineon Technologies - were up between 1.5 percent and 5 percent as U.S. peer Qualcomm Inc surged on Tuesday on an iPhone modem chips deal with Apple Inc . Ericsson ticked about 3 percent higher after beating first-quarter result forecasts and raising full-year outlook for the global networks market. Commerzbank shares rose 3 percent after a media report that Dutch bank ING added its name to a list of merger suitors. That followed approaches by Deutsche Bank and Italy's UniCredit. (Reporting by Medha Singh and Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet and Angus MacSwan) Hong Kong: Rational debate on fugitive bill urged Secretary for Security John Lee called on lawmakers to discuss the extradition law amendments rationally. The Bills Committee on Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 held its first meeting today. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mr Lee expressed disappointment over the slow progress of the meeting. I am extremely disappointed and I regret that it has taken two hours for the Bills Committee to hold a meeting without even appointing a chairman. In my memory, it hasnt happened before. The Government is very serious about this proposal because there is an urgency of this matter. Mr Lee said the suspect involved in the Taiwan murder case has pleaded guilty to the charges of money laundering in Hong Kong and the court will mention the case again on April 29. The Government hopes the amendment bill can be passed as soon as possible to provide a legal basis to deal with the case, he added. We urge every member of the Bills Committee to allow a rational discussion at the Bills Committee, so that views will be heard and explanations can be given for the final decision by the Legislative Council. Mr Lee warned similar cases could happen again so an effective and feasible system for the extradition of fugitive offenders needs to be established. This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) There would be no breaks for the government's war against drugs even as the country grinds to a halt during the Holy Week holidays, PNP chief P/Gen Oscar Albayalde said. Albayalde told CNN Philippines' The Source that the police force utilized for the campaign against illegal drugs would be unaffected by the deployment of more police personnel to guard tourist spots during the coming holidays. "We'll just be deploying more than 90,000 of our personnel for our tourist duties. And of course, 'yung mga ginagamit natin [those who we use] on the war on drugs, will not be affected. They will still do the operations against illegal drugs," he said Wednesday. Albayalde also countered President Rodrigo Duterte in saying that the government is losing the war against drugs, saying that the chief executive might only be seeing the flood of drugs into the country. "With regards to the momentum, improvement of the peace and order, it has improved a lot This is one indication that we are actually winning the war on drugs," Albayalde said. Meanwhile, the top cop reiterated that the PNP is prepared to deal with the surge of tourists and pilgrims all over the country. He added that they have not received any terror threats to Metro Manila, despite the recent killing of Maute leader Abu Dar and the arrest of an Abu Sayyaf member in Quezon City. Not only will it benefit the village in terms of diversity, which I think is a good thing in itself, it will also benefit the businesses. We keep hearing from businesses, especially places like malls, they cant find enough laborers. If they are living there, that would be great for Northbrook Court as well, Han said. This particular crisis has been averted for now, but there will be other developers, as there should be in such a prime location. Our consortium of preservation partners, including Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, Landmarks Illinois and the congregation, took a thoughtful, professional approach to the situation by having a number of conversations with Golubs team. But the reality is that before another developer approaches the block, the Village of Oak Park needs to come to terms with what would be the best building for that site. With our tradition of great architecture in our stately homes and grand churches, we oftentimes rest on our laurels when what we should be doing is demanding the best in urban planning and design to fit within the villages architectural fabric. According to village staff, the grant presents several benefits and ties well with existing village initiatives. The villages current grants and projects include I-NEDSS (Infectious Disease Reporting, Cities Readiness Initiative and Public Health Emergency Preparedness) and IPLAN, which calls for the establishment of a reporting system for illicit opioid availability within Oak Park and River Forest by 2022. A man reads a newspaper showing photos, from left of U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Seoul, South Korea, April 11. AP-Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul President Moon Jae-in wants to send a special envoy to North Korea sometime next week for talks on holding another summit with its leader Kim Jong-un, Cheong Wa Dae sources said Wednesday. "Details about sending an envoy will be discussed at a National Security Office (NSO) meeting scheduled for Thursday at Cheong Wa Dae," a presidential aide told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. "The initial plan is to send an envoy next week depending on North Korea's reaction." Potential candidates include the country's spy chief Suh Hoon, former presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok and presidential NSO chief Chung Eui-yong, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources. President Moon left Chung at home while he visits three Central Asian countries. But the official said it hadn't been decided yet who the envoy would be. On a related note, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Seoul was reviewing "lots of options and scenarios" to make the fourth inter-Korean summit happen. "What's being discussed inside the ministry is ways to revive the dialogue between the United States and North Korea. I hope Thursday's NSO meeting will cover lots of relevant issues," the minister told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Seoul. President Moon said he's ready to hold a fourth summit with the North Korean leader to revive the nuclear diplomacy between the U.S. and the North. Moon said it was time to prepare for an inter-Korean summit and stressed the leaders of the two Koreas ought to meet for "concrete and substantive" discussions that could achieve progress beyond the U.S.-North Korea summits. In this April 9, photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addresses the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party of Korea in Pyongyang. AP-Yonhap It is basically over 6-12 months In another year or years It was never a real pandemic Vote View Results And we cant do it without the support of this fire department, she said. These guys have been our biggest cheerleaders. We look forward to this event every year. This is our Christmas. We are getting ready to do some big things for these families in Northwest Indiana. The state agency has again applied for federal funding and expects to have it as early as November, he said, which will allow Hammond to test all remaining schools that were built between 1986 to 2012. The one thing I love about Hammond is how much people love their Hammond schools, he said. Every one of us in the room has that in common. We love our Hammond schools and want to see it be the best possible schools for our kids. Within the last 10 years, theyve had to cut numerous classes and activities because the funding wasnt there to support the activities anymore, she said. Funding affects all schools but you do see it more in the rural districts because we dont have a lot of tax money coming in and then you cut state funding. As they were driving, Jarod told her that if he went to prison he would kill all you and his kids were not going to be without a father, the affidavit states. Jarod Johnson demanded to know the address of the female victim from the 2017 case that he was set to go to trial in, according to the affidavit. The victim knew that if Jarod Johnson knew where the witness lived that he would kill her, court records state. The Board of Commissioners approved buying 19 cars for the Sheriffs Department, after it decided not to buy 22 cars because of concerns about exceeding the amount of money available. The county will spend $476,393 on the 19 police vehicles. Rocha-Baldazo, whos married to assistant police chief Jerry Baldazo, said she first ran for city council eight years ago and lost. Undeterred, she won her second try four years ago. During her term, she said the council voted to keep its refuse service in-house, to build a new senior center and to buy a new ambulance. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) The Metro Manila Police Chief placed his forces on full alert on Wednesday as crowds are expected to swarm to transport terminals for the Holy Week holidays. Major General Guillermo Eleazar said he raised the highest security level status for his personnel to "maximize the utilization of resources." This order requires police officers to remain on duty for as long as 18 hours. They are also not allowed to take leaves, Eleazar added. The chief deployed over 11,000 officers in the region to ensure public security until Sunday. Around 8,000 passengers are expected to leave for the provinces through the Araneta Center bus terminals in Quezon City from Wednesday until Friday, while authorities predict 60,000 people will flock to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday alone. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard are expecting 61,218 passengers to leave through the ports, Wednesday. Eleazar said they have not yet monitored any security threats in the region. Malacanang declared Thursday and Friday holidays in observance of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. In a matter before the Economic Development Commission, Becknell Investments received approval for a 10-year tax abatement for its latest proposed project, a 263,000-square-foot warehouse to be built at 6500 Mississippi St., which will be similar in looks to the 182,000-square-foot warehouse building it built to the north and those it built east of the site, in its NorthWind Crossings business park in Hobart. The town cant jeopardize that department, said Szwedo. Everybody doesnt understand all the aspects of it. This way it will cover all departments and not just one, she of the new position. Of course, this is the time of year during the Easter Season when Baxter is also associated with her role as Egyptian Queen Nefertari who tries to seduce Moses in the 1956 film epic The Ten Commandments, which airs annually on ABC. This years nearly five-hour broadcast is this weekend at 6 p.m. CST Saturday on ABC. Andrews interest in the subject started last fall as he began preparing a project for his writing class. His mother, Ellen Chamberlain, said many of their British friends posted on their Facebook pages an animated film that the British food retailer Iceland planned to use to explain why the firm would stop using the substance in all of its own brand foods at the end of 2018. The ad, featuring the plight of a baby orangutan, was deemed to violate laws against political ads and banned from British television because it noted that the palm oil industry contributed to the destruction of rainforest habitat, according to a story published in the New York Times. In the largest wage-theft case ever brought by the state of California against a carwash company, Beverly Hills auto dealership mogul Hooman Nissani has been ordered to pay $2.4 million in back wages and penalties. The state says his carwash cheated 64 workers out of minimum wages and overtime over three years. According to the California labor commissioner, workers at Nissanis Playa Vista Car Wash in Culver City were paid less than the legal minimum wage in some cases. They were denied overtime pay despite working up to 10 hours a day and as many as seven days a week, and time cards were falsified, according to the case, which was announced Wednesday. For the record: An earlier version of this article misspelled Rayan Nissanis first name as Ryan. Nissani and the carwashs general manager, Keyvan Shamshoni, required Playa Vista Car Wash workers to report to an alley near the carwash 30 minutes before the business opened, according to the labor commissioners citation. It said those not selected to work were sent home without being paid for the waiting time. Hooman Nissani at his Playa Vista auto mall. (Ringo Chiu / ZUMA Press) Advertisement Nissani and Shamshoni are jointly liable, along with the carwash company, to pay more than $1.8 million in back wages and $516,000 in civil penalties, according to the labor commissioner. Investigators also ordered them to pay back $19,000 that was deducted from workers paychecks for towels used at the carwash. Individuals acting on behalf of an employer to steal workers wages cannot hide behind corporate entities to avoid personal liability, all the while profiting at the expense of honest businesses that play by the rules, California Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement Wednesday. Nissani and Shamshoni did not respond to messages left at the carwash and on personal phones. Rayan Nissani, Hoomans brother and business partner, said in a brief phone interview: My brother is the most honest man I know. During the time he is accused of cheating workers out of wages, Hooman Nissani described his businesses as flourishing. In 2016, Hooman Automotive Group, a Nissani company, bought a 9.2-acre site in Playa Vista near Googles offices to build a massive auto mall for Chrysler, Hyundai, Nissan and Acura dealerships he owns. It paid $73 million for the site, according to real estate data provider CoStar. On a personal website chronicling his career, Nissani wrote, In 2016 our businesses generated sales of more than one billion dollars. He cited the Playa Vista Car Wash, noting, It currently is performing far beyond what it had under the previous ownership, but beyond my expectations as well. Carwashes are among the most flagrant violators of wage laws, according to the labor commissioners office, along with construction firms, farms, restaurants, residential care homes and janitorial businesses all sectors with heavily immigrant workforces. There is often a language barrier, said Daniel Yu, assistant chief of the commissioners enforcement bureau. The workers fear losing their jobs if they file complaints. Bosses commonly threaten immigration retaliation if they dont have [legal] status. But California laws protect all workers regardless of immigration status. The Playa Vista Car Wash in Culver City. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The Playa Vista case comes in the wake of judgments by the labor commissioner against two large carwash businesses in Orange County last month. The Car Spa in Newport Beach and owner Colin Berger were ordered to pay fines and back wages totaling $1.1 million after they were accused of cheating 23 workers out of minimum wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks over three years. We have definitely appealed the citation and are waiting for a hearing, Berger said in an email. We deny that we cheated anyone. Commonwealth Car Wash in Fullerton and owner Rola Alquza were ordered to pay fines and back wages totaling $1.5 million after being accused of denying their workers minimum wages, overtime and meal breaks. Alquza did not respond to messages left at his carwash, but the labor commissioner said Alquza has appealed. Carwash owners also have been pursued by federal authorities. Last year, Vahid David Delrahim, owner of some 100 carwashes and gas stations across Southern California, paid $4.2 million in a wage-theft case involving 800 workers after a two-year court battle with the U.S. Labor Department. The Playa Vista case was brought to the labor commissioners attention by the Community Labor Environmental Action Network, or Clean, a small Los Angeles nonprofit that assists carwash workers. Clean introduced the Spanish-speaking workers to investigators and helped them air their grievances. Workers are often afraid to talk to government agencies, Yu said. Community groups can reach out and build trust. Cases such as the Playa Vista Car Wash one are not uncommon, said Andrea Gonzalez, Cleans lead organizer. Employers cheat workers out of their pay in many ways, whether by paying them low daily rates or paying them by piece rates. In some cases, they are only paid through customer tips. We are holding them accountable. Times staff writer Roger Vincent contributed to this report. margot.roosevelt@latimes.com Twitter: @margotroosevelt The top U.S. communications regulator urged the rejection of China Mobile Ltd.s application to provide telecommunications services in the American market, opening another front in the trade fight between the worlds biggest economies. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Wednesday he was scheduling a vote May 9 on a measure to deny the application of China Mobile USA, described as a Delaware-registered subsidiary that is indirectly controlled by the Chinese government, on national security grounds. Parent company China Mobile is the worlds largest mobile phone operator, with about 899 million subscribers. China Mobile is seeking approval to be listed as a common carrier that would enable it to carry international voice traffic between the U.S. and foreign countries, and to connect that traffic with the U.S. telecommunications network. China Mobile told the agency it wouldnt provide domestic telephone or mobile services in the U.S. Safeguarding our communications networks is critical to our national security, Pai said in an emailed statement. After reviewing the evidence in this proceeding, including the input provided by other federal agencies, it is clear that China Mobiles application to provide telecommunications services in our country raises substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks. Advertisement The White Houses concern focused on a Chinese law that requires companies to cooperate with state intelligence agencies, which the U.S. has said could be used for economic espionage or intelligence activities. China Mobiles size and technical resources make it particularly vulnerable to such demands, the government said. China Mobile told the government it wouldnt be required to comply with such requests and said it is no more vulnerable to exploitation than any other U.S. or foreign carrier that uses best-practices measures. The FCC staff read both the government filing and China Mobiles responses and recommended that the commission reject the request. It comes amid U.S. efforts to constrain the growth of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co. on similar concerns as both countries vie to become leaders in 5G technology a next-generation wireless standard many times faster than current cellphones. Ren Zhengfei, the man behind Huawei, a global leader in 5G Pai, an appointee of President Trump, urged his colleagues on the commission, which has a Republican majority, to deny the application, which was first filed in 2011. Pai has circulated a draft order to fellow commissioners following a recommendation in July from the U.S. intelligence community and executive branch agencies that the bid be denied. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a branch of the Commerce Department, urged the FCC to block China Mobiles application, saying its entry into the market would pose unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks. Should the commission vote to reject China Mobiles application, the company can ask a federal court to review that decision. There was no immediate response to a query sent to China Mobile. The FCC is still considering whether to allow Huawei to operate in the U.S. and is awaiting a recommendation from the White House. The move against China Mobile comes as Trump is pressing to end a trade war with China that has enveloped goods including agricultural products and medical equipment, and has rattled financial markets. High on the list of Trumps priorities as he tries to close a trade deal with counterpart Xi Jinping is making sure China faces consequences if it doesnt live up to its promises. Yet in pursuing that goal, Trump may also be giving China a new cudgel to use on U.S. companies and striking another blow to the international rule of law. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin has said the U.S. has made its own commitments to China and agreed that both sides will be subject to an enforcement mechanism. This will be a two-way agreement in enforcement, Mnuchin said Monday, after saying over the weekend that the U.S. would be open to certain repercussions. Decker writes for Bloomberg Pinterest Inc.s message to investors: Dont compare us to social media or a search engine. But as it wraps up a short roadshow and gets ready to list shares as soon as Thursday, such a comparison could help Pinterest drum up demand amid a flood of new listings this year. Pinterest operates in a crowded digital marketing space, where Google and Facebook Inc. get the lions share of advertising dollars, and a smattering of smaller platforms like Twitter Inc. and Snap Inc. get the rest. The San Francisco-based start-up, which serves as a sort of digital bulletin board for pictures and ideas for furniture, fashion, weddings, recipes and more, has a direct line to millions of people who are online looking for specific things to buy. That gives it an edge in making money from its user base compared with some of its peers. Advertisement Chief Executive Ben Silbermann likes to project a more virtuistic, less competitive vision of Pinterest, but investors will still be scrutinizing its advertising model when they decide whether to buy in. There are a lot of options for investors who wanth to place bets on hot technology companies: IPO heavyweight Uber Technologies Inc. is likely to list its shares in May and ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. made its debut earlier this month but has since seen its shares fade, which has dulled some of the hype over money-losing unicorns. Videoconferencing company Zoom Video Communications Inc. is pricing its shares Wednesday and will begin trading Thursday along with Pinterest. Slack Technologies Inc. and Postmates Inc. are expected to follow soon. Pinterest is raising at least $1.4 billion, selling shares for $19 apiece. It could raise more if underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares. At that price, the company would be valued at about $10 billion, less than the $12 billion valuation it had in its last private funding round in 2017. Zoom boosted its IPO price to as much as $35 a share. A rare example of a profitable tech start-up launching a public listing, Zoom could seek a market valuation of almost $9 billion. Pinterest has taken a slow and steady approach to growth and making money from its service compared with the faster expansion rates of Facebook, Twitter, and Snap when they went public. Analysts expect revenue will probably come more from squeezing additional ad dollars from the base of users Pinterest already has rather than growing its total audience. Despite Pinterests efforts to distance itself from the label of a social media company, analysts say it can be a useful benchmark for valuation. According to James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, Pinterest is worth as much as Snap, about $16 billion, and could be much more. The ability to monetize that audience is much higher, Cordwell said of Pinterest. When youre at Snap youre in the business of communicating with friends or wasting time; when youre going to Pinterest theres high purchasing intent: youre planning something, looking for a product. Thats exactly what advertisers are looking for. Cordwell gave Pinterest its first bullish review last week with the equivalent of a buy rating. He set a 12-month price target of $23, implying the company may return as much as 53% if the IPO prices at the low end of its expected range, or $15. Pinterest calls itself a visual discovery platform for people to get ideas for different aspects of their lives, whether thats curating a wardrobe, planning a vacation or wedding, or furnishing a new home. In a video to investors, Silbermann illustrates why Pinterest is unique. He describes social media platforms as a way to document the past and entertain oneself; while Pinterest is a utility for future activities. Social media at its best makes you feel socially validated, while Pinterest at best makes you feel creative and empowered to act, Silbermann says. Its not like Google either. Silbermann says Pinterest users often dont have exact words to describe what theyre searching for. For instance, if someone is looking for inspiration for home design, they may not know what to type into Google, but if they were to see images proposed to them in Pinterest, theyd be able to identify what they liked, and pin it to their online board of ideas. Pinterest said in its IPO filing that it reaches more than 250 million monthly active users, two-thirds of whom are female. That includes 43% of internet users in the U.S. and 8 out of 10 moms. Pinterest highlights that statistic as an advantage over other platforms, given that mothers are primary decision-makers when it comes to buying products and services for their household. Ali Mogharabi, an analyst at Morningstar Research, says Pinterests appeal can help it attract more online ad dollars and ``opportunities exist for it to gradually increase its share of the $500 billion global digital advertising market. While we dont expect Pinterest to displace online advertising behemoths Google and Facebook or up-and-coming Amazon, we do expect it to attract a small pinch of digital ad spending, said Mogharabi, who expects a 35% compound annual growth rate for Pinterest through 2023, partly driven by the digital advertising market. In a dig at social media services, Pinterest made its position clear in its video to investors that ads are a tax to the user on social media. Even if the item is relevant, people arent interested in seeing an ad for a pair of shoes they may have looked at casually a while back when they were trying to talk to their friends. In contrast, when people are looking to make a purchase, the ads can be helpful. If a mother were browsing through baby carriages, an ad for one would be useful, not invasive. Plus, it means theres a higher likelihood she will click on the ad. Pinterest should have among the most valuable ad impressions, second only to the Google search ad, said Andrew Lipsman, an analyst at EMarketer. You could argue that Facebook is also an amazing ad unit, but the fact that Im talking about Pinterest in the same breath as Google means it has real potential. One of the primary criticisms of Pinterest is that the majority of its user growth is coming from international markets, where the average revenue per user is much lower than in the U.S. In 2018, more than 80% of new users were from outside the U.S. but they generated about 25 cents per person compared with $9.04 for those based in the U.S. Investors will have to decide whether the company will be able to bring its international revenue in line with that in the U.S. For comparison, Twitter now generates about half of its revenue from foreign countries. Investors are also aware of the potential threat that Instagram poses. The company just started testing a new shopping feature that allows people to buy things they see directly through the Instagram app. On the other hand, Pinterest may also benefit from the heightened global scrutiny of Facebook, Googles YouTube and Twitter as those platforms struggle to remove hate speech, violent content and misinformation. Advertisers are very dependent on Google and Facebook, but, I think youll see brands reduce their spend and diversify, when you see how sentiment has shifted against those platforms. Lipsman said. Pinterest is one of the few friendly corners of the internet, he said. Wang and Zaleski write for Bloomberg The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday moved forward with a law that would bar landlords from refusing to consider tenants with Section 8 vouchers. In a 12-0 vote, the council instructed the city attorney to draft an ordinance that would extend protections against so-called source-of-income discrimination to people who pay with vouchers. Housing advocates say the law is needed because Section 8 bans are often used as a proxy to discriminate by race or class, and research has shown landlord acceptance rates are higher in places with the ordinances. We have a significant barrier to affordable housing in this city and that is the denial of people who have Section 8 vouchers, Councilman Paul Krekorian, who proposed the legislation, told the council before the vote. Advertisement Nearly half the people who received a voucher in Los Angeles had it expire in 2017 before they found a place, up from 18% in 2011, according to the latest available data. Given Los Angeles affordability and homelessness crisis, Krekorian called the expirations unconscionable. Making matters worse, low usage rates could equal less voucher funding in the future, given federal formulas. It becomes a never-ending downward cycle, Krekorian said in an interview. Once the city attorney drafts the ordinance, the proposal would need to come back to council for final approval to become law, though such votes can be a formality. If passed as is, the law would take effect on Jan. 1, 2020. A growing number of municipalities, including San Diego and Santa Monica, have passed source-of-income voucher laws as tenants increasingly cant find landlords who accept the vouchers. Experts say the federal rent subsidies have not kept pace with rising rents that higher-income tenants are willing to pay. Although the proposed law does not directly address the problem of soaring rents, it does prohibit blanket Section 8 bans and outlaws common advertisements that state vouchers arent accepted. A recent Urban Institute study found that 76% of Los Angeles County landlords with units affordable to Section 8 tenants refused to accept vouchers. Among the reasons landlords cite for not accepting Section 8 vouchers are concerns over government red tape or a belief that people who need the subsidies are problem tenants, according to the Urban Institute and other studies. Housing advocates say those beliefs are inaccurate and can reflect negative stereotypes of low-income households, as well as racism against people of color, who make up the majority of voucher holders. The Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, which represents mom-and-pop landlords, opposes the proposed ordinance, saying it would essentially force landlords to participate in a program many shun because it can be cumbersome and overly bureaucratic. Section 8, for example, requires landlords to have units inspected before they can be rented with the federal subsidy, and the association said wait times to conduct those checks can be long and delay rent payment. The citys housing authority said its working to reduce wait times to two days and Krekorian promised to work with landlords and the bureaucracy to streamline the process to the greatest degree possible. Section 8, which gets its name from a section of the federal Housing Act, was launched in the 1970s as an alternative to costly public housing projects, which were criticized for segregating poor families in neighborhoods with low-quality schools. However, low subsidy levels and negative stereotypes, advocates say, have restricted the ability of families to move into neighborhoods with more opportunities. In addition to banning source-of-income discrimination against Section 8 tenants, Los Angeles proposed ordinance would stop landlords from rejecting tenants outright who pay through other subsidy programs, including those specifically designed to house homeless individuals. If the ordinance becomes law, Los Angeles would join 11 states and nine cities with policies in place to outlaw blanket Section 8 bans, according to a city report. A pending state bill, Senate Bill 329, would extend those protections across California. Another group of sacred Hopi masks was gaveled away at a Paris auction Friday, over the objections of tribe members and the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Agence France Presse has reported. In Hopi tradition, the masks dont merely represent spirits, but embody them, making it a sacrilege to collect and display them, or otherwise use them outside the ceremonies for which they were made. An appeal to a Paris court on Thursday failed, the news agency reported, and the Eve auction house went ahead with the sale, which also included Navajo artifacts. However, only nine of the 29 masks were sold, for an average price of about $20,800. A 19th century mask fetched the highest price, $51,000. The auction was at least the third one in Paris in the last 15 months to have taken place over U.S. and Native American objections. Advertisement In trying to stop the sale, the U.S. Embassy told French authorities that tribal representatives should be allowed to inspect the objects being sold, for evidence that they may have been taken without the tribes authorization and therefore subject to restitution proceedings. The sale of a sacred object cannot be dismissed with a wave of a hand as a mere commercial transaction, the embassy said, according to the news report. The auction house responded that no American law has been violated. In fact, there is no U.S. law against sacred Native American art and artifacts being collected or sold by private owners. The 1990 Native American Graves and Repatriation Act restricts what institutions receiving federal funding can acquire or display, but it doesnt apply to private collectors. W. Richard West Jr., president of L.A.s Autry National Center of the American West, and a member of the Cheyenne tribe, has noted that the law has had some persuasive force in the private sphere, making auction houses such as Sothebys and Christies somewhat more sensitive and diplomatic about selling sacred objects. In April, 2013, the Neret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou auction house in Paris generated $1.2 million as 70 Hopi masks went for an average of $17,143, with a Mother Crow mask created around 1880 fetching $209,000. When Drouot auctioneers proceeded with a sale last December, the L.A.-based Annenberg Foundation phoned in anonymous bids, landing 21 Hopi masks and three sacred Apache headdresses for $530,000, in order to return them to the tribes. Survival International, which advocates for the rights of tribal peoples around the world, has entered objections to the auctions. Did the fact that fewer than a third of the masks were sold in Fridays auction indicate that the message is getting through to would-be collectors? We certainly hope thats the case, said Kayla Wieche, spokeswoman for the organizations U.S. office in San Francisco. It would be great for people to realize this sort of thing is unethical. The Washington, D.C.-based Holocaust Art Restitution Project, devoted to securing the return of art looted by the Nazis, issued a statement Friday saying it was outraged by the most recent Paris auction of Native American artifacts, and that French authorities decision allowing it to go forward was both tragic and shameful. Ori Z. Soltes, the groups chairman, said he had urged Frances Conseil des Ventes (Board of Sales) to use its regulatory power to suspend the auction, but that instead it had issued a ruling saying that no Native American tribe has a legal standing to pursue cultural claims in France. Soltes said the decision flies in the face of the French governments endorsement of the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration affirms that states shall provide redress through effective mechanismsdeveloped in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to secure restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs. Follow https://twitter.com/boehmm of the LA Times for arts news and features Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event was a celebration of Merce Cunningham on what would have been the 100th birthday of one the most pioneering and influential choreographers in contemporary dance. Billed as the largest Cunningham event ever, Night of 100 Solos took the form of three performances Tuesday, one at the Barbican in London, another at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and the last hosted by the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. Organizing Night of 100 Solos in L.A. a performance that included 25 dancers and 100 solos across 90 minutes was a massive puzzle, said Andrea Weber, a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 2004 to 2011 and the primary stager for the L.A. event. REVIEW: Times critic Mark Swed on Night of 100 Solos Advertisement Almost two years ago, CAP UCLAs executive and artistic director, Kristy Edmunds, began talking to Cunningham centennial producer and former executive director of Cunninghams dance company, Trevor Carlson, about meaningful ways to celebrate the 100th birthday. As former consulting artistic director of the Park Avenue Armory in New York and artistic director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Edmunds knew Cunninghams work deeply. Los Angeles was a logical choice for Night of 100 Solos, she said. These were all cities that were very important over the progression of his choreographic life, she said. Edmunds curated the L.A. event by mimicking the way Cunningham worked with his collaborators. She invited artist Jennifer Steinkamp to develop the set design, a rich computer video backdrop of flora and fauna. These would have been the kind of things, had Merce known her work, they wouldve collaborated, Edmunds said. Edmunds also played a role in casting dancers for the L.A. show and raising money for the event. She and the Merce Cunningham Trust discussed casting quite a few dancers who had not worked with Merce but were extraordinary. Initial conversations with producers and primary stagers began in November 2017. The group started inviting dancers and researching solos about a year ago. Weber spent months digging through the trusts dance capsule, watching around 70 works on video to select solos for the event. She was committed to including a comprehensive array of Cunninghams choreography, from the 1950s to the 2000s. (Cunningham died in 2009.) Weber eventually selected about 10 solos, from 20 seconds to five minutes, from each decade. The oldest is from Cunninghams Dime a Dance, a work that premiered in 1953 at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Weber touted the diversity of the L.A. cast, with dancers ranging from their 20s to their 60s. Our cast is a little different than the other casts in that we have dancers from all over the United States, she said. Most hail from outside L.A., including New York, Houston and Seattle. None was a member of Cunninghams troupe, and about half had never taken a Cunningham class. Since the company disbanded in 2011, one of the things weve really focused on is that Merces legacy can live on in different bodies and different dancers, Weber said. Some of the performers Tuesday had danced Cunningham works with other companies or learned the technique in school. In a few instances, we were able to pull a solo that an individual already knew, which was important for being efficient in the rehearsal, Weber said. 1 / 9 Dancer Katherine Helen Fisher performs in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. The performance commemorated the centennial of Merce Cunningham as 75 dancers from around the world were divided over three stages in London, New York City and Los Angeles on Tuesday, which would have been Cunninghams 100th birthday. On each stage, the dancers performed 100 Cunningham solos to live music. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 9 Dancer Erin Dowd performs in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 9 Dancers Katherine Helen Fisher, left, and Burr Johnson perform in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 9 Dancer Riley Watts performs in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 9 Dancers perform in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 9 Dancers Thomas House, left, Vanessa Knouse, Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson and Barry Brannum perform in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 9 Dancer Barry Brannum performs in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 9 Dancers perform in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event at Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 9 Dancer Victor Lozano performs in a dress rehearsal of Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event in Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) In January, dancers began learning their solos in L.A., Chicago and New York from Weber and other Cunningham alumni. A former member of the Lucinda Childs Dance Company, cast member Katherine Helen Fisher now directs Safety Third Productions, an L.A.-based media company. She performed three solos for the event, from Cunninghams Variations V (1965), Fluid Canvas (2002) and Tread (1970). Learning Variations V from Weber was especially exciting, Fisher said. The two watched a black-and-white recording of the work from the 1960s or 1970s in Hamburg, Germany, and one of the dancers from the original recording now in his 70s assisted with the staging. Its like a really meaningful feeling of lineage and heritage there that I really enjoyed, Fisher said. Fisher hated her first contact with the Cunningham technique in college. It felt really narrow and kind of masculine to me in a way that I didnt feel like was accessible to my body, she said. But returning to the work as a mature dancer, after being asked to perform in Night of 100 Solos, gave the performer a new understanding of the choreographers work. I started studying the Cunningham technique for the first time in my adult life, she said. Seeing the nuance and the release ... it doesnt feel rigid to me at all anymore. It feels like really expansive. ARCHIVES: Merce Cunningham dies at 90; revolutionary choreographer Dancers run through Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event at Royce Hall at UCLA. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) For months, Weber asked dancers to send videos so she could monitor their progress with the solos. And in true Cunningham methodology, the dancers rehearsed in silence, so they would hear the live music accompaniment only when they performed. Weber and an associate stager, former Cunningham dancer Dylan Crossman, relied on another Cunningham technique chance operations to provide a sense of structure for the show. Chance was a fundamental choreographic tool for Cunningham, who often flipped coins or rolled dice to decide how to combine movement phrases. Weber and Crossman used chance to divide the 100 solos into five sections. Chance helps with decision making, Weber said. Youll think outside of your own box. But with the sheer number of solos, the duo had to do a bit more calculated arranging. They filled five poster boards with 100 sticky notes to help figure out the logistics of the show order and cues. It wasnt until Saturday, when the cast and stagers rehearsed together for the first time, that the pieces truly began to fall into place. The group had to work like clockwork to finish, and it was a feat to teach all the dancers their cues, Weber said. There was room for hiccups, though. The true magic of the show was honoring the spirit of Cunningham. Its not necessarily going to look like what a Cunningham dancer would have done, Weber said. But I think that the work is really true. I think the integrity is there, and I think that its a real celebration of Merce. SPRING DANCE PREVIEW: What to see in SoCal this season We need someone young to fix this, Oskar Eustis decides. My new, top-of-the-line recording device, purchased for this interview, is not working, and I dont know why. I make a joke about age and technology. Eustis, a producer of the revolutionary musicals Fun Home and Hamilton, doesnt laugh. He just wants to solve the problem. Hed been up late the night before, directing a preview of White Noise, Suzan-Lori Parks searing exploration of race. Fine-tuning the show in which four friends from college are confronted with the history of slavery lingering in their relationships would keep ordinary mortals sleepless, in the best sense of the word; during last nights preview, Eustis, battling fatigue, almost smiled as the characters debated the benefits of insomnia when woke. See if any 20-somethings are in the building, Eustis tells an assistant the building being New Yorks Public Theater, where hes artistic director. Advertisement Meanwhile, I flip open my reporters notepad and begin our interview the old-fashioned way, pen to paper, just as Id done the first time we met, in 1988. Then the new kid at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A., Eustis had agreed to come south from San Franciscos Eureka Theatre to become the Tapers assistant artistic director and dramaturg. He had one condition: He would bring a new play hed been developing by a relative unknown named Tony Kushner. Over the next decade, Eustis and Kushner would develop the one-act into the seven-hour, two-part Angels in America, which won two Pulitzers for drama. Find a young person to fix it. Back then, it was a theater scene that primarily ignored AIDS even as the disease decimated its ranks. Kushner and Eustis focused a hard light on the epidemic with Angels in America. This kind of unwavering loyalty to risk-taking playwrights is what makes Eustis who and what he is one of the foremost developers of young talent in the American theater. It was certainly a primary reason the Public Theater made Eustis artistic director in 2005. But such loyalty is never unconditional with Eustis. As long as the writer is willing to torture him or herself, Kushner said, Oskars right there with you. Personal commitment plus time lead to creative friendships and significant new works. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton, and now Parks and White Noise. Daveed Diggs and Zoe Winters in rehearsal for White Noise, written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Oskar Eustis. (Joan Marcus) PULITZER: How drama winner Jackie Sibblies Drury delivers her conceptual brilliance Seeing Eustis and Parks working at the White Noise preview brought to mind, surprisingly, Game of Thrones. Eustis, with his beard and long hair, his 6-foot-2 height and battle stance, reminded me of Eddard Stark. Parks has an ethereal gaze and dreadlocks that evoked Daenerys Targaryen, a woman also engaged in a war for freedom and democracy. Parks has become one of the most successful playwrights in the country. Shes the first African American woman to earn the Pulitzer Prize in drama (in 2002 for Topdog/Underdog). The year prior, she had received the MacArthur genius grant. More recently, she won the Dorothy and Lillian Gish prize, along with its $300,000 award. Her film adaptation of Richard Wrights classic novel Native Son premiered on HBO this month. When Parks met Eustis, however, she was relatively unknown. After a 1990 performance of her haunting The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World at the BACA Downtown, run by whats now known as the Brooklyn Arts Council, Eustis and Kushner expressed their admiration. I didnt know them by sight, only reputation, Parks said. Back in the day, I used to meet a lot of people, but meeting the giants youd go, Wow, gee. Eustis invited Parks to the Taper for a reading of her Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom. And so began a nearly 30-year working relationship that Eustis describes as a mutual admiration society. We found affinities very quickly. In 2002, after she won the Pulitzer, Parks moved to Los Angeles, but by then Eustis was in Rhode Island as artistic director of Trinity Rep. Parks taught at CalArts and wrote screenplays as well as plays. But she never felt California was the right fit. In 2008, as if reading her mind from across the continent, Eustis phoned Parks and asked, Do you want to come home? He offered her a job she couldnt refuse: residency at the Public through a master writer chair position funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. American playwrights need what the university system provides scholars: a place to practice her craft free of commercial pressure, Eustis says. She would be free to write plays, or not write at all. No strings, no fine print: The Public would neither own nor control her work. Suzan-Lori doesnt believe that despair is a morally acceptable option. So she tries to find something, no matter how dark, that has some hope in it. Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater and director of Suzan-Lori Parks White Noise The first child of their artistic marriage was the Civil War epic Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3). Modeled on Greek tragedies, it became a Pulitzer finalist. While watching her play night after night, she conceived White Noise. I started writing it before the Trump administration, Parks said. For years during the Obama administration, people would come up to me and say, Isnt it great to be living in a post-racial society? It was very clear to me that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, on all of us in this country. Its really hard to look at your own business and go, I really have to do some house cleaning first. However, the play was very hard to write because it went to some deep, painful places. Often, I would start writing and not be able to withstand the intensity of the story. The characters are like friends of mine college-educated, hip, woke, successful, nice people. And youd never think that behind this love they have for each other, theres this whole other thing. Racism is a virus and we all have it. So, what do we do with that information? Perhaps the play was hard to write because of the interracial conflicts? Its not so much Im feeling for the black folk and not so much for the white folk, she says. I have great love for all four characters and could not have written this if I didnt. When we start writing about topical issues, its very important that we make sure we arent throwing anyone under the bus. Its fashionable these days to write a play about something [political] and treat some of your characters with disregard. Its not about them, Parks said. Its about us. Thomas Sadoski and Sheria Irving in rehearsal for White Noise. (Joan Marcus) REVIEW: Glenda Jackson battles through a brazenly busy King Lear In summer 2017, Eustis and Parks were working on another play when she pulled him aside. Ive been writing this other thing, and I wonder if I could get the actors to read the first act. She hadnt even told me she was working on this, Eustis says. We just read it cold, sitting around the table. It was like she was totally in the pocket of the sound of this play, of who the characters were. We were all shocked and, by the end, in tears. Parks resumed the arduous excavation of White Noise with Eustis as director and an ensemble of Daveed Diggs, Sheria Irving, Thomas Sadoski, and Zoe Winters. Eustis says rehearsals with Parks work require an idiosyncratic process. Suzan-Lori is completely different from my friend Mr. Kushner in that she doesnt lean into explaining things. One of the virtues of having known each other so long is that I know what shes after, often without me having to articulate it. Parks doesnt want to talk about theme and symbolism, Eustis says. And with an actor like Daveed, you dont have to explain. Parks has her own take on his method of direction: As smart as Oskar is, all the notes for the actors come from here, his heart. Theyre not like intellectualized things. Eustis does articulate for me and my notepad a key theme: Suzan-Lori doesnt believe that despair is a morally acceptable option. So she tries to find something, no matter how dark, that has some hope in it. In a way, finding the reasons to hope is one of her main themes. QUI NGUYEN: Review: In Poor Yella Rednecks, humor and pathos in the struggles of Vietnamese immigrants Besides working together on world premieres, they team-teach a drama course at New York University on collaboration. Their latest has won mostly praise. Vulture critic Sara Holden called White Noise eviscerating and likened the plays mounting racial tension to something huge and disastrous rolling toward us like the boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark, its speed increasing by the minute. Back at the Public, before our interview ends, were interrupted. Oskar, heres the only young person I could find, says his assistant, bringing someone in to fix the audio recorder. I recognize the young person from White Noise. And also from Hamilton. Is this it? Diggs picks up my recorder and does something in two seconds. OK, I think its recording now. Thomas Sadoski, from left, Daveed Diggs, Zoe Winters and Sheria Irving in the world premiere of White Noise at the Public Theater. (Joan Marcus) See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. After teasing to it earlier this week, Madonna on Wednesday released Medellin, a duet with Colombian star Maluma thats the first track off her upcoming album, Madame X. Lisbon is where my record was born, Madonna said in a statement, which also announced the albums June 14 release date. I found my tribe there and a magical world of incredible musicians that reinforced my belief that music across the world is truly all connected and is the soul of the universe. She said shes lived the last several years in the Portuguese capital city, and the new song illustrates the global influences said to be at play in the 15-track album. Advertisement Quavo, Swae Lee and Anitta are featured on the collection, along with a second song with Maluma. Madame X also promises lyrics sung in Spanish, English and Portuguese. Among other collaborators, Madonna enlisted longtime producer Mirwais, along with fellow producers Diplo and Mike Dean. The Medellin music video will premiere April 24 on MTV, live from London at 1 p.m. Pacific time, with Madonna taking questions from fans in London and New York City. Maluma will join the event via satellite from Miami. Madame X, available for pre-order now, comes in regular and deluxe versions, with the latter edition from Target including two bonus tracks. You can also get it on vinyl or cassette, in addition to CD and streaming. cdz@latimes.com @theCDZ on Twitter and Instagram Heres how you know you are watching a show written by Sally Wainwright: It revolves around women of all ages, talents and temperaments; it is set in Yorkshire; it most probably stars Sarah Lancashire, Suranne Jones, Nicola Walker and/or Amelia Bullmore, and its very, very good. Unforgiven, Scott & Bailey, The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, To Walk Invisible for the last 25 years, Wainwright has created some of the best shows on British television, many of which have found devoted audiences in the U.S., either through PBS or streaming services. For the record: An earlier version of this story referred to Nicola Walker as Nicole Walker. Gentleman Jack, which debuts April 22 on HBO, checks all the Wainwright boxes. The story of a 19th century very out lesbian that took Wainwright more than 15 years to get made, Gentleman Jack may finally get her the international attention she deserves. As a writer, she has been revolutionizing television for years, but she isnt buzzy like, say, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve, Fleabag) or Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Divorce), though its hard to imagine those women finding success without her in the picture. Advertisement In drama, female writers rarely get the serious auteur attention of their male counterparts, but it is a bit weird how unfamous Wainwright is. The titles of her series are inevitably greeted by enthusiastic nods and I love that show, while her name gets blank stares. Its difficult not to believe this has something to do with her preferred subject matter. I write the stories I want to see, Wainwright says. Most writers do. The difference is, I find women more interesting. And indeed, with every new series, Wainwright is inevitably, to the point of tedium, credited with bringing a new sort of woman to television. This makes it sound like shes part of the Marvel universe, when the opposite is true. Wainwrights characters could not be more rooted in reality many struggle to excel professionally while dealing with the intricate demands of friendship and family, others are just trying to find their place in the world. They do not kick ass, except at that level most of us experience surviving our day-to-day lives. Scott & Bailey was that rare police procedural where not just the main detectives but also many of their supervisors were smart, cranky and sexually active women. In Last Tango in Halifax, Wainwright addressed all manner of age, class and sexual barriers by portraying a later-in-life reunion between two former high school sweethearts and the tension between their daughters, one a farmer, the other a posh headmistress. Happy Valleys police sergeant is both steely and, on occasion, utterly traumatized. Which means that the new sort of woman label actually refers simply to female leads who are complicated, realistic and multi-layered. You know, just like so many male leads on television. Wainwright didnt set out to write new kinds of women or to correct the gender imbalance. She just wanted to write first plays, then radio, then television. Her first TV writing job, in 1991, was on the British soap Emmerdale; she was thrilled when, two years later, she landed a job on Coronation Street. Now, with each series she writes, Wainwright becomes more aware of how unusual it still is for a television writer to focus almost exclusively on telling female stories. Complex female characters are still quite thin on the ground, she says, and when you write them, you are often accused of not knowing how to write male characters. When I was writing Scott & Bailey, some critics complained that all the men in the show were weak. They werent weak, they just werent there all that much, they werent the leads. On the phone from Britain, Wainwright speaks in quick, declarative sentences, gentled a bit by her Yorkshire accent with its long As, round Os and forgiving consonants, but still quite direct. Were all pleased that there are more female characters, but most of the stories are very masculine, driven by male characters. Im a 56-year-old woman, and there are very few shows that speak to me. I flick through Netflix and theres still this assumption that were all interested in what men are up to. When Last Tango in Halifax premiered, after first being rejected by ITV and the BBC, Wainwright found herself getting a bit more press, in part because the series was loosely based on her mothers rediscovery of love with an old flame, and the success of Happy Valley put her on a few lists of important female TV writers. While Wainwright appreciated the attention, she was a bit annoyed that it had taken so long. Its nice to get recognition, she says. But I feel like it should have come sooner. Im shy about a lot of things, but Im not shy about being talented. Her name recognition will no doubt be raised significantly with Gentleman Jack, which stars Jones and features Bullmore. The story of Anne Lister, a nongender-conforming 19th century English landowner, diarist and mountaineer who is now considered the first modern lesbian, is in many ways peak Wainwright, a culmination of her get on with it ethos in a world resistant to women who are more interested in women than in men. When Wainwright first pitched a television series based on the life of Lister, sometime in the early noughties, no one was interested. The time wasnt right, she says now, for the story of a woman like Lister. Not that there were very many women like Lister. Striding through the streets of Halifax in her black and manly (though still full skirted) attire, running coal mines, rebuilding her ancestral home, Shibden Hall, and actively courting a variety of women, Lister was never anything other than thoroughly herself. She kept voluminous diaries about her life (the bits concerning her love life were written in code), and in 1834, she married Ann Walker in Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York. Although the ceremony was, obviously, not legally recognized, a blue plaque commemorating it, and her, was recently added to the churchs exterior. Wainwright, a West Yorkshire native, had visited Shibden Hall as a girl, but that was the early 70s and historic homes werent exactly trumpeting their famous lesbians. It wasnt until Wainwright read Jill Liddingtons 1994 book Presenting the Past that she realized that a singular woman had once owned the Tudor-trimmed hall she had toured on school trips. And, as previously noted, Wainwright specializes in singular women. Especially those who live in Yorkshire. Shes happy now the series didnt get picked up the first time she pitched it; she didnt know enough, she says, and audiences wouldnt have been able to appreciate how unique Lister was. Weve become a lot more articulate about the fluidity of gender and gay rights. Lister was absolutely unique. She was quite open about being gay and masculine; her journals are the Rosetta Stone of lesbians. It also gave Wainwright an opportunity to once again explore the history of Yorkshire (To Walk Invisible, for those who havent seen it, is about the Bronte sisters, and you should see it because it is terrific.) Although she and her husband do not live in Yorkshire, it remains Wainwrights first language. Not since James Herriot has a writer been so identified by the green and empty landscape or the regions linguist peculiarities, the owts and nowts and wrong end otstick. Thats how I talk, thats how I think, she says. I hate generic settings, and the land there is so photogenic, so deeply beautiful. The language of the North is also one of the reasons she often works with the same actors. I often write for people I like working with. Sarah and Suranne are both Northern and they get the humor. Theyre not afraid to find the humor even when its dark. Indeed, one more hallmark of the Wainwright oeuvre is the wit of the dialogue. Wainwrights women rarely mince words, but in a Wainwright drama, even the most emotionally fraught situation is mined for meaning, the writers respect for real women mirrored in the characters treatment of each other. And that may be the most revolutionary thing of all. Gentleman Jack Where: HBO When: 10 p.m. Monday Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17) mary.mcnamara@latimes.com @marymacTV The notion that what is lost will be found has a biblical ring to it, but the charming, gently amusing Irish film Lost & Found says things are not always that simple. Written and directed by Liam O Mochain, who also has a key acting role, Lost & Found is an anthology film, a collection of seven interconnected stories that will not fail to make you smile. Made on a financial shoestring, the film was shot three or four days a year over a five-year period, with the writer-director spending six months of each year on research, three months on the writing and three months on the production. Holding everything together is the genial presence of O Mohain himself, who appears in several of the stories, as do many of the other actors, as the films characters come in and out of one anothers lives. Advertisement Its a gambit calculated to make us feel like we live in the unnamed Irish small town where everything takes place and everyone knows more about everyone elses business than they should. Lost & Found begins not with a story proper but rather with a kind of framing vignette, a day in the life of the lost-and-found office of the local train station, set in a unprepossessing prefab building just outside the station itself. O Mohain plays Daniel, a not overly ambitious young man met on his first day on the job as a member of the lost-and-found staff, reacting nervously as people dash in and out bringing in all manner of things, including an abandoned baby. (O Mohain reports in a directors note that he commandeered his childrens toys as lost-and-found set decoration, which both bemused and confused my 3-year-old and 2-year-old when they visited the set.) The stories that follow this introduction were all inspired by things that actually happened and connect to the title concept. Up first is Ticket to Somewhere, introducing the elderly Eddie (Liam Carney) as a man who haunts the train station, asking for money so he can afford a trip to visit his wife and daughter, a trip he never seems to take no matter how many coins he collects. Travel by a different mode figures in The Proposal, as Daniels friend Gabriel (Seamus Hughes) has a romantic getaway all planned to ask his long-time girlfriend to marry him. Unfortunately, his zeal for secrecy does not end well. Daniel is back in the next episode, The Tent, where a story from his ailing grandmother, who as a child came to Ireland as part of the Kindertransport exodus from Germany, sends him on what may or may not be a wild goose chase. The Will, based were told on an urban legend, details the unexpected things that occur in the wake of a ticket taker on the train (Norma Sheahan) making an unplanned stop at a local funeral home. Grand Opening involves Daniels uncle Podge (Donncha Crowley), whose local pub is the one no one goes to, no matter how many changes of theme and decor he tries. Getting people to show up just might involve a sacrifice of a different kind. The films closing segment, The Wedding, brings back Sile (Aoibhin Garrihy), a peripheral character in an earlier segment, front and center here as a woman bound and determined to get married. All in all, the characters in Lost & Found are no smarter or luckier than they need to be, and their travails and coincidences manage to be just comic and human enough to make us happy for the time we spend together. ------------- Lost & Found Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes Playing: Starts April 19, Laemmle Monica, Santa Monica; Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino; Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena kenneth.turan@latimes.com @KennethTuran A few days ago in a galaxy not so far away, an estimated 65,000 Star Wars fans from across the globe quested their way to the biggest convention center in the United States. Their mission: To be one with the Force that has fueled the multibillion-dollar franchise since 1977. They came dressed as Jedi warriors, Stormtroopers, Wookiees, bounty hunters, Kylos, Reys, Lukes and Leias, with children, families, fan clubs and friends in tow fans of all stripes representing every known corner of the Star Wars universe. Featuring star-studded panels, sneak peeks, celebrity signings and cosplay meet-ups, Star Wars Celebration is a uniquely immersive experience for fans of the now-Disney-owned space opera franchise that George Lucas created 42 years ago. Director J.J. Abrams teased Decembers Episode IX and unveiled its subtitle, The Rise of Skywalker, April 12 at the Star Wars Celebration. (Daniel Boczarski / Getty Images for Disney) Advertisement First look: Star Wars: Episode IX debuts title and trailer In the cavernous convention ballroom, vendors sell wall-to-wall Star Wars merch. You can get Lando Calrissian, R2-D2 or the Rebel Alliance logo inked onto your skin by your favorite tattoo artist, and snag autographs from stars like Ahmed Best, Jar Jar Binks himself. This year at Star Wars Celebration, held in Chicago, registered guests could sign up to look for love at one of several speed-dating sessions and a few high rollers mulled purchasing a rare Boba Fett action figure valued at $365,000, according to collectibles broker Brian Rachfal of Roseville, Calif. Opening a direct channel to the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of their core audience, the convention for all things Star Wars is also one of Disneys savviest marketing undertakings as the studio eyes lucrative brand expansions and a move into Netflix-dominated streaming territory this fall. So whats it like to attend Star Wars Celebration? Chewie, were home. Star Wars fans angle for a glimpse of their favorite stars on the exhibition floor stage at Star Wars Celebration. (Antonio Perez / TNS) Where fandom and capitalism collide The space opera Lucas birthed is now a full-fledged media empire that has to date yielded 10 feature films, spinoffs, animated series, television specials, comics, books, video games, and a booming market for merchandise and collectibles. Star Wars Celebration is part fan service, part mega-corporate marketing, where each morning a DJ blasts nerd-themed club mixes and Bohemian Rhapsody to pump up audiences for sneak peeks of Disneys Star Wars product slate. During Fridays centerpiece panel highlighting the December release of saga-ending Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, 7,000 fans at Wintrust Arena rose to their feet in a standing ovation for actress Kelly Marie Tran, who became visibly emotional at the gesture. After leaving social media due to harassment from toxic fans last year, to witness Kelly Marie Tran getting a standing ovation from a bunch of Star Wars fans at Celebration made me tear up like few displays of fandom ever have. ITS. WHAT. SHE. DESERVES. pic.twitter.com/dSnhy6tFx5 Titus Joel (@joelbks913) April 12, 2019 It was a palpable display of support for Tran nearly a year after online harassers chased her off social media following the release of The Last Jedi, which introduced her Resistance heroine, Rose Tico. Then theres the commercial flip side of Star Wars Celebration, where unabashed brand synergy can test the patience of the cynically minded. Saturday on the very same stage, cheers met the announcement that Coca-Cola had been officially written into the Star Wars canon, its logo translated into the fictional language of Aurebesh for the Galaxys Edge attraction opening in May at Disney parks in California and Florida. Jim Villarreal, left, and Alexa Border pose in costume at Star Wars Celebration. (Jen Yamato / LA Times) A convention to themselves First held in 1999 in Denver ahead of the release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Celebration has been staged over a dozen times since in the U.S., Europe and Japan, usually built around an upcoming film release or franchise milestone. Its more intimate and navigable than the all-encompassing geek mecca of San Diego International Comic-Con, and theres only one universe to deep-dive into. Thats one draw that enticed longtime Star Wars fan Alexa Border, 38, of Woodland Hills, to travel to Illinois for this years Celebration. Its still smaller than Comic-Con so its not as overbearing with the amount of people. And everything here is from the same fandom, and thats really nice, she said, taking a moment in a quiet promenade hallway where dozens of attendees sat resting and charging their phones. Dressed in Daisy Ridleys Battle Rey costume from The Last Jedi, Border was heading to a Rey meet-up of cosplayers. Her companion, a Rogue One Rebel trooper named Jim Villarreal, also from the San Fernando Valley, nodded in agreement. I grew up on Star Wars, said Villarreal, 45, who saw A New Hope in theaters as a kid. Recently he took his fandom to the next level, joining a Facebook fan group and cosplaying for charity and at conventions. Ive always enjoyed it, even more so over the years. Imperial cosplayers get creative and mingle at Star Wars Celebration (Jen Yamato / LA Times) A fandom for everyone In his squad button-up after donning a Stormtrooper uniform earlier in the day, 501st Legion member Tom Rohlf of Des Moines said its his love of Star Wars and the community hes found in the fandom that brings him to Celebration. He came to his first in 2005, in Indianapolis, in search of exclusives. A few years later he joined the ranks of the 501st, an international fan group whose members cosplay as screen-accurate Stormtroopers and other Star Wars villains at costume and charity events. Thats the cool thing, he said. With the 501st its got to be screen accurate, but we dont care whos in it. Kids dont see the differences like adults do. They just see, Thats Darth Vader. Thats Rey! And we love it. I think people need to remember that [Star Wars] is something that brings people joy. Jim Villarreal, Rebel Legion Rohlf considered the slice of Star Wars fandom that engenders negativity across the fan community and described being inside the Celebration arena to witness Trans emotional moment. She cried, Im pretty sure a lot of people in the audience cried, he said. It was awesome to make her see that were not all that way. If toxic fans are present at Star Wars Celebration, theyre not wearing their sentiments on their sleeves. Among the many female Kylo Rens, inclusive Jedis, and mash-up cosplayers were fans in Celebration-exclusive T-shirts emblazoned with a simple, powerful message: Star Wars is for everyone. I think its very easy to be a troublemaker when no one can see your face, said Border. I think its all about people hiding behind their screens. Toxic fandom is definitely an online thing, added Villarreal. And its kind of gotten out of control. I think people need to remember that [Star Wars] is something that brings people joy. Pedro Pascal stars as The Mandalorian in the Disney+ streaming series launching this November. (Disney) All corners of the galaxy Disney acquired Star Wars along with Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion and has since plotted even more ambitious franchise expansions, releasing four new films in the last three years. New film and TV spinoffs mean more in-universe story and characters to explore and with them, more merchandising and licensing opportunities. But Disney and Lucasfilm are banking on sustained fan hunger for Star Wars, and whether or not Star Wars fatigue will curb that appetite will become clearer as the franchise further swells with the November launch of spinoff series The Mandalorian on new streaming platform Disney+. Committed Celebration attendees were so hyped for a peek at The Mandalorian Sunday morning, they waited in freezing conditions as unexpected snowstorms blanketed the city and grounded flights at OHare, with nary a tauntaun in sight to climb into for warmth. The Boba Fett-loving segment of the Star Wars fandom filled out their own cheering section inside the arena, pumping their helmets in the air ahead of Sundays first-look panel. John Boyega as Finn with Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron in a scene from Star Wars: Episode IX. (Lucasfilm) The Mandalorian: Disney unveils live-action streaming series Two days earlier, Episode IX star Oscar Isaac reinforced the cross-cultural reach of the franchise when he taught moderator Stephen Colbert the Spanish title of Star Wars: Its La Guerra de las Galaxias, he said, adding a shout-out to the Spanish version of R2-D2s name: Arturito. To date, Star Wars has been translated into more than 50 languages; according to Disney, this years Celebration welcomed attendees from all 50 U.S. states and more than 54 countries. Clad in jeans and a T-shirt and casually carrying a lightsaber as he walked into his first Celebration was 14-year-old Star Wars fan Carlos Rio, who traveled from Mexico with his parents and 9-year-old sister, Tania, as she sported Carrie Fishers classic Episode IV dress and buns, to attend the convention. Im kind of obsessed with Star Wars, he said. Its meant a lot to me since I was a kid. I just love it. I think its because of the story, the characters all things Star Wars. My favorite movie is The Revenge of the Sith, and I really like the prequels. Jedi elders watch with bemusement as Skeletor seizes a lightsaber: I have the power! (Jen Yamato / LA Times) The view from the convention floor Brand synergy galore greeted fans the moment they walk onto the exhibition floor, where Amazon.com hawked Star Wars-licensed merchandise and the Geico lizard peered out at fans from its own booth, as an official sponsor of the Star Wars stage. A few feet away, Stormtroopers in bathrobes and hair curlers mingled, Sith browsed booths, and full-body-suited Ewoks yub-nubbed around, as they do. Near the Hasbro booth, an interloping Skeletor seized a lightsaber and held it in the air, shouting, I have the power! Gormaanda, the four-armed chef from the Star Wars Holiday Special, stirred and whipped to the delight of passersby while a purple-haired Vice Admiral Holdo stood in line for coffee. Near an Ahch-To backdrop, one of several Last Jedi Thala Sirens replete with udders held a glass of Lukes favorite green milk. One for all my Star Wars Holiday Special heads #gormaanda pic.twitter.com/vrG52HPGSm jen yamato (@jenyamato) April 14, 2019 Among a line of Leias marching to a photo op with Jabba the Hutt was a cosplayer dressed as George Lucas in a bikini. The latter also posed for photographs chained to a Jawa with Mickey Mouses face. Incredible craftwork went into the costuming of Roberto Tateishi of Sao Paolo, a Brazilian Star Wars fan of Japanese descent whose take on blind Jedha warrior Chirrut Imwe of Rogue One turned heads. Navigating the floor wearing milky contact lenses, Tateishi struck an uncanny resemblance to actor Donnie Yen with his handcrafted wooden staff, wearing custom-made props molded from the body of a Super-8 camera. He is one with the Force. The Force is with him. Roberto Tateishi of Brazil cosplays as Rogue One's Chirrut Imwe (Jen Yamato / LA Times) Its the first character who was really Asian in the Star Wars saga that was really important to the story, and I was born with a likeness to Donnie Yens face, smiled Tateishi. I prefer Han Solo, but God gave me this face, he joked. He applauded the inclusiveness that has come to the Star Wars universe in films like Rogue One, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Im so proud that people love Chirrut. It was a dream to come to my first Celebration. jen.yamato@latimes.com @jenyamato A concert marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was held in Kiev on Tuesday with the participation of artists from China and Ukraine. Staged at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the concert was performed by the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine (NAONI), the chorus of students of the National Music Academy of Ukraine (NMAU) named after P.I. Tchaikovsky and solo artists from the two countries. The concert was directed by Dong Junjie, the music director at the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater in north China, and Oleg Kuntyy, the music director at the NAONI. The concert featured a wide range of musical genres, with selections ranging from Chinese and Ukrainian folk melodies to rhapsodies and classical arias. Renowned music pieces, such as Chinese song "Jasmine Flower" and Ukrainian song "Dark brows" were played at the concert. The melody "Butterflies" performed by the Chinese violinist Julia Wang won thunderous applause from the Ukrainian public. While addressing the event, Maksym Tymoshenko, the head of the NMAU, expressed congratulations and best wishes to Chinese people on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, saying that the joint concert is helping to promote ties between China and Ukraine. "I think this is a very big event for our states. This is a bridge of friendship, a bridge of art," Tymoshenko said. In the framework of the concert, an art exhibition was held to celebrate the anniversary. The exhibition featured 25 pieces of artworks painted by Chinese and Ukrainian artists in different genres, such as portraiture, landscape and still life. When I ask Yoshihiro Sako of Den Sake Brewery whether his first love was wine or sake, he answers slowly, as if it were a trick question. Sake. Then, with a smile: Of course, thats what I should say. Its not a trick question, though. Sako, who is Dens head brewer (and, apart from his business partner, its only employee), often uses the language of wine to describe his sake. He started learning about wine and sake at the same time, in the early 2000s, when he was the manager of Corkage, a now-closed San Francisco shop and bar with more than 200 wines and sakes. Sakos mission with Den is similar to that of many upstart wineries in California and beyond: to create a hyper-local, small-batch drink that speaks to the place it was made. For the record: An earlier version of this story said most sake is released after one to two years of aging. It is generally released after three to six months. Den, which is Japanese for rice paddy, is what you might call a nano-brewery. Sako released his first batch of sake in August 2018. Since then, hes released about 1,500 500ml bottles every two months; his sixth batch will go out the next few weeks. He has just purchased his fourth stainless-steel fermentation tank from a neighboring winemaker, Chris Brockway in Berkeley, which will allow him to increase his bimonthly yield to 2,000 bottles. Despite its tiny scale, Den has made the lists of exciting restaurants around California, including Shibumi in downtown Los Angeles, Izakaya Rintaro in San Francisco, Soba Ichi in Oakland. In February, Sako was named a James Beard semifinalist for the wine, spirits, or beer professional award. (His sake is not yet available in shops in L.A.) Advertisement Den sake is a junmai sake, meaning it is made from rice that is milled down to 70% of its original size, as opposed to the 60% required for ginjo or 50% for daiginjo. While the conventional wisdom is that the more the rice is milled, the purer and more premium the sake, many experts are pushing against this idea. Shinichi Washino, who oversees the tightly edited 10-bottle sake list at Soba Ichi, serves nine junmais and only one ginjo sake. I dont really like daijinjo or ginjo sake, even though thats the trend. Theyre too aromatic, too fruity to go well with food. Bottles of sake at Den Sake Brewery. (Colin Price / For The Times) Sako says he has designed Den Sake to pair well with food traditional Japanese dishes, like whats served at Soba Ichi, but also the California cooking he enjoys at home. My sake is relatively young, Sako explains. Sake is generally released after three to six months of aging, but Sako releases his right at three months. This is mostly a logistical decision; he doesnt have an extra tank to store the sake, and to meet customer demand, he likes to release each new batch whenever the last sells out. I like to pair Den with green vegetable sauces: pesto, olive oil, chimichurri, gremolata. A tomato sauce is a good match too because my sake has higher acidity than other sakes. Because of the way Sako manipulates the mash temperature before fermentation, Den often has twice the acidity of traditional Japanese sakes, which helps it stand up to a wider range of foods. Going further down the wine-and-sake path, I ask him if he thinks sake is capable of expressing terroir. Wow, thats a big, big question! he says with a laugh. Sako is quick to point out that even in the world of wine, terroir resists definition and is difficult to talk about. But he makes one key distinction between wine and sake: For wine, of course, the grape is the most important element; the majority of a wines characteristics comes from the grape. That means that how the grape was farmed and the soil in which it was grown profoundly affect the finished wine. But for sake making, its a little bit different. Its more about technique, about people controlling the process. This makes sense on a scientific level: Grapes, because they contain sugar, can interact with naturally occurring molds and yeasts in the air to spontaneously ferment into wine. (Although, unless youre a bear wandering the forest and looking to catch a buzz, you might not want to drink the stuff.) Rice, by contrast, does not have natural sugars; a sake brewer must add a specialized fungus called koji to convert the rices starch into glucose, which then gets fermented into alcohol. Sako is quick to point out that his raw ingredients do matter, and are a huge part of what makes his sake so special. Eighty percent of sake is water, he tells me. You can hear the pride in his voice when he notes that he only uses Oakland water, unfiltered. Its super, super soft water. And apparently, it varies rather noticeably depending on the weather conditions in the Mokelumne River watershed, in the Sierra Foothills where the East Bays water supply comes from. In rainy seasons, they release the water more quickly from the reservoir, so theres less contact with the walls of the reservoir and less mineral content. During a drought, the water stays in the reservoir for a long time, so it stays in contact with the walls longer, creating more minerality. He feels his latest batches, which were made after the recent rains, taste different from early batches made during a drought. He embraces these microscopic differences: They are a way his sake expresses the locality. Yoshihiro Sako weighs steamed rice to brew sake at Den Sake Brewery. (Colin Price / For The Times) Of course, the most important ingredient in any sake is the rice, which Sako sources from Rue & Forsman Ranch, a family-run operation in Rio Oso, Calif., about 40 minutes north of Sacramento. There, Michael Bosworth grows 18 different varieties of rice, including the Calhikari rice Sako uses to make his sake. In Japan, most sake is made from some variety of sake rice (sakamai), mostly the medium-grain Yamada Nishiki, which is commonly called the king of sake rice. Calhikari, by contrast, is a short-grain eating rice, a hybrid cross of a premium Japanese sushi rice called Koshihikari and Californias ubiquitous Calrose variety. Making sake from eating rice is rare in Japan. After taking a tour of Rue & Forsman with Bosworth, Sako knew that he wanted to work with the farmer, even though the ranch doesnt grow a sake-specific rice variety. Yoshi appreciated what we were doing, the unique character of our rice, and our ability to identity-preserve the rice through the supply chain to him. Most rice, even that grown by smaller farming operations, is sent to a centralized drying facility for processing. There, rice from any number of farmers is dumped onto one conveyor belt and mixed together before packing and shipping. So its impossible to know where exactly your rice comes from. This is true for not only rice, but also grains and many other products bought on the commodity market. Yoshihiro Sakos mission with Den is similar to that of many upstart wineries in California and beyond: to create a hyper-local, small-batch drink that speaks to the place it was made. (Colin Price / For The Times) At most drying facilities, youre not going to have your own little silo for Bobs Farm and Jims Farm, Bosworth explains. Theyre just going to put it all together, trying to do things as efficiently as possible. But Bosworth bypasses this entirely: He purchased his own drying facility with 15 different small silos, and he manages all of his own distribution. Fermenting sake from an eating rice is no easy feat theres a reason Japanese brewers rely on sakamai like Yamada Nishiki, which along with other sake-rice varieties has a starch pod at the center of the grain called the shinpaku. After the rice is steamed, the shinpaku helps trap moisture in the interior of the rice, which is a magnet for koji spores. This causes the koji to drill into the center of the rice grain, maximizing enzyme action and resulting in a more complete conversion of starch into glucose. The sushi rice Sako uses, Calhikari, has no shinpaku, which means that Sako has to work harder to get the koji fungus to penetrate the surface of the rice. I apprenticed with a Japanese brewery, and learned all these numbers: Weigh the rice dry, weigh it after soaking, and you should get a certain water absorption ratio in order to make a good koji. But he quickly realized that none of those numbers applied in Oakland the rice and water were too different. I learned I needed to adjust to the conditions here. Its taking a long time. I cant help but think about the old wine adage that the harder a grape has to work to survive, the better, more ethereal the wine. Im sure Im just imagining it, but maybe, just maybe, you can taste how hard Sako has worked to make his sake the success it is. On a recent spring morning in a downtown Los Angeles loft, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent were thoughtful, approachable and passionate about design and attention to detail which also describes the aesthetic they champion and display in their second Nate and Jeremiah for Living Spaces collection. The 64 pieces launching in-store and online this week range in price from $39 for accent pillows to $695 for a French-vintage inspired dining table and $2,395 for the Whitley three-piece sectional. The designers said the concept is affordable luxury: Its not riding the crest of any trend, Berkus said. It was really important that [the line] have a really good quality and a timelessness to it, so that if it stayed for 25 years, that would be OK. 1 / 14 Designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are thoughtful, approachable and passionate about design and attention to detail an aesthetic that is on display in their second Nate and Jeremiah for Living Spaces collection. Here are some images from the collection: (Living Spaces) 2 / 14 A set from the second Nate + Jeremiah for Living Spaces collection. (Living Spaces) 3 / 14 The 64 pieces launching in-store and online this week range in price from $39 for accent pillows to $695 for a French-vintage inspired dining table and $2,395 for the Whitley 3-piece sectional. (Living Spaces) 4 / 14 Its not riding the crest of any trend, designer Nate Berkus said of the Nate + Jeremiah for Living Spaces collection. (Living Spaces) 5 / 14 Nate Berkus: It was really important that [the line] have a really good quality and a timelessness to it, so that if it stayed for 25 years, that would be OK. (Living Spaces) 6 / 14 Our rule as husbands, as a couple, on television and what we design together is if one person really doesnt like it, its not happening, said Nate Berkus of his and Jeremiah Brents approach to working together. (Living Spaces) 7 / 14 Nate Berkus added: If somebodys on the fence, maybe they can be convinced, and if we both love it then its an A-plus and it goes in. We agree on the majority of things. (Living Spaces) 8 / 14 How do they differ in their design approach? Berkus said, I think I tend to reach toward things that are more historical, with a more traditional perspective and Jeremiah throws out all the rules. (Living Spaces) 9 / 14 Part of the Nate + Jeremiah collection (Living Spaces) 10 / 14 This room -- modern yet inviting -- reflects the couples approach to design and attention to detail. (Living Spaces) 11 / 14 Part of the Nate + Jeremiah collection (Living Spaces) 12 / 14 A piece from the Nate + Jeremiah collection (Living Spaces) 13 / 14 Part of the Nate + Jeremiah collection (Living Spaces) 14 / 14 Part of the Nate + Jeremiah collection (Living Spaces) If forced to choose, Berkus said the Galerie Secretary ($1,095) would be his favorite new piece. The secretary started as an idea for a smaller-scale desk, said Berkus, who envisioned creating an alternative to a built-in desk. The result, a tall, slender black cabinet with upper shelves backed with antique mirrors, a fold-out desktop and bottom drawers with brass pulls. Advertisement For Brent, it was the curvaceous, vintage-inspired Pavilion Writing Desk ($1,095): Thats my favorite. Of the two-person design process, Berkus said, Our rule, as husbands, as a couple, on television and what we design together, is if one person really doesnt like it, its not happening. If somebodys on the fence, maybe they can be convinced, and if we both love it, then its an A-plus and it goes in. We agree on the majority of things. He added: I think I tend to reach toward things that are more historical, with a more traditional perspective, and Jeremiah throws out all the rules. With their hit TLC show Nate and Jeremiah by Design now in its third season, which will include cameos by their kids, Poppy, 3, and Oskar, 11 months, its a style strategy with proven success for their growing lifestyle and design empire. We wake up talking about design and we go to bed talking about design, said Brent. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity that our passion is where we get to work, and we absolutely love it. Bonnie McCarthy contributes to the Los Angeles Times as a home and lifestyle design writer. She enjoys scouting for directional trends and reporting on whats new and next. Follow her on Twitter @ThsAmericanHome ALSO How designer Nate Berkus blended old and new in his L.A. kitchen remodel They found a real estate unicorn: A house with great bones, ready for decorating Youve never seen a kitchen island sink like this How online art galleries are serving up talent and sales without the tude The Laguna Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to keep an American flag design on city police cars. The vote came after days of national debate about the design for the police vehicles, one that some local officials believed got out of hand. At least 200 people packed the council chambers, where police officers guarded the doors. Many in attendance wore combinations of red, white and blue. Some donned veterans or American Legion hats. A couple wore Make America Great Again caps. One woman burst into the national anthem, and most of the crowd joined her in song. Several people recited poems. Advertisement This became about the flag, but before that it was not about the flag. It was about what our Police Department wanted, what they thought they could best serve the community with, Mayor Bob Whalen said. A few speakers had qualms about the design, which couples the cars new black-and-white color scheme with the U.S. flag graphic. Longtime Laguna Beach resident Patrick Cannon said that when he sees the new logo on police cars, he sees Immigration and Customs Enforcement because the red and white of the flag runs through the capital letters ice in police. Were rainbow-sandal-wearing, avocado-eating surfers and artists, and inclusion is part of our town, Cannon said. We do not include our Hispanic community by putting ICE on our police cars. The flag design on Laguna Beach police cars has stirred discussion about whether the new theme properly reflects the community. (City of Laguna Beach) Chris Prelitz said he has seen nothing but hate toward anyone who questioned the design. Audience members interrupted him with boos, and Whalen quieted the crowd. The other side does exist, Prelitz said. Everyone here supports the red, white and blue, and Im fine with that. I was just pointing out that there might be unintended consequences, and youre seeing that [tonight]. Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said Laguna Beach doesnt have a problem with patriotism, but she suggested making the I in police blue so the letters ice wouldnt be all red. Youre really all here because you believe we should protect against the tyranny of the majority, Iseman told the crowd. We have to protect the minority voice or we dont have a democracy. Conservative activist and local attorney Jennifer Zeiter began the conversation about the flag before the council took up the topic, asking for 10 seconds of silence to honor service members killed recently in Afghanistan. Her son serves in the military in Iraq, she said as she placed a triangle-shaped American flag in a case on the lectern. This flag is what theyre fighting for, and theyre fighting for all of us, she said to cheers from many in the audience. Jim Gilchrist, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was awed to see the number of Laguna Beach residents who came out to support the flag. This flag is very personal to me, he said, choking up at the memory of fellow Marines who died in the war. I fly a flag in front of my house to remember those men every day. To have that flag on a police car is great. The council first agreed to redesign the citys mostly white Ford Explorer police vehicles in February, choosing a black-and-white look and the image of Old Glory running through the word police on the doors. The council decided to revisit its decision this month out of an abundance of caution after hearing complaints from residents and acknowledging that the bold-colored design currently on the cars doesnt match the option the council initially chose, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow said in an interview Monday. The graphic the council unanimously approved Feb. 19 was a more muted version what City Manager John Pietig called a cloudlike look. Pinho writes for Times Community News. Standing room only before Laguna Beach City Council meeting begins. Most are here to speak about police car flag design. @TheDailyPilot pic.twitter.com/NC7pmZgzih Faith E. Pinho (@faithepinho) April 17, 2019 faith.pinho@latimes.com Pinho writes for Times Community News. The use of deadly force by Los Angeles police and the number of suspects killed in violent encounters dropped in 2018, officials reported Tuesday. Los Angeles police officers fired their weapons 33 times last year compared with 44 shootings the previous year a 25% decrease, according to the report presented to the Police Commission. Its the second-fewest incidences of police shootings since 1989, the report said. For the record: A previous version of this article stated that in 2018, the Los Angeles Police Department led the nation in fatal shootings by officers with 14. A report released last week by the National Police Foundation said that the Phoenix Police Department was involved in 23 fatal shootings by officers last year. In its report on the use of force, the LAPD compared numbers of fatal shootings by several large police departments, but it did not Phoenix. Of the 33 shootings, 24 people were hit by gunfire. The 14 people who died represented a slight drop from 17 the previous year. Fatal shootings have fallen each year since officers killed 21 people in 2015, the department said. Of those fatally shot, eight were Latinos, one was white and the ethnicity of one person was not listed. Four African Americans were fatally shot in officer-involved incidents last year, but two of those deaths were from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, the report said. Nearly 90% of those shot by police last year were armed with a firearm or other weapon. Advertisement Im encouraged by the results from last year, Police Chief Michel Moore told the commission. The greatest outcome is to safely resolve dangerous situations. Moore credited the reduction to new policies, additional training and body cameras worn by patrol officers. The department, he said, is working to be more transparent by releasing videos of shootings within 45 days of incidents. Building community partnerships is also creating more trust between police and residents, he said. The Police Commission, the civilian panel that oversees the department, adopted policy changes in recent years requiring officers whenever possible to de-escalate situations before resorting to bullets. That can mean keeping a distance and taking more time to let encounters evolve by talking to people or requesting more resources. The commission reviewed an executive summary Tuesday and plans to evaluate the entire report and address additional questions to Moore next week. Members of the panel praised the reductions but said the LAPD has room to improve. That is a very good thing, said Commissioner Eileen Decker, who noted the LAPD provides more information on officer shootings than other big cities. That doesnt say the report is perfect. Commissioner Dale Bonner pressed police to explain the checks and balances used so the public can rely on the accuracy of the figures. Capt. Jonathan Tom, leader of the Critical Incident Review Division, said the department uses a very rigorous process to extract data and requires supervisors to perform manual checks. Moore said he would welcome the inspector general to audit the process. More people were shot and killed by police in Los Angeles than in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Houston, according to the report. Chicago, for example, recorded 32 shootings with six deaths. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department logged 22 shootings and had the second-highest death count with nine. Five people died in 17 shootings by the New York Police Department. The LAPD says it made more than 1.7 million contacts with the public last year. Of those, slightly more than 2,100 resulted in any type of force used. Attacks on officers rose by 6% in 2018 from the previous year, according to the report. Nationwide, police shootings, especially of young black and Latino men, have continued to be a flashpoint for activists, community members and the families of those killed. More than a dozen relatives of Bryan Alexander Rodriguez attended Tuesdays meeting. Police fatally shot the 29-year-old on May 30 in Pacoima. He threw bricks at officers and grabbed a pickax, the department said. His family told commissioners that Rodriguez suffered from mental health issues and questioned why officers didnt do more to defuse the situation. Another man in the audience stood silently and ripped up pages of the report, then threw it on the ground. Other critics told commissioners there were fewer shootings because residents had brought attention to the issue. They repeatedly cited last years shooting of Grechario Mack, a 30-year-old black man who was killed in April at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. According to police accounts, when Mack wouldnt drop a knife, two officers shot him. After he fell to the ground and tried to get up with the knife, each officer fired another bullet. The commission ruled last month that the last round fired by each of the officers violated department policy on deadly use of force. The public said, You cant kill us without public accountability and consequences, Greg Akili, director of the social justice group the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute said while pointing at the panel. A 26-year-old Utah man was charged Tuesday in the hit-and-run death of a Dallas man riding a rented electric scooter in Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Jared Walter Anderson of Enoch, Utah, drove his pickup early Saturday through the busy intersection of Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard, not stopping for oncoming traffic, prosecutors said. He struck Evan Dyer Faram, 31, of Dallas, who was riding a scooter in the crosswalk on Vine. Anderson then ran over Faram while fleeing police, according to the district attorneys office. Afterward, Anderson drove against traffic and didnt stop at signals or stop lights, prosecutors said, finally crashing his pickup in a residential area, where he was arrested. Advertisement A police sergeant reportedly saw Andersons truck hit Faram, back up, roll over the victim and flee the scene, KABC-TV reported. Faram died at a hospital. Anderson is alleged to have a prior DUI conviction in Utah, according to the district attorneys office. Prosecutors charged Anderson with one felony count each of murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit-and-run driving resulting in death to another person with allegations of causing great bodily injury, and fleeing a pursuing peace officers motor vehicle causing death. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 11 years plus 15 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, prosecutors said. Prosecutors requested that bail be set at $2 million. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. City News Service contributed to this report. Attorneys for Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar plan to ask a judge to postpone a lawsuit filed against him by an ex-staffer amid an ongoing FBI investigation into City Hall. Huizars lawyers want a postponement of all proceedings in the case filed by Mayra Alvarez, a former Huizar aide who has accused the councilman of engaging in workplace harassment, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation, according to documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The councilmans lawyers also intend to ask a judge to seal their motion to delay the case, arguing that such a move would protect Huizars privacy and the integrity of the FBI probe. In his motion, Huizar plans to rely on information pertaining to the criminal investigation that is not public, his lawyers said in the filing. If that motion is not kept under seal, the councilmans constitutional rights and ability to defend himself in the Alvarez case will be infringed, they said. Advertisement A hearing on whether to seal the records is set for May 16. Alvarez filed a lawsuit in October alleging she faced retaliation after voicing concerns that Huizar was having an affair with an aide and engaging in practices which she believed violated local, state, and federal law. Terrence Jones, who represents Alvarez, did not respond to requests for comment this week. Jones said last month he would probably oppose efforts to postpone the proceedings or seal the documents that support such a move. He argued that Huizar should not get to litigate his misconduct in the shadows. His effort to file documents under seal isnt born out of any real concern for his privacy interests, Jones said in an email last month. Its just an effort to conceal from the public the fact that he has had yet another inappropriate in-office affair that taxpayers are again going to have to pay for. Attorneys for The Times plan to oppose Huizars request to seal the documents in the Alvarez case. There simply is no justification for the court to proceed in secret in a case involving serious allegations about an elected public official, said Kelli Sager, an attorney representing The Times. Huizar and his attorneys also filed paperwork last week saying that they were seeking to delay proceedings in another case against the councilman due to the ongoing federal probe. In their filings, they said they planned to ask the judge to seal that postponement request as well. That lawsuit, filed by ex-Huizar aide Pauline Medina, alleged that she too faced retaliation after complaining that Huizar had an affair with a staffer. Medina also claimed that the councilman had told his aides to perform inappropriate tasks. Last week, a judge turned down Huizars request for a special hearing on whether to seal the request to delay the Medina case. Lawyers for Huizar declined to comment on their filings in the two cases and on whether they still plan to seek a delay in the Medina case. The court filings come five months after FBI agents searched Huizars home and offices, hauling out an array of materials, including a cardboard box labeled fundraising. Since then, real estate developers that have had business before City Hall have received subpoenas seeking records of their communications with Huizar and his staff and information on any donations the developers made to an array of political committees and causes. Investigators also filed a search warrant last year seeking evidence of extortion, bribery and other possible crimes involving the councilman and several other figures at City Hall, including Councilman Curren Price, a high-level aide to Council President Herb Wesson, and appointees of Mayor Eric Garcetti. No arrests have been announced and no charges have been filed publicly. When Alvarez first filed her lawsuit, Huizar issued a statement calling her accusations completely false and outlandish. It is nothing more than a hit piece orchestrated by political operatives who seek to undermine all the good work Ive accomplished on behalf of my constituents, he said at the time. Alvarez left the council office in July and now works for Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles). After Alvarez filed her lawsuit, Medina also sued the city. Huizar responded by saying Medinas lawsuit was full of misrepresentations. He also called Medina a disgruntled former employee who quit after being confronted with an investigation into her own misconduct. In an earlier life in Kathmandu, Keshav Bhattarai owned a two-bedroom home where his large extended family gathered to share stories and celebrate Dashain, a festival honoring the victory of Hindu gods over evil demons. Day to day, he managed an office supply store in Nepals capital. Then came the moment in 2015 when the skies crashed. On April 25, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck, killing nearly 9,000 people, injuring more than 20,000 and wrecking over 750,000 homes, including his own. Within hours, he and his family were among the millions who were displaced. A humanitarian U.S. government program called temporary protected status (TPS), allowed Bhattarai, 56, to find refuge in America. Under the program, people from countries shattered by war or natural disasters who cant return home safely may live and work in the United States. Initially, officials granted TPS to about 9,000 Nepalese immigrants, enabling Bhattarai to resettle in Sunnyvale in Northern California, find work as a gas station cashier and save money to send to relatives. Last year, Bhattarais new life was jolted by the Trump administrations decision to end protected status for Nepalese and Hondurans this June. That prompted him and others to join a class-action lawsuit filed in February against the Department of Homeland Security seeking to stop what it calls the unlawful termination of TPS for more than 100,000 people. Advertisement It was a dramatic pushback by the Nepalese community, which has kept a low profile amid the continuing court battles over Trumps immigration policies. They are very, very fearful of being deported, Sachchi Mainali, a resident editor for eNepalese.com, an online community. There is huge panic, but it does not show in the open. Last month, the plaintiffs got a break when the government temporarily stopped revoking TPS for people from Nepal and Honduras. The administration has agreed to wait until a final decision in a separate lawsuit challenging Homeland Securitys order to terminate TPS for recipients from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. Mainali and others say that the Nepalese have drawn far less media and political attention to their struggles than other nationalities, such as Salvadorans and Haitians. We are quiet. We are hidden, unlike the dominant Asian groups, said civil engineer Ishwor Gurung, a Cerritos resident whose cousin is in limbo with threatened protected status. For everyones security, you have to realize that if you dont speak up, you lose a chance for someone to take up your issue or to help you. Gurung, a founder of the Gurung Society of Southern California, a group focused on maintaining cultural ties to the homeland, said that Nepalese believe that members of the current administration have a goal to get rid of foreigners in the U.S. Temporary protected status, he said, is necessary for many people to stay safe and provide for their families. More than 200,000 Nepalese live in the United States, with the largest populations in Texas, followed by New York and California, which is home to nearly 10,000 individuals from Nepal, according to community organizers. Homeland Security has been aggressive in terminating TPS for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for two decades or more and whose countries of origin remain in dire straits. The lawsuit has bought Bhattarai a bit more time to rebuild his life outside Nepal, one of the worlds poorest nations, which is still struggling to recover from the devastating temblor. I dream of going back, but not now, he said. He wishes to extend his stay to see his grandchildren grow up and to age in a safe manner, he said, speaking through a translator, adding that the U.S. has always been a country where, metaphorically, you can knock on the door and ask for help. He questions why the administration would want to target such a tiny community as his. Were just a few TPS holders, he said. Initially, in 2018, former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that official review of TPS had concluded that the disruption of living conditions in Nepal from the April 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial, and Nepal can now adequately manage the return of its nationals. But Lisa Parisio, an attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., said that Nepalese have an extremely compelling situation, with catastrophic flooding in the summer of 2017 magnifying the problems caused by the earthquake, washing away more housing and leaving the entire southern region of the country devastated. Ruined public infrastructure, compounded by civil unrest, continues to limit access to basic needs and services, among them education, food and water, according to a report from the network. Congress created TPS in 1990 to provide a haven for those fleeing danger or disaster, Parisio said. Now isnt the time to return people to countries where their lives or their freedoms will be at risk, she said. Prarthana Gurung, campaigns and communications manager for Adhikaar, a nonprofit helping to boost Nepalese voices in the social justice movement, said that part of the challenge in extending TPS is Nepals relative lack of visibility. A lot of people dont even know Nepal is a country, she said. The New York-based group has hosted legal clinics and launched outreach nationwide to educate TPS holders about their rights, while pushing for legislation to allow them to establish permanent residency. Its staff also offers training for immigrants on how to distinguish between police officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Adhikaar was part of a team that helped find candidates like Bhattarai to be plaintiffs in the current lawsuit against the government. TPS holders are valuable members of our communities, said Minju Cho, staff attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, a civil rights group backing the case. They are parents to tens and thousands of U.S. citizen children. TPS is vital to peoples ability to work and provide for their families. Bhattari said he understands that TPS wasnt meant to be a permanent solution for displaced people. I just hope for justice, he said, and a little more time. anh.do@latimes.com Twitter: @newsterrier Former astronaut Owen Garriott, who spent 60 days in space aboard the United States first space station and whose son followed him into orbit, has died at 88. Garriott died Monday at his home in Huntsville, Ala., NASA announced. Dad had a great 88 orbits around the sun! tweeted his son Richard, a computer game developer who paid the Russians $30 million for his own ride to the International Space Station in 2008. Owen Garriott served on the second Skylab crew in 1973, spending close to 60 days in space, a record at the time. He also was part of the ninth space shuttle mission, flying aboard Columbia in 1983 and operating a ham radio for the first time from orbit. Advertisement Astronaut Owen Garriott was a good friend and an incredible astronaut. I have a great sadness as I learn of his passing today. Godspeed Owen. pic.twitter.com/rT56PQMwJV Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) April 15, 2019 While he never flew in space again, Garriott traveled to Kazakhstan in 2008 for his sons launch aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. They became the first U.S. father-and-son space travelers. The first second-generation astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, launched just months before Richard Garriott and accompanied him back to Earth. While he was normally very Spock like ... our adult bonding around the experience of space was a rare treasure we shared, Richard Garriott said in a tweet. In 50 years, from my fathers Apollo era to our new commercial era, much has been accomplished, he tweeted. Yet, none without the risks undertaken by those early pioneers! Owen Garriott was born in Enid, Okla., and served with the Navy. He was selected as an astronaut in 1965. As an associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, he was one of the first six scientist-astronauts picked by NASA. Garriott later held other positions at NASA, including director of science and applications at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He left NASA in 1986. Condolences streamed in from fellow astronauts. Saddened to learn the passing of former Astronaut Owen Garriott who pioneered long-duration spaceflight aboard #Skylab, tweeted Scott Kelly, who spent a U.S.-record one year aboard the International Space Station. Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin described Garriott as a good friend and an incredible astronaut. Godspeed Owen, Aldrin tweeted. On a recent evening with perfect weather, South Coast Plaza hosted a private party with a menu designed by two chefs opening new establishments there this year. The food of Amar Santana and Tony Esnault took center stage, as did the venue: the Segerstrom familys historic home ranch property off Fairview Road near the 405 Freeway. The roughly 50-acre plot is rarely open to the public, and the centerpiece is a stunningly-maintained 1915 Craftsman house. Modern-day offices for the family business are nearby. Segerstrom family lima beans were featured at a recent dinner held on the familys Costa Mesa farm off Fairview Road, which has been in the family since the early 1900s. The Segerstrom family founded South Coast Plaza. (Photo by Ryan Miller / Capture Imagine) The pre-dinner reception took place in the front yard, where guests could peek into the home from the porch and spy the vintage touches inside. Dinner was served on a long, rectangular table beautifully set up in the backyard. Advertisement The ranch remains a working farm, a reminder of the familys agricultural roots growing lima beans, which it still does. Santana used them in falafel hors doeuvres, and Esnault in a wonderful hummus and Riviera shellfish salad, which also contained an amazing blend of Manila clams, mussels, cuttlefish, calamari, prawns, lemon confit, tomato, olives and parsley. The dinner included a Riviera shellfish salad with Segerstrom lima beans by chef Tony Esnault. In addition to the beans, the salad had Manila clams, mussels, cuttlefish, calamari, prawns, lemon confit, tomato, olives and parsley. (Photo by Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging) Santana and his business partner, Ahmed Labbate, are planning to open The Hall Global Eatery in the Plazas former ZTejas spot in August. Santana is a Top Chef finalist who opened the highly-lauded Vaca restaurant, also in Costa Mesa. The global marketplace restaurant will offer both fast-casual and full-service dining, according to a news release. It looks to feature Mediterranean staples babaganoush, shawarma and hummus, as well as a crudo and charcuterie bar. It will also have a cafe and craft cocktails. Santanas prowess was noted at the dinner, with a perfectly grilled filet of beef served as an entree, accompanied by corn pudding, asparagus, confit tomatoes and eggless bearnaise. Esnault, with his wife, Yassmin Sarmadi, are opening Knife Pleat in Marche Modernes former space. The duo is known for two L.A. French restaurants, Spring and Church & State. Knife Pleat, expected to open early June, promises elegant yet approachable French fare, according to the news release, and interior design inspired by the world of high fashion with an architecture that is both tailored and feminine, edgy and classic. Bradley Zint writes about food for TimesOC. Follow him on Twitter at @bradleyzint.For more news and features about Orange County, visit TimesOC.com or follow us on Twitter @timesocofficial. They were modest brick buildings, without soaring Gothic spires, elaborate rosette windows or roofs carved of 12th century timber. But the three houses of worship that burned down over the last month in a rural part of south Louisiana were longtime pillars of their African American congregations. To those who prayed there, they were no less sacred than the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Not that many other people saw it that way. On Sunday, a crowdfunding site for the three humble churches had pledges totaling just under $50,000. Then on Monday, after flames consumed the roof and spire of the 800-year-old Gothic French landmark and people across the world vowed to rebuild it, calls rang out for solidarity with Louisiana. Advertisement The rebuild of Notre Dame will be well funded, journalist Yashar Ali said on Twitter as he promoted the fundraiser. In the past month, three historically black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by a racist arsonist. He has been charged with hate crimes, but these churches need your help. By late Wednesday, the fund was nearing its goal of $1.8 million. While the Notre Dame fire is thought to be accidental, Louisiana officials say the three black Louisiana churches were deliberately set ablaze. St. Landry Parish officials have arrested and charged Holden Matthews, the 21-year-old son of a deputy sheriff, with setting the fires that devastated three churches St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in the parish over 10 days in March and April. Earlier this week, local prosecutors also charged Holden, who is white, with hate crimes for allegedly having a racial motive. The sense of loss is still sinking in for the congregants. David Sylvester, a 56-year-old deacon of St. Mary Baptist Church on the rural outskirts of Port Barre, got married there and watched two of his children get baptized inside. His brother serves as pastor, and their mother and family are buried in the small cemetery out back. He said the church, which was founded 147 years ago, has been rebuilt several times, including once after a fire. The church is the people, he said. Were going to stick together regardless of whether the building is there. For Norma Mason, a 51-year-old retired schoolteacher, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas was also more than just a building. At 25, Mason got married inside the squat red brick building with a simple white steeple and bell tower. She baptized her two children there, memorialized her husband and watched her grandson become an altar boy. Her fondest memory: preparing ham sandwiches, chili dogs and pies for the children who attended Bible school. I would be ready to go Sundays, she said. Even if I was sick, Id make sure to go. Mason said she is hopeful that the church will be rebuilt. I am very thankful for all the donations, she said. I know there is a God. The burning of the Louisiana churches recalled some of the nations most painful history. Violence against black churches surged in the decades after the end of slavery and became a way of intimidating and punishing the black community, said Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right, an international network of scholars. Historically, when slavery was still enforced, the black church was not separate, he said. Its only after the slaves are freed we saw the development of [the] real black church thats independent. The civil rights movement saw another rise in violence against black churches, which were not only houses of worship but also spaces where people organized politically and socially and educated younger people without fear. In Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 , the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church a meeting place for civil rights leaders killing four children. Black churches are often where young adults got their first public speaking experience or got musical training, said Valerie Cooper, associate professor of Religion and Society and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School. And because black churches were so central to the community, attacking them became a way to terrorize the community, she said. Black churches are places where blackness is honored, Cooper said. They celebrate blackness in a society that often does not. Increases in attacks against religious and racial minorities drove a 17% rise in hate crimes in 2017, according to the FBIs most recent accounting. The fundraising campaign for the black churches was launched last week by the Seventh District Baptist Assn., a 149-year-old nonprofit group that includes 54 Baptist churches in southwest Louisiana. Any donations, it said, would be split evenly among the three churches that burned to rebuild their sanctuaries and replace pews, sound systems and musical instruments that were destroyed. I am donating because historic black churches are no less historic or important than Notre Dame! one donor, Stuart Feen, wrote on the fundraising website. We honor all places of worship, wrote John Holding. Blessings in your efforts to rebuild. You are someones Notre Dame but you suffer more because you were harmed by cruelty, wrote a couple, Jane and Roger. We admire you and believe you will return strong. Many American leaders were quick to comment as Notre Dame burned. It is heartbreaking to see a house of God in flames, Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter shortly after flames engulfed Notre Dames spire. On Tuesday, the White House offered to help France rebuild an irreplaceable symbol of Western civilization, noting that millions of visitors from around the globe had sought solace in that iconic structure. The Trump administration did not speak out about the burning of the Louisiana churches. Some Americans questioned why the blaze of a historic church across the Atlantic received more sympathy than out-of-the-way rural churches in the U.S. that were deliberately burned. Cooper, the divinity professor, said the conversation has come up in her class, where people have mourned not only for Notre Dame but also black churches. We shouldnt care more for Notre Dame than the churches in our backyard, she said. Still, Andrew W. Mellon, an art history professor at Vanderbilt University, said it is understandable why the burning of Notre Dame touched off so many emotions. The cathedral is an important site for Christians throughout the West, and religious significance aside, it represents the potential and ambition of human creativity, he said. Its our connection to people who lived more than 800 years ago, he said. Louisiana parishioners also felt the loss of Notre Dame. Your Paris church, its 800 or more years old. Its a national icon, Sylvester said. At the same time, here in America we need to focus on coming together. Sylvester visited Notre Dame last year on a school trip to Paris and this week he showed his students photographs of its ornately carved stone exterior, Gothic arches and heavy oak doors. His church with its simple wooden pulpit, whitewashed walls and outdoor face of just two square windows and plain double doors was nothing like that. Our church, we dont put any emphasis on idols, he said. We didnt put value on the church itself. The building is a place of worship, the building is the house of the Lord. It is a holy and sanctified place. But its not so important I have to put the building over you or family or a member. His congregation would stick together, he said, regardless of whether the building is there. Gods work must still go forward, he said. South Africa will hold a benefit concert in May aimed at assisting cyclone Idai survivors in the three Southern African nations, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Tuesday. Mthethwa said despite aid that has been provided to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, many people still require assistance. "The three countries' embassies will be visited and it will be followed by an aid tour with artists where those who are involved in the project will get to lend a hand on the ground," the minister said. He said countries in the region have often shown commitment in assisting others in times of need and this should continue. "In the last two decades, we have stood together particularly during the devastating floods of 2000 in Mozambique. The department joins its sister department in mobilizing donations for the affected people of our region," he said. A recent World Bank report estimated that 2 billion U.S. dollars is required to assist the three nations to recover from cyclone Idai. Over 1000 people with majority of them in Mozambique lost their lives when the cyclone hit their countries. Thousands of have homes were destroyed, leaving many homeless. Mthethwa said while more aid must be organized for the affected countries, the benefit concert is a short-term aid plan. "We have discussed short, mid and long term goals of what this solidarity with the victims entails, ours is not a once off plan in the form of a concert," he added. Some of the artists to take in the concert include Hip Hop star Cassper Nyovest, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and legendary Jazz musician Caiphus Semenya. Chaka Chaka said that she had already donated 20,000 mosquito nets to Mozambique. The concert is set for May 18 in East Johannesburg. The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its campaign to oust the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, slapping a fresh set of economic sanctions on the three leftist-ruled countries. John Bolton, President Trumps national security advisor, said several banks, companies and individuals from the three countries will be added to an ever-growing blacklist that bars them from doing business with U.S. citizens or firms. The sanctions are largely symbolic since years of similar penalties have produced little noticeable impact on the three autocratic governments, which have proved highly resistant to outside political and economic pressure. In this case, the Trump administration appeared focused at least in part on domestic politics, and the Republican-leaning emigre population in South Florida, in making an announcement heavy on rhetoric but light on substance. Advertisement The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, in Managua, Bolton told survivors of the failed CIA invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, joined by other exiles, at an event in Miami. Those added to the list Wednesday included five Cuban entities that Bolton said were tied to military or intelligence services, among them the Aerogaviota airline. More than 200 other Cuban entities already are under U.S. sanctions. More significantly, Bolton said travel to Cuba by people without families there will be further restricted, and the remittances that Cuban Americans send to their relatives on the island will be capped at $1,000 every three months. Under President Obama, travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba were loosened for the first time in decades and limitations on remittances were removed two wildly popular measures among many Americans and Cubans alike. The Central Bank of Venezuela will be blacklisted, Bolton said, as part of a broader effort to cripple that countrys economy and force President Nicolas Maduro from office. Maduro appears firmly entrenched in power despite the U.S. policy. Dozens of Venezuelan political and military figures and components of important industries like gold mining already are under U.S. sanctions. Bolton said the Trump administration has moved to block shipments of oil from Venezuela to Cuba, a major source of revenue for Caracas and low-priced fuel for Havana. Bolton called these steps two-fers because they hurt both countries. In Nicaragua, Laureano Ortega was sanctioned, joining his parents, President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo. Bolton said the younger Ortega was being groomed to take over for his father and was using a government position to embezzle money. Nicaragua has been roiled by large demonstrations against Ortegas authoritarian rule. His security forces have killed hundreds of people at the protests. Bolton repeatedly attacked the Obama administration and its willingness to restore diplomatic relations and limited economic ties to Havana in 2015 after decades of official enmity. By relaxing pressure on Cuba, Bolton argued, Obama gave then-President Raul Castro maneuvering room to begin penetrating Venezuela, where Cuban agents now help prop up Maduro. Actually, Cuba has been active in Venezuela for nearly two decades, since long before Obama took office. Maduros repressive tactics of stifling dissent, concentrating power, and arbitrarily detaining citizens are straight out of Cubas playbook, Bolton said. Bolton portrayed the administration as trying to rid the hemisphere, and the United States, of communism and socialism. In addition to attacking the political and economic systems in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, Boltons comments fit in to White House attempts to paint Democrats, especially those running for president, as socialists. On Tuesday, the administration said it would lift restrictions that have blocked U.S. citizens since 1996 from suing foreign companies in Cuba over properties seized there after the 1959 revolution. The decision sparked a quick pushback. The European Union, which has a heavy business presence in Cuba, threatened to lodge a formal complaint in the World Trade Organization. Cubas president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, brushed off Boltons comments and the administrations new steps. Those who hold a sword against us will not change our attitude, he said on Twitter. We Cubans do not surrender. In Cuba, Cubans rule. For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter Authorities said Tuesday that they are looking for a young woman who is infatuated with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. The undisclosed threats led Columbine and several other high schools outside Denver to lock their doors for nearly three hours. All students were safe, school officials said. Sol Pais, 18, traveled to Colorado on Monday night and has tried to buy firearms, according to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office and the FBI. Pais was last seen in the foothills west of Denver, was considered armed and extremely dangerous, and should not be approached. The FBIs Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a notice Tuesday describing Pais as infatuated with [the] Columbine school shooting. The alert said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Advertisement Photos released by the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriffs Office show Sol Pais, 18. (Jefferson County Sheriffs Office) Sheriffs spokesman Mike Taplin said the threats she made were general, not specific to any school. Officials didnt provide further details or reveal where Pais traveled from, saying it would compromise their investigation. The Denver Post reported that a call to a phone number listed for Pais parents in Surfside, Fla., was interrupted by a man who identified himself as an FBI agent and said he was interviewing them. The Associated Press left messages at two numbers listed for Pais relatives in Florida. Another number was disconnected. The doors were locked at Columbine and more than 20 other schools in the Denver area as the Sheriffs Office said it was looking into threats against schools related to an FBI investigation. Columbine students continued attending classes in the afternoon and left school on time, but after-school activities were canceled on the campus in Littleton. Teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher. Democratic presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris of California wants to increase teachers pay nationwide to the level enjoyed by other college-educated workers and her proposal would give a typical educator a $13,500 raise. She suggests covering the $30-billion-a-year price tag by increasing the estate tax and closing some loopholes benefiting the top 1% of taxpayers. She may need that tax plan for political reasons. But in fact, a teacher pay raise will pay for itself. No actually, raising teacher pay will likely make money for the government. Its not just striking and protesting teachers who insist that they are underpaid. Across the political spectrum, researchers agree that teachers earn lower salaries than workers with similar educational backgrounds. The Economic Policy Institute calls the discrepancy a teacher pay penalty, and pegs it at over 18%, noting that even with more generous public employee benefits, the total compensation gap is still 11% a record high. Eric Hanushek, of the Hoover Institution, and two colleagues estimate the teacher salary gap to be 22%. Better teachers impart more knowledge. Students who learn more earn more. Advertisement Not coincidentally, the United States is no longer attracting a critical mass of teachers from among the top tier of college graduates. Researchers report that just 23% of American teachers graduated in the top third of their college class. In Singapore, Finland and Korea which have the worlds leading schools essentially all teachers are drawn from the top third of graduates. Looking across the world, we also see that students perform better when they have smarter teachers and in countries where their teachers are well paid compared with other college graduates. Better teachers impart more knowledge. Students who learn more earn more. People who earn more pay more taxes and in this case, more than enough to cover higher teacher salaries. Its well established that an extra year of student learning raises lifetime earnings by about 10%. We can also work out roughly how much more students would learn from better paid teachers. A Columbia University study looking across states finds that a raise of the size Harris proposes would have a measurable impact: On average, graduating students would have gained the equivalent of an extra 30% of a school year. International comparisons of teacher salaries and student performance suggest an effect three times that size. Even if we take the lower figure, that would create a 3% increase in overall earnings. Labor income in the United States is about $13.3 trillion, so 3% of that is $400 billion dollars a year. Americans pay an average federal income tax of 14% (leaving out sales and other taxes), so these increased wages would produce $56 billion in annual tax revenue almost twice the cost of Harris program. That not only pays for the teacher raises, it leaves plenty of spare change. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion Of course, this is subject to argument. There are three reasons my suggested return-on-investment might be too high. The first: even if we raised teacher salaries tomorrow, it will be several years before enough top-tier graduates are persuaded to get jobs as teachers. So the educational improvements will happen only gradually. The second delay factor is that it takes time for the now better-educated students to reach the labor force. Finally, the spending starts now and the returns come down the line, so one needs to account for the time value of money. All three of these factors lower the rate of return, but they dont alter the conclusion that, in a business-decision sense, higher teacher salaries pay for themselves. On the other hand, my projected returns could be too low. There are scientific estimates that better education greatly increases long-run economic growth. Total tax receipts in the United States are 27% of our gross domestic product, not just the 14% taken in income tax. By that measure, the return on higher teacher salaries might be twice as big, or over $100 billion a year. Most policy discussions center on whether the benefit to society is worth the cost in taxes, as well as who benefits and who pays. But sometimes a government investment has such a high return that it pays for itself. Raising salaries for teacher is one such proposal. Dick Startz is an economics professor at UC Santa Barbara and author of Profit of Education. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: I am deeply concerned for the personal safety of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). The presidents hateful rhetoric against her is disgusting, and we cannot act as if this is normal. I ask that Californias Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, stand up for Omar and condemn the rise of anti-Muslim bigotry in the strongest possible terms. In a just world, President Trump would be impeached. But at the very least, his reckless and hateful behavior should be censured. We must take this seriously, as we look at the rise of hate around the world. I stand with Omar and believe she is a brave American who deserves the support of her colleagues. I urge my elected officials to do the right thing. Do not shy away from this issue. We must combat hate. Advertisement Candice Tobin, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., could turn out to be the biggest, boldest surprise of the 2020 presidential campaign. But hed better come up with some policies first. Buttigieg was virtually unknown outside his home state until two months ago, but he has surged into third place in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that hold the first contests in the race for the Democratic nomination. Television anchors have learned how to pronounce his Maltese last name (boot edge edge, he says). Studious voters have read up on his biography: Midwestern boy goes to Harvard, wins a Rhodes scholarship, becomes his hometowns mayor, serves in Afghanistan then comes out as gay and acquires a husband. Hes impressive on television, a fluent mix of Democratic talking points wrapped in moderate Midwestern tones plus, as my colleague Mark Z. Barabak wrote, a Mr. Rogers haircut and Howdy Doody grin. Advertisement Buttigieg acknowledges that its audacious for the thirtysomething mayor of a town of 102,000 to seek the presidency. Actually, its unprecedented. The last mayor to win a nomination was New Yorks DeWitt Clinton in 1812. And he lost in the general election. His pitch is mostly his biography. Hes a millennial, he points out often in an unsubtle contrast to older candidates. I come from the generation that is going to be on the business end of climate change as long as we live, he said in his announcement speech on Sunday. He argues that as a Rust Belt mayor who has won votes from Trump supporters, he could be the electable candidate Democrats yearn for. Maybe. Theres only one element missing from Buttigiegs potentially meteoric campaign: positions on major issues. Thats not an accident. He says voters arent looking for policy papers. They care about values and character, and knowing that a candidate cares about their lives. Hes partly right. Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign offered so many policy proposals that they got in the way of a broader message. But many voters already ask Buttigieg what he would do if elected. At a CNN town hall last month, voters asked his views on healthcare, unemployment, veterans benefits, climate change and whether technology companies like Facebook should be regulated. His answers were a blend of generic Democratic positions and suggestions that more venturesome ideas should be considered. On healthcare, Buttigieg says he believes the United States should move in the direction of a Medicare for all system, but only gradually not the immediate change to a government-run system proposed by Bernie Sanders. On taxes, he argues that Trumps tax cuts for higher-income earners should be reversed. He also supports a wealth tax and a financial transaction tax but he hasnt offered specific proposals. Like every Democratic candidate, he supports comprehensive immigration reform, but he hasnt offered proposals for stemming the surge of asylum seekers to the border or explained how hed get reform through Congress that has repeatedly rejected it. On Facebook, he says the increasing power of big corporations is probably the biggest challenge for America right now, but he stops short of calling for those companies to be broken up, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has proposed. Its not how big they are; its how they act, he said. And thats the thing I think we need to be regulating. Buttigieg does have two proposals of his own. Hes called for electing the president by popular vote, a change that would require amending the Constitution, never an easy prospect. And hes proposed expanding the Supreme Court from nine justices to 15, but adds that its not necessarily the right option. Its not even a new option: President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed expanding the court to 15 justices in 1937, naming all the new ones himself, but the Senate knocked it down. The sum of his statements puts Buttigieg somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of Democratic candidates, between Sanders and Warren on the left and Joe Biden (still unannounced) in the center. But without details, its impossible to place him precisely and he appears to like it that way. Will that be enough for primary voters, who often have favorite issues and want to pin each candidate down? Probably not. Buttigieg will face pressure to get specific before the first Democratic debate in June. Cynics will point out that he is only the latest Democratic hopeful to occupy third place behind Biden and Sanders the flavor of the month, as he has put it. In February, it was Kamala Harris; in March, Beto ORourke; next month, perhaps, Michael Bennet of Colorado. That rapid rotation suggests that Democratic voters are still searching for the perfect new face. And Buttigieg faces daunting challenges. Hes never run a successful statewide campaign, let alone a national effort. Hes a gay man whose husband joins him at campaign events; theyre hoping to shatter a barrier thats never been tested before. But hes already defied the odds. Hes proven himself to be a man to watch. Now come the hard parts. Two holes gape where Notre Dames vaulted stone ceiling has collapsed. The cathedrals 19th century timber spire is gone, as is most of its roof. Portions of the interior walls were blackened by the intense heat of Paris most consequential fire in centuries. As the world absorbs the magnitude of devastation wrought by Notre Dames inferno, architects and engineers anticipate a decades-long restoration process replete with unprecedented challenges. Designers will need to navigate complicated structural issues and delicate preservation debates to satisfy an array of stakeholders. They will all be asking the same question: How do you revive an 850-year-old icon? The whole world is watching, and everybody has something to say about it, said Marc Walton, director of Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts at Northwestern University. It has to be built for the next 1,000 years. Its going to be a different structure as a result, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. Advertisement The first order of business is to dry the cathedral out, said John Fidler, who served as conservation director of English Heritage, a government agency that maintains Englands national monuments. There are millions of gallons of water poured into the structure that will seep down to the crypt, the basement, Fidler said. Pumping out that water could take months, and years may pass before the entire building is completely dry. Its easy to make the surface dry because there are large pores on the surface, but deeper in the stone, the pores grow narrower and its more difficult to suck that water out, he said. When the walls remain damp, you get mildew and mold and fungus and salt crystallization, which can rupture the pores in stone and cause it to deteriorate on the surface. Soot is also a particular concern because its so oily, said Rosa Lowinger, a conservator of buildings and sculpture based in Los Angeles. Peoples first instinct is they want to wash it, but thats the last thing you should do, she said. The buildings limestone is porous, so soap and water would drive the soot into its pores. Instead, soot must be removed while dry. The earliest decisions here the protocols taken will define how successful a project like this is. Firefighters inspect the cathedrals facade the day after the fire. (Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool Photo) While conservators tackle those problems, other teams will get started on the greatest engineering challenge of the entire project: the assessment of the cathedrals structural condition. Most analysis methods are tailored toward modern buildings, not stone structures, so engineers may struggle to determine the stability of the damaged cathedral, said Matthew DeJong, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley who has worked on historic buildings in Europe. But Notre Dame is surely damaged, said Frank Escher, an architect and preservationist with Escher GuneWardena Architecture in Los Angeles. A fire of this nature can weaken a stone structure. Its too early to say whether its safe or not, said Escher, who is currently restoring the century-old Church of the Epiphany, the oldest Episcopal church in L.A. Workers assess the damage inside Notre Dame. (Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool Photo) As officials begin to stabilize the cathedral and remove damaged materials, the extent of the upcoming rebuild will come into focus. Workers will need to examine the structure stone by stone to evaluate the cathedrals arched ceiling, or vault. Then they can install the necessary temporary supports. If the upper portions of the walls prove unstable, the building could require large scaffolding to help bear the weight. Since two-thirds of the cathedrals timber roof is gone, the vaulted ceilings are exposed to the elements. That means repair teams will need a weather protection plan, DeJong said. Coming up with the design for Notre Dames reconstruction will be a highly collaborative process, involving representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the French government and the deeply invested public at large. The process will require them to wade into a debate that is roiling the historical architecture community. Should you fake history or create something of our time? said UCLA art historian Meredith Cohen, an expert on the Gothic architecture of Paris. Those discussions could and should, she said slow the process. Notre Dame fire: Charred beams, rescued relics and a vow to rebuild the cathedral Cohen herself favors an approach that recognizes the buildings relevance in the 21st century rather than hewing to plans that go back to the 1100s. In practical terms, that would mean not replicating the iconic spire designed by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-1800s, though it might be replaced with something new. A carbon copy is a false history because you cant re-create the past, she said. It would still have a completion date of 2019. But Escher said there can be times when its appropriate to replicate an original, as when the city of Warsaw was rebuilt after World War II. The memory of monuments is extremely important to the people who know a building, he said. Its important, however, that one doesnt pretend that this is the real historic thing. One has an obligation to be honest. For now, the focus is on stabilizing the building and rescuing anything rescuable, Lowinger said. Most of the cathedrals roof collapsed in the fire. (Christophe Petit Tesson / Pool Photo) After the years-long design process is complete, workers will begin repairing the vault masonry stone by stone, removing damaged fragments and carving new ones that fit perfectly together. Modern stone-cutter machinery can shape the building blocks, but masons must assemble them manually. Engineers often use modern materials and methods to repair historic buildings out of familiarity and expeditiousness, DeJong said. But he warned that shortcuts could reduce the long-term quality of the building, as seen in cathedrals that have been reinforced with concrete and later devastated by earthquakes. It certainly wouldnt provide long-term durability, he said. The solutions are out there; its just a matter of taking the long road. The most important thing is that its done right. How to replace Notre Dames wooden roof could be tricky. The enormous supply of timber used for the original roof came from 12th century trees that were hundreds of years old. Where do you have a 50-acre forest with 300-year-old trees and people OK with cutting them down? Escher asked. One option is to use engineered beams fused from layers of wood, a modern invention that allows for greater strength and longer planks than can be made with natural logs, he said. Whatever material is used, the roof is sure to be extremely heavy, and structural engineers will need to make careful calculations to determine just how much weight the cathedrals walls can bear. Something like that can take years, Escher said. One cannot rush something like that. People gather for a vigil outside Notre Dame on Wednesday evening. (Michel Euler / Associated Press) Lowinger said she was optimistic that ample resources would be devoted to the project. Already, French tycoons, companies and regular citizens have offered up about $700 million to help pay for repairs. And there are silver linings. Three medieval rose windows set in soft lead appear to have survived, despite tons of falling debris and scorching heat. The great organ, comprising some 8,000 pipes, has water damage but is expected to make a full recovery. Lowinger said the reconstruction of Notre Dame could prompt engineers, conservationists and other kinds of specialists to invent new techniques that will be adopted for other projects. With a site of this cultural magnitude, theres the will and theres the talent, she said. The finest solutions will be put together, and we will all learn from it. Special correspondent Kim Willsher in Paris contributed to this report. A short stint of heavy rain in Southern California during February wasnt enough to hurt Hollywood Burbank Airports passenger numbers for the late winter month. The airfield tallied 364,245 passengers in February, which was 61,670 more than the same month last year, said Nerissa Sugars, manager of air service development for the airport during a meeting of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday. Sugars said several flights had to be canceled due to the rainfall, but additional flights added by Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines as well as United Airlines switching to larger aircraft helped boost passenger numbers in February, which is usually a slow month at Hollywood Burbank. Southwest, the largest airline operating at Hollywood Burbank, reported 270,344 passengers in February, which was a boost of 45,211 more compared to the same month in 2017. Alaska also had a good outing in February, with 44,238 passengers, an increase of 14,164 compared to the previous year. United had modest growth, as the airline reported 24,934 passengers, which was 4,791 more than the year before. The passenger count for Delta Air Lines was relatively flat in February, tallying 8,712 passengers, which was a rise of 658 compared to the same month in 2017. JetBlue Airways also had little improvement for the month, reporting 6,923 passengers, just 306 more than last year. American Airlines continued its downward trend at Hollywood Burbank, reporting 9,094 passengers in February, a drop of 3,460 compared to the same month the year before. Hollywood Burbank wasnt the only airport in the region that performed well in February. Los Angeles International Airport had 6,043,279 passengers, which was up by 439,007 compared to last year. John Wayne Airport reported 763,505 passengers, which was 52,495 more than in 2017. Ontario International Airport also did well in February, reporting 353,883 passengers, a hike of 32,616 compared to the year before. Long Beach Airport had 306,233 passengers, an improvement of 30,011 compared to last year. Parking revenue for Hollywood Burbank is starting to show positive growth. Denis Carvill, the airports deputy executive director of engineering maintenance, operations and airline relations, said about $1.5 million was generated by all the parking lots and valet service in February, which is up by about $200,000 compared to the year before. In addition to that revenue, Mike Duong, the airports senior manager of business and compliance, said the airport received $197,829 from ride-sharing companies in February, which was $64,269 more than last year. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio More than 40 people, with a little more than half of them renting in Burbank, attended a free workshop Monday where they learned about state and federal housing rights. Resident Anabel Casillas, who has been renting her home in Burbank for more than 20 years, said she learned valuable pieces of information she could use should an eviction situation arise. I have a good relationship with my landlord, so I dont need to worry about that too much, Casillas said. Yasmin Guzman, director of outreach and education with the Housing Rights Center which has offices in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Van Nuys spent about two hours going over some of the most frequently asked questions and topics that have been brought up at previous workshops held in cities throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. One of the most talked-about issues is rent increases how often and how much a landlord can raise the cost of a lease on tenants. Guzman said California does not mandate rent control, but there are cities in the state that have implemented it. Santa Monica, Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills are the only cities in Southern California that have rent control. Guzman said that, in most cases, landlords can increase rents as many times as they want in a year, as long as they give out a proper notice to do so. If a rent increase is less than 10%, a 30-day notice must be issued to the tenant. If the hike is over 10%, landlords need to give tenants a 60-day notice. For those living in Los Angeles, Guzman said there can be only one rent increase annually, and it can be no more than 3%. The workshop also touched on when a landlord can enter a tenants apartment. Guzman said a landlord needs to let the tenant know in writing that they will be entering their home. In emergency circumstances in which proper notice cannot be given, Guzman advised that landlords document when they enter the unit, the work that was done and when they left to avoid legal implications. Guzman also talked about security deposits and the circumstances in which a landlord can deduct a deposit when a tenant moves out. She said landlords can charge an outgoing tenant for damages done to the unit, cleaning fees and unpaid rent. It is important for tenants to take notes and document all stains, damaged amenities and other issues with the unit before they move in to ensure they are not charged for those items when they move out. Maribel Leyland, the housing authority manager for Burbank, said the city will continue working with the Housing Rights Center to host additional workshops. Leyland added that tenants and landlords with questions or issues can attend a meeting of the citys Landlord Tenant Commission, which meets the first Monday of each month. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio Some weeks, I have to go looking for column ideas. More often, they come looking for me: typos in my reading material, questions from friends, oddities in my editing work. For example, I keep seeing lead in place of led in my online reading and social media feeds. That is, when someone wants to use the verb to lead in the past tense, instead of saying, A beach cleanup effort led by local environmental groups removed three tons of trash, someone would write of an effort lead by environmental groups. Its a very easy mistake to make. After all, lead the metal rhymes with led the past tense of the verb to lead. Because lead is a homograph with two different pronunciations, thats double the reason to get it wrong. This is why careful writers should make an effort to get this one right. Lead when you mean led is a famously treacherous pitfall we should know to watch out for. Heres a harder error to catch (I know, because I blew right past it in my editing work recently): The 500-thread-count linens, marble-appointed bath and expertly curated artworks envelope guests in luxury. Im relieved to report that I caught the error on a second read. (Note to aspiring typo slayers: One pass is never enough). The error is envelope. Thats a noun meaning a piece of paper folded to encase another piece of paper. The verb that means to surround, immerse or engulf is envelop. No E at the end. Make a note of it. Another language issue that sought me out last week came in the form of an email from my friend Tracy. Shes an editor for hire, and her corporate clients sometimes challenge her wisdom. She turns to me for backup. Here, slightly disguised, is a sentence that one of her clients wanted to argue about. We welcome the childrens visits because we have lots of elderly people here, like my husband and I, who dont get out as often as we used to. Tracys question, which you may have seen coming, is whether that I should be me. My answer, which you also may have seen coming, is yes. It should be me. Harder to guess, however, is why. Grammar sleuths might begin by parsing the sentence or dropping my husband and to see how each pronoun would look all by its lonesome. This works great, because you can clearly see that like me is better than like I. But theres another way to get to the correct answer, requiring only a basic knowledge of prepositions. Prepositions take objects: until tomorrow, with cheese, at him, to her. Most personal pronouns have two forms: subject and object. I and me, he and him, we and us, they and them in each pair, the first is a subject, the second an object. Like, in our sentence, is a preposition. (Yes, it can also be a verb or an adjective, but not this time.) The object of a preposition, by definition, must be in object form. Thats why like my husband and me is right. The preposition like requires the object me instead of the subject I. Our final came-looking-for-me grammar issue arrived via a friend who sent me a transcribed Prairie Home Companion sketch with a funny take on common grammar errors. Most of the sketch was exactly right, but there was one place where the grammar went wrong. In the sketch, Garrison Keillors character told a waitress irregardless isnt a word. Thats just not true. It is a word. True, its probably born of an error a blending of irrespective and regardless. But irregardless is listed in most dictionaries. It means regardless. Of course, its a terrible choice preferred over regardless by exactly no one in the whole wide world. But that doesnt mean irregardless is not a word. JUNE CASAGRANDE is the author of The Best Punctuation Book, Period. She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com. Newport Beach is assessing the damage from an illegal trail in the protected Buck Gully Reserve. The 600-foot path, which the city discovered in late March, splits off from the main trail near the Poppy Avenue trailhead and slices down the south-facing slope, cutting a couple of short switchbacks before terminating not far from residential backyards off Isabella Terrace. The city, which owns and manages the 300-acre wilderness reserve, has blocked the unauthorized trail and is using drones to study the damage. The city also has contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Coastal Commission, Natural Communities Coalition and Orange County to discuss enforcement and restoration. Buck Gully Reserve features popular hiking and biking trails and is home to several federally protected animals and plants in a canyon straddling Corona del Mar and Newport Coast. NIO Inc., a pioneer in China's premium electric vehicle market, announced that it would offer charging pickup services to ease the "charging anxiety" of car owners in China. By opening a mini-program named "NIO Charging" on WeChat and typing in a location, a person's car will be picked up for charging, and the fully-charged car will be returned to the same location within a few hours, William Li, founder and CEO of NIO said on Tuesday during the ongoing Auto Shanghai 2019. The service will be offered by the company to all electric vehicle owners in China, costing 280 yuan (41.7 U.S. dollars) per service. "The service personnel will go to the nearest power station or NIO Power Swap station to charge the cars depending on whichever is the most convenient," Li said. "The trend of new energy vehicles may be faster and stronger than expected, and I think more and more people recognize Chinese carmaker's advanced technology and ambition to lead," Li said. According to Li, the company has attained more than 3,000 patents so far and was one of the first to get a license to test unmanned driving on an open road in Shanghai. At Auto Shanghai 2019, NIO offered the first glimpse of its all-new Sedan product line with the ET Preview and exhibited pioneering technologies including a 220 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor electric drivetrain, and a carbon fiber battery pack. Founded in November 2014, NIO is headquartered in Shanghai. The company also operates R&D centers in cities including Beijing, San Jose, Munich and London. NIO completed its initial public offering on the NYSE last September. Laguna Beach police cars will keep the American flag-adorned lettering that became the subject of a nationwide debate over whether the design is patriotic or threatening. The decision came in a 4-1 City Council vote Tuesday night after two hours of raucous public comment that at times included the singing of the national anthem and chants of USA. At least 200 people packed the council chamber, where police officers guarded the doors. Many in attendance wore combinations of red, white and blue. Some donned veteran or American Legion hats. A couple wore Make America Great Again caps. One woman burst into the national anthem and most of the crowd joined her in song. Several people recited poems. This became about the flag, but before that it was not about the flag, it was about what our Police Department wanted, what they thought they could best serve the community with, Mayor Bob Whalen said. The flag design on Laguna Beach police cars has stirred discussion about whether the new theme properly reflects the community. (City of Laguna Beach) A few speakers had qualms about the design, which couples the cars new black-and-white color scheme with the American flag graphic. Longtime Laguna Beach resident Patrick Cannon said that when he sees the new logo on police cars, he sees Immigration and Customs Enforcement because the red and white of the flag runs through the capital letters ice in police. Were Rainbow sandal-wearing, avocado-eating surfers and artists, and inclusion is part of our town, Cannon said. We do not include our Hispanic community by putting ICE on our police cars. American flag graphic on Laguna Beach police cars leads to debate: Is it patriotic, or unfit for the community? Chris Prelitz said he has seen nothing but hate toward anyone who questioned the design. Audience members interrupted him with boos, and Whalen quieted the crowd. The other side does exist, Prelitz said. Everyone here supports the red, white and blue, and Im fine with that. I was just pointing out that there might be unintended consequences, and youre seeing that [tonight]. Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said Laguna Beach doesnt have a problem with patriotism, but she suggested making the i in police blue so that ice wouldnt be all red. Youre really all here because you believe we should protect against the tyranny of the majority, Iseman told the crowd. We have to protect the minority voice or we dont have a democracy. Iseman said she warned people who opposed the design not to go to the meeting after receiving emails calling her a commie, coward and old hippie. The people in the Council Chambers just burst into the national anthem. @TheDailyPilot pic.twitter.com/nEWQDb3wYl Faith E. Pinho (@faithepinho) April 17, 2019 Conservative activist and local attorney Jennifer Zeiter began the conversation about the flag before the council took up the topic, asking for 10 seconds of silence to honor service members killed recently in Afghanistan. Her son serves in the military in Iraq, she said as she placed a triangle-shaped American flag in a case on the podium. This flag is what theyre fighting for, and theyre fighting for all of us, she said to cheers from many in the audience. Jim Gilchrist, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was awed to see the number of Laguna Beach residents who came out to support the flag. This flag is very personal to me, he said, choking up at the memory of fellow Marines who died in the war. I fly a flag in front of my house to remember those men every day. To have that flag on a police car is great. The council first agreed to redesign the citys mostly white Ford Explorer police vehicles in February, choosing a black-and-white look and the image of Old Glory running through the word police on the doors. The council decided to revisit its decision this month out of an abundance of caution after hearing complaints from residents and acknowledging that the bold-colored design currently on the cars doesnt match the option the council initially chose, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow said in an interview Monday. The graphic the council unanimously approved Feb. 19 was a more muted version what City Manager John Pietig called a cloud-like look. The Laguna Beach City Council in February approved a redesign for police cars that included American flag lettering in light colors. The actual graphic appeared brighter on the cars. (Courtesy of city of Laguna Beach) Some residents asked the council to review its decision because the actual graphic printed on seven of 11 Laguna Beach Police Department squad cars was different than the one approved. Others felt the new design on a police car was threatening, intimidating, harassing and a symbol of racism, Dicterow said. Online reaction to the councils pending review exploded in recent days as people across the country debated the matter as a question of patriotism. A small group of demonstrators gathered near Main Beach on Monday afternoon to show support for the new-look squad cars. Council members said they received hundreds of calls and messages, some from people threatening to boycott Laguna Beach businesses if the council didnt keep the graphic. Councilman Peter Blake said he was glad for the conversation and the national spotlight, which he felt opened an opportunity for the city to really love our flag. Police Sgt. Jim Cota said an order to add the design to the remaining four squad cars would be sent Wednesday morning and that the fleet would be complete by next week. There is a well-known, often-espoused conservative expression used to describe ones moral compass: Faith, family, country. In this new age how one defines faith and country differ. And while the definition of family has broadened to include a multitude of human relationships, the critical importance of family in human relations remains. Reflecting on the finite human span of life on this planet, family is everything. And so it is no wonder that human beings are wired to cherish their young. Healthy, nurtured children represent everything important in life. They are the basic bottom line core of humanity. For the past 60 years in Orange County, Childhelp has perhaps best exemplified this belief. A faith-based Christian confederation, rescuing children suffering abuse and neglect, regardless of race, religion or national origin, was founded at a time America was embroiled in the Korean War by two young actresses who had volunteered to go overseas entertaining American GIs. Yvonne Fedderson and Sara OMeara found an unexpected life-long purpose far more important than singing and dancing for the troops. Discovering countless orphan children living on the street in battle-torn Korea, many fathered by American soldiers and born of Korean women, then abandoned, ostracized by society and left to fend for themselves, Fedderson and OMeara took action. Sara OMeara, Patti Edwards and Yvonne Fedderson attend the event in support of Childhelp. (Photo by John Watkins) The women founded Childhelp in 1959 with the support of Hollywood influence of the day. Almost immediately, numerous Korean orphans were rescued and brought to the U.S., and over years following the end of the war, the mission continued. Today, Childhelp operates on a global platform assisting literally millions of children. In America, the organizations emphasis is a mission to end child abuse and neglect, which has become criminally pervasive. The exponential growth in numbers of cases of child abuse is an affront to humanity. It is no wonder that passion propels the Childhelp family to move forward. The task remains even more challenging today. Recently, the Childhelp family of friends, donors and advocates came together at the Fashion Island Hotel to recognize its 60-year anniversary milestone. Fedderson and OMeara were front and center. Thank you all so much. Your support over 60 years means everything for the children, Fedderson said as the luncheon fashion show event commenced. OMeara stepped in interrupting, Oh my, I cant believe were still here after 60 years! The crowd of more than 365 patrons in the ballroom roared. OMearas comment summed up the passion, the dedication of those involved. The Orange County chapter of Childhelps national reach is one of the most active with many members involved for decades, some for as many as 40 years. Among the shining stars are Patti Edwards, who co-chaired the 60th event with Tami Smith. Other distinguished member-donors in attendance included super-underwriters Howard and Olivia Abel, Michael and Jacquie Casey and Madeline Gussman. Long-time supporters include the remarkable and ultra-philanthropic Julia Argyros, Beverly Cohen, Suki McCardle, Terry Schereyer, Barbara Ganahl, Christine Bren, Erin Minkoff and Christine Johnson. Also on the A-list were Cleo Booth, Nancy Youngman, Eileen Saul, Libby Werner, Debbie Drucker Nesbitt, Janet Ronenberg, Valaree Wahler and Patty McDonald. Never to be forgotten is the Crean Foundation, which represented the memories of the late John and Donna Crean, whose generosity had a significant impact on the lives of children and families in the community for more than half a century. The highlight of the 60th anniversary affair was a chic runway fashion show presented by South Coast Plaza, which Childhelp chapter president Julie Adams kicked off with a special nod to SCP and representative Katherine Cenci for the centers years of support. The high-energy parade of spring pre-a-porter for both women and men hit the catwalk, which designers had laid out in an elevated, zig-zag pattern moving between the tables of the ballroom front to back. Every patron had a virtual front row seat. Participating in the show were iconic brands Bally, Yurman, Escada, Intermix, Lafayette 148 New York, Maje, Saks, Max Mara, Sandro, Tadashi Shoji and Ted Baker London. After all was said and done, a net total of $650,000 was raised. Funds will go to support the Childhelp services at Group Homes in Costa Mesa and the Childhelp Merv Griffin Village in Beaumont. Making this significant tally possible were volunteers Nancy Cardin, Mary Allyn Dexter, Joy Estrada, Kristen James, Diana Miner, Carol Parkard, Dale San Fillipo, Joyce Simon, Debra Violett, Gina Van Ocker, Pam Pharris, Katherine Meredith, Jennifer Kite, Kelly Haugen, Diane Garza, Iris Asbury and Susan Earlabaugh. To learn more go to childhelp.org. B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. David Koechner is a master of the uncomfortable laugh. Onstage and on the screen, the comic actor has often specialized in characters of unquiet desperation, ill-mannered and needy, clueless and hilariously crude. In 2004s Anchorman and its 2013 sequel, he was Champ Kind, the boorish, conflicted sportscaster in a 10-gallon hat who punctuated his sentences with a booming Whammy! On several episodes of The Office, he was Todd Packer, loudmouth friend to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and a walking sexual-harassment case study. MORE: Read more about the latest in local arts and entertainment >> The roles Im known for are these boorish louts that are in extreme pain, Koechner says. I would hope that you can see that theres nuance to those characters. I think most people think its just me hitting an anvil with a hammer. But Im hoping theyre catching whats happening with these guys because theyre unaware of who they are. His career on television began with a year on Saturday Night Live, where he first met his Anchorman co-star Will Ferrell in 1995. A few months ago, he filmed a role in the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks, of which he can reveal nothing. And he continues to provide the voice of Dick on the animated sitcom American Dad! People say, Whats your standup like? Thats almost like asking Whats your personality like? Thats best described by somebody else. David Koechner Aside from his scripted roles, Koechners specialty for the last three decades has been improvisational comedy, but in recent years has added standup to his repertoire. On June 11, he appears at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank. I stay busy, man, he says, noting five kids at home in the Valley, aged 5 to 17. Ive got mouths to feed. -- Marquee: Youre best known for improvisational comedy. Will you be doing traditional standup at Flappers? David Koechner: [Laughs] I think its puzzling everybody: Whats he doing? How can he possibly stand up like everybody else? Thats a consistent question. But yeah, I do standup. Ive only been doing it for the last five years. Ive done live for 30 years in sketch and improv. I look at standup as just another way to do a performance. In sketch and improv, its with a partner onstage. The only difference in standup comedy is that your partner is the audience. Is your standup hugely different to what you do in improv? I have a wife and five kids, and that certainly plays into it. Im from the Midwest, so my perspectives a bit different. I grew up in a large family, and was working since I was 7 years old for my father, who was a livestock-trailer manufacturer in a small town in Missouri. That certainly infused my perspective. People say, Whats your standup like? Thats almost like asking Whats your personality like? Thats best described by somebody else. Its storytelling with jokes. I normally say its like youve got a 40-foot flatbed trailer going down the road at 80 miles an hour, and on it is a circus tent and in the tent is a carnival barker with a bullhorn and the tent is on fire. Thats what my act is like. Do you wear a hat? [Laughs] Sometimes. On Monday night I did four sets at four different clubs. Thats what you can do here in town, so you end up getting an hour of stage time. Which is fantastic. I know that you studied political science in college. Were you ever interested in politics as a career? Oh, yeah. I was always interested in politics. Im from a small town, so that might have been part of my pursuit of getting out. How does one leave here? I thought, with politics, you move to the city, which was one of my goals. And I was always interested in helping people, but as you get into the process you realize politics is not actually about helping people. [Laughs] I never met an actor. I didnt know how someone went about doing something like that. Then I took a trip with a buddy of mine to Chicago. Id always been a fan of Saturday Night Live, and I knew a bunch a people from that had come from Second City. I went to the show and noted that they taught classes and its almost like a light bulb went off: Oh, Im going to move here and take classes, and thats how you become an actor. Is your comedy ever topical? No, especially these days. Its relationship-based the relationship we all have in the institutions of our lives, whether its work, marriage, children, friendships, employers, employees, school, church. Thats always topical. Its relevant to your relationship to life. David Koechner appears onstage at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on June 11. (Photo by Mandee Johnson) Were there comedians or comedic actors you looked up to on your way up? I loved the Marx Brothers and how smart they were. Monty Python I was blown away that you could be that funny and that smart when you think about Dennis the Constitutional Peasant [laughs] in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, its incredible. It was one of my first introductions into socialism [laughs]. Abbott and Costello, who I used to watch on Saturday afternoons with my dad. And of course I was 13 when SNL debuted. I was mesmerized. With the Anchorman films, youve had a chance to work with the same people on different things together. Is there something special about that? Absolutely. I remember distinctly thinking when we were doing the second Anchorman we were about two weeks before finishing I wished this was a television show we could do the next 10 years. It was so much fun. In those movies, how much is in the script and how much happens on the set? Its a combination of things. It all essentially comes from [writer-director] Adam McKay and Will, and the attitude that they bring to the whole thing, the playfulness. Their attitude is, were going to get the scene in three or four takes, and then lets improvise. That adds a different chemical reaction and focus to all the players. Youre on your toes in a different way. Adam McKay has a microphone when hes directing and hell throw out new lines for everybody, for every character in the movie for every scene. Its remarkable. The mind on that guy is almost unmatched, of the people Ive worked with. Youve been doing some non-comedic roles. Its lovely when people are surprised: Oh. You can act! Most comics can because theyre drawing from a wealth of experience, which is what youre supposed to do as an actor anyway. Comics typically draw from their lives for material or draw from their relationships. Whether youre doing improvisation or standup, youre putting your life out there, and thats what youre supposed to do as an actor. Youre supposed to equate these lines as something meaningful and purposeful to you and your own life. -- Who: David Koechner Where: Flappers Comedy Club, 102 E Magnolia Blvd., Burbank When: June 11 More info: (818) 845-9721, flapperscomedy.com -- Steve Appleford, steve.appleford@latimes.com Twitter: @SteveAppleford A Glendale Unified student claims she fainted and busted open her chin in 2017 after suffering from heat and exhaustion during a rehearsal for a school recital and is now suing the district for general negligence. According to a copy of the civil complaint, which was filed by her father against the Glendale Unified School District in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, the girl suffered a brain injury from fainting and had to get 16 stitches to close up the wound on her chin. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages from the district for the emotional and physical injuries caused by the fall and to cover any future medical expenses. A district spokeswoman said the district has not yet been served with the suit and couldnt comment any further. Prior to the incident, the girl was rehearsing with other students enrolled in Benjamin Franklin Elementary Schools Italian dual-language immersion program on Dec. 8, 2017, for an upcoming Christmas holiday recital. The complaint alleges the students were required to stand in place close to one another in the schools auditorium during the day, even if they werent actively rehearsing. The students, who ranged from kindergartners to sixth-graders, reportedly started to complain about the heat in the room and being tired from standing. According to the complaint, one student even asked if it was possible to sit down when they were not rehearsing, but a teacher replied with a quick no, and no form of relief was provided to the children. Shortly after, [the plaintiff] fainted and fell forward down the steps on the stage and landed face first, cutting open her chin, the suit states. The lawsuit claims that one teacher ran to the student and shouted for someone to call 911; however, no one contacted emergency services. Instead, when the student regained consciousness, she was taken to the schools front office to wait for her mother. When a school receptionist called the girls mother about the incident, she asked if anyone called 911. The receptionist replied that there was no reason to call 911 and that the school did not usually make calls to 911, according to the complaint. The mother then asked to speak with the school nurse about the incident and why help wasnt called. According to the suit, the nurse became upset toward the mother and said there was no reason to call anyone. After getting off the phone with the nurse, the girls mother made a call to 911 herself, and paramedics arrived at the school around the same time she did, the lawsuit states. The suit goes on to state that the school nurse was upset with the arrival of the paramedics; however, they told the mother she did the right thing in calling them. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc A Los Angeles man allegedly broke into a Glendale home on Saturday while the family was inside, and police say he proceeded to watch TV in the living room and eat food from the kitchen. The man was first spotted around 3:45 p.m. by children living at the home in the 1700 block of Hillside Drive, and they quickly alerted their parents. The man was reportedly sitting on a couch in the living room, remote in hand, watching television. The parents yelled at the man before taking their three children to a next-door neighbors home and calling police, according to Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for the Glendale Police Department. When officers arrived at the home, the man had locked the doors and could be seen through the windows walking in the kitchen and eating food that the residents had bought earlier in the day, according to Lightfoot. She also said a black bicycle was found outside the home, near the living room, and the man may have used it to travel to the home. Officers called the house numerous times and made announcements through their [public address] system for the man to come out of the home, but he just failed to comply, Lightfoot said. Authorities eventually entered the home and, with the help of a K-9 unit from the Burbank Police Department, found the man in a back room of the residence. He was booked on suspicion of residential burglary and identified as 27-year-old Sergio Castillo of Los Angeles. During a search of the home, Lightfoot said it appeared Castillo had rummaged through bedroom drawers and even lit a candle. There were no obvious signs of forced entry, she added. Castillo was on parole at the time of the incident and is currently being held without bail. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia died after shooting himself as police waited Wednesday to arrest him on corruption allegations involving a massive Latin American bribery scandal. Garcia, 69, who served two terms as Perus president, from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011, shot himself in his bedroom at his home in Lima, the capital, as police waited outside his door to take him to jail. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died despite emergency surgery. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra wrote on Twitter: Dismayed over the death of ex-President Alan Garcia. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones. Prosecutors had ordered Garcias arrest over allegations that he took payoffs from a construction company. Scandal involving the same Brazilian-based firm has led to the arrest of, or extradition requests for, all of Perus living former presidents save one. Advertisement At the center of the controversy is the construction giant Odebrecht, whose officials have admitted paying hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to secure lucrative public works contracts. Investigations surrounding the global firm set off investigations that have ensnared officials across South America. The order to arrest Garcia came from Jose Domingo Perez, a special prosecutor in charge of Odebrecht investigations. He said money from the construction firm illegally helped finance Garcias 2006 election campaign. Perez was also investigating a bank account in Andorra believed to be controlled by Garcia that held $1.3 million in funds from Odebrecht. Prosecutors have said Garcias government may have accepted up to $14 million in illegal payments during his latter term in office. Interior Minister Carlos Moran told reporters that Garcia met officers who appeared at his doorstep early Wednesday morning to take him into custody. But he refused to go, and turned and walked upstairs to his bedroom. A supporter of former Peruvian President Alan Garcia cries as she learns of his death outside the Lima hospital where he was treated. (Martin Mejia / Associated Press) Sources close to Garcia criticized the prosecutors arrest order. Garcias personal secretary, Ricardo Pinedo, said his boss understood that the police were coming Wednesday morning to search the ex-presidents house, not to arrest him. Garcias attorney, Erasmo Reyna, confirmed that Garcias shooting was a suicide, telling reporters that the arrest order was arbitrary. These acts of injustice must stop now. People should know that this can happen [as a result of] arbitrary acts such as these, Reyna said. Garcia last year requested political asylum at the Uruguayan Embassy in Lima, arguing that he was the victim of political persecution. Uruguay denied his request in December. Consternado por el fallecimiento del ex presidente Alan Garcia. Envio mis condolencias a su familia y seres queridos. Martin Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) April 17, 2019 Word of Garcias suicide came after the arrest last week of former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail over allegations that a consulting firm he co-owned accepted nearly $1 million in payments from Odebrecht while he served as a Cabinet minister under President Alejandro Toledo. Toledo, who governed from 2001 to 2006, is also wanted on charges that he received $20 million from the Brazilian firm. The ex-president is fighting extradition from the United States, where he holds citizenship. The other former Peruvian president implicated in the Odebrecht scandal is Ollanta Humala, who is under house arrest with his wife over allegations that he accepted $3 million in bribes during his term from 2011 to 2016. A money-laundering inquiry known as Lava Jato, or Car Wash, that started in 2014 in Brazil quickly spread. And Peru is far from alone in having its leaders caught up in the scandal involving Odebrecht. The governments of former Presidents Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador have also been tainted. Correas former vice president, Jorge Glas, is in prison on corruption charges. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been accused in the scandal, as has jailed former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. And officials in Argentina and Uruguay were accused of facilitating the laundering of Odebrecht bribes. Garcias two terms in office were dogged by controversy and corruption allegations. Upon completion of his first term in 1990, the Peruvian economy was a shambles, suffering from hyperinflation and a raging war that pitted government troops against militant groups, notably the leftist Shining Path. That insurgency was brought to heel by Garcias successor, Alberto Fujimori, who is now in prison after being convicted of crimes against humanity over actions taken during his presidency. Keiko Fujimori, the ex-leaders daughter and a former presidential candidate, sent condolences to Garcias family via Twitter. I will pray for him and his loved ones, Fujimori wrote. The younger Fujimori is herself in prison on corruption charges stemming from more than $1 million in funds prosecutors allege her campaign received from Odebrecht. Garcia was able to remake his public image as a fiscal conservative in the 2006 election, when he positioned himself as the preferable alternative to his opponent, the socialist Humala. Garcia appeared to distinguish himself in the latter term with several important highways and other public works, although the luster dimmed as it became known that many of the projects were awarded to Odebrecht. Special correspondents Leon and Kraul reported from Lima and from Bogota, Colombia, respectively. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was poised to win a second term Wednesday as leader of the worlds most populous Muslim nation, with initial election results showing the moderate incumbent comfortably ahead of his rival, a nationalist former military general. Samples of votes tallied by independent polling agencies showed the president, better known as Jokowi, winning about 55% of the vote in a rematch with Prabowo Subianto, whom he defeated in a bitter 2014 campaign. The so-called quick count tallies, which have been reliable in past elections, indicated that Jokowi had improved on his six-point margin of five years ago. Prabowo initially refused to accept that result, sparking weeks of protests outside court buildings in Jakarta. The capital city was quiet on Wednesday, with orderly and fast-moving lines outside polling stations mirroring peaceful images from across the vast archipelago, where 192 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in the largest direct presidential election ever held. Advertisement In the last two decades, Indonesia, the biggest economy in Southeast Asia, has emerged as a bright spot for democratic rule in the region, particularly as strongmen amass power in the Philippines and Cambodia and military figures dominate politics in Thailand and Myanmar. Speaking to a cheering crowd at a Jakarta theater, Jokowi thanked the Indonesian army and police for maintaining security. He acknowledged the early results but urged his supporters to wait for official returns from election authorities, which arent expected until next month. Lets reunite as brothers and sisters of the same country after the election, said the 57-year-old president, who ran on a record of delivering solid economic growth and big-ticket infrastructure projects, including expressways and Jakartas first subway system. Prabowos campaign insisted that its own exit polling indicated it had won a majority. In brief remarks, he told his supporters to guard our victory by demanding transparency from polling stations where votes were being counted. I urge my supporters to remain calm and not be provoked to anarchic actions, while still focusing on guarding the ballot box, because that is proof of our victory, he said. The most surprising development in the campaign was Jokowis choice of running mate, 76-year-old cleric Maruf Amin, who has alarmed human rights groups with intolerant remarks about gays and religious minorities. Analysts said Jokowi had hoped to blunt allegations from hard-line Islamist groups, including some that backed Prabowo, that he wasnt Muslim enough. Throughout the campaign Jokowi faced online rumors describing him as secular or ethnically Chinese both political liabilities in a country that is growing more religiously conservative. But many voters said they were swayed by economic issues more than religious ones. In Jakartas working-class Tanah Abang neighborhood, Linda Rosliana, a 56-year-old homemaker, said she had voted for Jokowi in 2014 but believed his focus on infrastructure projects hadnt created enough jobs. Not enough people have work, said Rosliana, dressed in a full-length Islamic abaya outside her polling station, her finger stained with purple ink to show she had cast her ballot. Prabowo will bring more development. In the upscale Menteng district of central Jakarta, a neighborhood of bungalows shaded by leafy trees, Deayu Anugraha said she supported Prabowo in 2014 but voted for Jokowi this time. I saw progress in the city. Jakarta became more developed, she said. I want my kids to have a good, modern Indonesia. The only thing is I was surprised he chose Maruf Amin, she added. Hes really old. The role of Amin, a newcomer to politics who sometimes appeared uncomfortable discussing issues on the campaign trail, is one key question surrounding a second term for Jokowi, who would be barred by term limits from running again. The impact of Maruf Amin remains to be seen if he becomes V.P., said Ben Bland, director of the Southeast Asia Project at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank. We dont have an idea of what hed be like and how far hed use the platform to advance his conservative views. But clearly it looks like Jokowi was able to win on his track record over the last five years as president. Special correspondent Agoes Rudianto contributed to this report. At least six civilians were killed in heavy shelling on a residential neighborhood in Libyas capital, a health official said Wednesday, the latest escalation in fighting between rival militias over control of Tripoli. The overnight rocket shelling on the high-density residential district of Abu Salim, less than 4 miles from the city center, prompted condemnation in the strongest terms from the United Nations envoy for Libya. The use of indiscriminate, explosive weapons in civilian areas constitutes a war crime, said Ghassan Salame. He did not name the shelling source. Fighting erupted April 5, pitting the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Haftar and aligned with a rival government in the east, against militias affiliated with Tripolis U.N.-supported government. Advertisement Each side blamed the other for the shelling, which wounded at least 26 people, according to Malek Merset, a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Tripoli. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday in New York that in the past 24 hours weve also seen the highest single-day increase in displacement, with more than 4,500 people displaced, and thats according to the International Organization for Migration. Dujarric said the total number of people forced from their homes was up to 25,000. Civilians trapped in conflict areas are reportedly running low on basic food items as well as fuel, and experiencing prolonged electricity and water cuts, he said. Dujarric also said that on Tuesday the U.N. refugee agency and its partners relocated 150 displaced people who were held in the Abu Salim detention center close to the ongoing clashes to a U.N. facility in central Tripoli. More than 150 people have been killed since Haftar launched the military offensive to take Tripoli, according to the United Nations. Haftar aspires to unite Libya under his army. The clashes have prompted the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to warn that she could investigate and possibly prosecute new offenses. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who was already investigating crimes in Libya, said in a statement that she was deeply concerned about the escalation of violence and called on military commanders to prevent war crimes. She said Tuesday that she will not hesitate to expand my investigations and potential prosecutions to cover any new instances of crimes falling within the courts jurisdiction. The battle for Tripoli could ignite civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Kadafi. That conflict led to Bensoudas ongoing inquiry after the U.N. Security Council called for an investigation. Since Kadafis ouster, Libya has been governed by rival authorities in the east and in Tripoli, in the west, each backed by various militias and armed groups fighting over resources and territory. Haftars forces have been supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, France and Russia. Red Cross volunteers distributed the first shipment of badly needed emergency supplies in Venezuela on Tuesday after months of feuding between the government, which has denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis, and opponents who have been seeking to use the delivery of aid to force President Nicolas Maduro from power. In the working class neighborhood of Catia near downtown Caracas, government supporters fired a half dozen gunshots in the air as a van arrived to distribute water purification tablets and empty plastic jugs, creating a small commotion on a major avenue during rush hour. Were very happy, Sergio Guerra, a motorcycle taxi driver, said nonchalantly as the sound of the shots cracked overhead. With these tablets we can defend ourselves a little better by drinking cleaner water. A small contingent of police showed up to restore order, and volunteers in blue vests agreed to close the van doors from which they were running the slow-moving distribution operation. Elsewhere, trucks carrying the aid snaked along a Caracas highway, the drivers of several vehicles jubilantly honking in support. Advertisement The delivery of international humanitarian aid has become a focal point in Venezuelas power struggle, now in its third month, after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president. Both the opposition and the government have been accused of politicizing the aid issue as hospitals struggle to provide even basic care. Guaido has rallied the international community and amassed several hundred tons of aid, primarily from the United States, at Venezuelas borders with Colombia, Brazil and the Dutch Caribbean. But Maduro has steadfastly refused to allow it in, blocking opposition activists who in February organized a caravan to deliver the shipments. We arent beggars, Maduro said at the time. On Tuesday evening, Maduro sought to claim credit for the arrival of the first batch of Red Cross aid, saying on national television that his government coordinated it in line with international protocols. As large crowds have taken to the streets to protest his rule this year, Maduro has been pressed to address the nations shortages of essential goods like food and medicine. Hes selectively chosen to accept aid from allies like China, framing it as a necessary measure to confront U.S. economic sanctions. The delivery of any aid is tacit recognition that his country is in a humanitarian crisis, a notion he has long dismissed as opposition propaganda to pave the way for a foreign military intervention. In recent years, an estimated 3.7 million people have fled the South American nation for neighboring countries like Colombia, some seeking healthcare for problems as varied as minor infections and cancer treatment they can no longer obtain. Hospitals in Venezuela often operate without essential supplies, asking patients to bring in surgical gear and medicine. A recent report by Human Rights Watch and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded Venezuelas health system is in utter collapse. It cited increased levels of maternal and infant mortality, the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and high levels of child malnutrition. In late March, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced it would soon begin delivering assistance to an estimated 650,000 people and vowed that it would not accept interference from either side of the polarized country. Federation President Francesco Rocca said Red Cross workers would focus on the medical needs of hospitals, regardless of whether they are state-run or not a pledge repeated Tuesday. It will be distributed in conformance with the fundamental principles of our movement, especially neutrality, impartiality and independence, said Mario Villarroel, president of the Venezuelan Red Cross. Nonetheless, both sides made not-so-subtle inferences seeking to claim the upper hand in the aids arrival. Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, speaking from the airport where the aid landed, said a total of 24 tons was delivered Tuesday, including 14 generators, which have become vital as the nation suffers from consistent blackouts. Guaido, meanwhile, lashed out at Maduros government. Aid is entering because they destroyed the health system, he said. It entered because we demanded it. Villarroel said the aid will be distributed to hospitals around the country and thanked both state and private institutions for their help. Our mandate is to help save lives, he said. The government will continue to expand debt financing channels to support spending on infrastructure construction this year to help offset a sharp slowdown in fiscal revenue growth, said the Ministry of Finance. The effects of the 2 trillion yuan (US$308 billion) tax and fee cut plan-the most aggressive in the country's history-were evident in the first quarter. Tax and fee growth sharply declined by 11.9 percentage points from a year earlier to 5.4% by the end of March, the ministry said on Tuesday. To supplement the funding gap, the ministry will allow more local governments to sell bonds to retail investors in an attempt to expand financing channels and sustain fiscal balance within the budget. The new bond issuances are also expected to increase liquidity and provide more investment options for individual savings, said Li Dawei, deputy head of the ministry's National Treasury Department, at a news conference on Tuesday. The bond pricing mechanism will be further improved, the official added. Under a pilot scheme, the first group of six provinces and cities sold 6.8 billion yuan in bonds at commercial bank counters to individual buyers between March 22 and early April. The coupon rates are between 3.01% and 3.33%, higher than treasury bonds issued by the central government as well as bank deposits with the same maturity. Gross local bond issuances hit 1.18 trillion yuan in the first quarter, compared with only 219.5 billion yuan in the same period last year. The total quota for 2019 local government bond issuances is 3.08 trillion yuan, according to the Ministry of Finance. "About 60% of the bonds were issued for ongoing construction, especially for shantytown renovation projects, railways and roads," said Hao Lei, head of the ministry's Budget Department. While debt financing continues to grow, the government is experiencing sharp declines in fiscal revenue growth, especially from tax and land sales, official data showed. From January to March, government tax income increased by 5.4% year-on-year, 11.9 percentage points lower than that in the first quarter 2018. Individual income tax decreased by 29.7%, the largest drop among three major tax items. Value-added tax growth has already slowed to 10.7%, down from 20.1% a year earlier. Local government income from land sales fell 9.5% in the first three months, the Ministry of Finance said. As the central bank has taken a pause in monetary easing, fiscal policy should remain proactive to stabilize economic growth and ensure the recent rebound is not just a seasonal fluke, said economists. Xu Xianchun, a former deputy director at the National Bureau of Statistics, said that fiscal policy should be implemented "with proper intensity and at the right time", to prevent large fluctuations in the investment growth rate and negative impact on economic stability. Fiscal spending can directly influence fixed-asset investment, and it could also leverage on more bank lending and attract private funds to increase investment, said Xu. In the meantime, allowing retail access to local government bonds will help diversify the investor base and increase market liquidity, said Amanda Du, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service. The analyst expected access for retail investors to widen to encompass all local government bonds in 2020. Boeing Shanghai was banned from providing maintenance services to B767 freighters for three months after it was found responsible for breaking the rudder of an aircraft belonging to SF Airlines at the end of 2018. According to a notice released earlier this month by the East China Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the rudder of an aircraft belonging to SF Airlines, a Chinese cargo airline owned by the SF Express, was broken during maintenance on Dec. 25, 2018. After a month-long investigation, the administration found that Boeing Shanghai's maintenance staff violated several rules when performing maintenance on the aircraft. The administration therefore decided to ban the company from providing further maintenance services to B767 freighters, effective Feb. 1. It was found that the workers of Boeing Shanghai moved the rudder against procedure and didn't install all the necessary parts when checking leaks in the elevator and rudder. Moreover, after the checks, quality inspectors failed to examine the plane according to procedure. These lapses combined resulted in the breakage of the rudder. Boeing Shanghai signed a maintenance agreement with SF Airlines in July 2017. Starting operation in 2019, the latter now has a fleet of 50 cargo planes, all of which are Boeing models. Boeing's problems are mounting after two 737 Max jets crashed just six months apart -- the first leaving Jakarta, Indonesia, in October, and the second leaving Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March. The company has invited great controversy as there are indications of failure in the evaluation of its airplanes' safety. - UNHCR has hailed partnership with ECOWAS in tackling humanitarian challenges in Africa - The regional representative of UNHCR said the partnership has proved very useful and created an avenue for regular stock taking of progress made in shaping a better future - Liz Ahua stressed that the UNHCR would continue to work with governments of all concerned countries to mitigate if not eradicate these problems The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional representative, Liz Ahua, has hailed the collaboration between UNHCR and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in tackling myriads of humanitarian challenges in Africa. Legit.ng reporter, Olajide Adelana, reports that she made the remarks at the opening ceremony of joint ECOWAS-UNHCR retreat for ECOWAS ambassadors in Uyo, on Monday, April 15, with theme: Mixed population flows and durable solutions in the ECOWAS region. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Ahua stated that UNHCRs partnership with ECOWAS which also includes the ECOWAS commission, ECOWAS parliament, and ECOWAS court of justice has proved very useful and created an avenue for regular stock taking of progress made in shaping a better future. The permanent representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS and chair committee, Amb. Babatunde Nurudeen, delivering welcome address in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. Credit: Olajide Adelana Source: Original She observed that the retreat is one of the foremost regional initiatives birthed by the partnership between ECOWAS-UNHCR some 12 years ago. The UNHCR-ECOWAS partnership has been actively instrumental in advocating at a political level, for the protection of displaced persons and other affected populations, raising awareness about UNHCRs work and ensuring the commitment of member states to the protection of displaced persons," she said. One of the successes Ahua ascribed to the partnership is the momentous results in statelessness which has led to the ratification of both 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions by West African countries. She said only three countries were yet to sign the two statelessness conventions, thus making the region one of the most advanced regions in that regard in the world. Statelessness which occurs when a person is not considered as a nationality of any country has become a major issue worldwide with about 10 million people said to be stateless. It is estimated that at least 1 million stateless people reside in West Africa and Nigeria adds significantly to this burden with over 750,000 stateless people allegedly residing in the country. READ ALSO: Were not speaking on Atikus petition, APCs response - INEC fires back Ahua also noted the myriads of problems bedeviling the sub-region, stressing that the UNHCR would continue to work with governments of all concerned countries to mitigate if not eradicate these problems. Forcible displacement of people both internally and across borders remains a thorny issue. Within the Lake Chad Basin situation Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroun continue to bear the brunt of the Boko Haram activities. UNHCR, working with the governments of all affected countries, has initiated two protection dialogues, organised respectively in June 2016 and January 2019, Ahua noted. Earlier in his welcome address, the permanent representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS and chair, ECOWAS permanent representatives committee, Amb. Babatunde Nurudeen, called on member states to undertake a thorough appraisal and analysis of all the factors responsible for mixed flows in West Africa and come up with durable solutions to the problem. He also charged member states to put an end to political instability which he described as the major reason fueling migration problems in the West Africa. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Antonio Jose Canhandula, presenting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. Credit: Olajide Adelana Source: Original The diplomat then admonished stakeholders including UNHCR and ECOWAS to ensure that the retreat is regularly organised so as to properly maximise and x-ray the achievement of previous meetings and chart a new course to tackle emerging problems in the sub-region. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Antonio Jose Canhandula, advised the Nigerian government on the best way to tackle the spate of insecurity in the country particularly in the north east. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Nigeria Latest News: IDPs in Plateau - The Herdsmen Have Taken Over Our Villages | - on Legit TV Source: Legit The secretary general of International Police (INTERPOL), Jurgen Stock, was recently at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)'s office for a courtesy visit. During the visit, Stock commended the zeal and efforts of the anti-graft agency in cleaning Nigeria of all forms of economic and financial crimes. The Interpol chief also emphasised the need for partnership between international police and the commission. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Legit.ng had reported earlier that the federal government and Interpol on Tuesday, April 16, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on data and information sharing under West African Police Information System (WAPIS) platform. Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Retd), who signed for the government at the ceremony in Abuja, said that the agreement and implementation of the project were long overdue. According to Dambazau, WAPIS would strengthen exchange of information and coordination among countries in West Africa, adding that it would also tackle emerging security threats in the region. Meanwhile, in another report, the EFCC was said to have detained Babagana Abba Dalori for allegedly collecting N7 billion from 20,700 investors. Baba Abba Dalori, a 35 year old, is a 2010 graduate of Electrical/Electronics of University of Maiduguri and is the managing director of Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update The businessman promised his investors a high return of 135% and in some other cases, he said they could earn as much 200% on their investment. The suspected businessman said he began his business in 2012 with just a tricycle (Keke NAPEP) and by 2014, the business grew with many showing interest, thereby the need to diversify. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have upgraded to serve you better. The EFCC stage a walk against corruption | Legit TV Source: Legit - Hon John Chike Okafor declares his intention to run for the office of speaker of the ninth House of Representatives - Okafor says he has written to the national chairman of his party to intimate him of his ambition - The lawmaker argues that the south east should produce the next speaker of the country Hon John Chike Okafor, a member of the House of Representatives for Ehime Mbani/ Ihite/ Obowo federal constituency of Imo state, has joined the race for the speakership of the lower chamber. Okafor made his intention known on Tuesday, April 16, same day the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) finally endorsed Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the position of speaker of the ninth House of Representatives. Vanguard quoted Okafor as saying: I formally wrote my party chairman, last Thursday, that I am ready to contest in the race. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The lawmaker argued that so far, the south east has not been given a fair deal. Okafor said that in 2015, he wanted to run for the same office but was politely informed that he was not a ranking member. Here I am again in 2019. I have done the right thing by writing the chairman of my intention to run because I know I am eminently qualified to pilot the affairs of the ninth House. As a former senior bank manager and commissioner of finance, I strongly believe that running this House wont be an issue, he said. Arguing further concerning why the south east should produce the speaker, Okafor said that in 2015, the APC polled over 198,000 votes in the zone while in 2019, it polled over 403,000 votes. This is a remarkable improvement from what transpired in 2015 and APC is a government of the future so it must embrace inclusivity and give south east a sense of belonging, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng earlier reported that a top contender for the position of speaker of the ninth House of Representatives, Muhammad Monguno, on Thursday, April 11, stepped down from the race and endorsing Femi Gbajabiamila, his colleague from Lagos state. Monguno, who is currently the chairman of the House committee on agriculture, was reported to have said he took the action to avoid disobeying the decision of the party. Frustrated Nigerian man says 'nobody cares about you' | Legit TV Source: Legit - Kannywood actress, Amina Amal, has allegedly taken a colleague to court over assault - According to reports, Amal is suing Hadiza Gabon for N50 million in damages and has alleged that Gabon assaulted and tortured her Reports reaching Legit.ng claim that Kannywood actress, Amina Amal, has dragged award-winning actress, Hadiza Aliyu Gabon, before a Federal High Court sitting in Kano over alleged torture and molestation. It was gathered that Amal, a Cameroon-born actress, who used to be friends with Gabon stated that she was subjected to inhuman treatment perpetuated by her friend and thus, urged the court to mandate Hadiza to offer an unreserved apology to her and publish the apology in two reputable national dailies with nationwide coverage. This is alongside the demand of N50 million settlement for damages which she urged the court to also direct Gabon to pay her. READ ALSO: Ooni of Ifes queen celebrates first birthday in the palace with adorable photos READ ALSO: Power Couples Who Are Still Adored By The Public Decades After It was gathered that it all started when Amal came under attack for posting a suggestive photo on Instagram. Gabon was one of those who commented on the photo and it angered Amina. Below is the court papers: Court papers (Picture/UGC) Source: UGC PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Meanwhile, Nollywood actor and producer Uzee Usman recently clocked another year. The celebrity shared lovely photos and a video to celebrate his new age. Many people have also commemorated with Uzee on this special day of his. 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 Top 3 Nollywood Stars: Who Earns More Than Others? on Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng - A bill seeking to establish a Federal Polytechnic in Kano state has been passed - With the third reading of the bill, the House would forward it to the Senate for concurrence - It would then be transmitted to President Buhari for his assent The House of Representatives has passed the bill seeking to establish Federal Polytechnic, Fagge, Kano state. Daily Trust reports that the bill was introduced in the House last year by Aminu Suleiman (APC, Kano), represent Fagge federal constituency. The bill moved past its second reading in May 2018 and was taken to the House committee on tertiary education and TetFund which was chaired by Suleiman. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The bill said that the polytechnic when established would help technical education which would help the governments mission in ensuring a sufficient and stable economy. The lawmaker thanked his colleagues for showing concern and passing the bill along with many others for third reading. He said he believed that President Muhammadu Buhari would assent to the bill once it gets to his table due to the many advantages of the institution when established. With the third reading of the bill, the House would forward it to the Senate for concurrence before it would be transmitted to President Buhari for his assent. Recall that Legit.ng earlier posted that the Senate on Wednesday, April 17, rejected a bill that wants to stop the using of petrol cars and introduce electric cars in Nigeria by the year 2035. Senators also rejected another separate bill that wanted to allow other Africans to get Nigerian citizenship. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update The two bills were separately sponsored by Senator Murray-Bruce representing Bayelsa under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Murray Bruce said that the fumes from petrol cars cause pollution and that several developed countries had phased it out because they contribute to global warming. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better Nigeria News Today: No Lawmaker is in the House of Assembly for the People | Legit TV Source: Legit Ted Cole fears if more than 400 apartments are constructed within 100 feet of his Forks Township home, it will lead to increased traffic, safety concerns and crowding of area elementary schools. Cole is part of a group of township residents who recently hired an attorney in an effort to block Bethlehem-based developer Richard Bartolaccis plans for Forks Landing, which includes the construction of apartments on 38 acres off Sullivan Trail. The property currently is open space with its south line bordered by a railroad track and several housing developments with small children are across the street. Braden Airpark also is in the vicinity, in which Cole said the development could prove problematic if a plane needs to make an emergency landing. Weve seen one plane go down years ago. Now if that happens, they have a field to put the plane down, he said. Put apartment buildings there and just imagine what happens if/when a plane goes down. Supervisors during the 7 p.m. regular meeting Thursday will weigh whether to give Bartolacci the green light to submit plans in the form of a zoning amendment. Supervisor Erik Chuss said Tuesday current zoning allows commercial uses, such as office space and warehouses, in what is known as the Employment Center district, where the development would be built. Bartolacci wants to have the land zoned as Employment Center 3, which includes all uses in the Employment Center zoning with the addition of apartments, Chuss said. Earlier this year, apartment construction was added to the zoning south of Braden Airpark, but Bartolacci in November 2017 filed a legal action against the township in an effort to force a zoning map change. The township then didnt have areas designated for apartment building development despite multifamily dwellings being a permitted use. Under state law, developers can sue municipalities to gain a zoning map change. Chuss said the hearings for Bartolaccis challenge continue Thursday and the zoning change request is part of that legal action. The townships planning commission reviewed the ordinance this past week but did not make a recommendation for or against it, he said. Chuss said supervisors are yet to see any plans for the development, but it was previously discussed by the developer to have mixed-use retail and services, such as a gym. Its unclear whether those plans have changed. Bartolacci did not immediately return an email seeking information or a phone message left Tuesday at his company, RB Associates. Bartolacci, however, could bring a first look at the plans with him on Thursday, Chuss said. The entrance to the property in a conceptual plan filed last year was proposed just south of Forks Church Road and just north of the Norfolk Southern Railroad crossing along Sullivan Trail, according to Chuss. Cole believes the project would add hundreds of additional vehicles per hour onto an already bustling Sullivan Trail. Even if a traffic light is installed for vehicles to get in and out of Forks Landing, Cole said the light would have to be constructed down a hill, partially blind to traffic headed south. Cole, who has children attending Shawnee Elementary School, added classes appear at capacity with 25 to 30 pupils per teacher. Add 420 apartments and the school does not have room for them. Forks Elementary doesnt have room either, he said. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders took heat from some Democrats for holding a town hall on Fox News Channel but theres one result hard to argue with: it was the most-watched candidate event in the election campaign so far. An estimated 2.55 million people saw Sanders town hall Monday in Bethlehem, the Nielsen company said. Not only did that beat the 1.35 million people who saw Sanders on CNN on Feb. 25, the Fox telecast aired before prime time when traditionally the largest audience gathers. Sen. Kamala Harris' CNN town hall in January was seen by 1.95 million viewers, the previous high for a 2020 presidential contender. The Vermont senator also apparently had one prominent viewer in Washington. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that it was so weird to watch Crazy Bernie on Fox News. He said Bret Baier, who co-anchored the event with Martha MacCallum, and the audience were so smiley and nice. Baier later tweeted his thanks to Trump for watching, and said he'd like to have the president on a town hall or for an interview on his nightly news show. Thanks for watching Mr. President - wed love to have you on a town hall soon or even an interview on @SpecialReport its been awhile. We cover all sides. https://t.co/1EDeWFhNe7 Bret Baier (@BretBaier) April 16, 2019 While Trump is a frequent interview subject on Fox, he tends to avoid newsier personalities like Baier and Chris Wallace. Later Tuesday, Trump claimed on Twitter that Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews Studio during the Sanders event. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters, the president tweeted. Whats with @FoxNews? A crowd of Donald Trump supporters gathered April 15, 2019, outside SteelStacks in Bethlehem, ahead of the Sen. Bernie Sanders town hall. (Sarah Cassi | For lehighvalleylive.com)lehighvalleylive.com During the town hall, Sanders noted the blowback he'd gotten from some Democrats for appearing on Fox and took a few shots at the network, at one point drawing a rebuke from Baier. "We are very grateful that you're here," Baier said. "We are giving you an hour of substance and talk on our airwaves so we can get over the Fox thing, if you're alright with that," he said. Fox says it is in talks with other Democrats to have town halls on the network, but hasn't said who. Democratic National Committee head Tom Perez said earlier Monday that the organization was not reconsidering its decision in February not to hold any of its upcoming debates on the network. He was responding to a question from Fox's Bill Hemmer about upcoming debates, which the DNC has scheduled on NBC News and CNN. Fox chose not to pre-empt its opinionated prime-time lineup of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham to show Sanders on Monday. The prime-time hosts spent relatively little time on the Sanders appearance that had preceded their shows. You saw crazy Bernie on the air tonight, Hannity said during his monologue. That was hard to watch. ... Lets hear every communist idea we possibly can. The stepmother of actress Lindsay Lohan apologized in court Wednesday and was ordered to pay $1,012.25 in fines and costs for a bus fracas last Christmas Day in Lehigh County. Kate Major Lohan, 36, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and was cleared of DUI and other charges during a brief appearance before District Judge Michael Faulkner in Upper Macungie Township. "I just really want to apologize for my actions," Major Lohan, a 2001 graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School, told Faulkner. Major Lohan was accused of verbally abusing and having physically lunged at and grabbed the coat of the bus driver last Dec. 25 at the Charcoal Drive-In Bieber bus terminal, 4440 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township, after missing her stop in Hellertown. As the fracas moved outside the bus, Major Lohan allegedly stepped back onboard "and got into the driver's seat and pushed various buttons while appearing to want to move the bus," Pennsylvania State Police wrote in court records. Major Lohan smelled of alcohol and admitting to having drank a "few glasses of wine earlier," court records say. "There were several passengers on the bus at this time and the bus engine was running," Trooper Mirzet Sadikovic wrote. "One passenger physically removed Lohan from the driver's seat at this time." The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office decided against prosecuting two counts of DUI after reviewing video and determining there was insufficient evidence to prove Major Lohan was in control of the bus. "I don't want to tack on fines," Assistant District Attorney Renee Smith said in explaining why summary counts of harassment, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness were also withdrawn. "It was a stupid act. She was under the influence and that's the way it is." Faulkner ordered Major Lohan to pay a $500 fine plus costs. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor count is a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. "I am just really, really thankful and when this incident happened it was Christmas Day and I shouldn't have acted the way I did and I'm very like apologetic and I want to thank the judge and the police officer and apologize to the bus driver and just put this behind me," Major Lohan told two reporters and two photographers, one in from New York, outside Faulkner's strip-mall courtroom off Old Route 22. Kate Major Lohan, center, stepmother of Lindsay Lohan, arrives Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at district court in Lehigh County for a preliminary hearing following her arrest Dec. 25, 2018, in Lower Macungie Township. She is flanked by, from left, friend Robin Volpe and attorney Gregory Spang. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com) Major Lohan, a one-time journalist, had arrived for court with friend Robin Volpe, who had planned on picking Major Lohan up on Christmas in Hellertown. She was also joined by her attorney, Gregory Spang, and a driver. "To piggyback on what Kate said, we are grateful that the DA's office took a look at the evidence in this case and came to the same way we saw it," Spang told the media. "She's apologetic for how she acted but as far as the DUI, I believe they made the right call in withdrawing that DUI. And she's just ready to put this behind her." Lohan had been free on 10 percent of $2,500 bail posted at her arraignment Dec. 26. She listed her address at the time as the Hope by the Sea drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in San Juan Capistrano, California. She told the judge she did attend treatment after her arrest. "It was a Christmas she won't soon forget," Spang said. "But everything's going good with her now and this will bring some closure to this part of her life." Major Lohan lives in Florida with her two young sons. She married Michael Lohan, father of Lindsay Lohan, in 2014. The couple are separated and have a divorce pending, with plans to co-parent the two boys, according to Spang. Bieber Transportation Group abruptly stopped operating in February. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A member of Philadelphias La Cosa Nostra organized crime family admitted Tuesday he staged a robbery of a New Jersey pawnshop and check cashing business nearly five years ago so the owner could collect insurance money. Salvatore Sam Piccolo, 67, of Atlantic City, also admitted he sold nearly a half-pound of methamphetamine to an undercover FBI agent, the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey said in a statement. Piccolo faces up to 10 years in federal prison on both the wire fraud and drug distribution charges when he is sentenced July 18 in federal court in Camden. Clad in a nylon mask, Piccolo and an associate entered a pawnshop in Union Township on April 19, 2014, chained the front doors closed and pulled out a handgun, officials said. As part of the ruse, the pair bound the owner and then stole cash, jewelry and a gun from a safe in the business, authorities said. The owner claimed the safe contained $60,000 in cash and eventually was paid a claim of $174,000 from a St. Paul, Minnesota insurance provider not named in charging documents, authorities said. The money was transferred from the insurance companys Citibank account to the business owners Bank of America account in November 2014, authorities said. Neither the pawn shop nor the owner was named by authorities, either. 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Commission on Elections (Comelec) Spokesperson James Jimenez said it himself, the 2016 presidential election was the first and probably the beginning of the Philippines' internet-driven elections. But back then, no one declared social media expenses in their Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE) submitted after the elections. While Comelec does not prohibit paid and free online endorsements for those running this May, the commission issued a set of guidelines through Comelec Resolution 10488 in monitoring how much was spent in creating and promoting online campaign materials. This is to ensure a level playing field for all candidates whether or not they can afford an expensive campaign. "For social media spending, we are monitoring basically at the end because we have the means to find out which ads came out and to whom they should be attributed," Jimenez said. "As it is now, you've already seen reports of people spending prematurely, right? So kung ganyan na nag 'yung disparity you are only reporting a small fraction of what you actually spent tapos di mo pa irereport and ginastos mo sa social (media) during the campaign period, di ba sobra sobra namang libreng gastos yan?" [TRANSLATION: "For social media spending, we are monitoring basically at the end because we have the means to find out which ads came out and to whom they should be attributed. As it is now, you've already seen reports of people spending prematurely, right? So, if there's that disparity and you are only reporting a small fraction of what you actually spent and you would still fail to report social media expenses during the campaign period, wouldn't that be too much free expenses?] The new resolution includes internet in what constitutes an election propaganda "subject to the limitation on authorized expenses of candidates and parties, observation of truth in advertising, and to the supervision and regulation by the Comelec." This means social media expenses are included in the campaign spending limit set by the Comelec which allows a candidate running under a political party to spend a maximum of 3 per voter, and 5 per voter for independent candidates and party list groups. With 63,665,923 voters both based in the Philippines and overseas, 2019 national candidates may spend a maximum of 190.9 million for those who have political parties, and up to 318.3 million for independent candidates and party-lists. Low compliance Comelec Resolution 10488 also requires candidates to submit Uniform Resouce Locator (URL) or links to their Facebook pages and blog sites. While internet users have been bombarded by obvious candidate endorsements over Facebook and Twitter, only 29 out of 62 senatorial candidates have submitted their URLs to Comelec as of March 25. Meanwhile, roughly half or just 65 out of 134 party lists and 1,088 local candidates running this May have complied. Despite low compliance, Comelec said it could still trace the campaign spending of those who did not submit links. "If a campaign site is behaving like a campaign outlet, then we will look closer into it. Ultimately, whether or not they submit these URLs, we will be able to trace the ads in their name," Jimenez said. While Comelec earlier said they only have 10 warm bodies assigned to monitor social media pages, internet companies have committed to help. "They can help us by identifying the ads and telling us and how much each ads costs.So ibabangga natin ang information na yun sa claim ng candidate [We would compare the rates with what the candidates claim they have spent]. If the candidate says I only spent one million on social ads but the information we get they put out 10 million peso worth of ads, that can be a problem. That can be the grounds now for an election offense," Jimenez added. Tapping social media influencers Under the new Comelec resolution, social media influencers are referred to as "contractors." Comelec expects candidates to include payments for their services in the SOCE. But "Miggy," a social media influencer based in Manila told CNN Philippines some political candidates might get away with big internet-based spending at least for payments to online personalities's endorsements because there are no paper trails. "Wala naman talagang kontrata. Pero kasi itong mga nagpapapromote na 'to, talagang bantay sarado nila kung talagang nagpost ka," Miggy said. "So ang gagawin nila, hindi kasi sila agad magbabayad. Since meron silang mga inassign na parang icheck 'yung mag post. Titingnan muna nila kung talagang ginawa nila ang napag-usapan niyo saka mo makukuha ang compensation," he added. [TRANSLATION: There is really no contract involved. But these people will closely monitor your posts. They will not pay you immediately. Instead, they will assign someone to check your posts to see if you did what you have agreed upon before giving your compensation.] Although anyone is free to express support for candidates, Jimenez insisted Comelec would still find out whether or not the endorsement is paid. "Again we are tracking the URLs and if a particular website or a particular blog is behaving like a campaign outlet, then the person behind it or person drives that blog should be ready to show their records," said Jimenez. The offers to social media influencer 'Miggy' Miggy, not his real name, has around 20,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram. He was separately tapped by two opposing senatorial candidates' campaign teams at the start of the campaign season. They offered him money in exchange of his endorsements on Instagram and Facebook. It was easy money. He could earn up to as much as 10,000 in just one post. But there's a caveat: He just can't simply voice out what he really thinks of the candidate. His post should look and sound personal, so his followers would think he really endorsed the candidate on his own will. The campaign team will give him guidelines on how to do it. "May guidelines kasi hindi mo naman pwedeng ipost yun na parang ibinigay lang sayo. Dapat ikaw mismo ang nagpropromote na ganun pagkakilala mo sa politician," Miggy said. "Medyo nakakatempt siya like in a day magpopost ka ng ganito, nakaupo ka lang kikita ka ng 1,000 to 2,000." [TRANSLATION: There are guidelines. you cannot post about a politician as if it was just handed out to you. You should make it seem like you are promoting the candidate based on how you know him/her. It is really tempting like I will just post this in a day, and I will immediately earn 1,000 to 2,000 while sitting.] But despite the lure of handsome payment, Miggy turned down the jobs. He personally thinks the two candidates he was asked to endorse do not fit the bill of a true public servant. As an influencer, he wanted to set an example. "Kahit papa'no, 'pag nilabas mo, parang binili din ang boto mo," Miggy said. "Kasi botante ako e. Parang di ko magawa na magpromote ako ng candidate, pero at the end of the day during the elections di naman siya iboboto ko." [TRANSLATION: At some point, posting about the candidate would still feel I sold my vote. I am a voter and I could not promote a candidate whom I will not vote for at the end of the day.] How much does social media promotion cost? Advertisement charges on top social media sites Facebook, Twitter and Instagram vary depending on the number of users the client want to reach, and the contents and type of promotion. An advertising agency handling social media promotions told CNN Philippines, the running rate for content creation and promotion ranges from 15,000 up to 35,000 monthly per account. This will reach 60,000 to 100,000 users. They will charge higher if the client wants to add another social media account or reach more internet users. But, is social media campaign worth spending for? University of the Philippines Political Science Professor Rogelio Alicor Panao said social media sites are good for exposure: to introduce candidates, raise issues for debates and highlight campaign platforms. But social media campaign alone is not the ticket to a win. As an example, Panao said there are senatorial candidates who have been active and popular on social media, but still do not make it to the top 12 senatorial candidates survey. Surveys, he said, are more reliable gauge on the candidates' winnability compared to social media popularity. "Sa ating karanasan pag pumasok ka sa surveys, malaki ang chance mo manalo pagkatapos ng eleksyon, hindi pa ganun ang guarantee sa social media," Panao said. [TRANSLATION: In our experience, if you were included in the surveys, you have a big chance to win after the elections, but social media does not guarantee like that yet.] Candidates should also consider the demographics of social media users. Pulse Asia survey in December 2018 shows 47 percent of the population have internet access. A separate annual digital report for 2019 released by We Are Social and Hootsuite states there are 76 million Filipino social media users. But Panao emphasized not all Filipinos have internet access and not all social media users are voters. "Kasi sino ba ang nakakapagsocial media? Ang may access sa internet. Pangalawa, maaaring ang social media ginagamit ng mga hindi naman makakaboto dahil hindi pa sila 18 anyos. Kung survey to isang beses mo lang tinatanong ang tao sa kanilang preference, pero ang social media, maari kang makaboto ng ilang ulit para mahighlight ang kandidato. Pang-apat, hindi natin alam sino nag-organize ng social media (accounts), marami dito hindi naman totoong supporters no?" Panao explained. [TRANSLATION: Who are using social media anyway? Those who have internet access. Secondly, those who use social media may not be eligible to vote. In the surveys, people are only asked once about their preference, but in social media, users may repeatedly vote to highlight a candidate. Fourth consideration, we do not know who organized these social media accounts. It is possible they are not genuine supporters.] Patrick Gonzales, who has been involved in political campaigns in the last five elections, agrees with Panao. He is currently with the campaign team of former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. Gonzales said for social media, they just maximize the use of Facebook live streaming because internet users seem to like seeing what the candidates are doing at the moment. They also paid professionals to create good content like photos and videos to be shared on Facebook. While Enrile initially thought of just running his campaign mostly on social media, Gonzales said they eventually realized their candidate still needs to do traditional campaign. "We had to come up 'yung TV ads. It's not enough because the reach is not enough. I'd like to think it should be a good mix of traditional, then social media and ground," Gonzales said. How the voters would vote Although social media have been added in the long list of campaign strategies, Panao said voters' would still choose who they think will serve them best on election day. Panao said among voter's gauges on choosing a candidate are past performance, name recall, winnability and credibility to commit to campaign promises. "In other words, kahit ganyan siya marami na tayong platforms, maraming paraan para makilala ang kandidato, boboto pa rin naman tayo base sa personal na assessment natin sa kandidato, that includes ano ang ineexpect natin na gagawin ng kandidato para sa atin," Panao explained. [TRANSLATION: In other words, despite having numerous platforms to know a candidate, we would still vote based on our personal assessment of a candidate. That includes our expectations on what the candidates would do for us.] The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has seen more countries and international organizations participating, especially in the area of "third-party market cooperation", according to the report "Borderless win-win cooperation in building the Belt and Road" released yesterday by EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. This report focuses on the development and prospects of "third-party market cooperation" under the BRI. With the challenges of the current imbalanced global economic development, rising unilateralism and protectionism as well as the increasingly complicated geopolitical situation, China is promoting "third-party market cooperation" as an important move to boost the Belt and Road (B&R) construction. So far China has signed documents on third-party market cooperation with Japan, France, Canada, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Australia, along with some other international organizations. Third-party market cooperation under the BRI will optimize the efficiency of global resource allocation, said the report. It is also a new model combining China's production capacity with advanced technologies from developed countries to meet the high level of demand in developing countries. "Chinese enterprises and their peers in developed countries complement each other with broad prospects for cooperation in infrastructure, energy, environmental protection, finance and other sectors," said Alex Zhu, Investment and M&A Services Leader of EY B&R Task Force, Power & Utilities Market Segment Leader of Greater China. The China-Japan third-party market cooperation not only brings opportunities for the two countries and third parties, but also contribute to the prosperity of different regions. The two countries have changed from rivals to partners in third country markets and cooperated in infrastructure, technology and finance, said Zhu. The two sides also have great potential for further cooperation in the infrastructure and technology sectors, especially in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and healthcare. As of the spring of 2018, Nippon Express worked with China Railway to assist Japanese enterprises to carry out regular freighting in Central Asia and Europe through China-Europe freight trains. The new transportation route now takes 20 to 30 days, 10 days faster than by ocean shipping, and costs half that of air freighting. The report also highlighted China-France third-party collaboration, which helps Chinese and French companies better explore Asian and African markets together in the sectors of finance, energy and transport and logistics. A China-UK third party collaboration is in the works too, and each have their own strengths. The BRI not only enhances the interconnectivity between China and developing countries, but also attracts many developed countries to participate. By the end of 2018, China had signed 170 cooperation agreements with 122 countries and 29 international organizations. A Pennsylvania state government watchdog agency has launched an investigation into the horrific case of a 14-year-old girl who had extensive contact with the child welfare system before her 2016 rape, torture and murder, a lawmaker who requested the review announced Wednesday. The Office of State Inspector General has agreed to look into whether the Department of Human Services acted properly in its handling of the Grace Packer case. "It is obvious to anyone inside or outside government that she was failed by the system," said state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "She was horrifically abused and then failed by the system every time something was brought to light. And we have got to get some answers." Grace endured years of abuse before her death in a sweltering attic in Bucks County. An internal DHS probe has already found that county child welfare agencies missed numerous red flags about Graces treatment, failing to remove her from the home. This combination of undated file photos provided Friday, March 29, 2019, by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office shows Sara Packer, left, and Jacob Sullivan. The Office of State Inspector General said Wednesday, April 17, 2019, it will look into whether the Department of Human Services acted properly in its handling of the case of the 2016 rape, torture and murder of 14-year-old Grace Packer, who had extensive contact with the child welfare system. Sara Packer, Grace Packer's adoptive mother, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole for plotting her brutal death, while her boyfriend, Sullivan, who raped and strangled Grace while her mother watched, has been sentenced to death. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office via AP)AP The teenager's adoptive mother, Sara Packer, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced last month to life without parole for plotting her brutal death. A jury gave the death penalty to Sara Packer's boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, who raped and strangled Grace while her mother watched. He had also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. Sullivan and Sara Packer kept Grace's remains in cat litter for several months before dismembering the body and dumping it in a wooded area. Kauffman and state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne, chairwoman of the Children and Youth Committee, noted in a letter to Inspector General Bruce Beemer that DHS has oversight responsiblity for county child welfare agencies. DHS is also supposed to investigate abuse allegations itself when the suspected perpetrator works for a county agency. Sara Packer was a former adoptions supervisor with Northampton County's children and youth agency. "It's a matter of high public concern and urgency," said Clarke Madden, Beemer's spokesman. "We're going to put a lot of resources into it." Beemer said in a response to Kauffman and Boback that the review could help the human services department "improve their operations." DHS spokeswoman Ali Fogarty said the agency welcomes the investigation. "Nothing is more integral to our mission than protecting children. We work closely with the inspector general and we welcome any effort to build upon the recommendations included in the state's report," she said. Legislation introduced separately in the House last week would create a 17-member commission tasked with improving the states child welfare system. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem was fined $230,000 for allowing underage patrons onto the gaming floor and for unauthorized issuance of free slot play. The fines were handed down Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, according to a news release. They came as the result of consent agreements between Sands and the state. Heres the list of infractions provided by the gaming board: An 18-year-old female wagered at slot machines Another 18-year-old female wagered at slot machines An 18-year-old female wagered at table games and was served alcohol A 19-year-old female wagered at slot machines A 19-year-old male wagered at slot machines Another 19-year-old male wagered at slot machines A 20-year-old male wagered at table games and was served alcohol A 19-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at slot machines A 20-year-old female wagered at slot machines and was served alcohol A 20-year-old male wagered at slot machines A 20-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor on two separate days and wagered at table games and was served alcohol Sands was fined $120,000 for these infractions. Sands was fined $110,000 for allowing unauthorized employees to issue free slots play and for issuing free slot play of amounts above authorized levels. Free slot play is used to build and reward patron loyalty, and drive repeat visits from valuable customers who might otherwise patronize another facility in or outside the Commonwealth, the news release says. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. The weather at a NASA facility in Virginia this afternoon is expected to be favorable for a rocket launch that will be visible to much of the East Coast. The weather in the Lehigh Valley will be, unfortunately, less favorable for watching it. The launch of an International Space Station resupply mission is scheduled for 4:46 p.m. from NASAs Wallops Island Flight Facility on the Virginia coast. Its ascent should be observable from the Carolinas to Connecticut. From our area, it would appear as a bright dot moving across the sky between two and two-and-a-half minutes after launch. On April 17 at 4:46 p.m. EDT, Antares is scheduled to lift off from Pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility. How to watch: ... Posted by NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 But the view from the Lehigh Valley will require a clear view of the southern horizon, which clouds threaten to block. The National Weather Service says the thin midday clouds over the region may break somewhat over the afternoon, but thicker clouds are expected to move in -- from the south, of course -- right around the launch time. But cloud cover is difficult to forecast. It's still possible viewers may get lucky with a window of clear sky, especially those farther north. In any case, NASA TV will broadcast and stream the launch live starting at 4:15 p.m., and you can also follow updates from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility on Facebook and Twitter. The weather report is in! The Northrop Grumman Corporation CRS-11 mission is predicted to have a 95% chance of favorable... Posted by NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The bosses of the Canadian company, Greenfield Global that is setting up in Laois heaped praise on the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) last week. In ways, this hard work in winning the business was long overdue as Laois hardly registered on the map for many years. The agency is responsible for bringing foreign direct investment to Laois. While it has a long record of success nationally, Laois has been a black spot. In recent years, the authority has come under a lot of pressure locally because the dramatic growth in the county's infrastructure required to support the needs of multinationals has not been matched the arrival of firms. Roads, broadband and other services needed to attract foreign investment and jobs have all been enhanched in Laois. Martin Shanahan is the CEO of IDA Ireland. He was in Laois last week for the official announcement which he feels vindicates the strategy to get jobs into the regions. This is a most welcome announcement for Portlaoise and the entire midlands region and one which will considerably benefit the economy of the region, he said. Speaking to the Leinster Express he said a combination of factors has worked in favour of Laois. He said that availability of a site on the IDA's Portlaoise business park was attractive to Greenfield as it fits what they need. He said the presence of many of their clients in Ireland, and Portlaoise's accessibility to these locations was another obvious factor. He said the smooth planning process for the project through Laois County Council also helped. As to whether it could be the beginning of a new chapter for Laois as a location for other multinationals, Mr Shanahan was cautious but said the IDA now has a reference client. It is extremely competitive out there. There are already 60 IDA client (companies) in the midland region. As somebody who goes out to market Ireland our first job is to put Ireland on someone's radar. That in itself can be challenging at times. Obviously, we have an ambition to increase investment outside of Dublin by 30 to 40%. That is manifestly working. If I look at the performance for the last four years, there are 27,000 more jobs on the ground in regional locations than there were at the beginning of our current strategy. The fastest growing region, albeit from a smaller base, last year was the midlands - a 14% increase. Is getting an investment like this important? Of course, it is. It is very important because it will act as a reference site for other clients. When we are out marketing, being able to point to other reference sites is very important, he said. Mr Shanahan said Ireland's reputation as a hub for life science companies was important in the Canadian company's decision making. This is their first investment in Europe so any other location is a possibility in that regard but they chose Ireland. One of the reasons they chose Ireland is the strength of our pharmaceutical, medical technology and biological sectors which the IDA has been working on building up over many years, said Mr Shanahan. Greenfield Global is a welcome addition to the EIT sector here and will be an important support to the strong and growing life sciences ecosystem in Ireland, providing locally sourced, critical raw materials. I wish Greenfield Global every success with their plans. It is great to see further investment coming into Portlaoise, he said. Greenfield, which has its headquarters in Toronto, has operations in 12 locations across North America. The companys products are used in a variety of sectors in many countries. It plans 75 initial jobs in Portlaoise. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) says it will fully engage with external investigations following the forwarding of extensive allegations of possible wrongdoing by prison staff by a TD to the Gardai. In a statement to the Leinster Express the service said that it is aware of Deputy Marc MacSharrys comments at the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts on Thursday, April 4. The Fianna Fail TD said he would forward a file to the Garda Commissioner, the Data Protection Commission and other relevant authorities. The claims relate to issues arising from staff being followed. He also highlighted other issues. Chairman of the Committee Deputy Sean Fleming advised he would provide a copy of the meeting transcript to An Garda Siochana due to the possibility of criminal actions. The IPS responded in a statement. The Irish Prison Service agrees with the Committee Chairman, if Deputy MacSharry has any evidence or information in relation to the allegations he put forward at the Committee meeting, he should refer such evidence/information to An Garda Siochana. The Irish Prison Service is committed to high standards of professionalism. Where individual behaviours fall short of such standards there are a number of policies in place to fully investigate wrongdoing or inappropriate behaviour. This includes a Protected Disclosure Policy which provides for independent assessment and investigation of allegations of wrongdoing and the Dignity at Work Policy which provides for independent investigation of allegations where appropriate matters are referred to An Garda Siochana. Where wrong-doing or inappropriate behaviour is determined to have occurred following independent investigation, the appropriate disciplinary action should be taken by the relevant manager in accordance with the appropriate Disciplinary Code. The IPS fully engages with external investigations relating to allegations of criminal wrongdoing by any member of staff, it said. The service claims that it supports staff. The IPS encourages all staff to speak up and to raise concerns about wrongdoing in the organisation and has in place a number of supports to assist staff through this process, it said. Since July 2018 a Protected Disclosures Manager has been in place so that workers can make disclosures internally. In addition, staff are encouraged to contact Transparency International Ireland (TII) which operates an independent confidential free phone service for anyone considering reporting a concern or making a protected disclosure, it said. The service said other help is available. The Employee Assistance Programme and the independent counselling service are available at all times to Irish Prison Service employees, including those who make a protected disclosure and those involved in the investigation of a protected disclosure. The staff support officer/employment assistance officer offers emotional support whilst the officer(s) is going through the disclosure process to include referral for counselling to Inspire Workplaces, if necessary, said the statement. A Newbridge man who punched a female taxi driver to the back of the head after refusing to get out of her taxi has been granted an appeal against a five-month prison sentence on condition he set up a weekly standing order to pay the victim compensation. Myles Moloney, Morristown Estate, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, committed the offence at the Dublin Road, Monasterevin, on May 7, 2017, and was sentenced to five months in prison at Portlaoise District Court in September, 2018. He subsequently appealed this sentence at Portlaoise Circuit Court. When his appeal first came before the court last December, Garda Sgt Dowling gave evidence that at 2.30am on May 7, 2017, the injured party was sitting in her car on the Dublin Road, Monasterevin, when the appellant jumped into her car with another man and demanded a life to Newbridge. The woman said no, so he grabbed her by the hair and punched her in the head. One of his friends pulled him out of the vehicle. The appellant had 14 previous convictions. Defence, solicitor Mr Philip Meagher said his client had handed in a letter of apology, which he said was a true expression of remorse and regret. He said the accused paid 500 as a token of remorse in the district court and he had a further 2,000 to offer. Mr Meagher told the court that the accused had just got married and his wifes parents paid for the wedding as every penny he had went towards the compensation. He has no explanation for his behaviour on the night, said Mr Meagher. Defence explained that the appellant had been out watching a match and he fell into company on the night. No one poured the drink down his throat, he was out of his mind on drink, said Mr Meagher. In ruling last December, Judge Keenan Johnson said this was outrageous behaviour and he completely concurred with the decision of the district court judge who had deemed the assault to be at the upper end of the scale. Judge Johnson said the 2,000 compensation was not nearly enough and that sending the appellant to jail would not do much good in getting the injured party more compensation. Adjourning the matter to March 20, Judge Johnson told the appellant to pay a total 7,500, with 1,000 to be in court on that date. He warned the appellant that if the money was not there on March 20 the full five-month sentence would be imposed. Hes very fortunate to be walking out of here, said Judge Johnson. When the case returned to Portlaoise Circuit Court recently, Mr Meagher said the appellant had a further 1,000 compensation, leaving a balance of 4,500. Mr Meagher said the accused was looking for two years to pay the balance and would be able to put aside 50 a week. Judge Johnson told the accused to set up a standing order of 50 a week for the injured party. If that was done, the judge said he would suspend the five-month sentence for three years. The 2018 Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher is having a whirlwind year travelling, working with the Hope Foundation in India and Adi Roche in Belarus, travelling the length and breadth of Ireland for Rose selection nights as well as fitting in her job as a personal stylist. At 21, she is one of the youngest women to be crowned Rose of Tralee and the first African-Irish woman to hold the title. Hailing from Mullinavat, Kilkenny, Kirsten was crowned the Waterford Rose in 2018. She was working in Waterford and was inspired to enter by her friend. Kirsten took time out to tell the Leinster Express about her experiences so far. Looking back on the night Daithi O Se called her name she recalls standing beside Laois Rose, Grainne Hogan and squeezing her hand in anticipation. She said she never expected her name to be called. I thought I had gotten myself in too much trouble, wheres my jacket, wheres this, wheres that? I need a cup of tea! My Rose centre was very honest with me they said the best thing about the Rose of Tralee is the Roses and having a good time. There are judges around but you need to dance as if no one's watching. Youre not there to make sure you are the most perfect person in the world. Myself and Grainne got on great, talk about double trouble. An hour after my name was called, I am blank. Grainne was beside me, she was to the right of me and I remember her squeezing my hand because we were like who is this going to be? I felt sick and I remember her she had my face grabbed, her and the Mayo Rose coming towards me and after that its all a blur, she said. Kirsten's grandparents were so proud of her throughout all stages of the Rose experience. I know it is huge for me but its even more special for them, they have been watching it for the last 60 years, I am only on the planet 21 years so its even more important to them. It was really nice to be able to do it for them. When I entered the Waterford Rose it was my nanny and grandad I had in mind, she said. Kirsten plans to study multimedia and applications development in the future and loves travelling and working with children. She had just come back from a month in Thailand before the Waterford selection night. In October she worked with the Hope Foundation in India and in February she travelled to Belarus with Adi Roche Chernobyl Children International. With the Hope Foundation, I went to a massive dump. Kids were living in it and they used to have to work on the dump because their parents had nowhere to put them during the day. They all had to work on the dump as well so Maureen Forrest of the Hope Foundation set up creches and schools for them to go to during the day. Every single child living on that dump or in the slums around it went to school during the day which is a huge difference to being out working in ridiculous temperatures doing hard labour when they are as young as two or three years of age. I also visited a slum on a railway track with over 20,000 people living on it, an unregistered slum so they were entitled to no wage, that was an eye-opener, she said. Looking back on her time as Rose of Tralee so far, Kirsten said the best advice is to be yourself and she finds it hard to put the experience into words. Always be yourself if you want to do something a different way to the previous Rose. Wear what you want, thats really important I love the style in Tralee, just own your own thing, people will appreciate that. If you are yourself then there is nothing to lose. I didnt think that I would be Rose material but every year every Rose is so different, it just represents a different woman in Ireland at that time. The whole entire experience - you cant describe it, it's different for everyone and every year different opportunities pop up. Even going to RTE for the New Years Eve show and being part of the night, you never get those opportunities, thats not something you get asked to do every day and you couldn't even pay to do it if you wanted to. One of the best things about being a Rose is that you cant buy your way into being a Rose, it is a really special experience that I would encourage, especially if you are entering make sure you enjoy it to the fullest and you are kind to everybody because at the end of the day the whole experience is being with everybody else. That's what makes it so special, I can't stress that enough. I am living in a different world - it is like being in dreamland, she said. The Laois Rose selection night takes place this Friday, April 19 in Castle Durrow. Pick up a copy of this week's Leinster Express newspaper to see all the entrants and visit our website on Friday night to see who is crowned Laois Rose. WATCH VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS OF THE LAOIS ROSE ENTRANTS HERE. The country's biggest health service trade unions has hit back at comments of a Laois local election candidate. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has taken the unusual step of commenting on a political matter following comments by Vivienne Phelan. Ms Phelan said in a tweet last Monday, April 8 that she was fed up hearing about student nurses and their payment for placement. Vet students complete a lot of placement. Lots of travel costs. Lots of accommodation costs. No pay. Keeping up with the rent in Dublin at the same time. Not possible to get a part-time job, unlike nurses. The INMO did not agree. The remarks are disappointing. Student nurses and midwives work incredibly hard and often face placements which are very far from their homes or places of study, an INMO spokesperson said. Vivienne Phelan, a vet from Stradbally, is running in her first local election for Fine Gael in the Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District. After provoking a huge number of mainly disapproving replies on social media, Ms Phelan appeared to backtrack in another tweet on Thursday, April 11, which stopped short of an apology. I don't think my earlier tweet struck the right tone. I recently qualified as a vet and I'm all too familiar with the challenges vet students face. However, I shouldn't have compared two different professions that have different demands. No offence was intended. However, Ms Phelan, who declined to be interviewed, took to Facebook on Sunday. I am not afraid to raise difficult issues. I understand that nursing students work hard. I understand different professions have different challenges and each placement will have different expectations. However, student nurses receive a payment of approximately 14,000 for their final year clinical placement of 36 weeks in duration. She said student teachers, occupational therapists, dentists, doctors, vets are paid nothing. She said many on these courses have additional requirements which place considerable expense and financial hardship on students. During the recent nurses' strike, we heard that nurses wanted pay parity in line with other health professionals. However, when I raised this inconvenient truth regarding student pay parity I received a range of online abuse. I would have been happy to robustly debate this matter, to hear information, experiences and opinions from all sides and to let people know what was required of me as a student vet during my placements. Unfortunately, the thread descended to such a level of abuse I felt it was no longer the appropriate forum to do so. It is ironic that many of the nasty comments and personal attacks have come from professionals who in their jobs are advocates for wellness and positive mental health, but think it acceptable to leave that to one side on social media. I am inviting anyone I meet for the remainder of this campaign to question me on this issue. I would very much welcome face-to-face discussion on this, or indeed any issue, she said. She thanks everyone who sent supportive messages and looked forward to continuing her campaign to be a voice for her local community. When contacted by the Leinster Express she said that aside from her social media comments, she had no further comment to make. She said the level of abuse stopped her from replying online, and that she is still continuing her election campaign visiting houses. I would very much welcome face-to-face discussion on this, or indeed any issue, Ms Phelan said. The Facebook group Support for Nurses, Midwives and Frontline Staff in Ireland was among those who was critical of her statements. "Her tweet is an absolute disgrace especially at a time when understaffing and overcrowding is at an all-time high as a direct result of so many nurses and midwives being forced to emigrate". " Don't anger those who you need to get you elected Vivienne! There is a hospital in Portlaoise with many of the staff living in Laois. Thankfully, you've just lost their votes, Vivienne," the group posted. A 3rd year nurse was among the many commenters. I have worked 85 hours over the past 9 days both days & nights! 60 were unpaid. I have no choice but to work part-time to survive & pursue my lifelong dream of helping others. I will remember your comment at election time. Wow, impressive. With one tweet you committed political suicide. And your political career hasn't even begun, said another. The Save Portlaoise Hospital Again group also criticised Ms Phelans tweets. Due to the increasing crisis the health service is facing, student nurses have had to take on more and more responsibilities and are now counted as part of the staffing numbers... rostered students sometimes replacing an actual staff nurse, the group said. How dare this person pass comment about how fed up she is about students voicing concerns and standing up for themselves. Apologise wholeheartedly or dont tweet at all, they said. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has given 300,000 to Kildare County Council this year to progress planning and design work on M4 Maynooth to Leixlip motorway, according to a parliamentary reply to Kildare North TD, Bernard Durkan. The proposed scheme is included amongst a number of major national road schemes that were identified in the National Development Plan for progression through pre-appraisal and early planning during 2018. The Project Pre-Appraisal for the proposed scheme has been approved and TII has given 300,000 to Kildare County Council this year to progress planning and design work on the project. Deputy Durkan was told that the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) provides the framework for transport infrastructure and services in the GDA for the period from 2016 to 2035. SEE ALSO: Kildare organisations share quarter million of Intel funding It identifies a broad range of measures including reducing reliance on cars to service the demand for travel within the GDA. In relation to the N4 corridor, the strategy identifies the need for enhanced public transport as well as improvements to the N4 from its junction with the M50 to Leixlip to rationalise accesses and to provide additional capacity at the Quarryvale junction. The proposed M4 Maynooth to Leixlip scheme is included amongst a number of major national road schemes that were identified in the NDP for progression through pre-appraisal and early planning during 2018. In this regard, the Project Pre-Appraisal for the proposed scheme has approved and Til has provided an allocation of 300,000 to Kildare County Council this year to progress planning and design work on the project. A Beijing-based think tank has published a book on how certain Belt and Road countries view the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The book, "A Study on the Attitudes of Node Countries under the Belt and Road: The Next Golden Era," collects research findings by the Pangoal Institution. It was published Monday, anticipating the upcoming second Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation. According to Wei Liping, a senior researcher at the institution, "node countries" refer to those with significant regional influences or close ties with China. The eight countries picked out by the think tank include India, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, the U.K., Belarus, Italy and Pakistan. The Pangoal Institution also has research centers in most of these countries and employs experts specializing in the regions, according to Yi Peng, founder and chairman of the think tank and a co-editor of the book. An economist who contributed to the Belarus chapter in the book, Xu Weihong, said, "When you would like to negotiate to seek for the cooperation on a project, how related people in the other country thinks of the project is a critical factor for the success of the cooperation." According to Xu, Belarus and China can cooperate in many areas including IT products under the BRI framework, and the state governments in Belarus are increasingly recognizing the possibility of cooperation in production capacity with China. However, the economist noted during the book launch that cooperation between China and Belarus could be more pragmatic, and that he would suggest the Chinese government to offer more targeted support to meet project needs. China proposed the BRI in 2013. According to the book, some early projects have yielded positive results, while many others are still in progress. Specifically between China and Belarus, BRI cooperation has yielded in the China-Belarus Industrial Park in Minsk. "There was a golden era in the history of the Silk Road, and if China can open the next golden era under the BRI, it will make a great contribution to mankind," Xu said. Community Employment (CE) Supervisors announced, at a rally outside Dail Eireann on Tuesday, April 16, that they will strike for five days in May if the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, does not meet their trade union representatives to discuss a 2008 Labour Court recommendation concerning their right to a pension. The five day strike, from Monday, May 13, will impact on community employment schemes across the country including those providing childcare, elderly-care and drug rehabilitation services. At a press conference in Buswells Hotel, Dublin 2, prior to the rally by over 250 CE Supervisors, Kate Campbell, a CE Supervisor in county Donegal, said: Escalating this dispute will have a devastating effect on both our CE scheme participants and the communities in which they work. Participants will not get paid and progress in community schemes will be halted due to the lack of supervisory management. Conor Mahon, a CE Supervisor in Galway, said: We are in this situation because of the Governments refusal to respect a recommendation of its own industrial relations mechanism. In 2008, the Labour Court ruled that, as the funding agency was a statutory body, the Government had responsibility for our pensions. He added: I and my colleagues do not wish to see our schemes adversely affected by our industrial action. However, we have been left with no choice, after 10 years of waiting for the Government to do the right thing, but to bring this dispute to a head. Our request is simple. Paschal Donohoe must meet with our union representatives and resolve our pensions issue. Forsa Services and Enterprises Head of Division, Angela Kirk, said: We have contacted the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, requesting a meeting to discuss the implementation of the Labour Court recommendation. To date neither the minister, nor his officials, have responded to this request despite the provisions established as part of the Lansdowne Road Agreement to establish a high level forum to deal with the issue of pensions for CE Supervisors and other matters relating to the community and voluntary sector. SIPTU Sector Organiser, Eddie Mullins, said: Paschal Donohoe should respect these workers and the vital community services provided by their community employment schemes. He must meet with their representatives to discuss why after more than 10 years they still do not have a pension. THE HSEs decision to review its out-of-hours child psychiatry service at University Hospital Limerick has been described as downright unacceptable. The HSE has confirmed the crucial service for children in crisis, is now not operating after 8pm as it is under a review. But the HSE has moved to reassure the public over the announcement, saying that while a 24-hour service is not operating paediatric patients will still be assessed at the hospital. In the event that a paediatric psychiatric consultant is not available after 8pm, patients will be seen to appropriately by another consultant in the emergency department, the Leader understands. We hope to be able to produce our final plans shortly as the matter is still under review, the HSE said two weeks ago. Seonaidh Ni Shiomoin, local election candidate for Solidarity, has reacted to the HSEs decision. We already know 245 children are waiting on appointments with the Children and Adolescents Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the Midwest. With 60 waiting more than a year for an appointment. Like so much more of the health service, it is already in crisis and at breaking point. When is enough enough? Is there no forward planning? Fine Gael TD Tom Neville raised the issue in the Dail. Raising this issue in the Dail is all very well, but without the political will to act the HSE will remain unmoved. An organised mass movement can force a change to resolve the problems with these underfunded services, Ms Ni Shiomoin said. The Limerick City West candidate added: We need to get organised and demand a free, functioning mental health service. A NEWCASTLE WEST woman was overjoyed to meet the President as part of a celebration marking the 25th anniversary of Cluid Housing scheme. Joan Keane, who is from Newcastle West but has lived all over the world, has been a resident of Cluids Housing scheme, in Lilac Close, Newcastle West since 2001. Now a voluntary caretaker as well as a resident, Joan was selected to be part of a group of 50 to travel up to Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin and meet the President, Michael D. Higgins. It was fantastic, an amazing experience and Im so glad I got to take part. President Higgins was so lovely, a real charmer and a real man of the people, said Joan. There were 50 of us altogether, and we all walked the long corridor, the same as any dignitary would. Then the president individually met each one of us, it made us feel quite special and important, she added. Joan, and the other visitors were then taken on a tour of the office, where they met some other very special guests. We got to meet the dogs, which was great. I think it was the highlight of the trip for some people We didnt get to meet Sabina. I hear she had other business at the time, said Joan. Joan says that this is a trip she will remember for ever. It is certainly a memory I will cherish for ever. It is something of a conversation piece, to say you have met the president. Its even more impressive and memorable to say you met him at a reception, at the Aras an Uachtarain, Joan said. YOUNGSTERS at the Limerick Youth Service have been busy baking a very special batch of bread to mark the centenary of the Soviet. Led by master-baker Paul OBrien from Woodview Park, and artist Ann Ryan, batches of Soviet Bread are being baked during the month of April, and will be served up at the first night of Mike Finns Bread not Profits play on April 16, as well as in the Urban Co-Op at the Ballysimon Road and each Thursday and at the Youth Service in Lower Mallow Street. Its based on a recipe very similar to the 1919 recipe. It would be a different type of wheat, the texture and make-up of the bread would be slightly different. But like during the Limerick Soviet, the bread was quite dense and very heavy. Our Soviet bread would be similar in that regard, Paul explained. Through the research, it was discovered that Canadian grain was used in the original pans supplied to workers involved in the strike. Used grain was commandeered from a ship docked in Limerick Port, which held 7,000 tonnes of it, artist Ann explains, Canadian grain would have been in usage in the British Isles during the war period. Ann, who studied at the Limerick School of Art and Design, has been interested in the Soviet for the last 20 years, and saw the production of bread as a good way into the launch of a project. She said: It is particularly relevant as a symbolic aspect as well as a material aspect, because it is an international symbol of resistance around the world, from the French Revolution, the Boston riots, and right up to today in Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine. Although the students of the Youth Service were quite understandably tired from their day of baking the Soviet bread on site in Mallow Street, they have developed a new appreciation of one of Limericks key episodes. Paul added: Thanks to Ann, she has opened their minds to what happened 100 years ago and mine to be honest! THE MAYOR has called on the people of Limerick to turn red ahead of Munsters big clash against Saracens in the European Rugby Champions Cup semi-final. A win for Munster will mean a place in the grand finale in St James Park, Newcastle, on May 11. Thousands of supporters will be supporting their team from home as Munster travel to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, to compete for a place in the final for the first time since 2008. Mayor James Collins said:Munsters European Rugby Champions Cup match days are very special, so Im calling on businesses and members of the public to get behind the team and turn Limerick red. Let the team know that there is massive support behind them as they take to the pitch in Coventry. Wouldnt it be fantastic to see Munster in another European Rugby Champions final! WATCH: Peter O'Mahony relishing Saracens test Limerick City and County Council will be flying the Munster flag at its corporate headquarters in Merchants Quay and in Dooradoyle ahead of the match. It will also be turning its exterior building spotlights red in Merchants Quay, while Munster flags are flying proudly on Thomond and Shannon Bridges. CLINICAL directors of the UL Hospitals Group have written an open letter, calling on the community, politicians and activists for support amid the escalating overcrowding crisis in Limerick. The unprecedented move comes a week after the Leader announced its campaign to highlight the trolley crisis at University Hospital Limerick. A public protest against the trolley crisis will take place in Limerick city on May 4. In the letter, five clinical directors said that UHL has experienced serious challenges in providing inpatient beds for acutely ill patients. These shortages have led to unacceptable numbers of elderly and frail patients waiting for far too long in the ED for a bed in the hospital. The directors outlined the resources needed at each stage of care when acutely ill patients are presented to the emergency department. It can be seen that no matter how excellent the ED facility is, and the new one at UHL is a superb modern facility, serious problems will arise if there are not enough doctors and nurses, not enough inpatient beds, not enough access to critical care of theatre, not access to diagnostics, not enough step down facility beds and/or community services. The letter was signed by directors Prof Paul Burke, Dr Gerry Burke, Mr Daid Waldron, Dr Margaret OConnor, and Dr Denis OKeeffe. They said that unfavourable comparisons have been made with the performance of the RCSI Hospitals Group and its flagship facility Beaumont Hospital. They outlined that UHL serves a population of approximately 385,000 while Beaumont serves 290,000; Beaumont has 630 inpatient beds while UHL has 454; Beaumont has 31% more staff; UHL saw 63,850 new emergency patients while Beaumont saw 52,956. The only way that this huge volume of attendances and admissions can be coped with by UHL, with a reduced number of beds, is by maximising efficiency. They said much of UL Hospitals strategic vision is dependent on additional funding, which they said is necessary to bring staffing levels up to the same levels in other catchment areas. There is a lot of competition in Ireland for resources. Their distribution is controlled centrally. So this ambitious agenda will need the support of the community and its representatives and activists. We all want the same thing a hospital that is deeply rooted in the community that services ir well and that it known as a centre of excellence for clinical care, teaching and research. A number of Mid-West TDs have written a joint letter to Minister for Health Simon Harris calling for a robust and external examination of UHLs crisis. This was signed by Maurice Quinlivan, Niall Collins, Willie ODea, Mattie McGrath, Jackie Cahill, Seamus Healy and Timmy Dooley at the time of going to print. All TDs in the Mid-West were invited to sign the letter. Speaking ahead of the public protest, organiser Cllr Mary Cahillane said UHL is at breaking point. Controversial Ghanaian Prophet, Pastor Kumchacha of Heavens Gate Ministry in Ghana has claimed that any woman who screams the name of God or Jesus Christ when having sex will end up in hell. He said that, whether the woman is making love with her husband or boyfriend, once the person screams the name of Jesus Christ during the act, she will not miss hell. "Whether you are making the love with your husband or your boyfriend, once you scream the name of Jesus Christ while in the act there is no way you will not go to hell, he revealed during a live television discussion on UTV. According to him, specially trained angels will subject such people to all forms of severe beatings on judgment day before throwing them into hell because ''shouting the name Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit under such instances constitutes a grievous punishable by being thrown into hell.'' God is not his personal property it is the omnipresent God we all know. Read Exodus 21:1-7 it says you should not mention the name of God in vain. So while being romanced if you are mentioning the name like that you commit a big sin. If care is not taken you could be flogged one day by invisible hands while in the act, he added. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said that, as an oil producing country, sale of electric cars in Nigeria should be frustrated, this will enable us to sell our oil, he argued. Ekweremadu spoke at the Plenary today as the senators debated a bill sponsored by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP Bayelsa East ). Ben Murray-Bruce had sponsored a bill for an Act to phase out petrol vehicles by 2035 and introduce electric cars. In his argument, the senator had argued that electric cars are healthy, economical and would not deplete the ozone layer. In no distant time, combustible vehicles would be phased out; and the earlier Nigeria buys into the change, the better. I own an electric car that I have been using for the past five years. It is cheaper to maintain and durable, the senator added. The bill ignited debates in the hallowed chamber, as each senator aired reasons for the rejection of the bill. In his submission, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu commended Murray-Bruce for his uncommon common sense and brilliant ideas, but noted that the ancillary to Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution grants Nigerians freedom of movement; and that there is no need to introduce a law to mandate the use of electric cars. Ekweremadu added, besides, in economic sense, we are an oil producing country. So, we should do everything possible to frustrate the sale of electric cars in Nigeria to enable us to sell our oil. Senator Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano) said while electric vehicles no doubt would be more friendly to the environment and health, making its use mandatory was not feasible. We have to look at individual networth. Not all Nigerians can afford the vehicles at a given time. We all know the importance of vehicles in our daily activities. So, banning use of fuel cars will cause hardship, particularly for those who may not be able to acquire electric cars. Murray-Bruce withdrew the bill ultimately. A prosecution witness, Chidi Nweke told an FCT High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja how Adegbite Adetoye and Ponle Abiodun, two directors of Origin Oil and Gas Limited, lied and defrauded the Federal government to the tune of over N735 million in subsidy scam. At the resumed hearing of the case today, Tuesday, April 16, 2019 before Justice Silvanus Oriji, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Steve Odiase, said the accused lied over the quantity of petrol (Premium Motor Spirit, PMS) they supplied to the Federal Government in 2011. The witness produced in court, a letter that flowed from investigative activities of the EFCC to Quantity Marine Services Nigeria Limited to authenticate the short tank quantity certificate, which indicated that 19 million litres was purportedly supplied as against 6,784,921 litres, which investigations revealed was actually supplied. Under cross-examination by the defense counsel, Israel Olorundare (SAN), Mr Nweke maintained that the defendants and the company involved did not supply the quantity of PMS they claimed they supplied. The document from the defendants claimed that about 19 million litres of PMS was transhipped from MT Champion Express to MT Silverie at Offshore Cotonou, while investigations revealed that the actual quantity discharged was 6,784,921 litres of PMS, the witness said. Mr Olorundare (SAN) tendered documents from Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), titled Checklist which was admitted by the court in evidence. Justice Oriji adjourned the matter to the 6th and 7th May 6 and 7, 2019, for further hearing. An agreement was reached between a complainant and Mercedes-Benz dealer Xi'an Lizhixing Co on Tuesday evening, The Paper reported on Wednesday. A customer going by the pseudonym Wang Qian signed a contract on Feb 25 to buy an imported Mercedes-Benz CLS300 vehicle through installments, and claimed the engine was leaking oil after she picked up the car on March 27. She asked for a refund or an exchange for another car, but the dealer only agreed to a free replacement of the engine. A video showing the woman sitting on top of the engine cover of a red Mercedes at the dealership and complaining went viral online. Wang filed complaints with the Shaanxi provincial market regulatory administration and Xi'an municipal government through telephone calls asking for a refund starting April 9. The market regulatory administration in Gaoxin district of Xi'an where the company is located has opened an investigation of the dealer for suspected quality problems, and has authorized a testing institute to examine this particular car. Wang made eight different demands, including an investigation into the history of the car, an independent inspection of the vehicle, a formal apology from the Mercedes-Benz company and compensation for her psychological damage, Shaanxi Broadcasting Co reported. Wang also said she paid a "financial service fee" of 15,000 yuan ($2,2242.23) to an employee at the dealership when she bought the car, though was not sure what it was for. She demanded an investigation into the fee, according to a voice recording of the negotiation between her and the dealership representative. Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co apologized for the customer's experience on Saturday in a statement, saying it had launched an investigation and dispatched a special team to Xi'an to negotiate with the woman. Mercedes-Benz Financial Services denied the company charged such financial service fees to dealers or customers, and implored its dealers to abide by the law and guarantee customers' rights in a statement issued on Sunday. Germany's Daimler suspended the sales franchise on Xi'an Lizhixing for Mercedes vehicles in China and said the dealership had reached an agreement with the customer in a statement on Tuesday. A new CLS300 vehicle will be exchanged and the financial service fee of more than 10,000 yuan will be refunded to the customer, according to the agreement. Company representatives invited the woman to visit the Mercedes factory and assembly line in Germany to learn about the manufacturing process. The company will also provide free "one-on-one" VIP services for 10 years to the customer, and pay all bills to celebrate Wang's birthday according to the lunar calendar, the report said. Wang's spirit of safeguarding consumers' legal rights was praised by netizens, and she said no matter how big the company or how small the customer, everyone has the right to pursue equal dialogue. After seeing documentation, including examination reports, relevant certifications and video clips, Wang felt the vehicle involved was not a problem car or modified. Inviting her to visit the German factory and celebrating her birthday showcases the company's humanistic treatment of customers, Wang said, adding the result of the agreement was beyond her expectations and thus she was very satisfied. Representatives apologized again to Wang and promised to actively cooperate with relevant departments in any investigation. Local market regulators paid great attention to the issue and played an active role in solving the problem, said Liu Lin, deputy director of the Gaoxin Branch of the Xi'an Municipal Market Supervision Bureau. Based on the agreement, the bureau will continue to strengthen law enforcement and crack down on illegal behavior, Liu said. The settlement of this issue should not end with the individual case, but should also promote the fundamental improvement of the whole industry, according to a report by CCTV. Consumption has become the primary driving force for China's economic development, and keeping consumers satisfied in all industries can further promote high-quality development in the country, the report said. Journalist, Fejiro Oliver, who accused the chairman of Sapele Local Government in Delta state, Eugene Inoaghan, of taking viral sensation, Sucess Adegor, to a beer parlor, has alleged that some persons are threatening his life. Oliver shared a photo of the chairman with a group of friends taking alcohol in a place he claimed to be a beer parlor. Read his initail post here. Oliver in an updated post, said he has been receiving threatening calls since yesterday. Read his update below Update: Life under threat because of Success Adegor post This afternoon, I made a harmless post about Success Adegor of the "no be say I no go pay viral story" on how she was spotted in a beer parlour. Now, perception is key in everything. I called for the suspension of the Sapele LGA Council boss, Mr Eugene, for carrying success and staying with him where him and his friends were gulping alcohol. On the table are bottles of alcohol and cans of beer. For heaven's sake, why must the little girl be introduced to that? The post has since gone viral. I have received countless calls over the issue and given my words to some concerned persons on what they asked. This evening, at exactly 7:25pm a number 09029287265 called me after I missed a call from that same number by 6:50pm, the voice at the background identified himself as Samuel and demanded to know if I'm Fejiro Oliver. I asked for his full name and he went ballistic. The young man threatened that for writing against his boss on my wall, they will find me all over Nigeria and deal with as well as hack my facebook accounts. "I will hack your number and we will track you anywhere in Nigeria". He has just spoken the mind of the Council Chairman. I kept quiet and he ended the call. He called back again and began to rant before handing the phone to a lady who identified herself as Barrister Gloria who also poured out venom on my person, saying I want to destroy the man. He has been in office for almost two years and I have not investigated him despite the complaints from the council staff. How then am I destroying him? This is to Eugene, Samuel, Gloria and all their clique, the governor will not only hear this but I will take it up to the highest level. Eugene whom we elected as a local government chairman has recruited thugs to hunt me. He should honorably quit that seat or be suspended by the House of Assembly to join the thug business. This battle go over you. This will not be the end of it. F.O (God's Pen of Morality ?) The Court of Appeal in Lagos has affirmed the conviction of a Congolese, Kutumisana Mbutu Blaise and the forfeiture of $551,225 (Five Hundred and Fifty One Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty Five Dollars) only to the Federal Government. EFCC had arraigned the convict on April 21, 2015 before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos. Lawyer to the EFCC, Abba Muhammed had urged Justice Buba to convict Blaise, following his failure to declare the said $551,225 in his possession to the men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the point of entry into Nigeria. According to Abba, Blaises action is contrary to Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No 1 of 2012. In his judgement on July 7, 2015, Justice Buba upheld the argument of the EFCCs lawyer and sentenced Blaise accordingly. The judge further directed that the said $551,225, which Blaise failed to declare, be forfeited to the Federal Government. Dissatisfied with the verdict of Justice Buba, the convict approached the Court of Appeal, Lagos for intervention, asking the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the lower court. But in a unanimous judgment by three Justices of the Court of Appeal: Mohammed Lawal Garba, Tom Shaibu Yakubu and Jamilu Mammama Tukur, the appellate court affirmed the verdict of the lower court. The appellate court further concurred with the decision of the lower court over the forfeiture of the undeclared money, saying that the said amount be forfeited to the Federal Government. On why the judgment of the lower court was affirmed, Justice Yakubu, who read the lead judgment of the appellate court, said, I have myself perused the pieces of evidence proffered by the witnesses at the court below vis-a-vis the findings made by the learned trial judge which ultimately culminated in the conviction of the appellant (Blaise). Naomi Chepkemboi, a Third Year Public Health student at Pwani University, Kenya, was stabbed in the chest and neck by her ex-boyfriend Henry Kipkoech, who is a student at Kenyatta University, Nairobi. Ms Chepkemboi says she left her boyfriend in December last year because he was irresponsible. The two have a 4-month old daughter together. Speaking from her hospital bed in Kilifi County, Naomi Chepkemboi said Mr Kipkoech showed up at her rented room in Kilifi early Sunday, when he meted out the ugly attack on her. He came to my room at 6am, and knocked on my door. I peeped through the window, and saw him. I went back to bed because I did not want to open the door for him. He pleaded with me to open the door, saying he came with an aim of restoring peace between us, Chepkemboi told Citizen Television on Monday. After much deliberation, I let him in. When we were done talking to each other, he rose and started walking out. I, thereafter, changed into my sleeping gown; and was in the process of locking the door, when he stormed in and locked the door from the inside, said Chepkemboi. Mr Kipkoech, thereafter, brandished three knives he had hidden in a paper bag and stabbed his victim in the chest and neck several times. Doctors at Kilifi Hospital say Naomi Chepkemboi, who was taken to the facility by fellow students, is in a stable condition. The victim recounts ending her 2-year relationship with the suspect in December last year. When I told him that I have moved on, he couldnt believe it. I terminated my relationship with him because he wasnt a responsible man. His parents helped me and the baby for only two months. After much thought, I saw it unwise to stick with him yet he wasnt looking after his child. He was the type of a man who would forcefully take my money, when he found me in possession of some cash, said Ms Chepkemboi. A Kilifi court on Monday, April 15 granted the police eight days to detain Henry Kipkoech. The suspect will undergo mental tests to ascertain his fitness to stand trial. Mr Kipkoech told the court that he attacked his victim after she denied him access to their daughter. Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Reports say the ex-leader has until now been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard. He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security. Months of protests in Sudan led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday. Uganda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). As an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented. Until now, Bashir's whereabouts since his removal were unknown. The coup leader at the time, Awad Ibn Auf, said Mr Bashir was being detained in a "safe place". He himself stood down soon afterwards. Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was then named as head of the transitional military council, to become Sudan's third leader in as many days. Demonstrators have vowed to stay on the streets until there is an immediate move to civilian rule. Bashir led Sudan for close to 30 years. He is accused of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's western Darfur region, for which the ICC issued an arrest warrant. After months of protests - starting in response to a rise in living costs and morphing into calls for the government to resign - Sudan's military toppled Mr Bashir in a coup on Thursday. The transitional military council was set up in the wake of his removal, and has said it will stay in place for a maximum of two years until a civilian government can be put in place. Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia has died after shooting himself in the head as police arrived at his home to arrest him. The ex-president was rushed to hospital, but doctors could not save him. As police officers knocked on his door on Wednesday morning, Garcia shut himself in his room and shot himself in the head. The former leader was rushed to hospital, reportedly suffered multiple cardiac arrests during surgery, and died several hours later. Peruvian president Martin Vizcarra confirmed Garcia's passing, sending his condolences to the late leader's family and loved ones. Garcia, who served as president of Peru from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011, had been under investigation for bribery. The former president was one of more than 230 people across Latin America investigated in a corruption case centered on Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht. The former leader sought asylum in Uruguay last November, after a judge barred him from leaving Peru for 18 months. The asylum request was denied, and a judge in Lima ordered his detention on Tuesday. Prosecutors say Garcia took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for a lucrative public transport contract in Lima. Garcia denied the charge, and claimed he was being politically persecuted. Perus last five ex-presidents have all served jail time or are under investigation for corruption. Garcias successor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, is also being investigated for his alleged involvement in the Odebrecht scandal. Prosecutors are currently seeking to extend Kuczynskis detention until he can be brought to trial. The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria has warned Nigerians to shine their eyes concerning reports that Canada is seeking millions of Nigerians to take up permanent residency in the country. This comes after viral news reports claimed that Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to allow one million Nigerians enter Canada under a new Employment and Migration Programme designed for immigrants. The report quoted Trudeau as saying we cant undermine or overlook the contribution of immigrants in Canadas development especially our brothers and sisters from Nigeria, and a spokesperson for the Canadian Labour Department, Shadrack Scott, as adding: The programmes website will be launched next week and all available jobs will be listed. Currently there are over 6 million vacancies and we are hoping that Buhari allows at least one million people from Nigeria. However, the Canadian High Commission has denied the report saying, this particular story is FALSE. Nigerians are welcome to apply to immigrate to Canada. See the rest of the tweets below... Over 4,200 Nigerians were approved for permanent residency in Canada in 2017, which is almost double the number from the year prior. Nigerians in Canada make important contributions to both countries. Canada in Nigeria (@CanHCNigeria) April 16, 2019 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, says Nigeria currently produces 90 per cent of the rice consumed in the country. The Minister who last month said people import Pizza to Nigeria from the UK, said this when he spoke at the 2019 Annual Research Review and Planning meeting which held at the Balarabe Tanimu Conference Hall at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, Kaduna State yesterday Tuesday April 16th. Ogbeh, who was represented by Karima Babangida, the Director of Extension Services in the ministry, said this was achievable because of the massive suport the Federal government was giving local rice farmers. President Buhari last night commended one of the worlds richest men, Bill Gates for his consistent and generous support to public causes around the globe, and specifically for supporting the eradication of polio and HIV diseases in Africa and Nigeria in particular. Speaking in a telephone call to congratulate the President upon his resounding election victory, winning a second four-year term of office, Gates, who said he was happy to be associated with the President, restated his commitment to the success of the administration as well as the progress, prosperity and well-being of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He expressed willingness to do more for the country. President Buhari reiterated his opinion that Mr Gates wealth has benefited Nigerias development, and expressed appreciation for the call. A flight attendant in Israel is in a coma after getting the measles, according to news reports. Israeli health officials told CNN that the 43-year-old woman has encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and has been in a "deep coma" for 10 days. She is unable to breathe on her own and is on a respirator. The measles virus, though most well-known for its telltale rash, can cause serious complications. Such complications are most common in children younger than 5 and adults over 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common serious complication of measles is pneumonia, the CDC says: Up to 1 in 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, and it is the most common cause of death from the disease. Much rarer is encephalitis, which affects 1 in every 1,000 children with measles, according to the CDC. The flight attendant had been vaccinated against measles; however, she had received only one dose of the vaccine, according to CNN. Health officials didn't start recommending that children receive two doses of the vaccine until 1989, when it was discovered that one dose was more than 90% effective at preventing measles, but two doses boosted the effectiveness to 97%. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, previously told Live Science that adults who received only one dose of the measles vaccine as children could consider getting a second dose. Health officials said it's not yet clear where the flight attendant, who works for the Israeli airline El Al, contracted the disease. It may have been in New York or Israel there are ongoing outbreaks in both locations or on board a flight. Officials do not believe she spread the virus to anyone on a flight. Originally published on Live Science. During the first century, people across Rome were obsessed with chariot races, which frequently produced horrific crashes. However, one charioteer steered his way to victory more than 2,000 times. Flavius Scorpus began his career as a slave, but rose to heights of fame and fortune. Just how did he do it? And how dangerous were his races? To find out, experts built and test-drove a Roman-era racing chariot, finding that the chariots were designed to maximize the spectacle of racing, but did little to protect the driver. Scorpus' feats and the pulse-pounding risks of charioteering are featured in the Smithsonian Channel's new two-part documentary series "Rome's Chariot Superstar." [In Photos: Early Bronze Age Chariot Burial] A wild ride Scorpus began racing as a teenager in the outer provinces of the Roman Empire, arriving at the Circus Maximus Rome's biggest stadium and racetrack in A.D. 90, when he was about 21 years old. He likely competed in a total of 5,000 to 6,000 races in his 10-year career, "which meant he was probably racing 5[00] or 600 times a year," Jerry Toner, a fellow and director of studies with Churchill College at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, said in the documentary. "He's out there risking his life on a very regular basis," Toner said. His feats were so risky because racing vehicles favored swiftness over safety. Unlike the sturdier war chariots of the Egyptians and Hittites, Roman chariots were built for speed and spectacle, not battle, historical racer Mike Loades told Live Science. Wheels on Roman chariots were small, and the chariots were light, made of wood and rawhide; the platform measured only about 3 feet (1 meter) from the rear axle to the front rail. And unlike war chariots, which were led by at most two horses, Roman chariots were pulled by four horses, which made them trickier to control more likely to crash. War chariots also have waist-high rails at the front, so that an archer could brace himself while standing upright, Loades said. But in the Roman chariots, the rail was much lower at knee height. When Loades test-drove a reconstructed chariot, he found that while this design would have shielded the charioteer from stones and dust kicked up by the horses, if he happened to lose his balance, it would only stabilize him if he dropped to one knee on the platform, Loades explained. "It looked very dangerous that plays into the Roman idea of theater and excitement and jeopardy," he said. A typical Roman race featured 12 chariots, with 48 horses lined up abreast. When the race began, it would have resembled a stampede. Because of this crowded field, one of the most frequent risks on the racetrack was "shipwrecks," as the Romans called them when chariots would tumble and crash on the track, becoming harrowing roadblocks for the remaining racers. Over 10 years of racing, Scorpus' prowess earned him quantities of gold estimated to be worth $15 billion today, experts calculated in "Circus Maximus." The chariot-racing superstar was killed midrace in A.D. 95, and "he probably died in one of those dramatic shipwrecks," Toner said. "Rome's Chariot Superstar" premiers on the Smithsonian Channel on April 21 at 8 p.m. EDT. Originally published on Live Science. China's central authorities have issued a document asking for improvements to the country's arbitration system to strengthen its credibility. The document, jointly issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, notes that arbitration is an internationally-received means for convenient and efficient dispute resolution. It requires the strict implementation of arbitration-related laws and rules to ensure that arbitral institutions work independently in accordance with the law, the principle for the parties' autonomy is implemented, and acts that disturb the order for arbitration development are rectified. The internal governance and management of arbitration commissions should be streamlined with the selection and management of arbitrators be improved, the document says. Also, it requires reforms and innovations with the arbitration system, calling for efforts to support the introduction of the Internet in arbitration. The development of arbitration system should serve the country's opening up and development strategies, according to the document, which also stresses deepening the cooperation among arbitral institutions in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It also underlines the CPC leadership over relevant work, self-discipline in the sector and better support and supervision from judicial agencies. It asks local governmental authorities to comprehensively handle violations of relevant laws and rules. For years, Muni Metros 23rd Street rail stop, toward the end of the gentrifying Dogpatch neighborhood, served as a symbolic border: T-Third trains would go out of service there, leaving passengers stranded partway through the route to the neglected southeast corner of San Francisco. The transit agency ended the practice on that line this month and is looking to eliminate it on others, following a spirited campaign by Supervisor Shamann Walton and Mayor London Breed. And riders are starting to see the difference. Todd Trumbull I noticed something, but I just couldnt put my finger on it, said Joshua Charles, a Bayview resident who often got marooned halfway home. Like other commuters, hed sometimes opt to walk, rather than stand on the platform for 20 minutes. Switchbacks, which occur when trains turn around in the middle of a route, have plagued the T since its inception in 2007. Though Muni uses this strategy to spread service more evenly when trains bunch in one direction and space too far apart in the other, it can seem unfair and arbitrary to customers who have to get off and wait. In recent years, its become more common to hit the end of the line before the end of the line. Muni ordered 1,800 switchbacks in January, up from 1,600 last October. During that interim, the abrupt drop-offs increased from about 300 to more than 400 on the J-Church line, doubled from about 100 to more than 200 on the M-Ocean View, and hovered at about 500 on the T-Third, which becomes the outbound K-Ingleside after passing through Embarcadero Station. Trains on the K/T route occasionally loop back downtown after stopping at 23rd Street, or retire at the nearby Muni Metro East yard. Jana Asenbrennerova / Special to The Chronicle Residents on San Franciscos more prosperous west side have long complained about the inconvenience of switchbacks, and the issue has animated politicians including former Sunset District Supervisor Katy Tang and her successor, Gordon Mar. But the practice reveals a more glaring social issue on the T, said Munis acting chief, Julie Kirschbaum. Riding the T provides a tour through the inequities of San Francisco, from the booming waterfront neighborhoods along Embarcadero and Mission Bay, past the soon-to-open Chase arena, and into the industrial Bayview. The disparities along that route make switchbacks more vexing, Kirschbaum said, since they hurt riders in the outer neighborhoods of Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale. Muni has directed more attention to those riders in recent years, hoping to bridge economic divisions by improving transportation service. The agency ended switchbacks on the T line on April 6, shortly after moving its control center from a bunker in West Portal to a new office downtown, where staff are better equipped to monitor the trains and intervene when they start bunching. Muni also changed its schedule so that service would be more evenly spaced overall, Kirschbaum said. She hopes to eventually curtail switchbacks on other lines. Walton hailed these reforms as a victory. Ive always felt this was something we could do right away, he said. Jana Asenbrennerova / Special to The Chronicle Some riders who boarded the T on Tuesday morning said theyve noticed the line hasnt stopped mid-route in the past couple weeks. Mirakle Becker, who was heading downtown from the Bayview, seemed pleased by the change. It used to be that Im on the train, and all of a sudden I hear the operator tell everyone to get off, Becker said. But recently I havent had a problem. Others were wary. Well, if they really do this, it would be a nice surprise, said Rene Lewis. Shes ridden the T for years, growing accustomed to its glacial pace. The $667 million rail line was supposed to deliver brisk service to the citys most isolated pockets, but instead it gets stuck at intersections or in the tangle of traffic. Switchbacks only added to the perception that the T was designed for the bustling waterfront, rather than the more impoverished southeast. That thought made Lewis grimace. Theyll put up a No Passengers sign and say, This is your last stop, she said. And then I have to get off and wait 20 minutes. And Im like What? I just got on this train. She shook her head. Its just not right. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan A Laredo man has been ordered to federal prison for laundering money, smuggling cash and leading a drug trafficking conspiracy. Daniel Martin Huerta, 60, pleaded guilty in August. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison sentenced Huerta on Tuesday to 120 months of imprisonment to be immediately followed by a five-year-term of supervised release. At the hearing, he was held accountable for being the leader and organizer of five or more persons during the course of the drug trafficking conspiracy. READ ALSO: Border agents find bundles of pot next to baby in car seat holding bottle Between May 1, 2012, and April 24, 2018, Huerta conspired with persons in his drug trafficking organization to distribute large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. Huerta and his co-conspirators were responsible for importing the drugs from Mexico and sending them to Dallas and other cities throughout the United States. Huerta also laundered money in U.S. bank accounts and smuggled U.S. currency derived from drug proceeds into Mexico. On April 27, 2013, Huerta directed co-conspirators to smuggle $238,335 in bulk cash into Mexico. Law enforcement seized this load prior to the money exiting the U.S. On Nov. 24, 2014, local authorities seized 24 kilograms of cocaine in four car batteries after a traffic stop of a flatbed trailer, which belonged to Huerta. RELATED: Mexican police officer indicted after allegedly attempting to smuggle meth into Laredo Huerta has been in custody since his arrest in May 2018. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. attorney Christopher dos Santos prosecuted the case. The Houston skyline shrinks in the rearview mirror just as the industrial smokestacks begin to rise, and then once you've traveled far enough down Interstate 45 toward the Gulf Coast, the landscape gives way to intermittent stretches of supersized strip malls and swampy pastures. One such lot is the old League City oil field - an abandoned 25-acre lot full of overgrown mesquite trees and crisscrossed with dirt roads, tucked a mile behind the interstate traffic and a small Baptist church. Southeastern Texans know it better as the "Killing Fields." The bodies and bones pulled from the old oil field along Calder Road in League City between 1984 and 1991 belonged to four young women, clustered in the same vicinity and buried in shallow graves. A family dog was the first to find any trace of them, when it carried a human skull home to its owner in a nearby neighborhood in 1984. In the ensuing years, two boys on dirt bikes would find another body, police would find another and two horseback riders would stumble on yet another. And all the while, the killer or killers would never be found. Leads came and went, and so did suspects. There was the fabulist felon who falsely confessed to the killings from prison in 2001. There was the man who owned the recreational horseback-riding stable in the adjacent lot who drew suspicion for years. But the investigation was complicated by the fact that authorities could not even identify two of the four women discovered in the fields. This week, however, after more than 25 years, that has finally changed. On Tuesday, the League City Police Department said the women's identities had been learned through genetic genealogy testing, in which forensic analysts extracted the women's DNA from their bones and then ran it through public genealogy databases. Through their family members, they identified the women: Audrey Lee Cook, 30, a mechanic, and Donna Prudhomme, 34, a mother of two. "It was no different than telling their loved ones they were just murdered yesterday," League City Lt. Michael Buffington said during a Monday news conference. The discovery of the victims' identities marks the first major development in years, one that police hope may pinpoint a suspect should anyone who remembers the women come forward with tips. Police declined to elaborate on any possible persons of interest, but for decades, authorities have maintained that they believe the deaths were the result of more than one killer - potentially even multiple serial killers, as one FBI agent told The Washington Post in 1999. That's because the bodies and bones found in the Calder Road oil field are among dozens of women whose bodies have been dug up in fields all along the I-45 corridor, the 50-mile stretch between Houston and Galveston, Texas. Starting in 1971, when three Galveston girls disappeared in a matter of months, more than 30 women from the area would go missing by 1999, The Post reported then. Year after year, they would be found buried in a marsh or pasture along that dreadful stretch of I-45 - to the point that the "killing fields" came to mean not only the oil field behind Calder Road, but every field along the freeway. Only a fraction of the cases have ever been solved. "The killing fields have become a symbol for all those girls that have gone missing up and down the I-45 corridor," an investigator told CBS's "48 Hours" in 2012. In the case of the four women found in this 25-acre patch, the disturbing saga began on Oct. 10, 1983, when Heide Villareal Fye was reported missing. The 25-year-old cocktail waitress disappeared after she left her parents' home to hitch a ride to Houston to visit her boyfriend. But she never made it. Instead, a dog would dig up her bones in the killing field the following April. Laura Miller, 16, would go missing next, on Sept. 24, 1984. She walked a few blocks from home to a nearby convenience store to use the pay phone and never returned. It just so happened that she lived only a few blocks from Fye - and both girls frequented the same convenience store, the Houston Press reported in 2015. The coincidences would haunt her father, Tim Miller, who immediately asked the League City Police Department if they had searched for Laura in the Calder Road field where Fye had been found, the Press reported. The police wouldn't search the field for months. Not until two boys riding dirt bikes in 1986 found another body in the oil field - that of Cook, a Tennessee native who had moved to Houston for work as a mechanic. She was known only as "Jane Doe" then. While police recovered Cook's remains, they found Laura Miller as well. "What do you do when there are no witnesses and you recover a victim, weeks or months after the crime, and the physical evidence is all gone?" then-Lt. Gary D. Ratliff told The Post in 1999, describing one of the main hurdles in the investigations."What do you say to the parents when all you have to go on are bones that critters have been at?" Tim Miller didn't want to hear any of it. He was consumed by anger. Anger at his daughter's killer, of course, but also anger at the police for what he believed then was an inadequate investigation. He would become obsessed with tracking down leads himself. And before long, he became convinced he had found the man: Robert Abel, a former NASA engineer who later owned a horseback-riding business, and who had been leasing land next to the 25-acre oil field for years. "I tried to help police solve a terrible crime, and now they think I was too helpful?" Abel said in a 1999 Texas Monthly story, baffled as to why he was a suspect. Suspicion surrounded Abel in 1991 not long after he opened his recreational horseback-riding business, Stardust Trailrides, in the lot next to the killing fields: One September afternoon, two horseback riders came across a nude body, the fourth to be discovered in the Calder Road oil field. Police wouldn't know it then, but it was the body of Donna Prudhomme, Ratliffe, now League City's police chief, said Tuesday. A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Prudhomme had recently fled an abusive relationship and fallen on hard times in the mid-'80s, police said Tuesday. Her two sons had gone to live with their grandparents. Her family, after not hearing from her for a while, contacted the Port Arthur Police Department to report her missing. And while a small, fruitless search was conducted, no formal report was ever filed, police said. Police zeroed in on Abel because of his proximity to the fields and because the FBI believed he fit the psychological profile of a killer, which Abel found preposterous. They stormed his home on Nov. 12, 1993, with a search warrant, only to find nothing. No links to the women, no physical evidence connecting him to the scene. His guns didn't match the bullets that killed the women, Texas Monthly reported. Miller would later turn his attention to another man, although police have yet to identify any physical evidence linking this man, either. Now decades later, Miller has turned his obsession into a career: The founder of Texas EquuSearch, he tracks down missing people for a living, having recovered dozens of bodies over the last two decades. He's turned the killing fields into a memorial. On the trees that surround the patch of land where the four women's bodies were found, he has tacked the names of missing people from everywhere. And at the spots where his daughter and where the three other women were found dead, he has planted wooden crosses. He told CBS's "48 Hours" in 2012 that he goes there more often than he goes to the cemetery where his daughter is buried. "I would go out there where Laura's body was found, where I put that cross, and I would say 'Laura, please don't hate your daddy, but I cannot come out here anymore,' " he said. It was becoming too painful, he said, but one day as he pulled away in his truck, it was almost as if she was talking to him: "Dad, don't quit," he heard her say. "Please don't quit." BEIJING - China's economy has again defied President Donald Trump's predictions that it is in trouble, with official statistics showing that it grew by a surprisingly robust 6.4 percent in the first three months of the year. Although analysts are skeptical about Chinese data, and although the figures showed the growth was fueled largely by unsustainable government spending, the numbers underscore the resilience of the world's second-largest economy. "Trump should realize this is a sign that China's economy is not about to fall off a cliff," said Andrew Polk of Trivium China, a consultancy. As the United States and China edge toward a deal to end their protracted trade war, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Beijing is desperate for a deal because its economy is in trouble. By contrast, he has bragged about the United States' improving economy and buoyant stock markets. But the reality is not quite so black-and-white. The National Bureau of Statistics said the Chinese economy grew by 6.4 percent compared with the first quarter of last year, maintaining the pace recorded in the previous three months. "The national economy enjoyed stable performance and growing positive factors, stronger market expectations and confidence," bureau spokesman Mao Shengyong told reporters Wednesday. But he also struck a cautious note. "However, at the same time, we should also be aware that . . . the task of reform and development is arduous, and downward economic pressures still persist," he said. Growth in the first quarter was supported by infrastructure spending and bonds issued by local governments. The government was trying to "front-load" this spending to boost statistics, economists said. "The latest growth numbers suggest that the government's stimulus measures are taking hold and stabilizing growth," said Eswar Prasad of Cornell University, although he warned this could create bigger financial risks for the future. China's industrial production grew a much stronger-than-expected 8.5 percent in March from a year earlier, the biggest jump in more than five years and far exceeding expectations. That suggested it was a one-off blip. Chinese authorities have also injected record amounts of money into the financial system to stave off the slowdown, perhaps so as not to appear weak while the trade negotiations continue. Bank loans hit a record high of $865 billion during the first quarter. The trade war has had a relatively small effect on China's economy. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of rich nations, estimates that the trade war has shaved one-quarter of a percent off the growth rate in both China and the United States. Overall, it will reduce total world trade by 0.4 percent by 2020, OECD Deputy Secretary General Ludger Schuknecht said in Beijing this week. Recent statistics, combined with murmurings about a trade deal, suggested that there was reason to be more optimistic about China's economy than even a few months ago, Prasad said. Economists at UBS upgraded their forecast for Chinese growth this year from 6.1 percent to 6.4 percent. During a major Communist Party meeting in March, Premier Li Keqiang set a growth target of 6 percent to 6.5 percent for this year. Even Julian Evans-Pritchard of the Capital Economics consultancy, who estimates that the first-quarter growth rate is more likely about 5.3 percent, was relatively optimistic. "With credit growth now accelerating and sentiment improving, China's economy will bottom out before long if it hasn't already," he wrote in a note. The surprise at Wednesday's statistics stems from the fact that China's economic fundamentals remain concerning. Growth, having surged in the 1990s and 2000s, has slowed to its weakest rate in 30 years as the economy matures. Without painful structural reforms, economists warn, China will start to record the kind of low-single-digit growth rates more common in developed countries. But President Xi Jinping has been reluctant to embark on those reforms, strengthening state-owned enterprises instead of allowing the market to operate, and relying on old-fashioned pump-priming to boost growth. Many economists are sounding alarm bells about the debt levels in China, warning that the country is heading toward a classic banking crisis, riven with defaults and bankruptcies. The discussion in Beijing these days revolves around whether China's crisis will be a crash like the one that afflicted Brazil or whether it will stumble into a decades-long malaise like Japan. Chinese policymakers are unwilling to face this prospect, said one businessman in Beijing, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid damaging his relations with the government. "They look in the mirror and say, 'Aren't we gorgeous?' But in reality, they are running out of steam," he said. The OECD this week warned about the rising financial risks in China from high corporate debt. In its latest report on the Chinese economy, the OECD said China should avoid channeling its fiscal stimulus to state-owned enterprises and local governments. In many provinces, public debt exceeds annual revenue, sometimes by a large margin, it says. There are other signs of stress in the Chinese economy. Applications from overseas buyers and inquiries about country's largest trade fair, the Canton Fair, which starts Friday, are down this year. The event is considered a barometer for China's foreign trade, so the relatively low level of interest suggested a "severe situation," a spokesman said. There have also been widespread reports of job losses, especially in the tech sector, but also in government-related jobs. China's "big five" state-owned banks laid off a total of 26,700 people last year, according to local reports. You are here: China Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province seized 9,000 cartons of smuggled counterfeit cigarettes worth nearly 1 million yuan (149,002 U.S. dollars). On April 9, police officers in the city of Lincang were informed by the local tobacco monopoly bureau that a batch of problematic cigarettes would go through Zhenkang county. On April 10, the police officers captured a truck carrying the smuggled cigarettes. A total of six suspects were caught. The case is under further investigation. Vitisak Payalaw and his crew were working on an oil rig 135 miles off the southern coast of Thailand on Friday when they spotted something unexpectedly bobbing in the gentle waves. It was a dog. The animal was fighting his way through the moving water, heading for the oil rig. As he approached the structure, Payalaw, an offshore planner for Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, held out a pole after the animal had splashed his way to the platform below the rig's deck. As a video Payalaw posted to his Facebook account shows, the pup was soaked, shivering and too exhausted to whimper or bark. "His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, 'Please help me,' " Payalaw told CNN. "At that moment, whoever saw this, they would just have to help." The crew, however, knew it had to act fast. The waves were kicking up, meaning the dog could be swept away soon. "I thought that if we didn't move quickly, I would not be able to help him," Payalaw said. "If he lost his grip, it would be very difficult to help him." Four members of the crew, including Payalaw, spent 15 minutes devising a way to pull the animal up to the rig, eventually slinging a looped rope around the dog's neck and hoisting it to the deck. Pictures from the offshore planner's Facebook account show the animal looking sapped after being taken aboard the rig. According to NPR, the rig workers gave the dog water and pieces of meat. Then, they settled on a name: "Boonrod," meaning "he has done good karma and that helps him to survive." "He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didn't move much," Payalaw said to CNN. "He was shaking and he couldn't stand, he had to sit all the time." How exactly a dog ended up paddling for his life in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand remains a mystery. According to the Bangkok Post, Boonrod may have jumped or fallen off another vessel in the water. On Monday, Boonrod was transported back to the mainland, coming ashore at Songkhla, Thailand, where he was examined by a vet, according to the Times of London. According to Facebook pictures posted Monday by animal rights group Watchdog Thailand, when Boonrod stepped onto dry land, workers draped a garland of marigolds around his neck, a symbol of welcome and good fortune, the Times reported. The dog flashed a good-boy smile. The dog is in good shape, the Associated Press reported. Boonrod's happy ending story quickly went viral online. Payalaw's original Facebook post had more than 23,000 shares and 7,300 comments by early Wednesday morning. "Three cheers to #Boonrod," one user on Twitter said. "Simply amazing - we need a story like THIS on a day like today," another posted. Payalaw told NPR he plans to adopt Boonrod if the dog is not claimed by an owner. JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo appeared on track Wednesday to win a second term, according to early vote counts, holding a 10 percentage-point lead over a retired general who had courted nationalist and conservative Islamic forces in a campaign waged on the country's fault lines. Widodo's apparent victory over Prabowo Subianto marked a rare bright spot in a region that has trended toward authoritarian and strongman rule. But Prabowo issued his own claim that he was the rightful victor, urging supporters to ensure the election is not taken from them even as the early "quick count" vote went strongly in Widodo's favor. In Indonesia, a quick count by several trusted independent polling agencies is considered an accurate gauge of the elections and correctly tallied Widodo's 2014 win. Official vote counts in the sprawling archipelago could take up to two weeks as ballots come in from remote locations. The independent agencies tally votes from a representative sample of polling stations. Prabowo did not signal his next possible move, but his defiant stance raised the possibility of street protests if Widodo's victory is confirmed. So far, however, the election was overwhelmingly peaceful and orderly. It further underscored an important shift in Indonesia to democratic elections in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation two decades after the bloody end of authoritarian rule under President Suharto. Widodo urged supporters to wait for official results as they broke out in cheers, chanting his nickname, Jokowi, and heralding his reelection. "From the implication of exit polls and quick count, all of which we've seen, we have to be patient until [the election authority's] calculation," he said. Widodo was gathered with his inner circle, including his running mate, influential cleric Maruf Amin, and the head of his political party, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, at a ballroom in central Jakarta, smiling and laughing as the unofficial results came in. If his lead of about 10 percentage points holds, it would be more comfortable than his six-point victory in 2014. Indonesian presidents are elected by direct popular vote. But Prabowo, reprising a similar move following his presidential election defeat in 2014, refused to concede. In comments to reporters, he said exit polls show he had won, and he disputed the preliminary results from the independent surveys. "I will be and have already become the president of all Indonesians," he said in a second victory speech Wednesday, claiming he had won with 62 percent of the vote, revised from his earlier assertion of taking 52 percent earlier. "We will build a victorious Indonesia, a just and prosperous Indonesia, peaceful and a force to reckon with in the world." For Widodo, victory would represent an endorsement of his moderate, steady brand of leadership, which has focused on infrastructure development and welfare programs for the poor. His rival, 67-year-old Prabowo, is a retired lieutenant general and son-in-law of Suharto. He was blacklisted from entering the United States for years because of his human rights record. In his campaign, he railed against elitists, promised self-sufficiency for Indonesia and vowed to do more for the poor. He also played to a base of Islamic conservative voters, pledging to be a strong defender of the religion. More than 192 million eligible voters fanned out to 800,000 polling stations scattered across hundreds of islands in the archipelago, and 6 million electoral workers staffed the mammoth and mind-boggling logistical operation. All modes of transportation, from boat to horse, were used to transport ballot boxes. The election was colored by identity politics and the role Islam should play in Indonesian society and politics. Despite Widodo's apparent win, critics and some of his early supporters say the shine has rubbed off the president, a 57-year-old former furniture salesman who rose from political obscurity to win in 2014. Over the past five years, his critics charge, he has been weak on human rights and has not done enough to protect religious minorities, instead playing to those who think he will not protect Islam in Indonesia by choosing an influential cleric as his running mate. Analysts say he is trying to appeal to more moderate Muslims, rather than those who want Islam to have a bigger role in Indonesian politics. Rut Ogetay, a 34-year-old women rights' activist for Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province and the scene of frequent violence in response to calls for independence, could not bring herself to vote for either candidate. "Until the end, rights abuses in Papua will never end," she said. "Jokowi getting elected won't stop human rights abuses being perpetrated." The peaceful and sometimes jubilant process on Wednesday, with voters proudly holding up their pinkie fingers marked with indelible ink and taking post-voting selfies outside polling stations. A 48-year-old voter who identified herself only as Lydia said she believed the divisive campaigns playing to religion were only on the surface. Along with other voters, she sang Indonesia's national anthem, "Indonesia Raya," as people cast their ballots. "Here in this place, we're just cool with one another. Only a small group of people are like that," she said, adding she has never missed an election. --- Mahtani reported from Hong Kong. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, one of the latest presidential candidates to enter the race, says there is only one way Democrats can beat President Donald Trump on his signature immigration issue in working-class places such as his own Youngstown district: Start by talking to voters about border security. "You can't come to Ohio and the Great Lakes states and assure them about immigration without first and foremost assuring people that you are going to protect their children," Ryan said. "It has to be a lot smarter and more effective than it is now." But so far this year, most of Ryan's rivals have chosen a different path, almost entirely focused on denouncing Trump's policies as un-American, bigoted and inhumane, while offering new policies that are more welcoming to undocumented immigrants than anything offered by President Barack Obama or, in some cases, the party's last nominee, Hillary Clinton. The result is a Democratic primary debate that is far more liberal on immigration than any previous campaign, fueling a new debate over whether the party is giving Trump an unneeded boost in key swing states as it tries to animate its own left-leaning voters. At the heart of the problem is the stark divide between progressive Democratic primary voters and white working-class swing voters when it comes to the security issues around immigration. The numbers help explain Trump's own strategy of fanning fear about immigration, while creating controversy around the issue that tends to enrage Democratic voters. In a typical provocation, Trump said Friday he was considering releasing detained immigrants in liberal cities, as punishment for Democratic refusal to change immigration laws. A few weeks earlier, he labeled Democrats the party of "open borders, drugs and crime." Such statements are designed in part to peel away working-class white voters who might otherwise vote for Democrats. A previously unreported focus group of 63 white working-class voters in May 2016 by House Majority PAC, the biggest outside spender in support of Democratic House campaigns, found significant warning signs: 59 percent said they were concerned that white people would no longer be a majority in the United States, and 64 percent said they were concerned about Muslims building more mosques in American cities. More recently, a December poll by the Pew Research Center asked about demographic trends that will make the country majority nonwhite by 2050. Among white respondents, 46 percent believed the shift would weaken American customs and values, compared with 23 percent who said it would strengthen them. Those without college degrees were more likely to say the shift would weaken the country and there were also clear regional differences as well: 37 percent of whites in western states said the change would weaken customs and values, compared with 47 percent of whites in Midwestern states. A January Quinnipiac poll, moreover, found that 5 percent of Democratic voters agreed with the unsupported claim that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes than American citizens. That compared with 24 percent of independent voters and 39 percent of white voters without college degrees. "There is something about the issue of immigration that makes people lose sight of where the American public is," warns Pete Brodnitz, a Democratic pollster who worked on the House races in 2018 and has done extensive research on non-college-educated white voters. "It becomes a really difficult issue if we choose to talk about it in terms that are not in the way the American people are talking about it." Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, who says the border is now "more secure" than ever, wants to remove criminal charges for those who cross without authorization. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., whose only mention of border security in her announcement speech was a condemnation of child separation, recently introduced a bill to let undocumented young people work in Congress. And the reintroduced Medicare-for-all plan of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., which has been endorsed by several of his rivals, would extend free health care to 11 million undocumented immigrants who were not covered by Obamacare. A similar pivot has been playing out in Congress, where some Democrats have been calling for new limits on funding for migrant detention and immigration enforcement, despite a substantial increase in recent months in the number of migrants detained at the border. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has taken to mocking Democrats for developing an "allergy to border security." The divergence between the party's immigration pitch and stubborn general-election realities could create challenges for the party, particularly in the Great Lake states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which were all won narrowly by Trump in 2016. Several Democratic strategists involved in presidential politics say they worry Democratic primary voters have been radicalized by anger at Trump's controversial and racially insensitive approach to immigration. That was a mistake many in the party concluded occurred in 2016, when Clinton ceded the security aspect of immigration to Trump in an effort to increase enthusiasm among younger and nonwhite voters. At one forum in 2015, she promised to be a "much less harsh and aggressive enforcer" than Obama, who had been criticized by Hispanic groups as too punitive. Her campaign's bet was that she could drive Democratic base turnout without sacrificing too much support among working-class whites in the upper Midwest. Something closer to the reverse happened on Election Day. In recent days, Obama has even weighed in with a warning to his party about the immigration issue. During an April 6 town hall in Germany, he implored his audience to have more empathy for those who worry that increased immigration will weaken their communities. "To push back against just what are clearly racist motives of some, we can't label everybody who is disturbed by immigration as racist," he said. The polling numbers suggest differences in policy emphasis based on which side of the party's strategic divide a candidate rests. Some, such as Ryan and Joe Biden, who is expected to join the race soon, see winning in the Midwest as a central to victory in the electoral college and place a higher priority on the concerns of white working-class voters there. Others, such as Castro, have called for winning border states such as Arizona and his home state of Texas, which have long been in the Republican column, a strategy that requires heightened turnout by Hispanics and those sympathetic to immigrants. Candidates like Harris and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., are more focused on increasing turnout among urban and nonwhite communities, and have so far focused their immigration rhetoric on the morality of Trump policies. "If you want to appeal to people in the Midwest, it is for the most part because people are looking at it as a security issue," Brodnitz said. "If you want to raise it in Arizona, they are probably more likely to say it is more about the humane treatment of those at the border." For those Democrats seeking to improve margins among white voters in the Midwest, the 2018 midterms appear to show a path. Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., won reelection in a contest against an anti-immigration hard-liner by focusing finding bipartisan solutions to immigration that included more border security. In one of her first ads, Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., who won a Trump-leaning district along the border, showed herself walking the southern border fence. "We need to enforce our borders and enforce our laws against violent traffickers and criminals," she said in the spot. That same strategy could be effective now, say some Democratic advisers, in the face of near-daily attempts by Trump to brand the party as not caring about security. "Democrats have been accused of being for open borders, and they must rebut that accusation, which is inaccurate," said Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist who advised Clinton's 2016 campaign on immigration issues. "Democratic candidates should be articulating what their reasoning is for smart and enforceable border enhancement." It's a shift some candidates have gingerly begun to make. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, said weeks before announcing his presidential bid that he wanted to take down the border barriers that divide Mexico and the United States. More recently, he has shifted his position. "I am not for open borders," he said in a recent appearance in Iowa. "I do think that there are places where physical barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border makes sense." At a town hall April 7 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Sanders also pushed back on a voter question that suggested he supported "open borders." "If you open the borders, my God, there's a lot of poverty in this world, and you're going to have people from all over the world," Sanders said. "And I don't think that's something that we can do at this point. Can't do it. So that is not my position." Ryan, who launched his campaign April 4, says the epidemic of opioid addition in the Midwest has made immigration a pressing issue for many in the region, given the flow of heroin and fentanyl from Mexico. The key, he says, is to tell voters that Trump is just playing politics with the issue, even as Democrats offer a more compassionate approach to those immigrants now living in the country. "We could do it a heck of a lot better than him to make them feel more secure," he said. "They really understand that he is trying to make this a political issue." New York Officials trying to contain a measles outbreak in a county north of New York City on Tuesday ordered all unvaccinated people exposed to the disease barred from public gathering places, including houses of worship, for up to three weeks. The order, issued by Rockland County, comes one day after New York City closed a preschool over noncompliance with measles vaccine requirements. Both the county and city are struggling to contain a swelling number of measles cases centered in ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods while battling lawsuits over their efforts to require vaccinations. Rockland County issued its order three days ahead of the start of Passover, when many families travel to be together and gather in synagogues. "Need we wait for someone to die?" Rockland County Executive Ed Day said in announcing the measure. New York City's Board of Health will vote Wednesday on whether to extend an emergency declaration last week ordering mandatory vaccinations in four Brooklyn ZIP codes. Health officials have confirmed 329 cases of measles in the city and 184 cases in Rockland since the outbreak of the highly contagious disease began in October. After announcing the vaccination order on April 9, the city took the step Monday of closing the preschool portion of a private Jewish school because the school had failed to turn over vaccination and attendance records. "This is about protecting kids and it's also about protecting some adults, including pregnant women, folks who are going through medical treatment like chemotherapy, some senior with compromised health conditions," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a TV interview. "Measles is very, very serious." Also on Monday, a group of parents filed a lawsuit against the vaccination order, arguing it was "arbitrary, capricious, contrary to law and in violation of petitioners' rights under the United States Constitution and New York State law." A judge in Brooklyn state Supreme Court declined to issue an injunction barring the city from enforcing the order, and the parties will appear in court Thursday. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are identified by their initials. Their attorney, Robert Krakow, claimed the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine "can cause many vaccine injuries, including encephalitis and death." Medical experts have debunked those claims and proven that the vaccine is safe, but opposition to vaccines persists. "In 2017, measles killed 110,000 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5," Day said in announcing the new anti-measles rules in Rockland. Under the county's Communicable Disease and Exposure Exclusion Order, anyone either diagnosed with measles or exposed to a person who has been diagnosed with measles must stay away from indoor and outdoor places of assembly for up to 21 days. Violators could be fined $2,000 per day. While no one in the county has died of measles, the disease has caused several hospitalizations and a premature birth. Rockland County announced the new tactics to fight measles after an earlier order banning all unvaccinated children from indoor public places was halted by a judge. The county is appealing that ruling. The measles cases in Rockland and in Brooklyn have been traced to unvaccinated members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community who traveled to Israel, where a measles outbreak is occurring. Orthodox Jewish leaders say a small faction of vaccine opponents in the community has allowed the disease to spread. There's a small park behind Notre Dame where pink flowers grow. They crawl up the wrought-iron fences, and rose bushes pop up like spires from the ground. Couples sit and take breaks from the crowds, and parents stop to let their children play. Despite its central location, the area around the church tends to be still and quiet and to serve as a respite for locals. When I first visited Paris in 2004, it was to move there for college. It was early spring and there weren't many tourists yet. My apartment wasn't anywhere near Ile de la Cite, but my tendencies kept me walking past the park. Notre Dame, like the Eiffel Tower, is such a Parisian icon that its existence barely registers in conscious thought. Architectural monuments like this are so ingrained in a city's identity that it's as though they are as unmoving as the sky itself. Which is why watching Notre Dame burn on Monday was especially painful. The Lady of Paris is no stranger to ruin. Through its 800 years, destruction has been an important and regular part of its story. In the 1790s, at the height of the French Revolution, the group of rebels who had been influenced by the Enlightenment declared Notre Dame a church no more, and the Christian iconography inside was destroyed. Notre Dame was ransacked and taken to a point of almost total ruination: The religious statues were decapitated, the guts of the cathedral emptied. For many years afterward, Notre Dame was just a building - used as a warehouse and even, at one point, to store wine. Then, in 1804, the cathedral was handed back over to the Catholic Church. And upon an order given by Napoleon, Notre Dame would not only be repaired, he would hold his coronation there. Two hundred years after Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France, I walked by Notre Dame and sat on a bench at the back of the church to study for an art history test I had the next day. It was just weeks before Easter, and my architecture exam featured the gothic cathedral in front of me. Tall backbending buttresses stood like stacked giraffes. Or like Atlas holding up the world. When Notre Dame was constructed, only a few buildings in the world had this innovative feature. The flying buttresses meant that they could raise the walls higher and add large rose windows, making it the church we know today. They work like the release of a pent-up valve: The cathedral is so massive that the stone walls and the immense roof would begin to buckle without additional support for the weight. So the buttresses come in and absorb and remove some of the energy from the building. Then, like blood moving from the heart down through the arms, they take a continuous bearing load and push it down into the ground. Notre Dame is rooted where it stands. I flipped the pages of my textbook, memorizing images while the gargoyles and chimera looked down on me, scowling. Even after just a couple of months, it was easy to take for granted how these buildings have stood for centuries, bearing witness to the most unspeakable things, and the most beautiful. Our Lady of Paris survived the bombings of the Prussian War, and both world wars. Over centuries, random places in Paris have seen violence, natural and manmade. Nearby bomb blasts rattled the church, damaging its windows. Strolling tourists and locals were replaced by troops, sandbags and tanks. It's seen swastikas on the arms of German soldiers standing guard before its doors. Its roof has been injured by lightning strikes and fires and experienced the simple fatigue that comes with age. But it stood still amid a churning chaotic world. Notre Dame survived. And it did so again Monday. We still don't know what caused Notre Dame to catch fire. I felt helpless, watching as the blaze started near the spire of the cathedral and over the day spread across the rooftop, slowly, torturously, devouring everything in sight. The City of Light was illuminated in a ghastly way. There is no doubt that this fire is the worst destructive force Notre Dame has suffered in its history. The comments online displayed a variety of pain. From those who have been there, watching it nearly destroyed. And for those who have dreamed of going, who were mourning never knowing Paris as it was. But the city is never constant. No city is. Paris is an unspeakably beautiful city. It is like home to me. It's not just the artistry, or that it looks like a postcard or a painting - there are cracks in the cobblestone, to say the least. Like any true love, I didn't fall for its aesthetics - I fell in love with its character. So many times, the City of Light has been darkened, but it never stays dark for long. There is something unspoken and unidentifiable about the place that houses such an icon. Some things are too beautiful to be named. Now, a huge portion of one of the world's most beloved works of architecture has been damaged, gutted from the inside. If the heat had lasted much longer, it would have begun to crack the limestone structure that was dug up from quarries around Paris. The church is not just of Paris - it is made from Paris. The French author Antoine Saint-Exupery once wrote, "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." Like any thing that survives merely by existing in this world, there are marks left behind. Proof of existence. Whole parts that have been replaced. Like our cells that regrow over and over again during our lifetime. The cells you die with are not the ones you had when you were born. As I watched the videos of the flames, dissolving the cathedral in real time, I couldn't help but look at those buttresses. They weren't originally supposed to be there, but in the 13th century, the builders realized there was too much weight on the walls, and the buttresses were added. I watched those arches, the spine of the queen, trace along the sides and the back, the flowers blowing from the force of the flames. I wondered how many other people had sat on that bench outside of this (Technicolor postcard, movie backdrop, am I in a dream?) church, and stared at that point where that last small stone of the buttress meets the wall of Notre Dame. That point where the atoms touch, and the pressure lived. That place between the gothic legend and the arms that reached down, digging their roots deeper into the city, to survive - again. - - - Stirone is a freelance writer in the Bay Area. The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday against collecting taxes under Measure AA, an embattled plan that the city certified as valid in December even though it failed to receive two-thirds of voter approval. Measure AA, which received 62% of the vote in November, calls for collecting $30 million annually in tax revenue to fund early childhood education and college readiness. Initially, City Attorney Barbara Parker stated that the measure needed two-thirds of voter support to pass, as noted in the language of the measure. Later the city decided the measure needed only a majority vote to pass. The citys move to adopt AA prompted a lawsuit in February by half a dozen homeowners and landlords as well as the Jobs and Housing Coalition, a group that lobbies City Hall on behalf of businesses and developers. On Tuesday, the council decided with a 5-2 vote to not implement the measure amid concerns that the city could be trampling on the will of voters. For me, this is about hearing from my constituents that they are losing public trust in us here at City Hall, said Council member Nikki Fortunato Bas. Theyre losing public trust in our elections. Her sentiment was echoed by Council members Sheng Thao, Loren Taylor, Rebecca Kaplan and Noel Gallo. Council members Larry Reid and Dan Kalb voted in favor of collecting the tax. The parcel tax will not be collected for one year. Kaplan introduced a motion to discuss language for a tolling agreement at an April 30 meeting. This would enter the city into an agreement with the plaintiffs of the lawsuit to delay the suit for a year. During this year, the city would reconvene stakeholders to consider a separate measure to place on the ballot in March 2020. That motion passed with five council members in favor of discussing a tolling agreement at a later meeting. Reid voted no and Kalb abstained. The councils actions put the lawsuit on hold, said Greg McConnell, CEO of the jobs and housing coalition. I think this is the best solution, he said. This is the best chance they have, coming back to the voters with a reasonable solution. The decision to put off any steps toward collecting the tax would also allow for the city to see how the courts would rule should there be potential litigation in a similar San Francisco case. The councils decision to certify the measure by a 6-1 vote in December followed a memo by the city attorney in San Francisco saying that citizen-initiated tax measures need only a simple majority to pass. It was a new interpretation of long-standing state law requiring ballot measures that would raise taxes for specific purposes need two-thirds of a majority to pass. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the councils decision on Tuesday hurts children, who would benefit from the programs that would be funded by the parcel tax. The Councils decision to forever forfeit $30 million in taxes approved by 62% of the voters only hurts children and families from Oaklands most underserved neighborhoods, Schaaf said in a statement to The Chronicle. As this issue continues to move through the courts, the Council sent a devastating message to working families in Oakland tonight: Their kids education is not worth fighting for. Schaaf had championed Measure AA during the election. Its not a question whether people who want to support the election process, who trust the electoral process, disagree with the purposes of AA. Its whether we disagree with the way the election process has been bastardized, McConnell said at the meeting. Measure AA calls for a 30-year annual parcel tax of $198 a year on single-family homes and $135 a year per unit of each multiunit residence. The money would fund early child-care and preschool programs. The revenue would also fund college readiness programs, tuition assistance and efforts to fix racial inequities in access to higher education. Additionally, Measure AA would create a citizen commission to conduct oversight and audits. Oakland Promise, an initiative introduced by the mayor in 2016 to triple the number of college graduates from the city within the next decade, would have been able to apply for funds geared toward college access that would have been available through the tax revenue, said Maggie Croushore, the groups director of operations. Croushore noted that the initiative has its own budget and is not tied to Measure AA. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani China has no clear timetable to resume flights of the Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet after two fatal crashes of the model, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew, the civil aviation authority said on Tuesday. Xu Chaoqun, head of the airworthiness certification department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said China will not resume flights of the Boeing 737 Max 8 until the aircraft design meets the country's airworthiness requirements, including any alterations to its control systems. "The administration will fully review the design, operating principles, configuration and safety of the model in line with the country's airworthiness standards to make sure it meets the requirements for safe operation," Xu said at a news conference. As for design alterations and corresponding training for crew members, Xu said the administration will ensure that every aircraft is properly modified and that pilots complete training for flight safety. Xu added that the administration will evaluate the alterations to the jet's design and engine placement, which Boeing had modified for the Max 8 model. Training requirements for pilots will also be evaluated. The administration has sent two experts to join the US Federal Aviation Administration's panel to review the automated flight control system and airworthiness of Boeing's 737 Max 8 jets, Xu said. Boeing submitted an application for airworthiness approval of the aircraft to the administration on March 15. The administration is still waiting for a response from the company after raising questions about its flight control system and alterations, Xu said. China was the first nation to ground all 96 of its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two aircraft of that type crashed in the last five months. China also temporarily stopped issuing airworthiness certificates for the jets. All 157 passengers and crew of a 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines died on Mar 10, including eight Chinese nationals. In October, the same model of plane, operated by Lion Air, went down in the Java Sea, killing 189. Alan Garcia, a former president of Peru suspected in a continent-wide corruption scandal, died in a Lima hospital Wednesday after shooting himself as police arrived to search his home. President Martin Vizcarra confirmed his death in a tweet. Garcia killed himself when officers attempted to detain him, his lawyer, Erasmo Reyna, said. "President Garcia made the decision of a free man,'' Mauricio Mulder, a lawmaker with Garcia's Apra party, told reporters outside the hospital. "For we Apristas, who are his family, it's an act of dignity and honor in the face of a fascist, sick, persecution.'' Garcia was president of the South American nation between 1985 and 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011. A left-wing populist, he presided over an economic collapse in his first term before embracing free-market policies in his second term, and the country enjoyed rapid growth. But, like top officials across the continent, he was swept up in the Odebrecht scandal and was under investigation on suspicion of taking a bribe from the Brazilian construction giant. He had denied wrongdoing. On Wednesday, prosecutors and police came to his Lima home for a search. Garcia went into his bedroom on the second floor, saying he was going to call his lawyer, Peru's Interior Minister Carlos Moran said. A few minutes later a shot was heard. Garcia was taken to a nearby hospital at 6:40 a.m. local time and underwent surgery, Health Minister Zulema Tomas told reporters after visiting the emergency room. Garcia received cardiopulmonary resuscitation three times, she said. Garcia unsuccessfully sought asylum in the Uruguayan embassy in November after a court barred him from leaving the country for 18 months while he's being investigated in connection with a rail contract Odebrecht won during his second administration. He accused Vizcarra of plotting to jail him for political reasons. Probes into campaign donations and bribes Odebrecht paid have embroiled Peru's past four presidents and stalled major infrastructure projects, slowing its economy. Former leader Ollanta Humala has been barred from leaving the country, and the government is seeking Alejandro Toledo's extradition from the U.S. A court last week ordered the detention of former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski for 10 days. Prosecutors have requested a separate court order to jail Kuczynski for 36 months as they prepare laundering charges. He has denied any wrongdoing. John Carl D'Annibale The Rotterdam Police Department will participate in the "No Empty Chair" safe teen driver enforcement initiative during the week of April 29- May 3. The theme symbolizes the missing high school senior on graduation day. WASHINGTON - Built on a hill in southeast Washington, D.C., the new $5 billion headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security has a commanding view of the nation's capital, a sentry post meant to symbolize DHS' role as protector of the United States. But as thousands of DHS employees relocate to the new campus this month, the agency's mission is shifting under President Donald Trump. Fixated on the surge in border crossings, Trump has been purging the department's leadership. The shake-up, critics say, has accelerated DHS' transformation under Trump from an agency primarily focused on counterterrorism to one defined by its immigration enforcement efforts and increasingly embroiled in some of the White House's most controversial initiatives. "I want people to look at that the DHS seal and be reminded that this is the agency of the government that is here to protect them," said Jeh Johnson, who ran DHS during President Barack Obama's second term. "But I fear they look at it now and see the agency that separated children from their parents." Several of the senior DHS leaders who gathered to cut the ribbon last week at the new campus - the largest federal construction project in Washington since the Pentagon - will not be staying long enough to work there. In a span of six days, Trump pushed out Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen; her deputy Claire Grady; the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ronald Vitiello; and the director of the Secret Service, Randolph "Tex" Alles. The upheaval also left the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection - the country's largest law enforcement agency - with leaders in acting roles. The firings came so fast that senior GOP leaders publicly pleaded with the president not to sack anyone else, while rattled DHS officials resorted to dark humor about the location of their new offices on the former grounds of St. Elizabeths Hospital, the government's first mental institution. The president's willingness to jettison so many DHS agency heads at once would have been unthinkable more than a decade ago, critics say, when the department was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Successive presidents have sought to reassure the public by quickly filling vacancies at the department and moving nominees swiftly to senate confirmation. It's DHS' immigration enforcement agencies - ICE, CBP and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, whose director may be the next to go - that have Trump's attention right now. Trump was long frustrated with Nielsen's inability to reduce border crossings, but the final straw came earlier this month when she traveled to Europe to attend a Group of 7 summit and meet with counterterrorism and cybersecurity officials. DHS officials say they had apprised the White House of Nielsen's plans, but the president was livid when he learned she had traveled to London, insisting she should be focused on the border. After an angry call from the White House, Nielsen hurried back to Washington, but by then her job was already imperiled. White House aides say Trump believed she wasn't sufficiently focused on the border nor "tough" enough to deliver the results he wanted there. Trump made his top border security chief, Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of DHS. A longtime official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, McAleenan has a background in counterterrorism and aviation security. Nielsen's expertise was cybersecurity, and her nomination to lead DHS was widely viewed as a recognition of its growing importance in the DHS threat index. She occasionally raised the topic with Trump, but aides say his questions fixated usually on the border - and occasionally on disaster recovery, if a topic was in the news. Trump largely cares about two parts of the DHS mission - immigration and disaster recovery - according to three current and former administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share candid views of the president. "When Trump thinks of DHS, he immediately thinks of the border," one senior White House official said. A former senior administration official said Trump sometimes called cybersecurity "the cyber" and said that dealing with it, or talking about it, would only get you in trouble. He has occasionally joked to aides that the world would be better without computers and other devices after hearing about potential attacks and hacks - and would grow bored during lengthy technological briefings about cybersecurity from Nielsen, former Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert and others. Trump's impatience with DHS is shared by senior adviser Stephen Miller, who has argued to White House aides that DHS should be reorganized and that it doesn't make sense to have so many different parts under one umbrella. Miller has occasionally likened the agency to the deep state and has said to administration officials that many of the people in the vast-ranging agency are not on board with the president's agenda, calling the agency a "total problem." The White House, and Miller, did not respond to requests for comment. Senior DHS officials say the president's focus on immigration enforcement has not undermined their work on counterterrorism, cybersecurity and other efforts. "We are laser-focused on the daily threats we face," said David Glawe, a former FBI agent and counterterrorism specialist who is DHS' top intelligence official. As the third largest agency in the U.S. government after Veterans Affairs and Defense, DHS has been unwieldy since the days that it was kludged together from nearly two dozen separate bureaus, agencies, and offices. Its structure hasn't gotten any simpler, nor has the range of threats it has to address. "Chaos at the top of the agency and throughout the senior leadership hurts the overall mission," said Lisa Monaco, who served as Obama's homeland security adviser and, before that, held the top national security position in the Justice Department. The department has been without a permanent deputy secretary for more than a year, Monaco said, a position that traditionally is responsible for ensuring that the department's many different components all work together. "As complex an enterprise as the department has become . . . you really need steady leadership at the top," she said. From its inception in 2002, the Department of Homeland Security had a muddled cyber security mission. It was supposed to coordinate the federal government's efforts to mitigate threats to critical infrastructure, including power grids and communications networks. But it was rarely clear if the department was taking the lead on those issues or playing a supporting role. "On cyber, it certainly struggled in the early years," said Chris Painter, who served as the State Department's top coordinator for cybersecurity. "It tried to do everything and didn't do anything particularly well." But the department seemed to find its stride as it refined its mission to focus on protecting U.S. civilian computer networks and acting as a liaison on security issues between companies and the government, Painter said. Experts have praised the Trump administration and Nielsen for establishing the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the department. It's meant to focus on threats to power grids, communications networks and other critical systems, and it's led by a director with a background in security in the government and the private sector, Christopher Krebs. "We are acutely dialed into our mission," said Krebs in an interview, adding that his agency now has more than 2,200 full-time federal employees working on cyberdefense. Obama administration officials said that the department deserves credit for raising awareness among state and local governments about possible hacking of election systems. But with the departure of Nielsen, Painter said there aren't enough senior leaders who understand the cyber security issue and have the clout to shape policy. "If you don't have someone in the leadership role who cares about this issue, it does very much risk being sidelined," he said. The Coast Guard's role in DHS under the Trump administration has also been complicated by the department's expanding desires on the southern border. The administration requested $750 million for a new polar icebreaker - a top request of the Coast Guard's - in its fiscal 2019 budget. But the funding sat in limbo for months, as House Republicans sought to spend $5 billion to build Trump's proposed border wall by cutting funding from a variety of other DHS programs. Congress ultimately approved $655 million to begin building the polar ship, the first of six the Coast Guard wants. It isn't clear whether the service will receive money for the others in the future. Michael Leiter, who was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, said that the department had "come a long way" on its cyber security mission and is now "a key player in protecting infrastructure in a way no one else in the U.S. government does," because of its interactions with the private sector. But like Painter, Leiter worried that the cyber mission could fade in relevance without a strong leader at the deputy or secretary level who believes in its importance. The same goes for the department's counterterrorism mission, Letier said, which is extensive and primarily aimed at securing the commercial aviation system and ports of entry. Leiter said the Trump administration has been "obsessively myopic" about the threat of terrorists coming across the border with Mexico. "The southern border is the least of their counterterrorism concerns," Leiter said. By placing the resources and focus of the department, particularly U.S. Customs and Border Protection, too much on one place where the threat is low, the administration risks being taken surprise elsewhere. "The political rhetoric and president's statements make me extremely concerned these other missions are not getting the leadership focus and resources," Leiter said. Michael Daniel, a former cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, said the department is performing a necessary cybersecurity function, which is to look across many sectors of the economy and the government and think about the issue in a holistic way. He said that the intense focus on security at the southern border risks the department's ability to think in the long term. "When any issue in an administration becomes overly dominant, it takes up all of the policy time. It dominates the conversation and drives out other issues that at least certainly warrant discussion," said Daniel, now the president and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, a nonprofit organization that shares threat information. "Am I worried about DHS' ability to respond to something bad happening in cyberspace? No. They will accomplish that mission," Daniel said. But, he added, "the turmoil at the top of DHS, and turmoil in the administration in general, that begins to have an impact on more long term policy issues. It becomes more difficult to propose new legislation or new regulations or new policies." --- The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report. BERLIN - As a company rooted in Nazi Germany, German car manufacturer Volkswagen might be expected to have a somewhat more sensitive approach to ethics than its competitors. But Volkswagen has acquired a reputation in recent years for pursuing practices condemned as unethical by authorities and critics. Its ex-CEO currently faces a prison sentence over his involvement in a scandal over cheating on U.S. emissions tests. Now, one of his successors, Herbert Diess, has sparked new outrage after he said that he was "not aware" of China's treatment of Uighurs in the region of Xinjiang, even though his own company has helped to build a factory there, funded by a joint venture. In the past few years, China has conducted a sweeping campaign to suppress Uighur identity in Xinjiang and restrict the practice of Islam. As many as 1 million Uighurs and members of other minority groups - mostly Muslim ones - are being held without charges in brutal internment camps, according to the United Nations. It is just the latest episode in a decades-long history of tension between Uighurs and the staunchly secular, Han Chinese-dominated government in Beijing. After months of denying the camps' existence, China switched last year to justifying them. Beijing insists it is merely providing job training and "de-extremism education" in a region that is poor and steeped in fundamentalism. "As a result of the vocational education and training, the social environment of Xinjiang has seen notable changes, with a healthy atmosphere on the rise and improper practices declining," said Shohrat Zakir, the de facto No. 2 official in Xinjiang, in October. A spokesman for Volkswagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. "We're absolutely proud to also create workplaces in that region, which we think is very useful," Diess said in an interview with the BBC. Pressed about the treatment of Uighur people, he added: "I can't judge this, sorry. . . . I don't know what you're referring to." It was the second time this year that the CEO of a company with a history deeply intertwined with Nazi Germany triggered criticism over comments that bore at least some similarities to Nazi-era rhetoric or that era's widespread silence on mass detention and internment, which resulted in the Holocaust. Earlier in March, Diess had to apologize after using the phrase "EBIT macht frei" (EBIT, or earnings before interest and taxes, sets you free), which echoed the slogan "Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free) that appeared above the entrance to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Volkswagen CEO stressed that the similarity was accidental. His most recent China-related remarks to the BBC are likely to be cited by human rights groups as an extreme example of a Western corporation's willingness to look the other way when it comes to alleged Chinese human rights abuses. Besides voicing concerns over Western factories in the region, human rights critics have called out Internet giants such as Google for allegedly contributing indirectly to Beijing's efforts to monitor Uighurs. While protests have resulted in apologies and decisions to pull out in some cases, Volkswagen's more dismissive response to those concerns is not an isolated incident. Researchers also argue that leaders of European Union countries have encouraged corporations' silence on Chinese human rights by urging China to provide more market access and dropping some of their criticism of Beijing in return. "Political elites in the E.U. and its close neighbors have started to embrace Chinese rhetoric and interests, including where they contradict national or European interests," Thorsten Benner, Jan Gaspers, Mareike Ohlberg, Lucrezia Poggetti and Kristin Shi-Kupfer, wrote in a study released last year and financed by the Global Public Policy Institute and the Mercator Institute for China Studies, two Berlin-based think tanks. China's strategy to persuade leaders to put economic interests over moral concerns appears to have worked: The Volkswagen CEO's controversial remarks went largely unnoticed in Germany this week, so far triggering only little domestic backlash. U.S. President Donald Trump, in an unprecedented move, has declared the Revolutionary Guards of Iran a "terrorist" organization. It is the first time a state security agency has been targeted in such a way by the United States. This decision took effect on April 15, which means that the elite forces of Iran and its members are now subject to economic sanctions. Officially known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shortened to "Pasdaran" in Persian it was created after the Islamic revolution in 1979, and tasked to safeguard the revolution and the key personalities associated with it. The IRGC is controlled by Iran's supreme leader and the actual fighting force comprises over 100,000 personnel. However, there are others who are linked to it either through training or ideology and can come to its aid in case of any emergency. Both Iran and U.S. portray the IRGC as one big force. There were reports that about 11 million Iranians, who are directly and indirectly part of this force, might be affected by the U.S. decision. However, it may be quite hard to know the exact impact of the sanctions as Iran is unlikely to reveal that its premier force is suffering due to U.S. imposed restrictions. Apparently, the IRCG is different from the army, which controls the borders of the country. Instead, the IRCG has overlapping roles. The Pasdaran's main job is to ensure the longevity of the Islamic revolution and protect it from any threats by domestic deviant elements. But it also cooperates with the army on the external front to protect the revolution from external threats. For example, the IRCG has active naval detachments in the Persian Gulf to defend the interests of Iran. The IRGC took part in the war with Iraq that broke out soon after the revolution. Lately, its members have also been active in Syria against the opponents of Bashar al-Assad. Their involvement in Syria and also in Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein has increased the regional outreach of the Revolutionary Guards. Regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, had already designated the IRGC a "terrorist" organization. Their position was strengthened by the U.S., which joined them by extending the same treatment to this group. The U.S. decision is strategic as well as political. It not only satisfies Saudi Arabia but also its long term protege Israel. Soon after the announcement of the decision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that this was indeed the fulfillment of a request he had made. The U.S. had already blacklisted dozens of individuals and entities linked with the IRGC, but this is the first time that the entire force is being targeted. The decision will, undoubtedly, have major security implications for the region. Iran had previously warned the U.S. that it would retaliate and soon followed up by designating the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist organization. This organization is responsible for actions to protect American interests as well as its allies in the Middle East and adjoining areas including Afghanistan and Pakistan. The IRGC claims that CENTCOM bases and aircraft carriers are within striking range of its missiles. It also threatened to disrupt oil supplies in case of war. This designation has dimmed the chances, if any, of constructive engagement between Iran and U.S. Their bilateral tensions will keep the region simmering with unrest when it badly needs peace and stability. Despite the security implications, the decision may not have any deep impact on Iran's domestic politics in the near future. The main reason is that Iran has already been burdened with U.S. sanctions, which were re-introduced after the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal. Some of these sanctions have been in place for decades but they have failed to force Iran to change in any way. They have failed to completely cripple Iran's economy and the nation has only since grown more defiant. No doubt, there are hardships and an economic price which the country and its people are facing but the actual victims are the poor and vulnerable groups. There are occasional disturbances and people take to the streets in protest. But the IRGC or its affiliate, the Basij paramilitary force, often spring into action and suppress the protests. So far, there have been no major uprisings, as Iran has showed its resilience and determination to confront the U.S. and its regional rivals. The lesson learnt here is that unilateral sanctions always do not produce the intended consequences and results. Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Flash Voters in Indonesia began voting on Wednesday as polling stations opened in the east of the vast archipelagic country to select a new president and members of the parliament. Voters in the eastern province of Papua lined up to cast their ballots at 07:00 a.m. local time, which is two hours ahead of Jakarta. The two-horse race presidential election pits incumbent President Joko Widodo against his populist challenger Prabowo Subianto. President Widodo picks Muslim cleric Ma'aruf Amin as running mate, while rival former general Prabowo Subianto pairs with former businessman and deputy governor of Jakarta, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, according to the general election commission. Widodo emphasizes the importance of more economic stability and business friendly environment, while Probowo is apt to approach more protectionism to champion people's prosperity. Meanwhile, over 245,000 candidates supported by 16 national political parties and four local parties are vying for more than 20,000 seats in the parliamentary elections during the the world's biggest single-day poll. A San Antonio teenager charged with capital murder in the 2018 death of a former correctional officer was certified to stand trial as an adult by a juvenile judge here Tuesday. After a nearly five-hour hearing in the 436th Juvenile District Court, Judge Lisa K. Jarrett agreed with prosecutors that despite his age and troubled upbringing argued by the defense, 16-year-old Raul Ignacio Cervera was aware and is sophisticated enough to be certified to stand trial as an adult in the death of Abram Garcia IV. Previous reports indicated an unidentified 15-year-old had argued with Garcia and shot the man. But testimony at the hearing established the teen was going to buy marijuana from Garcia and his girlfriend, but instead allegedly demanded all of the drugs and shot the man in a robbery attempt. As the case was first charged as a murder, San Antonio police Detective Mark Duke told the court that because Garcia was killed during the course of a robbery, the offense is now capital murder. Defense attorney Lorraine Efron called several witnesses to speak to the Cerveras troubled upbringing, including John Matthew Fabian, a forensic neuropsychologist, who said Cervera suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from childhood circumstances, has an IQ of 80, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and is low functioning. Efron told the court she didnt see it as a capital offense and asked the judge to keep Cervera in juvenile if he was to be certified. Prosecutors Kathleen Takamine and Sade Mitchell Bogart argued that Cervera knew what he was doing that night. Presenting their own expert, they asked the judge to certify the teen. After Cervera was magistrated by Jarrett, she set bail at $750,000. He was to be transferred to the Bexar County Jail. If convicted of capital murder, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because he was under 18 when the alleged crime occurred, Cervera would be eligible for parole after serving 40 years. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 You are here: World Flash U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign announced Tuesday that the president will hold a rally in state of Wisconsin for April 27. That means Trump would skip this year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, the third time since he took office in early 2017. The rally will be held in Green Bay, an industrial city of the Midwestern state, according to Trump's campaign. U.S. presidents traditionally attend the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner, but Trump signaled earlier this month that he would not attend the event. "The dinner is so boring and so negative that we're going to hold a very positive rally instead," Trump said. The rally will be the eighteenth that Trump has held in Wisconsin and the third in Green Bay since he first began his presidential race in June, 2015. Trump beat his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in Wisconsin by under 23,000 votes. 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 Flash Israel's president said on Tuesday that a majority of lawmakers had advised him to task incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with forming the government following the recent elections. President Reuven Rivlin said in a broadcast that 65 members of the newly-elected parliament, or Knesset, had recommended him to task Netanyahu with forming the government. A coalition needs at least 61 members to secure a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu "now has the support of a majority of Knesset members," Rivlin said. The president was expected to formally announce Netanyahu's candidacy on Wednesday. The Central Elections Committee on Tuesday announced the final results of the April 9 elections. A spokesperson for the committee said that further calculation showed that Netanyahu's Likud lost one seat and the ultra-Orthodox party of United Torah Judaism gained a seat. It means that United Torah will have eight seats in the Knesset and the Likud will have 35 seats, similar to its largest opposition challenger, Blue and White. Despite the tie between Netanyahu and Blue and White's leader Benny Gantz, Netanyahu will form the next government because he secured a majority bloc of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties that will support him and sit in his governing coalition. The results mean that Netanyahu is heading for a record fifth term in office. The Midlands Simon Community are set to play host to their fourth annual Sleep out for Simon event this coming Good Friday, April 19. The fundraiser was one piloted by Longford man Noel Greene four years ago. When I started working with the Midland Simon Community in Longford four years ago, we didnt have a service here in Longford. So that was foremost in my thoughts, he said. We then set about raising funds that would enable us to provide a homeless service in the county. This led to the organisation of the maiden Sleep out for Simon event and the fundraising initiative has since raised in excess of 60,000. Funds raised have helped develop a 10 apartment building on Earl street, opened in 2018, for those in need. The first year saw the team raise just over 32,000 in total, with between 200-250 participants. The event has continued to raise over 10,000 every year since and has been continually supported by Kiernan Structural steel. Noel said, The first year it really took off as an event and over 200 people attended on the night and did the sleep out. On that occasion we raised over 32,000, which was an outstanding start. The night itself is more than just a charitable endeavor and has been described as a fun night for all involved. The night will kick off from 9pm at Connolly Barracks, with a welcome address at 10:30pm. Participants will be entertained with a sing along from 11:30pm to 1:00am, hosted by local talents Des and Aisling Rynn. Food will be supplied by Herterich's butchers. All that is required from participants is their attendance, as well as some warm clothes, a sleeping bag, cardboard, a pillow and a hot water bottle, not to mention their dancing shoes. Sponsorship cards can be obtained through Noel Greene by calling 0879615766 . If somebody doesnt have a sponsorship card already and feel like they want to take part, they are still very welcome to come along and they can still contribute something on the night. Noel stressed the importance of an event like this in allowing the Midlands Simon community to continue their tireless work. He also warned that the homeless crisis in Ireland is a lot worse than figures allude to. It is still a serious crisis, said Noel of homelessness in Ireland There are over 10,000 people still homeless and that figure only takes into account people that are living in emergency accommodations. That figure doesnt take into account, and a lot of people might miss this, people that are sleeping rough or couch surfing or on the street. He urged everyone to come along on the night and get involved. Just come along on the night. It is very much a social and enjoyable night. We have quite a bit of fun. It gives people the opportunity to experience just for one night, what many homeless people have to endure every night of the week. We would really like to get as big of a crowd as possible. According to the Department of Housing there were eight homeless people in Longford county as of January 2019. Read also: Sleep out for Simon community on Good Friday Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday reminded judges to remain impartial and non-partisan when reviewing applications for search warrants which may be used for partisan purposes during this election season. In a memorandum circular, the Office of the Court Administrator advised judiciary officials to be very circumspect on acting on applications-- especially those coming from candidates. The move was done amid reports that courts were being used by unscrupulous politicians" to obtain search warrants against their respective rivals during the campaign period. Courts must ensure their jurisdiction before entertaining applications for search warrant, and conduct the proper proceedings before the same are issued, the April 17 document read. Court Administrator Midas Marquez, through the circular, told officials that while the power to search and seize is necessary to the public welfare, the constitutional rights of citizens must be upheld. READ: Senatorial bet slams PH justice system: Pera-pera na lang Nothing can justify the issuance of a search warrant unless all legal requisites are fulfilled. At the very least, the disregard by a judge of the requirements for the issuance of a search warrant constitutes grave abuse of discretion, the document added. Flash The U.S. Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Stephen Biegun will travel to Russia this week to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. Department of State said in Washington on Tuesday. "Biegun will travel to Moscow April 17-18 to meet with Russian officials to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," the department said in a brief statement, without giving further details. Biegun has taken several overseas trips since the Hanoi summit in February between U.S. President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un, which ended without an agreement. In March, the U.S. envoy traveled to London discussing the denuclearization issue with his British, French, and German counterparts. Biegun's visit to Russia was announced a day after the Kremlin confirmed preparations were underway for the first-ever summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK's Kim. Before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week, Trump floated the idea of holding his third summit with Kim, while reaffirming sanctions against Pyongyang would not be removed at the moment. In response, Kim said in a policy speech on Friday that the United States is hinting at holding a third DPRK-U.S. summit, but what happened in Hanoi "is not inviting" to the DPRK. "If the United States adopts a correct posture and comes to the third DPRK-U.S. summit with a certain methodology that can be shared with us, we can think of holding one more (round of) talks," Kim said. After the Hanoi summit ended, Trump told a press conference that Kim demanded relief from sanctions against Pyongyang "in their entirety" in exchange for denuclearizing a "large portion" of the DPRK's nuclear program, something the United States could not agree to. Dismissing Trump's claim, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has said that the DPRK only proposed partial removal of the sanctions, wanting those impeding the livelihood of their people to be removed first. Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Longford County Council have issued a Boil Water Notice for the area supplied by the Ballymahon public water supply to protect the health of approximately 8,247 people. The Boil Water Notice has been put in place as a precautionary measure following a failure in the treatment process at the Abbyshrule water treatment plant. Also read: We will catch you Ballymahon Tidy Towns group warns dumpers A spokesperson for Irish Water said, "Irish Water drinking water compliance and operational experts are working with colleagues in Longford County Council to resolve this situation as soon as possible." In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice. Water must be boiled for: * Drinking * Drinks made with water * Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating * Brushing of teeth * Making of ice - discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water. What actions should be taken: * Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads) * Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling * Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink * Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water * Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula. All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water. It is best not to use bottled water labelled as Natural Mineral Water as it can have high levels of sodium (salt) and other minerals, although it rarely does. Natural Mineral Water can be used if no other water is available, for as short a time as possible, as it is important to keep babies hydrated. * Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children. Additional information and advice is available at Boil Water Notices or by calling Irish Waters 24-hour customer care line at 1850 278 278. Updates are available at Water Supply Updates Also read: C&D Foods and PAA set targets to achieve sustainable reduction in use of plastic On April the 17th of 2018, the world of country music were very saddened to hear of the passing of Big Tom. I myself was very upset as for a long number if years I had been very friendly with Tom and Rose both on and off stage. ALSO READ: 'Big Tom was a musical genius', says Longford businessman Only four days before he had a bad fall which resulted in health complications which shortly after lead to his passing. I had the great pleasure of speaking to him in his home in Oram in Castleblayney, we had a great chat. It was all about music and vintage tractors, little did I know when I left that night I would never see him again. It came as a tremendous shock to me when when I received the news. I remember one such episode back in 1986 at the Longford community Radio Awards in the Castle Court hotel in Mohill which was organised by the late great Noel Cassidy, I myself was one of the DJs at the time. However, I did a spot playing the accordion with Big Tom and the Mainliners. On the night my accordion at the time wasnt in great shape. Ill never forget what Tom said to me later on that night: "If you dont mind me saying youre a great man thats able to play that scruffy accordion, you should have been a magician instead of a musician. He was so witty. Noel Cassidy and I, years ago used to play as a two piece band in Toms bar, the Old Log Cabin on a Monday night in Blayney and we were treated like royalty by Tom and Rose to say the least. Apart from the stage with Tom, I also had the great pleasure of working together on vintage tractors at the family home. Every morning Rose would have tea and toast to start the day. There were no airs or graces at all, it was a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. I was looked after more than well and I had some great times with Rose and Tom. I remember when I interviewed Tom for my own radio show Radio Chaparral , I asked him: In what year did you marry your good wife Rose? He said: Well, it was in the sixties anyway. He knew Rose was listening and was messing with her. I dont believe Ive ever seen two people that were so meant for each other than Tom and Rose. I knew from the last time I talked to Tom that he would never get over the loss of his everything, his soulmate Rose. As I wrote earlier I had been on stage many times over a number of years with Big Tom at various events, but I had the pleasure of knowing the off stage life of Tom and Rose. There was another episode in the kitchen at dinner where Tom and I were talking about the usual tractors and Rose said: "Dont tell me youre talking about scrap again?!. Tom replied with a smile: These women call it scrap and we call it machinery. Big Tom and Rose didnt recognize the fame side of the music at all. Both Tom and Rose and the family, Dermot, Tom, Siobhan and Aisling were what we call the 'real people of Ireland' and that lives on in the beautiful family that Tom and Rose have left behind. The funeral of Big Tom was so fitting for him as a fine tribute to his music and his generosity to everyone and his kind way of life. The number of people and country stars from all around the world at the funeral was testament to the high regard that Big Tom was held in, on and off stage. I had the great honour to be asked to sing a song at the graveside, so I sang Jambalaya to say my final goodbye to the King Of Country, Big Tom. To this day, any night that Im on stage I always do a Big Tom tribute, with a few of his songs. There will never be another Big Tom and Rose. The people of Ireland should be very proud and the same applies to the village of Oram and Castleblayney in what Big Tom has achieved in country music with all the lovely awards he got. Ive seen them so many times and he loved them all. We should also be proud of Rose, for all the charity work she did for so many and for looking after the local church in Oram and thats not to mention all the charity work Big Tom did for everyone. Big Tom and Rose did Ireland proud and its no wonder theres a statue of Big Tom at the square in Castleblayney to honour a true great. As for me it was a great pleasure to have known Big Tom and Rose, and I hope and pray they are happy in Heaven together. I miss them both every day. Galway-based, Dr Fidelma Healy Eames has announced her intention to contest the forthcoming EU elections as an Independent candidate for the Midlands North West constituency. "Im running with good reason. The constituency of the Midlands North West has been left behind by our Fine Gael-led, Fianna Fail supported Government. It has actually been down-graded by the EU from a developed region to a region in transition. "This is no surprise to those of us living in rural Ireland - our towns and villages are in decline, our rural schools are threatened, garda stations and post offices closed, banks have become faceless. Our greatest resource, our talented educated young people, have no choice but to leave their families and follow opportunity which is largely Dublin-centred, and by government-design. "This record is a damning indictment of Fine Gael, the party that used to claim to care about rural Ireland and to which I belonged until 2013. "Speaking with the NWRA (nwra.ie) this week, the agency in charge of distributing EU funds in our region, I learned that we could do so much better. We have no regional development policy in Ireland. "All of the other economies in the OECD have regional development policies. We have none. Nor are we leveraging the financial instruments and financing available at EU level to our benefit. "As a former Senator and member of the Oireachtas EU Affairs committee, I recall briefings from key agencies like the European Investment Bank, who support major infrastructural projects across Europe. Why havent we drawn on this expertise for our region you will ask? To qualify we rely on our government to come up with robust strategic application plans for key projects. On this, I am given to understand that the Dept. of Finance is a major block and this needs to be explained. Broadband should have been advanced years ago. "We should be drawing on the smart villages concept for our towns and villages. My policy is that rural direct investment (RDI) would be enabled in the same way that we operate our successful FDI policy. We can do it. It is about political will and vision. It is only fair that we can choose to live, work and rear our families where we belong. This is a key indicator for the health and wellbeing of our families, young and old. "I have always been motivated by fair play for our people and place. In the early 90s, I returned from the US and joined a save the west campaign with the late Pol OFoighil, a campaign aimed at getting funds from Europe direct to our region. This is still as relevant today. But today we need to work smart and form a midlands north western strategic alliance and leverage the abundant talent and resources of our region in a strategic way. The proposed Technological University merging Galway, Castlebar, Sligo and Letterkenny ITs will be the last to be delivered in Ireland. Not good enough. Its time we worked smart and as a collective. "If elected as an MEP, I will work, in collaboration, to make Europe and government accountable to rural Ireland and use Europe to our benefit." Read also: 17 candidates register to run in European Parliament elections Nassau DA: Bookkeeper for Glen Cove Property Management Co. Arrested for Allegedly Embezzling More Than $200K Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: April 17 2019 Laura Fontana, 62, faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count, Singas says. Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced the arrest of a bookkeeper from Glen Head for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from her employer, a Glen Cove-based property management company, and two other clients. Laura Fontana, 62, of Glen Head was arraigned Friday before Judge Gary Carlton and charged with: Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony) Two counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony) Five counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (a D felony) 10 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (an E Felony) The defendant was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on April 18. If convicted of the top count, she faces a maximum of five to 15 years in prison. The defendant is accused of systematically stealing more than $200,000 in small sums over a period of six years from her employer and clients, DA Singas said. Small businesses are the backbone of our county and my office will vigorously prosecute because businesses shouldnt have to worry about employees stealing from the till. DA Singas said that from between 2012 to 2018, Fontana, a bookkeeper for the Glen Cove-based company, allegedly wrote checks to herself from nine properties the company managed. Fontana allegedly endorsed most of the checks and deposited them into her Bank of America account. To conceal the thefts, she allegedly recorded them in the companys QuickBooks account as having been made out to a legitimate vendor. The individual check amounts ranged from $200 to $1,996. Fontana allegedly embezzled more than $190,000 from the company and an additional sum from two other clients. In total, Fontana allegedly stole more than $209,000 from her clients and employer. She is alleged to have spent the money on bills, living and childcare expenses. The investigation began in July 2018 when a complaint was filed with the NCDAs Criminal Complaint Unit. Senior District Attorney Betty Rodriguez of DA Singas Financial Crimes Bureau is prosecuting this case. John Maccarone, Esq. represents the defendant. The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty. Queens Duo Arrested After Attempting to Swindle 84 Year-Old Woman out of Nearly $8,000, Cops Say Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: April 17 2019 Jiarui Chen, 25, and Yue Niu, 26, called the victim and told her that her grandson was in police custody, police say. The First Squad reports the Arrest of two individuals from Queens for Attempted Grand Larceny that occurred in Roosevelt. According to detectives, on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, a female victim, 84, from Goodhue Minnesota, received a phone call from an unknown subject who stated they were an attorney and that her grandson was in police custody. The subject instructed the victim to purchase multiple gift cards amounting to approximately $2,750 US currency in value and give them the codes over the phone, which the victim complied. On Friday, April 5, 2019, the victim was again contacted by the subject and informed that in order to get her grandson into a work release program they required an additional $5,100 US currency to be mailed to an address on Hudson Avenue, Roosevelt. The victim went to a UPS store where a store employee informed the victim that she should contact the police before mailing out the package. The Goodhue Police Department of Minnesota contacted Nassau County Police and informed them of the situation. On Monday, April 15, 2019 Nassau Detectives observed defendant Jiarui Chen, 25, of Queens arrive at the location and remove the delivered package from the front porch. Defendant Jiarui Chen was placed into custody without incident. Upon further investigation Police were able to locate his vehicle, a 2014 Mercedes Benz in which his wife, defendant Yue Niu, 26, of Queens, was inside and was apprehended without incident. The vehicle was impounded. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives request if anyone believes that they have been victimized by Defendants Jiarui Chen or Yue Niu to contact Nassau Police at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will remain anonymous. Defendants Jiarui Chen and Yue Niu are each charged with Attempted Grand Larceny 3rd degree. Defendant Jiarui Chen was arraigned on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at First District Court 99 Main Street Hempstead. Defendant Yue Niu was issued an appearance ticket returnable to First District Court on Monday, May 13, 2019. Flash China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) hosted an event on April 16 with the theme "China in the New Era: a Dynamic Tianjin Going Global". The event aims to promote Tianjin, one of the four municipalities directly under the central government of China, to the rest of the world. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, both spoke at the event. Li said that the city will continue opening up, deepening integration with the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthening exchange and cooperation with foreign countries. Wang said that Tianjin was the pioneer of China's modern industrial development and has been thriving through reform and opening-up. As a crossroads of land and sea routes for the Belt and Road Initiative as well as a main node of the new Eurasia land bridge economic corridor, Tianjin is standing again at the forefront during a new round of reform and opening-up, Wang added. Deputy Foreign Ministers Le Yucheng, Qin Gang and Zhang Hanhui, attended the event along with foreign diplomats, representatives of international organizations, business leaders, academics and members of the media. Tianjin Mayor Zhang Guoqing offered an introduction of the city in the areas of modern transportation and logistics, business environment, industrial system, science and education, history and culture, and ecological construction. Zhang also said he welcomes the world to share the development opportunities that Tianjin offers. Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov, Singaporean Ambassador to China Stanley Loh Ka Leung, Angolan Ambassador to China Joao Salvador dos Santos Neto, South Korean Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung, and German Ambassador to China Clemens von Goetze, introduced the exchange and cooperation projects between their respective countries and the city of Tianjin. A 53-year-old Boston man was arrested after authorities said he threw a brick through an MBTA bus windshield because he was angry the bus did not stop for him. MBTA Transit Police said Richard Bridgeman was arrested on Monday after he threw a brick at the bus windshield on Massachusetts Avenue, causing the glass to shatter. The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. Bridgeman was charged with malicious destruction of property and told officers he was angry that the bus did not stop for him. Police are also searching for a different man who allegedly shattered a bus door in the area of Essex and South streets on March 28. Transit Police posted photos of the cyclist smashing the glass and asked for the publics help identifying him. Anyone with information can contact the Criminal Investigations Unit at 617-222-1050, send an anonymous tip to 873873 or use the anonymous feature on the SeeSay app. MBTA Transit Police have asked for the public's help identifying a cyclist who alleged smashed an MBTA bus door on March 28. AMHERST Gov. Charlie Baker will be the featured commencement speaker at the University of Massachusetts Amherst next month, UMass announced Wednesday. Baker is expected to address a crowd of about 20,000 at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 10 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The university said about 5,500 undergraduates will receive their bachelors degrees at the at the ceremony. CNNs Jake Tapper was the 2018 speaker. In a news release, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said he is honored to have the governor deliver this years address. His support for UMass Amherst has provided our students the opportunity to flourish as they play an invaluable role in the states innovation economy, Subbaswamy said. "Its no coincidence that under the governors leadership Massachusetts has achieved record employment, the highest percentage of citizens with health care and an outstanding education system. At the flagship campus, we are proud of playing a role in providing high-quality, affordable education for our citizens. The 2019 graduation ceremony will be the 149th at UMass Amherst. The ceremony will be held rain or shine, and is expected to end around 6:30 p.m. The ceremony is free and tickets are not required. Stadium gates open at 2 p.m. Guests should plan to arrive on campus by that time and will be directed to free campus parking and to shuttle buses that will take them from parking lots to the ceremony. The university said there are services are available for guests with limited mobility and other disabilities. Details are available on the accessibility page of the Commencement website. Its the time of year when schools are announcing their speakers. Kimberley J. Roberts, Googles strategy and operations manager, will be the speaker for Bay Path Universitys 122nd commencement May 19 at 4 p.m. at the MassMutual Center. Lady Antebellum has announced plans for a summer tour that will come to Connecticut. The country group will play Mohegan Sun Arena on Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show will go on sale April 19 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Special guest Drake White will open the show. Lady Antebellum has nine No. 1 country hits to their name including the nine-times Platinum hit Need You Now. The act is taking a break from its Las Vegas residency at the Palms Casino Resort to mount the summer tour. SPRINGFIELD Nearly 50 people or businesses have requested information on the licensing process for recreational marijuana shops and facilities. Theo Theocles, the citys chief deputy procurement officer, said he counted 47 requests for the Request for Proposals / Qualifications packages that provide information and guidelines for the application and licensing process. Not all of the people whove asked for the packages will submit proposals. The process covers licenses for up to 15 recreational retail stores and an unlimited number of cultivation or distribution facilities. Proposals are due by May 20. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said he is surprised but also pleased by the number of potential applicants, saying he welcomes the competition. The request for proposals was issued March 22. The competition "can only lead to a good and strong deal to benefit our city and the impacted" neighborhoods and business areas, Sarno said. The City Council approved an ordinance last year allowing up to 15 recreational marijuana retail shops in Springfields business and industrial zones. The ordinance restricts shops to 58 streets within those zones. Council President Justin Hurst said he not surprised by the high number of potential applicants. "Economic Development in Springfield is booming right now and this new industry only adds to the entrepreneurs looking to get in on a piece of the action," Hurst said. The more competition for licenses, the better, because it allows the city "to select the most qualified operators who will run a reputable business while also being considerate of the potential impacts on residents," Hurst said. The list of groups whove requested application information includes the companies that have already announced proposals to open retail marijuana shops. City officials have said they will choose up to four companies in June for the first phase. A review committee, made up of from city departments and City Councilor Tracye Whitfield, will rank the proposals on factors including the location of the business, design and construction, public health and safety, management and diversity. Companies chosen during the first phase will be the first to negotiate host community agreements with the city. Those agreements ultimately need approval from the mayor and council. Sarno defended the amount of time it is taking before the marijuana stores can open in Springfield. We wanted to get it right and weed out the pretenders and get to the contenders, who have the proper wherewithal to run this type of new business," Sarno said in a prepared statement, adding that it will be important to be respectful" to city neighborhoods. Hurst said many city officials are excited about the revenue that will come from the businesses and wanted them to open yesterday. "However, we have to be strategic and thoughtful about the roll-out of these establishments in order to get it right, which inevitably takes time that Im confident residents will appreciate in the long run, Hurst said. There have been community meetings on 11 proposed marijuana business locations in Springfield. A medical marijuana dispensary on Cottage Street operated by INSA is the only current marijuana business in the city. An investment adviser who hoped to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Revere allegedly bilked investors out of millions of dollars, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. Attorneys for Galvins Securities Division are asking a hearing officer to force Frederick McDonald, president and CEO of US Advisory Group in Beverly, to repay the investors, pay a fine and be banned from doing business as an investment adviser in Massachusetts. McDonalds entire relationship with the emerging cannabis industry has been an improvised effort to learn as he goes, utilizing client funds and firm resources to experiment, the attorneys wrote in an administrative complaint. The complaint says McDonald failed to educate himself about the states marijuana licensing process and failed to disclose to investors the risks of their investment. He allegedly misled investors about how their money was being used, failed to disclose his own financial interests and hid the involvement of an investor with a criminal record. According to Galvins complaint, McDonald signed up a wealthy investor from California as a client in 2007 and advised the client to invest in marijuana projects across the country, and in Massachusetts beginning in 2013. McDonald repeatedly took the investors money from one company, then used the money for a different company without providing appropriate documentation, according to the complaint. He asked the investor to invest in companies without disclosing his own financial interests. In 2013, McDonald took $825,000 from the investor to pursue a medical marijuana license for Prime Wellness of Massachusetts. McDonald did not disclose that through a complex financial setup, he actually controlled the company. McDonald never provided the investor with information about the project, and he later diverted $200,000 to a separate marijuana-related project that he controlled. After McDonald failed to get a license for Prime Wellness, he and his partners raised $8 million from 150 investors for a company called Kettle Black of MA. The plan was for Kettle Black to transfer money to a for-profit company, Commonwealth Pain Management Connection, which would contract with separate nonprofit entities. Under Massachusetts law, medical marijuana dispensaries must be non-profits so, the complaint says, the nonprofits would sell marijuana and pay Commonwealth Pain Management Connection a fee for services. Documents given to investors failed to note the risks involved in opening a marijuana business. On an application to the Department of Health, McDonald left off the involvement of a particular investor because the investor had a criminal record, which would make him ineligible to open a medical marijuana facility. McDonald also failed to disclose information to other investors. In 2015, McDonald began to move forward to secure a lease and hire a manager for a Revere dispensary. But ultimately, three investors who raised $7.5 million began to dispute the arrangement with the property owner of the Revere site, and the arrangement collapsed. McDonald has failed to open a single dispensary and investors received no return on their money. The high-worth individual lost $3 million. Overall, investors in Kettle Black lost nearly $8 million. Galvin says McDonald violated Massachusetts laws by misleading the investors. The Republican / MassLive has left a message for McDonald seeking comment. NORTHAMPTON With officials expecting to run out of money as early as July, the Hampshire Council of Governments is working to cease operations and is trying to sell its largest asset Northamptons historic 1886 courthouse to the state. Russell Peotter, chairman of the council, said the hope is to make about $5 million by selling the courthouse and liquidating the councils electricity business. The council would use the money to wind down operations and pay for its ongoing liability of roughly $380,000 a year for retirement, health care and workers compensation benefits for about 64 former employees who worked at Hampshire Care Hospital. The council inherited the former county nursing home when county governments in Massachusetts were abolished in 1999. Wed like to this wind down in the most responsible way possible, Peotter said. Peotter and Hampshire Council of Governments Executive Director Todd Ford briefed The Republican / MassLive Tuesday on the dissolution plan, and said they would announce it to the councils staff at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The earliest HCG expects to hear a decision from the state on the possible sale of the courthouse is June around the same time the state budget is finalized, and just a few weeks before the councils fiscal year ends and its money runs out. What happens if the money runs out, the building isnt sold and no one has a way to meet pay the $380,000 annual bill? Dont know, Peotter said. Its a very real possibility. Its a possibility weve been raising the flag about for a long time. We are going to run out of money and something is going to happen. In May 2018, Peotter raised the ire of area legislators when he warned the liability could flow to the constituent towns and cities in Hampshire county. But Peotter pointed out Tuesday that no one has put forth a different scenario. State Sen. Joanne M. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, declined to speculate on what happens if the Hampshire Council of Governments cant come up with the money. She said her focus, and the focus of Hampshire Countys legislative delegation, is on protecting the interests of employees, retirees and the constituent towns. The Council has 16 full- and part-time employees. Its programs include the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP of the Pioneer Valley), the Hampshire-Franklin Tobacco Free Community Partnership and the Regional Purchasing Co-op. Peotter said hes been in talks with organizations that could provide administrative homes for the programs; employees would move with the funding streams to those organizations and continue their work. Hampshire Council of Governments Executive Director Todd Ford speaks with reporters and editors at The Republican, April 16, 2019.Greg Saulmon / The Republican Other counties got better deals Peotter said the problem lies in the state law that created the Hampshire Council of Governments in 1999. The legislation left the Hampshire Council of Governments with financial responsibilities and no way to raise money to meet them. Towns and cities were giving the chance to opt out after the first three years. Five of 20 already have, with more planning to leave meaning money from towns and cities has been an unreliable revenue stream. The nursing home also lost money, and the council sold it in 2009. HCG tried to make money brokering aggregated energy purchases and was transitioning to a clean energy business. But state regulators and new auditing requirements made it impossible to get the needed financing. Peotter said HCG makes some money in its joint purchasing programs, which help school districts, municipalities and other entities band together to buy goods. "But you aren't going to make $380,000 a year brokering road salt," he said. Ford said the energy businesses will be sold, and Peotter said responsibility for the Hampshire Group Insurance Trust will pass to the Trusts Insurance Advisory Committee. Peotter, who lives in Chesterfield, said the council doesnt have a regional planning function that, in other counties, encourages towns and cities to support regional governments and to pay for studies and grant writing. In Hampshire and Hampden counties the Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission performs those functions. In Franklin County, its the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Hampshire County wanted to keep its own courthouse when the county governments were dissolved, Peotter said. Other counties did not, he said, adding: Other counties got better deals than us." In the old courthouse, the state courts already rent lower-level space for a law library, and as well as third-floor courtroom and office space. The old courthouse is attached by a pedestrian walkway to the newer trial court building on Gothic Street. Hampshire Council of Governments Chairman Russell Peotter speaks with reporters and editors at The Republican April 16, 2019.Greg Saulmon / The Republican 'Iconic building at a crossroads The state is spending $1.8 million on ongoing restoration work at the old courthouse, which Comerford said underscores how important the building is. Peotter said officials from the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and the state courts toured the building in February. A spokeswoman for the state courts administration referred all questions Wednesday to DCAMM; officials for the latter agency didnt immediately return calls and emails for comment. It would be up to the state legislature to include the purchase in the state budget, Peotter said. But that wont happen without a recommendation from the state court administration and DCAMM but that decision isnt expected until June. "They are on an expedited schedule," Comerford said. "They have front-burnered it and are moving quickly." Peotter, though, said DCAMMs front burner is an excruciatingly slow simmer for the council, given that money is running out. And if the state doesn't buy it, it's unclear who could. The deed for the land, from 1767, says that if the courthouse isnt used for a public purpose, ownership would revert to the city of Northampton. It cant be sold to a private developer, for example. The 1999 enabling legislation, meanwhile, says the property would revert to the state if the council doesnt maintain membership from enough towns and cities. The mayor isnt interested in the building, Peotter said. I dont think the city can afford to buy it. Peotter said he believes the city of Northampton would use the deed and the legislation to block the sale of the courthouse to a developer. Theyd fight it with the deed, Peotter said. Northampton City Council President Ryan R. ODonnell said Wednesday that the city has no appetite for owning more real estate it has no purpose for, and serving as a landlord. That being said, the courthouse is an iconic building in downtown Northampton, ODonnell said A lot of people care what happens to it. Comerford said there may be other creative uses for the space, but she declined to go into any detail about what those might be or who would pay. The future at this point is unknown, Comerford said, adding that the courthouse is of great importance for the city of Northampton and the whole region. The Center for New Americans hosts a swearing-in ceremony for new citizens on the lawn every July 4, Comerford said, citing one example of the buildings importance. That ceremony is held inside the building in the case of rain. The state tried to end its lease in the old courthouse in 2010 as a money saving move during the financial crisis. Hampshire Superior Court Clerk Harry Jekanowski Jr. fought the move. SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, saying he has no patience for renegade dirt bikers and bicyclists riding in traffic, announced Wednesday a Police Department crackdown that follows a similar outcry in Chicopee. Like the vast majority of law abiding citizens here in Springfield and around our country, I have no patience and/or use for these miscreants actions, who create dangerous public safety issues by harassing drivers and pedestrians, who are just going about their daily business," Sarno said in a statement. The effort comes as officials say people riding two-wheeled vehicles on city streets have interfered with motorists or have been injured or killed in crashes. Acting Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood will meet with local, state and federal public safety officials to amp up an aggressive plan of attack, Sarno said. On Tuesday, Chicopee police said they were seeking the publics help in identifying a roving band of nuisance dirt bikers who allegedly attacked two people in a car March 30. The bikers were taunting the driver and passenger, punched and kicked them and damaged the car, police said. Sarno said he has ordered the crackdown in Springfield on these negative individuals disrespectful and very dangerous behaviors, to not only apprehend them, but also confiscate their dirt bikes and bicycles too. The riders put the public in harms way and also pose a danger to themselves, Sarno said. Ryan Walsh, a spokesman for the Police Department, said the problem includes groups of youth who ride bicycles and dirt bikes into traffic, creating a menace, and tying up traffic. They are intermingling with traffic and riding through intersections, he said. Its extremely dangerous, Walsh said. They kind of take over the road. In the past two or three weeks, the police have been on the lookout for the groups, and have made two arrests and obtained two criminal warrants, Walsh said. Sarno said he will continue to stand side by side with Acting Commissioner Clapprood and our Springfield Police Department urging our court system to send a strong message to eradicate this issue ASAP before someone gets hurt and/or killed. Walsh said he believes there have been three fatalities since October involving either dirt bikes or all-terrain vehicles in Springfield. In October, a teenager died after his motocross bike went through a stop sign and crashed into a car near Putnam Circle and Fernwold Street. The 19-year-old was riding the bike illegally on the streets, police said. In December, a man was killed when his dirt bike collided with a car at the intersection of Franklin and Webster streets in the Liberty Heights area, police said. The 26-year-old victim was riding without a helmet, police said. A dirt bike may be driven legally on Massachusetts roads only if it is properly registered and passes inspection, just like any other vehicle. A dirt bike needs standard equipment, including a headlight, turn signals, a tail light and a license plate, and the driver needs to be wearing a helmet. H. Alex Weck, president of the Pioneer Valley chapter of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, said in response to the Springfield crackdown that were fully supportive of the creation of a safe space for these teenagers to use their bicycles. His organization is trying to construct a bicycle park. If you dig a layer deeper and ask why youth on bicycles are doing what theyre doing, you realize that without a safe space for them to go to burn off this energy theyre creating their own, Weck said. The city of Worcester has also raised concerns about dirt bikes causing public safety hazards on city streets in recent years. SPRINGFIELD A City Council committee has slated a meeting Thursday to consider an ordinance that would maintain a single police commissioner in Springfield while strengthening the civilian advisory board that hears police misconduct cases. The City Council Public Safety Committee, chaired by Councilor Orlando Ramos, has slated its first public review of the proposal for 5 p.m. at City Hall. The proposal was unveiled last week by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno as a possible means to break a long-term impasse between the mayor and council. The council has passed ordinances twice in recent years to create a five-member citizen police commission. Sarno, who stands by the current system of single commissioner to oversee the Police Department, has blocked the ordinances. Ramos invited Sarno to the first meeting on the new proposal, but the mayors office responded that City Solicitor Edward Pikula will attend and work with the councilors on the ordinance. Ramos said the meeting will discuss the merits of the ordinance, and he welcomes the mayors input on how we can create a system that works in the best interest of the people of Springfield. Sarno is proposing to expand the Civilian Review Board from seven members to nine members, and to add subpoena powers as the board hears police misconduct complaints. The board would continue to offer recommendations regarding discipline to the police commissioner. Some councilors have said they support Sarnos proposal while others have said they are open to discussion. Former Police Commissioner John Barbieri retired abruptly in February as the Police Department was in the midst of controversy over multiple police misconduct complaints, and under investigations by state and federal agencies, including a federal civil rights investigation. Sarno appointed Deputy Chief Cheryl Clapprood as acting commissioner immediately following Barbieris retirement. It was the news that no parent wants to receive. On Feb. 11, the day after their son Quinns third birthday, Quincy Police Officer Tara Waters and her husband Jarlath learned that Quinn had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Luckily, they were not alone. Their community has rallied around them, Tara Waters said in an interview. And no one has been more dedicated than her fellow officers in the Quincy Police Department, who have provided foods, given rides and are now shaving their heads to raise money for childhood cancer research. Were completely overwhelmed by everyones response," Waters said. "Weve had some pretty dark days, and its probably the one thing that makes us think that good things do happen and there are good people in the world. On April 29, members of the department will have their heads shaved at The Corner Barber Shop in Quincy in solidarity with Quinn, who is undergoing chemotherapy, the department said in a Facebook post. Their fundraiser for the event has already raised more than $10,000 for the St. Baldricks Foundation, a charity which funds research into childhood cancer. They wanted to do anything they could," Tara Waters said. When youre a police officer, youre part of a big blue family. Quinn underwent brain surgery at Boston Childrens Hospital, which removed the vast majority of his tumor, and recently completed his second round of chemotherapy through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Waters said. Its extremely rough on his small body, but hes handling it like a champ," she said. Both Tara and Jarlath have had to stop working to oversee Quinns treatment, and the illness has placed a major financial burden on the family, she said. It has also opened her eyes to the struggles faced by other parents of children with cancer and the need to better fund research into pediatric cancer, Waters said. We constantly say to each other, we should do this. We should start a foundation to help parents with this," she said. And though her family is in the midst of emotional and financial turmoil, Waters recognizes the sacrifices made by her colleagues to support her -- including the upcoming loss of their wavy locks. Most of the officers getting their heads shaved have really great heads of hair," Waters said. A young Florida woman who traveled to Colorado and bought a shotgun for what authorities feared would be a Columbine-inspired attack just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution. During the manhunt, the FBI said Pais was "infatuated" with Columbine and made threats ahead of Saturday's anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999. The FBI described her "extremely dangerous." The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, authorities said. Agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreational area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. All classes and extracurricular activities for about a half-million students were canceled as a precaution, though sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin said the young woman's threats were general and not specific to any school. "This has become a massive manhunt ... and every law enforcement agency is participating and helping in this effort," said Dean Phillips, agent in charge of the FBI in Denver. Authorities said Pais was last seen not far from Columbine in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. The alert also said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said federal, state and local law enforcement were "dedicating all of their resources to locate this dangerous individual." "We know that there is a lot of anxiety right now in Colorado," Polis said in a statement. Because of the threat, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside. Pais' parents last saw her on Sunday and reported her missing to Florida authorities on Monday night, police in Surfside, Florida, said. Messages left by The Associated Press at two numbers listed for Pais' relatives in Florida were not immediately returned, while another number was disconnected. Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School senior, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was "baffled" to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Another classmate, 17-year-old junior Drew Burnstine, said Pais was a quiet, smart student who sat alone in class and "never caused problems or indicated that she wanted to harm anyone." Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. State Rep. Patrick Neville, the Republican House minority leader, was a 15-year-old sophomore at Columbine High at the time of the shooting and now has three school-age daughters. It wasnt easy for me to explain to my kids what was going on last night, Neville said on the House floor Wednesday. The smiles and the barking told the story Tuesday as the Springfield Police Department unveiled the colorful new graphics of a K-9 cruiser parked outside the Pearl Street police station. The graphics were donated by Go Graphix of East Longmeadow. Company President Jim White said his grandfather, Walter White, was a Springfield police officer. Im excited about it, Acting Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood said after the unveiling ceremony. "Because I think its going to attract the publics attention it kind of stands out. She and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno praised the new design, which features the citys skyline and one of its K-9 officers, Hades, who was on hand for the ceremony. Springfield police officer Raul Gonzalez with K-9 officer Hades. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) The new K-9 Unit cruiser. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Hades the dog appears on the hood of the new K-9 Unit cruiser. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Other police officers join Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Acting Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood, and Go Graphix President Jim White for a ribbon cutting ceremony. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) The Springfield Police Department unveils new graphics on one of its K-9 Unit cruiser on Tuesday. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Our K-9 Unit does so much with the public and the community that these new graphics will help enhance their image across the city and be a hit with children at community events," Acting Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood said. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Its been a quarter-century since former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld ran a successful campaign. Back then, in 1994, Weld was easily re-elected as the Bay States chief executive. He was a liberal Republican, libertarian-leaning, in an era when there were still such creatures walking the Earth, at least in the Northeast corner of the United States. These days, of course, even relatively moderate Republicans holding national office are a rare breed, indeed. There's Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. And then there's -- well, you get the idea. Nonetheless, Weld, 73, who had earlier said that he'd formed an exploratory committee to look at challenging President Donald Trump for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, officially jumped into the race on Monday. It was quite the leap. Weld is still the man he's always been: a socially liberal, fiscally conservative Republican with libertarian leanings. But with the national party having been taken over by Trump and Trumpism -- whatever that is at any given moment -- Weld isn't merely an anachronism, but is more a museum piece. Still, his campaign is worth cheering. Perhaps hell succeed in reminding voters of the myriad failings of the current head of the once-Grand Old Party. He surely endeavored to do just that in the video that accompanied his campaign kickoff. At the top, it places Weld in context. A tough, crime-fighting U.S. attorney who had been appointed by President Ronald Reagan. A tax-cutting, budget-balancing, welfare-reforming governor who got the Bay States then-shaky fiscal house in order. When the times called for someone to set a new course, Weld was that man. Quickly, the campaign video then pivots to today, showing a brief montage of Trump's ridiculousness. There's his dismissal of the late John McCain's heroism. His claim that Mexico would pay for his vanity wall on our nation's southern border. His mocking imitation of a disabled news reporter. The "Access Hollywood" tape on which he boasts that his celebrity allows him to assault women. And more. America can, and should, do better, the announcement says. And Weld is the man to lead the Republican Party out of the wilderness. That's quite the stretch, of course. Trump has taken over the GOP, with the opposition, such as it is, mostly having gone underground. Weld's only hope is to make hay in New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first primary early next year. With independents generally making up a fair chunk of Granite State primary voters, Weld hopes he can appeal to enough of the sometimes-cranky electorate there to make some noise. Enough, he and his backers hope, to put at least a dent in Trump's armor. Its still only a fantasy, of course, but its an awfully enjoyable one for folks who know in their hearts that Trumpism isnt Republicanism. Weld isnt going to wrest the GOP nomination away from Trump, but hell at least try to be a thorn in the presidents side along the way. A Bennington, Vermont mother is facing charges in North Adams that she endangered the lives of her two children on Friday by leading police on a pursuit and crashing her car while trying to evade a shoplifting arrest, according to reports. The Berkshire Eagle reports that Amanda Sawyer, 28, pleaded not guilty in Northern Berkshire District Court on Tuesday to charges of shoplifting, trespassing, failure to stop for police, speeding, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and two counts of reckless endangerment of a motor vehicle. According to the Eagle, Sawyer was accused of shoplifting merchandise from the Walmart SuperCenter and reported to police. When police spotted her vehicle and attempted to pull her over, she sped off. In a pursuit through the city, she collided with a car in the area of Barth and Eagle Streets, causing significant front end damage to her car. She continued driving until the car died a short time later, and police took her into custody, the Eagle reports. Her two children were in the car. Each was checked out by EMTs at the scene and found to be uninjured. Sawyer is due back in court on May 20. SPRINGFIELD The Springfield Police Department on Wednesday announced the promotions of a new captain and two lieutenants, and the acting police commissioner said each will have key roles as the department seeks to restore its reputation from a series of embarrassing scandals over the last five years. In a brief ceremony in police headquarters, acting Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood announced the promotions of Lawrence Murphy to captain and Joseph Dunn and Ariel Toledo to lieutenant. Clapprood placed in charge two months ago, said each is essential to her plans to restore the standing of the department. She said her vision for the departments immediate future depends on good support from supervisors especially the street supervisors. To survive and stop further instances embarrassing the city and the police department, Im going to count on my supervision, she said. Im trying to make those supervisors who are going to be not only good role models for the officers on the street, but willing and accepting in their role of holding people accountable. Toledo, who had been in command of the Forest Park C3 unit, and Dunn, who most recently worked as the departments quality assurance sergeant, will be assigned to the dogwatch, or midnight to 8 a.m. shift. Murphy, who was recently put in charge of the departments Internal Investigations Unit by Clapprood, will remain in that post. He is in charge of the unit that investigates allegations of police misconduct and will report directly to Clapprood. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said supervisors play a key role as mentors. That is critical to a successful police department, he said. Dunn and Toledo each said a lot of responsibility is on their shoulders, not just as supervisors but also as mentors working directly with younger, less experienced officers. 4/17/2019 - Springfield- The Springfield Police Dept. held a pinning ceremony to mark the promotion of of three officers to the ranks of Captain and Lieutenant. The three are, Captain Lawrence Murphy, Lieutenant Ariel Toledo and Lieutenant Joseph Dunn. This is Lt. Toledo getting pinned by his daughter Ariana. (Don Treeger / The Republican) Clapprood said that when the latest police academy graduates in June and another graduates next year, the majority of uniformed personnel will have fewer than five years experience. Which is pretty remarkable its going to be that young of a department, Clapprood said. Dunn said Clapprood has given the supervisors clear instructions about how officers are to behave, and it is up to the direct supervisors to instruct, enforce and otherwise get them on board. Im looking forward to it, Dunn said. 4/17/2019 - Springfield- The Springfield Police Dept. held a pinning ceremony to mark the promotion of of three officers to the ranks of Captain and Lieutenant. The three are, Captain Lawrence Murphy, Lieutenant Ariel Toledo and Lieutenant Joseph Dunn. This is Lt. Dunn getting pinned by his mother, Deborah Ashby. (Don Treeger / The Republican) Toledo said he looks forward to working with younger officers and teaching them the right way to do their jobs. Clapprood wants to clean up the department, and he wants to help her do that. Hopefully, it will build up the reputation, he said. Toledo said lieutenant is as high as he aspires to go within the departments ranks. Lieutenants have supervisory power, but they also spend a good deal of time out of the building and on the street, he said. Lieutenants are still on the street, and I like that, he said. The thousands of Shop & Stop workers on strike will receive support from another high profile Democrat this week. Former Vice President Joe Biden will speak at a rally in support of the workers in Boston on Thursday. Biden will be joined by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. About 31,000 workers went on strike last week after contract negotiations broke down between Stop & Shop and union representatives of five unions in New England, New Jersey and New York. United Food and Commercial Workers International workers at Stop & Shop in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have been without a contract since late February. Striking workers walked off the job Thursday, forcing numerous stores around the region to close. In days since, many stores reopened, but with fewer staff members and limited customers shopping in stores. Union officials ask shoppers to not do business with the company during the strike. Theyve received support from several politicians. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren delivered donuts and coffee to picketing Stop & Shop workers in Somerville on Friday, and urged shoppers to take their business elsewhere. Do not cross the picket line, Warren said. Understand people on the picket line are not just fighting for their families. Theyre fighting for all our families. Theyre fighting for basic fairness and equality in this country. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey visited workers Monday morning. You are gonna win, the Massachusetts Democrat told workers on strike in Quincy. You can see that the people of Massachusetts are with you. Theres no one shopping here today at Stop & Shop. Biden will speak on Thursday at 2 p.m. at a rally scheduled to be held at the Stop & Shop at South Bay Center, 1100 Massachusetts Ave. in Dorchester. Dave Dombrowskis 2019 Boston Red Sox are off to the worst start by a defending World Series champion since Dave Dombrowskis 1998 Florida Marlins. The Red Sox dropped to 6-12 with an 8-0 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx last night. They have been outscored 114-74 (negative-40 run differential). The 1998 Marlins started 5-13 through their first 18 games. Of course, the 1998 Marlins last-place finish (54-108 record) wasnt Dombrowskis fault. Then-owner Wayne Huizenga demanded Dombrowski cut the payroll by $54 million. Dombrowski traded Moises Alou, Devon White, Kevin Brown and Al Leiter and Robb Nen during the 1997-98 offseason, then eventually Bobby Bonilla, Gary Sheffield and Charles Johnson during the 2018 season. Is there such thing as a World Series hangover? The Red Sox are one of only four defending World Series champions since the 1998 Florida Marlins to sit at below .500 through 18 games. The other three teams were the 2007 Cardinals (8-10), the 2014 Red Sox (8-10) and the 2015 Giants (7-11). Defending World Series champions and their records through 18 games: 1998 Marlins 5-13 1999 Yankees 13-5 2000 Yankees 12-6 2001 Yankees 10-8 2002 Diamondbacks 11-7 2003 Angels 9-9 2004 Marlins 12-6 2005 Red Sox 10-8 2006 White Sox 13-5 2007 Cardinals 8-10 2008 Red Sox 11-7 2009 Phillies 10-8 2010 Yankees 12-6 2011 Giants 10-8 2012 Cardinals 11-7 2013 Giants 11-7 2014 Red Sox 8-10 2015 Giants 7-11 2016 Royals 12-6 2017 Cubs 10-8 2018 Astros 11-7 2019 Red Sox 6-12 When police investigating the February death of Roger Bemis executed a search warrant at a suspects residence, they found jeans with red-brown stains. DNA analysis tests were completed on those Red Engine brand womens jeans earlier this month, which determined that the pants had been worn by Jill Cormier and the stains were from Bemis blood, according to court documents. Cormier is the second person to be charged in connection with Bemis death. Bemis was found dead in his Clinton Housing Authority apartment on Feb. 7, sitting in a reclining chair in an advanced stage of decomposition, court documents indicate. He had suffered traumatic injuries and there were signs of a struggle in the apartment, authorities said. Cormier and Dean Valchuis were at Bemis apartment several days prior to watch the Super Bowl, according to court documents. Cormier, 43, has been charged with assault and battery and witness intimidation. Police interviewed Cormier after Bemis was found deceased and were not able to locate her until recently, according to court documents. At her arraignment in Clinton District Court Tuesday, Cormier was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for April 26. A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf. A judge is determining the dangerousness of Valchuis, 48 of Berlin, who was arrested on a charge of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury the day after Bemis was found. Valchuis case is scheduled to return to court on May 10. Investigators learned that Clinton police went to Bemis 367 Water St. apartment on Feb. 2 for a well-being check of Cormier, court records read. Police found Cormier and Bemis at the residence. The two were free from abuse and at the residence on their own free will, police said. Then on Feb. 7, Bemis was found dead during a well-being check at his apartment. In an interview with police on Feb. 8, Cormier told investigators that she watched Valchuis punch Bemis 10 times on Feb. 3. Cormier stated Bemis was alive when she left the residence with Valchuis, read court documents filed April 10. She stated the right side of Bemis face was swollen and bleeding after the assault. Cormier stated she did not make any physical contact with Bemis during or after the assault. She stated she never walked near Bemis after the assault and she left the apartment using the rear door. Cormier and Valchuis left Bemis apartment after the Super Bowl was over, according to court documents. In addition to the jeans worn by Cormier, several other items of evidentiary value were found in Bemis apartment, according to court documents. Several items, including the jeans, were sent to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab for testing. A search warrant affidavit was filed recently in Worcester District Court seeking Cormiers phone account information as a measure to locate her. A warrant for her arrest was issued out of Clinton District Court on April 10. The affidavit referred to Bemis death as a murder. No one has been charged with murder at this point in the investigation. When Valchuis was arrested on Feb. 8, officials found him in the backyard of his Berlin home. He was at the base of a tree stand, typically used for hunting, and had suffered serious injuries. Officials at the time could not say if Valchuis fell out of the tree stand or if he jumped in an attempt to injure himself. It is not clear how Bemis, Cormier and Valchuis knew one another. Jill Cormier, who was inside the apartment belonging to Roger Bemis when the 58-year-old was killed in February, is now being charged in connection with his death, officials said. Bemis had been dead for days inside his Clinton Housing Authority apartment at 367 Water St. when he was found on Feb. 7. Authorities said Bemis suffered numerous traumatic injuries and that his apartment showed signs of a struggle. Cormier, 43, was arraigned Tuesday in Clinton District Court on charges of assault and battery and witness intimidation, according to the Worcester District Attorneys office. A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf and she is being held pending an April 26 dangerousness hearing. Also charged in the case is Dean Valchuis, 48, of Berlin. Authorities arrested him the day after Bemis was found dead. Valchuis had fallen from a tree stand, typically used for hunting, and was injured in his backyard. Valchuis has been charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to return to court May 10. In an interview with investigators, Cormier said she was at Bemis apartment with Valchuis on Feb. 3, according to court documents. Cormier told authorities that she saw Valchuis strike Bemis at least 10 times in the head and face, court documents read. She told police that Bemis face was sideways and he was bleeding from the mouth and nose, according to court documents. She and Valchuis left the apartment a short time after the alleged attack. Its not clear how Cormier, Valchuis and Bemis knew one another. A search warrant affidavit filed recently in Worcester District Court seeks to obtain account, subscriber and other information from Cormiers cell phone number in order to locate Cormier. Conventional efforts to apprehend Cormier, including address checks, interviews and surveillance have thus far been unsuccessful, the affidavit reads. The affidavit indicates that investigators were not able to contact Cormier after Feb. 8. A warrant for her arrest was issued out of Clinton District Court on April 10. On April 10, investigators spoke to Cormiers father, who indicated that Cormier called him earlier in the day and said she had left a rehabilitation facility in Salem. Cormier has since been arrested. The search warrant affidavit refers to Bemis death as a murder. After Bemis was found dead, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said that an autopsy would determine the cause and manner of Bemis death. I expect that the charges will change pending the autopsy, Early said at the time. No one has been charged with murder as of Tuesday. You miraculously find yourself on a desert island equipped with a beach hut bar and eight spirits of your choosing. What are you sipping? For Joe Hall, general manager at London bar Satans Whiskers, survival sustenance means frozen Cognac shots, amontillado Sherry and Pina Colada pineapple goodness Its a dilemma weve all pondered at one point or another. If you should find yourself stranded on a remote island with little more than a selection of handpicked bottles to call company, which particular boozes would fill your glass? We put the question to Joe Hall, general manager at laid-back neighbourhood hangout Satans Whiskers. For the unacquainted, Satans serves up some of Bethnal Greens finest cocktails to a formidable hip hop soundtrack. The daily-changing menu is packed with riffs on classics so killer, the man himself would patently approve. No stranger to the back bar, Halls career started at former north London bar Wax Jambu at the age of 18. After a few years he moved to Bristol a place that I still think has one of the best cocktail scenes in the country, with Hyde & Co, Redlight and Filthy XIII leading the charge at the moment, he says before returning to London to Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, which won Best International Hotel Bar at The Spirited Awards 2015 during his tenure. Hall left The Savoy for a junior bartender position at Satans Whiskers, which almost four years on, he now runs. During my time at Satans Ive learnt a lot, taken a great sense of ownership over the place and won a few competitions, he continues namely Belvederes Grain to Glass 2019 and the Diplomatico World Tournament 2017, for which he was crowned the European winner nowadays Im much more settled and focused on the advancement and training of the staff at the bar. In my limited spare time, Im also a certified Cognac educator on behalf of the BNIC. Being the first to tackle our ever-so-slightly shameless homage to BBC Radio 4s Desert Island Discs is a pretty big undertaking, but Hall did not disappoint. After raiding his metaphorical suitcase Border Patrol-style, MoM asked him to talk us through the contents. Heres what we found Why? The perfect mixing Cognac. Clean, Borderies-only and lees-less liquid amazing in Harvards, French 75s, and Cognac and Tonics. Also, perfect for those frozen Cognac shots we all love right? Why? This is the Cognac you want to drink neat. Unbelievably flavourful product of single vineyard Grand Champagne grapes, aged for a long time in dry cellars. Its rich and complex, but has remarkably distinct tropical notes passionfruit and pineapple. This is an amazing example of what, for me, makes Cognac stand out amongst other spirits. Hidalgo Amontillado Napoleon Why? Pleasant, accessible amontillado Sherry. Maybe too light for the ultra-serious sherry heads of this world but its perfect for clean, crisp mixed drinks. Makes my favourite [version of the cocktail] Adonis, and Sherry and Tonic or a Sobremesa, a drink of mine that contains sherry, sweet vermouth, cucumber and a touch of mezcal. Why? Why isnt everyone aware of this stuff?! Its through distilling only twice with no filtration during the production process that creates this beautifully-flavoured and textured rye vodka from Poland. It makes Martinis that are absolutely out of this world. Why? I knew I wanted to include something from Compass Box, but picking which bottle is a real challenge. They have such a fantastic range, with some unbelievable blends on offer. As far as pushing the envelope and mind expansion goes, Hedonism has it all, showing that grain whisky can be 100% delicious too. Why? You wouldnt be able to make any White Russians without this. Why? The fondest memories in my entire career are of my time in Venezuela with Diplomatico and the rest of the European competitors. Such wonderful hosting, food, country, weather and rum. This is the kind of rum you can drink in cocktails during the day, on ice in the evening, and straight out the bottle at night. And thats just what we did. Why? As if I could do any kind of Desert Island Discs piece from a cocktail bar that only plays hip hop without referencing Drake. I like to think were the only small, curated industry cocktail bar that stocks it, let alone has it taking pride of place in the centre of the back bar. Tastes 100% acceptable. In-keeping with the theme, if you could take one book with you, which would you choose? Champagne Cocktails by Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller. Apart from being an informative and succinct list of fancy drinks, this book does a fantastic job of evoking the convivial fun that drinking Champagne should be. Having this on a desert island would get some good celebratory nostalgia going! And your luxury item? My phone. Just for the Instagram. Can you imagine the photo opportunities? Coconut shell cocktails and banana leaves My stories would go viral. Finally, if you could only drink one cocktail there, what would it be? On a desert island Im going to need all the sustenance and nutrition I can get. So, out of necessity more than anything else, Im going to pick the humble Pina Colada. Plenty of fresh pineapple goodness and calories to sustain me. If youre going to get stranded on a desert island, you may as well get into it would register an increase of USD 15 BN by 2022 Global Scar removal Treatment Acknowledging the enormous growth, the market perceives currently; Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the global scar removal marketregistering an impressive CAGR throughout the forecast period (2017 to 2022). Market Scenario Scar removal refers to the treatments to minimize the appearance of a scar caused by an injury, burn, wound, or surgery. Although scarring is a natural process occurring during a healing process of a wound/injury, it can affect a persons appearance, personality, further making the person vulnerable to lose self-confidence. Depending on the appearance of scars, there are many treatments available in the market alongside the tailored treatment programs, suiting to the persons health, budget and the medical conditions. Get Free Sample at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2340 Major Players Key players leading the global scar removal market include Asclepion Laser Technologies GmbH, Avita Medical, Absolute MS (S) Pte Ltd., Cynosure Inc., Enaltus LLC., Biodermis, Revitol.com, Scarguard Labs, LLC, Merz Pharma, TorquePharma, WONTECH, Suneva Medical, Inc., and Z-Roc Dermatology among others. Global Scar Removal Market Competitive Analysis Highly competitive scar removal market appears heavily fragmented with the presence of many well-established and small players. Innovation, Partnership, new technology launch, M&A, and Brand reinforcement remain the popular trends for these key players. The landscape of the scar market presages the probable heights the market can reach further. Global Scar Removal Market Segmentations For ease of understanding, the MRFR analysis has been segmented into four key dynamics: By Treatment Type : Surgical Method, Topical Creams, Laser Treatment, and Injectable among others. By Application : Keloid Scars, Contracture Scars, Hypertrophic Scars, and Acne Scars among others. By End-users : Hospitals & Laser Centers and Dermatology Clinics among others. By Regions : North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest-of-the-World. Brows Complete Premium Research with Detailed TOC at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/scar-removal-treatment-market-2340 Global Scar Removal Market Geographical Analysis The North American region, heading with the presence of numerous facilities and availability of treatments dominates the global scar removal market. The market in the US backed by the high expenditure on healthcare, and the increasing demand for scar removal treatments significantly contributes to the regional market. Continuing with these trends, the scar removal market in North America is expected to create a larger revenue pocket over the forecast period. The scar removal market in the European region accounts for the second-largest market, globally. Factors such as the recent advancements in laser technology alongside the augmenting uptake of the laser technology in the European countries drive the scar removal treatment market in the region. The Asia Pacific scar removal market has emerged as a profitable market, globally. Vast advancements in related technologies mainly in countries like China, India, and Japan drive the scar removal market in the APAC region. Backed by the increasing adoption of laser therapy for scar removal, the APAC market is expected to register a phenomenal CAGR throughout the forecast period. Get Exclusive Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/2340 Industry/Innovations/Related News: March 12, 2019 - Sensus Healthcare, Inc. (the US), a medical device company announced the launch of SRT University which is an online portal to support physicians using Sensus devices and technology. SRT-100+ (Superficial Radiation Therapy) is a new technology that helps to treat patients with keloids in the most effective, non-invasive and painless way possible. SRT works so well because it accentuates on the underlying cause of Keloids. This novel technology injures those cells and prevents them from laying down further collagen. The new online portal provides physicians and their staff access to Sensus depository of information related to superficial radiation therapy and intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). About Market Research Future: 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: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Global Medical Carts Market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. The market held a market value of USD 1,100 million in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% over the forecast period 2023 . Medical Carts Market Research Report, By Product Type (Mobile Computing Carts, Medical Storage Columns), Type (Computer Medical Cart), Material Type (Plastic Type), and End-User (Hospitals & Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers) Global Forecast Till 2023 Regional Analysis : The Americas is the largest in the market owing to the improving research infrastructure in the region, coupled with the rising awareness among patients and physicians. It is currently exhibiting a highly lucrative growth rate due to an increased use of medical carts for various applications. The European region is the second largest medical carts market over the forecast period due to high acceptance of medical carts in developing countries along with the rising incidence of chronic diseases are also accountable for the growth of the medical carts market. To Get Sample Report visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7436 The Asia Pacific region is likely to develop at the uppermost CAGR for the medical carts market in the years to come. Moreover, the rising patient safety at the hospitals and at community level are expected to influence the market in a positive way. The Middle East and Africa accounts for the least market share due to low per capita income and lack of availability of well-trained healthcare professionals. Medical Carts Market The growing acceptance of medical carts accustomed by its technical advances is one of the major trends witnessed in the global medical carts market over the forecast period. According to world health organization, musculoskeletal conditions are the second largest contributor to disability globally. Musculoskeletal conditions include conditions that affect joints (psoriatic arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis), bones (osteoporosis, osteopenia and associated fragility fractures), and muscles (sarcopenia). Other key factors such significant investments in R&D and expansions undertaken by key players are contributing towards the growth of the market. However, challenges such as high cost of advanced medical carts in developing countries, is likely to curb the market growth during the forecast period. Key Players : Market Research Future (MRFR) recognizes the following companies as the key players in Medical Carts Market: There are plenty of large and small market players which operate in this market all over the globe. Some of the key players in the global medical carts market are ITD GmbH (Germany), Advantech Co. (Taiwan) Ltd, Harloff Manufacturing Co. (US), AFC Industries (US), Chang Gung Medical Technology Co. (Taiwan), Omnicell Inc. (US), Midmark Corporation (US), The Bergmann Group (US), Capsa Healthcare (US), Jaco Inc (US), Waterloo Healthcare (US), Ergotron Inc (US) and others. Segments : The global medical carts market is segmented based on product type, type, material type, and end-users. The medical carts market, by product type, the market is segmented into mobile computing carts, medical storage columns, wall-mounted workstations, medication carts, and others. Based on type, the market is segmented into computer medical cart, procedure cart, emergency cart, anaesthesia cart, and others. Based on material type, the market is segmented into metal type, plastic type, and others. Based on end-user, the market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, ambulatory surgical centres, and others. To Browse Complete Report visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/medical-carts-market-7436 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 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Global Medical Carts Market Market Synopsis, 20182023 Table 2 Global Medical Carts Market Estimates And Forecast, 20182023 (USD Million) Table 3 Global Medical Carts Market, By Region, 20182023 (USD Million) Table 4 Global Medical Carts Market, By Product, 20182023 (USD Million) Table 5 Global Medical Carts Market, By Site, 20182023 (USD Million) Continued To Get an Exclusive Discount on Report Visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/7436 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Research Process Figure 2 Segmentation For Global Medical Carts Market Figure 3 Segmentation Market Dynamics For Global Medical Carts Market Figure 4 Global Medical Carts Market Share, By Product, 2018 Figure 5 Global Medical Carts Market Share, By Site, 2018 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), 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 According to a report published by Allied Market Research, thecontributed to $20.27 billion in 2016, and is expected to garner $52.78 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 14.4% from 2017 to 2023. The process in which residents of a country travel into another country for availing the medical treatment or care is called as medical tourism. Various treatments including fertility treatment, cancer treatment, neurological treatment, cardiovascular treatment, and others are availed by medical tourists. The higher healthcare costs in developed countries enforce individuals to opt for other less cost incurring alternatives, which in turn, boosts the medical tourism market. Get Sample Copy of this Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5050 Convenience in travelling to Mexico for residents living in North, South, & Central America, and Caribbean fuel the market growth. Moreover, recent Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditations offered by Mexico, government regulations favoring the medical tourism in Mexico, lower healthcare costs in Mexico as compared to other countries, and technological advancements in healthcare facilities in North America drive the growth in the market. However, adversities related to travel, documentation, language barriers, and VISA approval issues along with non-acceptance of insurances related to healthcare services hinder the market growth. In addition, surge in geriatric population in North America and rise in R&D activities in healthcare provide opportunities to the market players. The cancer treatment segment is expected to maintain its dominance in the market throughout the study period, owing to surge in the number of cross-border travelers who need high quality care and treatment. Moreover, cancer treatments take a lot of time to finish procedures and are expensive, so tourists opt for the places where good quality treatment can be availed at affordable prices. Moreover, the neurological disorders treatment segment is expected to register the highest growth rate with a CAGR of 14.9% from 2017 to 2023. This is due to factors including rise in prevalence of neurological conditions and increase in geriatric population. Based on country, Mexico dominated the market with more than half of the North America medical tourism market in 2016. This is due to the presence of low cost medical treatments for various disease conditions and geographical proximity to the U.S. Key Findings of the North America Medical Tourism Market Study: In 2016, the cancer treatment garnered the highest market share, contributing nearly one-third of the total share and is projected to register a CAGR of 14.7% during the forecast period. The neurological treatment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 14.9% during the forecast period. Mexico contributed for more than half of the total market share in 2016. Canada is expected to become the largest growing market during the forecast period, followed by Mexico. Leading market players analyzed in the research include Angeles en Lnea, Galenia Hospital, Centro Mdico ABC, Mdica Sur, Hospital San Jos, SA de CV, and Star Mdica. Send Enquiry on this Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5050 Optical Coherence Tomography Market Highlights The non-invasive nature of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and its ability to generate a false-color depiction of tissue structure has made the global market for OCT highly lucrative. OCT is comparable to ultrasound imaging, with the principal difference that the technology uses light instead of sound. Research & development of the technology has led to efficient, fast and accurate OCT devices which have branched out from ophthalmology to include medical applications in dermatology, and cardiology among others, thus facilitating growth. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1328 Prevalence of eye diseases and the rising occurrence of cardiac conditions have motivated market growth. Rising demand for OCT has led to R&D for technological advancements which in turn is expected to increase market growth further. Presently, although there are many applications for OCT devices, they are primarily used in ophthalmology, this indicates unrealized potential yet to be explored which will likely push demand for this technology in the coming years. High costs associated with OCT devices may hamper growth. However, increasing use in various applications, supportive government regulations and favorable reimbursements are likely to mitigate this challenge to a great extent. Optical Coherence Tomography Market Key Players Some of the fervent players operating in the market and profiled in MRFR analysis are Abbott Laboratories, Alcon, Carl Zeiss AG, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Terumo Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V, NIDEK Co., Ltd, Boston Scientific Corporation, Topcon Corporation, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Novacam Technologies Inc., OPTOPOL Technology S.A, Agfa Healthcare, Imalux Corporation, Thorlabs Inc., and Michelson Diagnostics. Profiling them in its analysis, MRFR finds out their strategies keeping them at the forefront of competition. Optical Coherence Tomography Market Regional Analysis The Americas hold the largest share with nearly 37% of the global market share. Increasing occurrence of diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Moreover, there is a strong presence of market leaders. MRFR as predicted that region will reach an evaluation of approximately USD 558.34 million by 2023. Europe follows the Americas lead and is expected to maintain a strong second lead due to supportive government policies and research & development carried out by private players is the primary propeller for the growth of the OCT market over the forecast period. The region is expected to closely follow the growth pattern of the Americas. The Asia-Pacific region is predicted to be the fastest growing region with a CAGR of 9.4% during the forecast period. A massive patient population in the region with a rising incidence of eye diseases and diabetic retinopathy is expected to fuel rapid growth for the region. International market leaders are trying to enter this region, and this is likely to facilitate growth in the coming years further. The Middle East & Africa are expected to experience limited growth. This is primarily due to the passive development in the African continent. Optical Coherence Tomography Market Segmentation The Global Optical Coherence Tomography Market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, and type of devices. Based on the technology, the optical coherence tomography market includes swept-source OCT, spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT), and others. Application-wise the optical coherence tomography market can be segmented into oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology, dermatology, and others. Based on the type of devices, the optical coherence tomography market comprises handheld OCT devices, catheter-based OCT devices, tabletop OCT devices, and others. Optical Coherence Tomography Market Key Finding The Global Optical Coherence Tomography Market is expected to reach USD 1483.49 million by 2023 at a CAGR of 8.9%. On the basis of the technology, Spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) is expected to command the largest market share of 60.1% over the review period, and Swept-source OCT is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 9.1% during the forecast period 2017-2023 On the basis of the Application, ophthalmology segment is expected to command the largest market share of 53.6% over the review period, and Dermatology is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period 2017-2023 The Americas hold the largest share of the global optical coherence tomography market and is expected to reach USD 558.34 million by 2023 Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% over the 2017-2023 Browse Complete 85 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Tables and Figures @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/optical-coherence-tomography-market-1328 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com Market Highlights Sinusitis is irritation of the paranasal sinuses due to bacterial, viral, or fungal infections or allergic reactions. Major symptoms include congestion and nasal obstruction, purulent rhinorrhea, and facial pain or pressure in some cases headache, and/or fever. The rising geriatric population, increasing prevalence of rare cancers, and technological advancement in cancer treatment are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Ask For Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7514 According to a report published by American Cancer Society in 2017, cancer will lead to the death of about 1,450 people in 2018. Additionally, the rising healthcare expenditure is likely to boost the market growth. On the other hand, high-cost of treatment and stringent government regulations for product approval may hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period. The global paranasal sinus cancer market is currently dominated by many market players. The key players in the market are engaged in new product launches and strategic collaborations to strengthen its market position. For instance, in June 2018, Eli Lilly acquired ARMO Biosciences for USD 1.6 billion to expand its oncology portfolio. With this acquisition, Eli Lilly will get a strong support for its immune-oncology program. Key Players Some of the key players in the global paranasal sinus cancer market are, Novartis AG, Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott, G E Healthcare, Agilent Technologies Inc., AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH and Bayer AG. Regional Analysis The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global paranasal sinus cancer market during the forecast period owing to the presence of well-established healthcare system, increasing healthcare expenditure, and growing incidences of rare & chronic diseases. According to a report published by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in January 2018, 60% people are diagnosed with cancer at the regional or distant stage. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to government funding and support of the healthcare sector coupled with the rising prevalence of various chronic diseases. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period owing to growing disposable income, increasing incidence of chronic diseases, and favorable government initiatives for healthcare facilities. The market in the Middle East & Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global paranasal sinus cancer market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the rising expenditure for the healthcare sector and improving healthcare infrastructure. Browse Complete Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/paranasal-sinus-cancer-market-7514 Segmentation The global paranasal sinus cancer market has been segmented into diagnosis, treatment, and end user. The market, by diagnosis, has been segmented into medical history and physical examination, imaging tests, biopsy, and others. Imaging tests segment is further sub segmented into X-rays, CT (computed tomography) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan, PET (positron emission tomography) scan. Biopsy segment is further sub segmented fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and incisional and excisional biopsies. The market, by treatment, has been segmented into surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The market, by end user, has been segmented into hospital & clinics, cancer treatment & research center, research laboratories, and others. 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 Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com by Rob Williams , April 17, 2019 Conde Nast, publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair, has quietly trimmed staff in the past six months, according to an analysis of its mastheads by WWD. The cuts came as the company looked for a new CEO to replace Bob Sauerberg, who stepped down in November as part of a broader restructuring that combined its U.S. and international divisions. The publisher this month named Roger Lynch, the former CEO of music streaming service, to the top job. Vogues most recent masthead shows 12 fewer people and Vanity Fair has 13 fewer people than they did six months ago, according to WWD reporter Kali Hays. The company told her that less than 10 people had been let go during that period. Freelancers who appeared on the mastheads were cycled out, while others joined the companys creative group thats separate from any single magazine title, a spokesperson told WWD. advertisement advertisement Some staffers left the company to pursue other opportunities, including Edward Barsamian, who quit as style editor of vogue.com and joined Victoria Beckhams brand. His role at Vogue wont be filled. Features editor Eve MacSweeney also left, and her LinkedIn profile now describes her as a literary manager and contributing editor to Vogue. At Vanity Fair, Jon Kelly last month left his post as founding editor of The Hive, the magazines news and culture vertical, telling the New York Post it was the right time to do something new. Successor John Homans has kept responsibilities as executive editor. West Coast editor Krista Smith left the magazine to join video streaming giant Netflix. Lynch will take the reigns next week, starting with a listening tour of CNs offices that will culminate in a strategy. Given Lynchs background as a banker with digital media expertise, I expect him to seek more job cuts and operational efficiencies before preparing the company for a sale. Lynch was at Pandora, his last job, for 18 months before Sirius XM acquired the company amid growing competition from tech giants like Apple, Google and Amazon. Even music streaming leader Spotify doesnt look safe as Silicon Valley companies boost investments in distributing digital content. Advertisers have grown to expect that publishers provide more opportunities than print ad inserts, especially since the migration to mobile and online platforms shows no sign of ending. Selling print ads is easy compared with creating branded digital content that helps marketers cut through the clutter. Thats why publishers like Meredith and The New York Times are building up their in-house creative studios. They aim to compete more effectively against social-media platforms, like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, that rely on user-generated content (UGC). The problem with UGC is that it has become rife with hate speech, political propaganda and kiddie porn anathema to brands. Conde Nast has plenty of editorial and creative talent. The company needs to focus its energies on social- and mobile-first strategies that will appeal to advertisers and the readers they seek to reach. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, April 16, 2019 MAC Cosmetics is celebrating 25 years of cause marketing in a new Viva Glam campaign, with Canadian model Winnie Harlow recreating the RuPaul campaign that put brand-led AIDS activism on the map. While the company was founded in 1985, it wasnt until 1994 -- the year Estee Lauder acquired a controlling interest -- that it launched Viva Glam lipstick, with a campaign that made performer RuPaul the first transgender model to win a major beauty contract. Many aspects of the campaign broke new ground, including its transparency, with every cent of each sale going to AIDS and HIV prevention. It's also been constantly reinvented. Over the years, celebrity partners have included Sia, Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and Ariana Grande, generating $500 million. Viva Glam has also been far-reaching in its contributions, partnering with more than 1,800 organizations, ranging from Planned Parenthood to the United Nations Foundation to Gods Love We Deliver. It also set a standard for employee engagement and sweat activity, with employees and makeup artists donating thousands of hours to work in the community. advertisement advertisement Harlow, who was born in 1994 and wore the red-patent leather RuPaul get-up as a Halloween costume this year, is herself an activist: a public spokesperson for vitiligo, a skin condition. MACs credo -- "All ages, all races, all genders -- has evolved from the social fringe as the company became the world leader in prestige lipsticks and one of Lauders $1 billion-plus brands. The company says it sells 2.5 MAC lipsticks every second. Its also dominating in social-media influence. At a presentation for investors last month, John D. Demsey, executive group president of the Estee Lauder Companies, relayed how it turned Marrakesh, an existing shade in China, into a worldwide sensation. Marrakesh typically sold about 700 units per month. But then Chinese consumers began warming to the color of red pears, and as the fashion trend gained momentum, MAC worked with influencers using social platforms like Vevo and WeChat to promote the very pear-like shade of Marrakesh. Sales of Marrakesh increased to 230,000 units in a month. (Sales have now settled down to an average of 150,000 per month around the world.) Other new experience strategies include partnering with Strike of Kings, a video game played by many Chinese women. It also continues to build on cultural events, recently announcing the Disney Aladdin Collection by MAC, launching this May, promising to help people everywhere find the self-determination and confidence of Princess Jasmine. Four months ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors the company had experienced a bad holiday sales season, and revenue for that quarter would drop $7 billion below estimates. The companys iPhone sales had been tailing off for the last few months, causing its stock price to fall by 32%. That was then. Now, Kantar research reports, Apples iPhone sales went up 6.5 percentage points between January and March, giving it a 45.5% share of the smartphone market. Smartphone sales slowed because consumers hold on to their phones longer, and because the new models dont seem to offer features so new that users feel an urgent need to upgrade. advertisement advertisement HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg late last year proclaimed that Apples iconic hardware unit growth is broadly over for now, and that the company was facing the reality of market saturation. Increasingly, Apple has been doting on its services areas over phones and pads, as evidenced by the rollout of its new streaming service, Apple TV Plus, and even a new Apple credit card. Data from the Kantar report, compiled by global insights director Dominic Sunnebo, says one out of 10 smartphones sold in the U.S. in the January-to-March quarter was an Apple XR iPhone. Kantar reports that model was the top selling iPhone in Great Britain, outpacing the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max combined in Europe. In China, where Apple faces very strong competition from homegrown Huawei and Xiaomi, Kantar said Apples iPhone X was the top selling phone in what is commonly called the first quarter. The price differential between Apple and other phones also helped sales, as Apples phones were 2% cheaper than a year ago for Chinese consumers. That was the high point of good news for Apple, though. In five major European markets, Android phones made up 79.3% of all smartphone sales, while Apples share fell to 20.1% In the U.S. and abroad, Apple has been introducing attractive trade-in offers, a relatively new wrinkle for the company, and its also cut prices in some overseas markets. Still, Kantar said, Samsung sales have been strong across Europe, with its higher end models selling briskly. In the U.S., various Android brands make up 53% of sales, and with Samsung and Apple increasingly going after the high end of the market, Sunnebo wrote, Motorola is having increasing success with low- and mid-range products. Altogether it has a 6.6% share of the market, its biggest slice of the pie in three years. by Richard Whitman , Columnist, April 16, 2019 Omnicom Group CEO John Wren told financial analysts today that the company is integrating its specialist agencies Accuen and Resolution Media into its three main media agency brands: OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science. Accuen is the groups programmatic shop. Resolution Media specializes in search and social media. As a result, 600 specialists from those shops will be moving to the broader media agencies. Wren noted that both Accuen and Resolution were formed about a decade ago, when programmatic and search/social were relatively new disciplines that needed dedicated units. Thats no longer the case. Instead, they are at the core of how we work with our media clients. He said the move would add speed, agility and quality of service to the groups media offering. The Resolution Media brand will still exist to serve clients requiring just search or social-media service. Wren made the disclosure during the companys first-quarter earnings call earlier today. The firm posted a 4.4% drop in revenue to $3.46 billion, largely due to the impact of foreign-exchange rates and a decrease in acquisition revenue. advertisement advertisement Organic revenue growth (which strips out M&A and currency impact) was 2.5%, including a 5.1% gain for advertising and media and 6.8% for the firms healthcare-focused agencies. Company shares were up about 5% on the news. Wren said the company would still make acquisitions, even as it continues to shed what it sees as non-core assets, several of which it made in the first quarter. But added he doesnt foresee making a huge acquisition in the near term, such as Publicis Groupes deal over the weekend for precision marketing firm Epsilon. Omnicom has developed an in-house platform called Omni designed to provide mass personalization at scale. If I or my team felt threatened, from a competitive standpoint, Wren said, the firm would do a big deal to fill a major capability gap. I simply dont feel that way now. by Ray Schultz , April 16, 2019 Google Pay users can now pull loyalty cards, movie tickets, boarding passes and offers that they receive in their Gmail inboxes. The automated feature, spotted during tests in February, is apparently now being rolled out in the app, according to 9to5 Google. Once enabled, Google Pay will look at your Gmail account to pull over whatever data it can, 9to5 Google reports. Google advertises: You wont get more offers, it will just be easier to use them. The feature can be found under Settings > General > Gmail Imports, where it has to be manually toggled on by users who want to utilize it, Slashgear writes. Deleting an email in Gmail will also remove it from Google Pay. Allowing Apple to focus on more pressing matters, the tech titan has settled its royalty dispute with Qualcomm. The settlement includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm, the companies announced on Tuesday. The companies also have reached a six-year license agreement, which was effective as of April 1, and includes a two-year option to extend and a multiyear chipset supply agreement. While the case dates back to 2017, Apple and Qualcomm just initiated court proceedings on Monday. For years, Qualcomm made microchips for the iPhone. The trouble started after Apple accused the chipmaker of charging too much to license its patents. Had the trial proceeded, Qualcomm was facing upwards of $27 billion in damages for overchargingApple and its suppliers for licensing its patents. advertisement advertisement Threatening Apple, Qualcomm was seeking billions in unpaid royalties and other unspecified damages from the company. Whether it hastened Apple's decision to settle, the company is facing a number of major challenges that demand its full attention and resources. Analysts are predicting problems on the horizon for smartphone makers like Apple. Smartphones should remain the mainstream mobile gateway, though growth is probably stalling, Citi analysts warned in a recent note to clients. Apple has recently blamed its own issues on slowing iPhone sales in China. While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors earlier this year. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, April 16, 2019 In a tweet on Twitter, Google announced it is looking into another indexing bug, but this time on Google News. The latest bug appears to involve a limited number of publishers, per the tweet. We're actively diagnosing the news issue now. The bug stops the online publishers from indexing and serving up content in Google News. Google earlier today wrote that this is not related to last week's indexing issue, which was resolved. Marketers, responding to Googles tweet, asked for assistance. Stefano Fabbri, head of owned media at H-Farm in Milan, asked Google to check vanityfair.it and wired.it. The content, Fabbri wrote, is not indexing in Google News properly. The indexing bug does not seem to be limited to the United States. Catalin Nichita, self-proclaimed tech and web-addicted SEO expert, asked Google to take a look at the Romanian market. advertisement advertisement Multiple big publishers have been removed from Google's News carousels (even the sites are still listed in "News"), he tweeted. Only a few publishers appear on these spots (carousels) at the moment. Earlier this month Google dealt with another index challenge -- a deindexing bug. On April 5, Google confirmed a bug that caused website pages to be deindexed, after site owners reported ranking errors. Google also had a deindexing bug issue related to its Search Console. The bug caused inaccurate data in the reports, notably the index coverage report and the enhancement reports -- although Google said it had resolved the issues. As of Monday, Google wrote in a Twitter tweet on its Google Webmasters account that Search Console is still recovering from the indexing issue we reported on last week. As a result, index coverage and enhancement reports were not updated recently & URL Inspector might not reflect live status, at the moment. UPDATE: Google on Wednesday posted on Twitter the bug has been fixed. Indexing of news content has now been resolved. New content should be indexed as normal," per Google in a Twitter tweet. "Much of the content missed during the issue has been reindexed and the remaining will be reindexed in the next day or so. Our apologies for inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience. by Tony Jarvis , April 17, 2019 JERSEY CITY, NJ -- The second day of the Advertising Research Foundation's (ARF) annual two-day Audience X Science Conference here began with the empirically based Rules of Marketing Effectiveness in a Digital Era, presented by Les Binet from the U.K. office of adam&eveDDB. Binet and his colleague Peter Field have been analyzing the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA, similar to the U.S.'s 4As) database of marketing campaigns from the IPA Effectiveness Awards -- which now total more than 1,500 and were accumulated over the last 20 years -- for statistically significant trends that reveal key principles in achieving advertising and marketing effectiveness. They have produced a series of comprehensive reports via the IPA that highlight their findings, including Marketing in the Era of Accountability, 2007; The Long and the Short of It, 2013; Media in Focus, 2017; and Effectiveness in Context," 2018. advertisement advertisement For those who manage a significant advertising budget, these publications are a must read. The latest report underscores the need to flex the rules to suit a particular brand's situation or context along with the role of digital in the drive for effectiveness. Not surprisingly, they also reveal that best media practices based on empirical research have not changed much. Here are a few key specifics: * Short-term sales activation plans generally have a very rapid decline, with little or no brand growth produced -- virtually no long-term effects. * Long-term branding campaigns encompassing broad, high reach will generate more memorable impact. These campaigns show slower decay and incrementally build base sales. * Brand-building produces a desire for the product and can reduce price sensitivity and increase profitability. * Long-term campaigns are especially powerful if used with short-term sales activation with a general ratio of 60/40 for a typical brand. * Brand campaigns are the primary driver of long-term growth and equity. Binet found that acquisition strategies outperform loyalty strategies as they expand the brand's base, adding that reach explains 91% of the variations in media effectiveness. * Creative clearly remains king, as it maximizes mental availability, moving the brand from passive acceptance (awareness) to actively seeking (salience) to influence and advocacy (fame). * Getting the creative right and balancing the message with emotions to produce memorability was illustrated by a TV ad for a very large British department store chain featuring a young boy's live/toy penguin that brought tears to viewers' eyes. * Binets analytics still indicate that advertising is a relatively weak force that requires substantial media force at scale to drive brand effectiveness. There is no substitute for paid media, he said, and for growth to occur, the ad share of voice must be greater than share of market. * There is no change to this principle, but it does raise the question of whether advertising is seen as a weak force because it must overcome the marketing ills of the brand -- the oxymoron customer service, lousy distribution, constant product issues, and more. * Digital has been heavily used for sales activation, Binet said -- for tightly targeted, informative response efforts with low reach. Digital can be more effective if brand-building plans are increased in the mix based on broader reach with more memorable and emotional ads. * As a last observation, he left the audience with this: Digital makes sales activation easier, but! Radha Subramanyam, Executive Vice President and Chief Research & Analytics Officer of CBS, called for the standardization of input metrics for attribution models, including proper reflection of how TV (video) is consumed to produce a meaningful ROI for TV across all platforms. In terms of measurement, she noted, data comes in all sizes, as well as scope and dimensions, and often needs to be integrated. She encouraged data harmonization, simplification and unification as much as possible. Supporting the Media Rating Council's (MRC) proposed cross-media measurement standard, she urged the industry to hold on to the :30 [as the] base length denominator," adding that it will matter when the duration-weighted viewable impressions element is added to the new standards in 2021. Leslie Wood, Chief Research Officer of Nielsen Catalina, was presented with the Erwin Ephron Demystification Award after glowing accolades from Bill Moult, Joan Fitzgerald and David Poltrack. I am not done!," Wood quipped during her acceptance remarks, identifying an array of critical industry issues for which the industry needs answers, and which she hopes to tackle. Dan Linton, managing director of analytics at W20 Group, addressed the question Can Data Privacy be Good for Brands? He suggested the answer is a definite yes -- which may seem a little surprising in the current environment -- if managed comprehensively. Reminding the audience that intrusion changes behavior and that the risk of harm is real, he listed the most serious and massive corporate data leaks since the GDPR (an opt-in philosophy) went into effect in the European Union. California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (an opt-out philosophy) in June 2018, and Washington State, Vermont, Oregon, Illinois and even Texas are in the process of passing similar laws. While the National Law Review recently ran the headline Data Apocalypse, and other publications have posited such headlines as Chaotic Times Ahead, Linton suggested that GDPR has already had many positive effects it generates trust." Clearly optimistic, Linton offered the following principles to manage privacy: * Embrace data privacy and protection now * Generate business opportunities and benefits with and beyond privacy compliance * Be clear with your audiences in very simple and easy-to-understand language * Use trust as a means to give a reason to engage * Be privacy-centric -- innovate with privacy as a cornerstone by Ray Schultz , April 17, 2019 Listrak has launched what it calls an Accelerated Mailchimp Migration program to help Mailchimp and Shopify customers affected by the recent split between those two firms use the Listrak platform. The partnership between Mailchimp and Shopify was terminated in March. Listrak allows retailers to engage with their customers across channels and devices, including mobile and social -- not just email, states Listrak CEO Ross Kramer. The platform is built on artificial intelligence, machine-based learning and predictive analytics. Users can leverage the data to deliver personalize experiences, he continues. Kramer claims that users can be "up and running to send emails quickly." However, the company can also help firm that want to be build a program beyond email, he says, adding: We also stay up-to-date on Shopifys current features and impending upgrades. advertisement advertisement The company puts significant resources into supporting partnerships, he claims. In an online post last month, Mailchimp said it "asked Shopify to remove the Mailchimp for Shopify integration from their marketplace." The post cited updated terms on the part of Shopify that "would negatively impact our business and put our users at risk." In response, Shopify said, it "has had growing concerns about Mailchimps app because of the poor merchant experience and their refusal to respect our Partner Program Agreement." by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 17, 2019 An federal appellate court has refused to revive a lawsuit that sought to hold Google, Twitter and Facebook responsible for the mass shooting by Omar Mateen at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We sympathize with plaintiffs -- they suffered through one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history, a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a ruling issued this week. But the absence of Mateen and the inability to hold ISIS responsible cannot create liability elsewhere. The lawsuit stemmed from a June 2016 attack by Mateen, who killed 49 people and injured 53. Mateen claimed to be an "Islamic soldier" in phone calls he made to the police, but the CIA found no direct connection between the shooter and ISIS. advertisement advertisement The victims alleged in their complaint that Mateen carried out the attacks after he "was radicalized by ISIS use of social media." U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson in Detroit dismissed the case last year, ruling that the victims had not shown that the tech companies were responsible for the shooting. This week, the 6th Circuit upheld that decision. The appellate judges ruled that even if the companies provided platforms to ISIS, doing so didn't make them liable for Mateen's acts. Plaintiffs only allegation that connects Mateen and defendants is that, at some point before the Pulse Night Club shooting, Mateen viewed online content from ISIS and became 'self-radicalized.' the judges wrote. But this is a tenuous connection at best....The content did not compel Mateens actions. They added: It was not foreseeable that Defendants conduct would lead to the Pulse Night Club shooting. Nor did Defendants conduct play a substantial factor in, or have any direct link to, Mateens appalling act. At the same time, the judges left open the possibility that an online platform could be liable for a terrorist attack in a case with different facts. To be sure, this does not mean that defendants could never proximately cause a terrorist attack through their social media platforms, they wrote. But plaintiffs allege no facts connecting defendants to Mateen or the Pulse Night Club shooting. Facebook, Twitter and Google have been sued numerous times over allegations they facilitate terrorism. So far, the companies have defeated at least 10 of those lawsuits. by Tanya Gazdik , April 17, 2019 Longtime Ford Motor Co. executive Robert Parker is retiring from his position as director of marketing, sales and service for The Lincoln Motor Co., he tells Marketing Daily. Parker attended MediaPosts Marketing: Automotive conference at the New York International Auto Show. The Lincoln Nautilus Ultimate Control campaign from Lincoln AOR Hudson Rouge was recognized by MediaPost as Best Integrated Automotive Campaign in 2018. Parker, who started his career with Ford in 1989, has been responsible for expanding and solidifying the brands identity in the global market. He retires effective June 1. He came to the position in 2016, having served as president of Lincoln China since 2014. Under his leadership, Lincoln sold 11,630 vehicles in China in 2015, its first full year of sales there -- a record for a new luxury brand in the country. advertisement advertisement Parker is one of several high-level Ford executives taking early retirement buyouts from the company, sources say. Ford's offer was open to most salaried employees in North America 55 or older with at least 10 years with Ford, those 65 or older with at least five years with the company or any age with 30 years of service, Karen Hampton, Ford spokeswoman, told the Detroit Free Press. Fords luxury division got a new leader March 1, 2018 when Joy Falotico became group vice president, Lincoln Motor Company and also chief marketing officer. According to his bio on the Ford media website, Parkers enthusiasm for his job has never wavered, something he credits with being raised in a household in which character and creativity were always encouraged. Ive enjoyed every day Ive worked in this industry, states Parker. Cars have always been my passion. In his spare time, Parker enjoys restoring classic Ford vehicles. PORTSMOUTH, N.H. BRAINTREE, Mass. April 17, 2019 Massachusetts Mark Galvin Chad DiBonaventura $1 trillion Braintree, MA. and/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MMS Analytics, Inc. dba MyMedicalShopper, a leading provider of healthcare price transparency solutions, and Baystate Benefit Services, an employee benefits consulting firm and third-party administrator based in, are partnering to give consumers more choice and control with respect to their healthcare spending. Today the companies announced the partnership, making MyMedicalShopper's advanced healthcare price transparency software and cost-saving employer tools available to Baystate clients.Baystate can now deliver MyMedicalShopper's suite of products, which bring cutting-edge price transparency technology, robust claims analytics, and streamlined administration to employers and their employees. MyMedicalShopper, MyMedicalRewards, and their powerful MyMedicalMetrics employer analytics package are now available to Baystate's entire client base. In addition, the MyMedicalShopper suite will be tightly integrated with Baystate's administrative platform for those clients who leverage Baystate's administrative services for consumer-directed health accounts."We are excited to be partnering with Baystate Benefit Services to bring integrated solutions to their clients to help them control their healthcare costs," says MyMedicalShopper co-founder and CEO,. "We look for partners who work hard to find creative solutions to address their customers' pain points. By partnering with progressive benefits advisors and administrators, we can collectively reverse the trend of rising healthcare costs for businesses and their employees alike."For Baystate, an employee benefits consulting firm that offers a broad range of administrative solutions to employers, this new offering is a significant step towards an improved health benefits environment for its clients."We are constantly looking at the employee benefits landscape through our clients' eyes," says, Managing Director of Baystate Benefit Services. "It has become obvious that one of the biggest pain points that our customers face is rising health insurance costs and a total lack of medical price transparency. We are convinced that MyMedicalShopper has built the best platform for empowering the medical consumer. We are excited about our new partnership with MMS and eager to share this new technology with our clients to help them control their costs."MyMedicalShopper is a comprehensive platform for employers designed to drive down the cost of healthcare while improving employee benefits. The platform includes the nation's leading medical price transparency tools for employees, dynamic rewards programs, and robust analytics packages for employers.About MyMedicalShopper MyMedicalShopper is available through benefit brokers and consultants serving both the fully insured and self-funded employer markets. MyMedicalShopper provides a comprehensive platform for employers who want to take control of their healthcare costs and empower their employees with a tool that makes shopping for medical care as easy as a Google search.MyMedicalRewards provides a dynamic HRA or HSA funding mechanism that drives good consumer behavior even when employees are spending employer dollars. It combines reference-pricing models with the MyMedicalShopper shopping experience to reward employees for choosing low-cost, high-quality medical care, thus reducing medical claims.MyMedicalShopper's Employer Dashboard provides CEOs, CFOs, and HR leadership with direct visibility into their group's claims experience, engagement with MMS programs, and realization of savings. MyMedicalMetrics is an enhanced feature of this dashboarda robust claims analytics package that shows employers exactly how their employees are victimized by hidden pricing, inadvertently driving up their own costs and overall claims experience for the group. Employers can use this new information to team up with their employees, identify specific savings opportunities, and build targeted campaigns that drive meaningful behavior change and claims reduction for their groups.About MMS Analytics, Inc. (http://www.MyMedicalShopper.com) MMS Analytics, Inc. dba MyMedicalShopper is a big data company on a mission to revolutionize healthcare. The company was started out of the need to bring transparency to consumers and the companies who provide healthcare benefits to their employeesproviding the leverage needed to make solid decisions on their healthcare and improve their quality of life. Consumers previously unaware of price variations in procedures and testing can utilize real-time health insurance plan pricing information that makes it possible to choose care based on price, quality, and convenience. Experts document that as much ascould be slashed annually from the cost of healthcare in the U.S. MyMedicalShopper aims to transform the healthcare industry into a fair market for consumers.About Baystate Benefit Services (http://www.baystatebenefits.com) Baystate Benefit Services, Inc. (BBS) was founded in 1990 and is headquartered inBaystate's consulting practices are structured around the health and welfare needs of their clients, business retirement plans, risk management insurance and executive compensation. BBS is resourced to provide expertise in benefits plan design and administration, claims administration, compliance, employee health & wellness strategies, Cobra administration, flexible spending account administration and health reimbursement account administration. Finding the best and most cost effective solutions has been BBS's objective since 1990.SOURCE MyMedicalShopper LEXINGTON, Mass. April 17, 2019 David Cronin March 2019 Lexington, Massachusetts /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Cognition Corporation, a software company specializing in medical device compliance and commercialization, has just released the second installment of their two-part white paper series discussing ISO 13485:2016, the quality management system (QMS) standard for medical devices.The new white paper reviews some of the high-level changes to the standard identified in the first part of the white paper series in comparison to 21 CFR 820.30, FDA's Design Controls Regulation."Medical device manufacturers in compliance with ISO 13485 should now be aligned with the 2016 version," says, CEO of Cognition Corporation. "Now that this is the case, our goal with this new white paper series is to look at how that alignment will impact FDA's Quality System Regulation (QSR)."Effective starting, medical device manufacturers aligned with ISO 13485:2016 will now officially be recognized. Now that this deadline has passed, FDA intends to begin harmonizing their QSR with the standard. This new installment of the white paper series looks at that harmonization in context with FDA's Design Controls requirements."FDA has committed to adopting ISO 13485:2016 as the basis for its regulatory requirements for quality systems," says Mr. Cronin. "Now that the transition period from the 2003 version to this current iteration has ended, we can anticipate FDA ramping up their efforts to harmonize their QSR with the standard in the near future."This white paper takes a narrow look at the differences between Design Controls as outlined in FDA regulation and ISO 13485. By evaluating where they are alike and how they differ, the paper discusses what potential changes manufacturers submitting to FDA could see to existing Design Controls regulation as harmonization comes into full swing."Shifting to a new compliance schemeespecially when it comes to Design Controlsis no easy task," adds Mr. Cronin. "Hopefully, manufacturers can use this paper to better address any current and future work to align with regulatory requirements and expectations."The white paper is available for download here.Cognition Corporation, based in, has offered solutions for product development compliance for more than fifteen years. Cognition offers the Cognition Cockpit Platform, along with engineering and validation support, and industry expertise. Thousands of users worldwide use Cognition solutions to manage their product development process and meet regulatory, performance, and time-to-market goals. For more information, visit http://www.cognition.us or call (781) 271-9300.SOURCE Cognition Corporation THUNDER BAY, ON April 17, 2019 $3 million Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada Canada's Canada Thunder Bay Rainy River Canada Winnipeg Rates of police-reported intimate partner violence are higher in rural areas than urban areas. In addition, self-reported rates of violent victimizationincluding sexual assaultamong Indigenous people is more than double that of non-Indigenous people. The Public Health Agency of Canada is investing more than $40 million over five years under its Preventing Gender-Based Violence The Health Perspective program. The program supports Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. is investing more than over five years under its Preventing Gender-Based Violence The Health Perspective program. The program supports Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. Violence against women, girls and LGBTQ2 people is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations around the world. Globally, it is estimated that one in three women experiences intimate partner violence in her lifetime. Statistic Canada's Family violence in Canada : A statistical profile, 2017 report found that the rates of police-reported intimate partner violence are higher in rural areas than urban areas, with women accounting for almost 8 out of 10 victims. In addition, its Victimization of Aboriginal people in Canada , 2014 report found that self-reported rates of violence victimizationincluding sexual assaultamong Indigenous people is more than double that of non-Indigenous people, with the highest rates being among younger Indigenous people aged 15 to 24. Family violence in : A statistical profile, 2017 report found that the rates of police-reported intimate partner violence are higher in rural areas than urban areas, with women accounting for almost 8 out of 10 victims. In addition, its Victimization of Aboriginal people in , 2014 report found that self-reported rates of violence victimizationincluding sexual assaultamong Indigenous people is more than double that of non-Indigenous people, with the highest rates being among younger Indigenous people aged 15 to 24. In June 2019 , Canada will host the Women Deliver Conference, the world's largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls and women. Canada /CNW/ - It is important for youth to learn about healthy relationships and ways to prevent gender-based violence in ways that are culturally relevant and reflect their community and environment. Some populations are more likely to experience violence and may face unique barriers and challenges that put them at risk.Today, the Honourable Patricia Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, highlighted the Government's continued support to end gender-based violence by announcing nearlyin funding over five years to support three initiatives aimed at preventing teen and youth dating violence.The Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. (Ndinawe) and Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. are receiving funding to promote healthy relationships and gender equality through projects that will be created or adapted specifically for rural and Indigenous communities.Minister Hajdu made the announcement while meeting with the project leads and partners of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit project as she toured its centre in. Funding for these projects is provided by the Public Health Agency ofas part ofStrategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence."The Government ofknows that, to be successful, programs to prevent teen dating violence must first resonate with youth. I am pleased to announce this funding to Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Ndinawe and Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. to help them create or adapt programs to promote healthy relationships and gender equality that incorporate the cultural and social aspects of the communities in which they will be delivered.""Ending gender-based violence is crucial if we are serious about ensuring that everyone has an equal and fair chance at success; that means investing in projects aimed at those who are especially at risk. By supporting these three organizations, we are ensuring that Indigenous youth have access to programming on teen and youth dating violence that is empowering, culturally relevant and responsive, and that will provide them with the skills and knowledge to prevent gender-based violence and build positive, healthy relationships.""People who have experienced violence often live with trauma that affects their lives in profoundly negative and long lasting ways. Teaching youth about healthy relationships is an effective way to reduce teen and dating violence by ensuring youth have the foundational knowledge they need to form healthy relationships. As a former public health professional I know that it is critical to support organizations like these to continue their vital work.""I am pleased that so many great local initiatives will be receiving funding through the Youth Violence Prevention Project to continue their efforts to promote healthy relationships and gender equality amongst Canadian teens. These investments will support The Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. (Ndinawe) and Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. in running projects to address this issue that will be created or adapted specifically for rural and Indigenous communities.""From a public health perspective, upstream primary prevention initiatives such as the Youth Violence Prevention Project are integral to improving health and wellbeing in communities. We are excited to be coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive school-based program, focused on healthy relationships, targeted to teenagers in the Thunder Bay District. We value the commitment of our many local and provincial partners to this evidenced-based program and to their participation in adapting and delivering it in our Northern context. Our combined experience and a formal evaluation of this initiative will inform future interventions and ensure the long term sustainability of this work.""Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad is honoured to have received funding from the Government ofto develop and design an Indigenized teen dating violence prevention program within our community. Ndinawe offers a variety of programs and supports to youth in the North End ofand this funding will allow us to create a program for our youth that promotes healthy relationships throughout their lives.""This project will utilize a strength-based approach, including cultural reclamation and connectivity as a pathway to breaking down barriers and stereotypes, enhancing youth confidence and leadership and increasing capacity for making personal change within a "Culture as Prevention" philosophy. There is no better time than now to focus on Youth Dating Violence Prevention in helping to build resistance and skills for transformational change towards healthy lifestyle outlooks for Indigenous youth."Backgrounder Projects to help prevent teen and youth dating violence for rural and Indigenous communitiesGovernment of Canada Announces Funding for Innovative Project to Help Prevent Teen Dating Violence Government of Canada Announces Funding for the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association Government of Canada Announces Funding to Help Prevent Teen Dating ViolenceSOURCE Public Health Agency of SANTA BARBARA, Calif. April 17, 2019 Jay Crowley 25 April 2019 What device manufacturers did to comply with the US FDA UDI rule and should DO again What device manufacturers did to comply with the US FDA UDI rule and should NEVER DO again How to build complaint systems, structures, and processes to manage future variations and expanded requirements beyond post market surveillance Brussels, Belgium 25 April 2019 10:20AM Jay Crowley 24-25 April 2019 Brussels, Belgium Ryan Carmel /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- USDM Life Sciences (USDM) announces that, Vice President of UDI Services and Solutions at USDM, will deliver a presentation on solutions for Creating a Sustainable Global UDI Compliance Strategy at the European UDI Forum onJay's presentation will include the following insights:Presentation Details:What: Creating a Sustainable Global UDI Compliance Strategy Where: European UDI Forum Pullman Brussels Centre Midi Hotel When:at"EUDAMED database compliance requirements under the European Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) and In-vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR) are coming, and medical device manufacturers need to be building their global compliance strategy now," said. "Companies that successfully build a compliance strategy to future-proof their data management processes will stay ahead of any new regulatory requirements that arise."Jay is a recognized expert in the area of UDI and held a variety of positions over his 26 years at the FDA, including developing the framework and authoring key requirements for the FDA's UDI system. Most recently Jay was the Senior Advisor for Patient Safety in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. His contributions to design control regulations to reduce the chance of human errors with medical devices, patient safety, and adverse event reporting are highly regarded.The European UDI ForumsinAbout USDM Life Sciences:USDM Life Sciences provides strategy and compliant technology solutions to regulated life sciences companies and makes it easy to accelerate transformation and innovation. USDM Life Sciences focuses exclusively on the regulated biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries and is a compliance partner with the world's top technology software developers. For more information, visit http://www.usdm.comAdditional Resources:Navigating Global UDI RequirementsNew EU Medical Device and Diagnostics (MDR / IVDR) RegulationsContact:USDM Life Sciences (805) 865-2660 rcarmel(at)usdm.comSOURCE USDM Life Sciences Canada $18 Canada Donald Ian Morris Bob Nault Kenora Riding Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation is an Ojibway/Cree community located approximately 400 km northeast of Sioux Lookout and is accessible by air year round or seasonal winter road, with a population of approximately 960 on-reserve. Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation Canada KITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG FIRST NATION, ON, April 17, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government ofis working in partnership with First Nation communities to improve their health outcomes and well-being, and address health infrastructure needs.Today, the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulates Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation on the grand opening of their new health centre.The Saggius Sainnawap Memorial Health Centre will improve access to quality primary health care in the community and will support a range of services and programs related to public health and dental care, including children's oral health.The health centre includes additional office space that will improve delivery of programs and services such as mental health initiatives.Indigenous Services Canada provided an investment of.5 million through the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch Social Infrastructure Funding for the project."Congratulations to Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation on the grand opening of your new health centre. The Government ofremains committed to improving access to health services in First Nation communities by investing in health infrastructure. This new facility will improve the quality of health services to achieve better health outcomes and support the well-being of families.""The grand opening of this health centre is an important milestone for our community in improving access to health care. This facility will provide a safe and functional space to serve our community members, staff and other health professionals. We are excited to provide quality services within our community.""This health centre will play a key role in ensuring that community members of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation have significantly improved access to necessary health services, like mental health services and programming for children. Healthy families are happy families, so this is a great achievement for the whole community."Stay connectedJoin the conversation about Indigenous peoples inTwitter: GovCan Indigenous Facebook: GovCan Indigenous Peoples Instagram: @gcIndigenousYou can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada MALDEN, Mass. April 17, 2019 Mark McFarland Thursday, March 28, 2019 Newport News, Virginia Jake Lubinski /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- NanoFUSE Biologics announced today that Dr.completed his 50th case using NanoFUSE Biologics. The operation took place onat Mary Immaculate Hospital in. Dr. McFarland performed a posterior lumbar interbody fusion and removal of hardware on a 71-year-old male patient.NanoFUSE Biologics is the only bioactive glass that is FDA-cleared to be combined with demineralized bone matrix (DBM). Bioactive glass has been clinically proven in orthopedics for over 30 years. NanoFUSE Biologics has now created a revolutionary and patented biologic using bioactive glass."The patented NanoFUSE manufacturing process produces an advanced bioactive glass/DBM combination with high efficacy that has been demonstrated in animal studies," states NanoFUSE President,. "We're excited about the growing surgeon adoption of NanoFUSE across all orthopedic practices, not just spine. To date, it has been used by over 300 surgeons and implanted in over 1200 patients."Dr. McFarland noted, "I've been excited to use NanoFUSE Biologics for its osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties which aids in the healing process. I've used NanoFUSE in my cervical and lumbar cases along with orthopedic applications outside of spine, and I've been pleased with the results."Prior to undergoing surgery with Dr. McFarland, the patient had a previous fusion at L3-5 and experienced chronic pain since his initial surgery. Over time, the pain in his right and left gluteus made it increasingly difficult to stand or walk. After failing conservative treatments, including pain management and epidural injections, he opted for surgery. Lumbar X-rays revealed degenerative disc disease at L2-3 and L5-S1, and his MRI showed moderate central and lateral recess stenosis at L2-3 and 5-1. The patient demonstrated weakness and radiculopathy in both lower extremities. The patient is in good health after his procedure.About NanoFUSE NanoFUSE is the synergistic blend of osteoinductive DBM combined with the osteostimulative properties of bioactive glass. NanoFUSE is the only FDA-cleared combination of DBM and bioactive glass and is indicated for use in all orthopedic surgery. NanoFUSE Biologics is a KICVentures portfolio company.SOURCE NanoFUSE Biologics SEATTLE April 17, 2019 Harvard Medical School $1.9 million Benjamin Geisler Harvard Medical School $4,817 $7.5 billion Greg Bullington $2 million /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest peer-reviewed published study on the impact of decreasing blood culture contamination rates using SteripathISDD, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital,and Wing Tech Inc. have concluded that both clinical and economic outcomes can be significantly improved.The study performed a retrospective matched survival analysis of patients with symptoms compatible with septicemia to determine how blood culture results impact antibiotic use, length of stay, healthcare-associated conditions (HACs) and the associated healthcare costs. The study reported that the use of Steripath ISDD is a highly effective intervention for reducing costs related to false-positive blood cultures saving the average-sized hospitalannually and preventing 34 HACs, including threeinfections.This analysis, led by health economics analysis firm Wing Tech Inc., builds on the numerous clinical studies that have demonstrated sustained clinical and economic improvement by reducing blood culture contamination using Steripath. The manuscript is now available online and will be published in an upcoming issue of the"Our study, using contemporary data from the U.S. healthcare system, confirms the substantial clinical and economic burden associated with contaminated blood cultures," said, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Consultant at Wing Tech Inc., and Attending Physician, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital/. "The Steripath Initial Specimen Diversion Device can be expected to decrease the clinical burden and unnecessary healthcare utilization that leads to billions of dollars of avoidable U.S. healthcare costs each year."Each year, tens of millions of patients in the U.S. require blood cultures to help diagnose blood stream infections and sepsis. However, blood cultures can become contaminated with bacteria during the collection process. As a result, an average of 40% of positive results are actually false-positive due to blood culture contamination. False-positives in turn lead to a longer length of stay and a substantial number of clinical interventions and additional costs.According to the study, a single false-positive blood culture event results in an additional 2.4 days stay in the hospital for the patient,in incremental hospital costs on average and aburden on the U.S. healthcare system. Standardizing to the Steripath ISDD was determined to be the most effective method to address this, even for hospitals with dedicated phlebotomy teams.The Steripath Gen2 ISDD is a sterile, vein-to-bottle closed-system device that mechanically diverts, sequesters and isolates the initial 1.5 to 2.0 mL of blood, the portion known to contain contaminants. The device then opens a second independent sterile blood flow path for specimen collection. Five peer-reviewed publications support the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Steripath with reductions of blood culture contamination rates by as much as 92% with sustained rates as low as 0.2% in the Emergency Department."The significant avoidable patient harm and costs caused by false positive blood cultures have been recognized for decades. However, conducting detailed analysis to pinpoint internal cost savings is always a challenge for hospitals," said, CEO of Magnolia Medical. "This rigorous and exhaustive research provides hospital administrators with a powerful tool to validate the economic value Steripath delivers as a highly ROI positive solution that improves patient safety and enables antibiotic stewardship while saving the typical 250-400 bed hospital nearlyper year."Magnolia Medical is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative blood and bodily fluid collection devices to facilitate significant improvements in the accuracy, consistency and predictability of critical in vitro diagnostic (IVD) laboratory tests. Magnolia Medical invented and patented the initial specimen diversion technique (ISDT) and device (ISDD) for blood culture collection and contamination prevention. The Steripath ISDD has been shown in peer-reviewed published clinical studies to reduce blood culture contamination which in turn helps healthcare providers decrease false-positive diagnostic results for sepsis and the resulting unnecessary and inappropriate antibiotic use. This reduces the risk of Clostridium difficile infections, multi-drug-resistant organisms and other antibiotic-related complications, hospital length of stay, associated healthcare-acquired infections, and hospital-wide costs. The company has amassed an intellectual property portfolio protecting its technology and products, including more than 60 issued method, apparatus and design patents with more than 50 additional patent applications pending. For more information, visit www.magnolia-medical.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reducing-false-positive-results-for-sepsis-with-steripath-improves-economic-and-clinical-outcomes-study-reports-300833495.html SOURCE Magnolia Medical Technologies In a rare show of affability and camaraderie between Indian politicians, the country saw two senior politicos of the leading rival parties in India, Shashi Tharoor and Nirmala Sitharaman, coming together to show that regardless of one's political loyalties, we must always place humanity first. We are aware that Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram legislature, Shashi Tharoor had to cancel his election campaign on Monday, following a freak accident during a Thulabharam offering at the Gandhari Amman Kovil temple in Thampanoor. #Visuals from Kerala: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been injured while offering prayers at a temple in Thiruvananthapuram and has been shifted to General Hospital there. He has suffered injuries on his head and has received 6 stitches. Doctors says he is out of danger. pic.twitter.com/oWPYIDFo1D ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2019 During the offering, the weighing scale on which Tharoor was sitting, broke and fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital where the Congress leader received 11 stitches and was kept in observation. Shashi Tharoor was injured while doing Thulabharam.thula bharam scales broke and fell.6 stitches and in hospital.Never ever heard of the Scales breaking and falling. Millions have done Thulabharam before. pic.twitter.com/xtxlhZjfbY Charudatt Fadnis (@CFadnis) April 16, 2019 However, yesterday, BJP leader and Union Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid a visit to Tharoor in the hospital, wishing him a speedy recovery. This simple humane gesture and show of politeness touched Tharoor, who took to Twitter to express his appreciation. Touched by the gesture of @nsitharaman, who dropped by today morning to visit me in the hospital, amid her hectic electioneering in Kerala. Civility is a rare virtue in Indian politics - great to see her practice it by example! pic.twitter.com/XqbLf1iCR5 Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 16, 2019 He posted a photo of his meeting with Sitharaman at the hospital, and wrote that Civility is a rare virtue in Indian politics - great to see her practice it by example! We agree to what Tharoor has pointed out as we have witnessed enough muck being tossed between Indian politicians regularly and this gesture indeed deserves a word of praise. On her part, Sitharaman told ANI earlier today, that she hadn't informed anyone about her visit to the hospital and did it simply because it felt right. Defence Minister to ANI: I got to know that he (Shashi Tharoor) injured himself while performing some ritual(in Trivandrum)so I thought I should go&wish him well. I hadn't informed anybody,not even in my party circle. On my way back to airport, I thought I should go to hospital. pic.twitter.com/fYSfwE0WZn ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 The society, and therefore the country at large will be such a better place if politicians decided to simply stick to their job in all honesty, and behave more like the civilised citizens they claim to be. What a utopian existence that would be. Don't you agree? TikTok, a popular video sharing app that boasts over half a billion users worldwide, has officially been banned in India. The app is no longer available to download from both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store as of today. The ban follows a request from the state court a few weeks back, asking the government to ban the app. Both Google and Apple were sent a directive earlier this week by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeITY), asking them to remove TikTok from their respective stores in India. MensXP Why, you ask? Well, high court had accused TikTok of allegedly 'encouraging pornography'. People were apparently using it for pornographic purposes. That said, this move definitely comes has a surprise since the app has been downloaded by over 230 million users in the country. Needless to say, the ban will most definitely affect TikTok's growth. Reuters In an official statement, TikTok said it has faith in the Indian Judicial system. At TikTok, we have faith in the Indian Judicial system and the stipulations afforded to social media platforms by the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011. We are committed to continuously enhancing our existing measures and introducing additional technical and moderation processes as part of our ongoing commitment to our users in India. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) The country's top judges are not buying the Office of the Solicitor General's (OSG) claim that releasing documents pertaining to the war on drugs involve "national security matters," adding such an issue was "simply ridiculous." In a resolution Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) said the information and documents they are requesting for are related to the drug war, and obviously do not affect state secrets. The resolution went on to say there is no proof that the country's territorial integrity, national sovereignty, independence, or foreign relations will be compromised by the release of the documents. Solicitor General Jose Calida will now have to give petitioners the entire set of documents. On April 2, the SC ordered the OSG to provide copies of all police reports on the government's controversial anti-drug war to the petitioners in a case questioning the legality of Oplan Double Barrel, also known as Oplan Tokhang. An earlier request by the SC was denied by the OSG, citing issues of national security. Wednesday's Supreme Court resolution also called out the OSG for unilaterally classifying drug war documents into two categories without the court's consent. The SC added the decision on whether evidence is relevant rests largely upon the discretion of the court. The court also pointed out the fact that ordinary citizens have been - and continue to be - killed during police drug operations, making it a matter of "grave public concern." Meanwhile, former national police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa said he had no problem turning over the documents, but said this might open up policemen to harassment. I commiserate with everyone faced with this major disaster. Great churches, such as the Notre Dame or the Hagia Sophia, transcend religions, countries, even the civilisations that built them. They are a heritage that belongs to all humanity, to global civilization. More specifically, the Notre Dame is also an eternal symbol of France and of the city, from the 12th century until the 19th century, when the spire that collapsed was built. We are certain that it will be rebuilt in all its glory, as we have confidence in the solidarity of the entire world. The examples of support from ordinary people in Greece, who telephoned the French Embassy to express their support, are just a small sample of this solidarity from all sides. The Greek State, the Greek people stand in solidarity with the French people and the French Republic in their effort to restore the Notre Dame to its former glory. BAD AXE Every three years, the states Department of Health and Human Services runs through its accreditation cycle with all 45 health departments in Michigan. Orlando Todd, director of all local services with the Michigan DHHS, was on hand Tuesday during the Huron County Board of Commissioners Committee Meeting of the Whole. Todd presented a certificate of accreditation to Huron County Health Department Director Ann Hepfer. There are 12 programs that are looked into when going through the accreditation process, Todd said. Just to a name a few, were talking about food inspections, hearing and vision, the WIC program, immunizations, communicable diseases, he explained. The DHHS reviews the health departments policies, procedures and more which is broken down into 154 indicators. They just missed one indicator, Todd said of Hurons 153 correct indicators. This is a major feat and this is an excellent job. And that one indicator was a little tiny one, Hepfer added. I made some wording changes in a policy and once we did that, it was corrected. Todd reiterated that an indicator being marked incorrect could be something as simple as a phone number being wrong. You all know we all struggle in the public health field especially in rural areas, he said. But I have to say, Huron County is very innovative. Shes (Hepfer) always looking for ways to be innovative and so is her staff. I want to commend Ann and her staff on the excellent job they do here protecting the community, he said. Id also like to humbly thank you for your support, Hepfer told commissioners. Youve always supported us and our efforts and allowed us to come and speak to you when we have something to say. BAY CITY Michigan Sugar Company recently wrapped up its second season of public tours at its sugarbeet processing facility in Bay City and plans are now being made for season three. Our 2018-19 tour season proved to be busier than ever. Interest in tours and learning more about Michigan Sugar Company has continued to grow, and we are so glad to accommodate as many people as possible, said Elizabeth Taylor, Ag Relations and Communications Manager for Michigan Sugar Company, who oversees the plant tour program. We have a unique opportunity to educate our community members on agriculture, food processing and food packaging all in one tour." "Our Bay City factory has been part of the areas landscape for more than 110 years and we are always excited to show people what we do," she added. From September 2018 through April 2019, more than 80 tours were offered at the factory, located at 2600 S. Euclid Ave. in Bay City. The company welcomed more than 1,100 guests during those tours that give the public a behind-the-scenes look at how sugarbeets are sliced, how the sugar is extracted and how the packaging and warehouse facilities operate. There also are tasting stations along the way. Taylor said this year marked the introduction of a newly renovated Factory Tour Welcome and Education Center. With the tremendous growth of our tour program, we needed a dedicated space for greeting visitors and starting the tour, Taylor said. Our new Welcome and Education Center is a wonderful room for people to learn more about our cooperative while waiting for the tour. Working with ZENTX Media Group of Freeland, Michigan, we designed a room that is fun, educational and hands-on. The third season of public tours is set to begin in September. Michigan Sugar Company will begin scheduling tours in August and posting available dates online at michigansugar.com/factory-tours/. Reminders also will be posted on the companys Facebook page. The guided tours last about 60 minutes and all those who take part leave with a special two-pound bag of Michigan Sugar Companys white granulated Pioneer Sugar, as well as their choice of a Pete or Betty Beet plush toy. UPDATE: BRIDGEPORT City police say Stephanie Casiano has been found. Original story: BRIDGEPORT City police are looking for an endangered runaway who was last seen five days ago. Stephanie Casiano, 16, of Sixth Street, was last seen on Friday, April 12, wearing an Army print T-shirt, pink pants and black boots, according to Connecticut State Police. Bridgeport police Wednesday say she was wearing a pink hoodie and pink leggings and was carrying a teal backpack. City police said she might have brought a change of clothes with her and could be wearing something different. City police said she was last seen leaving Harding High School around 8:30 a.m. Friday and was with a teenage boy. They were last seen in the area of Seaview Avenue and Ogden Street. Casianos distinguishing feature is her hair, dyed dark blue. Police identified her as white with brown eyes. Police said shes 5 feet and 2 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. A Silver Alert was issued for Casiano on Wednesday. The alert classified Casiano as an endangered runaway. Anyone who sees Casiano or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call Detective Holtz at 475-422-3451 or the Bridgeport Police Department at 203-576-7671. Contributed Photo / Google Maps / Contributed Photo WILLIMANTIC A 43-year-old man who escaped from a federal facility in Georgia was taken into custody in Willimantic on Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Marshals. Around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Willimantic Police Department took Israel Rodriguez-Zayes into custody. MIDDLETOWN The spring freshet has caused the Connecticut River to overflow its banks at Harbor Park, pushing it into a minor flood stage. Melting snow up north, as well as significant rainfall there and around the state, contributed to flooding, Middletown Fire Chief Robert Kronenberger said Wednesday afternoon. Its supposed to crest tomorrow, and should start diminishing, but we dont know if that will change, he said, following rain expected Thursday night through Saturday evening. Its not going to be a crazy flood. Were going to keep our fingers crossed, the chief said, hoping other issues dont arise. More for you Connecticut River waters on the rise in Middletown The pavilion area near the boathouse is underwater as is the entire boardwalk, which runs the length of the park. Still, people were out enjoying the 60-degree temperatures during the afternoon at the picnic tables at Columbus point and at the grassy area near the pedestrian tunnel, which connects to deKoven Drive. The waters were encroaching on the south side of the Mattabesett Canoe Club on Harbor Drive, but Kronenberger said he expected the impact to be minimal. The Connecticut is a tidal river, so its levels are changed with the tides. The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry suspended operations Wednesday morning due to the high water levels, the state Department of Transportation said in an alert. The 410-mile river runs from Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, about 300 yards from the Canadian border; to Long Island Sound. The National Weather Service gauge in Hartford showed the waters had reached 19.4 feet by 1 p.m. Wednesday, a foot above flood stage (16 feet) there. The river is projected to reach a high of 19.5 feet later Wednesday in the states capital, and remain there before receding about 1 a.m. Friday. In Middle Haddam, the river gauge measured 8.7 feet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, and is anticipated to crest Friday around 1 a.m. to a high of 9.5 feet., 2 feet above the banks. Middletowns gauge was removed in 2012 due to a lack of federal funding, after serving the area for 47 years. In past years, the sculpture of a Wangunk, whose gaze is directed toward the Portland side of the river, was underwater during the spring thaw. Wednesday, the sculpture was about 4 feet from the water. Across the river in Portland, Main Street/Route 17A at the Portland Fair Grounds has been closed off since Tuesday due to the situation. The state has placed detour signs at Bartlett Street so motorists can get around the compromised area, First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield said. Its not as bad as it has been. I understand there is still a lot of snow in Vermont that needs to melt, said Bransfield, who expects flooding to be intermittent throughout the spring. MIDDLETOWN Students, faculty and chaperones at Mercy High School were among those who attended Palm Sunday Mass at the 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris before it was consumed by fire the following day. Students were vacationing in France and Spain during April vacation. More for you These are the priceless relics, art saved from Notre Dame fire We were extremely amazed by the history, love, and faith rooted in this beautiful space. To think that we were there one day before the tragedy is overwhelming and heartbreaking, according to a statement from students. The cause of the blaze at the French Gothic structure is under investigation, and officials said the 856-year-old cathedral, built in 1163, was saved. It took 300 years to complete construction. Notre Dame was undergoing major renovations at the time of the fire. The French say that Notre Dame (Our Lady) is the heart of the city, and that heart is still beating strong. They have already begun rebuilding with the help of people from around the world. We send our love and prayers to all those who have been touched by the incredible power of this magnificent cathedral, the statement concluded. President Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild the house of worship and is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark, according to the Associated Press. The church rector said the cathedral will be closed for five to six years. The Mercy delegation left for the second leg of the trip Monday, and will return to school when classes reconvene April 23 in Middletown. Before and after photos of the Notre Dame fire In a sign of the changing times, a city in Virginia is opposing the building of a casino but in favor of allowing legal medical marijuana. This is clearly a reversal of past policies in the South, where gambling casinos and lotteries were approved while the use of marijuana was prohibited. The new thinking was summarized by Dewey Williams, an evangelical Baptist preacher in the city of Bristol, who told the Virginia Mercury that a proposed casino is an attack on the Bible Belt. I dont think anybody in their right mind could say if we get a casino well be safer, well be happier, families will do better, there will be less suicide, less divorce. But marijuana? Williams said hes seen the good it can do those who are suffering from illness. Related: Sluggish Bureaucracy Is Blamed for Disappointing Marijuana Tax Revenues in Massachusetts Department store converted to cannabis grow Bristol, with a population just shy of 18,000, is located on the state's southern border with Tennessee. The city is among the most conservative places in Virginia. It delivered the state's second-highest proportion of votes to Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Its also been hard hit by the downturn in the coal industry. Despite the economic hardships, the city council has allowed a local company to move ahead on a cannabis project. Dharma Pharmaceuticals, which won one of five state licenses to produce THC and CBD extracts, plans to grow cannabis in what used to be the J.C. Penney department store. They will employ about 150 people in a vacant shopping mall. The company will be using a CO2 process to extract CBD and THC oil from the plants. The extracts can, in turn, be sold to patients with state approval and a doctors prescription. Residents applauded the plan at a community meeting last year. Related: Will Medical Cannabis Sales Eventually Surpass Recreational Sales? Casino controversy However, plans to build a casino have no gone over so well. Two coal industry leaders, Jim McGlothlin and Clyde Stacy, proposed putting a casino in the old Bristol mall, which is expected to employ thousands of people. McGlothlin and Stacy vowed to put $250 million into the casino, according to the Mercury. But many oppose the venture on moral grounds (primarily the Baptists in town) and fears over the spread of gambling addiction. Some also are wise to the potential failure of casinos. Tammy Baines, who works at a pawn shop in the city, told the Mercury that casinos have failed in places like Atlantic City and smaller towns around the country. Shes also seen how people are struggling as a worker in the pawn shop. They come to us because theyre already struggling. You hate to think that they might spend every last dime they have on a chance to either make more money or lose everything, she said. State lawmakers have commissioned a study to weigh the pros and cons of legalizing gambling. Follow dispensaries.com on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news. Related: In a Bible Belt City: No to Casinos, Yes to Cannabis 10 Super Successful People Who Don't Care That You Know They Enjoy Cannabis Martha Stewart Living the CBD Life Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The Marine Corps' Aging Amphibious Vehicle Fleet Will Be Kept Out of the Water Eight Marines and a Navy corpsman died when an AAV sank hundreds of feet into the ocean during exercises on July 30, 2020. More female officers should be serving in top Navy command posts, the admiral nominated to lead the service said Tuesday, but it could take years for it to happen. About a quarter of new Navy officers are women, but they're not staying on long enough to serve in key leadership positions. Of the more than 370 naval officers recently promoted to captain -- the rank at which officers can lead major commands such as aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships or submarine squadrons -- about 8% were women. "It needs to be higher than that," Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the U.S. Naval Institute. "But you've got to build a base, and the base has to stay with the team long enough to be in a position to promote at those higher rates." The Navy has been driving efforts to make military careers more flexible. The programs, which allow for more maternity and paternity leave or the option of taking three years off mid-career to start a family or pursue other goals, have been aimed at encouraging more women to consider joining and staying in the service. Related content: But even though some of those programs have been in place for years, Moran said it will take several more to see if they're making a difference when it comes to female retention. "We have to take the long view here to see if we can start retaining women at a higher rate, because until they retain at the same percentage at each of those milestones, you're going to have a smaller number to select from when they get to the O-5, O-6 and above ranks," he said. Moran served as chief of naval personnel when many of those reforms were enacted. They were spearheaded by former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who in 2015 said he wanted to see women make up a quarter of the sea services. The Air Force has historically had the highest percentage of female service members among all the branches, but now the Navy is outpacing it, with women making up more than 25% of new enlistees, according to data from CNA. The Naval Academy is also seeing historic growth when it comes to female midshipmen. The last two years have been the highest on record for women, Moran said, and the numbers are continuing to climb. "Finding highly qualified, talented women who want to serve is not the issue," he said. "The issue is making service in the Navy compatible with some of their other desires as they want to move on in their careers." Congress has given the military authority to make officers' careers more flexible. Reforms in the 2019 defense authorization act gave the military the OK to bring in officers with special skills at higher ranks, end up-or-out rules that derailed some officers' careers, and create a more merit-based promotion system. Several of those reforms were the result of Navy leaders pushing for change, Moran said. "I think we're doing the right things," he said. "But only three or four years into it, in many cases less time than that, is not enough time to see what adjustments we need to make." -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) An intense - even heated - campaign is simmering among three of the most popular candidates in the country's capital: incumbent Mayor Joseph Ejercito "Erap" Estrada, former Mayor Alfredo Lim, and former Vice Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso. Estrada, Lim, and Moreno Moreno, 44, takes a dig on the generation gap: "Mas aasenso ang bayan 'pag bata ang mayor" (translation: The city will grow better if the mayor is young.) His opponents are nearly if not double his age. Estrada turned 81 in April and Lim will be 90 this year. Moreno served Estrada and Lim as vice mayor for nine years. He is banking on his youthful age to deliver an ambitious campaign promise. "Dadalhin ko ang Makati sa Lungsod ng Maynila, mga kababayan... Lahat ng tinatamasa ng mga mamamayan ng lungsod ng Makati bagay na tamasahin din ng mga batang Maynila dito sa lungso ng Maynila," Moreno said during his kickoff campaign rally, referring to the city which hosts the country's premier business district. Meanwhile, Lim, who led the city for 12 years, said he can still put up a fight. "Kayang manungkulan? O ano bang gusto nilang pagsukat? Magtakbuhan kami - sa Luneta, sa Roxas Boulevard o magbuhat ng mga dumbbell, barbel. Kahit anong gusto nilang paligsahan call ako," Lim said. For his part, Estrada believes age comes with quality. "What about my age? Matanda may kalidad naman. 'Yung iba bata pero batang isip," Estrada pointed out. Regaining Manila's lost glory Political analyst Mon Casiple said more than age, what matters is how well the winning candidate can govern the city that badly needs urban renewal. "It's supposed to be the number city but neglect and underdevelopment and even congestion of people in Manila. It has one of the highest number of informal settlers next only to Quezon City," he said, adding that urban renewal is a bundle of issues. "You have to address the peace and order, address the development of infrastructure. You have to develop the economic activity in the city. You have something to do with getting rid of informal settlers and so on," he said. The plight of Rene Jumawan While the politicians do everything to get the votes, they can learn a thing or two on how to effectively reach out to the city's residents like Rene Jumawan. Jumawan has been a port area resident for more than 50 years now. The Philippine Statistics Authority tags the place considered as one of the poorest in Metro Manila. Jumawan can barely make both ends meet, compounded by a kidney problem that prevents him from working. He has a son in college, and he's worried about the possible demolition of his house. "Ang gusto po sana naming mangyari kung ma-demolish man ito bibigyan kami ng magandang bahay saka magandang trabaho sa lilipatan namin kasi 'yung halimbawa naman idedemolish kami ilalagay sa malayo, wala rin trabaho, mahihirapan din kami," Jumawan said. Fight for power Casiple believes the only pressing issue now among candidates is power - how to get it. But he also posed a question, especially to Estrada and Lim: "What if they won? What will they do? Do they have enough energy to go around Manila and look at what is really happening on the ground? Definitely no." Casiple said if either Estrada or Lim wins, it will be younger people who will do the work. Their job? Sign papers, which for Casiple will affect the quality of governance. "Whoever wins between the two (Estrada or Lim) will be an old man doing what is supposed to be the work of a younger one," he said. Then here comes Moreno, a younger candidate. "If they look favorably at what he's done during his vice mayorship, he may. But then I haven't heard anything outstanding or spectacular about his performance," Casiple said. As for Jumawan, he's hoping his next mayor, whether young or old, will sincerely help them. "Ang hinahanap ko sa isang kandidato 'yung makakatulong sa lahat. Nakakatulong sa may mga sakit. Ako may sakit ako. Ang gusto ko lang sanang mangyari na 'yung matulungan kami. Kasi kidney patients kami. Matututulungan kami sa pag-aano namin sa gamot," Jumawan said. Young vs old But is it really a battle between the old and the young? Casiple doesn't think so. "I do not see any difference because Isko Moreno is part of the traditional politics before. So it's not exactly a case of the young versus the old - it's basically a question of old trapo (traditional politician) and the new trapo," Casiple explained. As more women pursue careers in the military, their numbers in the senior enlisted and officer ranks have increased dramatically, according to a report released last week by the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN). In 1988, less than 4% of those in the three senior enlisted paygrades (E7 to E9) were women. But as of February 2018, women constituted 11.8% of the E7 to E9 ranks in the Army; 20.3% in the Air Force; 11.6% in the Navy; 5.6% in the Marine Corps; and 8.7% in the Coast Guard, the report states. There was a similar trend among senior officers, according to the report, titled "Women in the Military: Where They Stand." Through the 1980s, women made up less than 2% percent of colonels and Navy captains, but the figures as of February 2018 were 10.6% for the Army; 11.6% for the Navy; 14.1% for the Air Force; 2.3% for the Marine Corps; and 11% for the Coast Guard, according to the report. Related: Next CNO Wants to See More Women Getting Promoted to Captain, Admiral In February 2018, there were 63 female admirals and generals on active duty in the five services, compared to 30 in fiscal 2000, the report states. Retired Navy Capt. Lory Manning, who compiled the SWAN report, said "a lot more women are staying in the military, and staying longer," resulting in their increased presence in the senior enlisted and officer ranks. The wider variety of military occupational specialties that opened to women in recent years has also been a factor, said Manning, SWAN's director of government relations. The report, using data from open government sources and also data obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request from the Defense Manpower Data Center, also found that increasing numbers of women in the enlisted and officer ranks are minorities. In February 2018, about 61 percent of the enlisted women in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps were minorities, and 38% of the female officers, according to the report. African-Americans make up a much higher percentage of military women (25.6%) than military men (14.5%), the report said. The percentage of Latina women in the military also has risen in recent years, from about 12% in 2011 to about 17.8% in 2018, the report states. Overall, the percentage of women in the active-duty military has risen significantly since the end of the draft, from 1.6% in 1973 to 16.3% in February 2018, according to the report. The total number of women on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines last year was 210,000, with another 5,955 on active duty in the Coast Guard, the report states. The report also includes a breakdown by operation of the number of women in the military who have become casualties since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The total is 170 killed and 1,102 wounded. Fifty military women died and 383 were wounded in action during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which officially ended in December 2014, and 110 women were killed and 627 were wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which ended in August 2010. One woman died and 12 were wounded in action in Operation New Dawn in Iraq, from September 2010 to December 2011. To date, five women have died and 68 have been wounded in Operation Inherent Resolve, in Iraq and Syria, which began in 2014. And four women have died and 12 have been wounded in action in Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan, which began in 2015, the report said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The U.S. Air Force overcommitted its B-1B Lancer bomber fleet in Middle East operations over the last decade, causing it to deteriorate more quickly than expected, according to the head of Air Force Global Strike Command. The bombers were recently called back to the U.S. to receive more upgrades and maintenance to prepare for the next high-end fight. "We overextended the B-1s in [U.S. Central Command]," Air Force Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of AFGSC, told reporters during a defense writers group breakfast Wednesday in Washington, D.C. "Normally, you would commit -- [with] any bomber or any modern combat aircraft -- about 40 percent of the airplanes in your possession as a force, [not including those] in depot," he explained. "We were probably approaching the 65 to 70 percent commit rate [for] well over a decade. So the wear and tear on the crews, the maintainers, and certainly the airplane, that was my cause for asking for us to get out of the CENTCOM fight." Last year, the B-1s returned to the Middle East for the first time in nearly two-and-a-half years to take over strike missions from B-52 Stratofortress bombers. The last rotation of bombers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, returned home March 11, according to Air Force Magazine. Related content: "A lot of what we were doing was in support of ground forces in the fight against [the Islamic State], and now you know their status," Ray said, referring to the militants' significantly reduced strongholds in both countries. He said he doesn't foresee a "capability gap" despite the fact there are no bombers deployed, because fighters and other aircraft can focus on Middle East operations, particularly in Afghanistan where airstrikes continue. Ray said the decision to bring the bombers home from the Middle East is in line with former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' prioritization of the National Defense Strategy "to turn to the high-end conflict" with near-peer militaries such as Russia or China. But by the end of March, Ray had ordered the stand-down, marking the second fleetwide stand-down in about a year. AFGSC officials said that, during a routine inspection of at least one aircraft, airmen found a rigged "drogue chute" incorrectly installed in the ejection seat egress system, a problem that might affect the rest of the fleet. "A drogue shoot 'rights' an ejection seat when it departs and I didn't like what I saw," Ray said, so he ordered the March 28 stand-down. The issue is "part of the egress system," the way airmen exit the bomber in an emergency. Ray said his immediate concern was for the aircrews' safety. "I don't care how bad the readiness is, your personal safety is more important," he said Wednesday. The B-1 has experienced three setback "events" in about a year's time, Ray said, referring to an emergency landing incident related to an ejection seat issue and two fleetwide groundings, including the most recent one. In addition to the recent halt in operations, the command grounded the fleet over safety concerns last year, a problem also related to the Lancer's ejection seats. Officials ordered a stand-down on June 7, 2018, which lasted three weeks while the fleet was inspected. That stand-down was the direct result of an emergency landing made by a Dyess B-1 on May 1, 2018, at Midland Airport in Texas. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson confirmed speculation at the time that the B-1 had to make an emergency landing after an ejection seat didn't blow during an earlier in-flight problem. Months after that incident, UTC Aerospace Systems, manufacturer of the bomber's ACES II ejection seat, said the seat itself is not the problem, but rather the sequence system. The B-1 has four seats, for the pilot, co-pilot and two weapons systems officers in the back. The most recent ejection issue does not appear to be related to the issues that occurred last year, AFGSC has said. Ray said he expects this stand-down to last a while longer. "A typical aircraft will take seven to 10 days to inspect to give a very, very thorough scrub of the egress system," he said, adding that the command so far has not discovered any additional concerns from the inspections. Ray said the command is inspecting roughly three aircraft a week at Dyess and two a week at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The Air Force has 62 Lancers in its fleet. The service plans to retire the bombers in 2036. "This is going to be a slow and steady process," he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. If you do not make lifestyle changes as you age, you may find yourself either broken from over-training or out of shape and... This story has been updated with a comment from Prosecutor Kym Worthy. DETROIT - A former Michigan State Police trooper faces up to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. The jury decided Mark Bessner was responsible for the death of Damon Grimes, a 15-year-old Detroit boy who died in 2017 after crashing his all-terrain vehicle when Bessner shot him with a taser. Bessner was accused of shooting Grimes with the taser from the passenger seat of a patrol car while he and his partner chased the teenager. Bessner, who had previously been disciplined for misuse of a taser, had said he thought the teen was reaching for a gun when he deployed the taser. No weapon was found on the teenager. There can be no question that Mark Bessner knew that (he) was going to cause some serious harm to Damon Grimes, assistant prosecutor Matthew Penney told jurors. MSP officials condemned Bessners actions and agreed criminal charges were necessary. The jury took a day to come to a verdict, ultimately deciding to convict Bessner of involuntary manslaughter, instead of the more serious charge of second-degree murder. Bessner was taken into custody and is awaiting his sentencing on May 2. In October, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the case resulting in a mistrial. Oliver Gantt, a spokesperson for the Grimes family, said the family is somewhat satisfied with the verdict. I know they had hoped for more. For the most part, I think they got a little bit of closure. I believe the family can rest with that," Gantt said. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued a statement following the announcement of the verdict. The jury made a strong statement today about the defendants criminal actions. This verdict was a result of a lot of hard work by my office and law enforcement. I want to thank this jury and it is my earnest hope that this verdict brings some small semblance of peace to the Grimes family, said Worthy. Two months before Grimes death, Bessner was cleared by an arbitrator after he was nearly suspended for allegedly using his taser on a man who was in handcuffs, but fled from police. Bessner was also suspended in 2014 for firing his taser at another man who was in handcuffs. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- State health officials have traced the travel of two recent measles patients from Southeast Michigan to a handful of locations across the state, including two sites in Grand Rapids. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in the air where an infected person was present. Symptoms of the disease can take 1-3 weeks after exposure to appear, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials are attempting to prevent further exposures after 42 cases have already been reported in 2019. One of the newest confirmed cases is a patient from Southeast Michigan who visited: Baymont by Wyndham Grand Rapids Airport hotel, 2873 Kraft Ave. SE, around midnight-3 a.m. Friday, April 12; Urgent Care Med Express, 3100 Plainfield Ave. NE, around 1-6 p.m. Friday. As of Wednesday, April 17, there had not been any confirmed cases of measles in Grand Rapids this year. Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that is spread by direct person-to-person contact and through the air, according to health officials. Symptoms of measles include a high fever; cough; runny nose; red, watery eyes; tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums, and roof of mouth (2-3 days after symptoms begin); and a rash that is red, raised, blotchy and usually starts on the face and spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs 3-5 days after symptoms begin. If symptoms develop, residents are urged to call their doctor or emergency room before arriving so they can take precautions to prevent exposure to other individuals. This year, Michigan has its highest number of confirmed measles cases since 1991 when 65 cases were reported. Of those cases, 39 have been in Oakland County, one in Wayne County, one in Detroit, and one who was an international traveler who visited Washtenaw County. There have been 555 cases this year across 20 states. Health officials urge Michigan residents to contact their healthcare provider or local health department about getting vaccinated for measles if they have not already done so. The vaccine is highly effective and very safe, officials said. A single dose protects about 95 percent of children, and a second dose results in an almost 100-percent immunity rate for all individuals. The vaccine can be effective when given within 72 hours of exposure to prevent illness. In addition, immune globulin treatment is effective within six days of exposure for high-risk individuals. You cannot get measles from the vaccine, MDHHS officials said in a press release. Other recent exposure dates and locations include: April 10 (7:45 to 10 p.m.) at Beis Chabad of North Oak Park, 15401 West 10 Mile Road, Oak Park; April 11 (7:45 to 10 p.m.) at Beis Chabad of North Oak Park, 15401 West 10 Mile Road, Oak Park; April 11 (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.) at Speedway Gas Station, 6041 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing; April 12 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at BP Gas Station, 1166 Encorse Road, Ypsilanti; April 12 (5 to 7:30 p.m.) at Congregation BNai Israel, 15400 West 10 Mile, Oak Park; April 13 (9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at Beis Chabad of North Oak Park, 15401 W 10 Mile Rd, Oak Park. For more information about measles, visit the CDC website. Information about Michigans current outbreak is available online as well. Michigan native Christina Koch is scheduled to set a new record for women in space with an 11-month assignment aboard the International Space Station. Koch, who has been living on the orbiting laboratory since March 14, will now remain on the space station until February 2020. The U.S. space agency announced the new assignments for astronauts aboard the ISS on its website Tuesday, April, 16. If successful, she will break Peggy Whitsons record 288-day stay in space between 2016 and 2017. Kochs mission will fall just short of breaking astronaut Scott Kellys overall record-long stay of 340 days back in 2015 to 2016. Related: NASA shares amazing visuals from Michigans astronauts 1st spacewalk Astronauts demonstrate amazing resilience and adaptability in response to long duration spaceflight exposure, Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientist of NASAs Human Research Program, said in a news release. This will enable successful exploration missions with healthy, performance-ready astronauts. NASA is looking to build on what we have learned with additional astronauts in space for more than 250 days. Christinas extended mission will provide additional data for NASAs Human Research Program and continue to support future missions to the Moon and Mars. Related: NASA study reveals 7 percent of astronauts genes changed after year in space One month down. Ten to go. Today the possibility has become reality: My mission is planned to be extended through a third Expedition onboard @Space_Station! Privileged to contribute my best every single day of it. pic.twitter.com/b9RhhNHZzt Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) April 17, 2019 Three weeks. Three spacewalks. Its the things you do, and more importantly, the people you do them with. pic.twitter.com/MrsTxLHupF Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) April 9, 2019 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 calls Jacksonville, North Carolina home when she is actually on Earths surface. Koch launched to the ISS back on March 14 from Kazakhstan with NASAs Nick Hague and Russias Alexey Ovchinin. She participated in her first spacewalk back on March 29 for six hours outside of the orbiting laboratory. Koch was joined by Hague on the mission that focused on wrapping up the installation of lithium-ion batteries on the space stations solar arrays. The extended missions of Koch and Morgan will help scientists gather additional data about the effects of long-duration human spaceflight beyond those of the normal six-month station expedition, the space agency writes on its website. "Such research is essential to support future deep space exploration missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA has gathered vast amounts of data on astronaut health and performance over the past 50 years and has focused recently on extended durations up to one year with the dedicated mission of Scott Kelly and extended mission of Peggy Whitson. These opportunities also have demonstrated that there is a significant degree of variability in human response to spaceflight and its important to determine the acceptable degree of change for both men and women. The group behind the iconic childrens show Sesame Street will film a segment and celebrate its 50th anniversary in Detroit as part of a nationwide tour. For three days in June, Sesame Workshop will host a free family festival and stage show at Lafayette Park, visit local landmarks around the area and film a segment for the actual show. The free festival and Sesame Street stage show will take place June 22 in Downtown Detroit. The shows 50th season will kick off on HBO this November. 'Sesame Streets visit to Detroit reminds us that 50 years later, Sesame is still making a tremendous difference in the lives of children here in Detroit and across the world, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a news release from the group. Were very excited that the Muppets and friends will spend time in our city in late June. Related: Sesame Street to introduce Julia, its first muppet with autism Other stops on the U.S. tour set to take place between June and August include New York City, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles. According to the release announcing the stop, this 50th-anniversary tour was made possible through the $500 million PNC Grow Up Great initiative. The shows three days in Michigan will include a nostalgia-induced social media campaign, a signature research report, and the launch of a new local version of Sesame Street for displaced Syrian families and their new neighbors in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. This summers road trip, and our visit to Detroit, will demonstrate the power of media to engage and teach -- something Sesame Workshop has focused on from the very beginning, Steve Youngwood, the groups COO, said in the release. As we celebrate our decades of impact and look ahead to the next 50 years, Sesame Streets timeless lessons remain the same: Everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, is equally deserving of respect, opportunity and joy. Related: Bert and Ernie are gay says former Sesame Street writer To RSVP for June 22s The Sesame Street Road Trip -- Detroit, click here. A Florida teenager who was described as infatuated with the Columbine Massacre and allegedly made threats against Denver area schools was found dead Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. A manhunt for Sol Pais, 18, of Surfside, Florida was underway in Colorado when her dead body was found from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Local police and the FBI were looking for Pais who was believed to have flown to Colorado and purchased a shotgun in recent days, after shed made credible threats against schools in the Denver area. An FBI officials said Pais was infatuated with the massacre which took place at Columbine High School on Apr. 20, 1999, in Littleton, Co., a suburb of Denver. The 20th anniversary of the killings is this Saturday and authorities were worried Pais was planning an attack. Dozens of Denver schools were closed Wednesday as police searched for Pais who was eventually found in Littleton. Authorities said no specific school was mentioned as a target. We deal with a lot of threats at Columbine, said John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, "This one felt different. It was different. It certainly got our attention. Police in Florida are asking for privacy for Paiss parents who have been assisting in the investigation since reporting their daughter missing Monday. This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life, said Police Chief Julio Yero. The family had not seen Pais since Sunday. She was last seen near Columbine dressed in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Pickle chips made from real pickles are on their way. Vlasic is reportedly developing single-serving bags of the delicious treats, but unlike several other pickle-flavored snacks on the market, they will be made completely from actual pickles. Pickles has always been a flavor that people have loved in snacks, whether its potato chips or even in our Bigs Vlasic dill sunflower seeds, Thomas M. McGough, co-chief operating officer and executive vice-president of Conagra Brands told Food Business News. But pickles themselves are a great snack, essentially no calories or carbs. But eating pickles out of a conventional jar is inconvenient and messy, and pickle snacks are actually becoming a thing, particularly in c-stores," he continued. "So, weve created Vlasic single-serve pickle slices and also a Vlasic vacuum-fried pickle chips that taste absolutely fantastic. No release date has been announced for the pickle chips, but theyre sure to be popular in Michigan when they hit shelves. For evidence, look no further than the recent pickle pizza craze. Pickle pizza is a new trend and heres where to find it in Michigan Not to mention the seemingly-random obsession with the Pickleback. Michigans trendy cocktail is the pickle-packed Pickleback, Google data says School sex education courses would be required to include lessons on sexual assault prevention and affirmative consent under legislation introduced in the state Senate this week. Senate Bill 270, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, would if passed compel sex education teachers to get a Yes Means Yes message across to students, incorporating lessons teaching that silence, lack of resistance or a relationship history dont imply consent. In a release announcing the bill, Hertel said the intent is to educate Michigan students on sexual assault, dating violence and bystander intervention techniques before they reach college age. When we send our kids off to college, we should worry about their grades and how were going to afford the cost, not if our children are safe on their campus of choice, Hertel said. We have to change our culture surrounding sexual assault and the only way to change our culture is through education. It is clear we need to have more robust conversations and they need to start earlier. Hertels legislation has support from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said in a statement lowering the number of sexual assaults in Michigan starts with teaching our kids about consent. By passing this bill, we can send a message to Michiganders that sexual assault will not be tolerated in our state," she said. Hertel introduced a similar bill last session that wasnt passed out of the legislature. ANN ARBOR, MI - Several workers at a local Ann Arbor coffee shop are protesting what they call unfair labor practices after finding out they may lose their jobs. Employees of Mighty Good Coffee, who unionized after a black barista complained of unequal pay rates last year, gathered with protest signs Tuesday outside the cafe chains Main Street and South University locations. Alec Hershman, 33, has worked at the Main Street location for three years and said he was working to negotiate a new contract with the shop through the The Washtenaw Area Coffee Workers Association union for six months. He said there has not been progress. We just found out yesterday our employers are laying us off, Hershman said. Unfortunately, staffing was growing tighter and tighter and they reduced the number of people who would cover a shift. Weve all been exhausted and overworked." A message seeking comment was left for the managers at Mighty Good Coffee. We had to file our first unfair labor practice against the company last week," Hershman said. Then this week, we just got notice from their attorney that they are too stressed out to continue negotiating with us and they are closing all the stores. The first impacted cafe will be the Main Street location. Employees there will be laid off Friday, Hershman added. The location on South University will dissolve on May 5, he said. Mighty Good Coffee has other locations in Arbor Hills on Washtenaw Avenue, and inside the Jefferson Market. Hershman said the company sent an email through an attorney to the union Monday afternoon, seeking to meet with members on Tuesday night to dissolve the union" and sign an agreement to release the the company from any claims against the business. Demonstrator Mandy Gallegos, 23, held a sign that read Unionizing got us laid off. Are they really Mighty Good? on the corner of South University and Washtenaw Avenue. Shes been working at the Arbor Hills location for seven months. We filed an unfair labor practice for under-staffing us chronically for the past few months. The next day, we found out that we are all getting laid off, Gallegos said. The only people that are not getting laid off are the roasters and the people working at Arbor Hills. (It) will close in August." Ian Wikinson, 33, said theres been a lack of communication between workers and management. People have always had problems. A number of individuals said they wanted to file their own discrimination suits, primarily around sexism, said the Mighty Good Coffee barista of three years. Hershman said the six-month negotiation process has been civil, but that the two sides could not reach an agreement. The place where we stalled out was on the issue of discipline and just-cause termination at our workplace. Our only real requirement was that whatever rules we devised had to apply equally to everyone, said. This is a company that just settled a racial discrimination lawsuit last year and its a big concern of ours that the people be treated equally and fairly. Thats all we really wanted to include in that language. Former employee Nya Njees account of being paid less than junior co-workers at the cafe circulated broadly over social media last year. There was a barista of color who was about the same tenure as I am, about three years into the company, who was paid the least amount of any of the baristas of that tenure, Hershman said. When she found out, she brought that to the attention of management and did not get a satisfactory resolution. It didnt seem to us to be a case of malicious racism (or) intention to discriminate, but theres absolute obstinance about addressing the issue or talking about it in a productive, progressive way. They tried to get us to have mandatory meetings in which we would sign confidentiality agreements and talk about repairing our company, which at that point was an all white company and it really just rubbed a lot of us the wrong way. We felt like whiteness was being constructed in our workplace in this unhealthy way and we needed to resist it." ANN ARBOR, MI A four-story apartment building with balconies overlooking the University of Michigans Elbel Field is approved for development in Ann Arbor. The City Council voted unanimously to OK the plans for 327 E. Hoover Ave. Monday night, April 15. Six apartments are to be built, each with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, for a total of 18 beds. Ann Arbor-based Maven Development is behind the $3 million project slated for the Purchase Radio Supply site, across the railroad tracks from where the Michigan Marching Band practices. One council member cautioned the apartments will be directly next to tracks where freight trains passing through the city loudly sound their horns day and night. Residents who live close to the tracks have complained they cant sleep because its too noisy, said Council Member Anne Bannister, D-1st Ward. She noted the city looked into establishing a railroad quiet zone and found it would cost several million dollars. Exorbitant prices to buy quiet zones, she said, suggesting the city should make sure developers are fully aware, and perhaps put it into writing, that the city is not planning to spend that kind of money on railroad crossing improvements to reduce train horn noise. That issue came up during Planning Commission consideration of the project, said Brett Lenart, the citys planning manager. The development team is fully aware of the projects proximity to the railroad tracks and recognizes not everyone sees that as a negative, Lenart said. As for putting anything into writing regarding future obligations, he said, the city hasnt gone down that path. The citys new capital plan shows several million dollars for upgrades to create a quiet zone over five years, but that doesnt seem to have public support. The city received nearly 700 responses to a recent online survey, with 73 percent of respondents saying they accept the impact of train horn noise and recommend no city investment to reduce it. The approved 327 E. Hoover development plans include dozens of rooftop solar panels, a 750-square-foot rooftop terrace surrounded by green roof areas, and 885 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Also included are nine car parking spaces and nine bicycle parking spaces built into the first floor, plus four hoops along the sidewalk creating eight more bicycle parking spaces. The building designs were drawn by Myefski Architects, a Chicago-area firm led by UM graduate John Myefski. Council Member Jeff Hayner, D-1st Ward, asked to what extent the building is designed to account for train horn noise. The developer has committed to high-quality windows and insulation to minimize noise, Lenart said. Whats this style of architecture called that were seeing spring up like so many mushrooms around Ann Arbor? Hayner asked. Ann Arbor 2019 modern, Lenart replied jokingly. Hayner then looked to the architect in the crowd and asked, What do you call this look, sir? I would call it a reflection on the location, Myefski said. The whole goal was always to try to make it look like it was a factory building, and so what weve done is weve taken that very seriously, taken a brick structure, which is what we need to absorb the majority of the sound concern. Weve added a lot of windows, but the windows are intended to be glazed with laminated glass, so that helps with the sound. But if somebody has a window open when a train goes by, theyre going to hear it, Myefski said. Other new high-end condos and luxury apartments have been or are being built along the same noisy railroad tracks. YPSILANTI, MI City leaders are considering two options for one of Ypsilantis most-noted landmarks: Repair it or remove it. The Peninsular Paper Dam provided hydroelectric power for a paper mill that produced newsprint for Chicago from the 1860s to the 1970s. But it hasnt generated power for decades, and the city is responsible for maintaining it after it received the land from Peninsular Paper Company in the mid-1980s. For months, the city has worked with the Huron River Watershed Council to host public input sessions and hire an engineering firm to conduct a feasibility study for removing the dam, restoring the river and reviving the adjacent Peninsular Park. Repairing the dam and demolishing its former powerhouse would cost around $807,000, the city estimates. Ongoing maintenance and inspection costs for the aging dam could add up, city officials noted, with inspections required every three years. A 2016 study by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality concluded the dam is in fair condition, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers classified it as having high hazard potential, requiring the city to provide plans on how it will address its deficiencies. Ypsilantis City Council heard presentations from the Department of Natural Resources and an emergency action plan from the citys fire department Tuesday, April 16. Ypsilanti Mayor Beth Bashert has gained a sense of which way the city is leaning on the issue as it plans to bring two separate resolutions to repair and replace the dam at its meeting on May 7. I think its tricky to guess at this point, Bashert said. I think the city, based on our surveys and conversations, is very much leaning toward just get rid of the dam and remove it. Its better for the environment. The dam has been neglected for a large number of years. Removing the dam, which is upstream from Ford Lake, would be more expensive up front. A feasibility study conducted by Princeton Hydro showed the base cost of removal would be approximately $1.7 million, with an additional $930,000 for scour protection and reinforcement of the Railroad Bridge and Superior Road Bridge, in addition to a 30 percent contingency. Cost estimates dont include engineering design, permitting, bidding or construction oversight. Because the dam no longer generates power or serves an economic purpose to offset the cost of ongoing maintenance, Princeton Hydro noted deregulating the dam would remove the citys obligation to provide ongoing repairs and inspections. It would also likely improve water quality in that stretch of the Huron River and reconnect 1.6 miles of the river that have been isolated for more than 100 years. This would open up an additional spawning habitat for the fish coming up from Ford Lake, DNR Lake Erie Fisheries Unit Supervisor Sara Thomas said. The higher gradient that would be uncovered in the return to natural river conditions would lead to a diversity of habitat that is currently lacking in the impoundment. Repairing the dam, on the other hand, would open up the possibility of rebuilding its hydroelectric power generating capability. Comparing its water flow with other dams in the region like Argo, Superior and Geddes dams, the HRWC estimated the electricity-generating potential of Peninsular Dam would be less than Geddes and Superior dams, and slightly greater than Argo Dam. The city considered restoring the dam from 2008 to 2010, Princeton Hydro noted, with the idea of selling the power to Eastern Michigan University, but it ultimately was unable to resolve the complications of restoring generating capacity. A local business owner had considered spending up to $1 million to restore power generating capacity to the dam in 2013, but the two parties never reached an agreement and the business lost interest. Bashert said repairing the dam could open up more questions and would continue to leave the city on the hook for future maintenance and the continued development of emergency plans. Were guessing at the conditions and the repairs, to some extent, she said. We dont know what were going to find once we start repairing it. Further complicating the citys ability to operate the dam is its ability to insure it, City Manager Frances McMullan said, as it already has received three rejections. The last encounter I had with the insurance company was that they were having a hard time finding someone to underwrite us because of the uncertainty of when the last maintenance occurred, McMullan said. Since its in such disrepair, it was a risk for any company to take on. Princeton Hydros removal feasibility study assessed the rivers sediment quality, potential infrastructure impacts and riverfront land ownership. Sediment contaminants detected in a majority of impounded samples were below ecological and human health criteria for metals, Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PNAs) and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Princeton Hydro indicated. Fishing would be limited during repair or removal of the dam for safety considerations, Thomas said, while some boardwalks might need to be constructed for access along the river as the sediment settles. Thomas addressed some concerns council members and citizens had about the high levels of PFAS that had been discharged into Norton Creek in Wixom by its wastewater treatment plant. The contamination was traced to one of the Tribar Manufacturing facilities in the city northwest of Detroit. The chemicals found in the water from Wixom are believed to be the source of the contamination affecting Ann Arbors drinking water and the reason for a do not eat fish advisory for most of the 1,000-acre watershed across five counties to Lake Erie. Thomas said that shouldnt be a factor in the scenario of a dam removal. The main source of the PFOS chemicals upstream in Wixom has been addressed, Thomas said. They are no longer putting the chemical into the river and the water testing in that tributary is already below acceptable levels. Now its just a matter of flushing and it working its way out of the system. FLINT, MI -- The Michigan Attorney Generals Office says there is no good reason it cant represent the state in pursuing a civil judgement against engineering companies involved in the Flint water crisis, and offered three reasons why a motion to disqualify it should be dismissed. A 20-page motion filed by the state in Genesee Circuit Court April 12 asks Judge Richard Yuille to reject a motion to disqualify four lawyers from Attorney Generals Office from cases tied to the Flint water crisis. The AGs motion says the request was made by an attorney who lacks standing to do so, fails to show a conflict of interest and doesnt recognize that concerns about the arrangement stem from a case management order issued by the judge. Attorney Corey M. Stern of New York-based Levy Koingsberg LLP filed the motion to disqualify, saying Attorney General Dana Nessel created a conflict of interest for the lawyers in her office when she replaced private attorney Noah Hall with them in a pending civil lawsuit against the engineering companies. In that new capacity, the attorneys are making damage claims on behalf of citizens, arguing they were harmed by the water crisis, but the same attorneys have also defended the state and state employees against claims of wrongdoing in other water cases and have previously minimized the damage caused by Flint water, Stern claims. The state is a party to two lawsuits in Genesee Circuit Court alone -- acting as the plaintiff in one case and the defendant in another. Stern represents more than 2,500 children from the city who were exposed to water with elevated levels of lead in 2014 and 2015 -- the time that the citys water source was changed to the Flint River but not treated to make it less corrosive to lead pipes and plumbing in Flint homes. He also acts as lead counsel for Flint water cases in circuit court, which have been consolidated and are subject to a case management order. The filing by the attorney general says the attempt to disqualify it from cases misses the mark and relies on a series of misunderstandings" to arrive at its conclusions. A conflict wall separates the attorneys on the criminal side from the attorneys on the civil side or other attorneys in the department, the states response says. Circuit court records dont indicate whether Yuille will schedule a hearing on the motion to disqualify or simply rule on it. UPDATE: FLINT, MI - A lockdown is lifted at an alternative high school in Flint following a gunshot fired outside the Flint Development Center on Wednesday, April 17, police say. The Flint Police Department issued a news release Wednesday, updating the status of Flex High, 4121 Martin Luther King Ave., and said it now has three suspects in custody related to the single shot that was fired about 10 a.m. outside the building. No one was injured. Investigators are still looking for one additional person, the statement says. The gunshot occurred after an altercation not related to the school, police have said. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 12:20 p.m. and the building was turned over to school administration, the statement from police says. School administrators are going through the process of releasing students from the building at this time. A law enforcement presence will remain at the school until every student is released. Mlive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach a representative of Flex High, which operates from the Development Center, which is the former Bunche Elementary School. Flint police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at (810) 237-6800. Anonymous tips can be sent to flintpolicetips@cityofflint.com. JACKSON, MI Howard Robinsons legs shook as he spoke at his sentencing hearing Wednesday. Standing before Circuit Judge Susan Jordan on April 17, Robinson took a breath before apologizing for his actions and how they affected those around him. Out of all the times Ive been in trouble, this is the first time I really felt I had people who cared for me, he said, commenting on a flood of support letters sent to Jordan ahead of sentencing. Jordan sentenced Robinson, 53, to nine to 25 years in prison months after he pleaded guilty on multiple felony charges related to a police chase and half a kilogram of cocaine found in his trunk. He pleaded guilty, Feb. 8, to one count each of delivering or manufacturing 50 to 449 grams of cocaine, third-degree fleeing a police officer, felonious assault and two counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer. This case is tragically fascinating, Jordan said. Since 2014, youve worked in the same place, helped to take care of your family, and I got a flood of support letters for you. You even have a letter from a federal judge congratulating you on working to turn your life around. Youve made lots of positive strides, but the guidelines are what they are. On March 22, 2018, a Michigan State Police trooper stopped Robinsons vehicle on westbound I-94 near the Grass Lake scales, east of Mount Hope Road, for a tinted window violation, police said previously. Robinson fled, dragging the trooper a short distance before the trooper returned to his cruiser and began pursuit. The trooper had scratches on his knuckles and red marks on his palms, but no other injuries, police said. Police chased Robinson to the Race Road exit, about a mile away, where he attempted to re-enter the freeway and crashed into a guardrail, totaling the vehicle, police said. Robinson was arrested in a wooded area near the crash site. Police searched the vehicle and found 535 grams of powder cocaine, police said. Prior to this incident, Robinson had accumulated 24 felony charges in his life, many of which were drug related, Jackson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steve Idema said. Robinson had previously served 20 years in federal prison for possession of crack-cocaine, records show. Though he behaved himself in federal prison, Robinson believes the prison system may have played a role in why he makes bad decisions, Robinson said. I want to know why I make some of the decisions I make, he said. I know I need help and Ive been in therapy working it out. Im sorry I put officers in danger. Idema did not buy that argument. You cant tell me he didnt know what was in his car, or he didnt know what he was doing, Idema said. After he crashes his vehicle, his first instinct is not to run away, but to get the drugs out of the trunk. This was not prisons fault. KALAMAZOO, MI The Kalamazoo City Commission approved a rezoning request for a prime piece of land to house a fast food restaurant, despite resistance from city officials and residents concerned mostly about the politics of the business. The vote came after openly gay Vice Mayor Erin Knott, a gay rights advocate, criticized Chick-fil-A and said the company is known to support organizations that fan the flame of hatred toward the lesbian, gay bisexual, trans (LGBTQ) community. Chick-fil-A denies it has a political or social agenda and welcomes all people in its restaurants. Chick-fil-A is working with local developer Treystar on plans to bring a restaurant with a drive-through to a plot of land at the northeast corner of Drake Road and West Main Street. A rezoning request approved Monday, April 15, would allow a drive-through, parking and driveways included in the plans for the eatery. A concept plan for Chick-fil-A at the corner of West Main and Drake in Kalamazoo. Knott spoke while holding back emotion at times during Monday nights commission meeting, and asked those in the room to imagine what it would be like to face discrimination because of sexual orientation. Chick-fil-A, known for attracting crowds of people hoping to win free food during grand openings at restaurants, has also attracted some unwanted attention in recent years. The company made national headlines last month when the San Antonio City Council voted to block a Chick-fil-A from opening at San Antonio International Airport and pointed to the companys legacy of anti-LGBT behavior," according to numerous media reports. The Chick-fil-A Foundation has donated to groups with an alleged history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination, according to a ThinkProgress article published in March and referenced by People.com and other media outlets. Those donations include $1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $150,000 to the Salvation Army, and $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home. In a statement on its website, the Chick-fil-A Foundation acknowledged contributions made to the organizations, and said they are meant to fund positive changes in communities, highlighting some of the things the money is used for. On one of the open busy intersections that we still have, a franchise is going to come into town that has a well documented track record of providing funding and resources that go to hate organizations against members of the LGBTQ community, Knott said. Knott, who serves as the Interim Executive Director of Equality Michigan, which advocates for Michigans LGBTQ citizens, said she has spoken with the city attorney and other officials about the issue. She said she understands denying private businesses because of speech by its owners is a blatant first amendment violation, saying freedom of religion is a right, but noted sometimes religious beliefs can be used as a way to discriminate against others. She said she had been fielding calls from media about the issue, and from dozens of community members asking her to do something at Mondays meeting. Many understood the position she was in and were sympathetic that her hands are tied, she said. I am the queer vice mayor of Kalamazoo, who is newly appointed the interim director of statewide advocacy organization that also provides 24 hour, 7 days a week crisis services form members of the LGBTQ community who have experienced some form of violence, bullying, discrimination and harassment, she said. She suggested the city carry out a public awareness campaign about the citys anti-discrimination ordinance and other resources available, and other efforts should be made to show support for the people she believes the restaurant chain is hurting. "Treystar, youre making a lot of money in this town. Im asking you make a multi-year pledge, Knott said, suggesting the company contribute to an organization that support the LGBTQ community. Knott respects freedom of religion, but is also concerned about discrimination, she said, while further criticizing the restaurant. I dont understand why this land isnt used to support a locally owned business, not a franchise, thats not supporting sustainable farming, thats peddling fast food thats not nutritious, thats adding to our countrys obesity problems. I could go on and on about the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia transphobia that goes along with this business, Knott said. Chick-fil-A said it embraces all people, when asked to respond to the allegations voiced at the city commission meeting. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve customers in Kalamazoo and to welcome all guests into our restaurant," the company said in a prepared statement sent to MLive. We want to make it clear that our sole focus is on providing delicious food and welcoming everyone. We do not have a political or social agenda and come from different backgrounds and beliefs. We embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, Chick-fil-A said. Kalamazoo City Attorney Clyde Robinson said when someone is asking for a rezoning, the city has to base its decision on the same standards used to evaluate any rezoning request, and the political stance of the person cannot be considered. That would be making a government basing its decision on the exercise of a First Amendment right, he said, which is not permitted. Kelly Doyle of CARES Southwest Michigan, a group that celebrates diversity and inclusion, asked the city commissioners to take a stance because of Chick-fil-As record and reputation related to LGBTQ issues. She was one of a few citizens who spoke against Chick-fil-A. I just want you to think about challenging this and if you cant challenge this, then what can you do for the future to promote that our businesses are based in equality? Doyle said. Attorney Pat Lennon was there on behalf of the applicant, Treystar, and asked the city commission to consider the what of the issue, not the who. He said the site is not in great shape now, with old buildings taking up space there. The applicant wants to establish the use on the corner to make a new and attractive gateway to the city, he said. We think that will be good for everybody, he said, pointing out the request met the criteria for rezoning. Were hopeful that we can convert what we see as one of Kalamazoos best opportunities for a vibrant community development into just that, and we think this is an important user to kick off that corner redevelopment. Mayor Bobby Hopewell asked Treystar to give Chick-fil-A more information about Kalamazoo and the citys non-discrimination ordinance and human rights ordinance. I dont eat at Chick-fil-A. Im not going to eat at Chick-fil-A because of what they do, Hopewell said, but acknowledged the decision on rezoning cannot be based on factors outside of the usual rezoning process. We need you to have a voice with these folks coming to this community, helping them understand who we are and what we believe, Hopewell said to a representative of Treystar. Known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A was founded in 1967 and serves food in more than 2,400 restaurants in 47 states and Washington, D.C., according to the company, and reported more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018. Six commissioners voted in favor of the rezoning request, with Shannon Sykes Nehring abstaining. Sykes did not say why she did not vote on the item. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI Nearly two weeks after an inmate died at the Muskegon County Jail, there is no indication of how or why he died. Paul Douglas Bulthouse, 39, died in a detoxification cell at the jail on April 4. He allegedly had assaulted two jail staff members three days earlier during what authorities said was a dash for the door. A death certificate filed with the Muskegon County clerk on April 15 did not provide a manner or cause of death, listing them as pending. State law says death certificates should be filed within 72 hours. Bulthouse, of Norton Shores, was never employed due to an unspecified disability, according to the death certificate. Muskegon County Sheriff Michael Poulin said on Tuesday, April 16, that he has no additional information about Bulthouses death, and will issue a press release once he receives autopsy results. Bulthouse had been lodged in the jail on March 22 for a probation violation, according to a news release issued by the Muskegon County Sheriffs Office shortly after his death. He had pleaded to possession of child pornography on Oct. 10, 2018, and absconded from parole on March 1, 2019, according to Muskegon County court and Michigan Department of Corrections documents. Bulthouse was being held in a detoxification cell both for medical reasons and because of the earlier assault on jail staff, Poulin said earlier. He had been suffering alcohol dependency issues since being brought to the jail, Poulin has said. Its alleged that on April 1, Bulthouse pushed a deputy who had opened the door to his cell and rushed out, Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat said earlier. He then attempted to use a closed fist to strike a medical employee before running down a hallway toward a door that was locked, Maat said. As a result, the Muskegon County magistrate had signed a warrant charging Bulthouse with two counts of assaulting a prison employee and one count of felony jail escape. Bulthouse seemed fine when he was served his breakfast sometime earlier in the morning of the day he died, Poulin said. He was alone in one of the jails detoxification cells that allow staff the ability of continuous monitoring, according to the sheriffs earlier news release. Bulthouse was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m., according to his death certificate. MUSKEGON, MI From West Michigan to West Africa, Muskegon resident Paul Allen Billings has made it his mission to help people in need. In honor of his efforts as a community advocate and philanthropist, Billings was given this years Outstanding Citizen Award. Billings, 51, is a former Michigan Department of Corrections officer and the founder and general manager of 103.7 The Beat radio. Each year, the city partners with the Muskegon Rotary Club to recognize distinguished residents for acts of service that exemplify selflessness and overcoming hardships to improve others qualify of life. Nominated citizens must be Muskegon city residents or people who have undertaken actions that directly impact the city. Billings was awarded the honor for his work locally with the West Michigan Community Help Network, a group he founded in 2001. His overseas efforts to bring clothing, school supplies and educational materials to the people of Ghana in West Africa began five years ago. Billings said the Outstanding Citizen Award is overwhelming. Honestly, I started crying when I found out because my momma recently died in February, Billings said. Everything I am and what I wanted to be is because of her. To get this honor is something she would have been proud of. Through West Michigan Community Help Network, Billings has helped coordinate food drives, job fairs, community concerts and mentorship programs. The organizations mission is to help educate, inform and empower young people and adults about issues affecting their lives in the Muskegon-area and beyond. Billings said he founded the organization to help his community see itself as a positive force for good. He credits the impact of the Oct. 16, 1995, Million Man March as a source of inspiration. The radio station was created soon afterward as an arm of the nonprofit to more effectively communicate with the people he hoped to inspire and serve. Radio has an immediate impact, he said. Weve given people voices, and thousands of people in the Muskegon-area have been interviewed on our shows. Weve shared their stories and helped share their platforms. The station is celebrating its 17th year as a leading voice and continually ranks as one of the top low-power FM radio stations in the country, Billings said. He called the success of the station a blessing. Across the Atlantic, Billings has in the last five years become a leader in Ghanas outlying villages, serving as chief to one of them. In the last two years, Billings has worked with the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System to send honor roll students to the West African nation. Billings said he wants the students to see the struggles of their ancestors and how modern Africans have overcome those obstacles. Weve put about $25,000 into kids in Muskegon, Billings said. Sometimes I felt like, What can I do to have more of a lasting impact on them? So, I thought outside of the box, a bit. Billings and the West Michigan Community Help Network are currently seeking donations for their next Ghana trip scheduled in June. The group is attempting to raise $22,000 for travel and other expenses. The city has called Billings a role model for area youth. Billings said hes just doing the best he can for his community and the world with what little resources he has. The world is a lot smaller than we think it is, Billings said. Its big, but small when we start to navigate it. (My work) shows that if you reach out on faith, you can be successful anywhere and everywhere. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI After a contentious five-hour meeting Tuesday during which hundreds of people spoke for and against Planned Parenthood, the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners voted to end its lease with the healthcare organization. Commissioners voted 6-2 to evict the healthcare provider from its space in the countys Department of Public Health building. County officials say the health department needs the space that has been leased to Planned Parenthood for $1,500 per year. Planned Parenthood has 90 days to move out of the health department and find another space for its healthcare clinic. Board Vice Chairman Gary Foster and commissioners Charles Nash, Bob Scolnik, Rillastine Wilkins, I. John Snider and Zach Lahring voted to end the lease agreement. Commissioners Marcia Hovey-Wright and Ken Mahoney voted against terminating the lease. Board Chairwoman Susie Hughes was absent. A politically-divided, standing-room-only audience of more than 200 groaned and cheered following the vote. Several of them held small rallies outside the Louis A. McMurray Conference Center, 2624 Sixth St., in Muskegon Heights, where the meeting was moved because of the large anticipated crowd. Lahring, a Republican elected in 2018 who campaigned on ousting Planned Parenthood, said he was very pleased with the outcome of the vote. The public showed up and spoke and the commissioners voted after listening to people, Lahring said. He claimed sexually transmitted disease rates are escalating and that the county will take over STD services. Theyve left Muskegon County with the third highest STD rates in the state, Lahring said. "The county will take over that process and Planned Parenthood will move out and preform whatever services they want elsewhere. The countys Public Health department had asked commissioners to terminate the contract with Planned Parenthood so the department could reclaim the groups clinical space at 209 E. Apple Ave. Planned Parenthood provides physician referrals, birth control, pregnancy testing, emergency contraceptives, HIV/STD testing, as well as general womens, mens and LGBTQ healthcare services. Health department officials said the space is needed to expand STD/HIV services. They would like to use the Planned Parenthood space to create a clinic with private rooms and larger workstations for nurses to administer vaccines. A separate contract with Planned Parenthood to offer clinical services like patient referrals and access to birth control will remain unaltered, Hughes said earlier. At present, the organization has no plans to open in another location, though county officials have said they are open to helping them find one. Advocates and representatives from Planned Parenthood called the boards decision unconscionable. The vote was actually the second taken by commissioners, who took a preliminary vote last week as the boards human services committee to end the lease agreement. Its really frustrating to think that we were not invited to speak at last weeks meeting, at this weeks county meeting and were not asked to do a work session for the commissioners, said Jim Norton, vice president of development for Planned Parenthood. "Today we have heard misinformation and half-truths. We could have a lot of agreement if we had the proper setting to debate these issues. This has turned into a political circus, and it didnt need to, Norton said. We should be talking about expanding health care services to the community, not shrinking them. Planned Parenthood has 90 days to move out of the health department building at 209 E. Apple Ave. Theres an issue of what will happen to federal Title X funding for mandated family planning services that could disappear since Planned Parenthood is the only Title X healthcare provider in the county. Public Health Director Kathy Moore said Muskegon County is mandated to ensure family planning services are provided. If Planned Parenthood is unable find another location to offer its services, Moore said she is confident the county could create a new family planning provider without increasing the countys budget. She also said she didnt intend for her proposal to become an ideological fight. Besides Lahring, commissioners said they have nothing against Planned Parenthood. Weve done well in supporting Planned Parenthood for a long time, but health care has changed and its time for us to move on, Nash said. "We will do whatever we can to support them in their transition wherever theyd like to go. I dont think there would be any commissioner against that. We want our citizens to have all the services they need. In opposition, Hovey-Wright and Mahoney said Planned Parenthood should be given more time to ensure a smooth transition. Before the boards vote, hundreds of residents from within and outside Muskegon County spoke during public comment. Some read scripture and cited abortion statistics. Others held their babies or displayed pictures of their ultrasounds. A group of women in support of Planned Parenthood wore pink, and several of them shared stories about their own health issues, abortions or sexual assaults. Those in support of Moores proposal said the county should not subsidize Planned Parenthood by offering it a low-rent space in a county-owned building. Many of them said they opposed Planned Parenthood and its association with abortions, which are not performed at the Muskegon location. Others spoke about the ethical responsibility the county has to not spend taxpayer dollars to support a controversial and seemingly partisan private organization like Planned Parenthood. I dont see why this meeting is even necessary, said the Rev. Bill Randall. You have the responsibility for the use of our buildings and our tax dollars. Im opposed to Planned Parenthood using county property and confusing people that this agency is somehow connected with our county health department. Randall said that Planned Parenthood had a lovely clinic on Peck Street, and that they should come up with their own money (for a new space) if thats where their hearts are. Josie Rose, a former county employee, criticized the countys leadership for fiscal irresponsibility. Maybe if you would have raised the rent on them, I wouldnt have had to take an early retirement," Rose said. Those in support of Planned Parenthood said the organization does more than perform abortions and is a vital service to both men and women in the community. They asked the board to either reject or table the measure so they could collect more data and devise a plan to give the health department and Planned Parenthood the space they need. There is no other place where you can get contraception and not get preached at about why you are asking for them, and I can confidently say that, said Joshua Eldenbrady. Its not about the intent (of the request) here, its about the effect. And I ask you to think about that effect as you make your decision. About 1,500 women and men in Muskegon County used Planned Parenthoods services last year. "Ive been to Planned Parenthood (across West Michigan) and the Muskegon office is still my favorite place to receive my care, Deanna McDonald said during public comment. They make me feel like I matter. Ive relied on Planned Parenthood for quality crucial health care; when I found a lump in my breast; when I was sexually assaulted; and when I found the love of my life and wanted to plan my family with these resources. Others shared similar stories about the support and care they received at the Muskegon Planned Parenthood. They offer health care to males, females, rich and poor," said Kate Lilly. "Since we live in a world without health care for all, we need places like Planned Parenthood in this community. by Cait Bladt Voters consistently list two issues as the most important in determining who they cast their ballots forclimate change and healthcare. As the 2020 primaries approach, 46% of Democratic voters list the climate crisis as the most important issue for them, while 47% say universal healthcare coverage is their top-tier issue. With the Trump administration rolling back climate initiatives and pursuing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, many feel they are racing against the clock to fix the issues. Which is most important? Climate change has long been a fringe issue during elections. As reported by Time, climate leader Al Gore completely skirted the subject during the 2000 election. And Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were not asked about the issue during any of their debates. Yet with numerous natural disasters caused by climate change, the Trump administrations consistent push to rollback climate regulations, and an energized activist movement, many believe climate change will become a defining issue during the 2020 election. Wildfires are ravaging California, heavy rain is flooding communities across the country and drought has killed off crops in the heartland. Meantime, President Donald Trump, who once called climate change a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, has galvanized Democrats and suburban moderates who are worried about his Administrations rolling back of efforts to fight it, which has left the U.S. the only country opposed to the Paris Agreement on climate change. ...Thats where the activists come in. A group of young progressives has pushed their elected officials to prioritize climate change and endorse bold solutions. Most notably, the Sunrise Movement, an activist group led by young people, has hosted sit-ins in lawmakers offices and kept the issue in the medias eye. Were pushing folks not just to pay lip service to the Green New Deal or use it as a sexy buzzword but to put some actual substance behind, says Varshini Prakash, Sunrises executive director. The activists want to ensure that the Green New Deal remains at the top of conversation. RollCall reports many young voters are saying candidates plans to deal with climate change will guide their votes in the primaries. The 2020 elections are still many months away, but 17-year-old Michael Minsk is already following it closely as more candidates enter the race. Eager to vote for the first time next year, the high school junior is looking for a candidate promising bold action on climate change. Climate change is definitely one of the issues I will be voting on along with other social and economic problems, said Minsk, who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. I am tired of corruption in government that prevents politicians from acting on it, so I want someone that will stand up and make changes. ...I want to live in a world when my generation is older that is clean and habitable, said Minsk, the high school junior eager to cast his first vote next year. I do not want the economic problems it will bring, and certainly do not want to have to contend with natural disasters, sea level rise and high temperatures. Its not just activists who are pushing candidates to take hard stances on climate change. Washington governor Jay Inslee has entered the Democratic primary with a campaign built entirely around solving climate change. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Inslee says many candidates address climate change as one of many planks in their platform. He believes the issue is important enough that it should be the basis for all of their policies. His vision, he tells Rolling Stone, is an administration organized around the climate crisis, an entire federal government working in unison to decarbonize the economy and help save the planet. No candidate has his record on the issue, and none of them have said nearly enough about it, he says. A lot of these candidates want to check the box, he tells me. But one sentence in their campaign-launch events doesnt solve this problem. This has to be the number-one priority of the United States, he insists. Every agency has to be on board, and it has to take priority over everything else we do. You have to build a mandate for this during the campaign, and you have to express a willingness to spend your political capital to get this done. I think too many other candidates are going to say, Im for the Green New Deal, and now Im done. That just doesnt cut it. During the 2018 primary, voters delivered a resounding blow to those who sought to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Per the Atlantic: Just over two-fifths of voters in the Election Day exit poll conducted by Edison Research cited health care as the most important issue to their votefar more than the number of voters who picked any other issueand fully three-fourths of them backed Democrats in House elections. On another question, nearly three-fifths of voters picked Democrats when asked which party would do a better job at protecting patients with preexisting conditions. Those same respondents voted Democratic in House races by a crushing margin of 89 percent to 4 percent. Health care, most strategists agree, was especially important in helping Democrats claw back some support from the working-class white voters who stampeded to Trump in 2016. In previously unpublished results provided to me by Edison, non-college-educated white women, usually a solidly Republican-leaning group, split nearly evenly when asked which party would do a better job at protecting patients with preexisting conditions. Fully 90 percent of the blue-collar white women who picked Democrats on that question also voted Democratic for the House. Blue-collar men still leaned more toward the GOP, but even 40 percent of them said that Democrats would better protect people with preexisting conditions, and almost four-fifths who felt that way voted Democratic for the House. At the end of March 2019, the Trump Justice Department filed a legal brief completely reversing their previous stance on protecting the Affordable Care Act. The Justice Department argued the ACA should be found unconstitutional and repealed in its entirety. Vox reports the dramatic about-face is sure to animate millions of voters who depend on the ACA for health coverage. That would mean an end to the private markets where 15 million Americans buy their coverage, an end to the expansion of Medicaid that covers 15 millions more, and an end to protections for people with preexisting conditions. According to the Urban Institute, if the entire law were eliminated, as the Trump administration is now advocating for, nearly 20 million fewer Americans would have health insurance. ...Polling shows Americans strongly disapprove of how Trump has handled health care as president. And now his record on health care heading into his reelection campaign is even more unambiguous: He and his administration have fought to strip health coverage from millions of Americans and to erode protections for people with preexisting conditions and their new move in the courts shows they are keeping it up. Democrats and Republicans alike were quick to rebuke the president and Justice Department. According to the New York Times, Democrats quickly seized on the issue in an attempt to further highlight the differences between the two partys platforms. 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. The Republicans did say during the campaign that they werent there to undermine the pre-existing condition benefit, and here they are, right now, saying theyre going to strip the whole Affordable Care Act as the law of the land, Ms. Pelosi told reporters Tuesday, adding, This is actually an opportunity for us to speak to the American people with clarity. 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. Assange is a thorn in the side of the US elites which explains the effort they made to capture him, ex-Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters told RT, adding that its appalling the UK has become an accomplice of the American Empire. Watching WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being physically removed from his shelter at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London last week was absolutely chilling to legendary musician Roger Waters, who gave RTs Going Underground his take on Assanges arrest. To think that the UK has become such a willing accomplice and satellite of the American Empire that it would do such a thing in contravention with all laws, moral, ethical, and actual legal restrictions is absolutely, stunningly appalling and makes me ashamed to be an Englishman. Assanges arrest was made possible after Ecuador last week withdrew his political asylum, which was granted seven years ago, and stripped the renowned whistleblower of his Ecuadorian citizenship. UK authorities will soon decide whether to deport Assange to Sweden, where he faces possible rape charges, or to the US, where he is wanted for conspiring with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into a classified government computer. READ MORE: If we lose WikiLeaks, we lose a whole stratum of freedom Pilger The second scenario would be worse, Waters believes. Citizens barely have rights anymore after the Patriot Act was adopted, and everything is at the whim of the commander-in-chief. If we let the UK get away with allowing him to be extradited to the United States, we allow the United States government, at their whim, to torture him and to detain him possibly for the rest of his life. Assange, along with Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and other whistleblowers, are the heroes who help us gain some of the knowledge that the [powerful] would keep secret if they could, the Pink Floyd legend added. Also on rt.com Surreally idiotic: Ecuadors suggestion Assange used CAT FOR SPYING triggers WikiLeaks response According to Waters, Washington and London simply want to hush up the matters of torture, or incarceration of innocent people, but Assange proved to be a thorn in their side. And also, what theyre doing Trump and the rest of them, and Theresa May is to try to frighten would-be Julian Assanges who may provide this incredibly important service for the rest of us in society in the future. Watch the full interview here. to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted that British military personnel have been using banned toxic paint to rust-proof tanks and jeeps, despite knowing it has links to cancer. The paint, which contains chromium (VI), a heavy metal known as hexavalent chromium, was banned from most manufacturing in an EU directive in 2003. Shockingly, the UK government revealed the military was still using the paint in December, 2018. Also on rt.com Special UK armed soldiers in NUCLEAR-PROOF BUNKER have been activated to prepare for Brexit Martin Docherty-Hughes, SNP MP for West Dunbartonshire, who raised the issue in Parliament in December, slammed the MoD for giving the green light to British service personnel using a noxious, cancer-causing chemical, in light of the controversy it has caused in other countries. ...the MoD often needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into addressing the most basic issues of health and safety. US troops successfully sued a defense contractor for $85 million in 2012 for knowingly exposing them to chromium (VI) while on tour in Iraq. The Netherlands apologized to Dutch personnel last year after they contracted illnesses, including cancer, having worked with the toxic chemical. Compensation of up to 40,000 (US$45,000) was said to have been agreed. The MoD insisted on Monday that the paint has been phased out of use, but apparently as late as this January. They have been unable to state whether British troops suffered from exposure to the deadly toxin. Also on rt.com British Army chief mocked on Twitter for laughable video on military scandals Defence Minister Stuart Andrew insisted the MoD is committed to reducing the amount of hazardous substances personnel come in contact with. Research on chromate-free paint products was due to finish in 2019, Andrew added. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Brussels is ready to stand by its companies and launch a WTO case should Washington enact a law allowing US citizens to sue foreign firms doing business in Cuba. Top EU officials have slammed the expected suspension of a section of the Helms-Burton Act that gives US citizens the right to file lawsuits against foreign companies profiting from properties that Cuba confiscated or nationalized after the 1959 revolution. In a letter seen by Reuters, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, reminded Washington that the EU could relaunch a WTO case over the issue. Brussels suspended the case under a 1998 agreement with the US, as Washington granted EU companies waivers. Failing this, the EU will be obliged to use all means at its disposal, including in cooperation with other international partners, to protect its interests, the two officials wrote to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The EU is considering a possible launch of the WTO case, the letter dated April 10 added. Mogherini and Malmstrom also warned that such a move by Washington would only hamper the business climate and trigger a circle of claims, but would fail to bring justice to claimants. Thus, EU courts could allow European firms to claim any losses caused by the lawsuits over Cuba, as the 50 largest potential claimants, representing more than 70 percent of the value of claims, have assets on the EU territory. Meanwhile, Havana and Brussels held the first bilateral dialogue on the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, during which the EU announced that it will launch development projects in Cuba worth $62 million. The projects will cover such areas as food security, sustainable energy, economic development and culture, Director General for International Cooperation and Development Stefano Manservisi announced as he met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Tuesday. Also on rt.com EU countries move to evade US Iran sanctions by setting up payment channel for humanitarian trade The official also reportedly called the possible reactivation of the Helms-Burton Act by the US illegal, saying that the move is extraterritorial and contrary to the international law. At the same time the EU ambassador in Havana, Alberto Navarro, warned that US actions will create even more confusion for foreign investments that help Cuba and cause suffering for its people. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Prosecutors say that two university students are responsible for letting their backyard barbecue get out of control by about 1000 hectares, and hit them with the bill for the damages: A cool $15.3 million... each. Normally if a college student says it was lit in reference to hanging out and eating barbecue, it would mean he had a good time. In the case of two 22-year-old students in northern Italy, however, it would just as likely refer to a massive fire which burned down forests across half of a mountain last December. The two were having a cookout at a grandparent's mountain-side home in the Upper Lake Como area when a blaze broke out. One of the men said that he and his mate immediately called the fire department when they saw the fire, and even threw themselves at the flames to try to extinguish them. Despite their effort, the fire spread rapidly over 1,000 hectares of land, including a farm where most of the animals were killed. Having traced the path of destruction back to the barbecue, local officials concluded that the students were responsible. According to local media, authorities tallied up the eye-watering bill in accordance with a standard formula of $133-$670 per square meter. Officials even say they cut the boys a deal with the over $15 million dollar fine, because the actual total was somewhere around $40 million. The students maintain their innocence and say local officials are using them as a scapegoat for a fire that had many outbreaks, and at the end of the day could not be explained. "What is the sense to impose an administrative sanction... already knowing that the two boys, still students, cannot pay it?" Ivana Anomali, the lawyer to one of the accused said. Authorities, however, told local media that the outlandish sum was justified, calling the incident a signal that we need to push people to greater responsibility in protecting the environment. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Riot police have attacked scores of people who flooded onto the streets of Ecuadors capital and branded their president a traitor. Protesters were venting anger at the decision to hand Julian Assange over to the UK. The massive rally in Quito was held to voice unease over the role Ecuador played in arranging for Julian Assanges arrest last week in London. The situation became more tense when police wearing heavy riot gear clashed with protesters, using batons to chase them down the street. A Ruptly video shows some protesters being beaten and taken to the ground amid the demonstration. Others were filmed running away as mounted police closed in People who came to the rally were infuriated by President Lenin Morenos decision to revoke Assanges political asylum which helped him avoid arrest for almost seven years. Also on rt.com WikiLeaks 'dead man's switch'? Assange's arrest prompts speculation about possible major data dumps Out traitor, out! We voted for you so you govern, not for you to sell us to the United States. Despicable traitor! one protester was heard saying in the video. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Russia will soon become one of the worlds 10 leading exporters of agricultural products in the near future, according to Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev. The current dynamics of foreign trade suggests that in the medium term Russia is able to enter the list of the worlds top ten exporters of agricultural goods, he said, adding that the country is already among the top three major suppliers when it comes to some sectors. Also on rt.com Traditional Russian ice cream melts the heart of Africa According to the minister, Russian producers managed to expand into a number of strategically important markets in 2018. The surge was reportedly due to the growth of grain, fish, and meat exports. China, Morocco, Japan, Singapore, Serbia, and Turkey is not the full list of countries. Now we may export fish, honey, plant feed to Morocco; meat products to Japan, Singapore, Turkey, and Kuwait, Patrushev said. China is reportedly set to become one of the major importers of Russian poultry and dairy products. The first cargos of poultry were shipped recently, while dairy shipments are scheduled for the near future. Also on rt.com China tops list of Russias biggest trade partners So far, Chinese authorities have granted export permission to 10 Russian enterprises, vowing to add to the list 23 producers by the end of the year, Patrushev said. Boosting sales of agricultural products abroad is currently one of the top-priority tasks for the country. According to a directive by Russian President Vladimir Putin, exports in the sector are set to grow to US$45 billion by 2024. In 2018, the countrys farmers exported $25.8 billion worth of agricultural produce, up nearly 20 percent from the previous year when exports totaled $20.7 billion. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Russian aluminum major RUSAL said it is teaming up with US manufacturer Braidy Industries to build a mill in Kentucky. It will invest $200 million and assume a 40 percent ownership stake in the mill in return. Braidy would hold the other 60 percent share in the plant, which will produce aluminum sheet primarily for the transportation industry, including the automotive, aerospace and marine sectors. The plant is to be built not far from where Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia meet on the Ohio River. It will have an annual capacity of 500,000 tons of hot-rolled band and 300,000 tons of finished cold-rolled products. Also on rt.com Russian aluminum giant RUSAL resumes supplies to US & Europe The output from the mill will aid toward rebalancing the anticipated deficit of the auto body sheet in the US market, RUSAL said in a statement. It noted that the Braidy Atlas project will have the lowest CO2 emissions facility for end-to-end manufacturing in North America. It will be the worlds largest low-carbon rolled aluminum producer, as well as the first new greenfield aluminum mill in 37 years to be constructed in the United States. The $1.7 billion project aims to create 1,500 construction jobs and more than 650 full-time jobs once the plant starts production in early 2021. The investment comes after the US Treasury Department lifted sanctions against RUSAL and its parent En+ which were introduced last year over alleged links between owner Oleg Deripaska and the Kremlin. After months of talks, Deripaska reduced his stake in the company. He has sued the Treasury Department and wants a federal judge to lift sanctions against him. Also on rt.com Russian businessman Deripaska sues US over devastating power of sanctions Braidy said it would not have been able to form the partnership with RUSAL if the sanctions were still in place. The bottom line is that without RUSAL we could not build an environmentally-conscious mill of this scale, Braidy CEO Craig Bouchard told the Associated Press. We enter the market with the perfect customer proposition low cost, high quality and low carbon is the future of aluminum. The two companies said they have entered into a letter of intent and expect to sign a binding document in the second quarter of 2019. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section New research from think tank Eunomix Business & Economics found that South Africa endured one of the worst declines over the past 12 years for a country not at war. The countrys performance on a range of social, economic, and governance measures deteriorated more than any other nation not involved in an international or civil conflict, it said. An index of security, governance, prosperity, and welfare indicators showed South Africa slumped to 88th out of 178 nations last year from 31st in 2006. Also on rt.com South Africas ANC needs just 5 years to destroy the economy & the country, economist warns The Johannesburg-based advisory company said the decline is likely to continue as South Africa is grappling with the consequences of nine years of worsening corruption and policy paralysis under former President Jacob Zuma. The fragility of the economy may also limit the tenure of his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, who faces his first national election May 8, Eunomix said. There is the strongest likelihood of him being a one-term president, the head of Eunomix, Claude Baissac, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. He is starting with a very weak economy, the weakest of any president since Mandela. He is also starting with a fairly weak hand from a political standpoint. Only conflict-torn countries such as Mali, Ukraine, and Venezuela have had a worse time in the past decade than South Africa, said Eunomix. According to the think tank, the major reason of the nations massive decline is the unsustainable structure of South Africas economy where economic power is largely held by an elite that wields little political influence. Economic policy serves narrow interests, thus generating insufficient and unfairly allocated growth. Populism, rather than developmentalism, is an easy temptation, with the economy a tug-of-war between mutually distrustful groups. Eunomix also said that while Ramaphosa spent his first 14 months in power pledging a crackdown on corruption, an end to policy uncertainty and a drive to reform loss-making state-owned companies, his political weakness will hinder progress. South Africas state performance peaked in 2007, that year its economy and governance were at their best. Since then the state has experienced continuous decline in all core indicators of performance. The developmental state project has failed. South Africa is now a fragile state, expected to continue to weaken, Eunomix said. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section The presence of terrorists on migrant boats has become a certainty, Italian Interior Minister says, adding that his countrys ports will remain closed to those crossing the Mediterranean. It comes amid fresh clashes in Libya. Islamic terrorist infiltration is no longer a risk, it has become a certainty: it is therefore my duty to reiterate that no docking will be allowed on Italian shores, Matteo Salvini said in a radio interview this Wednesday. Given the recent failure of an attempted blitz on the Libyan capital by Libyan National Army officer Khalifa Haftar, Salvini believes the number of combatants infiltrating migrant ships is growing. While drawing fire from pro-migrant groups for what they say is abandoning the refugees, Salvini says migrant rescue operations have to act in accordance with the law. Also on rt.com They hate Italians and must resign: Salvini attacks mayors resisting harsh immigration rules Though stopping short of prosecuting those attempting to bring in migrants without approval, Salvinis government issued a directive last March regarding rescue regulations, threatening sanctions for those who violate international, European, and national laws. Rome has also been resolute in refusing EU mandates on migration, accusing other European powers of trying to push the problem off on Italy. The conflict has come to a head several times since the beginning of the year, when ships carrying rescued migrants, primarily from Libya, were denied access to Italian ports. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Turkish defense minister makes unannounced visit to Pentagon amid tensions over Russias S-400s Turkish defense minister makes unannounced visit to Pentagon amid tensions over Russias S-400s Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has held unannounced talks with acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan amid tensions over Ankaras plans to buy Russian S-400 missile defense system and its threat to attack Kurdish fighters in Syria, AFP reported. The two met on Tuesday as strategic partners, Pentagon spokesperson Charles Summers said after the meeting. They focused their discussion on interests, rather than positions, and on the importance of US-Turkish cooperation bilaterally and as NATO allies, Summers said. The spokesperson made no mention of the spat over the US threat to halt a joint F-35 fighter jet program with Turkey if it buys Russias S-400 missile defense system.Source : RT - Daily news US move to designate Irans Guards terrorist organization could lead to chaos Ankara US move to designate Irans Guards terrorist organization could lead to chaos Ankara Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said the US decision to designate Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization is a dangerous development that could lead to chaos, AP reports. Cavusoglu made the statement on Wednesday at a joint news conference with Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Ankara. He also said US sanctions were harming the people of Iran. Zarif arrived in Turkey after visiting Syria where he met President Bashar Assad. Russia, Iran and Turkey, which back rival groups in Syrias conflict, have been sponsoring talks in Kazakhstan to try to end the war. Zarif said he would tell Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about his talks with Assad. Tehran wants to help Turkey and Syria establish good relations, the minister said.Source : RT - Daily news The Trump administration has released a controversial new US government map of Israel that shows the Golan Heights in Syria as being part of Israel. Special envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, shared the updated map on Twitter on Tuesday. Israel occupied the Syrian region in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in 1981 in a move that was not recognized by the international community or the UN Security Council. President Donald Trump announced he was recognizing the Golan Heights as being part of Israel late last month, in the run up to Israels election in April. Also on rt.com Trump signs declaration recognizing Israel's sovereignty over disputed Golan Heights Greenblatt tweeted that Trump had instructed all agencies to take action to implement his decision. Its a large process to update everything. The controversial move was met with criticism from the international community, which does not recognize Israels claim to the region, while Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu and others hailed the decision. The updated map still refers to the West Bank as being Israeli occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement; permanent status to be determined through future negotiations, despite Netanyahus recent promise to impose Israeli sovereignty across West Bank settlements. About 40,000 people live in the Golan, half are Druze and Alawites, and half are Jewish settlers. Also on rt.com US decision on Golan Heights violates UN Security Council resolutions Putin Like this story? Share it with a friend! Reports have emerged of Kenyan vigilante groups using Facebook and Twitter to hunt down and summarily execute young men suspected of being gang members, before posting gruesome content of the aftermath online. They profile them on Facebook, after one week or a month they shoot them, and put pictures of their dead bodies on Facebook, Wilfred Olal from the Dandora Community Justice Centre told a community meeting. An average of six suspected gangsters are profiled and killed each month. The disturbing photos and videos are incredibly graphic, showing close-ups of heads cleaved open by bullets, desecrated corpses, and the aftermath of necklacing a gruesome practice in which a rubber tire filled with petrol is wrapped around a live victims chest and arms before being set on fire. Also on rt.com Vigilante group recruits 550 people to counter Birminghams rise in violent crime The first unofficial police Facebook account appeared under the name Hessy wa Kayole [Hessy from Kayole], Duncan Omanga, a researcher at Moi University in Kenya said, adding: Hessy became the shadowy crime-hunter, the mystical lone ranger. One group boasts almost 63,000 members and has a motto which reads: Forgiving a terrorist is left to God, but fixing their appointment with God is our responsibility. Group members often try to one-up each other while commenting and laughing about the extreme violence shared on the page. In one post, a gang member shared a photo of himself posing with others from the gang while brandishing an AK47 semi-automatic rifle, before later deleting it. The image had already been shared across social media, and each person pictured was summarily executed one by one. The group photo then reappeared online several times, each time with one more face struck off. Also on rt.com Hunting Boko Haram: Nigerian warrior queen leads flintlock-armed fight against Islamist extremists Human rights groups claim they have also been targeted by these vigilantes, and have repeatedly called on Facebook to remove the offending content. We recognise that we have a responsibility to fight abuse on our platform and we are working hard with partners on the ground, including civil society organisations, to better understand local issues and tackle them more effectively, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. Our investigation into this issue is ongoing. At time of writing, the content is still widely available on Facebook. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Saudi Aramco, the world's largest crude oil producer, is in "serious discussions" to acquire up to a 25 percent stake in Reliance Industries' refining and petrochemicals businesses, the Times of India reported on Wednesday. A minority stake sale could fetch around $10 billion to $15 billion, valuing the Indian company's refining and petrochemicals businesses at around $55 billion to 60 billion, the report said. The agreement on valuation could be reached around June, the Indian newspaper reported, citing people with knowledge of the development. Goldman Sachs is said to have been mandated to advise on the proposed deal, the report added. Aramco's interest in the operator of the world's biggest refining complex comes after Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Delhi in February when he said he expected investment opportunities worth more than $100 billion in India over the next two years. Separately, Saudi Aramco's Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser had met Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani to discuss the Saudi state-owned company's businesses including crude, chemicals and non-metallics. Aramco and Reliance were not available for comment outside business hours. Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube on April 17 wrote an emotional letter to the employees of his airline after the management decided to temporarily suspend operations. After a board meeting on April 16, the management had authorised Dube to make one last appeal to the lenders for an emergency funding of Rs 400 crore and take a final call on the future of the airline if they refused. Here is the full text of the letter: Hi Everyone, Late last night we were informed by SBI, on behalf of the consortium of Indian lenders, that they are unable to consider our request for interim funding of INR 983 crores. Because no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source of funding is forthcoming, it will not be possible for the Company to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect we are compelled to cancel all international flights as well as our domestic flights. This decision has been taken after painstaking evaluation of all alternatives and after receiving guidance and advice on the same from the Board of Directors of Jet Airways. We have also informed the DGCA, and the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Finance and other relevant government institutions, of this course of action. A decision like this is never easy to make, but without the interim funding, which we have been repeatedly requesting for, we are simply unable to conduct flight operations in a manner that delivers to the very reasonable expectations of our guests, employees, partners and service providers. Over the last several weeks and months we have tried every means possible to seek funding, both interim funding as well as long term funding, to keep our operations going, but we were not successful. But, tomorrow is another day and tomorrow provides us with new hope, new opportunity and new expectations. In their response to us late last night, the lenders have also said, "The Expressions of Interest (EOI) have been received and bid documents have been issued to the eligible recipients today. The bid documents inter alia has solicited plans for a quick revival of the company. The bid process will conclude on 10th May 2019 We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company. On our part, we will keep supporting the bid process initiated by the lenders. We know that India is better off with a flying Jet Airways, and so do our potential investors. With a smile on our face and pride in our hearts, we have become the flag-bearer of warm Indian hospitality the world over. We have fuelled India's economic engine enabling business travellers and tourists alike to traverse the world. Families have grown up with Jet Airways and have come to love our people as much as our brand. Even during the toughest of times every employee has worn a smile on their face and put their duty to our guests and the nation first. We are worth investing in, you are worth investing in and we confident that we will be back to share the joy of flying with our fellow-guests once again. However, we must also be realistic that the sales process will take some time and will throw up several more challenges for us, many of which we dont have the answers to, today. For example, we dont have an answer today to the very important question of what happens to us employees during the sale process. Your leadership team is working on answering such questions alongside the lenders. In the interim, I must request the many people that continue to provide essential services for our guests, partners and suppliers to keep doing their job as best as possible. Since our guests, partners and suppliers have also stood by us through thick and thin, we must do whatever little we can, under the circumstances to ease their difficulties. As and when we have further clarity on this topic we will communicate with you. Jet Airways is unique and it is unique because of its employees. We must be given another chance. As before, to you, the most amazing employees of Jet Airways, you have our unequivocal gratitude and respect in equal measure. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More "Will the money come, or will we shut operations by end of the day?" -- the question hangs heavy in the air at Siroya Centre, the Mumbai-based headquarters of Jet Airways. After a day of drama on April 16, which began with a board meet and after which CEO Vinay Dube wrote to banks asking for Rs 400 crore, there is still no sight of the funds. This, despite officials at the Ministry of Finance saying that banks are working on a package for Jet Airways and funds would be made available. "The company, under guidance of the Board, has reached out to our lead lender, State Bank of India, yet again and stressed on the need for urgent funding requirements, critical to the continuation of the operations of our airline," Dube had told employees in a statement. The lenders, led by SBI, were originally expected to transfer Rs 1,500 crore, which was later brought pared to Rs 1,000 crore. But now, even Rs 400 crore is hard to come by. Not all banks are ready to part with any more money for a carrier that owes them more than Rs 8,000 crore. "It is almost done and dusted here. We are ready to go home," a Jet Airways employee told Moneycontrol. The airline was operating five aircraft on April 17, and may continue with the same till oil marketing companies stop fuel supply. "If the money doesn't come through, OMCs may stop the supply by 3 pm today," said an executive. That April 17 is a bank holiday, on account of Mahavir Jayanti, complicates things. "Will banks transfer money on a bank holiday?" is a question none seems to have a clear answer to at Siroya. Meanwhile, SBI Caps, which is overseeing the bidding, has shortlisted four suitors -- Etihad Airways, TPG Capital, Indigo Partners and sovereign fund National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. That founder and former Chairman Naresh Goyal has finally seems to have left the building hasn't brought any relief. Read: Jet Airways stake sale: Who are the bidders? Banks, say sources, want to see 'seriousness of the bids' and are willing to wait before they part with more money for Jet Airways. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Amid tensions of rising airfares on high-density domestic routes in the last one month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) met with representatives of major airlines. The regulator has refused to allow the carriers to fly on trunk routes that Jet Airways had to vacate because of its financial distress. This was because these airlines were pulling out aircraft from less profitable routes and using them on Jet Airways' slots. The regulator has told carriers that they cannot launch any new flights unless they grow their fleet size. Sources told The Economic Times that airlines believe this is not the DGCA's call to make. They think it contradicts the government's idea to get other airlines to fill up Jet Airways' spots, which is now down to six planes, to keep airfares from rising. Some airlines had already announced routes from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other destinations. This new order means they would have to cancel those flights. This will drive up the ticket prices further, which are already too high. "Some airlines want a change in approved summer schedule by withdrawing flights from remote/sensitive sectors and putting them on selected sectors. While not changing an already approved schedule, the DGCA always approves any additional schedule on priority (but not at the cost of other flights)," a senior DGCA official told the newspaper. Moneycontrol couldnt independently verify the report. The most impacted airlines by this order will be Vistara and AirAsia India, but SpiceJet may be in luck as it recently added 16 Boeing 737s to its fleet along with five Bombardier Q400s. IndiGo (Interglobe Aviation) is also getting new planes, so it will remain unaffected. "The key question is: how can they determine commercial decisions made by airlines? How does it help to prevent them from adding capacity where Jet Airways has vacated? How does it help by forcing them to cancel flights that were added and are heavily booked?" the article quoted an industry executive as saying. Jet Airways has close to 400 unused departure slots in India, 80 of which are in Mumbai and Delhi, the two busiest airports in the country. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shares of wires and cables manufacturer Polycab India had a stellar rally on April 16, the first day of trading on exchanges, amid strong market conditions and after healthy subscription. The stock surged 21.7 percent to close at Rs 654.80 on the National Stock Exchange, against issue price of Rs 538. It hit an intraday high of Rs 667.80 and low of Rs 630. At the BSE, shares closed at Rs 655, rising 21.75 percent after hitting a day's high of Rs 667.55 and low of Rs 633. The opening price was same at Rs 633 on both exchanges. On the traded volume front, 22.43 lakh shares of the company exchanged hands on the BSE and over two crore shares on the NSE. The company's market valuation on closing was at Rs 9,736.31 crore on the BSE. "We initiate viewpoint coverage on Polycab India with an upside of 18-20 percent from current levels," Sanjeev Hota, Head of Research, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas told Moneycontrol. He expects premium valuation to sustain led by Polycab Indias market leadership and brand advantage coupled with multi-product growth strategy. Being the market leader in W&C space and accelerated growth in FMEG (fast-moving electrical goods) space, it augurs well for growth visibility and is expected to deliver 22 percent profit growth over FY19-21E. The company will be net cash positive by FY21E, Hota said. Global investment firm Phillip Capital also initiated coverage on the stock with a buy call and target price at Rs 718, implying 34 percent potential upside from issue price. The brokerage said with improving cash flows and balance-sheet strength, valuations will trade at a premium with W&C peers (Finolex & KEI), but at a discount to FMEG companies (Havells, V-guard). Higher valuation is mainly due to its market leadership in W&C and transformation into a multiproduct electrical company over the next 24 months. The initial public offering (IPO) of Polycab India was subscribed nearly 52 times earlier this month. The price range for the Rs 1,345-crore IPO was fixed at Rs 533-538 per share. Jet Airways will temporarily halt operations from April 17 onward after banks rejected the debt-laden carrier's request for emergency funding. Now all hopes, especially of its over 20,000 employees, rest on the bidding process that is expected to end by May 10, with a new owner. Its last flight will land in Mumbai at 10.30 pm on Wednesday. Its first flight, 26 years ago on May 5, 1993, had taken off from Mumbai. The final decision came after its lenders, responding to a desperate plea from CEO Vinay Dube on Tuesday to release Rs 400 crore in interim funding, refused to consider the request. Dube had written to the lenders, after direction from the Board, which had met on Tuesday morning. It was a last ditch effort, as the interim funding of Rs 983 crore that the airline was seeking and hoping to get on April 15, didn't materialise. The lenders didn't want to lend more to an airline that already owes them about Rs 9,000 crore. "Since no emergency funding from the lenders or any other source is forthcoming, the airline will not be able to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going. Consequently, with immediate effect, Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today," stated the release. The release also stated that the airline has informed the DGCA, and the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Finance and other relevant government institutions. Jet Airways has informed MoCA that it is temporarily ceasing operations. The bank-led resolution process is still underway and expected to end by May 10. During this time, MoCA will support the resolution process within the existing legal and regulatory framework. (1/5) Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) April 17, 2019 The Ministry of Civil Aviation has also confirmed the same in a tweet, "Jet Airways has informed MoCA that it is temporarily ceasing operations. The bank-led resolution process is still underway and expected to end by May 10. During this time, MoCA will support the resolution process within the existing legal and regulatory framework," said the tweet. The Ministry has also noted that any passenger complaints or issues should be reported to the Air Sewa portal or mobile app. "Secretary MOCA will be convening a meeting with airports(first half ) and airlines (second half) tomorrow to coordinate and address any emerging issues on capacity, slots and passenger convenience," it said. Just after the announcement, Dube wrote to Jet Airways employees saying that the management tried "all possible means" to get the funding... but we were not successful." The airline was flying five aircraft on Wednesday - of its original fleet of 119 aircraft. According to data from the regulator, de-register requests have come for 19 of Jet Airways aircraft. Already, 28 aircraft have been de registered. Once de-registered from a country's regulator, a lessor can take the aircraft out of the country and lease it to another airline. This will make the resumption of operations a tougher task. "Few airlines have managed to resume operations after suspending operations. SpiceJet had managed to because its operations were shut for just few hours," said a senior executive from the industry. Employees concern The temporary close raises question of over the future of 16,500 employees of Jet Airways. The airline also employs about 6,000 more indirectly. The All India Jet Airways officers and Staff Association plans to meet the airline management on Thursday morning, and may later address the media. While its pilots, engineers and senior management hadn't been paid since January, the airline had also deferred March salary of all its employees. Dube acknowledged, in the communication to employees just after the closure statement, that the management at present doesn't have an answer to the question - 'what happens to us employees during the sale process'. "Your leadership is working on answering such questions alongside the lenders... as and when we have further clarity on this topic, we will communicate with you," said Dube. Bidding process All hopes of reviving the airline now rests on the bidding process that is being overseen by SBI Caps. Four bidders - Etihad Airways, TPG Capital, Indigo Partners and NIIF - have been shortlisted. Founder and former Chairman Naresh Goyal had opted out of the race, after initially put in an expression of interest. In a communication to Jet Airways, the lenders said: The Expressions of Interest (EOI) have been received and bid documents have been issued to the eligible recipients today. The bid documents inter alia has solicited plans for a quick revival of the company. The bid process will conclude on 10thMay 2019 We are actively working to try and ensure that the bid process leads to a viable solution for the company. This copy has been updated for the latest developments. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More SBI Capital Markets is said to have shortlisted four prospective bidders for the stake sale in Jet Airways as a part of the debt resolution process. These include TPG Capital, Indigo Partners, Etihad Airways and NIIF. The qualified bidders are expected to submit their binding bids latest by May 10. It is a crucial process for Jet Airways that is battling a number of issues on multiple fronts to stay operational. Here's a quick look at the bidders that are hoping to revive the troubled airline: TPG Capital The 27-year-old US-based private equity firm has investments in a wide range of sectors from industrials and financial services to healthcare, technology and real estate. Interestingly, it's first ever major investment was in then-bankrupt Continental Airlines in 1993. The Texas-headquartered airline, in 2013, merged into United Airlines. In 1994, the PE firm created an Asia-dedicated fund-TPG Capital Asia, which is now being led by Puneet Bhatia in India. The firm marked its presence in the country with investments in a number of companies under the Shriram Capital Group. TPG has time and again shown its interest to make it big in the aviation industry across countries but has dropped out of the race on several occasions. It remains to be seen if it will go ahead and bid for the beleaguered airline in India. Indigo Partners The Phoenix-based private equity firm that has ample of experience in the aviation industry has been looking to enter the Indian territory. It had earlier shown interest in Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet. The firm holds controlling stake in American Frontier Airlines and Chilean JetSmart. It also has stakes in Mexican airline Volaris and European carrier Wizz Air. This year, the firm announced plans to relaunch an ultra-low-cost-carrier Enerjet in Canada. However, its other major deal this year, to invest in WOW Air, was called off in March. Also Read: Naresh Goyal gone, but rescue package remains elusive for Jet Airways Etihad Airways The Abu Dhabi-based airline has 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, bought in 2013 for $397 million, with an aim to tap into West Asia air traffic. However, its ambition to position the airline's base against rival Emirates' hub in Dubai could not fructify after Jet promoter Naresh Goyal went ahead to tie up with KLM Air France in 2017. Now, with Goyal out of the race, Etihad is looking for a stronger position in deciding the future course of Jet Airways. NIIF The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is a quasi-sovereign fund, set up by the government of India in 2016, to provide long-term capital for infrastructure projects in the country. The government has 49 percent stake in the fund. It manages $3 billion worth of capital under its three funds-Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Fund. Its sectorial exposure is across ports and logistics, real estate and renewables. Lately, it has shown interest in supporting airports too. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank has taken Ballarpur Industries arm BILT Graphic Paper Products to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for a default of Rs 218 crore. An NCLT tribunal of VP Singh and Ravikumar Duraisamy adjourned the matter to May 8 when they will decide on the admissibility of the bankruptcy petition. "The respondent (BILT Graphic) can file its response during that time," the court added. BILT Graphics owes over Rs 6,000 crore to lenders. The company was on the second list of 29 defaulting companies of RBI, recommending that these firms be referred for resolution through the bankruptcy code. In February 2018, IDBI Bank took the company to NCLT after an RBI direction to do so as the regulator rejected its debt recast package as only 70 percent of the lenders had signed it. However, in March 2018, the company challenged the RBI directive in Delhi High Court, which ordered the lender to maintain status quo at NCLT. Later, the company moved the Supreme Court, where the matter is still pending. After hitting 10,000 levels on October 26, 2018, Nifty started its upward journey and closed at record closing high on April 16. Sensex also scaled fresh closing high on April 16 surging nearly 18 percent in the same period amid intermittent corrections and consolidation. The BSE Sensex rallied 5,926.33 points to 39,275.64 and the Nifty50 climbed 1,757.15 points to 11,787.15 from October 26 to April 16 driven largely by banking & financials and select oil stocks. Investor wealth (BSE market capitalisation) increased 15.7 percent, or Rs 20.91 lakh crore, to Rs 154.23 lakh crore during the period. It was not just the benchmark indices, even mid and smallcaps recovered from their low levels. Out of the total 750 stocks in the BSE Smallcap index, 60 percent gave positive returns during the period. Top 45 stocks on that list rallied 50-195 percent, as per study of historical data. These include PC Jeweller, Vakrangee, Ujjivan Financial Services, SpiceJet, BEML, Kalpataru Power Transmission, Godrej Properties, Manappuram Finance, Dilip Buildcon, Godfrey Phillips and Bata India. Among the BSE Midcap stocks, over 70 percent stocks clocked positive returns. And top 20 stocks gained 25-110 percent. These include IDFC First Bank, Adani Power, Union Bank of India, Piramal Enterprises, Divis Laboratories, RBL Bank, Oberoi Realty, Bank Of India, Canara Bank and United Breweries. The rally seen across segments during the October-April period was largely on the back of value buying, favourable macros (stable crude oil prices and rupee) and easing US-China trade tensions. The last leg of rally was in fact fuelled by FII inflows. "The benchmark indices, both Nifty and Sensex, are still not showing any sign of slowing down, however, they could see some intermediate pause and that would be healthy," Jayant Manglik, President - Retail Distribution, Religare Broking told Moneycontrol. Shailendra Kumar, Chief Investment Officer at Narnolia Financial Advisors said the current rally in the market is on the back of expected earnings improvement. Going forward, FY20 is expected to be the year of earning revival in terms of headline numbers, according to him. Improved flows to emerging market after the US Fed and other central banks toned down their hawkishness also supported the market. Manglik said, technically, Nifty has potential to test 12,000 while AK Prabhakar, Head of Research at IDBI Capital Markets & Securities said 40,000 on Sensex may be possible very soon. He recommends investors to focus on fundamentally sound stocks and traders to keep stock-specific approach. Ishita Sengupta I have got an offer! Deep declared excitedly as he walked into the room waving a sheet of paper. Congratulations, thats great! I hope you are happy with your role and salary. Whats your take-home pay? I asked my 23-year-old nephew. What do you mean? he asked. Let me explain, I said. Instead of simply accepting the employment contract in haste, please take a close look at the details of the terms. Salary structure comprises fixed and variable components. Certain amounts are fixed and paid monthly or periodically. Others may be variable and be paid on fulfilment of further conditions. The components can vary from company to company, depending on their salary structure. Furthermore, not all these components are fully taxable. Some are partially or fully exempt from tax. Can you elaborate? asked Deep. I really need to understand this. Let us look at some of the common ones: Basic salary: This is a fixed component paid every month and depends on the employees level in the organisational hierarchy. This is fully taxable. House Rent Allowance (HRA): This is a fixed monthly allowance and is usually tagged as a percentage of the basic salary. HRA can be fully taxable or exempt fully or partially, depending on certain factors including the actual rent paid for leased accommodation. To ensure that these are factored in for tax computation, you should provide the details and rent receipts to your payroll team in advance. Leave Travel Allowance (LTA): This is usually an annual allowance for expenses incurred on self and dependents for holiday travel within India. There are certain tax exemptions available for this twice in a block of four years, subject to attached conditions. Other monthly allowances: You may also receive a special allowance, miscellaneous allowance, etc. These will be usually taxable. Perquisites: Apart from cash components such as those given above, employees may also be entitled to certain benefits in kind (called perquisites). These could include food coupons, subsidised meals in office, reimbursement of telephone expenses, conveyance expenses, books and periodicals, company provided accommodation, leased car arrangements, etc. In certain companies, employees may also receive certain stock incentives. Most companies also pay a medical insurance premium under a group insurance scheme for employees and their families. This premium is borne by the employer and generally forms a part of the Cost to Company (CTC) or the full package. Perquisites can be taxable or non-taxable depending on their nature and taxable value. It is important to understand tax implications as the tax that will be deducted from your monthly salary and will impact the amount credited to your bank account (the take-home salary). The valuation rules of perquisites is given under Rule 3 of the Income Tax Rules, 1962. Goodness, that is a lot to understand, said Deep. What else can impact my take-home salary? Apart from tax deducted at source (TDS), it is common for Indian companies to make contributions to Employees Provident Fund (EPF). This is a retirement benefit scheme wherein both employer and employee make a matching contribution every month. The employees contribution is deducted from the monthly salary, while the employers contribution may not be visible on the pay slip, but it is a part of the CTC." "These contributions continue to accumulate, even when you switch employment to another company, which is also covered under this scheme. The good part is that these contributions will be payable later when you retire eventually or if you decide to cease being in employment altogether. There is something called Gratuity and Target Bonus, said Deep, looking at his Offer Letter. What are these? Gratuity is also a retirement benefit given by the employer but is usually payable only if an employee works for a minimum of five years in the company. Depending on the quantum, it may be partly taxable when you receive it. Target Bonus, on the other hand, is a performance incentive. It is not guaranteed and depends on your performance evaluation at the end of the year. How can one reduce TDS? asked Deep. Employees can invest in tax saving instruments, but need to first check the actual TDS before rushing off to do this. In any case, employees are entitled to certain deductions on account of their EPF contribution as well as a standard deduction of up to Rs 50,000 from the annual salary income. TDS is applicable only if you still have taxable income in excess of Rs 250,000 per annum. Wow, I feel much more enabled now! said Deep. I will check my letter carefully and ask the company to explain if I am not sure of any element. Way to go and all the best! I said. (The author is Partner- Personal Tax, PwC India; Rajvi V Shah, Assistant Manager-PwC, also contributed to this column. The views given are personal.) The information provided in this article is generic in nature and for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for specific advice in your own circumstances. You should obtain specific professional advice before you take or refrain from taking any action. Tax benefits are subject to changes in tax laws. Please contact your tax consultant for an exact calculation of your tax liabilities. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The telecom sector is being taxed like non-essential items such as liquor and cigarette, instead of being treated as a critical infrastructure, according to Vodafone Idea. "We have got customs duty at 23 per cent, GST at 18 per cent. This is pretty similar to the way you treat non-essential items like for liquor or cigarette or something. "We paid lot of money for the spectrum, that is the reason for so much of debt that we are carrying. On top of that, you pay SUC (spectrum usage charge), USOF charges and other charges. It is overly taxed environment," Vodafone Idea CEO Balesh Sharma told PTI. Vodafone Idea has debt of around Rs 1.2 lakh crore. Spectrum related payments account for 80 percent of the current net debt of the company. "There is enough lever with the government. If government believes in Digital India, they will have to believe in this (telecom sector) being a critical infrastructure and play on bringing health of the sector back," Sharma said. He also said competition in the market is expected to rationalise as the sector has reached the optimum level of competition. "When we talk about Digital India, it will depend on having great infrastructure, that is telecom infra. NDCP published last year very clearly calls this out...industry should no longer be treated as revenue generating machine for the government but as critical infrastructure which is not the case today," Sharma said. The National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) promises number of measures to rationalise levies in the sector but it is yet to show results. Sharma also said low tariff has been hurting the national exchequer as well. "If the prices don't go up, it is affecting government's Digital India (initiative) because industry health is in a bad shape. Government earns a heavy amount of revenue share from the industry which is nosediving. Exchequer is getting hurt," Sharma said. Asked about the company's interest in buying additional spectrum for 5G services, Sharma said it has the highest spectrum holding in the country and does not need any further spectrum as per current business strategy. "5G - the future technology - whatever benefits 5G can bring in current ecosystem are already being put forward by the company. In technology, later you buy the better you buy," he said. Sharma said the company is building 5G ready telecom network. "We have 5G like quality. However 5G ecosystem will take long time to evolve," Sharma added. According to ratings agency Crisil, the fortunes of the telecom sector may show some signs of revival this fiscal year, with revenue seen increasing by 7 per cent on better pricing power and operating margin expanding by 350 basis points to 31 per cent. According to telecom regulator Trai's latest data, gross revenue (GR) and adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of telecom service providers have been on the decline, barring few exceptions, after it peaked to Rs 73,344.66 crore and Rs 53,383.55 crore in the April-June 2016 quarter with average revenue per user (ARPU) at Rs 140.88. GR and AGR (turnover from sale of telecom services) of the telecom service sector declined by 3.43 per cent to Rs 58,991 crore and 6.44 per cent to Rs 36,054 crore, respectively, in the three-month period ended December 2018. The government levies SUC, licence fee and other charges on AGR. Crisil estimates that the industry has lost around 20 per cent of potential revenue which is equivalent to around Rs 40,000 crore. Fitch Solutions Macro Research said the Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress have not pledged any significant policy reform for debt-ridden telecom sector. However, their popular poll promises may help the sector by pushing up consumer spending on communications services, it said. Representative image Priya Vedavalli and Avanti Durani In 2008, the 26/11 Mumbai terrors attack exposed the severe unpreparedness of the Indian police in combating terrorism. As a result, for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, parties focused on boosting anti-terrorism capabilities in their election manifestos. Then, in 2012, the Nirbhaya rape and assault incident brought to light the dire need for womens safety and security. It wasnt a surprise, then, that in 2014, parties focused on womens safety and gender sensitivity in their election manifestos. As polling gets underway for a 7-phase long national voting exercise, it is an opportune time to take a look at how the two main national parties are prioritising the delivery of sound law and order through police reforms this time around. In economics, a public good has two distinguishing attributes: it is non-rivalrous and non-excludable. The former means that its utilisation by one individual does not reduce its availability to another. The latter means that no individual can be excluded from availing of it. Law and order is one such good, making itself available to each and every person, and is the foremost responsibility of the state towards its citizens. It is critical for delivering good governance, improved quality of life, and inclusive, market-based economic growth. Despite this India allocates a mere 0.7 percent of its budget to policing. This is less than the allocation to other social sectors like education (2.7 percent) and health (1.4 percent). The Global Peace Index Report of 2018 estimated that in 2017 crime and violence cost India 9 percent of its GDP ($806 billion), directly (in terms of expenditure) and indirectly (in terms of loss of productivity). The overall economic impact of this violence, which includes direct and indirect costs along with related opportunity costs, was $1,190 billion. There is no corresponding Indian data highlighting this issue, which further indicates that there is a lack of discourse on this matter. While policing is a state subject, it is typically the Centre that pushes for reforms, such as the setting up of various committees and commissions since Independence as well as the police modernisation scheme, providing the guiding vision that states lack capacity to formulate. An examination of the manifestos of the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party over the past three Lok Sabha elections (2009, 2014, and 2019) shows that the delivery of this core public good has not been on the priority list for governments or parties. In their 2019 manifestos, the parties dedicate about 1 percent of the total number of words to describing their police reforms agenda, while about 4 percent is spent on education and 2 percent on health. This, on average, holds true for the 2009 and 2014 manifestos as well. A simple exercise of looking at the number of times certain policing related words are mentioned, such as police, crime and law and order, reveals that while the attention paid to police reforms has been improving over time, it remains minimal in the larger scheme of things (See chart). While the amount of space reserved for discussing police reforms has been low, an analysis of the nature of reforms and ideas is also telling. The key ideas discussed in all three years reveal that parties have primarily been reactive in their approach to police reforms rather than proactive and visionary. The 2019 election manifestos are no different. In 2006, the Supreme Court issued seven directives in response to a petition filed by Prakash Singh on the discriminatory application of laws in favour of individuals with power, as well as the unauthorised detention, torture, and harassment of ordinary citizens. The directives were a move towards bringing about more transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the police. But there has been complete disregard by states for the Supreme Courts directives and stagnation in police reforms. Studies by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and Common Cause conducted in 2018 revealed almost zero compliance with the directives by several states. The reports outline that states have either not moved on them at all or adopted diluted forms of the directives in order to legitimise the status quo. The parties have therefore responded by circling back to the 2006 directives, along with reviving the past reforms on police modernisation and the Model Police Act. The governments delivery on these reforms has been lacklustre. As a fundamental responsibility of the State, it is imperative that the subject is brought to the forefront. Parties and governments always seem to be a step behind with respect to police reforms. In a country where law and order and safety is critical to the very fabric of society, parties and governments should be committed to strengthening the police machinery rather than doling out short term solutions to garner votes. (Priya Vedavalli is an Associate and Avanti Durani is a Senior Associate at IDFC Institute.) The talks for an alliance between the AAP and the Congress ended "inconclusively" after the grand old party refused a tie-up in Haryana, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Wednesday. However, sources claimed that the talks are very much on and a decision on an alliance might be taken in the next couple of days. Singh said he held talks with senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and PC Chacko, and proposed an alliance of 6:3:1 in Haryana on Tuesday. In Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had proposed to fight from one seat, while offering the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) six and three seats, respectively. "Congress leaders Azad and (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda have refused to form an alliance in Haryana. We were ready to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi if they had agreed to form an alliance in Haryana too," Singh said. "The talks ended inconclusively between the two parties after the Congress refused a tie-up in Haryana," he said. On Tuesday, the AAP had said it was ready to have further discussions with the Congress and that it had appointed a representative to take the matter forward. The AAP has appointed Singh to hold alliance talks with the Congress and others. The party has proposed a 10:5:3 ratio in Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh in which 10 seats are for the Congress, five seats for the AAP and three seats for the JJP, Singh said. There has been an uncertainty over formation of an alliance between the AAP and the Congress for a few months now. On Monday, amid a blame-game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a "U-turn" over alliance talks, prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him. Gandhi had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on. The BJP has speeded up its candidate selection process in Delhi, amid increased speculation that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party may form an alliance in the national capital for the Lok Sabha polls. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, who is campaigning in West Bengal, was summoned back for an important meeting on candidate selection on Wednesday, sources said. The party is "keenly watching" developments related to the alliance but it is ready with its strategy to tackle any emerging situation, a top BJP leader said. "Some adjustments may be there in case of an (AAP-Congress) alliance. But, even in the worst case scenario, only 2-3 sitting MPs may be replaced with fresh candidates," he said. The nomination process for seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi began Tuesday. The last date for filing nominations is April 23. A decision on alliance between the AAP and the Congress is likely in next few days, even the two sides continue to have major differences over scope of alliance and seat-sharing formula for Delhi and Haryana. The Congress has offered the AAP four seats in Delhi. However, the AAP has asked the Congress to extend the alliance to Haryana where the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is seeking one seat for itself, as a pre-condition for a tie-up in Delhi. The BJP is ready to face the situation where it will have to contest the elections against an alliance in Delhi, said the BJP leader. "We are confident of winning the elections, alliance or no alliance in Delhi. For them (Congress and AAP), its a choice between durgati (misery) and veergati(martyrdom)," he said. The BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. This time, however, if the alliance between the Congress and the AAP is materialised, the saffron party will likely face an uphill task to maintain its previous tally. The list of BJP candidates in Delhi is expected in next few days after the picture of the alliance is clear, the party leader added. Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on April 17 took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used 35K crores (Rs 35,000 crores) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote in his latest intervention on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU Banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former Kingfisher Airlines boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he makes to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to PSU banks resulted in reports that claim he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't Banks take the money I offered first, he questioned. On a more personal note directed at Jet Airways founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why, Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the High Court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallya's appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a USD 40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regent's Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. Rakesh Sharma | Harish Puppala Reliance retail in play to Buy the world's oldest toymaker Hamleys The United Kingdom is home to some of the most iconic department stores in the world. From Harrods to Selfridges to Liberty to Harvey Nichols, each one has a layered history, and a special place in the hearts of the British people. Over the years, the ownership of several of these iconic landmarks - much like some of the most sought after properties in the posh neighbourhoods of Knightsbridge, Kensington, Mayfair, and new entrant Canary Wharf - has been transferred to foreign entities. Jumeirah Carlton Tower and the Park Tower Hotel are owned by Emirati firms; the lovely Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel is owned by a Chinese group, and the list goes on. Perhaps the biggest player in the field is Qatar. Qatar does not think of selling properties. It only speaks of consolidation, according to industry watchers in London. Only a few years ago, Qatar Holding and Brookfield acquired Canary Wharf for 2.6bn - the biggest investment deal in the UK property market in a decade. Harrods, perhaps the best known of British department stores, is in fact owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund. The Indian presence in the London real estate scene has been steadily growing. Indians were the second largest buyers of property in central London, accounting for 22% of sales in 2017. Lodha Developers, Indiabulls Real Estate, and others already have a growing presence in the London real estate scene. As for the Indian presence in British brands, the Tatas already moved to acquire the iconic Jaguar Land Rover, and now, the biggest name in India Inc is in play to buy one of the more landmark institutions of Britain - Hamleys. According to a report on Moneycontrol, "If talks with the Chinese owner (C Banner International) succeed, the 259-year-old brand will end up being the plaything of Reliance Retail, Indias largest retailer." The purchase of Hamleys, which has its flagship store at 188-196 Regent Street London, will illustrate the growing international ambition of Reliance Retail, which has a target of growing at 30% every year for a decade. Reliance Retail already has a pan-India franchise agreement with Hamleys to merchandise its famous toys. Hamleys has over 120 stores globally, including in China, Germany, Russia, India, South Africa, the Middle East, among others. One source familiar with the deal told Moneycontrol, "Hamleys currently has around 50 stories in India, the plan is to ramp it up to 200 over the next three years." According to the sources, due diligence for the deal is at an advanced stage with Reliance Retail aggressively pursuing the deal. Hamleys has been on the block since September of last year when its Chinese owner, C Banner International decided to exit the company, which it had bought in 2015 for $153 million. The past few years have not been particularly kind to the 259-year-old brand, with Brexit-related uncertainty and softening UK consumer confidence only adding to its woes. It reported a loss of 12 million pounds in 2017 and a 2.5 percent decline in annual revenues to 66.3 million pounds. However, it is still a dominant player in the $11 billion worldwide toy industry even as rivals like Target, Walmart, Amazon and Kohls are snapping at its heels. Reliance, with this acquisition, hopes to expand its global footprint. But this is not the first time the Hamleys brand has been passed on to foreign entities. In 2003, Hamleys was delisted from the London stock market by Baugur Group who had paid $68.8 million for the company. In 2012, a French company called Groupe Ludendo bought it for $78.4 million. Business Standard reported, "Soon after the takeover, Groupe Ludendo hailed its takeover as a platform to accelerate its international development. But its takeover failed to and led to its sale to Chinese firm C Banner International in 2015." If the deal with Reliance Retail goes through, it would be the fourth time Hamleys has changed hands since it was taken private by an Icelandic investor in 2003. Other than making a prestige acquisition and increasing its global presence, what might be the motivation for Reliance Retail to enter the fray? Well, the growing toy market in India, for one. According to a report by market research firm IMARC, the Indian toy market was worth $1.5 billion in 2018, and has grown 15.9 percent compounded annually, between 2011 and 2018. IMARC expects the market size to cross $3.3 billion by 2024, driven by a huge base of young population, and strong economic growth. The report lists Funskool, Lego, Mattel and Hasbro as the main players in the Indian toy market. After Jio, Mukesh Ambani has been betting big on Reliance Retail. It has already entered into tie-ups with many other marquee international brands such as Diesel, Marks & Spencers, Steve Madden and Kenneth Cole. It reported a turnover of Rs 69,198 crore for the financial year 2017-18. As on 31st December 2018, Reliance Retail operated 9,907 stores across 6400+cities with a retail area of over 21 million square feet. Earlier in January 2019, global brokerage house CLSA said the organised and combined online and the offline retail market may grow ninefold to $550 billion in 10 years and RIL's pure retail revenues may rise nearly 12-fold to $138 billion in the same period. As for Hamleys, the brainchild of one William Hamlety of Cornwall, churn has been as much a part of its existence as wheels have been in the toy trains it has sold for over 250 years. From 'Noah's Ark' to 'Joy Emporium' to 'Messrs Hamleys' to just 'Hamleys,' it has seen several iterations and several owners. It has seen great times - two royal warrants from Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II, with the royal family even using Hamleys toys as heirlooms, and becoming the byword for toys across large parts of the world. It has seen terrible times too - its warehouse burnt down in 1916; the company nearly went under in the late 1920s; was bombed five times during the second World War. It is play as usual for the company, but to Reliance Retail, this is one of many moves in the big game it hopes to play worldwide. Meanwhile, a Reliance spokesperson responding to a query from Moneycontrol said, " "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis. We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under SEBI regulations and our agreements with the stock exchanges." 2. Google and apple block Tiktok in India Google and Apple have blocked access to popular Chinese video making phone app TikTok in India. Sources told PTI that instructions in this regard were sent to the two American companies on Monday after the Supreme Court refused to stay the April 3 order of the Madras High Court which had directed the Centre to ban TikTok over concerns about access to pornographic content. Neither company has confirmed the move but it is being reported that the Ministry Of Electronics and Information Technology (or Meity) has directed Google and Apple to remove the social media app from their respective app stores in a bid to prevent further downloads. That basically means, while MeitYs order will stop future downloads of TikTok, people who already have the app downloaded on their devices will be able to continue using it. A TikTok spokesperson said this is not a permanent ban, and will not impact existing users. The spokesperson said, "We welcome the decision of the Madras High Court to appoint Arvind Datar as Amicus Curiae (independent counsel) to the court. We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome,". Tik Tok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance. It was launched in India in 2018 and has 120 million active users in the country, particularly youngsters in small towns and cities. It became popular because it allows users to capture and share moments through short videos clips decorated with fun stickers and filters. The furore over TikTok emerged since it has been accused of encouraging pornography. In its April 3 order, the Madras HC said it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile applications. It had also directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. Some experts argue that the ban is justified due to the nature of the audience. Shradha Agarwal, COO, Grapes Digital, told Livemint, The decision to ban TikTok makes sense because it has a much younger audience which includes children who are still in school, unlike Twitter which has more mature audience. Pavan Duggal, a leading cyber law expert, disagreed. He told the news outlet, Banning the app is completely out of sync with today's time. Even if the app is banned, people can still download them from other sources or by changing their location. We are not understanding the bigger challenge of how to deal with the paradigm. The problem is not with the app but third-party content. Strict action needs to be taken against people publishing such content instead of asking for a blanket ban on apps. As of now, Tik Tok, and its Lite version, are unavailable for download on both mobile platforms. 3. Mindtree's Q4 results IT firm Mindtree today reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 198 crore for the January-March quarter, a 9% rise against a year ago. The company's revenue rose 25.6% to Rs 1,839 crore during the period, according to an exchange filing.This is a bit of a leg up for the company which is facing a hostile takeover bid by Larsen & Toubro, a bid that has been approved by the Competition Commission of India. Mindtrees board of directors declared an interim dividend of Rs 3 per share on the face value of Rs 10 each. The company fixed April 27 as record date for payment of the interim dividend. The Economic Times reported that Mindtree also recommended a final dividend of Rs 4 per share for the financial year ended March 31, and a special dividend of Rs 20 per share (200% face value of Rs 10) to celebrate the twin achievements of exceeding the $1 billion annual revenue milestone in a fiscal as well as bringing up the 20th anniversary of the companys founding. Livemint reported that EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was at Rs 280 crore during the quarter, up 19% year-on-year. EBITDA margin deteriorated 90 basis points to 15.2% in January-March. Mindtree's FY'19 net profit grew 32.2% to Rs 754.1 crore, while revenue rose 28.5% to Rs 7,021.5 crore from the previous financial year. Mindtree CEO and Managing Director Rostow Ravanan said, Mindtree has delivered exceptional performance for both the fourth quarter and the full fiscal year as we cross the historic $1 billion milestone. Over the course of two decades our strategy of being expertise-led and backed by a unique culture continues to help us attract world class people and create customer successes. Sameer Kalra - Equity Research Analyst & Founder Target Investing, told ET, This is a defence tactic, which it has adopted to reduce the attractiveness for L&Ts takeover offer. We take this as a negative in mid- to long-term. This indicates that even post takeover the current promoters and management are not going to be easy to convince that buyout has been done in good faith. The cash of company reduces by Rs 440 crore, which would reduce the annual earnings by Rs 30-35 crore, which is 5% of net profit. However, on Thursday we will see a gap-up opening in the stock. Kalra is referring to the bid by L&T to acquire up to 66.15% of the total equity shareholding in MIndtree. On March 18 this year, L&T had purchased 20.4% shares in Mindtree for Rs 3,300 crore at Rs 980 per share from Coffee Day Enterprise owner VG Siddhartha. : Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. Leading political parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress have not pledged any significant policy reform for debt-ridden telecom sector, Fitch Solutions Macro Research said. However, their popular poll promises may help the sector by pushing up consumer spending on communications services, it said. "Neither the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nor Indian National Congress (INC) are pledging significant policy reform in the telecom sector, which will continue to suffer from depressed earnings and elevated debt levels in the near term. "Populist measures could lend tailwinds to increased short-term spending on communications services," Fitch Solutions said in its industry trend analysis. The firm said that mobile subscription growth in India is likely to outperform with its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7 per cent over the 2019-28 compared to the Asia average of 1 per cent due to support that is expected to come from the populist measures proposed by both the leading political parties and continued price-led competition, which will attract first-time subscribers. Both BJP and INC have committed to provide national broadband connectivity to every village in India. The nationwide BharatNet broadband project was officially launched in 2011 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to connect all 2.5 lakh village panchayats in the country. "That administration itself made little progress towards rollout, with most of the infrastructure deployed by the successor BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government instead. The initiative itself, however, has missed several deadlines, and as of December 2018 the government announced that about half of the village blocks were connected to the ?bre network," Fitch Solutions said. The firm said that both parties are keen to deliver on their pledges in order to shore up electoral support. The BJP has promised to double farmer incomes by 2022 from 2014 levels, while the Congress has proposed steps to raise expenditures and slash taxes, it added. The Congress demanded an investigation into the transportation of a "suspicious black box" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter during poll campaign in Karnataka's Chitradurga. A Congress delegation met the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and submitted five memorandums on various issues including hate speeches by BJP president Amit Shah and its Himachal Pradesh chief Satpal Singh Satti during campaigning for Lok Sabha elections. The Congress delegation was led by party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi and also included AICC secretary Pranav Jha. "We have raised five main issues before the Election Commission and it has assured us of action. The EC has said that it has already initiated action on some issues raised by us and will take further action on the other issues," Singhvi told reporters after the meeting. He said a level-playing field must be maintained during elections. "It is strange that the prime minister, holding such a high post, carries a black box in his own helicopter...," Singhvi said. "There should be a thorough investigation into this. We have not got any satisfactory reply on this issue. It is strange that the ruling party is doing such an illegal thing while hiding behind the prime minister," he added. The Congress also sought action against Modi and Shah for allegedly making hate and divisive speeches in Nanded and Latur respectively on April 12. "Now that the EC has initiated action and a precedent has been set, then why has action not been initiated against the Prime Minister and Amit Shah as the speeches made by them are in violation of the model code?" he asked. The Congress also demanded strict action against Satti for allegedly using expletives and making "obscene remarks" against party president Rahul Gandhi. Speaking about Satti, Singhvi said, "What is worrisome is that instead of apologising, this person has said that he will not apologise and claims his statement is right as Rahul Gandhi opposes the prime minister." "It is shameful and it brings out the real face of the BJP. We demand that such a person be restrained immediately from campaigning," he added. Speaking about Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's remarks in Katihar Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, Singhvi said there is nothing objectionable about them and if there is, the EC will take action. He, however, added that the kind of statements that are coming from BJP leaders are crossing all limits of decency. Sidhu stoked controversy on Monday by urging Muslim voters of Bihar's Katihar Lok Sabha constituency, with sizeable population of the minority community, to vote en bloc and defeat Modi. The Congress delegation also alleged that the Congress candidate in Tamil Nadu's Karur Lok Sabha constituency is being restrained from campaigning and demanded action against local poll officials. Singhvi said the party candidate had complained to the poll officials but they threatened to take action against her only. "We have asked the EC to hold an inquiry into this incident and if need be, the returning officer should be changed after holding an inquiry," he said. Maharashtra Congress MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Wednesday expressed disappointment with the party leadership and said he will campaign for Shiv Sena candidate Rahul Shewale, who is contesting the Lok Sabha poll from Mumbai-South Central seat. There has been speculation that Kolambkar, who is six-term legislator from Wadala Assembly seat in Mumbai and a close aide of former chief minister Narayan Rane, may join the BJP. Around a month back, he put up a banner at his office here with a picture of senior BJP leader and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "I am deeply disappointed with the Congress leadership," Kolambkar told reporters here. The MLA said he has not received any communication so far from his party leadership about the Lok Sabha polls. "The Congress candidate (from Mumbai-South Central seat) Eknath Gaikwad also did not call me or send any message. I extend my support to Shewale and will campaign for him," he said. Polling in the Mumbai-South Central Lok Sabha seat will take place on April 29. File image of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan In the first post-Emergency Assembly of Kerala, a 34-year-old Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA delivered a legendary speech. Wearing a blood-stained shirt, the leader roared at the powerful Congress leader and then chief minister K Karunakaran. That MLA was Pinarayi Vijayan. Covering the journey from the fiery legislative member to a composed chief minister, Vijayan is now known for his excellent administrative skills and shrewd political acumen. Vijayan was the youngest son of Koran and Kalyani, a couple from Pinarayi village in Kannur district of Kerala. He was their one of the only three children out of 14 who survived. It is the name of his birthplace that now serves as a prefix to his name. First steps into politics After finishing school, Vijayan started working as a handloom weaver to earn enough to attend Brennen College in Thalassery in Kannur district. It was in college that he became a political activist as a member of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), youth wing of Indias undivided Communist Party. It was the first step of Vijayans way up the hierarchy. In 1968, he was appointed a district committee member of CPI (M)s Kannur wing. Two years later, he was given the ticket to contest the 1970 assembly election from Koothuparamba constituency in Kannura seat CPM had not won until then. The party fared poorly in the election, as it was reduced to its lowest tally (28 seats) in the assembly. However, Vijayan won from Koothuparamba and walked into assembly as Keralas youngest legislator, a record still unbroken. He was arrested and allegedly tortured by the police during the Emergency of 1975-77. After his release, he delivered a legendary speech in Kerala assembly while waving his blood-stained shirt, pointing to the alleged brutality he faced. He was re-elected in 1977, 1991, 1996. In 1996, he became a minister handling the electricity and cooperative portfolios. In 1998, he was appointed the state secretary of the CPI(M). He served at the position for 17 years and became the partys longest-serving secretary in Kerala. When the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was voted to power in the 2016 Assembly elections, Vijayan was appointed chief minister. Journey as Chief Minister Vijayans early days as CM was bumpy. The sidelining of VS Achuthanandan, 93 then, did not go down well with a section of cadre and Vijayan faced opposition within the party. Besides internal conflict, Vijayan also faced the challenge of becoming popular among the public. Also read | In Keralas capital, the fight is between the Congress and BJP The leader was trying to gain peoples trust when cyclone Ockhi happened. In November 2017, the state government was criticised for mishandling the cyclone, which killed nearly dozens of people, devastated fishing villages in capital Thiruvananthapuram, flooding farmland and damaging houses. The lessons from Ockhi proved to be a meaningful governance tool when massive floods hit Kerala next year. In August 2018, when the flood was wreaking havoc in the state, the CM did not resort to any photo opportunity. Instead, he emerged as an able crisis manager of one of the biggest crises in the states history. He cancelled all official programmes for a while and remained in the state capital to coordinate and oversee the rescue activities and relief measures personally. Also Read | Days ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Sabarimala outfit holds 'namajapa' protest The floods redesigned his image as a strong and determined leader. So did the Sabarimala controversy, which erupted following the state governments efforts to implement the Supreme Courts order on lifting a centuries-old ban on entry of women of menstruating age to the temple. Despite massive protest by Opposition parties in the state, the CM stood strong on his decision of implementing the SC order. In his three years of ruling, the minister has not resorted to any political gimmicks. Instead, he has carved a separate space in the political gallery with his decisions taken in public interest. The absence of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in poll campaigning was filled by her nephew Akash Anand in Agra on April 16. The BSP supremo was banned by the Election Commission on April 15 for 48 hours for a "provocative" communal remark during a rally in Deoband. Following ECs order, Mayawati skipped the joint opposition alliance rally in Agra, which is going to the polls on April 18. Her chair was filled by 24-year-old Akash, who delivered his first political speech there, watched on by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh and BSP's SC Mishra. Son of Mayawati's brother Anand, Akash had first gained attention on January 15, when he was seen standing behind Mayawati during her meeting with Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on her birthday. After this, he began appearing in public with her, but not as a speaker. He was also present on the dais at the joint SP-BSP-RLD rally in Deoband on April 7. He has also been included in the list of BSP's star campaigners. The face standing behind Mayawati has now come forward after ECs ban on her. In his first speech, Akash urged the people to vote for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the Lok Sabha polls. Also read | Battle rages between BJP, BSP over 'outsider' tag in Amroha "People in such large numbers have come here on the appeal of my aunt for which I am thankful... My seniors are sitting on the dais but I am appearing before you for the first time and want to make an appeal... will you all listen to me?" he asked. He appealed to the people to vote for candidates fielded by the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Mathura Lok Sabha seats, introducing them to the crowd. For the latest news and live updates, follow our LIVE blog Seeking their support, he said the victory of the alliance candidates will be a "proper reply" to the Election Commission, ending the brief address with the BSP's usual slogan of 'Jai Bhim... Jai Bharat". After Akashs speech, there is a buzz in the political gallery is he the successor of Mayawati? Nothing can be said at this point, but most fingers point in that direction. (With inputs from PTI) The NCP has dared the government to carry out raids at the home of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has been asking party workers to vote against the ruling BJP. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik's remarks came after the Maharashtra BJP sought to know which Lok Sabha candidate would incur expenses of the poll rallies of Thackeray, whose party has not fielded any candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. Thackeray, who supported the BJP in the 2014 polls, has already addressed a few public meetings in Nanded, Solapur and Kolhapur and is expected to hold rallies in Satara and Baramati, where the NCP has fielded its sitting MPs Udayanraje Bhosale and Supriya Sule, respectively. The MNS leader's move asking his party workers to vote against the BJP this time, is likely to help the electoral cause of the opposition Congress and NCP. "The government should conduct raids at Raj Thackeray's residence if it has guts," Malik told reporters here on April 16. "Thackeray backed the BJP in the last (Lok Sabha) elections. But since he is addressing rallies opposing Modi now, the details of expenses of his rallies are being sought," he claimed. The BJP on Saturday wrote tostate Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) seeking to know which Lok Sabha candidate would incur the cost of Thackeray's ongoing political rallies. In a letter addressed to CEO Ashwani Kumar, senior BJP minister Vinod Tawde said Thackeray has been holding political rallies across the state, despite the MNS not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Representative image. Jabin T Jacob The Communist Party of Chinas (CPCs) mouthpieces now regularly carry reports of elections being held in different parts of the world. The criticism both overt and subtle that is found in Chinese analyses of these elections reflects the CPCs insecurities and the desire to promote its own model of politics and development to the rest of the world. How are the Chinese looking at Indias current general elections? The first and foremost concern for China is, of course, of what policy any new government in New Delhi will adopt towards Beijing. It is fair to say that few of the many expectations of the India-China relationship in the economic sphere that were raised by Narendra Modis taking over as Prime Minister have been met. Modi had an image as the businessman Chief Minister of Gujarat who had actively sought and received large-scale investments from China. However, none of Chinese President Xi Jinpings economic promises made during his first state visit to India in September 2014, including the setting up of two industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra or $20 billion in investment over a period of five years, have materialised. Make in India has received plenty of lip service from the Chinese but not enough money. Of course, tensions and differences have seldom been far from the surface despite a variety of attempts to put the relationship back on even keel. Therefore, from the Chinese perspective, the results of the Indian general elections are consequential. Unlike in 2014, Beijing surely understands that no matter who comes to power, China can expect a continuation of difficult relations with India with the only question being of how capable New Delhi will be of maintaining a sustained focus on foreign policy in general, and on China, in particular. For the moment, though, the Chinese are being blase about it and pretending that regardless of the election results, China-India relations will keep developing in the future no matter which party is at the helm of affairs. Next, it is worth examining Chinese commentary about Indias elections itself and by implication, about its democracy, for what it says about how the Chinese perceive its strengths and weaknesses. A cartoon titled Indias slow election has the picture of ballot box upon a snail that is on a long, winding road to the finish date of May 23. As cartoons go this is one of the less offensive ones that can be found about India. Yet, it not just suggests slowness in the time taken to complete Indias elections and the announcement of the results but also that Indian democracy itself is slow in delivering on its promises. This view is spelt out in greater detail in another article titled Can Indian elections bring good governance? Right off the bat, the author claims that the aim of the election and whether the elected leader will lead India to modernization have been sidelined. Instead, he says the focus is on whether the right election procedures framed by British colonizers are followed. Not only is the statement hopelessly inaccurate, it also suggests that the Indians have achieved nothing by themselves and that their democracy being of Western origin is also, therefore, not appropriate for India or any other developing country. There are many in India itself who would agree with the Chinese authors constant stress on efficient government and efficient governance and wonder along with him if there is something wrong with the system and if good government can be produced in cultures which are different from the West. Similarly at Davos this year, Fang Xinghai, vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission was quoted as predicting that the West would not see India as a like-minded democracy for long. These Chinese arguments have nothing to do with a desire to see democracy remember, China too claims to be a democracy achieve success by offering suggestions for improvement. Rather, the objective is to create doubts about its efficacy itself. The argument about the difference between Western culture where democracy is supposed to have been born and Indian culture which apparently simply blindly adopted it from the British is to create a case for India aligning itself more closely with the Chinese argument of Asia for Asians. What follows logically then is the argument of the so-called Asian values, which valorizes respect for authority and hierarchical order in society and thus justifies strong, one-party rule, which will offer efficient government. Indias democracy and its largely free and fair elections and the uncertainties they throw up, however, strongly challenge the ideas Chinas communists have about order and stability, of harmony in society and politics as represented by one-party rule. The Chinese, therefore, see themselves in nothing less than ideological conflict with Western and Indian democracy. So, the effort is constantly to undermine an incipient Indian model of a developing country that despite similar social and development challenges as in China manages to provide its citizens both civil liberties and economic development. Jabin T Jacob is associate professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University, and adjunct research fellow, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. He tweets @jabinjacobt. Views are personal. For more Opinion pieces, click here Google and Apple have blocked access to popular Chinese video making application TikTok in India. Sources said instructions in this regard were sent to the two American companies on Monday after the Supreme Court refused to stay the April 3 order of Madras High Court that had directed the Centre to ban TikTok app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it. E-mails sent to Apple and Google did not elicit a response. On Monday, the Supreme Court said the ban directive was just an interim order and that the high court is scheduled to hear the matter on April 16. Notably, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) order will only stop future downloads of TikTok. People who already have the app downloaded in their devices will be able to continue using it on their smartphones. Following the court decree, the government on Tuesday asked both Google and Apple to comply with the order and take down the application. The application owned by Chinese firm ByteDance lets users create short videos with a song or a dialogue playing in the background. The short clips can then be shared across various social media platforms. In its April 3 order, the Madras HC said it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile applications. It had also directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. The court had appointed senior advocate Arvind Datar to examine the implications of the application, and the next hearing in the case will be on April 24. In a statement on Tuesday, TikTok said it has faith in the Indian judicial system. "We are optimistic about an outcome that would allow over 120 million monthly active users in India to continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture moments that matter in their everyday lives," it said. (With inputs from PTI) Source: XDA Developers Motorola is reviving the iconic Razr brand in the form of a new foldable smartphone. The companys CEO had confirmed last month that the company is working on the device and would release it later this year. In the latest developments, the Moto Razr foldable smartphone has come closer to realty. The Motorola Razr foldable smartphone was spotted on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) database with a model number XT2000-1. The description on the devices catalog reveals that Motorola would launch the Razr with Verizon Wireless as a carrier in the US. The listing does not disclose any other information other than the Razr having Bluetooth 5.0 as a connectivity option. Motorola VP of Global Product Dan Dery confirmed that the company had started working on a foldable smartphone a long time ago. He did not reveal any specifications but stated that the company would not pursue the design of having a foldable screen on the outside. The company had filed a patent in January which showed that the foldable smartphone would have a clamshell design similar to the Motorola Razr V3. The smartphone codenamed Voyager would have limited features on the secondary display when folded. The device would come with pre-installed apps like Moto Display, Moto Action, Moto Camera. The secondary display with also work as a trackpad which can be used to scroll through web pages on Chrome or other social media apps. The device is said to have a 6.2-inch OLED folding screen as a primary display, which when folded would become a 600x800-pixel secondary display. The smartphone would have a mid-range Snapdragon 710 SoC with eight CPU cores built on Qualcomms custom Kryo 360 architecture. Out of the eight cores, 2 ARM Cortex-A75 cores would clock at 2.2GHz, and the remaining six cores ARM Cortex-A55 cores would clock at 1.7GHz. For graphics, the foldable phone would have an Adreno 616 GPU. The SoC is said to be paired with two RAM and storage options. Motorola would offer the phone in 4GB+64GB and 6GB + 128GB options. Motorola is rumoured to launch the device for $1500 in the US. Although the price is less expensive compared to the Galaxy Fold or the Huawei Mate X, one must keep in mind that the design and internals are quite inferior compared to its competitors. Motorolas second device that received Bluetooth certification is the Motorola One Vision. The Android One device is rumoured to have a 6.2-inch edge-to-edge, CinemaWide punch-hole display. It would have a dual camera setup with a primary 48MP sensor. The device would run on Samsung Exynos 9610 SoC clocked at 2.3GHz coupled with Mali G72 GPU. It would be paired with 3GB/4GB RAM and 32/64/128GB storage options. Further, the device would pack a 3,500 mAh battery. (CNN) The cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is home to scores of priceless artifacts, artwork and relics collected over the centuries, each with their own story. As a devastating fire tore through the revered Gothic cathedral on Monday, toppling its spire, many feared these treasures might be lost forever. A "forest" of wooden latticework fueled the blaze which consumed the building's roof, whose framework dates back to the 13th century, according to Msgr. Patrick Chauvet, the cathedral's rector. The Paris Fire Brigade tweeted that the cathedral's stone construction has been "saved," as have the "main works of art." As more information emerges, what has been rescued from Notre Dame is becoming apparent. Yet many details, such as possible water damage from the operation to save the building, are still unclear. What was saved The Crown of Thorns, which some believe was placed on the head of Christ and which the cathedral calls its "most precious and most venerated relic," was rescued from the fire, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. Hidalgo confirmed the Tunic of Saint Louis and other major works were also saved. Both relics were were among items taken to Paris City Hall for safekeeping, Culture Minister Franck Riester said. A copper rooster that sat atop the spire which collapsed in Monday's blaze has been recovered intact, according to the French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud. It "contains relics for the protection of Paris," he said on Twitter. A number of artworks will be taken to the renowned Louvre art gallery inthe coming days, said Riester. Among them is a series of large paintings, known as the "Mays de Notre Dame," the minister said. Early examinations of the paintings showed signs of smoke damage but no fire damage, according to Riester. Recovered artworks will be taken to storage facilities owned by the Louvre, where they will be dehumidified, protected, conserved and restored,Riester said. The facade and twin bell towers, the tallest structures in Paris until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in the late 19th century, survived the blaze. The North tower was completed in 1240 and the South tower in 1250. The cathedral's main bell, Emanuelle, lives in the South tower. It has marked significant moments in French history, such as the end of World War II, as well as holidays and special occasions. It is not known whether any damage was sustained to it. The Rose windows are a trio of immense round stained-glass windows over the cathedral's three main portals that date back to the 13th century. All three appear to have been saved. Culture Minister Franck Riester said that the three windows do not appear to have suffered catastrophic damage. The original Great Organ, one of the world's most famous musical instruments, dates back to medieval times. Over the years, organ makers renovated the instrument and added onto it, but it still contained pipes from the Middle Ages before Monday's fire. The position of titular organist, or head organist, carries great prestige in France and around the world. The Archbishop of Paris confirmed the organ is safe, CNN affiliate BFM TV reported. Fate of other artifacts unconfirmed It seems that the most valuable artifacts have been spared. "We managed to protect the most precious treasures in a safe place," a Paris City Hall spokesperson told CNN. French media reported that a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails were saved. There were also numerous sculptures, statues and paintings inside the cathedral depicting Biblical scenes and saints. A series of paintings, each nearly four meters tall and originally numbering 76, commemorates the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles, including the crucifixion of St. Peter and the conversion of St. Paul. The works were completed between 1630 and 1707 by the members or associates of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Of about 50 that survive, 13 remained on display in the cathedral, according to its website. Another painting is from a series by Jean Jouvenet depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. All six were moved to the Louvre in the 1860s, and only "The Visitation" was returned to Notre Dame. It is not yet clear how much damage there is to the cathedral's exterior, where a menagerie of menacing gargoyles and chimeras stand guard and a system of flying buttresses support the outside walls. A Paris police source told CNN that part of the vault has collapsed in the central nave, and architects are checking whether the structure is stable. The cathedral also has an archaeological crypt under the courtyard. It was created to protect 19th-century relics that were discovered during excavations in 1965. It opened to the public in 1980. This story was updated to clarify that of the original 76 depictions of the Acts of the Apostles, only 13 remained on display in the cathedral. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Rose windows of Notre Dame are safe but fate of other treasures is unclear." Many people are receiving emails informing them about significant sums of money having been deducted from their netbanking account for Goods and Services Tax (GST). It asks them to click on a link in the mail, which shows name of Income Tax website to download the payment challan. If you have a net banking account, do not panic or click on the link of this authentic looking email. This is outright fraud email. A closer investigation by Moneylife reveals that these dangerous emails, purportedly sent through [email protected] are not authentic. It may look like real but are not. Worse, the GST payment email shows a link to the Income Tax department website for downloading the payment challan! There are three huge signs that shout out about the malicious and fraudulent nature of the email that people should be aware of. First, nobody deducts GST payment directly from your netbanking account. Secondly, why would you need to download GST payment challan from the Income Tax website, which is prominently displayed in the email. Lastly, challans are used to make payment or deposit money before the transactions and not afterwards as the email tries to inform you. Now let us dissect the link provided in the email. This (please do not click) https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/PaymentChallan is the visible link in the email. However, when you hover your mouse over the link, it shows something different link. Here is the hidden link behind the Income Tax name, http://aradhyachitrakala.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/ui/404.htm (please do not click on this). When we tried to open this link (in secure environment), it asks to download and open a certain zip file named as TDS Challan.zip! (Another red sign! why would you download tax deducted at source-TDS challan for GST payment challan?) Origin of the file is shown some other website, iradiusmarketing.com. More about iRadius Marketing later. This file, TDS Challan.zip could be an executable file that may install some malware or Trojan on your system. So do not download the file. Further probe about the hidden link in the email shows the website aradhyachitrakala.com indeed exists and is registered by one Kumar Abhishek from Websoftlink from Noida, as per information from Who.is. This portal is run by one Rajnish Kumar, who is visual artist and graphic designer from Siwan in Bihar for Aradhya Chitrakala. This looks like a studio that provides services such as painting, portrait, abstract, traditional, interior designing, installation, sculpture, logo design among others. Mr Kumar told us that Aradhya Chitrakala does not have any idea about the file and he had already received one phone call about this. He promised to have it looked and fixed by his web team at the earliest. Now coming back to iRadius Marketing, which as per Google search, is a Ahmedabad-based firm. Its website is not reachable and we could not open any pages of iRadius Marketing from Google. One link, however, opened, but took us to an IP address of 134.249.116.78, which was immediately blocked by our firewall as a malicious website. Another search result for iRadius Marketing on Google, took us to 'mobile7633.bubblelife7.agency' portal. It was a blog-type page on how to get rich quickly. The page had a story of a Pizza delivery boy, who become rich within two weeks after joining 'the business' in forex market. It mentioned how anyone can place one-minute bet on a selected pair of forex, and earn huge profit. These people claimed to have devised a system where one can place concurring 'up' and 'down' bets to win big money! Unfortunately, before we could grab a screenshot, the URL become not reachable. In short, do not click on any email or SMS that you may receive from someone pretending to be an authority such as income tax or GST. Emphasising on the repayment of dues to small creditors including provident and pension funds, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Tuesday observed that IL&FS should distribute funds to small creditors, in a manner that 80 per cent of their entitled amounts are paid. As IL&FS submitted the a chart with details of four "amber" companies, the NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson, Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay asked the government to provide details on the rest of the nine "amber" companies. The IL&FS filed details on the Hazribagh Ranchi Expressway, Jharkhand Road Project Implementation Company, Moradabad Bareily Expressway and West Gujarat Expressway. Under the resolution plan, the government has categorised IL&FS group companies into green, amber and red categories based on their financial position. Firms classified as "green" would continue to meet their payment obligations, while "amber" companies can meet only operational payment obligations to senior secured financial creditors. The "red" firms are the entities which cannot meet their payment obligations at all. Thousands of crores of money of more than 15 lakh employees of both public and private sector companies have exposure to IL&FS bonds. As these investments were classified as unsecured debt, the funds feared that all money would be lost if all market-related risks fell on them. The bench, headed by Chairperson Mukhopadhya, on April 9 had directed the new management of the debt-ridden firm to submit details of investment made by pension and provident funds in its four group firms along with details of and financial liabilities of those entities. The tribunal would next hear the matter on April 29. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. For every move forward, it seems as though the Commonwealth Bank of Australia [ASX:CBA] manages to take two moves back. As one of Australias Big Four, CBA currently has the biggest mortgage market share of 24%. But there has been concerns over the companys plan for future growth since their last half-yearly report, which revealed declining profit margins. At time of writing, the share price stands at $73.25, up 0.77%. In this just released report, Matt Hibbard shows you his top five dividend picks for 2019. Click here to claim your copy today. Does CBA have a legitimate profit-lifting plan? The appointment of a new chief executive has raised many questions about the long-term plan for the banks future. Earlier this week, it was reported that part of this new plan to lift profits included the possible removal of up to 10,000 (or one in four) CBA employees in an effort to cut costs by almost $2 billion. Many news outlets argued that, if it were true, such a plan would conceivably go a long way in pleasing the people it is duty-bound to look after investors. The rumour of the secret plan has been rubbished by CBA, with their chief executive calling the plan incorrect and misleading, with the added detail that they were disappointed with the speculation so far. But news media can hardly be blamed for thinking the worst when it comes to the big four and job cuts. NAB and ANZ both announced cuts to their worker base since the end of the royal commission. And given the latest news to come out, its also not hard to see features of the past. It was also revealed this week that the bank has been underpaying up to 8000 staff members as a result of what they call discrepancies in pay calculations. A similar occurrence happened back in 2017. An internal review found that staff affected are now entitled to $4.8 million including interest. Whats the answer to a larger growth problem? Making large swathes of employees redundant may only be a quick fix amidst tightening credit conditions. What is not in question is CBAs need to find new ways of turning a profit. Redundancies would be a simple strategy to reduce operating expenditure, but as the bank with the biggest customer share, this doesnt address the issue of revenue growth which declined to $12.4 billion in the last half-year results. Kind regards, Ryan Clarkson-Ledward For Money Morning PS: We have a list (with analysis) of the best dividend paying stocks available for download here. It does not include a single bank stock! What does investment in real estate have to do with tax on cigars? The two areas are obviously different. But legislation creating a real estate investment vehicle was signed in the extension of excise tax on cigars. Back in 1960, US Congress wanted to give individual investors the opportunity to invest in large-scale, diversified property portfolios. This would give them access to the income that real estate investments generate. The initial federal tax legislation authorising real estate investment trusts (REITs) was signed into law by President Dwight D Eisenhower within the Cigar Excise Tax Extension Act (1960). An efficient way of investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks The new tax laws were intentionally modelled on regulated investment companies called mutual funds. This type of investment structure was created 20 years earlier. It gave the public an efficient way of investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks. The primary intention of Congress in authorising REITs was to provide small investors with advantages that are normally only available to people with larger resources. According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), companies must operate within certain guidelines to qualify as a REIT. They must acquire and develop properties to operate them as part of investment portfolios rather than reselling them after theyve been developed. This means properties must be developed to generate ongoing income instead of capital gains from quickly flipping them. REITs need to have the bulk of their assets and income connected to investments in real estate. They must invest at least 75% of total assets in real estate and cash. They need to derive 75% of gross income from sources related to real estate, including rent. They must have no more than 25% of assets in non-qualifying securities or shares in taxable REIT subsidiaries. They must also distribute at least 90% of taxable income annually to shareholders in the form of dividends. In addition to other rules regarding the structure, these qualifications enable REITs to remain exempt from paying tax at the trust level. Instead of passing through profits, they distribute cash flow income directly to shareholders. The tax burden is shifted from the REIT to the individual. Within a year of the legislation in 1960, six REITs were established in the US. Out of these, three of them still exist today. The Netherlands became the first European country to pass legislation on REITs in 1969. European REITs expanded with legislation in France in 2003, while Germany and the UK passed laws in 2007. The first property trust in Australia was listed on the ASX as the General Property Trust in 1971. It was launched and managed by Lendlease Group to give retail investors access to a portfolio of commercial property assets. In 2005, shareholders were offered a proposal for management of the trust to be internalised. After approval, the trust separated from Lendlease and became GPT Group [ASX:GPT], as its still known today. A look at the last 30 years Lets take a look at the monthly chart over the last 30 years: Source: Optuma [Click to open new window] The GFC dealt a savage blow. During the crisis, the share price fell from a high of $19.08 to a low of 96 cents. Its easy to get caught up in the emotion of the crash and dismiss stocks like these. Now lets zero in on the weekly chart over the last 10 years or so: Source: Optuma [Click to open new window] The share price has recovered and is up more than sixfold from its low during the GFC. The chart shows you the value of maintaining long-term charts. You can see examples marked by arrows where lows come in at prior highs. This is a valuable technique that can often pinpoint areas where support can come in. GPT put in a series of higher lows in the last year. There was not much fallout during the sell-off last October and the share price made an even higher low during December. The stock showed relative strength when the broader market sank to lower levels. This was a set-up for a breakout to new multi-year highs. The REITs are in a sector thats performing well. The majority of REITs are stapled securities. Theyre commonly an investment in a property trust that owns properties. This is stapled to shares in the company that manages the properties. The two securities are contractually bound together and cannot be traded separately. Like most companies in the sector, GPT distributes most of its earnings to shareholders. In addition to reporting net profit, GPT reports adjusted funds from operations (AFFO). In the full year to 31 December 2018, AFFO came in at $460.5 million, and distributions to shareholders came in at $459.5 million or 25.46 cents per share. This is a payout ratio of 99.8% and is typical of the industry. My colleague Phil Anderson at Cycles, Trends & Forecasts understands the real estate cycle better than anyone I know. This type of understanding can help you learn where we currently stand in the cycle and what to expect in the years ahead. Regards, Terence Duffy, Editor, Money Morning Trader The exemption, added De Berardis, facilitated the construction of Torontos myriad high-rise towers, which elevated the citys global status. He also noted, however, that should the exemption be retracted, 32,000 units permitted for construction will be at risk. The schedule of delivering them to renters and new condo buyers would have been laid out with the current exemption in place, but if work has to stop at 7PM theres no way projects that are just starting construction or already undergoing concrete superstructures will complete on schedule because they wont be able to maintain production. In the summer, concrete curing takes hours, but during winter it takes even longer. Toronto condos are already delivered to market at a snails pace, thanks in part to the delays in obtaining approval permits from the city bureaucracy, and even slower delivery could exacerbate existing affordability woes by further constricting supply. Moreover, thousands of construction jobs could be lost, and given that theres already a pronounced shortage of skilled trades and 90,000 workers are slated for retirement in decade, RESCON worries withdrawing the noise exemption will do irreparable damage to Toronto housing market. Said Richard Lyall, RESCONs president: Its mystifying why the City is targeting housing without supporting data as this will kill jobs and reduce supply. Students and other renters in Vancouver are able to live in luxury thanks to Vancouvers tax on vacant homes. Rather than pay the Empty Homes Tax, some owners of high-end homes are renting out their properties according to a report by Bloomberg, especially as sales have weakened. With wealthy Chinese owners pulling back and home prices impacted by the mortgage stress test, a growing number of owners are turning to the rental market where the vacancy rate has been near-zero. Vancouvers rapid-fire introduction of new regulations that target foreigners is pushing away more and more investors towards Toronto, observers warned. Among these rule changes, speculation levies and a wealth tax on homes have had the most impact, discouraging a significant slice of foreign capital, CBRE Ltd. stated. The recently proposed Landowner Transparency Act which will compel corporations, trusts, and partnerships to reveal ownership information is also cited as a major factor scaring off investors. By Rejoice Xu, China Aviation Daily | Apr. 17, 2019 Rumors have spread that there would be a third airport in Shanghai recently, yet Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) made it clear that the so-called airport was neither in the application for construction nor in the transport airport layout plan. How many airports are enough for a city? It is normal to have several airports in a city, like London and New York. However, right now the trend is to build one super airport for one city, like Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport. For example, the old airport in Istanbul is going to be closed and Hongkong's has already been closed. No one has ever considered to set up another airport apart from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest. The real question is: does Shanghai need another airport? Background 180 million trips and 6.5 million tonne cargos are predicted to go through Shanghai based on the whole city plan in 2035, meaning the city needs more airports, the turnover of which equals to that of one and a half Hongqiao International Airport plus a large general airport. If not, Shanghai will lose the territorial edge as a cosmopolitan air harbor in the west bank of Pacific Ocean, whose international passenger and cargo transport is being diverted to Tokyo and Seoul. The two airports in the city, Hongqiao and Pudong, are isolated to a certain degree, which constrains the flow growth. Faced with sluggish development, the ambition to make Shanghai an international air hub hits a bottleneck. It will be hard enough for the airports to meet the need of the market in 2035 and several years to come. Shanghai Airport Group is planning the second terminal area in Pudong with three more runways in a bit to make it possible to hold 160 million travels per year in the year of 2040, yet there is no intent to build new runways in Hongqiao Airport Therefore, it is essential to deploy the airport resources reasonably via synergetic cooperation, regulating and construction and speed up the cooperation with surrounding airports, like Nantong, Jiaxing and Kunshan in the fields of low-cost and domestic air transport to hold 20 million passengers and cargoes exceeding the capacity of the two airports in Shanghai. In conclusion, the nearly saturated airports can no longer meet the demand for mid-long-term development of Shanghai. Limit of Singular Airport Capacity Given the developing experience of traditional large hub airports, the amount of 100 million passengers per year is basically the upper limit of a singular airport, indicating that for Pudong Airport the capacity limit is 100 million travels at most and it is not suitable to continue enlarging its scale for the reasons as follows. Firstly, more runways are needed to scale up. Like airports in Dubai, Istanbul and Atlanta, more runways increase the time and distance of taxiing as well as fuel consumption and emission of carbon dioxide. What's more, the operation rules become more complicated when there are more runways, largely adding the risk of aircraft crash. Secondly, more terminals and air bridges are essential for enlargement. Commonly, huge air hubs possess multiple terminals, which makes it inconvenient to passengers for boarding and transfer, to say nothing of trans-airlines transit. Thirdly, restricted air space hinders airports' expansion. For a greater scale, larger number of flights, departures and arrivals request more air space resources that are limited in effect. The terminal areas in Shanghai adopt radar control and navigation. Outside the radar control area, aircraft can only be guided based on air routes conditions. At present, Shanghai terminal areas face three difficulties, namely, short of air space, complicated arrival and departure procedures and partly saturated capacity. Solutions to Singular Airport Enlargement Traditionally, referring to the development of large hub airports, there is no way for a singular airport to continuously scale up. However, there can be exception. Taking bullet trains as an example, no one would imagine that train speed could reach as high as 350 kilometers per hour nowadays several years ago. The new large airports have already broken the records set in the past. Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport and the new Istanbul airport are designed for over 100 million turnovers one year, not to mention Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, whose turnover has already been more than 100 million trips a year. "We do not have any problems with resources", said Louis Miller, General Manager of Atlanta International Airport, who proceeded to express the airport was willing to welcome all the airlines that were interested in landing, which was only a matter of the construction of more terminals and gates. Hence the advices for enlargement of singular airport are as follows: First of all, adopt independent parallel runways. Like the three giant airports mentioned above, all the large hub airports use independent parallel runways, a mode that can hold the greatest volume in rush hours. Pudong International Airport can bear 240 flights per rush hour theoretically, if only it uses 6 independent parallel runways and if it adopts 24-hour operative mode similar to Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport, it is completely available to satisfy over 200 million trips a year. Then, change boarding process. For airports whose annual throughput is less than 100 million, it is implementable for aircraft to taxi to terminals or somewhere around yet when the amount is higher than 100 million, it is a different scenario. A reasonable solution is to arrange only wide-bodied aircraft, like B747 and A380, landing aside the terminal while other aircraft landing in the apron, by which the movement of mobile boarding bridge and shuttle bus will replace the taxiing of aircraft. Specifically, the maximum operation distance of shuttle buses or boarding buses is 7 kilometers and the vehicle's speed can rise up to 60 kilometers per hour whereas that of taxiing can just reach 20 kilometers or so per hour, for the operation grounds of buses and aircraft are physically separate. Nevertheless, this mode makes passengers' boarding time extend to 10 minutes at most, when various problems in building a super airport can be solved. For example, the size of terminal can be smaller and the number of gates can be reduced, not to speak of other auxiliary establishments such as long airside concourses. Rules for multiple runway operation become simple and it saves a lot energy and time to guide and move aircraft. As for passengers, "No Walking Distance" can be realized for boarding and transfer with concentrated terminals. Moreover, improve terminal layout. One aspect to adjust terminal plane functional layout is to change boarding gate into boarding passage which means the boarding gates are no longer designated to a certain air carrier. The reason why currently airports suffer low-efficiency boarding and lack of bridges is that most of the resources are occupied by certain airlines in vain. Finally, make a breakthrough in terms of air space. The biggest obstacle Pudong International Airport is faced with to scale up is air space. Aircraft's access to the two airports will be considerably increased if a grand outer air loop is built, largely enhancing their capacities. In a word, about whether another airport is needed, air space is a key issue. If the problem is tackled, Shanghai will be fine with two airports; if not, the city should start to look for a new site. Pleasanton police recently confirmed the arrest of man who allegedly admitted to being a general in the Latin Kings, an organized street gang. Jorge Tirado, 47, was arrested in a traffic stop in Pleasanton, police said. Thank you, Vice President Pence, for coming to the Permian Basin. It is not lost on people in Midland and the Permian Basin what this visit means. It is hard to remember the last time a person in the White House or his No. 2 not named Bush made the trip to Midland. Many around here hoped President Trump had opted to come to the Permian. Maybe, next time. Heres hoping you fly out on Air Force Two with more than a campaign war chest. Looking at the invitation for tonights fundraiser, people can see tickets are $2,800 each. For those who want to take a picture with you, the cost is $15,000. And attendance at a VIP reception is $50,000. Still, Mr. Vice President, there is more to Midland and the Permian Basin than dollars to be spent elsewhere, probably some battleground state in 2020. RELATED: Vice president to tour Diamondback rig, attend fundraiser You are in the heart of the most significant oil patch in the United States, and maybe the world. We believe that matters. We hope you do, too. At least, we think you do, although it is sometimes hard to tell from President Trumps tweets: --April 20, 2018: Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted! --June 13, 2018: Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good! --June 22, 2018: Hope OPEC will increase output substantially. Need to keep prices down! --June 30, 2018: Just spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and explained to him that, because of the turmoil & disfunction in Iran and Venezuela, I am asking that Saudi Arabia increase oil production, maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels, to make up the difference...Prices to high! He has agreed! --July 4, 2018: The OPEC Monopoly must remember that gas prices are up & they are doing little to help. If anything, they are driving prices higher as the United States defends many of their members for very little $s. This must be a two way street. REDUCE PRICING NOW! --Sept. 20, 2018: We protect the countries of the Middle East, they would not be safe for very long without us, and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices! We will remember. The OPEC monopoly must get prices down now! --Nov. 12, 2018: Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply! --Nov. 21, 2018: Oil prices getting lower. Great! Like a big Tax Cut for America and the World. Enjoy! $54, was just $82. Thank you to Saudi Arabia, but lets go lower! It is not that people here dont appreciate the presidents executive orders, which reportedly are designed to speed up oil and gas pipeline projects. Maybe actions speak louder than words. It remains to be seen if either will have any impact in Texas. While you are here, conservatives should show their appreciation to you and the president for following up on your campaign promises to cut taxes and appoint conservative Supreme Court justices. The White House has sought to reduce regulation, and a bustling economy is being felt across the nation. How can the president follow up? How about promising the White House will do more than offer lip service to deficits and the long-term debt? We know you are a man who sees entitlements as a driver of the debt, and we appreciate your criticism of the Obama administration for the debt nearly doubling during his eight years. However, a debt that started at $19.9 trillion at the beginning of the Trump-Pence administration has eclipsed $22 trillion. That is unacceptable. Your record as the governor of Indiana was to take the burden off the taxpayer. However, it didnt come at the expense of the states long-term future. Also, if Americas border issues are going to be solved, it will be because leaders in Washington defer to the conservatives in Americas border states to get the job done right. Our country needs a responsible guest worker program that benefits areas such as Midland that are suffering because of the 2.2 percent unemployment rate. We need an e-verify program to confirm that people are authorized to work in the United States. Americans want more security at the border, whether it is in the form of a wall at selected areas or more Border Patrol agents and 21st century measures to know who is coming across the border and where. Midlanders also know, Vice President Pence, that your conservative bona fides dont take a back seat to anyone in the Republican Party. Our country would benefit from the proper messaging of that conservatism. We know that if 2020 were a referendum on just conservatism, a Trump-Pence ticket wins. People in our community cant stomach the idea of a return to a socially progressive wing of the Democratic Party with its activist agenda. We are sure you and the president know it is not only the White House that is up for grabs in 2020. Republicans cant afford to lose its leadership position in the Senate as has happened in the House. Mr. Vice President, the American people properly repudiated the Obama agenda. The Democratic Party suffered significant losses in the U.S. House and Senate, among governors and in state legislatures across the nation. Should the Republicans incur similar losses, it is difficult to think that conservatism could ever recover. Just look at the 2018 statewide elections in Texas as proof of the trouble Republicans could face in 2020. We need conservatism on the ballot, not poor messaging. Please take back from the Permian Basin, not only the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars but our worries that the greatest threat to the health of the Republican Party isnt a conservative agenda but the presidents Twitter account and his inability to reach voters like he did when he won his first term in office. By Scott Reeves, China Daily | Apr. 15, 2019 Following the two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jets, aircraft manufacturer Boeing is seeking to rebuild its image with a technological fix and an extensive public relations campaign, but the effort faces difficulties. Earlier this month, Boeing announced that it would cut its Max production to 42 planes a month from 52, a reduction of nearly 20 percent. But the world's largest aircraft manufacturer will likely survive the crisis because airlines are eager to buy new, fuel-efficient planes and rival Airbus cannot meet global demand, analysts said. "The engineering problems will be solved," John Cochran, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering at Auburn University in Alabama and president of Eaglemark, an aviation consulting firm, told China Daily. "Boeing's engineers know how to work with dynamic systems. The problem is public perception. Most people don't fully understand how airplanes fly. Boeing must convince the public its planes are safe." Crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes on March 10 in Ethiopia and Oct 29, 2018, in Indonesia, killed a total of 346 passengers and crew. The cause of the crashes has not yet been determined and may involve a series of events, including pilot action. In response, Boeing is developing new software. The company said test pilots have made 96 flights totaling 159 hours using the updated software and the fix will soon be installed and tested in planes used in commercial flights. However, US Federal Aviation Administration approval and installation of the new software worldwide are still months away. Airlines do not expect Max jets to fly soon. Southwest Airlines, a US discount carrier, has 34 Max jetliners and has canceled flights using the aircraft through early August. Air Canada, owner of 24 Max jets, has adjusted its schedule through May 31. New software is only part of the effort to get Max jets back in the air. Boeing needs the approval of impartial, outside participants to regain public trust, analysts said. The FAA has organized an international panel headed by Christopher Hart, former chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board, to review the plane's safety. So far, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, China, Canada, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil have agreed to participate. The panel is expected to hold its first meeting this month. The FAA has not relinquished final approval of Max aircraft but including others will give credibility to the recertification of the plane, analysts said. Boeing and the FAA have been criticized for their cozy relationship in the initial approval of Max aircraft and that may change the way aircraft are certified in the future, they said. "Innovators produce new designs - not regulators," Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Co, an aviation consulting firm in Port Washington, New York, told China Daily. "An international center of excellence for aircraft certification could help avoid the politicization of the process. This may suggest a better way to do things." Boeing is set to face another problem after Max jets are flying again - lawsuits. About 30 lawsuits have been filed in Chicago federal court stemming from Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. The first problem is determining where the cases should be heard. Plaintiffs want the cases heard in the US because juries often make larger monetary awards and court rules make more information about the aircraft available to their attorneys. Boeing is expected to ask the court to move the cases out of the US and to the nation where the crashes occurred or families of the victims reside. There were no US citizens aboard the Lion Air flight, but there were eight of them aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight. The aircraft giant also faces a stockholder lawsuit. A case filed in Chicago federal court alleges Boeing defrauded investors by concealing known deficiencies in 737 Max aircraft prior to the crashes of the two planes that led to a worldwide grounding of the aircraft and a sharp decline in the company's stock price. By Wang Keju, China Daily | Apr. 17, 2019 China has no clear timetable to resume flights of the Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet after two fatal crashes of the model, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew, the civil aviation authority said on Tuesday. Xu Chaoqun, head of the airworthiness certification department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said China will not resume flights of the Boeing 737 Max 8 until the aircraft design meets the country's airworthiness requirements, including any alterations to its control systems. "The administration will fully review the design, operating principles, configuration and safety of the model in line with the country's airworthiness standards to make sure it meets the requirements for safe operation," Xu said at a news conference. As for design alterations and corresponding training for crew members, Xu said the administration will ensure that every aircraft is properly modified and that pilots complete training for flight safety. Xu added that the administration will evaluate the alterations to the jet's design and engine placement, which Boeing had modified for the Max 8 model. Training requirements for pilots will also be evaluated. The administration has sent two experts to join the US Federal Aviation Administration's panel to review the automated flight control system and airworthiness of Boeing's 737 Max 8 jets, Xu said. Boeing submitted an application for airworthiness approval of the aircraft to the administration on March 15. The administration is still waiting for a response from the company after raising questions about its flight control system and alterations, Xu said. China was the first nation to ground all 96 of its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two aircraft of that type crashed in the last five months. China also temporarily stopped issuing airworthiness certificates for the jets. All 157 passengers and crew of a 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines died on Mar 10, including eight Chinese nationals. In October, the same model of plane, operated by Lion Air, went down in the Java Sea, killing 189. Should Illinois state workers be required to actually live in Illinois? Illinois lawmakers in the state Senate gave that question a resounding yes last week. The legislation would give a new employee not living within the states boundaries three months to establish residency in Illinois. For any position filled after Dec. 31, no person may be appointed to a position based in the state of Illinois from any eligible list unless that person becomes a resident of the state of Illinois within three months from the persons first day of employment in that position or unless the residency requirement is waived for just cause by the Director of Central Management Services, according to the text of the amended bill. Sen. Laura Fine said her bill would be amended in the House to grandfather in people who are already employed by the state but live elsewhere. This bill requires all Illinois state employees to live in Illinois, she said. The amendment currently under consideration (faces) opposition from the Department of Revenue, as they have some employees who intentionally live out of state, and when this bill goes to the House, it will be further amended to grandfather in all current employees. It got unanimous support in the Senate and now needs House approval before it could be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for consideration. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the states largest public sector union, opposes the bill. The majority of Illinois population lives within commuting distance of another state. I became active in politics in the late 1950s, got elected to Congress in 1964, and have remained engaged in one way or another every year since then. Ive had a ringside seat for a long time. So I suppose I should not be surprised that I get asked a lot these days how American politics have changed over the last six decades. A few things stand out. When I first arrived in Congress, Americans had faith in the institutions of government. President Lyndon Johnson had actually run on a platform that we could successfully wage a war on poverty and been elected. It seems inconceivable today that a politician of prominence would be so bold and so naive as to propose such a thing, let alone believe that we could do it. Today, Americans have little confidence in governments ability to deliver. And with reason: Congress cant even pass a budget on time, and even the most routine matters get bottled up. A war successfully waged on anything domestic seems beyond its grasp. We can argue about when this shift began was it catalyzed or merely summarized by President Ronald Reagan when he famously said that government is the problem, not the solution? Regardless, the days of LBJ-style confidence are long gone. The second big difference is the extreme political intensity we see all around us. Almost every facet of politics is more complicated and pursued more vigorously, with a harder edge to it, than when I began. Voters are more demanding and want instant results. Consultants are everywhere you turn. Lobbyists have multiplied and become immeasurably sophisticated and effective at finding ways to get what they want. Interest groups have exploded in number and competency. The media has become more aggressive. And money, of course, has become an avalanche. Politics has shifted from low-intensity conflict to big business and very serious business, at that. With all this, of course, the sharp polarization that marks our politics today has flourished. Weve always had partisanship, but today it penetrates everything: the electorate, the political parties, legislatures, Congress, and the White House. Which has led to one of the greater ironies of this era. On the one hand, the political world is flooded with information it used to be that one of the chief tasks of a politician and policy-maker was to gather information; today your problem is sorting through it. On the other hand, in this atmosphere deliberations are often based less on facts, experts and evidence than on partisan beliefs. In a sea of information, were drowning in misinformation. Finally, the audience for politics has changed. When you spoke to the Rotary Club in southern Indiana in the 1960s, you were speaking to Rotary members in southern Indiana. Today, you could very well be speaking to the world. Whatever you say can become available everywhere in a matter of hours, if not minutes. Newsworthy events and statements that once took days to stoke a reaction today get an instantaneous and often hot-blooded response. This has all made the work of politics and governing much more difficult. Organizations intensively scrutinize every tiny step, and can gin up a massive response at a moments notice. The basic building blocks of politics gathering facts, deliberating on next steps, finding common ground have become charged in their own right, subject to partisan attack. Bridging our divisions over health care, taxation, immigration, the debt and deficits, and U.S. intervention abroad seems ever more elusive. Plain and simple, its become harder to make the country work. When I began in politics, elected officials felt a responsibility to find their way through difficult problems together. They believed that compromise and negotiation were core political values, intrinsic to our democracy and crucial to making it work for everyone. There are still plenty of politicians who believe this but also plenty who do not, who have shown they can thrive in a political environment that stacks the deck against the shared work of finding common ground. Weve come a long way as a country over the last six decades. But when it comes to politics as a democratic endeavor to address the nations challenges? Weve lost ground. Lee Hamilton is a senior adviser for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. By Scott Reeves, China Daily | Apr. 15, 2019 After two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jetliner, Boeing is seeking to rebuild its image with a technological fix and an extensive public relations campaign to win back the public's trust and boost sales. The effort has encountered turbulence. Earlier this month, Boeing announced that it would cut Max production to 42 planes a month from 52, a reduction of nearly 20 percent. But the world's largest aircraft manufacturer will survive the crisis because airlines are eager to buy new, fuel-efficient planes and rival Airbus cannot meet worldwide demand, analysts said. "The engineering problems will be solved," John Cochran, professor emeritus of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University in Alabama and president of Eaglemark, an aviation consulting firm, told China Daily. "Most people don't fully understand how airplanes fly. Boeing must convince the public its planes are safe." Crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes in March in Ethiopia and October in Indonesia killed a total of 346 people. The cause of the crashes has not yet been determined and may involve a series of events, including pilot action. In response, Boeing is developing new software for its anti-stall system, also known as MCAS. The company said test pilots have made 96 flights totaling 159 hours using the updated software and the fix will soon be installed and tested in planes used in commercial flights. However, approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, and installation of the new software worldwide are still months away. Airlines do not expect Max jets to fly soon. Southwest Airlines, a US discount carrier, has 34 Max jetliners and has canceled flights using the aircraft through early August. Air Canada, owner of 24 MAX jets, has adjusted its schedule through May 31. New software is only part of the effort to get Max jets back in the air. Boeing needs the approval of impartial, outside participants to regain public trust, analysts said. The FAA has organized an international panel headed by Christopher Hart, former chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board, to review the plane's safety. So far, representatives from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, China, Canada, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil have agreed to participate. The panel is expected to hold its first meeting this month. The FAA has not relinquished final approval of Max aircraft, but including others will give credibility to the recertification of the plane. Boeing and the FAA have been criticized for their cozy relationship in the initial approval of Max aircraft, and that may change the way aircraft are certified in the future. "Innovators produce new designs--not regulators," Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Co, an aviation consulting firm in New York, told China Daily. "This is true in pharmaceuticals and other industries that participate in a certification process. An international center of excellence for aircraft certification could help avoid the politicization of the process. This may suggest a better way to do things." Boeing will face another problem after Max jets are flying again: lawsuits. About 30 lawsuits have been filed in Chicago federal court stemming from the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. The first problem is determining where the cases should be heard. Plaintiffs want the cases held in the United States because juries often make larger monetary awards and court rules make more information about the aircraft available to their attorneys. Boeing is expected to ask the court to move the cases out of the US and to the nation where the crashes occurred or families of the victims reside. There were no US citizens aboard the Lion Air flight, but there were eight US citizens aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight. Boeing also faces a stockholder lawsuit. A case filed in Chicago federal court alleges Boeing defrauded investors by concealing known deficiencies in 737 Max aircraft prior to the crashes of the two planes that led to a worldwide grounding of the aircraft and a sharp decline in the company's stock price. Plaintiff Richard Seeks asked the court last week to make the case a class-action lawsuit in behalf of all shareholders who lost money following the crashes. In the lawsuit, Seeks said he purchased 300 shares of Boeing stock in early March and recently sold the stock at a loss. By Xuxin, Xinhua | Apr. 16, 2019 Kenya is planning to offer tax incentives for low-cost airlines to fly into the country to attract more international tourists, officials said. Kenya has set a target to raise the number of international travelers from 2 million in 2018 to 3 million by the end of 2022, Najib Balala, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, told journalists in Nairobi on Monday evening. "We are planning to roll out tax incentives for low-cost airlines that will bring visitors into Kenya beginning the next financial year," Balala told an event celebrating his winning the World Travel and Tourism Council's Global Champion Award at the 2019 Global Summit in Seville, Spain, for Kenya's work on promoting the social impact in the tourism sector. Government data indicates that international tourists spent over 157 billion shillings (US$1.57 billion) in Kenya last year. Balala said the incentives will not impact the role of Kenya Airways, the national flag carrier, in attracting more inbound tourists. No country in the world has developed a vibrant tourist sector without leveraging on low-cost airlines to bring in tourists, he said. Kenya is keen to embrace an open sky policy to ensure that more international airlines operate in the country, Balala said. The availability of affordable flights into Kenya from major global cities in the United States, Europe and Asia will boost the number of tourists in Kenya, he said, noting that the number of international visitors coming into Kenya is very low compared to its unique beach and wildlife products. 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 The Plainview Police Department recognized several of its officers at its fifth annual recognition banquet Friday night. Police Chief Ken Coughlin told the crowd of roughly 40 attendees the banquet was created by the Employee Recognition Committee to showcase the positive events and moments that Plainview officers are a part of throughout the year and to recognize those individuals. Individuals from new hires to officers with new certifications and a few citizens were recognized, though many were not present. Officer Jose Flores was awarded Rookie of the Year. The award is given to an individual who exceeds standards and department expectations and who looks to improve as an officer and help around the department when needed and Flores embodies that. Officer Ray Bradley was given the Officer of the Year award. Bradley is a field training officer, a certified court security specialist and has an Advanced Peace Officer Proficiency Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, attested Captain Dion Guerra as he made the presentation. Sgt. Cody Ward was recognized as Supervisor of the Year. Captain Manuel Balderas presented the award and commended Ward for being a knowledgeable leader. Ward has been a CID a patrol sergeant, has a Master Peace Officer Proficiency Certification from the TCLE, is a firearms instructor, sexual assault and family violence special investigator and is about to be certified in forensic investigations. The following are a few officers and community members recognized during the ceremony. For a complete list, visit www.myplainview.com: Melissa Trevino and Marivel Rincon Community Service Certificate: Trevino and Rincon assisted police with the arrests of a couple of armed robbers in 2018. The two happened to watch the suspects put on masks and pull a gun from a backpack near the Happy Stop Convenience Store on May 8 and alerted authorities. The suspects were believed to have been involved in multiple armed robberies around Plainview and had avoided capture until spotted by Trevino and Rincon. Barbara Gonzales Life-Saving Award: Gonzales was watching her then-3-month-old nephew on Dec. 13 while her sister picked up her oldest child from school when the baby suddenly quit breathing. Gonzales administered CPR and he was alert when police (who arrived just before other first responders) arrived at the scene. Sgt. Brian Morris Marksman Award: Presented to officers who are outstanding marksman with their service firearm. Det. Curtis Bloom and Det. Jesse Ortiz Certificate of Police Excellence: Bloom and Ortiz stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic violation on Nov. 8 which led to the seizure of more than 24 pounds of marijuana, several grams of edibles and candy laced with THC and drug paraphernalia. The arrested individuals were from Oregon and were on the way to Fort Worth. (CNN) As the ashes settle in the embers of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the laborious restoration process can begin. Rebuilding will take years, possibly more than a decade. Yet, for a Gothic masterpiece that famously took 107 years to construct, and stood for centuries more, this may simply mark the latest evolution of a building that has been reshaped many times in its 850-year history. Those looking for hope amid tragedy will be heartened by president Emmanuel Macron's assurance that the French will "rebuild together," and the fundraising efforts that reached $670 million within 24 hours of the blaze taking hold. These generous early donations suggest that funding, the most difficult part of any major restoration project, may not be hard to secure. Assuming the necessary financial support comes through, how exactly will the process be carried out? Safety first As with any fire-damaged building, safety will be the principal concern. The main structure (and two bell towers) may have been "saved and preserved," according to French authorities, but parts of the cathedral could still be at risk of localized collapses and falling debris. Before distinguishing between the salvageable from the unrecoverable, immediate steps will need to be taken to prevent further damage, according to architectural historian and broadcaster, Jonathan Foyle not least, a temporary roof. "It's already a wet building because of the water that's been pumped on it, so they're going to need to provide some kind of cover from the elements," he said in a phone interview. That's no small task in itself, said the head of the Group of Companies for the Restoration of Historic Monuments in France, Frederic Letoffe, "This will require a lot of work since, beyond shoring and reinforcement, it will be necessary to build a scaffolding with an umbrella to be able to cover the entire roof that went missing, to ensure protection against weathering" he told reporters in Paris. Securing the building The first priority for restorers will be installing a temporary roof on the building, according to architect John Burton, a surveyor of conservation works at other English Gothic churches Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. This will help experts carry out a detailed inspection of the site in particular, how much of the structure is secure. "Gothic structures are all about balance," said Burton. "The building stands up by all the components being compressed together." The flying buttresses that once carefully supported the entire building could now be out of balance, he said. After protecting the building's remains, restoration teams will begin assessing the level of damage. That process itself could take years, he said. An army of archaeologists In order for French authorities to make any decisions about how to rebuild they will need to better understand how the medieval cathedral was constructed. "The stripped roof and upper masonry will reveal aspects of the building's history which probably haven't been understood," Foyle said. "Notre Dame has virtually no building records. We know (that construction) started in 1163 and was basically completed by about 1240, but there are no building accounts. "Evidence for the evolution of that building is in the physical fabric, so you'll need an army of archaeologists all over it to better understand which parts they're repairing and what they belong to." Peter Riddington, an architect at Donald Install Associates, who worked on the restoration of Windsor Castle after it was damaged by fire in 1992, suspects one of the more immediate steps will be to carry out some archeological work. "What was extremely useful for us (at Windsor Castle) was there was an archeological sift of debris," he said during a phone interview. Investigators might decide to divide up the floor area into a grid, and assign a team to sift through every square, Riddington said. They'd pick up anything that might be useful either items to reuse in the build or to be copied to make models. "This sort of process could surface thousands of trays full of valuable debris and objects," he said. Once the "forensic" part is over, Burton said, specialist committees will likely be set up to assess each of the elements from stained glass to gold plating. It will then be down to a master architect to bring the overall design together. Riddington recalls their being various "committees of taste" involved in the process during the Windsor restoration. "My guess is they will need to have a committee of taste to make decisions on even the most fundamental things like, what is the cathedral, once restored, going to look like." Another episode in 'creation, destruction and repair' The goal of restoration is not always to replicate the past. Modern tastes and technologies may influence how damaged structures are reimagined. Take, for instance, the recent restoration of the Cutty Sark, a 19th-century British clipper, renovated at a cost of 50 million ($65 million) following a devastating blaze. A contemporary glass structure, housing modern facilities, was added to the base of the vessel, a tourist attraction in London. Authorities may wish to stay faithful to earlier renditions of cathedral. But it's also possible that France takes a bold new direction with one of its most iconic national monuments. "We're assuming, maybe wrongly, that the cathedral will be restored as it was (before) the fire but that isn't the only way to go," said Riddington. "The cathedral has had fires in the past and it's been rebuilt in different styles over the years," Indeed, the spire that collapsed to gasps from stunned onlookers Monday evening, was itself a break from the past, having been built during a sweeping 19th century restoration. Its designer, the architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, made his spire taller and more elaborate than one that had existed previously. That restoration also resulted in other significant changes to the cathedral's facade and interiors. "Notre Dame is not a building that has been fossilized in time, Foyle said. "It has not remained static since the early 13th century." "It's not something that had been perfectly preserved which was totally destroyed last night. You might (instead) see this as a traumatic episode in the long history of cyclical creation, destruction and repair. It's lived through wars, it's lived through reformers, and this will, I think, prove to be another episode." Discussions will no doubt long and emotional as those involved attempt to navigate through the erly phases of restoration. For Burton, it's important to acknowledge what happened through the process and new designs. "We don't want to build a replica of Notre Dame so it looks like it looked 800 years ago. We want to respect the fact it's been in a fire and leave traces of that it's all part of the history of the building." Skilled craftspeople Many skilled labourers and craftspeople including masons, carpenters, jointers and carvers will all have to be recruited to work on this large-scale project. John David, a master mason with over 45 years of experience, was heavily involved in the restoration of York Minster, the largest cathedral in Britain. The minster, a Gothic gem that is one of the largest in Europe, was severely damaged in a 1984 fire. "What I've heard a number of times today is people saying 'we can't do this anymore, we haven't got the craftspeople to do it.' We have. We have plenty, and we have plenty of people who can train others." He sees an opportunity for France now to train up their next generation of skilled workers. "They will need more people, the job won't be done very quickly, perhaps ten to 12 years," he said. "It's an opportunity for them to train craftspeople not just for Notre Dame but for other buildings and disasters. This isn't the last." This story was first published on CNN.com "How to rebuild a Gothic masterpiece like Notre Dame, by people who have done it before" Joint petition launched to support SAR's extradition law amendments Updated: 2019-04-17 07:27 By He Shusi in Hong Kong and Edith Lu in Beijing(HK Edition) A group of 12 political leaders and legal experts in Hong Kong signed a joint petition on Tuesday to garner public support for proposed amendments to the city's extradition law. The joint signature petition is available online. The group will also organize street signatures to facilitate more participation by local residents. The move came a day before the Legislative Council established a bill committee to scrutinize amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance - which the government tabled to LegCo on March 26. The revised law, if passed by the LegCo, will allow the special administrative region to extradite fugitives and criminal suspects on a case-by-case basis to other jurisdictions. So far, the SAR has reached agreements with only 20 jurisdictions over the surrender of fugitive offenders. The amendments are to prevent Hong Kong becoming a safe haven for criminals, explained solicitor Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, the convener and spokesperson of the event. He added that he and fellow group members agree the amendments are being made on a sound legal basis; they were also consistent with values protecting human rights. Wong is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - the country's top political advisory body. Group member Brave Chan Yung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, stressed that when it comes to fugitive extradition, the city's courts will handle this on a case-by-case basis; they will review the crimes and ensure offenders will be treated fairly. He called on Hong Kong people to have confidence in the judiciary. Ten other politicians and legal experts also signed the petition. They included Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC and president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the city's largest labor group, and Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, barrister and legislator of the city. On the same day, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterated her hopes for the LegCo to speed up its scrutiny of the bill. She noted that there was an urgent need to deal with a Taiwan murder case suspect. Any time lost will delay a fair trial of the alleged offenders, Lam said when meeting reporters ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting. On Monday, Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also expressed support to the SAR government's proposed amendments. Amendments to Hong Kong's extradition law are reasonable and sensible, Zhang said. It aims to stop fugitive offenders escaping justice, he noted. He made the remarks during a meeting with a group of Hong Kong businessmen in Beijing. Zhang said some people are trying to demonize the amendments and spread panic by deliberately misinterpreting the bill. Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland are separate jurisdictions. Only those who have been found guilty by courts in both places will be extradited, Zhang noted. The rule would exclude political prisoners and those on a death row, he added. Contact the writers at heshusi@chinadailyhk.com Kennedy Wong Ying-ho (center left), convener of joint petition Safeguard HK, Support the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders Legislation and other organizers of the petition during its launch ceremony in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Roy Liu / China Daily (HK Edition 04/17/2019 page4) Colombian coffee, by many accounts, sets the global gold standard for coffee beans. The new Coffeecionado brings the full Colombian coffee experience to the South Side by importing, roasting and turning that countrys celebrated beans into a wide range of coffee drinks in a stylish coffee house setting. In the 1940s, the modest building at 502 W. Mitchell St. housed a tortilleria, run by a man who also laid tile for houses in the fashionable King William district and put the extras to use in the building. The tiles are still here, elaborate redondo pieces in a regal patchwork, complementing a design scheme incorporating weathered wood, rich earth tones, modernist upholstery and a gleaming red coffee roaster custom-made for owner Patricia Butler-Aguilar. A man died late Tuesday after he was beaten with a stick at a food market in Northeast Houston, according to police. Houston police homicide investigators said the suspect was carrying a large stick or "wooden dao" when he walked into the store around 11:50 p.m. in the 3800 block of Liberty Road. The man walked up to the victim and struck him once in the forehead, police said. The victim staggered and tried to get away as the suspect struck him again in the head, police said. The victim fell to the ground, and after several minutes, the suspect and two other men picked him up and took him outside, according to police. MORE CRIME: Grieving family members tour Pecan Park home as questions swirl about botched drug raid, exclusively on HoustonChronicle.com People in the surrounding neighborhood came to the victim's aid, performing CPR until the ambulance arrived, police said. He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police said they were working on identifying the suspect overnight and speaking with multiple people inside the store at the time. Police said one witness overheard something about the victim owing the suspect money, but that motive has not been confirmed. 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. 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. Bill Montgomery/Houston Chronicle A Nigerian man who died mid-flight on a Houston-bound plane Tuesday was seeking medical treatment in the United States, police say. The man was travelling with loved ones on Lufthansa Flight 440 from Frankfurt to Houston when he died suddenly, an airline spokesperson said. Houston Police Department spokesperson Jodi Silva said a travelling companion told officers that the man, 40, was from Nigeria and had an un-diagnosed condition. All lanes of North Shepherd are now reopened after a crash knocked power lines down across the road Wednesday morning, police said. The crash happened in the 4700 block of North Shepherd Drive, near Thornton, around 7:25 a.m. Witnesses told police that a silver pickup crashed into a utility pole, knocking lines down across the road. A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday by San Antonio police after his 15-year-old relative went to the hospital and discovered she was pregnant. Brandon Eduardo Flores-Sanchez was charged with sexual assault of a child, court records showed. His bail was set at $50,000. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox Flores-Sanchez is from Mexico and lived with the girl and her family for about three months around May 2018, according to his arrest affidavit. The girl told police she had sex with him up to three times during his stay. Her father asked Flores-Sanchez to leave after the girl had told family friends that Flores-Sanchez kissed her and said he liked her. When the parents tried to confront the girl about her relationship with Flores-Sanchez in October 2018, the girl fainted, according to the arrest affidavit. Her parents took her to the hospital, where they discovered she was pregnant. The girl told investigators she's not sure whether Flores-Sanchez is the father of the baby or whether her 14-year-old ex-boyfriend is, according to the arrest affidavit. After the parents kicked Flores-Sanchez out of their home, he allegedly texted the girl's mother asking her for forgiveness, according to the affidavit. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA A 27-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly robbed a Culebra Meat Market location on the West Side while armed with a shotgun, police said. Joshua Anthony Castillo was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery and evading arrest, according to online jail records. Bexar County Jail officials said he was booked on a $40,000 bail. Throughout most of southern Ohio, residents who watch cable news are predominantly glued to one channel: Fox News. People there dont watch Fox News to know what to think; they already know what they think, and they avoid news channels that insult their intelligence and core beliefs. Yes, Fox News is an echo chamber for the right, but no more than CNN and MSNBC are for the left, as far as conservatives are concerned. To be fair, when a Democrat is in the White House, the networks switch places, with Fox News criticizing every move, and MSNBC and CNN defending the Oval Office fortress. But for now, while partisans on the left may quibble, the fact remains that on the subject of collusion with Russia by President Donald Trump or his campaign, Fox News was right and the others were wrong. For at least two years, MSNBC and CNN devoted hour upon hour, day after day, to promoting the narrative that Trump colluded with the Russians, and that special counsel Robert Mueller was going to prove it. That turned out to be wrong. Along with defending Trump, Fox News hosts such as Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and, especially, Sean Hannity have been slammed for spending nearly two years clamoring for an investigation of the investigators, aligning themselves with the presidents claim of a politically motivated witch hunt. Most of the media portrayed such accusations as preposterous, designed merely to divert attention from Trumps alleged misdeeds. But then comes Attorney General William Barr, dropping a bombshell last week by declaring during congressional testimony that he thinks spying did occur on the Trump campaign in 2016, and that he is looking into it. Democrats and many in the media immediately blasted Barr for carrying Trumps water. Barr soon clarified his remarks, saying, I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred. Im saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it. Just three weeks ago, before Mueller wrapped up his report, The Washington Post in a story representative of mainstream sources at the time produced a mostly flattering profile of the new attorney general. A Justice Department official told The Washington Post last month that Barr is viewed at the department as a lawyers lawyer and is seen as less politically minded than his predecessors, the story noted. Timothy Flanigan, a former Barr colleague at the Justice Department, described Barrs independent streak, saying, If Bill starts getting the tweet treatment, Bill is a tough guy. Hes a tough, tough guy. Not that Jeff Sessions wasnt, but I dont think Bills just going to sit there and take it. I think he would make sure that the president understood that it is not really a smart thing to be lambasting the attorney general. Now, Barr is being cast by the liberal cable channels and others as an unscrupulous political hack attached to the presidents leash. On CBSs 60 Minutes on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that Barr may be whitewashing his summary of the report. Such accusations represent an unlikely turn of events for a 68-year-old professional with an impeccable record and a career more behind him than in front of him. For Fox News devotees in southern Ohio and other Trump strongholds, nothing from the Mueller investigation has provided cause to waver from their preferred news source. Meanwhile, even regular viewers of CNN and MSNBC must certainly recognize the straws being grasped to justify sticking with a conspiracy theory that has been largely debunked although the expected release of Muellers report this week will probably provide just enough juice for one last effort. After two years of conjecture from all sides, some hard truths have emerged. Russia did try to influence the 2016 election. Neither Trump nor his campaign conspired with Russia. The presidents actions did not rise to criminal obstruction of justice. And how and why this all began may well turn out to be the most troubling story of all. Barrs career does not paint a portrait of someone who chases tin-foil-hat conspiracies. Theres enough evidence in the public record to raise valid suspicions that the FBIs investigation of the Trump campaign was motivated not by real concerns about national security, but rather by a loathing of the candidate. And though new facts may emerge in the full, redacted report, they wont change the larger truth. It would behoove serious journalists to put aside their political biases and delve into a story that might actually be worthy of Watergate comparisons even if it includes the painful admission that Fox News has been right all along. Gary Abernathy is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a freelance writer based in Hillsboro, Ohio. They say that guests are like fish; after three days they become a bit whiffy. By this measure, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange smelled like an overladen fishing vessel adrift in the searing sun. Upon his arrest last week by British authorities, ending his nearly seven-year asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, revelations emerged that he was less than an ideal guest. He reportedly was rude and aggressive toward his hosts and demonstrated little interest in hygiene. In his grossest display of disaffection, he apishly smeared his feces on the embassy walls, according to Ecuadors interior minister. Assanges behavior makes one wonder about his mental health. If Assange is, indeed, of right mind, then we can only conclude that hes a solid jerk. Certainly, his non-fans including many in the U.S. media long have viewed him as a sociopathic interloper operating under the protection of free speech. No stranger to legal problems, Assange has been indicted by the U.S. on one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. This sounds more like a stay-after-school offense than what one might expect given the potentially disastrous ramifications of Assanges publishing activities. Then again, Al Capone was brought down on tax evasion. While the government seems to want to avoid a battle over the First Amendment, focusing mostly on conspiracy, it can later charge Assange with something more. Meanwhile, media talk has turned to whether Assange is really a journalist and if free-speech protections ought to apply to someone who is (allegedly) a criminal first? Despite the recent surge in citizen journalists, saying youre a journalist doesnt make you one. The difference between someone like Assange publishing whatever leaks land in his lap and, say, The Washington Post, which published the leaked documents known as the Pentagon Papers, is mostly a lot of worry and process. Most responsible reporters and editors routinely ask themselves questions such as: Should we publish this? Does the public interest override other concerns? Is it justifiable to expose someones personal emails and under what circumstances? One supposes that Assange never bothered himself with such pesky queries. But then, why should he? He is not, after all, a journalist, despite his claiming to be, because he isnt accountable to anyone. No filters, no standards. In the case of the Pentagon Papers, former Rand Corp. military analyst Daniel Ellsberg stole thousands of pages of a top-secret report detailing the U.S. governments decades-long campaign of deceit, mayhem and murder related to the war in Vietnam. Ellsberg first gave the documents to The New York Times, which published three articles about them before the White House obtained a court injunction. Ellsberg then provided copies to the Post, which, after due consideration, began publishing its own stories. In deliberating whether to run them, Post publisher Katharine Graham deployed lawyers and editors to weigh the potential legal and commercial consequences against allowing the government to continue lying and sacrificing lives. Grahams bravery in standing up to the U.S. government and the courts all while risking great personal and financial loss was epic. Assanges process, on the other hand, is largely to dump secrets in the town square and let the scavengers sort it out. No filter. No conscience. It isnt hyperbolic to say were at a hinge point regarding how we gather and disseminate information. Does anyone have the right to publish stolen/classified materials? Should the manner of obtaining information inform the right to publish? On the surface, Ellsberg and Assange seem similar. Ellsberg stole and newspapers published. Assange allegedly conspired to steal and he published. The difference may be mostly political. The Vietnam War was unpopular, and the government demonstrably lied to the American people for decades, unconscionably committing tens of thousands of young Americans to their early graves. Ellsbergs charges on theft, conspiracy and espionage were eventually dismissed. Wikileaks leaked hundreds of thousands of secret documents that potentially endangered Americans and allies around the world and, possibly, helped get Donald Trump elected. One was a historic act of bravery; the other seems more like feces-smearing by a fishy-smelling cypherpunk. Then again, maybe thats just me. kathleenparker@washpost.com The Trump administration has manufactured and exacerbated an immigration crisis to further the presidents most consistent goal: to Make America White Again. Tens of thousands of Central American asylum-seekers, even hundreds of thousands, do not constitute a serious crisis not for a continent-spanning nation of 330 million, a nation built through successive waves of immigration. The migrants have severely taxed and at times overwhelmed the systems at the border that must process and adjudicate their claims for refuge, but this is a simple matter of resources. We need more border agents, more immigration judges, more housing. President Trump, however, treats the migrant surge like an existential threat. We cant take you anymore. We cant take you. Our country is full, he said earlier this month at the border in California. But, of course, our vast nation is anything but full. Instead of cant, what Trump really means is wont. On almost any issue you can think of, Trump is all over the map. But there is one position on which he has never wavered: antipathy toward non-white immigration. From his campaign charge that Mexican immigrants are rapists, to his fruitless quest to get funding for a border wall, to his gratuitously cruel policy of family separations, to his declaration of a national emergency, Trump has left not an iota of doubt about how he feels. To be sure, sometimes the president uses anti-immigration rhetoric to inflame his base. But unlike with other issues, Trump seems actually to believe his demagoguery about would-be Latino migrants. The administration acts as if it considers the asylum-seekers to be less than human. What other conclusion can be drawn, after thousands of young children were taken from their parents and shipped to detention centers far away, as a deterrent to others who might seek entry? How else can anyone characterize the notion now under active consideration, according to the White House of transporting migrants hundreds or thousands of miles, not out of necessity but simply so they can be released in sanctuary cities and the districts of Trumps political opponents? That last Bond-villain idea is apparently the brainchild of White House adviser Stephen Miller, who seems to be the closest thing Trump has to an operational chief of staff someone who shares his vision, however warped, and will move heaven and earth to bring it to life. Millers history as an anti-immigration zealot goes back to his time as an aide to then-senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who became Trumps first attorney general. It is no exaggeration to say that Sessions, both in the Senate and in the Cabinet, was obsessed with reducing immigration, legal as well as illegal. Sessions is gone from the administration, but Miller remains, and clearly he has Trumps ear. Trump claims that the countries from which asylum-seekers and economic migrants are fleeing are not sending their best people, and says entry should be based on merit, not on family connections. That would be a complete departure from the immigration policies that allowed Trumps and Millers forebears to come to this country, but it sounds debatable until you take into account Trumps other remarks. He has reportedly disparaged non-white countries with a vulgar epithet and expressed a preference for immigrants from places like Norway, which happens to be one of the whitest countries on the planet. In the context of immigration policy, he has regaled crowds with the story likely apocryphal of his friend Jim, who used to go to Paris all the time but doesnt anymore because Paris is no longer Paris. Trump isnt talking about gridlocked traffic on the Boulevard Peripherique. Hes talking about the black and brown immigrants who are changing the citys complexion. Does Trump seek political gain by stoking white Americans fears of the browning of America due to Latino immigration? Absolutely. But if his racism were purely situational like his professed commitment to fiscal responsibility, or his supposed social conservatism he would depart from it occasionally. And he doesnt. He might at least feign compassion for men, women and children who risk their lives to flee deadly violence at home. Instead, Trump cut off foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the countries from which most of the asylum-seekers are coming. He does not comfort or embrace. He seeks only to punish. The real crisis is that we have a president who wants to put up a No Vacancies sign for non-white immigrants just like the No Coloreds signs I used to see in the Jim Crow South. eugenerobinson@washpost.com Jeffrey McWhorter /Associated Press Legislation by state Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney, would allow nonprofits, such as churches, to discuss their employees work ethic and behavior without worrying about being sued. It merits bipartisan support. Fear of litigation often limits the amount of information former employers will share about former employees. This is especially true when the work relationship did not end well. Donald Trump was in San Antonio last week. KSAT 12 News interviewed two women who were both surprised by the lack of support there was for the president. Apparently, these women have ignored the things he has said and done the past two-plus years. I guess his actions havent pertained to them. Roland Acevedo When people care The recent decision by the SAISD board to turn 18 schools into charter schools can only be, at best, punting the ball down the road and, more realistically, giving up on public schools. Either way, it is to the shame of the new superintendent and the board of trustees who obviously have no backbone to fulfill their responsibilities. There are many solutions to help the failing schools. One of the best is reported on the front page of the New York Times, April 13. LeBron Jameshas infused hundreds of thousands of dollars into creating a public school named I Promise School. Money supports programs that undergird the cost of working with at-risk students to help them achieve more of their potential. Hopefully, this can be an example of what can happen when people care. The Rev. Bert Clayton A deserving salute This month, the town of Comfort, the state of Texas, and America, are saying goodbye to the last of the Doolittle Raiders, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, who died in San Antonio on April 9. He was remarkable not only for how long he lived 103 years but for being self-effacing, daring and courageous, which were hallmarks throughout his life. Three years ago, I had the honor of meeting Lt. Col. Cole. My time with him was brief, but one could easily see why Gen. Jimmy Doolittle chose this young lieutenant as his co-pilot. As he joins the Pantheon of Americas heroes, let us all thank Col. Dick Cole and render him a richly deserved salute. Jon Kindred, Colonel, USA, Retired TWO ZNA soldiers were been killed, while one was seriously injured after violent clashes with gold panners in Binduras Chipadze area, Tuesday morning. Zimbabwe National Army director public relations Lieutenant Colonel Alphios Makotore said four members of the army taking part in independence parade rehearsals were involved in an altercation with the artisanal miners, resulting in the death of the two We have our men who are part of a contingent preparing for independence celebrations. Some of them visited a local bar and on their way back they met the gold panners. You know these people have a penchant for terrorising people in the communities in which they operate. Its so rampant in Bindura and Kwekwe. It was just unfortunate that our members came across this rowdy crowd and an altercation ensued. Initially four were injured with two dying while another two were admitted in hospital with injuries. However, one has since been discharged from hospital, Makotore told newzimbabwe. After an all-time high in which the army was revered following the coup in November 2017 that deposed then President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwes military has in the past year found itself facing public anger following a series of clashes in which live ammunition has been used resulting in deaths of protestors. President Emmerson Mnangagwa on two occasions since August last year deployed the army with devastating effect. Six protestors were killed on August 1st after a demonstration by pro-opposition activists demanding the release of presidential election results. In January protests once again broke out over a 150% fuel price hike. The army was again deployed after the protests turned violent leading to the death of 17 people according to reports. NewZimbabwe Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News A Zambian student studying at the Shamva-based Frontline Institute has called on youths not to wait for employment opportunities from Government, as they are not enough to go round. Speaking at the Independence Dialogue at Bindura University of Science Education yesterday, Kenny Simukoko said: Let us imagine, we have been graduating pre and post-independence in our thousands until today. Who should employ who? It is time that, we as youths, come together with policymakers and take responsibility for our own destiny. I encourage youths to take the lead in production. We have to see the youths engaged in all sectors of the economy such as mining, farming, manufacturing and all sorts of production processes not as workers, but employers. Simukoko said youths should stop being cry-babies, but rather take advantage of the peace and tranquillity in the country to assist in coming up with solutions to macro and micro-economic challenges being experienced in the country. Irrespective of political differences, it is time that youths put their differences aside and unite in the fight for economic development. Let us learn to love each other as brothers and sisters as espoused by the doctrine of pan-Africanism for it is said: If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, let us go together. Alone the world changes you and together we can change the world and indeed our beloved Zimbabwe. Simukoko said the ascendency of President Mnangagwa to power was not a fluke, but was meant to propel the country to become a world icon on many fronts underpinned by economic recovery and development. We recognise President Mnangagwas consistency to pulverise machinations of colonialism and imperialism in Africa, he said. Noting his unflinching desire to have a united front of African states against all forces of negation. You know well that North Africa is not as peaceful as Southern Africa. We hail your (role) as peacemakers. Mnangagwa came to power feted like a king, riding on the back of a military coup that toppled his long time ally Robert Mugabe in November 2017, with many Zimbabweans hopeful at the time that he would turn around the countrys economic fortunes. Sadly, that initial goodwill he enjoyed has now wholly disappeared. Mnangagwa has made life even harder for Zimbabweans than it was under Mugabe. Prices of basic commodities are skyrocketing and long winding fuel queues have become the order of the day. Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Three schoolgirls who were detained in Burundi for doodling on a picture of the President have been expelled from school following their release from jail, Human Rights Watch told CNN. The girls, who are all minors, were detained for six days last month at Ngozi Central Prison and charged with insulting the head of state, President Pierre Nkurunziza, according to the rights agency. https://twitter.com/cobbo3/status/1110821474045186048 Their detention sparked worldwide anger with many taking to social media to post defaced pictures of Nkurunziza with the hashtag #FreeOurGirls. A boy, who was not charged with any offenses but was arrested as part of the initial group of seven, and another girl were also expelled, HRWs Central Africa director Lewis Mudge told CNN. Its good news they were released, but the charges still havent been dropped, and they have now been expelled from school, Mudge said. This is affecting their right to an education. Mudge says authorities decided to expel them from the lEcofo Akamuri school in Kirundo province in Burundis north. CNN was not immediately able to reach the Burundi government or the school authorities for comment. CNN, however, saw a letter dated March 20 from the school which stated that the students violated school regulations by falsifying their schoolbooks. As stipulated by the school regulations in Article 31 paragraph 28, these five students are permanently expelled from school, the letter read. The letter, signed by the schools director Isaie Nkinzingabo, also stated that the students will have to enroll at another school in the following academic year.Mudge said the rights group doesnt know why the boy was expelled from school as he was not among those initially charged. This demonstrates the way schools are being politicized in Burundi, Mudge said. It also shows there are some individuals who are saying that this is such an intolerable act they feel the need to permanently expel these children. Previously, schoolchildren in Burundi were jailed and expelled for similar offenses. In 2016, agents of the National Intelligence Service of Burundi arrested eight secondary school students for allegedly insulting Nkurunziza by writing phrases like Get out or No to the 3rd term on a picture of the President in a textbook, according to Human Rights Watch. The same year, hundreds of children were expelled from several schools for scribbling on the Presidents face in their books. President Nkurunziza, who has been in office since 2005, was re-elected to a third term in 2015 despite massive protests and concerns over the legality of running beyond his second term. But Burundis constitutional court ruled that he was eligible because he was picked by parliament, not elected by people, during his first term. Scores died in the violence that marred the 2015 vote. In early March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the agency was forced to shut its local office of 23 years under concerted pressure from the Burundian government. CNN Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia has died after shooting himself as police arrived at his home to arrest him over bribery allegations. Mr Garcia was rushed to hospital in the capital, Lima. His death was confirmed by current President Martin Vizcarra. A crowd of supporters gathered outside the hospital and were held back by a line of police. Mr Garcia was accused of taking bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht claims he denied. Mr Garcia served as president from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011. What happened at his home? Officers had been sent to arrest him in connection with the allegations. Interior Minister Carlos Moran told reporters that when police arrived, Mr Garcia asked to make a phone call and went into a room and closed the door. Minutes later, a shot rang out, Mr Moran said. Police forced the door open and found Mr Garcia sitting on a chair with a bullet wound to his head. Mr Garcia underwent emergency surgery in the Casimiro Ulloa hospital in Lima. Health Minister Zulema Tomas said Mr Garcia had to be resuscitated three times after suffering cardiac arrests before finally succumbing to his injuries. In a post on Twitter, Mr Vizcarra said he was shocked by the former presidents death and sent his condolences to his family. What was Mr Garcia accused of? Investigators say he took bribes from Odebrecht during his second term in office, linked to a metro line building project in the capital. Odebrecht has admitted paying almost $30m (23m) in bribes in Peru since 2004. But Mr Garcia maintained he was the victim of political persecution, writing in a tweet on Tuesday that there was no clue or evidence against him. In November last year he unsuccessfully applied for political asylum in Uruguay. Alan Garcia Latin Americas Kennedy Born on 23 May 1949 in Lima Studied law and sociology Elected to Perus Chamber of Deputies for the Aprista Party of Peru (APRA) Became Perus youngest ever president in 1985 at the age of 36 A gifted orator, he was described by some as Latin Americas Kennedy Served two terms as president, first from 1986-1990, then from 2006-2011 BBC Monitoring Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Even though the Good Friday/Easter weekend is coming up and Brexit matters are thus in low gear, the UK still seems stuck in its pattern of confusing motion with progress. A short list of updates: Labour-Tory talks still going nowhere. Im not sure it would be progress even if the negotiations were going somewhere, since Labours Brexit scheme is awfully unicorn-y (wanting a customs union that has pretty much all the goodies of the Single Market without having Single Market obligations). But independent of the substantive difference, its not clear that the Tories have incentives to compromise now, given the upcoming municipal council election. The party is already looking plenty battered. Why give Labour another talking point that will give loyal Conservatives another reason to stay home? More Tory plotting to oust May. May has stared down so many coup attempts that she likely has a food taster. Nevertheless, as always, the noise is this time they really will get her. And in fairness, there has been so much wolf-crying that it would be too easy to dismiss the scheme that finally does May in. The state of play, per the Telegraph: Grassroots Tories believe they are just weeks away from triggering a little-known process that could help to bring down Theresa May. Party chairmen are circulating a petition calling for the partys National Convention, which represents the grassroots, to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to pass a vote of no confidence in Mrs May, the Tory leader. If the petition motion is signed by more than 65 association chairmen, the party is obliged to hold the meeting. So far between 40 and 50 party chairmen have signed it, and the threshold could be passed as early as next week. The wee problem is that even if this move succeeded, it would not remove May as Prime Minister, just as party leader. My understanding is there have been Prime Ministers who have not been the heads of their party. So this move would fall in the category of further reducing her authoritywhen its hard to see how driving her lower from her diminished position would make much difference. Voter positions on Brexit largely entrenched. Admittedly, this item comes from a study written up in Politics.co.uk, but its a large scale conducted by academics who asked many of the same questions in earlier surveys. Hard Remainers and hard Leavers have not changed their minds. There does however seem a shift in sentiment among Left Wing Leavers with a quarter them now ranking Remain as their top preference and also among Sovereignty Remainers. Leave voters who have changed their minds mostly voted Labour in 2017 while changing Remain voters mostly voted Conservative. This means that as Labour has become more Remain, the Conservatives have become more Leave. But are voters still changing their minds? Not really. Last September, we asked people how they would vote in a new referendum. Back then, just over 80% of Sovereignty Liberals and 70% of Conservative Remainers said they would vote Remain again, while 20% of Left-Wing Leavers had changed their minds and would now vote Remain. Overall, the numbers now are pretty similar. While Left Wing Leavers now seem slightly keener on Remain, and Sovereignty Remain voters seem to prefer some kind of Brexit deal, there hasnt really been a significant shift in sentiment. Note I have trouble reconciling the text of the article with this chart, which shows the hard and near-hard Leave factions to outnumber the hard and near-hard Remain cohorts: And we have this mess: Following the repeated failures of Theresa Mays withdrawal agreement to gain a majority in the Commons, many have advocated a softer Brexit as the best compromise outcome. These range from a permanent customs union to the Common Market 2.0 proposal. But only 13% ranked a Softer Brexit as their number one option. Left Wing Leave voters were the only cluster to prefer Softer Brexit in significant numbers, with 27% of them ranking it top. Nevertheless, Softer Brexit was very popular as a second-choice option across the voter types. Indeed, a majority of all voters ranked it second. Using an established ranked voting method, it was the overall population ranked voting winner. This is because Remainers strongly reject No Deal and Leavers strongly reject Remain. Remain voters also influence the ranking more than Leavers because they are more united in their rankings than Leave voters and heavily wanted Softer Brexit as their 2nd choice. Leave voters tend to prefer the withdrawal agreement to Softer Brexit. Given how first past the poll thinking is so deeply ingrained in UK politics, its hard to see how to arrive at a consensus on a second-best option for most voters. And on top of that, softer Brexit is a unicorn-rich zone, so theres a large risk that even if the pols were able to agree on something, that something might not be on offer from the EU. Richard North didnt need a big poll to come to the same conclusion: Therefore, much as we need a plan for Brexit, with the nation uniting behind it, this is not going to happen. Even if the system was capable of generating a plan which had a scintilla of credibility, the majority would oppose it. In this nation of ours, the idea of a national plan is neither a practical nor political reality. Germany making tough noises about no further extension. Mind you, I dont believe this until Merkel starts making similar noises, and even then, Id have doubts, since Merkel is a cautious politician who prefers incremental moves whenever possible. But it could be that by October, enough things have changed that the EU decides that continuing to drag Brexit out is just too costly. Perhaps the EU Parliament elections look like a validation of Macron. Perhaps Barniers successor is less conciliatory towards the UK. But change on the EU side could just as easily strengthen the tendency to engage in neverending extensions. From the Financial Times: Germanys foreign minister has warned London that there will be no Brexit extension beyond October, sending out the strongest signal yet that Berlins patience with the UKs deadlocked political system is starting to wear out. They will have to decide what they want by October, Heiko Maas told the Financial Times in an interview. You cannot drag out Brexit for a decade. Angela Merkel, German chancellor, fought hard to secure a six-month Brexit delay at last weeks European summit against French insistence that the UK should be given at most until the end of June to secure an orderly withdrawal from the EU. Mr Maass intervention suggests that Berlin will side with the harder French line should the new Brexit deadline of October 31 draw closer without progress on the UK side. He also cautioned British leaders that an appeal for a further Brexit delay would be read as a plea to remain in the EU: Another extension could send the signal that they plan to stay in the EU after all. Now this comment could reflect the fact that some Europeans allowed themselves to believe the Corbyn-May talks might get somewhere, when anyone who knew UK politics would see that odds of that happening as very remote. Or this could be more messaging to encourage the Remain faction. So expect another confused next six months. And May seems likely to still be nominally in charge. Notre Dame Consider the Golden Mole LRB (Richard Smith) Why this owl raised a duckling as its own National Geographic (David L). Super cute photo! WE KNEW IT! NASA ADMITS HIDDEN PORTALS OPENING ABOVE EARTH! (VIDEO) Daily Motivational (David L) Phuket Seasteaders told to pack up and go home Thaiger (furzy). Someone needs to tell them Neal Stephenson was not giving lifestyle advice. A.I. Is Changing Insurance New York Times Thawing Permafrost Emitting Higher Levels of Potent Greenhouse Gas Than Previously Thought: Study Common Dreams Early ocean plastic litter traced to 1960s BBC (David L). We now have vintage garbage? A 3D-printed heart with blood vessels has been made using human tissue MIT Technology Review (David L) China? New US policy on seized property in Cuba threatens EU ties DW Wow! Check out this $47 BILLION Underwater Coastal Highway project in Norway! pic.twitter.com/y96M57IvV0 RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2019 Brexit Amid Euphoria in Sudan, a Delicate Dance Over Who Will Lead: Soldiers or Civilians? New York Times New Cold War Syraqistan Big Brother is Watching You Watch Trump Transition The mental rigours of being US president BBC T-Mobile-Sprint Deal Runs Into Resistance From DOJ Antitrust Staff Wall Street Journal The Dangerous Bullying of Ilhan Omar New Yorker (furzy) Health Care 2020 Bernie Sanders raises most 2020 campaign cash in North Carolina Charlotte Observer (martha r) Beto Talks About the Costs of War The Nation (resilc) Paradise, Calif., Water Is Contaminated But Residents Are Moving Back Anyway NPR (David L) Great Example of Local Organizing as Maine AFL-CIO Signs Onto #GreenNewDeal Common Dreams (martha r) Insiders describe a world of chaos and waste at Panasonics massive battery-making operation for Tesla Business Insider (Kevin W) Jack Dorsey Is Captain of the Twittanic at TED 2019 Wired (Kevin W) Trump May Regret His Fed Takeover Attempt John Mauldin Goldman Sachs is cutting nearly 100 jobs amid tumbling profits Business Insider (Kevin W) Five Lies Our Culture Tells David Brooks, New York Times (resilc). Brooks makes sense again. Something must be in the water Delaware court clarifies stance on efficient markets hypothesis Financial Times (David L) Class Warfare Antidote du jour. David D: Seen in my neighborhood: A bonus, from guurst: . , , . 1 . pic.twitter.com/b00LFVoDnI (@Leopard_land) April 1, 2019 And yet another bonus, from Walter B, sent by his daughter in 2017: See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. (Natural News) The ability of major corporations to monitor and manipulate our almost every move is becoming more and more real by the day. No, I am not some Ludditeadvocating an abandonment of the wonderful advancements of technology we enjoy (like the computer I am typing on right now). I am, however, very concerned about the rapid constriction of liberty in our country, due in part to the almost monopolistic control by the Big Five high-tech corporations (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft). (Article by Jeff Sander republished from PJMedia.com) Even Hollywood sees a problem here, and recently produced The Circle (starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson), which addresses the very real march of Big Tech erasing our privacy and taking over our lives: Here are four reasons why we all should be concerned about the awful power amassed by Big Tech: 1. They are spying on us. Call me naive, but it was always an assumption as I was growing up that it was illegal for our government to spy on us. I do not ever remember thinking that a corporation would spy on us. And of course, it never occurred to us that Americans would willingly use machines that would enable corporations to collect more data on us than the federal government could ever have. But that is exactly what has been happening for the past fifteen years (or more) with the rapid expansion of our usage of the Internet. If you use Gmail, or if you use Google as your search engine, every click of the keyboard, even if you delete it, is permanently recorded by Google. Everything you have ever looked up is stored forever on their search engines. And now we actually purchase spies and set them up in our homes! They are called Alexa. One man was even able to listen, through Alexa, to over a thousand recordings of another persons private conversations. A link was accidentally sent to him, and of course this was human error that would never happen again. Sure. And yet, people buy Alexa (which is nothing more than a data-mining tool) to record every single word and activity that it can possibly record and send it back to headquarters. Feel good about that? (Heres another story about the same kind of thing.) So even if we dont have something like an Alexa in our home, do our smartphones spy on us? We know they are tracking devices. Facebook tracks every picture or article you click on. It also uses facial recognition. Why would Facebook use facial recognition? If Mark Zuckerberg puts tape over the camera of his computer, maybe he knows something he is not admitting. 2. They are censoring us. This is not even debatable. In August of 2018 Apple, Facebook, and YouTube removed Alex Jones and his Infowars. Personally, I think Alex Jones is a conspiracist wing-nut, but I certainly dont believe in exiling him to the Internet nether world. How is this treatment of a man they dont like NOT censorship? In September of this year, the Big Tech companies were hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming that they violated anti-trust laws in their censorship of conservative voices. Early this year, Project Veritas announced how Twitter regularly shadowbans conservatives. Project Veritas even caught Twitter employees on video, bragging about their ability to censor conservatives: So, go ahead and post whatever you want, so long as it agrees with the politically correct gurus of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They may not take it down they just may shadowban you so that you still see it but no one else does. 3. They are selling us. When I first saw Facebook I thought, Wow, what a wonderful free product! This is great! Then slowly it dawned on me that no one was giving me a product. I was the product. All the information I foolishly gave up was collected and then sold. Just recently, ABC News reported that Facebook gave private information to Spotify, Netflix, and Amazon. Gave or sold? Yeah, Im sure Mark Zuckerberg gave private information on Facebook users to Amazon out of the kindness of his heart. In a related issue, Facebook is now being sued over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that was revealed earlier this year. By the way, have you ever experienced the creepy moment when you say out loud that you would like a certain product or you were wondering about a certain movie or event in history and then something popped up on your screen within 24 hours that specifically addressed that very thing you were just commenting on? Coincidence? Hardly. 4. They are time-wasters. How much time do you spend scrolling through Facebook? How much time do you spend constantly clicking from one site to another? Isnt so much of that a colossal waste of time? Personally, I wasted the past nine years of my life posting and debating on Facebook. Not one persons opinion was changed (and I thought I was pretty polite, too!). Yes, I caught up with some old high school friends I hadnt talked to in years, but I was shocked at how some conversations and disagreements could turn mighty ugly very quickly. I finally walked away in September of this year. We posted a Christmas card the other day. Thats all Ive done in the past three months. I feel liberated. I am happier, and I dont waste time debating with people. Nor do I waste time endlessly scrolling through a stream of mostly silly postings. Even articles from such diverse sources like the Huffington Post and Business Insider say social media is an enormous. unproductive drain on our time and energy. Instead of getting enslaved to yet ANOTHER endless stupid debate, why not talk to people you really care about? Why not go for a walk outside or help someone at a homeless shelter or go read some good books youve been wanting to read for ages? My New Years Resolution for 2019? Finish off Facebook in my life by completely deleting my account. To wrap it up, I am grateful that I live in a world with mobile phones and rapid access to information. But when corporations have more cash on hand than the federal government and use it to have more data on me than all of our national intelligence agencies combined, and then sell me to other companies well, then I need to strongly limit their access to my life. And I probably need to have a serious conversation with my congressman about the need to restrain their access to my private life. Read more at: PJMedia.com (Natural News) Despite a bull market thats been running strong for more than 10 years now, public pensions are in very serious trouble, as many states struggle to bring in anything even remotely close to the amount of cash needed to cover their ever-growing pension liabilities. While public pensions in many areas of the country have been bringing in impressive double-digit returns in recent years, factors like an increasing number of retirees combined with fewer overall employees has hit these public coffers hard and many of them are on the verge of total implosion. This is a microcosm of a problem that is occurring across the nation, reports Zero Hedge, warning that public pensions are operating in ponzi like fashion meaning they rely on the stock market for high returns, much like a Las Vegas casino. The main issue is that the amount owed to retirees is accelerating faster than assets on hand to pay those future obligations, the report continues. Liabilities of major U.S. pensions are up 64% since 2007, while assets are only up 30%. For more related news about the impending burst of the public pensions bubble, be sure to check out Pensions.news. One day the whole financial bubble is going to burst and its not going to be pretty! Starting in the 1950s and beyond, pensions generally rose faster than liabilities at least for the first five decades. And in the 1980s and 1990s, stock market returns were so high that many governments decided that it was a safe bet to continue increasing employee pensions. But not long after this time, the dot com bubble burst, followed by the 2008 financial crisis both of which delivered a major blow to public pensions, creating a dire situation that has yet to resolve itself. Central banks then stepped in to presumably fix the problem, but only ended up making it even worse. And now we have a situation in which both future and current pensions have nowhere from which to draw funding. The first thing you have to do is make up what you lost. And it takes years, says Sandy Matheson, executive director of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. And then you have to make up what you didnt earn on what you didnt have. Its a pretty steep climb. Private central banks like the Federal Reserve are to blame for this mess Maine is currently $2.9 billion short of what it needs to pay all future benefits, despite garnering double-digit returns for six out of the past nine years. The state made some cuts in response, but these wont be enough to offset its liabilities. Maine did wind up cutting cost-of-living increases for both retired and active state workers, who are owed a median pension of $27,000 after 25 or more years service and dont receive Social Security, reports Zero Hedge. However, the cut only reduced the funds unfunded liabilities by $1.6 billion a $2.9 billion liability remains. This is what happens when privately owned-and-operated central banks like the Federal Reserve base all of their monetary policy on stock market performance which in the end impedes the ability of state and local governments to fulfill their financial obligations to government workers. Yet again, the Fed is trying to solve a problem that it created, by simply creating more problems. And its all tied in ponzi like fashion to how the stock market performs, warns Zero Hedge. It makes you wonder who the perpetual line of market dip buyers really are For more news about the corrupt central banking system and how its undermining and destroying the true wealth of our nation, be sure to check out RISK.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The American Left has begun pushing a new anti-white narrative aimed squarely at any Caucasian supporter of POTUS Donald Trump: Equating being white and being a MAGA nationalist with being a white supremacist. And in doing so, the Left is creating another Trump boogyman for their perpetually triggered anarchists to target for new violence including one the Democratic Partys leading presidential contenders, Sen. Bernie Sanders. On Sunday, the Sanders campaign essentially incited violence against a female reporter for Infowars, Kaitlin Bennett, after labeling the news organization a white supremacist platform and ejecting her from an event in Ohio that was supposed to be open to the general public. When asked about the ejection, Sanders campaign responded (in all caps): WE ARE DISAPPOINTED THE PEOPLE OF THE YOUNGSTOWN COMMUNITY ARE BEING SHOWN ON THE LOCAL BROADCAST NEWS CONTENT FROM INFOWARS, A WHITE SUPREMACIST PLATFORM THAT HAS BEEN BANNED FROM YOUTUBE, APPLE AND FACEBOOK FOR HATE SPEECH AND TARGETING THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO DIED IN SANDY HOOK. In March, Jones said during a court deposition over lawsuits filed against him by a half-dozen families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012 that having been duped so often by the so-called Mainstream media made it far more difficult to trust what any of them say. And given their records of fake news just during the Trump presidency, who can honestly say hes wrong? In any event, Bennett told WFMJ regarding her expulsion from the rally: I asked them, did I violate any rules, did I do anything, am I a disturbance? I was just scrolling on Facebook. They simply didnt want me there because they know who I am and I believe that event was staged they had plants in the audience who were supposed to ask the questions. Bernie was scripted with the responses and they didnt want anyone else to try and ask questions. She said had she been allowed to stay, she would have asked the 2020 candidate if he supports providing free healthcare to illegal aliens. She also said she left the premises without making a scene, though she adds shes never been considered a disturbance at any other political rally or event that shes covered for Infowars. (Related: The U.S.s problem with PC-culture: Lack of free speech will be the countrys downfall.) If you werent afraid yet for the future of America, you should be now The local news station also noted that the Sanders campaign did not give an adequate, specific response as to why Bennett was ejected. Which leaves us to draw our own conclusions, and we have: Shes white, she works for Infowars, and shes been branded a white nationalist a.k.a. white supremacist by Bernie Sanders, via his campaign. That will make her fair game for the next radical Leftist idiot who feels he or she is justified in committing an act of violence because, you know, its perfectly okay to hit a Nazi. You know who else thinks that? CBS. In a recent segment on the CBS series The Good Fight, a chaotic riot scene in which people are attacked, cars are overturned and burned, and police vehicles are smashed, a lone black man approaches the camera and begins to speak. Is it all right to hit a Nazi unprovoked? he begins. I was always taught to never throw the first punch, never instigate, defend but dont attack. But then I saw a video of white nationalist Richard Spencer being punched in the face during an interview, the actor continued. And then I realized theres no better way to show some speech is not equal, he said. Some speech requires a more visceral response. Lets be clear: Spencer was used as a stand-in for all whites who arent abject Leftists, as the Sanders campaign proved when it claimed, wrongly, that Kaitlin Bennett works for a white supremacist organization. Because Alex Jones disagrees with the Lefthes a white nationalist/supremacist Nazi who also shouldnt be allowed to speak, and if does, he and his staff deserve violence. This message is now coming from mainstream media outlets and a mainstream Democratic presidential contender. If you werent afraid yet about the future of America before this, how about now? Read more about the intolerance of the American Left as they push us towards civil war at Intolerance.news and CivilWar.news. Sources include: NewsTarget.com WFMJ.com (Natural News) In order to conserve land, researchers proposed an alternative location for space-intensive solar energy farms. They wanted to set up floating solar photovoltaic arrays on the surfaces of the thousands of artificial reservoirs that provide drinking water and hydroelectric power to the United States. A recent study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pointed out that there were more than 24,000 man-made lakes and reservoirs scattered throughout the U.S. The research team calculated that these artificial bodies of water could hold enough floating photovoltaic panels to produce up to 10 percent of the nations yearly output of electricity. Entitled Floating PV: Assessing the Technical Potential of Photovoltaic Systems on Man-Made Water Bodies in the Continental U.S., the study was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. It is the first serious attempt to gauge the potential of floating photovoltaics systems to generate energy in the U.S. (Related: How to build your own DIY portable solar power box for emergencies.) Floating solar photovoltaics is an American concept that became popular overseas Floating photovoltaic panels are an American innovation. In 2009, an irrigation pond in Napa Valley, California hosted the first ever floating solar facility. The photovoltaic panels were kept afloat by pontoons. Despite being the nation to first come up with the idea, the U.S. did not pursue the construction of floating solar farms on a larger scale. Instead, it concentrated on setting up conventional, if sizable, solar farms on the ground. Eight years after the Napa Valley site started generating electricity, the California-based facility is one of just seven floating photovoltaic sites in the country. The idea appeared to have caught fire outside of the U.S. in recent years. By the end of 2018, more than 100 operational floating photovoltaic sites have been in operation around the world. They are especially popular in resource-limited and space-constrained Japan, which built and operated 56 of the largest examples of floating solar farms. In the United States, its been a niche application; where in other places, its really been a necessity, explained NREL researcher Jordan Macknick, who made a living analyzing available energy, land, and water resources. Were expecting it to take off in the United States, especially in areas that are land-constrained and where theres a major conflict between solar encroaching on farmland. Getting the most out of artificial reservoirs with floating solar panels In their paper, Macknick and his colleagues calculated that the combined artificial and natural bodies of water in the U.S. could provide 2.1 million hectares of surface area to support floating photovoltaic sites. This would save a corresponding amount of land, which could be used for farming, housing, and other purposes. Furthermore, floating photovoltaic systems could generate additional energy and save even more money if they were set up in the reservoirs that provided water to hydroelectric power facilities. The new solar farms could be hooked up to the existing infrastructure, thereby removing the need to erect new power lines and transmission towers. Floating photovoltaics offered additional benefits that were not connected to power generation. Since they blocked and absorbed sunlight, they reduced the amount of light that hit the water. They reduced the amount of water lost through evaporation and greatly slowed down the growth of algae that might otherwise contaminate the potable water in reservoirs. The cost of acquiring and developing land is becoming a larger part of the cost of a solar project, explained study co-author Adam Warren, who headed the Integrated Applications Center of the NREL. In some places, like islands, the price of land is quite high, and we are seeing a rapid adoption of floating solar. Read more news about energy breakthroughs at NewEnergyReport.com. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com Pubs.ACS.org (Natural News) Geoengineering, also known as climate engineering, is a controversial subject. Though many people dismiss it as nothing more than a conspiracy theory, there are many others who vehemently insist that governmental and other organizations are actively involved in attempts to manipulate the weather. Most of these experiments, they say, are directed at reversing the effects of so-called climate change, while some agencies have more sinister reasons for wanting to manipulate the weather, including a desire to control the ionosphere and therefore radio communications for military purposes. In recent years, evidence has been mounting that perhaps geoengineering should not quickly be dismissed as conspiracy theory. Reports have emerged suggesting that increased amounts of aluminum are being detected in precipitation. If this heavy metal is present in the rain, it is certainly present in large quantities in the air. This ties in perfectly with the theory of geoengineering, which claims that aluminum is sprayed into the atmosphere as a way to control the rain. Perhaps the most damning evidence supporting the geoengineering theory, however, is the massive increase in neurodegenerative diseases in recent years. According to the Alzheimers Association, the number of people dying from Alzheimers has increased by a staggering 145 percent since 2000. This is significant, because scientists have been warning for some time that the use of aluminum for geoengineering purposes would cause a spike in the number of people with neurodegenerative diseases. (Related: U.S. fake news media claims geoengineering is a conspiracy theory while China and Russia work together to modify the atmosphere.) The scientists have been warning about this for years As reported by Waking Times (WT), declassified government documents dating back to the 1970s confirm that federally-funded scientific programs have been actively involved in studies dedicated to manipulation of the weather. And these programs have likely been intensified as global warming hysteria has increased. (Related: Nanosized aluminum being sprayed in the atmosphere, causing degenerative disease, says neurosurgeon.) This confirms what scientists have been saying for years. Waking Times reported: In 2014, a CBS news crew interviewed physicist Dr. Michio Kaku. In the interview, Dr. Kaku revealed that scientists were conducting large-scale weather modification experiments that involved shooting lasers and nanoparticles into the sky. Statements like this one have been backed up by scientific evidence, as further noted by WT: [A] ground-breaking scientific study led by Dr. Marvin Herndon, a nuclear chemist and geochemist, found evidence of geoengineering activity that has occurred for at least 15 years the geoengineering activity via tanker-jet aircraft emplaces a non-natural, toxic substance in the Earths atmosphere which results in the release of large amounts of aluminum nanoparticles. Why atmospheric aluminum exposure is more dangerous While it is true that humans are exposed to large amounts of aluminum on a daily basis via the food we eat, the water we drink and the medications we take, as explained by WT, the body only absorbs about 0.3 percent of this aluminum because of protection afforded by the intestinal tract. Atmospheric aluminum, however, is far more dangerous: When inhaled, atmospheric aluminum bypasses the lungs and has direct access to the bloodstream. From here it can circulate through the body and cause a significant amount of harm. This includes lung cancer, kidney damage, bone deformities, seizures, and anxiety. There is also a great deal of research that reveals aluminum exposure can increase the risk of several brain diseases including Alzheimers. This is why Dr. Herndon proposed that geoengineering is responsible for the widespread rise of neurological disease around the world. That 145 percent increase in Alzheimers deaths takes on new and disturbing meaning when viewed in harmony with this type of information. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to avoid atmospheric aluminum exposure, emphasizing the importance of trying to detoxify from heavy metals on a regular basis. Learn more at Geoengineering.news. Sources for this article include: WakingTimes.com Alz.org HealthImpactNews.com SCMP.com (Natural News) The 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre is upon us, and Apple is reportedly celebrating this infamously horrific event by censoring all music from its Apple Music streaming service that makes any mention of the atrocity and who caused it. Staying true to its newfound alliance with the communist Chinese government, Apple is doing its part to make sure that younger generations of Chinese people remain ignorant about the fact that their communist leaders murdered thousands of innocent people in cold blood, simply for the crime of protesting their tyranny. Breitbart News has reported that a music artist by the name of Jacky Cheung, based out of Hong Kong, recently had one of his songs pulled from Apple Music because it makes mention of the 1989 incident though all of Cheungs other songs remain. The youth are angry, heaven and earth are weeping, the now-banned songs lyrics read. How did our land become a sea of blood? How did the path home become a path of no return? the lyrics go on to state, referring to the thousands of innocent Chinese people who lost their lives that fateful day. For more related news, be sure to check out Censorship.news. Apples information monopoly is facilitating a global digital rewrite of history Like its doing with other content in its iTunes store, Apples music censorship efforts are facilitating a massive shift in consciousness away from the truth. By restricting the ability of users to partake in music that talks about real history, Apple is effectively brainwashing Chinese people into believing revisionist lies. By removing a song referring the Tiananmen Massacre, Apple is actively participating in the Chinese Communist Partys agenda of scrubbing the colossal violations it has committed against the Chinese people from collective memory and rewriting history, is how one analyst from Human Rights Watch put it in a recent tweet. Its no longer a secret that Apple has sold its corporate soul to the globalist agenda, which includes flushing down the memory hole all historical information that contradicts what the architects of the New World Order have planned for humanity. Back in 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook proudly announced that his company had formed a partnership with communist China, which apparently includes transforming the entire world into a massive censorship prison. The theme of this conference developing a digital economy for openness and shared benefits is a vision we at Apple share, Cook stated during the gathering. We are proud to have worked alongside many of our partners in China to help build a community that will join a common future in cyberspace, he added. China is persecuting Christians like perhaps never before which means Apple is also inadvertently persecuting Christians One wonders if Tim Cook is also proud of his companys partnership with communist Chinas ramping up of Christian persecution, as the communist state is now offering large cash bounties to snitchers who rat out the locations where Chinese Christians gather for fellowship and worship. Its actually a crime to be a Christian in China, though Apple has yet to publicly denounce this religious persecution which we can only assume means Apple is fully onboard with it. This means that every time a person buys a new iPhone or a Macbook, he or she is indirectly supporting the arrest, torture, and in some cases murder of people who serve Jesus Christ as Lord. President Xi Jinping is trying to establish a new order on religion, suppressing its blistering development, says Ying Fuk Tsang, Director of the Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. [The government] aims to regulate the religious market as a whole, Tsang adds. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Everyone has his or her personal list of greatest musical hits and misses. Some people like pop and hate rap, others like rap and hate pop, and still others have different tastes in music. An international group of researchers explained that dopamine levels in the brain affected peoples preferences in song and musical numbers. Their recently published paper was not just limited to explaining the chemical reason as to why people felt pleasure whenever they listened to, sung, and played certain music it also showed why other songs did not provoke powerful feelings in a listener or musician. The question addressed here is to what extent dopaminergic transmission plays a direct role in the reward experience (both motivational and hedonic) induced by music, wrote Laura Ferreri. She served as the first author of the study back when she was still with the University of Barcelona. Now an associate professor at Universite Lumiere in Lyon, France, she explained that dopamine levels in the brain caused both positive and negative responses to music. Ferreri reported that the neurotransmitter can affect the reward experienced by a person listening to music. (Related: Better than drugs: Integrative approaches to treating depression.) The efficacy of dopamine in the brain affects how much we enjoy music In their study, the research team adjusted the ability of dopamine to modulate peoples responses to music. They gave volunteers one of two different chemical influencers that affected the synapses triggered by dopamine. The first influencer was levodopa, a precursor that got turned into dopamine itself. The other chemical was risperidone, an antagonist that blocked dopamine receptors in the brain, thereby disrupting the neural circuits associated with pleasure and reward. There was also a placebo in the form of lactose that was given during one of the sessions. Every participant underwent a trio of separate sessions held on different days. Each 20-minute session involved the volunteer listening to a mixture of songs. Some of the music was selected by the participant, while others were selected at random by the researchers. The pleasure-related responses of the participants were determined through several ways. They answered questionnaires and wore skin sensors that measured the electrical conductivity of their skin. Finally, each participant was asked if he or she was willing to buy a song. They were also asked about the amount of money they were willing to pay for the song in a token economy. Just how much are you willing to pay for the song you really like? Ferreri and her colleagues reported that a participant who took risperidone was much less willing to shell out money for any of the music. The dopamine blocker reduced the sense of pleasure listeners got from the music. Conversely, volunteers who took its opposite, levodopa, enjoyed the music all the more. The dopamine precursor increased the effectiveness of the neurotransmitter at triggering its associated synapses. Taking levodopa also increased the willingness of a participant to pay for music. The volunteers were also more open to paying higher sums for a song that they really liked. We demonstrate that levodopa and risperidone led to opposite effects in measures of musical pleasure and motivation, Ferreri said. While the dopamine precursor levodopa, compared with placebo, increased the hedonic experience and music-related motivational responses, risperidone led to a reduction of both. Based on the results of their study, they concluded that dopamine played a causal role in pleasure derived from music. Adjusting the effectiveness of dopamine-related transmissions could influence affective processing the ability of a person to make decisions based on what he or she felt was good or bad. Sources include: PsychologyToday.com PNAS.org Webster.ac.at (Natural News) Is your favorite outdoor gear contaminating the environment and destroying your health? A shocking new report finds that an overwhelming majority of waterproof clothing manufacturers (and retailers) continue to rely on toxic fluorochemicals to achieve water resistance even though eco-friendly alternatives are readily available. Researchers from the University of Leeds say that most waterproof products are over-engineered for the average consumer, and that fluorochemicals are not actually necessary for waterproofing. Highly fluorinated chemicals are extremely hazardous to the ecosystem and to human health. Research shows fluorochemicals can cause immune system and reproductive system abnormalities, as well as cancer and these are pollutants prone to staying in the environment for a very long time. Exposure is already problematic for many species, and activist groups are already calling for these chemicals to be phased out entirely. Researchers say fluorochemicals need to go Textile researchers from the University of Leeds say that it is time for clothing manufacturers to phase out toxic fluorochemicals, such as per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (also known as PFCs). Dr. Richard Blackburn, who heads the Sustainable Materials Research Group at the University of Leeds School of Design, commented on the research and stated,Environmentally-friendly and biodegradable solutions are available, but are being resisted by some manufacturers and retailers. Blackburn says that the reasons for this resistance are somewhat unknown, but contends that a lack of technical research showing the effectiveness of eco-friendly alternatives may be to blame. Research shows that current environmentally safe alternatives can repel water but do not offer much in the way of stain resistance. The Leeds team says that for the average consumer, the water resistance of eco-safe options should meet their needs. A survey of 300 shoppers found that most people want gear that is water resistant, but not stain resistant. Non-fluorinated alternatives are a viable option in all cases where stain repellency is not an essential function. These alternatives provide excellent rain protection, and there are long-term ecological benefits from phasing out the highly fluorinated chemicals, Dr. Blackburn explained. However, there are times when PFCs are the only effective option. As a press release from Science Daily reports, only PFC-treated clothing was effective at protecting the wearer against infection spread by bodily fluids something thats essential for medical professionals. For military, fire-fighting or oil industry professionals, PFC water repellents remain the best option as well. But for everyday use, the researchers say, environmentally friendly alternatives are more than sufficient. PFCs are toxic The textile and clothing industry is a major contributor to environmental pollution, and as it stands, uses some 25 percent of all chemicals used worldwide. Waterproofing chemicals are especially concerning because they make their way into the environment during production, throughout the life of the product, and finally, when its thrown out. In 2016, Greenpeace issued a report on PFCs and also found that an overwhelming majority of waterproof gear uses PFCs. Of 30 samples tested, only four were PFC-free. The report noted further that PFCs were prominent in many of the top clothing makers in outdoor gear. Once released into the environment, most PFCs break down very slowly. They can remain in the environment for many years after their release and are dispersed over the entire globe, the Greenpeace report stated. These chemicals have been found at every corner of the globe, from polar bear livers to human blood PFCs are probably one of the most prolific environmental contaminants. At the time, Greenpeace stated that phasing out PFCs by 2020 was not good enough. Here we are in 2019, and researchers are still chastising the clothing industry for irresponsible practices. While it is understandable that companies do not want to produce inferior products, consumers need to at least have the option to buy something PFC-free. As it stands, those options dont seem to be readily available, and the choice to go eco-friendly seems to rest on the shoulders of consumers for now. See more stories about environmental toxins at Toxins.news. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com TheGuardian.com (Natural News) Chemotherapy, often shortened to chemo, is the use of drugs to remove, kill, or damage cancer cells. In conventional medicine, particularly in oncology, its often the primary treatment for cancer, given its systemic effects and its ability to destroy cancer cells regardless of their primary site. The treatment, despite being touted as effective against many forms of cancer, isnt without risk, which can include both acute and long-term damage to organs like the lungs, heart, nerves, and kidneys. A study published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine looked at how the treatment affected the kidneys, and what can be done to alleviate the damage. The researchers found that safflower seeds can protect the kidneys from side effects caused by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug used to treat multiple cancers. In the multi-university study, the South Korean researchers looked at how effective safflower seed extract was in attenuating renal damage from cisplatin using animal models. Cisplatin, also called CDDP, is a chemotherapy drug used to prevent cancer cells from spreading. It is often used to treat advanced forms of cancer, particularly metastatic cancers of the ovary and testicles, as well as Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins lymphomas. The drug is administered intravenously or can be infused into the abdominal cavity. (Related: Chemotherapy and the brain: How this healing treatment actually damages cognition.) Like other drugs used in cancer treatment, cisplatin also comes with adverse effects, including: Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea Hair loss Dry mouth and the inability to taste food Decreased sweating and dry skin Hiccups Pregnant women are advised against taking cisplatin as it can harm the fetus. Cisplatin is also not recommended for breastfeeding women as it can pass into breast milk. Regular doses of cisplatin, in particular, has adverse effects on a persons kidney, with impaired renal function seen in as little as 10 days after therapy. To test their hypothesis, the South Korean researchers injected mice with cisplatin in their abdomen to mimic renal failure caused by the drug. However, mice in the experiment group were orally treated with safflower extracts two days prior. After the treatment, researchers measured biomarkers related to kidney function and collected tissue sample for further analysis. Based on the outcome of the control group, cisplatin treatment caused losses in body weight and food and water intake. It also led to an increased kidney weight. The mice that were pre-treated with safflower seed extract, however, did not exhibit the same symptoms. In addition, biomarkers collected from the pre-treated mice indicated lower levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine which both indicate kidney and liver function. They also noted that free radical levels in the kidney which damage cells and DNA are notably lower even after cisplatin treatment. Safflower seed extracts can also improve the bodys antioxidant defenses, especially after cisplatin treatment. In a study in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, researchers identified that cisplatin can cause oxidant stress in kidney tissues, which contributes to even more damage. Researchers for this study found that safflower boosted catalase expression; this meant that the kidney tissues did not experience significant damage, even after drug therapy. These results provide important evidence that safflower seed extract exerts a pleiotropic effect on several oxidative stress- and apoptosis-related parameters and has a renoprotective effect in cisplatin-treated mice, the researchers concluded in their report. Cancer.news has everything you need to learn about natural chemotherapeutic agents for dealing with this debilitating disease. Sources include: Science.news Cancer.org Chemocare.com RxList.com OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com WorldScientific.com PG&Es new chief executive will earn a base salary of $2.5 million a year, along with a $3 million first-day transition payment, that he could forfeit if he leaves the now bankrupt company within the first year, according to regulatory filings PG&E submitted Tuesday. William Bill Johnson begins his job on May 1 and has promised to serve at least three years, according to the filing, which notes his compensation is subject to approval in the ongoing bankruptcy proceeding. In addition to his $2.5 million salary, Johnson, 65, will earn stock with a targeted value of $3.5 million each year, along with performance incentives. The one-time payment of $3 million would be subject to claw-back if he were to resign or get fired in the first year. The hiring of Johnson comes as the bankruptcy court is currently considering PG&Es plan to give workers and mid-level managers bonuses of up to $350 million based on safety record, profit and customer service metrics. The judge wants more details on how those bonuses will be awarded, saying he wants to make sure the bonuses are awarded as incentives, and not just a layup. Johnson is retiring as head of the Tennessee Valley Authority, where he was the nations highest paid federal employee for six years. Similar to the bonus proposal now before the court, Johnsons bonus would be weighted 65% for safety, 25% financial performance, and 10% for customer satisfaction. Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer spoke at the University of California, Berkeley Wednesday night during an event sponsored by the Berkeley College Republicans. More than 200 people attnded the event at Evans Hall. The topic of the conversation was media bias and the "threat that it poses to our republic," the event description read. "What makes our country great is the ability to say what we want," Spicer told the audience. Spicer worked as an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative and Chief Strategist of the Republican National Committee on top of being press secretary for six months in 2017. UC Berkeley has seen protests over other conservative speakers in the past, but no protests occurred Wednesday. Demonstrators converged at the UC Berkeley campus Monday afternoon for a "rally against white supremacy" two days after a four-day conservative political event was called off. Jodi Hernandez reports. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order protecting free speech on college campuses, threatening to withhold federal funds for universities that don't comply. That threat was aimed at Cal after protests turned violent in February of 2017 and lead the university to cancel Milo Yiannopoulos' speech. The university had him back later that year after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on security. [NATL-BAY]Demonstrators Face-Off at Milo Yiannopoulos Event in Berkeley What to Know Mayor London Breed says the city aims to provide 130 beds at the opening of the homeless navigation center at Seawall Lot 330 The new proposal includes a plan to provide more police officers in the surrounding areas, seven days a week The Port Commission is scheduled to vote on the new proposal at their next meeting, scheduled for next week on April 23 Following weeks of community meetings and public outcry from residents in San Francisco's South Beach neighborhood over a proposed Navigation Center there, Mayor London Breed has announced a proposal to scale back the number of beds and provide extra security. When Breed initially announced plans to build the city's first SAFE Navigation Center at Seawall Lot 330 in March, the plan included providing up to 225 beds for homeless individuals, as well as 24-hour security at the site. Breed's new proposal, crafted with Supervisor Matt Haney who represents the neighborhood, aims to provide 130 beds upon opening, and then slowly increase the number to 200 over a six-month period. That model mirrors how existing centers operate, Breed's office said. In addition, the new proposal includes a plan to provide more police officers in the surrounding areas, seven days a week, according to Breed's office. The lease for the Navigation Center, located on property owned by the Port of San Francisco, would be up after two years. At that time, the Port Commission would decide whether to renew the lease for an additional two years. "We are focused on addressing our homelessness crisis and helping our unhoused residents get the care and shelter they need while also doing our best to address some of the concerns that we have heard from neighbors," Breed said in a statement. "Over the last month, we had heard ideas and feedback from residents and people who live in this area, whether they support the idea or oppose it, and we have incorporated some of those ideas so we can move forward with this SAFE Navigation Center on the Seawall Lot," she said. Breed and Haney's new proposal, released Monday, comes after the city has held more than a dozen meetings with community groups and residents. "Navigation Centers work because when done right and run well, they result in positive outcomes for both the people they serve and for the neighborhoods where they're located," Haney said. "The Mayor's Office and Department of Homelessness have committed to me and to the community that this center will be well-run and safe, and be a true 'navigation' center, which effectively transitions people from homelessness into services and housing." The Port Commission is scheduled to vote on the new proposal at their next meeting, scheduled for next week on April 23. Since the location was proposed, many South Beach residents have announced their opposition to the center, citing concerns of increased crime and drug use in the area. A GoFundMe account, set up by a group calling itself Safe Embarcadero For All for the purpose of retaining legal counsel to stop the center from being built, has raised surpassed its $100,000 goal, raising $101,205 as of Tuesday. A separate GoFundMe site, set up by proponents of the center calling themselves Safer Embarcadero For All, has also surpassed its goal. As of Tuesday, that account raised $176,015 of its $175,000 goal. According to the account's organizers, the money would be used to support the Coalition on Homelessness and cover any potential legal costs. An unusual exhibit will open in San Franciscos Civic Center this week, featuring the faces of dozens of Bay Area Holocaust survivors blown up to larger-than-life proportions. The month-long exhibit features the work of German photographer Luigi Toscano, who is traveling the world photographing survivors and displaying their large-format portraits in public spaces. The exhibit is titled Lest We Forget. "They are different people," Toscano said during a recent photographing trip to the Bay Area. "They are people mostly that survived the concentration camps." NBC Bay Area Toscanos journey began with a visit to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp about five years ago. He noted the silence. He walked around looking for someone to give him information about the history but saw no one. It set off his own quest to find out more which lead him to photographing survivors choosing to capture their faces in portraiture. "You can look at in the eyes," Toscano said. "You can really confront these people." The exhibit will feature eighty photos placed around Civic Center plaza. Toscano has staged similar exhibits in the Ukraine, Germany and recently in Washington D.C. Its sponsored by the German Consulate in San Francisco and the Goethe Institut, aimed at spreading healing in a sprawling tragedy that still haunts Germany. "I think in Germany our society is still very much influenced and we have a horrible responsibility for what happened," said German Consulate General Hans-Urlich Suedbeck. "Its part of our DNA as a country to deal with these issues in a way that is forward looking, in that it helps anything similar from happening again." On a day last month, Toscano visited the Berkeley apartment of ninety-seven year old Ben Stern, a Polish-born man who during World War II was sent to numerous concentration camps including Auschwitz. Of eight siblings, only he and a brother survived. NBC Bay Area Toscano sat across from Stern listening to his stories of how hed survived a death march that began with seven-thousand boys and thirty-three days later had dwindled to one-hundred and fifty-six. "I promised if I survive I will talk about it," Stern said as Toscano nodded and jotted in a notebook, "and Im doing that." Toscano opened up his suitcase taking out a camera, a light shaped like a donut, and a black cloth. He quickly clipped the cloth to a shelf, positioned Stern in front of it and quickly snapped off a dozen pictures. Within minutes he was off to his next location. "After we all survivors are gone pretty soon," Stern said, he will be able to show off all the survivors. When Toscano began the project, the weight of the stories he was hearing began to bear down on him. He couldnt sleep at night thinking about the harrowing tales shuddering at the vast depths of cruelty his past countrymen were capable of. NBC Bay Area "I speak often with my friends about my experience so that helps me to take more pictures," Toscano said, "to take hearing more stories." The Goethe Institut in San Francisco, which promotes learning of the German language and culture, is helping to stage the exhibit which opens April 17th and runs through May. "I think the human being tends to forget," said Goethe director Sigrid Savels Berg. "We have to speak about it and we have to use the chance that we have in having the survivors with us still so we can hear the stories thats absolutely important." Toscano said the current turbulent political climate in the U.S. and Europe over immigration has helped motivate his work and pushed him to continue delivering his message one face at a time. "I have a message in my work, you know," Toscano said. "My message if you forget the past we are damned to repeat it.'" The Board of Directors for the Cow Palace Arena and Event Center in Daly City announced Tuesday they have voted to ban gun shows from taking place at the fairground. In addition to banning gun shows, the board also voted to move forward with a retail and housing project on Cow Palace property. In February, state Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Phil Ting, both D-San Francisco, introduced state legislation to end gun shows at the state-owned venue. The legislation also proposed transferring control of the 68-acre property from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to a locally controlled join powers authority. That authority would then be charged with designing a new strategy for the Cow Palace, including the construction of a housing development at the site. "With these two important decisions today, the Cow Palace board has given Senator Wiener what he wanted: an end to the gun shows and the use of the Cow Palace acreage for retail and housing," Kevin Patterson, executive director of the Save the Cow Palace Coalition, said in a statement. "We hope that he will now amend or withdraw his bill and allow a bright future for this viable and historic public event facility," Patterson said. San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said, "This is a battle that's been brewing for over two decades. The communities surrounding the Cow Palace earned a big victory today as its board voted to cease gun shows at the venue. "The state should not profit off the sales of guns and now it no longer will at the Cow Palace," he said. San Mateo County supervisors have been calling for the end of gun shows at the Cow Palace since 2014, Canepa said. State leaders have attempted banning gun sales at the Cow Palace as far back as 2007, when then-Assemblyman Mark Leno first introduced a bill to halt the sales, but failed. Then in 2009, as a state senator, Leno again introduced a similar bill, but it was ultimately vetoed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2018, Wiener and Ting pushed a similar bill, but then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed that one as well. Two more dead whales were discovered in the Bay Area this week, one in the East Bay and another on the Peninsula coast, according to authorities. A whale's carcass was discovered this week at the Brooks Island Regional Preserve in Richmond, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Tuesday. Later in the day, a dead whale was reported in the water off the shores of Pacifica, and it eventually washed up in the rocks at Manor Beach, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Coast Guard said the whale carcass in Richmond could be the same one spotted over the weekend. The Marine Mammal Center says three of the seven dead whales found in the Bay Area this month died of malnutrition. It's still unclear what happened to the whales found Tuesday. "It could honestly be a variety," said Barbie Halaska, necropsy manager for the Marine Mammal Center. "If there's warmer water, the food source is very limited, so that's why we go out there to do necropsies. And we collaborate with a lot of different researchers and biologists along the West Coast." Earlier this month, a dead gray whale was found washed ashore in Rodeo. At least two other gray whales have been found dead in the San Francisco Bay this year. WASHINGTON (AP) Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Steven Duggar homered off fastballs from Stephen Strasburg, and the light-hitting San Francisco Giants powered their way to a 7-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. The Giants came in with a grand total of 10 homers through their first 17 games. The only major league club with fewer was the Detroit Tigers, with seven in 15 games. San Francisco also ranked 29th of 30 clubs in runs - 47, again ahead of only Detroit - and in batting average - .199, better only than the Cleveland Indians. The Giants were last in on-base-plus-slugging percentage at .572. But they looked like a modern-day Murderers' Row against Strasburg (1-1), who allowed four runs in six innings. Still learning to pitch with a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid-90s, instead of the high-90s heat he possessed before Tommy John surgery and other ailments, he's served up five homers over his past two outings. Longoria led off the fifth with a shot to right-center off a 95 mph pitch. One out and one hard-hit single later, Duggar took a 92 mph offering just over the wall in left-center for a two-run drive that made it 3-1. Belt added a solo shot with one out in the sixth, putting a 94 mph first pitch into the home bullpen beyond right field for his fourth homer of 2019. Boos came from the crowd of 22,334 in the seventh, when the Giants tacked on a pair of runs against Washington's struggling bullpen. Lefty Matt Grace was charged with a fielding error after he couldn't handle a bunt. Later, Grace jumped while several steps away from first base to grab a throw intended for another player who was covering the bag. It all added up to San Francisco's fourth win in five games. Nationals manager Dave Martinez was ejected when he argued with umpire Tony Randazzo after Brian Dozier and Anthony Rendon both struck out looking against Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez (2-2) to end the fifth. Rodriguez, son of Hall of Famer and former Nationals catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, gave up one run and five hits in five innings. He got help from catcher Buster Posey, who threw out a pair of would-be base-stealers at second: Dozier after a walk in the third, and Victor Robles after a single in the fifth. Time Magazine has released its annual 100 most influential people and Palo Alto professor Christine Blasey Ford, as well Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who she accused of sexual assault when they were in school, are among those on the list. The Time 100 Most Influential People 2019 list was split into five different categories: pioneers, leaders, artists, icons and titans. California Senator and democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris honored Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as an "icon" in a few paragraphs, saying that Ford's story "shook Washington and the country." On the other hand, Kavanaugh was honored by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. "Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans. And her unfathomable sacrifice, out of a sense of civic duty, shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors of sexual violence," Harris wrote. Kavanaugh, who has denied all sexual misconduct allegations against him, was in the "leader" category. McConnell wrote that Kavanaugh was one of the most qualified Supreme Court justice nominees in history. "But when unhinged partisanship and special interests sought to distract the Senate from considering those qualifications, we saw other facets of Justice Kavanaughs character shine forth as well. The country saw his resilience and commitment to public service," McConnell said. Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing pitched Ford's word against his and nearly prevented his confirmation to the Supreme Court. But Kavanaugh forcefully denied that he ever sexually assaulted Ford or anyone else and he was narrowly confirmed to the Supreme Court in a vote that polarized the country. Ford told the Senate that she'd always lived in fear of what would happen if she spoke out against Kavanaugh, who was a White House lawyer before becoming a federal judge. Coming forward brought out "constant harassment and death threats" that was worse than what she'd expected and left her terrified, she said. Others with Bay Area ties who made the list were Oakland born actor Mahershala Ali, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Here's the rest of the people who made the cut. A rash of vehicle break-ins down in Hollywood has left a trail back to the Bay Area, as Los Angeles police believe they have broken up a gang of thieves selling the stolen items on the streets of Oakland. Surveillance video led LAPD detectives to make several arrests last weekend in Hollywood. LAPD said it had 40 car break-ins over the weekend involving thieves on ride-share electric scooters. The thieves wear backpacks and break into cars in theater parking garages and on the streets, where they target rental cars. The surveillance video shows the thieves working in teams, and they work quickly. "This is an ongoing issue for these folks, these suspects coming down to Los Angeles on a weekend, breaking into multiple cars and fleeing back up to Northern California," LAPD spokesman Cory Palka said. "The scooters give then mobility, and in Hollywwod on a weekend night with as busy as it gets, the scooters allow them to maneuver through the community almost at will." Sources within the Oakland Police Department say they have worked similar cases before. Last year, a suspect was busted in Oakland after selling expensive jewels stolen from a car in Beverly Hills. "Oftentimes tourists, people new to community, dont lock cars and are prone to becoming victims," Palka said. Palka said five arrests have been made, and the Los Angeles and Oakland police departments were working together on the ongoing investigation. A suspect busted into a high-end fashion store in San Francisco early Wednesday morning and stole multiple items before ditching the scene, according to police. The burglary occurred at the Yves Saint Laurent store on Geary Street near Union Square. Officers responded to the scene around 4:40 a.m., according to police. Police said the suspect backed a vehicle into the storefront, causing a window to shatter. The suspect proceeded to steal "a number of items" from the store before hopping back in the vehicle and fleeing westbound on Geary Street. Aerial footage of the scene showed damage to the storefront, a car tire on the sidewalk and police tape blocking off access to the business. Investigators are still trying to determine how much the stolen items were worth. Police did not immediately provide a description for the suspect. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call police. University of California at Berkeley police said in a community advisory Wednesday morning that the campus has received "an anonymous, non-specific bomb threat." University police said, "There is no reason to believe any explosives have been sent to or placed at the university but UC police ask the community to stay vigilant and report any suspicious packages or items without delay." University police said that to report any suspicious packages or items discovered on campus or other related concerns, people should call them at (510) 642-6760. A Florida teenager who authorities say was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and may have been planning an attack in Colorado just ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. The body of 18-year-old high schooler Sol Pais was discovered in the mountains outside Denver with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after investigators got a tip from the driver who took her there, the FBI said. During the manhunt, Denver-area schools closed as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities canceled for a half-million students. Police and the FBI were tipped off about Pais after the Miami Beach high school student made troubling remarks to others about her "infatuation" with the 1999 bloodbath at Columbine High and this weekend's anniversary of the 13 killings, said Dean Phillips, FBI agent in charge in Denver. He did not elaborate on what she said. Pais purchased three one-way tickets to Denver on three consecutive days, then flew in on Monday night and went directly to a gun store, where she bought a shotgun, authorities said. "We're used to threats, frankly, at Columbine," John McDonald, security chief for Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. "This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention." McDonald described her trip as a "pilgrimage" to Columbine. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said after receiving word that the hunt was over that he and all Colorado parents are "hugging their children a little tighter." In Pais' hometown, Surfside Police Chief Julio Yero asked that the family be given "privacy and a little time to grieve." Pais' parents had reported her missing on Monday night, police said. "This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life," Yero said. Authorities said she did not threaten a specific school. But Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver reacted by locking their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside. Pais' body was found off a trail not far from the base of Mount Evans, a recreation area about 60 miles southwest of Denver, authorities said. She used the weapon she bought, Phillips said. She had been last seen in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Sheriff Jeff Shrader said the sale of the shotgun apparently followed the state's legal process. Out-of-state residents who are at least 18 can buy shotguns in Colorado. Customers must provide fingerprints and pass a criminal background check. A gun shop that said it sold the shotgun to Pais posted on Facebook that she passed the background check and the purchase was legal. "We had no reason to suspect she was a threat to either herself or anyone else," said the post, which was signed by Colorado Gun Broker owner Josh Rayburn. School officials said events planned to mark the anniversary will go on as scheduled, including a ceremony at Columbine on Saturday. Two teenagers attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. They have inspired cult-like admirers and motivated other mass shooters over the decades. Since Columbine, a growing "no notoriety" movement has urged news organizations to avoid naming the perpetrators of mass shootings to deprive them of the notoriety they seek. In Florida, Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School senior, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was "baffled" to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Another classmate, 17-year-old Drew Burnstine, described Pais as quiet and smart. Phillips said investigators were poring through Pais' social media, including a blog with photos of hand-written journal entries alongside sketches of guns. Denver-area parents faced the difficult job of explaining to their children why they had the day off school without scaring them. "This is definitely a challenge in their generation, and watching my kids learn how to navigate this is really hard. It is really heartbreaking," said Suzanne Kerns, of suburban Arvada, whose children are 8 and 15. Kerns said she was angry about how easy it was for someone reported missing to come from out of state and buy a gun. SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: Here is information on suicide prevention from the National Institute of Mental Health. 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. What to Know The practice of protagonists claiming definitive outcomes is as American as Hollywood endings But now, humans carry around the ability to talk to the wider world, and opinions fly across social media In the course of a single week, there has been all of this: "I have been truthful and consistent on every level since day one," actor Jussie Smollett told the world after prosecutors dropped 16 felony counts that accused him of making a false police report about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack. "I am highly confident," high-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti said after being accused of trying to extort money from Nike, "that I will be fully exonerated and justice will be done." "Complete and total EXONERATION," Donald Trump tweeted after the attorney general's summary of the Mueller report's "principal conclusions" was released. And on Thursday night, before a huge crowd: "The greatest hoax in the history of our country." Such certainty across the board. Such vigorous, declarative statements crystallized, workshopped, simplified into sound bites containing a single message: It didn't happen. I didn't do anything wrong. Case closed. End of story. Incontrovertible. Don't question it. Ever since the first stirrings of national inevitability in the 17th century, ever since the colonists declared independence by citing truths they held to be "self-evident," being definitive has been the American way. But in an age of utter uncertainty such as this, the expression of certainty robust, sure-of-yourself, no-other-possibility certainty may be the most powerful weapon of all. "You see this absolute language: 'Always.' 'Never.' It's a drive to oversimplify because we fear losing people, we fear the confused mind saying no," says Shannon Berg, who runs a crisis communications firm in Portland, Oregon. "We have a lot of binary thinking and really overly simplistic storylines that we try to drive to because, for whatever reason, that's how we're wired," she says. "We're not comfortable in the space where things aren't so cut and dried." The problem, though, is that certainty is a rare beast. With Smollett, for example, prosecutors made clear that dropping the charges didn't mean they'd exonerated him. In Avenatti's case, prosecutors expressed confidence maybe even certainty that they had the goods to secure a conviction. And the president? Attorney General William Barr's four-page letter on the still-unreleased Mueller report took pains to say that just because it didn't conclude guilt didn't mean it had concluded complete innocence. Yet the practice of protagonists claiming definitive outcomes is as American as Hollywood endings, the expression of a culture that hasn't had much use for nuance a word that was deployed against John Kerry during the 2004 presidential campaign to support accusations that he was wishy-washy. It wasn't so long ago that Americans lived in a world where they couldn't amplify themselves globally with devices in their pocket, and the notion of "definitive" was a lot easier to control. So when an avuncular, sure-of-himself middle-aged white man signed off his nightly newscast by saying, "That's the way it is," anyone who thought that actually WASN'T the way it was didn't have an immediate and loud way of saying otherwise. The world seemed less fragmented, even though it probably wasn't. Now, though, humans carry around the ability to talk to the wider world, and Twitter-style fragments abound. Opinions, informed and otherwise, buzz about like gnats. A certainty-based central narrative the kind that was often calming, but also shut out and silenced Americans by the tens of millions seems lacking. That can encourage critical thought. It can also sow confusion. One key reason Donald Trump's voters say they've supported him is that they consider him authentic someone who says what he means. Few would accuse him of being overly nuanced; that's not his appeal. And in the age of Trump, that has emerged as a defining tenet of the public sphere: Say what you need to say, plant your feet and insist. This has a lengthy lineage. American society has long been conditioned literally, and sometimes by the muscle of policy to demand sharp, specific, binary outcomes. The production code that governed Hollywood movies from the mid-1930s to the 1960s required, for example, that moral order be maintained and "the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin." Style guides for romance-novel writers offered similar strictures and usually demanded happy endings. But beyond stipulating what KIND of endings things should have, such social engineering also encouraged Americans to expect clarity in life as we do on screen. This was evident in 2007, when the mob show "The Sopranos" offered up a finale that underscored Americans' dislike for ambiguous conclusions. The screen went abruptly black to finish off the show, and no one knew whether its protagonist, mob boss Tony Soprano, was alive or dead. It could have been interpreted in any number of ways. The outcry over the ambiguity was huge; where, people complained, was the definitive ending we were waiting for? Trouble is, life doesn't generally work that way. "The problem with absolute certainty is that it ends up tripping you up," says Evan Cornog, a political historian and author of "The Power and the Story: How the Crafted Presidential Narrative Has Determined Political Success from George Washington to George W. Bush." "There is this fondness for absolutes in this country," he says. "The upside is you project this aura of certainty. The problem is that reality often moves past it and proves it to be wrong." And so, behind the stage of certainty, ambiguity waits in the wings for its inevitable curtain call. It's behind the question of why, in the face of what was generally believed to be strong evidence, prosecutors inexplicably let the Smollett case go and moved on, sealing it from prying eyes. It's in the revelations that will emerge if and when Michael Avenatti faces trial. And it's in the tantalizing subtlety that Barr shared from Robert Mueller himself in a nearly 400-page report that few Americans have seen and that feeds the uncertainty: "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Reality is messy. The best TV these days has started to recognize that: "Mad Men," ''Fargo," Donald Glover's "Atlanta," this month's "Russian Doll" on Netflix. Where once we had "Perry Mason," we now have "True Detective." Each has its own way of showing that stories aren't always wrapped up in tidy bows, and that even things that seem absolutely definitive usually aren't. In this context, certainty seems something of a holy grail. But you wouldn't know it by listening to those in the spotlight during the final week of March in 2019. "Facts are stubborn things," John Adams famously said. But that was the 18th century. Today, in America's era of hyperamplified either-ors, Stephen Colbert may be more appropriate to cite: "Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty." The controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omars reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks continued to boil on the political talk shows on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed that Omar had spoken dismissively about the 9/11 attacks, while Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler said her comments were being misconstrued. Nadler said Omar mentioned 9/11 only in passing while talking about discrimination against Muslim Americans. The comments made by Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, have been widely dissected. We thought it would be helpful to our readers to provide the context for Omars comments, which were made during a 20-minute speech she delivered at an annual Council on American-Islamic Relations event in California on March 23. Many people expect, expect our community to feel like it needs to hide every time something happens, Omar said, referring to the American Muslim community. But repeatedly we have shown them that we are not to be bullied. We are not to be threatened. We are not to be terrorized. We are strong and resilient, and we will always show up to be ourselves because we know we have a right to a dignified existence and a dignified life. Omars speech came a week after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, killing at least 50 people. Omar said many Muslims feared such a tragedy was coming, because they have heard threats at their mosques and in their schools or have witnessed acts of violence targeting Muslims. And she said, Many of us know that this is not a one-off incident. Omar said discrimination against Muslims has been exacerbated by President Donald Trump, who once said, I think Islam hates us. She went on to say that the president thinks it is OK, it is OK to speak about a faith and a whole community in a way that is dehumanizing, vilifying, and doesnt understand or at least makes us want to think that he doesnt understand the consequences that his words might have. Omar said that despite trying to be good neighbors, Muslim Americans are often made to feel like second-class citizens. Muslims for a really long time in this country have been told that there is a privilege, that there is a privilege that we are given and it might be taken away, Omar said. We are told that we should be appropriate. We should go to school, get an education, raise our children, and not bother anyone, not make any kind of noise. Dont make anyone uncomfortable. Be a good Muslim. But no matter how much we have tried to be the best neighbor, people have always worked on finding a way to not allow for every single civil liberty to be extended to us. It doesnt matter how good you are, Omar said. If you one day find yourself in a school where other religions are talked about, but when Islam is mentioned, we are only talking about terrorists. And if you say something, you are sent to the principals office. So to me, I say, raise hell. Make people uncomfortable. Because heres the truth, heres the truth, far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. And frankly, Im tired of it. And every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. That was immediately followed by the sentence with the phrase that is the subject of the recent controversy. CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. So you cant just say that today someone is looking at me strange, that I am going to try to make myself look pleasant. You have to say this person is looking at me strange, I am not comfortable with it. I am going to talk to them and ask them why. Because that is a right you have. Some seized on Omars use of the phrase some people did something to refer to the terrorists and the 9/11 attacks, and suggested she was trivializing the attacks. Trump joined those critical of her comments with an April 12 tweet that said, WE WILL NEVER FORGET! His tweet included a video that starts with Omars clipped comment CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something followed by gruesome scenes of the 9/11 attacks. The 43-second video, which has been viewed more than 10 million times, repeats her phrase some people did something several times interspersed with footage of the attack and wreckage. Omar said that since the presidents tweet, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life many directly referencing or replying to the presidents video. On Fox News Sunday on April 14, host Chris Wallace asked White House Press Secretary Sanders if Trump worried at all about inciting violence against Muslims in general or Ilhan Omar in specific. Sanders said the president is not trying to incite violence against anybody. She added, That [9/11] was one of the most horrific moments in American history and for her to talk about it in such a dismissive way is frankly disgusting and abhorrent, and Im glad the president is calling her out and holding her accountable for it. We could not find that Omar has commented directly on the accusation that her words trivialized the attack, but she retweeted several defenders who said her comments were being manipulated and used out of context. In one tweet, Mehdi Hasan, a columnist at the Intercept, wrote, She didnt trivialize 9/11, she pointed out that Islamoohobes like yourself use 9/11 to smear all Muslims. In another, Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote that Omars full comments clearly speak to post 9/11 #Islamophobia and that Manipulating her remarks is defaming & dangerous for her & her family. And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez noted that Omar is a cosponsor of H.R. 1327, a bill that seeks to fully fund the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. On CNNs State of the Union on April 14, host Jake Tapper asked Rep. Nadler if he took any issue with the way Congresswoman Omar characterized 9/11. No, I did not, Nadler said. She characterized it only in passing. She was talking about discrimination against Muslim Americans. And she just said that, after that happened, it was used as an excuse for lots of discrimination and for withdrawal of civil liberties. In the sentence in question, Omar pushes her hand away from her when she mentions some people presumably to emphasize that it was a few Muslims who had done something and she then twirled her fingers in a circle when referring to all of us losing access to our civil liberties as a result. Again, we will leave it up to readers to determine for themselves the appropriateness of her words. We should also note that Omar was wrong when she said CAIR was founded after 9/11. As its website notes, CAIR was established in 1994 to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America and to empower the American Muslim community and encourage their participation in political and social activism. The Trump administration wants to open two new tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 parents and children near the southern border, as advocates sharply criticize the conditions inside the tents already used to hold migrants. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to potential contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in the South Texas city of Donna, which has a border crossing with Mexico. Each facility would consist of one large tent that could be divided into sections by gender and between families and children traveling alone, according to the notice. Detainees would sleep on mats. There would also be laundry facilities, showers, and an "additional fenced-in area" for "outside exercise/recreation." The notice says the facilities could open in the next two weeks and operate through year end, with a cost that could reach $37 million. But the agency has said its resources are strained by the sharp rise in the numbers of parents and children crossing the border and requesting asylum. It made 53,000 apprehensions in March of parents and children traveling together, most of whom say they are fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Many ultimately request asylum under U.S. and international law. In a statement Tuesday, CBP said it urgently needed additional space for detention and processing. "CBP is committed to finding solutions that address the current border security and humanitarian crisis at the southwest border in a way that safeguards those in our custody in a humane and dignified manner," the statement said. The Border Patrol has started directly releasing parents and children instead of referring them to immigration authorities for potential long-term detention, but families still sometimes wait several days to be processed by the agency and released. The Border Patrol processing center in McAllen is routinely over capacity . Kevin McAleenan, the new acting homeland security secretary, was scheduled to visit McAllen Tuesday and Wednesday. In El Paso, hundreds of people are detained in tents set up at the center of a parking lot next to a patrol station. People detained there have complained of prolonged exposure to cold. The Border Patrol limits them to one warm layer of clothing, confiscates coats, and issues a Mylar blanket to each detainee, citing health and safety concerns. U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan, a California Democrat, visited the tents earlier this month. She said she had seen a mother with her 4-month-old child who had been there for five or more days, in conditions she said were "unhealthy." Border Patrol officials have declined to allow the media inside the tents in El Paso. Land near the bridge in Donna was used last year as a camp by active-duty soldiers when they were ordered to South Texas' Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol also established a tent facility at Donna to hold migrants in December 2016, in the last weeks of the administration of former President Barack Obama, in response to a previous surge of migrants from Central America. Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said she had been allowed to visit the tent facility in 2016. She said that facility had been "open and clean," but noted she visited before it began detaining people. "Detention is never a good idea for any family," Pimentel said. "I believe families are victims of a lot of abuse, and we just add to that abuse by the way we respond to handle and process them." Maines governor wants the states schools to have Naloxone. A program drafted by Gov. Janet Mills would place Naloxone, the drug which counteracts the effects of opioid overdoses, in Maine middle schools and high schools. The law would not make Naloxone a requirement under the law but instead simply make it available for schools that believe it to be a necessity. It wouldnt mandate that they have it, said Gordon Smith, Maines Director of Opioid Response, a Mills appointee. Smith says the program allowing Maine schools to have Naloxone would look much like ones in a dozen other U.S. states. If needed, school nurses would be the primary people responsible for administering the drug. Grace Leavitt, the president of the Maine Education Association, a professional organization which represents many teachers in the state, says that could be a problem for some rural schools which do not have full-time school nurses. Leavitt also wants to make sure teachers could voluntarily elect to be trained on Naloxone administration. Weve got to focus on teaching, she said. Smith believes the teachers would not be put under duress and said current Maine law and regulations prohibit teachers from administering all drugs to students except Epinephrine, the drug used to curtail allergic reactions caused by insect bites or stings and certain foods. Teachers cant give medication to kids without a special law being passed, said Smith. Both Smith and the Maine Education Association want to see Maines total number of opioid deaths, which reached 418 in 2017, go down. Since the Naloxone would not be limited to student overdoses, it could save the lives of any adult in a school that supplies it as well. If this could save somebodys life, we should try to do it, said Leavitt. Governor Mills opioid team is hoping to have an actionable plan to get schools Naloxone within the year. Their target is this coming fall. The Massachusetts Senate has approved legislation that would prohibit LGBTQ conversion therapy for minors in Massachusetts. The Senate approved the bill Thursday by a 34-0 vote. The House earlier this month passed a similar measure by a 147-8 vote. Bill backers say conversion therapy that intends to alter a person's sexual identity has been widely discredited by mental health professionals and can be harmful to children. Gov. Charlie Baker has said he is leaning toward signing the measure if it reaches his desk. Arlene Isaacson, co-chair of the Coalition to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors, said conversion therapy can range from generating physical pain to try to dissuade individuals from same sex attraction to what she called "cruel psychological talk therapy." "Being LGBTQ is not a disease that requires a cure," Isaacson said in a statement. "These fraudulent treatments often lead patients to depression, substance abuse, self-harm and suicidality." Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka's office said the Senate bill would instead "promote therapies that encourage self-exploration and social support." Andrew Beckwith, Massachusetts Family Institute president, said during a recent Statehouse protest that the bill ``eliminates options for struggling youth who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity and really takes away the rights of parents to find the treatment that is best for their children and their families." If the measure is approved and signed by Baker, Beckwith said the organization intends to mount a legal challenge on the grounds that the ban would violate the First Amendment protection of free speech. Five of the six Senate Republicans voted "present" on the bill, saying they didn't oppose it but raising concerns about potential constitutional conflicts. "The question is not whether we should ban these practices. The answer to that is a strong and affirmative yes," said Republican leader Bruce Tarr, of Gloucester. "The question is how." Tarr and other Republican lawmakers wanted to delay a final vote and instead ask the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for an advisory opinion about the constitutionality of the bill including concerns that it might infringe on free speech rights. Democratic Sen. Mark Montigny of New Bedford said the Senate should forge ahead. "Let the SJC do their job," Montigny said. "Our job is to pass this immediately." Similar laws in California and New Jersey have survived initial court challenges. Advocates said if the bill is signed into law, Massachusetts will become the 16th U.S. state to pass a "conversion therapy" ban. Other states that have passed similar bans include Connecticut, California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii and New Hampshire. The District of Columbia has also approved a ban, advocated said. Lawmakers passed a similar bill last summer but it stalled in the session's final hours. The proposed ban would continue to allow adults to seek conversion therapy if they want. Illinois representatives on Monday denounced President Donald Trump's tweet on Rep. Ilhan Omar, calling it "dangerous" and "disturbing." "To do a tweet as the president did, critical of a member of Congress who is Muslim, and to include pictures of 9/11 and references to it is playing with fire," Sen. Dick Durbin said. Rep. Lauren Underwood said the tweet was "irresponsible" and could incite violence. "I think it's disturbing that the president would take to Twitter to demean a colleague, a fellow public servant in Congress," she said. Rep. Ilhan Omar says she's faced increased death threats since Trump spread around a video that purports to show her being dismissive of the 2001 terrorist attacks. "This is endangering lives," she said, accusing Trump of fomenting right-wing extremism. "It has to stop." Her statement late Sunday followed an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she has taken steps to ensure the safety of the Minnesota Democrat and the speaker's call for Trump to take down the video. Soon after Pelosi's statement, the video disappeared as a pinned tweet at the top of Trump's Twitter feed, but it was not deleted. And Trump further escalated the standoff Monday morning, tweeting that, "Before Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is getting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful U.S. HATE statements Omar has made" "She is out of control, except for her control of Nancy!" Trump added. Pelosi was among Democrats who had criticized Trump over the tweet, with some accusing him of trying to incite violence against the Muslim lawmaker. An upstate New York man recently was charged with making death threats against her. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended Trump earlier Sunday, saying the president has a duty to highlight Omar's history of making comments that others deem anti-Semitic or otherwise offensive and that he wished no "ill will" upon the first-term lawmaker. The video in Trump's tweet included a snippet from a recent speech Omar gave to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in which she described the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as "some people did something," along with news footage of the hijacked airplanes hitting the Twin Towers. Trump captioned his tweet with: "WE WILL NEVER FORGET!" Critics accuse Omar of being flippant in describing the perpetrators of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. She later sought to defend herself by tweeting a quote from President George W. Bush, in which the Republican president referred to the attackers as "people" just days after 9/11. Neither Trump's tweet nor the video included Omar's full quote or the context of her comments, which were about Muslims feeling that their civil liberties had eroded after the attacks. The tweet was posted atop Trump's Twitter feed for much of Sunday, with more than 9 million views. It remained lower in the feed after Pelosi requested that the video be pulled. Officials say an Army sergeant has been charged with murder in the death of his wife on a West Texas military base. An Army spokesman says Staff Sgt. Amy Colbert died on April 6 at Fort Bliss, a base in El Paso. After an investigation, Sgt. Lance Colbert was charged with murder, threatening, stalking and using "indecent language" under military code on April 11. Details of the alleged killing were not released, and the Army declined to provide further information. Amy Colbert enlisted in 2011 and served combat tours in Afghanistan and Kuwait. She was posthumously promoted from sergeant to staff sergeant. Lance Colbert enlisted in 2012 and deployed to Afghanistan. He is being held in military custody and has not had a date set for his initial court hearing. The Trump administration is stepping up its crackdown again on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. White House national security adviser John Bolton says there's a new cap on the amount of money that families in the United States can send to relatives in Cuba. Bolton announced the policy in Miami Wednesday, during a speech at the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed 1961 invasion of Cuba, an attempt to overthrow the Havana government. He's also announcing additional economic penalties that target Cuba, as well as outlining new moves against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Bolton called those countries the "three stooges of socialism." "The troika of tyranny Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua is beginning to crumble," Bolton said. Bolton announced a new cap on the amount of money families in the United States can send their relatives in Cuba. The Obama administration had lifted limits on remittances, but the new limit will be $1,000 per person per quarter, Bolton said. Remittances to Cuba from the United States amounted to $3 billion in 2016, according to the State Department. Bolton also announced that the U.S. was sanctioning the Central Bank of Venezuela, which the Trump administration says has been instrumental in propping up the embattled government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He also announced sanctions against financial services provider Bancorp, which he claimed is a "slush fund" for Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega. "The United States looks forward to watching each corner of this sordid triangle of terror fall: in Havana, in Caracas, and in Managua," Bolton said in South Florida, which is home to thousands of exiles and immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. He said Obama administration policies gave the Cuban government "political cover to expand its malign influence" across the region, including in Venezuela. Cuba has trained Venezuelan security forces to repress civilians and support Maduro, Bolton said. "Havana continues to prop up Maduro and help him sustain the brutal suffering of the Venezuelan people," Bolton said. "As President Trump has said, Maduro is quite simply a 'Cuban puppet.'" "Thousands of Cuban doctors in Venezuela are being used as pawns by Maduro and his Cuban sponsors to support his brutal and oppressive reign." Bolton's pledge to "never, ever abandon" the people of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in their fight for freedom also might ring hollow in light of the historical events he sought to highlight at the event hosted by the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. Many Cuban Americans to this day resent the late President John F. Kennedy for not deploying American troops at a critical moment in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Meanwhile, with the high stakes of the Cold War a fading memory, some critics of U.S. policy toward Venezuela worry that the Trump administration's stance that all options are on the table, including a military one, to oust Maduro is an empty threat that will only serve to ignite the streets and geopolitical tensions with Russia, compounding the misery of Venezuelan citizens. "Honoring one of U.S.' greatest military fiascos from 60 years back suggests U.S. policy to Latin America owes more now to a perverse Cold War nostalgia than practical benefits for people of the region," said Ivan Briscoe, the Latin American director for the International Crisis Group, a think tank headquartered in Brussels. Bolton spoke just hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in Washington a new policy that allows lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. The United States has enforced a trade blockade against Cuba since the early 1960s. The announcement comes at a moment of severe economic weakness for Cuba, which is struggling to find enough cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Pompeo said he won't renew a bar on litigation that has been in place for two decades, meaning that lawsuits can be filed starting on May 2 when the current suspension expires. The decision could cost dozens of Canadian and European companies tens of billions of dollars in compensation and interest. Pompeo's decision gives Americans the right to sue companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties Cuba nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. It allows Cubans who became U.S. citizens years after their properties were taken to sue. The Justice Department has certified roughly 6,000 claims as having merit, according to Kimberly Breier, the top U.S. diplomat for the Americas. Those claims have an estimated value of $8 billion: $2 billion in property and $6 billion in interest, she said. In addition, another 200,000 uncertified claims could run into the tens of billions of dollars, she said. Breier said there would be no exceptions to the decision, which has already prompted stern responses from Canada and Europe as they have vowed to protect their businesses from lawsuits. "European companies that are operating in Cuba will have nothing to worry about if they are not operating on properties taken from Americans," she said. The decision deals a severe blow to Havana's efforts to draw foreign investment to the island and comes as Trump steps up pressure to Venezuela's Maduro , who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. Spain, which has large investments in hotels and other tourism-related industries on the island, was the first to react. A senior government official told The Associated Press that Madrid would ask the European Union to challenge the U.S. move in the World Trade Organization. Businesses from Canada, France and Great Britain among other countries also conduct business in properties nationalized after Castro took power. Johana Tablada, Cuba's deputy director of U.S. affairs, said on Twitter: "Before they try to euphorically ride a wave of wickedness and lies, they should take a dose of reality. The world has told John Bolton and the U.S. government to eliminate the criminal blockade against Cuba and the Helms-Burton Act" of 1996. Countries with large investments in Cuba have ferociously protested the law. "The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal and violates international law," said Alberto Navarro, the European Union ambassador to Cuba. "I personally consider it immoral. For 60 years the only thing that's resulted from the embargo is the suffering of the Cuban people." A Connecticut appeals court is set to hear arguments in a lawsuit alleging Sandy Hook Elementary School officials failed to order a lockdown that could have saved lives before a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012. The hearing before the state Appellate Court is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The parents of two children killed at the Newtown school are appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit by a trial court judge, who ruled school officials were immune from being sued and security protocols were discretionary. The parents are seeking undisclosed damages and hope the case results in safety procedures being followed in the future. A lawyer for the town and school district has said there is no evidence school officials did anything wrong. What to Know A raging fire tore through a sushi restaurant and medical office in Brooklyn early Wednesday; it took firefighters four hours to control it Angry flames leaped from the roof as smoke billowed over Marine Park; at least one firefighter was hurt but is expected to be OK The blaze hit five alarms before 10 a.m.; a cause is under investigation A raging fire tore through a sushi restaurant and attached medical building in Brooklyn early Wednesday, spewing smoke over the neighborhood as firefighters battled intense flames for hours. The blaze broke out around 6:30 a.m. at a commercial building on Flatbush Avenue. It escalated to a three-alarm blaze within half an hour and only gained in strength, transforming into a five-alarm inferno before 10 a.m. Chopper 4 showed a dramatic scene, with thick smoke billowing from the roof and flames appearing to overtake the entire structure. The roof of the restaurant and office building completely collapsed and the fire appeared to be threatening adjacent storefronts. A monster emergency presence flocked to the scene, with at least a dozen fire engines seen from Chopper 4's aerial view. The city advised people who live in the area to close their windows amid rampant smoke. Dozens of people crowded nearby streets to watch the buildings burn. At least one injury to a firefighter was reported, but that person is expected to be OK. A close-up view from Chopper 4 showed most of the smoke appearing to come from the charred carcass of the sushi restaurant. The medical office was reduced to a burned husk, nothing but black viewable inside. Officials said chemicals in the office fanned the flames. Shifting winds, and flames in between the two buildings, also complicated the firefighting effort, authorities said. Flatbush Avenue was closed in both directions in the vicinity to accommodate the emergency response, which stretched multiple blocks. The fire was declared under control around 10:30 a.m., roughly four hours after it broke out. A cause of the blaze is under investigation. Land around Dunkin Donuts Park has been tied up in litigation for years, but the parking lots around the ballpark known as the Downtown North development could be moving in a new direction. That would be amazing because this area needs it, Michelle Liss said. This week, the potential new developer of the area, RMS Companies, made a pitch to Hartford City Council to allow them to move forward with the first phase of their plans. More than two years ago the city terminated its contract with DONO LLC and Centerplan after they failed to complete the stadiums construction. Centerplan later sued the City of Hartford for wrongfully terminating its contract, leaving the land in limbo. Hartfords city attorney said Wednesday that Mayor Luke Bronin has now requested city council approve plans for the city to move forward with its negotiations with RMS Companies to develop the area, a decision that could be made by the end of this month. Yard Goats fans were torn on the pending litigation about what to do next around the ballpark, to finally get the development off the ground or leave it the way it is at ground level. Hartfords Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julio Concepcion told NBC Connecticut, We strongly support the redevelopment of the parcels in Downtown North. This is critical, not only for the economic growth of our Capital City, but for connecting two neighborhoods that for far too long have been divided. This project will have long-lasting benefits to these neighborhoods and the entire city." Former Vice President Joe Biden will visit Boston this week to speak in support of striking Stop & Shop workers. The United Food & Commercial Workers said on its website that the potential Democratic presidential candidate would join Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Thursday afternoon for a rally at the South Bay Center Stop & Shop location in Dorchester. Tens of thousands of Stop & Shop employees in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut walked off the job last Thursday. Workers have been picketing outside stores ever since. "The men and women who make Stop & Shop a success have earned and deserve affordable health care, a good wage, and the ability to retire with dignity," union leaders said in a statement when the strike began. "They have earned and deserve a good job that allows them to do what they do best: provide the very best customer service for New England communities." Quincy-based Stop & Shop, a division of Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, says it is offering across-the board raises and "excellent" health care benefits that beat industry standards. The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts sent a message to members urging them to attend the rally "to support the 31,000 UFCW members that are out on strike." Biden, mulling a run for the Democratic nomination for president, last week tweeted his support for Stop & Shop workers. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has already said she is running for president, met with striking workers on Friday in Somerville. Democratic presidential contender Cory Booker has also voiced his support via Twitter. Thursday's rally will take place at 2 p.m. at 1100 Massachusetts Avenue in Dorchester. Protesters gathered for a second day Wednesday after an officer-involved shooting in New Haven that injured a 22-year-old woman Tuesday. The shooting did not involve New Haven Police, but rather an officer from the Hamden Police Department and one from the Yale Police Department. Connecticut State Police, who are investigating, said both officers fired during the incident. The protesters hope to continue to put pressure on city leaders to release body camera footage. Dozens of people rallied outside the home of Yale President Peter Salovey Wednesday. They have concerns after one of Yales police officers was involved in yesterdays shooting, and came with a list of demands. Those demands include all the officers involved in the case should be fired immediately, the officers' body camera footage to be released, and transparency in the ongoing investigation. "I think the concern is we are benefiting," said Ian Wraga, a Yale student who lives near the shooting scene and spoke to NBC Connecticut earlier in the day."We go to Yale. We are benefiting from this. We are paying tuition here and yet this is the type of thing that this institution is being a part of and that's just not OK." This is one of several protests held since the shooting. Black Lives Matter protesters showed up at Hamden Police Department Tuesday night, demanding answers about the shooting. Another group rallied at the site of the shooting on Argyle Street in New Haven Tuesday night. Police said the officers opened fire on a man and woman inside of a car Tuesday morning on Argyle Street in New Haven. State police said no weapon was found in the car. New Haven Police said Hamden officers suspected the car was involved in the armed street robbery of a newspaper delivery carrier at 4:19 a.m. Tuesday in Hamden that they were investigating. According to State Police, "the suspected party exited the vehicle in an abrupt manner and turned toward officers." Surveillance video that apparently captured the incident does not show those movements. Witnesses saw police ordering both the man and woman to get out after they stopped shooting. Earlier Wednesday New Haven and Hamden leaders held a press conference and promised to help rebuild trust with the folks in surrounding areas after the shooting. But concerned citizens who spoke to NBC Connecticut, including some Yale students, still question why the officers fired their guns as the states attorneys office continue the investigation. My tuition money is funding the salaries of Yale police officers. A Yale police officer was one of the shooters so my money is tied into this violence thats happening in our community, said Ross Miller, a Yale student. A police department representative said Yale officers have citywide jurisdiction. I write this evening to assure you that Yale will cooperate fully in the investigation that the Connecticut State Police and the States Attorneys Office are conducting; when they have finished, and we can have access to the evidence, we will also conduct our own investigation into this matter. As the primary investigation proceeds, we will share whatever information we can as quickly as we can about the circumstances of the shooting, Salovey wrote in a statement posted on Yales website Wednesday. The Yale officer has been identified as Terrance Pollock, a 16-year veteran of the department. The Hamden police officer involved has been identified as Officer Devin Eaton. He has been placed on administrative leave. As community members express their frustration, city leaders urge anyone who may have seen the situation unfold or who may have video of the shooting to give them a call. People took to the streets in two communities Tuesday demanding action after a woman was shot as police opened fire in New Haven. Surveillance video apparently captured the shooting near Argyle Street and Dixwell Avenue, which involved officers from the Yale and Hamden police departments. Tensions were running high near the shooting scene at a rally Tuesday night. The mayors of both New Haven and Hamden came out, as well as their police chiefs, to offer their support to the community. But there were many who demanded more needs to be done. Raising voices and concerns after police shot a woman in a car in New Haven. Surveillance video capturing the dramatic moments near Argyle Street and Dixwell Avenue early this morning. Its a terrible piece of footage that is out there, said Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber. People want to see police body camera video of what unfolded around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. Release the footage now. Release the footage now, protesters chanted. Connecticut State Police, who are handling the investigation, say a Hamden officer and Yale officer both opened fire. Hamdens acting police chief spoke to the crowd. I dont have the footage. All the footage has been turned over to state police, Acting Chief John Cappiello said. Police on Argyle St & Dixwell Ave in #NewHaven. Dixwell Ave is CLOSED from Munson to Gibbs St. Detour on Shelton Ave. LIVE UPDATES FROM SCENE NEXT @NBCConnecticut #NBCCT. pic.twitter.com/Egep3s4oMZ Jennifer Joas NBC CT (@JenniferJoas) April 16, 2019 Investigators say the officers had stopped the car because it was suspected of being linked to an attempted robbery in Hamden. A witness describing a red car ramming a police cruiser. State Police said the suspect did not follow orders, leading to officers going for their guns. No weapon was found in the car. A woman who said her son was the suspect spoke to the crowd. He was not hurt. Stop being silent because any day it could be your kid, she said. The 22-year-old woman, who was the passenger and was hit, is expected to survive. Were all angry. And I cant ask you to believe it that were going to do the right thing. I ask one thing: I ask you to believe in the actions that are taken, Mayor Curt Leng of Hamden said. But many have little faith in the investigation underway. And so they took to the streets from New Haven to Hamden tonight. We are like our lives dont matter. This condition in America has to change, said Hamden resident Remidy Shareef. Leng said that their officer involved has been placed on leave. Read his full statement on the situation below. Police have yet to update us on the status of the suspect but they say no arrests have been made. Mayor Leng Statement: "Every time a gun is fired in our community, it has my concern and my immediate attention. Protecting as many people as we can, while also preventing as much crime and violence as possible, is arguably the core function of our hometown. Please know that this incident is being investigated with the utmost seriousness that it deserves. The State of Connecticut is conducting a full investigation. As Mayor, I will need to hold off on any further public comments to ensure nothing I say has even the slightest chance of tainting what I trust will be a comprehensive investigation and evaluation by the State. I intend to share the results of this investigation, and any other appropriate information in the coming days, to make the process as transparent as possible within the restrictions of a State investigation. I commit to all today that I will continue this discussion and work together with Hamden's community leaders, law enforcement officials, clergy, and human rights counselors and advocacy groups in an effort to ensure that Hamden provides all people with the very best Police Services possible." In the days following a tornado outbreak that hit the small town of Alto, Texas, a Fort Worth woman has put out a desperate plea to find her mother's wedding ring. Kerrie Bell said her mother and stepfather stopped at the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site Saturday on their way back from the Woodlands to their hometown of Azle. The couple was in their van when the EF-3 tornado hit and flipped them. Bell's mother later died as a result of her injuries. They later realized Bell's mother's wedding ring, which she wore throughout her 34-year marriage, was missing. "I'd love to give it to my little sister. It's not worth a lot, but emotionally it would mean a lot to us," Bell said. Bell said they've been back to the site with metal detectors, but haven't been able to find it among the destruction. She's hopeful someone picked it up and can get it back to the family. The ring is gold with a solitary diamond stone. The band is a size four or five -- sized to fit her petite mother. Bell can be found on Facebook as Kerrie Joplin-Bell. She's also posted the details on the Facebook group "Tornado of 4/13 Lost & Found." A crowdfunding campaign for three African American churches in Louisiana recently gutted by arson reached seven digits Wednesday after social media posts urging the public not to forget the plight of the small houses of worship as the eyes of the world were on the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. "As we hold Paris in our hearts today, let's also sent some love to our neighbors in Louisiana," a Tuesday tweet from Hillary Clinton read. Freelance journalist Yashar Ali, with 395,000 followers, struck a similar tone, tweeting that the Notre Dame restoration "will be well funded" and urging support for the Louisiana churches. "It's a blessing, truly a blessing," the Rev. Freddie Jack, president of the Seventh District Missionary Baptist Association, said of the fundraising campaign in a telephone interview Tuesday night. The three churches are members of the association. The son of a local sheriff's deputy was arrested and charged with burning down three historically black churches over the course of a week. Holden Matthews, 21, could face more charges if authorities determine the arsons were hate crime. Suspect Holden Matthews, 21, is in custody in connection with the Louisiana fires and faces charges that include hate crimes. The fires happened in and around Opelousas beginning in late March. Matthews was arrested a week ago. The campaign has raised more than $1 million as of Wednesday morning, after hitting $500,000 the prior evening. The more than 18,400 contributions range from $5 to thousands of dollars. 36. We did it! We just crossed the 1 million dollar mark!!!!! Look at what you got done!!! I may be crying in a Starbucks right now, I am so moved by your generosity!!! We have to keep it going! These churches and the community need ushttps://t.co/gj1BcNsGpu Yashar Ali (@yashar) April 17, 2019 "It's all working out for the greater good," Jack said, when asked about the connection being made to the Notre Dame fire. The money raised is to be distributed equally among the three century-old churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, which burned on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas; and Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, which burned over the following 10 days. Vice President Mike Pence is headed to Dallas Wednesday for a Trump Victory event. Pence's Trump Victory event is scheduled to begin at about 1 p.m. At about 2 p.m., Pence will head west to Midland where he will visit a Permian Basin Oil Field and Diamondback Oil Rig. There, the vice president will receive a briefing on the rigs operation, tour the rig, and give remarks to employees regarding the positive impacts of the administrations United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Afterward, Pence will participate in another Trump Victory event before heading back to Washington D.C. at about 6:20 p.m. Severe weather is expected in North Texas Wednesday, though the vice president is expected to depart the area before storms arrive. Vice President Mike Pence will be in Dallas Wednesday to take part in a "Trump Victory" event, the vice president's office says. Pence will attend a fundraising event in Dallas, before he goes to Midland, where he will visit the Permian Basin Oil Field and Diamondback Oil Rig. While at the rig, Pence will speak to employees about the Trump administration's new United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, the renegotiation of NAFTA, according to the vice president's office. After he visits the rig, Pence will attend another fundraising event. Southwest and American Airlines both took steps to protect passengers and their fleets Wednesday by cancelling flights and reducing operations at area airports ahead of severe weather expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon and evening. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said just after 2 p.m. Wednesday that they were "proactively suspending operations at Dallas Love Field between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m." The airline said the cancellations will impact about 100 flights, including arrivals and departures. "We encourage Customers to check their flight status at Southwest.com. Our number one concern is the Safety of all our Customers and Employees," the airline said in a statement. Among the stranded was a high school group in town from El Paso. After wrapping up a student council conference and arriving at Love Field to head home, they found out their trip would be unexpectedly extended by two days. We are just going to have to keep 14 teenagers busy and just make the best of these next couple of hours that were going to be stuck here in Dallas," said chaperone Syvia Hernandez. In an airport closer resembling a ghost town, making the best of it seemed to be the theme. Were just going to walk the airport and read books and watch movies and drink a bottle of wine that we have," said David Gerwigis. Not all travelers, however, were willing to wait around and see what mother nature would bring North Texas. The plan is to go have a good time since were here and try to get out of the way of a tornado. Drive away from it to an area that we dont know but get away from it. Then get back here first thing in the morning to fly home," said Chris Martin. On their website, Southwest said flights from Dallas, Austin, Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Tulsa may be affected and that customers who need to re-book travel can do so without paying any additional charge. Fort Worth-based American Airlines initially said they were monitoring the storm and had a plan to minimize the number of aircraft exposed to the elements. A short time later, American issued another statement saying they were reducing operations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Wednesday evening. American said there would be only two departures and no mainline arrivals after 9 p.m. For the airline's regional flights, there would be no arrivals after 8 p.m. and no departures after 9 p.m. Travelers flying on other airlines in and out of DFW or Love are encouraged to check the respective airport websites for flight status updates. Bill Cosby says his insurance company is settling another accuser's lawsuit without his permission, a week before his scheduled deposition. Cosby in a statement accuses American International Group Inc. of "egregious behavior." He says he could have proven he was in New York during the alleged 2008 encounter with 18-year-old Chloe Goins at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Goins says Cosby drugged and molested her. Cosby was set to give a deposition in the case in prison next week. Lawyer Craig Goldenfarb says Goins is pleased with the confidential settlement. Messages were left with AIG officials Tuesday. The 81-year-old Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term near Philadelphia for sexually assaulting a woman in 2004. AIG this month has also settled defamation lawsuits filed in Massachusetts by seven other Cosby accusers. What to Know The vote in opposition of Senate Bill 50 comes roughly 13 months after the council officially opposed a similar bill, SB 827. The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to oppose state legislation that would allow developers to build housing projects near rail stations, bus lines or ferry terminals that are taller or denser than local zoning laws permit. The vote in opposition of Senate Bill 50 comes roughly 13 months after the council officially opposed a similar bill, SB 827, that was also proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. "It's difficult to know where to start. First of all, this is not an affordable housing bill, it's the opposite. It's really just a handout for developers," City Councilman Paul Koretz said before the vote. SB 50 would significantly reshape urban neighborhoods all over the state by overriding local zoning laws, but a resolution introduced by Koretz and approved on a 12-0 vote says the bill would end up "thwarting our current efforts to gather community input and support to customize our local incentive program." The council also approved a separate motion to instruct the Department of City Planning to prepare an analysis on SB 50 detailing its potential impacts to the city. SB 50 is proposed by Wiener as a way to fight the state's housing shortage and encourage public transportation by eliminating "hyper-low-density zoning" within a half-mile of rail lines, bus lines and ferry terminals. Aside from overriding local laws governing height and density limits, developers working in an approved transit zone could build with no parking minimums and limited design review. "California's housing shortage is threatening our environment, economy, diversity, and quality of life. We must reform how we approach housing and, once and for all, elevate housing to a top priority," Wiener said earlier this month. Two of France's richest men, long locked in a very public rivalry, are once again pitted against each other this time over flashy and competing donations to rebuild Notre Dame. Billionaire luxury tycoons Bernard Arnault, 70, and Francois Pinault, 82 are among France's fiercest business competitors and patrons. On Tuesday, their rivalry reached dramatic heights when it was announced Pinault, his son and their company Artemis would immediately donate 100 million euros ($113 million) to help finance renovations to Notre Dame after it was seriously damaged in an inferno during building works. Hours later, Arnault shot back with an announcement that he, his family and his luxury company LVMH would pledge double that amount 200 million euros ($226 million) for the restoration of the church that was immortalized in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" an eternal story of obsession and jealousy. Along with commitments from other benefactors, at least 500 million euros ($564 million) have been pledged to the rebuilding effort, NBC News reported. Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Twitter that the tech giant would be donating to efforts as well, "to help restore Notre Dame's precious heritage for future generations." Notre Dame, the American university, announced Tuesday that it would donate $100,000 to repair its namesake in France. But the sudden outpouring of generosity has left the building's senior fundraising adviser frustrated, he told NBC News, since it's more than three times the amount that France's Ministry of Culture determined the building needed for renovation in 2014 an amount that the church was still fundraising for when the fire broke out. "The importance of restoring this cathedral is only in the full light today, which is frustrating because part of it has been burned in the fire and has now disappeared," Michel Picaud said. Nevertheless, Picaud is "quite grateful" to the donors stepping up now, saying, "We absolutely need billionaires contributing to this." The famed rivalry of Arnault and Pinault, whose names rhyme, goes back decades. "They're like competing boys, but the stakes run into the billions," said Long Nguyen, fashion editor at Flaunt magazine. Arnault is France's and Europe's richest man and CEO of the world's biggest luxury group, LVMH, the owner of iconic fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Pinault founded the world's second-biggest, Kering, formerly PPR, that acquired rival brand Saint Laurent in a face-off. "The Notre Dame donations are the latest in a long line ... They run competing fashion houses and both like the center stage," he added. Both men also possess a sizeable art collection and a desire to show it off in competing museums. Pinault's son Francois-Henri married actress Salma Hayek and is often in the society pages, while Arnault's son Antoine fathered children to supermodel Natalia Vodianova. The two were reportedly on friendly business terms until the late 1990s. Some commentators have linked the souring of pair's relations to a bidding battle over the ownership of Italian fashion house Gucci, which eventually went to Pinault's Kering group. Then, the battling turned to art. Arnault opened the Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed by architect Frank Gehry, in 2014 to showcase his vast personal art trove in Paris' far western suburbs. Some critics have branded it a vanity project, with French media claiming that the glimmering building's final price tag came in at close to $900 million. Meanwhile Pinault, who with his son is estimated to represent France's sixth fortune, is following hot on Arnault's heels and is set to open his multimillion-dollar contemporary art museum, the Collection Pinault-Paris, next spring. Since 2001, Pinault has gradually been ceding control of his business interests to his eldest son Francois-Henri, 56, to concentrate on his art collecting. The museum, designed by another big-name architect, Tadao Ando, will display the octogenarian tycoon's personal contemporary art collection. The website highlights its prime central location "in the very heart of Paris" in the city's former stock exchange. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns cosmetics giant L'Oreal, and Total also each pledged 100 million euros to go toward the restoration over the 850-year-old cathedral. A transgender migrant from Honduras died in ICE custody last year from a rare, AIDS-related illness called multicentric Castleman disease, according to the official autopsy report released last week by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. Activists had claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit that bruising and fractured ribs discovered by an independent medical examiner suggested that the migrant, Roxsana Hernandez, 33, had been abused while in detention, NBC News reported. But the state medical investigator said in a statement that it did not share that conclusion, noting that forceful CPR broke Hernandez ribs and caused the bruising. The official autopsy concluded that Hernandez, who had been detained after requesting asylum, had untreated HIV infection" and died from AIDS-related complications. According to the autopsy and notes provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Hernandez treatment while in custody, both it and Customs and Border Patrol were aware of Hernandez HIV status during her detention but still did not provide her with the necessary antiretroviral drugs. The Senate turned away from the Green New Deal on Tuesday as both parties shunned an opportunity to debate a comprehensive climate change plan offered by Democrats. Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate forced the vote as they seek to turn the Green New Deal into a wedge issue in the 2020 elections. Democrats called the GOP's move a "sham" and said it carries its own political risk by mocking an issue climate change that a growing number of Americans care deeply about. Senators voted 57-0 against a procedural motion to take up the nonbinding resolution, which calls for the U.S. to shift away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal and replace them with renewable sources such as wind and solar power. Three Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, joined all 53 Senate Republicans in opposing the climate plan. Forty-three Democrats voted "present" to protest the GOP's action. Democrats accused the GOP of quashing debate by blocking public hearings and expert testimony about the consequences of inaction on climate change. In shifting the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels, the Green New Deal calls for virtual elimination by 2030 of greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. The plan has broad support among Democratic activists, and all six of the 2020 presidential contenders serving in the Senate have signed on as co-sponsors, putting it at the forefront of the party's sprawling primary race. However, Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper said Tuesday he opposes the Green New Deal. The former Colorado governor said the proposal sets "unachievable goals" and shuns the private sector. Republicans say the plan would devastate the economy and lead to a huge tax increase. They call it more evidence of the creep of "socialism" in the Democratic Party, along with "Medicare for All" and a sweeping elections reform package that would allow public financing of congressional campaigns. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky scheduled Tuesday's vote, saying it would force Democrats to take a stand on a plan that "might sound like a neat idea in places like San Francisco or New York" but would result in communities across the country being "absolutely crushed." By "basically outlawing the only sources of energy that working-class and middle-class families can actually afford," the Green New Deal would "kill off entire domestic industries" and eliminate millions of jobs, McConnell said. The plan could lead to a spike in household electric bills of more than $300 a month, he said. President Donald Trump also weighed in against the plan, which the White House called "job crushing." At a luncheon with Senate Republicans, Trump urged lawmakers to keep the Green New Deal alive as an issue to use against Democrats. "He said it's important to run against," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Trump likes the way the Green New Deal makes Democrats "uncomfortable," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called the Green New Deal "ridiculous" and displayed pictures of dinosaurs, cartoon characters and babies as he derided the plan. He said he was treating it "with the seriousness it deserves." One poster Lee displayed depicted President Ronald Reagan shooting a machine gun while riding a dinosaur that was holding a U.S. flag. The outlandish image was intended to illustrate the U.S. winning the Cold War, Lee said, but its fictional nature served a purpose: "Because 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. Lee's remarks enraged Democrats, who called climate change deadly serious, citing floods in the Midwest, wildfires in the West and hurricanes in the South. "Climate change is not a joke," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the resolution's lead Senate author. "Mocking it is shameful." Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the lead House author, trolled Lee's argument on Twitter. "If this guy can be Senator, you can do anything," she wrote to her 3.7 million followers. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, one of a half-dozen senators seeking the Democratic nomination for president, said Republicans treat climate change "as a game" and said Democrats "will not fall for this stunt." Slowing climate change "should be our nation's moonshot" in the 21st century, Gillibrand said, calling it a generational challenge similar to the race to the moon in the 1960s. "We don't know if we can get to net-zero carbon emissions in 10 years, but why not try?" she said at a rally before the Senate vote. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Democrats were being hypocritical by refusing to vote for their own plan. "I've never seen a bill sponsored by a dozen people who don't want to vote on it," he said. The Green New Deal goes far beyond energy to urge national health care coverage and job guarantees, high-quality education and affordable housing, as well as "upgrading all existing buildings in the United States" to be energy-efficient. Democrats have not specified a price tag, but Republicans say costs could run into the tens of trillions of dollars. AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. What to Know Its Wednesday, April 17th and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for the day. Its Wednesday, April 17th and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for the day. Weather wise, comfortable temperatures and low humidity are again in the forecast for South Florida but warmer weather and another front are on the way starting at the end of the week. No. 1 - The father of a South Florida woman suspected of making threats against multiple schools in Colorado, including Columbine High School, is begging for his daughter to come home and turn herself in. Authorities are searching for 18-year-old Sol Pais, of Surfside, who traveled to Colorado on Monday night. Police said she made threats to more than 20 schools, including Columbine High School -- just days before the 20-year mark of the mass shooting that killed 13 people. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the FBI say Pais bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. No. 2 - Newly obtained surveillance footage shows the confrontation among Miami police and two men accused of impersonating federal agents at Little Havana's Versailles restaurant earlier this year. Police say Ismael Diaz, 51, and Alberto Nunez-Horta, 48, were arrested back in January and faced charges of impersonating a police officer, assault and battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct. The restaurant says for several days at various hours, the pair spoke with customers and portrayed themselves as agents with the FBI. No. 3 - Nearly $1 billion has already poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to restore the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, after the French president set a controversial five-year deadline to get the work done. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site Wednesday morning. Firefighters are still examining damage and shoring up the structure after Monday's fire collapsed the cathedral's spire and destroyed the roof. No. 4 - Stepping up pressure on Cuba, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island's 1959 revolution, a senior administration official said. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba. No. 5 - Suicide prevention has become issue number one in the Parkland and Coral Springs community, since two teenagers died by suicide in recent weeks. Both deaths are considered fallout from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. The MSD Safety Commission raised the suicide prevention issue at last week's meeting, with some commissioners saying important tools are not getting enough attention. They were talking about free mobile applications such as SaferWatchand Fortify Florida. No. 6 - Nationally, African American women are four times more likely to die during childbirth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result, maternal morbidity rates for Black women in the U.S. are the highest in the developed world, equal to that of Haiti and countries in West Africa. The concern is shared by about a dozen U.S. lawmakers who introduced the first ever Black Maternal Health Caucus, one day before the start of Black Maternal Health Week. The search for a South Florida woman who was allegedly "infatuated" with Columbine and threatened violence just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the attack ended after she was found dead Wednesday, FBI officials said. The search for Sol Pais, an 18-year-old Miami Beach high school student who lived in Surfside, ended near Mt. Evans outside Denver, officials tweeted. "We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased," FBI Denver tweeted. "We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe." Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader told reporters Pais was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Pais had flown to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, the FBI and the sheriff's department said. "It's like a bad dream," Pais' father told NBC 6 Tuesday. "We don't know, we don't have any idea." All classes and extracurricular activities for about a half-million students in the Denver area were canceled as a precaution. Sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin said the young woman's threats were general and not specific to any school. "This has become a massive manhunt ... and every law enforcement agency is participating and helping in this effort," said Dean Phillips, agent in charge of the FBI in Denver, said before she was found dead. The FBI had said Pais was "considered to be extremely dangerous" and "made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area" ahead of Saturday's anniversary of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School that killed 13 people. The FBI described Pais as "infatuated" with the Columbine school shooting. Authorities said Pais was last seen not far from Columbine in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Because of the threat, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver locked their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside. "We always have heightened awareness close to high-profile anniversaries like this," said Patricia Billinger, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety. In Pais' hometown of Surfside, Police Chief Julio Yero asked that the family be given "privacy and a little time to grieve." "This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life," he said. Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. We may not know exactly how or why Stonehenge was built, but new research affords a glimpse of the people who erected Englands iconic stone monument some 5,000 years ago, NBC News reported. The study, which examined the origins of farming in Britain, shows that the people living in the region at the time Stonehenge was built were descended from people who had migrated to the area about 6,000 years ago from present-day Turkey. A paper describing the research an analysis of DNA from the skeletal remains of farmers who lived in England from 6,000 to 4,500 years ago during the Neolithic period doesnt focus on Stonehenge or even mention it. But Selina Brace, an expert in ancient DNA with the Natural History Museum in London and the papers lead author, said it was possible to link the monument to the research as some media outlets were quick to do. She said the research findings indicate that Stonehenge was built not by the earliest Neolithic farmers to arrive in Britain, but by their descendants, people from the same period, just later. What to Know 10 students at a Connecticut high school face charges in connection with a wild food fight that turned into a riot; two adults ended up hurt School officials said Friday's food fight had been in the planning for days and developed in a courtyard next to the cafeteria Stamford Superintendent Earl Kim called the incident "ugly and disappointing" Ten students at a Connecticut high school face charges after a food fight-turned-riot ended with a teacher and school resource officer hurt, authorities say. The students, who attend Westhill High School in Stamford and are between the ages of 15 and 17, are charged with first-degree rioting, breach of peace, reckless endangerment and assault on a police officer. School officials said Friday's food fight had been in the planning for days and developed in a courtyard next to the cafeteria. Police said the resource officer was struck in the head by a full soda can while the teacher was "trampled by a mass of students." He is recovering at home. Stamford Superintendent Earl Kim called the incident "ugly and disappointing." Sharon Beadle, Stamford Public School spokesperson, said the administration handled the situation "quickly" and that "the district doesn't condone that soirt of behavior." Principal Michael Rinaldi issued a statement through a letter on the school's website, which reads in part: "Connected with this event were a number of other actions that Westhill High School and the Stamford Police are investigating and will work together to issue consequences including, but not limited to suspension, expulsions and arrests." Ten students have since been arrested in connection to the incident following an investigation that included reviewing security video, Stamford police says. Only one arrest took place on site as the incident unfolded. Those arrested face charges that range from riot in the first degree to reckless endangerment and assault on a police officer, according to police. The students are scheduled to appear in juvenile court but because of their ages their identities will not be disclosed. "We realize that the citizens, parents, teachers and vast majority of the students do not condone this behavior. This is not the learning environment we expect and demand for our children in this City," the police department said in a statement. Additionally, authorities are using the incident as an example and are urging parents to monitor their children's social media use. While the school is currently on spring break, three information sessions are scheduled for next week. Food fights have apparently taken place at the school in the past, but not at the scale of the recent incident. What to Know A Paterson councilman was arrested for allegedly violating a temporary restraining order taken out by his wife, a source said Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, was arrested outside of Tuesday nights City Council meeting, according to the source Velez allegedly violated the temporary order by threatening his wife in a phone conversation with a third person A Paterson councilman was arrested and issued a summons for allegedly violating a temporary restraining order taken out by his wife, a law enforcement source said. Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, was arrested outside of Tuesday nights City Council meeting, according to the source. Velez was issued a summons and released for violating a temporary restraining order by allegedly threatening his wife in a phone conversation with a third person, the source said. The person Velez had been speaking with passed his alleged threat on to her, according to the source. Both Velez and his wife have restraining orders against each other from past disputes, the source said. What to Know A principal who had agreed to donate bone marrow to a stranger died weeks after he lapsed into a coma during the procedure, his family said Hundreds gathered to mourn Westfield High School Principal Derrick Nelson, 44, at a funeral in Scotch Plains on Tuesday Nelson underwent the typically low-risk donation procedure at Hackensack University Medical Center in February Hundreds of family members, students and colleagues gathered Tuesday to mourn a beloved New Jersey high school principal who died after agreeing to donate bone marrow to a 14-year-old stranger in France. Westfield High School Principal Derrick Nelson, 44, told the school's newspaper in February that he had found out last year he was a match for a girl in France who needed a bone marrow donation. Nelson underwent the typically low-risk donation procedure at Hackensack University Medical Center the same month. He lapsed into a coma during the procedure and died weeks later. Grieving family members wore a button honoring Nelson, who spent 3 1/2 years as the principal of Westfield High, with pride as mourners remembered the educator and community member who touched so many lives. "My cousin lived his life the way that he died, in service to others with love," relative Inga Butler said. Butler said Nelson started his career in the corporate sector, but quit that job to serve others -- first in the Army Reserve, then as a public school educator. Butler estimated the risk of what happened to Nelson at one in a billion. It just happened to be that he was the billionth person, she said. Nelson, who had a 6-year-old daughter and was engaged to be married, didn't know the French teen but wanted to help nonetheless, he told the high school newspaper in February, before the procedure. "If it's just a little bit of pain for a little bit of time that can give someone years of joy, it's all worth it," he told the student newspaper. He also told the newspaper that he had several health issues that complicated his planned donation. His sleep apnea prevented doctors from using general anesthesia, and they instead were to harvest stem cells intravenously. However, at his final physical exam on Jan. 21, Nelson was asked if he had sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder. "I said, 'Well, I don't have sickle cell, but I have the sickle cell trait,'" Nelson told the newspaper. "[The doctors] said, 'Well if you have the trait, you can't do stem cell.'" They ultimately decided to do the bone marrow surgery under a local anesthetic, he said. Nancy Radwin, a spokeswoman for Hackensack Meridian Health, previously told News 4 she couldn't comment on Nelson's cause of death or whether any bone marrow was successfully extracted. "This was a tragic outcome and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Dr. Nelson, to all of his students and their families, the community, his friends and colleagues whose lives he touched," Radwin said in an earlier statement. Nelson and the teen were connected through Be the Match, a worldwide bone marrow registry network. About 70 percent of patients needing a bone marrow transplant don't have a fully matched donor in their family, according to Be the Match's website, Bone marrow donation is considered a low-risk procedure. About 2.4 percent of donors experience a serious complication due to anesthesia or damage to bone, nerve, or muscle in their hip region, according to the National Marrow Donor Program's website. No details could be given about the French teen's identity, diagnosis or whether he received any marrow from Nelson due to privacy and confidentiality obligations, according to Be the Match. "We deeply appreciate Derrick's willingness to step forward to donate, and we share our sympathies and condolences with his family," said Dr. C. Randal Mills, CEO of Be the Match. "Marrow donation is a selfless decision that helps save the lives of thousands of patients each year. ... we thank anyone who steps forward to donate and help save a life." What to Know A bright fireball illuminated the night sky over Delaware Tuesday night, a celestial event that many in NJ reportedly also witnessed The American Meteor Society (AMS) received about 360 reports from people in 12 Mid-Atlantic and New England states, including New Jersey A fireball as a meteor which is brighter than any planet or star An incredibly bright fireball illuminated the night sky over Delaware Tuesday night, a celestial event that many in New Jersey reportedly also witnessed. The American Meteor Society (AMS) received about 360 reports from people in 12 Mid-Atlantic and New England states claiming they looked up on Tuesday night and saw the fireball zipping across the sky. The AMS defines a fireball as a meteor which is brighter than any planet or star. The agency also notes that the brighter the fireball, the rarer the event. The reports came from people in Washington, D.C., Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia. The meteor traveled over the Washington, D.C. area about 11 p.m. Last Night #Fireball over Delaware - new video, now 360 reports - Nice video by Kimberly B, Maryland Details: https://t.co/KWsHgKRcEa pic.twitter.com/JcXvfG8Wol AMSMETEORS (@amsmeteors) April 17, 2019 New Jerseyans in Absecon, Somers Point, Egg Harbor City, and Ocean City were among those who reported seeing the fireball. Vicki W., an apparent witness in Galloway, New Jersey, remarked that it lit up the sky as if it were daytime, according to the AMS. While Preston P., of Ocean City, remarked It looked like it was headed for an ocean landing. Several thousand meteors of fireball magnitude occur in the Earths atmosphere daily, according to the AMS. The majority of these, however, occur over the oceans and uninhabited regions, and many are masked by daylight, the agency says, adding that those that occur at night have little chance of being detected because of the low number of people out to notice them. Democratic presidential candidates raised about $75 million during the first quarter of the 2020 election, a lackluster sum spread out across more than a dozen campaigns that signals a drawn-out battle likely lies ahead. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders led the field by raising $18 million and California Sen. Kamala Harris came in second with $12 million. Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke came in third with $9.3 million, followed by South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who capitalized on a flurry of publicity to raise $7 million. The rest of the field of more than a dozen candidates raised $6 million or less apiece. Fundraising figures submitted to the Federal Election Commission by Monday's reporting deadline show Democratic candidates not only lag behind President Donald Trump, who raised $30 million, but took in less than the party did during the same period in the 2008 election. That year eight candidates collectively raised over $80 million despite a maximum donation amount that was hundreds of dollars less than the current $2,800 cap. Part of the difficulty is many donors are staying on the sidelines, waiting for the field to thin. At the same time, low-dollar contributions from party's base, a source of money that helped Democrats retake the House last year, haven't made up the difference. "There is no question that the numbers are not at the level that they were with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008," said Tom Nides, a Clinton adviser and longtime fundraiser. "Am I worried? No, I'm not worried. But I'm a little bit concerned." The dynamic could change rapidly in the months ahead as Democrats participate in the first presidential debate of the cycle in June. Donors could look to those performances to decide where to direct their money. Former Vice President Joe Biden's expected White House campaign also could scramble the situation. "Biden is probably going to run, and he is going to raise a boatload of money. He just will. And then the overall numbers will start to look better," said Tim Lim, a digital strategist and fundraiser who worked for Obama and Clinton. Outside of the fundraising front-runners comes Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who raised $6 million, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar with $5.2 million and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who raised $5 million. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand raised $3 million, while Washington Gov. Jay Inslee raised $2.2 million, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper took in about $2 million and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard raised $1.9 million. Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro took in $1.1 million. A combination of factors has led to the candidates' cash quandary. Some of the donors who are getting involved in the campaign are cutting checks to multiple candidates but aren't bundling money by asking their friends, colleagues and acquaintances to give, too. Despite a large amount of hype surrounding online fundraising, it's also proven to be unreliable. Networks of online donors take time to build out, and the ability to raise money on the internet often can be tied to a fleeting viral moment that provokes a vivid emotional response from the party's base. "People are running slash-and-burn email programs. When you are trying to turn around these donations from your newly added-on activists in two months or less, it's only going to hurt you because nobody is going to want to deal with that many emails," Lim said. "To get the most successful (return on investment) you have to engage with your audiences over several months or more, and you can't make it all about money." Then there's the fierce intraparty debate over the propriety of relying on big-money donors to finance their campaigns. Warren, who has struggled to raise money, tried to force the issue by stating that she would forgo traditional fundraisers, a risky gambit aimed at getting the party's grassroots engaged. While Sanders, Buttigieg and O'Rourke raised significant sums on the internet, Warren has lagged, though most of her money came from online donors. Both she and Gillibrand spent nearly as much as they raised, though both have millions in their Senate campaign funds that they can tap to stay afloat. Some Democrats fear a campaign finance purity test will only hurt the rest of the field. "What's happening right now and I think this is a brilliant political strategy on Bernie's part is that no candidate can touch him by raising money the way he raises it," said Rufus Gifford, Obama's former finance director. "If this continues, you could see Bernie Sanders as the only candidate with a massive financial advantage. You've got to think that gives him a leg up over any other campaign. In my mind, the other campaigns are walking into that trap." Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report. Federal prosecutors in Virginia are preparing to file a criminal charge against a former NASA subcontractor suspected of fraud and linked to the failed 2011 launch of the NASA Glory spacecraft. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has yet to publicly post the complaint. Justice Department court filings show an employee of the contractor has already admitted being part of a fraud scheme in a separate case. The unspecified criminal charge against Hydro Extrusions, formerly known as Sapa, will be filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. The U.S. attorney declined to comment on the case. An internal NASA memo said the agencys internal inspectors investigated Sapa in 2015 for altering test results performed on the companys aluminium extrusions. According to the U.S. Justice Department, a company supervisor admitted to a fraud scheme in 2017 in a separate criminal case in Oregon. The Justice Department said the employee doctored test results to ensure the companys unreliable and inconsistent production practices would not prevent aluminum extrusions from being shipped to customers. The Justice Department said by doing so, the former Sapa employee and lab technicians altered the mechanical properties of aluminum extrusions over 4,000 times, allowing the manufacturing company to gross over $6.8 million in total sales based on altered test results. According to the Justice Department, Aluminum extrusions are manufactured for a variety of applications, including aeronautic uses such as rockets. Sapa worked as an aluminium subcontractor for NASA beginning in the 1990s, according to multiple reports. The internal NASA memo did not specify whether fraud by Sapa contributed to the failure of the 2011 Nasa Glory spacecraft launch. But the memo said fraud was a suspected cause of the doomed mission. NASA did not immediately return requests for comment. Upon learning of the misconduct, we immediately stopped it and reported the details to government officials," said a spokesman for Hydro Extrusions in a statement to the News4 I-Team. "Over the past several years we have undertaken aggressive remediation actions and have invested significant time and resources to completely overhaul our quality and compliance organizations. This includes the implementation of more than $14 million in state-of-the-art testing equipment across our North American operations that automates the tensile testing process. A task force will investigate the recent deaths of horses who suffered fatal injuries at historic Santa Anita Park, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Twenty-three horse deaths have been reported at the track east of Los Angeles since December. Santa Anita had been closed to racing for most of March in response to the deaths, but resumed racing this month. "I have formed a task force of experienced deputy district attorneys and sworn peace officers with varied expertise within my office who will thoroughly investigate and evaluate the evidence to determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at Santa Anita Park," Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement issued Tuesday. There have been 23 horse deaths at the track since Dec. 26. Between December and February of the previous year, 10 horses died at Santa Anita, compared with eight in 2016-17 and 14 in 2015-16. The track averaged about 50 deaths per year from 2008-18, according to data from the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita officials previously announced a series of measures implemented to help bolster safety of the horses. Earlier this month 5-year-old Arms Runner stumbled on the Arcadia' track's hillside turf course at the point where it requires horses to briefly cross over the main dirt track. The horse suffered a fatal injury to his right leg. Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of Santa Anita parent company The Stronach Group, told the Daily Racing Form the track will suspend races on the hillside turf course to "look at data" in the aftermath of Arms Runner's death. In a letter to the California Horse Racing Board, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called April 2 for racing to be suspended at the track "until the cause or causes of these deaths can be fully investigated." The CHRB had been set to meet last week to discuss the possibility of relocating races away from Santa Anita, but the meeting was scrubbed and the discussion of Santa Anita racing is instead set for the board's meeting Thursday at Santa Anita. Moving races away from Santa Anita would require approval from the track's owners, The Stronach Group. Ritvo told the Daily Racing Form that Santa Anita fully intends to maintain its schedule of racing through the end of the current meet on June 23. A 2-year-old girl was returned hours after she went missing from her mothers home but questions still remain regarding where she was and who was involved in her disappearance, police said. A man, who police say is a neighbor, could be seen handing the girl over to a police officer outside of her home on Ross Street in Philadelphia's East Mount Airy neighborhood around 11 a.m. Wednesday. The man yelled, "she's home," and told NBC10's Dray Clark that he "found the girl." Police took the girl into the home with a relative and then drove the girl off in a police vehicle. The toddler first went missing from her home around 2 a.m. Wednesday following a fight between her mother and her mother's ex-boyfriend, investigators said. "So the argument gets physical. He takes the child and leaves the location," Philadelphia Police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said. "And again, he's not the biological, custodial parent. So, the mother, certainly in right standing to say, 'Okay, if I don't want you to have the child, you can't have the child.'" Police told NBC10 they spoke to the mother's ex-boyfriend for hours over the phone and he eventually made plans to bring the child back to safety. "We learned that the child was given, presumably by the ex-boyfriend, to a female, who we have not yet identified, who then gave the child to a male neighbor of the mother," Capt. Kinebrew said. "That person gave the child to us." The girl was taken to the hospital and appears to be okay, police said. Now investigators are working to identify the woman who gave the girl to the mother's neighbor. They're also trying to determine where exactly the girl was between 2 a.m. and 11 a.m. Police told NBC10 no charges have been filed yet and they are working on identifying and speaking with everyone involved. "We still don't know where the ex-boyfriend is," Capt. Sekou said. "He has not been located. We certainly would like to speak to him. The child is in good condition so at least we know that. But we're actually working backwards to really unravel what actually happened last night." Police initially investigated the incident as an abduction but are now calling it a domestic incident. What to Know Some cars of a freight train derailed in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Tuesday night. Garbage spilled onto the tracks leaving a smelly mess. Crews brought in machinery to help clear the rail line. Crews were on the scene early Wednesday cleaning up the mess after at least six containers carrying trash on a freight train derailed in Pennsylvania. It happened when the Norfolk Southern rail cars went off the tracks dumping garbage behind a restaurant in Wyomissing around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy equipment was brought in the clear the debris. A pungent smell came from the scene as crews worked. There were no reports of injuries. The train was en route to Harrisburg when it derailed, Norfolk Southern said. It was unclear if the derailment would have any impact on the Wyomissing Restaurant and Bakery or other area businesses Wednesday. Police have arrested a man who is accused of leaving decapitated chickens outside a home in Westport, Connecticut. On Friday at approximately 11:30 p.m., a homeowner reported an illegal dumping complaint on Franklin Street to police. Officers said the homeowner's property had recently been the site of several illegal dumping incidents over the past year where someone had left boxes containing decapitated chickens. The homeowner told police that a suspect, later identified as 48-year-old Ajamu Obataiye, of New York City, just dropped a bag on his property and was running south on Franklin Street towards the Saugatuck Railroad Station. According to officers, the bag contained two decapitated chickens and one white pigeon. Police located Obataiye at the train station. The homeowner's home surveillance footage confirmed Obataiye was the suspect and he was taken into custody, police said. There's no known connection between Obataiye and the homeowner. Obataiye is facing charges including cruelty to animals, illegal dumping and breach of peace. He was released after posting a $7,500 bond and is due in court on April 23. The case wasn't listed in online court records and it's unclear if he has a lawyer. Eric Wilson -- Sublime's original founding bassist (and current member of its offshoot, Sublime With Rome) -- recently suffered extensive injuries in an accident on his Fallbrook avocado ranch. Luckily, he's currently on the mend. According to an April 4 report via TMZ (and confirmed by Wilson's manager), the musician was working on his ranch when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding rolled over on him and broke his arm and four ribs. Wilson was transported to a San Diego hospital, where he underwent surgery in an operation that reportedly lasted five hours. On April 6, Sublime With Rome posted the following message on their official Facebook page. "Eric says thanks for the well wishes! Hes doing much better. F---in avocados, man. Theyll get you every time! #donttrythisathomekids" While the extensive injuries Wilson suffered would keep a normal person down and out for quite some time, the super-human bassist is reportedly already back in action. On April 13, the band confirmed that they'll be closing out the Days on the Green Music Festival on Saturday, April 20, in Phoenix, Arizona. "Blessings," Sublime With Rome's third studio album, is due out in May. When former public defender Andrea Bayer balked at her boyfriend's request that she buy him handgun and ammunition, the man physically assaulted her. But according to courtroom testimony, Bayer quickly relented and made the illegal weapon purchase for Michael Tellechea, a felon who Bayer had become romantically involved with after representing him in a criminal case. "Michael wanted Andrea to buy this firearm for him," said District Attorney Investigator Bobby Dean. "Initially there was an argument about it. He got upset, grabbed her by the hair and threw her out in the street." Michael Tellechea and his twin brother, Matthew, are charged with attempted murder, arson, assault and other felonies stemming from an alleged crime spree last year in Ocean Beach. A judge heard more evidence Wednesday, in the second day of a preliminary hearing for the Tellecheas. Responding to questions from Michael Tellechea's attorney, Investigator Dean confirmed that Bayer used the county's computer system to access information about arrest warrants issued against the Tellecheas and shared the information with the brothers. Matthew Tellechea's attorney, Shawn Huston, said Bayer's use of the "SD Law" computer system for other than official court business was a violation of office protocol. Dean also confirmed Wednesday that Bayer continued to take phone calls from Michael Tellechea after his arrest. In an interview with Dean and prosecutors after her arrest, Bayer said "she was stupid" to continue talking with Tellechea, Dean said during his testimony. Court records reviewed by NBC 7 Investigates confirm that Bayer previously represented Michael Tellechea in a kidnapping case. A jury acquitted Tellechea on those previous felony charges. But Tellechea and his twin brother quickly got in serious trouble again with the law. When investigators served a search warrant on the Tellechea's Ocean Beach home last year, they found a handgun and ammunition. Michael Tellechea, who has prior felony convictions, cannot legally purchase or possess firearms. When investigators checked the weapon's serial number, they found that Bayer had purchased the .357 Magnum handgun. Prosecutors charged her with two felonies related to the illegal purchase of a firearm for a felon. According to testimony at the brothers' preliminary hearing Tuesday, Bayer quickly agreed to plead guilty to a single felony and cooperate with prosecutors on their current case against the Tellecheas. Investigator Dean testified that Bayer has provided his office with important evidence to buttress their case against her former boyfriend and his twin brother. Dean said Bayer revealed how she helped Michael Tellechea hide another weapon in a storage unit near Lindbergh Field. Investigators found that weapon and other items when they served a search warrant at the storage facility. "There was a long rifle with a flashlight on the end and a .22 caliber extended magazine," Dean testified. "Boxes and Boxes of ammunition: .38 caliber, .357, .22, holsters and a shoulder rig." Bayer's sentencing on her felony case has been delayed until at least October. She will most probably avoid custody and will be placed on probation, according to information revealed Tuesday at the brothers' preliminary hearing. According to the California State Bar website, Bayer's law license has been on "inactive" status since January. She was admitted to practice in California in 2004, after graduating from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. A search and rescue dog has been donated to the community of San Felipe, Mexico in response to the disappearance of an American woman who was last seen hiking in the Baja California, Mexico desert. Kat Hammontre, 68, and her dog, Tootsie, went hiking Thursday, April 11, with a group of about six friends but she started to have difficulty walking the trail. She told her friends to go on without her and that she would wait in the parking lot. However, when the group returned to the parking lot, they did not see Hammontre or her dog. Search teams, including Mexican military helicopters have since been looking for Hammontre. While conduting the search, Mexican law enforcement officials found and eradicated two marijuana grows 34 miles northwest of San Felipe, Telemundo 20 reported Monday. "Shes somebodys mother, grandmother, shes a friend to hundreds of people," Kat's friend Victoria Langsett said. Langsett said that Hammontre and her husband lived for a time in San Diego while they were both treated for cancer before moving back to San Felipe. On Tuesday, friends posted images on Facebook that they say show the dates and location of Hammontre before she was reported missing. The FB page also said a search and rescue dog was donated to San Felipe to help out in similar cases in the future. Langsett said for her friend to survive cancer -- only to get lost in the desert -- is unimaginable. "We're running short on time we need to give the family hope, hope has no border," said Langsett. A search is underway in Mexico for an American citizen who disappeared Thursday in the desert in Baja. Her friends in San Diego are pleading for help from the United States. NBC 7s Bridget Naso has more French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Tuesday to rebuild Paris' beloved Notre Dame Cathedral "even more beautifully" after a raging fire destroyed its spire and its roof but spared most of the structure, including the church's twin medieval bell towers. Macron said he wanted to see the renovation of the beloved Roman Catholic architectural landmark completed within five years. "We have so much to rebuild," Macron said in a televised address to the nation. "We will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully. We can do it, and once again, we will mobilize (to do so)." Authorities consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work at the global architectural treasure that survived almost 900 years of tumultuous French history but was devastated in the blaze on the second day of Holy Week. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said the inquiry into the fire would be "long and complex." Fifty investigators were working on it and would interview workers from five companies hired for the renovations to the cathedral's roof, where the flames first broke out. Heitz said an initial fire alert was sounded at 6:20 p.m. Monday but no fire was found. The second alert was sounded at 6:43 p.m., and the blaze was discovered on the roof. Investigators have already questioned nearly 30 people, said a Paris judicial police official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to comment on an ongoing probe. "Notre Dame has survived the revolutionary history of France, and this happened during building works," said influential former Culture Minister Jack Lang. News that the fire was probably accidental has done nothing to ease the national mourning for the symbol of national pride. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil prayer across the Seine from the cathedral, singing and listening to music by a string quartet. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said there were still some risks to the structure and that it was "under permanent surveillance because it can still budge." A plan to safeguard the masterpieces and relics was quickly put into action after the fire broke out. The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dame's most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported after the fire broke out, said Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christ's head during the crucifixion. Also saved was the tunic of St. Louis, a long, shirt-like garment from the 13th century, said Culture Minister Franck Riester. The cathedral's famous 18th century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes also survived. "The works of art, the most precious treasures were secured last night," Riester told reporters, thanking teams from city hall, the culture ministry, firefighters and the bishopric who worked to save the items. Some of the works were being transferred from City Hall to the Louvre, where they will be dehumidified, protected and eventually restored. The minister said the cathedral's greatest paintings would be removed starting Friday. "We assume they have not been damaged by the fire but there will eventually be damage from the smoke," he added. The 3-meter-tall copper statues that looked over Paris from Notre Dame's 96-meter peak already had been removed from the roof days ago and sent to southwestern France as part of a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation on the spire and its 250 tons of lead. Much was saved in the interior too. The only major work damaged inside was the cathedral's high altar, installed in 1989 under Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. It was hit when the spire collapsed, said Laurent Prades, heritage director for Notre Dame. "We have been able to salvage all the rest," said Prades, who watched the recovery overnight. "All the 18th century steles, the pietas, frescoes, chapels and the big organ are fine." The three large stained-glass rose windows, among the most famous parts of the cathedral, were not destroyed, but might have been damaged by the heat and will be assessed by an expert, he added. "The task is now the risk of fire has been put aside about the building, how the structure will resist," said Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said work must begin immediately to protect the remaining structure. The first 24-48 hours were crucial to protecting the stone and wood structure from water damage and assessing the next steps, she told The Associated Press, warning that parts of the cathedral remain "extremely fragile," notably hundreds of tons of scaffolding around the spire that collapsed. Notre Dame is part of a UNESCO heritage site and UNESCO has offered its expertise. Pope Francis offered his prayers that Notre Dame, the "architectural gem of a collective memory," will once again be a shrine to the Catholic faith, a symbol of the French nation and a spiritual and architectural gift to humanity. In a condolence note to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit, Francis said the fire was particularly devastating given that it came during the somber days leading up to Easter during which Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Repairing the cathedral, including the 800-year-old wooden beams that made up its roof, presents challenges. The roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was because "we don't, at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were cut in the 13th century," said Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine, adding the roof restoration work would have to use new technology. Also of concern, Feydeau said, is the organ, "a very fragile instrument, especially its pipes." "It has not burnt, but no one can tell whether it has been damaged by water. Nobody knows if it is a functioning state or will need to be restored," he told AP. France's richest businessman, Bernard Arnault, and his luxury goods group LVMH pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction. Billionaire Francois Pinault and his son, Francois-Henri Pinault, who is married to actress Salma Hayek, said they were giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, the holding company owning auction house Christie's and the main shareholder of luxury fashion houses including Gucci. French companies Total and L'Oreal each pledged 100 million euros. Offers of assistance flowed in from around the world to help restore the 12th century tourist attraction to its former glory. Poland, the Czech Republic and Greece were among those offering to send experts from their own restoration projects, while major French businesses pledged financial assistance. In his speech, Macron thanked firefighters, police and those who pledged funds, although his goal of rebuilding the cathedral in five years seemed ambitious. Peter Fuessenich, who oversees reconstruction for the Gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany, said it could take decades to repair Notre Dame. Cologne Cathedral was heavily damaged during World War II and work to repair it is still ongoing more than 70 years later. "It will certainly take years, perhaps even decades, until the last damage caused by this terrible fire will be completely repaired," he told broadcaster RTL. "When the last stone was set in Notre Dame, the first one was laid here in Cologne, and in this respect it affects us all very much." The special counsel's Trump-Russia report will be out on Thursday for all to see. But not all of it. The Democrats' demands for a full, unredacted version of Robert Mueller's report are likely to prompt a political and legal battle that could last for months, if not much longer. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas "very quickly" for the full report on Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign if it is released with blacked-out sections. And that would set the legal fight in motion. Attorney General William Barr has said he is redacting four types of information from the report, which the Justice Department says will be released Thursday. The department said Barr will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday. Federal prosecutors overseeing the case against Trump confidant and longtime political operative Roger Stone said that the redacted report will redact all sections having to do with Stones case, NBC News reported. This is in response to a court order from the judge that no side should make prejudicial comments before trial. After the redacted report is released to media and to the public, the Justice Department plans to make a less-redacted version of the report available for review by a limited number of Congress members and their staff, NBC News reported. That version will have certain redactions removed, including that of information related to charges set forth in the indictment in the Stone case. No further details were immediately provided, though justice officials stressed that the less-redacted copies of the report would not be disseminated to the public, nor would these less-redacted copies be disseminated to Congress members before the fully redacted copies are distributed publicly. Congressional Democrats cite precedent from previous investigations in saying they want to see it all. But some Republicans defending Barr are also citing precedent, saying it is appropriate to keep at least some of the information from Congress and the public. A look at what types of material Barr is redacting, and why Democrats say it should be released: GRAND JURY INFORMATION Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are "free to go to court" themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so. Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned. Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure "preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding." But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they don't need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different. Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for "all materials, regardless of form or classification." In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team. Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election. "All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here," Schiff said on CNN this month. ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that are still underway. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, New York and Virginia. Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Mueller's own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump. Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation. DEROGATORY INFORMATION The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinized in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report "that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties." Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. "No, I'm talking about people in private life, not public officeholders," Barr said. That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Mueller's investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted. The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasn't charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signaled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently. "If you're not going to indict someone, then you don't stand up there and unload negative information about the person," Barr said. "That's not the way the Department of Justice does business." Stepping up pressure on Cuba, the Trump administration will allow lawsuits against foreign companies doing business in properties seized from Americans after the island's 1959 revolution, a senior administration official said. The move marks a change in more than two decades of U.S. policy on Cuba. President Donald Trump has been taking steps to isolate embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. The new policy against Havana could deal a severe blow to Cuba's efforts to draw foreign investment, and spawn international trade disputes between the U.S. and Europe. The administration official who provided details of the shift spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement Wednesday by the State Department. After that announcement, national security adviser John Bolton is expected to discuss the new policy during a midday speech Wednesday in Miami, which is home to thousands of exiles and immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The speech at the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association is to be delivered on the 58th anniversary of the United States' failed 1961 invasion of the island, an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. Johana Tablada, Cuba's deputy director of U.S. affairs, said on Twitter: "Before they try to euphorically ride a wave of wickedness and lies, they should take a dose of reality. The world has told John Bolton and the U.S. government to eliminate the criminal blockade against Cuba and the Helms-Burton Act." The 1996 act gave Americans the right to sue the mostly European companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties that Cuba nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. The act even allows lawsuits by Cubans who became U.S. citizens years after their properties were taken. Canada, France, Spain, Great Britain and other countries with large investments in Cuba have ferociously protested the law and threatened to sue in the World Trade Organization if Washington tries to interfere with the business ties between Cuba and another sovereign nation. "The extraterritorial application of the U.S. embargo is illegal and violates international law," said Alberto Navarro, the European Union ambassador to Cuba. "I personally consider it immoral. For 60 years the only thing that's resulted from the embargo is the suffering of the Cuban people." U.S. airlines and cruise lines that bring hundreds of thousands of travelers to Cuba each year appear to be exempt from the key provision of the Helms-Burton Act. Every U.S. president since Bill Clinton has suspended the key clause to avoid those trade clashes and a potential mass of lawsuits that would prevent any future settlement with Cuba over nationalized properties. Cuba has said it is willing to reimburse the owners of confiscated properties, but only if the communist government is also reimbursed for billions of dollars in damages generated by the six-decade U.S. trade embargo. The announcement comes at a moment of severe economic weakness for Cuba, which is struggling to find enough cash to import basic food and other supplies following a drop in aid from Venezuela, and a string of bad years in other key economic sectors. Foreign investment in Cuba increased slightly in recent years, but it remains far below the levels needed to recapitalize the island's dilapidated, often collapsing infrastructure. The Trump administration's decision is not expected to drive out major foreign players like Pernod-Ricard of France, which makes Havana Club rum, or Spanish hotel chains Melia or Iberostar, but it could prove a major obstacle to new investment from foreign companies. "It will harm prospective investment in Cuba. It will not cause people who are invested in Cuba already to pull out now," said Phil Peters, director of the Arlington, Virginia-based Cuba Research Center, who advocated for closer relations with Cuba and has consulted for U.S. companies looking to invest. Peters said he also believed the new measure could hurt the Trump administration's effort to force Maduro from power with help from allies like Spain. "There are plenty of countries that are interested in helping Venezuela find a soft landing after Maduro, but they are not interested in waging an economic war on Cuba," Peters said. The U.S. official said the administration also plans to start enforcing the section of the act that allows the U.S. to deny entry visas to Cubans and citizens of other countries involved in trafficking in the confiscated property. Associated Press writer Andrea Rodriguez contributed to this report. What to Know Only 3 percent of the design industry is African-American, the American Institute of Graphic Arts and Google's Design Census found in 2016 The directory Blacks Who Design launched with the contact and skills information of more than 130 black designers '[T]he goal ... is to elevate other peoples' profiles," said Wes O'Haire, a product designer at Dropbox At 1 a.m. on a school night last year, Yannick Zanfack then a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park finally solved an interactive design problem he had been working on all day. He was overcome with joy over the sudden realization that he could finally consider himself a product designer. There was only one problem: Now what? As a black designer, Zanfack encountered a barrier to joining an industry he saw as unrepresentative of people like him, and he felt there was no one for him to turn to for support. Only three percent of the design industry is African-American, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Google's Design Census found in 2016. White people, on the other hand, make up 73 percent of the industry. It would have put me so much more at ease if there had been someone just like me who ... I could have reached out to with all my questions, Zanfack said. So he, along with the help of four other product designers of color, created a solution. In February, the team launched a Twitter directory called Blacks Who Design, offering contact and skills information of black designers, mostly located in North America, to serve as a tool in the hiring process in the industry. Launched with 130 profiles, it has since grown to include dozens more. Users can filter options to search for designers based on their skills. Every designer's profile includes their location and direct links to their Twitter accounts and portfolios. Getty Images The demand for the product was obvious long before its launch. Last summer, Wes O'Haire, a product designer at Dropbox in San Francisco, tweeted, "Are you black and an aspiring product designer? If so, I want to help. Next week, I'm devoting my lunch hours to portfolio reviews and career talks." The response was immense. Tolu Olubode, a junior at University of Ottawa, pitched the idea of creating a directory and ultimately handled the back-end coding of the site. Zanfack, along with Hasque May, a junior at Rochester Institute of Technology, contributed to the overall design of the platform. The primary purpose of Blacks Who Design is to diversify the hiring networks of recruiters at tech companies and connect black designers to each other, the creators said. "A lot of hiring is just done on a referral basis, so if people don't have diverse networks, then they wont have diverse referrals," O'Haire said. The platform also serves to increase the visibility of blacks in tech, with a long-run intention of shifting the expectations of what a designer should look like, said Nathalyn Nunoo, a graduate of the University of Maryland who later joined the team. "We have a huge societal projection of what a designer looks like, and it almost never looks like a black person," she said. The impact of representation is of particular importance to Nunoo, who considered design for the first time when she took a graphic design class in high school. She googled "how to become a graphic designer" to begin her career exploration. Her results pulled up images of white men only no one who looked like her. She said the lack of representation discouraged her from pursuing a design career. It took four years for her to return to the idea. People are added to the directory on a nomination basis, whether they are nominated by other people or themselves. This allows for the featured designers to own their blackness without having to defend it, its creators said. Individuals included on the site do not to be of full black descent to be added to the directory. They just have to be nominated. "The site errs on the side of permissive," O'Haire said. "There's no strict criteria or checklist Im going through when I add people to the site." In a recent Twitter thread, a designer featured in the directory thanked the creators of Blacks Who Design for making her feel seen for the first time, after spending most of her life having to defend her blackness as a half-black, half-Asian woman. "This is why we [created] the site," O'Haire said. "It's not about, 'Are you black enough?' If you identify as black, let's get you on [the site]." The directory has already begun to help those featured. "I've heard a lot of great stories about people having coffee chats because of the site, being invited to speak at conferences because of the site," O'Haire said. "Some people have been able to get interviews at really big tech companies. I hope that this is able to give them more exposure, because the goal ... is to elevate other peoples' profiles." However, not all of the feedback about the platform has been as positive. In fact, after launching, Blacks Who Design was bombarded on social media with backlash from members of the design community, who claimed the platform promoted segregation. O'Haire compared this feedback to what was said about the name of the Black Lives Matter Movement. "With Black Lives Matter, there's an implicit 'too' at the end," O'Haire said. "It's not only black lives matter. It's not a saying of exclusion. It's a saying of inclusion. Like, hey include us, too." The creators all agree, though, that the need for this product supersedes the feedback it may receive online. "If this helps one hundred people feel less alone in the design community, then it's worth it," Olubode said. Zanfack agreed. "No matter what you do, there's never going to be a point where we all agree on one thing," he said. "We're not going to overreact about it, because the impact we're making is very important." Instead, they are focusing their energy on the next phase of the project. They plan to increase the platform's ability to connect designers with jobs and companies but are not yet sure what that will look like. Some of the creators have also expressed a desire to sponsor scholarships. They're also interested in connecting with companies to sponsor designers who can't afford to attend conferences, where many designers make connections that lead to jobs, Oludobe said. Nunoo got her first design job offer by going to a conference, which she was only able to attend because she received a diversity scholarship. "A lot of opportunities are only accessible if you already have resources," Nunoo said. "In order to get to a design conference that might cost you like $2,000, you probably should have $2,000. But there are historically disadvantaged people who are not going to be able to go to that conference that leads them to their next job." More than anything, the creators want to see the platform expand out of North America. "Being from Nigeria myself, I want to see places like Lagos and South Africa highlighted," Olubode said. "People there may not be solving problems that Facebook or Google care about, but they are solving problems that matter." No matter the next phase, the creators all agree Blacks Who Design is not just a directory. For its creators, and for all of the designers featured on it, it's a chance to be seen as a talented designer, not just someone who can help companies meet their diversity quotas. Zanfack, once a student who faced the fear of beginning his career and now a product designer at Next Door, said, "It helps [black people] celebrate themselves, and that's empowering." A 56-year-old music teacher in Annandale, Virginia, is accused of abusing two former students, police say. Jeffrey Cummins was arrested at Dulles International Airport by police on Tuesday after he arrived from traveling internationally, according to Fairfax County police. He was traveling with Virginia Music Adventures, his traveling music group for school-age children, police said. Cummins was charged with eight felony counts of indecent liberties by a custodian. He appeared in court Wednesday and was released from custody. Police Captain Thea Pirnat said they began their investigation of Cummins in May 2018 when a boy said Cummins inappropriately touched him for several years. In January 2019, another victim came forward and said Cummins also abused him. Cummins is a private music teacher and gives lessons in his home in Annandale. He has taught for 39 years and received tributes from students, awards and honors. Neighbors of Cummins were stunned by the news. "Allegedly happening two doors down the street from me," Peter Dunn said. "I've seen him outside doing yard work, doing everyday things and when you walk by him, he speaks and you speak back. He's very pleasant to talk to." Police say Cummins also owns two Huntington Learning Center locations, a tutoring center for children, located in Tysons and Springfield. We are shocked and appalled by this alleged behavior and are actively cooperating with police and investigators to the fullest extent possible," CEO Eileen Huntington said said in a statement. "Our mission has always been to provide a safe and supportive environment for students, and although the alleged abuse did not occur inside one of our centers, we have nevertheless made the decision to close these two centers until further notice. Police are concerned there could be more victims. Those with concerns or tips on this investigation should reach out to police at 703-246-7809 or submit inquiries anonymously online. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Mobile photography, in this ever-evolving digital age, is no longer limited to selfies and #FoodOfTheDay snippets. These days, even professional photographers bank on their smartphones when capturing memories especially when they are on an out-of-town trip. Having a good camera device almost always seems like a prerequisite or an essential when visiting a new place. However, one doesn't have to break the bank to achieve professional-grade images. With Vivo's latest flagship device V15 Pro, one won't need to worry about the challenges of photography as its 48-megapixel (MP) Triple Rear Camera feature addresses issues such as exposure, lowlight conditions and sharpness, among others. The camera's artificial intelligence (AI) component elevates mobile photography experience to the next level with its 12MP standard , 8MP super wide-angle, and 5MP depth-sensing camera setup. With its 48 Million Quad Pixel Sensor, the Vivo V15Pro also assures photography enthusiasts of crispier, more natural-looking image quality as compared to devices running with lower megapixels. Mobile camera with professional features In travel photography, landscape photos are a must. No portfolio is complete without a breathtaking panoramic shot of the horizon. But now, mobile photographers can rely on the V15 Pro's 8MP AI Super Wide-Angle Camera to do the job. Users don't have to change lenses depending on the need of the shot. Just press on the feature and it's ready to immortalize an image. The AI Super Wide-Angle Camera can expand up to 120 degrees -- capturing more people and fuller landscape shots. The device likewise features a 4-in-1 pixel technology, which allows individuals to capture better photos under lowlight and dark conditions. Meanwhile, those who want to start in on their photography journey can utilize the device's Professional Mode feature. The Pro Mode feature lets users adjust the aperture and shutter speed conditions -- so there's no need to worry if you're taking photos on a dark space or a moving vehicle. V15 Pro also boasts of its Super Night Mode and Pro Editing features, letting photographers play around with exposures, brightness, contrast, and saturation in their images. V15 Pro rolls out in the market The V15 Pro is now available in the market. Vivo will offer the smartphone at 0 percent interest, through 6-9 months installment payments using major credit cards and Home Credit, at all participating stores nationwide. Vivo is a leading global technology company committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile innovations and services. Vivo is devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, and currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers focusing on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies including 5G, AI, mobile photography and next-generation smartphone design. The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) ran using an important new safety system on all trains for the first time on Thursday. Positive Train Control (PTC) is designed to slow down trains in moments when the operator might have missed a signal or warn them about another train on the same track or workers on the track. "People are human, obviously, and they make mistakes," VRE CEO Doug Allen said. "So this is to catch things that an engineer may not catch. The importance of PTC came into focus after an Amtrak Northeast Regional train derailed in 2015, killing eight people and injuring about 200. In that accident, the train was moving at extremely high speeds around a curve when it fell sideways and crashed. VRE has not had anything close to a similar incident. Still, lawmakers consider PTC to be important to implement across the passenger train network in the United States. PTC takes into account information that engineers previously got from printed timetables, wayside signals, dispatchers and other sources and centralizes that info into a system that slows trains down if engineers fail to heed warnings. In Virginia, demand for commuter rail has grown to be seven times what it was when the VRE got started about 25 years ago, making safety systems vital to tens of thousands more daily riders. Implementation of PTC on MARC trains is still ongoing. The Federal Railroad Administration has previously discussed serious consequences if MARC failed to meet a congressionally mandated deadline to implement PTC on its tracks. Metro trains, meanwhile, already have a similar system in place. Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, say a missing man with Alzheimer's disease was found safe late Tuesday night. Cambridge police said 66-year-old Charles Ogletree had last seen been around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday at his home on Pemberton Street. After 11 p.m., police said their search remained ongoing, but around 11:45 p.m., they said he had been found in Boston. Officers said Tuesday night that they were bringing Ogletree back to Cambridge. Ogletree is a renowned Harvard Law professor and activist. He taught law to Barack and Michelle Obama during his three decades there. He represented the late rapper Tupac Shakur and law professor Anita Hill after she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. He went public with his Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2016, according to the Boston Globe. With rain in the forecast and melting snow gushing from the mountains, the governor of Vermont warned people in flood-prone areas and near rivers and streams to be on guard for more possible flash flooding this weekendand if necessary, to be ready to move to higher ground. That alert came while Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, was touring Pittsfield and Bethel, two communities already ravaged by floods earlier this week. We want to warn people, Gov. Scott said. We want people to be aware of what could happen, so they are prepared themselves, or so they can make other arrangements for this weekend so theyre not caught in their homes. The last thing we want to happen is for someone to stick it out too long. The worries come from the combo of additional rain in the forecast and continued snowmelt. Gov. Scott said if rapid river rises happen again later this week, already-damaged areas in low-lying spots could be hit a second time. Scott urged Vermonters to stay glued to forecasts as well as to alerts from public safety officials. To sign up to receive urgent messages on your cell phone from Vermont Alert about emerging concerns. On the tour of hard-hit Pittsfield and Bethel, Scott was joined by Erica Bornemann, the director of Vermont Emergency Management. The communities were hammered by a one-two punch of heavy rain and snowmelt Sunday night into Monday, spawning flash flooding that chewed away large portions of roadways and washed out several bridges. It looked like the river had just gone around the house, which it had, recalled Wilbur Abrams, 15, of Pittsfield, who took video of the yard of his familys house full of running water. The communities saw worse damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. A lot of people are having flashbacks to Irene with this, said Charlie Piso, the chair of the Pittsfield Select Board. Piso said the latest storm repair costs from Mondays flooding should easily quintuple the communitys $230,000 annual highway budget. That means affording repairs would be a huge cost crisis for the town, Piso said, because it is home to fewer than 600 people. Piso hopes federal aid money will support the towns rebuilding. Water does amazing things, and water is a frightening thing, as well, Piso observed. Bornemann and her office just asked FEMA to come to Vermont to conduct a preliminary damage assessment, which is a key step toward a federal major disaster declarationand the relief funds that come with one. When you look at a million dollars in the scope of a town with 600 people, that is just an enormous impact, Bornemann said of Pittsfields experience, adding that Vermont Emergency Management will support communities throughout the process of securing possible federal disaster aid. The governor said state public safety officials will be monitoring the storm threat in the coming days, so town counterparts can reach out to people in low-lying or flood-prone areas, should the risk worsen. A New Hampshire school teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student appeared in court Wednesday in Newton, Massachusetts. Primo "Howie" Leung, 36, was arrested on April 4 for allegedly bringing a student from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, where he would sexually assault her. Leung, who lives in Concord, New Hampshire, is charged with two counts of aggravated rape of a child, one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. Leung allegedly raped the student over the course of two years from 2014 to 2016. At the time, police say Leung was teaching at Rundlett Middle School in Concord. During the summers, they say he would drive his students down to Newton, Massachusetts, where he was a camp counselor at the Fessenden School. In Newton District Court Wednesday, prosecutors said the victim felt helpless against Leung's behavior. "A lot of the time, he was aggressive with her," said Assistant District Attorney Radu Brestyan. "Not hitting her, but aggressively putting himself upon her and degrading her, and she had no choice in what was going on." Leung will be held without bail until Friday, when he the case will be further evaluated. A road rage incident on Interstate 93 in Dorchester on Wednesday morning has resulted in the arrest of one man for brandishing a gun at another motorist. Daniel Bates, 33, of Avon, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. Massachusetts State Police first responded to a call around 7:45 a.m. for an incident that started on I-93 South in Milton. Braintree police later located the two cars on Hancock Street. Bates allegedly showed the other motorist a gun while the other motorist, 42-year-old Melcher Montes of Boston, allegedly showed Bates a knife. Montes reported the incident. Charges are still being considered against him. The suspect is a dispatcher for Suffolk University Police and Security, the school said, adding that he is not authorized to carry a firearm on campus or while on duty. School officials are reviewing the allegations and working to determine "proper discipline." Bates was being held at the State Police barracks in South Boston and was arraigned at Dorchester District Court on Wednesdsay afternoon. Police responded to a double shooting Wednesday afternoon in Manchester, New Hampshire. The shooting took place in the area of Cedar Street and Lincoln Street. Police said two male victims, ages 18 and 24, were hit in their lower extremities. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to area hospitals. No further information was immediately available. Police in Methuen, Massachusetts, have avoided layoffs after a city council vote. The Eagle Tribune reported that Methuen Mayor James Jajuga was threatening layoffs at the police department if councilors shot down his proposals to bridge overspending, requiring the transfer of $577,957 from other department expenses and the city's free cash account to help fund payroll. With a 5-1 vote, the measure passed at a Tuesday night meeting. Earlier this year, the same city council voted to restore $1.2 million to the department's budget. More than four dozen officers who had received pink slips learned they would be able to keep their jobs. City counselors had argued that the police contract and raises for captains were just too high, topping out at $250,000 for some. Police are investigating a shooting in Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester Police confirmed Tuesday night that a man had been found shot in the abdomen in the area of Harlem Street. The victim was taken to a hospital. There was no immediate word on his injuries. Witnesses told police the victim was on foot when two people got out of a car and began to shoot at him. The vehicle drove off after the man was hit once. Anyone with information is asked to call 508-799-8651 or send an anonymous tip to 274637. While thousands of Stop & Shop employees continue to strike in three New England states over what they call an unfair contract proposal, another famous politician will be throwing his support behind them. Former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak Thursday at a rally in support of the unionized employees outside the South Bay Center store in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Biden is expected to be joined by Mayor Marty Walsh at 2 p.m. Biden, mulling a run for the Democratic nomination for president, last week tweeted his support for the workers. While negotiations continue on day six between Stop & Shop and The United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), striking employees say they are not impressed by the political attention. "They are just names," said Woburn cashier Liz McNamara. Assistant deli manager Jim Smith added that it's been more difficult to not be working. "I don't think it's going to help the negotiations," Smith said of Biden's upcoming visit. "I don't think it'll help either side. He's not going to have a lot of input into what goes on." Tens of thousands of Stop & Shop employees in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut walked off the job April 11 over "unreasonable" wage and benefit cuts. Workers have been picketing outside stores ever since. The Quincy-based supermarket, a division of Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, says it is offering across-the board raises and "excellent" health care benefits that beat industry standards. Biden is the latest politician to lend his support to the striking workers. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey joined workers in Quincy Monday while Elizabeth Warren joined workers on the picket line in Somerville on Friday. As the strike continues, those who live on Nantucket said avoiding the supermarket chain has not been easy. Stop & Shop runs both of the grocery stores on the island. On Wednesday, one location had a picket line and the other was closed entirely. Nantucket resident Brian Glowacki took requests on social media while grocery shopping off island. "Immediately people were like, 'I need bread. I need cheese.' So I was like, 'alright,'" said Glowacki. "People are getting antsy because it is really the only place to get groceries. Hopefully it ends soon." Stop & Shop's president Mark McGowan has issued an apology to customers saying in part, "We are committed to resolving our labor negotiations as quickly as possible so that our employees can return to their jobs and we can get back to better serving you and the community." "In the interim, we're also committed to keeping our doors open for our customers. We are grateful to members of the management team and others who are jumping in to assure that you continue to receive service." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) President Rodrigo Duterte is again urging communist rebels to lay down their arms if they want to get back to the negotiating table. "Kayong mga NPA (New People's Army), kung gusto talaga ninyo nang usapang matino, immediate ceasefire. Walang magdala ng armas sa kampo ninyo o sa labas," Duterte said during a campaign rally of ruling PDP-Laban party in Tuguegarao City Tuesday night. [Translation: "To The NPA, if you really want serious talks, declare immediate ceasefire. Do not bring arms inside and outside your camps."] The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which has waged a five-decade insurgency the longest running in Asia. The National Democratic Front of the Philippines represents rebels in talks with the government but Duterte walked away from the negotiations in November 2017 as both sides accused each other of ceasefire violations. Duterte said the NPA should stop collecting revolutionary taxes and conducting arson attacks. He also called on NPA rebels not to kill innocent civilians. "'Yung mga kurakot diyan na nagche-checkpoint, 'yan ang patayin ninyo. 'Yan ang order ko," he said. [Translation: Kill those corrupt people conducting checkpoints instead. That's my order."] Duterte's latest statements came even as he announced in March the "permanent termination" of the peace talks and terminated the services of the government's peace panel members, including then chief government negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. The President said a new panel, which includes military men, will be created to oversee talks that will be led by local government officials. But CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison considers it as a "war panel," and stressed that the rebels will not participate in localized peace talks. On Tuesday, Duterte also reiterated his call for Sison to come home so peace negotiations could resume. He said Mindanao could not progress as long as communist rebels conduct attacks there. "Kaya ihinto mo muna lahat, umuwi ka dito, Sison. Ako ang bahala sa iyo. Hindi ako traydor na tao. I give you my honor - word of honor. Mag-usap tayo," Duterte said. [Translation: That's why stop everything you are doing and come home, Sison. I will take care of you. I am not a traitor. I give you my honor - word of honor. Let's talk."] Bishop blesses accessible car in Brundall The Bishop of Thetford, the Rt Revd Alan Winton, found himself in a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) on his recent visit to a group of churches in Brundall. The Bishop was visiting for a confirmation service at St Laurence Church, Brundall, and to bless the new WAV. Bishop Alan commented that this was a first for him since he arrived in the Diocese almost a decade ago. After blessing the car, he took a ride in it to collect its very first passenger. Tom Upton, a wheelchair dependent worshipper at Brundall Church, got the VIP treatment when he was the first to ascend the ramp in this specially adapted car. Tom hopes to be a regular passenger in this adapted transport and said: I was thrilled to be collected by Bishop Alan and this project will help me and others get about more and socialise. This is the climax of a year-long project entitled Connecting Our Community. The dream became a reality thanks to generous funding awards from various charitable trusts and donations from individuals. Over recent years, in Broadland, there have been improvements to the provision that many communities offer for the elderly, particularly those who are living alone. In the Brundall area, there is now a good range of activities and opportunities which have evolved and are designed to combat the feelings of loneliness and isolation. What hasnt improved at the same pace as these developments, however, is the ability to transport those who attend, or who would like to attend but cannot drive themselves there. The church hopes that the arrival of the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle will rectify this shortcoming and enable more people to access local community events. In particular, the adapted vehicle will be used to transport disabled, infirm and elderly residents to various activities around the village including medical appointments and the fortnightly luncheon club for senior citizens living alone. The Revd Peter Leech, Rector of St Laurence Church in Brundall, said: Social isolation and loneliness have been established as major causes of a reduction in a persons wellbeing. Despite its proximity to Norwich, it is now a major factor affecting our community. We have three churches in this area and we pride ourselves on being a Place for Everyone. We hope that this new car provided by the church, with help from generous donations, will be able to help the whole community access the facilities and events they want and need. The picture above of Bishop Alan blessing the WAV in Brundall is courtesy of Paul Smith. Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in East Norfolk? Harrison Lewis wasnt looking for SD-WAN, but hes glad he found it. Northgate Gonzalez, which operates 40 specialty grocery stores throughout Southern California, had distributed its compute power for years. Each store individually supported applications with servers and other key infrastructure and relied on batch processing to deal with nightly backups and storage, according to Lewis, the privately held companys CIO. Over time, the companys needs changed, and it began centralizing more services, including HR and buying systems, as well as Microsoft Office, in the cloud or at the companys two data centers. With this shift came a heavier burden on the single T-1 lines running MPLS into each store and the 3G wireless backup. Complicating matters, Lewis says, rainy weather in the region would flood the wiring, taking down terrestrial-network connectivity. It was problematic. We even doubled up on T-1 lines to each location, but it still wasnt enough. The network had to be a lot more reliable, Lewis says. Lewis searched for a suitable and cost-effective alternative, researching incremental options that could have increased bandwidth and addressed the companys security needs. They all came with a significant price tag, he says. In July 2016, Lewis and his team came upon software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN), technology that decouples the control plane from the data plane and enables networking groups to control the entire WAN in a centralized manner. Uniquely, SD-WAN supports the use of multiple types of connectivity (such as MPLS, broadband, broadband wireless), offering flexibility and ease of use for organizations with multiple locations. Lewis thought the technology was too immature to deploy at the time, but he kept an eye on its growth and by late 2017, considered it ready for a proof of production. With the NSX SD-WAN appliance from VeloCloud (VMware acquired VeloCloud in December 2017), he, along with his carrier AT&T, created a test zone at a single store, running the SD-WAN and traditional network side by side. The SD-WAN linked to two broadband connections and 4G wireless as a backup, along with ZScaler for Internet security. He put a similar configuration in the two data centers, which soon proved a viable approach. Today, Northgate Gonzalez has deployed SD-WAN in all 40 stores, with a recent bump to 5G wireless as backup. READ MORE: How enterprises can prep for 5G The move to broadband and wireless backup increased bandwidth because all three connections can be used interchangeably by SD-WAN, Lewis says. It also decreased monthly connectivity expenses by about 40%. Hes particularly proud of this result, as he is mindful of his fiduciary responsibility to not just keep throwing T-1 lines at the problem. Doing so could have led Northgate Gonzalez to have to raise prices or negatively impacted shareholders. That just doesnt make sense if there are alternatives, he says. He appreciates SD-WANs ability to prioritize traffic in support of business-critical activities, including payments and ordering, allowing them to take precedence over all else, and the somewhat zero-touch nature of provisioning the appliances. It doesnt require a great deal of skill to install the appliance, he says, adding he leveraged store technicians and help desk members to get the preconfigured appliances up and running at each site. SD-WAN handles diversity of circuits Luis Castillo, senior network manager for global network engineering at National Instruments, also was drawn to SD-WAN for its ease of deployment. National Instruments, an Austin-based maker of scientific equipment and software, operates in 50 countries and needed a solution that could handle the complexity of its distributed workflow. Customer service calls and research and development are handled by teams around the world, requiring tight attention to quality of service. We were throwing money at QoS toolsets to get classification, packet shaping, queuing, etc. that was the only way we could maintain a certain quality of service, Castillo says. Along with the cost of the toolsets, requirements for bandwidth would climb as much as 25% or more. We only got approved for 1% or 2% increases in our annual budget, so the gap kept getting wider, he says. As bandwidth demands grew, the company began to bump up against issues surrounding availability and the cost of more lines into their offices. In Russia, a 4M bit/sec [connection] cost $10,000 a month. We couldnt pay that, he says. The global nature of their business also made it difficult to get a single MPLS provider to handle all locations and some locations, such as Armenia, didnt have MPLS. Castillo first began looking for alternatives in 2008, and deemed performance-based routing, a precursor to SD-WAN, not good enough to operationalize. Most of the efforts in those early days didnt leave the lab, he says. When SD-WAN emerged, he connected with Viptela (Cisco closed its acquisition of Viptela in August 2017), and determined the software-driven technology (atop Cisco vEdge routers) to be the best bet to integrate with National Instruments environment, especially its diversity of circuits. Viptelas zero-touch provisioning was also a draw. It saved money because we didnt have to ship engineers Party at Mrs B's for clients old and new Claire Burdett A NEWBURY-based digital marketing and social media company will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with a party next week. Formed in 2009, The Media Marketing Company was one of the first agencies of its kind in the UK. Back in 2009, social media was still in its infancy and the iPhone was less than two years old, but Newbury resident Claire Burdett, an experienced traditional marketing expert, saw the potential of the new platforms like Facebook and Twitter that were appearing. She said: I had always been an early adopter of tech and I loved all the new social media channels that started popping up on the internet I was one of the first 50 users of Twitter in the UK. "I soon realised the huge potential of social media to be leveraged by small companies and big brands alike, to amplify their marketing messages. "I teamed up with Helen Moore, a PR and media expert, and also a website expert, and The Media Marketing Co was born. She continued: At first, a lot of companies, especially those selling business-to-business, were very resistant to it and thought it was only for consumer brands even when case-studies starting appearing of how huge blue chip B2B companies like IBM were using it with stunning effect. "Of course, these days, companies are only too aware of the power of social, and most of our clients these days are looking to make their campaigns more effective and sophisticated rather than starting them from scratch although there are a surprising number of companies with completely dormant social accounts. "Over the years, we have had a fabulous local client base including Vodafone and Dreweatts as well as national and international accounts too. The party to celebrate the The Media Marketing Company's 10th anniversary will be held on Thursday, April 25, at Mrs Bs Kitchen Cafe in Faraday Road, Newbury. It starts at 12.15pm and will run through until 3pm. Clients old and new are welcome go to httpwww.themediamarketingco.com/welcome-to-the-party/ On arrival there will be a chance to network and chat, as well as to get to meet the team over complimentary mocktails. There will then be a welcome from co-founders Claire Burdett and Helen Moore. They will take a brief trip down memory lane, looking back at how they decided to launch a social media marketing agency in 2009 and the challenges they have faced over the decade. Also, as part of the celebrations, The Media Marketing Company is giving away a free social media audit just say why you think your company needs one of its audits, and which social media platform youd like help with, and it will be in touch with the lucky winner. Go to https://www.themediamarketingco.com/social-media-audits/ 10 things that have changed in social media in 10 years 1. In 2009, 0.9 million people were using social media (a huge increase on the year before). Now it is 3.3 billion, which is almost half the worlds population. 2. Back then, people spent on average, one hour a week on social which was a big increase on the year before. That has now skyrocketed to two hours and 22 minutes per day. 3. There are a lot more networks with different ones aiming at different demographics and interests. 4. Businesses do business on social a lot of people if they have a question or a problem, turn to Facebook or Twitter for an answer before picking up the phone. 5. With the introduction of 3G, 4G and now 5G, as well as readily available wifi, we can engage with social, including those all important images and videos, anytime, anywhere. 6. And with better connections, came better quality which has contributed to the increase in engagement. 7. A staggering 97 per cent of all purchases start with an online search, probably on Google. Back in 2009 we were still Asking Jeeves! But with links to successful social media posts forming a dominant part of top Google listings, social media optimisation is becoming more important than ever. 8. The Rise of AI bots and automation werent around back in the day and this is one of the areas of social media which is still growing and changing at a rapid pace watch this space! 9. Whether youre a president or a pop star or a politician, the chances are you might announce something on Twitter first hard to imagine that in 2009. 10. Influencers the big influencers pre-2009 were the traditional ones journalists, analysts and politicians among others. Social has given rise to the Social Influencers who can gain millions of followers (and bank accounts to match). Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. wants China to pay for the giant clams its fishermen had harvested from Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters. Locsin, however, said the Philippines will not go to war against the East Asian giant over poaching. I am not going down in history as a clam defender, okay? It's a complaint, we're looking into it... no one goes to war for clams, Locsin said in a tweet Tuesday night. But they just happen to be OUR food. They (China) should pay for them like in fish market, he added. Earlier on Tuesday, Locsin said the Department of Foreign Affairs is preparing for a legal action on top of a diplomatic protest it had filed. He was responding to a netizen who called his attention to a news report that Filipino fishermen have been catching less fish due to the harvesting of giant clams, something that the fishermen said has been happening for years. In a separate media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Chinese fishermen did the harvesting of clams in "our territory, therefore it is an affront to our territory and to our sovereignty." The Philippines lost control of Scarborough after a 2012 standoff with China, prompting Manila to file a case for international arbitration. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague largely recognized the country's sovereign rights in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which the government calls West Philippine Sea. But it did not rule on which country has sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, which lies about 120 nautical miles off Zambales province. The landmark decision also recognized Scarborough, also known as Panatag Shoal, as a common traditional fishing ground, and said China interfered with Filipinos' right to fish there by restricting access. China rejects the arbitral ruling and stands by its sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea. HARTFORD This weekend more than 700 volunteers will provide free dental care to more than 800 people at Windham Middle School during the 13th annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic. Started in 2008, this will only be the second time the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic was held in the eastern part of the state. The first clinic was held in Tolland at the old high school. Robert Schreibman, who is the founder of the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach and co-founder of the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic, said about 32 percent of residents in eastern Connecticut live below the poverty line. Schreibman said they expect to see a lot of working poor who have multiple jobs that dont pay enough. He said even some government programs like Medicaid and military programs for veterans dont provide enough coverage for basic dental services. But access to affordable dental care is a problem thats universal. We get people from every part of the state, Schreibman said. Those who are in pain are usually the first ones in line. The clinic will see patients Saturday and Sunday on a first-come, first-serve basis, which means many patients will camp out overnight or arrive early in the morning before the clinic opens at 8 a.m. The clinic expects to see about 400 patients each day. There are about 250 people who have made the clinic their dental home, Schreibman said. However, thats not exactly something they encourage. He said they are trying to do small clinics at different times in the year to take care of people, like the elderly, who cant get to the annual clinic. Schreibman said they try and make sure the patients who come to the clinic are able to find access to dental care thats more convenient for them. The services provided at the clinic will include cleanings, fillings, extractions, X-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, limited root canal treatment on anterior teeth, and limited partial dentures. Doors open at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14. Past clinics were held in Tolland (2008), New Haven (2009), Middletown (2010), Waterbury (2011), Danbury (2012), Bridgeport (2013), Hartford (2014), Danbury (2015), Hartford (2016), New Haven (2017) and Torrington (2018). Contributed Photo / Department of Justice WILLIMANTIC A Willimantic teen pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to a charge connected to him offering to sell guns to people throughout Connecticut, according to the state Department of Justice. Mohammadreza Reza Kamali, 18, of Willimantic, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to one count of dealing in firearms without a license. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) A Filipino was hurt in "multiple rocket attacks" amid fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, according to the Philippine Embassy. "We have one Filipino wounded in the forehead. He now wants to go home," Charge d'Affaires Elmer Cato said in a tweet Wednesday as he was giving updates on the security situation in the North African country. The Philippine Embassy in Libya urged Filipinos in Tripoli to "stay indoors in wake of multiple rocket attacks in residential areas including near where some kababayan (fellow Filipinos) are located." Cato encouraged the 2,000 overseas Filipinos in Libya to volunteer themselves for repatriation, assuring them that the Philippine Embassy is ready to bring them home. "We hope our kababayan in Tripoli would now realize the danger we have been warning them and would ask us to bring them home," he said. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. said all the government could do now is to get the wounded Filipino home, but the rest of the Filipinos in Libya will have to make the decisions on their own. "But when they say even at the very last minute they wanna go, we go in and get them," he said. Alert Level 3 is up in Tripoli and nearby areas, which means only voluntary evacuations are taking place. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier told CNN Philippines the government could raise the alert to Level 4 "anytime soon," resulting in forced repatriation of all Filipino workers in Libya. The Labor department has also issued a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers there. As of April 11, only 12 Filipinos have opted for voluntary repatriation. Cato explained most Filipinos there seem to have a "wait-and-see" attitude, believing the situation will stabilize in the coming days. As early as the first week of April, the government has offered to bring Filipinos home amid reports of fresh fighting in Libya as rebel forces from the east of the country try to enter the capital. MONROE Former First Selectman Karen Burnaska remembers Raymond F. McPadden, Sr. as a rare thing a truly good person. You would not find someone more committed to his family and the community than Ray, she said. McPadden, 84, died April 12 at St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport. A local business owner who founded the two Mr. Macs Canteen locations (in Monroe and Milford) with his sons, McPadden was also a longtime Monroe resident and active in local government. He served from 1983 to 1991 on the Town Council, and on the Board of Finance from 1991 to 1993. Burnaska, who was First Selectman from 1995 to 2001, recalled McPadden as a tireless public servant who loved to volunteer and contribute to his community. He was also a justice of the peace, she said. He loved marrying people. McPadden was also a member of the Monroe Lions Club. Burnaska said she remembers him hanging wreaths on town hall during different holidays while she was in office. He was always so active in the community, she said. Born in Bridgeport, McPadden according to his obituary worked at, managed and owned the Merritt Canteen in Bridgeport for 50 years until he retired and founded the two Mr. Macs Canteen locations. The Mr. Macs Canteen Facebook page paid tribute to the businesss founder on Monday. We are very sadden (sic) by the loss of the original Mr. Mac! the post read, adding that both locations would be closed Thursday, which is the day of McPaddens funeral. McPadden is survived by a large family, including his wife of 58 years, Norma, and many children and grandchildren. In addition to his work in town government and with the Lions Club, McPadden volunteered with the Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport, the Roma Club, the Monroe Scholarship Fund and YMCA Lakewood Trumbull/Monroe. Services for McPadden will take place at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Stephens Church, 6948 Main St., Trumbull. Interment will be private. Family and friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at The Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Baldricks Foundation, 1333 South Mayflower Ave., Suite 400, Monrovia, CA 91016 or at stbaldricks.org. The third-grade class at Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford recently learned the process of how a bill becomes a state law. State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-67), who was invited to address the students, described the process during an April 5 assembly. Buckbee presented a slideshow about the legislative process before opening up the floor for questions. This is what being a representative is about, Buckbee said. Its critical that people get engaged with politics at an early age. The assembly aimed to teach the students how the process of a bill becoming a state law works, while also stress why it is important to understand it. Our democracy is contingent on consistent public engagement, Buckbee said. Its vital that they know I am here for them just as much as their parents and grandparents. The state representative said there are thousands of different ideas that are proposed to become laws every year. Of those proposals, a couple hundred will make it through the committee process to the House Floor for a vote, but an even fewer amount will go through both legislative chambers and reach the governors desk. The number of laws we pass fluctuates annually, based primarily on the status of the state budget, but the process remains the same, he said. It was my goal to encourage students to reach out to me if they have ideas about making our state better, Buckbee said of the assembly. Based on their follow-up questions, its clear I was presenting to our some of our states future leaders. After the presentation, Buckbee answered questions from the students, which ranged from the role of the governors veto power to why Rep. Buckbee got involved with politics. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $44.6 million to fund 12 studies comparing the best ways to treat a range of health conditions that impose high burdens on patients, caregivers and the healthcare system. The newly approved awards include four focused on improving the availability and effectiveness of treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), which affects 2.5 million Americans aged 12 and older, including 8 to 12 percent of people prescribed opioids for chronic pain. Three awards focus on patients treated for OUD in doctors' offices with the medication buprenorphine and seek to determine which psychosocial treatments work best in combination with that medication to help these patients abstain from opioid use: A $5.5 million Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine study comparing three psychosocial treatments for people being treated at federally qualified health centers. The study looks at which kind of psychosocial treatment -- cognitive behavioral therapy, peer recovery support or a combination of both -- is most effective. A $4.9 million RAND Corporation study of whether incorporating a patient's support system into their treatment with buprenorphine can improve outcomes. The study will examine whether a counseling program for someone close to the patient, such as a family member, spouse or friend, can improve recovery. A $4.4 million Johns Hopkins School of Medicine project comparing ways to improve outcomes by using patient incentives. One method will be standard care and two others will involve incentives for people who use buprenorphine daily to stay on their medication and not use drugs. The fourth opioids-related award is $5.6 million for a Yale University School of Medicine study comparing two approaches for supporting obstetricians who treat pregnant women with OUD with medication-assisted treatment. One is a collaborative care model where a care manager supports the obstetrician with patient screening, intake, education, treatment and care coordination. The other uses remote education to provide obstetricians with expert mentorship and guidance via video conferencing. The study looks at which model is better for patients. "PCORI is committed to funding studies across the broad range of issues that need to be considered if we are to reduce the toll that opioid use disorders, and inappropriate use of opioids more broadly, is taking on patients, their families and the healthcare system," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. "We believe PCORI's approach to helping combat this major public health challenge -- by comparing which care approaches work best, based on relevant outcomes -- can help patients and their doctors make better-informed decisions about their treatment options." These latest awards bring to nearly three-dozen the number of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness (CER) studies PCORI has funded related to opioid use. These are part of PCORI's broader focus on addressing the opioid epidemic by finding better ways to help people manage chronic pain, prevent inappropriate opioid use, improve long-term pain management while reducing the risk opioids can pose, and increase access to and quality of OUD treatment. Other awards approved include: $5.7 million to examine strategies for improving treatment of insomnia in rural areas, looking at how well a commonly prescribed drug works compared with cognitive behavioral therapy $5.6 million for a study comparing ways to enhance prenatal care to improve maternal and child health. $2.7 million in funding for a study comparing two non-drug approaches - acupuncture and massage therapy -- to improve care for severe pain in people with cancer Details of all projects approved for funding by the Board appear on PCORI's website. All awards were approved pending a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of formal award contracts. With these latest awards, PCORI has invested $2.4 billion to fund more than 460 patient-centered CER studies and to support other projects designed to enhance CER methods and the infrastructure necessary to conduct CER rigorously and efficiently. A vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of childhood illness and mortality in the developing world, sharply reduced the incidence of serious pneumococcal disease among children in a large Kenyan community after it was introduced in 2011, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, published online in The Lancet April 15, is the first to evaluate the effect of the vaccine, called PCV10, on a large scale in Africa. The researchers examined two time periods, 1999-2010, before the vaccine's introduction and 2012-2016, after its introduction, and found that the average annual incidence of serious pneumococcal disease caused by S. pneumoniae strains that the vaccine is designed to prevent dropped by 92 percent among children under five years of age. The incidence of disease among older, unvaccinated age groups also dropped sharply, suggesting that the vaccine produced an added "herd immunity" benefit. This occurs because children who have been vaccinated no longer transmit the disease in the community. S. pneumoniae infection can cause many serious conditions, which are broadly termed "pneumococcal disease" and include pneumonia, meningitis, ear and sinus problems, and sepsis (blood infection). Children are especially vulnerable to pneumococcal infection and while pneumococcal vaccination programs in wealthier countries have greatly reduced the burden of pneumococcal disease, access to pneumococcal vaccines lagged behind in lower-income countries. As recently as 2015, pneumococcal disease still annually claimed the lives of more than 300,000 children age five and under around the world. "There is evidence of the substantial impact of pneumococcal vaccines in the U.S. and other wealthy-country settings, and it's really exciting to now show a powerful population-level benefit of PCV10 vaccination in Africa, where most deaths from pneumococcal disease occur," says study lead author Laura Hammitt, MD, associate professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of International Health and clinical epidemiologist with the International Vaccine Access Center and the Center for American Indian Health at the Bloomberg School. Kenya until 2011 did not have a pneumococcal vaccine in its national childhood immunization schedule. In that year, though, with assistance from a global health organization called Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, it introduced PCV10, also called Synflorix, which is designed to protect against 10 common strains of S. pneumoniae. The Kenyan program provided for a three-dose schedule of PCV10 vaccination in infants at six, 10 and 14 weeks of age, with initial "catch-up" vaccination in 2011 for children who were less than a year old. Additionally, in the study community, the Kenyan Ministry of Health extended catch-up vaccination to children up to age five years. This helped to accelerate the population-level effects of the vaccine program. The study population included people living in and around Kilifi, a town on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast. The research was a collaboration involving the Bloomberg School, Oxford University, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Kenya's Ministry of Health, Kilifi County Hospital and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program in Kilifi. The researchers calculated the incidence, or annual rate per capita, of serious ("invasive") pneumococcal disease cases involving the ten PCV10 strains in children less than five years old at the hospital during the years 1999-2016. They then compared the average incidence during the 1999-2010 pre-vaccine period to the average incidence in 2012-2016 after the vaccine was in routine use. Comparing these before and after periods, they found that the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in children under five, involving those ten pneumococcal strains, declined 92 percent. The number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease involving the PCV10 strains in children younger than five fell from an average of 25 per year in the pre-vaccine era to just one per year in the vaccine era. The study also found that pneumococcal disease caused by non-PCV10 strains did not increase to fill the gap left by the vaccine. "There are many different strains of pneumococcus so it is important to monitor whether strains not included in the vaccine begin replacing those that are. This could potentially erode some of the benefit of the vaccine through so-called replacement disease," Hammitt says. "Fortunately, we haven't seen any evidence of significant replacement disease now six years after the introduction of PCV10 in Kenya." For invasive pneumococcal disease involving any S. pneumoniae strain, the average incidence dropped by 68 percent and there was also an 85 percent reduction in pneumococcal pneumonia among children younger than 5 years. The study revealed an added benefit from "herd immunity," in which vaccinating children led to reductions in disease in older, unvaccinated age groups by reducing the spread of infection in the community. The researchers found that the incidence of pneumococcal disease involving PCV10 strains among infants younger than two months--those too young to be vaccinated--declined from 173 per year per 100,000 population in the pre-vaccine period to zero after the vaccine was introduced. Similarly, the researchers saw declines in incidence of 74 percent and 81 percent, respectively, among children between five and 14 and those who were older than 14--groups that were not vaccinated. Herd protection is what makes the vaccine cost-effective in high-income countries but it has not been observed in tropical Africa until now. "The herd immunity provided by PCV10 is important not only because it improves the health of the population as a whole, but also because it makes the vaccine more cost-effective," Hammitt says. In addition to monitoring invasive disease, the study team also conducted "carriage surveys" in which they tested for pneumococcal bacteria in the noses of more than 4,000 Kilifi-area residents. These surveys showed declines in carriage of the PCV10 strains for all age groups from the pre-vaccine period to the post-vaccine period, which aligns with the observed declines in invasive disease. However, among children, carriage of the vaccine strains of S. pneumoniae remained higher than in wealthy-country settings (6 to 8 percent in Kilifi compared to less than 1 to 2 percent in the U.S.). "Persistent carriage of vaccine strains could lead to rebound disease if vaccine coverage levels do not remain high," Hammitt says. The study team plans to continue surveillance to monitor for any shifts in carriage and disease. "We have demonstrated a strong operational impact of PCV10 use in Kenya," Hammitt says. "Policymakers face difficult decisions about how to best use limited financial resources. Data like these provide critical evidence to support investment in childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine programs to improve the health of the population." In the spirit of WHO, which regards this problem as one of the ten major healthcare problems in the world - the aim of all participants is to engage with parents, political decision-makers, the media and healthcare professionals, in particular, to raise awareness and hence achieve greater vaccination coverage in general. "We see a particular need among the healthcare professions," emphasizes oGVAK President Wiedermann-Schmidt. "We want to achieve a situation where it is compulsory for people already working or aspiring to work in such professions to produce evidence of their vaccination status." Protected Together, Vaccines Work As part of European Vaccination Week, which is using the slogan "Protected Together,#Vaccines Work", MedUni Vienna will host an international conference with numerous well-known speakers (Van Swieten Hall at MedUni Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Van Swieten Gasse 1a; 11:30 to 18:30 hrs - the conference language will be English). For more information: https://bit.ly/2ICMaSj The programme will include presentations from Daniel Levy-Bruhl from the French National Institute of Public Health and Rita Carsetti from Babmino Gesu Hospital in Rome, outlining how the compulsory vaccination scheme, comprising several vaccines, functions in France and Italy. Experts from Austria, Finland and Greece will also outline their strategies. Once all the lectures have been delivered, there will be a discussion about the possibility of a common European solution aimed at increasing vaccination coverage. Conference for European Vaccination Week 2019 Wednesday, 24 April 2019, 11:30 - 18:30 hrs, Van Swieten Hall at the Medical University of Vienna, Van-Swieten-Gasse 1a, 1090 Vienna. For more information and to register: https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/ueber-uns/events/detail/event/european-vaccination-week-2019/ Kinesiology researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have received funding to compare the effects Kinesiology researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have received funding to compare the effects of tai chi and mindfulness meditation on both the physical balance and psychosocial well-being of people with multiple sclerosis both the physical balance and psychosocial well-being of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In a pilot study with 30 participants who have mild to moderate MS symptoms, researchers at the Motor Control Lab of Richard van Emmerik, professor of kinesiology, will use a one-year, $54,972 pilot grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to measure the immediate and ongoing benefits of the two mind-body practices. Julianna Averill, a doctoral student in motor control working in Van Emmerik's lab, hopes the results will validate the approach of community-based classes and lead to a larger scale study across the commonwealth. Tai chi, a Chinese martial art, involves stretching and slow, focused, flowing postures that keep the body in constant motion. Mindfulness-based stress reduction, the meditation component of the study, teaches various mindfulness practices, such as body scan meditation and loving kindness meditation. "This is our first intervention study which has a teaching component," Averill says. "The participants will be trained, and they will be able to practice on their own." Characterized by unpredictable periods of relapse and remission, MS is the most common disabling neurological disorder among young adults, with many diagnoses occurring between age 20 and 40, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. People with MS may have a range of symptoms, including vision problems, muscle weakness, coordination and balance problems, tingling and burning sensations or numbness, extreme fatigue, fuzzy thinking and depression. The symptoms occur because the signals between the brain and body are disrupted when the fatty layer surrounding neurons in the brain and spinal cord - called the myelin sheath - is slowly destroyed. "While MS symptoms vary depending on where the damage in the brain and spinal cord is located, balance issues are a common occurrence in MS," Averill says. "Mind-body interventions are beneficial as they train dynamic balance, such as transitioning between postures, turning, reaching, etc., in a manner similar to movements in daily life." Finding ways to improve postural control and balance confidence is crucial to reducing the risk and fear of falls, a common and serious hazard for people with MS, which also affects their quality of life, Averill says. The study is designed to offer a fresh and expanded look at the effects of tai chi and mindfulness meditation. "With mindfulness meditation, studies have been primarily looking at the mental constructs and not the impact on physical balance," she says. Previous studies involving tai chi focused on standing balance, and UMass Amherst's study will also seek to measure participants' balance as they move. Researchers are recruiting people with mild to moderate symptoms who are between age 21 and 70 and able to stand and move without assistance for 15 minutes. At three lab sessions over 10 weeks - before the classes start, after they end and two weeks later - participants will wear inertial sensors that collect postural sway data as they perform various movements. During the same sessions, the participants also will answer questionnaires that gauge their fall history, balance confidence, level of fatigue and ability to cope and adapt. "We're taking a more holistic look, considering the whole person and overall quality of life," Averill says. After the first data collection, participants will be randomly assigned to either eight weeks of free tai chi at YMAA Western Mass Tai Chi or free mindfulness meditation classes at Downtown Mindfulness, both local businesses that are partnering with UMass Amherst for the study. Participants will attend classes for 2.5 hours a week and have 2.5 hours of homework, either listening to meditation podcasts or watching tai chi videos on an innovative website that tracks participants' activity. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Spider-Man goes dark after he reads from the Darkhold in new Marvel special Spider-Man gets the Darkhold - what could possibly go wrong? (Spoilers: lots) 5440 Brewing Company in Washougal, WA is set to release cans to celebrate and support the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The wildlife refuge can be seen from 5440s patio as one looks toward Mt. Hood - a view that the brewery intends to give many more people access to in the coming year. 5440' and company have acquired the space adjacent to the brewery with plans to create a patio experience unlike anything in the Gorge. More from the press release... From left to right, Bolt Minister, Dave Pinkernell and Christopher Lapp stand near the Steigerwald National Wildlife Rufuge with cans of 54-40 Brewing Company's Restoration Ale. Photo: Camas Post Record 5440 Brewing is proud to present a new collaboration ale on draft and in package. Restoration Ale is the latest seasonal release from the brewery, brewed in partnership with the Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards and in honor of the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Restoration and Flood Control Project. This NW-style Pale Ale was brewed with Amarillo and Rakau hops to be citrus and stone fruit forward with an easy drinking finish. The release marks the first package and draft release in the Restoration Ale series designed to highlight the on-going efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services efforts in restoring salmon habitat at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is the next door neighbor to the brewery in Washougal, Washington. The Gorge Refuge Stewards is a group of dedicated volunteers working to preserve, protect, and restore the native habitat on three National Wildlife Refuges on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge: Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake and Pierce. The mission of the Gorge Refuge Stewards is to preserve and enhance the native species of Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges through public education, advocacy and habitat restoration in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Restoration Ale tapping and rollout event will happen at the Stewards annual public meeting 6:30pm Tuesday April 16th at 5440' Brewing. The presentation will include an update regarding the Steigerwald Habitat Restoration and Flood Control Project. 5440' Brewing Company will also be donating $1 for each pint of Restoration Ale back to the Refuge Stewards. In addition, 6-packs of 12 ounce cans of Restoration Ale will be available at the taproom and local stores such as New Seasons, BevMo!, and Total Wine & More. For information on happenings at the brewery visit: www.54-40brewing.com For information on the Refuge Stewards please visit: https://refugestewards.org/ For information on Steigerwald Lake NWR please visit: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/steigerwald_lake/ This is the first Hop-Ed column, The New School's opinion section. Local brewery owners and brewhouse/tank fabricators Portland Kettle Works have incited some controversy by throwing their support to Anheuser-Busch/InBev while criticizing the Brewers Association. In an emailed statement, (also posted to its blog,) Portland Kettle Works and The Labrewatory owner Thad Fisco uses a meeting with Brewers Association members to frame his criticism. The lengthy defense of InBev and other large brewers by Fisco dropped at the same time small brewers are gathering in Denver for the Craft Brewers Conference, which is produced by the BA. The Brewers Association is a not-for-profit industry trade group representing small and independent brewers. The BA has championed the use of the words "craft beer" and brewery, independent brewer and the "Independence Matters" campaign. "Anheuser-Busch, Heineken, Constellation Brands, MillerCoors, Mahou San Miguel, Kirin, Asahi and the other big players are fully invested and very engaged in the business of craft beer" writes Fisco. In my own emailed response I asked Fisco how he can defend their anti-competitive assaults on craft beer by throttling distribution and shelf placements, as well as documented pay-to-play strategies. Rather than address these isssues directly, I was directed to comment on the PKW blog. "The competition is healthy and helps to drive innovation and quality throughout the industry." asserts Fisco, of InBev and other major corporate players influence. The pro-corporate beer argument basically amounts to the idea that they are bringing more fans into the fold who will enjoy craft or "premium" beers, thus increasing craft's market share. The entire argument hinges on the BA's stated goal of 20% market share, a lofty goal that ultimately is just a meaningless marker if it's counting corporate mass produced product. "While the BA is engaged in protectionism, AB InBev is experimenting and redefining the market in an effort to remove barriers to entry for the 80% of non-craft beer drinkers. Independent brewers have a lot to learn from their efforts to grow demand in an increasingly competitive business," writes Fisco. I spoke to Sam Holloway, founder of Crafting A Strategy and board member of Oakshire Brewing, who is mentioned heavily in Fisco's letter. Holloway disagreed that Fisco was letting ABInBev off the hook. "I don't think Thad's email was a full endorsement of AB InBev, far from it," - Sam Holloway. However, Fisco's impassioned defense of InBev does not once mention any criticism of their tactics, in fact just the opposite. "The evidence shows that the big brewers are not out to destroy craft beer, craft beer drinkers, or craft breweries." Fisco is apparently ignoring the numerous documented occasions of their shady dealings and repeated out in the open media assaults on craft beer. "AB InBev and the other large breweries that have invested in premium beer offerings are helping raise all boats" That's a theory that may have once been true and that the late-great Don Younger subscribed to, but that was when we had a couple dozen breweries in Portland. Not approaching 100. And as we have seen in recent years in Oregon, (and across the country) the surge of brewery openings and InBev and Miller-Coors buyouts are pinching the bottom line and putting breweries out of business. It's simply not true that AB/InBev's investment in premium beer is raising all boats, more like its wake is sinking them, or at least making those ships take on water. The New School's Eugene correspondent Aaron Brussat weighs in: "Growth in business is a measure of success."Yes, well that's one measure of success. Another measure may be how good your beer is, or how you support your local community, or how many facebook followers you have. That statement is almost meaningless unless applied to a specific instance, and while more money sometimes equals more success, I think you can use the WalMart example of putting thousands of small businesses out of business and taking money out of communities that growth in business also has negative consequences. Amalgamation of business on a large scale, with its purported efficiencies, eliminates the fractal effect of having many small, specialized businesses that may not be the most efficient but that produce dollars, jobs, and intangible positive effects on the people who work for and patronize those businesses. Dude, this is crazy. Though I don't agree with the BA's re-definition of craft to continuously include Boston Beer even though it's a publicly traded company (and thus not independent - which I think is/should be shorthand for "independently owned"), this statement of support by a relatively small business is ridiculous and it sounds like they've drunk the $Kool-Aid$ and are angling to be purchased by a large brewery conglomerate. What happened to the BA's 20% by 2020? That's obviously not going to happen, though it might if it decided to take the AB pill and include all the "craft beer" it produces. But who fucking cares about a round number? Despite its flaws, the BA does present a threat to the capitalist paradigm that is bolstered by the current administration, and that is exactly what the economy and beer industry need in order to prevent corporatocracy and monopoly under the guise of a diverse portfolio. "Craft" is not part of a portfolio, especially if that portfolio also includes Bud Light; how is that not completely obvious to everyone? It's the ouroboros of beer. Budweiser eats its young. Add to that, and shame on PKW for supporting a business that would do this, the latest lawsuit against AB InBev for intentionally mimicking the brandingof another beer and another company: Patagonia. No regrets on AB's part because it, like Heineken USA does when it gives away its draught systems in Washington State, can just pay some millions-of-dollars fines no problem, all the while maintaining its innocence. If that represents PKW's imagination of what craft beer is, maybe the real craft breweries who purchase their products should think again. The BA is a not-for-profit, and is run by a board of directors with term limits (basically the opposite of the companies PKW is supporting; do you even Brito, bro?). If there is enough of a voice to move it in a different direction by consensus, then it will. So get in there. (Newser) A Florida jury on Tuesday found a man guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her, the AP reports. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. Jurors in Clearwater, Fla., deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting John Jonchuck, whom prosecutors portrayed as a vengeful man who planned to kill his daughter to keep her away from her mother and grandmother. The Tampa Bay Times reported that no one from Jonchuck's family was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. story continues below And no friends or relatives spoke on behalf of Phoebe or her father before the sentencing. Jonchuck, who was stoic when the verdict was read, hugged his attorneys and said, "Yes, your honor," when asked if he understood that the verdict carries an automatic life sentence. He was then fingerprinted and taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs. Jonchuck's lawyers had asked the judge to delay sentencing for a week because they have some issues to check. But when they failed to provide a reason, Judge Chris Helinger proceeded with the sentencing. "I am satisfied that justice was done," the newspaper quoted Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe as saying. "My immediate reaction is killing children doesn't make one a very sympathetic character." (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) The FBI says a "massive manhunt" is underway for a Florida woman obsessed with the 1999 Columbine school massacre who flew to Colorado from Miami on Monday night. Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the FBI in Denver, says 18-year-old Sol Pais bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition after leaving Denver International Airport, the Denver Post reports. Phillips says Pais made threats that caused Columbine and more than 20 other high schools in the area to lock their doors Tuesday. He said the threats were "concerning," but not specific to any school. Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, in which two students killed 12 students and a teacher at the Littleton high school. story continues below Phillips says Pais, who is considered armed and dangerous, was taken to an area near the Denver foothills after buying the shotgun, the New York Times reports. "Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school," he told reporters Tuesday night. The FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a statement Tuesday describing the teen as "infatuated" with the shooting and advising police to detain her and evaluate her mental health, reports the AP. Stan Hilkey, head of Colorado's public safety department, said Tuesday night that authorities still haven't decided whether to open high schools in the Denver area Wednesday. (Read more Columbine school massacre stories.) (Newser) President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end US military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, the AP reports. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time earlier this month to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try to stop US involvement in a foreign conflict. The vetothe second in Trump's presidencywas expected. Congress lacks the votes to override him. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump wrote in explaining his veto. Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. story continues below Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing. The US provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began in 2014. The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine. (Read more veto stories.) (Newser) Notre Dame cathedral came within minutes of destruction but it is still standing today thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters, authorities say. Laurent Nunez, France's deputy interior minister, said Tuesday that firefighters risked their lives to save the 850-year-old cathedral during a crucial 15- to 30-minute window of time, the BBC reports. Nunez praised the "courage and determination" of firefighters, who remained inside the burning cathedral to prevent the fire spreading to the building's two towers. The cathedral's roof and spire were destroyed in the blaze. The full extent of the damage is still to be assessed, but many of the priceless relics inside were saved. More: A stone "fire door." Medieval architecture expert Tom Nickson says the cathedral's builders also deserve credit for saving the building from fire. The cathedral's stone vault "acted as a kind of fire door between the highly flammable roof and the highly flammable interior," exactly as its 12th-century builders intended, he tells the Guardian. story continues below "We don't act without planning." Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the Paris fire brigade, says firefighters drilled regularly to prepare for a possible fire at Notre Dame, the New York Times reports. "We don't act without planning," he says. "We know the cathedral. So we know what to do when something like that happens, we know, for instance, that we need to deploy boats on the Seine really quickly to pump large amounts of water." He says that of the 500 firefighters that responded, around 100 focused on saving the cathedral's treasures. Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the Paris fire brigade, says firefighters drilled regularly to prepare for a possible fire at Notre Dame, the New York Times reports. "We don't act without planning," he says. "We know the cathedral. So we know what to do when something like that happens, we know, for instance, that we need to deploy boats on the Seine really quickly to pump large amounts of water." He says that of the 500 firefighters that responded, around 100 focused on saving the cathedral's treasures. Rebuilding deadline "unrealistic." President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the cathedral would be rebuilt "even more beautifully" than before within five years, but some experts consider the timeline unrealistic, even though more than $1 billion has already been raised for the effort, the AP reports. Pierluigi Pericolo, head of restoration at the St. Donation basilica, says simply securing the building could take up to five years. "The end of the fire doesn't mean the edifice is totally saved," he says. "The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside." President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the cathedral would be rebuilt "even more beautifully" than before within five years, but some experts consider the timeline unrealistic, even though more than $1 billion has already been raised for the effort, the AP reports. Pierluigi Pericolo, head of restoration at the St. Donation basilica, says simply securing the building could take up to five years. "The end of the fire doesn't mean the edifice is totally saved," he says. "The stone can deteriorate when it is exposed to high temperatures and change its mineral composition and fracture inside." Arson, terrorism ruled out . Authorities say they still don't know how the fire started, but arson and terrorism have been ruled out, despite the claims of conspiracy theorists, USA Today reports. Investigators suspect the blaze was linked to restoration work. Some 30 people involved with the work have already been questioned. . Authorities say they still don't know how the fire started, but arson and terrorism have been ruled out, despite the claims of conspiracy theorists, USA Today reports. Investigators suspect the blaze was linked to restoration work. Some 30 people involved with the work have already been questioned. Timeline emerges. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said Tuesday that the first fire alarm went off at 6:20pm Monday, but no fire was found when somebody checked the ancient wooden attic known as the "forest," the Times reports. When another alarm went off at 6:43pm, they discovered the attic was ablaze. Experts say fire-prevention safeguards found in most other buildings were absent from Notre Dame, partly because authorities feared introducing anything involving wiring to the attic area would increase the risk of a fire. (Read more Notre Dame Cathedral stories.) (Newser) Less than 24 hours elapsed between President Macron's call for donations to rebuild Notre Dame and nearly $1 billion being pledged, reports Time. In comparison, a nearly week-old campaign seeking funds to rebuild three historically black churches destroyed by arson in Louisiana within the last month had raised only $93,000 as of Tuesday morning, reports the New York Times. A day later, that number has skyrocketed to more than $1.1 million thanks to social media promotion from journalists, pro athletes, and politicians, including Hillary Clinton, reports the Hill. "As we hold Paris in our thoughts today, let's also send some love to our neighbors in Louisiana," Clinton tweeted alongside a link to the GoFundMe campaign from the Seventh District Baptist Association, which includes the three Baptist churches gutted in fires on March 26, April 2, and April 4. story continues below More than 21,000 people have donated as of this writing, with funds to be split evenly among the churches in St. Landry Parish, each more than 100 years old. "It's a total, complete loss at all three sites," association president Freddie Jack tells the Times. Mount Pleasant Baptist in Opelousas fared best, but at St. Mary Baptist in Port Barre and Opelousas' Greater Union Baptist Churchwhich had taken out a mortgage to cover a recent renovation"all you see is charcoal." The fund seeks $1.8 million total; Jack notes insurance coverage is limited and strict building codes have been put in place since Hurricane Katrina. The money raised so far is "a blessing," Rev. Gerald Toussaint of Mount Pleasant Baptist tells CNN. "What the devil meant for bad, God's going to turn it into something good." (The son of a deputy sheriff is charged.) (Newser) A 17-year-old typed out pages on how he planned to fatally shoot his grandparents and law enforcement found those notes with a book on an executioner in the teen's backpack after he called 911 and confessed to the killings, prosecutors in Wisconsin said Tuesday. Alexander Kraus was charged Tuesday in Outagamie County Circuit Court in Appleton, Wis., with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus, the AP reports. Each charge carries a life sentence. Police found the bodies Sunday at their home in Grand Chute, a small city about 110 miles northwest of Milwaukee, after a male called the police and said he needed to be arrested in the deaths, according to a criminal complaint. The teen is being held on $2 million bond. story continues below An autopsy found that Dennis Kraus was shot once in the head and Letha Kraus suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the right forearm. There were "several pages" in a red folder outlining how Kraus would kill his grandparents, investigators said in the complaint, which provided no motive for the shootings. Police say Kraus also told investigators he was planning to cause unspecified harm at Neenah High School, where he was a junior. Officers found a shotgun with a knife taped to the end of the barrel and a knife sheath on the bed of a downstairs bedroom. A search of an upstairs bedroom uncovered a shotgun on the bed with two gun cases and ammunition, a "large amount of various ammunition" on the floor, and several more guns in a gun cabinet, the complaint said. (Read more Wisconsin stories.) (Newser) "God forgives me, why can't you?" chanted hundreds of students at a rare protest at the Mormon-owned Brigham Young University on Friday. The protesters were calling for changes to the school's famously strict honor code system, which bans beards, piercings, drinking coffee, and premarital sex, among other things. Many students at the Utah university say that while they don't disagree with the contents of the code, which they are required to sign to attend classes, punishments are far too strict and university administrators have created a "climate of snitching and tattling," NPR reports. Some say victims of sexual assault are still being punished, despite changes to the system made after protests in 2016. The university's honor code office investigates alleged violations and issues punishments. story continues below Former student Sidney Draughon, 24, says she was put on probation and failed to graduate on time after officials decided she had worn indecent clothing in a vacation photo and an ex-boyfriend confessed they had engaged in "sexual touching," the New York Times reports. Hundreds of other students have shared similar stories on her "Honor Code Stories" Instagram page, which says it supports "positive change within BYU's Honor Code Office." Honor code office director Kevin Utt said last week that punishments for violating the code are "intended to develop students' moral and ethical decision-making." He said only 10 to 15 students are expelled each year for transgressions, with others receiving lesser punishments. (In 2017, BYU ended a 60-year ban on the sale of caffeinated soft drinks.) (Newser) A long-hidden trove of unpublished works by Franz Kafka could soon be revealed following a decade-long battle over his literary estate that has drawn comparisons to some of his surreal tales. A district court in Zurich upheld Israeli verdicts in the case last week, ruling that several safe deposit boxes in the Swiss city could be opened and their contents shipped to Israel's National Library. At stake are untouched papers that could shed new light on one of literature's darkest figures, a German-speaking Bohemian Jew from Prague whose cultural legacy has been hotly contested between Israel and Germany, the AP reports. Though the exact content of the vaults remains unknown, experts have speculated the cache could include endings to some of Kafka's major works, many of which were unfinished when they were published after his death. story continues below Israel's Supreme Court has already stripped an Israeli family of its collection of Kafka's manuscripts, which were hidden in Israeli bank vaults and in a squalid, cat-filled Tel Aviv apartment. But the Swiss ruling would complete the acquisition of nearly all his known works, after years of lengthy legal battles over their rightful owners. The saga could have been penned by Kafka himself, whose name has become known as an adjective to describe absurd situations involving inscrutable legal processes. "The absurdity of the trials is that it was over an estate that nobody knew what it contained. This will hopefully finally resolve these questions," says Benjamin Balint, a research fellow at Jerusalem's Van Leer Institute and the author of "Kafka's Last Trial," which chronicles the affair. (Read more Franz Kafka stories.) If it wasnt enough to watch The Stronach Group struggle with all that has transpired at Santa Anita over the past months, last week we witnessed some of the impact of the situation and other unrelated issues arising for them elsewhere in the country. The Stronach Group, a sizable and influential player when it comes to racetrack ownership with facilities from coast to coast, is experiencing how challenges can pile up, requiring them to manage important and consequential issues on a number of fronts. For openers, the situation that has unfolded at Santa Anita Park, where 23 horses lost their lives while racing or training since the meet opened Dec. 26, has put the sport in the crosshairs, putting in a stark reminder that the industry needs consistent and unified solutions and messaging. While the causes of the breakdowns remain unsolved, an unfavorable winter with unseasonable rain and cold was out of managements control. Closure of the track for several weeks in Marchwhich was the right thing to dodid little to quell outrage from the general population, which has reacted with enough rancor that politicians have called for one of the most beautiful racetracks on the planet to be closed. Racing is struggling in Southern California as a result of the uncertainty, where on Saturday, April 13, 57 horses competed in 10 races, and the following day 47 horses raced on an eight-race program. In addition, national and state lawmakers have joined the fray with California legislators discussing empowering the California Horse Racing Board to be able to take emergency action if necessary. In essence, the CHRB is wresting the ability to close the doors from track management. On an unrelated note, The Stronach Group quietly pulled the plug on its Portland Meadows racetrack in Oregon at the end of March when it was reported that a permit application had been filed for development of the 46-acre property. The fate of racing in Oregon is in doubt. Filling a bad-beat trifecta came April 15 when the Maryland Jockey Club (its parent company is The Stronach Group) announced that 6,700 seats in Pimlicos historic grandstand will not be accessible for the tracks Preakness Stakes (G1) weekend. An engineering firm determined that seats in the old grandstands open-air section are no longer suitable to sustain that level of load bearing weight. While that particular section of the facility is only used one weekend a year, the engineering report would seem to give The Stronach Group no option but to close the grandstand. Weve been to Pimlico many times and admit to having a love-hate relationship with the plant. While enjoying the rustic feel at Old Hilltop, that same rustic feel amazes us as passable for charm at an event considered one of the jewels of the Triple Crown. You might say that we are not surprised at the results of the engineers report as we have experienced and covered the state of the grandstand over the years and have seen what it takes to maintain our iconic racetracks as they battle time and the elements. The grandstand in question, which runs the length of the stretch, including an up-close view of the start of the race, should be considered some of the most valuable real estate in racing, not an unsafe venue for watching the second jewel of the Triple Crown. A classic destination for American racing deserves better. (Newser) The owner of a bar near Mississippi State University is defending his decision to kick out some 250 people as a tornado raged nearby. Bin 612 owner Ty Thames has weathered a storm of his own since ordering patrons out of the Starkville bar beginning around 9:45pm Saturday, as a tornado warning was issued. By 10pm, the National Weather Service reported the tornado was 9 miles away and would hit in less than 10 minutes, though it later lifted, per the Washington Post. "UNACCEPTABLE," reads a sample tweet, one of many suggesting Thames put people in danger. Thames says he only wanted to keep people safe. "It's basically wall-to-wall glass on the front and the back of the building" and "the only non-glass walls" are covered in glassware, he tells the Post. Yet "people were too intoxicated to understand they were in danger there." story continues below Police said they were called as roughly 100 people tried to fight security, per the Clarion Ledger. A patron said security guards were literally pushing people out, and one was "yelling and swearing." Thames says he'll hire new security guards, but adds they were only trying to usher people to an underground parking garage 50 feet away, per the Commercial Dispatch. Thames says 15 people did take shelter in the bar's basement, accessible by a type of ladder, but it "can only hold about 40 to 60 people at most" and is "very dangerous." While he plans to seek experts to strengthen an evacuation plan, others are putting the onus on patrons. "Maybe choosing a business that is 75% windows as the place you want to shelter from a tornado that you knew was coming 14 hours ahead of time wasn't the best idea?" writes a Facebook user. (Read more tornado stories.) (Newser) Their "storefront" operated on the dark web, but their undoing was a bunch of New York City ATMs, say prosecutors. Three New Jersey men have been charged in what prosecutors describe as a $2.3 million pill operation that sold counterfeit Xanax and other drugs to customers in 43 states. "When our office received reports of suspicious activity at ATMs in New York and New Jersey, our talented investigators followed the money" and uncovered the scheme, said District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Tuesday. Authorities allege Chester Anderson, 44; Jarrette Codd, 41; and Ronald MacCarty, 51; sold drugs through a dark web shopping site called "Dream Market," which NJ.com describes as something that resembles Amazon, "except you need a Tor browser to get there, and cryptocurrency to pay with." More: Investigators went undercover and used cryptocurrency to buy about 10,000 pills, then obtained search warrants for the men's homes and cars. They say their searches turned up at least 420,000 fake Xanax tablets, some kept in big orange buckets, plus fentanyl-laced heroin, meth, ketamine, the date-rape drug GHB, and more. Prosecutors estimate the street value of the counterfeit Xanax is $3 million. They're calling it a historic bust: the biggest pill seizure ever in New Jersey, and the first time New York prosecutors have dismantled a dark web storefront. story continues below Where the ATMs came in: The men allegedly laundered some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency by using it to load pre-paid debit cards, which they then used to get cash from ATMs. The New York Times reports Vance's office got a tip in 2017, when it was told that in addition to huge amounts being withdrawn around the city, some transactions were done at a teller machine capable of converting cryptocurrency to cash. A two-year investigation followed. Prosecutors allege Anderson is the ringleader and say his Asbury Park, NJ, cellphone store doubled as a drug factory outfitted with two industrial power mixers and four pill presses each capable of pumping out 16,000 pills per hour. They allege Anderson tried to conceal his activity using rental cars, hotels, and a GPS jamming device. NBC News reports the men allegedly used the addresses of New York City law offices and real estate firms as the return addresses on their shipments. The men face charges of conspiracy and money laundering; Anderson was also charged with drug trafficking and identity theft. They have all pleaded not guilty. (Read more Xanax stories.) (Newser) At the start of this month, a person told central Louisiana police about being raped as a child, identifying the alleged perpetrator as Harvey Joseph Fountain of Pineville. The 71-year-old has now been arrested on 100 preliminary counts of first-degree rape stemming from alleged assaults on children over the course of a decade, from the early 1970s to early 1980s. After the initial accuser named other possible victims, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office followed up, finding numerous cases where Fountain allegedly raped children under 13 in places he lived and frequented in Pineville, some 115 miles from Baton Rouge, per CNN. story continues below Fountain was arrested April 9 on 50 preliminary counts related to more than one alleged victim; he was re-arrested on another 50 preliminary counts three days later after police "identified additional victims," according to a police statement. It doesn't mention the number of alleged victims but notes the investigation "is still ongoing, and more arrests are possible." Per the Washington Post, Lt. Stephen Phillips adds "we still have more [victims] to interview." As there is no statute of limitations for first-degree rape in Louisiana, a grand jury will decide if Fountain should be indicted and on which charges, per CNN, which notes a first-degree rape charge can carry a sentence of life imprisonment or death. Fountain was held late Tuesday with bail set at $1 million, per ABC News. (Read more child rape stories.) (Newser) Former Peruvian President Alan Garcia is dead after shooting himself in the head as police came to detain him amid allegations he received illegal payment from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, reports the AP. Garcia is said to have retreated to his bedroom and shot himself in the head as police arrived. The 69-year-old ex-president was rushed to a nearby hospital and suffered three cardiac arrests; he died after undergoing emergency surgery. The AP reports the stunning turn of events comes four months after Garcia tried to seek asylum in Uruguay as prosecutors in Peru investigated the allegations against him. Odebrecht is at the center of Latin America's biggest corruption scandal after admitting in a 2016 plea agreement with the US Justice Department that it paid corrupt officials across Latin America nearly $800 million in exchange for major infrastructure contracts. story continues below Per the BBC, Peru's last four ex-presidentsa list that includes Garciahave all been investigated for corruption, three in connection with Odebrecht. One of them, Alejandro Toledo, is said to be a fugitive in the US. As for Garcia, he twice served as president, from 1985 to 1990 and then from 2006 to 2011; the bribery is alleged to have occurred during that second term. Prosecutors said they believed he received more than $100,000 from Odebrecht, disguised as a payment to speak at a conference in Brazil. Garcia had professed his innocence and argued that he is the victim of false testimony by political enemies. (Read more Alan Garcia stories.) (Newser) A May 2017 confrontation over smoking in a non-smoking area outside a Melbourne, Australia, hospital resulted in the death of a cardiothoracic surgeon and a minimum 10-year sentence for the man who killed him with a single punch. Joseph Esmaili became the first person to be sentenced under Victoria's one-punch law, ABC reports. The 24-year-old was handed 10 years and six months and won't be eligible for parole for a decade. The 2014 law covers a punch to the head or neck and applies whether death resulted directly from the punch or from a fall after the victim is struck. When the law took effect, the Crime Victims Support Association said that provision would keep attackers from avoiding conviction. "They've just been virtually walking away and saying they hit the concrete, and that's what killed themnot the punch," Noel McNamara said, per ABC. story continues below Dr. Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, who treated lung cancer patients, had seen Esmaili and others smoking just outside Box Hill Hospital and told them it was a non-smoking area. They refused to leave, the Age reports, and the doctor went inside to get security to evict them. Minutes later, Esmaili, who had gone inside to use the restroom, overheard Pritzwald-Stegmann talking about the group and started cursing him. The 41-year-old doctorwho fell backward, hitting his head on a tile floor after Esmaili punched himsuffered a catastrophic brain injury and was taken off life support a month later. Pritzwald-Stegmann spent his career dealing with the effects of smoking, his wife said. "I wasn't trying to hit him hard," Esmaili told police. "I shouldn't have hit him in the first place, I know." (A single punch killed a man in New York last summer.) (Newser) Federal authorities said Wednesday they have charged 60 people, including 31 doctors, for their roles in illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills containing opioids and other dangerous drugs. US Attorney Benjamin Glassman of Cincinnati described the action as the biggest known takedown yet of drug prescribers. Robert Duncan, US attorney for eastern Kentucky, called the doctors involved "white-coated drug dealers." Authorities said the 60 includes 53 medical professionals tied to some 350,000 prescriptions and 32 million pills, reports the AP. The operation was conducted by the federal Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, launched last year by the Trump administration. story continues below Authorities didn't immediately name those being charged, but among the group is a Tennessee doctor who dubbed himself the "Rock Doc" and is accused of prescribing dangerous combinations of drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone, sometimes in exchange for sex, authorities said. Others include a Kentucky doctor who is accused of writing prescriptions to Facebook friends who came to his home to pick them up, another who allegedly left signed blank prescriptions for staff to fill out and give to patients he hadn't seen, and a Kentucky dentist accused of removing teeth unnecessarily and scheduling unneeded follow-up appointments. Most of those charged came from the five strike force states of Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. (Read more opioids stories.) (Newser) An 18-year-old woman obsessed with Columbine who police feared might try to pull off a similar assault is dead, reports CBS Denver. Police had converged near Mt. Evans in Clear Creek County, Colorado, in the hunt for Florida resident Sol Pais, and Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader says the FBI found her dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Pais had flown from Florida to Colorado Monday night and then bought a pump-action shotgun, authorities said. story continues below They described her as "infatuated" with the 1999 school shooting, and comments she made prompted authorities to close schools in the Denver metro area. The AP reports her parents reported her missing in Florida on Monday night after last seeing her Sunday. She attended Miami Beach High School, where classmates described her as someone quiet who wore black. FBI Denver tweeted, "We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe." (Read more Columbine school massacre stories.) (Newser) A student who went into cardiac arrest after a possible frat-house hazing incident has died, the Buffalo News reports. Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, 18, was rushed from a University of Buffalo fraternity to a hospital just after midnight on Friday. The freshman had been told to perform exercises at the Sigma Pi house, police say, and had no alcohol or drugs in his system. "Our hearts go out to Sebastians family for the devastating heartbreak they are experiencing," says UB president Satish Tripathi, per USA Today. "...It is my hope that each of us pauses to remind ourselves that we can only uphold our humanity by treating each other with dignity, compassion and kindness." The school has shuttered all frats and sororities through the fall. (Read more hazing stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region New Delhi: Germanys BMW will recall 360,000 vehicles in China as part of the worldwide effort to root out defective airbags made by now-defunct Japanese supplier Takata, regulators in Beijing said. Around 20 people have died in accidents linked to defects in Takata airbags since 2013, prompting a massive worldwide recall of at least 100 million cars from a wide range of manufacturers. The recall will affect nearly 273,000 models built by BMWs joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance Automotive and more than 87,000 imported BMW cars, Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation said. The agency said in statement posted on its website late Tuesday that a defect could cause the airbags to eject debris at passengers if deployed. It did not mention any specific incidents caused by the BMW-installed airbags. The China recall affects more than two dozen different BMW models built between 2000 and 2018, including several each in the i, X and M series, along with other models. The suspect parts will be replaced for free, the notice said. Founded in 1933, Takata went out of business in 2017 because of the airbag crisis. The BMW announcement came as global carmakers were gathered for the Shanghai Auto Show amid a rare sales slump in the worlds largest vehicle market. Recently, the german automaker launched a new version of Z4 Roadster in India, priced at Rs 64.9 lakh (ex-showroom). The model comes in two engine variantsthe BMW Z4 sDrive20i and the BMW M Performance model, the BMW Z4 M40i, the company said in a statement. The Z4 sDrive20i variant is priced at Rs 64.9 lakh, while the Z4 M40i trim is tagged at Rs 78.9 lakh. The all-new BMW Z4 Roadster is our brand-new addition to the companys long history of engrossing roadsters. With dynamic proportions, emotional design and thrilling sportiness, this open-top two-seater takes the classic roadster into the world of tomorrow, BMW Group India President Hans-Christian Baertels said. Apart from this, the German automaker also introduced a new diesel variant of 6 Series Gran Turismo sedan in India, priced at Rs 63.9 lakh (ex-showroom). Locally produced at the companys plant in Chennai, the BMW 620d Gran Turismo diversifies the models diesel portfolio. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation destroyed the informal sector and 50 lakh people, most them from the vulnerable sections of the society, lost their jobs due to the widely criticised move, according to the State of Working India 2019 report released by the Centre for Sustainable Employment (CSE), Azim Premji University, Bengaluru on Tuesday. "This is a net figure and therefore, whatever jobs may have been added elsewhere, there have been enough jobs lost, on balance five million less work opportunities were there, so that is not a good thing for the economy. Particularly given that we have been seeing what appears to be a strong GDP growth," the Huffington Post quoted Amit Basole, lead author of the report, as saying. The report stated that the job losses started around the time PM Modi announced his sudden and shocking move to ban high-value notes on November 8. However, it added that it could not establish a "causal relationship" based on the data. "Apart from demonetisation and GST, as far as informal economy is concerned, I dont see any other reasons," Basole, who heads the CSE, said. The latest report on jobs in India came after the Business Standard claimed that the Narendra Modi government suppressed an NSSO report. According to the report hidden by the government, the business daily claimed, the unemployment rate in the country was at a 45-year high in 2017-18. At the time of announcement of demonetisation, Modi had claimed that the move will wipe out black money and counterfeit currency from Indias economy. However, his government changed the goal post and said that the move was to promote the digitalisation. A Reserve Bank of India report suggested the move was a complete failure as 99 per cent of the banned notes returned to the banks. During the campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Modi and his party leaders have also been avoiding to mention the 2 crore jobs per year promise made in 2014. The report by the Azim Premji University has once again embarrassed the Modi government, which despite the RBI data, claims that demonetisation was a success. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Jet Airways, Indias oldest private airline, is likely to ground all flights in case the SBI-led consortium fails to lend emergency funds of Rs 400-crore. According to multiple media reports, the embattled airline, which is presently flying just five planes, may take the shutdown call by the end of the day. The crisis has deepened as the lenders are still unsure about giving out the emergency funds. The future of the airline hangs in balance as it functions on skeletal staff and services. Prior to this, the National Aviators Guild, the union of over 1,000 Jet pilots had called off the strike over payment of delayed salaries. On Tuesday, while the meeting of the ailing airline's board in Mumbai that went on for over three hours remained inconclusive, officials at the lenders and the government maintained that efforts are on to revive the carrier. However, the carrier's pilots union NAG Tuesday threatened to seek resolution under insolvency law as salaries dues remained unpaid. As SBI Capital Markets vets the initial bids received for stake purchase in the struggling Jet Airways, the airline's founder and former chairman Naresh Goyal opted out from bidding, sources said. With uncertainty mounting over the future course for the airline, which has been in operation for more than 25 years, its shares crashed nearly 19 per cent during the day amid reports that the carrier might temporarily suspend operations. In the morning, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu called for a review of issues related to Jet Airways, including rise in airfares. The civil aviation ministry, in a late evening tweet, said that as instructed by the minister, a review meeting was held under the chairmanship of the secretary. An airline source said the number of pilots have reduced to around 1,300 after about 400 pilots left in the wake of the crisis. "Tuesday alone 23 pilots left the airline," the source claimed, adding that over 100-odd pilots have joined budget carrier IndiGo. A government official said that approaching the NCLT for Jet Airways is not an option at this stage. On the same day of frantic negotiations, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal decided not to bid for acquiring stake in the cash-strapped airline, PTI quoted sources as saying. Goyal, who had stepped down as chairman of the carrier last month, has withdrawn the bid for the airline. On April 12, sources said that Goyal had also put in bid for the carrier. According to a regulatory filing, Goyal had pledged 26 per cent stake in the airline as security for loans from Punjab National Bank. Last month, Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal quit the board of cash-strapped carrier as part of a debt resolution plan. Goyal gave up the chairmanship of Jet Airways, which he founded more than 25 years ago, under a debt restructuring plan wherein lenders have taken control of the carrier. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Vijay Mallya, who is on the verge of being extradited to India, has once again reiterated his promise to pay 100 per cent back to the PSU banks. Every time I say that I am willing to pay 100 percent back to the PSU Banks, media say I am spooked, terrified etc of extradition from the U.K. to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why dont Banks take the money I offered first? Mallya tweeted. Expressing his regret over the Jet Airways crisis, Mallya also slammed the government for discrimination between the private and public sector airlines. Questioning the 35,000 crore bailout package to Air India, Mallya held the Centre responsible for the collapse of Jet Airways and his Kingfisher Airlines. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when Government used 35K crores of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination (sic), Mallya tweeted. The liquor baron, who is facing charges of money laundering, fraud, and violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), had fled the country in March 2016 after banks initiated legal proceedings to recover the outstanding loan amount of over Rs 9,000 crore. He recently lost the legal challenge against his extradition in a British court. Mallya had moved to a UK High Court against his extradition order but got no respite. The UK High Court also rejected the application of embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya against the extradition order. With just Supreme Court option left for him, he has once again offered the banks to accept his 100 per cent payback offer. However, the banks are highly unlikely to accept the offer, given the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in which the Congress has been targeting the Narendra Modi government of allowing him to escape the country. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Space News space history and artifacts articles Messages space history discussion forums Sightings worldwide astronaut appearances Resources selected space history documents advertisements Astronaut Christina Koch to set record for longest mission by woman April 17, 2019 Christina Koch has a(n out-of-this) world record in her future. NASA on Wednesday (April 17) said that Koch, who launched to the International Space Station on March 14 for an expected six-month mission, will not return to Earth until Feb. 6, 2020. After 328 days in orbit, Koch will have logged the single longest spaceflight by a woman. "It feels awesome!" said Koch, reacting to the news from on board the space station in a video released by NASA. "I have known that this was a possibility for a long time and it is truly a dream come true to know that I can continue to work on the program that I have valued so highly my whole life." "To be able to contribute to that and give my best every day to that for as long as possible is a true honor and a dream come true," she said. Koch's mission is planned to be just shy of the longest single spaceflight by a NASA astronaut 340 days, set by former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly during his one-year mission from 2015 to 2016. Her mission will collect more data about the effects of long-duration spaceflight beyond those documented on the more typical six-month expeditions. It will also enable another record to occur the first spaceflight by a United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut. Koch will be part of three expeditions 59, 60 and 61 during her current first spaceflight. She arrived at the space station on Russia's Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and Nick Hague of NASA to join the Expedition 59 crew of Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, NASA astronaut Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency. Kononenko, McClain and Saint-Jacques are scheduled to return to Earth on June 24, as Koch, Ovchinin and Hague begin Expedition 60. On July 20, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano will launch to the space station on Soyuz MS-13, returning the space station's contingent to six people. Then on Sept. 25, UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri, together with cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and astronaut Jessica Meir of NASA, will launch on Soyuz MS-15. Skripochka and Meir will become members of Expedition 61, serving alongside Koch, Skvortsov, Morgan and Parmitano. Al Mansouri, flying under a spaceflight participant contract with Roscosmos, will spend only 8 days on the space station before returning to Earth with Ovchinin and Hague. Al Mansouri will fill the seat on Soyuz MS-12 that Koch used to ride up to the space station for his journey home. Koch, together with Skvortsov and Parmitano, will come back on Soyuz MS-13 on Feb. 6, 2020. Morgan, Meir and Skripochka, who will begin Expedition 62, will stay on the space station through March 31, 2020. Morgan will also complete an extended mission of 255 days in orbit. Koch's and Morgan's longer duration missions are essential to future deep space missions to the moon and Mars, said NASA. The flight schedule also permits the agency to get the most time dedicated to other research on the station, as U.S. commercial crew launch providers Boeing and SpaceX prepare to begin Starliner and Dragon operational flights, respectively, to and from the orbiting laboratory. Koch's record for a single mission by a woman will surpass the 288 days logged by astronaut Peggy Whitson in September 2017. Whitson, who retired from NASA in 2018, retains the records for the most cumulative time in space by an American astronaut and woman worldwide at 665 days. The world record for the single longest mission by any space explorer, man or woman, is held by cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, who spent 438 consecutive days aboard Russia's former space station Mir from January 1994 to March 1995. Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the world record for the most cumulative time in space at 878 days over the course of five missions. NASA astronaut Christina Koch, as seen on board the International Space Station on April 8, 2019, will set a new record for the longest single space mission by a woman at 328 days. (NASA) 2021 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. New Delhi: After popular Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed was ordered to leave the country and his business visa was cancelled for allegedly campaigning for West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, another Bangladesh actor Gazi Abdun Noor, of the Rani Rashmoni fame, was on Tuesday seen campaigning for the party in the state. In a video, Noor can be seen campaigning for the Trinamool Congress and senior leader and sitting MP Sougata Roy in the Dumdum constituency. He also took part in a road show accompanied by Trinamool leader Madan Mitra. Expressing serious concern over foreign nationals campaigning during Indian elections that might influence voters, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that these actors are coming to India on either tourist or business visa but are indulging in political activities and that is wrong. TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that BJP is deliberately raising this issue because they are sure of their defeat in the state as reported by Zee Media. A video showing Ahmed and Bengali actors Ankush and Payal participating in a roadshow on Sunday to seek votes for Trinamool candidate from Raiganj Kanhaiyalal Agarwal went viral on social media. "All should vote for the Trinamool Congress. All should vote for didi (TMC chief Mamata Banerjee)," Ahmed was claimed to have told voters while sharing the dais with Agarwal. West Bengal BJP leaders Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sisir Bajoria on Tuesday met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab in Kolkata and demanded that Ferdous should be arrested. "We understand that foreign nationals can't participate in electioneering process in India. When TMC is using Bangladeshi nationals (actor Ferdous) for campaigning, they are breaking the rules. He should be arrested for breach of visa rules," Majumdar said. The Centre Tuesday issued a 'Leave India' notice and cancelled the business visa given to the actor. Ahmed has also been "blacklisted" by the Union Home Ministry, thus jeopardising the prospects of his future travel to India. New Delhi: With India voting for Lok Sabha elections 2019, films have become the newest campaign runners in this season of polarised politics. After quite a buzz on social media over 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi', a film on PM Modi's life, reports on the release of another biopic inspired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee - 'Baghini - Bengal Tigress', is doing rounds on social networking sites. While the Election Commission (EC) of India has banned the screening of the Vivek Oberoi-starrer biopic 'PM Narendra Modi' during poll period, 'Baghini' is reportedly slated for a May 3 release.A Helmed by Nehal Dutta, the Bengali film, has also obtained the Central Borad of Film Certification (CBFC) nod during this ongoing poll season. Though Dutta claims that his film is not a biopic but a story of an ordinary girl's rise to the CM's chair, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday dashed a letter to the Election Commission, asking the poll panel to review the biopic before its release, as done in the case of another biopic depicting PM Narendra Modi. In its letter to the poll body, the BJP wrote, "This is to draw your attention to the news in the media that a biopic allegedly of Smt. Mamata Banerjee will be released on 3 May 2019. (Name: Baghini)". "Bharatiya Janata Party requests the Hon'ble Election Commission of India and its representative in West Bengal and the CEO to review the said biopic before release, on similar lines that was done by the Hon'ble Election Commission in the case of another biopic depicting Shri Narendra Modi," it added. BJP writes to Election Commission over alleged biopic of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee named 'Baghini' pic.twitter.com/vWZ3FICCqi a ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 Early in the month, the EC banned the screening of the 'PM Narendra Modi', saying any such film that subserves the purpose of any political entity or individual should not be displayed in the electronic media. Meanwhile, speaking on the storyline of 'Baghini', Dutta told India Today, "Unlike Modi's film, ours is not a biopic. You can say we have been inspired by her (Mamata Banerjee). She is an iconic figure. It is an emotional story about women's empowerment". "Be it Sarojini Naidu or a Jayalalitha, they have their own story to tell and it should inspire women all over the country," Pinky Pal, the producer and screenwriter of Baghini said. "There is nothing as such which can affect political sentiments. We have got universal certificate and everybody can watch the film. There is no propaganda here," she added. Earlier, the Opposition CPIM has also submitted a petition to the Election Commission seeking a ban on the movie - Baghini. Under production since 2015, the film features theatre actor Ruma Chakraborty, who will be seen playing the lead role, namely Indira Banerjee, a character inspired by the life of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. The official trailer of the movie shows Banerjee's journey from a brave and valiant girl to the cheif minister of West Bengal in May 2011. In November 2018, Banerjeeas biography titled 'Didi: The Untold Mamata Banerjee' hit the bookstalls across India. Released by Penguin India, the book traces Banerjeeas college days, her struggles before she became the chief minister of Bengal, her unique style of politics and Trinamool Congress' commendable victory over Left Front dispensation which ruled the state for about 34 years. New Delhi: The alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress in Delhi has been called off following disagreement over tie-up in Haryana and Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections, said AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday. "The Congress has refused to form an alliance in Haryana and we do not want a tie-up only in Delhi," Singh told news agency PTI. The statement came a couple of days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of doing a "U-turn" on the alliance talks between the two parties and said the doors of the Congress are open, but time is running out. However, Kejriwal had claimed that the talks were still on and accused Gandhi of helping the BJP by "dividing anti-Modi votes in Uttar Pradesh and in some other states" The Congress president on Twitter said his party was willing to give four of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to ensure that the their alliance defeats the BJP.The BJP had won all the seven seat in the national capital in 2014. "An alliance between the Congress and AAP in Delhi would mean the rout of the BJP. The Congress is willing to give up 4 Delhi seats to the AAP to ensure this. "But, Mr Kejriwal has done yet another U turn. Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out," Gandhi tweeted on Monday. He used the hashtag "AbAAPkiBaari" to target the AAP leadership to come out with its side for an alliance with the Congress. The Congress and AAP have been in talks for an alliance in Delhi for sometime. Hitting out at Gandhi on Twitter, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal said, "What U-turn. The talks are still on." "Your tweet shows that an alliance is not your desire but only a pretension. I am pained that you are giving mere statements," he said. "Today, the foremost issue is to save the country from the threat of Modi-Shah. Unfortunately, you are helping Modi by dividing anti-Modi votes in Uttar Pradesh and in some other states," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Congress leaders have said they only want a tie-up with AAP in Delhi. The seat-sharing arrangement of four for AAP and three for Congress has been arrived at on the basis of the vote share of both parties in 2017 civic polls here, they said. Leaders of the two parties have held several rounds of discussions for a poll tie-up but the talks have reportedly failed. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Massive thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rains killed at least 36 people in four states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur on Tuesday. Soon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and announced compensation for the kin of deceased but only for Gujarat. This irked Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who slammed the prime minister for ignoring two Congress-ruled and one North Eastern states. Modiji, you are the prime minister of the country and not Gujarat. At least 10 people have been killed in MP also. But your sensitivity is limited to Gujarat only? Although the BJP is not the ruling party here, but people do live here too, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. After a gap of one and a half hour, the prime minister probably sensed the criticism and expressed grief over the storm killing in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Manipur as well. He also announced compensation for the family members of the victims in these states too. PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely, PMO tweeted. At least 36 people were killed after a thunderstorm caused by western disturbance hit Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. 16 people were killed in Madhya Pradesh while nine in Rajasthan and 11 deaths were reported from Gujarat. In Rajasthan, nine people were killed and 30 others injured. While 4 people killed in Jhalawar, one each died in Udaipur, Rajsamand, Alwar, Jaipur, and Hanumangarh. In the education hub, Kota, tonnes of food grain stored in Bhamashah Mandi was spoiled due to heavy rains. Hailstorm in Sri Ganganagar caused severe damage to the crops as harvesting was underway in most areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of adverse weather conditions in several North Indian states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, due to the cyclone created above the Arabian Sea and the confluence of moist winds from the Bay of Bengal. The IMD predicted the states would witness another spell of heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds over the next few days. New Delhi: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi on Wednesday claimed that former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad had sought Centres help in fodder scam probe and in return offered to topple Nitish Kumar government. According to Modi, When Jharkhand High Court gave the verdict in favour of Lalu Yadav that there is no need for a trial in other cases related to fodder scam, CBI went to SC challenging this decision. He added, When the CBI went to the Supreme Court, Lalu (Prasad) sent his messenger Prem Gupta to Arun Jaitley, asking to not let CBI appeal to the top court in the case. He said that if they get help '24 ghante mein Nitish Kumar ka ilaaj kar dunga'. Later Lalu Prasad Yadav and Prem Gupta, both met Arun Jaitley and offered to topple Nitish Kumar government. Arun Jaitley clearly said that we can't interfere in CBI's functioning as it is an autonomous institution, he claimed. The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the over-Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar. The RJD was in power in Bihar with Prasad as the chief minister when the scam had allegedly taken place. In the high court, the RJD chief cited old age and poor health for grant of bail. Yadav (71) said he was suffering from diabetes, blood pressure and other ailments and that he had already obtained bail in one of the fodder scam cases. He has been convicted for fraudulent withdrawal of money from the Deoghar, Dumka and two Chaibasa treasuries situated in Jharkhand. He is currently facing trial in another fodder scam case pertaining to the Doranda treasury and has been undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ranchi for the last few months. The RJD chief, lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, had challenged the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his bail plea. The three cases in which Prasad has been convicted are related to the over-Rs 900-crore fodder scam, which pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in the early 1990s, when Jharkhand was part of Bihar. The RJD was in power in Bihar with Prasad as the chief minister when the scam had allegedly taken place. In the high court, the RJD chief cited old age and poor health for grant of bail. Yadav (71) said he was suffering from diabetes, blood pressure and other ailments and that he had already obtained bail in one of the fodder scam cases. He has been convicted for fraudulent withdrawal of money from the Deoghar, Dumka and two Chaibasa treasuries situated in Jharkhand. He is currently facing trial in another fodder scam case pertaining to the Doranda treasury and has been undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ranchi for the last few months. On April 10, the Supreme Court had dismissed the bail plea of RJD chief in multi-crore fodder scam cases. The bench rejected Yadav's arguments that he has been in jail for 24 months, saying in comparison to the 14-year sentence awarded to him 24 months was nothing. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi will address election rallies in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also hold a public meeting at Ambaji town under the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat today. In his Day 2 of Kerala visit, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will meet UDF leaders of Kannur, Kasargode and Kozhikode districts. He will then travel to Wayanad to campaign from the second constituency he is contesting from. Speeding up the poll campaign of his party in poll bound Odisha, BJPs national president Amit Shah will hold a road show in Cuttack. Track all the latest news and updates about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 here. 20:57 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah holds roadshow in Cuttack, Odisha. 19:50 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sanjay Singh, AAP: In order to stop BJP we were ready for an alliance with Congress, but Congress is not in a mood for any coalition. It is a matter of sadness, that even after so many efforts, Congress is not ready for any kind of compromise. 19:50 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Biju Janata Dal (BJD) files a complaint with Election Commission demanding action against Dharmendra Pradhan for allegedly 'misbehaving and preventing govt officers from conducting their duties of checking his helicopter along with a sealed suitcase in his possession yesterday'. 19:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In Kashmir, a Congress ally is saying that 'if anyone will abuse Pakistan, I will abuse India even more.' Congress is standing with such people, can any citizen of Gujarat do the mistake of voting for such people? asks PM Modi. 19:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Modi addresses another public rally in Gujarat's Anand. PM in Anand, Gujarat: Congress has said in its manifesto that it wants to remove the sedition law, so that stone pelting in J&K & Naxalism in rest of the places in the country can be strengthened, 'tukde tukde gang desh ke tukde karne ki apni shararatein khule aam kar paayein' pic.twitter.com/Xqd1Ktqn9g ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 16:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Karnataka: Chincholi Assembly by-poll to be held on 19th May, counting on 23 May. 16:52 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP releases list of four candidates for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 in Madhya Pradesh; Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur to contest from Bhopal against Congress's Digvijaya Singh. 16:08 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Live coverage can be done on Namo TV but any pre-recorded content cannot be streamed for 48 hours before the polling date. State Chief Election Commissioners (CEC) have been informed to observe this strictly. 15:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP writes to Election Commission over alleged biopic of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee named 'Baghini'. 15:11 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Vote for a strong and honest government by pressing the button on the lotus flower (BJP's poll symbol).Vote for new India. Your vote will go directly to Modi's account: PM Modi 15:10 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Family system is the strength of and pride of the country. The life Modi is living today, he has also taken inspiration from families. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Mahatma Phule, Baba Saheb, Sardar Patel, Veer Savarkar had elaborate families. This family is our inspiration: PM 15:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Election Commission flying squad checks luggage of Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik at a helipad in Rourkela. Election Commission flying squad checks luggage of Chief Minister and BJD president @Naveen_Odisha at a helipad in Rourkela Y: ANI #ElectionsWithNewsNation More updates: https://t.co/28FTiE4iMC pic.twitter.com/EHIeLkni3z News Nation (@NewsNationTV) April 17, 2019 14:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi hits out Congress after party leaders reinstated some leaders who had recently misbehaved with her. Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in Congress over those who have given their sweat & blood. Having faced brickbats & abuse acrossthe board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate (sic), she tweeted. 14:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Derek O'Brien, Trinamool Congress on BJP claiming they will win 30 out of 42 seats: BJP people are also saying they will win 50 out of 42 seats as they don't even know how many seats are there. Let them dream, ppl of Bengal are with Mamata Banerjee and TMC. May 23 we'll see where these people hide. Derek O'Brien, TMC on BJP claiming they will win 30 out of 42 seats: BJP people are also saying they will win 50 out of 42 seats as they don't even know how many seats are there. Let them dream, ppl of Bengal are with Mamata Banerjee&TMC. May 23 we'll see where these people hide. pic.twitter.com/1LFiH197hb ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 14:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In NCP Chief Sharad Pawar: How will he (PM Modi) know how to run a family? That's why he peeps in others' homes. I can say more also but I don't want to stoop to low-level. 14:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sharad Pawar: Modi Ji says 'Pawar Sahab is a good man but has family issues. His nephews are out of his hands.' I wanted to ask him what does he have to do with issues at my home? But then I realised I've my wife, daughter; son-in-law, nephews visit us, but he has no one. 13:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We appeal to Election Commission to give a notice to Ashok Gehlot and to give a directive that no political party should make a remark critical of the President of India, GVL Narasimha Rao said while addressing a press conference. 13:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Minister Piyush Goyal: Rahul Gandhi is afraid of defeat in Amethi and has to run all the way to Wayanad... he has lost the confidence of people of India. I am sure the people of Kerala will defeat him so that in the next election, he will have to look for a constituency in some other country. 13:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP won't allow two prime ministers in India: Amit Shah. 13:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Election Commission has appointed former Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ajay VNayak as special observer for West Bengal, a senior official said on Wednesday. 13:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Complaint filed with State Women Commission against BJP candidate from Mysuru Pratap Simha for alleging mentally and physically harassing a woman. 13:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Hitting out at BJP, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, "I was born in a Congress family, dont talk to me about nationalism. A person who sidelined such senior leaders like Advani and Joshi ji, he has made BJP a private limited company which is run by only two people and both are Rahu and Ketu, charted accountants like Nirav Modi and others. What kind of nationalism is this where the stomach is empty and you are teaching yoga. No food to eat but toilets are being made." 13:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Rahul Gandhi talked about poor people in his speech. I want to ask him for so many years your party rule. What have you done for poors: Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Maharashtra 13:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Minister Suresh Prabhu reaches Matoshree to talk to Uddhav Thackeray about the poll campaigning strategy for coastal Maharashtra. 13:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announced the names of candidates from 6 seats in Haryana. For the Rohtak, Gurugram, Kurukshetra and Mahendragarh seats, names would be announced soon. Ambala: Ram Pal Valmiki Karnal: Dharmveer Pada Sonepat: Surendra Shikara Hisar: Suresh Kot Sirsa: Charanjeet Singh Rodi Faridabad: Mahendra Singh Chauhan 12:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Bhopal: I have formally joined BJP, I will contest elections and will win also. Read here: 12:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ravi Kishan, BJP candidate from Gorakhpur: What derogatory comments are being made on women! Jaya Prada ji is a sr in our industry, we respect her a lot. Just because she has come to Rampur to contest elections you will comment on her? Dignity should be maintained during election. 12:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Madan Mitra, TMC on TMC leader Anubrata Mandal reportedly threatening Central forces: I didn't see the statement of Anubrata. Yes, we are not afraid & not suffering from fear psychosis. The central forces may be with BJP but the people of Bengal are with Mamata. 12:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar was surrounded by angry locals in Begusarai during his campaign and was questioned over his 'azadi' slogans. 12:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I'm not like PM of India, I'll not come here & lie to you because I respect your intelligence, wisdom & understanding. I don't want to have a relationship of couple of months with you, I want to have a life long relationship with you, says Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. 12:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar will address rallies in Supual, Jhanjharpur and Madhepura. 12:08 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In RLSP candidate Akash Singh will also file his nomination from Motihari in the presence of Shatrughan Sinha, Jeetan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday. 12:08 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "When CBI went to SC, Lalu sent his messenger Prem Gupta to Arun Jaitley, asking to not let CBI appeal to the SC in the case. He said that if they get help '24 ghante mein Nitish Kumar ka ilaaj kar dunga'," said Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi. 12:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I understand there are complex problems here. I am not here to tell you my Mann Ki Baat...I want to know what is in your hearts, Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Wayanad. 12:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Is Malayali or Tamilian less important to others? I thought it is important for me to not only represent Amethi but also south India .. I wanted to give southern states the feeling that you are as important as other states. Kerala and Wayanad are examples of peaceful co-existance. You dont believe in violence...I feel privileged to be among you...I am not here as a politician...I am here as your brother...your son: Rahul Gandhi 12:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In For the last five years, we are fighting the ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS. And the thinking of their ideology is that one person should only rule, Rahul Gandhi said in Wayanad. 12:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting in Wayanad, Kerala. 11:57 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Madhya Pradesh: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has arrived at the BJP office in Bhopal and is currently meeting senior BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ramlal, and Prabhat Jha. Madhya Pradesh: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has arrived at the BJP office in Bhopal and is currently meeting senior BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ramlal, and Prabhat Jha. pic.twitter.com/9rG7KuLiq0 ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 11:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Pawar steeped in dynastic politics; his model is a special (Gandhi) family in Delhi: PM Modi. 11:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Why label entire backward community thieves by calling, says PM Modi targeting Rahul Gandhi. 11:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In People braving scorching heat to hand over India's reign to Modi again: PM Modi. 11:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Those sitting in AC rooms in Delhi and keeping a tab on things which will happen after who hugs whom, after who shakes hands with whom, after who looks at whom, they don't know the ground reality. 11:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP, Congress eyeing to set caste equation right in Barmer after BSP candidate's nomination rejected. 11:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In To run such a big country, you need a strong leader: PM Modi. 11:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "In order to make India advanced, the country should have a similar government at the Centre and state to deliver new heights in the 21st century. It was because of the saffron sea that Sharad Pawar left the field. He is a big player and understands which side the wind blows," PM Modi. 11:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: As per pujari's directions he has performed all rituals for his grandmother, father, forefathers & victims of Pulwama incident. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: As per pujari's directions he has performed all rituals for his grandmother, father, forefathers & victims of Pulwama incident. https://t.co/fuHgHC6gJN ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 11:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: As per pujari's directions he has performed all rituals for his grandmother, father, forefathers & victims of Pulwama incident. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: As per pujari's directions he has performed all rituals for his grandmother, father, forefathers & victims of Pulwama incident. https://t.co/fuHgHC6gJN ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 11:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: Last time also he had wished to come here but because of security restrictions, he could not do it. Here is the place where the ashes of Rajiv Gandhi were immersed, in Papanasini river. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in Wayanad: Last time also he had wished to come here but because of security restrictions, he could not do it. Here is the place where the ashes of Rajiv Gandhi were immersed, in Papanasini river. pic.twitter.com/ZKzpfWJLxo ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 11:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Addressing rally in Madha, PM Modi said on thunderstorm and rains: We will provide all possible help... I want to assure that the government is standing with you. Modi in his tweet said that An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to unseasonal rain & storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country has been approved from PMs National Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 each for the injured has also been approved. 11:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In More visuals from Wayanad as Congress President Rahul Gandhi performs rituals, after offering prayers at the Thirunelli temple. More visuals from Wayanad as Congress President Rahul Gandhi performs rituals, after offering prayers at the Thirunelli temple. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/MUzC1SpXU0 ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 11:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a rally in Madha, Maharashtra. 11:09 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing a rally at Madha in Maharashtra shortly. He will be also addressing rallies in Himatnagar, Surendranagar and Anand today. 10:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In P Chidambaram tweeted, Its news that nothing was retrieved from Kanimozi's residence after the IT raid. How is that IT receiving tips only on opposition leaders!? The mark of Assembly elections is IT department's doctrinal partial activities. Officials of the Income-Tax Department and a static surveillance team of the Election Commission on Tuesday evening carried out a search at the residence of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi in southern Tamil Nadu. The action came less than 48 hours before the second phase of elections on April 18, which will be held in 97 constituencies. 10:37 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited the Thirunelli Vishnu Temple in Wayanad, the second constituency he is contesting from apart from Amethi. Wayanad: Congress President and party's candidate from Wayanad parliamentary constituency, Rahul Gandhi offers prayer at the Thirunelli temple. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/8uuZta227m ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 10:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Tamil Nadu: AIADMK ally and Vellore candidate AC Shanmugam to move Madras High Court today against EC's decision to cancel Vellore Lok Sabha polls. 10:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP candidate from Gorakhpur Ravi Kishan meets Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 10:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In TMC MLA from Chakdaha, Ratna G Kar: This time, it's even more challenging, but theres nothing to be scared. Ill go to each&every booth & we won't care about central forces, if they're pro-active, I'll request Mahila Morcha members to pick up broomsticks & chase them away. TMC MLA from Chakdaha, Ratna G Kar: This time, it's even more challenging, but theres nothing to be scared. Ill go to each&every booth & we won't care about central forces, if they're pro-active, I'll request Mahila Morcha members to pick up broomsticks & chase them away.(15.4) https://t.co/Mh8WwtHAve ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 10:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In TMC MLA from Chakdaha, Ratna Ghosh Kar: If you want to win a war, theres nothing fair or unfair, democratic or undemocratic way of winning. You've to win it by any means. I've seen in 2016 elections, how central forces beat up our boys, there was bloodbath. 09:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In During an interview with ANI, on Imran Khans statement, Sitharaman said that, such statements come around elections in India and also there have been eminent Congress leaders who've gone there to seek help 'Modi hatane ke liye madad karo business.' 09:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on why she is not contesting Lok Sabha elections 2019: On the election, I think it is the party which decides who contests from where. So I go by that. 08:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I think that there should be consciously somewhere in the back of our minds when we're discussing in politics - Is that what is going to be the legacy we leave for the next generation?," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told ANI. 08:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is scheduled to address rally in Begusarai and Araria. 08:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP candidate Rama Devi will file her nomination from Sheohar Lok Sabha Seat. 08:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In RLSP candidate Akash Singh will also file his nomination from Motihari in the presence of Shatrughan Sinha, Jeetan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday. 08:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh will file her nomination from Motihari. 08:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In DMK candidate Kanimozhi on IT raids at the house where she is staying, in Thoothukudi: BJP cannot prevent my success through this income tax raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized. DMK candidate Kanimozhi on IT raids at the house where she is staying, in Thoothukudi: BJP cannot prevent my success through this income tax raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/ldpt5BRthz ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2019 08:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "The CEC has implemented the order given by Delhi. There is admittance at some level that polls in Tripura on 11 Apr wasn't free and fair as claimed by BJP govt in state," Pradyot Kishore, Congress leader on deferment of second phase polling in Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency. Pradyot Kishore, Congress on deferment of 2nd phase polling in Tripura East LS constituency: CEC has implemented the order given by Delhi. There is admittance at some level that polls in Tripura on 11 Apr wasn't free & fair as claimed by BJP govt in state. #LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/NJ5s1Rsv2e ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2019 08:10 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In India will see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as 'thief's wife', said BJP leader Uma Bharti. 08:10 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In EC issues notice to Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma for controversial remark on EVM. 08:10 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will visit Ayodha today. 07:05 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Bundles of cash seized from shop in Tamil Nadu, police open fire to disperse AMMK cadres. 07:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Speeding up the poll campaign of his party in poll bound Odisha, BJPs national president Amit Shah will hold a road show in Cuttack. 07:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also hold a public meeting at Ambaji town under the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat today. 07:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In his Day 2 of Kerala visit, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will meet UDF leaders of Kannur, Kasargode and Kozhikode districts. He will then travel to Wayanad to campaign from the second constituency he is contesting from. New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement endorsing another term for Narendra Modi as Indias PM could be a ploy by the Congress party to oust him from power. "Such statements come around elections in India and also there have been eminent Congress leaders who've gone there to seek help 'Modi hatane ke liye madad karo business'. I wonder if this is also part of scheme of things which have been put forth by the Congress' side," Sitharaman was quoted as saying by ANI news agency. Prime Minister Narendra Modis pitch where he accused the Opposition Congress of being a sympathiser of Pakistan, portraying the country as Indias enemy, has backfired when his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan said that he wanted the BJP to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as there would be better chances to resolve the Kashmir issue under the right-wing party's government. The Opposition parties led by the Congress alleged a secret understanding between Modi and his Pakistani counterpart after the latters open endorsement for his victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "Pak has officially allied with Modi! A vote for Modi is a vote for Pakistan, says Pak PM Imran Khan. Modiji, first affection with Nawaz Sharif and now Imran Khan has become your loving friend. He has called your bluff," the Congress had said. Following Imran Khans statement, Opposition leaders also started questioning the timing of Pulwama terror attack and Balakot strike, with some alleging that the attack was planned by PM Modi to swing the voters in his favour. Several pre-poll surveys conducted after the Pulwama attack and Balakot strike showed BJP gained from these incidents. The saffron party, that fought the 2014 elections on the issue of development, planned its 2019 Lok Sabha elections campaign around nationalism. Mumbai: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Wednesday said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra poses no threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi even if she contests against him from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. He also criticised Congress president Rahul Gandhi for creating a "fake narrative" against the BJP. "Someone is going to be there in the fray (from Varanasi). But Priyanka does not pose any challenge to Modi. The so-called 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) is already falling apart...," Naqvi said here. "I am not even sure how many parties will contest against Modi in Varanasi, but the outcome is not going to be different. Modi will definitely win the seat," the BJP leader added. There has been a speculation that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may take on Modi from Varanasi seat. She formally entered politics and was appointed the Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh in February. Taunting Robert Vadra, the minority affairs minister said he appeared to have joined the Congress as party spokesperson. "If Vadra can comment on Priyanka Gandhi's chances of contesting election from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, I think he is officially now the spokesperson for Gandhi and the party," Naqvi said. On the Election Commission's ban on UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning over his alleged violation of model code of conduct, Naqvi said, "I think the ECI has misunderstood his comments. Yogi has simply replied to a comment saying 'Apako Ali achha lagata hai to hume Bajarangbali'. He has certainly not instigated communal hatred." "A delegation of BJP, including myself, had gone to the ECI yesterday and presented our case regarding the same matter as Yogi is our star campaigner," he said. The EC had on Monday barred Adityanath from campaigning for 72-hours starting 6 am on Tuesday for his communal remarks. Expressing his disappointment over Congress' criticism of the BJP over various issues, Naqvi said their allegations were "fake and fabricated". "Rahul Gandhi is solely responsible for such fake narrative against the BJP. He has hardly got any proofs, but still keep projecting those issues as if it is the only truth," he said. "Under his leadership, the party is acting in a highly immature and irresponsible manner. The way Congress has been making claims on the Rafale deal, it is evident that this party does not know how to deal with sensitive issues," he said. When asked about former BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, who fiercely criticised the party, Naqvi said, "There are some freelance spokespersons of Congress who keep abusing party from time-to-time. In case of Shatrughan, it was apparent that he was shifting to some other party even when he was with BJP." While Shatrughan Sinha quit the BJP and joined the Congress recently, Yashwant Sinha had last year quit the saffron party and floated an apolitical front to attack the Modi government. New Delhi: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the Hindutva leader facing trial in 2008 Malegaon blast case, formally joined the BJP on Wednesday. Two years ago, Singh was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on April 27, 2017 in the case after the National Investigation Agency gave her the clean chit. I have formally joined BJP, I will contest elections and will win also, Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Sources have told News Nation that Singh is likely to contest the Lok Sabha Elections from Madhya Pradeshs capital city Bhopal. In case this happens, it would mean a high-stake battle between her and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. Last month, Singh had said that she is ready to take on Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat if she is given a ticket by "organisation". With the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) yet to announce the name of the party candidate from Bhopal, various names are doing rounds in the party circles, one of them is that of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The BJP has been holding this seat since 1989. The Congress had last won the seat in 1984. "I am ready to take on Digvijaya Singh if 'sanghatan' (apparently referring to the BJP) asks me to do so," Thakur told PTI over phone from Delhi Monday, after her name started doing rounds as a potential nominee. The surprise candidature of Singh has prompted the BJP to redraw its strategy for Bhopal. "Digvijaya is an anti-Hindu leader. He had called Hindus terrorists," Thakur said. She denied that she had contacted the BJP leadership for ticket. The self-proclaimed godwoman also said that she would not fight against Singh as Independent candidate. Thakur said she was born and brought up in Lahar area of Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh. A post-graduate in history, Thakur had worked with RSS-affiliate Akhil Bharti Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and 'Durga Vahini' or women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). She is known for delivering fiery speeches. Thakur was given a clean chit by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the 2008 bomb blasts case. However, a special NIA court in December 2018 refused to discharge her from the case. Though the court dropped provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against her, Thakur is being tried under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court last year. Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. Bhopal constituency is spread over eight assembly segments, namely Berasia, Bhopal Uttar, Narela, Bhopal Dakshin-Paschhim, Bhopal Madhya, Govindpura, Huzur and Sehore. In the last assembly elections in 2018, the Congress had won three out of eight assembly segments. In remaining five seats, the BJP witnessed a slide in its margin. Alok Sanjar is the sitting MP from Bhopal. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP completely swept the state and won 27 seats in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP received 1,60,15,695 votes with a whopping vote share of 54.8 per cent. The Congress managed to win only 2 seats in the state and received 1,03,40,274 votes with a vote share of 35.3 per cent. Only Kamal Nath from Chhindwara and Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna were able to emerge victorious from the party in the state. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got 3.8 per cent of the total votes polled in the state. Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha seats and the 2014 election in the state was held in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24. New Delhi: Adhure Adhure, an upcoming romantic melodious song starring Indian Television actor Shakti Arora and model Chandini Sharma in a stellar music video directed by actor turned director Aslam Khan, known for his histrionics in films like Nayee Padosan, Welcome Back, Kaante among others, was shot today at Atharva College, Malad. Sung and composed by Shree D, the song is about a couple who start living together and later land in separation due to their personal egos, coming to realize that they are complete in being adhure (incomplete). The music video director Aslam Khan averred, If you have a look at the music video, you will realize it is like a film, a four-minute-long film. It has a beginning, a midpoint and a definite end, albeit, with an incomplete touch to it... a perfect storyboard with an incomplete end. On working with Shakti Arora and Chandini Sharma, Aslam Khan professed that they have been brilliant. This song needed Shakti and Chandini only. They have performed really well on this track. It has been a wonderful experience, he added. Shakti Arora, who has made his mark on the Indian television scene with shows like Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hai and Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka, confessed that at first he thought it was just another song! When I went through it, repeatedly hearing it, I came to realize that the song has a soul of its own. It has a Sufi-ish, feel-good, and the perfect choice for a long drive feel to it. Chandini Sharma concurred with Shakti Arora, It is a soulful song indeed! Upon hearing, you will realize that you are already connected to it. The song has the innocence while not being kiddish. Adhure Adhure again sees Aslam Khan donning the directors hat on being asked what he felt was different about working in front and behind camera, he expressed Both are fantastic but there are many differences though. This I have realized because I am now working behind the camera. Just because I have been an actor myself, I know about all the nuances a director should take care of. There goes a saying, Alls well, that ends well. I am glad it has actually shaped up the way I wanted it, summed up Aslam Khan. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Sanjay Dutt who has 6 films in the pipeline has made a powerful impact with the first release of 2019 with Kalank. The superstar who is essaying the role of paternal figured as Balraj Choudhary has been receiving rave reviews for a powerful performance leaving the audience impressed. Sanjay Dutt has set the ball rolling with the first release of the year and has 2 more releases awaiting this year. The actor is also busy shooting for his forthcoming projects in which the audience will witness various shades of Sanjay Dutt. Over the years Sanjay Dutt has treated audiences with characters which have gone ahead to resonate and struck a chord with the audience. Known to have a power packed screen presence, the actor hosts a number of strong characters in his diverse repertoire as an actor. Ever since the first character poster had been released fans across the nation were excited to watch Sanjay Dutt on the big screen, now upon the release the fans couldnt keep calm and gave a thumbs up to his performance. The audience and critics alike have had comments like powerful, impactful and strong performance pouring in for the actor. With multiple films lined up, Sanjay Dutt is one of the busiest actors in the business. Big budgeted films like Shamshera, Kalank, Panipat, Bhuj: The Pride of India, Prasthanam, Sadak 2 amongst others make a list of his upcoming films. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: At least 36 people were killed after a thunderstorm caused by western disturbance hit Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. 16 people were killed in Madhya Pradesh while nine in Rajasthan and 11 deaths were reported from Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a relief of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those killed in the thunderstorm. In a tweet, the prime minister's office said, PM Modi, has approved an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the kin of those who have lost their lives. PM @narendramodi has expressed grief at the loss of lives due to unseasonal rains and storms in MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & various parts of the country. The government is doing its best to provide all possible assistance to those affected. The situation is being monitored closely (sic). In Rajasthan, nine people were killed and 30 others injured. While 4 people killed in Jhalawar, one each died in Udaipur, Rajsamand, Alwar, Jaipur, and Hanumangarh. In the education hub, Kota, tonnes of food grain stored in Bhamashah Mandi was spoiled due to heavy rains. Hailstorm in Sri Ganganagar caused severe damage to the crops as harvesting was underway in most areas. Heavy rains and gusty winds up to 50 km per hours speed also brought down the mercury. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of adverse weather conditions in the state due to the cyclone created above the Arabian Sea and the confluence of moist winds from the Bay of Bengal. The IMD predicted the state would witness another spell of heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds over the next few days. In Gujarat, 10 people dead and several injured, officials said on Wednesday. Rain and dust storm was reported from areas including districts in North Gujarat and Saurashtra region, on Tuesday afternoon, they said. According to preliminary reports coming from different parts of the state, at least 10 people have lost their lives, G B Manglpara, the state governments director (Relief), told PTI on Wednesday. Most of the deaths were reported in North Gujarat due to lightning strike and falling of trees, he said. Also, a portion of a tent erected for Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Himmatnagar town of North Gujarat was also damaged in the dust storm, an official earlier said. Union Health Minister JP Nadda has expressed grief on the loss of lives due to the unseasonal storm in several states. The Minister has asked the Union Health Secretary to be in touch with the officials of the affected states to provide all possible support, news agency ANI reported. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) was allegedly thrashed and detained by Army on Tuesday near the Qazigund area of Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district. Ghulam Rasool Wani, the SDM was travelling along with his four colleagues when the incident took place. Police later filed an FIR in the case. Wani is also the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) in South Kashmir for the elections. As per the directions of worthy deputy commissioner Anantnag to reach Vessu Qazigund for resolving matter of traffic, truck congestion on National highway at 10:40 a.m., I along with my team of officials were coming from Dooru via Ujroo crossing in government vehicle BOLERO) and it was found that the army personnel deployed on the highway had stopped all the civilian traffic despite of not being the restricted day for army convoys, he said in application to SHO Qazigund for registered of FIR . After introducing myself to the army personnel, we were allowed to move towards Vessu but at Dalwach crossing near under' construction bridge, we were again stopped by some army personnel and asked not to proceed forward unless the Army convoy passes ends, he said. Wani says, he said his driver stopped the vehicle and were on halt. Despite being stationery one of the army personnel namely Viney Kumar came down heavily on my driver and beat him ruthlessly besides damaging the government vehicle, he said, adding when I intercepted for safety of my driver, pleading that I am Sub Divisional Magistrate Dooru. I was picked up by collar, abused and dragged upto about 20 meters and thrashed on gun point. My cell phone and driver's cell phone were snatched and broken into pieces. He further said that the army man with other two army men got my other employees down from the vehicle and thrashed them ruthlessly and their cell phones were also snatched and damaged. Not only this, all of us were taken hostage on gun point for about half an hour and our vehicle and other belongings were searched damaged and all the data about election were deleted, damaged and removed and didnt allow us to convey the incident to senior officers, he said, adding, The army personnel removed the safety locks of their weapons and aimed guns at us, threatening to kill us. It was only after the Deputy Commissioner Anantnag reached that the SDM and other employees were set free. They removed safety locks of weapons and aimed guns at us, alleges Valley SDM on poll duty The government has ordered no civilian traffic movement on most part of the 300-km long National Highway on Sunday and Wednesday from 4 am to 5 pm every week till May 31, 2019, in view of the possibility of terror attack on security forces' convoys during the Lok Sabha elections. The prohibition on movement of civilian traffic on these two days of each week would be from Baramulla through Srinagar, Qazigund, Jawahar-Tunnel, Banihal and Ramban till Udhampur, an official government statement said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Suspected terrorists fired upon a private vehicle carrying Army intelligence personnel in Kashmir's Kulgam, leaving two jawans injured on Wednesday, according to sources. The two injured personnel of the Indian Army have been rushed to a hospital. The area has been cordoned off. The attack came hours before the second phase of Lok Sabha election polling in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier in the day, one CRPF jawan was injured after terrorists hurled grenade on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Nowdal Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Terrorists threw an under-barrel grenade launcher bullet towards the 180th Battalion of the CRPF, causing splinter injuries to one of the personnel guarding the camp. The injured trooper was rushed to a nearby hospital and undergoing treatment. A UBGL is a weapon accessory and is fitted below the barrel of a gun. It fires a grenade at a trajectory and causes splinter and blast casualties. Security forces have launched a search in the area for the terrorists who carried out the attack. In a deadly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in this area on February 14, 40 troops on board a bus plying on the Jammu-Srinagar highway were killed. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: One CRPF jawan was injured on Wednesday after terrorists hurled grenade on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Nowdal Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Terrorists threw an under-barrel grenade launcher bullet towards the 180th Battalion of the CRPF, causing splinter injuries to one of the personnel guarding the camp. The injured trooper has been rushed to a nearby hospital and undergoing treatment. "Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists hurled a grenade at CRPF camp at Nowdal, Tral in Pulwama district, today. One CRPF personal injured," the news agency ANI reported. Jammu & Kashmir: Terrorists hurled a grenade at CRPF camp at Nowdal, Tral in Pulwama district, today. One CRPF personal injured; More details awaited a ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), a weapon accessory, was fitted below the barrel of a gun which fired a grenade at a trajectory causing explosion inside the camp of the 'bravo company'. Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the area to nab the attackers. On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed and dozens of others injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pulwama district. The CRPF cavalcade that came under attack had seventy-eight vehicles and the ill-fated bus plying on the Jammu-Srinagar highway was fifth in line. Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Mahavir Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the founder of Jainism. He was the 24th and the last Tirthankara of the Jains. A significant day for the Jain community, Mahavir Jayanti will be observed on April 17 this year. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month Chaitra. Vardhaman was born in 599 BC (as claimed by the Shwetambara sect) or 615BC (as claimed by Digambara sect) in the palace of Vaishali to King Siddhartha and Queen Trisala. Lord Mahavir took over the kingdom when he came of age. Mahavir spent his childhood as a prince surrounded by luxuries. It is said that before his birth, astrologers had predicted that Mahavir will grow up to be either be a great king or a Tirthankara. During his formative years, Mahavir developed a great interest in Jainism. At the age of 30, he renounced the throne and left his family in search of enlightenment. He spent the next 12 years as a monk and devoted the rest of his life preaching the spiritual truth to his followers. He was the 24th and the last Tirthankara of Jainism and preached the principles of truth, love and non-violence, which form the core of Jain philosophy. Lord Mahavir practised and promoted non-violence and preached love and respect of all living beings. On these values, he later found a new religion Jainism. Jains steer clear of all non-vegetarians dishes and follow the path of non-violence or ahimsa. Mahavir Jayanti is a reminder of these virtues. Jains typically celebrate the festival by offering prayers to Lord Mahavir and by visiting temples that are festooned with flowers and flags. Idols of Lord Mahavir are carried on a chariot by devotees after the abhishek ritual. The Jain community also engages in charity work on this day. For all the Latest Lifestyle News, Religion News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Google has blocked TikTok users in India. This comes after Madras High Court's directive to prohibit its downloads. The centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the high court's order, according to an IT ministry official. The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws, news agency Reuters reported. The high court had on April 3 asked the centre to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Earlier, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay Madras High Court order. The Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter for hearing on April 22. The Madras High Court had passed an order to prohibit the download and use of TikTok. The Madurai bench of the high court passed the order after expressing concern that the app hosts inappropriate content, including pornography, which is available for access to children. The bench had also expressed its concern that minors are also exposed to strangers online through TikTok. "Majority of the teens are playing pranks, gaffing around with duet videos sharing with split screen to the strangers. The children who use the said application are vulnerable and may expose them to sexual predators . Without understanding the dangers involved in these kinds of Mobile Apps., it is unfortunate that our children are testing with these Apps." Justices N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar have also directed the central government to respond before the February 16 if it would enact like US' "Children's Online Privacy Protection Act" to prevent children becoming online victims. The order also observed pranks made using the app could violate privacy. The petition was filed by a Madurai-based senior lawyer-cum-social activist Muthu Kumar. Citing pornography, cultural degradation, child abuse, suicides, he had sought a direction to ban TikTok. Tik Tok, which was launched in 2019, is a social video app owned by China's Beijing ByteDance Co. It reached the one billion download mark in February. It is a popular app worldwide and was the fourth most downloaded non-game app in 2018. Caracas: The first shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid arrived in crisis-wracked Venezuela on Tuesday following approval from President Nicolas Maduros government, the organisation confirmed. This is a great step forward to support vulnerable people in the country! tweeted Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The shipment included 24 tons of medical supplies and 14 power units to be distributed amongst eight hospitals and 30 outpatient clinicshalf of them publicsaid Health Minister Carlos Alvarado. Some 30 trucks moved the supplies from the Maiquetia airport to a Venezuelan Red Cross collection centre in Caracas, AFP journalists said. Some 3,100 volunteers will take part in the distribution of the supplies that arrived from Panama. Venezuela has suffered more than four years of recession marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine. The United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid. Last week, Maduro and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) came to an agreement to allow in the humanitarian aid. Supplies destined for Venezuelas long-suffering population formed the basis of a stand-off between Maduro and the speaker of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, who launched a direct challenge to the presidents authority in January. Guaido has since been recognised by more than 50 countries, including the United States, as Venezuelas interim president. But despite a highly publicised campaign, he failed to force humanitarian aid stockpiled over the border in Colombia into the country after the militarywhich remains loyal to Maduroblockaded a bridge crossing. Maduro claimed the aid was nothing more than a smokescreen to cover a US-led invasion. Guaido said the entry of aid was recognition of the failure of the regime that until a few weeks ago was denying the existence of a humanitarian emergency. He said this shipment was merely a sedative to contain the emergency. Francisco Valencia, president of the Coalition of Organizations for the Right to Health and Life, voiced concerns over whether or not the aid would help the more than 300,000 people in Venezuela with a high risk condition. Public hospitals have struggled to treat patients due to shortages of antibiotics, bandages and respiratory equipment. The government has been unable to import what the country needs due to a lack of liquidity, in part due to a sharp drop in its oil productionaround a third of its level from 10 years agowhich accounts for 96 percent of its revenue, as well as US sanctions. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jakarta: Indonesia kicked off one of the world's biggest one-day elections Wednesday, pitting president Joko Widodo against ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a race to lead the Muslim-majority nation. More than 190 million Indonesians are set to cast a ballot as polls opened shortly after 7:00 am local time in restive Papua. The vote is slated to end at 1:00 pm in Sumatra at the other end of the volcano-dotted archipelago. Some voters went to their local mosque before casting ballots, as the daily call to prayer sounded across a nation that is nearly 90 per cent Muslim. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions -- the first time all are being held on the same day. Opinion polls show Widodo, 57, is a clear favourite -- but he faces a tough challenge from Subianto, 67, who has leaned on a fiery nationalist ticket and warned he will challenge the results over voter-list irregularities if he loses. Subianto narrowly lost to Widodo in 2014 elections, and unsuccessfully challenged those results. Voters will flock to more than 800,000 polling stations where they'll punch holes in ballots -- to make clear their candidate choice -- and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot-buying is rife. Indonesian army and police stand guard aboard a boat as they distribute ballot boxes to polling centers on Gili Island in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. (IANS photo) The polls present a huge logistical challenge in a country stretching 4,800 kilometres across more than 17,000 islands with a population of more than 260 million, including hundreds of ethnic groups and languages. Officials were moving cardboard ballot boxes by motorbikes, boats and planes -- as well as elephants and horses -- to reach mountaintop villages and communities deep in the jungle. A series of so-called "quick counts" are expected to give a reliable indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are not expected until May. The poll has been punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online that threatens to sway millions of undecided voters. Widodo has campaigned on his ambitious drive to build much-needed roads, airports and other infrastructure across Southeast Asia's largest economy. But his rights record has been criticised owing to an uptick in discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life. His choice of conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate has also raised fears about the future of Indonesia's reputation for moderate Islam. Raised in a bamboo shack in a riverside slum, the soft-spoken Widodo stands in stark contrast to Subianto, whose strongman image is underscored by a penchant for slamming lecterns as he accuses Jakarta of selling the country off to foreign interests. Subianto -- joined by running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy financier -- has courted Islamic hardliners, promised a boost to military and defence spending and, taking a page from US President Donald Trump, vowed to put "Indonesia first" by reviewing billions of dollars in Chinese investment. Subianto's long-held presidential ambitions have been dogged by strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed two decades ago, and a chequered past. He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The new Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused the United States of declaring financial war on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be born dead. The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars of aid, including all of its support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. In his first interview with the international media since taking office over the weekend, Mohammad Shtayyeh laid out plans to get through the financial crisis he has inherited and predicted that the international community, including US allies in the Arab world, would join the Palestinians in rejecting President Donald Trumps expected peace plan. There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump, Shtayyeh said during a wide-ranging hour-long interview on Tuesday. Earlier, the United States congratulated the new Palestinian government on Sunday, a day after incoming prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his new cabinet alongside president Mahmud Abbas. "Congratulations to the new Palestinian Authority Cabinet," tweeted Jason Greenblatt, assistant to US President Donald Trump and special representative for international negotiations. "With the experience of those on the list, we hope we will be able to work together toward peace and improving Palestinian lives. It's time for a new chapter." A new government for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority was sworn in Saturday. As peace talks with Israel ran aground years ago and the Trump administration will likely put forward a peace plan that the Palestinians say favours Israel, Abbas badly needed to garner power at home and extend his control back to Gaza, which Hamas governs separately. The Palestinian leadership fears that Israel would retain major Jewish settlements in the West Bank and that the seat of the future Palestinian state would be in Gaza instead. Ishtayeh's government, which controls those parts of the West Bank on which the PA has autonomy, doesn't feature significant changes from its predecessor. Five members, including those of foreign affairs, finance and the two premier deputies, retained their posts. Ishtayeh holds the interior and religious portfolios. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lebanons police said yesterday it has seized more than 800,000 pills of the amphetamine-type stimulant captagon worth around $12 million in a bust coordinated with Saudi authorities. Police stopped a refrigerated truck containing 142 kilograms (312 pounds) of the illicit drug on April 9, according to a statement. Captagon is one of the most commonly used drugs in the Syrian war, where fighters who take it say it helps them stay awake for days and that it numbs their senses, allowing them to kill with abandon. The bust came after Saudi Arabias Directorate of Narcotics Control tipped off Lebanese authorities on a plan to smuggle a large captagon shipment to an unidentified Arab country by land, it said. Captagon is classified by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as an amphetamine-type stimulant and usually blends amphetamines, caffeine, and other substances. Rotaract Bahrain, which is part of the Rotary International, hosted its annual charity fundraiser event Against the Clock (ATC), at Al Bander Hotel and Resort. The event raised approximately BD10,000 to provide monetary support to the children suffering from autism. Rotaract Bahrain is supported by Rotary Clubs of Salmaniya, Manama, and Adliya, and is part of a worldwide service organization promoting the culture of Service Above Self. The Rotary organization has a track record of over 50 years of community development projects in the Kingdom. The project that aims to support the children with autism with the help of Omneyat Foundation for Autism and other societies in collectively distributing the funds through various channels to help support the training and development of therapists and consultants. Bahrain Theatre Festival 2019 concluded on Monday after witnessing the staging of six plays presented by local theatrical clubs and associations over six days. Held under the patronage of Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities (BACA), the festival was organised by the Arab Theatre Authority and BACA, in co-operation with the Federation of Theatre Societies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and it was held at the Cultural Hall near Bahrain National Museum in Manama. Besides the six shows, the festival included several other activities such as a seminar titled Bahraini Theatre Panorama in 100 years and a workshop on scenography. In the closing ceremony, awards were handed over to the best actor/actresses, best performance, best director and more. The festival was attended by a number of leading theatrical artists from several GCC and Arab countries. The Jury Panel included renowned personalities in the GCC theatrical movement, such as Abdulghani Dawood, Dr. Nermeen Al Hoty, and Dr. Mohammed Saif. The panel issued a statement by the end of the festival, explaining its work and evaluation mechanisms, in addition to its remarks and recommendations. The statement analyzed the participating teams and their performances, highlighting their strengths and weak points. A total of USD15,000 divided into eight cash prizes were handed over to the winners in a special ceremony that was held on the last day of the festival. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrains constant commitment to combatting all forms of terrorism, stressing that it will remain an active partner in the Global Coalition Against Daesh. This came during the 11th Counter Daesh Finance Group Meeting, hosted by the Kingdom yesterday. The Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a speech in which he referred to the first meeting of the group, held in Manama in 2014 when the Manama Declaration was issued affirming the international concerns regarding terrorism financing and calling for concerted international efforts to protect the international financing systems and societies. Shaikh Khalid valued the efforts of the coalition which resulted in degrading Daesh control significantly in the territories of the Arab Republic of Syria and the Republic of Iraq, adding that the ability of the organization to finance and conduct attacks has diminished. Tamkeen has announced the date of the second Gulf edition for Pitch@Palace competition, during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) Bahrain 2019. To be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Pitch@Palace GCC 2.0 will be organized in the Kingdom for the first time in November 2019, it is learned. Pitch@Palace was first launched in 2014 by the Duke of York to build a network of entrepreneurs and enhance their competitiveness across the world. The second Gulf edition will be attended by various participants from across the GCC, including the local qualifiers from the recent Bahraini edition, in which six entrepreneurs won the competition including the winner of the Peoples Choice Award. The competition, held in partnership with the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), aims to enhance the entrepreneurial environment by providing a platform of support and consultancy, networking with entrepreneurs from around the world, and providing an entrepreneurial experience via regional and international opportunities and exposure to global markets. The announcement made by Dr. Janahi during the GEC 2019 event represents a promising opportunity to celebrate the Kingdoms achievements in supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Export Bahrain signed an exclusive partnership with Gulf Airs Falcon Cargo to provide SMEs in the Kingdom of Bahrain, exporting their goods to the tune of 100 kilograms or above, with a special discount of up to 40 percent on their cargo exports. The partnership agreement was signed during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) Bahrain 2019, which is being hosted in the Kingdom from the period 15-18 April 2019. The agreement was signed by Export Bahrain Chief Executive Dr. Nasser Qaedi and Gulf Airs Chief Executive Officer, Kresimir Kucko in the presence of Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and Chairman of Gulf Air Export Bahrains Chief Executive, Dr. Nasser Qaedi stressed the importance of this event which brings together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and economic policymakers from more than 170 countries. Following a now-familiar script, the General Assembly split along partisan lines Wednesday to approve another of the dozen or so collective bargaining agreements or arbitration awards that could come before lawmakers in 2019. Once rare, legislative votes on labor deals are the new normal. One of the Republican victories in a budget agreement struck two years ago is a requirement that all labor deals come to votes in the House and Senate. In the past, they took effect in the absence of a vote to reject. By votes of 84-62 in the House and 19-17 in the Senate, legislators approved a contract that accepts six tax attorneys in the Department of Revenue Services as union members and grants them general wage increases of 3.5 percent in each of the next two years. We simply cant afford it, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. Every Republican voted to reject the contract. They were joined by four Democrats in the House and three in the Senate. The expenses in the contract were relatively modest: The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates annualized costs of $88,012, including $22,518 in each of the next two years for the 3.5 percent raises. Other benefits include fringe, longevity payments and annual increments of 2 percent. But Republicans say even modest raises of 3.5 percent are excessive when compared to the private sector, and they collectively limit the states ability to meet other needs, such as funding for child care and programs for intellectually disabled adults. Nobody is getting that in the free market, said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the solution was to bring up services and benefits for those in need, not to bring down state employees. He invited Republicans to support Democratic bills to raise the minimum wage and create a program of paid family medical leave. Sens. Alex Bergstein of Greenwich and Will Haskell of Westport, two freshman Democrats who flipped GOP seats last year, and Sen. Joan Hartley of Waterbury, a long-time fiscal conservative, joined all 14 Senate Republicans in opposition. The trio voted with the GOP last month on an arbitration award. In the House, Democrats Patrick Boyd of Pomfret, John Hampton of Simsbury, Jonathan Steinberg of Westport and Philip Young of Stratford voted to reject. The contract approved Wednesday was the fifth labor deal to come before lawmakers this year. Eight others are under negotiation. All are small bargaining units with as few as one and as many as 11 members. Republicans said the contract approval process was on auto-pilot for decades, requiring legislators to know little or nothing about the deals. No contract or arbitration award has been rejected this year, but the new rules raise awareness about the costs of labor contracts and roll call votes create potential campaign issues, Klarides said. Thats something theyre going to have to defend at some point, she said. NEW FAIRFIELD Steven Flood confessed in gruesome detail to killing and raping his roommate last month in a home they shared near Candlewood Lake, according to court documents. Flood, who is being held in lieu of $2 million bond, was charged with murder with special circumstances a crime punishable by life in prison without parole and first-degree sexual assault after admitting to State Police detectives that he killed Susan Guido, court documents state. The police went to Guidos home on Candlewood Drive on May 2 after receiving reports from friends and relatives they had not been able to contact the 55-year-old woman. Police found her body covered with a white blanket on the kitchen floor, documents show. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the 32-year-old Flood, told police he and Guido had met months earlier while staying at a hotel and agreed to pool their resources and rent a home in an effort to save money. The two were friends and not in a physical relationship, the document states. But relatives told police Guido said Flood, who was nice at first, began to get more aggressive as the months passed. He made sexual demands and she had to physically restrain him, the warrant stated. Things took a turn for the worse on May 1, when Guido returned from spending a weekend with a friend. Guido told relatives Flood was angry she hadnt left any food in the house and complained about having to eat popcorn for two days. Flood, who suffered from a variety of mental illnesses including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, told police he and Guido were drinking that night and argued over bills. At that point, the rage just came out, Flood said. Everything came out of my head and I just lost it. Flood said he swung at Guido, who fell to the floor, documents show. He then stomped on her head several times and sexually assaulted her. It was at that point I felt that I needed to humiliate her in life and death, he told police, court documents state. I knew that she was dead, as I witnessed her taking her last breath. Guido died of blunt force trauma to the head, court documents show. When police found Flood several days later, camping in the woods near Union, Conn., he was wearing the bloody socks he had worn while attacking Guido, documents state. By that time, he had pawned the victims jewelry and used the money to buy a tent. Flood told police that he felt shame and guilt over the killing. My plan was to go get drugs and die somewhere, he told police, court records state. I was hoping to get some heroin and overdose. Flood began talking about the killing while sitting in the back of the police cruiser, police said. I did something bad, he said. Flood was on disability payments at the time of the slaying. His last known job was as a security guard at the Danbury Fair mall in 2010, court documents said. He faces a number of charges, including murder in the commission of a felony, first-degree sexual assault, intentional cruelty to persons and murder with special circumstances a charge previously known as capital murder, which used to carry the death penalty. The state abolished the death penalty in 2012 and replaced it with a life sentence. Flood was convicted of second-degree larceny in 2012 for a jewelry heist in Danbury and was given a five-year prison sentence, which was suspended after one year. dperrefort@newstimes.com BETHEL Residents will consider a revised $31.6 million municipal operations budget at a town meeting next week. The Finance Board voted Tuesday to cut $385,000 from the nearly $32 million proposal residents narrowly rejected last week. The Police Department, Senior Center, school maintenance and Parks and Recreation Department saw the bulk of the cuts. Money from the state will help pay down the towns debt service. With this budget, the tax rate would increase by 1.65 percent. Voters last week approved the $46.4 million school and $1 million capital budgets. The latest plan would bring the combined town and school budgets to just under $78 million. The $30,000 cut for school maintenance, which is paid through an account on the town side of the budget, rather than the education side, will mean the district will need to delay projects, Superintendent Christine Carver said. These projects include refinishing the gym floor at the middle school and replacing a worn rug at Berry Elementary School. She added the district can still complete work to keep the buildings up to code, as long as there are no emergencies. But there are other things that we have been putting off for years that need to get taken care of, Carver said. The debt from the police station and elementary school renovations projects is still the biggest driver of spending, with the latest proposal poised to raise debt service by 25 percent from the previous year. But the board voted Tuesday to use $285,000 the town expects to receive from the state to pay off some of these loans, bringing debt service costs to $4.9 million, as compared to $5.2 million in the previous proposal. The town learned Monday that the state owes Bethel $285,000 from the high school renovation project. The state had said Bethel owned it money, but the recently completed audit showed the opposite, said Bob Manfreda, chairman of the finance board. One of the contested reductions was the $25,000 cut from the Parks and Recreation Department. Cynthia McCorkindale was one of the board members to oppose the cut because these programs bring revenue into town. It was said very, very clearly and emphatically that these programs make money, she said. Eileen Earle, director of the department, said she would need to find sponsorships or cut the programs that do not make money, but residents care about. Im kind of disappointed about the way its being handled, she said. But board member Robert Palmer said there were no good options for other cuts. No one wants to do this, he said. Board member Bryan Terzian also opposed the $5,000 cut to activities at the Senior Center. He said the board already slashed $20,000 from the Senior Centers proposed budget. I dont think its fair to take another $5,000 from the seniors, he said. Terzian and McCorkindale supported reducing the capital non-recurring account by $120,000, an idea the other board members voted against. This account could be used to pay for items for the Stony Hill Fire Department and the resurfacing of the high school track, among other projects. The finance board has aimed to pay for more projects through this account in an effort to reduce short-term debt. The $25,000 cut to police overtime and $10,000 cut to contracted services for building and highway departments were approved unanimously. With the latest plan, town spending would increase by 6.9 percent. Overall town and school spending would rise by 4.8 percent. The plan voters rejected, which called for a $78.4 million town and school budget, would have raised the tax rate by 2.24 percent, with the average homeowner seeing a $159 increase in taxes. The town meeting, where residents vote to send the proposal to referendum, is at 7 p.m. April 24 in the multipurpose room of the municipal center. Last week the State Department announced that it was designating Iran's Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Since then, Washington and Tehran have continued to hurl invective at each other, just as they have for the past 40 years. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif publicly asked the rest of the world to chime in on the U.S. decision. "Today . . . we will send messages to foreign ministers of all countries to tell them it is necessary for them to express their stances, and to warn them that this unprecedented and dangerous U.S. measure has had and will have consequences," Zarif said in an interview with Iranian state media. So far, that request seems to have gone unanswered. But Tuesday, the Iranians upped the ante by pushing a bill through parliament labeling all American forces in the Middle East as terrorists. It's a move that epitomizes how reactionary regimes respond to external decisions they can't control. The Iranian move heightens the emotionality of the moment and increases the possibility of conflict triggered by knee-jerk reactions. Yet it's also instructive to look at how other countries have reacted to the move. Most of the responses have been varied but predictable, and they help to illuminate the complex story of Iran's geopolitical importance in an era of constant regional turmoil. Neighboring Iraq, which has myriad allegiances, obligations and objections to both Washington and Tehran, made it clear that the move concerns them. "I won't hide it from you. We tried to stop the American decision," Adel Abdul Mahdi, Iraq's prime minister, said the day after the announcement. Mahdi has a front-row seat to the conflict between Iran and the United States, a significant amount of which has been taking place on Iraqi soil. He would obviously like to avoid an escalation in tensions. "We have good relations with both, with Americans and with Iranians. And we are going to deploy all our efforts to ease and calm down the situation. It is not in the interest of any of the parties engaged," Mahdi said. But he knows he has little say in the matter. Leaders in the Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms and Israel, by contrast, are ecstatic. "Thank you, my dear friend, the president of the United States, Donald Trump . . . for responding to another of my important requests," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew following the announcement. The Saudi government was quick to offer its approval for the move, calling it a "serious and practical step" to counter terrorism. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has yet to make any public comments about the designation. But given his hard line on anything to do with Iran, it's a safe bet that he welcomes the measure. The move signals to both Riyadh and Tel Aviv that any perceived American pivot toward Tehran - which they so feared during the second Obama term - is ancient history. Their enmity toward Iran - and how they choose to manifest it - will go unchecked by Trump's Washington. Russia and China, meanwhile, have been mostly quiet, though they will probably spot strategic and financial opportunities in Iran's increasing diplomatic isolation. No surprises so far, right? But there's one part of the world that deserves special attention on this front: Europe. You might expect the Europeans to express caution or muted displeasure over the Iranian move given their continued adherence to the controversial nuclear deal. So far, however, they aren't saying much. Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, called his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron to complain, saying the U.S. move is "very provocative, dangerous and unprecedented in international relations." According to reports, Macron showed little reaction, other than to urge Rouhani to release jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, who is viewed as having a constructive relationship with Zarif, has also been silent. Meanwhile, the U.K.'s approach seems to be a continued cautious engagement with Tehran, although they have "deep concerns" about the military wing's regional meddling. "We remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for as long as Iran continues to implement it in full. This agreement is important for our national security as well as that of the region, and remains central to international efforts to halt nuclear proliferation. But we are clear that this commitment does not preclude us from addressing Iran's destabilizing activities," a foreign office spokesperson told me. So, what does this prolonged silence mean for the future of the nuclear deal, trade relations and Europe's continuing efforts to compel Iran to moderate its behavior? It may be that European capitals tacitly approve of the U.S. move; perhaps they're deliberating over a coordinated response. Or they may realize the smart play is to keep dialogue open with both Washington and Tehran - and they've decided that the best way to do that is to stay out of this one. DARPA has scheduled the first test of a new advanced hypersonic glide weapon interceptor defense for 2020. Details of the hypersonic defense are classified and the contractors are still being selected. However, any hypersonic missile defense will need new satellites to spot the hypersonic weapons and likely space and ground-based interceptors. New satellites with improved sensors that lookdown from high space orbit and look from low earth orbit are needed. Interceptors will need very different airframes with greater range and speed. Russias Hypersonic Missiles Russia has three hypersonic missiles. They have the mach 27 Avangard, mach 10-12 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal and the mach 6-9 Zircon. The Kinzhal has a range of about 2000 kilometers and is launched from bombers. The 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is launched from Russian Navy battlecruisers and frigates. It has a range of about 600 miles (1000 kilometers) and has a speed of mach 6-9. The Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates can carry 8 Zircon missiles while newer frigates could carry 16. The Avangard (aka Yu-71 and Yu-74) is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), that can be carried as a MIRV payload by ICBM rockets. It can deliver both nuclear and conventional payload and can reach speeds of mach 27. The US Has Two Air Force and Two Other DARPA Hypersonic Weapon Projects The AGM-183A Advanced Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) is an air-launched weapon which will reach about mach 20. The Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (Hacksaw) is a solid fuel rocket with GPS guidance. It will be fired from bombers and the target is for a planned in-service date of 2022. Lockheed Martin received $928 million to work on Hacksaw in April 2018. DARPAs Tactical Boost Glide, a weapon with a 500 nautical mile range, is set to begin flight tests in 2019. DARPA is working on the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC), which uses scramjet engines to cruise at hypersonic speed. China Has Successful Hypersonic Missile Tests China has had successful tests of an ICBM tipped DF-17 hypersonic glide weapon and Starry-Sky 2 hypersonic missile. A panel of national security experts have said that China is leading the world in hypersonic technology due to a clear investment strategy to upgrade its industrial base. SOURCES- DARPA, FBO, Popular Mechanics, Wikipedia Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com Enterprise Products Partners is a midstream oil and gas company with a $64 billion market valuation. They have a forecast of US oil and gas by region from now to 2025. By 2025, Texas oil production will double and US and gas production will increase by around 50%. They forecast that Texas will surpass 10 million barrels per day of crude oil production by 2025 from the Permian and Eagle Ford Basins. This is up from 5 million barrels per day today. The US will increase from 12 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate to 17 million barrels per day in 2025. The US will increase natural gas liquids from 5.5 million barrels per day today to 8.5 million barrels per day to 2025. The US will increase dry natural gas from 88 billion cubic feet per day to 114 billion cubic feet per day. The US will export a lot of oil and NGL to Asia. Even with more electric cars there will is projected to solid growth using oil for plastics. SOURCES : Enterprise Products Partners Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com A visit from a furry pup can put a smile on anyones face, and a company that cares for the aging population has taken notice. To bring an animal into someones home and to see the smile on their face really does bring a joy to us, said Nick DAquila, whose family owns and operates Assisted Living Services out of Meriden. The senior care agency, which also has offices in Fairfield and Clinton, is adding animal therapy to its list of services offered to hundreds of clients statewide. Assisted Living Service employs more than 400 people and serves hundreds of clients across the state with the goal of helping seniors and disabled clients stay in their own homes for as long as possible. ALS recently debuted 10-month-old Marlow, a Golden Retriever, as its new therapy dog for clients. The company offered a similar service five years ago under the leadership of DAquilas mother, Sharron, who would bring another dog named Sunny to clients homes upon request. Sunny died five years ago of lymphoma. She would do it free of charge and bring the dog thereand he would pretty much bring a smile to the clients face, said Nick DAquila. Continuing my mothers legacy in visiting clients as well as having her join is a great feeling. Marlow has already begun the 2-year training process to become a Registered Pet Partners Therapy Animal and is expected to be available for requested visits by clients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 575,000 Connecticut residents were age 65 and older in 2016, making up roughly 16 percent of the population. Thats a three-percentage point increase from 2000, when about 13 percent of people in the state were 65 and older. The concept behind animal therapy training is to increase connections physically and socially among the senior clients as they interact with the dog. A poll of 50- to 80-year-olds by the University of Michigan found that owning a pet or interacting with an animal reduces stress, anxiety and feelings of loneliness. Among the 2,000 people polled for the study, dogs were the most common pet. Data from UCLA found that just petting animals provided mental health benefits to seniors. Its increasing interactions with the seniors and making them more sociable, DAquila said. I think the interactions with the therapy dog brings out the inner emotions that people are holding inside that they dont really know how to express. When ALS featured animal therapy, DAquila said, requests usually came from former pet owners who were unable to care for an animal on their own or seniors who lost a spouse or loved one. While Marlow will be the only therapy dog ALS offers for the near future, DAquila said there is a possibility for more therapy animals in the future. What its going to turn out to be is bringing a better value with the services that we provide, making sure that the well being of our clients is the best and they are as happy as they could possibly be with our services, DAquila said. Jordan.grice@Hearstmediact.com A leading national retail consultant has estimated that the walkout by Stop & Shop workers is costing the grocery chain $2 million per week and likely will cause the company to permanently lose a portion of its market share the longer the strike continues. Bert Flickinger, managing director of New York City-based Strategic Resource Group, said the strike couldnt have come at a worse time for Stop & Shop, which is owned by Danish-retail giant Ahold Delhaize. Holy week, the seven-day period leading to Easter, and Passover traditionally are among the busiest weeks annually in the supermarket business, Flickinger said. He estimated if the strike isnt settled in time for shoppers to buy their holiday food items, Stop & Shop could lose as much of 5 percent of its total annual sales and 4 percent of its profits for this year. Theres really no chance for them to make that up, he said. The next big sales period for grocery stores is between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And once shoppers have formed habits with another retailer, its hard to get them back. Flickinger estimated that for every dollar in lost sales, it costs $6 to get a customer back. Included in that $6 total are marking costs, price reductions on products to lure customers back and direct advertising, he said. And if they are able to get any customers back, it could take them up to a year to return, Flickinger said. Stop & Shops 92 Connecticut stores yield the chains largest amount of sales and profits, he said, even though the chain has 134 locations in Massachusetts. Other supermarket chains serving the Connecticut market are being incredibly tight-lipped about what kind of customer activity they are seeing, even though there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that other grocery stores are benefiting from the Stop & Shop walkout. Owners of ShopRite Supermarkets in Wallingford, Southington, Milford, Orange and several Fairfield County stores in the chain, as well as representatives of Trader Joes, Big Y and Adams Supermarkets, either did not return calls from Hearst Connecticut Media about the impact the strike was having on their business or declined to comment on it. Even officials with the Connecticut Food Association, a trade association that represents grocers in the state, declined to comment. David Cadden, a professor emeritus at Quinnipiac Universitys School of Business, was shopping at the Big Y Wednesday afternoon. This place is mobbed, Cadden said. Flickinger said he and members of his consulting team vistied some Connecticut Stop & Shop locations over the weekend. Their parking lots are empty, but when you visit the other chains, you have to drive around for 10 or 15 minutes to find a parking spot, he said. And inside, its all hands on deck. Cadden said one reason that other grocery chains may be unwilling to comment on how the Stop & Shop strike is affecting their business is what the outcome of the walkout might mean to their businesses going forward. If the union gets what it wants, it will be emboldened to try and organize at other grocery chains, he said. My sense is that they (executives at other grocery chains) think that it will go away if they dont talk about it. Stop & Shop is one of the largest unionized supermarket chains in the country, Flickinger said. Before this walkout, Flickinger said the longest strike in Stop & Shops history was four hours during 1988. Ahold Delhaize acquired Stop & Shop in 1996 from New York City-based private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Flickinger said. Although this strike is the longest in Stop & Shops history, it is well short of the longest walkout in modern supermarket history, he said. That occurred during a four-and-a-half month period from October 2003 to February 2004 with Southern California grocery chain Vons and two other major supermarkets, Albertsons and Ralphs. Flickinger said that strike had a lasting impact for Vons and a transformative impact on the grocery business in Southern California. Within a 10-year period that began at the end of the strike, Vons either closed or sold underperforming stores, which he said lost market share during the strike. Vons was owned by Safeway when the strike occurred and subsequently was acquired by Albertsons in 2015. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com Starting Sunday, the New Haven, Hudson and Harlem lines of Metro-North Railroad can expect to see some changes. The new timetables are expected to result in more reliable, dependable and safe service for our customers, said a message on the train services website. Most trains will have an adjusted schedule anywhere from one minute to 16 minutes. To learn about how the service you use might be impacted, you can check the interactive schedule on the Metro-North site to check it on the TrainTime smartphone application. Customers on the New Haven Line will see the most extensive infrastructure work, according to Metro-North. Morning and evening peak train schedules have been lengthened by between one and six minutes. Off-peak and weekend trains will have schedules lengthened by between one and 11 minutes. The New Canaan, Waterbury and Danbury branch trains will see changes between one and 16 minutes. Metro-North said more service will be added for customers, including additional weekday, Saturday and Sunday New Haven Line trains accessible for travel that had previously been restricted between Fordham and Manhattan. During off-peak times, service between Fordham and Manhattan will run roughly four times an hour instead of just twice an hour. Morning peak trains on the New Haven Line will leave initial stations anywhere from one to 10 minutes earlier and have their schedules lengthened by one to six minutes. The New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches will leave one to four minutes earlier and their schedules will be longer by one to three minutes during morning peak. Evening peak trains will leave Grand Central Terminal at the same time but will have longer schedules by one to six minutes. During evening peak, New Canaan and Danbury branches will leave their stations at the same time but have their schedules one to three minutes later. Waterbury Branch trains will be unchanged. Off-peak on these lines will leave their initial station anywhere from 10 minutes earlier to four minutes later and have their schedules one to 11 minutes longer, depending on the length of the overall trip and the time of day. Outbound trains from Grand Central Terminal will be at the same time and have their schedules longer by one to 11 minutes. During off-peak hours, New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branch service will leave their stations three to 16 minutes sooner and arrive three to 16 minutes later, depending on the schedule of the mainline connection. Weekend service on the New Haven Line will see inbound trains leaving their initial station up to 10 minutes earlier and the trips will be extended by two to 10 minutes. Outbound trains will leave Grand Central Terminal at the same time and trips will be two to 10 minutes longer. For details on the Hudson and Harlem line changes, click here. Metro-Norths Customer Service Center can be reached by Connecticut residents at 877-690-5114. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711-relay to reach Metro-North at 511. On Thursday, striking Stop & Shop workers will receive some high-profile support when former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden speaks at a rally in Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon. Bidens support was announced Wednesday in a release from the United Food and Commercial Workers union. Joe Biden will speak at a rally in support of the 31,000 UFCW Stop & Shop workers who walked off their jobs on April 11 to protest the companys proposed cuts to health care and take-home pay, as well as unlawful conduct by the company during negotiations, the union said. The rally will be held outside the Stop & Shop at South Bay Center, 1100 Massachusetts Ave. in Dorchester. Biden has had long support from unions. In recent weeks, Biden has made speeches at union conferences thats hes ready to run for president as a moderate Democrat in party that has been drifting left. In a March 12 speech to delegates to the Fire Fighters Legislative and Political Conference, he said This country wasnt built by Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers. It was built by the great American middle class, and unions built that middle class. Earlier this month, he spoke at a annual meetings of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Negotiations continue Wednesday - the seventh day of a strike by Stop & Shop workers. Talks on Tuesday between the grocery giant and with five union affiliates of the United Food & Commercial Workers produced no agreement. On Thursday, striking workers will receive some high-profile support from former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden will speak at a rally at a Stop & Shop in Dorchester, Mass. in support of the 31,000 Stop & workers who walked off their jobs on April 11. The president of the Farmington-based UFCW Local 919 addressed union members Tuesday from the negotiating table in Providence, R.I., estimating Stop & Shops revenue losses at $20 million a day since the strike began. Stop & Shop posted on its web site Our goal remains the same - reaching a fair new agreement and returning our focus to doing what we do best - taking care of our customers. Our defined benefit pension plan for all union associates - 100 percent funded by the company - is an important part of these negotiations. Given misunderstandings about this topic, we want to provide an overview of the facts. Please see the overview summary or click here for a downloadable version. Meanwhile, the unions lashed out at Stop & Shops advertisement and its latest proposals. Stop & Shop can buy as many ads as they want, but they cant change the facts, the five United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Unions (328, 371, 1445, 1459, and 919) said in a statement. Stop & Shops latest proposal will drastically increase out-of-pocket health care costs, kick approximately 1,000 employees spouses off of their health care plan, and make it more challenging for 31,000 people to provide for themselves and their families. If the companys most recent offer becomes a reality, every working family, neighborhood, consumer, and community will be hurt. We are amazed at the ever-increasing community support and appreciate all that New England is doing to help us fight for better jobs and better health care. Stop & Shops parent company, Ahold Delhaize, saw over $2 billion in profits last year and received a U.S. tax cut of $225 million in 2017. The company is claiming the proposed cuts are necessary but is unlawfully refusing to provide financial information to verify that claim. While Stop & Shop continues to propose drastically cutting worker benefits, Ahold Delhaize shareholders voted on April 10 to give themselves an 11.1 percent raise in dividends over the last year. The expected payout will be on April 25 for around $880 million. The unions claimed Stop & Shops latest latest proposal included the following drastic cuts: Requiring the average full-time employee to pay an additional $893 in weekly health care premiums over three years and the average part-time employee with employee-only coverage to pay an additional $603 in weekly health care premiums over three years. Reducing the monthly pension benefit for many newly hired full-time employees by 32 percent and reducing the monthly pension benefit for many part-time employees by up to 72.2 percent. Kicking off approximately 1,000 employees spouses from their family health care plan if the spouse is offered health care coverage by their employer, regardless of cost or quality of care. Phasing out time-and-a-half pay on Sundays and holidays for current part-time workers and eliminating it entirely for new, part-time (approxmately 75 percent of Stop & Shops workforce is part-time), the union claimed. Hong Kong: 44 pollution convictions in March The Environmental Protection Department recorded 44 convictions for pollution offences in March. Seven were for air pollution, five for noise, 12 for waste disposal, and 18 under the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance. There was also one conviction under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, and one under the Public Cleansing & Prevention of Nuisances Regulation. The heaviest fine was $40,000 against a company for failing to comply with noise abatement requirements. This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. MIDDLETOWN A New Haven man is facing trespassing, interfering and breach of peace charges after he allegedly asked an Acorn Drive man to shake his hand and shoot him during a bizarre incident Monday afternoon, police said. An Acorn Street man was outside him home at around 5:20 p.m. when he saw his wife pull into their garage, reports said. The couple was expecting a new pet sitter, so they initially werent alarmed when a car pulled up and drove into the driveway, they told police. The male homeowner went over to talk to the driver and then realized it wasnt the new pet sitter, but rather a man in a flannel shirt who appeared to be high on drugs or drunk, the homeowner told police. Dean Thorne, 30, of East Street in New Haven, told the homeowner that someone was playing a joke on me, and then asked if the property owner had a gun when he was repeatedly asked to leave, police said. The wife went into the house to call police as Thorne allegedly asked the male homeowner to shoot him, according to reports. Thorne then tried to enter the house through the garage with the male homeowner pushing him out, the couple told police. Thorne drove away after the homeowner went inside and locked the door, police said. Thornes car was spotted by responding officers headed south on South Main Street near Haddam Quarter Road, police said. When an officer approached the vehicle, he immediately noticed that the driver appeared to be high or intoxicated, reports said. Thorne then told the officer youre going to have to kill me to get me out of the car. After Thorne said kill me a second time and began making movements in the vehicle, the officer pulled out his service weapon and pointed it at Thorne, who was still refusing to get out of the car. At that point, other officers arrived and broke the front passenger window and used a Taser twice to get Thorne out of the car and under control, police said. Thorne was taken to Middlesex Hospital for evaluation before being charged with obtaining drugs illegally, first-degree criminal trespass, interfering with police, breach of peace, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers found Gabapentin pills, commonly used for epilepsy, amphetamine salt pills, marijuana and a marijuana grinder in the car, police said. Thorne was held in lieu of $100,000 bail until his arraignment in Middletown Superior Court on Tuesday. He was released on a promise to appear after his court proceedings. NEW HAVEN Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks ran afoul of several members of the Board of Education this month after proposing that the same executive search firm that named her as a finalist for her job be paid to help recruit a CFO to the district. This committee thinks its a conflict of interest, said Finance and Operations Committee Chairman Jamell Cotto. At the last meeting of the full board, with Birks absent, the school board asked Human Resources Director Lisa Mack about a contract for $10,000 with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. The contract, which is small enough that board approval is not required, nevertheless was questioned as the board had on March 25 placed a freeze on all general fund spending for the remainder of the school year. Mack said the contract was submitted to the district on March 21, but board member Joe Rodriguez said that, since the contract was signed by the district on March 26, it should have been approved by the school boards executive committee per its spending freeze resolution. Board member Ed Joyner said he believes the situation is almost like a quid pro quo. But in an emailed statement to the Register, Birks said that awarding a contract to the executive search firm that vetted her application for the superintendency was not a conflict of interest because she is not personally benefiting from the 2019 contract. Given the ongoing need we have to identify a Chief Financial Officer, I was pleased to arrange for (HYAs) assistance in this search at a deeply-discounted cost within my authority as Superintendent. I received no personal benefit from this arrangement, but the district will benefit greatly if this search firm can identify suitable candidates for this important responsibility, Birks wrote in her emailed statement. It is important to note, that our Office of Talent Management has engaged in a search process for a Chief Financial Officer for the past 14 months and have not been able to secure a candidate for this position. However, one man has countered the claim that the district could not find a CFO candidate. In an April 11 email obtained by the New Haven Register, Jamal J. Scott told five members of the school board and Birks that he was verbally offered the CFO position on February 15th and told that the contract was on its [sic] way. Then 4 weeks after receiving the offer and receiving minimal information from NHPS HR department I received a call from Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Leadership Keisha Hannans inviting me to interview with New Haven city Controller Daryl Jones and Acting Budget Director Michael Gormany. I thought it was strange that they were interviewing me because two of the three individuals work for the city not NHPS, Scott wrote. Scott said he felt it was odd for him to interview for a job he had been offered, and said he expressed concern via email and in a voicemail for Birks, but did not hear back. He said he called the districts Human Resources Department on April 11, three days after the school board asked questions about the HYA contract, asking about the status of his hire. He said he was told then that his offer was rescinded, and the district would be conducting a new search for a CFO. I have been misled and I am embarrassed. My rights have been violated, Scott wrote. In an email, Birks confirmed that she interviewed Scott, but was not part of any conversation about a job offer, and I do not know exactly what was said to Mr. Scott. However, I do know that we did not make a formal job offer to Mr. Scott. We never offered him a written formal contract that included specific terms such as, salary, benefits or contract duration. Before I could have made Mr. Scott a formal job offer, I would have had to present his name to the Board for its approval. Mr. Scott apparently knew that we had not made an employment offer because, by his own admission, he participated in an additional interview after the conversation in which he claims he received a formal job offer, Birks wrote. At this point, Mr. Scott is not under further consideration. On Tuesday, Gormany confirmed that he was scheduled to meet with a CFO finalist, but said the meeting never happened. Its a Board of Education personnel matter, so I would refer to them, he said. As the school board questioned Mack about the CFO vacancy last week, she said about 15 finalists had been interviewed for the position before the HYA contract was signed. Joyner said he found it hard to believe the position had not been properly marketed to qualified candidates, as its ordinary for job postings to be listed in professional journals. In a text message to a Register reporter, Joyner said he did research on Scott and believes he was qualified. He also said he had lost confidence in Birks to lead the school district. I would like to remind everyone that there are several steps before an offer is officially tendered to a candidate, the last being final approval from the board, Goldson said in an emailed comment. Obviously we did not provide that approval since the issue never came before the board. There clearly were several missteps, including bad communication between the Superintendent and the candidate. Im sure the superintendent has learned from this experience, and hopefully in the future will rely on the professionals in her human resources department to handle these matters. Board member Tamiko Jackson-McArthur told a reporter she didnt know anything more about Scotts allegations than what was said in the email. Mayor Toni Harps spokesman Laurence Grotheer said in an email that Harp is aware that Mr. Scott was involved in an extended interview process for the NHPS CFO position and met with the mayors finance team, with whom the NHPS CFO must work closely. However, he also said, Mayor Harp is also aware that a formal offer of employment was not extended to Mr. Scott. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN A city man sued multiple New Haven police officers in federal court Monday, alleging that he was brutally assaulted and discriminated against during an unlawful traffic stop in April 2017. In the lawsuit, Danny Robles, an African-American man represented by attorney Glenn Conway, said officers pulled in behind him while he was traveling on Foxon Boulevard the evening of April 26, 2017. Although he broke no laws, the police cruiser began to follow him on his trip through the city and pulled him over after he edged into the intersection of Smith Avenue and Cross Street, Robles alleges in the suit. Two New Haven officers told Robles to get out of the car, offering an expletive and command instead of a reason, Robles said in the complaint. The two officers said they smelled cocaine and marijuana, according to the complaint. Robles did not get out quickly enough for their liking, he alleges, as he walks with a cane. He alleges he was forced out of the car to the ground, then kicked and punched. Another officer responded to the scene and pepper-sprayed Robles as he lay handcuffed on the ground, the complaint alleges. No contraband was found when his car was searched, Robles said in the complaint. Despite this, he was held overnight, he said. Officers filed false reports after the incident, he alleges. In the manner described herein, the Defendants acted both maliciously and with reckless disregard of the Plaintiffs constitutional rights, said Conway on behalf of Robles in the complaint. Robles alleges he suffered a series of injuries, as well as great physical and emotional pain, fear, and anxiety. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees and any other relief deemed just by the court, according to the complaint. It is the policy and practice of the City of New Haven to withhold comment regarding matters that involve pending litigation, said Laurence Grotheer, city spokesman. The New Haven officers named in the suit are not yet represented by an attorney, according to judicial records. A police officials did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Two visions of James Hillhouse High School senior Makayla Dawkins appeared at the Dixwell Avenue firehouse Monday afternoon. In one, she stands resolute, arms crossed, gaze steady, back straight. In the other, she beams, smiling with pleasure upon the occasion. In both, she was put forward as a standard bearer for city youth as an example of how she, and they, are important members of our society and our world. A poster of Dawkins, created as part of the ongoing iMatter city youth empowerment project, was affixed to the firehouse Tuesday, as she, as well as other organization and city officials, came out to celebrate. In the fire service, weve always supported the youth in every community, said Fire Chief John Alston. Were very proud to have Makayla on the side of our building. Dawkins, niece of New Haven Fire Department Deputy Chief James Watkins and a student member of the city Board of Education, said she was pleased and honored to be featured. I just want to thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to grow, said Dawkins. Without your support, I honestly wouldnt be the student and the leader and the young woman that I am going to be, so thank you. Founder Rob Goldman said the iMatter project, which previously has put up posters around the city, including on the armory on Goffe Street, was shifting to focus on the Dixwell neighborhood. As part of that effort, a poster of community volunteer Isaiah Bussey was put up on the former C-Town Supermarket on Monday, as well. The iMatter project also plans to have a presence at the annual Freddy Fixer parade, project manager Bo Sandine said. Goldman thanked the neighborhood and the city for a warm welcome. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone so far thats just made the iMatter project a possibility here, said Goldman. Its just, once again, an honor to be welcomed into New Haven and to be able to help kids as we are. As part of the iMatter project, Goldman, who previously shot covers for Cosmopolitan Magazine, takes portraits of city youth, adds statements written and spoken by the subjects, and creates large-scale posters, according to a release. The goal of the effort is to inspire people to imagine and build a healthy community while promoting empathy, belonging and hope, according to the release. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com School officials say students have been disciplined after a girl kicked a boy in the groin when he entered the girls restroom at an Alaska high school. Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Superintendent Karen Gaborik said in a statement Monday that a group of North Pole High School boys had apparently gone into the girls' bathroom to protest the use of the boys' bathroom by a student who is transitioning from female to male. The transitioning student reportedly posted a selfie from the boys' bathroom. That apparently angered the group of boys, who wanted to take their own picture to show their displeasure. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports only one boy made it past the door frame when the girl confronted the group. The girls family told the Anchorage Daily News that she was expelled. Her family told the Washington Post they will be seeking an appeal of the expulsion. The school district says seven boys were disciplined in connection with the incident. Republican Rep. Tammie Wilson publicly criticized the schools handling of the case. I dont care why the boys were in the bathroom, Wilson said. I just wanted to make sure I had this opportunity to tell those young ladies at North Pole High School . . . if you ever feel threatened for your safety, whatever force you think you have to give, I will stand behind you. And so will your community. Not for those boys who were where they didnt belong. Wilson said she would have taught her daughter to do the same. Was she supposed to not protect herself? she said. She was where she belonged. They were not. The district released a full statement following backlash to the case, writing, in part: "There was not evidence that the boys were threatening any student or using any type of force toward other students. The district does not encourage students or staff to use force against students, staff or visitors to school facilities. In general, we recommend students talk to school staff about any situations in which they feel unsafe." The district said it was limited in what could be shared about the incident because student disciplinary actions are confidential as a matter of law and district policy. The incident has prompted calls for the school to ramp up efforts to address bullying. NEW HAVEN The New Haven Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., which owns and operates College Street Music Hall, has reached a settlement with the the U.S. Attorneys Office to resolve allegations that the venue was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to federal authorities. The U.S. Attorneys Office investigated after receiving a complaint from an individual regarding lack of accessibility at the College Street venue, according to a release. The settlement agreement requires that, over the next three years, CSMH will improve the accessibility of its entrances and access routes, increase the number of accessible seating, add accessible features to restrooms, reduce barriers for patrons to access ticket purchases, and ensure that all patrons have full and equal enjoyment of the facility. Every now and then, I like to write about a guy with a disability who lives in Seymour and draws attention to the difficulty people with disabilities have getting around trying to live a normal life. But it appears this is the last time I will write about Joseph Luciano. The Seymour resident informed me some weeks ago he was trying to get into a community where people with disabilities are not daily challenged to accomplish simple things. And on Tuesday, he made it official. He is leaving Wednesday morning and flying to Rapid City, S.D., where he will live in a community designed for people with disabilities and be near his children and grandchildren. My sons live in Rapid City, just minutes from my Galaxy ADA apartment for senior disabled, he said. I will see grandchildren I never saw before. As it is with Joe, his leaving is bittersweet for me. I am happy he is going someplace where life will be easier for him and his wife and he will be closer to other family members. More News Brookfield restaurant resolves happy hour dispute with disabled But for me, the eight years Joe lived in Seymour is a grim reminder what it is like to be stricken with a disability and then handicapped by a law that intends high morality and compassion but in reality takes decades to come into compliance. I dont know why I chose Joe to highlight the challenges that people with disabilities face. I think it is because despite having a stroke and being confined to a wheelchair, he continued to fight the good fight for the State of Connecticut to honor the Americans with Disabilities Act. I just liked his spunk, his can-do attitude. His refusal to let a left hook from life keep him out of the ring. He is me in a wheelchair: fiery in his beliefs with his dukes up to defend his equal rights as an American. A trained musician, he was a pianist who had played classical music and jazz in concerts 25 times a year before a stroke took his left hand. And he was inspiring as he led the charge from his wheelchair, a solitary figure firing off photos and letters to show the barriers he faced on a daily basis to politicians, advocates and media. He has been, to put it politely, a pain in the butt and I cant say he hasnt made me and probably many others grit our teeth. But he was an underdog fighting back and he did get some things done, such as changes to the entryway into his apartment complex to make it easier to access. And I am leaving an apartment with a kitchen that is accessible for people (who) like to cook, he said. Joe said his advocacy led to lower counters and grill range, along with grab bars, among other changes. And it is those little changes that can make a big difference. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 percent of the residents in Connecticut have some type of disability. Ten percent of them have serious mobility issues and a little more than 6 percent are unable to shop or visit the doctors office on their own. So for Joe, it wasnt just about him, even though he says he never got the support he needed. Some neighbors love me; some loved to hate and mock me (even Seymour police), he wrote in an email. Except for some members of the Center for Disability Rights (in West Haven) that included chief advocate & executive director Marc Anthony Galluci Esq., nobody ever got behind me. Joes struggle leads to many questions about our society and our allegiance to those hit with a life-changing medical event that could befall any of us as we grow older. Exactly what do we want and expect from society? What are our responsibilities as a people? The CDC reports that among other things, people with disabilities feel like theyre ignored and made to feel like theyre slowing people down. But in researching this column, I found the No. 1 want from people with disabilities is for other people to stop feeling like they need to be pitied or that life is impossible for them to enjoy or succeed in their goals. It isnt their disability that is impossible to them but our inability to provide what they need to have a successful life within that disability. Maybe the answer is to design more accessible livable communities for people with disabilities and representatives that will help make that happen. Joes situation is a lot better than many of our citizens who have disabilities here in Connecticut. He has been hell on wheels but even wheels go flat and sometimes a patch job wont do. He said he is retiring from advocacy because it will no longer be necessary in his new home. Instead, he intends to use his time to mentor music students and attend more church services. So long, Joe. You didnt get all you wanted but you sure let them know, you were here. Bound? A senior with disabilities heads west. WEST HAVEN Members of the state Municipal Accountability Review Board, which is overseeing the citys troubled finances, said this week that Mayor Nancy Rossis rosy portrayal of her pending budget and boasts of a surplus are misleading. And although Rossi told residents in her budget address that there will be no tax increase and spoke strongly against such a move to MARB members a tax hike still is a possibility as discussed at the meeting. Rossi told the MARB subcommittee this week, I think West Haven is turning a corner, and they are doing everything they can by cutting overtime, giving furlough days and getting cooperation from unions. But MARB member Patrick J. Egan this week in a subcommittee meeting called the perception of a positive fiscal state in the city delusional. You havent turned the corner youre still off the road as far as Im concerned, Egan said, adding the only reason there is a surplus shown in the proposed budget is because we gave you a ton of money. He was referring to the fiscal year 2019-20 budget including $6 million in a restructuring grant from MARB, which provided restructuring grants of $8 million for fiscal year 2018-19. Egan didnt hold back in his criticism of the proposed budget and the dire state of city finances he was colorful, and said its mind-blowing that anyone would look at West Havens finances and think theyre positive. The meeting can be viewed though Facebook Live on Rossis page. But Egan added that he knows its an election year and the state of city finances are not Rossis fault as the debts have been looming for years. The MARB took over when Rossi took office, amid years of troubled city finances. Egan requested a list of cost saving measures enacted in the 2019 budget with dollar amounts attached he didnt express much confidence in the measures currently being taken saying Rossi is using the same MO as has been used for decades. Egan also requested other financial documents that may have improperly sidestepped the MARB and he also asked for a city payroll audit. Egan said the city has serious, serious fiscal problems, and making it seem like the finances are positive makes him want to say take back the money. He asked this week for disbursements from the state to be held until the city provides the specific information he requested. He said MARB has become the citys enabler. To say were delusional, I dont think its very fair at all, Rossi said during the meeting in response to Egans comments. Later in the meeting, she also said: I strongly disagree that we havent turned the corner, adding she has consistently noted including in her budget address that although the financial situation is improving, there is much more work to be done. Egan said at the meeting the turn the corner comment made it sound like the city finances were making the stretch from third to home. Two days after the meeting, Rossi said in an email that she was going by the Cambridge online dictionary definition: If a situation turns the corner, it starts to improve after a difficult period. Rossi said the steps being taken are making a difference, but MARB members said they want to see strong structural changes to keep the city financially stable into the future, rather than simple cost-saving measures. The subcommittee was looking at Rossis proposed 2019-20 fiscal year budget and five-year plan. Rossi has been criticized by some City Council members for a misleading budget, and the MARB feedback just fueled her critics. Mayor Rossi is being disingenuous by claiming our finances turned a corner, said City Council member Aaron Charney. Several MARB members confirmed that this is not the case. There was no surplus last year. The city ran a deficit and state bailed us out. Until the mayor starts providing long-term creative solutions, we will never get out of this hole. This nickel and dime approach is no way to manage finances. City Council member Louise Martone, chairwoman of the councils Finance Committee, also criticized Rossi. Mayor Rossi submitted a budget with no real changes, disregarded a costly five-year plan after the first year and through her error created a $300,000 deficit in funding education, Martone said. MARB made it loud and clear the rose-colored glasses need to come off and West Haven should not expect MARB funds to supplement their budget. Martone said Rossi is not being truthful with residents about the budget. MARB member David M. Walker who attended the meeting by telephone, said he appreciates the efforts of the mayor, but told her, You have a deficit, you have to face reality. Walker said the job of MARB is to make sure the city is meeting bottom line objectives, and structural changes. MARB member Scott Jackson, former mayor of Hamden, said he believes Rossi has done a lot of work, but agreed with much of what was said by fellow MARB members. I am concerned about investment in West Haven, Jackson said. He said the notion of no increase in the tax rate is based on people investing in West Haven and he doesnt see that happening with a flat education budget. Rossi said the education budget isnt flat because of $1.6 million in state grant money coming forward. Part of that work is building West Haven as a place where families, and businesses, want to come, Jackson said. Rossi made a strong case to MARB members for not raising taxes, saying shes out in the community a lot and hears what people are going through. I see people hurting, she said at the meeting. I think a tax increase would just hurt them more. She said in an email after the meeting: My hope is taxes are not raised on the residents of West Haven for a second year in a row, I presented a balanced budget without a tax increase but now its up to the MARB and the City Council. When Rossi released her recommended $163.3 million city budget for fiscal year 2019-20 in March, she said it was a balanced one with no tax increase, along with an optimistic letter. I am pleased to report that the city of West Haven is living within its budget and is well on the way to recovery, Rossi wrote in the cover letter. And Rossi said the city for the first time in many years, has an operating budget surplus, referring to the fiscal year that closed June 30, 2018. The alleged surplus is $3.1 million. Editors note: This story has been updated to make clear that West Havens finances have faced problems over several past administrations. NEW HAVEN City police officers and firefighters came out to stand in solidarity with striking city Stop & Shop workers at the store on Whalley Avenue Wednesday morning. Patrick Cannon, vice president of New Haven firefighters union, IAFF, Local 825, said the challenges and goals of the Stop & Shop workers were similar to those faced and pursued by police and firefighters in New Haven. We all work in the community together, whether its police, fire or Stop & Shop workers, Cannon said to the crowd of workers. Were with Stop & Shop. This doesnt stop we stay together. Elm City Local President Florencio Cotto said police have been working without a contract with the city for nearly three years. The Fire Departments deal with the city has expired, as well, Cannon said. We know your pain right now, Cotto told the Stop & Shop workers. We cant strike, so were kind of jealous of that right now, what you guys are doing. But we are here in support of you. ... Were with you guys. The Stop & Shop workers entered the seventh day of their strike Wednesday. Cotto recently called on Mayor Toni Harp to support the police union like she does the Stop & Shop workers. Union representatives and the grocery store, part of parent company Ahold Delhaize, continue to negotiate over the future of health care and pension benefits, among other topics. The Whalley Avenue store has been closed during this period, although the Peoples Bank location inside remains open. Pat Valdez, the Union 919 steward at the Whalley Avenue store, thanked the police and fire unions, as well as teachers and city officials, for their support. The longer it goes, the stronger we get, said Valdez. The support in this city has been phenomenal. Police officers and firefighters in attendance stepped forward to shake hands during the gathering. The workers exchanged greetings and smiles as Valdez led her fellow Stop & Shop employees in a chant What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now! Valdez brought the call-and-response to end with a single declaration Union strong! william.lambert@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Community members are voicing concerns after a 22-year-old woman was shot following a police pursuit Tuesday morning. The Rev. Boise Kimber of First Calvary Baptist Church, along with other local pastors, called for an explanation as to why Hamden police had followed the vehicle into New Haven, why Yale police had responded, and why, he said, New Haven police were not notified of the incident. A group of area residents later rallied in Hamden, calling for the release of police body camera video and answers to what occurred. The woman, a seemingly unarmed passenger in a car stopped on Dixwell Avenue, was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, police said. The series of events that led up to the shooting began at 4:19 a.m. Tuesday, when Hamden police investigated a report of an armed robbery of a newspaper delivery carrier at a gas station on Arch Street in Hamden, state police said. During the investigation, a Hamden police officer and a Yale police officer found a vehicle suspected to be involved in the area of Argyle Street and Dixwell Avenue in New Haven and initiated a motor vehicle stop, state police said in the release. During the interaction with the suspects vehicle, numerous rounds were fired by both officers on scene, state police said in the release. A female occupant of the vehicle suffered a non-life-threatening bullet wound and was treated at the scene, officials said. The suspect was not injured, but both were taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for evaluation, state police said. State police were called in to investigate the shooting at the request of the New Haven Judicial District States Attorneys Office, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. In a press briefing livestreamed by WFSB, Trooper Josue Dorelus said officers fired after the driver of the vehicle, a suspect in the alleged robbery, exited the vehicle in an abrupt manner and turned toward them. No weapon was found in the vehicle, Dorelus said, although a detailed search of the vehicle had not yet been completed when he spoke. Dorelus said the driver failed to comply with instructions to step out of the vehicle peacefully and show his hands. No one is seen exiting the vehicle in surveillance video published by WTNH. In that clip, a Hamden officer appears to bring his car to a stop, get out, and fire toward the passenger-side door of the vehicle. Asked about this, Dorelus reiterated his description of the incident. During the briefing Tuesday Hamden Acting Police Chief John Cappiello declined to comment on why Hamden police officers crossed into New Haven. Cappiello said an internal affairs investigation would be conducted. The officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, as is standard after any police-involved shooting, he said. Community members rallied at the scene of the shooting Tuesday night, where Hamden Mayor Curt Leng, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, Cappiello and New Haven Interim Police Chief Otoniel Reyes appeared, along with members of the New Haven Board of Alders and Hamdens Legislative Council. Both Harp and Leng addressed the crowd, with Harp saying that even though there are artificial lines between New Haven and Hamden, the communities are so close together that the police departments need to work together so these incidents dont happen. Leng said he would not comment much on the incident specifically, so as to maintain the integrity of the investigation, but promised a transparent investigation. At one point, a woman who said he was the mother of the male in the car said her son had been released from the hospital and driven home without being arrested. The identity of the officers, the person driving the vehicle and the female passenger who was shot would not be immediately released, Dorelus said. The charges levied against the driver will be released at a later time, he said. Kimber, who voiced strong concerns about Tuesdays incident, said officers coming into New Haven from other towns is a problem, particularly if they are predominantly following people of color. We come today to say that were certainly going to be watching this incident, on top of this incident and praying that this family, this young lady, certainly recover a terrible incident, Kimber said. It is sad. It is upsetting; it is hurtful to see that kind of shooting taking place when no one shot at them, no one tried to run, there are no guns in the car I mean, what is this? Kimber also said he wanted to see any body-camera footage from the Hamden and Yale officers that came to the scene. The surveillance footage published online so far shows terrible events, Kimber said an officer shooting and running, seemingly attempting to get out of a potential crossfire. The Rev. Scott Marks led those in attendance in a refrain of Black Lives Matter. Every day of our lives, were pushing that all lives actually move forward, said Marks, questioning whether Hamden police had followed proper procedure. There needs to be a price paid for breaking those policies, because black lives do matter. New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp said Tuesday afternoon that she is gravely concerned about what transpired. I called the mother of the young woman who was shot to express my concern and wish the young woman a thorough recovery, and I pledged to work with my counterpart in Hamden and police officials from all three jurisdictions to ascertain exactly what happened, so we can work to avoid it happening again, Harp said in a statement. A conference call to include Mayor Leng, all three police chiefs, and me is scheduled for Wednesday morning to continue the conversation about how this happened and how to prevent anything like it from happening again. Harp reiterated that no New Haven police officers were involved in the shooting, and that officers only arrived on scene after the fact to help secure and hold the crime scene, allowing investigators from the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit to gather evidence and begin their investigation. Hamden is currently in the process of revising its pursuit policy, with recommendations to only pursue a suspect wanted for a violent felony. In August 2018, Hamden police pursued a vehicle onto Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven. The car crashed into a tree and landed in the southbound lane of the road, killing the 26-year-old passenger in the car and critically injuring the driver. Anyone with any information in regard to this investigation is asked to contact Connecticut State Police at 860-685-8190. Callers can remain anonymous, police said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com; Clare Dignan contributed to this story. NEW HAVEN An attorney, a freelance writer and case worker walked into the meeting room and so impressed the crowd, they all got the nod as candidates to sit on the reconstituted Civilian Review Board. There has been confusion among the citys community management teams on various aspects of the process of recommending 12 residents from the citys 10 police districts to sit on the board, particularly around the ranking of candidates. Because of this, the Wooster Square Community Management Team voted unanimously Tuesday to send all three names to Mayor Toni Harp for her recommendation to the alders, who ultimately will vote on the 12. The CRB will listen to complaints from the public about treatment by police and have investigatory powers to ascertain the facts. Alex Taubes, a civil rights attorney; Elizabeth Larkin, who works with homeless city youths; and Stephen Hamm, a documentary filmmaker who just finished a project on community policing in the city, had sent short position papers to the Wooster Square team members and then expounded on how they view the role of the board at the meeting. Taubes said he feels, in America, the criminal justice system has spiraled a little bit out of control and has gotten to the point where there are too many people who are arrested, too many people who are out in prison and jail for too long. He said he has the upmost respect for the law enforcement community, but it has so much power and responsibility, and put under so much pressure, it creates challenges and problems. Taubes said the U.S. has the most prisoners of any country by a huge margin. The whole ideology of the system and the whole justification of the system needs a correction and the Civilian Review Board the activists who came together they are trying to create a counterbalance and a voice, a search for truth that is unbiased, no agenda but the bottom line of truth, searching for justice when there is a lot of injustice going on in our city, a lot of things that need to be looked at more closely, Taubes said. Working with attorney David Rosen, he said they get a couple of calls a month from people who feel they have been unfairly treated by police, but a lot of times there is nothing one can do when it is one persons word against another. The civilian review board is an opportunity to short-circuit a lot of these problems. People dont get the help they need to get to the bottom of the issue, where the truth comes out, where it can all be put out there. If there is something that needs to be done because there was misconduct, then something can be done because it is all out for the public and everyone to decide, Taubes said. Hamm said he spent 40 years as a reporter and a freelance writer learning how to pursue the facts, pursue the truth. He said the oversight that the CRB will provide to make sure people are getting respect and justice and not being the victims of excessive force is really critical. While it is primarily an oversight board, the fact that it has investigative and subpoena abilities, I think, is a really important aspect, Hamm said. The last 15 months he looked at community policing here and if it is really working, spending a lot time in Fair Haven. His film premieres at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival on June 4. He said what he found is that community policing is practiced here earnestly, but far from perfectly. He said the essence of why it is far from perfect has to do with human beings. It has to do with the attitudes of people. For community policing to work ... I think you need police officers who have a service mentality and they really want to be partners and neighbors with the people that they serve and that they have great empathy and that they exhaust all other alternatives before they use force, he said. Hamm said there are some officers who have not behaved well and he was sure there were a lot of officers who have had bad days. The writer said he got to know many members of the police force when he was making the documentary. I was very impressed with a lot of these young people (officers,) men and women in their early twenties. They show incredible maturity for people so young ... their restraint, their ability to listen was really impressive, Hamm said. Typically, he said, there are about 50 civilian complaints a year. Hamm said it is important to make sure that any of the deliberations of the CRB are based on facts and an analysis of the facts and that that is what really guides it. Larkin said the next two years will establish how the board will function into the future. It will have to set its organizational norms and standards and establish trust and credibility, she said. She does not want the board to stop at the analysis of information and not understand how to improve relationships between the police and community. If it does this, we are not honoring the lives that have been lost in New Haven and Bridgeport and Hartford in Connecticut. We are not honoring the work activists have been doing for decades to try to keep the city safe and more equitable. Larkin said the responsibility of the CRB is to draw people in to work together and make people safer. She wants the board to generate dialogue in New Haven and ground it in data. She said the members of the CRB have to be able to talk about race. She said she will push for an annual report for the alders and the mayor to elevate conversations that the community is already having about safety, about race, about Yale and homeless. To bring other people into those conversations and to introduce new information into them. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com: 203-641-2577 An earlier edition incorrectly said Stephen Hamm was impressed with the maturity and the ability of the activists behind the CRB. Hamm was attributing these qualities to young police officers. HARTFORD Legislation to permit young children to self-apply sunscreen in school was approved by the state Senate Wednesday. The bill allows children age 6 and older to apply over-the-counter sunscreen before outdoor activities if their parent gives written authorization to the school nurse. It will now move to the House for final passage. Tuesdays local school elections signaled a 23-year first for Newark, but the milestone did little to encourage voters at the polls. Turnout across the state, where 13 other districts also held elections, wasnt any better. In Newark, it was the first time in more than two decades residents could vote on their school budget -- after the state returned control of the citys schools back to the local board. Preliminary results show about 4% of registered voters approved a $135 million tax levy, which constitutes the local portion of the districts $1 billion budget. The state this year boosted aid to the district by $24.8 million. The district will also send money (about $289 million) toward charter schools as their enrollment continues to climb. For the average assessed home of $175,000, taxes are expected to increase by $57 a year. The district previously announced a lower -- and incorrect -- average tax increase. The snafu was first reported by TapInto Newark this week but a district email sent Tuesday morning still contained the error. As expected, Newark voters also swept into office a slate of three school board candidates backed by an alliance between Mayor Ras Baraka, the charter school sector and the North Ward political machine. That included incumbent board member Tave Padilla and newcomers ADorian Murray-Thomas and Shayvonne Anderson. The vast majority of New Jerseys 500-plus school districts moved their elections from the third Tuesday in April, to the traditional Election Day in November, after then-Gov. Chris Christie in 2012 signed a major change in how the votes could be conducted. In Clifton and Ridgewood, local officials agreed last year to return elections to the spring. All told, the districts voted on more than $700 million in local tax dollars for school budgets. Loading... Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Shes a charming but volatile, high-functioning schizophrenic, and hes a man who has developed a protective forcefield of quirk to protect him from a harsh, abusive world. Only love can bloom. This is the story at the heart of Benny & Joon, a new musical now at the Paper Mill Playhouse, adapting the 1993 film starring Johnny Depp as the quirky Buster Keaton acolyte, Sam. The musicals story remains the same as the movie: adult brother and sister, Benny (Claybourne Elder) and Joon (Hannah Elless) lost their parents when young, and now Benny looks after his sister while struggling to conduct his own personal and professional life. Through the twists and turns of a local poker game, Benny becomes responsible for housing Sam (Bryce Pinkham), a friends cousin who hangs out in trees and emulates physical comedy from Hollywoods golden age. We watch as good-guy Benny slowly reaches the end of his rope, while the two non-normative personalities find affinity in each other. Tension briefly surfaces, and everybody lives happily ever after. This was a charming enough movie more than a quarter century ago; these days it offers the nostalgic pleasure of seeing a young Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson and Julianne Moore in action. Why it needs to be a stage musical is unclear. As with mostly all the recent spate of movies-turned-musicals (for which the Paper Mill shows a particularly proclivity), the book (Kirsten Guenther) is a thinned out, derivative version of the film script, and the uninspired musical numbers (Nolan Gasser, music; Mindi Dickstein, lyrics; Scott Rink, choreography) are forced awkwardly into a story that has no room for them. At the Paper Mill, the shows three principle performers even look like their 1993 antecedents: it is as if the only goal was to put the movie on stage as faithfully as possible without risking creativity. Director Jack Cummings III is known mostly for some exciting and challenging work with his Transport Group company, but here seems to be working with clipped wings, trapped in a box of unadventurous adaptation. If there is saving grace here (beyond some inventive, attractive scenery by Dane Laffrey), it is in the performances of Pinkham and Elless. As Depp and Masterson did before them, these two successfully bring out the real, complex human beings inside characters askew from social expectations. Pinkham has mastered Sams vaudevillian physical comedy in ways that make the character and his story both entertaining and compelling. Sam does not act the way he does simply to put on a show it is in fact the only means he can find to express himself. Joon gets that in ways the limited gaze of others in their lives never could. This show is a simple fairytale that can be at once charming and perplexing. As such, it gives us much of what the movie offers, but very little beyond that. Benny and Joon Paper Mill Playhouse 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn Tickets: Available online at www.papermill.org. Running through May 5. Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. The details are scarce about Gov. Phil Murphys plan to rehabilitate the juvenile prison system in New Jersey. But if Newark has its way , a new youth jail will not be built in the states largest city. Over my dead body," Newark West Ward Councilman Joseph McCallum said of the idea that a youth prison could be built on South Orange Avenue, a major artery int he area. Everybody is ticked off." According to city officials, the state identified Newark as one of three places to build smaller rehabilitative centers while it considers closing current juvenile correctional facilities. The other two locations were not disclosed. Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement the proposed site vacant land that was home to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer company and is next to a cemetery is unavailable and impractical. This land next to a cemetery in Newark was the site that New Jersey had identified to build a youth correctional facility on South Orange Avenue and Grove Street. (New Jersey Institute for Social Justice) A new youth prison in Newark is simply not happening, Baraka said. I support the concept of rehabilitative youth development centers, but existing youth facilities should be renovated for that purpose. Further, New Jerseys current youth incarceration system is a waste of precious taxpayer dollars, funneling millions each year into largely empty youth prisons. The two largest centers in the state are New Jersey Training School for Boys (also known as Jamesburg) in Monroe Township and the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility (also known as Hayes) in Bordentown. Ryan Haygood, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, led a 2017 campaign that called on the state to close Jamesburg, saying the 150-year-old facility was outdated and not suited to rehabilitate young people. Last week, he said he asked two things of Murphy: Abandon the idea of building new facilities in New Jersey and allow the youth justice task force he created to explore ways to transform the system. In the state, Haygood said New Jersey has 11 residential juvenile facilities, which are not at capacity, that could be used to house the juvenile population. Instead of investing in the building of prisons for kids, Murphy should invest in kids," said Haygood, who is a member of the task force. When asked about the proposed locations, Murphys office released a statement about the governors intent. Governor Murphy believes deeply in transforming our juvenile justice system to prioritize treatment, rehabilitation, and positive reinforcement for young people," said Deputy Press Secretary Alexandra Altman. The Administration seeks to balance public safety with the potential closure of existing facilities and opening of smaller regional sites to allow young people the ability to be close to their families and home communities. Before former Gov. Christopher Christie left office, he announced plans to close Jamesburg and Hayes. In their place, the state proposed to build smaller rehabilitation centers in Ewing and Winslow township with a $162 million bond. Looks like Murphy is following suit. In Haygoods report - Bring Our Children Home: Aint I a Child?- the institute found that disproportionately 90 percent of black and Latino children return to the facility within three years of release. The report also found that New Jersey has the highest racial disparity of incarceration in the country, meaning that a black kid is 30 more times likely to be imprisoned than a white kid in the state, even though they both commit crime at the same rate. In October, Murphy created the youth justice task force that is supposed to study the juvenile justice system and make recommendations next year. But after its first meeting last month, Haygood said the Attorney Generals Office, which oversees the Juvenile Justice Commission, the agency governing youth correctional facilities, came up with the three sites. Haygoods group, which has worked with state on the issue, also has recommended smaller cottage-like facilities that focus on treatment, mental health services, counseling and education. The state has previously explained that jails are not at capacity because of work by the Juvenile Justice Commission. Since 2004, New Jersey has been recognized nationally for reducing the number of incarcerated youth and using community-based alternatives to detention. Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), who is a former West Ward councilman, said he is setting up a meeting with the governors office to talk about the issue. The location doesnt make sense," Rice said. What you want is a business that is going to facilitate revenue." Three schools, including West Side High School, are on South Orange Avenue and not far from the site. And, the proposed location is adjacent to a cemetery, subliminal imagery thats not healthy for young people in a challenged community, opponents say. My kids already have this uphill battle," said West Side High School Principal Akbar Cook. All they see is death and now theyre going to see jail. What are you trying to tell my babies?" McCallum said his ward is making a comeback and interest from developers has been increasing over the past five years. A youth correctional facility would hinder that progress. Were trying to build a community," he said. Were doing it from the ground floor." Read More Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Shes a fixture. N.J. fan has been taking your football, baseball tickets for 33 years. No one should be laid to rest alone. Thats why officials in Gloucester County are calling on the community to help give one decorated U.S. Army veteran the funeral he deserves. Robert Grala, 70, died of natural causes in January. The Williamstown resident earned several awards after serving in the army for two years in South Korea. The county board of freeholders is calling on residents to attend Gralas burial next Monday at the Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Although Mr. Grala has no known family, he was part of the military family, Gloucester Freeholder Director Robert Damminger said in a statement. His time on earth and in the service mattered. Grala earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal for his service. The Gloucester County Veterans Cemetery is a place of dignity and respect, exactly the place Mr. Grala and all of the veterans of our community deserve to be interred," Freeholder Dan Christy, liaison to the countys Department of Veterans Affairs, said. We are honored to spread the word so that he is laid to rest surrounded by fellow veterans and neighbors. In January, more than 1,000 strangers attended the funeral of Peter Turnpu, a Vietnam veteran from Waterford who had no known family or friends. Turnpu, who was an Estonian immigrant and served in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1966, died alone from natural causes. Bob Jonas, the interment officer at the veterans cemetery, said hes confident the community will answer the call to honor Grala. Whenever we put out a statement to say were setting flags for Memorial Day and ask for help to honor the veterans, we have hundreds of people showing up, Jonas said. I think the public really understands what veterans do, and they show support. Even if you havent served, you feel that duty to honor a person. Williamstown resident Jean Fulks, who lived in the same boarding house as Grala, said he was very laid back and kept to himself most of the time. He grew up near Philadelphia, enjoyed being outdoors and volunteered two days a week for the now-closed Guardian Adult Day Care program for more than 18 years in Glassboro. He was a great tenant, and a really likable person, Fulks said of Grala, who lived at the home for 34 years. Grala will be buried with full Military Honors April 22 at 11 a.m. at the Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 240 North Tuckahoe Road in Williamstown. Gianluca DElia may be reached at gdelia@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @gianluca_delia. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Police in Gloucester County have tracked down a Walmart customer who lost an envelope containing $2,500 in cash while picking up last minute items before vacation thanks to a good Samaritan and the power of social media. A woman shopping the store on Route 42 in the Turnersville section of Washington Township found the money and turned it over to Walmart management, who contacted police. Detective Jason Sims then reviewed the stores surveillance footage until he found the part where the envelope fell out of the mans pocket. Washington Township police posted his picture on their Facebook page and quickly learned his name - Norman Minor - as the post was viewed 67,000 times and shared by 1,600 people. While vacationing in the Caribbean with his wife, Minor, a Washington Township resident, found out that the money had been returned. He picked up the envelope Tuesday at police headquarters, thanking the cops as well as the honest woman who handed the money over to her bosses. Minor said he didnt report the dropped cash to police because he figured it was long gone. Authorities didnt name the good Samaritan. 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. With 13 reported measles cases in the state and a massive outbreak in New York, two New Jersey state senators say they support eliminating the loophole that allows thousands of parents to cite their religious beliefs as the reason they wont vaccinate their children. Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, said Tuesday that recent events have encouraged her to rethink her own vaccination exemption bill, which would have only made it tougher for families to use the religious exemption. Weinberg said shes preparing to model her bill after the legislation making its way through the state Assembly, which abolishes religious exemptions and permits children to skip shots solely for medical reasons. As a mom and a grandmother and somebody who grew up in the era of the polio vaccine, I remember as a kid when there was a polio scare of which there were many we couldnt go to a movie or a swimming pool, Weinberg said. The polio vaccine "was a gift to generations of people. To move in the 21st century against vaccinations is pretty inappropriate, Weinberg said. I knew it before the measles outbreak, but this made me sure. Weinberg said she would confer with Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who is also a sponsor of the bill, to talk to him about proceeding with the Assembly bill sponsored by Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, and holding a committee hearing in May or June. Vitale told NJ Advance Media he agreed with the move. The bill would likely come before the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, which he chairs. Humankind has made critical strides in eliminating and mitigating a vast number of deadly diseases, Vitale said. It is overwhelmingly in the public interest to allow an exemption from some or all vaccines strictly for people with a medical risk." Since a change in the law in 2008, parents and guardians have needed only to write a letter stating vaccines violated their religious beliefs to get the exemption. The number of religious exemptions climbed from 1,641 students in the 2005-06 academic year to 8,977 in the 2013-14 year, to 12,400 students in the 2017-18 school year, according to state Department of Education data. Lawmakers have attempted to tighten the exemption rules for seven years with no success. A politically active and vocal group of families has fiercely opposed the change, arguing it would violate their religious and individual freedom as Americans. Some threatened to move out of state, home-school their kids or ignore the law if it passed. A raucous Assembly hearing last year on the original version of the bill, requiring parents get a notarized statement explaining how vaccines violate their faith, ended with dozens of opponents leaping to their feet and yelling at Conaway, a physician who sponsored the bill, A3818. On Jan. 31, the full Assembly quietly voted to amend Conaways bill by deleting the religious exemption category. Since mid-March, the state Health Department has confirmed 13 cases of the highly contagious respiratory virus, predominately in the orthodox Jewish communities in Ocean County. Between October 2018 and January 2019, state and local health officials investigated 33 cases of measles 30 in Ocean County and three in Passaic County household tied to the affected patients in Ocean County, according to the state. There have been 186 cases in Rockland County, N.Y. since September and 329 cases in Brooklyn and Queens since October, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Spencer Kent contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Christie tore state apart The recent unfair and unfounded critical comments uttered by Former Governor Christie are representative on how Christie attempted to govern New Jersey when he was in office. The record of Gov. Phil Murphy in the last fifteen months shines from the northern part of the State to the southern part taking into deep consideration the needs of all people from the very young to the most senior. Murphy has accomplished more for education, social services, the environment, labor unions, teachers and public employees, people with disabilities, the opioid epidemic, child care, mental health, the middle class and those people and families in need of health services and other assistance for daily living. Of course, there is an old time expression, "you take it from where it comes" and the critical comments are coming from a man who for eight years abused teachers and public employees, destroyed the environment and had no regard for the middle class and when he refused to approve the state budget and closed all beaches during the summer holiday, planted himself on a beach that no other New Jersey resident could enjoy. Governor Murphy, you have accomplished more in your first fifteen months in a most positive vein in contrast to Christie who tore this state apart for eight years. We are proud to have Phil Murphy at the helm in New Jersey. Robert B. Knapp, Jersey City Bring the LSP Protection Act up for a vote Please post A-4903 and strongly support the LSP Protection Act. The Act is necessary to protect New Jersey's priceless free and green open space urban state park next to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island! The park has so many benefits as a respite to people in an urban area. Humans arent the only ones using the park to consider. The park is also a major natural resource as a sanctuary for over 300 bird species including migratory species that use the park as a stopover while on the Atlantic Flyway, and countless other wildlife species. There are many pressures in politics and no doubt the lucrative benefits of development are a temptation, but the people of New Jersey are asking that this park be protected and it is your duty as an elected leader to fight the good fight and protect the park. When the idea of the National Park System was first introduced many were opposed and had plenty of arguments why the federal government should not proceed. I cannot imagine if there were no Yosemite or Yellowstone or Zion or Everglades or Acadia National Parks. Setting aside open space for all to enjoy is a human right. Lady Liberty and Ellis Island are National Monuments that should be adjacent to park land where they can be admired and appreciated. Please give this gift to all who are here now and are to come in the future. Beatriz Bofill, Jersey City Keep and improve Obamacare President Donald Trump has declared he supports the Supreme Court case from Texas to repeal the American Affordable Care Act categorized by many as Obamacare. Many Americans throughout the United States of America who are Republicans and Democrats, who are coal miners, who are small business owners, who are unemployed workers, small restaurant owners, who are underemployed workers and all socio-economic levels have benefited from the Affordable Care Act . President Trump is declaring the elimination of insurance coverage and insurance protection for youth, adults, senior citizens, the unemployed, the underemployed, and all of America. Second, he is declaring the elimination of the prescription benefits for those who can not afford their medicine. Additionally, the President is liquidating insurance coverage for the children of working class and middle class parents whose children have not become 26 years old. I applaud Jersey City residents such as Tish Jackson, who stood beside United States Senator Robert Melendez in Jersey City on April 1 to denounce this declaration by President Trump. Gov. Phil Murphy is moving in the right direction by opening a New Jersey Insurance Marketplace which will broaden and enhance the medical coverage for many Medicaid recipients under the Affordable Care Act. The inhumane hypocrisy of President Donald Trump is the fact that for the two years that he and his cohorts were in control of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, they never offered a better alternative. Their only plan and action was to push for the repeal of it. A brave Republican who was a Senator and a patriotic American and the Republican Party Presidential candidate in 2008 against President Obama by the name of John McCain exemplified real leadership and character when he stopped the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in the United States Senate controlled by President Trump. After Nov. 08, 2018, the United States Senate continues to under the control of President Donald Trump. Improve the Affordable Care Act, do not repeal it. Kabili Tayari, Jersey City Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com BAYONNE Costco Wholesale is issuing refunds to customers who last month purchased premium gasoline that contained a higher than normal dose of a detergent additive. The wholesale giant is sending checks to customers who bought premium gas between March 6 and March 18 from its Goldsborough Drive location in Bayonne because the gas could have caused troubles for some vehicles, the company said. Neil Lynch, the general manager of the Bayonne Costco, said the gas station experienced equipment failure that led to the higher levels of the detergent additive being injected into the premium gasoline. Regular gasoline was not affected. While there should be no impact to most vehicles, please feel free to have your mechanic run a diagnostic check, Lynch said. Refunds will be mailed to all affected customers whom Costco has identified. In a statement, Costco said that affected vehicles may have experienced rough starts, idling, or other performance issues but there is little chance of any long-term problems. Lynch didnt say how many drivers the bad gas affected. When Jason Gass tried to start his 2017 GMC Acadia Denali on March 15 a few of days after filing his tank with Costcos premium gas, the SUV wouldnt start. When I got to a quarter of a tank, I went to start the car in the morning ... and the car wouldnt start, Gass said. After a few cycles, I was able to get the car started, adding that his mileage per gallon was also low. Gass, who lives in Bayonne, said he drove straight to Costco to notify them, but didnt receive a refund after he filed a complaint. Asked about Gass situation, Lynch said, Everyone we identified, and certainly if somebody came here and made us formally know, then they would be receiving a letter ... and a refund," noting the letter would explain the problem and provide information to file a complaint Gass, who is a real estate agent in Bayonne, said he is a long-time customer of Costco. After filling his tank with regular gas, he hasnt encountered that problem since. Meanwhile, Manny A. Rangel, a Bayonne resident, received a letter from Costco in the mail on Monday that explained the bad gas issue and refunded his premium gas purchase he made on March 12. Although Rangel didnt file a complaint, he said he knew Costcos premium gas was the reason his 2012 Lexus RX 350s check engine light flicked on. His airbag system light and traction control light were also turned on. It had to be the gas, he said. No such thing as coincidence. I had gotten gas, and the car had been serviced 5-6 months earlier." Rangel said venting the tank by removing the gas cap for the day fixed his issue. But he said hes reluctant about purchasing gas from the Bayonne Costco again. Meanwhile, Gass said hes big fan of Costco and acknowledged the problem was beyond the wholesalers control, he said he would stay away from its premium gas. I wouldnt buy premium gas from there anymore. Got bad gas? Customers who received bad premium gas from Costco in Bayonne between March 6 and March 18 can file a complaint via phone at 1-866-278-8644 or online at costcofuelservices.com. Have your membership ID card ready, if you have one, along with photos of any receipts or proof of purchase from the affected gas. If you repaired damages to your car caused by the bad gas, have the invoices ready. You can also provide receipts for car rental, towing or other expenses incurred as a result of the bad gas. Aya Elamroussi may be reached at aelamroussi@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @aya_elamroussi. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. A 66-year-old Jersey City man was drunk when he struck multiple cars and drove onto a sidewalk and hit a pedestrian Tuesday in downtown Hoboken, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Oscar Moran was charged with second-degree assault by auto, third-degree assault by auto and driving while intoxicated after his short, wild ride ended when he crashed his Honda Accord into the 99 Hudson St. building, the prosecutor said. The pedestrian, a 56-year-old Brooklyn man, suffered multiple injuries to his lower extremities and is in stable condition at RWJBarnabas Healths Jersey City Medical Center. A second victim, the driver of a vehicle involved in the initial collision at First and Bloomfield streets, was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Authorities say that Moran was involved in an accident at First and Bloomfield streets just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, and he fled east on First Street. The Jersey City driver crossed Washington Street and jumped the curb before he struck the 56-year-old New York man on First Street, between Washington and Hudson streets, Hoboken police said. The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit is actively investigating this case with assistance from the Hoboken Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential. JERSEY CITY A 20-year-old city man gave a wide smile and a thumbs-up Wednesday when he was acquitted of all charges after only 45 minutes of jury deliberations in his retrial for a 2017 murder. It feels great, Shaquan Hyppolite said as he was being led from court in handcuffs to be returned to the Hudson County jail in Kearny, where he would be processed and released. Hyppolite had been accused in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Terrel Smith on Van Horne Street on March 29, 2017. Hyppolite was arrested three months later, on June 20. His first trial ended in a hung jury on Oct. 30. When the verdict was rendered, Hyppolite hugged his attorney, Mary Ciancimino, who was also overwhelmed and was crying. In the packed courtroom, Hyppolites mother, Sanita Walker, also sobbed with relief. I just want to hold him and tell him I love him, Walker said of her son, who had worked on a garbage truck and was taking high school classes at night when he was arrested in June 2017. He has been jailed since then. Walker gave a long exhale and said, Im overwhelmed right now. She said her son told her that once released, his priority was to find work. Ciancimino said the verdict reaffirmed her confidence in the jury process. Asked what she felt was key in getting the acquittal, Ciancimino said only that I think the jury listened to the law and followed the judges instructions as they were supposed to. Im just very grateful. But referring to Smith, she said she was really sad because the offense was horrible. During Hyppolites prosecution, Ciancimino accused the state of withholding exculpatory evidence a witness statement at Hyppolites detention hearing. The matter went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ruled that the Hudson County Prosecutors Office had withheld the evidence from the defense prior to the hearing. The ruling was the first of its kind and it established new law. The top court said that in such cases, the defendant has a right to a new detention hearing. At the second detention hearing, Hyppolite was ordered detained. It also established a process for referring a prosecutor to the state Office of Attorney Ethics should a hearing determine the withholding of such evidence represented willful or egregious misconduct. The ethics board has a range of disciplines at its disposal in such a case. Smiths family and supporters left the courthouse quickly after the verdict was rendered shortly before 10:30 a.m. Historically speaking did you know: New Jersey has the distinction of being the only colony of the original 13 whose constitution permitted women to vote. Ironically, it is one of the last to guarantee full suffrage, through the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Womens Political Caucus of New Jersey was founded in 1971 as an affiliate of the National Womens Caucus. The organization is dedicated to election and appointment of women at every level of government, while also advocating for womens and family issues. WOR, a pioneer radio station signed off on the air Feb. 22, 1922 from a tiny studio on the sixth floor of Louis Bambergers department store at 131 Market St. in Newark. Since then, it has grown into a 50,000 watt talk radio station based in New York. Efforts to abolish slavery in New Jersey began soon after the Dutch introduced the first slaves. By 1685 Quakers argued for slaverys end. New Jerseys first abolitionist newspaper began in Boonton in 1884. Abolition ended in New Jersey when the New Jersey Legislature passed a law in 1846 ending slavery. Agriculture in New Jersey dates back to the Native Americans, specifically the Lenape Indians, who had been growing domesticated plants for several hundred years. Corn, beans and squash were among the most important crops. Corn, because of its high yields, was especially favored by early colonists. New Jerseys first major airport was Newark Liberty International. Built by Newark on 68 acres of marshland, it opened to commercial service on Oct. 1, 1928. Joseph Albrights column appears every week in The Jersey Journal A woman suffered minor injuries when her SUV blasted through the side of a state building on South Stockton Street in Trenton on Wednesday morning, leaving a sizable hole in the glass and metal facade. Employees who work in the building were evacuated just before noon and many watched as city firefighters assisted a tow truck crew in removing the vehicle. The removal sent shards of glass and metal showering down to the sidewalk below. The cause of the crash was not immediately available. The Trenton Fire Department said the driver was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and had gotten out of the vehicle before they arrived. The building at 25 S. Stockton Street is home to an assortment of state offices, and was formerly the headquarters and home to the broadcast studio of New Jersey Network (NJN), who went off the air in 2011. The building is across from Trenton City Halls parking lot. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. UPDATE: Tractor-trailer driver killed in crash on NJ Turnpike ramp IDd by police A tractor-trailer driver was killed Wednesday morning when the truck overturned on a New Jersey Turnpike northbound exit ramp in Mercer County, authorities said. No other vehicles were involved in the 6:46 a.m. crash along the Exit 7A ramp to Interstate 195, Lt. Ted Schaefer of the New Jersey State Police said. The truck crashed before reaching the toll plaza. The mans identity will be released once his family has been notified, Schaefer said. Overhead video from NBC Philadelphia showed a mangled truck along the ramp with State Police, firefighters and other emergency workers on the scene. .@SkyForce10 over an overturned tractor trailer along the NJ turnpike at northbound Exit 7A. Left lane blocked. @NBCPhiladelphia #njtraffic pic.twitter.com/VwqCZdd2yh Matt DeLucia (@MattDeLucia) April 17, 2019 The left lane of the exit ramp in Robbinsville remains blocked as of 9:20 a.m., according to 511nj.org, the state department of transportations website. 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. Three New Jersey men were charged in a sprawling $2.3 million scheme to peddle drugs using the anonymous dark web in a case that led investigators to the largest seizure of pills in state history, officials said Tuesday. Chester Anderson, 44, Jarrette Codd, 41, and Ronald MacCarty, 51, were indicted for operating digital storefronts that sold and shipped thousands of counterfeit Xanax tablets along with other drugs to customers in 43 states, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, which led the probe. The illicit drug stores were accessible using what is known as the dark web, an anonymous and encrypted network that requires a special browser to reach and does not appear in standard search engines. Prosecutors said the ring also laundered $2.3 million in cryptocurrency they gained from the sales by using preloaded debit cards and withdrawing cash at ATMs in New York City and New Jersey. These sellers operated on a dark web marketplace called Dream Market. Dream Market looks a lot like Amazon, except you need a Tor browser to get there, and cryptocurrency to pay with. From our cyber lab, we made undercover purchases of 10,000+ Xanax tablets, ketamine, & GHB pic.twitter.com/LDV8cceKN5 Cyrus Vance, Jr. (@ManhattanDA) April 16, 2019 When our office received reports of suspicious activity at ATMs in New York and New Jersey, our talented investigators followed the money, using our state-of-the-art Cyber Lab to uncover a dark web counterfeit pill seller whose $2.3 million operation spanned the U.S., said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. Not only is this the first time state prosecutors in New York have taken down a dark web storefront, this takedown represents the largest pill seizure in New Jerseys history, the district attorney said. After making undercover purchases using cryptocurrency, investigators served search warrants in New Jersey, according to officials. The raids netted a record-setting approximately 420,000 to 620,000 alprazolam tablets, about 500 glassine packets of fentanyl-laced heroin, methamphetamine, ketamine and GHB. Authorities seized pill presses and other drug manufacturing equipment as of an investigation into drug sales on the dark web, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office said.Manhattan District Attorney's Office Investigators also recovered four pill presses, two industrial mixers, other drug manufacturing gear and thousands in cryptocurrency, officials said. Anderson, of South Brunswick, is accused of operating two dark web stores using the screen name sinmed to sell the drugs. Codd, a Jamesburg resident, and MacCarty, of Jackson, helped with manufacturing pills and procuring the equipment, according to officials. Manhattan investigators working undercover bought about 10,000 tablets of alprazolam and other drugs as part of the probe. The accused shipped drugs from New Jersey to buyers around the country, officials said. About 8,000 more alprazolam tablets - many using bogus return addresses of Manhattan businesses - were incepted by investigators. The trio face charges including money laundering and conspiracy. It was not yet clear if they had retained attorneys. Vance, Manhattan district attorney, said the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office and South Brunswick police assisted in the investigation, as well as the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters A rabbi and registered sex offender has admitted he paid to have sex with a 17-year-old girl who was forced into prostitution and trafficked by a New York couple. Aryeh Goodman, 35, remains on house arrest after his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Trenton Friday. Under the plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to a year and a half in prison and a year of supervised release, according to court records. The rabbi, who previously did time in prison for indecent assault on a child in Pennsylvania, ran a religious learning center out of his East Brunswick home. In February of 2018, police discovered that a Bronx couple had forced a 17-year-old girl to have sex with 30 men over the course of a month in hotels in Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties, using the proceeds to buy a Jaguar car, according to court records. Goodman was one of the Johns who paid for sex. Gabriella Colon, 19, and Richard Ace Ortiz, 23, have both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking but have yet to be sentenced. The U.S. Attorneys Office said that the couple knew the victim and coerced her to work for their prostitution business. They took illicit photos of her and posted them on a website to advertise sexual services, and thats where Goodman came across them. He had sex with her in an East Brunswick hotel, prosecutors said. Goodman then offered to buy additional time with her, gave her his number and later asked her to come to New York to meet him. Police used those text messages to track him down, according to court documents. When authorities first asked to speak to Goodman, he said, I only went there for a massage. I did nothing wrong. She looked young and I hope she is OK, according to court records. No sentencing date has been set. 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. Its not against the law or any statewide regulation, guideline or policy for a New Jersey firefighter to take a selfie or pose for a photo while at a fire scene. It could get you in trouble, though, depending where you work or volunteer. Some Jersey Shore-area firefighters took heat after some posed for pictures while the North End Pavilion, a large beachfront building on the Ocean Grove boardwalk, went up in flames this past Saturday. After the photos appeared on their social media, other firefighters called them out for poor taste and being unprofessional. And Dave Statter, who runs the firefighting website Statter911 opined on it too, writing a piece urging firefighters to resist the urge to take such pictures. The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, which oversees firefighting statewide, said they have not set any standards for photo taking at fire scenes. Thats up to the individual departments to enforce, of which there are about 720 statewide. The divisions director who holds the title of state fire marshal, Richard Mikutsky, a retired Morristown career firefighter who still volunteers as a firefighter in his hometown as well, said in a statement: " I always encourage New Jerseys firefighting professionals to be respectful, sensitive and compassionate to those they are assisting in the line of duty. Many fire departments at the Jersey Shore are predominately volunteer organizations, and most volunteer firefighters are not employed by the town they serve, although they can be disciplined. (One of the firefighters called out online was reported to be a member of a company in Freehold Township. The chief of the company declined comment Tuesday to NJ Advance Media.) Nothing wrong with this picture from a 5-alarm Jersey Shore fire, but if they turn around & pose --as some firefighters did Saturday--they'd be in violation of the recent STATter911 general order. Details here-https://t.co/tFVtxblubC #firefighters #firegroundselfies #SMACSS pic.twitter.com/R6MpUeCjL6 Dave Statter (@STATter911) April 15, 2019 Eddie Donnelly, president of the Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA), which represents about 5,000 career firefighters in New Jersey, said many in the organization have strict policies against photography and and using social media while working. These are folks worst times facing devastating circumstances, Donnelly said of fire victims. "We must have a singular focus which is always protecting life and property. Statter, in his post, who also wrote about a recent Michigan fire during which two firefighters posed for a photo at what turned into a fatal fire, argued against firing or removing picture-posing firefighters. Thats not the remedy, he argued, and fire leaders should use the incidents as teachable moments and departments should make it a rule and ban posing for pictures at active fires. The Firefighter Code of Ethics, which was adopted several years ago by several national fire organizations, addresses social media. Responsibly use social networking, electronic communications, or other media technology opportunities in a manner that does not discredit, dishonor or embarrass my organization, the fire service and the public, it says. And it gives cover to people who report it. I also understand that failure to resolve or report inappropriate use of this media equates to condoning this behavior, the code says. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Friends and family of 18-year-old Jada McClain wept Wednesday morning as a judge in Monmouth County ruled she would remained jailed until trial on charges she suffocated her newborn son and, along with the infants father, disposed of his body in a dumpster. McClain, of Neptune, is charged with first-degree murder. She is accused of giving birth last month at her parents house in the middle of the night, suffocating the infant and disposing of his body with her boyfriend Quaimere Mohammed, 19. Mohammed is charged with desecrating human remains, but was not charged in the boys murder. A judge decided he be detained until trail at a hearing last week. This is a highly charged case, Superior Court Judge Dennis OBrien told those in the crowded courtroom. This is a family tragedy, a tragedy all around. Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan argued that McClain should be detained because she plotted to end her sons life. Dugan said McClain and Mohammed decided before the birth that they would have to do whats best for them. Prosecutors allege McClain gave birth alone at her house around 4 a.m. on March 29. They say she cleaned herself and the baby off, placed him on her bed, and pressed down on his chest until he stopped breathing. Dugan said McClain sent Mohammed a text: I did it, baby." Jada McClain, 18, appears in state Superior Court in Freehold, on Wednesday for a detention hearing. McClain is charged with killing her newborn son. April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media She then wrapped the baby, who shed named Legend, in a blanket and placed him in a bag before picking up Mohammed and driving to an Asbury Park apartment complex, authorities said. Mohammed put the babys body in a dumpster, authorities said. A friend later told investigators that McClain sent her a Snapchat of the baby boy, with a broken heart. The friend told investigators she recognized McClains room, authorities said. McClain wept, tears streaming down her face, while Dugan recounted the details of that morning. Her attorney, Thomas J. Cately, argued that her actions reflected her immaturity. She was barely 18 when she gave birth, he said. I find her to be a sweet, if not somewhat naive, immature person. Catley said McClain hid her pregnancy from her parents because she didnt want to disappoint them, not because she was trying to obstruct justice. Family members of defendant, Jada McClain listens during court appearance in state Superior Court in Freehold, on Wednesday for a detention hearing. McClain is charged with killing her newborn son. April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media He argued that McClain should spend the time leading up to her trial with her family who supports her, and receiving physical and mental health treatment. He said shes neither a flight risk nor a risk to her community. A detachment from reality, thats what I sense when I talk to her, Cately said. He also argued that her time in jail has been especially hard, as shes currently being held in solitary confinement for her own safety. Family members of defendant, Jada McClain listens during court appearance in state Superior Court in Freehold, on Wednesday for a detention hearing. McClain is charged with killing her newborn son. April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) April 17, 2019 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Judge OBrien sided with the states recommendation to keep McClain jailed until trial. Much of this is, in fact, based on immaturity, youth, he said. Yet the act of taking a life, anyone can do it. You dont have to be an adult. OBrien said that while the court doesnt control the jails actions, he hope it complies with recommendations to get McClain treatment. After the hearing, Catley told reporters that they knew the hearing would be an uphill battle, considering McClains co-defendant, Mohammed was detained last week. But Catley praised the many friends and family members who have come to support McClain at her hearings so far. Theyre in a strange position, because they want to mourn the death of their grandson, but they dont want their daughter to be incarcerated," he said. McClain will remain in Monmouth County jail, pending future hearings. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip?Tell us. nj.com/tips. I am feeling so conflicted. My niece, "Melanie," is getting married in June. Melanie is paying for her own wedding, with a little from her mom. She's 31 now and was 5 when her parents (my brother and his wife) divorced. Long story short, things are acrimonious between Melanie and her dad, and shes decided not to invite him to the wedding. Her dads children from another marriage, her half-sister (who she hasnt met yet) and half-brother, are not invited either. She says that it would be awkward for them to be there without their father, and they are not old enough to drive. Everyone else on our side of the family is invited. I agree with her that my brother would not just drop his kids off and leave; he would make a scene. I get both sides, but hate that I am in between. My brother does not know he will not be invited. She just isnt telling him. He asks me, Did you get an invite? Luckily, I have not yet, so I havent had to lie. Am I wrong that she has the right not to invite him, but she needs to call and tell him? -- In Between Dear In Between: Youre not wrong, but thats beside the point. Your niece is going to make her own decisions, and thats the long and short of it. I know that you want to help, but often when we find ourselves trying to mediate disagreements between two loved ones, we end up playing a role in the drama ourselves. Its time for you to bow out. Dear Annie: I am writing in response to the letter from Parental Pawn, whose controlling parents were insisting the writer go to graduate school. In general, people tend to resist change. Have you read about abused wives who refuse to leave? We seem to have an innate fear of the unknown. Here is my point: I have observed, many times, people finally managing to free themselves from abusive situations only to do things, consciously or unconsciously, that send them back into the situation they were familiar with, even if that situation was extremely uncomfortable. For example, habitual tardiness or other things that cause them to lose the job that allows them financial independence. The writer mentions having heard that graduate school will be virtually impossible to succeed at if youre not fully committed. I would like to warn the writer, once he or she does manage to achieve independence, to be fully committed to being independent. Please keep your guard up against behaviors that would necessitate returning to the parents control. And believe me, the parents will use every trick in the book to try to make sure they dont lose control of their child, never mind that the child is actually an adult. -- Retired Social Worker Dear Retired Social Worker: Im printing your letter because your professional insights are on the mark. Too often we bring the traps of our past with us, whether we want to or not. Therapy offers a place where we can leave them behind. Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie is out now! Annie Lanes debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. Annie Lane grew up in California and headed east to graduate with honors from New York University, where she majored in English literature and specialized in psychology. She earned her Juris Doctor from New York Law School. Since July 2016, Annie has offered common-sense solutions to everyday problems in her column, Dear Annie. Her advice is unusually perceptive. She is firm, funny and sympathetic, echoing the style of her biggest inspiration, Ann Landers. Annie lives outside Manhattan with her husband, two kids and two dogs. When not writing, she devotes her time to play dates and Play-Doh. COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM The Ocean County attorney and Republican political boss charged with more than $1 million in tax evasion was found guilty of three of six counts by federal jury and not guilty on two others. George Gilmore, 69, of Toms River, was found guilty of two counts of failing to file payroll taxes for employees and one count of making a false statement on a loan application, the U.S Attorneys Office for New Jersey said. He was found not guilty of two counts of filing a a false tax return. A jury sitting in federal court in Trenton couldt reach a verdict on a charge of tax evasion against Gilmore and declared a hung jury following a trial that lasted more than two weeks. His attorney, Kevin Marino, said Gilmore "has no intention of resigning as head of Ocean County Republican Party, after the verdict was announced. "The jury has flatly rejected the centerpiece of the governments case. Gilmore will be sentenced July 23. Each count of failing to file payroll taxes comes with a maximum five year sentence. The maximum penalty for lying on a loan application. Authorities charged Gilmore with concealing money and dodging tax payments to fund lavish vacations, home renovations and a collection of rare items that ranged from model trains and animal tusks. Gilmore was charged in January and faced six counts, the most serious of which carries a five-year maximum prison sentence. His defense argued the whole case is a misunderstanding. Gilmore, a partner and shareholder in the Toms River firm Gilmore & Monahan, had a pattern of paying his taxes late along with interest and penalty, but never meant to conceal his earnings. Gilmore burned through $2.5 million, spending $700,000 on mortgage and property payments, $300,000 on renovations, like an infinity pool, and $400,000 on collectibles, dropping some of that on a $20,000 Steinway piano, $80,000 on collectible trains and animal tusks. While Gilmore did send the IRS nearly $500,000 for 2013 taxes, the check bounced, prosecutors argued. He was also accused of illegally omitting the tax debt from bank applications when he refinanced a mortgage loan with Ocean First Bank for $1.5 million in 2014. Using a cash-out provision, Gilmore allegedly directly collected and kept $572,000, but did not pay the taxes he owed. By the end of 2016, prosecutors estimate, Gilmore owed the government more than $1.5 million with interest and penalties. Marino told the jury late payments had been a regular part of his clients tax record for years, but that he always paid, eventually, with complete interest and penalties. Those loans, the attorney argued, were just that, and Gilmore had paid $7.8 million back into the firm, he said. Gilmore has been one of the states most powerful Republicans for decades. All roads to statewide office for any GOP hopeful go through Ocean County, which is the reddest of red counties in blue heavy New Jersey. Its been the base of the partys ability to win across the state. Ocean County has more than 136,600 registered Republicans, according to the latest statistics from the states Division of Elections. Its one of only six of the states 21 counties where Republicans outnumber Democrats in party registration. And the margin in Ocean County is the widest out of that six. UPDATE (April 18): Severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, strong winds, flash flooding in latest forecast If you are planning an Easter egg hunt in your yard this weekend, the ground might be a little muddy. An unsettled weather pattern is taking shape, and New Jersey could get rocked by heavy rain showers and thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday, forecasters say. Friday is the first night of Passover and also the day when Christians celebrate Good Friday. Soggy weather is likely to continue through this holiday weekend, with scattered rain showers early Saturday and early on Easter Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. However, forecasters say it will not be a complete washout, with some periods of dry weather. Scattered rain showers are expected in New Jersey on Easter Sunday, but forecasters say the day should not be a total washout.AccuWeather Big storm system on the way Although there is a slight chance of rain showers Wednesday night, Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, the probability of rain will go up significantly on Friday as a large storm system approaches New Jersey, forecasters say. The National Weather Service says the system could produce pockets of heavy rain with some flash flooding, minor coastal flooding and tidal flooding, plus some thunderstorms packing strong winds late Friday into early Saturday. It doesnt look like the same kind of organized severe weather outbreak that we had the other day, said Jonathan OBrien, a meteorologist at the National Weather Services regional forecast office in Mount Holly. However, the storms could pack a lot of moisture. As of now, the weather service is expecting rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches across a wide area of New Jersey and perhaps as much as 2 to 3 inches in parts of eastern Pennsylvania. The best bet for a period of dry weather is Sunday afternoon, OBrien said. But he noted there is still plenty of time for the forecast to change, so the dry afternoon is not a lock. Nicer weather should return next week, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures reaching the 70s on Monday, and partly sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 60s on Tuesday. Latest rainfall forecast UPDATE (5 p.m. Wednesday): Heres how much rain the National Weather Service is expecting across most of New Jersey from Friday morning through Saturday night. The upcoming Easter and Passover weekend will be getting off to a stormy start, with heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms expected Friday into Saturday.National Weather Service The upcoming Easter and Passover weekend will be getting off to a stormy start, with heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms expected Friday into Saturday.National Weather Service The weekend storm system could cause minor coastal flooding in parts of New Jersey, according to the National Weather Service.National Weather Service Here's how much rain is expected across New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania during the next few days. This map was updated 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 17.Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center | National Weather Service Here's how much rain is expected in the New York City region during the next few days.Northeast River Forecast Center | National Weather Service Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A Butler man who disguised himself as an old woman to evade police after a string of crimes and hours later was shot at his grandparents house after pointing a rifle at an officer was sentenced Tuesday. Dylan Howard, 25, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault by pointing a weapon at a law enforcement office, two counts of burglary, shoplifting and weapons charges last year, according to a release from the Morris County Prosecutors Office. His crimes began on March 8 when he and another man conspired to shoplift at the Butler Lowes, and continued between March 11 and March 22 when he actually shoplifted from the store, officials said Howard then shoplifted from the home improvement store again on March 29 and two days later, he burglarized a car parked outside Noahs Arc Preschool, also in Butler, authorities said. After burglarizing the car, he left the scene and later entered a vacant borough home where he had been squatting, prosecutors said. Police searching the area that day when two 911 callers reported seeing a man dressed as an old woman walking with a cane in the area of Belleview Terrace. In one of the calls obtained by NJ Advance Media, the caller reported seeing a man enter a house, later identified as his grandparents home, wearing a disguise and walking with a limp. This individual was walking with a cane, a purse and a scarf covering his head completely, the caller said. Police went to the home, found Howard there and chased him down a hallway, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp has said. The officers followed him into a bedroom, and Howard grabbed a loaded rifle and pointed at Butler Police Officer Jorge Reyes, who immediately told him to drop it, Knapp said. Howard did not comply and kept the gun pointed at Reyes while he moved his hand toward the guns trigger. Reyes then shot him four times in the chest, officials said. Howard was flown to St. Josephs Regional Medical Center in Paterson to be treated for his injuries. Howard, an admitted heroin addict, reportedly pointed the rifle at Reyes with because he wanted him to shoot him, the Daily Record reported I wanted to die. I wanted him to kill me. I couldnt get help for my addiction, Howard said during his plea hearing, according to the report. A Morris County grand jury determined in 2017 that Reyes used justifiable force in his shooting. On March 31, 2016, the life of Butler Police Officer Jorge Reyes was changed forever," Knapp said in Tuesdays press release. "While facing the worst imaginable scenario for an officer, Sgt. Reyes performed calmly under the pressure and I commend him for that. I would like to thank AP Sandler and the Major Crimes Unit for their efforts in this case, as well as Butler Police Chief Ciro Chimento and his entire department for their hard work. Howard has a criminal history going back to 2015. In March 2015 he was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and resisting arrest after he jumped out of a window and led officers who were investigating a break-in on a foot chase through a Butler neighborhood before being caught with the help of neighbor who was able to grab him. One month earlier, he was charged with breaking into an Elm Street house where two teen girls were home at the time and received two and a half years probation. 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. WACO, Texas The mother of a New Jersey man who died of a rare brain-eating amoeba after visiting a Texas surf resort has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the water park. Health officials say testing found evidence of the rare but deadly amoeba at one of the four attractions at the BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort in Waco. Fabrizio Stabile was 29 when he died on Sept. 21 from an infection, which can happen when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. The Houston Chronicle reports that Rita Stabile's lawsuit seeks more than $1 million. The lawsuit was filed last week. It alleges the park's blue-green dyed waters "masked a pathogen soup" that allowed the amoeba to thrive. The park says its since installed a new water filtration system. The New Jersey Department of Health said the man had visited the park on Sept. 8. Symptoms generally start about five days after infection, with death occurring about five days later, according to the CDC. The infection can start out with a headache, fever and nausea, and worsen into a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures. The CDC said only four of the 143 people known to have been infected in the U.S. between 1962 and 2017 have survived. The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District said that even though the amoeba wasnt detected at the establishments Surf Resort, Lazy River or Royal Flush, the water at those attractions was very cloudy, had organisms that indicated the presence of feces, had low chlorine levels and conditions favorable to Naegleria fowleri growth. By Anjali Mehrotra It was a year ago in April that I filed my petition to run for borough council in Mountainside. I was part of the feminist blue wave, the record breaking number of women who signed up to run for office in the wake of the 2016 election. Our ticket consisted of two women running for the office of councilman. Wait what? In New Jersey, ballot petitions are filed at the township clerks office. The county clerk is an elected constitutional officer who has full autonomy over the design of the ballot, including the titles of the offices. Until last year, in Union County, where I reside, every municipality that had a local council race received a ballot with the office designated as councilman. How can that be? Its 2018, do we actually think that only men are qualified to hold that office? Of course not. And though it may seem like a trivial detail, words matter. Currently, we are engaged in a national conversation about gender bias and sexism toward female candidates. The historic number of women who have filed for candidacy in the 2020 presidential race is already combating stereotypes and double standards as evidenced in the New York Times article A Woman, Just Not That Woman: How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail and Politicos The Hidden Sexism Behind the Amy Klobuchar Reports. At the same time, we fail to recognize the inherent discrimination that still exists in our electoral process. We claim to recognize that representation matters and encourage young women to Run for Something. And yet, when those young women walk up to the ballot machine, they are served gender specific names and yet another reminder of how far we still have to go. Had the Equal Rights Amendment been ratified, and women enjoyed true equality in the eyes of the law, such ballots would be illegal. To remedy our ballot, I contacted Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and presented my case. After checking statutes and conferring with counsel, Ms. Rajoppi emailed the good news to me on March 14: This June, when voters go to the polls in Union County, they will see a ballot with gender neutral position titles. Even as I was able to affect change at a local level, I am left wondering how many other young women, on election day, across the country are still staring at a ballot that says councilman. Anjali Mehrotra is president of the National Organization for Women of New Jersey and former candidate for borough council in Mountainside. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. No doubt about it, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzos jail is a beacon for criminal justice reform. The latest example is its failure to report a highly suspect, Houdini-like suicide. Somehow, a mentally ill man arrested on a parole violation managed to hang himself while wrapped in a strait jacket. This seems like a noteworthy feat. For his family, its an inexplicable tragedy. Yet apparently, the Newark jail never bothered to send a report about his death last August to the state, as required. Now its a criminal investigation. The Essex County Prosecutor is looking at indications of neglect and record falsification in the case of Lucas Vieira, WNYC reports. Which makes us wonder, yet again: Seeing as this is Americas best jail, as DiVincenzos office claims, shouldnt it have a community oversight board? This is a panel of outside experts who could bring real accountability to this lock-up, as if it were a dysfunctional police department. Its the cutting edge of incarceration reform. No jail in New Jersey has one yet. Let Essex County be the first. Brendan Gill, who leads the Essex County freeholders, says hes on board with an independent oversight panel, as championed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. Its become clear that the freeholders put too much trust in Joe D. The devil, of course, is in the details such as having unfettered access to his jail to do surprise inspections, the ACLU notes. Yet for the Essex County political boss and his minions, the added oversight is deeply deserved. This is their penance, having screwed up so badly in so many ways. Even with a multi-million-dollar contract to warehouse detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, their jail was serving them food that belonged in the garbage according to ICEs own inspector. It was failing to report serious safety problems, like a gun left by a guard in a bathroom. Its former warden recently had to step down after being charged with drunk driving. And now this: a suicide that looks, well, a tad suspicious. The jail failed to send a report about it to the state until Vieiras brother filed a wrongful death lawsuit and reporters at WNYC came knocking. When asked for the report, jail officials first came up empty-handed. Then, days later, they sent over the notification, dated nearly eight months after the actual death, WNYC reported. Under state law, county jail officials have three days from the time of death to file this report. Was this just ineptitude, or was the jail trying to hide something? Either way, DiVincenzo no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt. Back when ICE was conducting its appalling inspection in July, his deputy, Phil Alagia, told us the county had by far the best correctional facility in the state of New Jersey and in the United States of America. Alagia should know better: He was being paid a $45k yearly bonus from Joe D, ostensibly to supervise these jailed immigrants. But apparently even that wasnt enough. So its certainly not enough now for the state Department of Corrections to increase its own surprise inspections at Americas finest jail, although we welcome this. Whats really needed is a panel of outside experts dedicated solely to Essex County jail, to provide the kind of special attention worthy of Joe D. They should review the inmate complaints, sample the lumpy pudding and make public recommendations. A spokesman for the Essex County Executive says hes aware of what the ACLU wants, and its one of the things being discussed. Good. The least Joe D can do now is go along with this. He will have a lot of explaining to do if he refuses. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. In assessing the Israeli election of 2019, it is essential to focus on two aspects: First, although they did not win majority control of the 120-seat parliament (Knesset in Hebrew), the center-left parties, of which Blue and White was the largest, made by far the largest gain in seats from their 2015 post-election status, increasing from 35 to 41 seats. There was a perception in both the media and academia that this election constituted a major decline in power and influence of the Israeli center-left. The numbers tell an entirely different story. The entire left-of-center coalition in opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including the far-left Meretz party increased its number of seats from 40 to 45. Within this opposition coalition, while the center-left parties, as stated above, increased their membership in this election from 35 to 41 seats, the far-left party saw its number of seats decrease from five to four. By contrast, the Netanyahu right of center governing coalition lost two seats, going from 67 to 65. The center-right parties, of which the Likud was the largest, saw their membership decline by one seat from 46 to 45, the ultra-Orthodox parties gained two seats from 13 to 15, and the far-right parties incurred a net loss of three seats from 8 to 5. Meanwhile, the Arab parties incurred a loss of three seats from 13 to 10. The final result: The Netanyahu right of center governing coalition, 65 seats; the opposition left-of- center coalition, 45 seats; the Arab bloc, 10 seats. The prevailing political mood in Israel is center-right. The question is whether the Blue and White party, which was an ad hoc arrangement combining two center-left constituent groups for the purpose of this election, can become a permanent political party organization. This lack of a permanent center-left strong political party organization has been the essence of the operational obstacle preventing the left-of-center coalition from becoming the majority governing coalition in recent elections. By contrast, on the center-right, the Likud has had for four decades a highly effective and well organized permanent political party structure, well financed and well disciplined. Democracies benefit from having a permanent two-party structure, with major competitive center-left and center right party organizations. The emergence of a solid center-left party organization in Israel, competing with the Likud, would be a most salutary development. Second, in the aftermath of the election, the relationship between Netanyahu and the American Democratic Party is more strained than ever. Given the very high likelihood that the Democrats will win the 2020 presidential election, ousting President Donald Trump, this is a concern for the immediate future of the American-Israel alliance. Two factors had contributed to the initial tension between Netanyahu and the Democrats. The first has been the growth of the anti- Israel Progressive faction of the Democratic Party. Obviously, Netanyahu bears no responsibility for that. The second was Netanyahus alienation of African-American Congressional Democrats with his speaking before a joint session of Congress in opposition to President Obamas agreement with Iran in 2015 regarding Iranian nuclear weaponry and energy usage. While it was right and proper for Netanyahu to oppose the agreement, it was wrong for him to address Congress without authorization from President Obama, which understandably was taken as a sign of disrespect for the first African-American president by African-American members of Congress. I described this in my column, Netanyahu damaged the relationship between the Jewish people and African Americans, ex-Bush official says. Since the election, a new issue has arisen creating tension between Congressional Democrats and Netanyahu, specifically Netanyahus campaign pledge to unilaterally annex Jewish West Bank settlements. This resulted in four of Israels strongest Democratic Congressional supporters warning against West Bank annexation. The four are Rep. Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House committee on Appropriations; Rep. Eliot L. Engel, chairman of the House committee on Foreign Affairs; Rep. Ted Deutch, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism; and Rep. Brad Schneider. One thing is clear. Israel is paying a price for Netanyahus blatant partisan preference for the Republican Party over the Democrats. He should have learned from Israels first Likud prime minister, Menachem Begin to refrain from any action publicly showing a preference for one American political party over another. In the late 1970s, despite Begins dissatisfaction with President Carter, he refrained from any action that could be construed to favor Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. Unfortunately, this is a lesson Netanyahu never learned. Alan J. Steinberg served as regional administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission under former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Even though this is an exaggeration, stories of Venezuelan players have gained sufficient grip on internet forums and in local media to complete that a sizeable group lives off RuneScape. And now, political chaos, overwhelming petroleum dependence, and escalating U.S. sanctions make it unlikely that the Venezuelan economy will stabilize any time soon. Meaning RuneScape will continue to supply a strange virtual safety valve for thousands of Venezuelans for the foreseeable future. YouTuber and Twitch streamer Settled rose to prominence as a Old School RuneScape content creator by documenting every step in finishing Runescape gold most masochistic challenge: Maxing out each of Runescape's 23 skills in an Ultimate Ironman character.Ultimate Ironman characters are forbidden from trading and utilizing in-game banks. This usually means that these players can not hoard the buy osrs gold fast delivery materials used to train certain abilities beyond what they are able to hold in 28 stock spaces- turning an already tough procedure in an unbelievable slog. What's more, all of these substances have to be collected personally since Ironman personalities can't exchange with other players. Since Morytania is a comparatively high-level place, even the beginning levels of every ability have proven to be an incredible grind. It was opportune to see Miracle in Rwanda" on the eve of Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. What happened in Rwanda 25 years ago this month was pure hell: In 90 days, nearly one million Tutsis were massacred by the Hutus after the presidents plane was shot down. The play begins with Immaculee Ilibagiza, portrayed remarkably by Malaika Uwamahoro, a Rwandan native who graduated from Fordham University. There, she met Jesuit George Drance, an actor in residence who directs the play. Uwamahoro actually plays all of the characters: Immaculee; her father; a Radio France announcer; the pastor who hides her; the killer; five others hiding with her; a French soldier; and a friend from school who also survived the genocide. The set is spartan with a black backdrop and the movement between scenes highlighted by sparse and simple lighting. When the genocide begins, Immaculees father sends her to a Protestant pastor, who hides her and others in a 3-by-4 bathroom concealed in his house. She and the others cannot leave lest the Hutu militia the Interhamwe massacre them with machetes or bombs. The soldiers inspect the pastors house several times and find no one. Throughout the ordeal, Immaculee clutches oversized rosary beads that her father gave her to pray and comfort her. I must pray,'' she says. "I will pray every moment of the day that I am awake so then I know that my mind is on God and not these evil killers. The confinement is brutal with unsanitary conditions, lice, little food and a just little light coming in from a skylight. Twice, Immaculee hallucinates and has visions from the Blessed Mother and Jesus. But she is challenged to complete the Lords Prayer -- the Our Father, which is part of praying the rosary and asks the Lord to forgive our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. I cannot say that I forgive them,'' Immaculee says. "They are evil. They are killing people. Finally, French soldiers arrive in Rwanda and the genocide of the Tutsis ends. It is then that Immaculee learns her parents and two brothers were massacred. She tracks down their murderer in jail and does the unimaginable and then puts the rosary beads her father gave her around her neck for the first time. The play is based on Ilibagizas autobiography, Left to Tell. Two years ago, Drance knew that he would direct it in Manhattan under his theater group, Magis Productions. It took eight months of pre-production. Complimenting Uwamahoro on her craft, Drance called her performance soulful. He considers the play an experience of extended meditation, which he said is possible when there is one actor playing all the parts. Ilibagiza said she literally prayed the rosary 27 times a day; Uwamahoro is not Catholic and learned it from Drance. Josephite Sister Catherine Nerney spent four months in Rwanda in 2006 living and speaking with hundreds of people. Though predominantly Catholic, Rwanda discovered that blood was thicker than baptismal waters and such an attitude allowed neighbors and co-workers to turn on each other in such a brutal fashion, she said. Rwanda formulated a plan in 1996 to begin the process of reconciliation. Returning to Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Nerney founded an Institute for Forgiveness and Reconciliation, which marked its 10th anniversary this year. The institute provides programs, skill development, and outreach and service for the college. Tomorrow begins the Sacred Triduum in the Christian calendar, which commemorates the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Reflecting on the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda is a means to move beyond such cruelty and inhumanity. Nerney would characterize Rwandans as a crucified but risen people. The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030, FAX: 201-659-5833; Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. Details ... "Miracle in Rwanda,'' a play by Leslie Lewis and Edward Vilga, continues through May 11 at the Lion Theatre, 410 W. 42 St., Manhattan. Directed by Jesuit George Drance, performances are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $39 to $59 and can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or going to telecharge.com. For more information, go to miracleinrwanda.nyc. "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculee Ilibagiza and Steve Erwin; Hay House, Inc.; 2006. Love Prevails: One Couples Story of Faith and Survival in the Rwandan Genocide, Jean Bosco Rutagengwa; Orbis Books; 2019. We hold this truth to be self-evident: Julian Assange is a nihilistic yutz, one who derived a creepy joy from disrupting the 2016 election by publishing Clinton campaign information that Robert Mueller found was stolen by Russian operatives. So when the WikiLeaks publisher was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London and shoved into a police van Thursday, cheers rose up throughout the U.S., a Pavlovian response distilled in a single tweet from Sen. Chuck Schumer, who hoped that Assange would soon be held to account for his meddling in our elections on behalf of Putin and the Russian government. Thats not why the U.S. seeks his extradition, however nor should it. Publishing private or classified information is something journalists do routinely no matter who obtained it or how it was purloined and that is not a crime. For now, the indictment unsealed by the Justice Department accuses Assange only of collaborating with Chelsea Manning, the former intelligence analyst turned whistleblower, to crack a defense department computer password in 2010. Its a hacking crime, not a publishing crime. Thats a broad distinction: Journalists publish leaked information to inform the public, but they dont help sources break the law to seize it. If the government sticks to the charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and doesnt add new charges once Assange is delivered, then free speech advocates can exhale. But given this Trump Administrations hostility toward the media and the presidents claim that it is the enemy of the people, it would be premature to conclude that press freedom is safe. The indictment includes ominous wording, and many accusations contained within its 25 counts are actions that are within the bounds of acceptable journalism. Under the manners and means of the conspiracy portion, for example, the indictment notes that Assange protected a source, used her to pursue information, and used the Jabber texting service to stay in touch. If those can be considered the means of executing a crime, reporters could be jailed for being inquisitive. It pays to remember why people in power want Assange in chains, and why journalists need the freedom to publish national security leaks, such as the Pentagon Papers. The cache of documents that Manning provided WikiLeaks included a horrific look at war, including a graphic video of soldiers gloating over the deaths of a dozen Iraqi civilians who were killed (along with two Reuters journalists) in an Apache helicopter assault. It also contained footage of a soldier trying to bring a wounded child to a U.S. military hospital and being denied entry by his superiors. Exposing war crimes isnt a crime, either. But compromising the identities of civilians in war zones who aided U.S. military which Assange also did, without caution or regard for lives is contemptible. If the Brits agree to hand him over, and the Feds prove Assange is guilty of helping Manning crack a password, thats not something anyone will care much about. Many Americans will always view Assange through the prism of 2016 because they are furious about the leaks that may have swayed the election, even though publishing secrets is something news organizations do every day. But that freedom to publish classified information and on whistleblowers who expose powerful institutions could be under attack. A warning from Robert Mahoney of the Committee to Protect Journalists resonates: This case could allow the government to set out broad legal arguments about journalists soliciting information or interacting with sources that could have chilling consequences for investigative reporting, he said. Thats not the kind of power you want to give any government, much less one that has an autocratic vision of governance. The First Amendment is not something to take lightly, and it hardly matters that Assange is a terrible emblem for the cause. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Paterson City Councilman Luis Velez was charged Tuesday with simple assault and violating a restraining order obtained by his wife, according to city officials and court documents. A Paterson police officer escorted Velez, 51, out of a council meeting about 8:20 p.m. and served him with a summons to appear in court for violating a restraining order his wife Evelyn Sanchez had taken out on him in recent days, police confirmed. The councilman was arrested but not handcuffed, police said. Court records show the councilman was also charged Tuesday with simple assault, knowingly causing bodily injury for an alleged incident that occurred about 11 p.m. on April 10. The assault charge is a disorderly persons offense that will be heard in Patersons municipal court. No court date has been set and Velez has not entered plea, according to court records. Police Director Jerry Speziale on Wednesday confirmed the charges against Velez but declined to provide further details. Im limited in what I can say because they (Velez and Sanchez) are both claiming to be victims, Speziale said. According to NBC New York, Velez allegedly violated the temporary order by threatening his wife in a phone conversation with a third person. InsiderNJ on April 10 published an article that included a Facebook post by Sanchez showing pictures of her foot in a cast. He did this to me, Sanchez alleged. In her post, which has since been removed from Facebook, Sanchez claimed she confronted Velez after finding a text message the councilman sent to another woman. An attorney for the Velez did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday morning. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Two NJ Transit rail lines that have been closed since the fall will reopen next month, about two weeks earlier than expected, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday. NJ Transit will resume service on the Atlantic City Rail Line and the Princeton Branch better known as the Dinky on May 12, just before Memorial Day. The agency had set May 24 as the date. Both lines have been closed since September, as crews install federally mandated positive train control systems, which allow trains to be stopped remotely in case of an emergency. Initially, NJ Transit eyed a January reopening, but that was extended first to March and then to May, angering riders and local officials. The Atlantic City line is a critical mode of transportation for South Jersey, connecting Atlantic City to Philadelphia and carrying nearly 2,000 passengers a day. Murphy also announced there will be now be five trains up from three traveling between Atlantic City and Philadelphia before noon each day on the Atlantic City line. The Dinky connects downtown Princeton with the Princeton Junction train station. It will have the same service as before. Murphy made the announcement during the NJ TransAction Conference at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. The Democratic governor said riders on the Atlantic City line will find an improved schedule that was built in response to their needs and to the feedback of employers and elected officials. State Assemblymen John Armato and Vince Mazzeo, both D-Atlantic, lamented that it took nearly nine months to install the train control equipment but said they are "relieved by the news. We stand ready to hold NJ Transit to the May 12 opening date," they said in a statement. Atlantic County riders cannot and should not have to wait any longer. There was no update Wednesday on when direct service to Manhattan will be restored on the Raritan Valley Line, which has also been suspended because of train control installation. State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, said he was extremely disappointed that commuters on that line have not been given any update. After months of disruption to their lives and inadequate communication from both the governor and New Jersey Transit, our commuters deserve solid answers on when they should expect to have their one-seat ride again," said Kean, who is running for Congress. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. New Jersey Republicans lost four of five U.S. House seats last November. Theyve just landed a top-tier candidate to win one of them back. State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., son of former Gov. Tom Kean, announced Tuesday he would run for the 7th District seat now held by Democrat Tom Malinowski. The seat had been in Republican hands for 38 years until Malinowski ousted Republican Rep. Leonard Lance. On Tuesday, Kean Jr. took aim at Democrats who control the House, saying radical progressives have had an excessive impact" on the lower house of Congress. I am concerned about the direction of this Congress and what it means for the nation and our state," he said as he announced his candidacy at a packed American Legion hall in Clark, surrounded by his wife, two daughters, his father, and legislative colleagues. This Congress is broken, Kean Jr. added. The National Republican Congressional Committee, which has targeted Malinowski in 2020, welcomed Keans entry into the race. This is the latest sign that the extreme policies being embraced by the socialist Democrats have made Tom Malinowski one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country, said spokesman Michael McAdams, linking the incumbent to policies that neither he nor Democratic leaders support. Kean, R-Union who has served in the state Legislature since 2001 was a much-heralded Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006. But he lost by more than 200,000 votes to Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. Nationally, the unpopularity of President George W. Bush and congressional corruption among Republicans gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress for the first time in more than a decade that year. This time around, Kean, 50, will run on a ticket led by an even more unpopular GOP president, Donald Trump, whose job approval rating stood at 39 percent in a December Quinnipiac University poll of New Jersey voters. Kean deflected a question about whether he believed Trump pushed the country in a rightward direction and if he was worried about that. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sought to link Kean, who has led the Senate Republican minority since 2008, to Gov. Chris Christie, who left office with a 17 percent job approval rating. Christie sought to oust Kean as Senate GOP leader after the 2013 elections, but failed. The last thing New Jersey families need is a Chris Christie loyalist and apologist like Tom Kean Jr. representing them in the United States Congress," DCCC spokeswoman Christine Bennett said. Just as hes been a loyal vote for the failed Christie agenda, Kean will be a reliable rubber stamp for the same reckless Washington Republican agenda thats responsible for raising the cost of health care and tax rates of hardworking New Jersey families, Bennett added. But Kean said Tuesday he identifies with another former governor: his father. Let me be clear about who I am and what I represent: I am a Tom Kean Republican, he said. Kean Sr., who was governor from 1982 to 1990 and left office as one of the most popular political figures in the Garden State, praised his son Tuesday as someone with the kind of qualities that you would put together if you want to make an ideal congressman. Hes got quiet courage, hes got decency, hes got imagination, hes got drive," Kean Sr. said. Kean Jr. says Congress is broken and that radical Democrats aligned with socialist principles are trying to push the country in the wrong direction. pic.twitter.com/Iu76u6rBb4 Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) April 16, 2019 Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. 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. So Times list of the worlds 100 most influential people for 2019 is out, and of course it includes President Donald Trump. But guess who wrote the blurb detailing why Trump belongs? None other than former Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime pal of the president who released his own book on Trump and other matters earlier this year. In a blurb counting 220 words (fewer than it usually takes the loquacious ex-gov to clear his throat), Christie touted the presidents work with North Korea. The presidents supreme confidence in his own ability to persuade others to make a deal is now the basis for American denuclearization policy toward North Korea, Christie, a fellow Republican, wrote. This approach holds the possibility for historymaking changes on the Korean Peninsula to make us all safer. Christies write up for Trump is the latest in his years-long support for the president, who Christie unsuccessfully ran against in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. He backed Trumps campaign about a month after he dropped his own bid. Despite being passed over for spots on Trumps team he coveted, including vice president and attorney general, Christie is still in his long-time friends corner, per his glowing write up. Every modern U.S. president tries to influence the world. President Donald Trump has done this through opposing the NATO countries not paying their fair share, pushing China and our North American neighbors for fairer trade agreements and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, Christie wrote. His boldest move in this direction is likely his personal efforts on the issue of North Korea. Trumps negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, however, appeared to have stalled following their second summit in February, when Trump walked out of their meeting. The president said at the time that Kim was asking for sanctions relief without agreeing to fully dismantle the countrys nuclear weapons programs. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Former Gov. Chris Christie said he still doesnt know the real story behind the Bridgegate scandal that occurred during his second term in office and ultimately thwarted his presidential ambitions. Speaking at a forum in Woodbridge on Wednesday featuring former New Jersey governors, Christie didnt hesitate when asked what his biggest regret was as governor. Bridgegate, he said. The Republican said he doesnt believe the public will ever know the motive that prompted former officials in his administration to close access lanes to the bridge that brought traffic in Fort Lee to a standstill for nearly a week. I, to this day, will never understand it, Christie said. I still believe, absolutely believe we dont know the real story. Christie said the truth wont come out unless David Wildstein, a former political operative and patronage appointee to the Port Authority who pleaded guilty to the scheme, has a brain transplant so that he could actually tell the truth." That was the moment I felt the most helpless in eight years, Christie added. Wildstein, who admitted to being the mastermind of the scheme, testified against former top Port Authority appointee Bill Baroni and Christies former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly. Wildstein was sentenced to three years probation and 500 hours of community service. Baroni and Kelly were found guilty of plotting the shutdown of several local access lanes to the toll plaza of the George Washington Bridge in September 2013 in a political payback scheme against the mayor of Fort Lee. Baroni started his 18-month prison sentence for his role last month. Kelly is scheduled to be re-sentenced in the case later this month. She is also continuing to appeal her conviction before the U.S. Supreme Court. The forum featured Christie with former Govs. Jim Florio and Jim McGreevey, who were all asked to rate current Gov. Phil Murphys performance on a scale of 1 to 10. None were eager to give Murphy, a Democrat, a number grade. But they had their opinions, starting with Christie. Heres what Ill say: Its time to get to work, said Christie, whom Murphy succeeded. The campaigns got to end. Christie accused Murphy of governing by soundbite and not building coalitions in the Statehouse where he has to work with lawmakers. There are no relationships and I think the only way you build those relationships is hard work, Christie said. Florio, a fellow Democrat, meanwhile, said that incomplete is the obvious response to grade Murphy. The problems the governor is facing are almost insurmountable, he added. NJ Advance Media staff writer Ted Sherman contributed to this report. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Three people attacked a 53-year-old man with a 2x4 piece of wood and then robbed him at gunpoint Wednesday (April 17) while at a party near the border of the Marigny and French Quarter, New Orleans police said. Jairin Rising, 34, was booked with armed robbery and armed robbery with a firearm, jail records show. Police said Rising and two others attacked the man with a plank of wood and then pulled out a gun before taking his cash and phone. The victim was taken to a hospital, and Rising was arrested on the scene near the intersection of Esplanade Avenue and Burgundy Street around 1:05 a.m. NOPD reported three additional robberies, as well as two stabbings, in an overnight crime log between Tuesday (April 16) and Wednesday. 18-year-old stabs 16-year-old sister with scissors in Algiers During an argument that turned physical, an 18-year-old woman stabbed her younger sister in the arm with scissors and then bit her ear around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday, police said. Mariah Lindsey was booked with aggravated battery in the incident that occurred in the 3500 block of Bennett Street. Lindseys 16-year-old sister was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries, which police said were not life-threatening. 51-year-old arrested in St. Roch stabbing A 51-year-old woman stabbed a 39-year-old woman multiple times in the 2500 block of Agriculture Street around 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, police said. The two women were arguing, and the 51-year-old pulled out a knife after the victim refused to leave the location. The victim left after she was stabbed and returned with police. Moritha Bronner was arrested on the scene in connection to the stabbing, police said. Her booking information was not immediately available. 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 The 39-year-old suffered non-life threatening injuries. Man tries to sell pot to 31-year-old, then robs him in CBD A man tried to sell marijuana to a 31-year-old man in the 300 block of Canal Street around 8:55 p.m. Tuesday before robbing him, police said. After the 31-year-old declined to buy the drugs, the man grabbed cash from his hand and then ran. The victim chased the robber but didnt catch him. Shell gas station in Algiers robbed at gunpoint Three people armed with handguns entered a gas station in the 4600 block of General DeGaulle Drive in Algiers and demanded cash from the cash registers Tuesday, police said. After removing the money, they left the store and fled in an unknown direction. The armed robbery was reported around 9:30 p.m. Man robbed at gunpoint in the Marigny A 34-year-old man was walking in the 2500 block of Dauphine Street just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, when a man approached him from the side and hit him in the face with a chrome gun, police said. The armed man punched the 34-year-old in the face and demanded his belongings. The victim complied and the man ran in an unknown direction. New Orleans police arrested a 13-year-old student Tuesday (April 17) after police say he threatened to shoot up Lafayette Academy Charter School. The student, whose name was not released, was arrested and booked with making threats, which police said were made after a fight between 7th and 8th grade students. Classes were cancelled at the Dunbar and Kerelec Street campuses located at 9330 Forshey Street in Hollygrove and at 1331 Kerlerec Street, respectively on Wednesday as the police investigated the threats. Classes are expected to resume Thursday. Lafayette Academy in New Orleans cancels classes Wednesday due to threat A Covington-area motorist has been indicted on three traffic charges stemming from last years crash that claimed the life of an off-duty New Orleans police officer. A St. Tammany Parish grand jury on Wednesday (April 17) charged Jennifer P. Robinson, 53, with careless driving, making an improper turn and failure to wear a seat belt, District Attorney Warren Montgomerys office said. The panel decided the evidence did not support a more serious charge of negligent homicide, the office said in a news release. Motorist faces traffic charges in crash that killed off-duty NOPD officer Robinson, driving northbound on Louisiana 1082 (Old Military Road), was trying to make a left turn into her driveway north of Covington on Aug. 25 when her SUV collided with a southbound motorcycle driven by Ricardo Silva Jr., 26, of Bush. Silva, an off-duty NOPD officer, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the crash, authorities said. State Police issued Robinson citations for making an improper turn and failure to wear a seatbelt. Silva joined the New Orleans Police Department in November 2016 and graduated from the academy in December 2017. Both NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called Silva a rising star in the department. In January, Silvas parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robinson. For a Mount Carmel Academy student, Tuesday afternoon (April 16) went from routine to incredibly special when her father, freshly returned from military service, dropped by the school for a surprise visit. Photos posted to the schools Facebook page show Avery Bailie running with arms outstretched to embrace her father, who arrived in his U.S. Air Force uniform, with flowers in hand. Bailies father has been serving overseas for most of her freshman year, according to the schools post. He just returned and decided to surprise Avery by waiting for her after school, reads the Facebook post. She thought it was the end of a regular school day and there he was. Pass the tissues! A small group of residents Wednesday morning (April 17) held a rally at Sophie B. Wright charter high school in protest of what parents and parent advocates call the overly harsh and unjust punishments given to students involved in a senior prank earlier this month. Last Tuesday, school officials said students used water guns, eggs, vinegar, mustard and water balloons inside and outside of Wrights Uptown campus as part of an April 5 prank. School principal Sharon Clark said water on the first and third floors caused two teachers and a student to slip. School officials have said the students were warned multiple times beforehand not to participate in the prank. Parents say more than 50 students were involved in the incident, and that Wright suspended between 20 and 30 of the students. Those students had their senior privileges revoked, including walking for graduation, senior prom, senior picnic, and their last day of school. One of the suspended students told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune they covered a toilet seat in plastic wrap. Students also denied mustard or vinegar were used in the prank. Students, parents demand answers about Sophie B. Wright suspensions after prank Last week, Clark said the school would hold hearings so families can appeal the suspensions. But leadership has since dialed back the punishments, announcing Tuesday that they have rescinded the suspensions. Parents were told students would have an opportunity to make up all missed assignments, but the revocation of their privileges still stands. School attorney Tracie Washington declined to comment on the concerns parents raised about senior privileges when contacted Wednesday morning by a NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter. Of the six people who appeared at the school this morning, Washington said only three of them are parents of students currently enrolled in the school. She said the protestors only appeared after Our Voice Nuestra Voz, an educational equality advocacy group, made an all-call plea over social media for some grand protest. Instead parents and students walked by, some ignoring the group, while the vast majority begged them to leave them and/or their children alone, Washington said, describing Wednesday mornings demonstration. This matter has been resolved," Washington added. Wanda Evans, the grandmother of a suspended student, told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune by phone that she is planning to visit Wright on Wednesday for a hearing related to senior privileges. However, some parents, including Marianne Henry, reported having their Wednesday hearings canceled. Henry said she was told the hearings were canceled because Wright is conducting senior presentations this week. 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 Now its a waiting game to see when the hearing is going to happen, Henry said. Henry was one of the six people rallying on the neutral ground in front of Wrights Napoleon Avenue campus. Two New Orleans police officers were present in vehicles parked in front of the school. Another NOPD vehicle was behind the campus at the intersection of the Jena and Prytania streets. Henry rallied alongside a student, school guardians and members of Nuestra Voz starting around 7 a.m. Henry and Evans agreed that Wright needs to be held accountable for what they described as harsh and unfair discipline practices. Mary Moran, Nuestra Voz executive director, said Sophie B. Wright has a track record of harsh discipline measures, claiming Wright has some of the citys highest rates for expulsion and school-based arrests. The school refutes those claims. Discipline data from the state Department of Education shows Wright had a 0 percent expulsion rate in the 2017-2018 school year. Sophie B. Wright Charter School has no where near the highest expulsion rate in this city," Washington said, calling the claim a blatant lie." Moran and Henry are calling on Sophie B. Wright school and its leadership to rethink its approach discipline and consequences for students. Henry said her daughter wont be walking at graduation regardless of how the situation pans out. I told my daughter Im not letting her walk because its not right, Henry said. Sophie B. Wright school retroactively lifts suspension of students after prank Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles. It's hard to keep a secret when you're one of the world's most celebrated aviators. Amelia Earhart learned that when she flew into New Orleans on May 22, 1937. "How did you know I was coming?," she asked the assembled crowd of airport employees and other well-wishers as she climbed out of her custom-built Lockheed Electra 10E and jumped to the tarmac at Shushan Airport (now Lakefront Airport) at 5:55 p.m. that Saturday evening. " I thought my visit here would be a surprise and a secret, but I see it isn't." Turns out, word had quickly spread after she made radio contact with the airport while approaching Plaquemine in Iberville Parish. Her "secret" local visit would be front-page news in the next morning's Times-Picayune. Earhart had another secret, though. That one she managed to keep for a little while longer. It had to do with her much-publicized round-the-world trip, which had been postponed on just its second leg two months earlier after a botched takeoff in Hawaii required her flying laboratory to be shipped back to Burbank, California, for extensive repairs. The 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans: Then and Now "My around-the-world flight?," she said, responding to a question in New Orleans. "Of course, that hasn't been cancelled. We're making test flights now and if the ship keeps checking out as well as it has since we left Burbank I ought to be off again on the big flight the latter part of this month." What she didnt say was that her second attempt had technically already begun. After leaving Oakland and then stopping over in Tucson, New Orleans was the second stop on it. She also didn't let on that there had been a major change to her plans for the journey, which would become one of the most famous flights in U.S. aviation history -- and on which she would disappear over the Pacific. Originally, she had planned to fly westward around the globe, going from Oakland to Hawaii and then further out over the Pacific. After the earlier crash, however, she had decided to reverse the course on her second attempt, heading in an eastward direction. The reason, she would later say, was because weather conditions in the Caribbean and over Africa would be more favorable earlier in the trip. There was another reason, though. "At that time we had made no announcement of my decision to reverse the direction of the flight," she wrote in the posthumously published "Last Flight," constructed of diary entries and other notes. "It seemed sensible to slip away as quietly as we could. While I was actually heading for Miami, with hope of keeping on from there eastward, technically the journey from Burbank across the country was a shake-down flight. If difficulties developed we would bring the ship back to the Lockheed plant for further adjustments. While there were, indeed, a few complications here and there -- a backfiring engine in Tucson, leaky shock absorbers in Miami -- there would be no need to turn back. Eight days after overnighting in New Orleans, she would announce upon her departure from Miami that her second round-the-world attempt was underway. A month after that, on July 2, the plane carrying Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan, running low on fuel, would disappear over the Pacific Ocean. Although Earhart had flown over New Orleans before, and once refueled at the old Menefee Airport in St. Bernard Parish while traveling from the West Coast to New York in 1930, her 1937 visit marked her first time in the Crescent City. "I've flown over your airport here numerous times, and it looked so nice from the air that I decided to land and see how it looked from the ground," she said. Although she put on a brave face for the cameras, her local visit apparently wasnt an entirely happy one. Among those well-wishers meeting her on the tarmac was an old friend, Minnesota native Edna Gardner, a fellow pilot who was, by sheer coincidence, working as a flight instructor at Shushan Airport at the time of Earharts visit. After the Electra was taken to a Shushan hangar and Earhart had checked into the airports second-floor hotel suite with her husband, George Palmer Putnam, they had dinner with Gardner, Noonan and the airport manager. Gardner would later describe the meal as an at-times unpleasant one. "(Putnam) was so domineering and so pushy," Gardner said, according to Doris L. Rich's biography of Earhart. "We were at dinner and Amelia was saying something about her radio and he said, 'You had a chance to change. It's too late now.'" At another point during dinner, Earhart -- who Gardner described as looking tired and pale -- was staring at her plate, prompting Putnam to admonish her to "stop your sniveling." "She wasn't sniveling," Gardner said. "She just sat there and he was just as cruel as he could be, right in front of all of us." Interestingly, Gardner -- who, in her decade or so as a local flight instructor, once executed a successful emergency landing at the Fairgrounds race course -- wasn't Earhart's only local connection. Noonan, the navigator who would disappear with her over the Pacific, previously lived for several years in New Orleans. Born in Illinois, he started his professional career as a seaman, working as Merchant Marine. After 22 years at sea -- and after marrying Josephine Sullivan and settling in a house on Catina Street -- he abruptly gave up ocean life and began training to become a pilot at Menefee Airport. "He was the only man in the world to hold licenses as an airplane pilot, a first-class river pilot and captain of a steam vessel," according to an article in The New Orleans Item published upon his and Earhart's disappearance. Edward Stumpf, a neighbor of Noonan's on Catina Street, added: "He was always studying and talking about (aviation). He didn't want to be a pilot so much as a navigator, he would always say." He would become a respected one, too, working for Pan-Am World Airways and helping chart the airline's routes across the Pacific. In addition, Earharts personal mechanic, Ruckins D. Bo McKneely, was from Patterson in St. Mary Parish. He was supposed to accompany her and Noonan on their trip, but he begged off after learning his father had fallen ill. The trip from New Orleans to Miami would be the last one he would make with Earhart. It would be a longtime source of personal grief for him. "McKneely was convinced that had he been on board, because of his familiarity with the aircraft's performance, he could have stretched the fuel range and successfully completed the flight," author and pilot Vincent P. Caire wrote in his book "Louisiana Aviation: An Extraordinary History in Photographs." For her part, Gardner, who earned a national reputation as the Flying Nurse of New Orleans for her habit of wearing white in the cockpit during flying competitions as a nod to her previous profession, hung on to one of the last conversations she had with Earhart. It was during that New Orleans visit. She didnt talk much. Amelias that way -- modest and unassuming, Gardner told The Times-Picayune in July 1937. She urged me not to give up flying. Her one aim in life is to keep aviation going and women interested in flying. Four months later, Gardner would place second in a race for the Amelia Earhart Memorial Trophy at a national air show in Cleveland. Mike Scott writes about New Orleans history for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Got a question about the past or a great story to share? Reach him via email at mscott@nola.com or on Twitter at @moviegoermike. She was beautiful, the legend goes -- one of the most beautiful women in Mexico, in fact. So when she came to town in 1673, she attracted attention and lots of it. That included the attention of a handsome, wealthy rancher who wooed her and charmed her and eventually married her. The two sons resulting from that union were both just as beautiful as their parents, and the family lived a happy, picture-perfect existence in their little corner of old Mexico. Until. One day, the legend continues, she caught him in the arms of another. Distraught, she took away the two things she knew would hurt him the most, drowning their young sons in a nearby creek. Regaining her senses the moment the deed was done, she was overcome with grief and took her own life in the same creek, but her spirit remained, weeping and wandering, searching for her two lost boys. She's still looking today, and if you don't behave, she just might come for you. 'Little' movie review: A 'Big' ripoff with a secret weapon Thats the in-a-nutshell version of the Mexican folklore figure La Llorona, or The Weeping Woman, a sort of south-of-the-border boogeywoman. Its also the starting point for the latest horror-thriller from the producers of the ever-growing Conjuring universe, joining the Conjuring films themselves as well as the spinoff franchises started by 2014s Annabelle and 2018s The Nun. Unlike those earlier spinoffs, director Michael Chaves Curse of La Llorona doesnt build on elements previously introduced in earlier films in the Conjuring universe. Regardless, it fits relatively neatly alongside them, both from a style standpoint and a narrative one. That is to say, like most of its sister films, Chaves' is pure formula stuff, a ghost story built more around jump scares, atmosphere and intensity than blood, guts and gore. While that means hard-core horror fiends will find likely plenty of reason to pooh-pooh it, more casual fans of the genre -- those who prefer a more low-grade brand of terror -- will likely find that it fills in the formula blanks nicely enough to make for a reasonably enjoyable cinematic jolt. Front and center of the whole exercise is the underappreciated Linda Cardellini ("Green Book"), who, playing a single mother and social worker in 1973 Los Angeles, unwittingly unleashes paranormal mayhem when she takes steps during a welfare visit to protect two children from what she assumes is an abusive mother. As it turns out, their mother isnt the one the children need protecting from. Its La Llorona, who -- two pint-sized tragedies later -- sets her sights on Cardellinis own children. What follows is a fairly trope-filled tale that follows all the familiar beats: At first, Cardellini is clueless to the fact that her children are being hunted by a malevolent ghost. Then, thanks to the inevitable first-hand encounter, her eyes are opened. Then she seeks counsel from her friendly neighborhood priest -- who happens to be the same priest (Tony Amendola) from 2014's "Annabelle," providing the film with its sole, albeit tenuous, link to the larger "Conjuring" universe -- and who refers her to a former priest (Raymond Cruz) who is more knowledgeable on such ungodly matters. Then, with his help, she sets out to save her children and give La Llorona another good reason to weep. Despite an early scene of a child being drowned -- one that, although brief, is both decidedly disturbing and of questionable taste -- The Curse of La Llorona recovers reasonably nicely to become a solidly intense creepout. Granted, it doesn't do anything to rewrite the horror rulebook in any significant way. This won't be remembered as a horror classic by any stretch. "The Exorcist" it is not. But, after you see it, you just might move a little faster to bury your head under the covers once your turn out your bedroom lights. Mike Scott is the movie and TV critic for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached via email at mscott@nola.com or on Twitter at @moviegoermike. _____________ THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, 3 stars, out of 5 Snapshot: The latest installment in the "Conjuring" cinematic universe, it's a horror-thriller set in 1973 Los Angeles inspired by the Mexican folktale about a weeping spirit who wanders the world searching for children to make her own. What works: Lead actress Linda Cardellini serves as a nice anchor for the film, which boasts a fairly steady intensity over its efficient 93-minute running time. What doesn't: With a reliance on jump scares and horror tropes, it's pure formula stuff. Cast: Cardellini, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Roman Christou, Marisol Ramirez, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tony Amendola. Director: Michael Chaves. MPAA rating: R, for violence and terror. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. When and where: Opens Friday (April 19) at Canal Place, the Chalmette Movies, Elmwood Palace, Clearview Palace, Westbank Palace, Hammond Palace, Covington Stadium 14, Covington Movie Tavern, Slidell Grand, Kenner Grand. In a world where many celebrity marriages dont last long, Harry Connick Jr. and his wife, Jill Goodacre Connick, are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Harry Connick posted on Facebook hes enjoyed 25 years "with this goddess,'' saying "I always dreamed of spending my life with you ... looks like my dream is coming true.'' Lets take a look back at their New Orleans wedding, which occurred April 16, 1994. In a Times-Picayune story with the headline "Storybook wedding ends Connicks bachelorhood,'' Betty Guillaud writes: The wedding of June, as his father, (then) District Attorney Harry Connick, still affectionately calls 26-year-old Harry Jr., and his longtime love Jill Goodacre was the worst-kept secret in New Orleans. Before the wedding, there were three days of non-stop parties -- a dinner at Bella Luna for out-of-town guests, a bachelors party at Antoines that adjourned to Pat OBriens, a seafood boil in the patio of Maison Dupuy for the bride and her friends, a bridesmaids luncheon at Louis XVI, and an after-rehearsal dinner for 47 in an upstairs dining room at Brennans, where actress Carol Burnett joined the party for champagne after their four-course meal. "Burnetts toast to the couple was her famous jungle call, and the groom-to-be left the dinner singing Get Me to the Church on Time. After the 45-minute nuptial Mass celebrated by the Rev. Richard Guastella of Staten Island, N.Y., the couple and their attendants -- eight bridesmaids and a dozen or so groomsmen -- emerged from the church (St. Louis Cathedral) to a cheering crowd of tourists. They climbed aboard horse-drawn carriages decorated with pink- and yellow-tinged roses (like the ones the bride and her attendants carried) with trailing streamers of diaphanous fabric. Harry Connick Jr. celebrates New Orleans 300th birthday at a packed Lakefront Arena "By the time the wedding party arrived at Gallier Hall, the 300 wedding guests -- mostly out-of-towners and members of the prolific Connick clan -- were already queued up at fancy-stocked bars while being serenaded by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. From there they headed to the front room to grab some food before checking out the brides cake, a 4-foot-high all-white confection with ribbons and roses, and the grooms cake of white and brown chocolate rectangles decorated to look like carefully wrapped gift boxes. "The 29-year-old bride, a former model for Victorias Secret lingerie catalog, wore a full-length white satin gown, made in Italy, with tulip-shaped petals forming the skirt. She wore a short-sleeved, low-cut bodice, outlined with roses of the same fabric, and long kid gloves. The gloves also came from Italy, but not with the gown. At the last minute, someone realized gloves had not been ordered. After a call to local boutique owner Yvonne LaFleur, the brides gloves -- along with short white crocheted ones for the bridesmaids -- were delivered to the Melrose Mansion on Esplanade Avenue. Thats where the bride and her parents, the long-divorced Santa Fe sculptress Glenna Goodacre and Colorado businessman Bill Goodacre, and several of the brides aunts, uncles and cousins were ensconced. The brides veil, trailing several yards beyond the train of the gown, was attached at the back of her head with a comb. The gown arrived in New Orleans Wednesday night from Italy, along with a seamstress who spent two days making sure that everything fell the right way in all the right places. As two photographers, both from New York and each with an assistant, clicked away, the couple left the reception just in time to make their 6 p.m. flight to an unrevealed destination. Harry Connick Jr. reveals his favorite New Orleans restaurant The Environmental Protection Agencys regulations governing the operation of coke ovens used to manufacture iron are failing to protect nearby communities from cancer-causing air emissions, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco. The suit, filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade of New Orleans, Sierra Club, Citizens for Pennsylvanias Future, and Birmingham, Ala.-based Gasp, charges that EPA has failed to require the iron and steel industry facilities to use Maximum Achievable Control Technology, despite being required to do so by the Clean Air Act. The Bucket Brigade joined the suit because of concerns about Nucor Steel Louisiana, in Convent, which manufactures iron from ore. However, the Louisiana facility uses natural gas as a fuel, rather than coal or coke, and last year cancelled plans to build a coke oven like the ones targeted in the suit. The suit points out that EPAs own research concluded emissions from coke ovens posed a health threat in 2005, and that the agency did not adjust its rules to require the maximum achievable technology during the next eight years, as required by federal law. The pollutants spewed by coke ovens cause cancer and other serious illnesses. Fourteen years ago today, EPA admitted that it couldnt say whether its own regulations adequately protected people from this threat and promised to do something about it, said Earthjustice Attorney Tosh Sagar in a news release announcing the suit. Since that day, EPA hasnt taken a single step to fulfill its promise. Its long-past time for EPA to do its job and protect people in places like Birmingham, Ala., Clairton and Erie, Pa., and St. James Parish, La. Nucor delays Convent steel complex decision, leaves $130 million in incentives on table The Bucket Brigade had joined the suit because it believed Nucor Steel Louisiana, an iron manufacturing plant in St. James Parish, either had a coke oven or was planning to add one during a future expansion. However, last fall, Nucor abandoned plans to add a pig iron manufacturing facility at its Convent location that would have included a coke oven, and rescinded its state Department of Environmental Quality permit application that included the coke oven, said Nucor communications director Katherine Miller. Our Louisiana operations do not include a coke oven and that permit was officially withdrawn 9/26/18, she said in an email response to questions. She said the company has no plans to add a coke oven in the future at the Louisiana facility. DEQ spokesman Gregory Langley confirmed there are no pending applications for a coke oven at the St. James location. The direct reduced iron manufacturing process uses natural gas as a fuel to transform iron ore into iron, and not coal or coke, and would not be covered by the regulation targeted by the Earthjustice suit. The Louisiana Bucket Brigade was concerned that pollutants from coke ovens, added to existing emissions from petrochemical facilities in St. James Parish, would have added to the potential health woes of residents, said Anne Rolfes, its director, in the news release announcing the suit. Nucor made the decision to put its polluting facility in the middle of a historic black community, and now that community is bearing the brunt of its pollution and the governments failure of oversight. Its long past time for the law to be enforced, Rolfes said. In an email response to questions about Nucors lack of a coke oven, she said, Nucor may not have the permits in process now, but it could happen at some point and we need this rule. You and I both know that industry is expanding and building relentlessly, and this could well be built and the permits filed for at any time. As you also know, they would get them without a blink of resistance from the state. Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The other locations cited in the Earthjustice announcement, home to the other environmental groups listed as plaintiffs in the suit, are home to manufacturers that use coke ovens. In Birmingham, Ala., two coke plants are less than two miles from each other and within several low-income, majority African American communities, Earthjustice officials said in the news release. In February, the U.S. Justice Department announced it was levying a $775,000 fine against one of the plants, Drummond Companys ABC Coke, for Clean Air Act violations. In 2018, the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America ranked Birmingham eighth on its list of top 100 most challenging places to live with asthma. New Orleans was ranked 25th on that list. In Allegheny County, Pa., U.S. Steels Clairton Coke Works was fined more than $700,000 on April 1 by the Allegheny County Health Department for excessive air pollution emissions, bringing the total fines assessed against the company during the past year to $2.3 million, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But the increased fines havent led to fewer emissions, said the Earthjustice news release. Forcing EPA to finally set standards for these emissions will go a long way to protecting people living near coking facilities like Clairton in western Pennsylvania and across the country, said PennFuture president and chief executive officer Jacquelyn Bonomo in the news release. The coke ovens are used to superheat coal to turn it into coke, a purer form of carbon that is used as a heat source in manufacturing metal. Coke oven emissions are an oily, yellow-brown smoke composed of 43 constituent pollutants that are each listed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act, the suit said, including polycyclic organic matter (POM), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene and xylene, all of which have been found by EPA to produce serious acute and chronic human health effects. Those health effects include numerous types of cancer and breathing-related diseases, the suit said, and the agencys 2005 risk assessment indicated as many as 4 million people were exposed to coke oven emissions, and a half million people faced a cancer risk of greater than one in a million. The oven emissions also include lead, mercury, hydrochloric acid and hydrofluorlic acid, the suit said. According to the suit, EPA issued regulations for coke oven emissions in 2005, but they didnt address many of the parts of a coke oven plant that are responsible for significant emissions. At the time, the suit said, EPA said it could not guarantee that the 2005t regulations provided adequate protection. Since then, the agency has not acted to review and update standards for coke ovens, which the suit said is required by federal law. Mark Schleifstein covers the environment and is a leader of the Louisiana Coastal Reporting Team for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: mschleifstein@nola.com. Facebook: Mark Schleifstein and Louisiana Coastal Watch. Twitter: MSchleifstein. There were some high flying Owls bearing gifts at a recent St. Bernard School Board meeting on hand to share good news and drop off a trio of checks. An endowment in support of the Chalmette High School Alumni Association and administered by The St. Bernard Kiwanis Foundation, the Chalmette High Flying Owl Fund is a philanthropic organization established in 2003 as a way to support public education in St. Bernard. At a recent school board meeting, Robby Showalter, Danny Bourgeois, David Gorbaty and Michael Chutz, members of the CHS High Flying Owl Fund and the St. Bernard Kiwanis Foundation, spoke about the endowment and presented this years round of funding. The first check given was a timely one as the $6,000 donation was awarded for the districts Academic Games Program. Local teams will compete in this months Academic Games League of Americas National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, and the grant money will cover the travel and competition costs associated with the prestigious tournament. Academic Games is a sort of a brain brawl as the nations best and brightest students compete in a number of math, language, history and other critical-thinking games. The Owls also presented a pair of checks for classroom instruction at Chalmette High. One, for $15,000, was granted to the schools Vo-Tech Program, and an additional $12,000 was earmarked for teacher-written grants. Each school year, CHS faculty members can apply for funds to augment classroom lessons and student opportunities. The CHS High Flying Owl Fund Board reviews the grants and awards the best applicants. Principal Wayne Warner said these funds are invaluable in providing money and resources to a wide array of programs. From simple things like classroom materials and books, to higher end resources like equipment for our robotics classes or science labs, this money truly is a blessing to our teachers and students, Warner said. Since its inception, the CHS High Flying Owl Fund endowment has received $270,000 in donations and has earned $140,000 on its investment, awarding $105,000 in grants to Chalmette High School. Showalter said the original goal for the fund was to raise a million dollars. At a million, the endowment could award $60,000 per year in grants to Chalmette High School, he said. Before (Hurricane) Katrina (in August 2005), the group was halfway to its goal with $500,000 pledged, but in the storms aftermath, the CHS High Flying Owl Fund Board did not hold people to their pledge. Showalter said despite the setback, the $1 million dollar goal remains. The CHS High Flying Owl Fund encourages all former CHS alumni to consider a pledge of 1,000 per year for 10 years, Showalter said. He also said graduating classes or groups of alumni could also pool their donations. For example, if 10 members of a class donate $100 each year for 10 years, a $10,000 pledge could be obtained and that particular class will be recognized as a pledge group. Warner said such support for a public school is unprecedented in the area. Showalter said when the fund was being established, the former chairman of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, Ben Johnson, called it a landmark effort in Louisiana. Mr. Johnson said it was the only endowment that he was aware of that benefited a public school, and that he was amazed that St. Bernard Parish has become a leader in helping public education by establishing this endowment, Showalter recalled. Warner, who has been at CHS for more than 50 years, encourages other graduates to get involved. Its a great program for a great cause, he said. We really appreciate everything that the High Flying Owls have done for our school, but more importantly, for what they have done for our teachers and kids here. They truly are leaving a legacy of learning. For information about the program or to make a tax-free contribution to the Chalmette High Flying Owl Foundation, call Dave Fernandez at 504.301.2000 or via email at David.Fernandez@sbpsb.org Barry Lemoine writes about people and events in St. Bernard Parish. To reach him, email barrylemoine@gmail.com. Authorities in St. Bernard Parish are monitoring an apparent dolphin kill in the eastern part of the parish. Two dead dolphins were discovered near the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and Lake of Two Trees last week, prompting officials to solicit more information from boaters, the parish government reported Wednesday (April 17). Another nine dead dolphins have since been identified, according to the post. Parish officials have been sharing information with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Sea Grant and the Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network. Preliminary feedback from Wildlife & Fisheries and others suggests that dolphins may be suffering from freshwater lesions as a result of the recent influx of freshwater associated with the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, St. Bernard Parish said. Three living dolphins showing the symptoms of freshwater lesions have also been photographed in the parish since last week, the post said. St. Bernard Parish asks that anyone who recently encountered a dead or sick dolphin send the following information to John Lane, executive director of coastal operations, at jlane@sbpg.net: contact information, date of sighting, location ( (GPS coordinates preferred), photos of the dolphins and description of the dolphins, including size and color. Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier Parish was looking for a "mouser,'' a cat that could help lower the rodent population on the base, Air Force Master Sgt. Brandon Henry says in a Department of Defense video. They found Captain, a cat that turned out to be very good at catching mice. Air Force officials have expanded Captains role, connecting her with the Honor Guard, which provides ceremonial services for funerals of active duty members of the military, retirees and veterans. "She really provides emotional support to these guardsmen,'' Henry says in the video. When the guardsmen finish their work at funerals, "and its kind of a stressful day,'' Captain is always there to comfort them. "I dont know. Theres something about that cat.'' Watch the video here. The video is by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Martinez. A 1,668-pound, 12-foot 5-inch great white shark named Miss Costa is paying the Gulf of Mexico a visit, the Pensacola News Journal reported Monday (April 15). A transmitter on the sub-adult shark pinged Monday morning near the Big Bend area of the Gulf near the Florida Panhandle, the story said. A ping occurs when the tagged sharks dorsal fin breaks the surface of the water and transmits a signal to a satellite overhead, the report said, quoting OCEARCH, an international great white shark research organization. Its not unusual for great whites to enter the Gulf, but its rare to get a ping from a tagged shark in the Gulf, the story said. Mondays ping comes nearly a year after a great white named Hilton made a rare visit to the Pensacola area, according to the News Journal. In February, a 10-foot great white shark was caught off the fishing pier in Navarre Beach, Florida, just east of Pensacola. It was released. Miss Costa even has her own Twitter account and more than 9,700 followers. See the News Journals story on Miss Costa. A line of potentially dangerous thunderstorms will move into the New Orleans area Thursday (April 18), with the heaviest storms likely around 3 p.m., according to Fox 8 meteorologist David Bernard. The entire region will be under a high storm threat between 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. All of southeast Louisiana is currently under an enhanced threat level 3, with the possibility of Thursdays storms producing winds of up to 75 miles an hour, according to Fox 8 meteorologist David Bernard. The storm system also has the potential to produce a strong tornado with winds of around 115 miles per hour. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for St. Tammany, Washington and Tangipahoa parish starting Thursday morning and lasting until Thursday evening. Parts of the flood watch zone could see between 2 to 3 inches of rain and as much as 5 inches in certain area. Although Thursday morning is expected to be dry, a tornado watch could be in effect for the New Orleans-area by noon with most of the dangerous weather centered around the Baton Rouge area at that time, Bernard said. By 3 p.m. there will be a dangerous storm environment for all of Louisiana. 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 Thats how dangerous the atmosphere is going to be, he said. The severe storm threat extends all the way from south central Louisiana to south central Mississippi. By 7 p.m. the line of storms will have moved out of southeastern Louisiana and into south Mississippi. Tornadoes, severe storms possible Thursday in New Orleans: What to know The possibility of tornadoes remains the highest risk for south central Louisiana to south central Alabama. The New Orleans-area has experienced three weeks of active weather, with flash-flooding and tornadoes reported earlier this month. New Orleans is currently under an enhanced risk of severe weather on Thursday. Bernard said that there is a possibility that the risk category could go up a level 4 (moderate risk). He explained that the differences between the risk categories depends on the coverage and amount of severe thunderstorms in an area. A level 5 means widespread severe weather. The National Weather Service reported Wednesday afternoon that the potential for widespread severe weather for New Orleans and Baton Rouge continues to increase. This includes wind gusts in excess of 60 mph, which could down trees and cause minor structural damage. The following schools and school districts in the greater New Orleans area have announced early dismissal schedules or closures for Thursday (April 18) ahead of anticipated severe weather. Weather forecasts predict severe storms with the potential for tornadoes. Check back with NOLA.com for any additional closures as they are announced. St. Tammany Parish Public schools in St. Tammany Parish will be closed Thursday (April 18), due to the threat of severe weather. Lusher Charter School in New Orleans, both the Willow Street and Freret Street campuses, will close also. Catholic schools in St. Tammany and Washington parishes will close, as will Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chalmette, St. Charles Catholic, Sacred Heart in Norco and St. Peter in Reserve. Tangipahoa Parish Public schools in Tangipahoa Parish will close also. Jefferson Parish All Jefferson Parish Schools will operate on a half-day schedule Thursday. The dismissal times for each schools are listed here. Athlos Academy of Jefferson Parish, a charter school, said it will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Catholic schools in Jefferson Parish "will dismiss early if scheduled for a full day of school. Please note there will be no bus service for dismissal. Please check your email, school website, and/or social media for updated information,'' the Archdiocese of New Orleans wrote on Facebook. Orleans Parish Orleans Parish School Board will dismiss students from Cypress Academy, McDonogh 35, and Edgar P. Harney at noon Thursday. "Buses will run at regular times this morning and will run on a modified schedule this afternoon,'' the school board posted on Facebook. Algiers Charter Schools Association will dismiss its schools early Thursday. The schedule is: McDonogh 32, noon; Fischer, noon; Landry-Walker High School, 12:45 p.m.; and Behrman, 1 p.m. Arise Schools will dismiss early. Arise Academy will dismiss at 12 p.m. and Arise Osborne will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. Audubon Charter Schools will operate on a half-day schedule. The schedule is: Audubon Uptown, Upper School, dismissing at 11:30 a.m.; Audubon Uptown, Lower School, noon; and Audubon Gentilly, noon. All four of the Einstein Charter Schools are closed Thursday also. Fannie C. Williams Charter School will be be closed Thursday. FirstLine Schools (Samuel J. Green, Arthur Ashe, Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes Academy, and FirstLine Live Oak) will dismiss students early. Green, Live Oak and LHA will dismiss at 11 a.m. while Ashe and Wheatley will dismiss at 12:15 p.m. International High School of New Orleans and Young Audiences Charter School will be operating on a half-day schedule. School will dismiss at 12 p.m. Thursday. 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 All KIPP schools in New Orleans will dismiss at 1 p.m. Thursday. The NET Charter High School campuses will dismiss early on Thursday. Both The NET: Central City and The NET: Gentilly will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. Campuses will reopen Friday for regularly scheduled classes. Paul Habans Charter School will dismiss at 12 p.m. Thursday. Rooted School will dismiss at 12 p.m. Thursday. St. Andrews Episcopal School on Oak Street will dismiss at 12 p.m. Success Preparatory Academy will dismiss at 12 p.m. Thursday. St. Charles Parish St. Charles Borromeo School in Destrehan will close at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Universities LSU and Southeastern Louisiana University will be closed. LSU Health New Orleans will close its academic downtown New Orleans and dental campuses at 12 p.m. Thursday. Classes in the schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health professions, graduate studies, and public health are cancelled. Patient appointments at affected clinics located on campus will be rescheduled. Tulane University will close all campuses at 1 p.m. University of New Orleans canceled all classes after 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Parishes across the metro New Orleans region were advising residents to monitor the weather and take precautions where needed. In addition to warning of a substantial threat of severe storms across the region, National Weather Service forecasters have issued a flash flood watch for parts of the North Shore specifically. That includes St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. Rain rates in those parishes could reach up to 4 inches an hour, according to an alert. In Jefferson Parish, officials said buses will run and all school meals will be served. (See Jefferson school announcement here.) "The last thing we want to do is risk putting our students, families, and employees on the road when this system could likely be at its strongest,'' Jefferson Parish schools Superintendent Cade Brumley said in a news release Wednesday night. "Were making the best decision we can, with the information available, and with the safety of our students and staff in mind. LSU said all scheduled activities are canceled. The university said it would announce a decision on Thursday nights baseball game at a later time. Correction: An earlier version of this story reported Jefferson Parish Public Schools would be closed Thursday. They will be closed a half-day, not a full day. Potentially severe weather on the way When she completed two class assignments, Lakeshore High School Junior Zoe Treitler didnt expect they would propel her to finalist spots in two prominent New Orleans art contests: the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest and the Rau for Art Foundations Scholarship Competition. Its pretty crazy that I got into the finals for both competitions, she said of the 2019 contests, both of which recently held luncheons to honor the finalists and award scholarship funds. Two other north shore students also were honored. Abby Hayes, a junior at Saint Scholastica Academy, was among the 15 junior and senior finalists from across the state in the Rodrigue Art Contest. Jack Menard, a senior at Fontainebleau High School, was among Rau for Arts 10 finalists for his cut-paper and watercolor piece, Let Your Worries Be Mild. It was inspired by Bomboland, an illustration studio based in Italy. I enjoyed how neat and detailed their work was, so I wanted to try it, said Menard, who entered the school systems Talented Art program in 8th grade. My main medium is watercolor but for the sake of trying something new, I wanted to try cut paper. M.S. Rau Antiques founded Rau for Art in 2012 to give back to the community via college scholarships for 10th to 12th grade high-school visual arts students and to help provide funding to art teachers in New Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles and St. Tammany parishes. This year, Kathy Nguyen of Riverdale High School took 1st place and its $7,500 scholarship prize, along with an option to study in Italy and $500 to the schools art department. Skylar Fazende of Fisher High School got 2nd place and a $3,000 scholarship, and Helen Hoang of Riverdale High School got 3rd place and $1,500. The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest was established by the noted Louisiana artist to help build art students confidence. This year marks its 10th anniversary, and GRFA received more than 740 submissions from high school juniors and seniors across Louisiana, the highest number of contest submissions to date. The 15 finalists received a total of $45,000 in scholarship funds. Hayes admits to being, really proud of myself for her second place recognition amongst the five junior finalists recognized by the Rodrigue Foundation. The award came with a $1,000 scholarship. Her acrylic painting, entitled Planetary Portraits, was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman mythology and how they looked at the sky as a storyteller, she said. I felt connected with that because I see myself, as an artist, as a storyteller. I portrayed our planets as the Roman gods. Hayes was home-schooled until this school year, something that gave her time to create art. At 4 years old my earliest memory of art I would look at the pictures in a lot of my moms (art) books. I would look at them for hours, ... just flipping through all the pictures on how to draw people and human proportions and color, she said. Art was really something special because I found myself lost in it, and it wasnt like anything else. With other things I would get easily distracted, but I could do art for hours, Hayes added. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Treitler received third place in the Rodrigue Foundation contest, which came with $750 in scholarship funds, for her acrylic painting depicting a rabbit and a moon. It was inspired by the East Asian folklore about how markings on the moon that look like a rabbit came to be. I really liked the theme this year. Just thinking about the cosmos just sparked my inspiration, she said. Ive always loved drawing animals, and it was the first thing that popped into my head. But Treitler is particularly proud of the Prismacolor pencil piece entitled When Pigs Fly she created for the Rau for Art competition. Its one of my favorite ones. It really shows the progression of my use of Prismacolor, she said. Rau for Arts theme this year asked students to create a piece of artwork that would motivate or inspire others, according to Rebecca Rau, the foundations executive director. A lot of past themes have been focused on things you love about your hometown or cuisine or envisioning the future for New Orleans. This year we chose a theme called Create to Motivate, in which the students were invited to design some kind of poster to either inspire themselves or their peers or change the world. It felt like an appropriate moment in that high schoolers around the world are making an impact and speaking loudly about issues that they care about, Rau said. To inspire others, Treitler used the adynaton about pigs in a different way. Its usually meant in a way like sure that will never happen, but I turned it around, she said of the piece where a pig is flying with the help of balloons. Pigs cant sprout wings and fly, but they can have balloons. The general idea is you basically can do anything when you put your mind to it and come up with a solution. Admitted into the Talented Art program in 3rd grade at Woodlake Elementary, Treitler has had a long time to brush up on my skills, she said. My first inspiration was my dad, Scott, who is talented in art. He taught me how to draw some things. She dreams of attending the Savannah College of Art & Design and majoring in animation. A lot of my inspiration comes from animators on YouTube. I have all these ideas for animation, but I never really have had time to do it. For more information on the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest, visit http://georgerodriguefoundation.org/. For more information on the Rau for Art Foundation, http://rauforart.com/ Fundraising campaign for Covington sculptor Bill Binnings, who had $50,000 in small bronze sculptures robbed from his studio earlier this year. The fundraiser is an effort to raise $10,000 so Binnings can replace his tools, acquire more bronze, and have the ability to re-cast his lost sculptures to rebuild his inventory. https://www.gofundme.com/bill-binnings-fundraiser?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_cpgnstaticsmall_r Sarah Bonnette is a freelance writer on Louisiana arts and culture. She may be contacted at sgbonnette@gmail.com. Arizona prison officials estimated it would take 10 to 20 minutes to execute convicted double murderer Joseph Wood using an experimental two-drug cocktail of the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone. Instead, Wood coughed and wheezed for almost two hours so long that his lawyer had time to file an emergency appeal in federal court before he finally died. I counted about 660 times he gasped, an Arizona Republic reporter who witnessed the execution said in July 2014. Then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer issued a statement expressing concern for the length of time it took for the administered drug protocol to work but little sympathy for Wood, who had gunned down his girlfriend and her father. One thing is certain, however, inmate Wood died in a lawful manner and by eyewitness and medical accounts he did not suffer," Brewer said. "This is in stark comparison to the gruesome, vicious suffering that he inflicted on his two victims and the lifetime of suffering he has caused their family. Cold-blooded killers do not evoke much compassion but we should avoid jettisoning the Constitutions Eighth Amendment protection against a cruel and unusual punishment in which execution becomes torture. Woods death was just one in a series of botched executions across the United States in 2014. Cantrell warns party buses but not regular commuters In January, Ohio executed Dennis McGuire using the same unproven drug combination that was given to Wood. A pastor who watched the execution wrote that McGuire had died gasping for air. A Columbus Dispatch reporter said it was a kind of a rattling, guttural sound. ... A couple of times, he definitely appeared to be choking. In Oklahoma, convicted killer Clayton Lockett, 38, died of a massive heart attack almost 30 minutes after prison officials had called off the execution because untrained technicians had made what the warden described as a bloody mess trying to insert needles for an IV to carry the lethal drugs into Locketts system. The Oklahoma prison officials were using an experimental three-part drug cocktail obtained from a source kept secret from the public. State witnesses did not get to observe Locketts final minutes because a prison official pulled the blinds as the supposedly unconscious inmate struggled against his restraints. Lethal injection became the primary means of execution in the United States over the past four decades. The process was seen as more humane than hanging, firing squad or electrocution as the combination of drugs used proved to be effective. That changed in the first decade of the 2000s, when pharmaceutical manufacturers, under pressure from death penalty opponents, began to refuse to sell the drugs for executions and to ban their distributors from doing so. That sent the states scrambling to purchase new drugs from other markets or to contract with pharmacies to compound the required chemicals. This has raised questions from opponents about the science of the concoctions and the purity of the drugs being used. They also have continued political pressure against any entity involved in the process. Death penalty proponents have responded to these legal and political challenges by trying to make the states process source, science and suppliers a secret. This is where it stands in Louisiana, which hasn't executed anyone since 2010 and is barred from doing so until July when a court rules on its lethal injection protocols. Attorney General Jeff Landry and others believe that the lack of executions are evidence of delayed justice and are supporting legislation, House Bill 258, to exclude from the public record any identifying information of people, pharmacies, manufacturers and others who are responsible for providing the state with lethal injection drugs or the medical equipment used to carry out executions. That is the wrong approach. It is subverting the peoples right to know to gain a political objective. It is secrecy designed to thwart legitimate protest and to shroud in darkness one of the greatest powers wielded by government: the power over life and death. Will Louisiana lawmakers work for minimum wage? Gov. John Bel Edwards, an anti-abortion Catholic who wont publicly state his position on the death penalty, recently said that he would likely sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. This is essentially the same measure he voted against as a state representative five years ago. He was right then. This is a law that says that the only way for the state to carry out the peoples will is to keep the people in the dark. Tim Morris is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write to Tim at tmorris@nola.com. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell doesnt think she has gotten a fair shake from the local press during her first 345 days in office. I have not received the benefit of the doubt from the media since the beginning of my tenure as Mayor, she said in an interview posted on the Essence website Tuesday (April 16). Cantrell didnt go into specifics or name names, but the context was a question about the mayors recent surprise visit to Cuba this month. Mayor Cantrell definitely isnt the first Louisiana government official to make the trip to Cuba, the reporter writes, but for some reason, her trip was met with more scrutiny than former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieus trip in 2016. For some reason? State executions should not be shrouded in secrecy Cantrell has also raised the issue of Landrieus trip, suggesting that she is being more harshly treated than her predecessor. The argument overlooks the facts that Landrieu made his visit as part of a delegation with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which publicly announced the trip, its purpose, and details ahead of time. Most people in New Orleans were unaware of Cantrells junket until well after the wheels of her delegations plane had touched down at Jose Marti International Airport. Landrieus excursion also did not happen at a time when the U.S. government was trying to force Havana to back off support for Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro, whose corrupt administration is being propped up by more than 20,000 Cuban troops. The Essence post goes on to say that, "Many questioned if the trip was funded by taxpayers money" and then helpfully notes that "those members of the delegation that were not part of the mayors office were responsible for their own travel expenses." The mayor, of course, could have avoided such pesky questions by simply making that fact and others public beforehand. She chose not to. And that goes to the heart of why some people are reluctant to give her the benefit when her penchant for secrecy raises so many doubts. In the 170 days between her election and her inauguration, Cantrell chose to take much of her planning behind closed doors to the point of requiring members of her transition teams to sign non-disclosure agreements. That set the tone for her administration, leading up, most recently, to her unannounced departure for Havana at the same time local motorists were learning that she had secretly decided to recalibrate the city's traffic cameras to issue tickets at lower speeds. That surprised even some City Council members who said they were not aware of the changes until reporters, that annoying media again, started asking questions. Cantrell told reporters last Friday that she was shocked by complaints about the lack of communication. I absolutely keep individuals in the loop," she said. "If you want to know something, you can just ask me, and I check my own email, and I have not received any questions directly as to someone not receiving adequate information. As for the decision on the cameras, Cantrell said she stands by it. "Hey, it was a policy decision that was based on data, and I made that decision because, at the end of the day, the one person that's accountable is Latoya Cantrell," she said. The data behind the change has yet to be made public and the administration still has no plausible explanation for why the speed zone trigger switch was made without announcement, but the mayor is hung up on why anyone would even ask about her decisions. She and her administration, as far as she can tell, is an open book. Cantrell warns party buses but not regular commuters "I am always accessible, not only to the New Orleans City Council, but every resident and visitor of the city of New Orleans, and that has truly been demonstrated," Cantrell said. Sorry, Mayor, but I still have my doubts. Tim Morris is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write to Tim at tmorris@nola.com. An ugly fight over an audit that found the city of Zachary paid two vendors $3.5 million without having contracts in place has died down some, but the city councilman most upset about the matter has made clear he is not giving up on his quest for Posing with first cattle after launching Second Phase of Cattle Restocking Programme are from left to right: DG Moses Amos, Minister Hosea Nevu and Northern Region Principal Livestock Development Officer Stevenson Boe 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. nwmissourinews.com expired on 12/13/2021 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain Renew Now nwmissourinews.com expired on 12/13/2021 and is pending renewal or deletion. Everyones gunning for Netflix. Amazon, AT&T, Apple and the Walt Disney Company have spent billions to create or bolster their own streaming networks to take on the giant in the field. Some, like Apple and Amazon, are meant to be aggregators selling both original content and offering shows from channels like HBO making them similar to traditional cable providers. Others, like AT&T and Disney, have positioned themselves as services that sell only their content for now. But Netflix remains the industry leader. The company has come a long way since its early days of mailing off DVDs in red envelopes. It added 7.8 million new customers through the end of March, according to the first-quarter report it issued on Tuesday, for a total of 148 million across the globe, with 60 million in the United States. Its subscriber growth has slowed, however, more in the United States than elsewhere, partly because of price increases and stiffening competition. The streaming service booked $344 million in profit on $4.5 billion in sales in the quarter ending in March. For the moment, Netflix is soundly beating its streaming rivals in subscribers, viewing time and library of content. But one is closer than the others: Hulu. Hulu has long had trouble steering its own course, because it has had to deal with multiple corporate overlords since it was founded in 2007. Adam Driver is a great disrupter. This volcanic actors entrance in the lopsided new revival of Lanford Wilsons Burn This, which opened on Tuesday at the Hudson Theater, is prefaced by a fanfare of violent pounding. It is 5 a.m., in a loft in Lower Manhattan. And it sounds as if the Incredible Hulk, feeling very impatient, is in the hallway or maybe a runaway cyclone. When the door opens, what is revealed behind it does not disappoint. With long, flailing limbs and a face molten with anguish, Mr. Driver explodes into view with an outsize fury that makes everyone and everything around him seem Lilliputian. And a production that has so far felt pleasant and prosaic is flooded with the anarchy of life in extremis. The last time I can recall such an impressively violent Broadway entrance was more than 30 years ago, when a rising actor named John Malkovich appeared in the same part. Playing a coked-to-the-gills restaurant manager named Pale, Mr. Malkovich seemed to morph overnight from quirky character actor into a leading man of dangerous sex appeal. Theater lovers still talk about the excitement of that performance. And I would wager that decades from now, people will be speaking with the same gratified wonder of Mr. Drivers very different but equally compelling Pale. [Whats new onstage and off: Sign up for our Theater Update newsletter] A city that killed its greatest thinker, the boy says to Plato, Socrates most famous acolyte. Killed him like a traitor. Why did they do that? Plato (Teagle F. Bougere) guides the boy (Niall Cunningham) through the past, and what follows does answer the question, extensively. But reverence is a heavy thing, and it weighs down this nearly three-hour play, whose overlong first act is so devoted to showing its prickly and endearing provocateur in his element surrounded by admirers and enemies, jousting about virtue or the fundamental properties of color that it succeeds more on academic merits than dramatic ones. Its apt, then, that Socrates is the centerpiece of the Onassis Festival, a program of panels and performances at the Public that this year is focused on democracy. As the play outlines Socrates life and how he met his end, it shows what it looks like when a democracy responds with mortal force to someone who dares to question it, shutting him up by condemning him to death. [A contemporary philosophers answers to Socrates] Yet things might have turned out differently. As the vastly more successful second act makes clear, he could have paid a fine to save himself, or consented to exile. But as a man of principle in the city that is his home, he bats away those possibilities. His friends beg him otherwise, and his wife, Xanthippe (Miriam A. Hyman), implores him to think of her and their boys. Even to the people who love him, Socrates is a pretty maddening guy. DENVER Hundreds of schools across the Denver area were closed on Wednesday as law enforcement officials engaged in a massive search for a Florida woman who they said had made threats ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting and was considered armed and extremely dangerous. The decision to keep about half a million students home in two dozen school districts over a vast swath of Colorado showed the sense of alarm among the authorities. An F.B.I. bulletin sent to local law enforcement agencies on Tuesday identified the woman as Sol Pais, 18. She was infatuated with the Columbine attack, the bulletin said, and had been attempting to buy firearms. Officials also released an image of Ms. Pais, and said she was approximately 5-foot-5, with brown hair. She had recently traveled to Colorado, they said. Ms. Pais parents reported her missing to local police on Monday, Detective Sergeant Marian Cruz, a spokeswoman for the Surfside Police Department, said on Wednesday. That has been the only time police have been called to the familys address, she added. WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Tuesday took another significant step to discourage migrants from seeking asylum, issuing an order that could keep thousands of them in jail indefinitely while they wait for a resolution of their asylum requests. The order issued by Attorney General William P. Barr was an effort to deliver on President Trumps promise to end the catch and release of migrants crossing the border in hopes of escaping persecution in their home countries. The order which directs immigration judges to deny some migrants a chance to post bail will not go into effect for 90 days. It is all but certain to be challenged in federal court, but immigrant rights lawyers said it could undermine the basic rights of people seeking safety in the United States. They want to send a message that you will get detained, said Judy Rabinovitz, a deputy director of the Immigrants Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. We are talking about people who are fleeing for their lives, seeking safety. And our response is just lock them up. This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out more than two years of a military tribunal judges decisions in the case of the man accused of plotting the bombing of the destroyer Cole, finding that the jurist wrongly hid his pursuit of an immigration judge job while sitting on the war crimes case. The decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was a major setback in the oldest death-penalty case at Guantanamo Bay, and yet another twist in a winding and fraught case that has come to symbolize the governments difficulties in pursuing prosecutions of detainees through the military tribunal system. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, 54, who has been in American custody since 2002, has been represented by military commission defense lawyers since 2008 and was formally charged in 2011. Mr. al-Nashiri, a Saudi, is accused of being the architect of Al Qaedas suicide bombing of the Navy destroyer Cole off Yemen on Oct. 12, 2000. Seventeen American sailors died, and dozens more were wounded. But more than seven years after Mr. al-Nashiris arraignment, the case is still in pretrial hearings to determine what law and evidence would apply at a capital trial by the military commission. The decision means a new military judge will have to revisit defense challenges to the charges, what evidence prosecutors must provide Mr. al-Nashiris lawyers and fundamental constitutional questions about the legality of the military commission system. Mr. Trumps advisers, however, insist that is not the case, that while he is an unconventional politician with a howitzer Twitter account and an itchy trigger finger, he is still trying to reach out to new voters. The idea that were strictly preaching to the converted is not true, said Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for Mr. Trumps re-election campaign. We look at the 2016 map and we intend to win where the president won the last time and we also think that we can expand the map and attract new voters and new supporters in states across the country, Mr. Murtaugh said. There are two main differences this time between 2016 and 2020 the first being that hes now the incumbent president and the second is that he has a clear record of accomplishment that he can run on. Mr. Murtaugh cited the strong economy that has produced millions of jobs and increased wages as well as legislation like the overhaul of the criminal justice system. He also said voters across ideological lines agree with Mr. Trumps argument on immigration that the law should be enforced. Democrats make a mistake where they can just shout the word immigration and think they win the argument with Hispanic voters, he said. We have found that legal immigrants, those who have followed the law to be Americans or those who have legal immigrants in recent generations close to themselves, believe that others should also follow the law. Mr. Trumps path to victory in 2016 was an inside straight, winning the Electoral College even though he lost the national popular vote to Mrs. Clinton by nearly three million votes. Notwithstanding Mr. Trumps advisers, Democrats and independent analysts said the president seemed to be gambling that he could win the same way again. They are doubling down on lightning striking the same place twice and the idea that this 46 percent president can once again through divide and conquer tactics win again, said Cornell Belcher, a pollster who worked for Mr. Obama. Theyve got to play the hand they are given and he doesnt have a lot of other hands. Hes got to double down on this tribalism that got him there in the first place and hope they can do enough that Democrats cannot cobble together the majority thats sitting out there and rejecting Trump. WASHINGTON President Trump vetoed a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday that would have forced an end to American military involvement in Saudi Arabias civil war in Yemen, rejecting an appeal by lawmakers to his own deeply rooted instincts to withdraw the United States from bloody foreign conflicts. The veto, only the second time Mr. Trump has used his power to block legislation passed by both houses of Congress, strikes down a resolution that invoked the War Powers Act to distance the United States from a four-year conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and resulted in a widespread famine. The measure was a rebuke of Mr. Trumps support for Saudi Arabia even after the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It was opposed by several of the presidents top advisers, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the national security adviser, John R. Bolton, according to people who spoke with White House officials. This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future, Mr. Trump said in his veto message. Some Democratic candidates for president are already spending furiously to saturate Facebook with ads as they race to qualify for the first debates this summer. Others are carefully husbanding their resources, banking cash in hopes of unloading it in a burst as the primaries near. Then there is Elizabeth Warren. Ms. Warren, the Massachusetts senator, has amassed a campaign staff of more than 160 in her first three months as a candidate, dwarfing her rivals. Her campaign is gambling that placing organizers in the early-voting primary states now, particularly in Iowa and New Hampshire, will pay dividends politically next year. Ms. Warren raised more than $6 million in the first three months of 2019, the fifth-most in the field, according to federal filings disclosed on Monday. But she churned through that money almost as fast as it arrived, pouring nearly 87 cents of every dollar raised back into spending. Julian Assange, the controversial WikiLeaks founder. There has been a lot of misquoting of me and WikiLeaks publications. Called a villain by some. That villain Julian Assange. He should be extradited to face justice here. Im pleased to see him arrested. And a hero by others. [Chanting] Free the truth! Free Assange! Dont shoot the messenger! Some on the left have embraced Assange for years, seeing him as a free-speech martyr. As WikiLeaks stands under threats, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all our societies. And Republicans, they have long considered Assange a Putin stooge who spilled Americas biggest secrets. As for President Trump, he now claims to know nothing. I know nothing about WikiLeaks. Its not my thing. But he used to gush over Assanges organization WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks! Heres how such a divisive figure has become a vessel for people across the political spectrum. Ive always wanted to say, We are all individuals! We are all individuals! One of Assanges fiercest supporters is former Baywatch star and animal rights activist Pamela Anderson. She visited Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he lived for seven years. Hes so funny and hes very kind and hes very smart. Hes brilliant, and we talk about everything. Im there for four hours at a time. And I see him all the time. Anderson is a rumored lover of Assanges and even wrote him poetry. Another fan? Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who has brought her support for Assange to the runway. We sell these T-shirts, and I was able to give him 3,000 recently for some of the T-shirts we sold to help toward WikiLeaks. And then there is Lady Gaga. Its pretty heavy Its pretty heavy stuff. She stopped by the embassy in 2012 and interviewed Assange. You may be an enemy of the state, but you are not an enemy of humanity. But this icon of left-leaning celebrities has also been embraced by white supremacist David Duke, who thanked him for a dump of Clinton campaign emails that may have helped Donald Trump. He tweeted: God bless WikiLeaks. Julian Assange is a hero. And the same leak made Assange a pariah to certain Democrats. He has to answer for what he has done. In a sign of how far Assanges image has swung, theres Fox commentator Sean Hannity. Hannity used to be a hater. Assange is apparently not done waging his war against the U.S. And now? You look at WikiLeakss record, theyve never printed a single thing proven untrue in like 12 years. Not one! Friend at times, foe at others. Assange has inspired head-spinning adoration from both the left and the right. Yet his anti-establishment agenda has made Assange elusive, allowing him to be everything to everyone. Its a chronic problem, said Scott Shuchart, who worked in the Department of Homeland Securitys civil rights office from 2010 to 2018. The number of cases that fall through the cracks of that system, it may be very low as a percentage, but its certainly nontrivial as a raw count of cases. Mr. Gonzalez Carranza was lucky, according to his lawyer. The problems began last January when Mr. Gonzalez Carranza, who had entered the country illegally, went to his lawyer to renew a temporary permit to live in the United States that he had been granted based on his deceased wifes military service. They learned that a removal case against him had been opened even though the permit was still valid, but he hadnt heard about it because the notices had been sent to an old address. Months earlier, it turned out, he had been ordered deported. Knowing that he could be arrested at any time, Mr. Gonzalez Carranza and his lawyer moved quickly to prepare documents to halt the deportation. But before the papers were filed, immigration agents arrested Mr. Gonzalez Carranza on April 8, pulling him over as he was driving to work. He said he remembered flashing lights and then a lot of cops around me pointing guns, screaming, saying Open the door! Mr. Gonzalez Carranza had first entered the United States on his own at the age of 14 and moved in with an uncle in Phoenix. Rather than going to school, he started working for a carpeting company and met the woman who became his wife, Barbara Vieyra, at a nightclub for teenagers. The couple moved in together, had their daughter, Evelyn, and they married. Soon after, Ms. Vieyra joined the Army to help support her family. She served in a military police unit in Korea and was 22 when she was killed in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, according to news reports. Mr. Gonzalez Carranza remained in the United States without permanent legal status, sharing custody of his daughter with his wifes parents. His wifes military service should have allowed him to remain in the country legally until April 20, 2019. He could make none of that clear to the officers who came to arrest and deport him. During the days he spent in Mexico, Mr. Gonzalez Carranza said, he passed the time inside a Mexican government office because it was close enough to the border that his American cellphone still worked and he was able to talk with his lawyer. He slept at a migrant shelter, mostly filled with people waiting to seek asylum in the United States. With the amount of people arriving, this is very quickly escalating to the point we wont be able to handle it, said Capt. Jeffrey Breazeale, the Yuma County coordinator for the Salvation Army, which is running the shelter with the help of staff and volunteers from Catholic Community Services. Its a southern border crisis, and we are seeking help from the federal government, Mr. Breazeale said. The only way we know how to do that is declare an emergency. A high-ranking border patrol official in Yuma said recently that officers there had been overwhelmed by an entirely new population of border crossers that the agency was not prepared to handle: families. From the beginning of the fiscal year on Sept. 1 through March 31, Yuma experienced a 273 percent increase in the number of migrants apprehended in the area by the Border Patrol, to 24,194 from 6,487 who arrived during the same period the previous fiscal year. The number of unaccompanied children taken in by authorities, totaling 3,679, was 51 percent higher. The Border Patrol has invested thousands of dollars on supplies including feminine care products, diapers and baby formula to help accommodate the influx of families. The Yuma office had been approved for overtime funding and additional agents, but none of it has been enough to handle the rising number of asylum seekers, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation. California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have all been scrambling to handle the surge in migrant arrivals, most of whom are coming through Mexico from Central America. The number of families has eclipsed the number that arrived during the last spike, which occurred during the Obama administration. Despite the crush of the arrivals, authorities have not dropped migrants in the streets of Yuma. Mr. Nicholls said the city had not spent any of its own funds on the migrants, and had relied instead on donations from the community, for everything from coloring books to diapers. Perilous Bodies Through May 11. Ford Foundation Gallery, 320 East 43rd Street, Manhattan; 212-573-5000, fordfoundation.org. Some credit for the almost unbearable intensity of Perilous Bodies, the group show that inaugurates the Ford Foundations new gallery for art concerned with social justice, goes to its 19 artists from around the world. Confronting ills from sexual violence in India to resource extraction in Africa, most of them succeed in getting to the heart of very difficult material. (The gallery was part of an overall renovation, and most of the work in the show is unrelated to the foundations contemporary art collection .) But most of the credit is due to the shows curators, Jaishri Abichandani and Natasha Becker, who wove their work together. Because balancing artistry against anguish is so challenging, and because such a balance is even more sensitive to its context than art usually is , no single piece can be sure of landing cleanly on its own. Mohamad Hafezs delicate dioramas of half-destroyed Syrian buildings might register merely as beautiful, and Tiffany Chungs backlit photos of similar rubble, taken alone, are tonally ambiguous . Tenzin Tsetan Choklays movie Bringing Tibet Home, which follows his friend and fellow exile, the artist Tenzing Rigdol , as he smuggles a truckload of Tibetan soil through Nepal to Dharamsala, India, is undeniably melancholy, but its also as absorbing as Indiana Jones. Viewed all together, though, under a spray of 418 cast-foam miniature Hellfire missiles the Pakistani-American artist Mahwish Chishtys memorial to the civilian casualties of American drone strikes theyre as shocking as getting hit by a truck. Stagger into the next room to see Teresa Serranos extremely disturbing short video La Pinata, in which a man alternately gropes a small female mannequin and beats it to pieces; the Australian artist Hannah Brontes equally unsettling all-female rap video about climate catastrophe; and Dread Scotts 1999 installation of six shooting targets, one for each of six black men killed by the police in the 1990s, over a wooden coffin (The Blue Wall of Violence). Then go into the Ford Foundations tranquil, tree-filled atrium and sit quietly for a while. WILL HEINRICH If the authors name rings a bell for the members of Generation Wuss, as Ellis has dubbed millennials, including his longtime (and surely long-suffering) boyfriend, it is likely because of one of his various headline-making tweets. Perhaps youll recall the one about the Oscar-winning director of The Hurt Locker: Kathryn would be considered a mildly interesting filmmaker if she was a man but since shes a very hot woman shes really overrated. Now, at least in theory, snowflakes on both coasts in withdrawal from Rachel Maddows nightly Kremlinology lesson can purchase a whole book to inspire paroxysms of rage. White even the title is a trigger is a veritable thirst trap for the easily microaggressed. Its all here. Rants about Trump derangement syndrome; MSNBC; #MeToo; safe spaces. He thinks Moonlight only won the Oscar for best picture over La La Land because voting for it could be seen as a rebuke to Trump. He thinks that Black Lives Matter is a morally significant movement, but says its lurching, unformed aesthetic is why it never reached a wide audience. Had the millennial mess mimicked the look of the Black Panthers, he suggests, it would have taken off. Im not exaggerating. Speaking of Black Panthers yes, you guessed it the author thinks that movie was insanely overhyped. It will not escape reader notice that the author of a book called White happens to be particularly fixated on black culture. Oh, and in case you were wondering: Ellis didnt vote in 2016. Not only because I lived in rest-assured California, but also because during the campaign Id realized I wasnt a conservative or a liberal, a Democrat or a Republican, and that I didnt buy into what either party was selling. I put the book down after that particular riff. (I did the same after his take on the tragic case of Tyler Clementi, the gay Rutgers student who killed himself after he was bullied online by his roommate.) Image Ellis recently told The Times that this is kind of a book for a Bret Easton Ellis completist. Perhaps he is right that superfans will love to hear him go on for pages about American Psycho being transferred from page to stage, where it closed after two months and lost $14 million. I did not. The science journalist Meredith Wadman took a deep dive into similar material and created a real jewel of science history. Wadmans The Vaccine Race (2017) brims with suspense and now-forgotten catastrophe and intrigue, all beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, when, as she writes, the chase for new vaccines was as hot as todays quest to unravel the profound mysteries of the human genome. The first vaccinologists were accustomed to working in happy solitude, policed by conscience alone or not, as the case may be (some were really wildly unprincipled). Soon enough, though, the scientists were joined in their projects by academics and salesmen, then by corporate executives, then by congressmen and lawyers. All were forced to navigate the terrible early vaccine disasters, when contaminated products transmitted disease rather than protection, and all struggled with the need to reconcile centuries-old public health tools, like quarantine, with new ones like mandatory vaccination and informed consent. Wadmans smooth prose calmly spins a surpassingly complicated story into a real tour de force. Vaccination was only the first organized effort to harness the immune system for medical purposes. In the last two decades many other techniques have been devised, foremost among them the engineered proteins called monoclonal antibodies. These are the pricey drugs with unpronounceable names ending in -mab now being hawked incessantly on television for diseases from eczema to cancer. The story of the science behind these drugs and other sophisticated immunologic tools is just beginning to be written. In his new book, The End of the Beginning (Pegasus, $27.95), the immunologist Michael Kinch builds on the narrative he began with last years Between Hope and Fear. That book provides a chatty, looping profile of the immune system and the historical origins of modern vaccine science, all contained in a narrative draped like a Christmas tree with sparkly digressions into biography, philosophy and historical gossip. Kinch now changes focus slightly to review cancer biology and the promise of immune-mediated treatments. A professor at Washington University in St. Louis, he spent some of his early career at a biotechnical company and can speak with authority about the mixed promise of monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment some tumors vanish with these agents while others are utterly untouched, and none of the drugs is without side effects. Kinchs narrative is as loose and lavishly ornamented as ever, while his material is, if anything, even more scientifically complex. Some readers may enjoy the bumpy, glittery, distraction-filled ride. Others, presumably those of us with dull linear minds, will wish he would just settle down, even for a single chapter, and say what he has to say in a dull, straightforward way. Matt Richtel wanders different paths in the same territory with An Elegant Defense (Morrow/HarperCollins, $28.99), also published this spring. A reporter for The New York Times, Richtel became interested in immunology after a childhood friend developed Hodgkins lymphoma in his early 40s. Hodgkins is one of the more curable cancers of adulthood, but Jason Greenstein was in the unlucky minority of patients who have terrible, prolonged downhill courses. Richtel told portions of Jasons story in a Science Times series on the promise and perils of immunologic therapy: With a last-ditch experimental monoclonal antibody treatment, Jasons huge, disfiguring tumors melted away like warming ice cubes a visible miracle, if sadly short-lived. WASHINGTON Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plans to hire Monica Crowley, a longtime Fox News commentator, as his top communications official, according to a person familiar with the matter. Ms. Crowley would succeed Tony Sayegh, who has been planning for several months to leave the Treasury in May. Her hiring would be another sign of the symbiosis between the Trump administration and Fox News, a launching pad for current White House officials and a place to land for those who leave. Mr. Sayegh is a former Fox News contributor. While the Treasury position is primarily a platform for promoting President Trumps handling of the economy, including his tax and trade policies, Ms. Crowleys appointment is almost certain to raise questions. She was considered for a high-ranking National Security Council job in 2017 and was also mentioned as a candidate to become the White House press secretary. But she dropped out of contention after the emergence of allegations that she plagiarized key passages in her 2012 book, What the (Bleep) Just Happened?, from Wikipedia and newspaper articles. The Association of Talent Agents, which represents major Hollywood agencies, said that the suit confirms that the W.G.A.s leadership is on a predetermined path to chaos. Knowing that it could take months or even years for this litigation to be resolved, W.G.A. leaders are unnecessarily forcing their members and our industry into long-term uncertainty, said Karen Stuart, the executive director of the A.T.A. While the legal process runs its course, we strongly believe that in the interim it remains in the best interests of writers to be represented by licensed talent agencies. The agencies have been steadfast in arguing that packaging fees benefit both writers and their representatives. The main interest of both camps the creation of hit shows is well served by the current arrangement, they say. The agencies have also said that, with the growing power of Netflix and other streaming services, writers need agents to defend their interests more than ever. In addition to the unions, eight accomplished writers signed onto the lawsuit, including Meredith Stiehm, the creator of the CBS series Cold Case, and David Simon, the creator of The Wire. Mr. Simon, in a widely shared entry he posted on his personal blog last month, wrote of packaging: It is theft. It is fraud. In the hands of the right U.S. attorney, it might even be prima facie evidence of decades of racketeering. In its suit, the W.G.A. argues that packaging fees violate California fiduciary duty law, saying that talent agents are required by law to be loyal to their clients and without conflict of interest. The filed complaint also argues that packaging fees violate Californias Unfair Competition Law, and says they violate a federal statue of the Labor-Management Relations Act, an anti-kickback provision of the Taft-Hartley Act. Members of the guild and their opponents at the agencies have shown united fronts, with only a few exceptions. Jon Robin Baitz, a writer working on a new Amazon series starring Julia Roberts, said in a letter to the W.G.A. that he would not cut ties with his representatives at the Creative Artists Agency. Investment fell, in part, because of concerns about how the kingdom which increasingly means Prince Mohammed confronts problems. In fall 2017, hundreds of Saudi businessmen and princes were detained, essentially under house arrest, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh and other locations amid corruption allegations. About a dozen female activists were arrested in May for campaigning for broader rights, including driving. Some are still being held on suspicion of harming Saudi interests, and their court hearings have been delayed multiple times, including this week. Things certainly got worse after the fall of 2017 and have not significantly improved, said Karen Young, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, referring to investment levels. But the promise of Saudi Arabia, which saw oil prices rise by a third this year to about $71 a barrel for Brent crude, has been too rich for many big companies to pass up. Google, JPMorgan Chase and the Japanese technology giant SoftBank are among the businesses that have kept Saudi Arabia as a partner. We thought long and hard, and concluded that the best course of action was to go forward, Adam Aron, the chief executive of AMC, said in an interview, describing his companys decision to open at least 40 new theaters there over the next five years. Its the right thing to do for the people of Saudi Arabia, he said this month. They have been deprived of going to the movies for decades. Want climate news in your inbox? Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter. WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Wednesday issued a regulation it said would impose new restrictions on asbestos, a deadly substance once commonly found in insulation materials. The final Environmental Protection Agency rule goes somewhat further than the initial version the agency had proposed , but public health advocates said it still fell short of the protections needed. Under the rule, the agency will require companies to obtain federal approval in order to domestically manufacture or import specific types of products using asbestos. Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, the E.P.A. assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention, said the rule would close the door on using asbestos without approval. Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have the ability to resist heat, fire and electricity but are also known carcinogens. Under the rule, if a company wanted to use the substance in any of 15 specific ways, including as a component in floor tile or roofing felt, it would have to seek E.P.A. review and approval. Previously banned asbestos items like pipe insulation would remain banned. Gregory Spoor got the distressing news about his wife on the morning of Jan. 16 while standing outside her room in the intensive care unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The doctor explained that Stephanie Spoor, 64, had contracted a rare, very rare, fungus. The physician said the fungus was called Candida auris, and it appeared to have entered her bloodstream through a catheter or other intravenous line during her treatment. Mr. Spoor sent a text to the couples four children. Hey guys, Im very sorry to do this via text but you need to know and not fair to wait until all of us are together, he wrote. The fungus mom has is the worst possible and can be terminal. He added: It is a day to day issue so I dont have any more answers or info at this time. Mr. Spoor, 67, an executive at a plumbing equipment company, wasnt the only one with few answers. C. auris, a germ that typically is resistant to major antifungal medications, has been quietly confounding doctors, hospitals and infectious disease scientists around the world. Mr. Chowla recalled an awareness session that Lepra held in a remote village in September of 2017. About one-quarter of the villages 1,000 residents attended and were examined, and nine cases were diagnosed. When Dr. Kumar heard about the cases, he immediately launched a district-wide awareness campaign. By November 2018, the reported prevalence of leprosy in that district had more than doubled, a sign that health officials were becoming more successful at finding hidden cases. The numbers of cases must first go up, as such cases are revealed, before they can go down, Dr. Kumar said. More important is that the number of visible deformities has fallen by 25 percent. It means we are preventing disability, he said. We are detecting cases early. And it also means we have cut down transmission at the community level. He has embraced the WHOs latest targets for leprosy, to be achieved by 2020: To decrease the number of new patients diagnosed with visible deformities to less than one per million, and the number of children with disabilities to zero. With luck, Siddammas children received treatment early enough to avoid disability. But it came at the cost of great effort. Few doctors in India are familiar with leprosy, and they are far between. To reach the leprosy clinic, Siddamma and her children woke early, took a three-wheeler from their home to a bus stop several miles away, then took a long bus ride to the clinic. The cost of the ticket was not trivial. Siddamma was tired. At one point, she unconsciously lapsed into her native Kannada from her patchy Telugu, the language spoken at the clinic. And she was worried about her youngest daughter who, despite three months of treatment, still has many patches on her arms. To make sure she is cured, Siddamma would need to make the long journey at least once more. Before reading the article: The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of the most iconic symbols of beauty and history in Paris, was engulfed in flames on Monday, leading to the collapse of part of its spire. What do you know about this French landmark? Have you ever visited? Have you seen it referenced in novels, films or history books? What is your reaction to the news? Watch the one-minute video of the fire above. Then, scroll through photos of the cathedral before and after the fire in the articles: Pictures of Notre-Dame Before the Fire: A Cathedral That Defined a City and Notre-Dame Fire Photos: Despair and Grief Amid Smoke and Flame. Next, respond to the following questions: What cultural and historical significance does the Notre-Dame have in Paris? How have people reacted to the fire that partly destroyed it? [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] Judith Clark, who as a young woman took part in a deadly robbery of a Brinks armored car that represented one of the last gasps of the violent left-wing extremism of the 1960s and 1970s, was paroled on Wednesday after being imprisoned in New York for 37 years, her lawyers said. Ms. Clark, 69, was the getaway driver in the bungled 1981 heist in a suburb of New York City in which two police officers and a guard were killed. After her arrest and during her trial, Ms. Clark remained defiant in her revolutionary beliefs. She said she was an anti-imperialist freedom fighter and maintained violence was a liberating force. But during her decades in prison, she has said she abandoned those beliefs and faced the pain she had caused the victims and their families. I had to grapple with what happened to my humanity, she said in 2017. She apologized, devoted herself to good works and became a model of rehabilitation. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] Four years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a plan to spend more than $325 million on a fleet of custom-built ferryboats and docks so that more of the citys neighborhoods would have a better transit connection. But since then, the costs of starting up a ferry service that links all five boroughs have almost doubled from Mr. de Blasios original commitment, which has drawn criticism from transit advocates, elected officials and government watchdogs. One complaint is that the service caters mainly to higher-earning residents at a time when the subways are still in need of repair and state officials are preparing to charge drivers to enter Manhattans busiest areas. The mayor has called such criticism very shortsighted. He has argued that the ferry service is providing a fast, affordable commuting option to neighborhoods that had long been transit deserts. On Wednesday its expected that city officials will have an opportunity to defend the mayors plan during a City Council hearing, where a committee will consider giving the city more say over how and where the ferries operate. Were hands-on property owners, he said. We take pride in our buildings. But if they pass a lot of these proposals I dont think wed be able to maintain my buildings in the manner my tenants are accustomed to having them maintained. Mr. Athineos said he routinely installed new kitchens and plumbing not necessarily to raise rents, but to prevent higher maintenance costs down the road in his buildings, which are more than 90 years old on average. Without the incentives, he said, he would likely put off renovations. These politicians know nothing about running housing. These are the people running Nycha, he said referring to the dismal conditions of the New York City Housing Authority. Are changes likely? Short answer: Yes. If real estate insiders and housing activists agree on one thing, its that Democratic-control of the legislature for only the third time in more than half a century all but ensures state rent laws will be revised this year. But its too early to determine what the changes might look like. Many activists and left-wing lawmakers have grown wary after the most recent budget cycle, which they said failed to deliver on key progressive policies. Others remain skeptical of Mr. Cuomo, who has raised millions of dollars from the real estate industry. As Cea Weaver, the campaign coordinator of Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition of tenant groups, put it: I wouldnt take anything for granted in Albany. Overlooked is a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. The ad in The Paris Herald called for a good-looking, brainy young woman willing to forswear skirts and rough it in Asia and Africa for an unspecified expedition. Be prepared, it said, to learn to work before and behind a movie camera. It was 1922. Idris Welsh, a 16-year-old student at a convent school in France who was crazy about movies, read the ad and was hooked. She applied and was given the job of mechanic in an ill-defined endeavor that involved filming a teams travels as it motored around in 1917 Model Ts. At 6 feet tall, blond and attractive, Idris quickly became the face of the expedition, which captured her adventures in a series of movie travelogues. She clocked 380,000 miles in the 1920s, traversing six continents, often in places where paved roads were unknown. Newspapers called her the Amelia Earhart of the open road. Dr. Richard Green, one of the earliest and most vocal critics of psychiatrys classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder, died on April 6 at his home in London. He was 82. The cause was esophageal cancer, his son, Adam Hines-Green, said. Dr. Green, who was also a forceful advocate for gay and transgender rights in a series of landmark discrimination trials, became aware of the marginalization of people because of their sexual and gender identities while training to be a doctor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a leader in the study of sexuality. In 1972, shortly after completing his specialty in psychiatry, he defied the advice of colleagues and wrote a paper in The International Journal of Psychiatry questioning the premise that homosexuality is a disease or a homosexual is inferior. At the time, three years after the protests against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York, a turning point in the gay rights movement, psychiatrys diagnostic manual classified homosexuality as a mental disorder, and publicly arguing otherwise came with professional risks. Its also why we should be skeptical of Mark Zuckerbergs announcement that Facebook will become a more privacy-focused platform that emphasizes features like ephemeral, expiring information. Truly ephemeral communications are certainly obscure, but its unclear what information Facebook will scrub on the front end (for users) and the back end (from the company). The companys history suggests we shouldnt let our guard down. Obscurity is also a better way to understand Europes right to be forgotten law, which cant make anyone forget anything, but can make the remnants of your awkward youth harder to find online. Finally, consider cognitive limitations. Facial recognition technology poses an immense danger to society because it can be used to overcome biological constraints on how many individuals anyone can recognize in real time. If its use continues to grow and the right regulations arent instituted, we might lose the ability to go out in public without being recognized by the police, our neighbors and corporations. Creating strong regulations for the technology is going to be an uphill battle, especially because its already become widespread, being deployed at airports to make boarding easier and adopted by schools to increase safety. It is even being used at summer camps so parents can automatically receive photos in which their children appear. Threats to our obscurity are growing because technology is making our personal information easy and cheap to aggregate, archive and interpret with substantial growth in predictive analytics, too. To see what we mean, just look yourself up on the website MyLife and marvel at how much information has been cobbled together from different moments in your life for anyone to see at the click of a button. Even speaking in hushed tones to a friend at a crowded cafe might not be enough to protect your obscurity if cameras are someday equipped with lip-reading artificial intelligence software. Obscurity is vital to our well-being for several reasons. It gives us breathing room to go about our daily routines with little fear of being judged, sent unwanted ads, gossiped about or needlessly shamed. [As technology advances, will it continue to blur the lines between public and private? Sign up for Charlie Warzels limited-run newsletter to explore whats at stake and what you can do about it.] To the Editor: Re Anti-Zionists Deserve Free Speech (column, April 16): Michelle Goldberg would have a legitimate point to make if she had limited her argument to the decision to bar the entry of Omar Barghouti to the United States. As despicable as his views are as the founder of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, he is clear that B.D.S. intends to delegitimize the state of Israel, which he seeks to dismantle there is an argument to be made that that should not have disqualified him from entering the United States. But Ms. Goldberg uses the decision blocking Mr. Barghoutis entry to brand critics of B.D.S. as denying the right of free speech to anti-Israel activists on campus. In reality, B.D.S. activities and speakers abound on campuses around the country, even though their actions often stoke anti-Semitism and intimidate Jewish students. Underlying her argument is an attempt to stifle the legitimate outrage that so many Americans, Jews and non-Jews, have about a concerted effort to delegitimize Israel, Americas ally. To the Editor: Altered Genes, a U.S. Adviser and an Inquiry (front page, April 14) and its follow-up, Stanford Clears Professor in Gene-Editing (news article, April 17), examine an academic advisers role in the Chinese gene-editing experiment, but they also highlight broader problems with the ethical oversight of experiments on humans in many countries. It is easy for American scientists to argue that possible ethical lapses of which they become aware are not their responsibility because an institutional review board, or I.R.B., will or did address these questions. But this case also underscores the need to establish more robust systems of oversight. The I.R.B. system is not foolproof. The number of retractions of published research articles is rapidly rising. Unfortunately, I.R.B.s in the United States and elsewhere usually operate behind closed doors, not making their cases or decisions public, and even in the United States they are often understaffed and underfunded. This unfortunate case should prompt much stronger systems of ethical oversight . Robert Klitzman New York The writer, a psychiatrist, is the director of the masters of bioethics program at Columbia University. I like Mayor Pete because the way he talks about being openly gay shows strength of character. I heard this comment not at a political rally or an informal gathering of the like-minded, but in church. At my church, to be precise, during coffee hour following the weekly service. When the congregants sitting around the table in our church basement heard this opinion about the Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, they all nodded in agreement. Mr. Buttigiegs ability to articulate his sexual orientation through the lens of faith has captured public attention and drawn him into a theological spat with Vice President Mike Pence. The fact that the first openly gay major presidential candidate is also a Christian is indeed remarkable, a milestone in the visibility of L.G.B.T. people of faith. Yet it is also the result of a process that has been taking place in American religion for decades. Pete Buttigieg is not the first openly gay Christian. Rather, he is the product of a slow-moving but steady trend among faith communities to acknowledge the inherent theological value of the spiritual experience of L.G.B.T. people. In the process, American religion is becoming less straight. Mr. Buttigiegs popularity demonstrates the appetite for a mainstream narrative of religion beyond reflexive associations with social conservatism. But it also signals the budding of a queerer soul of this society. The L.G.B.T. community increasingly is finding a home in houses of faith. The latest Pew Research Center study found that just over half of L.G.B.T. adults claim a religious affiliation. The growing portion of organized religion that affirms same-sex marriage and queer leadership sits within this landscape alongside lively pockets of welcome within traditions with officially homophobic policies. In its manifesto, the Congress party promised to remove the sedition law, which has been much abused and is seen as a relic of a colonial state. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws, Mr. Modi said Pakistan too wants this. It wants a free hand for those who want to work against India. The prime minister was raising the nationalist pitch and repeating what he has honed in his five years in power: branding all dissent and disagreement with his views as a bid to weaken the nation. [Follow coverage of the Indian elections in The New York Times.] A tactic that Mr. Modi and his party have used in the hope of getting Indians to shed their argumentative nature and conform to their interpretation of militant nationalism is an unprecedented exaltation of the Indian armed forces. They seem to have taken a leaf out of the Iranian playbook by seeking to create a cult of martyrdom by constant references to slain Indian soldiers as martyrs. The usage has been amplified by a largely compliant mass media. Last week, Yogi Adityanath, who was appointed as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous Indian state, in 2017 by Mr. Modi, described the Indian Army as Modis army. Mr. Adityanath, a firebrand Hindu ascetic, who faces many accusations of stoking and participating in religious violence, was only crudely stating what his leader had already conveyed in a calibrated and effective manner. A few days after his Modis army remark, Mr. Adityanath continued with the strategy of religious polarization by painting Indias leading opposition parties as Muslim parties that were fighting his Hindu party. The Samajwadi Party has significant support among lower-castes and Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, and the Bahujan Samaj Party has serious support among Indias Dalits and is headed by Kumari Mayawati, the first Dalit woman to be a chief minister in India. The two parties have formed a coalition to fight Mr. Modis B.J.P. in these elections. Ms. Mayawati responded by calling upon Indias Muslims about 15 percent of the population not to split their votes among various parties, as that would benefit the B.J.P. Both Mr. Adityanath and Ms. Mayawati have been temporarily barred from campaigning by the Election Commission of India, which conducts the elections, for directly calling upon Hindus and Muslims for their votes. The Hindu nationalists frame the threat posed by the Muslim minority by associating them with Pakistan and by raising the specter of an increased Muslim population with illegal immigration of Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, who are described as infiltrators. This fear of immigrants is the staple of right-wing populists from President Trump to Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary. But nowhere is the fear more imaginary than in India, where the Hindu majority of 965 million dwarfs the Muslim minority of about 170 million, and where the two communities have lived together for over 1,000 years. But for a man with Mr. Modis rhetorical skill, facts are easy to set aside. A lot of people thought she couldnt win in a deeply conservative state. But what her Republican opponent failed to see and account for is that the state has become increasingly diverse. According to a report by New American Economy, since 2016 Oklahomas fifth district alone added more than 6,000 Hispanic and Asian-American voters, and lost more than 2,050 white voters. Indeed nearly 30 percent of Latinos who cast a ballot in 2018 said they were voting in a midterm for the first time. I watched many of my classmates and peers who had supported the Republican ticket switch parties as I did. Im also not alone in being personally affected by the politics of immigration. Republicans dont seem to understand that they cant afford to alienate voters like me. Research by the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern Californias Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration found that nationwide about 16.7 million people live in a household with at least one unauthorized family member. Young voters also tend to favor sensible and humane immigration policy reform. A study by GenForward at the University of Chicago found that more than 80 percent of 18-to 34-year-olds in all racial and ethnic groups support a pathway to citizenship for all law-abiding undocumented immigrants. And according to the Pew Research Center, 76 percent of millennials believe that immigrants make the country stronger. When I look at our current leaders, I dont see any of the values Christian or otherwise that originally drew me to the Republican Party. Instead, I see Mr. Trumps reprehensible calculation to separate children from their parents and his callous indifference to 800,000 Dreamers, many of whom know no country but the United States. This country especially young voters like me are tired of partisan, negative rhetoric. Thats why 43 House seats flipped from Republican to Democratic in November. Thats why young people like me have switched parties. Last year I took the Spring semester off to work as a legislative intern for Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. It was deeply meaningful for me, as a young Republican, to have the opportunity to work for the first Latina elected to Congress, in the very district I grew up in. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen worked for her constituents, even if it meant breaking with party lines. I admired that. In a hole in the ground there lived a man writing The Hobbit. O. K., it wasnt a hole in the ground; it was 20 Northmoor Road in Oxford, England, where, in the drawing room of a spacious, comfortable home, Prof. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, and later Lord of the Rings. Meanwhile, in a room in an apartment in Chicago, there lived a man writing The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion. This was Henry Darger: American author, outsider artist and visionary. His 15,145-page, single-space manuscript describes an epic world of fantastical beasts and charmed children, fighting against a system in which the young are enslaved. His book and its accompanying illustrations were unknown until after his death, when they were discovered in his apartment, 851 West Webster Avenue, in Lincoln Park. I thought about these two overlapping lives last week Tolkien the professor, Darger the hospital janitor. Two Catholics, orphaned young, both born in 1892, both dying in 1973. I was taking in the exhibition of Tolkiens manuscripts and maps and artwork at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. There I stared at the relics of Middle-earth: original manuscripts, watercolors, a roughed-out map of Gondor in the authors own hand. Unwavering commitment to the journalistic cause, even against a dangerous backdrop, was in Mr. Darntons DNA. He was just 11 months old when his father Byron (Barney) Darnton, a war correspondent for The New York Times, was killed while reporting in what is now Papua New Guinea in October 1942. Following in his fathers footsteps, Mr. Darnton started his career as a copy boy, running a mimeograph machine for the New York Times news syndicate in 1966. He also had stints on the photo and metro desks, and as a foreign correspondent, before arriving in Warsaw in 1979. The imposition of martial law in Poland, a country already ravaged by the Nazi invasion in 1939, created a host of challenges for everyday Poles. For journalists trying to tell the stories of the Solidarity movement a free trade union that transformed into a mass movement for liberalization in Poland the stakes were high and extremely risky. Mr. Darnton and other Western journalists found ingenious ways to circumvent government censorship and work within the limits of martial law to file articles back home. His first method was simple: Approach strangers. If you consider that I wrote about a dozen stories and had three copies of each , Mr. Darnton said, that is 36 times that I approached people in the country and asked them to carry the copy for me and none, that I recall, declined. Mr. Darnton did not ask the travelers to deliver the copy by hand. Instead, he scribbled the phone number of The New York Timess foreign desk on the top of each article and asked his carriers to call The Times as soon as they arrived in a Western country. These aides then proceeded to dictate the story, start to finish, including punctuation, to a Times employee on the other end of the phone. Mr. Darnton does not know which copy of each article made it back to Times headquarters. He was not in touch with anyone outside of Poland for weeks at a time. St. Paul | $334,900 A 1924 Craftsman bungalow with three bedrooms and two bathrooms The Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul has a mix of single-family home styles and prices. This bungalow is at the modest end. It is four blocks from the Mississippi River, close to three college campuses and a block and a half from the original Snuffys Malt Shop. Size: 1,438 square feet Price per square foot: $233 Indoors: Entry is through an unheated porch, into a living room with narrow-strip wood floors and a vintage-tile fireplace surround and hearth. The dining room is through an archway with decorative scrolls and has picture-rail molding. The kitchen was renovated a few years ago with new granite counters, lighting, stainless steel appliances and a center island on wheels, so that you can slide it to the side if you want more room for cooking. The main floor also includes two bedrooms and a bathroom with a combined bath-and-shower clad in subway and mosaic tile. Upstairs, under the roof gable, is a third bedroom with a closet. A second bathroom with a shower is on the basement level, along with two rooms that could be finished as bedrooms. If youre grossed out nonetheless, consider cleaning the toilet seat with an alcohol-based wipe before you sit down, suggested Dr. David Jay Weber, an epidemiologist and physician at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. You can also line the seat with toilet paper, but try not to touch the seat in the process and keep in mind that the paper you line the seat with may also have germs on it, because the last time the toilet was flushed, it probably aerosolized germs from the toilet into the air, which may have settled on the paper youre using. What about squatting? Research suggests that most women prefer squatting over a toilet seat to avoid germ and urine exposure. But some doctors worry that this position can make it hard to fully relax the pelvic floor, which could pose risks. Some research suggests, for instance, that women who squat take longer to urinate and dont release all of their urine, which could increase the risk for urinary tract infections. But in healthy individuals, these risks are most likely small, said Dr. Doreen Chung, a urologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. And its far better to squat than to eschew the restroom entirely, she said. There are patients who hold in their urine who are then unable to relax their pelvic floor musculature to urinate, she said. But if you do squat, be kind and clean up after yourself if need be. (Ladies, you know what Im talking about.) Most public toilets dont have lids, but if yours does, close the lid before flushing to minimize the number of germs released into the air. Either way, exit the stall as quickly as possible after flushing, Dr. Weber said. Wash and dry your hands, and dont touch anything after you do. Its very important to wash your hands after using a public bathroom they will inevitably get germy because of what youve touched. A 2011 study, for instance, found fecal bacteria on public bathroom flush handles as well as skin-related bacteria, including staphylococci and streptococci, on bathroom doors, stall doors, faucet handles and soap dispensers. Yet many people either dont wash their hands or dont do it the right way. There are areas people miss, like the back of the tops of the fingers, said Dr. Matthew Zahn, chairman of the Infectious Diseases Society of Americas public health committee. Dr. Weber suggested washing for at least 15 seconds with water at a comfortable temperature so that you arent inclined to rush. Think twice, though, before using your just-washed hands to turn off the faucet. Thats probably the dirtiest place in the bathroom, said Dr. Judy Stone, a Maryland-based infectious disease physician after all, everyone turns on the faucet with dirty hands. Instead, consider drying your hands with a paper towel and then using that towel to turn off the faucet. (If its an automatic faucet, congratulations: You just won the lottery. If there are no paper towels, use toilet paper or an alcohol wipe if you have one.) At first, Mr. Truaxe seemed improved upon Ms. Kilners return. He was in the Toronto office infrequently, which helped Ms. Kilner and the rest of the team to get things done. But it became clear that he would not return to being the person he had been. At one point, in late summer, he and Ms. Kilner spent hours together in a New York restaurant talking about new products, one of the most normal exchanges she had with him in months. She texted her husband, telling him that she wanted to cry with happiness. Ten minutes later, Mr. Truaxe got up and said he had to leave the restaurant because people were in there watching him. In August, Mr. Truaxe and Ms. Kilner cut off Deciems relationship with Beautylish. Mr. Johnson said that in the meeting, Mr. Truaxe seemed to be having one of his episodic experiences and that he talked at length about subjects that were unrelated to the business. (Mr. Johnson has not forgiven Ms. Kilner. He sees her as having enabled Mr. Truaxes darker tendencies; it was she who sent the email terminating the relationship.) In an email sent on Oct. 1, Mr. Truaxe addressed the distrust for him that had grown rampant at his company. He wrote, referring to himself by his own initials and in the third person, that I recognize that many of you may have allowed doubt to cloud your judgment of B.T., despite much kindness, love, respect and generosity that our founder has shown us. Eight days later, he announced on Instagram that the company would stop all operations and close down its own stores, provoking pandemonium within the company and a run on its merchandise from a consumer base worried that their preferred products would soon be unavailable. Three days later, Estee Lauder Companies successfully sued to have Mr. Truaxe removed from Deciem . Ms. Kilner, then seven months pregnant, replaced him as chief executive. It was bound to happen. Toothpaste, perhaps the last part of your daily grooming regimen that had not been gussied up, has now been rethought. Chic dental care has arrived. It wasnt so long ago that toothpaste, floss and mouthwashes were perfunctory products meant to clean but also to instill a certain amount of fear (ack, cavities! bad breath? lose all your friends!). That was the epiphany Craig Dubitsky, the founder of Hello oral care, experienced a few years ago when standing in his local drugstore in Manhattan. Everything was a big swath of blue and a big swath of red, like the cola wars, said Mr. Dubitsky, who formerly worked at Eos, a company he helped found that makes lip balms and other skin-care products. And why am I seeing a picture of an extracted tooth on the products? Or a staff wrapped with snakes. Then I started reading the ingredients, and it was things like triclosan and saccharin. The F.D.A. banned triclosan for hand soap, but you could still put it in your mouth. I thought it was insane. Mr. Dubitsky set out to rethink the whole category. He ditched what he called the emotional scare tactics and branded his line with the friendliest word he could think of: Hello. Then he hired a formulator to work with him on products like charcoal toothpaste and mouthwashes with aloe vera. That primitive dairy was just across from the site of Di Palos new space, which is elegant, cool and sleekly designed. With a Carrara marble counter, slate floors, reclaimed wood walls and cream leather banquettes, it resembles the set of a sexy modernist Italian film. We want to maintain tradition with a new trend, to relate the story to a new generation, says Jessica Di Palo Canal, Maries daughter and a fifth generation Di Palo, who, along with her cousins Sam and Caitlin Di Palo (Lous kids), is a driving force behind the wine business and the new osteria. My son Sam is crazy about Ingo Maurer, says Lou, proud if a little wry, pointing to the fabulous light fixtures hanging over the bespoke pewter bar. A doting father, he believes its the job of each generation to enable the next to express its ambitions and desires. Family is everything, he says. Above the front door is a sign that reads C. Di Palo. My grandmother, Lou explains. Shes been gone since 1956, but her spirit is here. In for an early peek, Linda Schulze, a longtime customer and neighbor her husband, the photographer John Matturri, bought their nearby loft in 1979 says, You just cant get this food anywhere else. If Di Palos ever leaves the neighborhood, we leave the neighborhood. In New York, where we whine and moan, kvetch and groan, every time something is torn down, but are equally irritated when something loses its edge, Di Palos is one of the few institutions that seems delicately balanced between past and present, a place where local history matters and runs deep. Squint a little back on Mott Street, or watch The Godfather, and you can see Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone buying oranges in front of 131 Mott. Lou recalls his mother making the mozzarella when this unkempt guy came in, and she knows hes from the film crew, so she tells him theres a lot of detail thats wrong and he should change it. I say to her, Do you know who that was, Ma? It was Francis Ford Coppola; he became a fan and a customer. How do New York Times journalists use technology in their jobs and in their personal lives? Thomas Fuller, a national correspondent based in San Francisco, discussed the tech hes using. As a national reporter, you often find yourself caught in breaking news situations. What tech do you use when covering mass shootings? How about when covering fires? My previous job was Southeast Asia correspondent, and I would lug around a satellite phone on trips to remote places like northern Myanmar. When I arrived in San Francisco three years ago, I didnt think I would need it. But the California wildfires of the last two years knocked out cell coverage, especially the wine country fires of 2017. So the satellite phone became indispensable for filing on tight deadlines. I put the phone, which is about the size of a laptop, on the roof of the car, pointed it toward the satellite and ran a cable through the window into the front seat, where I plugged into my laptop. Shani Buggs is part of the new generation of gun researchers. When she went to school for public health seven years ago, she didnt even know that violence was a subject she could pursue. Shes now a postdoctoral fellow at the gun violence center at U.C. Davis, studying interactions between drug markets, policing and urban gun violence. Ms. Buggs said that the new money had not been her only motivator, but that it did make her feel more secure about her future. Its exciting, she said. Whats most exciting about it is that the increase in dollars will bring more researchers to the field. In an Upshot survey last year, researchers expressed interest in knowing more about many subjects, including the factors that lead individuals to commit gun violence Ms. Buggss focus. They also sought research into how criminals obtain their guns and the effects of various gun policies, such as new state laws that allow courts to temporarily confiscate guns from people who are deemed a risk to commit violence. Such legislation has passed in 14 states 11 since 2016. Research publications on gun violence also appear to be rising, reflecting an enhanced interest by journal editors, not just scholars. Theres new names on a lot of these publications, said Ted Alcorn, an instructor at Columbia whose analysis of gun-related science publications over the past few decades was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. His study found that gun research had declined as a share of science research since the mid-1990s, but that it began to rise sharply in 2012, the year of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut. The C.D.C. effectively stopped funding original research on gun violence after the passage of legislation in 1996 (the Dickey Amendment) that barred the use of C.D.C. funds to advocate or promote gun control. Republican legislators had objected to government-funded research concluding that having a gun in the home increased the risk of harm. But even before the Dickey amendment, the C.D.C. spent just $2.6 million a year on gun violence research. The National Institutes of Health funds some gun-related research, but not much. To many parents, the school closings and the frenzied manhunt drove fears that Columbine still had the power to captivate would-be attackers and that the community would never be free from the massacre, which took place on April 20, 1999, and left 12 students and one teacher dead. What does this mean for tomorrow and the next day? asked Dana Gutwein, 34, who has a first grader and third grader in the Jefferson County Public Schools District, which includes Columbine. Ms. Gutwein was unsure whether she would immediately let her children go back to class when the hundreds of schools that had closed on Wednesday reopen. Ive felt like Im on the verge of throwing up since this started, she said. Across the Denver metro area, parents struggled to find the right words to explain the latest safety warnings to children who have grown up in an anxious era of lockdowns and active-shooter drills. At Columbine, students who were organizing a day of service to mark the 20-year anniversary saw their preparations eclipsed by emergency text messages from the school district, news alerts on their phones and dread. This week our message was supposed to be about love and recommitment, said Rachel Hill, 17, a senior at Columbine. But now all the news surrounding Columbine is about fear. Some parents said they told their children to play close to home on Wednesday. Others shook their heads at how a threat from one teenager could keep half a million students home from school and throw an entire city into panic. PITTSBURGH Last summer, a woman in northern Alabama who law enforcement officials said was a prostitute typed a message to a doctor: Can u get any Xanax. The doctor replied: What makes you think I know a Xanax source? Just below, he added a smiley face, and then described his home as the Fun House. The doctor was one of the scores of medical professionals across seven states who were charged by federal prosecutors on Wednesday with schemes to illegally distribute millions of pain pills. Opioid prescriptions were exchanged for sex in some cases, and for cash with an added concierge fee in others. One doctor was accused of routinely prescribing opioids to friends on Facebook. Prosecutors said the doctor in northern Alabama recruited prostitutes and other young women with whom he had sexual relationships to become his patients. He also opened his home to people using heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, they said, in a criminal complaint, adding that police officers had been to the house several times concerning overdoses and other complaints. Pedophile with 4 victims 10 counts, Ms. Foxx said in the message. Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16. On a case eligible for deferred prosecution I think its indicative of something we should be looking at generally. She added: Just because we can charge something doesnt mean we should. Since January, the peculiar, roller coaster case involving Mr. Smollett has exposed an array of divisions and disagreements among Chicagos leaders, and hundreds of text and email messages released this week from and to Ms. Foxx only underscored those tensions. The messages involving Ms. Foxx and her office also suggested that Ms. Foxx remained aware of developments in the case even as she publicly distanced herself from it. The messages also paint a picture of a prosecutors office that failed at first to grasp the level of attention on the case, appearing overwhelmed by the criticism it faced when it abruptly announced in late March that it was dropping all of the criminal charges against Mr. Smollett. Ms. Foxx, who was elected as Cook Countys states attorney three years ago amid criticism of her predecessors handling of a police shooting case, has faced her own firestorm over the Smollett case, and lingering questions about her role in it and about her offices handling of it. In February, Eddie Johnson, the Chicago police superintendent, held an impassioned news conference to accuse Mr. Smollett, who is black and gay, of staging an attack on himself on Jan. 29 to seek publicity. Mr. Smollett had told detectives that two men placed a rope around his neck, poured a chemical on him and used the phrase MAGA country, referencing President Trumps campaign slogan. But Superintendent Johnson said the report was faked, flatly stating: Mr. Smollett is the one who orchestrated this crime. Mr. Smollett has maintained his innocence. The steep rise in the number of people suffering opioid addiction has helped spawn the widespread use of another substance: kratom, a green powdered herbal supplement that is widely available and virtually unregulated. Derived from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and sold in the United States online and in bodegas and head shops, kratom has long been used as a mood booster, energy supplement and pain reliever. It is also increasingly being used by those who swear by it as a curb for opioid addiction. Some veterans also say it helps control symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Several million Americans are now believed to use kratom. One is Andrew Turner, whose PTSD, herniated discs and movement problems affecting his face and neck were so severe after multiple deployments with the Navy that he took as many as 20 prescription medications, including opioids, daily. I was on the path to suicide, and losing hope, Mr. Turner said. Good morning. (Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.) Overheard LA is an Instagram account that lightly skewers a certain strain of millennial culture that seems to flourish in Los Angeles. Its founder, Jesse Margolis, started the account which now has 1.2 million followers and seven spinoffs, including Overheard San Francisco on a whim in 2015, after listening to a stereotypically L.A. conversation at a health food store. Now, Mr. Margolis is steering the brand in a new direction, with (gasp) a printed newspaper, The Overheard Post, which features a millennial weather report and satirical obituaries for things like plastic straws. The brand now has five staff members and employs freelancers. Recently, I talked to Mr. Margolis about getting Overheard ready for life after Instagram. Heres our conversation, edited and condensed for length and clarity: Jill Cowan: Hi Jesse, thanks for taking the time to talk. WASHINGTON The Trump administration now has clearance from the courts to begin a stringent new policy that will prevent many migrants outside Mexico from obtaining asylum in the United States the latest move to stem the record-setting numbers of migrant families arriving on the southern border, many of them fleeing the threat of death in their violence-plagued home countries. The new rule, which requires migrants to apply for and be denied asylum in at least one country on their way their way to the southwest border, is one of the most far-reaching immigration policies put in place so far by the Trump administration and will prevent most of those coming from outside Mexico from obtaining protections at the southwest border. Clearance from the Supreme Court this week to carry out the policy was a major victory for the Trump administration, which made restricting both legal and illegal immigration a priority. But the new rules will not shut down the border to immigrants or lead to a sharp drop in border crossings, at least not right away. Migrants will still have options for other protections, although they will be much more difficult to obtain. Heres a look at the state of asylum protections for migrants: What is asylum and who can seek it? Asylum is a legal process by which people fleeing persecution in their home country may seek to live in safety in the United States. International treaties and federal law require the government to evaluate a claim for asylum from anyone who enters the United States, whether that person arrives legally, through a port of entry or illegally by crossing the border and being apprehended. 2014: Russia sends troops into Ukraine and occupies the Crimean Peninsula. That helps set in motion a chain of events that brings us to here. I call it the Russian witch hunt. The public release of special counsel Robert Muellers report, the investigation into whether people associated with Donald Trumps campaign Lock him up! conspired with Russia in 2016 Its a whole big fat hoax. and whether Trump or his aides tried to obstruct this investigation. The people doing that investigation, theyre dirty cops. So how did we get here, from this to this? There was no collusion, theres no Russia. O.K., starting with Crimea, Russia enters and eventually annexes the region from Ukraine. The U.S. supports Ukraines government, so the U.S. responds with sanctions. To impose a cost on Russia. Russia decides to strike back to undermine U.S. democracy. Show me what hypocrisy looks like! How? Use Americas polarized politics to turn people against each other. Dont shoot! Perfect timing, because its 2015, and here comes the presidential election. The months tick by. Trump does well. I consider myself the presumptive nominee. Then several members of his campaign get approached by people with ties to Russia. Those people claim to have information that can hurt the Hillary Clinton campaign. See, the Russians dont like Clinton. They dont want her to become president. They say that she meddled in Russian affairs when she was secretary of state. But Trump Wouldnt it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Then we learned that Russian hackers had infiltrated the Democratic National Committees computer system. And just over a month later, Wikileaks publishes 20,000 hacked Democratic emails. All of this makes the F.B.I. more suspicious of Russian meddling and suspicious of ties between Trump campaign aides and Moscow. Trumps campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort, denies this. We have no relationship. The F.B.I. investigates. Then election victory, and the stakes get higher. President Obama gets ready to leave office. But before he does The Russians were responsible for hacking the D.N.C. he announces new sanctions on Russia. Enter Michael Flynn, Trumps soon-to-be national security adviser. He urges Russias U.S. ambassador from Moscow not to retaliate over those Obama sanctions. Russia agrees. Thats a problem because Trump hasnt been inaugurated yet. Flynn isnt part of the U.S. government. He may have broken federal law by doing this. Then So help me God. Soon Flynn has to resign because he misled the vice president and others I was disappointed. about those conversations with the Russian ambassador. These chats become part of the F.B.I. investigation into Russian ties with the Trump campaign. The day after Flynn resigns, Trump meets with F.B.I. Director James Comey. According to Comey, Trump asked him to stop investigating Flynn. I took it as this is what he wants me to do. Three months after that meeting, Trump fires Comey. According to the White House He fired him because he was not fit to do the job. Its that simple. Eight days later, the Justice Department taps former F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller to lead the investigation now that Comey is gone. His inquiry now includes Comeys firing. Did Trump try to obstruct the investigation by asking Comey to stop investigating Flynn? Lets move ahead to five months after Mueller took the job. He begins charging several Trump associates with a variety of crimes, like lying to the F.B.I. and bank fraud. See, thats important because they may have information that helps Muellers investigation. He can offer them lesser punishments in exchange for that information. Now its been almost 11 months since Mueller took over the investigation. And who gets caught up in this? Michael Cohen, Trumps personal lawyer. Hes mostly charged with crimes that arent part of the Mueller investigation. Mr. Cohen will continue to cooperate. But Mueller wants to talk to him to see if he knows anything about Trump business dealings in Russia while Trump was running for president. How do you feel about you may have changed an election? By the time Cohen testifies before Congress, its clear hes done being loyal to Trump. He is a racist. He is a con man. And he is a cheat. And so we come to the present, about five years since Russia annexed Crimea. The investigation You wouldnt oversee a witch hunt, would you? speculation There was no anything, so thats the nice part. and anticipation Robert Mueller may be ready to submit his findings. are all in the past. Only the future will tell us how the Mueller report will go down in American history. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. In the bustling South Florida high school where she was a senior, Sol Pais blended into the background, a quiet presence who took honors English and Advanced Placement studio art classes and did not strike classmates or teachers as deeply troubled. Instead, Ms. Pais, 18, seemed to share her darkest thoughts online. Images of a handwritten journal, signed with Ms. Paiss full name, showed a young woman in prolonged despair. Journal entries dated over the past year included admissions to harboring increasingly extreme views and to looking forward to acquiring a firearm. She felt, Ms. Pais appears to have written, like a pot of scalding water on the verge of boiling over. On Wednesday, the police found Ms. Pais dead of an apparent self-inflicted shotgun wound near the base of Mount Evans in Jefferson County, Colo., more than 2,000 miles away from home. Officials in Colorado had been searching for her for 24 hours, saying they believed her to be infatuated with the mass shooting at Columbine High School in April 1999, and that she had flown to Denver on a pilgrimage. Hundreds of Colorado schools were closed on Wednesday as a precaution. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has not been seen since he was deposed as Sudans president last week, has been moved to a prison in the capital where he once confined those who challenged his nearly 30-year rule, according to two former advisers. The throngs of Sudanese protesters who forced the ouster of Mr. al-Bashir last Thursday have demanded that he be arrested and put on trial. Until now, the generals who have taken power have said only that he was being held in a safe place, but not where. Mr. al-Bashir is under indictment by the International Criminal Court at The Hague for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Those charges relate to the atrocities his regime oversaw in the 2000s in Darfur, a province in the countrys west. It is unclear whether he will be extradited. Mr. al-Bashir was taken to Kober prison in Khartoum, according to Osama Nabil Sobhi, the president of the Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, which served as an advisory board to Mr. al-Bashir. LIMA, Peru A former president of Peru died on Wednesday after shooting himself in the head when the authorities tried to arrest him in connection with one of the biggest corruption scandals in Latin American history. When the authorities arrived at the home of the former president, Alan Garcia, with an arrest warrant, he locked himself into his bedroom, shot himself and was rushed to a hospital, his personal secretary told reporters. The charges relate to Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction giant, which last year admitted to $800 million in payoffs in exchange for lucrative contracts for projects including roads, dams and bridges. The company was a main builder across Latin America, where it profited from a commodities boom that led to a huge spike in infrastructure construction. The revelation that Odebrecht had secured contracts through graft set off a flurry of investigations by prosecutors and lawmakers, principally in Latin America, as they sought to learn who was on the receiving end of the payments. JAKARTA, Indonesia President Joko Widodo of Indonesia led by a comfortable margin in unofficial returns in his re-election bid on Wednesday, as he appeared to fend off a challenge by a four-time presidential candidate supported by hard-line Islamists. Mr. Joko, who is seeking a second five-year term, has made expanding social programs and building roads, airports, seaports and transit lines high priorities, and his approach appeared to be paying off with voters across the sprawling archipelago. His opponent, Prabowo Subianto, tried to win popular support by attacking evil elites who he said had undermined the country. Mr. Prabowo was once married to a daughter of Suharto, the dictator who ruled Indonesia for three decades up to 1998, and he was dismissed from the army decades ago for ordering his troops to kidnap activists. Unofficial vote counts had Mr. Joko leading by roughly 10 percentage points. Official ballot counts in the far-flung island nation take weeks, but the winner usually becomes apparent hours after the voting through so-called quick counts, in which independent polling companies tally ballots from a sampling of polling places nationwide. KABUL, Afghanistan A brothers sandals. A flag of Afghanistan. A daughters favorite toy. These are some of the remnants of lives lost to violence. The prosaic belongings, collected in handmade wooden containers, are displayed in the frigid basement of a house in Kabul. They are the possessions of the dead, lovingly preserved by family members of Afghans killed during the past 40 years of conflict. An exhibition of these everyday items from scarves and robes to teacups and poems seeks to memorialize a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have died violently since 1979 in Afghanistan, a country that rarely pauses to remember its victims. Each so-called memory box includes a narrative composed by loved ones about the life lost, making each tragedy personal. MONTREAL The return of conservatives to power in oil-rich Alberta adds another province to a growing bloc of opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and his government. Returns late Tuesday night showed the United Conservative Party led by Jason Kenney, a former Conservative federal cabinet minister, leading the New Democratic Party under Rachel Notley by a substantial margin. While neither Mr. Trudeau nor his Liberal Party has ever been particularly popular in Alberta, the loss of a left-of-center ally is not welcome news for him six months before the federal election. Mr. Trudeau has been weakened by allegations from a former attorney general that he improperly intervened in a criminal case. Much of Mr. Kenneys campaign fed on economic and political frustration in the province, which has been afflicted by job losses in the energy industry since the global collapse of oil prices more than four years ago. FRANNIE: Can you get your lens in that hole there? Thats a little monument that the locals put up in memory of the children. And just inside that wall there is where we came across the chamber with the remains in it. There used to be a little apple orchard in there, and thats what we were doing, we were getting apples. So we jumped off the wall, and when we landed we felt a hollow and there was a crack in the slab, so we actually pried it open. When we pulled it across like you could see there were skeleton remains like, bones. We were told then the next day that the priest had come up and said a prayer and not to go in there again, but we went in straight away, and the whole site had been leveled - cleared. TITLE: THE CHILDREN OF TUAM Text card: Throughout 20th century Ireland, the children of unmarried women were forced to live in Mother and Baby homes - institutions financed by the government and managed by the Catholic Church. Text card: This is the only known photo of the St. Marys Mother and baby home in Tuam, Ireland. CATHERINE CORLESS The home was always surrounded in mystique because...nobody was allowed in. We used to walk to school at the time. I lived about two and a half miles out... We always passed those ten foot high walls. And I always remember, especially on a frosty morning, youd see the glass shining on top of the walls. And I used to wonder why was there broken glass all along the top of the wall? CATHERINE CORLESS I remember the children at school just vaguely. And I do remember they were segregated from the rest of us - we werent allowed to play with the. Like a different species, at the time. And I suppose at the back of my mind it was there in the sub conscious... wondering about the children. TEXT: PJ Haverty Lived in the home until age 7 PJ HAVERTY: I cannot remember an awful lot of it because ... there was no love, there was no care. TEXT: Carmel Larkin Lived in the home until age 5 CARMEL LARKIN There was a hedge each side of us, and a crowd of us walking. Thats the only memory I have. TEXT: Peter Mulryan Lived in the home until age 4 MULRYAN: I have no memories of it. I was there for four and half years. PJ HAVERTY: what happened in the home - you know it can happen to you - that you can block things out at such a young age. Nat sound: wind in grass PJ HAVERTY My mother got pregnant outside of marriage, and of course that was a big sin. And the priest in the parish got to hear about it. ...and told her parents that it was an awful disgrace, ... So they told her then that when the babys due, that she was to be taken to Tuam, the home in Tuam, and the nuns would look after her there. TEXT : P.J. Havertys mother Eileen was among at least 35,000 unmarried women taken to a mother and baby home, and forced to give up her infant. TEXT : The Bon Secours, a French order of nuns, ran the home in Tuam with funding from the (Irish) government. PJ HAVERTY then they opened the door and told her shell have to leave. 00:04:00 // And she said I want my son. And they just closed the door on her face. ... And every week then, she would walk, say from the center of Tuam, out the Dublin Road, ... every week for five and a half years, knocking on the door. I want to take my son out. Thats my son you have in there. I want to rear him, I want to look after him. And they said no, hes going to be fostered out. And that was it. MULRYAN: I had no parents. I thought I was an animal, I once did. I used to get dreams at night that I was growing horns. And when I get up in the morning first thing Id do: such a sigh of relief. CARMEL LARKIN When I went to look for my baptismal certificate, I was 30 at the time, and thats the first time I seen my mothers name. MULRYAN: Thats a photograph when I was 4 -5, and thats the woman who minded me. And thats the only photograph I really have you know, me life. TEXT In 1961 the mother and baby home ceased operations. The building was demolished and subsidized housing and a playground were built on the site. Sound: Catherine walking on gravel. TEXT In 2012, amateur historian Catherine Corless decided to write an essay about the the mother and baby home for a local journal. CATHERINE CORLESS I thought it would be just a simple history - the history of the Bon Secours sisters and how they worked and how they operated. - I thought Id go to the local library and thought Id get a volume of information on the home to work on. There was absolutely nothing. MUSIC CUE CATHERINE CORLESS So ah, I I went to the local people, I said thats the best way to find out information. And twas only then I got the story of ah, back in the 1970s, when the houses were being built, that the two boys found... bones of children in a tank. FRANNY: Ive often thought about it afterward, like, what did we come across? There was a chamber, an H chamber, you know, and the amount of bones that were in it, there was a good few. What we came across in 1972 was reported and the government knew about it but yet they didnt do anything about it. CATHERINE CORLESS I had to determine who was buried there. First of all of course I asked the Bon Secours sisters... and they said... they had no knowledge or no records what so ever of any burial in the home. I got onto the county council and they had no records of burials either. My thoughts went then to how many children actually died in the home. Thats an inspectors report... for the Tuam home from 1947. It shows the conditions of the babies and toddlers and it makes very harrowing reading... You have a 13 month old baby in the care of the Bon Secours sisters who are a nursing congregation you have a miserable, emaciated child with voracious appetite and no control over bodily functions, probably mentally defective... wizened limbs, three months old wizened limbs, three weeks old emaciated and delicate,... That was the excel copy of the death certificates. TEXT: While researching the Tuam home, Catherine Corless discovered the death toll during the 36 years it was in operation: 796 infants and children. CATHERINE CORLESS Unbelievable. Okay all these deaths where are they buried? Theyre not in the main Tuam graveyard ... Theyre not in their mothers hometown graveyards. it is becoming quite obvious what had happened. TEXT: Later that year, Catherine Corless published her essay suggesting that the bones found by Frannie Hopkins were remains of children from the Tuam home. CATHERINE CORLESS At the time there was a lot of questioning my findings - that it wasnt possible. The Tuam business people frowned very much about what I was doing - I was told that. And I was asking myself - is it the fact that they were illegitimate children, is the stigma still around. That people still dont care. It just made me more determined, to fight this and to say these children have to be there. People have to know about it. MUSIC CUE TEXT: In March 2017, five years after Catherine Corless began her research, government investigators confirmed the existence of underground chambers in a former sewage area containing significant quantities of childrens remains. TEXT: Forensic analysis determined the remains dated to the time the mother and baby home was in operation. MULRYAN Catherine contacted me and said... had you a sibling? And I said no not that I ever heard of. But according to what were finding here she says, theres a name CORLESS WITH PETERS SISTERS DEATH CERT. Marian Bridget Mulryan was born to Peters Mother Delia, in 1954. You can see it there, same mother same address. MULRYAN She said, could it be your sister? MULRYAN AT THE MEMORIAL LOOKING AT THE NAME Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein: Mulryan 10 months Mulryan: 1955... thats it. Yeah. Thats it. MULRYAN They said she died from convulsions. But theres no doctors to certify that she died at all or where she was buried. I couldnt find out where she was buried to this day I dont even know. She could be sold off to America lot a lot more was done. I feel they have something to hide and they dont want to let it out. CORLESS: It has been said that children were trafficked across to the United States. Of the 796 children maybe perhaps some of those have been adopted illegally and that is a very serious matter, if that is so. ARCHIVAL OF ENDA KENNY ADDRESSING THE DAIL KENNY: We took their babies, and we gifted them or we sold them or we trafficked them or we starved them or we neglected them or we denied them to the point of their disappearance from our hearts, and from our sight, from our country and in the case of Tuam and possibly other places, from life itself. Yes, were all shocked now. CORLESS The state were complicit of course they were, they knew what was going on. They were paying the sisters, did thedid the county council look into these burials? Did they not question what was happening to these children, where were they, did they care, did they turn a blind eye? PJ HAVERTY And why did not one nun come forward? And say it was wrong what we did in Tuam? MULRYAN For a person that waswas supposed to be baptized, theyre not supposed to put into unconsecrated ground. Yet what did the church do? They put them in there. And went and covered up those sites... and put a playground on top of it. How would they feel about it if it was their sister or brother that was in there? CARMEL LARKIN The government is the government, and the church is the church. Its like knocking a brick wall, isnt it? PJ HAVERTY Theres seven years taken out of my life I dont know anything about. And it wasnt my fault I came into this world I didnt choose, I had no say in the matter. And why did the nuns treat me like that, if they are supposed to following in Gods footstep? PJ WALKING THE GROUNDS I just get the sense of the babies down there. That theyre there under me. And I feel that theres some way I could help them, just to get them out of there and give them a properproper burial. Thats what Id just love. FRANNY: You know, you cannot right wrongs, but things need to be recognized for what they were, like. TEXT Irelands last mother and baby home closed in 1996. ++ IN 2015, a government commission started to investigate the conditions and mortality rates at 14 former Mother and Baby homes. Their report is due in 2018. ++ Peter Mulryan is still searching for his sister. END CREDITS This is now a rupture within the fabric of the Conservative Party, said Alan Wager, a research associate at The U.K. in a Changing Europe, a research organization. Even onetime allies of the anti-Europe absolutists in Parliament now blame them for what could turn into a generational slump in support for Conservatives. And no one currently speaks more loudly for them than Mr. Francois. Its morphing from a battle between Leave versus Remain into a battle between the people and the establishment, Mr. Francois said in an interview last week in his Westminster office, where a life-size target from a military firing range stood in the corner. And the people increasingly just want to get out of Europe, and the establishment want to keep us in. With Britains divorce from the European Union knocked back until as late as October, some fear that Brexit at least the complete break that the self-described Spartans in Parliament champion may inexorably be slipping away. Lawmakers generally concede that Parliament would sooner reverse Brexit than let Britain crash out of Europe without a deal. That has so dispirited some Brexiteers that they say they have given up on leaving the European Union at all. But it has also set the stage for the hardest of the hard-core pro-Brexit lawmakers, like Mr. Francois, to mount a high-profile campaign against what they describe as months of subterfuge by pro-Europe elements in Mrs. Mays office, the Civil Service and the news media, among others. PARIS Days after a fire tore through Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, France started on Wednesday to focus on reconstruction, with President Emmanuel Macron having set the ambitious goal of rebuilding the Gothic landmark within five years and donations pouring in from around the world. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said after a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the government would organize an international architecture competition to design a spire after Notre-Dames own collapsed in the fire on Monday and crashed through the cathedrals vaulted ceiling. But he said it remained uncertain whether the lost spire which was added in the 19th century would be replaced. He added that the five-year goal to rebuild the cathedral was obviously an immense challenge, but also a historical responsibility. Editorial Cruel and brutal cover For at least 40,000 years Indigenous people lived on this continent, owning, caring for and being sustained by the land. With their deep knowledge of nature and respect for the environment in which they lived, they developed a successful economy and a rich spiritual and cultural life. In 1788 the British invaded this land and used military force to begin the land grab which continues to this day. The Indigenous people fought back to protect their lands. Indigenous people suffered murder on a huge scale, death through new diseases and poverty, and the destruction of much of their traditional society. Despite having to fight a war for the land, the British declared this continent terra nullius that the land was empty and belonged to no-one when they colonised it. For over 200 years the lie of terra nullius was the cruel and brutal cover for the mass murder; for the refusal to recognise Australias Indigenous people; for the forced removal of children from their families; for the inhuman exploitation of the labour of Indigenous people; for the racist treatment and apartheid Indigenous people have been subjected to. Terra nullius was the justification for the denial of Land Rights. But the Indigenous people have survived and their struggle for land and justice has never ceased. In June 1992, the High Court of Australia recognised the concept of Native Title, stating it had existed before settlement and had continued after colonisation. However, it said Native Title was extinguished whenever land had been sold or set aside for some other purpose. The Howard governments amendments to the Native Title Act which followed the High Court decision, opened the way for another massive land grab by miners and pastoralists as their leases were converted (de facto) to freehold. This may bring certainty to miners and pastoralists, the certainty of knowing their ill-gotten wealth and profits are secure. But for Indigenous people it is, as Northern Land Council chairman at the time Galarrwuy Yunupingu said, The final drink from the poisonous water hole. Even though Native Title opens the way for only a small number of Indigenous people to make land claims, it should none-the-less be protected from efforts to destroy it. The High Courts extremely narrow interpretation of Native Title in effect cuts off most Indigenous people from making legitimate claims to land. Indigenous people should not be forced to accept the racist legal fiction that land they have been forcibly prevented from maintaining a continuing association with is therefore the property of the colonisers for all time. In addition to Native Title for the few, there should be land rights for all Aborigines. Land rights mean recognition of Indigenous prior ownership of all the continent of Australia. There must be legislation to return land to its traditional owners on the basis of traditional ownership, religious association, long occupancy and / or need, including full rights to minerals and other natural resources. The CPA supports: First home buyers (FHB) and mortgaged multiple property owners have been equally active in New Zealands housing market in the first quarter of 2019, according to analytics firm CoreLogic. In its latest Q1 data for buyer classification report, CoreLogic revealed both buyer groups accounted for roughly 24% of property purchases respectively although mortgaged multiple property owners are slightly ahead of first home buyers at 23.9% versus 23.7%. CoreLogic senior property economist Kelvin Davidson said mortgaged multiple property owners have slowly crept back into the market on the back of more finance becoming available again. He also noted the comeback happened despite several new rules from the government which have raised costs, including extra insulation and changes to negative gearing. L-R: Minister for Foreign Affairs Ralph Regenvanu, Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms Paola Pampaloni European External Action Service and Acting Head of Delegation of the Delegation. Credit: EU People with disability We must be able to tell our stories People with disability, their organisations and supporters have called for two Commissioners to step down from their roles with the newly announced Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and for stronger provisions for all Commissioners about real, perceived and potential conflicts of interest. We want to make sure that our Royal Commission is trusted by people with disability from across Australia, as a safe place we can tell our stories, said Matthew Bowden, of People with Disability Australia, a member of Disabled Peoples Organisations Australia (DPO Australia). Our concern is that two of the proposed Commissioners have very recent, extensive and significant backgrounds working for the very institutions that will be examined by the Royal Commission state and federal public services, which is a direct, and strong conflict of interest. Today we are releasing a joint statement, asking for the John Ryan and Barbara Bennett to step down for the good of people with disability and the Royal Commission, said Mary Mallett of Disability Advocacy Network of Australia. People with disability have to have confidence that this Royal Commission, that we have fought for over many years, can be trusted. We are worried that with Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett as Commissioners, many will not feel they can come forward and participate in this Royal Commission. This would be a tragedy, said Mallett. Our organisations put forward dozens of names, including many eminently qualified and skilled people with disability, to the federal government as potential Commissioners who did not have a conflict of interest, and who could act in the best interests of people with disability, said Ross Joyce, of Australian Federation of Disability Organisations. We know Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett are respected public servants who sought to make a positive contribution to ending abuse and violence through this Royal Commission. But we believe that their real, potential and perceived conflict of interest is a barrier for people with disability to engage with the Royal Commission. We are also calling for strong provisions to be included for all Commissioners to manage any other conflicts of interest, said Joyce. Our joint statement, signed by a wide range of organisations and individuals, shows the breadth and depth of concern about these two Commissioners across the disability community. We call on Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett to step aside today in the best interests of our Royal Commission, said Bowden. Joint statement People with disability, and our organisations and supporters, have been calling for a Royal Commission into the epidemic of violence against us for many years. Recently, we have had cause to hope that our long campaign for justice was over. Yet while we greeted the Prime Ministers announcement of the formation of our Royal Commission with hope and relief, this was quickly followed by concern about the appointment of some of the Commissioners. Sadly, we believe two of those appointed have significant conflicts of interest that threaten the integrity of the Royal Commission process. In addition, we want all Commissioners to fully declare any and all potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interests, and be willing to step aside from hearings that involve their conflicts of interest. People with disability, and our organisations and supporters, call for the Hon John Ryan, AM, and Ms Barbara Bennett, PSM, to step down as Commissioners for our Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, due to the real, perceived and potential conflicts of interest arising from their past roles. We need to have complete confidence that our Royal Commission is a place where we can give evidence safely. People with disability must be able to tell our stories to Commissioners, knowing that we can seek and receive justice from them and the body they represent. We need to feel safe in telling our stories, some of which involve the public institutions and bureaucracies that have been responsible for violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Therefore, the Commissioners for our Royal Commission need to be above reproach, free of any perceived or potential bias or influence and have the primary interests of people with disability at the heart of what they do. Over the last few weeks, we have put forward many names of highly respected and well qualified people with disability, and our supporters, who could serve as Commissioners. The broad disability community, and our supporters, believe that Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett have significant conflicts of interest due to their past roles and, if unaddressed, this may threaten the integrity and participation of people with disability in our Royal Commission. Mr Ryan, as a very recent senior public servant for the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (Ageing, Disability and Home Care), has been involved with oversight of residential care programs for people with disability in NSW. Ms Bennett was recently the Deputy Secretary of the Families and Communities Branch of the Department of Social Services (DSS) in the Commonwealth government, and at various times oversaw the Commonwealth workplace health and compensation scheme, the National Redress Scheme, welfare, family safety, housing and homelessness, and grants to the disability sector. DSS also funds and oversees disability services and Australian Disability Enterprises. Therefore, both had responsibility for organisations that are likely to come under significant scrutiny by our Royal Commission. As such, their involvement raises major concerns about their conflict of interest, whether potential, perceived or real. We understand that Mr Ryan and Ms Bennett are respected public servants who sought to make a positive contribution to ending abuse and violence through this Royal Commission. However, we believe this work would be best served if they acknowledged their real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest and step aside. We call upon them to do this today in the best interests of people with disability, and the integrity of our Royal Commission. Kebingungan dan kesulitan mencari dan bingung ketika memilih situs judi slot online gacor di tahun 2021? Sekarang anda sudah berada di situs slot gacor yang tepat untuk bermain judi slot online. 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But the real reason for his arrest is that he revealed the truth about the ruthless pursuit by the US of its imperial ambitions, and in particular its war crimes in the Middle East. In the 1990s Assange argued that the international struggle for peace and justice would be assisted by the total revelation of every governments secret military and diplomatic communications. He decided to establish a firm which would become the peoples security service. He found a very willing ally in Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning, a US military computer programmer who was disgusted with US military and foreign policy. In 2010, Assanges newly-formed organisation, WikiLeaks, used secretly-obtained US military footage to make a chilling short documentary Collateral Murder, which showed the US Armys brutal attack on a van in Iraq. The military had claimed the van was carrying terrorists, but the passengers were actually children and the attack also resulted in the deaths of two Reuters journalists standing nearby. The shocking story was then released and it was covered in major press publications in the US and elsewhere. WikiLeaks then released a huge amount of classified material which revealed other atrocities and human rights violations during US espionage and secret military operations. Not surprisingly, the US sought Assanges extradition from Britain. With the help of Australian barrister Geoffrey Robertson, Assange avoided arrest. However, on a subsequent trip to Sweden he was charged, on the basis of dubious evidence, with sexual abuse and rape. He denied the charges, convinced they were an attempt to facilitate his extradition to the US. He escaped to Britain. However, the British government then placed him under house arrest pending his extradition to Sweden. He was offered refuge in the tiny Ecuadorian embassy in London, here he remained for almost seven years. But the confinement took a heavy toll on his mental and physical health. A battle for human rights Because of international agreements Assange cant be extradited on an overtly political charge, for example having endangered US state security. However, last Thursday the US lodged an application for his extradition, claiming he conspired with Manning and helped him hack into US government communications. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment but the US could add other charges once Assange was within US borders. He wont be released on bail, and he faces a years imprisonment in Britain for having failed to appear in court in 2012. Appeals against extradition could take months to resolve. He will face court on May 2 regarding extradition to the US. His barrister has sought assurance from the British government that he wont be extradited. Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn opposes extradition but 70 British MPs have demanded his extradition to Sweden. However, because the US has already made an application for his extradition and Sweden hasnt done so yet, the US extradition application would normally take precedence over that of Sweden. According to Robertson, if Assange is extradited to the US and then charged with crimes against the state, he faces 45 years in prison effectively a death sentence. The fate of Assange is of concern to the media and would-be whistle blowers. After all, it was Manning, not Assange, who stole the US military information and it was the US media, not Assange, who published it. The conviction of Assange for having passed on the information would set a precedent for the prosecution of whistle blowers with conscientious objections concerning secret government activity which the citizens of that country have a right to know about, and of media organisations that publish information about that activity. Manning and Assange fall into the former category. Neither was a revolutionary. Indeed, when Assange set up WikiLeaks his stated purpose was to expose misdeeds by Russia, China and countries in Central Eurasia. However, he added that he would also target abuses of human rights by western nations, including the US. His experiences provide a spectacular and tragic example of what happens to people who choose to do so. The Morrison government, which shares the Trump administrations bitter hatred of Assange, has made it clear it will do nothing to defend him other than providing minimal consular support during his trial. However, one option open to the British government is to extradite him to Australia, and if that happened our government could reject a US extradition application. The new Australian government thats elected in May must do everything in its power to ensure that Assange is released and returned to safety in Australia. The Communist Party of Australia condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrest of Julian Assange. The arrest is on trumped up charges based on politically-motivated judicial processes. This is an attack not just on freedom of journalists but on the full disclosure of information that is rightful for citizens to know. Assanges WikiLeaks has been instrumental in exposing war crimes and other criminal actions of imperialism throughout the world. We say free Julian Assange! Doctors in Shenzen, China recently performed an emergency endoscopy to remove a 13-centimeter metal spoon from a womans duodenum, after she accidentally swallowed it while trying to dislodge a fish bone from her throat. The reckless patient, known only as Lily, reportedly swallowed the stainless steel spoon before the Qingming Festival on April 5, but didnt bother going to the hospital until four days later, because she didnt feel any pain in her stomach. She had apparently tried to use the metal spoon to remove a fish bone that had become lodged in her throat, but it accidentally slipped from her fingers and she ended up swallowing it. Talk about things going from bad to worse, right? The woman thought it was too much trouble to go to the hospital right before the Qingming Festival, so she only went to see a doctor about her problem four days after the incident. When she finally arrived at the Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital last Monday and told doctors there what had happened, they ordered an X-ray and saw the large metal spoon stuck in her duodenum. As the spoon was in a somewhat horizontal position, we carefully adjusted it before pulling it out vertically, Dr Sun Tingji told Pear Video. The metal spoon had caused swelling and erosion in the patients duodenum, but doctors were able to remove it, and following treatment, the woman was discharged and is expected to make a full recovery. While rare, cases of people swallowing eating utensils have been reported in the past. For example, last year we wrote about a Chinese man who swallowed a spoon during a drunken bet and lived with it in his esophagus for a whole year. Source: Sina Weibo via Daily Mail Stephen Brown Cookerly Public Relations has promoted Stephen Brown to the role of president. He succeeds agency founder Carol Cookerly, who will remain with the company as CEO. Brown joined the Atlanta-based communications firm in 2015 as senior vice president and chief innovation officer, and was responsible for agency business development and marketing initiatives. He arrived at Cookerly from Cohn & Wolfe, where he was executive VP and managing director of the WPP units Atlanta office. Prior to that he was a senior VP in MSLGROUPs consumer practice and a director in Ketchums Technology Influencer Relations practice. Atlanta-based Cookerly, which focuses on crisis and issues management, was founded in 1991. Independent TD Carol Nolan has described the response of the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to her plea for more direct interventions to stabilise and support the beef sector as "underwhelming and unhelpful." Deputy Nolan was speaking after she questioned the Minister on the matter during Questions on Promised Legislation in the Dail. "The fact is that farmers in Laois-Offaly and beyond remain mired in a beef crisis that is becoming more and more deeply embedded with each passing week," Deputy Nolan said. "We have a factory pricing system that is bordering on cartel-like behaviour and that continually leaves suckler farmers feeling manipulated and shortchanged." "We have currency fluctuations which are only compounding problems such as decreasing rates of payment like the recent 5cent dip in price per Kg." "Added to this, of course, is the volatility in the beef sector being generated by Brexit." "It was less than helpful then to hear in the Ministers reply that one of his key suggestions is for farmers is to organise in order to maximise their clout." "Apart from being a slightly patronising reply, surely this is the function of government and the department especially in terms of their role in monitoring and removing anti-competitive factory price practices or making more effective representation at the European level with respect to CAP," Carol claimed. "The Minister says he cannot intervene directly in the market, but what if the factories who comprise a significant element of that market are actively working against the ordinary farmer?" "The fact is that this Minister, while well intentioned, has been talking of introducing mitigating measures and supports for suckler farmers since at least 2017." "There is little evidence that any of these are having the kind of on-the-ground impact that we need." "We need to remind people that at the national level, suckler farmers play a key role in generating more than 2.4 billion in beef exports each year." "At the local level, the point has been well made that for every 1 we provide to suckler farmers, more than 4 of economic activity is generated in local economies," the independent TD added. "Supporting our beef and suckler farmer is therefore a win-win scenario not just for rural Ireland but for the entire economy, concluded Deputy Nolan. RTE and Rose of Tralee presenter, Daithi O Se, is calling on the nation to host a Tea Day in aid of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI). Alzheimers Tea Day, the charitys largest annual fundraising campaign, takes place on Thursday, May 2, 2019. The ASI need to raise 500,000 to provide supports and services to help families living with dementia nationwide. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Alzheimers Tea Day. This campaign provides vital funds for services, which include: nationwide day care centres, respite, home care, social clubs, carer support groups, Alzheimer cafes and the busy National Helpline. It is estimated that there are 790 people living with dementia in Offaly and for every one person with dementia three others are directly affected. The number of people with dementia is expected to more than double over the next 20 years to 1,580 in 2039. Last year there were 1,200 Tea Day hosts and this year the charity is looking to double that number. Theyre looking for people around the country to get involved with local Tea Day events; in their homes, workplaces, schools, local community centres, parishes or somewhere special. The ASI is asking people to invite their friends, family, colleagues and neighbours to have a cuppa, a chat and maybe a treat or two. How to become a Tea Day host: Register here: www.teaday.ie to receive a Tea Day fundraising pack. The pack includes: An A3 poster, An invitation book, A collection box, 5 books of raffle tickets, A bank giro Fun tips on hosting a Tea Day event. Registration deadline is Friday, April 26. All funds that are raised locally stay local to support ASI services. 10 can provide an hour at an Alzheimers cafe for a person with dementia; 25 can provide one hour of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy; 50 can provide a session of Musical Therapy to people with dementia; 100 can run a social club for one day The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Ambassador, Daithi O Se said: Im delighted to support Alzheimers Tea Day again this year. On Thursday, May 2nd we want the whole country to have a chat, a cup of tea and donate a few euro to The Alzheimer Society of Irelands Tea Day campaign to help provide essential dementia-specific services for people with dementia in Ireland." Alzheimers and dementia is a nationwide issue it affects so many families right across Ireland. It reaches across generations, genders and affects people of all kinds of backgrounds. So grab your kettle and host your very own tea to help raise much-needed funds for the Alzheimer Society of Irelands Tea Day on May 2nd. You never know when you might need these services. Remember that no Tea Day party is too small or too big, so join the hundreds of hosts from around the country and register for your pack at www.teaday.ie. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland CEO Pat McLoughlin said: We are asking the nation to support us and to get involved in our special 25th Anniversary Tea Day in any way, big or small. The Government is not providing enough funding to deliver even a basic minimum level of supports and services in any county and we really need your support to keep our services open." Every day, more and more people are turning to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland seeking a range of supports and services and we need to be able to provide for this growing demand. The funds that Tea Day generates make a real and lasting difference to the lives of people in local communities living with dementia and their family carers. This year we need to reach our target of 500,000 to ensure our support services are maintained. We are grateful for all the continued support and we are delighted that Iceland are behind us for this years Tea Day campaign to help us to spread the word far and wide. Managing Director of Iceland Ireland, Ron Metcalfe said: "Were delighted to support Tea Day 2019. Iceland have a long-standing partnership with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Over the last number of years, we have had first-hand experience of the tremendous work carried out by The ASI and know the importance of events such as Tea Day in order to raise much need funds for dementia services across Ireland. For more information or to register for an Alzheimers Tea Day pack, visit www.teaday.ie or call (01) 207 3833. You Told Me To: Black Man Who Tried To Lower Weapon Was Still Fatally Shot By North Carolina Police Officer Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When Police body-cam footage of the incident was released earlier this week. Newly released body-cam footage taken from a police officer in North Carolina appears to show a black man trying to lower his gun and still getting shot by police officers after they told him to drop the weapon. The footage, obtained by the Charlotte Observer, shows the confrontation between Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Wende Kerl and Danquirs Franklin that happened on March 25, which resulted in Franklins death after Kerl fatally shot him. Kerl and another officer were responding to a 911 call about a man with a gun threatening people at a Burger King. The body camera, which was on Kerl, shows her another officer instructing Franklin to put the gun down. Franklin is squatting next to an open car door as the officers continue to tell the 27-year-old to drop his weapon. From there, the video shows Franklin using his right hand to reach something in his pocket, and pulls out a gun by the barrel. He appeared to be lowering the weapon when Kerl fired two shots. After being shot, Franklin can be heard saying You told me to, as the officers walk toward him. Kerls attorney and the Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Office had objected to the video being released. But Mecklenburg Superior Judge Donnie Hoover ordered it to be released after a court petition was made by local media. The events leading up to Franklins death are unknown. As the Observer reported, two women made separate calls to 911, stating they saw a man with a gun. A customer came up here and he walked behind the counter to fight an employee, the first 911 caller, who was inside the restaurant, said. He got a gun! He got a gun! she said shortly after, telling the operator he was pointing it at employees. CMPD Chief Kerr Putney has yet to offer his opinion on Kerls actions but did speak on the footage. [Its] like a punch to the gut, Putney said Monday. Its hard to watch. Its hard to see because a life has been lost. Franklin worked as a fry cook to support himself and three children he had. Since the shooting, school walkouts and protests have occurred. Emily White, a woman who says she was Franklins 10th grade English teacher, has made a GoFundMe to support his family. Source: Charlotte Observer Suspect In Fires At Three Black Churches In Louisiana Is Charged With Hate Crimes & Denied Bail Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When The suspect is the son of a sheriffs deputy in St. Landry Parish, where the church burnings took place. The man suspected of burning three black churches in Louisiana is now facing hate crime charges on top of the arson charges he received after being arrested on Thursday. READ: Son Of Law Enforcement Official Arrested In Connection With Fires At Three Black Churches Holden Matthews, the suspect of the church burnings, has plead not guilty to all the charges. He has also been denied bail. According to the New York Times, the additional hate crime charges were filed against Matthews by Earl Taylor, the district attorney for St. Landry Parish. Louisianas hate crime statute carries a maximum five-year sentence. Matthews was already facing three counts of simple arson charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The fires, which occurred between March 26 and April 4, have been investigated by the Louisiana State Fire Marshals Office. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Attorney Generals Office, St. Landry Parish Sheriffs Office, and several other local agencies have also been helping with the investigation. The St. Mary Baptist Church in the community of Port Barre, and Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, were destroyed from the fires. All three churches were well over a hundred years old. The 21-year-old Matthews is the son of a St. Landry Parish Deputy, but his father did not turn him in to deputies. Source: New York Times Deem Spencer Moves At His Own Pace Dimas Sanfiorenzo Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. He specializes Promising Queens rapper Deem Spencer has made a name for himself dwelling on grief. Is the world ready to not see him sad? Deem Spencer is usually an unhurried person. However, in December 2017, the rapper decided to challenge himself. He wanted to see if he could record and release a project in less than a month. Alone, holed up in his room in Jamaica, Queens, he began the process on his laptop. He would end up failing the challenge miserably. It would take Deem 14 months to craft and finish the EP that would eventually become Pretty Face. His third project, Pretty Face is an eclectic mix of whisper raps, melodies, and oddball meditative production. The first song he recorded all the way back in December 2017 was to me, a plucky track where Deems voice is distorted beyond recognition. The project contains 13 tracks, with the titles spelling out: Really, I been tryna tell shorty how beautiful shorty is to me but shorty not tryna hear it from me. READ: J Dillas Influence & Legacy Lives On in the World of Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Shorty was Deems girlfriend of four years. And, throughout Pretty Faces recording process, Deem was going through a hellish breakup with shorty. Juxtapose that heartache with the fact that he was having very tangible career success. Earlier that summer he released the enigmatic we think we alone. Suddenly he was getting write-ups and features in Pitchfork and Vice. He modeled for Nordstrom. But throughout it all he was depressed. And all he wanted to do was stay in his room, do acid. And, occasionally, make music. It was just a weird timeIt was the most attention I was ever getting, Deem said. I was pouring so much of myself out trying to [repair the realtionship] but I couldnt, and that was the hard part. It was difficult. READ: Gary Clark Jr. Doesnt Think Hes Radical, He Just Knows What Time It Is [Interview] we think alone and Pretty Face are both projects about grief. (we think alone was recorded after the death of Deems grandfather, who he cared for during his final days.) Deem isnt unpacking his sadness on these projects; rather, hes sort of just stewing in it. Theres no journey or epiphanies that occur the projects are snapshots. I didnt find any clarity [during the recording of Pretty Face.] I was crying about it the whole time, Deem said. There is no happy point. Like, I dont feel better at any point. I was just trying to tell her but she wasnt tryna hear it from me. Theres a delirious characteristic to Deems music. He mostly mutters when he raps. Sometimes he repeats phrases like mantras. Other times, hes off-key singing, something hes grown more accustomed to as his career has developed. Its just all music that someone isolated in his room for 14 months would make. I dont really introduce myself to people. Thats something Ive noticed in the last few years. I could be in a room with all night and not say nothing to nobody. When I met Deem Spencer it looks like hes trying to hide. The 23-year-old rapper is buried in an Adidas hoodie, which never comes off his head, and a gray bucket hat. Its a 79-degree day in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I dont get hot, he told me with a half grin. Hes shy, reserved. He talks very slowly and rarely does he speak over a whisper. Sometimes you think hes finished his statement, but hes still processing. And it takes a couple of moments for him to finish his thoughts. Other times hell be in the middle of a statement and hell stop I forgot what you asked me as if he wants to make sure he answers the question correctly. That sort of reserved, thoughtfulness is representative of how he writes his raps. He carries a standard seven by nine composition notebook with him most times. The pages are full of lines and phrases that he jots out throughout the day. His notepad contains the work of a meticulous editor: lines are scribbled, words are rearranged. This, despite the fact that he claims music comes to him easy. I dont write every day, I dont record every day, I dont listen to music every day, Deem said. But when I do those things it turns out good. Like, I will make a good song whenever I do decide to write a good song. I see a lot of people who kind of envy me. I envy their work ethicI know Im talented, but I know if I worked harder I would be elsewhere. In an era where rap careers are microwaved, Deems has moved at a glacial pace. He first came to the attention of blogs in 2017 with the release of Soap, a mournful track in which Deem wrestles with his life after high school. If I cared about some money I would be in college wasting it, he says over the bluesy production. The song was written in 2015, when he was 19 living with his mother, a single parent. Deem was working for Amazon, recording songs on the side. His mom was a nurse so her schedule was erratic, leaving plenty of time for him to be alone in the house making music. I was just trying to make some shit that I would like, Deem said. Soap was the lead song off of Sunflower, a quick 20 minute EP uploaded on Deems SoundCloud. Deem wasnt as adventurous back then. He wasnt singing as much and his voice was less distorted. But the project was a considerate and mature piece of work. It was the writing that stood out Deem mostly rapping in riddles like your wise drunk uncle trying to put you on to shit. Only when he got into the making of we think alone did things become more hallucinatory. I would like some money, Im not gonna lieThe last three tapes was all for zero dollars. Hes already started thinking about the big one. The actual album album. Hes been ruminating about what he wants. Like, an actual budget and resources. But it seems like hes ready for the Pretty Face experience to be behind him. I dont think I need to be going through shit to make music, Deem said. Since January, I have embraced love. Like, I have embraced all the love around me, I stay around people who love me and Ive grown to be that for myself and that feels really good, Im not gonna lie. He mentions that he feels the creative energy he felt when he made Sunflower making shit I would like. He headlined his first show, at Brooklyns Babys Alright, and hell be headlining another show in April for Brooklyn Academy of Music. (Editors note: Okayplayer is co-presenter of the show.) Hes also traveled, grateful to have gone to places like Atlanta and Canada. Which dont seem very far but are when you consider where he was around this time last year. I dont want to work out of my bedroom, Deem said. I got no problem locking into a space to work, but just my own bedroomisnt it right now. For updates about upcoming Okayplayer events including the BAM event head here. The system is broken Change the Government, Rules and the System Perth Rally April 10 In Perth over 1,500 trade unionists and their supporters turned up at the front of the State Parliament as part of the national campaign to Change the Government as a way of Changing the Rules of the industrial relations system. Meredith Hammat, Secretary of Unions WA, the MC for the event, opened the rally saying workers have had enough of their wages going backward and the casualisation of the workforce, reliance on labour hire and wage theft. Hammat added that women workers had yet to receive wage equality and there were moves by some employers to move maternity leave out of Enterprise Bargaining Agreements. In addition, with buoyant company profits, many companies still sought to minimise the tax they paid or paid no tax at all. The impunity with which corporations have been able to petition government to have laws which weaken the protections for workers, demonstrates how corporations and the very rich have too much power. Hammat said that as a mother of two children she sought to build a country of a fair go to ensure her children had access to a fair job and live in a fair society. Sally McManus, secretary of the ACTU, addressed the rally by speaking out against trickle-down economics, which she said does not work for ordinary working men and women: what is needed is permanent jobs with permanent rights. McManus added, The Morrison government was part of the problem as he backs the big end of town and doesnt care if workers can get a fair wage whereas the union movement does care about fair wages and working conditions of workers. McManus stated that it was time to call out the members of this federal government by putting them last on the ballot paper in the elections. The state secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Steve McCartney, spoke of the weaponisation of the industrial relations laws which occurs when unscrupulous employers use labour hire to attack workers wages and conditions. McCartney called for the proper regulation of labour hire and for employers to be held to account for stolen wages. Dave Buck, a union member from the AMWU, spoke of the increase in labour hire in both blue and white-collar industries which caused a diminishing of wages and conditions. Buck questioned: why would a government undermine the wages and conditions of workers as it only undermined the Australian economy? McCartney said members from the AMWU had come from the tin mine at Greenbushes southeast of Bunbury in WA to attend the rally as well as members of the CFMMEU in Bunbury. United Voice union member Bridget, who worked in an aged care facility, said she and other members like her, care for peoples parents and grandparents till the end of their days. They do this as best they can, often on as little as $23 per hour and with decreasing financial support coming from government, especially after a $2 billion cut by the Morrison government to the aged care budget. Further cuts are on the way. Many aged care workers are also leaving the industry as they can not afford to live on those wages and conditions. In early childhood education centres workers are paid less at $21 per hour while casuals, who are frequently used and can be kept casual for years, are paid $29 per hour. The workers have a TAFE qualification to work in the day care centres. State secretary of United Voice said that in cases where one group of security or cleaning workers with one employer received a pay rise this often worked against them as the principal of the contract would merely hire another contractor who was prepared to undercut the previous contractor. Dave Noonan, Construction secretary of the Victorian CFMMEU spoke next, warning the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) had put pressure on workers across the range of unions in the construction sector including the CEPU, CFMMEU and ETU not to attend the rally to protest against the Morrison government, threatening them with fines of $10,000 each. Noonan spoke of the lies about the union movement being spread by ABCC Commissioner Stephen Mc Burney so that he could get the Liberal government re-elected. To date said Noonan, 445 workers have been taken to court by the ABCC for taking industrial action to protect their wages and conditions. But the government and the ABCC, will not break the resolve of the Australian workers to defend their wages and conditions and protect a decent future. The Liberal government wants you to see fear and feel intimidation said Noonan: fear of refugees and unions. However, the union movement, said Noonan, should not only seek to change the government but continue afterwards to pursue its goal to change the rules the system is broken! Mick Buchan, CFMMEU WA state secretary said, unions need sufficient power to be able to fix unsafe and dangerous conditions and mentioned the construction company Salini which was responsible for the contract to construct the Airport-Forrestfield rail link and tunnel which had experienced a number of safety incidents. Two workers from the Salini project spoke next, Les and Ben, and it was the latter who set the rally alight with his story of how a group of 40 workers who protested outside the office of Salini were able to force Salini to insert a redundancy clause into their EBA. While a number of Greens and Labor politicians were present, including WA state Premier Mark McGowan, the government is not budging on its wages negotiations with the CPSU/CSA which represent State Public Servants, by offering them no more than $1,000 + $1,000 over two years which would send their wages backwards. CPSU/CSA staff and delegates were also present at the rally. There were also at least 18 Change the Rules rallies across Australia including at West Gosford, Revesby, Clontarf and Burwood in suburban Sydney, Townsville, Rockhampton, Cairns, Gladstone, Beenleigh in regional Queensland, Adelaide, Canberra, Launceston and the largest in Melbourne where it was reported 100,000 people marched through the streets of Melbourne bringing that city to a standstill for a second time this week. The Communist Party of Australia supports the Change the Rules campaign and on May 18, when Australia goes to the polls, the first part of this campaign can be realised by voting out the Morrison Coalition government and voting in progressive candidates. However, campaigning to change the rules will not alone resolve the internal contradictions of capitalism: the working class must take their campaign to the next level which is realise the political struggle for a socialist system for a better, fairer and just society for all. Central Committee Statement On the weekend of April 13-14 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Australia, elected a new leadership led by General Secretary Andrew Irving and National President Vinnie Molina. Comrades Liz Hulm & David Matters have been elected as Assistant Secretaries and comrade Elias Alevizos elected as Vice-President. The CC unanimously endorsed the CPA Secretariats statements made in the wake of the resignation of former General Secretary Bob Briton. The new collective leadership will continue on the path laid out by the decisions of the Partys 13th Congress to take the Party to the people. The CPA is experiencing growth, particularly among workers and young people. We are determined to take the Party to the people and build a political force that can change Australian society in the interests of working class people, said General Secretary Andrew Irving. The sudden resignation of an individual will not distract the Party from its main objective of the struggle for a more humane, progressive and just society; a Socialist society Irving said. We campaign with workers, unions and the youth for real change and to oppose the ongoing attacks on workers rights, wages and conditions. This includes defeating the Coalition government at the federal elections on May 18. We believe that any incoming Labor government will have to be held to account by workers and their unions by continuing the struggle to achieve the right to strike and industry bargaining. This struggle will only be won through concerted mass activity outside Parliament. The CPA recognises that a change in government is not enough to change the system. The election of a Labor government should not disarm workers and their unions or lead to a reduction in the struggle for their rights. It is an imperative for workers and their families to defeat conservative forces and continue the fight for new rights and to build socialism. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with workers in workplaces, on picket lines, with the community in fighting for access to free education and health, jobs and public housing. We reject the capitalist neo-liberal agenda and the drive to war and will continue to fight for a better and safer world for all a socialist system where real justice and social equity and a safer and cleaner environment can be delivered. We stand tall in solidarity with people around the world defending themselves against capitalism and imperialism, for their right to determine their future, social justice, workers rights, peace and a sustainable planet. 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. The war on Assange This article was written prior to Assanges arrest. See The real reason for the arrest of Julian Assange. The failure on the part of establishment media to defend Julian Assange, who has been trapped in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012, has been denied communication with the outside world and appears to be facing imminent expulsion and arrest, is astonishing. The extradition of the publisher the maniacal goal of the US government would set a legal precedent that would criminalise any journalistic oversight or investigation of the corporate state. Police arrested Assange after the Ecuadorian government withdrew his right to asylum. It would turn leaks and whistleblowing into treason. It would shroud in total secrecy the actions of the ruling global elites. If Assange is extradited to the United States and sentenced, The New York Times, The Washington Post and every other media organisation, no matter how tepid their coverage of the corporate state, would be subject to the same draconian censorship. Under the precedent set, Donald Trumps Supreme Court would enthusiastically uphold the arrest and imprisonment of any publisher, editor or reporter in the name of national security. There are growing signs that the Ecuadorean government is preparing to evict Assange and turn him over to British police. Moreno and his foreign minister, Jose Valencia, have confirmed they are in negotiations with the British government to resolve the fate of Assange. Moreno calls Assange an inherited problem and a stone in the shoe and has referred to him as a hacker. It appears that under a Moreno government Assange is no longer welcome in Ecuador. His only hope now is safe passage to his native Australia or another country willing to give him asylum. Solution Ecuador has been looking for a solution to this problem, Valencia commented on television. The refuge is not forever, you cannot expect it to last for years without us reviewing this situation, including because this violates the rights of the refugee. Morenos predecessor as president, Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum in the embassy and made him an Ecuadorean citizen in 2017, warned that Assanges days were numbered. He charged that Moreno who cut off Assanges communications the day after Moreno welcomed a delegation from the US Southern Command would throw him out of the embassy at the first pressure from the United States. Assange, who reportedly is in ill health, took asylum in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden to answer questions about sexual offense charges. He feared that once in Swedish custody for these charges, which he said were false, he would be extradited to the United States. The Swedish prosecutors office ended its investigation and extradition request to Britain in May 2017 and did not file sexual offense charges against Assange. But the British government said Assange would nevertheless be arrested and jailed for breaching his bail conditions. Persecution The persecution of Assange is part of a broad assault against anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist news organisations. The ruling elites, who refuse to accept responsibility for profound social inequality or the crimes of empire, have no ideological veneer left to justify their greed, ineptitude and pillage. Global capitalism and its ideological justification, neo-liberalism, are discredited as forces for democracy and the equitable distribution of wealth. The corporate-controlled economic and political system is as hated by right-wing populists as it is by the rest of the population. This makes the critics of corporatism and imperialism journalists, writers, dissidents and intellectuals already pushed to the margins of the media landscape dangerous and it makes them prime targets. Assange is at the top of the list. I took part with dozens of others, including Daniel Ellsberg, William Binney, Craig Murray, Peter Van Buren, Slavoj Zizek, George Galloway and Cian Westmoreland, in 2017 in a 36-hour international online vigil demanding freedom for the WikiLeaks publisher. The vigil was organised by the New Zealand Internet Party leader Suzie Dawson. It was the third Unity4J vigil since all of Assanges communication with the outside world was severed by the Ecuadorean authorities and visits with him were suspended in March, part of the increased pressure the United States has brought on the Ecuadorean government. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that those seeking political asylum have the right to take refuge in embassies and diplomatic compounds. The court stated that governments are obliged to provide safe passage out of the country to those granted asylum. The ruling did not name Assange, but it was a powerful rebuke to the British government, which has refused to allow the WikiLeaks co-founder safe passage to the airport. Control The ruling elites no longer have a counter-argument to their critics. They have resorted to cruder forms of control. These include censorship, slander and character assassination (which in the case of Assange has sadly been successful), blacklisting, financial strangulation, intimidation, imprisonment under the Espionage Act and branding critics and dissidents as agents of a foreign power and purveyors of fake news. The corporate media amplifies these charges, which have no credibility but which become part of the common vernacular through constant repetition. The blacklisting, imprisonment and deportation of tens of thousands of people of conscience during the Red Scares of the 1920s and 1950s are back with a vengeance. It is a New McCarthyism. Interference Did Russia attempt to influence the election? Undoubtedly. This is what governments do. The United States interfered in 81 elections between 1945 and 2000, according to professor Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University. His statistics do not include the numerous coups we orchestrated in countries such as Greece, Iran, Guatemala and Chile or the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. We indirectly bankrolled the re-election campaign of Russias buffoonish Boris Yeltsin to the tune of US$2.5 billion. But did Russia, as the Democratic Party establishment claims, swing the election to Trump? No. Trump is not Vladimir Putins puppet. He is part of the wave of right-wing populists, from Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson in Britain to Viktor Orban in Hungary, who have harnessed the rage and frustration born of an economic and political system dominated by global capitalism and under which the rights and aspirations of working men and women do not matter. The Democratic Party establishment, like the liberal elites in most of the rest of the industrialised world, would be swept from power in an open political process devoid of corporate money. The party elite, including Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, is a creation of the corporate state. Campaign finance and electoral reform are the last things the party hierarchy intends to champion. It will not call for social and political programs that will alienate its corporate masters. This myopia and naked self-interest may ensure a second term for Donald Trump; it may further empower the lunatic fringe that is loyal to Trump; it may continue to erode the credibility of the political system. But the choice before the Democratic Party elites is clear: political oblivion or enduring the rule of a demagogue. They have chosen the latter. They are not interested in reform. They are determined to silence anyone, like Assange, who exposes the rot within the ruling class. Legalised bribery The Democratic Party establishment benefits from a system of legalised bribery. It benefits from deregulating Wall Street and the fossil fuel industry. It benefits from the endless wars. It benefits from the curtailment of civil liberties including the right to privacy and due process. It benefits from militarised police. It benefits from austerity programs. It benefits from mass incarceration. It is an enabler of tyranny, not an impediment. Demagogues like Trump, Farage and Johnson, of course, have no intention of altering the system of corporate pillage. Rather, they accelerate the pillage, which is what happened with the passage of the massive US tax cut for corporations. They divert the publics anger toward demonised groups such as Muslims, undocumented workers, people of colour, liberals, intellectuals, artists, feminists, the LGBT community and the press. The demonised are blamed for the social and economic dysfunction, much as Jews were falsely blamed for Germanys defeat in World War I and the economic collapse that followed. Corporations such as Goldman Sachs, in the midst of the decay, continue to make a financial killing. The corporate titans, who often come out of elite universities and are groomed in institutions like Harvard Business School, find these demagogues crude and vulgar. They are embarrassed by their imbecility, megalomania and incompetence. But they endure their presence rather than permit socialists or leftist politicians to impede their profits and divert government spending to social programs and away from weapons manufacturers, the military, private prisons, big banks and hedge funds, the fossil fuel industry, charter schools, private paramilitary forces, private intelligence companies and other pet programs designed to allow corporations to cannibalise the state. Meddling The irony is that there was serious meddling in the presidential election, but it did not come from Russia. The Democratic Party, outdoing any of the dirty tricks employed by Richard Nixon, purged hundreds of thousands of primary voters from the rolls, denied those registered as independents the right to vote in primaries, used super-delegates to swing the vote to Hillary Clinton, hijacked the Democratic National Committee to serve the Clinton campaign, controlled the message of media outlets such as MSNBC and The New York Times, stole the Nevada caucus, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of dark corporate money on the Clinton campaign and fixed the primary debates. This meddling, which stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders, who probably could have defeated Trump, is unmentioned. The party hierarchy will do nothing to reform its corrupt nominating process. WikiLeaks exposed much of this corruption when it published tens of thousands of messages hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podestas email account. The messages brought to light the efforts by the Democratic Party leadership to thwart the nomination of Sanders, and they disclosed Clintons close ties with Wall Street, including her lucrative Wall Street speeches. They also raised serious questions about conflicts of interest with the Clinton Foundation and whether Clinton received advance information on primary-debate questions. The Democratic National Committee, for this reason, led the Russia hysteria and the persecution of Assange. It filed a lawsuit that names WikiLeaks and Assange as co-conspirators with Russia and the Trump campaign in an alleged effort to steal the presidential election. But it is not only Assange and WikiLeaks that are being attacked as Russian pawns. For example, The Washington Post, which has sided with the Democratic Party against Trump, without critical analysis, published a report on a blacklist posted by the anonymous website PropOrNot. The blacklist was composed of 199 sites that PropOrNot alleged, with no evidence, reliably echo Russian propaganda. More than half of those sites were far-right, conspiracy-driven ones. But about 20 of the sites were major progressive outlets including AlterNet, Black Agenda Report, Democracy Now!, Naked Capitalism, Truthdig, Truthout, CounterPunch. PropOrNot, short for Propaganda or Not, accused these sites of disseminating fake news on behalf of Russia. The Posts headline was unequivocal: Russian propaganda effort helped spread fake news during the election, experts say. In addition to offering no evidence, PropOrNot never even disclosed who ran the website. Even so, its charge was used to justify the imposition of algorithms by Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon to direct traffic away from the targeted sites. These algorithms, or filters, overseen by thousands of evaluators, many hired from the military and security and surveillance apparatus, hunt for keywords such as US military, inequality and socialism, along with personal names such as Julian Assange and Laura Poitras. Keywords These keywords are known as impressions. Before the imposition of the algorithms, a reader could type in the name Julian Assange and be directed to an article on one of these targeted sites. After the algorithms were put in place, these impressions directed readers only to mainstream sites such as The Washington Post. Referral traffic from these impressions at most of the targeted sites has plummeted, often by more than half. Challenged by these algorithms and the abolition of net neutrality, these sites will be pushed further and further to the outer reaches of the media. Any news or media outlet that addresses the reality of failed democracy and exposes the crimes of empire will be targeted. A January 2017 Director of National Intelligence Report spent seven pages on RT America, where I have a show, On Contact. The report does not accuse RT America of disseminating Russian propaganda, but it does allege the network exploits divisions within American society by giving airtime to dissidents and critics including whistle blowers, anti-imperialists, anti-capitalists, Black Lives Matter activists, anti-fracking campaigners and the third-party candidates the establishment is seeking to mute. If the United States had a public broadcasting system free from corporate money or a commercial press that was not under corporate control, these dissident voices would be included in the mainstream discourse. But we dont. Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Malcolm X, Sheldon Wolin, Ralph Nader, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Angela Davis and Edward Said once appeared regularly on public broadcasting. Now critics like these are banned, replaced with vapid courtiers such as columnist David Brooks. RT America was forced to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA). This act requires Americans who work for a foreign party to register as foreign agents. The FARA registration is part of the broader assault on all independent media, including the effort to silence Assange. Vault 7 WikiLeaks publication in 2017 of 8,761 CIA files, known as Vault 7, appeared to be the final indignity. Vault 7 included a description of the cyber tools used by the CIA to hack into computer systems and devices such as smartphones. Former CIA software engineer Joshua Adam Schulte was indicted on charges of violating the Espionage Act by allegedly leaking the documents. The publication of Vault 7 saw the United States significantly increase its pressure on the Ecuadorean government to isolate and eject Assange from the embassy. Mike Pompeo, then the CIA director, said in response to the leaks that the US government can no longer allow Assange and his colleagues the latitude to use free speech values against us. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Assanges arrest was a priority. It is up to us to mobilise to protect Assange. His life is in jeopardy. The Ecuadorean government, violating his fundamental rights, has transformed his asylum into a form of incarceration. By cutting off his access to the internet, it attempted to deprive him of the ability to communicate and follow world events. The aim of this isolation is to pressure Assange out of the embassy so he can be seized by London police, thrown into a British jail and then delivered into the hands of Pompeo, John Bolton and the CIAs torturer in chief, Gina Haspel. Assange is a courageous and fearless publisher who is being persecuted for exposing the crimes of the corporate state and imperialism. His defence is the cutting edge of the fight against government suppression of our most important and fundamental democratic rights. The Australian government, where Assange was born, must be pressured to provide him with the protection to which he is entitled as a citizen. It must intercede to stop the illegal persecution of the journalist by the British, American and Ecuadorean governments. It must secure his safe return to Australia. If we fail to protect Assange, we fail to protect ourselves. Information Clearing House Cyclone Jawad: Storm like to cause heavy rain in south Bengal, govt takes precautionary measures Jawad Cyclone Live Tracking: Rain lashes Odisha, Bengal; more in store for next 2 days Cyclone 'Jawad': North coastal Andhra braces up; 11 teams of NDRF and three SDRF on standby 31 dead as rain, strong winds, storm hit Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 17: At least 31 people have been killed due to unseasonal rain and dust storm hit several parts Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and other parts of the country. While 16 people died in Madhya Pradesh, six deaths were reported from Rajasthan and nine from Gujarat. In Gujarat, nine people--four in Mehsana, two in Banaskantha, one each in Rajkot, Morbi, and Sabarkantha-- were killed due to the storm and rain. The crops have also been damaged in most of the locations. Weather Forecast April 17: Light to moderate rains likely in Delhi-NCR In Rajasthan, gusty winds triggered by western disturbance affected normal life in several areas. Chittorgarh, Sriganganagar, Ajmer, Kota and Pilani received heavy rainfall, according to the Met department. PM Modi tweeted, "Authorities are monitoring the situation very closely. All possible assistance is being given to those affected." In another tweet, the Prime Minister's Office said, PM Modi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to unseasonal rain and storm in various parts of Gujarat. He has also approved Rs. 50,000 each for those injured. A massive dust storm had hit different parts of Gujarat, just a day before PM Modi's rally in Himmatnagar, Surendranagar and Anand today. PM Modi will be holding rallies in Amreli tomorrow and in Patan on April 21. Also, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath tweeted grief for the loss of lives. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 12:48 [IST] Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad says his convoy shot at in UP In U-turn, Bhim Army chief says won't contest against Modi in Varanasi India oi-PTI New Delhi, Apr 17: Nearly a month after announcing that he would contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Wednesday rescinded his decision, saying his outfit will support the SP-BSP alliance and the Dalit vote should remain intact to defeat the BJP. Chandrashekhar's remarks comes a few days after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Maywati termed him a BJP agent and accused him of dividing Dalit votes. The Dalit group's founder also said the Bhim Army will support the SP-BSP alliance if it fields Satish Chandra Mishra, Mayawati's general secretary and Brahmin face of the BSP, from the Varanasi seat. Upset over Mayawati's remark, Bhim Army to support Cong's Saharanpur candidate Earlier, the Bhim Army chief had accused Mishra of misleading Mayawati and conspiring against the Dalit group. "I have decided not to contest from Varanasi because I do not want that my decision should strengthen the BJP or Modi in anyway. We all want to defeat the BJP," he said. Chandrashekhar had earlier told PTI that he won't contest from the seat if his candidature "strengthened" Modi. On Mayawati's criticism of him, he said, "Our own people are calling us agents of the BJP, but I still want her to become prime minister." At an event to mark BR Ambedkar Jayanti in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow on April 14, he had said that the Bhim Army and not Mayawati was the "real well-wisher" of Dalits. Chandrashekhar said that if the SP-BSP alliance fielded Mishra from Varanasi, they will also be able to get some upper caste votes. He had earlier attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav "for giving promotion to officers who inflicted atrocities on Dalits". "His (Akhilesh) father says in Parliament that he wants Modi to become prime minister again. They are agents of the BJP, not me. "They call me an agent for questioning them. Yes, I am an agent of B R Ambedkar... If my own people were not in my way, I would have shown you (Akhilesh) that if we can vote you to power, we can pull you down too," he had said. Chandrashekhar had announced at a rally in the national capital last month that he would contest against Modi from Varanasi and had welcomed support of all parties, including the Congress, to take on the BJP. He had also sought the support of the SP and the BSP for his candidature, saying the Dalit group would back their alliance in other seats. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance is yet to declare its candidate against Modi in Varanasi. The Chandrashekhar-led group shot to limelight during the May 2017 clashes between Dalits and upper caste Thakurs in Saharanpur. Chandrashekhar was arrested after the clashes. Though he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested him under the stringent National Security Act. He was released in September 2018 after 16 months in jail. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 18:55 [IST] Be present in Lok Sabha, RS says BJP in 3 line whip to its MPs Election expenditure: How much did BJP, Congress, DMK, CPI, TMC, AIADMK receive funds and spent during polls? BJP asks EC to review Mamata Banerjee's biopic Baghini India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 17: Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Election Commission of India over a biopic allegedly being made on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. In the letter, the BJP said that the EC should review the biopic named "Baghini" before its release in a similar way the biopic of PM Narendra Modi was reviewed. "This is to draw your attention to the news in the media that a biopic allegedly of Mamata Banerjee will be released on May 3, 2019 [named Baghini]," BJP said in the letter. "BJP requests the Hon'ble Election Commission of India and its representative in West Bengal the CEO to review the said biopic before release, on similar lines that was done by the Hon'ble Election Commission in the case of another biopic depicting Narendra Modi," the letter read. Modi biopic won't release until elections are over says EC The EC has asked for a report from West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer over the biopic. The film is being released on May 3. The official trailer of 'Baghini - Bengal Tigress' shows the Banerjee's journey from a determined, gritty girl to firebrand political leader of the state. Thespian Ruma Chakraborty has portrayed the role of the protagonist. Pinky Pal has produced the film. Nehal Dutta, who is the director of 'Baghini - Bengal Tigress', said that the film can not be categorised as a biopic instead it has taken inspirations from the TMC supremo's life. He said, unlike PM Modi's biopic, this movie talks about women's empowerment, India Today reported. Opposition CPIM has submitted a petition to Election Commission seeking to stall the movie. Earlier, the Election Commission had ordered a stay on the release of PM Narendra Modi, the biopic on the prime minister. The PM Modi biopic was slated to release on April 11, coinciding with the first phase of the general elections. It was initially scheduled for release on April 5. However, several opposition parties knocked on the doors of the Election Commission, invoking the Model Code of Conduct, that kicked in on March 10, a month before the Lok Sabha elections. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 17:41 [IST] False: NIA official part of Pulwama attack probe had not submitted dubious bills Top Lashkar commander gunned down with two more terrorists in Pulwama Centre boosts spending powers of Forces post Pulwama India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 16: In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, the government has granted emergency powers to the three services to procure weapons and military hardware to enhance their operational preparedness along the border with Pakistan, sources here said. The government also relaxed certain rules to cut delays in military purchase like allowing the three services to procure required weapons and equipment from a single vendor. 'Pulwama attack was planned, Modi murdered 42 jawans for political gains': Ex-Guv Qureshi says In March last year, the vice chiefs of the three services were granted additional financial powers to carry out specific procurement to ensure operational preparedness. Now, the government has granted more powers to the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force to go for buying of critical weapons and equipment to help them effectively deal with any hostilities along the border with Pakistan. In March last year, the defence ministry enhanced the financial powers of the three vice chiefs from Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore for specific procurement arms and ammunition. Sources said the threshold granted to the three forces couple of weeks ago for each proposal is around Rs 300 crore. IAF planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred. Same team of JeM planned Lethpora and Pulwama attack, probe suggests Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. A day after the Balakot strike, Pakistan launched a counter-offensive, unsuccessfully targeting several Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 5:51 [IST] Uma Bharti in Ayodhya for Ram temple's bhumi pujan, after saying no Covid positive Uma Bharti hospitalised, says wants to appear for Babri case verdict Uma Bharati's Bureaucracy is there to pick up our chappals remarks sparks controversy Country will see Priyanka as a 'thief's wife': Uma Bharti India pti-PTI Durg, Apr 16: Union Minister Uma Bharti on Tuesday courted controversy by saying the country will see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the way it views a "thief's wife", while claiming that the Congress general secretary will have no impact on the outcome of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. To a question on whether Priyanka Gandhi will contest the general elections from Varanasi, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election, Bharti said, "It is a democracy, anybody can fight election from anywhere". When asked to comment on the impact the Congress leader could have on the poll outcome, the firebrand BJP leader told reporters in Chhattisgarh's Durg, "Nothing. Why will she have an impact... Whose husband is facing theft charges. She will be seen the way India sees a thief's wife." Advani's stature would not be affected by contesting or not contesting elections: Uma Bharti Bharti also targeted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, saying by choosing to contest elections from Amethi and Wayanad, he has accepted defeat. He is the national president of his party and can fight as many elections as he wants, the BJP leader said. She also slammed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada and sought that he be barred from contesting the election. Bharti said the EC's decision to award equal punishment to Khan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was an "injustice" to the latter. He (Adityanath) took the name of God and did not insult any woman, she said, adding Khan should be slapped with all provisions of IPC related to insulting women. The Election Commission on Monday imposed a nationwide campaign ban on Adityanath for 72 hours for his "provocative" communal remarks, which it said had the "propensity to polarise the elections". A three-day campaign ban has also been imposed on Khan for his alleged "khaki underwear" jibe against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, who is his rival BJP candidate in Rampur Lok Sabha seat. The all-India ban came into force from 6 am, Tuesday. Bharti on Tuesday campaigned for BJPs candidate in Durg Lok Sabha constituency which will got polls in the third phase on April 23. Attack on CRPF jawans in Jammu and Kashmir: One martyred, four injured in terror attack No intelligence or operational failure, nearly 30 Naxals killed in Bijapur: CRPF Chief Kuldiep Singh CRPF trooper injured in Tral grenade attack India pti-PTI Srinagar, Apr 17: Terrorists fired a grenade at a CRPF camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Wednesday injuring a personnel of the force, officials said. They said an under-barrel grenade launcher was fired at the Tral-based camp of the 180th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force. The grenade exploded inside the camp of the 'bravo company' causing minor injuries to a CRPF head constable, they added. The injured jawan is being provided medical assistance, they said. A UBGL is a weapon accessory and is fitted below the barrel of a gun. It fires a grenade at a trajectory and causes splinter and blast casualties. Security forces have launched a search in the area for the terrorists who carried out the attack, they said. In a deadly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in this area on February 14, forty troops on board a bus plying on the Jammu-Srinagar highway were killed. PTI EC bars NaMo TV from airing pre-recorded content 48 hour before voting India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 17: The Election Commission of India has barred NaMo TV from broadcasting pre-recorded content 48 hours before a constituency goes to poll. According to the new rules set, live coverage can be done on NaMo TV but any pre-recorded content cannot be streamed for 48 hours before the polling date. The State Chief Election Commissioners (CEC) have also been informed to monitor NaMo TV's content strictly. Lok Sabha elections 2019: How to search your name in voter list The directions were issued to the Delhi CEO as he is the nodal officer to pre-certify political content in TV channels and similar platforms which are beamed nationally. He has also been provided with a committee specifically for the purpose, a source aware of the development said. Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act "prohibits" display of any "election matter" by means of "cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus", 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a particular constituency. This phase is called the 'silence period' as it allows a voter to make up his or her mind on whom to vote without being influenced by political campaigning. However, Section 126 is not applicable on the print media. This move comes after the Opposition came down on the BJP for using the television channel as a platform for campainging. On Thursday last week, the EC had concluded that since NaMo TV is sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform should be pre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi and all political publicity contents being displayed without pre-certification should be removed immediately. After the Congress filed a complaint with the poll panel about the channel disturbing the level playing field, the EC had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue. Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the poll panel that it was an advertising platform that did not require a license from the ministry. Lok Sabha elections 2019: Stage set for second phase polling, key battles on the cards The Delhi CEO had approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said is part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained the old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It has been brought to the notice of the commission that NaMo TV/content TV is a platform service offered by DTH operators to the BJP on a paid basis, any political publicity material or contents being displayed on electronic media without the requisite certification from competent authority (MCMC in this ease) should be removed immediately and any political content shall only be permitted strictly in accordance with the EC's instructions in this regard," the April 11 directive of the EC read . (with PTI inputs) ED Mumbai chief Vineet Agarwal removed over Nirav Modi case controversy India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 16: The government has removed ED's special director in Mumbai, Vineet Agarwal, for his alleged interference in relieving the agency's investigating officer in the Nirav Modi money-laundering case without following due procedure, officials said on Tuesday. They said the tenure of Agarwal has been cut short by three years and the 1994-batch Indian Police Service officer of Maharashtra cadre has been repatriated to his home state with immediate effect. The Union Finance Ministry issued an order Tuesday after getting sanction from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and subsequently the ED headquarters in Delhi issued the orders relieving Agarwal from the post of special director of the agency in Mumbai, the officials said. The officer did not respond to SMS and call made by PTI. An ED special director, based in Mumbai, heads the western region of the agency and has control over Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The charge has now been handed over in an "additional capacity" to the agency's special director based in Chennai. Agarwal was sent on deputation to the Enforcement Directorate in January 2017 for five years by the central government. His name cropped up on March 29 after he issued an order relieving his joint director in Mumbai, Satyabrat Kumar, from the Nirav Modi case probe when the court hearing in the extradition case of the absconding diamantaire was underway in London. As a controversy erupted in the sensitive case, being monitored at top levels of the government, ED Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra issued a fresh order in Delhi and cancelled Agarwal's signed order, within a few hours. A report on the day-long episode, seen as embarrassment to the agency in an important case, was subsequently sent by the ED headquarters to the Union Finance Ministry and the PMO, following which the officer was removed, the officials said. They said the IPS officer has been found guilty of exceeding his brief and interfering with the powers of the ED director and official procedures. A special director is only empowered to transfer or alter the charge of an official up to the level of an assistant director, officials explained. A joint director post is one above the assistant director and only the ED director is empowered to transfer such an official. The officials said, "Unnecessary controversy was created and the March 29 incident was seen as an attempt to weaken Indian investigating agencies' efforts to extradite Nirav Modi by this act." Agarwal was one of the key member of the probe team that initially probed the 2G spectrum allocation scam case. Nirav Modi is wanted by the ED on money-laundering charges and by CBI for criminal corruption charges in connection with the USD 2 billion alleged fraud at Punjab National Bank, said to be the largest banking scam of the country. The ED, that day, had also issued a clarification through its Twitter handle, stating that "certain media reports" said the joint director supervising investigation in the case of Nirav Modi has been relieved. "This report is not correct and denied." Immoral, reckless and illegal The Venezuela situation remains dangerous and volatile, but opposition to the Trump administrations bullying regime change efforts in that country may be growing in the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Since March 11, there has been a series of electrical blackouts which the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blames on cybernetic and other sabotage carried out by supporters of National Assembly President Juan Guaido, whom the Trump administration, supported by the old European colonial powers and right-wing governments in Latin America, is trying to foist on the Venezuelan people as president. Though blackouts are common in the poorer countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the fact that one power failure after another is happening just as Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence, and National Security Advisor John Bolton are stoking up the conflict with Venezuela to fever heat, is unlikely to be mere coincidence. Rather it seems obviously part of a campaign to make the 30 million inhabitants of the country suffer so that they will rise up and oust Maduro. This tactic has been used by the US against President Salvador Allendes socialist government in Chile in the early 1970s, and against Cuba for half a century after the 1959 revolution. Internationally, though the corporate-controlled media in the US and elsewhere tout the claim that 50 countries now have declared that they recognise Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela (out of almost 200 sovereign states in the world), Venezuela is getting diplomatic and economic support from China, Russia, and other countries. Sanctions imposed by the US on Venezuela have been making it hard for the country to import needed medical supplies, but the International Committee of the Red Cross is responding by stepping up its aid to the country. On April 2, responding to a request from the head of the countrys Supreme Court, the democratically elected Constituent Assembly, Venezuelas highest legislative body, revoked Guiados legislative immunity from prosecution. Guaido had been forbidden by the courts from leaving the country, which he did anyway, and then returned. Since his return, he has been circulating freely and blatantly calling for a foreign meaning US intervention in Venezuela to oust Maduro and install himself as president. With his immunity revoked, he could now be arrested and prosecuted for these actions and for other things, such as illegally receiving funding for his many trips to the US and its allies to drum up support for a coup. The Trump administration had threatened that the arrest of Guiado might somehow be the last straw leading to an armed intervention but has not responded yet. One major problem for progressive groups who want to stop Trumps regime change efforts in Venezuela has been that the supposedly liberal press and media in this country, plus a large proportion of the Democratic Party leadership, has jumped on board the regime change bandwagon. This has made it hard to get the other side of the Venezuela story out in the public venues of debate. There have been demonstrations against the Trump policies, including two in Washington, DC, on March 16 and March 30, but much more is needed to break the information blockade. On April 2, 50 US-based social justice advocacy organisations wrote an open letter to the US Congress calling for no US military intervention and an end to sanctions. The letter was initiated by the Centre for Economic Policy Research and Just Foreign Policy and was signed by, among others, Peace Action, the American Friends Service Committee, the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Franciscan Action Network, the National Day Labourers Action Network, the Chicago Religious Leadership Network, the Americas Program of the Centre for International Policy, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, CISPES, the Bay Area Labour Committee for Peace and Justice, the Institute for Policy Studies, CODEPINK and Global Exchange. The letter is strongly worded. It describes Trumps policy toward Venezuela as a dangerous and destructive regime change strategy which, with the sanctions imposed since 2017, have caused great hardship and loss of life in the South American country. Senate and House members to whom the letter is directed are called to take a strong public stand against these immoral, reckless and illegal policies and to support peaceful dialogue before it is too late. Specifically, the letter calls on senators and representatives to oppose economic sanctions, which not only are illegal under the United Nations and Organization of American States Charters, but which, in harming Venezuelas ability to import vitally needed medicines, have caused the death of innocent people. Further, it calls for the legislators to oppose Trump administration threats of military intervention, and to that end, to support two bills currently in Congress that forbid such intervention: HR 1004 (Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Intervention in Venezuela Act) and SJ Res 11 (a Senate Resolution with the same purpose). The letter further calls on Congress to support the efforts to advance dialogue in Venezuela, which the Venezuelan government is agreeable to and which the Vatican and the governments of Mexico and Uruguay have offered to facilitate. Finally, the letter points to the danger of having appointed convicted Iran-Contra veteran Elliott Abrams as Special Envoy to Venezuela as representing an immediate danger of a violent outcome. That is what in fact the Trump administration appears to be actively seeking, among other things with its exhortations to the Venezuelan armed forces to carry out an old-fashioned military coup. In a covering note to the public, Hassan El-Tayyab, co-director at Just Foreign Policy, calls on the public to contact Senators and Representatives to ask them to cosponsor and support HR 1004 AND SJ Res 11, as well as sharing the open letter with all media contacts. Peoples World We must take agriculture out of chemistry lab and connect it to lab of nature: PM Modi PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in UP IAS officer suspended for inspecting PM Modi's chopper in Odisha India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Apr 17: Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin was suspended on Wednesday by the Election Commission of India for inspecting PM Modi's helicopter in Sambalpur. Mohsin was suspended for 'actions contrary to the instructions of the commissions regarding SPG protectees'. On the basis of a report from the district collector and the DIG of police, the EC has taken action against the General Observer of Sambalpur came a day after the prime minister's visit there on Tuesday. "Checking of the prime minister's chopper, undertaken at Sambalpur, was not in accordance with the EC guidelines as SPG protectees are exempt from such checking," said a senior official without elaborating. The prime minister was stated to have been held up at the place for around 15 minutes because of the sudden checking, the official said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's helicopter was also checked by the personnel of the EC flying squad in Rourkela on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJP) on Wednesday lodged a separate complaint with Surendra Kumar demanding action against Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan for preventing government officers from conducting their election duty of checking his helicopter on Monday. Imagine the anger if Id fielded a terror accused: Mehbooba Mufti on Sadhvi Pragya India oi-Deepika S Srinagar, Apr 17: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP after the saffron party fielded Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, an accused in 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, for Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency. In reference to Sadhvi Pragya's move, Mufti asked what would happen if her party had fielded a terror accused in elections. The media would have gone berserk, she added. "Imagine the anger if I'd field a terror accused. Channels would've gone berserk by now trending a mehboobaterrorist hashtag! According to these guys terror has no religion when it comes to saffron fanatics but otherwise all Muslims are terrorists. Guilty until proven innocent (sic)," the PDP chief wrote on Twitter. BJP 'creating fear psychosis' and using national security as guise: Mehbooba Mufti Mufti has been leaving no stone unturned to hit out at the BJP ever since it walked out of the alliance in Jammu and Kashmir last year, leading to the collapse of the state government. The state has been under President's/Governor's Rule since then. On Wednesday, BJP announced that it has fielded Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is facing trial in 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh. Sadhvi Pragya formally joined the BJP. Expressing her desire to contest against Digvijaya Singh, Sadhvi Pragya has said she is confident of winning the Bhopal seat and Singh is not a challenge for her because she is a nationalist while the Congress leader spews venom against the nation. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 19:55 [IST] Jaish-e-Mohammad makes fresh call in Valley after top leadership is wiped out India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 17: The top leadership of the Jaish-e-Mohammad has asked its over ground workers in Jammu and Kashmir to go on a recruitment spree and also set up as many launch pads as possible. After suffering heavy losses in the wake of its commanders being killed in encounters, the JeM leadership wants to start afresh in the Valley. There is a directive by the leadership to look for more recruits. Further the terror group is also planning large scale infiltrations, a top counter terror officials informed OneIndia. Same team of JeM planned Lethpora and Pulwama attack, probe suggests The downfalls of the JeM had begun in December 2018 itself. Although it struck back with the Pulwama attack, the fact is that many part of the top leadership in the Valley have been killed. The forces had in December managed to bust two important modules of the JeM in Tral and Khrew Pamper. The busting of these two modules was extremely crucial. These were the primary modules of the Jaish which were launching a series of attacks in the recent past. There was a surge in terror activity in both these areas. Following this a special team was constituted to probe cases which involved attacks on both security forces and civilians. The police say that with these modules being busted, they have managed to clear the Jaish of from Khrew Pampore and Tral. The Jaish, which had witnessed a surge in the Valley over the past year, has been facing considerable losses over the past month and a half. Last week, Waseem, a Jaish terrorist from Pakistan was killed in an encounter. Another Jaish terrorist, Suhail Ahmed Lone was arrested following an encounter. In October, it may be recalled the security forces had carried out a successful operation in which the nephew of the Jaish chief was killed in an encounter. The security forces gunned down Jaish terrorist Usman Haidar, who was the nephew of the outfit's chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. Another terrorist of the same outfit, identified as Showkat Ahmed was also killed the encounter at the Tral area of South Kashmir. In major diplomatic win for India, deadly JeM terrorist deported from UAE Incidentally this was the second new of the Jaish boss to killed in an encounter. In November 2017, in an encounter at Pulwama, the forces had gunned down Talha Rashid. The killing of both these persons was crucial as they were also heading the sniper squad of the Jaish. The police had said that the Jaish had four persons who were part of the sniping squad. They were using the M-4 Caribes, a weapon deployed in Afghanistan by the NATO forces. The weapons were procured by the ISI from the Taliban, which had stolen the same from the US forces in Afghanistan. The M4 has been used in the Valley for sometime now. The killing of the two terrorists is seen as an important breakthrough in busting the sniper squad in the Valley. There have been at least three sniping incidents on the security forces and the latest was the killing of Assistant Sub Inspector of the CISF at Srinagar in October. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 15:38 [IST] Lok Sabha elections 2019: Stage set for second phase polling, key battles on the cards India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Apr 17: The stage is set for the second phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 on Thursday during which 95 parliamentary constituencies spread across 12 states and one Union Territories (UTs) would be casting their ballot. As per the original schedule released by the Election Commission on March 10, 97 seats were to vote on Thursday, but the election Tamil Nadu's Vellore has been cancelled and the polling Tripura was deferred. During the second phase, the polling will be held in 38 seats in Tamil Nadu, 14 seats in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat in Manipur and Puducherry. Lok Sabha elections 2019: How to search your name in voter list In Odisha, besides the five Lok Sabha seats, polling will also be held for 35 assembly constituencies. 91 seats went to polls in the first phase. Some crucial seats in eastern India like Silchar and Karimganj in Assam; Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal. Silchar and Karimganj are areas where the Citizenship Ammendment Bill (CAB) is said to have support. Sitting MP from Silchar is Congress's Sushmita Dev and the BJP has made it amply clear that winning is Silchar is one of their top priorities in Assam. Darjeeling is one of the two seats in West Bengal where the BJP won in 2014. With the BJP looking to make in roads in Bengal, retaining Darjeeling and Asansol is key. Lok Sabha elections 2019: Notification for Phase 6 of polls issued The election results of Tamil Nadu have always played an important role in the government formation at the Centre. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the two strong regional political parties of the state, with whom the Congress and the BJP have formed a pre-poll alliance to better their national tally. In Karnataka, which sends 28 Mps to the Lok Sabha, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in last year's assembly elections but was unable to form a government after Congress and JD(S) joined hands. The BJP would like to cash on the bickering in the ruling alliance in the state which has been an important part on the saffron party's narrative. In the political crucial Uttar Pradesh, important seats like Mathura, Agra and Aligarh are going to vote along with five other Lok Sabha seats. BJP's MP from Mathura, actor turned politician Hema Malini, is not only battling the anti-incumbency but also constant attack from the opposition for allegedly neglecting the constituency, is seeking a second term. Not far from Mathura, another actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, a Congress leader, is contesting from Fatehpur Sikri. His main fight would be against BJP's Raj Kumar Chahar and BSP's Bhagwan Sharma. In Aligarh, the main contest is between sitting BJP MP Satish Gautam and Congress' Bijendra Singh, who was the MP from here in 2004. In Bihar, interesting electoral battle is on the cards in Katihar where sitting MP Tariq Anwar, who recently quit the NCP and joined Congress, would take on JD(U)'s Dulal Chandra Goswami. Other important leaders whose fate would be decided tomorrow are Union ministers Jual Oram, Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Congress leaders Verappa Moily, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, and DMK's Dayanidhi Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi. Lok Sabha Elections: Voting for 1st phase captured in pictures The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23. 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: Mahavir Jayanti 2019: Know about the festival India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Apr 17: Mahavir Jayanti 2019 is one of the most auspicious festivals for the Jain community and like every year, the occasion is expected to be celebrated with fanfare this time as well. The festival is observed by the Jain community across the world to mark the birth anniversary of Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankara in Jainism. The day is marked with religious processions or rath yatra during which an idol of Mahavira is carried among prayers, chants and sermons. Jain temples are decorated with flags, and alms are offered to the poor. Since Jainism focuses on peace and harmony with minimal harm to living creatures, donations are also collected to save animals from slaughter. Born in Bihar in 599 BC, Mahavir was the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara who established core tenets of Jainism. Mahavir was born on Trayodashi Tithi during Shukla Paksha in the Chaitra month. This year marks the 2617th birth anniversary of Mahavir Swami. Here are some of his teaching and quotes that will inspire you: Do not deprive someone of his livelihood. This is a sinful tendency. - Lord Mahavir Kill not, cause no pain. Non-violence is the greatest religion. Lord Mahavira Live and allow others to live; hurt no one; life is dear to all living beings. - Lord Mahavir In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self. - Lord Mahavira Soul is the central point of spiritual discipline. - Lord Mahavira Meanwhile, stock markets were closed on Wednesday due to Mahavir Jayanti 2019, one of the most important festivals for Jain community that is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Mahavir. Happy Mahavir Jayanti 2019 to all! For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 12:59 [IST] Is China the reason why Pakistan opted to skip Summit for Democracy hosted by Biden? On surgical strikes, Gehlot says even Pak doesnt talk about what it does India pti-PTI Jaipur, Apr 17: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday mocked the Narendra Modi government for boasting about a surgical strike across the Line of Control, saying even Pakistan doesnt talk about its own actions. Gehlot claimed that except a handful of ministers, the NDA government was made up of first-timers. They boasted about the surgical strike because they lacked experience. Surgical strikes have been conducted in the tenure of every prime minister but they are never talked about. There are several things that Pakistan also does but they never talk about it," Gehlot said. At the same press conference, Gehlot triggered a controversy by suggesting that Ram Nath Kovind became President because he is a Dalit.The Indian Army had conducted a surgical strike across against several terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in September 2016, ten days after a terror attack at an Army camp in Uri in which 19 soldiers had been killed. 'My comments was misquoted by media houses': Ashok Gehlot clarifies on Dalit remark In February, the Indian Air Force struck at a terror camp in Balakot after a terrorist attack in Pulwama, which had left 40 CROPF personnel dead. Gehlot called the Modi-led BJP government a "government of rhetoric" and claimed its exit was imminent after the Lok Sabha elections. He said the BJP's "rhetoric" will sink the Modi government. "Rhetoric will sink the Modi government. It will be one reason and the other would be the weakening of constitutional institutions. People have gradually understood that it is a government of rhetoric," Gehlot said at a press conference. "Modi ji did not give good governance and now his government's farewell is imminent. People will see that they will be wiped out in the upcoming elections," he added. PTI Pak high commission, primary source of funds for terror in Valley India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 17: After identifying several properties in connection with the terror funding case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized assets worth Rs 6.19 crore belonging to Zahoor Watali, a Kashmiri businessman. ED officials said that the Pakistan High Commission was one channel of funding for the separatists in Kashmir. The probe agency also said that Watali's role in raising funds and acting as a financial conduit had been established. Terror sympathisers in govt offices: Monitoring group gets cracking The ED during a search recovered a document that suggested that Watali was receiving funds from the ISI, Pakistan High Commission at New Delhi and Hafiz Saeed, the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. The agency also learnt that after receiving the funds, Watali was remitting the same into the accounts of Hurriyat leaders. The separatists in turn used the money for their personal gains and also to fund stone pelters and terrorists, the agency also learnt. It may be recalled that the central probe agency issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach 13 properties, worth Rs 1.22 crore, in Jammu and Kashmir. The ED said the properties belonged to Mohammad Shafi Shah, a resident of Bandipora, and six other residents of Jammu and Kashmir, who allegedly worked for the terror outfit. The agency said it filed a criminal case of money laundering in this instance after taking cognisance of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) chargesheet filed against Salahuddin, Shah and others under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Action (UAPA) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. "Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the most active terror outfit in Kashmir, has been responsible for funding terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir." "Headed by Syed Salahuddin, its self-styled commander based out of Rawalpindi in Pakistan, it funds terrorism on Indian soil through monies organised by a trust called JKART (Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust) in alleged connivance with the ISI and other Pakistan-based entities," the ED said in a statement. It said the probe found that "terror funds" were being sent to India through hawala - illegal way of routing money by skirting banking channels, barter trade and human carriers. "The funds are illegally distributed to the next of kin of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, active and dead," it said. The US government had in August, 2017 designated Hizbul Mujahideen as 'foreign terrorist organisation'. Besides heading Hizbul Mujahideen, Salahuddin is the chairman of the United Jehad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of terrorist outfits operating in the Kashmir Valley. Separatist Geelani's son gets second NIA summons in terror funding case The NIA had arrested Salahuddin's son Syed Shahid Yousuf in this case in 2017 and the J&K government had later suspended him from service as he was working in the state agriculture department. Shah and three others are lodged in the Tihar jail in the national capital in connection with this terror funding case, the ED said. PM Modi 'fair and handsome', HDK will 'remain a black buffalo': former BJP MLA's shocker India oi-Vikas SV Bengaluru, Apr 17: In a shocking and highly controversial remark on Karnataka Chief Minister's complexion, former BJP MLA Raju Kage has reportedly said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "fair and handsome" while HD Kumaraswamy would remain a "black buffalo" even if he takes bath 100 times in a day. Kumaraswamy had earlier alleged that the media shows only Prime Minister Modi as he gets the "makeup" done before appearing in front of the camera. HDK's weird logic: 'Modi uses make up that's why looks good on camera' "You say Prime Minister changes outfits again & again. Arre, he is fair and handsome, that's why he changes constantly. But even if you (Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy) bathe 100 times a day, you will remain a black buffalo," Kage was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Former BJP MLA Raju Kage: You say Prime Minister changes outfits again & again. Arre, he is fair & handsome, that's why he changes constantly. But even if you (Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy) bathe 100 times a day, you will remain a black buffalo pic.twitter.com/NF4N3eBR4R ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2019 The former BJP MLA's statement came days after the Karnataka chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi glows because he "applies wax and make-up". Alpesh Thakor knows secret behind PM Modi's fair complexion "Modi wakes up every morning, applies makeup or wax to get a shine on his face and sits in front of cameras. But we take bath once in the morning and wash our face only the next day. Our faces do not look good on cameras. That is why even media shows only Modi," Kumaraswamy had said. During the Gujarat assembly elections in 2017, Alpesh Thakor had attribute Narendra Modi's "fair" complexion to imported mushrooms. Thakore had alleged that Prime Minister Modi disliked Gujarati food and was fond of Taiwanese mushrooms which cost Rs 80,000 per piece. "He was dark like me but he became fair because of imported mushrooms," Thakore had reportedly said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 16:27 [IST] Priyanka Chaturvedi miffed with Congress for reinstating leaders who misbehaved with her India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Apr 17: Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday expressed her displeasure at the party's decision to reinstate leaders who were suspended for misbehaving with her. Taking to Twitter to express her dissatisfaction over the development, Chaturvedi said it saddens her to see that 'lumpen goons' were let off by the party without any strict action. "Deeply saddened that lumpen goons get preference in @incindia over those who have given their sweat and blood. Having faced brickbats and abuse across board for the party but yet those who threatened me within the party getting away with not even a rap on their knuckles is unfortunate," Priyanka Chaturvedi said in her tweet. Kyunki Mantri Bhi Kabhi Graduate Thi: Cong mocks Smriti Irani over education qualification The incident happened in Mathura when Priyanka was addressing a press conference related to Rafale deal. As per the letter, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) had suspended some of its workers for their unruly behaviour with Priyanka, however, the orders were revoked after an intervention by Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia. It is to be noted that Mathura Lok Sabha constituency falls in Western UP. On the rise of the right To beat fascism we need to cease left-on-left conflict over vacuous identity politics that centre individual not collective interests, writes Ker Tesi. BRITAIN: With the growing popularity of figureheads like Tommy Robinson, the rapid expansion of far-right movements like Generation Identity, and white supremacist attacks such as the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the Christchurch massacre stacking up, the threat of the fascist right has never felt so immediate. Any socialist movement must also be fervently anti-racist, anti-misogynist, anti-homophobic, and against bigotry in all its forms. To combat it, the left must stand united yet currently, we are anything but. As such, we have been caught sleeping on our feet, a divided movement that too often is insular, rather than an outward-looking and ambitious body politic. Petty inter-movement squabbles that see us consuming our own will achieve nothing except foster further division. At the same time as were fighting each other, the far right is busy movement-building, bonded through its hatred and fear of the other. This bonding through prejudice should never be underestimated; indeed, its in large part the reason why the fascists have got so far, so fast. The media must undoubtedly bear some responsibility for the far rights expansion. Their continued platforming of fascism, such as the ghoulish speculation over Donald Trumps various vulgarities in the run-up to the 2016 election, or the platforming of a Generation Identity spokesperson in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, has exposed these racists views to millions. By framing Trump as the dangerous villain of the piece rather than reporting on him soberly in the early stages of the Republican race, the media played a crucial part in the spike in popularity he enjoyed, which formed due to the perception that he was an anti-hero battling against the liberal media. In a recent Generation Identity newsletter, subscribers were told they had gained a massive platform for their views thanks to the BBC appearance. However, although more must be done to hold the media to account, the left must bear its share of blame too. We have been too wrapped up in identity politics (idpol) to build a movement that has the hegemony to confront fascism wherever it manifests, which these days is not always in the form of blatant violence. Fascist radicalisation often begins with irreverence, humour even. It is the casual flirtation with Islamophobic and racist tropes undertaken by figures like Milo Yiannopoulos that have become so prolific online, or the alt-right meme culture that proliferates on 8chan. This type of humour works well today, especially because one of the tropes used against the left has been to label us as delicate snowflakes unable to take a joke or simply deal with the real world, demanding protection from reality via trigger warnings and safe spaces. Humour against snowflake culture seems anarchic to some, yet while the impetus behind the insult is fascist in its intent to rail against those wanting a fairer society there is a kernel of truth in the moniker. Identity politics threatens to paralyse the left, and will, if followed to its natural conclusion, lead to a disparate body politic, obsessed with navel gazing and with-hunts, scattered into our various warring tribal factions. Being against idpol is not the same as being for homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, misogyny or transphobia. But the politics of idpol have become such that even long-time left heavyweights, such as George Galloway, are now falling foul of wrong speak ideology. Galloway, who has been excoriated over his support for Brexit, has been accused by some leftists of being a racist over his stance on the EU. On Twitter, the attacks have recently been so repeated that he was forced to speak out and defend himself against the accusations. The far right is growing stronger and bolder every day and will only benefit from the shambolic way the incumbent Tory government has handled the Brexit fiasco. Several populist governments have been propelled to power in recent years, including the Trump administration, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Victor Orban in Hungary, and the coalition between the far-right League and anti-Establishment Five Star movement in Italy. More far-right parties could yet present a challenge to the neo-liberal status quo in a panopoly of other countries, including in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and even Britain. The fascists are not idling. Steve Bannon, alt-right Svengali and key player in The Movement, a think tank designed to connect far-right populist European groups, encouraged a 2018 audience of Front National members (renamed the Rassemblement National) to embrace the label racist, stating they should wear it as a badge of honour, adding: Every day, we get stronger and they get weaker. Bannon has now set his sights on the yellow jacket movement, saying: The yellow jackets are great, and adding: They are self-organising, they are like the Tea Party in 2010. The yellow jackets, or gilets jaunes movement, is made up largely of working-class activists, disenfranchised by the wealth divide worsened by Emmanuel Macrons neoliberal economic policies. This cynical attempt by figures like Bannon to align themselves with grassroots working-class movements presents a significant danger for the left that should not be underestimated. It is perilous precisely because we already have lost working-class support, and if we are not careful, could haemorrhage more to the populist right. With idpol, and the politics of individual lifestyle, we have alienated a large part of our core support base, the working class. The proletariat, who are struggling to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, find employment, or perform hours upon hours of underpaid work in service of the capitalist system, have little time to spend worrying about what labels they should use in their Twitter profile. We must reach and represent the working class if we want to transform society. In fact, without reaching them, we cannot transform society. True change is always at the grassroots, true socialist change always stems from the class of workers. But at the moment, much of the working class is disillusioned with liberal-left identity politics, and the far right has benefited from some of this disillusionment. Instead of tearing each other apart, we on the left must stand united, and show that we can offer the working class a real alternative. The kind of politics we must focus on are the anti-austerity and renationalisation measures proposed by Jeremy Corbyn, the social allowance that would improve the lives of millions suggested by John McDonnell, and Labours proposals to offer free education to all and tackle the issue of homelessness. These are the policies that have the power to transform lives, not circular identity politics that do not connect with people who are struggling to survive. It goes without saying or it should do at least that any socialist movement must also be fervently anti-racist, anti-misogynist, anti-homophobic, and against bigotry in all its forms. Yet accusations of bigotry must not be flung about casually and should not be levied against lefties and the working class because someone happened to use the wrong word or opposes a capitalist institution such as the EU. Instead, any criticism should be rooted firmly in class analysis, and the understanding of how oppressive forces work to systemically disenfranchise a whole class of people. When we approach it in this way, all becomes clear. We can look at the power of the right, at the share of the resources they own, and see the hegemony of the white, largely male-bodied, capitalist class. We can see then that they pose a real danger, and with their divisive rhetoric, which aims to further disenfranchise already marginalised groups, they make plain their malignant intent. Done this way, its easy to see where fascism truly lies. And its not on George Galloways doorstep. We cannot continue to persecute and alienate the working class, nor stalwart leftist politicians, for not centring petty-bourgeoisie concerns such as idpol. Often the argument for idpol is that it is simply a more thoroughgoing critique of all forms of fascism than the materialist left had so far been willing to undertake yet ironically, if we continue to obsess over the minutiae of identity politics, we will give the far right an opportunity to sow the seeds of real fascism. This is in fact, already happening, and soon we will have a serious problem on our hands if we want to rid ourselves of the resultant radicalisation. The left must stop our internal battles and instead must unite to emerge as a powerful political force that can combat the growing fascist threat. Morning Star 'Sounds fanciful and amusing', says Sitharaman on Pak FM's claim that India would strike soon India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Apr 17: "Good luck to him" said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's remark that India may strike between April 16 and 20. The Defence Minister sarcastically asked where Qureshi got the date from, adding that it sounded "amusing to her". Speaking to news agency ANI, Sitharaman, when asked about questions raised in some sections of the international media over the Balakot air strike, asked has there been any 'one government questioning us'? Shah Mahmood Qureshi had on Sunday claimed that his government has reliable intelligence that India is planning another attack against the country between April 16-20. Qureshi claims India planning another attack against Pakistan "I do not know where he got this date, so good luck to him. God knows whatever it is but it sounded very fanciful for me and amusing," Sitharaman told ANI when asked about Qureshi's claim. Further on Balakot strike, she said it is not India who claimed about it, it was the Pakistanis who "themselves claimed about the Balakot attack." On Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement 'that there may be a better chance of settling the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power', Sitharaman said that it could be a ploy. "I wouldn't know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party's or the government's take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by Congress. I don't know what to make of this honestly," the Defence Minister told ANI in an exclusive interview. Centre boosts spending powers of Forces post Pulwama India-Pakistan ties hit a new low after a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based JeM in South Kashmir's Pulwama which left at least 40 CRPF personnel martyred on February 14 and the risk of conflict rose dramatically on February 27, when India launched an air strike on what it said was a militant training base. The following day Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet and captured its pilot who was later released. Stalin calls for reforms in the EC after raids at Kanimozhi's residence India oi-Vikas SV Chennai, Apr 17: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) hit out at the Centre IT department raids at senior party leader Kanimozhi's residence two day before the polling for general elections and accused the BJP led government of using central agencies against opposition parties. DMK president MK Stalin called for reforms in the Election Commission (EC) and said the poll panel 'never took any action' on their complaints about those hoarding loads of cash. Party workers even took to the streets of Thoothukudi and shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Kanimozhi is the DMK's candidate from Thoothukudi and she is facing the state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan in the Lok Sabha elections. Kanimozhi is the daughter of late party patriarch M Karunanidhi and Stalin's half-sister. "People who hoarded crores of rupees had not been raided; the EC never took any action on our complaints. We have to undertake reforms in the EC in the future," said party president MK Stalin said, as per an HT report. In a statement, Stalin said the raids were an outcome of the "fear of a damning defeat" for BJP's candidate Soundararajan. Kanimozhi said that no cash or documents were found at the house. I-T officials confirmed that the DMK leader had cooperated with the team. Reports quoting IT department officials said the raids were conducted on the basis of a complaint by the returning officer and district magistrate Sandeep Nanduri. "The raids were conducted in Kurinji Nagar at Thoothukkudi. As we received information about cash movement, we launched the raids. About 10 officials from the ECand I-T department have conducted the raids," said an official in the I-T department on condition of anonymity, as per a Hindustan Times report. [Income Tax raids Kanimozhi's residence in Thoothukudi, finds nothing] The raids come as Lok Sabha elections in Vellore were cancelled following a huge cash haul, allegedly from the house of a DMK candidate. This was the first time Lok Sabha polls were cancelled in cash-for-votes allegations. Earlier on Tuesday, authorities conducted search at a store in the Theni Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu following inputs about suspected cash, during which police had to open fire in the air to disperse supporters of the TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK who objected to the action, officials said. The raiding team, comprising officials of the EC-appointed surveillance squad and the income tax department, seized bundles of cash allegedly meant for distribution among voters, they said. When the team arrived at the store in Andipatti in Theni district, believed to be run by a supporter of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), the shopkeeper fled the spot after downing the shutter. [Lok Sabha polls in Vellore cancelled after huge cash haul] Soon, an argument broke out between AMMK workers and the officials which resulted in a commotion and police fired four rounds in the air, they said. No one was injured in the firing, a senior official said. Four AMMK volunteers were detained in connection with the incident. The officials said a number of neatly packed packets containing cash. "The packets have ward numbers and number of voters written on them and Rs 300 is written on each of the packets. The raid is continuing," the senior official said. Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 18. Corruption on accelerator and development on ventilator was hallmark of Congress rule: Modi Want to celebrate Easter, grant me bail says AugustaWestland middleman Michel India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Apr 17: Christian Michel, the alleged middleman arrested in the AgustaWestland chopper scam, moved a Delhi court seeking 7-day interim bail to celebrate Easter with his family. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate which have filed cases against him to respond to his bail application by April 18, when the court will hear the mater. "It is submitted that the applicant was in the ED custody even during Christmas week ie. December 22 to 28, 2018 and was interrogated by the agency even during the Christmas day. Being a Christian, he was not even allowed to offer a Holy mass even during Christmas...," said the application moved by the accused. AgustaWestland case: Advocate Gautam Khaitan granted bail by court "It is submitted that the week commencing form 14th April to 21st April is a holy week for the Christian's and 21st April is the Easter which will be celebrated universally. The petitioner wishes to attend the holy mass on the Easter day and would like to make offerings during the Easter day," it said. The ED filed a supplementary charge sheet against Michel and others on April 4, Michel was arrested by the ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai. He is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the chopper scam by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. The agency had earlier told the court that Michel received 24.25 million euros and 1,60,96,245 pounds from the AgustaWestland deal. The ED told the court that it had identified Michel's properties purchased with the proceeds of the crime. AgustaWestland: Michel's business associate gets court summons 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 Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 5:58 [IST] We must take agriculture out of chemistry lab and connect it to lab of nature: PM Modi Will PM Modi meet fate of Adityanath and Mayawati? India oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi New Delhi, April 17: The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violation. In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, CPI-M leader Nilotpal Basu said Prime Minister Modi vitiated the atmosphere in his two rallies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on April 13 by importing polarising issues. "While addressing the Theni rally in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Modi asserted that the Communists and the Muslim League were playing a dangerous game on Sabarimala and initiating 'to strike at the root of faith'. He (PM Modi) asserted that as long as there is BJP none can destroy our faith," said Basu. BJP urges EC to review decision banning Yogi from campaigning The CPI-M leader added that this is a clear example as to how Narendra Modi is not only violating MCC but also implicitly challenging the order of the Election Commission to refrain from using Sabarimala temple and Lord Ayyappa in the election campaign. There have been protests by Hindu groups since a September 28 Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, including those from the hitherto banned group of 10 to 50 years. The matter is sub-judice. "Bringing in the question of faith and accusing the LDF government in Kerala, the Prime Minister was trying to appeal to the people belonging to the 'faith' and which is clearly against MCC, as well as, your (Election Commission) specific order, " said Basu, adding that the LDF government has, time and again, reiterated that it does not stand against faith; but was confining itself to implementing the Supreme Court order. The Chief Electoral Officer in Kerala has told political parties that under no circumstances should votes be solicited in the name of the Sabarimala temple as it has a religious connotation. The CPI-M leader said the Election Commission of India itself is an independent Constitutional authority and the Supreme Court order was in the spirit of the Constitutional order, charging the communists and the LDF government for implementing the apex court order amounts to, not just vitiating the atmosphere but undermining the Constitutional order which defines the limits of the election campaign. EC seeks report from Katihar DM over Navjot Singh Sidhu's remarks It is notable that the EC on Monday banned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from campaigning for 72 hours and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati for 48 hours for giving provocative speeches to aggravate differences between Hindus and Muslims. Now, it will be interesting to see whether the EC finds the issue raised by the CPI-M tantamount to same treatment like Adityanath and Mayawati or not. Masood Azhar issue being resolved: China tells US to hold new resolution International oi-PTI Beijing, Apr 17: China on Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, UK and France have served it an ultimatum until April 23 to lift its "technical hold" on designating Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist but claimed that the vexed issue is "moving towards settlement". After the Pulwama attack, a fresh 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. However, China blocked the bid by putting a "technical hold" on the proposal. Following this, the US backed by the UK and France moved directly to UN Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Azhar. No mention of Azhar-Pulwama link in Indian dossier says Pak China, a veto wielding member of the UNSC, had opposed the move, saying the issue should be resolved at the 1267 Committee itself which also functioned under the top UN body. Reacting to reports that the three countries have fixed April 23 as deadline for China to lift its technical hold in the 1267 Committee or else they would press for a discussion on the issue at the UNSC itself, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, "I don't know where you get such information." He said both the UNSC and its subsidiary body 1267 Committee have clear rules and procedures. "You need to get clarification from the sources about where you get such information. China's position is very clear. This issue should be resolved through cooperation. We don't believe that any efforts without the consensus of members will achieve a satisfying results," he said. "On the issue of listing Azhar, China's position remains unchanged. We also stay in communication with relevant parties. The matter is moving towards the direction of settlement," he said. "The relevant parties are forcing new resolution through the UN Security Council. We firmly oppose that. In fact, the relevant discussion in UNSC, most member expressed wish that this issue should be discussed within the 1267 committee and they don't hope to bypass it to handle the issue," he said. Without directly referring to the US, Lu said, "We hope the relevant country can respect the opinion of most members of the UNSC to act in a cooperative manner and help this issue be properly resolved within the framework of the 1267 Committee." Asked to elaborate on his assertion that the issue which had been pending for years due to series of technical holds put by China had moved towards resolution, Lu merely reiterated that the "matter is moving towards the direction of settlement". China which has been consistently blocking India, US, UK and France's moves to blacklist Azhar had stalled it once again at the 1267 Committee of the UN on March 14 by putting a "technical hold". 'Act cautiously': China slams US for resolution on Masood Azhar On April 1, China claimed that positive progress has been made to resolve the issue and accused Washington of scuttling its efforts by taking it to the UN Security Council. China also came up with similar claims on April 3 responding to US State Department spokesman's comments that Washington will use all available resources to blacklist Azhar to ensure that he will be held accountable. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 18:17 [IST] Saudi-led Yemen war: Trump vetoes bill to end US support International pti-PTI Washington, Apr 17: President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution from Congress directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the second such move of his presidency. The resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers -- a step he condemned in a statement announcing his veto. "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said. The veto was the second of his presidency, after he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March. Vetoing the measure is an "effective green light for the war strategy that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis to continue," said International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband. "Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure." Trump argued that US support for the bloody war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels was necessary for a variety of reasons, "first and foremost" to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries." [Kim open to third summit Trump] These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes the Saudi-led coalition has either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether. The president also said the resolution would "harm the foreign policy of the United States" and "harm our bilateral relationships." And it would "negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran's malign activities in Yemen," Trump said, referring to two Sunni Muslim militant groups and his Shiite bete noire. The resolution, which passed the US House of Representatives earlier this month and the Senate in March, was a historic milestone, as it was the first time in history that a measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the president's desk. Democrats argued that US involvement in the Yemen conflict -- through intelligence-sharing, logistical support and now-discontinued aerial refueling -- is unconstitutional without congressional authority. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi -- the country's most senior Democratic politician -- took aim at Trump's veto in a series of tweets on Tuesday. "The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world," Pelosi wrote. [White House comes out in Trump's defence over alleged violence inciting tweet] "Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress & perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis." Senator Bernie Sanders, a lead author of the Yemen resolution and a Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, said that "the people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs." "I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bi-partisan resolution to end U.S. involvement in the horrific war in Yemen," Sanders tweeted. Critics of the intervention warn that Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities in the four-year war. Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher. Both the Saudi-led alliance and Huthi rebels have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children. PTI Turkey hopeful US will extend waiver to buy oil from Iran International pti-PTI Washington, Apr 17: Turkey voiced hope on Tuesday that the United States will extend an exemption in sanctions to allow it to keep buying oil from Iran, despite tensions between the allies on multiple fronts. Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak met President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday and discussed the range of disagreements, including Ankara's major weapons purchase from Russia, said Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It was a positive meeting overall," Kalin told reporters in Washington. Kalin said Turkey was hopeful that the Trump administration would issue another waiver for Turkey after last year demanding that all nations stop buying oil from Iran. "Certainly we are expecting an extension for Turkey," Kalin said, adding that Ankara has not received a formal notice. The United States has given six-month exemptions to eight countries -- China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey -- that run out on May 2. Kalin said Turkey had reduced its imports from Iran despite disagreeing with the US sanctions, which Trump imposed unilaterally after pulling out of an international accord under which Tehran drastically scaled back its nuclear programme. [Russia missile deal to go ahead after US suspension: Erdogan] "People should not expect Turkey to turn its back on Iran just like that," he said, pointing to the countries' shared border and historic relationship. "We want to maintain good relations with Iran and we believe that the way to deal with Iran is more engagement rather than more sanctions." Relations between the United States and Turkey deteriorated after the NATO ally said it would buy the S-400 missile defense system from the alliance's main nemesis Russia. The United States has responded by suspending Turkey's participation in the key F-35 fighter-jet project. Kalin renewed Turkey's offer to form a joint committee to examine US concerns that Russia would gain data in Turkey to help the S-400 system shoot down the Western planes. He said that Russian air defenses are already operating in war-torn Syria, where Israeli F-35s frequently enter the airspace. "When you consider the airspace in the region, it should be very easy for Russians to gain access to that sensitive data already," Kalin said. "If they are waiting for Turkey to install these S-400s in Turkey to get that information, that wouldn't make sense." Kalin was in Washington to participate in a conference of the American-Turkish Council, a business group, at the Trump International Hotel. PTI Opalesque Industry Update - The D. E. Shaw group, a global investment and technology development firm, announced today that it has been granted a license to develop and market onshore investment products to investors in China. The Private Securities Investment Fund Manager (PFM) license is issued by the Asset Management Association of China. The D. E. Shaw group was among the first alternative asset managers to trade Asian markets and has been active in mainland Chinasince the early 2000s. It opened its current Hong Kong office in 2007 and its Shanghai office in 2010. "The D. E. Shaw group has extensive experience in mainland Chinese markets, and we are honored to receive PFM registration to deepen our presence in China for the long term," said Eddie Fishman, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Committee member, the D. E. Shaw group. "We look forward to working closely with Chinese investors to pursue opportunities in the nation's dynamic capital markets." The D. E. Shaw group combines rigorous analysis and scientific research with a robust infrastructure built over thirty years, investing across a number of discretionary, systematic, and hybrid strategies. Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market 2019 Global Analysis, Research, Review, Applications and Forecast to 2025 Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market 2019 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/104513 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/104513 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/104513 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/104513 www.upmarketresearch.com Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper 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.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 127 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.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 Liquid Rubber Stopper Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.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 Liquid Rubber Stopper Market analysis & forecast 2019 - 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: Jiangsu Best Hubei Huaqiang Hebei First Rubber Jintai Jiangsu Hualan Shandong Pharmaceutical Glass Samsung Medical Rubber Zhengzhou Aoxiang Ningbo Xingya The Plasticoid Company Assem-Pak and Aluseal RubberMill Jiangyin Hongmeng Saint-Gobain Qingdao Huaren Medical Sumitomo Rubber NIPRO West PharmaceuticalProduct Segment Analysis: Butyl Rubber EPDM Natural Rubber OtherApplication Segment Analysis: Pharmaceutical LaboratoryMajor Topics Covered in this Report: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Size by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Production by Regions Chapter 5 Consumption by Regions Chapter 6 Market Size by Type Chapter 7 Market Size by Application Chapter 8 Manufacturers Profiles Chapter 9 Production Forecasts Chapter 10 Consumption Forecast Chapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers Analysis Chapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting Factors Chapter 13 Key Findings Chapter 14 AppendixGet Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market: Key Stakeholders: Manufacturers Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size are as follows: History Year: 2013-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 and its commercial landscape. 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Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise Oral Liquid Rubber Stopper Market research report, as below: Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Top 20 Countries Data North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 China Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 India Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Sucralfate Market Key Findings with Worldwide Top Companies SRL Pharma, Nitika Chemicals., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Lisapharma S.p.A, Aptalis Pharma US Sucralfate https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/2325 https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/2325 Sucralfate is the generic form of the brand-name drug, Carafate. It is a prescription medicine used to treat ulcers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, peptic ulcer disease, and to prevent reoccurrence of ulcers. Sucralfate is a hydroxy aluminum salt of sucrose octasulfate that functions as a local mucosal adherent. It forms a coating over ulcers by sticking to the affected area, which protects the area from acid and enzymes and helps ulcers to heal more quickly. Sucralfate can also be used in treating ulcers and upper gastrointestinal disorders of dog, horse, and cat, which may arise due to drugs (particularly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids), toxic chemical ingestion, liver disease, renal failure, carcinoma, stress (trauma, shock, sepsis, and burns), and inflammatory bowel disease.Sucralfate Market DriversIncreasing research and development activities for discovering new medicine using sucralfate is expected to propel growth of the sucralfate market. For instance, according to the American Broncho Esophagological Association report in April 2018, use of sucralfate along with honey aids in treatment of esophageal injury in infants and children. Esophageal injury in infants and children is associated with consumption of Button Batteries (BB), small disc-shaped batteries commonly found in toys. Use of sucralfate with honey can help in mitigation of the button batteries and allows symptomatic relief from esophageal injury.Request For Sample Copy:Sucralfate Market TaxonomyBy FormulationTabletLiquidBy IndicationGastric UlcersDuodenal UlcersGastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)Other IndicationsSucralfate Market RestraintDrug shortages are projected to hinder growth of the sucralfate market. For instance, according to Drug Shortages Canada, report of September 2018, APO-SUCRALFATE - TAB 1G (APOTEX INC) that contained sucralfate was not available due to disruption in the manufacturing of the drug. The drug is used to treat peptic ulcer and gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD).Sucralfate Market Regional AnalysisOn the basis of region, the global sucralfate market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.North America is expected to hold dominant position in the sucralfate market, owing to increasing number of clinical studies. For instance, University of Texas is conducting a clinical phase II study on sucralfate to improve oral intake in children with infectious oral ulcers. The study is expected to be completed by June 2019. By 2026, Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth in the global sucralfate market due to increasing prevalence of H. pylori associated peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer, and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.Key players operating in the global sucralfate market include, SRL Pharma, Nitika Chemicals., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Lisapharma S.p.A, Aptalis Pharma US, Inc., Uniprix Group, Rx Outreach, Abcam Plc, and Quimica Alkano.Download the PDF brochure:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr.ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email:sales@coherentmarketinsights.com E-Discovery Consulting Services Market, Top key players are eDiscovery, FTI technology, ESI Attorneys, Deloitte, HBR, Infosys, eTERA consulting http://bit.ly/2VTXeyg http://bit.ly/2VTXeyg www.reportsandmarkets.com E-Discovery Consulting Services Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecast 2019 2025E-Discovery Consulting Services Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2022 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the E-Discovery Consulting Services basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Get sample copy of this report:Some of the key players operating in this market include: eDiscovery, FTI technology, ESI Attorneys, Deloitte, HBR, Infosys, eTERA consultingThe report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia E-Discovery Consulting Services Market;3.) the North American E-Discovery Consulting Services Market;4.) the European E-Discovery Consulting Services Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.TABLE OF CONTENT:Chapter One E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry OverviewChapter Two E-Discovery Consulting Services Up and Down Stream Industry AnalysisChapter Three Asia E-Discovery Consulting Services Market AnalysisChapter Four 2019-2025 Asia E-Discovery Consulting Services Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Five Asia E-Discovery Consulting Services Key Manufacturers AnalysisChapter Six Asia E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry Development TrendChapter Seven North American E-Discovery Consulting Services Market AnalysisChapter Eight 2019-2025 North American E-Discovery Consulting Services Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Nine North American E-Discovery Consulting Services Key Manufacturers AnalysisChapter Ten North American E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry Development TrendChapter Eleven Europe E-Discovery Consulting Services Market AnalysisChapter Twelve 2019-2025 Europe E-Discovery Consulting Services Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Thirteen Europe E-Discovery Consulting Services Key Manufacturers AnalysisChapter Fourteen Europe E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry Development TrendChapter Fifteen E-Discovery Consulting Services Marketing Channels Development Proposals AnalysisChapter Sixteen Development Environmental AnalysisChapter Seventeen E-Discovery Consulting Services New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisChapter Eighteen 2019-2025 Global E-Discovery Consulting Services Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and ForecastChapter Nineteen Global E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry Development TrendChapter Twenty Global E-Discovery Consulting Services Industry Research ConclusionsGet Complete Report:About Us:Market research is the new buzzword in the market, which helps in understanding the market potential of any product in the market. Reports And Markets is not just another company in this domain but is a part of a veteran group called Algoro Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. It offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for a wide range of sectors both for the government and private agencies all across the world.Contact Us:Sanjay JainManager - Partner Relations & International Marketinginfo@reportsandmarkets.comPh: +44-020-3286-9338 (UK)Ph: +1-214-736-7666 (US) Global DRAM Market 2018 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023; New Report Launched http://bit.ly/2UlllEc https://www.marketresearchreports.com/computing-electronics https://www.marketresearchreports.com/search/site/DRAM There are different versions of DDR DRAM, which have been launched in different phases and are currently used in different technological applications. DDR DRAM is a revised and updated form of synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) that can improve memory clock speed to at least 200 MHz. Prior to DDR DRAM, it was just single data rate DRAM (SDR DRAM). Though faster than extended data output (EDO) DRAM and fast page mode (FPM) DRAM, it was slower than DDR, as only one word of data can be transmitted per clock cycle.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the DRAM in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.The DRAM market size will exceed USD 45 billion by 2021. The rapid obsolescence due to the launch of newer and advanced versions of smartphones and tablets is compelling consumers to replace the older versions of these devices with updated newer products to access the latest technologies and functionalities.This need to procure upgraded product will drive the demand for DRAMs since DRAM is one of the primary components of mobile devices such as smartphones. Currently, DDR4 is being used in the latest smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Google Pixel. Moreover, with customer affordability being one of the important factors for the growth of electronic device OEMs, companies also focus on product pricing to improve sales. Companies such as Apple introduce limited models and focus on developing and introducing an upgraded version of their product every year. This induces DRAM manufacturers and other component suppliers to introduce upgraded products in a very short period of time. With the constant demand for DRAM and the need for introducing upgraded products, the DRAM market will witness growth during the next few years.The global DRAM market is highly competitive and a number of vendors are concentrated in one region. The established players hold the majority of the market share and the need for technological expertise makes it difficult for new players to enter the industry. To make the most of the growing DRAM market size, companies will focus more on investments in research, development, production facilities and trained manpower.In terms of geographic regions, APAC accounted for the maximum DRAM market shareand will continue its market dominance during the next few years. The presence of a number of DRAM manufacturers and OEM suppliers in countries like Taiwan and South Korea is one of the key factors that account for the regions dominance in this global market. The easy availability of raw materials and cheap labor make it quite easy for manufacturers to set up their base in the region.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers- Samsung Electronics- SK HYNIX- Micron Technology- Kingston Technology- Nanya Technology- Winbond- Transcend InformationMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)- Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers- DDR2 DRAM- DDR3 DRAM- DDR4 DRAM- DDR5 DRAMMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into- Mobile devices- PC- Consumer electronics- Networking devicesThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global DRAM market.Chapter 1, to describe DRAM Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of DRAM, with sales, revenue, and price of DRAM, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of DRAM, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, DRAM market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe DRAM sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceSpanning over 134 pages Global DRAM Market 2018 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 report covers Market Overview, Manufacturers Profiles, Global DRAM Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2016-2017), Global DRAM Market Analysis by Regions, North America DRAM by Countries, Europe DRAM by Countries, Asia-Pacific DRAM by Countries, South America DRAM by Countries, Middle East and Africa DRAM by Countries, Global DRAM Market Segment by Type, Global DRAM Market Segment by Application, DRAM Market Forecast (2018-2023), Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix.Please visit this link for more details:Find all Computing and Electronics Reports at:For related reports please visit:About MarketResearchReports.comMarketResearchReports.com is world's largest store offering quality market research, SWOT analysis, competitive intelligence and industry reports. We help Fortune 500 to Start-Ups with the latest market research reports on global & regional markets which comprise key industries, leading market players, new products and latest industry analysis & trends.MarketResearchReports.com is world's largest store offering quality market research, SWOT analysis, competitive intelligence and industry reports. We help Fortune 500 to Start-Ups with the latest market research reports on global & regional markets which comprise key industries, leading market players, new products and latest industry analysis & trends.Market Research Reports, Inc16192 Coastal HwyLewes, DE 19958, USAUSA: +1-302-703-9904India: +91-8762746600 Winter Wheat Seed Global Industry Report - History, Present and Future 2025 Winter Wheat Seed Global Industry Report 2025 https://www.research2reports.com/report-agriculture/winter-wheat-seed-market-2/72597 https://www.research2reports.com/sample-report-agriculture/winter-wheat-seed-market-2/72597 https://www.research2reports.com/enquiry-before-buy-agriculture/winter-wheat-seed-market-2/72597 https://www.research2reports.com/category-agriculture The global market size of Winter Wheat Seed is $XX million in 2017 with XX CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of XX% from 2018 to 2023.There are 3 key segments covered in this report: geography segment, end use/application segment and competitor segment.For geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023. This report coverss following regions:*North America*South America*Asia & Pacific*Europe*MEA (Middle East and Africa)Access more details about this report at:The key countries in each region are taken into consideration as well, such as United States, China, Japan, India, Korea, ASEAN, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, CIS, and Brazil etc.For end use/application segment, this report focuses on the status and outlook for key applications. End users also can be listed.For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Winter Wheat Seed as well as some small players. The compnaies include:Limagrain, Dupont Pioneer, Syngenta, AGT, KWS, RAGT, Monsanto, Northern, C& M SEEDS, Pro Harvest, Advanta, Seed Co, Agrovegetal, Anhui Wanken, Henan Tiancun, Hefei Fengle, Longping, Henan Qiule, Jiang et al.Purchase a copy of this premium research report at:The information for each competitor includes:*Company Profile*Main Business Information*SWOT Analysis*Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin*Market ShareInquire further details about this report at:About Research 2 Reports:Research2Reports Market Research Company offers custom syndicated market research reports with market analysis, consulting services Market research reports by Research2Reports depends on survey analysis covers a magnitude of factors, industry research, market size, forecasts, financial growth, pricing trends, competitive insights of market segmentsContact Us:Organization: Research2reportsOffice No. 212/213, B Block 2nd Floor,Parmar Chambers,Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune 411001Phone Number: 020 - 2612 6969Email: info@research2reports.comRead More Industry News:Research 2 Reports offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No. 212/213, B Block 2nd Floor,Parmar Chambers,Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune 411001 Gear Oil Market Comprehensive Study by Top Competitors: Exxon Mobil Corporation, Chevron Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP p.l.c., Lukoil, Total Lubrifiants, PetroChina Company Limited and Among Others Global Gear Oil Market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-gear-oil-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-gear-oil-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-gear-oil-market Global Gear Oil Market accounted for USD 7.34 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.70% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025.The Global Gear Oil Market is expected to grow rapidly over the projected timeframe. Increasing internet penetration and widespread adoption of social media platforms have also fostered market growth. In addition, market growth has also been driven by the presence of prominent content marketing companies. The size of the Global Gear Oil Market is expected to show lucrative growth from 2019 to 2025, driven by widespread adoption of global platforms for social media. The seven-year period of the Global Gear Oil Market can evaluate how the market is expected to evolve. Since the advent of the internet and the emergence of social media platforms, everybody can publish their content on the internet. Companies are developing skills to make their products more flexible in their use and optimization. There is a high bifurcation of the Global Gear Oil Market. There are few major players dominating the market.Get Free Sample Report atGlobal Gear Oil Major Market Competitors:Some of the major players operating in global gear oil market are:-Exxon Mobil Corporation,Chevron Corporation,Royal Dutch Shell Plc,BP p.l.c., Lukoil, Total Lubrifiants, PetroChina Company Limited, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd, Sinopec Corp., CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Apar Industries Ltd., FUCHS, and The Lubrizol Corporation among others.Table of Contents1. Introduction2. Market Segmentation3. Market Overview4. Executive Summary5. Premium Insights6. Global, By Component7. Product Type8. Delivery9. Industry Type10. Geography10.1. Overview10.2. North America10.3. Europe10.4. Asia-Pacific10.5. South America10.6. Middle East & Africa11. Company Landscape12. Company Profiles13. Related ReportsRequest for Detailed TOC atGlobal Gear Oil Market Competitive Analysis:The global gear oil market is consolidated due to the presence of limited number of players concentrated in few countries. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Rising demand from power industry Improved quality of gear oils Growing automotive industryGlobal Gear Oil Market Segmentation:On the basis of type, global gear oil market is segmented into mineral oil, synthetic oil, semi-synthetic oil and bio-based oil.Synthetic oil is sub segmented into poly-alpha-olefin(PAO),polyalkylene glycol (PAG) and Group III (hydrocracking).On the basis application global gear oil market is segmented into general industrial and transportation. General industrial is sub segmented into manufacturing, mining, construction, agriculture, oil & gas and others, whereas transportation is sub segmented into automotive, marine, railway, and aviation. Transportation segment accounts for the highest consumption due to increasing usage gear oils in the automotive industry.On the basis of geography, global gear oil market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Inquiry Before Buying atAbout Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Data Bridge Market ResearchOffice Number 402, Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune 411028Maharashtra, India Car Windshield Market 2019-2026 growing vigorously with top key players like Saint-Gobain SA, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd, Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., Ltd Car Windshield Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105147 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/105147 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105147 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/105147 www.upmarketresearch.com Up Market Research published a detailed report on Car Windshield Market. The report provides an in-depth overview of industry and competitive landscape, covering multiple market segments and elaborates market outlook and status to 2026.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The report contains 111 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Car Windshield 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 Car Windshield 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 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 Car Windshield Market analysis & forecast 2019-2026 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Global Car Windshield Market Segmentation Includes:Region-wise Analysis covers:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaOther regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players include:Saint-Gobain SAAsahi Glass Co., LtdFuyao Glass Industry Group Co., LtdNippon Sheet Glass Co. LtdGuardian IndustriesSafelite Auto GlassXinyi Glass GroupProduct Type Analysis:Thermoplastic MaterialThermoset MaterialApplication Analysis:Passenger CarLight Commercial VehicleHeavy Commercial VehicleGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Car Windshield 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 Car Windshield Market and its commercial landscape.- Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations.- To understand the future outlook and prospects for Car Windshield 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. Permanent Magnet Market 2019 by Manufacturers, Adams Magnetic Products Co., AT&M (Advanced Technology & Materials Co. Ltd.), Arnold Magnetic Technologies, A To Z Magnet Mfg. Co. Permanent Magnet Market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-permanent-magnet-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-permanent-magnet-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-permanent-magnet-market https://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-permanent-magnet-market The global Permanent Magnets Market report signifies an in-depth and thorough study of Permanent Magnets market. It also provides the size of market by carrying out the valuation in the constrained time period. The report includes an analysis and discussion of important trends in the industry, market size, market share estimates.The Permanent Magnet Market report is generated based on the type of market, organization size, on-site availability and organization type of end-users, and availability in areas such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. This study helps to perceive the dynamic condition, significant players and drivers of the market.The Global Permanent Magnet market accounted for USD 14.94billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast by 2024.Get a Free Sample Report @Major Topics Covered in this Report:Permanent Magnets MarketChapter 1 Study CoverageChapter 2 Executive SummaryChapter 3 Market Size by ManufacturersChapter 4 Production by RegionsChapter 5 Consumption by RegionsChapter 6 Market Size by TypeChapter 7 Market Size by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturers ProfilesChapter 9 Production ForecastsChapter 10 Consumption ForecastChapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers AnalysisChapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting FactorsChapter 13 Key FindingsChapter 14 AppendixRequest for Detail TOC @This Report consists of below pages:Permanent Magnets MarketNo of pages : 350 No of Figures: 60 No of Tables: 220Major Market Competitors: Permanent Magnets MarketAdams Magnetic Products Co., AT&M (Advanced Technology & Materials Co. Ltd.), Arnold Magnetic Technologies, A To Z Magnet Mfg. Co., Baotou Inst Magnetic New Materials Co. Ltd., Beijing ZhongKe San Huan Hi-Tech Co. Ltd., China Rare Earth Magnet Ltd., Clime Magnet Manufactory Co. Ltd., Daido Steel Co. Ltd., Dexter Magnetic Technologies Inc., EEC (Electron Energy Corp.), Feller Magtech Corp., Fuzhou Ao Magnet Electronic Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Best Magnet Co. Ltd., Hitachi Metals Ltd., HPMG (Hangzhou Permanent Magnet Group), IM (Integrated Magnetics), Longze Magnet Electronic Co. Ltd., MMC Magnetics, Bestway Magnet, Ningbo Co-Star Materials Hi-Tech Co. Ltd., Ningbo Jinke Magnetics Co. Ltd., Ningbo Ketian Magnet Co. Ltd., Newland International Trade Co. Ltd., Ningbo NGYV (Ninggang Permanent Magnetic) Materials Co. Ltd., Ningbo SanhuanMagsound Co. Ltd., Ningbo Songke Magnetic Materials Co. Ltd., Ningbo Vastsky Magnet Co. Ltd., Ningbo Xinfeng Magnet Industry Co. Ltd., Ningbo Yunsheng High-Tech Magnetics Co. Ltd., Ningbo Zhaobao Magnet Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Thinova Co. Ltd., SonalMagnetics, Stanford Magnets, TDK Corp., Thomas And Skinner Inc., Viona Magnetics, Xiamen Everbeen Magnet Electron Co. Ltd., Yantai Shougang Magnetic Materials Inc., Zhejiang Kaiven Magnet Co. Ltd.Avail 10% Discount On This Report @Competitive Analysis: Permanent Magnets MarketThe Global Permanent Magnet Market is fragmented with the presence of a large number of players across different regions. These major players have adopted various organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and others to strengthen their position in this market.Market Segmentation: Permanent Magnets MarketOn the basis of type:- Neodymium iron boron magnet, ferrite magnet, and samarium cobalt magnet.On the basis of application:- Consumer electronics, general industrial, automotive, medical technology, environment & energy, aerospace & defense and others. The automotive segment is further sub segmented into motors, sensors and switches. Medical is further sub segmented into scanning devices and implantable devices. The aerospace & defense segment is further sub segmented into electric engines and magnetic bearings.On the basis of geography:- North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others.Major Market Drivers:Permanent Magnets Market Growing automotive industry in Asia-Pacific Increasing demand for efficiency & miniaturization Initiativesby associations & regulatory bodiesto encourage use of permanent magnetMarket Restraint:Permanent Magnets Market Fluctuation in raw material costs Lack of quality control in developing countries High research and development costKey points to focus in the report1. Key trends in the market place2. Major players and brands3. Drivers and restrains of the market4. Major players and brands5. Historical and current market size and projection up to 2025.Inquire about this report from our experts @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Wood Based Furniture Panel Market 2019 | Global Industry Overview 2025 | Top Companies Kronospan, Arauco, Daiken New Zealand, Duratex, Etc. Wood Based Furniture Panel Market 2019 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105957 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/105957 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105957 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/105957 www.upmarketresearch.com Wood Based Furniture Panel 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.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Wood Based Furniture Panel Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 126 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.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 Wood Based Furniture Panel Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.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 Wood Based Furniture Panel Market analysis & forecast 2019 - 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: Kronospan Arauco Daiken New Zealand Duratex Georgia-Pacific Masisa Swiss Krono Group Norbord Louisiana-Pacific Weyerhaeuser Egger Sonae Industria Pfleiderer Kastamonu Entegre Swedspan Langboard Finsa Tolko Arbec West FraserProduct Segment Analysis: Particleboard (PB) Medium density fibreboard (MDF) High density fibreboard (HDF) Oriented strand board (OSB) PlywoodApplication Segment Analysis: Chair Table Sofa Bed OtherMajor Topics Covered in this Report: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Size by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Production by Regions Chapter 5 Consumption by Regions Chapter 6 Market Size by Type Chapter 7 Market Size by Application Chapter 8 Manufacturers Profiles Chapter 9 Production Forecasts Chapter 10 Consumption Forecast Chapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers Analysis Chapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting Factors Chapter 13 Key Findings Chapter 14 AppendixGet Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Wood Based Furniture Panel Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Wood Based Furniture Panel Market: Key Stakeholders: Manufacturers Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size are as follows: History Year: 2013-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Wood Based Furniture Panel Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 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 Wood Based Furniture Panel Market analysis and forecast 2019 - 2025.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.You can also ask for region wise Wood Based Furniture Panel Market research report, as below: Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Top 20 Countries Data North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 China Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 India Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market 2019 | Global Industry Overview 2025 | Top Companies Raytheon Company, Thales Group, Battelle Memorial Institute, Rafael, Etc. Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market 2019 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105962 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/105962 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/105962 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/105962 www.upmarketresearch.com Laser Anti-sniper Detection System 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.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 104 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.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 Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2019 2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.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 Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market analysis & forecast 2019 - 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: Raytheon Company Thales Group Battelle Memorial Institute Rafael SST Safran Electronics & Defense Rheinmetall AG ELTA Systems Ltd Acoem Group Databuoy Corporation CILAS Qinetiq North America Microflown Avisa B.V. Shooter Detection Systems LLC Textron SystemProduct Segment Analysis: Fixed System Vehicle Mounted System Portable SystemApplication Segment Analysis: Homeland Defense Soldier OtherMajor Topics Covered in this Report: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Size by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Production by Regions Chapter 5 Consumption by Regions Chapter 6 Market Size by Type Chapter 7 Market Size by Application Chapter 8 Manufacturers Profiles Chapter 9 Production Forecasts Chapter 10 Consumption Forecast Chapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers Analysis Chapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting Factors Chapter 13 Key Findings Chapter 14 AppendixGet Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market: Key Stakeholders: Manufacturers Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size are as follows: History Year: 2013-2018 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market Analysis and Forecast 2019 - 2025 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 Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market analysis and forecast 2019 - 2025.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.You can also ask for region wise Laser Anti-sniper Detection System Market research report, as below: Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Top 20 Countries Data North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 China Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 India Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025 United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013 - 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well- defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500 East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Sometime in the next month, a queer single mom will pack up the kids and her comics and move two blocks deeper into southeast Portland. On such initiative and whimsy are neighborhoods sustained and reborn. Katie Proctor owns Books with Pictures, a comic shop at 1100 Southeast Division. Her store is bright, colorful and hands-on. It pains me every time a family walks in and the first thing I hear Mom telling the kids is not to touch anything, Proctor says. I want them to touch things. Thats why Proctor doesnt hide her comics in plastic bags. She doesnt much care if the corners are dinged. In promoting Comics For Everyone, shes catering to readers, not collectors, though Im surprised shes found enough of either to keep the store open for the last three years. The colorful shelves at Books with Pictures' current location ... Rent -- $3,000 a month has soared, and parking at SE 11th and Division is almost non-existent, especially when freight trains shut down the intersection several times each day. Small businesses are major headaches. But comics and stories Ray Bradburys, Neil Gaimans, Colleen Coovers have been fundamental in the evolution of Proctors imagination, her sexual orientation and her sense of purpose. She and her staff might have toughed it out at that corner but for this: Jon Hagen died 15 months ago. And Longfellows Books came on the market. Hagen sold books, and stockpiled magazines, on that eccentric corner of Hosford-Abernethy for 28 years. Longfellows remained a neighborhood icon even as its retail business suffered a long and musty decline. Ive loved that building for as long as Ive been in the neighborhood, Proctor says. Id always stop in and talk to John. I dont know how he was making money, which is a feeling I know, but he was always engaging. Several months ago, Hagens son, Nile, pulled Proctor aside and told her the building was for sale. The sticker price: $1.5 million. Proctor laughed. Proctor reassessed. Proctor took financial inventory: Its a lot of money. Im just divorced. I wouldnt talk to me if I were a bank. But Proctor is a historian at heart; she has a B.A. from the University of Oregon and a graduate degree from Cornell. I love history because its the legacy of community and human connection, she says, and she was drawn to the history of the 1927 structure. ... and the raw lines at Longfellows that will soon showcase "Comics for Everyone" She researched its previous lives and tenants: the Crucchiola family butchers. The brakes-and-clutch repair shop. Another bookstore owner, Jean Bader, who was also divorced and raising her kids in the shadow of books and pictures. She found affinity and inspiration in a note from Holly Primiano, Jeans daughter, who remembered the magic of padding downstairs at night to find a new book to read: What a great gift to your children. I know my mom didnt buy the bookstore for me, but it was the greatest gift she ever gave me. And because Proctor is one of those people who doesnt bury her great plans and expectations in daydreams and journals, she decided to risk it all on that one turn of pitch-and-toss: She formed a limited liability corporation with 19 partners, raising $400,000 in three weeks. She put her house up for sale and promised Nile Hagen the proceeds. There was no lack of personality in Jon Hagen's bookstore, even in the smallest rooms. She invited Chris McFarlane and Thomas Mosher to open a record store My Vinyl Underground in the basement. She began the permitting process that will allow six food carts in the parking lot. She launched a Kickstarter to pay moving expenses. And she invited over her comic-book buddies to help with the renovations that will allow her and the kids to move into the second-floor apartment, above her new store. Jeff Parker whos currently exploring James Bonds formative years for Dynamite arrived with a sledge hammer to open the walls and make way for new pipes. He left energized by Proctors reckless embrace of the impossible. To see a beloved bookstore come back as a bookstore, even a comic-book store, is inspiring. It makes you think that what you love about Portland really isnt going away, Parker says. Proctor is adamant the new store will continue to celebrate the illustrated word and the rainbow in the window. Longfellows' iconic facade on Southeast Division As she prepared to open Books with Pictures three years ago, a local named Jamie Wenger happened by. He was out on a last-minute walk. His wife, Allison, was 9 months pregnant. He was curious what Proctor was building. One of my first customers, Proctor says. (Allison) went into labor two days before we opened, so they have a kid who is exactly as old as my comic shop. Sullivan Beatrix Gray Wenger. Livi, to those she loves. Shes now three, Proctor says, and shes big enough to come in and see me on purpose, and take books out for herself. As Proctor moves east, Livi is along for the ride. On the strength of such journeys are neighborhoods and bookstores reborn. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com A 76-year-old man died Monday after going into cardiac arrest while sitting among a packed crowd before a Woodland City Council meeting, according to a report. The Columbian reports responders tried for about 45 minutes to resuscitate the man, who was a Kalama resident. They ultimately werent successful. The scheduled city council meeting was canceled. The man was part of a group that was at the meeting to discuss Second Amendment rights and a controversial gun control measure Washington voters passed in 2018, according to the Columbian. The small southwest Washington citys council chambers are in a police station, and two first responders were present at the meeting, the newspaper reports. Authorities declined to provide the newspaper more information about the man. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. In the last decade, the city of Portland has pressed the state to immediately suspend the liquor licenses of five clubs. Two of the five were owned by black businessmen, including Northeast Portlands Fontaine Bleau, where a triple-shooting outside left one man dead and two wounded in November 2013. But the city didnt seek the same emergency sanction from the state when 25 other shootings occurred either inside, outside or near other nightclubs from 2009 through 2017, , according to recently filed court documents. The owner of Fontaine Bleau and his lawyers contend the discrepancies, uncovered through depositions in their long-standing discrimination case against the city and state, reveal disparate enforcement. They say the emergency suspension of Fontaine Bleaus alcohol license was racially motivated. The club shuttered its doors for good shortly after. If there had been a shooting anywhere else, the city would have treated the property owner as a victim of a crime, argued attorney Jesse Merrithew, representing Rodney DeWalt, former owner of the Fontaine Bleau. But when it happens outside a black club, then its a very different response by the city, he said. That racial animus lies at the heart of this difference in treatment. Attorneys for the city and the Oregon Liquor Control Commissions executive director, Steven Marks, vigorously dispute the characterization. Theyve defended the suspension of the Fontaine Bleaus liquor license and this month urged a federal judge to throw out the suit. The chaotic shooting erupted after a fight inside the Fontaine Bleau on Northeast Broadway and triggered a citywide police response because of the number of victims involved and fear of potential gang-related retaliation, they said. The violence, coupled with the owners failure to take steps to protect his club patrons or neighbors, demanded an immediate public safety response and justified the emergency suspension, lawyers for the city and state said. The simple fact is there was a dead boy 15 feet from the Fontaine Bleau, Marc Abrams, state Justice Department lawyer, told U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta. The fight started in the club. Marks became executive director of the state liquor control commission just three weeks before the shooting and didnt know DeWalt, his lawyer said. He was following recommendations from Portland police and then-Mayor Charlie Hales, Abrams said. Lawyers for DeWalt, the city and state now await a ruling from the judge on whether the alleged discrimination case can move forward. IMMEDIATE LICENSE SUSPENSION vs. NUISANCE VIOLATION Fontaine Bleau was among 3,000 liquor license holders in Portland and one of three black-owned clubs in Portland at the time. The three clubs held .01% of liquor licenses in the city, according to DeWalts lawyer. DeWalt and his lawyers argue that the city, working with the state, discriminated against him and his club based on his race, and the clubs musical preference through inordinate police attention and regulatory action based on unsubstantiated complaints. The two black-owned clubs represented 40 percent of the five that had their liquor licenses suspended. Of the others, two were white-owned and one was Asian-owned, city records show. Portlands black population is about 6 percent. Fontaine Bleau and Seeznins, the other black-owned club with a suspended license, catered to a predominantly black clientele, but none of the other clubs that faced emergency license suspensions catered to a particular race or ethnicity, lawyers for the city and state say. City officials said no evidence exists of a gross statistical disparity between treatment of Fontaine Bleau and other liquor-license holders. City staff addressed complaints at clubs by applying the same tools and standards, the citys attorneys said. To request an emergency liquor license suspension, the citys liquor licensing team in its Office of Neighborhood Involvement would attempt to show a history of problems at a club and that an owner had been unwilling to work with the city in solving them. Further, there had to be some type of catalyst posing an imminent public safety risk, evidence of an owners lack of control over the premises, and a nexus between the problems and the clubs patrons or its sale or service of alcohol, city officials say. The city would submit a written request to the state Liquor Control Commission within 24 hours of an incident. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, at the city of Portlands request and after evaluating all available material, ordered emergency suspensions of liquor licenses for five clubs in the city between 2009 and 2013: Club 915, on Jan. 7, 2011; Seeznins on June 28, 2011; Dons Dugout on Sept. 13, 2012; Grand Cafe on Dec. 4, 2012; and Fontaine Bleau on Nov. 9, 2013. City officials said other shootings at or near other clubs didnt lead to emergency liquor license suspensions because Portland police sometimes werent able to alert the citys licensing staff within the required 24 hours. That was because most of the shootings occurred on weekends when city staffers werent at work, according to the city. Sometimes the city seeks an alternative, less onerous penalty under the citys nuisance ordinance, essentially forcing the owner into an improvement plan to address complaints such as gunshots, excessive noise or drinking in public similar to complaints leveled against Fontaine Bleau. But that wasnt feasible for Fontaine Bleau, city attorneys wrote in court documents, because Theresa Marchetti, the citys liquor license coordinator, had no faith DeWalt would work collaboratively to make the process work. Merrithew said the citys explanations ring hollow and argued that a jury should get to decide whether the citys actions, and the state liquor control commission license suspensions, were race neutral. Merrithew pointed to two fatal shootings at the Mystic Gentlemans Club in two years one in the parking lot in 2012 and another in 2014, when a masked gunman shot a bouncer and then was killed by another security worker as he walked out of the strip club. The city didnt seek to suspend the clubs liquor license. The city said it didnt because neither shooting was connected to patrons or service of alcohol. Merrithew also discounted the citys explanation for not taking immediate action to yank the liquor license of the Roseland Theater in downtown Portland after a shooting outside the music venue in 2016. The citys liquor control team said it wasnt aware of the shooting within 24 hours, though it occurred about 10:35 p.m. on a Thursday night. How could city officials contend they were unaware of the Roseland shooting when attorneys for this case were in court the very next day, Merrithew asked. It defies logic, he said. DeWalts federal suit is one of several lawsuits that Merrithew and his colleagues have brought on behalf of black-owned businesses. Its the furthest along in the court process of the three. Sam Thompson, the owner of Seeznins Bar & Lounge, the other black club sanctioned with a suspended liquor license after a shooting across the street, has filed his own discrimination suit against another club called Dirty. He says he was denied access to Dirty, because he was wearing matching red sneakers and a red sweatshirt. His case is set for trial in June in Multnomah County. This month, Thompsons complaint was allowed to be amended to seek $1 million in punitive damages SET UP TO FAIL DeWalt said the city set his club up to fail. He opened it in January 2013 on Northeast Broadway, investing $400,000. He imposed a dress code, employed security guards who checked customers with a metal-detector wand to prevent them from bringing in guns or knives and searched handbags, according to his lawyers. When a neighbor began complaining of noise from the club, the security guards would walk outside every 30 minutes to listen for noise and signal the DJ to turn the amplifier down if they heard anything, DeWalt said. DeWalt and his lawyers contend the neighbors noise complaints were unfounded and that the city and police used them to harass his club. In August 2013, DeWalt said, 10 to 15 officers stopped by when the club featured hip-hop music and told him the city was not going to tolerate these types of events without notice and unless the city approved them. City officials dispute any such message was shared. Fire inspectors issued a warning to DeWalt for not keeping a count of occupants as they entered. Before the triple shooting, police got an anonymous phone call saying a party at Fontaine Bleau would attract a crowd of Blood gang members, but DeWalt said officers didnt warn him as they had with similar alerts to non-black-owned clubs. Less than an hour before the shooting, officers dropped by, identified several gang members outside the club and talked to a security guard, who told the officers some people were sneaking in through a side door. Police didnt warn DeWalt or check out what was going on, and instead they went to dinner at a local taquieria, according to Merrithew. A short time later, DeWalt found three men arguing in the bathroom and stepped between them, he said. A fourth man walked in and threw a beer at the wall. Dewalt told his bartender to stop serving and decided to shut down for the night. A security guard called police. As club patrons streamed out, gunshots rang out outside the clubs doors. Police found three people who had been shot, one fatally. One person wounded was shot while tending to the man killed. More than 100 people remained in the street, still fighting and throwing punches. Paramedics were fearful of entering the scene. The crowd was hostile, and police had to take cover from additional gunshots flying in the area. A sergeant called for a rare citywide Code 3 response, summoning every available officer to the location. A few hours later, the city liquor control coordinator Theresa Marchetti and Officer David Jackson, an investigator, pursued an emergency liquor license suspension. The city pressed for the state to order an emergency liquor license suspension, saying DeWalt intended to reopen the club that night. DeWalt said no one from the city, police or state talked to him about his plans that night. The city contends it took discrete enforcement actions against the Fontaine Bleau that were supported by legitimate public safety concerns rather than an unspoken agreement to shut down Mr. DeWalts business. On New Years Eve 2013, DeWalts landlord sent him a notice, ordering him to leave the premises and turn over the keys to the club, partly because the lack of a liquor license violated the terms of his lease. -- 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. The owner of an outdoor gear retailer based in Columbia City pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling counterfeit Leopold rifle scopes that he imported from China. Mark Aaron Culp, 56, founder and owner of CulMar Outdoors, admitted he trafficked in counterfeit, Chinese-made Leupold rifle scopes online. Leupold & Stevens, Inc. has its headquarters in Beaverton and specializes in high-quality optics for sporting, shooting, and military applications and makes rifle scopes, range finders, binoculars and thermal sensors. According to court documents, between May and July 2015, Culp sold rifle optics bearing various Leupold trademarks and design features online via at least two commercial websites: GunBroker.com and eBay. Culp sold 13 counterfeit rifle scopes that he had imported from China for far below the market price, generating approximately $3,700 in revenue, according to prosecutors. Each of the counterfeit scopes he sold bore and were packaged with one or more marks, including the brand name Leupold, the VX model designation, a Compass Point Circle-L logo, and a distinctive Gold Ring design feature, according to court records. Culps sales were discovered by Leupold & Stevens personnel. They purchased a scope from Culp online, confirmed that it was counterfeit, and referred the matter to the Beaverton Police Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Culp could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $2 million fine and 3 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on July 18 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown. --The Oregonian/OregonLive A 38 year-old man Wednesday entered not guilty pleas to a two-count indictment charging him with murder and unlawful use of a knife stemming from the April 8 killing of Paul Mears in downtown Portland. The fatal assault occurred about 1:30 p.m. at Southwest Broadway and Alder Street, a witness told investigators, according to a probable cause affidavit. When police and paramedics arrived, they found Mears bleeding from an injury to his right shoulder, near his neck, the affidavit said. Paramedics attempted to provide emergency aid to Mears, as he lay on the sidewalk on his back, but couldnt save him, Multnomah County deputy district attorney Bumjoon Park wrote in the affidavit. Based on a witness account, police located Daniel Paul Conner about two blocks away at Southwest Broadway and Morrison Street, and found him with a bloody knife, the affidavit said. Conner also had blood on his hands, gloves, jacket and face, according to police and prosecutors. Conner told investigators he has been living on the streets for two years and said he didnt know the alleged victim in the case. Conner was convicted in October 2014 of second-degree assault and attempt to commit a Class A felony in a Northwest Portland attack in which police and prosecutors said he used a bottle to injure a black man. He said he tried to kill the man because he was black and that he cut four black people in one night, according to court records. He was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of post-prison supervision. As part of a plea agreement in the 2014 case, a hate crime charge - second-degree intimidation - was dropped. Conner is being held without bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center. A trial has been tentatively set for May 24. -- 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. The Oregon State Senate on Tuesday passed a slate of reforms to the juvenile justice system, including a provision that ends the automatic referral of juveniles facing Measure 11 charges to adult court. Senate Bill 1008 passed 20-to-10. Nine of those who voted against the bill are Republicans; Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose was the lone Democrat to cast a no vote. The bill, which represents the first major reform to Oregons juvenile justice system in decades, now heads to the Oregon House. The bill is backed by the Oregon Department of Corrections chief Colette Peters, the association that represents juvenile department directors and criminal justice reform advocates. It includes a number of significant changes. It would require prosecutors to request a hearing to determine whether juveniles facing Measure 11 charges should be moved to adult court. Currently juveniles accused of those crimes automatically go to adult court. Measure 11 is a mandatory minimum sentencing law approved by voters in 1994. It requires that anyone 15 to 17 who is arrested for certain crimes be charged as an adult. Measure 11 charges come with high bail and long prison sentences. Crimes covered by the law include sex offenses, murder, robbery and assault. The bill would do away with life without parole sentences for juveniles. Anyone convicted of a crime when they are younger than 18 would get a chance to seek parole after 15 years. Proponents say 21 states and Washington, D.C., also have eliminated life without parole for juvenile offenders. According to the state, 15 offenders are serving life sentences for juvenile Measure 11 convictions; two are serving life without parole. The bill also gives juveniles convicted of Measure 11 crimes the opportunity for a so-called second look hearing half-way through their sentences. According to the bill, a judge would consider allowing young offenders to serve the rest of their sentences under community-based supervision instead of prison. Currently, such hearings are generally available only to juveniles serving non-Measure 11 sentences. It provides for an additional review by a judge for juvenile offenders before they are transferred to an adult prison; juvenile offenders serving time for Measure 11 convictions are transferred to adult prison at age 25. This review would apply to cases where offenders have two years left on their sentence. Kimberly McCullough, policy director for the ACLU of Oregon, a backer of the bill, said Measure 11 was approved at the height of the tough-on-crime era. What we have learned since then is that youth are better served by staying in the juvenile justice system, she said. McCullough said the states analysis found that youths who transfer to adult prisons are twice as likely to reoffend when they get out compared with youths who remain in juvenile facilities. A 2007 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that youths are 34 percent more likely to reoffend when prosecuted in an adult system versus a juvenile one. In emotional remarks on the Senate floor, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, described his own troubled youth. He said he was involved in violent fights as a young person. I will be frank with you, he said. I am not going to go into detail. I had a temper when I was younger. There is no doubt I was involved in some things that had there been a Measure 11, I would be incarcerated. He said adults who believed in him gave him a second chance. I am voting yes because I have not given up on the young people, children of Oregon, my Oregon, who have gotten themselves in trouble, Courtney said. Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, also spoke in support of the bill, saying Oregon spends three times as much on juvenile offenders as it does on adults in prison. He said that money is ultimately wasted when young offenders serving Measure 11 sentences are transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections, where their focus shifts to survival. So all of that investment goes away, Prozanski said. The Oregon District Attorneys Association opposed components of the bill and urged lawmakers to refer any Measure 11 changes to voters. The group has maintained that Measure 11 is effective and that Oregons juvenile crime rate for Measure 11 offenses is well below the national average for the same offenses. The organization also has pointed out that sex crimes and robbery make up the majority of juvenile offenders in state custody. Beth Heckert, district attorney for Jackson County and president of the association, said some provisions in the bill represent drastic changes to the mandatory minimum sentencing law. Our biggest point is it changes what the voters voted on and so it should be sent back to them to make those changes, she said. Prozanski said Measure 10, also passed in 1994, allows the Legislature to make changes to voter-approved sentencing laws like Measure 11. Those changes require a two-thirds majority. He acknowledged the District Attorneys Associations objections when he talked about the bill on the Senate floor, but he chided prosecutors for failing to offer much feedback about the proposed changes until late last month. He said the process for drafting the provisions that ended up in Senate Bill 1008 began in early 2018. He said representatives of the District Attorneys Association attended those meetings. They never gave any feedback until the very last meeting, he said. -- Noelle Crombie 503-276-7184 ncrombie@oregonian.com @noellecrombie Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Sixteen months after a scathing state audit said the Oregon Department of Education urgently needed to take action to help raise the states lousy graduation rate, the department has completed just three of 13 actions that auditors called for, according to a follow-up report made public Wednesday. Notably, that report said, the department has failed to emphasize and measure middle schools success at preparing students for high school. Nor, auditors said, has it offered schools any advice on how to provide quick intervention for students whove begun to miss too much school or to better serve students who change school districts during high school. Students who are chronically absent or switch districts mid-school-year are at huge risk of failing to graduate. To its credit, the department has given schools more information about the importance of reducing absenteeism and tools that can help, auditors said. It also has for the first time provided school districts with data about absenteeism and graduation rates for students whove attended different districts during their high school careers, the follow-up report said. Agency officials told auditors many district leaders indicated they had never examined data about mobile students success rates and found it eye-opening, which created an opportunity to talk about ways to improve. Oregons high school graduation rate has improved modestly in the past couple years but remains one of the lowest in the nation, with just 79 percent of high schoolers in the class of 2018 earning diplomas after four years. Oregons rate for the class of 2017, the most recent year for which the federal government has made comparisons, ranked No. 49 in the nation. Graduation rates are particularly low for low-income students, students of color and students with disabilities. And newly published information from the Oregon Department of Education shows that students who switch school districts during or after freshman year something one in four Oregon high school students experience -- are roughly as likely to drop out as earn a diploma. Nearly 90 percent of students who stay in one district, meanwhile, graduate on time. The original audit recommended that the education agency research and recommend effective approaches to districts and schools on ways to better serve students who change districts and schools. The follow up report said that has not happened. Education department officials generally blamed a lack of money and personnel for its failure to follow through on most of the audit recommendations. It also said it lacked authority to set requirements for school districts or didnt want to impose new demands on them. Auditors gave the department good marks for conducting new research on the effect of student mobility on graduation and creating one web site with tools to address chronic absenteeism and another replete with ideas for raising graduation rates. In a statement, state schools chief Colt Gill noted that the states graduation rate has improved on his watch and said, I welcome the secretary of states efforts to highlight our successes at (the education department) to lead this work across our schools and districts and to point out where additional focus is necessary. Gill, who was previously Gov. Kate Browns education innovation officer in charge of improving graduation rates, took the helm of the state education department just two months before the original audit was made public in December 2017. At the time, Gill committed in writing that 12 employees at his agency would carry through on all 13 recommendations. Since then, four of the 12 have left the department, two for retirement and two to work elsewhere, according to agency spokesman Marc Siegel. -- Betsy Hammond betsyhammond@oregonian.com @chalkup Four years ago Garth Brooks played five nights in at the Moda Center in Portland. But this summer, hes heading for an even bigger Oregon venue: Autzen Stadium in Eugene. In 2015, after selling out two shows at the Moda Center, Brooks ended up adding three more. If you want to know how important Portland is to me, theres no Saturday night gigs here. They werent available," Brooks said at the time. "Well, nobodyd be crazy (enough) to come into a town and do that, unless I just really wanted to play the market. So our whole thing coming into Portland, which is going to be different from anybody else, any other city, is every night is Saturday night. Fans were thrilled. This time around, however, hes playing a Saturday. A big Saturday. Autzen Stadium seats 54,000 while the Moda Center seats about 20,000. Tickets to Brooks stadium concert at 7 p.m. June 29 go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26, through Ticketmaster, either online at ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks, through the mobile app or by calling 1-877-654-2784. Tickets are $83.70 plus fees for a total of $94.95. Dear Annie: My best friend and I agree on almost everything, but something has come up that has caused us to argue, and we decided to turn to you for advice. We both have children who are in their first year of high school, and when they graduate they want to go to college. Our argument has been over the college cheating scandal that has sent shockwaves through the country. My friend says the parents who bribed their kids' way into prestigious universities did what any loving parent would do, and that we should show forgiveness to them and their children. We are both Christians, and she says forgiveness is a tenet of our faith. She says that just because some of the parents are rich and famous, they are being unfairly singled out for harsher punishment than usual. My argument is that these parents did a great disservice to their children, to the universities and to the well-deserving applicants who got turned down because the rich kids took their rightful place. I think the students who were admitted under false pretenses should all be kicked out -- no exceptions. They stole something that did not belong to them -- acceptance to a prestigious university. The parents should serve jail time to send a lesson to anyone who wants to cheat or buy their way into a school in the future. You have a great deal of wisdom for your years, and we both read your column regularly and have decided to turn to you for your thoughts. I showed this letter to my friend to make sure that she felt that I was portraying both of our positions accurately, and she agreed. -- Friends in Disagreement Dear Friends: You both make good points, but I agree with you that simply forgiving everyone without any consequences would send a bad message to future cheaters. If I were the judge in these cases, here is what I would do with those parents who are found guilty: I would sentence them to pay a hefty fine -- double the amount of money they spent on bribes. They would pay the fine to the same university they cheated, and the university would be required by law to use that money for scholarships for worthy applicants. That is paying a price, but one with a positive outcome that will improve the lives of hard-working students who are not from rich or famous families. Dear Annie: Ive lived on the American west coast my whole life, but I really want to move east. I feel more at home there. Multiple strangers -- and friends -- have told me I have more of an east coast vibe. But packing up and moving across the country is terrifying. I feel in my gut that its the right thing, but theres not a ton of logic behind that feeling. It would be a good thing to broaden my horizons, branch out, get out of my comfort zone. (All the best things I've ever done have been scary in the moment.) So should I follow my heart and head East? If you think so, do you have any tips for the move and adjusting to the other side of the country? -- Coast to Coast Dear Coast to Coast: Always trust your gut, but set yourself up to succeed. Life is for living and taking risks. When you are older looking back, you will not regret the experiences that you had outside your comfort zone so much as you will regret the ones you let slip away. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely recommended doing one thing that scares you every day. If you feel in your heart that you are supposed to head east, then head east, but do it with a plan. Try to line up a job. Select an area where you have friends or a support system so that you don't feel too isolated or alone. Research the area you'd like to life to have some familiarity with the neighborhood. You don't want to spread your wings and then not be able to take off, or, worse, crash before you start. "Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie" is out now! Annie Lane's debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM Oregon will be playing host to some notable guests this spring, as two new movies will be filming in the state. According to the Oregon Film office, The Rental and The Water Man are both scheduled to shoot on location here. While we couldnt get details out of the state film office, the South Coast publication, The World, has a report that The Rental is being filmed in Bandon, beginning later this month and continuing into May. As Deadline has reported, The Rental is a horror thriller, to be directed by Dave Franco, known for his roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, and with his brother, James Franco, in The Disaster Artist, the movie inspired by the making of the so-bad-its-well, just bad, cult film, The Room. The Rental marks Francos debut as a director. The cast includes Alison Brie (of Community and GLOW fame, and who also happens to be married to Franco); Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey and the FX series, Legion); Jeremy Allen White (Shameless); and Sheila Vand (24: Legacy). The film is written by Franco and Joe Swanberg (whose credits include creating the Netflix series, Easy), and is, as the Deadline article says, a character-driven horror thriller about two couples who rent a vacation home for what should be a celebratory weekend get-away. We dont yet know where The Water Man will be filming, but Deadline ran a story announcing that actor David Oyelowo (Selma, the PBS Les Miserables miniseries) will make his feature film directing debut with the project. Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer of the drama, written by Emma Needell. Oyelowo will also star in The Water Man, along with Rosario Dawson (Luke Cage), Alfred Molina (Vice), Mario Bello (A History of Violence). Lonnie Chavis (who plays the young Randall in flashback sequences in This Is Us) and Amiah Miller(War for the Planet of the Apes). The Water Man has been in development for several years. The script is described in the Deadline story as focusing on a precocious young boy Gunner (Chavis) who, in order to save his ill mother (Dawson), runs away from home with a local misfit Jo (Miller), to find the legendary figure called the Water Man who has been said to have the power to cheat death. While extremely close to his mother, he and his father Amos (Oyelowo) are forced to learn about each other as Amos goes on the search for his son. -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Colleen Hunt, the former girlfriend of convicted hate-crime murderer Russell Courtier, has written the family of the dead teen an apology letter. Hunt wrote that she had been drinking pretty heavily the evening of the killing and has relived that fatal night a million times trying to figure out where it all went wrong. She said she knew Courtier was a member of the white supremacist prison gang, the European Kindred. (B)ut I did not realize how dangerous he was until it was too late, Hunt wrote. Hunt, 37, and Courtier, 40, are white. Their 19-year-old victim, Larnell Bruce Jr., was African American. Hunts attorney has said no evidence links Hunt to white supremacy, other than her dating Courtier. Prosecutors say Hunt was in the passenger seat of her Jeep and Courtier was at the wheel in August 2016 when Courtier intentionally drove into Bruce, fatally striking him on a Gresham sidewalk as Bruce unsuccessfully tried to sprint away for his life. Witnesses said they heard Hunt yell to Courtier: Get him, baby! and Run him over! shortly before Courtier did just that. The seconds before the killing were caught on surveillance video. Courtier on Tuesday was sentenced to life in prison with a 28-year minimum for murder, for being motivated by racial hatred and for fleeing the scene. A jury in March found him guilty of all three crimes. Courtier made no statements at his sentencing hearing when given a chance, nor did he write a letter of apology. Hunt on Tuesday was sentenced to 10 years for first-degree manslaughter, after avoiding an aiding-and-abetting murder charge by admitting guilt part way through her March trial. Before Hunts sentencing, she penned the handwritten letter. It starts out: To: The Family & Friends of Larnell Bruce. Copies of it were given to Bruces family, the prosecutor and the judge, but the letter did not become publicly available until Wednesday when it was entered into Hunts case file. Hunt wrote that she will live with the guilt of her involvement for the rest of her life. I wish I made different decisions, Hunt wrote. ...(T)hings got out of control so fast that one thing lead (sic) to another and a life was lost. There are no words to explain this terrible situation and the remorse I feel. She continued: I cannot take your pain away but it is my hope to be forgiven by you and by God. From the depths of my soul I am sorry. Its unclear if Hunts words offered any solace to Bruces family members, who addressed Hunt by her first name during her sentencing hearing. They urged Hunt to continue working toward becoming a better person. I hope that you see that the path you chose to take in the past doesnt have to be the path you take in the future, said Stephine Pratt, Bruces sister-in-law. Hunt looked at Pratt and nodded as her lower lip quivered, but Hunt didnt make any statements during the hearing. 13 Russell Courtier sentencing Defense attorney Jason Steen said Hunt has been subjected to 2 1/2 years of public scorn, part of that being unfair" because people assumed she was the exact same as Courtier. Shes definitely a different person today than when she came in (after her arrest), Steen said. And she gets it. She understands what her guilt is in this, her responsibility is. I think shes stepped forward and taken it with a lot more courage than a lot of people would exhibit. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jerry Hodson said Hunt had encouraged what started as a fight and turned into a killing. But he said he appreciates her letter and hopes she really does move her life in a different direction. Having read your apology, I can tell youve already gone a long way in that regard, the judge said. -- Aimee Green agreen@oregonian.com o_aimee Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Ron Katterman of Hillsboro objects to Oregon joining the National Popular Vote Compact because it will degrade the power of small-population states in the selection of our presidents (Popular vote compact ignores rural areas, April 14). He is correct, because the Electoral College does not reflect a one person, one vote system. In 2016, 258,788 citizens voted for president in Wyoming. Those voters selected three Electoral College electors. This is one Electoral College vote per 86,262 voters. In 2016, 2,001,336 citizens voted for president in Oregon. Those voters selected seven Electoral College electors. This is one Electoral College vote per 285,905 voters. Mr. Katterman may feel that it is desirable for a U.S. citizen living in Wyoming to have 3 1/2 times as much say in who gets elected president as a U.S. citizen living in Oregon. I disagree. Adoption of the National Popular Vote Compact in Oregon will help move us toward equality for all U.S. voters and a true one person, one vote system. John Wagner, Portland By Petula Dvorak Dvorak is a columnist for The Washington Post. Bring it on, Mr. President. Bring on the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. We're America, remember? From Portland to New York to suburban Maryland, people who live in the "sanctuary" cities where President Donald Trump is threatening to send border crossers aren't having the reaction he envisioned. Let's check in not far from the White House, in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. It's not an incorporated city, so it isn't an official sanctuary city. But it's in immigrant-friendly Montgomery County, which has a policy "not to inquire about anyone's immigration status, nor does the County conduct any immigration enforcement or investigations." On one corner in Silver Spring, there were the Hare Krishnas, drumming and chanting and giving lollipops to anyone who would stop and listen to the story of Swami Prabhupada. On another corner, there was an evening palm procession by a largely Latino church congregation. Across the street, two buskers from Hyattsville, Maryland, played their brass horns, a group of Asian American skaters did tricks, and me and another white mom from Capitol Hill waited for our kids and their multicultural group of friends to finish their movie. "This is who we are, right here. We've got Ethiopian people, people from south of the border, people like me, born and raised here," said the trumpeter, Jay Carnegie, 37, who lives in Hyattsville, in neighboring Prince George's County, Maryland. "These people who walk 2,000 miles to get to America? Let them in if they're hard workers. And most of them are," said Carnegie, after playing a round of "Baby Shark" for a giggling toddler in a stroller. In this America, the arrival of migrants seeking asylum wouldn't be a punishment, as Trump seems to think. "He thinks it will be a really, really bad situation for our community, but he doesn't know our community," said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA Maryland, a group that is preparing to help any migrants who would be sent to sanctuary cities such as Hyattsville and nearby Takoma Park, Maryland. "We are who we are because of the diversity here," said Torres, who is already hearing from people across the region who want to help host any migrants released from detention. "The state of Maryland welcomed the Germans and the Italians who came here so many years ago. It is part of our humanity. It is part of our DNA." "We know these people have made great contributions to our area," he said. "And anyone else coming will make great contributions to these towns. And 15 years later, they will be proud to have stared down this tyranny." Hyattsville, just 8 miles from the White House, voted to make itself a sanctuary city in 2017. That means it won't turn undocumented residents over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and works with immigrants to help them to get legal status. "I was proud of our decision then, and I remain proud of our decision now," said Candace Hollingsworth, mayor of Hyattsville. She said she's not surprised that Trump is continuing his "degrading and ill-informed attacks" on migrants from Central America, primarily women and children. "Local government has always and will continue to stand in the gap to address the critical needs of our residents regardless of where they're from, how they got here or how they may vote," Hollingsworth said. Neighboring Takoma Park, with its long history of liberal activism, is walking that talk, too. It voted to become a sanctuary city more than three decades ago. And over the weekend, Mayor Kate Stewart fielded calls from residents already volunteering to open their homes and help any migrants who may be shipped to their town. "One of the core principals of Takoma Park is helping families," Stewart said. "So of course we're ready to take them." Across the region, there are immigrants who hope they'll be reunited with family members being held at the border. So it's a little funny that this alleged threat may be the answer to their prayers. But I couldn't find anyone who would laugh at the irony here. Mostly, folks are shocked it's come to this. In that glorious cacophony of diversity in Silver Spring, Maryland, that night, I stood next to a 59-year-old, African American woman born and raised in Washington, D.C. She comes here, she said, to enjoy all the different kinds of people, food, sights and sounds. People who come here blend in, they find work, they become Americans, she said, sweeping her arm across the colorful scene. (c) 2019, The Washington Post Classes were canceled at a Waldport elementary school Wednesday after an odor prompted parents to take their children to the emergency room. At least 14 childrens parents took them to the emergency room to have their blood levels tested for exposure to carbon monoxide, Karen Fischer Gray, superintendent of the Lincoln County School District, said in a statement posted online. Some had elevated or slightly elevated carbon monoxide levels. School staff noticed a strong smell of diesel in part of Crestview Heights School last week, and students were evacuated, according to a statement from the school districts safety coordinator. The smell dissipated, and students and staff were later cleared to return to the school. A fire official thought the smell came from the Waldport High/Middle School boiler. That school is located nearby, and fumes may have gotten into the elementary building. An odor returned Tuesday. None of the carbon monoxide detectors went off, the superintendent said. She said that beginning Tuesday afternoon, the boilers would be turned off at both the High/Middle School and Crestview Heights School. This is necessary to help learn if the boilers are contributing to the odor and if they can be blamed for exposure to CO, she said. They will remain off between 2 and 4 weeks in order to give us the right amount of time to know if there is indeed anything wrong with our boilers. At this time we believe they are working well. She warned parents that temperatures in the schools will be colder than normal. Warmer clothing will be provided to those who need it. Space heaters, she said, will be made available as much as possible. Crestview Heights School classes are set to resume Thursday. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A 3-year-old girl reported by her father to have been abducted by two gun-carrying strangers in southern Oregon Tuesday was found safe with her mother hours later in another town about 70 miles away, authorities say. The girls mother, Jazmine Grimes, was arrested on suspicion of custodial interference and Ryklin Monroe Anderson has been reunited with her father, according to the Sutherlin Police Department. The agency hasnt released any more information about what happened, including the identities of the man and woman accused of kidnapping the child in Oakland nor details about Grimes alleged role. The girls father, George Anderson, was taking care of her but hadnt obtained legal custody through court, the police department said. The agency described the parents as estranged. George Anderson called 911 a little before 11:20 a.m. and said Ryklin had been taken from a home in the 1100 block of Northeast Locust Street by a man and woman he didnt know, police said. The man and woman both had firearms and fled with the girl in a silver Toyota Corolla, police said. Investigators learned Grimes arrived at a home in Winchester Bay on the Oregon coast, a little before 2 p.m. Sutherlin officers and Douglas County deputies arrived at a home there and found Grimes and Ryklin, police said. In declining to release more information on the case, the police department cited its ongoing investigation and the nature and sensitivity of the crime committed. -- 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. Cylvia Hayes and Oregon Government Ethics Commission officials have reached a second potential settlement deal, this time for $50,000. Commission members are scheduled to vote on the deal Friday. The Salem-Statesman Journal originally reported Wednesdays tentative agreement. Its the second attempt at a settlement for Hayes, who faced the potential of $110,000 in fines after ethics investigators made preliminary findings last year that she violated ethics laws 22 times between 2011 and 2013 while serving as Oregons first lady. Investigators confirmed news reports that Hayes accepted more than $200,000 through her clean energy consulting firm while also serving as an unpaid adviser on the same issues for her fiancee, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber. The original agreement would have cut Hayes fines to $44,000. However, commission members rejected the deal, in part because Hayes didnt attend the public meeting during which the commission took the scheduled vote in early March. All of us felt offended that she would not appear in person, Commissioner Dan Mason told The Oregonian at the time. The ethics commission also reached an agreement with Kitzhaber last year. In that case, ethics investigators determined he had violated state ethics laws 10 times and he faced fines of as much as $50,000. He agreed to pay $20,000, admitting he unintentionally violated conflict of interest laws seven times as well as twice using his office for private gain and accepting a gift valued at more than $50. In her proposed settlement, Hayes also maintains that she did not intend to break ethics laws. She also said that at the time, she had consulted with governors office staff and legal counsel on these issues and had followed their advice. The ethics settlement also stated that if the results of the commissions investigation were submitted in a contested hearing, it would establish a preponderance of evidence in support of 16 violations of prohibited use of a public office, five violations of laws on handling conflicts of interest and one violation of rules on accepting gifts. The agreement outlines the work Hayes did individually and through her company, 3E Strategies, with nonprofits and advocacy groups including, Rural Development Initiatives, the Clean Economy Development Center, the Energy Foundation, Demos and Resource Media. The constant refrain throughout the narratives: Ms. Hayes used these opportunities, which would not have been available but for her official position." In 2017, federal and state prosecutors declined to seek criminal charges against Hayes and Kitzhaber. But the couples actions sparked an influence peddling scandal that ultimately led Hayes to file for bankruptcy and the three-term governor to resign just one month into his historic fourth term. Hayes also reached a settlement with The Oregonian/OregonLives parent company earlier this year. That agreement vastly reduced the $128,000 in legal fees a judge had ordered Hayes to pay the news organization, which shed unsuccessfully sued in hopes of blocking the release of her work-related emails. In that settlement, the news organization will accept $15,000 to satisfy the debt if paid within one year; or $20,000 if paid within five years, or $25,000 if paid within nine years. Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not bring charges against President Donald Trump for conspiring with Russia during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign. Attorney General William Barr stated that the president did not obstruct justice. And thats all we know for sure. We dont know if Mueller concluded the president did not break the law or if the special counsel simply followed the Justice Departments decades-old policy that a sitting president must not be indicted. We dont know if Barr is protecting the rule of law or if hes protecting the president who brought him back into government after years in the political wilderness. Which means that Thursday will be a big day for anyone interested in the so-called Trump-Russia saga. Thats when Barr will release Muellers report, sans classified material and any other information he decides should remain confidential. The content of the reports public version surely will spark a partisan fight of one sort or another. The redacted portions of the report might spark an entirely different set of partisan battles. Below is a rundown of some of what we know about the Mueller reports imminent unveiling and what we can expect when it lands on our collective doorstep. Barr None The redactions in the report wont be complete mysteries. Barr says the report he releases will include color-coded explanations for why missing material is being held back from public and congressional review. The Obstruction Conundrum Barr wrote in his four-page March summary of the report that Mueller did not make a determination on whether the president obstructed justice, stating that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. In that same summary, Barr reached a conclusion for Mueller, declaring that the evidence is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense. Recent news reports suggest that Barrs stated conclusion was misleading and hint at indications that Mueller meant to leave it for Congress to act on the presidents alleged obstruction. [M]embers of Muellers team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant, the Washington Post reported. Said one unnamed source in the Posts report: It was much more acute than Barr suggested. So whats the truth about Trump and obstruction? Ultimately, the nature of obstruction and of the presidents attacking public style -- means theres little chance of a settled opinion on the matter, ever. When Barr releases the Mueller report on Thursday, many legal eagles and journalists will read the section on obstruction first. Expect to hear a lot of analysis of it on the cable-news shows and in your news feeds but dont expect to come away satisfied. Anti-Trumpers Dreams Despite Barrs initial summary, which allowed Trump to declare total exoneration, anti-Trump crusaders continue to hold out hope that the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report is the first phase in a coordinated process intended to force the president to resign. This Deep State theory is dependent on ongoing cases in U.S. attorneys offices involving Trumps financial dealings. Little is publicly known about these investigations. Barr's redacted, "first pass" or "Mueller Report Lite" coming out on Thurs means Trump & attys have 72 hours to negotiate an exit deal. If there's no deal, Trump's leverage is cut in half during the next time period before the "2nd pass" & US attorney cases advance to indictments Tom Joseph (@TomJChicago) April 15, 2019 The New York Times just won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on how the future president and his relatives avoided paying roughly half a billion dollars worth of taxes, revelations that may have piqued the interest of sundry prosecutors. Still, as far as whats known to the public, social-media-driven theories about Trump negotiating a deal to leave office amount to little more than wishful thinking. Russia Exposed Mueller did not indict Trump, giving some credence to the presidents two-year mantra NO COLLUSION! But we do know, from both the special counsels indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers and other court filings (as well as through the work of news organizations and Congress intelligence committees) that Russia did attempt to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Muellers report is expected to shed more light -- possibly a lot more light -- on Russian President Vladimir Putins intentions and efforts. Trump Aides Exposed? Some of the more than one dozen current and former White House officials who cooperated with special counsel Robert Mueller are worried that the version of his report expected to be made public on Thursday will expose them as the source of damaging information about President Donald Trump, NBC News reported this week. Some of those current and former officials reportedly have asked the Justice Department if their names will be redacted in the public report. They have not received replies. One former Trump White House habitue says these past and present staffers are concerned about Trumps reaction: They got asked questions and told the truth, and now theyre worried the wrath will follow. Rumor has it that the president is most concerned about what former White House counsel Don McGahn told Mueller. McGahn apparently was not debriefed by the White House after his meetings with the special counsels investigators. Democratic officials, for their part, want to find out what Trump campaign staffers did when/if they found out about Russian interference in the election. I am most interested in reading if anyone inside the campaign reported to the FBI or others any contact with Russian officials or individuals who promised to provide dirt, former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile told Politico this week. How Will Trump Respond? We may have a preview already. Trump reportedly has been briefed on whats in the Mueller report. Tweets followed. Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction. These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (We will never forget)! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax. That is, never forget, the crime..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 ....Since there was no Collusion, why was there an Investigation in the first place! Answer - Dirty Cops, Dems and Crooked Hillary! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 The Final Countdown There are known unknowns, then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld famously said in 2002. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know. Which is exactly where we are at the moment. Josh Campbell, a CNN law-enforcement analyst and former FBI agent, offers good advice for the next 24 hours (and beyond): be wary of pundits who interpret the Mueller report before theyve read it. Those who are launching talking points summarizing a report they havent read are not trying to educate you. Theyre trying to manipulate you. Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) April 15, 2019 What Happens Next That depends, of course, on whats in the public version of the report. Democrats might call for immediate impeachment. The White House likely will claim final vindication. Democrats probably will continue to push for the release of the complete, unredacted report. Mueller probably will be called to testify publicly before Congress. (The House Intelligence Committee has already requested Muellers appearance before the committee and asked the special counsel to furnish all materials, regardless of form and classification, obtained or produced during the investigation.) This much we know for sure: Barrs release of the report will not be the end of the Trump-Russia saga. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. SALEM Oregons law that allows students living in the country illegally to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public universities could be expanded to cover graduate school as well. Senate Bill 859 would extend the program known as tuition equity to grad students who attended high school in Oregon. The original 2013 law was interpreted by most universities to apply only to undergraduate students. To qualify for the in-state tuition rate, the students without legal presence in the U.S. must have attended high school in Oregon for at least three years and received a diploma or equivalent from an Oregon high school. According to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, 269 undergraduate students enrolled using the tuition equity program in the 2017-18 academic year, saving an average of $13,728 in tuition costs. The bill passed the Senate 23-7 and now heads to the Oregon House. Intel abandoned its efforts to develop modems for the next generation of wireless technology Tuesday, just hours after rival Qualcomm reached a settlement with Apple over wireless technology for the iPhone. Intel chief executive Bob Swan said the chipmaker is now assessing our options for the future of its wireless business but said the forthcoming, superfast 5G technology continues to be a strategic priority across Intel. We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the cloudification of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns, Swan said in a written statement. He said the company will say more about its wireless plans when it releases first-quarter financial results next week. Intel has made 4G modems for recent generations of the iPhone, supplanting wireless specialist Qualcomm. Qualcomm has been engaged in a bitter legal fight with Apple over its wireless patent licenses. Qualcomm had accused Apple of stealing its intellectual property and giving it to Intel to create an alternative supplier. Early Tuesday afternoon, though, Qualcomm and Apple settled their dispute. Their agreement gave Apple a six-year licensing agreement and a multiyear deal for Qualcomm to supply Apple technology, plus an unspecified payment to Qualcomm. That news sent Qualcomms stock soaring 23 percent Tuesday. The stock jumped another 13 percent early Wednesday after Intel cleared the field for Qualcomm by killing its 5G business. Reports in recent months have suggested that Intel was struggling to develop its own 5G modems, with its version likely to arrive years behind Qualcomms. That may have triggered Tuesdays settlement or Intel may have notified Apple that it was planning to pull out of the 5G market. Regardless, Tuesdays agreement restored Qualcomms market leadership in wireless modems for smartphones and put Intels 5G business in an untenable position going forward. The wireless segment represents a small part of Intels business. The company doesnt disclose how much revenue it provides, but Weston Twigg, analyst with KeyBank Capital Markets, estimates it accounts for less than $2 billion of Intels $70 billion in annual revenue. Still, the chipmaker often portrayed its modem business as a gateway to other new technologies. For example, Intel hopes its modems could integrate with other smartphone technology and provide a gateway to get more Intel chips in mobile devices. And Intel hoped that 5G technologies would help enable a new class of connected devices known as the Internet of Things. Additionally, former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich frequently said 5G was key to the future of self-driving cars, because autonomous vehicles will probably rely on wireless connections to help navigate their routes and ensure their technology and safety features are current. Now, Intel will have to rely on other companies 5G wireless modems to enable its new technologies. Investors arent sorry about Intels retreat from a struggling business segment, though: Intel shares were up 3.3 percent, $1.87, at Wednesdays open. In our view, continued investment in its low-margin modem business made little strategic sense amid fab (factory) capacity constraints, KeyBancs Twigg wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. We dont expect this to impact Intels 2019 outlook, though its possible that it could improve Intels longer-term revenue and margin profile. -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's attorneys and the White House are moving to resist a growing number of congressional requests for information, increasing the likelihood of a protracted legal fight that could test the power of congressional subpoenas. The building battle will shape how much material House Democrats will be able to obtain about Trump's policies and personal finances through multiple investigations launched by various congressional committees. White House officials are already digging in their heels on a slew of requests related to Trump's actions as president. The administration does not plan to turn over information being sought about how particular individuals received their security clearances, Trump's meetings with foreign leaders and other topics that they plan to argue are subject to executive privilege, according to several aides familiar with internal discussions. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and the president's legal team are preparing for an extensive legal battle, if necessary, over subpoenas from Congress, aides said. On Monday, Trump's private attorneys warned his accounting firm not to comply with a subpoena from the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Separately, two other House committees issued subpoenas to several banks Monday for information about Trump's finances - drastically ratcheting up the stakes for the president, who is particularly angry about efforts to pry into his business, aides said. Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's attorneys, said he has urged the president not to cooperate with congressional Democrats' requests because, he argues, they ultimately want to impeach him. "I wouldn't cooperate with any of them," he said. "I'd fight it tooth and nail." House Democrats said Tuesday that they are resolute about issuing subpoenas where necessary and pursuing them to the full extent of the law. They said they have little confidence that the Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr will enforce contempt actions if their demands are flouted, but they believe subpoenas can be enforced through civil litigation. "The Trump administration for some reason feels that the subpoena power that's wielded by Congress is weak and that courts will side with the Trump administration in any kind of dispute about the validity of using that power to produce documents," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., a member of the House Oversight and Intelligence committees. "That kind of overconfidence might be very wrong." However, the resulting legal battles could be extensive, expensive and unpredictable, based on past litigation over congressional subpoenas. "This is clearly going to take time to resolve - the question is how long," said Mark Gitenstein, who served as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1980s. Going to court over and over again to fight to enforce lawmakers' demands will take resources and, critically, precious time that Congress may not have. Congressional subpoenas - and any criminal contempt proceedings that may follow - expire at the end of a congressional session, which could make matters moot after the 2020 election. "Undoubtedly, it will be in the legislative interest to request expedited action by the courts," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. "Here, justice delayed is democracy denied." House Democratic legal advisers have been poring over past congressional subpoena litigation as a guide as they map out their strategy. One key test came in 2007, when a House panel sought information from then-White House counsel Harriet Miers about President George W. Bush's efforts to fire U.S. attorneys. The White House objected to her providing information, citing executive privilege, and it was two years before she was required to testify. During Barack Obama's presidency, then-Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. faced a subpoena and a contempt resolution from the House Oversight Committee, which was seeking information about a controversial border law enforcement program called "Fast and Furious." The effort to secure information from Holder began in 2011 but was not resolved until 2016, long after he left office. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations got faster results in 2015 when it sought information from the company Backpage.com as part of a human-trafficking investigation. The Senate investigators won in court and were able to compel the production of information in about 13 months. House Democrats believe that their demands for information from the president's banks and accounting firms could move much faster. On Monday, the Intelligence and Financial Services committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup, seeking information about Trump's business ventures. Separately, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena late Monday to Mazars USA, Trump's accounting firm, for all financial information the firm has prepared or reviewed for the president's company and foundation. William Consovoy and Stefan Passantino, attorneys for the president and his company, wrote in a letter to Mazars USA on Monday that a subpoena from the Oversight Committee "would have no legitimate legislative purpose" and requested that the firm provide them with 10 days' notice of its actions "so that we may take appropriate legal steps to protect our clients' rights." Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the Oversight Committee, called the letter "the latest attempt by the President and his companies to throw the kitchen sink at Congress to prevent us from obtaining critical information as part of our constitutional oversight responsibilities." "But unlike the President, these outside entities understand that congressional subpoenas are mandatory, and they understand their legal obligation to comply with the law rather than obstruct it," he added. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking Republican on the committee, accused Cummings of using the panel's "limited resources to attack President Trump for political gain." For its part, Mazars USA said in a statement that it "will respect the legal process and fully comply with its legal obligations." Deutsche Bank said in a statement that it is "engaged in a productive dialogue" with the House committees. "We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations in a manner consistent with our legal obligations," the bank said. The other financial institutions declined to comment. The Trump Organization declined to comment. But a person close to the company on Tuesday called the subpoenas for the president's financial information "a new low" and said they set "a dangerous precedent." House lawyers are confident that any executive-privilege claim Trump's lawyers might try to assert over the financial records would be inapplicable and that the banks will not be cowed from providing Congress with records. A senior Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal strategy, said Democrats expected it would be "weeks, not months" before Deutsche Bank turned over the requested materials. "We don't foresee any issue with them responding appropriately to our lawful and legitimate subpoena," said the aide. "I would be very surprised if any bank did not comply with a lawfully authorized subpoena from a congressional committee." Two former House counsels said House Democrats have a good shot at winning since they could cut Trump's lawyers out of the equation entirely. Charles Tiefer, who served as deputy House counsel in the 1990s and now teaches at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said Trump's lawyers would have to sue the financial institutions to keep them from complying with Congress' subpoena for Trump's information. But even then, he was not sure what their argument would be for squashing such a demand. Some legal experts suggested that a judge could knock down the subpoena because it relates to a private matter, not broader government oversight. But Kerry Kircher, who served as House counsel for the Republican majority from 2011 to 2016, said he was not sure such an argument would hold up. "That's a tall order. Congress' oversight powers are pretty sweeping and pretty extensive," he said. "You can try that; I think that's a loser." The Democrats' strategy to try to compel the production of information has developed over the past several months in close consultation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to people familiar with the plan. Each panel has been urged to develop a clear legal predicate for its inquiry and give the administration and related entities multiple chances to comply with their requests. All of the House's requests for information are overshadowed by what one lawyer called "the big kahuna": the request by the House Judiciary Committee for access to the unredacted report by special counsel Robert Mueller III, an effort that drew participation from the chairs of half a dozen House committees. The slew of demands from the House committees has infuriated Trump, who has told aides that he does not want to cooperate with the inquiries, according to people familiar with his thinking. He is particularly angry about the efforts by the Ways and Means Committee to obtain his tax returns, telling aides he will fight that demand all the way to the Supreme Court and adding that, by then, the 2020 election will be over. "You're never going to see his tax returns," Anthony Scaramucci, a former White House official and Trump adviser, said on MSNBC on Tuesday. "He's not going to release them." The White House also plans to hold back information being sought about how particular individuals received their security clearances, and will reject requests for notes on the president's meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders, senior adviser Jared Kushner's interactions with foreign leaders, and the president's conversations with Cabinet members about initiatives, among other topics, according to the people with knowledge of his thinking. Cabinet agencies have been told to seek White House permission before giving any documents to Congress, and lawyers in the counsel's office are closely monitoring the requests, aides said. The White House declined to comment. House Democrats who have been bracing for a legal battle with the administration said Trump's stonewalling was maddening. "They are fighting us on everything now. They're fighting us on release of the uncensored Mueller report, they're fighting us on the president's taxes . . . they basically have decided that they want to thwart congressional oversight power," said Raskin. "It's an assault on the separation of powers and specifically the congressional oversight function." - - - The Washington Post's David A. Fahrenthold and Renae Merle in New York contributed to this report. A local Midland man was scammed out of $5,000 after a fraudulent phone call convinced him his nephew urgently needed bond money. Larry, a 78-year-old Midland resident whose last name the Midland Daily News has agreed to not disclose, was swept into the scam when his sister called, claiming his nephew Ryan was in trouble. She said she had received a call and was told Ryan had caused a car accident that severely injured a woman and her infant. She told Larry that "Ryan" was asking for $15,000 to go toward a bond of $150,000, but that any amount of money would help. However, the phone call was a scam and unfortunately, these types of calls aren't uncommon, said Midland Police Sgt. Chris Wenzell. He said new technology, "robo calls" and phone apps that can disguise phone numbers as legit have escalated the problem. Scammers use technology to their advantage, which makes it harder to catch them. Wenzell said it can be near impossible to track the perpetrators because most times, they are in other countries, he said. In about 90 percent of cases the scammer is never caught, he said. In addition, older adults are generally targeted because they tend to be more trusting, Wenzell said. "It's very troubling," the sergeant said. "Because I think initially, (phone scams) were specifically geared toward the senior population. And what you see is, kind of a generation of individuals who are very trusting. And if somebody said something, you took their word for it. So, there's a lot of believability to the person they're talking to on the other end." Larry told the Daily News he was skeptical about what his sister was saying to him at first, asking why Ryan's wife wasn't taking care of it and where the money would be going. "In the meantime, you're all shook up, thinking about how to get him out (of jail)," Larry said. He then received a call directly from his "nephew" and his "lawyer" claiming that any amount of money would help. "That should have been a red flag," Larry said, but that the voice on the phone sounded just like his nephew Ryan. The men on the phone told Larry they needed the situation "cleared up quick," Larry said, making it urgent. They then brought up Ryan's trip to China that was coming up, which Larry said not many people knew about. "We can't even figure out how they got that information," Larry said. "But that was another nail to convince me that is was him talking." The men on the phone convinced Larry to send over $5,000, asking him to send it electronically. However, Larry said he wasn't familiar with the technology. So, the men offered a solution - go to the nearest Home Depot and purchase five $1,000 gift cards. The men told Larry not to tell the cashier at Home Depot what the cards were for. Larry said he bought the cards and called the "lawyer" back. The man instructed Larry to read him the numbers from the back of the cards. "It just sounded so authentic," Larry said. The men exchanged a few more phone calls with Larry, claiming the card numbers were brought to the "prosecutor" and that they would be holding Ryan another night. The next day "Ryan" called to say he would be out of jail in an hour and he would then get money from his own account to pay Larry back. That was the last Larry heard from the men, he said. After consulting his sister again and contacting more of Ryan's family, Larry found out that he had been scammed and the money had already been taken off the gift cards. Wenzell said no legitimate business will ever ask for gift cards as a form of payment, but that scammers make it sound so believable that people buy into it, such as Larry had. Scammers often ask for gift cards from places like Home Depot, Apple Music and Walmart because the money can quickly be taken off them, Wenzell added. "The moment (the scammers) receive those numbers that are associated with (the cards), that is immediate money," he said. "They are immediately using those and there's not a thing you can do." Larry is not the only one to fall victim to this type of scam. The AARP published an article last year titled "Anatomy of a Grandparents Scam," which tells the story of a 68-year-old woman who fell victim to an almost identical fraud involving a "grandson" and his "lawyer." In addition, Home Depot keeps a permanent page on their website warning customers about gift card scams. "The No. 1 tip to remember is that no legitimate transaction will require you to pay specically with gift cards," the website warns. Larry said when he confronted Home Depot about what had happened, they said they have a warning about gift card scams posted in their public restrooms as well. Larry said the sign should have been closer to the actual gift cards, where he might have seen it. Don't give out money or personal information over the phone, Wenzell said and be skeptical of who is calling when they ask for something. Other common phone scams claim they are bill collectors for the IRS, that you have just won something or involve some kind of urgent situation. And while society may criticize the victims of these scams for not being smart enough to realize their validity, Wenzell said he has seen even highly educated individuals fall victim to scams. "It's kind of the way of the future, the way technology is going, unfortunately," Wenzell said about scams. Wenzell said those who have fallen victim to a scam, given out personal information or money, can file a police report as well as report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He said the FTC keeps a large database to keep track of fraudulent calls. To file a report with the FTC, call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or go online at ftc.gov To add your phone number to the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry call 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov More than 30 employees from agencies and organizations throughout Midland County were honored during the Employee Appreciation Awards on Tuesday. The awards were presented by Midland County Employee Appreciation Committee member Rob Maxwell during the Midland County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 16. Employees honored with framed certificates included: Denise Mason, Midland County procurement and contracts administrator Karissa McLaughlin, Pinecrest Farms resident associate Pam Shudark and Angela Green, Pinecrest Farms nursing supervisors who filled in during a shortage in staff this past winter Nathan Frazer, of Midland County Geographic Information Systems, for his assistance of Midland County Mosquito Control Hollie Barth, Maternal Infant Health Program nurse Michelle Burgher, Children's Special Health Care Services registered nurse and lead prevention nurse Clay Williams, Juvenile Care Center Atea Duso, Midland County Prosecuting Attorney's Office attorney, taking a leading in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse Kelly Allen, Prosecuting Attorney's Office administrative supervisor Samantha Weber and Amanda Hausmann, Prosecuting Attorney support staff who managed the court proceedings during the recent trial of Joel Wallace Deputy Matt Wilkinson, Midland County Sheriff's Office jail staff who saved an inmate's life during an allergic reaction Deputy Brad Staley, Sheriff's Office road patrol operative who helped a citizen in need of motor assistance even though he was not the deputy dispatched Lt. Vincent Szilagyi and Detective Brent Benzing of the Sheriff's Office, whose quick thinking led to the capture and subsequent successful interrogation of a suspect guilty in multiple breaking-and-entering cases Deputy Chad Thomas, Sheriff's Office road patrol Deputies Daniel Teer and Jason Brandt, Sheriff's Office road patrol operatives who prevented two deaths from drug overdoses Sgt. Jessee Milks, Sheriff's Office road patrol Deputy Kendall Kobel, Sheriff's Office road patrol field training deputy Deputy Myron Greene, Sheriff's Office road patrol operative who apprehended a reckless intoxicated driver Ross Ahlich, Veteran's Services counselor Midland County clerk Denise Adcock was awarded an engraved stone for temporarily filling in as Midland County Board of Commissioners administrative assistant. In addition to the individual recipients, two teams of employees were recognized and awarded engraved stones for their outstanding and influential teamwork. Midland County Finance Department staff Dawn Aho, Kenda Good, Craig Maxwell, Laurie Tarkowski, Denise Mason and Tori Meyer, along with county treasurer Cathy Lunsford were honored for coming into work when many organizations and departments across the Midland were closed due to extremely cold temperatures to ensure payroll forms and W-2 forms were handled properly. "These employees could have easily stayed home, but instead put their follow coworkers before themselves," Maxwell said. Sheriff's Office jail staff deputies Leslie Sheldon, Cora Zinnbauer, Nick Solosky and Tyler Evans, along with Cpl. Brandon Aikens, where honored for saving an inmate's life during an overdose scenario. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Sunday, April 14 11:51 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in Warren Township. 10:35 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a single-vehicle property damage accident in Ingersoll Township. 10:21 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a single-vehicle crash in Larkin Township. 9:34 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a City of Coleman residence in reference to a 33-year-old man who said his 13-year-old daughter was talking to possible older men on the internet, and wanted the deputy to speak to his daughter about the dangers of doing so. The deputy spoke with the daughter about talking to unknown people on the internet, and the possible dangers associated with it. There has been no physical contact between the unknown male and the girl. The father refused any additional information, and just wanted the daughter lectured. 9:15 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence to check the well being of a 21-year-old woman. The person who called in the report was a third party, who said the woman was afraid of her boyfriend. Contact was made with the woman and her parents. It was determined that the 25-year-old Bay City boyfriend was not allowed at the Ingersoll Township residence, and the woman was with him earlier in the day in Bay City. She denied any issues with her boyfriend and claimed to not know the call or why someone would call. She had two outstanding criminal bench warrants for her arrest out of Bay County. The warrants were verified, and she was turned over to a Bay City Police Officer at a gas station in Auburn. 8:16 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in Lincoln Township. 8:08 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a personal injury accident in Ingersoll Township. 7:27 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence in reference to a 40-year-old woman who was getting Facebook notifications on her phone from a 36-year-old Sanford woman's account. The 36-year-old was contacted and said it was because she was still logged in on the 40-year-old's phone. The 36-year-old said she will call the 40-year-old and explain to her how to log off Facebook. 7:13 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a personal injury accident in Mount Haley Township. 7:12 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident in the area of westbound US-10 and Waldo Road. 6:49 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to an area in Jerome Township in reference to a single-vehicle crash. The vehicle was pulled out by a wrecker prior to the deputy's arrival and sustained no damage. 4:03 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a property damage accident in Warren Township. 3:25 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of damage to property in the 1700 block of McGregor Street. 3:19 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a traffic crash in Mills Township. The vehicle did not have any new damage from the crash. The driver was issued a warning. A private party removed the vehicle and it was driven away. 2:58 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a property damage accident in Larkin Township. 12:47 p.m. -- Officers responded to a private property crash in the 7000 block of Eastman Avenue. 12:16 p.m. -- Deputies were called to a Homer Township residence due to a 30-year-old ex-boyfriend arriving uninvited. Once there the suspect argued with the caller and punched a hole through the bathroom door. Deputies arrested the suspect for two warrants and malicious destruction of property. 1:19 a.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to an Edenville Township residence in reference to a neighbor dispute/loud noise complaint. A 30-year-old woman said she and her boyfriend are continuing to have the same issues with their 31-year-old male neighbor in reference to noise. She said that tonight the 31-year-old was revving his truck engine in his driveway and causing a disturbance. She that when confronted, the intoxicated man attempted to start an argument with her and the boyfriend. Deputies made contact with the 31-year-old, who was inside his residence upon arrival. He said that he was staying inside and getting ready for bed. The 30-year-old said she was going to contact her township supervisor regarding the ongoing noise issues. Saturday, April 13 11:32 p.m. -- A 20-year-old Bay County man was arrested on a criminal bench warrant for failure to appear out of Bay County, following a traffic stop in Ingersoll Township. The male was transported to a gas station in Bay County, where he was turned over to a Bay County Sheriff's deputy. 10:21 p.m. -- Deputies were advised to look out for a vehicle in Homer Township. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with the driver, a 52-year-old Midland Township man. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated and was transported to the Midland County Jail without incident. 7:52 p.m. -- A 65-year-old man reported that his detached garage had been entered by an unknown subject, and his chainsaw worth $200 had been stolen. There aren't any known suspects at this time. 4:58 p.m. -- Officers responded to a case of domestic violence in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard. Noon -- A deputy was dispatched to a City of Coleman business in reference to a private property traffic crash. When the deputy arrived on scene both vehicles were gone. The deputy attempted to call the complainant, but was unable to speak with him. A message was left and the deputy has not had a phone call returned. 10:50 a.m. -- Officers performed a warrant arrest in the area of Isabella Street and Albee Lane. 10:44 a.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 400 block of Cottonwood Street. 4:10 a.m. -- A 21-year-old Saginaw man was arrested for driving on a suspended license following a traffic stop in Lee Township for a license violation. He was transported to the Midland County Jail where he was booked and lodged. Paducah, KY (42003) Today Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 43F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 43F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Niamey, Niger (PANA) Nigers Prime Minister Brigi Rafini has expressed his pleasure about the progress made the government in the past eight years of the Fifth Republic, noting that indicators "at all levels and in all sectors progressed significantly Marrakech, Morocco (PANA) - About 20 African countries participated Tuesday in Marrakech in the review of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) of their performance in implementing the Goals for Sustainable Development, official sources told PANA Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Burkinabe Ministry of Health Wednesday called on the countrys defence and security forces to provide minimum service in hospitals following a 48-hour strike declared by the Health Workers' Union to demand better living and working conditions Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Human Rights Watch (HRW), a non-governmental organization (NGO) Wednesday called on the Guinean government to take measures to prevent a repeat of the violence that rocked the country in 2018 Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Letshego has launched the Purchase Order Finance to assist micro and small business owners in the Kingdom of Swaziland to manage their cash flow On April 10th, Dutch ASML said it had been the victim of corporate espionage in 2015 involving employees from countries including China. ASML said the perpetrators took "large files" on memory sticks from its Silicon Valley software subsidiary that develops software for machine optimization, according to Reuters. ASML is the dominant maker of lithography systems, used to trace out the circuitry of semiconductor chips. ASMLs major customers include Samsung of South Korea, TSMC of Taiwan and Intel of the United States. The media was stuck on the theft being economic espionage from China. Yesterday a Dutch news outlet reported that Samsung Electronics was responsible for the 2015 software theft from ASML, the worlds largest chip machinery manufacturer based in the Netherlands. ASML's CEO Peter Wennink revealed in an interview on Dutch television that "our biggest Korean customer" was responsible for the espionage. Now that ASML's CEO has pointed to Samsung being the culprit behind the espionage, it's unclear how their relationship with Samsung will unfold. The theft was first reported by Dutch financial newspaper Financieele Dagblad on April 11 (local time). The paper suggested that the Chinese government was behind the theft by saying that it was orchestrated by ASMLs competitor XTAL, a Silicon Valley affiliate of Chinese company Dongfang Jingyuan. Following the report, ASML denied that it has been victim of 'Chinese espionage.' In a statement released on April 11, ASML CEO Peter Wennink said, "The suggestion that we were somehow victim of a national conspiracy is wrong. A headline from Dutch financial newspaper Financieele Dagblad's tech sector today (as noted in the graphic-clip from the online newspaper below) translates to: "Samsung distances itself from accusations of ASML chief executive. Samsung has responded negatively to ASML's suggestions that the Koreans were closely involved in the theft of ASML trade secrets." Samsung's full response was presented by LetsGoDigital late yesterday as presented below. While Samsung's states that "unlike Media reports" our partnership with ASML has remained strong..." the reality of the matter is that ASML's CEO stated that the theft was from their largest customer in Korea, right on TV without any "media" filtering of this news. So Samsung has nowhere to hide on this one. In addition, ASML's CEO hasn't retracted his statement made on TV. It appears that the media didn't get it wrong. Extensive coverage of this story could be found at the Netherlands website LetsGoDigital. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. The City of Roseville Employees Retirement System has filed a lawsuit against Apple. This is a securities fraud class action on behalf of all purchasers of Apple common stock between November 2, 2018 and January 2, 2019. The court filing lists Apple Inc., Timothy D. Cook and Luca Maestri as defendants. Causes for Action Count 1: For Violation of 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 Count 2: For Violation of 20(a) of the Exchange Act One segment of the complaint before the court states: "Notwithstanding the impact of slowing economic growth in China, geopolitical pressures caused by U.S.-China sales tariffs, and the Companys ability to compel unnecessary iPhone upgrades on customers, Apple issued a series of materially false and misleading statements in November 2018 concerning demand for iPhones and Apples pricing power for its hardware offerings, including its new iPhones launched in September 2018, in particular in China. Further, the complaint states that "During a conference call for analysts and investors held later that same evening, when asked whether the U.S.-China trade tariffs and trade tariff threats were having any impact on demand for iPhones in China, defendant Timothy D. Cook assured investors that the only "emerging markets that [Apple was] seeing pressure in [were] markets like Turkey, India, Brazil, [and] Russia . . . where currencies had weakened." Cook added, however, "in relation to China specifically, I would not put China in that category. Our business in China was very strong last quarter. We grew 16%, which were very happy with. iPhone, in particular, was very strong double digit growth there." (Note: colored highlights in the statement were added by Patently Apple) The lawsuit goes on to list many examples of what they believe to be misleading statements by Apple's CEO and CFO. For specifics of this case, review the full Class Action lawsuit filings below provided to you courtesy of Patently Apple. Security Fraud Class Action by Jack Purcher on Scribd About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Its definitely not too early to start making summer plans - after all, amusement park season is nearly here. And if you have plans to visit one, this study from HomeToGo might come in handy. HomeToGo compiled a list of the 50 top amusement parks in the nation, and crunched some numbers to see which of them are the most affordable. They looked not only at the price of admission, but also at a few other key expenses: namely, the price of parking, the cost of a typical cheeseburger combo meal, and accommodations. Of the 50 parks they examined, Hersheypark was the only Pennsylvania park to make the cut. And out of a list of 50 parks from 29 states, Hersheypark ranked a respectable 14th. Comparing the individual rankings, Hersheyparks $15 parking fee put it in 15th place overall for parking, while the $39.95 admission fee was placed eighth, tied with the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park. Allotting $12.99 for a meal (which, frankly, youd probably spend on chocolate alone if youre doing it right) puts Hersheypark in 14th for food, and accommodations of $47.33 put the park in 23rd place. The ranking for accommodations is listed as the nightly price per person to stay in a 4-person accommodation found on HomeToGo between the dates of April 6, 2019 and June 22, 2019, so its not clear exactly which accommodations were being considered. Now, anyone who knows the plethora of amusement parks in our region might have a few quibbles with this study. For one thing, Knoebels Amusement Resort is famed for having neither an admission fee nor parking fee, so one imagines those facts alone would place it pretty darn high on this list. (Knoebels does, however, require guests to pay for tickets in order ride the attractions there.) Similarly, there is no comparison done between these parks and other Pennsylvania amusement parks such as Dutch Wonderland, Waldameer & Water World, Kennywood Park or Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. So many numbers yet remain to be crunched! The HomeToGo list has a subtitle that reads Find Out What a Trip to Americas Top 50 Theme Parks Will Cost You in 2019. Their criteria of what qualifies as one of Americas Top 50 Theme Parks isnt readily apparent. However, one thing is clear. The three of the nations biggest amusement parks - Universal Studios Hollywood in California, Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneys Hollywood Studios (also, confusingly, in Florida, not Hollywood) - nabbed the bottom three spots as the most expensive to visit. What are your thoughts? How do you feel Hersheypark ranks among the amusement park options in our region, or across the country? Share your thoughts in the comments section! Construction has begun on Harrisburg Universitys new, $2 million Student Union center. The center will be located on the arcade level of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, and is expected to open for the fall semester. The 7,950-square-foot Student Union center will feature dedicated collaborative learning and small group areas, private study and conference rooms, student club meeting space, an aquaponics laboratory, fitness and gaming areas, a self-service kitchen and a wellness center which will contain an amphitheater which can be used as a collaborative student/faculty work area, lecture and presentation space, distance learning laboratory, community event space, and for other student team building events. A portion of the Whitaker Centers interconnecting stairwell has been altered to separate the science center from the student union, which will boast a mezzanine for fitness and aerobic classes, and private study and gaming areas. The student union was designed by Murray Associates Architects. The school already has a presence in the Whitaker Center. Previously the school transformed the Whitaker Centers Stage II area into a practice facility for its eSports team, the Harrisburg University Storm. In addition the school also plans to begin construction on a 17-story tower planned for Third and Chestnut streets Harrisburg. Harrisburg University announced plans to partner with Hersha Hospitality Management to build an upscale, 197-room boutique hotel in the 17-story tower. Plans are for the tower to open by summer 2021. The university and the hotel will share space on 10 of the floors. The remaining seven floors would be used entirely by Harrisburg University. The university will spend about $100 million on that project. Another $30 million to $35 million will be spent by Hersha. The eastern hellbender an aquatic salamander that can grow to more than 2 feet in length is one signature away from becoming Pennsylvanias official amphibian. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 9, which passed the Pennsylvania Senate in early February, and sent it to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature to become law. The designation as an official symbol of Pennsylvania brings no additional protections for Americas largest salamander, which earlier this month was denied listing under the federal Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Center for Biological Diversity had petitioned the USFWS to protect the eastern hellbender under the ESA in 2010, and had pursued court action to two settlements in which the agency agreed to expedite protections. But the USFWS instead proposed protection for the Ozark hellbender, a subspecies that occurs only in Missouri and Arkansas. In announcing that it would not propose the eastern hellbender, the USFWS said a status review of the species determined that most populations of the eastern hellbender are not in danger of extinction and do not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. However, the eastern hellbender population in Missouri is a distinct population segment and the Service is proposing to list this DPS as endangered. According to the USFWS, the status assessment found that about 61 percent of the species historic populations remain, all of which are associated with large river drainages. Elise Bennett, a Center for Biological Diversity attorney working to protect reptiles and amphibians, said the decision flagrantly ignores the reality of the hellbenders dire situation and gives these imperiled animals a big shove toward extinction. She disputed the USFWS finding of 61 percent and instead claimed that 78 percent of historically known hellbender populations have disappeared or are in decline. They face threats from chemical pollution and sedimentation caused by development, deforestation and dams. The hellbender is particularly vulnerable to water contamination because of its permeable skin and sensitive eggs, which it lays in water. Disease can also cause catastrophic loss of hellbenders. Emerging infectious diseases are on the rise, particularly among salamander populations, and hellbenders are showing symptoms of fungal infection across their range. In addition to Pennsylvania, eastern hellbenders are found across 14 other states: northeastern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, Tennessee, western North Carolina, western Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, eastern Illinois, southern Indiana, east-central Missouri, Ohio, western Maryland and southern New York. Some states have given the species protected status, but Pennsylvania has not. The move in Pennsylvania to designate the hellbender as the states official amphibian began more than 2 years ago with the Chesapeake Bay Foundations student leadership council. Aided by Lycoming Colleges Clean Water Institute, students studied hellbenders, installed nesting boxes in several Pennsylvania streams and wrote the first draft of a bill that did not make it through the entire legislative process last year. Hellbenders, which have a colorful set of nicknames that includes mud devil, devil dog, ground puppy, snot otter, lasagna lizard and Allegheny alligator, are an indicator species for clean water in that they survive where there is cold, clear, swift-running water. Folds of wrinkled skin provide a large surface through which the salamanders draw most of their oxygen. A lack of streamside trees along Pennsylvanias waterways allows waters to warm, polluted runoff to enter rivers and streams, and silt to build up in streambeds. As a result, habitat for hellbenders has been degraded and hellbender numbers have been decimated in streams where they were plentiful as recently as 1990. Many onlookers pulled out their phones and snapped pictures as flames roared through the roof of the North End Pavilion on the Ocean Grove boardwalk Saturday. But some were firefighters, and they posed for selfies or group photos - some as flames continued to shoot from the historic building that was recently refurbished after surviving Superstorm Sandy. Other firefighters noticed, and called them out, like this Twitter post from a career firefighter in Mercer County: Im sure the owners of the businesses that burned at the NJ Boardwalk yesterday appreciate that you all had enough time to pose for these great pics of yourselves with their livelihood going up in smoke in the background. Very classy." If its one thing I love, its firemen that live for the social media attention more than the actual job. #GarbageHumans #AttentionWhores #GetOut https://t.co/UB5sZYgLJE Ryan Ziegler (@momedic9019) April 15, 2019 The pictures caught the attention of Dave Statter, a retired television news reporter in Washington, D.C. who once worked as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Maryland. He runs the firefighting website, Statter911, and hes written about the issue before. Recently, after two firefighters posed at a Michigan blaze that turned out to be a fatal fire, Statter proposed that fire departments adopt his general order suggestion and ban selfies at fire scenes. If you want a group picture, do it back at the firehouse, he says. In a blog post Monday, Statter wrote: For those who think the Jersey Shore fire is okay selfie material because it wasnt a deadly fire, stop for a moment and think. Its very likely the owner of the business is way too busy right now to see or worry about these silly pictures and this may not be an issue for them. But what if they eventually do care and complain? How does a fire chief justify these actions? How do you explain to someone who lost their lifes work and the employees who lost their source of income that the firefighters are smiling because they like to go to fires and that its a pride thing? I absolutely get theres a great deal of satisfaction in fighting fires and saving lives and putting the wet stuff on the red stuff. You dont have to convince me. But the concept that you like going to fires and posing for pictures as buildings burn, or shortly thereafter, is likely a hard sell for the general public." Numerous Shore-area fire departments responded to the Saturday blaze, which was reported at about 11:30 a.m. and fire crews rotated in and out of the fire scene all day late into Saturday night. The chief of the Ocean Grove Fire Department did not immediately return a message requesting comment. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, whose office runs countywide emergency management, and who was at the fire Saturday, was not immediately available for comment Monday. Nothing wrong with this picture from a 5-alarm Jersey Shore fire, but if they turn around & pose --as some firefighters did Saturday--they'd be in violation of the recent STATter911 general order. Details here-https://t.co/tFVtxblubC #firefighters #firegroundselfies #SMACSS pic.twitter.com/R6MpUeCjL6 Dave Statter (@STATter911) April 15, 2019 Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The total number of confirmed tornadoes in Pennsylvania thanks to the weekend storms has increased to 9, according to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The tornadoes are part of 32 confirmed from Sunday and into early Monday morning. Tornadoes were also confirmed in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Heres where the tornadoes were confirmed in Pennsylvania: EF-2 tornado in Warren County - the tornado had a 16-mile track from Pleasant Township to Starbrick to Lounsbury Corners. EF-1 tornado in Sullivan County - the tornado had a 10-mile track from near World End State Park through Dushore. EF-2 tornado in Columbia County - the tornado had a 2.5-mile track near Benton. EF-1 tornado in Susquehanna County - the tornado had a 2.35-mile path length in Harford Township. EF-1 tornado in Union County - the tornado had a 1.75-mile path near Buffalo Valley. EF-0 tornado in Lackawanna County - the tornado had a 3.23-mile path from Scranton to Dunmore. EF-0 tornado in Venango County - the tornado had a 1.3-mile path near Dempseytown. EF-0 tornado in Venango County - the tornado had a 1-mile path north of Oil City. EF-0 tornado in Crawford County - the tornado had a 0.33-mile path near Springboro. 4/17/19: The #PAWX statewide tornado count from the Sun 4/14 to Mon 4/15 event is up to nine with additional surveys scheduled. Most occurred at night which is a reminder to have a @NOAA weather radio to wake you. @ReadyPA @NWSStateCollege @NWSCLE @NWSBirmingham @NWSPittsburgh pic.twitter.com/ZJMaiJmuK2 Jeff Jumper PEMA (@JeffJumperWX) April 17, 2019 In total, 4 tornadoes (2 EF-2, 2 EF-1) have been confirmed in our area from Sunday night's severe weather. Widespread straight-line wind damage was also observed across Central PA. Review the latest info: https://t.co/NHFfAaoPhK. #PAwx pic.twitter.com/iTNcIUYtmk NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) April 17, 2019 A survey team has determined straight-line winds of 100-105 mph produced damage in Montour County near Limestoneville early Monday morning. One single-family home and two barns were damaged. More information: https://t.co/EH9gkuJlF4 #PAwx pic.twitter.com/HB07KS09zi NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) April 16, 2019 Tornadoes are measured by the Enhanced Fujita Damage Intensity Scale, which looks at a tornados wind speed. Heres a breakdown of that scale: EF-0: 65-85 mph EF-1 (Moderate tornado): 86-110 mph EF-2 (Significant tornado): 111-135 mph EF-3 (Severe tornado): 136-165 mph EF-4 (Devastating tornado): 166-200 mph EF-5 (Incredible tornado): 201+ mph Meteorologist Peter Jung said conditions were favorable for tornadoes across the state on Sunday - there was a spin in the wind shear in the atmosphere, and conditions were unstable. Jung added that while so many tornadoes in one day is a lot, its not unheard of. Overall, thats not a staggering number for an event," he said. Jung explained that April through June is the peak tornado season for Pennsylvania, with May being the peak month overall. While tornado frequency tends to drop into the heart of summer, Jung said tornadoes in July are not unheard of. It was May 31, 1985, when 43 tornadoes and numerous damaging thunderstorms tore across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. A total of 89 people were killed, more than 1,000 were injured, and the storms caused more than $600 million in property damage. Of those 89 deaths, 65 happened in Pennsylvania. Theres a phrase Kevin Dolphin and his team at Breaking the Chainz like to use when theyre working with young people in the city of Harrisburg: Life doesnt come with an eraser. Once you do or say something, Dolphin said. You cant take it back, especially if you kill someoneOne bad decision can destroy your life. Its a message that Dolphin and Lamont Jones, the vice president at Breaking the Chainz, have tried to impart to hundreds of young people over the past five years through their programs in Dauphin County inside schools and with juvenile offenders. The message doesnt always get through right away. But the seed gets planted. And trusting relationships can grow with Dolphin, Jones or Richard Brown and Barry Coleman, who are prevention/intervention specialists at Breaking the Chainz. Those relationships came into play Sunday when several young people reached out to the men after a 14-year-old boy was shot in the head at 14th and Market streets in Harrisburg. The young people didnt know what to do. They had been at the scene, thinking they were going to watch a fist fight. Instead, police said, Levi Deshazo-Danner pulled a gun and fired toward several people, hitting the teenager in the head. Its unknown if the teen will survive. The youths said they didnt know Deshazo-Danner, or anyone at 14th and Market for that matter, had a gun at the planned fight. The shooting caught them just as surprised as anyone else. They came to us for advice, on how to deal with the situation that they got themselves in, Dolphin said. These are the very situations we are working seven days a week to try to prevent. Jones reached out to Police Commissioner Thomas Carter to find a resolution. Police found no criminal actions by them after talking to witnesses and reviewing video surveillance of the shooting from a nearby business. The surveillance video showed Deshazo-Danner, 22, as the shooter, according to court records. Police filed a warrant for his arrest Sunday night charging him with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a handgun. He had three prior felony theft convictions. On Monday morning, police arrested Deshazo-Danner, at a shopping center without incident. We want to continue to build that relationship with the chief, so police can gain more of that trust out in the community, Dolphin said. We are that bridge between the community and police. We spent all day Sunday dealing with these young men. Breaking the Chainz provides educational and intervention programs in Dauphin County. The leaders of the community group are (left to right) Lamont Jones, Kevin Dolphin, Richard Brown and Barry Coleman. Not pictured is Harvey Matthews and Ron Parson. The work that Breaking the Chainz is doing in the city is invaluable, Carter said. The kids trust them, he said. These are men who have walked down that same road so they have a lot of credibility. The community and police can work together and we worked together to make this happen. At it turns out, police believe a post on social media triggered the dispute that led to the planned fist fight. No punches were thrown, however, police Capt. Gabriel Olivera said. Olivera said he could not release additional details regarding what prompted the shooting and how many shots were fired. Court records, however, noted that multiple bullets were fired at a group of people. Police have not yet recovered the gun used in the shooting, Olivera said. One of the messages Breaking the Chainz tries to hammer home to the students in their programs, Dolphin said: Dont let yourself get mixed up in nonsense disputes because you dont know how its going to turn out. Deshazo-Danner had not been in Breaking the Chainz programs but Dolphin said he, Jones, Brown and Coleman wish he had been. Things may have taken another course with the information he would have been provided, Dolphin said. Thats why young people need to really think before they act, he said. One of the things we hone in on is: You have rational and irrational thoughts, he said. Dont let irrational thoughts control your actions because then this is the type of stuff that happens. Dolphin said the situation was resolved without any additional violence, which was critical. Our main concern was that another young man didnt lose his life to the streets, Dolphin said, Or as a result of police having to use deadly force when coming to get them. Dolphin said he hopes to expand his work in the city through additional educational programs, including one aimed at families, with assistance from Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick. We want to start some community forums to bring families in after theyve been touched by violence, he said. Breaking the Chainz already works in prisons and juvenile centers to help offenders redirect their lives once they are released. And theyve worked as a bridge between the community and police during high profile incidents, including a fatal police shooting and a fatal crash after a police chase ended. But ideally, Dolphin said, his group would like to get the attention of more young people before they make a life-altering mistake. Its important to teach them decision-making skills and social skills, he said. A lot of youth act on impulse. But once its done, you cant take it back. Dont let the town hall format fool you. The casual setting allows residents to have their questions answered, as well as observe how a candidate responds to their questions. Two have been scheduled this week featuring candidates running for Harrisburgs school board. Brandon Flood, state board of pardons secretary, will moderate both events. He said they are organized to delve into specific public policy items, as well as explore the individual vision of each candidate for school board director. POWER, an interfaith organization committed to building communities of opportunity that work for all, is hosting the events. The events will follow the same format. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at HMAC, 1110 N 3rd St., and Saturday, April 20 at Choice Community Christian Church, 1524 Walnut St. POWER will provide attendees with index cards and pens for them to write down their questions, Flood said. If there are not enough questions on index cards, a microphone will be set up in the middle of the room for folks to be invited to ask questions, he explained. Starting at 6 p.m., Harrisburg residents are invited to engage in light refreshments and a meet and greet with the candidates. The actual town hall begins at 7 p.m. A brief presentation will be provided by POWER before Flood takes over as moderator. Candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves before they start responding to attendees questions. Seven out of 12 candidates running for Harrisburg's school board attended a meet and greet at HMAC earlier this month. All 12 candidates four incumbents and eight challengers were invited to attend, said school board director Carrie Fowler. She hosted an icebreaker event earlier this month, where none of the incumbents running for school board showed. Seven out of the eight challengers attended the candidates forum at HMAC: Lewis Butts, Jr., Jayne Buchwach, Doug Thompson-Leader, James Thompson, Gerald Welch, Cory Williams and Steven Williams. Ralph Rodriguez did not participate. The four incumbents, who also did not attend, were Lionel Gonzalez, Lola Lawson, Ellis Roy and Patricia Whitehead-Myers. Voters will elect five of the 12 to the open seats. All candidates are registered as Democrats. A state appeals court panel has refused to overturn the 20- to 40-year prison sentence of a central Pennsylvania woman who was convicted of murdering her son-in-law. Instead, the Superior Court panel found in an opinion by Judge Judith Ference Olson that the penalty a Juniata County judge imposed on Brenda Sue Smith last year is not clearly excessive considering the gravity of the offense. Investigators said Smith shot her 36-year-old son-in-law Michael Hockenberry in the back of the head in September 2010 as he sat in a desk chair at his Mifflintown home. Smith claimed she committed the killing because her Hockenberry physically abused her and her daughter, Olson noted. Smith was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder in 2012. However, county Judge Kathy Morrow voided that conviction after finding Smiths lawyer was ineffective during the trial. Smith, now 63, of Arizona, then took a deal to plead guilty to third-degree murder. She had no agreement on sentencing, however. The jail term Morrow imposed is the maximum penalty allowed for that grade of homicide. Smith contended in her appeal to the state court that Morrow improperly based her third-degree murder sentence on discredited testimony from her 2012 trial. She claimed, too, that Morrow was unduly swayed by the unsworn, incompetent testimony given by Hockenberrys family and friends. In rejecting those arguments, Olson found Morrow correctly weighed all the applicable factors in choosing Smiths new punishment. A state Superior Court panel has refused to void the 7- to 30-year prison sentence of a central Pennsylvania man who stabbed three strangers during a bizarre and apparently random rampage at a bar. Police said Jeffrey Schure, 32, of Milroy, committed the crimes in August 2017 right after he walked into Smittys Bar and Grill in Mifflin Countys Armagh Township. For no known reason, Schnure attacked a married couple who were having dinner, then stabbed a bar employee when he came out of the kitchen and confronted him, investigators said. All three victims suffered severe, but not life-threatening injuries. Schnure was later arrested at his home. He initially was charged with attempted murder, but last June pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault, Judge Mary Murray noted in the state courts opinion. On appeal, Schnure claimed his sentence is excessive. He insisted county Judge David Barron didnt adequately consider his mental health treatment, care and prognosis in choosing a punishment. In disagreeing, Murray cited Barrons observations that Schnure suffers from paranoia and has a history of violence. The county judge also said he believed Schnure would receive more effective mental health treatment in a state rather than a county prison. Im very concerned about the people in the area, the county, that I have to look out for, Barron explained. This is nothing to be taken lightly. A New Jersey woman admitted in court Monday to her role in duping thousands of people out of $400,000 in a hoax GoFundMe page supposedly benefiting a homeless veteran. Katelyn McClure, 29, pleaded guilty in New Jersey Superior Court on Monday, according to NPR. She is expected to serve a four-year prison term in a New Jersey state prison under a plea agreement. McClure is scheduled for sentencing on June 3. McClure also pleaded guilty in federal court in March to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for June 19, according to the report. McClure and her then-boyfriend, Mark DAmico, started the GoFundMe for Johnny Bobbitt in November 2017 after McClure ran out of gas on I-95 in Philadelphia. Bobbitt, who was homeless, gave her gas money and the couple later returned to find a way to help him. Prosecutors later said Bobbitt conspired with McClure and DAmico to concoct the story about Bobbitt giving McClure his last $20 for gas. Authorities said the money was spent on luxury items and casino trips. Bobbitt also pleaded guilty in both federal and state courts to charges related to the scheme. NPR reports he has been admitted to a state drug treatment program. DAmico is also charged with theft by deception, and his case is to be presented to a grand jury next month for possible indictment. Read more: LOS ANGELES Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey on Tuesday announced the creation of a task force that will investigate conditions at Santa Anita Park after 23 horses died at the racetrack over a three-month period. The task force will include deputy district attorneys and law enforcement officials within the D.A.s office whose goal will be to determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at the park, Lacey said. The first thoroughbred lost in the recent spate of deaths died in late December. The most recent, a 5-year-old gelding named Arms Runner, died late last month. Arms Runner was euthanized after falling on the dirt track crossover in a 6 1/2-furlong race on the hillside turf course and breaking his right front leg. Ten of the horse deaths have occurred during training on the main dirt track. There have been seven deaths during or after races on the dirt. Even though the latest death occurred on dirt, it will be categorized as a turf, or grass, fatality. On March 1, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals requested an investigation into the deaths as violations of California animal cruelty laws. In a three-page letter to Lacey, the animal-rights group cited historical data but nothing specific about the current string of deaths. PETA senior vice president Kathy Guillermo said in a statement Tuesday that the organization hopes the investigation will provide some answers about the horses deaths. The public deserves to know whether injured horses were medicated and subjected to painful shockwave therapy just to keep them running, even though their bones were likely to snap, she said. The racing industry has shown that its incapable of policing itself, and PETA hopes this task-force investigation will finally lead to the end of abusive practices that are killing horses on tracks in California. The entire sport has faced intense scrutiny from animal-rights advocates, whose concerns have generated significant interest from the public because of the number of equine deaths. We welcome an investigation, Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said last month. Its long past the time that these unfounded accusations be proven wrong and that everyone realize that our trainers first concern is always for their horses. Times contributor John Cherwa contributed to this report 2019 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The family and co-workers of Olivia Cunningham never imagined they would get the call they did Tuesday afternoon. Cunningham, 24, was outside at the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville, Tennessee, when she was fatally shot, according to reports. Cunninghams husband Caleb was at the Friendship Community office, where they both worked, when the call came in. Laurel Spagnolo, who worked with the Cunninghams at Friendship Community, recalled seeing him in the aftermath. When I saw him, he was in shock, Spagnolo said, adding that it was so early, they were still trying to get information about what happened. Knox News reported that police believe the shooting was a random act of violence. Leon Steven Jones, 21, was reported as the man who shot Cunningham and 75-year-old John Marr, of Massachusetts, before turning the gun on himself. Marr was the only survivor, according to reports. Cunningham began working with Friendship Community in 2015, as a direct service provider, Spagnolo said. The organization is a non-profit that provides residential services and programming for people with developmental disabilities. Cunningham most recently was the program manager of their home-based services group, a role that had her in the office and out with the individuals in need. She was a leader. She was an impressive woman for somebody as young as she was, Spagnolo said. She was intentional with everything she did. She had a purpose. Spagnolo said Cunningham went above and beyond what people expected of her and was admired by her co-workers. She had an infectious personality, Spagnolo said. She loved what she did. The first time Spagnolo met Cunningham, she said it seemed as if Cunningham had many more years of experience than she did. She had a true servants heart, Spagnolo said. Wednesday morning, Spagnolo and other leadership began inviting employees to come in and talk about Cunningham and the tragic situation. We are a family here and we want to help anyone thats struggling with this, Spagnolo said. Everyone is pretty raw. Its unbelievable. Were in shock to some extent.. Friendship Community will memorialize her in some way, but they feel it is too soon to figure out how. They are focusing on what they can do for Cunninghams family. The frequency of these shootings, we hear about it every day, Spagnolo said. To have it be someone close to home, someone you know. Its just the worst part. Police arrested a man they say robbed a Lancaster County bank on Tuesday afternoon. Police were called to the Ephrata National Bank at 42 East Main Street around 12:52 p.m., in response to a hold up alarm. Officers arrived within two minutes, police said, but the suspect was gone. Police learned that the suspect did not display a weapon, but did flee with an undisclosed amount of money. Police got a description and photos of the suspect that was dispersed to officers. Around 1:31 p.m., plainclothes officers saw a person matching the suspect description at a Sheetz in Ephrata Township, fixing a flat tire. Police arrested the man, and identified him as Gordon Christopher Irons, 32, of Lancaster. Irons was charged with robbery and taken to a hospital for evaluation before arraignment, police said. A speeding driver is criminally responsible for a chain-reaction crash that killed a firefighter who was riding to work on his motorcycle, Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said Wednesday. He said Miguel Mejia, 58, of Lancaster, has been charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless driving and other counts for the May 25, 2018 crash on Maidencreek Road in Maidencreek Township. Northern Berks Regional Police determined Mejia was driving 70 mph in the 40 mph zone when he lost control of his Mercedes SUV on the crest of a hill. They said Meijas SUV collided with a Jeep and then hit the motorcycle ridden by Erik Hirner, a Reading firefighter. Hirner, 38, died from his injuries two days later. Three Mile Island nuclear power stations owner has filed a decommissioning plan with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that serves as sort of an owners guide to closing the Unit 1 nuclear reactor, should Exelon Corp. actually decides to pull the plug this fall. That depends, corporate leaders have said, on the outcome of an industry-wide appeal to Gov. Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania lawmakers for adoption of a new, ratepayer-funded subsidy program designed, its supporters say, to properly value nuclears clean air attributes in the energy market. If the bill passes as is, TMI will participate (in a subsidy program)," Exelon Senior Vice President Kathleen Barron told a state House committee Monday. "If the bill doesnt pass as is, Im not making any statements about what is going to happen, other than TMI will shut down in September. The outcome of that debate is unknown at the moment. But if we are to have a future without the Three Mile Island nuclear plant going forward, here are a few highlights from the proposed shutdown plan: The portion of the island devoted to the plant will be able to be reused, but probably not in your lifetime. Exelons closure timeline calls for the plant to spend most of the next 60 years in a dormancy stage, in which most activity will center around storage of spent fuel, and a wait for residual contamination levels to naturally break down until major reactor buildings and components can be dismantled. The decommissioning report submitted to the NRC this month expects that stage to run until 2075. At that point, there would be a fresh burst of activity on the island as the reactor building, cooling towers and other major components of the nuclear power station are torn down, and the site is regraded and, pending environmental surveys, released for its next use. The land could continue as industrial use or be available for other non-industrial uses, Exelon states. The current timetable calls for that to happen in 2081. There will be fewer jobs. It may look much the same from the outside, but the so-called SAFSTOR option selected by Exelon for decommissioning will take employment at Three Mile Island down from the present-day operating staff of about 650 to about 300 by the end of the year as the plant transitions to becoming a spent fuel storage site. Once a new dry storage building is completed on-site in 2022, and spent fuel is transferred there from existing wet, or water-cooled, storage, employment will drop again to a projected 56. Much of that will be security as the waste fuel awaits the opening of a longer-term, off-site radioactive waste storage options. Incidentally, the fuel storage building will be built whether or not TMI is decommissioned because the plants original storage pool is projected to run out of space in 2023. Exelon believes it will be able to begin shipping the fuel off the island in 2034. After that, on-site staffing would be cut to about 24 for the next 40 years, including round-the-clock security and a small building maintenance staff, as the wait is on for natural radioactive decay to lower the levels of contamination for final dismantling. (Exelons plan does not speak to the future of the Unit 2 reactor thats been shut down since its partial meltdown in 1979. Owned by FirstEnergy Corp., that reactor is essentially already in a SAFSTOR mode pending decommissioning at some future time.) The cost. Exelon estimates the total, lifetime cost of the decommissioning at about $1.25 billion. Most of those costs would be incurred during the initial closure and spent fuel management period, the plan states, but about $500 million is budgeted for final removal and decontamination of buildings and plants systems, down the road, as well as site restoration. The good news here is that it shouldnt have to cost you anything as a ratepayer. As per NRC regulations, nuclear plant operators are required to provide reasonable assurance that funds are available for decommissioning costs. Exelon has done that through a trust fund that has a current total balance of just under $670 million. At a projected annual rate of return of 2 percent, the firm believes its Three Mile Island fund will have more than enough cash available to meet all decommissioning costs. Public safety and the environment. Exelon states that as a general rule, any nuclear power station becomes safer as it transitions from active, to inactive. The long tail of nuclear energy as it has evolved to date, of course, lies in the radioactive wastes that are left behind. In its decommissioning plan, Exelon concedes there are a handful of scenarios in the wet storage phase where there could be accidental releases of radiation. But even if they happen, the company says, the plants response and containment plans should keep off-site consequences to a minimum. From a physical security standpoint, meanwhile, Exelon has promised multiple layers of structural, human and electronic security. If there are no problems with the spent fuel, one of the few other consequences might be the eventual loss of a peregrine falcon nesting site when the TMI-1 reactor building comes down, though a lot can change on that front between now and 2075. The falcons have been nesting there since 2002. Other alternatives. Its worth noting Exelon initially planned for a similar SAFSTOR decommissioning at its Oyster Creek nuclear station in New Jersey, but last summer asked the NRC to approve a sale to Holtec International, a firm that specializes in cleaning and restoring plant sites on a much faster track. Holtec, based in Camden, N.J., is seeking approval to ship the nuclear waste from Oyster Creek to a yet-to-be approved long-term storage facility in New Mexico that it hopes to develop. Holtecs DECON plan at Oyster Creek would seek to complete the decommissioning process there in about eight years, instead of the industry standard 60 years. Eric Epstein, chairman of the watchdog group TMI-Alert and a longtime critic of Three Mile Islands operations, is a proponent of the DECON option. He says that will permit more existing employees to keep their jobs, help create a more phased reduction of tax revenues for Lower Dauphin School District and Londonderry Township, and, most importantly, get the spent fuel off the island more quickly. In addition, Epstein notes, a faster clean-up of TMI-1 means a faster permanent decommissioning of the idled TMI-2, as well. An island in a river is not a good place to store highly radioactive waste, Epstein said. So I dont think walking away and coming back 60 years later is a good solution. Exelon did not respond to a query from PennLive about whether it Three Mile Islands decommissioning plan could be similarly fast-tracked in time for publication of this report. A woman who sued a hotel after an employee let a man into her locked room while she slept cant get more compensation than the $25,000 a jury already awarded her for the frightening experience, a state Superior Court panel has ruled. The state judges rejected Heather Baumgardners request for a new trial on her complaint even though she claimed an error during the initial civil trial tainted the jurys verdict. According to the Superior Court opinion by Judge Maria McLaughlin, Baumgartner was staying at a Softel hotel in Philadelphia after her birthday party in November 2012. Baumgartner had been drinking, court documents state, and her fiance left her alone in the room after an argument. Baumgardner fell asleep after contacting a male friend. That friend came to the hotel and called Baumgartner, but she didnt answer her cell phone. The friend then contacted hotel workers, who went to Baumgardners room and knocked on the door. When Baumgardner didnt reply to the knocks, an employee used a master key card to open the door. The security chain kept the door from opening fully, but the employees and the friend could see Baumgardners feet on the bed. The employees, concerned there might be a problem, used bolt cutters to break the chain. They then left the room, allowing the friend to stay behind. Her friend was standing there when Baumgardner awoke. She claimed she suffered personal injuries when she was startled to see him there. At first, Baumgartner claimed, she thought a stranger was in her room. In her appeal the state court, Baumgardner insisted a new trial was warranted because of a snafu involving the verdict slip given to the jury at the end of her August 2016 civil trial. The judge who presided over that trial told the jurors Baumgartner had proven the hotel owner was negligent due to the actions of its employees and they thus had to decide only whether financial damages were warranted. However, Baumgartner noted, the jury slip mistakenly stated the jurors had to again decide on their own whether the hotel owner was negligent. Baumgardner insisted that error confused the jurors and led to a lower damage award. The fact that Baumgartners lawyer didnt object to the error at the end of the trial proved fatal to her request for a rematch, McLaughlin found. The state judge cited the well-settled legal precept that failure to object to a flawed jury verdict prior to a jurys dismissal precludes a challenge to the verdict in post-trial motions. A random shooting in at Tennessee shopping center killed a York County woman on Tuesday afternoon, according to media reports. Knox News reported that authorities named Leon Steven Jones, 21, of Newport and Sevierville, Tennessee, as the shooter. Jones reportedly walked up to the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville and opened fire, injuring a man and killing a York woman before he turned the gun on himself. Authorities identified the woman as 24-year-old Olivia Katelyn Cunningham, Knox News reported. Sevierville police told Knox News that by the time police arrived just after 3:49 p.m., Jones and Cunningham were dead. The injured man was 75-year-old John Marr, a Massachusetts resident, whose condition was not reported Tuesday evening. Sevierville police told reporters that while information was still preliminary, they did not believe any of the people knew each other. Cunningham and Marr were both there with their respective family members at the time of the shooting. Phoenix Life CEO, Martin Tindall and his team, John Taleo, Head of Global Security, Craig McHatton, General Manger and Timothy Tumukon, Head of Bio security, during the diabetes screening at the PMs farea. Photo: Kizzy Kalsakau St. Michael High School presents Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center. A former associate registrar at Delaware State University pleaded guilty to accepting $70,000 in bribes to allow hundreds of out-of-state students to qualify for in-state tuition, which is less than half the out-of-state rate. The scheme cost the university $3 million over four years ended in 2017. Read more A former associate registrar at Delaware State University pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting $70,000 in bribes to allow hundreds of out-of-state students to qualify for in-state tuition, which is less than half the out-of-state rate, the U.S. Attorney in Delaware said Wednesday. The scheme by Crystal Martin and a unnamed co-conspirator cost the Dover university $3 million in tuition payments over four years ended in 2017. Martin faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced July 1. The defendant abused her position at a public university to personally profit and to defraud her employer. Individuals who accept bribes while serving in a public capacity risk undermining trust in those institutions," David C. Weiss, the U.S. Attorney in Delaware said in a news release. Last fall, nearly two thirds of 1047-member freshman class was from out of state. Current undergraduate tuition and fees for Delaware residents is $7,868, compared to $16,904 for nonresidents. Martins accomplice provided forged residency documents, which she used as the basis for changing the registration status of the students. Delaware State, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has bucked the trend of enrollment declines at historically black colleges, including Cheyney University in Delaware County. Delaware States enrollment last fall was of 4,872, up from 4,505 five years earlier. Lucinda Duncalfe at Monetate offices in Conshohocken. She is a director and former CEO of the retail software company, and is the new executive chairman (and a chief fundraiser) at Philly-based hiring software platform developer Thrive TRM. Read more Thrive TRM, the software-as-a-service recruiting platform set up by Brad Stadler and Joe Riggione, has tapped Lucinda Duncalfe as executive chairman to help in fund-raising and strategic planning as the firm plans a rapid expansion. We are looking for larger quarters to house the firms expanded staff somewhere in the Philadelphia area, said Duncalfe, who stepped down as chief executive at Conshohocken-based Monetate last summer. She plans to join the Thrive staff -- currently 28 people -- on weekly visits and to convene retreats in New York once a month. Duncalfe lives in her native Brooklyn, where she and husband Russell Holt, who works for Gabriel Weinbergs Paoli-based DuckDuckGo search engine, are raising their kids. The new job is not just raising capital, said Duncalfe. Besides helping Thrive TRM president Reed Flesher, a Drexel grad, pitch to venture capital and private equity investors, shell help sort the tremendous number of strategic options for growing the firm. Flesher says the firms clients, including several of the 50 most valuable U.S. tech companies and some of the largest Philadelphia-area for-profit employers, have placed more than 6,000 managers, professionals, and board members using Thrive since its launch in 2015. The business tends to recur as clients need new bosses and professionals, he said. Thrives co-founders, Stadler and Riggione, also started the Haddonfield-based national executive search firm True Search, which is more of a traditional search company with 10 offices around the world. Thrive, a spin-off, says its software speeds up recruiting by allowing clients bosses and hiring team members to rapidly share and update materials. Duncalfe said she learned about the system and its forward display and collaboration as a user, when seeking her own replacement and other key staff at Monetate. Thrive TRM, with staff also in San Francisco and Austin, says it has been used by more than 60 executive-search firms, such as Boston-based Polachi and Tampa-based WilsonHCG, and 30 tech investor firms, including Boston-based Battery Ventures, to build leadership and engineering teams at their client and portfolio companies. Over the last 20 years, Duncalfe, a Penn grad, has held top jobs at Philadelphia-area tech ventures ClickEquations, TurnTide, and Destiny Software, as well as the corner office at Monetate. She has also backed vegetarian-delivery and sex-improvement ventures, among other start-ups. Duncalfe remains a director of Monetate and also serves on the board of WireSecure, a large-fund-transfer fraud-protection company. Matthew Roman, an Old City physician, smokes a joint during a live stream he posted to YouTube. The doctor's license to practice medicine was revoked by the state on Apr. 17, 2019. Read more Pennsylvania has revoked the license of a Philadelphia doctor known for easily issuing physicians certificates required to participate in the states medical marijuana program. The physician, Matthew Roman, was unable to practice the profession with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of illness or addiction to drugs, according to state documents. Roman, who runs Natures Way Medicine in Old City, was one of the first doctors to issue recommendations, similar to a prescription, for medical cannabis in the Keystone State. Since the launch of the medical marijuana program, Romans practice primarily has been limited to accepting $200 payments from a stream of patients seeking to access legal weed. The website for Natures Way describes Roman as Americas Medical Marijuana Doctor. Roman has an active presence on YouTube, where he has often live-streamed long agitated rants about his relationships with women, his thoughts about the medical profession, and his love of marijuana while smoking a joint. Somebody must have been watching. According to state documents, a state-appointed psychiatrist found Roman has displayed a problematic pattern of cannabis use leading to clinically significant impairment. Roman, 34, is a registered medical marijuana patient himself. He qualified for the program after receiving a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Roman did not reply to requests for comment, other than to email an Inquirer reporter that he would live-stream a statement at 8 p.m. Wednesday on his YouTube channel. His lawyer, Michael J. McCarrie of Media, could not be reached. In November, Roman filed a lawsuit alleging that the federal government was preventing him from exercising his Second Amendment right to own a handgun. In his complaint, Roman said the law prevented him from buying a Smith & Wesson 638 revolver from a federally licensed dealer for self-defense. The gun dealer, Firing Line of South Philadelphia, refused to sell him a weapon because a 1968 law forbids anyone who uses marijuana from owning or using a firearm. His attempt to buy the snub-nosed revolver came months before the states psychiatric evaluation. Under the consent decree filed Tuesday with the Department of State, Roman will remain on probation. The terms of his suspension place him under three years of probation. The order also forbids him from using any controlled substances, mood altering drugs, and alcohol in any form. Its unclear, however, whether hell be able to continue to use medical marijuana to treat his PTSD. If he violates the terms of his probation, Roman could be subject to criminal charges. The Department of Health emailed Romans patients early Wednesday morning, notifying them that though Roman had been removed from the program, they would still be allowed to purchase product from state-permitted dispensaries. The missive advised patients to find another practitioner to issue their next certification before their current medical marijuana card expires. This story has been changed to correct a reference to when Matthew Roman bought a handgun. For more cannabis and medical marijuana news, visit philly.com/cannabis FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, file photo, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles logo is shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Read more Merger speculation is to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as cold is to winter or, to keep with the automotive analogies, publicity is to Tesla. For years now, FCA has been the ultimate automotive matchmaker fantasy. The rumored or suggested suitors in recent weeks have had significant European pedigrees, but past merger talk for FCA has also focused heavily on Asia. Early last year, as journalists descended on Detroit for the 2018 North American International Auto Show, the Free Press asked a question, which highlighted the assumptions about FCAs needs Is Fiat Chryslers future Chinese ownership? FCAs legendary CEO Sergio Marchionne, who died unexpectedly last summer, sounded definitive in his denial at a news conference later that week. But the question did not come in a vacuum. The focus on a potential Chinese acquisition of the entire company or a key brand such as Jeep had followed sometimes-intense reporting over previous months listing several possible interested firms, including Great Wall and Volvo-owner Geely. Even then, the U.S. political ramifications of a deal involving such an iconic American brand as Jeep and a Chinese entity would have been a challenge, and that has not changed. The truth is merger and acquisition speculation about the Italian-American automaker never really ends. In recent weeks, the flavors of the day have been PSA Groupe, which owns Frances Peugeot, and even Renault-Nissan, which would seem to have more than enough drama dealing with the fallout from the ouster of leader Carlos Ghosn over alleged financial misdeeds, which he has denied. Looking back, its almost easier to count the number of companies that have not been linked as possible candidates to merge with or acquire FCA than to name those not on the set of the automotive worlds version of The Bachelor. Its an interesting time to weigh the likelihood that the Detroit Threes international representative might change ownership, tie up with someone else or sell off its pieces, but certainty on this seems as difficult to achieve as ever. FCA board Chair John Elkann last week issued a letter to shareholders of Exor, the holding company for the Fiat founding Agnelli family and the power behind FCA, stressing what appears to be continuity. Our permanence in the capital of FCA has given its successive leadership teams the latitude to plan for the long term rather than having to react to daily pressures. This has made courageous and original decisions possible that have also respected the enduring interests of all our stakeholders. This approach and mind-set remain as relevant to us today as ever and our commitment to FCA and to participating in its bold and profitable future is also unchanged, wrote Elkann, who is also chair and CEO of Exor. Those comments followed a flurry of news stories during the Geneva Auto Show about a possible tie-up between PSA Groupe and FCA. FCAs leadership has expressed an openness to the idea of some type of tie-up for years. Former CEO Marchionne even took the unusual step in 2015 of making a case for industry consolidation. Marchionnes Confessions of a Capital Junkie decried the industrys duplicative research and development expenses and highlighted the costs of bringing transformational technologies robot cars and electrification, for example to market. Consolidation carries executional risks, Marchionne acknowledged, but he said the benefits are too large to ignore. Marchionne even engaged publicly on specific merger or acquisition possibilities, such as General Motors and Volkswagen. VW has since formed a limited alliance with Ford and broader talks continue, perhaps confirming Marchionnes foresight. Interestingly, Confessions noted that its purpose was neither to put FCA up for sale or a matter of life or death for the company. More recently, Marchionne and his successor, Mike Manley, have said they remain open to arrangements that make sense, but the company can stand on its own. The company, for example, is currently working to finalize the $7 billion sale of its components business Magneti Marelli to Japans Calsonic Kansei. Unlike its crosstown Detroit rivals, FCA has also been more willing to partner with other entities on developing those transformational technologies. FCA has partnerships with Waymo as well as BMW, Intel and Mobileye related to autonomous vehicles. That kind of approach could limit the kind of risk that other companies face in going it alone on technologies that might take longer to bear fruit than is often hyped. You can destroy a lot of value by chasing your tail in autonomous driving, Marchionne said in 2017. Much of the confidence in FCAs stand-alone potential comes from the dramatic turnaround at the company, which has not only been profitable and overcome its debt problem but has also been gaining market share at what appears to be the expense of GM and Ford. FCAs position has improved dramatically since Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, with a U.S. market share in 2018 of 12.9 percent (up from 9 percent in 2009), compared with 17.2 percent for GM and 14 percent for Ford, which have seen their respective market shares decline over the last decade, according to IHS Markit. Would PSA, which boosted its European footprint by purchasing Opel and Vauxhall from GM in 2017, make a good partner for FCA? The idea has received mixed reviews. Morgan Stanley said in a research note late last month that both companies are seen as relative laggards in key technological domains such as (electric vehicles and robot cars), which symbolize a significant call on the future cash flows of both companies without an immediate or even medium-term payback. It also highlighted the political hurdles in Europe likely to arise from job cuts caused by consolidation, while noting that PSA CEO Carlos Tavares has experience with the political and labor issues that accompany mass consolidation. The research note also pointed out that FCA generated margins of almost 9 percent in North America last year: It seems unlikely to get any better than this. Can you blame them for looking at potential merger partners? On the other side would PSA, or anyone else, want to pay up for exposure to the U.S. market at a potential peak? It should be noted, however, that FCAs robust dealership network could provide options for PSA, which wants to return Peugeot to the U.S. market in coming years. But a full PSA/FCA merger might not be at hand. Reuters reported last week that PSA CEO Tavares said his company is not targeting a specific automaker for an alliance. The companies, by the way, already partner on van production in Italy. Of course, PSA is just one of the recent names to be connected to FCA. A tie-up with a merged Renault-Nissan, which also includes Mitsubishi, would create an automaker of immense scale. The aforementioned drama with Ghosn raises doubts about the entitys direction. Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, however, sees both PSA and Renault-Nissan as good potential fits. South America is the one obvious overlap between FCA and either potential partner, but elsewhere they would form a powerful team. Renault and Peugeot-Citroen-Opel control Europe much more completely than Fiat/Lancia. Renault-Nissans global reach and strength outpaces that of Groupe PSA, but either suitor would make (an) excellent partner for FCA, Fiorani said. FCA has just a few strong points and many weak areas. Globally, Jeep is the obvious highlight of the FCA family. Ram and the minivans are strong in North America while Fiat holds down South America and Italy. History and control, however, make any deal challenging to accomplish, Fiorani said. The Agnelli familys history with Fiat goes all the way back to the founding of the company. They are very leery about giving up control, which makes joint-ventures where they are not the lead difficult to imagine, Fiorani said. Jon Gabrielsen, a market analyst and auto adviser, has been bullish on FCA and is not keen on an alliance with either PSA or Renault-Nissan. Peugeot doubles down on exposure in permanently stagnated Europe due to aging demographics running a few decades ahead of the U.S. Of course, Peugeot would get not only a meaningful presence in North America but also the prize and rapidly gaining Jeep and Ram brands. And the Renault-Nissan internal upheaval and the notion of combining three companies seems like a recipe for disaster and disappointment, Gabrielsen said. David Kudla, CEO and chief investment strategist for Mainstay Capital Management, thinks a Chinese automaker, such as Geely, makes more sense. Thats the relationship that works both ways. That would give an Asian automaker access, a footprint and a dealer network in the U.S., and Fiat Chrysler, which is behind GM, Ford and VW in Asia, it could give them a leap forward, particularly in China, Kudla said. FCA does have a joint venture in China with Guangzhou Automobile Group, or GAC, which has made recent appearances at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and has emphasized its desire to enter the U.S. market. Kudla, however, is not sold on the need for FCA to tie up with anyone. I agree with Mike Manley. They can have a strong independent future. Theyre doing quite well, Kudla said. Students at AIM Academy interact with Ruba Akram, from Gaza, via a global portal to connect students with people from around the globe. Read more With her white kitten scurrying around the room, Mira Bakri pulled up a chair and started telling three high schoolers from Conshohockens AIM Academy about her life and work in conflict-torn Gaza City, where she teaches high-tech coding skills to Palestinian youths amid their daily struggles for fresh water or electricity. At times, though, the white kitten dominated the conversation, especially after her feline-adverse student Ruba Akram entered through a side door. The teacher tried to put her pet out through the same door, but it kept coming back as an anxious Akram sheepishly told the Philly-area teens that its a phobia, [the cats] very cute. Akram, Bakri, and her four-legged friend were 5,750 miles away, inside the Palestinian territory though it felt like they were in the room with the Philadelphia-area students and their teacher, Amy Holt Cline. They met inside a device called the Portal, a small inflatable room with a large video screen designed to foster vivid face-to-face interactions among people whod find it impossible to connect in real life. The Gaza City chat was part of a whirlwind two-day around-the-world tour for kids from AIM Academy, who staged a boisterous dance party with young people who happened by a Portal at Freedom Park in Lagos, Nigeria. Then, they communed with Syrian refugees whove been photographing life in their Greek camp all while never leaving their bubble on the Montgomery County campus. Their trial with the Portal was also a window into what educators and the creators of the five-year-old project Brooklyn-based Shared Studios hope is becoming a new way to promote international learning and cultural understanding, by taking kids to places far away and perhaps too unsafe or restrictive to physically travel. Its a human connection like nothing else, said Cline, director of the Center for Global Leadership at the K-12 private school for kids with learning differences, such as dyslexia. She arranged the loan from a teacher friend in Massachusetts, where the inflatable room 14 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 feet high is normally stationed. She said she hopes to partner with other schools to base a permanent Portal here, which would be the mid-Atlantic regions first. That would place one more pin on an expanding globe for Shared Studios, which launched in 2014 from an idea by co-founders Michelle Moghtader, an Iranian American journalist, and Amar Bakshi, then a Yale law student, to stage a life-size, big-screen interaction between everyday people in New York City and Tehran around the time of the Iran nuclear deal. Today, their growing project boasts 41 Portals in locations as diverse as Afghanistan, Rwanda, Cuba, Myanmar, Iraq, and Honduras, with about nine or 10 in the United States each hosting educational exchanges, artistic performances, classes, or casual conversation with someone on the other side of the world. A few of the Portals are permanent rooms, but most have been constructed inside shipping containers or via the blow-up version that was on loan to AIM Academy. While the meetings take place inside the Portal with the help of live language interpretation if necessary students can sometimes get a peek outside if the Portal has a removable wall, as the one in Puerto Rico does. Each has a curator who schedules events. Jake Levin, chief operating officer of Shared Studios, said the founders believe technology has done a lot to divide us [and] has not fulfilled its promise of being a great connector. We want to look at how technology can be used to connect people ... in real human ways." He said the Portals can cost from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the application, although theyre always free for users. Institutions and organizations will pay to install a Portal, which will remain at a location for three to six months. AIM Academys Cline agreed that simpler tools like a video computer link-up through Skype simply cant compare with the immersive experience of the Portal. The thing about Skype, she said, is that you only see the head, and you dont have to give 100 percent. Sophomore Jade McDonnell, 16, said shes traveled extensively, but shes never had an experience like talking with the roughly 15 Syrian kids from the refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, who participate in a photojournalism program. Some Americans, she noted, are dismissive of refugees. But theyre so much more than refugees, she said. Theyre doing photography and going to school and doing stuff to be successful. In their two-hour conversation Tuesday with Bakri and a few of her protegees, the AIM students discussed matters as heavy as the political situation in the Gaza Strip (We are totally closed. There are things you are forbidden to do, Akram told them) and as light as the current climate in the Middle East (sweater-and-scarf weather, but its warming up). Bakri also spoke of her work with the stereotype-busting Gaza Sky Geeks program, a technology hub where she teaches coding to aspiring entrepreneurs in her battered region, and her frustrations over her homelands travel and border restrictions which is what made their Portal connection so important to her. I feel like Im in the room with you, said Devon Sparks, a middle-school history teacher who strolled into the Portal. Its so nice youre sharing your morning with us, she added before realizing it was afternoon in Gaza. It grew livelier when the AIM students opened their window into Nigeria. In addition to the dance party, about 17 kids from Lagos whod wandered into that citys park hung around for about 90 minutes to chat. When some AIM fourth graders wanted to know what the Nigerians typically eat, they got recipes for rice-and-vegetable dishes that the schools chefs plan to make. There was so much energy in the air," McDonnell said. "They were teaching us to dance, we were teaching them dance, and they were singing to us. It was awesome. She said the kids from the two continents exchanged WhatsApp info and planned to send each other videos. Senior Isabelle Jolinger, 17, bound for Syracuse University in the fall, entered the Portal to show Bakri her senior project using recycled products to make solar-powered lights for people in Kenya and to talk about collaborating on a similar project called Lights for Gaza. Its cool. Its like Skype, but not Skype, said Jolinger, who also spoke with the Syrian refugees. Ive done stuff where Ive traveled to places but the portal connects you to places I wouldnt go. On a recent morning at Germantown Friends School, teacher Alex Levin called on ninth grader Cole Winicov to demonstrate what hed learned in class over the last eight days. Instead of walking to the blackboard, Cole whipped out a deck of cards. Pick a card, he said, then showed off a midair bridge as he summoned an observer to play along with his magic trick. He shuffled some more, slapped a card on the floor an eight of clubs alas, not the right one. Ah, but the trick wasnt over. Cole left the card, then after some onehanded cuts and other sleight of hand, he directed his audience back to the floor. The card was turned over and tada! its the correct card, an eight of diamonds. I love this so much, said Levin of his star pupil in a Games and Magic class, where the kids learned card and dice tricks from a professional magician and labored to master games such as Jotto and Scattergories. Across the way in a Quaker meetinghouse warmed by two piping-hot ovens, French teacher Amy Celantano and her 11 students are on their fifth and favorite course of the day. Not an academic course, but dessert, a final blast of chocolate cake, strawberry pie, mousse, and meringues that says la fin to an elaborate French feast. I love it, said senior Sanaa DeBose, who was slicing into Julia Childs Reine de Saba, a chocolate and almond cake she helped make, as her fellow diners salivated. After our tests [in December], youre like J-Term is around the corner, youre going to make it. If its a Bon Appetit class, this must be January the month when 400 upper schoolers at the Philadelphia private academy cast aside the fundamentals of English or math for the fun of their brief January term, or JTerm. Kids enjoy short bursts of learning around 79 unconventional topics such as literature about dogs, canoeing, abstract painting, mindfulness, and Alexander Hamilton the man and the musical. This is an academically highachieving school where students do have a lot of expectations what the JTerm does is provide a chance for us to put those pressures aside and engage in experiential learning, said Matthew Young, director of the Germantown Friends upper school, which has been offering its threeweek January term for five years. The idea for a January stretch of short, intensive, offbeat classes that break up the academic year originated on college campuses, where they remain popular. But in the Philadelphia region, a number of private secondary schools with more freedom to experiment with the calendar and curriculum than their public counterparts have enthusiastically adopted the idea. Proponents say the one to twoweek miniclasses give students a chance to try more handson learning or enjoy outofclassroom experiences, presented by teachers who share their passion for a special subject outside the normal bounds of academia. For some schools, offering the classes after the holiday recess is also a creative way to jumpstart the second half of a long academic year. Some schools, like Germantown Friends, offer the courses for credit. With a three-week break, they say, teachers manage to fit in the second semester curricula with just a slight extension of the school year. Patrick Sillup, assistant head of academics at Malvern Prep, called the January program a breath of fresh air, midyear the little jolt you need to get energized for school again after the long December break. But he noted the Malvern Prep program with classes ranging from knitting to building a digital brand also was shortened in its second year to one week after feedback from teachers, parents, and students who thought the initial two weeks was too long. At Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, head of school T.J. Locke said the January term was a popular program for five years but this year the short classes were moved to the end of the academic year in May in part because of other changes in the schools calendar and because we want to try some different things with warmer weather. In addition to classes such as building guitars or an architecture session, Episcopal offers students a chance to travel abroad on a service trip this year to the Galapagos Islands, Haiti, or South Africa. Its really allowed our teachers to bring talents we dont always know about and see, added Locke, who said the classes are highly popular and foster love of learning for learnings sake. Last year, Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Gloucester County launched MiniMesters, a week in June after finals when students can try out something new, like culinary arts, digital photography, or watercolors. The idea is to try out something theyve never done before, said Mary Jane Kinkade, director of marketing and admissions at the 170student high school. We encourage them to step out of their comfort zone." Which a group did last year, big time, when members hiked the Grand Canyon. They came back exhausted but on top of the world," Kinkade said. At Germantown Friends, theater teacher April Tvarok said developing the January class on mural arts that she offers with colleague Ada Cheung was challenging but also a fun way to shift gears midyear and a great opportunity to meet kids on the campus who dont study theater. Tvaroks students visited various murals around Philadelphia to get ideas for the 6by6-foot mural that they then designed to hang in front of the school auditorium. Guided by a computer rendering of their concept an homage to the artist Keith Haring with colorful silhouettes around two central figures offering a traditional Quaker handshake in front of an open door students were painting the actual mural onto 36 individual squares. Before going to break we have a lot of homework, said 16yearold Faruq Adger, a Germantown Friends art teachers son who said the mural class allows him to pursue his own passion for the subject. This is a good outlet to pursue something we love and slow down. Faruq was also taking classes on botanical drawing, food blogging, and the Supple Leopard fitness technique. Classes can last for eight or 16 days and run for a quarter, half or full day, allowing for a mix of serious and more arcane topics. In another classroom, seniors Noah Weinstein, 17, and Sarah Levin, 18, are using the January class on aquaponics to work on getting their 8by4-foot growing bed and two 400gallon tanks in shape to soon welcome 30 tilapia for the club to raise, along with vegetables, during the spring semester. The school gives us lots of freedom, Levin said. The worst thing that can happen is we cause a flood. And its not that bad. While the aquaponics enthusiasts wait for their faroff harvest, the Bon Appetit class was feasting on the bounty that theyd helped prepare carrot salad, bacon and vegetable quiches, fancy cheeses, and of course the piece de resistance, the desserts. What does that say about us that we have four desserts? asked teacher Celantano, who then came up with the answer herself. That were Americans. Rob McElhenney may be head of security at Paddys Pub as Mac in Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it sure didnt help him any in Westeros over the weekend. As it turns out, the Philly native appeared in Sundays Game of Thrones season eight premiere as a sailor on Euron Greyjoys ship, only to take an arrow to the face during Theon Greyjoys rescue of sister Yara. Silicon Valleys Martin Starr, who also played a sailor aboard the ship, was similarly unceremoniously killed, and neither character got the chance to utter a single word on the show. Not that McElhenney is complaining, though. The Its Always Sunny star confirmed his Game of Thrones appearance in a post on Instagram, which showed an image of McElhenneys character with an arrow through his eye. Talk about an ocular patdown. Dont blink, McElhenney wrote in the images caption. Co-star Glenn Howerton, who plays Dennis on Its Always Sunny, meanwhile, noted you got got, homeboy in a comment on the post. While unexpected, McElhenneys appearance on Game of Thrones isnt completely random. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, co-creators of Game of Thrones, actually previously penned a script for Its Always Sunnys season nine episode, Flowers for Charlie, in which Charlie Days character experiences a massive jump in intellect in a parody of Daniel Keyes 1958 short story, Flowers for Algernon. The pair also appeared as Bored Lifeguard #1 and Bored Lifeguard #2 in The Gang Goes to a Water Park, which aired during Its Always Sunnys 12th season. READ MORE: The 5 best parody episodes of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia Check out McElhenneys cameo below: Netflix signed up more new paying subscribers than expected during the first quarter, attracting 9.6 million new accounts during the period. (Bernardo Ramonfaur/Dreamstime/TNS) Read more (Bloomberg) Two years after the Fyre Festival failed, it continues to make waves: Hulu LLC and Netflix Inc. may face subpoenas over their documentaries about the festival. Gregory Messer, the Chapter 7 trustee for the Fyre Festival estate, sought the subpoenas in a filing Tuesday in bankruptcy court. He asked the judge to require Hulu and Netflix to show whether they paid for footage that should have been deemed an asset of the company. In order to create the documentaries, both Hulu and Netflix used unique behind-the-scenes footage of the festival, Messer said in the filing. Due to a lack of information, it is impossible for the Trustee to determine where the footage came from and whether such footage was an asset of the Debtors estate. Reached by phone, Messer reiterated that he is seeking additional information on behalf of the estate. Hulu and Netflix had no immediate comment. The Fyre Festival, brainchild of Billy McFarland, was meant to be a two-weekend-long music festival in the Bahamas. It was scheduled to take place in the spring of 2017. The festival ended before it could begin: Musical acts canceled, promised luxury accommodations werent provided, and the five-star catering that was advertised was replaced with cheese sandwiches. McFarland pleaded guilty to financial fraud and is serving a six-year prison sentence. Fyre Festival was widely mocked on social media, trending on Twitter for several days. Both Hulu and Netflix produced documentaries tracking the downfall of the event. The Netflix documentary was viewed by more than 20 million members, the company said Tuesday in a statement. If the subpoenas are issued, the estate would be able to mine the information for any evidence that the Netflix and Hulu films used an asset such as video footage without compensating the estate. A Chapter 7 trustee is generally entitled to broad and deep discovery from any party that interacted with a debtor or its principals courts have said that it can legitimately be compared to a fishing expedition, said Steven Wilamowsky, a bankruptcy and restructuring partner at Chapman & Cutler. If the claims were to survive a motion to dismiss, or the court were to grant broad discovery on the matter, these guys would probably pay to settle, he said, referring to Hulu and Netflix. (Updates with lawyers comment in final two paragraphs.) With assistance from Scott Moritz and Eliza Ronalds-Hannon. To contact the reporter on this story: Polly Mosendz in New York at pmosendz@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum 2019 Bloomberg L.P. It was almost an afterthought. Dani Shapiros husband, Michael, was looking into his own genealogy and ordering a DNA test kit. Did she want one, too? She doesnt even recall the moment. But evidently she agreed. Much later, he handed her a vial and told her to spit into it. The results stunned her. Her Wall Street stockbroker father wasnt her biological father. It turned out that half of her DNA had come from a University of Pennsylvania medical student. Shapiros is one of many similar tales in this age of genetic curiosity and exploration. She detailed her emotional journey and her quest to find the man whose DNA she carried and to try to understand what it all meant in a memoir, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love. We recently spoke to Shapiro, who lives in Connecticut, about her experience. Learning that your father was not your biological father really rocked your sense of self. What was that like? The initial feeling was shock, disbelief. I was sure that the DNA testing company had made a mistake. When it finally sank in, there was a feeling of betrayal, and a kind of uprootedness. If I had always known, that would be one thing. But to make that discovery in midlife, my sense of identity was very disorienting. We are the sum and total of the stories we tell ourselves, the narrative edifices that we create. Mine was that I believed that I was my parents child. But in a way, the news also wasnt a complete surprise. You write, I knew in a place beyond thought that I was seeing truth. Why? The discovery made a great deal about my childhood and my parents make sense to me for the first time. Growing up, I was constantly told that I didnt look like I was from my family. It was a significant part of my life story. I was the Orthodox Jewish girl who didnt look Jewish. Its a very strange thing to be told you arent who you think you are -- by strangers, teachers, classmates, friends. Another part of it had to with the sense I always had as a child that something was amiss. A feeling of outsider-ness, of longing, that I didnt understand. Ive come to understand that people who have had this kind of secret kept from them almost always describe childhoods like this, whether its adoptees who have never known they were adopted, or people who were the product of an affair, or people who were donor-conceived. You traced your conception in 1961 to a Philadelphia clinic, the Farris Institute for Parenthood. Tell us about it. It was founded by a scientist named Edmund Farris. He had been the director of the Wistar Institute, but was kicked out because he was performing donor insemination. Two things were problematic in that regard. One was that he wasnt actually an M.D. He was a scientist. So he was practicing medicine without a license. The other problem was that the Roman Catholic church in Philadelphia caught wind of what Farris was doing, and it was very much opposed to artificial insemination. Farris opened his own institute in the late 1950s in a building very near the University of Pennsylvania campus. It remained in operation until the mid-1970s. It will always be a mystery to me why my parents chose Farris. They were much more connected to New York, and there were options in New York. I think my parents wanted to avoid any chance that they would run into anyone they knew. Also, although Farris was a renegade, he also was apparently good at what he did. He was an expert in male infertility, and he had devised a method by which he could monitor a womans ovulation cycle. This was really cutting edge. My mother was someone who went to the best. I think she decided that Farris was the best. One of the facets of your journey is that you wanted to find out what your parents knew, whether they even realized that donated sperm was being added to your fathers sample. Why was that important? I was trying to understand if they were in the dark along with me, or whether one or both of them actively engaged in keeping such a huge secret from me. I will never know for sure. My parents are both dead. There hasnt been a conclusive piece of evidence. But the likeliest scenario is that my parents did know. The Farris Institute was known for using donor sperm. Thats why people went there. Also, it was a common practice at that time to use a lot of euphemisms around the procedure. So the phrase donor sperm very well may have never been used. My parents would have been told it was a treatment that would boost my fathers chances by mixing this treatment with his sperm. If you were a couple desperate to have a child in the early 1960s when there was so much shame and trauma surrounding infertility and childlessness, you might very well be able to convince yourself that it never really happened and just move on with your lives once you had made a family. This was very much encouraged. Couples were told, Go home and forget it ever happened. Dont tell your parents. Dont tell your siblings. Dont tell anyone. Go to the grave with your secret. This will be best for everyone. But now, we are at the fascinating moment in time when thousands of people are making discoveries similar to mine because of the ease and accessibility of DNA testing. Twelve million kits were sold last year. About 2 percent of those people will discover what is known as an NPE Not Parent Expected. What complicates matters enormously, from a bioethical standpoint, is that very often the sperm donors who were guaranteed anonymity are still living and they are being discovered by their biological children. Also, the parents that made the choice that was presented to them as the only choice, theyre still living. They are now faced with a reckoning. They thought they were going to the grave with this secret. Now, they realize their children may find out. I get asked all the time, Should we want to sit down and tell them the truth, or do we want to risk them finding out after were gone? I cant think of a scenario where parents shouldnt tell the truth. You eventually connected with your biological father and his family. What are the most important lessons this experience has taught you about paternity, family and love? This is my 10th book. I feel like everything I have thought about and written about as a novelist, memoirist, essayist and a professor of creative writing has led to this discovery and this book. This is a colossal thing to discover. What is it teaching me about being a human being? What is it teaching me about identity or families or what makes a father a father? This has been a crash course in all of that for me. I wanted to write a book that not just people undergoing an experience like this would relate to, but that everyone would relate to. In the end, I had to make the journey in terms of my dad, the man who raised me, from initially feeling very much betrayed, very confused, wondering what it meant for him to have known, assuming he did. I had to understand the two of us from the beginning all over again. I lost him in a car accident when I was 23 years old. I had to lose him again at 54, and then find him again. I think that what he did being willing to go the route my parents went to conceive me was a very brave thing to do. It had to have been very hard for him. He was a deeply religious man. There was no religion that squared with this. He would have had to go against the Jewish body of law that he adhered to. I find all of that now incredibly moving and incredibly courageous. But it wasnt like I snapped my fingers and got there. I had to walk through a dense wilderness to get to that place. I feel now that I come from three people. It took three people to make me. One is my mother. One is the father who raised me. I think of it as he loved me into being. And one is my biological father, who I actually do share both a physical resemblance and quite a bit of temperament with. I feel grateful to know that and to have that information. I am cut from the same cloth as him. I like him a lot and I feel grateful to him for doing what I consider would be the right thing being willing to have contact with a biological child who came out of the blue. But he doesnt feel like my father. sandybauers10@gmail.com Depression is very common during pregnancy and after delivery, yet many women don't get the help they need to recover. Read more Half of all pregnant women who experience depression do not get any treatment, and some may turn to alcohol, marijuana, and opioids to self-medicate, a study of national data found. The research, which was published this month in Psychiatric Services in Advance, involved responses from 12,360 women to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2011 and 2016. Researchers compared responses for pregnant and nonpregnant women between the ages of 18 and 44, all of whom had an episode of major depression. They found 51 percent of pregnant women and 43 percent of nonpregnant women did not get any treatment for depression. In general, treatment rates are very, very low, said Maria X. Sanmartin, a coauthor of the study and assistant professor of health professions at Hofstra University. But pregnant women seem to be particularly underserved. Even among those who did get some treatment, pregnant women were significantly more likely to say it was not enough to meet their needs. What we would expect is that pregnant women are visiting the ob-gyn more and they should have more opportunities to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, Sanmartin said. But that is not what we found. Guidelines from both the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend doctors screen all pregnant women for depression and refer those at risk to counseling. The study didnt ask women if they were screened, but maternal-health experts say depression in pregnant and postpartum women is consistently underdiagnosed. Many women are not asked about depression symptoms, and even those who are may feel too ashamed to answer truthfully. For women of color, an added fear of child welfare services deeming them unfit can keep women from admitting symptoms and seeking care. When mental illnesses go untreated, there can be serious consequences, research shows from deteriorating physical health for the mother to developmental delays for the baby. People with untreated mental illness are also at higher risk for substance use. The study found that in the month before women took the survey, 23 percent of pregnant women reported using alcohol, 17 percent used marijuana, and 6 percent used opioids. That indicates a significant health concern for mother and child, Sanmartin said. In Pennsylvania, more than 3,000 drug-exposed newborns were born in 2017 a number that has soared over the last decade as the opioid crisis grows. Experts suggest getting women proper mental-health and substance-use treatment could lower these numbers. But what should treatment look like? Maternal mental-health guidelines suggest therapy and consultations with a psychiatrist should be the first option. Yet the study found prescription medication was the most prevalent form of treatment among pregnant women. The easiest way to cope with these things is to just give medication, Sanmartin said. But medication alone might not be what would help the patient. The American Psychiatric Association says there is growing evidence that its safe for pregnant women to use antidepressants, and they can be helpful for some. But combining medication with therapy helps people address environmental and social factors that influence their mental health too. Often, cost gets in the way, Sanmartin said. The study found both pregnant and nonpregnant women cited financial concerns as the main barrier that kept them from getting treatment. More than three-quarters of the women in the study had insurance, but some had high deductibles or could not afford the copay. Under the Affordable Care Act, all insurance plans are required to cover mental health and substance use treatment. But that doesnt necessarily make accessing care easy or affordable. Studies have shown many insurance plans have few in-network mental-health providers, forcing people to pay high fees for an out-of-network provider or skip treatment altogether. Add to that the shortage of psychiatrists across the nation and wait times for appointments that can stretch weeks, and the obstacles can be insurmountable for some. Sanmartin said it would help to have doctors work in teams an ob-gyn with a psychiatrist, for example to detect depression in pregnant women and improve treatment rates. Its also crucial to improve patient education, she said. Doctors need to let women know about the possibility of experiencing depression during pregnancy and that there are treatment options. Otherwise women might not know its not normal what theyre feeling, she said. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney talks at a neighborhood cleanup in Kensington in November 2018, shortly after declaring a disaster in the neighborhood over the opioid crisis. RACHEL WISNIEWSKI / For the Inquirer Read more In a statement aimed at assuaging Kensington residents concerns about a supervised injection site, Mayor Jim Kenney said Wednesday afternoon that he told advocates looking to open a site that neighbors public safety concerns must be addressed before a site opens in Philadelphia. Still, handling policing and safety around the proposed site is the citys job, Kenney said. City officials stressed that they are committed to supporting the sites, where people in addiction can use drugs, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment and other social services. This is not us backing away, said Brian Abernathy, the citys managing director. If anything, were doubling down on the concept. I want this to be a national model, and in order to do that, we have to do some work. Kenney wrote that he had met with community members and Safehouse, the nonprofit trying to open a site, this week, and is encouraging Safehouse to look at other prospective sites while the city tackles matters of public safety. The mayor announced in January 2018, in the wake of an overdose death toll of 1,217 people the year before, that he would allow private entities to operate supervised injection sites in the city. By that fall, advocates announced they had incorporated Safehouse, saying it is crucial to save lives in a city with the worst urban overdose crisis in the country. The organizations board members included Jose Benitez, who runs Prevention Point, the citys only needle exchange; Ronda Goldfein, the executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, who is also married to Inquirer editor David Lee Preston; and former Gov. Ed Rendell. Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Philadelphia filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block a site from opening. And in March, Rendell announced that the nonprofit had been offered a lease in Kensington, renewing community fears. Safehouse has not signed that lease, and does not have enough funding to open. But news of the potential lease brought community members to packed meetings to protest the idea of a site. Some objected to the sites on moral grounds, concerned about enabling drug use. Others, like Shannon Farrell, the leader of the Harrowgate Civic Association, say they understand supervised injection sites will cut down on the open-air drug use and discarded needles that have plagued the neighborhood for years. But they remain concerned about drug dealing and related violence around a potential site and, after years of neglect from the city, worry that opening a site is a sign that city officials are once again containing drug use in Kensington. Neighborhoods across the city have seen alarming spikes in overdose deaths. But as Kenney acknowledged that the epicenter of the crisis is in Kensington, where more people die of overdoses than anywhere else in the city, he said multiple sites should open around the city. We cannot open one [overdose prevention site] in Kensington and expect it to address this issue at scale, Kenney wrote. Abernathy said the city has no timeline to establish a public safety plan, and acknowledged that he doesnt expect multiple sites to open across the city at the same time. We have to answer the question about how police officers will interact with the site itself, how we handle people who are going to prey on those addicted, and how we address some of the violence that has happened around that community and making sure people feel safe, he said. He added that the city hasnt yet had enough public discourse on the sites, and Kenneys statement said the city will work over the next few months to help community members understand why opening a site is important. Part of what were hoping is that we take that immediacy, that, Oh my god, is this going to open on Monday? out of the conversation, so that we can actually have a productive dialogue," Abernathy said. Farrell and Benitez did not immediately return calls for comment. The judge overseeing the upcoming murder trial of Brandon Olivieri, an 18-year-old accused of killing two 16-year-old boys in South Philadelphia in 2017, rejected a request Wednesday from Olivieris attorney to ban relatives of the slain teens from commenting on the case on social media. Robert Mozenter, Olivieris attorney, told Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara A. McDermott during a pretrial hearing that supporters of victim Salvatore DiNubile had been posting threats online and casting aspersions about the defendant, the court system, and even the District Attorneys Office. One posting cited by the lawyer claimed Olivieris supporters have been threatened by DiNubiles friends and treated with disregard and disdain by prosecutors. I have never seen a more vigilante-type conduct than in this case, Mozenter said, later adding: If we allow this kind of conduct, no one can get a fair trial. McDermott rejected Mozenters request, saying that she had not seen conduct that could be considered beyond the pale and that she would do everything possible to ensure a fair trial if it starts as scheduled next month. If people cross the line, there will be the appropriate steps taken," the judge said. She also said she could take extra steps to empanel jurors who had not heard about the case. Still, even an unsuccessful attempt to impose a gag order on the teens family members illustrated the extent to which the killing of DiNubile and Caleer Miller has been enveloped by hostility almost since the day it happened in October 2017. DiNubile was a St. Joes Prep student, while Miller was a junior at Mastery Charter Schools Thomas campus. Olivieri had been a student at SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School. The three young men had at least loosely overlapping social circles, and prosecutors have said an Instagram feud may have initiated the fatal encounter. According to testimony from the preliminary hearing, Olivieri, Miller, and at least one other friend had been wandering around South Philadelphia looking to fight when, at 12th and Ritner Streets, they ran into DiNubile. Olivieri is accused of pulling a gun and shooting DiNubile, then mistakenly shooting his friend Miller before running away. Both teens were declared dead that night. Olivieri remains in prison without bail. Despite the past tensions, Wednesdays hearing was held largely in check by McDermott and sheriffs deputies, who instructed supporters to sit on opposite ends of the courthouse benches. That did not prevent Mozenter, however, from tearing into what he called highly prejudicial conduct from DiNubiles friends and relatives, saying it was an outrage and a shame" and could prevent his client from receiving a fair trial. This is America, not Venezuela, he said at one point. We have to stop this kind of nonsense. In a motion filed last month, Mozenter singled out DiNubiles grandfather Pat Bianculli, who has written Facebook posts that include his disdain for Olivieri alongside updates about the case and remembrances about his grandson. Mozenter, in his motion, wrote: Mr. Biancullis actions, combined with media commentary, and uninformed legal opinions as to the guilt or innocence of [Olivieri], have caused the public to vilify and humiliate [Olivieri]. After the hearing, Bianculli said that he had done nothing wrong in his Facebook posts and that his family has been subjected to online threats and taunts from Olivieris friends. He and other relatives have long said that friends of Olivieri have used social media to gloat about DiNubiles death and call for Olivieri to be freed. Friends of Olivieris, Marc Malerba and Rodney Outlaw, were also charged last year with discarding the alleged murder weapon and obstructing the case, according to court records. Their cases are pending. In the days after the crime, Olivieris South Philadelphia home was riddled with bullets before he surrendered to police. His family have since moved out, saying that a threatening anonymous letter also contributed to their feeling unsafe. And last March, DiNubiles father, also named Salvatore, was arrested and charged with threatening a friend of Olivieris. His case is pending, according to court records. GOP Chairman George Gilmore photographed in 2018 at the Toms River Days Hotel in Toms River, N.J. Read more A federal jury in Trenton convicted New Jersey Republican power broker George Gilmore on Wednesday of evading payroll taxes owed by his Toms River law firm and lying on a loan application in 2015. But the panel deadlocked on counts that the 70-year-old Gilmore dodged nearly $1.5 million in personal income taxes between 2013 and 2015 while spending lavishly on items such as model train sets, a decorative woolly mammoth tusk, and a $33,000 life-size bronze statue of George Washington. Jurors acquitted him on two counts of filing false tax returns. Gilmore, the longtime chairman of the Ocean County Republican Committee, faces possible prison time at a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson scheduled for July 23. Any term of incarceration could upend the party infrastructure that helped elect governors including Chris Christie and Christie Whitman. Gilmore has been a fixture in that establishment since 1996, leading a reliable county-level Republican machine in a largely blue state. He served as a delegate for President Donald Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. When a federal grand jury indicted Gilmore this year on six counts including tax evasion, filing false tax returns, failure to pay payroll taxes, and making false statements on a loan application many of his political allies pledged to stand by him. They did so throughout a three-week trial that opened April 1, even as prosecutors and Gilmores own defense lawyer, Kevin Marino introduced embarrassing details about his personal finances as evidence. Prosecutors highlighted $2.5 million worth of purchases Gilmore made during the period they alleged he was dodging the IRS, including a $20,000 Steinway piano, $800,000 in collectible model trains, and more than $380,000 to install an infinity pool, a cabana, marble flooring, and mahogany mantels at one of the five properties he owned. Marino had argued that his client was a hoarder who couldnt control his impulse to shop, but was blocked by the judge from calling an expert witness to testify to that. The defense lawyer then maintained that while Gilmore spent like a sailor on leave, that didnt make him a criminal, and that he never intended to cheat the government. Marino told jurors his client routinely fell into the bad habit of paying his taxes late, but always made a good-faith effort to settle his accounts with the IRS and cover interest and penalties. Gilmore, meanwhile, marshaled his deep list of New Jersey political contacts including former Gov. Jim McGreevey, a Democrat, and ex-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, a Republican to testify as character witnesses in his defense. Both said they had always known Gilmore to be an honest person. HARRISBURG The Pennsylvania Inspector Generals Office is investigating how the states human services agency handled information involving the case of Grace Packer, the Abington teen who endured years of abuse before being raped and murdered in 2016, a legislator said Wednesday. Rep. Rob Kauffman (R., Franklin), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said he received a letter this week from Inspector General Bruce Beemer telling him that his office would examine the Department of Human Services role in ensuring the safety of children who are suspected of being abused, and whether employees at the department failed to detect problems in the handling of Packers case. It is disgusting what happened to her, said Kauffman, who together with State Rep. Karen Boback (R., Luzerne) asked Beemer this month to launch the inquiry. The system victimized an already victimized little girl. Department of Human Services spokesperson Ali Fogarty said the agency would cooperate with the Inspector Generals Office and is open to any recommendations to strengthen its oversight policies. Nothing is more integral to our mission than protecting children, Fogarty said. Clarke Madden, Beemers chief of staff, on Wednesday called the investigation a priority matter for the office, and said the review would be targeted and expedited. Beemer said his goal will be to make his offices findings public. Historically, reports by the inspector general have been considered confidential and rarely become public. Kauffman said the Inspector Generals Office can only look into the states role. It cannot examine whether officials at county child welfare agencies, often the first line of defense in investigating abuse allegations, did their jobs. Nonetheless, Beemer noted that under state law, his offices subpoena power "could extend beyond state agencies to obtain information. Late last month, Grace Packers mother, Sara, pleaded guilty to charges of rape, murder, and dismemberment, and was sentenced to life in prison. Sara Packers boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan who raped and strangled Grace while her mother watched was sentenced to death. The details of Graces death at age 14 prompted a public outcry and again trained a harsh spotlight on how caseworkers handle reports of child abuse. DHS this month released a heavily redacted report that documented how caseworkers missed multiple red flags over many years in Graces case. Within the states Human Services Department, the Bureau of Children and Family Services is responsible for monitoring services provided by county-run and private child social service agencies. Among its duties: investigating child abuse when the alleged perpetrator is a county agency employee or one of its agents; ensuring compliance and conducting annual inspections of agencies by investigating complaints; and reviewing all child fatalities or near-fatalities arising from suspected child abuse. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Wednesday that his office would drop its challenge of a judges ruling in convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamals case, clearing the way for Abu-Jamal to again argue his appeal before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The long-running appeals battle has gained renewed attention in recent years, as Abu-Jamals lawyers contend he deserves another shot before the high court due to a recusal issue involving former Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille. Krasner said in a statement that his office decided to withdraw its challenge in response to an opinion last month from Common Pleas Court Judge Leon Tucker. Expanding on a ruling he made in December, Tucker said Abu-Jamal was entitled to reargue his appeal because Castille who was Philadelphias district attorney during the early portions of Abu-Jamals post-conviction efforts did not recuse himself when Abu-Jamals case came before the high court. Krasners office challenged that initial decision, saying it believed Tuckers ruling was overly broad and could require any top prosecutor who becomes a judge to be recused from any case that had been pending before joining the bench something Krasners office believed could impact an untold number of already-decided cases. Last month, Tucker issued an opinion saying prosecutors reading of his ruling was a mischaracterization of the facts and should not be taken in such a broad manner. Krasner said in his statement, Given that the trial-level court has now addressed the concerns that led us to appeal in the first place, we have withdrawn the appeal. Abu-Jamal, 64, a former Black Panther and radio reporter, is serving a life sentence for the Dec. 9, 1981, shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, 25, at 13th and Locust Streets. His case is one of the most closely watched and controversial in city history. Earlier this year, Krasner, elected on a reform-oriented platform, was uninvited from speaking at a Rebellious Lawyering conference at Yale Law School due to his handling of Abu-Jamals appeal. Some supporters on Wednesday, such as the Amistad Law Project, an advocacy group, applauded his decision to withdraw the appeal. But Faulkners widow, Maureen, said she was devastated by Krasners change of heart. She also said that although she spoke Tuesday with Krasner and two of his prosecutors, none of them indicated the office had reached a final decision. A prosecutor texted her Wednesday to say the office had made up its mind, Faulkner said, but she did not receive it until after a news release had been issued because she had been walking her dog in an area with poor cell phone service. Faulkner said the first call she received Wednesday was from a spokesperson for the police union. She said she didnt understand why the office couldnt have spoken with her before publicizing the decision. It couldve been handled differently, Faulkner said. One of Abu-Jamals lawyers, Judith Ritter, said in an email Wednesday that she and her colleagues were very pleased by the decision. The DAs decision is in the interests of justice, she said. We look forward to having our claims of an unfair trial heard by a fair tribunal. Former Peru President Alan Garcia (left), seen here in July 2011, shot himself before being detained by police amid allegations he received illegal payment from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File) Read more LIMA, Peru - Former Peruvian president Alan Garcia died Wednesday morning after shooting himself in his home as police arrived to arrest him in a corruption scandal. "Dismayed by the demise of former president Alan Garcia," Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra wrote in a tweet. "I send my condolences to his family and loved ones." Garcia, 69, served twice as president of Peru - first from 1985 to 1990 and again from 2006 to 2011 - as leader of the center-left Aprista Party. In November, a Peruvian court barred Garcia from leaving the country amid an investigation into allegations that he received illegal payments from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Garcia was taken to the Casimiro Ulloa hospital in the Peruvian capital. Peru's minister of health, Zulema Tomas, told reporters that Garcia was in "very grave" condition. Tomas said Garcia arrived at the hospital at 6:45 a.m. local time and was in the operating room 15 minutes later. Garcia had three cardiac arrests during the operation, Tomas said. The state news agency Agencia Andina reported his death shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time. The Odebrecht scandal has become the largest corruption investigation in Latin American history. The scandal has hit Peru particularly hard, with billions of dollars' worth of major construction projects stopped during the investigation. The former president fled to the Uruguayan embassy in Lima and sought political asylum, but his request was refused. Three other Peruvian presidents have been linked to the Odebrecht scandal. Ollanta Humala, who was president between 2011 and 2016, is barred from leaving the country amid an investigation into illegal campaign funding. The Peruvian government is seeking the extradition of former president Alejandro Toledo from the United States on charges that he accepted millions of dollars in bribes. Toledo was president from 2001 to 2006. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned as president last year as opposition lawmakers sought his impeachment, was detained this month as part of the investigation into undisclosed Odebrecht payments. The 80-year-old Kuczynski was hospitalized this week for high blood pressure, his congressional allies told the Associated Press. In this April 10, 2019, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang. Read more TOKYO - Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un may finally be ready to meet for the first time, as Russia seeks to extend its influence and North Korea tries to hedge its bets after the failed summit with President Donald Trump. The potential of closer ties between Putin and Kim carries historical resonance dating back to the countries' Cold War bonds. But Moscow has bigger diplomatic priorities around the world, experts say, and is unlikely to disrupt U.S.-led efforts to pressure North North to unwind its nuclear program. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week that preparations were underway for a meeting, while Russian and South Korean newspapers said the pair may meet in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East next week, as Putin makes his way to a summit on China's Belt and Road initiative in Beijing. In a sign of Moscow's growing relevance, U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun is holding talks with Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," according to the State Department. For Kim, a summit with Putin would be another step in the international rehabilitation of the once-ostracized leader. It would also be Kim's chance to send a signal to both Washington and Beijing that he has other options. For Putin, a summit would mark another milestone in his effort to show Russians - and the world - that he has brought his country back as a global diplomatic power. "Russia wants to be the groom at every wedding and the dead man at every funeral," said Georgy Kunadze, a retired Russian diplomat in East Asia. But it wasn't clear, he said, what Russia could deliver since it "will never vote on North Korea at the U.N. Security Council differently from the way China votes." There has been a flurry of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries of late. North Korea's Vice Foreign minister Im Chon Il visited Moscow last month, and Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev was in Pyongyang in April. Two Russian parliamentary delegations visited Pyongyang last month and this week, while there have been daily contacts between officials from the two sides in recent weeks, one diplomat said. Andrei Lankov, a Russian North Korea expert at Seoul's Kookmin University, said Russia wanted to become an important regional player but lacked the influence in either Washington or Pyongyang to really insert itself into the Korean diplomatic process. "Russia can have some say in Pyongyang but only if it is going to pay," he said. "Your willingness to pay does not guarantee you will be taken seriously in Pyongyang, but if you don't pay you are never taken seriously." Lankov said Putin was unlikely to offer Kim a major aid package, simply because Russia has more pressing priorities in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Indeed, that's probably why such a summit, often rumored, has not yet happened. As Lankov put it: Kim knew it wasn't worth his time and effort until now. But the calculation in Pyongyang may have changed after the breakdown of February's summit with Trump in Hanoi. Last week, Kim gave the United States until the end of the year to fundamentally change its stance. In the meantime, Kim is likely to be looking to China and Russia for diplomatic support and covert sanctions relief. He may also have been disappointed that South Korean President Moon Jae-in failed to secure any sanctions relief for North Korea when he visited Trump last week in Washington, experts said. "Newly strengthened ties with Russia could be something Kim seeks to display for Moon and Trump to see," said Lee Jai-chun, a former South Korean ambassador to Russia who now heads the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights. "But it's unlikely that Washington would feel any pressure or threat from such a move." But if Kim is trying to tell Trump he has other friends, he may also be sending the same signal to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Relations with China have improved dramatically in the past year, but there is still plenty of deep-rooted distrust between Pyongyang and Beijing. "Kim doesn't want to put all his eggs in China's basket since there is heavy reliance on the country for North Korea's economic livelihood," said David Kim, a research analyst at the Stimson Center in Washington. "Being under the shadow of China gives all the more reason to hedge against it." North Korea's ties with Russia date back to its foundation as a member of the Soviet-led Communist bloc. Like Beijing, Moscow doesn't want regime change in Pyongyang, which could destabilize the region and potentially bring a U.S.-friendly unified Korea up to its border. But it doesn't want Pyongyang to become a nuclear-weapons state either. That's why Moscow voted alongside Beijing for relatively tight sanctions at the United Nations Security Council at the height of tensions in 2017. Since then, though, some Russian companies have covertly skirted the sanctions, principally through ship-to-ship oil transfers, experts say, and Moscow been pushing for sanctions to be eased. But experts said it was unlikely Russia would openly flout U.N. sanctions. Last year, Russian attempted to insert itself into nuclear negotiations by making a secret offer to North Korea to build a nuclear power plant if it dismantled its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, U.S. officials said. Last month, Russian Far East development minister Alexander Kozlov was quoted as saying Russia was seeking new ways to boost trade with North Korea without violating sanctions. But experts said trade has limited potential to expand, with Russia not interested in North Korea's mineral resources or seafood. Tens of thousands of North Korean workers are employed in Russia, providing an important source of foreign exchange for the regime, but under U.N. sanctions they are supposed to be sent home by the end of the year. There has been talk of Russian investment in ambitious railway and gas pipeline projects linking both Koreas with Russia, but even if sanctions are lifted Russian companies are unlikely to want to sink billions of dollars into projects that could easily fall prey to geopolitics, experts said. In short, Putin's meeting with Kim may be heavy on symbolism and fine words, but light on deliverables. "It's a useful and interesting sideshow, but it's not where the major policy is made," said Lankov, who is also a director at NK News, which closely follows North Korean affairs. "The major policy is now made only in Pyongyang and Washington. Even Beijing has been basically pushed aside." Troianovski reported from Kiev, Ukraine. The Washington Posts Min Joo Kim in Seoul and Anna Fifield in Beijing contributed to this report. This combination of undated photos released by the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 shows Sol Pais. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office via AP) Read more LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) A young Florida woman who authorities say was so infatuated with the Columbine school shooting they feared she was planning an attack in Colorado just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities canceled for a half-million students. During the urgent search, the FBI said Pais was obsessed with the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School and made threats ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. The FBI described her as extremely dangerous. The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition from a gun shop in Littleton, not far from Columbine, authorities said. Were used to threats, frankly, at Columbine, John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention. Authorities gave no immediate details on where Pais was found, but FBI agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreation area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. McDonald described her trip as a pilgrimage to Columbine and cited her purchase of the shotgun as one reason officials took her as a serious threat. Those two things combined with her fascination of Columbine thats pretty clear and convincing evidence that she was a threat to the school, he said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said after receiving word that the hunt was over that he and all Colorado parents are hugging their children a little tighter. Authorities said Pais was last seen not far from Columbine in the Jefferson County foothills outside Denver in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots. Police were instructed to detain her for a mental health evaluation. In Pais hometown of Surfside, Florida, Police Chief Julio Yero asked that the family be given privacy and a little time to grieve. This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life, he said. Pais parents last saw her on Sunday and reported her missing to Florida authorities on Monday night, Surfside police said. Authorities said her threats were not specific to any school. But Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver reacted by locking their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside. Jefferson County school officials said events planned to mark the anniversary this weekend will go on as scheduled, including a ceremony at Columbine on Saturday. Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. Adam Charni, a Miami Beach High School senior, said Pais dressed in black and kept mostly to herself. He said he was baffled to learn she was the person authorities in Colorado were searching for. Colorado state Rep. Patrick Neville, the Republican House minority leader, was a 15-year-old sophomore at Columbine High at the time of the shooting and now has three school-age daughters. It wasnt easy for me to explain to my kids what was going on last night, Neville said on the House floor Wednesday. ___ Associated Press writers Ellis Rua in Miami Beach, Florida and James Anderson and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed to this report. In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, file photo, U.S. Attorney General William Barr reacts as he appears before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee to make his Justice Department budget request in Washington. Read more Migrants who come to the United States seeking asylum may instead wind up jailed indefinitely while they wait for their claims to be processed, the Trump administration ruled Tuesday in its latest crackdown at the border. Attorney General William Barr's written decision, a policy reversal, applies to migrants who have already established "a credible fear of persecution or torture" in their home country. Barr ordered immigration judges to stop allowing some asylum seekers from posting bail while they wait the months or years for their cases to be heard a system that President Donald Trump has derided as catch and release. But advocates criticized the policy change and said it would lock up people who are simply looking for safety. "Unless stopped, this decision will result in the unlawful jailing of thousands of people who should not be behind bars," said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, in a tweet. Barr said the order wouldn't go into effect for 90 days, a three-month time frame that will probably see rights groups challenge the ruling in court. "We will see the administration in court on this latest unlawful & inhuman attempt to deter and punish asylum-seekers," Jadwat wrote. Barrs ruling reversed the decision in a 2005 case in which an Indian man entered the United States from Mexico and requested asylum. Parole, granted solely and sparingly by the Department of Homeland Security, will be the only way asylum seekers who crossed the border illegally can be released once the order goes into effect. Barr's decision to withhold bail from asylum seekers comes as record numbers of Central American families are crossing into the United States, many of whom are fleeing violence and poverty. These migrants know they can seek asylum under federal law and be released into the country pending court hearings about their claims, The Washington Post reported earlier this month. Trump has expressed frustration with the asylum system, alleging that U.S. laws protecting immigrants from persecution obstruct his ability to safeguard the country. He has implored Congress to change these laws and has made numerous attempts to stymie immigration, most notably separating children from their parents at the border last year. These policies have outraged Democrats. "From separating families to attacking asylum seekers, this administration's bottomless cruelty has failed time and time again," said Julian Castro, a Democratic presidential candidate. "We need compassion, not cruelty, in our immigration system." In November, a federal judge blocked Trumps asylum ban, which would have prevented asylum for migrants if they crossed into the United States illegally. And earlier this month, a judge shut down a proposed experimental policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols, which would have required migrants to stay in Mexico while awaiting their hearings. The judge ordered the program suspended and granted entry to the plaintiffs, a ruling Trump dubbed a disgrace, adding, we have the worst laws of any country in the world. This combination of undated photos released by the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 shows Sol Pais. On Tuesday authorities said they are looking pais, suspected of making threats on Columbine High School, just days before the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting that killed 13 people. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office via AP) Read more LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) Authorities said Tuesday that they are looking for a young woman who is infatuated with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. The undisclosed threats led Columbine and several other high schools outside Denver to lock their doors for nearly three hours. All students were safe, school officials said. Sol Pais, 18, traveled to Colorado on Monday night and has tried to buy firearms, according to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office and the FBI. Pais was last seen in the foothills west of Denver, and authorities said she was considered armed and extremely dangerous and should not be approached. The FBIs Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a notice Tuesday describing Pais as infatuated with [the] Columbine school shooting. The alert said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Sheriffs spokesman Mike Taplin said the threats she made were general, not specific to any school. The doors were locked at Columbine and more than 20 other schools in the Denver area as the sheriffs office said it was investigating threats against schools related to an FBI investigation. We are currently investigating what appears to be a credible threat possibly involving the schools, the sheriffs department said in a tweet. Children are safe. Deputies are at the schools. The Denver Post reported that a call to a phone number listed for Pais parents in Surfside, Fla., was interrupted by a man who identified himself as an FBI agent and said he was interviewing them. The Associated Press left messages at two numbers listed for Pais relatives in Florida, while another number was disconnected. Since April 20, 1999, when two teenage gunmen stormed Columbine, killing 13 people and wounding 24 more, threats of violence have become a painful fact of everyday life for the high school and the highly trained security team tasked with keeping it safe. Getting threats is not out of the normal for Columbine High School, Taplin said. This article contains information from the Washington Post. SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Police say a man apparently fatally shot a Pennsylvania woman and wounded a Massachusetts man outside an outlet mall near Great Smoky Mountains National Park before killing himself. The gunman was identified as 21-year-old Leon Steven Jones of Newport-Sevierville, Tenn. The woman was 24-year-old Olivia Katel Cunningham of York, Pa. The wounded man, 75-year-old John Marr of Templeton, Mass., was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center. His condition wasnt known. Sevierville police spokesman Bob Stahlke says all three were shot with a semiautomatic handgun. Investigators say it appears the shooter didn't know either victim, who weren't related. Stahlke earlier told the Knoxville News Sentinel that there was no longer any threat, and the Tanger Outlets mall remained open except for a small area cordoned off as a crime scene. Gov. Phil Murphy leaves the Atlantic City Tropicana Casino and Hotel after announcing that NJ Transit service from A.C. to Philadelphia will resume May 12, two weeks earlier than previously announced. Read more ATLANTIC CITY Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that service on NJ Transits Atlantic City Rail Line will resume May 12, two weeks earlier than previously announced, with added rush hour service into Philadelphia. Service on the line, which serves both commuters going into Philadelphia from South Jersey and tourists traveling to Atlantic City, has been suspended since September. The suspended Princeton Branch Dinky Line will also resume service May 12, Murphy said at a luncheon during the NJ TransAction Conference at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino. Both lines were suspended, officials said, to allow NJ Transit to finish installation of the Positive Train Control safety system. NJ Transit officials initially said the rail line would resume service in January, then delayed that indefinitely. In February, prompted by Murphy and a chorus of criticism from public officials, they announced a May 24 start date, just before the Memorial Day weekend. Riders in Atlantic City will find an improved schedule that was built in response to their needs and to the feedback of employers and elected officials, Murphy said. He said a second morning rush hour train would be added from Atlantic City to Philadelphia, closing a gap in service that all too often left commuters just a minute or two late for their train to sit trackside in frustration for two hours or more until the next one showed up. There will now be three trains arriving before 9 a.m., instead of two, and five trains before noon, with reduced wait times between each of them, Murphy said. The Atlantic City line stops at Absecon, Egg Harbor City, Hammonton, Atco, Lindenwold, Cherry Hill, and Pennsauken before ending at 30th Street Station. N.J. Transit executive director Kevin Corbett said the added morning rush hour train was made possible by tweaking the old schedule, which included a late-night train from Philadelphia that few riders took and was scheduled mostly to accommodate a 12-hour required break time for conductors. Frustrated riders, including those who commute from Cherry Hill to University City, had not been impressed by the Memorial Day weekend restart date and had accused NJ Transit officials of not being honest with them. Entrepreneurs like the operators of Atlantic City Beer Festival were left without train service that had previously been used by thousands of customers. Murphy said the first of six new classes of NJ Transit rail engineers was set to graduate, and Positive Train Control installation was complete. I recognize the challenges and frustrations that commuters have endured over these past months, Murphy said. I thank them for their patience. Katrina T. McCombs speaks to the members of the New Jersey Board of Education after being named State Superintendent of Camden City School District during the New Jersey Board of Education in Trenton Read more Katrina McCombs, a longtime Camden educator, on Wednesday was named the permanent schools chief for the struggling district that has been under a state takeover since 2013. State Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet recommended McCombs, who had been serving as interim superintendent since June, for the position. In a resolution, the state Board of Education said McCombs was identified as the best candidate and unanimously approved the appointment during its monthly meeting in Trenton. McCombs, a Camden native, was educated in the citys public schools and came up through the ranks as a teacher and administrator. She has spent her entire career, spanning more than two decades, in the district, which has struggled to improve student performance. I look forward to the challenge, McCombs, 48, told a packed room. This just seems to be the next step. Repollet said McCombs has demonstrated passion and dedication to the students and the Camden community throughout her career. I am extremely proud to say that this is my recommendation, Repollet said. In a statement, Camden Mayor Francisco Moran praised the appointment: Its exciting to have a homegrown talent like Katrina leading our schools. I am confident that under Katrinas leadership our children will receive the quality education that they deserve. Details about McCombs contract and salary have not been finalized, said Carmen Cusido, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education. Her current salary is $191,584. She replaces Paymon Rouhanifard, who was brought in by Gov. Chris Christie to try to transform the failing district in 2013, a few months after a state takeover. He stepped down in June and threw his support behind McCombs, who served in his administration as a deputy superintendent for four years. McCombs inherits a district that has become a symbol of the changing landscape of urban public education. She touched off a fury of controversy last week when she announced a $27 million budget shortfall for the coming school year and plans to close two schools and consolidate another. Layoffs are also likely, she said. A big question also remains about when the state will relinquish its control over the school system. McCombs said she hopes the district will return to local control in about three to five years. Three other takeover districts Newark, Paterson, and Jersey City are moving toward a return to local control. Supporters, including her family and Camden school officials, applauded and yelled, You deserve it," when her appointment was confirmed. McCombs said her top priority was to put students first and improve achievement. This district means so much to me, she said. She did everything we asked her to do, said school board advisory member Martha Wilson. She is working extremely hard. Outside the meeting, about two dozen Camden activists held a rally with community and union leaders from around the state to demand more funding for urban public schools. Trenton was the last stop of a three-day miles for equity march that started Monday in Camden. This is a manufactured budget crisis, said parent Ronsha Dickerson. Where is the money? Chanting and waving signs, the protesters, who included students from Veterans Family School, which is slated to close in June, cheered as Keith Benson, president of the Camden Education Association, completed his 40-mile trek. Benson was greeted by his father as he choked back tears. While Rouhanifard, the first outsider to head the district, was praised by many for making sweeping changes, Benson and others say school officials have focused too much on Renaissance and charter schools and not enough on traditional public schools. Rouhanifard is credited with improving the graduation rate from 49 percent to 70 percent and cutting the dropout rate from 21 percent to 12 percent in five years. Ten of the citys schools once rated among the worst public schools in the state but have been removed from that list. Camden is the only district in New Jersey that has all three types of public schools. Renaissance and charters are publicly funded but privately operated, and thousands of city students have flocked to enroll. In 2014, Camden converted five of the citys most struggling schools into Renaissance schools. McCombs cited a budget gap for the 2019-20 school year, as well as long-term enrollment and facilities issues for the changes announced last week, that would affect about 900 students. About 50 to 200 jobs could be cut, she said. Even if the state provides emergency aid, the district plans to close Veterans and the Bonsall Annex and convert the Riletta T. Cream Elementary into an early-childhood center, she said. Students will be sent elsewhere in the district. Critics have called for a freeze on cuts and school closures and want a federal probe into the districts spending. Repollet met briefly with the protesters and asked students for suggestions for their schools. Im listening. I hear you, Repollet told a group of students. He left without commenting to reporters. Students from Veterans, which has about 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, will be sent to Davis Elementary, while bilingual sixth through eighth graders will be sent to Cramer Elementary, where the district plans to start a dual-language academy. Most of the districts preschoolers would be enrolled in Cream Elementary, while Cream students will be sent to H.B. Wilson Elementary, which will become a K-8 school, and Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy. We have to make and take some very critical and tough decisions. I want to make sure we are setting the district up for success," McCombs said. Born and raised in the citys Whitman Park section, McCombs graduated from Camden High in 1987, where she was a popular student and cheerleader. She holds a bachelors from Lehigh University and masters from both Columbia University and Rutgers University. THE PARENTS: Sara Lindmont, 41, and Dion Lindmont, 49, of North Wales THE CHILD: Bodhi Lynn, 1 year, adopted December 31, 2018 HIS NAME: Bodhi means enlightenment in Sanskrit, and Lynn is the middle name chosen by his birth mother to honor her own mother. It wasnt meant to be a test. Really, it was a reflex on Saras part, a gesture of her innate curiosity and lifelong fear of missing out. On the couples first date, she reached her fork across the table to spear a bite of Dions dinner. Dion didnt flinch. I had two nephews and a niece, and they were always trying to see what I had to eat. So it was fine, she recalls. Good thing, says Sara. If shed reacted negatively, that would have been a deal breaker. Theyd met on Match.com the third couple in Saras family to do so successfully and quickly discovered a shared matrix of values and allegiances. Dions Irish; Saras Scottish. Both feel tight bonds with their families, love animals, and cherish experiences over objects. Yes, we wanted stable careers, but we really wanted to play and have fun and travel and enjoy life instead of always pushing for money and tangible things, Sara says. But the true test came a few months into their relationship, when Dions father, a civilian contractor working in Iraq, was gravely injured during an ambush of his truck convoy. He died in January 2003. I met her entire family through that process at the hospital or at the funeral, Sara recalls. It sort of jump-started us kind of quickly. I remember saying to a friend, Its got to get better. It did. They adopted an 8-week-old golden retriever, then a second dog. And in October 2006, while in town for AIDS Walk Philly, they made a spontaneous trip to Jewelers Row, where, it turns out, a proposal at the ring counter means the proprietor brings out champagne. I was in pigtails and workout clothes, sweaty. Wed just walked eight miles, Sara says. Next thing I know, were driving home from the city and I have an engagement ring on my hand. Marriage equality hadnt yet come to Pennsylvania, but the couple wanted a ceremony to mark their relationship: a 120-person wedding at the Valley Green Inn, with their dogs (and a dog handler), friends, and relatives from both sides. They decided to merge their names, Linderman (Dion) and Montgomery (Sara) to the hybrid Lindmont. The family name was really important to us the team spirit element, Sara says. Hyphenating didnt work. We liked the idea of honoring where we came from. My grandfather was concerned that wed messed up the family tree. I said, Weve just added more sparkle to it. Dion, who according to family lore had been the chief interpreter of her younger brothers baby talk, did not want to bear a child, but she yearned to raise one. And Sara wanted to experience pregnancy and birth. They tried for two years, a crushing ride of intrauterine inseminations, appointments with fertility specialists, and, for the final, last-chance cycle, hormones that Sara injected daily into her abdomen. We did six tries. It felt like we were gambling, she says. Then a good friend turned to her one day and said, Do you want to parent, or do you want to be pregnant? They talked with friends who had adopted and with others who were fostering children. What impressed them about the Open Arms Adoption Network was the agencys commitment to supporting open adoption as the best scenario for children. We wanted to have that connection with the birth mother, Dion says. We wanted the child to know where he came from. Its another group of people who will love him. We had a lot of conversations around race, around ethnicity, around drug exposure, Sara says. We were open to all races and ethnicities. The case worker got us thinking about the demographics of our high school, our social circle: Not just about what we feel, but how our child would feel in his day-to-day environment. Theyd been waiting for 10 months when they got the call: a 3-day-old boy biracial, a 4.5-pound preemie and a birth mother who wanted to talk with them. The women met, along with their social workers, at a diner in Delaware. After some smiles and small talk, the birth mom asked, How do your families feel about you parenting a child who is not white? They are completely supportive, Sara said. Then the two described the diversity their family already had: Dions sister-in-law is Puerto Rican and her niece and nephew are biracial; her sisters kids are white and African American. And Sara, whose parents divorced when she was young, was comfortable with the blurred lines and blended-family branchings of step-parents and step-grandparents. Since they brought Bodhi home, they have met with members of his birth family every three to four months; the families exchanged Christmas gifts. Recently, they asked Bodhis birth mother whether she liked pickles, because thats the only solid food their son seems to relish. Pickles are the only thing I could stomach when I was pregnant! she told them. Having a child has sharpened their lens on the world. Its made me more hyper-vigilant, Dion says, acutely tuned to whats happening around her, especially when shes out with Bodhi. Sara says his presence has made them more mindful of how they speak to each other. We want to be calm. We have this little being who picks up on all of that. At one year, Bodhi is climbing and crawling, a far cry from the infant they met in the NICU at St. Francis Hospital. He was like holding a baby doll, like the size of a sock, so tiny, Dion recalls. Bodhi was too small for the newborn clothes theyd bought; luckily, nurses supplied two preemie outfits, one of them a onesie whose slogan seemed an apt caption for their entire parenting journey, including the part that is still to come. It read, Best Road Trip Ever. A screenshot from a surveillance video shows New Hope police officer Matthew Zimmerman (right) shooting Brian Riling in the stomach while in a holding cell. Read more The New Hope police officer who shot a man in the stomach in a holding cell last month was an experienced law enforcement official who made a mistake in the heat of a moment, the boroughs mayor said Wednesday. Cpl. Matthew Zimmerman was a 33-year veteran and the second-highest-ranking member of the department when he retired last week, Mayor Laurence Keller said. Matt represented and protected our community for a very long time, he said. This incident is very surprising; its human error. As a police officer, those circumstances can be unfortunate, and thats what happened here. Zimmerman, 65, quietly left the department two days before Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub publicly announced that the officer had shot a prisoner on March 3 in the honest but mistaken belief that he had drawn his Taser rather than his gun. Weintraub declined to charge Zimmerman, ruling that the shooting was neither justified nor criminal, but was excused. The prosecutor noted that both the gun and Taser were holstered on the officers dominant side, his right, which he said was a violation of department policy. New Hope does not have a policy barring officers from bringing firearms into holding cells, as some larger departments do. The 11-member force largely responds to quality-of-life and domestic issues in the small borough. Zimmerman had been placed on administrative leave during the district attorneys probe. He did not respond to a request for comment. The mayor, in an interview Wednesday, said Zimmerman had received multiple commendations during his tenure. He said Zimmerman had never been suspended or formally disciplined during the 21 years Keller has served as mayor. He said he believed that Zimmerman, whose base salary was $96,383, was eligible to collect a pension, but said the amount had not been calculated by the state pension office as of Wednesday. Zimmermans attorney, William Goldman, said Wednesday that the officer had always comported himself professionally and that the shooting came as Zimmerman was confronted by a tall, strong individual who was threatening in his words and in his actions. Brian Riling, 38, of Pipersville, was in custody on intimidation charges when the shooting occurred. Authorities said he assaulted and stalked his ex-girlfriend, sending more than 100 text messages imploring her to recant a report to police that he had used a crowbar to force his way into her home. While in a holding cell, police said, Riling dropped what appeared to be a plastic baggie that the officers assumed was drug paraphernalia. He stepped on the baggie in an effort to conceal it and a struggle with officers ensued. In surveillance video released by Weintraubs office, Zimmerman yells Taser! moments before firing his gun at Riling. Warning: This video depicts a shooting in violent detail and contains profanity. Goldman said Zimmerman was trying to prevent Riling from hurting him or another officer. Police officers are to be recognized for their sacrifices, and he had to make a split-second decision, Goldman said. After the shooting, Riling was taken to a nearby hospital, where he remained for several days in critical but stable condition, investigators said. He was discharged and released on bail, and faces a preliminary hearing in the case next month, court records show. Rilings attorney, Richard F. Fink, declined to comment on the district attorneys investigation. Riling did not respond to requests for comment. Reported cases of law enforcement officers mistaking guns for Tasers are rare. An Oklahoma sheriffs deputy fatally shot a prisoner in 2016 in that manner, as did a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer in California in 2009. Both officers were charged and convicted. Locally, a similar incident took place in York County in November. An officer from the Southwestern Regional Police Department shot a man in the back of his police vehicle during an arrest. The district attorney later charged the officer, Stuart Lee Harrison, with simple assault after he admitted that he thought he had fired his Taser. Harrisons case is scheduled for trial later this year. In this Jan. 19, 2011 photo, a Norfolk Southern logo is displayed on an engine in a rail yard in Hopewell, Va. Read more WYOMISSING, Pa. (AP) Crews are on the scene cleaning up after at least 16 containers carrying trash on a freight train derailed in Pennsylvania. The Reading Eagle reports it happened when the Norfolk Southern rail cars went off the tracks dumping garbage behind a restaurant in Wyomissing around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy equipment was brought in the clear the debris. Residents are complaining about the smell. There are no reports of injuries. Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/ FORT DODGE, Iowa Pete Buttigieg is just a few minutes into his first official campaign stop when a sharp, angry voice interrupts his applause lines. Mayor Pete! Mayor Pete! shouts a middle-aged man, emerging from a corner of a Lions Club here in western Iowa. You betray your baptism! The shouting goes on for a few minutes until the man, who rails against abortion, is removed and the room calms down. Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes, Buttigieg says. He adds that the protester believes hes acting in line with the will of the creator. I view it differently. Welcome to the big stage. That the 37-year-old mayor of a modest Indiana city, South Bend, is drawing the attention of protesters and sparring with Vice President Mike Pence speaks to his improbable rise in the early stages of the Democratic presidential primary. Buttigieg, a Rhodes scholar and Afghan war veteran, has gone from obscurity to the candidate with perhaps the strongest burst of momentum so far, vaulting ahead of many more established figures. As the gay, millennial mayor visited Iowa this week for his first tour as a declared candidate, he presented himself as a generational change agent focused resolutely on the future, not on a rose-colored past that is never coming back. Greatness isnt going to come from dredging it up out of some impossible again,' he told supporters Wednesday morning, drawing a direct contrast with President Donald Trump. There is no such thing as an honest politics that is based on the word again. The only way that we can cultivate what makes America great is to look to the future, and not be afraid of it. Buttigieg spoke from a deck in a supporters backyard in Marshalltown, telling the crowd that the event had to move from the living room because interest grew so fast. It was a similar story a day earlier, when he drew an estimated 1,600 people to a Des Moines rally, among the largest the area has seen so far, as Buttigieg built on rising poll numbers, media buzz, and surprisingly strong fund-raising. That sudden attention also drew anger. After Tuesdays protest one man shouted Sodom and Gomorrah! at the Des Moines rally, and on Wednesday another one came to a quiet Marshalltown street dressed as the devil, intoning taunts over a microphone. When youre in politics at this level," Buttigieg told reporters, youre going to see the good, the bad, the ugly and the peculiar." `Young blood' His level demeanor and ease impressed a number of Democrats. More than one compared him to Barack Obama or John F. Kennedy. Far from seeing his youth as a liability, they were drawn to it. I love his age, said Teresa Hood, a 62-year-old para-educator from Clare, Iowa. I want to see young blood in the Democratic Party. I want to see young blood in Washington. Im quite frankly tired of old white men running the country. Deb Kelleher, who attended the same event in Fort Dodge, had the same reaction. I liked Bernie Sanders and I like Joe Biden a lot and I heard them speak, but theyre old, said Kelleher, 67. I mean theyre older than me. I just want new ideas and somebody with a positive message. Even Buttigieg is surprised by his early rally. He said he expected to spend this month proving that we deserved some place in the conversation. Instead, as his navy-and-gold campaign signs still aim to teach people how to pronounce his name (BOOT EDGE EDGE, they read), hes also racing to build the kind of campaign staff that can catch up with his surge. A Monmouth University poll released this week found Buttigieg with 9 percent support among Iowa Democrats, trailing only Biden and Sanders. A St. Anselm College poll in New Hampshire had Buttigieg in similar position there. And he raised $7.1 million in campaign money in the first three months of the year, ranking fourth among Democratic contenders, while spending just $700,000, among the least, according to a New York Times analysis. Flash in the pan? Or real contender? Having established a foothold, Buttigieg now faces the task of turning momentum into something more permanent, or joining the ranks of presidential flashes who burned bright for a moment, then faded. Ive never seen somebody go from being an asterisk to being a top-tier candidate so fast, said Bob Shrum, a longtime Democratic consultant and professor at the University of Southern California. Hes so comfortable with himself in an interview. He is so conversant with the issues. Shrum later added, Hes actually already there with one of the biggest challenges in presidential politics: He has a framework for what he wants to say. Hillary Clinton never had that framework." Buttigiegs identity melds with his vision of an evolving country: His husband, Chasten, features prominently in his campaign and joined him Wednesday morning in Iowa. At the same time, he presents himself as a Midwestern technocrat who understands how to sell progressive ideas to the heartland. If nothing else, I represent something a little different, Buttigieg said. Wearing a blue tie and white shirt with rolled sleeves, he stressed how members of his generation will inherit climate change and economic inequality, arguing that they should therefore be the ones empowered to handle those problems. Yet his speeches were relatively light on policy, a cause for pause among some Democratic listeners. Buttigieg attempted to distinguish himself by emphasizing reforms to how the country elects presidents, chooses Supreme Court justices, funds campaigns, and draws congressional districts. Our democracy is fraying at the seams. You could argue that the challenge of our times is whether in the 21st century were going to be able to tackle the issues before us with the current system that weve got, Buttigieg said. He has endorsed a popular vote for president, rather than the Electoral College, and changing the makeup of the Supreme Court, so that there would be five Democratic and five Republican justices who would then choose five more, and wants a nonpartisan way of drawing congressional districts. All would be extremely difficult to turn into law, but Buttigieg argued that other policy fixes will also face extraordinary obstacles without such dramatic change. Republicans have pointed to those plans to argue that Buttigieg is cloaking a radical agenda within his professed Midwestern pragmatism. Pete Buttigieg has made it abundantly clear that Iowans and other heartland states should take a back seat to cities like New York and Los Angeles as he supports the abolishment of the Electoral College, said a Republican National Committee statement. Having made an early mark, Buttigieg argued that he has gained enough traction to be more than a momentary jolt. Weve gone I think long enough now that you cant just call this one moment, he said. But Im under no illusion that thats the same thing as having an organization it takes to win. Hell have to prove he can make the next step. Right now its a lot of buzz, and we want to know where that buzz is going, said J.D. Scholten, a former Iowa congressional candidate who introduced Buttigieg on Tuesday. As a campaign, I wouldnt say theyre overwhelmed, but they were not expecting to be where theyre at, in the most positive of senses, this soon. A view into the Bella Vista neighborhood in South Philadelphia, near 8th and Catharine Street in Philadelphia. The neighborhood's median assessment of a single family home is set to increase 8.4 percent in 2020, according to The Inquirer's analysis of property data. Read more Hundreds of thousands of Philadelphia homeowners learned in April that their taxes will increase in 2020, after the city released new property assessments that increased values for three-quarters of residential properties. But the notices arriving in mailboxes informing owners of changes to their assessments leave one important question unanswered: What is my new tax bill? Why doesnt the citys notice or online property record tell me my new tax bill? The Office of Property Assessment has assigned 2020 market values, which will be used to calculate next years taxes, to every property in the city. More than 389,000 properties will see increases, while about 81,000 assessments will decrease. But none of the notices that arrived in residents mailboxes indicated the new values impact on taxpayers bank accounts. Chief Assessment Officer Michael Piper told City Council at a hearing earlier this month that his office used to include predicted tax bills in assessment notices and online, but stopped doing so. Thats because there is supposed to be a divide between the Office of Property Assessment (OPA), which calculates property values, and the Revenue Department, which collects taxes. We want to keep that line clear, Piper said. Councilman Mark Squilla asked Piper at the budget hearing whether that policy could change, so that the constituent would now know the difference of what this assessment means to them. Piper said it could be discussed. Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who has been critical of OPA and is calling for new leadership, including a replacement for Piper, suggested he may use legislation to make OPA include tax bill calculations. While politicians explore their options, heres how to calculate your tax bill on your own: Start by finding your market value Property owners can find their market values in assessment notices mailed by the city or online at property.phila.gov. Among other information, the page for an individual property will include a box like the one below, with the valuation history of the parcel. The value that matters most is the total market value, or the second column from the left. For the property below, a three-story row home in Fairmount, the market value for 2020 is $528,500. Next, multiply your market value by the tax rate The citys current property tax rate is 1.3998 percent. The fiscal year 2020 budget does not contain any changes to the tax rate, so, the same tax rate as 2019 will be used to calculate next years tax bills. Heres a basic formula: Property tax bill = assigned market value x .013998 For the home in Fairmount listed above with a market value of $528,500, the homeowner would multiply that value by .013998 to calculate the 2020 tax bill: 528,500 x .013998 = $7,398. What if I have a homestead exemption? Many residents have homestead exemptions, which amount to a discount for owner-occupied properties. The homestead exemption increased in 2019 from $30,000 to $40,0000, and Mayor Jim Kenney and City Council agreed to increase it again to $45,000 in 2020. That means homeowners can subtract $45,000 from their market values before calculating their tax bills, resulting in a discount of $630 under the current tax rate. Below, the records for a home on Summerdale Avenue in Rhawnhurst show how that exemption looks on your online property record. Under the exempt improvement column, $40,000 is listed but the 2020 exemption will be $45,000. Heres the formula to calculate a tax bill for a home with a homestead exemption: Property tax bill = (assigned market value - 45,000) x .013998 For the Rhawnhurst home below, that formula results in a tax bill of $2,375. What about tax abatements? The citys tax abatement allows property owners to wait 10 years before paying taxes on improvements made to their building, or on new construction. Those discounts are also reflected in online property records. Below, a screenshot from property records shows a home on Cleveland Street in Point Breeze that has a 10-year abatement for rehabilitation. The taxable land and taxable improvement columns show portions of the assessment on which the owner must still pay taxes. The exempt improvement column shows the amount by which the assessment is discounted for the purposes of calculating tax bills. Heres a formula for calculating tax bills for a property with a 10-year abatement: Property tax bill = (assigned market value exempt improvement) x .013998 The Cleveland Street home listed below, therefore, would have a 2020 tax bill of $1,628. How has my tax bill increased in the past few years? Philadelphia, unlike other counties in the state, is not required to adjust tax rates when reassessing properties in order to make revaluations revenue-neutral. That means that reassessments can raise extra revenue for the city even as the tax rate remains the same. Because the citys real estate tax rate has been 1.3998 percent since 2016, homeowners can use the same formulas as above to calculate past tax bills and compare to their predicted 2020 bills. The home in Fairmount valued at $528,500 for 2020, for example, would have had a $6,340 tax bill in 2018 before its taxes rose to $7,160 in 2019 and an estimated $7,398 in 2020. For properties with the homestead exemption, tax bills prior to 2019 should reflect a $30,000 discount. Homeowners with tax abatements may also need to account for other changes, depending on when their abatement took effect. The city also offers a number of other relief programs that can decrease tax bills, including a tax freeze for low-income seniors and a program for longtime owner-occupants. This article has been updated to reflect an increase in the homestead exemption beginning in 2020. The union representing 4,800 full-time faculty and graduate students at Rutgers University announced Tuesday night that it had reached a tentative agreement with the New Jersey institution and had avoided a strike. "We won significant pay raises for our lowest paid members, our graduate employees who will see their pay increase from $25,969 to $30,162 over the course of the contract, said Deepa Kumar, president of the union at Rutgers New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark campuses. Last month, faculty voted to authorize the negotiating team to call a strike if necessary. The university and faculty have been negotiating for about a year; their last contract expired in June. David Hughes, chair of the unions bargaining team, said there was still no deal for nearly 3,000 part-time lecturers. The union said more details of the agreement would be discussed at a news conference Wednesday at 11 a.m. in New Brunswick. The union did not say whether the pact must still be approved by the union rank-and-file. A spokesperson for the university could not be reached for comment. Sherrie Cohen, Democratic candidate for Philadelphia City Council At-large, speaks at a forum hosted by the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia at Congregation Rodeph Shalom March 24, 2019. Read more Third-time candidate and longtime LGBTQ activist Sherrie Cohen is dropping her bid for City Council, sparked in part, she said, by a rift her campaign manager caused in the LGBTQ community last month after questioning the ethnicity of another candidate. Cohen, who is gay, was in the midst of her third Council race when her campaign manager, Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, attended a transgender pride rally and accused Deja Lynn Alvarez, a transgender woman and Council candidate, of misrepresenting her ethnicity. At the rally, Muhammad interrupted Alvarez, yelling: Youre white! Youre white! Youre white! Muhammad stepped aside shortly after the incident, but its damage lingered. Cohen said that the same day news of the rally broke, she lost the endorsement of the Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ people, and that she struggled to reclaim her base. She said she does not blame Muhammad for her early exit from the race, which was also affected by a lack of endorsements and a crowded field. It was certainly not my intention, but my campaign did contribute to tension within the LGBTQ+ community this election cycle, Cohen said in an interview. My intentions are to help heal both the harm caused to Deja Lynn Alvarez and, also, I want to acknowledge a history of anti-blackness within our community. Cohen said she brought on Muhammad, who is a cofounder of the Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, to help her reach black and brown LGBTQ people who have protested against a history of harassment and a lack of inclusion, specifically in the citys Gayborhood. That remains a big issue, she said, as does the need for more transgender voices, like Alvarezs. (Muhammad, in an interview, said, "Deja has always identified as a white woman. Muhammad believes other factors contributed to Cohens decision, including lack of support from political leaders in the LGBTQ community who favored Alvarez.) Cohens announcement came hours before the Liberty City Democratic Club, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, was set to have its endorsement meeting. The group voted Wednesday night to endorse Alvarez, Erika Almiron, Justin DiBerardinis, and incumbents Helen Gym and Derek Green in the at-large race. The clubs members voted down the endorsement committees recommendation to endorse Lauren Vidas, a lesbian attorney running in the 2nd District. Members voted to endorse incumbent Kenyatta Johnson instead. Incumbents Mark Squilla and Maria Quinones-Sanchez were also endorsed. The club opted not to endorse in the 3rd District race between longtime Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and former heard of the Fairmount Park Conservancy Jamie Gauthier. Cohen was the most experienced LGBTQ candidate in the race, having run in 2011 and 2015. A self-identified democratic socialist who works as a tenants rights lawyer, she also was one of the more progressive candidates in the race. Cohen was the first out Democrat to run for City Council, in 2011. That year she came within 2,000 votes of ousting then-Councilman Jim Kenney. But this time around, Cohen struggled to find a base in a crowded field of 29 Democrats, with many younger, first-time, progressive candidates, including two from the LGBTQ community. (Alvarez is a transgender woman and Adrian Rivera-Reyes, who also identifies as a democratic socialist, is gay.) I helped lay the groundwork for there being open LGBTQ candidates, Cohen said. But it did make it a more challenging field because there were so many choices that people identify with. For all of her activism Cohen was part of the early gay-rights movement and the womens movement she has also been seen as something of an establishment candidate, party-backed in 2015 and part of a family of active Philly politicians (her father, David Cohen, was a longtime councilman and her brother, Mark Cohen, is a Common Pleas Court judge and former state representative). Its past the deadline to withdraw from the May 21 primary, so Cohen said shell petition a judge to get her name taken off the ballot. She would not say whom she will support of the remaining 28 Democrats vying for five at-large seats. Philadelphias 17-member Council has never had an openly LGBTQ member. Cohen noted as a sign of progress that there is such a wide choice of candidates from the community. And in almost all cases, sexual orientation or gender is just a biographical note, not a campaign issue, which also shows a sort of evolution, she said. But true progress wont come until someone from the community gets elected. Asked if she thought Alvarez or Rivera-Reyes, both first-time candidates, could make history, Cohen sighed. I dont know that this will be the year, she said. Zahmir White, left, is on trial in the Easter Sunday 2018 fatal shooting of William Bethel IV, 16, on the 800 block of South Street in Bella Vista. Bethel was a Boys' Latin sophomore. Read more Testifying in his own defense, Zahmir White told a Philadelphia jury on Wednesday that he shot 16-year-old William Bethel IV on South Street last Easter because I was fearing for my life. White, now 19, contended that he saw a friend of Bethels trying to pull a gun out of his bookbag. He said he first fired one shot into the ground, then fired three more shots. The last hit Bethel, a sophomore at Boys Latin of Philadelphia High School, as he and his friend Christopher Elliott ran away on the 800 block of South Street. The testimony was among the last evidence jurors heard before being asked to resolve if the late afternoon shooting among possibly rival teen groups was murder or not a crime at all. It wasnt intentional. It was in self-defense," defense attorney Billy Ciancaglini told jurors in his closing argument. Assistant District Attorney Adam Geer contended that White intended to shoot and kill Elliott, but hit Bethel. He told jurors in closing that the defense theory that Elliott had a gun was nonsense. Geer also said the shooting didnt meet any of the requirements of self-defense: White wasnt in immediate danger of death or serious bodily injury, was the one who provoked the shooting, and had a duty to retreat, but didnt. Evidence during the trial, which started Monday, indicated that Whites group had prior disputes with another South Philadelphia group that included Elliott. But Bethel, who used to live in South Philadelphia and had friends there, had moved years earlier to Roxborough with his family. He had nothing to do with the altercations between the groups, Geer said. White testified that he had a gun in his waistband that day because he had gotten shot at, but not hit, two weeks earlier at Third Street and Washington Avenue in a drive-by shooting. White, who was known by the nickname Pikachu, said that a few days later he saw one of Elliotts friends, Khaleaf Sistrunk, mocking him on an Instagram video, saying, Pik ran from gunshots, then clapping. So when he and a friend, Andre Thomas, passed Elliott and Bethels cousin, Samir Whitaker, on South Street that Easter, he testified, he thought to himself, Theres going to be trouble. He testified that Elliott said to him, Whats up, and he replied, What you mean, Whats up?' Then, he said, Sistrunk and Bethel exited from a storefront massage parlor, and Sistrunk repeated the refrain. During the trial, witnesses on both sides testified that Whats up meant lets fight or trouble. Thomas, called to testify Wednesday by the defense, said it appeared that Elliott was reaching for a gun in his bookbag. White, in his testimony, said he saw half a gun in the bookbag. Sistrunk and Whitaker, who both testified Tuesday, said no one in their group had a gun. They said that after they saw White pull out his gun, they ran into the massage parlor. Bethel was shot in his lower back as he ran from the scene, and died two days later at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. White testified that after the shooting, he threw the gun away in a dumpster, then went to his mothers home in West Philadelphia. He said the next day, he went to his aunts West Philly home, where he stayed until he was arrested May 23. The jury of seven women and five men is expected to begin deliberations Thursday. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, located at 1300 Locust in Center City, Philadelphia is pictured on Tuesday, April 09, 2019. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania announced last week that it would lay off 10 staff members due to operating deficits and a lack of financial stability. Read more In February, the Philadelphia History Museum announced its closure. And last week, we learned the Historical Society of Pennsylvania has laid off 30 percent of its staff as it searches for a viable strategic alliance. Philadelphia is the birthplace of our nations history, yet sadly we cannot sustain two vital cultural and academic centers to celebrate that rich legacy. If these long-standing local institutions cannot survive with strength, what does that bode for the rest of the regions nonprofits? The answer is not a positive one. A recent report shows that 7 percent of the five-county regions nonprofits are technically insolvent (including a whopping 13 percent of health and human services agencies) and 25 percent of our nonprofits have less than one month of cash on hand. To get in front of this potential tidal wave, the Greater Philadelphia Nonprofit Repositioning Fund was established in 2015 by a group of funders (now numbering 10) to support thoughtful exploration and implementation of strategic alliances among nonprofit organizations. These alliances represent a permanent change in the business models of two or more nonprofits seeking to enhance sustainable community impact. Each project weve supported represents a courageous willingness among boards and executive leaders to look beyond their individual organizational boundaries to place enduring achievement of mission above all else. A 2017 cultural community grant from the Repositioning Fund supported the merger of the University of the Arts with the Philadelphia Art Alliance that allowed the survival of a storied local institution and building of historical significance. These alliances are not for everyone, and they are not always the right answer, but this is an important option to consider from a position of strength, i.e., before an organization loses the capacity to make wise choices. Funders, board members, and executive leaders must come together with eyes wide open to the realities that confront nonprofits, exploring a range of alternatives including fiscal sponsorships, strategic alliances, and yes, even planned dissolutions. Philadelphia is by no means alone in addressing the need for a rethink for its nonprofit sectors financial health. The Urban Institute reports that there are more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States, the vast majority of which (more than 77 percent), have operating budgets of less than $1 million. While the number of public charities grew 28.4 percent between 2005 and 2015, philanthropy has only grown 11.5 percent since 2007. These statistics warn of a contraction in the nonprofit sector that will likely yield some failures in the form of bankruptcies and zombie nonprofits that are alive in name only. Business as usual will not suffice for many organizations. However, well-governed nonprofits with strong leadership can harness the potential of thoughtful strategic alliances shared service platforms, mergers and acquisitions, etc. to fundamentally change their business models in ways that sustain and grow their community impact. Long-term or permanent strategic alliances are essential components of nonprofit capacity building. Over the last decade, a nascent network of pooled funding initiatives in seven cities or communities has emerged (including Philadelphias Nonprofit Repositioning Fund) to support hundreds of these types of strategic alliances, and a number of additional communities are considering launching similar efforts. Experience has demonstrated that among the greatest determinants of success for strategic alliances are time for nonprofits to plan and the availability of dedicated resources in the form of funding and access to outside expertise. While these initiatives have arisen organically, there is growing hunger from nonprofit leaders, boards and funders for more centralized knowledge about proven approaches and a desire to bring more resources both human and financial into this field, driven largely by the changing landscape of the nonprofit sector. While Greater Philadelphia continues to experience impressive growth in its business sector, the sustainability of vital services and community assets is threatened by the weakened financial health of nonprofits. We welcome creative recommendations from all sectors so we can advance this critical dialogue together. We must act now to identify and support innovative solutions to address the increasingly hard truths facing our nonprofits it is in our absolute collective interest to do so. Nadya K. Shmavonian is director of Greater Philadelphia Nonprofit Repositioning Fund and a partner at SeaChange Capital Partners. nshmavonian@seachangecap.org Rap musician Tupac Shakur is shown in this 1993 handout photo. Shakur's famous THUG LIFE tattoo was part of a movement to reclaim the word "thug." Read more Derrick Rollins is a thug. It says so right in the transcripts from Delaware County Judge John P. Capuzzi Sr.s courtroom. Last Friday, when Capuzzi sentenced Rollins to life in prison for the murder of 29-year-old Temple and Lower Merion grad John Le, the judge told Rollins that he was a liar, a manipulator, a thug, a scumbag. Crime victims might respond: Well, yeah. But we really need to ask: How is that an OK thing to say? To be sure, a convicted murderer deserves the punishment coming to him. But a duly elected Common Pleas Court judge just called an African American man in his courtroom the socially acceptable equivalent of the N-word. Thug has a checkered history from its origins as a 19th-century Hindi word for thief to its present-day status as a racist dog whistle. But its always held a patina of otherness. An early English mention in an 1863 New York Times article about the Carbon Thugs rioting in Pennsylvania coal country referred to these ruffians as ignorant, brutal, and in the majority of instances animal in appearance and instinct. Fast-forward a century to the 1959 film The Stranglers of Bombay, about the murderous nature of the Indian Thuggees, whose provocative poster includes a man in a turban attacking a buxom young woman underneath the words MURDER CULT TERROR IN EXOTIC ASIA. George W. Bush used the word to describe Middle Eastern terrorists, while Rush Limbaugh used it to describe President Barack Obama. At a 2016 North Carolina campaign rally, a black Trump supporter waved in the air a note that he wanted to get to his favored candidate. Donald Trump, however, assumed the man was a protester and said, Were you paid $1,500 to be a thug? He had security escort the man out of the rally. Labeling people as thugs is rarely about just their actions; its about painting them as savage, animalistic, unable to be tamed and therefore subject to retributive violence. Violence that can be excused in a court of law or public opinion. Like the N-word, thug was reappropriated in the late 20th century. Just a few years after the L.A. supergroup N.W.A took the reappropriated N-word mainstream, Tupac Shakur broke out with THUG LIFE tattooed across his chest. White folks see us as thugs, Shakur said in one notable speech. I dont care if you think youre a lawyer, if youre a man, if youre an African American, if youre whatever the f--- you think you are. Were thugs and n-----s to these motherf-----s. After Freddie Grays death in 2015, many including Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, both African American used the word thug to describe the protesters wreaking havoc across the city. But as Columbia English professor and language deity John McWhorter noted on NPR, thug carries different meanings depending on who says it. Like with the N-word, the races of both the speaker and the subject are important. Derrick Rollins is a convicted murderer and will spend the rest of his life in jail. But just as if the judge had used the N-word to describe Rollins, calling him a thug serves only to cast doubt on the motivations and heart of the court. That undermines the justice thats been done, which is the ultimate disservice to the victims. The Angry Grammarian, otherwise known as Jeffrey Barg, looks at how language, grammar, and punctuation shape our world, and appears biweekly. Thats every other week, not twice a week, friends. Send comments, questions and phrasal verbs to jeff@theangrygrammarian.com. debris are seen inside the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Firefighters declared success Tuesday in a more than 12-hour battle to extinguish an inferno engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral that claimed its spire and roof, but spared its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) Read more The horrific image of flames consuming the roof of Notre Dame cathedral has already become a powerful symbol for those who endorse French and European unity and for those who proclaim Europes decline. Its no surprise that the partial demise of this iconic medieval marvel, the centerpiece of Paris and one of the worlds most beloved tourist attractions, would stir powerful emotions. As French President Emmanuel Macron put it: Notre Dame is our history, our literature, our imagination the place of all our great events, our wars, our liberations, the epicenter of our lives. Completed in the 12th century, the cathedral survived the French Revolution, the uprising of Paris Commune in 1871, and Hitlers (thwarted) command to burn Paris to the ground. The crumbling cathedral was renovated after Victor Hugos immortalized it in 1831 in his novel Notre Dame de Paris (translated as The Hunchback of Notre Dame). And in 1944, Charles de Gaulle celebrated the Liberation of Paris at the cathedral. But what is so striking is how quickly the wounded structure has been appropriated into dueling narratives as to whether France and Europe are on the cusp of destruction, or whether they can be saved. So far the natterings of negativity about Notre Dame have come mainly from outside France. Although Vladimir Putin offered to send experts to help restore Notre Dame, Russian social media and talk shows on state-TV channels labeled it a sign of the decline of Europe, and linked it to ongoing Yellow Vest demonstrations against fuel price increases, or to Muslim immigrants. The state-funded RT television network initially tied the fire to previous vandalism in French churches. Meantime, several well-known right-wing U.S. media personalities and websites, including Glenn Beck and Gateway Pundit pushed conspiracy theories, based on zero evidence, that the fire was set by Muslim terrorists. Even though French police said it was an accident. But in France, the massive outpouring of grief and silent vigil by thousands nearby the cathedral by religious Catholics and secular citizens alike was seized on by Macron as an opportunity to unify the nation after months of antigovernment demonstrations. He called on the French to transform this catastrophe into a moment to become better and to rediscover what unites us. He understood on Monday night that it was extremely important for the French people, so he rushed to the scene, recalled Sylvie Kauffmann, editorial director of Le Monde, by phone from Paris. Macron canceled the address he had been scheduled to give to the nation that same night on the results of his weeks-long dialogue across France on the issues raised by the Yellow Vest protests. Instead, says Kauffmann, "he decided to extend this moment of unity. The next day Macron pledged to rebuild the cathedral in five years, as political parties declared a brief truce in the run-up to European Parliament elections. But how long can the symbolic value of Notre Dames unifying power last? There is no question that Notre Dame is a symbol beyond religion of Frances national unity, says Benjamin Haddad, director of Atlantic Councils Future Europe Initiative. This is a very moving time. Many Frenchmen are giving money [including billionaires] and rebuilding will be an undertaking of unity beyond political parties. But Haddad is skeptical that the rebuilding effort will have a political impact. Kauffmann shares his doubts, with some caveats. The fact that this cathedral is so dear to all of us reminds us of things we have in common, she says. The past four to five months [of Yellow Vest demonstrations] have been very tough with all our fragmentations exposed. We have had a great national debate. Perhaps people will feel more reasonable, more mature. Of course, the political impact of the Notre Dame moment will depend heavily on whether Macron can communicate with his public on social and economic issues far better than he has in the past. And, even on reconstructing the cathedral, a unifying concept, disagreements are already emerging about whether the new roof and steeple should copy the destroyed version or be modernized. Recriminations are certain to start over whether fire precautions and the states maintenance budget for the cathedral were sufficient. But for the moment, the prospect of restoring Notre Dame has brought France together and offered Macron a chance to remake his haughty image. French people can also focus on the miracle that precious relics and carvings and the cathedrals stone frame and towers were saved, rather than destroyed. Weve all been talking about this, Notre Dame, and how we will rebuild, says Kauffmann. We French ourselves are surprised at the huge outpouring of emotional reaction, even in Europe. And beyond, for all those fascinated by the cathedral, by Paris, and by hope of renewal. So Notre Dame as a symbol of possible resurrection offers Macron, and France, a great opportunity if they can use it. At Easter that is the most potent symbol of all. When the Philadelphia Department of Revenue showed up on his doorstep, columnist Solomon Jones got worried about his house. Read more This article was amended to include the following correction: The claim that 42 percent of the properties being sold at sheriffs sale as tax delinquent were in the single zip code of 19121 was incorrect. The correct number is five percent. At 11:58 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10, a man with a badge affixed to his belt pulled up to my house in a gray Mitsubishi, walked up my front steps and rang my doorbell. Does Solomon Jones live here? he said. My wife eyed him suspiciously through the front window. She was leery that a stranger knew my name and where I lived. She closed the window without answering his question. Then she called to tell me what had happened. I rushed home to find a copy of a property tax bill in our mailbox. The bill was for a property I own in a rapidly gentrifying area in the 19121 ZIP code in North Philadelphia. The bill, which was for $1,200, included a balance from 2017, the year before I acquired the property. I was confused. Id received the previous two property tax bills in the mail, paying one in full and sending in a partial payment on the other. Why, I wondered, would someone show up at my home? Convinced it was a scam to try to scare me into selling my property, I investigated, not just for my own sake, but for the sake of warning others, in case it was a scam. What I didnt know at the time was this: Our mysterious visitor was from the Philadelphia Department of Revenue. More on that below but first, some additional details. The property for which he hand-delivered the tax bill is in a ZIP code in which newly built homes are selling for $390,000, and older homes like the property I own are going to sheriffs sale in droves. I believe the citys pattern of tax-related sheriffs sales in impoverished areas is helping to speed up gentrification, and poor people are paying the price. On Wednesday, 336 properties in Philadelphia will be sold at sheriffs sale as tax delinquent. Five percent of them are in a single ZIP code 19121. As recently as 2013, data collected by the Pew Charitable Trusts showed that the area was among the poorest in the city. Today, it is gentrifying at a rapid pace. As someone whose family has owned property in the area for more than 60 years, Im both exhilarated and unnerved by the new development. Thats because when property values in poor areas begin to increase, black people are often pushed out, and the government usually plays a role in their exit. It happened that way with Urban Renewal in the 1950s and 1960s, and that pattern seems to be repeating today. One tool the city uses to encourage development is the 10-year tax abatement, which goes to the owners of newly constructed or physically improved real estate in the city. In areas such as mine, gentrifying home buyers get the tax abatement, while the poor have their homes auctioned for back taxes. In other words, the city offers tax breaks to those who can afford to pay for new construction, and takes the homes of those who can least afford to pay their property taxes. Yes, there are attempts to make agreements with those who cant pay, but after that, a process kicks in. When its apparent that you cant pay, the city declares you delinquent, and, at that point, it goes to the courts, Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Barbara Grant told me. First Judicial District then decides whether this is a subject for sheriffs sale the sheriff is the executor of that order. In the 19121 area, you have some of the deepest poverty, she said. Those are the folks who are going to have the hardest time holding on to their properties. On the day the Department of Revenue hand-delivered a tax bill to my home, I was left to wonder whether the visit was a scam by someone whod secured my address from public records, or a first step toward putting my North Philadelphia property on the sheriffs sale list. I called the mayors office and was put in touch with Deputy Revenue Commissioner Marisa Waxman. I asked her whether the man whod come to my home to drop off a tax bill was from the Revenue Department. We dont hand-deliver tax bills to peoples homes, she said. In some narrowly targeted instances, we have someone come to the property, but only if going for sheriffs sale. When the conversation ended, I was convinced that the visit was part of a scam. But Waxman called back later and said that the man on my doorstep was indeed from the Revenue Department, and that hed hand-delivered the bill, because bills were bouncing back from my North Philadelphia property. Again, I was confused, because I receive the property tax bills in the mail, and had just made a payment on March 16. When I called Waxman back to get an explanation, she referred me to the mayors office. Mike Dunn, a mayoral spokesperson, told me that the Revenue employee came to my home because a 2017 tax bill had been returned to the city. My uncle, who previously owned the property, died in late 2016. Theres still more to untangle, but as of now, Im sure my property isnt going to sheriffs sale, since more than half the old bill has been paid. But on Wednesday, as African Americans are continuously pushed out of the community, 19 others wont be so lucky. Solomon Jones is the author of 10 books. Listen to him weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon on Praise 107.9 HD2. Email him at sj@solomonjones.com. @solomonjones1 Tim Brown, an organizer with advocates for hand-marked paper ballots (front on the left), speaks during a Philadelphia city commissioners meeting at City Hall on March, 6, 2019. At the table, Commissioner Anthony Clark (third from front on the right) listens with acting commissioners Judge Giovanni Campbell (center on the right) and Judge Vincent Furlong (front on the right). Read more The two judges acting as Philadelphias elections officials wont overturn the three-member election boards selection of new voting machines, a setback for watchdogs and advocates who have been criticizing the choice and urging officials to start over. Instead, Common Pleas Court Judge Giovanni Campbell wrote Wednesday to City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, he will allow the Feb. 20 voting-machine decision to stand. I recognize that voting systems are contested issues and people feel passionately about the systems that will be used for their exercise of a core constitutional right. And I am grateful that you and others have been voicing those concerns to the Board of Elections, Campbell wrote. However, I do not believe the Board of Elections should overrule its prior legitimate determinations. Advocates have for weeks implored Campbell and another judge, Vincent Furlong, to invalidate the selection, arguing among other things that it was an illegal vote and that the choice was not in voters best interests. In his letter, Campbell did not address concerns about the voting system itself but about whether the commissioners Feb. 20 decision was appropriate and legal. Campbell was appointed to replace Commissioner Lisa Deeley, the chair of the commissioners, while she runs for reelection; Furlong similarly replaced Commissioner Al Schmidt. The third commissioner, Anthony Clark, is not running for reelection and remains in his role. At a meeting Wednesday, Campbell noted he had replied that morning to Rhynhart, who had previously sent a letter, met with him, and urged that the commissioners reverse the previous voting-machine selection. Campbell did not comment further at Wednesdays meeting, and an aide declined to make him available to comment, saying his letter speaks for itself. Furlong, the other judge, said at the meeting that he agrees with Campbell. Clark did not respond in the meeting, but he last week said he supported Rhynharts call to restart the voting-machine selection, agreeing that it was too rushed, opaque, and lacked public input. For months, advocates for hand-marked paper ballots had urged Philly elections officials to slow down and allow more public discussion as they raced toward their selection of touchscreen voting machines that advocates say are more expensive and less secure than paper ballots that voters manually mark. Since the decision to select the touchscreen ExpressVote XL machines from the vendor ES & S, the activists have been a constant presence at weekly meetings, urging Campbell, Furlong, and Clark to reconsider the Feb. 20 decision by Deeley and Schmidt. I have great respect for these [citizens] commitment to our democratic processes as well as their passion and resolve, and great respect for your commitment to your role and responsibilities as the City Controller, Campbell wrote in his letter. I do not, however, agree that it is appropriate for the Board of Elections to revisit its prior determinations here. Mark Zecca, a former longtime city attorney who has written letters to the judges to support restarting the selection process, said he was disappointed with that decision. They were acting like political hacks or bureaucrats who could not be bothered but just wanted to get back to their day jobs, he said. Its now up to City Council and the controller, he said, to block the funding for the machines and question the contract. The two fill-in appointees abdicated their duty here to be independent and to do their jobs, he said. Now it shifts to the controller to step up. Rhynhart said she also was disappointed by the response. Her office has subpoenaed the commissioners for documents related to the voting-machine selection, and she said she will have a better sense next week what her options are. This is something that is just really important to keep pushing on, she said. From the perspective of what are my options, what are the powers of the controller to stop this, that is something that we are evaluating in-house right now. If the voting-machine selection stands, they will be used for the first time in the November election; the May 21 primary will use the existing machines. 139 Elfreth's Alley (left) is listed for sale for $1.2 million. The home, with red shutters and a red door, is being marketed as the oldest home on the nation's oldest continually occupied block. Read more Based on research that historians have weaved together, 139 Elfreths Alley has likely been home to a carpenter, a sea captain, a saddler, and a French diplomat. Soon, it may add Philadelphia tourists to its long list of tenants. For the first time in nearly four decades, the centuries-old Elfreths Alley home is officially on the market, listed for $1.2 million. If received, the sale price would be a record for the block considered the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in America. Yet that isnt the only notable thing about the potential sale of house No. 139. Its also being marketed as a potential Airbnb. Its narrow and its cozy, but we really see the buyer of this property being someone who can rent the property out based on its historical value and its proximity to historical attractions in Philadelphia, said Ryan McManus, the listing agent and founder of the real estate company Agent PHL. Its a historical attraction itself. Thats [a] market for Airbnb. The prospect of 139 Elfreths Alley being turned into a short-term rental, though certainly no guarantee, marks the latest possible evolution of the quaint cobblestone block and underscores just how much the Old City neighborhood and the real estate market have changed. Elfreths Alley formed in the early 1700s after two landowners combined properties to make a cart path to the river has seen and survived multiple uses (and non-uses) in its more than 300 years. It was only a matter of time, market observers and local historians say, until the real estate industry tried to capitalize on its history with an Airbnb. I think it says a lot about the market, said Tom DelColle, a Coldwell Banker real estate agent who has sold properties on Elfreths Alley. In general, were seeing more and more people invest in real estate. I would say that a good one-third of my clients right now are investors. New Yorkers or people from other metropolitan areas are seeing [Philadelphia] as a gold mine, DelColle said. You can still buy a property for $125,000 in Philadelphia. There arent many metropolitan areas where that can happen. To be sure, the house that currently stands at 139 Elfreths Alley, estimated to be built as early as 1747, is listed for nearly eight times more than Philadelphias median home price ($160,700, according to Zillow) and an analysis of the blocks recent sales suggests that obtaining the $1.2 million sale price could be difficult. In the last five years, eight of the 29 properties facing the block have been traded, with only one fetching more than $700,000. That property, 133-135 Elfreths Alley, which sold in 2017 for $790,000, was the largest on the block at 2,848 square feet. 139 Elfreths Alley, by contrast, is 12 feet wide, and totals 912 square feet. Still, McManus remains confident that the property can fetch $1.2 million, especially amid a local housing market that he said has never been so strong. The asking price is not reflective of market comps, McManus said. Its more of a collectible piece of real estate that a nostalgic investor would want to add to their collection. 139 Elfreths Alley if transformed into a short-term rental would not be the streets first Airbnb, with at least one other property on the block operating as a short-term rental investment. That property, which can sleep 12 guests, is currently listed on Airbnb for $849 a night, though smaller portions of the home can be rented for less. If you can stay right on the most historic block in the country, thats pretty cool, said Mike McCann, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Philly. Personally, I would consider that a positive thing. Other Philadelphians linked to the alley agreed. Its kind of exciting, said Ted Maust, associate director of the Elfreths Alley Association, the streets advocacy group, which also operates the Museum House inside one of the blocks homes. The opportunity to live and spend time with any of these homes is really exciting, so if more people get to do that, I dont personally have a problem with that. If we suddenly moved to a place where half the houses were Airbnb, that would be a little bit unsustainable, I would think, if there became a habit of late-night, loud people, Maust continued. This is a quiet place." Since Airbnbs launch in 2007 by two San Francisco roommates looking to earn a few bucks by renting out air mattresses in their loft, the platform has exploded in popularity, with more than six million rentals in 81,000 cities. Listings inside historic properties are not unusual, with travelers now able to rent properties such as a 14t-century monastery in Suffolk, England, or a three-story Gothic Melville Castle in Scotland. Last year, according to Airbnb data, 404,000 people used Airbnb while visiting Philadelphia, and in 2017, the city had 8,400 listings. Philadelphia in 2015 became the largest U.S. city to legalize the platform, with legislation allowing residents to rent out a property for up to 180 days a year. McManus interest in putting another Airbnb on Elfreths Alley illustrates the changes that the tiny street has undergone over three centuries. Though initially occupied by artisans and merchants, some of whom ran businesses from their homes, the alley is often remembered for the famous colonial-era figures who may or may not have traveled there. A New York Times article from 1964 recounted how Betsy Griscom later Betsy Ross walked the street on her way to school, and how Benjamin Franklin once roomed at 108 Elfreths Alley. Maust, from the alleys association, said its unlikely that Franklin stayed on the street, though he cant disprove it. Instead, he said, Stephen Girard, the merchant who helped finance the War of 1812, was likely the most famous figure to occupy a house. (And though McManus is currently marketing 139 Elfreths Alley as the oldest on the block, pointing to a plaque on the property that cites 1703, Maust said the plaque more likely represents the year the alley was formed. He said some homes on the block are older.) With all of the tales surrounding the street, it is often easy to forget the times that Elfreths Alley barely survived. For decades, homes on the block faced threats of demolition, encroaching development, and neglect. From the 1890s to the 1930s, Maust said, Philadelphia even rebranded the block named for 18th-century blacksmith Jeremiah Elfreth as Cherry Street. At least one of the streets homes, No. 106, is thought to have been demolished in the last century. Perhaps the largest threat that the alley faced was the construction of I-95 in the 1950s, when the Federal Highway Administration proposed demolishing nearly half the block. The Elfreths Alley Association formed by resident Dolly Ottey to protect the street in the 1930s responded by delivering 12,000 signatures to City Hall, pleading for the street to be spared. Today, the alley is designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on Philadelphias historic register, protecting it from demolition or alteration as new development, such as the National apartments, has popped up around it. 139 Elfreths Alley, with its bright-red shutters and door, is perhaps the blocks most famous house. It has landed on commercials, postcards, and book covers. Its a frequent background for wedding photo shoots. Tourists so frequently knock on the door that the current owner, Alfred Krawitz, said that he jokingly contemplated gluing the knocker to the door. Yet the building might not be standing today if not for the late Philadelphia builder Sam Marinucci, who purchased the property in 1974 after it had sat vacant for 25 years. At the time, a wall had fallen in. The chimney collapsed. Restoring the building was a passion project, his daughter-in-law Angela Marinucci said this week. He devoted nearly four years to the interior details. Krawitz contends that, when he purchased the rowhouse in 1978 for $53,000, he knew nothing of the block except that it was old. But after living there for nearly three decades (he moved out five years ago), he came to love the little ordinary home even when tourists tried to walk through his open front door. Still, he noted, the home is fragile" and in mint condition. He offered one piece of advice to the next owner: If the interiors got messed up, it would be hard to replace. PINE BLUFFS: Join the Pine Bluffs Elementary 1st Grade Class in Pine Bluffs City Park on Friday, April 26 at 2:45pm for a tree planting to celebrate Arbor Day! In 1872 J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees, and this holiday, called Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in our neighboring state of Nebraska. Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. Trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling cost, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife. Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires and countless other wood products. Trees in our town increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas and beautify our community. Wherever trees are planted they are a source of joy. The Town of Pine Bluffs is in the process of becoming a Tree City USA. The Tree City USA program has been greening up cities and towns across America since 1976, a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees. More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree City USA. They have achieved Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry, management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day. Please join us for our 2nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration and the planting of a tree by the Pine Bluffs Elementary 1st Grade Class in City Park on Arbor Day, Friday, April 26 at 2:45pm. Maurice Hawkins Wins Record-Tying 12th WSOP Circuit Ring in Cherokee April 16, 2019 Valerie Cross On Monday, Maurice Hawkins won his 12th World Series of Poker Circuit ring, putting him tied atop the list of most rings won, along with Valentin Vornicu. It came in Harrah's Cherokee Event #4: $600 No-Limit Hold'em where he outlasted a field of 391 to collect $44,297 and his 12th gold. Its not really about the top spot. I still got the most money earned, most everything on the WSOP Circuit." While most rings isn't the title he's most concerned about, Hawkins is happy with what his results indicate, as he shared with WSOP tournament reporters. Its not really about the top spot," he said. "I still got the most money earned, most everything on the WSOP Circuit, so its pretty much the standard, but that makes me feel like my game has evolved to where it should be. I look forward to bigger and better things. Its all about positivity and good flow of things going the right way. Hawkins, 39, has been all about the positivity of late, frequently posting inspirational messages on social media alongside the hashtag #HawksView, sharing his results and keeping the haters at bay. Circuit Dominance With 87 career WSOP Circuit cashes for a total of $1,668,698 in earnings, the West Palm Beach, Florida resident has been a dominant force on the Circuit for more than a decade. His first ring win came in December 2008 in a $560 buy-in NLH event at Harrah's Atlantic City, and he never looked back. In 2016, Hawkins won four rings, including capturing three of his four main event titles to date. Vornicu had been sitting as the lone top ring winner since May 2018 went he won two events to go from 10 to 12 rings. Hawkins added No. 11 later that month, taking down the $2,200 High Roller at Harrah's New Orleans, and after nearly a year-long ring drought for both players, they're now tied. I like this version of my picture....#Hawksview https://t.co/POZYWYfp4o Maurice Hawkins (@mauricehawkins) In the time between Circuit wins, Hawkins won his first Heartland Poker Tour title for $113K in August and finished second to Isaac Haxton in the $10,500 Short Deck event at the Poker Masters in September for $115,500. He's been heating up on the Circuit of late too, reaching the final table in seven out of 11 WSOP-C events he's played over the past couple months. One of those resulted in a third-place finish in the Tulsa Hard Rock Circuit Main Event just a few weeks back, where he won Casino Champ for the stop. The grind is real , my game is evolving and theres no PLAN B.#Hawksview https://t.co/cVEMYcL4fL Maurice Hawkins (@mauricehawkins) In Monday's win, he returned third of 27 but went into the final table with average chips, before he found a way to close it out. "Its all about positivity and good flow of things going the right way. I ran exceptionally well in every spot. And I played really well," Hawkins told Circuit reporters after the win. "I got a lot of third and fourth in the last couple of months. It feels great to finally get back to the winners circle. I dont look at myself as a third-place finisher in any tournament. His hawk's view and evolving game seem to be paying off, and it seems only a matter of time before the animated and ambitious poker pro digs up more gold. Harrah's Cherokee Event #4 Final Table Results Place Player Hometown Prize Money 1 Maurice Hawkins West Palm Beach, Florida $44,297 2 LaVann Williams Helena, Alabama $27,376 3 Justin Oliver Southern Pines, North Carolina $20,004 4 Christopher Carey Efland, North Carolina $14,853 5 Stanislav Angelov Chicago, Illinois $11,200 6 Matthew Johnson Smyrna, Tennessee $8,572 7 Chad Cooke Morrisville, North Carolina $6,657 8 Michael Bennett Cumming, Georgia $5,244 9 Matthew Higgins Chattanooga, Tennessee $4,188 Will Poker Players Miss the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino When It's Gone? April 17, 2019 Eric Mertens Despite the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino being the summer mecca for poker players and aficionados worldwide since 2005 going on 15 years recent rumors of the venue's potential impending demolition was welcomed by many in the industry. You can read up on the potential sale of Caesars and the cloudy future of the Rio here. In this article, we take a look at the reactions that came out of the poker world. Las Vegas Locally tweeted some scuttlebutt: "Caesars is valued at $5.6 billion... but carries a whopping $18 billion in debt" https://t.co/K69sWfHzrk Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) Some Caesars insiders believe a sale to billionaire Tilman Fertitta will happen within the next 2 weeks https://t.co/JCU3uX81Ph Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) And in came the reactions on Twitter: @LasVegasLocally No biggie, just bump the resort fees and maybe charge more for breathing on mini bar items. Problem solved. The LV Bar Man (@TheLVBarMan) @LasVegasLocally Sounds like they made a big mistake by charging those #resortfees #ialto Rick (@pimpinwear) @LasVegasLocally Stayed there once before we moved here. Our window literally faced a wall, room service was slow and incorrect. Meh. Dee Severe (@SevereSociety) A source from Las Vegas Locally also posted the news that Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, the 15-year home to the World Series of Poker, may soon be no more... [email protected], the company behind the SoCal-to-Vegas high-speed rail project #XpressWest, may be the buyer. https://t.co/YoQsMxngaM Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) David "ODB" Baker wondered if this would affect the upcoming WSOP, but it seems most likely it won't. Matt Waxman joked that the demolition could coincide with the summer series. @audavidb @WSOP It's definitely at RIO - they're waiting until all of us are inside playing before they start the demolition. Lol Matt Waxman (@Matthew_Waxman) WSOP put those concerns to rest with an official response on Twitter: We'll be there, 100% certain (except act of mother nature, etc.). https://t.co/EvmqDDYPjq WSOP (@WSOP) Some Rio WSOP regulars, both players and media, expressed their "concerns"... WAIT WAIT WAIT .... Lance Bradley (@Lance_Bradley) @Kevmath @Lance_Bradley First Buzio's and now this! Chad Holloway (@ChadAHolloway) @Lance_Bradley The only thing good about the Rio was the wine cellar Erik (@ErikLemarquand) And long-time WSOP ESPN commentator Norman Chad presented a viable solution: BREAKING In an unprecedented promotion if the Rio is demolished the World Series of Poker will hold events scat https://t.co/i6Z1yMp7l3 Norman Chad (@NormanChad) @NormanChad Seems plausible. They seated us outside a seafood restaurant a few times. Jamie Kerstetter (@JamieKerstetter) @NormanChad If they held it at Roma Deli, everyone could have free soda @ToddBrunson Chris Schueller (@ChrisSchueller) Make sure to return to PokerNews in upcoming weeks for updates on the status of Caesars as well as the future of the current home of the WSOP. Rumors will surely continue to swirl, and with so many false alarms over the years, players and industry observers will understandably want to wait for something solid. PokerNews will continue to monitor things to see if anything concrete develops. 847 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Federal Prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said on Tuesday that the reason Donald Trump is so terrified of the Mueller report is that it could show that his own staff members have outed him for having corrupt intent. In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Matthews, Kirschner said one person that could be a real danger zone for Trump is Don McGahn, the former White House counsel. Kirschner explained that McGahn had everything to lose by lying to Robert Mueller, so he likely spilled the beans and that could make the special counsel report a damning document for the president. The former federal prosecutor said people like McGahn who have worked closely with Trump could give the American people a look inside the presidents mind and see that his intent is corrupt. Video: Kirschner said: Don McGahn? What does he have to gain by telling the truth, by providing incriminating information about Trump? He has nothing to gain, but he has everything to lose if he lied to special counsel. And let me just spin this one scenario out, Chris. Lets assume Don McGahn is talking to the president. The president thinks its kind of a one on one. Nobody is going to repeat this outside of the Oval Office. The president makes a request to do something and Don McGahn says, Mr. President, you cant do that. Its not lawful. And the president says, I dont care, Don. Make it happen. Well, you know what, we just looked inside the presidents mind and we saw his intent, and its corrupt. McGahn could be a real danger zone to the president. No wonder Trump is terrified With less than two days until Robert Muellers redacted report is released, its no wonder Trump is feeling uneasy. According to The Washington Post, the presidents biggest fear is that his staff told the truth when they were questioned by Mueller. The Post notes that such a fear indicates that the presidents own staff revealed damaging information to Mueller. If the information wasnt damaging, the report continues, then Trump staffers would have no reason to fear their bosss wrath. Ultimately, if youre so afraid of the truth coming out, chances are you arent innocent. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 3.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donald Trump continued to lose his mind over the Bernie Sanders town hall televised on Fox News on Monday, complaining a short time ago that his favorite news network didnt allow enough of his supporters into the studio. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters, the president tweeted on Tuesday night. Whats with Fox News? Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews Studio last night in the now thriving (Thank you President Trump) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the interview with Crazy Bernie Sanders. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters. Whats with @FoxNews? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 Shortly after his tweet complaining about the Fox News town hall audience, Trump took another shot at Bernie Sanders for the amount of taxes he paid pretty rich for a man who has spent a lifetime using legally dubious methods to avoid paying his fair share. Bernie Sanders and wife should pay the Pre-Trump Taxes on their almost $600,000 in income. He is always complaining about these big TAX CUTS, except when it benefits him. They made a fortune off of Trump, but so did everyone else and thats a good thing, not a bad thing! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 Trump then offered his unsolicited prediction as well as a lazy, childish nickname for former vice president Joe Biden on who his opponent will be in 2020. I believe it will be Crazy Bernie Sanders vs. Sleepy Joe Biden as the two finalists to run against maybe the best Economy in the history of our Country (and MANY other great things)! I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 Of course, whats really bugging Trump is likely the fact that the town hall event with Bernie Sanders saw monster ratings and has gotten positive reviews since it aired. Not to mention, the audience which was filled with Americans of all political ideologies, not just Sanders supporters seemed receptive to some key ideas that are being put forward by each of the 2020 Democratic candidates. As I wrote on Monday, almost all of the members of the audience cheered when they were asked if they would support a transition from private employer-based health insurance to a government-run single-payer system. Democrats are lining up to take on Fox News As Trump goes berserk, it appears more Democrats are ready to make the leap onto the presidents turf. According to The Daily Beast, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Julian Castro and Rep. Tim Ryan are some of the 2020 hopefuls who are prepared to hold similar town halls on Fox News. It will only infuriate Trump more as each of them makes their way to Trump TV to dismantle his presidency and offer substantive solutions. Instead of whining about how not even Fox News could hide the fact that the American people support ideas being proposed by Democratic candidates, Trump should propose some of his own. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Even though its rare for incumbent presidents to face a serious primary challenge ahead of a reelection bid, two more Republicans are reportedly considering throwing their hats in the ring to take on Donald Trump in 2020. According to The Hill, Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, fresh off launching his own GOP primary challenge against President Trump this week, says he has encouraged other Republicans to launch similar bids to take on Trump in 2020. Among those that Weld has urged to jump in the race are former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and current Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan hardly two leaders that should be dismissed. I think its fair to say that both of them are looking at the situation and if the politics change somewhat, I think either or both of them might be interested, Weld said, according to The Hill. And I think I indicated to each of them that that would be no skin off my teeth. Trump could even face a primary debate In addition to having as many as three or more serious primary challengers, Trump may have to participate in a primary debate at least if former Gov. Weld has his way. [I]t might be harder for the president to duck debates if there were two or three other candidates in the race, so Ive been encouraging the both of those people, he said of Kasich and Hogan. We all want the same thing, which is an airing of the issues. A televised debate with never-Trump Republicans who have a grasp of the issues is the last thing the president wants before heading into what will already be a challenging general election campaign against the Democrats. Primary challenges are bad for incumbent presidents While Trump is all but guaranteed to be the Republican nominee in 2020, regardless of how many GOP candidates jump in the race, such challenges often end badly for incumbent presidents. [M]ost of the time, presidents who fend off a primary challenge wind up losing the general election, CBS News noted in 2017. Ultimately, while Trump could very well be reelected in 2020, its not a good sign for his campaign that there is an appetite within the Republican Party to primary him. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The son of National Enquirers founder dropped his bid to buy the tabloid because it looks doomed in part due to its association with Trump. The Wrap reported: Paul Pope, son of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr., says he will drop plans to purchase the tabloid from its current owner, American Media Inc., adding that it was his belief that the Enquirer was not salvageable. When I stepped back and did the 50,000 foot-view and I really analyzed this, I dont think there is any way even if they gave the paper away I dont think it can be resurrected, Pope told TheWrap. All businesses are cyclical and sadly this is the end of the cycle. Its time to kiss it goodbye. . The online version is nothing, the subscription is nothing. There is just nothing left, he said. You would need an infusion of capital of 60 plus million and thats just a start. The Enquirer was killed by Trump The publishing landscape for print publications like the Enquirer is dire. The Enquirers audience can now go to TMZ or any number of celebrity gossip websites to get their fix. The days when people thumbed through the tabloids while waiting in line at the grocery store are long gone. However, what made the Enquirer especially toxic to potential buyers is the legal liability the publication finds itself in thanks to its association with Donald Trump. Federal prosecutors are looking at AMI, the current owner of the Enquirer for their role in the felony hush money payments case to pay off women Trump had affairs with. The Enquirer is also going to be facing a costly legal battle with the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, for attempted extortion. The Enquirer was on life support, and Donald Trump pulled the plug. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In an interview with SiriusXM, Trump praised Bernie Sanders, said hed like to run against Pete Buttigieg and attacked Joe Biden. It is easy to see who Trump fears the most. Here is the quote from Trumps interview: President Trump talks 2020 in an interview with SiriusXM: Could be the mayor from Indiana, I think Id like running against him, too. pic.twitter.com/vWUJzMpj6c Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) April 17, 2019 Trump doesnt know how to attack Joe Biden The Republican Party would love to run against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) because they could make the election all about Sanders and socialism instead of Trump. They want to run against Buttigieg because they think they can use his sexual orientation and youth against him. The person that Trump cant figure out is Joe Biden. Trump has tried the Sleepy Joe attack but has flopped. Trump has now moved on to trying to attack Bidens populism by coining him 1% Joe. This also wont work, especially coming from Donald Trump. Trump fears Bidens populism and former vice presidents appeal in Rust Belt states. Biden scares Trump, and that fear is never more obvious than when Trump starts talking about his potential opponents in 2020. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 247 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard NEW YORK (Reuters) Democratic U.S. mayors said their cities would welcome illegal immigrants, dismissing President Donald Trumps threats to transport people detained at the border to sanctuary cities as illustrating the White Houses callous approach to the issue. Trump confirmed on Twitter that he wanted to transport people detained in his immigration crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border to sanctuary cities, an informal designation for localities that refrain from assisting federal immigration authorities in detaining people living in the country illegally. Mayors from across the country were quick to respond to Trumps latest portrayal of immigrants and sanctuary cities as threats. In New York City, where nearly 40 percent of the population are immigrants, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Trumps immigration policy was rooted in cruelty. He uses people like pawns, de Blasio said in a statement. New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants the Presidents empty threats wont change that. In Philadelphia, known as the city of brotherly love, Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that his city would be prepared to welcome these immigrants just as we have embraced our immigrant communities for decades. He said the White House was demonstrating the utter contempt that the Trump Administration has for basic human dignity. The Republican president has made cracking down on illegal and legal immigration a centerpiece of his administration, and has regularly threatened to try to cut federal funding to programs in generally Democratic-leaning sanctuary cities, counties and states. Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only, Trump wrote on Twitter, confirming a Washington Post report. The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, responded by saying on Twitter: These are people, not pawns, Mr. President. At least one governor, New Mexicos Michelle Lujan Grisham, weighed in, calling the plan absurd, sad and all too characteristic of the president not to mention indicative of a complete and cruel indifference to the plight of migrant families. The mayors of Oakland, California, and Takoma Park, Maryland, voiced similar reactions. Trumps latest move on immigration comes days after U.S. officials said they arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, more than twice as many as the same period last year. I am shocked but not surprised that once again this president is playing a cynical game with peoples lives in order to score political points, Jesse Arreguin, the mayor of Berkeley, California, said in a statement. Rather than supporting a real pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants in this country, he is fanning the flames of division. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler) Food editor and chief critic Eating all of the chicken livers just as fast as I can. Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Kalyn Oyer is a Charleston native who covers arts & entertainment and food & bev for The Post and Courier. She's a music festival & concert photographer and used to write about music for the Charleston City Paper, among other publications. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and his wife, Peggy, pay their respects to U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings as his casket lies in repose on the second floor lobby of the South Carolina Statehouse on Monday, April 15, 2019, in Columbia. Mic Smith/AP Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category. Authorities in Atlanta have arrested a second suspect in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting in the parking lot of a North Charleston manufacturing facility. Jamal Dwayne Smalls Jr., 23, of Ladson was arrested Tuesday on a murder charge. He is being held at the Fulton County Jail. North Charleston Police spokesman Spencer Pryor said authorities have started the process to extradite Smalls to South Carolina. Smalls is a suspect in the March 14 shooting death of 25-year-old Damien Marquise Stokes outside Cummins Turbo Technologies, police said. Last week, officers arrested 23-year-old Ismal Rashad Weston on a murder charge in the case. Pryor said detectives are continuing to look for a third suspect whose identity has not been publicly released. On the night of the shooting, witnesses said Stokes had walked out of a warehouse at 9051 Palmetto Commerce Parkway for a smoke break. A Honda CRV approached, and a man got out of the SUV and started firing, according to audio of the 911 calls. Stokes was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. An affidavit suggested the shooting was gang-related. Surveillance video showed the gunman drop a T-shirt with the photo of a member of the Town of Lincolnville gang, or TOL, who was killed earlier this year in Dorchester County, a detective wrote in the document. Police said Stokes was an enemy of that person and a member of a rival gang. Investigators said Weston and Smalls told them they left a nearby warehouse that night and pulled into the Cummins lot to smoke marijuana. Smalls said they then left Cummins and went to his home in Ladson around 6:20 p.m. But police said surveillance footage showed Weston in the parking lot when Stokes walked outside at 6:45 p.m. Weston began to pull out of the parking lot as the shooter approached Stokes shortly before 7 p.m. Cellphone records tracked Weston, Smalls and a third person to Ridgeville immediately after the shooting. On March 26, a Honda CRV believed to be the vehicle pictured at the scene was found burned in the area on Calamus Pond Road in Ridgeville. 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. Sen. Chip Campsen speaks to the crowd at a rally against off-shore drilling held at the Statehouse in Columbia on February 13, 2018. File/John A. Carlos II/Special to The Post and Courier You are the owner of this article. 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 Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. 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. Political Reporter Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work. If you want to anger almost any American farmer, write something less than flattering about the declining use of biofuels especially ethanol in the U.S. today. If you want to really anger almost any American farmer, write something unflattering about biofuels especially ethanol that includes the sentence, "U.S. farmers, particularly Cornbelt farmers, have gotten a really bad deal from the Trump administration on the biofuels front." Both statements are true, according to Scott Irwin, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois who, word-for-word, offered the latter one. On April 12, Irwin, who specializes in "evaluating the economic factors that affect corn and soybean prices," published an analysis of todays ethanol market on the universitys farmdocDAILY website under the workmanlike title of "Implications of Recent Trends in U.S. Gasoline Consumption for Ethanol." The seven-page report, however, was anything but workmanlike. For example, in it Irwin calculated that a forecasted 26.1-billion-gallon decline in yearly U.S. gasoline usage by 2030 will drain 2.6 billion gallons of U.S. ethanol use from this years estimated 14.3 billion gallons over the next decade. ADVERTISEMENT That means "the projected decline in the E10 blend wall represents approximately 930 million bushels of lost corn demand, not considering the offset of lost DDGS (Distillers Dried Grain and Solubles, a co-product of ethanol) production on feed demand." When DDGS are figured in, Irwin estimated the total loss of yearly corn demand would be closer to 650 million bushels, not a billion bushel punch in the face, but still a hard smack. But thats only if the U.S. gasoline market doesnt slide further south than the already dismal forecast predicts. "The best case scenario" for future American gasoline use, Irwin noted in an April 23 telephone interview, "is flat-line use; neither up nor down from today." Moreover, he added, "I feel pretty confident in saying weve reached peak gas usage (in the U.S.) because this projection from EIA (the U.S. Energy Information Administration) doesnt even have electric cars coming on strong before 2030." If one of the nations foremost ethanol market analysts is "pretty confident" that the U.S. has reached peak gasoline consumption a decade before electric cars even become a market factor then farmers should be equally aware that peak ethanol consumption has likely occurred, also. Which is why, Irwin noted in his April 12 analysis that "it is surely no surprise why the U.S. ethanol industry is pushing so hard for expansion in the use of E15" raising the ethanol-gasoline blend from 10 percent to 15 percent "which may be required for the industry to just stay even in total domestic consumption of ethanol." The push, however, is being met head-on by Big Oil. First, gasoline retailers are not going to hand over another 5 percent of their now-eroding market without a very tough fight. Also, "it will cost billions for 150,000 gas stations in the U.S. to add E15 pumps," Irwin estimates. No one, not industry, government or agriculture, is stepping up to pay even a part of that tall tab to make E-15 readily available if and when it receives government go-ahead. ADVERTISEMENT An even tougher task for farmers, though, might be addressing what the White House is doing and, in some cases, not doing says Irwin. Despite the Trump administrations often-expressed support of biofuels, farmers have complained bitterly that the White Houses retroactive ethanol blending exemptions for nearly 50 refiners in 2016 and 2017 cost ethanol makers 2.25 billion gallons in sales in 2018. Irwin is more blunt on the exemption issue: "What Trump is doing is illegal. That isnt a political statement; that is a statement of fact." Illegal though it may be, ethanol still faces a shrinking gasoline market, a hard fight just to keep its exemption-threatened share of that shrinking market, an even harder fight to get E15 into general use, and a White House whose behind-the-scenes actions belie its public words. Little wonder, then, why market analysts worry about the future of biofuels; theres dwindling sunshine wherever they look. Theres something pretty cool going down over at Mayo High School. I learned about it from my neighbor, Juan Vasquez, who also happens to be Mayo HSs social worker. He recently wrote about this cool thing Mayos "S.O.S. Room" for a local curriculum and instruction blog. His words inspired me so much that I instantly wanted to share them with you. So I asked Juan if I could, and he said yes. His goal, after all, is to reach as many people as possible about what the students at Mayo are doing in order to inspire other educators, parents and community volunteers. Because, as he told me, he "would love to see a room like this in every school." ADVERTISEMENT So take a look at Juans story. And then, if you, too are feeling inspired, check out the end of this column to learn how you can help. Growing up in the South Bronx, poverty and I were intimate. My mom was a single parent raising three kids and did an excellent job meeting our needs. However, that did not come easily for her, nor did it come without the need of support. I was able to experience all the joy one experiences when walking into a neighborhood bodega with several food stamp bills stuffed inside my torn blue jeans. And although everyone in my neighborhood a few miles long but supporting over 80,000 people were in similar situations, I still found it embarrassing using food stamps. I remember the feeling of shame and humiliation as I readied myself for the monetary transaction. I hated that our family needed help. Yet, like anyone living in poverty can tell you, the worst part is asking for it. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to a parent volunteer, Donna Greason. She told me that if there were ever any student needs, shed be happy to help. I informed her that our school actually had a resource room for students who had clothing or food needs. The only issue was that it was only accessible by walking through a teachers personal office and, to top it off, a key was needed. Not many students knew about the room, and those who did were required to ask a staff member to open it. If I thought using food stamps was embarrassing, I could only imagine how it must feel to be a high school adolescent having to find an adult to open a room so I may pick out food for my family while inadvertently being gawked at by the same person who opened the room for me. When I brought Mrs. Greason to the 7 x 7 Support Our Spartans Resource Room (S.O.S. Room), she started questioning whether our school could provide a more appealing space. Her idea was to move out of the space we were currently in and be more centrally located. The other portion of her idea was to be more selective in terms of the items we were taking in and "make it look like Target." I heard Mrs. Greasons idea and had two competing thoughts: Sure lady, if youre willing to do all the work, Im all for it. And: Could we actually destigmatize poverty by changing our delivery? ADVERTISEMENT Growing up surrounded by poverty, many of my classmates would still manage to come to school with new Jordan sneakers, Guess Jeans, and Hilfiger sweatshirts, although they, too, were living in the same poverty-stricken neighborhood I was. So it was difficult for me to imagine students walking into a resource room to grab a pair of pants and walk out with little shame. Yet it might actually work! With support from our administration, we were provided a larger room right across from the lunch room. The room is left open, unlocked, and largely unstaffed throughout the school day. Meaning, students can simply walk in and out of the room at their leisure. No more hiding in a small space, no more needing to ask for an adult to unlock the room, and no permission needed. Although we have no prior data to compare how many items are coming and going, we estimate it to be about 1,000 items every month. We have clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, college readiness information, shoes, water bottles, books, and a food pantry room for our weekly backpack program. Within a year of implanting the new strategy, our room was so successful that we expanded into the hallway. Many of our school supplies are now located outside of our room and regularly stocked. Three clothing racks are also located in the hallway where students can grab a winter coat when needed. This model has opened the room up not only to those who are impoverished, but to any of our 1,700 students at Mayo High School. Its helped me reframe my initial position of what a student in need looks like. Regardless of how much money your parents have, if you rip your jeans in gym class during 2nd hour, straight down the crack, youre now in need true story. The initial planning took more than simply receiving a centralized location. It also took money. Several Mayo students were able to write grants for our room and generated about $2,000. The money was used to purchase shelving, clothing rods, hangers, etc. and gave these students the opportunity to give back to their community as well as provide a life learning experience. The next step was finding students to be in charge of the daily maintenance and upkeep of the room. This was accomplished by soliciting the help of two student aides per semester. The last piece of the puzzle was to create a club that would be responsible for the rooms behind-the-scenes operations. The S.O.S. Room is actually run by this student club. They meet every Tuesday morning to discuss current and future needs, donations, monthly newsletters, and social media. The last several meetings, however, have not been about our room but were spent discussing ways of establishing a resource room in every school across our district. They are willing to write grants, organize food drives, and donate clothing resources in order to help any school get up and running. ADVERTISEMENT Any of the S.O.S. club members will be happy to do whatever it takes to help out another school because they all share the same common belief that all students can be more successful academically when their basic needs are met. SPRING VALLEY "President and Mrs. Lincoln" will inspect the troops during a Civil War re-enactment May 4-5 and during the Loyalty Days Celebration in Spring Valley. The Minnesota Boys of 61 will set up camp and bivouac Saturday to Sunday. Re-enactors will have infantry units, three cannons with crews, period-correct civilians and a visit from President Lincoln and first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. The "president" will recite his famous Gettysburg address. Meanwhile the troops will practice marching and battle drill movements, including firing musket volleys and cannons. Spectators are encouraged to walk around and experience Civil War camp life and to talk with the re-enactors. Other Loyalty Day Celebration activities will include a Grand Parade 1 p.m. on May 5 followed by an open house at the VFW Hall. Both days will feature a hot dog feed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted by the Spring Valley Fire Department Relief Association at the fire hall. Loyalty Day began in 1958 as a day of celebration and loyalty to our nation. Nearly $1.6 million in tax-increment financing benefits were committed this week with the hope of building 204 apartments deemed affordable. The added housing is set to bring the county closer to the estimated 2,567 units a 2014 study suggested be built by 2020. "We are about 42 percent of what the five years should be," said Steve Borchardt, coalition housing director with the Rochester Area Foundation. The Rochester City Council approved two TIF agreements Monday, dedicating $642,000 for a 76-unit complex being built by Rochester developer Joe Weis near the intersection of 55th Street and 55th Avenue in Northwest Rochester. All the units in the complex, named Harvestview Place II, would be deemed affordable for people earning 60 percent of the area median income, meaning rents would be capped at $1,222 for a two-bedroom unit and household incomes would be limited to $54,300 or below for a family of four. ADVERTISEMENT The second TIF agreement went to Village Capital Corp., which is planning a 128-unit complex south of Alpha Parkway Northwest, near West Circle Drive. While 115 units will fall under the same guidelines as the Harvestview development, 13 will be dedicated to people earning half the area median income or less, which means rent on a two-bedroom apartment would be capped at $1,018 and the maximum income for a household of four would be $45,250. Dave Dunn, Olmsted Countys housing director, noted dedicating 10 percent of the apartments to a lower income bracket was encouraged by members of the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing, which includes the city, county, Mayo Clinic and Rochester Area Foundation. "Without that collaboration and being around the same table, it wouldnt have happened," he said. Borchardt agreed, crediting Rochester Assistant City Administrator Terry Spaeth for seeking coalition members input regarding the agreement with Village Capital. The new complex, known as Bella Grove, will join Village Capitals other affordable housing complex, River Glen Apartments, which is being completed west of East River Road near 37th Street NW. Abby Frantz, first vice president of development for Village Capital, said nine families have moved the first 16-unit building at River Glen and the next building ready in two weeks, which will be followed by another building every three weeks. So far, 45 percent of the 128 apartments in the developments first phase are claimed, with plans to have the final apartments ready in July. The second phase is expected to add 80 apartments in September. ADVERTISEMENT All apartments at River Glen are deemed affordable to people earning 60 percent of the area median income. Tax-increment financing, however, hasnt been seen as enough to keep rental prices down. River Glen relied on tax credits to fill funding gaps, and the Harvestview and Bella Grove projects plan to do the same. Weis Harvestview project was approved by 9 percent state tax credits for the Harvestview project in October, and the Bella Grove project plans to seek 4 percent tax credits to help fill a reported $3.4 million funding gap on the $31 million project. The Harvestview funding gap has been reported as $642,000 on the $17.3 million project, after it received the tax credits but before TIF approval. The city uses tax-increment financing to help developers fill gaps in funding needs for qualified projects deemed to have a public good, such as affordable housing. While TIF doesnt reduce the tax collected on a property, it documents that tax collected before development. In the case of the affordable housing agreements, 95 percent of taxes generated beyond that point is returned to the developer each year until the TIF agreement is fulfilled or time runs out. City Council Member Nick Campion said its an important tool for addressing the housing needs in Rochester. "If you believe, like I do, at least a portion of the problem is scarcity, you have to find ways to build more," he said, noting that even at rents near the high limits of whats deemed affordable for someone earning $54,300, available housing is limited. ADVERTISEMENT Borchardt said that for a decade before the push for more affordable units began in 2014, the city saw less than 20 apartments built each year in an affordable price range. Since then, 1,084 affordable units have been completed or approved for construction, 641 of which are dedicated to people earning 60 percent of the average median income or less. Seventy-six are dedicated to the 50 percent average median income goal and the remaining 367 fall between the two targets. Borchardt said more are needed, even in the 60 percent range. "I think there is still justification for using TIF as a tool to encourage more of this, because we have a way to go," he said but added the justification will be reduced as more housing is built. "Minnesota does this very well," Gov. Tim Walz told a gathering of emergency management officials last Saturday in Austin. Walz was talking about storm recovery efforts in the wake of the April blizzard that snapped power poles, leaving thousands of residents without power, stranded cars and trucks on roadways, and threatened to give the local economy another punch to the gut. That was all in the wake of the even more destructive February blizzard that collapsed barn roofs across region, killed livestock, blocked roads and basically shut down the region for several days. As he did in February, Walz made the trip from St. Paul to meet with those affected by the storms. In February, it was farmers. Last weekend, it was law enforcement and government officials helping the recovery effort. Walz promised as much state help as possible, and called out the National Guard to assist with traffic management in the wake of power lines down over roads and fields. ADVERTISEMENT "If its coming from you and youre telling us you need it (help), were right there," Walz said. But its not just the state government that steps in to help. As Walz noted, in this region, its often neighbor helping neighbor that gets the job done. In the aftermath of the February storm, neighbors helped farmers save their livestock and start to rebuild their barns. Last week, with power out in various areas of Dodge, Mower and Freeborn counties, Faith Lutheran Church of Dodge Center opened its doors for area residents, cooked some meals and delivered food to those who couldnt get out. "People just want to be able to help, however they can," said the Rev. Barb Street. And we dont just help our next-door neighbors. Last week, a convoy of trucks left Canton for an eight-hour trip to Nebraska, where farms and entire communities have been devastated by spring flooding. Eight semis and three pickups carrying hay, fencing, feed and other supplies made the trip. Local volunteers raised $15,000 for that trip, and a second trip is being planned. Back to the governor: With his strong ties to southern Minnesota, which he represented in Congress for 12 years, Walz knows how we operate in this part of the state. When tough times hit, we pitch in, help our neighbors and get to work. The church kitchens, the supply convoys, the meetings with officials these are not merely photo ops for the governor, or for us. Its a way of life in southern Minnesota and we should all take pride in being a part of it. NORRISTOWN A Norristown man is on his way to prison on charges he illegally possessed a gun in the borough and resisted police attempts to take him into custody. Darmond Pierce, 31, of the 1300 block of Arch Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11/2-to-5-years in a state correctional institution after he pleaded guilty to charges of firearms carried without a license and resisting arrest in connection with an October 2018 incident in the borough. Judge Steven T. ONeill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, said the gun Pierce possessed must be forfeited to the county district attorneys office. An investigation of Pierce began about 6:18 p.m. Oct. 5, 2018, in the 600 block of Corson Street during a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Pierce was a passenger. Pierce refused police requests to step out of the vehicle and pulled away from officers when they grabbed his arm to try to remove him from the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown Police Officer Kevin Fritchman. As officers were pulling him from the vehicle, Pierce attempted to flee on foot, Fritchman alleged, adding officers and Pierce fell to the ground during a struggle. Pierce, police alleged, refused commands to place his hands behind his back. Throughout the whole encounter, officers were telling Pierce to stop resisting and place his hands behind his back, Fritchman alleged, adding officers eventually deployed a Taser to get Pierce to comply. Pierce was still resisting by flailing his arms and legs and trying to get off the ground. During the struggle, a 9mm pistol fell from Pierces shorts onto the ground, police alleged. The gun had a loaded magazine containing live rounds, according to police. Police alleged a small glass container that also fell from Pierces pocket onto the ground contained a clear knotted bag of a small amount of marijuana, according to the criminal complaint. When police ran a records check on the gun they determined it belonged to a Philadelphia man. Police ran a background check on Pierce, finding that he did not have a conceal carry permit, Fritchman alleged. Other charges of possessing a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Pierce as part of the plea agreement. We had an important day in the trial of the murder/manslaughter trial of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor for the killing of Justine Ruszcyk. The prosecution called MPD fifth precinct sergeant Shannon Barnette to the stand, but was allowed to cross-examine her under Rule 611 of the Rules of Evidence. She was essentially treated by the County Attorney as an adverse witness. The prosecution bears the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but Noors defense of the use of deadly force in this case rests on two prongs: (1) Justine slapped the Harrity/Noor squad car as it stopped at the end of the alley behind her house in southwest Minneapolis (in the safest neighborhood in Minneapoliss five precincts) and (2) Harrity and Noor feared a police ambush in connection with Justines 911 call as they were about to leave the scene. Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Amy Sweasys examination of Barnette did substantial damage to the first prong of the defense. Sweasy is an excellent cross-examiner. I am impressed by her. Her examination of Barnette was devastating. As I read the proceedings, she left Barnette flustered and humiliated because Barnette was making it up as she went along. The Star Tribune summarizes yesterdays testimony here, MPR here. My emphasis differs from theirs. The background of their narrative accounts affords me the freedom to bottom-line it, as they say in the business world. Barnette was riding alone on the middle shift watch when she heard the shots-fired call on her radio. She activated her bodycam and took off for the scene. She took over the scene as the critical incident commander under the protocol for officer-involved shootings. Before I get to the heart of her testimony I should note that Barnette was one of the police non-cooperators with the County Attorneys investigation of the killing. The County Attorneys undertook the investigation after he found the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions investigation to be inadequate. Barnette refused to talk voluntarily to the County Attorney. Her testimony was compelled before the grand jury that the County Attorney empaneled specifically to obtain the testimony of the police non-cooperators. Barnette recorded three bodycam clips at the scene on the evening of July 15-16. She turned off her bodycam when she talked to Noor as he sat in the squad car before he left for City Hall per police protocol in officer-involved shootings. She had a hard time explaining why she turned the bodycam on and off at the scene. The second bodycam clip is nevertheless crucial. She talked to Harrity upon arrival. The second clip captures Harritys explanation of the shooting to Barnette: She just came out of nowhere on the side of the thing [squad car] and we both got spooked. I had my gun out. I didnt fire. And then Noor pulled out and fired. Key words: We both got spooked. After the initial playing of the three video clips we broke for lunch. Barnettes testimony consumed most of the afternoon. Barnette couldnt explain why she turned her bodycam on and off. Sweasys cross-examination of Barnette persuaded me that Barnette invented Justines slap on the car to explain why Harrity said Justine spooked them. Peter Wold made the slap an important part of his opening statement. He dramatically slapped the counsel table during his statement to illustrate it. Assistant County Attorney Patrick Lofton suggested during his opening statement that the slap didnt occur, but rather that Barnette invented it during the investigation of the shooting by the BCA. On this point I take it that the prosecution delivered on the promise of delivering on what it promised the evidence would show in its opening statement; the defense came up short (so far). Harritys testimony may yet shore up the defense. Both the Star Tribune and MPR note that the transcript of Barnettes interview with the BCA reflects Barnette recalling Harrity telling her that Justine had a stunned look on her face and then he heard a noise and then Noor shot her. This didnt make much of an impression on me compared to what went before. Peter Wold briefly cross-examined Barnette. He tried to build her back up a little, invoking her long day at the scene (more than 20 hours) to explain the deficiencies in her report. He went over provisions of the bodycam policy in effect at the time of the incident to explain the decisions she made turning her bodycam on and off. He elicited her observation that Noor had a thousand-yard stare when she tracked him down in Ringgenbergs squad car before he departed for City Hall. He had her explain that she had all the evidence she needed for public safety purposes without going into further details with Harrity and without interviewing Noor at all. My impression, perhaps mistaken, was that Peter perceived Barnettes ship to have sunk. His cross-examination of Barnette was relatively brief, as most of the defense cross-examinations so far have been. My guess is that he didnt want to tie Noor too tightly to Barnette after Sweasy was done with her. Barnette was not a credible witness. She was a defeated person when she got off the stand. I almost felt sorry for her. The prosecution asked the court to adjourn a few minutes early in light of a witness whom it will examine at length today. Could it be Harrity? PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-16 20:15:03 Paris, 16 April 2019, 8pm New preclinical data for masitinib in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) presented at the 2019 Muscular Dystrophy Association Conference Data provides further evidence on masitinibs mode of action in ALS via modulation of neurogenic inflammation AB Science SA (NYSE Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB), a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), presented new preclinical data for masitinib in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, at the 2019 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical & Scientific Conference (Orlando, FL, USA; April 15th - 16th). The 2019 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference is the most comprehensive neuromuscular disease meeting in the United States, representing the full spectrum of scientific researchers, medical professionals, and decision makers. This research was delivered by Dr Emiliano Trias from the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo as a platform presentation during the oral sessions on Inflammation, Immune Mechanisms, & Therapeutic Approaches. The title of the talk was Post-paralysis treatment with masitinib ameliorates peripheral nerve pathology driven by macrophages, mast cells and neutrophils in an inherited model of ALS. Findings have revealed for the first time a mechanism of neurogenic inflammation in an animal model ALS that can be effectively targeted by masitinib. Neurogenic inflammation is a process by which nerves may secrete mediators producing local inflammation that can contribute to development of neurological diseases. This particular process of neurogenic inflammation was observed to occur along the degenerating sciatic nerve and was driven by four cells: macrophages, neutrophil, Schwann cells and mast cells. By merit of masitinibs inhibitor action on CSF1-IL34/CSF1R and SCF/c-Kit signaling pathways, it is capable of modulating the function of each of these four cells individually. Findings showed that masitinib can exert a potent neuroprotective effect in the peripheral nervous system by significantly downregulating mast cell and macrophage accumulation in this model. These findings provide a new and complementary mechanism of action for masitinib that may explain its beneficial effects in ALS, said Professor Luis Barbeito, Head of the Neurodegeneration Laboratory (Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, Uruguay) and senior author of the abstract. For the first time we have revealed the underlying cellular interplay and mechanism that masitinib targets in the peripheral nervous system. Together with previously published evidence in prominent peer-reviewed journals1,2,3, which showed that masitinib effectively co-targets independent pathological mechanisms in different cell types of the brain and spinal cord (namely, deleterious microglia, neutrophils and mast cells), these data further strengthen the compelling body of evidence for masitinibs mode of action in ALS. [1] Trias E, et al. Mast cells and neutrophils mediate peripheral motor pathway degeneration in ALS. JCI Insight. JCI Insight. 2018;3(19):e123249. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.123249. [2] Trias E, et al. Evidence for mast cells contributing to neuromuscular pathology in an inherited model of ALS. JCI Insight. 2017;2(20):e95934. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.95934. [3] Trias E, et al. Post-paralysis tyrosine kinase inhibition with masitinib abrogates neuroinflammation and slows disease progression in inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neuroinflammation. 2016;13(1):177. About masitinib Masitinib is a new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast cells and macrophages, important cells for immunity, through inhibiting a limited number of kinases. Based on its unique mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number of conditions in oncology, in inflammatory diseases, and in certain diseases of the central nervous system. In oncology due to its immunotherapy effect, masitinib can have an effect on survival, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Through its activity on mast cells and microglia and consequently the inhibition of the activation of the inflammatory process, masitinib can have an effect on the symptoms associated with some inflammatory and central nervous system diseases and the degeneration of these diseases. About AB Science Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment. AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Companys lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in oncology, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: AB). Further information is available on AB Sciences website: www.ab-science.com . Forward-looking Statements - AB Science This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates as well as the assumptions on which they are based, statements based on projects, objectives, intentions and expectations regarding financial results, events, operations, future services, product development and their potential or future performance. These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the words "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate" or "plan" as well as other similar terms. While AB Science believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of AB Science and which may imply that results and actual events significantly differ from those expressed, induced or anticipated in the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include the uncertainties related to product development of the Company which may not be successful or to the marketing authorizations granted by competent authorities or, more generally, any factors that may affect marketing capacity of the products developed by AB Science, as well as those developed or identified in the public documents filed by AB Science with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), including those listed in the Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of AB Science reference document filed with the AMF on November 22, 2016, under the number R. 16-078. AB Science disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking information and statements, subject to the applicable regulations, in particular articles 223-1 et seq. of the AMF General Regulations. For additional information, please contact: AB Science Financial Communication & Media Relations investors@ab-science.com Attachment This report provides prognosis and analysis of the automotive coatings market. It offers historical data along with forecast data for 2027. Fact.MR PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 11:40:26 Press Information Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Basant Manager 353-1-6111-593 email https://www.factmr.com/ # 792 Words 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400Manager353-1-6111-593 FactMR has actively published a new research study titled Automotive Coatings Market Expansion to be Persistent During 2018 to 2027 | Key Players are Behr Process Corp., Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., BASF Coatings, etc. to its broad online database. This assessment works to discourse the major trends, opportunities and drivers motivating the automotive coatings market during 2018-2027. The insights structured for presenting the target market are procured from both primary research and secondary research, and are utilized for validation that is valuable to investors, manufacturers and new entrants. As per research findings, the global automotive coatings market is expected to showcase impressive growth at 4.0% CAGR during the period until 2027.Request a Free Sample Copy of Report, Visit here - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2442 Top 5 companies in the automotive coatings market will continue to hold nearly two-fifth market share, with an average revenue range of US$ 5Bn to US$ 8 Bn. This further implies a high consolidation of the automotive coatings market at the brim, whereas a splintered nature at the brink. Robust sales infrastructure, sound operations and established global presence continue to retain buoyancy of Tier 1 players in the automotive coatings market. While product developments and innovations are key strategies adopted by leading automotive coatings manufacturers, small and mid-sized companies are increasingly focusing on the introduction of new products, collaborations with leading players and suppliers to strengthen their manufacturing capabilities and distribution, as key expansion strategies.Coating process innovation and automotive design continue to drive the demand & supply trends in the automotive coatings market, with automakers exploring materials for creating multi-substrate designs and manufacturing light-weight cars. OEMs are continuously taking efforts to optimize the automotive coating process along with quality retention, as coating is deemed most energy- and cost-intensive process and has largest environmental footprint in the automotive industry. This has further led automotive coatings behemoths such as PPG Industries, Axalta Coating Systems, and BASF to develop compact painting process, which is becoming the standard of choice in order to attain future sustainability targets. Major compact automotive coatings process being implemented worldwide include B1:B2, 2-Wet and 3-Wet processes, and other primer-less technologies that include LCV painting and Eco Concept for cars.As automakers continue to explore various lightweight material alternatives to the traditional steel, a gradual shift is being witnessed toward multi-material approach in a bid to realize effective weight reduction. Key materials being explored by the automakers include various high-strength plastics and carbon fiber reinforced polymers. Significant challenges are faced by coating formulators and applicators alike, in case of vehicles manufactured from multi-metal substrates. This is further expected to drive innovation across the overall automotive coating process and supply chain.Browse Automotive Coatings Market Report with TOC - https://www.factmr.com/report/2442/automotive-coatings-market Focus on smart coatings in the automotive industry has been increasing in tandem with the use of low-temperature cure coating system, wherein the process requires modification into complete coating system. This further ensures all coating layers to be entirely cured at set specific temperature. Technology of low temperature curing, faster drying, along with high gloss has recently witnessed permeation in the bus and truck manufacturing. Key attributes of smart automotive coatings such as self-cleaning & self-healing, and solar reflective functionalities are expected to further drive their penetration into the industry. However, ability of being painted in large quantities with quality retention over the vehicles lifetime is a key challenge impeding the market penetration of smart automotive coatings.Demand for solvent borne automotive coatings is expected to increase at a comparatively higher rate than water-borne coatings in 2018, despite rising environmental and health concerns associated with these variants. Relative preference for solvent-borne solutions is hinged on the fact that these automotive coatings retain the bond between pigments liquid and binding agents. However, substantial efforts being taken to curtail or eliminate emissions at the time of hardening owing to environmental and health concerns allude a decline in future demand for solvent-borne automotive coatings.Key players profiled in the report include Nippon Paint (USA), Benjamin Moore & Co., Behr Process Corp., Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., BASF Coatings, Axalta Coating Systems, Nippon Paint Holdings Co., RPM International Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Co., AkzoNobel, and PPG.Do You Have Any Query or Specific Requirement? Ask Our Industry Expert - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2442 About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@ factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 15:28:49 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 444 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 WATERFORD, MI / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Dilapidated barns - you've seen them sagging alongside the freeways, backroads and in farrow fields. Now, thanks to Reclaimed Michigan, you can see them in many breweries and restaurants in Oakland County and even within your own home.Housed in a 7,200 square foot nondescript warehouse in Waterford off M-59, Reclaimed Michigan is one of the few barn wood salvaging companies in the state. Founders Bill McDonald and Matt Halcrow saw Reclaimed Michigan as a way to repurpose agricultural history while providing woodworkers, interior designers, contractors and DIYers vintage materials and architectural items for projects."Each piece or material that Reclaimed Michigan rescues is unique in its own way," said McDonald. "Which in turn creates special, one-of-a-kind mantels, tables or wall treatments." Reclaimed Michigan works with teardown experts across the region to deconstruct barns that have dotted the landscape for decades and retrieve items including barn siding, interior and roof boards, hand hewn and sawn beams, metal roofing and additional architectural elements like doors, corbels and hardware."Most of the barns we reclaim were built between 1870 and 1920. When we first go look at them, we are looking for the character of the building and the story it has to tell. Some of the barns have 150 years of history to share and the wood they are built with is even older," said McDonald."It's amazing to see what can be done with these materials," McDonald said. "Old barn wood has such depth and details which really adds character to new construction projects." The salvaged barn wood comes in a variety of colors from chipped white, weathered grey and the popular faded red barn color; various widths and length and different woods, some which haven't been used in buildings for decades."We love to have people come into the shop and browse about and see if anything grabs their attention or gives some inspiration," McDonald said.People can see examples of repurposed barn wood use in popular establishments including Bad Brads BBQ spots, El Camino in West Bloomfield and Michigan Beer Company, Novi. Home owners and builders use barn wood for shelving to tables, statement walls, lighting, bar tops and more. Visit www.reclaimedMI.com for photos of beautiful projects.Reclaimed Michigan is hosting an open house on Thursday, April 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. with food, drinks and demonstrations.Reclaimed Michigan is at 1179 Sylvertis Rd. Ste B, Waterford Twp., MI 48328. Warehouse hours are Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 pm.; open by appointment Sunday-Tuesday. For more information, call 248-509-9595 or info@ reclaminedmi.com SOURCE: Reclaimed Michigan This report provides prognosis and analysis of the CNG Vehicles Market. It offers historical data along with forecast data for 2027. Fact.MR PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 13:27:49 Press Information Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Basant Manager 353-1-6111-593 email https://www.factmr.com/ # 849 Words 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400Manager353-1-6111-593 In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, FactMR has included a new report titled CNG Vehicles Market Poised to Garner Maximum Revenues During 2018 to 2027 | Key Players are Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda Motor Company, Volkswagen, etc. to its wide online database including upcoming trends and growth factors. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future. The report studies the CNG Vehicles Market worldwide, especially in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, India and Other Regions with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Get A Free Report Sample from Here - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2537 CNG vehicle continues to witness lucrative opportunities across the countries on the backdrop of the increasing number of the NGVs (Natural Gas Vehicles) and increasing preference for CNG vehicles across the world. Moreover, the growth in the automotive industry has influenced the adoption of the CNG vehicles due to the depletion of crude oil resources owing to the increasing demand for high quality and reliable CNG vehicle from the consumer. For instance, there has been an increase in the fleet of CNG vehicles by 7.4% in 2014 to 18% in 2018 across the world.The trending convergence of government regulations on fuel emissions & natural gas powered vehicle production which have more adoption rate and is further anticipated to create remunerative growth opportunities for CNG vehicle market. Around the world, governments have issued stringent regulations regarding emissions and fuel efficiency. The global fossil fuel price has seen an increasing trend over the past five to ten years. Due to these reasons, there is a growing demand for cheap and environmentally friendly fuel alternative. Original equipment manufacturers of vehicles are promoting their products by showcasing fuel efficiency and emission-free features. This factor is fueling the demand for automotive CNG vehicle market.A recent Fact study foretells the CNG vehicle market to record an expansion at 3.2% over the forecast period (2018 2027). CNG vehicle continues to witness increased demand from automotive industry. However promotional buyers demand has impressive growth in some of the regions. The demand for CNG vehicle for passenger vehicle type segment is estimated to grow at a significant rate and is projected to reach more than thousand millions by 2027 end. The CNG vehicle for commercial vehicle segment is growing at a relatively slower pace as compared to other CNG vehicle segment. The slow growth in the commercial CNG vehicle in the market is due to the long product lifecycle and the availability in the market globally. Though the CNG vehicle for passenger vehicle segment has maximum work piece diameter, which is used in various light commercial vehicle. Therefore, it holds more than 60% share in terms of value in 2018.Browse CNG Vehicles Market Report Facts with TOC Here - https://www.factmr.com/report/2537/cng-vehicles-market Dedicated fuel CNG vehicle holds more than 45% share in CNG vehicle sales owing to have less complicated yet simple design. Although the bi-fuel and dual fuel CNG vehicles are also growing at a significant rate owing to the increasing demand for fuel efficient vehicles and optional fuel function. Also, the dedicated CNG vehicle is estimated to grow at a significant CAGR of more than 3.5% in terms of value, in the global CNG vehicle market over the forecast period.The CNG vehicle market has been evaluated across primary regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among these, APEJ CNG vehicle market is expected to hold favorable growth in terms of CAGR over the forecast period. In terms of value, the APEJ market is anticipated to hold a prominent share of the market by 2027. The market for CNG vehicle is estimated to grow at a significant CAGR of more than 3.6% and will represent a total incremental opportunity of over thousand millions in terms of value during the forecast period.The competitive landscape section of the CNG vehicle market delivers the most insightful information regarding the key market players, their relative global position and business strategies. The market for the CNG vehicle is estimated to grow over the forecast period as the contenders in the global market are rising and competition with the existing players is estimated to grow in the next nine years. The manufacturers in CNG vehicle market to expand with strategic developments such as product launches, product innovation, expansion, collaborations and acquisitions in the CNG vehicle market.Do You Have Any Query or Specific Requirement? Ask Our Industry Expert - https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2537 About FactMRFactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@ factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ mrrse PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 14:05:23 Press Information mrrse State Tower 90, State Street Suite 700 Albany, NY - 12207 alok kumar manager +1-518-730-0559 email http://www.mrrse.com # 815 Words State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207manager+1-518-730-0559 Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an infection caused by aphthovirus belonging to the family Picornaviridae. FMD is caused by seven different types of serotypes: O, A, C, Asia 1 and Southern African Territories (SAT) 1, 2 and 3. Currently available vaccines are serotype-specific, hence multiple vaccinations are required to cover the antigenic diversity. Cloven-hoofed animals especially cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are susceptible to FMD. The major symptoms of FMD are high fever, sudden weight loss, increased death rate in newborn animals, low conception rate, painful lesions in and around mouth, lips and feet, and excessive salivation. High frequency of FMD outbreaks especially in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America is fueling the demand for FMD vaccines. In addition, government initiatives to eradicate the disease is resulting in increased awareness about FMD vaccines, thereby driving market growth. This report covers the market analysis of various types of vaccines that are used to control FMD.Get a Free Sample Report Click Here @ https://www.mrrse.com/sample/979 The executive summary of the report comprises market snapshot of the global foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market and comparative analysis by geography in terms of value % for 2013 and 2020. The global foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market has been segmented based on types of vaccines: conventional and emergency vaccines. The conventional vaccines segment has been sub-segmented based on adjuvants: aluminum hydroxide/saponin and oil-based vaccines. In-depth market analysis and forecast for all the segments mentioned above has been provided in the report, in terms of market revenue (USD million) from 2012 to 2020. The report includes the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each application segment (cattle, pigs, sheep and goat and others) for the forecast period from 2014 to 2020, considering 2013 as the base year.The market overview section of the foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market report analyzes the market dynamics and trends such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influence the current nature and future status of the global FMD vaccine market. Impact factors such as market attractiveness analysis by geography and Porters five forces (bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes and competitive rivalry) analysis of the global foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market have been provided in this section of the report. In addition, market share analysis of key players (value %) for the year 2013 has also been explained in the market overview section of the report in order to provide a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global FMD vaccines market. Furthermore, the report includes value chain analysis and regulatory framework analysis of the FMD vaccines market.Geographically, the global FMD vaccines market has been classified into four regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The current and future market sizes (in terms of USD million) of the regional markets mentioned above have been provided in the report for the period from 2012 to 2020 along with the growth rate (CAGR %) for the period from 2014 to 2020. The study further offers recommendations for the foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market, which would be useful for existing and new players to sustain and grow in the market.Complete Research Report with Industry Analysis @ https://www.mrrse.com/foot-mouth-disease-vaccines The foot-and-mouth disease vaccines market report concludes with the company profiles section that includes key information in terms of company overview, financial information, product portfolio, business strategies and recent development about the major players operating in the FMD vaccines market. Detailed analysis of these companies is included in this section in order to give a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global FMD vaccines market. Key players profiled in the section include Agrovet Co., Bayer AG, Biogenesis Bago, Brilliant Bio Pharma Limited, Indian Immunologicals Ltd., Inova Biotechnologia, Intervac (Pvt.) Ltd., Merial, and Merck Animal Health (MSD).The global foot and mouth disease vaccines market is segmented as follows:Global Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccines Market, by TypesConventional VaccinesAluminum Hydroxide/SaponinOil BasedEmergency VaccinesGlobal Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccines Market, by ApplicationsCattlePigsSheep and GoatsOthersGlobal Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccines Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificChinaIndiaSouth KoreaMalaysiaRest of APACRest of the WorldLatin AmericaAfricaSouth AfricaAlgeriaNigeriaRest of AfricaRest of RoWEnquire Now @ https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/979 About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Pharmaceutical 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. mrrse PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 13:19:52 Press Information mrrse State Tower 90, State Street Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207(United State) alok kumar manager +1-518-730-0559 email http://www.mrrse.com # 837 Words State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY 12207(United State)manager+1-518-730-0559 In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the concerned market, Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new report titled Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market to its wide online database. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future.For Report Sample Copy Click Here @ https://www.mrrse.com/sample/941 Hydraulic fluid connectors are conveyance equipment which are used in the fluid power industry for power transmission and other purposes. Various equipment such as hoses, tubing, fittings, manifolds and their assemblies are used in a wide range of hydraulic applications in industries including aerospace, agriculture equipment, construction equipment, marine, mining, and material handling.For research, we have conducted in-depth interviews and discussions with numerous key industry participants and opinion leaders. Primary research represents the bulk of the research effort coupled with an extensive secondary research. We reviewed the key players annual reports, product portfolio, press releases and relevant documents for competitive analysis and better understanding of the market. Secondary research includes in-depth research on current trends, technical writing, recent trades, internet sources, trade associations, statistical data from government websites and associated authorized agency websites. This has proved to be the most successful, effective and reliable approach for obtaining concise data, capturing industry participants insights and recognizing opportunities and growth.Secondary research sources that are typically referred to include, but are not limited to company websites, annual reports, financial reports, broker reports, investor presentations and SEC filings. It also includes internal and external proprietary databases, and relevant patent and regulatory databases, national government documents, statistical databases and market reports. News articles, press releases and web-casts specific to the companies operating in the market also serve as a part of secondary sources.We conduct primary interviews on an on-going basis with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. A typical research interview fulfills various functions. First-hand information is obtained on the market size, market trends, growth trends, competitive landscape, future outlook, etc. It also helps in validating and strengthening the secondary research findings, and further develops the analysis teams expertise and market understanding. The primary research involves e-mail interactions, telephonic interviews as well as face-to-face interviews for each market, category, segment and sub-segment across geographiesBrowse Complete Research Report with Industry Key Players Analysis @ https://www.mrrse.com/hydraulic-fluid-connectors-market The report on North America hydraulic fluid connectors provides a detailed analysis and forecast of the market from 2014 to 2020. At a regional level, the market has been segmented on the basis of revenue (USD million) from 2014 to 2020. For an in-depth understanding of the market in North America, the demand has been forecast based on revenue (USD million) for a time period ranging between 2014 and 2020. The report includes drivers as well as restraints and their impact on the growth of the market within the forecast period. Furthermore, the report encompasses opportunities available for the growth of this market, on a global as well as regional level.To offer a detailed understanding of the market, we have provided a thorough analysis of the value chain. In addition, we have covered the Porters five forces model, which provides an in-depth insight into the intensity of competition in this market. Furthermore, the study comprises a market attractiveness analysis, where numerous applications are benchmarked based on market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.The market has been segmented based on products and applications. The segments have been analyzed and forecast based on revenue (USD million) from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, the segments have been analyzed and forecast based on current trends at a regional level, over the given time period. The demand has been analyzed and forecast based on current trends for a period of six years.Profiles of certain leading companies have been covered in this report along with a detailed analysis of their market share. The study features companies such as Eaton Corporation, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Gates Corporation, Manuli Hydraulics, Kurt Hydraulics and SPX Corporation.The market has been segmented as below:North America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market - Product Segment AnalysisMobile hydraulic fluid connectorsIndustrial hydraulic fluid connectorsNorth America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market - Application AnalysisAerospaceAgricultureConstruction equipmentMaterial handlingOthers (Marine, heavy truck, mining, etc.)Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on report @ https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/941 About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Semiconductor 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. PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 13:22:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 421 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 During the Interview, Campbell Shared What Inspired Him to Pursue a Career in Crowdfunding and What He Likes About this Method of FundraisingLOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Mark Campbell, the Vice President of Marketing at InventureX, is pleased to announce that he was just featured in an in-depth interview on EOTMBlog.com To read the interview in its entirety, please check out http://www.eotmblog.com/business/executive-interview-sitting-down-with-mark-campbell-marketing-vp-at-inventurex/ As the interviewer noted, Campbell has earned a well-deserved reputation in the crowdfunding world for his hard work and dedication. As a "serial entrepreneur" with a proven track record, Campbell has overseen the launch of hundreds of product ideas, and he is proud to be part of a company has helped budding entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams for 7 years.When asked what inspired him to pursue this type of career, Campbell said that ever since he was a child, he has been interested in the concept of entrepreneurship."I heard many tales of people who had started from nothing and succeeded, and I read numerous business related books too," he said, adding that he thought it was great how small ideas can make a huge impact, with the right amount of focus, and this probably drew him to this industry."I never fail to be impressed by ingenious product ideas that have the potential to change the world. Working with clients who have these brilliant minds is an honor that I wouldn't swap for anything." As for what he especially likes about the crowdfunding model, Campbell noted that the inherent dynamic nature of the industry is especially exciting for him. Describing a typical day as a "non-stop roller coaster ride," he enjoys working with people who have outstanding ideas for a product, and then helping them to turn their dreams into reality.The interviewer finished out the talk with Campbell by asking him what entrepreneurs should do if they are interested in working with him and his team at InventureX. As he noted, they should start by visiting the company website at InventureX.com; this way, they can learn about the kinds of businesses they have worked with in the past, and if the company is a good fit.About Mark Campbell:Mark Campbell has been helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into successful businesses through successful crowdfunding campaigns. Learn more about Mark Campbell and his team at InventureX by going to: https://inventurex.com/launch/ Contact:Rebecca Cookadmin@ rocketfactor.com (949) 555-2861SOURCE: Mark Campbell PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 13:02:45 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 954 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Orsu Metals Corporation (TSX-V: OSU) ("Orsu" or the "Company") announces the results of a maiden Mineral Resource estimate for its Sergeevskoe Gold Project in Zabaikalsky Region, Russia. The Mineral Resource estimate was independently prepared by Wardell Armstrong International Ltd. ("WAI") in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012)/CIM Definitions Standards and NI 43-101 requirements. A Technical Report covering the Mineral Resource estimate will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release.Highlights:An Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into an open pit constrained by the license boundary at Sergeevskoe.Dr. Alexander Yakubchuk, Director of Exploration of Orsu commented: "The maiden Mineral Resource was identified by Orsu from scratch during just two years of work within approximately 900x600 m area. Orsu now has a robust understanding of the gold grade distribution at Sergeevskoe and will specifically target higher grade areas in order to improve the geostatistical parameters in the higher grade shoots and therefore the average gold grade of the system. While the gold-mineralized system is constrained by the license boundary in the east, it remains widely open westward and to the north. Furthermore, the constructed block model clearly indicates a grade increase with depth in excess of 3 g/t gold." Dr. Sergey V Kurzin, Executive Chairman of Orsu commented: "I would like to thank our exploration team for building a solid foundation for the Company. Given that only less than one square kilometer of Orsu's 7.6 square kilometer property has been drilled so far, a maiden pit and license constrained resource makes an excellent start. Our recent work has generated an abundance of additional targets to be tested in 2019."An Inferred Mineral Resource was estimated for a large stockwork, containing 122 segments of sheeted subparallel quartz-tourmaline-sulfide veins in nine domains. The individual vein segments are separated by faults or unmineralized intervals. The most important divide is represented by the Shirotnyi Fault (Figure 1). To its south are Zone 23 West, Zone 23 Middle, Zone 23 East, Adit 5 West, and Adit 5 East domains. To the north are the Intermediate, Klyuchi West, Kozie and Peak Klyuchi domains.Figure 1. Plan view of Mineral Resource domains and gold grade distribution in the unconstrained block model at Sergeevskoe. Historically recognized mineralization is shown in grey-blue. Klyuchevskoe open pit can be seen to the east.From these domains, an Inferred Mineral Resource of 25.09 million tonnes, grading 1.47 g/t gold and containing 1.19 Moz gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, was optimized into a pit constrained by the license boundary to the east at Sergeevskoe (Table 1). Table 1 also shows sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade within a pit constrained at different cut-off grades ("COG") for the Sergeevskoe project, limited by the license boundary Table 1. Open pit Mineral Resource estimate with base case at 0.5 g/t cut off grade and sensitivity analysis of tonnage and grade at different cut-off grades for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project as at 15 April 2019.Table 1- Open pit Inferred Mineral Resource EstimateCOGTonnes (Mt)Grade(g/t Au)Contained Metal(Au 000 oz)0.40.50.60.70.825.2225.0923.9321.5918.641.471.471.521.611.751,1921,1861,1691,1181,049Notes: (1) CIM Definition Standards were followed for Mineral Resources; (2) Mineral Resources reported for the Sergeevskoe Gold Project are classified as Inferred by Phil Newall, an independent Qualified Person as defined by CIM Definition Standards; (3) Mineral resources are limited to an optimised open pit shell based on appropriate economic and reasonable mining parameters as provided by Orsu Metals Corporation; (4) Mineral Resources are not reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability based on a Feasibility Study or Pre-Feasibility Study; (5) All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate, and apparent errors may occur due to rounding; (6) Contained metal refers to estimated contained metal in the ground not adjusted for metallurgical recovery; (7) The mineral resources reported represent the sub-celled model with no account of potential mining dilution of the mineralisation.Figures 2 and 3 show distribution of gold mineralization, constrained by the pit and the license boundary, which corresponds to the Inferred Mineral Resource estimate. Figure 3 also shows gold-mineralized blocks within a pit, unconstrained by license boundary, and beyond the pit envelopes.Figure 2. Cross section (looking west) showing grade distribution ingold-mineralized stockwork over a >500 m width along the easternlicense boundary of the Sergeevskoe gold project.Figure 3. Long vertical projection showing grade distribution with resource pit outlines constrained by Sergeevskoe license boundary as well as pit outline unconstrained by license boundary. The existing open pit at the adjacent Klyuchevskoe gold deposit is shown for reference.GROWTH POTENTIALBased on the results, Orsu considers that there is a strong potential to grow the mineralization envelope at the Sergeevskoe Gold Project beyond that identified in this maiden Mineral Resource estimate. The mineralization is open both along the westward strike and downdip. In particular, there is a strong possibility to identify new mineralization at the western continuation of Klyuchi West and Intermediate domains, and only partly drill-tested mineralization in between these domains and Kozie domain. The western extension of Zone 23 remains open, with some gold mineralization recognized in historical holes and by Orsu during scout sampling at the Sergeeva prospect some 500 m west. Peak Klyuchi requires additional attention as a direct continuation of the Intermediate mineral domain. Kozie domain is also open westward, with gold mineralization intercepted in Orsu's trench SKZTR17-11 (see Figure 1).Of key interest for growth potential is the testing of the downdip continuation of gold mineralization in the Intermediate, Klyuchi West and Zone 23 domains, particularly due to a clear increase in gold grade (see Figures 2 and 3). The reported gold mineralization at Sergeevskoe was drill-tested to a depth of 750mRL from approximately PR-Inside.com: 2019-04-17 16:36:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 996 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ~Board nominees include Paul Geyer, Jan Lederman & Robert Napoli; Michael Volker and James Pratt to retire from the Board~VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / TIMIA Capital Corporation ("TIMIA" or the "Company") (TSX-V:TCA / OTC: TIMCF) today announced that its Annual General Meeting will be held on May 14th at 10:00am, at Room C300, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC. Matters to be addressed at this AGM include changes to the composition of the Board of Directors and re-appointment of the auditors.Jan Lederman, of Valhalla Private Equity, Paul Geyer, of Discovery Parks and Nimbus Synergies, and Robert Napoli, of Promerita Capital Partners, have been nominated to TIMIA's Board of Directors and have been added to the Company's slate of Directors at its upcoming AGM in May. Mike Volker, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and James Pratt will not be standing for re-election and are retiring from the Board to pursue other interests. It is expected that Howard Atkinson, a current director, will be appointed by the Board to the Chairman position following the AGM."TIMIA is at a key inflection point of its growth, and Paul, Jan and Robert will strengthen our board through this next phase of the Company's evolution," said Mike Walkinshaw, CEO of TIMIA. "These new board members bring executive experience from private equity organizations, U.S. public companies, and technology lending, making them a great strategic fit for the Board of TIMIA." Further information on the full Board slate can be obtained in the Information Circular, which has been filed on SEDAR."Michael Volker's deep expertise and experience in the Canadian private technology company eco-system has been invaluable," added Walkinshaw. "His leadership role in local, national and international angel associations, as well as other angel investment organizations, has provided deep insights into the current status of the private technology company eco-system." "James Pratt provided experience and deeply-valued counsel to TIMIA over the past 6 years," said Walkinshaw. "His financial and operational guidance, through acting as CFO for most of that period, has created value for our shareholders. We wish both Michael and James the very best in their new adventures." Biography of New DirectorsJan LedermanJan is a Co-Founder & President of Valhalla Private Equity and a Director at Genome Canada. She is a past Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Manitoba; retired senior partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, LLP; and a co-founder of Innovate Manitoba, a private sector led non-profit formed to drive innovation, accelerate startup growth, and stimulate access to capital in Manitoba. Jan is an active angel investor and a Director of a number of startups. Jan practiced business law for 30 years and retired as a partner of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP in 2015. In practice, Jan focused on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, startups, investment, and finance. Jan was for many years named to the Best Lawyers in Canada in Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Leveraged Buy-Outs and Private Equity Law. In addition to her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor, Jan holds a Certificate from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and a Blue Belt in Innovation Engineering. Jan was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012 and the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Award in 2002 in recognition for her contributions to the community. In 2018 she was honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award of Excellence by the University of Manitoba.Paul GeyerPaul Geyer is a successful Medtech Entrepreneur, experienced Board member, Angel Investor and Venture Capitalist. Over the past 27 years as an investor and serial entrepreneur, Paul has built several successful companies, including Mitroflow International Inc., Neovasc Inc. and LightIntegra Technology Inc. Paul is well known for his work supporting and mentoring entrepreneurs and future leaders of the tech industry. His passion for giving back is seen in the many board roles he has held, including: Administrative Chair, LightIntegra Technology Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Neovasc Inc.; G7 Fellow, Creative Destruction Labs CDL West; Board of Directors, Entrepreneurship at UBC; Board of Directors, BCTECH; Advisory Council Member, UBC Engineering, Applied Science; and Industry Advisory Council, UBC Electrical Engineering department. In 2010 Paul was awarded the British Columbia Angel Investor of the year, and in 2011 he received the BC Life Sciences Leadership Award. He holds a B.A.Sc, Electrical Engineering from The University of British Columbia (1983 1988) and Certified Director, Certified Director Program, UCLA Anderson School of Management (2006), Canadian Securities Course (1988).Robert NapoliRobert is co-founder and managing director of Promerita Capital Partners, and has twenty years of experience in corporate finance and investment. For the past fourteen years, Robert has focused on subordinated debt, mezzanine and equity investing. He has completed over 80 deals across various industries, including buyouts, acquisitions and growth financing. Prior to Promerita Group, Robert was co-founder and vice president of First West Capital, an institutionally backed subordinated debt and mezzanine finance provider for small and medium sized companies. Robert previously held executive roles in investment management and corporate finance with other leading global and regional firms including Vancity Capital & PricewaterhouseCoopers. Robert is the past President of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), BC Chapter, the middle market deal association for corporate finance and M&A professionals. He holds two Honours Degrees in Commerce and Law from Monash University, Australia along with a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, is a CPA-CA in Canada and Australia and is a former adviser to the Accounting Standards Board of Canada (AcSB) on Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE).About TIMIA Capital CorporationTIMIA Capital Corporation is a specialty finance company that provides growth capital to technology companies in exchange for payments based on monthly revenue. This alternative financing option complements both debt and equity financing, while allowing entrepreneurs and existing stakeholders to retain ownership and control of their business. TIMIA's singular focus is the fast growing, global, business-to-business Software-as-a-Service (or SaaS) segment. We align ourselves with entrepreneurial management t Lai Mohammed, Nigerias information minister, has admitted he did not do due diligence before signing off on a controversial N2.5 billion payment to a private digital broadcast signal distributor. Mr Mohammed told the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) that he only approved the payment based on the recommendation of the director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in May 2017, according to those familiar with the investigation. Anti-graft detectives at the ICPC have been investigating the transaction since June 2018. Already the ICPC has charged Modibbo Kawu, the DG of NBC, for allegedly deceiving Mr Mohammed to perpetrate the fraud. Mr Kawu strongly denied the allegations, and the ICPC said he would appear in court on Wednesday alongside Lucky Omoluwa, the founder of Pinnacle Communications Limited, a digital broadcasting firm that received the payment in 2017. Anti-graft officers questioned Mr Mohammed last year as part of their investigation, but he was unable to provide any information beyond his claim that he only acted on the documents presented to him. Mr Mohammed did not let detectives record the session, saying he needed clearance from Boss Mustapha, the Nigerian government secretary, documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed. An ICPC official told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday that Mr Mohammed bullied those detailed to question him because of his high role as the top image maker for the government. Even though Mr Mohammed did not cooperate with investigators, the ICPC had been reluctant about charging him for approving the contract. Rasheedat Okoduwa, the agencys spokesperson, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that Mr Mohammed was not charged because he said he was deceived into signing the payment. Suspended Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Moddibo Kawu Mrs Okoduwa, however, added that if further revelations emerged during Mr Kawus trial that could necessitate arraigning Mr Mohammed, the ICPC will not hesitate to do so. Documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed that Mr Mohammed played more role than just signing documents. He signed several documents and also took parts in discussions between Pinnacle Communications and embarked on foreign trips to inspect equipment for Nigerias digital switchover, according to those familiar with the matter. Mr Kawu told PREMIUM TIMES he did no wrong in recommending the payment to Mr Mohammed, but did not assume responsibility for the ministers approval. He explained why the N2.5 billion was paid to Pinnacle, and all the projects the company executed to fast-track Nigerias adoption of digital switchover. The N2.5 was withdrawn from the N10 billion naira that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seized from the NBC in 2016. Detectives said the money was banked in a manner that violated the treasury single account (TSA) policy. The anti-graft agency later released the entire N10 billion to the NBC and Mr Mohammed to carry on with the digital switchover project. A 2017 memo to the Presidency, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, specifically said the N2.5 billion was to be withdrawn from the NBC account in the TSA system. The minister declined comments to PREMIUM TIMES on his submission to the ICPC. Attorney-General Abubakar Malami had already expressed intention to take over the case, but ICPC officials feared it could be politicised and vowed to continue with the prosecution of Mr Kawu and others. Mr Kawu told PREMIUM TIMES he suspected political forces were out to get him, but not that he had done anything wrong. I have been informed from several quarters that there are certain political forces who are determined to use the issue of a court arraignment to force me out of office, Mr Kawu said. The plan is to lean on such arraignment to commence a media campaign that will insist I step aside from my position until I have been cleared in the courts. Anti-corruption campaigners said they were not convinced by Mr Mohammeds explanation because it had no legal backing. There is no law in Nigeria that says an official could assert ignorance after signing such a humongous amount of money in one of the worlds poorest countries, Yomi Ogunsanya, a lawyer and an anti-corruption activist. said. Mr Ogunsanya described Mr Mohammeds excuse as pedestrian and called on the ICPC to charge him alongside others. Ignorance does not excuse anybody when it comes to approving public funds, Mr Ogunsanya said. Can we say the minister has been approving billions for agencies under his ministry without necessary scrutiny? Ordinarily, the minister should have conducted his own due diligence, he has enough officials on public payroll who could do the job for him, the lawyer added. The ICPC should immediately charge him as the minister that supervised the payment. Mr Ogunsanya said even though the contract was a dent on the administrations anti-corruption posturing, the trial that had emanated from it should be seen as a bright spot, especially because it has the potential to throw up fresh revelations. A lot will probably be revealed in court that will further expose how far the minister was involved, Mr Ogunsanya said. But we can also see the ICPC charges against a senior government official as progress. At least nine senior officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been granted bail, PREMIUM TIMES understands. The top officials, detained by the anti-graft agency over allegations of fraud, were granted bail Tuesday. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the officials were questioned over uncleared payments made to some staff of the agency. This newspaper on Monday reported that the officials include the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) of the FIRS, Mohammed Auta. Apart from Mr Auta, another director of the agency, Peter Hena, is also alleged to be involved in the scandal. Sources told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday that although at least nine of the officials have been granted bail, investigations into the alleged fraudulent payments would continue. A source who craved anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES that the arrest and detention of the officials must have been triggered by a petition written by an insider within the agency. Wahab Gbadamosi, the spokesperson for the FIRS, said enquiry by government investigative agencies is a continuous and routine exercise which occurs from time to time. He added that the FIRS as a law-abiding agency of government will cooperate with investigators in its efforts to unravel the alleged fraudulent payments. He added, however, that some of the claims reported in the media since the news broke were exaggerated and inaccurate. He assured that the FIRS will clarify the issues as appropriate. Mr Gbadamosi emphasised, also, that Mr Hena, the Coordinating Director, Support Services Group of the FIRS, is not on the run. He said that the director is officially on medical leave and will return to the country as soon as his leave period lapses. EFCC sources had on Tuesday said that Mr Hena will be arrested as soon as he returns to the country. He is the second most senior official of the FIRS and is believed to be one of the closest officials to the agencys chairman, Babatunde Fowler. It is still unclear to EFCC officials, whether or not Mr Fowler is involved in the scandal. PREMIUM TIMES has no evidence of the involvement of the FIRS chief. Babatunde Fowler, former FIRS Chairman (Photo Credit: NEWSTAGE) Our reporter learnt that most of the other affected officials are from the finance and account department of the FIRS. The FIRS is saddled with collecting taxes and revenues of the federal government. The agency under Mr Fowler has seen its revenue generation improve, setting new records. The agency said it collected about N5.32 trillion as revenue in 2018, the highest in Nigerias history. The EFCC is closing in on several other senior officials of the revenue collection service in a widening investigation to uncover other fraudulent activities involving several billions of government tax revenues, this newspaper understands. The scheduled arraignment of the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Modibbo Kawu, was on Wednesday stalled due to the absence of one of the defendants, Dipo Onifade. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) is prosecuting Mr Onifade and the Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited, Lucky Omoluwa, alongside Mr Kawu for allegedly misappropriating N2.5 billion, a scandal that could slow down the nationwide rollout of the digital transmission of home television signals. The anti-graft office is also prosecuting Pinnacle Communications Limited in the trial. During the court session on Wednesday, the counsel representing the second and third defendants, Alex Iziyon, told the court that after standing down for an hour, Mr Onifade was still not present in court. Mr Iziyon had earlier informed the court that his client, Mr Onifade, was on his way from Kaduna to attend the court proceedings. The second defendant still did not show up. I urge your lordship to please move the arraignment to May 2. I do not want to say tomorrow because I do not know what had happened to the second defendant who sent a text this morning that he was on his way from Kaduna. I would not mind signing an undertaking that he would show up on May 2. The prosecution, Henry Emore, did not oppose Mr Iziyons prayer for adjournment. Prior to this, the judge, Folashade Giwa, said, Next time, tell him to come a day before. Mrs Giwa then adjourned to May 2 for arraignment. EDITORS NOTE: The defendant that was absent in court is Dipo Onifade. That was corrected in the story. The Senate on Wednesday reconsidered the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) which was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari. The PIGB and six other bills were passed after the Senates technical committee worked on Mr Buharis observations and re-drafted the affected clauses. The Senate will wait for harmonisation with the House of Representatives after which the bills will be transmitted to the president for assent. Members of the lower chamber are, however, yet to reconsider the bills. The PIGB is one of four parts of the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which seeks to update the outdated provisions with a more comprehensive and current petroleum industry law that aligns with global standards. The president, earlier in July 2018, rejected the bill. The presidential aide on National Assembly matters, Ita Enang, had in August 2018 explained why the president rejected the document. He said the provision of the bill permitting the Petroleum Regulatory Commission to retain as much as 10 per cent of the revenue generated unduly increases the funds accruing to the commission to the detriment of the revenue available to the Federal, States and Local governments as well as the Federal Capital Territory. He also said the president felt that expanding the scope of Petroleum Equalisation Fund made some provisions of the draft law to be in divergence from his administrations policy and indeed conflicted with provisions on the Fund. The Senate also reconsidered six other bills rejected by the president. They are the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Bill, National Research and Innovation Council Bill and Stamp Duties Act (Amendment) Bill. Others are the National Agricultural Seed Council Bill, Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund and Independent National Electoral Commission Act 2010(Amendment) Bill. Second look The reconsideration of the bills comes a week after the Senate resolved to override the president on two bills: the constitution amendment (Fourth Alteration No. 28) Bill 1999, and the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) amendment Bill. These bills were, however, not part of the seven bills reconsidered by the Senate. The Senate had also resolved to rework and pass 15 other bills. Before the reconsideration and passage, the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, noted that the rationale for withholding the assent bordered on the observation by the president on some clauses in the Bills. He said the technical committee of the Senate worked on Mr Buharis observations and have drafted the affected Clauses. The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, thereafter, directed the Clerk of the Senate to include the observations into the bills. The Senate also passed for second reading, six bills for amendments to various sections of the Constitution. This comes nine months after the Senate voted to amend key elements of the countrys constitution. They are: -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to provide immunity for members of the legislature in respect with of words spoken or written at plenary sessions or committee proceedings or any socialized legislative bureaucracy in the constitution and for related matters 2019 -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to replace the name Nigeria Police Force with Nigerian Police to reflect their core mandate of providing civil services and for related matters, 2019. -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to further strengthen the judiciary for speedy dispensation of justice and related matters, 2019. Advertisements -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to reflect the establishment and core functions of the Nigerian Security Civil Defence Corps and for related matters, 2019. -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to provide for the procedure for passing the constitutional alteration bill where the president withholds assent and for a related matter, 2019. -A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 to specify the period within which the president or governor of a state presents the appropriation bill before the national assembly or house of assembly and for related matters, 2019. The bills were read for the second time and referred to the Senate committee on constitutional review for more legislative work and they are to report back on Thursday. A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi has granted the prayers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a warrant of arrest against Nigerian officials implicated in the controversial Malabu Oil scandal. The officials include Dan Etete, a former petroleum minister, and Mohammed Adoke, a former justice minister. Also declared wanted were Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefano, and Burrato Sebastiano. They were meant to be arraigned before Justice D.Z Senchi on Wednesday, to face charges related to the scandal, but failed to show up. Backstory The EFCC had since 2017 pressed charges against Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Ltd, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Eni Spa, Raph Wetzels, Casula Roberto, Pujato Stefeno, Burrato Sebastiano, Duazia Louya Etete (aka Dan Etete), Mohammed Bello Adoke, Aliyu Abubakar and Malabu Oil & Gas Limited. All the defendants repeatedly failed to appear before the court. Following their repeated absence in court, the EFCC through its counsel, Aliyu Yusuf, brought a motion ex parte praying the court for a warrant of their arrest, and an order for leave to execute the warrant outside of the jurisdiction of the court. On Wednesday, according to the EFCC, Judge Senchi granted the prayers of the anti-graft agency, and ruled that the Nigeria Police, the INTERPOL and any other law enforcement agency should arrest them anywhere they were found including outside jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) High Court. Although Mr Etete has not appeared in a Nigerian court, his lawyer has appeared during trials at the Italian court. The matter was adjourned to July 11, 2019, for further hearing. Scandal The Malabu scandal involved the transfer of about $1.1 billion by oil multinationals, Shell and ENI, through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by Mr Etete. From accounts controlled by Mr Etete, about half the money ($520 million) went to the accounts of companies controlled by Abubakar Aliyu, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA oil. Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect he fronted for top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration as well of officials of Shell and ENI. The transaction was authorised in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers, and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigerias richest oil blocks. Although Shell and ENI initially claimed they did not know the money would end up with Mr Etete and his cronies, evidence has shown that claim to be false. Shell, Eni, Mr Etete, Mr Aliyu and several officials of the oil firms are being prosecuted in Italy for their roles in the scandal. Last June, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Etete acquired luxury properties in Dubai with funds believed to have been sourced from the controversial deal. Last week, the EFCC was urged to seize a private jet owned by Mr Etete. Four international anti-corruption crusaders appealed last Thursday in a joint petition sent from Italy calling for the retrieval and forfeiture of the jet by the Nigerian government. The crusaders claimed that the private jet owned by Mr Etete was purchased with illicit funds. The jet is said to be worth $56 million as at the time it was purchased. Thousands of candidates who sat for this years Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would have their results withheld for engaging in examination malpractices. The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, a professor, stated this in Lagos on Tuesday during the arrest of two children of the owner of a computer-based test (CBT) centre, who confessed to selling fake UTME questions and answers to unsuspecting persons. The centre- Risk Global Company Limited, which is located on 300, Ikorodu Road, Anthony Village, is owned by a former banker, Emeka Ukpai. The suspects, Godswill Ukpai and David Ukpai, are his first and second son respectively. They confessed to taking pictures of UTME questions on the screens during examinations at their fathers centre, and that same questions are sold to the owner of a private tutorial centre in Lagos. They gave the name of the tutorial centre as Embassy, and that the unnamed operator of the tutorial centre usually brings candidates to their centre for registration and examination. Their father said he regretted the action and that he consents to them being tried in the court of law. He said; They are old enough to face the music for their actions. They are only allowed into the hall in the morning to help power the computer systems before examination starts. How they got themselves involved in this mess I cannot explain and I feel that they should be tried appropriately. It is very unfortunate and regrettable. He said Godswill just finished from Abia State University, where he read Accounting, while David did not pass the UTME last year and is registered to sit the examination by 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Also arrested was the CBT centres technical staffer, Obinna Ebere, who also confessed to committing same offence. Mr Ebere, an HND II student of the Department of Civil Engineering at Yaba College of Technology, also said he had been selling the screenshots of the questions to Embassy Tutorial Centre. A check on his mobile phone also revealed his conversations with the tutorial centre owner and how he charged N5,000 for some of the questions. Mr Oloyede, who apprehended the suspects during an unscheduled monitoring exercise at the centre, said CCTV installed at the centre and connected to JAMB headquarters, had given out the suspects. According to him, the suspects, who were not authorised to enter the hall during the examination, usually used the opportunity of the ownership of the centre to illegally gain access. He, however, said what they were selling to their customers is not authentic because each question set for a candidate cannot be repeated until after five years. Mr Oloyede said the board is committed to ensuring the integrity of its examination and that his efforts are yielding good results. He said the suspects had tried to cover the CCTV at the centre, but the one at the JAMB office in Abuja gave them out. According to him, more than 100 suspects have been arrested so far during the examination which is billed to end on Wednesday. He said the deployment of technology has helped to curb malpractice a great measure. When a whole professor was sent here as a supervisor, they didnt know what we meant. The sacrifice by this eminent personalities is to ensure that there is no compromise. Prof. Kabir Usman is a former Director of CMD in Lagos and you can see how perfectly he has helped to apprehend these fraudsters. If we had sent a young person, may be they would have just offered the individual N10,000 and the rot would be covered. I can assure you that thousands of these candidates wouldnt have their results released this year because we have caught them red-handed. That is why we would not release any result until we have viewed all the recordings on the CCTV installed across the over 700 centres. Meanwhile, Mr Oloyede announced on the spot that the centre was immediately suspended, and that candidates who were billed to take part in the examination at the centre on Wednesday would be rescheduled to other centres. The affected candidates would soon receive text messages on where they would sit their examination tomorrow, he said. Advertisements The suspects were immediately handed over to the police. The Federal Government of Nigeria has begun the implementation of the West African Police Information System (WAPIS). The government said the system will strengthen the information systems of the countrys security agencies. The Minister of Interior, Abdulraham Dambazau, disclosed this on Tuesday during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the International Council of Police Organisations (INTERPOL) on the project. WAPIS Programme is implemented by INTERPOL with funding from the European Union. Its aim is to strengthen information exchange and coordination among the regions law enforcement agencies. The programme supports the efforts of national authorities and ECOWAS in improving the security of citizens in West Africa and is being implemented at three levels: national, regional and global. I am confident that the establishment of WAPIS by the Nigerian security will ensure seamless information in the country, he said. The minister said the system will ensure secured access to INTERPOLs data Speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary-General of the INTERPOL, Jurgen Stock, said the signing of the agreement was a bold step forward in the collective fight against crime. He stressed that the security landscape in West Africa is complex. It is where multiple transnational criminal dynamics come to converge and feed off each other, he said. Mr Stock said criminal networks in narcotics, weapon and migrants smuggling, among others, were taking advantage of lack of information sharing system by security agencies in the region to carry out their activities unhindered. He commended the West African states for coming together to respond to the threats of criminals in the region. Mr Stock, however, stressed that a collective will was needed to ensure the success of the WAPIS programme. He said WAPIS will allow West African countries to have access to the global I24/7 communication network. Increase criminal data available to law enforcement agencies within Africa and wider global police network is at the centre of our vision. Ultimately, the WAPIS programme will bring critical information closer to the front line police officers across West Africa. It will provide a national platform for law enforcement agencies in the region to register, preserve, check and analyze their police data in order to foster investigative and border management efforts, Mr Stock said. Information is the lifeblood of law enforcement and the WAPIS programme will help police on the ground across the region and the global police community to have access to the vital data they need and when they need it, he said He said the implementation of WAPIS is important in the security of Nigeria, West Africa and ultimately, each of the INTERPOLs 194 member countries. On his part, the ECOWAS Commissions Commissioner for Political Affairs, Francis Behanzin, said the body had done all the needful technically and politically to ensure that the programme works. Researchers have been warned against plagiarising the works of others as is now the trend in modern writing globally. They were also urged to be aware that there are new technologies used to spot plagiarism in intellectual works. Olusesan Makinda, a consultant for the Development Research and Project Centre (DRPC), gave the warning Saturday while presenting awards to outstanding researchers who participated in the research writing fellowship organised by the centre. The award ceremony was held during the three-day maiden edition of the National Conference on Adolescent Health and Development in Nigeria organised by the Society for Adolescent and Young Peoples Health in Nigeria (SAYPHIN) between April 10 and 13. Last May, DRPC offered research and writing fellowships to post-graduate students, health reporters, officials in think-tanks and leaders of NGOs to conduct research and write essays and blogs on the topic of investing in human capital for national development. According to the centre, about 20 researchers selected from hundreds of applicants participated in a one week workshop and were awarded a research grant of N100, 000 each to conduct research and produce an essay in their chosen topics. Before presenting awards to researchers, whose works were rated outstanding on Saturday, Mr Makinda decried the volume of plagiarism flagged in most of the essays turned in. The growth of the Internet over the past decade has given rise to unprecedented access to information which has resulted in increasing plagiarism. With plagiarism detection software readily available, and in use, culprits are now easily detected. Plagiarism was a major flaw in most of the research works we rated. Its a major problem, not just Nigeria but across the globe, he told PREMIUM TIMES immediately after the event. Gladly, there is software that can be used to detect plagiarism in published works. We used this software to detect researchers who plagiarise other peoples works. Most Nigerian researchers are not aware of this technology and how to avoid been flagged by them. It seems like they are not properly educated on what plagiarism is. You cant use a continuous sentence of more than 50 words without putting it in a quote. If you dont attribute, where you got it from, it will be flagged by the software. Young researchers need to know about these software and how to avoid plagiarising the works of others. This is a major principle of writing. Research winners react Three researchers came first in the competition. They were given N200,000 each. Turnwait Michael, one of the first winners, who researched primary healthcare under one roof in Lagos explained how he was selected for the competition. I am a PhD student of the University of Ibadan. I chose the research to work in Lagos because I realised that Lagos is one of the metropolitan cities in Nigeria and challenges that may affect Lagos affect other states. I wrote on primary healthcare per ward, as a component of PHC under one roof. DRPC warns Young Researchers Against Plagiarism DRPC warns Young Researchers Against Plagiarism Also, Eshiet Idongesit Ukpong, a lecturer at the department of sociology in the University of Lagos also expressed delight. DRPC said the research competition was a deliberate project it embarked on to generate more discussions on the challenges Nigeria is facing in the area of human capital development. It said an additional 120 applications are being processed for the second phase of the writing and blog competition. More President Muhammadu Buhari last night commended one of the worlds richest men, Bill Gates for his consistent and generous support to public causes around the globe, and specifically for supporting the eradication of polio and HIV diseases in Africa and Nigeria in particular. Speaking in a telephone call to congratulate the President upon his election victory, winning a second four-year term of office, Mr Gates, who said he was happy to be associated with the president, restated his commitment to the success of the administration as well as the progress, prosperity and well-being of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He expressed willingness to do more for the country. President Buhari reiterated his opinion that Mr Gates wealth has benefited Nigerias development, and expressed appreciation for the call. I am very happy the way your projects have touched the life of the average Nigerian. The people of this country have given their verdict. This verdict says we have to work hard to meet their expectations. God willing, we will not fail, the president said. Nigerian senators on Wednesday rejected a bill aiming to phase out petrol vehicles and introduce electric cars in the country in 2035. The bill, first read on April 10, was not considered for a second reading by the lawmakers. In his lead debate, sponsor of the bill, Ben Murray-Bruce, said the move would serve two major purposes. Combustion engine cars have continued to cause deaths through uncontrolled pollution, said Mr Murray-Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa East). Secondly, we have been spending over N1 trillion annually subsidising fuel in this country. By introducing electric cars, fuel subsidy will automatically be gone and those funds will be used for infrastructure and education, he argued. Mr Murray-Bruce told his colleagues that all industrialised nations have set a date to phase out petrol cars. He added that Nigeria would be setting good precedence if it takes the step to become the first African country to embrace electric cars. The senator said maintaining an electric car is far cheaper than for petrol cars. To charge your electric cars, all the filling stations will be replaced with solar charging stations. Thankfully, this country is blessed with sunlight 365 days in a year. Electric cars are outselling petrol cars as witnessed in Norway a few weeks ago. It makes more sense to build Nigerias biggest power plant than refineries. The bill was opposed by Barau Jibrin who said Nigerians should be allowed to embrace electric cars at their economic pace rather than making it mandatory. Making it mandatory that everyone should resort to using electric cars at a given day is not feasible, he said. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and Andrew Uchendu also spoke against the bill. Mr Uchendu said the bill failed to meet requirements of order 77 of the Senate standing order in failing to state financial implications. Mr Murray-Bruce said his colleagues are still living in the past for rejecting the bill. I want my colleagues to close their eyes and dream they are in the 21st century. In a few years time, combustion engine cars will no longer be manufactured. For the sake of my colleagues, Ill withdraw the bill. You dont belong to the 21st century and I understand. A former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Union (NUPENG), Frank Kokori, has vowed to show up for inauguration tomorrow as the Chairman of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). Mr Kokori has not been invited to the ceremony taking place on Thursday morning at the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. Although he was named chairman when the then acting president, Yemi Osinbajo, announced the appointment of the board in October 2017, Mr Kokoris name was omitted on the list of members of the board to be inaugurated on Thursday. A copy of the programme of events obtained by PREMIUM TIMES indicates that the inauguration will hold at the ministers conference room. According to details of the agenda, 11 members of the committee will be confirmed. However, of these 11, the names of only 10 were provided on the agenda. The programme contains names, contacts and designations of the 10 board members but had no information on the board chairman. The belated inauguration is at the instance of back and forth that has greeted the constitution of the board since 2017. The board membership was constituted by Mr Osinbajo in October 2017 in his capacity as acting president. Statutorily, ministers are empowered to inaugurate boards of agencies under their control. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige However, Mr Ngige has failed to inaugurate the NSITF board citing several excuses at different times. The Planned Inauguration On Thursday, PREMIUM TIMES sighted a programme of events designed for the inauguration. According to the programme, the committee will consist of 10 members and the chairman. The members include Mohammed Yinusa and Timothy Olawale as representatives of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Ibrahim Khaleel and Waheed Adeyanju representing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Others are Ifeoma Anyawuataku of the Labour Ministry, Dutse Aminu of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and Jasper Azutalam, Tijani Suleiman, Kemi Nelson, Bayo Somefun, all of NSITF. Curiously, the name of the board chairman approved by the vice president, Mr Kokori, was omitted. Nwachukwu Nbadiwe, spokesperson to Mr Ngige, could not provide an explanation for the omission. He referred PREMIUM TIMES to the presidency. Why dont you find out from the presidency why the name was removed? I dont know about that, he said. Mr Nbadiwe was again evasive when asked who would chair the committee. When you come tomorrow, raise it as a question, there is an opportunity for you to ask questions, he replied. I will show up Kokori Mr Kokori on Wednesday evening told PREMIUM TIMES he was not aware of any reason for the omission of his name. He, however, insisted on making himself available for the inauguration with or without invitation. There are no issues. Why they are treating me like that I dont know. I heard this story that they want to launch the board, I called people there and they told me that the chairmanship position was left vacant. But the whole world knows, Im the chairman. Why not. Im the chairman, why should I give up? Unless the president tells me to do otherwise, I must show up. A vigilante group in Yola, Adamawa State capital, under the auspices of an hunters association on Tuesday stormed the famous Mubi roundabout and other major roads over the alleged killing of one of their members by the police. Witnesses said the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday. They said many residents were injured by the irate group. The inability of the police to quickly curb the protest led to the closure of many shops, PREMIUM TIMES reports. Even with the apparent presence of the military, the group stood firm in their quest for justice. The hunters association took to the streets and blocked almost all the major roads in the capital for hours, demanding the release of their dead member (corpse), said a resident, Habu Mallum. The victim, Ali Abdullai, according to an official of the hunters association, was killed during interrogation by police personnel attached to the Doubeli Divisional Police Station. He was allegedly tortured after he was accused of stealing a car. He subsequently went into a coma and had to be rushed to the state specialist hospital, where he later died, sources said. According to the secretary of the hunters association, Jibrin Modi, the police mistakenly arrested the victim because he bore a similar name to the actual suspect they were after whose name was Abdullahi Ali. He said when members of the group learnt of the incident, they rushed to the hospital to take the corpse but were told they would have to pay N150, 000 before it could be released. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm this claim. Irked by this development, he said they took to the streets to protest. The situation later deteriorated when they marched to the state police headquarters, threatening to burn it down. The police however mobilised and blocked all the major roads. This caused traffic jam across the area. The military were later drafted in to nip the crisis in the bud. Reacting to the situation, an Adamawa police command official described the situation as unfortunate.. The command spokesperson, Othman Abubakar, said the DPO, in charge of Doubeli has been removed immediately while four of his investigating police officers were arrested and detained. He did not elaborate. Members of the North-Central caucus of the House of Representatives have rejected the choice of Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, as Speaker in the 9th assembly. The lawmakers, while making this known in the National Assembly on Wednesday, also vowed to go ahead with the contest and present John Dyegh as their consensus candidate. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced it adopted Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th Assembly. Mr Gbajabiamlia, who also made his intention known weeks ago, is currently the Majority Leader of the House. This position was reached after an intensive deliberation with the APCs House of Representatives members-elect at a dinner with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Banquet Hall of Aso Villa. The Deputy Speaker position has been zoned to the North Central, the party said in a statement Tuesday evening by its spokesperson, Lanre Issa-Onilu. But, the North-Central lawmakers, who consist of members from both the ruling APC and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were not satisfied with the partys decision. Mr Dyegh, their most preferred candidate who spoke on behalf of the lawmakers, asked the leadership of the APC to reconsider the decision and zone the seat to the North Central. We are not fighting the party, we are not. We shall not. We are only giving the party an opportunity to come back and look at the zoning and look at what we are saying, said Mr Dyegh, representing Gboko/Tarka federal constituency. Taking what the party says hook, line and sinker is not democratic, we are in a democracy. We have right to vie for position, theres freedom of expression. We believe in party supremacy. Yes, the party is supreme. I sing that, I say it, I believe it, I go by what the party says but this is democracy and I believe we should give the Green chamber an option. According to him, in addition to being the third largest contributor to the 2019 election success of the party, fairness and equity demands the North Central be considered for the position since the region has never produced the Speaker or Deputy Speaker since the return to democracy in 1999. My party, the APC, in her wisdom, zoned the position of Speaker to the South West and even micro-zoned. I am a party man and my loyalty to the APC is 100 percent, however, the North Central zone has not been convinced nor given reasons why their votes should not count and why we should not run and we feel very strongly that there is still room for negotiation because we believe it is not over until it is over. We are, therefore, appealing to the party to have a rethink and rezone the speakership to the North Central for justice and fair play. We pray to God Almighty to touch the hearts of our Leaders to reconsider us favourably. On why he joined the speakership race, the lawmaker said the decision to join the race was based on his unyielding faith in a united and prosperous Nigeria. Citing sections of the constitution, he said it will only be fair, if the position of Speaker is given to the North Central, having taken away the seat of Senate President to the North East. It is instructive to note that the North Central has neither produced Speaker nor the Deputy Speaker since 1999. We are saying that reward in politics is based on what you bring to the table and the North Central brought the third highest number of votes in making President Muhammadu Buharis second term a reality and enabling the APC to form federal government, he said. A week ago, elders from the North-Central region under the aegis of North Central Elders Forum endorsed the deputy house leader of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, for the seat of the speaker in the 9th assembly. Mr Wase, from Plateau State, is also from the North Central zone. Another lawmaker, Chike Okafor, from Imo State, on Tuesday declared his intention to run for the Speakers office shortly before the Presidential dinner, saying that the Southeast deserved the Speakers position for the 9th House of Representatives. Advertisements Mr Okafor said the party must look beyond numbers but more on fairness and equity. The APC, last month, also adopted Ahmed Lawan as its favoured candidate for senate president. Elections into key positions of the National Assembly will hold in June. The APC has a clear majority in the next House with over 220 of the 360 members. The Niger State Police Command says it will deploy 1,350 security personnel to provide security for residents in the state, to ensure peace during and after the Easter festivities. Sabo Ibrahim, the Commissioner of Police in the state, made the disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Minna on Wednesday. We are going to deploy armed personnel to Churches and recreation centres as part of measures to deal with any unforeseen circumstances, he said. Christians worldwide will be celebrating the Easter from April 19 to April 22, to mark the end of Lent and commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He explained that effective operation order had been issued to Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state for implementation. The police boss advised the public to be vigilant and report any unusual movement or gathering in their localities during the festive period to the nearest security units. He said the security measures put in place would enable residents to observe the celebrations in a peaceful atmosphere. (NAN) Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Wednesday condoled with the family of a former senator, Adegor Eferakeya, who died on Tuesday at the age of 78. He said that Mr Eferakeya, a Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, lived a life of service by representing Delta Central Senatorial District in the 6th Senate between 2007 and 2011. Charles Aniagwu, the Chief Press Secretary to governor, conveyed the governors condolence message in a statement in Asaba, the state capital. Mr Okowa said the late senator was a renowned medical practitioner in Amukpe-Sapele, where he lived a life of service to God and the nation. He commended the late senators disposition to serve the people and the nation whenever he was called upon, adding that he promoted democratic values and culture among his people. While in the Senate, Prof. Eferakeya led the Senate through a debate on a Bill seeking to establish a national DNA data bank to help in the investigation of crime and identification of unknown corpses. Besides, he objected to the October 4, 2009 deadline by the Federal Government for ending the amnesty it had granted to militants in the Niger Delta, saying the termination of the amnesty was premature, he said. Mr Okowa urged the children, friends and political associates of the late elder statesman to keep alive his commitment to the unity, peace and stability, not only in Delta State but also the entire country. He prayed Almighty God to comfort the family and all those who mourned the septuagenarian and grant his soul eternal rest. (NAN) The Supreme Court, on Wednesday affirmed Kayode Fayemis nomination as the candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in the July 14, 2018, governorship election in Ekiti State. Justice Amiru Sanusi held that the appeal had become status barred as the suit was caught up by Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the above provision of the constitution makes it mandatory for all pre-election cases to be filed within 14 days after the issue in dispute occurred. The judge explained that the records showed that Segun Oni filed his case at the trial court 42 days after the cause of action. Mr Sanusi therefore noted that the appellant was clearly in breach of the provision, adding that the suit became incompetent the moment the rule was not observed. Mr Oni, a former governor of the state, had failed to clinch the gubernatorial ticket of the party after coming second behind the incumbent governor. He, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the process as he argued that the governor was not legally qualified to take part in the contest having not resigned his position as minister during the primary. Mr Oni submitted that Mr Fayemi participated in the partys primary on May 12, 2018, before he officially resigned in May 30, 2018. He argued that the constitution had mandated public office holders to resign their positions at least 30 days before contesting elective position. According to him, Mr Fayemis action is in gross violation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as APC guidelines. NAN reports that both the High Court in Ekiti State and the Court of Appeal Abuja had earlier dismissed Mr Onis suit for lacking in merit. (NAN) The All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos State Chapter, has urged party members who have won elections into the House of Representatives across the country to support Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker. Abiodun Salami, APCs Assistant Publicity Secretary in Lagos state, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos. Mr Salami spoke in a reaction to the adoption of Mr Gbajabiamila for the position of the Speaker of the lower chamber by the APCs national leadership on Tuesday. Mr Gbajabiamila, representing Surulere 1 federal constituency in the national assembly, was re-elected for the fifth term and currently serves as the House Leader. It would be recalled that APCs National Publicly Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, had announced the adoption of Mr Gbajabiamila in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday. He had stated that the party took the decision after extensive deliberations with APC House of Representatives members-elect at a dinner with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Banquet Hall of Aso Villa. Mr Issa-Onilu, in the statement issued shortly after the meeting, also revealed that the party had zoned the position of the Deputy Speaker to the North Central. However, an APC House of Representatives member from Benue State, John Dyegh, hours after the adoption of Mr Gbajabiamila, had also declared his ambition to be Speaker. In his declaration speech on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Dyegh said he was out to serve the nation and that the North Central zone had been marginalised in the leadership of the House since 1999. Meanwhile, Mr Salami urged all House of Representatives members-elect under the platform of the party to work with unity of purpose and support the ambition of Mr Gbajabiamila. He said the party had acted well by adopting Mr Gbajabiamila, saying, he is an experienced legislator with sterling records of service to the people. We in Lagos APC are appealing to all our members across the country to support Mr Gbajabiamila in his bid to become the speaker of the ninth House of Representatives. He has been adopted by the party and that makes him the candidate of the party. We, therefore, urge House of Representatives members-elect to support him, he said. Mr Salami described Mr Gbajabiamila as a committed and loyal party man with good records of service both at the national and state levels. Even though he is elected on the platform of the party, we have no doubt that he will serve the interest of all Nigerians when he emerges as speaker. We are also appealing to all Nigerians to support this cerebral gentleman to further impact on the countrys development through his legislative experience and prowess, he said. Mr Salami said Mr Gbajabiamila had sponsored many bills which have impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians. He sponsored the bill seeking equal opportunities for people with disability and criminalising estimated billing by electricity distribution companies, he said. He said Mr Gbajabiamila also organised periodic empowerment programmes to uplift the people of his constituency. (NAN) Forty-eight hours after an Ibadan-based lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, and his driver were kidnapped, their abductors are yet to contact any of his family members, colleagues have said. A colleague of the lawyer, who was kidnapped in Iwaraja in Osun State on Monday on his way to Akure, told PREMIUM TIMES no information of his whereabouts has been received. The Chairman of the Ibadan branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Oluwole Akintayo, who confirmed the kidnap maintained that the incident has been reported to the Osun State Police command. Mr Musibau Adetunmbi was travelling on Monday to Ondo State to appear in a matter he had in Akure, Ondo State for Tuesday morning when the incident happened. He was in the car with his driver and other team members when his vehicle was ambushed by suspected kidnappers. Other team members were asked to alight, while they drove him and his driver to an unknown destination. We went to the spot where the incident happened today (Tuesday) and there was no trace yet of his whereabouts. We reported the matter to the Osun State Police Command. Unfortunately, no contact has been established with us or his family by his kidnappers. The Osun police spokesperson, Folasade Odoro, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview Tuesday evening added that the command was working to rescue the victims. The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has said that the decision of Segun Oni to seek redress in court after his defeat in the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year has not made the former governor his enemy. Reacting to his victory at the Supreme Court during a chat with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, Governor Fayemi said though it was within Mr Onis right to seek redress in court, the exercise, according to him, was needless because it was clear that he resigned his appointment as a minister in line with the laws of the country. The governor said he is of the view that Mr Oni would see the Wednesday verdict of the Supreme Court as the end of the matter and as wake up call on him to begin to play active roles as a leader in the APC. Mr Fayemi said: Going to court does not necessarily translate to being enemies. He felt strongly about a position and I believe that is why he went to court. Now that the highest court in the land has pronounced definitively on it, I hope he will see it as a cue to play active roles in the party. To the best of my knowledge Engr Oni remains a member of APC and I dont believe he has decided to remove himself from the party. I hope this will not lead to another round of recriminations and attack because I have said it in the past that it is within his right to pursue anything he felt strongly about in the law court, the governor said. While calling on Mr Oni to support his administration in moving the state forward, Mr Fayemi said distractions and recriminations should end. On the partys call for the withdrawal of lawsuits against fellow party members, Mr Fayemi said it was the partys duty to take actions on any member who disobeys it. However Ekiti must move forward. Enough of these distractions and recriminations over matters that need not go to court because it is very clear that one, I resigned in accordance with law of the land. Two, that the shenanigans that culminated in the White Paper that said Fayemi could not serve in a political position has been dealt with by an appropriate law court and the trash that it was, and finally that the primary that took place in Ekiti was to anyone who is objective enough, one of the cleanest, fairest, most credible primaries that have ever taken place in the history of politics in Nigeria. If all of these have not convinced those who want to contend with the party, if the party chooses to take a decision on their continued membership of the party, that will not be about Fayemi and it will not be my decision. It will be the partys decision, Mr Fayemi said. Governor Kayode Fayemi on Wednesday condemned the death of two persons which followed alleged invasion of farmlands by some suspected Fulani herdsmen in Iyemero Ekiti community, in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti. The traditional ruler of the community also narrated how two people were killed in the attack. The governor, represented by the new Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua, gave the condemnation during a condolence visit to the town. The governor said his government would do everything within its powers to prevent similar occurrence in future. He also assured that every necessary step would be taken to nab the killers and bring them to justice. Mr Fayemi said government would pay the hospital bills of the victims. We sympathise with you, because lives of Ekiti people are precious to us in this government As part of the ways to arrest this situation, the governor has begun the construction of a police post in Iyemero. We are assuring you that something like this wont happen again, the governor said. The governor knows that there is loss of lives and that is why we are here to commiserate with the town. But in spite of this provocative attack, they should remain calm and be law abiding, particularly the farmers. What we are told is that it was an armed robbery issue, according to findings and reports but whatever dimension or form, it must have emerged , we are prepared to tackle it, he assured. How It Occurred This is coming just as the traditional ruler of the town, Olu of Iyemero, Ebenezer Ogungbemi, frowned at an alleged twist in the police report of the incidence described as mere armed robbery where no one died. The monarch insisted that two of his subjects actually died in the attack allegedly carried out by the suspected herders, in a farmstead under the town . The monarch dismissed the claim by the Commissioner of Police, Asuquo Amba, earlier in the day, that preliminary reports indicated that what happened was robbery. Some suspected herders on Monday allegedly invaded a farmstead called Eda, in Iyemero Ekiti, and shot a seven-year-old boy during a raid. They also shot a couple and the husband later died in the hospital. But the towns monarch insisted that two persons were killed while receiving the delegation sent by the governor to commiserate with the town. Mr Ogungbemi said the victims told him that herders who had been having a running battle with the farmers perpetrated the dastardly act. They invaded the community at midnight and shot dead a seven-year-old boy. They also shot a couple in the other house and the husband has died after they were rushed to the Ikole general hospital and the bullets could not be extracted from his body early enough. They have removed the bullets from the body of the wife and she has been referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti for treatment. What we know is that, they escaped through the Ikole-Itapaji-Iyemero-Eruku route to Kwara after their nefarious act, it is a fact that we have a porous border. Advertisements My people should be on alert and we are already mobilising the local hunters to work with the security agencies to tame the perpetrators, the traditional ruler said. Mr Ogungbemi restated his calls for the establishment of a police station in the town to curb such activities. The correct information now is that two people had died. People cant go to their farm because they are afraid . About 60 of them have been displaced and they are here in my palace till today (Wednesday) before they left, he said. (NAN) For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. The retail giant uses CleverTap's customer lifecycle management platform to drive successful online and in-store user engagement and retention strategies SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CleverTap, the customer lifecycle management platform, today announced that 7-Eleven Philippines, a subsidiary of the global retail chain, has chosen its platform to drive user engagement and retention for CLiQQ, their digital payments app. CLiQQ is the official 7-Eleven Philippines mobile app for WiFi, Rewards, and Payments. With its CLiQQ WiFi capabilities, 7-Eleven customers get easy access to the internet using the points they've earned while purchasing at any of their stores across the Philippines. "The app business is very important to us at 7-Eleven as it helps to establish a direct digital connection with the customers," said Jason Jan Ngo, Head of Information Technology Division at Philippine Seven Corporation. Jan Ngo further added, "We're looking at the app as a one-stop solution; where our customers earn points when they make purchases at the store and pay via our 7-Eleven app while making it convenient to pay their bills, load e-money, transfer funds and more. We've seen our user base grow substantially in the past year. With CleverTap, we are excited to be able to build real-time engagement with customers across channels including 7-Eleven apps, as well as in-store POS, kiosks, and website." "We are proud to be associated with 7-Eleven Philippines who are synonymous with digital transformation. We see a tremendous opportunity in the Southeast Asian market, and are committed to helping brands retain their users for life. Our aim is to provide 7-Eleven with a single source of truth by unifying data from multiple sources, and helping them build long-term customer relationships at scale," said Anand Jain, Co-founder of CleverTap. He further added, "The CLiQQ business is uniquely positioned since it has a strong brand value that stems from the 7-Eleven conglomerate. While it's no surprise that it has been one of the most downloaded apps in the region in recent times, it has contributed significantly to the growth of 7-Eleven's consumer base. With CleverTap, they will be able to optimize the entire customer lifecycle from onboarding to retention, and maximize customer lifetime value - leading to brand loyalty and increased market penetration." About CleverTap CleverTap is a customer lifecycle management platform that helps brands deliver delightful customer experiences at scale. Over 8,000 companies around the world, including Vodafone, Star, Sony, Domino's Pizza, GO-JEK, Cleartrip, and BookMyShow trust CleverTap to deliver personalized experiences and improve the impact of omnichannel marketing across the entire customer lifecycle. CleverTap is backed by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, Accel and Recruit Holdings, and operates out of San Francisco, London, Singapore, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter . Press Contact Ketan Pandit PR for CleverTap [email protected] SOURCE CleverTap Related Links https://clevertap.com ABBOTT PARK, Ill., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. First-quarter worldwide sales of $7.5 billion increased 2.0 percent on a reported basis and 7.1 percent on an organic* basis. increased 2.0 percent on a reported basis and 7.1 percent on an organic* basis. Reported diluted EPS from continuing operations under GAAP was $0.38 in the first quarter. in the first quarter. Adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations, which excludes specified items, was $0.63 , above the previous guidance range. , above the previous guidance range. Abbott projects full-year 2019 diluted EPS from continuing operations on a GAAP basis of $1.95 to $2.05 . Projected full-year adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations remains unchanged at $3.15 to $3.25 , reflecting double-digit growth at the mid-point. to . Projected full-year adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations remains unchanged at to , reflecting double-digit growth at the mid-point. During the quarter, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval for a new, expanded indication for its market-leading MitraClip device to treat clinically significant secondary mitral regurgitation, a leaky heart valve resulting from advanced heart failure. device to treat clinically significant secondary mitral regurgitation, a leaky heart valve resulting from advanced heart failure. In January, Abbott announced U.S. FDA approval of its TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled , which is designed to help physicians accurately and effectively treat atrial fibrillation, a form of irregular heartbeat. Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled , which is designed to help physicians accurately and effectively treat atrial fibrillation, a form of irregular heartbeat. In March, Abbott obtained CE Mark for its Alinity m (molecular) diagnostics system and testing assays, providing market-leading speed and accuracy to help laboratories meet the growing demand for infectious disease testing. "We're right on track with our expectations to start the year," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "All of our key long-term growth drivers are performing well and we're targeting another year of strong sales and earnings growth." * See note on organic growth below. FIRST-QUARTER BUSINESS OVERVIEW Note: Management believes that measuring sales growth rates on an organic basis is an appropriate way for investors to best understand the underlying performance of the business. Organic sales growth: Excludes the prior year first-quarter results for a non-core business within U.S. Adult Nutrition, which was discontinued during the third quarter 2018; and Excludes the impact of foreign exchange. Following are sales by business segment and commentary for the first quarter: Total Company ($ in millions) % Change vs. 1Q18 Sales 1Q19 Reported Organic U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total Total * 2,754 4,781 7,535 2.9 1.4 2.0 3.6 9.0 7.1 Nutrition 747 1,045 1,792 (1.5) 4.7 2.0 0.8 11.1 6.7 Diagnostics 724 1,117 1,841 3.3 (1.7) 0.2 3.3 5.1 4.4 Established Pharmaceuticals -- 992 992 n/a (4.9) (4.9) n/a 5.4 5.4 Medical Devices 1,275 1,620 2,895 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 12.6 9.5 * Total Q1 2019 Abbott sales from continuing operations include Other sales of $15 million. n/a = Not Applicable. Note: In order to compute results excluding the impact of exchange rates, current year U.S. dollar sales are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then those amounts are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the prior year average foreign exchange rates. First-quarter 2019 worldwide sales of $7.5 billion increased 2.0 percent on a reported basis. On an organic basis, worldwide sales increased 7.1 percent. Refer to table titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Adjusted Historical Revenue" for a reconciliation of adjusted historical revenue. Nutrition ($ in millions) % Change vs. 1Q18 Sales 1Q19 Reported Organic U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total Total 747 1,045 1,792 (1.5) 4.7 2.0 0.8 11.1 6.7 Pediatric 453 576 1,029 1.2 5.4 3.5 1.2 11.2 6.7 Adult 294 469 763 (5.5) 3.9 0.1 0.2 11.1 6.8 Worldwide Nutrition sales increased 2.0 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter. On an organic basis, sales increased 6.7 percent. Refer to table titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Adjusted Historical Revenue" for a reconciliation of adjusted historical revenue. Worldwide Pediatric Nutrition sales increased 3.5 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 3.2 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 6.7 percent on an organic basis. International Pediatric Nutrition sales increased 5.4 percent on a reported basis and 11.2 percent on an organic basis in the first quarter. Sales performance in the quarter was led by strong growth in Asia and Latin America, including broad-based growth across Abbott's portfolio of infant and toddler brands. Worldwide Adult Nutrition sales increased 0.1 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, and increased 6.8 percent on an organic basis. International Adult Nutrition sales increased 3.9 percent on a reported basis and 11.1 percent on an organic basis in the first quarter. Sales performance in the quarter was led by strong growth of Ensure, Abbott's market-leading complete and balanced nutrition brand, and Glucerna, Abbott's market-leading diabetes-specific nutrition brand. Diagnostics ($ in millions) % Change vs. 1Q18 Sales 1Q19 Reported Organic U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total Total 724 1,117 1,841 3.3 (1.7) 0.2 3.3 5.1 4.4 Core Laboratory 249 812 1,061 9.3 2.7 4.1 9.3 10.0 9.9 Molecular 40 68 108 4.2 (14.5) (8.4) 4.2 (9.7) (5.1) Point of Care 109 26 135 (1.7) (16.0) (4.8) (1.7) (13.1) (4.2) Rapid Diagnostics 326 211 537 0.6 (10.3) (4.0) 0.6 (4.2) (1.4) Worldwide Diagnostics sales increased 0.2 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 4.2 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 4.4 percent on an organic basis. Core Laboratory Diagnostics sales increased 4.1 percent on a reported basis and 9.9 percent on an organic basis in the first quarter. Sales performance in the quarter was led by above-market growth in the U.S. and internationally, where Abbott is achieving continued strong adoption of its Alinity family of innovative and highly differentiated diagnostic instruments. Molecular Diagnostics sales decreased 8.4 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 3.3 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 5.1 percent on an organic basis. International sales growth in Molecular and Rapid Diagnostics was negatively impacted in the quarter by certain non-governmental organization (NGO) purchasing patterns in Africa. During the quarter, Abbott obtained CE Mark for its Alinity m (molecular) diagnostics system and several testing assays, providing market-leading speed and accuracy to help laboratories meet the growing demand for infectious disease testing. Point of Care Diagnostics sales decreased 4.8 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 0.6 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 4.2 percent on an organic basis. Rapid Diagnostics sales decreased 4.0 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 2.6 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 1.4 percent on an organic basis. Strong sales growth in several areas of the business, including cardio-metabolic testing and Abbott's ID-NOW TM infectious disease testing platform, was offset by a difficult comparison versus the first-quarter of 2018 when sales were abnormally high due to a strong flu season. Established Pharmaceuticals ($ in millions) % Change vs. 1Q18 Sales 1Q19 Reported Organic U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total Total -- 992 992 n/a (4.9) (4.9) n/a 5.4 5.4 Key Emerging Markets -- 752 752 n/a (5.2) (5.2) n/a 7.3 7.3 Other -- 240 240 n/a (4.2) (4.2) n/a (0.9) (0.9) Established Pharmaceuticals sales decreased 4.9 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 10.3 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 5.4 percent on an organic basis. Key Emerging Markets include India, Brazil, Russia and China along with several additional emerging countries that represent the most attractive long-term growth opportunities for Abbott's branded generics product portfolio. Sales in these geographies decreased 5.2 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 12.5 percent effect of foreign exchange, and increased 7.3 percent on an organic basis led by growth in several markets. Other sales decreased 4.2 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter, including an unfavorable 3.3 percent effect of foreign exchange, and decreased 0.9 percent on an organic basis. As expected, Other sales growth was negatively impacted in the quarter by the recent discontinuation of a non-core, low-margin supply agreement. Medical Devices ($ in millions) % Change vs. 1Q18 Sales 1Q19 Reported Organic U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total U.S. Int'l Total Total 1,275 1,620 2,895 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 12.6 9.5 Cardiovascular and Neuromodulation 1,123 1,206 2,329 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.1 6.9 3.6 Rhythm Management 233 257 490 (11.6) (5.5) (8.5) (11.6) 1.0 (5.2) Electrophysiology 193 236 429 5.7 13.3 9.8 5.7 19.5 13.1 Heart Failure 143 41 184 26.1 5.7 20.9 26.1 12.4 22.6 Vascular 266 443 709 (6.9) (2.3) (4.1) (6.9) 3.7 (0.4) Structural Heart 136 188 324 24.8 1.8 10.3 24.8 9.3 15.0 Neuromodulation 152 41 193 (9.6) (6.1) (8.9) (9.6) 2.1 (7.1) Diabetes Care 152 414 566 76.5 23.7 34.4 76.5 33.1 42.0 Vascular Product Lines: Coronary and Endovasculara) 235 440 675 (2.7) (2.1) (2.3) (2.7) 3.8 1.6 a) Includes drug-eluting stents, balloon catheters, guidewires, vascular imaging/diagnostics products, vessel closure, carotid and other coronary and peripheral products. Worldwide Medical Devices sales increased 5.5 percent on a reported basis in the first quarter and increased 9.5 percent on an organic basis, led by double-digit growth in Electrophysiology, Heart Failure, Structural Heart and Diabetes Care. In Electrophysiology, in January, Abbott announced U.S. FDA approval of its TactiCath Contact Force Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled, which is designed to help physicians accurately and effectively treat atrial fibrillation, a form of irregular heartbeat. In Heart Failure, growth was driven by rapid U.S. market adoption of Abbott's HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device following FDA approval as a destination (long-term use) therapy in late-2018. In March, Abbott announced data from its MOMENTUM 3 clinical study, the largest randomized controlled trial to assess outcomes in patients receiving a heart pump to treat advanced heart failure, which demonstrated HeartMate 3 improved survival and clinical outcomes in this patient population. Growth in Structural Heart was broad-based across several areas of the business, including MitraClip, Abbott's market-leading device for the minimally invasive treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR), a leaky heart valve. During the quarter, Abbott received U.S. FDA approval for a new, expanded indication for MitraClip to treat clinically significant secondary MR as a result of underlying heart failure. This new indication significantly expands the number of people with MR that can be treated with the MitraClip device. In Diabetes Care, sales increased 34.4 percent on a reported basis and 42.0 percent on an organic basis in the first quarter. Sales growth in the quarter was led by FreeStyle Libre, Abbott's revolutionary continuous glucose monitoring system, with worldwide sales of $379 million, an increase of 70.2 percent on a reported basis and 80.1 percent on an organic basis versus the prior year. During the quarter, Abbott released real-world data from nearly 500,000 users that shows higher rates of scanning with its FreeStyle Libre system improves glucose control for people living with diabetes. ABBOTT'S EARNINGS-PER-SHARE GUIDANCE Abbott projects 2019 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $1.95 to $2.05. Abbott forecasts net specified items for the full year 2019 of $1.20 per share. Specified items include intangible amortization expense, acquisition-related expenses, charges associated with cost reduction initiatives and other expenses. Excluding specified items, projected adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations would be $3.15 to $3.25 for the full year 2019. Abbott is issuing second-quarter 2019 guidance for diluted earnings per share from continuing operations under GAAP of $0.47 to $0.49. Abbott forecasts specified items for the second quarter 2019 of $0.32 per share primarily related to intangible amortization, acquisition-related expenses, cost reduction initiatives and other expenses. Excluding specified items, projected adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations would be $0.79 to $0.81 for the second quarter. ABBOTT DECLARES 381ST CONSECUTIVE QUARTERLY DIVIDEND On Feb. 22, 2019, the board of directors of Abbott declared the company's quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share. Abbott's cash dividend is payable May 15, 2019, to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 15, 2019. Abbott has increased its dividend payout for 47 consecutive years and is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have annually increased their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years. About Abbott: Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 103,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. Abbott will webcast its live first-quarter earnings conference call through its Investor Relations website at www.abbottinvestor.com at 8 a.m. Central time today. An archived edition of the webcast will be available later that day. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors'' to our Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2018, and are incorporated by reference. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statement of Earnings First Quarter Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) 1Q19 1Q18 % Change Net Sales $7,535 $7,390 2.0 Cost of products sold, excluding amortization expense 3,160 3,067 3.0 Amortization of intangible assets 486 584 (16.8) Research and development 672 589 14.2 1) Selling, general, and administrative 2,478 2,542 (2.6) Total Operating Cost and Expenses 6,796 6,782 0.2 Operating earnings 739 608 21.6 Interest expense, net 148 199 (26.2) Net foreign exchange (gain) loss 6 (3) n/m Debt extinguishment costs -- 14 n/m Other (income) expense, net (47) (33) 38.0 Earnings from Continuing Operations before taxes 632 431 46.8 Tax expense (benefit) on Earnings from Continuing Operations (40) 22 n/m 2) Earnings from Continuing Operations 672 409 64.3 Earnings from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes -- 9 n/m Net Earnings $672 $418 60.8 Earnings from Continuing Operations, excluding Specified Items, as described below $1,126 $1,050 7.2 3) Diluted Earnings per Common Share from: Continuing Operations $0.38 $0.23 65.2 Discontinued Operations -- -- n/m Total $0.38 $0.23 65.2 Diluted Earnings per Common Share from Continuing Operations, excluding Specified Items, as described below $0.63 $0.59 6.8 3) Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding Plus Dilutive Common Stock Options 1,777 1,765 NOTES: See tables titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information From Continuing Operations" for an explanation of certain non-GAAP financial information. n/m = Percent change is not meaningful. See footnotes below. 1) In the first quarter of 2019, in conjunction with the acquisition of Cephea Valve Technologies, Inc., Abbott acquired an R&D asset valued at $102 million, which was immediately expensed. 2) 2019 Tax expense on Earnings from Continuing Operations includes the impact of a $78 million reduction of the transition tax associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and approximately $65 million in excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. 2018 Tax expense on Earnings from Continuing Operations includes the impact of approximately $65 million in excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. 3) 2019 Net Earnings and Diluted Earnings per Common Share from Continuing Operations, excluding Specified Items, excludes net after-tax charges of $454 million, or $0.25 per share, for intangible amortization expense and other expenses primarily associated with acquisitions and restructuring actions. 2018 Net Earnings and Diluted Earnings per Common Share from Continuing Operations, excluding Specified Items, excludes net after-tax charges of $641 million, or $0.36 per share, for intangible amortization expense and other expenses primarily associated with acquisitions and restructuring actions. Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information From Continuing Operations First Quarter Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) 1Q19 As Reported (GAAP) Specified Items As Adjusted % to Sales Intangible Amortization $486 $(486) -- Gross Margin 3,889 527 $4,416 58.6% R&D 672 (115) 557 7.4% SG&A 2,478 (45) 2,433 32.3% Other (income) expense, net (47) (13) (60) Earnings from Continuing Operations before taxes 632 700 1,332 Tax expense (benefit) on Earnings from Continuing Operations (40) 246 206 Earnings from Continuing Operations 672 454 1,126 Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations $0.38 $0.25 $0.63 Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $486 million and other expenses of $214 million, primarily associated with acquisitions, restructuring actions and other expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items. 1Q18 As Reported (GAAP) Specified Items As Adjusted % to Sales Intangible Amortization $584 $(584) -- Gross Margin 3,739 647 $4,386 59.3% R&D 589 (43) 546 7.4% SG&A 2,542 (90) 2,452 33.2% Net foreign exchange (gain) loss (3) (1) (4) Debt extinguishment costs 14 (14) -- Other (income) expense, net (33) (2) (35) Earnings from Continuing Operations before taxes 431 797 1,228 Tax expense on Earnings from Continuing Operations 22 156 178 Earnings from Continuing Operations 409 641 1,050 Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations $0.23 $0.36 $0.59 Specified items reflect intangible amortization expense of $584 million and other expenses of $213 million, primarily associated with acquisitions, restructuring actions and other expenses. See table titled "Details of Specified Items" for additional details regarding specified items. A reconciliation of the first-quarter tax rates for continuing operations for 2019 and 2018 is shown below: 1Q19 ($ in millions) Pre-Tax Income Taxes on Earnings Tax Rate As reported (GAAP) $632 (40) (6.3%) 1) Specified items 700 246 Excluding specified items $1,332 $206 15.5% 1Q18 ($ in millions) Pre-Tax Income Taxes on Earnings Tax Rate As reported (GAAP) $431 $22 5.0% 2) Specified items 797 156 Excluding specified items $1,228 $178 14.5% 1) Reported tax rate on a GAAP basis for the first quarter of 2019 includes the impact of a $78 million reduction of the transition tax associated with the TCJA and approximately $65 million in excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. 2) Reported tax rate on a GAAP basis for 2018 includes the impact of approximately $65 million in excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Adjusted Historical Revenue First Quarter Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 ($ in millions) (unaudited) 1Q19 1Q18 % Change vs. 1Q18 Abbott Reported Abbott Reported Discontinued Businessa) Adjusted Revenue Non-GAAP Reported Reported Organicb) Total Company 7,535 7,390 (17) 7,373 2.0 2.2 7.1 U.S. 2,754 2,675 (17) 2,658 2.9 3.6 3.6 Int'l 4,781 4,715 -- 4,715 1.4 1.4 9.0 Total Nutrition 1,792 1,756 (17) 1,739 2.0 3.0 6.7 U.S. 747 758 (17) 741 (1.5) 0.8 0.8 Int'l 1,045 998 -- 998 4.7 4.7 11.1 Adult 763 762 (17) 745 0.1 2.4 6.8 U.S. 294 310 (17) 293 (5.5) 0.2 0.2 Int'l 469 452 -- 452 3.9 3.9 11.1 a) Reflects sales related to a non-core product line within the U.S. Adult Nutrition business, which was discontinued during the third quarter 2018. b) In order to compute results excluding the impact of exchange rates, current year U.S. dollar sales are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then those amounts are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the prior year average foreign exchange rates. Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries Details of Specified Items First Quarter Ended March 31, 2019 (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) Acquisition or Divestiture- related (a) Restructuring and Cost Reduction Initiatives (b) Intangible Amortization Other (c) Total Specifieds Gross Margin $ 19 $ 22 $ 486 $ -- $ 527 R&D (7) (5) -- (103) (115) SG&A (43) (2) -- -- (45) Other (income) expense, net (3) -- -- (10) (13) Earnings from Continuing Operations before taxes $ 72 $ 29 $ 486 $ 113 700 Tax expense on Earnings from Continuing Operations (d) 246 Earnings from Continuing Operations $ 454 Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations $ 0.25 The table above provides additional details regarding the specified items described on tables titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information From Continuing Operations". a) Acquisition-related expenses include costs for tax and other services related to business acquisitions, integration costs which represent incremental costs directly related to integrating the acquired businesses and include expenditures for retention, severance, and the integration of systems, processes and business activities, and fair value adjustments to contingent consideration related to a business acquisition. b) Restructuring and cost reduction initiative expenses include severance, outplacement, inventory write-downs, asset impairments, accelerated depreciation, and other direct costs associated with specific restructuring plans and cost reduction initiatives. Restructuring and cost reduction plans consist of distinct initiatives to streamline operations including the consolidation and rationalization of business activities and facilities, workforce reductions, the transfer of product lines between manufacturing facilities, and the transfer of other business activities between sites. c) Other expense relates to the acquisition of an R&D asset and charges related to the impairment of certain assets. d) Reflects the net tax benefit associated with the specified items, a reduction in the transition tax associated with the TCJA and excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries Details of Specified Items First Quarter Ended March 31, 2018 (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) Acquisition or Divestiture- related (a) Restructuring and Cost Reduction Initiatives (b) Intangible Amortization Other (c) Total Specifieds Gross Margin $ 45 $ 18 $ 584 $ -- $ 647 R&D (16) (2) -- (25) (43) SG&A (86) (4) -- -- (90) Net foreign exchange (gain) loss -- (1) -- -- (1) Debt extinguishment costs -- -- -- (14) (14) Other (income) expense, net (2) -- -- -- (2) Earnings from Continuing Operations before taxes $ 149 $ 25 $ 584 $ 39 797 Tax expense on Earnings from Continuing Operations (d) 156 Earnings from Continuing Operations $ 641 Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations $ 0.36 The table above provides additional details regarding the specified items described on tables titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information From Continuing Operations". a) Acquisition-related expenses include costs for legal, accounting, tax, and other services related to business acquisitions, integration costs which represent incremental costs directly related to integrating the acquired businesses and include expenditures for consulting, retention, severance, and the integration of systems, processes and business activities, fair value adjustments to contingent consideration related to a business acquisition, and inventory step-up amortization. b) Restructuring and cost reduction initiative expenses include severance, outplacement, inventory write-downs, asset impairments, accelerated depreciation, and other direct costs associated with specific restructuring plans and cost reduction initiatives. Restructuring and cost reduction plans consist of distinct initiatives to streamline operations including the consolidation and rationalization of business activities and facilities, workforce reductions, the transfer of product lines between manufacturing facilities, and the transfer of other business activities between sites. c) Other expense relates to the acquisition of an R&D asset and the cost associated with the early extinguishment of debt. d) Reflects the net tax benefit associated with the specified items and excess tax benefits associated with share-based compensation. SOURCE Abbott Related Links http://www.abbott.com TIRANA, Albania, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania has issued the following statement regarding the vote in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands seeking initiation of "emergency brake" procedures with respect to visa liberalisation with Albania: The Ministry would like to inform Albanian citizens that the vote in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands to request the European Commission to initiate emergency brake procedures for visa liberalisation does not affect the actual procedures for free movement of Albanian citizens to the Schengen area. Albanian citizens will continue to move freely to Schengen countries according to current practice and by fulfilling the conditions currently in force. An EU Member State may request the European Commission to open the procedure for the suspension of the visa-free travel only on the basis of the conditions laid down in EU legislation. No conditions are met for submitting this request from the Netherlands for the Republic of Albania. Moreover it is the European Commission that will examine the request and provide a response. Based on objective facts and according to official figures, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania is confident that this resolution cannot find support in the European Commission since, in the case of Albania, none of the criteria that would lead to the application of the temporary suspension mechanism are fulfilled. Illegal migration of Albanian citizens to the Netherlands has decreased continuously, while the temporary suspension mechanism applies in cases where illegal migration has risen by more than 50%. Crime figures also record a substantial decline. Additionally, the criterion relating to cooperation between law enforcement authorities of both countries has been considered excellent by both Albanian and Dutch officials. Dutch politicians have cited as their reason to question visa-free travel the alleged impact of Albanian criminals on Dutch society. In reality, of the 244,500 suspects that were arrested in The Netherlands in 2018, only 470 were Albanian, or 0.019%. See: https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/nl/dataset/82315NED/table?ts=1537951241511 The Government of the Republic of Albania is committed to continue intensifying its cooperation with the authorities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and as well as with other EU member states in combating illegal cross-border activities. Unfortunately the electoral climate in the Netherlands has had its own impact and although we regret the insertion of Albania into domestic party agendas, there is no doubt that beyond the European elections horizon the facts will prevail over electoral cliches. The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs wants to make use of this opportunity to once again call on Albanian citizens to comply with the travel document requirements before departure for the Schengen zone. More information on the required travel documents is available at the official website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. https://punetejashtme.gov.al/levizja-e-lire-ne-vendet-e-hapesires-shengen/ SOURCE Government of The Republic of Albania FORT WORTH, Texas, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ), a global provider of metal coating services, welding solutions, specialty electrical equipment and highly engineered services, today announced it has completed the purchase of Tennessee Galvanizing Inc., a privately held company, based in Jasper, Tennessee. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. AZZ expects the facility, which will operate as AZZ Galvanizing Chattanooga to be accretive to earnings within the first year of operation. About Tennessee Galvanizing Inc. Founded in 1991 Tennessee Galvanizing Inc., located in Southeast Tennessee, is a leading regional provider of galvanizing services. The Company operates four distinct galvanizing lines in its Jasper, Tennessee location, including centrifuge, rod, conveyor, and traditional hot-dip galvanizing. About AZZ Inc. AZZ Inc. is a global provider of metal coating services, welding solutions, specialty electrical equipment and highly engineered services to the markets of power generation, transmission, distribution and industrial in protecting metal and electrical systems used to build and enhance the world's infrastructure. AZZ Metal Coatings is a leading provider of metal finishing solutions for corrosion protection, including hot dip galvanizing to the North American steel fabrication industry. AZZ Energy is dedicated to delivering safe and reliable transmission of power from generation sources to end customers, and automated weld overlay solutions for corrosion and erosion mitigation to critical infrastructure in the energy markets worldwide. Safe Harbor Statement Certain statements herein about our expectations of future events or results constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as, "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and management's views and assumptions regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and investors must recognize that actual results may differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, changes in customer demand and response to products and services offered by AZZ, including demand by the power generation markets, electrical transmission and distribution markets, the industrial markets, and the metal coatings markets; prices and raw material cost, including zinc and natural gas which are used in the hot dip galvanizing process; changes in the political stability and economic conditions of the various markets that AZZ serves, foreign and domestic, customer requested delays of shipments, acquisition opportunities, currency exchange rates, adequacy of financing, and availability of experienced management and employees to implement AZZ's growth strategy. AZZ has provided additional information regarding risks associated with the business in AZZ's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2018 and other filings with the SEC, available for viewing on AZZ's website at www.azz.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These statements are based on information as of the date hereof and AZZ assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: Paul Fehlman, Senior Vice President Finance and CFO AZZ Inc. 817-810-0095 Internet: azz.com Lytham Partners 602-889-9700 Joe Dorame, Robert Blum or Joe Diaz Internet: lythampartners.com SOURCE AZZ Inc. Related Links https://www.azz.com ATLANTA, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Month of the Military Child in April, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is celebrating the half a million military-connected youth they serve each year at 484 affiliated youth centers by hosting several events throughout the month with the culmination celebration on Purple Up Day, April 25. "Military youth face unique challenges like moving from place to place and Boys & Girls Clubs seeks to provide them with a welcoming and familiar environment," said Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We are honored to have the U.S. Armed Services as a partner, as we celebrate the incredible resilience of our nation's military youth." Boys & Girls Clubs of America-affiliated Youth Centers across the nation and abroad will use this time to raise awareness of the needs and the programs offered to military youth. Programs like Raytheon's STEM Centers of Innovation positively influence the overall well-being, resiliency, and academic success of military kids. Three new Raytheon STEM Centers of Innovation will open this month at the Los Angeles Air Force Base, Fort Gordon and Fort Meade and a fourth will be opening this June at Langley Air Force Base. As a part of Raytheon's $10 million pledge to support military families and veterans, the STEM Centers of Innovation are fully supported by Raytheon's $5 million, multi-year commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is excited announce a new partnership with Blue Star Families. Through this partnership, the two organizations will work together to empower military families by connecting them with civilian organizations, creating a stronger community of support. These initiatives, along with many more not mentioned, are all part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's larger initiative of expanding military outreach to provide support to more military-connected youth. "If I could describe my life as a military child, I would say its "fun" and a struggle sometimes," said Ryan Walker, Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2018-19 Military Youth of the Year. "Although I changed schools often, one thing remained consistent in my life. No matter where we moved, there was always a Boys & Girls Club. The Club was full of military kids who were just like me. It was a safe space where I could find my passion, give back to my community and just be myself." The public is invited to help raise awareness of military kids and teens and their resiliency by wearing purple on April 25th. Also, join in on the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #BGCPurpleUp and #BGCMOTMC. For more information about Month of the Military Child, visit www.bgca.org. About Boys & Girls Clubs of America For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter. SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America Related Links http://www.bgca.org SANTA ROSA, Calif., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CannaCraft, Inc., the manufacturer of California's top-selling cannabis brands, announced today that the company's vape cartridges have been certified as child-resident under the requirements of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, successfully fulfilling California's child-resistant packaging requirements for cannabis products. Prior to receiving this certification, the two-million vape cartridges produced by CannaCraft annually were packaged in plastic, child-resistant tubes to comply with cannabis packaging regulations in California. By adding a step to the manufacturing process the company is now able to seal the vape cartridges, making them inherently child-resistant without adding excessive, single-use plastic. In a letter from the California Department of Public Health, the agency commended CannaCraft's "diligence in adhering to both the letter and spirit of the law, as you continue to pursue innovations in this emerging market." "Public safety is a top concern for CannaCraft, but the excessive plastic waste was also troubling," said Tiffany Devitt, CannaCraft's Chief Compliance Officer. "With each plastic tube standing 5.5" tall, 1 years' worth of CannaCraft's child-resistant tubes would reach over 900,000 feet if stacked. Or 30 times taller than Mount Everest. That's a lot of waste that we'll be eliminating." Innovation has been a driving force behind CannaCraft's success, with over one-hundred unique products, the company has amassed one of the largest product portfolios in California. "By leveraging the latest manufacturing technology and drawing inspiration from production methods used in industries like health and wellness, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage, we have introduced one-of-a-kind products and manufacturing methods into the cannabis space," said Dennis Hunter, CannaCraft Co-founder, adding: "As we evolve our products, we remain equally committed to evolving our production standards. This includes improving sustainability and decreasing our carbon footprint." Hunter's contributions to the cannabis industry have been widely recognized over the years, recently being named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Cannabis" by High Times for the second year in a row, specifically for innovation around cannabis products and manufacturing. ABOUT CANNACRAFT CannaCraft was founded in Santa Rosa, CA in 2014 and has over 200-employees. The company manufactures five of California's top-selling brands; Care By Design, AbsoluteXtracts, Satori Chocolates, HiFi Hops, and Loud & Clear, offering over one-hundred products, including vape cartridges, gel capsules, tinctures, topicals, beverages, infused candies, packaged flower, and more. For more information about CannaCraft visit www.cannacraft.com. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Kial Long VP, Corporate Communications [email protected] SOURCE CannaCraft Related Links http://www.cannacraft.com WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chaz Dean, founder of WEN Hair & Body Care was recently honored with a proclamation on behalf of the West Hollywood City Council. Recognized with the distinguished accolade from his hometown, Dean was celebrated for his successful career as a celebrity stylist to the stars and countless contributions to the community of West Hollywood and Greater Los Angeles area. At a young age, Chaz developed an eye for capturing beauty. He enrolled in cosmetology school where he discovered his talent for cutting, coloring and the art of makeup, which led him to create WEN Hair & Body Care by Chaz Dean, his line of groundbreaking beauty and lifestyle products. "I am incredibly humbled by the response from the West Hollywood City Council," says Chaz Dean. "I absolutely love this beautiful city. It means so much to have the opportunity to be a part of its future and leave my mark." The West Hollywood City Council acknowledges Chaz Dean and the progressive impact he has had on the local community. With a core focus on philanthropy, Dean has partnered with numerous national and local charities including, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Project Angel Food, Love Leo, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, LA Mission, Generosity Water and more. For more information about Chaz Dean, please visit https://chazdean.com/ About Chaz Dean A true pioneer in the hair care industry, WEN Hair & Body Care by Chaz Dean concept first debuted in 1993 as a long-awaited, natural solution to a crowded marketplace of harmful and toxic options. Founded by celebrity stylist Chaz Dean, every product in the now vast WEN portfolio reflects Chaz's philosophy that respecting the health and integrity of the body, from hair to toe, is the foundation of true beauty. The products are made without harsh sulfates, often found in ordinary shampoos, which strip it of its natural oils. Instead, each formulation contains a perfect blend of botanical ingredients, including herbs and extracts that hydrate and cleanse, leaving hair looking and feeling healthy. Over 40 million products have been sold. SOURCE WEN Hair & Body Care Today, commercial production of major crops, such as soybeans, corn, wheat and tomato, relies on a handful of standard seed varietieswith limited options for farmers. Inari is applying the Lippman technology to its product development process, which aims to address challenges to our current food system, increasing plant yields as well as waterand nitrogen-use efficiency. "CSHL identified Inari as an exclusive partner because of its potential to disrupt the market," said CSHL President and CEO Bruce Stillman. "Dr. Lippman's team has already demonstrated the power of basic research in understanding crop yield and this collaboration with Inari applies his research to help farmers deal with changing environmental conditions, water shortages, and threats to arable land." Lippman first came to CSHL as a Ph.D. student, studying how gene regulation can impact diversity. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he studied how tweaks in gene regulation cause wide variation in traits. In Israel, Lippman and colleagues identified two genesboth of which encode regulators of other genesthat help control the branching of flower-bearing shoots in tomato plants. Recruited back to CSHL as a faculty member, he has studied the architecture and flowering of tomatoes, developing new approaches, including the Promoter Fine Tuning technology, to tailor the genes that control these traits. Two years in the making, the licensing of Promoter Fine Tuning technology is consistent with CSHL's strategy to pursue innovation in the focus areas of crop improvement, clinical diagnostics, cancer therapeutics and orphan diseases. Standard academic technology transfer strategy considers commercialization when basic research sparks an idea for a marketable technology. "CSHL's approach is more forward-looking, aligned with its historic high-risk/high-reward approach to accelerating innovative research," explained Andrew Whiteley, CSHL Vice President for Business Development and Technology Transfer. "We want to initiate relationships with industry partners while the technology is being shaped and developed at CSHL." About Inari Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2016, Inari seeks a winning food system with its industry-disrupting Seed Foundry, a process which taps the natural genetic diversity of plants in the context of climate change and respect for our environment. Inari works with seed companies to co-develop high performance seeds, with innovations directly benefiting farmers. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with development sites in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Ghent, Belgium, Inari has a growing team of over 90 100 employees. To learn more, visit Inari.com or follow on Twitter @inari_a About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students and technicians. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu SOURCE Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Related Links http://www.cshl.edu ATLANTA, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company focused on aortic disease, announced today that 2019 first quarter financial results will be released on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 after the market closes. On that day, the Company will hold a teleconference call and live webcast at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the results, followed by a question and answer session hosted by Pat Mackin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CryoLife, Inc. To listen to the live teleconference, please dial 201-689-8261 a few minutes prior to 4:30 p.m. ET. A replay of the teleconference will be available April 30 through May 7 and can be accessed by calling (toll free) 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415. The conference number for the replay is 13690095. The live webcast and replay can be accessed in the Investor Relations section of the CryoLife website at www.cryolife.com and selecting Webcasts & Presentations. In addition, a copy of the earnings press release, which will contain financial and statistical information for the completed quarter and full year, can be accessed in the Investor Relations section of the CryoLife website. About CryoLife, Inc. Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, CryoLife is a leader in the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of medical devices and implantable tissues used in cardiac and vascular surgical procedures focused on aortic repair. CryoLife markets and sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide. For additional information about CryoLife, visit our website, www.cryolife.com. Contacts: CryoLife D. Ashley Lee Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Phone: 770-419-3355 Gilmartin Group LLC Greg Chodaczek / Lynn Lewis Phone: 646-924-1769 [email protected] SOURCE CryoLife, Inc. Related Links http://www.cryolife.com SHANGHAI, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) today announced the introduction of its enhanced TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter for the light-vehicle market. The product makes its debut today at AutoShanghai. The new TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter from Dana are an integrated system featuring high-RPM permanent magnet electric motors, power-dense electronic inverters, and advanced controls that enable electric vehicles to meet the highest standards for efficiency, reliability, and performance. It is designed for seamless integration into Dana's Spicer gearboxes and e-Axles, providing a cost-effective, three-in-one turnkey solution to manufacturers of electric vehicles. Optimized for passenger-car applications up to Class 2 commercial vehicles, the TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter can be used individually as the front or rear drive for small passenger vehicles, or multiple systems can be configured to operate in tandem for higher gross vehicle weight applications. Dana's TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter are the latest and most advanced package in the series, offering superior torque and power densities, extended driving range, and application versatility. It weighs 50 kg and is scalable up to 150 kW and 11,000 rpm. Also, the integrated inverter is 33 percent smaller than the previous generation. The system is available now for customer testing, with production in China scheduled for 2020. "Technologies in the electric vehicle market are advancing quickly, delivering higher power densities, lighter weight, and maximum torque capability," said Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "Dana helps vehicle manufacturers in China power into e-Drive through a full portfolio of drive components, global systems expertise in electrification, and nearly 30 years of experience in the country." With an active and growing footprint in China to support vehicle electrification, Dana's presence in China dates to 1991, and today operates 23 facilities in China that employ more than 6,750 people, including those operations in which Dana holds a minority interest. Dana serves numerous light-vehicle manufacturers in China, including BMW, Daimler, Dongfeng Motor, Ford, GAC, Great Wall, Jinbei, Lamborghini, Porsche, SAIC, SGMW, Southeast Motor Corporation, Toyota, and VW Group. In March, TM4 announced the production of its 12,000th TM4 SUMO electric powertrain for buses and commercial vehicles in China. Key Chinese customers include Higer, Yaxing, Foton, Yinlong, and King Long. The TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter are available from Dana are designed and engineered at TM4 in Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, and manufactured in Weifang, Shandong province. TM4 is a joint-venture between Dana and Hydro-Quebec, Canada's largest electricity producer and one of the world's largest hydroelectric power producers. Dana at Auto Shanghai Auto Shanghai attendees may visit hall 6.2, stand 6BF060 in the National Exhibition and Convention Center to see the TM4 MOTIVE motor and inverter from Dana as part of a comprehensive portfolio of driveline solutions for passenger vehicles and light trucks. About Dana Incorporated Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com. SOURCE Dana Incorporated Related Links http://www.dana.com FLINT, Mich., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO), will release its first-quarter 2019 operating results before market open Tuesday, May 7. A conference call and live webcast will be held at 8:30 a.m. ET. Shareholders and interested participants can listen to a live broadcast by calling 833.286.5805 (647.689.4450 for international callers) and entering participation code 7747209, starting about 15 minutes before the call. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the investor relations section of Diplomat's website at ir.diplomat.is. The site will host an audio recording and supplemental investor information for 90 days. Diplomat executives Brian Griffin, chairman and CEO, and Dan Davison, chief financial officer, will also participate in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Healthcare Conference in Las Vegas on May 14. About Diplomat Diplomat (NYSE: DPLO) is the nation's largest independent provider of specialty pharmacy and infusion services. Diplomat helps people with complex and chronic health conditions in all 50 states, partnering with payers, providers, hospitals, manufacturers, and more. Rooted in this patient care expertise, Diplomat also serves payers through CastiaRx, a leading specialty benefit manager, and offers tailored solutions for healthcare innovators through EnvoyHealth. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continues always focused on improving patient care. For more information, visit diplomat.is . CONTACT: Terri Anne Powers, Vice President of Investor Relations 312.889.5244 | [email protected] Kali Lucas, Partner Marketing Supervisor 810.768.9580 | [email protected] SOURCE Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. Related Links http://www.diplomat.is WOBURN, Massachusetts, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EarlySense, the market leader in contact-free continuous sensing and analytics solutions across the care continuum, announced today the appointment of Matt Johnson as its new chief executive officer. Johnson succeeds company co-founder and founding CEO Avner Halperin, who has led EarlySense since launching the company in 2004. "EarlySense has established itself as the global leader of contact-free continuous sensing and analytics technology, and, as we are accelerating our commercial growth in the U.S. and global markets, now is the time to bring in a CEO with a skill set to facilitate that growth. We are excited that Matt Johnson, an executive with formidable healthcare and economic skill, will lead our team in pursuit of our goal to become the standard of care for patient monitoring in hospitals, nursing homes and the home," said Ittai Harel, EarlySense chairman. "Furthermore, it has been a privilege and an honor to work with Avner Halperin, who developed EarlySense from concept to its strong standing today, and we look forward to Avner's continued contribution as a director on EarlySense's board." Matt Johnson joins EarlySense with significant healthcare and healthtech executive experience. He served as managing director at Sowell & Co., a private equity group, and was responsible for acquisitions, divestitures, and oversight of private-equity investment growth. His previous management experience includes serving as CEO of CareCycle Solutions, a leading health platform with a special focus on technology and remote patient management, and CEO of HealthBridge In-Home Care. His roles in health technology, equity and patient management build on the company's core strengths. "EarlySense has done an incredible job establishing the scientific-foundation for continuous patient monitoring in varied healthcare settings, and has forged key partnerships with some of the leading healthcare providers and suppliers," said Johnson, CEO, EarlySense. "EarlySense proprietary technology is poised to impact thousands of patients' lives, as well as reduce costs in healthcare facilities around the world. I am appreciative of the opportunity and look forward to leading this innovative company." "Today, more than one million patients have enjoyed the benefit of monitoring and health analytics with EarlySense technology that empowers healthcare professionals to achieve better clinical and economic outcomes," said Halperin. "Matt Johnson is a stellar choice to carry forward our mission of ensuring prompt care, saving lives and reducing medical costs. I look forward to being there to support Matt and the company's continued success." About EarlySense EarlySense is the global leader in contact-free, continuous monitoring solutions for the healthcare continuum. Used worldwide in hospitals, post-acute care facilities, and homes, EarlySense assists clinicians in early detection of patient deterioration. The solution has been proven to help prevent adverse events, including code blue events which are a result of cardiac or respiratory arrest, preventable ICU transfers, patient falls, pressure ulcers, and hospital readmissions. EarlySense's FDA-cleared solutions leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to provide actionable health insights and improve clinical outcomes. The company has partnered with leading global technology companies including Hill-Rom, Philips, Welch Allyn, Mitsui and Beurer. EarlySense is based in Ramat Gan, Israel and Woburn, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.earlysense.com. Follow EarlySense on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Media Contact: Goel Jasper Finn Partners +1-929-222-8002 [email protected] Company Contact: Hila Peleg +972-54-527-3117 [email protected] SOURCE EarlySense Related Links https://www.earlysense.com/ HOULTON, Maine, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Katahdin Bankshares Corp. (OTCQX: KTHN), parent company of Katahdin Trust Company, a community bank founded in 1918 serving northern Maine and the greater Bangor and Portland regions, has announced first-quarter earnings of $1.85 million, or $0.49 per common share. First quarter earnings for Katahdin Bankshares Corp. exceeded 2018 first quarter earnings by $212,000 or 13.0%. Total assets reached $800.1 million, representing growth of $6.9 million over the first quarter of 2018. "Our year is off to a great start for Katahdin Trust," said Jon J. Prescott, President and Chief Executive Officer. "In addition to a record first quarter, we were also pleased to launch a new look to our website that is optimized for mobile devices." The Company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.1125 per share in the first quarter 2019, representing a 4.65% increase over last year's first quarter dividend. For more information visit KatahdinTrust.com and click on Financial Reports under About Us. About Katahdin Bankshares Corp. Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Company, stock is quoted on the OTC Markets quote board OTCQX under the symbol KTHN. Current stock information can be found at otcmarkets.com/stock/KTHN/quote. Katahdin Trust, founded in 1918, is a community bank with more than $800 million in assets and 180 employees. The Bank offers financial services to individuals and businesses from 16 full-service branches in Northern Maine and the greater Bangor and Portland Regions with a suite of digital banking solutions. Learn more about Katahdin Trust on its website at www.katahdintrust.com and get the latest news and information by following Katahdin Trust on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. SOURCE Katahdin Bankshares Corp. Related Links http://www.katahdintrust.com SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Madonna's highly-anticipated 14th studio album Madame X will be released on June 14th globally from Live Nation, Interscope Records and Maverick. The first track from the album "Medellin," with Colombian superstar Maluma, will be Zane Lowe's World Record today on Apple Music's Beats 1. Madame X is now available for pre-order. Album pre-orders include a download of the first track which is available across Apple, Spotify (pre-save), Amazon and all DSPs. Select additional tracks will become available before the album release. Madonna will exclusively unveil the world premiere of her video and single "Medellin" with Maluma, during a globally televised MTV music event, "MTV Presents Madonna Live & Exclusive: 'Medellin' Video World Premiere," on Wednesday, April 24 at 9:00 pm BST / 4:00pm ET/ 1:00pm PT. Madonna will join British DJ Trevor Nelson and fans live from London for a conversation about the influences of her new album, and the creative forces behind her transcendent career. "Medellin" collaborator and Colombian pop star Maluma will join live from Miami. Madonna will also take questions during the global event via satellite from MTV's Sway Calloway and fans in New York City, with additional MTV-hosted events in Milan and Sao Paulo. Influenced creatively by living in Lisbon, Portugal over the past several years, Madame X is a collection of 15 new songs that celebrate Madonna's career-long affair with Latin music and culture as well as other global influences. Singing in Portuguese, Spanish and English, highlights on the album include "Medellin," which was co-produced by Mirwais and captures the spirit of Maluma's hometown, the anthemic song "I Rise," the Jamaican dancehall vibes of "Future" featuring Quavo, and co-produced by Diplo, as well as the sonically innovative Mirwais produced "Dark Ballet." Recorded over 18 months in Portugal, London, New York and Los Angeles, Madonna collaborated on Madame X with longtime producer Mirwais, as well as with producers Mike Dean and Diplo, among others. "Lisbon is where my record was born," Madonna says. "I found my tribe there and a magical world of incredible musicians that reinforced my belief that music across the world is truly all connected and is the soul of the universe." Madame X will come in a standard and deluxe version of the album. A Target CD version will feature the deluxe version of Madame X plus an additional two tracks. Pre-order the Target deluxe at Target stores or online at Target.com. A variety of special bundles of Madame X with one-of-a-kind limited merchandise, as well as special vinyl and cassette versions of the album, are available now for pre-order as well HERE. Further details regarding the album, videos and appearances will be announced in the coming weeks. [DOWNLOAD ALL ARTWORK HERE] The full track listing for Madame X standard and deluxe versions are: Medellin with Maluma Dark Ballet God Control Future ft. Quavo Batuka Killers Who Are Partying Crave ft. Swae Lee Crazy Come Alive Extreme Occident **deluxe version only Faz Gostoso ft. Anitta Bitch I'm Loca ft. Maluma I Don't Search I Find Looking for Mercy **deluxe version only I Rise For more information, please visit: www.madonna.com www.instagram.com/madonna www.twitter.com/madonna www.youtube.com/madonna SOURCE Interscope Records JERUSALEM, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The first ever Israel Lean Launchpad program, founded by the Merage Institute to provide effective training to entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists, has concluded in Jerusalem with an initial cohort of a dozen Israeli startup CEOs and founders. The program, which first found success in Silicon Valley, aims to give start-up founders in the Israeli startup ecosystem the tools to build sustainable companies by focusing on the importance of business models over business plans. Members of the program participated in ten day-long workshops and seminars focused on different areas of commercialization, that included rapid-fire feedback from their target audience on their business hypotheses, including revenue models and partners, storytelling and more. The program ran from February through April 2019. Inspired by the Lean Startup methodology created by Steve Blank and employed worldwide, the program was brought to Israel by U.S. businessman and philanthropist, Paul Merage and Start-Up Nation Central, the Jerusalem Development Authority, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Yissum. Yishay Aizik, Executive Director of the Merage Foundation said, "We are proud to launch the Israeli Lean Launchpad with our partners after we identified the need to provide Israeli entrepreneurs with practical tools to commercialize their wonderful ideas. Our goal is to increase the rate of success among Israeli startups and to help them penetrate the U.S. market in the future." Hosting the first Lean Launchpad in Jerusalem is indicative of the growing role of tech in the city. "Jerusalem is a hi-tech and bio-med hub in Israel and is highly respected around the world. Seven years ago, when I was Chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority, we decided to pursue the development of a hi-tech and bio-med ecosystem, based on the strength of our city's institutions, including the Hebrew University and our advanced hospital system. Jerusalem is on its way to becoming a world leader in these fields, and as Mayor, I will continue to do everything I can to support this growth," Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said at an event marking the conclusion of the program. Prof. Eugene Kandel, CEO of Startup Nation Central said, "Scientists and researchers who learn entrepreneurship and business skills are better able to commercialize their research. The Israeli government, which makes large investments in basic and applied research, stands to benefit tremendously should it be translated into viable profit-generating companies. Training programs such as Lean Launchpad are exactly what we need to help tap into this underrealized source of entrepreneurship. I am very much in favor of the government agencies helping pilot such courses in all research universities and testing their long-term impact." In addition to the Merage Institute, Lean Launchpad's partners include the JDA, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, HUJI Innovate, The Jerusalem School of Business Administration, The Magid Institute for Continuing Education founded by Hebrew University, and Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University. "The Jerusalem Development Authority is pleased to promote and support the Israeli Lean Launchpad program. There is an advanced technological ecosystem in Jerusalem. Developing management capabilities with an emphasis on customer understanding, as promoted in the program, complements the existing strengths in city," said Itzik Ozer, Senior Director of Business Development, JDA. In recent years, Jerusalem's hi-tech scene has skyrocketed from 200 to 600 start-ups and the Mayor cited The Hebrew University, Hadassah and Sha'are Zedek as leading institutions that helped make that happen. Hebrew University's Vice-President and Director-General Yishai Fraenkel, said, "One of the things that is most important in this industry is biotech and its connection to the academic world. This is where a lot of innovation is coming from. Artificial intelligence was born in academia and is now critical to so many startups. The connections between the university and the start-ups have massive potential." Ran Meged, Merage Institute leader for the Israeli Lean Launchpad said, "The focus of the 2-month program is to teach and train entrepreneurs on paths from research to product and the transformation of ideas to business models, using the feedback of their potential customers and partners at the earliest stage possible. The first cycle focused on technologies in life sciences with a specific emphasis on ideas in digital health, medical devices and diagnostics. The next cycle will focus on early stage startups. We hope that soon everyone who is seeking funding for their startup will first participate in a Lean Launchpad program." Among the companies with the potential for global impact is Genetika+. CEO Dr. Talia Cohen Solal notes that, "300 million people suffer from major depression a year. Many lose weeks, months and sometimes their lives waiting for their doctor to find the unique medication that is right for them. We want to take the search for the right prescription out of the patient and into the lab where it belongs." Dr. Shai Harel, the academic director of the program and the head of the strategy and entrepreneurship division at the school of business administration said "The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the school of business administration see great importance in bringing the academic world to the industry practitioners. The school believes that the combination of the theoretical practice within the academic world and the practical side of the industry can bring about a change especially in entrepreneurial and innovative companies. The school strives to bring startup's CEOs cutting edge academic knowledge while making it practical and helpful, hence, we see great importance in this program and we intend to keep on developing it." The next Lean Launchpad class is scheduled to take place this summer and the current group of graduates will participate in the prestigious Merage Lean Launchpad event in California. Contact: Estee Yaari, Media Relations, Yissum, The Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University, [email protected] About the Merage Institute The Merage Institute is committed to promoting trade as a vehicle to economic growth between Israel and the United States. The institute accomplishes this through a number of innovative initiatives, including specialized Leadership Programs concerning U.S. marketing strategies to Israeli executives in the life sciences, security, military, IT areas and more. The MI programs emphasize highly effective approaches to successful marketing, negotiation techniques, applied networking and sales strategies, finance, and legal and procurement issues concerning conducting business with and within the United States. Faculty members in all of the Institute's leadership programs include professors from some of the finest business schools in America. Other faculty members are highly respected CEOs and leading practitioners. The Institute also features an innovative business development component beginning with introductions to relevant U.S. entrepreneurs who may be interested in cooperating with value-adding Israeli businesses. About Yissum Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it is the third company of its kind to be established and serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges. Yissum has registered over 10,000 patents covering 2,800 inventions; licensed over 900 technologies and has spun out more than 176 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, Google, ICL, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis and many more. For further information please visit www.yissum.co.il About Bio Jerusalem BioJerusalem was funded by the Jerusalem Development Authority in order to leverage Jerusalem competitive advantage in the life sciences. BioJerusalem operates as a one-stop center for life sciences entrepreneurs, companies and investors operating in Jerusalem. BioJerusalem's goal is to serve as the catalyst for the development of the life sciences industry in Jerusalem through creating value for the life sciences community in Jerusalem. BioJerusalem's mission is to promote business development and connectivity for the life sciences industry in Jerusalem by streamlining investments, as well as advising and assisting companies in the city throughout their various stages of growth. About StartUp Nation Central Start-Up Nation Central is an independent non-profit that builds bridges to Israeli innovation. We connect business, government, and NGO leaders around the world to Israeli innovation; we help develop technological sectors with high-growth potential; and we accumulate knowledge and generate in-depth insights about Israel's innovation sector. About Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) is Israel's leading academic and research institution. Serving 23,000 students from 80 countries, it produces a third of Israel's civilian research and is ranked 12th worldwide in biotechnology patent filings and commercial development. To date, HU faculty and alumni have won eight Nobel Prizes and a Fields Medal. For more about Hebrew University, visit http://new.huji.ac.il/en. SOURCE Yissum Related Links http://www.yissum.co.il/ Telepsychiatry is an innovative, secure, online videoconferencing platform that connects patients with psychiatrists where and when they need them most. Located at Northwell's Lenox Health Greenwich Village in Manhattan, the new 770-square-foot telepsychiatry center features nine video-equipped workstations staffed by members of a 35-employee team that includes 23 psychiatrists and nine master's-level behavioral health clinicians. Having this telehealth resource in place has already resulted in a 90 percent decrease in wait times for ED patients who need to see a psychiatrist to an average of 45 minutes. The need for telepsychiatry services is especially great in the evenings and early-morning hours when psychiatry staff at most hospitals have gone home. Since Northwell began using telepsychiatry several years ago, the health system has performed approximately 11,000 remote consultations from its EDs, including 3,800 in 2018 more than any other health system in the region. With the new Emergency Telepsychiatry Hub, the program is projected to handle 5,000 consultations this year. The program also provides transfer and admitting services, resulting in expedited access to inpatient psychiatry beds and reducing the number of patients being held in emergency departments. "At a time when the American health care system is facing a shortage of psychiatrists and mental health services, telepsychiatry underscores Northwell's commitment to increasing access to care and improving outcomes for our patients," said Jonathan Merson, MD, medical director of Northwell's Emergency Telepsychiatry Hub Program. "It's a technology that has no boundaries and the goal is simple: No patient experiencing a behavioral health emergency should have to wait to be seen." The Emergency Telepsychiatry Hub is connected to 15 Northwell-run emergency departments throughout the region. Excluded are Long Island Jewish Hospital in Queens, which already has 24/7, on-site psychiatry coverage, and Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, which will be integrated later this year. Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, a Northwell clinical affiliate, will be added on April 24. Northwell has been at the forefront of telehealth technology and was the first health system in the New York area to offer 24-hour remote monitoring of critical-care patients in intensive care units by specialized physicians and nurses. Over the past several years, it has instituted a telestroke program where stroke neurologists are remotely consulted to access patients who are presenting with signs and symptoms of a stroke. The technology is also being used in the health system's skilled-nursing facilities to diagnose patients remotely, reducing the need for hospitalizations. In the future, the pediatric critical care team at Cohen Children's Medical Center will be available for telehealth consultations with children being treated at other Northwell hospitals. "Telehealth, or virtual care, is changing the way health care is delivered," said Martin Doerfler, MD, senior vice president of clinical strategy and development at Northwell Health. "It has the potential to improve outcomes for every patient who walks through the door." Noting that providers are still trying to convince the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and commercial insurers to reimburse providers for telehealth services, Northwell Health President & CEO Michael Dowling said, "Good programs like this are always ahead of the financing. Reimbursement will catch up over time once regulators and insurers recognize the cost savings and efficiencies. In the meantime, we're doing this because it's the right thing to do for our patients." About Northwell Health Northwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, nearly 700 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 68,000 employees 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners are working to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu. SOURCE Northwell Health Related Links https://www.northwell.edu CHICAGO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA), one of Chicago's largest public accounting firms, is pleased to welcome Carissa Coppola as an Associate in the Accounting Services Department, and Emily Cohen, Jason Dion and Joshua Trezek as Associates in the Cloud CFO Services Department. Emily Cohen joins ORBA's Cloud CFO Services Department as an Associate. Emily earned her B.A. in Performing Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago, a B.S.G.S. in Economics and a Fundamentals of Accounting Certificate from Northwestern University, as well as a Professional Music Supervision Certificate from Berklee College of Music. Carissa Coppola joins ORBA's Accounting Services Department as an Associate. She earned her B.S. in Accountancy from Illinois State University and her M.S. in Accountancy from Roosevelt University. Jason Dion joins ORBA's Cloud CFO Services Department as an Associate. He earned his B.S. in Graphic Communication/Business Management from Western Illinois University and his Masters in Accounting and Finance from the Keller Graduate School of Business. Joshua Trezek joins ORBA's Cloud CFO Services Department as an Associate. He earned his B.S. in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University. Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA) is a full-service accounting, tax and business consulting firm located in downtown Chicago serving privately-held companies, individuals and not-for-profit organizations. ORBA's Certified Public Accountants have experience with accounting and assurance, business advisory services, financial and estate planning, fraud investigation, tax, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions. With some of the highest levels of direct client involvement in the industry, ORBA is where clients go to build long-standing, meaningful and successful relationships with resourceful, proactive business and tax advisors. For more information, visit www.orba.com . Contact: Scott Bell 312.670.7444 [email protected] SOURCE Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA) Related Links https://www.orba.com NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global privacy management software market is accounted to US$ 521.3 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% during the forecast period 2019 - 2027, to account to US$ 1,585.8 Mn by 2027. The global privacy management software market is experiencing steady growth in the forecast period with regards to continuous research and development activities, to bring necessary innovations in privacy management software market. The cloud hold a significant position in deployment type segment, which is a model where the data is stored in the third-party cloud provider. The clients have no control over the location of the infrastructure; this infers that if a vendor's data center is breached, the enterprise will have no control over time period of the outage or what data may be conceded. The cloud deployment model is ideal for organizations which are willing to adopt analytics solutions with low investment. It mainly allows the company to procure the data with all their services, but on an economical expense. Thus, the rapidly increasing demand for cloud based deployment is expected to boost the privacy management software market in the near future. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764225/?utm_source=PRN The privacy management software market is fragmented with the presence of several industries and the competitive dynamics in the privacy management software market is expected to change during the upcoming years.In addition to this, various initiatives are undertaken by the governmental bodies to accelerate the privacy management software market further. For instance, California in 2018 influenced by the EU's GDPR regulation, amended CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) of 2018.The law (AB375) was signed by Jerry Brown, and it mirrored the GDPR in several aspects. This law is expected to provide the state's 40 million residents with the right to access the data that companies hold on them.In addition these residents would also have the authority to update their information, or request it to be deleted and not sold to the third party. This initiative provides multiple benefits to the privacy management software market players and thus increasing the growth of privacy management software market in the region. A key trend which will predominantly affect the privacy management software market in a coming year is the emerging international co-ordination will remain patchy at best.With the advancement in technology in today's world and the existing network, the formal introduction of GDPR, the market has already seen other regions move to instate their own legislation, including California, South America and Asia Pacific. Although many of the proposed drafts and new regulations are less stringent than GDPR.In an ideal world, culture of international business would lead to an international standard for data privacy. Instead, on the global stage, the market is most likely foresee enforcement shaping how international companies go about approaching data privacy in their business practices. These factors are anticipated to gain traction in the coming times having a significant impact of the privacy management software market. Privacy management software market by Organization Size is segmented into small & medium enterprises and large enterprises.The large enterprise segment holds a significant share in the privacy management software market during the forecast period. Large organizations collect and store huge amounts of data but it's difficult for them to track, secure or report on this data's history or flow. The latest financing, which has taken the startup's valuation to $46.1M, is a result of BigID's timely offering: helping companies comply with the Global Data Protection Right (GDPR) data privacy regulations. This need for compliance with a new legal framework and increasing pushback from privacy-focused consumers has changed the way software company's look at privacy solutions are expected to fuel the demand for privacy management software market during the forecast period. Europe region is the fastest growing as increased access to government data sources in machine readable formats across borders and jurisdictions will provide AI practitioners with a wide variety of data to help train AI systems. The adoption of international data interoperability standards will help speed the development and adoption of AI systems, and increase the efficiency of data sharing processes. Government incentives to increase willingness and comfort with sharing information with the public and private sectors will help shift the mentality of data as a product, and encourage data sharing. Furthermore, North America holds the dominant share in the privacy management software market. The overall privacy management software 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 privacy management software market. Also, multiple primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis.The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the privacy management software market. Some of the players present in privacy management software market are AvePoint, Inc., BigID, Inc., IBM Corporation, Nymity Inc., OneTrust, LLC, Protiviti Inc., RSA Security LLC, LogicGate, Inc., SureCloud, and TrustArc Inc. among others. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global privacy management software market Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global cryocooler 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 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764225/?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 Since developing the #1 health and fitness app in 26 countries, and the world's first mobile genetics and circadian rhythm mapping platform, attracting over 3 million downloads worldwide, Rthm directed its focus to the quickly expanding United States cannabis industry. COIL, a mobile platform built on Rthm's proprietary biometric algorithms, both educates cannabis patients and rewards consumers for shopping at safe, regulatory compliant, and leading cannabis dispensaries across the United States. While many dispensaries offer in-house loyalty programs, COIL networks hundreds of dispensaries into a single, mobile based, comprehensive loyalty program designed to exclude illegal dispensaries to the benefit of regulatory compliant vendors. Using rigorous evaluation criteria, COIL identifies and partners with premier dispensaries, based on consumer relevant criteria like product availability, licensure, experience, and bank card acceptance. COIL utilizes machine vision-based receipt analysis, enabling consumers to easily scan receipts from eligible dispensaries using a smart phone. Users earn COIL Points for every dollar spent, which are seamlessly redeemed in-app for digital gift cards from popular brand names like Uber and Whole Foods. "The United States cannabis industry is growing rapidly, but consumers are largely alone in navigating both the diverse array of chemically distinct products, and the burgeoning number of retail vendors which vary widely in quality, safety, and regulatory compliance," said Alexander Mosa, CEO of Rthm. "The COIL network of certified dispensaries will include only the highest caliber of retail vendors, to whom foot traffic from geofenced app users will be directed. Leveraging large, multivariate data streams pertaining to the psychophysiological effects of different products, a species of data for which COIL, with heritage as a premium health app, is intrinsically advantaged in analyzing, will further increase efficiency in the dispensaries, as COIL users will arrive educated, with a clear product type in mind, thereby reducing in-store human resource requirements." COIL's strain classification approach, predicated on a broader IP portfolio, identifies cannabis based on chemical profile and physiological effect, measured both by biometric and qualitative user feedback, rather than street-name or flower type. Already used by millions of people around the world in the original Rthm app, COIL's patented biometric algorithms analyze user sleep, heart rate, and daily activity to see the effects of different cannabis strains, dosages, and consumption forms on overall measures of health. "The launch of COIL into the fragmented United States cannabis space will immediately resonate with MSOs and SSOs alike delivering new loyal customers with minimum cost of acquisition," states Scott Dowty, CEO of Australis Capital. "As the United States cannabis industry evolves with increased competition from traditional retailers, new distribution portals and as new laws such as the States Act are enacted, COIL like Rthm before, will have significant leverage in driving traffic to partner dispensaries while building a valuable data set." A fully customized, brandable version of the COIL application is available for select MSOs. Beyond brand concordance, select MSOs will have access to the full breadth of technology in the Rthm portfolio, constituting a strategic advantage in attracting and retaining high-value, wellness-oriented consumers. From products tethered to discrete in-app experiences, such as guided meditations or yoga, to loyalty and rewards, the COIL platform is designed for turnkey, encumbrance-free implementation to either coexist with, or replace existing customer loyalty and engagement programs. As COIL completes its pilot phase and prepares for a broader United States launch, parallel revenue streams, including in-app subscriptions for premium content, demographically segmented and targeted brand promotion, partner licensing, and dispensary revenue share agreements, will be introduced to create a sustainable, high revenue platform at the intersection of cannabis consumers, patients, and companies. For more information on COIL visit https://coilhealth.com/ About Australis A spin-out of Aurora Cannabis (NYSE : ACB - TSX : ACB) in September 2018, Australis identifies and invests in the cannabis industry predominantly in the United States, a highly-regulated, fragmented, rapidly-expanding and evolving industry. Investments may include but are not limited to equity, debt or other securities of both public and private companies, financings in exchange for royalties or other distribution streams, and control stake acquisitions. Australis adheres to stringent investment criteria and focuses on significant near and mid-term high-quality opportunities with strong return potentials while maintaining a steadfast commitment to governance and community. Australis' Board and management team have material experience with, and knowledge of, the cannabis space in the U.S., extensive backgrounds in highly-regulated industries, adherence to stringent regulatory compliance, public company, and operational expertise. In addition to the Company's expertise and strong execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes Rthm Technologies Inc., Body and Mind Inc., Quality Green Inc., Folium Biosciences and Mr. Natural Inc., Australis has developed strategic partnerships with companies such as Wagner Dimas. Australis' Common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "AUSA" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "AUSAF". For further information about Australis, please visit the website at ausacap.com or contact the Company by e-mail at [email protected]. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Scott Dowty" ________________________________ Scott Dowty Chief Executive Officer Forward-Looking Information Statement This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including securities laws. SOURCE Australis Capital Inc. SOUTHLAKE, Texas, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Southlake Town Square, the premier lifestyle destination located in Southlake, Texas, is pleased to announce the addition of a host of new retailers that will provide guests the opportunity to experience first-hand some of the most buzzed-about brands and products. Warby Parker, Casper and UNTUCKit have all committed to new homes in Southlake Town Square, with openings expected late this summer before the back-to-school shopping season. "Our goal is to offer our guests experiences they can't find elsewhere," said Jason Kasal, vice president and senior leasing director western division with Retail Properties of America, Inc. ("RPAI"), which owns and operates Southlake Town Square. "The evolving retailer mix we have in Southlake Town Square gives our shoppers first-hand access to these digitally native brands in an authentic and personable way." Eyewear pioneer Warby Parker, which began online as a direct-to-consumer brand, is scaling up offline with stores where guests can experience the Warby Parker approach. From trying on the latest styles in eyeglasses and sunglasses to receiving a comprehensive eye exam or a prescription check, guests can supplement their online experience with in-person expertise and service. Warby Parker will be located on Grand Avenue. Online mattress pioneer Casper also finds a new home in Southlake Town Square, which will allow the digital brand to showcase its full line of sleep products. Casper's products, which include mattresses, pillows, bedding and furniture, are developed in-house by its award-winning R&D team in San Francisco. Casper was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in the world and its eponymous mattress was crowned one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions. Guests in Southlake will soon be able to experience Casper's products for themselves at its retail store, which will be located at 1435 Main Street between LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics and J.McLaughlin. Those who have heard about UNTUCKit and wanted to try it on for themselves first will find the brand in its new home at Southlake Town Square. UNTUCKit offers classic button-down shirts that look fantastic untucked (called "Perfection" by GQ magazine), performance wear and jackets that offer a comfortable, polished look for men, women and boys. The brand began online and is now bringing its fresh, customer-centered designs to Southlake where shoppers will find the brand at 1414 Main Street between 7 For All Mankind and Sugarboo & Co. Also opening soon at Southlake Town Square is 7 For All Mankind, the Los Angeles-based premium denim brand that earned an immediate following for its innovative use of fabrics, fit and finishes in its denim products for women, men and children. 7 For All Mankind will be located at 1410 Main Street. In addition, TravisMathew, the premier men's lifestyle apparel brand, will open at 1402 Main Street bringing its West Coast aesthetic to Southlake Town Square. Also coming to Southlake is gift store Sugarboo & Co., which was started by Georgia artist Rebecca Puig and her family to offer items that support artisans and celebrate life every day. Sugarboo & Co. will be located at 1418 Main Street. 7 For All Mankind, TravisMathew and Sugarboo & Co. are all expected to open late this summer before the back-to-school shopping season. Guests of Southlake Town Square have recently celebrated the openings of LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, women's retailer Coldwater Creek and "fine-casual" burger and shake sensation Shake Shack. About Southlake Town Square Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Southlake, Texas, Southlake Town Square is owned and operated by a subsidiary of RPAI. This 130-acre, open-air, mixed-use development boasts more than 120 specialty retail shops and restaurants, including Apple, Madewell, Anthropologie, lululemon and Sephora, a 14-screen Harkins Theatre, an upscale urban Hilton Hotel, offices, city and county government buildings, a U.S. Post Office and residential brownstones. To learn more, please visit SouthlakeTownSquare.com or call 817-329-5566. Connect socially with Southlake Town Square online via its Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. About RPAI Retail Properties of America, Inc. is a REIT that owns and operates high quality, strategically located open-air shopping centers, including properties with a mixed-use component. As of December 31, 2018, the Company owned 105 retail operating properties in the United States representing 20.1 million square feet. The Company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RPAI. Additional information about the Company is available at www.rpai.com. SOURCE Southlake Town Square Related Links http://SouthlakeTownSquare.com FREMONT, California, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market intelligence report by BIS Research titled "Global Mobile Robot Market - Analysis and Forecast 2018-2023", the global mobile robot is projected to reach $9.90 billion by 2023, witnessing a CAGR of 19.67% during the forecast period, 2018-2023. The market is likely to showcase a high growth rate owing to the increased need for organizational efficiency and accuracy, rising labor cost and unavailability of skilled labor, and progress in both software, including cognitive technologies, and hardware, particularly sensors, actuators, and batteries. Browse 22 Market Data Tables and 247 Figures spread through 308 Pages, and in-depth TOC on 'Global Mobile Robot Market'. The advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are ushering in a new age of automation in which robots are likely be able to perform a range of routine physical work activities. These robots are also becoming increasingly capable of accomplishing activities that include cognitive capabilities, sensing emotion, making tactical judgments, and even driving activities that were earlier considered to be fairly difficult to automate successfully. Additionally, rapid technological advancements, such as enhanced localization, capability of mapping and prediction, and tracking features, in mobile robots have given rise to a new generation of smarter and more efficient mobile robots. These robots offer extra value in terms of productivity and flexibility resulting in gaining a great adoption across sectors such as healthcare, food and beverage, banking, and retail. BIS Research Report: https://bisresearch.com/industry-report/mobile-robot-market.html Moreover, as the technology becomes affordable owing to the decreasing cost of robots, the mobile robots will be able to serve multiple industries resulting in increasing adoption of the technology in both developing and developed countries. In addition, the acceleration in venture capital investment for robotic technologies and the introduction of Industry 4.0 across multiple sectors are some of the major factors expected to create lucrative opportunities for the global mobile robot market in the coming five years. According to Rahul Papney, Analyst at BIS Research, "North America is currently dominating the global mobile robot market. However, the geographical analysis of this market unveils a great potential for the growth in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the analysis, the presence of major economies, particularly the U.S. and China, is majorly contributing to the growth of the market". The market report provides a detailed analysis of the recent trends influencing the market, along with a comprehensive study of the future trends and technological developments. It also includes a competitive analysis of the leading players in the industry, including corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis. The overall market has been segmented into type, industry, and region. Automated guided vehicle (AGV), autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) are covered as a major part of the type segmentation in the study. The report also includes a comprehensive section on the geographical analysis including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World (RoW). Request for a Sample: https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=680&type=download Rapid technological advancements in mobile robots like enhanced localization, capability of mapping and prediction, and tracking features have given rise to a new generation of smarter and more efficient mobile robots resulting in greater adoption across sectors like healthcare, food and beverage, banking, and retail. Some of the key players in the global mobile robot market include Aethon Inc., Aubo Robotics, Clearpath Robotics Inc., Daifuku Co., Ltd, Fetch Robotics, Inc., General Dynamics, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), John Bean Technologies (JBT Corporation), KION Group, Lockheed Martin, Locus Robotics, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), Northrop Grumman Corporation, Omron Adept Technology, Oshkosh Corporation, Rocla Oy, Seegrid Corporation, Swisslog Holding AG, Transbotics Corporation, and QinetiQ Group. Key questions answered in the report: What are the trends in the global mobile robot market across different regions? What are the major driving forces that tend to increase the demand for mobile robots during the forecast period 2018-2023? What are the major challenges inhibiting the growth of the global mobile robot market? Which type of mobile robot such as automated guided vehicle, autonomous mobile robot, and unmanned ground vehicle is expected to dominate the market in the coming years? Which industry among logistics and distribution, automotive, food and beverage, electrical and electronics, plastics and polymers, pharmaceuticals, and others is expected to dominate the global automated guided vehicle market, global autonomous mobile robot market, and global unmanned ground vehicle market, during the forecast period? Which region from North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest-of-the-World is expected to acquire the largest share of the market, during the forecast period? , , , and Rest-of-the-World is expected to acquire the largest share of the market, during the forecast period? Who are the key players in the global mobile robot market and what are the new strategies adopted by them to make a mark in the industry? What major opportunities do the mobile robot companies foresee in the next five years? What is the competitive strength of the key leading players in the mobile robot market? Related Reports: Global Collaborative Robot (Cobot) Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2018-2023 Global Indoor Robots Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2017-2026 Global Cloud-based Smart Robotics (Cloud Robotics) Market - Analysis and Forecast 2018-2023 Global Automated Guided Vehicle Market -Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2022 About BIS Research: BIS Research is a global B2B market intelligence and advisory firm focusing on those emerging technological trends which are likely to disrupt the dynamics of the market. With over 150 market research reports published annually, BIS Research focuses on high technology verticals such as 3D Printing, Advanced Materials and Chemicals, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Healthcare, Electronics and Semiconductors, Robotics and UAV, and other emerging technologies. Our in-depth market intelligence reports focus on the market estimations, technology analysis, emerging high-growth applications, deeply segmented granular country-level market data, and other important market parameters useful in the strategic decision-making for senior management. What distinguishes BIS Research from the rest of the players is that we don't simply provide data but also complement it with valuable insights and actionable inputs for the success of our clients. Contact: Bhavya Banga Email: [email protected] BIS Research Inc. 39111 PASEO PADRE PKWY STE 313, FREMONT CA 94538-1686 Visit our Blog @ http://bisresearch.com/blog/ Connect with us on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bis-research Connect with us on [email protected] https://twitter.com/BISResearch SOURCE BIS Research NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global perfusion systems market is expected to reach US$ 1,442.28 Mn in 2027 from US$ 1,044.75 Mn in 2018. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 3.8% from 2019-2027. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764224/?utm_source=PRN The growth of the perfusion systems market is primarily attributed to the rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, significant growth of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, rising need for the organ transplantation, and rising cell based research activities.However, expensive organ transplant surgeries, and limited numbers of donors for organ transplant surgeries are likely to pose a negative impact on the market growth. On the other hand, growth opportunities in emerging regions is likely to have a positive impact on the growth of the global perfusion systems market in the coming years.Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is the leading cause of death across the globe, it affects more people as compared to any other disease. Other than the lifestyle and habit older people are more prone to the cardiovascular diseases.The ageing population commonly show the structural and functional alteration of vessels accumulation through their life. Thus it increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of the cardiovascular diseases is increasing across the world. The key factors that lead to the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases among the population. As per the American College of Cardiology, it is stated that CVD contributes nearly 800,000deaths in the US, which is approximately to one out every three deaths. The coronary heart disease (CHD) contributes to the majority of CVD deaths which is further followed by stroke and heart failure. Nearly over 90 million Americans get diagnosed with CVD. In addition, it is stated that at a global level cardiovascular diseases contributes around 31% of all deaths and is expected that the cost of the CVD will be approximately to US$ 1,044 billion by 2030. In 2018, the perfusion systems with bioreactor segment held a largest market share of 44.3% of the perfusion systems market, by type. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2027 owing to the increasing production by the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical and its advantages including, high quality of product, product stability, scalability. Moreover, the microfluidic perfusion systems segment is anticipated to also witness the significant growth rate of 3.9% during the forecast period, 2019 to 2027 owing to provide application at point of care. Global perfusion systems market, based on component was segmented into oxygenators, heart-lung machines, perfusion pumps, monitoring systems, cannulas, and others. The oxygenators segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period. The increasing number of the cardiovascular surgeries, liver transplantation and kidney transplantation across the world is likely to contribute to the growth and dominance of the segment. The oxygenators segment is also expected to exhibit highest growth witnessing a robust CAGR over the forecast years. Some of the major primary and secondary sources for perfusion systems included in the report are Australasian Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion India, China Food & Drug Administration, contract research organizations, Food and Drug Administration, New Mexico Asthma Control Program and 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 perfusion systems market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global perfusion systems treatment market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764224/?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 NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Remote Patient Monitoring market is expected to reach US$ 1,544.94 Mn in 2027 from US$ 712.21 Mn in 2018. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 9.3% from 2019-2027. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764227/?utm_source=PRN The growth of the Remote Patient Monitoring market is primarily attributed to the factors such as increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, rising geriatric population and rising awareness regarding healthcare.However, factors such as unaddressed regulatory concerns and security and privacy concern about patient health data are likely to pose a negative impact on the market growth. On the other hand, growth opportunities in emerging regions is likely to have a positive impact on the growth of the global remote Patient Monitoring market in the coming years.With a rise in cases of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, there has been a rise in awareness regarding one's health. Also, in recent days, there has been a significant rise in the number of individuals suffering from heart related disorders.These factors have led to increase in the importance of maintaining health among the population in the developed as well as the developing nations. The demand for various health monitoring devices for maintain track of health status has increased significantly in the recent years. Also, there has been a rise in number of specialty clinics and home healthcare business in countries such as, US, India, Canada. Asia Pacific is anticipated to offer significant growth opportunity during the forecast period, due to an increase in the disposable income as well as the rate of urbanization in the leading economies such as Japan, China and India. Chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity, are the leading causes of death in the world and account for most of the nation's health care costs.According to report of CDC, in 2018, approximately more than 9% of the population has diabetes, which is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations in US. Moreover, the data also suggests that 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year in the US. Similar trends for high presence of diabetes are prevalent around other geographies of the globe that include Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. For instance, according to IDF Diabetes Atlas published by the International Diabetes Federation in 2017, south-east Asia is home to approximately one-fifth (19%) of the total diabetes population worldwide. In 2018, the Remote Patient Monitoring with special monitors segment held a largest market share of 79.46% of the Remote Patient Monitoring market, byproduct. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2027 owing to the applications and it advantages of the cardiac rhythm remote patient monitors and respiratory monitors, the market for the special monitors remote patient monitoring devices are likely to grow in the coming future. Global remote patient monitoring devices market, based on the application was segmented into cardiovascular diseases treatment, cancer treatment, sleep disorder treatment, diabetes treatment and weight management & fitness monitoring.In 2018, the cardiovascular diseases treatment segment held the largest share of the market, by application. In addition, the segment is also expected to grow at the fastest rate during the coming years owing to increasing number of the cardiovascular surgeries, increasing number of patients suffering from diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cardiac arrest and cardiac hypertension as they need regular blood pressure monitoring due to frequent fluctuations. Global remote patient monitoring devices market, based on the end user was segmented into hospitals & clinics, ambulatory care centers and home healthcare. In 2018, the hospitals & clines segment held the largest share of the market, by end user, owing to well-established and presence of advanced healthcare infrastructure, growing concerns about health and rising investment in the healthcare sector. Whereas, the home healthcare segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the coming years owing to growing awareness towards home healthcare is influencing positively on the growth of this segment in the near future Some of the major primary and secondary sources for Remote Patient Monitoring included in the report are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USFDA, Biotelemetry and Patient Monitoring Journal, Journal of Patient Care, China Food & Drug Administration, contract research organizations, and 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 patient monitoring devices market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global patient monitoring devices treatment market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764227/?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 Initial bench-scale hydrometallurgical leach testing on Iron Point RC drill cuttings demonstrate up to 94.3% vanadium recovery at atmospheric pressure and 8-hour leach times RC drill cutting Master Composite used in testing had a median head grade of 0.38% V 2 0 5 0 16 preliminary tests were completed utilizing the Master Composite and varying four test factors: temperature, slurry solids density, and concentrations of hydrofluoric and sulphuric acid Phase II testing is underway that will further define operating parameters required to develop an economic atmospheric leaching process for Iron Point vanadium mineralization Jeff Woods, Victory's Chief Metallurgist stated: "Preliminary testing last year by McClelland Laboratories on drill core samples indicated that a low-cost atmospheric leach may be suitable for Iron Point vanadium mineralization. A review of published work led to the first phase of experimental tests released today utilizing RC drill cuttings. Our preliminary tests confirm that an atmospheric leach process can successfully recover vanadium at levels greater than 90% with potential for relatively low acid consumption. We are in the process of augmenting the initial test work to optimize recovery and minimize operating costs, before starting variability testing and solvent extraction/precipitation testing." Paul Matysek, Executive Chairman, stated: "Initial metallurgical testing conducted at McClelland Laboratories is very encouraging, creating a pathway forward to a potentially economic processing route for the Iron Point Vanadium Project. Importantly, the methods explored are done at ambient pressure without the use of costly pressure oxidization or roasting. Furthermore, these hydrometallurgical methods are commonly utilized in base metal processes and show promise for applicability to vanadium recovery. Our maiden drilling campaign clearly outlined a large mineralized system. With promising initial metallurgical results returned to date, we can work towards identifying an economic process that will allow us to fast track towards resource definition and a Preliminary Economic Assessment." Phase I Testwork A total of 197 Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill reject samples were delivered to McClelland Laboratories of Sparks, Nevada, for sample prep, assaying, and compositing. McClelland Laboratories, established in 1986, is recognized as a top mineral-processing laboratory with a focus on hydrometallurgical extraction of precious and base metals, as well as specific experience in vanadium metallurgy. Their experience and knowledge have accelerated the development of Victory's atmospheric hydrometallurgical process. A Master Composite sample was constructed using 197 drill cuttings interval samples that best represented both the spatial and stratigraphic distribution of mineralized zones throughout the Iron Point Project as described in Table 1 and shown in Figure 1. Specifically, the Master Composite is made up of cuttings from drill intervals ranging between a depth of 1.5 m to 164.6 m. Intervals incorporated into the composite had a minimum grade of 0.17% V 2 0 5 , a maximum grade of 1.14% V 2 0 5 , a median grade of 0.38% V 2 0 5 , and a mean (unweighted) grade of 0.34% V 2 0 5 from triplicate analysis. Table 1: RC Drill Cutting Intervals used in the Master Composite Number Range of Depth m V 2 O 5 % RC Hole ID N Min Max Min Max Mean VM-2 36 9.1 164.6 0.21 0.79 0.45 VM-7 39 6.1 137.2 0.20 0.79 0.46 VM-18 31 4.6 65.5 0.21 0.64 0.38 VM-23 18 1.5 85.3 0.25 0.99 0.61 VM-33 44 42.7 128.0 0.21 0.71 0.35 VM-76 29 6.1 146.3 0.17 1.14 0.42 After a review of published work and some early test work on drill core samples, a Design of Experiments program (DOE) was initiated as a scoping level trial using four primary leaching factors, namely: leach temperature, slurry solids density, hydrofluoric acid dosage and sulfuric acid dosage. DOE methods are used to determine the effects of several factors at once and are statistically analyzed to determine the effects of each factors, i.e. acid dosage or temperature, also the interaction of two or more factors on the system, i.e. temperature and slurry solids density. Owing to the number of factors, a two-level factorial design was used for the initial runs. Sixteen tests were run using different combinations of Hi and Lo values for each of the factors. All tests were run at atmospheric pressure with a leach time of eight hours. Initial factor high and low levels were selected based on similar unit operations currently used in the industry, i.e. slurry solids density 20 to 50 percent, which is common in flotation concentrate products and gold leach circuits, respectively. Owing to the atmospheric leaching process, maximum temperature considered was 100 degrees centigrade. Intermittent samples were taken at two, four, and six hours and each solution analyzed for pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and acid concentration. For each test make-up, water and reagents were added as required to maintain the DOE factor levels. At the termination of the test, samples were filtered with dried solids and leach solutions submitted for analyses. Statistical analysis of the data was done using Stat-Ease's Design Expert and SAS' JMP statistical analysis software. Table 2: DOE Parameter Matrix with Summary Agitation Leach Test Results, Iron Point Master Composite, for each of the 16 Tests Test ID Factor 1 Temp., C Factor 2 Density, % solids Factor 3 HF g/L Factor 4 H 2 SO 4 , g/L Leach Time, hr V Recovery, % H2SO4 Consumption kg/mt DOE-1 Lo Lo Hi Lo 8 47.3 115 DOE-2 Lo Lo Lo Hi 8 48.9 189 DOE-3 Lo Hi Lo Lo 8 21.3 103 DOE-4 Lo Hi Hi Hi 8 53.5 170 DOE-5 Lo Lo Lo Lo 8 33.7 122 DOE-6 Lo Hi Hi Lo 8 33.0 99 DOE-7 Lo Hi Lo Hi 8 44.0 102 DOE-8 Lo Lo Hi Hi 8 65.7 N/A* DOE-9 Hi Hi Hi Hi 8 90.6 142 DOE-10 Hi Lo Lo Hi 8 89.0 103 DOE-11 Hi Hi Lo Lo 8 41.8 118 DOE-12 Hi Lo Hi Lo 8 92.8 88 DOE-13 Hi Hi Hi Lo 8 66.9 127 DOE-14 Hi Lo Lo Lo 8 71.5 112 DOE-15 Hi Hi Lo Hi 8 75.3 127 DOE-16 Hi Lo Hi Hi 8 94.3 101 *Conditions for DOE-8 are being re-run owing to anomalies with the acid balance results. Table 2 shows the high and low level for each of the tests, as well as two of the primary responses, namely vanadium recovery percentage and sulfuric acid consumption. Highlighted areas correspond to the upper quartile of vanadium recovery, i.e. the top four tests. The highest vanadium recoveries are associated with some combination of higher sulfuric acid dosage and temperature. The best four combinations average 91.7% vanadium recovery with the highest recovery of 94.3% associated with a low percentage of solid solution, and higher temperature and acid dosage. The upper quartile vanadium tests show acid consumptions ranging between 88 kg/t and 142 kg/t with an average of 109 kg/t. The high temperature runs consistently outperformed the low temperature runs with respect to vanadium. Acid dosages have a lower level of impact than temperature on recovery. High solids density has a negative influence on the recovery, though not as statistically significant as temperature or sulfuric acid dosage. Phase II Testing Underway Further testing is underway that will better define operating parameters required to develop an economic atmospheric leaching process. It should be noted that the initial DOE runs are not optimized. Supplemental testing is in progress to augment the initial DOE with additional runs to optimize the leach parameters. It is expected that improvements in recovery and acid consumption are likely. Testing of several samples spatially distributed throughout the deposit and at different vanadium grades, will also be completed ("variability testing") to confirm metallurgical responses throughout the deposit. Results of the variability testing will be used to develop the geometallurgical model for the Iron Point deposit and support the engineering and design process. Additionally, bulk samples will be used to generate pregnant leach solution for subsequent solvent extraction and vanadium precipitation testing. Owing to the nature of the Victory leach process, downstream processing of the vanadium rich solutions will be via a commercially proven process to produce a high grade V 2 O 5 product. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jeffrey L. Woods, B.Sc., SME-QP, MMSA-QP, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. About Victory Metals Victory owns a 100% interest in the Iron Point Vanadium Project, located 22 miles east of Winnemucca, Nevada. The project is located within a few miles of Interstate 80, has high voltage electric power lines running through the project area, and a railroad line passing across the northern property boundary. The Company is well financed to advance the project through resource estimation and initial feasibility study work. Victory has a proven capital markets and mining team led by Executive Chairman Paul Matysek. Major shareholders include Casino Gold (50%), and management, directors and founders (25%). Approximately 51% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares are subject to an escrow release over three years. Please see the Company's website at www.victorymetals.ca. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of VICTORY METALS INC. Paul Matysek Executive Chairman and Director 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. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "believes", "aims to", "plans to" or "intends to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including the business of the Company, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, competitive risks, and delay, inability to complete a financing or failure to receive regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE Victory Metals Inc In the overseas market, there are many differences in consumer habits due to cultural background. ZAFUL has been working on its American local identity for 5 years and has accumulated many market insights in finding its overseas opportunities. "We analyzed a huge number of swimwear consumers and found out that people don't necessarily buy swimwear simply because they are going to swim, but also because they would like to constantly change the swimwear for different occasions or good pictures on social media. Some may choose to go to the beach, and others may have a swimming pool party to have fun and enjoy the selfies," ZAFUL's founder Leo Wang said. When it comes to local adaptation, consumers are not the only challenge. Leo Wang also shared his other experiences when ZAFUL entered the American market. Now ZAFUL welcomes all American independent designers to collaborate with or even join ZAFUL, which shows ZAFUL's determination on local adaption. Google: Chinese Global brand builders are not just winners in scale Regarding the quality of these overseas brands, Google pointed out that Chinese brands in overseas market are not just winners in scale. On the contrary, high value-added trade accounts for 60% in total export output, and high-tech manufacturing output accounts for 25%, which is only second to America. According to Google, Chinese brands have now entered the second stage of development in overseas and are able to expand, capitalize market dividend, and even challenge many local giants. To keep up the development momentum, Google pointed out that global vision, local execution and brand communication are three major aspects Chinese brands still need to work on in the coming future. About ZAFUL Founded in 2014, ZAFUL is devoted to providing trendy and cost-efficient fashion-related products for the younger generation worldwide. In 2019, ZAFUL was ranked 23rd in Top 50 China Export Brands by BrandZ, the world's largest brand equity database. So far, ZAFUL has acquired 10 million online registered users online with 18 million monthly active users on average, covering consumers in over 180 countries. ZAFUL's vision is to become the leader in online fast fashion. Website: www.zaful.com SOURCE ZAFUL Related Links http://www.zaful.com WILLIAMSBURG, Va., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Virginia's 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution and WHRO announced the winners of the Our American Story national student contest. A student team from Matthew Fontaine Maury High School in Norfolk, VA was selected as the Grand Prize winner, earning the team's school a cash prize of $5,000 as well as 10 iPad minis, four of which will be given to the team members themselves. The Our American Story contest was designed to foster creativity, cooperative learning, critical examination and discussion among students in grades 8 through 12. Working in teams, students developed their project submissions employing a variety of formats including video testimonials, documentaries, poems, drawings and paintings. A total of 11 teams were selected to receive prizes across the three category themes: Democracy, Diversity and Opportunity. Ten of the prize winners were selected by a panel of judges and the People's Choice winner was selected directly by the public with more than 800 votes cast. The Grand Prize winning team, Superior Productions, from Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia submitted a multimedia project entitled Shaping Diversity, which paid homage to the Norfolk 17: the first 17 African-American students to integrate public schools in Norfolk in 1958. Members of the winning team are 11th graders Kobe Nguyen, Kaleem Haq, Jacob Hill and Javier Miranda-Castro. "On behalf of the 2019 Commemoration, it is our pleasure to recognize these students who represent the next generation of our country's leaders," said Kathy Spangler, Executive Director of the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution. "It is imperative that students establish a personal connection to the impact that today's actions can have toward attaining our country's ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity." In addition to the overall Grand Prize and People's Choice Award winners, First Place prizes and Honorable Mentions were awarded in each of the three theme categories. The list of the awards, winning entries and the schools is as follows: Grand Prize: "Shaping Diversity," Matthew Fontaine Maury High School , Norfolk, VA , People's Choice Award: "Opportunity and the American Dream," Benton Middle School , Manassas, VA , Democracy First Place: "Democracy," Plaza Middle School, Virginia Beach, VA Democracy Honorable Mention: "The Inequality of Equality in Democracy," H.H. Poole Middle School , Stafford, VA , Democracy Honorable Mention: "Our American Dream - Democracy," Green Run Collegiate, Virginia Beach, VA Diversity First Place: "et al: Those Just As Important," El Modena High School, Orange, CA Diversity Honorable Mention: " Just Be You ," Woodside High School , Newport News, VA ," , Diversity Honorable Mention: "Cooking Our Culture," Green Run Collegiate, Virginia Beach, VA Opportunity First Place: "The American Dreamer," Skyline Middle School, Harrisonburg, VA Opportunity Honorable Mention: "Opportunity Is For Everyone," Broadway High School, Broadway, VA Opportunity Honorable Mention: "What happened to the American Dream?", Matthew Fontaine Maury High School , Norfolk, VA The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, with the generous support of the Virginia General Assembly , has partnered with notable Virginia institutions like WHRO to inspire student engagement in discussions and actions aligned with the themes of democracy, diversity and opportunity. The Our American Story contest was inspired by formative events which occurred in 1619 Virginia that forever changed the trajectory of Virginia and America's history. These 1619 events include the First Representative Legislative Assembly in the New World, the arrival of the first recorded Africans in English North America, the recruitment of English women in significant numbers to the Virginia colony, the first official English Thanksgiving in North America and the launch of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Commonwealth. A full schedule of American Evolution programming, upcoming events, and educational initiatives can be found at: https://www.americanevolution2019.com/events/ . About the 2019 Commemoration The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution highlights events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 that continue to influence America today. Featured programs, events and legacy projects will position Virginia as a leader in education, tourism and economic development. American Evolution commemorates the ongoing journey toward the key ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. Dominion Energy is an American Evolution Founding Partner and Altria Group and TowneBank are Virginia Colony Partners. About WHRO Since its founding in 1961 to support education, WHRO has employed creativity and technology to serve the residents of southeast Virginia in its mission to educate, inform and entertain viewers and listeners of WHRO's four public television and eight public radio stations. Owned by 19 southeastern Virginia school divisions, WHRO also delivers online educational and new media services to 286,000 students and 25,000 educators per month. To learn more, visit www.whro.org . SOURCE American Evolution Related Links https://www.americanevolution2019.com Today's win marks the 10th time that AUDI AG has won a World Car award in our 15 year history. The company previously won the World Car of the Year title in 2014 (Audi A3) and the very first World Car of the Year award in 2005 (Audi A6). As of today, AUDI AG continues to hold the record for the most won World Car Awards. "It is a great honor for Audi to win the 'World Luxury Car' award twice in a row," says Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG Technical Development. "We are very proud of this award because it shows Audi's ability to develop leading premium cars in various segments." This year's winner was chosen from an initial entry list of five prestigious cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists as announced in Geneva on March 5th. The 2019 Top Three in the World finalists are the Audi A7, the Audi Q8 and the BMW 8 Series. Previous World Luxury Car winners were the Audi A8 (2018), the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2017), the BMW 7 Series (2016), the Mercedes-Benz S Coupe (2015) and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2014). The award was first created in 2014 to acknowledge higher-priced premium models selling in more limited numbers worldwide. Vehicles were selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of 86 prominent automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulates the jurors' ballots. The Road to the World Car Awards is an annual journey in partnership with the New York International Auto Show. The journey follows our international journalists as they test-drive, and vote on, the 2019 eligible vehicles. The official launch took place in Paris on October 2nd and ended with today's winners' press conference. World Car made several stops along the way: our fifth annual L.A. Test Drives event concluded the last week of November. The event was an outstanding success with 48 jurors attending from 18 different countries across the six day event. ZF was the event's exclusive host. World Car also made a stop at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 10, 2019 where together World Car and ZF hosted a panel discussion moderated by Tim Stevens (Editor-in-Chief, CNET'S Roadshow and World Car director). The topic for discussion? "The Intersection of Consumer and Automotive Tech." Of course, The Road To the World Car Awards doesn't really stop. Just a few weeks from now the World Car Garage will be staged for the fourth year at the London Motor & Tech Show May 16-19; offering a glimpse of the 2020 contenders as well as celebrating the 2019 winners. The Global Trends Report, co-presented annually by Prime Research and Autoneum, was also announced today during the New York show's opening media breakfast. The report is the culmination of research and insights across the past six months. Autoneum CEO Martin Hirzel said: "The Global Trends Report is a valuable instrument for identifying future directions and a guide for prioritizing them. Actual trends such as electric mobility will characterize the automotive industry, what offers exciting development prospects for Autoneum. Our innovative products and technologies for acoustic and thermal management make vehicles quieter, safer, lighter and contribute to a comfortable driving experience. I am looking forward to the announcement of the 2019 World Car Award winners and I am confident that again the majority of all winning models is equipped with Autoneum components!" PHOTOS and VIDEOS: event photos will be posted the morning of Wednesday, April 17th to www.worldcarawards.com. Photos of the top three car finalists in all categories are already on the web site's home page. Videos from the event will be posted by Wednesday afternoon. THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR: BEGAN IN PARIS OCTOBER 2, 2018. ENDS IN NEW YORK APRIL 17, 2019. FOLLOW OUR 80+ INTERNATIONAL JURORS: Instagram: @theworldcarawards #wca2019 #WorldCarAwards Twitter: @worldcarawards #worldcarawards #wca2019 Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorldCarAwards #worldcarawards #wca2019 For additional information visit our web site (www.worldcarawards.com). Media release distributed by NEWSPRESS The World Car Awards' Official Media Partner BACKGROUND World Car Awards Now entering their 15th year, the annual World Car Awards are the number one awards program in the world for the sixth consecutive year based on Prime Research's 2018 media report. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs. The awards are administered by a not-for-profit association, under the guidance of an awards management and advisory group of prominent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Co-chair, World Car Awards Program - Japan), Mike Rutherford (Co-chair, World Car Awards Program - UK), Jens Meiners (Partnership director - Germany), Tim Stevens (director - USA), Siddharth Vinayak Patankar (director - India) and Gerry Malloy (president, WCA Association). New York International Auto Show Owned and operated by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the New York Auto Show is an awesome combination of new ideas, technological innovation, exceptional concept cars and nearly 1,000 of the latest new cars and trucks. Over one million visitors are expected to visit the show this year to see what is truly possible from the automotive industry. Important 2019 Auto Show Dates Automotive Forum: April 16 Press Preview: April 17 and 18 (credentials required) Public Sneak Preview, Friday, April 19 Public Show Dates, Friday, April 19 Sunday, April 28th SOURCE New York International Auto Show Related Links http://www.worldcarawards.com Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President of Suzuki Motor Corporation said, "We at Suzuki are greatly honoured to receive this award. The Jimny is the one-and-only, compact, authentic off-roader, and we have kept true to this concept for almost 50 years. It now has many fans around the world, who enjoy its excellent performance and one-of-a-kind functional design, both on and off-road. We accept this award on behalf of our fans, as well as with pride and confidence in our passion to build exciting cars to be the foot of our customers everyday lives." The 2019 World Urban Car winner was chosen from an initial entry list of five cars from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists as announced in Geneva on March 5th. The 2019 Top Three in the World finalists are: the Hyundai AH2/Santro, the Kia Soul and the Suzuki Jimny. The World Urban Car award was introduced in 2017 because it's an award whose time has come. World Car Awards Program co-chair, Mike Rutherford, commented, "Everyday cars in many - perhaps most - parts of the world will have to become smaller if road and parking space is to be found for them in increasingly packed towns and cities whose populations are swelling annually." Vehicles were selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of 86 prominent automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his or her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulates the jurors' ballots. The Road to the World Car Awards is an annual journey in partnership with the New York International Auto Show. The journey follows our international journalists as they test-drive, and vote on, the 2019 eligible vehicles. The official launch took place in Paris on October 2nd and ended with today's winners' press conference. World Car made several stops along the way: our fifth annual L.A. Test Drives event concluded the last week of November. The event was an outstanding success with 48 jurors attending from 18 different countries across the six day event. ZF was the event's exclusive host. World Car also made a stop at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 10, 2019 where together World Car and ZF hosted a panel discussion moderated by Tim Stevens (Editor-in-Chief, CNET'S Roadshow and World Car director). The topic for discussion? "The Intersection of Consumer and Automotive Tech." Of course, The Road To the World Car Awards doesn't really stop. Just a few weeks from now the World Car Garage will be staged for the fourth year at the London Motor & Tech Show May 16-19; offering a glimpse of the 2020 contenders as well as celebrating the 2019 winners. The Global Trends Report, co-presented annually by Prime Research and Autoneum, was also announced today during the New York show's opening media breakfast. The report is the culmination of research and insights across the past six months. Autoneum CEO Martin Hirzel said: "The Global Trends Report is a valuable instrument for identifying future directions and a guide for prioritizing them. Actual trends such as electric mobility will characterize the automotive industry, what offers exciting development prospects for Autoneum. Our innovative products and technologies for acoustic and thermal management make vehicles quieter, safer, lighter and contribute to a comfortable driving experience. I am looking forward to the announcement of the 2019 World Car Award winners and I am confident that again the majority of all winning models is equipped with Autoneum components!" PHOTOS and VIDEOS: event photos will be posted the morning of Wednesday, April 17th to www.worldcarawards.com. Photos of the top three car finalists in all categories are already on the web site's home page. Videos from the event will be posted by Wednesday afternoon. THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR: BEGAN IN PARIS OCTOBER 2, 2018. ENDS IN NEW YORK APRIL 17, 2019. FOLLOW OUR 80+ INTERNATIONAL JURORS : Instagram: @theworldcarawards #wca2019 #WorldCarAwards Twitter: @worldcarawards #worldcarawards #wca2019 Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorldCarAwards #worldcarawards #wca2019 For additional information visit our web site (www.worldcarawards.com). Media release distributed by NEWSPRESS The World Car Awards' Official Media Partner BACKGROUND World Car Awards Now entering their 15th year, the annual World Car Awards are the number one awards program in the world for the sixth consecutive year based on Prime Research's 2018 media report. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry. The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs. The awards are administered by a not-for-profit association, under the guidance of an awards management and advisory group of prominent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America. Peter Lyon (Co-chair, World Car Awards Program - Japan), Mike Rutherford (Co-chair, World Car Awards Program - UK), Jens Meiners (Partnership director - Germany), Tim Stevens (director - USA), Siddharth Vinayak Patankar (director - India) and Gerry Malloy (president, WCA Association). New York International Auto Show Owned and operated by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the New York Auto Show is an awesome combination of new ideas, technological innovation, exceptional concept cars and nearly 1,000 of the latest new cars and trucks. Over one million visitors are expected to visit the show this year to see what is truly possible from the automotive industry. Important 2019 Auto Show Dates Automotive Forum: April 16 Press Preview: April 17 and 18 (credentials required) Public Sneak Preview, Friday, April 19 Public Show Dates, Friday, April 19 Sunday, April 28th SOURCE New York International Auto Show ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) in Alexandria, Va., will share the church's story of gifting $100,000 to 34 Howard University graduating seniors to cover their outstanding tuition and fee balances on "Steve," the NBC daytime talk show hosted by Steve Harvey. The segment will air Wednesday, April 17 (check local listings). The contribution, which made national news, was raised during Seek 2019, a 21-day long church-wide physical, social media, and financial fast in January, and was announced during a special service at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. Subsequently, members of ASBC and the Office of Financial Aid surprised the seniors with the news. "About two or three years ago, the Lord gave us a vision for a project called Hidden Halos, which is our realization that whenever you meet strangers, they're God's hidden angels," says Pastor Wesley. "This year, as our fasting ended, we had asked members to make a sacrificial offering that we promised would go out the door of our church. We decided to come to Howard University to find some students who are about to change the world but have some financial concerns, and let them know we're going to take care of it for them." ASBC is a long-time supporter of the HBCU community. In addition to the $100,000 donation to students at Howard University, ASBC donated $50,000 to Bennett College. The church holds an annual HBCU festival/college fair, a premier event that connects students and parents to HBCUs nationwide, and makes an annual contribution to an HBCU. Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12765174 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Alfred Street Baptist Church Related Links http://www.alfredstreet.org SHANGHAI, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aloft Hotels, Marriott International's innovation incubator brand for global travelers, today opens the brand new 191-room Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Hotel, bringing high-tech, modern style and a vibrant new social scene to Shanghai as the first Aloft hotel in the city. Owned by Shanghai Tech University Hotel Management Limited, Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel is the first international hotel located in the central area of Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park Pudong. Ideally situated within a prime hub for innovation and technology businesses, the hotel is also located within a short drive from the New International Expo Center and Shanghai Disney Resort among other attractions. The hotel embodies the brand's different by design philosophy which is noted for its open, social spaces that connect next generation travelers. It has 191 modern and stylish guestrooms featuring high ceilings and is equipped with keyless mobile check-in system which enables guests to utilize their mobile phones as room keys. The design-forward guestrooms, flexible for both work and play, feature the latest technology and the brand's signature offerings, such as the ultra-comfortable plush bed, walk-in shower, custom amenities by Bliss Spa, fast & free WiFi and 43" LCD TV. Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel is also home to a variety of dining and social spaces. The hotel's signature restaurant, Nook, serves all-day dining ranging from breakfast buffet to a la carte dishes for lunch and dinner. The restaurant can accommodate 100 guests, and also has three private dining rooms. Re:fuel by AloftSM serves up Aloft's signature 24/7 grab-and-go options ranging from light meals, snacks for every craving, healthy selections, beverages and more. The WXYZ Bar is a vibrant bar offering signature cocktails and light bites, which doubles as a live music venue as well for the brand's iconic Live at Aloft Hotels programs. During the day, the W XYZ Bar transforms into a social space where guests and locals can hang out or catch up on work. Guests can also enjoy a good workout at the well-equipped 24/7 Re:chargeSM fitness center. "We're excited to debut the Aloft Hotels brand in Shanghai, bringing the next generation of travelers to an up-and-coming tech and innovation hub in the city. The new Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel will become Shanghai's newest social hub, where creative self-expressers can meet and mingle in a casual, friendly environment over cocktails at the W XYZ bar," said Mike Fulkerson, Vice President, Brand & Marketing, Asia-Pacific, Marriott International. "What's more, travelers and locals alike will be able to see emerging local bands at the Live at Aloft evenings held regularly at the hotel." Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel also features seven on-site Tactic meeting rooms that are equipped with state-of-the-art AV equipment and fast & free Wi-Fi. The 890-square-meter function spaces are ideal for staging events of various scales and formats. "Our entire team is proud to be part of the first Aloft hotel in Shanghai and the first international hotel in Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park Pudong. Our hotel will definitely allow value-conscious travelers in pursuit of a smart travel experience to stay connected, network, and relax in style," said Andy Shen, General Manager of Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel. The hotel is conveniently located 25 kilometers away from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and close to nearby attractions, within a short walking distance from Chamtime Square, Greenland Being Fun Plaza and ZhongKe Road Station of Metro 13. For inquiries and reservations, please contact Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel at (86 21) 3816 8888 or visit www.aloftshanghaizhangjianghaike.com. About Aloft Hotels With more than 150 hotels now open in 20+ countries and territories around the world, Aloft Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the 'always on' next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Aloft is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the new name of Marriott's travel program replacing Marriott Rewards, The Ritz- Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG). The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including earning points toward free hotel stays and nights toward Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com. SOURCE Marriott International, Inc. Related Links http://www.marriott.com HOLLYWOOD, Fla., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aluf Holdings, Inc. ("AHIX") ("the Company") (OTC PINK: AHIX) Aluf Holdings announced the addition of noted New York investment banker Richard Zytkowicz to its new Board of Directors to help guide the company into its next generation of development. Mr. Zytkowicz is Managing Director for LM+Co Capital's Corporate Finance practice, focusing on Mergers and Acquisitions, Capital Advisory, Financial Restructuring and Business Valuation services. He is registered as both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor. Ben Zandi, Vice Chairman of the Board, hailed the addition as a key piece to Aluf's market strategies. "Rick is an exceptional gain for our Board. He has more than 25 years of investment banking practice, including substantial M&A experience in highly dynamic and complex situations, including 363 transactions, representing both private and public companies. In short, Rick has the knowledge, expertise and proven insight that can take us to the next level." Mr. Zytkowicz said the company's direction is precisely on target for the market opportunities he sees. "As a newly appointed member of the Board of Directors, I am very excited about the opportunity to work in partnership with a such a distinguished Board to create shareholder value for Aluf Holdings. I believe the company is well-positioned for growth in burgeoning biometrics, blockchain, software and hardware segments. I look forward to providing future strategic guidance." Mr. Zytkowicz joins 11 other recently appointed board members pursuing a core concentration on biometrics and blockchain technologies and an identified initial market focus in aviation, health care and government. The company has recently completed their preclosing process for finalizing its major acquisition in the biometrics space. About Aluf Holdings, Inc.: Aluf Holdings, Inc. is a holding company whose primary focus is the identification, acquisition, management, and aggressive growth of companies in the burgeoning biometrics and blockchain technologies. AHIX's merger and acquisition model targets unique biometrics and blockchain enterprises with key common attributes and parameters. These include stellar management, a broad proprietary product and service offering, dedicated research and development, robust margins, high-growth potential, economies of scale, and low barriers to rapid, efficient integration of operations, especially sales, marketing, and customer service. As it expands, AHIX's overall portfolio of products and services will include secure, scalable, digital cyber security solutions for hyper-positive human identification, access management, feasibility studies, customized communications and automation analysis, bespoke software development, and other advanced technologies for facial, voice, fingerprint, finger vein, retinal scan, and recurrent still frame and video comparison verification. www.aluf.com 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 and/or 27E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to raise necessary financing, retention of key personnel, timely delivery of inventory from the company's suppliers, timely product development, product acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and products, in addition to general economic risks and uncertainties. Corporate Contact: Aluf Holdings, Inc. Teresa McWilliams, CFO 866-793-1110 SOURCE Aluf Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.aluf.com LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish University (AJU) announced today the appointment of Adrian Breitfeld as the university's next Vice President of Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer effective June 1st. In this role, Breitfeld will be leading the university's accounting and finance operations and will report directly to Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, AJU President. Breitfeld was selected after a highly competitive national search and will officially join AJU on June 1, 2019. "Adrian Breitfeld brings to AJU more than a decade of finance and accounting experience within the non-profit and Jewish communal sector, and has an extensive background in accounting, financial planning, management and strategy in changing landscapes. I would like to welcome Adrian to the AJU team and look forward to working closely with him as we execute our financial management strategies," said Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, President of AJU. "Adrian has a proven track record to managing financial operations and a reputation for implementing best practices and initiatives." Mr. Breitfeld is a graduate with an MBA from the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California, with an M.A. in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. In this capacity, he worked to align financial resources to strategic priorities while leading and developing a tactical response to guiding the organization through its goals. "It is with gratitude and great appreciation that I have accepted the position of Vice President of Finance and Administration / CFO at American Jewish University," said Adrian Breitfeld. "AJU's mission and vision for the future are exciting, and I cannot wait to return to Los Angeles and be part of such an opportunity at such a prominent Jewish institution. Dr. Herbst, along with a highly committed board and staff are transforming the university, and I'm motivated to join them and contribute to such a process." During his career, Breitfeld also held the position of Controller at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, where he was responsible for the operations of all accounting and finance needs and oversaw a portfolio of $1.7 billion in assets, as well as a five-year stint as Controller of Jewish Family Service of Greater Los Angeles. In addition to an MBA and M.A., Breitfeld holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Accountancy from Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Administration from the Universidad de la Republica in Uruguay. Mr. Breitfeld will succeed Zofia Yalovsky who is retiring after 22 years of service to AJU as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial, Administration and Technology Officer. More information on American Jewish University and its leadership can be found online at www.aju.edu/about . American Jewish University (founded in 1947) is a thriving center of Jewish life, built upon the mission of Jewish learning, culture, ethics, leadership and peoplehood. In 2007, the University of Judaism merged with the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, creating a landmark entity - American Jewish University (AJU). With two campuses (in Bel-Air, California and Brandeis, California) AJU is now one of the largest Jewish institutions in the world. Offering abundant community programming, degree programs and learning experiences, American Jewish University continues to create a distinctive learning environment in which we nurture innovation, incubate new ideas and integrate socially-just values into community life. Learn more at www.aju.edu . SOURCE American Jewish University Related Links http://www.aju.edu SAN ANTONIO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Endeavors announces the promotion of Jill Palmer to Senior Director of Clinic Operations effective today. As the Senior Director, Jill will lead all Clinical Development Operations. Ms. Palmer is responsible for directing, managing, and planning for all mental health operations and clinics. "I am excited to advance the great work that Endeavors is doing for post 9/11 Veterans and their families in the area of mental health, and I look forward to growing mental health services at Endeavors, and expanding our expertise in improving the lives of individuals in crisis," said Jill Palmer. Jill will provide leadership, accountability, planning, and execution to deliver on operational initiatives, and performance to deliver the highest quality care at the lowest cost to patients in the community. Jill joined Endeavors in June 2018 as the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic Director at Endeavors in San Antonio. She is a Navy Veteran and her Doctorate in Social Work will be conferred on May 9th from the University of Tennessee. Her research focus is on Veterans exploring a relationship between suicide prevention and quality of life measurements. Prior to joining Endeavors, she was the Clinic Director at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Cape Fear Valley. Ms. Palmer has ten years of leadership experience through both the Navy and the private sector. She has led teams of social workers, psychiatrists, and other personnel; provided program oversight for multiple programs; developed policies and procedures to implement evidence-based practices; and has managed program budgets. With over 15 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker, she is experienced in treating trauma in children, families, Veterans, and active duty populations. Jill is passionate about leading successful teams and empowering clients and staff to be the best they can be. About the Clinic The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics at Endeavors, provides high-quality, accessible, and integrated mental health care to Veterans and their families. Treatment is available to any person who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, regardless of role while in uniform, discharge status, or ability to pay. Services are also available for families of active duty service members. About Endeavors Endeavors, a San Antonio based nonprofit, is a longstanding national non-profit agency that provides an array of programs and services in support of children, families, Veterans and those struggling with mental illness and other disabilities. Endeavors passionately serves vulnerable people in crisis through innovative and personalized services. For more information, visit www.endeavors.org. Contact: Shannon Gowen Interim Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] 210-431-6466 x 126 SOURCE Endeavors Related Links http://www.endeavors.org Gilmore previously served as Vice President, Strategic Business Ventures at Prasco Laboratories, where he made significant contributions to corporate growth. His more than 22 years of experience include leadership awards in sales, marketing, business strategy, M&A and global commercialization. During his time at Prasco, Gilmore served as a business development consultant for Aprecia, where he successfully established key business partnerships. "A dedicated steward of a partnering culture, Chris Gilmore is someone who has the ability to spot high potential, build long-term relationships and close deals," said E. Thomas Arington, Aprecia's Chairman. "We are excited to see his enthusiasm and collaborative spirit put to work toward our mission to establish Aprecia as a global leader in new technology platforms that create solutions for unmet healthcare needs." Aprecia is the world's first and only manufacturer of FDA-approved pharmaceutical products using three dimensional printing (3DP). The company's first technology platform, ZipDose Technology, produces rapidly disintegrating orodispersible tablets designed to address patient compliance by making medicine easy to swallow and administer. In additional to its commercial scalability, 3DP lends itself to small batch production as well, and is at the forefront of rapid-prototyping in early drug development and clinical trials. Several different formulations can be achieved within a short period of time enabling the possibility of adaptive clinical trial material. This rapid-prototyping production provides an opportunity to accelerate drug development in both clinical trial and lifecycle extension of pharmaceutical products. Aprecia is currently positioned to expand its 3DP technology across multiple therapeutic categories globally, and has recently signed an agreement with a leading CDMO in Japan as part of this long term strategy. "Aprecia has a tremendous opportunity to expand innovation across the pharmaceutical industry," Gilmore stated. "I'm thrilled to be working with the dedicated individuals at Aprecia who are pioneering the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing and creating unique dosage forms to improve patient experience and outcomes." About Aprecia Aprecia, the world leader in three-dimensionally-printed pharmaceutical products, expects to use its ZipDose Technology to transform the way people take medicine. Its first innovation, ZipDose Technology can be combined with a wide variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients to create rapidly disintegrating oral dosage forms that are easy to take and easy to administer. Aprecia directly owns a patent estate for novel 3DP machines and pharmaceutical 3DP applications, and plans to license its exclusive patent protected technology to pharmaceutical partners as a means to extend product lines, expand patient reach, and protect market exclusivity for innovator's brand products. For more information, visit www.aprecia.com. SOURCE Aprecia Pharmaceuticals Related Links http://www.aprecia.com SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) market size is expected to reach USD 697.9 million by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period. Rising adoption rate of ACTs coupled with growing government initiatives to combat malaria epidemic is anticipated to stoke the growth of the market. Furthermore, expanding pipeline and new product approvals are driving the market. Key suggestions from the report: AL was the largest segment in 2017 due to the fact that it was the first ACT to be marketed and prequalified by WHO for its efficacy, safety, and quality. It is available in more than 60 countries and is the only ACT approved by U.S. FDA MEA held the largest share in the market for ACTs due to growing initiatives by government and non-government organizations to raise awareness Asia Pacific also held a prominent position in the market owing to factors such as large production base of artemisinin herbs coupled with rising access to ACT in this region Major players operating in the market are Novartis, Sanofi, Cipla, Ajanta Pharma, Ipca Laboratories, Guilin Pharmaceuticals, and KPC Pharmaceuticals Key players are adopting different strategies to increase their market share such as increasing geographic presence, R & D, new product development, and indication extension. Read 90 page research report with TOC on "Artemisinin Combination Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Artemether+Lumefantrine, Artesunate+Amodiaquine), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/artemisinin-combination-therapy-act-market Currently, 6 ACTs are recommended by WHO for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, which are Artemether-Lumefantrine (AL), artesunate-amodiaquine, Artesunate-Mefloquine (AS-AQ), Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine (DHA-PPQ), Artesunate-Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (AS-SP), and Pyronaridine-Artesunate (PR-AS). Some of the benefits provided by ACTs are high efficacy and reduced likelihood of developing resistance. Over the years, access to artemisinin combination therapy has expanded considerably. In 2016, ACTs were used as first-line treatment in almost 80 countries. Increasing R & D initiatives by pharma-emerging countries such as India and China are revving up the adoption rate of ACTs. Rising demand from malaria endemic countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Congo is poised to augment the market. Pipeline for new antimalarial drugs is widening and some of them have been introduced recently. These are some of the factors that are propelling the ACT market. WHO states the necessity for treating uncomplicated malaria, the most serious form of the disease, with ACTs as they are the best treatment available. ACTs are recommended over other treatments including Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, chloroquine, and artemisinin monotherapies, because parasites have developed resistance to these medicines. Malaria is one of the most distressing diseases across the globe with more than 200 million new cases reported each year. According to Medicines Malaria Venture (MMV), a total of 445,000 deaths were caused by malaria worldwide in 2016. Malaria epidemic is continuing to increase globally and climate change is projected to fuel the trend. Grand View Research has segmented the global artemisinin combination therapy market on the basis of type and region: Artemisinin Combination Therapy Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Artemether-Lumefantrine Artesunate-Amodiaquine Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine Artesunate-Mefloquine Artesunate-Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine Pyronaridine-Artesunate Artemisinin Combination Therapy Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Asia Pacific China India Pakistan Indonesia Vietnam Latin America Brazil Colombia MEA Nigeria Democratic Republic of Congo Mali Uganda Kenya Find more research reports on Pharmaceuticals Industry, by Grand View Research: Neglected Tropical Diseases Drugs and Vaccines Market Neglected tropical diseases drugs and vaccines market comprise diseases that affect largely developing countries but due to increased international migration, these diseases are now a concern in developed nations. Neglected tropical diseases drugs and vaccines market comprise diseases that affect largely developing countries but due to increased international migration, these diseases are now a concern in developed nations. Skeletal Dysplasia Market The report provides segmentation of the market by disorder type into the following: X-linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH), hypophosphatasia, achondroplasia, multiple osteochondromas, and fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP). The report provides segmentation of the market by disorder type into the following: X-linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH), hypophosphatasia, achondroplasia, multiple osteochondromas, and fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP). Hereditary Angioedema Therapeutics Market The major factor contributing to the growth of the hereditary angioedema therapeutics market is the considerable patient population observed across the globe. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernstein Liebhard LLP announced today that approximately 6 weeks remain to make a motion for lead plaintiff in a class action pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of all persons or entities (the "Class") who purchased the common stock of Care.com, Inc. ("Care.com" or the "Company") during the period between March 27, 2015 and April 1, 2019 (the "Class Period"). The complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Care.com purports to be the world's largest online family care platform. The Company claims to "help families make informed hiring decisions" about caregivers. The complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's vetting procedures for care providers. Specifically, plaintiffs allege that defendants misleadingly touted the Company's "proactive" screening procedures. On March 8, 2019, a Wall Street Journal article revealed Care.com's ineffective screening procedures, reporting that care providers listed on the website "had police recordsand later were accused of committing crimes while caring for customers' children or elderly relatives." Care.com's stock dropped 13% after these revelations. On March 31, 2019, a follow-up Wall Street Journal article stated that "hundreds of day-care centers" listed as "state licensed" on the Care.com website did not appear to be, and that tens of thousands of unverified day-care center listings were scrubbed from the Care.com website just before the March 8, 2019 Wall Street Journal article was published. Care.com's stock dropped another 7% after these disclosures. Plaintiffs seek to recover damages on behalf of all Class members who invested in Care.com common stock during the Class Period. If you invested in Care.com common stock as described above, and lost money on the transactions, you may wish to join in this action to serve as lead plaintiff. In order to do so, you must meet certain requirements set forth in the applicable law and file appropriate papers no later than June 3, 2019. A "lead plaintiff" is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed 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. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Bernstein Liebhard LLP, or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action. If you are interested in discussing your rights as a Care.com investor or have information relating to the matter, please contact Joseph R. Seidman, Jr. at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected]. Bernstein Liebhard LLP has pursued hundreds of securities, consumer and shareholder rights cases and recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. The Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and been listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years. You can obtain a copy of the complaint from the clerk of the court for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2019 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information Joseph R. Seidman, Jr. Bernstein Liebhard LLP http://www.bernlieb.com (877) 779-1414 [email protected] SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP Related Links https://www.bernlieb.com NEW ALBANY, Ohio, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Evans Farms announced today that Biao Skincare, Peak Safety Systems and Living Tiny, LLC are the three finalists for the company's third annual Our Farm Salutes "Heroes to CEOs" grant-giving program. All three Veteran entrepreneurs will attend an exclusive event at blueprint + co in New York City on April 25, 2019 to pitch their business to a panel of judges for a chance to win a $30,000 business grant. Prior to their presentation, they will each have a 45-minute prep session with world-renowned businessman and investor Daymond John to refine their pitch. As part of the program, Bob Evans Farms partnered with Bunker Labs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping new Veteran entrepreneurs start their own business, and the organization will receive a donation of $15,000 as recognition of their support of Heroes to CEOs. Bunker Labs is a national network of Veteran entrepreneurs dedicated to helping new Veteran entrepreneurs start their own business. In the grant-giving program's third year, there was a 33 percent spike in entries, with a total of 210 total entries. To select the three finalists, each eligible entry was scored based on reason, presentation, feasibility, opportunity and future success of the business or plan submitted. During the April 25 event, a judging panel, which includes two past Heroes to CEOs winners, will have the opportunity to hear the pitches and select the winner based on the same criteria. "We started the Heroes to CEOs program as a way to honor Veterans across the country. We've been thrilled to partner with Bunker Labs this year to help spread the word about the program," said Mike Townsley, President and CEO, Bob Evans Farms. "Biao Skincare, Peak Safety Systems and Living Tiny, LLC each provided us with compelling stories and comprehensive business plans. We're excited to see their innovative ideas unfold as they pitch their business after a mentoring session with Daymond John." Heroes to CEOs Finalists Biao Skincare, founded by Nicole Baldwin, is a digital skincare company that leverages the latest in artificial intelligence technology and data science to target the damaging effects that life stressors and environmental aggressors have on the skin, especially for those who live active and ambitious lifestyles. Their mission is to provide users smart, modern, and sophisticated skin care solutions powered by science and technology that target environmental aging. Biao is based in Houston, Texas. Levi and Chandler Green founded Living Tiny, LLC near Tulsa, Oklahoma where they build tiny homes from the ground up. Levi learned in the military what you need and what you don't in confined spaces. The business started a year ago, building the homes out in the elements. Jonathan Norton is a former Army Ranger, inventor of RopeSafe Edge protection system and the founder & CEO of Peak Safety Systems, a combat Veteran-owned product development company, with a mission to create and deploy the best safety equipment for military, first responders, and rope access professionals. Their goal is to create functional, life-saving equipment that inspires confidence in the men and women who serve the country and their communities, and provide meaningful employment for Veterans. Peak Safety Systems is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. "Nicole, Jonathan, Levi and Chandler have great businesses, and I look forward to meeting with them one-on-one to provide advice before their pitch to the judging panel," Daymond John, the People's Shark, said. "It is truly an honor to now be in my third year collaborating with Bob Evans Farms where I get to take part in this inspiring initiative that celebrates our Veterans and provides opportunities for them to further their dreams in business." "Bunker Labs is thrilled to be the philanthropic partner for Heroes to CEOs. Collaborations like this one, allow us to further our mission, to help Veterans and military spouses start, grow and scale their businesses," said Katherine Kostreva, Northeast Region Executive Director, Bunker Labs. "We have a dedicated and thriving Veteran community and startup ecosystem, one that connects vetrepreneurs with mentorship and opportunities for capital. We are excited to see this contest grow in its third year, and in our eyes, everyone is a winner. It takes great courage to start your own business!" For more information on the grant-giving program visit www.ourfarmsalutes.com. For more information about Bob Evans Farms visit www.bobevansgrocery.com and for more information about Bunker Labs visit www.bunkerlabs.org. About Bob Evans Farms, Inc. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a brand born and raised on the promise of farm-fresh goodness. For more than 70 years, the company has been making delicious, quick-to-table farm-fresh food that is sold in grocery stores all over the country. Today, Bob Evans brand mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese products are the #1 selling refrigerated side dishes in the United States*. Based in Columbus, Ohio and owned by Post Holdings, Inc., a consumer-packaged goods holding company, Bob Evans Farms is also a leading producer and distributor of refrigerated potato, pasta and vegetable-based side dishes, pork sausage, and a variety of refrigerated and frozen convenience food items under the Bob Evans, Owens and Pineland Farms brand names. For more information about Bob Evans Farms, Inc., visit www.bobevansgrocery.com. * SOURCE: IRI Total US MULO Latest 52 W/E 12/2/18. About Bunker Labs Bunker Labs is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, with chapters in 25+ cities, built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans to start and grow businesses. Through local chapters organized in cities across the U.S., Bunker Labs provides educational programming, mentors, events, and thriving local networks to help military veterans succeed and thrive as entrepreneurs and innovators. About Daymond John Daymond John can be seen Sunday nights on ABC's four-time Emmy Award winning series, Shark Tank, where as an original cast member he is in the midst of his 10th season. John is widely recognized for his accomplishments as an entrepreneur and branding expert following the success of his groundbreaking lifestyle brand, FUBU and is a two-time New York Times Best Selling Author, most recently for his book Rise and Grind. In recognition of his impact in the entrepreneurial space, John was named a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship under the Obama Administration, and has been bestowed the NAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year Award, the Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship and more. SOURCE Bob Evans Farms, Inc. Related Links http://www.bobevansgrocery.com PALM BEACH, Florida, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The projections for the legal & CBD cannabis markets seem to get higher with every new arrival and big box and brick & mortar retailers of all sizes have taken notice. The legal marijuana and CBD markets numbers are increasingly optimistic. Legal Marijuana: "Today, the U.S. is the epicenter of the legal cannabis market and it appears it will hold that position for the foreseeable future. By 2022, legal cannabis revenue in the U.S. market is projected to hit $23.4 billion." CBD : Add in the figures for the CBD markets: "Hemp-Derived CBD Will Outpace All Other Cannabis Markets, Projected to Hit $22 Billion by 2022" and it's easy to see why retailers want 'in' on the market. The CBD market is easier right now for the big box companies to get involved especially since CBD for medical use is legal in 46 states and CBD derived from hemp rather than marijuana is legal in all states. Active companies in the cannabis industry includes: CROP INFRASTRUCTURE CORP. (CSE:CROP) (OTC:CRXPF), MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTC: MMNFF), CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX: TRST) (NYSE: CTST), The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTC: BOSQF), OrganiGram Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: OGI) (OTC: OGRMF). A February 2019 article on the CNN Business site, titled "America's stores are taking the leap into cannabis products" commented on this surge: "Retailers are racing to grab a piece of the booming CBD market. Stores like DSW, Neiman Marcus, and Barney's all recently began selling beauty products that feature (CBD). Barney's upped the stakes (recently) when it revealed plans for a small, cannabis-themed shop at its Beverly Hills store that showcases CBD beauty products, along with glass pipes, gold rolling papers, and grinder necklaces. "There is a demand for high-end CBD products," Kim D'Angelo, Neiman Marcus' beauty buyer, told CNN Business. "CBD products are the next big thing in beauty." CROP INFRASTRUCTURE CORP. (CSE:CROP) (OTCPK:CRXPF) (Frankfurt: 2FR) BREAKING NEWS: CROP announced today that it has identified multiple Tenants for a roll out strategy to enter Oklahoma to target the Medical Cannabis market focusing on Cultivation, Extraction and Retail infrastructure. CROP will own 49% of the newly incorporated company. The focus of the Oklahoma partnership will be to set up 20 acres of cultivation for medical cannabis and establish up to three retail locations. The 20 acres of medical Cannabis, once tenants are cultivating, is estimated to yield 30,000 lbs of dried flower per year. CROP has agreed to fund up to $500,000 USD for the initial start-up capital for the cultivation and retail locations. In November 2018, an effort to place recreational cannabis on Oklahoma's ballot fell short by 20,000 signatures. The Secretary of State's office determined supporters of the initiative gathered only about 103,000 signatures for State Question 797. The required 123,000 signatures was not met to qualify for a public vote. Read this full announcement and more news for CROP Infrastructure at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-crop/ Additional cannabis industry related developments from around the markets: MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN.CN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) recently announced unaudited systemwide revenue for its fiscal 2019 third quarter ended March 30, 2019. Across the Company's operations in California, Nevada, New York, Arizona and Illinois, systemwide revenue was US$36.6 million (CA$48.8 million). This represents a 22% quarter-over-quarter increase over its fiscal 2019 second quarter ended December 29, 2018. Systemwide revenue, pro forma for pending acquisitions that have not yet closed, was US$54.9 million (CA$73.2 million) for the quarter. For the third quarter, gross margin across its retail operations was 51%1, compared to 53% in the previous quarter. The Company is expected to post its fiscal 2019 third quarter results in May 2019. The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) recently announced it has filed a patent application to protect its inventions for hemp root oil production and its use in certain formulas. Subsidiary Urban Juve Provisions recently filed a Patent Co-operation Treaty ("PCT") patent application entitled "Cannabis Root Extract, Method of Manufacture, Method of Use". The application claims priority to eleven US patents filed in the last year by the company, and contains claims to a method of manufacture of cannabis root oil, as well as use of that oil as an active ingredient in various formulations for use as therapeutics and cosmetics. This PCT patent application can be used as a basis for obtaining patent protection in over 170 countries. OrganiGram Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: OGI) (OTCQX: OGRMF) the parent company of Organigram Inc. (the "Company" or "Organigram"), a leading licensed producer of cannabis recently announced the recent appointment of strategy and operations consultant James Cavanagh as the Company's Chief of Staff. Mr. Cavanagh is an experienced professional who has worked with Canadian and global clients across a variety of industries to drive top and bottom-line growth as well as organizational and operational improvements. Previously with PwC, he has overseen the design and implementation plan of global manufacturing, corporate, and sales processes designed to strategically enhance performance and revenue. Mr. Cavanagh has also facilitated digital strategy development and implementation, introducing new technology platforms in order to improve critical business processes and help achieve cost reduction. CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX: TRST) (NYSE: CTST) recently announced that it has launched three new cannabis extract formulations to meet the growing demand for oil-based products. The new formulations are designed to fill previously unmet needs within the Canadian medical market, identified through market research and the Company's long-standing relationships with thousands of medical cannabis patients and their healthcare practitioners. CannTrust's three new product formulations are:High Dose CBD Capsules (25mg/capsule) the highest dose CBD capsules currently available in Canada; High Dose CBD Drops (50mg/mL); and Low Dose 1:1 Capsules (2.5mg CBD: 2.5mg THC). DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com (FNM) is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. 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Contact Information: Media Contact E-mail: [email protected] +1(561)325-8757 SOURCE FinancialNewsMedia.com DOVER, Del., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) will host a conference call on Friday, May 10, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the Company's financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. The earnings press release will be issued on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, before market hours. To participate in this call, dial 855.801.6270 and reference Chesapeake Utilities Corporation's 2019 First Quarter Financial Results Conference Call. To access the replay recording of this call, please visit the Company's website at CPK - Conference Call Audio Replay. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy company engaged in natural gas distribution, transmission and marketing; electricity generation and distribution; propane gas distribution and other businesses. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation and the Chesapeake family of businesses is available at www.chpk.com or through the Company's Investor Relations App. Please note that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has no affiliation with Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For more information, contact: Beth W. Cooper Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer 302.734.6799 SOURCE Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Related Links http://www.chpk.com Tianjin is the first municipality to be promoted by the MFA, which is launching a global promotion campaign for Chinese provincial regions and cities. Designed to promote the achievements of Tianjin's development in the 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the event included an introduction to Tianjin's economic and social development, exhibitions, exchanges between Chinese and foreign guests, display of featured cultural performances and local food tasting. As one of the birthplaces of modern Chinese industry, Tianjin has made important contributions to China's economic and social development in the past 70 years. Entering the new era, Tianjin will adhere to the new development concept, implement the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, and proactively integrate itself into the Belt and Road Initiative to create an international city that is inclusive and ecologically livable. This promotion event featured Tianjin's inclusive history and culture and Tianjin's vivid practices of promoting high-quality development with independent innovation. The ministry has held global promotion activities for 16 provincial regions and the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province so far to help these places go global. Image Attachments Links: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=334119 SOURCE The Municipal Government of Tianjin USS Fitzgerald Leaves Dry Dock, Continues Repairs Pierside The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. This year, Cosmopack Asia running from 12 to 14 November at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) , will showcase leading supply chain companies: ingredients and raw materials, machinery and equipment, packaging, print & label, contract manufacturing and private labels. Cosmoprof Asia at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) , scheduled from 13 to 15 November , will host over 2,000 finished products companies in Perfumery and Cosmetics, Beauty Salon and Spa, Nail & Accessories, Hair Salon, Natural & Organic. The continued strength of the Asian market has been driving more and more international companies interested in optimizing business opportunities to this booming market. Market research provider Euromonitor reports the Asia Pacific region currently makes up 32% of the global beauty market and has an expected CAGR of 6.7% over the next five years. Year on year, Cosmoprof Asia has established itself as the ideal platform for companies to capture growth and expansion in the region, and organisers expect a general growth for the next edition of up to 5% more exhibition space and exhibitors. But what, exactly, is driving the Asia Pacific cosmetics boom? The rise of product innovation, the appeal of natural and organic cosmetics and the emerging online sales are regarded as the key contributors. This year's Cosmoprof Asia designed its special initiatives with a focus on these aspects. Beauty Innovation on the Rise in Asia It's no surprise to see product and packaging innovation are on the rise in Asia and are becoming a major driving force of the market growth in the region. As the trend-setting event in Asia, Cosmoprof Asia provides attendees the hub to discover the latest product innovation not just from the show floor but also from the well recognized industrial awards. The Awards were created in partnership with international trend agency BEAUTYSTREAMS to recognise the most outstanding product from Cosmopack and Cosmoprof Asia. The Cosmopack Asia Awards celebrates innovation, creativity and design for the supply chain, while the Cosmoprof Asia Awards honours the best strategies to build brand awareness and marketability. All exhibitors will be able to take part in both Awards and winners will be announced during a cocktail and charity event during the show period. More details will be announced at www.cosmoprofawards-asia.com. Another reference point for innovation will be the CosmoTrends report curated in partnership with global trend agencies. This trend bible is a must-have guide for all in the beauty industry to learn about new trends in Asian markets, and innovations and technologies that underline top trending products available at the two exhibition venues. All the shortlisted products will be showcased onsite at a specially designed gallery to gain the best attention from media, beauty influencers, buyers and industry leaders. Natural and Organic Beauty The strengthening of the health and wellness trend across multiple Asian markets is fuelling the demand for organic, natural and herbal beauty products. In response, the Natural and Organic sector at Hall 3G of HKCEC will showcase a wide array of best-selling natural and organic certified skincare, cosmetics, beauty products and supplements from more than 130 brands from Australia, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, USA and UK. E-Commerce and Education The scale and growth rate of ecommerce in Asia really sets it apart from other parts of the globe. China alone is the largest e-commerce market in the world. Thanks to digital transformation, e-commerce in other Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam is also growing exponentially. For international sellers, Asia-based marketplaces are key gateways to this region of the world. The event's highly-regarded Cosmotalks education platform will have a dedicated session for Asian e-commerce providers to tell audience about this future sales channels in beauty. As the most connected and dynamic beauty, health and wellness platform in Asia, Cosmoprof Asia is the ideal expo for related companies in Asia and the world to meet, network and do business. Presenting the huge potential of the Asian market over four exciting days, across every segment of the industry, Cosmoprof Asia not only enables but also influences and shapes this multi-billion dollar industry. Don't miss the chance to experience, learn and be inspired by the innovation and business opportunities at this year's Cosmoprof Asia. For more fair updates and information, visit www.cosmoprof-asia.com Media contact: ASIA: UBM Asia Ltd Ms Amy Ng P: +852-2516-1659 [email protected] Ms Janice Poon P: +852-2516-2117 [email protected] WORLDWIDE: BolognaFiere Cosmoprof Spa Mr Paolo Landi P: +39-02-45-47-08-320 [email protected] Ms Arianna Rizzi P: +39-02-45-47-08-253 [email protected] ABOUT THE ORGANISERS: Cosmoprof Asia, the premier international beauty exhibition in Asia-Pacific, is organised by Cosmoprof Asia Ltd, a joint-venture between BolognaFiere Group and UBM Asia Ltd. ABOUT BOLOGNAFIERE GROUP (www.bolognafiere.it) BolognaFiere Group is the world's leading trade show organiser in cosmetics, fashion, architecture, building, art and culture. The Group has more than 80 international exhibitions within its portfolio, notably Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, the most important meeting point in the world for beauty professionals, established in 1967 and held in Bologna, Italy. For the 2019 edition, Cosmoprof registered more than 265.000 attendees from 150 countries in the world, with an increase by 10% of foreign professionals, and 3,033 exhibitors from 70 countries. The Cosmoprof platform extends throughout the entire world, with its events in Bologna, Las Vegas, Mumbai, and Hong Kong (with Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, Cosmoprof North America, Cosmoprof India, and Cosmoprof Asia). It participates as international sales agent in events dedicated to the beauty world in Colombia (Belleza y Salud in Bogota) and South East Asia (AseanBeauty in Thailand, PhilBeauty in the Philippines, VietBeauty in Vietnam, and BeautyExpo in Malaysia). The Cosmoprof platform will reinforce its influence in Europe, thanks to the acquisition of the German group Health and Beauty, in South America, thanks to the collaboration with Beauty Fair - Feira Internacional De Beleza Profissional, and in Asia. ABOUT UBM ASIA LTD (www.ubm.com/asia) UBM Asia recently became part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/asia for more information about our presence in Asia. SOURCE Cosmoprof Asia Related Links http://www.cosmoprof-asia.com LAVAL, QC, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Crescita Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: CTX) (OTC US: CRRTF) (Crescita or the Company), a Canadian commercial dermatology company, is pleased to announce that its President and CEO, Serge Verreault will be presenting at the upcoming Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference which will be held from April 30 to May 1, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario. Mr. Verreault will discuss recent business highlights and the Company's growth strategy. Members of Crescita's management team will also be available for one-on-one investor meetings on both days of the conference. The details of Crescita's presentation are: Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 Time: 3:00 PM EST Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St W, Toronto, Ontario About the Conference The Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference brings together U.S., Canadian and international investors who are interested in the latest developments in the Canadian healthcare sector. Attendees will have an opportunity to obtain corporate updates from premier Canadian publicly traded and private companies through presentations and private meetings. About Bloom Burton & Co. Bloom Burton & Co. (Bloom Burton Securities Inc.) is a firm dedicated to accelerating returns in the healthcare sector for both investors and companies. Bloom Burton has an experienced team of medical, scientific, pharmaceutical, legal and capital markets professionals who perform a deep level of diligence, which combined with our creative and entrepreneurial approach, assists our clients in achieving the right monetization events. Bloom Burton and its affiliates provide capital raising, M&A advisory, equity research, business strategy and scientific consulting, advisory on direct investing and company creation and incubation services. Bloom Burton Securities Inc. is a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and is also a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). About Crescita Therapeutics Inc. Crescita (TSX: CTX and OTC US: CRRTF) is a publicly traded, Canadian commercial dermatology company with a portfolio of non-prescription skincare products and prescription drug products for the treatment and care of skin conditions and diseases and their symptoms. Crescita owns multiple proprietary drug delivery platforms that support the development of patented formulations that can facilitate the delivery of active drugs into or through the skin. Please visit www.crescitatherapeutics.com for additional information. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" as defined under Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). The words "plans", "expects", "does not expect", "goals", "seek", "strategy", "future", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "projected", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements to the effect that certain actions, events or results "may", "will", "could", "would", "should", "might", "likely", "occur", "be achieved" or "continue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions regarding future events or circumstances. Such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances surrounding future expectations which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of the Company as of the date of this press release, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements, and material risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, include but are not limited to changes in the business or affairs of Crescita; the ability of Crescita's licensees to successfully market its products; competitive factors in the industries in which Crescita operates; relationships with customers, suppliers and licensees; changes in legal and regulatory requirements; foreign exchange and interest rates; prevailing economic conditions; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Crescita. Additional factors that could cause Crescita's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the risk factors included in Crescita's most recent Annual Information Form dated March 18, 2019 under the heading "Risks Factors", and as described from time to time in the reports and disclosure documents filed by Crescita with Canadian securities regulatory agencies and commissions. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Crescita's forward-looking statements, as forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not the times at or by which such performance or results will be achieved. SOURCE Crescita Therapeutics Inc. Related Links www.crescitatherapeutics.com DALLAS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosch & Morris PLLC is launching one of the first law boutiques in Texas focused on helping law firms and other businesses make smart decisions related to data privacy, commercial trade secrets and securing the information they have at hand through customers, vendors, partners or otherwise. With growing concerns about data privacy and the proliferation of big data that has helped accelerate this trend, the firm's co-founders Charles M. Hosch and Kathryne ("Kate") M. Morris offer a pragmatic, preemptive approach to finding, reducing and managing data privacy risks by aligning clients' business goals to new regulations and other industry developments. "In the wake of ongoing data privacy regulations and often unforeseen security challenges, many businesses and even law firms still have a blind spot when it comes to procuring and implementing the right solutions to allay risks," Morris said. "We help clients assess, identify and manage the risks in contracts, so they have a better understanding of the types of data involved, where it will be collected and stored, and how it will be used and shared, all of which can have significant implications to their business." Collectively, Hosch and Morris have more than 45 years of experience in both transactions and trial work involving technology agreements. Attorney Russell B. Pearlman brings more than 25 years of technology consulting work to the table, including two years as Acting Chief Technology Officer for a major automobile manufacturer. In addition, attorneys Hosch and Morris are triple-certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals with the CIPP/US, CIPP/E and CIPM. This level of expertise and experience with technology agreements and related litigation is essential at a time when new data privacy laws worldwide are putting pressure on U.S. businesses, many of which are in Texas. The two previously practiced law at Strasburger & Price LLP, now known as Clark Hill Strasburger. Hosch notes that the complexity of current technologies, the proliferation of data and the dynamic regulatory landscape, are complicating the maintenance of accurate and transparent privacy notices and data policies. "We are dedicated to empowering companies to maintain the right policies and procedures needed to remain compliant, protect critical data sources and make wiser decisions that will lead to success in today's fast-moving business environment," said Hosch. Hosch & Morris PLLC is a Dallas-based law firm. The firm's mission is to help businesses assess, maintain and manage data privacy risks by structuring contracts, processes and procedures to be compliant from the start. For more information about the firm, visit: www.hoschmorris.com. Media Contact: Mark Annick 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Hosch & Morris PLLC Related Links https://www.hoschmorris.com SHANGHAI, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) announced today that the company had added five facilities in China since the start of the year. The increase is the result of Dana's recent acquisition of the SME Group, as well as the Drive Systems segment of Oerlikon Group, including the Graziano and Fairfield brands. The added facilities expand Dana's engineering, manufacturing, testing, and aftermarket service in China. They also strengthen the company's capabilities for electrification and hybridization across the passenger car, commercial-vehicle, and off-highway markets throughout the region. The recently added facilities are located in: Shanghai , which engineers and manufactures SME AC electric motors, inverters, controllers, and accessories; , which engineers and manufactures SME AC electric motors, inverters, controllers, and accessories; Changshu, which produces planetary gear reducers for e-Drives; Baoding, which will make e-Axles for new energy buses; Suzhou, one which produces city bus axles; and a second that produces drives, axles, and gears primarily for off-highway mobile equipment and industrial machinery. Dana's footprint in China now encompasses more than 6,750 employees at 23 operations, including those in which Dana holds an interest. "Dana has been operating in China for more than 25 years, and we see a strong opportunity to accelerate our growth in the Asia-Pacific region," said Jim Kamsickas, president and CEO of Dana. "The addition of these facilities shows how Dana will continue to invest in expanding our capabilities for vehicle manufacturers in China especially for those that are bolstering their electrification initiatives." Comprehensive Commitment to Electrification and Hybridization Over the past two years, Dana has completed a series of strategic transactions to support electrification and hybridization in its core markets, including: the acquisition of the power-transmission and fluid power businesses of Brevini; the acquisition of a majority stake in TM4, a manufacturer of high-voltage electric motors, power inverters, and control systems; the purchase of the SME Group, a designer and manufacturer of low-voltage motors, inverters, and control systems, and; the acquisition of the Drive Systems segment of the Oerlikon Group, including a majority stake in Ashwoods Electric Motors, a designer and manufacturer of interior permanent magnet motors. Combined with the company's core expertise in driveline technologies, sealing systems, thermal management, and digital offerings, these initiatives position Dana as the leading supplier of electrification solutions for the light-vehicle segment. Dana at Auto Shanghai Dana's will promote its expanded capabilities for manufacturers of passenger cars and other light vehicles in hall 6.2, stand 6BF060 at Auto Shanghai. About Dana Incorporated Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com. SOURCE Dana Incorporated Related Links http://www.dana.com SHANGHAI, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) announced today the start of production in China of the award-winning Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle with the Spicer SmartConnect disconnecting all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Engineered for passenger cars and vans, crossovers, and SUVs, the Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency across all torques, speeds, and temperatures without tradeoffs for durability or comfort. It leverages ultra-low viscosity lubricants while maintaining gear durability and life to achieve up to a 45-percent reduction in energy loss compared with a typical axle. The Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle was recently honored with a 2019 Automotive News PACE Award, which serves as a benchmark for innovation and recognizes automotive suppliers for technical advancement, innovation, and dedication to excellence. When the axle is configured with Spicer SmartConnect disconnecting AWD technology, the combined system enables manufacturers to deliver maximum fuel efficiency for their customers. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has selected Dana as the exclusive worldwide supplier of Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra rear drive units for all versions of the Ford Edge featuring the AWD system. The vehicles will be available in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific starting with the 2019 model year. Systems for vehicles produced in the Asia-Pacific region are being produced at Dana's new state-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly facility in Chongqing, China. "Chinese light-vehicle buyers have fully embraced the most advanced technologies in the world for delivering exceptional drivability and fuel efficiency," said Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. "The Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle system demonstrates how Dana's ongoing investments in engineering produce benefits for vehicle manufacturers and buyers alike." Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra Axle Axles are traditionally designed to durability specifications, which is followed by engineers calculating the thinnest oil that may be used without sacrificing component life. Dana engineers reversed the process for the Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle by first defining the specifications for an ideal ultra-low viscosity lubricant, and then designing compatible gears and bearings that take full advantage of the lubricant without sacrificing durability and noise, vibration, and harshness performance. The Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle serves a launchpad for future applications, including supplementing hybrid vehicles as automakers transition into electrification. Spicer SmartConnect Disconnecting AWD System Spicer SmartConnect technology helps global automotive manufacturers address evolving emissions regulations while maintaining the safety and control that are key advantages of AWD systems on SUVs, crossovers, and passenger vehicles. Vehicles with disconnecting AWD systems are designed to automatically and seamlessly transition to AWD when the system predicts or detects slipping at the wheels, such as during rapid acceleration or in icy and other low-traction conditions. The Spicer SmartConnect system configures the drivetrain to work in front-wheel-drive mode for the majority of driving conditions and engages AWD only when needed, enabling improved fuel efficiency. Visit Dana at Auto Shanghai 2019 Dana will exhibit the Spicer AdvanTEK Ultra axle with the Spicer SmartConnect disconnecting AWD system as well as company's wide and growing portfolio of high-efficiency drive systems for conventional and electric vehicles at Auto Shanghai in hall 6.2, stand 6BF060 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. About Dana Incorporated Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. The company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, it is a people-centric organization and has been named a top employer of choice around the world, including significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.dana.com. SOURCE Dana Incorporated Related Links http://www.dana.com WHIPPANY, N.J., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimension Development is named management company of the Hanover Marriott in Whippany, New Jersey. Dimension's portfolio now exceeds 65 hotels with additional properties in their pipeline. "Our growth is very strategic. Our ability to pick unique properties and drive returns for our owners while providing the best customer satisfaction for our guests sets us apart from other management companies," said Ryan Frederick, Vice President of Operations for Dimension Development. Located in Whippany, NJ, the Hanover Marriott features 353 luxurious guestrooms, with 8 suites, a complimentary hotel shuttle, 24-hour access Fitness Center, indoor swimming pool, approximately 20,000 square feet of newly renovated indoor flexible meeting space including Morris County's largest ballroom at 10,750 square feet, a recently designed 8,000 square foot Courtyard with built in fireplaces, music and lighting, a newly constructed M Club Lounge and multiple food and beverage options such as Seeds Restaurant which offers casual dining for breakfast and The Auld Shebeen Irish Pub featuring the authentic cuisine of Ireland, for lunch & dinner. The hotel will be led by General Manager, Dan Farley & Director of Sales, MaryAnn Healey. Sharon Raue, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for the Eastern Region will assist in transition and management of the hotel. "With over 18,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, the Hanover Marriott is a fantastic upscale addition to our growing full-service portfolio. We are excited to add it to our incredible group of hotels in the Eastern region," said Raue. For more information, or to book your next stay at the Marriott Hanover visit: marriotthanover.com or call: 973.538.8811 Dimension Development Co. was founded in 1988, and has successfully developed, acquired and managed full-service, all-suite, and limited feature hotels. The company's various hotel partnerships have produced winning combinations in markets throughout the country. Dimension is a growth-oriented hospitality management company. Its current portfolio consists of more than 65 hotels across the US with the leading brands: Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global and Resorts and InterContinental Hotel Group. For more information about Dimension Development Co., please visit www.dimdev.com SOURCE Dimension Development Related Links http://www.dimdev.com HELENA, Mont., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Montana is truly the place for family fun. Making unforgettable memories comes easily under the Big Sky and the perfect way to explore this big state is by taking a road trip. Home to national parks, state parks, jaw-dropping scenery and amazing wildlife, Montana offers families endless opportunities for fun. Find an unforgettable family adventure exploring Montana's past. (Photo Courtesy: Visit Montana) While there are endless epic road trips to take through the state, one drive that will ensure family fun, wildlife, history and beauty is the drive between Glacier and Yellowstone national parks along the western region of the state. The Ghost Town Route is a five-day, 460-mile-long itinerary that leaves from the west side of Glacier National Park and travels through scenic valleys and historic ghost towns before ending in West Yellowstone. Start your journey by driving U.S. Highway 83 between the snow-capped peaks of the Mission and Swan mountains. You'll pass plentiful lakes and have a chance to cool down along the way at Holland and Seeley lakes, as well as Salmon Lake and Placid Lake state parks. After lunch in Seeley Lake, continue to Garnet Ghost Town and explore its 30 preserved buildings. Take a minute to picture this mountain town during its heyday when it was home to 50 mines and nearly 1,000 residents. Next on your ghost town tour, visit the lively 1890s mining town of Philipsburg to mine for sapphires, fill up at one of the local restaurants and explore a Montana staple, The Sweet Palace. A candy emporium, The Sweet Palace is a must-visit for any family road trip through this part of Montana. End the day by playing in the indoor and outdoor hot spring poolscomplete with a waterslideat Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in Anaconda. Continue your trek south with a stop at three of Montana's most amazing ghost townsBannack State Park, Nevada City and Virginia City. A registered landmark, Bannack was the site of Montana's first major gold discovery in 1862. Today, Bannack is a state park with more than 60 preserved structures. Explore this piece of Montana's history on a guided tour, try your hand at panning for gold or have kids participate in the park's junior ranger program. Continue your journey through Western history with a full day in Nevada City and Virginia City. There are 150 National Historic Landmarks between the two of them, making Nevada City and Virginia City the best outdoor museums of Montana's past. Home to history reenactments and toursas well as the Alder Gulch Short Line railroad connecting the two citiesthese stops are best described as living ghost towns with charming lodging accommodations, restaurants and watering holes. End your trip by taking U.S. Highway 287 south to West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park's west entrance. Find more information on family-friendly summer itineraries, and start planning your trip to Glacier and Yellowstone national parks at WWW.VISITMT.COM. About The Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development (MOTBD) MOTBD markets Montana's spectacular unspoiled nature, vibrant and charming small towns, breathtaking experiences, relaxing hospitality and competitive business climate to promote the state as a place to visit and do business. For more information, go to VISITMT.COM . SOURCE Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development Related Links http://www.visitmt.com CALGARY, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Enbridge Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) (Enbridge or the Company) will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Annual Meeting of Shareholders When: Wednesday, May 8, 2019 1:30 p.m. MT (3:30 p.m. ET) Where: Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel 110-9th Avenue S.E., Kensington Room Calgary, Alberta Live audio webcast: Click here A webcast replay will be available on the Company's website approximately two hours following the event. An mp3 and transcript will be posted to the website shortly thereafter. Members of the media attending in person are asked to register in advance by contacting the Enbridge Media Line at 888-992-0997 or [email protected]. For additional information on the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, including voting and attendance procedures please refer to enbridge.com/agminfo. About Enbridge Inc. Enbridge Inc. is North America's premier energy infrastructure company with strategic business platforms that include an extensive network of crude oil, liquids and natural gas pipelines, regulated natural gas distribution utilities and renewable power generation. The Company safely delivers in excess of 3 million barrels of crude oil each day through its Mainline and Express Pipeline; accounts for approximately 62% of U.S.-bound Canadian crude oil exports; and moves approximately 18% of all natural gas consumed in the U.S., serving key supply basins and demand markets. The Company's regulated utilities serve approximately 3.7 million retail customers in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Enbridge also has interests in more than 1,700 MW of net renewable generating capacity in North America and Europe. The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. Life takes energy and Enbridge exists to fuel people's quality of life. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Media Jesse Semko Toll Free: (888) 992-0997 Email: [email protected] Investment Community Jonathan Gould Toll Free: (800) 481-2804 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Enbridge Inc. Related Links http://www.enbridge.com CALGARY, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Enbridge Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) (Enbridge or the Company) will host a conference call and webcast to provide an enterprise-wide business update and review 2019 first quarter results on May 10, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. MT (9:00 a.m. ET). Enbridge will announce first quarter results before markets open on May 10, 2019. 2019 First Quarter Earnings Webcast and Conference Call When: Friday, May 10, 2019 7:00 a.m. MT (9:00 a.m. ET) Webcast: Sign-up Call: Dial-in # (Audio only please dial in 10 minutes ahead): North America Toll Free: 1 (877) 930-8043 Outside North America: 1 (253) 336-7522 Participant Passcode: 4987355 A webcast replay and podcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the event and a transcript will be posted to the company website within approximately 24 hours. Replay: Audio Replay # (Available for 7 days after call): North America Toll Free: 1 (855) 859-2056 Outside North America: 1 (404) 537-3406 Replay Passcode: 4987355 The conference call format will include prepared remarks from the executive team followed by a question and answer session for the analyst and investor community only. Enbridge's media and investor relations teams will be available after the call for any additional questions. About Enbridge Inc. Enbridge Inc. is North America's premier energy infrastructure company with strategic business platforms that include an extensive network of crude oil, liquids and natural gas pipelines, regulated natural gas distribution utilities and renewable power generation. The Company safely delivers in excess of 3 million barrels of crude oil each day through its Mainline and Express Pipeline; accounts for approximately 62% of U.S.-bound Canadian crude oil exports; and moves approximately 18% of all natural gas consumed in the U.S., serving key supply basins and demand markets. The Company's regulated utilities serve approximately 3.7 million retail customers in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Enbridge also has interests in more than 1,700 MW of net renewable generating capacity in North America and Europe. The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. Life takes energy and Enbridge exists to fuel people's quality of life. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Media Jesse Semko Toll Free: (888) 992-0997 Email: [email protected] Investment Community Jonathan Gould Toll Free: (800) 481-2804 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Enbridge Inc. Related Links http://www.enbridge.com CHICAGO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd. will host the next Arthur S. Kallow Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Seminar Series Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. at 19 S. LaSalle St. in Chicago, Illinois. The keynote speaker will be matrimonial attorney Michael W. Ochoa, and the seminar will be moderated by internationally recognized Dads Rights attorney Jeffery M. Leving. Michael W. Ochoa, a highly respected matrimonial attorney, will present on: "Confidentiality Issues Concerning Court-Ordered Therapy in Family Law Litigation." The firm's President, Jeffery M. Leving, said: The well-being of children, and their lives, can be at stake in these cases. To secure the best possible outcomes for clients and their children, it is crucial that lawyers understand the complex confidentiality issues that arise when the therapeutic process intersects with the legal process." Highly experienced trial attorneys James M. Hagler and Arthur S. Kallow will present on: "Litigation Strategies to Win Critical Cases." Kallow and Hagler will discuss the use of litigation strategies to achieve the best outcomes for clients and their children. "The use of the correct and most effective strategies in family law cases is crucial to achieving the goals of our clients," said Leving. Former Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County Travis Y. Richardson will be in attendance at this important event and he is now a member of the Leving Firm. Richardson is the former partner of Myron Mackoff, a current Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Leving stated: "Travis brings to the Firm decades of trial experience, and the perspective of a former Judge who presided over hundreds of difficult cases." Please make reservations for future Kallow CLE events by emailing Jennifer Whiteside ([email protected]). About the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd. Matrimonial attorney Jeffery M. Leving has dedicated his career to safeguarding children and reuniting them with their fathers. He is a pioneer in the Fathers' Rights movement and founded the Fatherhood Educational Institute, which seeks to eliminate father absence. Leving chairs the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood at the pleasure of the Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker. To learn more about law and fatherhood, follow Jeffery M. Leving on Twitter and Facebook. Contact: Jennifer Whiteside Media Liaison [email protected] 312-296-3666 SOURCE Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd. Related Links www.jmlevinglawltd.com Solana Pacific Elementary School sixth grader Michi Synn was recently honored as a 2019 Carson Scholar. The program, which honors academic and humanitarian achievements of students in grades 4 through 11 across the country, was founded in the 1990s by Candy and Dr. Ben Carson, currently the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Michi Synn shakes Dr. Ben Carsons hand at the Carson Scholar award banquet. (Stella Sung) Michi was recognized for her achievements in cancer research as well as for winning the NBC show Genius Junior. She was one of 505 winners nationwide, receiving a $1,000 college scholarship, a recognition package and an invitation to the regional awards banquet held on April 13 in Carlsbad. Michi was not only named a Carson Scholar but was selected to escort Candy Carson to the stage at the banquet. Clips of her run on the Genius Junior played for the audience, including her super brain talent for spelling words backward. Michi said it was inspiring to hear Dr. Carson speak, as well as the Carson leadership award winner Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian physician who identified chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Global Home Index (2017), 90% of household chores involve cleaning, and there is still a significant equity gap between men and women especially in Argentina when it comes to spending time performing cleaning chores. Per a recent study by Opinaia ("Gender Gap and House Chores" Argentina, December 2018), women spend 50% more time cleaning the house every week, as compared to men, and only 37% of men do these activities every day. In seven out of ten households where couples live together (with or without children), women are in charge of the household chores. Further, out of 100 women who wash the bathroom, only 66 men do; for every 100 women who do the laundry, 67 men do; out of every 100 women who clean the floors, 72 men do; out of 100 women who clean the kitchen, 74 men do...and the list goes on. There is a clear and established gender gap in the commitment to carrying out household chores in Argentine society. Such a gender gap inspired FCB Mexico and Ayudin, a Clorox brand, to launch the "Casi un monumento" ("Almost a Monument") campaign, to call attention to the divide that is present in the responsibilities of household chores. The campaign is also inspired by a common preconception among Argentinian men, who still think that when they do a household chore they are helping their spouses. And, as they would jokingly put it, they "deserve a monument" for their help. Ayudin built these monuments as both an homage and a reminder of the existing gender gap. Javier Campopiano, partner and chief creative officer at FCB Mexico, explained: "While the statues representing what women do at home are complete, the statues that reflect what men do are unfinished. This expresses the exact percentage that's still missing for them to equal women's efforts, in order to raise awareness about this issue and work toward narrowing such a disparity." According to Opinaia, living in a clean environment promotes better health, well-being and improved communication among house inhabitants. Sharing household chores on an equal basis will ensure that every member regardless of gender, age or social status will have the same development opportunities in other aspects of their lives, particularly those related to study and personal growth. In order to develop "Casi un monumento," Jowy Roman an emerging artist who champions gender equality was invited to participate in the campaign. In Roman's previous work, she focused on subverting the stereotype of the "tough man," distant from household matters. Instead, she portrayed a man who is sensitive and conscious of the fact that these activities must be shared on an equal basis. The manifestation of "Casi un monumento" was located at the Federal Republic of Brazil Square in Argentina, from April 10-14, 2019. It featured an exhibit of sculptures made by Jowy Roman and Maria Lightowler (curator) that displayed the rooms of a small house, with a couple carrying out daily chores: cleaning the floors, washing the bathrooms and doing the laundry. These scenes pointed out the unequal distribution of household chores that historically have been performed by women, to educate both men and women on how to change this imbalance in the future. Regarding the campaign's execution, Natalia Benincasa, group creative director at FCB Mexico, pointed out: "'Casi un monumento' is a campaign that seeks to bring to light a topic that we still need to understand as a society. Although men clean more today, this still does not match the time and dedication that women have spent and continue to spend doing these chores. Therefore, we say: 'I won't be able to build you a complete monument it will be almost a monument.'" "For Clorox, and in Argentina for Ayudin, it is critical to remember that both men and women should do the cleaning at home," stated Elena Otero, marketing vice president at Clorox International. "Based on our motto, 'Because clean matters, we do it together,' our challenge was to create a space of dialogue for men and women alike. Men haven't yet become co-responsible for doing household chores on an equal basis. We have to continue to work in order to introduce a more equitable distribution of household chores." In the past, women performing household chores was something taken for granted. Today, such a conception is continually being revised. This shows that society is willing to initiate a conversation, a discussion and a debate, which, per Ayudin and FCB Mexico, is something critical to ultimately effecting change. "'Casi un monumento' features a couple that is conscious about this paradigm shift," said Lightowler. "Although sharing household chores was a first step for them and a goal to achieve moving forward, it will be something natural for their children, both boys and girls. Hopefully, the couple can see that through their actions, they have contributed to the construction in full of a monument." Link to case film: https://www.webcargo.net/l/0GiPjmPesl/ Credits: Client: Clorox Brand: Ayudin Title: "Almost a Monument" Agency: FCB Mexico Contact Client: Elena Otero, Gabriela Sanchez, Guido di Risio Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Javier Campopiano Group Creative Director: Natalia Benincasa Editor: Diego Angeles, Octavio Navarro Art Director: Edgar Rodriguez, Saul Cruz, Rodrigo Rocha, Alberto Gomez Accounts: Rocio Fernandez, Tanya Diaz PR Agency: Lourdes Sanchez Social: Ana Belen Flores, Ana Gomez, Jose Guerrero, Erika Cortes Agency Producer: Laura Acevedo Edition: David Garcia Production Company: Sake Director: Diego Fried PR Partner Agency: Muchnik Sculptor: Jowy Roman About FCB FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, fully integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Based on a deeply developed understanding of diversified local markets and global cultures, FCB focuses on creating "Never Finished" campaign ideas for clients that reflect a deep understanding of the brand's past, a respect for the present and an anticipation of the future potential. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, the company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). FCB Mexico has helped build some of the world's most iconic brands, like Beiersdorf, Reckitt Benckiser and Grupo Modelo. Learn more at fcbmexico.com.mx and follow us on Twitter (@FCB_mex), Instagram (@fcb_mex), Facebook (@FCB.Mexico) and LinkedIn (@FCBMexico). About Clorox Argentina Clorox Argentina S.A. manufactures and markets high-quality household cleaning and hygiene products. The efforts of Clorox Argentina are aimed at offering products that will meet the needs of its consumers and that will improve their quality of life. This raison d' etre of the company is embedded in its mission: "to build brands that will improve, facilitate and make people's lives healthier." Clorox products are known by their leading brands in the Argentine market such as: Ayudin, Poett, Trenet, Mortimer, Pinoluz, Arco Iris, Plomero Liquido and Selton and the household line. SOURCE FCB Related Links http://www.fcbmexico.com.mx DALLAS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a 2016 jury verdict and 2017 trial court judgment that ultimately awarded $9.5 million to a Dallas-based health care company. In a majority opinion, the appellate court found that BlueCross BlueShield of Louisiana failed to properly reimburse Encompass Office Solutions for in-office medical procedures, and distributed a defamatory letter to physicians with false information regarding the company and its services. That letter threatened to terminate the network contracts of doctors who continued to work with Encompass. Subsequent to the opinion in the case, the court has denied a motion for rehearing. A trial team from Thompson & Knight LLP represented Encompass throughout the district court hearings and before the 5th Circuit. "This case has a lengthy history spanning several years, and we're pleased that finally Encompass will be properly compensated for the services it provided and the damages the company has incurred," said Jennifer Rudenick Ecklund, a trial partner at Thompson & Knight who argued the case before the trial court and 5th Circuit. The judgment remains subject to the awarding of interest and legal fees to Encompass. Other members of the Thompson & Knight trial team included William L. Banowsky, Andrew C. Cookingham, Greg W. Curry, Richard B. Phillips, Jr. and Reed Randel. Encompass provides mobile ambulatory surgery services that allow doctors to safely perform surgeries in their offices. Encompass's business is primarily focused on women's health, allowing patients to have sensitive gynecological procedures done in the comfort and safety of the doctor's offices while providing the necessary anesthesia care. This method reduces the infection risks associated with hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, and provides both doctors and patients with a more efficient and cost-effective means of delivering medically necessary surgical care. About Thompson & Knight Established in 1887, Thompson & Knight is a full-service law firm with more than 300 attorneys. The Firm provides legal solutions to clients and communities around the world and is particularly recognized for its depth of experience and capabilities on behalf of the energy industry. Thompson & Knight has been named "Law Firm of the Year" in Natural Resources Law (2018) and in Oil & Gas Law (2011-2013, 2015, 2017) in U.S. News-Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms." For more information, visit www.tklaw.com. Media Contact: Becky Jackson [email protected] 214.969.1478 SOURCE Thompson & Knight Related Links http://www.tklaw.com SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Flagship Premium Food Group (Flagship) announced today that is has opened a regional office in downtown San Francisco, California. The facility will house executives and team members focused on supporting the company's growing natural and organic private label business. "As our company's private label business has grown, we've decided to locate our team in a modern, first-class facility with access to outstanding talent, customers, and suppliers," said Doug Clendenning, President of Flagship's Private Label Naturals division. "San Francisco is full of the talent and ideas that our company needs," added Patrick Clendenning, the division's Operations Coordinator. The new location features an R&D kitchen facility, an asset that the company believes will help accelerate its product development solutions for its customers. Flagship is a leading provider of private label solutions to some of the country's leading retailers. With a focus on organic and natural product lines, Flagship sources or supplies some 200 items to its customers across both frozen and ambient product categories. ABOUT FLAGSHIP Flagship Premium Food Group is a leading, diversified food company serving retail and food service customers world-wide. The company has a focus on premium, natural, and/or organic food lines. Its Lilly B's brand is one of the country's leading and fastest-growing organic brands and sells the #1 organic burrito in the USA club channel. Its TJ Farms brand offers customers a broad line of frozen potato, appetizer, breakfast, and entree products. Additional company food products include items branded under the Steak 'n Shake, Su Ming, and Chris' & Pitt's brands. In addition to its owned or licensed branded products, Flagship is a leading solutions provider to premium retailers who offer their customers private or white label food items. Flagship also offers food industry services, including brokerage, logistics, and packaging services. For Media Inquiries, Contact: Flagship Premium Food Group Kim Conaty [email protected] +1-720-381-1737 SOURCE Flagship Premium Food Group MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- M&A Executive Search has been named one of the top 200 executive recruiting firms by Forbes magazine in their annual ranking of firms who specialize in filling positions with salaries of at least $100,000. In its presentation of the 2019 list, Forbes writes that "More than 100 consecutive months of job gains have contributed to a unique employment environment, one where, for the first time in recent memory, organizations have found themselves struggling to attract the workforces they need to succeed. As the talent war has intensified, more human resources managers have turned to recruiters, but with so many staffing agencies to choose from, how can companies know which are best suited to their searches?" Forbes partnered with Statista, a market research company, to compile the 2019 version of their yearly list of the top executive search firms. According to Forbes, seventy-six percent of hiring managers say that attracting top talent is their biggest challenge, one that costs organizations an average of 23.8 days and $4,129 per hire. Those daunting numbers are why more and more companies are enlisting in executive search firms to not only expedite the process but also to help ensure they're making the right hire. Statista surveyed over 30,000 recruiters and collected over 14,500 nominations, and firms with the most recommendations ranked the highest on the list. M&A Executive Search was ranked 156 on the list, joining just four other Minnesota search firms to make the list. "It's always nice to be recognized for the work you do, and we're honored to be included on this list by Forbes Magazine," said Chandler McCoy, M&A Executive Search President. "At a time when we're all inundated with a million different rankings online, the "Forbes Magazine" brand still has a heft to it that makes this an exciting recognition for us. Forbes is widely recognized as a leader and driver of American business." To see the full Forbes list and read the article on America's best executive recruiting firms, click here. About: M&A Executive Search partners with manufacturing and aligned industries nationwide to acquire superior executive talent for business success and growth. Contact: For more information, please visit www.maexecsearch.com or contact Kristen Martinez of Diedrich RPM at 952-500-3565 or [email protected]. SOURCE M&A Executive Search Related Links https://maexecsearch.com BOSTON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FundCount, LLC, a worldwide provider of accounting and investment analysis software, today announced that it has won Best Client Accounting solution at the WealthBriefing European Awards ceremony held in London. These well-respected annual awards recognize top providers in the private banking, wealth management and trusted advisor communities. This marks the second year in a row that FundCount has received the Best Client Accounting distinction. WealthBriefing European FundCount software is used by single and multi-family offices, fund administrators, hedge funds and private equity firms around the world. An integrated solution with all partnership and portfolio accounting, general ledger and reporting on a single platform, FundCount provides wealth managers with operational efficiency and a single source of investment truth. The judges were impressed with FundCount's newly introduced functionality that automates all facets of accounts payable and cash management. "As a result of this and the company's existing offering, FundCount can provide clients with enhanced efficiency, reduced operational risk and lower cost," said a member of the judging panel. "Since family offices run lean, they look for comprehensive solutions that streamline all aspects of their back-office accounting operations," said Alex Ivanov, CEO and founder of FundCount. "We are honored to be recognized by WealthBriefing as Best Client Accounting solution based on the strengths of our core offering and our new accounts payable and cash management functionality, which further improves operational efficiency." Editor's Notes About FundCount Founded in 1999, FundCount provides integrated accounting and investment analysis software that improves operational efficiency and delivers immediate, actionable intelligence to clients around the globe. Today, over 125 single and multi-family offices, fund administrators, hedge funds and private equity firms worldwide with assets totaling more than U.S. $150 billion rely on FundCount for accurate, timely information and flexible reporting. FundCount supports its growing client base from the company's U.S. headquarters and four additional international locations. For more information, visit www.fundcount.com. About ClearView Financial Media Ltd ("ClearView") ClearView Financial Media was founded by CEO, Stephen Harris in 2004, to provide high quality 'need to know' information for the discerning private client community. London-based, but with a truly global focus, ClearView publishes the WealthBriefing group of newswires, along with research reports and newsletters, while also running a pan-global thought-leadership events programme. With teams based in London, Singapore, Switzerland, US, South Africa and the Philippines, the company is one of the fastest-growing media groups serving the financial services sector. Media contact: Abby Friedman 908-904-1926 SOURCE FundCount Related Links https://www.fundcount.com The partnership extends well beyond the product giveaway. In an effort to raise awareness and resources focusing on marijuana criminal justice reform, Caliva is donating 4.20 percent of the total sales on 4/20 to the non-profit Code for America in support of the Clear My Record Program. Despite legalization and decriminalization, the number of arrests for marijuana possession actually increased from 2016 to 2017 to nearly 660,000. These arrests lock people out of jobs, housing loans and financial aid for education. "What could be better to celebrate 420 than Caliva's products and Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream?" said Dennis O'Malley, CEO of Caliva. "As part of this collaboration, Caliva is supporting the non-profit Code For America's Clear My Record Program, dedicated to giving people a second chance to get jobs and housing by clearing cannabis records." "Knowing that Caliva is challenging the status quo of bogarting human rights of non-violent offenders and providing these communities a second chance is exactly the 420 effort we want to support," said Ben & Jerry's Marketing Manager, Justin Gural. "We want to have some fun with fans on the holiday with the delivery surprises, and supporting Clear My Record is no doubt the cherry on top," added Gural. The Caliva and Ben & Jerry's program will run on April 19th and 20th, and last until supplies run out. To learn more about Caliva, its product lines, and its Bay Area retail store, visit caliva.com. To learn more about Ben & Jerry's, and the company's stance on marijuana criminal justice reform, visit benjerry.com. About Caliva Caliva is the most trusted lifestyle brand in cannabis. San Jose's premier cannabis retailer and cultivation facility opened in July of 2015. In September of 2016, Caliva was ranked the #1 dispensary in the nation by Business Insider. Its facility is one of the most advanced pharmaceutical-grade cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensing facilities in the United States, and a model for energy efficiency, safe access, and compliance. Caliva products are available for sale at licensed California cannabis retailers. Media Contact: Patrick Martin MATTIO Communications O: 646-982-1003 M: 424-381-6017 Mattio.com SOURCE Caliva Related Links http://caliva.com MOAB, Utah, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sage Creek at Moab, a Utah-based luxury resort property, announced today that it is partnering with political commentator Glenn Beck to raise $1 million to fight child sex trafficking. The partnership is part of a fundraising giveaway dubbed the Sage Creek Drive in the Desert. In light of this and other new partnerships, Sage Creek at Moab also announced that it will be extending the duration of the drive to allow for increased participation. Beck has long been a vocal proponent of Operation Underground Railroad , an organization that runs sting operations to apprehend traffickers and free their victims. Operation Underground Railroad is one of two nonprofits that will benefit from the fundraising effort. The other, Child Liberation Foundation , raises awareness and provides funds to vetted partner charities for the rescue and aftercare of child trafficking victims. Sage Creek has organized the drive as part of its philanthropic efforts, and invites the public to donate. Donors will be entered into a prize drawing to be held on May 25, allowing new entrants an extra month to participate after the original April deadline. Prizes include a 2019 Jeep Wrangler (Moab Edition) and a five-night stay at the newly opened resort in the heart of Utah's offroad country, both donated by Sage Creek. "We're excited that Glenn is helping us to raise awareness about the Sage Creek Drive in the Desert." Wayne Aston, president of Sage Creek, said, "It's a tremendous opportunity for people to support two great nonprofits that have freed thousands of children from modern slavery. The drive gives people a chance to participate at whatever level they are comfortable - whether it's $5 to buy a warm meal for a kid in aftercare, or $5,000 to fund a sting." "We believe that our partnership with Glenn is going to drive a lot of new awareness for the cause, which is why we're extending our entry deadline to raise even more funds. Our goal is to raise over $1 million, with all the donations going straight to the charities." To make a donation and enter to win the giveaway, visit sagecreek.rallyup.com/sagecreek . About Operation Underground Railroad Operation Underground Railroad is registered 501(c)3 organization. Bringing together former CIA, Navy SEALs, and Special Ops operatives, O.U.R. partners with local law enforcement agencies around the world to save children from this modern day slavery. Founded by CEO Tim Ballard in 2013, O.U.R. has rescued more than 1,700 victims and helped arrest 858 traffickers worldwide. Learn more at ourrescue.org About Child Liberation Foundation The Child Liberation Foundation was founded in February 2017 to fund the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of children who have been forced into human trafficking operations. Through their sanctioned network, CLF raises awareness and provide funds to approved partner charities for the rescue of child trafficking victims. Learn more at liberateachild.org About Sage Creek at Moab Bringing together modern architecture and sophisticated design, Sage Creek is the first resort grade premium community of its kind in Moab. Located in the heart of canyon country, Sage Creek is sure to satisfy the most adventurous thrill seekers as well as the visitors who want to simply soak up the rejuvenating energy of the sacred Moab area nature-scape. The property, which is opening its doors later this year, is the organizer of the first annual Sage Creek Drive in the Desert. Learn more at sagecreekatmoab.com. Contact: Jackson Carpenter +1.435.659.1642 [email protected] SOURCE Sage Creek at Moab Related Links http://www.sagecreekatmoab.com DUBLIN, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Marine Engines Market by Power (<_-5_ _="_" _-10_="_-10_" _0-20="_0-20">20) 000 hp, Vessel (Commercial, Offshore), Fuel (Heavy, Intermediate, Marine Diesel and Gas Oil), Engine (Propulsion & Auxiliary), Type (2 & 4-Stroke) & Region - Global Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global marine engines market is projected to reach USD 16.4 billion by 2024 from an estimated USD 14.0 billion in 2019, at a CAGR of 3.11%. This growth can be attributed to factors such as growth in international marine freight transport, growth in maritime tourism, and penetration of smart engines for situational awareness and safety. However, stringent environmental regulations worldwide and dependence on heavy fuel as the primary fuel is hindering the growth of the marine engines market. The marine diesel oil segment, by fuel, is expected to be the fastest growing market from 2019 to 2024. The marine diesel oil segment is expected to hold the second largest market share and the fastest growing segment during the forecast period because of growth in applications such as harbor tugs and push boats. Increasing emission control regulations and continuous revisions in the IMO standards have led to the increasing use of low sulfur oil, such as marine diesel oil and marine gas oil, replacing the use of bunker oil. The two-stroke segment is expected to be the largest market from 2019 to 2024. The two-stroke segment , by type, is estimated to be the largest and the fastest growing segment during the forecast period. The two-stroke type of marine engine offers high torque at low engine speed, which helps the boats/vessels to cruise at a constant speed without adjusting the engine speed. They can run on low-grade fuel, which helps to keep the overall running cost down. Also, they are more efficient and offer more power. Asia Pacific: The largest market for marine engines. The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the largest market for marine engines, by 2024. The marine engines market in this region is mainly driven by seaborne trade which has subsequently led to an increase in demand for ships that are used to transport manufactured goods to various regions worldwide. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are considered as the main manufacturing hubs for marine engines. According to World Shipbuilding Statistics, 2016, China accounted for a 33% share of all new shipbuilding orders, globally, thereby making it the largest market for marine engines. The increase in defense spending and the rise in domestic ship production are the key factors contributing to the growth of the marine engine market in the region. The leading players in the marine engines market are Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea), Caterpillar (US), MAN SE (Germany), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), Volvo Group (Sweden), Rolls-Royce (UK), Wrtsil (Finland), Cummins (US), GE Transportation (US), and Deutz AG (Germany). Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Growth in International Marine Freight Transport 5.2.1.2 Penetration of Smart Engines for Situational Awareness and Safety 5.2.1.3 Growth in Maritime Tourism 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Stringent Environmental Regulations Worldwide 5.2.2.2 Dependence on Heavy Fuel as the Primary Fuel 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Increased Naval Budgets Worldwide 5.2.3.2 Rising Demand for Dual-Fuel Engines 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Fluctuations in Oil & Gas Prices 5.2.4.2 Shipping Overcapacity 6 Marine Engines Market, By Power Range 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Up to 1,000 HP 6.2.1 Asia Pacific Holds the Largest Region for Up to 1,000 HP Marine Engines Market 6.3 1,001-5,000 HP 6.3.1 Europe is Expected to Have the Second Largest Market Share By 2024 6.4 5,001-10,000 HP 6.4.1 Europe is Expected to Grow at the Second Fastest CAGR From 2019-2024 6.5 10,001-20,000 HP 6.5.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Have the Largest Market Share By 2024 6.6 Above 20,000 HP 6.6.1 Europe is Expected to Grow at the Fastest CAGR From 2019-2024 7 Marine Engines Market, By Vessel 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Commerical Vessel 7.2.1 South America is Expected to Grow at the Fastest CAGR From 2019-2024 7.3 Offshore Support Vessel 7.3.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Dominate the Offshore Support Vessel Segment During the Forecast Period 7.4 Others 7.4.1 Europe is Expected to Have the Second Largest Market By 2024 8 Marine Engines Market, By Fuel 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Heavy Fuel Oil 8.2.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Lead the Marine Engine Market During the Forecast Period 8.3 Intermediate Fuel Oil 8.3.1 South America is Expected to Grow at the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Perido 8.4 Marine Diesel Oil 8.4.1 North America is Expected to Grow at the Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period 8.5 Marine Gas Oil 8.5.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Have the Largest Market By 2024 8.6 Others 8.6.1 Europe is Expected to Grow at the Highest CAGR From During the Forecast Period 9 Marine Engines Market, By Engine 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Propulsion Engine 9.2.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Have the Highest CAGR for Propulsion Segment During the Forecast Period 9.3 Auxiliary Engine 9.3.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Dominate the Auxiliary Engine Segment During the Forecast Period 10 Marine Engines Market, By Type 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Two-Stroke 10.2.1 Asia Pacific is Expected to Grow at the Fastest CAGR During the Forecast Period 10.3 Four-Stroke 10.3.1 Europe is Expected to Have the Second Largest Market for Four-Stroke Engines By 2024 11 Marine Engines Market, By Region 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Market Share Analysis 12.3 Competitive Scenario 13 Company Profile Caterpillar Cummins Deutz AG GE Transportation Hyundai Heavy Industries John Deere Man SE Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Rolls-Royce Volvo Group Wrtsil Yanmar Holdings For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y8r0zr 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 DUBLIN, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Polyester Straps Market 2019-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The polyester straps market will register a CAGR of over 15% by 2023. Polyester straps are predominantly used in the paper and printing industry as they are lightweight and resistant to corrosion. They are used in bundling and packaging a wide range of paper and printing products such as specialty paper, writing and printing paper, tissue papers, and coated paper, among others. Printing and writing papers are used for magazines, books, stationery, newspapers, and for office reprographics and catalog printing. The focus on hygiene is also driving the consumption of tissue papers. High demand for toilet paper, facial wipes, paper towels, and paper products for the foodservice industry is likely to encourage the use of polyester straps. Polyester straps are commonly used in packaging paper products and help in ensuring safe transportation and storage. This increased consumption of paper products is estimated to drive the demand for polyester straps during the forecast period. Market Overview Increasing consumption in steel and metal industry Metal and steel products are used extensively in the manufacturing, building and construction. and infrastructure industries. The growing use of metal and steel products bolsters the uses of polyester straps that are used in palletizing, tying, and packaging steel products as they are very strong and durable. Thus, the growing consumption of metal and steel products is expected to drive the market during the forecast period. Fluctuation in raw material prices Volatility in the cost's petroleum-based raw materials and the demand for polyester strap products in emerging economies can hinder the market growth. Prices of raw materials such as polymers (polypropylene, polyester, and nylon), additives, and resins fluctuate as they are directly related to crude oil prices. Therefore, the prices of these raw materials fluctuate depending on the prevailing prices of natural gas and crude oil. Competitive Landscape The market appears to be fragmented and with the presence of limited vendors. This market research report will help clients identify new growth opportunities and design unique growth strategies by providing a comprehensive analysis of the market's competitive landscape and offering information on the products offered by companies. Key Topics Covered: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY GRADE Market segmentation by grade Comparison by grade Machine grade - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Hand grade - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by grade PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 10: MARKET TRENDS Flourishing e-commerce industry encouraging the demand Emergence of bioplastics High growth potential in emerging economies PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Crown Holdings, Inc. FROMM Holding AG Messers Packaging S.r.l. Polychem Corporation Teufelberger Holding AG PART 13: APPENDIX For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cuvloe 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 HILLSDALE, Mich., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillsdale College announces the launch of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, a new nationally syndicated radio program produced by the College. The program currently is broadcast on nine stations in three states. "The ideas and arguments discussed here at Hillsdale College are relevant to all citizens, and this new radio program is one way to share them with people across the country," said Scot Bertram, general manager of WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. "Talk radio listeners already know Hillsdale by reputation. Now they'll have the opportunity to hear from the school's faculty, staff, alumni, and others directly." The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is a talk radio program addressing public affairs and news through the lens of classical liberal arts education. Segments of the show feature interviews with Hillsdale College scholars and experts from around the country, explorations of various elements of liberal arts education, and highlights of College events or announcements. Guests in the show's initial weeks of production have included prominent economist Stephen Moore, best-selling author and columnist Victor Davis Hanson, Claremont Institute scholar John Marini, and author Brian Christian, among many others. The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is hosted by WRFH general manager Scot Bertram and produced with assistance from a Hillsdale student producer. Bertram boasts a long career in radio with experience in a variety of positions, including Chicago's ESPN 1000 and news talk station WROK in Rockford, Illinois. He joined Hillsdale College in 2016 and helped develop WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Bertram remains active in broadcasting, producing original stories for the Illinois Radio Network and Illinois News Network. He also serves as a frequent guest host for Michigan's Steve Gruber Show and the Illinois-based Michael Koolidge Show. The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour is broadcast on seven stations in Michigan through Michigan Talk Network as well as Bold Gold Media's 94.3 The Talker/WTRW in northeastern Pennsylvania and iHeart Media's KION AM & FM in California's central coast. The program is also available in podcast form from iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, and other podcast distributors. For more information on The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, click here. Stations interested in airing The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour should contact Scot Bertram at [email protected]. About Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 4 million. For more information visit hillsdale.edu. SOURCE Hillsdale College Related Links http://www.hillsdale.edu Del Mar officials will reopen the process of seeking applicants to fill a position on one of its most powerful panels after the City Council failed to pick a candidate Monday, April 15. Five residents, including incumbent Tim Haviland, applied for appointment to the design review board, as Havilands four-year term expired earlier this month. The board reviews development projects for architectural features, landscaping and other details with the goal of protecting the environment, scenic views, community character and property values. After hearing statements from each candidate, asking them questions and taking public testimony from about 20 speakers, council members Sherryl Parks and Dwight Worden voted for Haviland, while Mayor David Druker and Councilwoman Terry Gaasterland voted for Karen Lare. Councilwoman Ellie Haviland abstained from the discussion and vote. She is married to Tim Haviland, the review boards chairman. Her decision was voluntary. City Attorney Leslie Delaney advised that there was no legal conflict of interest for her and her husband to be serving on two different bodies within the city. The reason I am recusing myself is that I want to make sure there is no public perception of bias on the selection process for members of that committee, Haviland said. The specter of an interest conflict was broached by Druker and Gaasterland at the councils March 4 meeting. They questioned whether two people involved in romantic relationships should be allowed to serve simultaneously on the citys ruling bodies the council, design review board and planning commission. The council in 2015 appointed Tim Haviland to the nine-member board. Del Mar voters elected Ellie Haviland to the council in November 2016. City Hall observers say having spouses serving at the same time is unprecedented and violates a long-standing, but unwritten policy. Some residents suggested the city should consider enacting a policy banning the practice. Devaney said there is no law prohibiting spouses from serving on different boards, and that potential conflicts on decisions would be considered case by case. In last Mondays session, the council heard an outpouring of support for keeping Tim Haviland on the review board. You dont have to be a human resources executive to see that he is clearly the most qualified candidate, John Graybill said. If you look at his performance and his experience, it is clear he is the most qualified. Hes a proven commodity and that has value. While the city received several letters protesting Havilands reappointment based on the conflict allegation, only Laura DeMarco appeared before the council to voice that position. No relative of a serving council member has ever been appointed concurrently to the DRB or the planning commission in Del Mar, DeMarco said. While not codified, DeMarco said the tradition serves to avert the hard feelings that could arise from the appearance of conflicts, she said. Nepotism has been so repugnant and such an anathema to fairness, due process and good government in Del Mar that it has been effectively banned in practice, she said. In keeping with protocol, the council voted on the design review board appointment without discussion or debate. As a result of the split vote, the council directed the citys staff to reopen the application process while allowing Haviland to continue to retain his post over the next few months. Lare, the candidate favored by Druker and Gaasterland, is a semi-retired financial services industry executive who has lived in the city since 1977, aside from intervals when professional assignments took her elsewhere. CHESAPEAKE CITY, Md., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Maryland auctioneers Alexander Historical Auctions, known internationally for their military sales, will be offering some of the most important documents of World War II in their April 30-May 1 auction - most never before seen. Included will be Adolf Hitler's reply to his devoted Field Marshal Ferdinand Schorner's plea for him to flee besieged Berlin. Hitler's response: "I shall remain in Berlinin the decisive battle for Germany, and to set a good example to all those remaining". Auctioneer Bill Panagopulos describes the document: "This is the only such written statement known in which Hitler declares his resolve to die in Berlin. He committed suicide days later, hiding deep within his bunker." Also offered is the first military telegram of the war, a handwritten message sent by the leader of German commandos minutes after crossing the Polish border. Of special historic interest is the set of notes on Allied surrender demands taken by the chief German negotiator which he sent to the civilian German government. This message helped force the German unconditional surrender. Several other lots concern the Nazi government which assumed power after Hitler's suicide. Among them is the Allied order given to arrest the entire German government, thus bringing an end to Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich". HITLER DECLARES HIS FINAL PLAN: "I SHALL REMAIN IN BERLIN..." Historic telegram sent by Hitler to Field Marshal FERDINAND SCHORNER who begged him to leave Berlin: "I shall remain in Berlin, so as to take part...in the decisive battle for Germany, and to set a good example to all those remaining...in this way I shall be rendering Germany the best service...." Hitler committed suicide days later. Alexander Historical Auctions Sale Apr. 30 2019 GERMANY'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR SENDS EISENHOWER'S SURRENDER TERMS TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT A document of great historical importance, the handwritten dispatch by chief German peace negotiator HANS-GEORGE VON FRIEDEBURG to President of Germany Grossadmiral Karl Donitz setting forth the demand for unconditional surrender by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower on behalf of the Allied powers. Germany surrendered two days later. Alexander Historical Auctions Sale 75 Lot 418 April 30, 2019 The D-Day landings on Normandy 75 years ago are represented by three "Top Secret" maps owned by American Gen. Harold Blakeley showing Utah Beach, St. Mere Eglise, and Carentan, a Waffen-SS map of the defenses before Caen, and a top secret British chart showing D-Day convoy assignments, among others. Several controversial pieces are also slated for sale. Included is a signed photograph of Adolf Hitler given to a young girl, Rosa Bernile Nienau. Hitler maintained his friendship with the girl, despite knowing that she was a Jew. Another document sets forth Adolf Eichmann's establishment of the first agency to force the emigration of Jews a forerunner of the Holocaust which would soon follow. A very rare letter from Oskar Schindler, savior of hundreds of Jews in Poland, will also be sold. In it, Schindler thanks some of those whom he had rescued for supporting him financially and for inviting him to visit them in Israel. World War I offerings includes combat reports of the rarest British aces, pieces signed by victims of the "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen, and a document signed by the man who shot him down, Arthur Roy Brown. The nearly 1,500 lot sale includes letters, documents, photographs, uniforms, medals, military relics, and other historic items from World War I to present day. Hundreds of major figures are represented, including Allied and Axis government and military leaders, recipients of military awards, civilian notables, "aces", and more. Bidding will be available live, by telephone, and at the auctioneer's web site. Bidding is also available at websites invaluable.com and liveauctioneers.com. Alexander Historical Auctions may be reached at 203-276-1570, email: [email protected], website: historyauctioneer.com. SOURCE Alexander Historical Auctions LLC Related Links http://historyauctioneer.com NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP (www.kaplanfox.com) has been investigating claims on behalf of investors who purchased shares of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. ("Aerojet Rocketdyne" or the "Company") (NYSE: AJRD). On April 9, 2019, Spruce Point Management ("Spruce Point") published a report alleging that Aerojet "is facing fundamental pressures, masked by complicated and aggressive accounting, which gives investors a potentially misleading impression of stability and growth." For example, Spruce Point asserts that "numerous subjective contract adjustments [are] being used to boost results and 'one-time' items [are] not being treated as such." Further, Spruce Point asserts that Aerojet's "Unbilled Receivables Exploding: Indicative of Aggressive Revenue Recognition Ahead of Billing and Collecting Cash." On April 9, 2019, Aerojet Rocketdyne's shares declined $0.49 per share, or 1.4%, to close at $33.54 per share. If you purchased Aerojet Rocketdyne shares, and would like to discuss our investigation, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-290-1952. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Jersey, has many years of experience in prosecuting investor class actions. For more information about Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, you may visit our website at www.kaplanfox.com. If you have any questions about your rights or interests, please contact: Jeffrey P. Campisi KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP 850 Third Avenue, 14th Floor New York, New York 10022 (800) 290-1952 (212) 687-1980 Fax: (212) 687-7714 E-mail: [email protected] Laurence D. King KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP 350 Sansome Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, California 94104 (415) 772-4700 Fax: (415) 772-4707 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP Related Links http://www.kaplanfox.com DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration is open for ChannelCon 2019, the technology industry's premier annual conference for education, networking and partnering hosted annually by CompTIA, the leading trade association for the global technology industry. ChannelCon 2019 is scheduled for August 5 through 7 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. "Each year the tech industry's best business minds, innovators and thought-leaders come to ChannelCon for vendor-neutral collaboration, learning and partnership, resulting in new ideas and actionable advice that they can use to grow their business," said Kelly Ricker, executive vice president for events and education at CompTIA. "Our 2019 conference will be no exception." ChannelCon 2019 will feature: A specialized mix of education and collaborative sessions from leading technology companies and experts, offering insight into key trends, business challenges and growth opportunities in today's market. A Biz Tech track focused on leading edge technology solutions and go-to-market strategies. The IT Pro Track powered by CompTIA Pro, where technical professionals can participate in IT-specific educational sessions in sales, customer service and essential soft skills. CompTIA certification holders can also earn CEU credits. Presentation of the CompTIA Awards, honoring individuals who are making a difference in the tech industry, from rising stars building careers to well-established leaders with legacies. "The success of ChannelCon comes from the strong participation and support we receive from the industry, and from the positive outcomes that attendees say they benefit from," Ricker noted. A survey of ChannelCon 2018 attendees found that 92 percent had a positive experience; 87 percent would recommend ChannelCon to co-workers and peers; 75 percent gained insight into a new technology or business model; and 70 percent formed at least five new business contacts. For complete details on ChannelCon 2019, and to register and plan your attendance at the conference, visit https://www.comptia.org/channelcon/home. About CompTIA The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 50 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. www.comptia.org. Contact: Steven Ostrowski CompTIA +1 (630) 678-8468 [email protected] SOURCE CompTIA Related Links http://www.comptia.org DALLAS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:JEC) has been appointed to provide professional services (Lot 1) of the Environment Agency's new Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF) in two of the six regional delivery hubs across England, both the North West and the Thames & Anglian regions of England, which will drive a program of capital investment and improvement work for flood defense assets. The Environment Agency is investing $3.3 billion (2.6 billion) in flood and coastal erosion risk management projects, beginning in 2015 through 2021, helping to protect 300,000 homes. The new CDF is part of the Agency's Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of capital projects through greater collaboration with delivery partners. The new way of working will modernize program, asset and incident management to achieve improvements in sustainability, value for money and outcomes delivered. "As the environment faces some of the toughest challenges of our time, we have an opportunity to build on our 25-year partnership with the Environment Agency and play a role in helping to protect communities for the future," said Jacobs Buildings and Infrastructure Europe Senior Vice President and General Manager Donald Morrison. "The new integrated delivery teams provide the opportunity for even greater collaboration with the Agency and other suppliers, enabling better ways to support the Agency's objectives to improve efficiency across a wide range of resiliency and environmental outcomes." "This ambitious new framework will help us to continue to deliver our 2.6 billion flood and coastal defense program in a way which ensures that sustainability, efficiency and value for money remain at the very heart of the work we do to protect people, homes and the environment," said Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, Toby Willison. "The Environment Agency continues to work closely with partners and communities from across the country to deliver our commitment of investing 2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion over six years." Jacobs is working alongside the Environment Agency, Lot 2 delivery partners and wider community stakeholders as part of an integrated, collaborative team to deliver a program of projects to create better places for people and wildlife and support sustainable development. Under the CDF, Jacobs will provide professional services to help tackle flood risk management, water resources, habitat creation, fisheries improvement, coastal resilience and navigation schemes. The team will look to deliver more resilient and sustainable solutions, achieving efficiencies through region-wide management of flood protection, water resource and navigation assets. Jacobs will also work as strategic supply chain partner to Arup in two further hubs in the North East and Midlands regions. The framework is effective immediately and has a duration of four years, with the option to extend to eight. This award extends Jacobs' long relationship with the Environment Agency, supporting previous frameworks since the agency's creation in 1995. Working as delivery partner with the Environment Agency and Balfour Beatty, Jacobs is also supporting the multi award-winning Thames Estuary Asset Management 2100 (TEAM2100) program overseeing the refurbishment, maintenance and upgrade of more than 4,000 flood defense assets along the 175-km tidal River Thames, including the iconic Thames Barrier. Jacobs leads the global professional services sector delivering solutions for a more connected, sustainable world. With $15 billion in fiscal 2018 revenue and a talent force of more than 80,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of services including scientific, technical, professional and construction- and program-management for business, industrial, commercial, government and infrastructure sectors. For more information, visit www.jacobs.com, and connect with Jacobs on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some of the factors which may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements please refer to our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, and in particular the discussions contained under Items 1 - Business, 1A - Risk Factors, 3 - Legal Proceedings, and 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made herein. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 Brian Morandi 720.286.0719 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com WALTHAM, Mass., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lionbridge Technologies is proud to announce it has again been named one of America's Best Employers by Forbes, which also recognized Lionbridge as a Best Employer for Women in 2018. The 2019 list recognizes organizations across a variety of industries that employ more than 1,000 people in the U.S. Working with Statista, Forbes deployed an independent survey to a representative sample of the US workforce and reached more than 50,000 employees overall. The rankings were mainly assessed based on the likelihood that an employee would recommend their employer to friends and family versus recommend a different employer. Other questions included inquiries about company culture, career development, gender equality, and compensation. "Our foundational priorities are our people and customers," said John Fennelly, CEO of Lionbridge. "We're very proud of the progress we've made in creating an environment that allows our talent to expand their skillsets and interests. This has also helped us accelerate our innovation efforts." Ann Lazarus-Barnes, Lionbridge's Chief People Officer, said the award is a testament to the company's dedication to its employees. "Our community's strength is an immeasurably important part of our success and we are always on the lookout for the best and brightest to join us," she said. The full list of Forbes' America's Best Employers 2019 is available here. To learn about opportunities to join Lionbridge, please visit the "Join Our Team" page. About Lionbridge Lionbridge partners with brands to break barriers and build bridges all over the world. For more than 20 years, we have helped companies connect with global customers by delivering marketing, testing and globalization services in more than 300 languages. Through our world-class platform, we orchestrate a network of 500,000 passionate experts in 5,000-plus cities, who partner with brands to create culturally rich experiences. Relentless in our love of linguistics, we use the best of human and machine intelligence to forge understanding that resonates with our customers' customers. Based in Waltham, Mass., Lionbridge maintains solution centers in 27 countries. Learn more at www.lionbridge.com. About Forbes Media Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines, as well as Forbes.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 117 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 38 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms. Forbes Media's brand extensions include conferences, real estate, education, financial services and technology license agreements. About Statista Statista.com is a leading data and business intelligence portal. The platform today already gives access to some one million statistics from over 18,000 sources covering more than 600 industries, and offers in three equal parts data from Statista's own collections, data from partners, and data from publicly available sources. Statista furthermore performs extensive market research studies and publishes renowned rankings and lists for different industries and countries (e.g., Best Employers, Best Law Firms, etc.). Media Contact: Paige Vaughn W2O Group [email protected] +1-512-851-1288 SOURCE Lionbridge PITTSBURGH, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton is pleased to announce it has entered the Pittsburgh market to enhance the risk management, employee benefits and retirement services strategies of local, regional and national organizations. With the economic growth and innovation in western Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, risk management and total rewards needs are increasing exponentially. Lockton, the world's largest privately held, independent insurance broker and consultant, is excited to become part of the local business community and help companies protect their most valuable assets their people, property and reputation. Pittsburgh will be part of Lockton's Midwest operation. Over the past two months, Lockton has hired five key industry experts to launch its Pittsburgh office, serve clients and build a local team: Michael Brodzinski brings nearly 15 years of consultative risk management and senior leadership experience at global brokers and carriers. In addition to his role as a strategic risk consultant, Michael will lead the development and expansion of Lockton's new Pittsburgh office. brings nearly 15 years of consultative risk management and senior leadership experience at global brokers and carriers. In addition to his role as a strategic risk consultant, Michael will lead the development and expansion of Lockton's new office. Mark Weber has spent almost 15 years developing total rewards and employee benefits programs at national and global brokers. He will consult with Lockton clients to help them achieve their human capital goals. has spent almost 15 years developing total rewards and employee benefits programs at national and global brokers. He will consult with Lockton clients to help them achieve their human capital goals. Rich McElhaney joins with 27 years of experience as a risk manager and loss control consultant, and he will enhance the employee safety programs of Lockton clients. Rich is a world-renowned keynote speaker who has delivered his "The Real Cost of Safety" address around the world. joins with 27 years of experience as a risk manager and loss control consultant, and he will enhance the employee safety programs of Lockton clients. Rich is a world-renowned keynote speaker who has delivered his "The Real Cost of Safety" address around the world. Tony DeRiggi brings experience both from his time at a large power equipment company and as a consultant at a global broker supporting high-risk businesses. He will use his experience to advise Lockton clients on complex risk solutions. brings experience both from his time at a large power equipment company and as a consultant at a global broker supporting high-risk businesses. He will use his experience to advise Lockton clients on complex risk solutions. Taylor Troiano is a seasoned risk management professional with experience helping clients across a variety of industries. He will partner with Lockton clients to mitigate risk and navigate the complicated healthcare environment. "We have been looking to join the Pittsburgh community for some time, but we wanted to make sure we had a strong leader and industry experts to lead the charge," said Kevin McDaniel, president of expansion for Lockton Midwest. "Mike is the right person to lead our expansion into this market. He, along with Mark, Rich, Tony and Taylor will help us build a strong team in Pittsburgh to deliver on Lockton's client-focused service model." Lockton is creating new jobs in Pittsburgh and is currently hiring for a variety of client service positions including account managers and account executives for property and casualty as well as employee benefits. In addition to the local team, Lockton has experts around the world who will partner with the Pittsburgh team to develop strategic plans that help clients achieve their business objectives. "We are looking to hire associates for our Pittsburgh office who want to work in an entrepreneurial environment and have a strong client service track record," said Tom Schaffler, CEO of Lockton Midwest. "We look forward to becoming a part of the Pittsburgh community and serving Lockton's three constituents clients, associates and the community for many years to come." To view and apply for open positions in Lockton's Pittsburgh office visit lockton.com/careers or contact Tony Fenoglio at 314-812-3130. About Lockton Lockton is a global professional services firm with 7,000 Associates who advise clients on protecting their people, property and reputations. Lockton has grown to become the world's largest privately held, independent insurance broker by helping clients achieve their objectives. For ten consecutive years, Business Insurance magazine has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." SOURCE Lockton Related Links http://www.lockton.com HICKSVILLE, N.Y., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The closing will be a very important day for the seller of the property. This will be when you officially transfer the property to the buyer, fully pay off any mortgage, and receive your sale proceeds. Long Island real estate law firms , Markotsis & Lieberman Esq., lists and explains some closing documents involved in the selling of a property. The Deed A deed is the physical legal document that will transfer ownership of the property from the seller to the buyer. The deed will include the identification of both parties and a detailed description of the property being sold. It gets recorded to give the world notice as to the rightful owner. Transfer Forms These forms go along with the Deed. In New York State, the Seller pays a transfer tax, and one of these forms calculates that tax. Closing Statement The closing statement will show how much money you'll get after accounting for closing costs, taxes and any other transaction fees that occurred during the sale of your property. Your attorney will prepare this form for you, Mortgage Payoff In the event you have a mortgage at the time of your sale, you will need to obtain a mortgage payoff prior to the closing so you know how much you need to pay the lender to satisfy the loan. At the closing, the title closer will confirm the amount with the lender. When selling your property, there will be a significant amount of paperwork and documentation throughout the process. It can be daunting and overwhelming but hiring an experienced and confident real estate attorney to assist you can make all the difference. They can advise you every step of the way to ensure selling your property goes as smoothly as possible. About Markotsis & Lieberman, Esq.: Markotsis & Lieberman, P.C. Real Estate Attorney is a general practice law firm. Practice areas include real estate, litigation (commercial and civil), business formations, agreements and transactions, and wills, trusts and estates. Our team of seasoned attorneys are here to guide you through every step of the legal process providing personalized attention to every client. When you're facing a complicated legal situation, our team of legal experts is there to fight for your rights. SOURCE Markotsis & Lieberman, Esq. Related Links http://www.mlesq.com PITTSBURGH, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Maiello Brungo & Maiello is pleased to announce the addition of Michael T. Korns to its skilled team of attorneys. Michael will serve as Senior Counsel in the firm's growing Municipal Law practice group. Michael is an attorney with more than a decade of experience in municipal law and civil litigation, as well as a wide range of civil matters, including products liability, tort defense, employment, class actions, election law, real estate, and business disputes. He has represented clients in both state and federal court in jurisdictions across the United States. "Michael is a noteworthy addition to Maiello Brungo & Maiello's Municipal Law practice group. His experience with municipal law and civil litigation matters is well suited to meet the needs of our clients," said Alfred Maiello, Managing Partner of Maiello, Brungo, and Maiello. Michael is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. and is admitted to the Federal Court in both states. He has been recognized by the Washington, D.C. District Court for his contributions as a member of that Court's Pro Bono Service Panels. He serves on the board of the Kiski Valley Habitat for Humanity and is a member of the Westmoreland County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. ABOUT MAIELLO BRUNGO & MAIELLO, LLP Maiello, Brungo & Maiello is a full-service law firm comprised of a team of diverse and experienced lawyers specializing in: Construction Law Estate Planning Local Government Law Corporate Law Labor & Employment Law Real Estate Law Education Law Litigation Tax Assessment Our firm is highly regarded for our collaborative, hands-on approach when working with clients to find tailored and comprehensive legal solutions. In every aspect of our engagement, we will consistently demonstrate a firm commitment to you. For more information visit www.mbm-law.net or contact: Stephanie McHale Marketing Director, Maiello Brungo & Maiello, LLP [email protected] or 412-242-4400 SOURCE Maiello Brungo & Maiello Related Links https://www.mbm-law.net ORLANDO, Fla., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC) will report financial results for the first quarter 2019 before the market opens on May 7, 2019. A conference call is scheduled to follow at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the company's results. Participants may access the call by dialing (877) 407-8289 or (201) 689-8341 for international callers. A live webcast of the call will also be available in the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for seven days. To access the replay, call (877) 660-6853 or (201) 612-7415 for international callers. The conference ID for the recording is 13689493. The webcast will also be available on the company's website for 90 days following the call. About Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a leading global vacation company that offers vacation ownership, exchange, rental and resort and property management, along with related businesses, products and services. The company has more than 100 resorts and nearly 660,000 Owners and Members in a diverse portfolio that includes seven vacation ownership brands. It also includes exchange networks and membership programs comprised of nearly 3,200 resorts in over 80 nations and nearly two million members, as well as management of more than 180 other resorts and lodging properties. As a leader and innovator in the vacation industry, the company upholds the highest standards of excellence in serving its customers, investors and associates while maintaining exclusive, long-term relationships with Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corporation for the development, sales and marketing of vacation ownership products and services. For more information, please visit www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com. SOURCE Marriott Vacations Worldwide EDWARDS, Calif., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Media are invited to a behind-the-scenes tour and briefing of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California. The event takes place on April 24, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PDT. Media participants should plan to meet at the Visitor Control Center trailer located at the front of Building 703 at 8:30 a.m. for the event. The building address is 2825 E Ave P, Palmdale, CA 93550. The event will give journalists and social media users the chance to not only see the inside of the world's largest flying observatory, but also meet team members and scientists doing cutting-edge research. It will include the opportunity to: See SOFIA a 106-inch telescope, mounted on a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, to study the solar system and beyond like no other telescope can. Get up close with other aircraft that NASA uses research planes to study our home planet. Meet with experts who fly on these aircraft. Tour hangar and facilities View and take photographs of other aircraft in the hangar including the ER-2 and C-20A. Meet fellow aviation and astronomy enthusiasts who are active on social media. Media that are unable to attend the event in-person can follow the event on the @NASAArmstrong, @SOFIATelescope or @NASASocial Twitter accounts. Domestic media representatives interested in participating in the event should confirm their plans to attend by contacting the NASA Armstrong Public Affairs office no later than 12 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at 661-276-2020, or email Kate Squires at [email protected]. Foreign national journalists cannot be accommodated for this event. For more information about SOFIA, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov A discrepancy in cost estimates and concerns about fire safety led the Del Mar City Council on Monday, April 15, to postpone initiating the first phase of construction on its utility undergrounding project. At the request of the citys staff, the council reaffirmed its commitment to place power and telecommunications lines underground throughout the entire coastal community of about 4,500 residents. Also, the council vowed to finance the work almost entirely through Measure Q, a 1 percent sales tax passed by city voters in 2016 to sponsor a series of infrastructure improvements. Those include an overhaul of Camino Del Mars streetscape, work that is now in progress, and the undergrounding of utility wires while eliminating the above-ground poles. The council, however, balked at authorizing the pilot program that would result in the utilities being placed below ground in two locales identified as Areas 1A and X. Area 1A consists of 265 parcels straddling Stratford Court west of Camino Del Mar and bounded by 11th Street to the north, while extending south about a. block past Fourth Street. Area X encompasses 43 parcels off San Dieguito Drive and borders the wildlands of Crest Canyon. Area 1A was selected to demonstrate how the undergrounding would work and how much it would cost in a neighborhood with dense housing. In contrast, X was chosen because it has fewer residences and is classified as a high risk for wildfires by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Contact between power lines and vegetation has been blamed for sparking several disastrous wildfires in California. Council members, however, were reluctant to proceed with the pilot program because of a huge difference in projected costs for the entire project. A city-hired consulting firm that prepared the project analysis concluded the work from start to finish would cost $52 million. The citys Undergrounding Project Advisory Committee, however, heard from industry specialists who contended the estimate was too high and projected it to cost as little as $25 million. This is the largest project the city has ever undertaken, City Hall included, said Tom McGreal. He is a member of the citys finance committee, but said he was speaking on his own behalf. Its a long-term project thats going to take us 20 years to complete, McGreal said. I am recommending we hit the pause button. We stop and try to find out what the difference is in the pricing disparity. Council members agreed the city needs to do a better job of nailing down the cost before committing to the pilot program. They referred the issue back to the undergrounding committee for consideration at its April 18 meeting, with the possibility that another consultant may be needed. The council also directed the staff to look at expanding Area X to include undergrounding farther south from San Dieguito Road along Crest Road also abutting Crest Canyon. Many among more than 20 residents who spoke to the council about the project complained that a lack of emphasis was placed on fire safety, especially along Crest Road. Fire safety should drive the priorities, in my mind, Crest Road resident Joel Holliday said. Were not just talking about Crest Road. Were talking ... about fire safety for the entire city. Its a low probability event, hopefully, but when (a wildfire) happens, its going to be catastrophic. The weekend extravaganza was full of special moments at every event, but a few additional highlights include: Miami -based restaurant PINCHO reclaiming the Heineken Light People's Choice Award on Friday, February 22 at the Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris . -based restaurant PINCHO reclaiming the Heineken Light People's Choice Award on at the . Celebrated South Florida mixologist Ben Potts being crowned the Art of Tiki People's Choice and Overall Throwdown winner at Art of Tiki Cocktail Showdown presented by BACARDI Rums hosted by Ted Allen on Friday, February 22 . mixologist being crowned the Art of Choice and Overall Throwdown winner at on . The Coca-Cola Beachside BBQ Award was presented to Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, from Decatur, AL on Saturday, February 23 at the Coca-Cola Beachside BBQ presented by The National Pork Board hosted by Guy Fieri . on at the . Chef Richard Plasencia of Miami -based restaurant Twisted Fork Kitchen was named Swine University's Valedictorian by a panel of judges, which included Ana Quincoces , Eddie Zamora and Patrick Ban , at Goya Foods' Swine & Wine presented by The National Pork Board hosted by Eileen Andrade & Fernando Desa on Sunday, February 24 . The 18th annual Festival brought a variety of musical entertainers to delight fans at several events. This included performances from GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Cassadee Pope, GRAMMY Award-winner and 90s icon Rev Run, the Coral Gables, FL-based Nu Deco Ensemble, as well as Ludacris and Cedric Gervais during the featured David Grutman Experience. Popular musician DJ IRIE provided the beats at two Festival events during the weekend, including Taste Jamaica presented by Jamaica Tourist Board and TEF hosted by Cindy Hutson & Delius Shirley on Friday, February 22 and Goldbelly presents Sweets & Beats hosted by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro & Joe Ariel on Saturday, February 23. The return of the Festival's featured CRAVE Greater Fort Lauderdale Series presented by Capital One contained a mix of intimate dinners hosted by popular chefs and lifestyle personalities, evening tastings, brunches, seminars and more throughout the weekend. A selection of events that were a part of the series included: A Dinner hosted by Elizabeth Karmel , Martina McBride and Philip Kistner at Township on Friday, February 22 . at Township on . An evening Clambake hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Jorge Ramos at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach on Friday, February 22 . at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach on . The newly debuted Drag Brunch presented by Barilla hosted by Alex Carr and Elvis Duran on Saturday, February 23 in collaboration with the team at PRIDE Fort Lauderdale . on in collaboration with the team at . Fan-favorite Bloody Mary Brunch hosted by Jeff Mauro & Geoffrey Zakarian on Sunday, February 24 . The physical footprint of the Festival expanded once again in 2019, featuring two events in The Palm Beaches both presented by Discover The Palm Beaches for the first time. The first was a Dinner hosted by Clay Conley, Martha Stewart and Lindsay Autry, taking place at Autry's own The Regional Kitchen & Public House on Thursday, February 21; followed by a Dom Perignon Masterclass that took place at the Virginia Philip Wine Spirits & Academy on Saturday, February 23. Many additional events, seminars, interactive classes, panels, and more rounded out the Festival weekend. In total, the Festival served up more than 5,500 cases of wines and spirits from valued brands part of the Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits portfolio, and featured more than 450 chefs, winemakers, spirits producers and lifestyle personalities. SAVE THE DATE: SOBEWFF will return for its 19th annual edition February 19 23, 2020. Stay up to date all year long by following along with the #SOBEWFF hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. About the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival EAT. DRINK. EDUCATE. All proceeds from the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfillment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world's greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. To date, the Festival has raised more than $30 million for the School. In September 2018, BizBash named the Festival the #1 Food & Restaurant Industry event in the United States for the sixth year in a row. The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival is produced by Florida International University and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit sobewff.org or call 877-762-3933. For more information about Florida International University visit fiu.edu, for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management visit hospitality.fiu.edu and for more information about Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits visit southernglazers.com. PRESS CONTACTS: National Media: Florida/Hispanic Media: The Door | an idea house Brustman Carrino Public Relations (646) 340-1760 (305) 573-0658 Adeline Benge ([email protected]) Larry Carrino ([email protected]) Andrea Moreno ([email protected]) SOURCE Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival Related Links http://sobewff.org Registration is now open to attend. INVEST Pop Health will take place this spring, Wed., May 22, at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center. The conference convenes venture capitalists, hospital executives, payers, life science companies and startup entrepreneurs with population health experts and businesses from around the country to discuss innovations that improve the wellbeing of whole populations and communities. Dr. Richard V. Milani, chief clinical transformation officer, Ochsner Health System will provide an opening keynote address. Other guest speakers include: Rick Brush , CEO, Wellville , CEO, Wellville Dr. Thomas Hawes , Managing Director, Sandbox Industries , Managing Director, Sandbox Industries Rick Born , CEO, Aetna Better Health of Louisiana , CEO, Aetna Better Health of Dr. Timothy Harlan , Associate Dean for Clinical Services and Executive Director, Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine For a full speaker list and startup presentations, click here. "We are excited to partner with MedCity News and learn from national experts on the forefront of population health innovation," said Quentin Messer, Jr., president & CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance. "This conference is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the lives of our friends and neighbors while accelerating the diversification of our local economy." As the leading publication for healthcare innovation, MedCity hosts summits throughout the year in cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. New Orleans will be the first city in the South to host a MedCity News conference, a testament to the Crescent City's increasing presence in the health arena. "MedCity News' INVEST event series has become a must-attend destination for investors, startups, providers, payers and C-level executives interested in healthcare's transformation. We were extremely excited when the opportunity to bring the event to New Orleans was raised with the New Orleans Business Alliance," said John Lerner, CEO of Breaking Media and MedCity News. "The confluence of a world-renowned business and cultural destination with the incredible innovation in healthcare happening in the region was an obvious fit for INVEST. Furthermore, the focus on population health makes this a unique, compelling event that we are honored to produce." The summit will also feature 10 startups focused on chronic disease management and population health invited by MedCity News to present on stage be they medical devices, diagnostics, digital health companies, or health services and answer questions from investor judges. Based on the presentations and an audience poll, one of the 10 will be named 2019 INVEST Population Health Leader. Those interested in attending may register here. About the New Orleans Business Alliance One of only 62 Accredited Economic Development Organizations worldwide, the New Orleans Business Alliance is the official professional economic development organization for New Orleans. Formed in 2010, the public-private partnership focuses on holistic economic development: attract new business, grow existing businesses, revitalize neighborhoods and facilitate comprehensive workforce development programs beneficial for jobseekers and employers. By pursuing an inclusive economic development strategy, we will create the perfect intersection of culture and commerce while delivering New Orleanians enhanced economic security. Visit nolaba.org for more information. About MedCity News MedCity News is the leading online news source and event businesses for the business of innovation in healthcare. MedCity offers insight into what's next and what matters with a mix of breaking news and analysis on startups and established industry leaders, personalities, policies and the most important deals. Executives at payers, providers, life science companies, digital health, as well as healthcare investors and startups use MedCity as their go-to resource for what is next in the business of healthcare. Contact: Morgan Stewart, New Orleans Business Alliance, 504-460-7024, [email protected] SOURCE New Orleans Business Alliance Related Links https://www.nolaba.org "Sonata is our signature product," said Mike O'Brien, vice president, product, corporate and digital planning, Hyundai Motor America. "Having been one of our first and most successful nameplates, Sonata is our legacy, and it needs to be special and memorable in all attributes. Sonata signifies our vision for future Hyundai designs, great active safety systems and cutting-edge technology that is effortless." The new-generation Sonata is the first sedan designed with Hyundai's Sensuous Sportiness design language. It is a fully transformed vehicle showcasing a sporty four-door-coupe look. The 2020 Sonata represents Hyundai's new focus on creating emotional value using proportion, styling and technology. From the front, the 2020 Sonata is unlike any other Hyundai. The design is all-new, with cues that don't immediately appear Hyundai-like and thus encourage customers to take a second look. The 2020 Sonata embodies the evolution of a new Hyundai design themea portfolio of vehicles that, like chess pieces on a board, look and behave differently, each with a clear role and function, but together exemplify a cohesive team. Sonata has a distinct tension on the side, using a harmonious blend of two sharp character lines and pure volumes. Concave and convex forms are also carefully orchestrated to provide a sexy, coupe-like character. The latest Sonata is the first model to be based on Hyundai's new, innovative vehicle platform, which delivers increased strength and reduced weight to enable improvements in design, safety, efficiency and driving performance. The car uses an extensive application of advanced technologies to boost comfort, convenience and active safety. It is also the first model to premiere a new collaboration with Bose to deliver an exceptional audio experience to customers. "The Sonata holds a special significance for our company as one of the longest-standing and most successful models in the global market," said Albert Biermann, president and head of R&D Division, Hyundai Motor Group. "The new-generation Sonata is a fully transformed vehicle packed with advanced personalization technology, a new platform and an array of ADAS technologies. We are confident that our customers will be pleasantly surprised by this innovative new model." Exterior Design: Sensuous Sportiness Defined in a Four-Door-Coupe Silhouette Inspired by the dramatic Le Fil Rouge four-door-coupe concept shown at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the new-generation Sonata has an emotional, sporty four-door coupe look with a spacious and technology-packed interior. The exterior exhibits performance-led proportions that reference the car's step up in sportiness over that of its predecessor. "The new-generation Sonata boasts a beautiful, sporty and innovative four-door coupe silhouette," said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Design Center. "We are confident that Sonata will prove to be a yet another successful step for our new design language, Sensuous Sportiness and will provide emotional value for the customers." A newly designed Digital Pulse Cascading Grille spans the front of the new Sonata, finishing at the innermost points of new combination headlamps that feature a distinctive and innovative new lighting architecture. A chrome line flows from the wing mirror, right around the side passenger windows, and returns to the front of the car by running down the length of the hood and ending at a sharp right angle beneath each headlight. This chrome strip features graduated LED Daytime Running Lights embedded with Hidden Lighting Lamps. A first for a Hyundai vehicle, Hidden Lighting Lamps are a design innovation that incorporates state-of-the-art lighting technology, forming the Sonata's light architecture. The Hidden Lighting Lamps appear to be chrome when switched off and become dramatically lit when turned on. The light architecture was initially revealed through Hyundai's HDC-1 concept car at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2018. It was created by fleshing out the form of the lamp and transforming it into a powerful design element. Along with the Sensuous Sportiness concept, the light architecture defines the design identity of future Hyundai cars. The side sections of the Sonata are accentuated by the light architecture, which connects two chrome lines that seamlessly link the windows and daytime running lights. Through these two character lines, the Sonata effuses a flowing and refined charm. From the side, sleek forms combine with sensual lines to accentuate the car's sportiness and clear coupe-like silhouette. Eye-catching sporty details include a trunk spoiler and black side skirts along the lower flanks. The car's overall height has been lowered an inch to enhance the sporty profile even further. The new model is available with a choice of 16-, 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, each with a design that suggests forward motion even when stationary. At the rear, a wide horizontal line extends across the center of the trunk, stretching to the edges of the car. This line is actually a long LED strip that connects each brake light, creating a striking visual impression at night. The high-tech appearance of the rear is intentionally suggestive of the Sonata's advanced safety systems and technology-packed interior. The Sonata's coefficient of drag (Cd) is just 0.27, with a flat underfloor covering and a range of body enhancementsincluding small fins across each taillightthat help keep the car fuel efficient, as well as stable. Interior: "Beautifully Smart" Technology and Design The cabin conforms to a "Beautifully Smart" theme, aligned with the expectations of Sonata customers seeking advanced technologies applied naturally and intuitively. The signature aesthetic of the exterior lighting is echoed inside in the form of ambient mood lighting featured across the dashboard and doors. Spanning the full width of the cabin, the slim dashboard features a first-in-class, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which is customizable to suit different driving modes and preferences. At the center of the dashboard, a large, 10.25-inch HD screen enables occupants to interact easily with the audio-video and navigation (AVN) functions. This screen can also accommodate a split-screen function that allows audio and navigation to be displayed simultaneously. All Sonata models, except the entry model, include three years of complimentary Blue Link services. The instrument panel is rich and modern, in the shape of spread wings, inspired by a stealth aircraft. This shape presents a levitating effect, and this philosophy carries into the long armrests. The satin chrome accents enhance this effect even further. Designers compressed the height of the dashboard and HVAC vents as much as possible to emphasize the lightweight feeling, while modern, light fabric colors and leathers provide a fresh and unconstrained ambience for the driver. At the heart of the AVN system is an exceptional sound system, the first result of a new collaboration between Hyundai and Bose engineers. The Bose Premium sound system is equipped with 12 speakers that synchronize to deliver crisp and rich sounds for a high-quality audio experience. Audio and EQ adjustments are made automatically, depending on the vehicle's speed, while Bose Centerpoint surround technology and Bose SurroundStage signal processing put every occupant at the center of the audio experience, regardless of where they are positioned in the cabin. Maximizing the sense of a spacious interior was a key focus for Hyundai's designers and engineers. Alongside visual devices that create an impression of greater room, the new Sonata features an optional panoramic sunroof that amplifies the light and airy ambience. Wherever possible, Hyundai took the opportunity to combine a technological development with visual or space benefit. The new Shift by Wire (SBW) gear selector is a prime example, as the new interface not only is sleek and technologically advanced but also takes up significantly less space than a traditional gear selector. Safety The new Sonata maximizes occupant safety through a range of active and passive safety technologies. Passengers benefit from a comprehensive nine-airbag set-up, while a sophisticated Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) works to alert drivers to things they might miss while driving. Performance and Chassis The all-new Sonata is the first model to utilize Hyundai Motor's third-generation vehicle platform. Offering significant flexibility for vehicle development across multiple segments, the platform enables dramatic innovations in design, alongside improvements in safety, efficiency and driving performance. The platform delivers an improvement in collision safety through the use of a multiload path structure, Hot Stamping, and super-high-tensile steel plate. The sophisticated multiload path structure increases the energy that the vehicle absorbs in collisions. Smartstream Powertrains Customers can choose between two Smartstream gasoline powertrains: a 2.5 GDI and a 1.6 T-GDI engine, both mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The new Smartstream G2.5 GDI engine, with high-efficiency combustion, cooled EGR and an optimized ITMS cooling system, boasts a generous 191 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 181 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, plus an expected combined EPA estimated fuel economy of 33 mpg. Meanwhile, the new Smartstream G1.6 T-GDI has 180 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 195 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,5004,500 rpm and is expected to achieve an EPA estimated 31 mpg combined, thanks to its world-first Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) system. 2020 2.5-liter 2019 2.4-liter Horsepower 191 hp. (estimated) 185 hp. Torque 181 lb.-ft. (estimated) 178 lb.-ft. Fuel Economy EPA estimated 33 combined (preliminary estimate) EPA estimated 29 combined Driving Dynamics The driving performance goal for the 2020 Sonata was to create a sense of unity between the car and the driver. Combining the new platform and modern engines allows the car to respond quickly to the driver's inputs and provide a quiet, solid ride on the highway. The driving dynamics match the sporty exterior design, and the steering and handling package is also improved, so the 2020 Sonata is more nimble than its predecessor. Enhanced Front Suspension Geometry for Improved Responsiveness Reduced bump steer Improved roll steer linearity Reinforced front/rear subframe rigidity Enhanced Rear Suspension Geometry for Enhanced Stability and Responsiveness Increased bump/roll steer Lowered rear roll center Added reinforcement bracket for rear cross member Optimized trailing arm shape/thickness Braking responsiveness is also enhanced on the 2020 Sonata, thanks to a larger booster and increased delivery rate. Convenience Technology The 2020 Sonata features a number of advanced comfort and convenience features typically found only in luxury cars, including a sunroof, electric parking brake, smart trunk, Qi high-speed wireless smartphone charging pad with cooling fan, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Text-to-Speech via Bluetooth, heated and ventilated front seats and split-folding rear seats. The top-of-the-line audio and navigation display is a wide, high-definition, customizable, 10.25-inch touchscreen monitor with split screens and natural language, and cloud-based speech recognition powered by Blue Link, while the cluster supervision display is a full 12.3 inches. The cluster has four views: utility, driver assistance, navigation and parking assistance. The navigation system includes a bird's-eye view in Navigation maps, and drivers get HERE HD Traffic flow and incident data without ever paying for a subscription. Dual Bluetooth support is also available, so two devices can be paired at the same timeone for phone calls and one for streaming audio. The navigation system also comes with three years of Blue Link Multimedia/Map updates. Hyundai's eight-inch display audio user interface, equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, is standard on the 2020 Sonata. The Blue Link connected car system is also available. Digital Key Continuing to promote the latest advances in technology, the new Sonata supports Hyundai Digital Key via a dedicated smartphone app. Hyundai Digital Key utilizes Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which exhibits a high level of security. The NFC wireless data communication takes place only when the device and the reader are within several centimeters of each other. The Hyundai Digital Key app also allows smartphones to control selected vehicle systems remotely. Using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, users can lock and unlock the vehicle, activate the panic alert and start the engine. Not only does Hyundai Digital Key allow owners to leave traditional keys at home, it also allows secure sharing of keys with family and friends. The level of access to different vehicle functions can be tailored to each shared key user for a defined period. The vehicle owner can preset the duration of vehicle use or limit the use to only certain features when loaning the vehicle, and, of course, keys can be revoked remotely. For additional convenience in cases such as using a valet service or visiting a Hyundai dealer, Hyundai Digital Key also works with an NFC card, which will be provided with each vehicle. Each Sonata still comes with traditional keys. Digital Key is compatible only with phones using the Android operating system. Full Head-Up Display With a projected image size of eight inches and super-bright clarity (luminance of more than 10,000 candelas per square meter), the Sonata's HUD provides improved visibility in different lighting conditions. The HUD can be adjusted in both angle and height to provide optimum visibility. The HUD supports driving safety by displaying information such as speed and navigation commands, as well as alerts from active safety and driving assistance features. Blue Link Enhancements The connected car team at Hyundai continues to improve Blue Link's services, and the 2020 Sonata gets many system enhancements. As with most Hyundai models, Blue Link is complimentary on the 2020 Sonata for three years and includes Remote Start with Climate Control, Remote Door Lock/Unlock, Stolen Vehicle Recovery and Destination Search by Voice. These 2020 improvements include: Remote profile managementstores select vehicle settings to the Blue Link cloud, with the ability to remotely update them and push them back to the vehicle Remote start enhancements: Remote seat heat/vent (full support on/off for each individual heated/cooled seat; ability to adjust level) Profile selection (preloads individual driver settings for seating position and side mirrors) Profile selection (preloads individual driver settings for seating position and side mirrors) Vehicle Status Notificationsif the vehicle is left with doors unlocked or windows open, customers will receive a notification POI Send to Car now with Waypoints (ability to add up to three way points, to be delivered to the vehicle together and automatically set order of destinations) Maintenance Alert Enhancementmaintenance interval tracking is now visible in the multimedia system, with ability to reset More details on specific Blue Linkequipped vehicles available at www.hyundaibluelink.com. Driver Assistance Technologies Sonata features Hyundai's latest SmartSense advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). A series of sensors and systems, often restricted to luxury cars, combines to potentially warn the driver and may take action in the event of a safety incident. Meanwhile, other ADAS systems can help the driver perform certain tasks using the car's three radar sensors, 12 ultrasonic sensors and five cameras. These features include: Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (standard) Lane Keeping Assist (standard) Advanced Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go (standard) Highway Driving Assist (optional) Highway Driving Assist Highway Driving Assist (HDA) is a driving convenience system that assists drivers in maintaining the center of the lane, at an appropriate speed, while keeping a safe distance to the car in front. Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist The 2019 Sonata is fitted with standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian detection, an advanced active safety feature that helps alert drivers to emergency situations, and may brake autonomously, if required. Using front radar and front camera sensors, FCA operates in three stages. Initially warning the driver visually and acoustically, it assesses the nature of the collision danger and can apply increasing amounts of braking force to avoid a collision or minimize damage when a collision is unavoidable. The system is activated when a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist is sensed in front of the car. Lane Following Assist Lane Following Assist (LFA) may automatically adjust steering to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane of travel. LFA can keep the vehicle centered on both highways and city streets. Safe Exit Assist Safe Exit Assist helps prevent accidents should a door be opened when another vehicle is approaching from behind. Using the radar, the system may detect approaching vehicles and warn the driver when a door is opened. Blind-Spot View Monitor and Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) The Blind-Spot View Monitor with the Sonata's outside mirror-mounted cameras offers the driver an enhanced field of vision. The Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) system scans for vehicles entering your blind spot. If the driver activates a turn signal, an image of the view from the corresponding wing mirror is displayed in the 12.3-inch cluster display. If a vehicle is detected in the blind spot, audible and visual alerts are provided. Surround-View Monitor The new Sonata uses four cameras to provide the driver with an enhanced, bird's-eye view of the car's exterior, giving the driver confidence when maneuvering into or out of spaces. Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist helps detect pedestrians and obstacles with a rearview camera and ultrasonic sensors. The system can provide warnings and apply emergency braking to assist in the avoidance of a collision. Remote Smart Parking Assist In a first for its class, the new Sonata offers Remote Smart Parking Assist to help maneuver the car into or out of parking spaces, boosting convenience for customers. Before a driver attempts to load load passengers or luggage, the remote parking function can prove particularly useful, bringing the vehicle out of a tight space. The driver simply uses the smart key to drive the car forward or backward, into or out of a parking space. Touch Sensor Outside Door Handles Touch Sensor Outside Door Handles have been added to the 2020 Sonata to increase ease of use and further refine the design. To lock the door, the driver need only touch the sensor on the outside of the door handle. Pulling on the handle activates a larger sensor on the inside of the handle to open the door. Remote Start Remote Start has been a part of the Hyundai Blue Link system for years. It works by using a cellular data connection to warm up or cool down a Sonata when it is out of sight of the owner. To make that system even better, Hyundai engineers added Remote Start to the 2020 Sonata's key fob on models equipped with Proximity Key and Push Button Start. This allows a remote start to be performed when the car is within the owner's line of sight. HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA Hyundai Motor America is focused on delivering an outstanding customer experience grounded in design leadership, engineering excellence and exceptional value in every vehicle we sell. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to deliver peace of mind to our customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide, with the majority sold in the U.S. built at U.S. manufacturing facilities, including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor America believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader. SOURCE Hyundai Motor America Related Links http://www.hyundainews.com JUNO BEACH, Fla., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) has been recognized as one of Forbes' America's Best Employers for the fourth consecutive year. NextEra Energy, whose businesses include Florida Power & Light Company, Gulf Power Company and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, is one of only 1,000 employers to receive this honor across the U.S. "We are pleased to be recognized as one of America's Best Employers for the fourth consecutive year," said Jim Robo, NextEra Energy chairman and chief executive officer. "We are committed to investing in our team and creating a workplace where our employees feel they can make a difference every day. I've often said that our employees are our greatest competitive advantage, and this recognition wouldn't be possible without our team of approximately 15,000 talented employees. They are the driver behind how we create value for our customers, protect the environment, invest in our communities and deliver superior returns for our shareholders." In collaboration with analytics firm Statista, Forbes selected America's Best Employers based on an independent survey from a sample of more than 50,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations. Highlights of NextEra Energy's efforts to maintain a great place to work include: Industry leadership in energy infrastructure NextEra Energy is one of America's largest infrastructure investors with more than $40 billion in planned investments through 2020. NextEra Energy is one of America's largest infrastructure investors with more than in planned investments through 2020. Innovation NextEra Energy was named by Fortune as one of the top 25 companies in the world for innovation. Earlier this year, FPL announced a groundbreaking "30-by-30" plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030 and make the state of Florida a world leader in the production of solar energy. Additionally, FPL plans to build the world's largest solar-powered battery. NextEra Energy was named by Fortune as one of the top 25 companies in the world for innovation. Earlier this year, FPL announced a groundbreaking "30-by-30" plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030 and make the state of Florida a world leader in the production of solar energy. Additionally, FPL plans to build the world's largest solar-powered battery. Health and well-being NextEra Energy makes it a priority to focus on the health and well-being of its employees and their families. The company has on-site fitness centers and health centers, nutrition programs, and offers fitness rebates and health incentives. NextEra Energy makes it a priority to focus on the health and well-being of its employees and their families. The company has on-site fitness centers and health centers, nutrition programs, and offers fitness rebates and health incentives. Learning and development NextEra Energy actively encourages continuous learning, development and improvement. Whether it's taking classes through NextEra University, attending seminars or informal mentoring, the quest for knowledge is evident across the company. NextEra Energy actively encourages continuous learning, development and improvement. Whether it's taking classes through NextEra University, attending seminars or informal mentoring, the quest for knowledge is evident across the company. Diversity and inclusion NextEra Energy is focused on building a team with a rich diversity of perspectives, experiences and ideas. The company has been honored for its commitment to diversity and inclusion by Forbes as America's Best Employers for Diversity in 2018 and 2019. In addition, NextEra Energy's Women in Energy employee resource group received the 2017 Spotlight Impact Award from the Association of ERGs & Councils. NextEra Energy is focused on building a team with a rich diversity of perspectives, experiences and ideas. The company has been honored for its commitment to diversity and inclusion by Forbes as America's Best Employers for Diversity in 2018 and 2019. In addition, NextEra Energy's Women in Energy employee resource group received the 2017 Spotlight Impact Award from the Association of ERGs & Councils. Community involvement Through various volunteering opportunities, NextEra Energy engages with its communities, invests in tomorrow's leaders and supports community well-being. In 2018, NextEra Energy employees contributed more than 85,000 hours to their local communities through company-sponsored projects and personal volunteer time. This recent honor from Forbes is the latest recognition for NextEra Energy. Earlier this year, NextEra Energy was named No. 1 in its sector on Fortune's list of "Most Admired Companies" for the 12th time in 13 years and, in 2018, was ranked by Fortune among the top 25 companies that "Change the World." NextEra Energy was also recognized for the 12 time by Ethisphere Institute as one of its World's Most Ethical Companies, becoming one of only 14 current honorees in the world to achieve this prestigious honor 12 or more times. NextEra Energy, Inc. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns two electric companies in Florida: Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than 5 million customer accounts in Florida and is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in the United States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold; and Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 460,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2019 list of "World's Most Admired Companies" and ranked among the top 25 on Fortune's 2018 list of companies that "Change the World." For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com. SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc. Related Links http://www.nexteraenergy.com "We want to transform everything about the transportation industry," said Milton. "With Nikola's vision, the world will be cleaner, safer and healthier." The first product unveiled was the autonomous-capable Nikola Reckless, the military all-terrain vehicle that was driven on stage via remote control. "With virtually no sound and no heat signature, the Reckless provides new meaning to stealth and is defying all standards," said Andrew Christian, Nikola Powersports vice president of business development and defense. "We believe all military vehicles will transform to battery electric and hydrogen fuel cells in the future." As part of the evening, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey discussed Nikola's contribution to Arizona's growing economy, adding 2,000 new jobs at their Phoenix headquarters, planned manufacturing plant and hydrogen and fuel cell R&D center. Milton and Nikola Powersports President Michael Erickson highlighted how Nikola is transforming zero-emission recreational vehicles on land and water. "The technology and platforms we are developing are mutually beneficial helping us leverage speed to market and scale," said Erickson. "With our powersports products, you have an experience that is safer with precise control and a near silent ride that heightens your senses." Milton and Erickson then introduced the redesigned NZT. Attendees at the event will be able to ride in the NZT Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) on a closed course track at WestWorld on Day Two of Nikola World on April 17. Then, for the first time, Nikola World attendees saw the Nikola Water Adventure Vehicle (WAV) concept which has been teased for some time and is now a reality. Jordan Darling, vice president of Nikola Powersports and an industry pioneer in the electrification of personal watercraft, said "We at Nikola are creating the world's first "wakeboard" architecture, which enables us to push the limits in design and propulsion." "Nikola is bringing zero-emission sustainability and technology to the water," added Milton. "With WAV, you can feel the rush of power and acceleration in your chest, with the sound of the water and breeze in your ears. It's zero impact and pure fun," Darling added. Nikola's Executive Vice President of Hydrogen Jesse Schneider, discussed Nikola's hydrogen fuel cell vision. The vision consists of the world's first purpose-built fuel cell Class 8 truck, enabling more hydrogen storage, optimized placement of the powertrain, and a robust 70MPa hydrogen fueling network. "We recently opened our first hydrogen station at our Phoenix headquarters. We are leading the way and working with industry and other OEMs to develop hydrogen standards to enable fueling in less than 15 minutes. The goal is safety and interoperability, so that anyone can fuel at our station. This is a big deal," he said. For the European market, Nikola President Mark Russell and Milton unveiled the never-before-seen Nikola Tre with its clean, contemporary design. "With a range between 500 and 750 miles depending upon load, this gorgeous vehicle will have fast hydrogen fueling in under 15 minutes, even in Europe," said Russell. "Think about Europe with no more diesel trucks," said Milton. "The roads will be clean, quiet and beautiful." All of the Nikola products have been built for the future with autonomous driving hardware in place. At the conclusion of the night, Milton reflected on the small, but mighty, team that started Nikola five years ago in his basement with an idea. "We now have five products in development that will change transportation for the better," he said. He then unveiled "the most advanced commercial truck the world has ever seen, the Nikola Two." The Nikola Two will be driven on the demonstration track on the second day of Nikola World. There are currently more than 13,000 Nikola trucks on order. The Nikola trucks feature up to 1,000 horsepower and 2,000 ft-lbs of torque. Nikola recently announced a battery-electric vehicle option for the urban, short haul trucking market. Nikola World will host more than 4,000 guests over two days, including hundreds of Nikola truck reservation holders. Nikola has partnered with Ryder System, Inc. and Thompson Machinery to offer world-class sales, service and warranty through their over 800 locations across North America. About Nikola Corporation Nikola Corporation designs and manufactures hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen stations. The company is bringing the nation's most advanced semi-trucks to market with more than 13,000 trucks on preorder. Nikola is led by its visionary CEO Trevor Milton (Twitter: @nikolatrevor), who has assembled one of the most talented teams in the country to bring the Nikola products to market. The company is privately-held and headquartered in Arizona. For more information, visit nikolamotor.com or Twitter: @nikolamotor. MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Robar, [email protected], 313-207-5960 SOURCE Nikola Motor Company Related Links http://www.nikolamotor.com NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanadala Publishing (www.nirmalanarine.com), a division of NNGL, announces the publication of "Ellishiva Cinnamon and The Sixth Element" (ISBN: 978-0996207126, paperback), a novel of environmental stewardship, by best-selling author, social responsible entrepreneur, humanitarian and global lifestyle television host, Nirmala Narine. "Ellishiva honors the lives of millennials and Gen Z of all backgrounds," says Narine, "bringing awareness to a catastrophic Earth they might one day inherit, through the lens of Mother Nature, humanized in the novel as the Va'Nature race." New York City - 1600 CE - The island of Manhattan is a dense unpolluted jungle. Known only by the ancient Lenape name of Mannahatta, this lush and wild jungle holds an impossible secret hidden from human eyes. A world where the Va'Natures, endangered and extinct animals, and fantastic beasts now have a voice and are elevated above their current status; alien species serve as analogies to human affairs and magically become a metaphor for responsible understanding and management of the Earth's resources and fragile eco-system. "My new female superhero! Yummy plant-based recipes, unique martial arts, yoga I can easily unearth Elli's magical world into mine," says Nectarios Rodriguez, age 13, New Paltz Middle School, N.Y. AS WAR, GREED, POLLUTION AND DEVASTATION drag the natural world to the edge of massive extinction, the Va'Nature Supreme Being brings a child to life: Ellishiva Cinnamon. Deep in the colony of Mannahatta and under the tutelage of her guardian Rajah, twelve-year-old Ellishiva spends her days nurturing saplings for human sustenance and maladies. Relatable to any child today, Ellishiva must deal with her pain-in-the-butt brother Hektor, her clingy little sister Amber, and her well-meaning caretaker, Lady Malinia - the world's biggest nag. But Ellishiva's protected ecosystem of endangered species shatters one day when the wrath of an ancient evil enters her world, ambushes her, and speaks a cryptic prophecy. Worst of all, no one will believe her story, not even her best friend, Samara. As the evil gains strength and threatens to destroy all she holds dear, Ellishiva must grapple with fear, trust and the dangerous task of discovering organic magic to sustain Earth's ecosystemor stand by and watch everyone she loves, and the Earth itself, perish. Through it all, Ellishiva struggles with bullying, self-esteem, peer pressure and the knowledge that she was born of duty, not love. "For centuries, our ancestors shared time-honored values across generations and kinship with their environment. Ellishiva is a cultural injection inspiration for climate-change naysayers enchanting botany and biology back-story a role model to empower girls and helps to erode the crumbling tropes that science is for the opposite gender," says Narine. About Author Nirmala Narine: Nirmala scribbled her first words on mango trees, as well as the side of her unpainted childhood home in Guyana, South America. When Nirmala was ten years old, she and her family left her densely jungled village for another jungle: New York City. There, Nirmala traded mango trees for keyboards, and never looked back. Nirmala has traveled to more than 167 countries, is a sought-after global trends expert, and is the founder of Nirmala Narine Global Living, revealing a mindful path to healthy eating habits, global foods, beauty secrets, and the environment. She is the author of multiple best-selling travel-memoir cookbooks, television host of Nirmala's Spice World, and the founder of Nirmala's Farmstead, a foundation dedicated to empowering sexually abused orphans and cultivating future generations of agricultural leaders. "Ellishiva Cinnamon" is her debut novel series. For more information visit: http://www.ellishivacinnamon.com. BOOK SUMMARY: Title: "Ellishiva Cinnamon and The Sixth Element Author: Nirmala Narine" Publisher: Vanadala Publishing (ISBN: 978-0996207126) Available in paperback, hardcover and Epub, sold through (Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and through https://www.nirmalanarine.com/. Review copies and interviews arranged on request. Media Contact: Sabina P. Elliot +1 917 423 1414 [email protected] YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1sl66KqjXvvu1jklBCgcQ *PHOTO link for media: Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-0417s2p-ec-sixth-element-300dpi.jpg Twitter: @NirmalaNarine #EllishivaCinnamon #VaNatures #NirmalaNarine #GirlsInStem #PlantBased #1SpiceInfinitePossibilities This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE Vanadala Publishing Related Links http://www.nirmalanarine.com PITTSBURGH, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that in an April 5, 2019, decision, Administrative Law Judge Michael A. Rosas of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) blistered the management of Tecnocap, LLC, for a series of unfair labor practices that culminated in a nine-day illegal lockout of nearly 70 USW Local 152M members at the company's Glen Dale, W.V., production facility in March 2018. In the decision, Rosas determined that Tecnocap's lockout violated federal labor laws for a number of reasons. First, the company discriminatorily locked out only those workers who were members of the USW while allowing workers who resigned their membership to work. Second, it locked out those workers in support of its demand to change the scope of the bargaining unit, a permissive subject of negotiations. It further locked out the USW members in an attempt to force them to accept an unlawfully implemented change in the scope of the bargaining unit, which it implemented without first reaching good faith impasse. Lastly, the company failed to inform the union what terms it needed to accept in order to end the lockout. The judge also determined that Tecnocap broke the law in bypassing the union and dealing directly with bargaining unit employees by soliciting workers to enter into individual contracts offering them employment during the lockout on the condition that they abandon their union membership. Rosas' decision includes an order for the company to compensate the USW members for any loss of earnings and other benefits with interest for the duration of the illegal lockout, which lasted from March 12-21, 2018. The judge further directs the company to stop violating the law and requires management to post official notices at the plant acknowledging its unlawful behavior and informing employees of their legal rights to join and participate in the union without further interference from the company. The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations. More information, contact: Karen Shipley (304) 489-3961; [email protected] Tony Montana (412) 562-2592; [email protected] SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW) Related Links http://www.usw.org Nullmax and Desay SV Automotive reached the intention of financing and cooperation in 2018. The two parties have been keeping close communication, and this round of financing is achieved by the facilitation of their intention and long-term cooperation. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, Nullmax is one of the earliest companies in China that obtained autonomous driving road test license in California, USA. When Nullmax was established in Silicon Valley, it obtained its angel round of financing, worth tens of millions of dollars. Moreover, Nullmax had deployed an autonomous driving development team and test fleet both in Shanghai and Silicon Valley. Nullmax's solution applies technical routes based on vision and multi-sensing integrated perception, which are characterized by advanced technology, stability and reliability with outstanding cost advantage. At present, the complete autonomous driving solution developed by Nullmax has stepped into the optimization stage before mass production and will be launched in the near future. The cooperation between Nullmax and Desay SV Automotive has fully developed in terms of hardware, software, tests, data and other aspects of autonomous driving. The in-depth cooperation based on products development, aims to develop a pre-assembly autonomous driving solution for car makers, which could be used to mass-produce cars around 2020. During this cooperation, with its strengths and advantages in software and algorithms, Nullmax will engage in target detection and identification, and provide assistance in the selection of sensor types, underlying software, etc. In addition, they will both put in place a development team of hundreds of experts, to guarantee all aspects of the development, customization and mass production for a comprehensive autonomous driving solution. Nullmax CEO Dr. Xu Lei said, "We are delighted to have investors, such as Desay SV Automotive, which has a solid base in technologies, extensive experience on products, and rich resources. Gaining industry-wide recognition and support means a great deal to us, especially with acknowledgement from domestic leading auto parts companies. We are confident that we'll achieve better results later with the mass production of autonomous driving vehicles." Following this round of financing, Nullmax will further expand its team and speed up the application of the autonomous driving solution in mass production, which includes the efforts to promote large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving technologies and solutions in the Chinese market. In addition to the in-depth cooperation for the pre-assembly market, Nullmax will continue to move forward the commercialization of ridesharing and attract more capital to accelerate the next phase of the commercial development. Desay SV Automotive is an independently listed renowned company providing automotive electronics and service, known for excellence in strength and also has a good reputation with comprehensive solutions for intelligent connections. Desay SV Automotive abounds with resources and experience in R&D, supply chain, manufacturing, and auto plant cooperation among others. They also provide such intelligent products and services as intelligent cockpit, intelligent driving and Internet in Vehicles, among which, makes a broad layout for intelligent driving in particular. One point that needs noting is that Desay SV Automotive is the only Tier 1 supplier of autonomous driving platforms based on XAVIER chips in China, indicating its overwhelming resource strength in mass production. Huang Li, General Manager of Technical Center of Desay SV Automotive, said, "Through the observation and study of many national autonomous driving startups, we know pretty well about Nullmax and highly recognize it with its autonomous driving software and algorithm strengths. We are pleased to make a strategic investment in this outstanding autonomous driving company and deepen our partnership. We are looking forward to the cooperation and the products jointly developed in particular. We expect to provide pre-assembly autonomous driving solutions that are recognized by the market and customers for the industry by making use of our respective strengths." In the future, the two parties will give full play to their respective strengths on the ground of the strategic cooperation, and work together to help auto plants offer better travel experience. SOURCE Nullmax SEATTLE, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Panopto, the leading video platform provider in higher education, today announced new migration incentives for Sonic Foundry Mediasite customers. The incentives are part of Panopto's Mediasite migration program, which consists of a content conversion tool, professional services, complimentary closed captioning, and customized financial aid for customers who commit by September 30, 2019. Financial Aid and Complimentary Captioning For a limited time, Panopto is offering special financial incentives to Mediasite customers. First, for any university currently engaged in a Mediasite contract, Panopto will provide customized financial aid. Second, any university that commits to migration before September 30, 2019, will receive $3,000 in complimentary closed captioning services as part of their Panopto subscription. With the increasing focus on accessibility in lecture capture, the offer underscores Panopto's commitment to Section-508 compliance. Streamlined Conversion As universities increasingly use video for teaching, communicating, and presenting information, many have jettisoned expensive video capture appliances in favor of more affordable and scalable software that runs on PCs and Macs. This shift from hardware- to software-based video capture has driven demand for technologies like Panopto. In response, Panopto has developed a migration tool that converts Mediasite recordings and automatically uploads the converted content into a new Panopto video library. The conversion tool works with videos captured using Mediasite ML and RL-series appliances, My Mediasite's Desktop Recorder, Mediasite Mobile, and Mediasite Join. The conversion process maintains the fidelity of video streams, slide presentations, metadata, and captions. Once converted, recordings are indexed for search and encoded for optimal playback on any device. All converted videos are managed, edited, and streamed using Panopto's industry-leading video content management system , which can be hosted in the cloud or deployed on-premises. Video content can also be integrated with customers' existing learning management systems, websites, and content management systems. Professional Migration Services As part of the conversion process, Panopto offers professional services to assist Mediasite customers with their transition to Panopto. The services include conversion of existing Mediasite video files, integrity validation of the converted files, and where possible, provisioning of existing users, folder structures, and metadata within Panopto. Panopto can also assess whether existing Mediasite recorder hardware may be repurposed to run Panopto's remote recorder software. For Mediasite customers interested in finding out more about the migration program and financial incentives, contact Panopto online at www.panopto.com/switch or email [email protected] . About Panopto Panopto helps universities create searchable video libraries of their institutional knowledge. Since 2007, the company has been a pioneer in video content management systems, video capture software, and inside-video search technology. Today, Panopto's video platform is the largest repository of expert learning videos in the world. Headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Pittsburgh, Sydney, Hong Kong, and London, Panopto has received industry recognition for its innovation, rapid growth, and company culture. For more information, visit www.panopto.com . SOURCE Panopto Related Links https://www.panopto.com VANCOUVER, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Pure Multi-Family REIT LP ("Pure Multi-Family") (TSXV: RUF.U, RUF.UN, RUF.DB.U;OTCQX: PMULF) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, after the close of the TSX Venture Exchange on Monday, May 13, 2019. Steve Evans, CEO, Samantha Adams, Senior VP, and Scott Shillington, CFO, of Pure Multi-Family, will host the conference call at 9:00 am (PST), Noon (EST), on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, to review the financial results and corporate developments for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. To participate in this conference call, please dial one of the following numbers approximately 10 minutes prior to the commencement of the call, and ask to join the Pure Multi-Family REIT LP Conference Call. Dial in numbers: Toll free dial in number (from Canada and USA ) 1-888-390-0546 and ) 1-888-390-0546 International or Local Toronto 1-416-764-8688 Conference Call Replay If you cannot participate on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, a replay of the conference call will be available by dialing one of the following replay numbers. You will be able to dial in and listen to the conference 120 minutes after the meeting end time, and the replay will be available until May 21, 2019. Please enter the Replay ID# 884691, followed by the # key. Replay Dial in numbers: Toll free from Canada or the USA 1-888-390-0541 or the USA 1-888-390-0541 International or Local Toronto 1-416-764-8677 In addition, an audio replay of the conference call will be available on our website puremultifamily.com under the Investor Info > Presentations, Calls and Marketing Materials tab. About Pure Multi-Family REIT LP Pure Multi-Family is a Canadian based, publicly traded vehicle which offers investors exclusive exposure to attractive, institutional quality U.S. multi-family real estate assets. Additional information about Pure Multi-Family is available at puremultifamily.com or sedar.com. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE Pure Multi-Family REIT LP Related Links www.Puremultifamily.com Directors of the Cow Palace, the state fairgrounds near San Francisco, unanimously voted Tuesday, April 16, to ban gun shows on the property after Jan. 1, following the lead set last year by the Del Mar fair board. Crossroads of the West holds five shows a year at Cow Palace in Daley City, as it did in Del Mar until Dec. 31. The family-owned Utah company holds gun shows at dozens of locations in four western states. The 22nd District Agricultural Association Board of Directors, which oversees activities at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, agreed to stop the shows there until staff members can develop a written policy to ban the sale and possession of firearms and ammunition on the property. Informational shows only, without the presence of weapons, would be allowed under the proposal. Rose Ann Sharp, leader of the local group NeverAgainCA, informed the Del Mar board of the Cow Palace decision Tuesday and thanked the members for setting a positive example. Well never know the lives you may have saved, Sharp said, telling board members they really set the gold standard for what needs to be done. The Bay Area effort was led by the San Francisco chapter of Brady United Against Gun Violence, which has been working since last spring to get the fair board to end the shows there. In these times of horrific gun violence, no state agency should be promoting and profiting from the proliferation of firearms and ammunition in our community, Ruth Borenstein, a leader of the San Francisco chapter, said Tuesday. There is overwhelming and long-standing community support for ending the Cow Palace gun shows. In Del Mar, the efforts of NeverAgainCA have been countered by the San Diego County Gun Owners, a political action committee, which lobbied hard for the fairgrounds to continue the shows. Supporters say the the shows offer a place for like-minded people to gather safely, exchange ideas and learn more about their shared hobby. Crossroads of the West filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Diego in January against the Del Mar Fairgrounds, challenging its suspension of the weekend event that was held there for more than 30 years. The lawsuit alleges that the boards action violates the plaintiffs First and Second Amendment rights, their civil rights, the right to commercial speech, and the right to assembly. Regardless of how you feel about guns, we operate within compliance of the law, Tracy Olcott, president and general manager of B&L Productions, the owner of Crossroads of the West, said in January. Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) who represents the 78th District, which includes the fairgrounds introduced a bill in February that would prohibit the sale of guns and ammunition on the state-owned property. Late last month, Glorias bill passed out of the Public Safety Committee, its first test in the Assembly, and went to the Assemblys Appropriations Committee. NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global recruitment process outsourcing market is accounted to US$ 4.16 Bn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 29.1% during the forecast period 2019 - 2027, to account to US$ 40.57 Bn by 2027. Recruitment process outsourcing module is adopted in a wide range of industries such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and construction. Availability of enormous size of job seekers and simplification of human resource operations are positively impacting the market in developed and developing regions. North American countries witness significant growth in a number of wide variety of industries, which demand huge employment have been beneficial for recruitment process outsourcing service providers. Further, growth in the manufacturing and retail industry across the globe have been boosting the recruitment process outsourcing market over the years. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764226/?utm_source=PRN North America led the recruitment process outsourcing market globally followed by Europe and Asia Pacific region.Owing to the fact, that the industries in the continent are creating substantial job opportunities; several recruitment agencies, recruitment process outsourcing companies, and managed service providers are establishing their businesses in the countries. This is facilitating the recruitment companies to increase their annual revenues.In recent years the majority of human resource departments in the region have outsourced their hiring procedures in order to simplify other processes in the organization. This practice has showcased significant growth in the number of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) companies which are consistently introducing new products and services, which has helped the recruitment process outsourcing market to propel over the years in North America. The global recruitment process outsourcing market has been segmented on the basis of type and industry.The recruitment process outsourcing market by type has been segmented into the technical staff, sales & marketing, office/admin support, and others. Additionally, the global recruitment process outsourcing market has been segmented by industries into manufacturing, construction, retail, IT, hospitality, BFSI, oil & gas, telecom, and others. The recruitment process outsourcing service providers are heavily influenced by the significant growth in the manufacturing and retail sector, while the market is anticipated to witness growth with the increasing employment opportunity in the IT, telecom and BFSI industries across the globe. The overall recruitment process outsourcing 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 recruitment process outsourcing market. Also, multiple primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the recruitment process outsourcing industry. 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 recruitment process outsourcing market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to types and industries. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764226/?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 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. (CSE: LDS), (OTCQX: LDSYF), (Frankfurt: LD6, WKN: A14XHT) ("LDS" or the "Company") announces its flagship product, CannaStripsTM, has been delivered to multiple new stores. Rise Logistics received the order last week and successfully delivered the entire stock of CannaStripsTM THC to four stores listed below. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, CSPA Group, Inc., recently filled a purchase order to deliver CannaStripsTM THC to Rise Logistics to sell into their roster of 200+ stores. Purple Star - SF Redstone Delivery - Oakland Elevated - SF Fire Farms - Sacramento To keep up with the rapidly increasing demand, the Company is preparing a shipment in anticipation of the next order coming in shortly. Casey Fenwick, President of LDS, stated, "We know Rise Logistics can move a large amount of product and this is really the beginning. The Rise Logistics sales team has solid relationships with retailers and, combined with the affordable price of CannaStripsTM, will make this roll out beneficial for both parties." In addition to the distribution by Rise Logistics, the Company has also self-distributed its CannaStripsTM THC to two additional stores: Highway 33- Crows Landing The Jet Room- Adelanto The Jet Room is a retail partner the Company teamed up with for the most recent High Times Dope Cup Event in the desert (the "Event") in order to legally sell CannaStripsTM at the Event. The Event went extremely well; the demand for CannaStripsTM resulted in the retailer selling the entire inventory of CannaStripsTM THC prior to the conclusion of the Event having the Company to make an urgent delivery of extra CannaStripsTM on the second day. The Company's CEO, Brad Eckenweiler, stated, "I started this journey to make CannaStripsTM available to everyone. This product helps so many people in a number of different ways, which is why I wanted to remove the choice at the register." About CSPA Group, Inc. CSPA Group, Inc. is located in Adelanto, California and is a City-Permitted and State-Licensed manufacturer and distributor/transporter in the California cannabis industry. CSPA manufactures extracted oils and distillates, and produces CannaStripsTM under a license agreement with Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc., a British Columbia corporation. About Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. is a technology company that licenses its technology to a state-of-the-art production and packaging facility located in Southern California. The Company's technology produces infused strips (similar to breath strips) that are not only a safer, healthier option to other forms of delivery but also superior bioavailability of cannabis constituents. Some strips will also include supplemental co-active ingredients such as nutraceuticals, vitamins and peptides. The technology provides a new way to accurately meter the dosage and assure the purity of selected product. From start to finish, the production process, based on the Company's technology, tests for quality and composition of all the ingredients used in each and every strip which results in a delivery system that is safe, consistent and effective. Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. Brad Eckenweiler CEO & Director FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: [email protected] Cautionary Disclaimer Statement: The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. In addition, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Although Congress has prohibited the US Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws, this prohibition must be renewed each year to remain in effect. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. SOURCE Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc. Related Links http://www.lifestyledeliverysystem.com SEATTLE, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach, the leading sales engagement platform, has secured $114 million in Series E financing at a $1.1 billion valuation, making it the first and only unicorn in the rapidly growing sales engagement category. Sales engagement uses machine learning to provide actionable insights to sales reps and streamline communication between sales teams and prospects. The result is an increase in pipeline, sales cycle velocity and close rate. Lone Pine Capital, an American-based private investment manager of both fundamental equity hedge and long-only funds, led Outreach's Series E round with strong participation from Meritech Capital Partners and additional investment from new investor Lemonade Capital, Allison Bhusri's investment fund. Existing investors DFJ Growth, Four Rivers Group, Mayfield, M12, Sapphire Ventures, Spark Capital and Trinity Ventures also joined the round, bringing Outreach's total funding to date to $239 million. "Through market education and creating a product that delivers on the promise of an inherently better workflow for all customer-facing teams we have built the sales engagement category from the ground up and are uniquely positioned to leverage this momentum across the entire enterprise," said Manny Medina, CEO, Outreach. "This funding will enable us to continue innovating directly for the end user, using the latest in machine learning and natural language processing to deliver a platform that is easy to use and provides immediate value through every action." Outreach's new financing will support the company's growth as it delivers a complete system of action through a single pane of glass for all customer-facing reps. By infusing each aspect of the customer journey with the most advanced machine learning techniques, Outreach is able to help entire organizations make better and faster decisions about their customers and take immediate actions that directly impact sales and the customer experience. This funding will enable Outreach to continue on this path, finding new and innovative ways to support, measure and optimize customer-facing workflows and ultimately deliver more value for each rep. "Outreach is truly unique in that its software has become an integral part of the workday for thousands of professionals across the entire customer journey. It sits in a category of untapped market potential with an opportunity for high growth," said Lone Pine Capital. Expansion is also a top priority for Outreach in the coming months as the company plans to double its machine learning team, expand its international footprint and further grow its partner ecosystem. Outreach recently announced an integration with Microsoft's Dynamics 365 for Sales, enabling joint customers to leverage Outreach's platform while syncing with Dynamics 365. "As enterprise SaaS veterans we have watched the sales engagement space evolve and grow into a critically important category that offers a compelling, hard dollar value proposition to customers. Outreach is the clear category leader in terms of technology, customer traction and vision and we are pleased to support their innovative vision for all customer-facing teams," said George Bischof, Managing Director, Meritech Capital Partners. Outreach, which was accurately predicted by Forbes as one of its "Next Billion Dollar Startups", closed 2018 up 100+ percent and now has 315 employees, with 450 anticipated by the end of the year. The company supports more than 3,300 customer accounts and 50,000 sales professionals worldwide. Outreach was recently named one of Seattle Business Magazine's Best Places to Work and one of the 50 Highest Rated Private Cloud Computing Companies to Work For by Battery Ventures. About Outreach Outreach, the leading sales engagement platform, automates and prioritizes customer touch points throughout the sales process, resulting in increased productivity for sales teams. Thousands of customers rely on Outreach to transform the sales process, drive collaboration between sales and marketing, and deliver higher revenue per sales rep. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io . About Lone Pine Capital Founded in 1997, Lone Pine Capital LLC ("Lone Pine") is a private investment management company that manages three hedge funds, three long-only funds and a fund of funds. The funds have approximately $20 billion under management and consist of over 800 investors, predominantly individuals and non-profit organizations. About Meritech Meritech is a leading provider of late-stage venture capital to category-defining private technology companies, and has been one of the top performing venture firms of the past two decades. With over $2.7 billion under management, Meritech leads investments into companies with proven and differentiated technology, rapidly-growing revenue and experienced management teams. With one of the most active late-stage venture portfolios, Meritech has experience in and provides guidance on those issues facing rapidly growing private technology companies. Meritech investments in industry-leading companies include Alteryx, Anaplan, Box, Cloudera, Coupa, Datadog, Facebook, Fortinet, Glaukos, Looker, Mulesoft, NetSuite, Proofpoint, Roblox, Salesforce, and Tableau. Meritech is located in Palo Alto, CA and can be found at www.meritechcapital.com. Media Contact: Jennefer Traeger Traeger Communications 720-988-6149 [email protected] SOURCE Outreach Related Links https://www.outreach.io Main products dominate the leading place in the market According to the annual report, SANY excavator reached sales revenue of 2.87 billion USD, year-on-year growth of 40.8%, which has been the top seller in the domestic market for 8 years. Due to SANY's leading R&D capacity, its excavators have world-class quality and competitiveness in the global market. Concrete machinery reached sales revenue of 2.53 billion USD, year-on-year growth of 34.64 per cent, ranking No.1 brand around the world; hoisting machinery reached sales revenue of 1.39 billion USD, year-on-year growth of 78.26 per cent with market position promoted significantly; piling machinery reached sales revenue of 698 million USD, year-on-year growth of 61 per cent, ranking No.1 brand in China for its continuously rising market share. Rapid growth in overseas market SANY's overseas sales revenue reached 2.03 billion USD, year-on-year growth of 17.29 per cent. The rapid growth was contributed by SANY's 8 overseas sales regions including southeast Asia, Indonesia and Latin America as well as overseas industrial parks such as SANY India, SANY Europe and SANY America. It's worth mentioning that the sales of excavators had rapid growth in the overseas market with market share remarkably increased in the past year. Digital and intelligent transformation SANY's digital and intelligent transformation had fruitful achievements in 2018. The corporation fully pushed forward digitalization and intelligent upgrading in marketing, R&D, supply chain, finance and service, carrying out a series of digital projects such as PLM, CRM, SCM and GSP in order to make manufacturing equipment interconnect with sales facilities Remarkable achievements in R&D and innovation As of 2018, SANY had applied for 8,107 patents and authorized 6,657 patents, ranking No.1 in the domestic industry. In 2018, SANY rolled out a number of new products including H series excavators SY155H, SY225H, SY305H, SY395H, the first wheeled hydraulic excavator SY155 and all-terrain crane SAC2200T. SANY enhanced the research and development on intelligent, unmanned and environment-friendly products including intelligent excavators, unmanned rollers, unmanned off-road crane SRC600C and remote controlled all-terrain crane SAC1100S. Awards given for good brand reputation In 2018, Liang Wengeng, chairman of SANY Heavy Industry, was awarded "The top 100 outstanding private entrepreneurs in the past 40 years of reform and opening-up" and was listed as "The 50 most influential business leaders in China in 2018" by Fortune Magazine. SANY also won the honors of "the most admired Chinese companies in 2018", "the top 500 enterprises of China", "the most influential innovative companies" and "the Chinese brand achievement award in the past 40 years of reform and opening up". What's more, SANY has been the most prestigious brand of Chinese construction machinery users for 10 years. SANY SY395H excavator won the top prize "Golden finger award" of "the top 50 annual products in 2018 of Chinese construction machinery"; SANY SR285R-C10 rotary drilling rig won the gold award of market performance for its overwhelming domestic market share. For more details: Sales hotline: 86-0731-84038018 Official website: http://www.sanyglobal.com/ Follow us: Facebook: SANY Group Wechat : SanyWorldwide SOURCE SANY Related Links http://www.sanyglobal.com Ms. Anderson, 61, served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Wendy's International, Inc. (n/k/a The Wendy's Company) and has been a private investor and board adviser since September 2008. Mr. Fettig, 62, recently retired as Executive Chairman of the Board of Whirlpool Corporation in December 2018, prior to which he served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Whirlpool for over 13 years. "We are delighted to welcome Kerrii and Jeff to our Board of Directors," said John G. Morikis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sherwin-Williams. "Each of these new independent directors has a strong record leading a large public company, has extensive experience serving on public company boards, and brings a breadth of operating and financial knowledge and experience to our Board. We look forward to the benefits of their contributions to our Board, our Company and our shareholders for years to come." Ms. Anderson served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Wendy's from November 2006 until September 2008 when Wendy's merged with a subsidiary of Triarc Companies, Inc. to form Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. She joined Wendy's in September 2000, serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer and President from April 2006 to November 2006 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from September 2000 to April 2006. Prior to joining Wendy's, Ms. Anderson served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of M/I Schottenstein Homes, Inc. (n/k/a M/I Homes, Inc.) from September 1987 to September 2000. Ms. Anderson received a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration from Elon University and an M.B.A. from Duke University. Ms. Anderson is also a director of Worthington Industries, Inc. (NYSE: WOR), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (NYSE: LH), for which she serves as chair of its Audit Committee. Mr. Fettig recently served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Whirlpool from October 2017 until his retirement in December 2018. He served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Whirlpool from July 2004 to October 2017. Mr. Fettig joined Whirlpool in June 1981 as an Operations Associate and held numerous leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including President and Chief Operating Officer from June 1999 to July 2004 and Executive Vice President, Whirlpool and President, Whirlpool Europe and Asia from 1994 to June 1999. Mr. Fettig was elected to the Whirlpool Board in June 1999 when he began serving as President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Fettig received a bachelor's degree in finance and an M.B.A. from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Mr. Fettig is also a director and non-executive Chairman of Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW), for which he serves as chair of its Corporate Governance Committee, and a director of Kohler Company. About Sherwin-Williams Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution, and sale of paints, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. Sherwin-Williams manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy, Krylon, Minwax, Thompson's Water Seal, Cabot and many more. With global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, Sherwin-Williams branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 4,900 company-operated stores and facilities, while the company's other brands are sold through leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors. The Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world. Sherwin-Williams shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: SHW). For more information, visit www.sherwin.com. Investor Relations Contact: Media Contact: Bob Wells Mike Conway Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications Director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams Direct: 216.515.4393 Direct: 216.566.2244 Pager: 216.422.3751 [email protected] [email protected] Jim Jaye Vice President, Investor Relations Sherwin-Williams Direct: 216.515.8682 [email protected] SOURCE The Sherwin-Williams Company Related Links http://www.sherwin.com CHICAGO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- An innovative new website, ShopGenius.com, launches today. The new website is designed to give savvy shoppers a valuable tool to help save money on the items they are looking for by connecting them to in-store sales events, as well as highlighting daily online flash deals and promotions. The goal of this one-of-a-kind platform is to provide consumers a one-stop site to find events such as liquidation, store closing, inventory reduction, and other similar in-store sales events both nationally and in their local communities. ShopGenius.com will also feature unique daily flash sales and promotions. The website is developed to help shoppers find in-store deals in an easy-to-use format where they can search by city, state, or zip. In addition, ShopGenius.com encourages visitors to sign up for sales alert emails so they can be notified when new retail sales events are added, and deeper discounts are taken at current events. ShopGenius.com is also dedicated to helping consumers save more money by featuring online flash deals from affiliate sites, as well as special promotions that cannot be obtained elsewhere on a variety of higher-end goods. Consumers can visit www.ShopGenius.com to find current sales and promotions, as well as sign up for deal alerts. In addition, the company invites bargain shoppers to stay current with ShopGenius.com by visiting their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for the latest deals, contests and promotions, and other ShopGenius.com news and information. About ShopGenius.com (www.ShopGenius.com) is a unique shopping and sales resource for finding great values, incredible deals, and other sale events. Here you'll find smart savings through liquidation events across the country, daily values from associate websites and other relevant events at your favorite retail stores. SOURCE ShopGenius.com Related Links http://www.ShopGenius.com SAN DIEGO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson Fistel, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Smart & Final Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SFS) ("Smart & Final") breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Apollo Global Management, LLC. On April 16, 2019, Smart & Final announced that it had signed a definitive merger agreement with Apollo. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Apollo will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Smart & Final in an all-cash transaction. Smart & Final shareholders will receive $6.50 per share in cash. The investigation concerns whether the Smart & Final board failed to satisfy its duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for Smart & Final shares of common stock. Nationally recognized Johnson Fistel is investigating whether the proposed deal represents adequate consideration, especially given analysts' projections for future earnings and revenue growth, also one Wall Street analyst has an $8.00 price target on the stock. The 52-week high for Smart & Final was $7.40. If you are a shareholder of Smart & Final and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ( [email protected] ) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number. Additionally, you can [Click here to join this action]. There is no cost or obligation to you. About Johnson Fistel, LLP: Johnson Fistel, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York, and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit https://www.johnsonfistel.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Contact: Johnson Fistel, LLP Jim Baker, 619-814-4471 [email protected] [Click here to join this action] SOURCE Johnson Fistel, LLP Related Links http://www.johnsonfistel.com "This Earth Day, we want to celebrate those Americans who are proactively helping the planet, and assist those who want to join the cause with our 'Proud to be Green' Earth Day Challenge," said Bryan Welsh, General Manager, SodaStream USA. "Where better to start than with the millions of 'Greens' across the country! If you live in a 'Green' town or are proud to represent your 'Green' last name, we want you to join us in reducing the use of single-use plastics and help the planet this Earth Day." "Green" Cities & Towns Across America Commit to Helping the Planet From Green Bay to Greenwich, this Earth Day SodaStream is committed to helping the more than 70 cities and towns across the U.S. live up to their "Green" names, beginning with public buildings in their communities. SodaStream is challenging these local "Green" municipalities to reduce single-use plastic. In addition, SodaStream will offer any "Green" town buildings with SodaStream machines, so no one goes without their favorite beverages. Municipalities can show their commitment to the cause by posting an Earth Day badge on their website or social media channels. Go to ProudToBeGreen.sodastream.com to make your community truly Green. To celebrate all "Green" residents, SodaStream is also offering local residents in all "Green" towns an exclusive 50% off discount for a special 48-hour-long promotion starting on Earth Day, April 22, only at SodaStream.com. One SodaStream bottle can help the average family reduce more than 3,700 bottles and cans from our planet, and SodaStream wants "Green" residents to help spread the message and make an impact. Share Your Green Pride on Social Media For the millions of Americans living up to their "Green(e)" last names on social media, SodaStream is celebrating Earth Day by giving away limited edition green SodaStream machines. Visit SodaStream on Facebook and Instagram and share your plan to live up to your name and live a green lifestyle. For those who are not named Green, but have a Green soul, for the entire month of April SodaStream is giving an additional 30% off all products at participating SodaStream retailers across the country. Everyone has the opportunity to go green! About SodaStream SodaStream, part of PepsiCo, is the world's leader in at-home sparkling beverage preparation. SodaStream bubbles are better for the consumer - healthy, easy to make - and better for the planet. One reusable SodaStream bottle replaces thousands of single-use plastic bottles. Products are available at more than 80,000 retail stores across 46 countries. To learn more about SodaStream visit www.SodaStream.com and follow SodaStream on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. SOURCE SodaStream Related Links http://www.SodaStream.com Hanson commented on the 2019 walk by saying, "I am honored that the American Cancer Society has asked me to return as Event Chair in 2019. The Society's commitment to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is unwavering, with their continued funding of innovative cancer research, and their 24/7 cancer helpline which provides direction for newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families access to the care they need. The American Cancer Society has $61 million currently invested in multiyear breast cancer research grants, and funds raised through this event will support lifesaving research in 2019 and beyond. There is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, which is unacceptable in 2019. Research is the only path to finding a cure and saving the lives of over 42,000 women and 200 men a year who die from breast cancer. Jacksonville is an incredible community, we will continue to come together to make the 2019 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer the best one yet in terms of fundraising and awareness." Hanson's 6 year old daughter, Lucy, has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the BRCA gene from her. It is Hanson's goal to do everything possible to help make sure that when Lucy is of age, she will not have to worry if she has the BRCA1+ gene or not, as there will be a cure or maybe even a vaccine. Hanson asks that you join her in watching this video, where she shares her journey and why this cause has become her passion project. Hanson will be supporting and bringing awareness to the cause, not only by chairing the event, but by the many ways listed below. Stacy encourages every Jacksonville resident to support these types of initiatives and not to hesitate in reaching out to her with any questions on how to get involved. Stacy Hanson's Personal Blog Party with a Purpose on Cinco De Mayo Never imagining she would see her 50 th birthday, Stacy, and her husband, Kent, are hosting a MSABC fundraising event in honor of Stacy's 50 th birthday. The entire Jacksonville community is invited to join them, and others, on May 5 th from 2-5 pm at Royal Palm Village Wine & Tapas. All money raised from ticket purchases and donations will go to the 2019 MSABC Walk of Jacksonville . birthday, Stacy, and her husband, Kent, are hosting a MSABC fundraising event in honor of Stacy's 50 birthday. The entire community is invited to join them, and others, on from at Royal Palm Village Wine & Tapas. All money raised from ticket purchases and donations will go to the 2019 MSABC Walk of . 2019 MSABC Walk of Jacksonville Website Facebook Page: Lucy's Mom SOURCE CoventBridge Group Related Links http://www.coventbridge.com NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sulfur Hexafluoride Market - Overview Sulfur hexafluoride is a non-toxic inert gas that is widely used for insulation and cooling application in the electric & power industry owing to its superior thermal stability and excellent dielectric strength. Sulfur hexafluoride has key applications in electric power transmission and distribution systems such as gas insulated switchgear (GIS), circuit breakers (CBs), and load break switches due to properties of electrical insulation and arc interruption capability. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05767873/?utm_source=PRN Based on application, the electrical transmission and distribution segment held a major share of the global sulfur hexafluoride market in 2017 owing to the increase in electricity consumption, led by increasing demand for electricity from residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.Rising demand for homes and infrastructure development, especially in emerging economies such as India and China has propelled the need for power utilities. This trend is likely to continue during the forecast period. In terms of value and volume, Asia Pacific accounted for a prominent share of the global sulfur hexafluoride market in 2017.The region is expected to continue to dominate the global market during the forecast period. China is a highly lucrative country for sulfur hexafluoride in Asia Pacific.Rapid urbanization due to rise in demand for power utilities in the country and presence of a well-established semiconductor manufacturing industry are anticipated to fuel the sulfur hexafluoride market in China during the forecast period. Demand for end-use applications in the electronics industry has been increasing mainly in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.This, in turn, is projected to fuel the sulfur hexafluoride market during the forecast period. Sulfur hexafluoride is likely to be phase-out due to its high GWP value by developed nations in North America and Europe in the near future. However, a direct alternative for sulfur hexafluoride in key applications such as medium voltage switchgears is not commercially available. Hence, the market is projected to expand at a sluggish pace during the forecast period. Sulfur hexafluoride has global warming potential (GWP) of 23500 for 100 years. Therefore, rise in environmental concerns and regulations to control greenhouse effects are anticipated to restrain the global sulfur hexafluoride market during the forecast period. This report analyzes and forecasts the sulfur hexafluoride market at global, regional, and country levels.The market has been forecast in terms of volume (Tons) and value (US$ Thousand) from 2018 to 2026, considering 2017 as the base year. The study includes market indicators, drivers, and restraints of the global sulfur hexafluoride market.It also encompasses the anticipated impact of these drivers and restraints on the demand for sulfur hexafluoride during the forecast period. The report also highlights opportunities in the sulfur hexafluoride market at global and regional levels. The report analyzes price trends and forecasts prices of sulfur hexafluoride at the global and regional levels. The report includes detailed value chain analysis, which provides a comprehensive view of the global sulfur hexafluoride market.Porter's Five Forces model for the sulfur hexafluoride market has been included to help understand the competition landscape of the market. The report covers regulatory landscape that includes various regulations regarding the product across the globe to understand the various legal constraints that can affect product offering. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein grade and application segments have been benchmarked based on their market value, growth rate, and general attractiveness. The study provides a decisive view of the global sulfur hexafluoride market by segmenting it in terms of grade and application.In terms of grade, the market has been segmented into technical grade, electronic grade, and others, which includes metallurgical and ophthalmological. In terms of application, the sulfur hexafluoride market has been segregated into electrical transmission and distribution, semiconductor manufacturing, and others (including magnesium production and ophthalmological surgeries).Market segments have been analyzed based on the present and future trends. Regional segmentation includes current and future demand for sulfur hexafluoride in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The report provides the actual value of the sulfur hexafluoride market for 2017 and the estimated market value for 2018 along with forecast for the next eight years.The size of the global sulfur hexafluoride market has been provided in terms of volume (Tons) and value (US$ Thousand). The market value has been provided for the global, regional, and country-levels. The report comprises profiles of major companies operating in the global sulfur hexafluoride market.The global sulfur hexafluoride market is fragmented with the presence of local and global players. Key players include Solvay, AGC Chemicals, Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd., SHOWA DENKO K.K., The Linde Group, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Air Liquide, Axcel Gases, Fujian Shaowu Yongfei Chemical Co., Ltd, Concorde Specialty Gases, Shandong Ruihua Fluoride Industry Co. Ltd, and Wuxi Tianzhi Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments. The report also comprises a matrix of comparison between the top two players operating in the global sulfur hexafluoride market along with analysis of business strategies. The global sulfur hexafluoride market has been segmented as follows: Global Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, by Grade Technical Electronic Other (including Metallurgical and Medical) Global Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, by Application Electrical Transmission and Distribution Semiconductor Manufacturing Others (including Magnesium production and Ophthalmological Surgeries) Global Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, by Region North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany France U.K. Italy Spain Russia & CIS Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Key Takeaways Global and regional share of the sulfur hexafluoride market in terms of volume (Tons) and value (US$ Thousand), by grade and application segments for the period between 2018 and 2026 Detailed analysis of the country-level demand for sulfur hexafluoride in countries and sub-regions including the U.S., Canada, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, Russia & CIS, China, India, Japan, ASEAN, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, GCC, and South Africa with respect to different product and application segments for the period from 2018 to 2026 Key indicators, drivers, restraints, and opportunities in the global sulfur hexafluoride market Price trend forecasts of the global sulfur hexafluoride market in terms application Regulatory landscape, value chain analysis, and Porter's Five Forces analysis of the global sulfur hexafluoride market Market attractiveness analysis of the global sulfur hexafluoride market, by grade and application Key findings of the sulfur hexafluoride market in each region and in-depth analysis of major product and application segments in terms of volume and value Competition matrix of key players operating in the market of major companies Detailed company profiles of 12 market players Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05767873/?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 SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Super, a subscription service that provides care and repair for your home, announced it has completed a $20 million Series B round of funding led by Aquiline Technology Growth (ATG), an early- and growth-stage fund managed by Aquiline Capital Partners. The round included participation from Munich Re Ventures, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, Moderne Ventures, 8VC, QIA and Solon Mack Capital. Founded in 2015 by CEO Jorey Ramer, the company has raised a total of $30 million in funding to-date. Munich Re Ventures, the venture capital arm of Munich Re, one of the largest global reinsurers, continues its participation since leading the company's Series A round from its HSB Fund. With a presence in key U.S. markets including Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Washington, DC metro, Super plans to use the investment to add new geographies based on the demand from the market, as well as for hiring and technology development. "Super has developed an effective, convenient platform to provide premium care and repair services for homeowners," said Max Chee of ATG. "Super is tackling an industry that is ripe for innovation with a smart, technology-forward approach, and we are excited to work with Jorey and the rest of the team at Super to help continue that exciting trajectory." According to a recent Bankrate survey , nearly half of homeowners have regrets over their home purchase, and the number one reason cited is unexpected maintenance or hidden costs. Super is tackling this head on by remedying the ineffectiveness of current home warranties with a technology-driven and customer-centric approach that makes it as easy to rent as it is to own. Homeowners can use Super's custom app to get appliances fixed and order concierge services to manage the logistics of many home service needs without ever having to deal with the stress, hassle and costs involved. Additionally, Super helps prevent problems with an in-depth maintenance schedule and provides the option to have Super handle routine home maintenance. "After purchasing my first home, it struck me that homeownership itself is a lot more stressful due to the lack of insight and visibility into unforeseen home-related expenses," said Jorey Ramer, CEO and Founder, Super. "Our vision is to help homeowners own like a renter, by insuring more of the risks associated with owning a home." About Super Super is a San Francisco-based technology company that offers subscription services providing care and repair for your home. Backed by leading investors, Super was founded in 2015 by Jorey Ramer, Bill Davis, and Ryan Donnelly. Super is committed to providing premium service quality for all homeowners. We partner with the best local servicers to deliver quick and effective home repair and maintenance at a predictable cost, using technology to take the hassle out of homeownership. Visit us at www.hellosuper.com for more information. About Aquiline Technology Growth Aquiline Technology Growth (ATG) seeks to invest in early- and growth-stage technology companies that are bringing innovation to the financial services ecosystems. ATG is managed by Aquiline Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in New York and London investing in businesses globally across the financial services and technology sector. The ATG team has experience in technology and financial services and is supported by its colleagues at Aquiline, strategic partners, and an active group of industry Executive Advisors. For more information on ATG, visit www.atgvc.com . Media Contacts : For Super: Audrey Jacobson [email protected] For Aquiline Technology Growth: Brunswick Group Alex Yankus / Harry Mayfield 212-333-3810 [email protected] SOURCE Super Related Links https://www.hellosuper.com HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Now that your pool is open and swim season is looming, it's time to discuss pool hygiene. While proper pool etiquette may seem obvious to some, that's not the case for all swimmers. In order to keep your pool a safe and pristine oasis, there are a few hygienic steps that should be taken by all swimmers. Supplier of pool liners , LOOP-LOC, discusses 5 pool hygiene tips to be conscious of this year. Whether you dive or jump into the pool, make sure to keep your mouth closed. It's one of the easiest ways to avoid getting water into your mouth. Remind yourself, and especially your aspiring children, to never swallow pool water. Aside from the chemicals that keep pool water safe for swimmers, they might also be at risk for ingesting whatever germs may be in the pool at any given time. Swim on the safe side and avoid getting water into your mouth and swallowing it at all costs. Before swimmers can dive into your pool, be sure they are clean. We're not just talking about their hands, but their entire body. A shower or bath with soap and non-chlorinated water can go a long way. This will ensure that the germs that stick to people throughout the day will not enter your pool. Swimmers who shower before a swim are also less likely to track unwanted dirt, sweat, and other items commonly found on the skin (like that cute new lipstick or eyeshadow) into the pool. Your pool levels are more likely to remain at the proper levels when they are not mixed with outside elements. Swim attire is a must. Much of the year is spent wearing sweaters and bulky clothing. It's a nice change of pace to wear a bathing suit. From bikinis to speedos to trunks, the bathing suit options are endless and there's no excuse not to wear one in the pool. Wearing street clothes may also pose a threat to the water conditions in your pool. Clothes made out of cotton and similar materials not only track airborne and waterborne contaminants into the pool, but they also absorb pool chemicals. That will, in turn, upset the chemical balance in your pool, creating an unsafe swimming environment for everyone. Make sure you take bathroom breaks. While this may seem obvious, younger swimmers will be hesitant to leave their water shelter. Be sure to have children take bathroom breaks every hour. This way accidents are less likely to occur. Without accidents, pool fun will last longer and be a healthier experience for everyone involved. Break time is also a great time to reapply sunscreen, re-hydrate, and even eat a snack. No matter how you and your children spend break time, make sure their hands are washed before they jump back into the pool. There's no denying the cuteness a swimming baby possesses. However, their diaper is a completely different story. Diaper changes should be made far away from the pool area. This may mean taking the changing indoors or into a changing area if at a public pool. Make sure that you are closely monitoring your tiny swimmer's diaper. While swim diapers provide an extra layer of protection, they are not leak proof. Be sure to change those diapers every hour, before the leaking starts. Keep your pool safe and clean this summer with these pool hygiene tips. About LOOP-LOC: There's only one company known for manufacturing safety pool covers strong and tough enough to support an elephant: the legendary LOOP-LOC. LOOP-LOC inground pool liners supplier is a global leader in the pool industry with a 200,000-square-foot headquarters in Hauppauge, New York, and 300 employees. Through its network of dealers, the company has sold safety swimming pool covers on every continent on earth except Antarctica. LOOP-LOC now also manufactures a line of luxury in-ground pool linerswith more exclusive designer patterns than any other companyas well as the BABY-LOC removable fencing, a convenient, cost-effective additional layer of protection to help deter toddlers from gaining access to a swimming pool. SOURCE LOOP-LOC Related Links https://www.looploc.com MILAN, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Techedge (BIT: EDGE), a global consulting, digital strategy and business solutions company, has received Microsoft gold for Cloud Platform, Application Development, and Data Platform competencies. This recognition solidifies the company's position as a leader in providing end-to-end services, solutions, and advisory on Microsoft Azure. Through this achievement, Microsoft has certified Techedge's ability to support its customers in the hosting and managed services of Microsoft Azure, to develop high-value custom business applications and to manage big data and analytics scenarios using Microsoft technologies. "At Techedge, we have invested in developing our expertise of the cloud as a core component of our customers digital business models," says Marco Panara Microsoft Platform Director at Techedge, "We are moving into an 'adaptive enterprise' era - where technology plays a fundamental role in driving competitive advantage, and where the cloud is the only enabling platform for this to occur." "Our approach to the cloud is a holistic one," Marco continues. "On one hand we have profound infrastructural expertise, which permits us to advise our customers in selecting the right cloud platform for their needs, as well as to offer premium hosting managed services once the platform has been selected. On the other hand, we are able to advise, design and implement competitively advantageous solutions for our customers on the cloud leveraging our vertical expertise blended with our concrete abilities in application development and big data analytics. At the end of the day, this permits us to be a unique and end-to-end partner for our customers when it comes to digital transformation solutions." "By achieving a gold competency, Techedge has proven its commitment and expertise in specific technology areas, which places them among a small percentage of Microsoft partners worldwide," said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner (OCP), Microsoft Corp. "For customers looking for a partner to help meet their unique business needs, choosing a company that has attained Microsoft competencies is a smart move. Techedge has highly qualified experts with access to Microsoft technical support and product teams." Techedge started working with Microsoft in 2017. To earn Microsoft Gold competency recognition, Techedge has had to demonstrate significant technological expertise regarding application development, data management, and the Microsoft Azure platform, in addition to demonstrating that it has brought the value of this expertise to customers around the world. About Techedge Techedge's mission is to help organizations evolve into true digital companies through short iterative cycles of business-driven innovation. Techedge provides business solutions & services that combine business advisory, technology expertise and premium delivery capabilities, with a lean, trust-based approach. Contacts Sabina Catalano [email protected] +39-02-87311 SOURCE Techedge S.p.A Related Links https://www.techedgegroup.com/en DECATUR, Ga., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm with its headquarters in Estero, Florida, announced today the acquisition of 160 Clairemont in Decatur, GA. 160 Clairemont is a multistory Class A office building with +/- 122,700 rentable square feet. The property offers many tenant amenities, including a fitness center, on-site cafe, and conference center. The property is ideally located in an amenity-rich area with top-quality housing, schools, and transportation. TerraCap Management LLC "We feel fortunate to own this asset and transact off market again, leveraging our long-standing record as a highly reliable buyer that closes on time and without incident," said Steve Hagenbuckle, Founder and Managing Partner of TerraCap. The property is located in the Decatur submarket, which poised for continued growth. The submarket boasts one of the lowest vacancy rates in Atlanta and is anchored by Emory University and the CDC. "Our investment in 160 Clairemont is central to our theme of owning best in class properties in rapidly urbanizing areas at values well below replacement cost," said Matt Stewart, Partner and Director of Asset Management for TerraCap. "Downtown Decatur is undergoing a physical transformation with several new multi-family developments, transportation enhancements, and new hotel rooms now being delivered that is driving demand for space. We believe Decatur offers residents and office users a unique small-town street level retail experience, diverse housing options, excellent schools, proximity to large employers, and direct connectivity to MARTA and the PATH. We are excited to own the top Class A office building in this dynamic urban environment." The seller was represented by Samir Idris and David Meline of Cushman & Wakefield. Delta Community Credit Union provided debt financing for TerraCap, who represented by the capital markets team of Brian Linnehan and Richard Henry of Cushman Wakefield's Atlanta office. About TerraCap Management LLC TerraCap Management, LLC considers thematic factors such as business formation, employment growth and population growth on a market-by-market basis, as most metros and submarkets have different economic-based industries and therefore move through their economic cycles differently. TerraCap makes moderate strategic overweighting or underweighting to markets, depending on the specific economic drivers influencing supply and demand. The Investment Manager has been in operation since 2008 with offices located in Estero, FL, Tampa, FL, and the Atlanta, GA metro area. As operators, TerraCap believes it can make decisions more efficiently while leveraging expertise from property to property. More information can be found at terracapmgmt.com. For More Information, Contact: Steve Good 239.898.4454 TerraCap Management LLC SOURCE TerraCap Management Related Links https://terracapmgmt.com NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global ophthalmoscopes market is expected to reach US$ 322.13 Mn in 2027 from US$ 216.79 in 2018. The ophthalmoscopes market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 4.6% from 2019-2027. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764222/?utm_source=PRN The market is driven by the factors such as, rising prevalence of eye diseases in developing and developed nations, significantly growing elderly population and increasing prevalence of glaucoma in individuals are likely to drive the growth of the market in the forecasted period. However, the challenges associated with retinal examination may show some impact to the growth of the market. Increasing prevalence of glaucoma is likely to grow the ophthalmoscopes market significantly in the forecast period.Glaucoma is a very misunderstood diseases and people often neglect its severity. Glaucoma is a disorder or a disease that damages the eye's optic nerve.The condition occurs when a layer of fluid fills up on the outer side of the eye, creating a pressure and hence leading to damage to optic nerves. Glaucoma often leads to vision loss, eventually causing blindness. As per the WHO it is stated that glaucoma is the second cause of the blindness in the world it estimates that 4.5 million people worldwide are blind due to glaucoma. In the United States, around 120,000 are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness. The geriatric population is the most susceptible to vision loss due to glaucoma However, if it is detected and treated at an early stage, one can avoid vision loss. The worldwide age-standardized prevalence of glaucoma in the population aged 40 years and above is estimated to be around 3.5%. Therefore, owing to the factor the market is likely to boost in the forecast period. Global ophthalmoscopes market was segmented by type, application and end user.The type segment was further divided as direct and indirect ophthalmoscopes. The direct ophthalmoscopes segment was the largest market and is expected to dominate in the coming future, Based on the application, the market was led by the glaucoma and similarly, based on the end user the hospitals segment led the ophthalmoscopes market in the forecast period. Some of the major primary and secondary sources included in the report for the ophthalmoscopes market are World Health Organization, Dubai Health Authority, National Agency for Accreditation and Evaluation in Health, Korean Ophthalmological Society, National Health Interview Survey, Royal Society of Medicine, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Pan American Health Organization, International Diabetes Federation and others. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the ophthalmoscopes market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global ophthalmoscopes market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764222/?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 NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global vaccines market is expected to reach US$ 64,538.4 Mn in 2027 from US$ 36,998.8 in 2018. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 6.5% from 2019-2027. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764229/?utm_source=PRN The major driving factors are rising prevalence of infectious diseases, growing focus on immunization programs, and increasing support for vaccine development are expected to boost the market growth over the years.However, soaring prices of the vaccines and complexity and cost of vaccine manufacturing are likely to pose a negative impact on the market growth. On the other hand, robust pipeline of vaccines is likely to have a positive impact on the growth of the global vaccines market in the coming years.In the current era, there are increasing concerns of spread of infectious diseases with the changing environment. These emerging infectious diseases are a burden on public health but have also an impact on global economies.The new diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, dengue have attracted a huge concern for the government of the respective countries. There is also resurgence of diseases which seemed to be under control such as malaria, cholera and many more. According to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention in 2015, 16.8 million people in the US visited hospitals due to infectious and parasitic diseases. In Africa, chronic viral hepatitis affects around 70 million Africans (60 million with Hepatitis B and 10 million with Hepatitis C). The disease impacts the most important part of the African population i.e. youths and earning African population which are causing tremendous rise in financial debts incurred for the treatment of advanced liver diseases and emotional distress. Thus the growing global prevalence of infectious diseases are expected to encourage the leading market players for the development of new and effective drugs and vaccines. The vaccines market by technology is segmented into Recombinant vaccines, Conjugate Vaccines, Live Attenuated Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, and Toxoid Vaccines. In 2018, the conjugate vaccines segment held a largest market share of 65.1% of the vaccines market, By Technology. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2027 as they are the most effective forms of immunization, used to prevent diseases in both infants and adults. Moreover, the similar segment is anticipated to also witness the fastest growth rate of 6.7% during the forecast period, 2019 to 2027 owing to the increasing demand for drugs to treat the disease. The global vaccines market on the patient type is segmented into pediatric patients and adult patients. In 2018, the pediatric segment held a largest market share of 70.0% of the vaccines market, by patient type. This segment is also expected to dominate the market in 2027 as external immunization is necessary for the new borns. Moreover, vaccines have helped the children in staying healthy and been successful to save millions of lives for more than 50 years. Some of the major primary and secondary sources for vaccines included in the report are World Health Organization (WHO), European Medical Agency (EMA), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), French Scientific Research Centre (FSRC), and others. Reasons to Buy Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the vaccines market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global vaccines market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin security interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05764229/?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 NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- About this market The growing demand for two-wheelers across the globe will drive the market growth during the forecast period. Various emerging economies have witnessed considerable rise in the sales of two-wheelers, in turn, positively impacting the two-wheeler tire market growth during the forecast period. Furthermore, widening pool of aging two-wheelers in mature markets including the US and Japan will further contribute to the growing demand for replacement tires. As a result, the growing adoption of two-wheelers will further proliferate the growth of two-wheeler tire market in the long run. Analysts have predicted that the two-wheeler tire market will register a CAGR of almost 10% by 2023. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05767777/?utm_source=PRN Market Overview Prominent tire brands leveraging strong two-wheeler tire demand in emerging economies One of the growth drivers of the global two-wheeler tire market is the prominent tire brands leveraging strong two-wheeler tire demand in emerging economies. The increasing focus of global tire manufacturers on two-wheeler-dominant emerging economies will drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. Global two-wheeler tire market facing blow of US-China trade war One of the challenges in the growth of the global two-wheeler tire market is the global two-wheeler tire market facing blow of US-China trade war. Automotive tires and synthetic rubber have been dragged into this US-China trade war, and this will affect the prospects of the market. For the detailed list of factors that will drive and challenge the growth of the two-wheeler tire market during 2019-2023, view our report. Competitive Landscape The market appears to be fragmented with the presence of several market players. Most vendors engaged in tire manufacturing have started using advanced tire manufacturing techniques and processes for lowering carbon emissions. This market research report will help clients identify new growth opportunities and design unique growth strategies by providing a comprehensive analysis of the market's competitive landscape and offering information on the products offered by companies. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05767777/?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 Thorn is one of eight organizations to share in over $280 million of funding through The Audacious Project , housed at TED. Each year, The Audacious Project identifies and invests in global changemakers with the biggest, boldest, and most actionable ideas with the potential to affect millions of lives. The Audacious Project brings together some of the most respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy the Skoll Foundation, Virgin Unite, Dalio Foundation and more. "The internet has created an opportunity for mass distribution of images and videos of child sexual abuse, and the majority are very young children, often under 12," said Ashton Kutcher, co-founder of Thorn. "This extraordinary amount of funding towards the elimination of child sexual abuse material from the internet illustrates that investors and donors recognize this is a rapidly growing and dangerous issue that must be addressed." "The volume of child sexual abuse material on the Internet and the size of the population participating has skyrocketed. Since 2004, there has been a 10,000% increase in sexual abuse files reported by technology companies," said Thorn CEO Julie Cordua. "Unfortunately, child abuse content likely exists on the majority of platforms that accept user-generated content. To date there have been limited solutions offered to small and mid-sized companies to address this specific problem, making their platforms vulnerable to abusive content and behavior. Our product Safer provides a solution to help companies ensure their platforms are not enabling the viral spread of this abuse content." The sexual abuse of children is a human problem, but the explosion in the online distribution of child sexual abuse imagery is a technology problem that demands a technology-led response. Over the last seven years Thorn has worked at the intersection of technology and child sexual abuse to build the tools necessary to fight this abuse in the digital age. As part of this initiative to eliminate child sexual abuse material from the internet, Thorn will: Provide front-line law enforcement around the world with the technology and data they need to find victims faster, stop perpetrators, and reduce the amount of abuse material produced. Continue to build and scale the software needed to help companies locate and remove child sexual abuse content from their platforms. Safer offers a low-cost, scalable tool required for swift review, removal, and reporting of child sexual abuse material, and aims to end its viral distribution. Drive data collaboration so that information is shared as widely and collaboratively as possible in the best interest of the child. Currently, much of the most important data sits in independent silos at government agencies around the world or within private companies. Build out product teams and create the only research and development team that will be 100% dedicated to new technologies to combat online child sexual abuse. Thorn will aim to stay ahead of perpetrators and focus on advanced technologies that either pose a threat in this space or can be leveraged to stop this abuse. Initial research areas include live-streaming, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, which are already emerging in this field. Support and invest in critical global partnerships with front-line responders (law enforcement, industry, NGOs). Thorn's success to date is due in part to the support of critical long-term supporters including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google.org, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook. Thorn works closely with child protection organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), WePROTECT Global Alliance, Canadian Center for Child Protection, INHOPE, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and others who have worked tirelessly against child sexual abuse for decades. "The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with Thorn," said Michelle DeLaune from the NCMEC. "Our mutual goal is that survivors can take solace in knowing that imagery of their child sexual abuse has been eradicated from the internet." About Thorn Thorn, co-founded by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse. Thorn partners with nonprofits, law enforcement, and tech companies to understand the role technology plays in child sex trafficking, the creation and proliferation of child sexual abuse material and the normalization of child sexual exploitation. Thorn then goes beyond insight to action to develop the tools, systems and approaches to help address these issues. Thorn's first software tool, Spotlight, is currently used by 9,000 law enforcement agents across all 50 US states and Canada. Thorn has also created a Technology Task Force a group of more than 25 technology companies that collaborate on technology initiatives to fight child sexual exploitation. Participating companies include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Facebook, Salesforce, Microsoft, Memsql, SV Angel, Twitter, Expedia, Digital Reasoning, Pinterest and others. For more information on Thorn, please visit http://www.thorn.org/, follow us on Twitter @THORN and facebook.com/wearethorn. ABOUT THE AUDACIOUS PROJECT The Audacious Project was launched in April 2018, with a mission to foster "collaborative philanthropy for bold ideas." Housed at TED (the nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading) and operated with support from The Bridgespan Group (a leading social impact advisor to nonprofits and NGOs, philanthropists and investors), The Audacious Project brings together some of the most respected organizations and individuals in philanthropythe Skoll Foundation, Virgin Unite, Dalio Foundation and more. The Audacious Project surfaces and funds critical projects with the potential to create global change. By removing barriers associated with funding, The Audacious Project empowers social entrepreneurs to dream boldly and take on the world's biggest and most urgent challenges. The 2019 projects include: Center for Policing Equity, Educate Girls, Institute for Protein Design at the UW School of Medicine, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the END Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Thorn and Waterford UPSTART. SOURCE Thorn Related Links http://www.thorn.org BEIJING, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) today announced that TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm, has led a consortium of investors and reached a definitive agreement to invest in APM Monaco ("APM" or "The Company"), a leading contemporary jewelry brand, synonymous with the chic of Monaco and South of France lifestyle. The brand originated in Monaco and successfully grew a global footprint with a significant presence in Asia. TPG and its partners, China Synergy and Trail, will together acquire 30% of the company from its existing shareholders. TPG is investing in APM through TPG Capital Asia, the firm's Asia-focused private equity platform. China Synergy is an investment platform jointly set-up by TPG and CICC Capital, and Trail is a Paris-based European private equity investment firm. The transaction is expected to close in a few months. Additional terms were not disclosed. "APM Monaco's team is proud and looks forward to writing a new chapter of our brand history. TPG Consortium is the ideal leading global partner to continue to develop our contemporary luxury vision," said Philippe Prette, founder and CEO of APM. "TPG's unique expertise in growing iconic brands and their belief in our innovative products and business model make them an excellent partner to work with, and at the same time, China Synergy and Trail bring their respective strengths in China and Europe. We look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead of us as we expand domestically and globally optimizing our strengths with their expertise while keeping the strong identity and values of the brand." APM started as an original design manufacturer (ODM) for leading European distributors 37 years ago. The Company relocated production to China in 1992 and launched its own jewelry brand APM Monaco 20 years later. Headquartered in Hong Kong, APM combines contemporary luxury with fast retailing, two best-performing categories, capitalizing on strong demand from an upcoming generation and increasing lifestyle spending in China. With its in-house design experts, APM is a pioneer in the fashion jewelry space with strong product innovation. By the end of 2018, APM had approximately 200 stores in 26 countries. "The founders and management team of APM have successfully built a fashionable brand that resonates well with consumers and has a loyal following. We are impressed by the Company's creativity, vision for the luxury industry, and values," said Chang Sun, Managing Partner, TPG China. "As investors, we are excited by the opportunity to partner with dynamic entrepreneurs like Philippe to bring their vision to the next level and look forward to working with the Company's management team to accelerate growth by leveraging our global resources. We are also very happy to partner with China Synergy and Trail to accomplish this deal." "This is a perfect demonstration of the power of partnership," said Ding Wei, CEO of CICC Capital, "TPG, China Synergy, and Trail each contributes distinctive competitive advantages and collectively bring irreplaceable value to the Company." "APM Monaco's transformation from a European company into an Asian-focused market leader has been highly successful", said Xavier Marin, Managing Partner of Trail. "As the European member of the consortium, we are thrilled to partner with Philippe and the whole management team to bring APM Monaco into the premier global jewelry brand position." Natixis acted as the exclusive financial advisor to APM Monaco on this transaction. LPA-CGR and Paul Weiss acted as joint counsel of APM Monaco. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton acted as the legal advisor for the Consortium. About TPG TPG is a leading global alternative asset firm founded in 1992 with more than $104 billion of assets under management and offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, and Singapore. TPG's investment platforms are across a wide range of asset classes, including private equity, growth equity, real estate, credit, and public equity. TPG aims to build dynamic products and options for its investors while also instituting discipline and operational excellence across the investment strategy and performance of its portfolio. For more information, visit www.tpg.com. About China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) CICC is China's first joint-venture investment bank and a pioneer in international best practices in China. Since CICC's inception in 1995, our commitment has been to provide high quality, value-added financial services to our clients. We have established full-service business model offering investment banking, equities, FICC, investment management and wealth management services all based on our solid research coverage. Our headquarters is in Beijing and we have subsidiaries throughout Mainland China, company branches in major cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu and more than 200 securities branches in 28 provinces and municipalities nationwide. We are also active overseas with branches in Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, London, San Francisco, and most recently, Frankfurt. In 2015, CICC listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. About CICC Capital Management Co., Ltd. (CICC Capital) CICC Capital is the flagship platform of CICC for its global private equity businesses. The Firm is committed to becoming a globally leading private equity manager with an impactful brand, a large and stable investor base, superior investment capabilities, and prudent and efficient mid-and-back offices. The Firm's product portfolio has been expanding steadily along three dimensions investment strategy, industry focus, and geographical area. Currently, the Firm runs government-backed funds investing in emerging industries, funds focusing on restructuring of traditional sectors, USD and RMB funds of funds, and USD and RMB private equity funds with various strategies including venture capital, growth, buyout and distressed investment. With a total AUM of around RMB300 billion and about 300 high-caliber professionals in its staff body, CICC Capital has become a leading private equity brand in China. About China Synergy China Synergy is an investment platform set-up jointly by TPG, the leading global alternative asset firm, and CICC Capital. This platform targets investment opportunities both in China and overseas that will benefit from the key trends in the Chinese economy, underpinned by the sponsors' strong cross-border investment and business development capabilities. About Trail Trail is an independent European private equity investment firm with over 750 million cumulated capital managed to date and investments made in 12 companies. With its two strategic partners, Silk Road Fund, China's development and investment fund, and CICC, China's preeminent investment bank, Trail has set-up a first-of-its-kind investment platform across Europe and Asia. Trail's team helps high performing small and mid-size European companies scaling up in size, scope and geographical boundaries with a specific focus on China. Trail is committed to long-term, responsible and value-creating investment. It has three offices in Paris, Luxembourg and Beijing. SOURCE China International Capital Corporation Limited DALLAS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trial attorney Majed Nachawati has been selected to the 2019 list of the Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine based on his outstanding work in mass tort litigation. This is the fourth year the co-founding partner of Fears Nachawati Law Firm has made the list. Mr. Nachawati has developed a national reputation for his representation of individuals, businesses and public entities in high-stakes litigation that includes defective drugs and medical devices. Most recently, he won a $3 million verdict for a woman who suffered complications from an intravenous blood filter in a case that marked the first time a jury reached a finding that the filters were defective. He also handles matters involving environmental and antitrust matters, as well as serious personal injury and wrongful death cases. "Recognition on a list of the best lawyers in Dallas is a tremendous honor given the deep talent pool here," said Mr. Nachawati. "Having a nationally focused practice, I have worked with and against the best and am fully aware that North Texas has some of the top lawyers in the country." In addition to his Dallas honors, Mr. Nachawati has been recognized regularly by Super Lawyers magazine, first as a young lawyer on the Texas Rising Stars list and later among the Texas Super Lawyers ranks. Mr. Nachawati is deeply involved in the regional and statewide legal community. Committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the civil justice system, he currently serves on the Dallas Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service Committee. He also is a member of the DBA's Legal Ethics Committee and serves as District Chairman for District 6 of the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee. In addition, he serves on the Public Justice Board of Directors and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors. He is a member of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice's Leaders Forum. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Fears Nachawati represents individuals and businesses in cases involving public entities, private entities, opioids, mass torts, serious personal injury, drug and medical device cases, environmental and water contamination, and wrongful death. For more information on the firm, visit https://www.fnlawfirm.com. Media Contact: Rhonda Reddick 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Fears Nachawati Law Firm Related Links https://www.fnlawfirm.com BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) will host its first quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, May 2 at 10:00 a.m. CT (11:00 a.m. ET). Financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 will be released before the NYSE market opens. The Company invites investors and other interested parties to listen to the live webcast of the conference call at www.vulcanmaterials.com. To participate by phone, call 888-221-3881 approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled start. For international calls, the number is 720-452-9217. The confirmation code is 8961757. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the call at the Company's website. Vulcan Materials Company, a member of the S&P 500 index with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, is the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. For additional information about Vulcan, go to www.vulcanmaterials.com. SOURCE Vulcan Materials Company Related Links http://www.vulcanmaterials.com LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- William McBride, PhD is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Lifetime Achiever in the field of Education in recognition of his role as an Arthur G. Hansen Distinguished Professor at Purdue University. With over fifty years of experience in the field of Education under his belt, Dr. William McBride is highly regarded for his outstanding contributions to the industry. Throughout his career, Dr. McBride has attained extensive expertise in the areas of Social and Political Philosophy, Legal Philosophy, and Continental European Philosophy. In his previous years, Dr. McBride taught at Yale University for nearly a decade and has lectured at Northwestern University, Sofia University in Bulgaria and the Korcula Summer School. Encountering people with a different professional orientation which they have thought superior to all others, Dr. McBride distinguishes this crucial factor as one of the prime challenges he has faced throughout his career. When asked his advice to newcomers in the industry, Dr. McBride notes the importance of retaining a commitment to the truth as he or she sees it, and not be daunted by initial setbacks, if such there are, in seeking employment. While pursuing his educational endeavors, Dr. McBride earned an AB from Georgetown University. Thereafter, Dr. McBride attended the University of Lille in 1959-60 where he was a Fulbright Fellow. Later, Dr. McBride attended Yale University where he attained his Master of Arts degree as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in 1962. He then went on to receive his PhD at Yale in 1964, having been awarded a Social Science Research Council Fellowship. Dr. McBride is a member of several international and national scholarly organizations including the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), of which he was President from 2008-2013; the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences; and the North American Society for Social Philosophy, of which he is past President. Dr. McBride has also been recognized by several elite organizations for his exemplary work in the field including Who's Who in America; Who's Who in America Education; Who's Who in the Midwest; Who's Who in the World. Having been the first American Secretary General and then President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), and with all the international connections that led to these positions and to which they, in turn, have led, Dr. McBride has established himself as a prominent figure in professional philosophy. An illustrious published writer, Dr. McBride is the author of several written works including "From Yugoslav Praxis to Global Pathos," "Social and Political Philosophy," and "Social Theory at a Crossroads." When he is not working, Dr. McBride enjoys travel and is very much a news buff. In looking to the future, Dr. McBride hopes to publish at least one more book, preferably more, while continuing professional involvement globally. Dr. McBride dedicates this recognition to Gerard F. Yates. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com Kannur : April 17 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the "most anti-national" and accused him of "dividing the nation". Reacting to Modi's allegation of the Congress turning anti-national, Gandhi said his grand old party has an exceptional track record of fighting forces that attack the nation. "Thousands of Congress workers have laid down their lives, fighting such forces. Today the most anti-national act is the act of Modi who is dividing the nation," said Gandhi as he kicked off his day-long campaign here in Kerala. "Crippling the agricultural system, leading to farmers suicide is another anti-national act of Modi. Youths loosing their jobs is also another anti-national act. Modi has failed in all these and it's time that he answers," he told the media at a presser here. Gandhi said the three key issues ruling the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are destruction of the Indian economy, personal corruption of Modi and the plight of the farmers. "We are looking forward to forming the next government," said Gandhi as he was about to leave, when a few questions were hurled at him. The Congress leader, taking them returned to his seat sporting a smile, and said: "How come the Prime Minister does not have the guts to face the Kerala, Odisha or the Delhi media?" From Kannur, Gandhi will make a whirlwind visit to five assembly constituencies in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is contesting the polls. He is also fighting from his traditional Amethi Lok Sabha seat. April 17 : The much awaited Hollywood movie Marvel Avengers Endgame has peaked the anticipation levels of all their fans around the world. Avenger fans have been following them on a faithful basis, just when a nasty movie leak came by. Fans have tweeted and requested the Avengers team to remove that leak clips from Twitter and any social media platforms. The Russo Brothers have tweeted with a humble request : #DontSpoilTheEndgame How have the Marvel fans reacted over the marvel leak? Here, the Marvel fans are not very pleased with what has happened and as far as possible, they encourage everyone not to watch and share- as that spoils the suspense. The tweets go as follows: How Marvel just gonna let footage from the climax of their most anticipated movie ever leak Endgame leaked. Please take action ASAP @Disney @Marvel @Russo_Brothers @MarvelStudios Hey Marvel, you know how you avoid leaks? You probably want to release the movie the same time for everyone... just sayin I didn't come here to play around ! #DontSpoilTheEndgame If any of you spoil Avengers Endgame I swear to God #DontSpoilTheEndgame Logging off social media for the day to avoid possibly reading the leak on accident. I encourage all marvel fans who wish to avoid spoilers to do the same #ThanosDemandsYourSilence Now more than ever with so many spoilers since the leak. Please respect both @Marvel and the team behind the movie, as well as people who want to watch it spoiler-free. Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/avengers/ New Avengers Endgame These tweets clearly reflect the emotions of the die hard Avengers fans. The social media is at present scattered with short clips, GIFs, screen shots and some other type of visual posts. The team is trying to remove the source, but surprisingly the source remains a mystery. The film has weighed a lot of precious estimates once it gets released. They expect that it will earn about $260 million within the first few days of the release. In general, there are mixed and confused views on the leak. People feel this leak could be an unauthentic leak and if so there is nothing to worry about. Whereas, some think that the Team itself could have initiated this wild idea. Last, some even fear that such a leak may force the Brothers to make another ending for the film. Chandigarh, April 17 : The Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Punjab Democratic Alliance in Punjab have urged the Election Commission to review its order directing the transfer of Inspector General (IG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap. The parties urged the EC to review its April 8 order directing the IG to be transferred from the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents, sacrilege cases of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 during the tenure of of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance government in the state. Senior leaders from these parties met the EC on Tuesday in New Delhi seeking that the IG be allowed to be part of the SIT since it was probing a sensitive matter. The transfer order was issued after the SAD lodged a complaint against the IG saying that he had made political comments during a TV interview last month. The BJP, which has an alliance with the SAD, has sided with the latter in this regard. "The Akalis had been trying unsuccessfully to scuttle the investigations into the sacrilege and subsequent firing cases that took place during their tenure, and were now resorting to desperate measures to save their skin," Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said. Though the SIT has other members also, Kunwar Vijay Pratap is said to be leading the investigation into the incidents of killings and sacrilege cases which upset the SAD leadership. "The police officer (IG) was biased against the SAD leadership in the probe," a SAD spokesman said. SAD patron and five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, 91, was also questioned by the SIT on November 16, 2018. His son and SAD President Sukhbir Badal was also questioned. The SIT has arrested two senior police officers, including a serving IG and a former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), in connection with the firing incidents. The SIT is investigating the reasons behind the firing on Sikh protesters at Behbal Kalan, which left two persons dead. The Sikhs were agitating against sacrilege cases of Guru Granth Sahib, during the SAD-BJP regime (2007-2017). Bengaluru, April 17 : A scientist at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) in Mumbai -- an institute under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) -- says a new type of stem cell identified by her team can help restore fertility in men and women who have undergone treatment for cancer. Cancer treatment, or "oncotherapy", that involves use of radiation and chemicals, renders patients infertile as an unwanted side effect and, while cured of cancer, they cannot beget children. Though women are born with a lifetime reserve of "oocytes" ( immature eggs), these are wiped out by oncotherapy. In males, the testes responsible for the production of sperms, stop making them following cancer treatment. Currently accepted approaches for fertility preservation require male patients to deposit their sperm in "cryo-banks" before beginning cancer treatment for later use. Similarly women, wanting to have children, must have their eggs or embryos "cryopreserved" for use after oncotherapy. "Such approaches are invasive, expensive, technically challenging and depend on assisted reproductive technologies," reports NIRRH cell biologist Deepa Bhartiya in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research, the flagship journal of ICMR. According to the report, there is now a way out. Bhartiya says research by her team over the years led to identification of a novel population of "Very Small Embryonic-Like stem cells (VSELs)", in testis (in males) and ovaries (in females). Being "quiescent" by nature, these primitive stem cells (VSELs) survive cancer therapy and therefore can offer young cancer survivors options to have children without having to bank their sperms or embryos prior to oncotherapy, says the report. "The VSELs have remained elusive over decades due to their small size and presence in very few numbers," says Bhartiya. The discovery of these unique VSELs (in testes and ovaries) that do not succumb to oncotherapy "opens up an alternative strategy to regenerate non-functional gonads and ovaries in cancer survivors", says Bhartiya. While VSELs survive cancer treatment, their original "habitat" (or niche) however gets destroyed by oncotherapy. To make the VSELs functional, their "niche" should be re-created by transplanting "mesenchymal cells" -- another type of stem cells taken from the bone marrow -- into the testes, says the report. A simple and direct transplantation of "mesenchymal cells in the non-functional gonads may suffice to regenerate them," says Bhartiya. "Similarly, transplantation of "ovarian surface epithelial cells" may allow the VSELs to regenerate nonfunctional ovaries." "This approach to fertility restoration is safe," says Bhartiya pointing out to earlier studies carried out in her laboratory in mice which had shown that this method restored the role of non-functional ovaries and resulted in the birth of fertile offsprings. "Our group also successfully restored spermatogenesis (sperm production) in non-functional mouse testis by transplanting niche (mesenchymal) cells, into the testis," Bhartiya said. In the light of these findings, she says the field of oncofertility may undergo a sea-change and existing strategies of cryopreservation of gametes and gonadal tissue for fertility preservation in cancer patients will have to be revised. "Pilot clinical studies (in humans) need to be undertaken." "VSELs may be an alternative cell source for induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) clls," Balu Manohar, managing director of Stempeutics Research, a Bengaluru-based stem cell company told this correspondent. "But it is still far away from the clinic as isolation and large scale expansion of these cells has to be standardised." (K.S. Jayaraman is a veteran science journalist. He can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com) New Delhi, April 17 : Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya has once again attacked the government for discriminating between public sector and private airlines while extending solidarity with crisis-hit Jet Airways and its founder Naresh Goyal. In a series of tweets, Mallya said he was sorry that so many airlines had bitten the dust in the country. "Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used (Rs) 35K crore of public funds to bail out AirIndia. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination," Mallya tweeted. For want of cash and saddled under heavy debt, Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had shut down in October 2012. Mallya currently owes about Rs 9,000 crore to a clutch of public sector banks. Once the "King of Good Times", Mallya is now a fugitive economic offender living in London and facing extradition. The controversial billionaire has extended full sympathy to Naresh Goyal who was recently forced by the public sector lenders to quit the airline board. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine airline providing vital connectivity and class service," he wrote. Solapur : , April 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired a fresh salvo on Wednesday at Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar for raising questions about his family. "He can say whatever he wants about my family He's my elder and can speak as per his culture. But for me, all the poor in this country are my family," Modi said, addressing an election rally in Akluj, which is a part of the Madha parliamentary constituency in Western Maharashtra. "I have been inspired by the family traditions of the greats like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Rajguru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Veer Savarkar and others," Modi thundered. Advising Pawar "to learn" from the family of the late Deputy Prime Minister Y. B. Chavan, who also hailed from Western Maharashtra, Modi said all these illustrious families have "inspired and guided him", for they sacrificed everything for the country. The Congress, however, has been engaged in serving only one family for so many decades instead of following the ideals of these great families, the Prime Minister said. His Akluj rally was to gather support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Madha and royal family descendent Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, who is locking horns with NCP's Sanjay Shinde. The Madha Lok Sabha constituency, partly in Solapur district, is adjacent to Pune district's Baramati, which has been the stronghold of the Pawar clan for over five decades. Earlier, appealing to the people to vote for a strong government, Modi said only he could provide a tough administration for the country. "Last time (2014), you gave me a full majority and I could work with full strength to take firm decisions and work for public welfare. You have witnessed how I ran the country past five years", Modi said. He said that for making India a superpower, the country needs a strong government, not a "majboor" (helpless) one, which could be provided only by him and not by the Congress-NCP combine. "Even in your villages, you want a tough cop, not a 'dheela-dhaala' (weak and loose) policeman. The same is required for running such a vast country, we need a strong leader," Modi said. He again taunted Pawar for doing a "nau-do-gyaarah" (fleeing) from the election battle field as the latter had gauged "which way the winds are blowing". "There are saffron clouds all around.. Sharadrao is a shrewd politician who has sensed the changed circumstances. He will never indulge in anything that would damage him or his familya That's why he left the electoral fray," Modi said. He accused all the opposition parties of pursuing a single-point agenda. "Modi hatao, Modi hatao", is their sole aim, and to fight just one individual, he said "They are not bothered about the country, its global image. First 'namdaar' (Rahul Gandhi) abused all 'Chowkidars' calling them 'chor', now he has abused and tarnished the entire Modi community," said Modi. "We (Modi) are a backward community, we have been subjected to such humiliation by the Congress many times in the past. They have never stopped showing me my caste and hurling abuses, now, he's calling the whole Modi community as 'chors'," Modi pointed out. He said he was prepared to tolerate any insults, but would not condone if the poor and backward communities are run down. "The country will never forgive you for that. They still think the country is their fiefdom and are not concerned about anybody. But I ask you...will you punish them or not?" Modi asked the gathering. Earlier, Modi was welcomed here by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and, surprisingly, NCP's senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil. Modi acknowledged Mohite-Patil and said he was honoured to felicitate such a senior and experienced leader who has spent over 50 years in politics. Mohite-Patil's son, Ranjitsinh, joined the BJP last month after he was denied a ticket by the NCP. At the last minute, however, the BJP did not nominate him, but assured that he would be accommodated later in the state legislature. Chennai, April 17 : All is set in Tamil Nadu for the crucial 2019 general elections with about 5.8 crore voters to decide on the fate of 822 candidates contesting in 38 Lok Sabha constituencies. On Tuesday, the Election Commission rescinded the poll for Vellore Lok Sabha constituency after the Income Tax (IT) department seized unaccounted cash from the cement warehouse of a DMK functionary. The Election Commission has said the cash was kept for distribution to voters and the situation was not conducive for holding free and fair elections in Vellore. The Lok Sabha election is not only crucial for the ruling BJP at the centre but also for the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. Along with the polls for Lok Sabha in Tamil Nadu, there will be a sort mini Assembly elections with the conduct of by-elections for 22 Assembly constituencies in two phases. The Election Commission will hold by-elections for 18-Assembly constituencies on Thursday while the remaining four seats will go to polls on May 19. A total of 269 candidates are in the fray for the by-elections. The results of both-Parliamentary and by-elections for 22 Assembly seats will be declared on May 23, deciding the fate of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government and also that of the Tamil Nadu government. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 members (including the Speaker), the DMK 88, the Congress 8, and the IUML and Independents one each. To attain a simple majority, the AIADMK has to win just four seats in the by-elections. Factoring in the switching of camps by some of the lawmakers, the AIADMK has to win seven or eight seats in order to be safe. On the other hand, the DMK has to win all the 22 seats to take the tally, along with its allies - the Congress and the IUML - to 119, just one number more than the simple majority. DMK President M.K. Stalin in his campaign said there will be a change of government in Tamil Nadu once there is a change in the Central government. Analysts are of the view that even if T.T.V. Dhinakaran's AMMK wins a couple of seats, the DMK's dream of coming to power by toppling the AIADMK government may not come true. On Thursday, polling will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday and would come to an end at 6 p.m. However, in Madurai, the polling will close at 8 p.m. owing to the Chithirai festival. The Election Commission has identified about 8,200 booths as sensitive and vulnerable out of the total about 67,700 booths. Arrangements for live webcasting of the polling has been made in about 30,000 booths. As regards security, 160 companies of para-military forces will be deployed across Tamil Nadu apart from about 1.4 lakh security personnel from the departments of police, prison, forest, home guard and others. In a first time, Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be deployed in all the polling booths, along with the electronic voting machine. The Lok Sabha polls will witness a four cornered contest. The two major fronts are: the AIADMK-led front comprising the PMK, BJP, DMDK, TMC, PT, PNK and others and the DMK-led front consisting of the Congress, MDMK, IUML, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, KMDK and IJK. With the cancellation of election for Vellore, both AIADMK and DMK are contesting in 19 seats in Tamil Nadu leaving the remaining to the alliance partners. The AMMK and the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), floated by Kamal Haasan, are fighting it alone. While the AMMK candidates are contesting under the common symbol 'gift box', they are classified as Independent candidates as per the Supreme Court order. For the first time in several decades, both the AIADMK and the DMK will be fighting the polls without their iconic leaders- J.Jayalalithaa and M.Karunanidhi who are no more. Arithmetically, the AIADMK-led front has an advantage. But the electoral landscape has changed after Jayalalithaa passed away. The AIADMK had split into two and the BJP is facing a negative mood in the state -- these are the minus points. In 2014, the AIADMK swept 37 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats getting 44 per cent vote share. The remaining two seats were won by the BJP in Kanniyakumari and PMK in Dharmapuri. The DMK on its own got 23.6 per cent vote share in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The prominent personalities in the electoral fray are: Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai (Karur), Union Minister and BJP's Pon Radhakrishnan (Kanniyakumari), H. Vasanthakumar (Congress-Kanniyakumari), Karti P. Chidambaram (Congress-Sivaganga), H. Raja (BJP-Sivaganga), Kanimozhi (DMK-Thoothukudi), Tamilisai Soundararajan (BJP-Thoothukudi), T.R. Baalu (DMK-Sriperumbudur), Dayanidhi Maran (DMK-Chennai Central), A. Raja (DMK-Nilgiris) and Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK-Dharmapuri). Mumbai, April 17 : Actor Prateik Babbar has been roped in to essay the antagonist in filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss' thriller "Darbar", which stars superstar Rajinikanth. "It is such a dream come true to have bagged this project in such little time. This year is looking very positive for me and Sanya (his wife) has been such a great influence on my life professionally and personally," Prateik said in a statement. "I can't wait to commence shooting with Rajinikanth sir and Murugadoss sir this week and create some magic," added the actor, who will shoot in Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. The film marks Rajinikanth's return to playing a police officer after 25 years. He was last seen playing a police officer on-screen in the 1992 Tamil film "Pandian". His other police officer role includes Alex Pandian from "Moondru Mugam", which released in 1982. Lyca Productions is producing "Darbar". Nayanthara has been roped in to play the leading lady in the film. After working with Rajinikanth in "Chandramukhi" and also briefly in "Kuselan", this is the third time Nayanthara has teamed up with the 68-year-old star. Popular lensman Santosh Sivan will crank the camera while Anirudh Ravichander will compose the music. Sreekar Prasad will take care of editing. The film will simultaneously release in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. It is expected to release in 2020. Apart from the film, Prateik has a series of web series which will be releasing this year apart from Nitesh Tiwari's "Chhichhore", Mahesh Manjrekar's "Power" and Anubhav Sinha's "Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai". Lucknow, April 17 : The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not see the SP-BJP alliance in the state as a "threat" to it in the Lok Sabha elections as it believes that the works done by the Central government and the persona of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are enough to wipe them out. In an interview with IANS, state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey said: "We don't see the alliance of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as a threat (in the Lok Sabha elections). BJP is focussing on the works done by the Modi government and his persona." Underlining the works done by the Yogi Adityanath-led state government, Pandey said: "The Yogi government is preparing a base in every section of the society with its works. It is working on a strategy to win the elections on the basis of the work done by the party workers. The party is working on a long-term strategy in the field of public welfare," he said. "While others are only bothered about coming to power, the BJP is focussing on villages and working for the upliftment of the poor. Therefore, the grand alliance is neither a challenge, nor a threat," Pandey said, adding that in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, every section of the society endorsed the BJP. Even the Dalits, who are considered to be BSP supremo Mayawati's vote bank, have extended their support to the BJP, he said. On the allegation that Mayawati was only fielding strongmen as candidates, Pandey said: "Mayawati's BSP is contesting 38 seats, out of which only two tickets have been given to the party cadres while the remaining 32 have gone to industrialists and outsiders. These strongmen were picked only after taking a sufficient amount. It's unfortunate. "The BJP and the other parties have maintained a distance with the strongmen, but Mayawati has shown her double face by giving tickets to them. She only cares for wealth, it doesn't matter if it comes from a criminal or from an industrialist," said the BJP state chief. Pandey also attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying, "If he wins even a single seat, the SP should feel very fortunate." Born and brought up in Gazipur district in Uttar Pradesh, Pandey studied journalism from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and later completed his Ph.D in Hindi from there. During his college days, he was elected General Secretary of the BHU students' union. He has a long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and became an MLA for the first time in 1991. Pandey was appointed a Minister in the Kalyan Singh government after his re-election in 1996. In 2014, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Chandauli parliamentary constituency. He had also served as the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development for a year between 2016 and 2017. Mumbai, April 17 : Tech-savvy millennials in India are the next growth engine for the digital economy and keeping them in mind, software giant Adobe is aggressively developing cross-Cloud solutions to help brands create efficient customer experiences. According to Kulmeet Bawa, Managing Director (South Asia) at Adobe, India is the company's second largest base out of North America. "India is an attractive market because it has the world's largest population of millennials and is quickly turning into a mobile-only country where better digital experiences matter," Bawa told IANS on the sidelines of Adobe Symposium 2019 here. In the first quarter of 2019, the company recorded a global revenue of $2.60 billion. While the digital media segment churned out $1.78 billion, the digital experience segment contributed $743 million to the company's total 2019 Q1 revenue. The company and its services have gathered momentum across travel, hospitality, telecom, e-commerce and banking verticals in India, with clients like Vistara, SpiceJet, Taj Hotels, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa and HDFC. "We don't segment revenue and growth rate by country, but the Asia Pacific (APAC) region contributes about 14 per cent to the global revenue for Adobe and India is one of the fastest growing markets for us in the APAC region. Our economy is on its way to reaching the trillion-dollar prophecy by 2025," the Adobe executive informed. Talking about expanding to more sectors with their Cloud-based solutions, Bawa said the growth is coming from automobiles, real estate, education, government, banking and manufacturing sectors. Apart from its plans of shifting to a Cloud model and becoming a leading provider of Digital Media and Digital Experience services, the company is keen on solving paper-based inefficiency issues. "Everything has moved online but one thing we have not completely solved is paper and paper-based inefficiencies. Being the original inventor of PDF, we have taken it upon us that we need to solve this last inefficiency," Bawa noted. Bawa said Adobe's recent acquisition of two companies -- Marketo and Magento -- has been a step long due in strengthening the foundation of its services. The company is focusing on technologies like Deep Learning, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the services in its Creative, Document and Experience Cloud offerings. "We keep furthering what we are doing in terms of research and our AI and ML technology -- Adobe Sensei -- deeply embedded into Adobe Experience Cloud solutions. We have enough on our plate for now," said Bawa. The company is also working to enhance voice capabilities, recognising its immense potential for future growth. (Radhika Parashar can be contacted at radhika.p@ians.in) Los Angeles, April 17 : Michael Jackson's estate co-executor John Branca says he is considering to sue "Leaving Neverland" director Dan Reed after the documentary showed the late pop icon in a bad light. Branca on Tuesday spoke publicly for the first time about "Leaving Neverland" and indicated that additional litigation -- this time against Reed -- may be forthcoming, reports hollywoodreporter.com. "Leaving Neverland", a four-hour long, two-part documentary is built around the testimony of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who have alleged that they were abused as children by Jackson. Branca and two of the other members of Jackson's estate legal team -- Howard Weitzman and Bryan Freedman -- were the key participants in a panel discussion titled "Trial by Media: Guilty Until Proven Innocent", presented at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The attorneys had harsh words for the documentary and Reed, telling the audience that they were determined to defend and rebuild Jackson's reputation in the wake of "Leaving Neverland", which contained disturbing and graphic first-person accounts of Jackson's alleged paedophilia but did not give the estate a chance to respond to these accusations. With litigation already underway against HBO in February, the estate filed a $100 million lawsuit against the pay cabler alleging it had violated a non-disparagement clause contained in a 1992 agreement to premiere Jackson's concert film "Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour". Branca said he and the estate's lawyers are now considering legal action directly against Reed, although he was not specific about what grounds he had for litigation. In response to Branca's comments, an HBO spokesperson said: "Dan Reed is a proven, award-winning filmmaker and we have full confidence in his film." New Delhi, April 17 : In the offline world, it is not difficult to understand where you need to run your campaigns to get the attention of the voters you want to target. The digital world, in contrast, is way too fragmented, often making it difficult for political parties to decide where to put their money on. But there is help at hand, especially when it comes to advertising on online videos. Noida-based video data analytics platform Vidooly is one of them. Set up in 2014 with the aim of providing online video intelligence to content creators, brands, multi-channel networks, agencies and media companies, Vidooly now finds that its services are also being used by political parties. "We are not helping the political parties directly, but we are working with several media buying agencies that run political campaigns on online videos on the basis of the intelligence provided by us," Vidooly CEO Subrat Kar told IANS. "The core competency of our company is to track and analyse the online videos to help our customers understand what content to create, what their audience is watching, and to help them understand the behaviour of their audience," he added. Vidooly, Kar explained, gets its data from two sources -- one is to get it from platforms themselves, be it Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or other such platforms, or through their application programming interfaces (APIs). "The other way is to mine the data to which we are getting access to through our partnership with the publishers. For example, we have partnerships with over 90,000 publishers and we get access to all the data related to the videos run by these publishers, like who are the people watching these videos and where they are located, etcetera," Kar said. The company, which has over 100 employees, uses both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to analyse data. "When we have to target audience in certain closed apps, we also do manual tracking and analysis as we do not do scraping," Kar said, adding that 60 per cent of its businesses come from India and 40 per cent from outside the country. "The charges for our intelligence can range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 500,000 depending on the digital appetite of our customers," he said. Vidooly is not the only company that has come to the rescue of political parties this election season. Neta app claims its services could be of use to political parties in terms of selecting the right candidate. "Our app, which allows its 2.5 crore users to rate and review their leaders, also help political parties to select the best candidates for a particular constituency," said Pratham Mittal, Founder, Neta App. "For the BJP or the Congress High Command, for example, it may be difficult to choose the right candidate in a remote place. "Looking at our ranking can help them understand who has a better chance of winning the election. We do not charge anything from the political parties for the rankings. It is available on public domain," Mittal told IANS. In an earlier interview, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha had said that the party is not only reaching out to the youth through social media but also to other sections of society. "Besides Twitter, which is the default option for political messaging, we are seeing a huge traction in WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and the fast rise of Instagram," Jha noted. (Gokul Bhagabati can be reached at gokul.b@ians.in) Lucknow, April 17 : Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been booked for calling Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan 'Mogambo, a popular villain character from Bollywood. The Union Minister of Minority Affairs referred to Azam Khan as Mogambo during a rally in Rampur on Monday, after Khan in a Sunday event made slanderous remarks against BJP candidate Jaya Prada. Rampur Additional Superintendent of Police, Arun Kumar Singh told the medai that the Magistrate who was monitoring the rally has given a complaint and on that basis a case has been registered against the Minister for violation of the model code of conduct. Magistrate M.K. Gupta said in his complaint that Naqvi's statement could cause animosity and was a violation of the poll code. New Delhi, April 16 : Every third person above 40 years in India suffers from lack of libido due to testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS), finds a study. The study, conducted on 745 patients by a team of researchers from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, showed most commonly reported symptom by these patients was lack of energy followed by poor erection and loss of libido (decrease in sexual drive), as per a statement. Dr Sudh' align='left' width='171' height='100' data-title='New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu addresses at the IVCA Conclave 2019, in New Delhi, on March 7, 2019. (Photo: IANS/PIB)' /> Panaji, April 16 (IANS) Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said here on Tuesday the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was committed to resolve the crisis in Goa, following last year's ban on mining by the Supreme Court. He said a new dispensation at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would look at "all possible aspects" to restart mining in the state. "I am fully aware of the issue. I don't want to tell on the eve of election that what could be the solution. I say the issue will be resolved as early as possible," the Minister said. "Solution can be legal, can be administrative or can be legislative. We will look into all possible aspects along with the local government," Prabhu said at the state BJP headquarters. The mining issue has been hanging fire in Goa, ever since the apex court banned extraction and transportation of iron ore from 88 mining leases on March 2018. The is the second time in less than a decade that all mining in the state has come to a standstill. Resumption of mining is a key political issue in the Lok Sabha polls and by-elections to three Assembly constituencies. Lucknow, April 17 : The Uttar Pradesh police and the the SWAT ( Special Weapons, and Tactics) team on Wednesday recovered a huge quantity of explosives from the roof of a house in a village in Banda district. The explosives included two quintal of ammonium nitrate, 200 detonators and 1,200 gelatin rods. These were found in a village in Nareni area. Two persons have been arrested so far by the police and further investigation is under way. Senior Uttar Pradesh police officers and SWAT teams are present on the spot. "We are looking into how such a massive quantity of explosive could have been brought to the village. It is a clear intelligence failure. It is also clear that the explosives were not locally procured, but have been brought in from elsewhere," said a senior police officer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due in the Banda on April 25 to address an election rally. Banda will go to the polls in the fifth phase on May 6. It is an important seat in the Bundelkhand region. The BJP has fielded R.K. Patel while the Congress candidate is Bal Kumar Patel. The SP has fielded sitting BJP MP Shyam Charan Gupta. New Delhi, April 17 : The Congress on Wednesday described demonetisation as the "biggest scam" of the country and alleged that it "may have helped criminals to monetise by looting the treasury and the poor". Addressing a press conference here, senior Congress leader and former minister Kapil Sibal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "sleeping" and not ordering probe despite "evidence" about "the loot". "Demonetisation is the biggest scam of the country," Sibal said, while slamming the November 2016 decision of the Modi government to ban currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination. "Why was the chowkidar asleep when all this happened? The absence of an investigation suggests that those involved in this loot are being protected. Those who have collaborated with corruption cannot pretend to be clean," said a statement issued by the Congress.. The statement said that Congress' "expose" on April 9 had spoken of alleged role of Rahul Ratharekar, a field assistant and sought to prove his identity through his identity card, which was purportedly seen in the video. He said the "expose" also talked of involvement of a banker. Sibal said the Cabinet Secretariat issued a statement soon afterwards, saying that Ratharekar had been its constable-level employee and was dismissed in June, 2017 "on suspicion of his role in exchange of old currency notes, post demonetisation". The party said that the statement "clearly demonstrates" that the expose made by the party on the scam on March 26 and April 9 were genuine and the events seen in the video reflected the manner in which these exchanges took place. "The involvement of government functionaries, bankers and state authorities clearly demonstrate a conspiracy to loot the treasury in a manner never seen before...Who in the chain was responsible for this loot? It requires a thorough investigation, which this government has failed to do despite knowledge of this scam," Sibal said. "It seems that the official machinery was actively participating in this huge scam and in the process enriching themselves," the former minister alleged. He said a video was shown on March 26 with reference to the "exchange of monies in Gujarat which proved the linkage between the scam and those close to the BJP". "It is a matter of shame that despite the expose in which the opposition parties participated, no steps have been taken by the government to investigate these matters," Sibal alleged. "It is unthinkable that crores of cash in the form of currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination could have been available without the active collaboration of members of the Treasury and those hoarding these notes for the purposes of making the exchange and earning commissions through such exchanges," the lawyer-politician said. Posing questions at the BJP, he asked why no FIR had been lodged and nor investigations begun to "find the identity of those involved in the exchange of currency notes, post demonetisation in Gujarat?" The party also asked why Ratharekar was not arrested and investigated at the time when he was dismissed from service. "What was the evidence with the government on the basis of which they suspected Ratharekar's involvement in the alleged money exchange? Was a show-cause notice issued to him before the dismissal? Why were the activities of Rathareka not fully investigated?" he asked. Sibal showed a new video purportedly from Maharashtra relating to currency exchange and said it makes "demonetisation scam a matter of national shame". Paris, April 17 : France no longer has trees big enough to replace the ancient wooden beams that burned in the massive Notre Dame fire, according to a French cultural heritage expert. Bertrand de Feydeau, Vice President of preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine, told France Info radio that the wooden roof that was ravaged in the blaze was made with oak beams more than 800 years ago from primal forests. The oak beams were added to the cathedral in 1220. Because of the building's gothic style which called for high vaulted ceilings, tall, sturdy oaks were sourced from nearby forests. De Feydeau said the cathedral's roof cannot be rebuilt exactly as it was before the fire. "It is a framework that is not rebuildable," he said, adding "we no longer have trees of our size on our territory that were cut in the 13th century and were what we call the primary forest". The expert was cited as saying by France Info radio that the restoration work will have to use new technologies to rebuild the roof "that will leave the appearance of the cathedral as we love it". Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, rector of the cathedral, told CNN that the church's medieval roof structure, mostly made of oak, "has been lost". Meanwhile, David Elstone, Executive Director of British Columbia-based Truck Loggers Association, said his province would not have suitable oak, but if architects required soft wood timber, Canada could help. "We probably have a tree that would suit the needs of the architects that are trying to rebuild Notre Dame. "We grow large strong trees that you cannot find in other areas," he said. According to a study published last year, only four per cent of Europe's remaining woodland is primary forest, with none larger than 500 square kilometers outside of Russia or Northern Europe. A combined 800 million euros have already been pledged by a number of companies and business tycoons to help rebuild the Unesco World Heritage site. Yangon, April 17 : The Myanmar government on Wednesday granted unconditional amnesty to 9,535 prisoners on the first day of the traditional New Year, according to an order of the President's Office. The amnesty was extended on the occasion of Myanmar's traditional new year and on humanitarian ground. Authorities were continuing to examine remaining prisoners "who should be pardoned", President Win Myint said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. The government also granted unconditional amnesty to 16 foreign prisoners and deported them in view of relations between respective countries and Myanmar, Xinhua news agency reported. On previous New Year's day, the government had released 8,490 domestic and 51 foreign prisoners. Mumbai, April 17 : Jet Airways will temporarily suspend all flight operations from Wednesday night as it failed to secure an interim funding of Rs 400 crore for maintaining bare minimum operations, sources said on Wednesday. Hyderabad, April 17 : Two Telugu television actresses were killed in a car crash in Telangana's Vikarabad district on Wednesday, police said. The actresses identified as Bhargavi (20) and Anusha Reddy (21) were returning to Hyderabad after completing shooting of a serial. Car driver Chakri and another person Vinay Kumar travelling in the same vehicle were injured. The police said the car driver tried to avert collision with a truck coming from the opposite direction and in the process hit a roadside tree near Appareddy Guda in the early hours of the day. While Bhargavi died on the spot, Anusha Reddy succumbed to her injuries while being shifted to hospital. The injured were admitted to government-run Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad. Bhargavi was acting in the popular daily soap 'Mutyala Muggu'. Anusha Reddy was an upcoming actress. Both hailed from Telangana. The television artists had gone to Vikarabad on Monday for shooting in Ananthagiri forest. After completing the shooting, the team was returning to Hyderabad. New Delhi, April 17 : In a new twist to the Saradha chit fund scam, the tussle between the former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar and the CBI took a political colour on Wednesday. Kumar, in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, pointed at a conspiracy hatched by two senior BJP leaders in West Bengal to target him in the scam. Kumar, in response to a CBI application in the top court seeking his custodial interrogation, alleged that in an audio clip, BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya can be heard talking about "targeting a few senior police officers." The audio clip, he said, is widely available. Kumar said: "This apprehension (of a conspiracy) is corroborated by the contents of the audio clip that was reported widely by the press and electronic media in which the leaders clearly speak of "targeting a few senior police officers of the state." Kumar has submitted the audio clip in the court. The CBI moved the apex court last week seeking permission for "custodial interrogation" of Kumar in the Saradha case. The agency informed the court that in order to take investigations in a conclusive direction, it requires detailed questioning of Kumar to untangle the larger conspiracy and the money trail in the scam. The probe agency has accused Kumar of being evasive and non-cooperative. Kumar in the affidavit said: "The sudden inexplicable turn by the petitioner/CBI in pointing out problems with the investigation and targeting the alleged contemnor seems to be borne out of a larger conspiracy between two senior leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijaywargiya of the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre." The CBI has requested the apex court to recall its order on February 5 restraining the agency from resorting to any "coercive action" against Kumar, including arrest. The CBI also intends to interrogate some other Bengal police officers for their alleged role in the scam. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi noted the contention of senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Kumar, and scheduled the hearing on CBI's plea till April 22. Earlier in the day, Kumar told the court that he was not able to file his response to CBI's plea seeking his arrest and sought adjournment. Mumbai, April 17 : At least 11 persons, including a woman, have been killed in different parts of Maharashtra in the past 72 hours, besides four others last week, following thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and rains, officials said here on Wednesday. Among the victims were at least nine who were struck by lightning between Sunday and Tuesday, and four others were killed by lightning bolts on April 4-5. The victims include three from Nashik's Vajhgaon, Akrale and Ayane villages on April 16. A shed adjacent to a farmer's house in Indapur caught fire after lightning and winds in which at least a dozen hens, seven goats and two cows perished. A man was struck fatally by lightning at Mauje Bhorwadi in Nashik on Monday and another farmhouse caught flames killing at least nine cattle in Lakhiwari village. Similarly on Sunday night, three farmers of Manori village and a woman were hit by lightning, while a man was killed when a falling tree crushed him in Mauje Malegaon. Parts of Mumbai and suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar had experienced showers on Sunday-Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds at various places in Nanded, Latur and Osmanabad on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing an election rally in Solapur earlier in the day, expressed grief over these deaths and assured full help from the government to the victims and their families. Washington, April 17 : The US administration has moved to deny certain undocumented immigrants bond hearing to argue for their release in a step that could keep thousands of them in jail indefinitely while they wait for a resolution of their asylum requests. The order issued by Attorney General William P. Barr on Tuesday came in a case involving an Indian who crossed into the US from Mexico and claimed asylum, the New York Times reported. Barr, exercising his authority as the top official overseeing the immigration courts, said migrants in similar cases had no right to bail. Under the US legal system, during a bond hearing, a defendant has to appear in court and request that the judge allow him to be released from police custody while the criminal case is pending. It is common for the initial hearing, where the accused hears the charges, to also be a first bail bond hearing. The order, which will take effect in 90 days, stated as "incorrect" a previous decision allowing asylum-seekers to be released on bond while their case was being heard by an immigration judge. It was also an effort to deliver on President Donald Trump's promise to end the "catch and release" of migrants crossing the border in hope of escaping persecution in their home countries, according to the report. Only the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to release the asylum-seekers, Barr said. "They want to send a message that you will get detained," said Judy Rabinovitz, a Deputy Director of the Immigrants Rights' Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. "We are talking about people who are fleeing for their lives, seeking safety. And our response is just lock them up." The Attorney-General's order was the latest effort by the Trump administration to reduce the number of immigrants who are able to seek protection from violence, poverty and gangs by asking for legal status in the US. It has slowed the processing of asylum requests at ports of entry and has ordered that some asylum seekers be required to wait in Mexico. Some asylum-seekers were exempted from the directive, including families and unaccompanied migrant children. Barr's order came shortly after a federal judge in Washington ruled that certain asylum-seekers who request a hearing before an immigration judge must be granted that hearing within seven days or be released. Wayanad : , April 17 (IANS) Reaching out to the people in Kerala's Wayanad, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured that them he will be with them forever. In his first visit to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency after April 4 when he came along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi to file his nomination, he earlier made a quick visit to the famed temple of Lord Vishnu at Thiruneli where he performed "beli tharpanam" in memory of his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi had on his previous visit to Kerala expressed his wish to visit the temple and perform the puja, but the Special Protection Group (SPG), however, did not allow it due to security reasons, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said. Dressed in white dhoti and wearing an angavastra, Gandhi walked to the temple from the Devasom Guest house in Thiruneli. He took note of every detail told to him by the temple priests and then prayed to the deity. He, along with the priests, later walked some 700 metres to the spot where his father's ashes was immersed on May 30, 1991. The Congress President then addressed three political rallies soliciting votes for himself and for United Democratic Front candidates. "I stand here not as a politician, but as a son, brother and a friend. I decided to contest from here so as to project that south India is as important as other places. I seek a relation with Wayanad that will be there forever," said Gandhi to a huge round of applause at Sultan Battery. "I have come to know all the problems that you are facing here and I am not like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will never give you a false promise. I wish to thank everyone here who gave me a chance to contest from here," he added. In between, he met the 25-year-old Sreedhanya Suresh, who earlier this month, became the first person from the Scheduled Tribe community in the state to have cleared the Civil Services examination and secured 410th rank. At Wandoor, despite heavy rains, a huge crowd had gathered to hear him. Some people had a heated argument with the security officials, but the moment Gandhi arrived and started to speak, all became calm. After his rally, Gandhi left from the Kozhikode airport and it would now be the turn of Priyanka Gandhi to arrive for a brief visit to round off the campaign. In Wayanad, from where he is contesting along with his traditional seat, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress chief faces the Communist Party of India's P.P. Suneer, who is the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front and Bharath Dharma Jana Sena Chairperson Tushar Vellapally, who is the National Democratic Alliance candidate. Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency came into being in 2009 and it was won by senior Congress leader M.I. Shanawaz in the elections since then, but he passed away last year. While he won his first election by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes - the state's highest margin of victory in 2009, in 2014, his majority fell to around 20,000 votes. The top brass of the state Congress is leaving nothing to chance and is determined to give their President a record margin of victory. Elections to Wayanad will be held along with the state's other 19 seats in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 23. Khartoum, April 17 : Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved from the presidential residence to the Kobar maximum security prison in Khartoum, days after he was deposed in a military coup, the media reported on Wednesday. He was reportedly being held in solitary confinement and surrounded by security. Bashir led Sudan for nearly 30 years and is accused of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's western Darfur region, for which the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant. Months of protests in Sudan, which began in response to a rise in living costs, led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler last Thursday. The BBC reported that until now Bashir's whereabouts since his removal were unknown. The coup leader at the time, Awad Ibn Auf, said the former leader was being detained in a "safe place". He himself stood down soon afterwards. Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was then named head of the transitional military council to become Sudan's third leader. But despite that demonstrators stayed on the streets seeking an immediate move to civilian rule. Reports earlier this week said there had been efforts to disperse a sit-in, but protesters joined hands and troops stepped back from a confrontation. The Sudanese Professionals' Association (SPA), which spearheaded the protests, urged supporters to stop efforts to disperse them, calling on demonstrators to "protect your revolution and your accomplishments". An SPA spokesman told the BBC the group "completely rejected" the transitional military council leading the country, and said protesters seek the dismantling of state intelligence agencies and the "full dissolution of the deep state". Shimla, April 17 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday demanded ban on poll campaigning by Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleging that his repeated "chowkidar chor hai" jibe alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was violative of the model code of conduct. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submitted a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner, Thakur said, "Rahul Gandhi is indulging in mudslinging against the Prime Minister. Calling the Prime Minister a thief is an insult to the 130 crore people of India." "Not only that, to give his words credibility, Gandhi made a reckless effort to misuse the name of the Supreme Court, which on BJP's contempt petition clarified that it hadn't made any comment against the Prime Minister. All this is too dangerous for the democracy," Thakur said. The Chief Minister said Gandhi himself was accused of scams worth thousands of crore. "Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi, brother-in-law Robert Vadra and several other national level Congress leaders are out on bail in various cases. Such tainted politicians have no moral right to call the Prime Minister a thief," he said. Kolkata, April 17 : A leader of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has asked women party workers to "chase away" the Central police forces with brooms if they do excesses, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party to approach the Election Commission. Speaking at a closed-door party meeting in Nadia district, Ratna Ghosh (Kar), a minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet, said there was "nothing called justice or injustice" or "democracy" if one was to win a war. "All of you should keep in mind that in order to win a war, there is nothing called justice or injustice, and there is nothing called democracy. To win a war, use whatever means you can. Everything is justified," said the lawmaker from Cakdah in Nadia district. "I have seen you all getting beaten up by Central forces. if they commit excesses, we will ask our female volunteers and leaders and workers to beat them with broom sticks and force them to retreat," she said. State BJP vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said the Chief Electoral Officer's office here had sought a report from the Nadia district electoral officer. "Central forces are coming to conduct a peaceful election and the Trinamool leaders are using such words. Leaders like Ratna and others have simply no way out. We had a word with the CEO and they have asked for a report from the DEO," Jay Parkash Majumdar told reporters here. On Ghosh's remarks, BJP President Amit Shah tweeted, "Finally, Mamata didi's trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy". Shah also mentioned that he wants to "remind Mamata Didi that such destruction of democracy won't last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC. Her time is up". Mumbai, April 17 : National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has dismissed reports that he is making a film on actor Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's son Taimur Ali Khan. Bhandarkar was asked about it when he attended the launch of Farah Khan Ali's book "Farah Khan - A Bejewelled Life" here. Taimur is one celebrity kid who is the blue eyed boy of the paparazzi in Mumbai, and his photographs and videos keep going viral on social media. Late last year, reports emerged that Bhandarkar had registered 'Taimur' as a film title, sparking rumours that a movie on the 2-year-old may be in the making. Bhandarkar, who directed Kareena in "Heroine", however, said: "No... it is nothing like that. My production house keeps registering titles, so there are many such titles like 'Awards' or 'Bollywood Vibes', so that doesn't mean that we are making a film right now." On his next film titled "Ghalib", Bhandarkar said: "My journey starting from my first film 'Chandni Bar' to my last film 'Indu Sarkar' has been really fantastic. Right now, I am working on a film which is titled as 'Ghalib'. It is based on sand mafias. I have been doing research for this film since last 6-8 months. "I am also working on a web series, so I have been busy with all these things. The kind of cinema I prefer to do, it takes time to work on those films. I am happy that it's on the fag end of completing and surely very soon, I will make announcement about it." Recently, the organisers of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards announced that Bhandarkar will receive a special award for his contribution to Indian cinema. He said: "It's a big achievement for me." Latest updates on International Emmy Awards 2019 Latest updates on Vogue Beauty Awards 2019 Kolkata, April 17 : Even as a controversy continues to rage over the Modi biopic, a movie "inspired" by the life of Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is planned for release early next month, in the midst of Lok Sabha elections. The Bengali film, titled "Baghini - Bengal Tigress", has the story of an ordinary girl's rise to the position of a Chief Minister after overcoming the struggles against the political forces opposing her along her life's journey. This is a striking similarity with Banerjee's life, who struggled hard against the Left Front rule in West Bengal and wrested power in 2011 by dislodging the Communist government after 30 years. Its makers said the film, originally planned to be released ahead of the 2016 state assembly polls, will now hit the screens on May 3, three days ahead of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. With the CPI(M) and the BJP opposing its release, the makers of the movie insist that it is not a biopic as name of the protagonist, played by threatre actor Ruma Chakraborty, is Indira Banerjee. They describe it as a story of women's empowerment, deeply inspired by Banerjee. "A controversy is going on over a piece of fake news that the film is a Banerjee biopic. If it really were a biopic, we could have named it as 'CM Mamata Banerjee' in line with the Modi biopic. That would have been more advantageous for us. But this is a story of women empowerment. You can say it is deeply inspired by our CM," director Nehal Dutta told IANS. Producer Pinky Pal, who is also the film's scriptwriter, said the timing of the release is "purely coincidental" as they received the censor board clearance just a few days back. "Though the shooting was completed in 2016, certain parts of post production, especially graphics had to be reworked. So we completed it. I also suffered a personal loss during that time so the release had to be deferred. But after we got the clearance from the censor board with a 'Universal' certification, we decided to release it," Pal said. Pal said the mid-budget film is set to hit the screens and multiplexes across Bengal on the scheduled day as they have yet no received any intimation from the EC regarding delaying the release. With teasers of the movie already out, CPI-M has raised the red banner against the movie, saying it is a "Mamata Banerjee biopic". The Left party has submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, seeking a stay on its release till the elections get over. The BJP also has moved the poll panel seeking a "review of the film on the similar lines that was done by the Election Commission in case of a biopic depicting Narendra Modi". The release of the Modi biopic has been put on hold after there were protests against it. Some petitioners approached the Supreme Court which asked the Election Commission to watch the movie and take a call on its release. Dutta, while describing himself and Pinky Pal as "die hard fans" of the Trinamool Congress supremo, said, "As the story is based in Bengal, it is natural that we have drawn inspiration from Banerjee. She is an iconic figure, not just in Bengal but across the country. Had we made the film in Uttar Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, may be Mayawati or Jayalalitha would have been our inspiration." Dutta said though the film's narrative refers to some iconic moments of Banerjee's political career like the Singur and Nandigram land agitationd, it does not contain anything that can hurt the sentiments of a party or an individual. (Milinda Ghosh Roy can be contacted at milinda.r@ians.in) Mumbai, April 17 : Actor Fardeen Khan, who was trolled over his weight gain, says people need to get over the body shaming practice. Fardeen was interacting with the media when he attended the launch of his cousin sister Farah Khan Ali's book "Farah Khan - A Bejewelled Life" here on Tuesday. In 2016, Fardeen was trolled on social media after pictures in which his weight gain was visible, went viral. After that, Fardeen had taken to social media to give it back to the haters in a long post. Now, Fardeen looks fitter than before. On his body shaming experience, he said: "I have been bashed unnecessarily. I think we need to get over these damn things. I really don't care about it. I am what I am and I can see myself in the mirror. Whatever is deserved is deserved and what's not is not. I just laugh it all off. I don't read much about myself these days." Praising Farah, Fardeen said: "I am very excited. It's kind of difficult to believe that 25 years of our careers have gone by and we all have grown up together. It just seems like yesterday. We are just happy and proud for her. She has always been a go-getter. Whenever and whatever she has envisioned for herself in life, she has gone for it and done it." Will he return to acting in the near future? "In different capacities, yes, I want to act. But collectively, I want to produce and direct things. We are planning on that, so I will make a formal announcement regarding that soon." Fardeen was last seen on-screen in "Dulha Mil Gaya", which released in 2010. New Delhi, April 17 : Cracking the whip on NaMo TV, the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday ruled that the BJP-sponsored channel cannot telecast political programmes in poll-going constituencies during the "silence period" in any phase of the ongoing elections, sources said. The poll panel also asked Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer -- who is the nodal officer to pre-certify political content on pan-India TV channels -- to ensure that its directions are followed. The decision came a week after the EC ruled that since the content being aired on NaMo TV -- a channel dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies and speeches -- was not certified, it should immediately stop telecast. However, the new order means that the channel cannot air any political content during the silence period -- the 48 hours before the conclusion of voting. "As NaMo TV/Content TV is sponsored by a political party, all recorded programmes of political content displayed on the channel/platform would be covered under the purview of the Commission's Order... Accordingly all recorded programmes with political content are mandatorily required to be pre-certified by the MCMC (Media Certification and Monitoring Committee) before telecasting," the EC earlier said. New Delhi, April 17 : Cairn Oil & Gas, a vertical of Vedanta Ltd, has appointed Ajay Dixit as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the company on Wenesday. Dixit joined Vedanta in 2015 and now succeeds Sudhir Mathur as the CEO. Mathur held the office for seven years. "His (Dixit) leadership will support Cairn's vision to realise the full potential of Barmer block, grow the offshore business, appraisal of new blocks under OALP-I and DSF-II and in continuing to steer a strong and high growth organisation," a statement by Cairn said. Cairn produces approximately 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, which is about 25 per cent of India's crude production and has a vision to take up its contribution to 50 per cent, it said. The company has planned investments worth $3.5 billion over the next 3-4 years which will significantly ramp up its production. New Delhi, April 17 : Aviation experts are divided on whether the government's move to allot the now-grounded Jet Airways' slots to rival domestic carriers would impact buyer sentiment. While the government has maintained that the slots given to other airlines could be taken back on a month's notice, experts said it may not be easy given that airlines would book 3-6 months advance tickets for these flights. "If asked to return, these airlines may argue that a large number of passengers would be inconvenienced by withdrawal of flights. There is certainly the possibility of delay in returning the slots," an industry source said. Deepak Jasani, Senior Vice President and Head, Retail Research, HDFC Securities, however, does not see any problem in the temporary re-allocation of slots. He also dismissed the apprehension of buyer interest being impacted by this. "The airlines, which are getting the slots now, will have to vacate them once Jet Airways is again ready to operate flights. They originally belong to Jet and they have not surrendered them," Jasani told IANS. "The investors and prospective buyers of Jet Airways are aware of this and they will do their due diligence on what they can get and what they can not get," he added. Another senior industry executive who did not wish to be named said that while on one side, public sector banks are trying to revive the airline, on the other, slots are being given to rival airlines. "This is very unfair treatment. If majority of the slots at the busiest Delhi and Mumbai airports go from Jet Airways to other airlines, investors would certainly be put off, " he said. Meanwhile, at least two private airlines that have got additional slots said that they were taking bookings till July-end for now. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been giving slots to other airlines to mount capacity to fill the gap created by the suspension of Jet Airways' operations. The move is aimed at bringing additional capacity in the market before fares start soaring as a result of demand-supply mismatch. According to industry sources, the country's largest airline IndiGo has got nearly 20 slots while rival low-cost carrier SpiceJet bagged 16. Air India, Vistara and Air Asia India have also been allotted slots to start new flights. Battling survival, Jet Airways has suspended operations for want of cash for fuel and other expenses. The airline's fleet has shrinked to a skeletal 5 from the peak of 119. The airline's lenders are currently in the process of selling their stakes in the company to recover the loans of about Rs 8,400 crore. SBI Caps, the merchant banking arm of the lead lender SBI, is mandated to complete the stake sale process. Brussels, April 17 : The European Union on Wednesday released a list of US products worth $20 billion to be targeted as countermeasures due to a long-running dispute over aircraft subsidies. The US goods that could be targeted over subsidies given to Boeing, included cheese, ketchup and fish, CNN reported. The move followed a similar step taken by the Donald Trump administration, which threatened last week to impose tariffs on EU imports worth $11 billion over subsidies for regional planemaker Airbus. The EU, however, indicated on Wednesday it wanted to avoid further escalation. "While we need to be ready with countermeasures in case there is no other way out, I still believe dialogue is what should prevail," Europe's top trade official Cecilia Malmstrom said in a statement. A spokesperson for the European Commission said while products on the broad target list represented US exports worth $20 billion, any retaliatory action would hit a smaller sub-section of goods. While the tariffs carry political weight, they would have limited economic impact if imposed. Holger Schmieding, the chief economist at Berenberg bank, said the measures threatened by the US and the EU would "not hurt the (global) economic outlook much". The fight over aircraft subsidies has been running for 15 years. The EU estimated in 2012 that the damage from Boeing subsidies was roughly $12 billion. EU authorities in 2004 said Boeing received $19 billion in unfair subsidies from federal and state governments between 1989 and 2006. The US government filed a similar claim that year over subsidies to Airbus. The World Trade Organisation had handed down favourable rulings to both sides, underscoring the complexity of the dispute. Officials on both sides say the fight over aircraft subsidies was not related to other trade disputes. But the threats came at a particularly sensitive time for transatlantic trade. The EU on Monday agreed to restart trade talks with the US, despite strong objections from French President Emmanuel Macron. But it said agriculture won't be up for discussion, while the US insisted it must be part of discourse. The trading relationship between the two sides is worth over $1 trillion, but Europe exports significantly more goods to the US than it imports. That has been a sticking point for Trump who is still considering whether to impose up to 25 per cent tariffs on European vehicle imports. Washington has imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminium exports. The EU retaliated with tariffs on more than $3 billion worth of American products in June. The levies hit products, like motorcycles, orange juice, bourbon, peanut butter, cigarettes and denim. Riyadh, April 17 : A court in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday postponed a hearing in the trial of several of the country's prominent women's rights activists detained for "undermining national security", officials said. The case has attracted widespread international condemnation and is seen as further damaging the reputation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is under suspicion for his alleged involvement in the murder of his critic and journalist Jamal al-Khashoggi. These activists were arrested in May 2018 and charged with spying and supporting "hostile elements". They had been campaigning for an end to the country's male guardianship system and for the right to drive, before the ban was lifted last June. The BBC reported that after these women were arrested, "horrific details" emerged of their alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Saudi authorities. On Tuesday, Walid al-Hathloul, the brother of one of the activists, Loujain al-Hathloul, told the British broadcaster that his sister was so traumatized by what had happened to her that she wanted to remain in jail, afraid of how her reputation had been unfairly smeared in her absence. He said that following her arrest, Hathloul had been taken to a secret detention facility near the maximum security prison of Dhahban in Jeddah. There, she told her family, she was taken down to a basement and subjected to waterboarding and electrocution, according to the BBC. Activist Hathloul's brother named Saud al-Qahtani, a close confidant of the Saudi Crown Prince, as the man who oversaw her torture, allegedly laughing as he threatened to have her raped and murdered, the report said. In March the UN's Human Rights Council called for the activists' release and more than 30 countries, including all 28 EU members, signed a statement condemning their prolonged detention. However, the Saudi government says the detained women enjoy all the rights afforded to them under Saudi law. But activist Hathloul's brother said everything about his sister's arrest and detention had been shrouded in secrecy and that the entire judicial process lacked transparency. It was not until November 2018, he said, six months after her arrest, that the family even learned what she was accused of. The accusations, he said, included "applying for a job at the UN and being in contact with human rights organisations". He added that the prosecution had not produced any evidence to support its allegation of spying. The next stage expected in the trial of Loujain al-Hathloul and her co-defendants is the judge's response to their defence, which has already been submitted. Activist Hathloul's brother said that his family are deeply worried about what would happen next, partly due to the lack of transparency. Chennai, April 17 : From womb-to-tomb, there is something free, it is said in Tamil Nadu. It becomes more visible particularly during the election seasons. From the 'three measures' (around 4.5 kg) of rice for Re 1 scheme introduced by DMK founder C.N. Annadurai in 1967, competitive populism has been touching new heights in the state with the passage of time. After free rice, free consumer durables like cycle, laptop, mixer-grinder, fans, livestock, loan waiver, free power and gold for brides, among others, it is now time for cash doles and free food in Tamil Nadu. The two recent cash dole schemes are: Rs 1,000 and a gift hamper for almost all ration card holders as Pongul festival gift and a financial assistance of Rs 2,000 for 60 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families in the state affected by cyclone Gaja and drought. The Tamil Nadu government has also started to provide free food to registered construction workers at the subsidised Amma Canteens. After winning the elections, Annadurai became the Chief Minister and implemented the 'three measures of rice' scheme for some time in a few pockets but later scrapped it, owing to the financial burden. In the run up to the 2006 Assembly elections, the DMK announced free colour televisions, rice at Rs 2 per kg (once in power this was reduced to Re 1 a kg), two acres of land for the landless, free gas stoves and Rs 300 cash doles for the unemployed, maternity assistance of Rs 1,000 for all poor women for six months as well as free power to the weavers. After this, the freebie culture in the state gained momentum. The AIADMK, during the next elections, went several steps ahead and announced free rice, consumer durables like fans, mixer-grinder, laptops and livestock. The state government had also been implanting other free schemes to the poor like free cycles for the students, chappals, saris and dhotis. The AIADMK government also implemented subsidised food (Amma Canteen), cement, mineral water bottle schemes and even subsidised two wheelers for women. Seeing how such schemes fetched votes in Tamil Nadu, national and regional parties in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Chhattisgarh emulated the promises of cheap rice and free laptops and power. Curiously, it was also from Tamil Nadu that late lawyer S. Subramaniam Balaji crusaded against freebies such as colour TVs and cash doles by political parties. He said these were nothing short of bribes and that governments cannot create private assets out of public funds. In 2006, Balaji filed a case against the DMK's promise of giving free colour TVs. In 2011, he also filed a case against the AIADMK for its promise to provide free mixer-grinder, laptop, fan, cattle and more. After his complaints were dismissed by the Election Commission (EC) and the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, Balaji's case was finally decided by the Supreme Court in 2013. The apex court directed the EC to frame a guideline on the issue in election manifestos after consulting the recognised political parties and make it a part of the model code of conduct. However, not all such schemes in Tamil Nadu are faulted, the prime among them being the mid-day meal scheme for school students. Way back in 1923, in the days of Madras Presidency, students in the schools run by the Madras Corporation were provided free meals in the afternoon. The major thrust to the mid-day meal scheme came under the Congress government in 1960 when K. Kamaraj was the Chief Minister. The scheme was later expanded in 1982 by Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran of AIADMK, generating a great amount of goodwill among the poor who sent their children to school to have one good meal a day. The rub off effects were increased student enrolment in schools and the enhancement of literacy levels in the state. Presenting the budget for 2019-20, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam said the number of out of school children has fallen drastically from 63,178 in 2011-2012 to 33,519 in 2018-2019. Welfare schemes such as distribution of school bags, footwear, notebooks, textbooks and geometry boxes free of cost to students will be continued by this government, he said. "Subsidies are of two kinds -- good and bad. The good ones do not impact other sectors while uplifting the targeted populace, while bad subsidies have a negative effect on the other sectors," K.R. Shanmugam, Director, Madras School of Economics, told IANS. Tamil Nadu's economy is the second largest in the country and the subsidies/freebies do not account for a major share of its revenues. Shanmugam said that consumer durables like mixer-grinders, laptops and others are one-time items per family and will not distort the economy. According to him, recurring subsidies/freebies is what the state government should look at besides increasing its non-tax revenue. Shanmugam said the state government's debt is also at a manageable level though it may seem that it has stepped into the risk zone. "Once the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collection picks up, the state government's revenues will be in a comfortable zone. The implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission has also affected the finances, as there is an increased outgo of salaries to government employees," Shanmugam noted. "The state government should plug the revenue leak, increase non-tax revenue and also see that the subsidies and freebies reach the intended target," he added. Aligarh : , April 17 (IANS) Muslims and Jats, who together constitute 70 per cent of the electorate in Aligarh constituency, are going to be a key factor in the Lok Sabha elections here where voting will take place on Thursday. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded Jat candidate Ajit Balyan as the SP-BSP-RLD candidate to take on outgoing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Satish Gautam, who had defeated BSP's Arvind Kumar Singh with a margin of more than 2.86 lakh votes in 2014. Owing to the caste factor and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)'s backing, Balyan is likely to get a sizable chunk of Jat votes. Congress candidate Bijendra Singh is also a Jat but he does not seem to be much in reckoning, say voters. He had won the seat in 2004. Other factors that could have a bearing on the vote include lack of infrastructure and civic amenities in Aligarh. Bad roads, lack of cleanliness and no significant development are visible in the constituency. Besides, traffic jams are a perennial issue in Aligarh, which also lacks connectivity with the southern part of the country. Sugarcane and potato farmers have their own set of problems who say that inadequate technological support from the government has taken its toll on the produce. Similarly, the acclaimed Aligarh lock industry also awaits better labs here, and despite being an important seat of hardware industry, Aligarh still waits for proper attention. Of the 70 per cent of over 13 lakh electorate, there are around 40 per cent Muslims and 30 per cent Jats. Besides them, others include Brahmins, Agarwals, Lodhs and Scheduled Caste in the Aligarh -- which is also known for the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The Muslim vote is divided between coalition parties and the Congress, and so are Jats between the BJP and the alliance. If Muslim and Jat community support the alliance, it may spell trouble for the saffron party. Since Gautam had kicked a controversy for raising the Jinnah portrait issue as also SC/ST reservation issue at AMU, it would also affect the BJP prospects which won the seat in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999. Over 50 people that IANS spoke to said the Muslim voters are very serious this time round and they would vote for the party which can defeat the BJP. "This time our focus is to cast maximum votes. We have to vote intelligently. We will vote for the candidate who will secure victory. Towards the end of voting, it would become clear who can win," Mohd Faisal, a resident of Upperkot, told IANS. An Ayurveda doctor, Kalim Khan, said: "The main fight here is between BJP and alliance. The Muslim voters are divided between Congress and alliance candidates...and many others are also undecided. So, it is difficult to say who will win. If majority of Muslim voters chose to go with alliance, it would win. But if they go to Congress, BJP will win. The same condition is with the Jat votes who are divided between BJP and alliance." Khan, however, said that some educated persons are with the BJP here. "I am also a BJP supporter." Internal party conflict over outgoing MP Gautam also makes it a challenging battle for the saffron party in Aligarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "popular factor" here, and if BJP manages to win this seat, most of the credit would go to the PM, according to the doctor. The backing of Lodhs -- the traditional vote bank of the BJP, who are present in big numbers in Aligarh, mainly in Atrauli Assembly segment -- for Gautam may also not be as strong as the last time. Voters in Atrauli -- one of the five Assembly segments besides Barauli, Koil, Aligarh City and Khair -- are not quite happy with Gautam's performance. "No one is happy with Gautam here. I will vote for BJP only because of Modi. The same condition is with others, so far as I know," Arpit Singh, a resident of Atrauli, told IANS. "BJP could neither focus properly on local issues nor could it maintain Hindu-Muslim unity. Lock industry and other businesses are hit by the GST (Goods and Services Tax). Modi has shattered the economy," Mohd Sahid, a resident of Civil Lines, said. The results of the polls will be declared on May 23. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) New Delhi, April 17 : In what could prove to be major global takeover, RIL-owned Reliance Retail is in talks to acquire the iconic 259-year-old toy brand Hamleys. Hamleys is currently owned by a Chinese fashion wear company, C.Banner. The purchase of the global toy-making major, which has its flagship store on London's Regent Street, would the be a major boost for Reliance Retail's global ambitions and its annual growth target of 30 per cent for a decade. Sources said the talks are at an advanced stage and the RIL-owned company is aggressively pursuing the deal. Reliance Industries, however, described the reports as media speculation. An RIL spokesperson told IANS: "As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumours. Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis." "We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations under Securities Exchange Board of India and our agreements with the stock exchanges." The company is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called 'Noah's Ark' in London, in 1760. Ownership of the shop passed through the family and by 1837 when Hamley's grandsons operated the store, it had become famous. People belonging to the royalty and nobility were among its customers. Over the years, its global footprint has grown with stores across the globe opening and the company changing several ownership hands before being taken over by C. Banner in 2015. Of late, the toy company has struggled financially due to uncertainties owing to Brexit and economic slowdown in the UK. Reliance Retail might help grow Hamley's business with its supply chain management and distribution network if the deal goes through. Chandigarh, April 17 : In Haryana 20,428 voters have the opportunity to be voting brand ambassadors on May 12 -- when polling will take place in the state for 10 Lok Sabha seats -- as their birthday falls on the state's polling day. Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajeev Ranjan said on Wednesday that those whose birthday is falling on May 12, they will be made 'Voters' Brand Ambassadors'. Programmes would be organised in districts to administer oath of ethical voting to them, he said. "Birthdays are always a special occasion for everyone. This day, the birthday of those born on May 12 in the state is falling on a day when crores of people will stand in queues to cast their vote and participate in a democratic process for the world's largest democracy, which should be a matter of pride for them," said the CEO. "A provision would be made for a special surprise for some of them," he said. Such people, he hoped, would encourage and motivate others in their neighborhood to vote. "A total of 20,428 voters in Haryana have their birthday on May 12. On the day of polling, these voters could make their birthday memorable by clicking their selfie with ink mark on their finger after casting their vote," he added. Ranjan said that earlier also, 2,375 voters of Haryana, who had their birthdays on January 1, 2019, and who became voters for the first time, were felicitated at the district level and were administered oath of ethical voting. He appealed to the voters that they must use their voting right. Ranjan said this time representatives of 26 countries and four international organizations will observe and learn the electoral process of the Lok Sabha general election and would visit Gurugram and Faridabad on May 11 and 12. He said that the countries whose representative would be visiting include Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Fiji, Georgia, Korea, Mexico, Burma, Nepal, South Africa, Suriname, Yemen, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Besides, four international organizations include Association of World Election Bodies, International Foundation for Electoral System, USA, the Malaysian Commonwealth Study Center and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Chennai, April 17 : The Madras High Court has recommended that the Centre should amend the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, to cover internal injuries suffered by employees. Justice N. Kirubakaran said: "From the nature of injury mentioned in Part I Schedule II of the Act, it seems that policy makers during 1948 concentrated only on external organs and the eventuality of injuries to internal organsahas have not been taken into consideration. Therefore, the Act needs to be amended to incorporate injuries to internal organs/parts and the consequential disablement so that workmen are benefited." The order came on an appeal filed by the state challenging the compensation granted to an employee for the loss of his kidney due to an internal injury, after an accident which took place during his employment. The ESI Court had granted him Rs 2 lakh as compensation on equitable grounds, even though the ESI Act does not expressly cover internal injuries. The court enhanced the compensation to Rs 2.15 lakh. The court said: "The human body, as a whole, is a composition of both internal as well as external organs and its well-being depends on whether all the organs are intact and are functioning normally. If there is any damage caused or if there is malfunctioning of any of the organs, maybe internal or external, then it would definitely disable a person from being normal." The Schedule II and III of the ESI Act lists external injuries and occupational diseases for which an employee may be compensated under the Act. Viewing the exclusion of internal injuries from the purview of the Act, the court said India, in particular, has a high number of people employed as manual labourers, who may face internal injuries during the course of their work. Directing the Centre to amend the ESI Act, the court recommended it to include injuries sustained to internal organs, such as kidneys, lungs, liver, etc., as schedule injuries and "consequent disablement as schedule disablement". (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in) Srinagar, April 17 : A Central Reserve Police force (CRPF) trooper was injured in a militant grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral town on Wednesday evening, police said. Police said militants hurled a grenade at a CRPF camp in Nowdal area of Tral in Pulwama district. "A CRPF head constable sustained a minor injury in this explosion. The area has been cordoned off for searches," police said. The attack came a day before polling to the Srinagar and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the second phase of the 2019 elections. Paris, April 17 : France will launch an international architectural competition to renovate the roofline of iconic Notre Dame cathedral after a fire gutted the oak-beamed structure and sent its 300-foot spire crashing into the nave, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, here on Wednesday. The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc. Or, as is often the case in the evolution of heritage, whether we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire. This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility," Philippe said after a cabinet meeting. Philippe said they hoped for "a new spire that is adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era". No estimation of the cost of rebuilding the cathedral, for which French billionaires, multi-nationals and private citizens had raised 880 million euros, had been done, he said. The government would present a bill next week to ensure "transparency and good management" during the mammoth reconstruction project, including measures to make sure all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame, he added. Ordinary French citizens will benefit from a tax break of 75 per cent on donations up to 1,000 euros. The spire was destroyed in the flames that tore through the 850-year-old Gothic building's roof. According to officials, the entire cathedral was minutes away from total destruction. However, much of the building, including its famed towers, survived. Now the focus is on how to reconstruct what has been lost. In a televised address on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted it rebuilt by the time Paris hosted the Summer Olympics in 2024. "We'll rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years," said the President. But experts considered the timeframe "impossible". Experts say the cathedral's reconstruction could take decades and involve substantial challenges. The main problems in rebuilding the cathedral, include sourcing of materials, and painstaking work to preserve elements of the church that survived the fire but might have been badly damaged by it, the Guardian reported. As the Paris prosecutor's office said investigators looking into the causes of the fire were still not able to inspect inside the cathedral, Notre Dame's rector Bishop Patrick Chauvet said he expected the building to remain closed to the public for five-six years. A fire service spokesman said there was no immediate danger to the structure. But it was not yet considered secure enough for investigators to enter and start examining the source of fire in situ, the prosecutor's office said. Investigators, who said they had no reason to believe the blaze was anything but an accident, spoke to about 30 witnesses on Tuesday, including employees of companies involved in a 150 million euros restoration programme that started last year and was widely believed to be linked to the fire. Architects identified three main holes in the structure where the spire formerly stood, in the transept and the vault of the north transept. But a Paris fire service spokesman Gabriel Plus said on Wednesday the cathedral's renowned rose windows were in good condition. Statues inside the gables had been taken down as a precautionary measure to reduce the load on the structure, Plus said. The spire's bronze rooster, a symbol of France, was found on Tuesday, deformed by the heat and battered by its fall but nonetheless recognisable. Many other priceless artefacts inside the cathedral were also saved, including the Crown of Thorns, seen as Notre Dame's most sacred relic, and the cathedral's famous 18th-century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes. Some paintings and other art works will be restored at the Louvre after suffering smoke and water damage. Stephane Bern, the government's culture representative, said on Wednesday 880 million euros had been raised for the restoration, with contributors including Apple, the Total energy group and tycoons who own luxury French brands such as L'Oreal, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton. Many private individuals in France and around the world also donated. Bhopal, April 17 : The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday fielded Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls in the sixth phase on May 12. The announcement was made hours after Sadhvi Pragya joined the BJP and said that she would "fight against those who are conspiring against the nation." "I will bring honour to saffron," she said soon after her name was announced as a candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Sadhvi Pragya said the people who insult religion are weak by nature. She said she would bring back glory to Hindutva and act against those who have misused the law for implementing women, sanyasi and Hindu leaders. Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan while addressing reporter here said Sadhvi Pragya will work for the welfare of the nation, providing a better life to the people, and make national security of the country stronger. "I welcome Sadhvi Pragya ji in Bhopal. Hope you enjoy the civilized atmosphere of this delightful city. I pray to Mother Narmada (goddess-river) for her blessings for Sadhvi ji so that we can all follow the path of truth and non-violence," Digvijaya Singh tweeted. Chouhan told reporters that the party has made a strategy to ensure Sadhvi Pragya's victory from Bhopal. After joining the party, Sadhvi Pragya said: "I have formally joined the BJP; I will contest the elections and will win. We will fight against those who are conspiring against the nation. We will work together against those people to save our nation." She has also met Chouhan and other senior BJP leaders at the party office on Wednesday. Bhopal's sitting BJP MP Alok Sanjar welcomed the decision, saying the party members would support Sadhvi and work hard to ensure victory for her in the polls. Sadhvi Pragya is expected to polarise the Hindu votes besides splitting the Rajput votes in the Bhopal constituency which has nearly 18 lakh voters, including around 4.5 lakh Muslims. The BJP has been holding this seat since 1989. The Congress had last won the seat in 1984 when K.N. Pradhan defeated Laxminarayan Sharma of the BJP by over 1 lakh votes. Himmatnagar/Surendranagar : , April 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Congress had a pathological hatred for Gujarat and if it formed a government at the Centre, the party would destroy the state as its "first target." "It pinches them that they ruled the country for four generations and now this 'chaiwala', this 'Gujju', has brought them to the gates of jail and they are out on bail," Modi said, addressing election rallies in North Gujarat's Himmatnagar and Surendranagar in Saurashtra region. "For 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, there was a remote-controlled government sitting in Delhi which was always plotting to damage the interests of Gujarat, as if Gujarat did not belong to India," Modi said. He said when he was the chief minister, the Congress-led government deployed all means to break the state government. "Our police officers, even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars," he said and asked, "Should they (Congress) be given an opportunity to destroy Gujarat once again? They are more angry this time since they are out on bail." The Prime Minister said the Congress always nursed hatred for Gujarat. "Not only Sardar Patel, they had an issue even with his daughter Maniben. Then came Morarji Desai, who could not sit even for three years. And now Modi, who has completed full five years in government," he said. Modi taunted alliance of Opposition parties in several states and described it a 'Mahamilavat'. He said none of them had the strength to contest all the Lok Sabha seats, "but everyone" wants to be a prime minister. "West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and there are Delhi-walas who think that prime ministership is their paternal property." Modi said this was not an ordinary election. "This is an election to decide if you wanted a nationalist government or the tukde-tukde gang. You have to decide what you want for your next generation," the Prime Minister told the audience. Modi said there was no possibility of a revival for the Congress, adding that its manifesto like a "dhakosla patra" (a document of hypocrisy). Chandigarh, April 17 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision redeeming the honour of martyr Bakshish Singh was a "tight slap on the faces of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)" and asked all the past governments in Punjab and the Centre to apologise to his aggrieved family. Bakshish Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha and five others were hanged by the British for waging war against the emperor in the Lahore Conspiracy Case in November 1915. Bakshish Singh was only 26 years old at that time. The British government also confiscated 33 acres of his land in 1916. After Independence, the martyr's family fought 71 years for restoration of the confiscated property. In 1988, the government put the value of the 33 acres at Rs 13,000. The high court, in its order on Tuesday, awarded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per acre to the family. The high court put successive governments in Punjab and at the Centre in the dock, saying they did not do enough for the revolutionaries who fought selflessly for achieving freedom for the country. Maan called the government response to the martyr and his family a disgrace. "The subsequent governments could have shown the gesture of visiting the martyrs' families after Independence and allotted them land in lieu of the one confiscated by the British," he said in a statement. The Congress and the SAD governments have ruled Punjab since 1947. Srinagar, April 17 : Two army personnel were injured on Wednesday in militant firing in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. Police sources said two Army personnel belonging to the military intelligence wing were injured when militants fired at a private car in which they were travelling in Kulgam district. "The injured have been shifted to a hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off by security forces", a police officer said. Hyderabad, April 17 : Hyderabad police on Wednesday arrested three Myanmar refugees for impersonating as Indians to secure Aadhaar and other identity cards. The refugees, known as Rohingyas, also obtained voter card, ration card and applied for Indian passport. Police said they were availing benefits under welfare schemes meant for Indian citizens. They were identified as Mohd Ibrahim, 25, Noor ul Ameen, 34, and Shaik Azhar, 28. They were possessing cards issued by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and were staying in different places of the old city. Mohd Azhar was arrested and jailed in 2012 for illegal stay in India and for procuring Indian identity proofs. He changed his name as Shaik Azhar and obtained fresh Indian identity cards. All the three Rohingyas are from Buthidaung area of Rakhine state of Myanmar. They entered India via Bangladesh and reached Hyderabad. While Ibrahim reached Hyderabad in 2015, the other two were living here for 11 years. New Delhi: Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) Additional Director, Shamsuddin with Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Bhupinder Singh Hooda during a programme where he joined the Congress, in New Delhi on April 17, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) Additional Director, Shamsuddin with Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad during a programme where he joined the Congress, in New Delhi on April 17, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 17 : Amid suggestions by AAP for an alliance in Hayrana, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Wednesday that there had been no seat sharing talks in the state. "There have been no talks about alliance in Haryana," said Azad, who is in-charge of the state. Azad said the Congress has formed alliances in different parts of the country, but he had not heard of any alliance being formed in Haryana or Punjab. Azad announed that Shamsuddin, a lawyer who worked in senior legal positions in Enforcement Directorate and who hails from Mewat region of Haryana, was joining the party with his brothers, four of whom were doctorates and gold medallists. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was also present at the press conference. Chennai/Bengaluru, April 17 : With all the 38 parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu -- after elections in Vellore was withheld -- and 14 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka set for the battle of the ballots in the second phase of polling on Thursday, IANS takes a look at the top five constituencies in each state and the issues facing the electorates there. Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanised states in the country with a voter base of about 5.9 crore. However, if one looks at the top five Lok Sabha constituencies, the issues faced by the common man remain the same -- lack of drinking water supply, water for irrigation, sewage connections, absence of rail connectivity and unemployment, among others. Though these issues do not strictly fall under the domain of MPs, people do expect them to solve their problems. Chennai South The Chennai South is one of the prestigious Lok Sabha constituencies coveted by all. The ruling AIADMK has again fielded sitting MP J. Jayavardhan, son of Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar, from here who will face the DMK's T. Sumathi alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Kamal Haasan's MNM candidate R. Rangarajan, who is a former IAS officer. The seat was once represented by luminaries such as DMK founder C.N. Annadurai, Union Minister (and later President) R. Venkataraman, actor Vyjayanthimala Bali and T.R. Baalu, among others. However, the constituency suffers from lack of basic facilities such as drinking water and proper sewerage connections, among other things. Comprising six Assembly seats -- Virugambakkam, Saidapet, T. Nagar, Mylapore, Velachery and Sholinganallur -- Chennai South has a total electorate of 19.73 lakh, where women voters at 9.93 lakh are ahead of male voters at 9.79 lakh. There are also 389 third gender voters. "The main sewerage lines are blocked and as a result, the sewage backs into our homes. It is a big health hazard," Ganesan, a resident of the area, told IANS. * Chennai Central In the Chennai Central constituency, water is a major problem and PMK candidate S.R. Sam Paul said he would work to solve it by urging the government to build a new reservoir and also by linking rivers. Paul is up against DMK strongman Dayanidhi Maran, who had won twice from the constituency in 2004 and 2009. The MNM has fielded Kameela Nassar from this crucial Lok Sabha seat. In 2014, the seat was won by S.R. Vijayakumar of the AIADMK. With the hot summer approaching and the lakes supplying water to the population going dry, dog days are ahead for the people of Chennai city. ThoothukudiThe battle for Thoothukudi is what many are looking forward to in the current Lok Sabha polls where Tamil Nadu BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan is crossing swords with DMK leader and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi. The seat was won by AIADMK's Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee in 2014. "Every segment in the constituency has unsorted issues. In the case of the fishermen, there are no roads to their place of dwellings and there is also lack of safety gear for safe fishing," T.P.S. Ponkumaran, the MNM candidate from Thoothukudi, told IANS. "In the case of small traders, exporters and importers, complying with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) provisions and getting refund is a major issue," Ponkumaran added. Social activist M. Pushparayan told IANS: "In Thoothukudi, the major issue is the Sterlite Copper, the copper smelter plant of Vedanta Ltd." Last May, 13 anti-Sterlite Copper protestors were killed in police firing and the issue is now boiling in favour of Kanimozhi. Interestingly, the Sterlite Copper issue may fetch votes for the BJP as well, as there are people who have lost their jobs and business because of the smelter plant's closure. In Thoothukudi town, people are angry with the AIADMK government for not handling the anti-Sterlite protests properly. KanyakumariThe southern tip of Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari is a pilgrimage as well as tourist destination. The constituency has good number of fishermen. The major issue faced by the fishing community is the proposed port project as they fear it would affect their livelihood. The people also face the problem of drinking water shortage, lack of jobs and poor liquidity. AIADMK has fielded Laxman from the constituency who will lock horns with sitting MP Pon Radhakrishnan of the BJP and H. Vasanthakumar of the Congress. TheniTheni is one of Tamil Nadu's most picturesque constituencies. The main battle here is between E.V.K.S. Elangovan of the Congress, AIADMK's Raveendranath Kumar and S. Radhakrishnan of the MNM. In 2014, AIADMK's R. Parthipan won from Theni. "The issues placed before the people by me are mainly related to drinking water and irrigation, banning the neutrino project and rail connectivity, among others," Radhakrishan told IANS. Radhakrishnan also said he would fight to increase the water storage level of the Mullaperiyar Dam to 152 feet which would solve the water problem in the constituency. The other water related issue here is desilting of the Vaigai Dam to improve its storage capacity. On his part, Raveendranath Kumar, son of AIADMK Coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, has promised broad gauge rail link between Madurai and Bodi. Karnataka In the battle of ballot at the hustings, the ally of ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Congress face tough fight with the BJP in five of the 14 Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the state on Thursday. With the allies fielding joint candidates under their pre-poll seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting in 10 seats and JD-S in four against 13 candidates of the BJP. The top five seats are Bangalore South, Bangalore North, Mandya, Hassan and Tumkur, as their outcome may have a bearing on the survival of the 10-month-old fledgling JD-S-Congress coalition government in the southern state. Of the five seats, JD-S is contesting three, with its supremo H.D. Deve Gowda from Tumkur and his two grandsons -- Prajwal and Nikhil -- from Hassan and Mandya, respectively, which are the traditional bastions of the party over the past three decades. In the three Bangalore parliamentary seats, the Congress is pulling all stops to wrest them from the BJP, which has retained them since the 2004 general elections. MandyaThe JD-S has high stakes in this constituency where Nikhil Gowda is up against multi-lingual South Indian actress Sumalatha Ambareesh as an Independent, supported by the BJP. L.R. Shivarame Gowda of the JD-S had won the by-election from here in 2018. The son of state Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy, Nikhil's (28) contest against Sumalatha is being billed as the "mother of all battles." Sumalatha (55) is also backed by the Kannada film industry, led by its superstars Yash and Darshan, and thousands of fans of late rebel star Ambareesh, who hailed from Mandya and represented the seat in the Lok Sabha thrice, twice as Congress member and once as JD-S member. Though the JD-S won from all the eight assembly segments in the Mandya parliamentary constituency in the May 2018 state assembly polls, the electorates face a Hobson's choice as both the main contestants belong to the politically dominant Vokkaliga community, which has a large presence in the old Mysore region. * Hassan Prajwal Gowda faces a tough contest in Hassan despite it being a bastion of the Gowda clan, as the party's committed voters are miffed with the 86-year-old Deve Gowda for shifting to Tumkur to make way for his grandson Prajwal. Prajwal (29), the son of state PWD Minister H.D. Revanna, is up against BJP's A. Manju, a former Congress Minister who lost to Deve Gowda in the 2014 general elections. Though the leaders of the JD-S-Congress formed a post-poll alliance to form the coalition government in May 2018, ostensibly to keep the BJP out of power, there is no bonhomie between their cadres at the grassroot level to campaign for their joint candidates. The bitter rivalry of three decades between the allies may work in favour of the BJP in Hassan. TumkurIn this key constituency, Deve Gowda faces G.S. Basavaraju of the BJP, who is also a strong face of the powerful Lingayat community which equally dominates the constituency. In 2014, S.P. Muddahanumegowda of the COngress had won the seat, beating BJP's G.S. Basavaraj. Bangalore NorthIn this prestigious constituency, BJP's Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda is locked in a straight contest with Krishna Byre Gowda, a Congress Minister in the state. With both the candidates being Vokkaligas, votes of other communities will decide their fate. Union Minister for State Sadananda Gowda had won from here in 2014, defeating C. Narayanaswamy of the Congress. Of the 16 elections held in this constituency so far, the most successful party is the Congress which has won on 12 occasions from here. Bangalore SouthIn this high-profile seat, which has thousands of techies, youth and millennials as voters, the contest is between BJP's young turk Tejasvi Surya, a 28-year-old high court lawyer and a member of the RSS, and Congress veteran and Rajya Sabha member B.K. Hariprasad, who has been living longer in Delhi than in the city or the state. The sudden demise of Union Minister N.H. Ananth Kumar, who won six times from the seat since 1996, has created sympathy for the BJP although it did not field Kumar's widow Tejaswani. The BJP is betting on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 'achievements' of the NDA government to retain both the seats in Bengaluru. (The writers can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in and fakir.b@ians.in) Rome, April 17 : The multi-million dollar people trafficking business is "over", Italy's anti-migrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Wednesday, claiming that the populist government's hardline approach to illegal immigration had also saved many lives in the Mediterranean due to a sharp fall in crossings. "The number of deaths in the Mediterranean has halved thanks to this government. Those who were earning millions of euros are understandably worried," he told supporters in Perugia. "The party is over," said Salvini, who closed Italy's ports to migrant rescue ships in when he took office in June last year. A total 260 migrants were detected on the Central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy in January and February: 95 per cent fewer in the same period of last year, according to European Union coastguard and borders agency Frontex figures issued in March and hailed by Salvini. Salvini, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said that the country's ports will stay closed to migrant rescue vessels and only genuine refugees will be allowed to enter the country. "Whoever flees from war can be recognised (as a refugee) in the place they are escaping from. "And we are working to end war. In Italy, children and disabled people are arriving by plane via humanitarian corridors. "I repeat no one will enter Italy without permission," Salvini told public Radio 1. "Once again - Italy's ports are closed," he added, claiming that the policy was "in the national interest - to protect 60 million Italians". Salvini's comments came after Italy's Premier Giuseppe Conte warned this week that foreign fighters could arrive amid a possible influx of refugees fleeing to Italy by boat from the escalating military conflict in Libya. Bhubaneswar, April 17 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed the Congress saying the party had tried to defame the country across the world by linking Hindus with terror. "Can Rahul Gandhi protect the country? They can only defame the country across the world by raising the bogey of Hindu terror," Shah said addressing a rally at Baramba in the Cuttack district. Referring to 2008 Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, fielded by the BJP from Bhopal, Shah said, "After the Samjhauta Express blast, the Congress said Hindu terrorists were behind it. The sadhus were put in jail. Now, the BJP decided that Sadhvi should contest from Bhopal against Digvijaya Singh, the person who coined the term saffron terror." Thakur, one of the accused in the blast case, is currently out on bail and joined the BJP recently. Earlier addressing a rally at Dhenkanal, Shah said the BJP would end the "babu raj" in Odisha if it came to power in the state. "Democracy has collapsed in Odisha. Under (Chief Minister) Naveen Babu, MPs and MLAs stand as servants, while the babus (bureaucrats) run the state," Shah said at an election rally in Dhenkanal. "Bring the BJP government in the state if you want to end this babu raj," he said. Claiming that 35 per cent people in Odisha were yet to get safe drinking water despite Naveen Patnaik being in power for 20 years, the BJP chief promised to provide piped drinking water, pucca houses and elctricity to every household by 2022. He also criticised the BJD government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. "The BJP government has launched Ayushman Bharat scheme to give 50 crore people free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. But Naveen Babu did not implement the scheme due to the fear of Modi," said Shah. The BJP chief also accused the BJD leaders of protecting scamsters who had looted the hard-earned money of the poor via the chit fund scam. The accused of chit fund scam and those involved in the mining scam would be jailed after the BJP forms the government in Odisha, said Shah. Referring to recent attacks on BJP workers, he said, "I want to tell the BJD if they think they can intimidate us by attacking our workers, the BJP knows very well how to reply without resorting to violence." "The Congress ruled Odisha for years. You have given 20 years to the BJD. Give the BJP just five years and we will make Odisha the number one state in the country with double-engine growth," said Shah. The Dhenkanal and Cuttack parliamentary seats will go to polls in the third phase on April 23. Elections for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats are being held in the state in four phases. Aligarh : , April 17 (IANS) Trying to avoid politics, Aligarh Jama Masjid cleric Mohd Khalid Hameed appealed to the electorate to vote in large numbers for the deserving candidate. The Aligarh constituency includes five assembly segments - Atrauli, Barauli, Koil, Aligarh City and Khair -- where Polling is due in the second phase on Thursday. Over 13.5 lakh voters will cast their ballot in the area famous for locks and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). "Casting vote is very important. But the correct use of vote is also significant. If you are angry with any party or candidate, this is the perfect time to use your right. Think twice before using your franchise," Hameed said. Referring to the BJP, Hameed said that the party has changed its ways. He said leaders in the party now target Muslims which is not a good sign as we live in a country of 'Ganga-Jamna tehzeeb'. "Targeting a particular community and supporting the other is not a quality of a good ruler. We never had any problem with the BJP earlier. We never faced any problem in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government," Hameed said. The cleric, however, clarified that he does not support or oppose any particular party and that it is the work of politicians. "I am not interested in politics. But I want to say one thing that everyone should use their vote correctly and intelligently." Hameed has been critical of the BJP, saying some of its leaders sought votes in the name of the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack. Asked about the implementation of demonetization and Goods and Services Tax (GST), the cleric said that both were very good steps, but their implementation was wrong. "Why did the government not think about people before implementing both the schemes?" he asked. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) New Delhi: Former Enforcement Directorate (ED) Additional Director, Shamsuddin joins Congress in the presence of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, in New Delhi on April 17, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS New Delhi, April 17 : Amid suggestions by the Aam Aadmi Party for an alliance in Haryana, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Wednesday that there had been no seat sharing talks in the state. "There have been no talks about alliance in Haryana," said Azad, who is in-charge of the state. He said the Congress has formed alliances in different parts of the country, but he had not heard of any alliance being formed in Haryana or Punjab. Azad announced that Shamsuddin, a lawyer who worked in senior legal positions in Enforcement Directorate and who hails from Mewat region of Haryana, was joining the party with his brothers, four of whom were doctorates and gold medallists. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was also present at the press conference. Tripoli, April 17 : Italy's Envoy to Libya Giuseppe Buccino and his other European Union counterparts held talks on Wednesday with the internationally recognised unity government's Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala on the military escalation in the capital. "We held the meeting to brief diplomatic missions on developments of Libyan crisis which took a very serious turn after the shelling of civilians and residential areas using Grad rockets which are banned for use in residential areas," Siala said, as per Libyan state news agency Lana. The death toll from overnight rocket fire on two south Tripoli districts that the unity government blamed on strongman Khalifa Haftar climbed to six on Wednesday - including three women - as diplomats sought to negotiate a ceasefire. Thirty-five people were wounded in the attacks, which were condemned by the United Nations envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame. "Horrible night of random shelling of residential areas. For the sake of 3 million civilians living in Greater Tripoli, these attacks should stop. NOW!" Salame tweeted. Both sides in the fighting have blamed the other for the deadly shellings. Libya's unity government is seeking to convene a session of the UN Human Rights Council and is gathering evidence to bring Haftar to trial by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, Siala said, as per Lana. "We held the meeting (on Wednesday) also to see if there are any requests for security and to brief them on Foreign Ministry and Presidency Council efforts with international and regional organisations and (the UN) Security Council to issue a fair resolution that not only calls for ceasefire but for the return of the attacking forces to their positions and for civilian protection, stressing that there will be no military solution to the Libyan file," Siala said, quoted by Lana. At least 189 people have been killed, 816 wounded and more than 18,000 have fled their homes since Haftar ordered his militia to march on Tripoli nearly two weeks ago, according to the World Health Organization. Hyderabad, April 17 : Johnny Bairstow and David Warner struck blistering half-centuries to help Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) break their losing streak in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) as they defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Wednesday. SRH reached the 133-run target with 19 balls to spare to move to the fifth spot in the points table. Chasing the target, SRH got off to a flying start as both Warner and Bairstow continued with their rampage and collected 66 runs in 5.4 overs before the Australian got out after scoring an explosive 25-ball fifty which included 10 fours. Skipper Kane Williamson, who came in next, couldn't stay much at the crease and became the victim of leg-spinner Imran Tahir at his individual score of 3. However, Bairstow stayed at the other end to continue his prolific run in the ongoing IPL and collected boundaries at will. The explosive England opener remained unbeaten at 61. The 44-ball inning was studded with three fours and three sixes. The visitors surely missed the experience of M.S. Dhoni -- who had to sit out because of a back injury -- especially while defending the target. In Dhoni's absence, Suresh Raina captained the side. It was for the first time since 2005 that Dhoni had missed an IPL match. Earlier electing to bat, Chennai started off slowly with openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis fetching just 14 runs in the first four overs. Thereafter, they tried to up the ante and hit some lusty blows to take the team's score to 41 at the end of powerplay. Both Watson and du Plessis looked in great touch and added 79 runs for the first wicket before both of them got out at their individual scores of 45 and 30. Thereafter, the Chennai innings fell apart and they lost wickets in a heap only to put pressure on themselves. Owing to the slow nature of the wicket and some brilliant bowling performance by the SRH bowlers, the visitors amassed just 30 runs in the final five overs and crawled to 132-5 in their stipulated quota of 20 overs. It was the second defeat for the CSK in nine games, while SRH now have five wins from their eight games they have played. SRH will now take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue on April 21, while CSK will travel to Bengaluru to lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore the same day. Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 137/4 in 16.5 overs (Johnny Bairstow 61, David Warner 50, Imran Tahir 2/20); Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 132 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 45, Shane Watson 31, Rashid Khan 2/17) Hyderabad, April 17 : Actress Poonam Kaur on Wednesday lodged a police complaint against 36 YouTube channels for allegedly posting objectionable content defaming her. She complained with cyber crime wing of the Hyderabad police that she was being harassed online for last two years as some people were targeting her personal life. She took strong objection to indecent postings on the social media. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime, Raghuveer said they registered a case on her complaint and they would take necessary action. Poonam also brought to the notice of police that a doctored audio conversation of her talking about actor-politician Pawan Kalyan was being circulated on YouTube. In this audio clip, Poonam was heard making allegations against Jana Sena chief. The actress alleged that some people were deliberately doing this to draw political mileage. "It is for the police to find out," she said when asked if she was suspecting any particular group. Bengaluru, April 18 : In the heat of electioneering, Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has decried Kannada superstar Yash campaigning for multilingual South Indian actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent contesting in the high-profile Mandya Lok Sabha constituency against his son Nikhil Gowda of the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), a party official said on Wednesday. "It is owing to producers like me investing in films that actors like Yash got in to tinsel world and flourished. But real life is different from reel life," said Kumaraswamy in Kannada on the last day of campaign on Tuesday at Mandya, about 100 km from Bengaluru, for polling on Thursday. Kumaraswamy is a Kannada film producer turned politician in the southern state. "The Chief Minister was reacting to an allegation by Yash that 'JD-S is a party of thieves (kallaru party)'. while campaigning for Sumalatha along with another Kannada super star Darshan and veteran Kannada producer Rockline Venkatesh. Kumaraswamy said actors like Yash should not belittle producers and godfathers who give break to likes of him by investing in films," a party official told IANS from Mandya. Nikhil, 28, is an upcoming Kannada actor with two-three films under his belt. He is the grandson of JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, who is contesting from Tumkur Lok Sabha seat even at the age of 86 years. Asked if the Chief Minister had threatened to spoil Yash's career by saying he would tell producers not to invest on him, the official said Kumaraswamy's remarks were in a specific context and in response to what the young actor was claiming to be. "Kumaraswamy is a man of heart. He never harms anyone or believes in causing loss to his worst detractors. What he said in his poll speech was successful actors should not forget their origins and have gratitude to those who help them to come up in their career," added the official quoting the Chief Minister. Yash had acted in a Kannada film "Lucky" Kumaraswamy produced along with his former wife and actress Radhika Pandit. "Without producers like us, stars like Yash or Darshan will not survive. Do not believe in everything you see in films, as reality of daily life is different from reel life," added Kumaraswamy. But Yash denied calling the JD-S a party of thieves. "I never called anyone a thief or any party as a party of the thieves. If anyone proves I made such a statement, I will bow down, Yash told reporters later. Vetoquinol completes acquisition of Brazilian vet laboratory Vetoquinol (Paris:VETO) has completed the acquisition of Clarion Biociencias, a Brazilian veterinary laboratory based in the state of Goias. Founded in 1998, Clarion Biociencias develops, manufactures and distributes veterinary medicine and non-medicinal products primarily targeting the livestock market. Due to its geographical presence at the heart of Brazil's bovine breeding area, the laboratory enjoys a strong market share in the bovine segment (which accounts for more than half of the Brazilian animal health market), in particular with internal and external parasiticides (Contratack, Novatack, Eprino, Fiprotack, Altis). The company has been recording a solid growth for over three years, fuelled by the success of the launches of differentiated products and the strengthening of its sales team. Sales are expected to show a strong performance this year. With this acquisition, the Vetoquinol Group significantly strengthens its foothold in Brazil, the world's third largest animal health market. Vetoquinol first entered the market in 2011 with Vetoquinol Saude Animal; the Group has since been focused on the development of its Essentials products for beef and dairy cattle, for swine and for companion animals. Clarion Biociencias has a strong product pipeline close to being launched in both bovine and companion animal markets; some of these products will also be launched in the swine market in which Clarion Biociencias is currently not playing; all of these promising projects together with the underlying Vetoquinol projects are expected to generate some substantial commercial synergies. "We are delighted to have closed this acquisition and to welcome the Clarion Biociencias employees onboard, especially its current General Manager whose role is essential in the development of this laboratory," says Vetoquinol CEO Matthieu Frechin. "We have been seeking to strengthen our business on this strategic market where our presence has been weak so far; Brazil is the world's number one bovine meat producer and exporter," Frechin adds. According to Frechin, Vetoquniol has plans to "join the top 15 players in Brazil with further ambitions for the future". Kolkata, April 18 : In the midst of Lok Sabha elections, a body representing about 65,000 sex workers of West Bengal is pushing for recognising them as labourers, on the basis of which they will decide whom to vote. The sex workers complain about lack of recognition of their profession under the labour laws, "rampant misuse" of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act and meagre rehabilitation programmes offered by the government. The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), an apex body of sex workers in Bengal, says its members are disillusioned with the "fake promises" made by political parties every election season and many of them would like to go for NOTA button in this election. In the state with 42 Lok Sabha seats, polling has already been held at two constituencies in the first phase on April 11 and three more will go to polls on Thursday. "It is our longstanding demand that sex workers be recognised as labourers and be brought under the purview of the Labour Commission. We pushed this demand in 2011 (during the assembly polls) but nothing has materialised so far," DMSC Secretary Bharati Dey told IANS at the organisation's office in an old north Kolkata building, a kilometre away from the heart of Sonagachi that consists hundreds of multi-storeyed brothels. "Also, certain sections of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act are being misused by some people, making the lives of sex workers difficult. These should be scrapped," she added. She said the self-regulatory board of DMSC, which prevents the entry of underage girls and unwilling women into the profession, should be registered under the state government so that it can counter the challenges imposed by miscreants and pimps. "The DMSC has 65,000 sex workers under its fold across Bengal, of which 11,000 are in Sonagachi. We have sent a team of representatives with the charter of demands to all the candidates across Bengal. We have unanimously decided to vote for the party which would address our demands. Else, we will go for NOTA," Dey said. The election campaign is on in full swing across Kolkata and the districts. However, the narrow, dingy alleys of Sonagachi, which falls under the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency, seemed largely untouched by the poll fever witnessed elsewhere except a few graffiti and political banners, mostly belonging to the ruling Trinamool Congress hanging here and there. "The election campaign has not started here that much this year yet. May be, it will start by next week. Generally no public meetings or political rallies are held inside the core area as the sex workers here fear that their business would get hampered," a local shopkeeper said. The political outfits still have time to campaign in Kolkata as the constituency will go to the hustings in the last phase of polls on May 19. But some streetwalkers claimed no amount of persuasion will be enough unless their demands show up on political parties' election manifesto. "Some roads and drains have been reconstructed in the area in the last five years which have somewhat addressed the problems of water logging. But more infrastructural development is needed. Many of the buildings we stay in are in dilapidated condition. We do not have sufficient toilets. The hygiene is still a major issue here," Sova Sardar, who came to Sonagachi five years ago from Bengal's Nadia district, told IANS. "It is sad that our children are still not allowed in most of the schools or workplaces. A social stigma is always attached to them due to our profession or the place they live in. We want this to change," she said. Many women who have come to Sonagachi from other states or neighbouring Bangladesh, have procured local voter ID cards and cast their votes from this constituency instead of going back to their hometown as that would hamper their trade. "Those who have come here from Bangladesh and elsewhere have made local voter ID cards. According to the Election Commission, voter cards could be made by giving the all India Sex Workers Cooperative account numbers. But that process has stopped for the last two years. So, many coming here within that time frame will not be able to vote this time," an official of DMSC said. Another sex worker Sania Khatoon said she has voted in the last two elections believing the governments would seriously look into their problems. Pointing out that rehabilitation package is "meagre" as compared to the money earned by certain individuals as sex workers, Dey said the government should rehabilitate those who are unable to sustain themselves in the profession while those who are willing to continue, should be allowed to do so with dignity. "When a woman is earning Rs 1 lakh per month, why would she take the rehabilitation package of Rs 5,000-10,000? Our demand to the political outfits is that they should be allowed to continue in this profession with dignity. The administration should also ensure that violence and attack on sex workers is curbed," she said. "The rehabilitation is needed for those who have become old and not able to continue in this profession or those whose families abandon them," she added. The Queensland-based co-working space and business incubator Little Tokyo Two has been placed into voluntary liquidation. Its founder and entrepreneur Jock Fairweather sending a message saying the business had become unsustainable. Founded four years ago, Little Tokyo Two (LT2) had five locations across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The business was primarily offering a co-working space service to startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs. However, the business had also recently expanded into offering incubation services and growth plans for startups. In the message, Fairweather said while the incubation offerings had performed well, the co-working model had become unprofitable and criticised new market entrants for undercutting prices. The business of running a co-working space has been struggling, with increased competition in the market and new entrants, who undercut prices to attract new members, Fairweather said. After stress testing our future financial model and the financial difficulty we have recently faced we have concluded that the viability of the LT2 as a co-working space is an unsustainable option for our future. The Courier-Mail reports Brisbane City Council had invested $5 million in innovation hub The Capital, which Little Tokyo Two was a foundation tenant of. The council told The Courier-Mail it was trying to find a new operator to provide certainty for tenants. Flexible workplace provider Spaces is expanding, announcing that it will open a new co-working space at 60 Martin Place in Sydneys CBD. The three podium level, 4,500 square metre space in the building owned by Investa & Gwynvill Group will open in February 2020. Spaces is an IWG brand and its new co-working space will aim to offer professionals a creative working environment for the citys entrepreneurs. The IWG Global Workplace Survey 2019 found that, in Australia, the demand for flexible working has grown among employees, while 92% of employees can become more productive through introducing flexible work. Simon van Grootel, Development Director for IWG Australia, said the new Martin Place location fits with the growth of the Spaces brand with and its dynamic relationship with occupiers and landlords. Undoubtedly the best building to be built in Sydney for a number of years, this presented a fantastic opportunity to further our existing relationship with Investa and bring to market our first Sydney CBD Spaces location in Martin Place, van Grootel said. As we continue to grow our footprint nationally this will be a great showcase to occupiers and landlords alike as to the engaging environment that Spaces provides. Damien Sheehan, Country Head of IWG Australia, said it was important for Spaces to expand their brand across Australia. We are very excited about this new offering and the timing couldnt be better with demand from our enterprise clients showing dramatic growth, Sheehan said. Joe Ward mentioned that IWG plc has been seeking a flagship premises for Spaces in Sydney CBD for around two years. The attraction for Spaces was a premium grade, landmark building in the central iconic location of Martin Place which is positioned amongst major tech and professional services businesses, said Ward. As a hotly contested space, the landlord was keen to secure the right flexible workspace provider for the building to match to quality of the building and align with the future tenants expected to occupy this new 31 level tower. The three large podium floors overlooking Martin Place, is ideal for Spaces to introduce more collaborative workspaces and rapidly grow the brand nationally. Ward said Spaces has four locations in Australia across Melbourne and Sydney, which is set to double in 2020 and expand across all the major capital cities. SPONSORED POST It wasnt long ago that I remember heading in to the local shopping centre, with my pocket brimming at the seams, trying to contain the clunky cheque book I would be needing in a few short moments. This process was made all the more exciting by the fact I had placed an item on lay-by, securing it weeks earlier, and finally heading in to pay off the final instalment.What a world of difference we find ourselves in today. Within the last decade, the way we shop and consume via the internet and through digital means has rapidly evolved and led to efficiency and productivity gains across the board. My cheque book and to an extent wallet have now been replaced by a few numbers on my credit card that occupy my online profiles, while lay-by has now been usurped by exciting start-ups like Paypal and Afterpay, allowing me to purchase goods instantaneously, while paying later. Tools for our digital consumption have never been more powerful, or effortless. With a few clicks, anyone can set up a bank account online, transition effortlessly across to a travel website, book a holiday to the other side of the world, and finish it all off with purchasing and sending the relevant travel book to your phone, tablet and computer simultaneously. We are beginning to see this digitalisation of our lives leading to change and innovation across many industries. One sector that has dragged its feet into this brave new world are our banks. How are we able to have self-driving cars and Artificial Intelligence teetering on on the cusp of mass release in 2017, yet sending $100 to my brothers bank account on a Friday afternoon would mean a wait of up to four days for full clearance? Thankfully the Reserve Bank of Australia compellingly pushed our banks to rectify this sort of unnecessary transaction lag across the sector last year, with their PayID initiative. There has been a lot discussed in recent years about Fintech, the bright and bubbly new entrants to the market, intending to disrupt the big entrenched players and offer new and exciting financial services at the expense of the banks. However, Fintech companies have proved to be more niche players than truly global disrupters, with banks either gobbling them up or incubating their growth from the start. What I am truly excited about is what terrifies the banks themselves, Techfin. Consultancy firms around the world have begun ringing the alarm bells for the big banks, and this is welcomed news for consumers. Firms such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook, have begun the transition towards becoming all things to all people. An example of this evolution can be seen in the first three companys incredible pursuit to conquer our home through smart technology, while Facebook seeks to capture our entire online social lives through messaging (Whattsapp, Messenger), photo sharing (Instagram), and gaming (OculusRift). The next frontier? Payments and financial services. These tech giants, along with the rapid expansion of what we connect to the internet, is leading to what experts term as the four horseman of the e-pocalypse. Disintermediation, Unbundling, Commoditization, and Invisibility. The first stage will see banks losing access to customers as they turn to non-banking channels which allow consumers to borrow money online without ever needing a bank itself. Amazon has just allowed small loans in the US, while the two Chinese messaging behemoths, WeChat and Alipay have allowed forms of peer-to-peer lending and loans for some time now. The second phase involves services becoming unbundled and consumers beginning to selectively choose their products (e.g. interest-bearing accounts), while payments also experience an unbundling effect from consumers traditional banking structures, allowing the leveraging of third-party payment solutions. Thirdly, as these two stages snowball, banks have and will struggle to differentiate themselves as consumers gain greater access to transparent online data, allowing for them to shop around. Lastly, with all of these market forces hammering the banks, their brand awareness will decrease with consumers more focused on the better deal than the reliable institution. A recent poll conducted in the US found 73% of millennials say they would be more animated about a financial service from Google, Amazon, or Paypal, than their current bank, while roughly one in three say they dont need a bank at all. This is truly a turning point in our society. As any parent can tell you, once the kids get hold of something they trust and like, its hard to change course. This isnt hyperbolic conjecture about a potential future either. In Japan, Rakuten, one of their largest online retail marketplaces, operates the nations largest online travel portal and messaging app, with 100s of millions of users. The messaging app, based off recent chats, offers shopping item suggestions, while the company issues mortgages, securities services, and credit cards through the same portal. This amalgamation of services is all driven by data, and the power it provides to offer tailored services. At the moment, the banks still reign supreme here. Years of compiling financial data and feeding it into complex algorithms have them firmly at the top, however the tech giants are coming. Why did the Big Four banks in Australia act with such brazenness and ask APRA to form a cartel (blatant anticompetitive behaviour) in negotiations with Apple over its technology Apple Pay and its mobile wallet? Well the answer lies in market share and margins. Australia is the 7th most cashless society in the world, 90% of our purchases in 2018 were contactless, and according to the commonwealth Bank, the number of their customers reaching for their smartphones to make a payment reached 16.8 million in the six months to June 2018 (an increase of 35% from the prior year). All this is to say, we are a big and exciting payments market, with some estimates putting the market for merchant-fees at roughly $A2.5bn. Mobile payments and online wallets are the future, and we can be sure that a majority of Australians will be connecting over the next few years. It is no wonder then that the Big Four were unwilling to give up even a skerrick of their merchant fee slice to apple (which some analysts believe was asking for .15 cents per dollar). We can all breathe a sigh of relief though, as it now seems that technology, and competition has won out, with ANZ and CBA having caved in, leaving NAB and Westpac with no real choice but to follow. All this is to say, Australias financial services market is rapidly changing, and we may find ourselves applying for credit services and making payments through our family WhatsApp group or the work Slack channel in the next few years. With the stranglehold the banks have had over the lending market, and the rise of non-bank lenders leading to shaky deals and increased scrutiny by APRA, I am excited about the potential for these big tech players to shake up the playing field and offer truly revolutionary forms of financial services. Ill be happily waiting to apply for my next construction loan via iCloud. David Tricarico is a director of Adepto Co and the author of davidtricarico.com.au The upmarket Ikon apartment block in Potts Point is the latest Sydney apartment block to find it has dangerous combustible cladding. The building is spending $420,000 on rectification 15 years after its construction by Mirvac. The report lodged seeking permission with Sydney City Council notes, based on the risk assessment and inspection by Red Fire Engineers, suggests certain sections of aluminium composite panelling must be removed and replaced with non-combustible panelling. "These remediation works are necessary as the currently installed panels present an undue risk of fire spread via the external facade, which do not meet the requirements of the BCA for attachments to an external wall." Apartments prices recently peaked at $16 million. A one bedder was sold at a record $2.15 million last July, although no settlement paperwork has yet to emerge at the LTO on the third floor apartment that was recently up for $850 a week rental. The results from the testing presented in the report by CSIRO, indicate that the core materials in all ACPs would be deemed combustible if tested to AS 1530.1- 1994. "It is concluded that the ACP is combustible and present an undue risk of fire spread via the external facade, which does not meet the requirements of BCA Clause 2.4 in Specification C1.1 for attachments to an external wall achieving an FRL. "In our opinion, The Ikon Apartments building presents a high risk of undue fire spread via the facade. This is because: The external facade system contains combustible components extending the full height of the building. A fire involving the facade could spread to multiple levels of the building through the windows and other openings. The cladding is installed near the exits, including wrapping around the south stair, therefore a fire has the potential to block exits." The report suggested, while low, there was a risk of a fire catastrophe. Orion International Group is an 18 storey Mirvac built high-rise developed in on the site on what once stood the Chevron. There are 185 residential spaces with an indoor heated pool, spa, sauna and gym. Many of the open-plan residences have been curated by acclaimed interior designers and feature sun-catching outdoor areas, with balcony views. Ikon has gone from being 60 percent investors to 80 percent owner-occupied. The bulk of the risky cladding is on its southside, with the top four storeys having openings into bedrooms. The cladding installed on the northeast corner of the building is in close proximity to an adjacent building, Rockwall Apartments. The risky cladding is even at its street front lobby entrance where the body corporate plan a more "subtle" than the exisiting bright red cladding currently in place. It is understood Mirvac claim the Macleay Street building's cladding complied with relevant rules at the time it was built. News.com.au reported last December that residents of The Quay in Sydneys Haymarket were considering legal action in the Supreme Court of NSW against builder Parkview Constructions and Chinese developer Ausbao. The Quay, a 282-unit, mixed-use development built on the site of the old poultry section of Paddys Market in Chinatown, was one of 435 identified as potentially high-risk by the NSW governments Cladding Taskforce earlier last year. "It is an honor to be chosen to bring this program, and Major Miller's legacy, to such a large television audience." - Russ Hodge, Founder & President, 3 Roads Communications 3 Roads Communications, Inc., of Frederick, Maryland, will be producing a one-hour public TV special honoring iconic musician Glenn Miller. Famous for standards including Moonlight Serenade and In the Mood, Miller joined the US Army during World War II and led the Army Air Force Band. He disappeared while serving and his remains have never been found. The public TV broadcast of the concert, A Glenn Miller Celebration, honors Major Miller on the 75th anniversary of his disappearance over the English Channel. It is expected to begin broadcast nationally beginning Veterans Day, 2019. It was recorded on April 2, 2019, at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland. We are thrilled to have been selected to produce this special program, said Russ Hodge, Founder and President of 3 Roads. It is an honor to be chosen to bring this program, and Major Millers legacy, to such a large television audience. Glenn Miller standards such as In the Mood, and Moonlight Serenade, were featured. The USAFAirmen of Note provided the music. The concert was co-presented by Washington Performing Arts. Washington Performing Arts Artist-in-Residence (and host of WAMUs The Big Broadcast) Murray Horwitz emceed the concertstaged as a radio broadcastwith guest soloist Veronica Swift. The television special was recorded using twelve ultra HD cameras. About the USAF Band: The United States Air Force Band is the Air Force's premier musical organization. The excellence demonstrated by the Band's Airmen musicians is a reflection of the excellence carried out 24 hours a day by Airmen stationed around the globe. Each member is proud to represent all Airmen, whose selfless service and sacrifices ensure the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America. Since its formation in 1941, this world-class organization has inspired billions of listeners through its exhilarating music, engaging concerts and masterful recordings and continues to positively impact the global community. About 3 Roads Communications: 3 Roads Communications, Inc. is an Emmy Award-winning company with a long, distinguished history of supplying topnotch programming to Public Television and Amazon. 3 Roads has created and produced hundreds of hours of award-winning programming for public television, including: Legends of Airpower, TV series Frontiers of Medicine, TV series For The Love of Their Brother, 2016 Documentary The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman, TV series Rescue in the Philippines, Documentary Ric Edelman's The Truth About Retirement, PBS Pledge Special Ric Edelman's The Truth About Your Future, PBS Pledge Special For more information, please visit 3roads.com. Albert Corne, a physician who practiced medicine for over forty years before retiring to pursue his other interests, including camping, cooking, traveling, and dining with Denise, his wife of nearly fifty years, at some of the incomparable restaurants in their hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, has completed his book The Assassins Wife: a fast-paced and suspenseful tale of murder and political intrigue in the Cajun precincts of Louisiana. In the 1960s, Casey Lancon, a former New Orleans policewoman and now a successful detective in Lafayette, Louisiana, is retained to investigate a recent murder in Baton Rouge, while Bobby, her husband and a history professor at the local university, has befriended Rose Derouselle Chauvin, the wife of the man accused of assassinating a prominent politician in the halls of the state capital during the turbulent 1930s. When Rose asks Casey if she would look into the assassination as well, Casey tells her shell do if and when she has the time but quickly discovers that the two murders are in fact closely tied to each other, and assisted by close friends, associates, and even strangers, Casey begins to unravel inconsistencies in the historical account while dealing with fantasy and madness as well as intentional misdirection and occasional outright lies, much of it provided by Rose herself. Forced by obligations to abandon their cottage in the university section as well as cherished visits to their houseboat in the great Atchafalaya Basin, Casey begins doggedly investigating both murders, and despite Roses incessant interference and manipulation, Casey manages to forge a strong and cherished friendship with the woman known to history as the assassins wife. The characters closely reflect the mixed French heritage of south Louisiana, the area now known as AcadianaBobby Lancon, Jean Claude Bourgeois, and Jimmy Melancon, Cajun swampers; Casey Lancon, Amos Allen, and Gerri Breaux, transplanted Cajun detectives; Tre, Bobby and Caseys Cajun son; and Susan DeVillier, Rose Chauvin, and Joey Davenport, descendants of French aristocrats who fled the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror and settled in Louisiana. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Albert Cornes book is a compelling tale of intrigue, murder, and madness in south Louisiana. Readers who wish to experience this engrossing work can purchaseThe Assassins Wife 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. American IRA CEO, Jim Hitt With this post, we wanted to introduce our readers to the concept of cryptocurrencies, as well as the popular names in the market Cryptocurrencies have taken the financial world by storm, and no one with a retirement plan can afford to ignore them. Thats according to a recent post at the Self-Directed IRA administration firm American IRA, which used its blog platform to discuss some of the most popular cryptocurrencies. According to the post, the hype exploded in 2017 when the market capitalization for these cryptocurrencies went from $18 billion to $800 billion in just twelve short months. But with cryptocurrencies pulling back, American IRA had to ask whether these might be good investments to hold for people planning retirement. To that end, the blog post broke down some of the most popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). With this post, we wanted to introduce our readers to the concept of cryptocurrencies, as well as the popular names in the market, said Jim Hitt, CEO of American IRA. Its not essential that every investor know these by heart. But by exposing our audience to a wide range of ideas, we like to show that we stay on top of the latest trendsand they can, too. Its not that hard to understand what cryptocurrencies are all about once you do a little reading. And with a Self-Directed IRA, an investor has to keep an open mind when they read a broad range of financial news. The post used its space to discuss six of the top cryptocurrencies and helped readers understand when the platforms were launched and what kinds of special features each cryptocurrency possesses. This helps investors get a better sense of the context of the cryptocurrency market. Why should it matter for those with a Self-Directed IRA? With a Self-Directed IRA, investors are typically looking for a wide range of asset classes for diversification; this can include real estate, precious metals, and more. For more information on these cryptocurrencies, visit the blog at http://www.AmericanIRA.com. Interest parties can contact American IRA at 866-7500-IRA. "About: American IRA, LLC was established in 2004 by Jim Hitt, CEO in Asheville, NC. The mission of American IRA is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry. Jim Hitt and his team have grown the company to over $400 million in assets under administration by educating the public that their Self-Directed IRA account can invest in a variety of assets such as real estate, private lending, limited liability companies, precious metals and much more. As a Self-Directed IRA administrator, they are a neutral third party. They do not make any recommendations to any person or entity associated with investments of any type (including financial representatives, investment promoters or companies, or employees, agents or representatives associated with these firms). They are not responsible for and are not bound by any statements, representations, warranties or agreements made by any such person or entity and do not provide any recommendation on the quality profitability or reputability of any investment, individual or company. The term "they" refers to American IRA, located in Asheville and Charlotte, NC." Atlantic Honda is trying to help recent and soon-to-be college graduates. When shopping for a new car, it can be difficult for recent graduates to find a new vehicle that is affordable. That is why Honda Financial Services is making it easier by helping drivers save. Qualified applicants can save $500 on any 2019 or newer Honda vehicle at Atlantic Honda. The College Grad Leasing Program is made to give prospective leasees more savings on a new Honda vehicle. Those interested will need proof of employment or proof of commitment of the future employer. Not only recent graduates can save, but students who will graduate in six months can also take advantage of the savings. Recent graduates must have graduated within two years of applying for the College Grad Leasing Program. Applicants will also need to provide Atlantic Honda with documents that show a stable credit history. Shoppers must have graduated or will graduate from an accredited university or registered nursing school with an Associates degree or higher. This program also can help recent graduates with building their credit. Eligible applicants can choose the option to defer the first payment up to 90 days for traditional financing instead of leasing. The representatives at Atlantic Honda will work with eligible drivers to make the best payment plan for their needs. The payment plans are designed for customer satisfaction and flexibility for the applicants convenience. Interested parties who would like to learn more about the College Grad Leasing Program at Atlantic Honda can visit the dealerships website at http://www.atlantichonda.com. Interested parties can also contact the dealership for more information by calling 631-328-2060 or by visiting the showroom located at 1375 Sunrise Hwy Bay Shore, NY 11706, to talk with representatives. Barrister's New Brentwood Office Location "By taking advantage of the features and services provided by our team, tenants gain more time to focus on their core business and enjoy working in a productive and friendly atmosphere, -Carrie Gates, Vice President of Leasing and Marketing Barrister Executive Suites, Inc. announces the opening of its newest location at 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA in the Wilshire Bundy Plaza building on May 1, 2019. The fourteen story building is prominently located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard. and Bundy Drive is owned by Douglas Emmett, Inc. It will be Barristers second Brentwood location, adding to their robust portfolio of over 21 locations in Los Angeles County alone. With convenient access to the I-10, I-405 and CA-2, the architecturally fascinating Wilshire Bundy Plaza is Energy Star certified and has a cafe, salon, patio seating area, valet parking and 24 hour security on-site, and is only minutes from the Bundy/Olympic Metro station. Mitchell Stokes with Madison Partners represented the Class A office building, while Seth Wellisch and Dan Gallup with Cresa represented Barrister in the transaction. Seth Wellisch said, We were pleased to represent Barrister once again. Their exceptional service provides local business professionals with a great place to work. Barrister Executive Suites, Inc. will occupy Suite 810 of Wilshire Bundy Plaza. Barrister is building out the suite with high end finishes and an open space concept design that will include individual private offices as well as team collaborative spaces. Barrister provides small to medium-sized businesses with a wide range of workspace solutions including: -Full-service offices -Virtual offices and meeting rooms -Reception services and on-site management -24/7 suite access -Furnished or unfurnished offices -VoIP telephone system -Enterprise grade high speed internet and WiFi -Networked color copy center -Break room with free coffee and beverage services The shared space allows tenants to cut overhead costs dramatically and reduce risk with flexible lease terms. Executive suites are an excellent solution for professionals who are looking to lower spending without putting their businesss image or operation in jeopardy. By taking advantage of the features and services provided by our team, tenants gain more time to focus on their core business and enjoy working in a productive and friendly atmosphere, said Carrie Gates, Vice President of Leasing and Marketing for Barrister. Barrister is actively preleasing offices now and is also offering a full range of Virtual Office Packages which start at $99. Virtual Offices are a cost saving way to give your office a professional image without risking how your company is perceived by clients or potential clients. Full time and virtual office lease opportunities will be available May 1, 2019. To schedule a tour and to learn more about our Brentwood Office Space for rent at 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, please call Jacqueline Jansen at 310-556-9681 or email jwhite@barrister-suites.com. About Barrister Executive Suites, Inc. The originator of the executive suite concept, Barrister was founded in 1966 as a cost-effective alternative to traditional office space by providing turnkey office space, virtual offices, meeting room facilities, and administrative support services. Independent business practitioners, small start-up companies, and national corporations benefit by having more time to focus on their core business with less financial risk. Today, with 24 locations throughout Southern California, Barrister operates with a foundation of longevity and financial stability in providing its tenants with a business-friendly environment coupled with exceptional customer service. Additional information on Barrister Executive Suites, Inc. is available at barrister-suites.com. Barton Springs Conservancy announced today that it has received a $2.1 million donation from the Moody Foundation to support the rehabilitation of the iconic Barton Springs Bathhouse. The monumental gift marks a milestone for the Conservancy as the nonprofit secures $8 million in public and private funds for a facility rehabilitation and renovation of the historic Bathhouse as part of the Conservancys For the Love of the Springs campaign. Legendary Barton Springs advocate and honorary campaign chair Luci Baines Johnson will thank Ross Moody and the Moody Foundation at a VIP celebration event on May 9, 2019. "As a decades-long swimmer at Barton Springs, the pool and historic Bathhouse have always been special to me, said Ross Moody, trustee of the Moody Foundation and CEO and President of National Western Life Group. With the Moody Foundations gift, I am humbled to help expedite the rehabilitation process so the community can continue to enjoy the historic Barton Springs Pool Bathhouse for many years. Funding for the Bathhouse rehabilitation comes from a variety of sources, including a voter-approved 2012 city bond, $3 million in Hotel Occupancy Tax funding and $3 million in private philanthropic donations. Barton Springs Conservancy, which spearheaded the fundraising initiative, has worked to drive donations for renovation and conservation projects surrounding Barton Springs since 2014, including the restoration of the Barton Springs gateposts in 2015 and the Bathhouse rehabilitation project. The Conservancy describes its mission as one of advocacy and contribution to the environmental, educational, recreational, historical, and cultural well-being of Barton Springs. This mission resonated with the Moody Foundation, in particular trustee Ross J. Moody. The Moody Foundations generosity has helped us reach this incredible milestone for the Barton Springs Bathhouse, and we are thrilled to have the support of such an important philanthropist and leader in Austin so this historic Austin treasure can continue to be used and enjoyed for generations to come, said Emma Lindrose-Siegel, Executive Director of Barton Springs Conservancy. With this gift, and the support of the Austin community, we can begin our efforts to rehabilitate the Historic Barton Springs Bathhouse to its original splendor, restore the rotunda and dressing areas, and make the facilities usable for modern needs. After 72 years of public use, the Barton Springs Bathhouse is in need of repair, restoration and modernization to meet contemporary needs. All building alterations will aim to make the facility more modern and accessible while respecting the historic architectural heritage of the original structure, as called for by the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan and the Zilker Park Bathhouse Zone Feasibility Study. Planned renovations include reopening the original mens and womens entrances at the central rotunda locations, restoring the womens dressing area to be brighter and more expansive, modernizing and expanding bathroom facilities and enhancing the educational components of the space. Barton Springs Conservancys For the Love of the Springs campaign, launched in 2016, seeks to raise funds for this rehabilitation project based on a proposed redesign and budget created by the city of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Since the campaigns inception, lifelong lover of the springs Luci Baines Johnson has served as honorary campaign chair. Barton Springs is one of those places that truly defines Austin, and for generations people have been drawn to it as a place of reflection, rejuvenation and joy, said Johnson. With this gift, and the efforts of the Conservancy, the Barton Springs Bathhouse can continue to serve the needs of future Austinites as they enjoy one of Austins most magical places. The Moody Foundation joins dozens of other private donors and philanthropies in their commitment to conserving Barton Springs for future generations while continuing to educate the public on both ecological importance and their natural beauty. With funding secured, the rehabilitation project is underway with design work by Limbacher & Godfrey Architects, and Barton Springs Conservancy plans to continue to fundraise and advocate for a full environmental education outreach program surrounding the Springs as the rehabilitation project is underway. For more information about Barton Springs Conservancy and their mission to honor, preserve and enhance the experience of Barton Springs through education and facilities improvements, visit http://www.bartonspringsconservancy.org. About Barton Spring Conservancy Since 2014, Barton Springs Conservancy has worked to honor, preserve and enhance the experience of Barton Springs through education and facilities improvements. In collaboration with the City of Austin, community leaders and stakeholders of the Springs, Barton Springs Conservancy helps to raise funds for projects that ensure future generations can continue to love and enjoy Austins very heart and soul for generations to come. The Conservancy exists to contribute to the environmental, educational, recreational, historical, and cultural well-being of this beloved treasure of the community. About the Moody Foundation The Moody Foundation was established by W.L. Moody, Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody in 1942 to share their good fortune and make a difference in the lives of the people of Texas. Since then, the Moody Foundation has made more than $1.5 billion in grants throughout the state to organizations that have educated, healed, nurtured and inspired generations of Texans. The Moody Foundation continues with a board of three trustees: Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Ross Moody and Elizabeth Moody. Learn more at MoodyF.org. In addition to the updated and mobile-friendly website design that Bielat Santore & Company launched this past year, the commercial real estate firm has also implemented a new blog series. The blog is featured on the companys website, highlighting informative topics for restaurateurs to use in their day-to-day business. The posts are uploaded weekly with fresh content under the sites News & Press page. Recent blog posts include: 4 Ways Restaurateurs Can Attract Customers to Their Websites, The Rise of Minimum Wage in the Restaurant Industry, The Benefits of Dining at Independent Restaurants vs. Chain Restaurants, and Are Take-Out Apps Worth the Investment for Your Restaurant? To view Bielat Santore & Companys latest blog posts and other company news, visit their website at http://www.123bsc.com. Additional updates can also be found on the firms Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/123BSC/. About Bielat Santore & Company Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The companys expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the companys website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more. Bradley Miller has been named HNTB's Seattle group director, based in the firms Bellevue office. With a client-centric mindset and commitment to high-quality work and results, he is a tremendous example of HNTBs culture and a welcome addition to the Seattle leadership team. Bradley Miller has been named HNTB Corporations Seattle group director, based in the firms Bellevue office. An associate vice president, Miller brings 28 years of transportation industry experience to the position. He recently transferred to the Seattle area from HNTBs Indianapolis office where he was office delivery manager. Miller joins a team of more than 230 transportation infrastructure and architecture professionals delivering aviation, toll, highway, transit, rail, planning, program/construction management, tunneling and other services to clients in this region. In his new role, he is responsible for overall growth, talent acquisition, retention, sales, project delivery and operational metrics for multiple departments. Brads demonstrated leadership and knowledge of transportation infrastructure improvements including aviation, transit and highway projects will help the office continue to grow and exceed the needs of transportation agencies in Seattle, said Kevin R. Collins, PE, HNTB Seattle office leader. With a client-centric mindset and commitment to high-quality work and results, he is a tremendous example of HNTBs culture and a welcome addition to the Seattle leadership team. Since joining HNTB in 2008, Miller served in a number of leadership roles in Indianapolis. He led multidisciplinary teams responsible for delivering results on a dozen transportation mega projects with construction values totaling more than $6 billion. His specialties include design-build, construction management, procurement advisory services and public-private partnerships. Prior to moving to the Seattle area, Miller was project manager for a $70 million design-build, best value procurement with the Indiana Department of Transportation. He also was project manager for the $99 million IndyGo Red Line bus rapid transit project where HNTB serves as the design review and construction management firm for Indianapolis first BRT transit line, scheduled to open this fall. Miller graduated with a Bachelor of Science in construction management from Purdue University. He is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers and previously served in various Indiana ACEC committees. HNTB established its Seattle office in 1961, but the firm traces its roots in the region back to 1912, when the Columbia River Interstate Bridge between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, opened. The bridge was designed by John Lyle Harrington, a partner in HNTBs predecessor firm, Waddell & Harrington. HNTB has grown to employ more than 180 professionals in the region who help play a role in planning and delivering high-profile transportation infrastructure projects across the state and around the country. HNTBs many signature infrastructure projects in the region include SR 99 Alaskan Way Tunnel; Mercer Corridor improvements in Seattle; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport third runway; second Tacoma Narrows bridge; Sound Transit University Link Light Rail Extension, Lynnwood Link Extension, West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions and East Link Extension; Washington State Department of Transportation General Engineering Consultant Services for I-405 and SR 509; South Park Bascule Bridge Replacement in Seattle; Mount Baker Ridge Tunnel; historic work on I-5 dating back to the 1960s; and Tilikum Crossing bridge in Portland. 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 and more than 55 years in Seattle, HNTB continues to grow in size and service offerings to clients from its office in Bellevue, currently employing approximately 230 full-time professionals in the region. 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, or follow HNTB on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Our partnership with Cambrian Innovation ensures our Petaluma brewery doesnt overstress the public water system. We strive to bring the best systems possible to achieve our sustainability goals. Cambrian Innovation, a commercial provider of distributed process water treatment and resource recovery services and solutions, today announced a new agreement with long-time customer Lagunitas Brewing Company. Cambrian Innovation will act as expert consultants to the famed beer maker as Lagunitas works to maximize efficiency and reduce water use at its flagship Petaluma, California brewery. The partnership announced today includes a long term consulting agreement and the opportunity to use Cambrians real-time, cloud-based data collection, monitoring, and analysis tool to record performance and provide actionable insights into the operation of the wastewater system. Lagunitas is committed to being a good steward of the Petaluma community and our natural resources, said Maria Stipp, CEO of Lagunitas Brewing Company. Our partnership with Cambrian Innovation ensures our Petaluma brewery doesnt overstress the public water system. We strive to bring the best systems possible to achieve our sustainability goals. Cambrian Innovation has been Lagunitas trusted wastewater solutions partner in Petaluma since 2013. The first-in-kind wastewater treatment and water reuse system at the Petaluma brewery is estimated to have treated over 60,000,000 gallons of wastewater and produced over 20,000,000 gallons of reuse-quality water, conserving resources and contributing to environmental protections. Lagunitas is a valued partner that has long shared our commitment to innovation that brings industry and nature into harmony, said Matthew Silver, Founder & CEO of Cambrian Innovation. About Lagunitas Brewing Company Lagunitas Brewing Company began on a kitchen stove in Northern California in 1993. From actually getting beers into bottles and onto the streets, Lagunitas looks to the future. From expanding the Petaluma Brewery to building a second in Chicago and soon a TapRoom in Azusa, CA to bringing its flagship IPA across the pond Lagunitas could probably make good beer on the Moon. Wherever you go, beer speaks, people mumble. More mumblings at http://www.lagunitas.com. About Cambrian Innovation Cambrian Innovation is a commercial provider of distributed wastewater treatment and resource recovery solutions. Dedicated to solving critical water, wastewater, and energy management challenges for industrial producers, it is the standard for some of the top names in food and beverage processing including: Lagunitas Brewing Company, Bear Republic Brewing Company, and Russian River Brewing Company. Cambrians award-winning EcoVolt product suite offers cost-effective and sustainable options for onsite wastewater treatment, water reuse, and clean energy generation. Through its novel water-energy purchase agreement (WEPA), a financing platform for distributed EcoVolt solutions, Cambrian offers wastewater treatment and resource recovery as a service with no upfront costs. Cambrian Innovations robust research and development group is also commercializing a broader portfolio of environmental productions to help industrial clients efficiently manage their resources. To learn more, visit cambrianinnovation.com. Media Contact press@cambrianinnovation.com MPS Law Partner Kevin Purtill Our success is built on a culture that is uniquely entrepreneurial, one that invites good lawyers to do great work, says MPS managing partner Bill Mitchell. The addition of both Kevin and Max is indicative of our ongoing effort to keep that culture alive and thriving. MPS Law, a widely respected Chicago area business-to-business law firm, is pleased to welcome a pair of new attorneys to their downtown Chicago office. Kevin Purtill arrives as a partner specializing in commercial litigation, creditors rights and restructuring, banking and finance law. Max Guggenheim is an associate whose practice areas include commercial real estate, real estate construction and finance, commercial leasing, and corporate law. Purtill brings a well-rounded practice built over the past decade with another prominent mid-sized Chicago law firm, where he served as a partner. He is primarily focused on banking, corporate transactions, and business law, with particular emphasis on workouts, Uniform Commercial Code matters, creditors rights litigation, and bankruptcy. He also represents lenders and corporate clients on contract negotiations, purchase and lease agreements, and loan and collateral documents, and also advises real estate lenders and investors on a wide range of issues. Kevin rounds out the firms already-strong commercial litigation team, and strengthens the firms depth and commitment representing financial institutions on both internal litigation matters and in effectively realizing upon collateral security. Guggenheim focuses his practice on all aspects of transactional real estate law. He handles purchase agreements for both buyers and sellers, commercial leases for tenants and landlords alike, and is also well-versed in the complexities of construction law. His expertise is bolstered by a business background that includes successful stints with one of the largest commercial property managers in Illinois as well as a major Midwestern developer focused on shopping center and retail development in the Chicagoland and Milwaukee markets. His legal experience is similarly impressive, including a three-year clerkship with a Tier 1 construction law firm in Chicago and practice as an associate with a nationally respected real estate boutique in downtown Chicago. Our success is built on a culture that is uniquely entrepreneurial, one that invites good lawyers to do great work, says MPS managing partner Bill Mitchell. The addition of both Kevin and Max is indicative of our ongoing effort to keep that culture alive and thriving. In a field where success is typically measured in terms of growth, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle is that rare law firm where success is defined solely by the needs and satisfaction of the clients it serves. Founded in 1996, we maintain offices in Schaumburg and downtown Chicago, with attorneys working in 11 select practice areas focused on real estate, litigation, business and employment law throughout the country. Another takeaway for students was that just because it is lower cost to manufacture in Mexico does not mean that it is lower quality we were all very impressed with the facilities, quality, and work of CPI and your partner ICON. CPI provided a great review of the shelter program and work... Last week, Co-Production International (CPI) hosted twenty-eight students from the Fermanian School of Business at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) for a manufacturing in Mexico seminar and tour. The seminar was held at the California-based ICON Aircraft facility in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The tour focused on giving the university students a first-hand look at high tech manufacturing processes taking place in Mexico and at ICONs facility, augmenting their studies with real-world insights. As the students learn about the complex nature of international business in terms of language, cultural, legal, transportation, and many other barriers, it was great to see how CPI acts as a partner of companies to make the process of engaging in international business easier. As Tijuana is a very close neighbor to San Diego, visiting CPI was a great way for students to learn about an actual option for businesses they may work with in the future, said Lauren Chafin, the International Trip Coordinator for PLNU, the San Diego based university. CPIs Denisse Martinez, Director of Marketing and Business Development, and Alejandra Portugal, Project Coordinator, gave the students an overview of Mexicos key manufacturing sectors, how international companies get started in Mexico, and a crash course on the maquiladora shelter program that allows manufacturers to get up and running quickly. The students keyed in on the shelter company services, something they hadnt heard of before, noting how shelter company providers like CPI support manufacturers from the beginning evaluation and site selection stages, to setting up and ultimately administering the facility. Another takeaway for students was that just because it is lower cost to manufacture in Mexico does not mean that it is lower quality we were all very impressed with the facilities, quality, and work of CPI and your partner ICON. CPI provided a great review of the shelter program and work of assisting international companies to manufacture in Mexico. Not only was the staff a pleasure to work with and learn from, we really appreciated how CPI is about more than the bottom line. CPI values their employees and treats them well, commented Chafin. The students were accompanied by Chafin, Robert Gailey, the Director of the Center for International Development, and Randal Schober, Professor in the Fermanian School of Business at PLNU. After the presentation by Martinez and Portugal, the students were treated to a tour by two engineers at ICONs Tijuana facility. ICON Aircraft manufactures composite airframe structures for its A5 aircraft. ICON opened its Tijuana facility in 2016, joining the ranks of over 82 high-tech aerospace manufacturers including Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin, Eaton, and UTC Aerospace systems. Tijuana boasts the highest concentration of aerospace and defense manufacturing operations in Mexico. The PLNU students were inquisitive and enthusiastic. They had a lot of questions about Alejandras and my role at CPI, how we got into the industry. You could see their eyes light up at the possibilities for employment in international trade and manufacturing. California, and especially the border region, have decades-long community and business ties. They saw a future in the strength and collaboration between US manufacturers and the high-tech industries making products in Mexico, said Martinez. Vi, an award-winning national developer, owner and manager of high-end retirement communities across the United States, is pleased to announce that Penny Smith, Executive Director of Vi at Bentley Village in Naples, Florida, is the recipient of the 2019 Argentum Senior Living Community Leadership Award. Each year, Argentum, the nations largest senior living association, honors an individual who serves as an exemplary leader in a senior living community at the annual Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference. Penny truly embodies what it means to be a leader and is beyond deserving of this award, said Randy Richardson, President at Vi. In her 26 years with Vi, Pennys dedication to providing exceptional service and quality care for our residents has not only significantly impacted our Bentley Village community, but also our company as a whole. We are proud to celebrate her commitment to excellence. As the Executive Director of Vi at Bentley Village, Smith oversees the day-to-day operations, including managing staff, cultivating resident and family relationships, as well as budget adherence and regulatory compliance. She also oversaw the communitys $80 million renovation in 2016, which included a new welcome center, two clubhouses and 72 new independent living apartments. In 2018, under Smiths leadership, Vi at Bentley Village was recognized by Gulfshore Magazine as best senior living community for the second year in a row, and Great Place to Work and Fortune honored Vi Senior Living as one of the 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services. In 2017, Hurricane Irma significantly impacted Vi at Bentley Village. Smith and her team evacuated the communitys nearly 600 residents, finding alternative housing for each resident while working tirelessly to ensure all necessary repairs were completed. Despite the tremendous challenges that came with the evacuation and recovery efforts, Vi at Bentley Village grew occupancy to nearly 95 percent in 2018. I am honored to be recognized as this years Argentum Community Leadership winner, and am fortunate to be backed by a terrific leadership team and staff who have made this possible, said Penny Smith, Executive Director, Vi at Bentley Village. During my time with Vi, Ive had the opportunity to provide homes at our communities for many remarkable residents who inspire me to continually strive to uphold the level of excellence for which we are known. Smith has worked in the senior living industry for nearly three decades and has been with Vi since 1992. Prior to becoming the Executive Director at Vi at Bentley Village, she held the Executive Director position at Vi at Lakeside Village in Lantana, and at Vis Boca Raton community. This years winners were honored at the 2019 Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference in San Antonio, Texas, on April 16. To learn more about Vi, visit http://www.viliving.com. About Vi Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Vi operates 10 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) across the United States. With more than 30 years of experience as the owner and operator of residential communities for older adults, Vi continues to work toward providing quality environments, services and programs to enrich the lives of those they serve. In 2018, Vi was recognized by Great Place to Work and Fortune as one of the Best Workplaces for Aging Services. Gene Blackwella former ad-man, turned Houston PD sergeant, then a Texas-based private investigator, who spent six years as a special agent through the United States for the president of Mexico, Jose Lopez Portillowhose work as a Cleared American Guard in the USSR, serves as inspiration for his new book Mutiny in Moscow 1991 And I Was There: the retelling of his brush with history as the USSR lost control over the Russian Federation through demonstrations in the street that were almost prevented before they could take root. Myself and four or five other Cleared American U.S. Embassy Guards found that the protests in the street and the crumbling governments attempts to quell them, made for the perfect opportunity to take photos on the streets we were otherwise forbidden to document, Gene Blackwell reflected when asked about his work. We found, during those dreary three days of uncertainty deep behind that dark Iron Curtain of Soviet Mother Russia, that all hell had broken loose all over Moscow. But the several of us, off duty, were sitting in the Belgrad II Hotel, listening to the chaos on the streets through open windows. That was when we knew it was our chance to document the mutiny. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Gene Blackwells fascinating work documents the remnants of the Red Army, including paratroopers and tanks, as they joined the pro-democracy protesters and protected them from any USSR backed attacks. Throughout the text, Mr. Blackwell has included the photographs of burning buildings, toppled anti-tank barriers (crumbled under the tanks that were sent to attack but were then repurposed as defenders of the protestors), and other individuals from his time in this chaotic moment in history. Mr. Blackwell also reprints the work of controversial Soviet sympathizer, Vladimir Pozner, whose accounts of the events surprisingly reinforce the information presented by Mr. Blackwell. Readers who wish to look behind the tearing down of the Soviet Iron Curtain can purchase Mutiny In Moscow 1991 And I Was There 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. Jeffrey Roberts, Founder IBS Patient Support Group stated that, We created World IBS Day to take place every year on April 19th to unite the world to raise awareness about IBS under one banner. The IBS Patient Support Group, an online patient community for IBS sufferers, announced a new initiative this April to designate April 19th as World IBS Day to raise awareness for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients and to show strong support for research & healthcare professionals in their pursuit to find treatments. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common digestive disorder which can significantly impair a patients quality of life. It affects roughly 10% of the global population or 700 million people worldwide. World IBS Day asks for people to use the hashtags #LetsTalkIBS, #IBSAwarenessDay or #WorldIBSDay on social platforms. For every tweet, post or #hashtag on April 19th, 10 cents will be donated to support research and education for IBS. The World IBS Day website is located at worldibsday.org and is supported on this inaugural year by organizations and individuals from Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Organizations, institutions, vendors and industry involvement are invited to join in via the website. Alison Reid, CEO The IBS Network (UK) commented that, As the national charity supporting people in the UK we are happy to be involved in anything that will raise the profile of this often debilitating condition and encourage people to talk about their experiences living with IBS. Jeffrey Roberts, Founder IBS Patient Support Group stated that, We created World IBS Day to take place every year on April 19th to unite the world to raise awareness about IBS under one banner. We believe that World IBS Day begins a new conversation about Irritable Bowel Syndrome where it is hoped that worldwide awareness activities will culminate on a single day to talk about patients, education, research and support for healthcare professionals and their efforts to find treatment options. For more information about World IBS Day, visit http://www.worldibsday.org About Jeffrey Roberts, and the IBS Patient Support Group (http://www.ibspatient.org): The IBS Patient Support Group was established by Jeffrey Roberts who was the founder of the first Irritable Bowel Syndrome patient community website in 1995. The IBS Patient Support Group community was launched as a public education advocacy community for sufferers and believes in evidenced-based medicine and non-anecdotal treatment options for patients. Jeffrey Roberts has been an Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferer for over 25+ years and has worked closely with researchers, industry and patients for over 30 years. Contact: worldibsday@worldibsday.org Some shop mechanics will try to scam drivers in order to put more money in their pockets. Drivers can easily avoid them if they follow several smart tips, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Lowestcarinsuranceratesonline.com has launched a new blog post that explains how drivers can save money for car insurance by avoiding car repair shop scams. For more info and free quotes, please visit http://www.lowestcarinsuranceratesonline.com/tips-for-avoiding-car-repair-shop-scams/ After a car accident, drivers are required to visit a repair shop. When they decide to visit the repair shop, drivers should look out for shop mechanics that will try to scam them. Shop mechanics can use various tactics in order to put more money in their pockets by scamming the car owners. Car owners can avoid shop mechanics scams, with the help of the following tips: Do not look like a desperate victim and pay attention to scare tactics. Some shop mechanics will try to give their customers a mental scare by saying things like "I wouldn't drive this car another mile" or "you should not drive it". They do that to prepare their customers for a hefty repair bill. Chances are, if a driver made it to a repair shop like this one, his car will probably make it to another repair shop. Carefully research the shop. Drivers should ask about how long the shop is in the business, or if they received any awards. Professional mechanics will not hesitate to answer these questions. Analyze available equipment. Drivers should see if the shops use modern equipment or they still rely on old and rusty tools. Look for mechanics that use computerized diagnostic equipment and modern brake lathe and dynamometer systems. Ask for certifications. Drivers should look for the ASE, National Institute for Automotive Excellence or American Automobile Association certification. Never sign blank work orders. Even if they are under pressure, or dont have enough time, drivers should avoid signing blank documents. Drivers should only sign documents that contain cost estimates for the repairs that are to be done and the warranties that may apply for the done job and the replaced parts. Select only Original Manufacturers Equipment. Although OEM parts may be more expensive, they are worth it. If the vehicle is made in the USA, drivers should look for parts that are made here. The market is full of cheap knockoffs that break immediately. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit http://www.lowestcarinsuranceratesonline.com/ Lowestcarinsuranceratesonline.com 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. Local residents gather to welcome the new Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet. "Together, we helped to plan, design and construct a Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet to better serve the families in our community that need it most." KMB Design Group, a full service engineering firm in the United States and Europe, just completed an intensive community outreach program benefiting more than 250 underprivileged families on the Jersey Shore. Partnering with the Lutheran Church of Reformation in West Long Branch, NJ, KMB Design Group donated both engineering services and financial support to open a new Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet. Both spaces opened this past Saturday, April 13, 2019. The KMB engineering team provided pro bono turnkey project and construction management services to ensure that the Reformation Church had the facility space and resources to continue its mission of supporting local families in need. KMBs contributions to the non-profits expansion began at the planning stages and extended through Saturdays groundbreaking ceremony. Provided services included: Site Surveying Zoning Drawings & Professional Testimony Architectural, MEP and Civil Engineering Plans Landscaping Utility Coordination Construction Administration KMB has always valued community service, says Stephen A. Bray, President and CEO of KMB Design Group. Through our longstanding partnership with the Lutheran Church of Reformation, we were able to recognize and respond to their call for help. KMBs engineering expertise and strong client-focused approach uniquely positioned us to assist in realizing their goals. Together, we helped to plan, design and construct a Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet to better serve the families in our community that need it most. The West Long Branch Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet had been operating in an inadequate space, limiting the Reformation Churchs ability to adequately provide much needed food and clothing to the community. The newly designed space will ensure faster, more easily accessed services for families in all levels of need. Our mission is to simply feed the hungry but our goal has always been to do that while preserving the dignity of those in need, states Debbie Keszler, Food Pantry Director. By building a new 990-square foot pantry, we will now be able to better serve our 250 families. We have private interview stations, we are now handicap accessible, all refrigeration is in one building, and the clients are no longer standing out in the middle of the parking lot. We are truly blessed! The Community Clothes Closet is open to any member of the community in need of clothing. Donated seasonal clothing is available in all sizes from infant to adult, including shoes, socks and accessories. Reformations Food Pantry opened more than 20 years ago and provides more than 250 families with monthly food, social agency referrals as needed, as well as a sympathetic ear for members in need. Founded in 2008, KMB Design Group prioritizes a corporate commitment to giving back to its community. KMB provides monthly financial contributions and holds an annual clothing drive to benefit the West Long Branch church. The Food Pantry and Community Clothes Closet represent KMBs largest pro bono community engineering project to date, with continued community outreach planned for the future. ---- About KMB Design Group KMB Design Group is licensed in 50 states and is a leading telecommunications, MEP and solar engineering firm with locations in the New York, Austin, Charlotte, Orlando, San Francisco and Chicago metropolitan areas. KMB provides a full range of offerings, including structural, mechanical, electrical, solar, civil engineering and construction management services. About West Long Branch Lutheran Church of Reformation Established in 1931, the West Long Branch Lutheran Church of Reformation is dedicated to helping all members of its community, whether through faith formation, providing food and clothing, prayer shawls, Meals at Noon, or assistance for survivors of Superstorm Sandy. Komodo Dragon, LLC is pleased to announce that Maryland author, Sam Polakoff, will publish his latest novel entitled, "Shaman," on October 1, 2019. Pre-orders may be placed on or about July 1, 2019. Media Note: Advance PDF copies of Shaman are available now for preview by the media. "Shaman" tells the story of a U.S. senator from Maryland who must learn about the mystical Akashic Records, reincarnation and shamanism in an effort to save the world from evil forces intent on heating the Earths core and accelerating climate change. This fast-moving, page-turner features scenes from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Peru. Dan Alston questioned his sanity. A successful businessman and U.S. senator, his entire life had been plagued by strange voices and visions. The episodes were ambiguous and easily ignored. But, on his 50th birthday, during a climb in The Andes, Dan Alston is involuntarily transported on a spiritual journey and shown something horrifying; an environmental apocalypse. Dan learns he is experiencing episodes from another lifetime, a lifetime from which he has been reincarnated and once lived as a shaman during the Inca Empire. His Chief of Staff, Talia Clayton, tries to help him understand the meaning of his experience and to fight his demons, both real and perceived. While he struggles to make sense of his predicament, Dan and Talia cross paths with ancient forces reborn to hasten the Earths destruction by weaponizing climate change. In a race against time, Dan Alston must summon his innate courage to save the planet from an apocalyptic end. Shaman is the story of a man who thought he knew what serving his country meant until he discovered his true purpose and the power required to fulfill it. Like most people, I knew nothing about Akashic Records, shamanism or reincarnation when I began writing this novel. The premise of the story came from a conversation with a business colleague over coffee at the Towson Starbucks. As my colleague enthusiastically shared his interest in these subjects, I knew I had the basis for my next novel, Polakoff said. Ever since he was a teenager, Sam wanted to write novels. For decades, ideas for plot lines and characters invaded his mind. Occasionally, he would write down an idea or two, but using the normal excuses, too busy with work, too tired, or not enough time, he successfully procrastinated for almost 40 years. Eventually, a challenge from a mentor got him started. Today, Polakoff successfully manages the daily rigors of building a 73-year old family business and writing thrillers. Shaman will be published in paperback and e-book formats and will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and 39,000 additional online booksellers around the world. Copies can also be purchased at http://www.sampolakoff.com. About Sam Polakoff Sam Polakoff specializes in writing thrillers with a hint of science fiction to create a unique genre with memorable characters to enhance his stories. He authored the 2018 thriller, Hiatus and is the president, CEO and third-generation owner of Nexterus Inc., a supply chain engineering and technology firm based in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. Sam is also the author of the 2007 childrens book entitled A Christmas Tale, 100% of the proceeds of which support glaucoma research and education. Sam and his wife, Denise, reside in Forest Hill, Maryland. Visit Sams website at http://www.sampolakoff.com. About Komodo Dragon, LLC Komodo Dragon is a Maryland-based publisher owned and operated by author, Sam Polakoff. About Nexterus Nexterus Inc., was founded in 1946 in Baltimore by Abraham Allan Polakoff. Nexterus is a supply chain engineering and technology firm helping small and mid-sized companies to strategically position themselves for growth. Visit Nexterus website at http://www.nexterus.com. Breezy HR has enjoyed strong organic growth and has excellent future potential, which we feel can be enhanced with support from LTG as part of our suite of integrated talent solutions. Learning Technologies Group plc (LTG), the leading provider of integrated talent management and learning technologies software and services, has announced the acquisition of Breezy HR. Breezy HR provides small to medium businesses (SMBs) with feature-rich, intuitive and user-friendly recruitment software in order to optimize their processes and maximize productivity. The acquisition brings a range of benefits to LTG and Breezy HR itself. The addition of Breezy HR to LTGs best-of-breed talent and learning businesses is expected to further consolidate the Groups position in the talent acquisition marketplace, extending its existing enterprise client base to include a new small to medium businesses audience. This move builds on LTG's acquisition of PeopleFluent in 2018, which introduced transformational talent management capability into the Group. Integration activity is expected to leverage components of Breezy HRs software to support swifter and richer feature releases to PeopleFluents enterprise product customers. LTG Chief Executive, Jonathan Satchell, commented, I am delighted to welcome our colleagues from Breezy HR into the Group. We are incredibly excited by Breezy HRs exceptional talent acquisition software. Breezy HR has enjoyed strong organic growth and has excellent future potential, which we feel can be enhanced with support from LTG as part of our suite of integrated talent solutions. We will be seeking to realize swift synergies with our enterprise solution in the PeopleFluent business to the mutual benefit of both companies. It is our intention to bring PeopleFluents expertise to bear on the Breezy HR product road map, providing the necessary insight to enable further development of the SMB offer so that it also presents a compelling proposition to the mid-market segment. Breezy HR will continue to operate under its current brand identity, but will also function as a sub-brand within PeopleFluent, further extending the enterprise brands market whilst bolstering Breezy HRs market positioning and visibility. Breezy HR CEO, Darren Bounds, will continue with the business as Managing Director, in addition to joining the PeopleFluent senior leadership team. Speaking of the acquisition, Darren Bounds commented, Breezy HRs mission has always been to provide a uniquely simple-to-use, yet powerful way to help businesses manage hiring processes. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to combine our vision with that of Learning Technologies Group, enabling us to deliver greater business value and product innovation to both existing and future customers, all at a more accelerated pace than would have been possible on our own. An LTG Product Council has been established to ensure coordinated, complementary development of the overall suite of the Groups talent products and to ensure that the desired synergies are realized as swiftly as possible. Breezy HR is expected to operate as business as usual throughout the 100-day integration. About Breezy HR Breezy HR is a recruiting platform and applicant tracking system that believes hiring doesn't have to be messy. Based in Jacksonville, FL and with customers around the world, Breezy has thrown out the traditional hiring model and replaced it with a set of tools that engage hiring teams, manage day-to-day chaos and ensure teams continue to attract and hire great employees with less effort. To learn more, visit breezy.hr. About Learning Technologies Group Learning Technologies Group is a leader in the high-growth workplace e-learning and talent management industries. The Group offers end-to-end learning solutions ranging from strategic consultancy, through a range of content and platform solutions to analytical insights that enable corporate and government clients to close the gap between current and future workforce capability. LTG is listed on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (LTG.L) and headquartered in London. The Group has offices in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific and South America. For more, visit ltgplc.com. Ntiva, Inc., a growing IT Services company offering managed IT, cloud and cyber security solutions, today announced the acquisition of Diverse Technology Solutions, Inc. (DTS), a cloud service provider for hosted data, voice, and business IT solutions. With this acquisition, Ntiva will expand its geographical coverage to include New York City, Long Island, and Southern Florida, combining the technical strengths of both teams to offer managed and cloud services to businesses looking to successfully compete with technology. We are excited to welcome the DTS team to the Ntiva family, adding additional experience and talent as we continue to grow our footprint, said Steven Freidkin, CEO of Ntiva. As businesses continue to face significant challenges due to rapid technological advancements, the need for managed service platforms with the scale and resources to deliver advanced IT services is becoming more critical. The SMB market is responsible for most of the job and economic growth in the US, but their ability to leverage technology has been limited. There is a huge need, especially when it comes to cyber security solutions, for these companies to have access to the same solutions leveraged by Fortune 500 companies. Ntiva was our first choice for an MSP committed to delivering high-quality services backed by extensive technical capabilities, said Clay Hart, Founder and CEO of DTS. Middle market businesses want to deal with IT providers who are at a certain scale and who have the ability to support mission-critical workloads, as well as provide the security that is necessary as cyber threats continue to escalate. This is the right time for us to join forces with Ntiva, providing an avenue for DTS employees to advance in their careers, as well as offer our clients a stronger portfolio of IT services. Ntiva headquarters and main technology center is located just outside of Washington, DC in McLean, Virginia. This acquisition will increase Ntivas client base to over 700 organizations located across the U.S. About Ntiva, Inc. Ntiva is a leading IT services company that provides businesses across the U.S. with advanced technology expertise and support, including managed IT services, strategic consulting, cloud services, cyber-security and telecom solutions. Their team of world-class talent genuinely cares about the relationships they build and understands that response and precision are fundamental keys to a successful partnership. Ntivas ultimate objective is to help clients leverage their technology investments to improve business performance. Media Contact: Holly Dowden holly.dowden@ntiva.com VP of Marketing, Ntiva, Inc. 703 891 0131 About Diverse Technology Solutions, Inc. Diverse Technology Solutions (DTS) is a leading provider of cloud-hosted data and voice services. For more than two decades, their growing roster of clients across almost every vertical market has counted on DTS cloud service providers to tackle their toughest challenges. Operating out of several data centers across the US, their primary cloud-hosting data center facility is specifically designed and constructed to deliver world-class physical security, power availability, infrastructure flexibility and growth capacity to their clients. MH FacTOURy Summit 2019 will be held June 17-18 in Elkhart, Ind. MH FacTOURy Summit 2019 will feature a full day of home sales seminars at the RV/MH Hall of Fame, 21565 Executive Parkway, Elkhart, Ind., on June 17. That will be followed by a day of factory tours at several area facilities on June 18. The Indiana Manufactured Housing Association and the RV/MH Hall of Fame, in Elkhart, Ind., have scheduled the newly rebranded MH FacTOURy Summit for June 17-18 in northwestern Indiana. In its fourth year, the sit-down education sessions in conjunction with walking tours of local manufactured housing plants is geared toward industry professionals who want to learn more about home building and home buying. Ron Breymier is executive director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association-Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (IMHA-RVIC). Our close proximity to the regions major home building facilities offers a unique opportunity for industry professionals to become more familiar with the advantages of factory-built construction, Breymier said. We can help MH professionals to better serve their customers and explain the benefits of manufactured home living. The tours combined with a day of educational sessions to sharpen their sales skills will be an extremely valuable experience for community operators and retailers. MH FacTOURy Summit will feature a full day of home sales seminars at the RV/MH Hall of Fame, 21565 Executive Parkway, Elkhart, Ind., on June 17. That will be followed by a day of factory tours at several area facilities on June 18. Bruce Thelen, senior vice president at Sun Communities, Inc., will begin educational sessions with a presentation on Building a Culture of Service to Achieve Results. More information on the education agenda and tour schedule will be shared in coming weeks. Manufactured housing community owner/operators and retailers can find more information, stay updated and register for MH FacTOURy Summit 2019 by visiting the event website at mhfactourysummit.com The seminar day will include a continental breakfast, luncheon and reception for attendees. Sponsorship Opportunities Available for 2019 FacTOURy Summit Manufactured housing industry suppliers can attend the 2019 MH FacTOURy Summit as an event exhibitor. Also, manufacturer sponsorships for participating and hosting factory tours are available, among many other opportunities to be involved in the event. More information is available at the event website mhfactourysummit.com. Current sponsors for the 2019 MH FacTOURy Summit include The Indiana Manufactured Housing Association, the RV/MH Hall of Fame, and MHVillage, the leading marketplace to sell, buy or rent manufactured homes. Motherly, Inc. announced today that it has been nominated for Best in LIFESTYLE: Social, in the 23rd Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the Internets highest honor by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet. IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, is comprised of Internet industry experts including Internet inventor Vint Cerf, Instagrams Head of Fashion Partnerships Eva Chen, Director of Harvards Berkman Center for Internet & Society Susan P. Crawford, actor and activist Jesse Williams, GE CMO Linda Boff, Pod Save the People host and activist DeRay McKesson, Googles Head of Conversation Design Cathy Pearl, Fortnite Designer Eric Williamson, HBO Digital Chief Diane Tryneski, Los Angeles Laker Isaiah Thomas, and DDB Worldwide CEO Wendy Clark. MOTHERLY is a community-driven lifestyle brand redefining motherhood. MOTHERLY is the only positive, encouraging parenting site reaching and influencing Millennial moms at scalewhen they are looking for and absorbing more information, products and services than during any other life transition. MOTHERLY supports mamas through their entire parenthood journey, delivering women-centric content that addresses her whole lifestyle through thousands of articles, images, videos, and classes each month. Occupying a unique position in the media landscape, MOTHERLY sits at the intersection of parenting, lifestyle and women's interests to address her entire life and connect her more fully. Nominees like MOTHERLY are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet, said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,000 entries we received this year. Motherhood matters. Motherly is proud to represent the voice of the Millennial mom, and this Webby recognition shows that motherhoodin all its power, complexity and beautyhas arrived." Liz Tenety, Co-founder + Chief Digital Officer, Motherly As a nominee, MOTHERLY is also eligible to win a Webby Peoples Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until April 18th, MOTHERLY fans can cast their votes at vote.webbyawards.com. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, and honored at a star-studded ceremony on Monday, May 13, 2019, at Cipriani on Wall Street in New York City. There they will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve Wilhites Its Pronounced Jif not Gif; Stephen Colberts Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.; and Bjork s A E I O U. About MOTHERLY: MOTHERLY is a lifestyle parenting brand redefining motherhood on behalf of a new generation of mothers. We provide our 30M+ community of mamas with the encouragement, support and inspiration to meet her real life, real mama needs reminding her that motherhood is an opportunity to nurturenot loseher true sense of self. Since launch three years ago, MOTHERLY has emerged as the voice of the millennial mom and in 2019 The Motherly Podcast, This is Motherhood book, Motherly wellness products, and a signature event series will create greater community intimacy through offline connections. MOTHERLY is for women, by women, founded in 2015 by Jill Koziol, consultant/repeat entrepreneur and LizTenety, an award-winning Washington Post editor and digital strategist. Find The Webby Awards Online: Website: webbyawards.com Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards YouTube: youtube.com/webby About The Webby Awards: Hailed as the Internets highest honor by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps, Mobile, and Voice, Social, Podcasts, and Games. Established in 1996, this years Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: YouTube, WP Engine, EY, YouGov, Vitamin T, WNYC Studios, Fast Company, ESA, Product Hunt, and Social Media Week. NCompassTrac Chris is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how our products will be used and experienced around the globe is exactly what NCompassTrac needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation During this transformation, there is no better person to lead NCompassTrac than Chris, said Kevin Cooper, NCompassTracs former CEO and Member of the Board of Directors. Chris is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how our products will be used and experienced around the globe is exactly what NCompassTrac needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth. Since joining the company, Chris has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the companys portfolio of products and services, most notably the companys CARS, KickStart and Whos Up? platforms. NCompassTrac has proven itself to be a leader in the PowerSports and Automotive markets with award winning solutions that have been recognized by both industry analysts and high-tech awards organizations such as OCTANe. I could not be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company, Chris said. The opportunity ahead for NCompassTrac is enormous, and to capitalize on that, we must focus clearly, execute faster and continue to transform. My job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative high-quality products to our customers more quickly. NCompassTrac also announced that Caleb Halford, previously Director of Mobile Technologies, will assume the role of Chief Technology Officer. Caleb will work closely with Chris in shaping the technology and the product direction and will take over management of the NCompassTrac India development team. Caleb has demonstrated his ability to understand our product requirements and marry them with the best of class methods and technology in order to achieve the most efficient end result. States Chris, I am looking forward to working even more closely with Caleb in order to build the next generation of our platform products. Under the restructuring, Kevin Cooper will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer and will assist Chris with the transition to the CEO role. About NcompassTrac LLC NCompassTrac is an industry leader in the development of cloud and mobile based technologies that enhance and increase the revenue potential of companies though out the world. Headquartered in Laguna Hills California, USA, NCompassTrac provides the Automotive, Powersports and other industries products that focus on capturing new and retaining existing customers through patented products and methods. Its customers include Mercedes Benz, Honda, BMW, Lexus, GMC, Harley-Davidson, Polaris, and other major industry brands. For more information: http://www.ncompasstrac.com "By 2017, the rate of closures or mergers among non-profit private colleges was twice the 2004-14 average. Unfortunately, the proposed new regulations are not an effective way to address the challenge." - Greg Sullivan, Pioneer Institute Board of Higher Education proposal risks false positives that could doom colleges, creates potential conflict, and ignores ongoing federal process BOSTON The Baker administration and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) should slow down a fast-tracked proposal to protect students from sudden, unexpected college closings such as what occurred at Mt. Ida College, and use the time to rethink its proposal from top to bottom, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. This is a serious problem that will only get worse. By 2017, the rate of closures or mergers among non-profit private colleges was twice the 2004-14 average, said Greg Sullivan, author of A Risky Proposal for At-Risk Private Colleges: Ten Reasons Why the Board of Higher Education Must Rethink Its Plan. Unfortunately, the proposed new regulations are not an effective way to address the challenge. Under the BHE proposal, a preliminary assessment of the financial viability of all private colleges in Massachusetts would be conducted using the Teach-out Viability Metric (TVM), a tool developed by EY-Parthenon under a no-bid, pro bono agreement. Colleges identified as being at risk would be subject to monitoring by a newly created Office of Student Protection (OSP) to determine if the college has sufficient financial resources to complete both the current school year and the next. Those found to be in danger of being unable to complete both years would be required to submit a thorough teach-out contingency plan for OSP approval, and notify students and other stakeholders of their status by December 1st. Sullivan identifies a number of problems with the proposal. First, it has the potential to create false positives by wrongly identifying schools that are not experiencing undue financial strain. The required December 1 notification would essentially become a drop-dead date; applications for admission would virtually disappear, current students would look to transfer, and faculty and staff would look for new jobs. The underlying components of TVM have not been disclosed. What is known is that its based on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System that is 18-24 months old when its released. The proposal would also create a potential conflict of interest. Both BHE and the Department of Higher Education (DHE) are statutorily mandated to act as advocates of public higher education institutions that directly compete with private colleges. The BHE exempts public colleges and universities from the review all private colleges would undergo. The boards performance during the Mt. Ida crisis does not inspire confidence. It approved the University of Massachusetts acquisition of the college for use as a satellite campus of UMass Amherst, resulting in the termination of all Mt. Ida faculty members and the expulsion of its students from the campus. At a May 2018 Senate Post Audit hearing, UMass President Marty Meehan said UMass should be part of the equation when more private colleges close. The proposal is also myopic in that it ignores ongoing national efforts to improve early warning about colleges in financial distress. BHE has minimal experience in campus finance and it makes little sense to develop a whole new state bureaucracy when federal processes are underway that will likely bring to bear much more sophisticated analytic abilities. The U.S. Department of Education and its regional accrediting agency, the New England Commission of Higher Education, are the appropriate impartial entities to monitor and assess financial viability, said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. NECHE needs to up its game, but they have the expertise and the ability to maintain confidentiality of reporting. Among Sullivans other recommendations is that BHE should completely and exhaustively disclose the underlying components of the Teach-out Viability Metric and its built-in assumptions to allow interested parties to assess its strengths and weaknesses. He also calls on the Commonwealth to use its existing power to hold boards of trustees at private institutions accountable for carrying out their fiduciary responsibilities. Sullivan urges the board to consider a DHE proposal to more fully educate, inform, and support boards of trustees. The Board of Higher Education approved the proposal in January and created an aggressive timetable to implement. Legislation filed on March 6th would give the board the authority to compel colleges to provide the data necessary to accurately and fairly determine the institutions financial condition and to monitor such condition over time and to impose sanctions on institutions that do not comply in a timely manner. About the Author Gregory Sullivan is Pioneers Research Director. Prior to joining Pioneer, Sullivan served two five-year terms as Inspector General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was a 17-year member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Greg holds degrees from Harvard College, The Kennedy School, and the Sloan School at MIT. About Pioneer Pioneer Institute is an independent, non-partisan, privately funded research organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts through civic discourse and intellectually rigorous, data-driven public policy solutions based on free market principles, individual liberty and responsibility, and the ideal of effective, limited and accountable government. "With our solution, you no longer need to make tradeoffs between diagnostic tool performance and cost. An upcoming episode of Innovations with Ed Begley Jr. will focus on advances in revolutionary diagnostic technologies. This episode is scheduled to air 3Q 2019 on FOX Business. Check your local listings for more information. In this segment, Innovations will focus on Credo Biomedical Pte. Ltd. (Credo Biomedical), a molecular diagnostic company from Singapore dedicated to developing advanced diagnostic technologies for the masses. Credo develops, manufactures, and commercializes accurate, rapid, easy-to-use, and cost-effective molecular diagnostic solutions for Point-of-Care (POC) applications. Viewers will learn about Credo Biomedicals POC Real-Time PCR platform, which provides medical professionals with molecular diagnostic results at the point-of-care, to make critical decisions at a cost level traditionally reserved for rapid test. Healthcare is a topic everyone can relate to. People would do anything to restore the health of their loved ones, said Stephen Kao, CEO of Credo Biomedical. Credo Biomedical is a diagnostic company that provides health professionals with the information they need to make critical decisions. Our core motto is to provide advanced medical technology to the masses. We really appreciate the opportunity to be featured on Innovations with Ed Begley Jr. to let people know that, with our solution, you no longer need to make tradeoffs between diagnostic tool performance and cost. Audiences will be educated about the importance of diagnosis, the areas in diagnosis that can be improved, and about Credos approach in resolving these issues. About Credo Biomedical: Credo Biomedical develops and manufactures innovative, cost-effective, and rapid Molecular Diagnostic solutions at the Point-of-Care (POC) in the areas of Animal Health and Human Health. Credo Biomedical believes that by providing the right information, at the right time, and to the right people, it can improve the lives of billions of people and animals around the world. For more information visit http://www.credobiomed.com. About Innovations and DMG Productions: Innovations, hosted by award winning actor Ed Begley, Jr., is an information-based series geared toward educating the public on the latest breakthroughs in all areas of society. Featuring practical solutions and important issues facing consumers and professionals alike, Innovations focuses on cutting-edge advancements in everything from health and wellness to global business, renewable energy, and more. Backed by experts in various fields, and a team dedicated to education and advancement, DMG Productions consistently produces commercial-free, educational programming on which both viewers and networks depend. For more information visit http://www.InnovationsTelevision.com or call Will Spilecki at: (866) 496-4065. Clinart has a strong position as an innovative, leading regional contract research organization offering a full-service end-to-end solution and access in the MENA region. Clinart will support Clinerion by linking sites and hospitals to the global network on Clinerions Patient Network Explorer (PNEx) platform. This will help hospitals in the region be more visible and accessible for global trial sponsors and attract more studies to the region. Clinart will also offer services derived from PNEx for the running of local real-world evidence studies and academic research The partnership supports Clinarts vision to support patients and healthcare providers by making the region more visible to trial sponsors, attracting more international studies to the region, enabling capable local organizations to run real-world evidence projects, and facilitating local academic research across the region. The collaboration will initially focus on the Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. This will expand later to other countries in the region We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with Clinerion in the MENA region, says Alaa Assem, President & CEO of Clinart. We believe that the region can benefit from this partnership through the improvement of visibility of the region on a global level. By providing better access to Real World Evidence data and analytics from the region, we can generate a better understanding of disease prevalence and treatment patterns in geographies which are currently underrepresented. We are strongly positioned to support Clinerion with this initiative and also to support the sites with establishing the required infrastructure and resources needed to successfully deliver. Clinerion is thrilled to have a partner who can support us in our efforts to improve patient outcomes in the MENA region, says Ian Rentsch, CEO of Clinerion. Clinart has an excellent reputation and a network capable of making things happen. About Clinerion Clinerion accelerates clinical research and medical access to treatments for patients. We use proprietary technologies for analysis of patient data from our global network of partner hospitals. Clinerion's Patient Network Explorer radically improves the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trial recruitment by offering data-driven protocol optimization, site feasibility evaluation and real-time patient search and identification to match patients to treatments. Our technology solution provides real-world evidence analytics for medical access. Clinerion facilitates the participation of partner hospitals in leading-edge, industry-sponsored trials and time savings in patient recruitment. We create innovative and disruptive fit-for-purpose solutions which enable pharmaceutical companies to shorten patient recruitment and save costs by streamlining operations and leveraging strategic intelligence. Clinerions proprietary Big Data analytics technologies leverage real-time data from electronic health records which comply with international patient privacy and data security regulations. Clinerion is a global data technology service company headquartered in Switzerland. Clinerion website: http://www.clinerion.com Clinerions Patient Network Explorer: http://www.clinerion.com/index/OverviewOurSolutions/ClinerionPatientNetworkExplorer For more information, please contact: Le Vin Chin Director, Head of Marketing & Communications Clinerion Ltd Elisabethenanlage 11, 4051 Basel, Switzerland Tel.: +41 61 865 60 54 media(at)clinerion(dot)com About Clinart FZ LLC Clinart MENA is a leading regional and innovative contract research organization, offering a full service End-to-End Solution for Phase I to IV / NIS /RWE studies in the Middle East and North Africa region. Clinart offers direct access to MENA countries and other African countries, in line with global standards and local cultures and regulations. Our international experience, as well as our proven track record of successful trials since 2001 assures our clients that Clinart MENA is their reliable partner for the MENA region. Clinart MENA HQ located in the Dubai Healthcare City, UAE, offering direct coverage to the Gulf region. In addition, our local offices in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt and home-based CRAs offering extensive direct coverage across the region, ensuring that minor cultural differences across the region are well managed by our local teams. Our teams have extensive experience and strong network with all key research institutions and hospitals across the region. Clinart website: http://www.clinart.net For more information, please contact: Rania Alshami VP Business Development Clinart FZ LLC Suite 101 | Building 26 | Dubai Healthcare City PO Box 86830 | Dubai | UAE Tel.: +9714 4370551 (UAE office) rania(dot)alshamI(at)clinart(dot)net People Power, the the Internet of Things (IoT) software company providing custom branded services for senior care, security and energy management, announces today the start of a phase two project funded through a research and development grant expected to total $3.9 million from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first phase of the grant focused on researching caregiver needs and developing in-home supportive solutions for dementia caregivers. The results of the collaborative research with University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) have produced key insights into how connected services can best offer assistance and promote peace of mind for caregivers actively involved in providing care for persons with dementia. In phase two, People Power and the Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory will deploy to 480 homes over two years. Key findings from focus group testing of caregivers revealed how a connected solution can best assist in the mission to provide better care for their loved ones with dementia while combatting their own feelings of isolation, stress and loneliness. Knowledge gained through research was applied to the care solution that combines intelligent cloud services, mobile apps and low-cost sensors to create a smart home product that includes important care assistance and social outreach features. Two research studies are planned for phase two, one evaluating deployments in 80 homes and the other involving a broader deployment in 400 caregiving settings. In each study, participants are evenly split between active and control group conditions to accurately measure product impact. It is a great pleasure and an exciting opportunity to work with the talented and dedicated team at People Power on this project, said Dr. Robert W. Levenson, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley. Our collaborative effort to design and evaluate assistive technology has great promise in helping caregivers provide high quality care for individuals with dementia. As the population ages worldwide and the number of families dealing with dementia caregiving increases, there is a growing need for innovative solutions that promote the health and well-being of people with dementia and their caregivers. Noteworthy features that deliver critical insights and alerts for care providers include AI-powered fall detection, wandering notification, and activity and sleep monitoring. Each service is fueled by People Powers patent pending machine learning algorithms that evolve constantly by learning patterns of behavior in order to warn caregivers about incidents of concern and pending hazards. Injuries from falls remain a frequent cause of death among people 65 years of age and older, said Gene Wang, CEO of People Power. Our research targets this concern with industry-leading AI-powered fall detection for crucial improvements in response to life threatening falls when compared to wearable devices or antiquated PERS buttons. The solution also incorporates easy-to-use social features designed to help reduce loneliness and depression of caregivers and seniors by encouraging trusted circles of friends and family to share special moments captured in photos and videos. The work is supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44 AG059458-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. About People Power An IoT software company specializing in the development of smart home and smart building solutions delivered through service provider brands, People Power leads the industry in custom branded IoT services with patented AI technology for recurring revenues in senior care, security, and energy management. For more information visit http://www.peoplepowerco.com Media Contact: Tim Nelson CMO, People Power Co. 1-855-712-9833 Tim(at)PeoplePowerCo.com PolicyAdvisor.com, the simple, quick, online marketplace for Canadians searching for life insurance and related products, officially launched today. Buying life insurance, critical illness insurance, and mortgage protection products should be easy using the latest technology - PolicyAdvisor.com is proving just that. Canadians are remarkably underinsured compared to their global counterparts. According to a recent study, nearly 60 percent of Canadians are anxious about their familys financial security in case of unforeseen life events. PolicyAdvisor.com aims to relieve this anxiety with easier access to financial wellness and protection through its cutting-edge web applications and curated personalized advice. The Canadian insurance industry, and particularly life insurance, is due for a shakeup, says Jiten Puri, PolicyAdvisors CEO and Founder. Modern, connected Canadians are doing themselves a disservice by putting off insurance decisions, through no fault of their own. Insurance buying is needlessly complicated, with product details cloaked in secrecy. Were here to play matchmaker, connecting Canadians to insurance products that suit their needs, all in the few minutes you spend on your phone in a parking lot, subway car, or grocery checkout line. Tech-savvy, mobile-first, Canadian consumers have grown used to the convenience of online services for most of their needs; the insurance industry has fallen behind, requiring potential policy buyers to make numerous, tedious, in-person appointments and preventing them from making insurance decisions. PolicyAdvisors online approach ensures Canadians can shop for insurance, compare plans, and get quotes within seconds, wherever they have access to their computer, phone, or tablet. The company has seamless access to 16 of the largest Canadian insurance company products and quoting information. Their digital solution combines a tech-first, algorithmic approach to parsing Canadas wide-spectrum of complex insurance product information, with an independent and transparent approach to insurance advice and policy selection. This combination of technology innovation and real-world curation ensures PolicyAdvisor.com achieves their mission: making insurance more accessible, faster, and cheaper for Canadians. By entering basic information into PolicyAdvisors easy-to-use digital tools, Canadians can determine their coverage needs and start shopping for plans in minutes, without the need to pay for such advice. Utilizing sophisticated algorithms, PolicyAdvisor.com offers users the lowest rates for life insurance, critical illness insurance, and mortgage protection products available from a large database of the countrys most trusted insurance companies. The easy-to-use interface has been developed based on discussions with hundreds of insurance customers, financial advisors, insurance companies and other market participants. The company supplements its technology-first approach with real-world advice from experienced licensed brokers working behind the scenes, who clients can request to speak to online, on the phone, or through video. PolicyAdvisor.com is also launching a digital magazine. It brings much-needed transparency to Canadas insurance industry and helps explain how and why insurance works the way it does to a new generation embarking on big events and life changes, like marriage, home ownership, and parenthood, in a jargon-free tone and voice not often seen in the insurance industry. PolicyAdvisor.com is today focused on term life, critical illness, and mortgage protection insurance products, with plans to add more coverage options to help protect more Canadians when they most need it. Available initially in Ontario, the company will roll out services to the rest of the country in the coming months. An entire industry is shrouded in secrecy, which keeps consumers from buying insurance products, says Puri. Through education and a seamless online experience, we are empowering Canadians to make more informed choices. About PolicyAdvisor PolicyAdvisor is transforming the way Canadians buy the financial protection they need. We are poised to disrupt a massive global industry by making insurance purchase simpler, transparent, and more human. With life insurance ownership at a multi-decade low and nearly 40 per cent of Canadians lacking any life insurance coverage at all, its clear that the old insurance model isnt working. Thats why were building the tools to help more Canadians get coverage in a quick, intuitive manner. Visit http://www.policyadvisor.com to learn more. Media enquires contact markcluett@policyadvisor.com We are coming to the intersection where the increase in data collection and the defunct of Moores law would make BigData processing more expensive. Qubiqe would allow us to bring data science and AI revolution back on track - without breaking the bank Qubical, Inc announces the first beta release of Qubiqe (read Qubic), a columnar execution engine for Apache Spark that would speed up data queries up to 10x. The company is opening up their sign-up page to the public for those who are interested in trying out the cutting edge technology. Apache Spark is currently the most commonly used technology for analytics, data science, and AI. The nature of horizontal scaling allows users to add more machines to process data faster. This means data processing speed is limited by the number of machines and the amount of money spent. The acceleration of processing speed implies reduced wait time and cost. Here are some remarks from the founder and CEO of the company, Tiong Lee: We are extremely excited to get the product to the beta release stage after working on it for more than a year. Our main mission is to accelerate the data science and AI innovation by speeding up the bottleneck in ETL pipelines and queries. Whether people realize it or not, we are coming to the intersection where the increase in data collection and the defunct of Moores law would make BigData processing more expensive. The consequences of this are stifled data innovation due to the cost. Qubiqe would allow us to bring data science and AI revolution back on track without breaking the bank, Tiong said. To explain how the technology works at the high-level: Qubiqe works by planning a totally different execution plan in Apache Spark and operates on columnar data representation. Columnar-approach for data processing is not new. What is groundbreaking about Qubiqe is the algorithms that make the processing of data much more efficient than traditional approaches. Currently for 1TB distributed TPC-DS we are seeing 2x, 3x, 5x and even 10x performance improvement against Apache Spark. We are still at the dawn of exploring the implications of Qubiqe for BigData processing. Tiong is a software veteran and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience. He has previously worked as a Principal Staff and Lead in BigData team in Ooyala. He also worked in Oracle, Inc on performance monitoring product. While Apache Spark is open-source, Qubiqe is not open-source and adopts a commercial licensing model. One of the main reasons that Qubiqe is not open-source is that performance engineering is hard to achieve at crowd-sourced environment without compromising the integrity of the product. Regardless, we will contribute back to the Apache Spark community as much as we can when we see generic changes that could improve the overall performance of Apache Spark. The company currently is self-funded and according to Tiong, this is mainly to avoid scaling up too fast too soon. We love talking to VC and we always kept them in the loop so that we can raise funding when time is right. The beta sign-up is located at http://qubical.io. Apache, Apache Spark are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. No endorsement by The Apache Software Foundation is implied by the use of these marks. R.H. Kramer has completed her book Save the Hero: Hannahs Story: a riveting and suspenseful romantic drama that keeps the pages turning until the very last chapter. When Hannah Lopez, an attorney working as a legal aid, crosses paths with Owen Sparks, a local bar owner, love and infatuation are natural. His charm, confidence, and good looks are hard for any woman to resist. Witness the love, passion, challenges, and betrayal this once-devoted couple encounter. Witness if their love will be strong enough to withstand when the dust of their deception settles after a shy, selfless Hannah Sparks learns to be selfish. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, R.H. Kramers book is a steamy tale of passion, betrayal, and new beginnings. Readers who wish to experience this engrossing work can purchase Save the Hero: Hannahs Story 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. Skin Farming Jacket The aim of the campaign was to make people aware of how the earth is being damaged through greenhouse gases and how everyone needs to work together, in style. Past News Releases RSS A Design Futurist/Artist is today celebrating after receiving recognition in the third year of the Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards. Shihan Zhang who received an honorable mention in the 2019 awards has become a highly sort after professional. Since starting her career, Shihan Zhang has become highly regarded in her field and has been recognized by International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Core77 Awards, San Francisco Design Week Awards, to name a few. This latest honorable mention has once again put her in the spotlight. Now in its third year, the Fast Company Changing Ideas Awards honors artists, businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that offer innovative solutions to the issues facing humanity. From 2,000 entries from across the globe, there were more than 200 finalists, with 300 honorable mentions and 17 winners. Design Futurist/artist Shihan Zhang, was one of those who received an honorable mention in the Personal Carbon Economy, at the Creativity category. The Personal Carbon Economy campaign which was to promote carbon responsible future gained recognition around the world and became a huge success. The aim of the campaign was to make people aware of how the earth is being damaged through Greenhouse gases and how changes need to be made and how everyone needs to work together. This campaign really changed peoples views and turned heads; hence the reason why it was acknowledged by the Fast Company 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards. It is not surprising that Shihan Zhang has been recognized in the prestigious awards. Her works have been recognized by International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Core77 Awards, San Francisco Design Week Awards, etc. She is currently an incubator artist in Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, and exhibition director for PRIMER Conferences and SF Design week Award Exhibitions. Her work speaks for it self and generates conversation as well as awareness. With her dedication, and artistic flair, Shihan Zhang continues to shine. To learn more about Shihan Zhang, please visit http://www.shihanzhang.com About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Companys major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With a goal of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all. About Shihan Zhang Shihan Zhang is an interdisciplinary designer whose passion lies in challenging cultural stereotypes and social preconceptions through building experiences of future-present intersections. Her works are expanding technologies possibilities and extrapolating world conditions to address Anthropocene challenges. Through a systematic and cultural lens, her works inspire conversation and empower her audience to reflect. She is currently an incubator artist in Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, and exhibition director for PRIMER Conferences and SF Design week Award Exhibitions. SKA LAW GROUP, LLC This is the first year for the SKA LAW GROUP scholarship. The firm hopes to continue with this tradition on an annual basis. Managing partners Amato T. Sanita, Esq., and Michael Kotik, Esq., plan to give out the SKA LAW GROUP scholarship to two individuals who exemplify that they plan on becoming future leaders in the legal profession who are going to change the industry in a positive way. Law students are the future of the legal profession, and SKA LAW GROUP, LLC hopes to give out the scholarship to future lawyers that will change the industry through technology, innovated client-services, and even by fixing legal industry inadequacies. This is the first year for the SKA LAW GROUP scholarship. The firm hopes to continue with this tradition on an annual basis. The submission period for the scholarship begins on May 1st, 2019 and all applicants must submit their entry by August 31st, 2019. SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS AND REQUIREMENTS: 1. Applicants must be attending or planning to attend law school in the United States; 2. Applicants must submit an essay explaining the following: (a) Applicants background; (b) Proof of admission to an accredited law school or current attendance at an accredited law school. (c) Applicants past and current legal innovations; and (d) Applicants desire to improve the legal industry in the near future. 3. The essay must be 500+ words on the above referenced points; 4. Submissions must be made either by email (sklaw126(at)gmail(dot)com) or by mail sent to the following address: SKA LAW GROUP, LLC 1518 Walnut St. Suite 808 Philadelphia, PA 19102. 5. Applicants must include their name, address, phone number, and email address; 6. Emailed essays must be attached as a .pdf.; and 7. Emailed essays must have the subject line SKA LAW GROUP, LLC SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY. Only two individuals will be selected for the scholarship. Each individual will be awarded a $500.00 scholarship from SKA LAW GROUP, LLC. Both winners may be published on one of the firms websites. Winners will be notified by letter, email, or by a phone call. It is an honor to be nominated. PlayCore and SRP worked diligently after the fire and were committed to the staff who stuck by us after the tragedy and the loss of our facility. We are proud that no jobs were lost due to the fire and its recovery. Superior Recreational Products (SRP) was nominated by West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) for the 2019 Manufacturer of the Year in the Medium Manufacturer category. In order to be nominated, companies must meet a minimum requirement of having been in business for three years. Selected nominees were chosen for their positive economic impact, corporate responsibility, and workforce excellence. WGTC chose to nominate SRP to recognize their ability to recover after a tragic fire destroyed one of their manufacturing facilities in July 2018. While the fire was devastating and affected approximately 27 percent of employees, there were no jobs lost due to the fire. WGTC provided training assistance in a variety of classes, so employees remained engaged during the rebuild process. It was our joint aspiration that either the SRP team member would be a better employee after the training or a better employee for the next company they would work for. I believe West GA Tech saw the commitment to better the lives our co-workers and nominated SRP due to this initiative, General Manager and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jonathan Hardesty said. Winners of the twenty-fourth annual Manufacturer Awards will be announced at the 2019 Governors Awards Luncheon on April 18 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Ga. It is an honor to be nominated, Hardesty said. PlayCore and SRP worked diligently after the fire and were committed to the staff who stuck by us after the tragedy and the loss of our facility. We are proud that no jobs were lost due to the fire and its recovery. ### As a PlayCore company, Superior Recreational Products is a manufacturer and supplier of playgrounds, shade, shelter, and site amenities. Our products create and provide joy for communities just like yours. We give children an opportunity to let their imaginations soar on the playground. We shade families relaxing on benches at the park. We host group picnics on Sundays. Together, we can create spaces where people can play, relax, and live. PlayCore is a purpose driven Company committed to building stronger communities around the world by advancing play and recreation. The company infuses scholarly learning, through its Center for Outreach, Research, and Education, into its comprehensive family of brands. PlayCore combines best-in-class educational programming with the most comprehensive portfolio of play and recreation products and services to create tailored solutions that match the unique needs of each community served. The Chinese educators were excited to tour the Teacher Created Materials campus during their visit. The incredible enthusiasm that the Chinese educators brought to everything we did was infectious. We learned just as much from them as they did from us. True to the companys, vision, To Create a World in Which Children Love to Learn, Teacher Created Materials was honored to host 21 Chinese educators in Southern California, April 812, 2019, at the inaugural TCM China Teachers Summit. The purpose of their visit was to participate in hands-on, professional development around research-based teaching strategies for literacy instruction and higher-order thinking skills in order to enhance their teaching and improve their students learning back in their home cities in China. We were honored to host this international learning exchange! said Kim Bernard, Vice President of International Sales. The incredible enthusiasm that the Chinese educators brought to everything we did was infectious. We learned just as much from them as they did from us. Additionally, the educators had the opportunity to visit different American schools in the Buena Park and Westminster school districts to see balanced literacy and inquiry-based learning strategies in action. They witnessed exemplary teachers using the strategies and skills that were presented during the professional development. What an incredible event! We are honored that TCM thought of Buena Park School District when wanting to show a quality Balanced Literacy Program, said Stephanie Williamson, Teacher on Special Assignment-Special Projects, Buena Park School District. Our teachers felt incredibly proud and reinvigorated to have educators from China come into our classrooms and see components of Balanced Literacy. After each site visit, the Chinese educators had the opportunity to talk with the American teachers whose classrooms they observed to ask questions, collaborate, and build relationships. Some even went so far as to exchange contact information in order to form class pen pals with their students during next school year. On behalf of all the teachers from China who visited, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your hospitality during our visit, said Irene Li, TCM Sales Director for China. Unlike many other brief campus tours we have experienced before, the visits to your good schools have impressed us significantly. Not only for the detailed preparation and hospitality offered by your teachers, staffs, and students, but also and more importantly, the confidence, passion, enthusiasm and diversity presented by all the teachers and students have given us a deep impression. We are here to witness, to experience, and to learn the magical effects brought about by the balanced literacy, and we indeed have been touched by this methodology. Definitely, we will bring those positive benefits back to China and hopefully we can influence more Chinese students [of] the same age, which is quite a meaningful thing to do. About Teacher Created Materials Teacher Created Materials develops innovative and imaginative educational materials and services for students worldwide. Everything they do is created by teachers for teachers and students to make teaching more effective and learning more fun. For more information about Teacher Created Materials and their products, visit http://www.tcmpub.com. Michael O. Browning Jr. of Urban Air Adventure Park, Ryan Craver of Commerce Canal and Sherif Mityas of TGI Fridays will each deliver keynotes at the ICX Summit and CONNECT: The Mobile CX Summit. The insights our attendees will gain from just these three speakers alone will be more than worth the cost of admission. Networld Media Group, has announced the addition of three keynote speakers to the agenda of the Interactive Customer Experience (ICX) Summit and CONNECT: The Mobile CX Summit, to be held at the Omni Frisco Hotel near Dallas on June 4-6. Michael O. Browning Jr., CEO of Urban Air Adventure Park, will deliver the opening keynote of the event. Browning founded the indoor amusement park franchise in 2011 and it has since grown to over 270 locations with 140 more locations planned to open by the end of 2020. In a presentation titled Disruption: How Speed & Innovation Can Change an Industry, Browning will shed light on how igniting insanely fast growth can lead to increased market share, big profit margins, and a distinct competitive advantage. Sherif Mityas, Chief Experience Officer at TGI Fridays, will deliver the events closing keynote presentation on personalizing the customer experience using artificial intelligence. Mityas will explore the various opportunities for brands to connect with their customers in a one-to-one relationship through enhanced AI and machine learning capabilities. He will also discuss the ability to utilize these new technologies to create personalization at scale, the business case for adoption and key lessons learned along the way. Joining Browning and Mityas as keynote speakers will be Ryan Craver, CEO of Commerce Canal, a retail advisory firm. Craver has worked with many retail brands including Lord & Taylor, Hudsons Bay Company, Saks, New Balance, Hanes, LEGO, and Best Buy. In his keynote presentation, Craver will dive into and define todays retail customer ranging from the mercurial Gen Z to the dependable Baby Boomer. Hell look at how those consumers are spending their money, how they are spending their time and what tactics can be used to intrigue them. Were excited to have three terrific keynote speakers lined up, said David Drain, Networlds Senior Vice President of Events. The insights our attendees will gain from just these three speakers alone will be more than worth the cost of admission. Early Bird registration for the ICX and CONNECT Summits is open until May 3. Attendees can access both events for the price of one. About Networld Media Group Founded in 2000, Networld Media Group is a leading business-to-business (B2B) global media communications company specializing in digital media, associations and events in the mobile, self-service, digital signage, retail, food service and financial services industries. Online properties include ATMmarketplace.com, BlockchainTechNews.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, FastCasual.com, FoodTruckOperator.com, KioskMarketplace.com, MobilePaymentsToday.com, PizzaMarketplace.com, QSRweb.com, RetailCustomerExperience.com and BiblicalLeadership.com. Networld event properties include the Fast Casual Executive Summit, CONNECT: The Mobile CX Summit, Interactive Customer Experience Summit, Bank Customer Experience Summit and the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit. Networld also operates the ICX Association. BOOM! Creative, provides clients with digital creative, custom media and brand collateral. Its newest offering, World of Money, is a daily e-newsletter that provides a fun and informative look at the trends, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of money and payments. The stage is already set for what promises to be another exciting celebration at the 22nd Annual Awards Benefit and Gala hosted by The 100 Black Men of Chicago (100BMC). The event is slated to take place on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. Emmy Award Winning News Anchor at CBS 2 Chicago, Irika Sargeant, will host the event which commences at 6:00 pm with a VIP reception followed by a dinner and awards ceremony. The 100BMC is Chicagos pre-eminent organization focused on mentoring African American youth. The organization pairs African American youth with successful and accomplished Professional Men and Women offering Youth Mentoring and Community Programs throughout the Greater Chicagoland area Every year since 1997, the organization hosts an award and benefit gala and recognizes outstanding mentees with scholarship assistance. Last years scholarship winners, Nia Curry and Tyler Thomas received checks totaling $4,500. The two are currently pursuing higher education in their chosen field. The 2019 Gala Chairman, Manny Strong, said: The annual awards benefit and gala is such a special event for not just the awardees and honorees but also participants of the mentoring program and other engagement activities which the event proceeds support. Its an evening of celebration but its also an opportunity to help make a difference in the black community. We invite all to come and share in this special occasion. In a city where the unemployment rate among black youth is 80 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The 100BMC is doing its part to make them more competitive in the job market. Over the years the organization has made gainful strides in its mission to improve the quality of life within African American communities and enhance educational and economic opportunities for African males. Guided by its mantra, What they see is what theyll be, the organization places emphasis on education through an Award Winning Mentoring Program, an Annual College Scholarship Fair, Health & Wellness seminars, Financial Literacy and IT/STEM workshops, sessions on Social Etiquette, and setting SMART Goals. Tickets to the Awards Benefit and Gala are now on sale for a cost of $300 per person. Proceeds from the event will support the 100BMCs mentoring program and other community engagement activities. For further details or to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/100-black-men-of-chicago-inc-22nd-annual-benefit-awards-gala-tickets-59257010313. For information on sponsorships, email Manny Strong at manny.strong@100BMC.org. About the 100 Black Men of Chicago Since its inception in 1994, the 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc. (100 BMC) has worked to enhance the lives of those youth and their families who live in socially or economically deprived communities. The organizations primary mission is to help improve the quality of life and enhance educational opportunities for young African American males throughout the Greater Chicago area. They provide on-going educational training programs, mentoring, tutoring, student scholarships, and economic empowerment seminars through the help of our volunteers and community partners. By Fox News, April 16, 2019 As President Donald Trump's proposal to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities increasingly faces backlash from Democrats, Sen. Bernie Sanders admits there's a "serious problem" at the border. "The problem right now is that we are now seeing desperate people fleeing violence and misery in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. With little children walking 1,000 miles," the 2020 presidential hopeful explained during Fox News' town hall Monday night, claiming they're not "trying to sneak in" but rather simply seeking asylum in the U.S. "By investing in a beautiful and functional website, brands will be better equipped to surpass their competition and improve online conversion rates, which will promote long-term success. - DesignRush Founder and Executive Director Gabriel Shaoolian Research shows that online shopping is growing 23 percent year-over-year. And with the development of high-functioning websites and innovative platforms, eCommerce shopping gets easier and easier for consumers. DesignRush.com, a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies, uncovered the best eCommerce features that generate conversions and increase revenue. The three best eCommerce website features of 2019 are: 1. Intuitive Navigation The best eCommerce websites have streamlined and intuitive navigation. This allows users to quickly and easily find the products they are looking for and increases conversion rates. In addition, intuitive online navigation also improves in-store purchases, too. For instance, studies show that 65 percent of consumers look up products to compare prices on their mobile devices while they are in a brick-and-mortar store before making a purchase. 2. Mobile Optimization Over half of all online purchases are made on mobile devices, proving that mobile optimization is imperative for a successful online retail store. The best brands take the time to create a mobile-friendly website that is easy to navigate on screens of all sizes. In addition, many brands choose to create a dedicated mobile app, which can streamline the buyers journey and eliminate distractions such as outside advertisements, which often improves the chance of a conversion. 3. Top-Rated Website Platforms One of the best things that a brand can do for their online store is to build it on a reliable website platform, such as Drupal or Shopify. Many of these programs come with automated features and functionalities that improve user experience, backend management, and ultimately grow the brand effectively. Some features include inventory management, SEO optimization, social media network integration, and more. eCommerce shopping is the future of retail, says DesignRush Founder and Executive Director Gabriel Shaoolian. By investing in a beautiful and functional website, brands will be better equipped to surpass their competition and improve online conversion rates, which will promote long-term success. DesignRushs Agency Listing section features the top local and global Drupal and Shopify website development agencies. The top Drupal website development companies include: 1. California Media LLC California Media LLC is a web service company, offering a wide range of services into web design and development that covers almost all fields in the best possible way. Over the years they have built a strong reputation in providing web site design and web development services. California Media LLC provides brands with an attractive and most convincing website to enhance their marketing goals. Visit California Media LLC at: https://www.californiamediauae.com/ 2. ImageX Media Founded in 2001, ImageX is a technology & web agency with a global reach. They help brands across the world such as Disney, Apple, YMCA, Samsung, Adidas, Adobe and Stanford University architect complex technical solutions and create meaningful digital experiences through user experience, content strategy, stunning visual design, and ongoing digital strategy. With offices in Vancouver, Canada, Kyiv, Ukraine and team members throughout North America, ImageX offers 24-hour web support to brands both big and small. Visit ImageX Media at: https://imagexmedia.com/ 3. Isovera Inc Based just outside of Boston, Isovera Inc is an award-winning strategic website design and development firm with nearly two decades of experience creating top-tier solutions on the Drupal platform. Their dedication to forward-thinking collaborative workflow delivers consistently high-quality results no matter what point in a project they are engaged in. Whether working as a development partner, engaging in strategy and design consulting, or holding custom Drupal workshops and training, the team at Isovera is committed to delivering real value for clients every step of the way. Visit Isovera Inc at https://www.isovera.com/ 4. Kwall Investing in web design is not insignificant for colleges and universities. Its usually a large investment with high expectations riding on the outcome. Thats why so many higher ed institutions have chosen and continue to work with KWALL year over year. No other web agency has more experience with EDU. Visit Kwall at http://www.kwallcompany.com/ 5. MAAN Softwares INC. MAAN Softwares Inc. is a web development company along with a successful work experience in mobile app development. The whole team is focused on one thing: creating world-class digital experiences implementing various cutting-edge technologies like IoT, wearable, enterprise mobility, cloud and mobile solutions that exceed each clients and their customers expectations and establish them as category leaders. With the vision to become the most trusted offshore IT solutions partner for businesses and organizations worldwide, MAAN software is continuously adopting new and latest technology trends coming up in web and mobile app development and various other verticals. Visit MAAN Softwares INC. at https://www.maansoftwares.com/ 6. Moonbird Studios LLC Moonbird Solutions LLC is a Newport, Rhode Island Based Digital Agency Specializing in Website Design, Branding, Social Media and Application Development. Moonbird Design is a small yet ultra-efficient team of developers and designers devoted to creating beautiful, useful, and feature-packed websites while also specializing in branding, social media, and mobile application development. Visit Moonbird Studios LLC at https://moonbirdstudios.com/ 7. Octal Digital Octal Digital is a full-service digital web agency. They build astounding custom websites and mobile apps on numerous platforms, using the latest development technologies on the market so that brands and their users reap all the benefits of a digital world. Visit Octal Digital at https://www.octaldigi.com/ 8. Srijan Srijan's product management and software engineering teams behave as Thought Partners in their clients Digital Transformation Journey. They leverage technology and over 16 years of extensive expertise in delivering complex and high-performance applications to enable the transformation. Srijan is also a global leader in open source technologies with Asia's largest team in Drupal and JavaScript. Visit Srijan at https://www.srijan.net/ 9. StudioRd Design StudioRd Design is an independent brand and product design studio that takes their craft seriously and builds their teams with only the necessary personnel per project. As a lean and nimble team, they like to move quickly and are able to provide their clients with both speed and quality at realistic costs. Their approach combines insightful strategy with high-quality design and they always cater their four-phased approach to meet each client's unique project needs. Visit StudioRd Design at https://studiorddesign.com/ 10. W3Care Technologies W3Care Technologies is an IT Company based in India and found in 2010. W3Care has been providing best website development, extension and maintenance services to its clients. They have expertise in web development and provide development services for all countries. They have successful and satisfied clients of Magento, ExpressionEngine, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Cake Php, Core Php, CodeIgniter and other technologies. W3Care Technologies also has a team of expert mobile app developers for the Android and iPhone/iPad. They have deployed many mobile applications successfully. W3care also has its own quality assurance team and digital marketing team for best services at reliable cost. Visit W3Care Technologies at https://www.w3care.com/ 11. WaveAccess WaveAccess is a results-driven company that provides high-quality custom software development services to hundreds of emerging and established companies globally. The company is honored to have received numerous awards from reputable organizations, including the Academy of Motion Pictures with a Sci-Tech Awards, along with 2017 Microsoft Partner Awards in Business Analytics, and 2018 Microsoft Partner Awards in Artificial Intelligence. Visit WaveAccess at https://www.wave-access.com/ 12. Website Developers India Website Developers India is a Website Development Company with vast experience in eCommerce, Real Estate, Food Delivery, WordPress website design, and development. They deliver high-performance software, web applications, and mobile apps. Their solutions are business- driven, they understand their role as a software development partner. They focus on clear communication and routine updates. This allows transparency and visibility to track progress for every project. Visit Website Developers India at https://www.wdipl.com/ 13. Winklix Winklix houses a team of software development, mobile app development, Salesforce and SAP consultant and online marketing specialists with over 15 years of combined experience to offer the best in software development services. They listen to brands and help them execute their goals making brands more agile, competitive, and profitable. Visit Winklix at https://www.winklix.com/ 14. Zanzarra Zanzarra is a team of technical addicts. They solve business challenges in a technology way. Drupal is their passion and tool of choice. Their team takes care of clients web presence while they focus on doing their business. Zanzarras management approach helps them to meet deadlines. Zanzarra has succeeded in resolving complex issues in huge projects, such as fixing bad architecture, changing project structure without the downtime and, of course, bug hunting. Visit Zanzarra at https://zanzarra.com/ Plus, the top Shopify website development agencies are: 1. Huptech Web Huptech Web is known to help stretch a business and make it visible to a wide spectrum of people using the power of digital media. Their in-house experts are a pro at developing applications that are user-friendly and highly responsive. With the help of graphics experts, Huptech Web revamps a companys entire website by instilling extravagant graphics and content thats in vogue. Their web development experts enhance the website and make the user engagement more responsive and encouraging to let the visitor scroll through the entire website and take prompt actions. Visit Huptech Web at https://www.huptechweb.com/ 2. Akers Digital Akers Digital makes connections between brands and their consumers. With the ever-changing digital and eCommerce landscape, the customer journey isnt as straightforward as it once was. Consumers have multiple digital touchpoints before they purchase: social media, media sites, Google, Amazon, affiliates, review sites, and more. Akers Digital can help customers find you through Google, Search Engines, Digital Advertising, SEO, Email Marketing, and other digital channels, delivering the optimal message at the right time and right place. Visit Akers Digital at https://akersdigital.com/ 3. BMG Media BMG Medias sweet spot is custom web design, branding, and software development. They also excel at providing business automation, e-commerce solutions and mobile application development for startups and small, medium & large-size businesses. With their vast expertise in multiple industries, BMG Media understands what their clients need and craft the perfect solution. While other companies in their industry stick to stock templates that are fast and easy, they take a methodical, custom approach with the tools to scale each business on mobile and on the web. Visit BMG Media at https://bmgmediaco.com/ 4. Clemson Web Design Clemson Web Design, based in upstate South Carolina, provides creative digital solutions for small businesses to enterprise eCommerce clients. From small local WordPress websites to large international Magento website developments, Clemson Web Design offers professional web design, web development, graphic design, ground up SEO and digital marketing solutions. No outsourcing. No middlemen. Just high-quality personalized service and 100% American Made Websites. Visit Clemson Web Design at https://www.clemsonwebdesign.com/ 5. ExenLabs ExenLabs is an enthusiastic team with extensive knowledge of Shopify. Their mission is to put it to great use through helping their clients to build fantastic online businesses. ExenLabs mainly works with startups so they keep the pricing very reasonable for all business types. Visit ExenLabs at https://exenlabs.com/ 6. Grand Apps Grand Apps started in a basement in 2011 with a vision to be the go-to mobile app development company in their hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have since scaled and grew to over 15 employees with an awesome office in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. They have launched over 500 projects ranging from native mobile apps to websites. They have worked with clients across the globe and they can easily help create their clients software. Visit Grand Apps at https://www.grandapps.com/ 7. HTML Pro Head Quartered in Heart of Manhattan with two international offices, HTML Pro is among the NYC's Top Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency helping Start-ups, SMBs, E-Commerce Businesses, Web Agencies, & Large Multinational Corporations for their Digital Transformation, Digital Media Marketing, Website Design, Mobile App Development, Business Automation & Software Solutions Requirements. Visit HTML Pro at https://www.htmlpro.net/ 8. MageNative MageNative, one of the few ventures of CedCommerce, was founded in the year 2016. Started with two young entrepreneurs, and now grown into a team of over 300 profound professionals, they provide mobile solutions for E-commerce merchandisers. Visit MageNative at https://magenative.cedcommerce.com/ 9. Metajive Metajive creates growth-focused experiences through design, technology and modern marketing channels. They specialize in websites, digital products and marketing automation. They partner with Business to Business & Direct to Consumer brands with a holistic strategy that surpasses business goals and increases brand affinity. Metajive defines modern marketing as SEO, retargeting, custom email flows & serving custom content for users. Visit Metajive at http://metajive.com/ 10. Navtech Navtech is known to be one of the Best Mobile App development companies in this world since 2013. They always keep running with a bundle of youthful and energetic software designers. Their Cloud Computing Services with a vision to deliver secure and cost-effective solutions for public, private and hybrid cloud services. Their solutions enable their customers to harbor the benefits of a cloud platform without compromising its agility and efficiency. They transform creative ideas into innovative panaceas which enable their clients to witness a remarkable experience. Visit Navtech at https://www.navtech.io/ 11. Netwise Netwise is a full-service digital agency for the eCommerce age. They are a team of creative and technical specialists working to help their clients get the best results from the web and digital marketing. Visit Netwise at https://www.netwise.jp/ 12. 99 Robots 99 Robots is a results-driven Internet marketing and web development agency offering innovative web solutions to companies across the globe. As a leader in paid search (PPC), paid social, SEO, web design, website conversion, and Internet marketing services, 99 Robots prides itself on generating traffic, converting visitors, and measuring effectiveness to deliver real results for their clients. Visit 99 Robots at https://99robots.com/ 13. ONIL Agency ONIL Agency is Spains no. 1 rated Shopify experts. They work with entrepreneurs and businesses all over the world and they help them build successful businesses that delight their customers. Are you thinking of selling online and you dont know where to start? Do you think that your store looks obsolete and it needs a facelift? Whatever your problem is, ONIL Agency will be glad to help you build the store of your dreams. They want to help brands so their store setup can be an easy, enjoyable and hassle-free process. Visit ONIL Agency at https://www.onilagency.com/ 14. RBD Custom Web Development RBD is a private custom website design and development firm that builds custom websites, provides up to date SEO and social media marketing that innovate and help businesses grow. They know that brands value their business, and when it comes to their website, thats important to RBD, too. RBD works hard to turn each brands vision into a reality and make sure that their site is top shelf. They believe that innovation is the future and it begins right here. Visit RBD Custom Web Development at https://www.rbdwebdev.com/ 15. Realm Realm has been building stores online for over 10 years and absolutely love Shopify! They provide their Shopify services at the highest level possible and earn their Top Shopify Expert reputation. With each Shopify project, their goal is maximizing its success online! Realm is here to guide clients their our years of ecommerce experience. Visit Realm at https://realmwebdesign.com/ 16. Signifly Signiflys approach is based on leading innovation and entrepreneurship experts and refined by their experience with innovation processes and digital projects. They have established a mindset and framework for driving innovation, building digital capabilities and creating new, sustainable business models. Visit Signifly at https://signifly.com/ 17. Studio Umbrella Inc. Studio Umbrella Inc., founded in 2005 by Ronen Hirsch and located in Los Angeles, designs and develops websites of a variety of types for small to medium-sized businesses. They create e-commerce websites, corporate websites, online portfolios, simple landing pages and mini-sites as well as other more customized functionality, plug-ins and add-ons. Visit Studio Umbrella Inc. at https://www.studioumbrella.com/ 18. Unincorporated UNINCORPORATED is an LA-based branding agency focused on web design, ad creative, and digital marketing. They help brands achieve their goals by enhancing the way they think and communicate. They are proud to offer a full range of creative services that support their clients creative, branding, and marketing efforts. They have a proven track record to achieve the highest results for their clients, while amplifying their current strategies and extending their in-house capabilities. Visit Unincorporated at https://unincorporated.pro/ 19. Webkick Webkick is a website design and digital marketing agency with a difference. They provide their clients with a holistic approach to all their online marketing needs, creating minty fresh, great looking websites and digital marketing strategies that actually work. Visit Webkick at https://www.webkick.co.uk/ 20. WeCanFly WeCanFly creates beautiful and functional shops based on the Shopify platform. Thanks to a huge number of ready-made integrations, Shopify is an ideal solution for fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands that want to enter Western markets. Their agency will not only help brands to build a store, but will be a reliable partner in business development. Visit WeCanFLy at http://wecanfly.pl/ 21. WhatArmy WhatArmy has been providing website development, design, updates, monitoring, maintenance, and security for websites since 2011. They work closely with brands to gain an intimate understanding of their site to implement marketing initiatives, while the WhatArmy team keeps the site safe and secure. Visit WhatArmy at https://whatarmy.com/ Brands can view the best Drupal and Shopify website development firms by rates, expertise, experience, case studies, reviews and more on DesignRush. Users can easily filter to compare web development agencies and find the best web developers who can build successful eCommerce websites. About DesignRush: DesignRush.com is a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies. DesignRush features the top agencies around the world, including the best Drupal Web Development Companies, Shopify Development Agencies, Digital Agencies, Logo Design, Digital Marketing, Website Design, eCommerce Web Design Companies, and more. The awards recognize distinguished colleagues in the geothermal community from around the world. The winners will be honored at the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo in Palm Springs, California, USA from September 1518. The Joseph W. Aidlin Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the Geothermal Resources Council and to the development of geothermal resources. The Geothermal Pioneer Award is given for outstanding achievements in the development of geothermal resources. It recognizes the pioneering efforts of members of the geothermal community who have made lasting contributions to the industry, worldwide. The Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Award recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of geothermal reservoir engineering. The Ben Holt Geothermal Power Plant Award honors outstanding achievement in the field of geothermal power plant design and construction. The Special Achievement Award recognizes special or outstanding achievements in any aspect of geothermal energy development and related areas. The recipients of these awards often have a lifetime of achievement in the academic, scientific and commercial geothermal communities and the awards themselves are considered among the most prestigious in the geothermal community. More information on the GRC Awards, including a Nomination Form, can be found on the GRC website http://www.geothermal.org. The deadline for nominations is June 14, 2019. ## About the Geothermal Resources Council: The Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) will be celebrating 50 years of service to the global geothermal energy community in 2022. The GRC is dedicated to advancing geothermal development around the world through education, research, and outreach. For more information, please visit http://www.geothermal.org. Get your daily geothermal news at Global Geothermal News. Network with the geothermal community on LinkedIn. Become a fan on Facebook. Follow GRC on Twitter [@GRC2001 and #GRCAM2019]. Check out GRCs YouTube Channel. See geothermal photos on GRCs Flicker page. ### Across the country, our employees work hard every day supporting our customers. For the fourth year, Trailer Wizards Ltd. has been named a Top Fleet Employer in the Trucking HR Canada industry award program. This recognition acknowledges the company's on-going work and commitment to implementing the best human resources practices. Trailer Wizards Ltd. is honoured to be alongside distinguished business partners promoting a positive image of the transportation sector. Trucking HR Canada is a strong leader, spearheading collaboration among stakeholders in the Canadian trucking industry. Across the country, our employees work hard every day supporting our customers. Our goal is to put in place the best HR practices, tools and support for them. Its because of our people that we are able to succeed and retain talent," says Amy Richards, VP People & Organizational Support at Trailer Wizards Ltd. The Top Fleet Employers Program acknowledges 63 of the best workplaces across Canada in the trucking and logistics industry. Workplaces are rated on areas from recruitment and retention practices, workplace culture, compensation, training and skills development to innovation. About Trailer Wizards Ltd.: Trailer Wizards Ltd. is one of Canadas largest and national providers of flexible commercial trailer fleet solutions. With a fleet of more than 23,000 trailers, over 20 locations, a team of expert technicians, and a leadership team committed to continuous improvement processes, they deliver an industry leading customer experience. For more information, call 1.855.327.9757 or visit http://www.trailerwizards.com We're excited to bring Uncubed's offering, tech, and events to Mediabistro customers. Uncubed, a leading online talent acquisition and recruitment marketing platform, has announced the acquisition of New York-based Mediabistro, the premier careers site for the media sector and other digital professionals. Following the acquisition, Uncubed will provide new services and an expanded offering to the Mediabistro customer base, including employer branding video services, customized recruiting services, candidate experience technology, and events. Mediabistro members and jobseekers will get access to additional content and job opportunities. Mediabistro has been the dominant careers site in the media sector for years, said Chris Johnson, CEO of Uncubed. Were excited to bring our offering, technology, and events to Mediabistro customers and to help them attract candidates with other skillsets. Similarly, we can now deliver a lot more value to Uncubed customers through the Mediabistro platform." Mediabistro will bring complementary jobseeker talent to the Uncubed network, which has traditionally been weighted towards software developers, data scientists, product managers, and others. With the Mediabistro community comprised largely of content creators, designers, and marketers, Uncubed will be able to provide a complete array of skillsets to customers. Uncubed intends to operate the Mediabistro site independently, yet members of both communities will benefit from increased access to editorial and skill-building content, a wider set of job opportunities, and the candidate matching technology that Uncubed continues to develop. About Uncubed Uncubed is a talent marketing and recruitment marketing platform based in New York. A community of diverse, tech-driven professionals trusts Uncubed as a one-stop resource for career advancement, through its innovative job board, matching technology, editorial content, and engaging events. For employers, the Uncubed platform delivers recruitment marketing technology and services including employer branding video services, access to the Uncubed talent network, and related technology and services. Uncubed works with fast-growing startups and innovative Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Peloton, Letgo, United Technologies, Guardian, AB InBev, Vistar Media, and more. To learn more about Uncubed, please visit http://www.uncubed.com. About Mediabistro Mediabistro is a career development platform for media and other digital professionals, offering a one-stop job board and job recommendations engine, along with a premium membership including access to online learning videos and other benefits. Mediabistro was founded in New York in 1999, and later became the leading careers community for those working in publishing and other media-related professions. Customers include a diverse set of companies looking to hire content, marketing, social media, and design talent including the largest media companies in the world. To learn more about Mediabistro, please visit https://mediabistro.com/. This is a game changer for UofL and for the commonwealth. The new skills academy will close the digital divide that has existed between Kentucky and high-tech areas such as the northeast corridor and the west coast." The University of Louisville and IBM announced that Louisville is establishing an IBM Skills Academy on campus that will help move the university, the City of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky to the forefront of data science and digital learning. The academy will open this fall in the Miller Information Technology Center on UofLs Belknap Campus. It will provide future-focused curriculum and educational tools with a focus on helping train todays and tomorrows workforce in fast-growing technology areas such as AI, blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud computing. The academy will be housed in the newly created Center for Digital Transformation. IBMs new artificial intelligence tools and related education initiatives are drawn from methods and technologies IBM has developed in-house to drive its own workforce transformation. The IBM Skills Academy transforms how cultures and people will operate with digital technology, including ethics and human bias in coding. This is a game changer for UofL and for the commonwealth, said university President Neeli Bendapudi. The new skills academy will close the digital divide that has existed between Kentucky and high-tech areas such as the northeast corridor and the west coast. Through the IBM Academic Initiative, IBM will make available software and cloud technology with an estimated value up to $5 million to UofL students and faculty for teaching and non-commercial research purposes. IBM will also provide training for select UofL faculty in eight areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, cloud technology, data science, internet of things, design thinking and quantum computing. Once trained, UofL faculty will teach colleagues and students and serve as workforce development agents for the community. They will help people earn IBM digital credentials or college credit that will better qualify them for high-tech careers. Through the collaboration, UofL faculty also will participate in curricular innovation, including integrating digital learning into their college courses, as well as in K-12 classes. Skills are the most important issue of our time. The true potential in digital and AI systems is in their ability to work in partnership with humans, said Naguib Attia, VP, Global University Programs, IBM. The University of Louisville is empowering students and faculty to flourish in the era of AI and automation by preparing them with the necessary skills to make the partnership between people and AI as beneficial as possible. -- #WeAreUofL -- #IBM InnoSTARS 2018 Grand Finale Event in Suzhou, China. The InnoSTARS competition allows rising tech stars to grow faster and compete more ably at a global level." - Stella Liu, Executive Director, UCIA The US China Innovation Alliance (UCIA) expects hundreds of technology pioneers and global leaders in the startup ecosystem to attend its May 16-17, 2019 US China Innovation and Investment Summit and InnoSTARS competition. The two-day event, held at The Westin Houston, Memorial City, 945 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77024, is organized by the UCIA. Companies have ten-minutes to pitch their technology to judges. Preliminary winners receive an invitation to join the 2019 three-city China road-show to compete in further rounds of InnoSTARS. Semi-finalists round-trip China airfare, hotels, and meals are covered by InnoSTARS, and winners receive cash prizes and media recognition. The road-show includes introductions to Chinese environmental corporations, universities, regulators, and investors interested in US innovation. According to Stella Liu, CEO of the UCIA, Our competition allows rising tech starts to grow faster and compete more ably on a global level. Startups receive the business foundation required for direct exposure to investors. This Summit was a great program to help explore new business opportunities for our company in the Chinese market," says William Altman, CEO of Corlnnova, based in Houston. He continued adding, I learned a lot about what Chinese investors want and how my product might best enter the Chinese market. Last years grand finale winner, PharmaJet of Colorado, secured a distribution partner and investor funding, while finalist UAVOS of California, now has a manufacturing plant in China resulting from the InnoSTARS Grand Finale in Suzhou. The InnoSTARS pitching competition also takes place in the following U.S. cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Maryland, Miami, San Francisco, and Seattle. In 2018 alone, the competition facilitated some 800 business meetings between US companies and Chinese associates, leading to confirmed partnership and investment agreements. Tickets to the US China Innovation and Investment Summit: https://ucis2019.uschinainnovation.org/signup The US China Innovation Alliance is a non-profit promoting innovation and collaboration among the US and China. ### The US China Innovation Alliance (UCIA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that promotes innovation collaboration between US and China through the annual US China Innovation & Investment Summit and the InnoSTARS Competition, which is designed to connect U.S.-based technology companies with Chinese partners, service providers, and investors. Learn more: https://ucis.uschinainnovation.org/ The trends we have observed over the past few years indicate that accounting allegations continue to be an important part of both securities class action filings and settlements. - Elaine Harwood, Cornerstone Research Vice President Securities class action settlements involving accounting allegations reached the second-highest total in the last 10 years. At the same time, accounting case filings dropped slightly in 2018 but still remained at uncharacteristically high levels, according to a report released today by Cornerstone Research. The report, Accounting Class Action Filings and Settlements2018 Review and Analysis, found that while the number of accounting case settlements declined to 41 in 2018 from 49 in the previous year, total settlement value increased by more than five times to almost $4.5 billion, compared to $883 million in 2017. The dramatic increase was due to a handful of large settlements. There were 143 accounting case filings during 2018, down from 165 in 2017, but still nearly 86 percent higher than the 20092017 historical average. The total was driven by the filing of 79 M&A-related accounting cases alleging failure to reconcile a non-GAAP measure to a GAAP measure. Author Commentary Elaine Harwood, Vice President: The trends we have observed over the past few years indicate that accounting allegations continue to be an important part of both securities class action filings and settlements. Frank Mascari, Principal: Market capitalization losses for core accounting case filings rose to its highest level in the last 10 years, corresponding with the trend of cases being filed against larger issuer defendants. Laura Simmons, Senior Advisor: 2018 was a milestone year in that the total value of all cases settled since the passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act in 1995 surpassed $100 billionaccounting cases have represented the vast majority of those settlements, totaling over $86 billion. Highlights Accounting case filing and settlement activity. There were 64 core accounting case filings in 2018, an increase of 10 percent from 2017. Accounting case settlements comprised 88 percent of the total value of securities settlements. Defendant firm size. At $1.5 billion, median market capitalization of issuer defendants in core accounting case filings was more than double the 20092017 average. The median market capitalization of issuer defendants in accounting case settlements was the second largest in the last 10 years. Large accounting case settlements. Out of the five settlements in 2018 that were $100 million or more (mega settlements), all involved alleged weaknesses in internal controls, and four involved allegations of GAAP violations. Restatements. Cases involving financial statement restatements were 20 percent of the total number of core accounting case filings. Three out of the five mega settlements in 2018 involved restatements. GAAP allegations. Median settlement amounts for cases involving GAAP allegations almost doubled, from $5.5 million in 2017 to $10 million in 2018. Industry. The number of accounting cases filed in the Financial sector increased by 83 percent in 2018. The value of Energy sector accounting case settlements represented nearly 70 percent of the total for all accounting settlements in 2018. About Accounting Cases Cases are considered accounting cases if they involve allegations related to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) violations, violations of other reporting standards, auditing violations, or weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting. Merger and acquisition (M&A) filings are securities class actions that have Section 14 claims, but no Rule 10b-5, Section 11, or Section 12(2) claims, and involve M&A transactions. Core filings are all federal securities class actions excluding those defined as M&A filings. About Cornerstone Research Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of complex litigation and regulatory proceedings. The firm works with an extensive network of prominent faculty and industry practitioners to identify the best-qualified expert for each assignment. Cornerstone Research has earned a reputation for consistent high quality and effectiveness by delivering rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis for 30 years. The firm has 700 staff and offices in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington. See Cornerstone Researchs website for more information about the firms capabilities in economic and financial consulting and expert testimony. http://www.cornerstone.com Twitter: @Cornerstone_Res Get a new Toyota vehicle in Lompoc with the college rebate program. Graduation is around the corner in Lompoc, and it isnt unusual for college students to need a vehicle within the next few months. Thankfully, there are vehicle deals for college graduates that are readily accessible to graduating students. Local dealership Toyota of Lompoc has a Toyota vehicle rebate program available for recent and upcoming college graduates. This is a $500 rebate on new and unlicensed Toyota models. College graduates must have either proof of graduation in the last two years or in the next six months as well as proof of employment in order to qualify for this rebate deal. Further information about this rebate can be found on the dealership website or by contacting its finance team. Students who still need to choose their future vehicle can find information about the Toyota models on the dealership website. It has a variety of different blogs as well as information about specific models. Large SUVs like the 2019 Toyota Highlander and smaller sedans like the 2019 Toyota Camry and many models in between are ready for a test drive today, so shoppers are encouraged to contact the Toyota of Lompoc to learn more about this opportunity. College students and other shoppers who are looking for their next Toyota vehicle can find it at Toyota of Lompoc. This dealership has a knowledgeable team who can assist shoppers in narrowing down their search for the right vehicle. Shoppers can contact the dealership by calling 888-490-9377 or through their website at http://www.toyotaoflompoc.com. The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester is one of the 53 founding organizations of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. We want to take our message beyond the 650 people at our breakfast event and inform the broader community about the work we do to provide children with a safe, fun and affordable option for before and after school care and during the summer months, said Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO. Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig will declare Boys & Girls Club of Manchester Day on Wednesday, April 17 at the organizations annual fundraising breakfast at the DoubleTree Downtown Manchester. To help promote this initiative, the Manchester Club will utilize media that day and leading up to April 17 to create greater awareness of their mission and service to youth. We want to take our message beyond the 650 people at our breakfast event and inform the broader community about the work we do to provide children with a safe, fun and affordable option for before and after school care and during the summer months, said Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO. April 17 will be everyones chance to make a gift in support of our kids, the future leaders of our great community. The theme for this day of giving, Be a HeroHelp a Club Kid, promotes the idea that every individual has the opportunity to impact another life. Not all heroes wear capes, said Diane Fitzpatrick. The members of our community who have supported this organization for the past 112 years are our heroes. We couldnt do the work we do without the generous support of our community. Our parents who work tirelessly to care for their kids, our staff who provide mentorship and unique opportunities for our members, our corporate partners and donors, and our kids who overcome difficult obstaclesthey are the true heroes. A few highlights from the past year include: Serving 4 ,014 youth in 2018 2,514 as Club members and 1,500 through community outreach. Operating three Club sites in Manchester and a summer camp in Bedford, with 60 adult staff and more than 73 program volunteers. More than 70% of Club members qualify for free or reduced fee school lunch and 43% live in single-parent households. In 2018, the Club served 7,748 breakfasts, 98,500 snacks and nearly 35,000 dinners through their food service program and served 16,866 summer meals to day campers and teens. The ABC Program, a partnership with the Manchester School District, provides staff members the ability to track school grades, attendance and truancy, as well as behavioral issues in real time. Through a partnership with Northeast Delta Dental and Virtudent, 85 children visited the on-site dental clinic. Children needing extended dental care were referred to Easter Seals New Hampshire. The Keystone Club a teen leadership program worked with SNHU students in the Advanced Public Speaking Class to develop speech-writing and public speaking skills. The Saturday 500 Degrees program helped teens explore and prepare for post-secondary education and career opportunities. $85,315 was awarded in summer financial assistance to help parents afford summer camp fees. Every gift, no matter how large or small, will have an impact. Unleash your inner hero! Make a gift to support the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. Visit http://www.BeGreatManchester.org today! And when you do, share the news on social media using the hashtags #BGCMHero and #GreatFutures. About Boys & Girls Club of Manchester The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester is one of the 53 founding organizations of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Manchester Club was incorporate in 1907 and currently has an annual membership of nearly 2,000 boys and girls. The organization operates programs at three sites throughout the greater Manchester area. For more information visit, http://www.BeGreatManchester.org. By IB Times, April 16, 2019 Arrested Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may not face the death penalty in the U.S if extradited. The arrest of this Internet activist took place in London on April 9 from the Ecuador Embassy on two warrantsone from the U.K. and other from the US. We Hunt the Flame is 25-year-old Hafsah Faizals debut novel, set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Arabia. The YA novel follows a couple of misfits who embark on a quest to retrieve a lost artifact that will restore magic to their landa teenage girl who disguises herself as a man to move about freely, and a young assassin who will himself be killed if he dares show compassion. PW spoke with Faizal about the inspiration behind We Hunt the Flame, her journey from blogger to influencer to published author after finding an agent via #DVPit, weaving tales to dispel stereotypes, and the impact of her identity as an American Muslim upon her writing. What inspired you to write a YA fantasy novel? Was there any specific, real-life experience or incident that led you to weave this tale? Maybe its the juxtaposition of how far-fetched yet relatable fantasy is, but theres something about the genre that makes me gravitate towards it no matter what. When I started writing We Hunt the Flame, it only made sense to set it in the genre I loved. I wouldnt say any particular real-world incident inspired the storyit was, in fact, sparked by the question, What if The Hunger Games was set in a fantasy world?but in the uncanny way that the subconscious works, the real world did find its way into the narrative, from the current misconceptions surrounding women to the horrific gassing of innocent civilians in Syria. How and when did you begin writing fictionand do you write poetry? Theres a lyrical element to your writing that is reminiscent of poetry. Funnily enough, Ive never had the patience for poetry, so Ive never tried my hand at it. That said, Id never been a fan of writing or reading either, until I was so lonely that I picked up a book just because I had nothing else to do. I had my first foray into YA fantasy through the sweeping tale of Graceling, and I've been an avid book lover ever since. I wrote my first full-length novel at 17, after a particularly vivid dream wholly unconnected to We Hunt the Flame, which was my 5th novel, though it felt like my first in many ways. Theres been an interesting evolution in your relationship with the publishing community. You entered it as a fan and blogger, and became a website and swag designer, and now you are an author. How does it feel for you, going from being a reader to actually becoming a published author yourself? It was certainly an evolution! I started blogging in September 2010, so it's been a nearly 10-year journey in the making. After being a long-time observer of the publishing world from the outsidemarketing and publicityit's interesting to see the dynamics from within publishing, particularly before ARCs are printed. I wont deny the invaluable knowledge blogging and designing have given me, much of which I continue to use as we lead up to publication. At the very least, it has made the experience that much more surreal, because I know publishing is such a difficult industry to break into. You were born in Florida and grew up in California, and now live in Texas. You are also a Muslim woman who wears the niqab. Are you concerned about any backlash due to your identifying as Muslim, particularly in light of the Islamophobia recently directed at Congresswoman Ilhan Omar? Being part of a minority constantly vilified and demonized in the media means Im always concerned about backlash due to my identity, but Im lucky to be surrounded by people who are genuinely kind, caring, and supportive. Do you consider We Hunt the Flame to be a political book or making a political statement? Theres this automatic assumption that when an author of color creates a piece of art, it must be an allegory, which is one of the two reasons why We Hunt the Flame isnt connected to my faiththe other being that I didnt feel comfortable mixing elements of Islam with fantasy. I did, however, want to create a world that displayed the Middle East as it is: home to thousands and thousands of peoplenot the demonized and exoticized region that fiction and the media portray it asin the hopes that someone will think, Hey, we're not so different from them after all." Can you describe your writing process, the world-building and character development? Plus you are a designer, so how does this affect you as a wordsmith? Each story I write follows a different process, but for me, the world always comes more easilyconstructing the architecture and landscape, painting the atmosphere, and the history of the kingdom. Id say this has to do with being a designer and a very visual person. Characters, on the other hand, develop through edits as the story progresses. With each new pass, I tend to uncover new facets to the cast, from the protagonists and secondary characters to the leaders and villains. Who are your three primary literary influences and why? Tough question! Im continuously in awe of countless authors, but there were a few whose literary masterpieces inspired my own writing. Renee Ahdieh and her The Wrath and the Dawn duology, with its lush and alluring storytelling. Leigh Bardugo and her Six of Crows duology. Its bursting with action, yet somehow manages to keep track of six characters and their wholesome stories. And last, but not least, Roshani Chokshi. Shes so down-to-earth, relatable, and fun, yet her writing is out of this world in terms of how magical and lyrical it is. You found your agent, John Cusick of Folio Literary Management, through the Twitter pitch event #DVPit. Many authors have found their agents through #DVPit, and everyone has a great story. Can you tell us about your experience? I had just finished up the first draft of We Hunt the Flame the month of #DVPit, and it was nowhere near ready for pitching. But I had been tweeting avidly about the book before, and a few agents encouraged me to participate. And so on the day of the event, I just threw together a pitch and thought, Lets see how this goes. It turns out, the pitch was better than I gave it credit for: it garnered over 100 requests. I queried about a third of those agents, received offers from a third of them in less than a week, and ended up signing with my agent shortly after. How much can you tell us about whats in store for Zafira and Nasirand the other charactersin the second installment of your duology? In book two, we see the characters thrown out of their element. Neither personathe infamous assassin nor the legendary hunteris entirely accurate anymore, and both Zafira and Nasir will need to fit into their own skins in order to defeat their foeswithin and without. As for Altairs fate? Well... We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99, May 14 978-0-3743-1154-4 The mellifluous voice of Scott Simon can be heard every Saturday morning on NPRs Weekend Edition and, come January, the award-winning host will also share his storytelling talents with a younger audience: Sunnyside Plaza, Simons debut middle grade novel, will be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on January 21, 2020. The cover is revealed here for the first time. Simon, who has won an Emmy, a Peabody, and every other major award in broadcasting for his personal essays, war reporting, and commentary, is already the author of eight books for adults, a mix of memoirs and novels. My wife and I were talking about what to write next. Do I write another memoir?, which I didnt want to do. Do I want to write a novel? Our children overheard us and from that came the idea to make this a father-daughter project, he said. Simon has two daughters, Elise, 15, and Paulina, 12. He wrote about their adoption in Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other (Random House, 2010). The result focuses on a group Simon had long wanted to write about: intellectually disabled adults. The novels title, Sunnyside Plaza, is the name of a fictionalized group home on the north side of Chicago, based on the center where Simon worked while attending the University of Chicago. I remember the first time I had walked in there being a little bit staggered. How will I communicate with these folks? What I am doing here? he recalled. He figured it out. Its an overworked phrase, but it was a transformative experience for me. His night shift left him free to attend classes during the day and eventually pursue a career as a reporter. I was charged with putting the people in my caseload to bed, helping them brush their teeth and wash their faces, lining them up to take their medications, he said. I loved it while knowing I didnt want to do it for the rest of my life. I felt so blessed to have learned from them to be humble about looking into the lives of other people, and about not making judgments too quickly. In a departure from the conventions of childrens literature, the main character, Sally, is not a child. She is 19 and something of a savant. Her powers of observation come into play when fellow residents die in succession, and detectives from the Chicago police department start investigating. Simons manuscript consultantsElise, Paulina, and Elises school friend, Adelaide Machado-Ulmpersuaded him it was okay to break with tradition. As an experiment, I tried three or four chapters in the voice of Miriam (the adolescent daughter of one of the detectives) and my readers were emphatic about it being a mistake, Simon said. The girls told me with Miriam narrating, it felt like every other middle grade book. Having Sal-Gal narrate opened up Sals mind to them. But writing in the voice of a developmentally disabled person was a challenge. Writing is never easy but I am used to writing as myself, he said. This was altogether different but that was the value in doing it: to put myself in a position to recognize the features of the world around her that would mean something to her. Simon hopes that by shining a light on a population that is underrepresented in fiction, young readers will gain some understanding about the mentally disabled and the special gifts they have to offer. Having become a father, Im in a position to know about the long-range power that middle grade literature can have on people, he said. Ive looked for years for the right way to tell this story, but it took having daughters for me to understand how to do it. Sunnyside Plaza by Scott Simon. Little, Brown, $16.99 Jan. 21 ISBN 978-0-316-53120-7 The 100th anniversary of Childrens Book Week is shaping up to be a momentous occasion. Numerous participants, partnerships, and interactive opportunities are in the works, all designed to pay tribute to the artists and illustrators who have left an indelible mark on childrens literature. With brainstorming sessions that began early last year, the Every Child a Reader board and staff decided on a two-part goal for the 100th anniversary: to create a yearlong celebration and to honor the past with an eye toward the future. We almost bit off more than we could chew, said Shaina Birkhead, associate executive director of the Childrens Book Council and Every Child a Reader. But thanks to our member publishers, an awesome lineup of book creators, our literacy partners and, as always, Americas teachers, librarians, and booksellers, were already on our way to a fun-packed year and a vibrant future. Below are some of the highlights marking the centennial celebration, which will take place April 29May 5. Partners aplenty. According to Birkhead, the agenda was designed to build excitement all winter and spring, have a huge Book Week in May, and then continue into the fall with another Book Week in November and a steady release of art resources and events. Another major component focused on securing new partnerships and a spokesperson to further drive marketing efforts. Reed Exhibitions/BookCon, KidLit TV, Rabbit hOle, and Parents magazine have signed on to promote CBW, joining established partners Sesame Workshop, Screen Free Week, and First Book. Actor and cookbook author Ayesha Curry, chosen for her background as a passionate advocate of reading to kids, has been named CBW spokesperson. Uptick in participation. More than 1,300 participating schools, libraries, and bookstores are scheduled to participate in CBWup 62% from last year. Birkhead attributes the increase in school participation to the councils extensive communication with hundreds of schools during the relaunch of the Get Caught Reading program last fall. For the second year in a row, we are in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, she added. Registration is currently closed, and the online map can be viewed on the Every Child a Reader website. All-encompassing theme. Following last years One World, Many Stories focus, the CBW team wanted to create an anniversary theme that would emphasize the present as well as the future. The chosen slogan Read Now, Read Forever is designed to honor that sentiment. Theres still so much to be done in every community to promote a love of reading, and Yuyi Moraless beautiful and touching poster shows kids sharing books with each other, now and forever, Birkhead said. Approximately 125,000 copies of the official 2019 CBW poster will be distributed. Collaborative poster. In addition to Moraless poster, a special poster featuring artwork by 12 illustrators will pay tribute to the 100th anniversary. The featured dozen includes Sophie Blackall, Eric Carle, Bryan Collier, Grace Lin, Juana Martinez-Neal, Barbara McClintock, Frank Morrison, LeUyen Pham, James E. Ransome, Erin Stead, Melissa Sweet, and Raina Telgemeier. Individual panels are being released online, with the last panel to be shared at the end of the second week-long celebration in November. We hope to do a limited print run of the full poster in 2020 after all the panels have been revealed, Birkhead added. 100 Videos, Spotlight Events. One hundred KidLit TV videos will air from mid-April to December, and individual videos are being released two to three times a week. Each two- to three-minute video will feature book creators discussing their favorite childrens book characters. Our goal is to connect kids with creators and make a series of videos that honors the 100th anniversary, but will remain an evergreen resource for teachers, librarians, and parents, Birkhead noted. In addition, 100 authors and illustratorsup from 50 last yearwill be showcased during Spotlight Events at bookstores and libraries across the country. On April 29, Books of Wonders Peter Glassman will host a 100 Years of Childrens Book Week Posters event with author and historian Leonard S. Marcus and six Book Week illustrators. (Random Houses Knopf imprint recently issued an updated version of Marcuss book on Childrens Book Week posters.) Three major book festivals, taking place on May 5, will add to the festivities: OMG in St. Louis, the Hudson Book Festival in Hudson, N.Y., and the Bay Area Book Festival in San Francisco. Commemorative comics; posters on parade. In a CBW first, comic-based activity pages will be available for download. Featuring the work of Jed Alexander, Morgan Clement, Gale Gilligan, Kazu Kibuishi, Yehudi Mercado, Chad Sell, and Judd Winick, the activities can be accessed here. At the Rabbit hOle museum in Kansas City, Mo., a centennial anniversary-themed display will include Bruno Munaris 1964 poster and Ezra Jack Keatss 1965 poster. More details on the fall opening will be released in the coming months. Awards alert. This years Anna Dewdney Read Together Award will be presented during CBW. Birkhead said the exact date will be disclosed once voting closes and a venue has been secured for a related Spotlight Event. Voting for the Childrens and Teen Choice Book Awards will extend to BookCon this year, and winners will be announced over the summer. In a response to growing demands for diverse content as well as frustration over the lack of visibility for comics creators of color, cartoonist MariNaomi decided to take action. In 2014 she launched the Cartoonists of Color database and the Queer Cartoonists database, an online resource that lists a total of 1,294 cartoonists of color and about 944 queer cartoonists. Both databases are labors of love that are largely run and maintained by MariNaomi. An author, graphic novel artist, public speaker and community activist, MariNaomi is the author of the graphic memoir Turning Japanese, the Eisner Award-nominated short story collection Dragons Breath, as well as Losing the Girl and Gravitys Pull, the first two books in a young adult graphic novel trilogy from Lerner Books. When shes not creating new graphic works, shes cohost with Myriam Gurba of the podcast ASkBiGrlz, an advice podcast focused on the bisexual and bi-racial point of views of the show's two cohosts. The two databases were launched with the goals of achieving visibility, inspiration and community building, she said. Both sites provide a resource for comics creators, publishers, editors, librarians, academics, journalists and event managers; anyone looking to discover new creators. Largely created and funded by MariNaomi, both databases are free for artists to join and free for anyone to use. Cartoonists can submit their contact info to the database to be listed. MariNaomi (who is half-Japanese) said that the need for the databases occurred to her after she noticed an article that spotlighted 20 female cartoonists who draw themselves naked. Although delighted that the article focused on women making comics, MariNaomi was dismayed that the story included only white women cartoonists. I was sick and tired of feeling invisible; tired of not seeing diverse representation and of hearing that there werent diverse creators out there, which I suspected was bullshit she said. It inspired me to start telling stories about race, which was something that I had avoided since I was told that my story wasnt universal enough a few years back. She created the online story An Illustrated Guide to Writing About People of Color, to address the issue. But searching for other creators of color was a big disappointmentall she could find was an article about five black guys who draw superhero comicsso she turned to social media and compiled a list of about 100 diverse creators. Then it hit me: I had a list and if I didnt do it, no one else would, she said. So she launched the Cartoonists of Color database first, with listings that included creators names, ethnicity, location, birthdate and the genres they work in as well as a website link and contact info. Next came the Queer Cartoonists listing. The databases grew and before too long, MariNaomi was deluged by people with very time-consuming ideas to improve the database. Then along came Cameron Decker, who MariNaomi described as a white male cis-gendered programmer who had no vested interest in this other than that he wanted more diverse comics to read. Decker redesigned both databases and worked with MariNaomi to improve the site. In 2018, Hiveworks, an online platform for webcomics and graphic novel publisher, stepped forward to host both databases on its servers for a least a year. The site continues to be funded out of pocket by MariNaomi, who has also established a Patreon subscription account, which allows patrons to pay the databases an regular stipend to support its work. Decker gets occasional payment for his work, while MariNaomi handles the updates, which inevitably go on hold when shes on deadline for her own works. The impact of both databases has been felt by both comics creators and the people who want to hire them. Hope Nicolson, publisher of indie comics publisher Bedside Press, and editor of The Secret Loves of Geeks (Dark Horse), a comics anthology about sexual and gender diversity, praised the sites. Maris database was incredibly useful to be able to look through a wide array of portfolios at once, to see whose style I wanted to publish, Nicholson said. MariNaomis databases are essential and every comic publisher should be kicking her some cash for all her hard work. Indeed, the indie comics community has rallied around the two databases. Joamette Gill, publisher of Power & Magic Press, called the sites invaluable citing their importance to the publisher's latest anthology, Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy. Jeff Yang, the editor behind the Secret Identities Universe, a series of comics anthologies featuring Asian and Asian American comics creators, said the databases were indispensable. It really is the case that inclusion isn't about a dearth of talent but a dearth of awareness the work being done by creators of color and LGBTQ+ creators really should put them at the forefront of the comics profession, Yang said. Simply bringing these individuals together is a tremendous service, for the creators and for those who want to work on projects that represent a full spectrum of diverse voices. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. More than 4,600 undergraduate students are expected to participate in Purdue Universitys spring commencement ceremonies, set for May 10-12 in Elliott Hall of Music on campus. The commencement will again be divided into six ceremonies, each keynoted by Purdue President Mitch Daniels. The schedule is as follows: * Division I Friday, May 10. 3 p.m. Graduate School (All schools and colleges). * Division II Friday, May 10. 7 p.m. College of Liberal Arts and Purdue Polytechnic Institute. * Division III Saturday, May 11. 9:30 a.m. The colleges of Agriculture, Engineering (schools of Agricultural and Biological, Materials and Mechanical) and Pharmacy (including Pharm.D.). * Division IV Saturday, May 11. 2 p.m. The College of Engineering (Aeronautics and Astronautics, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Construction, Electrical and Computer, Engineering Education, Environmental and Ecological, and Industrial and Nuclear). * Division V Sunday, May 12. 9:30 a.m. The colleges of Education, Health and Human Sciences (including Doctor of Audiology and Doctor of Nursing Practice) and Veterinary Medicine (including DVM). * Division VI Sunday, May 12, 2 p.m. The Krannert School of Management, and the College of Science. About 7,103 students are candidates for degrees, and approximately 4,659 undergraduates are participating in the commencement ceremonies. Also participating will be 1,063 graduate students and 231 students from the professional programs. Each undergraduate division will feature a student responder. Filippo Lippi of Brownstown, Indiana, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership from Purdue Polytechnic Institute, will be the student responder in the Friday evening (Division II) ceremony. Olga O. Vlashyn of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, who will receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the College of Pharmacy, will be the student responder in the Saturday morning (Division III) ceremony. Paige M. Rudin of Carmel, Indiana, who will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the College of Engineering, will be the student responder in the Saturday afternoon (Division IV) event. Lucas W. Turner of Crawfordsville, Indiana, who will receive a Bachelor of Science in health science from the College of Health and Human Sciences, will be the Sunday morning (Division V) student responder. Nicholas D. Sprecher of Indianapolis, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science in industrial management from the School of Management, is the student responder for the Sunday afternoon (Division VI) ceremony. Tickets are required for admission to Elliott Hall of Music. Doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony. All students will have their name called and receive their actual diploma at the ceremony. Diplomas for all candidates who do not attend commencement will be mailed approximately six weeks after the May ceremonies. The commencement exercises will be livestreamed at http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/iazv9, and the video will play once broadcasting starts. A release on West Lafayette ceremonies parking is available here. Commencement ceremonies also will take place at Purdue Fort Wayne and the Purdue Northwest campuses. Purdue Fort Wayne will hold its commencement at 4:30 p.m. May 8 in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Chancellor Ronald Elsenbaumer and Lorenzo Suter, CEO of Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne, will speak. Approximately 1,642 students are eligible for 1,743 degrees or certificates. Purdue Northwest will hold three commencement ceremonies at the Fitness and Recreation Center on the Hammond campus on May 3-4. The first ceremony will be at 3 p.m. on May 3 for the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. On May 4, two ceremonies will take place at 11 a.m. for the College of Business and the College of Nursing and at 3 p.m. for the College of Engineering and Sciences, and the College of Technology. A fourth ceremony will be held at Purdue Northwests Westville campus at 3 p.m. May 6 in the H.D. Kesling Gymnasium in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex. PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon will preside, and Indiana state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon will deliver the keynote address for all commencement ceremonies. Purdue Northwests spring graduating class consists of 1,251 candidates, which includes two doctoral degrees, 146 masters degrees and 1,103 baccalaureate degrees. Writer: Matthew Oates, 765-496-2571, oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates Source: Christine DeHahn Pass, senior assistant registrar, 765-494-6163, dehahn@purdue.edu WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: NEW FACES, EIGHT WOMAN TAG MATCH, A NEW MEMBER OF THE NEW DAY (FOR A DAY), AND MORE We take a look at the new talent on Raw after the first part of the Superstar Shakeup. We are in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and your announcers are Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton. Kevin Owens makes his way to the ring and he is dressed for the occasion for the Kevin Owens Show. Kevin has three chairs in the ring, but no table. Kevin welcomes everyone in French. He says people are buzzing about the Superstar Shakeup and he says tonight, Mr. McMahon will reveal the biggest acquisition in Smackdown history, but the biggest star is already here and it is him. Kevin moves on because of his guest and he deserves respect. It is someone who had a Wrestlemania moment we will never forget. Kevin brings out the WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. Kofi makes his way to the ring with Xavier Woods but no Big E due to his injury situation. Kevin welcomes them to the Kevin Owens Show and Montreal. Kevin says what Kofi did at Wrestlemania is something we will never forget. In your first title match in 11 years and you fought against the odds to get there and fought against greater odds to become the champion. Kevin congratulates Kofi and gives him an ovation. Kofi says he appreciates the kind words. At Wrestlemania, they did something special. He got to share it with his family, his friends, and with all of you. Kofi says he is champion in French. Kevin points out that Big E is not here tonight. Kevin says it is not because he is stuck in the splits. Xavier mentions that Big E was injured last week. Xavier says they are taking away most of the Up Up Down Down crew and he demands to see Tyler Breeze on Smackdown. Kofi says they need to focus on tonight. Kevin mentions that Kofi and Xavier have a tag match against Rusev and Nakamura. Kevin mentions that they are used to being a trio. Kevin says that they need back up so Kevin offers his services as Big K. He changes his name to Big O because it is funnier. Kofi tells the Big O it is a big commitment. Kofi asks if he will wear a crop test. Xavier mentions cereal tasting, pancake throwing, video game playing, and moving of the groinal region. We see Rusev and Nakamura watching in the back. Kevin shows his groinal swiveling and Kofi asks the crowd if they want Kevin part of the New Day as an honorary member. Xavier welcomes Big O to the group. Kofi gives Big O his shirt and unicorn horn. They all celebrate in the ring. Cesaro stops by and tells Nakamura and Rusev that he sees three of them and now there are three of us. Finn Balor makes his way to the ring as a new member of Smackdown. We go to commercial. Match Number One: Finn Balor versus Mustafa Ali in a Non Title Match They lock up and Balor with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. They lock up and Ali with a waist lock and Balor with a side head lock. Ali with a drop kick and side head lock. Ali blocks a head scissors attempt and Ali with a side head lock. Balor with forearms and Ali floats over and Balor with a back elbow for a near fall. Balor with a slam and elbow drop. Balor with an arm bar. Ali with punches and Balor with a chop. Ali with a kick and head scissors that sends Balor to the floor. Ali with a round kick and suicide dive. Ali gets a near fall. Ali with an arm bar. Balor with forearms but Ali with a forearm. Ali with a chop. Balor rolls through on a sunset flip by Ali and hits a drop kick. Balor kicks Ali and the referee warns Balor. Balor gets a near fall. Balor with a chop. Balor with a snap mare and arm bar. Ali with forearms and Balor with an abdominal stretch. Balor with forearms across the chest to add more damage to the abdominal area. Balor with a knee to the midsection and chop. Balor with an Irish whip and chop into the corner. Balor with another Irish whip and chop. Balor with a third Irish whip but Ali avoids the chop and Ali with a kick and a rolling X Factor. Ali with a chop and then an Irish whip and chop to Balor. Balor with an elevated elbow to the chest for a near fall. Balor with slingblade but Ali with a super kick and he gets a near fall. Balor backs Ali into the corner and Ali with a kick and Balor pushes Ali away on a tornado DDT attempt. Balor with a double stomp. Balor goes up top and Ali recovers and stops Balor on the turnbuckles. Ali goes for a Frankensteiner and hits it. Ali gets a near fall. Ali pulls himself to the ropes and he goes up top and misses a 450 splash but rolls through. Balor with a drop kick that sends Ali into the turnbuckles and follows with Coup de Grace for the three count. Winner: Finn Balor After the match, they shake hands before Ali leaves the ring and Balor continues his celebration. We see Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods walking in the back and they see Big O. Kofi asks Big O if he is ready for his initiation. Xavier says Big O has to eat all of the pancakes and beat Big E's time. Big O says he has never eaten a pancake before and they are cold. They convince Big O to eat them. R Truth and Carmella make their way to the ring. We go to commercial. We are back with the Smoking Box video. We go to the back where Big O has passed his initiation. Match Number Two: Carmella (with R Truth) versus Charlotte Flair They lock up and Charlotte sends Carmella to the mat. Carmella pushes Charlotte. Charlotte misses a boot and Carmella with a series of kicks for a near fall. Charlotte goes to the floor to regroup. Carmella with forearms but Charlotte with a knee and she runs Carmella into the ringside barrier. Carmella with an elbow and she hits a cross body off the ringside barrier. Carmella gets a near fall when they return to the ring. Charlotte with chops but Carmella sends Charlotte face first into the turnbuckles. Carmella with kicks and a Bronco Buster. Charlotte sends Carmella to the apron and Charlotte kicks Carmella off the apron as we go to commercial. We are back and Charlotte struts and pie faces Carmella. Charlotte goes for a slam but Carmella with a take down and kick to the head. Carmella is sent to the apron and Charlotte with a dragon screw leg whip in the ropes. Carmella goes to the floor. Charlotte sends Carmella into the ringside barrier. Carmella knocks Charlotte off the ringside barrier and Carmella with a super kick. Charlotte clips Carmella as she gets back into the ring and Charlotte with a figure four and bridge. Carmella taps out. Winner: Charlotte Flair Lars Sullivan's music plays and he makes his way to the ring. Truth tells Lars not to do anything to Carmella, but Truth does not realize that Lars came for him. Truth with punches and a flying corkscrew forearm but he bounces off Lars. Lars catches Truth and Lars with a Freak Accident. Lars sees Carmella in the corner and Carmella escapes the ring. Lars with a running sit out power bomb. We go to commercial. Coverage Continues on Next Page If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! WWE NXT UK REPORT: RHEA RIPLEY, PETE DUNNE TALKS, AND MORE We are in Brooklyn, New York and your announcers are Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness. Match Number one: Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey versus Raul Mendoza and Humberto Carrillo Mark and Mendoza start things off. Mark with an arm bar and wrist lock. Mendoza uses the ropes for a reversal. Mark with a waist lock take down. Mark with a knee to the back and a boot to the back of the head. Joe tags in and he punches Mendoza. Joe with European uppercut and he goes for a belly-to-back suplex but Mendoza lands on his feet. Carrillo tags in and he hits a handspring back elbow for a near fall. Carrillo goes up top and Joe moves so Humberto lands on his feet. Joe with a running head butt to send Carrillo into the turnbuckles. Joe with Irish whips into the corner followed by a back breaker for a near fall. Mark tags in and kicks Carrillo. Mark with a forearm and Joe tags in. Joe wit a punch and snap mare into a full nelson. Carrillo gets to his feet and he powers out of the hold but Joe with a punch and swinging butterfly hold into a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Mark tags in and Carrillo wit a kick and Mendoza is tagged in. Mendoza with a cross body onto Joe but Mark is the legal man. Mendoza with chops and a drop kick. Mendoza with a running forearm into the corner. Mendoza goes to the apron ato avoids Mark and Mendoza with an enzuigiri and springboard cross body. Mendoza with an enzuigiri to Joe. Carrillo tags in and they hit suicide dives onto both Coffeys. Mendoza with a suicide dive to Joe and Carrillo with one to Mark. Carrillo gets a near fall. Carrillo gets Mark on his shoulders and hits a slam. Carrillo with a moonsault and Mendoza with a 450 splash. Joe breaks up the cover. Mendoza with an OConnor Roll but Joe with an uppercut from the floor when Mark kicks out. Joe with a clothesline for the three count. Winners: Mark Coffey and Joe Coffey We go to Kassius Ohno and he corrects the pronunciation of his name. Ohno comments on his mixed success. He says things have not gone perfectly, but a broken clock is right two times a day. He came to NXT UK to show the authentic UK style and he is doing that. The so called veterans of the UK scene, like Ligero. They talk about him with reverence. He hears stories about Ligero having 300 matches in a year and Ohno says he think well done mate. Ohno is quality over quantity. All it takes is one opportunity for him to show someone like Ligero what a real veteran is. You can be a big fish in a small pond or you can be Kassius Ohno. We go to commercial. We are back with a look back at WALTERs victory over Pete Dunne to become the new WWE UK Champion. Flash Morgan Webster says it was one of the hardest hitting matches he ever saw and he is looking forward to the rematch. Cathy Kelley did not expect to see Dunne lose the match. Mark Andrews says it was one of the best matches he ever saw. Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner have no opinion about the match. Jordan Devlin says he does not care about a rematch. WALTER stops by and he stares at Devlin and walks away. Match Number Two: Kona Reeves versus Dave Mastiff They lock up and Reeves backs Mastiff into the corner and gives a clean break. They lock up and Mastiff with a clean break but Reeves with a side head lock. Mastiff with a shoulder tackle. Reeves with a waist lock but he cannot get Mastiff off the mat. Mastiff with a standing switch and waist lock take down into a front face lock. Reeves gets to the ropes and he gives Mastiff an elbow on the break. Reeves with a forearm to the back. Mastiff with a shoulder tackle and back body drop. Mastiff with elbows to the jaw and then he sets for the cannonball but Reeves knows what is coming and Reeves goes to the apron. Reeves drops Mastiff on the top rope and Reeves with a knee to the head for a near fall. Reeves with punches and a Japanese stranglehold. Mastiff with a snap mare to escape followed by a cross body followed by a clothesline. Mastiff with a German suplex and drop kick that sends Reeves into the corner. Mastiff with a cannonball for the three count. Winner: Dave Mastiff Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews talk about being excited to being in New York as well as wrestling Moustache Mountain. Mark says Trent and Tyler are the most decorated tag team in NXT UK, but they are here to become the first Welsh champions. We go to commercial. We are back and Dave Mastiff is asked about his victory but Wolfgang interrupts. He says that Dave cannot be called a strongman without facing him. Dave says all he sees is Wolfgang behind his two friends. They push each other until they are separated by officials. Match Number Three: Kacy Catanzaro versus Rhea Ripley Kacy with a waist lock but Rhea gets out of the hold. Kacy avoids Ripley but Ripley tosses Kacy into the turnbuckles. Kacy goes to the apron and hits a twisting slingshot head scissors. Ripley blocks a wheelbarrow move and sends Kacy to the mat. Rhea punches Kacy and kicks her. Ripley sends Kacy into the turnbuckles. Ripley with a kick and forearm to the back. Ripley gets a near fall. Ripley gets Kacy up for a delayed vertical suplex and Ripley gets a near fall. Ripley with an arm bar and chin lock. Ripley tries to send Kacy to the mat and Kacy with a cartwheel and she goes for a crucifix bomb but Rhea blocks it. Kacy goes for a sunset flip but Ripley will not go over. Kacy goes to the turnbuckles and Ripley catches Kacy. Ripley sets for another delayed vertical suplex but Kacy with a counter into an inside cradle. Ripley with an Irish whip and Kacy tries to float over but Ripley catches Kacy and hits Riptide for the three count. Winner: Rhea Ripley After the match, Ripley attacks Catanzaro and applies a reverse cloverleaf. We go to commercial. We are back and Kacy Catanzaro is in the medical room and Rhea Ripley tells her this is what happens when you step into her division. You end up in medical. Piper Niven shows up and asks Rhea if she has something to say. Rhea walks away. Jinny was asked about her match last week against Toni Storm. Jinny walks away without speaking. Next week, Kassius Ohno will face Ligero. We will also see Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster against Tyler Bate and Trent Seven. Zack Gibson introduces himself and James Drake. Zack says whether they are at Takeover stealing the show or here in New York, their mission remains the same. They are the very best tag team anywhere around the world. These titles are soon to be recognized as the most important titles in the WWE. They have demanded that their opponents are from the NXT UK roster, so Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan, he hopes they are listening. A non-title match 4,000 miles from your friends and family is as close as you are going to get to these titles. Match Number Four; James Drake and Zack Gibson versus Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams in a Non Title Match Gibson and Jordan start things off. Jordan with an arm bar take down and he works on the fingers. Jordan tries to get back to his feet but Gibson keeps him on the mat. Jordan with a snap mare but Gibson holds on to the wrist lock and he takes Jordan to the mat. Jordan with a reversal and arm wringer. Jordan with a drop kick but Drake is able to tag in and he connects with forearms. Jordan with a single leg take down and a monkey flip. Williams tags in and he chops Drake. Gibson pulls Drake to the floor. Gibson tells Drake to slow down and then Gibson tags in. They lock up and Gibson sends Williams to the mat. Williams with a victory roll for a near fall. Williams with a running bulldog into the turnbuckles. Williams with a springboard back elbow. Williams with a forearm into the corner but Gibson pushes Williams away on a bulldog attempt. Drake with a tag and he hits a drop kick to the knee followed by a drop kick by Gibson. Drake with a drop kick to Jordan off Gibsons back. Drake with a forearm to Williams followed by a back elbow and Williams falls to the floor. Gibson tags in and Drake with a slingshot double sledge while Gibson hits a back breaker. Gibson sends Williams back into the ring and Gibson with a short arm clothesline for a near fall. Gibson with a chin lock and he keeps Williams on the mat. Drake tags in and he connects with a forearm to the head. Drake with kicks. Drake with a forearm and Williams falls to the apron. Drake with a suplex for a near fall. Drake with a reverse chin lock. Williams with a jaw breaker and Williams with forearms to Gibson and Drake. Williams with a boot to the head and Gibson falls to the floor. Drake with a clothesline and back breaker for a near fall. Gibson has trouble getting back to his feet and Williams with an arm drag and Jordan tags in. Jordan with punches and forearms followed by a forearm into the corner. Drake with an Irish whip and Jordan floats over and hits a cross body. Drake with an elbow and he sends Jordan to the apron. Jordan with a slingshot rolling neck breaker for a near fall. Drake with a forearm and Gibson is still on the floor and he tells Drake to continue. Drake with a forearm. Williams with a springboard back elbow while Jordan hits a flatliner. Gibson breaks up the cover. Jordan is sent to the floor and Drake with a rollup for a near fall. Williams with a European uppercut and Jordan tags in. Williams with a Victory bomb and Jordan with a Swanton but Gibson pulls Drake from the ring. Gibson and Drake have had enough and they let the referee make the ten count. Winners: Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan (by count out) We go to Pete Dunne and he is asked what is next. Pete says he carried that title for 685 days. He built NXT UK from the ground up and you think he is going to walk away after one loss? That title is an extension of the Bruiserweight. People got so used to him as champion but they forget the chase. Pete remembered when Tyler was champion and the goal was to get the title. The last years, he has experienced it all in WWE. He has main evented Takeovers and been in the Royal Rumble but WALTER gave him the toughest fight. Pete says now he knows what to expect. He took WALTER to the limit and he knows what he has to do to get it back. WALTER does not know what it will be like to have the Bruiserweight breathing down his neck. WALTER caught him on an off night. Since he gave WALTER the opportunity, Pete asks for his rematch. We go to commercial. If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! Published on: 11 April 2019 Professor Colin Grant joined Queen Mary in 2018 and in his role as Vice Principal (International), leads the universitys Global Engagement Strategy. As Professor of Human and Political Communications, he specialises in communications in unstable environments a field in which he has published widely. Dialogical Life During his Inaugural Lecture at Queen Mary Professor Grant presented a theoretical insight into areas which have shaped his life and career. With a particular focus on communication, his lecture posed fundamental questions for the audience: How do we know when we have understood something? What is understanding? During the event Professor Grant covered diverse topics from social cohesion through to branding in sports. He also highlighted that all communications, whether written or spoken, are subject to interpretation. The value of information lies in its reception to others, and how it is interpreted, he explained. Professor Grant went as far as to describe the process as the art form of communication. Previously Professor Grant was the inaugural Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Relations at the University of Surrey and the University of Bath as well as inaugural Vice President (International) at the University of Southampton. Professor Grant is a fluent writer and speaker of French, German and Portuguese and is also learning Chinese. A global university Queen Mary is a global university is more than 25,000 students, representing more than 160 nationalities. In addition to campuses in London, the university has sites in China, Malta and Paris. As part of its commitment to global excellence, Queen Marys work is underpinned by a Global Engagement Strategy. This has six commitments to excellence covering research partnerships, global policy impacts, alumni relations, education and industry. About Queen Marys Public Lecture Series Queen Marys new Public Lecture Series brings together Inaugural, guest speaker and hot topic lectures taking place from all schools and departments from across the university. The events, which cover a range topics and subject areas, are open to all staff and also the general public. More information Of the record additions, the company reported 1.74 million US streaming additions, substantially up on analyst expectation, while there were 7.86 million new international streaming additions.The streaming giant also reported earnings of $344 million, or 76 cents a share, up from 64 cents a share a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $4.5 billion, up from $3.7 billion in the same period last year. The results beat Street analysts projection of first-quarter earnings of 58 cents a share on sales of $4.5 billion, according to FactSet. Analysts also projected just 8.06 million new paying subscribers.To start off the year with over nine-and-a-half-million acquisitions, Its a phenomenal start, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said.Netflix said that its estimating a weaker Q2, estimating that second-quarter earnings will come in at 55 cents a share, Thats down from 85 cents a share a year ago and well below analysts estimates of 99 cents a share. It also only expects only 300,000 new paying subscribers in the US, compared to analyst expectations of 600,000+.Operating margin of 10.2% exceeded our beginning-of-quarter expectation as some spending was shifted from Q1 to later in the year, Netflix explained in the letter to investors.Netflix also said that it expects its free-cash flow deficit to be around $3.5 billion, as it continues to pay for new content . This is also due to higher cash taxes related to the change in our corporate structure and additional investments in real estate and other infrastructure. It would probably surprise no foreigner who has ever visited Russia that a2004 Kinsey study described Russian society as existing in a sexless sexism in which, on one side, gender/sex differences have been theoretically disregarded and politically underestimated, but on the other side, both public opinion and social practices have been extremely sexist, all empirical sex differences being taken as given by nature. What this means, in practice, is that Russians by and large adhere to relatively strict gender roles: women are expected to dress well and take care of themselves, want many babies, act as the center of the household, and be very ladylike while men are expected to carry all the financial responsibility, protect the honor of their women, carry heavy loads and drive the car. What does often surprise foreigners, however, is that women in Russia tend to uphold these gender roles as vociferously, if not more so, than their male counterparts. In arecent study by the Levada Center, only 38 percent of both men and women supported abstract egalitarianism in domestic life; cooking, cleaning, raising children, etc. were overwhelmingly labeled as exclusively female; the only duty that was deemed exclusively male was going to war. According to another opinion poll, 78 percent of both men and women believe a womans place is in the home. Its worth noting here, however, that in a traditional Russian household, it is the woman who makes all decisions regarding finances and domestic issues (The man is the head, but the woman is the neck as the popular Russian saying goes). More importantly, Russian women often visibly grimace at the word feminism, which is filled with negative connotations, such as sloppiness, laziness, aggression, and vulgarity. These feminists, they act like men, my friend Sveta always says with derision, echoing the thoughts of many other Russian women, Why would I want to act like a man? Im proud of being a woman. The obvious question here is: how did this intense aversion to feminism develop? The answer begins, as it often does, in the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1917, Russia became one of the first places in the world to give women the right to vote, and egalitarianism was promoted as one of the great ideals of the revolution. Like many of those ideals, however, it was somewhat of an illusion. Women were still expected to take care of all the domestic duties, but now they had to take on the burden of labor as well. The appropriation of male responsibility unsurprisingly escalated after Russia lost 10 million men in World War II and another 18 million passed through the gulag. The overwhelming load that women now had to carry was expressed in the rhyming Russian saying, Im both a horse and a bull, Im both a woman and a man, which echoes the complaints made by my mother and her friends when they used to tiredly grumble, Before feminism, all you had to do was be a good wife and mother. Now you have to do everything. The iconic Soviet female, often portrayed in national leaflets with a sickle in one hand and a spoon in the other, was minimalistic and productive rather than glamorous. Its no wonder then that with the fall of the Soviet Union, as psychologist Yulya Burlakova explains, Russian women welcomed a return to traditional gender roles and felt the urge to overcompensate for years of subjugated femininity. There are a few lessons that one can glean from this foray into history. One is that before labeling a country as backwards, as Russia often is, its important to view it within its own historical context and to realize that one nations progress can be another nations retreat. In this case, for feminists in the West, the battle for fairness has always been a linear one to be treated more like men, but for post-Soviet Russian women, the battle for fairness quickly became to be treated more like women. But another lesson is perhaps a cautionary tale for what can happen when any cause, even one as noble and beneficial as feminism, is taken to an extreme. The concern, for example, that a woman ends up taking on both male and female responsibility is one that I often think of when seeing the familiar trope in American sitcoms and rom-coms in which a woman works a full-time job, takes care of the kids, completes domestic duties, and then tries to cajole her couch-submerged, tv-glued, man-baby of a husband to at least wash the dishes. Is this -- the woman who does everything while the man sits and rests -- the dream our feminist foremothers had in mind? I think not. And then theres another problematic trope in American pop culture: women are often touted as being feminist when they adopt traditionally masculine behavior, such as burping, telling crass jokes, not wearing makeup or a bra, etc. This means that often modern feminism actually winds up celebrating what it means to be a man, rather than what it means to be a woman. Im not suggesting we return to traditional gender roles. The beauty of feminism is that, first and foremost, its supposed to be about choice, and if you want to wear flats and order take-out and never get married, then thats great. But I do suggest that we stop acting like sacrificing a career in order to be a mother, or wearing heels, or expecting men to open doors for us, is somehow inherently anti-feminist. Because to truly live out the ideals of feminism, we have to celebrate all aspects of femininity, and that includes the traditional parts as well. Diana Bruk is a Russian-American journalist based in New York. Subscribe to get the hand picked best stories every week All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta. U.S. Army leaders revealed Tuesday that they are briefing top military commanders about new weapons being built specifically for high-intensity conflict against China and Russia, in a new effort to assure that they could provide vital firepower for those potential battlefields of the future. Army Secretary Mark Esper said he wants to shift some money away from vehicles and aircraft more suited for conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and into what I need to penetrate Russian or Chinese air defenses. Which "political belief are you scared to share with friends?" So asks a March survey at FiveThirtyEight. What a strange question -- particularly in a prosperous nation born out of coffeehouse debates and political pamphleteering. I can't imagine why any thoughtful adult would be reluctant to share their politics with a true friend. Furthermore, since opinion shapes politics through voting, we should want to discuss our opinions. However, that poll question doesn't hold a candle to the reluctance of many pundits and political figures on the right to speak up for capitalism on moral grounds. With socialism en vogue on the American left even as its latest iteration is obliterating Venezuela, this is an ideal time to make the case for the only system that justly rewards creativity and hard work, while simultaneously making us richer. Granted, Trump said, "We will never be a socialist country," during his State of the Union; and Mitch McConnell defeated the Green New Deal 57-0 in the Senate. But how persuasive was Trump's taunt, or the Senate debate? Mike Lee's (R-UT) remarks were possibly the best. He rightly noted that the Green New Deal is unserious, but his jokes were tame compared to the ridicule it so rightly deserves. Unfortunately, in the rest of his remarks, he accepted the questionable premise that "climate change is no joke," and iced the socialists' cake by suggesting that people who can't manage a simple press release shouldnt run the national economy. Instead of implying that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's biggest flaw is incompetence, Lee should have asked, "By what right does anyone presume to order Americans about?" The best answer to our crop of socialist ingenues since Ocasio-Cortez's office wafted its first press release came from a freshman representative in her own party, Although she is no Ayn Rand, Vietnam-born Stephanie Murphy, in one sentence, gave the Green New Deal all the consideration it deserved: "The idea that in the greatest ... capitalist system in the world, we're having [a] casual conversation about socialism, offends me." Murphy also described herself using two terms, neither of which occurred in Lee's quarter-hour time on the floor: proud capitalist. Sadly, she almost immediately raised the possibility of "undo[ing] the whole system." Id be on board for reforming our actual system too, the sclerotic mixed economy, to make it truly capitalist, but I doubt this is what she had in mind. Speaking of Rand, her book, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, explains in the last two words of its title why so few proudly call themselves capitalists. Murphy is exhibit A. She shows her imperfect understanding of capitalism when she speaks of making "sure everybody, no matter what zip code they're born in, has a fair shot." -- as if the right to pursue happiness isn't that fair shot. But Murphy is a Democrat. We shouldnt expect her to make a positive case for capitalism. And as for the right, we increasingly see a failure to appreciate capitalism and an abject one to speak of it as an ideal. Conservatives seem willing to attack socialism for any number of non-essential reasons rather than speak up for capitalism. Ocasio-Cortez is incompetent, as Mike Lee is quick to point out but that implies that her plan to rob and enslave Americans might be hunky dory in better hands. Countless other pundits rightly decry socialism as impractical, citing the many times it has impoverished nations and people. Unfortunately, warning only that socialism is impractical has proved impractical as its advocates rely on moral grounds. (Spoiler alert: Socialism is impractical because theft and injustice are immoral.) One pundit declares in the Wall Street Journal that, "Climate alarmism isn't popular with the public, and concludes, Republicans don't need an alternative." It is true that climate change is not a good excuse to adopt socialism but consider how little of the Green New Deal is about climate. These other issues aren't going away, and if people think that socialism is a moral way to solve them, guess which solution they will choose? A recent editorial by the Cato Institute observed that young adults who claim to support socialism don't know what it is. In fact, they seem to favor capitalism, when offered the choice in terms they can relate to freedom and an improved life on a personal level. "[R]espondents gave very high marks to small business, entrepreneurship, and free enterprise, and 56 percent approval of capitalism." Socialism was favored by 37 percent, and only 8 percent thought the government had too little power over their lives. John Sexton of the conservative blog Hot Air correctly identified ending capitalism as the "skeleton key" that makes sense of the otherwise incomprehensible laundry list of demands in the Green New Deal. Even if the Green New Deal is dead, its parts live on politically. Knowing what animates the left, and seeing that capitalism wins when the cards are on the table, what are conservatives afraid of? Proudly upholding the only system of justice and prosperity? 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 Ruben Macareno and Arturo Rodriguez give brief introductions before opening the discussion at a town hall meeting about affordable housing in the Farmersville City Council Chambers on Monday, April 15. Porterville, CA (93257) Today Mostly cloudy skies. Low 41F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 41F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. he suspect was arrested on April 9 and booked in the Gwinnett County Jail. According to the press release, he was charged with two counts of concealing the death of another and two counts of participating in criminal gang activity. Most days, the University of Georgia Tate Student Center is bustling with events and students studying before class. In April, students had the option of trading in their laptops for a typewriter. On April 4, freshman Kaila McGinty set up her prized typewriter on a table at the Tate Student Center and posted a sign inviting students to freely use the typing machine. In front of a crowd of approximately 50 students, the former U.S. Congresswoman and Georgia Secretary of State answered a wide range of questions from students about her political future, her thoughts on the 2018 midterm elections and on the 2020 elections. A single mom of two, a book editor, a psychologist and an advocate for diversity, the talent management for faculty at Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia does it all. Senior Associate Dean of Franklin College Kecia Thomas manages faculty affairs and works with graduate students. She supports departments in selecting the best faculty available while sharing opportunities with them for recognition and promotion. University of Georgia students, faculty and staff can have their parking citation of $50 or less waived through the Food for Fines program to be held on Thursday, April 18 at the Tate Surface Lot from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Eligible participants can have their fines waived by donating ten 14-ounce canned goods at the event. A political partys manifesto is the first stage of building a compact with the voters in any governance plan. If that compact is dependent on a document that reeks of fiscal imprudence and lacks credibility, it is a serious setback to the countrys democracy and governance, says A K Bhattacharya. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The divorce between fiscal prudence and manifestos released by national political parties is complete. The Indian National Congress, in its bid to return to power, released its manifesto on April 2 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking another five-year term in office, announced on April 8 what its goals would be if it were voted back to power. Many of the key economic promises in both the manifestos are not only fiscally imprudent, but they also reveal how unrealistic our political parties can become while making economic policy promises. A lot has been written about the NYAY agenda of the Congress. It promises up to Rs 6,000 per month to the bottom 20 per cent of the poor families. There is a phased roll-out schedule and the cost is expected to be shared with the states. In spite of that, the total cost, when fully implemented, will be huge - estimated at about 1.9 per cent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). This is bound to raise questions on how the required resources would be mobilised. Will they come from more taxes or reduced outlays on subsidies and other poverty alleviation schemes? More disturbing than the lack of clarity on such issues is the thought that the schemes implementation will be fraught with challenges. The scheme will be crucially dependent on identifying the poor households on the basis of income - a task that will be extremely onerous and prone to wrong targeting of beneficiaries, particularly in the absence of any credible up-to-date data on family incomes. Take another promise made by the Congress on the Goods and Services Tax or GST. The manifesto promises a simplified single-rate GST. This appears to be a big promise. But dig deeper into the document and you will see that the manifesto actually promises as many as three rates. This is certainly better than the existing regime. But then why promise a single-rate GST? The promised abolition of the e-way bill system, a transparent online instrument of preventing evasion of taxes, will only pose newer challenges for those who administer the GST. The promise is also puzzling as the e-way bill scheme has been implemented largely without any protest or complication. Why change it then? It will of course please traders and small businesses, which do not generally enjoy the idea of increased tax compliance. But will it lead to a more effective GST? The Congress manifestos promise on a new package for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) is equally flawed. It comes up with what seems to be a crazy idea of redefining MSMEs on the basis of the number of people employed, at a time when automation and technology have reduced the need for employing more workers. If any unit employs between 101 and 500 workers, then it would classify as a medium enterprise and not qualify for benefits such as exemption from all laws except those for minimum wages and taxation. The exemption will be enjoyed by only the micro and small units employing less than 101 workers. Thus, there will be a perverse incentive among small units to employ less than 101 workers to enjoy the benefits for at least three years. The economic promises of the BJP manifesto are no less problematic. The additional financial impact of fulfilling the promise of extending the coverage of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana to include all farmers, irrespective of their land holdings, is not significantly huge. The government has budgeted for an annual expenditure of Rs 75,000 crore for paying out Rs 6,000 a year to each of the 125 million farm holdings of less than two hectares. Now that all operational land holdings would be covered under this scheme, the remaining 21 million farm holdings of more than two hectares would also be eligible and the total annual cost would be about Rs 87,600 crore. The increase is not substantial on a Budget size of Rs 27 trillion, but unfortunately the principle of benefitting the needier segment of small and marginal farmers has been diluted. The idea of extending loans of Rs 1 lakh to farmers without any interest is even more fiscally irresponsible. Assuming that all the countrys 146 million land-holding farmer families go for this interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh, the total credit would amount to Rs 14.6 trillion, which is a little more than the annual agricultural credit of around Rs 11.6 trillion disbursed in 2017-18. In other words, the government is promising that all loans to the agriculture sector would be free of interest. Who will bear the cost of interest on this huge amount of loans to farmers? The government already offers partial interest discount through an interest subvention scheme that cost it Rs 15,000 crore last year. Its fiscal burden will go up significantly if the entire interest on Rs 14.6 trillion of farm loans will have to be waived. Where will this money come from? Banks are already burdened with the Mudra loans, whose cumulative value in the last four years is estimated at Rs 8.26 trillion. Many of these Mudra loans, meant for small and tiny units, are without any collateral. The repayment rate so far has been high, but the risk of some of these loans going sick cannot be ruled out. The banks will then have to take a hit on account of the Mudra loans to small and tiny units. They cannot be expected to take any fresh exposure on account of the interest-free loans of up to Rs 1 lakh to farmers. Finally, the BJPs promise of raising capital investment in infrastructure to Rs 100 trillion by 2024 is a goal that would require the governments capital expenditure to grow by 60 per cent every year on an average for a period of five years. The total capital expenditure by the government, including the internal and extra budgetary resources of the PSUs and the Indian Railways, was estimated at Rs 6 trillion in 2013-14 and rose to Rs 9.61 trillion in 2018-19. This represented an annual average growth rate of 10 per cent in the five years of the Modi government. The promise of raising this growth rate six-fold is too tall a promise. The net outcome of such rosy manifesto promises is that these documents are becoming increasingly irrelevant as they lack credibility with the voters. A political partys manifesto is the first stage of building a compact with the voters in any governance plan. If that compact is dependent on a document that reeks of fiscal imprudence and lacks credibility, it is a serious setback to the countrys democracy and governance. Mallya claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya on Wednesday took to social media once again, this time to express his solidarity with Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and repeat his own offer to repay all the money he owes to India's public sector banks. The 63-year-old, fighting his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crore, claims private airlines were discriminated against by the Indian government, which bailed out state-owned Air India but did not assist his own Kingfisher Airlines and now Jet Airways. Even though Jet was a major competitor to Kingfisher at the time I feel sorry to see such a large private airline on the brink of failure when government used 35K crore (Rs 35,000 crore) of public funds to bail out Air India. Just being a PSU is no excuse for discrimination, Mallya wrote on Twitter. He added: I invested hugely into Kingfisher which rapidly grew to become India's largest and most awarded airline. True, Kingfisher borrowed from PSU banks as well. I have offered to pay back 100 per cent but am being criminally charged instead. Airline Karma? The former Kingfisher Airlines boss took yet another swipe at the media as well, claiming every offer he makes to pay back funds owed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to PSU banks resulted in reports that claim he is spooked, terrified etc of being extradited from the UK back to India. I am willing to pay either way whether I am in London or in an Indian Jail. Why don't banks take the money I offered first? he questioned. On a more personal note directed at Jet Airways founder Goyal and his wife Neeta, the UB Group chief expressed his sympathy for the troubles being faced by the cash-strapped private airline, which has been forced to cancel a string of flights amid a mounting crisis. "Even though we were fierce competitors, my sympathies go out to Naresh and Neeta Goyal who built Jet Airways that India should be extremely proud of. Fine Airline providing vital connectivity and class service. Sad that so many Airlines have bitten the dust in India. Why, Mallya questioned. Mallya remains on bail as he awaits an oral hearing to be listed by the UK High Court for his appeal against his extradition ordered by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last December and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February. A first level of that written appeal has already been rejected by the high court, where it will now be considered during a brief hearing to determine any grounds to grant permission for Mallya's appeal to proceed to appeal substantive hearing. The businessman faces a series of unrelated legal battles in the UK courts, including a $40-million claim brought by drinks giant Diageo and an attempt by Swiss bank UBS to repossess his posh London home overlooking Regent's Park. Meanwhile, a State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium of 13 Indian banks continue their attempt to enforce a worldwide freezing order upheld by the UK High Court in May last year through a number of follow up court orders to try and recoup some of the GBP 1.145 billion owed to them. Photograph: Simon Dawson/Reuters The court ruled that an interim debt order in favour of SBI and other banks seeking access to funds in the Mallya's ICICI UK bank account "should remain in force" but the application to make it final should be adjourned until after the hearing of his pending bankruptcy petition. Vijay Mallya on Wednesday failed to convince a UK High Court to dismiss an order related to money in one of his London bank accounts, dealing a blow to the embattled liquor tycoon's efforts to prevent a consortium of Indian banks getting access to nearly 260,000 pounds. In one of the many legal cases being faced by the 63-year-old liquor tycoon in the UK, Master David Cook ruled that an interim debt order in favour of SBI and other banks seeking access to funds in the ICICI UK bank account "should remain in force" but that the application to make it final should be adjourned until after the hearing of Mallya's pending bankruptcy petition. The funds in the account will meanwhile remain frozen as part of the worldwide freezing order in favour of the Indian banks last year. Mallya's lawyers had argued for the dismissal of the interim order on a number of grounds, including a claim that it was a "deliberate ploy" to prevent Mallya "reasonable" living expenses. "I reject the proposition that the application for a TPDO (third party debt order) was a deliberate ploy to thwart Dr Mallya's ability to meet his ordinary living expenses and reasonable legal expenses which are permitted under the terms of the WWFO (worldwide freezing order)," Master Cook notes in his judgment. "The relevant context here is that Dr Mallya is in a post judgment scenario where the Claimants (Indian banks) are attempting to enforce their judgment and discover the true extent of his assets. I note that Dr Mallya has made no voluntary payment to date while continuing to incur substantial legal costs in opposing the Claimants' efforts to enforce their judgment," he said. The case revolves around 258,559.79 pounds held in a bank account with the ICICI UK, which is named as a third party in the High Court case. It is among one of many orders pursued by TLT LLP, the law firm acting for the Indian banks, as part of efforts to recoup some of the 1.142 billion pounds owed to them arising from proceedings in the Bangalore Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) against Kingfisher Airlines and others. The DRT case was registered in the UK under the Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1933 and went in favour of the Indian banks in an appeal in May 2018. The banks have since also filed a bankruptcy petition against Mallya in the UK courts, which is being challenged by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss and is expected to come up for hearing around December this year. Meanwhile, in yet another legal intervention, Mallya is seeking a stay of all enforcement proceedings which have been commenced since the presentation of the bankruptcy petition by the Indian banks in September last year, a hearing of which is expected next month. The outcome of that hearing will determine the future course of the funds being sought by the SBI, Bank of Baroda, Corporation bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd. Mallya, meanwhile, remains on bail after his extradition was signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid in February and is seeking leave to appeal against that order in the High Court as well. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters The number of issues were the lowest since FY15, compared to 45 in FY18. Samie Modak reports. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters The initial public offering market witnessed a huge slump during 2018-2019. Funds raised by the way of IPOs were down 82% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 14,674 crore. The number of issues to hit the market were just 14 -- the lowest since FY15 -- compared to 45 in FY18. The slump in primary market activity came even as the benchmark indices gained the most in four years, at 17%. Market players said a spike in volatility -- particularly in the broader market -- took a toll on primary market activity. Typically, firms that come out with IPOs belong to the mid-cap and small-cap universe. The Nifty Midcap 100 index fell 4.4% in FY19, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 ended with losses of 16%, despite a sharp recovery in stock prices over the past two months. At one point during the financial year, both the broader market indices had slipped into bear market territory, having come off by more than 20% each. FY18 was a record year for primary market activity, with Rs 81,553 crore getting mobilised through IPOs. Although returns for the benchmark indices were lower in FY18 as compared to FY19, the up-move in the market was broad-based and far less volatile. "The primary market does well when the secondary market is less volatile. The last fiscal was one such year. This time, however, the surge in volatility due to both global and domestic factors made deal-making difficult," said an investment banker. In FY19, 9 companies -- collectively looking to raise Rs 6,495 crore -- were not able to launch their IPOs despite having all approvals in place. The fund raising outlook for FY20 hinges on the election results, says Prime Database, an IPO tracking firm. "If the elections throw up a fractured mandate, many more companies are likely to let their approvals lapse. On the other hand, if a stable government comes to power, there will be a flurry of IPOs," said Pranav Haldea, managing director, Prime Database. At present, 64 firms have regulatory approval for an IPO, worth a cumulative Rs 63,000 crore, according to Prime Database. Another eight companies, looking to raise Rs 7,600 crore, have filed their offer documents with the Securities and Exchange Board of India, awaiting the regulator's nod. "This pipeline could vanish quickly in case markets are volatile," said Haldea. The secondary market has seen a sharp 10% rebound from its 2019 lows, touched on February 19. The surge has come on the back of foreign inflows worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore. This spike in liquidity has given a boost to share sales at listed companies. Since February, over Rs 20,000 crore of share sale has taken place by the way of block deals, offer for sale, and qualified institutional placements. Experts say if foreign flows continue at the current pace, it would give a fillip to the fortunes of the primary market. With election campaign ending in Tamil Nadu before it goes to polls on Thursday, N Sathiya Moorthy lists a few questions uppermost in the minds of voters. IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami flashes the V sign. Photograph: PTI Photo As the election campaign ended in 39 Lok Sabha constituencies and in 18 assembly segments where simultaneous bypolls are on, a few questions remain upper-most in the minds of Tamil Nadus voters, political parties as also political analysts. The lone Puducherry Lok Sabha seat is also going to the polls, as also Kerala and Karnataka, but it is in Tamil Nadu that both polling and campaigning have been as exciting as it has always been. Question No 1: Will the winner-take-all in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, a norm that has been taken for granted since the late charismatic actor-politician M G Ramachandran, MGR, launched the AIADMK as far back as 1972? Both MGR and his equally charismatic and at-times electorally more successful Jayalalithaa could not escape the effects of the electoral myth, when they both lost the LS polls from the state very badly, and when they were the all-powerful chief minister. MGR lost all but two of the LS seats to a stronger DMK-Congress combine, led respectively by bete noire M Karunanidhi of the parent DMK, and an Indira Gandhi on the upswing after the failure of the intervening Janata experiment. Jayalalithaa met her Waterloo (as BJPs Subramanian Swamy would often say in other electoral contexts in her time), not once but twice -- in 1996 and 2004. Jayalalithaa had avenged it once earlier in 1991 in the company of the Congress party, after the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. She repeated the feat more recently in 2014, when her Modi or Lady? challenge to the TN voter had better traction than the Modi magic elsewhere across the nation. Yet, in between, Tamil Nadu had started shedding such perceptions and post-poll calculations based on the same. Despite the Coimbatore serial blasts, when DMKs Karunanidhi was chief minister, the party-led combine still won a high number of nine seats in 39 -- the first time it had happened since the AIADMK was founded. It was so also in 1999 and 2009, when the losing AIADMK combine still won close to a dozen seats. The question now is if the Jaya-set 2014 record will hold again, or will the state revert to the post-1998 pattern, when a clean sweep of the 1996 and 1998 of the kind was repeated only in 2004, by the DMK alliance? The 2004 defeat for the ruling AIADMK under Jayalalithaa owed to public perceptions of what was perceived as high-handed economic policies, including the overnight sacking of a hundred thousand state government employees protesting for high wages, cut in paddy procurement by the public sector, leading to farm-distress, and steep rise in utility charges like power, water and public transport. Question No 2: Will the AIADMK state government of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) survive an Opposition DMK-led onslaught, if any, in the 18-seat assembly by-election? The governments legislative majority is hanging on tenterhooks after the Madras high court upheld Speaker P Dhanapals sacking of 18 MLAs identifying with the breakaway AIADMK faction, led by Jayas jailed confidante Sasikala and the latters more visible nephew T T V Dhinakaran. The by-elections are a make-or-break affair not only for the Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, which is not a recognised political party under Election Commission rules, because none was sought within the time but even more so for the AIADMK government. Question No 3: Does Dravidian Tamil Nadu hase electoral space for any other party or group, including national parties like PM Modis BJP, now ruling the Centre, to elbow their way in after shouldering out either one or both of the twin Dravidian majors? The question has been begging an answer for decades now, almost in every other election. This time. however, the question becomes even more relevant and equally challenging because this is the first time in decades that Tamil Nadu is facing the polls without the charismatic leadership of an MGR or his political heir, Jayalalithaa. Though their bete noire Karunanidhi was not as charismatic as the other two -- he being a powerful film script-writer whereas they were the most popular actors of their time -- the former holds the record for being the elected leader of a recognised political party with a substantial following without break anywhere in the democratic world. That had created an aura of a kind, which the other two found it difficult to pierce, most definitely destroy, despite repeated attempts and relatively limited successes of their own. This is the first election that the state is facing without either Jayalalithaa or Karunanidhi. The two died respectively in 2016 and 2017, they having been irrecoverably taken ill one after the other. However, the political events and electoral developments up to now have shown that the two Dravidian majors may have survived all aftershocks of the exit of their respective leaders, with the new generation coming into their own, in their own different ways, between then and the elections now. If anything, unlike what national observers of the TN political scene had thought -- or, even hoped for -- elections 2019 has provided the occasion and opportunity for the new-generation leaders of the two parties to assert themselves within the party and project themselves as the future leaders of the state, competing as they do as parties, as used to be the case earlier. This does not mean that a reversal in this election could mean a re-alignment in the AIADMK, which went through post-Jaya hiccups in a big way, but settled in EPSs favour with the benign intervention of the BJP rulers at the Centre. Depending on the seat-share and more so the vote-share, the AIADMK may be forced to reopen merger negotiations with the Sasi-Dhinakaran camp, if the ruling party were to lose face, even if they were to win the required number of 8-10 assembly seats at the very least -- and sustain the government in the state. After all, the party would be facing the assembly polls anyway in 2021, and without Jaya around, the leadership may not want to risk a repeat of 2016, when she was around. The AIADMK did win a substantial number of 134 in a total of 234 (with polling for two seats countermanded, owing to charges of electoral corruption), the rival DMK combine, again for the first time, won a very high 98 seats -- the highest ever for an official political rival to the incumbent ruling party, and also the loser at the end. Worse still for the ruling AIADMK in 2016, the vote-share margin was a very narrow one per cent, 41-40. The rest of the votes went to a hotch-potch combination of sub-regional parties that over the years and elections have been in the company of either the DMK or the AIADMK and had lost their sheen and strength by the time the Jaya-Karuna twin exits were supposed to be creating a political vacuum in the state. Against the AIADMKs unsure future just now -- or, at least until the poll results are known on May 23 -- the DMK seems to have a stable leadership under Karunanidhis long-serving politician-son M K Stalin. By knowing what not to do and say when the old man was around, Stalin has endeared himself to the rank and file of the party that worshipped Karunanidhi, who in an advanced age, too, would not give up a good politico-electoral fight, even when physically impaired and tied down to a wheelchair for years. With campaign hours closing down, there is a kind of uncertainty and lack of clarity all round, what with the ECs shortened 21-day period for the purpose over the past couple of decades, taking the polls increasingly away from voters comprehension. Leave aside the alliance and seat-sharing talks particularly involving sub-regional and other minor parties dragging on until almost the last hour, the inevitable delay in the choice of candidates has meant that the voter hardly got to know their names, leave alone identity even for face-recognition in many cases. Yet, Stalins early declaration, projecting Congress president Rahul Gandhi as the DMKs prime ministerial candidate did imply that the two parties would contest the polls together. Yet, his reluctance to talk the minorities talk through much of the campaign and the DMK not directly fielding one of them in any of the constituencies may have dampened the communities enthusiasm overmuch against earlier expectations. Dhinakarans TMMK may stand to gain a bit, as in the R K Nagar by-poll, but it may still be too early to conclude either way. The alliance has the MDMK with about three per cent vote-share, and the VCK and the IUML with their selective strongholds on their side. The two communist parties, which were left to fight on their own in 2014 and polled a miniscule one per cent vote-share, are now said to be giving a tough fight in the DMK-Congress company, in four constituencies. For the ruling AIADMK-BJP combine, they have the election going in their favour -- but mostly on paper -- what with apprehensions of double anti-incumbency, if any, ensuring that they do sweat it out, until after the last minute. This is so despite the alliance, which includes also the PMK (5.5 pc vote-share in the 2016 assembly polls) and actor-politician Vijayakanth, with a perceived 3-4 per cent vote-share being in their company along with such other allies as Tamil Maanila Congress and Puthiya Tamizhagam with a much less vote-share, indicating that the alliance leaders would not want to leave anything to chance. Yet, the BJP might have unwittingly displayed early nervousness when as far back as mid-2016, the party was seen as wooing the AIADMK when Jaya was hospitalised first and died later -- mostly with elections 2019 in mind. Prime Minister Narendra Modi not visiting Jayalalithaa in hospital as against later calling on a relatively stable Karunanidhi in his home may not have been publicly discussed by AIADMK cadres. Yet, shedding his early shyness and/or reserve, when he would inaugurate official programmes and projects through video-conference from the state secretariat (as Jaya used to do after she became sick), EPS has used the poll campaign to reach out to every nook and corner of the state. Stalin once again did so in his own way, what with many of the second-line leaders choosing to contest themselves or tying down to the constituencies that they had got for their sons and other kin. One of them, DMK treasurer and former minister, S Duraimurugan, has become the centre of national focus after the EC cancelled polling in the northern Vellore LS constituency from where his son Kathir Anand is contesting on the party ticket after IT raid-teams recovering over Rs 11 crores said to be meant for distribution to voters and cadres, in sealed and named envelopes. The IT department has also summoned state minister Udayakumar after a raid on his room in the MLAs hostel. For all this, however, poll campaign in Tamil Nadu will not be over, here and now. After a couple of days break, parties and candidates are expected to take to the streets, this time in just four assembly constituencies where by-elections have been notified for May 19. The DMK has already named its candidates for the four constituencies, while the AIADMK has committed the support of all its allies, including the BJP, for all assembly by-polls being held now. The AIADMK is also said to be contemplating the possibility of having five other MLAs, either of the party or of minor parties who contested on the Two Leaves symbol in 2016, disqualified, if only to keep the EPS reign intact -- depending, however, on the by-poll results in the current total of 22. It also implies that the AIADMK is more concerned about the assembly by-polls than possibly the LS polls, though in the later stages of the campaign for both, EPS and other party leaders were talking more in terms of supporting Modi for stability and security, than even listing out their own achievements, from Jayas 2016 mandate to the present day. But then, the BJPs ambitions of replacing either of the two Dravidian majors in the state on an early date should stop just there. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Director, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai Chapter. 'As an aspirational district, one of the main challenges is health and nutrition of the tribal community.' 'They are 1.5 lakhs to 1.6 lakhs tribals in this district.' 'The major issue among tribals is malnutrition and anaemia.' IMAGE: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, submits his nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat to District Collector Ajayakumar A R, the returning officer for the constituency, April 4, 2019. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCIndia/Twitter It is early in the day and the corridors of the district collector's office in Wayanad are quiet. The seats outside his confidential assistant's office are empty; a petitioner is waiting to see the collector with a letter in her hand. Messages about polling day can be found in the corridors of the collectorate building which is the arm of the Election Commission in the district. As the returning officer, Ajayakumar A R, the district collector, is the most important person in the conduct of the election. In districts across India, an election constitutes the most vital duty discharged by young IAS officers serving as district magistrates or collectors. The sheer scale of the exercise and responsibility shouldered by these bureaucrats makes it the highpoint of their careers. The buck stops with the collector for a free and fair election. Ajayakumar, a 2012 batch IAS officer, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the challenges posed by the hilly terrain and security arrangements required to counter the Maoist threat in the district with the largest tribal population in Kerala. How serious is the left wing terror threat in Wayanad? Except the one killing reported one month back, sightings have been reported in several parts. But we are confident we will be able to counter any such mischievous activities on their part. The increased threat perception is due to left wing activities in and around the district. What are the big challenges of conducting elections in Wayanad? The major challenge is regarding the terrain itself. It is a mountainous terrain and many booths are located in adjoining areas of forest. We also have to make some elaborate security arrangements because of the recent Maoist threat to ensure that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. We have done that exercise and are confident that no such eventualities will take place. The population is around 8 plus lakh and polling booths are well placed with assured minimum facilities arranged at all polling stations. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: Coffee and pepper are the main crops of the largely agrarian district. Farming has been hit and farmers are facing acute distress. There is talk that Wayanad is the Vidarbha of south India with farmers committing suicide... No, that's not true. In terms of farmers's suicides, Wayanad is not number 1. But yet that is a real issue because climatic change is hampering cultivation in this district. The recent floods have also had an impact. The major crop is coffee, followed by pepper and rice. Coffee plantation is badly affected by climate change. Pepper cultivation was also affected a bit because of the floods. One part of the district is also drought prone which is creating problems for the agricultural community. We will take all possible steps to address this issue within our limited resources. I am happy that Wayanad has been selected as one of the aspirational districts so that we get a little more funding from the agencies. Now that this district is coming into the limelight, I hope some more assistance will flow so that people benefit. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com Ajayakumar A R, the district collector and returning officer, Wayanad, is responsible for conducting the Lok Sabha election in the hilly district, 80 percent of which is under forest cover with the largest tribal population in Kerala and under the shadow of a Maoist threat. Do you think if a VVIP becomes an MP, it will help Wayanad? Sure, that goes without saying. In your experience of having worked in different places, when a big leader becomes an MP of a small place, what difference does it make to a district? Say if Rahul Gandhi was to become the MP from here, what difference will it make? I think you know the answer to that question. Basically if some VVIP, whoever it may be, is contesting from a particular constituency, definitely the constituency will get the benefit in several ways. If his presence is in the government, then it will benefit much more and if not in the government as well, because of his candidature itself, some benefits will come to the district. I cannot specifically say which benefits will come, but it is quite a well-known thing. How was the VVIP's interaction with you? We saw pictures of you during Rahul Gandhi's filing his nomination. That is only an accidental thing, suppose some other person was sitting here, he'd be captured on camera. That's it. Nothing new. Was he gracious and polite? Yes, of course. Not only he, all the politicians are very polite while dealing with them. Do farmers constitute most of this region? What are the kind of jobs people do? What about employment for young people? Yes, that is also one of the issues we are facing because this is basically an agrarian society. Majority of people are engaged in agricultural activities. So skilling this community is very important. This aspect is also taken care of under the aspirational district banner. In fact, nearly 1.25 lakhs is the estimated population that needs to be skilled, that is the employable category. When it comes to skilling, the capacity of the population also has to be assessed. Only then can we frame a plan. We have already assessed this and plan to skill this 1.25 lakh population over a period of 5 years, and are tying up with respective training institutions. There are just two technical institutions -- one engineering college and two polytechnics -- apart from some private institutions here which will not be sufficient to skill the people. I have had two or three rounds of meetings with the Kerala Academy of Skill Excellence and another one with the Community Skill Park and a third with the Botanical Labour Cooperative. They will be providing employment for skilled labour. The fourth is NADF, a government approved institution in Thalassery, that also provides some skill training. We are chalking out a skilling plan for unemployed youth in this district. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: A bookstore in Kalpetta. There are hardly any job opportunities for young people. The government aims to skill 1.25 lakh people. What is the unemployment rate? Do young people have opportunity here? The educated community, the number of graduates and post-graduates is less because institutions are few and also because people are poor. Wayanad has a potential for tourism, because the hospitality industry is flourishing for so many years and that will get intensified in the coming years. So what are you doing about it? We are very particular about the environment. Nearly 80 percent is covered by either forest or plantation. Hardly 20 percent is for living. We have to preserve this land in its pristine nature, so whatever tourism activities that will take place will be done keeping this in mind. Photograph: Seema Pant for Rediff.com IMAGE: Wayanad district has the largest tribal population in Kerala. Nearly 80 per cent area is covered by either forest or plantation. What are the issues of administering Wayanad? As an administrator, what are the challenges that you have faced? Wayanad is one of the districts with the highest tribal population in Kerala. They are 1.5 lakhs to 1.6 lakhs tribals in this district. There are many welfare schemes for this community that are being implemented -- but most of the tribal community lives in mountainous areas, so whatever facilities we will provide, they may not be adequate for their needs. The major issue among tribals is malnutrition and anaemia. Another major issue is housing. We are making all arrangements to see that their issues are addressed. In fact, before the elections, this district was selected as an aspirational district. Under that banner also, we are trying to mitigate this issue through some CSR funding. To address malnutrition, we have tied up with BPCL who will provide a mobile ambulance to provide nutritious food to all lactating mothers and adolescent girls in every taluk. The state government is also providing these things, but the tribal community does not like the nutritional mix being provided. We have chalked out a plan that the nutrient value will be taken care of, but with the kind of food they like. What are the challenges that the collector of an aspirational district has? Would you be under scrutiny from the Centre? As an aspirational district, one of the main challenges is health and nutrition of the tribal community. We have already framed a plan and we will be switching over to action within a month or two. Everything is ready. Another major issue facing this district is connectivity itself. There is no railway station because of the hilly terrain. Our only connectivity to Kozhikode is by road and because this road passes through the forest area, the development of this area is little difficult. The forest cannot spare more land for this. On the other side, the connectivity to Bengaluru is also a challenge because we share borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. We are planning to set up an airstrip, not an airport, so that in case of an emergency evacuation can be done by air. Unfazed by the income tax department raids at her residence, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Kanimozhi on Wednesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party cannot prevent her from winning in the Lok Sabha elections. She also dubbed the raids as "anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested". "The BJP cannot prevent my success through this income tax raid. The raid is anti-democratic, deliberately planned and tested, and no documents have been seized," Kanimozhi told reporters after completion of raids. "They want to intimidate us through this. They have come to stop elections in Thoothukudi. DMK volunteers will be working with more enthusiasm," she added. "On Tuesday evening, I-T department conducted raids at a house in which Kanimozhi is staying on the information shared by the local administration," sources added. According to sources, Kanimozhi was present during the raids and cooperated with the team. However, "I-T dept found nothing but verification is on." The raids have been completed. Reportedly, it was alleged that "lots of cash" was stashed on the first floor of her house in Thoothukudi. This comes two days before the Tamil Nadu votes on April 18 for 39 seats. Kanimozhi is contesting from Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat. Even as the house was being searched a posse of DMK supporters gathered outside and staged a demonstration raising anti-Modi slogans. Reacting to the raids, DMK president Stalin said: "I got a message that Kanimozhi's premises is being raided. BJP candidate Tamilisai Soundarajan's premises has crores and crores of rupees. Why no raids there? Who will take action? Modi used the I-T department, the Central Bureau of Investigation, judiciary and latest in the row is the Election Commission of India to interfere in the electoral process." Stalin said," They are doing this because of the fear of losing." "This is basically murder of democracy. Rs. 2000 note is being widely offered in the elections, will you report this? In Theni constituency, Rs. 1000 note is being offered to voters, what about that? Tamil Nadu minister Velumani is accused of distributing money. His close aide Sabesan's premises is raided, no one reported, no news on this," he added. Pon Radhakrishnan is also a Union minister of state. His opponent is the richest candidate in Tamil Nadu. A Ganesh Nadar reports from Kanyakumari. IMAGE: Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan on the campaign trail in Kanyakumari. Photograph: Kind courtesy Pon Radhakrishnan/Twitter Bharatiya Janata Party supporters have gathered outside Hotel Sahana Castle in Nagercoil. No one seems to know where the candidate is. Cadres from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi -- the BJP's allies in Tamil Nadu -- are also out in large numbers and getting restive. The BJP election office, which functions out of Pon Radhakrishnan's old home, says the MP is traveling from Marthandam to Kallikavilai on the Kerala border. The uncertainty about Radhakrishnan's whereabouts is not the only thing bothering activists from the BJP's supporting parties. Says Misha Paulraj, a PMK worker, "The Salem-Chennai expressway was stopped because we were losing votes. Then Nitin Gadkari comes and announces that he will make sure the highway is built. Is he aware of the situation in Tamil Nadu?" "Piyush Goyal speaks as if he is in some state in the north. Why don't these leaders talk to the local cadres before opening their big mouths?" Paulraj wants to know. Pon Radhakrishnan, Kanyakumari MP and minister of state in the Narendra Damodardas Modi government, too tried to bring some projects to his constituency, but came a cropper. Radhakrishnan wanted to establish a container port at Colachal, Iniyam and Kovalam villages, but after the fishermen rose in protest he had to withdraw his plan. Then he announced that the port would be built between Colachal and Kovalam and inaugurated it at a marriage hall in Nagercoil. This became the talk of the district, a source of much mirth. Kanyakumari is no stranger to the rest of the country as the throngs of tourists at the Vivekananda rock memorial will testify. The confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal is a must-see for many Indians. The Congress campaign headquarters in contrast is buzzing with activity. The candidate's itinerary is posted on on a board. From early morning till 1.40 pm he was canvassing in villages, at the rate of 10 minutes in every village. At 3 pm, he is to take part in a bike rally in Nagercoil and go around town till the campaign ended in the evening. H Vasanthakumar, the Congress nominee, is also the richest candidate in Tamil Nadu with declared assets of Rs 417 crores (Rs 4.17 billion). He owns the Vasanth and Co retail chain and his ascent in business I wrote about earlier.. Vasanthakumar is also an MLA -- from Nanguneri, which falls under the adjoining Tirunelveli Lok Sabha constituency. Readers may recall my colleague Saisuresh Sivaswamy and my interview with Vasanthakumar before the 2016 assembly election. Kanyakumari has 44 per cent Christians, 6 per cent Muslims and 50 per cent Hindus. Says S P Udayakumar, who spearheaded the anti-Koodangulam nuclear power plant agitation and is a resident of Nagercoil, "Usually, there is a Christian candidate and Pon Radhakrishnan would have got the Hindu vote. This time, as there is no Christian candidate in the fray, there is no polarisation. Both candidates are Hindu Nadars." The cash seizures in Tamil Nadu startling all of India reared its head in Kanyakumari as well. One of Vasanthakumar's relatives was arrested last week with a large sum of money. IMAGE: H Vasanthakumar hugs a baby on the campaign trail. Photograph: Kind courtesy H Vasanthakumar/Twitter The first to turn up for Vasanthakumar's bike rally in Nagercoil are Marumalarchi DMK cadres, followed by DMK supporters. Finally, Congress activists turn up. Soon, the place is teeming with people in spite of the dizzily high temperatures because it is the last day of the election campaign in Tamil Nadu. The rally features song and dance which you can see in the video below: Videos: A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com. Video Editor: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com Vasanthakumar arrives at 4.30 pm, garlands a statue of former chief minister and Nadar icon K Kamaraj and set out on his bike rally. He will end the rally by garlanding the statue of another former chief minister, C N Annadurai, someone who uprooted the Congress from Tamil Nadu, in another part of the town. As we leave Nagercoil, the heavens open up in a gentle shower. Traveling in the opposite direction is the candidate from T T V Dinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam with his own bike rally. It is not as large as the Congress's bike rally, but not small either. Could TTV's nominee play the spoiler when the votes are counted on May 23? The candidate is from the DMK's ruling family, and the sky is the limit -- for both expenses and expectations. A Ganesh Nadar reports from Thoothukudi. IMAGE: The DMK's Kanimozhi hits the campaign trail in Thoothukudi. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Kanimozhi/Twitter Thoothukudi, in southern Tamil Nadu, has seldom been the focus of attention during elections, but this time round it is the cynosure of all eyes in the state thanks to the high-profile clash between two women leaders in the constituency. Kanimozhi, the late Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam veteran M Karunanidhi's daughter, has chosen this constituency to enter the Lok Sabha for the first time; she is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha. Facing her is the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Tamil Nadu unit, Tamilisai Sounderrajan, who too boasts a political legacy, as senior Congress leader Kumari Anandan's daughter. The Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency consists of the assembly seats of Tiruchendur, Srivaikuntam, Tuticorin, Vilathikulam, Ottipidaram and Kovilpatti. It is a highly industrialised district with a port, and airport and rail connectivity to the rest of the country. Usually, this district is not very important during elections, but this time it is basking in its transformation as a VIP constituency. Kanimozhi was known in Tamil Nadu, but this renown extended to the rest of the country when she was imprisoned in Delhi's Tihar jail as one of the accused in the 2G scam along with former telecom minister A Raja from her party, and their subsequent acquittal in the case. Kanimozhi had announced six months earlier that she would contest the Lok Sabha election from Thoothukudi and has since been assiduously cultivating the constituency. In the fortnight running up to the April 18 election, she has been crisscrossing the area thoroughly, visiting almost every village in this huge district which has over 1.3 million voters. Photograph: A Ganesh Nadar/ Rediff.com IMAGE: A banner for Kanimozhi proclaims the Secular Progressive Front. In her favour is the public resentment over the police firing on Sterlite protestors last May which killed 15 people. None of the policemen involved in the incident have been punished so far, a point she does not fail to drive home at every meeting. Everyone in Tamil Nadu knows that elections in the state only become interesting when the DMK is challenged directly by the rival AIADMK. Here, her opponent is a BJP leader who belongs to the neighbouring Kanyakumari district. Tamilisai has so far not struck a chord with the voters who are upset with the BJP, which rules at the Centre, and the AIADMK, which rules the state, for the Sterlite firing. Though Tamilisai works closely with the AIADMK district secretary and Srivaikuntam MLA Shunmuganathan, workers of both parties are not happy. IMAGE: Tamilisai mingles with crowds during her election campaign. Photograph: Kind courtesy Tamilisai/Twitter An AIADMK leader grumbled to this correspondent, "When the candidate came we were told to get a crowd of 1,000 people. I took 200 people as my share, and at Rs 200 a person I should have been paid Rs 40,000, but I was given only Rs 20,000." DMK cadres, on the other hand, seem happy. "Our party usually says we can win without giving out any money, but we always lose. This time, we are first off the blocks and have already distributed Rs 300 per vote." A DMK functionary was arrested with Rs 4 million in cash in Kayamozhi, a village in the district, on Monday. On Tuesday, income tax agents raided Kanimozhi's local home, only to return red faced when nothing was found. Political leaders all over the country have condemned the raid, alleging a political witch hunt. Party cadres are poring over voters lists and spreading the manna evenly. The last mile connectivity is always a local man, whether in village, town or city. So the chances of catching anyone actually distributing money is low. All seizures are made only when the money is en route, not at the point of distribution. There is also a candidate from AIADMK rebel T T V Dinakaran's party, the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in the Thoothukudi electoral race. M Bhuvaneshwaran was on a road show in Nalumadi village with five cars and a few bikes in his convoy. The point being emphasised by his campaign's speaker is that while Kanimozhi is from Chennai, Tamilisai is from Kanyakumari, Bhuvaneshwaran, from Alwarthope in the same district, is the local in the fray. So vote for him and keep away the outsiders is the message conveyed. The AMMK is said to have identified 800,000 voters to be paid Rs 200 per vote. AMMK cadres have apparently told the party high command that the money is not enough as the other side has already paid out Rs 100 more. There are rumours that the AIADMK-BJP alliance plans to up the ante with a blitz of Rs 500 per voter, to defeat the daughter from the DMK's ruling family. DMK cadres are unruffled by this talk. "We will give another Rs 300 immediately," they say cheerfully. The candidate, after all, is Kanimozhi and they know that the sky is the limit -- for both expenses and expectations. 'It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed' 'Has the Supreme court even remotely said that PM Modi is not chowkidar and chori ki hai? Is this not taking liberty with the institutions?' Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman believes that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement 'that there may be a better chance of India-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the Bharatiya Janata Party is voted back to power', is a ploy by the Congress to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from the Centre. "I wouldn't know why such statements are being made. Every time such statements are made and this is individually my perception and not my party's or the government's take. There have been many eminent leaders of the Congress who went there (Pakistan) to seek help to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They went there saying, Modi hatane ke liye hamen madad karo (help us to oust Modi). I wonder whether this is also a part of the scheme of things which have been put by the Congress. I don't know what to make of this honestly," the defence minister told ANI. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Imran Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Talking about Balakot air strike, Sitharaman said that onus to prove whether a terrorist camp was hit or not was on Pakistan. She said that Islamabad was making a mockery of itself by taking defence attaches and selected journalists to a Madarsa which was not even touched by the Indian Air Force on February 26, instead of the terror training centre which was attacked. "It is for Pakistan to show they have not been hit and that a number of people were not killed. They took 40 days to take a small group of journalists and defence attaches and limited that picnic that they had of these people only to the madrasa. I am telling you the madrasa was at the lower end of the foothill and behind the madrasa, into the dense forest was the training camp. So, Pakistan is making a mockery of itself," she said. When questioned about the Indian government maintaining silence over the outcome of Balakot airstrike, the defence minister said, "Before the attack took place, many Pakistani websites claimed that the targeted terror camp was recruiting youngsters. The world-renowned notorious terrorist who handled many attacks like the 2008 Mumbai terror attack was calling out to young men to join him." "Not only this, recruiters of the terrorist outfit were even hiring retired trainers to train future jihadis. If you look into the websites you would know how many people were being trained in the camp. So from there, one can calculate an approximate number," she added. Talking about her experience of handling the Balakot air strike, she said, "You are not concerned that much about the success or failure of the operation. It is your men and their lives which is the major concern. You just hope that everything goes fine. I got a call at 4 'o' clock in the morning saying that everyone was safe and it was only then that I felt relieved." Reacting to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's claims that India was going to attack Pakistan between April 16-20, Sitharaman said, "I don't know from where he got these dates from. Good luck to him... god knows (who is his source in India) but it sounded very fanciful and amusing to me." When asked whether the Supreme Court's decision to look into the allegedly stolen documents or acquired documents in the Rafale case weakened government's position, the Union minister said, "I don't think our position has become weaker. We are firm on our stand. The Attorney General gave an explanation the next day. Documents from the defence ministry are classified documents. Every time a document of this nature or even a page comes out, in my understanding, it is stealing of information. The ministry is looking into the matter as to how it came out." When questioned if she thought that the procurement of documents pertaining to the Rafale deal was illegal, the minister said, "The procurement of the document is illegal. That's what I have been harping on. There are legitimate ways of obtaining it. There are credible tools to obtain it. If it has not come out through a legitimate manner then it is said to be stolen. Now what has come out does not alter the discourse on Rafale. Even if we include the matter on these illegally obtained pages, it does not alter the clear process which has been adopted. We are not worried at all." Sitharaman also hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his 'chowkidar chor hai' remark against Prime Minister Modi, which he attributed to the Supreme Court. "But then has the Supreme Court said that Modiji gave this much money to Anil Ambani? Has the Supreme Court said this? When has the Supreme Court said this? Has the Supreme court even remotely said that PM Modi is not chowkidar and chori ki hai? Is this not taking liberty with the institutions? That too the Supreme Court, where every word is well thought out. It is putting words into the mouth of the court and therefore if the court is looking into the matter it is only fair," she said. Further underlining the government's dedication towards equipping the armed forces, the defence minister said, "Post Rafale too, the Defence Acquisition Council meets every fortnight. We have been clearing things which are vital for the armed forces. Nothing has stopped us. The speed during Manohar Parrikar's time and Arun Jaitley's time continues even now." On giving emergency powers of up to Rs 300 crore to the services for meeting their critical requirements, the defence minister said, "earlier also we had given emergency powers post-Uri attacks. We had also given them the power to choose what they want to buy. If they want to quickly purchase some ammunition post Pulwama, they can go ahead. So, this happens at least under Modi and the NDA government. Armed forces have the margin of acquiring quickly." Shobha Warrier reports from Thiruvananthapuram where a former UN diplomat is battling a former governor for the Lok Sabha seat. Video Editor: Rajesh Karkera/ Photographs and videos: Shobha Warrier/ Rediff.com Video Editor: Rajesh Karkera/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Shashi Tharoor, the Congress's sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram, sets out to campaign. When Shashi Tharoor was fielded as the Congress candidate from the capital of Kerala in 2009, soon after he returned to India after a long tenure at the United Nations, there were both subtle and loud protests from local Congressmen who had been toiling hard in Thiruvanthapuram for years. But the urban residents of Thiruvananthapuram were so enamoured with the suave handsome diplomat that he won the 2009 Lok Sabha election by 100,000 votes. Tharoor did not disappoint his voters in his first term, installing high-mast lamps at various junctions and starting many libraries. Of course, controversies swirled around him -- over his tweets, his involvement with the Kochi IPL team, his high-profile life as a central minister. The situation changed with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. Affection and pride for the MP turned to suspicion and scepticism. The 2014 election was not an easy ride for Tharoor. He had to fight a tough battle against Bharatiya Janata Party veteran O Rajagopal, a minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. For most of the counting in May 2014, Tharoor trailed Rajagopal. The BJP had even arranged a press conference to celebrate the party's first Lok Sabha victory from Kerala. But the last 30 minutes of counting changed the outcome. Tharoor surged ahead and won the seat by 15,700 votes -- his 297,806 votes to Rajagopal's 282,336 votes. Five years later, in 2019, the political scene in Kerala has changed considerably. It is no longer a direct, traditional, fight between the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the Communist of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front. BJP-led National Democratic Alliance nominees are reported to be giving LDF and UDF candidates a strong fight in many constituencies. For the first time, Kerala will witness three-cornered contests in all its 20 Lok Sabha seats. The Left and Congress have joined hands in many states, including neighbouring Tamil Nadu, for this election, but their candidates will contest the Lok Sabha against each other in Kerala. In Thiruvananthapuram, even at 8 am, the temperature is close to 30. Kerala has not witnessed a recent summer like this. Months after the unprecedented floods, where more than 600 people died, around 20 people have already died of heat stroke in the state and a heat wave warning is still in place. I wait outside the Aruvippuram Siva temple established by Sree Narayana Guru, the early 20th century monk and social reformer, waiting for BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan to start the day's campaign after praying at the temple. The temple is an important part in Kerala's history. When Sree Narayana Guru -- who belonged to the backward Ezhava community -- consecrated the Siva temple in 1888, he became the first non-Brahmin to do so. While most politicians become governors and enjoy a retired life, Kummanam -- as he is known to Malayalees and Rajettan to BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers -- resigned as governor of Mizoram and jumped into the heat and dust of the election. "It is going to a very tough fight," tea shop owner Babu tells me, even as he distributes cups of steaming hot tea to BJP activists. "Kummanam has a slight advantage because many people here feel Tharoor was hardly seen in this term." "Where was he during the floods? Where was he when cyclone Ockhi hit the coast? All these politicians become actors during the elections, but people are now intelligent enough to understand what's a genuine gesture and what's fake," Babu adds. Kummanam, he concedes, would perhaps not match Tharoor's erudition. "It is true that Tharoor will make a mark in Delhi and the rest of the world with his knowledge and presence, but we need a person who would be here for us. Kummanam is a simple man like most of us." It is this image of Kummanam that the BJP is trying to project. The loudspeaker mounted on the jeep in front of the convoy blares, "This is our man, your man, a man in a simple dhoti and shirt, a man who leads a very simple life like all of us. Vote for our Kummanam Rajasekharan, our own Rajettan, the man who left the luxuries of the governor's bungalow to serve the people of Thiruvananthapuram..." IMAGE: The Kummanam convoy rolls on. The auto driver gets excited when I tell him I want to go where Tharoor is to address a meeting. He points to the many pictures of Hindu gods on his dashboard and proclaims, "I am a Hindu, I believe in God and I go to temples every day. That does not mean I support the BJP. For generations, we have been supporting the Congress and I will continue to do so." "I am true Tharoor fan," the auto driver declares. "It is the good fortune of the people of Thiruvananthapuram that we have a great man like him as our MP. We can proudly tell the entire world that our MP can stand in front of all of them as an equal, if not better than them. I want him to win this time too. I agree it is going to be a tough fight this time." He is sure that Sabarimala will be a major issue in Kerala this election. "The way the Pinarayi (Vijayan, chief minister) government handled the issue was abominable," he adds. "I was a bit disappointed with the way my party reacted. I would have preferred them taking a firm stand in support of the believers. But all of us want peace in society and the BJP is a violent party like the Left unlike the Congress; we have always stood for peace and harmony." As Tharoor's campaign crew is more than an hour behind schedule, a man jumps out of a jeep with a Congress flag and starts speaking. "Can any of their candidates match Tharoor?" the man thunders. "What the Congress has built, the great India, in the last 60 years, they destroyed in just five years," the Congressman says. "Dear people of Kerala, to prevent them from destroying the country further, vote for the Congress and Tharoor." Compared to Kummanam's huge campaign machinery, Tharoor's cavalcade is comparatively small with a handful of two-wheelers leading the way. Perhaps the complaint Tharoor is reported to have made to the Congress's central leadership about the non-cooperation of local Congress leaders is correct. When I ask Ravishankar, who is watching Tharoor campaign from his vegetable shop, if the MP will win a third term in the Lok Sabha, he ponders for a while and says with a smile, "It is going to be tough. Look at the way the other man (Kummanam) is campaigning. His people are everywhere. They are pumping in money and people." "After all, they are ruling in Delhi," he adds. "So, money is not an issue for them." Who do you support, I ask. "I am a Left supporter. I have been one for a long time," says the vegetable vendor, adding, "I am very disappointed that the Left fielded such a weak candidate from Thiruvananthapuram. Everybody knows he has absolutely no chance. The fight is between Tharoor and Kummanam." "Some of my party friends tell me they did it on purpose so that it would help Tharoor. I hear they are silently telling the Left supporters to vote for the Congress," Ravishankar says. "Both the Left and the Congress want to see that the BJP does not win here or anywhere in Kerala." The artillery pounds targets and keeps the enemy's head down, preventing them from firing at attacking troops. Ajai Shukla reports. In an important step towards upgrading the combat power of the artillery, the Ordnance Factory Board on April 8, 2019, handed over the first six Dhanush 155 millimetre artillery guns to the army. This is part of an order for 114 guns being delivered by the OFB's Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur. The Dhanush is also called the 'Desi Bofors', having been developed from blueprints supplied by Bofors in the 1980s, when India bought 400 Swedish FH-77B howitzers (or, interchangeably, guns). Embroiled in scandal, the Bofors manufacturing blueprints were never used. Only after the gun proved its worth in the Kargil conflict did the United Progressive Alliance encourage the OFB to upgrade the 155 millimetre/39 calibre gun to 45 calibre and manufacture it in numbers for the army. The National Democratic Alliance government has taken this forward, putting the Dhanush through rigorous trials to meet the army's requirements. MoD sources say the gun has fired over 4,500 rounds in trials. The bore of an artillery gun -- in this case, 155 mm -- represents the internal width of the barrel and governs the weight of explosive packed into each shell -- its destructive power. The calibre -- 39/45/52, as the case may be -- governs the length of the barrel, which, in turns, affects its range. The longer the barrel, the longer the range, allowing guns to fire from so far that the enemy cannot respond. In upgrading the 39 calibre Bofors FH-77B to a 45 calibre Dhanush, the OFB has effectively increased the gun's range. It has also increased the indigenisation content to 81 per cent, which would be boosted as production stabilises. The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the purchase of 414 Dhanush guns, but the army is placing orders in tranches so that the OFB can continue refining the gun. Artillery is a key combat enabler and has been the primary killer in every major battle since the American civil war. The artillery supports an attack by pounding the target and keeping the enemy's head down, preventing them from firing at attacking troops. While supporting the defence, artillery seeks to cause casualties on attackers in the open. Overall, the army has 218 field artillery regiments that are equipped with guns like the Dhanush. With practically no artillery being bought since the 1980s owing to the ghost of the Bofors scandal, more than half of these are equipped with light field guns, of 105 and 130 calibre, which damage the target less effectively than the 155 mm guns that the army has now chosen as its standard bore. That requires the urgent replacement of light field guns with about 110 regiments. With each regiment authorised 20 howitzers, that demands the procurement of about 2,200 guns. Furthermore, since the existing 155 mm guns are also decades old, another 2,200 guns are needed to replace them. After two decades of procrastination, the army is proceeding on four tracks to modernise the artillery. The first breakthrough came with the purchase of 145 M777 ultralight howitzers from BAE Systems Inc for about $700 million. The first batch of M777 guns was handed over to the army at Deolali on November 9, 2018 and the rest are being manufactured. These light, agile guns will equip seven artillery regiments in the north east, where the shortage of roads and tracks make its portability extremely useful. With the induction of the Chinook helicopter last month, the M777 can now be shifted rapidly between high-altitude gun positions by slinging them under the Chinook's belly. Also inducted was the first batch of K-9 Vajra self-propelled howitzers, which Larsen & Toubro is building outside Pune with technology from South Korea. These heavy, 155 mm, 52 calibre SP guns are mounted on tracked, armoured chassis, so that they can accompany and provide fire support to tank columns of the strike corps that operate in the plains and deserts of the western sector. Just 100 SP guns are being bought, mainly for the desert formations of the army's Southern and SouthWestern Command. The Western command can do without these guns, since its operational area is in the Punjab and J&K, where road and track networks are better. Simultaneously, a 'Buy & Make (India)' acquisition process is under way for 1,580 towed guns that will also be 155 mm, 52 calibre. The plan is to buy 400 guns off-the-shelf and then build 1,180 in an ordnance factory with transfer of technology, at the rate of 100 guns per year. Israeli firm, Elbit, has been identified as the lowest bidder and a defence ministry cost negotiation committee is finalising the price. The Kalyani Group will be the Indian offset partner. While these four procurements will provide howitzers to replace the 105 and 130 mm guns, the Defence Research & Development Organisation is leading an ambitious public-private partnership to develop an indigenous howitzer called the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System. Two private sector firms are partners to the DRDO: The Kalyani Group and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. "The ATAGS is coming up as a very accurate, powerful, long-range, consistent gun with a high rate of fire and an all-electric drive," says a senior general, giving a rare military thumbs-up to a weapons system still in development. While the ATAGS has broken world records in range, a challenge that remains is to reduce the gun's weight from the current 18 tonnes. Success will be gauged during 'user-assisted technical trials' this summer. Make Music NWCT is making a return to the Northwest corner through the Northwest CT Arts Council on Friday, June 21. Make Music Day began in France in 1892 as the Fete de la Musique, and has spread to over 800 cities across 120 countries. This event grew into an international celebration that takes place on the summer solstice of each year. People of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to create music at participating venues all over the region on the longest day of the year. HARTFORD Connecticuts House of Representatives voted Wednesday to strengthen the health insurance laws by making sure residents with pre-existing conditions are protected. House Bill 5521 passed unanimously by a 146-0 vote, and now goes to the Senate. Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, said that they want to make it clear to the residents of Connecticut that we will protect our constituents regardless of what happens in Washington. Scanlon said that one in four people, or 522,000 non-elderly adults, have pre-existing conditions in the state of Connecticut, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Nobody should be discriminated against because they have cancer or they have heart disease, Scanlon said. The intent of the bill, Scanlon said, is to give Connecticut residents with pre-existing conditions, and their family members, peace of mind. A few Republicans questioned Scanlon about the bill, stating they were primarily concerned about whether the legislation would increase the cost of insurance on Connecticut residents if the Affordable Care Act is eventually repealed at the federal level. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan, was among those who expressed the concern during debate, and others also noted that the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities submitted written testimony in opposition to the bill as another mandate on municipalities. CCM is sympathetic to the intent of these proposals. However, state-mandated expansions of health insurance coverage would increase insurance costs for towns and cities, they wrote. These increased costs would result in higher premiums for municipal employers and most likely property tax increases. CCM also said the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis has concluded that such coverage requirements may result in increased premium costs when municipalities enter into new health insurance contracts after January 1. But, in the end, the bill and Scanlons answers satisfy the chamber. There is a lingering possibility that the federal Affordable Care Act will be repealed or a federal court could strike it down. Scanlon said the legislation expands former Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wades August 2018 bulletins, which said that any short-term limited-duration plan to offer the ACAs essential health benefits for policies sold in the individual market, and any renewable short-term limited-duration health plan and any short-term limited-duration health plan longer than six months cannot exclude pre-existing conditions. The legislation expands pre-existing condition coverage to plans shorter than six months. A Connecticut law protecting pre-existing conditions for insurance policies that are longer than six months was on the books before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. Connecticuts health insurance law Chapter 7, Section 38a-476, already states that no individual health insurance plan or insurance arrangement shall impose a pre-existing conditions provision on any individual. But that pre-existing coverage protection only applies to fully insured plans in the state. In Connecticut there are 2.21 million privately insured residents. Of those, about 1.85 million get their insurance from large group plans, 131,000 have individual plans, and 235,000 people are covered under small group plans. The Insurance Department doesnt regulate the plans of 1.85 million people in the large group market, where the terms of employee benefits are set by employers. So of those 2.21 million privately insured residents, the 366,000 with individual plans or who are covered under small group plans are protected from losing coverage for pre-existing conditions if the ACA repealed or struck down by a court. Those with employer-provided insurance coverage in the large group market are not. The bill the House passed Wednesday also doesnt require documentation by a medical professional to prove someone has a pre-existing condition. Scanlon said thats currently part of the ACA that they are looking to make state law. Current law limits the provision to pre-existing conditions for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received. The bill does not have a fiscal impact on the state or municipalities because its already current law. Last year, Connecticut lawmakers passed HB 5210 to provide some extra protections to its health insurance law. HB 5210 protects the ACAs essential health benefits, such as prescription drug coverage, maternity care, pediatric services, and preventative care, for anyone who has a plan regulated by the state Insurance Department. It also requires some plans to provide preventative services for women, children, and adolescents at no cost. Jack Kramer contributed reporting to this story. Rotary and Lions Clubs located in Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts have joined forces to launch an addiction task force aimed at combating the public health issue of opioid dependence and overdose deaths, according to a release. Leadership in Rotary District 7890 and Lions District 23B partnered with diverse resources, including the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services promote National Drug Take Back Day on April 27. The Rotary-Lions task force will connect citizens with multiple resources designed to help prevent and address opioid misuse and addiction at home, in the workplace and in the community, members said. In Phase One, nearly 4000 local Lions and Rotarians will stress the importance of removing unused medications from homes in order to reduce the diversion of these medications - the most common route to addiction, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which can be found at www.samhsa.gov. A large scale public education campaign will encourage residents to participate in National Drug Take Back Day activities. Prior to April 27, 114 Lions and Rotary service clubs will work with their local prevention councils to amplify the message that citizens need to use their local drug drop box if one is available in their local police station. If not, the clubs will reach out to local abuse prevention councils to get a box installed. Clubs will also provide local pharmacies with Deterra drug deactivation pouches for distribution with each opioid prescription, which enable a person to pour unused medications into the pouch, add water and, within minutes, deactivate the medications. Not only do the pouches prevent misuse of the medications, they also protect plants and animals that can be harmed when medications are improperly disposed, members said. In partnership with the Rotary-Lions Addiction Task Force, DMHAS will be providing 450 Deterra Bags for citizens. The bags are paid for with a Federal State Opioid Response grant. SAMHSA has overwhelming evidence that diversion of unused medication is the single most common route of access for people abusing opioids, said Maria Coutant Skinner, a licensed clinical social worker and one of the leaders of the Rotary-Lions Addiction Task Force, in a statement. She is also the executive Ddrector of the McCall Center for Behavioral Health in Torrington. Having Rotary and Lions clubs join together to raise awareness of the potential danger of leaving unused medications in our home medicine cabinets can have an enormous effect in stemming the tide, Skinner said. We can all play a role in the battle against opioids. By reducing access to unwanted, and potentially dangerous, medications we can help prevent addiction and overdose, said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon in the statement. I am happy to be a part of this important initiative and applaud the Rotary and Lions Clubs for their efforts to help keep our residents healthy and safe. From 1999 to 2017, drug overdoses have claimed the lives of 702,568 people nationwide. In Connecticut, the number of overdose deaths has increased from 917 in 2016 to 1,017 in 2018. The Rotary-Lions Addiction Task Force will continue to raise awareness about the importance of proper drug disposal long after April 27. Additional initiatives are in progress that will address the issues of drug abuse in the workplace and community. Rotary Clubs bring together a global network of volunteers dedicated to tackling the worlds most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and regions. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org. Affiliated with Lions Clubs International, Connecticut Lions have been active in the state since the first club formed in Bridgeport in 1921. Today there are 155 Lions clubs in Connecticut, all dedicated to local service, particularly to sight-related issues. Lions have underwritten eye research projects in Connecticut-based universities for 64 years and have funded the KidSight program in Connecticut, which has screened approximately 150,000 children since 2010. TORRINGTON A proposed development in the Greenbrier Estates subdivision that would include four apartment buildings with 30 apartments each attracted about 100 residents to a public hearing of the Inland Wetlands Commsion on Tuesday. Proposals for the property near Notting Hill Gate and Wimbledon Gate North stretch back nearly a decade with a number of revisions. Kenneth Hrica, an engineer representing the applicants, TDF Enterprises, owned by Thomas DeFranzo and Daniel Ferraina of Windsor, told the commission that around 2010 a construction company stored materials and built wetlands crossings with materials. A culvert also was built over a wetlands. Hrica said the action was approved by the commission, but the previous owner did not go through the Army Corps of Engineers and the fill was in violation. Culverts created an erosion problem, Hrica said. The proposal now before the commmision provides a physical barrier against erosion, Hrica said. They are vertical stepped walls. Commission member Jonathan Andrews said that the barrier looks like a massive cut. A 14-foot cut, it must hit the water table. Hrica agreed, and said the plan calls for a ground water collection system. Environmental scientist George Logan, speaking on behalf of the TDF Enterprises, said a brook on the property has a significant amount of sediment. He said he noticed very little aquatic habitat. As the public hearing was about to be opened, attorney Catherine D. Mollica, who lives in the subdivison, announced her intention to intervene in the proceedings. Mollica requested that the the public hearing not be continued and and that she planned to submit a cease-and- desist order on the application. After a lengthy conversation, Rista Malanca, zoning enforcement officer, said the hearing would go forward so information could be gathered. Mollica asked that information she provided to the wetlands commission also be provided to the citys Conservation Commission. Mollica spoke for about 15 minutes before Inland Wetlands Commission Chairman Jay Bate, Jr. said that her questions would be asked of TDF Enterprises. An international rights group has raised concerns over the possible torture and mistreatment of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who was forcibly disappeared nearly two years ago. "Gao Zhisheng, an activist and human rights lawyer, has not been seen or heard from since he was first reported missing by his family," London-based Amnesty International said in an Urgent Action letter to Chinese leaders in Beijing. "He has been subject to enforced disappearance, raising fear of torture and other ill-treatment," it said. Gao was reported missing from his cave dwelling in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi on Aug. 13, 2017. Local police in Shaanxi's Jia county and Yulin city denied that they were holding him, but said that they knew where he was, Amnesty said. "After receiving no information for over three weeks, Gao Zhishengs family finally learned on Sept. 5, 2017 that he had been taken to Beijing," the Amnesty letter said. However, the government official who gave Gao's brother the information refused to provide details of Gao his exact whereabouts, his current condition or the grounds for his detention, it said. Gao's wife Geng He, who fled to the U.S. with the couple's two children after an earlier disappearance in 2009, said she still doesn't know where he is. "Since Gao Zhisheng was forcibly disappeared, the authorities have never informed his family where he is being held, neither have they provided an official document notifying them of his detention, or anything like it, let alone allowed his family to visit him," Geng told RFA ahead of Gao's birthday on April 20. "The local police station just keeps passing the buck," she said. "One minute they are saying Gao Zhisheng is being held in Yulin; the next they say he's being held in Jia county, or in Beijing." Meanwhile, officials have been treating both Gao and Geng's relatives as "guilty by association," Geng said. "They have demanded that my family report to their local police station on a weekly basis and sign a report," she said. "On one occasion, one of my relatives saw the content of the report they had to sign, and it referred to me and my children as fugitives." Geng said that while Gao's actual birthday is on April 20, she typically celebrates it on the same day as their daughter's birthday, April 17. "This year, the theme of his birthday is wanting him to come home," she said. 'No basis in law' Former 1989 democracy movement leader Li Jinjin, now a New York lawyer, said there is no basis in Chinese law for forcibly disappearing somebody. "Forcible disappearance has no basis in law, and it contravenes Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution pertaining to personal liberty," Li told RFA. "Nonetheless, it is frequently employed as a tool in the internal struggles of the [ruling] Chinese Communist Party, who use it to lock up their political opponents with no regard for their human rights," he said. While there was a slight improvement with the enshrining of human rights into the constitution after economic reforms began in 1979, the growth of the civil rights movement has prompted growing use of extrajudicial detention, Li said. "The Chinese government has started using forcible disappearance to deal with rights defenders during the past 10 years or so," he said. On Nov. 11, 2017, a "security maintenance" officer told RFA that Gao is being held by state security police in Jia county, and that he was "fine." But Gaos family has received no additional information since then. Amnesty called on the Chinese government to "immediately and unconditionally release Gao Zhisheng if he has been detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression." "Pending his release, immediately disclose the whereabouts of Gao Zhisheng, and ensure that he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment; and he has regular, unrestricted access to his family, lawyers of his choice, and medical care on request or as necessary," the letter said. Gao, once a prominent lawyer feted by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, began to be targeted by the authorities after he defended some of Chinas most vulnerable people, including Christians, coal miners, and followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. In a published memoir, Gao details the torture he later endured at the hands of the authorities during his time in prison, as well as three years of solitary confinement, during which he said he was sustained by his Christian faith and his hopes for China. Activists say his continuing house arrest even after being "released" from jail mirrors the treatment meted out to fellow rights lawyers and activists detained in a nationwide police operation since July 2015. Reported by Xi Wang for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have detained eight people following clashes with land protesters in the provincial capital Guangzhou, RFA has learned. Several hundred police officers were sent to Tanwei village in Guangzhou's Liwan district on Wednesday after more than 200 local residents blockaded a mechanical digger in a bid to defend a group of "illegal structures" since Tuesday. Video footage seen by RFA showed police addressing a crowd: "Everyone should trust that the government and the [ruling Chinese Communist] Party are dealing with this according to the law!" But the protesters shout back: "We don't believe this!" Local people said the clashes were sparked by the sudden arrival of a large-scale demolition gang in Tanwei on Tuesday morning, after sporadic demolition work had begun on some of the buildings earlier this month. "They sent in a mechanical digger in the morning, and local people refused to let it pass, and blockaded it," a local resident surnamed Lu told RFA. "The riot police came fully armed with shields and batons, and ... they kept forming rows to push the people and drive them away." "There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and eventually the riot police managed to surround a group of [protesters] and beat them up, before detaining them and putting them into police vehicles," he said. "Of course there were people injured," Lu said, adding that a number of protesters went to hospital, but didn't suffer "serious problems." The demolition team went on to begin its work on Wednesday. Collusion suspected A Tanwei resident surnamed Chen said local people suspected collusion between village officials and local businesses anxious to profit from the highly valuable land the buildings stood on. "This land has great commercial value," Chen said. "Local people suspect that the village officials privately sold the land to business people. The local government was colluding with them when it said that the structures were illegal." "We complained to the village and went to the district government, too," he said. "Complaints have been made, but no one cares. They just give us a perfunctory response." A second local resident, also surnamed Lu, said the targeted structures were built more than 20 years ago by local people with their own money and are now rented out to companies as storage space, providing an income of thousands of yuan per person, annually. "Just lately, the government suddenly declared these buildings to be illegal structures, and ordered their demolition," the second resident said. "I asked the head of urban management, who told me that they could be said to be illegal structures," he said. "They have tried to explain this to the local people a number of times," he said. "We are talking about an annual dividend of just over 4,000 yuan, less than basic social subsistence payments." Calls to the Tanwei village committee offices, the Liwan district [ruling] Chinese Communist Party committee and government, and the Liwan police department all rang unanswered during office hours on Wednesday. 'Inconvenient' to discuss An official who answered the phone at the Guangzhou municipal government offices referred enquiries to the office of urban management, or chengguan. However, an officer who answered the phone at the Guangzhou urban management office declined to comment on the dispute, saying it was "inconvenient" to disclose specific details of the dispute. "We have taken note of the situation you mention and we have handed it over to the relevant department for follow-up," the officer said. "We have to get a clear understanding of the outcome first, and we can't tell you about it. We have to protect the personal data of our citizens." Local rights activist Liang Yiming confirmed that the police used violence to clear the way for the demolition team. "Some of the local residents stood rather courageously in front [of the buildings], and they all got beaten up," Liang told RFA. "Some were place in a choke hold." He said the detainees were all young people. "Their approach is to suppress anyone with the ability to speak out," Liang said. "They detained all of the young, strong people, leaving behind only elderly people, women, and children," he said. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The leader of the Arakan Army based in western Myanmars Rakhine state said Wednesday that the military had systematically planned to crush his group ahead of hostilities that escalated between the two sides in January, and denied official claims of its involvement in terrorism and drug trafficking. Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing, commander in chief of the AA, told reporters in Wa state's Pangsang township that crack troops from Myanmars military received special training more than a year ahead of being deployed to Rakhine state, where they engaged with AA soldiers in early January, following AA attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine that killed 13 officers. More than 2,000 troops from Division 22 and other units were provided special combat training in [neighboring] Bago regions Ottwin township beginning in November 2018, he said on the sidelines of a ceremony in Pangsang commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the signing of a ceasefire between Communist United Wa State Army (UWSA) rebels and Myanmars military. They were then transferred by air to Rakhine state. So it appears that they responded with a massive offensive because we attacked the border guard posts, but surely they had planned it before. Tun Myat Naing said that Myanmars government had recently worked to improve bilateral relations with India, suggesting its intention is to request assistance from the Indian military to crush the AA if it retreats through Chin state and tries to cross the border into northeastern India. Once they launch an attack, the AA would have to withdraw to [the border area of] India, and then they will crush us with the help of Indian border troops blocking us from behind, he said. This has been their military plan all along, he added. After the AAan ethnic Rakhine army seeking greater autonomy in the stateattacked the police outposts on Jan. 4, Myanmars government labeled it a terrorist group and instructed its forces to destroy it. Since then, the two sides have clashed more than 100 times, leaving some 60 AA soldiers, 30 policemen, and a dozen civilians dead. The Myanmar military has yet to reveal its casualties. Tun Myat Naing defended the AAs actions, saying Myanmars military sent battalions into villages in Rakhine state and forced residents to stand out in the sun as a form of torture, as well as committing other abuses. We had to respond to such actions in any way we could, as we are obligated to protect our people, he said. He also denied as baseless allegations by Myanmars military that the AA is a terrorist organization, and dismissed other claims that the group is involved in drug trafficking. This allegation clearly was aimed at wiping us out totally, he said, adding that drug trafficking in Rakhine state has been going on since before the army was formed. Tun Myat Naing invited reporters to come to Rakhine state to see the situation on the ground, saying he wants to get the truth out. The army chief said that the military had bitterly attacked the AA, even as it offered to attend peace talks, which he condemned as inappropriate for a country that is working to become more democratic, and he urged the government to find a solution to the crisis in Rakhine state in a peaceful manner. United Wa State Army (UWSA) special force snipers participate in a military parade in Pangsang, April 17, 2019. AFP Anniversary ceremony Tun Myat Naings comments came as UWSA commander Bao Youxiang marked the 30th anniversary of his 30,000-strong armys ceasefire agreement by demanding that Myanmars government recognize Wa state as an autonomous region. Speaking at the ceremony in Panghsang, which was attended by Chinas special envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang and leaders of other ethnic armed groups, Bao said that the 600,000 residents of the state are not victims of armed conflict, but protected under Wa leadership and have the right to self-determination. Zaw Htay, director general of President Win Myints office and Shan State Security and Border Affairs minister Hla Oo were also in attendance at Wednesdays event, where thousands of China-armed and trained troops marched and tanks rolled by in a show of force. While Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi did not join the ceremony, she sent a message urging Wa leaders to join the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed in 2015 between the government and some of the countrys more than 20 ethnic armed groups, which she said would secure permanent peace. Zaw Htay told attendees that Wa state had seen substantial development over the past three decades because of peace. It is true that stability and development are co-related, but the peace and stability in the region should be sustainable for the long term, he said. In order to maintain peace and stability, it is important to take next step through political negotiation, as is mentioned in the State Counselors [Aung San Suu Kyi's] message. Sides at odds Political analysts told RFAs Myanmar Service on Wednesday that while the government is right to invite the UWSA to negotiations, it should not treat the army on the same level as other insurgent groups in the country. Analyst Thiha Thway said Aung San Su Kyis message reveals a disconnect between the thinking of the government and that of the UWSA. Wa leaders want to show off their military strength, as well as the developments they have achieved, he said. Now, they are prioritizing to recognition as an ethnic state, so it seems they intend to achieve peace in their own way. But the message clearly shows that the government wants them to be a part of the NCA. Retired military officer and political analyst Aung Myo noted that the Wa region is governed by an armed group which has a semi-autonomous status, and said they have no reason to accept an agreement that would place the region under central control. If they accept the NCA agreement, they will have to accept the Union governments authority, but they will not do thatWa leaders dont want to be under anyones control, he said. Analyst Mya Aye said that the UWSA operates at a status that requires something beyond the NCA, but added that the NCA alone will not convince armed groups to lay down their weapons, because while there are no equal rights, there will still be armed groups in Myanmar. We need to be realistic on how to survive as a democracy, how to build the Union on a federal system, and how to create an environment where equality is guaranteed, he said. It is good to send the invites. But it is time to relax centralization. Reported by Khet Mar and Kyaw Lin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann and Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Sami Steigmann, 79, is a Holocaust survivor who was held at the Mogilev-Podolsky labor camp in the Ukraine between the ages of two and five with his parents, from 1941-1944. While he was too young to work at the camp, he was subjected to Nazi medical experiments and still suffers from side effects today. After the camp was liberated by the Soviet Red Army he and his family relocated to Transylvania, where they spent nearly 20 years before immigrating to Israel in 1961. Steigmann eventually moved to New York in 1988, and now campaigns against genocide and cultural eradication. On April 6, 2019, he joined hundreds gathered in Washington in urging the Trump administration to sanction those responsible for human rights violations in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). He recently spoke with RFAs Uyghur Service about why the international community must come together to end the kind of persecution now underway in the XUAR, where authorities have held an estimated 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring strong religious views and politically incorrect ideas in a network of political re-education camps since April 2017. RFA: Would you please tell us when you hear about the Uyghur situation, what does it remind you of? Steigmann: One of the things that is happening in the world is that there is a lot of hatred. People have forgotten how to disagree in a civil way. In this day and age, we have not learned enough about what happened during the Holocaustthe darkest period in human history. There is no room for an individual or a group of people to suffer the discrimination, persecution, intimidation, and being forced to give up their heritage and their culture. RFA: Why do you support the Uyghurs? Steigmann: I support them because, as a Holocaust survivor, we suffered. Nobody can [bear] that by themselves. The problem that happened with the Holocaust is that the world stood by and nobody helped us. So I am a strong believer that we have to help each other, and the whole world is of one racethe human race. We are all people. The only difference is that we have different cultures and different opinions, but we have to learn to respect each other. Sami Steigmann at a rally in support of Uyghurs in Washington, April 6, 2019. Credit: RFA RFA: What do you think about the worlds reaction to this issue, now that its been happening for nearly two years? Why do you think the global community needs to do more? Steigmann: In my particular case I did not know anything about the Uyghur people, and I believe that most of the people around the world do not know about this particular problem. So one of the things I would suggest is that young Uyghur people should go to schools and universities and talk about the plight that [Uyghurs] are suffering so that everybody will become aware of the problem. RFA: We hear that the Chinese government is forcing people to stay in camps. What do you believe they are doing [to them] there? Steigmann: What they want to do is have the people who are in the camps give up their own culture and to adapt to Chinese culture. There is no room for that in this century. We have to learn from the past because, as you can see, the past is repeating itself. Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA's Uyghur Service. The United Nations says there has been "encouraging" progress in Afghanistan's efforts to eradicate the torture of people detained in relation to the country's ongoing conflict, but much remains to be done. "The UN documents an encouraging reduction in the number of cases of torture since 2016 but notes its ongoing concern at the high number of detainees who continue to report torture and ill-treatment," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office said in their latest report issued on April 17. The document says the Afghan government has made progress in enforcing the National Plan on the Elimination of Torture, and achieved a reduction in the torture or ill-treatment of conflict-related detainees across the board. Almost one-third, or 32 percent, of the detainees held by the Afghan military and interviewed by UNAMA gave "credible and reliable accounts" that they had been tortured or ill-treated, said the report, based on statements by 618 detainees held in 77 facilities in 28 provinces across the country between January 1 2017 and 31 December 2018. That represented a reduction of 8 percent compared to the almost 40 percent over the previous reporting period, from January 2015 to December 2016. Beatings reportedly represented the most usual method of torture and ill-treatment, with most detainees saying they had been beaten to force them to confess and that the treatment stopped once they did so. Among conflict-related detainees held by the Afghan National Police (ANP) and interviewed for the report, the percentage of those who said they were tortured or ill-treated fell from 45 percent over the previous reporting period to 31 percent. A group of Russian veterans says a new film about Soviet troops in Afghanistan is "unpatriotic" and should be banned, while the director says it is an honest account of a disastrous conflict. Leaving Afghanistan, directed by renowned Russian filmmaker Pavel Lungin, is sharply different in tone from recent Russian patriotic war films. It depicts Soviet soldiers getting drunk and looting during the chaotic final months of the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan conflict, which led to the deaths of more than 14,000 Soviet soldiers and ended with the Soviets' humiliating withdrawal. The film, whose Russian title is Bratstvo (Brotherhood), was to be released on May 9, a public holiday on which Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square. But its release date is now uncertain after protests from veterans and families of those killed during the conflict, who say the film is an insult to the Soviet soldiers. Boris Gromov, a former commander of the main Soviet contingent in Afghanistan, sent a letter to the Culture Ministry calling the movie a "classic example of mud-slinging Russophobia." Leaving Afghanistan presents Soviet soldiers as "a rabble of degenerates, thieves, swindlers, murderers and scoundrels," wrote Gromov, who went into politics after the Soviet collapse and was governor of the Moscow Oblast from 2000 to 2012. Gromov heads an association of some 10,000 veterans that has demanded that the ministry deny permission for the film's release. The head of the Russian upper house of parliament's culture commission, Igor Morozov, who is also an Afghan-war veteran, said Lungin "has made an unpatriotic film that deters young people from serving in the army." The film "shows our troops looting caravans, fighting, and drinking on every street corner," he complained, adding that it "sullies the memory of Soviet dead" and "damages the country's image." Based on reporting by AFP and The Guardian Instagram has blocked the accounts of several commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), with the photo-sharing website saying it was complying with U.S. sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump on April 8 announced the designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, calling it the Iranian government's "primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign." Instagram blocked the accounts of Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, and Major General Qassem Soleimani among others, Tabnak, a news site close to Iranian conservatives, said on April 17. The English-language profiles of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's supporters were also blocked. An Instagram spokesperson said April 17 the website was operating "under the constraints of U.S. sanctions laws." "We work with appropriate government authorities to ensure we meet our legal obligations, including those relating to the recent designation of the IRGC," the spokesperson added. Facebook, Twitter, and the Telegram messenger service are officially banned in Iran, making Instagram the only major social-media service accessible in the country without the use of a virtual private network (VPN) to bypass censorship. Based on reporting by AFP and dpa With some 800,000 followers, the Instagram page of the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force was among the most popular pages of Iranian officials on the photo-sharing website. The Instagram comments, public appearances, travels, and promotional posters of Qassem Soleimani -- who as head of Quds commands the vaunted Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) outside of Iran -- were shared on the Instagram page, which is one of the only major social-media sites that has not been blocked by Iran. On April 16, a day after Washington's designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) came into effect, Soleimani's page, along with the Instagram pages of several other IRGC commanders, were blocked. "Sorry, this page isn't available," a message on the page reads. "The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed." An Instagram spokesman said it was operating "under the constraints of U.S. sanctions laws." "We work with the appropriate government authorities to ensure we meet our legal obligations, including those relating to the recent designation of the IRGC," the spokesman said. Iranian media reported that the English-language Instagram page of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the page of judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi were also blocked. Khamenei's Persian-language Instagram page, with 2.5 million followers, remains available. Khamenei's English-language page was back up on April 17. 'Take Reciprocal Actions' The blockages were condemned in Tehran while prompting renewed calls from hard-liners for a blocking of Instagram, the second-most-popular social-media platform in Iran after the communications app Telegram, which was blocked last year. "When you tear out a man's tongue, you aren't proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you FEAR what he might say," Communications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahrom wrote on Twitter, blocked in Iran since 2019, quoting the cult TV series Games Of Thrones. Other hard-liners, including Hossein Allah Karam, a leader of the paramilitary Ansar-e Hezbollah group, blacklisted by the U.S. for human rights abuses, also agreed that the time had come for the Islamic republic to block Instagram. "Social-media sites use any opportunity to harm national interests, we need to be ready to confront these plots and take reciprocal actions," Allah Karam was quoted as saying by Iranian media. "Under the current conditions it is needed more than ever to filter these social-media sites in support of the IRGC," he said, adding that "the blocking of hostile social-media sites such as Instagram will [prevent] them from doing what they want." The conservative chairman of the parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Alaeddin Borujerdi, said he will stop posting on Instagram to protest the blocking of the pages of Khamenei and the IRGC commanders. In a video posted on Instagram, Borujerdi said the "unwise move" reflected "the depth of America's hostility" toward the Islamic establishment. To Block Or Not To Block? Iranian hard-liners have long called for tighter Internet censorship, including the blocking of Instagram. Earlier this year Javad Javidnia, secretary of Iran's state committee on online censorship and deputy state prosecutor in charge of cyberaffairs, was quoted by domestic media as saying that the country was ready to block Instagram once the authorities agreed. The move has been opposed by the government of President Hassan Rohani, who came to power in 2013 promising people more freedom and less censorship. Iran blocks tens of thousands of websites, including news sites and social-media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but many Iranians access banned sites through virtual private networks (VPNs) and other anti-filtering tools. KYIV -- There is one presidential candidate Ukrainians have become accustomed to watching sing and dance on stage. It is not incumbent President Petro Poroshenko. And yet there the 53-year-old was, gyrating and pumping his fist beside yellow-overall-clad rockers at a campaign rally at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 14. Fighting for his political survival -- one week before the election. Then, in another act his aides said was unscripted, Poroshenko led a gushing crowd of a few thousand people inside the 70,000-seat stadium for nearly an hour, rousing them with patriotic chants and posing for selfies with supporters. Hours earlier, at a press conference that was supposed to be a debate with comedian and presidential front-runner Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Poroshenko made his case for a second term and pleaded for another chance to deliver on promises that many Ukrainians say have been unfulfilled during a presidency that has seen his popularity plummet. Zelenskiy refused to attend Poroshenko's debate, demanding the two go head-to-head at the stadium on April 19 instead. Standing beside an empty lectern bearing his opponent's name, the incumbent president -- who campaigned in the first round on a platform that hailed such achievements as steering Ukraine on a westward path, securing an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and halting Russian aggression that has cleaved large swathes of his country's territory and caused the deaths of 13,000 people -- apologized for mistakes made during his five-year rule and promised to do better in a second term. "Are there any mistakes? Let's talk about the mistakes," an uncharacteristically contrite Poroshenko said. "There are, and I admit them. But one who does nothing does not make a mistake." After the devastating second-place finish in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election in which Zelenskiy won nearly twice as many votes as him (30.24 percent to 15.95 percent in the final tally), Poroshenko is attempting to reinvent himself and his campaign and thereby reach out to voters frustrated by the slow pace of change, runaway corruption, and the ongoing war in the country's east. But he is also doing it in an unorthodox style more akin to his challenger. Song-and-dance routines onstage? Check. Slick social-media videos and messenger-app sticker packs? Check. Viral-ready one-liners aimed at his opponent? Check. Too Little, Too Late? The attempted reinvention of the confectionery billionaire comes as fresh polling highlights what many experts believe to be an insurmountable gap between him and Zelenskiy, 41, a political novice who has gone to great lengths to avoid talking specifics about his policies and potential cabinet appointments. A poll released this week by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed 72.2 percent of decided voters will choose Zelenskiy in the April 21 runoff election, compared to 25.4 percent who will go for Poroshenko. A survey the Sociological Group "Rating" last week showed 71 percent of decided voters in favor of Zelenskiy and 29 percent for Poroshenko. Getting specific during his press conference about his mistakes as president, Poroshenko admitted he was wrong to appoint business cronies to senior positions in his government, but said he had recently fired problematic national security officials and regional governors. He admitted it had taken years to set up an anti-corruption court but said he had appointed judges this month to launch it. Poroshenko also said he should have reached out to civil-society leaders and anti-corruption activists sooner, though he said discussions with them were now under way. And he promised to be more transparent in communicating decisions, pledging to bring more young reformers into the government the next time. If there will be a next time. "I think this was a clear olive branch," Olha Onuch, an associate professor in politics at the University of Manchester who researches Ukraine, told RFE/RL in regard to Poroshenko's activist outreach. While she said some members of the anti-corruption group appreciated the gesture, some "scoffed" at the president's move, which she believed "may be too little too late" to help him win reelection. Mimicking 'Reinvention' Other promises, such as not tapping business partners and close allies for high-level positions, Onuch chalked up to "electoral rhetoric at its best." "We know that he has appointed his business associates and family members to certain posts in the past...and included them on his party list," she said. "The voters would have to turn a blind eye to this, so I am not sure how convinced the voters will be based on past experience [with Poroshenko]." Polling suggests they are not at all convinced by the incumbent's promises. About 50 percent of voters surveyed by KIIS said they would not vote for Poroshenko under any circumstances. The Rating group's study highlighted voters' negative attitude toward him this way: 41 percent of those surveyed plan to vote for the comic actor Zelenskiy not because they support him, but because they want to vote against Poroshenko. And analysts like Volodymyr Fesenko, director of the Kyiv-based Penta Center for Political Studies, say Poroshenko's reinvention isn't sincere. The president, Fesenko said, "is trying to create the impression of a 'new Poroshenko' for voters" ahead of the runoff. However, he added, the president's efforts appear to merely "mimic reinvention." Only Room For One Showman In This Race? Zelenskiy, whose own antics have garnered much attention despite the lack of substance in his messages, also appears to have been unimpressed with the "new Poroshenko." "A showman can become a president but it is sad that a president became a showman," he said in an April 15 video published on his popular social-media accounts. Poroshenko is still holding out hope that his new look and new tactics will close what these polls have shown to be an ever-widening gap between him and Zelenskiy and carry him to an improbable victory in the April 21 vote. But many observers say there simply is not enough time. "The gap with Zelenskiy is so huge that only some extreme measures to rig or disrupt elections," says Volodymyr Ishchenko, a senior lecturer at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute's Department of Sociology. "Yet, in that case he wouldn't be seen as a legitimate president, neither by the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians nor by Western governments." MOSCOW -- A Moscow court has extended the pretrial detainment period for several of the 24 Ukrainian seamen who were jailed after the Russian Coast Guard seized their vessels near the Kerch Strait in a flare-up of tensions in November. On April 17, the Lefortovo district court heard requests by prosecutors to keep the seamen in jail pending further investigation and trial. With relatives of the seamen attending hearings conducted in three separate courtrooms, judges had prolonged pretrial detention until July 24 for 12 of the sailors by midafternoon. Later, the court's press service told Interfax that all 24 would be held in detention until either July 24 or July 26. Outside the courthouse -- which bears the same name as the jail where the Ukrainians are being held, Lefortovo -- a lone protester held a sign that read, "Free the Ukrainian sailors." On November 25, Russian Coast Guard vessels fired on and seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels and their crews while they were on their way from the Black Sea to the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov. Moscow accuses them of illegal entry into Russian territorial waters, which they deny, and they are formally charged with illegal border crossing. The incident increased tension over the Kerch Strait, which is the sole passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The strait runs between Russia and Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Russia seized in March 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum deemed illegitimate by Kyiv, the United States, and a total of at least 100 countries. The takeover of the peninsula, and Russian support for separatist militants who seized parts of eastern Ukraine at the start of a conflict that has now killed some 13,000 people, came after pro-European protests pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power in Kyiv. Western leaders have demanded that Russia release the seamen and the incident has led to the imposition of additional sanctions on Russia. With reporting by Current Time, Interfax, and RIA Novosti Preparations continue for the scheduled debate between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his challenger, the comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy and Poroshenko are now due to face off in a question-and-answer format at Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 19, just two days before the runoff vote on April 21. Opinion polls show Zelenskiy with a comfortable lead over Poroshenko, whom many Ukrainians blame for the slow pace of reform and failure to tackle corruption during his five-year term. Zelenskiy, who stars on a TV comedy series about a teacher who becomes president after denouncing corruption, won nearly twice as many votes as Poroshenko in the first round, on March 31. The two candidates had agreed to a debate, but not on details, such as when. Poroshenko showed up at Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 14, insisting the debate would take place then. Zelenskiy did not appear, and Poroshenko ended up holding a rally there with supporters. Now, both camps say the two candidates will meet at the 70,000-seat stadium on April 19, according to a report by the AFP news agency. The Zelenskiy team is promoting the event on social media, encouraging the public to be "witness to an event that will go down in the history of Ukraine," according to AFP. The two men took drug tests earlier this month at Zelenskiy's insistence in a campaign that has been marked by theatrics on both sides. Poroshenko's campaign team said on April 17 that supporters will be bussed in for free for the event, according to Interfax. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said a crowd of "up to 60,000" was expected to attend the debate, adding he would be discussing security matters with representatives of both candidates. His comments on April 17 come after Ukrainian authorities announced they had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy ahead of the presidential runoff. The issue of how to deal with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs separatists in eastern Ukraine, is prominent ahead of the vote, with Poroshenko casting himself as the commander in chief Ukraine needs to defend the country. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS KYIV A Washington lobbying firm has told RFE/RL that it has been hired by Ukrainian comedian and presidential front-runner Volodymyr Zelenskiy to burnish his international image and set up meetings between members of his camp and officials in the U.S. capital. Zelenskiy and his Servant of the People party, which shares the same name as his hit TV sitcom in which he stars as a teacher who accidentally becomes president after a video of him ranting against corruption goes viral, has hired Signal Group Consulting for $60,000, John Procter, who handles media relations at Signal Group, confirmed to RFE/RL in an April 14 e-mail. A Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing made public on April 17 said Signal Group was hired on behalf of the candidate by Marcus Cohen to elevate the profile of Volodymyr Zelenskiy Servant of the People. However, Zelenskiy denied any such contract had been signed with the Signal Group. According to Procter, the Signal Group began short-term work for Zelenskiy last week that includes facilitating meetings for the candidates team members with officials on Capitol Hill and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, members of the news media, and the think tank and policy community. The hire shows the importance to Zelenskiy of Western support, a campaign official who requested anonymity to speak about the issue with media told RFE/RL. Zelenskiy has no immediate plans to visit Washington, that campaign official said. But he met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week, hours before a separate meeting between the French leader and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The talks at Elysee Palace included prospects for the settlement of the five-year war against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. France and Germany are involved in so-called Normandy format talks with Ukraine and Russia to try to end the conflict. But Zelenskiy has said in recent days that he would like to bring Washington and London into the negotiations. According to sources in the Zelenskiy camp and an e-mail obtained by RFE/RL, Signal Group was arranging meetings for Zelenskiys campaign chief of staff and Servant of the People party leader Ivan Bakanov, as well as senior economic adviser Oleh Dubyna. Dubyna, a former chairman of the board of Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy, as well as energy minister and vice prime minister in Viktor Yushchenko's government, has not previously been named publicly as a member of Zelenskiys team. Dubyna also served as an adviser to President Leonid Kuchma in 2002-03. In 2007, Dubyna was appointed the head of Naftogaz by then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who allegedly forced him to sign a controversial gas contract with Russia in 2009 under threat of being fired. He resigned his office in 2010 after the presidential election. But in a Facebook post, Zelenskiy denied Dubyna was a member of his team. He also said no such lobbying contract existed with the Signal Group. Volodymyr Zelensky's team did not involve any lobbying companies or agencies to organize a visit of our representative to the U.S.," it said. "We do not have a contract with Signal Group. Zelenskiy faces Poroshenko in an April 21 runoff vote. Polls show him way out in front of Poroshenko, whose popularity has plummeted over the course of a five-year presidency in which he has set Ukraine on a Westward course but failed to tackle entrenched corruption. More than 200 inmates transferred from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel prisons Cancun, Q.R. The Secretary of Public Security has reported the transfer of approximately 203 inmates from Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel prisons. In a statement, they say that the inmates transferred were considered dangerous and were moved to the Center for Social Reintegration of Chetumal. Of those moved, 163 were from the prison in Cancun, with the balance being inmates from Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. The transfer was managed by agents of the State Preventive Police with support from the Mexican Army. The inmate move required the use of 15 vehicles including seven large buses. The area of the Chetumal prison receiving the inmates was closed while the convoy arrived and unloaded its passengers. La Secretaria de Seguridad Publica notified the public of the inmate transfer with a statement at the entrance of the Cancun prison saying, With the goal of strengthening the prison system in the State of Quintana Roo, actions have been taken for a more effective social reintegration that guarantee the physical and moral activity of the people deprived of their liberty, as well as the security and governability of the penitentiary centers. Written by ACM *Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- Modern Web Technologies give a Chance to put Europe at Citizens' hands, instead of just Bureaucrats, and we must explore this potential in the foreseable Future, Replied in substance to our Question about "Eurofora"s project the Top Candidate in the forthcoming EU Elections, President of EU Parliament's Biggest Group, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, German MEP Manfred Weber, who is also SpitzenKandidate for the Next EU Commission's Presidency in the period of 2019-2024. - "Eurofora" had asked Weber whether the recent Problems attested in Many Countries in the World about Citizens' Distance or even mistrust vis a vis Public Institutions, should be Faced in Europe also by Activating a largely untapped yet Potential of EU's Lisbon Treaty to Develop "Regular Dialogue" between "Civil Society" and "European Institutions" on their main "Actions", particularly by using the Simple and Easy Links nowadays offered by Internet TeleCommunications, with Regular Debates Before important Decisions are taken, which affect People's Lives and/or Society at large. - Indeed, "Internet offers Opportunities to increase the Participation of (EU) Citizens", Weber agreed from the outset. => - "So, we (EU) have to look for Modern Bases in order to involve People", he urged. >>> - Because "Europe must be in the Hands of (EU) Citizens !", Manfred Weber argued, going at the Heart of the Matter. - Since, in fact, EU's Future is "Not just about Bureaucrats, Technicians, or Politicians alone : It's (now) more up to the Citizens, he concluded in his Reply to the above-mentioned "Eurofora"s Question + Meanwhile, Weber had just Stressed the Importance that he gives to practical and efficient, democratic "Compromises" in European Policy, which enable various forces to Work "Together". Significantly, he was Speaking shortly after an Exceptional - and, probably, his Concluding - Press Conference at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, at the Last Plenary Session of this April 2019, before the Crucial EU Elections on May. - Following some recent "Crisis", (as, f.ex., that of "BREXIT", a sudden Mass Migration huge "Tsunami" mainly through Turkey (on 2015/2016+), etc., People need, Now, in Europe, mainly a "Stability", he observed. - This includes, particularly, Recent and Forthcoming, Future Developments mainly in order to Protect the "Security" of Citizens, to efficiently Face the Challenge of "Mass Migration", as well as to pursue Further Europe's "Economic Growth", he Highlighted, in a threefold plan. On this occasion, Weber symbolically announced that he intends to Start his official pre-Electoral EU Camaign, next Tuesday, "in Greece". ----------------- Meanwhile, he had already expressed, from the outset, his Solidarity also with France, concerning Yesterday's (Monday evening's), non-elucidated yet, UnPrecedented Fire and partial Desruction of the landmark, Popular Historic and UNESCO Monument of "Notre Dame de Paris" almost Millenary Cathedral : - "It's not only French, but also our European common History and Identity", stressed the Top ChristianDemocrat/EPP political leader from Germany, since the Beginning of his Statements to Journalists today. F.ex. "Eurofora"'s co-Founder remembers, indeed, the fact that, when just a Child aged only 11, spontaneously got the shivers, when visiting the awesome "Notre Dame de Paris"' upper Floors (those that were, precisely, Destroyed by an unprecedented Fire yesterday), heading right in front of the SunLight, and thinking at the Historic People's Human lives and Social struggles, as unforgettably depicted by the World-famous Writer Victor Hugo there... (../..) Mastercard (NYSE: MA) acquired Vyze, an Austin, TX-based financing technology company for retailers. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Led by Keith Nealon, CEO, Vyze provides a cloud based platform that connects merchants with multiple lenders, allowing them to offer their customers a wide range of credit options online and in-store. These financing options provide shoppers with additional payment flexibility at the exact moment of purchase, complementing Mastercards existing card and ACH-based solutions. Several top U.S. retailers work with Vyze for special financing options. The company has raised approx. $50m in funding from Austin Ventures, Fathom Capital and Starvest Partners. Mastercard (NYSE: MA) provides a global payments processing network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Its products and solutions enable everyday commerce activities such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances, secure and efficient. FinSMEs 17/04/2019 This is believed to prove the transfer of radioactive material. If so, that could means the restart of reprocessing. The U.S. State Department declined to comment. Trump has met Kim twice in the past year to try to persuade him to abandon a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States, but progress was slow. Last month, a senior North Korean official warned that Kim might rethink the test freeze unless Washington made concessions. Kim himself said he was only interested in meeting Trump again if the United States came with the right attitude. He added he will wait till the end of this year for the United States to decide to be more flexible. Experts have estimated the size of North Koreas nuclear arsenal at anywhere between 20 and 60 warheads. The North Korean leaders strategic intent is to free his nuclear and ballistic missile program from U.S. threats of force, and to dissipate the international sanctions regime. It will be an imminent summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin confirmed Monday that a meeting was being planned, but declined to provide any details. No one could anticipate the result but its supposed to influence the U.S. attitude in the future. Garcia served as a nationalist president from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He is under investigation for bribery in connection with a massive corruption scandal that has engulfed a number of former Latin American leaders. The former president Garcia is accused of receiving kickbacks from one of Latin Americas largest construction firms, the Brazil-based company Odebrecht, during the building of an electric train for the Lima metro. He always has denied the claims saying there was no shred of evidence against him. Garcia also accused Peruvian prosecutors of speculation. Others might sell out, not me, Garcia said in broadcast comments on Tuesday. A judge banned him from leaving the country for 18 months after he had requested asylum at the Uruguayan embassy, which was denied last year. The corruption scandal, one of the biggest in modern history, implicated several former Latin American presidents. After shooting himself, Garcia underwent emergency surgery at the Casimiro Ulloa hospital and suffered three cardiac arrests. The bullet entered and left his head, a doctor said. Local TV channel America reported Garcia was in a coma. In Peru, criminal suspects can be ordered to spend up to three years in jail before trial if prosecutors can show they have evidence that likely would lead to a conviction. UPDATE Former president Alan Garcia died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. There is a stark difference between two cultures dealing with history Chandigarh 18th April'2019: Monday witnessed a fire in Paris, which the whole world watched with anguish. The said fire had engulfed the 850-year old monument, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is the most visited church in the world, and was undergoing massive renovations. The fire took nine hours to be extinguished, and those nine hours were a pain for the French and Catholics all around the globe. The currently warring opposition parties in France entered a truce, to stay united in this hour of loss. After the fire was extinguished, the French President Emanuel Macron addressed the media in front of the burnt cathedral. He said that a nationwide fundraiser would be organised to rebuild their history, and all of France would rebuild it. Advertisement At that moment, all I could see was a French man, grieving in the loss. His effort to control his emotions and his hurt was well evident. And then came the visuals of French gathered at Place Saint Michel, opposite Notre-Dame. Thousands of mourning people gathered there for praying for their loss, and surprisingly silence prevailed. Such deeply pained they were, that a large congregation as that remained silent. These visuals led me to look back, in our own past. We recently had a deliberate destruction of a 200-year old monument. All what happened was an FIR. The men who did it are roaming freely, and even have the audacity to go to the neighbouring country which has had some pieces of our history intact till now, and ruin them in the name of modernisation too. When a European country is faced with accidental demolition of history, it leaves behind its petty politics and stands hand-in-hand in the face of grief. And in our land, when faced with intentional demolition of history, our politicians turn a blind eye. The ones in power hold their reigns and say it has nothing to do with them, as they are secular, and the perpetrators too dont take long to shed responsibility. Advertisement My question is, even if it is a secular government, is a religious monument that old not a part of cultural heritage of a land? It definitely is. And being the guardians of a land, its history, its present and its future, it is the duty of the current government to safe guard the history in present, for it to be known in the future. The garb of secularism cannot be used to shy away from catching the culprits. Talking about the perpetrators, they call themselves the political face of the supreme religious body of Sikhs. But it is them who connived with the ruthless destructors of our heritage, and gave them a free hand to do their willing. Here I am not referencing to only one incident of Tarn Taran. If we look at our pasts, and our gurdwaras and other places of religious importance, many more incidents would come to light. I have still failed to see a streak of pain in any Sikh or Punjabis eyes about the demolished Darshani Deodhi. No one thinks it is that important to devote their efforts and energies to. The general public does not seem to realise that these lost monuments mean lost heritage and lost history. I could never see a pain similar to the one visible in the French peoples eyes! Advertisement It is high time we recognise our inability in keeping the physical evidences of our history intact. It is high time we reclaim them while we still can. Otherwise, the following quote by the great Jamaican political leader Marcus Garvey, would not be an untruth. A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. -Ravijot Kaur Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago, IL-based private equity firm focused on the healthcare and food & beverage industries, closed two funds, totalling $439m. The closings include: Shore Capital Healthcare Partners Fund III, its third institutional healthcare private equity fund at $293m, and Shore Capital Food & Beverage Partners Fund I, its inaugural food & beverage fund, at $148m. Commitments came from the firms existing investors, plus select new limited partners. Together, the funds attracted interest from many institutions in North America, resulting in a diverse investor base comprised of leading university endowments, financial institutions, funds of funds and family offices. Additionally, the partners of the firm have committed to invest a substantial amount of capital alongside both funds. Shore Capital Healthcare Partners Fund III will continue the investment strategy employed by the firms partners Justin Ishbia, Ryan Kelley, Michael Cooper, John Hennegan, Don Pierce and Chris Mioton. It will invest primarily in control buyouts, focusing on microcap healthcare businesses with revenues between $5 million and $100 million. Shore Capital Food & Beverage Partners Fund I, the newly established vehicle led by Justin Ishbia and Richard Boos, aims to make control equity investments in food & beverage manufacturing, distribution, packaging, and related B2B service companies that have between $5 million and $100 million of revenue. Led by Justin Ishbia, Founder and Managing Partner, the firm now manages a total committed capital base of more than $1 billion through various investment vehicles. FinSMEs 17/04/2019 California masterfully markets its surfing culture and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday he wants to share that expertise with El Salvador to help boost tourism and provide more economic opportunities for its impoverished citizens. Theres no doubt theres a lot we can do together in this space, Newsom said after a discussion about the surfing industrys economic potential with local business owners, investors and U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes. Hell have a willing partner in President-elect Nayib Bukele, who he met later. Bukele has an initiative titled Surf City aimed at investing in beaches to drive tourism. We have the best surfing beaches in the world and they have the other ones, he told reporters after meeting with Newsom. So we want to work together. Advertisement California has a long history with surfing, which became the states official sport last year. Its the home of The Beach Boys, whose version of surf music produced a series of smash hits in the 1960s including Surfin USA with its lyrics highlighting many of Southern Californias signature surf beaches. Sept. 20 is designated California Surfing Day and the state markets surf vacations. Newsom said the states tourism arm, Visit California, has already expressed interest in working with El Salvador. Though El Salvador has among the highest homicide rates in the world and the U.S. government warns its citizens about traveling there, Newsom and Bukele said tourist areas are much safer than other parts of the country. Bukele said hell work to get the U.S. travel advisory removed when he takes office. Working together on promoting surfing and economic tourism may be one of the most tangible ways Newsom can build a partnership with El Salvador. As his trip concluded, Newsom told reporters hes walking away more educated about the countrys challenges. The updated budget hell present in May will include new resources for immigrants arriving in the United States and he plans to encourage California business interests to invest in El Salvador; he also discussed bringing Salvadoran business leaders to California for a visit. As a governor, Newsom has little power to effect immigration policy, but he said his trip was vital to understanding the gang violence and other dynamics that cause people to flee. Bukele, who takes office in June, wants to strengthen U.S.-Salvadoran relations and was diplomatic when asked his views on President Donald Trump. We dont want to meddle into U.S. politics, he said. We will work with any administration. The U.S. government already invests some money in Salvadoran infrastructure, including roads and water and sewage treatment near El Salvadors coasts through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, created in 2004 under then-President George W. Bush. Last year it contributed about $3 million for a $10.8 million project to develop the coastal area called El Zonte to build hotels and a water treatment plant. MCC has pledged $277 million for coastal development and other projects over a number of years. Several surfing business owners who joined Newsom on Tuesday said without improved roads and sewage treatment it is harder to attract more tourists. El Salvador has world class surf, particularly on the Punta Roca beach that is well-known to traveling surfers, but lags behind nearby Costa Rica as an international tourist destination, said Jess Ponting, director of the Center for Surf Research at San Diego State University. The surf tourism resources (waves) are definitely there, surf tourists just need to know its relatively safe to travel to and be in those locations, he said in an email. It seems pretty clear that there is a lot of untapped potential for surf tourism in El Salvador. Beyond the economic benefits, surfing can provide a dream for young children with few opportunities, said Marcelo Castellanos, who runs a surfing academy in the area. He told Newsom about an 11-year-old boy he trained who eight years later became a professional surfer traveling the world. All the kids that grow up in these poor areas know they all can dream, he said. That happened because we have this program, and we invite the kids who cant pay. The ocean is free, the waves are free. They can make a living and thats the example. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Japanese air force F-35 stealth fighter crashed in the Pacific Ocean during a night training flight and parts of the jet were recovered, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The pilot is still missing. The F-35A stealth jet disappeared from radar while flying off the eastern coast of Aomori. Parts of the jet were found late Tuesday, the Air Self-Defense Force said. It went missing about half an hour after taking off from the Misawa air base with three other F-35As. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters the cause of the crash was not immediately known. He said 12 other F-35s at the Misawa base would be grounded. Advertisement The pilot is a man in his 40s, Iwaya said. Japan started deploying the expensive U.S.-made F-35s since last year, part of its plan to bolster its defense spending and weapons capability in the coming years to counter potential threats from North Korea and China. Under guidelines approved in December, Prime Minister Shinzo Abes government plans to buy 147 F-35s, including 105 F-35As, costing about 10 billion yen ($90 million) each. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A six-member jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a Connecticut businessman charged in connection with what prosecutors say was a human trafficking ring that preyed on mentally ill and intellectually disabled boys and young men. Jurors in Danbury Superior Court heard closing arguments Monday in the trial of 65-year-old Bruce Bemer, of Glastonbury, and began deliberating later in the day. Discussions are scheduled to continue Tuesday. Prosecutor Sharmese Hodge told the jury that co-defendant Robert King found the victims at drug rehabs, group homes and other places and brought them to Bemer for sex acts. King has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. Bemer, the owner of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl racetrack, has admitted he patronized prostitutes. But his lawyer, Anthony Spinella, denied there was any human trafficking. Advertisement Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Police say they arrested a 14-year-old who called 911 and told dispatchers a student had a gun on a South Florida high school campus. Fort Lauderdale police say the teen was arrested Thursday for making the fake 911 call on March 11. The SunSentinel reports the call caused a disturbance at Dillard High School and Dillard Middle School. The boy gave dispatchers a detailed description of the student who was carrying the handgun and he claimed to be hiding in a bathroom for his safety. A SWAT team went classroom to classroom looking for the gunman. No threats were found during the search. Advertisement The boy is charged with disrupting the peace, disturbing school functions and misuse of the 911 system. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A Massachusetts family is mourning the death of their small horse that officials suspect was killed by a black bear. The Berkshire Eagle reports that Kathleen Tench Adams, of Hinsdale, posted on Facebook that the 400-pound horse was killed and pulled from its stall on Friday. Hinsdale Animal Control Officer Elizabeth Zipp says coyotes were seen feeding on the dead horse, but state Environmental Police investigators do not think coyotes could have pulled the horse up and over the gate of its stall, out of a barn and into the familys yard. Zipp says wildlife officials suspect a bear was responsible. A bear was seen on the property a day later. Advertisement She advised people to bring in bird feeders and other food sources to discourage bear visits. ___ Information from: The Berkshire (Mass.) Eagle, https://www.berkshireeagle.com Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. North Carolina is offering $10,000 for help capturing an inmate on the loose since escaping six months ago. The reward offered Wednesday is for 45-year-old Cul Priest Jones, who has been tied him to crimes in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Gov. Roy Coopers office says he is suspected of committing burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. Prison authorities have refused to explain how Jones escaped in October from Hoke Correctional Institution, where he was serving time for burglary. Jones also escaped from prison in 1995 after shooting a sheriffs detective. He was captured in New York City. Advertisement Jones is described as a black man, 6 feet tall (1.8 meters), and weighing 184 pounds (83 kilograms) with black hair and brown eyes and who walks with a limp. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. will challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski for his seat representing New Jersey in Congress. The Republican announced his candidacy Tuesday at an American Legion Hall in northern New Jerseys 7th District. Malinowski, who was a State Department official during the Obama administration, ousted five-term Republican incumbent Leonard Lance last year. Kean says hes running because Washington politicians could upend the greatest economy the world has ever known. Advertisement We simply cannot sit by as D.C. politicians advocate for the false policies that history has discarded. We must take action to steer our country in a better direction, Kean said. Kean has served in the state Senate since 2003 and has been the minority leader since 2008. Kean, who represents the 21st Legislative District and is the son of former two-term GOP Gov. Tom Kean Sr., ran a failed U.S. Senate race in 2006 against Democrat Bob Menendez. Malinowski was one of four Democrats last year who won New Jersey congressional seats held by Republicans, at least partially a reflection of President Donald Trumps unpopularity in New Jersey. Malinowski serves on the Foreign Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Malinowskis campaign declined to comment on Keans candidacy. The district includes all of Hunterdon County and parts of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union and Warren counties. It has about 5,000 more Republicans than Democrats, but independents make up the biggest bloc of voters. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. An attorney says an Egyptian man who authorities say was falsely accused of trying to kidnap a young girl at a West Virginia shopping mall has returned home. Public defender Michelle Protzman told The Herald-Dispatch Mohamed Fathy Hussein Zayan returned to his home in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday. The 54-year-old engineer had been in West Virginia for work. Protzman says Barboursville police drove Zayan to the Charleston airport Saturday as a courtesy. On Friday, Santana Renee Adams was charged with falsely reporting an emergency incident. Advertisement Adams initially told police a man grabbed her 5-year-old daughter by the hair inside a clothing store April 1 and tried to pull her away but stopped when Adams produced a gun. Adams later changed her account. Police said Zayan may have simply been patting the girl on the head. ___ Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, https://www.herald-dispatch.com Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A study by Virginia Tech has found that state parks in Virginia contributed about $267 million to the economy in 2018. The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg reported Sunday that Virginia Techs Pamplin College of Business had focused on the economic impact of visitors to the states 38 parks. The study found the economic activity supported nearly 4,000 jobs in Virginia. It was also responsible for about $133.2 million in wages and salary income in 2018. The report looked at money spent on things such as hotels, campgrounds and restaurants Advertisement Tim Kennell, president of the Virginia Association For Parks, said he hopes the report will shore up support for more funding for the parks. ___ Information from: The Free Lance-Star, https://www.fredericksburg.com/ Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A hearing has been scheduled for a lawsuit over whether West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice should be required to live in the states capital of Charleston. The Intelligencer reports the court on June 5 will hear motions to dismiss or stay the lawsuit by Democratic Del. Isaac Sponaugle. Sponaugle says Justice should be ordered to live in Charleston because the state constitution requires the governor to reside at the seat of government. Justice said he lives at his Lewisburg home, not at the governors mansion. This is the third time Sponaugle has sued over Justices residency. It was first thrown out because the state didnt get advance notice of the lawsuit. It was later thrown out on a technicality, with Justices lawyers arguing the constitution didnt define reside. Advertisement ___ Information from: The Intelligencer, https://www.theintelligencer.net Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 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. GLENS FALLS, N.Y. A former New York governors foresight and vision 110 years ago made possible one of todays most popular Spa City attractions, and a major contributor to the local economy. In 1909, Gov. Charles Evans Hughes pushed legislation through to establish the Saratoga Reservation, lands surrounding the citys famous mineral springs, which were at risk of being depleted by utility companies that sold the springs carbonated gas to soda fountain operators. The reservation later became Saratoga Spa State Park, the home of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which together attract more than 2 million visitors annually. Theres a lot of people who did one thing in life that was great, said freelance historian Maury Thompson. With Hughes, if you record 10 things there would still be a dozen things you left out. Thompson is co-producer and co-director with Caitlin Stedman of a new documentary, Charles Evans Hughes & the Adirondacks that explores the remarkable life of this Glens Falls native who became one of the 20th centurys most influential, but overlooked public figures. After governor (1904-10), he became an associate justice (1910-16) and later chief justice (1930-41) of the U.S. Supreme Court, was secretary of state under Presidents Harding and Coolidge (1921-25), and in 1916 he was the Republican nominee for president, narrowly losing the election to President Woodrow Wilson. As chief justice he wrote some of the Supreme Courts most important decisions on civil rights, womens rights and labor issues. Area residents got a preview of the new documentary during a recent showing at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls. The first segment about Hughess ties to Glens Falls is complete, while plans call for filming in Lake George and the Adirondack High Peaks this summer, and in Saratoga Springs next spring, followed by a full release in autumn 2020. Hughes fought for protection of Saratogas mineral springs at the request of his good friend Spencer Trask, a wealthy Wall Street banker who lived in Saratoga and founded the Yaddo artists retreat with his wife, Katrina. But Hughes, the son of a Baptist minister, and Trask werent very well liked by New Yorks most prominent horse owners, such as Harry Payne Whitney and August Belmont Jr., because of their efforts to prohibit racetrack gambling. Hughes signed the 1908 Hart-Agnew Law, which outlawed bookmaking at tracks, although the sport of racing was allowed to continue. He made sure the law was strictly enforced and even tougher restrictions were passed in 1910. Every track in the state closed the next year including Saratoga Race Course, which had a devastating impact on the town as outlined in a Daily Racing Form article entitled, Destruction Wrought by Hughes. The report said many Saratoga businesses went bankrupt, hotels suffered a sharp decline in guests, and real estate values collapsed. But after a two-year hiatus, racing returned in 1913 and state legislators cognizant the economic impact, left the industry alone. There were 10,000 people on Opening Day at Saratoga, said Brien Bouyea, of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. It didnt really seem to have much of an impact. Within the next few years racing was more popular than ever. Hughes had considered running for president as early as 1908, but his anti-gambling stance put him out of favor with a number of prominent New York Republicans. Initially, he wasnt going to seek re-election as governor in 1908, but later changed his mind as reported by a newspaper called the Mechanicville Saturday Mercury. Some time ago I said privately that I did not desire a re-nomination and that I felt that I could not undertake to serve a second term. This, however, was for reasons entirely personal, he said in an Aug. 1 report. Upon further reflection I am convinced that I have no right to regard those reasons as controlling and that if re-nominated I will accept. Somewhat ironically, the state Republican convention, where Hughes was re-nominated to run for governor, was held in Saratoga Springs. He received 827 out of 1,009 votes to win re-nomination on the first ballot, with strong behind-the-scenes support from President Theodore Roosevelt. The president of Hughes re-election campaign was powerful state Sen. Senator Edgar Truman Brackett of Saratoga Springs, who helped get legislation passed for creation of the Saratoga Reservation (Spa State Park). Brackett also founded Adirondack Trust Company. But just like racing, Hughes effort to preserve Saratogas mineral springs drew criticism from some quarters. The New York Sun dubbed the legislation The Saratoga Salvation Act, and questioned the constitutionality of the purchase, according to the Penn-Yan Democrat. The Sun said the purchase would increase state debt, which was already too high. In 1940, when he was Supreme Court chief justice, Hughes vacationed at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Spa State Park. Recalling the 1909 controversy, which made the park possible, he told The Saratogian: I was severely criticized for spending the peoples money so foolishly. I am only too happy to praise the Spa and hotel in every way. Producers of Charles Evans Hughes & The Adirondacks are conducting a crowd-sourcing campaign to fund completion of the project. For information and a brief trailer of the film go to: Indiegogo.com (Click on Film link, type Charles Evans Hughes in Search Bar). SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. Local manufacturing growth is outpacing the state and national average, providing numerous job opportunities in industries such as computers/electronics, chemicals, and printing and papermaking. The problem, in this era of low unemployment, is that many firms cant find the skilled workers needed to fill positions, despite offering attractive wage and benefit packages. Company leaders told how what theyre doing to recruit and retain workers during a panel discussion hosted by Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, at the Gideon Putnam Hotel on Wednesday. We have training programs, within the union contract, that allow people follow different career paths, said Peg Murphy, director of human resources at Saratoga Springs-based Espey Manufacturing, a U.S. defense contractor. Maybe we just need to be better at outreach to help people know we will invest in them. She encouraged fellow business leaders to access Workforce Development Boards, and go to high schools and colleges in an attempt to keep young people in the region because there are a lot of great jobs here. Murphy and Quad Graphics Plant Director Chad McKissick said both of their companies have aging workforces, largely comprised of Baby Boomers who are nearing retirement. Espey and Quad, which prints magazines, catalogs and retail advertising inserts, have approximately 170 and 700 employees, respectively. Quad has a 0 to 60 program specifically designed to help new workers feel at home during their first two months of employment. We want to welcome new employees and make them feel comfortable, McKissick said. New workers wear light blue shirts so senior people can identify them and ask if they need anything. A lot of times its relationships, how comfortable do they feel? With about 2,600 employees, GlobalFoundries is the largest manufacturing firm in Saratoga County. Its one thing to identify people and get them in the door, the next thing is to equip them, said Mark Dougherty, Fab 8 vice president for operations. One of the major challenges most manufacturers face is overcoming the stigma of traditional heavy industry operating in dark, gloomy factory conditions, which doesnt appeal to most young people. GlobalFoundries is a bright workplace with a science-based environment that encourages problem solving, so people arent just doing monotonous assembly all day long, Dougherty said. He encouraged employers to familiarize their companies with area school children at an early age, which might spark interest in careers when it comes time to enter the workforce. Panelists briefly described the impact of Trump Administration tariffs and trade policies on their industries. Murphy said many companies cant get components from overseas suppliers. Because of this, American component makers are swamped with orders. As a defense contractor, Espey must get all of its components from U.S. suppliers. But its having a hard time because of the high demand placed on these firms as the overseas supply, which other companies relied on, has dried up, she said. Panelist Jason Bram, a Federal Reserve Bank of New York economist, said tighter visa program restrictions has also made it more difficult for companies to get the specialized workers they need. Theres even a reluctance on the part of those whose visas are approved because they dont know if its going to be renewed, he said. During the event, Prosperity Vice President Shelby Schneider presented a new Saratoga County Manufacturing Index, which illustrates how this sector of the local economy is faring. At present, with 8,100 jobs at 140 companies, manufacturing is the countys fourth largest private-sector employer behind retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, and accommodations and food service. Manufacturing represents 21 percent of the Gross Regional Product in Saratoga County, a 5 percent increase during the past decade. The average annual wage for manufacturing in Saratoga County is $88,440, or more than $43,000 higher than non-manufacturing private-sector jobs. A mere 17-20 meters across, the Chelyabinsk meteor caused extensive ground damage and numerous injuries when it exploded on impact with Earth's atmosphere in February 2013. To prevent another such impact, Amy Mainzer and colleagues use a simple yet ingenious way to spot these tiny near-Earth objects (NEOs) as they hurtle toward the planet. She is the principal investigator of NASA's asteroid hunting mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and will outline the work of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office this week at the American Physical Society April Meeting in Denver -- including her team's NEO recognition method and how it will aid the efforts to prevent future Earth impacts. "If we find an object only a few days from impact, it greatly limits our choices, so in our search efforts we've focused on finding NEOs when they are further away from Earth, providing the maximum amount of time and opening up a wider range of mitigation possibilities," Mainzer said. But it's a difficult task -- like spotting a lump of coal in the night's sky, Mainzer explained. "NEOs are intrinsically faint because they are mostly really small and far away from us in space," she said. "Add to this the fact that some of them are as dark as printer toner, and trying to spot them against the black of space is very hard." Instead of using visible light to spot incoming objects, Mainzer's team at JPL/Caltech has leveraged a characteristic signature of NEOs -- their heat. Asteroids and comets are warmed by the sun and so glow brightly at thermal wavelengths (infrared), making them easier to spot with the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) telescope. "With the NEOWISE mission we can spot objects regardless of their surface color, and use it to measure their sizes and other surface properties," Mainzer said. Discovering NEO surface properties provides Mainzer and her colleagues an insight into how big the objects are and what they are made of, both critical details in mounting a defensive strategy against an Earth-threatening NEO. For instance, one defensive strategy is to physically "nudge" an NEO away from an Earth impact trajectory. But to calculate the energy required for that nudge, details of NEO mass, and therefore size and composition, are necessary. Astronomers also think that examining the composition of asteroids will help to understand how the solar system was formed. "These objects are intrinsically interesting because some are thought to be as old as the original material that made up the solar system," Mainzer said. "One of the things that we have been finding is that NEOs are pretty diverse in composition." Mainzer is now keen to leverage advances in camera technology to aid in the search for NEOs. "We are proposing to NASA a new telescope, the Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam), to do a much more comprehensive job of mapping asteroid locations and measuring their sizes," Mainzer said. NASA is not the only space agency trying to understand NEOs. For instance, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA's) Hayabusa 2's mission plans to collect samples from an asteroid. And in her presentation Mainzer will explain how NASA works with the global space community in an international effort to defend the planet from NEO impact. Scientists have long known that Earth and Mercury have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid. Now, in a new study, scientists report evidence that Mercury's inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's solid inner core. Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. This large core -- huge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar system -- has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core. The findings of Mercury's solid inner core, published in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters, help scientists better understand Mercury but also offer clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time. "Mercury's interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet's weak magnetic field, relative to Earth's," said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Mercury's interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet's. Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools." To figure out what Mercury's core is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. The team used several observations from NASA's MESSENGER mission to probe Mercury's interior. The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet's spin and gravity. The MESSENGER spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury in March 2011 and spent four years observing this nearest planet to our Sun until it was deliberately brought down to the planet's surface in April 2015. advertisement Scientists used radio observations from MESSENGER to determine Mercury's gravitational anomalies (areas of local increases or decreases in mass) and the location of its rotational pole, which allowed them to understand the orientation of the planet. Each planet spins on an axis, also known as the pole. Mercury spins much more slowly than Earth, with its day lasting about 58 Earth days. Scientists often use tiny variations in the way an object spins to reveal clues about its internal structure. In 2007, radar observations made from Earth revealed small shifts in Mercury's spin, called librations, that proved some of the planet's core must be liquid-molten metal. But observations of the spin rate alone were not sufficient to give a clear measurement of what the inner core was like. Could there be a solid core lurking underneath, scientists wondered? Gravity can help answer that question. "Gravity is a powerful tool to look at the deep interior of a planet because it depends on the planet's density structure," said Sander Goossens, a researcher at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. As MESSENGER orbited Mercury over the course of its mission and got closer and closer to the surface, scientists recorded how the spacecraft accelerated under the influence of the planet's gravity. The density structure of a planet can create subtle changes in a spacecraft's orbit. In the later parts of the mission, MESSENGER flew about 120 miles above the surface, and less than 65 miles during its last year. The final low-altitude orbits provided the best data yet and allowed for Genova and his team to make the most accurate measurements about the internal structure of Mercury yet taken. Genova and his team put data from MESSENGER into a sophisticated computer program that allowed them to adjust parameters and figure out what the interior composition of Mercury must be like to match the way it spins and the way the spacecraft accelerated around it. The results showed that for the best match, Mercury must have a large, solid inner core. They estimated that the solid, iron core is about 1,260 miles (2,000 kilometers) wide and makes up about half of Mercury's entire core (about 2,440 miles, or nearly 4,000 kilometers, wide). In contrast, Earth's solid core is about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) across, taking up a little more than a third of this planet's entire core. "We had to pull together information from many fields: geodesy, geochemistry, orbital mechanics and gravity to find out what Mercury's internal structure must be," said Erwan Mazarico, a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard and co-author of the new study. The fact that scientists needed to get close to Mercury to find out more about its interior highlights the power of sending spacecraft to other worlds, according to the researchers. Such accurate measurements of Mercury's spin and gravity were simply not possible to make from Earth. New discoveries about Mercury are practically guaranteed to be waiting in MESSENGER's archives, with each discovery about our local planetary neighborhood giving us a better understanding of what lies beyond. "Every new bit of information about our solar system helps us understand the larger universe," Genova said. An international team of researchers presents the first observations of the development of the skull and brain in the living coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae. Their study, published in Nature, provides new insights into the biology of this iconic animal and the evolution of the vertebrate skull. The coelacanth Latimeria is a marine fish closely related to tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates including amphibians, mammals and reptiles. Coelacanths were thought to have been extinct for 70 million years, until the accidental capture of a living specimen by a South African fisherman in 1938. Eighty years after its discovery, Latimeria remains of scientific interest for understanding the origin of tetrapods and the evolution of their closest fossil relatives -- the lobe-finned fishes. One of the most unusual features of Latimeria is its hinged braincase, which is otherwise only found in many fossil lobe-finned fishes from the Devonian period (410-360 million years ago). The braincase of Latimeria is completely split into an anterior and posterior portion by a joint called the "intracranial joint." In addition, the brain lies far at the rear of the braincase and takes up only 1% of the cavity housing it. This mismatch between the brain and its cavity is totally unequalled among living vertebrates. How the coelacanth skull grows and why the brain remains so small has puzzled scientists for years. To answer these questions, researchers studied specimens at different stages of cranial development from several public natural history collections. Although many specimens of adult coelacanths are available in natural history collections, earlier life stages such as fetuses are extremely rare. Scientists hence used state-of-the-art imaging techniques to visualize the internal anatomy of the specimens without damaging them. They notably digitalized a 5 cm-long fetus, the earliest developmental stage available for Latimeria, with synchrotron X-ray microtomography at the European Synchrotron (ESRF). Over the last two decades, the ESRF has developed unique expertise in designing non-invasive techniques widely used for evolutionary biology studies. In addition, the researchers also imaged other stages with a powerful Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner at the Brain and Spine Institute (Paris, France), and a conventional X-ray micro-CTscan at the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris, France). These data were used to generate detailed 3D models, which allowed scientists to describe how the form of the skull, the brain and the notochord (a tube extending below the brain and the spinal cord in the early stages of life) changes from a fetus to an adult. They also observed how these structures are positioned relative to each other at each stage, and compared their observations with what is known about the formation of the skull in other vertebrates. In contrast to most other vertebrates, where the notochord is replaced by the vertebral column early in embryonic development, the notochord expands considerably in Latimeria. The dramatic enlargement of the notochord likely influences the patterning of the braincase, and might underpin the formation of the intracranial joint. The brain might also be affected by the enlargement of the notochord, as relative size dramatically decreases during development. These results illuminate for the first time the development of the living coelacanth skull and brain, and open up new avenues for research on the evolution of the vertebrate head. Hugo Dutel, lead author and research associate in palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, UK, says, "These are very unique observations, but they represent only a tiny step forward compared to the amount we know on the development of other species. There are still more questions than answers! Latimeria still holds many clues for our understanding of vertebrate evolution, and it is important to protect this threatened species and its environment." Researchers have designed a new type of adhesive patch that can be placed directly on the heart and may one day help to reduce the stretching of heart muscle that often occurs after a heart attack. The patch, made from a water-based hydrogel material, was developed using computer simulations of heart function in order to fine tune the material's mechanical properties. A study in rats showed that the patch was effective in preventing left ventricle remodeling -- a stretching of the heart muscle that's common after a heart attack and can reduce the function of the heart's main pumping chamber. The research also showed that the computer-optimized patch outperformed patches whose mechanical properties had been selected on an ad hoc basis. The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was a collaboration between computer modeling and mechanics researchers in Brown University's School of Engineering, cardiology researchers from Fudan University and material scientists from Soochow University. "Part of the reason that it's hard for the heart to recover after a heart attack is that it has to keep pumping," said Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown and a co-author on the paper. "The idea here is to provide mechanical support for damaged tissue, which hopefully gives it a chance to heal." Prior research had shown that mechanical patches could be effective, the researchers say, but no one had done any research on what the optimum mechanical properties of such a patch might be. As a result, the thickness and stiffness of potential patches varies widely. And getting those properties right is important, Gao says. "If the material is to hard or stiff, then you could confine the movement of the heart so that it can't expand to the volume it needs to," he said. "But if the material is too soft, then it won't provide enough support. So we needed some mechanical principles to guide us." To develop those principles, the researchers developed a computer model of a beating heart, which captured the mechanical dynamics of both the heart itself and the patch when fixed to the heart's exterior. Yue Liu, a graduate student at Brown who led the modeling work, says the model had two key components. advertisement "One part was to model normal heart function -- the expanding and contracting," Liu said. "Then we applied our patch on the outside to see how it influenced that function, to make sure that the patch doesn't confine the heart. The second part was to model how the heart remodels after myocardial infarction, so then we could look at how much mechanical support was needed to prevent that process." With those properties in hand, the team turned to the biomaterials lab of Lei Yang, a Brown Ph.D. graduate who is now a professor at Soochow University and Hebei University of Technology in China. Yang and his team developed a hydrogel material made from food-sourced starch that could match the properties from the model. The key to the material is that it's viscoelastic, meaning it combines fluid and solid properties. It has fluid properties up to a certain amount of stress, at which point it solidifies and becomes stiffer. That makes the material ideal for both accommodating the movement of the heart and for provided necessary support, the researchers say. The material is also cheap (a patch costs less than a penny, the researchers say) and easy to make, and experiments showed that it was nontoxic. The rodent study ultimately showed that it was effective in reducing post-heart attack damage. "The patch provided nearly optimal mechanical supports after myocardial infarction (i.e. massive death of cardiomyocytes)," said Ning Sun, a cardiology researcher at Fudan University in China and a study co-author. "[It] maintained a better cardiac output and thus greatly reduced the overload of those remaining cardiomyocytes and adverse cardiac remodeling." Biochemical markers showed that the patch reduced cell death, scar tissue accumulation and oxidative stress in tissue damaged by heart attack. More testing is required, the researchers say, but the initial results are promising for eventual use in human clinical trials. "It remains to be seen if it will work in humans, but it's very promising," Gao said. "We don't see any reason right now that it wouldn't work." South Africa: SA must relook at access to firearms: Cele South Africa would be better off if only its armed forces and not private citizens had access to firearms, Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Wednesday. It would be better if one day we dont have private citizens having guns at all. Its a tall order going forward but it would be better if one day, only the armed forces namely police and soldiers having [access to] guns, said the Minister. The Minister accompanied by National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole, oversaw the destruction of 30 039 firearms at Arcelor Mittals plant in Vereeniging. Most of the firearms which included rifles, were surrendered to the state by their rightful owners. The others were either seized or forfeited to the state. Wednesdays destruction process at which the Minister and the Commissioner inspected a vast array of firearms is the first to be conducted since October 2016. Asked about why it took long to destroy the firearms, Cele said one of the reasons for the delay was around firearms which were sought for historical purposes. We have organisations for requests to find museum material which are taken to museums, we [have] since spoken with the Commissioner. We will need a Memorandum of Understanding with those organisations to say we are no longer going to wait for too long because we all realise that keeping them there in the storerooms, is tempting criminals, said the Minister. He added that a further 60 000 firearms are still to be destroyed. We still have 60 000 of them in the storeroom, I can assure you that it will not take a year to destroy them to cut off naughty ideas people might have, he said. The Minister highlighted the importance of getting guns off the streets. Its important to say that we are looking at the next batch [to be destructed] we are trying to squeeze in the time for that so that we dont keep these guns in the crime market for very long, he said. He added that the removal of guns off the streets either through the actions of the police or by citizens surrendering of significant importance to the countrys crime statistics. Remember that when we make our murder stats, most of the people in South Africa are shot, even those guns that have been surrendered here, usually they all come as legal firearms and then they get stolen and converted into illegal firearms, he said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-04-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Google has brought its Indie Games Accelerator initiative back for 2019 and is expanding the program's reach for its second year. This year, the Indie Games Accelerator is open to mobile developers from 37 countries including India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, Egypt, Guatemala, and more across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Its a notable expansion from the eight countries included in the program last year, and one that Google says aims to help more mobile developers achieve their full potential on the companys mobile platform Google Play. The Indie Games Accelerator itself offers selected mobile developers access, including travel and accommodations, to two mentorship programs based out of its Google Asia HQ in Singapore, and other resources. Submissions are open now, and interested developers have until May 19 to apply. The full list of countries included in this years Indie Games Accelerator program, as well as details on how to apply, can be found on Googles developer portal. An Open Letter to Montana State Legislators and Governor Bullock: As former and current Montana Public Service Commissioners, we represented Montanans across this great state in balancing the needs of utilities with the needs of consumers. We took our oath of office seriously and worked tirelessly to faithfully perform the job to which our constituents entrusted us. We often disagreed as Commissioners, and still rarely agree on many issues. Yet we are writing this letter because we share grave concerns about Senate Bill 331. While we may differ in our views of various energy resources, we are united in the belief that Montanans elect the Public Service Commission to protect them from the natural tendencies of monopoly utilities. We oppose SB 331 because it eliminates the authority of the Montana Public Service Commission to do its legal duty to, supervise and regulate the operations of public utilities, common carriers, railroads, and other regulated industries. SB 331 eliminates that basic function of the Public Service Commission and puts the utility in charge of determining utility rates. Upon codification of SB 331, utility customers would no longer receive the same level of commission protection from the monopoly utility. SB 331 is a dangerous bill that sets a perilous precedent. We are united in urging members of the Montana State Legislature and Governor Bullock to reject this attempt to take over the most important function of the Montana Public Service Commission protecting Montanans. Tom Schneider, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 2 and District 3 1977 - 1984, 2003 - 2006 Greg Jergeson, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 1 2003 - 2010 Brad Molnar, Republican PSC Commissioner, District 2 2005 - 2012 Bob Raney, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 3 2005 - 2008 Ken Toole, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 5 2007 - 2010 Gail Gutsche, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 4 2009 - 2012 John Vincent, Democrat PSC Commissioner, District 3 2009 - 2012 Travis Kavulla, Republican PSC Commissioner, District 1 2011 - 2018 Roger Koopman, Republican PSC Commissioner, District 3 2013 2020 Tony ODonnell, Republican PSC Commissioner, District 2 2017-2020 The Dixie School District will have a new name. The new title has yet to be decided, but the Dixie school board in San Rafael voted Tuesday night to change a name that many said evokes Confederate imagery. The vote is the latest step in a clash that has pitted neighbors against each other and put the small school district in the national spotlight. Opponents of the change contend the Dixie name simply represents a district with an excellent reputation. Dozens of people packed the Dixie School District board room, while a group of alumni stood outside the building with signs and banners chanting, Dixie must go! Much of the trustees discussion focused on how to pay for the change, which would include replacing lettering on buses, changing signage at Dixie Elementary School, and printing new marketing materials and other administrative equipment bearing the old name. Officials estimated that adopting a new name could cost nearly $40,000. As a trustee of the district I dont want to use the cost of a name change as a reason not to change the name of the district, board member Brooks Nguyen said. But I want to be on record saying that this estimate is extremely conservative. The Marin Community Foundation pledged $40,000 to cover the cost of implementing a new name. Three of the five trustees votes yes. Brad Honsberger, president of the board, voted against the resolution because he wanted the issue to go to community members as a community resolution in 2020. Board member Alissa Chacko abstained. Most of the few dozen speakers commented in favor of changing the name, citing the words association with enslavement and the Confederacy and its offensiveness to black residents. Bali Simon, a fifth-grader at Dixie Elementary School, was the only student to speak during the public comment session. You know Dixie is a racist name, so change it, she said. I believe I speak for the students when I say its time to change the name. Im hoping I can go back to school next fall proud of our new district name. Shahrazad Vakharia teaches orchestra throughout the district and recounted how, a few weeks ago, the father of a student shed taught for five years told others not to sign their children up for her classes because she is so outspoken about the issue. What (Dixie) means to black people is so horrible that we cant keep that name now that it magically refers to a lovely community, she said. Youre a lovely community not because your name is Dixie, youre a lovely community with a horrible name. Opponents of the name change who spoke at Tuesdays meeting felt that the communitys inclusiveness is a direct rejection of the values of the Confederacy. Some of us feel this is besmirching James Martin Miller by such ugly insinuations and tarnishing his place in the history of our community, said Mette Nygard, a San Rafael resident, referring to the man who named the district. The community is so far removed from the confederacy that its a ridiculous assertion. Others were more concerned with how the debate had inflamed tensions between neighbors and could be taking time away from other important issues. 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. Maybe we need to continue the dialogue for as long as it takes to find healing, said Julie Harwood-Case, who grew up in San Rafael. Give people respect and consideration and have courtesy. Keep the dialogue going. The board committed to selecting a new name by Aug. 22 the first day of school. Trustees also approved a proposal that outlined the process for choosing a new name: An advisory group of 11 made up of four community members with children in the school district, four people without children in the district, two district staff members and one graduate would solicit and evaluate suggestions and present three to five bids for the new name by June 25. The school district will post applications online for the advisory group April 30. The board previously voted to put the issue to a community advisory vote in 2020. In February, school board members voted down 13 possible new names, including Live Oak, Miwok, Skywalker, Terra Linda and John Muir. A majority of the board did support changing the name, but agreed that voting on names submitted by petitions with as few as 15 signatures seemed rushed and bypassed community input. Dixie School District was established in 1864 in northern San Rafael. It enrolls about 2,000 mostly white students across four schools. The debate has come up several times in the past 25 years in 1997, 2003 and 2015, and the current discussion began last summer. Ashley McBride is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ashley.mcbride@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ashleynmcb The former embattled superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park has been named to head the nonprofit organization that supports and provides funds to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Christine Lehnertz will become president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, effective May 13, the group announced on Wednesday. I am excited to lead the tremendous work of the Conservancy, Lehnertz said in a statement. I have long supported its unwavering commitment to these treasured park lands. I hope we can help instill a sense of joy, stewardship and community. I look forward to working with our staff, trustees and our many partners, including the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust to ... expand our reach to new audiences, she added. As CEO, Lehnertz will head a 33-year-old nonprofit organization that raises and distributes $70 million a year to support the recreation area, the most heavily visited park in the National Park Service system. She said one of her favorite parts of the GGNRA is Fort Point, the Civil War-era brick fort with 7-foot-thick walls beneath the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. I love going there, she said in an interview. Theres so much to take in. Lehnertz comes to the Conservancy after three years as the first woman superintendent and the first openly gay superintendent at the Grand Canyon. She took that post in 2016 with a mandate to correct a long-standing history of sexual harassment on the part of some Grand Canyon employees. But she was reassigned and investigated over allegations that she created a hostile work environment at the Grand Canyon. In February, she was cleared of those allegations and reinstated. Rather than return to her post at the Grand Canyon, she resigned. The Conservancy, in a statement, praised her effort to instill reform at the Grand Canyon. Her priority to ensure a respectful and inclusive workplace is an excellent fit with the Conservancys values, the group said in announcing her appointment. 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. Conservancy board chair Colin Lind called Lehnertz an accomplished and courageous leader with a clear vision for the future of our national parks (and) an in-depth knowledge of the Bay Area. Before taking the Grand Canyon job, Lehnertz was superintendent for two years of the GGNRA, the 82,000-acre Bay Area park that draws more than 15 million visitors a year to sites in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The GGNRA is so heavily visited, Lehnertz noted, largely because of its size and its urban setting. When you go to the Grand Canyon, Lehnertz said, you have to really mean to go there. When I worked there, I drove 180 miles roundtrip to go to the supermarket in Flagstaff. An environmental biologist by training, Lehnertz worked as a wildlife and biological technician in Colorado and as an administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency before joining the Park Service in 2007. She is a former deputy superintendent at Yellowstone National Park, another place not known for its supermarkets. Lehnertz will succeed current president and CEO Greg Moore, who will become a special adviser to the Conservency. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com The third cashless Amazon Go location in San Francisco opened at 575 Market St Tuesday. But Amazon could be forced to change its model, as San Francisco and other cities mull requiring stores to accept cash. Heres what its like to shop at the chain, which now has 11 stores nationwide: Customers need to have the Amazon Go app downloaded on their phones. They scan the app to get through turnstiles, pick up items, and then walk out. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle Shoppers get charged on their Amazon accounts via their phones when they pass the turnstiles on their way out (not when they pick products off the shelves). Receipts are available digitally. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle The 1,750-square-foot Market Street location is dotted with black boxy cameras, including some on the ceiling, to keep track of purchases. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle When Chris Olive, director of sales at Salesloft, walked into the Market Street store on Tuesday, he announced, unprompted, to anyone within earshot that, the future is here. He was visiting from Atlanta and said it was his first time at an Amazon Go store. Its wild that you can come in, grab something and just go, he said. Were so hardwired in buying things a certain way. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle For Jay Choi, 21, a student at City College, the experience was also unfamiliar. At first I was like, do I just walk out? he said. He plans to visit the store again, as he liked the convenience but didnt like coins. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes About seven Amazon Go workers in bright orange jackets were on hand on opening day at the store on Market Street, explaining to some befuddled customers how the store worked. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle Some local food vendors featured in the store include Dosa, Green Heart Foods, La Boulangerie, Kikka Sushi, Starter Bakery and Claras Kitchen. Shwanika Narayan / The Chronicle This month, Amazon announced it would start accepting cash at its stores, though it wont say when. So look for a new retail species, coming soon: a cashierless, cash-accepting store. Its been more than 100 years since the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, but it still ranks as one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States. The numbers are staggering: an estimated 3,000 dead, 60,000 buildings destroyed and 250,000 homeless. San Francisco is gone, Jack London wrote afterward. Nothing remains of it but memories. While the city rebuilt, memories of the quake remained. As the anniversary approached, I came across packs of copy negatives in The Chronicles archive, which are created by taking a photograph of a picture. The photos appeared to be somewhat damaged making copies may have been a way to preserve them for posterity. One pack of these copy negatives was dated April 1956 and appeared to have been pulled together for The Chronicles coverage of the 50th anniversary of the earthquake. Dig deep into Chronicle Vault Like what you're reading? Subscribe to the Chronicle Vault newsletter and get classic archive stories in your inbox twice a week. Read hundreds of historical stories, see thousands of archive photos and sort through 154 years of classic Chronicle front pages at SFChronicle.com/vault. See More Collapse The April 18, 1956, Chronicle included a special section with commentary from those who had experienced it firsthand, as well as reports of survivors groups hosting meet-ups across the city, and a preview of the Festival of Progress marking the citys rebuilding from the disaster. (These reminiscing headlines also shared space with the current news of the day including Grace Kelly marrying the Prince of Monaco.) First a violent shake, subsiding a little, then shaking hard again and finally stopping after what seemed like an eternity, former Chronicle reporter George M. Lowe wrote in the 1956 edition. Lowe, who lived just west of Van Ness Avenue at the time, described the sights and sounds as he tried to walk downtown immediately after the quake. Glancing about, I saw thin spirals of smoke rising from several directions and I had a foreboding of what was to come, Lowe said. As he crossed into the Tenderloin, scantily clad women were pouring out of cheap hotels, Lowe remembered. One in particular was saying over and over, Oh God I know its the end of the world. The Chronicle 1956 A group of small houses on Stevenson St. were in flames, with firemen hopelessly swinging their axes, Lowe remembered. One had only to look down through a crack in the street, where water was gushing from a broken main to see why. The 50th anniversary coverage also included a 14-page section of previously unpublished photos including one taken by balloon from above the city that showed the totality of the destruction pictures that could not be printed at the time because there were no facilities for swift reproduction. Wrapped around the 1956 paper was a reproduction of the four-page April 19, 1906, edition a venture unique in the history of journalism reprinted here in full, for the 50th anniversary, as no present day re-creation could just [sic] how it was at the moment of San Franciscos greatest disaster. The April 19, 1906, paper was reported and printed as a joint edition of three of the citys daily newspapers while fires were still raging through the city. Chronicle staff members reported to work after the quake and found the building a furnace where only death could enter. They found presses a shambles of twisted steel, building aflame. The staffs of The Chronicle, the Call, the Bulletin and the Examiner fanned out over the city to report on both heroic rescues and summary execution of men caught looting. Eventually they gathered near the waterfront and found a boat to take them to Oakland, where the Tribunes presses were intact. Reporters sat down to write their stories, never mind for what newspaper, The Chronicle wrote in 1956. The next morning, bundle after bundle of newspapers sped back to San Francisco, where it was sold for 10 cents, or given away for free. Two days later, The Chronicle was back in operation as its own independent newspaper, operating out of the charred headquarters and printing on loaned presses. More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond. The Chronicle 1906 More from Chronicle Vault Not Your Century: 1981 Space Shuttle Soars, Janet Cooke Crashes. Plus a Bonus Not Your Century episode with a reporter behind the story. These houses will not burn: Three houses that survived the 1906 earthquake, due to the bravery of a few residents. The Great Quake: A 10-part retelling by columnist Carl Nolte. Clock stopping: San Franciscos forgotten earthquake of 1957. Tent city: Think San Franciscos housing crisis is bad? You should have seen it in 1906. From the Archive is a weekly column by Bill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspapers archive. Its part of Chronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by Taylor Kate Brown, The Chronicles newsletter editor. Sign up for the newsletter here and follow Chronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill at bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com and Taylor at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. 2 1 of 2 San Francisco Police Department / Show More Show Less 2 of 2 San Francisco Police Department Show More Show Less San Francisco police are searching for a man who smashed a wine bottle against the head of a Market Street restaurant customer, authorities said Wednesday. The assault happened at 11 p.m. on Feb. 8 at an eatery on the 600 block of Market Street. Police said the suspect entered and exited the restaurant after he got into an argument with staff, but then he returned with a glass wine bottle. Plans for a huge restaurant and brewery complex near the Golden State Warriors Chase Center in Mission Bay have been scrapped. The project, backed by San Diegos Ballast Point, had been slated to showcase a three-barrel research and development brewery. But Ballast Point has recently been retrenching in California. Company representatives confirmed the closures of its 80,000-square-foot sour beer and barrel-aging facility in San Diego, which opened in 2017, as well as a brewpub in Temecula (Riverside County), which opened in 2016. Warriors fans need not despair: Other new beer operations are still headed to Mission Bay. Little Creatures, an Australian brewing company, plans to open a restaurant and brewery in a 6,300-square-foot space in the neighborhood. San Franciscos Seven Stills has an 18,000-square-foot bar and distillery in the works as well. Ballast Points parent company, Constellation Brands, did not comment on whether the jettisoned venture would take shape elsewhere in the Bay Area. Consumers can continue to access Ballast Point products in on- and off-premise establishments throughout Northern California and across the country, Stephanie McGuane, a spokeswoman for Constellation Brands, said via email. Constellation Brands also owns Corona and Modelo. Ballast Point came under its umbrella in 2015 and grew quickly. The San Francisco project would have been Ballast Points first Northern California foray. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. As Ballast Point scales back in California, Constellation Brands remains active on deals. This year it invested $4 billion in a Canadian cannabis company and paid for a minority stake in El Silencio Holdings, Inc., the Los Angeles parent firm of Mezcal El Silencio. This month, Constellation announced plans to sell 30 of its wine and spirits brands, in addition to six wine production facilities, to Gallo for $1.7 billion. Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips A new government order that would prohibit some asylum seekers from posting bail as they await a decision in their cases has infuriated immigration advocates throughout the country who claim its a violation of the immigrants constitutional rights. The policy, announced Tuesday by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, would keep asylum seekers with credible fear claims in ICE detention for months or even years, until their cases are resolved. Advocates say the order could impact more than 15,000 asylum seekers, though exact numbers arent clear. Its devastating, said Michael Tan, an attorney with the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Project in New York. There are thousands of asylum seekers who, prior to this decision, had been getting bond hearings before an immigration judge. The ACLU said it plans to sue the administration, arguing that the policy which goes into effect in 90 days violates immigrants constitutional rights. A bedrock principle of our country is that you cant take peoples freedom away without due process of law, Tan said. The most fundamental aspect of due process is the right to go before a judge to determine if you will be locked up or not. Immigrants determined to have a credible fear of persecution are typically allowed to request a bond hearing where a judge determines if they can be released on bail as they wait for their cases to be resolved. In a written decision Tuesday, Barr directed immigration judges not to release immigrants on bond once their cases are approved for full removal proceedings, a status granted to asylum seekers after an asylum officer has approved their claim of credible fear, when theyre waiting to go before a judge. Typically, an asylum seeker who crosses between ports of entry would have the right to ask a judge to grant them bond for release. Under the new ruling, they will have to wait in detention until their case is adjudicated, the Associated Press reported. Im shocked that this is just another attempt at further trying to discourage or deter legitimate asylum seekers, said Bill Hing, a longtime social justice advocate and director of the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic at the University of San Francisco. Mandatory detention is for people who commit crimes and who are suspected terrorists. Theres not a statute that requires detention for these folks. 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. Its the latest push by the Trump administration to end catch and release policies and deter undocumented immigrants from seeking asylum at the border. President Trump recently threatened to shut down the border and cut off aid to Central American countries, and suggests the government get rid of the whole asylum system. The president has also accused some migrants of faking credible-fear interviews and criticized those who support asylum seekers. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday said Barrs order will roll back the progress the U.S. has made to protect vulnerable populations over several decades. Vulnerable individuals and families who face horrific conditions should be welcomed in our country, not turned away or locked up, Feinstein said in a statement. Attorney General Barrs decision will have a brutal effect on refugees, some of whom will now be detained for years before they have their day in court. This policy stands in sharp contrast to the due process protections enshrined in the Constitution. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez Lowenthal is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been in elected office for 30 years, starting as a Long Beach City Councilman. He announced his decision to not run again in a Thursday morning email. 750 Beethoven statues sold so far : Beethoven statues in Bonn are well-received Bonn At least 300 more sculptures in green and gold are to be sold by mid-May, so that about 1,000 figures of the smiling composer can be seen as part of Ottmar Horls art installation in the Munsterplatz from 17 May. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The Our Ludwig campaign is developing more and more into a success story: 750 Beethoven statues by the artist Ottmar Horl have already been sold. By the middle of May, at least 300 more sculptures in green and gold should have found buyers, so that about 1,000 figures of the smiling composer will be placed in Munsterplatz for the art installation Ode to Joy from 17 May. Originally, the initiators of the campaign the City Marketing and Citizens for Beethoven associations had expected 500 figures to be sold. Therefore, at a press conference with the artist on Tuesday, Karina Krober and Maike Reinhardt (City Marketing), as well as Marlies Schmidtmann and Hans Christoph Pakleppa, were more than happy about the keen demand for the statue, not only among people from Bonn. The green Beethoven figures, with 513 sold, are currently clearly the most popular. Internationally renowned concept artist When my sister Tanja came up with this idea four years ago, I would never have believed that something would come of it, said Krober, who runs Krobers hearing and sight business with her sister at Friedensplatz. Horl recalled the many conversations that had previously been held with all those involved, above all regarding the question of financing. I never dreamed that this would be such a success, said the internationally renowned conceptual artist, who was professor and president of the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg until his retirement. The special thing about the nearly one-metre-tall Beethoven statue is that it shows the great composer with a smile. Horl, who intensively analysed the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, born in Bonn in 1770, wanted to portray him with a Rhenish cheerful nature and not as a grim-looking composer, as he is otherwise usually portrayed. But then I became more and more uncertain as to whether he would even be recognised. Guarded day and night It was therefore a surprise for Horl that Citizens for Beethoven was completely enthusiastic about the friendly smiling Beethoven prototype made of plaster. We Bonners know that Beethoven was actually a cheerful boy from Bonn, Schmidtmann said and laughed. You have portrayed the greatest son of our city very well, praised the deputy chairman of the association to the artist. Ralf Birkner from the Beethoven Jubilee Society also praised the campaign in the run-up to Beethoven's anniversary in 2020. The whole world knows Beethovens music, but many people dont know much about him as a person, and that should change through campaigns such as this. However, a lot of wood has still to be acquired before the installation is ready. 750 timber blocks with a total length of 3,000 metres and 700 plywood panels form the base for the figures. Rheinhardt thanked the Knauber company for sponsoring the wood for this. The statues will be screwed onto the wooden panels and will be guarded day and night during the two-week installation from 17 May to 2 June, explained Reinhardt. The installation will be accompanied by music by Beethoven every evening, which will be heard live from a piano on the stage in the Munsterplatz. On 25 May, the Citizens for Beethoven are expecting about 90 guests from Belgium to visit Bonn: these are descendants of Ludwig van Beethoven and their relatives, all of whom bear the surname Beethoven. The background to this is that Beethovens paternal family originally came from Mechelen. The statues cost 300 euros each and will become the property of the buyer after the installation. More information is available on www.unser-ludwig.com. As the drone flies, Berkeley is 69.52 miles from Farmington, a community just east of Stockton. That distance spans many geographies, ideologies and economies. That distance also separates the digital elite from the internet poor. That gap the digital divide is a problem our state and region must tackle to close economic and educational differences. A better understanding of the scale of the divide should spur officials and constituents alike to demand a more connected future across California. Imagine two students: one at Washington Elementary School and another at Farmington Elementary School. Both have to write a report on the electrification of California. There are only so many textbooks out there on the work of John Bensley and the California Electric Light Co. So our young students head home to do some online research around the bright ideas of Californias electrical pioneers. Theyll complete the same assignment but with drastically different levels of digital resources. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle The first difference is access to high-speed providers. When the Berkeleysider hits the web pages, theyll have a diversity of digital options to get online. All of Alameda County residents have two or more broadband providers in their area. Comparatively, theres only one provider in Farmington (San Joaquin County). Competition in broadband provision matters because, according to a report issued by the Center for Public Integrity, theres a strong relationship among competition, access and affordability. Where competition thrives, internet speed and affordability tend to increase. Srijita Chattopadhyay / San Antonio Express-News The ramifications of a lack of competition become clear when our kiddos try to download a documentary on the first 3-phase alternating current (AC) commercial power plant in Redlands (San Bernardino County): The two students will experience vastly different internet speeds. The odds suggest that our Washington Elementary student will be able to download the report at a download speed of at least 100 mbps; only 4.44 percent of Berkeley residents lack access to a provider offering download and upload speeds of 100 and 25 mbps, respectively. A glimpse into Farmington, though, will likely reveal a student struggling to watch a lagging video; there are no providers of 100/25 mbps in the community. Its true that the Federal Communications Commission qualifies 25 mbps of download speed as high-speed internet. Its also true that Farmingtons one provider offers internet at those speeds. Those truths dont matter much to our student just trying to get their homework done. Its widely argued that the FCCs refusal to increase what qualifies as high-speed is a ploy to mask just how few Americans truly have access to the internet they need to thrive, learn and earn, to use the words of Nicol Turner-Lee, a fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2018 Once our students close their books and power down for dinner, well likely see another difference: how internet prices impact their familys ability to spend on other priorities. The family of the Washington Elementary student can access an internet plan with up to 60 mbps for $39.99 a month. The cheapest plan for our Farmington family is $50 a month with $99 in upfront payments. When families have to trade internet access for basic expenses, California loses. These losses affect our entire region as students receive disparate opportunities, families face differences in costs and regions offer varying levels of connectedness. The digital divide is apparent. Whether we have the political will to close it is up for discussion. If our students really did complete assignments on the electrification of California, theyd likely learn that 55 percent of Americans in 1944 lacked electrical service; 15 years later that percentage dropped to less than 5. The shift came about, in part, from a recognition that no American could thrive in the dark. This realization prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to launch federal initiatives to power homes in every corner of the country. The allocation of funds, personnel and political capital filled the nations power pothole. Similar gaps are evident today, whether you live in Berkeley or Farmington. Some Berkeleysiders may ask why the digital divide demands so much attention if just 4.44 percent of city residents lack access to high-speed internet. Its a valid question. Folks with this question and people residing in other well-connected communities are right to wonder if access to the internet should be raised to the level of importance of access to electricity. The honest answer is yes. More than 112,000 people live in Berkeley, which means that almost 5,000 people do not have the high-speed internet they need to live, earn and learn. We cannot afford to leave those 5,000 community members in the digital darkness. Doing so would endanger their ability to fully contribute to our economy and our community. Lets give our fellow Berkeley community members, and all those across California seeking affordable, high-speed internet, their rightful opportunity to reach their full potential. Lets close the digital divide. Kevin Frazier is a law student at the UC Berkeley School of Law. SACRAMENTO Gov. Gavin Newsoms effort to lower prescription drug prices for Californians got its first outside participant Wednesday, as Los Angeles County said it would join the collective drug-purchasing system that Newsom is developing for state agencies. Newsom traveled to a county-run rehabilitation center in Downey to make the announcement in recognition of his first 100 days in office, a milestone he hit this week. Newsom signed an executive order the day he took office to establish a single purchaser of prescription drugs by 2021 for the 13 million recipients of Medi-Cal, the states health care program for the poor, as well as other agencies that buy drugs for state employees, retirees, hospitals and inmates. He encouraged local governments and private companies to participate in the system, which he argued would give them all greater leverage to negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals. California spends more than $8 billion annually on prescription drugs for Medi-Cal alone, according to the Legislative Analysts Office. Honestly, I thought it would take years to convince other folks to join our effort, Newsom said Wednesday. And here we are in L.A. It took 100 days. Los Angeles County spends nearly $250 million a year on prescription drugs just at its public hospitals and clinics. Janice Hahn, chair of the county Board of Supervisors, said Los Angeles and the state would be more effective when we work together. Representatives for San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors did not immediately respond to questions about whether they were considering joining the drug-purchasing collective. Newsom said Wednesday that he had spoken with other governors about his plan. According to his office, the governors of Rhode Island, Illinois and Colorado approached Newsom at a conference in Washington, D.C., in February to discuss setting up their own systems for bulk prescription drug purchases and potentially combining forces across state lines. This was the number one topic of conversation when he went to the National Governors Association meeting, spokesman Nathan Click said. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff As thousands of San Francisco residents have discovered in the months since rent-by-the-hour Jump and Ford GoBike Plus bicycles were deployed across the region, electric bicycles allow their riders to easily climb steep hills and be at the office faster than driving a car during rush hour or even taking Muni. Their efficiency and convenience come as no surprise to Brett Thurber and Karen Wiener, proprietors of the New Wheel, an electric-bike store that opened long before both bike-share companies arrived. The New Wheel now has two locations Bernal Heights and Larkspur as well as a service center slated to open this month in Bernal. It takes me 45 minutes to go from the Richmond District, where we live, to the store in Larkspur, Thurber says. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The couple met at UC Berkeley during a public-policy class taught by Robert Reich. When they graduated from the university post-recession Thurber in 2010 and Wiener in 2011 jobs were hard to find. Like many college graduates before them, they were also obsessed by the notion of changing the world. Thurber came up with the idea of selling electric bikes, which at the time were a new idea even in a progressive city such as San Francisco. I was reading articles about what was happening in Europe and how popular they had become there, he says. Also, I was fresh out of college, looking for an idea to work on. It made sense to try and start something of our own. He started out selling door to door as well as at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, where he would offer test rides. According to Michael Wiener, Karens father, who works at their Bernal Heights store four times a week, He even went to police stations to do demos. That Bernal Heights shop was their first, opened in 2012. Their idea was to design a space that would act as a destination for those pursuing the bike-oriented lifestyle these European imports offered, and where customers would feel listened to as they decided what to buy. Running a store was not a new concept to Wiener, as her grandparents, Ilse and Albert Wiener opened a retail establishment in Sausalito in 1950 called Handcraft from Europe, stocked with hard-to-find objects produced by European artisans. The store became a destination in Marin, with multiple locations, specializing in buttons, cups, high-end home accessories and more. I grew up with the mentality of fixing things and taking care of objects because my dad is a boat builder and my grandmother took care of purchasing the stores inventory, Wiener says. She wanted to make the beauty of these objects available to people in this country, and by so doing to perhaps make an impact on their lives and in their homes. It is the same positive activism that now motivates the couple to spread the gospel of the e-bike. Making things better is at the core of who we are and what the New Wheel is, Karen Wiener says. It is a place where activism and optimism can thrive. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle With the opening of the second store in Larkspur in 2016, the couple were able to increase the number and variety of e-bike models for sale. Besides the cargo category of bikes, popular with families, shoppers can find streamlined models such as the Stromer series out of Switzerland or Gazelle commuter bikes from the Netherlands, as well as stylish local-made brands like the Faraday; now there are even models geared toward children and teens. Gabriela Camara, chef and owner of Cala in San Francisco, is a convert to the e-bike life. It really changed my life, she says. When I first purchased one, my son Luca was a child, so I wanted a bike that would be useful and fit juggling both family and restaurant. I saw the cargo model, tried it and I loved it it just makes so much sense to have an e-bike in a city with so many hills. And now that Luca is older, he has his own. Jump and GoBike Plus have only helped the cause. Electric-bike share has been extremely positive for us, Thurber says. It has allowed thousands of people to try e-bikes for the first time with a limited monetary commitment. On April 15, Lyft, which owns the GoBike program, shut down all its pedal-assist bikes in San Francisco, saying the brakes were faulty. Thurber and Wiener say they are strict about quality. We consciously decided to not sell online, Wiener says. And also not to ship bicycles, because it is an easy way to wash your hands in terms of problems. We have two stores, and if something happens or a bike needs service, people know where to go. This month, they are opening a service center in Bernal Heights, which wont be open to the public, to take care of maintenance and repairs. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle Their clients are their community of people, says Isis Hockenons, a painter who is now the artist-in-residence at Midway Gallery in Dogpatch and who grew up with Wiener in Marin County. Last May, Thurber and Wiener launched Super Bicycle, which they say was the first e-bike festival in the Bay Area. It attracted over 1,000 people to their Larkspur store to try New Wheels bikes, not to mention homemade waffles, craft beers and coffee. This years festival takes place May 4-5. They are really change-makers, says Daniel Freeman, a longtime friend of Thurber. They always participate in meetings with local government agencies to fight for improving the condition of bike lanes because they really think that e-bikes can revolutionize peoples lives, make them happier, healthier. Thurber describes car traffic, and the exhaust cars produce, as a real crisis, but we are not treating it like a crisis. Electric bikes, he says, are an ideal alternative because riders can exercise, and at the same time, be in contact with nature and the world around them and not be trapped in a car. You cannot write a message or make a phone call while you are on an e-bike. All this with just one vehicle, he says. It is a game-changer. More Information The New Wheel: 420 Cortland Ave., S.F., open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; and 14 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Larkspur, open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. https://newwheel.net. Super Bicycle Festival: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., May 4-5, at the Larkspur store. Free. See More Collapse Anna Volpicelli is a San Francisco freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com HELSINKI Finlands Social Democratic Party retained a narrow lead to emerge as the top parliamentary election vote-getter Sunday, trailed closely by the populist Finns Party after most votes were counted. Voting followed a campaign in which concerns about climate change even overshadowed the issue of how to reform the nations generous welfare model. BART platforms in downtown San Francisco grew crowded Tuesday evening as many people were heading home to the East Bay after work. All eastbound trains Antioch, Dublin, Warm Springs and Richmond are seeing at least a 10-minute delay due to equipment problems, the transit agency wrote in a tweet. After the fire in Notre-Dame : How safe are Cologne and Bonn Cathedrals? Cologne/Bonn The devastating fire in Paris destroyed large parts of Notre-Dame. What precautions are in place against a similar inferno for Cologne and Bonn Cathedrals? Technology, accessibility and constant exercises all belong to fire protection. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken After the devastating fire at the world-famous Parisian church of Notre-Dame, those responsible for Cologne Cathedral want to take another close look at their fire-protection concept. Of course, we will also now examine whether lessons can be drawn from Notre-Dame, said the Cologne cathedral master builder Peter Fussenich on Tuesday. A fire could also break out in Cologne Cathedral; this would apply to any building that contains combustible materials. In Cologne we have regular inspections together with the fire-brigade, to also prepare ourselves for such scenarios. The most important questions and answers at a glance: What precautions has the Cologne fire service taken? The spokesman for the Cologne Fire Brigade, Marc David, lists a number of measures: Installation of fire-extinguishing water pipes: On the outside of the cathedral, extinguishing water pipes extend up to the roof. This means we can get water quickly to top of the roof. Partitions between the roofs: The cathedral is divided into fire compartments. There are partitions between the roofs. Fixed free points for turntable ladders: There are four points around the cathedral, which are always kept free for turntable ladders. Even when the Christmas market is on, these sites are kept free so that we can get there with the turntable ladders. Building knowledge: The responsible inner-city and surrounding fire stations ensure that each firefighter becomes familiar with the cathedral at least once a year, explains spokesman David. There are many small doors, and in the event of a fire, orientation is even more difficult. In addition, the turntable ladders are set up for practices several times a year. Highest alarm level: if Cologne Cathedral catches fire, this is the highest alarm level that there is in Cologne. Then several fire stations would be alerted at once. Is the Notre-Dame roof structure a special feature? The destruction of the Notre-Dame roof truss is a particularly great loss, because it predominantly dates from the 13th century, says Fussenich. Cologne Cathedral had an iron roof truss from the 19th century. Compared to a wooden one, this doesnt burn directly. But if it is affected by a great fire, there are also consequences. Such an iron roof truss can then become distorted. Can the stone construction also be damaged? The next few days are crucial now, the expert emphasised in relation to Notre Dame. The stone ceiling vaults below the burnt roof truss were soaked with fire-fighting water. This has led to a weight increase many times over for the vaulted ceilings. We will have to wait until after the next few days to see whether the vaults can withstand this weight. Cologne Cathedral is always covered in scaffolding somewhere. Is this a risk? There is no alternative, Fussenich answers. Buildings of such size and importance are always undergoing renovation. We have a lot scaffolding at Cologne Cathedral, but most of it is erected externally. Of course you always have to be careful, for example with welding torches. Precautions taken in Bonn What is the situation in Bonn? Anyone walking across Munsterplatz in Bonn will notice a similarity to Paris: because the Bonn Munster Sankt Martin is also currently covered in scaffold for construction work. In addition, its roof truss is also made of wood. This also gives Wolfgang Picken, the dean of the city and minister of the cathedral, food for thought: I couldnt see the pictures of Paris without thinking that a similar tragedy could happen to our basilica with its wooden roof structure, says Picken. Bonn without the cathedral: that would be unthinkable. Fire protection is now a particular focus of the current refurbishment. Agidius Strack, the project manager in charge of the refurbishment of the cathedral, says: the renovation includes a complete replacement of the electrical cable routing and further fire-protection measures at the highest level in order to prevent fires. The construction site is also regularly inspected and checked by a specialist company so that no fire protection measures are overlooked during the renovation. What precautions have the Bonn fire brigade taken? Marcus Hinz, head of the Bonn Fire Protection Service, says that a comprehensive fire protection concept was developed for the church and the adjacent buildings in close cooperation with the building authorities. This includes all measures that could prevent the possibility of a fire outbreak or keep any effects of a fire to cultural property to a minimum. If Bonn cathedral were to catch fire, however, effective fire-extinguishing possibilities would be very limited, because fire-protection precautions had not been sufficiently taken into account in the construction of the building previously. In this case, we cant do much more except to apply water. However, this would only have a very limited effect, said Hinz. How much water would be needed for such an application? There is no general answer to this question, because it always depends on the situation, said Hinz. The type of roofing also plays a role: sometimes it is not accessible, so that the fire-fighting water irrespective of how much runs off over the roof and is ineffective. Is there any special training for an exceptional situation as in Paris? According to Hinz, this is not the case. It is part of the training to be prepared for such situations, which includes the teaching of general fire-fighting activities he says. It is not possible to do much more than was done in Paris. In such a situation, the fire services hands are tied. It would be the same or similar anywhere, to what it looked like in Paris. An Australian DJ accused in the brazen daytime kidnapping attempt of a toddler in San Francisco was reportedly investigated by police for a "bizarre" incident in Sydney. New South Wales police confirmed to PerthNow that they responded to a Feb. 27 incident involving Roscoe Bradley Holyoake, 34. According to police, Holyoake was found at a Sydney apartment complex, asking a stranger if he could play with their child. "Officers from Burwood Police Area Command were called to a unit complex on Wolsey Street at Drummoyne due to concerns for the welfare of a 34-year-old man," a NSW police spokesperson told PerthNow. The spokesperson said Holyoake was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation. Holyoake was arrested last week after police say he grabbed a 2-year-old boy from his mother's arms near Market and 17th streets. Bystanders said he ran half a block with the boy until good Samaritans tracked him down. One witness told KTVU that after Holyoake drew a crowd, he allegedly "gave the boy back to the mom and then he turned and smiled at us and took off running down the street." Holyoake was detained by witnesses until police arrived on the scene. ALSO READ: Tattoo links a body found in NorCal river to a woman beheaded a year earlier According to the Australia Broadcasting Company, Holyoake goes by the name DJ Roski professionally and is a "well-known DJ" in the local scene. Perth community radio station RTRFM confirmed to ABC he occasionally worked as their presenter on the All Things Queer program. He was also a resident DJ at Perth's Connections Nightclub, and formerly served on the board of Pride Western Australia. "The current allegations and reported behaviour appear to be very out of character. However we simply do not know enough at this time to provide any further comment," Pride WA said in a statement. "This is a highly abnormal situation and I'm sure you can respect that until further details emerge we are unable to provide any further comment until that time." Pride WA also indicated Holyoake had moved to the United States in the hopes of "pursuing his musical career" overseas. San Francisco police are holding Holyoake on kidnapping and child endangerment charges; his bail was set at $500,000. The boy suffered non-life threatening injuries, police said, and the family refused medical treatment. In a court appearance Tuesday, his lawyer told reporters Holyoake has "been in this country many times doing charitable work, disc jockey work." The San Francisco Sheriff's Department inmate locater indicates Holyoake is next due in court Thursday afternoon. Ballast Point Every Wednesday morning, SFGATE finds the biggest headlines in local (and sometimes national) beer. Check back here weekly for news, events, and information about special releases from your favorite local breweries. A little less beer than expected is headed to the area around the forthcoming Golden State Warriors' Chase Center: Constellation Brands has announced it will be halting plans to open a Ballast Point Brewing Company brewpub a half mile away from the new stadium, due to recent changes to "craft beer trends." The bar would have been their first location in Northern California. Ballast Point Brewing Company and its owner, Constellation Brands are halting previously announced plans to open a brewing outpost and taproom in San Francisco near the Chase Center in Mission Bay. Spokesperson Stephanie McGuane told SFGATE that Ballast Point's plans to introduce a taproom to the San Francisco market have been abandoned, attributing the closures to Constellation readjusting its cost structure based on changes in the craft beer industry. The had company announced its intention to open the brewpub at 705 16th Street in August. It would have included a three-barrel brewing system and restaurant serving beers made in-house specifically for San Francisco. At the time, Ben Dollard, president of craft and specialty brands at Constellation, told the Chronicle the San Francisco location would be "a natural extension of our presence here." RELATED: Ballast Point Brewing plots a San Francisco outpost However, overall sales of Ballast Point beers declined in 2017 and 2018, and as Brewbound reported Tuesday, the company is now in the process of closing its 80,000-square foot barrel-aging and mixed-fermentation facility in San Diego and has already closed its Temecula, Calif. brewpub. The company continues to operate its main breweries in San Diego and Virginia, as well as a number of brewpubs in Southern California and Illinois. RELATED: Downtown Disney taps into the beer game with plan to open Ballast Point brewery "This action is to right-size our investment and align resources based on recent craft trends," McGuane told SFGATE. "Consumers can continue to access Ballast Point products in on and off-premise establishments throughout Northern California and across the country." Constellation's beer profits are overall at this point looking up; the company posted an 11.6% increase in the net sales of beer brands in the period between February 2018 and February 2019, primarily due to sales of Modelo and Corona. Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira. SFGATE has a biweekly beer newsletter! Called The Mash, it contains key local stories, as well as other, more nationally-spanning industry news. To sign up, head here. For the past two years, Apple and Qualcomm have dueled on three continents over the division of billions of dollars of smartphone profits and even how much consumers pay for their phones. On Tuesday, just as a trial had begun in a federal courtroom in San Diego over a suit Apple had filed against Qualcomm, the two companies said they had essentially made up. The companies, one the maker of iPhones and the other one of the largest providers of mobile chips, said they had agreed to dismiss all litigation between them worldwide. They added that they had reached a six-year agreement for Cupertinos Apple to pay royalties on Qualcomms patents, which was effective as of April 1. That deal included a two-year option to extend, plus a multiyear chip supply agreement. In addition, Apple will make an undisclosed one-time payment to Qualcomm and pay unspecified patent royalties to the chipmaker. At the heart of the disputes was a disagreement over how Qualcomm charges royalties on patents that it holds on mobile chips. The San Diego company had pioneered a type of cellular communications in the 1990s that later became a mainstay of mobile devices. It charged the royalties on nearly every smartphone sold even if the phone did not actually use Qualcomm chips. Apple eventually objected to that arrangement. The provisions of the deal announced Tuesday suggest at least a partial victory for Qualcomms patent-driven business model, which has also attracted harsh scrutiny from regulators like the Federal Trade Commission in a separate case awaiting a federal judges ruling. Qualcomms shares, which have been hurt by the two-year dispute with Apple, jumped 23% on word of the settlement. In agreeing to settle the case, Apple tacitly acknowledged it was able to live with Qualcomms business model assuming the price of Qualcomms royalties is more to Apples liking. The parties disclosed no financial details, but a slide they distributed Tuesday said the deal reflects value and strength of Qualcomms intellectual property. An Apple spokesman and a Qualcomm spokeswoman said no further details of the settlement were immediately available. Qualcomm said more information might be disclosed when it releases financial results on May 1. The FTC, in its case filed in early 2017, had alleged that Qualcomm was able to charge unfairly large royalties because handset makers had no leverage to negotiate, especially because Qualcomm supplied two key types of chips and could cut off shipments if they balked at paying royalties. Apple, which sued Qualcomm shortly after the FTC action in early 2017, objected particularly to basing royalties on a phones total price. That formula, Apple argued, meant that Qualcomm earns more money as handset makers add innovations like displays, touch sensors and data storage unrelated to wireless technology. The case dragged on, with four Asian companies that assemble iPhones and iPads merging their suits against Qualcomm with Apples. The settlement caught the industry by surprise. Apple had refused to settle an intellectual property fight with Samsung Electronics, pursuing the case for seven years all the way to the Supreme Court before calling a truce last year. The Qualcomm case had become so ugly and so personal that observers thought Apple would be even less likely to settle. Im floored, said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, a technology analysis firm. Qualcomm got the bigger win because it had the most to lose and the most to gain. And it ended today. Moorhead said that both sides had an incentive to wrap up the proceedings. For Apple, this deal seems to mean that future iPhones can use Qualcomms wireless chips with faster 5G connectivity something that competitors are expected to start introducing this year. For Qualcomm, it no longer has the industrys biggest brand threatening to upend how it makes money. Don Clark and Daisuke Wakabayashi are New York Times writers. TAIPEI, Taiwan Terry Gou, chairman of the worlds largest contract assembler of consumer electronics, including Apples iPhones, said Wednesday he intends to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and China-friendly policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next years election. The Foxconn Technology chairman, who also ranks among Taiwans richest people with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $7.8 billion, is seeking the opposition Nationalist Partys nomination for the 2020 presidential race against an incumbent hampered by low public approval ratings. I am willing to participate in the primary election, Gou said at the party headquarters in Taipei. If I am not chosen, it means I didnt work hard enough. He told reporters earlier that he was inspired by the Chinese sea goddess Matsu to seek office. Three days ago Matsu came to me in a dream. She told me she hoped the people will have a better life. Peace, stability, economy and future these words are the script of my religion, Gou said. Gous candidacy would be the first for a Taiwan business mogul and may appeal to voters who want a different leadership style, said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of Polaris Research Institute, a think tank in Taipei. Middle-class Taiwanese dissatisfied with stagnating incomes are most likely to vote for him, he said. He will value timeliness, and if something has run its course, he will quit it, Liang said. We will see efficiency and control of costs. Gou is likely to face criticism from China skeptics in Taiwan over Foxconns 12 factories in nine Chinese cities, said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei. Manufacturing costs less in China than in Taiwan, where Foxconn is headquartered. Foxconn factories employ hundreds of thousands of people in China and have a reputation for sometimes harsh work conditions. Gou, the 68-year-old son of a police officer who moved to Taiwan after the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949, began his career in plastics before branching out into electronics and later mobile phones. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and has threatened to take it by force if it deems necessary. More than 80 percent of Taiwanese oppose unification with China, the island governments Mainland Affairs Council said in January. Despite that, the Nationalists favor closer ties with Beijing, largely as a way of recharging the islands high-tech economy through access to Chinas economy. Hes got some problems hes got to solve, especially his relations with China, both political and business, Huang said. China despises current President Tsai Ing-wen for refusing to endorse its claim to Taiwan as a part of Chinese territory and has cut all ties with her government while seeking to isolate it diplomatically. China has stepped up military drills around Taiwan in what is seen as an effort to intimidate the islands 23 million people . Gou also has a reputation at Foxconn for being strict with employees, Huang said. His personality is sort of the same as (President) Trump: What I say is what goes, Huang said. Ralph Jennings is an Associated Press writer. Wells Fargo is ending a program in which it matched employees financial contributions to schools, and replacing it with a program the bank said will benefit a broader range of charities. The San Francisco banking giant said it plans to eliminate the schools program, which for years matched employees cash gifts to schools, colleges and other educational groups. Under that program, the bank matched up to $5,000 per employee annually. Wells Fargo said its new program, which began last week, supplies cash grants if employees donate money not only to schools but also many other nonprofits. Employees then choose where to direct the grants among more than 100,000 charities worldwide, the bank said. Employees will have other ways to access the grants, the bank said. For example, grants will be awarded when employees participate in volunteer projects or serve on the board of a nonprofit. The new program limits total grants per employee to $2,000 a year, a reduction from the $5,000 match under the old program. Mike Rizer, head of community relations for Wells Fargo, called the new program an evolution in how the companys employees can make charitable contributions. The bank said the new program is based on employee feedback and provides workers with more flexibility than the old program. It overall gives our team members lots more opportunities and ways to give beyond just a dollar-for-dollar match, Rizer said. The changes come as Wells Fargo is pushing to reduce costs and recover from a series of scandals, including 2016 revelations that employees had opened millions of accounts without customer permission to meet unrealistic sales goals. The banks struggles to move past those scandals toppled CEO Tim Sloan, who abruptly announced his retirement last month. Rizer said the new program, called Community Care Grants, is not a cost-cutting move. He noted that the Wells Fargo Foundation, the banks charitable arm, has budgeted $32 million for the program. Thats up from approximately $22 million a year in matches under the old program, he said. Rizer said the move follows a banking industry trend. We came to this based on a lot of research of our peers. In one key change under the new program, Wells Fargo will award grants when employees log volunteer activities. Grants start at $50 for the first time that employees record volunteer hours for the year. Larger grants are awarded for more volunteer hours. The bank said it will also award a $500 grant for each nonprofit board on which an employee serves. Wells Fargo employees who might not be able to participate physically in volunteer activities would still be eligible for grants in exchange for online volunteer work, said Carrie Wolter, who manages the new grant program for Wells Fargo. As for grants in exchange for employees monetary donations, the bank will award those around its annual Community Support Campaign in September, Wolter said. The old program, Educational Matching Gifts, grew out of Wells Fargos 2008 acquisition of Wachovia, Wolter said. That plan was a hybrid of programs the banks had at the time of the acquisition, she said. According to Wells, it has had a similar matching program since the 1970s and Wachovia had one since the 1980s. Wolter said the old program wont end until the end of this year. In the Charlotte metro area, the bank employs about 25,700 people, making the region Wells largest employment hub. Employees have said they like the new program, Rizer said. The response has been overwhelming positive, he said. Deon Roberts is a Charlotte Observer writer. San Francisco received an infusion of Hollywood glam as the city's annual international film festival rolled through town. Actors, filmmakers, authors and politicians stepped out to attend the 2019 SFFILM Festival (formerly the San Francisco International Film Festival), which kicked off April 10 and concludes on April 23. This year, the festival screens 163 films from 52 countries at 11 venues across the Bay Area, with more than 200 filmmakers and industry guests attending the event's diverse roster of events. ALSO: Kim Kardashian West apprenticing at SF law firm Hollywood elite, including actors Laura Linney, John C. Reilly, Laura Dern and French filmmaker Claire Denis, were all in-attendance for tributes to their careers many of which were sold-out affairs. Even San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Governor Gavin Newsom strutted across the red carpet. See some of the celebrity attendees in the above gallery. Don't fret if you missed some of the past week's screenings; the festival runs through Monday and plenty of famous industry members are expected to attend. Among them are W. Kamau Bell of "United Shades of America," director Lulu Wang and director Gavin Hood alongside Katharine Gun and journalist Martin Bright. Armistead Maupin on the new SF: 'Conversations in cafes aren't fun to eavesdrop on now' You can view upcoming events and purchase tickets on the festival's website by clicking here. Though the festival is SFFILM's flagship event, the organization hosts screenings and programs throughout the year. Every year, SFFILM's programs serve more than 15,000 young people through field trips and summer camps and donate more than $1 million in direct grants to support up-and-coming visionaries in the industry. 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. "Well, that sounds like the worst f---ing idea ever." I did not meet my sister's eagerness to adopt oil pulling with an open mind. She said her South Bay friends were seeing a value from sloshing coconut oil around their mouths for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. She made claims of a healthier mouth and some vague thing about maybe removing some toxins, which, I believe, is a prerequisite for health fads. I decided to do some research before dropping $34 on a kit from Goop. First, Google directed me to this article on the 6 benefits of oil pulling (one of which is "may have other benefits"). I discovered that not only did it "seem to reduce inflammation," but it also "may prevent cavities." Believe it or not, I still wasn't sold. ALSO: San Francisco gets worlds first VR gym. We tried it. But then there was some research published on the National Institutes of Health website suggesting that there were some hygienic benefits of oil pulling, in addition to brushing and flossing. A call to my dentist's office even indicated there might be some potential dental care benefits. So I said fine, let's try it. I turned to the two other dads in the SFGATE offices and informed them that they were part of a new coverage area called "Dads Try Fads." When they saw the Crisco-like substance I was instructing them to scoop and gargle, they were less than pumped. Armed with three plastic spoons, we attempted to carve out a tablespoon of Trader Joe's finest organic coconut oil. The resulting humiliation was captured in the video below: After stifling the initial laughter without erupting in viscous spit takes, the most difficult part of the experience was lasting the recommended 20 minutes. Minute by minute, the total volume in our mouths felt like it was increasing. "It's like an episode of '24,' but gross and weird," observed SFGATE producer Filipa Ioannou. Alix Martichoux Perhaps the most surprising part was that the fat-filled substance took more than seven minutes to fully melt in my mouth. "You have to chew it," victim participant Chris Preovolos informed me after liberating his mouth in a nearby bathroom. "It's less disgusting [than expected] but there's no point to it." In the end, all three of us lasted the recommended 20 minutes. My immediate reaction was that it felt like I had moisturized the inside of my mouth, a need I didn't know I had. "I just don't see how this got to be a fad," said SFGATE homepage editor Dave Curran. According to lore, the practice is Ayurvedic - part of an ancient holistic health philosophy dating back hundreds of years - but some question those claims, suggesting it may be a more recent invention. The American Dental Association has held the position that there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that the practice actually whitens teeth or reduces cavities. Spoiler: They would like you to just floss your teeth. ALSO: Here's what I learned when I cuddled with strangers at an SF Party Our experiment didn't make any of us feel healthier or noticeably brighten our smiles, but that was to be expected. As any advocate of the procedure will point out, you probably aren't going to see any notable benefits from doing this once. It has to become part of your routine. For these three dads, that seems quite unlikely. "If you only looked at Dave's face, it looked like he was in a 'Saw' movie," said Ioannou. PHOENIX Detained asylum seekers who have shown they have a credible fear of returning to their country will no longer be able to ask a judge to grant them bond. U.S. Attorney General William Barr decided Tuesday that asylum seekers who clear a credible fear interview and are facing removal dont have the right to be released on bond by an immigration court judge while their cases are pending. The attorney general has the authority to overturn prior rulings made by immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department. Its Barrs first immigration-related decision since taking office. The American Civil Liberties Union said late Tuesday that the plan was unconstitutional and that it planned to sue. Typically, an asylum seeker who crosses between ports of entry would have the right to ask a judge to grant them bond for release. Under the new ruling, they will have to wait in detention until their case is adjudicated. There will be many, many people who are not going to even have the opportunity to apply for release now, said Gregory Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Chen said that about 90% of asylum seekers pass their credible fear interview, the first step in seeking asylum. The decision doesnt affect asylum-seeking families because they generally cant be held for longer than 20 days. It also doesnt apply to unaccompanied minors. Barrs ruling takes effect in 90 days and comes amid a frustrating time for the administration as the number of border crossers has skyrocketed. Most of them are families from Central America who are fleeing violence and poverty. Many seek asylum. There were a total of 161,000 asylum applications filed in the last fiscal year and 46,000 in the first quarter of 2019, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts. Sarah Pierce, policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, said the number of decisions by immigration judges that the administration of President Trump has referred to itself for review is unprecedented. The administration under both Barr and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has reviewed a total of 10 immigration rulings. Thats compared to four under all of President Barack Obamas tenure and nine during George W. Bushs. This has been a really unprecedented use of power to influence the immigration system, Pierce said. Astrid Galvan is an Associated Press writer. Lisa Love hasnt seen her doctor of 25 years since she discovered telemedicine. Love tried virtual visits last summer for help with a skin irritation and returned for another minor problem. She doesnt feel a pressing need to seek care the old-fashioned way, especially since she also gets free health screenings at work. No more waiting for the doctors office to open. Convenience rules in health care now, where patients can use technology or growing options like walk-in clinics and urgent care centers to get help whenever they need it. A survey last year found that about a quarter of U.S. adults dont have a regular doctor. Some like Love wonder how much they still need one. Telemedicine probably cant do everything ... but for most of the things I might ever have, Im pretty sure they can take care of it, Love, a Twin Falls, Idaho, resident said. Health care experts say the changing, fragmented nature of care is precisely why people still need someone who looks out for their overall health, which is the traditional role of primary care physicians like family doctors and internists. They know patients medical histories, and theyre trained to spot problems that may be developing instead of just addressing symptoms that prompted the patients visit. They also can make sure medications dont conflict with regular prescriptions, and they can help make sense of the information patients dig up with a Google search. But the nature of primary care is changing as patients branch off to drugstore clinics and urgent care centers. Practices are slowly shifting to more of a team-based approach that focuses on keeping patients healthy and reserves visits with a doctor for the more serious cases. Tom Murphy is an Associated Press writer. WASHINGTON The president isnt waiting. As Washington counts down the final hours until publication of the redacted special counsel report now expected Thursday Donald Trump stepped up his attacks in an effort to undermine potential disclosures on Russia, his 2016 campaign and the aftermath. He unleashed a series of tweets Monday focusing on the previously released summary of special counsel Robert Muellers conclusions including a crucial one on obstruction of justice that Trump again misrepresented produced by Attorney General William Barr. Democrats are calling for Mueller himself to testify before Congress and have expressed concern that Barr will order unnecessary censoring of the report to protect the president. The House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, is poised to try to compel Barr to turn over an unredacted copy as well as the reports investigative files. The Justice Department announced Monday that it expects to release the redacted version Thursday morning, sending the findings of the nearly two-year probe to Congress and making them available to the public. Mueller concluded his investigation late last month and submitted the confidential report to Barr. Two days later, Barr sent Congress a four-page letter of Muellers principal conclusions. In his letter, Barr said the special counsel did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. However, contrary to Trumps false claim, Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Instead, Mueller presented evidence on both sides of that question. Barr said he did not believe the evidence was sufficient to prove that Trump had obstructed justice, but he noted that Muellers team did not exonerate the president. Portions of the report being released by the Justice Department will be redacted to protect grand jury material, sensitive intelligence, matters that could affect ongoing investigations and damage to the privacy rights of third parties, the attorney general has said. Scores of outstanding questions about the investigation have not stopped Trump and his allies from declaring victory. They have painted House Democrats investigations as partisan overreach and have targeted news outlets and individual reporters they say have promoted the collusion story. The president seethed at a political rally that the whole thing was an attempt to tear up the fabric of our great democracy. Michael Balsamo and Jonathan Lemire are Associated Press writers. A 27-year-old Fresno County man has pleaded guilty to molesting a 12-year-old Monterey girl after meeting her on Snapchat in 2018, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's office. When Robert Gomez, then 26, first began speaking with the girl that summer, he told her he was 15 years old. The two sent each other "lewd" photos through the application, prosecutors said, and Gomez later drove from Kingsburg to Monterey to meet her. The two were involved in oral copulation, kissing, groping and digital penetration during the dates, prosecutors said, and Gomez asked the girl to have sex with him, but she declined. Police began investigating the case after the girl reported the interactions to a counselor in October 2018. Gomez later admitted to molesting the girl, as well as additional victims in other counties, and said he would travel to the locations after meeting them on social media, according to prosecutors. Gomez faces at least 10 years in prison for lewd acts, oral copulation and digital penetration with a minor under 14, prosecutors said. He will be sentenced by Judge Rafael Vazquez on June 4 and required to register as a lifetime sex offender. 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) An Australian man accused of kidnapping a two-year-old boy who was walking with his mother in San Francisco's Castro District on Friday made his first appearance in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors have charged Roscoe Holyoake, 34, from East Victoria Park, Australia, with kidnapping and child endangerment for the alleged snatching, which occurred near Noe and 17th streets around 12:25 p.m. In court, Holyoake did not enter a plea and his arraignment was postponed to Thursday. Outside of court, Holyoake's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Stephen Olmo said, "My understanding is he has no criminal record. He's been in this country many times doing charitable work; DJ work. He was here on business prior to his arrest." Olmo refused to comment any further, saying he hasn't had much time to talk to Holyoake. "The charges are serious," Alex Bastian, spokesman for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, said. "There was a child who was involved in case, obviously for all of us that was very concerning." According to Holyoake's social media profiles, he works as a DJ under the stage name DJ Roski. The alleged kidnapping unfolded when a 32-year-old woman was walking west on 17th Street while pushing a stroller with her toddler son walking just behind her, court records said. The woman suddenly noticed Holyoake allegedly holding her son, with his arms wrapped around the boy's rear. The woman then screamed and grabbed Holyoake's arm with one hand and tried to grab the boy with her other hand. As she tried to pull her son toward her while yelling, "what are you doing?" Holyoake pulled the boy toward him but was unsuccessful, according to court records. Once the woman had her son back in her arms, she began yelling for help. Holyoake fled on foot, heading north on Noe Street, however, witnesses were able to chase him and detain him as police officers arrived, court records said. The boy suffered redness in his left and right arms, but was ultimately unharmed. Holyoake, an Australian citizen, is reportedly in the U.S. on a visa through 2023, according to court records. If convicted of the charges, Holyoake could face up to eight years in prison, court records said. 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 JOSE (BCN) The San Jose City Council struck down a proposal to align the mayoral and presidential elections after a contentious debate Tuesday over voter education, systemic racism and minority representation in elections. Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco, Maya Esparza, Raul Peralez, Sergio Jimenez and Sylvia Arenas advocated for placing the proposal on the 2020 ballot, saying it would increase awareness of an election and turnout among historically disenfranchised voters. Liccardo argued that shifting the election would instead undermine local issues by throwing them into the chaos of national politics, and decrease turnout for odd-numbered districts whose council members are currently selected during midterm years in tandem with the mayor. He also pointed out that 19 out of the 20 largest U.S. cities have not shifted to the presidential election schedule. Each council member emphasized their support for increasing voter engagement and participation, and ultimately passed a motion to study and budget over a dozen methods of getting out the vote, especially among people of color, women and low-income voters. San Jose currently has average voter participation of 21.5 percent, compared to California's average of about 37 percent. Former Vice Mayor Carrasco was the sole vote against the proposal after her own was shot down 6-5. In an emotional moment during the debate, District 7 Councilwoman Esparza said that every Latino council member was advocating for the change, while all others opposed it. "Let's be really honest here - the five brown people on this council are saying that this is something that will encourage empowerment of voters," she said, describing institutional barriers to voting for low-income minorities, including East San Jose's history of redlining and restricting resources to minorities. Liccardo claimed that a shift in mayoral elections would adversely affect City Council voting in odd-numbered Districts 3, 5 and 7, which tend toward low voter turnout, and are also the least affluent and most ethnically diverse. Peralez, Carrasco and Esparza, who represent the three districts, pushed back on his claims. They said City Council members are elected based on intimate, personal campaigning, rather than appearing on the ballot with the mayor. Referring to a study by The Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Center for Local Elections in American Politics, they said tying a mayoral election to the civic frenzy of a presidential election could, however, increase turnout by as much as 15 percent. Garrick Percival, a political science professor at San Jose State University, was called upon multiple times to address questions over institutional barriers to voting and the possible benefit of aligning the elections. He agreed with proponents of the move, and said it would begin to address underlying systemic problems with the voting system. This includes populations who have historically been suppressed from registering to vote. "If your goal is to increase participation ... the most efficient way - it's moving the timing of the election," he said, citing data. "That will give us the biggest bang for the buck, without any doubt." Because presidential elections are so high-profile, voters are more aware an election is happening. Percival said this is the first step to citizens engaging, registering to vote and educating themselves on candidates and issues across the board. Among the council members who voted against the proposal, Johnny Khamis of District 10 and Lan Diep of District 4 maintained that Santa Clara County either does not have institutional barriers to voting, or that shifting the vote would not improve these restrictions. Diep offered up county and city policies of early voting, prepaid postage, and mail-in ballots for all residents under Santa Clara County's newly-approved Voter's Choice Act as evidence. He added that San Jose is better off than cities in the "Deep South" and Mississippi. "I don't think that the (voting) system is broken," Khamis said. "I don't think that we need to fix something, because we have the beautiful representation that we have on this dais." Peralez disagreed, saying that his parents didn't have time to pore through ballot measures because they were busy putting food on the table, and that no one in his family has been able to buy a house and attain financial security. These institutional problems could be ameliorated by both robust voter education and the awareness that comes with a presidential election cycle, he said. Liccardo ultimately led the vote to reject the proposal, citing staff's $1.2 million figure for placing the election shift on the ballot. "We've got to try to lift voter engagement in all 11 elections," he said before the meeting. "I can't help but believe that if we were concerted about this, and working with stakeholders, we could do a lot better by ensuring every two years everyone is more aware." He said it's critical that voters not only show up, but that they show up engaged. "If they're showing up simply because their motivated by whatever Trump tweeted, or whatever Bernie blurted, then it's less likely that they're going to meaningfully engage about whether or not their candidate is going to do a better or worse job in tackling homelessness or traffic or crime." The study approved Tuesday will find ways to increase voter turnout in underrepresented communities, specifically minorities and young people. This could include setting up Voter Centers at colleges, collaborating with the Office of Immigrant Affairs and identifying news outlets that will partner with the city on voter engagement. Staff will return in 120 days with recommendations on the outreach and how the city can budget for these programs. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. OAKLAND (BCN) The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday night not to collect taxes for an early childhood education measure backed by Mayor Libby Schaaf that was approved by 62 percent of the voters last November but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for approval. Although Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker wrote in the voter pamphlet that Measure AA, known as the Oakland Children's Initiative, needed two-thirds approval to win, the City Council voted 6-1 on Dec. 14 to declare that the measure had won and to have the city begin collecting the tax. The Council majority based its vote on a 2017 California Supreme Court ruling that suggests that local initiatives such as Measure AA that are put on the ballot through a signature-gathering process only require approval by a majority of voters, not two-thirds. But a group of homeowners and landlords as well as the Jobs and Housing Coalition, which lobbies on behalf of businesses and developers, later filed suit seeking the overturn the Council's action. The litigation process is expected to last several years. The City Council then reconsidered its position and voted 7-0 in closed session on April 2 not to collect the tax at this time and made its second and final decision not to collect the tax Tuesday night. The only councilmembers who voted to collect the tax were Dan Kalb and Larry Reid. Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney, who cast the lone vote against collecting the tax in December, didn't vote on Tuesday night because she's still on bereavement leave following the fatal shooting of her 21-year-old son Victor McElhaney in Los Angeles last March. But Gibson McElhaney released a statement before the vote saying, "I was the sole dissenting vote at the time (in December) and I stand by that decision today." She said, "The City Council's action to validate the measure has resulted in a deeply divided electorate and has undermined public trust. While passions are high on both sides, I have been particularly moved by the arguments made by supporters of the measure who decry the subsequent decisions to change the rules after the fact." Gibson McElhaney said, "Already the costs to litigate this contentious effort has increased risk to the public purse." She said, "I support Council President (Rebecca) Kaplan's motion to not collect the tax and to return to the voters in 2020. This proposal has the best chance of avoiding costly litigation and affirming our commitment to minimize risks to the public treasury and trust." Councilwoman Sheng Thao said in a statement, "I'm a strong supporter of early childhood education and openly supported and voted for Measure AA when it was on the ballot this past November." She said, "My vote to not collect Measure AA tax is about maintaining the voters' trust, integrity and ensuring transparency with Oakland voters. This is about the process, and as we await to receive more clarity from the courts, it's important for me to protect my constituents and Oakland voters' financial resources." Measure AA called for an annual parcel tax of $198 annually on single-family homes and $135 a year per unit for each multi-unit residence for 30 years. Measure supporters hoped to generate about $30 million annually to fund early child care, preschool and college readiness programs. 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. FREMONT (BCN) A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of inappropriately touching his genitals while watching children play at a trampoline park in Fremont last month, police said Tuesday. Jose Ortiz Felix, a Newark resident, was arrested on April 9 for an incident that occurred on March 31 at the Rockin' Jump facility at 39177 Farwell Drive. Officers responded to a report that a man was touching himself while watching children play. Several patrons and employees confronted the man, who then fled to his vehicle, police said. The witnesses were able to provide officers the vehicle's license plate, which they saw as the man drove away. Ortiz Felix, the owner of the vehicle, was eventually identified as the suspect and was arrested days later, according to police. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A San Francisco judge sentenced a man to 23 years to life in prison on Tuesday for sexually abusing the 6-year-old boy he baby-sat, prosecutors said. Jose Francisco Gonzalez, 51, was found guilty back in December of two counts of forced oral copulation, one count of forced lewd acts upon a child and one count of committing a lewd act upon a child. Judge Linda Colfax handed down Gonzalez's sentence. According to court documents, Gonzalez was a friend of the boy's family and rented a room out of their San Francisco home. The family also entrusted Gonzalez with baby-sitting the boy and his 3-year-old brother as the boys' mother worked a night shift. The alleged sexual abuse by Gonzalez came to light in March 2017 when the 3-year-old told his mother that he saw his older brother perform a sexual act on Gonzalez. The 6-year-old then confessed to his mother that over the course of several months, Gonzalez had allegedly been forcing the boy to perform sexual acts. Gonzalez was arrested on March 15, 2017, according to jail records. During the trial, the child victim described Gonzalez as his "big best friend" and said that Gonzalez had told him not to tell his mother because it would make Gonzalez cry, prosecutors said. The victim's little brother also testified, saying, "We were keeping it a secret... but it's not a secret anymore," prosecutors said. 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) Police are asking for the public's help in finding a man who allegedly attacked an unsuspecting customer at a McDonald's restaurant in downtown San Francisco in February. The attack happened around 11 p.m. on Feb. 8 inside the fast food restaurant in the 600 block of Market Street. According to police, the male suspect entered the restaurant and got into an altercation with a staff member and then left. The man, however, then reentered the restaurant and proceeded directly to the front counter. Without provocation, the suspect then struck the victim's head with a wine bottle, police said. The blow caused traumatic head injuries to the victim. The suspect was last seen fleeing on foot east on Market Street, according to police. Police on Wednesday released surveillance images of the suspect in hopes that someone will recognize him. Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco police 24-hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to TPI411 and start the message with "SFPD." Tipsters can 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. A vehicle crashed into a power pole in Los Gatos on Wednesday morning, a police sergeant said. The solo-car crash was reported at about 8:30 a.m. in the area of Pennsylvania and Bayview avenues, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police Sgt. Jamie Field said. The vehicle's occupants were taken to a hospital with what Field described as minor injuries. Police have been re-routing motorists and pedestrians around the intersection while PG&E crews repair the power pole. Field said the intersection remained closed as of 2:30 p.m. 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. Pedestrians and vehicles are being re-routed away from the intersection of Pennsylvania and Bayview avenues in Los Gatos while PG&E crews repair a power pole, according to police. The intersection was closed Wednesday morning to pedestrians and vehicles following a crash, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police said. Police did not provide additional information about the crash. 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. TORONTO, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blockchain Power Trust (Blockchain Power or the Trust) (TSXV: BPWR.UN) announced today that it anticipates the filing of its annual financial statements, managements discussion and analysis and related officer certifications for the financial year ended December 31, 2018 (collectively, the Annual Filings) will be delayed beyond the required filing deadline under Parts 4 and 5 of National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations and pursuant to National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers Annual and Interim Filings, being April 30, 2019 (the Filing Deadline). Due to the recent resignation of the Trusts former auditor, and the appointment of the Trusts new auditor, BDO Canada LLP, on April 8, 2019, the Trusts audit remains ongoing at this time. As a result, the Trust has determined that it will likely not be able to complete the audit and file the Annual Filings by the Filing Deadline. The Trust intends to work closely with its auditor and expects to file the Annual Filings as soon as possible, and in any event no later than May 31, 2019. The Trust does not anticipate any delay in filing its interim financial statements, managements discussion and analysis, and the related officer certifications for the financial period ended March 31, 2019. The Trust is providing this default announcement in accordance with National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (NP 12-203). The Trust has made an application to the Ontario Securities Commission, as principal regulator of the Trust, for a management cease trade order (MCTO) under NP 12-203 in respect of the anticipated default regarding the Annual Filings. The granting of the MCTO is at the discretion of the Ontario Securities Commission. The issuance of the MCTO generally will not affect the ability of persons who have not been directors, officers or insiders of the Trust to trade in their securities. In the event that the MCTO is granted, it will be in effect until the default is remedied. The Trust intends to follow the provisions of the Alternative Information Guidelines set out in NP 12-203, including the issuance of bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases, for as long as the Trust remains in default. The Trust confirms as of the date of this news release that there is no insolvency proceeding against it and there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Trust that has not been generally disclosed. For further information please contact: Ravi Sood Chairman +1 647-987-7663 rsood@blockchainpower.com J. Colter Eadie Chief Executive Officer +40 (736) 372-724 jceadie@blockchainpower.com Betty Soares Chief Financial Officer +1 416-803-6760 bsoares@blockchainpower.com About Blockchain Power The Trust, through its direct and indirect subsidiaries in Canada, the Netherlands and Romania, has been formed to acquire interests in renewable energy assets in Romania, other countries in Europe and abroad that can provide stable cash flow to the Trust and a suitable risk-adjusted return on investment. The Trust seeks to provide investors with long-term, stable distributions, while preserving the capital value of its investment portfolio through investment, principally in a range of operational assets, which generate electricity from renewable energy sources, with a focus on solar and hydro power. The Trust intends to qualify as a mutual fund trust under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the Tax Act). The Trust will not be a SIFT trust (as defined in the Tax Act), provided that the Trust complies at all times with its investment restriction which precludes the Trust from holding any non-portfolio property (as defined in the Tax Act). All material information about the Trust may be found under Blockchain Powers issuer profile at www.sedar.com . Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as anticipates, plans, proposes, estimates, intends, expects, believes, may and will. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Trust. Details of the risk factors relating to Blockchain Power and its business are discussed under the heading Business Risks and Uncertainties in Blockchain Powers annual Managements Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, a copy of which is available on Blockchain Powers SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com . Most of these factors are outside the control of the Trust. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, Blockchain Power expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SHANGHAI, China, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASIAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION Private jet charter consultancy company APERTUS Aviation now offers chauffeured service from Blacklane. APERTUS offers ad-hoc and short-term charter solutions to clients who wish to travel in private jets internationally for business or luxury flights. Through APERTUS, clients may request airport transfers or point-to-point transfer service in Blacklane's more than 300 cities, 60 countries and 500 airports worldwide. Private jet travelers need maximum discretion, local knowledge, flexibility and stress-free journeys. Our partnership with Blacklane provides these on the ground while enhancing our charter flight management experience, said Ringo Fan, Managing Director at APERTUS. Business aviation is thriving globally and in the Asia-Pacific region. The number of private jets worldwide will grow 37% from 2017 to 2027, reaching more than 28,000 planes, according to Jetcraft. The Asia-Pacific region will grow the most, with Jetcraft forecasting a 13% increase in new aircraft deliveries. Private jets let travelers make the most of their time so they can be as productive or relaxed as theyd like, said Li-Wen Lo, Regional Director, APAC at Blacklane. By adding Blacklane transfers, APERTUS is offering customers a complete premium charter experience. All APERTUS flyers will receive Blacklanes top-quality service defined by: Commercially licensed and insured English-speaking chauffeurs. All-inclusive rates comprising all base fares, taxes, tolls and fees guaranteed at the time of booking. Chauffeur meet-and-greet, including luggage assistance. Business-class and first-class vehicles from automakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Full duty of care. Instant booking confirmations. Up to one hour of free chauffeur waiting time at airports and up to 15 minutes at all other locations, for transfers. 24/7 multi-lingual customer service. Carbon-neutral rides, either in emissions-free vehicles or through Blacklanes carbon offset program. About Blacklane (blacklane.com) Blacklane is the global premium mobility service. We take stress out of travel across more than 500 airports, 300 cities and 60 countries. We guarantee high-quality chauffeur and airport concierge services at fair, fixed and all-inclusive rates. Book Blacklane on our website or mobile apps or via distribution and channel partners. About APERTUS Aviation Founded in 2016, APERTUS Aviation is a private jet charter consultancy firm, headquartered in Hong Kong with a team located across the globe, delivering global knowledge within local reach. The team has accumulated over 30 years of experience in private aviation with entrenched relationship in the industry. APERTUS promises to offer innovative, unparalleled and highly effective charter flight management service to private jet users. Further information: www.apertus.aero Blacklane Press Contact Adam Parken, Head of Global Communications Office: +49 30 2016 3016 Mobile: +49 159 0414 6420 and +1 919 277 8551 adam.parken@blacklane.com APERTUS Press Contact Tristan Yeung Mobile: +44 0757 208 4692 tyeung@1903.aero English German 17 April 2019 PRESS RELEASE GAM Holding AG: Interim management statement for the three-month period to 31 March 2019 Group assets under management (AuM), including investment management and private labelling, of CHF 137.4 billion 1 at 31 March 2019, up from CHF 132.2 billion 2 at 31 December 2018 Investment Management AuM of CHF 55.1 billion 1 , down 2% from 31 December 2018, driven by net outflows of CHF 4.0 billion 3 , partially offset by positive market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 3.0 billion Continued improvement of investment performance, with 70% of AuM in funds outperforming their respective benchmark over the three- and five-year period Private Labelling AuM of CHF 82.3 billion, up 8% from 31 December 2018, driven by net inflows of CHF 1.9 billion and positive market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 4.3 billion Completion of ARBF liquidation expected by mid-July 2019 Following the recent sale of two material assets, a further ARBF distribution will take place over the next two weeks resulting in 8995% 4 of the onshore and 8084% 4 of the offshore funds assets being returned to clients GAM has entered into an agreement, the result of which will be the sale of the material remaining ARBF assets at the valuation at which they were purchased Fully on track with the restructuring and the cost savings plan David Jacob, Group CEO, said: While the investment performance over a three- and five-year period has improved, first quarter net flows continued to be impacted by ARBF-related matters. Having now sold all but the final group of material assets and with an agreement in place which leads to the sale of them as well, we look forward to putting this difficult period behind us. Our priority during the liquidation process has been to maximise liquidity and value for clients, while ensuring fair treatment for all. I would like to thank our clients for their patience, as we continue to work hard to return their assets. Our full focus remains on rebuilding GAM as a leading active asset manager, known for its differentiated product offering and strengthening the company for our shareholders. Investment management Investment management AuM decreased to CHF 55.1 billion1, from CHF 56.1 billion2 as at 31 December 2018. This was driven by net outflows of CHF 4.0 billion3 across capabilities, only partially offset by positive market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 3.0 billion. Investment performance further strengthened, with 70% of investment management assets in funds outperforming their respective benchmark over the three- and five-year period to 31 March 2019, compared to 66% and 63%, respectively, as at 31 December 2018. According to Morningstar data, 85% of GAMs applicable investment management assets in funds are outperforming their respective peer groups over a three- and five-year period to 31 March 2019. This compares to 77% and 79%, respectively, as at 31 December 2018. Assets under management movements (CHF bn) Capability Opening AuM 1 Jan 2019 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM 31 Mar 2019 Fixed income 29.2 (0.8) 1.0 29.4 Equity 8.7 (2.3) 1.1 7.5 Multi asset 7.7 (0.2) 0.5 8.0 Alternatives 4.4 (0.3) - 4.1 Systematic 4.2 (0.1) 0.4 4.5 Absolute return 1.9 (0.3) - 1.6 Total 56.12 (4.0)3 3.0 55.11 Net flows by capability In fixed income, net outflows totalled CHF 0.8 billion. Net inflows in the GAM Local Emerging Bond and GAM Star Credit Opportunities funds were mainly offset by outflows from the GAM Greensill Supply Chain Finance, GAM Emerging Bond and GAM Star MBS Total Return funds as well as low margin institutional mandates. In equity, net outflows were CHF 2.3 billion, mainly driven by outflows from the GAM Star Asia Pacific Equity, GAM Star Continental European Equity, GAM Euroland Value Equity, and GAM Japan Equity strategies. In multi asset, net outflows totalled CHF 0.2 billion, primarily driven by redemptions from private clients. Alternatives saw net outflows of CHF 0.3 billion, mainly driven by outflows from the GAM Physical Gold and GAM Commodity funds which were partly offset by inflows into an existing Swiss institutional mandate. Systematic recorded net outflows of CHF 0.1 billion, with net inflows in the GAM Systematic Alternative Risk Premia Plus fund offset by net outflows from the CCP Core Macro and CCP Quantitative funds. Absolute return recorded net outflows of CHF 0.3 billion3, mainly as a result of redemptions in the GAM Star (Lux) European Alpha, GAM Star Global Rates and GAM Absolute Return Europe funds. Private labelling In private labelling, AuM increased to CHF 82.3 billion, up from CHF 76.1 billion as at 31 December 2018. This was driven by net inflows of CHF 1.9 billion from existing clients and positive market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 4.3 billion. Assets under management movements (CHF bn) Fund domicile Opening AuM 1 Jan 2019 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM 31 Mar 2019 Switzerland 33.3 0.4 2.4 36.1 Rest of Europe 42.8 1.5 1.9 46.2 Total 76.1 1.9 4.3 82.3 Update on ARBF liquidation GAM continues to make good progress on the liquidation of the ARBF assets. Following the recent sale of two material assets, a further distribution will take place over the next two weeks resulting in 8995%4 of the Luxembourg-regulated GAM Multibond and the Ireland-regulated GAM Star funds, and 8084%4 of the Cayman master funds and the associated Cayman and Australian feeder funds assets being returned to clients. This leaves one remaining group of material assets within the ARBF funds and mandates, which are subject to the agreement as set out below. GAM International Management Limited and an entity within the GFG Alliance (GFG) have signed an agreement whereby GFG has agreed to acquire all outstanding power purchase receivables notes held in accounts invested in the ARBF strategy managed by GAM International Management Limited. GFG has already refinanced approximately one third of the GFG originated notes previously held in strategies managed by GAM International Management Limited. Under the terms of the agreement, GFG agrees to facilitate the acquisition of the relevant notes at the valuation at which the notes were purchased by the relevant accounts. The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed on or before 15 July 2019 and is subject to customary conditions. The sale of the notes will complete the asset divestitures in connection with the ARBF account liquidations announced in August 2018. Subject to the successful execution of the above, a final distribution will be made to clients as soon as possible, completing the liquidation with total distributions currently expected to be between 99.6101.0% of amounts held at the time the liquidation began5, depending on the funds and mandates in question. Outlook With the finalisation of the ARBF liquidation anticipated in coming months, we believe that GAM is well positioned to capture client demand with its differentiated and specialised product offering. We are well on track to achieve the CHF 40 million cost savings by the end of 2019. However, we reiterate our expectation that the financial performance for the first half of 2019 will be materially below the first half of 2018, given the significantly lower investment management AuM and related revenues. Upcoming events: 8 May 2019 Annual General Meeting 30 July 2019 Half-year results 2019 17 October 2019 Q3 2019 interim management statement For further information please contact: Media relations: Investor relations: Marc Duckeck Patrick Zuppiger T +41 58 426 62 65 T +41 58 426 31 36 Tobias Plangg Jessica Grassi T +41 58 426 31 38 T +41 58 426 31 37 Visit us at: www.gam.com Follow us on: Twitter and LinkedIn About GAM GAM is a leading independent, pure-play asset manager. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to thirdparty asset managers. GAM employs around 900 people in 14 countries with investment centres in London, Cambridge, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a component of the Swiss Market Index Mid (SMIM) with the symbol GAM. The Group has AuM of CHF 137.4 billion (USD 138.0 billion) as at 31 March 2019, excluding ARBF-related AuM of CHF 1.35 billion in liquidation. Disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements This press release by GAM Holding AG (the Company) includes forward-looking statements that reflect the Companys intentions, beliefs or current expectations and projections about the Companys future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, strategies, opportunities and the industry in which it operates. Forward-looking statements involve all matters that are not historical facts. The Company has tried to identify those forward-looking statements by using words such as may, will, would, should, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, project, believe, seek, plan, predict, continue and similar expressions. Such statements are made on the basis of assumptions and expectations which, although the Company believes them to be reasonable at this time, may prove to be erroneous. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause the Companys actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects or opportunities, as well as those of the markets it serves or intends to serve, to differ materially from those expressed in, or suggested by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause those differences include, but are not limited to: changing business or other market conditions, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, general economic conditions, and the Companys ability to respond to trends in the financial services industry. Additional factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update of, or revisions to, any forward-looking statements in this press release and any change in the Companys expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based, except as required by applicable law or regulation. 1 Excluding CHF 1.35 billion ARBF-related AuM in liquidation as at 31 March 2019. 2 Excluding CHF 1.45 billion ARBF-related AuM in liquidation as at 31 December 2018. 3 Excluding CHF 0.1 billion of ARBF-related assets liquidated during the first quarter 2019. 4 The amount of each fund returned to investors as percentages of the net asset value of the relevant fund as at 3 September 2018 for Luxembourg and the Cayman funds and as at 4 September 2018 for the Ireland funds. 5 Based on estimates as of 16 April 2019. Attachment A 60-year-old man was arrested after allegedly killing four people in a targeted series of shootings Monday, police in British Columbia said. The gunman, who authorities had not named as of Tuesday morning, killed two men and two women in three locations within about 3 miles of each other in the city of Penticton, said Ted De Jager, superintendent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The first shooting was reported at 10:30 a.m., and the suspect had turned himself in by 11:30 a.m., he said. The victims were not identified, pending notification of their families. But police said they believed the gunman knew all of the victims. While the investigation remains active and ongoing, we do believe this was a targeted incident, De Jager said Monday. The shooting was the deadliest on record in Penticton, a city of about 34,000 about a 4-hour drive from Vancouver. Throughout the province, mass shootings are rare: It was only the fifth shooting in British Columbia that killed more than four people. The last such shooting was in 1996, according to Penticton Western News. Gun owners in Canada must be licensed. Before a license is granted, officials check the buyers past for any violent crimes or behavior, crimes involving firearms or violent episodes related to mental illness in the preceding five years. Handguns, semi-automatic and automatic weapons must be registered with the federal government, but lawmakers eliminated a national registry of rifles and shotguns in 2012. Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed expanding the background review to the licensees entire lifetime while resuming the record-keeping for some rifle and shotgun sales, prompting a fierce pushback from some gun owners. The national long-gun registry, introduced in 1995 in response to a mass shooting of students in Montreal, was unpopular in rural areas but supported by police. Lawmakers in Quebec voted in 2016 to create the provinces own registry, over the protests of gun owners. Debates over gun laws heated up in Canada last year after a shooting in Toronto killed two people and wounded 13 others in July. In response, the city council suggested the federal government ban handgun sales in the city, while the Montreal City Council called for a national ban on the weapons. Daniel Victor is a New York Times writer. CAIRO Egypts parliament on Tuesday passed amendments to the constitution that could see President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi remain in power until 2030. The vote, which sends the amendments to a national referendum, was seen by critics as another step back to authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubaraks three-decade rule. The 596-member assembly, packed with el-Sissis supporters, overwhelmingly gave its initial approval in February, sending it to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to finalize the wording before Tuesdays final vote. The national referendum will likely take place before early May when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts. Since early April, the Egyptian capital has been awash with large posters and banners encouraging people to vote in favor of the changes. The constitutional changes would only extend a presidents term in office from four to six years and allow for a maximum of two terms. But they also include a special article specific to el-Sissi that extends his current second four-year term to six years and allows him to run for another six-year term in 2024. El-Sissi was elected president first in 2014 and re-elected to another four-year term last year after all potentially serious challengers were arrested or pressured to withdraw from the race. In the past three years, over 15,000 civilians, including children, have been referred to military prosecution in Egypt, according to Human Rights Watch. Samy Magdy is an Associated Press writer. LIMA, Peru A former president of Peru died Wednesday after shooting himself in the head when authorities tried to arrest him on corruption charges. A personal secretary for the ex-president, Alan Garcia, 69, confirmed his death. Garcia had undergone surgery at a Lima hospital, Health Ministry officials said. A doctor interviewed at the hospital said the former leader had suffered three heart attacks. Garcias personal secretary, Ricardo Pineda, told a Peruvian radio station that as authorities arrived at the former presidents home with an arrest warrant, he locked himself into his bedroom, shot himself and was rushed to a hospital shock unit. The charges relate to Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction giant, which last year admitted to $800 million in payoffs in exchange for lucrative contracts for projects including roads, dams and bridges. That revelation set off a flurry of investigations by prosecutors and lawmakers, principally in Latin America. The investigations have targeted several of Perus former presidents. Last week, prosecutors detained Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the predecessor to the countrys current president, in an investigation related to the case. They have asked that he be held up to three years as they gather evidence. Alejandro Toledo, who was president in the early 2000s and lives in Los Altos, is wanted for extradition from the U.S.; Ollanta Humala, Garcias successor, was detained as well, before being released. Garcia served as president from 1985 to 1990, and then another term from 2006 to 2011, presiding over an economic collapse in his first term and an expansion in his second. After authorities issued a travel ban for Garcia, he fled to the Uruguayan Embassy in Lima to request asylum. Uruguay rejected the request. On Wednesday, Peruvian authorities ordered an initial 10-day detention of Garcia on accusations of money laundering, influence peddling and collusion. Andrea Zarate and Nicholas Casey are New York Times writers. IDEX Biometrics (IDEX ASA), the leading provider of advanced fingerprint identification and authentication solutions, will hold its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 9 May 2019 at 09.00 hours at the Vika Atrium Conference Centre in Oslo. The notice with attendance form will be sent to the shareholders today and is also enclosed in pdf file. The Annual Report for 2018 has been published in a separate notice. Following the Annual General Meeting, the CEO of IDEX, Stan Swearingen, will give a presentation of the company's first quarter results of 2019. The presentation, which will start at 09.30 am or after the Annual General Meeting has adjourned, is open to the public and will be webcasted. For further information contact: Stuart Hunt, Head of Investor Relations & Communications +44 (0)1276 534 632 About IDEX Biometrics IDEX Biometrics, legal name IDEX ASA (OSE: IDEX), is the leading provider of fingerprint identification technologies offering simple, secure and personal authentication for all. We help people make payments, prove their identity, gain access to information, unlock devices or gain admittance to buildings with the touch of a finger. We invent, engineer and commercialize these secure, yet incredibly user-friendly solutions. Our total addressable market represents a fast-growing multi-billion-unit opportunity. For more information, visit www.idexbiometrics.com and follow @IDEXBiometrics This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Attachments PARIS The inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers, and a frantic rescue effort saved the monuments most precious treasures, including the relic revered as Jesus Crown of Thorns, officials said Tuesday. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild the beloved Roman Catholic architectural landmark, and wanted to see it completed within five years. We have so much to rebuild, Macron said in a televised address to the nation. We will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully. Authorities consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work at the global architectural treasure that survived almost 900 years of tumultuous French history but was devastated in the blaze on the second day of Holy Week. Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said the inquiry into the fire would be long and complex. Fifty investigators were working on it and would interview workers from five companies hired for the renovations to the cathedrals roof, where the flames first broke out. News that the fire was probably accidental has done nothing to ease the national mourning for the symbol of national pride. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil prayer across the Seine from the cathedral, singing and listening to music by a string quartet. The Crown of Thorns, regarded as Notre Dames most sacred relic, was among the treasures quickly transported after the fire broke out, said Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire. Brought to Paris by King Louis IX in the 13th century, it is purported to have been pressed onto Christs head during the crucifixion. Also saved was the tunic of St. Louis, a long, shirt-like garment from the 13th century, said Culture Minister Franck Riester. Much was saved in the interior, too. The only major work damaged inside was the cathedrals high altar, installed in 1989 under Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. Frances richest businessman, Bernard Arnault, and his luxury goods group LVMH pledged $226 million for the reconstruction. Billionaire Francois Pinault and his son, Francois-Henri Pinault said they were giving $113 million from their company, Artemis, the holding company owning auction house Christies and the main shareholder of luxury fashion houses including Gucci. French companies Total and LOreal each pledged $113 million. Samuel Petrequin and Thomas Adamson are Associated Press writers. RAMALLAH, West Bank The new Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday accused the United States of declaring financial war on his people and said an American peace plan purported to be in the works will be born dead. In his first interview with international media since taking office over the weekend, Mohammad Shtayyeh laid out plans to get through the financial crisis he has inherited and predicted that the international community, including U.S. allies in the Arab world, would join the Palestinians in rejecting President Trumps expected peace plan. There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump, Shtayyeh said during a wide-ranging hour-long interview. Shtayyeh, a British-educated economist, takes office as the Palestinian Authority, which administers autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is mired in a financial crisis. The Trump administration has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars of aid, including all of its support for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Israel has meanwhile withheld tens of millions of dollars of tax transfers to punish the Palestinians for their martyrs fund, a program that provides stipends to the families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed as a result of fighting with Israel. The Israelis say the fund rewards violence, while the Palestinians say the payments are a national duty to families affected by decades of violence. Furious about the withholding, the Palestinians have in turn refused to accept partial tax transfers from Israel. Without its key sources of revenue, the Palestinian Authority has begun paying only half salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants, reduced services and increased borrowing. In a new report released Wednesday, the World Bank said the Palestinian deficit will grow from $400 million last year to over $1 billion this year. Despite the tensions with Israel and the U.S., Shtayyeh said the Palestinians remain committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war. That includes establishing a capital in East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed and claims as part of its eternal capital. Josef Federman and Mohammed Daraghmeh are Associated Press writers. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Class Extractions Inc. (CSE: PUMP) (the Company or World Class) is pleased to announce that its common shares are now listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and are trading under the ticker symbol WCF and WKN: A2PF9C. The Companys common shares continue to be listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PUMP. Our dual listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is an important step in the Companys growth internationally and will allow European investors to share in our ongoing expansion and progress, said Michael McCombie, CEO of World Class. World Class expects to be well-positioned to participate in the European and global hemp extraction markets as they continue to rapidly expand. About World Class Extractions Inc. World Class is a Canadian based developer of an innovative extraction process for both the hemp and cannabis industry. World Class intends to provide single step continuous flow extraction services to the hemp and cannabis industry. Using patent pending technology, World Class results produce higher yields and better quality crude hemp oil at faster rates. The technology allows the extraction of CBD Oil and other related extracts from wet or dried natural plants. World Class can save its clients floor space, utility drying costs, equipment and processing labour costs. For further information please contact: Michael McCombie Chief Executive Officer Email: mike@wcextractions.com Forward Looking Statements Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, forward-looking statements), including those identified by the expressions anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, should and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated, or intended. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the CSE) nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Utilities sector shot up tremendously to 17% in FY19 from 2.4% in FY18 7x growth in UPI adoption throughout 2018 Bangalore, April 9, 2019 - Indias first converged payments solution company, Razorpay, launched their first edition of The Era of Rising Fintech report in Bangalore today. It is aimed at providing an in-depth intelligence of the agilely evolving Indian fintech ecosystem and its impact on SMEs. The report analyses digital transaction modes, online spending patterns, impact of UPI and other game-changing industry innovations, which are taking the country a step closer towards a digitally inclusive economy. Some of the key findings from Razorpays report include: - Non-cash transactions are likely to overtake cash transactions in the country by 2023 - Since demonetization and the launch of UPI, the merchant demand for digital payments has increased by 70%, year on year - UPI has also made its way successfully to cities like Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Ranchi - Share of wallets (P2M) has dropped sharply to 1.87% in FY19 from 6.3% in FY18, while UPI payments shot up from 1.6% in FY18 to 17% in FY19 - The UPI Transactions grew by 4000% in 2018 - Of the top three sectors, Travel, Utilities and E-Commerce, Utilities shot up tremendously to 17% in FY19 from 2.4% in FY18, indicating how Indians are adopting digital payments in everyday life - Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, NCR, Hyderabad and Jaipur are the most active cities transacting digitally Nationally, while the debit and credit cards continue to dominate the P2M segment with a 56.48% share, Razorpay finds that SMEs in Tier 1 and 2 cities are driving a high-speed growth of 75% in non-cash transactions. Preferred Payment Method in Person-to-Merchant (P2M) - Share in FY18 Vs. FY19: Method Card NB UPI Wallet FY18 69% 22.3% 1.6% 6.3% FY19 56.48% 23.8% 17% 1.87% Top 3 Sectors - Contribution in FY18: Sector Travel E-Commerce Pharma FY18 42.5% 22% 8.2% Top 3 Sectors - Contribution in FY19: Sector Travel Utilities E-Commerce FY19 42% 17% 16% Harshil Mathur, Co-founder & CEO, Razorpay said, The sky-rocketing demand for digital payments signifies a lot more than just business growth. We saw that the SMEs in Tier 1 and 2 cities are driving a solid growth of 75% in non-cash transactions. This is a testimony of growing trust, changing mindset of traditional businesses and focused effort of government and public authorities towards developing the fintech infrastructure. In the coming months, we are looking at more game-changers like eNACH/eMandate, improved mobile-tech, more SME-oriented products and services, and stronger collaboration between fintech services community and banks. Among the many sectors embracing digital payments, the fact that Utilities shot up tremendously to 17% in FY19 indicates how consumers are responding to digital payments. Fintech is transforming the way Indians buy and sell and Razorpay is thrilled to be an invaluable part of this process, he added. Razorpay predicts that by 2020, 40% of digital payment transactions in the country will be driven by Tier 2 and 3 businesses and consumers, and 50% of internet users will be using digital payments. The Razorpay report also expects that 15% of Indias GDP will be flowing through digital payments by 2020. All findings in this report are based on transactions held on Razorpay platform from FY18 to FY19. Global software major Wipro on Tuesday reported a Rs 2,494 crore net profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018-19, registering 38 percent annual growth. AFor fiscal 2018-19, net profit grew 12.4 per cent annually to Rs 9,000 crore. In a regulatory filing on the BSE, the city-based IT major said revenue for the quarter under review grew 9 per cent annually to Rs 15,006 crore. Revenue from IT services business grew 2.8 per cent annually and 1.4 per cent quarterly to Rs 14,565 crore for the quarter. Under the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS), net income for the quarter is $359 million, total revenue $2.2 billion and $2,076 million from IT services. Gross revenue for the fiscal grew 7.5 per cent annually to Rs 58,580 crore ($8.5 billion) and 3.8 per cent annually to Rs 56,970 crore from IT services. Revenue from IT products business was Rs 280 crore ($39.9 million) for the quarter and Rs 1,230 crore ($178 million) for the fiscal. Operating margin from IT services for the quarter at 19 per cent was 4.4 per cent up annually and 17.9 per cent for the fiscal which is 1.8 per cent annual growth. The firm projected $2,046-2,087 million revenue from its IT services for the first quarter of new fiscal 2019-20, which will be a flat growth of 0.1-1.0% rate quarterly. "Our teams have executed well on our strategy, which has resulted in consistent improvement of year-on-year (YoY) growth each quarter," said Wipro Chief Executive Abidali Z Neemuchwala in a statement later. The company added 63 clients during the quarter as against 57 a quarter ago and a year ago, taking their total for the year to 1,115 by the quarter-end as against 1,132 a quarter ago and 1,178 a year ago. "We have built a strong foundation for growth on the back of healthy order book and investments in digital, cyber security, engineering services and cloud," added Neemuchwala. With 954 techies leaving the company during the quarter, the total number of employees declined to 171,425 from 172,379 a quarter ago though up 11,502 from 159,923 a year ago. "Our rigour in execution and focus on improved quality of revenues has resulted in operating margins expand 1.8 per cent for the fiscal," Chief Financial Officer Jatin Dalal in the statement. The company's operating cash flows was robust and 129.2 per cent of net income for the year./Eom./400 hundreds. Read More News: Compensation Remains a Top Driver to Attract & Retain Talent in the U.S Reveals Gartner's New Study Facebook and the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) -- a consortium of public and private organisations -- on Tuesday announced a partnership to train entrepreneurs and create jobs across India. Phase one of this partnership, to be rolled out this year, will cover 10 states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra, among others. The partnership is in line with Facebook's commitment to train five million people with digital and entrepreneurial skills by 2021, the social networking platform said in a statement. Women currently constitute 23 per cent of Internet users and six per cent of mass entrepreneurs in India. "When you give women and youth the skills and technology to improve their lives, we can equip them to unlock economic and social value for themselves and their communities," said Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director, Facebook - India, South and Central Asia. GAME and its partners will assist small entrepreneurs build their businesses using digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram to aggregate demand, market products and acquire customers. "Imagine the power of a platform that can bring together communities of artisan clusters, agri-entrepreneurs or homepreneurs in the thousands to learn, collaborate and succeed," added Ravi Venkatesan, Founder, GAME. GAME and Facebook will kick-off their engagement with a project empowering local communities of rural entrepreneurs -- using digital and physical modes, a landscape review and identification of solutions for women entrepreneurs and a grand prize challenge for innovative models that spur new business creation. With its ongoing programmes, Facebook has already trained over one million people across 150 cities and 48,000 villages with support from 50 partners. Read More News: Compensation Remains a Top Driver to Attract & Retain Talent in the U.S Reveals Gartner's New Study STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A counterfeit drug dealing business with an estimated worth of $2.3 million has been put out of business by the Manhattan DA and federal investigators, according to a New York Daily News report. Three New Jersey men face charges in connection with an alleged scam that peddled fake Xanax pills online in exchange for cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. The currency is less monitored than bank transfers, and often used in online drug transactions. The business operated on the dark web, where users can be untraceable and "need special software just to log on, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said Tuesday, according to the report. CITY HALL -- A retired Staten Island firefighter, a GOP representative from Texas and Rep. Max Rose are in a dispute over how the Texas congressman treated the first responder who suffers from 9/11 related illnesses on Capitol Hill when he tried to convince him to support a bill to permanently and fully fund the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. Retired firefighter Rob Serra said members of the Feel Good Foundation, which regularly lobbies lawmakers to support victims of 9/11, met with Texas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw in February urging him to co-sponsor the legislation. But when the Great Kills residents ran into Crenshaw, a former Navy Seal officer, in a Capitol Hill hallway at the end of March, Serra said the congressman refused to talk to him about whether he planned to co-sponsor the VCF legislation and said he would have his staff look into it. That was pretty much the end of it, we handed him whatever paperwork we had and that was the end of it, Serra said, adding that he has personally not heard back from Crenshaw. It stood out to me because I had a lot of respect for him. I was actually happy to meet him and was looking forward to it, but unfortunately, he said he was busy and doesnt remember [the meeting], so ill take him at his word. Crenshaw denied ignoring Serra and told the Daily News that Serra and Rose conspired with one another to stain his reputation. Crenshaw called the alleged collusion a more malicious underlying motive here. Crenshaw pointed the Daily News to Rose retweeting Serras tweet detailing the Capitol Hill hallway incident as proof of the Rose-Serra conspiracy. @MaxRose4NY we met @DanCrenshawTX in the hallway. We introduced ourselves as 9/11 first responders and I tried to shake his hand but he couldnt get away from us fast enough. Said hed have his staff look into it as he walked away. #neverforget https://t.co/EziUiCu5LQ Rob Serra (@SerraRob) April 10, 2019 The Texas representative also told the paper that the accusation was an attempt to undermine him because he was critical of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omars comments about 9/11 where she referred to the attackers as some people who did something. SERRA, ROSE DENY ANY COLLUSION But both Serra and Rose denied any collusion. The retired firefighter said Rose was simply standing up for a constituent. The only agenda we have is to help the sick and dying people of 9/11 and their families it truly is a bipartisan bill, our group within itself is bipartisan, Serra said. Crenshaw has yet to sign onto the VCF legislation, his office said he is currently still reviewing the bill. This happens a lot, where you bump into people as youre rushing to vote. I am obviously not the kind of person who would walk by fellow service members and ignore them. That would never happen, Crenshaw said in a statement to the Advance. THE BILLS STATUS Rose has been leading a bipartisan effort to rally Congress to pass the Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. He said he was able to get more than 50 co-sponsors to sign onto the legislation himself. The legislation currently has 225 co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. The bill would need 290 co-sponsors to force it onto the House floor for a vote. No hearings have yet to be scheduled on the bill. My priority is doing right by our first responders and their families and thats it, Rose said. Earlier this year the VCF announced it would be forced to dramatically cut the future awards made to sick victims and families due to insufficient funding to pay all current and future claims. In February, the VCF said it awarded nearly $5 billion in original and amended determinations on more than 21,000 claims, leaving about $2.3 billion of the $7.3 billion appropriated funding available to compensate all pending and future claims filed through Dec. 18, 2020. Last year, the fund said that since it began accepting claims in 2011, some 3,194 Staten Islanders have submitted claims to the VCF and the fund has awarded 1,706 claims to Island residents. The highest number of claims both submitted and awarded came from Island residents living in the 10312, 10314, and 10306 zip codes. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Its just dumb luck that somebody wasnt seriously injured or even killed. That was my first thought when I saw that chunks of concrete had fallen again from the Bradley Avenue overpass of the Staten Island Expressway. Thats twice in five months that debris has fallen from the overpass, despite assurances that the highway bridge is safe. And its just the latest troubling episode of concrete falling from a highway overpass on Staten Island. Or of Swiss cheese-like holes opening up in the roadbed of a highway overpass. Something is definitely awry when it comes to highway bridge inspections and maintenance on Staten Island. This latest incident took place during Monday evenings rush. Chunks of debris fell from the Bradley overpass onto the highway below. The left lane of the highway and the HOV lane were closed for a time. So was the overpass itself. We saw the same thing happen in November. A large chunk of concrete fell from the overpass and onto the highway. The scariest thing is that both incidents happened during rush hour. Were just plain lucky that no motorists were sitting in traffic down below when the concrete debris began to rain down. The November incident raised a lot of alarms. The Advance and others questioned the integrity not only of the Bradley overpass, but of the highway bridges across Staten Island. After repairs were done at Bradley, the New York Staten Department of Transportation said that all was well with the overpass. The bridge is safe and we believe the fallen concrete was an isolated incident. We have completed permanent repairs," NYSDOT spokesman Joseph Morrissey told the Advance then. It looks like he spoke too soon. Its not an isolated incident when the same dangerous thing happens twice in less than half a year. Bradley Avenue hasnt been the only problem overpass. In June of 2015, holes were discovered in the roadbed of the SIE overpass at Hylan Boulevard on two separate occasions. Holes to the point that workers could literally see through to the highway below. The problems were addressed in an already scheduled overpass rehab project. In April of 2009, chunks of the Hylan Boulevard overpass fell onto the highway below. Again, we dodged a bullet that no injuries occurred. The state DOT is responsible for 94 percent of the more than 17,000 highway overpass bridges in the state. There are 63 of these overpasses on the Island. The MTA is responsible for a handful here that are associated with the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The spans are supposed to be inspected every two years. They are supposed to undergo regularly scheduled maintenance. It looks like somebody missed something at Bradley Avenue. We just cannot have debris falling off an overpass where tens of thousands of vehicles drive underneath each day. Thank God no one was hurt, City Councilman Steve Matteo (R-Mid-Island) said of Mondays incident. In touch w @nycemergencymgt regarding the fallen debris from the Bradley Ave overpass onto the Staten Island Expressway. The Overpass is closed. City DOT on scene to make repairs then NYS DOT has to make permanent repairs. Should take several hours. pic.twitter.com/Gcs2VgUvjS Steven Matteo (@StevenMatteo) April 15, 2019 The inspections themselves are carried out by private contractors. We need to look at that practice too. Is it the right way to go? Staten Islands roads, bridges and overpasses carry an incredible amount of traffic each day. Far more than they were designed for. Which makes it vital that regular inspections are diligently carried out and that regular maintenance is performed. President Donald Trump and federal lawmakers are talking about spending big money on infrastructure projects across the country. Our highway overpasses might be a good place to spend some of that coin. But the Bradley overpass cant wait for an infrastructure bill to get through Congress. That needs to be fixed at once. Before somebody gets killed. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The cash, cell phone and ear buds make sense. Snatching a sandwich from the victim not so much. Now, St. George resident Seth Roman, 19, will spend some time behind bars after admitting to committing an armed mugging on the day before Thanksgiving last year. A criminal complaint said Roman and two accomplices accosted the victim at 12:08 p.m. on Nov. 21 on Woolley Avenue and Victory Boulevard. Roman, then 18, whipped out a knife and ordered the victim, Give me all your stuff, said the complaint. The trio snatched the victims cell phone, earbuds and cash, the complaint said. They also grabbed his sandwich, said the complaint. The thieves fled, but they didnt get far. They were arrested less than a half-hour later, said court records. Roman pleaded guilty Tuesday in state Supreme Court, St. George, to first-degree robbery, the top count against him. How much time Roman spends upstate depends on whether or not hes sentenced as a youthful offender. If granted youthful offender status, hell be sentenced to 16 months to four years in prison. The conviction would not go on his record, and his court file would be sealed. If sentenced as an adult, he would receive a five-year prison term, plus a period of post-release supervision. Sentencing is scheduled for April 30. Roman is being held without bail in the meantime. Attorney Eugene Lamb is representing Roman. Assistant District Attorney Lisa Davis is prosecuting the case STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A mugger has earned himself a trip to jail for robbing a victim outside the St. George Ferry Terminal two months ago. Ernesto Cruz, 44, and three accomplices hit the victim with a belt and punched him around 1 a.m. on Feb. 22, said a criminal complaint. They swiped a wallet containing cash and a Visa card, the complaint said. Cruz was arrested five days later. Police list his address as the Project Hospitality homeless drop-in center on Central Avenue in St. George. The defendant pleaded guilty Monday through a Spanish interpreter to third-degree robbery to resolve the case. In doing so, he admitted to forcibly stealing money from the victim. Cruz, who has short dark hair and a mustache, said nothing else about the crime. In exchange for his plea, the defendant will be sentenced on May 2 in state Supreme Court, St. George, to six months behind bars and three years probation. Attorney Philip Ohene represents Cruz. Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc is prosecuting the case. Dublin, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cyprus - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Cyprus's telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. Despite the liberalisation of Cyprus's telecom sector, the market overall continues to be dominated by the incumbent, Cyta, which is still fully-owned by the state through the government continues to press for a sale of a minority stake in a bid to arrest the continuing decline in the operator's market share. As such, these plans (which form part of the 2019 budget) have rekindled schemes to privatise Cyta dating to 2013 as part of a wider financial bailout package. Improved regulatory conditions, particularly in relation to network interconnection and access, has given competing operators the confidence to invest in network infrastructure, to make use of unbundled local loops and to launch competing services. The broadband market continues to develop steadily, providing the country with one of the highest broadband penetration rates in the region. DSL remains the dominant access platform, with cable broadband restricted to a single operator, Cablenet. Although Cablenet's network was for long concentrated in a few key towns, under the management of its majority-owner GO the company has invested in both its fixed-line and mobile networks, and its cable infrastructure now covers about 53% of premises. Fibre infrastructure in Cyprus is still in its infancy, though Cyta since mid-2018 has embarked on a significant ten-year NGN investment program which includes extending an FttP service to about 200,000 premises. The Cypriot mobile market is served by four mobile network operators. Cyta has offered mobile services under the Cytamobile-Vodafone brand since 2004 following a partnership agreement with Vodafone Group, while MTN Cyprus was once part of the international MTN Group before being acquired by Monaco Telecom in mid-2018. PrimeTel added market competition after launching services in 2015 soon after the company secured mobile spectrum licences (it had offered services as an MVNO since 2011). The cableco Cablenet, which also offered mobile services as an MVNO, launched services over its own network in mid-2017. This report introduces the key aspects of Cyprus's telecoms market, outlining the regulatory environment and providing updated operational and financial data on the major operators. The report also reviews the mobile voice and data segments, also covering regulatory and technology developments. In addition, the report assesses the broadband and e-commerce markets. Key Developments: Cyta expands FttP services MTN signs vendor agreement with Huawei to develop 5G Ministry of Communications completes 800MHz and 2600MHz spectrum auction PrimeTel, MTN and Cyta extend LTE services Cablenet sees 6.6% growth in broadband subscriber base in 2018 Estonia helping Cyprus develop e-government functions and systems Government commits to all premises having access to 30Mb/s broadband by 2020 Cyta's USO obligations extended Cyta upgrades transmission capacity on the TE-North Cable System to 500Gb/s Report update includes the regulator's market data to June 2018, operators' data updates to Q4 2018, recent market developments Key Topics Covered: 1. Key statistics 2. Telecommunications market 3. Regulatory environment Historical overview Regulatory authority Telecom sector liberalisation Privatisation Interconnect Access Number Portability (NP) Carrier PreSelection (CPS) 4. Fixed network operators Cyta MTN Cyprus PrimeTel 5. Telecommunications infrastructure National telecom network International infrastructure Submarine cable networks Satellite networks 6. Broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Market analysis Broadband statistics Forecasts - fixed broadband subscribers - 2019; 2021; 2023 Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks Other fixed broadband services Fixed wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX) 7. Digital economy E-government E-commerce 8. Digital media Video-streaming 9. Mobile communications Market analysis Mobile statistics General statistics Mobile data Mobile broadband Regulatory issues Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Second GSM licence 3G licences awarded in Northern Cyprus Mobile Termination Rates (MTR) 2.6GHz spectrum auction Multi-spectrum auction (900, 1800, 2100MHz) Multi-spectrum auction (800, 1470, 2600MHz, 3600MHz) SIM card registration Mobile infrastructure Digital networks Major mobile operators Cytamobile-Vodafone MTN Cyprus Kibris Telekom PrimeTel MVNOs Mobile content and applications Companies Mentioned Cablenet Cyta Cytamobile-Vodafone Kibris Telecom MTN Cyprus Multichoice PrimeTel For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pomddk Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray paid $7,768 in property taxes in 2018 on their two homes in Brooklyn worth more than $3.2 million combined, according to a copy of the couples joint tax return released by City Hall Tuesday. The couple saw a 6.8 percent increase in the amount they paid in property taxes from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, they paid $7,272 in property taxes. On those two properties in 2018, the couple received $108,450 in rental income compared to $104,000 they received on the properties in 2017. They also paid $109,323 in rental expenses in 2018. The first familys combined salary also increased in 2018 by $31,016, or 14 percent, to $251,204 because of a wage increase in the mayors salary. Last year, they earned $220,188. His wife holds a volunteer writer position and does not receive a salary. In 2018, the first familys federal, state and city taxes also rose. The couple paid $44,246 in federal taxes in 2018, a 13 percent increase from 2017; they paid $15,858 in state taxes in 2018, a 14 percent increase from the previous year; and they paid $9,131 in city taxes in 2018, a 15 percent increase from the previous year. The couple will receive $818 in federal refunds and $4,740 in state refunds. The de Blasios were a bit more generous in the amount of money they donated to charity in 2018 compared to the previous year. In 2018, the couple donated $1,050 to charity compared to just $350 they donated in 2017. In 2016, when the mayor was running for re-election, the couple donated $2,088. The couples joint tax return also showed they paid $48,430 in tuition expenses for their son, Dante, who they list as a dependent and is a student at Yale University. The Mayor and First Lady recognize how critical it is for every American to pay their fair share of taxes and for our leaders to be transparent in doing so. Every New Yorker including corporations must pay their dues to help keep our streets safe and clean, to ensure our children receive a good education, and to sustain NYCs beautiful parks for everyone to enjoy, mayoral spokesperson Marcy Miranda said. When it comes to property taxes, the mayor and first lady are profiting from the current system where the assessed value of properties with one-, two- and three-family homes -- known as class one -- can't go up more than 6 percent every year or 20 percent over five years. Therefore, homeowners in less popular neighborhoods where home values slowly increase will generally have higher property taxes than those with homes in more desirable areas like where de Blasio lives. The city is currently in the midst of trying to reform the New York City property tax system with the help of a property tax commission the mayor announced last year. (DECADE OF DEATH: This is one in a series on the boroughs opioid crisis.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite tens of thousands of annual prescriptions for controlled substances written and filled on Staten Island, experts say theres an overall downward trend for some of the most used and abused substances. For example, between 2013 and 2014 there was a 23 percent decrease in the number of prescriptions written for hydrocodone, or Vicodin, according to data obtained by the Advance via a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request in April 2018. In 2013, physicians wrote 45,608 prescriptions for hydrocodone, an opiate, compared to 35,080 in 2014, the data shows. In five years, prescriptions written for Xanax, a benzodiazepine, declined by 12 percent and lorazepam by 17 percent, according to the data. We have all lived through and still have a major problem on Staten Island, John Peana, director of Pharmacy Services at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). Peana, who has worked in the community for over three decades, said the decline in controlled substances could be attributed to multiple pieces of legislation that were passed at the state level. The declining trend aligns with the time periods of legislation, he said. POSITIVE LEGISLATION HAS NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS The pieces of legislation, while largely successful, did have some negative side effects. When you squeeze down on one segment, the seekers will turn around and say Okay, well what else can I get? Peana said. I think thats the effect we see here. Tramadol, for example, is a Schedule 3 drug and is not bound by all of the same prescribing rules as other controlled substances. On Staten Island, there was a 14 percent increase in Tramadol prescriptions over five years, the data shows. Peana said its a little more accessible. You can get a script for 120 pills with five refills, he said. Tramadol also carries the potential for abuse, however, it does not provide the same euphoric effect that abusers seek. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon agreed that legislation, like iStop, had side effects that are less than ideal. McMahon said the systems are necessary tools that help detect where overprescribing is occurring, but had unintended consequences. It pushed people who were already addicted from the pills to the illegal narcotics -- heroin, and fentanyl that are being sold in the criminal drug trade, McMahon said. It had that side effect, but there was really no way around it. SCHEDULING DRUGS When looking at the decline in hydrocodone, Peana said the decline could be attributed to legislation that was passed in 2013 which made hydrocodone a Schedule 2 drug. When I first look at the [FOIL] data and I ask myself Whats driving the downward trend? of course its awareness and education, but when you look at what New York State has done, the dates align, Peana told the Advance. The Schedule designation means physicians can no longer write a prescription for hydrocodone with refills and it requires a hardcopy prescription. Hydrocodone was very much abused because its in the opiate family and prior to the scheduling, it was very accessible more so than Percocet. Vicodin also had a big punch in it; it had 7.5 milligrams which was very likable to abusers, he explained. The Schedule 2 classification also created the 30 day limit for single prescriptions, so doctors were no longer able to write scripts for 180 pills, he said. In the years that followed, several additional pieces of legislation passed that aimed to stem the tide of over prescribing, doctor shopping, and abusers searching for their next drug. ISTOP HAS HELPED IDENTIFY PATIENTS WHO DOCTOR SHOP The Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (iStop) was passed in New York State in 2013. Since its passing, prescription rates have dropped. In 2017, there were 39.3 opioid prescriptions per 100 Staten Island residents compared to 61.4 at the height in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). iStop has made it easier to isolate the patients who think they can see multiple prescribers. I was seeing a lot of that before [iStop] but whatever remains now has greatly reduced due to iStop and the use of electronic prescriptions, Peana said. He said that even with iStop, its largely up to the pharmacists to determine the validity of the prescriptions that come in. If youre working on Staten Island and someone youve never seen before comes in with an oxycodone prescription from the Bronx, right away that sets off a red flag. Its your responsibility to reach out to that prescriber and find out whats going on, he said. IStop has made the prescription trail easier to follow, he said, but due diligence is still needed. He said iStop is regularly used at SIUH, both in the Emergency Department and the clinic, before a controlled substance is prescribed. MANDATED ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING, 7 DAY LIMIT IN NEW YORK STATE Further action was taken against over-prescribing and doctor shopping in March 2016 when New York State mandated electronic prescribing. It really cut down tremendously on stealing script pads, people buying prescriptions, and people who would get a prescription for amoxicillin and bleach it and make it for 180 oxycodone pills, Peana said. He said the mandate, along with iStop, greatly reduced the number of funky scripts. In addition to the electronic mandate, the state placed a limit on the number of opiates that can be prescribed for acute pain. A practitioner may not initially prescribe more than a 7-day supply of an opioid medication for acute pain. Acute pain is defined as pain, whether resulting from disease, accidental or intentional trauma, or other cause, that the practitioner reasonably expects to last only a short period of time, according to the state Department of Health. COMPLETE COVERAGE 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! EDMONTON, Alberta, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Restaurants Canada congratulates Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party on being elected to lead Albertas 30th legislature. We look forward to seeing this new government get down to work improving operational realities for restaurants across the province, said Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada Vice President, Western Canada. When foodservice businesses thrive, so do the communities they serve. Restaurants Canada shared 16 policy recommendations with Albertas four major parties on Jan. 14 in the hopes that they would be incorporated into all their platforms in the lead up to the provincial election. More than 20 campaign promises were ultimately made that would positively impact foodservice operations in five key areas where Restaurants Canada had called for solutions including at least two positive promises from every major party. The vast majority of positive pledges came from the United Conservative Party. Our industrys call for action was heard loud and clear, said Shanna Munro, Restaurants Canada President and CEO. We are encouraged by the policies that the UCP has proposed in response to our recommendations. They will certainly provide much needed relief for Albertas restaurateurs. According to a recent survey by Restaurants Canada, one in three foodservice businesses in Alberta might close their doors if the realities of running a restaurant in the province dont improve. Restaurants Canada looks forward to working with all newly elected members of Albertas Legislative Assembly, from all parties, to improve conditions for foodservice operators across the province. About Restaurants Canada Restaurants Canada represents a growing community of more than 30,000 businesses, advancing their potential through services, research and advocacy. Canadas foodservice sector is an $89 billion industry, directly employs 1.2 million Canadians, is the number one source of first jobs and serves 22 million customers every day. For more information, please contact: Marlee Wasser Communications & Policy Specialist Restaurants Canada O: 416-649-4254 or 1-800-387-5649 ext. 4254 E: media@restaurantscanada.org Bustling Macquarie Park in Sydney's north will get a new $750 million community business precinct just as residents express mounting concerns about over development. Singapore-listed developer Frasers Property Australia and Winten Property Group have launched what they describe as Australias first community business district - the $750 million Macquarie Exchange. How the new $750 million Macquarie Exchange will look. The new business hub launched as NSW government minister Rob Stokes, who has returned to his former portfolio of planning, is set to be challenged by Meriton apartment developer and owner Harry Triguboff, who is suing the government to win approval for a 42-storey apartment in the area. The intensity of development has prompted concern from residents. As one of the best-performing companies within the S&P/ASX100 since its demerger from Orica nearly a decade ago, Dulux Group probably never expected to be a willing takeover target. Then along came an offer far too good to be refused. While Dulux's board and management, having just celebrated the company's centenary last year, might have preferred to remain independent, the $9.80 a share offer (plus up to 17.5 cents per share of franking credits) was just too attractive to resist. Dulux has agreed to a $3.8 billion takeover bid from Nippon Paint. Credit:Suzanne Plunkett Nippon Paint's $3.8 billion offer reflects an enterprise value of $4.2 billion and a multiple of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 16.1 times, believed to be the highest-ever enterprise value-to-EBITDA multiple ever paid within the global paints industry. On a price-to-earnings basis, it is 25.3 times last years earnings. The offer represents a 30 per cent premium over Duluxs closing price ahead of the offer and a 35.4 per cent premium to its three month volume-weighted average price. It compares with the $2.50 a share level at which Dulux shares first traded when it listed in 2010. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovative Properties Inc. dba Nabis Holdings (CSE:NAB; OTC: INNPF; FRA: 71P) (Nabis or the Company) is pleased to announce its senior executives, Shay Shnet, Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Krytiuk, President will be speaking at the Benzinga Capital Conference in Toronto. Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Shay Shnet, Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Krytiuk, President, will host 1-on-1 meetings. Presentation Date and Time: Wednesday, April 17 at 2:25 pm ET Location: Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto, ON About Benzinga Benzinga is a leading financial media outlet with extensive coverage of the cannabis space. Benzinga is the go-to source for investors who need the latest news in the cannabis sector, and frequently breaks exclusive coverage on celebrity cannabis entrepreneurs and commentary from leading political and business figures. The 3rd Annual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is the premier gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs and investors in North America. About Innovative Properties Inc. (dba Nabis Holdings) Nabis Holdings is a Canadian investment issuer that invests in high quality cash flowing assets across multiple industries, including real property, securities, cryptocurrency, and all aspects of the U.S. and international cannabis sector. Led by two of the co-founders of MPX Bioceutical, one of the largest takeovers in the U.S. Cannabis space to date, the company has a proven track record in emerging markets to create significant shareholder value. The Company is focused on investing across the entire vertically integrated aspects of the space with a focus on revenue generation, EBITDA and growth. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shay Shnet Shay Shnet CEO and Director For inquiries, please contact 604-687-7130 or email info@nabisholdings.com . The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The risks are without limitations: that the acquisitions will be completed by the Company or completed upon the terms disclosed; the price for cannabis and related products will remain consistent and the consumer demand remains strong; availability of financing to the Company to develop the retail locations; retention of key employees and management; changes in State and/or municipal regulations of retail operations and changes in government regulations generally. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ, materially from the Companys expectations are disclosed in the Companys documents filed from time to time with the Canadian Securities Exchange, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Alberta Securities Commission. Hundreds of millions in funding earmarked for WA road and rail projects by the Coalition might not be spent until well after the next federal election in 2022, prompting criticism the Morrison Government is claiming credit for infrastructure it may never deliver. But Labor has not answered questions about when its promised $1.6 billion in WA road projects would be delivered. Swan MP Steve Irons presents Treasurer and Carlton supporter Josh Frydenberg with a West Coast Eagles tie at an announcement of $20 million for the South Perth Recreation and Aquatic Facility near Curtin University, with South Perth Mayor Sue Doherty. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola A breakdown of $1.5 billion in WA infrastructure spending in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's recent budget shows 60 per cent won't be handed out until 2023-24 and beyond, with some key projects scheduled for funding in the late 2020s. The money, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in Carlisle ahead of the March budget, included "congestion-busting" projects such as the removal of three level crossings in Swan MP Steve Iron's at-risk seat, rebuilding the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and an extra $348.5 million for Tonkin Highway upgrades. Labor and the Greens represent 25 of the 30 youngest seats ranked by median age while 22 of the 30 oldest seats by median age are held by Liberal or Nationals MPs. Labor and the Greens represent 25 of the 30 youngest electorates ranked by median age. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Regional seats, many held by the Nationals, tend to have a much higher median age than those in capital cities. As well as having Australia's highest median age, the seat of Lyne, held by the Nationals, also had the highest proportion of people aged 65 or more 27.2 per cent compared with a national average of 15.8 per cent. The seat of Gilmore on the NSW south coast had both the second highest median age of 49 and the second largest share of people aged 65 or more (26.2 per cent). Australia's median age was 38 years at the 2016 census. The seat of Melbourne, held by the Greens, had a median age of just 30 while the ALP-held seats of Sydney, Blaxland in western Sydney, Lalor in Melbourne's west and Lingiari in the Northern Territory all had a median age of 32 years. In Lingiari only 6.5 per cent of the electorate is aged over 65, the lowest share in the country. Income trends Electorates with older age profiles often have relatively low median household incomes, in part because they tend to have a high share of retirees on fixed incomes. Lyne, for instance, the seat with the highest median age had the second lowest median household income. And of the 30 lowest-income seats, only two had a median age below 40. Scott Morrison and Nationals leader Michael McCormack campaign in Braddon, Tasmania, which is one of the lowest-income electorates in Australia. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The National Party holds six of the seven lowest-income seats in federal parliament and three of Tasmania's five federal seats Braddon, Lyons and Bass are among the lowest ranked for household income. At the other end of the earnings spectrum, eight of the ten electorates with the highest median household incomes are in one city Sydney. While Warringah had the highest earnings, the harbourside electorates of Wentworth and North Sydney were not far behind. The Liberal Party holds the biggest share of electorates at the top of the income spectrum although Labor represents seven of the top 20 and 23 of the top 50 seats ranked by median weekly household income. Homeowners, landlords and renters Tenants are most likely to have a Labor MP as they hold 19 of the 30 seats where renting is at its highest rate. The taxation of housing investments is a key election issue. Credit:Peter Braig The inner city seats of Melbourne and Sydney have the highest share of renters at about 62 per cent, double the average across Australia. The outer metro Liberal-held electorates of Casey in Victoria and Berowra in NSW have the fewest renters - 14.5 per cent - and the highest share of homeowners. In those two seats about 82 per cent of residents either own or are paying off property. Loading Labor's proposed changes to negative gearing have made the taxation of housing investments a key election issue. In the Liberal-held seat of Durack in Western Australia 15 per cent of taxpayers are negatively geared, the highest share in the country. The average across all 151 federal electorates is 9.4 per cent of taxpayers. The ALP holds 12 of the top 30 negative gearing seats, the Liberals 13 and the Nationals three. The proportion of voters who negatively gear their investment properties is least prevalent in Tasmania's largest electorate Lyons held by the ALP where less than six per cent of people make a loss renting a property. Labor holds 11 of the 30 seats with the lowest rate of negative gearing, the Nationals ten and Liberals six. It is no use pretending. The signs are clear. Fascism is raising its poisonous, extremist head again. To very old people like me, whose World War II experiences as children are still raw, fascism signifies many things but its essence still is intolerance of diversity. Fascism does not accept as equal, human beings of a diverse race, gender, faith, appearance, creativity, culture. WWII had its genesis in the Nazis (German fascists) rejecting as Germans, those German citizens who were of the Jewish minority. Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville in August 2017. Credit:New York Times Suffocation of diversity is reincarnated in North Korea's uniformed parades. Its relics are Islamic State's tragic leftovers - windswept, burqa-covered depersonalised widows, as well as the victims of firearm massacres of "others" - Muslim, Christians, Jews, French, Pakistani, South Sudanese, New Zealanders and myriad others. Intolerance of diversity has homegrown varieties now in full view in Australian parliaments - decades after the abolition of the White Australia Policy. This, under the pretence of the democratic and civil right of free speech, when it is the very opposite. K-Beauty got us hooked on Korean BB Creams and jelly cleansers. J-Beauty convinced us of the benefits of Japanese essences and sake ingredients. Probably we were bound to grab our beauty passports and move on to another country. And so we did: Now there is G-Beauty. In the last few years, German beauty brands have begun to inhabit nearly every beauty aisle, including Whole Foods and high-end beauty retailers like Bluemercury. German beauty products are hot right now. Credit:The New York Times But unlike, say, K-Beauty, which started as a concerted effort by the Korean government to market Korean brands abroad, G-Beauty is less about pushing novel routines than it is about making clean beauty a confusing space with many conflicting definitions more approachable. The only Melbourne comedy festival event I made it to this year was the Fringe Wives Club (which I highly recommend if you like sharp, energetic, feminist singing and comedy). One song in particular, Why Arent You Angry?, stood out, both for its punch and the audience response. The question may not be new, but its still astoundingly relevant. Women are being killed every week and assaulted or raped every few minutes. We are under-represented in parliament, systemically excluded from economic security, routinely objectified and frequently unsafe. Why wouldnt we be angry? Members of the Fringe Wives Club, wondering why more people are not more fired up about issues impacting Australian women. Another question might be, Men, why arent you angry too?. But the truth is that many of them are, theyre just not angry about this. Women are being killed every week by men they tried to love, and so often men are angrier about the discussion of this than the fact of it. As if asking for recognition of murdered women is the equivalent of us working in shifts to chase down the most gentle and inoffensive of men, thundering JACCUSE in their face, and demanding slices of their manhood as retribution for crimes they did not commit. Loading In addition, WAtoday understands that over the past fortnight, two separate safety incidents at Gorgon have occurred, potentially exposing workers to chemicals. One involved a vent stack releasing mercury and caused a section of the project to be shut down for several days. The second involved one of the three trains transporting gas at the plant, which was accidentally shut down and vented gas. "The documents released today are an embarrassment to Chevron and the state government regulator," Conservation Council of WA director Piers Verstegen said. "They reveal that the company has no intention or ability to comply with its pollution control conditions any time soon, and instead is scrambling to employ stopgap measures. "It is time WAs biggest polluter is held to account. The company is being allowed to expose workers and wildlife to toxic chemicals and release millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases. "It is a disgrace and an embarrassment that this company is being allowed to get away with ignoring its conditions of approval, poisoning its own workers, and destroying our future ... if Chevron cannot immediately address its pollution problems, then operations at the Barrow Island LNG facility should be suspended." CFMEU WA secretary Mick Buchan said the union was concerned about both the safety incidents and the venting of gases revealed in the DWER approval. He said Chevrons direct operations employees were being tested for exposure, but not contractors such as boilermakers, riggers, scaffolders and other maintenance staff. "We have concerns from workers on that project on what this fallout means for their health," he said. Loading "People in the sector are really unhappy working on those projects." Mr Buchan called on Chevron to work with the union to provide transparent assessments from third-party hygienists for all workers. He also called on Environment Minister Stephen Dawson to make a public statement on what was happening at Barrow Island. "This is Australia; it is our environment and workers who need to be protected," he said. "If we are serious about workplace health and safety the government needs to shut the bloody plant down until the [carbon sequestration system] is fixed. "We cant let these multinationals, who pay no tax in this country, get away with this." A Chevron spokesman did not confirm the details of any venting incident or train shutdown. He said Chevron was committed to providing a safe environment for its workforce and as part of routine operations, had extensive monitoring in place to ensure emissions were within acceptable levels. More than 400 personnel and area samples had been taken over the past quarter, testing for a variety of emissions, none of which had exceeded exposure limits. The carbon injection system was in the commissioning and start-up phase with "strong progress made to date" on system modifications. "Once final system tests were complete, operations would commence, with the first injection planned for later this year. "We are taking the time to start the system carefully and safely as the Gorgon CO2 Injection Project will run for more than 40 years," he said. Environment Minister Stephen Dawson deferred his opportunity to comment to the Environmental Protection Authority, which issued a statement saying the inquiry into the conditions relating to the carbon dioxide injection system was continuing, and when the EPA had finished its inquiry it would provide a report to the Minister. A Sydney man called triple zero and said "I killed my wife" before later pleading not guilty to murder. The NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the call Shahab Ahmed made to triple zero about 10 minutes after stabbing Khondkar Fariha Elahi to death in their Parramatta unit in February 2017. Shahab Ahmed and wife Khondkar Fariha Elahi. In it, the operator answers, confirms his address and then asks "what happened?" "I killed my wife," he said. When Dave Hughes first took the stage as a stand-up comedian at the age of 22, he had already been fired from a string of jobs, from labourer to dishwasher to petrol bowser attendant. Left wondering how anyone could be inept at bowser attending, he took the stage with a pre-emptive sense of defeat. Jimeoin, Fiona O'Loughlin and Dave Hughes understand the importance of new material. Credit:Simon Schluter "My first stand-up gig was terrible, no one laughed," he said. "But what I did the next week, I talked about the first week, and that's been my whole comedy career having people laugh at my problems." Twenty-six years down the track, Dave Hughes is one of the biggest names in Australian comedy - a featured act in this year's Sydney Comedy Festival. LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- Los Angeles-based Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) congratulates portfolio company The Asher House Wellness on its continuing drive to expand the Asher House mission. Most notably, company co-founders Lee Asher and Luke Barton appeared on ABCs The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week to discuss their deep commitment to move dogs out of shelters and into loving homes on a national and international level. The Asher House team, which depends on sales of hemp-based Asher House Wellness Thrive Oil to fund outreach efforts, is also introducing new phytocannabinoid (CBD) products as part of the Asher House Wellness product offerings. We are so grateful for the continued growth of The Asher House. The more people know about the Asher House, the more dogs we will be able to rescue, said Lee Asher. In addition, the more the community knows about and supports the Asher House Wellness and their industry-leading products that help dogs live well and thrive, the longer we will be able to continue our mission. In 2017, the Asher House founders embarked on a cross-country mission to get dogs out of shelters and into loving homes. Since then the brands co-founders have been traveling from state to state and Canada in an RV with six rescue dogs, working closely with local animal shelters or humane societies to set up dog adoption events. To date, the Asher House has successfully enabled the adoption of over 200 dogs. Cannabis Strategic Ventures is proud to support The Asher House mission and their commitment to help get dogs adopted throughout the United States and Canada, said Simon Yu, CEO, Cannabis Strategic Ventures. It is rare to find a company that is walking the talk and creating industry leading products while also dedicating personal resources to help their mission. The Ellen Show episode featuring The Asher House team and their adoption efforts was first aired April 15, 2019, and can be seen on EllenTube in a clip titled, Ellen Meets Inspiring Dog Adoption Duo. The Ellen Show currently has 31 million followers on YouTube to complement its national reach. The Asher House Wellness team plans to launch several new dog products in 2019 that includes Lillies Love Biscuits. We are excited for future Asher House Wellness and their commitment to creating products that encourage the happiness, health, and well-being of dogs and their humans worldwide, added Yu. Cannabis Strategic Ventures acquired a controlling interest in The Asher House Wellness, a brand producing pet goods created with full-spectrum, whole-plant hemp, free of THC and pesticides, in 2018 (http://nnw.fm/3hKpk). About Cannabis Strategic Ventures Cannabis Strategic Ventures is a Los Angeles-based firm that incubates, develops and partners with category leaders within the cannabis sector. The Firm's NUGS brand experience provides operational and financial strategic partnerships and a range of essential services to emerging and existing cannabis consumer brands. The company recently completed a name and symbol change from Cascade Energy, Inc. Cannabis Strategic Ventures is publicly traded on the U.S. Over the Counter Market with the stock symbol NUGS. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements also may be included in other publicly available documents issued by the Company and in oral statements made by our officers and representatives from time to time. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. They can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "would," "could," "will" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flows, results of operations, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others such as, but not limited to economic conditions, changes in the laws or regulations, demand for products and services of the company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking information provided in this release should be considered with these factors in mind. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this report. Contact: Arlene Guzman Phone:+1-310-359-6860 Email: IR@CannabisStrategic.com Website: http://www.CannabisStrategic.com Corporate Communications: NetworkWire (NW) New York, New York www.NetworkNewsWire.com 212.418.1217 Office Editor@NetworkWire.com Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann knew the dangers of smoking. The 41-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon was a specialist who treated patients with lung cancer when he encountered Joseph Esmaili smoking a cigarette near the entrance of the Box Hill Hospital on the evening of May 30, 2017. It was a non-smoking area and Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann told the group who were with Esmaili that they shouldn't be there. When they angrily refused, Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann went inside the foyer and asked security to move them on. Jospeh Esmaili (centre) departs the Supreme Court of Victori on Wednesday to serve his 10-year sentence. Credit:AAP Esmaili had entered the hospital to use the toilet when he overheard what Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann was saying. He stopped, turned in the surgeons direction, and called out Why dont you go f--- yourself?, prompting an argument which would turn deadly. In less than two minutes, Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann was lying unconscious on the tiled floor with a catastrophic brain injury. Four weeks later, his devastated wife and twin daughters would have to watch his life support be switched off. On Wednesday, Esmaili, 24, became the first person in Victoria to receive a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence for delivering the blow that killed him. That's all from Melbourne Express for today. We'll reach a top of 18 with clouds about, before things start heating up again tomorrow before a sunny 28 degrees on Saturday. Check back from 10.30 for our coverage of Borce Ristevski's sentencing, and if you read one thing today, let it be on American scientists reviving the pig brains by pumping them with oxygen and nutrients. Has science gone too far? Like you hopefully are, our blog is taking Good Friday and Easter Monday off. Have a great day, and we'll see you Tuesday. Loading We want jobs in our local communities. We want to know that our children are learning at school what will equip them for the future we are not around to see. We are head over heels with the possibilities of what our nation could be. It's the leaders who need to step up. Take Perth, for example. It's a long way from Canberra; outgoing Liberal star Julie Bishop would attest to that. But now, with a federal election date looming, both parties know they have to court voters on the other side of the country. Perth will be home to the first-ever WA election debate. Scott Morrison believes that gives him the great opportunity he needs to show the clear choice between prospective prime ministers. Prime Minister Scott Morrison gets on the media bus after visiting Premium Fresh carrot farm near Forth, Tasmania. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "West Australians know they can trust the Liberals," he says. No, they can't, retorts Bill Shorten, from on the ground in Perth. "You're being ripped off by Canberra," he tells anyone who will listen. That's why he's decided, were he to become prime minister, he would choose someone from WA to be in his Labor cabinet. That's why he's hell-bent on doing something about jobs in the west. Matt Canavan, the LNP resources minister who also happens to be in Perth this week, has a different take on Labor and jobs. Labor's 45 per cent emissions reduction target would have a direct impact on WA, he says. And local headlines hint the cost could be as high as 10,000 WA jobs. Kerry Stokes, the chair of Seven West Media, thinks this debate is just what WA needs. "At last Perth and WA are being treated with respect from our leaders,'' he announced on the front page of The West Australian (which happens to be published by Seven West Media). No, they're not. It's more akin to a one-night stand. Voters are being courted in WA - as they will be in Queensland and NSW and Victoria and everywhere else in coming days - because they could help Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten. That's all. Promises. A bit like an ex-boyfriend I knew. What the major parties don't understand is that voters are onto them. They know, from experience, that many of the promises will amount to no more than sweet nothings. They know that the motivation on both sides is driven by one date, and it's not the date of the election debate. It's May 18; the date voters in WA and every other state and territory will go to the polls to decide on who should lead our nation. Voters know the three-year cycle of big promises and protestations of undying love. And they're used to breaking up with their government, when they are dumped shortly after the polls. That's why they've looked for love elsewhere - in the arms of Pauline Hanson's One Nation or Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, for example. But after repeated disappointments, their hopes have been dashed there, too. Voters have turned off politicians, even in Perth where both leaders are arriving with their pockets full of giveaways. Don't worry Queensland; our turn will come. But here's a tip for Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten. Cottesloe and Fremantle don't make up Perth, just as there's more to Brisbane than Clayfield and Norman Park, and more to Sydney than Manly and Kirribilli. Take a trip down millionaire's row. Even catch up with Kerry Stokes. By all reports, he's a nice bloke. NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro says media reports that a party official is being appointed to a minister's office despite being linked to the recruitment of alt-right members are a "witch hunt". Nationals ministers and MPs have raised concerns over the appointment of Jeff McCormack as chief of staff to Water Minister Melinda Pavey. John Barliaro says no Nationals MPs have raised concerns over Jeff McCormack's appointment with him. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr McCormack was one of two people named in parliament in 2018 by Labor MP Walt Secord who demanded to know whether the Nationals planned to expel him over a branch-stacking exercise that resulted in the alt-right infiltration of the youth wing of the party. Screenshots of a Young Nationals Facebook page, seen by AAP, show Mr McCormack added to the group some of the people who were later booted from the party for their links to the alt-right. The High Court has ruled Queensland laws banning property developers from donating to political parties and candidates are valid. The Palaszczuk Labor government passed laws last year, backdated until before the 2017 Queensland election, banning property developers from donating money to state and local government politicians, candidates and parties. Former LNP president Gary Spence resigned his position with the party as a result of the donation ban. Credit:Felicity Caldwell Then-LNP president Mr Spence, also the chairman of engineering consultancy PeakUrban, launched a challenge of the laws in the High Court in mid-2018 and in December resigned his position on the LNP. He argued the laws prevented him from legally playing a role in the leadership of the party ahead of the federal election, including fundraising, due to his role in the property development industry. Over the past 25 years there have been numerous examples of ancient buildings burning down or being bombed, of cultural treasures being looted or destroyed. But some of these tragedies catch our attention more than others. On Tuesday we awoke to the deeply troubling spectacle of the Notre-Dame Cathedral on fire. It reminded us that even the grandest and most transcendent monuments are vulnerable to the forces of nature. Flames and smoke rise from the burning Notre-Dame on Monday night. Credit:AP In the Middle Ages churches were always burning down and being rebuilt, but today we have a false sense that engineering and safety procedures protect the built environment from such catastrophes. The Paris conflagration immediately sparked a social media debate about whether we citizens of affluent Western countries experience as much collective grief about cultural tragedies that occur outside the West as we feel about the Notre-Dame fire. A Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Mr. Richard Luce, told reporters today that the people inside the Peoples Bureau building had expressed regret over the death of Constable Fletcher. He had no doubt that this expression of regret was made at the direction of the Libyan Government and probably of Colonel Gaddafi personally. Police sources said they were in constant contact with those inside the building through a special telephone installed yesterday. They were trying to keep the situation calm so that it could be resolved peacefully. They regarded the expression of regret by Libya as evidence that Tripoli, too, wanted to defuse the situation. But the Libyan people were being told that Constable Fletcher died in the course of an heroic defence of the Peoples Bureau by its staff in the face of an attack by British police and agents of several nations, a distortion which observers though might inflame anti-British feeling in Libya. In the past, frenzied mobs have often taken to the streets to burn down buildings in such circumstances and the Gaddafi regime has always defended such action as a legitimate expression of the public will. As Mr. Brittan and a team of ministerial, police and defence advisers grappled with Britains dilemma in a Whitehall command post codenamed Cobra, the British media were exploring answers to three questions: Under the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic representation, is the Libyan Peoples Bureau an embassy and are its staff diplomats? The Foreign Office says it is an embassy, even though it has had no ambassador since 1978. But some of those inside the building have diplomatic status, while others do not. Among those who do not are four so-called students sent from Tripoli in mid-February to take control of the Peoples Bureau and whose identity is not even known to the Foreign Office. They were sent because their predecessors were thought to be too pro-Western. Would Britain be justified in flouting the Vienna convention it ratified in 1964? Legal experts are pointing out that although the present situation is unprecedented, it was considered as possibility by those who drafted the convention and even in such a case the convention holds embassy property as inviolate. Thus in the event that the Libyans might agree to evacuate the building and direct personnel to submit to police questioning, Britain would be in apparent breach of the convention in sending police to search the building. If the present stalemate continues, will British public opinion accept a pragmatic decision to order everyone inside the Peoples Bureau to leave the country? In such a case, transport might be provided to the airport and arrangements made with Libya fir a Libyan aircraft to take everyone back to Tripoli, including the killer. This is the course of action favored by the former Foreign Secretary, Dr. David Owen, now leader of the Social Democrats, and by Mr. Roy Hattersley, deputy leader of the Labor Party. They say the risk to potential British hostages is too great for the Government to insist on the killer standing trial in Britain. If the Government and British public opinion will not accept such pragmatism, what can Britain do in the face of Libyan Intransigence? The Sun newspaper believes it has the answer: The Government should present Gaddafi and his followers with a simple choice. Either they hand over the wanted man for trial or the police and, if necessary, troops will storm the Libyans lair and take him. But, as the Guardian points out, the emotional appeal of such an action could lead to tragedy in Libya. The police have refused to give the Press even a guess at how many people are inside the Peoples Bureau building. Last night police delivered sandwiches, lemonade and cigarettes to those inside but they will not disclose the quantities. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Newman, arrived at the besieged embassy early this morning. Police said they were prepared for a long siege. They were continuing negotiations but by mid-morning there were no sign that the Libyans were ready to emerge from their building. Early this morning a man of Middle Eastern appearance was arrested by police near St Jamess Square when he was found to be carrying a two-foot machete. There was no indication that he was connected with the siege. Last night, police detained six Libyans at Heathrow Airport. Three were released later and three were still in custody today. There was no information on charges which might be brought against them, or whether they had come from the Peoples Bureau in London. Of the 10 wounded survivors from yesterdays shooting, nine were described as stable in Westminster Hospital. The tenth has been released. There are believed to be about 7,000 Libyans living in Britain, of who 4,000 are students. Britain has become the most important center for anti-Gaddafi organisation and agitation in recent years. Four years ago, Colonel Gaddafi began to send death squads around the world, but particularly through Europe, to assassinate his opponents. The Libyan Peoples Bureau in London was established in 1979. The change in title of the former embassy marked the 10th anniversary of Colonel Gaddafis coming to power in power in Libya. In February, a faction calling itself the Libyan Revolutionary Students Group, took control. The group claimed it would rethink relations with Britain which, it said, has given refuge to Libyas enemies. In March, 27 people were injured when bombs exploded in London and Manchester. One bomb, in a Mayfair restaurant frequented by Arabs, injured 27 people. Five students from the Peoples Bureau in London, believed to have been connected with the explosives, were later expelled from Britain. After the incident, the Foreign Office summoned representatives of the Peoples Bureau and demanded assurances that the violence would stop. These were not given. In 1989, members of the Gaddafi death squad murdered a dissident Libyan journalist in London, Mr. Mohammed Ramadan. In Brighton, two children of a dissident family became gravely ill after eating poisoned food. In Rome, two Libyan businessmen were shot dead as they drank coffee at a cafe. One group of dissidents in London claimed this week that Libya had recently sent a new death squad to Britain, based outside the Peoples Bureau. Colonel Gaddafi, 42, seized power in 1969 in a bloody coup. President Reagan has called him public enemy number one. WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vantagepoint AI does it again with a donation of more than $10,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children. Its not the first time weve been able to do this, said Vantagepoint President Lane Mendelsohn, and I guarantee it wont be the last! Vantagepoint AI, ( www.vantagepointsoftware.com ) is the software company that developed the first artificial intelligence (AI) trading software in the world available to retail investors and traders. Located in the Tampa Bay area for 40 years and still family-owned, the company's primary goal is to empower traders daily. Vantagepoint also has a philosophy of doing well and doing good. By sharing forward a percentage of its profits, Vantagepoint is helping to create a circle of empowerment within its community. Additionally, many of the traders using Vantagepoint's software have chosen to contribute to Shriners on their own; one has even identified Shriners as the beneficiary of his trading successes in his will. Since it began its efforts to support children in the Tampa Bay area two years ago, Vantagepoint has been able to donate more than $40,000.00 to Shriners. Vantagepoint has donated over $640,000 to the local community since 2007. We chose to support Shriners Hospitals for Children because we felt that one of the most crucial times for families not to have to focus on finances is when their child is sick. The fact that Shriners helps families no matter their ability to pay for services resonated with us, explains Mendelsohn. At a recent Vantagepoint event, Mendelsohn was able to present the latest donation from the Vantagepoint family to Bentley, who won the hearts of everyone at the event. Bentley personifies why Shriners' role in the community is so important. Along with Bentley, his mom, Linda, and Lisa Buie, from the Shriners organization, were on hand to accept the donation of $10,127 from Vantagepoint. Im grateful to have a successful business here in Tampa and proud that my team works so hard that we can continue to support Shriners. Its a joy to give a portion of our profits to a group that is doing such meaningful work. I am humbled and thrilled that some of our traders have chosen to follow our lead by giving on their own too -- no family should have to worry about finances when their child needs life-changing help, adds Mendelsohn. To find out more about how you help support Shriners Hospitals for Children when you become part of the Vantagepoint AI family of traders, and to see the software in action with a free lesson at www.vantagepointsoftware.com/demo or by calling 1-800-732-5407. You too can do well and do good! About Vantagepoint AI, LLC. Headquartered in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Vantagepoint AI, creators of Vantagepoint Software, is a leader in trading software research and software development. Vantagepoint forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 86%. Using artificial intelligence, Vantagepoints patented Neural Network processes predict changes in market trend direction up to three days in advance, enabling traders to get in and out of trades at optimal times with confidence. Vantagepoint software was recently recognized as the Most Trusted Online Trading Software Solution as well as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Tampa Bay. Vantagepoint also employs a family of over 60 team members and is actively committed to giving back in the Tampa Bay community and to Shriners Hospitals for Children. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/07106a78-e176-4844-847a-de0b2f341ab5 Lisbon: At least 28 people, most of them German tourists, died and 22 more were injured in a bus accident on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Wednesday, authorities said. Emergency services attend the scene after a tour bus crashed at Canico on Portugal's Madeira Island. Credit:AP The white bus overturned in a residential area in the coastal town of Canico, its mayor, Filipe Sousa, told reporters. TV images showed the vehicle on its side on a bank next to a narrow road and surrounded by rescuers. "I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people," Sousa told SIC TV. He said the tourists in the bus were all German but some pedestrians might have been hit by the bus. Moscow: Russia will deploy anti-aircraft missiles in the Arctic for the first time since the Cold War as Moscow builds up its military presence in the far north. China has also bought technology associated with Russian S-400 air defence missiles, seen here being deployed at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria. Credit:AP S-400 missiles, which can shoot down planes and cruise missiles from up to 400 kilometres away, will be stationed on the Arctic coast and islands by the end of 2020, the Izvestia newspaper reported. The Defence Ministry, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment, said in December that units in the Arctic would be among those to receive S-400s. New infrastructure is being constructed for anti-aircraft units along the north-east passage. US Army Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar. Some aspects of the case, including the names of the accused and allegations of a cover-up, have been reported previously. But hundreds of pages of legal filings obtained by The Washington Post provide new details about the events surrounding the deadly assault. The documents remove a veil of secrecy on a culture in which womanising and heavy drinking were said to be commonplace in the city of Bamako, despite alcohol restrictions and warnings about kidnappings and terrorist threats. In "stipulations of fact" - effectively, accounts of what occurred submitted to authorities - Matthews and Maxwell acknowledge their roles in Melgar's death. Attorneys for both men said plea-deal discussions for their clients are underway but they declined to discuss most of the specifics. Brian Bouffard, an attorney for Maxwell, said the men never intended to harm Melgar. Grover Baxley, Matthews' attorney, confirmed that his client has reached a pre-trial agreement with the government in which his client will plead guilty to lesser charges that include hazing and assault. His case will be referred to a special court-martial, Baxley said. It is considered less serious than a general court-martial and limits the punishment to no more than a year of imprisonment. Attorneys for DeDolph and Madera-Rodriguez did not respond to requests for comment. No one else has been charged in the case, said Elizabeth Baker, a US military spokeswoman. She declined to comment on many of the details in the documents, citing the open court cases. A hearing in the case was scheduled for December and for March and was postponed both times. No additional dates have been scheduled, she said. The documents leave some questions unanswered, including what else might have caused friction among the men. "It's still a tragic situation, but the motivations behind what happened that night are nothing like what was reported," Baxley said. Accusations and anger Loading The documents describe months of tension among Melgar, DeDolph and another SEAL who was not charged. Melgar and the SEALs lived in the same house, while the Marines lived a few blocks away. To limit their interactions, the SEALs banned Melgar and another Special Forces soldier from their operations centre, another soldier who also lived there later told Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents, according to US military documents. In the weeks leading up to assault, Melgar brought foreigners to the residence, the other soldier said. He added that Melgar had engaged in "frat-like" behaviour and had acted in ways that got them both "uninvited" from events at the US Embassy. At the request of military officials due to security concerns, The Washington Post is not identifying several other Americans who have not been charged with a crime. "Logan, Tony, everyone had a turn at it," the other soldier said of excessive drinking, acknowledging that he also consumed alcohol on occasion. Earlier media reports said Melgar did not drink. Melgar had accused the SEALs of bringing prostitutes to the house. The other soldier living in the house, asked by investigators about the prostitution allegation, declined to answer directly but said infidelity occurred among some people living there, the documents said. Melgar vented about the men to his wife, Michelle, in a series of messages that she turned over to authorities. "I freaking hate them," Melgar told her. A plan takes shape Over beers and whiskey at the Western-themed Appaloosa bar and a nightclub called Byblos, the men discussed hazing Melgar, service members involved and witnesses told investigators. Loading Melgar returned home a few hours after leaving the other service members behind on the way to the French Embassy party, and said he had made the right decision because it was a "high-class" event, the other soldier told NCIS agents a few months later, according to NCIS documents. Melgar said he had two or three beers there, the other soldier reported to investigators. Matthews, in his stipulation of facts, said he and the other three men who were charged agreed to restrain him up when they returned to the shared Navy-Army residence. The Marines brought more duct tape and a sledgehammer from their residence nearby. "The sledgehammer was not required for us to gain entrance to SSGT Melgar's room, but we used it because we thought that the noise associated with it would further surprise him," wrote Matthews, who was visiting Bamako for a few days. Within minutes, the situation had spiralled out of control. The service members attempted CPR on Melgar before retrieving a defibrillator and equipment to open an airway with an emergency procedure on his throat. They considered calling an ambulance, but they determined that it would take too long and transported him to a nearby clinic. Melgar was declared dead there. In the following hours, the men hatched a plan in which the SEALs would take the blame and say that the Marines had not been in the room when DeDolph put Melgar in a chokehold, the stipulations of fact said. The men sought to cover their tracks in other ways. The other soldier deployed with Melgar told NCIS agents that he directed one of the Marines to throw away the alcohol in the house because any service member subject to General Order No. 1 - which restricts alcohol consumption while deployed - would "get smoked" by authorities, according to an NCIS report in court filings. In the chaos, the crime scene was not fully sealed for hours, the documents allege. Scott Patterson, an assistant regional security officer with the State Department, entered Melgar's room with Madera-Rodriguez serving as a witness. Patterson was unaware that the Marine would later be accused of being involved in the death. Bogota, Colombia: Humanitarian aid provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross began arriving in Venezuela on Tuesday, the Venezuelan Red Cross said. "With a lot of joy and responsibility we want to inform that at this moment, the first consignment of humanitarian aid of the Red Cross is entering Venezuela," the Red Cross tweeted. Local media also reported the landing of the first cargo plane with supplies on board at Maiquetia airport near Caracas, the capital. A woman with a child receives an empty container for water and water purification pills during the Red Cross' first aid shipment in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. Credit:AP The aid includes medical supplies and electricity generators, which will be distributed to hospitals around the country "in conformity with the fundamental principles of our movement, especially those of neutrality, impartiality and independence," the Red Cross said. PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maarten Lions Club recently donated a cheque of US$ 2,000.00 to Accessible Ventures transportation services on behalf of Family Miggins. Earlier this year the family reached out the Club requesting assistance towards transportation fees for their son, who suffered an injury, a few years ago which left him wheelchair bound. The young man is still able to attend school via the services provided by Accessible Ventures. Article 28 of the United Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all Children have the right to an Education, and in this case, the Sint Maarten Lions Club is happy to have assisted this family to ensure that their son can continue to attend school and finalize his education. Funds for these activities are from the Lions Club annual fundraising events held during the year. Building a Strong Foundation Youth by Youth - is the theme selected for this Lionistic Year by our President Mrs. Carmen Lake. PHILIPSBURG:--- As we are all aware the 50th Carnival Grand Celebrations are rapidly approaching, and the opening of the Festival Village is sleighed to take place this coming Saturday, April 20th, 2019. Leading up to the grand opening of the Festival Village we have had four Jump-ups that have taken place without any major incidents and the KPSM team would like to congratulate the community on a job well done thus far. We ask that the community and visitors alike to maintain this same positive energy moving forward. The opening Jump-up is to take place this Saturday, will begin on St. Peters between Apricot road and LB Scott Road at 08.00 p.m. sharp and will end at the festival village before midnight. As a safety measure, the entire community and main vendors along the route of the jump-up are urged not to use or serve any beverages in glass bottles. The Police department is asking the community and visitors alike to keep the safety tips in mind to make sure this Carnival season begins and ends on a high note of safety. The Police Force of Sint Maarten is without any doubt doing its utmost, to protect you, your family and your property during the Carnival season as well as combat crime. The Public Relation Office of the Sint Maarten Police Force is, therefore, offering the entire community, the following safety tips, to help them prepare against crime. Remember the 3 As of Crime Prevention 1. Be Aware of your surroundings at all times. 2. Be Alert to suspicious people and vehicles. 3. Avoid dangerous situations. All of us at the KPSM would like to wish everyone a safe and fun-filled Carnival 50. KPSM Press Release. HOUSTON, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orion Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ORN) (the "Company") a leading specialty construction company, today announced the award of multiple contracts with a total value of approximately $35 million. The Companys Marine segment, has recently been awarded three contracts for dredging services along the Texas Gulf Coast. The Companys scope calls for the dredging of ship docks and berths for private clients in the Houston Ship Channel, the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, and the Sabine-Neches Waterway. Orion will deploy a number of hydraulic cutter suction dredges to complete the work. Work on the first project is expected to begin in the second quarter with all three projects expected to be completed this year. Orions dredging fleet has secured a significant amount of private dredging work over the past few months, adding significant backlog and providing for solid utilization for this equipment throughout the year, said Mark Stauffer, Orions President & Chief Executive Officer. These contracts, which are being performed for key private clients who value a proven supplier capable of delivering safe operations, further solidify Orions position as a leader in the Gulf Coast dredging market. About Orion Group Holdings Orion Group Holdings, Inc., a leading specialty construction company, provides services both on and off the water in the continental United States, Alaska, Canada and the Caribbean Basin through its heavy civil marine construction segment and its commercial concrete segment. The Companys heavy civil marine construction segment services includes marine transportation facility construction, marine pipeline construction, marine environmental structures, dredging of waterways, channels and ports, environmental dredging, design, and specialty services. Its commercial concrete segment provides turnkey concrete construction services including pour and finish, dirt work, layout, forming, rebar, and mesh across the light commercial, structural and other associated business areas. The Company is headquartered in Houston, Texas with regional offices throughout its operating areas. Forward-Looking Statements The matters discussed in this press release may constitute or include projections or other forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the provisions of which the Company is availing itself. Certain forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as 'believes', 'expects', 'may', 'will', 'could', 'should', 'seeks', 'approximately', 'intends', 'plans', 'estimates', or 'anticipates', or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, intentions, estimates, forecasts, outlook, assumptions, or goals. In particular, statements regarding future operations or results, including those set forth in this press release and any other statement, express or implied, concerning future operating results or the future generation of or ability to generate revenues, income, net income, profit, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, or cash flow, including to service debt, and including any estimates, forecasts or assumptions regarding future revenues or revenue growth, are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements also include estimated project start date, anticipated revenues, and contract options which may or may not be awarded in the future. Forward looking statements involve risks, including those associated with the Company's fixed price contracts that impacts profits, unforeseen productivity delays that may alter the final profitability of the contract, cancellation of the contract by the customer for unforeseen reasons, delays or decreases in funding by the customer, levels and predictability of government funding or other governmental budgetary constraints and any potential contract options which may or may not be awarded in the future, and are the sole discretion of award by the customer. Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future results. In light of these and other uncertainties, the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this press release should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, goals, intentions, or objectives will be achieved or realized. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update information contained in this press release whether as a result of new developments or otherwise. Please refer to the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 27, 2019, which is available on its website at www.oriongroupholdingsinc.com or at the SECs website at www.sec.gov , for additional and more detailed discussion of risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations, estimates or forecasts. Orion Group Holdings Inc. Shane Martin, Investor Relations Manager (972) 850-2001 ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX-V: PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) (Kraken or the Company), is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., has been awarded a financial contribution of $1 million from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The funding was awarded under the Innovation and Business Development Funding (IBDF) program and will be used for the initial phase of the OceanVision project that Kraken plans to pursue as part of the Ocean Supercluster initiative. OceanVision is a proposed three-year project to develop a new business model that supports Robotics as a Service (RaaS). This RaaS business model will provide an end-to-end integrated solution that offers advanced sensors, robots and data analytics as a turnkey service. The IBDF award will help fund the production of a KATFISH system, and Krakens autonomous launch and recovery system (including Krakens new Tentacle winch). The award also funds the first of three at-sea demonstration campaigns that will be completed throughout the proposed OceanVision project. Krakens project focuses on two primary areas of innovation, including: development of the analytics related to processing, merging and analyzing real-time data; and, development of a new data workflow, providing real-time, high-resolution intelligence of the seafloor and subsea assets. It will strengthen capabilities in emerging technologies, including digitalization, subsea tiebacks and other technologies to lower costs and improve operating performance in the offshore oil and gas industry. Karl Kenny, Kraken's President & CEO, said, "We are very grateful for this financial contribution from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador which supports the initial phase of our proposed OceanVision project. Robotics as a Service is a unique business model, which is a combination of sensors, underwater robots, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. With RaaS, clients do not need to purchase an integrated solution; they can, instead, lease the robotic devices to acquire and process the ultra-high resolution subsea data that they need. The data captured by robots across different locations can be stored in a cloud-based system and accessed by humans. This will ensure seamless data access without disrupting the existing workflow. Customers can leverage robots to engage their resources into more human-intensive processes such as decision-making and analytical thinking. While maritime RaaS is still in a nascent stage of development, it is already driving exciting domestic and international opportunities. With a growing focus on productivity challenges and a deep understanding of the operational environment, RaaS will accelerate innovation and disrupt antiquated business models in many industries across the ocean technology community. ABOUT KRAKEN ROBOTICS INC. Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX.V:PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) is a marine technology company that is dedicated to the production and sale of software-centric sensors and underwater robotic systems. The company is headquartered in St. Johns, Newfoundland with offices in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Toronto, Ontario; Bremen and Rostock Germany; and Boston, Massachusetts. Kraken is ranked as a Top 100 marine technology company by Marine Technology Reporter. For more information, please visit www.krakenrobotics.com, www.krakenrobotik.de, www.krakenpower.de. Find us on social media on Twitter (@krakenrobotics), Facebook (@krakenroboticsinc) and LinkedIn. Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provide (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, and the OTCQB has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. For further information, please contact: Greg Reid, Chief Financial Officer (416) 818-9822 greid@krakenrobotics.com Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations (647) 955-1274 sean@sophiccapital.com Glenda Leyte, Marketing Manager (709) 757-5757 extension 288 gleyte@krakenrobotics.com Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Areas of patchy fog. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Areas of patchy fog. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. NASA astronaut Christina Koch is going to break a record on her first spaceflight, the agency announced yesterday (April 16). Koch, who launched to the space station on March 14 with colleague Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, will remain in orbit for 328 days, returning to Earth in February 2020, according to the new flight schedule. Her colleague, NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, who is scheduled to make his first flight in July, will also remain in orbit for longer than usual, returning in the spring of 2020. Scott Kelly holds the record for NASA's longest continuous spaceflight at 340 days, a record Koch will not be breaking. But she will likely surpass the current record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman: Currently, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson holds that record with 288 days. Related: Expedition 59: The Space Station Mission in Photos The newly announced schedule is the result of conversations between NASA, the Russian space agency Roscosmos and other International Space Station partners. Space station missions typically last for about six and a half months. One motivation for the unusual flight schedule, NASA officials explained, was to gather more data on how human bodies respond to longer spaceflights. "Astronauts demonstrate amazing resilience and adaptability in response to long duration spaceflight exposure," Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientist of the Human Research Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in the statement. "This will enable successful exploration missions with healthy, performance-ready astronauts. NASA is looking to build on what we have learned with additional astronauts in space for more than 250 days. Christina's extended mission will provide additional data for NASA's Human Research Program and continue to support future missions to the Moon and Mars." There's a more pragmatic reasons for the shuffled schedule as well. The United Arab Emirates has been looking to fly Hazzaa Ali Almansoori as the country's first astronaut. The new schedule confirms he will launch as a Russian spaceflight participant, lifting off on Sept. 25 and returning to Earth on Oct. 3. During that return, he will be joined by Koch's original flightmates, Hague and Ovchinin. The duo was originally scheduled to arrive in October, but a failure of their Soyuz rocket sent them plummeting back to Earth. All that means there are plenty of launches and landings to look forward to for spaceflight fans. The three astronauts on board the station right now with Koch and her flightmates NASA's Anne McClain, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko will return to Earth on June 24, wrapping up their six-month stays. On July 20, Morgan will launch with European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov. Crew launches are always soaked in tradition, particularly the history of Russian spaceflight aboard the Soyuz, but this flight will be on another level entirely, as the crew launches on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Then, on Sept. 25, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka will launch with Almansoori. For a week, nine crewmembers will share the station's quarters before the orbiting laboratory returns to its typical six-person crew. On the NASA side of these flights, many of the astronauts will be working with close friends: McClain, Koch, Hague, Meir and Morgan were all members of the same astronaut training class, selected in 2013. ESCONDIDO, Calif., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- MARIJUANA COMPANY OF AMERICA INC. (MCOA or the Company) (OTCQB: MCOA), an innovative hemp and cannabis corporation, is pleased to announce that the Company has officially acquired a 20% ownership interest in Natural Plant Extract of California (NPE). Under the terms of the agreement, Marijuana Company of America has committed to contribute $2,000,000 in total cash to the project, as well as common shares of the Company with a value of $1,000,000. In exchange, the Company will own a 20% equity position in NPE. In addition, MCOA and NPE have also officially signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JV) to establish Viva Buds as a premier cannabis delivery company. Both NPE and MCOA will share in the profits on a fifty-fifty basis. Viva Buds Inc. will serve as the marketing arm for NPE subsidiary Northern Lights Distributions (NLD) new retail cannabis delivery service in California, first starting with delivery services to Los Angeles County and then rolling out to other major cities throughout the state. NLD will contribute up to $300,000 in inventory of cannabis products to assist in the start-up of this venture, and MCOA will provide a vast array of marketing services and technology to promote and build its Viva Buds brand. NPE owns both state and city licenses for volatile manufacturing, distribution and retail delivery of cannabis products. NPE will manage all operations pertaining to distribution, manufacturing and delivery of cannabis products, and MCOA will provide capital, consulting and marketing services. NPE is currently operating as a distributor and is completing the build-out of its manufacturing facility, which is expected to be completed and fully operational in August 2019. Regarding the acquisition, Alan Tsai, CEO of NPE, stated, We are excited to be one of the first California licensed cannabis companies to partner with a publicly traded company in the US. We believe that partnering with an established company such as Marijuana Company of America will help to build Viva Buds and establish our foothold early by securing manufacturing and distribution contracts with key players in the California cannabis market. We expect that this strategic partnership will be mutually beneficial to both companies. Don Steinberg, MCOA CEO, stated, After a great deal of due diligence and strategic planning, we are happy to execute an agreement to purchase ownership in NPE. This is a major step in staying true to our name Marijuana Company of America and entering into the marijuana industry in California. We have aspirations of becoming a major distributor, delivery service and manufacture in California. NPE is ahead of most of the competition in the state in terms of permitting, build-out and licensing. About Marijuana Company of America, Inc. MCOA is a corporation that participates in: (1) product research and development of legal hemp-based consumer products under the brand name hempSMART, which targets general health and well-being; (2) an affiliate marketing program to promote and sell its legal hemp-based consumer products containing CBD; (3) leasing of real property to separate business entities engaged in the growth and sale of cannabis in those states and jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized and properly regulated for medicinal and recreational use; and, (4) the expansion of its business into ancillary areas of the legalized cannabis and hemp industry, as the legalized markets and opportunities in this segment mature and develop. About Natural Plant Extracts of California NPE is a fully licensed cannabis manufacturing, distribution and non-store front retail delivery. The Company has secured its licenses with the state of California and city of Lynwood, CA. For more information about the Company, please visit its website at https://nldistribution.com The owners and founders of NPE are marijuana industry veterans with decades of experience in establishing retail, manufacturing and distribution of cannabis in California, including obtaining the first retail dispensary licenses in Los Angeles, CA. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements," which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", "intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan" or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future US and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-12G, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov. Contact: ir@marijuanacompanyofamerica.com 888-777-4362 For more information, please visit the Companys websites at: MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com hempSMART.com NetworkNewsWire/MCOA NASA's Lunar Retroreflector Array instrument, which may have survived the April 11 crash-landing of Israel's Beresheet moon probe. A NASA piggyback experiment may have survived the April 11 crash of Israel's Beresheet moon lander , experts said.. The NASA payload, known as the Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA), is a technology demonstration composed of eight mirrors made of quartz cube corners that are set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame. These mirrors are intended to serve as markers for other spacecraft, which can use them to orient themselves for precision landings. The entire instrument is smaller than a computer mouse and lightweight. But it's tough, radiation-hardened and designed to be long-lived, so the LRA may not have been destroyed by Beresheet's hard landing. Related: Israel's 1st Moon Lander Beresheet in Pictures "Yes, we believe the laser reflector array would have survived the crash, although it may have separated from the main spacecraft body," said David Smith of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, principal investigator of the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft. "Of course, we do not know the orientation of the array," Smith, who's also an emeritus researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, told Inside Outer Space. "It could be upside down, but it has a 120-degree angle of reception, and we only need 1 of the 0.5-inch cubes for detection. But it has certainly not made it any easier." The LOLA team will begin planning LRA-hunting observations soon, he added. NASA's LRA technology demonstration after installation on Beresheet. The array is mounted on the top of the spacecraft seen here at lower left, at about the 7 o'clock position. (Image credit: SpaceIL/Courtesy Xiaoli Sun/GSFC) Detection attempts Laser beams generated by LOLA hit the lunar surface and bounce back to the instrument. For each beam that returns, LOLA measures its time of flight, or range. And if LOLA manages to bounce some light off the LRA reflector, the team should know about it. NASA is interested in dotting the moon with many such retroreflectors in the future. These would serve as permanent "fiducial markers" on the moon , meaning future craft could use them as points of reference to make precision landings. In addition, LRO is attempting to image Beresheet's crash site with its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera system, or LROC for short, Smith said. Chain of events Preliminary data supplied by the engineering teams of the nonprofit group SpaceIL and the company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which together led Beresheet's mission , suggest a technical glitch in one of the lander's components triggered the chain of events on April 11 that caused the main engine of the spacecraft to malfunction. Without the main engine working properly, it was impossible to stop Beresheet's velocity. The moon lander overcame the issue by restarting the engine. However, by that time, its velocity was too high to slow down and the landing could not be completed as planned, mission team members said. According to SpaceIL and IAI, information collected so far shows that the first technical issue occurred at 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) above the moon. At 492 feet (150 meters) from the lunar terrain, connection with the spacecraft was lost completely. At that time, Beresheet was moving vertically at 310 mph (500 km/h), headed for an inevitable collision with the lunar surface. The Beresheet spacecraft, whose name means "genesis" or "in the beginning" in Hebrew, launched on February 21. Meanwhile, Israel's moon dream has not died! SpaceIL President Morris Kahn announced over the weekend that the group plans to build and launch a follow-on lunar lander: Beresheet 2.0 . It took eight telescopes across the planet a week of observations to produce the black hole image that stunned the world last week, but it took scientists much longer to teach those instruments to work together. And in the two years since the data behind that image was gathered, the Event Horizon Telescope partnership behind the groundbreaking observations has already expanded, with more telescopes looking to join the fray soon. Each new instrument will sharpen scientists' images of their quarry, but each will also need to be outfitted carefully before it can join the collaboration . Fortunately, the hardest work is already done, Dan Marrone, an astronomer at the University of Arizona and a member of the Event Horizon Telescope science team, told Space.com. "For the most part, the sites we're adding now are just reimplementing the basic hardware that we know how to do well," he said. Related: Eureka! Scientists Photograph a Black Hole for the 1st Time But the more telescopes the team can bring on board, the sharper the final image is. The challenge in doing this comes from the fact that none of these telescopes were custom-built for the Event Horizon Telescope project . They're just instruments that happen to be what scientists call submillimeter telescopes, which can sense the wavelength range the Event Horizon team members needed to tune to for their black hole hunt. For the South Pole Telescope, then, the team needed to adapt a telescope designed to study the remnants of the Big Bang, installing a special detector and an optics package. All of which, of course, needed to withstand the extreme cold of Antarctica . The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration) And the instruments involved in the observations included both single-dish telescopes and multidish arrays. That posed a particular challenge at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) high in the Chilean desert, where information from the different dishes needed to be compiled perfectly. Then, each of the instruments needed to be armed with an atomic clock so precise that it loses just 1 second every 100 million years. The clock's time must be imprinted on all the telescope's observations so that when scientists combine data gathered by different telescopes, the observations aren't blurred. The other crucial equipment the team needed to install at each instrument was a system that could keep up with the massive stream of data being produced 16 gigabits every second of the observation period, significantly more than other astronomy projects, Marrone said. That required recording systems custom-built from commercial components. The Event Horizon Telescope team has already outfitted one newcomer this way: the Greenland Telescope, which came online for the program's 2018 observation campaign. The addition posed its own challenges: The telescope was originally built as a prototype for the dishes of ALMA, then outfitted to withstand the cold, shipped up to Greenland and set up as part of the Event Horizon Telescope. That addition improved the team's observations of the northern part of M87, stretching the array's coverage northward. Another upcoming addition, of the Kitt Peak Telescope in Arizona, will strengthen the array in the opposite way, partnering with the nearby Submillimeter Telescope to offer scientists some redundancy, helping the team calibrate the observations. "If we could choose our array, we would have two telescopes at every site," Marrone said. While there are plenty of schemas for how to arrange a collection of networked instruments, the team isn't really all that picky more telescopes will always help their resolution, no matter where they are. "The Earth's terrain does a good job of randomizing where we can put them," Marrone said. But there's no reason the Event Horizon Telescope will always need to be Earth-bound. Currently, there are no submillimeter telescopes in orbit, but some team members are looking into proposing just such an instrument . "You don't need that much of a telescope," Marrone said. "It's not quite cubesat scale, but it ain't JWST," he added, referencing the massive, over-budget and behind-schedule James Webb Space Telescope currently scheduled to launch in 2021. And perhaps a space-based contributor would address some of the mundane challenges that haunt Marrone and his colleagues during their quest to see what can't be seen. That's because the process requires gathering data, multiplying it thousands of times, and then clarifying a perfect sine wave, rhythmic and symmetrical, from it. "The number of days I've spent just trying to figure out what was making my sine wave wiggle, it can be really painful," Marrone said. The culprits can range from someone stepping on a cable or jumping near an atomic clock, to the wind blowing too strongly or two pieces of metal touching each other when they shouldn't. "Doing this is a really weird job," Marrone said. "It's all these stupid little issues that we always have to sort out to get this to work." But when it works, it's worth it. Frauenkirche Expert on Devastating Fire 'Notre Dame Reconstruction Will Take Years' The damage to Notre Dame cathedral is massive: The roof was destroyed, a spire collapsed and the stone was exposed to immense heat. What will efforts to rebuild look like? We asked one of the engineers behind the reconstruction of Dresden's Frauenkirche church. Moscow, April 14, 2019 (SPS) - Sahrawi Coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Mhamed Kheddad said that a complaint against the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement will soon be filed before the European Court of Justice (CJEU), noting that a "very solid" case was prepared to reject the agreement in question. Speaking to Russian agency Sputnik, in Moscow, Mhamed Kheddad said that the Polisario Front intends to file a complaint before the European Court of Justice, against the fishing agreement concluded illegally between EU and Morocco in disregard of CJEU judgments dating from 2016 and 2018. We are convinced that we have a very solid case and the Court will utterly reject its agreements because they are illegal," said the Sahrawi Coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Kheddad recalled, on this occasion, that CJEU had already ruled on "the inapplicability of EU-Morocco agreements to occupied Western Sahara which is considered as a separate territory that doesn't fall under the Moroccan Sovereignty, in addition to "the prior consent of the Saharawi people to any agreement on the exploitation of its natural resources. The Polisario Front's complaint before the Court of Justice of the European Union comes in response to the adoption, by the European Parliament last February, of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement and its implementation protocol involving illegally the Sahrawi territorial waters. The Polisario Front strongly opposed this illegal agreement which violates the Saharawi people's fundamental right to self-determination and which only feeds the pursuit of the conflict in Western Sahara. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Betty Williams says giving up crack cocaine was easier than her ongoing struggle to quit cigarettes. A cigarette is a friend, said Williams, who lives with schizophrenia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with mental illness account for 44 percent of the cigarette purchases in the United States, and they are less likely to quit than other smokers. High smoking rates among people with mental illness contribute to poorer physical health and shorter lifespans, generally 13 to 30 years shorter than the population as a whole. About 37 percent of men and 30 percent of women with mental illness smoke. The rate of smoking among whites with mental illness is 35 percent; blacks, 33.6 percent; and Hispanics, 27.2 percent, according to Mental Health America. While smoking rates are dropping in the U.S., a decade-long study that began in 2000 showed no consistent decrease for people with mental illness. Help to quit smoking can be hard to find. The quit rates are so low that physicians are kind of weary about getting in there and fighting the fight, said Dr. Paul Sachs, director of Stamford Healths Division of Pulmonary Medicine. Quit rates are low for all smokers, he added, but even lower for people with mental illness. Among the general population, less than 10 percent of smokers will succeed in quitting for six months in any given attempt. We need physicians to make it a priority, Sachs said. He noted that office visits in a typical practice may be too short to have a meaningful discussion about tobacco. He suggests that doctors either designate a nurse practitioner or physician assistant as the smoking cessation specialist in the practice or refer patients out to someone who can support them in quitting. Sachs heads the health systems smoking cessation program. The program is accessible in the psychiatric ward but he found few takers. If you talk to 20 people about it and one of them stops, its still worth it, Sachs said. Jean-Marie Monroe-Lynch developed a smoking cessation program for people in Wheeler Clinic's Adult Services Department, which serves the most seriously ill among the agencys clients. Lynch, who directs the department, said 70 percent of the clients in it smoke. With support, including group counseling, nicotine gum and referrals for sessions of acupuncture and exercise, 15 percent of those who signed up managed to quit for a weeka high enough success rate that Lynch wants to expand it. Even for those who did not remain smoke-free, there was a benefit, as smokers typically go through multiple attempts before finally quitting. Some people didnt successfully quit, but it gave them that thought process, she said. Lynch sees potential for cessation programs embedded in mental health organizations, where people can manage the depression and anxiety that led them to smoke in the first place. The reason that most people start smoking with mental illness is that it masks their symptoms, she said. Connecticut used to fund smoking cessation programs specifically for people with mental illness, using money from a multi-state lawsuit against cigarette companies. Now that money goes directly into the General Fund. There has been no new funding for tobacco control outside of Medicaid since 2015, said Bryte Johnson, government relations director in Connecticut for the American Cancer Society. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the state spend $32 million annually on tobacco control, but Connecticut has only spent a total of $29 million cumulatively since 2003, he said. Its really unfortunate, said John ORourke, director of CommuniCare, a mental health service program that serves greater New Haven. ORourke ran smoking cessation programs for people with mental illness, until the state funding ceased. Having programs that can address the interplay of mental illness and smoking is helpful, he said. Quitting actually benefits their recovery, he said. Abstaining from cigarettes can boost mood and give people a sense of accomplishment, according to ORourke. Katelyn Trauger, a social worker at Fellowship Place, has charts to show clients, most of whom are low-income people with mental illness, how much money they will save from quitting. She also keeps a jar of brown goop in her office that represents the amount of tar a smokers lungs accumulate in a year of smoking a pack a day. Its really, really, really difficult. A lot of people will use smoking as their last vice, she said. Fellowship Place used to have a formal smoking cessation group, but Trauger ended that in favor of drop-in counseling, recognizing that keeping appointments can be difficult for the people she serves. Cessation services for people with mental illness are rare enough in Connecticut that Trauger, who works in New Haven, gets calls from places like Wethersfield and Portland. Williams is down to two cigarettes a day. I can breathe now without wheezing, she said. But she quickly added, I have to stop. With street drugs behind her, Williams is active in her church and community. She has a job. She has finally met her grandchildren. That was miraculous! she said. Williams wants to stick around for more experiences like that. I dont want to die. I put the crack away, she said. I want to put the cigarettes away. I got to get right with myself. I dont want to die just for a cigarette. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHO: AllyO , the technology company renowned for its end-to-end AI recruiting solution WHAT: Will exhibit at the upcoming ERE Recruiting Conference , delivering product demonstrations to enterprise organizations looking to improve recruiting efficiency in a candidate-driven market. WHEN: Monday, April 22 Wednesday, April 24, 2019 WHERE: Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina 333 W Harbor Drive San Diego, Calif. AllyO will exhibit in Booth No. 519. DETAILS: In todays candidate-driven job market, successful talent acquisition demands delight and efficiency. Designed with enterprise organizations in mind, AllyO accounts for the recruiting process from end to end, working to find more qualified candidates while intelligently automating workflows and providing actionable insights. Trusted to help move enterprise organizations throughout the recruiting journey, AllyO continues to improve hiring outcomes through AI-driven solutions and a growing number of ATS integrations , with additional announcements coming soon. During the ERE Recruiting Conference , AllyO will be on-site as both an exhibitor and key event sponsor. The AllyO presence will enable attendees to learn more from company representatives and experience the solutions first-hand. There, AllyO will demonstrate the companys unique approach, emphasizing the call to Just Recruit, which it infuses across its clients' careers pages: Hilton , Brinker International and Pitney Bowes . ERE Recruiting Conference goers are encouraged to visit AllyO in Booth No. 519 and can pre-schedule a demo by visiting https://www.allyo.com/event/ere-recruiting-conference-san-diego . About AllyO AllyO is an AI technology company with a simple mission make recruiting delightful and efficient for everyone. It addresses the traditional inefficiencies of lost applicants and conversions due to poor candidate experience, the high cost of recruiting due to overburdening of administrative tasks on hiring teams and lack of visibility and control for HR leadership. It utilizes deeply conversational AI to fully automate an end-to-end recruiting workflow by intelligently engaging via texting over mobile and web. It is used by Fortune 500 enterprises that have experienced a 2-6X increase in applicant capture and conversion rate, 91 percent application completion rate and over 50 percent reduction in cost and time to hire. One of the major complaints from marijuana researchers in recent years is that cannabis grown for research purposes is, to put it bluntly, basically skunk weed. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Northern Colorado offers science to back up that claim. They found that marijuana from the federal facility is genetically closer to hemp than it is to the weed for sale at your local dispensary. That's a problen because, as the researchers wrote, These results suggest that subjects consuming research grade marijuana may experience different effects than average consumers. Its like test driving a Honda to find out what its like to drive a BMW. Related: Hemp vs. Marijuana: Why Can't Cops Tell Them Apart? Marijuana from Ole Miss. The University of Mississippi is the only place licensed by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to grow marijuana for research purposes. Thats because marijuana remains a Schedule I illegal drug in the eyes of the federal government. The school recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of having the contract with the government to grow research-grade marijuana. In an article on the school website late in 2018 about the anniversary, the schools pharmacy dean said the university has done an outstanding job of working within federal guidelines to produce cannabis products that are standardized for scientific research. The University of North Colorado study, however, found that research at the school, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA), is producing cannabis that is genetically divergent from commercial cannabis. The researchers investigated the genetics of research cannabis because previous studies already had found THC and cannabinoid levels in research marijuana were less than that found in cannabis purchased legally in Colorado, Washington and California. The Washington Post reported that while marijuana is supposed to have 13 percent THC, tests show research-grade marijuana had about 8 percent. Related: Will Medical Cannabis Sales Eventually Surpass Recreational Sales? More fuel for the fire. The study offers more research to support the ongoing effort to get the DEA to license more facilities to grow research-grade marijuana. The DEA had started procedures to license more facilities during the Obama Administration, but none had been awarded as of early April. Frustrated researchers have sent photos of research weed they have been given that looks more like lawn clippings than actual marijuana -- and that was two years ago. Both the Justice Department and DEA officials told Vox they either had no update on the program or were working through the issue, without further explanation. Meanwhile, researchers continue to worry that without proper marijuana to test, consumers still dont have a clear idea on the effects and potential health treatments available with cannabis. Follow dispensaries.com on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news. Related: This Week in Weed: Notorious B.U.D! Marijuana the Feds Allow for Research Is More Like Hemp Than Real-Life Pot This Week in Weed: DO NOT SMOKE THIS! Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved T he seventh-floor spa of the Peninsula Hong Kong is an oasis that sits above the hustle and bustle of Tsim Sha Tsui. Much like the rest of the grand dame hotel, the spas design fuses traditional Chinese elements with a contemporary aesthetic. Warm tones of marble, rustic woods and textured granite abound across 14 state-of-the-art treatment rooms, six of which enjoy staggering views out over the harbour. There are separate relaxation rooms for men and women, both with comfy beds, healthy snacks and amazing views. Men and women also have separate hammam-style steam rooms, saunas and aromatherapy experience shower areas. There are also six VIP couples suites and a sun terrace for lounging and sunbathing. On the 8th floor, theres a spacious gym and stunning, Romanesque 18-metre indoor swimming pool (again with the view), which is only open to hotel guests. Harbour View Treatment Room, Peninsula Spa Hong Kong / Peninsula Hong Kong FAMOUS FOR The spa is known for its incredible massages using ESPA oils, a cocktail of which is personally selected for each customer, and in terms of facials, theyre the only place in Hong Kong where you can get a treatment using super luxe Monte Carlo skincare brand Margys in fact it's the only place in Asia. Harbour View Sauna, Peninsula Spa Hong Kong / Peninsula Hong Kong THE TREATMENT After a week of late nights and sweaty hikes in Hong Kongs notoriously polluted air, my face was in need of a little TLC so I opted for the hour-long Margys Firming Collagen Facial, 2,700 HKD (263). Margys is an anti-ageing program and line of products founded 30 years ago by Monte Carlo spa owner Margie Lombard that, for a long time, was only available in Monaco. Margys now has a few choice outposts around the world (in London the only place to offer Margys facials is the recently shuttered Grace Belgravia), with the spa at the Peninsula Hong Kong the only Asian outpost. My therapist was excited to hear that Id never tried the range, and I was excited to see if it would live up to her hype. Honestly, it couldnt have been better. First the therapist applied a highly active face mask containing collagen, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to target my tired and damaged skin. Then she applied serum-soaked algae patches which she dissolved using deep and precise manual massage. The therapist then massaged Margys Extra Rich Firming Mask into my skin to hydrate and visibly reduce fine lines, and rounded things off with a wonderfully relaxing neck and shoulder massage. Couple's Suite, Peninsula Spa Hong Kong / Peninsula Hong Kong VERDICT I sat up in the bed, glanced out across Victoria Harbour, then looked at myself in the small handheld mirror handed to me by the therapist and barely recognised the reinvigorated, glowing face staring back at me. So yeah, 10/10. The Peninsula Spa Asian Tea Lounge, Peninsula Hong Kong / Peninsula Hong Kong YOULL LEAVE FEELING Rested, recharged and with a glowing face thats ready for Hong Kong nightlife round two. P eople who are insecure tend to save. Its human instinct to hoard and stockpile. Squirrels do it, they hide seeds and acorns to tide them over the winter. A great many business people are behaving in this way. Big firms that import stuff have been stockpiling in anticipation of trouble, post-Brexit. Those who dont need to stockpile things hoard money. Bosses are lining the corporate mattress with cash, just in case. We know this because government statistics and private surveys tell us that companies are not investing. In a recent survey of chief financial officers, Deloitte found large businesses were prioritising cash flow, with 81 per cent expecting the business environment to deteriorate when the UK leaves the EU. Roughly half said their main priority was in reducing costs and maximising cash generation while only 8 per cent cited capital investment as a priority. The spending freeze can be seen in national statistics. In its latest bulletin, the ONS reported that the UK barely grew in the last quarter of 2018. GDP was up 0.2 per cent, mainly due to household and government consumption. People are still buying stuff in the shops but businesses, which must look beyond tomorrow, are spending little. Business investment fell in each quarter in 2018, the worst performance since the downturn after the financial crash in 2009. They are buying fewer lorries and trucks. But even more worrying, IT investment is down, an indication UK businesses are not investing in technology that might improve productivity and profitability. Its easy to blame Brexit; such a massive constitutional upheaval can only upset anyone planning their business. Yet there is more to this investment slump than just reactive behaviour by bosses anxious about a loss of market access. Human beings are not squirrels. Human beings follow narratives; we crave inspiration and we like leaders with ideas. A government that has a persuasive narrative about the opportunity of future prosperity can coax us to spend, even in the darkest days. For businesses to invest, they must have confidence in government. They need to believe that the country is heading in a sensible direction under sound political management. The ONS provides evidence in its GDP bulletin: a graph comparing the trend in business investment since the 2008 financial crash with the last two recessions in 1979 and 1990. In all three, investment slumped for two years and then began to recover. But in the case of the 1979 and 1990 recessions, investment took off after six or seven years. After 1979, investment let rip as the Thatcher privatisation programme took off and the City deregulated. In 1997, investment soared as New Labour took over. Since the 2008 collapse, we have experienced no blossoming of private sector investment; since 2014, investment levels have been subdued. You dont have to like Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair to recognise that both had a narrative that boosted the nations self-confidence. Both governments had a very clear vision of future prosperity and sold it convincingly to the business community. Since the 2008 crash, the business community has not been offered a grand plan. If you run a business or want to invest in a project, what vision of future reward does Brexit offer? Only risk; no new markets, no greater access to cheap finance or to skilled labour. T he boss of loss-making Homebase, which was sold for 1 after a botched takeover, on Wednesday said the DIY chain will be back in the black next year. Chief executive Damian McGloughlin, who is spearheading a turnaround of the retailer, said the business is expected to break even this year and return to profitability in 2020. Were aware weve got lots to do but were very optimistic about the future. Homebase was bought by restructuring specialist Hilco, former owner of music chain HMV, from Australian firm Wesfarmers in May, after a disastrous two-year ownership. The firm today said its losses narrowed from 172 million to 33 million for six months to December 30. This was mostly down to job cuts at its HQ, 47 store closures, negotiating lower rents and closing two of its six distribution centres. Revenues were down slightly from 515.6 million to 497.8 million compared with the same period last year. The chain has also borrowed 95 million from Wells Fargo and Hilco injected 25 million. It has 186 shops and no plans to cut more jobs. McGloughlin said: We want to simplify the business and make it more efficient but we have the right structure and team. H ill, one of the UKs largest private housebuilders, on Wednesday defied Brexit jitters in the market, and toasted sales passing the 500 million mark. The Waltham Abbey-headquartered builder, which has, or is, developing in areas such as Muswell Hill and Hackney, said it sold 1550 homes in 2018. That was up from 1400 a year earlier. The sales helped total turnover rise 21% to 501.5 million, and pretax profits increased to 48.4 million from 47.2 million. Andy Hill, chief executive, said: 2018 has been another strong year for Hill, seeing a rise in turnover to hit the 500 million mark is a proud milestone for our highly talented and ambitious teams. Growth came despite some would-be buyers delaying purchases while uncertainty around Britains departure from the EU persists. The boss said: The Brexit puzzle remains unresolved and the deadlock looks unlikely to be broken in the short term. Our approach is to continue investment, but do so cautiously. C ars dealer Pendragon plunged today after revealing an unexpected loss, piling pressure on new management just weeks after they took over. The cars dealers shares fell up to 13% in London after it posted a 2.8 million loss for the first quarter this year, well below the 6 million profit analysts had pencilled in. Cars sales have been hit badly with potential buyers keeping their hands in their pockets as Brexit remains unresolved. Last month cars body SMMT said new car registrations had fallen by around 3% in march as uncertainty over new diesel regulations also dented consumer confidence. As a result chief executive Mark Herbert and chief financial officer Mark Willis, who both joined this month, have launched a strategic review, although the company refused to say if this could result in parts of the business being sold off. A spokesman for the company said: The results of the review will be communicated to the market in June. It has been a tough 18 months for car dealers. Buying a new car is an expensive purchase and consumers are being affected by the uncertainty. Retail analyst Nick Bubb added: The profit warning is buried in what looks like a routine trading update, which begins with good-looking revenue growth. However, gross margins have been weak across the board. It is not the first time Pendragon has been in trouble, having served up a profit warning last October. It said at the time it would combat its problems by focusing on selling more used cars, although this sessions figures show that profits at its used-cars division were also down. Its online business Car Store also performed poorly despite heavy investment. T his ought to be Labours moment. The Government is split, leadership rivals are circling the Prime Minister and Brexit is delayed without a plan. In European elections next month even Tories are talking about not backing the Tories. A YouGov poll today suggests only 15 per cent of likely voters expect to support the Conservatives thats the same as Change UK and the Lib-Dems put together. So the ball is at Jeremy Corbyns feet. Two things stand between him and the net. One is his toxic refusal to do anything real about anti-Semitism in the party. The issue clearly bores and bewilders him. He cant see whats wrong with the things he and his colleagues keep being caught out saying the latest is the shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, who denied that hed ever used the phrase Zionism is the enemy of peace, only for footage of him saying just that to emerge. We keep going around the houses like this. A Labour figure talks obsessively about Israel or a member puts something hateful on social media. Denial follows. Were told that the words have been misreported, or do not represent the persons real views and their commitment to fight racism in all its forms. Theres a promise to root out the problem. Nothing much happens. It begins again. As the Labour MP Louise Ellman said on Monday: It is high time that the Labour Party not just admitted its problem with anti-Semitism but actually dealt with it. It should be to the partys shame that the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a body actually set up by a Labour government, has become involved. This matters not just because racism is wrong but because it defines the sort of party Mr Corbyn leads. Is it tolerant, progressive and open? Or, underneath, is there some other agenda? An absence of an honest definition troubles voters and that points to the other issue the party wont deal with. It wants to give the impression of supporting a second referendum for those who want one, while not actually doing so for those who dont or, as Diane Abbott put it with absurd clarity earlier this month: We are not saying anything definitively but we have a position. If Labour goes into the European elections backing a new vote, 23 per cent of likely voters intend to support it, not far behind the Brexit Party. But if it endorses an exit deal involving a customs union, that would crash to 15 per cent neck and neck with the Conservatives and Lib-Dems. Loading.... The pressure is on to choose. But on Brexit, as on anti-Semitism, Mr Corbyn wants it both ways. How to change the world We cannot ignore the obvious physical risks before our eyes. Climate change is a global problem, which requires global solutions. Who said it? The small number of protesters who have, inexplicably, been allowed to shut off large parts of central London over the past few days, under the belief that messing up public transport will cut carbon emissions? Or the leader of Britains financial system? The answer, of course, is the latter. Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, is calling for action, writing jointly today with Francois Villeroy de Galhau, the Governor of the Banque de France. This is part of a serious and sustained effort by the heads of 34 central banks to focus financial regulation on avoiding environmental as well as economic collapse. The protesters will probably just dismiss it as greenwash. But theres more than one way to try to change the world. Blocking buses and shouting slogans might feel exciting, but our money is on Mr Carney to make a real difference. East London takes off Its welcome. I nspired by Notre-Dame de Paris, Victor Hugo wrote: The greatest products of architecture are less the works of individuals than of society; rather the offspring of a nations effort, than the inspired flash of a man of genius; the deposit left by a whole people Each wave of time contributes its alluvium, each race deposits its layer on the monument, each individual brings his stone. In this respect, the novelist concluded: Time is the architect, the nation is the builder. Had Hugo witnessed the worlds response to the flames engulfing Notre-Dame on Monday, he would have grasped, too, that the emotions inspired by this astonishing edifice are not confined by national borders. Over the centuries, even for those who have never visited it and will never do so, the ancient cathedral has entered the common patrimony of humankind. Its facade alone is one of the worlds most treasured spectacles. Magnificently French in construction, it is global in its emotional resonance. The great cathedrals of the world, it is often claimed, are the most powerful riposte to atheism: symphonies in stone, gravity-defying miracles that challenge us to explain how such wonders could possibly be achieved without divine inspiration. Yet Notre-Dame no less than, say, St Peters Basilica, or Canterbury Cathedral, or the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has come to enshrine something quite different: a sense of solidarity and shared experience that transcends faith and has survived robustly into the secular age. Matthew d'Ancona In the opening to his great 1969 television series, Civilisation, Kenneth Clark stood before the Parisian cathedral and asked: What is civilisation?... I think I can recognise it when I see it. Im looking at it right now. That sensation, of source, is universal. In his excellent book on English cathedrals, Simon Jenkins writes that these buildings are the closest England comes to the sublime and describes the medieval cathedral as the most spectacular and lasting accomplishment of the English people. In the wake of this weeks fire, how much more precious do these great buildings seem. What better way of spending Easter weekend than to visit, for instance, the cathedrals of Ely, Lincoln or Wells? The power of such structures reflects the deep and atavistic passion of human beings to accomplish the extraordinary, at almost any cost. In the 15th century, the clergy of Seville declared: Let us build such a church, that those who come after us shall take us for madmen. In his historical novel, The Spire, William Golding describes the manic desire of Dean Jocelin to build his church almost certainly based on Salisbury Cathedral so that it commands the landscape, altering it, dominating it, enforcing a pattern that reached wherever the tower could be seen, by sheer force of its being there. What drives Jocelin is his will, his blazing will just as in Tarkovskys cinematic masterpiece, Andrei Rublev, set in 15th-century Russia, the casting of a bell becomes a task of almost unbearable artistic intensity. In an age of culture wars and tribal disaggregation, it is important to remember the binding force of great creativity and art, and its astonishing capacity to mend the frayed connective tissue between human beings. Barring a few fractious noises off, the reaction to the Notre-Dame fire has been united, passionate and strong. For the first time, perhaps, since 9/11, the world watched a burning building and asked only: What can we do to help? "For the first time since 9/11, the world watched a burning building and asked only: What can we do to help?" In that instinct, we discover something else. That we are not, in fact, entirely captive to what might be called the digital instant: the sense that we exist only in the present nanosecond of social media posts, status updates and fizzing newsfeeds. The spectacle of a great cathedral in flames is horrible indeed. But it awakens a deep awareness that we are located in a great sequence of time, surrounded by the work of the past and the seeds of the future. At such moments we are struck once more by the power of what Yeats called monuments of unageing intellect. The foundation stone of Notre-Dame was laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163: a time closer to the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great than to our own era. The cathedral is part of an ancient and ongoing human story, to which the breathless ephemera of modern digital culture is mostly blind. There is a paradox at the heart of this moment of cultural trauma. The flames that curled viciously around the spire and through the roof of Notre-Dame on Monday evening were a memento mori, a reminder that all we treasure is fragile and ultimately transient: it is unnerving to reflect that the church was a mere 15 to 30 minutes away from complete destruction. Yet it survived just as, in previous centuries, it withstood the assault of the Huguenots and the French Revolution. Even as smoke continued to billow into the Parisian night, huge donations were pouring in to fund the formidable task of reconstruction. Nous rebatirons Notre-Dame, declared the French president, Emmanuel Macron. London, UK, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For free sample pages on this report please click here In the current market landscape, organisations are witnessing the need for robust authentication techniques to provide convenience and security as their customers access sensitive information and data. To avoid the glitches of the password-based authentication, these organisations are now moving moved towards multi-factor authentication. The concerns regarding data security are increasing rapidly owing to the growth of digital content and the increasing number of data breaches. Digital security is a crucial issue witnessed by these organisations that have a broad customer base and a few security solutions. The threats regarding data security have become difficult to detect owing to significant growth in the customer base, the rise in IoT penetration, and the rise in digital content. Also, the demand for advanced security systems in government agencies and the civil sector is surging. This has created growth opportunities for the global market. Further, the increasing adoption of biometrics-based security measures paired with advancements in the development of robust solutions has propelled the growth of the facial recognition systems market. If you are interested in a more detailed overview of this report, please send an e-mail to sara.peerun@visiongain.com or call her on 0207 549 9987 The Visiongain report analyst commented Currently, the 2D facial recognition technology dominates the global facial recognition technology market in 2019. The high share of the segment can be attributed to higher functionalities and commercialisation of this technology. It is expected that 3D facial recognition technology is expected to surpass 2D owing to better security functionalities, steadily increasing adoption and the high cost of the system. Leading companies featured in the report who are developing facial recognition technology including 3M, Cognitec Systems GmbH, NEC Corporation, Gemalto, Nuance Corporation, Daon, IDEMIA, ZKTeco, Cross Match Technologies (ASSA Abloy), Ayonix Corporation, and Aware Inc. Notes for Editors If you are interested in a more detailed overview of this report, please send an e-mail to sara.peerun@visiongain.com or call her on 0207 549 9987. For more Cyber reports please click here Related reports: About Visiongain Visiongain is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative independent business intelligence providers in Europe. Based in London, UK, Visiongain publishes independent and insightful market reports across a wide range of industry verticals, including automotive, chemical, cyber, defence, energy, pharmaceutical, materials and many more sectors. M acclesfield, a town in the North-West known as the silk capital of England, has had interactions with China for more than 400 years and is regarded as the Western end of the ancient Silk Road in Europe. Fast-forward to the second decade of the 21st century and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), designed to revive the ancient trade route, is becoming the mainstream of China-UK co-operation. The UK Government has appointed a BRI special envoy, established an expert board and participated in the Belt and Road Forum Advisory Council. The all-party parliamentary group on the BRI Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is looking into policy support and legal guarantees. Joint principles have been issued to address the environmental and social risks of BRI and encourage green investment. China-UK business co-operation is thriving. Latest figures show trade in goods exceeding $80 billion for the first time in 2018 and mutual investments increasing, with direct investment from China up 14 per cent year on year. People-to-people exchanges have flourished, evidenced by 1.5 million mutual visits per year, with 190,000 Chinese students in Britain and more than 10,000 UK students in China. Eight new direct flights were launched last year between Chinese and British cities. Later this month, the second Belt and Road Forum will be held in Beijing. Representatives from more than 100 countries will discuss BRI. This will be a chance to deepen Britains participation and achieve more results in China-UK co-operation. The first opportunity is rule-making. Britain has played a leading role in the establishment and management of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In BRI development, Britain could have a big role to play in ensuring that the projects are of higher quality, at a higher standard, with higher return. The second opportunity is exploration of third-party markets. The forum will include a CEO conference and meetings on business co-operation. This points to immense potential for third-party involvement in BRI development. The UK, with its unique strengths in professional services, project-management and financing, could tap into this potential. The third opportunity is green development. The forum will unveil key projects aimed at implementing the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China and the UK, having laid the groundwork for co-operation on green finance, environmental protection and sustainable development, could expand it to wider areas. Like all things new, BRI has met with misunderstandings or doubts. Amid the profound changes in the world, hesitation leads only to missed opportunities. I hope Britain will seize the opportunities of BRI and join hands with China to make a greater contribution to the China-UK Golden Era. Review at a glance Y esterday, on the night Merce Cunningham would have turned 100, 25 performers from across the UK gathered on the Barbican stage to celebrate one of modern dances most visionary choreographers. It proved no ordinary birthday party. Not for Cunningham a limp showcase of gala-friendly extracts or big-name superstars, but an evening of scale and ambition that offered a fresh take on nearly six decades of convention-breaking work. You just know Merce would have approved. Not that the big names werent there, mind once you got past the gaudy bodysuits and occasional props including an umbrella, chair and white overalls, there were stars of the Royal Ballet and Rambert, both BalletBoyz, Olivier award-winning Jonathan Goddard and Siobhan Davies. (Similar shows in Los Angeles and New York, live-streamed around the world on the same night, featured equally starry US casts.) Rather it was the 100 solos themselves, taken from 54 works created by the choreographer between 1953 and 2009, just months before his death, that took centre stage. Several works were danced side by side, creating a mesmerising collage of sweeping limbs, bouncing jumps and precise geometric stillness; at other times a performer simply went it alone. A few programme notes aside, there was no indication who was dancing what or when, with John Kings atmospheric electro soundscape (an ear-splitting burble of white noise if youre feeling unkind) and Richard Hamiltons shadow-like graphics and garbled sayings only adding to the confusion. But playing spot the solo was to miss the point: this was an evening about reassembling old work to make something new. Much of this freshness was created by the dancers themselves, with various ages from 20-year-old Nathan Gracia to Siobhan Davies, 68 body types and dance disciplines all represented. And though Cunninghams detractors have often been quick to throw labels like cold, unemotional and clinical at his choreography (a Rambert dancer once told the critic Ismene Brown that dancing his pieces felt like assembling furniture from instructions), its clear that this new generation have found real emotional resonance in his work. So, The Royals Francesca Hayward, resplendent in salmon pink, brought an elegant depth to her flicking, controlled tendus, Goddard an intensity to punches and sunken plies, and William Trevitt even managed to pull off a jumpsuit covered in tin cans. Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway says she refused to listen to people who warned that her career would be over when she reached the age of 35. The 36-year-old told Tatler: I was always told that once I turned 35 I would turn into a pumpkin and never get a good part again. She added: It makes me sad that the world tells me my skin is somehow less valuable than it used to be, but I dont listen and I dont agree. Hathaway last year starred in blockbuster Oceans 8, about a team of female criminals, and will be seen with Rebel Wilson in The Hustle, a remake of 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. (Jack Waterlot) The star, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Les Miserables, has previously spoken out against the pressure on women in Hollywood. She was also one of the original signatories to the open letter that helped launch the Times Up movement against sexual harassment in the industry, in the wake of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. In The Hustle, she and Wilson play a pair of con-artists seeking revenge on the men who have wronged them. A former vegan, Hathaway said she gave up while filming 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar with Matt Damon in Iceland after he and her husband were served reindeer carpaccio in a Michelin-starred restaurant. She said: So then I was the only chick and Im the vegan and everyones just going with the flow. So I asked Is your fish local? (Jack Waterlot ) / Jack Waterlot And they said Do you see that fjord? So I had a piece of salmon and my brain felt like a computer rebooting. Another of her Interstellar co-stars, Michael Caine, has started giving her marriage advice, she revealed. Michael and I dont really have a ring-you-up sort of relationship. But hes always very warm and lovely when we run into each other, she said. He gives me marriage advice. Separate bathrooms. When he told me that, I laughed and he looked at me and said, Im serious, its such an important part of the marriage. The actress also opened up about stopping drinking alcohol last year. She said: My issue is I just love it. So. Much. But the way I do it makes me unavailable for my son. (Jack Waterlot ) / Jack Waterlot My last hangover lasted for five days. Id earned it: it was a day drinking session with friends that went into an evening birthday party with one of my drinking buddies. I will never be that person who can nurse a glass of wine throughout an entire evening. Anne Hathaway - In pictures 1 /66 Anne Hathaway - In pictures Anne Hathaway attends the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 in New York City Getty Images Boss from hell: Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway, winner of the Best Supporting Actress award for 'Les Miserables,' poses in the press room during the Oscars held at Loews Hollywood Hotel on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California Getty Images Anne Hathaway appearing on new US show Lip Sync Battle where she transformed into Miley Cyrus Anne Hathaway plays Mia in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy in a scene from Tommy O'Haver's in Ella Enchanted (2004) Anne Hathaway attends Heidi Klum's 5th Annual Halloween party at Marquee on October 31, 2004 in New York Getty Images Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in Brokeback Mountain (2005) Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Anne Hathaway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway star in One Day Anne Hathaway in Havoc (2006) Anne Hathaway attends the 'Rachel Getting Married' film premiere at the Sala Grande during the 65th Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2008 in Venice, Italy Getty Images Anne Hathaway attends the Marchesa Fall 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at Chelsea Art Museum on February 6, 2008 in New York Getty Images Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway film a scene from "Bride Wars" in front of New York's Plaza Hotel in 2008 AP Anne Hathaway arrives at the 81st Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on February 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Anne Hathaway stars as a young Jane Austen in period drama Becoming Jane (2009) Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married (2009) Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in Love & Other Drugs (2010) Anne Hathaway as the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland (2010) Anne Hathaway signs autographs for fans on arrival at the Royal World Premiere of 'Alice In Wonderland' at Odeon Leicester Square on February 25, 2010 Show host Anne Hathaway is seen at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011 AP James Franco (R) and Anne Hathaway present the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre late on February 27, 2011 in Hollywood, California AFP/Getty Images Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Anne Hathaway arrives at the Oscars at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California Getty Images Anne Hathaway (L) and Jared Leto attend the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Getty Images Anne Hathaway in Song One (2014) The Film Arcade Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway in The Intern (2015) Anne Hathaway arrives at the Costume Institute Gala Benefit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art May 5, 2015 in New York AFP/Getty Images Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of Disney's "Alice Through The Looking Glass" at the El Capitan Theatre on May 23, 2016 in Hollywood, California Getty Images Jason Sudeikis and Anne Hathaway appear in a scene from Colossal (2017) AP Red-headed Anne Hathaway and co-star Gary Carr frenzy dance filming at Fairway in Brooklyn, New York on November 27, 2018 SplashNews.com Red-headed Anne Hathaway and co-star Gary Carr frenzy dance filming at Fairway in Brooklyn, New York on November 27, 2018 SplashNews.com Anne Hathaway attends the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Bethesda Terrace on September 7, 2018 in New York Getty Images Anne Hathaway in Oceans 8 (2018) Warner Bros Anne Hathaway attends the "Ocean's 8" World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on June 5, 2018 in New York Getty Images Cast members Anne Hathaway (L to R) Helena Bonham Carter, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Cate Blanchett and Awkwafina pose at the world premiere of the film "Ocean's 8" at Alice Tully Hall in New York Reuters Anne Hathaway on The Tonight Show The Tonight Show Anne Hathaway arrives for the 2018 Met Gala on May 7, 2018, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York AFP/Getty Images Anne Hathaway attends the 22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California Getty Images Jeremy Renner and Anne Hathaway attend the Bosideng front Row during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 11, 2018 in New York Getty Images Anne Hathaway attends The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards Preview Celebration Event on March 14, 2019 in New York AFP/Getty Images Anne Hathaway attends the "Serenity" New York Screening at Museum of Modern Art on January 23, 2019 in New YorK Getty Images Anne Hathaway, right, and Adam Shulman arrive at the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Beverly Hills Invision/AP A spokesperson for Melania Trump has responded to comments made by Anna Wintour about First Ladies who have featured on the cover of Vogue, calling her 'insecure' and 'small-minded'. In a recent interview with CNN, the Vogue editor-in-chief spoke with Christiane Amanpour about Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama featuring on the cover of her magazine. I think Mrs Obama redefined the role of the first lady, Wintour told Amanpour. She was so open to everybody. She made the White House a place for everyone. She had incredible initiatives. She was just so, I think, inspiring to so many women. And obviously on a very selfish note, speaking as the editor-in-chief of Vogue, she did wonders for fashion. First lady Melania Trump / EPA Michelle Obama appeared on the cover of Vogue three times while her husband, former US President Barack Obama, was in office. Getty Images Michelle Obama was the second First Lady to be on the cover of Vogue. Hillary Clinton was the first, covering the magazine while Bill Clinton was in office in 1998. It was a time when I felt that the First Lady at that time had behaved in a very brave way, Wintour recalled of Clinton. We felt it was a time to support her and stand up for women. Vogue publicly backed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and Wintour says the magazine will continue to make its stand known on important issues. Vogue I think one has to be fair, one has to look at all sides but I dont think its a moment not to take a stand, Wintour told CNN. I believe, as I think those of us who work at Conde Nast believe, that you have to stand up for what you believe in. And you have to take a point of view. We profile women in the magazine that we believe in the stand that theyre taking on issues, we support them in the fact that we feel that they are leaders. Particularly after the defeat of Secretary Clinton in 2016, we believe that women should have a leadership position and we intend to support them." Prior to this interview, it seemed Wintour had not ruled out featuring Melania in Vogue at some point during President Trumps time in office. We have a tradition of always covering whoever is the First Lady at Vogue, Wintour told the Wall Street Journal in February, and I cant imagine that this time would be any different. "Not running": Legendary U.S. Vogue editor Anna Wintour / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Following Wintour's interview, Melania Trumps spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham released a response to Fox News. To be on the cover of Vogue doesnt define Mrs. Trump, shes been there, done that long before she was First Lady, said Grisham. Her role as first lady of the United States and all that she does is much more important than some superficial photo shoot and cover. This just further demonstrates how biased the fashion magazine industry is, and shows how insecure and small-minded Anna Wintour really is." Queen Elizabeth is set to continue her reign as the longest-serving British monarch as she turns 94 today. While most people mark their birthdays just once a year, the Queen celebrates on two different days. But why exactly does HRH marks the occasion twice? Heres the reason... The Queen has a nifty trick for keeping blisters at bay / Getty Images When is the Queens real birthday? The Queen is celebrating her 94th birthday today, on Tuesday, April 21. When is the Queens official birthday? She also has a second official birthday on the second Saturday in June. This year it will fall on June 13. Why does she celebrate her birthday twice? It's all down to the British weather. The tradition for celebrating the King or Queens birthday twice was brought into practice by George II in 1748. The King, who was born in November, felt the weather would be too cold and wet at that time of year for his annual birthday parade. The Early Years: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret 1 /16 The Early Years: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret A wartime picture of Princess Elizabeth (right) and Princess Margaret after they broadcast on "Children's Hour" from Buckingham Palace PA Princess Elizabeth walking with her young sister Princess Margaret and nannies -/AFP via Getty Images Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in the garden during their wartime country residence (Windsor) PA Away from the turmoil of the Second World War, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth walk in a field with their daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret PA Two year old Princess Margaret (seated) with her sister Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) PA Picture taken on 1933 in Wales showing Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth posing in the doorway of a miniature Welsh cottage AFP via Getty Images Queen consort Elizabeth holding Princess Margaret's hand as Princess Elizabeth follows, attending the Elphinstone wedding, 1936. Getty Images Queen Elizabeth poses with her two daughters, Princess Elizabeth (left) and Princess Margaret in June 1936 in the garden of the Royal Lodge at Windsor Picture taken on March 12, 1937 showing Princesses Elizabeth (L)and Margaret leaving the Royal Agricultural Hall after watching the competitions at the Pony Show AFP via Getty Images Lord Elphinstone (left) greeting the British Royal Family; (L-R) Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Elizabeth and King George VI (far right), at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, July 5th 1937 Getty Images Picture taken on 1943 showing Princess Elizabeth, the futur Queen Elizabeth II, with her sister Princess Margaret admiring a pigeon before its departure with their message AFP via Getty Images A family group pictures taken on Princess Elizabeth's 18th birthday PA As a result, he combined his birthday event with the annual military parade, Trooping the Colour. Ever since, British monarchs have celebrated their official birthdays in the summer months. Is the Queen's official birthday always on the same day? No - originally the Queen celebrated her official birthday on the second Thursday of June, the same day which her father George VI celebrated his official birthday while he was king. In 1959, after seven years on the throne, the Queen changed it to the second Saturday for convenience. How will she be celebrating her birthday this year? Getty Images for The Patron's Lu Her official birthday in June is typically marked by gun salutes and Trooping the Colour, a tradition in which the Queen inspects her troops in a military pageantry parade. She also usually appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with other members of the royal family, making for an iconic annual photo. However, this year due to coronavirus, these celebrations will not happen. Instead, the Queen will spend her birthday privately, at Windsor Castle, where she and the Duke of Edinburgh, 98, are currently spending lockdown. There will be no alternative celebrations to mark the day in a special way, although it's expected she will privately receive video calls from family. Do sensory floatation tanks cause hallucinations? Can you drown in a floatation tank? Are floatation tanks sanitary? Whatever you do before you head merrily off to your first floatation therapy session, dont google it. Floatation pods are safe and clean, but the auto-correct bar will certainly put you on edge. Due to increased scientific evidence, floating is becoming a more common therapy for people wanting to deal with chronic pain, stress and anxiety. A 2018 study found that patients with anxiety and stress-related disorders reported that, after one-hour in a floatation pod, they experienced significant reductions in stress, muscle pain and depression, as well as improvements in serenity, relaxation and happiness. This summer, Crouch End-based fitness centre 3Tribes expanded to Borough and with the new opening has launched three float tanks. Since Im always on the quest for a new way to relax, I headed down to try it out. What happens during floatation therapy? Each floatation pod is in a private room, so lock the world out, hop in the shower, pop in the earplugs provided and use the Vaseline to seal any irritated skin, like open cuts or eczema. The water inside the pod is saturated with Epsom salts and burns if it gets anywhere near your eyes or, as I found out, your nostrils, so do use the Vaseline liberally. Around a foot of body temperature water will slowly fill the pod, simply step in and pull the lid closed. At 3Tribes, for the first five minutes, soft lights will dance around the tub while relaxing music plays through the underwater speaker, then it is complete silence and total darkness. I dont consider myself particularly claustrophobic but for the first few moments its impossible not to panic. Dont worry, should you need to leave, you can simply pull up the tank lid or ring the alarm if things really get too much. Ride it out, though it turns out floatation therapy is one of the best things Ive ever done. It took a while to adjust to the tank. At first I kept opening my eyes, a few times I stretched out to touch the side of the tank as if to check it was still there, and I found it hard to release the tension in my neck, worrying that if I completely let go my face would be submerged in the salty water. But then, after 10 minutes, I fully relaxed. I discovered, after some trial and error, that the most comfortable position was with my hands floating up over my head rather than down by my sides. Play with your position to find what works for you. The feeling is hard to describe, but I can only imagine its what floating through space would be like. Physically, you feel completely weightless and its so freeing. Nothing aches, nothing twinges its a blissful numbness. Mentally, too. What I found most interesting was where, with nothing to distractapps to scroll through or to do lists to obsess overmy mind went. It meandered and roved, memories of trips and childhood flooded into my mind. It felt like I was on the verge of sleep, in a meditative state, but never quite drifting off. Then it was over. I could have laid in the tank for another couple of hours. Experts recommend 60-90 minutes for first time floaters, but people can go up to two, three or more hours. Verdict I stumbled out on to Borough High Street in a daze. Having been freed of all responsibility for only an hour had a strong effect on me. That evening I went home with a feeling of contentment and fell into a deep, deep sleep. Over a week later and the feeling of tranquillity is still with me. As a bonus, the Epsom salts left my skin feeling silky soft and even helped to clear up some patches of eczema I'd had on my hands. At over 50 a session it's an expensive hobby to have and the price will render it out of bounds for some people, but if you can, give it a go. How often can you utterly shut out the world? Londons floatation tanks 3Tribes, Borough Single 60-minute float, 55; 2 sessions, 100 3tribes.co.uk/borough/float-tanks/ London Floatworks, Vauxhall and Angel Single 60-minute float, 50; 3 floats package, 105 London Floatation Centre, Isle of Dogs N ine men have been arrested, including six on suspicion of murder, after a man who had a car driven at him during a brawl in north west London later died. Police said they launched a murder investigation after the violent altercation left a 27-year-old man dead and a 21-year-old injured. Nine men were arrested on suspicion of affray at the scene outside Alperton Underground Station in Wembley just before 1.30am on Tuesday. Six have been further arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. Officers said a car was driven at the men on Tuesday morning and both required medical attention. The 21-year-old was later discharged while the 27-year-old remained in hospital. His condition was not initially thought to be life-threatening; however his condition deteriorated and he died in hospital on the evening of Tuesday, 16 April, Scotland Yard said in a statement. His family have been informed. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are now leading this investigation and are appealing for information from anyone who was in the area who has information or any passing motorist with dashcam footage to get in touch as a matter of urgency. A man has been stabbed to death in the street in east London. The victim, aged in his 30s, was found with a stab injury in Stoke Newington on Wednesday evening. Police and paramedics descended on Matthias Road following reports of a stabbing shortly before 6pm. They fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A forensic worker at the scene in Stoke Newington after a fatal stabbing / PA A Met Police spokesman said: "Police are working to inform his next of kin. At this early stage there have been no arrests. Police and ambulance vehicles in Matthias Road following a fatal stabbing / @VermeulenKate "The Homicide and Major Crime Command will be informed. A crime scene is in place." A forensics tent in Stoke Newington / PA One witness described seeing a trauma helicopter land in the area, while another said there were lots of paramedics and police. A Section 60 order has been authorised for the postcodes N16, N1 and E8, Scotland Yard said. The order gives police officers extra powers to use stop and search. A nti-knife crime campaigners have blocked Westminster Bridge calling for action over recent bloodshed. Dubbed #OperationShutdown, supporters gathered near Downing Street with demands including a Cobra meeting to tackle the surge in violent crime in recent years. The demonstrations came as police investigated the death of a man in his 30s who had been stabbed in Stoke Newington on Wednesday evening. Campaigners spent just under two hours in Whitehall before holding a minutes silence near the Houses of Parliament in memory of Pc Keith Palmer, who was murdered by a terrorist while on duty in 2017, and then moving to the bridge. The action came after extensive disruption caused by a separate environmental protest, which has seen demonstrations on the Tube network, at Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. The organisers of #OperationShutdown said in a statement: "We are taking this extreme form of civil disobedience as Her Majesty's Government are yet to give this crisis enough care, or the proportionate attention it deserves, or allocate substantial measures and funding to effectively tackle this head-on, as a matter of emergency - hence we demand a Cobra now." Grieving parents including Tracey Hanson, whose 21-year-old son Josh was murdered at a bar in west London in 2015, took part. One of the organisers, Lucy Martindale - whose cousin was fatally stabbed, said: "We would like a Cobra meeting now. We don't understand why Cobra hasn't been called. "If there is a terrorist attack and one person is killed there is a Cobra. Several people daily are being killed on our streets, why is this not being treated as the national emergency that it is?" A London airport today unveiled plans to cut the stress of going on holiday. City Airport wants to create a chilled atmosphere, featuring muted colours, less background noise and better directions as part of a 500 million redesign. Due to be completed by 2022, it will quadruple the size of the terminal. Passenger numbers are expected to rise by about a third to 6.5 million and annual flights from 76,000 to 106,000. About half of all passengers using the airport last summer were going on holiday. The aim is to expand the leisure side of its business, with flights already going to Ibiza, Malaga, Palma, Porto, Lisbon and Florence. New research commissioned into NHS data by the airport found more than one in five adults in boroughs such as Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden reported a mental health condition. It added that some travellers suffer pre-emptive worries about their journey and pre-existing conditions can be exacerbated by poorly designed surroundings. The airport hopes that better interior design, and improved DLR and cycle connections to the terminal, will boost mental wellbeing. They will also try to cut delays and cancellations, overcrowding and anti-social behaviour. Chief executive Robert Sinclair said: This study shows that improving and investing in Londons transport infrastructure could play a key role in improving the well-being of millions of people travelling across the capital. EDMONTON, Alberta, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radient Technologies Inc. (Radient or the Company) (TSX Venture: RTI; OTCQX: RDDTF) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Ms. Jocelyne F. Lafreniere and Mr. Yves Gougoux to its Board of Directors, effective upon approval by Health Canada. We are delighted to be bringing these two very accomplished individuals onto our Board of Directors, and expanding our Board in the process, commented Frank Ferlaino, Chairman of Radients Board of Directors. As Radient continues to grow its operations globally by entering into new geographical markets and increasing its market presence in highly competitive industries, the expertise and knowledge that both Ms. Lafreniere and Mr. Gougoux bring to the Company will be invaluable. We look forward to welcoming them to our team. Ms. Jocelyne F. Lafreniere, CPA, CA, CICA, CPSC, Adm.A: Ms. Lafreniere is the President & Chief Executive Officer of JFL International Inc., a management consulting firm. She is a retired partner of KPMG where she led the Compliance, Infrastructure Advisory and International Development Assistance Services of their Ottawa office. With more than 35 years of audit and consulting experience, she has served as an advisor to a broad spectrum of public and private companies, non-profit organizations, government departments and agencies, crown corporations and United Nations agencies. Throughout her career, she has actively championed for the empowerment of women and the protection of children, as well as supporting education. She is the author of 12 business management courses and one self-empowerment book, and serves as a Director on several Boards. Ms. Lafreniere is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her significant contribution to the community in Canada and abroad. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and she is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Internal Control Auditor. Mr. Yves Gougoux: Mr. Gougoux has spent more than 40 years in the field of advertising and marketing. After presiding over several national advertising agencies in Canada, in 1984 Mr. Gougoux acquired BCP, the first French Canadian advertising agency in Montreal. In 1996 BCP entered into a partnership with international advertising agency Publicis Groupe, resulting in the launch of Publicis in Canada, with locations in Toronto and Montreal. Mr. Gougoux was made CEO of Publicis Canada and under his guidance the agency proceeded with acquisitions in Toronto and Montreal, quickly becoming one of the leading advertising agencies in Canada. In 1998 Mr. Gougoux moved to Paris to preside over Publicis Conseil, the Paris office of Publicis, while remaining the CEO for Publicis Canada. After moving back to Canada in 2000, he sold his 30% stake of Publicis Canada to Publicis Groupe in 2013, and became Chairman of the Board of Publicis Canada in 2015. He currently serves as non-executive Chairman. Mr. Gougoux is also on the Board of Directors of the Mira Foundation, a non-profit organization that trains and supplies service dogs to blind and handicapped persons as well as children with autism. He holds a Business Certificate from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University). About Radient Radient Technologies provides industrial-scale manufacturing solutions for premium natural ingredients and products. Utilizing its patented MAP extraction technology, Radient delivers superior customer outcomes in terms of ingredient purity, yield, and cost, serving global market leaders in industries such as foods & beverages, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and personal care. Since 2016, Radient has expanded its offerings to enter the cannabinoids market, using its MAP platform to provide premium ingredients that contain a full range of cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Please visit www.radientinc.com for more information. SOURCE: Radient Technologies Inc. Denis Taschuk, Chief Executive Officer, dtaschuk@radientinc.com , (780) 465-1318; Prakash Hariharan, Chief Financial Officer, phariharan@radientinc.com , (416) 561-9461 For press and media enquiries, please contact Caitlin Cheadle, Director of Communications, ccheadle@radientinc.com For investor relations enquiries, please contact William (Bill) Wasson, Senior VP of Capital Markets and Investor Relations: wwasson@radientinc.com 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 growth of the Companys business operations; the impact of appointments to the Companys Board of Directors; the Companys ability to grow its business in the cannabis sector and the Companys future plans. Generally, forward-looking 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 state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. 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 Radient, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although Radient 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. Radient does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with 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. A British Transport Police spokesman said: "We are currently responding to a protest incident at Canary Wharf station where a @LondonDLR service is being obstructed. "Specialist units are on scene who are working to remove the protesters." A Transport for London spokesman said: "We are aware that there are demonstrations taking place across London which may cause disruption to travel. "The safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority and we're working closely with the police to manage the impact on London's transport network. We would encourage people to check their journeys before they travel." E xtinction Rebellion climate protesters struggled against being arrested by making themselves go limp while being removed from the top of a train in east London during a protest. Three climate change activists were arrested after gluing themselves to a train in east London. Two climbed onto the roof of a DLR train at Canary Wharf around 11am on Wednesday, with a third attaching himself to the side of the train. The pair on the roof, a smartly dressed man and woman, unfurled a banner saying "climate emergency. Police remove climate change protestors who had glued themselves to the roof of a DLR train at Canary wharf / AFP/Getty Images The male protester went limp as officers tried to haul him on to a sling, making their job harder. The protesters were removed from the train roof at Canary Wharf (REUTERS) / Reuters He is seen dangling from the officers' hands while they struggle to move him off the train. Police were seen climbing onto the roof with ropes and a ladder before handing goggles to the activists. A climate protester is removed from the top of the DLR train / AFP/Getty Images A female protester also lay down on the roof of the train and made her whole body go limp during the protests today. Police remove a woman from the roof of a DLR train at Canary wharf / AFP/Getty Images Below them a bearded demonstrator wearing a hi-vis vest stuck his hand to the train window. All three were removed from the train before being arrested on suspicion of obstructing the railway and being led away by police. The group have been bringing London to a standstill in a move it called The Pause in an attempt to get people to stop and think about climate change. This protester also went limp to try and make his removal more difficult / AFP/Getty Images British Transport Police said they sent specialist teams trained in protest removal to the station just before 11am and confirmed the three protesters arrested remain in custody. An Extinction Rebellion (XR) statement said of the DLR stunt: "Our aim is to create moments in time when humanity stops and fully considers the extent of the harm we have done and are doing to life on earth. "It is vitally important at this time. It is a matter of life and death - whether you live in Tower Hamlets or Taipei, Melbourne or Mumbai." Transport for London said the action caused only minor delays on the DLR network. Forty protesters also demonstrated outside the AGM of energy firm Drax, which operates the largest biomass-fuelled power station in Europe, situated in North Yorkshire. The company receives green energy subsidies from the government. But activists claim that by burning biomass, Drax produces as much carbon as burning coal. They plan to walk from Drax's AGM to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Wednesday afternoon. Duncan Law, 59, a campaigner from Biofuelwatch, said: "We say we need to be dedicating all our intelligence, Drax's included, to achieving a genuine transition to a low carbon future. "At the moment, we need the money that's going to them to go to a smart, decentralised, democratised, genuinely low carbon electricity energy system. This is an obscenity." A nti-knife crime campaigners including bereaved mothers are set to gather at Downing Street to call for action over recent bloodshed. The demonstration, dubbed #OperationShutdown, will see supporters gather in Whitehall on Wednesday asking for a Cobra meeting to tackle the surge in violent crime in recent years. Grieving parents including Tracey Hanson, whose 21-year-old son Josh was murdered at a bar in west London in 2015, will be taking part. One of the organisers, Lucy Martindale, whose cousin was fatally stabbed, said: "We would like a Cobra meeting now. We don't understand why Cobra hasn't been called. Hundreds marched in tribute to stabbing victim Jodie Chesney. / PA "If there is a terrorist attack and one person is killed there is a Cobra. Several people daily are being killed on our streets, why is this not being treated as the national emergency that it is?" The group is also calling for an independent investigation into school exclusions, better rehabilitation of prisoners to stop them going on to kill, and for full jail terms to be served for murder and manslaughter. Some of the country's most senior police officers have already said the highest levels of government need to come together to deal with the causes of violence. Former National Police Chiefs Council chairwoman Sara Thornton said co-ordinating the response was a job for Number 10, while Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said all official bodies need to "step up" their efforts. The Government has granted an extra 100 million for police in the areas worst affected by knife violence and has given officers beefed-up stop and search powers. But plans to make police officers, teachers and nurses accountable for failing to spot the warning signs of violent crime were criticised. Chairman of the Police Federation John Apter called the proposals "a bit of an insult", while Royal College of Nursing acting chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said the duty would put increased pressure on frontline staff. T HE South West of England is set to be the stage for the titanic Brexit battle of the European Parliamentary elections as Andrew Adonis faces off against Annunziata Rees-Mogg. The Londoner has learned that arguably the most remainy of centrist Remainers, Lord Adonis is standing for South West England and is second on the list to the sitting MEP Clare Moody. A source close to Adonis said the former Transport Secretary would relish a head-to-head debate with Jacob Rees-Moggs sister, who was announced as the first candidate of Nigel Farages Brexit Party last week, and is thought to be contesting the same region. But Adonis is not the only eye-catching Labour candidate for the European elections. For the europhile London area Labour has picked a prominent Corbynista, Laura Parker who used to be one of the Labour leaders most influential aides and is now the national co-ordinator for Momentum, the pro-Corbyn movement. She is currently third on the London list, after the two sitting MEPs, so her election would require quite a swing to Labour. But apparently there is a behind-the-scenes discussion taking place, which could see her bumped up the list. What is less known about Parker is that like a majority of Momentum and Labour members she is strongly in favour of a referendum. The point about both Parker and Adonis is that their loyalty to Labour and even to Corbyn is not in doubt, unlike those who run the Peoples Vote campaign, many of whom are mistrusted by Labour left members as being too close to Tony Blair. Also prominent in the Peoples Vote campaign are Alastair Campbell and Tom Baldwin. Though a source said candidate selections have happened in a great hurry in the past week, their impact could change the course of Brexit. Steep printing bill for our Parliament THE green benches of the House of Commons are not so green after all. A freedom of information request by PoliticsHome has revealed that Westminster has spent a staggering 300,000 on printing in the past year, for documents that are available online and are regularly disposed of each day. Parliament insists that all this printing is essential in enabling the House of Commons to function, but environmental campaigners have condemned the throwaway culture, describing it as a waste of materials, energy and cash. -- Ex-UKIP leader Henry Bolton / Jack Taylor/Getty Images Former Ukip leader Henry Bolton says he wants to merge his fledgling party Our Nation with Nigel Farages Brexit Party ahead of the European elections. Bolton tells The Londoner that Our Nation has reached out. Though the Brexit Party has yet to respond, he believes this is not going to take a great deal of time". -- Flora Gill, daughter of Amber Rudd, admits it can be hard to keep up with everything mums doing. But, of a newspaper headline typo confusing the Work and Pensions Secretary with Hollywood actress Amber Heard, Gill deadpanned: I cant believe I missed the time she was married to Johnny Depp. Brits' emotional tribute to Notre-Dame "Magic": Shakespeare and Company bookshop, located opposite Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris / Corbis via Getty Images SHAKESPEARE and Company, the famous bookshop and literary salon on Paris Left Bank, held a packed reading in honour of Notre-Dame cathedral last night. Novelists Adam Biles and Damian Barr read Victor Hugo to the emotional assembled crowd. It was magic, Barr told The Londoner. Everyone was there to tell stories. It felt like being a part of the story of the city, and of history, at this fantastic shop which has seen so many stories. As I read, I watched the fire service remove a statue of a saint from the cathedral. So much survives, so much is lost. Boys channel Cary Grant while Clara encounters the hair to the throne Channelling Cary: Malachi Kirby / Dave Benett/Getty Images for Oli ONCE told by an interviewer, everybody would like to be Cary Grant, Grant is said to have replied: So would I. Now everyone can channel the Hollywood legend, as actors Malachi Kirby and Jeremy Irvine did last night, emulating Grants debonair flair as eyewear brand Oliver Peoples threw a party to launch a collaboration with the Cary Grant estate. At the Wigmore in Marylebone, meanwhile, Jack Whitehall was at a boozy bash thrown by Grey Goose, where the comedian tried his hand at mixing cocktails with Clara Amfo. As a Radio 1 DJ, Amfo is well used to meeting high-profile figures, but said recently that meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last year was extra special. Kate had no qualms making fun of Williams hair situation, she reveals. And he took that. Cocktail club: Jack Whitehall and Clara Amfo (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Gre) / Dave Benett SW1A NADINE Dorries is so enraged by Labour MP David Lammy comparing the ERG to Nazis that she has written to Parliaments Standards Committee saying he has breached the code of conduct. I dont care how elected they were, Lammy told Andrew Marr on Sunday, so was the far-Right in Germany. Dorries has asked the committee to investigate this matter with some urgency... to ensure temperate, professional and responsible rhetoric is engaged in by all MPs. She added that if there were MPs associating with fascist sympathisers it would not be inappropriate to highlight their behaviour. -- KEN Clarke says Westminster is better equipped for new MPs now than in 1970. No one even contacted to tell me whether to come or not, he tells James OBriens podcast. When he and two colleagues, rather nervously approached the building they were ticked off by the whips for being late". Quote of the Day Nuclear-powered scug weasel J eremy Corbyn today faced calls to sack a close ally who wrongly denied having described Zionism as the enemy of peace. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon last night said he regrets having made the remark, after footage emerged from a speech he gave in 2014. Ian Austin MP, who quit Labour over the partys anti-Semitism crisis, said Mr Burgon should resign over the disgraceful slur. He told LBC: If he doesnt resign he should be sacked. To have said this in the first place is pretty terrible and to have been caught out not telling the truth about it, denying it I think it makes his position completely untenable. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn / AFP/Getty Images "Zionism is simply the belief in a homeland and the self-determination of the Jewish people. To describe that and people who believe in it as enemies of the peace is a complete disgrace. The fact hes not been sacked shows just how far the Labour Party has sunk. Mr Corbyn has so far refused to sack Mr Burgon, who would become Lord Chancellor if Labour were to win power, as Jewish groups demanded he be removed from his senior position. The footage of Mr Burgon was filmed at an event in 2014 before he was elected as MP for Leeds East in 2015. On the BBCs Daily Politics programme in March last year the MP said he did not make those comments. In a statement, Mr Burgon said that when he was first challenged over the comments he did not recall having made them. He said: It is now clear that I did and I regret doing so. As I have subsequently said on numerous occasions I do not agree with that phrase. J eremy Corbyn said he will scrap the regime of extreme pressure testing in primary schools by abolishing SATs. The Labour leader said the new policy would relieve pressure on a schools system forced to cope with overcrowded classrooms, and an ongoing crisis in teacher recruitment and retention. Speaking at the National Education Unions Conference in Liverpool, Mr Corbyn said: "We need to prepare children for life, not just for exams. "Sats and the regime of extreme pressure testing are giving young children nightmares and leaving them in floods of tears. "I meet teachers of all ages and backgrounds who are totally overworked and overstressed. These are dedicated public servants. It's just wrong." Mr Corbyn also announced that the next Labour government will scrap baseline assessments for reception classes. He said Labour would consult parents and teachers on an alternative that "prepares children for life, not just for exams". The conference heard: "Our assessment will be based on clear principles. First, to understand the learning needs of each child, because every child is unique. "And second, to encourage a broad curriculum aimed at a rounded education. "When children have a rich and varied curriculum, when they're encouraged to be creative, to develop their imagination, then there's evidence that they do better at the core elements of literacy and numeracy too." Mr Corbyn said his party trusts teachers and will raise standards by freeing them up to teach. Minister for Schools Nick Gibb. / PA Archive/PA Images He added: "Teachers get into the profession because they want to inspire children, not pass them along an assembly line." But, Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said SATs tests have been "absolutely pivotal" in raising education standards since they were introduced three decades ago. "They have been pivotal in raising standards in reading, maths and writing over those 30 years," he told Channel 4 News. "It is a hugely retrograde step by Jeremy Corbyn to propose abolishing those SATs. "Parents will be in the dark about how well schools are performing... Ofsted won't have reliable data on how to judge schools and parents rely on this data and performance tables to determine where they should be sending their child to school." The Labour leader made the speech after spending the day lending his support to the local election campaign in the North West. He was greeted by cheers of "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" as he made his way into the arena, and the announcement received a rapturous standing ovation. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: "Jeremy Corbyn gets it - he recognises the damage that a test-driven system is doing to children and schools; he understands what needs to change; he sets out ideas for education which will make sense to parents and teachers. "The NEU has long advocated an assessment system that has the trust of teachers and school communities - one that will support children's learning and raise standards of attainment in our schools. "We look forward to the return of a broad and balanced primary curriculum and to the rekindling of the spirit of creativity in our schools. We welcome Labour's commitment to work with the profession in order to develop these ground-breaking policies further." The announcement comes less than a month before thousands of children are expected to sit their SATs. It follows the NEU conference voting on Monday in favour of balloting members over a boycott of next year's exams. More Than A Score welcomed the announcement, saying: "We've now reached a tipping point as parents, teachers, heads, education experts and politicians agree: the current testing regime makes no sense and is damaging for pupils, teachers and schools. "Parents of children preparing for year 6 SATs in just a few weeks' time will have seen the effects for themselves: a narrowed curriculum and unnecessary pressure on pupils and teachers. I SIS bride Shamima Begums lawyer has defended the decision to give her legal aid because it is there for people in the most vulnerable position. The 19-year-old had her citizenship removed by Home Secretary Sajid Javid after she was traced to a refugee camp in Syria. But her lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, said it is yet to be proven if Begum had committed any crimes, questioning therefore how she could be less deserving of legal aid than the vast majority of people. Mr Akunjee told Metro.co.uk: Legal aid is created for access to justice. Shamima Begum has had her British citizenship revoked It is there for people in the most vulnerable position, it exists for people accused of crime. He also slammed Jeremy Hunts criticism of the decision, adding: This is a man who seems to find spending any money uncomfortable, whether it was with doctors or nurses, and even now despite this not being his portfolio. The Foreign Secretary said Ms Begum "knew the choices she was making" when she left for Syria, although he accepted that people were entitled to challenge decisions which the state had made about them. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "On a personal level, it makes me very uncomfortable because she made a series of choices and she knew the choices she was making, so I think we made decisions about her future based on those choices. Shamima Begum fled the UK to join the Islamic State terror group in Syria aged 15 / PA But Jeremy Corbyn defended the decision, and said: She is a British national and, therefore, she has that right, like any of us do, to apply for legal aid if she has a problem. She has legal rights, just like anybody else does. "The whole point of legal aid is that if you're facing a prosecution then you're entitled to be represented and that's a fundamental rule of law, a fundamental point in any democratic society. "We cannot and should not judge outside of a court. P rivate mental healthcare group The Priory has been fined 300,000 over the suicide of a 14-year-old girl who died while in its care. Amy El-Keria hanged herself in November 2012 at Priory Ticehurst in East Sussex. Britains largest mental health provider admitted guilt in the teenagers death in January 2019, accepting there had been serious failings by staff to prevent the tragedy. On Wednesday, the group was fined 300,000 at Lewes Crown Court for breaching health and safety law. Sentencing, Judge Mr Justice James Dingemans said: "It is obvious that any penalty I impose can never reflect the loss suffered by Amy's family in this case. "Amy's mother, when giving her victim impact statement, said that she hoped that lessons would be learned from this tragedy. "It is apparent from the investigations that have been carried out in Amy's death, and the works carried out by Priory Healthcare and the CQC, that there is now a much better understanding of young person suicide, and that vital lessons have been learned." Previously in court, Tania El-Keria, Amys mother, said she hoped for justice, saying she had often considered taking her own life following her daughters death. I have openly talked to my family about having low points where I have not wanted to be alive any more just so that I could be with Amy, she told the court. She said she hoped the case would help change a failing system, adding: I dont want any other family to go through this and I hope that there is justice for Amy. Trevor Torrington, the Priorys chief executive, asked the defence barrister to deliver an apology to Ms El-Keria on the groups behalf. [We] offer our sincere apologies to Amys family for the serious failings this case has outlined, John Cooper WC told the court. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following Amys death found that procedures for the management of ligature risk had not resulted in effective measures. An inquest in 2016 found 24 failings by Priory Ticehurst. The Priory said it had invested in a 3.4 million programme to build safer rooms and was committed to patient safety. L ondoners are facing two weeks of chaos and disruption with Extinction Rebellion planning to "shut down" the city for a fortnight. The climate change activists plan to protest across the capital in a bid to force to Government to do more on tackling climate change and the ecological crisis. Police say they have so far made more than one thousands arrests in relation to the protests, with activists attaching themselves to buildings, holding protests and blocking roads across the capital to urge politicians to take urgent action. Here is everything you need to know about the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion. Extinction Rebellion London City Airport Protest: October 2019 1 /32 Extinction Rebellion London City Airport Protest: October 2019 @Dawn9090 Reuters Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Reuters PA AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Jeremy Selwyn PA Reuters A man shouted "shut the airport down". Jeremy Selwyn PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Activists stage a 'Hong Kong style' blockage of the exit from Docklands Light Railway to City Airport PA Jeremy Selwyn AFP via Getty Images Reuters PA PA Reuters AFP via Getty Images AP Who are Extinction Rebellion? Extinction Rebellion is a protest movement for climate change activists. Formed in the UK in May last year, the group held its first protests in London in October. The group uses non-violent civil disobedience to campaign on environmental issues such as climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and ecological collapse. It says climate change threatens all life on Earth and is calling for "radical change in order to minimise the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse" because "our leaders are failing in their duty". So far demonstrations have taken place all over the world, and have included a semi-naked protest in the House of Commons along with the current two-week disruption. From a grass roots campaign, it has now grown into an international movement with chapters across the world backed by celebrities, academics and writers. It is calling upon the Government to meet three key points, which are: To tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency. To act now with means to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net by 2025. To create a citizens assembly on climate change and ecological justice which would lead Government action. What does Extinction Rebellion want? The group says direct action is needed to force governments to act urgently on climate change and wildlife declines and halt a "sixth mass extinction". It is calling for an ecological emergency to be declared, greenhouse gases to be brought to net zero by 2025, and the creation of a citizens' assembly to lead action on the environment. XR says the systems propping up "modern consumer-focused lifestyles" will lead to mass water shortages, crop failures, sea level rises and the displacement of millions. "Only a peaceful planet-wide mobilisation of the scale of the Second World War will give us a chance to avoid the worst-case scenarios," it says. What are its methods? Police arrest Extinction Rebellion activists in Trafalgar Square XR uses what is calls "non-violent civil disobedience" as the world has "run out of the luxury of time to react incrementally". Demonstrations include blocking busy roads and bridges and spray-painting government buildings. Activists have also chained and glued themselves to buildings, including the gates of Buckingham Palace. A colourful catwalk show took over London's busy Oxford Circus junction earlier this year to highlight the environmental impact of the fashion industry, while semi-naked activists glued themselves to windows in the public gallery of the House of Commons during a Brexit debate. More recently, the group tried to shut down London City Airport for three days before abandoning their plans after just one, and they have blockaded the BBC in an attempt to shut it down. Recent demonstrations are part of a wider protest movement intended to shut down London for two weeks. This involves occupying buildings, blocking roads and attaching themselves to buildings, vehicles and roads in an attempt to draw attention to the climate change crisis. Extinction Rebellion says it wants ecocide, the deliberate destruction of the natural environment, to be listed alongside crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and crimes of aggression. How did it build momentum? Extinction Rebellion protesters block the entrance to the BBC In its first protest on October 31 last year, the group assembled a protest on Parliament Square in London, expecting a "couple of hundred people" - before 1,500 showed up. The group said: "The energy was contagious! The next few weeks were a whirlwind. "Six thousand of us converged on London to peacefully block five major bridges across the Thames." Chapters now exist in dozens of countries including the US, the Solomon Islands, Australia, Spain, South Africa and India, it said. Protests in London began in April with campaigners saying at the time they wanted to bring the capital to a standstill. Activists in at least 80 cities in more than 33 countries held similar demonstrations on environmental issues. A woman has claimed she spotted the figure of Jesus Christ in the blaze which engulfed Notre Dame cathedral on Monday. Flames spread across the roof of the 850-year-old Gothic building amid extensive renovation work. But Lesley Rowan, from Alexandria in Scotland, believes she can see the holy figure among the inferno in one of the pictures taken. She told the Daily Record: When I looked at this photo last night, I was really astounded by what I saw. Message of hope: Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the cathedral within five years and it was ravaged by fire / Rex Features "When I look at it I see a silhouette of Jesus. I really see a vivid image. Ms Rowan says friends and family also spotted the spectre, with one friend suggesting it was Gods way of showing he wasnt happy with us. She added: "I shared it and asked for people's opinions - even my brother in Australia said it looks like Jesus. "I feel like it will bring comfort to people in Paris and all over the world at this sad time." The fire was put out by hundreds of city firefighters / AP More than 600 million euros have been pledged towards rebuilding the cathedral, including donations from French tycoons Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault. L'Oreal Group, the Bettencourt Meyers family and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation jointly also pledged 200 million euro, while oil and gas company Total said it would give 100 million euro towards reconstructing the "architectural jewel. Fifty investigators are now working on a "long" and "complex" probe into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. Notre Dame Cathedral fire: Before and after - In pictures 1 /18 Notre Dame Cathedral fire: Before and after - In pictures Notre Dame Cathedral seen across the River Seine in Paris PA PA People attending a mass at the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris on 26th June 2018 AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Scaffolding during the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral on 27 March 2019 AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A general view of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from Montparnasse Tower on 15 July 2017 AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A view of the central altar inside of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral AFP/Getty Images Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP The steeple Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on 26 June 2018 AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Worshippers as they arrive to take part in a mass at Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris on 26th June 2018 AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images They will interview workers from five companies hired to work on renovations to the cathedral roof. It is believed the blaze was an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place. SEATTLE, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces publication of an article discussing why women are the fastest growing demographic to watch. Although women control around $30 trillion in annual spending, the majority of companies often ignore this powerhouse of a demographic. Millennial women in particular tend to enjoy an above-average household income, and have been estimated to represent a $170 billion dollar market. Despite being a newer industry with a keen ability to identify exciting new channels, the majority of cannabis companies have yet to fully capitalize on this demographic. But with studies suggesting that women have surpassed men in their consumption of cannabis, this category of consumers is a key one to target. Health and Wellness Matters to Women The Global Wellness Institute estimated that in 2018 the global wellness market was worth $4.2 trillion and continues to grow steadily, while women currently control about 85 percent of it. The Cannabis Consumers Coalition (CCC) reported that women now use cannabis more than men, with 53 percent having tried it compared to just 42 percent of men, and 6 percent of female respondents said they have used cannabis on a daily basis. Some analysts have linked this trend of women being the fastest growing segment of cannabis users with the influx of CBD infused wellness products. New Links Between Cannabis and Wellness Before the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp (defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC) was still illegal in the US - the only industrialised nation to still consider it no different than cannabis. Since then, hemp has become a key player within the health and beauty industry. Alternatives to Flower The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (Frankfurt: YG3) is one company which has seen this opportunity and taken great strides to value and cater to their female customer base. Its directors and officers have experience working with female-focused, multi-billion dollar companies such as M.A.C. Cosmetics and Aritzia, which gives it a business model that is well-versed in catering to an underrepresented female market. The hemp industry exceeded $1 billion in revenue last year, according to Hemp Business Journal, with personal care items generating nearly $200 million. Yield Growths subsidiary, Urban Juve, has already launched over ten hemp-based skincare products, and hopes to launch 30 more products by the summer. With Lucintels prediction that the global skincare market is projected to reach $135 billion by 2021, the Yield Growth Corp. has positioned itself to be at the forefront of this exciting new sector of the cannabis industry. Please click here to receive an investor presentation and corporate updates on BOSS Womens Spending Habits While there are many things which influence the spending habits of women, the study by Merkle and Levo found that a brands story has a huge impact on which companies women align themselves with, with an impressive 47 percent of respondents claiming to know the origin story of their favorite brands. Gabriellas Kitchen (CSE: GABY) (OTC: GABLF) is one company which has founded every aspect of its brand in its roots. GABY was created by Italian sisters Gabriella and Margot. Their desire to create a wellness company came after Gabriella was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. This news spurred the pair on to find ways to prolong Gabriellas life using a holistic approach. Although Gabriella passed away from the illness, her approach to wellness and food allowed her to live exponentially longer than doctors predicted. Her passion gave a true purpose to the company. GABY recently acquired Sonoma Pacific, a prominent California distributor with recognized and successful brands sold throughout the states dispensaries. This acquisition, together with GABYs mainstream retail presence, has strengthened GABYs position and enabled its mission to be accessed by more consumers than ever before. Gabys mainstream retail outlets jumped from 200 to an impressive 3400 and its distribution in the cannabis channel through its recent purchase of Sonoma Pacific Distribution grew to 80 dispensaries. Further, Sonoma Pacific estimated its Q1 revenue would reach over $8 million dollars, a staggering 1200 percent increase from the same quarter last year and a significant boost to GABYs financial outlook. Please click here to receive an investor presentation and corporate updates on GABY The cannabis industry is still a very fresh one, but as it grows and matures, companies like The Yield Growth Corp . (CSE. BOSS) and Gabriellas Kitchen (CSE: GABY) who create products and brands with women in mind will have put themselves in a good position to move ahead of the competition. Women do represent a very strong demographic within this industry, and they will align themselves with those companies who treat them as such. Disclaimer The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/ Please follow the link to read the full article on CFN: https://www.cannabisfn.com/why-women-the-fastest-growing-consumers-of-cannabis-are-the-demographic-to-watch/ About CFN Media CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis. We help marijuana businesses attract investors, customers (B2B, B2C), capital, and media visibility. Private and public marijuana companies and brands in the US and Canada rely on CFN Media to grow and succeed. Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from the palm of your hand: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8 Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com Disclaimer CannabisFN.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.cannabisfn.com (the Site) is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. CannabisFN.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. CannabisFN.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on CannabisFN.com along with financial and corporate news. The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/ Frank Lane 206-369-7050 Flane@cannabisfn.com P eru's former president Alan Garcia shot himself before he was arrested by police in connection with a bribery investigation, according to reports. Garcia was rushed to Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in Lima at 6.45am local time (12.45pm BST) with a bullet wound to his head. "At this moment, the patient has been in an operating room at said hospital since 7.10am," the country's health ministry said. His lawyer Erasmo Reyna confirmed Wednesday's shooting to reporters. Former president of Peru Alan Garcia arrives to the National Prosecution office to testify in Odebrecht case in Lima in 2017 / REUTERS Judicial orders seen by The Associated Press confirmed an order for Garcia's arrest had been issued. Garcia, 69, who served as president between 1985 and 1990 and again between 2006 and 2011, is alleged to have he received illegal payment from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Odebrecht is at the centre of Latin America's biggest corruption scandal after admitting in a 2016 plea agreement with the US Justice Department that it paid corrupt officials across Latin America nearly $800 million (613 million) in exchange for major infrastructure contracts. Garcia has been under investigation for bribes allegedly paid during the construction of Lima's metro during his 2006-2011 government. He has denied ever receiving money from Odebrecht. A new BBC documentary is set to bring viewers a different perspective on parts of the world they may never have seen before. Earth from Space will show global landmarks from a top down view from miles above on the edge of space in amazing detail. The series is due to start on Wednesday and will show more than 300 breathtaking images from 20 different satellites. One spectacular shot shows an aerial view of Britain illuminated at night while another shows agricultural patterns laid out in a striking circular formation in Bolivia. BBC/DEIMOS IMAGING SLU When is Earth From Space on TV? Earth From Space will start on Wednesday, April 17. Tonight's show will start at 9pm and will be shown on BBC One. The programme will last for an hour and will be broadcast in four episodes. What is Earth From Space about? Executive Producer Jo Shinner said: Our mantra from the get-go was, what can satellite imaging add to the natural history genre that feels fresh, revelatory and from a new perspective? What could you discover from space that you didnt know before? How could these discoveries help scientists monitor the fragile health of our natural planet? Bolivia / BBC/2018 DIGITALGLOBE, A MAXAR COMPANY How had animals helped make the extraordinary patterns that emerged only when seen from such a distance? And what were the strategies other species used to survive within these patterns? How have animals contributed to the rainbow hues that splash the world with vibrant colour? We learnt so many things: that satellite cameras have revolutionised how scientists can monitor the natural world. The Albert River Delta in Queensland, Australia / BBC/ESA/NASA Although the images were amazing, Ms Shinner said the photos also offered a glimpse into how the environment is changing. She added: And there is no doubt that the most sobering and extraordinary insight of all is being visually confronted with the incontrovertible truth of just how fast our planet is changing. New colonies of emperor penguins have been discovered in Antarctica / BBC/2018 DIGITALGLOBE, A MAXAR COMPANY Time-lapses over years show cities growing and swallowing up the countryside around them. T he body of a British GP who has been missing for nearly a month has been found in the French Alps. Robert Bailey, 63, had not been seen since he went out walking in Les Houches, near Chamonix, on March 22. Local news reported his body was found on Tuesday. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: Our staff are supporting the family of a British man who has died in France, and are in contact with the French authorities. They have our sympathy at this deeply difficult time. Dr Bailey had been hiking in an area at the foot of France's highest peak, Mont Blanc, which lies on the border with Switzerland and Italy, and is popular with skiers and climbers. The BBC reports he was a senior senior partner at Minster Medical Practice in Princes Street, Peterborough, and was the clinical lead for end-of-life care at the Peterborough & Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Dr Gary Howsam, clinical chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG, told the broadcaster: "Our thoughts are with Dr Bailey's friends and family at this sad time as well as his colleagues and patients. E uropean Parliaments chief Brexit co-ordinator has blasted MPs for dithering over Brexit and expressed his fear that Britains withdrawal will "poison" the European elections. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Guy Verhofstadt said he fears that the delay to Brexit will continue the uncertainty. I fear it will prolong the indecision. He told MEPs: And I fear most of all that it will import the Brexit mess into the European Union. And moreover, that it will poison the upcoming European election. The Brexit co-ordinator also said that he fears the decision to extend the Article 50 deadline to October 31 will mean the pressure to come to a cross-party agreement disappears. European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt / AFP/Getty Images He said: Both parties Conservatives and Labour will again run down the clock the proof of this is that the first decision the Commons has taken after the decision was to go on holidays. In a speech on Tuesday, he addressed people in European Parliament who suggested that Britain may avoid leaving the EU. He said: Im against Britain leaving the EU, but its not our decision. It was the decision of the British people. So what my fear is, is that instead of killing Brexit, the decision could risk killing Europe, putting our energy in negotiations with British leaders like Mr Corbyn or Mr Johnson - who in their heart despise Europe. And it is at the moment when we need to put all our energy into the renewal of our EU. His comments came as European Council president Donald Tusk said he still believed that Brexit could be reversed after the UKs departure was delayed till Halloween. Mr Tusk told MEPs that the UK would continue to be represented in the European Parliament for "several months - maybe longer". President of the European Council, Donald Tusk / EPA The prospect of the UK taking part in the May 23 elections, almost three years after voting to leave the European Union, has fuelled anger among Brexiteers. Theresa May secured the extension to the Brexit process at a summit last week in order to prevent a no-deal split from the EU, but still hopes the UK can leave earlier than the Halloween deadline if she can get a Withdrawal Agreement through the Westminster Parliament. Cross-party talks with Labour aimed at securing a Commons majority for a deal are continuing but Jeremy Corbyn said "there's no agreement yet" and "the Government doesn't appear to be shifting the red lines". Theresa May secured the extension to the Brexit process last week / AP Speaking in Strasbourg, Mr Tusk said he disagreed with one of the bloc's premiers who had said the EU should abandon hope of the UK reversing its decision to leave. "During the European Council one of the leaders warned us not to be dreamers, and that we shouldn't think that Brexit could be reversed," he said. "I would like to say: at this rather difficult moment in our history, we need dreamers and dreams. "We cannot give in to fatalism. At least I will not stop dreaming about a better and united Europe." European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told MEPs the EU has "nothing to gain" from the disruption a no-deal Brexit would bring to the UK. Mr Juncker said: "We have adopted the necessary contingency measures and we are ready for a no-deal Brexit. A tragic buggy accident has left two Britons dead on the Greek island of Santorini, according to local reports. A man and a woman in their 20s are said to have fell into a 200m deep ravine. The pair had reportedly been driving on the Profitis Ilias mountain on Sunday. Fire services assisted to retrieve the bodies, Its peak is the highest point on the island, which is popular with British holidaymakers. Exact details of the incident are unclear. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing support to their families. A n 18-year-old previously described as armed, extremely dangerous and "infatuated" with the Columbine shooting has been found dead. Officers confirmed the death of the young Florida woman and said she died from a gunshot wound which appeared to have been self-inflicted. Teenager Sol Pais sparked concerns across Colorado after reportedly travelling to the state from Miami and buying a shotgun. Police shut down schools in Jefferson County and surrounding areas but later said Ms Pais was no longer a threat, having allegedly previously hinted at committing acts of violence. She was found in Colorado having travelled to the state days before the 20th anniversary of the school attack. Police patrolled outside Columbine High School / AFP/Getty Images Miss Pais was found in Clear Creek County which is about 40 miles west of Columbine High School, where two teenaged male students shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher on April 20, 1999, before committing suicide. She is said to have made a "pilgrimage" to the area. FBI Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips previously said Miss Pais flew from Miami to Denver on Monday, where she bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. All classes and extracurricular activities for about half a million students were cancelled as a precaution. Columbine High School was one of several in Denver, Colorado, forced to lock its doors. / AP However, sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin previously said threats were general and not specific to any school. Sylvia Lambe, mother who moved from London to Denver in 2017, said her nine-year-old son had been frightened of being killed as the hunt was conducted. Describing the fears of her son, Connor, as the search was still underway, Ms Lambe told the Standard: He feels very scared. He keeps saying he doesnt want to die. E x-Peruvian president Alan Garcia has died after shooting himself in the head before police arrested him. Mr Garcia, 69, shot himself as officers arrived to detain him on Wednesday in connection with a corruption probe. At 12.45pm UK time, Mr Garcia was rushed to Jose Casimiro Ulloa Hospital in Lima for emergency surgery. He suffered three cardiac arrests and his death was announced at 4.30pm. A populist firebrand, he served as president twice: between 1985 and 1990 and then 2006 and 2011. Former Peruvian president Alan Garcia died in hospital / REUTERS At a news conference before Mr Garcia died, interior minister Carlos Moran said the former president had told police he needed to call his attorney when they arrived at his home in Lima to arrest him. "He entered his room and closed the door behind him," Mr Moran said. "Within a few minutes, a shot from a firearm was heard, and police forcibly entered the room and found Mr Garcia sitting with a wound in his head." Supporters of Peru's former president Alan Garcia react after the announcement he had died / Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters Prosecutors believed the former president received more than 76,000 from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. Mr Garcia had been one of nine people a judge had ordered to be arrested for alleged involvement in bribes distributed by Odebrecht. In 2016, it triggered Latin America's biggest graft scandal when it admitted it had paid kickbacks to politicians across the region to secure lucrative contracts. Alan Garcia arrives at Peru's national prosecution office to testify in the Odebrecht case in Lima in 2017 / REUTERS Mr Garcia had professed his innocence and said he was being targeted politically. Last year, Mr Garcia asked Uruguay for political asylum after he was banned from leaving Peru to stop him fleeing or obstructing the investigation. Uruguay rejected the request. He would have been the third former president in Peru to have been held in the Odebrecht case. Ollanta Humala spent nine months in pre-trial detention over 2017 and 2018 and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was arrested without charges last week. A leading Nasa asteroid scientist has revealed that the best way to defend the Earth from asteroids is to build a telescope that will spot them as soon as possible. Dr Amy Mainzer, who is the principle investigator of Nasas asteroid hunting mission, said that trying to spot asteroids with current telescopes was like trying to spot a lump of coal in the nights sky. Her team at Nasas Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has developed a new system designed to spot large meteors capable of causing significant damage. The telescope would be able to spot incoming asteroids capable of causing huge damage, such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago or the Chelyabinsk meteor that caused numerous injuries when it exploded on impact with Earths atmosphere in 2013. Dr Mainzer told a conference in Denver on Tuesday that spotting the asteroids earlier would give scientists more time to develop a strategy to intercept them. Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures 1 /80 Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 NASA This 1969 photograph of the eclipse of the sun was taken with a 16mm motion picture camera from the Apollo 12 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey home from the moon. The fascinating view was created when the Earth moved directly between the sun and the Apollo 12 spacecraft NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II photographed 320 ft from the Space Shuttle Challenger during the first untethered EVA, made possible by his nitrogen jet propelled backpack (Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU) in 1984 NASA The brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display in the 25th anniversary NASA Hubble Space Telescope image NASA Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2011. This lift off is the last in the 30-year-old shuttle program Getty Images The first teklevision image of Earth from a weather satellite taken by the TIROS-1 satellite in 1960 NASA The Echo 2 satellite in 1960. Once the balloon was launched into orbit, a prerecorded message from President Dwight Eisenhower was transmitted from California and heard with clarity in New Jersey NASA The original seven Mercury astronauts and pioneers in human space exsploration pose in their silver spacesuits in 1961 NASA President John F. Kennedy calls for a moon landing in 1961 durning Congress NASA Astronaut John Glenn climbs into his Friendship 7 space capsule in the Atlas rocket in 1962. Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth NASA A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon in 1969 NASA Man's first landing on the Moon. Lunar Module, "Eagle," touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the Moon. Astronauts Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wre the first men to walk on the Moon in 1969 NASA After an 8 month voyage to Mars, Mariner 4 makes the first flyby of the Mars (the red planet) in 1965 and became the first spacecraft to take close-up photographs of another planet NASA Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot on the Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight, is shown during his egress from the spacecraft. His face is covered by a shaded visor to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. He remained outside the spacecraft for 21 minutes during the third revolution of the Gemini-4 mission in 1965 NASA The X-15 completed 199 flights to the edge of space from 1959-1968. Neil Armstrong was one of it's budding young pilots NASA Earthrise over the moon from Apollo 8 in 1968 NASA American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the mammoth-sized Saturn V rocket on their way to the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. saluting the US flag on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969 NASA Home View of Moon limb with Earth on the horizon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission NASA Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet in 1969 Richard Nixon Foundation via Getty Images Lunar mission Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) in 1972 NASA First image of Viking 1's foot plantid on martian soil foot in 1976 NASA The first ever long distance image of the Earth and Moon together. The image photograph was taken by Voyager 1 in 1977 NASA A dramatic view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and its surroundings in 1979 NASA The first space shuttle launch Columbia lifts off in 1981 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. She became the first American woman in space NASA One of the most celebrated images taken by the Hubble called 'Pillars of Creation' NASA Space shuttle Challenger destructs after lift off in 1973 NASA NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard ESA's SOHO spacecraft took this image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence in 1999. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona NASA Trailing a column of flame and smoke that dwarfs it, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaps into the clear blue Florida sky on mission STS-99 in 2000 Space Shuttle Atlantis clears the tower as it roars into space on mission STS-106 after a perfect on-time launch in 2000 NASA 2004 The deepest view of 10,000 galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope called the Hubble Ultra Field Deep (2004) NASA 2005 A new view of the Eagle Nebula, one of the two largest and sharpest images Hubble Space Telescope has ever taken (2005) NASA International Space Station pictured by the crew of Atlantis in 2008 NASA The rim of Gale Crater is visible in the distance, through the dusty haze, in this view of NASA's Curiosity rover of a sloping hillside on Mount Sharp NASA Taken on June 03, 2008 and released by NASA on June 4, 2008 shows US space shuttle Discovery Mission Specialist Michael Fossum being photographed by US Mission Specialist Ronald Garan (reflected in Fossum's face shield) as they work outside The International Space Station during the first of three planned space walks. AFP/Getty Images In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories -- Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way NASA A striking black and white image showing the detail of the planet Saturn NASA This majestic false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows 'mountains' where stars are born. These towering pillars of cool gas and dust are illuminated at their tips with light from warm embryonic stars NASA The space shuttle Atlantis is seen over the Bahamas in 2011 prior to a perfect docking with the International Space Station NASA Aurora Australis, seen from a point over the southeast Tasman Sea near southern New Zealand. in 2011 NASA NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, appears to touch the bright sun during the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). During the six-hour, 28-minute spacewalk in 2012 NASA Behold one of the more stunningly detailed images of the Earth yet created. This Blue Marble Earth montage, created from photographs taken by the VIIRS instrument in 2012 on board the Suomi NPP satellite, shows many stunning details of our home planet NASA Numerous recognizable features appear in this detailed view of London, photographed by an Expedition 10 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). The most striking visual features are green open spaces such as Regent's Park, Hyde Park and St. James's Park east of Buckingham Palace NASA International Space Station image of London at night NASA This image of Tropical Storm Anna taken from the International Space Station in 2015 NASA Pluto's haze layer and its blue colour, taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) in 2015 NASA NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. These dark features on the slopes are called "recurring slope lineae" or RSL NASA Earth observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 49 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 NASA The moon rises in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station in 2017 NASA Hurricane Harvey is pictured off the coast of Texas in 2017 NASA The International Space Station continues its orbit around the Earth as Expedition 50 astronauts captured this night image of sparkling cities and a sliver of daylight framing the northern hemisphere in 2017 This composite image made from a series of 2018 photos shows a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in the Gale Crater NASA US. National Parks From Space. Mt Saint Helen's looking spectacular from above NASA SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft as it lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in 2018 NASA NASA's Juno spacecraft captures Jupiter's southern hemisphere, as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter in 2018 NASA The stunning iamge was shared on social media by astronaut Paolo Nespoli NASA The Bailey's Beads effect is seen as the moon makes its final move over the sun during the total solar eclipse NASA The Moon is seen passing in front of the Sun during a solar eclipse from Ross Lake, Northern Cascades National Park, Washington NASA Swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter's northern hemisphere picture taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it performed it's 13th flypast. Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops. NASA If we find an object only a few days from impact, it greatly limits our choices, so in our search efforts weve focused on finding Neos (near-Earth objects) when they are further away from Earth, providing the maximum amount of time and opening up a wider range of mitigation possibilities, she said. Neos are intrinsically faint because they are mostly really small and far away from us in space," she added. "Add to this the fact that some of them are as dark as printer toner, and trying to spot them against the black of space is very hard. Instead of using visible light to spot incoming objects, Dr Mainzers team at has leveraged a characteristic signature of Neos -- their heat. A photo received from Hayabusa2 spacecraft shows stone and sand after bullets were fired into the surface to collect data by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft after landing on the asteroid Ryugu / AFP/Getty Images Asteroids and comets are warmed by the sun and so glow brightly at thermal wavelengths known as infrared. This makes them them easier to spot with the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (Neowise) telescope. With the Neowise mission we can spot objects regardless of their surface color, and use it to measure their sizes and other surface properties, Dr Mainzer said. This gives an insight into how big the objects are and what they are made of, both critical details in mounting a defensive strategy against an Earth-threatening NEO. One strategy is to nudge an NEO away from its trajectory towards Earth, but to do this requires details of its mass, size and composition. Astronomers also think that examining the composition of asteroids will help to understand how the solar system was formed. These objects are intrinsically interesting because some are thought to be as old as the original material that made up the solar system, Dr Mainzer said. N ever-before-seen footage has emerged of Meghan Markle visiting India, clad in a traditional sari and bindi, to highlight the plight of girls in period poverty. Meghan, who is due to give birth in the coming weeks, was filmed during her trip to New Dehli where she highlighted the plight of girls whose education suffers when they are menstruating. The duchess, who at the time was still working as an actress in the US drama Suits, was a global ambassador for World Vision, the international children's charity. The video, filmed during the January 2017 visit, shows her planting flowers and painting signs with girls at a school where World Vision installed clean water and sanitation facilities. A bindi is painted onto Meghan's head by a young woman / World Vision A young woman also paints a bindi on Meghan's forehead and showers her with flower petals. Meghan during a trip to New Delhi in 2017 where she highlighted the plight of young girls experiencing period poverty / World Vision When she returned, she wrote a piece for Time Magazine about her experiences and said: "I travelled to Delhi and Mumbai this January with World Vision to meet girls and women directly impacted by the stigmatisation of menstrual health and to learn how it hinders girls' education. Meghan planting flowers at a girl's school / World Vision "One hundred and thirteen million adolescent girls between the ages of 12-14 in India alone are at risk of dropping out of school because of the stigma surrounding menstrual health. Meghan, who is due to give birth in the coming weeks, is shown during her trip to New Dehli where she highlighted the plight of girls whose education suffers when they are menstruating / World Vision "During my time in the field, many girls shared that they feel embarrassed to go to school during their periods, ill equipped with rags instead of pads, unable to participate in sports, and without bathrooms available to care for themselves, they often opt to drop out of school entirely." T he fund to restore Notre-Dame Cathedral smashed through the one billion euros (870 million) mark today just two days after the inferno that almost destroyed it. Stephane Bern, the TV presenter and writer who helped launch the appeal by saying Notre-Dame was a close friend who almost disappeared, said this morning: The billion-euro mark of donations was reached during the day. The rapidly-growing fund was swelled by a 200 million (174 million) pledge from cosmetics multinational LOreal, which followed a similar donation from the LVMH luxury goods group run by Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France. Billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault and oil company Total have also pledged 100 million (87 million) each. The cathedral's rubble-strewn interior / AFP/Getty Images The scale of the pledges makes it more likely that President Emmanuel Macron will be able to deliver on his promise to restore the Parisian landmark to its former glory within five years. Before the fire: worshippers inside the cathedral in 2018 / AFP/Getty Images Growing optimism about the future of the badly damaged cathedral was further boosted by the discovery of the iconic rooster weathervane in the rubble of the spire that was dramatically toppled in the blaze. In what is being described as an absolute miracle, Frances ministry of culture confirmed that the rooster has been saved. The famous rooster was found in the rubble of the cathedral A spokesman said: Its dented but can be restored. The fear was that it had been burnt and melted in the fire. Shocked crowds had watched the rooster fall to the ground on Monday evening as flames engulfed the cathedral and destroyed the wooden and lead spire. Inside the shell of Notre Dame / AFP/Getty Images The rooster contains religious relics including one of the 70 reputed thorns of the holy crown of Jesus Christ, and remnants linked to St Denis, the Christian martyr and former bishop of Paris, and St Genevieve, patron saint of the French capital. Flames and smoke rise from the blaze as the spire starts to topple on Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. (AP) / Thierry Mallet/AP It has not yet been possible to open the rooster to check if the relics have survived. According to cathedral guides, the rooster had acted as a spiritual lightning rod to protect the Notre-Dame faithful. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blueberries Medical Corp. (CSE: BBM) (OTCQB: BBRRF) (FRA: 1OA) (the Company or "Blueberries") a Latin American licensed producer of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-derived products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Eduardo Molinari, a former executive of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) (Abbott) and AbbVie Ltd. (NYSE: ABBV) (AbbVie) as Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Molinari will lead the development and implementation of the Companys marketing strategies, directing these initiatives in the local and international markets. Dr Patricio Stocker, Chief Executive Officer of the Company stated, "We are proud to welcome Mr. Molinari to our management team. Eduardo is a highly successful pharmaceutical industry executive as most recently demonstrated through his development of very successful marketing strategies at Abbott and AbbVie in Latin America. This experience along with his deep relationships will be a tremendous asset for us. Blueberries will continue to add world-class senior executives to its management team in an effort to capture a leadership share of the Latin American and international medical cannabis industry. Mr. Molinari stated I am excited to join Blueberries as the company continues to execute on their unique business model. The combination of world-class management, strategic Latin American facilities and global partnerships presents a very compelling opportunity. Im eager to leverage my experience and relationships to contribute to the companys long-term success in the international marketplace. Mr. Molinari has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having held executive leadership positions in countries across Latin America, most recently VP Region North Latin America of AbbVie until December 2018. In 2012, when Abbott spun out its pharmaceutical business to form AbbVie, Mr. Molinari left Abbott to establish AbbVie in Latin America where he played a key role in the growth of the company in the region. His business expertise is combined with deep experience in R&D both in academia at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Molinari has shown continued growth as a leader in the industry with a commitment to bringing healthcare solutions to patients globally. Mr. Molinari has been granted options (the Options) to purchase up to 200,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, pursuant to the Companys stock option plan. The Options are exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share. About Blueberries Medical Corp. Blueberries is a Latin American licensed producer of naturally grown premium quality cannabis with its primary operations ideally located in the Bogota Savannah of central Colombia and operations currently being established in Argentina. The Company is led by a specialized team with proprietary expertise in agriculture, genetics, extraction, medicine, pharmacology and marketing, Blueberries is fully licensed for the cultivation, production, domestic distribution, and international export of CBD and THC-based medical cannabis in Colombia. Blueberries combination of leading scientific expertise, agricultural advantages and distribution arrangements has positioned the Company to become a leading international supplier of naturally grown, processed, and standardized medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products. Additional information about the Company is available at www.blueberriesmed.com. For more information, please contact: Camilo Villalba, Chief Operating Officer Tel: +57.313.483.0131 Email: cvillalba@blueberriesmed.com Jessika Angarita, Pacta Relations angarita@pactarelations.com Tel: +1 (305) 877 4710 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 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. 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: fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Colombian and international medical cannabis market and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in Colombia or internationally; and employee relations. 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. Additional information regarding the Company, and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Listing Statement dated January 31, 2019 filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. P arisians descended on the heart of the city tonight for a candlelit vigil in honour of Notre Dame Cathedral. Twenty-four hours after the world-famous building was almost completely decimated by the huge fire, hundreds of people gathered near the cathedral for an emotional vigil. A day before, Parisians had stood in horror on the Seine riverbank. And though the cathedrals main structure was saved by firefighters, there remained a sense of mourning on Tuesday night as people sang and listened to music at the vigil. Notre Dame fire: What we know so far But sister Marie Aimee, a nun who had hurried to a nearby church to pray as the flames spread on Monday, also captured the citys defiance when she said earlier: Yesterday we thought the whole cathedral would collapse. Yet this morning she is still standing, valiant, despite everything. It is a sign of hope. The vigil came after French president Emmanuel Macron set a target of five years for the ruined cathedral to be rebuilt. Mr Macron outlined his hopes for the restoration in an address to the nation. He said France "will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully" and pledged to "mobilise" as he thanked emergency services and donors who pledged money for the work. Macron: Notre Dame to be rebuilt within five years Nearly 400 firefighters battled through the night before the blaze was declared fully extinguished at about 8am UK time. Two police officers and one firefighter were injured, and at one point it was feared the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece would be completely destroyed in the blaze, which lasted more than 12 hours. Paris Fire Brigade tackle Notre Dame Cathedral fire - in pictures 1 /41 Paris Fire Brigade tackle Notre Dame Cathedral fire - in pictures Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images firefighters working outside Notre Dame CathedraL AP A Firefighter rushing at the burning Notre Dame Cathedral AP Paris fire brigade chief Jean-Claude Gallet stands in front of Notre-Dame-de Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the Cathedral Reuters Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images French firefighters at the scene PA Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral after a fire devastated large parts of the gothic gem in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters look a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris as they cross the Archeveche Bridge on the Seine river AFP/Getty Images Firefighters gather near a fire truck as they work to contain a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Pari AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters check the hoses as they douse a fire that engulfed the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burns AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters try to extinguish a fire as flames are burning the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris EPA Firefighters douse flames billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images The Paris Fire Brigade are seen at an entrance that looks into the Notre Dame Cathedral Reuters General view of the interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral as flames are burning the roof cathedral in Paris, France EPA Firefighters douse flames billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images A Firefighter uses a hose to douse flames and smoke billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images A Firefighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral burns AP Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images Firefighters stand in an aerial lift after a massive fire destroyed the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France EPA Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters leave Notre-Dame Cathedral after a fire devastated large parts of the gothic gem in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters spray water as they work to extinguish a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral AFP/Getty Images Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters secure Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters enter the Notre-Dame Cathedral as flames are burning the roof cathedral. EPA The bells at Westminster Abbey tolled at 5.43pm on Tuesday afternoon 24 hours after the fire started - and Prime Minister Theresa May announced bells at churches and cathedrals across England would ring in a further show of solidarity on Maundy Thursday. Investigators believe the blaze was caused by accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place. By Tuesday evening, more than 600 million euros had been pledged from French families and companies including Total and L'Oreal Group. F rench firefighters used high-tech kit including drones and a remote controlled robot called Colossus to tackle the devastating blaze at Notre Dame cathedral. The 500 kg robot was sent into the inferno to tackle the flames on the huge timber roof of the cathedral which posed a major risk to firefighters. The robot, made by a firm called Shark Robotics, is built to endure tough conditions. It can be operated from almost 1,000 feet away and was used during the fire to carry heavy hoses into the cathedral and spray a column of water skywards while keeping firefighters at a safe distance. Drone images show the devastation caused by the fire The robot, almost 5.25 feet long and 2.5 feet wide, is controlled by a trained operator who uses a device that looks like video game controller. Firefighters also used drones to tackle the blaze, flying them high above the cathedral to identify hotspots to direct their response. Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the French firefighters, said: It is thanks to these drones, to this new technique, that we could make tactical choices to stop this fire at a time when it was potentially occupying the two belfries. Inside the burnt cathedral / AFP/Getty Images The drones allowed us to use our available means in the best possible way. Video released by the French Ministry of the Interior shows some of the drone footage as well as their operators. The Colossus robot, which was deployed by French firefighters / AFP/Getty Images The fund for the restoration of the cathedral was today approaching one billion euros, as donations flooded in from around the world. Aerial images of Notre Dame Cathedral fire aftermath 1 /13 Aerial images of Notre Dame Cathedral fire aftermath Bernard Arnault, Europe's richest man, donated 200m euros, Salma Hayek's husband Francois Henri Pinault donated 100m euros. Cosmetics giant L'Oreal gave 200m euros and oil firm Total gave another 100m euros. The Socialist Council in Paris also pledged 50m euros. Today, an expert said he believed a modern restoration of Notre Dame would be the best use of the hundreds of millions of euros pledged - rather than being "stuck with the past." Professor Stephen Murray, who co-led a project to laser map the Gothic masterpiece in minute detail, said the building was "revolutionary" for its day and the vast sums of money could be used for a cutting-edge update. Notre Dame was within "15 to 30" minutes of complete destruction during the disastrous blaze that claimed the roof and spire, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said. Huge sums have been pledged to repair the beloved Paris landmark, which President Emmanuel Macron has set a target of five years to finish. He said France "will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully" as he addressed the nation little more than 24 hours after the devastating fire. Asked if there should be a modern answer for the building's restoration, Prof Murray said: "That's what Gothic was all about". "The 12th-century cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris was the highest-tech vision of a building they could conceive," he told the BBC's World Tonight. "It was really a revolutionary building and the roof was a revolutionary piece of carpentry and I don't think we should be stuck with the past. "We are children of the 21st century". Paris Fire Brigade tackle Notre Dame Cathedral fire - in pictures 1 /41 Paris Fire Brigade tackle Notre Dame Cathedral fire - in pictures Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images firefighters working outside Notre Dame CathedraL AP A Firefighter rushing at the burning Notre Dame Cathedral AP Paris fire brigade chief Jean-Claude Gallet stands in front of Notre-Dame-de Paris in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the Cathedral Reuters Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images Firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral BSPP via Getty Images French firefighters at the scene PA Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral after a fire devastated large parts of the gothic gem in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters look a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris as they cross the Archeveche Bridge on the Seine river AFP/Getty Images Firefighters gather near a fire truck as they work to contain a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Pari AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters check the hoses as they douse a fire that engulfed the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burns AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters try to extinguish a fire as flames are burning the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris EPA Firefighters douse flames billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images The Paris Fire Brigade are seen at an entrance that looks into the Notre Dame Cathedral Reuters General view of the interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral as flames are burning the roof cathedral in Paris, France EPA Firefighters douse flames billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images A Firefighter uses a hose to douse flames and smoke billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images A Firefighter uses a hose as Notre Dame cathedral burns AP Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images Firefighters stand in an aerial lift after a massive fire destroyed the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France EPA Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters leave Notre-Dame Cathedral after a fire devastated large parts of the gothic gem in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters spray water as they work to extinguish a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral AFP/Getty Images Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France Reuters Firefighters secure Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris AFP/Getty Images French Firefighters enter the Notre-Dame Cathedral as flames are burning the roof cathedral. EPA Prof Murray, who studied at Oxford University and the University of London's Courtauld Institute, co-led a project that used laser scanners and ultra-high-definition photography to document the building. The expert on medieval art and Gothic architecture is now at Columbia University in New York. He said the building's exterior would stay "very much the same" and the interior vaults would be restored, but suggested the roof could be radically different. Prof Murray said he expects the project to rebuild Notre Dame, which has received international offers of support, will unify France. "Gothic architecture was very much about unifying a society in the great struggle to create something almost miraculous, and I suspect that's something we are going to see now in the 21st century," he said. "Gothic architecture has been a way of bridging gaps and social divisions and silly arguments to pull people together to build something marvellous." Mr Macron announced a national subscription to help rebuild the monument as more than 600 million euros (519 million) were pledged by firms and wealthy individuals. Donors to the restoration project include French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH, pledging 200 million euro (173 million) after a reported 100 million euro (86 million) donation was promised by another French billionaire, Francois Pinault. L'Oreal Group, the Bettencourt Meyers family and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation jointly also pledged 200 million euro, while oil and gas company Total said it would give 100 million euro towards reconstructing the "architectural jewel". Fifty investigators are now working on a "long" and "complex" probe into the cause, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters. They will interview workers from five companies hired to work on renovations to the cathedral roof. It is believed the blaze was an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place. At one point it was feared the cathedral would be completely destroyed in the blaze, which lasted more than 12 hours. The tragedy prompted an outpouring of support internationally, with the Queen saying she was "deeply saddened" and Pope Francis offering his prayers. The bells at Westminster Abbey tolled at 5.43pm on Tuesday afternoon - 24 hours after the fire started - and Prime Minister Theresa May announced bells at churches and cathedrals across England would ring in a further show of solidarity on Maundy Thursday. She described images of the destruction as "truly heart-rending", adding: "President Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral and I have conveyed to him that the UK will support this endeavour however we can." The cathedral housed a collection of valuable treasures, some which were salvaged and are due to be moved to the Louvre museum. Speaking in front of the cathedral, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said: "The task is - now the risk of fire has been put aside - about the building and how the structure will resist." T wo Saudi sisters have fled their family and country and are pleading for help from Georgia, in the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom. Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, created a Twitter account called "GeorgiaSisters", writing: We need help, we arent safe. The sisters escaped to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, and now claim they will be killed if forced to return to Saudi Arabia. In a short video clip, posted on their new account on Wednesday, Wafa says their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia and are looking for them to try and take them home. We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia is (sic) too weak to protect us, she explains. Georgia has become a transit point for many Saudi women who have fled their country in recent years, as Saudis can enter visa-free. In almost all these cases, the women were fleeing abusive male relatives and were unable to report the abuse in the kingdom. Saudi women who are caught running away can be pressured into reconciling with their abusers, forced into restrictive shelters, or detained on charges of disobedience. We are seeking the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) protection in order to be taken to a safe country," said Wafa in her Twitter post, without giving further details on the circumstances behind their escape. The sisters Twitter plea for asylum, which includes photos of their passports that they claim have been suspended by the Saudi government, has been seen by a number of human rights organisations. "Have already sent an email to our Middle East & North Africa team, and also inquiring about who we have in Georgia," tweeted Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. Other social media users have garnered support for the young women's appeal by responding using the hashtag #SaveSaudiSisters. The news comes just months after Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun used Twitter to draw worldwide attention to her plight. The 18-year-old barricaded herself in a Bangkok hotel room, having fled herabusive Saudi family during a trip to Kuwait. She used the social media site to help prevent her deportation from Thailand, and following swift action by the UNHCR was granted asylum in Canada. There had been speculation that Ms al-Qunun's successful escape would encourage other women to do the same, but powerful deterrents remain in place. If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for shaming the family. Rahaf Mohammed arrives at Toronto Pearson International Airport on January 12 (REUTERS) / Reuters Ultra-conservative families in the country view the so-called protection of women as a man's duty. However, Saudi campaigners have begun to protest against the male guardianship system. Around a dozen women's rights activists have been detained, many since May, for fighting for better female autonomy. Some had also wanted to create alternative shelters for women runaways, describing current shelters in Saudi Arabia as similar to detention centres. A government app offers men in the country the ability to grant or deny a woman permission to travel. Some young women have managed to flee Saudi Arabia by accessing their father's phone and granting themselves permission to travel by changing the app's settings. W hilst most of the tech world has been focused on Samsungs new folding phone this week, experimental robotics firm Boston Dynamics was quietly uploading the latest video demonstrating the feat of its creations. A total of 10 SpotMini dogs are seen in the video working together to pull a full-sized truck across the Boston Dynamics parking lot. Its an impressive feat of strength from the robots, which are 0.84 metres high and have a payload of about 14kg. SpotMini regularly features in Boston Dyanmics videos. Last year, the robot made headlines following a video of it dancing to Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. Its able to do this thanks to its mobility features and perception sensors that help it with navigation and mobile manipulation. SpotMinis older sibling, Spot, has some impressive powers too. It can autonomously navigate around buildings and use cameras to map out the scenario. The idea is that this robot will be used on construction sites. The truck-pulling video is about more than showing off SpotMinis strength. Boston Dynamics says the robot is now off the production line and will be available for a range of applications soon. The company says it can handle objects, climb stairs and will operate in offices, homes and outdoors. In terms of other specs, it is all-electric and can last for around 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing. Boston Dynamics also says this is the quietest robot it has ever built. Theres no pricing yet for the robot, but it probably wont be suitable for consumer use anyway. M ADE is looking for the next up-and-coming start-up to help it envision the future of shopping. The interior design brand has launched its new tech innovation lab, MADE Labs, that will work with start-ups and emerging technologies to create an engaging shopping experience. MADEs offering is embedded in tech the direct-to-consumer brand launched nine years ago by entrepreneurs Ning Li and lastminute.coms Brent Hoberman, at a time when furniture shopping didnt really take place on the internet. Though the brand does have a flagship showroom in Soho now, as well as stores in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, the entire space is enabled by tech. The supersized touch screens dotted throughout the store offer features such as Find My Style, a tool to help customers find products that match their taste, and Shop Instagram, a shoppable feed of social media posts featuring MADE products, built with Theodo. It regularly collaborates with other tech companies too, such as London-based start-up Hullabalook, which created a tool named Sofasizer. This allows customers to find the perfect size of sofa for their space. MADEs focus on tech is about finding innovation to make buying new furniture and interior accessories so much easier. Earlier this month, it launched its new online interior design service, in collaboration with French start-up, hubstairs. For 89, it offers a full stack design service, allowing customers to visualise their home with MADE furniture, using AI to recommend the right products and 3D technology to create a view of the completed room. The MADE x hubstairs collaboration democratises access to an interior design / MADE For the MADE Labs project, the company is inviting start-ups to pitch their products and ideas, using technology that keeps one step ahead of its customers needs and expectations. Speaking about the announcement, MADEs chief technology officer, Jonathan Howell, said: We are lucky enough to be based in the centre of one of the worlds best tech start-up communities. There are amazing things happening within those companies, and we want to stay true to our entrepreneurial roots and collaborate with these businesses to get their ideas in front of our customers. It's also a way for MADE to keep up with the changing consumer landscape. As more millennials come of age and start shopping for their homes, using tech in this way is a key way to bring those new shoppers on board. By 2022, 50 per cent of the consumer landscape will be millennials or younger. This is a seismic shift for an industry thats already gone through a huge amount of change over the past decade, said Howell. At MADE, we pride ourselves on relentless innovation and so a key challenge for us, as it should be for every business, is to continue to listen to what our customers want and action this, so we remain relevant in the changing consumer landscape. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the April 2019 cash distributions for the iShares ETFs listed on the TSX or NEO which pay on a monthly basis. Unitholders of record of a fund on April 25, 2019 will receive cash distributions payable in respect of that fund on April 30, 2019. Details regarding the per unit distribution amounts are as follows: Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBH 0.053 iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBO 0.041 iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF CDZ 0.090 iShares Equal Weight Banc & Lifeco ETF CEW 0.030 iShares U.S. High Yield Fixed Income Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CHB 0.088 iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLF 0.038 iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLG 0.044 iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Preferred Share Index ETF CPD 0.050 iShares Short Duration High Income ETF (CAD-Hedged) CSD 0.077 iShares US Dividend Growers Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CUD 0.063 iShares Convertible Bond Index ETF CVD 0.070 iShares Global Monthly Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CYH 0.070 Dynamic iShares Active Tactical Bond ETF DXB 0.042 Dynamic iShares Active Canadian Dividend ETF DXC 0.040 Dynamic iShares Active Crossover Bond ETF DXO 0.057 Dynamic iShares Active Preferred Shares ETF DXP 0.072 Dynamic iShares Active Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF DXV 0.040 iShares Canadian Financial Monthly Income ETF FIE 0.040 iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF XBB 0.074 iShares Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF XCB 0.053 iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF XDG 0.062 iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDGH 0.045 iShares Core MSCI Canadian Quality Dividend Index ETF XDIV 0.074 iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF XDU 0.043 iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDUH 0.046 iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF XDV 0.085 iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XEB 0.062 iShares S&P/TSX Composite High Dividend Index ETF XEI 0.082 iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index ETF XFN 0.094 iShares Floating Rate Index ETF XFR 0.032 iShares Canadian Government Bond Index ETF XGB 0.043 iShares Global Government Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XGGB 0.027 iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF XHB 0.066 iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHD 0.063 iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF XHU 0.055 iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHY 0.086 iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XIG 0.063 iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF XLB 0.068 iShares S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XPF 0.078 iShares High Quality Canadian Bond Index ETF XQB 0.044 iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index ETF XRE 0.065 iShares ESG Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF XSAB 0.047 iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF XSB 0.055 iShares Conservative Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSC 0.047 iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSE 0.048 iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate + Maple Bond Index ETF XSH 0.045 iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSI 0.056 iShares Short Term High Quality Canadian Bond Index ETF XSQ 0.035 iShares ESG Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF XSTB 0.039 iShares Diversified Monthly Income ETF XTR 0.050 iShares S&P/TSX Capped Utilities Index ETF XUT 0.081 Estimated April Cash Distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF The April cash distributions per unit for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF are estimated to be as follows: Fund Name Fund Ticker Estimated Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR 0.067 BlackRock Canada expects to issue a press release on or about April 24, 2019, which will provide the final amounts for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Further information on the iShares Funds can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca . About BlackRock BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of December 31, 2018, the firm managed approximately US$5.98 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/ca | Twitter: @BlackRockCA | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock . About iShares ETFs iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 800+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$1.7 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2018, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm1. 1 Based on US$5.98 trillion in AUM as of 12/31/18 iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. Contact for Media: Maeve Hannigan T 416-643-4058 Email: Maeve.Hannigan@blackrock.com Ferratum Oyj: Decisions of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Ferratum Oyj Helsinki, 17 April 2019 Ferratum Oyj (ISIN: FI4000106299, WKN: A1W9NS) (Ferratum). DECISIONS OF FERRATUMS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019 Ferratum held its Annual General Meeting today and the meeting made the following resolutions. ADOPTION OF THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS AND DISCHARGE FROM LIABILITY The Annual General Meeting adopted the Annual Accounts including the Consolidated Annual Accounts for the financial year 2018 and discharged the members of the board of directors and the CEO from liability for the financial year 2018. DIVIDEND The Annual General Meeting decided in accordance with the proposal of the board of directors that a per-share dividend of EUR 0.18 will be paid for the financial year 2018 to a total of EUR 3,883,997 to the shareholders who on the dividend record date 23 April 2019 are registered in the companys shareholders register. The payment date for the dividend will be 30 April 2019. AMENDMENT OF THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION The Annual General Meeting approved the Board of Directors proposal to amend Ferratums Articles of Association in order to observe the changes in the Finnish Auditing Act, and to enable a composition of the Board of Directors, which reflects the Companys operations and the markets in which it operates in a more appropriate way, and also allows for sufficient diversity with respect to, for instance, expertise and geographical background. Article 3 (Board of Directors and CEO) was amended so as to (i) allow a maximum of nine members in the Board of Directors instead of seven, and (ii) enable the Board of Directors to appoint the Chairman and the Vice Chairman itself instead of them being appointed by the General Meeting of Shareholders. Also Article 8 (Annual General Meeting of Shareholders) was amended accordingly. Further, Article 6 (Auditor) was amended so as to be in line with the terminology used in the Finnish Auditing Act. COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS In accordance with the amended Articles of Association, the Annual General Meeting confirmed the number of members of the board of directors as nine. The Annual General Meeting decided to re-elect Pieter van Groos, Jorma Jokela, Lea Liigus, Juhani Vanhala and Christopher Wang as members, and to elect Kati Hagros, Michael A. Cusumano, Goutam Challagalla and Frederik Strange as new members, each one for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors will be appointed by the Board of Directors from amongst its members as allowed under the amended Articles of Association. REMUNERATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Annual General Meeting resolved that the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be paid EUR 2,500 per month and the other members of the Board of Directors EUR 2,000 per month. Furthermore, it was resolved that no remuneration will be paid to the members who are employees or Managing Directors of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company. AUDITOR AND REMUNERATION OF THE AUDITOR Audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy, which had stated that APA Mikko Nieminen will act as the responsible auditor, was appointed as auditor of the Company for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. It was decided that the auditor be paid reasonable remuneration in accordance with the auditor's invoice, which shall be approved by the company. AUTHORISATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO DECIDE ON THE REPURCHASE OF THE COMPANYS OWN SHARES The Annual General Meeting approved the Board of Directors proposal on authorisation to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase a maximum of 1,086,198 shares in the Company, which corresponds approximately to 5 per cent of all the shares in the Company. By virtue of the authorisation, own shares may be repurchased by using the Companys unrestricted shareholders equity. Consequently, any repurchase will reduce the Companys funds available for distribution of profits. Own shares may be repurchased through public trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at the prevailing market price on the date of repurchase. The authorisation entitles the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase shares also otherwise than in proportion to the shareholders holding in the Company by way of a directed repurchase subject to the requirements set out in the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. The Board can use the authorisation in one or several tranches to all purposes decided by the Board of Directors. The authorisation is in force until the next Annual General Meeting, however, no longer than until 30 June 2020. AUTHORISATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO DECIDE ON THE ISSUANCE OF SHARES AND SPECIAL RIGHTS ENTITLING TO SHARES The Annual General Meeting approved the Board of Directors proposal on authorisation to the Board of Directors to decide to issue a maximum of 3,258,594 shares, which corresponds approximately to 15 per cent of the Companys total amount of shares. The Board of Directors may issue either new shares or transfer existing shares held by the Company. The authorisation also includes the right to issue special rights, in the meaning of Chapter 10 Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, which entitle to the Company's new shares or the Companys own shares held by the Company against consideration. Shares that may be subscribed for by virtue of the special rights entitling to shares are included in the aforesaid maximum number of shares. The authorisation entitles the Board to decide on a directed share issue and issue of special rights in deviation from the pre-emptive rights of shareholders subject to the requirements set out in the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. The Board can use the authorisation in one or several tranches, and it may be used to all purposes decided by the Board of Directors, such as developing the Companys capital structure, financing or carrying out acquisitions or other arrangements, or as a part of the Companys incentive schemes. The authorisation is in force until the next Annual General Meeting, however, no longer than until 30 June 2020. About Ferratum Group: Ferratum Group is an international provider of mobile banking and digital consumer and small business loans, distributed and managed by mobile devices. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Ferratum has expanded rapidly to operate in 25 countries across Europe, Africa, South and North America and the Asia-Pacific region. As a pioneer in digital and mobile financial services technology, Ferratum is at the forefront of the digital banking revolution. Ferratum's mobile bank, launched in 2016, is an innovative mobile banking platform offering a range of banking services, including real time digital payments and transfers, within a single app. It is currently available in five European markets. Ferratum has approximately 2.0 million active and former customers who have an account or have been granted one or more loans in the past (as at 31 December 2018), of which over 792,000 customers have an open Mobile Bank account or an active loan balance in the last 12 months. 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 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC PINK: BLOZF) (the Company or Cannabix) developer of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer for law enforcement and the workplace, is pleased to report that recent characterization work with Cannabixs FAIMS (field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry) THC detection device with human subjects has shown the ability to consistently discriminate unwanted ions from complex human breath background matrices allowing for THC (9-tetrahydrocannabinol) detection. In particular, recent testing with updated FAIMS cell geometries has shown the ability to consistently supress several compounds that are commonly found in breath like nicotine, garlic, onion, meats, ethanol, and volatile flavorants such as methyl salicylate and menthol (commonly found in gum) allowing for discrimination and mobility of THC in exhaled breath. The Company is also pleased to report that engineers have developed a new atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source that provides significantly improved ion control in terms of intensity, stability, and focusing. Early testing with high concentrations of a range of interferents collected from the breath of human subjects did not affect the sensitivity of the FAIMS device. These include complex matrices such as tomato juice and mouthwash. Testing with various common high salt and high sugar content electrolyte drinks was also conducted to determine if adduct ions would form that could interfere with the device, thus far none of these have done so. Cannabix scientists have been focusing their efforts to complete characterization of FAIMS with various possible breath and environmental contaminants and are nearing completion of this phase of development. The Company then plans to initiate third-party testing and piloting of the device. The Company has received interest in piloting from both U.S. and Canadian law enforcement groups as well as other organizations that drug test their employees. About Cannabix Technologies Inc. Cannabix Technologies Inc. is a leader in marijuana breathalyzer development for law enforcement and the workplace. Cannabix has established breath testing technologies in the pursuit of bringing durable, portable hand-held tools to market to enhance detection of marijuana impaired driving offences on roads at a time when marijuana is becoming legal in many global jurisdictions. Cannabix is working to develop drug-testing devices that will detect THC- the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes intoxication- using breath samples. In particular, Cannabix is focused on developing breath testing devices for detection of recent use of THC, in contrast to urine testing for THC metabolite that requires an invasive collection and reflects previous usage from days or even weeks earlier. The devices will also be useful for other practical applications such as testing employees in the workplace where impairment by THC can be hazardous. We seek Safe Harbor. On behalf of the Board of Directors Rav Mlait CEO Cannabix Technologies Inc. For further information, contact the Company at info@cannabixtechnologies.com The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, such as final development of a commercial or prototype product(s), successful trial or pilot of company technologies, no assurance that commercial sales of any kind actually materialize; no assurance the Company will have sufficient funds to complete product development. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Companys plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) risks regarding protection of proprietary technology; (iii) the ability of the Company to complete financings; (iv) the ability of the Company to develop and market its future product; and (v) risks regarding government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that the marijuana breathalyzer business will provide any benefit to the Company, and no assurance that any proposed new products will be built or proceed. There is no assurance that existing patent pending technologies licensed by the Company will receive patent status by regulatory authorities. The Company is not currently selling commercial breathalyzers. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Bucharest Jiang Yu says Romania obtained fruitful results in the summit of the heads of government of the 16+1/Central and Eastern Europe - the People's Republic of China cooperation format, carried out on April 12 in Dubrovnik, where three bilateral agreements were signed. "Romania obtained fruitful results in this summit. In the presence of the various heads of Government, China and Romania signed three important agreements: the memorandum of understanding on establishing a working group on an expert level to promote unrestricted trade, the sanitary veterinary protocol for food safety on bee honey export from Romania to China and the cooperation agreement between China Development Bank and Eximbank Romania on loan guarantees. These agreements are hard to win, reflecting the special importance granted by the Chinese government to the development of relations with Romania. In the next step, China will continue to closely collaborate with Romanai and grant a special attention to putting into practice the results, bringing a true sentiment of gain to both people," reads a release sent by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China. Jiang Yo brings to mind that in the eighth meeting of government leaders in the 16+1 cooperation format, PM Viorica Dancila had a meeting with Chinese PM Li Keqiang. Moving the Embassy of Romania from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is not a conflict between the President and the Government, but just a matter involving a political consensus, considers Catalin Dancu, Romania's Consul General in New York. "As for the move of the embassy, I do not call it a conflict. I think the approach is wrong. It is known that the implementation of this procedure to move an embassy involves a number of institutional, decision-making factors and, as Mrs. Prime Minister has clearly shown at the recent world meeting of Jewish leaders, this decision is taken by political consensus along with all the institutional actors involved. It is not a whim, it is not a unilateral decision taken by a government or a president today. (...) The issue of moving the embassy is a political issue for Romania. So it has a national impact, and I am convinced that after this assessment, I consider it positive, in some form or another, this move will be achieved. I am convinced the political context and the basis will unite the two camps and the final decision will be made in consensus," Catalin Dancu said on Wednesday before the awards ceremony of the "Man of the Year - The Book of the Year 2018" Prize, an event organized in Tel Aviv by the Association of Romanian Language Israeli Writers (ASILR). As regards Romania's Ambassador to Israel, Catalin Dancu, whose name has been circulated for this dignity, has shown that it would be a great honor, a great responsibility, but also a good ending to a cooperation he has with the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania (FCER) and the Jewish Community of Romanian origin in Israel. In his opinion, Romania's relationship with the State of Israel is perhaps as important as Romania's Partnership with the US. "From a diplomatic point of view, I believe in a trilateral Romania - Israel - USA in the field of security as well as in the economic and military fields. Only those who do not know the Israeli issue carefully can place on a level other than possible the Romanian-Israeli relations. It is less important why it has not happened until now [appointing an ambassador to Israel]. It is important to happen as soon as possible and thus to enter a normal flow of cooperation. We already have an ambassador of Israel in Bucharest, I believe that it is time for Romania to respond with the same attitude by officially nominating on behalf of the Presidency the new ambassador," said the Romanian Consul General in New York. If he becomes Romania's ambassador to Israel, Catalin Dancu says he has multiple priorities on the political agenda of the two governments but also on the economic one, considering that Romania needs to increase the volume of exports with Israel, especially in terms of beef and mutton. He also referred to the governmental agenda for the future restitution of the lawful citizenship through legislative amendments to all Jews who were abusively deprived of the right to maintain their citizenship as a political and moral reparation. As far as the political agenda is concerned, Dancu referred to the organization of a high-level meeting of the two governments in Bucharest, arguing that "since 2014 there has been no common agenda, and the last two meetings of this kind took place only in Jerusalem." AGERPRES The government is creating a tax haven for ridesharing companies that siphon money out of the country, and under these circumstances some taxi drivers consider going on hunger strike, president of the Confederation of Licensed Romanian Operators and Hauliers (COTAR) Vasile Stefanescu told AGERPRES on Wednesday. "The reason why we gathered to protest here, in Victoriei Square is the statement made by Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Suciu, whereby he takes sole responsibility for an emergency ordinance that legalizes piracy in Romania. We have nothing to comment with regard to ousting an entity from Romania, but we want fair competition. For us, fair competition means a single law for the same activity, not a legal framework that is separate from ours, like a tax haven created just for some; this should mean including a separate chapter in Law No. 38 on taxi and hire services to also cover these gentlemen, impose some restrictions, have the same licensing, activity, control and taxation criteria for all. That's when we can consider that we have fair competition," Vasile Stefanescu said. He accused ridesharing applications of practicing unfair competition. "This ordinance will legalize a platform, like for instance Bla Bla Car. Bla Bla Car provides unlicensed inter-county transport services. Some journalists have gotten it wrong, that we don't want competition. We do want competition, but fair, not as some people at rule would want it, who yield to the pressure of certain embassies and allow these guys to further carry out their activity and siphon money off the country. It's not normal to allow - through this ordinance - that money be taken out of the country to the Netherlands, where a smart alecky tax of 25-30 pct is charged, when you are nothing more than a simple platform, you do not even have cars, you have nothing, you just use the lowbrows in the country. It's not fair," said the COTAR president. He announced in this context that the protesters are making hunger striker lists and asked the government to confiscate the money cashed by ridesharing companies. "Mr. Deputy PM Suciu, these entities have stated in the media that they have been operating in Romania for 4 years. Mr. Deputy PM, enforce the law: according to Romanian law, if someone performs an unlicensed activity, all the money shall be seized! So far we haven't been able to sit down with the government, to hammer out a law for us, yet these entities have access to the government today and discuss this law they want to pass via emergency ordinance," added Vasile Stefanescu. Hundreds of taxis gathered on Wednesday in Victoriei Square in a protest organized by COTAR against the government's plan to issue an emergency ordinance which - according to the protesters - would maintain piracy in the sector. In the last month carriers have organized several protests in Bucharest, accusing piracy in the sector. On the other hand, the representatives of ridesharing companies and apps Uber and Clever said it's the customer's right to choose his transport options, pointing also out that many taxi drivers are already using the applications. COTAR's request to have transport apps removed from the market shows fear of technological advancement, modernization and competition, out of the need to preserve a monopolistic system that completely ignores the needs of passengers, Clever said in a Wednesday statement. AGERPRES AGERPRES special correspondent Catalina Matei reports: Developing co-operation between the Romanian and Israeli nations was the main topic of discussion held in Jerusalem on Tuesday as part of a visit by the Minister for Romanians Abroad, Natalia Intotero, along with an official retinue, at the Jerusalem City Hall. Intotero was welcomed Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Yosef Daitsh, and Yosef Wasserman, a rabbi of the community of Romanian-born Jews. The visit was organised by the Association of Romanian Speaking Israeli Writers (ASILR), before an event scheduled for Wednesday where several personalities from Romania and Israel will be presented with awards, in partnership with the Israeli-Romanian Cultural Centre in Tel Aviv, the Foundation for the Development of Romanian Judaism, FCER, TAROM, AGERPRES, other organisations.Intotero underscored that a main objective of her ministry is to preserve the Romanian identity all over the world through education, culture, cultural events, support for religion, and developing partnerships.She mentioned that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dealing with about 10 million Romanians, of which 6 million in the Diaspora, and 4 million in historical communities. "There is here a community of people with origins in Romania that counts over 220,000 exceptional people, who are the bridge between Israel and Romania, people who greatly contribute to the economic development of Israel and support the economic development of Romania. One of these extraordinary men is [ASILR chairman] Dragos Nelersa to whom I want to thank," added the minister.Deputy Mayor Daitsh underlined the importance of this time when the Israeli people are preparing for the Pesach Feast. "Over 2,000 years ago, millions of people were preparing to celebrate the Hebrew Passover (Pesah) (...) The greatest rabbis who came to this country came from Romania. It is very important that each of you be an ambassador of Jerusalem, especially on these important days, so that more and more tourists come to visit this beautiful and important country, "said the deputy mayor, who wished both nations "Happy Easter!."Rabbi Wasserman mentioned a desire of the Israeli officials to move the Embassy of Romania in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "We are asking President Klaus Iohannis to move the Romanian embassy as soon as possible from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the United States has done, and we are asking for all the help so that the transition may be easier and more beautiful," said Wasserman.He also made an announcement: "On June 30, 2019, in Iasi, I invite you to participate in the fifth edition of the March of Life, a project we have initiated. At the same time, a twinning agreement will be signed between Ashdod and Iasi, by their mayors."The chairman of ASILR remarked that the Romanian officials' visit was a very important one to strengthening the friendship between the two ethnic communities in the two countries and to the development of cultural relationships, with the continuation of several projects at the international level. "The visit of Minister Intotero is an important step in the development of intercultural dialogue and the successful promotion of Romanian identity in Israel, and for this reason we are bestowing on the Romanian official the People of the Year 2018 and "ASILR - Knight of the Romanian Language medals",' said Nelersa.Previously, the retinue led by Intotero was welcomed at the Romanian Church in Jerusalem by the Superior of the Romanian Settlements, Archimandrite Teofil Anastasoaie.On the same day, she toured the Ramat Rachel kibbutz, one of the last of its kind that operates according to the basic rule: equality between the members of the community, regardless of occupation, the motto being "We are very rich, but not in money."The retinue visiting the Jerusalem City Hall included representatives of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, the Bucharest City Hall , the TAROM national airliner, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv, representatives of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church, journalists Parliament on Wednesday passed, 263 to 9 and one abstention, a bill on the request of President Klaus Iohannis for holding a national consultative referendum on issues of national interest on May 26 that includes several recommendations to the head of state. "Parliament is hereby favourably approving the initiation by the President of Romania of a national consultative referendum on the following issues of national interest: the prohibition of amnesty and pardon for corruption offences and the prohibition of the adoption by the government of its emergency ordinance in the area of criminal offences, punishments and judicial organisation correlated with the right of other constitutional authorities to notify the Constitutional Court (CCR) directly about ordinances, recommending that the question on the ballot paper comply with the Constitution of Romania, Law 3/32000 on referenda, the relevant rulings of the CCR and the recommendations in the Code of Good Practices on Referendums adopted by the Venice Commission," according to the bill. The bill also says the President must comply with Articles 90 and 74 (2) of the Constitution, which provides that fiscal, international, amnesty and pardon issues cannot be the subject of the citizens' legislative initiatives. Also, the head of state must comply with CCR Ruling 70/1999, which stipulates that the president cannot initiate a legislative referendum, as well CCR Ruling 799/2011 for the purpose of exempting from referendums issues of national interest requested by the president which, sanctioned by the will of the citizens, would require the revision of the Constitution.Under Parliament's bill, the head of state must observe the Code of Good Practices on Referendums adopted by the Venice Commission that the text put to the vote should not violate international law or statutory principles of the Council of Europe - democracy, human rights and the preeminence of law - the rule of law.Leaders of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR) protested against the proposed bill. They have called for the report of the legal committees to be redone, arguing that the report is "a fake".PNL floor leader Raluca Turcan said the report was a "fake," with several texts being mixed up, and asked for it to be reworded.The accusations were rejected by Chairman of the Judicial Committee of the Chamber of Deputies Nicusor Halici, who said that the report only asks the head of state to observe the constitution and recommendations of the Venice Commission."The report of the committees is a fake, the report is grossly falsified against the vote and the debates in the committee. Unfortunately the draft decision contains a whole new text. The president has the right to consult with Parliament, and the committee has issued a favorable opinion without any amendments. We are asking for the report to be reworded," Turcan told a plenary session of Parliament. Executive president of the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Prime minister Viorica Dancila announced that Eugen Nicolicea will be PSD's proposal for the position of Justice Minister replacing Tudorel Toader. Premier Dancila said on Wednesday, at the end of PSD's Executive Committee that Tudorel Toader "made a mistake when he said he would do many things and did not finalise them." "In my opinion, I believe there has been a lot of talk about justice and I think Tudorel Toader made a mistake when he said he would do very many things and did not finalise them," Dancila affirmed. At the same time Prime minister Dancila specified that Oana Florea was proposed for the position of Minister of European Funds at the place of Rovana Plumb and Liviu Brailoiu as Minister for Romanians Abroad instead of Natalia Intotero, Plumb and Intotero being to run for the European Parliament election. AGERPRES . President Klaus Iohannis will attend the official opening of the 2019 Romania-France Season, due on Thursday at the National Art Museum of Romania, at 18:45 hrs, according to his agenda. The Romania-France Season includes a series of exhibitions, theater and film festivals, concerts that will be held in over 30 cities, including Bucharest, Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi. The first event in Romania on the cultural season is the International Lighting Festival - Spotlight, which starts on Thursday. The official closing of the Romania-France Season will take place on July 14 with a large-scale cultural event organized at the Arenele Romane (the Romanian Arenas_ - the Electrica Plant.) President Klaus Iohannis attended the opening of the cultural season in France last November, together with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The cultural season ended in France on April 16 and featured events organized in more than 100 cities. AGERPRES Officials of Uber Romania ridesharing company say they want a collaboration with the local taxi industry, given that many taxi drivers are already using the company's application, emphasising the consumer's right to choose from among various transport options. "We want to collaborate with the taxi industry as we do in other countries. In fact, many taxi drivers are already using our application, but we will never agree with employers' organisations who oppose technology and the right of consumers to choose. We believe the government will opt not to limit ridesharing services, but to regulate them properly in the interest of millions of Romanians who use these applications and want to continue to have more transport options," Uber Romania officials said in a statement released on Wednesday. The Confederation of Authorised Romanian Haulers (COTAR) is protesting today in Victoriei Square Bucharest against the intention of the government to issue an emergency ordinance which, according to the haulers, would maintain illegal taxicab operation.According to COTAR, 5,000 cars are expected for the protest taking place between 06:00hrs and 18:00hrs in Piata Victoriei.Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration Vasile-Daniel Suciu said Monday that within two days the emergency ordinance outlawing illegal taxicab operation would be published in the Official Journal. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Element Fleet Management Corp. (Element or the Company), a leading global fleet management company, today announced that it is nominating Andrea Rosen for election to Elements Board of Directors at the Companys Annual General Meeting to be held on May 8, 2019 (the Meeting). Ms. Rosen is a seasoned professional with a strong financial services background. She has been a corporate director since 2006 and served as Vice Chair of TD Bank Financial Group and President of TD Canada Trust from 2002 to 2005. Previously, she was Executive Vice President of TD Commercial Banking and Vice Chair of TD Securities. Ms. Rosen is currently a Director of Ceridian HCM Holding Inc., Manulife Financial Corp., and Emera Inc. Andrea brings tremendous knowledge and experience to Element, said Element Chairman David Denison. Her leadership roles at TD Bank and subsequent board experience will be of great value to Element as we advance our strategic plan. We look forward to having Andrea join us at such a pivotal time for the Company. I would also like to thank William Lovatt, who is not standing for re-election to the Board at our upcoming Annual General Meeting, for his many years of service and insight as Element expanded its footprint to become a world leader in the fleet management business, Mr. Denison added. Element also today announced the filing of shareholder materials for the Meeting. These materials can be found on the Companys web site at www.elementfleet.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . About Element Fleet Management Element Fleet Management (TSX: EFN) is a leading global fleet management company, providing world-class services and financing for commercial vehicle fleets. The Company enjoys scale and leadership in key markets, a top-tier customer base, strong cash flow and ready access to capital, and an investment-grade balance sheet. Element's suite of services spans the total fleet lifecycle from acquisition and financing to program management and remarketing helping customers optimize performance and improve productivity. For more information, visit www.elementfleet.com . This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Element and its business. Such statements are based on the current expectations and views of future events of Elements management. In some cases the forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as may, will, expect, plan, anticipate, intend, potential, estimate, believe or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, including, among others, statements regarding Elements future growth and prosperity. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Element, including risks regarding the fleet management and finance industries, economic factors, and many other factors beyond the control of Element. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. A discussion of the material risks and assumptions associated with this outlook can be found in Element's current MD&A and Annual Information Form, all of which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Element undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Dublin, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Pipeline Review, H1 2019" drug pipelines has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report 'Integrin Beta 7 - Pipeline Review, H1 2019' outlays comprehensive information on the Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics, complete with analysis by indications, stage of development, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type; that are being developed by Companies/Universities. It also reviews key players involved in Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics development with respective active and dormant or discontinued projects. Currently, The molecules developed by companies in Pre-Registration, Phase III, Phase I, Preclinical and Discovery stages are 1, 1, 1, 1 and 3 respectively. Report covers products from therapy areas Gastrointestinal, Immunology, Infectious Disease and Undisclosed which include indications Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease (Regional Enteritis), Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections (AIDS) and Unspecified. Scope The report provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape for Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) The report reviews Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics under development by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources The report covers pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages The report features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which includes, product description, descriptive MoA, R&D brief, licensing and collaboration details & other developmental activities The report reviews key players involved in Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects The report assesses Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type The report summarizes all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects The report reviews latest news and deals related to Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) targeted therapeutics Reasons to Buy Gain strategically significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage Identify and understand the targeted therapy areas and indications for Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) Identify the use of drugs for target identification and drug repurposing Identify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic Develop strategic initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying key players and it's most promising pipeline therapeutics Devise corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) development landscape Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope Key Topics Covered: Introduction Report Coverage Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Overview Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Therapeutics Development Products under Development by Stage of Development Products under Development by Therapy Area Products under Development by Indication Products under Development by Companies Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Therapeutics Assessment Assessment by Mechanism of Action Assessment by Route of Administration Assessment by Molecule Type Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Companies Involved in Therapeutics Development C4X Discovery Holdings PLC Genentech Inc Morphic Therapeutic Inc Protagonist Therapeutics Inc Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd Integrin Beta 7 (Gut Homing Receptor Beta Subunit or ITGB7) - Drug Profiles ET-3764 - Drug Profile etrolizumab - Drug Profile PN-943 - Drug Profile Small Molecule to Antagonize Integrin Alpha4 and Beta7 for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Drug Profile Small Molecule to Antagonize ITGA4 and ITGB7 for Unspecified Indication - Drug Profile Small Molecules to Antagonize Integrin Alpha4 and Beta7 for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Drug Profile vedolizumab - Drug Profile Featured News & Press Releases Mar 11, 2019: Takeda's Entyvio achieves superior remission than Humira in ulcerative colitis Mar 11, 2019: Takeda Canada announces positive results for ENTYVIO (vedolizumab) vs. Humira (adalimumab) in first IBD study to compare biological agents head-to-head Dec 17, 2018: Entyvio post-marketing safety data consistent with previous clinical trials Dec 13, 2018: Protagonist Therapeutics initiates phase 1 trial of oral, gut-restricted, alpha-4-beta-7 integrin antagonist PN-10943 Nov 27, 2018: Protagonist Therapeutics announces new development candidate PN-10943 for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease Nov 07, 2018: Takeda announces launch of Entyvio (vedolizumab) for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in Japan Oct 27, 2018: Takeda comments on ongoing Phase 1 review by the European Commission of the proposed acquisition of Shire Oct 22, 2018: Investigational subcutaneous formulation of Vedolizumab achieves and maintains clinical remission and mucosal healing at Week 52 in patients with moderately to severely active Ulcerative Colitis Oct 08, 2018: New real-world data analyses support the long-term use of Entyvio (Vedolizumab) in bio-nave patients for the treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease Jul 19, 2018: Takeda reports positive top-line outcomes from VISIBLE 1 trial Jul 18, 2018: Takeda Submits an Application for a New Indication of Entyvio (vedolizumab) for the Treatment of Adult Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease in Japan Jul 02, 2018: Takeda Obtains New Drug Application Approval for Entyvio (vedolizumab) for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in Japan Jun 05, 2018: Analysis of real-world safety data shows gut-selective ENTYVIO (vedolizumab) had fewer serious infections and adverse events than those on systemic TNFa-antagonist therapy in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease patients Jun 03, 2018: Takeda Highlights Favorable Safety Profile of Entyvio (vedolizumab) Through Comparative Real-World Data Versus TNFa-Antagonist Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease May 15, 2018: Bio-Rad Introduces Anti-Vedolizumab Antibodies For more information about this drug pipelines report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ncwzo2 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. ORLANDO, Fla., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Elev8 Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: VATE), a holding company focused on commercial development of hemp and cannabinoid-infused beverages as well as an array of CBD topicals and tinctures, announces the release of its brand new, redesigned website and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) courtesy of Bright Rain. Bright Rain is a marketing and advertising company based in Orlando that thrives on the collaborative process. Elev8 Hemp worked closely with Bright Rain to create a beautiful, simple, and product-focused design to continue driving our sales and position ourselves as leaders in the CBD-infused beverage marketplace. Because of Bright Rains experience in the design and SEO business, they embraced our desire to disrupt the beverage market and create products that bring joy to our customers while providing new options for health and wellness. The website is especially helpful in promoting our newest products launched earlier this year: CBD-infused iced tea and iced coffeeboth of which are currently in pre-orders with shipments starting soon. Part of Bright Rains design involved hiring a product photographer who staged and captured our products in their best light, focusing on our wonderful packaging while staying true to our messages of great taste and top quality. The new photography is especially helpful in differentiating between our CBD-infused bagged coffee and CBD-infused hot teas, showcasing our variety of flavors as well as more completely incorporating Elev8 Hemps current logo for increased brand recognition. In 2019, portraying a company accurately and effectively through a website is so important for image and branding, especially because we are poised to carve out our place as a nationally recognized brand, said Elev8 Hemps CEO Ryan Medico. The redesign of the website and future updates to the logo are exciting and vital to our continued success; our collaboration with the incredible people at Bright Rain promises a remarkable future for Elev8 Brands, Inc. Elev8 Hemps website is currently live and will be followed by a similar and complete redesign of affiliate company Zoe CBD, which focuses on CBD-infused tinctures, salves, and topical applications, like lotions and CryoGel, for enhanced health and rejuvenation benefits. Like Elev8 Hemps redesign, Zoe CBDs will emphasize product-focused photography and SEO techniques that will make our subsidiary more searchable and, therefore, more profitable as a result. We would also like to take this chance to announce our newest partnership with Kelly Distribution that has officially pre-ordered both our CBD-infused ready-to-drink iced tea and ready-to-drink iced coffee. The Elev8 team is excited to continue working with them to make its products available in as many stores as possible. Kelly Distribution is owned and operated by Jonathan Kelly Krasinski and affiliates. Together they serve the Chicago land area and the northern half of Illinois. Owner, Jonathan Krasinski, stated, With our current success distributing other Hemp and CBD products, we are thrilled to have an opportunity to work with Elev8. We strive to carry the best products in the CBD and Hemp market and believe Elev8 meets that criteria. We are thrilled to carry their Lemon-Flavored CBD Iced Tea, and CBD Iced Coffee in a can. Those interested in trying our CBD-Infused ready-to-drink coffee and tea can preorder on Elev8 Hemps new website while those interested in understanding the benefits of hemp products can learn more here. For those who would like to learn more about Zoe CBDs entire line-up of CBD products and benefits, visit their website and keep a look out for the upcoming redesign that is sure to delight our current customers and increase future profits and distribution channels. About Elev8 Hemp, Inc. Elev8 Hemps mission is simple: craft the highest-quality, organic hemp products for consumers in search of a healthier, happier lifestyle. Everyone needs to get the proper amount of healthy proteins to keep them feeling better and more energetic. We source only the best organic hemp protein powdersnaturally full of powerhouse amino acids and Omegas-3, 6, and 9so we can infuse your daily coffee and tea with an abundance of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Mother Nature creates this pure hemp with a rare, perfect balance for optimal nutrition and exceptional taste. Elev8 Hemp takes these raw, natural products and transforms them into delicious CBD-infused beverages that will become your new favorite daily drink. CBD-infused coffees and teas are our specialty, and we take our mission very seriously. Let us do what we do best and let achieving a healthier lifestyle be as simple as remembering your morning cup. www.facebook.com/elev8hemp www.instagram.com/elev8hemp www.twitter.com/elev8hemp Safe Harbor Statement: The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and various other factors beyond the Company's control. www.elev8hemp.com (407) 377-6693 ir@elev8hemp.com Has US and UK Diplomacy Completely Died in the Middle East and Been Replaced by Parody? The real story is how alarming numbers of ISIL fighters are re-emerging in Southern Syria due to US sanctions against Iran forcing Iranian guards to financial profiteer by offering them safe package there for hard cash. I once met and stayed with the traveler and explorer Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger KBE, DSO, FRAS, FRSL, FRGS in his humble mud house in a northern desert town of Kenya in 1990 or 1991. Thesiger was an eccentric Englishman whose travels had actually discovered parts and peoples of Africa and was said to have fired the first shot against the Italians who occupied Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) at the beginning of the second world war, a country which held a special place in his heart, as he was born and grew up there in its capital. Thesigers father was a British minister based in Addis Ababa (essentially a high ranking diplomat) and one evening, whilst sketching Thesiger, I asked him about the role of a British diplomat at that time. Potentially more powerful than the prime minister he said. How diplomacy has fallen from such a powerful and relevant profession to one so pathetic and despondent that it leaves many hacks wondering why western governments even bother with them at all. Recently in Beirut, the former British Ambassador Tom Fletcher paid a visit to the present British one, Chris Rampling; the latter a diminiutive individual who cheerfully promotes Lebanon almost as though he views it through the eyes of the 500,000 dollar paid for CNN advertorials which the government in Beirut funded years back (which failed spectacularly, by the way) and cant see how corruption is literally eating the country alive. And then there is Fletcher who I interviewed once and was underwhelmed by largely by his ignorance of the region but also his gob smacking narcissism. Ol Fletch later defamed me to a group of MEPs who visited Beirut (many of whom warned me of his spite) while his psychoanalyst wife, treated my then wife, resulted in her threatening to shoot me with her uncles .38 pistol. But no matter. The thing about diplomats like Fletcher who think its oh-so-cool to be active on twitter and to have as many selfies with Lebanese babes as possible while hiding behind that medium from journalists who have real questions about policy is that they dont understand the demise of western diplomacy. And there can be no better example of this than Americas absolute decline, if not near death, of diplomacy around the world and not least of all in the Middle East, a point which former US diplomat William J Burns admitted to in an interview with the BBC Hardtalk interview show. Iraq in 2003, he more or less admits, was a massive mistake, even as a military operation as there was no discussion whatsoever about the follow up process of Apres Saddam. Burns admits to drawing up a black list almost a year before in Washington of reasons not to go to war, but those days were the cusp of decline of diplomacy in the US to todays nailed coffin representation. Trump was once asked at the beginning of his term about how concerned he was about the number of state department officials. He shrugged the question off and said not really as Im the only one who matters. And this absolute arrogance has spread to other western countries as British officials like Fletcher or Rampling have no impact whatsoever of any of the decisions taken by London. In fact, they are so outstandingly insignificant that they are forbidden from making any comment to British journalists based in the region, before getting approval from the speak-your-drivel foreign office drones who would brief them. Just look at the chaos and perhaps more importantly fake news which is spewing out of Syria right now. Barely a day goes past when the BBCs Beirut correspondent produces yet another tedious report about captured ISIL fighters and their empty headed, silent on screen moments which we are supposed to consider as news. Why are the BBC in that particular regional of Syria? Because the low hanging fruit of packages which more or less produce and write themselves are there and we know that ISIL is over now as a terrorist organization as Mr Trump told us, right? Actually, real journalists some of whom are not even based in the region but in the US but know whats going on the ground are trying to break through with a different narrative which is that ISIL is not at all over, but merely dispersed and going underground. The real story is how alarming numbers of ISIL fighters are re-emerging in Southern Syria due to US sanctions against Iran forcing Iranian guards to financial profiteer by offering them safe package there for hard cash. ISIS, or Daesh is far from defeated. Its simply moved and is largely being left alone in the south due to two key reasons: The Assad government really likes what ISIL is doing in that part of Syria frightening locals into joining the Syrian army and Israel not wanting to strike them as Netanyahus government has always regarded them as an asset rather than an enemy. But this oversight of putting so much emphasis on Trumps blithely bumbling his way through policy changes in the north about the numbers of US soldiers there led media on a narrative that they struggled to lose, while taking their eye off the ball over what was really going on with Iran in the south, Hezbollah and rat lines being opened up for fleeing ISIL fighters. And if you think that such a nuance of the Syria war will be lost on Trumps new target group of voters Christian evangelists who are supposed to understand where and what the Golan Heights are then you might be mistaken, when ISIL and perhaps the tacit support of Iran, Assad and Hezbollah together decide that two US military bases in the region are looking seriously under protected. But dont worry too much. Chris Rampling, Britains new ambassador to Lebanon has the answer. He recently gushed a serious of tweets about a British aircraft carrier docking in Beirut showing support to the Lebanese. Against what?! A shortage of teeth whitening products? If that doesnt worry you, Tom Fletcher in the Middle East without a job should give you a few sleepless nights. If you are in the Arab world as any kind of hack, you should read Thesigers The Marsh Arabs or A life of My Choice essential reading for foreign correspondents, although Thesiger wouldnt have thought much of present day British or American diplomats in the Middle East. He once scoffed at two such types who joined him on a trip in the desert who blew up their new inflatable sleeping bags, calling them a pair of pansies a reference probably entirely unfitting for either Rampling or Fletcher. The Shia rebels now say they will finally implement the December peace deal that was supposed to reopen the Red Sea port of Hodeida, which is essential for delivering emergency food and other aid to northern Yemen. Iran had persuaded the Shia rebels to stall but that advice lost its appeal as the rebel situation worsened everywhere, not just at Hodeida. Iran had problems of its own at home and elsewhere and as not been able to help much. While the rebels have stolen and stockpiled a lot of food and other aid, their coalition continues to unravel and lack of aid coming through Hodeida is one reason. The rebels seemed unstoppable in 2014 because they could depend on the cooperation or neutrality of many Sunni tribes and all the Shia tribes in the north. That cooperation often came in the form of reliable neutrality. After 2016 there were a lot fewer neutral Sunni tribes and some had turned against the rebels. Key neutral tribes in the northwest (the rebel homeland) are renouncing their neutrality and fighting, or just blocking rebel movement. A key rebel loss has been in the northwest (Hajjah province), which was taken by Saudi forces in 2018 after more than two years of fighting. This province is on the Saudi border and largely populated by Shia. Many Saudis believe Hajjah province should be part of Saudi Arabia. At one time in the 1920s, a decade before the Saudi kingdom was founded, Saudi forces conquered Hajjah province. British threats caused the Saudis to withdraw but the Saudis never forgot. Another reason for the Saudis to take the province is to halt the smuggling that still thrives along the Red Sea coast. Pacifying Hajjah province meant making deals with the Shia tribes to assure them they would not be mistreated. To help with that the Saudis had the experience of the many Shia tribes in southwest Saudi Arabia, who have done much better economically over the decades than their Shia brethren across the border in Yemen. The Saudi pitch was classic Arabian; support the Saudi cause and Saudi Arabia will provide protection and aid. By early 2019 it was obvious to the Shia rebels that the key Shia tribes in Hajjah province had switched sides. The rebels shifted forces from the south to launch an offensive against their new enemy. With Saudi assistance, the Hajjah tribes were able to keep the rebels out. That was a problem for the rebels because Hajjah contained some key routes long used by the Shia rebel tribes inland. This put more pressure on the rebels because this was yet another Saudis success in or near the Shia rebel home province of Saada. This is not a new situation but has been growing worse since 2016 and caused a manpower shortage for the rebels as well as a worsening morale problem. The Shia rebels have become weaker in other respects. Their failure to meet the terms of the December 2018 Hodeida ceasefire backfired. The Arab Coalition brought in food from the less capable Gulf of Oman ports and are working to expand the capabilities of those ports. In the meantime, there was less food aid for the areas once dependent on supplies coming in via Hodeida. The Yemeni government was able to do something about the shortages while the Shia rebels simply made matters worse without helping the rebel coalition or the core rebel Shia tribes back north in Saada province. Iran had no solutions because the blockade was remarkably effective and Iran did not have the resources for anything new and ambitious that could change the situation. The Shia rebels demonstrated that they have fewer and fewer options. The rebels have lost the ability to launch more ballistic missiles at key targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The rebels have few if any, ballistic missiles left. Moreover, the Saudis and UAE have been able to shoot down all of the missiles that were going to hit an important area (and not land in an unpopulated area, as many of the missiles have done). Another threat that the rebels pose, but will not admit openly, is that they will try to destroy Hodeida port facilities and food storage sites before they leave the city. Recently the rebels decided that trashing Hodeida was not a practical option. Damaging the port would reduce aid supplies to rebel-held areas and it would obviously be the fault of the rebels. Food would be available from the government, bringing it in via Gulf of Oman ports. Finally, the rebels need the forces concentrated around Hodeida elsewhere. The government and Arab coalition forces are advancing on several fronts and if the rebels dont send reinforcements there will be major losses of territory. The Arab Coalition is also slowly taking apart the legal income sources the rebels had because they captured the national capital in 2014 and held on to it. That meant they maintained control over vital, and profitable (via taxation) industries. One of the most valuable, the telecommunications business, has been generating about $60 million a month in taxes since the rebels seized the capital. The Arab coalition created a rival national telecommunications authority and has persuaded most of the foreign telecommunications firms to abandon the Shia rebels and pay the legitimate government operating from the temporary capital of Aden. The rebels have already lost enormous sums because Hodeida is closed and all those bribes, extortion payments and stolen aid are no longer available. Cholera Abides The 2017 cholera epidemic was never completely suppressed and has revived with about 200,000 new cases so far in 2019. The original 2017 outbreak got out of control because the Shia rebels refused to allow the UN to fly in half a million doses of vaccine early on. The rebels insisted that they be first supplied with ambulances and other medical equipment their fighting forces needed. This delayed the vaccination program and the rebels continued to tolerate contaminated water supplies in areas they controlled. With the deadlock at Hodeida, the rebels had even fewer resources to deal with the water supply problems and growing poverty in their territory. The resurgence of cholera is a very visible example of the problems in rebel territory. The rebels are less prepared to deal with the epidemic than they were in 2017. In mid-2017 it was believed that the epidemic had peaked. It had but many victims were still incapacitated and the conditions that enabled the outbreak were unchanged. By mid-2017 about a million people had been infected in 22 of 23 provinces and about 2,300 died. This all began in April 2017 when living conditions in the capital Saana declined to the point that there was an outbreak of cholera (that is spread by infected water and food). The disease spread from the capital and intensified. This was all because the rebels have not put a priority on maintaining the quality of the water supply. Iran blamed the people fighting the rebels, especially Saudi Arabia. But the main problem was the rebels, who tried to use the cholera outbreak to extort militarily useful aid from the UN and other foreign aid groups. Asking donor states (and private foundations or individuals) for more money doesnt work when the destination is a place like Yemen. Because of the Internet donors can more easily exchange information on the success or failure of their efforts. Yemen most frequently comes up on the losing side because of the rampant corruption and banditry. Islamic Terrorists Feuding And Waiting AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) are still around but largely keeping their heads down in rural hideouts. Most of these are in central Yemen ( Baida province) and to the east. Anywhere an Islamic terrorist can find a hospitable tribe, they can usually arrange refuge. AQAP has few active members left in Yemen and the only remaining local support is from some separatist Sunni tribes in the south and east. In the south (Shabwa province), Yemeni special operation troops have been finding and raiding the few remaining rural AQAP hideouts there. Since 2017 AQAP has been under heavy attack by the Americans and the Arab coalition and the Islamic terrorists have responded by shifting more of their attacks to the government and Arab coalition forces. AQAP took credit for 273 attacks in 2017 and in the first six months of 2017, some 75 percent of these attacks were against the Shia rebels. But in the second half of 2017 half, the attacks were against fellow Sunnis (government and coalition forces). In 2018 the remaining AQAP are mainly fighting for survival against the government and coalition forces. AQAP is more acceptable to more Yemenis in the south and survives more easily. By mid-2017 Islamic terrorist attacks had declined more than 90 percent versus 2014 and the decline continued into 2018. In the last year, there have been very few prominent AQAP or ISIL attacks in Yemen. AQAP and their tribal allies have reached the point where tribal elders are willing to try convincing armed tribesmen not to work for AQAP. The effort to clear AQAP out Hadramawt, Abyan (Aden) and Shabwa provinces has been going on since late 2016 but became more intense since early 2017 when the United States increased its effort to find and kill key AQAP personnel, especially the many who were based in Shabwa. This was mainly done from the air using UAVs for surveillance and attacks using guided missiles and smart bombs. As a result of the air operations, the remaining AQAP groups became more vulnerable to detection and attack on the ground. There are also some ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) groups out in the hills who will attack AQAP but are currently avoiding government forces. There seem to be only one or two ISIL groups left in this region and not many more AQAP but the search, and the occasional battles, continue. The two Islamic terrorist groups have been attacking each other during the last year, usually via assassination. Bombings attract too much attention and require a lot more effort. Islamic terrorists have long found refuge among Islamic conservative tribes in rural areas of Yemen. The offer of refuge goes away if the government gets determined about searching for Islamic terrorists. In cases like that the Islamic terrorist guests will move on rather than anger their host if the government forces come by and find the tribe harboring Islamic terrorists. Currently, AQAP and ISIL take the long view, that eventually the civil war will be over and it will be possible for Islamic terror groups to again recruit, rebuild and get back into action. April 16, 2019: The government revealed that it had shot down eleven rebel UAVs (equipped with explosives) sent to attack the Yemen parliament which has resumed meeting in the southeast (Hadramawt province). There is still some threat from Iranian UAVs, but while these are smaller and easier to smuggle in there appears to be a limited number of them left in Yemen because of the numerous Arab air raids during 2019 against bases they operate from. While the ballistic missile attacks have been halted there has only been a reduction in the use of armed (with explosives) UAV attacks. Government forces first encountered Iranian UAVs equipped with explosives in early 2018. There were a few successful attacks with these UAVs used as cruise missiles but since late 2018 the coalition has been quick to detect and destroy these UAVs, either in the air or on the ground. April 15, 2019: The government and rebels agreed to implement the terms of the December 2018 deal to demilitarize Hodeida port facilities and adjacent food storage sites. That agreement was to have been implemented in January but the rebels refused to cooperate. The new agreement is supposed to have assurances that aid will go where it is supposed to. The details of which forces will move to where and when have been agreed to but not made public. In the past, the rebels would debate such details endlessly as a delaying tactic. The only thing that gives hope this time around is that the bels have been moving forces from Hodeida to deal with emergencies elsewhere and the rebel supply situation is pretty bad, especially for the civilians they rule over. April 13, 2019: In the southeast (Hadramawt province), the government convened parliament for the first time, in Sayoun city since the Shia rebels seized control of the capital in 2015. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2003 and none have been held since. The Arab Coalition and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) has endorsed the use of members elected in 2003. The government was only able to get 138 members (out of 301) to this parliament, so there is not a quorum (majority of members) present to officially conduct business. Since 2003 about 40 members have died and at least 50 are in rebel-held areas. The whereabouts of the others are unknown, unclear or a member does not want to get involved yet. Since the government has managed to move the Election Commission from Sanaa, it has been possible to make plans for new elections, even if people in rebel-held areas will be unable to vote. April 10, 2019: The coalition carried out airstrikes against two targets in the capital Sanaa. One strike was against a launching area for armed UAVs and another was a building used to modify or repair the Iranian UAVs used for attacks. April 9, 2019: In the south (Dhalea province), a rebel short-range ballistic missile apparently aimed at a populated area in the province, missed and landed in some farmland. With the continued stalemate around the port of Hodeida, the rebels have shifted forces to other areas, like the border of Dhalea province in preparation to retaking one of the first provinces retaken by government forces in 2015. The missile attack was apparently in support of that offensive, which never got going and rebel forces were forced back by a government attack. The rebels lost control of Shaddad Fort Mountain, some key high ground in northern Dhalea province. April 8, 2019: The United States designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. This includes the Quds Force which supports many illegal, and some legal Iranian and Hezbollah operations worldwide. This terrorist designation means it is more difficult, but not impossible, for IRGC and Quds Force personnel to move around and operate in nations that are not close Iranian allies (like Syria, Lebanon as well as parts of Iraq and Yemen). April 7, 2019: In the north Saudi, air defenses shot down a rebel UAV apparently headed for a target in southwestern Saudi Arabia (Asir Province). April 6, 2019: In the north (Sanaa province), government forced advances closer to the rebel-held capital Sanaa. April 2, 2019: In the northwest (Hodeida province), major fighting broke out between the Shia rebels and government forces in the port of Hodeida. The fighting, which consisted of lots of mortar and artillery shells fired by government and rebel forces, was concentrated outside the city near the airport and Red Sea mills, where foreign aid food supplies are stored. The shelling was over after a few hours and there were no reports of casualties. In the north, Saudi air defenses shot down two rebel UAVs apparently headed for the southwestern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait in Asir province. April 1, 2019: The U.S. revealed that there have been eight American UAV attacks in Yemen so far this year. Two were in January and the rest in March. While the American UAV attacks continue in Yemen the number has greatly declined since 2018, when there were 36 attacks. In 2017 there were 131 attacks and all have been mainly against AQAP and ISIL camps and key personnel in central Yemen. March 23, 2019: In the north (Sanaa province), coalition airstrikes hit two caves outside Sanaa city where the rebels were believed to be storing Iranian UAVs and related equipment. Approval will allow Oliveda products to be introduced through retailers; new partnerships to be explored at upcoming beauty expo in Shanghai SANTA MONICA, CA, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Oliveda International, Inc. (OTC Pink: OLVI), a leading international natural cosmetics and wearable beauty and health technology innovator, today announced retail approval for Olivedas top selling natural cosmetic and beauty products in the China market, estimated to be the largest in the world. As part of its retail launch in China, Oliveda will introduce its products to additional retailers and beauty enthusiasts at the upcoming China Beauty Expo, promoted as Asias leading and largest beauty event. The Asia-Pacific region is estimated by analysts to be the largest market for cosmetics and beauty products, accounting for approximately 36% of the global total, with China being the largest consumer within that region. The increasing demand in China has been fueled by a growing number of affluent urban customers and a rapidly expanding middle class, estimated at over 400 million strong. The desire of these demographics for premium cosmetic and beauty products, especially unique brands like Oliveda, has fueled massive growth in the sector. To illustrate this point, Chinese consumers accounted for 33% of all luxury goods spending globally last year, and luxury spending in the country is expected to increase by 10% in 2019. Retail approval in China is an important development, especially given its large market size and growing consumer base for high quality brands, stated Thomas Lommel, Chairman and CEO of Oliveda International, Inc. Beyond the quality and effectiveness of Olivedas products, the unique story tapping into the power of the mountain olive tree, which can live up to 4,000 years with full vitality, the connection to nature, and the rejuvenating effects of this connection will appeal to a large segment of Chinese consumers, and we have great optimism about our performance in this market. As a public company, Oliveda Internationals plan was to strategically expand into the largest global cosmetic and beauty markets, replicating the success Oliveda has already achieved in Europe with Oliveda Deutschland GmbH. Growth has been strong in all our current markets and we have high hopes for each of our new markets as well. The appetite for premium beauty brands is only growing in large markets, including the United Sates and China, which explains our recent expansion initiatives. Stockholders should look for further updates on our activities as additional milestones are achieved. We look forward to the upcoming China Beauty Expo, where we plan to meet with existing retail partners as well the large number of potential retailers in China and other Asia Pacific markets, Mr. Lommel concluded. The China Beauty Expo will be held on May 20 22 in Shanghai at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center. Last years expo featured 3,500 exhibitors and over 481,000 visitors. Investors interested in experiencing the quality of Oliveda products can now place orders in the United States with the recent launch of U.S. Oliveda Online at us.oliveda.com . The website features a variety of Olivedas top selling products for the face, body, hair, and inside the body holistic benefits. Included in the initially offered products is The Beauty Fountain, Olivedas popular daily anti-wrinkle Collagen Hydroxytyrosol drink. U.S. Oliveda Online will ultimately be expanded to include all Oliveda product offerings currently seen at www.oliveda.com . Oliveda International Inc. Founded in 2003 by German real estate investor Thomas Lommel, Oliveda International, Inc. is a leading international natural cosmetic company in the premium segment. The company has also developed a globally-unique wearable beauty and health technology. In addition to online sales and a global branch network of 650 retail stores, the companys wholly owned Oliveda Deutschland GmbH subsidiary operates flagship stores, Olive Tree Pharmacy, in Berlin and Dusseldorf with plans to open new locations in Los Angeles, Taipei and Seoul. Overall, the company believes that it will be able to operate a total of 60 of its own flagship stores worldwide and increase the retail store network worldwide to 1,200 over the next five years. Through subsidiary operations, Oliveda International is the largest investor in eco-certified mountain olive trees as well as the largest conservationist in Arroyomolinos de Leo, Spain. Further information on Oliveda International can be found at http://www.oliveda.com and http://www.olivetreepeople.com . OLVIs quarterly and annual financial reports and disclosure statements can be found on the OTC Markets website at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/OLVI/disclosure . Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain statements, estimates or projections that constitute "forward-looking statements" pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which may be found in the Companys filings with OTC Markets Group Inc., that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's historical experience and present expectations or projections. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements unless otherwise required by law. Advance PR Group 619-202-7456 olvi@advanceprgroup.com Joint Venture Positions NewBridge to become a Participant in the Industrial Hemp CBD Market Alameda, CA, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- NewBridge Global Ventures, Inc. (NewBridge or the Company), (OTCQB: NBGV), a company focused on the emerging and dynamic legal and regulated cannabis industry, today announced that it has signed a joint venture partnership agreement with King Hemp NM, LLC, providing for the formation of King Hemp Farm, LLC (KHF), which will cultivate, process and distribute industrial hemp CBD. This partnership is an exceptional opportunity for NewBridge Global Ventures, commented Bob Bench, Interim President and CFO. The King Family has a long history in the State of New Mexico and are among the larger land owners and farm operators in the State. In partnership with King Hemp NM, LLC, NewBridge has the opportunity to become one of the largest hemp producers in New Mexico. The King Family has a 100-year history of farming, ranching, and public service in New Mexico, and controls thousands of acres of land. Their main crops recently include wheat, alfalfa and corn. Industrial Hemp will be planted for the first time in 2019. NewBridge plans to develop 20 acres on the Farm of Sam L. King to build a processing facility, tissue culture seed breeding center, greenhouses and a lab. The partnership will be using the most advanced genetics and farming techniques and processing the fresh biomass using the Companys licensed patented water-based energy wave technology. NewBridge will issue to King Hemp NM, LLC, 1.0 million shares of its common stock for a 10-year lease on two 10-acre parcels of land for developing its campus. Sam King, who has been interested in growing Industrial Hemp since the passing of the Farm Bill in late 2018, commented, We are delighted with the opportunity that the State of New Mexico has given to their farmers with the legalization of industrial hemp. As my father before me, I am honored my children are involved in farming since many younger generations are not staying on the farm. With this new endeavor through King Hemp NM LLC, they are contributing to the King Family legacy by initiating production of this new sustainable crop with modern farming technologies. We are excited to partner with NewBridge, who bring their patented water-based energy wave technology that will allow for rapid processing of the significant production of industrial hemp we envision, and which will not only be beneficial to the environment, but will also provide economic benefit for our local area and the State of New Mexico, concluded Mr. King. Dr. John MacKay, Chief Technology Officer and the leader of the project for NewBridge, as well as a noted scientific expert on extraction, added, This joint venture marks the next evolution for cannabis extraction as we will bring controlled cavitation and water to process an entire farm worth of fresh biomass in days. Not only does processing fresh biomass eliminate expensive drying rooms, processing fresh biomass at the peak of freshness, and before the plant degrades, preserves precious compounds for a whole plant extract with a true full spectrum compound profile at scale. About King Hemp NM LLC The King Family began farming near Stanley, New Mexico after the patriarch traded his Model T for a homestead in 1917. Today, the 3rdand 4thgenerations are tending to the land. Over their 100 years of farming and ranching experience they have raised beef cattle and grown beans, potatoes, wheat, alfalfa and corn. They are pleased to add industrial hemp to that list this year. Sam L. King and family of SLK Farming, grows 3,500 acres of feed for dairy cows which is supplied to large New Mexico dairy farms year-round, comments, We take satisfaction in the high-quality products grown and delivered to our customers on a daily basis. Sam and his wife, Erin, along with their children, Tyler and Audra, take pride in being honorable stewards of the land and passing down traditions along with sustainable and innovative practices to the next generation of farmers. About NewBridge Global Ventures NewBridge Global Ventures, Inc. (OTCQB: NBGV) is a US public company acquiring and currently operating a vertically integrated portfolio of California cannabis and hemp companies. Our vertical structure includes genetics, cloning, cultivation, processing, and distribution. We believe by focusing on compliance, industry best practices, standardization, and corporate governance, NewBridge Global Ventures, Inc. will be squarely positioned for rapid sales growth in the legal California cannabis and industrial hemp Industry. For more information go to: www.newbridgegv.com Forward-Looking Statements Statements about the expected timing, and all other statements in this press release, other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based on current expectation and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. A number of the matters discussed herein that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances and developments that may or may not materialize. This press release speaks only as of its date, and except as required by law, we disclaim any duty to update. Contacts: Bob Bench, Interim President bob@newbridgegv.com 801-362-2115 Investors: Kirin Smith / Stephanie Prince PCG Advisory Group sprince@pcgadvisory.com 646.863.6519 TROY, Mich., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KellyOCG, the outsourcing and consulting group of Kelly , honored 19 companies with its seventh annual Supplier Excellence Awards. Presented at two award ceremonies held in Michigan and Amsterdam, Netherlands, the awards are given to top-performing national and global suppliers that provide superior workforce solutions. We are excited to once again recognize the commitment of our supplier community. Through these partnerships, we are able to meet our customers needs by delivering innovative workforce solutions and by encouraging our customers to ditch the script on old ways of thinking about workforce planning, said Thorsten Koletschka, vice president, global supplier strategy and engagement lead, Global Talent Supply Chain Organization for KellyOCG. The awards ceremony provides valuable opportunities for us to support our suppliers with their business growth, product development and performance objectives. In order to receive this recognition, suppliers are evaluated on three criteria: scorecard results of their performance within KellyOCG-managed programs; compliance with legal and program-specific requirements; and engagement survey results from our stakeholders assessing the ease of doing business with the supplier and the suppliers partnership approach. Winners receive one-on-one development sessions; a designated KellyOCG representative to support their business growth; participation in supplier focus groups; access to KellyOCGs supplier insight; and the ability to work directly with KellyOCGs senior leaders. KellyOCG prides itself on the diversity of its global supply chain, which includes active partnerships with more than 3,000 suppliers located in 140 countries throughout the world. The 2018 Supplier Excellence Award Winners are: 1st Executive PE Global CK Group ProClinical Hays Procom Services Hoban Recruitment Sentinel Hobson Prior SIRE i-Pharm Consulting Software Galaxy Systems LabResource Talent International Mid-States Technical The Fountain Group NES Global Talent US Tech Solutions PageGroup About KellyOCG KellyOCG is the leading global advisor of talent supply chain strategies and workforce solutions. We align talent strategy to business goals to define whats next for the future of work, enabling our clients to ditch the script on the old way of thinking. Through our vertical expertise and trusted advisor status with our clients, we make meaningful connections between talent and organizations, advancing careers and business goals. Visit www.kellyocg.com. Media Contact: Cynthia Carey Kelly Cynthia.carey@kellyservices.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d00ae7b-cc9d-4720-8d11-3d5bd4ed73fb Another case of measles has been reported in the Bay of Plenty region. This now brings the total number of measles cases in the area in the last month to six. The most recent case, reported last night, is linked to the previous cases in the Mount Maunganui area, says Dr Neil de Wet, Medical Officer of Health for Toi Te Ora Public Health. Check your immunity to measles Measles is a very infectious viral illness that spreads easily from person to person. It can be serious with about one in 10 people with measles needing hospital treatment. Immunisation is very effective in preventing measles. The vaccine that protects against measles is the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Its important that parents ensure that their children receive their free routine MMR immunisations on time at 15 months and 4 years of age, says Neil. If for any reason you have never had a dose of MMR vaccine now is the time to get one. After just one dose of MMR vaccine about 95 per cent of people will be protected from measles, and 99 per cent of people who have had both MMR doses will be protected from measles. People born before 1 January 1969 are considered to be immune because measles used to be very common, and so this older age group does not need the measles immunisations. It is particularly important to check your immunity if you are planning an overseas trip. The Ministry of Health recently highlighted that since 2012, all cases of measles in New Zealand came from travellers bringing the disease from overseas and that there are currently significant measles outbreaks in many countries. If you think you have measles, call ahead for advice If you think you or someone in your family may have measles, stay at home and phone your doctor to alert them of your symptoms and allow them to make arrangements to assess you safely and without infecting other people, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for advice, says Dr de Wet. For more information: Bay of Plenty Our client has plenty of work in the pipeline and as such they are in need of qualified or experienced carpenters for an... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Following the announcement that the Government is not going ahead with the Capital Gains Tax, opposition leader Simon Bridges says there is still a range of taxes on the table. He says after 18 months of waiting and a $2 million tax working group, Nationals relentless opposition to a Capital Gains Tax has forced the Government to back down. During a media standup at his offices in Tauranga this afternoon, Simon says the taxes still on the table include a vacant land tax, an agricultural tax and a waste tax. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she personally still wants a Capital Gains Tax and that our tax system is unfair. The New Zealand economy has suffered while the Government has had a public discussion about a policy they couldnt agree on. Put simply, this is political and economic mismanagement. Investment has completely slowed down while business owners worry what the future looked like. That has made New Zealanders worse off. Our economy was growing at four per cent two years ago its rapidly heading down to two per cent. They have no economic plan to speak of at all because the Government has sapped the confidence out of small business owners and mum and dad investors. In the Governments so called year of delivery, theyve dropped their flagship tax policy, says Simon. The big question remains, what are they doing to encourage the economy to grow? Unlike the Government, National has a plan when it comes to the economy. We wont introduce any new taxes in our first term and we will index tax brackets to inflation. National believes Kiwis deserve to keep more of what they earn. Tauranga City Councils third water treatment plant is hitting an important phase with the start of construction of the first pipeline, connecting the reservoir at the intersection of Poplar Lane and Te Puke Highway with the Eastern Reservoir on Welcome Bay Road. Tauranga City Council is investing $115 million in the development of a new water supply due to be completed late 2021. The new treatment plant will serve the future needs of Tauranga, add resilience to the citys water supply overall and provide backup for Western Bay of Plenty District Councils Te Puke water supply. Local firm HEB Construction are managing this part of the pipeline construction work that was marked with a blessing of the site at Horaparaikete Trust on 2 April. "Work will be off-road until the end of April, when traffic in the area surrounding the pipeline construction will start experiencing impacts," says a Tauranga City Council spokesperson. "From 29 April to June 2020, traffic at the eastern end of Welcome Bay Road will be reduced to one lane for a 500 meter section, while work to construct the first section of the Waiari Trunkmain Pipeline is undertaken." Stop/Go traffic signals on Welcome Bay Road will be operational 24 hours, seven days a week, and apply to a 500m section that will move with progress of work. Traffic is expected to be slower at peak times and drivers should anticipate delays. Traffic on the Te Puke Highway, will be impacted by reduced speed when passing the works, to 50km/h for a 200 300 meter section. "We understand this work will impact on an area of the city where traffic is already under pressure and that there is some overlap with kiwifruit picking season. We have done our best to balance time constraints on construction work with the needs of the community and industry in the area and those of the wider community." The Waiari Water Supply Scheme includes the development of a new water abstract facility at the Waiari Stream, a water treatment plant at 315 No.1 Road, Te Puke, and an underground water pipeline from the plant to Poplar Lane and the Eastern Reservoirs. Two further elements to the pipeline construction are on the market for expressions of interest. Invites to tender went out earlier this month for contracts to be awarded in winter 2019. SAN DIEGO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital has partnered with two different organizations FACE Foundation and ARWOB to make life better for pets and their owners through a local donation drive. By providing support for these organizations, Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital in San Diego is helping save abandoned dogs and cats, helping in the fight against pet overpopulation, and saving lives. The donation drive is designed to achieve three things: raise awareness for animal needs, collect items such as food and supplies such as collars, leashes, blankets, and bedding, and to collect monetary donations for pets who need medical procedures that their people cannot afford. This effort is in collaboration with Animal Rescuers Without Borders (ARWOB) for the supplies and the FACE Foundation for the medical funding. There are a lot of animals in need in the area, and the collaboration of Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital, FACE, and ARWOB can do a lot of good in the community if many people join in on the drive. The donation drive will last until June 1, 2019. The FACE Foundation has saved over 2,000 pet lives with their fundraising efforts in collaboration with veterinary clinics. The foundation allows people to help their pets when they otherwise would not have the financial ability to. They are continuing the good work with even higher helping goals for the future. The Animal Rescuers Without Borders is an all-volunteer non-profit foundation that aids in making sure needs pets have the supplies they need to thrive. They work in collaboration with volunteers, veterinary clinics, and other foundations. Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital has been serving the Tierrasanta area with quality pet care for years, and the caring professionals are all eager to help area pets in the coming months by collecting donations at the clinic and increasing awareness for needy pets in the area. Dr. Michelle Schexneider D.V.M. is excited for this collaboration and states, "People in the community can bring supplies and donations to the clinic any time until June 1, if they want to take part in this important cause." Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital serves the people and pets of San Diego and the surrounding areas. They are known as the caring clinic and strive for a fear-free atmosphere for their patients. When you take your pet in, you will find that they don't mind returning the next time because of the caring staff. Take part in this donation food drive or monetary donation drive by donating cash, food, or pet supplies at the veterinary offices until June 1, 2019. Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital is located at 10799 Tierrasanta Blvd, San Diego, California, 92124. For more information, contact Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital at (858) 224-9459 or online at http://www.tierrasantavetsd.com/contact . LINCOLN On National Tax Day yesterday, Governor Pete Ricketts joined Nebraska veterinarians and animal advocates to voice disapproval of the Legislature's proposed tax on pet and livestock healthcare. Currently, the Revenue Committee is considering a tax on veterinary services alongside several other sales tax increases on Nebraskans. "Even though Nebraskans already pay sales tax to purchase, train, groom, board, exercise, and bury their pets, some State Senators are talking about taking even more money from the pockets of pet owners," said Governor Ricketts. "We're here to tell the Legislature: Keep your paws off of pet healthcare! Senators should focus on controlling spending to deliver tax relief for all Nebraskans instead of taxing one group of people to give to another." The Governor has consistently opposed attempts to reshuffle the taxes Nebraskans pay, and has pushed for controlling government spending, which has been the root cause of higher taxes over the years. He has urged Senators to scrap any and all plans to hike sales taxes on Nebraskans, and asked them to focus on controlling spending to deliver real tax relief. "Animals play an important role in people's lives," said board-certified veterinarian Dr. Christopher Byers of VCA Midwest. "Pets are part of our family, and the health of livestock on Nebraska ranches is vital to our state's economy. It's critical that we provide both routine and emergency veterinary care for these animals. The proposed sales tax on veterinary services would make veterinary care more expensive and less accessible, forcing Nebraskans to make excruciating decisions about the care of their pets and livestock." "Veterinary care is not a luxury-it's a necessity," said Mike Mayers of Mars, Incorporated. "Nebraska families should never be faced with the prospect of parting with their beloved pet because the cost of routine, preventative care is too high. Our trusted veterinarians are healthcare professionals, subject to many of the same state laws and regulations as other healthcare providers. The care they provide should be taxed no differently than human medical care." In honor of Law Day, Nebraska Supreme Court Justices will hold oral arguments in the Scottsbluff High School auditorium on April 29 at 9:30 a.m. The visit marks the first time that the Supreme Court has held court arguments in Scottsbluff. The event is part of a continuing effort by the Nebraska Supreme Court and the legal community to raise awareness of court processes and the importance of civics education to American society. The Justices on the Supreme Court recognize that our laws are complex and can be difficult to understand, said Chief Justice Mike Heavican. We want the students to understand how the court system works to ensure that justice is served. Arguments will begin at 9:45 a.m. with an introductory program for students beginning at 9:30 a.m. During the student-focused portion of the program, Judge Kris Mickey and Scottsbluff attorney Steve Olsen will provide background information on Law Day and the Nebraska court system. Scottsbluff High School Principal Mike Halley noted, Im very excited to have the Nebraska Supreme Court come to our school so that our students have the opportunity to raise their civic awareness and celebrate Law Day in this fashion. According to Superintendent Rick Myles, This is a wonderful and rare opportunity for our students and a compliment to our community. He added that observing the judicial process first-hand will be very meaningful for all involved, remarking This is a great opportunity! All argument sessions, whether held in the Supreme Court courtroom or outside of the State Capitol, are open to the public. Scottsbluff High School arguments will include: Case Number S-18-0936, State v. Paulsen, from Dawson County, and Case Number S-18-0747, State v. Cosey, out of Clay County. Those with questions should contact the Nebraska State Bar Foundation by calling 402-475-1042. LINCOLN-- As Nebraskans impacted by the flood are beginning to pick up the pieces and rebuild, many have the added worry and concern of being scammed. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that after a disaster of a magnitude similar to the flooding in Nebraska, scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals often attempt to take advantage of vulnerable survivors. On April 10, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency published a news release providing information about the post-disaster fraud activities that are occurring in Nebraska. These activities include fraudulent phone calls or home visits, fake offers of federal aid, fraudulent building contractors and dishonest pleas for donations. In addition to many Nebraska state agencies working to lessen the number of scammers and fraudulent activities, groups and funds have been created throughout the country to fight this same issue. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice and various law enforcement agencies partnered to create the National Center for Disaster Fraud, an agency that improves the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of fraud related to natural disasters. According to the Justice Department, since its creation, the NCDF has received over 95,000 complaints relating to disaster fraud. Suzanne Gage, director of communications at the Nebraska attorney generals office, said that while an exact number cant be given for Nebraska, the calls reporting these types of scams have increased since the start of the flooding in March. Gage also said the official Nebraska government website titled Protect the Good Life provides the public with a contractor checklist, a list of items homeowners should confirm and questions they should ask before selecting a contractor to make repairs. This checklist suggests that the contractors credentials should be verified, no document should be signed without confirming the contractor has a license to work, at least three written estimates should be completed before work begins, contractors should be asked for references, contractors should be paid for by a check or credit card and the vehicle information of the contractor should be written down. If a scam occurs, the victim can submit their claim to this website and wait for an official to review the submission and provide them with advice. Gage said that while there have been many cases, this is investigative in nature and a formal list hasnt been created for which names of contractors should be avoided. However, a list has been provided on the website of phone numbers and people to contact for assistance. Nebraskans are encouraged to utilize these services to help avoid additional scams. For more information, visit protectthegoodlife.nebraska.gov. On Wednesday afternoon, April 10, the anticipated repeat blizzard arrived in Western Nebraska, dropping snow, reducing visibility and closing roads. The Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office was kept busy keeping people safe in the storm. Some of the exceptional busyness was a result of drivers circumventing road barriers or trying to use an alternative way around a closed road, which then made things worse. Wednesday afternoon, the temperature for the Sidney area was 10 to 11 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Wyo. Temperatures dropped from 50 to 20 degrees that night. Wind speeds were at 33 mph with 40 mph gusts and an average wind speed of 21.9 mph. Humidity ranged from a high of 96 percent to a low of 83 percent. Thursday morning, Sheriff Adam Frerichs posted on social media that county roads had been closed, also encouraging people to stay home and safe. He said the wind was causing impassable drifting on some roads. A deputy was stuck in a drift after responding to people who needed rescuing. Two men from out of state were driving a rental car and tried to go around road closure signs by using their GPS to navigate the county roads. The route lead the two men onto a minimum maintenance road south of Potter where they became stuck. On another incident, a deputy responded to men in a truck who also attempted to bypass the road closures, resulting in their truck entering a ditch south of Lodgepole. The incidents resulted in the deputy getting stuck while trying to get people to safety. By 9:40 a.m. Thursday, Interstate 80 was closed from Lexington to the Wyoming State Line. By Thursday evening, Cheyenne County roads were getting cleared and ready to reopen. According to the North Platte office of the Nebraska State Patrol, accidents were fairly minimal, a credit to the Nebraska Department of Transportation closing roads early in the storm. The weekend continued a series of cool weather and showers followed by warmer weather. Thursday is predicted to have a chance of rain and snow showers with a high in the low 50s. Authors of sweet or clean romance share about their lives and their stories. FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When Zachary Heller graduates in 2021, he will attend two commencement ceremoniesreceiving his D.M.D. degree from the NSU College of Dental Medicine (CDM) and obtaining his D.O. degree from NSUs Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. These two degrees also will put Heller in an elite group of NSU graduates. Since its inception in 2007, only seven students have completed the D.O./D.M.D. dual-degree program, which is the only program of its kind in the United States. The innovative program helped NSUs Colleges of Dental Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine earn the 2019 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Gies Award for InnovationAcademic Dental Institution. The award honors individuals and organizations that exemplify the highest standards in oral health and dental education, research, and leadership. The award was presented in March during the annual American Dental Education Association meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The dual-degree graduates are truly pioneers with an NSU Edge, integrating oral and overall health. These graduates are developing new types of practices that integrate medical and dental care as they care for their patients. Some are practicing dentistry incorporating medicine into their practices, while others are practicing medicine and incorporating oral health into their practices, said Linda C. Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean and professor of the CDM. The dual osteopathic medical/dental degree is ideal for our college. Our college mission is to serve the underserved. A high number of our graduates work in rural or underserved areas where knowledge and skill in both disciplines is a tremendous asset, added Elaine M. Wallace, D.O., M.S.4, dean of the NSUs College of Osteopathic Medicine. Our dual osteopathic medicine/dental graduates follow this course. Too few doctors realize the importance of the diseases of the mouth in the patients overall health care. Our dual students remind us to remember the importance of dental diseases in a patients well-being. We are extremely proud of these students and the work they do. The D.O./D.M.D. program launched in the fall of 2007 after 18 months of planning. Among the 35 U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine, only NSU offers a D.O./D.M.D. program according to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. This unique curriculum enabled the CDM to create a D.M.D. advanced standing program for a physician interested in pursuing an oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) residency. OMFS residencies require a D.M.D. or D.D.S. to matriculate. The curriculum was the most challenging aspect for the program to create a role for those who want to go into inter-professional practice, said Abby J. Brodie, D.M.D., M.S., associate dean for academic affairs and the curriculum architect on the dental degree side of the program. According to Brodie, the dual-degree program does not favor one field of dentistry or medicine. Theres much interconnection between oral health and systemic health. Osteopathic medicine treats the entire person, and dental health affects overall health, she said. The year-round, continuous program is rigorous, with a heavy course load. The six-year curriculum consists of basic science and dental courses in the first year; the study of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and other systems, as well as clinical practice, in the second year; while clinical rotations continue in year three. The dental curriculum resumes in year four; clinical dental courses, one-month medical electives, and a rotation in rural/underserved medicine make up year five; while year six is devoted to clinical dentistry and medical electives. Its not a program for everyone, Brodie admitted. R. Bruce Donoff, D.M.D., M.D., dean, and Walter C. Guralnick, D.M.D., distinguished professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, were among those who nominated NSU for the award. The (NSU) program is worthy of recognition by implementing change with the highest level of inter-professional education. This program succeeds in adding a new dimension to the education of the oral physician, wrote Donoff, who added that Harvard is about to implement a dual degree following the model established at Nova Southeastern University. Zachary Heller will be the eighth student to complete the dual degree. Alexander Powell also is enrolled in the program, which will make him the ninth dual-degree student when he graduates in 2023. Heller said he is ready for the hard workand future career benefitsthe D.O./D.M.D. degrees will bring. I am pursing a dual degree to become the best medical and dental practitioner possible. Having a dual degree will allow me to draw from a greater foundation of knowledge, which allows me to recognize and prevent complications before they arise, said Heller, who plans to pursue postgraduate education, possibly in oral maxillofacial surgery. The oral cavity is the gateway to the body. Whether I choose to practice medicine or dentistry, everything starts in the oral cavity, Heller added. By having an understanding of both oral and systemic diseases, I will be able to provide a greater quality and more comprehensive level of care to my patients. The William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement are named for William J. Gies, Ph.D., who is considered the Father of Contemporary Dental Education and Research, according to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). ### About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Reports Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Floridas largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegies Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Educations criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Attachment Dear Subscriber, The best reporters have an innate curiosity that sets them apart from the average person. When an arsonist set a fire in the old Syracuse Developmental Center last month, our breaking news team covered the story, as did every other news outlet in town. But for business reporter, Rick Moriarty, the story didnt end there. Whats the status of that sprawling, 48-acre property on the citys West Side? Who owns it? Why did someone buy it at auction six years ago only to let it sit there and rot? Those were the questions Rick had, and the answers surprised everyone. He started by visiting the property and taking photos of the extent of the fire damage and decay. Rick called the city and found out the property was tax delinquent and in the process of foreclosure; but answering who owns it turned out to be extremely complicated. Through several days of research, pouring through old news stories and hundreds of pages of federal court documents, Rick discovered the company that owns the property is tied to a corruption scandal in Kazakhstan. The Syracuse Developmental Center was named, along with other New York properties, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York against a foreign shell company that was allegedly created to help a former Kazakhstani oligarch and his family launder hundreds of millions in stolen money. This makes the foreclosure process slow and complex. Its thanks in large part to your subscriptions and readership that were able to devote the resources to this kind of complex story, and follow it through to conclusion, however long it takes. As always, we want to hear from you. If you have feedback for us, or a topic youd like to see covered, please email me at tlamonte@syracuse.com or Senior Director of Content John Lammers jlammers@syracuse.com. Sincerely, Trish LaMonte, VP/Content SYRACUSE, NY - An appeals court judge has issued a stay that says ShoppingTown Malls owners dont have to pay back taxes prior to a trial set for Monday to address the tax issue. A state Supreme Court judge issued a temporary order earlier this month directing ShoppingTown Malls owners to pay the back taxes it owes Onondaga County by April 22. ShoppingTown Malls owners appealed, and Appellate Court Justice Brian DeJoseph issued a stay. That means the taxes dont have to be paid prior to the outcome of the trial set for Monday in state Supreme Court. That trial is between ShoppingTown and 3649 Erie LLC - which represents Benderson Development. Benderson - the owner of the former Macys building thats part of the mall - has asked the court to compel the mall owners to pay the back taxes on the mall. Benderson, which bought the Macys store for $2 million in 2014, has said in court papers the malls failure to pay taxes has jeopardized its investment in the Macys property. Macys closed at the mall in 2015. The mall owners owe more than $9.7 million in taxes dating back to 2015. ShoppingTown is arguing that they are not required to pay taxes while they are in the midst of challenging the amount of the malls assessment, according to court papers. The trial is scheduled to proceed on Monday. DALLAS, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern Systems, a leader in application modernization, today announced it has entered into an agreement with the intent of being acquired by Advanced , the UKs third largest software and services company. Since new leadership took the helm of Modern Systems in 2017, the company has undergone a complete transformation, reaching unprecedented growth and profitability across industries and geographies-- all milestones which culminated in the company being an attractive acquisition target for Advanced. In 2017, Modern Systems focused on rebuilding the company, laying down a fundamental structure of the organization that previously did not exist. Under the new leadership team, with Brandon Edenfield as president and CEO, together with Cameron Jenkins as COO and Regina OConnor as vice president of finance, the company refocused its offerings on a broader services-led delivery model, while at the same time implementing a number of internal cost cutting and debt reduction measures. In 2018, the leadership team shifted its focus to initiatives that drove further growth and value, including introducing new products and services to meet growing customer demands and market trends, making improvements to delivery, and focusing on high value partnership strategies to further expand value to a broader set of customers. In 1H 2018 alone, Modern Systems saw more growth in new revenue than in all of 2017. Brandon, Cameron and Regina were clearly instrumental in the success of Clerity Solutions, a rehosting company with a similar business model to that of Modern Systems, said Scott D. Miller, executive chairman of Modern Systems. The success that the team had with Clerity resulted in a sale of the company to Dell in 2012. As we looked to progress Modern Systems at an accelerated and methodical growth pace, we needed an experienced team and a proven playbook, said Miller. The Modern Systems leadership team has turned the company into an efficient powerhouse recognized by global Fortune 1000 customers, partners and industry pundits alike, continued Miller. Todays news further underscores those achievements. Key Modern Systems initiatives that drove growth, leading up to the sale to Advanced include: Secured larger, repeat and wider solution scope deals with large companies across a myriad of industries, beyond the traditional legacy vertical sectors such as financial services. Expanded sales, pre-sales, business development, delivery, marketing, and cloud leadership teams around the globe to meet growing customer demands. Engineered and introduced new solutions to meet customer and market demands, including the formation of a Cloud Practice and a new assessment offering, Modernization Platform as a Service (ModPaaS) was introduced on AWS Marketplace in September 2018, and today is available via all of the major cloud platform marketplaces including Azure , Oracle , and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Marketplaces. Advanced has partnered with Modern Systems since 2016, collaborating together on a number of projects, including the Department of Work and Pensions. Gordon Wilson, CEO at Advanced, says, The acquisition of Modern Systems is incredibly complementary to our focus in the application modernization market. The combination of Advanced and Modern Systems will broaden the market opportunity, consolidate our ability to deliver a wider set of solutions, and expand our footprint in the U.S. and globally to better address the fast-growing legacy mainframe market. Our companies share a customer-first passion and commitment to the modernization market. About Modern Systems Modern Systems is a leading provider of application modernization services, with more than 200 modernization projects completed worldwide during the past 30 years, and 1.5 billion lines of code processed through our tools. Modern Systems is a global provider of modernization solutions for legacy application source code, data, and platform transformations. Our combined resources, technologies and global reach makes us one of the largest independent legacy application modernization companies in the world. The closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval at a meeting of the shareholders of Modern Systems to be held on May 21, 2019. Michelle Doss Modern Systems michelledoss@modernsystems.com + 1 512-365-9358 LEE, N.Y. -- A New York State trooper shot and killed a man who came at first responders with a weapon on Tuesday night, according to a New York State Police spokesman. The mans and troopers names have not been released. A trooper, an Oneida County Sheriffs Office deputy and EMS personnel responded to 4989 Golly Road in the Town of Lee at approximately 7:10 p.m. for a reported overdose by a 24-year-old man on Tuesday, according to police and Oneida County 911 dispatch logs. A 24-year-old man came at the officers while they were on scene and the trooper shot the man, police said. The man was taken to Rome Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. A former student admitted today to using a device known as the USB killer to fry several computers and other electronic equipment at the College of St. Rose in Albany. Vishwanath Akuthota, 27, admitted to intentionally destroying 66 computers on campus -- and to recording himself on video as he did it. Akuthota recorded himself saying things like Im going to kill this guy in the video he made, federal officials said. Akuthota, a citizen of India studying in the U.S. on a visa, was arrested in February in North Carolina. He has been held in federal custody since. Officials said on Feb. 14, Akuthota inserted the USB killer into 66 computers and numerous other devices owned by the college, including computer monitors and enhanced podiums. The damage totaled more than $58,000. According to federal officials, the USB killer works like this: When inserted into a USB port, the killer sends commands that activate the equipments power components -- the parts of the device that charge the power and store energy. The USB killer then directs the infected device to rapidly charge and then discharge. Officials said this overloads the electrical system of a computer or other electronic device, effectively destroying it. Akuthota has agreed to pay the college restitution for the damages he caused. His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 12 before U.S. District Court Judge Mae DAgostino. Akuthota faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of post-release supervision. Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government, education and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 ONEIDA, N.Y. -- The FBI plans to give an update Thursday on the 1981 disappearance of Tammy Mahoney. Mahoney was 19 when she disappeared in Madison County on May 8, 1981. Investigators have said they believe Mahoney, a Long Island native, was gang raped and murdered on the Oneida Nation. Her body has never been found. Investigators will hold a news conference Thursday morning to discuss the nearly 38-year-old cold case, an FBI spokeswoman said Wednesday. Mahoneys family is also expected to speak, she said. No additional details were given. James Hendricks, the special agent in charge of the FBIs Albany field office, will be joined by members of the U. S. Attorneys Office, the New York State Police, the Oneida City Police Department, the Madison County Sheriffs Office and the Oneida Nation. Before she disappeared, Mahoney was a student at SUNY Morrisville and lived in Oneida. She was last seen trying to hitch a ride south on Route 46 to visit friends in the Hamilton area. In March 2016, investigators and police dogs searched a wooded area south of Route 46 in Oneida for Mahoneys body. The missing womans remains were not found. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Police are seeking information about a vandal who tossed rocks off of a Syracuse bridge Monday night. The Syracuse Police Department responded to the railroad bridge at South Geddes Street around 9 p.m. A vandal threw rocks off of the bridge -- striking and damaging a car, said Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, a police spokesman. There is no suspect description. South Geddes Street was briefly closed at Fayette Street while officers investigated. The rock-throwing incident happened less than a week after small pieces of concrete fell from the railroad bridge and onto passing cars. No one was hurt. This is now a criminal investigation, police wrote Monday night on Twitter, not structural. Police asked anyone with information to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips anonymously through the Syracuse PD app. New York State Police are seeking the publics help to solve two 51-year-old cold-case murders. In August of 1967, police found the bodies of 14-year-old Mary Ann Marzullo and 13-year-old Jacqueline Saunders in a field Oxbow Road in the Town of Cicero. The two girls walked from Marzullos home in North Syracuse to Mattydale Field Days on Aug. 11, 1967. Witnesses last saw the girls walking northbound on Brewerton Road in Mattydale between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. that night. When the two didnt return home that night at an agreed upon time, family searched for them. The girls were reported missing before their bodies were found in a field on Oxbow Road in Cicero. An autopsy later found the girls were strangled. Many leads were followed up on during that time period and the case has remained open, state police said in a release. Several interviews of potential suspects have been completed throughout the years, however, this homicide has never been solved, and no charges were filed." Police ask that anyone with information about the murders call Troop D Headquarters at (315) 366-6000. All calls can be kept anonymous. Correction: In a previous version of this post, headline and text misstated that the murders happened 41 years ago. They happened 51 years ago. The New York State Police Wednesday released the name of the man shot and killed Tuesday evening by a trooper in Oneida County. Tyler R. Johnson, 24, was holding an 8-inch knife when he lunged at Trooper Robert Annarino inside a Lee home, said state police Major Philip Rougeux on Wednesday during a news conference in Oneida. Annarino repeatedly shot Johnson to protect himself and other first responders, he said. Johnson was pronounced dead at Rome Memorial Hospital. Annarino responded to 4989 Golly Road at 7:09 p.m. Tuesday after a caller reported a possible overdose. Family members told the trooper that Johnson may have had a seizure in a back bedroom, Rougeux said. When Annarino walked into the bedroom, he found Johnson facedown on a bed with his hands under his chest, he said. Paramedics waiting outside the home came inside to help the trooper. When they tried to roll Johnson over, he started to resist, Rougeux said. Oneida County Sheriffs Deputy Emrah Latic also tried to help, he said. Then, the responders discovered Johnson had hidden a knife under his body when he was on the bed, Rougeux said. Annarino ordered Johnson to drop the knife, Rougeux said. But Johnson refused and lunged at the trooper, he said. The trooper repeatedly shot Johnson, Rougeux said. Annarino and paramedics tried to help the wounded man until another EMS crew arrived, he said. The deadly shooting remains under investigation, authorities said. An autopsy is expected to be conducted at the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office in Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon. SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Inner Harbor WingFest returns for its second year with an expanded venue, two days of live music and some of the best wings the area has to offer. Held behind the Aloft Hotel at the corner of West Kirkpatrick and Solar streets in Syracuses Inner Harbor, the festival will be held May 17 and 18 and feature 10 local restaurants and caterers competing for the title of best chicken wing in Central New York. The venue for the festival, which is owned by COR Development, will be around twice the size as it was last year, with an additional, third entrance. Nick Ford, partner and general manager of Limp Lizard Bar & Grills Western Lights restaurant, organizes the festival along with Rob OConnor from Right Coast Inc., who also produces the Syracuse Nationals. Ford said he hopes the larger space will help alleviate some of the long lines and crowds festival-goers experienced last year. Around 10,000 people between the two days attended the festival in 2018, Ford said. A map of the festival's layout. In 2018, the festival was limited to the grassy field, but this year, the adjacent parking lot and walkway area was added. The 10 competitors will now be split between two tents and will be separate from the other food vendors, who have now moved to adjacent parking lot new to this years wing fest. Each competitor will sell wings for $1 each. The festival is sponsored by Empower Federal Credit Union. Admission is $5 and a portion of the proceeds will go towards the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York and Contact Community Services. The festival will run from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Competitors: Shiftys Bar and Grill Limp Lizard Big Awesome BBQ Dominicks Restaurant Jakes Grub & Grog Peppinos Pizzeria Saltine Warrior (defending champions) Pizza Man Rosies Corner Wings Over Syracuse Other food vendors: Via Napoli Express Glazed & Confused The Chicken Bandit Byblos Steet Grill Skippys Ice Cream Ma & Pas Kettle Corn Spud Shack Cue Dogs Full music schedule: Friday, May 17: 4 to 5 p.m. - Just Joe 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. - Brownskin Band 7 to 8 p.m. - Wilson Brothers Band 8:20 to 9:20 p.m. - Dangerous Type 9:40 to 11 p.m. - Under The Gun Saturday, May 18 2 to 3 p.m. - JMO 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. - LTN 4:30 to 6 p.m. - Stroke 6:20 to 7:35 p.m. - The Barn Dogs 7:55 to 9:10 p.m. - Hard Promises 9:30 to 11 p.m. - Country Swagg Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, dining and culture across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 282-8611, or by email at jpucci@syracuse.com. Nicholas Friedman, who grew up between Westvale and Fairmount, won the 2018 New Criterion Poetry Prize. The New Criterion is a publisher that focuses on highlighting well-made poems that display linguistic sensitivity and aesthetic intelligence. This annual award honors one poet per year with a $3000 cash prize and the publication of their manuscript. Friedman was the 18th award recipient and as a result, his debut poetry collection, Petty Theft was published in late 2018. After graduating from Bishop Ludden in 2003, Friedman attended the State University of New York at Geneseo to pursue a bachelors degree in English. Upon graduation, Friedman worked at a medical billing company in Syracuse. In 2010, he attended the MFA program at Cornell University, where he graduated in 2012. Friedman was a lecturer at Cornell for two years after graduation. In 2014, Friedman was awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship and moved out to California, where he currently works as a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University. His work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times and POETRY. We spoke with him recently about his writing. The interview below was edited for length. How did you get into poetry? I started writing poetry in earnest only after graduating from Geneseo. I was reading a lot of Robert Frost at the time, and I remember thinking, How hard could it be to write a sonnet? I found the answer to this question by writing a series of abysmal, 14-line embarrassments. Despite these early failures, I became hooked on the feeling of magic that comes with procuring something from nothing. With improvement came the even greater satisfaction that my poetry might cause a stranger to feel a sense of connection or even pleasure. What is the significance of the title of your collection, Petty Theft? The title of the book is also the title of one the poems in the collection, and I think a lot of it deals with losses both minor and major. Sometimes those losses feel like the product of trickery, sometimes they feel like the product of something kind of being forcibly taken away. So what I was hoping with the title was that I could offer a capacious understanding of the material - rounding it into a single space of loss. Your collection explores the oddity of the everyday - sort of turning the mirror onto the reader to examine their own life. Its by no means sentimental and often skirts along the edges of disillusionment -- yet there is curiosity and a playfulness to your writing. How did you find yourself striking a balance in Petty Theft? I think Im often reminded of eulogies when I think of humor, strangely enough. If youve ever been to a funeral and heard someone tell a loving joke that involves the person who has just been lost, you know how warm that can feel and just how painful that can feel right after. So Im always kind of looking to keep a balance between seriousness and play because I always want to appeal to a reader in an immediate way -- and sometimes humor has a way of creating a kind of misdirection that will trick a reader into investing emotionally, even when they dont believe theyre doing that. You adhere to a poetry style that gives a nod to greats such as Dana Gioia and Charles Martin, while breaking new ground with how form is utilized as well as with topics and themes. Considering such evolution, how do you see poetry changing and what role does it play in the twenty first century? I think that poetry has definitely shifted toward political mindedness...specifically theres an attempt to reach people on a basis of identity or political concern. So thats one direction that I see poetry heading -- there are poets who are using poetry as a political messaging system, and I think that it is increasingly popular way of utilizing the art. I think there will always be room for poetry that seeks to undermine its own utility, and that works to bring some luminousness to that everyday experience. So one thing that I always tell my introductory writing students is you dont need to set out to write a poem on love with a capital L, death with a capital D, or god with a capital G -- so I think that while, yes, there are lots of poets who are committing themselves fully to political matters, there will always be room for the kind of absurdities that illuminate our experience. Several of your poems explore aspects of the American carnival and magic acts. What drew you to explore these themes? I think I was drawn to those figures because, at least in part, they are marginal and they are kind of on the sidelines of our attention. I think its interesting, at least I would hope be interesting, to draw lines between a reader and a figure that they might not otherwise have considered. They also tend to be in some ways representative of the American dream. Theyre making these extreme attempts to piece life together, to get a dollar out of the hand of a passerby. So they seem like, to me anyway, interesting figures for the capitalist American dream and the problems that come with it. In your opinion, how can poetry help heal a toxic political and cultural climate? Im skeptical of the idea that poetry must or will have therapeutic effect on the reader. In fact, I think if poetry has one job its to kind of stir up thought or emotion that is uncomfortable to the reader. So that effects some kind shift in their worldview, however small. I think that the hope for pleasure or comfort is bound up with the satisfaction that comes from seeing someone elses humanity reflected in your own or vice versa. What is a project youre looking forward to in the year ahead? I am currently working to finish my second collection of poems, which is tentatively titled, The Horns of Moses. It concerns itself with, among other things, the joys and terrors of new parenthood, threats of nuclear proliferation, and also eulogies for some monumental figures. So Im trying to run the full gamut from new life to the end thereof (laughs). In a newly-filed federal case against a Cortland couple, officials said the man threatened to leave his wife if she didnt film herself sexually abusing a child. Cortland police in September charged Lawrence and Brittany Berry, accusing them of conspiring to film sex acts with a boy younger than 5 years old. Federal authorities filed additional charges against Lawrence, 25, and Brittany, 24, on Tuesday. Investigators wrote in court papers that they learned of the case when officers responded to Brittany Berrys apartment for a report of a suicidal woman. Brittany Berry, of 44 Rickard St., told officers she was feeling suicidal because everyone was calling her a child molester," according to the court papers. The woman then admitted to having sexual contact with the child, investigators wrote in their filings. She told officers she filmed herself engaged in sex acts at the request of her husband, officials said. Berry also filmed sexual contact with a family dog at her husbands request, according to the investigators. Lawrence Berry threatened to leave her if she did not send him the images, court papers said. According to the filings, the woman told officers the two were in a long-distance relationship at the time, with Lawrence working out-of-town for a carnival company. During the investigation, Brittany Berry gave police permission to view Facebook messages between the two, court papers said. Police contacted Lawrence Berry, who at first denied his involvement, claiming someone had hacked his Facebook account, investigators said. Berry later admitted to his role, according to the court filings. Both Lawrence and Brittany Berry were charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government, education and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 Michael Leroy Oberg is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of History at SUNY Geneseo. Oberg earned his Ph.D. at Syracuse University and is currently working on a book on the Onondagas. By Michael Leroy Oberg | Special to Syracuse.com Tuesday, April 16, was the anniversary of the mass murder at Virginia Tech University. Saturday, the 20th, is the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. These grisly anniversaries should force us to reflect upon the nearly 40,000 people who die every year in the United States from gunshot wounds, through homicide, suicide and accident. And this figure, of course, does not count the many thousands more injured by guns, terrorized by gun owners, or left grieving after yet another shooting. So much attention in our current debate about guns is devoted to assault weapons and bump stocks and AR-15s and mass killings. This is important, but the problem isnt just assault weapons. Twenty thousand Americans use handguns to commit suicide. Every 14 minutes, another American dies of a gunshot wound. Every single month, guns kill as many people as did the terrorists on 9/11. Guns are the problem. Guns need to go. The NRA and its hangers-on will speak of the Second Amendment, about strict construction, which like nearly all forms of literalism, is the intellectual style of liars, partisans and fools. Even the Supreme Courts Heller decision allowed for regulation, as does the blood-drenched language of the Second Amendment. Guns end debate. They destroy lives. Their presence, despite the fever dreams of the NRA, is incompatible with a free society and an affront to liberty and equality. There is no reading of the Second Amendment that prevents Congress from acting to staunch the flow of blood, and it is nothing less than utterly amoral to excuse the continued slaughter as the price of freedom. Meanwhile, fiddling while Rome burns, Republican lawmakers push legislation to arm teachers, to allow for guns on college campuses, relentlessly pursuing policies aimed at increasing gun sales. They gin up fear of minorities and terrorists and crime while arguing that gun ownership and liberty are synonymous. That gun ownership is essential for freedom. Spare me. The time has passed for anyone to take this rhetoric seriously. It ignores the one obvious reality and the one thing that makes the United States different from countries where school shootings and death by gunshot wound do not occur so commonly: the ready access and availability of guns. New Zealand has it right. Molon Labe, the Second Amendment absolutists say, Come and take them. Thats what that violent slogan means. It is a threat. If you try to take our guns we will resist. We cannot let threats of violence and violent rhetoric prevent us from acting. If you have watched the news, you have seen the Parkland survivors. You saw as well the hundreds of thousands who marched last year proclaiming, Enough! Americans are demanding action on guns, legislatively, at the polls, and by building a mass movement, aimed at implementing the effective regulation of firearms. It has taken far too long. No one fears the NRA any longer, save for craven political leaders. Because until this scourge of weapons is limited and controlled, none of us are safe. Swedish English Industrivarden's Annual General Meeting was held on April 17, 2019, at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, at which the following resolutions were made, among other things. The Annual General Meeting set the dividend at SEK 5.75 per share (5.50). The record date for payment of the dividend was set at April 23, 2019. Dividends are expected to be paid out via Euroclear Sweden AB on April 26, 2019. Fredrik Lundberg, Par Boman, Christian Caspar, Bengt Kjell, Nina Linander, Annika Lundius, Lars Pettersson and Helena Stjernholm were re-elected as directors on Industrivarden's board. Fredrik Lundberg was re-elected as Chairman of the Board. The Annual General Meeting resolved to elect Deloitte AB as auditing firm. The Annual General Meeting voted in favor of the Board's proposal for a long-term share savings program for employees of Industrivarden. The share savings program makes up the form of long-term variable salary and corresponds in all material respects to the program approved by the 2018 Annual General Meeting. Information about the Annual General Meeting is available from the Company and on Industrivarden's website: www.industrivarden.net, under Corporate Governance/Annual General Meeting. Stockholm, Sweden, April 17, 2019 AB INDUSTRIVARDEN (publ) For further information, please contact: Sverker Sivall, Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Industrivarden, tel. +46-8-666 64 00 The information provided herein was submitted for publication at 4.20 p.m. (CET) on April 17, 2019. Attachment Kim and Vinny Aliperti are owners of Billsboro Winery in Geneva. By Kim and Vinny Aliperti | Special to Syracuse.com As owners of Billsboro Winery, we are proud that our hard work has led to us having the distinct honor of being awarded the Governors Cup in 2016. The Governors Cup is a competition among more than 400 New York wineries across the state a competition that Finger Lakes wines have won repeatedly. The New York wine industry is booming and our vineyards continue to produce some of the finest wine, not just in New York, but across the entire nation. We are now stepping onto the world stage as an internationally acclaimed wine region. But if Gov. Andrew Cuomo doesnt sign the Finger Lakes Community Act of 2019, that will all be at risk. Thats because Circular enerG, a startup based in Rochester, is looking to build the states largest trash incinerator at the Seneca Army Depot in Romulus in the heart of the Finger Lakes. The proposal would drop a trash-burning facility a mere 3,200 feet from the K-12 Romulus Central School. and plans to transport over 2,000 tons of trash from across the state daily for burning. The product of all that trash burning, harmful dioxins and gases, will be released into the air from a 260-foot smoke stack. Hundreds of garbage trucks and trains that would travel into the region would not just impact our scenic surroundings that attract tourism, but also our regions flourishing agri-tourism and wine industry, our pristine natural resources and the health of our community. Having just come off a battle against a gas storage facility that lasted nearly a decade, it seems surreal that residents and businesses in the Finger Lakes would have to fight a proposed garbage incinerator located squarely between Seneca and Cayuga lakes for another 10 years. The Finger Lakes Community Act of 2019, sponsored by Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, was introduced in the New York state Legislature and passed in both the Senate and Assembly in March. The legislation would ensure that no new incinerators are ever built in the Finger Lakes. Now, the bill is headed to Cuomos desk to await his decision, we hope he does what is right and protect the region from dangerous incinerators. As local winemakers, we depend on the nutrient-rich soil of the Finger Lakes, and this proposed incinerator would pose a threat to our vineyards as the toxic emissions settle and filter into the land. Our vineyards are our livelihood and help fuel the local tourism business. We do not deserve to suffer the consequences of toxic gas for the monetary gain of a big corporation. Cuomos continued support of our industry is appreciated and essential. Last year, he publicly came out against the proposed incinerator saying this incinerator project is not consistent with my administrations goals for protecting our public health, our environment, and our thriving agriculture-based economy in the Finger Lakes. We are hopeful the governor will stay true to his word and protect the region from this dangerous proposal and sign the bill into law. SKANEATELES, N.Y -- An 80-year-old Central New York hunter continues to get accolades for a legendary, 17-point buck he shot this fall. The hunter, Jim Buff, had bucks officially scored by an official from the Northeast Big Buck Club at the at the Sportsmans Expo in Syracuse at the end of January. The non-typical rack scored 202 1/8 inches making it the best known Boone and Crockett score in that antler category of any deer taken last fall in the state, according to Mark Parah, a regional director for the Northeast Big Buck Club, which covers seven states. Because of that score, Buff, the former Skaneateles Fire Chief, has been invited to attend the clubs annual dinner in July in Chicopee, Mass. and will be awarded a plaque, Parah said. The club covers all the New England states, plus New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Buff shot the deer on Nov. 20 in a field on the east side of Skaneateles Lake. He downed it with a 70-yard shot, using a .20 gauge shotgun. The deer was in a slow trot at the time, he said. Buff said hes since learned the deer was 7 years old and was on the down-ward side of life. He said shed antlers found from the year before showed 19 points and were scored at 218 5/8 inches. The year before that, it had a rack with 21 points and the antlers scored 232 1/8. Parah said the biggest non-typical rack scored from a deer this fall in the seven states his club covers scored 220 2/8. That buck was taken in Massachusetts with a muzzleloader, he said. Typical and Non-Typical has nothing to do with the number of points, according to fieldandstream.com. A typical buck has a rack that grows in a vertical fashion with points facing the sky. Any time a point shoots out to the side or down, thats a non-typical. Its really meant to describe normal antler growth compared to abnormal. " News of Buff's buck spread fast last fall, thanks to a number of cell phone calls and the fact that pictures were posted on several Upstate NY deer hunting Facebook pages. That afternoon he brought it down to the villages fire house in the back of his sons truck and held court, let others take pictures of it. During the past few years, the elusive deer became a sort of legend among several groups of hunters who pursued it. It was given nicknames like Hollywood (because it was so well known), The Ghost Buck (because hunters would see it on the trail cameras but it would disappear during the hunting season) and Voltar (a name given by Buff and his children because it was so big, a real monster). The deers head is currently being worked on by a Jamesville taxidermist. Once its finished, the antlers will be attached to complete the shoulder mount. Buff said he plans to hang the mount on the wall in a log cabin he owns in Cleveland, N.Y., alongside another 11-point buck he shot back in 2005. As for its meat, Buff said he got the deers back straps and the rest was turned into hotdogs and summer and breakfast sausage. Buff said he plans to go deer hunting again this year, but added he has already realized his hunting dream. Where do I go from here? I dont. Im at the top of the pile. I really am, he said. SLATERVILLE SPRINGS, N.Y. -- A Tompkins County man was sentenced to pay fines totaling $3,500 and complete 50 hours of community service for shooting and killing a bald eagle, using deer carcasses as bait. Donald Mix, 58, appeared Tuesday in Caroline Town Court before Judge Gary Reinbolt for the Dec 15 incident. Bald eagles are listed as a threatened species in New York. Initial charges against him included illegal taking of protected wildlife, illegal taking of wild birds, and illegal taking of a bald eagle. Mix said he mistakenly thought he had shot a turkey vulture. He pleaded guilty to violating Ag and Markets Law 353, which is overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, according to a town court official. For that, he was fined $1,000 and ordered to do 50 hours of community service. The remaining environmental conservation law charges were converted in aggregate to a DEC civil penalty of $2,497.50, in satisfaction of all charges, the court official said. There was no talk in court of Mix forfeiting his gun or losing his hunting license. According to a state Department of Environmental Conservation news release, DEC Environmental Conservation Officer Ozzie Eisenberg responded to a complaint the day the eagle was shot from a town resident who who heard a shot and then spotted a large bird (on the ground) in a nearby field. The conservation officer found a dead adult bald eagle at the scene, and "a subsequent interview with a neighbor revealed that the man had placed deer carcasses in the field to shoot coyotes and turkey vultures, another protected species." (It is legal to shoot coyotes over bait.) According to the complainant, the neighbor found the eagle "still breathing slowly," and was with the bird as it died while she awaited the DEC officer's arrival. The DEC said Mix "thought the bird was a turkey vulture and was unaware that he had killed a threatened bald eagle." The case attracted the attention and outrage of avid bird watchers in the area who called for a stiff sentence. One person in court Tuesday held up picture of the dead eagle during the sentencing, the town court official said. In regard to bald eagles, the fines and punishment for killing one can range from, in the case of a first violation, up to $5,000 and up to 90 days in jail or both. Ithaca attorney Paul Tavelli, who represented Mix in court, told NYUp.com Thursdayt he said a pre-plea sentence investigation done by the Tompkins County Probation Department looked into Mixs background, criminal record and circumstances surrounding the incident. It was determined incarceration and/or probation was inappropriate, Tavelli said, He added the district attorneys office concurred. I talked to about 30 hunters beforehand and they didnt know it was illegal to shoot a turkey vulture," he said. My clients position was that he thought he was killing a turkey vulture legally. A turkey vulture is a protected species under the states Environmental Law. Killing one is a violation, Taking a protected wild bird for which there is no open season, punishable by a fine of up to $250 Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., who was charged with insider trading last year and narrowly won election to a fourth term in November, raised just $5,000 in the first quarter of 2019. According to Federal Election Commission filings, the donations came from three sources: the campaign of fellow New York Republican Dan Donovan, who lost reelection last year, and two moderate Republican political action committees, the Tuesday Group PAC and the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC. A Collins spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the donations. Collins, who was first elected to the House in 2012, is one of three candidates who won in November despite facing felony fraud charges. Collins, a Republican in Clarence, N.Y., narrowly won his reelection bid in the 27th Congressional District over Nate McMurray, a town supervisor from Grand Island in Niagara County. Federal prosecutors charged Collins in August with 11 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud and making false statements to investigators. He has pleaded not guilty and, in a TV interview in September, vowed to battle "to the end." Federal prosecutors allege that the lawmaker tipped off his son, Cameron Collins, to nonpublic information about an Australian biotechnology company to avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. The elder Collins sits on the companys board of directors. President Donald Trump called it so weird to see Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a town hall on Fox News, and even appeared to push a conspiracy theory about it. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum moderated an hour-long town hall with Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, for the cable news network on Monday. Trump tweeted about it several times Tuesday. So weird to watch Crazy Bernie on @FoxNews. Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the audience was so smiley and nice. Very strange, and now we have @donnabrazile? Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump then suggested his favorite TV channel censored his MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters and stuffing the event with Sanders supporters. Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews Studio last night in the now thriving (Thank you President Trump) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the interview with Crazy Bernie Sanders. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters. Whats with @FoxNews? the president tweeted. He did not elaborate on his claims or provide evidence. Photos showed protesters outside the event holding Trump 2020 and Make America Great Again signs, but its unclear if any tried to enter the town hall. Protesters demonstrate in support of President Donald Trump near a Fox News town-hall style event with Sen. Bernie Sanders Monday April 15, 2019 in Bethlehem, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)AP The Washington Post noted that one viral moment from the town hall showed Baier asking town hall attendees if they would be willing to give up private health insurance from employers to move to a government-run health system that resembled Sanderss Medicare-for-all proposal. Many in the audience cheered. Trump also commented on Sanders tax returns (...made a fortune off of Trump, but so did everyone else - and thats a good thing, not a bad thing!) and predicted Crazy Bernie Sanders and Sleepy Joe Biden will be the two final candidates vying for the Democratic nomination next year. I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul! Trump tweeted. On Wednesday morning, Trump further suggested he was upset with Fox News hosting a rival candidate by tweeting support of OANN, the conservative One America News Network. Thanks for watching Mr. President - wed love to have you on a town hall soon - or even an interview on @SpecialReport - its been awhile. We cover all sides, Baier responded to Trump on Twitter. So weird to watch Crazy Bernie on @FoxNews. Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the audience was so smiley and nice. Very strange, and now we have @donnabrazile? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2019 Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews Studio last night in the now thriving (Thank you President Trump) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the interview with Crazy Bernie Sanders. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters. Whats with @FoxNews? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 Bernie Sanders and wife should pay the Pre-Trump Taxes on their almost $600,000 in income. He is always complaining about these big TAX CUTS, except when it benefits him. They made a fortune off of Trump, but so did everyone else - and thats a good thing, not a bad thing! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 I believe it will be Crazy Bernie Sanders vs. Sleepy Joe Biden as the two finalists to run against maybe the best Economy in the history of our Country (and MANY other great things)! I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019 New York Republican lawmakers have started an online petition seeking support for a bill that would provide free college tuition for family members of military personnel killed anywhere in the line of duty. The petition calls for the Assembly to allow a vote on a GOP bill that was blocked in a committee last week, setting off a firestorm that has attracted national attention. Lets show the country that we can rise above partisan politics and honor the legacies of courageous Americans who loved this country unconditionally, said Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Springport, one of the petition organizers and a co-sponsor of the bill. The Democratic-controlled Assemblys Higher Education Committee voted 15-11 last week to hold the bill, making it unlikely the legislation could make it to the full Assembly for a vote this session. Democrats defended the move, and said the legislation should be considered as part of the budget process next year once its costs are known. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week he supports the bill and believes it can be brought back to a vote through some legislative maneuvers. The bill would change an existing scholarship program and provide free SUNY tuition to any child, spouse or financial dependent of a New York service member killed or disabled while performing official duties. The existing MERIT scholarship program provides tuition aid to Gold Star family members only if the service member was killed or disabled in a combat zone or while training to enter a combat zone. Members of the New York Senate introduced their own bill this week as part of a bipartisan compromise on the issue. The Senate bill would be effective only after the 2020 budget process. It also asks the state Education Department to come up with eligibility requirements by defining what constitutes official duties for military members. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, is among Republicans who see no reason to wait for a new bill. Kolb said its clear the public wants action. This petition will demonstrate that this conversation is not over, that the bill is important to New Yorkers and Americans, and that the public has a place to voice their opinion, Kolb said. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 An art professor at Vassar College performed critical research that could be used to help rebuild Paris Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire ravaged portions of the historic structure. Notre-Dame of Paris: Nine Centuries in the Life of a Cathedral was an exhibit at the cathedral, funded by Vassar and based on the research of the late Associate Professor Andrew Tallon. Talon used laser mapping to record the most intricate details of the 850-year-old cathedrals interior, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported. He knew that building better than anybody else, said John Mihaly, Vassars associate vice president for regional and international programs. I suspect his research is going to be an integral part of what they use when they go about rebuilding. A highly precise spatial map of over one billion laser-measured points has made it possible to retrace, in visual terms, the story of the construction, transformation and reconstruction of Notre-Dame, explains Tallons book. Mihaly had been scheduled to meet with Notre Dame officials on Monday, and witnessed the devastation felt by Parisians who witnessed the blaze. They were shattered," he told the Journal. Already, people from around the world have raised over $1 billion to help repair the damage done during Mondays fire, including the collapse of the cathedrals spire. Several Upstate New York school groups, including students from Arlington, Spackenkill, Sandy Creek and Norwich school districts, were in Paris on Monday. Some had even visited the cathedral earlier in the day. All students were reported safe. The latest census data for New York agriculture shows a 6 percent drop in the number of farms statewide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture just released its 2017 census released every five years. "The most startling statistic is we now have 33,438 farms in the state, about 2,100 fewer farms than 2012," stated New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher. "This is the largest drop in more than two decades and is triple the national average of a three-percent loss." Ontario County lost 20 farms -- a drop from 853 in 2012, to 833 in 2017 -- putting its loss of 2.3 percent slightly below the national average. "While there is still much more to learn as we evaluate the mountain of data, it is clear that the depressed farm economy has taken a toll on the overall number of farms in New York, as labor costs continue to mount for our family farms," added Fisher. "At the same time, there are still opportunities across the board. Agriculture remains a leading driver of our rural economy and the data shows we must continue to invest in the farming community while also finding ways to improve the business climate..." The losses run the gamut, including a 9-percent drop in both the smallest and largest farms in terms of value of sales. New York also saw a nearly 20-percent decline in the number of dairy farms in the state. These losses coincide with 9-percent increase in labor costs, while some other production costs, like feed, gasoline and chemicals, declined. The average net farm income of $42,875 per farm is slightly below the national average. USDA surveys farmers every five years and then takes more than a year to compile the data. In Ontario County, the loss of 20 farms coincided with an increase in acres farmed. The county added 7,473 acres of farmland over the five years, from 192,616 acres to 200,089 acres. There was a slight uptick in the smallest farms of less than 10 acres, which increased from 71 to 77. The biggest jump in large farms fit in the range of 500 acres to 999 acres. Those operations increased by 10, from 46 to 56 over the five year period. Countywide total crop sales dropped by nearly $14 million. Forty-five fewer farms operated with hired labor and the cost of hired farm labor increased from $24.5 million to $30.4 million -- a jump of 24 percent. Last week, New York Farm Bureau members spoke out at a press conference at a farm in Genesee County against the proposed "Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act" (S. 2837/A. 2750). The legislation would guarantee farm laborers the same rights as workers in other industries including the right to collective bargaining and the ability to unionize, along with receiving overtime pay and at least one day off each week. Farm Bureau opposes the legislation, saying the increased cost to farm owners would devastate the industry. FarmCredit East estimates such a change in the law would increase labor costs, on average, by 17-percent or nearly $300 million statewide. "New York's labor costs are already among the highest in the country, and this increase will it make more difficult to compete to sell food and farm products," stated Fisher. "Other states and nearby Canada have lower wage rates and fewer labor regulations, thereby allowing them to offer their goods at cheaper prices. New York producers just can't increase their prices to recoup the increased labor costs and expect to stay in the market." A round table discussion at Genesee Community College with several key lawmakers focused on the farm labor bill. Farm Bureau urges farm owners and farm workers to sign up to testify at Senate hearings on the bill taking place April 25 at SUNY Morrisville, April 26 on Long Island, and May 2 at SUNY Sullivan. "We as a family, treat our employees as family. We can't do this without them. When a person enjoys working for you, they do a better job," said Dale Stein, a dairy farmer who hosted the press conference on his farm, Stein Farms. He also spoke of the challenges of the farm economy and how overtime would dramatically increase labor costs on his farm. "It doesn't matter how much you want to do something, if you can't pay for it. This could be the single, most devastating thing to happen to agriculture in this state." By Julie Sherwood, Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, N.Y. By the numbers 98 percent Family-owned farms statewide 2,100 Number of farms lost over five years 205 acres Average farm size 55.8 Average age of farmer *Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2017 census for New York state agriculture SODUS, N.Y. (AP) The wife of a former Texas police chief has accepted a plea deal in a Western New York double homicide. Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Christine Callanan says the plea on Tuesday by Charlene Childers reduced her second-degree murder charge to first-degree manslaughter. She'll be sentenced June 27. Her husband, former Sunray, Texas police chief Timothy Dean, has pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree murder charges and was expected to be tried alongside Childers next month. Prosecutors say Dean and Childers drove to the town of Sodus in October and killed Amber Washburn and Joshua Niles. Friends and relatives say Niles had recently won custody of the two children he had with Childers. Defense lawyer Rome Canzano says Childers expressions of remorse were considered in the plea negotiations. Dallas, TX, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dallas-based education technology leader Istation has been approved as both an initial assessment and extensive assessment vendor for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for the 2019-2020 academic year. Initial assessments are tools used early in the school year and regularly throughout it to identify students potential issues or challenges in grade-level literacy skills and pinpoint those who may be at risk of falling behind. Extensive assessments are delivered only to students who display a deficiency on the initial assessment or through formative and classroom assessments. Michigan school districts will use Istations Indicators of Progress (ISIP) Early Reading assessment, which addresses state standards in Reading Foundations, Reading Comprehension, Language and Listening, to ensure all students are reading at grade level by the end of the third grade, as required under the states Read by Grade Three Law. According to the MDE Literacy Team, assessments will help districts with benchmarking, comprehensive screening and building a diagnostic understanding of student performance in reading, which is an essential component of a complete program for early literacy. We are proud to be named as a vendor to provide computerized reading assessments for elementary school students in the state of Michigan, said Istation Chairman and CEO Richard H. Collins. Istations individualized assessments provide important feedback that is essential to Michigans complete program for early literacy in support of raising literacy throughout the state. The ISIP assessment measures student growth with engaging, computer-adaptive diagnostic and screening programs, providing data so that teachers and students both know which specific skills a student needs to improve, and giving them a map of how to improve reading comprehension. Because the program is computer-adaptive, it can measure skills across grade levels. With ISIP, an entire class can be assessed in 30 to 40 minutes. Following the assessment, the program immediately generates reports that educators can use to guide instruction and intervention. A pair of recent studies has shown that Istations reading assessments accurately predict how students will perform on end-of-instruction tests. For more information, including the list of initial and extensive assessments, resources for designing a comprehensive assessment system, and information on how to strengthen formative assessment practices, visit http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-28753_74161-410821--,00.html. ### About Istation Founded in 1998 and based in Dallas, Texas, Istation (Imagination Station) has become one of the nations leading providers of richly animated, game-like educational technology. Istation was named one of 2019s EdTech 1000: Companies Transforming Education by EdTech Digest and has received numerous national educational technology awards. The Istation program puts more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction. Istations innovative reading, math and Spanish programs immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn. Additionally, administrators and educators can use Istation to easily track the progress of their students, schools and classrooms. Istation now serves more than 4 million students throughout the United States and in several other countries. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. MCLEAN, Va., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) announced today it has closed a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) fund with CAHEC and initiated several investments within the fund. The closing marks Freddie Macs sixth LIHTC fund since re-entering the market in 2018, and the first fund managed by CAHEC. The LIHTC program is responsible for financing the vast majority of affordable rental housing across the United States. The Freddie Mac-CAHEC fund will invest in the creation and preservation of affordable rental housing. It will focus on transactions in areas that have been underserved over the past decade, such as rural communities and developments that provide intensive supportive services for their residents. The fund has thus far provided $50 million in targeted affordable housing investments, across eight properties, including three in North Carolina, two in Tennesee, two in Kentucky and one in West Virginia. The investments in total support 411 units of LIHTC housing in some of the most underserved communities in America. Four investments are in Duty to Serve Rural Areas, including Middle Appalachia. Freddie Mac is proud to partner with CAHEC as a LIHTC syndicator, and our fund is already supporting affordable housing in rural and underserved markets, said David Leopold, vice president of Targeted Affordable Sales & Investments at Freddie Mac. From Middle Appalachia to rural North Carolina, the investments we are making will help upgrade housing stock while preserving affordability for low-income individuals and families in need of decent places to live. Jevue Club Apartments New Martinsville, West Virginia One such investment is for Jevue Club Apartments in New Martinsville, West Virginia. Freddie Macs $4.6 million LIHTC equity investment will help modernize the rental community of 40 two-bedroom and one-bathroom apartments. Ten of the units will be restricted to housholds earning at or below 40 percent of area median income (AMI), with the remaining restricted at 60 percent AMI. Of the 40 units, 31 receive rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Development Section 521 rental assistance program. Columbus, Ohio-based Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, an experienced developer of LIHTC properties in the region, is working with Woda Construction Inc, to redevelop the apartments. Renovations totaling more than $70,000 per unit are providing much-needed modernization to the complex. Although well-maintained, the five single-story apartment buildings were constructed in 1977. Many fixtures and design elements, including orange countertops and globe light fixtures, are holdovers from that era. The property is in a scenic location with views of the Ohio River and mountains. It is also within walking distance of stores and restaurants, providing a good quality of life for residents, the majority of whom are older than 55. Freddie Mac developed its proprietary fund with CAHEC because of its deep expertise with the LIHTC program, its commitment to serving communities in need, and its ability to support Freddie Macs mission of delivering liquidity and stability to underserved markets. CAHEC is thrilled to partner with Freddie Mac as a conduit for furthering their LIHTC equity investment goals, said Dana Boole, president and CEO. Synergy with our respective missions, outlooks on affordable housing, commitment toward 'duty to serve' communities and our vibrant corporate cultures, were all drivers to creating, and now furthering, this thriving relationship. More than 20 million households across the country are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing. Eleven million are severely cost-burdened, paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing. Freddie Mac and CAHEC are proud to be working together to address this vast and growing need through LIHTC. Freddie Mac makes home possible for millions of families and individuals by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Since our creation by Congress in 1970, we've made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide. We are building a better housing finance system for homebuyers, renters, lenders, investors and taxpayers. Learn more at FreddieMac.com , @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog . Created in 1992, CAHEC ranks as one of the largest nonprofit regional equity syndicators in the United States. We specialize in tax credit syndication by raising equity capital and investing in affordable housing and community revitalization opportunities. To date, we have raised and committed more than $2.2 billion toward the development of 678 properties and more than 31,000 units of affordable housing. Learn more at CAHEC.com and @CAHEC_Raleigh . All-digital: Rumors that Microsoft has been working on a disc-less Xbox One S console have been circulating quite a bit lately, and photos of the machine were leaked mere days ago. Now, the reports have been proven true: Microsoft has officially unveiled the all-digital console, and it's available for pre-order now. In terms of design, there really isn't much to say about the disc-less Xbox One S. The device is completely identical to its normal counterpart, but -- as you might expect -- the disc tray is missing. The design isn't the main attraction for the new Xbox One S, though; that honor goes to its price tag, which is now $250 versus the standard Xbox One S' $300 cost. That's a pretty deep discount, and Microsoft is even throwing three free digital games into the mix: Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea of Thieves. Furthermore, you'll get a free month of Xbox Live Gold (which gives you multiplayer access, among other goodies) and a "special offer" for Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service, which has been called the "Netflix of games" in the past. The major trade-off here is obviously the lack of a disc drive, meaning you lose the ability to play physical game copies on the device. This may be worthwhile to a fairly large portion of gamers, but for those who retain fond memories of camping out at their local game store for midnight game releases, the console might be less appealing. Unfortunately for those individuals, the wind probably won't be blowing in their favor for much longer. A digital-focused, always-online console (the new Xbox One S is not the latter, to be clear) is something Microsoft has been hoping to launch for years now. However, it has always been a matter of timing: the original Xbox One was going to be an always-connected, anti-used game device at first, but Microsoft misjudged how the public would react to the idea - it was too soon, and pressure from the public forced the company to change things up. Now, though, the gaming landscape has changed. We are living in the age of "live services," and plenty of AAA games require constant internet connections right out of the gate. As a result, gamers are starting to become desensitized to the idea, for better or worse. With that in mind, this new Xbox One S could be an attempt to subtly acclimate gamers to the notion of giving up more control of their gameplay. Instead of slapping on an increased price tag as Microsoft did with the original Xbox One X, though, the company is instead offering up financial incentives to anyone who buys into this idea: $50 savings and the previously-mentioned free games, in this case. The end goal for Microsoft will likely be to convince as many gamers as possible to sign up for the upcoming "Project xCloud" game streaming service - but only time will tell. If the new disc-free Xbox One S sounds like your cup of tea, you can pre-order via Microsoft's official website. The first consoles are expected to ship out on May 8. Xbox One S comparison image courtesy Engadget Why it matters: Hours after Apple and Qualcomm announced they had agreed to drop their long-running legal disputes, Intel made an equally surprising, and doubtlessly related, statement of its own: the company will no longer be building 5G modems for smartphones. The battle between the tech giants started two years ago when Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion over claims it was abusing its position as the leader in cellular technologyusing Qualcomms chips also required customers to pay licensing fees for its patents. The bad blood led to multiple lawsuits in different countries, but yesterday the pair reached an agreement to end the fighting. A six-year licensing deal will now see Qualcomm provide Apples mobile modem chips. The legal spat had seen Apple move away from Qualcomm and use Intel as the sole provider of its iPhone modems last year, and Chipzilla was set to provide the 5G modems in 2020s handsets. But while Intel was adamant its XMM 8160 would arrive in the second half of this year, Apple wasnt convinced it could deliver on this promise. With no other supplier likely to have 5G chips ready in time, it was speculated that Apple could use an in-house solution. Now that Apple has settled with Qualcomm, however, it doesnt have to worry about its 5G future. And while it might be too late for a 5G iPhone this year, expect Qualcomms modems to appear in 2020s handsets. Soon after the announcement, Intel said it would be exiting the 5G smartphone business. We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the cloudification of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns, said Intel CEO Bob Swan. 5G continues to be a strategic priority across Intel, and our team has developed a valuable portfolio of wireless products and intellectual property. We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world. Intel will continue to produce 4G modems for customers, but we wont see any 5G smartphone modems from the company. Intel refused to say if it made the decision before the Apple/Qualcomm announcement or because of it. The news also means Huaweis offer to provide Apple with its 5G modems is off the table. In context: The UK has been trying to crack down on access to adult content lately, and it's managed to succeed in its efforts - to a degree, anyway. As reported back in January, the country's government has finalized a law that requires pornographic websites to institute age-verification systems into their websites. In theory, there's nothing all that concerning about this concept. Most semi-reputable porn websites already have "age gates" that require users to confirm that they are 18 or older in order to visit. However, what the UK is proposing is something a bit more invasive. Some of the potential age verification methods the country will require websites to use may involve handing over your personal details to said website, installing third-party software on your device, or perhaps even buying a "porn pass" at local newsstands. This law was initially going to take effect this month, but the UK's government has pushed that date back to July 15. To be clear, the previously-mentioned age verification methods are only a few examples, and sites won't be required to use them. As long as a given system fits all of the criteria laid out by the UK's Digital Economy Bill, the website using it will likely be safe from any disciplinary action. If a website fails to comply with these laws, the penalty will be a mandatory British ISP block. If a website fails to comply with these laws, the penalty will be a mandatory British ISP block. Tech-savvy users will undoubtedly be able to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass these restrictions, though. As Ars Technica reports, in addition to age verification, the Digital Economy Bill will also give UK officials the power to take down websites or videos that showcase "extreme" adult content. This includes some of the more perverse fetishes, such as bestiality and necrophilia, as well as particularly violent sexual acts (though that's a bit more vague). Zoogoers need to be careful when coming into contact with animals at petting zoos because of the risk of contracting highly infectious diseases. In a study presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, researchers from Ariel University in Israel discussed the growing threat of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria found in many animal containment facilities such as zoos. With petting zoos becoming more popular among children and adults alike, health experts fear that exposure to MDRs might get out of hand and lead to more cases of highly virulent drug-resistant pathogens. Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria In Petting Zoos Petting zoos present health officials with a different dynamic in terms of preventing infectious diseases. Unlike regular zoos, visitors can often approach animals in petting zoos and interact with them directly. Children can even pet and hold different animals such as rabbits, monkeys, and horses. However, this direct contact also exposes zoogoers to different microorganisms found in many animals. Researchers are particularly concerned about AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae (AmpC-E) and other bacteria that carry extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes. Such microbes can infect both humans and animals and have been found to be highly resistant to antibiotics. AmpC And ESBL Shiri Navon-Venezia, a professor at Ariel University, led a team in examining eight petting zoos found all over Israel. She and her colleagues analyzed samples taken from 228 different animals. The researchers made use of genetic sequencing to pinpoint the different bacterial species found in each sample. They also looked for possible drug-resistance genes from AmpC and ESBL in the animals. Zoo owners were also surveyed regarding the ages and medical histories of the animals under their care. The data was used to examine additional risk factors found in the animals. Navon-Venezia and her team found that as much as 12 percent of animals tested were infected with at least a single bacterial strain related to AmpC or ESBL. They also recovered 35 different bacterial species. A majority (77 percent) of the MDR microbes were found in the animals feces, while the remaining 23 percent were taken from their feathers, fur, and skin. A quarter of the animals that had MDR bacteria tested positive for more than one bacterial strain. Among the microbes found in the subjects were E. coli ST127, which is known to trigger urinary tract infections; and E. coli ST656, which is related to travelers' diarrhea. The findings also showed that if infected animals were exposed to antibiotics, they were seven times more likely to produce multidrug-resistant bacteria. The high number of different animals found in petting zoos makes these areas a primary source for AmpC-E and ESBL species. These microbes are likely to shed many highly virulent pathogens, which can infect zoogoers. Children are the most at risk to disease transmission since they are the ones that often come in direct contact with the animals. "We recognise the high educational and emotional value of petting zoos for children," Navon-Venezia noted. "[T]herefore, we strongly recommend that petting zoo management teams implement a strict hygiene and infection control policy, together with rationalised antibiotic policy, in order to reduce the risk of transmission between animals and visitors." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Among doctors and nurses, it is imperative that a strict hand-washing hygiene is followed to prevent the spread of germs, and a new study revealed that this practice should be followed by patients, too. Scientists examined patients during the early days of their hospital stay as well as the objects that the patients used inside the hospital rooms, such as the nurse call button. The data they collected proves that patients should also follow a strict hand-washing hygiene. However, the researchers caution that the findings do not mean that patients will immediately get sick with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, healthcare workers' hands are still the primary mode of microbe transmission to patients. Superbug Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Found In Patients' Hands, Nostrils Researchers from the University of Michigan made more than 700 visits to the rooms of general medicine inpatients at two hospitals. The patients were enrolled in the study and samples were taken from their bodies as well as on their often touched objects with their permission. What the team found out was that out of 399 patients they examined, at least 14 percent had superbug antibiotic-resistant bacteria on their hands and nostrils very early in their hospital stay. Nearly a third of tests on objects commonly touched by patients in their rooms, including the nurse call button, came out positive for these superbug antibiotic-resistant bacteria. By using genetic fingerprinting techniques, scientists also looked to see if the strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on patients' hands were the same ones as in their rooms. Two matched in nearly all cases, which suggested that the transmission to patients happened. What's more, another 6 percent of patients who did not have multi-drug resistant organisms on their hands at the beginning of their hospital stay tested positive later in their stay. About one-fifth of the objects tested in the rooms had similar superbugs on them, too. "[O]ur findings make an argument for addressing transmission of MDROs in a way that involves patients, too," explained Dr. Lona Mody, a geriatrician who led the research team. Why The Findings Of The Study Matter Mody said that it is important that hospital patients don't just stay in their rooms. They must also get up and walk in the halls as part of their recovery. Since patients must be transported to other areas of the hospital for tests and procedures, they actually pass on bacteria from other patients and staff, and also leave them on surfaces they touch. If a relatively healthy person has an MDRO on their skin, and their immune system can fight it off, a more vulnerable person can come into contact with this other person and get sick. "No matter where you are, in a healthcare environment or not, this study is a good reminder to clean your hands often," added Mody. This included before and after preparing food, before eating food, after using a toilet, and before and after caring for someone who is sick. Mody and her colleagues were also the ones who published a study on how privacy curtains inside hospital rooms carry superbugs. This is why it's important to always wash these curtains and change them regularly. Meanwhile, details of the new study have been issued in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases and will be presented at a conference in Europe. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new study published in Nature Geoscience confirmed the long-held belief about the effects of meteor streams on the moon: it ends up releasing water vapor. NASA announced on Monday, April 15, what it considers a big piece of the puzzle concerning the effects of a meteor strike on airless bodies such as the moon. "When a stream of meteoroids rains down on the lunar surface, the liberated water will enter the exosphere and spread through it. About two-thirds of that vapor escapes into space, but about one-third lands back on the surface of the Moon," said the press release. Previous Assumption Finally Confirmed The data provided by the many lunar missions allowed scientists to hypothesize that the moon doesn't only have water, but it also has an active water cycle. Many of these water events occurred in line with meteor showers. For example, they noticed a spike of water signals during the Geminid meteor showers in December 2013. To confirm this, a team led by Mehdi Benna, planetary scientist, studied the data provided by the neutral mass spectrometer of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE). The mission orbited the moon from 2013 to 2014 and obtained information on the faint gases that surround the celestial object called the exosphere. They identified 33 of these water plumes, four of which are new ones. What Does This Mean About The Moon? The study is significant because humans are setting their sights on building a colony there. To be sustainable, however, it needs to have the essential elements for human survival such as water. The analyses of these water vapors reveal that the top layer of the moon is bone dry, but water may already be present at least 3 inches from the surface. Much of the water may be adhering to the regolith, or a combination of soil and rock. These water events may also explain the presence of ice in cold traps within the deep parts of the craters. Much of the water detected by scientists was in these areas where temperatures are so frigid they are likely to keep these vapors stable for billions of years. Not Wet Enough It doesn't mean, however, that the moon is abundant with water. The study also showed it is still drier than Earth. "From the measurements of water in the exosphere, the researchers calculated that the hydrated layer has a water concentration of about 200 to 500 parts per million, or about 0.02 to 0.05 percent by weight. This concentration is much drier than the driest terrestrial soil, and is consistent with earlier studies," said NASA. To collect 16 ounces of water, which is about a bottle, it needs to work with a metric ton of regolith. The moon's release of water vapor into space doesn't help in the conservation. If there's any consolation, NASA believes these activities may have been going on for a long time. Most of all, trace amounts of it are spread across the surface. Learn more about this discovery from this video from NASA Goddard: 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Scientists in Pennsylvania have confirmed that two cancer patients in the United States are being treated using the powerful gene-editing tool known as CRISPR. Ever since making waves in the scientific community, CRISPR has become a beacon of hope in finding the cure for many diseases, as it allows experts to make meticulous and precise modifications to DNA. Now, researchers in the University of Pennsylvania revealed that a U.S. CRISPR study that aims to treat cancer is already underway. Using CRISPR As A Tool Against Cancer A spokesperson from the University of Pennsylvania told NPR that one of the patients being treated was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, while the second patient was diagnosed with sarcoma. Both patients had relapsed after undergoing standard treatment. CRISPR works by removing, modifying, and reinserting immune cells in the hopes that they will destroy cancerous cells, the researchers said. Details of the U.S. clinical trials are not available yet, although some information can be accessed at ClinicalTrials.gov. The spokesperson said that details will be disclosed through a presentation or a peer-reviewed paper. Moreover, the study has been approved to treat 18 cancer patients. CRISPR Studies All Over The World The U.S. CRISPR study is not the first of its kind. In 2016, a team of Chinese scientists from Sichuan University received ethical approval from the West China Hospital to test genetically altered cells on lung cancer patients using CRISPR. Indeed, most of the clinical trials that use CRISPR are in China, which has aimed to treat various forms of cancer. Meanwhile, more clinical trials involving CRISPR are being set up in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and some of these trials extend to other diseases. For instance, two trials sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston and CRISPR Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, aim to treat genetic blood disorders. One trial is for beta thalassemia, while the other is for sickle cell disease. "2019 is the year when the training wheels come off and the world gets to see what CRISPR can really do for the world in the most positive sense," said gene-editing scientist Fyodor Urnov from the University of California, Berkeley. CRISPR Babies Ethical questions remain over the use of CRISPR on human beings. The world was stunned when reports of a Chinese scientist who used CRISPR to create genetically modified babies made the headlines. Chinese scientist He Jiankui admitted in November 2018 that he used CRISPR to edit embryos for seven couples during fertility treatment. This led to the birth of two twin girls whose DNA were engineered to protect them from contracting HIV/AIDS. Ever since, scientists have called for a moratorium regarding the gene-editing of heritable traits. There is also an important difference between what the Chinese scientist did and what the U.S. CRISPR study hopes to achieve. The changes that He did could be passed down from generation to generation, while the U.S. CRISPR study will be used to edit DNA to fight against cancer. Researchers assure that there is no cause for concern. Those who are conducting the CRISPR studies have conducted careful preliminary research, and their work have gone through extensive scientific and ethical review. Meanwhile, it will take many years before any CRISPR treatment is available for the public. Until then, scientists will continue to perform studies to find effective treatment for patients. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. BURLINGTON, Ontario, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portland Investment Counsel Inc. (Portland) announced today a change to the risk rating of several Portland Mutual Funds. Portland determines the risk rating for the Portland Mutual Funds in accordance with the methodology required by the Canadian securities regulators. As a result of its annual review of the investment risk level of the Portland Mutual Funds, Portland has determined the risk ratings for the following funds will be changing as follows: Fund Current Risk Rating New Risk Rating Portland Canadian Focused Fund Medium Low to Medium Portland Global Banks Fund High Medium to High Portland Global Dividend Fund Medium Low to Medium Portland 15 of 15 Fund Medium Low to Medium These changes will be reflected in the Portland Mutual Funds Simplified Prospectus and the applicable Fund Facts, which will be filed with Canadian securities regulators in connection with the Portland Mutual Funds 2019 annual renewal. There are no changes to the investment objectives or strategies of these funds. For further information, on Portland and Portland Mutual Funds, please visit www.portlandic.com or contact Client Services at 1-888-710-4242, option #1, or email at clientservices@portlandic.com. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Louisiana officials are calling for prayers for former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who has entered hospice care for incurable cancer. The 76-year-old Democrat served from 2004 to 2008 as Louisiana's first and only female governor. Blanco's time in office included the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She was diagnosed and treated for a rare eye cancer in 2011. It returned and spread to her liver in 2017. +2 Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco: 'Monster' of incurable cancer 'not far down the road' Gov. John Bel Edwards asked in a Tweet Wednesday afternoon for the states residents to pray for former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who is facing an House and Senate lawmakers held moments of prayer for Blanco. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who has become close to Blanco, also asked for prayers in a statement Wednesday. He called her a "woman of incredible strength and abiding faith." Blanco served 24 years in elected offices, including time as a state lawmaker, member of the state utility regulatory commission and lieutenant governor. Holding the flag of the World Council of Credit Unions are, from left, Mike Reuter, executive director of the World Council of Credit Unions; Stephen Mathews, chief financial officer of the La Capitol Federal Credit Union; Paul Isdell and Tom Allen of the Mullingar Credit Union; and Michael Hooper, Carla Corkern and Melissa Ebarb of La Capitol. SAN ANTONIO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Liberty Institute today launched an investigation by requesting documents from San Antonio city officials regarding the Citys decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from operating at the San Antonio International Airport. The religious liberty law firm earlier called on U.S. Secretary Elaine Chao to investigate the City for religious discrimination. The Citys decision to ban Chick-fil-A was blatant, illegal religious discrimination, said Hiram Sasser, General Counsel to First Liberty Institute. We want to know just how deep the religious animosity runs within San Antonios city government. A tolerant and inclusive city should have nothing to hide. First Liberty Institute attorneys are requesting public records such as staff reports, comments, and assessments relating to the proposed concession agreement between the City of San Antonio and Paradies Lagadere, which had included Chick-fil-A. The request also seeks communications, notes, or other documents, including but not limited to emails, text messages, notes, statements, letters, reports, and comments, produced by members of the San Antonio City Council, or any employee or staff member of the City Council relating to the contract or to Chick-fil-A. Recently, the City Council of San Antonio voted to approve a contract with Paradies Lagadere to operate certain concession space in the San Antonio International Airport on condition that Chick-fil-A, which was part of the proposed concession lineup, be excluded. In its earlier letter to Secretary Chao, First Liberty urged the federal government to investigate whether the City violated federal nondiscrimination laws by basing its decision to prohibit Chick-fil-A on the religious beliefs and charitable giving of the popular chains foundation. About First Liberty Institute First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans. To arrange an interview, contact Lacey McNiel at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453. Contact: Lacey McNiel, media@firstliberty.org Direct: 972-941-4453 Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Editor's note: This story was published Wednesday, April 17, 2019. East Baton Rouge announced that schools will also be closed Friday, May 10, 2019. East Baton Rouge Parish is closing school Thursday, following the lead of several Baton Rouge area school districts, as severe weather once again headed towards the Capital City. Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa and West Feliciana Parish as well as Baker and Zachary public schools also decided Wednesday afternoon to close all their schools Thursday due to the potentially foul weather. The decision means that Easter Break is starting a day early for all these districts. In higher education, Baton Rouge Community College, LSU, Southern University and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond all announced they would also close Thursday due to weather. In a statement released around 4 p.m Wednesday, Taylor Gast, a spokeswoman for the school system, said the closure was decided "out of an abundance of caution and due to the threat of severe weather. East Baton Rouge Parish's announcement will likely lead many private, parochial and charter schools in Baton Rouge to close as well. The Diocese of Baton Rouge has a running list of school closures on its website, https://csobr.org/. +3 Hail, tornadoes, high winds expected as severe weather rolls in to southeastern Louisiana All of southeastern Louisiana is now under an enhanced risk Thursday for severe weather that could include high winds, hail and some strong to Several local school districts are already closed this week for Easter break. The other districts had planned to let out for break starting Friday, but now their breaks start Thursday; those breaks will continue through next week. 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 Districts already on break this week include Ascension, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, St. James and West Baton Rouge parishes, as well as Central schools. Assumption Parish schools were already planning to be closed Thursday. The National Weather Service in Slidell, as of Wednesday afternoon is predicting one-to-two inches of rain between early Thursday afternoon and night, as possible straight line winds, tornadoes and hail. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center said there is an enhanced risk of severe weather Thursday, most notably high winds and a 10 percent chance of a tornado with winds of 111 mph or higher. The area under the greatest threat is east of a line from Lake Charles to Monroe, including all of south Louisiana, and eastward into Mississippi and western Alabama. Humid conditions south of a warm front are expected to help fuel storms expected to roll in as a cold front approaches from the west. Winds will flow with different speeds and in different directions at various levels of the atmosphere, increasing the chance for severe storms. Some bad weather will be in a squall line, while other thunderstorm cells could form ahead of the squall line, according to the forecasters. There could be tornadoes in both. Here are all schools that have already changed plans due to the weather threat. The school is closing Thursday unless otherwise noted: The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has settled its dispute with Baton Rouge attorney Donald Hodge, agreeing to pay his court costs and to hold a new election for board vice president. Hodge sued after he was barred from speaking Jan. 17 when the board selected Jill Dyason as its vice president over fellow board member Dadrius Lanus in a close vote. Hodge was trying to protest Dyason because shed signed the St. George incorporation petition, but new board President Mike Gaudet deemed his comments not germane. The first item on the agenda for Thursdays regular board meeting, starting at 5 p.m., was election of vice president. The meeting, though, has been postponed until April 25 due to bad weather. +4 Baton Rouge attorney sues School Board; claims open meetings violation when asked to stop speaking Baton Rouge attorney Donald Hodge Jr. is suing the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, alleging it denied him his right to public comment on Hodge said he doubts the results will change, but he will be there to get my three minutes. I wanted them to hold a vote that was legal and allowed people input, especially (about) Jill Dyason signing the St. George petition, he said. The school system released a statement Wednesday on the decision to settle. "Due to a concern regarding the opportunity for public comment at a previous meeting, we will reopen nominations for the election of vice president," the statement said. "Previously, public comment was allowed on the motion to nominate; however, a question arose whether public comment was permitted on the full agenda item. Public comment related to this agenda item will be allowed. "Please know that our school board has a strong belief and a vested interest in the democratic ideal of open meetings and the importance of public comment." Hodge, who has named his legal practice Hot Poker of Justice LLC, argues that it makes no sense to reward someone who signed the St. George petition with a leadership position on the School Board. Their ultimate goal is to break up the EBR school system, Hodge said Jan. 17. 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 Dyason has said she signed the petition only to let the people vote on this contentious issue. She said that in her view, the latest St. George petition has more to do with creating a city than any changes in schooling, and it has no bearing on her School Board service or whether she would make a good board vice president. Dyason had won the post in a 5-3 margin; board member Dawn Collins abstained. Gaudet proved the deciding vote when he shifted his support from Lanus to Dyason. Lanus, who took office in January, said he agrees with the settlement decision and he expects to be renominated for vice president. This time, you will really have public comment and everyone will express their opinion on this; it will be interesting to see how the board responds," Lanus said. Hodge said he told board President Gaudet and another board member he would sue if not allowed to speak freely. He said people rarely sue related to the open meetings law issues. Is someone going to sue because they are not going to get their three minutes? he said. Well, yes they can. +2 Jill Dyason elected as East Baton Rouge school board VP despite signing St. George petition Breaking a week-long deadlock, Jill Dyason was elected Thursday as vice president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Thursday the f Hodge retained Philip House as his attorney. A hearing was scheduled for May 13. Hodge said the school system approached his attorney about settling after requests were made for documents and to schedule depositions with every board member. As part of the settlement, the School Board has agreed to pay Hodge $2,435 in court costs. Hodge said he dropped a request that a penalty of up to $100 be assessed against Gaudet for forcing him to quit talking that night. Louisiana law requires school boards to allow public comment on motions, but the discussion allowed on Jan. 17 was very limited. It was a big contrast with the freewheeling discussion of a week earlier when the board deadlocked on who to pick for vice president. Were not going to be sitting here making speeches and things for or against any candidate, Gaudet told the audience. The discussion will be whether or not you agree to the motion to close or if you have any objections to the motion to close. WASHINGTON Abortion rights advocates asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to set aside a Louisiana law that could possibly shutter the state's abortion clinics, advancing arguments that could lead to the first major test of how justices appointed by President Donald Trump address reproductive issues. Abortion access in the state is already hanging by a thread, Nancy Northrup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Wednesday after the group filed its latest petition asking the high court to strike down a law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Act 620, which passed the Louisiana Legislature in 2014 but has never gone into effect due to court battles, is being challenged by a pair of Louisiana doctors, backed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, who say its too onerous. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the law was passed to protect women and that justices should let it stand. After the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to strike down the law, the Supreme Court in February temporarily halted it just hours before it was set to take effect so opponents could file a challenge. Its provisions remain on hold pending a decision from the nine-member high court. Northrup said her group wants a decision without presenting oral arguments because they believe that the court already ruled on the issue when it struck down a near-identical Texas law three years ago. +2 La. law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges blocked by Supreme Court -- for now The U.S. Supreme Court has stopped a law that threatened to shutter Louisiana abortion clinics from taking effect this week, but the fight ove The emergency stay issued in February came on a 5-4 vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts voting with the more liberal wing of the court Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. A decision on the Louisiana law could provide a significant sign of how Trumps appointees might deal with abortion laws across the country. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both Trump appointees, were not on the bench in 2016 when the the court, in a 5-3, vote deemed the Texas admitting privileges law unconstitutional. Both Trump appointees voted against the recent petition for an emergency stay of Louisiana's law. Kavanaugh, the newest member of the court who faced a rocky confirmation after President Donald Trump nominated him to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy, penned his own dissent in the Louisiana case, arguing doctors would have a 45-day period to attempt to obtain admitting privileges after the law went into effect and saying that, if doctors were unsuccessful, the court could revisit the issue. Louisiana abortion law could set tone for future U.S. Supreme Court's decisions At the request of a pair of unnamed doctors, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming days whether to temporarily block a law tha If the doctors, after good-faith efforts during the 45-day period, cannot obtain admitting privileges, then the Fifth Circuits factual predictions, which were made in the context of a pre-enforcement facial challenge, could turn out to be inaccurate as applied, Kavanaugh wrote. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Only one of the state's three abortion clinics currently would meet the admitting privileges requirement, and critics of the 2014 law argued that it would shutter the other two, effectively crippling access to abortions for thousands of Louisiana women. According to Wednesday's court filing, the abortion rights advocates claim that most physicians who provide abortions in Louisiana had been unable to obtain admitting privileges since the law was passed in 2014, despite efforts. About 10,000 abortions are performed in Louisiana each year. Kathaleen Pittman, administrator for Hope Medical Group in Shreveport, said the law would likely force the only doctor they have with admitting privileges to stop performing abortions out of concern that he could become a target. We have seen protester activity become more frequent and nasty nasty is the only word I have for it, she said. If this law is allowed to stand, he will not be able to continue. Pittman has been at the clinic, which performs abortions up to 16 weeks of pregnancy, since the 1980s. She said abortion restrictions drive up costs for women. Louisiana requires a 24-hour waiting period between first consultation and when a pregnancy can be terminated. Most are already moms, Pittman said. Landry has been an avid defender of the anti-abortion law and argued against the stay that was ultimately granted. In a statement Wednesday, he said the law provided appropriate safeguards for women. "Just weeks after the Delta Clinic in Baton Rouge called an ambulance because the clinic had no IV fluids to stabilize a bleeding patient, and Kevin Work a doctor at the same clinic had his medical license suspended, abortion advocates claim that requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges offers 'non-existent benefits,'" Landry wrote. "My office will continue to vigorously defend that requirement, and I reiterate my commitment to protecting Louisiana women." The State Medical Board in February suspended Work's license to practice medicine in Louisiana after an anti-abortion group questioned his credentials. Despite fervent pleas from education groups, the House Education Committee on Tuesday turned down Gov. John Bel Edwards' proposed $39 million increase for public schools. The panel voted 9-5 along party lines to return the plan to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and for that panel to remove the school hike, which would be the second of its kind in the past decade. House Education Committee Chairwoman Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette, sponsor of the resolution that includes the increase, said the move is needed to ensure the state can afford the governor's plan to boost teacher pay by $1,000 and $500 for support workers. Both of those pay increases, which would cost $101 million, enjoy bipartisan support. Amid controversy, Gov. Edwards urges House panel to back $39M boost for Louisiana public schools Despite signs to the contrary, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Saturday he hopes a key House panel next week approves legislation that would boost "I think we put the pay raise at risk if we don't take care of it now," Landry said of the school funding package. In a statement after the vote, Edwards said he was disappointed in the committee vote and would work to find "common ground" with lawmakers. The $3.85 billion spending proposal was approved by BESE on March 12 after a rare, personal pitch from the governor. The Legislature can either endorse or reject the proposal, but cannot change it. Returning the issue to BESE on the second week of the two-month session is unusual. It also reflects an ongoing dispute between Edwards and House Republican leaders on how much money will be available for state services. Committee member state Rep. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, said Louisiana is already spending near the U.S. average for public school students $12,153. Without returning the issue to BESE, Edmonds said, there will likely be few new dollars for another priority early childhood education. While BESE holds its regular meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Gary Jones, president of the group, indicated there is little chance the board will reconsider the issue then. Jones, who lives near Alexandria, told the committee the board would "reflect" on the issue for at least a week before any action. Moments before, the BESE leader said the funding request to the Legislature followed considerable deliberations and reflects the costs for educating children. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Leaders of public school groups including the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, Louisiana Association of Principals, Louisiana School Boards Association, Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Educators and the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools objected to the move. They all urged the committee to approve the legislation House Concurrent Resolution 1 with both the $39 million increase for public schools and $1,000 for teacher pay raises. No 'battle' expected for Louisiana teacher pay hikes, but one is brewing over public school aid Gov. John Bel Edwards' bid to boost teacher pay by $1,000 per year is winning wide support both inside and outside the Louisiana Legislature. "I am asking that you please say yes to our kids," said Kelli Joseph, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents and superintendent of the St. Helena Parish school system. Larry Carter, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, made the same pitch. "We need to invest in education," Carter told the panel. "It is that simple." Debbie Meaux, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, told the committee, "I respectfully request that each of you do the right thing." Landry said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, has pledged to try to find the $39 million from other sources if BESE returns a new funding request without those dollars. Henry, who attended the meeting, said he would try to ensure funding for the "full life" of a child, including social services and other assistance. State Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, a member of the committee, criticized Landry's move to return the issue to BESE. "This is very premature," Smith said. "It is earlier than we have ever done it before." The committee action came on the same day that Edwards, who is seeking his second term this year, released 15- and 30-second digital ads touting his public school plans. In his statement, the governor said the $39 million increase is needed for teachers "who often spend money out of their own pocket to buy supplies for their classrooms." "This is why we included an increase in the MFP for the school districts above and beyond the pay raise," Edwards said. School aid money is allocated to districts after being sent through a formula called the Minimum Foundation Program. All of southeastern Louisiana is now under an enhanced risk Thursday for severe weather that could include high winds, hail and some strong tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service The impending bad weather has prompted schools in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette area to close their doors Thursday. Sand and sandbags have been made at available at several BREC parks around East Baton Rouge Parish. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center say there is an enhanced risk of severe weather Thursday, most notably high winds and a 10 percent chance of a tornado with winds of 111 mph or higher. The area under the greatest threat is east of a line from Lake Charles to Monroe, including all of south Louisiana, and eastward into Mississippi and western Alabama. A flash flood watch will be in effect from Thursday morning to Thursday evening for the most southeastern part of the state, including Washington, St. Tammany, Northern Tangipahoa and Southern Tangipahoa parishes. "Efficient rainfall is anticipated to result with rain rates at times high enough to produce flash flooding," according to a National Weather Service advisory. "The threat of flooding rains will diminish after the passage of a strong cold front later in the day from west to east. The NWS' Storm Prediction Center forecasts the potential for severe weather on a scale from 1-5 (five meaning high and one meaning marginal). Enhanced is third on the scale; slight is two." 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 According to the NWS, an enhanced risk of severe weather carries a 10-15 percent chance of tornadoes and a 30-45 percent chance of damaging winds and hail. Humid conditions south of a warm front are expected to help fuel storms expected to roll in as a cold front approaches from the west. Winds will flow with different speeds and in different directions at various levels of the atmosphere, increasing the chance for severe storms. Some bad weather will be in a squall line, while other thunderstorm cells could form ahead of the squall line, according to the forecasters. There could be tornadoes in both. Sand and sandbags are available at the following BREC sites: BREC Airline Highway Fairgrounds 16072 Airline Highway BREC Alsen Park 601 Old Rafe Meyer Road BREC Cadillac Street 6117 Cadillac Street BREC Doyles Bayou Park 7801 Port Hudson-Pride Road BREC Flannery Road Park 801 South Flannery Road BREC Hartley-Vey at Gardere Park 1702 Gardere Lane BREC Memorial Stadium 1702 Foss Street BREC Lovett Road Park 13443 Lovett Road Residents are urged to bring their own shovels to fill the sandbags. Real-time sandbag locations can be found at http://gis.brla.gov/emergency. Current sea level rise projections present substantial challenges, and the world is watching New Orleans. On March 29, the city took a step in the wrong direction by choosing litigation as the best path forward. Perched on one of the worlds great river deltas, New Orleans experiences natural rates of subsidence that are two to three times the rate of global sea level rise. This means that New Orleans will experience the relative impacts of sea level rise before almost anyone else does. New Orleans has the task of showing the way. Foster Campbell: New Orleans did right thing in suing energy industry I commend New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the New Orleans City Council for suing the major oil companies over their decades of damage to For the last decade, New Orleans has performed admirably at this task. About $14 billion has been invested in flood protection, and the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan is incorporating an intelligent approach to managing water within that infrastructure. The biggest advances have been in the application of science to the challenges ahead. The Departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNO and Tulane, along with the Coastal Research Laboratory at UNO and the ByWater Institute and its River and Coastal Center at Tulane, are world-class institutions leading the study of coastal processes and how best to face the challenges of subsidence and rising sea level. For the past five years, the New Orleans Geological Society has worked with UNO, Tulane and and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to provide access to oil and gas industry seismic data to study the geological processes associated with subsidence. Since 2014, more than $350 million in industry seismic information has been made available for academic research in this field. The first published study to use industry seismic data came from a cooperative research project between Tulane and the University of Texas at Austin. This study used a 500-square mile, 3D survey in Plaquemines Parish to map 28 geological faults. The study found that most of these faults extended to the surface, and several of them correspond to abrupt shifts from emergent wetlands to fully submerged areas of open water. In other words, movement on the faults is causing the wetlands to submerge. The research at the universities since the publication of this study is showing that many, if not most, of the hot spots of wetlands loss are directly associated with geological faults. The role that NOGS is playing to coordinate sharing the oil and gas industry seismic data with the universities is exactly what is called for by the National Academies of Science report on the future of the Gulf Coast published last year. The study specifically recommended efforts to remove barriers to communication between the energy industry and other stakeholders and to find ways to engage more effectively to facilitate information sharing. +2 Chevron asks judge to send New Orleans' coastal land-loss suit to federal court Oil giant Chevron Corp. has asked that a lawsuit related to coastal erosion filed against it and a handful of other energy companies by the Ci The lawsuit filed by the City of New Orleans against a group of oil and gas companies tears at the fabric of this cooperative relationship. It couldnt have come at a worse time. The March 20 Board of Directors Meeting of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority featured a presentation by Krista Jankowski, a CPRA geologist and Tulane graduate. She gave an overview of the science and research that is going into the development of the 2023 Master Plan. It featured the research partnerships that CPRA has with Dr. Mark Kulp at UNO and Nancye Dawers at Tulane, and it showed the trace of the Ironton fault that is projected to cross near to the site of the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The research collaboration among CPRA, UNO and Tulane is based almost entirely on the use of oil and gas industry seismic data to study faulting and subsidence. The critical study of the Ironton fault and other faults across coastal Louisiana will require an expansion of that cooperative relationship. In direct contradiction to the cooperative efforts among the oil and gas industry, the local universities and CPRA to bring the best available science to the development of the 2023 Master Plan, the citys lawsuit is not based on any scientific study of the causes of wetlands loss. The contentions of the lawsuit are not supported by any active university research, and they are not reflected in any way in the development of the Master Plan. The City of New Orleans needs to reverse this misstep and get back on track to showing the rest of the world the way forward by working cooperatively with all stakeholders in the coastal zone, including the oil and gas industry. Chris McLindon is a geologist who works in the oil and gas industry. Hes the president of the New Orleans Geological Society, which is co-developing the Louisiana Coastal Geohazards Atlas with the Louisiana Geological Survey. The New Orleans Geological Society has members from the energy industry, academia and the environmental field. The recent fires at three black churches in St. Landry Parish underscored a powerful reality. Though the church buildings were destroyed, the congregations themselves are intact proof enough that communities of faith are grounded in people, not bricks and mortar. We thought about that simple fact on Monday as we watched the images from across the Atlantic of Notre Dame in Paris consumed by flames. That ancient cathedral might be far older and grander than the country churches we recently lost in Louisiana, but its a gathering place for Christians just the same. Today, the people of Paris are learning once more what is already sustaining the faithful in St. Landry: Though buildings can be reduced to cinders, the resolve of the faithful endures. We were heartened to hear that so far, at least, the fire that struck Notre Dame is assumed to be accidental, not the work of an arsonist. In St. Landry, a man has been arrested and charged with setting the churches ablaze. Its terrible to think of someone twisted enough to assault a house of God. The prospect of yet another monument to human possibility taken down by hatred crossed our minds Monday when we saw Notre Dame eerily glowing from within, like some sinister jack-olantern, as crowds of Parisians looked on in despair. We felt a familiar lump in our throats when the cathedrals tower fell. Here in America, weve seen towers fall. The memory of that earlier tragedy, which also unfolded on a flawlessly clear and beautiful day, is a wound that resonates still, all these years after 9/11. Of course we wondered, watching the spire of Notre Dame collapse, if terrorists had brought about its demise. The news to this point seems otherwise, which is some consolation as Parisians face the hard work of rebuilding an international treasure. Notre Dame literally translates as Our Lady, a common Catholic reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus. For the many Louisianans who look to France as their ancestral home, the old cathedrals testament to maternal affection chimes neatly with our sense of France as the mother country. That land of origin for our Francophone state is hurting today, and we grieve with it. Even a freshly restored Notre Dame will never be the same, but then again, despite their appearance of ageless rigidity, cathedrals have always been exercises in evolution, their walls marked by the presence of successive generations. Here at the doorstep of Easter, we join with people around the world in wishing the swift resurrection of Notre Dame. +25 Notre Dame's age, design fueled fire and foiled firefighters, experts say NEW YORK (AP) Is there anything firefighters could have done to control the blaze that tore through Paris' historic Notre Dame Cathedral sooner? LSU pollsters recently found that criminal justice reform became more popular among Louisianans over the past year, which is interesting. Even more interesting is that support for efforts to reduce Louisianas once-nation leading incarceration rate a signature issue for Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards grew most among independents and Republicans. Overall approval rose between 2018 and 2019 from 61 to 70 percent, and from 74 to 79 percent among Democrats. But backing among independents grew from 62 to 74 percent, and among Republicans from 46 to 60 percent. So how come? Support growing for Louisiana criminal justice reforms, especially among Republicans, poll shows Support for Louisiana's criminal justice reforms is growing in the state, a new LSU poll has found, especially among Republicans and Independents. Heres my theory: Donald Trump. Edwards package passed through the Legislature (with bipartisan support) in 2017, before the 2018 version of the annual poll, produced each year for the Manship Schools Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, was conducted. So the change in attitude isnt a direct result of news surrounding its adoption. One thing that did happen after the last years poll was taken was that the governor announced some of the benefits of adopting the new approach, specifically cost savings and the states drop from first to second in incarceration rates. Grace Notes: Despite criminal justice consensus, John Kennedy remains a defiant outlier A big federal criminal justice reform bill passed the Senate Tuesday, on the strength of that rarest of things in Washington: true bipartisan More recent, and arguably more persuasive to some conservative Louisianans, was that the president strongly backed a similar measure at the federal level. The effort was spearheaded by Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who took on the issue after his own father served time for making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering. The federal First Step Act is largely aimed at giving people locked up for nonviolent drug offenses a second chance, just as in Louisiana. It also had the support of a wide range of conservative figures, from evangelicals to small-government libertarians to the Koch network. The measure did have its skeptics, just as the state version did. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, for example, was a vocal critic of both Edwards bill and the one backed by Trump. But now more than ever, many of Kennedys fellow Republicans back home beg to differ. French English MONTREAL, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL; TSX and NYSE) will report its 2019 first quarter results on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. A press release will be issued after markets close and a conference call is scheduled on that same day at 5:00 PM ET to discuss the Companys results and business outlook. The Company also announced that it will hold its annual meeting of shareholders at Centre Mont-Royal, in Montreal, Quebec the following morning, on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at 10:00 AM ET. The conference call can be accessed by dialing (800) 447-0521 (Canada & U.S.) or (847) 413-3238 (international) and entering passcode 48515821#. A replay will be available for 30 days starting at 7:30 PM ET by dialing (888) 843-7419 (Canada & U.S.) or (630) 652-3042 (international) and entering the same passcode. A live audio webcast of the conference call, as well as a replay, will be available on our corporate site at Gildan Q1 2019 audio webcast . A live audio webcast of the annual meeting of shareholders, as well as a replay, will be available at the same link above. About Gildan Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel which markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Gildan, American Apparel, Comfort Colors, Gildan Hammer, Gold Toe, Anvil, Alstyle, Secret, Silks, Kushyfoot, Secret Silky, Therapy Plus, Peds and MediPeds, and under the Under Armour brand through a sock licensing agreement providing exclusive distribution rights in the United States and Canada. Our product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, hosiery and legwear products sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms. In addition, we sell directly to consumers through our own direct-to-consumer platforms. Gildan owns and operates vertically-integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean Basin, North America, and Bangladesh. With over 50,000 employees worldwide Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour and environmental practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive Genuine Responsibility program embedded in the Company's long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its corporate citizenship practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com and www.genuineresponsibility.com , respectively. An $810 million alleged Ponzi scheme run through a California solar power company has ensnared Hancock Whitney Corp., resulting in a multimillion-dollar hit to the bank's first-quarter profits. DC Solar, a maker of mobile solar power generators based in Benicia, California, filed for bankruptcy protection in February after federal investigators raided the company's offices, according to bankruptcy documents and company filings. Among the creditors, documents show, is Hancock Whitney, which has headquarters in both Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans. The alleged fraud also hit several other banks and insurance companies across the U.S., including insurance giant Progressive Corp., which said it could lose tens of millions of dollars due to its investment. For Hancock Whitney, the alleged fraud prompted an increase in the bank's provision for loan losses and lowered its first-quarter earnings by $10.1 million, or 9 cents a share, according to the company's quarterly report released late Tuesday. That pushed the bank's earnings down to 91 cents a share, below analysts' average estimates. The bank's shares slumped following the earnings report, falling 1.9 percent to $43.55 a share on Wednesday. A spokesman for the bank did not respond to requests for comment. According to company filings and media reports, at least four other U.S. banks have reported potential losses related to investments or loans with DC Solar, a company founded in 2009 that built and leased mobile solar power stations. According to its website, DC Solar manufactured solar generators that could be deployed at construction sites, at outdoor festivals and in response to disasters to provide lighting or other power needs. But bankruptcy documents, as well as an affidavit by an FBI special agent that was part of a forfeiture filing against the company's owners, allege that the company's investors were paid with other investors' money, and not from earnings or tax credits generated through the sale or lease of its products. Hancock Whitney didn't specifically disclose how it came to be embroiled in the alleged scheme. On page 130 of its 138-page annual financial filing last month, it said that bank officials learned of the alleged fraud in February, the same month that DC Solar filed for bankruptcy protection. 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 "The company became aware of an affidavit from a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent that alleged this borrower was operating a potentially fraudulent Ponzi-type scheme," the filing said. It added that solar generators and lease revenues "claimed to have been received by the borrower may not have existed." Chris Marinac, a banking analyst at FIG Partners in Atlanta who follows Hancock Whitney, noted that the potential loss to the bank from a single investment is larger than normal, but is still a small part of its overall portfolio. "Its part of lending and its part of credit. Banks are in the business of taking risks. Some days are peanuts and some days are shells, and this is unfortunately a shell here, Marinac said. Its not that unusual over the course of every couple of years for a bank to get hit by this. Hancock Whitney has roughly $20 billion in loans outstanding. Over the past several years, under Chief Executive John Hairston, the bank has been working to reduce its exposure in the energy sector, including companies that drill for oil and gas as well as the boat owners and other support services that have taken a hit amid slumping activity in the Gulf of Mexico. On Tuesday, Hancock Whitney said it had $1.1 billion in loans to the energy industry, or about 5 percent of the total. The DC Solar investment was part of a loan portfolio known as shared national credit, according to Marinac. While banks like Hancock Whitney are mostly in the business of taking deposits and lending money to local or regional businesses, many elect to take on some riskier loans in the hopes of higher returns and better profits, Marinac said, though he noted that the shared national credit portfolio at Hancock Whitney was about 10 percent of its total loan portfolio. Since peaking in January 2018 above $56 a share, the company's stock is down about 22 percent. Poets Anne Babson, Melinda Palacio, Alison Pelegrin and Paris Tate will discuss and read from their works at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Babson is the author of "Polite Occasions," which imagines the future is female, and if humans are to survive end times, it will be because ladies have decided to make unladylike plans. This collection is largely set in a dystopian near-future world where many feel spiritually adrift, all while most people pretend not to notice. Babsons first collection, "The White Trash Pantheon," won the Colby H. Kullman prize from the Southern Writers Southern Writing Conference in Oxford, Mississippi. She has received residency grants from Yaddo and Vermont Studio Center. Palacio, who wrote "Bird Forgiveness," is a 2007 PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellow and a 2009 alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Her poetry chapbook, "Folsom Lockdown," won Kulupi Press Sense of Place cash prize and publication in 2010. Palacios first novel, Ocotillo Dreams, was the winner of the Mariposa Award for Best First Book at the 2012 International Latino Book Awards and a 2012 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles award for Excellence in Literature. Latino Stories named her a Top Ten New Latino Author of 2012. Pelegrin has written four poetry collections: "Waterlines" (2016), "Hurricane Party" (2012), "Big Muddy River of Stars" (2007), and the recent "Our Lady of the Flood." The recipient of fellowships from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, her poems have appeared in Poetry, The Southern Review, Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, and Barn Owl Review. 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 Tate's poems have appeared in the Literary Yard, Contraband and The New Guard Review, while her published news articles and columns have appeared in Bayou Buzz and Cognition. Her book of poems is titled "All the Words in Between." GENEALOGY: Gwen Kelley, a librarian who specializes in genealogy and local history, will lead a seminar that focuses on cemetery records for family researchers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. She will lead a seminar on the website FamilySearch.org at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24. ROMANCE WRITERS: Attorney Marie Breaux presents What You Dont Clear Might Bite You: The Authors Warranty of Right to Publish at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Breaux says that every publication agreement requires the author to warrant that their work does not violate the rights of any third parties. This talk will touch briefly on what rights are protected by copyrights, trademarks and the rights of publicity/privacy (including limitations such as fair use) and then focus on clearances for book publication and marketing activities. WWII HISTORY: Sal Serio, curator of the American Italian Research Center, will present "Italian Prisoners of War in Jackson Barracks during World War II" at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie KREWE DE TECH: Author and technologist Ed Branley presents Website Tools for Effective Social Presence WordPress and Drupal, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Branleyis the author of six books on New Orleans and two young adult novels. A dead man. Its not the surprise anyone expects to find in an Airbnb. But thats exactly what eight women discovered last month hours after checking into their short-term rental in Treme to celebrate a bachelorette party. Word of the grisly discovery began to make the rounds this week, when one of the women Abbey Donahue decided to tell the tale on her personal blog. According to Donahue, she and her friends drove 10 hours from St. Louis to New Orleans on March 15 after several of their flights were grounded. After they checked into their Airbnb, they spotted a man sitting motionless on a futon in an attached apartment, technically part of their rental. The mans face was out of view, and it looked like he might be watching TV or taking a nap, she said. So the women figured it was the owner, or a last-minute renter the owner decided to take in for the busy St. Patrick's Day weekend. "We were already kind of confused by the area, so we were like, Oh, did you see a guy was in there?' Donahue said, adding that they wanted to respect his privacy. That (he might be dead) is no one's first assumption." But when the group returned from the French Quarter later that night, the man was still sitting on the futon in the same position. Looking closer, they realized he did not appear to be breathing. The women called 911, then entered the side apartment and checked to see if the man had a pulse. They found him cold to the touch and with foam around his mouth. Donahue quickly called Airbnb to report the situation, fearing the man was the homeowner. I think it really helped having two nurses in our group, and they handled it really well, Donahue said. I was shaking the entire time and my adrenaline was going. I was really focused on making sure that everyone in our group was safe. The Orleans Parish coroner later determined that the 26-year-old Dallas native had died from an accidental drug overdose. 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 Police suggested multiple possibilities for how the man got into the apartment, but it remains a mystery, Donahue said. An Airbnb spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the man had not rented the apartment, and he did not appear to have an Airbnb account. The owner of the home told Airbnb he had no connection to the man and also did not know how the man entered the apartment, which had a separate keypad lock from the home's main entry. The company quickly told the group it would cover their relocation to a hotel and would refund their money, according to an Airbnb spokesman. The group packed up and moved that night to a hotel in the Central Business District. "At that point we were just ready to get out. It was very traumatic," Donahue said. Donahues blog documented the remainder of their stay, but she said the group decided this week that the post should be taken down out of respect for the mans family. Before their departure on March 17, the women shared their story around town, drawing stunned reactions and even convincing a swamp tour operator to turn his boat around when they explained why they were running late. With little in information at that point, they referred to the man as "Roman," in a nod to the New Orleans street. At one point, a bartender suggested they raise a toast in his honor. They quickly obliged. Finding a dead body is scary, but when you know its someone who has a family and a life, its (heartbreaking), for sure," Donahue said, expressing condolences to the man's family. When it comes to New Orleans, it was one of the coolest cities. We figured if this person did not get to live out his life, we should celebrate him in New Orleans all weekend long." Australia's largest paint manufacturer, Dulux, has agreed to a $3.8 billion takeover deal, which it says is offering one of the highest-ever valuations for a company in the paint and coatings sector globally. The board of Melbourne-based DuluxGroup told investors on Wednesday it unanimously backed the takeover bid by Japanese paint giant Nippon, via a scheme of arrangement for $9.80 a share in cash and inclusive of a 15 interim dividend to be paid by Dulux. The offer was at a 27.8 per cent premium to Dulux's closing price of $7.67 on Tuesday. Dulux has received a $3.8 billion takeover offer from Japanese giant Nippon Paint. Credit:Viki Lascaris "We have unanimously concluded that the transaction with Nippon is in the best interests of shareholders," DuluxGroup chairman Graeme Liebelt said. "It provides an opportunity for shareholders to realise a significant premium to market value for their shares and is on terms that reflect the strategic value of DuluxGroup to Nippon." Brisbane's incumbent federal Liberal MP Trevor Evans and his Labor opponent Paul Newbury are not attending a public climate forum in Brisbane on Wednesday night, in a move labelled "disappointing" by Greens candidate Andrew Bartlett. The #ClimateElection forum, to be hosted by Australian Parents for Climate Action at St Andrew's Uniting Church, originally had a commitment from Dr Newbury, Greens candidate Andrew Bartlett and other minor parties. Former senator Andrew Bartlett said he was disappointed a climate forum in Brisbane was not being attended by the Labor or Liberal parties. Credit:Glenn Hunt - AAP Mr Evans told the organisers earlier in April that he was unavailable due to a prior commitment. However, he will be attending a Politics in the Pub main candidates forum in May at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Bill Shorten is set to unveil a $115 million plan to tackle the Indigenous health crisis, as he seeks to position Labor as the only party capable of closing the ten-year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and their non-Indigenous peers. The package includes $29.6 million to improve mental health and prevent youth suicide, which has rocked communities in remote areas including the Kimberley where a spate of deaths has been linked to intergenerational trauma, violence and poverty. Senator Pat Dodson will unveil Labor's indigenous health plan alongside Bill Shorten. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Opposition Leader, who is also Labor's spokesman for Indigenous affairs, will unveil the commitment while on the campaign trail with his assistant spokesman Senator Pat Dodson in the Northern Territory on Thursday. "Labor believes innovative and culturally appropriate health care models are central to improving the health outcomes of First Australians and closing the gap," Mr Shorten said, noting that improving Indigenous health was "critical to our journey towards reconciliation". The Coalition MP whose seat would house the controversial Adani coal mine said the project was necessary to stop women in India from being forced to cook with cow dung in poorly ventilated huts. "It's going to hundreds of millions of Indians who do not have electricity ... this is about women and families that are cooking over open fires in huts," Michelle Landry said on ABC radio. "They are burning cow dung. There is little ventilation in those huts." Michelle Landry has been a prominent supporter of the Adani project. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Landry's comments come as a convoy of environmental activists led by former Greens leader Bob Brown sets out today from Hobart on a two week journey to Queensland to protest the mine. "We're not very happy about Bob Brown bringing his people up here," Ms Landry told the ABC on Wednesday morning. "How many emissions are they going to be using driving from Hobart to Queensland?" From her early life, Merle's outlook was political. During the famous walk-off from Cummeragunja, Aboriginal people crossed into Victoria in 1939 to appeal against the appalling living conditions on the station, the management of it and the restrictions placed on their movement. Community worker and Aboriginal rights activist Merle Robertha Jackomos, OAM, died on April 2, aged 89. Merle, a Yorta Yorta elder was born on June 13, 1929, and grew up at Cummeragunja Mission near Echuca. Although she was one of the people that walked off, she later returned to be with her grandfather who had remained on Cummeragunja to ensure the mission was not closed and sold off by the NSW Government. In doing so they helped maintain native title to the land. In 1951, Merle married Alick Jackomos, the son of Greek immigrants and together they had three children, Esmai, Andrew and Michael, all of whom have made a significant contribution to the Aboriginal community. Andrew was the inaugural commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people in Victoria. Family and community was at the core of everything for which Merle and Alick fought and their progeny included three children, 16 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Merle became very involved with the Aborigines Advancement League of Victoria where she dedicated her time to the fundraising and welfare projects for the ladies auxiliary. She went on to become president and a life member of the Aborigines Advancement League. Merle was a member of the federal council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) with her husband Alick. During the campaign around the 1967 referendum, Merle worked to promote understanding among the wider community, by explaining what the success of the vote would mean for Indigenous Australians. In 1979, he married Suzanne Varga, a literature professor and a writer. Beautiful, vivacious woman, his greatest fan and supporter, she accompanied him to St Eustache concerts and in his travels, interacting with public afterwards and enhancing events with her warm presence. She created happy domestic life for both of them. His creativity and artistic life flourished. Friends visited their salon for conversations and his piano playing. Jean Guillou remained St Eustache Titular for 52 years. Between 1996 and 2015 on Sundays he would meet friends at the cafe at St Eustache Esplanade. In 2015, He was "invited to retire". He was viewed as a rebel due to his lifelong commitment to organ as a concert instrument belonging in concert halls, despite its "sacral instrument" status. His phrase "I want to take organ out of churches and give it another life" has been upsetting to some, even if he clearly stated that, he was not against religions. Between 2015-2018 he had a busy schedule of concerts in Italy, France, Germany, Russia and the US. He marked his 88th birthday ("best ever") with magnificent performance in Germany. Without early traditional training his creative imagination was unlimited. He played most remarkably inventive sound combinations, impossible for traditionally trained organists. He retained the ability to continuously innovate and reinvent for his entire life in performances and compositions. He inspired his 350 students to freshly reinterpret classic works from student's own perspective after thorough analysis of each work with him. "Every time you interpret the work, you should have a sensation, that you are premiering it."; "In the interpretation you have to feel the presence and the personality of the performer." M.Barone said of Guillou performances: "When He would sit at the organ, it was almost as if the organ would explode or burst into flames. He would reach deep into the spirit of music and He challenged the dynamic and technical capabilities of the instrument.". Guillou recorded 100 organ works, from the 18th century to the present. He was a leading modern composer of symphonies, concertos for piano and organ, chamber and choral music, works for solo organ, for organ with other instruments and voice. He wrote lyrics and poems for some of his own works and revived and played a forgotten piano sonata by Julius Ruebke. He brilliantly transcribed for organ orchestral works by Bach, Handel, List, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. He commented on transcribing the works of others: "Transcription could only be justified, to the extent, that it makes us forget that it is a transcription at all, with new instrument merging into the essence of the work." Guillou recorded for Philips-Universal, Dorian, CBS, Festivo and Augure. His compositions were published by Editions Alphonse Leduc and since 2004 by Schott Music. His authoritative book The Organ, Memory and Future outlines organ history, theory and design and introduces his idea of variable structure organ consisting of 15 transportable chests of organ pipes and of console. All can be arranged in a concert hall close to the audience or placed in natural settings (like a forest) for a performance. His cherished wish to build this organ has yet to be fulfilled. He shared his expertise on organ disposition and design with organ designers and builders. As organ building consultant He has co-created organs with most beautiful sounds not achieved before. These revolutionary organs are at Alp d'Hues, Tonhalle Zurich, Birdsong in Brussels, Auditorium Tenerife, Conservatory of Naples, St Antonio Portugese in Rome, Cathedral of Leone, in Spain. He recorded some of his breathtaking performances on them. He loved old organs and instantly mastered their different dispositions, achieving most beautiful sounds possible from them. During his towering powerful performances old gothic churches would shake, resonate and vibrate transporting listeners into another world of spectacular sounds never before experienced. In the '60s, he introduced ground floor console at St Eustache to be closer to his listeners and for them to see the organist. After the concert he would meet friends and fans who encircled the bench. In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II stood near console with dignitaries listening to him play. Tall, beautiful, slender all his life, with intensely blue eyes and jet black hair (later grey, described as "fiery"), with Chopin-esque hands, He cut an elegant figure in tailcoats for concert halls appearances, or in his trademark roll-necks or favourite silk shirt with long tied bow and in tailored suit, with contrasting jacket. He moved with grace of a ballet dancer, swinging in or out of bench, and then bowing to the public. He was awarded Prize of Liszt Academy in Budapest 1982, the performer of the year award 1982, the Diapason d'Or and Prix Choc du Monde de la Musique 1991, professorship honoris causa of Saar's Hochschule for Music 2015, and RCO medal, Royal College of Organists London, 2018. Like Ravel, he declined Legion of Honour to highlight disregard for music by authorities (2010). Guillou funeral service was at the Paris Notre Dame on February 5. He was buried at Pe're Lachaise Cemetery. He is mourned by his wife, Suzanne, daughter Beryl Zuccarelli, two grandchildren, his brothers, his students and musical community and fans worldwide. His CDs and books are available from Augure at jean-guillou.org/augure augureasso@gmail.com. For organ structure variable conrtibutions email: fonds.jeanguillou@yahoo.fr Icelandic English Icelandair Group will hold a shareholders meeting on 24 April 2019 at 4:00 PM at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica Agenda: A proposal to grant the board authorisation to increase the Companys share capital in relation to a subscription agreement made with Par Capital Management Inc. and affiliates Changes to the Companys Articles of Associations Proposals: A proposal to grant the board authorisation to increase the Companys share capital in relation to a subscription agreement made with Par Capital Management Inc. and affiliates The proposal will grant the board of directors authorisation to increase the Companys share capital. This authorisation is intended for issue of new shares in relation to a subscription agreement made with Par Capital Management Inc. and a co-investor. The proposal is as stated below: The companys board of directors is authorised to increase the companys share capital by up to ISK 625,000,000 in nominal terms (ISK six hundred twenty five million), by issuing new shares. The share price shall be according to the subscription agreement made with PAR Capital Management Inc. and affiliates (9,03 per share). The new shares will be of the same share class as other outstanding shares in the Company. The shareholders waive their pre-emptive rights to the new shares. The new shares shall provide the associated rights to the Company from the date of registration. This authorisation of the board of directors shall be valid until 1 December 2019, to the extent which it has not been utilised. Changes to the Companys Articles of Association The following changes will be made immediately to the Articles of Association of the Company: Article 15.1 shall be removed. The registration of attendees, delivery of voting slips and delivery of meeting documents will be at the shareholders meeting location from 3:30 PM on the meeting date. For further information please contact: Bogi Nils Bogason; bogi@icelandairgroup.is; telephone +354 505 0300 Warning: This story contains graphic images An up-and-coming comedian who punched and kicked two men after a heckle at a comedy club is being sued as part of a damages claim that could reach up to $500,000. Patron Steven Booth said he "thought he was in a safe space" when he exchanged barbs after a show at The Comic's Lounge with a man who then donned MMA-style boxing gloves and bashed him outside the North Melbourne venue. Mr Booth had his front tooth knocked out and his friend was left unconcious following the assault in December 2016. The 38-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest just over a month later, which he attributes to the incident. In a video posted to YouTube on Wednesday, Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli used Christ's resurrection as an example of how to move forward from anger and anguish. In his first Easter message since the imprisonment of Cardinal George Pell, Melbourne's Catholic Archbishop says the faithful need to heal from their "loss and grief". He does not explicitly mention the conviction, sentencing and imprisonment of Cardinal Pell a former archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, Vatican treasurer and Papal adviser on child sex abuse charges, but appears to allude to those events in his message. "Today begins my first sharing of the Easter season with you as your Archbishop," he said. Loading "Ive been looking forward to it, because we have been walking through loss and grief in the church here in Melbourne and we are so in need of the Lord, who wants us to share in his Easter joy." In a March address after Pell's conviction was reported, Archbishop Comensoli said the church had been "grievously wounded" by the evil of sexual abuse, and that the response to the guilty verdict illustrated "the point of desolation at which Gods Church in Melbourne has arrived". A Perth DJ and former member of Pride WA's board of management has fronted a US court over claims he tried to grab a child out of his mother's arms. Roscoe Holyoake was arrested and charged in San Francisco for allegedly attempting to kidnap a young boy. Roscoe Holyoake from Victoria Park was arrested and charged in San Francisco for allegedly attempting to kidnap a young boy last week. He remains behind bars on Wednesday morning after he made a brief appearance in court dressed in a prison uniform to face charges of kidnapping and child endangerment, 9 News Perth reported. He is accused of trying to grab a two-year-old boy as he walked with his mother in San Francisco on Friday. The alleged incident happened in a very crowded area in broad daylight. Almost every student on some school bus routes refuse to pay for their tickets. The shocking figure was revealed at a roundtable convened at the Queensland Parliament on Wednesday, with educators, police, bus drivers and transport groups meeting to tackle a spike in fare evasion, which costs about $25 million a year in lost revenue. Transport Minister Mark Bailey opened a roundtable discussion on fare evasion at Parliament. Credit:AAP Image/ Darren England Teenagers have allegedly been abusing the state's "no child left behind" policy, implemented after the death of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, to avoid paying for tickets. School bus drivers recorded more than 1.53 million fare evasions last financial year, up from 875,000 the previous year. Washington: North Korea has test-fired a "new-type tactical guided weapon," state media reported, in a likely signal of displeasure over stalled nuclear talks with US President Donald Trump. Leader Kim Jong-un personally supervised the demonstration conducted by the Academy of Defence Science on Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency said on Thursday. The report was vague about the nature of the weapon, saying only that the "peculiar mode of guiding flight and the load of a powerful warhead were perfectly verified at the test-fire conducted in various modes of firing at different targets." People watch a TV news program reporting about North Korea's test-fire of a "new-type tactical guided weapon" in Seoul on Thursday. Credit:AP While the description suggests the weapon wasn't a nuclear device or intercontinental ballistic missile, the test sends a pointed message to the US and its allies in South Korea about the risk of allowing talks to fall apart. Trump has long defended his decision to hold two high-profile summits with Kim by citing Kim's decision to halt nuclear and ICBM tests. "It's a message to the US, don't neglect the North Korean issue," said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korea studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. The test is the first announced by North Korea of a major weapon since Kim's summit with Trump in Hanoi fell apart in February. London: The potential for Huawei to spy for Beijing is the reason Chinese telco should be banned from building Britain's 5G network, a prominent Australian academic has told officials in London. Huawei's Cyber Security Transparency Centre in Brussels, Belgium. Credit:Bloomberg Speaking to a high-powered roundtable discussing China for the think tank British Foreign Policy Group, Andrew MacLeod, a visiting professor at King's College in London, urged Britain to follow Australia's more nuanced public debate on China. "I think the British would be served well by looking at Australia because with due respect, Australia is a lot more advanced in this argument than the British are," he said. Europe needed to come to grips with the fact that China was not rising but returning and that the new centre of the world would be based in the Asia-Pacific, he said. Melissa Parke's decision to step aside from her Labor candidacy for the Perth seat of Curtin under pressure over criticisms of Israel exposes a perennial debate about what limits might be placed on such criticism. Former Labor candidate Melissa Parke angered the Jewish community with her support for Palestine. Credit:Marina Neil This is a vexed issue for politicians, journalists and commentators in particular. Too often, motives of those offering muted criticism are impugned, or misrepresented. Too easily, sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians accompanied by an understanding of Israel's security concerns is mis-characterised. No reasonable person can pretend other than that Israel is threatened on different fronts, and that on occasions, and perhaps too often, criticism of its actions reflects base prejudices. French English Rueil Malmaison, 17 April 2019 Shareholders General Meeting of 17 April 2019 Approval of all resolutions Dividend: payment in cash of final dividend of 1.92 per share on 25 April 2019 VINCIs Combined Shareholders General Meeting, chaired by Xavier Huillard, the Groups Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was held on 17 April 2019 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. The quorum was 62,027% and the shareholders meeting approved all the resolutions submitted. The shareholders meeting approved the parent company and consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2018 and decided to pay a dividend of 2.67 per share in respect of that year. Since an interim dividend of 0.75 was paid in November 2018, the final dividend is 1.92. The share will be quoted ex-dividend on 23 April 2019. The final dividend will be paid in cash on 25 April 2019. The shareholders meeting also approved the renewal of the terms of office of Mr Robert Castaigne, Mrs Ana Paula Pessoa and Mrs Pascale Sourisse as directors, as well as the appointment of Mrs Caroline Gregoire Sainte Marie and Mrs Dominique Muller Joly-Pottuz as directors. Upcoming events: - 23 April 2019: Quarterly information at 31 March 2019 - 31 July 2019: First half 2019 results The results of the votes and a video of the Shareholders General Meeting will soon be available on the Groups website at www.vinci.com . About VINCI VINCI is a global player in concessions and contracting, employing over 210,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, above and beyond economic and financial results, we are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. Our goal is to build long-term value in this way for our customers, shareholders, employees and partners, and for society at large. www.vinci.com Notes to editors Robert Castaigne is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Lille and the Ecole Nationale Superieure du Petrole et des Moteurs. He also holds a doctorate in economics from Universite de Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. He was an engineer at Total from 1 January 1972 and Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Committee of Total from June 1994 to May 2008. Chairman of VINCIs Audit Committee and a member of VINCIs Remuneration Committee since 2007, Mr Castaigne is also a Director and member of the Audit Committee and the Appointments and Remuneration Committee of Novatek (Russia). Ana Paula Pessoa graduated from Stanford University with a BA in economics and international relations and an MA in economic development. She worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and Benin from 1988 to 1990. Mrs Pessoa returned to Brazil in 1993 and joined Globo Organizations where she stayed for 18 years, occupying several positions in telecommunications, cable and satellite TV, print media, radio and newspapers. From 2001 to 2011, she was Chief Financial Officer and innovation director of Infoglobo, the largest newspaper group in South America. In 2011, Mrs Pessoa founded BlackKey Investments and invested in Neemu Internet, a leader in search and recommendation technology for e-commerce. In 2012, she opened the Brazil office of Brunswick Group, a strategic communications company, where she was managing partner for over three years. Mrs Pessoa was Chief Financial Officer of the Organising Committee for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games from September 2015 to March 2017. Currently, she is Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of Kunumi AI, a leading artificial intelligence company. A member of VINCIs Strategy and CSR Committee since 2015, she is also an independent Director of News Corporation (New York) and Credit Suisse AG (Zurich), independent Director of Aegea Saneamento SA (Sao Paulo) and member of its Finance and Investment Committee. Pascale Sourisse is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and of Telecom ParisTech. She worked as an engineer at Compagnie Generale des Eaux from 1984 to 1985, as an engineer in the telecommunications division of Jeumont-Schneider from 1985 to 1986, and as head of the enterprise network division at France Telecom from 1987 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994, Mrs Sourisse worked in the French Ministry for Industry as assistant deputy manager, then deputy manager, of the Consumer Electronics and Audiovisual Communication department. She then joined the Alcatel Group, where she held the positions of Director, Planning and Strategy from 1995 to 1997, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Skybridge from 1997 to 2001, and Chief Executive Officer and then President and Chief Executive Officer of Alcatel Space from 2001 to 2005. She was President of Alcatel Alenia Space (now Thales Alenia Space) from 2005 to 2008. Since April 2007, she has been a member of the Executive Committee of Thales. From May 2008 until early 2010, Mrs Sourisse was Chief Executive Officer of Thales Land & Joint Systems Division. In early 2010, she was named Chief Executive Officer, then Senior Vice-President for Defence & Security C4I Systems at Thales. Since early 2013, she has served as Senior Vice-President for International Development at Thales. Chairman of VINCIs Remuneration Committee and member of VINCIs Appointments and Corporate Governance Committee since 2007, Mrs Sourisse is also a Director of Renault and member of its Audit, Risks and Ethics Committee. Caroline Gregoire Sainte Marie is a graduate of the Institut dEtudes Politiques de Paris and has a degree in commercial law from Universite de Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. She began her career with Xerox France in 1981 as a financial controller. In 1984, she joined the Hoechst pharmaceuticals group, holding various financial positions at Roussel Uclaf SA, before being appointed Chief Financial Officer in 1994 of Albert Roussel Pharma GmbH, where she also served on the Executive Board. In 1996, she joined Volkswagen France, before moving to the Lafarge group in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer of Lafarge Speciality Products (LMS). She was named Senior Vice-President, Mergers and Acquisitions in the groups Cement division in 2000, where she notably led the financial strategy for the takeover of Blue Circle. In 2004, she became Managing Director of Lafarge Cement for Germany and the Czech Republic. She was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tarmac for France and Belgium in 2007, before being named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frans Bonhomme in 2009. Mrs Gregoire Sainte Marie was a Director of Eramet from 2012 to 2016 and of Safran from 2011 to 2015. Since 2011, she has served as a company Director. Currently, she is on the Boards of Groupama, FLSmidth, Wienerberger, Fnac Darty and Elkem. In addition, as an investor, she is a Director of Calyos (Belgium). She is also a founding partner of DefInnov, a collaborative innovation platform in the defence and security field, as well as Senior Advisor at HIG European Capital Partners. After completing a Masters degree in private law, majoring in international law, Dominique Muller Joly-Pottuz joined the VINCI Group in April 1991. She held the positions of head of construction claims at Ascop (Generale des Eauxs in-house brokerage) until 2000, and then claims and coverage selection at VINCI Assurances until October 2006. She has been head of insurance at VINCI Construction France since that date. Mrs Muller Joly-Pottuz is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the Castor company mutual fund and secretary to the Social and Economic Committee of VINCI Construction France. Press contact: VINCI Media Relations Department Tel: +33 1 47 16 31 82 email: media.relations@vinci.com Investor relations contact: Gregoire Thibault Tel: +33 1 47 16 45 07 email: gregoire.thibault@vinci.com Attachment Washington: US President Donald Trump has vetoed a landmark resolution passed by Congress to end US military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The veto - the second in Trump's presidency - was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. Preserving his constitutional authority: US President Donald Trump arrives at the White House on Tuesday. Credit:AP "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump wrote in explaining his veto. The US Senate also voted last month to withdraw from Yemen, effectively giving Trump a 30-day deadline to end support for the Saudi effort. The experience of watching Tim Blake Nelson's Socrates running at the Public Theater as part of the Onassis Festival is comparable to the experience of sitting down to read Plato's dialogues: intellectually stimulating but dramatically inert. Taking on the title role is Michael Stuhlbarg, who leads and antagonizes his supporting cast of toga-wearing men with authority and clarity (attractive costuming by Catherine Zuber, lit by Tyler Micoleau to invoke painter Jacques-Louis David's famous Death of Socrates). And perhaps the philosophy buffs among us will get a certain amount of delight out of watching Socrates needle Meno (Joe Tapper) about the definition of "virtue," or Gorgias (Tom Nelis) about the precise meaning of "rhetoric." But even as we watch this man's devotion to truth march him straight to his death, the Socrates we get onstage is no fuller than the sketchy one we get on the page. The one on the page is the one created by his student Plato (played by Teagle F. Bougere) although Socrates would apparently object to that label, "student," considering himself a knower of nothing and thus no teacher. He fittingly also wrote nothing, making Plato's writings our only access to Socrates's ideas, and leaving philosophers and historians alike to wonder how much of the Socrates character is really a reflection of Plato. Nelson gets to imagine some of the differences between them, putting the two head-to-head in debates over (what else?) the value of writing down Socrates's teachings, while showing Plato's mentorship of a young boy we can all but assume is Aristotle (Niall Cunningham), and whom Plato, unlike Socrates, unapologetically calls his student. Beyond that, both Nelson's tedious dialogue and Doug Hughes's stilted direction feel overwhelmingly burdened by their source material. The story is framed around Plato and the "Boy" looking back on the events leading up to Socrates's execution (his voluntary ingestion of hemlock), the two of them examining what made Socrates's incessant questioning so blasphemous in democratic Athens. It's an investigation from which we could tease out plenty of modern-day grievances with democratic society: namely, how a democracy can quickly disintegrate into angry populism. Alan Mendez, Ro Boddie, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Joe Tapper in a scene from Socrates. ( Joan Marcus) We get that to a certain extent, watching a mob of Athenians made to look foolish by the famous Socratic method demand Socrates's head while illogically accusing him of both atheism and worshiping the wrong gods. Nelson, however, ultimately shies away from a full-throated challenge of democracy, even having the notoriously anti-democracy, pro-philosopher king Plato recuse himself from that very conversation, while the text of Pericles's pro-democracy funeral oration lines the walls of the theater (a striking display of 25 stone panels designed by Scott Pask). A similar timidity comes through in Nelson's brief attempt to challenge Socrates's glorified intellect via his wife, Xanthippe (Miriam A. Hyman, giving the only three-dimensional performance in the entire production). Taking on the traits of a flesh-and-blood wife and mother (a creative license her character is gifted, in part it seems, because of an absence of historical information), Xanthippe counters her husband's airtight logic about why he should willfully accept his death sentence with persuasive arguments from a place of emotion something Socrates consistently fails to consider. For a moment, you wonder whether this entire exercise perhaps has been a way of turning Socrates's own logic against him. In a "democratic" society whose policies we see raucously debated by foolish men over gallons of wine, it would only be fitting for the sole woman in the room to be the great Socrates's most formidable challenger. And yet, she's ultimately ushered away as her husband plods toward his martyrdom in an unnecessarily drawn-out death scene. It's likely that Socrates himself would not endorse such unquestioned support for his actions, but as the thick etchings that envelop the audience for three hours should have warned us, it's difficult to challenge what's engraved in stone. Aurora, CO., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veterans Affairs (VA) Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS), Rocky Mountain Fisher House and Fisher House Foundation participated in the groundbreaking for the new Rocky Mountain Fisher House at 9 a.m., April 16, 2019, at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center (RMRVAMC) located at 1700 N. Wheeling St. Aurora, CO 80045. Fisher Houses are located at Military and VA medical centers nationwide and in Europe. This groundbreaking for the new VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Fisher House represents continued investment from the American people in the quality care provided for Veteran and Military families in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Fisher House will have 16 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. All Fisher Houses share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. This house will be handicap accessible and includes an elevator. The program began in 1990 and has offered more than 8 million days of lodging to more than 350,000 families, saving Military and Veteran families an estimated $451 million in out of pocket costs related to both lodging and travel. Attachment TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) is confirming that the Federal Court of Canada has issued an Order against the operators of Mongohouse.com for their unauthorized access and use of TREBs MLS data, including granting a permanent injunction. The Court has affirmed TREBs right to protect its proprietary and copyright information and stop any unlawful attempts to sell or monetize TREB MLS data. TREB Members have invested significantly over many years to develop the TREB MLS System. Putting an end to unauthorized uses protects the integrity of the MLS and is ultimately good for the home buying and selling public, said TREB President Gurcharan (Garry) Bhaura. TREB has been working with Members to ensure that home buyers and sellers have access to important real estate data on their brokers password-protected VOWs (Virtual Office Websites), without compromising consumers privacy rights and/or private information. The operators of Mongohouse.com have acknowledged that they were not authorized to access the TREB MLS system and that their actions were wrong in doing so. They have cooperated with TREB to thwart further such abuses of the TREB MLS system and its contents, said TREB CEO John DiMichele. TREB will continue to develop and offer innovative new services to support REALTORS as they grow their businesses online. Media Inquiries: Mary Gallagher, Senior Manager, Public Affairs maryg@trebnet.com (416) 443-8158 TREB is Canadas largest real estate board. Over 53,000 residential and commercial TREB Members serve consumers in the Greater Toronto Area. Greater Toronto REALTORS are passionate about their work. They are governed by a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art Multiple Listing Service. www.TREBhome.com https://www.facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard https://twitter.com/TREBhome https://www.youtube.com/user/TREBChannel https://www.pinterest.com/trebhome/ http://www.linkedin.com/company/treb http://www.trebwire.com/ https://www.instagram.com/trebhome https://soundcloud.com/trebhome/tracks Malfy is a range of super-premium gins distilled by the Vergnano family in the Italian region of Moncalieri, and already present in several international markets such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Each gin in the Malfy range is distilled using Italian ingredients such as Italian juniper, coastal grown Italian lemons and Sicilian blood oranges and pink grapefruits. The range includes four different variants: Originale, Con Limone, Con Arancia and Gin Rosa. Christian Porta, managing director, Global Business Development, of Pernod Ricard says: This acquisition is true to our long-standing strategy of investing in brands with strong potential in growing categories. In line with the launch of our Transform and Accelerate strategic plan, we will continue actively managing our fantastic portfolio of brands. Elwyn Gladstone, founder of Biggar & Leith, says: We are excited to see Malfy gin move to the Pernod Ricard family of brands. We believe that with their stewardship and expertise in building super-premium spirits brands, Malfy will continue to flourish. This transaction is expected to close shortly. With this acquisition, Pernod Ricard expands its portfolio further into the fast growing super premium and flavoured gins categories, following the partnership with Monkey 47 in 2016 and the acquisition of Ungava in 2018. Harvey Joseph Fountain, 71, has been charged with 100 count of first degree rape, according to police. (Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office) 71-Year-Old Man Charged With 100 Counts of First Degree Rape Involving Minors A 71-year-old man from Louisiana was charged with 100 counts of first-degree rape over allegations of criminal sexual conduct involving minors, according to a police statement. Rapides Parish Sheriffs Office deputies say they first came to know about Harvey Joseph Fountains alleged crimes that date back to the 1970s and continued through to early 1980s after receiving a tip on April 1. For Release to the MediaOn April 1st, 2019 deputies received a complaint of possible criminal sexual conduct involving Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office 2019412 After an investigation, detectives uncovered enough evidence that supported the allegations that he had committed sexual crimes on minors at various locations in the Pineville area. This evidence provided sufficient probable cause for Fountains arrest. He was first arrested on April 9 on 50 counts of first-degree rape and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. Several days later, investigators identified additional victims and charged Fountain with an addition 50 counts of first-degree rape. Every eight minutes, a child is sexually assaulted in the U.S., and 93% of them know the perpetrator. https://t.co/XLwI6RiZYQ As survivors accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the #ESPYS, we want to share this thread of resources for sexual abuse survivors and loved ones: RAINN (@RAINN) July 19, 2018 Police say the investigation is still ongoing and more charges are possible. Fountains bond was initially set at $500,000, and he currently remains in jail. According to Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 14, 42., first-degree rape is punishable by life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. If the victim is under 13 years old, the offender could be punished by death or life imprisonment if the district attorney seeks a capital verdict. Moreover, the Code of Criminal Procedure Title XVII Art. 571 states that any crime for which the punishment may be death or life imprisonment or for the crime of forcible or second-degree rape does not have a time limitation. In a similar case, a Pennsylvania man was arrested by U.S. Marshalls on 865 counts of child rape earlier this year. Garrick Landon Bloom, 46, was accused of committing the crimes against a 5-year-old boy, whom he had allegedly groomed for several years, reported WCTV. BREAKING NEWS: A Pennsylvania man wanted on more than 800 counts of child rape has just been caught by U.S. Marshals in Tallahassee. WCTV.tv 201927 He was charged with 216 counts rape of a child, 216 counts involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, 216 counts aggravated indecent assault of a child, 216 Counts statutory sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the news website. According to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)the nations largest anti-sexual violence organization that operates the National Sexual Assault HotlineChild Protective Services agencies substantiated or found strong evidence to show that 57,329 children were victims of sexual abuse in the 2016 fiscal year in the United States. Additionally, it found that 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault perpetrated by an adult, citing a 2014 study. If anyone has information relating to like crimes involving Harvey Joseph Fountain you are asked to contact, the Rapides Parish Sheriffs Office Main Office (318) 473-6700, Detective Jason Brumfield (318) 484-7350, Detectives (318) 473-6727, or Crime Stoppers at (318) 443-7867. Miami, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Bank, a steadfast champion of education and leading contributor to The Education Fund, has pledged $300,00 that will spearhead the continuing work of the Ocean Bank Center For Educational Materials through 2022. The announcement was made at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the center, which provides materials and supplies free of charge to Miami-Dade County school teachers. At the event, The Education Fund honored Ocean Bank for its quarter of a century of support and its new pledge, ensuring 500,000 more students will benefit. The Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, The Kirk Foundation and Sheldon & Mryna Palley each committed $25,000 in matching funds. The story of the Ocean Bank Center is fascinating, said Linda Lecht, President of The Education Fund. Originally, the district asked us to find a way to distribute tons of supplies donated in the wake of Hurricane Andrew. We thought wed be distributing supplies for a year, at most. Fast forward, we are now celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, the outgrowth of the world wanting to help Miami-Dade children." Ocean Bank is a staunch supporter of education, which is one of the pillars in our unwavering commitment to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve, said Agostinho Alfonso Macedo, president and CEO of Ocean Bank. We are proud of the contributions weve made to students in Miami-Dade County. At the beginning of the 1992-93 school year, Miami-Dade suffered a devastating hurricane. The Education Fund asked Ocean Bank and others to fund a temporary process to distribute post-hurricane supplies to schools. While distributing these supplies, The Education Fund realized that there was no process for companies to make in-kind donations to local schools and our public school teachers needed access to supplies, with or without the effects of a hurricane. As a result, the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials was created in 1994 as a partnership between The Education Fund and Ocean Bank. The premise was simple. The Education Fund would use the process created after Hurricane Andrew to distribute free supplies to classroom teachers. In addition to distributing already donated supplies, The Education Fund would ask businesses to donate their excess inventory, remnants and slightly outdated items. Ocean Bank agreed to fund a large portion of cost of operations, leading to the creation of the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, housed in an 11,000-square-foot warehouse in Medley. Ocean Bank stepped to the plate not knowing 100% if we could get companies to donate as we were creating the first-of-it-kind program, says Lecht. But their charitable inclination paid off. Using Ocean Banks contribution of almost $2.5 million, weve distributed more than $10.1 million in supplies, benefitting more than 2.6 million students. Other non-profits across the country have replicated our model, while teachers in Miami-Dade now refer to the Ocean Bank Center as their life-line! To donate excess inventory to support Miami-Dade public schools, companies can visit educationfund.org. ### About The Education Fund: The Education Funds current initiatives include Food Forests for Schools, Ideas with IMPACT, Teach-A-Thon, Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, SmartPath, Student Power, Taste of Education and For The Love of Art Annual Charity Auction. For its work to bring innovative methods to our schools and inform the community about public education, The Education Fund won the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerces NOVO Award. Partnering with the private sector, The Education Fund has raised more than $52 million to improve education for public school students and teachers in Miami-Dade County. Visit www.educationfund.org. About Ocean Bank: Ocean Bank is the largest independent, state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Florida, with $3.9 billion in assets. Chartered in 1982, Ocean Bank operates its branch network throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The community bank has received numerous awards and accolades from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, The Beacon Council and the Florida Department of Education, among others, for its support of our South Florida communities. For more information, log on to www.oceanbank.com. Smoke billows from the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Gene Boyars) 9/11 Firefighter Whose Son Was Murdered on Day of Attacks Slams Omar NEW YORK CITYRetired FDNY firefighter Jim Riches, whose son Jimmy was murdered on 9/11, blasted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar Tuesday night for explaining the attack as some people did something. He demanded an apology from the Democratic congresswoman while panning New York Democrats for defending her. My son Jimmy was murdered by Islamic terrorists. Three thousand people were murdered that day. And Rep. Ilhan Omar said some people did something. Thats ridiculous. Its outrageous. Its a disgrace. Shes in the Congress of the United States, Riches said at the New York State Republican Party dinner at the Grand Hyatt. My son and those 3000 people died a terrible death. A video of Omar at a function hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) from roughly a month ago surfaced last week. For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, Im tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it, she said at the event. She continued: CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. So you cant just say that today someone is looking at me strange and that I am trying to make myself look pleasant. You have to say that this person is looking at me strange, I am not comfortable with it, and I am going to talk to them and ask them why. Because that is the right you have. CAIR, however, was founded in 1994. President Donald Trump swiftly responded on Twitter by sending out a tweet not only the video of Omars 9/11 remarks but also the attacks of 9/11. Democrats claimed Trump put Omar in danger because of the tweet. WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 Riches, however, supported the Trump tweet of the 9/11 video. To see Donald Trump get a video in with the planes crash into the building. He said, Never forget 9/11. So many people were outraged on the Democratic side He told like it was. Thats what happened that day, Riches said. Riches also went after New York Democratic lawmakers who defended Omar or remained silent when her remarks became widely public. Donald Trump is 100 percent right. They cant deal with reality. [Sen. Chuck] Schumer, Nadler all the New York politicians were quiet. They didnt say one thing to [Rep. Rashida] Tlaib and them. They called us racists. Im not a racist. My son got murdered, he said. I did nothing wrong. Im not a racist. Dont call me a racist, because I criticized you, but she owes us an apology, and were gonna get it. New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler went after Trump telling CNNs Jake Tapper last Sunday the president has no moral authority to tweet such a video. He has no moral authority to be talking about 9/11 at all, Nadler, said on State of the Union. He wasnt president then, but Donald Trump actually took a $150,000 grant from the Bush administration for 40 Wall Street, he continued. He stole $150,000 from some small businessperson who couldve used it to help rehabilitate himself. By Kerry Picket Follow Kerry on Twitter Chinese police prepare to destroy some 900 firearms and ammunition seized over the last nine months in Beijing on December 16, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Regime Set to Start 100-Day Campaign to Crack Down on Illegal Guns The Chinese regime has announced it will begin a nationwide 100-day campaign to crack down on illegal weapons, as it tightens social control in the leadup to the 70th anniversary of the Communist Partys rule in the country. The campaign, which is to run from late April to the end of July, will target firearms and explosives, including underground markets and online selling channels. The crackdown was initiated to create a safe and stable social environment for the 70th anniversary of [the communist] China, Sun Lijun, Chinas deputy minister for public security, said at a ministerial meeting on April 10. Sun also told the countrys police force to enforce the law against illegal manufacturers of guns and explosives. The Chinese Communist Party will celebrate its 70 years of rule on Oct. 1. This year is also the 30th anniversary of the authorities crackdown on student protesters during the Tiananmen Square massacre, and the 20th anniversary of the regimes persecution of the spiritual group Falun Gong. Tightening controls on guns and explosives is the Chinese regimes latest attempt to prevent any protests against its rule. The Chinese communist regime has strict gun laws, prohibiting the ownership of firearms for private use, except for certain authorized purposes, including licensed hunting and research. Individuals and companies are barred from buying or selling firearms, and may be jailed for up to seven years if found guilty, according to Chinas criminal law. Most illegal firearms are sold on the black market and smuggled from foreign countries. But corrupt officials can easily get their hands on firearms. In several cases of corrupt officials who were later sacked, the Partys announcement of their crimes included mentions of them owning illegal guns, including Cai Zongze, former mayor of Shantou City of Guangdong Province; Yu Mayue, former director of a regional Party committee in charge of the rubber-stamp legislature in Yunnan Province; and Chen Wenku, former minister of the United Front Work Department in Wuhai City of Inner Mongolia. The United Front oversees operations on foreign soil that further the Partys agenda. Chinese authorities have recently stepped up surveillance of dissidents. In early April, during the traditional Chinese holiday for visiting ancestral tombs and paying respects to the dead, Chinese authorities kept watch over Chinese activists to prevent them from visiting the tombs of those who died during the Tiananmen Square massacre. April 15 was also the death anniversary of reform-minded Party leader Hu Yaobang. Hus death in 1989 propelled many students to take to the streets calling for democracy in China. While his death anniversary wasnt officially commemorated, more than 300 Chinese citizens gathered for a memorial service in Jiangxi Province on April 15, according to a South China Morning Post report. Armed and Dangerous Woman Sought by Police Amid Columbine Threat Police are searching for an armed and dangerous 18-year-old woman who is infatuated with Columbine, referring to the school massacre 20 years ago. Sol Pais, the woman, is reportedly trying to buy firearms and traveled to Colorado, according to the Reporter-Herald on April 16. She also made threats and is armed and dangerous, said the FBI and other officials. Police said in an alert that Pais is believed to be in the Denver-Littleton area. The @FBIDenver & JCSO are asking for the publics help regarding a potential credible threat. Last night Sol Pais traveled to Colorado & made threats. She is armed & considered to be extremely dangerous 1/3 pic.twitter.com/2x5iwddsMp Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) April 16, 2019 Its a credible threat but she did not make it directly, Jenny Fulton, a spokeswoman with the local sheriffs office, told CNN. There may be some connection to Columbine but it wasnt a specific directed threat towards Columbine. Jefferson County Public Schools, which includes Columbine High School, were placed on lockout due to the threat, CBS Denver reported. Have You Seen this Woman?The FBI Denver Division and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are asking for the publics Jefferson County Sheriff's Office 2019416 Pais is a white female, 5-foot-5, with brown hair, and she was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, camouflage pants as well as black combat boots. CBS reported that she was seen in the Jefferson County foothills after arriving in Colorado on April 15. Last night Sol Pais traveled here to Colorado and she made threats to commit an act of violence in this area. She is armed and considered dangerous, said Mike Taplin with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, CBS Denver reported. To clarify, mountain schools include Evergreen High, Evergreen Middle, Conifer High, West Jeff Middle, West Jeff Elementary, Bergens, Wilmot Elementary, Marshdale Elementary, Elk Creek Elementary, Ralston Elementary, Rocky Mountain Academy, Parmalee Elementary. https://t.co/sJx76MHcMG Jeffco Public Schools (@JeffcoSchoolsCo) April 16, 2019 All after-school activities, sports, and practices will occur as scheduled EXCEPT for Columbine High School where all such activities are canceled. Schools who were in lockout will remain in lockout until their normal release time and they are: Jeffco Public Schools (@JeffcoSchoolsCo) April 16, 2019 #APDAlery We too are taking this threat seriously and are working with @aurorak12 & @CCSDK12. @jeffcosheriffco is the lead agency on investigating this credible threat. https://t.co/oQDwZTnhS8 Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) April 16, 2019 This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary that two high school gunmen shot and killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine. A bulletin sent to police said officials dont have a reason to arrest Pais, but they said she should be detained for an evaluation of her mental health, according to the Denver Post. Junior David Eaton told the newspaper that he was in a math class when the school announced the lockout. My concern was I was in my math class for the second time during a lockout, he said. I feel like if it was a shooting, I would have heard about it sooner, he continued. Everyones OK thats a good thing. Australian University Unlawfully Sacked Scientist Who Challenged Views on Great Barrier Reef Research, Judge Rules A physics professor has won a lawsuit against an Australian university after he was fired for criticizing his colleagues research about the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. Judge Salvatore Vasta ruled in the federal court on April 16 that James Cook University (JCU) in North Queensland had acted unlawfully against Peter Ridd. BREAKING: Peter Ridd WINS. Judge Salvatore Vasta finds all findings made by James Cook University, including his sacking, were all unlawful: #PeterRidd pic.twitter.com/JToAcRNzxn Gideon Rozner (@GideonCRozner) April 16, 2019 Vasta agreed with Ridd that he had been unfairly dismissed from his job at JCU and that the university hadnt fully respected Ridds academic freedom, according to court documents. Paragraph #302 in the judges ruling that coral reef scientist Peter Ridd is not guilty on all 17 counts brought by James Cook University as justification for firing him. A great day for freedom of speech. A great day for truth. pic.twitter.com/dIi5jumMX4 Patrick Moore (@EcoSenseNow) April 16, 2019 The case started about my comments about the quality of some of the Great Barrier Reef science and it sort of ended up in an academic freedom case, Ridd told the ABC. Im not saying that all the science is wrongIm just saying because there isnt enough checking, testing, and replicating of that science, its difficult to know what is right and wrong. Ridd said he is very happy with the outcome of the case, and called for JCUs governing body to ask Vice Chancellor Sandra Harding to account for the legal loss. In a statement to the federal court, Ridds legal team said that the university had taken disciplinary action against the applicant because he has a different scientific view to JCU or its stakeholders. The university issued Ridd its first formal censure for misconduct starting in April 2016 when it found that he had emailed a news.com.au journalist. In the emails, Ridd said that he thought that some photographs released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority showing a decline in reef health were misleading, as his own research and observations by tourist operations have shown. The photographs are a dramatic example of how scientific organizations are quite happy to spin a story for their own purposes, Ridd said. He said the authority and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, both of which have offices based at JCU, should check their facts before they spin their story my guess is that they will both wiggle and squirm because they actually know that these pictures are likely to be telling a misleading story. The university said Ridd had breached the code of conduct by going to the media in your professional capacity in a way that was not collegial and did not respect the rights of others or uphold professional standards.In November 2017, JCU said that Ridd was guilty of serious misconduct and failing to act in a collegial manner just months after he published an essay in an Institute of Public Affairs book, Climate Change: The Facts 2017, and made statements about his writings on national television. Ridd claimed on Sky TV that Australians could no longer trust the findings of the nations key marine science organizations regarding the effects of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. This bad science is affecting every major industry in North Queensland they must be brought to account, and that essentially is what Im trying to do, and I dont care what the consequences to me personally are, Ridd said at the time. Ridd had also raised concerns that people would laugh at what the peer review process involved, saying that its usually a few scientists reading the paper like a sub-editor rather than a group of researchers rigorously retesting the science, The Courier Mail reported. Ridd was eventually fired in May 2018, a few months after he announced he was challenging the universitys findings against him in court. Ridd and his supporters managed to raise $260,000 in just five days through a crowdfunding campaign, which helped make sure his unfair dismissal claim case could go to court. JCU Response In an initial response to Ridds lawsuit, JCU released a statement in May 2018 saying that Ridds academic freedoms had never been at issue, and that it was Ridds repeated breaching of the universitys code of conduct, despite multiple warnings, that was the problem. The university has not objected to Professor Ridds right to comment on quality assurance. However, the university has objected to the manner in which he has done this, JCU Deputy Vice Chancellor professor Iain Gordon said in a statement. Statement from Professor Iain Gordon regarding Peter Ridd https://t.co/fchnc6HCOY James Cook Uni (@jcu) May 19, 2018 He has sensationalized his comments to attract attention, has criticized and denigrated published work, and has demonstrated a lack of respect for his colleagues and institutions in doing so, the statement continued. After the judge ruled in Ridds favor, JCU Provost professor Chris Cocklin said in a statement that the university disagrees with the ruling. We maintain we have not taken issue with Dr. Ridds, nor any other employees, rights to academic freedom, the statement said. It also said that the university is considering its options. [We] are also troubled by the fact that he fails to refer to any legal precedent or case law in Australia to support his interpretation of our enterprise agreement, or academic freedom in Australian employment law. Andrew Bonnell, vice president of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), told the ABC that its clear that the university had breached its commitment to academic freedom. Even if someone is saying something unpopular, if you have a scientist or other academic speakingespecially on the matter related to their expertisethen they have a right to represent unpopular opinions, even if some people find it annoying, he said. A penalty hearing for JCU looks to be set for June 9. Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus Boosts Anti-BDS Movement Resolution WASHINGTONPartisan conflict is the congressional norm, but the 48 members of an unusual House of Representatives caucusevenly divided between the two major political partiesare backing an official resolution condemning the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement. House Joint Resolution 246 explicitly condemns the movement and endorses the two-state solution, under which Israel would give up territory that would become an independent Palestinian state. The resolution was introduced in March by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). BDS is anti-Israel, anti-peace, and harmful to Americas interests. Im proud that all members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are committed to opposing BDS and standing up for the U.S.Israel relationship because these should not be partisan political issues, said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Gottheimer is co-chairman with Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) of the House Problem Solvers Caucus. Members of the caucus issued a statement on April 15, putting them on record in opposition to BDS. Israel is an unwavering ally of the United States and one of our most important strategic partners around the globe, Reed said in the statement. I am proud of our Problem Solvers Caucus members who have stood up to ensure Jewish people are treated fairly and spoken out to show we care about this great nation. In addition to explicitly condemning the BDS movement, the resolution puts the House on record in support of the full implementation of the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 and new efforts to enhance government-wide, coordinated United States-Israel scientific and technological cooperation in civilian areas, such as with respect to energy, water, agriculture, alternative fuel technology, civilian space technology, and security, in order to counter the effects of actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel. The BDS movement is a loosely organized coalition of far-left academic and activist groups in the United States and Europe that describes itself as a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice, and equality. The movements leaders condemn Israel as an apartheid state that is an occupation force preventing Palestinians from controlling their traditional homeland. But critics of the BDS movement, according to the Capital Research Center (CRC), point to multiple statements of its leaders that encourage the creation of a Palestinian state from the river to the sea. Thats a reference to the Jordan River, which borders Israel in the east, and the Mediterranean Sea on Israels west. Such a Palestinian state would require the complete elimination of Israel as a sovereign state. The Nadler-Schneider resolution was introduced partly in reaction to a crescendo of anti-Israel criticism in the mainstream media in March, with a focus on the annual conference of the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Four senators who are also Democratic presidential candidates boycotted the conference, which normally is a must-attend event on the political calendar for Democrats and Republicans. The four no-shows were Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Their absence from the AIPAC conference prompted Vice President Mike Pence to tell a packed audience of attendees that anyone who aspires to the highest office of the land should not be afraid to stand with the strongest supporters of Israel in America. It is wrong to boycott Israel. It is wrong to boycott AIPAC. Pences comment drew sustained applause and a standing ovation. The BDS movements most prominent supporters in Congress are three freshmen representatives: Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez ran with the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party, which supports the BDS movement in its official platform. Tlaib and Omar have both been inconsistent in their public statements regarding the movement. Tlaib said before winning her Democratic primary in 2018 that she supported the two-state approach, according to the Israeli media outlet Haaretz. But in a post-victory interview, asked whether she supported a one-state or two-state solution, her response was clear: One state. It has to be one state. Separate but equal does not work. Im only 42 years old, but my teachers were of that generation that marched with Martin Luther King. This whole idea of a two-state solution, it doesnt work, reported Haaretz. Omars views on the two-state solution are similarly conflicting. During a primary debate in August, Omar said the BDS Movement is not helpful in getting that two-state solution. She also called the tactics of the BDS Movement counter-productive, according to CRC. Yet in November, Omars campaign told MuslimGirl.com that Ilhan believes in and supports the BDS Movement, and has fought to make sure peoples right to support it isnt criminalized. She does, however, have reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution, CRC said. Contact Mark Tapscott at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc Brave K9 Officer Titan Shot by Suspect at Traffic Stop Is on Road to Full Recovery The content is not available due to expiration. The Ericsson logo is seen at the Ericsson's headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 14, 2018. (Reuters/Olof Swahnberg/File Photo) China Launches Antitrust Probe Into Telecom Giant Ericsson Chinese authorities have opened an antitrust investigation into Swedish telecom-gear giant Ericsson, as its Chinese competitor Huawei Technologies Co. seeks dominance in the global 5G market. Ericsson confirmed in an emailed statement that its being investigated by Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) because of complaints about its intellectual property licensing practices. The company said its cooperating with the probe, adding that it licensed its patents under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) principles. It declined to comment further on the matter. Antitrust Investigation On April 12, about 20 SAMR investigators raided Ericssons Beijings office as part of the probe, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to Jiwei Web, a Chinese website covering the tech industry, authorities began the investigation after several Chinese smartphone manufacturers lodged complaints with SAMR about Ericssons 3G and 4G patent-licensing practices. Ericsson has the leading patent portfolio in the telecom industry, with 49,000 approved patents, CEO Borje Ekholm said in March. The Swedish company is one of Huaweis chief competitors in the global telecommunications equipment market, which includes products for setting up the emerging generation of 5G wireless technology. In telecom equipment, Ericsson has a market share of 13 percent, while Huawei leads the pack with 29 percent, according to an analysis by research firm DellOro Group. Huawei has been effectively locked out of the U.S. 5G network because of strong concerns raised by officials and lawmakers that the companys products could be used by the Chinese regime for spying, given Chinese firms lack of autonomy under Chinas authoritarian system. Australia and New Zealand have also banned the company from developing their 5G infrastructure, while the United States has urged other allies to do likewise. The Chinese investigation could be a ploy to thwart Ericsson in the context of the broader competition to win the 5G race, said Claude Barfield, resident scholar at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute. The Chinese regime has been perfectly willing to manipulate their legal system to advance its interests in 5G and other strategic areas, he saidsuch as when it denied a merger deal between U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm and Dutch chipmaker NXP in 2018 amid an escalating trade war between the United States and China. Barfield added the move could also be a ploy to kick-start negotiations to get cheaper licensing deals for Chinese smartphone makers. Ericsson, which currently derives about 7 percent of its revenue from China, is trying to boost its market share there, Ekholm said in November 2018, according to Reuters. The current probe is reminiscent of a 2015 Chinese antitrust investigation into Qualcomm, which found that the companys patent licensing fees were too high. Qualcomm paid a record $975 million fine to settle that dispute. Huawei Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a tweet on April 14, called out Huawei for hiring an Obama-era White House cybersecurity official as a lobbyist for the company. Samir Jain, formerly the senior director for cybersecurity policy at the White House National Security Council, registered with Congress to lobby for Huawei in late March. This is not good or acceptable! Trump wrote. Jain worked at the Obama White House from 2016 to 2017, and before that, he was an associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2014 to 2015, where he worked on cybercrime issues. While at the DOJ, he was also involved in negotiations leading to the 2015 U.S.-China cybersecurity agreement, in which both sides pledged not to engage in cyber theft of intellectual property for commercial gain, according to a biography published on the website of Jones Day, a Washington-based law firm where Jain is now a partner. Huawei also hired Jones Day to represent the company in its lawsuit against the U.S. government filed in March. The suit challenges Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act, passed in 2018 to ban federal agencies and their contractors from purchasing Huawei equipment. Huawei is arguing that the provision unlawfully targeted the company. Chinas Troubled Anbang to Slash Registered Capital by a Third BEIJING/SINGAPOREChinas Anbang Insurance Group Co said it would reduce its registered capital by nearly one-third, the latest government-directed step of a massive restructuring of the debt-laden conglomerate to curb financial risks. A state takeover work group, which has seized control of Anbang since February last year, has decided to trim the companys registered capital to 41.5 billion yuan ($6.21 billion) from 61.9 billion yuan, pending approval from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, Anbang said in a statement released on April 16. The capital reduction will not influence the companys operations or cause any major impact on its solvency and financial situations, Anbang said. The move is the latest step by Beijing to steadily clean up the aftermath of a harsh government crackdown on Anbangonce one of Chinas most aggressive dealmakers overseas with a series of major acquisitions that have caught the attention of global regulators and investors. Creditors of the company may request Anbang to pay off its debts or provide repayment guarantees within 45 days after the announcement, the company added. Anbangs former chairman, Wu Xiaohui, who masterminded the overseas deal spree including the purchase of New Yorks Waldorf Astoria hotel, was sentenced in May 2018 to 18 years imprisonment for fraud and embezzlement. His appeal against the conviction was rejected by a Chinese court in August last year. Wu illegally raised 65.2 billion yuan through the sale of insurance products beyond regulatory limits, and embezzled 10 billion yuan from Anbangs insurance fund. Wu is one of the highest-profile business executives reeled in by Chinese leader Xi Jinpings sweeping anti-corruption efforts. In China, business is always driven by politics. And Wus political network could very well have landed him in trouble. Sources close to the Chinese Communist Party leadership told The Epoch Times back in June 2017 that Wu had ties to the family of Zeng Qinghong, the former Chinese vice premier and right-hand man to former Party leader Jiang Zemin. Jiang and his associates make up an opposition faction at odds with Xi and his allies. The source said Wu had helped the Zeng family and other members of the Jiang faction to launder money overseas, while using his business dealings to spy on and influence foreign dignitaries. By Cheng Leng. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. A woman prays with incense sticks to celebrate the Lunar New Year, at the Lama temple in Beijing on Feb. 16, 2018. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Demolish More Than 5,900 Shrines Devoted to Folk Deity A Chinese municipal government has decided to eradicate a form of traditional folk religion, in the name of improving the citys spiritual culture and air quality, drawing ire from many Chinese netizens. Chinese authorities in Gaoyou City in the coastal province of Jiangsu recently ordered the demolition of all shrines that worship the Chinese deity referred to as the Earth God, according to Chinese media. In total, 5,911 shrines were demolished during February and March, a task that took 26 days to complete. The Earth God, known as Tudi Gong in Chinese, is one of the most important in the pantheon of Chinese folk deities. According to Chinese folklore, before becoming the Earth God, he was a man named Zhang Fude, a tax collection official during the Zhou Dynasty (510-314 B.C.). Zhang has a reputation for being an upright official, helping the poor pay their taxes out of his own pocket; he died at the age of 102. A poor Chinese family then began worshipping his portrait and was surprised when their financial situation unexpectedly improved. As the familys story began to spread, people began building shrines to worship Zhang, believing that he had become a deity and would bring people good fortune. The tradition of worshipping the Earth God has been passed down in both China and Taiwan. Because the Earth God is also believed to be a guardian of the local area where a shrine is placed, many villages and small towns pool their money to build small shrines on the side of a road or amid farmland. Pan Jianqi, head of the Gaoyou City propaganda department, said that the demolition effort was to promote a new spiritual culture and remove shrines that were built illegally, according to an April 9 report published by Chinese state-run newspaper Xinhua Daily. Zhang Meilan, deputy county chief in Ganduo County located within Gaoyou City, complained that the incense sticks that people burned while worshipping at these shrines often caused the surrounding air to get smoky. With the shrines gone, the air quality has improved, Zhang told Xinhua Daily. According to the newspaper, the land that has now become vacant after the demolitions will be used for either planting trees or building public spaces. The Chinese Communist Party is officially atheist and regulates any form of religion heavily in China. For example, to bring Christianity under Party control, the Chinese regime appoints its own church leaders, and has established state-sanctioned Christian associations and churches. Meanwhile, authorities have demolished underground churches and removed church crosses. Some local areas have prohibited locals from celebrating the Christmas holiday. Chinese authorities have also adopted policies that suppress local customs and traditions, such as the prohibition of traditional burial services in southwestern Chinas Jiangxi Province. Media reports disclosed that authorities there confiscated coffins that had been purchased for a future burial. On Sina Weibo, Chinas equivalent to Twitter, many Chinese netizens expressed outrage at the shrine demolitions. A netizen with the moniker SIMONTONG2010 from southern Chinas Hainan Province wrote: These Earth God shrines are simply spiritual support for farmers wishing to have a good harvest. Why do they have to be demolished? Another netizen from Hainan wrote: The act of demolishing these shrines violates the freedom of religion. It also violates the Chinese constitution, which on paper, guarantees religious expression. Restoration company Le Bras Freres founder Julien Le Bras, 32, will cooperate with prosecutors to investigate what caused the Notre Dame's disastrous fire in Paris, on April 16, 2019. (Reuters) Company Restoring Pariss Notre Dame Vows to Investigate Fire Disaster The company tasked with restoring Pariss Notre Dame cathedral before it suffered a disastrous fire on April 15 will cooperate with an investigation by French authorities. Le Bras Freres, which won the 5 million pound ($6.5 million) contract to repair the spire on the roof, is participating in a long and complex investigation into what sparked the blaze that caused the roof and spire to collapse. Glenn Beck compares #NotreDame fire to 9/11: This is their World Trade Center moment https://t.co/3pWmzRnARU pic.twitter.com/bi204mNEW9 Newsweek (@Newsweek) April 17, 2019 French police have already started to interview the 50 employees who participated in the restoration. Paris Public Prosecutor Remy Heitz believes there is no obvious sign the fire was caused by arson, it could have been an accident, and the incident is officially involuntary destruction by fire. The cause of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire remains unknown. Everything else is a rumor https://t.co/0mOUd3zNYS pic.twitter.com/RRu80JNCSp IndyStar (@indystar) April 17, 2019 However, Le Bras Freres founder and construction chief Julien Le Bras claims none of his workers were on the site when the fire began. All that I can say for the moment, is that from the start of the fire, absolutely none of the workers from my company was present on the site, Le Bras told Reuters. All of our partners are working on and participating in this investigation, without any hesitation, without any hesitation. We want more than anyone to shed light on the origin of this tragedy. The cathedral spire was destroyed and its roof gutted but the bell towers are still standing and many valuable artworks have been saved thanks to more than 400 firemen who finished containing the blaze 14 hours after it was reported at 6:30 p.m. local time. The fire ruined the oak roof supports, where builders were completing extensive renovations to the spires timber-framed supports. However, the 10-meter (33-foot) filigreed stained-glass rose window is still intact. One firefighter is recovering from injuries and the building remains closed to the public. In less than an hour, the fire engulfed Notre Dames giant spire, which collapsed 13 minutes later; onlookers watched in horror. The French government said 20 firefighters risked their lives to go inside Notre Dames two towers and save the Gothic monument https://t.co/UMbnQSsHui pic.twitter.com/tLoqihEb8g CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 17, 2019 Investigators will have to postpone entering the middle of the cathedral until experts are satisfied its walls withstood the heat and the building is structurally sound. A witness to the Notre Dame fire was relieved the 850-year-old building was still standing despite the disaster. We thought the whole cathedral would collapse. Yet this morning she is still standing, valiant, despite everything, said Sister Marie Aimee who escaped as the flames spread. French President Emmanuel Macron promises the cathedral will be rebuilt and look even better. We will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years, we can do it, he said. It is up to us to convert this disaster into an opportunity to come together, having deeply reflected on what we have been and what we have to be and become better than we are. It is up to us to find the thread of our national project. The president visited the Notre Dame on April 15 and donations have poured in from billionaires, businesses, and local authorities to help rebuild the national monument. Within 24 hours of the fire, more than 750 million euros ($846.4 million) was pledged, including 500 million euros ($564.3 million) from three billionaire families that own luxury product empires Kering, LVMH, and LOreal. White House offers to assist France in Notre Dame rehabilitation https://t.co/8xCboDG770 pic.twitter.com/D8KFgK2jfh The Hill (@thehill) April 17, 2019 France mourns after Notre-Dame blaze but over $1-billion in donations raise hope https://t.co/VwpVT0eT66 pic.twitter.com/oMF65iYy0X The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) April 17, 2019 SANTA ANA, Calif., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenkraft, Inc. (OTCQB: GKIT), a nationally recognized player in the alternative fuel truck and engine market is announcing new incentives available in California for Greenkraft trucks. Greenkraft Marketing Director, met with personnel from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in Fresno, CA. The District recently received $108M from the State of California to fund incentives for the purchase of low-emission vehicles and engines. Greenkraft LPG and CNG near-zero trucks are eligible for up to $100,000 in buy-down incentives from the District. Greenkraft s 26,000 lbs & 33,000 lbs GVW trucks are available in forward cabin configuration with CNG and LPG fuels. These trucks can be used in the San Joaquin Valley area to reduce emissions and provide clean transportation. The incentives will help entities that use these types of trucks to switch to alternative fuel and receive buy-down incentives. Greenkraft s trucks are a perfect product to do what the air districts wants by offering clean alternative transportation choices to businesses. This is a very exciting news for Greenkraft and soon Greenkraft will show revenues from the sale of these trucks. These types of incentives and opportunities will help Greenkraft to expand. Greenkraft is also currently exploring merger & acquisition and buy out opportunities to meet the growing demand. Greenkraft, Inc. continues to work diligently to provide long-term value for the Company and its shareholders alike by increasing revenues and executing their clearly defined expansion plan that will allow GKIT to become the #1 source for alternative fuel trucks in North America. About Greenkraft, Inc. (OTCQB: GKIT) : Greenkraft, Inc., a profitable, revenue generating publicly traded company, is a major manufacturer of alternative fuel automotive products. Greenkraft, Inc. was created to introduce clean, green, efficient, automotive products that run on alternative fuels. GKIT offers alternative commercial forward cabin trucks and alternative fuel systems for various vehicles. GKIT's commercial trucks are powered by alternative fuels such CNG and LPG from Classes 4 to 7. Greenkraft, Inc. designs, develops, and manufactures compressed natural gas and propane gas trucks, alternative fuel systems and alternative fuel engines. For more information, please visit our website at www.greenkraftinc.com . Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. This press release should be considered in light of all filings of the Company that are contained in the Edgar Archives of the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. info@greenkraftinc.com Construction Worker Miraculously Survives Iron Rod Piercing His Skull WARNING: Graphic A construction worker in India has defied death after being impaled through the skull with a metal rod. Sanjay Bahe, 21, is recovering after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a piece of rebar that had penetrated his head clean through, CNN reported. Bahe was working at a construction site on April 10 when he fell headlong into a well, the Daily Mail reported. The young mans unfortunate fall caused a long iron rod to enter his skull from the right temporal region of his brain to the left frontal region, and then exit out the other side. An Indian construction worker was impaled through the head with an iron rod but is expected to make a full recovery https://t.co/MfBA3xHKxC CNN (@CNN) April 17, 2019 He was immediately rushed to an area hospital and into the operating room. He was hypertensive, said Dr. Pramod Giri, a neurosurgeon at the Neuron Brain Spine and Critical Care Centre at Nagpur in Maharashtra, CNN reported. He was in shock when he was brought in. A team of neurosurgeons led by Dr. Giri worked to save the mans life in a tricky, 90-minute procedure. The young worker miraculously survived. It is indeed a miracle that the man survived". Warning: Graphic content. Posted by news.com.au on Monday, April 15, 2019 Dr. Giri was cited by News.com as saying the key to Bahes survival was that as the metal rod punctured the mans head, it missed the main venous sinus to the brain. Giving anesthesia to the patient in such cases is difficult. We did right by positioning the intubation to maintain vital channels in the brain during the operation, Dr. Giri said, according to the Daily Mail. I performed the surgery with all caution so that damage to the surrounding structures shouldnt happen, Dr. Giri added. The patient faced the threat of meningitisa potentially deadly infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. One complication that can take place in such cases is causing meningitis to the patient, he said. Fortunately, he is doing fine after the surgery, and we are also taking care to prevent meningitis, Dr. Giri wrote in a report titled Miraculous Escape, according to CNN. Construction worker miraculously survived an iron rod piercing through his entire head https://t.co/ZvaXn91cPF Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 14, 2019 Man Survives Brain Cancer and Internal Decapitation In another account of extraordinary survival, an Indiana man who earlier survived brain cancer survived a car crash that left him internally decapitated. I have fought for my life this time around, and some days I feel like I still am. God has put me through some crazy stuff, and hes really testing me, Brock Meister, of Plymouth, Indiana, said in a statement via Beacon Health System in August. The 22-year-old man suffered the injury, which separated his skull from his spine, in January. We also just have to think that some people are blessed, said Dr. Kashif Shaikh, who is a Beacon Medical Group neurosurgeon. Brock somehow survived a brain tumor as a child, and now, only a few years later, he has survived an almost universally fatal injury. It is truly incredible. The news release stated that Meister was having dinner with friends and left in a truck that later hit a patch of black ice, causing the vehicle to roll on the passenger side. His head smashed into the truck window, causing the internal decapitation. Brock kept trying to get up and the only words he was saying were my neck and ambulance. I knew that he was in some serious pain and that if it was his neck, I couldnt let him get up and move, friend Ryan Topper, who discovered him after the crash, said. So I just put my hand over his chest and kept him from getting up. I kept talking to him, reassuring him everything was going to be all right, and that hes my boy, Brock, not letting him move until the ambulance showed up. Meister was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, and doctors stabilized him. They discovered that he suffered a complete separation of the skull from the spine or internal decapitation, according to the news release. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, internal decapitation cases have a relatively high incidence of mortality. The surgery was ultimately successful, and Meister was released from the hospital in February 2018. He continued to recover, undergoing physical and occupational therapy. Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Cory Booker Admits Theres A Problem at the Southern Border Presidential candidate and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker acknowledged that there is a problem at the southern border during a campaign event in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon. We do have a problem at the southern border, Booker began, according to The Hill. Democrats should not deny that we [do]. Nations should have borders, borders should be respected. Sen. Cory Booker: We do have a problem at the southern border. Democrats should not deny that. https://t.co/zdW4yY3LwN pic.twitter.com/f729DRnBKb The Hill (@thehill) April 16, 2019 And so, my beef with this president is that number one, his technologies dont work. Ive gone down to the border, Ive hung out with [Customs and Border Protection] and other border patrol folks and theyre like, Theres no way we need a wall coast-to-coast, he added. We have a time now where you can use sensors and technologies and drones and a lot more to protect the border, which is what we should do. Booker, like many of his presidential opponents, have taken shots at the president for both his rhetoric about the border situation and his ideas to fix it. Bookers admission comes as President Donald Trump is exploring alternative options to address the problems at the border. Trump has recently floated the idea of releasing detained immigrants who entered the country illegally into sanctuary cities. Previous reporting by The Daily Callers White House correspondent Amber Athey suggested that the president has the ability to implement the policy as he sees fit, but could run into problems when it comes to funding the transportation required for such a decision. By Mike Brest Follow Mike on Twitter Gianny Sosa-Hernandez, 18, was arrested on April 15 for allegedly wrestling with a fake alligator at a shopping mall, police said. (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation) Florida Student Arrested After Wrestling Fake Alligator in a Mall A Florida teenager was arrested on April 15 after being filmed wrestling a fake alligator display at a mall, police said. Gianny Sosa-Hernandez, 18, was charged with criminal mischief for damaging the displayworth about $3,500for slamming the fake alligator into a small pond at the Falls Shopping Center on March 30, reported Local10.com, citing an arrest report. Authorities first became aware of the incident after the 18-year-olds video was posted to social media. JABRONI VS. FAKE GATOR Last week, he was arrested after police said he tried to perform the same wrestling move on his high school principal. WPLG Local 10 2019415 In the video, the Miami Southridge Senior High School student could be seen climbing over a railing into the pond before picking up the alligator and throwing it into the water. He then jumps into the water, picks up the display, and slams it back into the water using a wrestling move called RKOwhich was popularized by WWE pro-wrestler Randy Orton, the news website reported. MUST SEE VIDEO 18-year-old Gianny Sosa-Hernandez, arrested last week for body slamming his principal, was caught on cell phone video using wresting moves on a fake alligator at The Falls in Kendall. Read more: https://t.co/v0hXb0xr6v pic.twitter.com/APnOBvf4Mi CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) April 16, 2019 Authorities said along with the stunt at the mall, Sosa-Hernandez was also arrested on April 10 for trying to perform an RKO on his high school principal last week, the news website reported. Several students recorded a video of the incident. For that arrest, Sosa-Hernandez was charged with battery on a school official and interference with an educational institution. He was released without bond the next day. The 18-year-old was held at the Miami-Dade Countys Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond on April 15, according to jail records. In a similar case of chaotic conduct in public, a mother and son in Wisconsin were arrested for causing a ruckus at a local Walmart, police said in a statement. Authorities said 46-year-old Lisa Smith, her son 25-year-old Benny Vann, and her dog Bo were causing problems at the store on April 10. They said Smith had unleashed her dog Bo, who ran up to customers, while Smith started pulling apart store displays and putting them in her cart. Last night shortly before 8:30pm Officers were called to Walmart for a retail theft in progress. They were told a Eau Claire Police Department 2019411 After employees asked Smith to leave, she started to perform karate moves in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Bo was trying to leave the store with a box of Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix. Smith also fought with officers when they were trying to arrest her. When this was all occurring, her son Vann went to the back of the store, removed all of his clothing, and exposed himself to other customers. He then allegedly took clothing from racks without paying. Vann also refused to stop when officers approached him, allegedly trying to run an officer over with his scooter. He was arrested after officers physically stopped the scooter. Smith was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor bail jumping, while Vann was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior, disorderly conduct, and retail theft. As for Bo, the police department said: Bo was caught by Officers in the store and brought to the Humane Association. The dog was not chargedwe issued him a warning for the theft. Abdool Zaman allegedly gunned down his daughter, Vanessa Zaman, and his niece, Leona Samlall, the mother of his child, in Henrico County, Virginia on Dec. 13, 2018. (Henrico Police Department) Man Accused of Shooting Daughter, Niece in Head Charged With Capital Murder A Virginia man authorities said shot his 18-year-old daughter and his niece in the head has been indicted on capital murder charges. Abdool Z. Zaman allegedly gunned down his daughter, Vanessa Zaman, and his niece, Leona Samlall, at a Henrico County apartment complex on Dec. 13, 2018. A jury recently indicted Zaman on two capital murder charges and he was arraigned on the charges in court on April 16, reported WTVR. Sources told the outlet that Zaman got out of his car and confronted the girls outside the complex before shooting them in what appeared to be a fit of rage. Zaman fleed to New York City after the shooting but was captured five days later. Capital murder charges are brought for extraordinarily cruel murders or other serious offenses such as rape and willful killing of a pregnant woman, according to FindLaw. Virginias capital punishment laws carry the death penalty. If condemned, criminals can choose to die by either lethal injection or electrocution. #Virginia dad accused of murdering teen daughter, friend charged with capital murder https://t.co/7N5gytR1Xr pic.twitter.com/mQ8QaN7e9L WTKR News 3 (@WTKR3) April 16, 2019 TODAY: Abdool Zaman is back in Virginia. Hes accused of killing two teens back in December before going on the run; he was captured in NYC. He could appear in court as early as this morning. @NBC12 pic.twitter.com/Vr9VxafzGJ Olivia Ugino (@OliviaNBC12) March 29, 2019 Background Vanessa Zaman spent much of her life without her biological father but after turning 18 in October 2018 she moved out of the house she shared with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother to live with her father in Florida. I could have given Vanessa the world, her mother, Saveeta Barnes, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. But it was all pointless. Her dad was everything to her. When Vanessa Zaman moved in with her father, Samlall was already living there. Abdool Zaman and Samlall had a baby together, Barnes said. They were relatives because Samlalls mother married Zamans brother. After Vanessa Zaman moved into the house she became concerned about her cousins safety so the two girls left to stay with Samlalls mother and stepfather in an apartment in Virginia, arriving there about one week before they were shot. According to a GoFundMe fundraiser that Barnes launched, Abdool Zaman was abusing Samlall. Vanessa tried to protect her and an innocent baby. Vanessa was protecting 2 other souls, Barnes wrote. Zaman is accused of killing Vanessa Zaman and Leona Samlall, both 18. Vanessa was his daughter, Leona was his niece with whom he has a child. A judge set a preliminary hearing for May in this case. #RVAnews #RVA #NBC12 pic.twitter.com/3QjuEfANj1 Karina Bolster (@KarinaNBC12) March 29, 2019 JUST IN: @HenricoPolice identify the two teens killed in yesterdays double shooting as: Leona Samlall (18) and Vanessa Zaman (18). Balloons have been placed outside of the apartment complex. #RVAnews #RVA #NBC12 pic.twitter.com/GGw7ebYmdu Karina Bolster (@KarinaNBC12) December 14, 2018 Barnes told Newsday that every day is torture without her daughter. She told me, Mom, Im going to give you 18 years of my life. I want to give my dad the next 18, Barnes said. Apparently she gave him her entire life. She called her ex-husband an evil person and said that she hopes he gets executed. Hopefully he gets the death penalty, she said. Its what he deserves. Defendant John Jonchuck is directed by a Pinellas County Sheriff deputy to the finger print area after a jury found him guilty, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times/AP) Man Who Tossed Daughter Off Bridge Found Guilty of Murder CLEARWATER, Fla.A Florida jury on April 16 found a man guilty of first-degree murder for dropping his 5-year-old daughter off a bridge four years ago, despite arguments from his attorneys that he was insane and thought his actions would actually save her. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison. Jurors in Clearwater, Florida, deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting John Jonchuck, whom prosecutors portrayed as a vengeful man who planned to kill his daughter to keep her away from her mother and grandmother. Michelle Kerr arrives to say goodbye to her daughter, Phoebe Jonchuck, who was thrown from a bridge and died. #wtsp pic.twitter.com/yuv2u3CruX Larry Perkins (@theLarryPerkins) January 14, 2015 The Tampa Bay Times reported that no one from Jonchucks family was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. And no friends or relatives spoke on behalf of Phoebe or her father before the sentencing. Jonchuck, who was stoic when the verdict was read, hugged his attorneys and said, Yes, your honor, when asked if he understood that the verdict carries an automatic life sentence. He was then fingerprinted and taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs. Jonchucks lawyers had asked the judge to delay sentencing for a week because they have some issues to check. But when they failed to provide a reason, Judge Chris Helinger proceeded with the sentencing. I am satisfied that justice was done, the newspaper quoted Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe as saying. My immediate reaction is killing children doesnt make one a very sympathetic character. The judge thanked jurors for their attention during the monthlong trial. Theres no way I can express my appreciation for your service, she said. Ive never had a trial this long and Ive been here about 12 years as a judge. No one disputed that Jonchuck, now 29, dropped his daughter Phoebe 62 feet (18 meters) into Tampa Bay in January 2015, and that he had a long history of mental problems. Defendant John Jonchuck hugs his attorney Jessica Manuele after a jury found him guilty, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times/AP) But prosecutors claimed his action was premeditated. Assistant state attorney Paul Bolan told jurors that Jonchuck was motivated by anger over worries that Phoebes mother was going to take the girl away from him and his own mothers doting attention to her granddaughter when she had been inattentive to him growing up. It was rage that drove him to it on top of that bridge, Bolan said. Did he know what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong? The answer is clearly yes. But assistant public defender Jessica Manuele told jurors Jonchuck loved Phoebe more than anything else in the world and that theres no evidence he acted out of unbridled anger. His delusions led him to believe Phoebe was possessed and that the archangel, Michael, was coming, Manuele said. He poured salt outside her window to keep spirits away, she said. At the moment he threw her off the bridge, he thought he was protecting his daughter, Manuele said. It will never make sense because its insanity. Twelve hours before Phoebes death, Jonchucks divorce lawyer, Genevieve Torres, called a state child protection hotline, fearing for the girls safety, authorities said. Defendant John Jonchuck leaves the courtroom after the jury was released by the judge to deliberate, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Clearwater, Fla. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times/AP) Torres told the Department of Children and Families operator that Jonchuck had driven to three churches in his pajamas with Phoebe in tow that morning, called Torres God and asked her to translate his stepmothers century-old Swedish Bible, which he carried and had become obsessed with. Jonchuck was also paranoid that Phoebe wasnt his child, Torres said. But the operator thought the attorney was more worried about Jonchucks safety than the girls and did not report the call to authorities, they said. Just after midnight the next day, Jonchucks PT Cruiser raced past officer William Vickers, who was heading home from a shift in his patrol car. He started following Jonchuck, but never got close enough to read the license plate and didnt know Phoebe was inside, authorities have said. As they reached the bridges crest, Jonchuck stopped and got out. Vickers, fearing an ambush, stopped behind him, pulled his gun and yelled at Jonchuck to show his hands. He saw no weapon. Jonchuck yelled at the officer, You have no free will. He grabbed Phoebe from the back seat, held her over the side momentarily and then dropped her, according to police accounts. Jonchuck drove off but was soon arrested. Vickers scrambled down a ladder to a dock below the bridge but couldnt see Phoebe in the dark water. A marine rescue boat was summoned, and her body was found hours later. Maryland Man Knowingly Transfers HIV to Women He Met on Dating Apps: Police A Maryland man has been charged with knowingly transferring HIV to women he met through dating apps. Frederick police arrested Rudolph Smith, 34, on April 15 after a 21-month investigation during which they determined that he had sexual relations with multiple women but failed to tell them he was HIV positive. Smith is charged with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and knowingly transfer of HIV prohibited, according to the police department. The investigation started based on allegations that Mr. Rudolph Smith was actively having sexual relations with multiple females knowing that he was HIV positive, said a statement by Frederick Police Department. He was meeting these women on various dating websites and apps. Detective Dewees identified and contacted several victims, and authored and received several search and seizure warrants. Evidence was presented to a grand jury, which resulted in Mr. Smith being indicted. Smith met several of the alleged victims through his dating profile on Bumble (a dating app in which the woman must initiate contact) according to the Frederick Post, and also on Backpage. Backpage has since been seized by the federal government. Smith also met women offline, police said, according to the Post. The investigation was sparked in July 2017 when a woman called police and said she tested positive for HIV after having sexual relations with Smith. Police are asking anyone who had sexual relations with Smith in the past to contact them. Knowingly transferring or attempting to transfer HIV is a misdemeanor under the states general health law, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $2,500 fine. The charge is uncommon, Frederick County States Attorney Charlie Smith told The Frederick Post. We have charged it previously in Frederick County, but it only comes up every several years that well see a case like this, Smith said. We were working hand in hand with [the police department] from the very beginning, once it was brought to them because they were seeking our legal advice throughout the entire investigation. To be found guilty, the jury must believe beyond reasonable doubt that the person knew they were HIV-positive. In South Carolina, a man was arrested on the same day, also accused of exposing a woman to the HIV virus and not telling her, according to The Herald. Lyle Knox Jr., 50, was arrested after a four-month investigation and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted under South Carolina law. One of the sites that Smith used, Backpage, was seized in April 2018 by the FBI, which claimed it had become the Internets leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children. Seven individuals within the company, including directors and founders were charged with various crimes including facilitating prostitution, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, and international promotional money laundering. Two individuals have already pleaded guilty to charges. For far too long, Backpage.com existed as the dominant marketplace for illicit commercial sex, a place where sex traffickers frequently advertised children and adults alike, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the time. Backpage has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, placing profits over the well-being and safety of the many thousands of women and children who were victimized by its practices, said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. Ereyda Monge fills out her voter registration form at the Miami-Dade Elections Department on the final day for her to vote in the upcoming elections in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2012 . (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Mexican National Gets Light Sentence for Illegally Voting in Presidential Election A Mexican national was sentenced to one month in prison for illegally voting in the 2016 presidential election , a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced Monday. Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena, 61, pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2016 general election in North Carolina. He was consequently sentenced to one month in prison followed by a supervised release for one year. Espinosa-Pena is a lawful permanent resident in Wake County, however, his application for United States citizenship had been denied. He had attempted to register to vote prior to the election but was initially denied since he was not a U.S. citizen. An election official ultimately registered Espinosa-Pena and advised him that if he wanted his voice to be heard, he needed to vote, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. President Donald Trump won North Carolinas 15 electoral votes in the general election, defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by only 3.6 percent, or fewer than 200,000 votes. However, Clinton won Wake County by one of the largest margins in the state of North Carolina. It is not clear which candidate Espinosa-Pena voted for during the 2016 election. The probe into Espinosa-Pena was led by Homeland Security Investigations through the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF). The Departments investigation into voter fraud is still ongoing. By Molly Prince North Carolina Born-Alive Abortion Bill Wins Final Passage RALEIGH, N.C.North Carolinas legislature gave final passage Tuesday, April 16, to a bill to require doctors and nurses to care for babies born alive during a failed late-term abortion or face big penalties, a measure opponents deemed legally unnecessary and a threat to abortion providers. A bill requiring doctors and nurses to protect and care for children #BornAlive during a failed late-term #abortion cleared the #NorthCarolina Senate, handing social conservatives a victory. https://t.co/IAssUPXa0I The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) April 16, 2019 House lawmakers followed a day after Senate counterparts in approving the bill, which would mean prison time and big fines for medical practitioners who dont give children born despite a botched abortion the same protections as any other newborn. A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper criticized the measure later Tuesday, raising expectations the governor would veto the legislation. This unnecessary legislation would criminalize doctors for a practice that simply does not exist, Ford Porter wrote in an email. NEW: North Carolina Senate passes born-alive abortion bill. The bill specifies that those who do not treat babies who survive abortion as newborn patients could face a felony charge and active prison time, along with potential $250,000 fines. https://t.co/ie6PcTP5S9 Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) April 16, 2019 Republicans speaking in favor of the measure said it had nothing to do with abortion. The aim was protecting an infant if a late-term abortion was botched and the baby was born breathing and with a beating heart, said Republican Rep. Pat McElraft of Carteret County. Abortion-rights lawmakers and activists strongly opposed the bill, saying state medical licensing boards and current criminal laws already punish doctors and nurses who fail to offer care to a newborn. Rather, they argue, the measure seeks to force medical actions between a physician and a pregnant woman, interfering with her right to an abortion. They added that medical providers could be charged with murder for some of the acts the bills supporters described. Today the state House of Representatives approved legislation banning post-birth abortions of living, breathing children who are born alive in North Carolina with a bipartisan 65-46 vote. https://t.co/xiXXD3h4YX Speaker Tim Moore (@NCHouseSpeaker) April 16, 2019 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 140 infant deaths involved induced terminations nationwide from 2003 to 2014. It hasnt specified what level of care those newborns received. North Carolina Republicans have passed abortion restrictions this decade, including one that extended the waiting period for the procedure to 72 hours. But a North Carolina law adjusted in 2015 to limit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy to only those during a medical emergency was struck down by a federal judge. He delayed enforcement of his decision so the state could appeal or rewrite that law. By Emery P. Dalesio Norways Fascinating Far North Norways most northerly city, Honningsvag, is located on the small island of Mageroya. Actually, Honningsvag hardly qualifies to be called a city with a population of only about 2,500 inhabitants, but it was declared one in 1996 and has kept the designation. I visited this remote, barren destination as part of my Viking Ocean Cruise, Into the Midnight Sun. Honningsvag is located far above the Arctic Circle and is primarily known for its fishing industry. This area is a particularly good for catching humongous king crab; these giants measure about 6 feet between claws and can weigh up to 20 pounds! Mageroya Island is sprinkled with several tiny fishing villages, the most northerly being Skarsvag. It also has a rich Sami history (the indigenous people of Norway), and the cliffs nearby offer incredible bird watching. Some of the bird species youll find include Arctic skuas, big gannets, kittiwakes, common guillemots, and puffins. The island is also a great place to see herds of reindeer wandering around in the wild. Each spring, the Norwegian army transports more than 3,000 reindeer to their summer pasture on Mageroya. Of course, Norways north is a great place to witness the midnight sun during the summer months as it remains light here most of the time. If its a clear night, one can see the sun setting on the horizon at midnight, only to rise again thereafter. Its an awesome sight, and I was fortunate enough to experience this on my cruise in July! On the other hand, if you happen to visit this same area during the dark winter months, youll find it to be a great place to witness the aurora borealis (northern lights). North Cape To learn more about this intriguing region, I recommend a drive from Honningsvag to North Cape, where the areas history is chronicled at the North Cape Hall visitor center and an excellent film shows the region through each season. In fact, Id argue that no visit to this island would be complete without an excursion to North Cape. Norways North Cape has to be one of Europes most stunning natural sights. Its located high up on a plateau offering amazing vistas of the barren tundra and the rugged cliffs, which rise more than 1,000 feet above the sea! After all, North Cape is the very point where the Norwegian Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, meets the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. Its said to be Continental Europes final frontier, with just Svalbarda Norwegian archipelago located north of mainland Europelying between continental Norway and the North Pole itself. I almost felt as if I were at the very edge of the world. As I stood on the shoreline of the island at the northernmost point of Europe that can be reached by road, I marveled at the view and the landmarks. I most enjoyed The Globe monument; Id seen photos of it but had never seen it in person. This monument has become the symbol of North Capea culmination point for a journey to the north. There is also the Children of the Earth monument, which consists of reliefs of clay designed by children from various countries, cast in bronze and framed in granite. An obelisk of Norwegian King Okar II (who visited here in 1873) and several inuksuks (human-made stone landmarks) can be seen here as well. North Cape Hall itself is home to a restaurant, chapel, post office, souvenir shop, small museum, video cinema, and the Aurora Borealis Bar. Tromso As our cruise headed south from Honningsvag, the next stop was Tromso, said to be the Gateway to the Arctic. Its still located above the Arctic Circle, and while there I toured the Polar Museum and Arctic Cathedral, often referred to as the Opera House of Norway because of its resemblance to the Sydney Opera House in Australia. I also took a cable car and ascended to the summit of Mount Storsteinen, where I was able to enjoy some great panoramic views of Tromso. Leaving the Arctic Continuing south, we soon came to the Arctic Circle marker, located on a tiny rocky island. Upon seeing the marker, I reflected on my visit to Norways far north. Though a rather remote area for a vacation, I found this unique landscape very intriguing. Definitely a worthwhile trip! For more information, The North Cape and www.vikingcruisescanada.com John M. Smith is a travel writer and photographer who resides in Ontarios Prince Edward County, Canada. Officers Pull Over Drunk-driving Dad, Feed the 3 Starving Kids Found Inside the Car The content is not available due to expiration. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hudbay Minerals Inc. (Hudbay or the company) (TSX, NYSE: HBM) today announced that the companys largest shareholder, Letko, Brosseau & Associates Inc., an independent investment manager that exercises investment control or direction over approximately 35,112,398 shares or 13.4% of Hudbays issued and outstanding shares, has confirmed that it intends to vote FOR Hudbays eleven director nominees on the GREEN form of proxy. Dissident shareholder Waterton Global Resource Management, Inc. is currently waging a proxy contest against the company. Proxy Voting Information Time is short and the stakes are high. In order to ensure that your vote is counted at the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, shareholders are urged to vote only the GREEN proxy FOR the nominees recommended by Hudbay, and ensure that your proxy is received prior to the proxy voting deadline of 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on Friday, May 3, 2019. For assistance voting your proxy, shareholders should contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 (toll-free for Hudbay shareholders in North America) or 1-416-304-0211 (collect call for Hudbay shareholders outside North America) or assistance@laurelhill.com . Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by us at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks generally associated with the mining industry, such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations, energy prices and general cost escalation), as well as the risks discussed under the heading Risk Factors in Hudbays most recent Annual Information Form. Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Hudbay does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. About Hudbay Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is an integrated mining company primarily producing copper concentrate (containing copper, gold and silver), molybdenum concentrate and zinc metal. With assets in North and South America, the company is focused on the discovery, production and marketing of base and precious metals. Directly and through its subsidiaries, Hudbay owns three polymetallic mines, four ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Canada) and Cusco (Peru), and copper projects in Arizona and Nevada (United States). The companys growth strategy is focused on the exploration and development of properties it already controls, as well as other mineral assets it may acquire that fit its strategic criteria. Hudbays vision is to be a responsible, top-tier operator of long-life, low-cost mines in the Americas. Hudbays mission is to create sustainable value through the acquisition, development and operation of high-quality, long-life deposits with exploration potential in jurisdictions that support responsible mining, and to see the regions and communities in which the company operates benefit from its presence. The company is governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act and its shares are listed under the symbol "HBM" on the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Bolsa de Valores de Lima. Further information about Hudbay can be found on www.hudbay.com . For investor inquiries, please contact: Laurel Hill Advisory Group (416) 304-0211 or 1 (877) 452-7184 assistance@laurelhill.com Candace Brule Director, Investor Relations (416) 814-4387 candace.brule@hudbay.com For media inquiries, please contact: Joel Shaffer Longview Communications and Public Affairs (416) 649-8006 jshaffer@longviewcomms.ca Smoke and flames rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, on April 15, 2019. (Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images) People Report Seeing Religious Figures In Flames of Notre Dame People claiming to have seen religious figures in the flames of Notre Dame are setting social media abuzz. A Scottish mother who said she spotted the figure of Jesus Christ in the flames of the burning cathedral has sparked a flurry of online reactions and broad coverage in the British press. Multiple outlets reported on Wednesday, April 17, that while watching coverage of the fire on Monday at her home in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, 38-year-old Lesley Rowan set social circles abuzz by claims of having seen the figure of Jesus in the flames. Rowan took to social media to share her observations. I may be letting my mind play tricks on me here, folks, take a close look at this picture and what do you see, Rowan posted on Facebook, according to the Daily Mail. Mother spots Jesus in Notre Dame flames https://t.co/yszZq0L5JH Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 17, 2019 When I looked at this photo last night, I was really astounded by what I saw, Rowan continued, according to the British tabloid The Daily Record. When I look at it I see a silhouette of Jesus. I really see a vivid image, she wrote, according to the report. I shared it and asked for peoples opinionseven my brother in Australia said it looks like Jesus. Mother spots Jesus in Notre Dame flames https://t.co/c4TXPI6vPX Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) April 17, 2019 I feel it will bring comfort to people in Paris and all over the world at this sad time, Rowan wrote, according to the report. Others took to social media to share similar observations, according to The Sun, with one commenter writing, Looks like a figure of Jesus, and another confirming, Yeah I saw it straight awayits Jesus! Tragic Notre Dame pics appear to show faces in flames including Jesus https://t.co/zO49fluQAi The Sun (@TheSun) April 17, 2019 Others on social media, like James Robert Kessler in a post on Twitter, claim to have seen a face reminiscent of Jesus in the water that doused the fire. Is this the face of Jesus Christ that seemed to appeared with the flames and water as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame was burning? #FoxAndFriends #TheFive pic.twitter.com/LQ54nko2MK James Robert Kessler (@DaVinici) April 15, 2019 There are also those who challenge the authenticity of claims of seeing religious figures in the flames of Notre Dame. For real?! First the metal cross that didnt catch fire was a sign now people are seeing Jesus in the flames, wrote Callum Davies on Twitter, adding, The lengths people will go to for attention! According to Pascal Boyer, an anthropologist and psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis, as cited by The Atlantic, some people share fantastic stories as a way of building social group cohesion. You spread stories because you know that theyre likely to be a kind of litmus test, Boyer tells the publication, adding, and the way people react will show whether theyre prepared to side with you or not. Youre in a position of defending your choices no matter what information is presented, said Daniel Shaw, who studies the psychology of belief, according to The Atlantic. Shaw said people within a certain social group are motivated to confirm claims made by other members because if you dont, it means that you lose your membership in this group thats become so important to you. Man Captures Glowing Figure in Clouds Near Italy Claims of seeing religious figures in the flames of Notre Dame recalls the story of an Italian man who captured an image over the sea that some people said was reminiscent of Jesus. Alfredo Lo Brutto, from Agropoli, Italy, captured the figure above the sea. Some said that it looks like the renowned Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was enchanted by the view. I dont often share pictures on social media, but when I took this one, I instantly felt like I wanted other people to see it, because it was so beautiful, he said, reported the Daily Mail. Man Sees Image of Jesus Christ Burst Through Clouds In Italy https://t.co/dCxx01pZdH Peter Palumbo (@PeterPalumbo1) March 24, 2019 He captured it over the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Christ the Redeemer statue is 125 feet tall, located on a rock near Rio. Construction started on the famed figure in 1922. Blimey!!! Terrific shot! Alfredo Lo Brutto, from Agropoli, Italy, captured the incredible pictures of the glowing figure standing above the sea while at his home on Friday. pic.twitter.com/hovJ16HXFt Pippa Ettore (@pettore) March 4, 2019 How the Notre Dame Fire Unfolded A massive fire engulfed the upper reaches of Pariss soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations on April 15, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below. The blaze collapsed the cathedrals spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the churchs structure had been saved. The fire, after burning for about eight hours, was largely extinguished by 3:00 a.m. CET (Central European Time) on Tuesday. Earlier, in addition to battling to prevent one of the main bell towers from collapsing, firefighters tried to rescue religious relics and priceless artwork. One firefighter was seriously injuredthe only reported casualty. The worst has been avoided, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the scene shortly before midnight Tuesday, Reuters reported. Macron said France would launch a campaign to rebuild the cathedral, which is considered to be among the finest examples of French Gothic cathedral architecture, including fundraising efforts and by appealing to talents from overseas to contribute. We will rebuild it together. It will undoubtedly be part of French destiny and our project for the years to come, Macron said. French authorities have said the fire that tore through the structure was probably caused by accident. Prosecutors made the announcement on Tuesday after firefighters doused the last flames in the ruins overnight. Reuters contributed to this report. A red deer grazes following the end of the rutting season in Glen Etive, Scotland, on Nov. 12, 2014. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Pet Deer Kills Man And Leaves Woman With Life-Threatening Injuries A pet deer killed an Australian man and left his wife with life-threatening injuries when she stepped in to try to save him. The incredibly rare attack in Victoria ended when their son entered the enclosure and hit the animal with a piece of wood before dragging his mother to safety. The family had kept the stagdescribed as a cross between a red deer and an elk (wapiti)on their property near the rural the town of Wangaratta for six years, according to ABC. Paul McDonald, 47, had gone out to feed the stag and entered its enclosure around 8:20 a.m. on April 17, when it turned on him. A man has died and a woman has been seriously injured after they were attacked by their pet deer in country Victoria. https://t.co/P02e5P9Huq SBS News (@SBSNews) April 17, 2019 McDonalds wife, Mandi, rushed into the enclosure and was herself attacked. According to ABC, her son then entered, and hit the deer over the head with a lump of wood and dragged her to safety. Paramedics treated the couple, but could not save the man who died from his injuries. His wife was airlifted to the hospital, with upper body and leg injuries. Unfortunately, the injuries to the male were fatal and the injuries to the female were life-threatening, acting Senior Sgt. Paul Pursell told reporters, reported Reuters. Rare Attack Local reports do not specify the injuries to the man, but according to the BBC, he was gored. The deer was shot by police due to concerns for the safety of the paramedics, reported ABC. Red deer can be successfully bred with the larger wapiti species of deerbut they do not produce fertile offspring. Wapiti are known as elk in North America. (Confusingly, in Europe, moose are known as elks). Deer are regarded as a pest in Australia, where they have taken over much of the natural areas in Victoria state, with a population of around 1 million, rising by around 200,000 a year, according to government estimates. The southern hemisphere is currently in the middle of the autumn mating season. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for captive deer to attack humans, particularly during the Autumn mating season, said the Australian Deer Association in a statement. Deer are instinctively a flight animal and their behavior in captivity, where there is no clear path of escape and where they have a diminished fear of humans, is considerably different to that in the wild. Attacks by deer are rare, and fatalities even rarer. A study into deaths caused by animals undertaken by the University of Melbourne showed no fatal deer attacks between 2000 to 2013, according to SBS. Gored in a London Park Last year, a young girl was gored in the thigh by a stag at a park in London after her family strayed too close to take photographs. She was airlifted to a local hospital. The attack occurred again in the autumn mating season. This distressing incident is an unfortunate but powerful warning to everyone why it is dangerous to approach stags during the autumn rutting season, and at any time in fact, said Bill Swan, assistant park manager, Bushy Park at the time. Stags are wild animals and they are especially unpredictable at this time of year and can act defensively if they are aggravated or feel cornered; they are immensely strong and can move very fast to defend themselves even from laying down when resting. Alyssa Fielding, left, was beaten so badly by her boyfriend Colby Wilson, right, that she and her unborn baby died, police said. Wilson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and other crimes. (Alyssa Fielding/Facebook; Tulsa Police Department) Pregnant Victim of Domestic Assault and Unborn Child Die After Severe Beating: Police An Oklahoma woman and her unborn baby have died after being violently beaten by the womans boyfriend, police said. Allyssa Fielding was severely injured by Colby Wilson, who left her entire body covered in bruises, police said. Officers responded to the Sawhill Apartments in Tulsa on April 15 after Wilsons mother called 911 and said her son threatened to commit suicide. When officers arrived they found Fielding, who was unresponsive. We found a victim receiving CPR from the suspects mother. She didnt have a heartbeat, and her unborn 6-month-along baby did not have a heartbeat, Tulsa Police Sergeant Shane Tuell told News On 6. Fielding suffered collapsed lungs, skull fractures, and other severe injuries, the Tulsa Police Department said in a statement. Wilson was charged with one count of first-degree murder for killing the unborn child and aggravated assault and battery for beating Fielding. Fielding later died at the hospital from her injuries after her baby was pronounced dead. This is Allyssa Fielding, the happy, vibrant young lady her family wants to remember. Unfortunately, she died last night Posted by FOX23 Sara Hart on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Police said that Wilson would be charged with a second 1st Degree Murder, the department stated in an update. According to police records, Wilson has been arrested before for beating Fielding. She was hospitalized with injuries including a broken nose, broken facial bones, and a broken hand, and had been beaten with an extension cord. Police said she still had bruises from her past injuries. Wilson was sent to prison for 18 months for what was supposed to be a three-year sentence, but he was released in July 2018, reported Tulsa World. Alyssa Fielding, 6 months pregnant, died today from the beating she got Monday. Her baby also died. Police arrested her boyfriend. In this photo from FB in 2016, she appears to have a black eye, and that was about the time the boyfriend was first arrested for beating her. pic.twitter.com/mTrzOO4Zbt Emory Bryan (@emorybryan) April 17, 2019 Fielding had filed an emergency protective order against Wilson in October 2016, and the order was finalized for five years in January 2017. He was charged in May 2017, before he went to prison, with violation of the order, but the count was later dismissed at the request of the state. In October 2017, Fielding filed a motion to vacate the protective order but the motion was denied. After his release from prison, Wilson was on probation and post-incarceration supervision. Fielding ultimately chose to return to Wilson, those close to the case said. You will have heard and seen the story in the Tulsa media last night and today about Allyssa Fielding. Our hearts and Posted by Family Safety Center on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 There wasnt much more that could be done until she was willing to make the change herself, Suzann Stewart, the director of Tulsas Family Safety Center, which helps abused woman, told News On 6. If you stay in that relationship, for whatever reason, if you believe you can change them or believe they have something to offer you, the only thing they potentially have to offer you is an early grave, Tull added. Madi Ambrose, who went to high school with Wilson, said that he was always violent. Police tell us the victim of a horrific assault is now brain dead. We are told her boyfriend, Colby Wilson is the suspect. He faces assault charges and a murder charge for the death of her unborn baby. So incredibly sad. @KTULNews pic.twitter.com/srdDwRbRdC Amy Jenson News (@amyjenson3) April 16, 2019 I was shocked and disgusted, but I really wasnt surprised, which is really sad, Ambrose told ABC 8. Hes always been known as a troubled kid. Stewart of the center said that Fielding was at one point held against her will by Wilson. He did keep her imprisoned for some time. She was able to escape and ran two and a half miles in the middle of the night to seek help, she said. A general view of cattle yards on July 27, 2018 in Australia. Dunbar is a 2 million acre cattle station situated in the Gulf of Carpentaria along side Rutland Plain. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) Queensland Animal Activists Charged Over Protests Eleven animal rights activists who allegedly protested at an abattoir and feedlot in southern Queensland have been charged with trespass and drug offences. They were arrested on April 16 and face a total of 18 charges for planned protests at Yangan and Millmerran in March, and earlier this month. Animal activists charged over protests at Yangan abattoir and Millmerran feedlothttps://t.co/aeKhbKYc1t pic.twitter.com/SoSa0FOnqm ABC Brisbane (@abcbrisbane) April 16, 2019 Their alleged offences include unlawfully entering farming land (trespass) in the Darling Downs region and drug offences. The protests were part of a national campaign against the treatment of animals and prompted the state government to change regulations to include new penalties. Police and biosecurity officers will issue $650 fines on the spot for individuals considered a threat to biosecurity and animal and worker welfare. BREAKING: 11 people have been charged with trespassing following vegan protests at Millmerran and the Yangan abattoir @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/nv8eDm2jYt Mackenzie Ravn (@mackenzieravn) April 16, 2019 They also face criminal charges and potential jail time if farmers and business owners make a complaint to the police. But agriculture lobby group AgForce says the penalties arent harsh enough. We thank the Queensland government for their quick action, but much more needs to be done to stop these radical activists overrunning farms and frightening families, chief executive Michael Guerin said. The protests began late last year when animal rights activists allegedly entered dairy, pig and poultry farms without permission. Activists say Australians need to come to terms with the cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industries. By Sonia Kohlbacher Authorities are currently searching for Sol Pais, 18, who is allegedly armed and have made credible threats against 20 schools, police said. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office) Search for Florida Woman Infatuated With Columbine School Shooting Has Ended: Reports The search for a South Florida woman who recently traveled to Colorado and made threats against multiple schools has concluded after she was found dead on Wednesday, April 17, according to local reports, citing authorities. Authorities were searching for 18-year-old Sol Pais, who they say has allegedly made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area against 20 schools, including Columbine High School, days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 students. In a post, FBI and local authorities said the threat on the community had ended. UPDATE: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY. More information to follow shortly, FBI Denver tweeted on April 17. UPDATE: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY. More information to follow shortly. #FindSol FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019 UPDATE: THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY! Details are coming soon. We appreciate your tips and patience. Posted by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Around 20 or 30 armed officers were searching an area near the Echo Lake Campground in the Arapaho National Forest on Wednesday morning before they told CBS4 News that Pais is dead. Details surrounding her death has not been released. The FBI confirmed that they were searching around the base of Mount Evans. We can confirm there is investigative activity around the base of Mt. Evans. The investigation is active and ongoing. More information will follow soon. #FindSol FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019 A hiker in the area told the news station that she was told to leave the area because a naked woman matching the description with a gun was spotted in the area running through the woods. Earlier Paiss father, who has not been identified by name, urged his daughter to come home, according to reports. Find Sol Pais Press Conference Posted by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 A man who identified himself as Paiss father told a number of local television stations that he wants his daughter to come home. She can, please, come home. I think shes going to be okay, Paiss father told CBS4 News. He told NBC6 that he was in disbelief, adding that Its like a bad dream. We dont know, we dont have any idea. BREAKING: Disbelief- Father of south Florida teen accused of making credible threats against Denver schools and Columbine encourages Sol Pais to turn herself in. @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/UgUchtvj66 Jamie Guirola (@jamieNBC6) April 17, 2019 The father, who has not been identified by name, said the family has not seen his daughter since April 14. He said, if the allegations are true, then there may be underlying problems to her actions. I think maybe she has a mental problem, he told CBS4 News. Authorities said Pais was armed and dangerous and had reportedly purchased a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, reported NBC6. They also added that Pais was infatuated with the Columbine school shooting. Jefferson County Sheriffs Office was posting regular updates about the search. UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: We will be live streaming a press conference here on our Facebook page at 9:30 p.m. Mountain time (an Posted by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 The search had prompted Jefferson County Public Schools to place local schools on lockout and the schools were subsequently closed on April 17 as a safety precaution, according to school officials. We have placed # ColumbineHighSchool, # LeawoodElementary, bhelementaryco and all mountain schools on lockout. No further information at this time. Lockout means biz as usual inside buildings, entry/exit restricted, the officials notice read on April 16. To clarify, mountain schools include Evergreen High, Evergreen Middle, Conifer High, West Jeff Middle, West Jeff Elementary, Bergens, Wilmot Elementary, Marshdale Elementary, Elk Creek Elementary, Ralston Elementary, Rocky Mountain Academy, Parmalee Elementary. https://t.co/sJx76MHcMG Jeffco Public Schools (@JeffcoSchoolsCo) April 16, 2019 Schools Closed Wednesday, April 17 We apologize for notifying families late at night, however we want to share info as soon as we have it. The following message is being sent to families/staff via phone, text, email. May take some time to cycle through all recipients. See thread. pic.twitter.com/MAPhu5eDy6 Jeffco Public Schools (@JeffcoSchoolsCo) April 17, 2019 A neighbor, Patricia Bilstin, who lives next door to Pais said it was surprising to hear the news and that the girl always kept to herself. She always kept to herself. She never got in trouble at school. So surprising and I feel sorry for the family, Bilstin told CBS4 News. The police investigation is still ongoing. Please call the FBI tip line at (303) 630-6227 where your call will be answered immediately if you have seen this individual or have information on her whereabouts. Please do not approach her as she is considered armed and dangerous. St. Louis Man Charged With Killing Wife Hours After Non-Profit Posted His Bail A St. Louis man who was facing domestic assault charges in jail posted $5,000 bail thanks to a non-profit group, then allegedly went to his wifes home and beat her to death. Prosecutors have charged Samuel Lee Scott, 54, with first degree murder. Scott was initially arrested on April 5 and accused of hitting his wife, Marcia Johnson, in the face, injuring her ear and cheekbone back in January. He had also threatened to kill her, according to a probable cause statement. His bail was posted on April 9 by the St. Louis branch of the Bail Project which describes itself as a non-profit organization designed to combat mass incarceration by disrupting the money bail system. Scott went to his wifes home on Wisconsin Avenue at 7:45 p.m. on the evening of his release. A friend found her bloodied and unconscious later that evening, according to a probable cause statement. She had a broken eye socket, several broken ribs, and was bruised from head to toe. Her daughter set up an online funding site to help with medical costs, saying her mother had suffered a traumatic life threatening event from the result of domestic abuse. She is in a comatose state and fighting for her life. She died of her injuries six days later, on April 14. My heart is broken, wrote her daughter. A piece of me and my sister died when she did. Preliminary findings showed she died from blunt force trauma, according to the St. Louis Dispatch. Bail Project Executive Director Robin Steinberg said they were deeply saddened, but denied the organizationwhich has operated in St. Louis since January last yearwas responsible. No one could have predicted this tragedy, Steinberg said in a statement. Its important to remember that had he been wealthy enough to afford his bail, or bonded out by a commercial bail bond agency, he would have been free pretrial as well. According to the St. Louis Dispatch, court records show that when his wife originally told him she had reported him, Scott had told her he might as well finish what (he) started since (she) was going to contact the police. Scott had previous convictions for drug crimes and assault dating to the 1990s. The St. Louis Bail Project posted his bail on April 9. At about 11 p.m. that night, police were called to the home Scott Posted by St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 According to the Bail Project Website, they hire Bail Disruptors to identify people to bail them out. It describes these workers as passionate activists and says many of them have experienced the bail system firsthand. The website states that they regard posting bail as resistance against a system that criminalizes race and poverty and as an act of solidarity with local communities and movements for decarceration. According to the Dispatch, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner plans to meet with Bail Project leaders to help them better understand the risks to victims and witnesses when posting bail for any type of domestic violence cases. Scott is now jailed on a $1 million bond. According to AP, Scott does not have a listed attorney who could comment on the allegations against him. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A cat looking out of a cage before going up for adoption. (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) Stowaway Cat Survives 3 Week Voyage Without Food or Water A cat survived a 25-day journey across the Pacific Ocean without food or water, and is currently being nursed back to health through crowd-funding efforts. The cat was found in a shipping container carried by a cargo ship that sailed to Vancouver, Canada, from Shenzhen, China, which was then transported to the city of Prince George, according to a press release from the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC-SPCA) on April 8. The release said the cat likely survived by licking condensation that formed on the walls of the shipping container. She was pretty [much] skin and bones, Cory Hartel, a foreman at the company that first found the cat, told CTV Vancouver. The cat, nicknamed Stowaway, is being nursed back to health by BC-SPCA, who started a crowd-funding campaign for the six-year-old cats medical expenses. As of April 15, the donations have surpassed the target amount by about 10 times over. It is unknown how the cat made its way onto the container. Nine Lives and Seven Seas The cat was found inside a 40-foot container that was delivered to an auto glass shop in the city of Prince George, the BC-SPCA said. While unloading the container, staff found shredded cardboard and styrofoam with bite marks in it. As were unloading it were seeing all this Styrofoam chewed up on the edges of all the glass crates, Hartel told CTV Vancouver. Theyre joking, like, theres a big rat in here that chewed up all the Styrofoam, were laughing, were not even thinking its a cat. Hartel said when they had moved everything but the last two crates out of the container, they finally saw the cat. Staff then contacted animal control officers, who captured the emaciated cat and took it to the North Cariboo District SPCA. I knew right away when I heard that this cat had spent weeks in a container that she not only had an amazing story but also that she would require extensive care and rehabilitation to recover from her ordeal, Alex Share, district manager at SPCA North Cariboo District, said in the press release. We rushed her to the vet because she was in such poor condition that we knew she would require intensive veterinary care for an extended period of time to regain her strength, Schare added. Stowaway weighed only 3.3 lbs when the vets received her. She was then quarantined, and is currently receiving medical care. Since Stowaway has no owner at the moment, the SPCA started raising money to pay for her medical expenses. They estimated that the costs would be about CA$2,760 ($2,069), but donations have already come close to 10 times this amount. BC-SPCA said Stowaway would need surgery, medication, vaccinations, regular health checks, and daily care to make a full recovery. After the cats health recovers, she will go up for adoption, and several people have already expressed interested, CTV Vancouver reported. Surprisingly, this is not the first time a cat has survived an ocean journey stuck in a cargo crate. A cat was similarly locked in a cargo container while in the United States, and the shipped to France back in 2005. The cat, named Emily, survived an even longer journey of 30 days, without food or water. It may have also survived by licking water from the containers metal walls. The cat was returned back to its U.S. owners after it was found in France. Student Tortures Caged Dog, University Suspected of Concealing Abuse Warning: This report contains disturbing video footage. A medical student in China filmed himself pouring boiling water on a small dog, and beating it as it howled in pain. The incident took place in a dormitory in Nantong University in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province, and the video was shared on Chinese social media on April 11, according to multiple mainland Chinese media outlets. Police were called to stop the abuse. However, a local group of dog lovers expressed outrage over social media after they suspected the authorities may have covered up the incident. The fate of the dog is unknown. The Abuse The student, surnamed Chen, took a video of himself torturing a small dog in its cage. The footage shows Chen approaching the dog with a hot-water kettle in hand and saying, the water was just boiled. He stands next to the cage, and begins pouring the hot water over the helpless dog. The dog cries out and attempts to run from the water, but is trapped. Then the student steps back and watches the dog writhe in its cage. The next scene shows him beating the dog in the face with an object. Lift your head, the student can be heard saying in the video. The dog cowers in the corner of its cage and does not fight back, and whimpers through the beating. The student curses the dog as he strikes it. Suspected Cover-up According to a user on Weibo whose name was censored by The Beijing Times, a group of dog lovers met at Nantong University to stop the abuse hours after the incident. They arrived at Chens dorm at about 1 a.m., and the school authorities allowed two people from the group to enter the room where two policemen were waiting. They were allowed to take the dog out. When the two individuals brought the dog outside, the group inspected it. They found that the dog was not the one in the video. This dog might not be the one that was burned in the afternoon, said one male voice in the video posted by The Beijing News. Its definitely not. The group posted on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, that the dog did not have any visible signs of injury nor exhibited the behavior of an abused animal. They suggested that the abused dog was secretly swapped with another. After we took the dog out, we found that it didnt have burn marks, the censored user posted on Weibo. Were suspicious that the dog may have been secretly swapped out. We carefully compared the two, and found they werent the same dog, the user wrote in a second post. Thats to say, the dog that was being abused is still being hurt or its already dead. One of the groups members noticed the situation of the cage: Theres so much feces and urine inside, but the dog smells clean, he said in the video. A The Beijing Times reporter asked an employee from the Communist Party branch office of Nantong University if the dog had been swapped with another. Impossible, impossible, the unidentified employee said in a phone interview with The Beijing News. How could the school do such a thing? Internet users suspect that authorities may have covered-up the abuse because the incident occurred at a public university, and thus it reflects negatively on the Chinese regime. Other media reports, however, said that the dog was later given a good home, and the student apologized for his actions. The fate of the abused dog remains unclear. China is known for its lax animal welfare standards. Exotic and endangered animals and their body parts are used in expensive prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine for their supposed health benefits. Rare animals are secretly traded and smuggled for this reason. Supreme Court Hears Case on When States Can Tax Trust Beneficiaries WASHINGTONNorth Carolinas solicitor general told the Supreme Court that his state is entitled to tax residents who are beneficiaries of trusts created outside the state, even if they havent received payments from the trust. How the Supreme Court rules in the case, known as North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust, might have an impact on the nations trust industry, which generates more than $120 billion in earnings every year. Many lawyers have difficulty mastering the law of trusts, which is considered to be extraordinarily complex. To be helpful, in its petition to the court seeking review, the state defined a trust as a legal abstraction: a fiction created to represent the tripartite relationship among a settlor, a trustee, and a beneficiary. For this reason, a trusts physical location is debatable. States rely on the tax revenue they collect from trusts. Of the 44 states that levy an income tax on trusts, 12 use the location of the trustee as the primary consideration in determining residency, 27 tax based on either the location of the beneficiary or the location of the grantor, without reference to the location of the trustee, and six use multiple factors, a group of states said in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in support of North Carolina. North Carolina imposes taxes on trusts that are for the benefit of a resident of that state. In the case before the court, Joseph Lee Rice III, father of the woman the trust is named after, created the family trust in New York in 1992. He divided the trust into three parts for his three children. Kimberly Rice Kaestner moved to the Tar Heel State and took loans from the trust for business opportunities, which she paid back. Although she never received any discretionary distributions, North Carolina still taxed income from the trust. She paid more than $1.3 million under protest to the state and sued to get it back, arguing that the Fourteenth Amendments due process guarantees were denied because the state didnt demonstrate a sufficiently strong connectionsometimes called a nexusbetween itself and the income from the trust to justify the tax. The Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled in Kaestners favor on June 8, 2018, holding that income tax applied to trusts beyond state lines, and without a valid nexus between the taxing body and the taxpayer, violates the Fourteenth Amendment. During oral arguments April 16, justices questioned North Carolina Solicitor General Matthew Sawchak aggressively. Justice Stephen Breyer was particularly testy. Look, the trustee lives in New York, OK? he told Sawchak. The settlor is in New York. All the administration is in New York. There is one thing thats going to happen in North Carolina [which] is if she is there when its distributed, shell get some money which youre totally free to tax. But that isnt what [you] want to tax. You want to tax all these things which are everyone except her is in New York, and moreover, we dont even know if shell ever get the money. Now, theres something wrong with that. Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Sawchak, I dont know how you can tax somebody you have no jurisdiction over, especially if they havent done anything like pay any money over or have no contacts with the person in your state. The attorney for the trust, David A. ONeil, told the justices that the trust had no connection to North Carolina because no funds from it were distributed there. The trustee manages the trust and there is no guarantee that Kaestner will receive distributions from the trust, he said. The money in the trust was not really the beneficiarys money during the tax years, ONeil stated. Kaestner didnt possess it or control it, he said. She didnt access it. She couldnt use it. She couldnt buy anything with it, promise it to someone else. She couldnt have any say in how it was invested. She didnt receive any of it, and she had no guarantee that she would ever receive a penny of it in North Carolina or anywhere else, ONeil said. But by taxing her, the state has made assumptions, which could prove to be wrong, about what she will do with the trust funds when they are distributed, he said. Kaestner could keep the money or give it to her children. Its not known how many beneficiaries there are or who will actually receive the money. Its not known where they will live when they receive the money or how many people its shared with, ONeil said. Taiwan Authorities Confiscate, Destroy China-Made Chopsticks Containing Formaldehyde Taiwans Food and Drug Administration (TW-FDA) published a list of unqualified consumer products on April 16, which included 35,000 pairs of China-made chopsticks that were seized by Taiwan customs because they contained formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. From the photo TW-FDA posted, one can see from the chopsticks packaging that the label lists the products as made of resin, but the TW-FDA said in a press conference that the utensils were in actuality made out of plastic. Taiwans Latest Case The 35,000 pairs of chopsticks were packaged in sets of 10 into 3,500 products labeled under the brand Jia Yan, according to the TW-FDA. They were manufactured by the Guangzhou Qiquan Chopsticks Factory, and imported with the intention of being sold by Chian Siang, a retailer based in Taichung City, Taiwan. Customs officials seized the problematic chopsticks on March 7, and destroyed them after the TW-FDA found that they contained formaldehyde. According to U.S. National Cancer Institute, formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical. Since 2011, the U.S. National Toxicology Program has named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen. Unsafe Products This is not the first time Taiwan authorities found China-made chopsticks to be unsafe. The TW-FDA announced on Jan. 22 that 288 sets of China-made ironwood chopsticks were found unqualified because they contained polyurethane coating. After they were seized by Taiwan customs, the chopsticks coating were found to have been made with colorants solvent yellow 21 and solvent orange 62, which are dyes used for industrial purposes. Many countries do not allow them to be used in the food business, including Taiwan and China. The chopsticks were packaged for Daiso, a popular Japanese dollar shop. The product packaging included Japanese text, making them seem like a Japan-made product. They were in fact made by the Fuzhou Yujinyuan Arts & Crafts Company in China. They were imported into Taiwan by Sunworld Transportation Logistics based in Taipei City. On the U.S.-based e-retailer Amazon, hundreds of similar chopsticks are on sale. Most of them are labeled Japanese, but in fact made in China. One product sold by the brand Antner, for example, is labelled handmade Japanese chopsticks. But a user SM in Arizona commented: I just received mine today (Jan. 31), and there are two stickers on the back of the box which both clearly state Made in China. There are also U.S.-based e-retailers that target Chinese consumers, with Chinese-language webpages and mostly selling Chinese-made products, such as Yamibuy and 86mall. They also sell China-made chopsticks with Japanese packaging, but at cheaper prices. English Icelandic Kvika banki hf.s (Kvika or the bank) board of directors has today issued and sold warrants for 46,000,000 new shares in the bank, in accordance with temporary provision II to Kvikas articles of association and art. 46 of Act respecting public limited companies no. 2/1995. The warrants were sold to employees of both Kvika and the banks subsidiaries. The price for the warrants was calculated by an independent specialist and is 0.944 ISK per share. The warrants are valid until 18 December 2022. A warrant holders right to exercise the warrants is effective as follows: (1) to a half (1/2) of the subscription shares in the period from 18 December 2020 until 18 December 2022 and (2) to a half (1/2) of the subscription shares in the period from 18 December 2021 until 18 December 2022. Either subscription period may, however, be extended if the existence of inside information on the final day of the relevant subscription period has prevented the warrant holder from exercising the warrant. The subscription rate for each new share on exercise of warrants is based on Kvikas market value at end of Tuesday 16 April and is 11,78*(1 + 7,5/100)t, where t represents the time elapsed from the issue of the warrants (calculated by dividing the number of days assuming each month has 30 days with 360 days). Kvikas total issued share capital is ISK 1,844,996,308 nominal value. Issued and outstanding warrants stand at ISK 733,986,138 nominal value. The board of directors is still authorised to issue and sell warrants for 54,500,000 new shares in the bank. Additionally, the boards authorisation to issue warrants may increase by ISK 50,000,000 under certain conditions stated in temporary provision IV to the bankss articles of association. Attachment A moose saunters across the Snake River Oct. 4, 2012, in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (Karen Bleier/AFP/GettyImages) Teenage Hunter Gets $20,000 Fine for Killing Moose A teenage hunter in Colorado was fined $20,000 for illegally killing a moose. Callan Hyatt, 19, pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor violations, including hunting in a careless manner, failing to locate wounded game, and hunting without a license, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency. Along with the fine of $20,000, Hyatt could have his hunting and fishing privileges suspended for five years, pending a decision by the state Parks and Wildlife Hearings Examiner. After another hunter found the dead moose, District Wildlife Officer Jeff Behncke responded and found footprints in the snow in addition to a .270-caliber bullet from the carcass. He began searching nearby hunting camps and at one, found the boots that matched the prints. They were Hyatts boots. The officer also learned that Hyatt had a .270-caliber rifle in his possession. When Behncke confronted Hyatt, the teen admitted that while he was hunting elk, he saw movement in the trees and fired his weapon, subsequently wounding the animal despite not having a moose license. He didnt pursue the moose as required by law, choosing to abandon it. Officials said that Hyatt could have faced a lesser penalty if he had tracked and field-dressed the moose and reported the incident. We understand hunting mistakes and accidents will happen, but we expect sportsmen and women to take immediate responsibility for their actions, said Behncke in a statement. Thankfully the vast majority of hunters are ethical and do the right thing in cases like this; unfortunately, there are a few that may prefer to try and evade authorities. We offer everyone this advice; if you accidentally kill the wrong species, you should call us right away and field dress the animal immediately so that it does not spoil. If Hyatt had done so, he may have received only a $70.50 fine, Behncke said. We thank Colorado Parks and Wildlife for their detailed investigation that resulted in the successful discovery and prosecution of the defendant, said Deputy District Attorney Kathryn Dowdell of the 14th Judicial District in a statement. A hunter has the absolute responsibility to confirm their target and ethically harvest a legal animal. This case represents one of the worst illegal killings and waste of a bull moose in Grand County in recent years. Those who seek to illegally kill wildlife will be held responsible for wasting this valuable resource of the State of Colorado. Hunter Shoots Pure White Turkey of a Lifetime Tennessee hunter Cameron Bond found and killed a snow white turkey in Rutherford County. A picture of the hunter holding the white-feathered trophy was uploaded to Twitter by the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency on April 13. The agency stated that the bird had leucism: a rare condition that causes the animal to lose its pigmentationnot to be confused with albinism. It is common to see white domesticated turkeys, but not wild ones, according to USA Today. In addition to the unusual color, Bonds turkey weighed 20 pounds and carried a nine-inch beard. WHOA! TURKEY OF A LIFETIME! Cameron Bond of Warren Co, took a leucistic gobbler in Rutherford Co. Leucism is a loss of pigmentation. Bonds bird weighed 20#. Its beard measured 9 1/2 beard its spurs .75. #tnwildlife Find turkey hunting regulations https://t.co/skq0zGyqEc pic.twitter.com/9r2nupjXbL TWRA (@tnwildlife) April 13, 2019 Nearly a month prior, Hunter Waltman of Kiln, Mississippi, also harvested a wild white turkey, also believed to have leucism. Waltmans turkey weighed two to three pounds less that Bonds, and its beard was outmatched by the white bird of Tennessee. Waltman told USA Today that he made the kill on March 16, one day after turkey season opened. The hunter had heard of a black-bearded turkey with white spurs, nails, and feathers in the past. Ive been having him on camera all year since back in October, said Waltman. My neighbor told me about him. Waltman that his neighbor had seen the nearly-20-pound bird hanging around for three years. Reporter Miguel Moreno contributed to this report. Emily Hartman was arrested and charged with manslaughter by child neglect, possession of cocaine with intent, and possession of cannabis after police said she left her child in a hot car for about five hours in Melbourne, Florida. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office) Toddler Dies After Sitting in Hot Car for 5 Hours While Mother Bought Cocaine: Police A Florida woman was arrested and charged with manslaughter after police said she left her child in a hot car for about five hours while she went to get cocaine. Emily Hartman left her 14-month-old child in a car on April 3 while she went to go drink at a bar for about an hour. She then took the child to several other places. Hartman left the child in the car seat overnight and the next morning, she went to visit a friend, the Brevard County Sheriffs Office said in a statement obtained by WESH. The child was left in the car, which was parked in the sun, for five to six hours. During that time, Hartman is believed to have picked up cocaine she was planning to sell. Tragic situation in Melbourne. A boy brought to Fire Station 71 by his mother for a heat related illness has died. The story is coming up in a few minutes on Eyewitness News at 5. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/v05wsUFZGG Jeff Deal (@JDealWFTV) April 9, 2019 When she returned to the car, she noticed that her son was profusely sweating, Melbourne police Lt. Trevor Shaffer told WFTV. She drove him to a nearby fire station. Emergency crews said the toddler was suffering from a heat-related illness, and they took him to a hospital. I spoke to one of our guys and said, Hey, hes having active seizures, we need to get him some medication on board, and at that time one of the other medics was starting an IV in the kids arm, Fire Department Chief Phil Leitz told WKMG. The child died two days later. Leitz said firefighters asked Hartman what happened. She was pretty upset. We asked her where shed been and what she had been doing with the child. She said she had been running some errands and stuff like that, he said. In addition to manslaughter by child neglect, Hartman was charged with possession of cocaine with intent and possession of cannabis. NEW DETAILS | A 1-year-old boy died after his mother left him alone in a hot car several times during a two-day time period, including once for up to six hours, while she obtained drugs, according to Melbourne police. https://t.co/HYBzyLXWhW News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) April 17, 2019 Kids in Cars On average, according to advocacy website Kids and Cars, 37 children die from heat-related deaths after being trapped inside vehicles per year. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car; and the end result can be injury or even death, the site stated. In 2016, 39 children across the United States died because they were left inside a hot car, according to the website No Heat Stroke. In a 19-year-period, more than 700 children died of heatstroke inside cars, and 54 percent of caretakers said they forgot that the child was there. It doesnt have to be a blazing hot day for these to happen, Jan Null, a San Jose State professor and former meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the San Jose Mercury News. They can happen anywhere, and happen to anyone. Null told SFGate that the temperatures inside vehicles heat up rapidly, with the air rising about 19 degrees beyond the outside temperature in the first 10 minutes and rising another 10 degrees in the next 10 minutes. Additionally, Null said the bodies of small children heat up three to five times faster compared to adults. So, while you and I could be in a car thats, say, 109 degrees, an infant or small child would be to the point of entering heat stroke, he said. The U.S. National Safety Council advises parents and caregivers to stick to a routine and avoid distractions to reduce the risk of forgetting a child, noting that even on relatively mild days the temperatures inside vehicles can reach life-threatening levels in minutes. Keep car doors locked so children cannot gain access, and teach them that cars are not play areas. Place a purse, briefcase or even a left shoe in the back seat to force you to take one last glance, the council stated. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Colombian President Ivan Duque at the Oval Office in the White House on Feb. 13, 2019. (Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images) Trump Losing Patience With Colombia as Drug Production Surges BOGOTA, ColombiaThe continued flow of drugs from Colombia to the United States has become a point of contention between the two countries, as Washington loses patience with Bogotas lack of progress in curbing drug production. While leaving a political event on migration in Florida on March 29, President Donald Trump complimented Colombian President Ivan Duque for being a really good guy, but went on to criticize him for not doing enough to stop the boom in cocaine production. He said how he was going to stop drugs. More drugs are coming out of Colombia right now than before he was presidentso he has done nothing for us, Trump said. Duque has since hit back, stating that nobody tells Colombia what to do. Local media have reported that U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, Kevin Whitaker, had held secret meetings with Colombian congressmen ahead of a vote on the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a tribunal created to investigate and try war crimes during the conflict. Whitaker allegedly lobbied politicians to vote in favor of modifying the tribunal in order to facilitate the extradition of an ex-commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who Washington says is implicated in trafficking hundreds of millions of dollars of drugs into the United States, or risk losing $500 million in U.S. aid. Cocaine Production At Record Levels Duque, Colombias youngest-ever president, was elected on June 17, 2018, on a conservative platform and was the most U.S.-friendly candidate on the ballot. He was believed to hold strong affinities and personal relations with the U.S. administration. When he and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Cartagena in January, he thanked Pompeo for the Trump administrations support of his government, noting the many years of friendship between the two countries. Colombia is one of the United Statess closest allies in Latin America. Now, however, Trumps patience appears to be running thin with Colombias failure to tackle cocaine production, which stands at record high levels. It was hoped the historic 2016 peace accord with FARC, a Marxist guerilla group believed to have been a major player in the drug trade, would reduce cocaine production and its flow into foreign countries such as the United States, the largest global consumer of the drug. But despite the peace agreement and around $400 million being pledged by the United Statesand $300 million from the U.N.to tackle the problem, cocaine production has surged. In 2017, production of the drug rose 31 percent to around 1,543 tons cultivated on 660 square miles of coca plantation, a historic high according to a report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released in September 2018. In August 2018, Duque pledged concrete results, but his administration says they are limited by the suspension of aerial coca fumigation using the chemical glyphosate, a decision made in 2015 by then-President Juan Manuel Santos following warnings by the World Health Organization that the chemical could be linked to cancer. Plans to use drones to spray coca crops, the base ingredient of cocaine, have since stalled following criticism. Pompeo brought the issue back into the spotlight on April 14 during a visit to the city of Cucuta on the ColombiaVenezuela border to discuss the spiraling economic, political, and social crisis next door which has caused more than a million Venezuelans to flee to Colombia. Pompeo used a softer tone, stating the United States would continue to work with Colombia to stem drug flows and do its part to reduce the demand for illegal drugs in our own country, while saying the Colombian leader had inherited the issue. On April 15, Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero told reporters that the government is eager to start aerial spraying again, but a judicial ban on aerial fumigation, backed by the Constitutional Court, is standing in the way. Meanwhile, other approaches are being considered, he said. We are looking at other alternatives like a pest that can penetrate the coca [plant], but all that needs solid scientific support. Adam Isaacson, Andes Analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, said that to really quash cocaine production, the Colombian government needs to come up with a long-term strategy. I think the fact that demand has stayed constant is important, and the government has not given farmers alternatives that are viable in the short term, he said, noting that 120,000 Colombian households currently survive off the crop, with no economic alternative. Also, the growth in illegal economies is due to the immense [money-making] opportunities that were taken advantage of by the groups looking to fill the vacuum left by the FARC. FARC disarmed itself in June 2017 and reformed as a legal political party, in accordance with the terms of a peace deal. However, thousands of FARC dissidents rebels who refused to take part in the peace process, or who took part but later abandoned itare still involved in drug trafficking. President Donald Trump returns to the White House following a trip to Burnsville, Minnesota, on April 15, 2019. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Trump Vetoes Resolution to End US Involvement in Yemen War President Donald Trump vetoed a congressional resolution on April 16 that aimed to end U.S. involvement in the civil war in Yemen, the White House said. Trump wrote to the Senate that the joint resolution, dubbed S.J. Res. 7, was an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities. He said the legislationa War Powers Resolution that would limit the presidents ability to send troops into actionwould endanger the lives of U.S. citizens and service members both today and in the future. The Yemen civil war first began in 2015 between the internationally recognized Yemeni government, led by the Saudis, and the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran. Both sides say they are the official government of Yemen. The ongoing conflict, now four years long, has forced the country into a humanitarian crisis. The president said the resolution was unnecessary because the United States is not engaged in hostilities in, or affecting Yemen. He also said it was dangerous. There are no United States military personnel in Yemen commanding, participating in, or accompanying military forces of the Saudiled coalition against the Houthis in hostilities in or affecting Yemen, Trump said. The Congress should not seek to prohibit certain tactical operations, such as in-flight refueling, or require military engagements to adhere to arbitrary timelines. Doing so would interfere with the Presidents constitutional authority and could endanger our service members. According to the U.N., more than 22 million people, or 75 percent of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance, more than any other single country today. The U.S. government has provided more than $854 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen since 2017, according to the U.S. State Department. The resolution, which passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives, marks the first time both chambers of Congress had supported a War Powers Resolution. The 247175 vote in the Democratic-majority House and the 5446 vote in the Republican-led Senate was not enough to override the veto, which requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers. Trumps veto can also be seen as a sign of the administrations close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he attempts to further isolate Iran. The United States provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries. Trump said the United States is providing its support for a number of reasons, the primary one being to protect the safety of the more than 80,000 U.S. citizens who reside in countries that have been subject to Houthi attacks. Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones, and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Trump wrote. In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a cheap and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia. In 2018, the Trump administration considered designating Yemens Houthi rebels a terrorist organization, according to The Washington Post. The president also mentioned that his administration is pushing negotiations to end U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan and withdrawing troops in Syria where the ISIS caliphate was recently eliminated. He said the joint resolution harms the foreign policy of the United States with respect to Yemen and hurts bilateral relationships. This is the second veto of Trumps presidency after he rejected a resolution in March that sought to overturn his national emergency border declaration. The declaration enabled him to secure funds for the construction of the U.S.Mexico border wall. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. An aerial view of container ships docked at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, on March 06, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) US Trade Deficit Hits 8-Month Low as Gap With China Shrinks America's trade deficit in goods with China dropped 28 percent in February WASHINGTONThe U.S. trade deficit declined to its lowest level since June 2018, mainly led by a dramatic drop in the trade shortfall with China, suggesting that President Donald Trumps trade policy is working. The United States deficit in the trade of goods and services was $49.4 billion in February, falling 3.4 percent from the previous month, according to Commerce Department data released April 17. The U.S. trade deficit in goods with China dropped 28 percent in February, with imports falling 20 percent and exports increasing 18 percent. The deficit came in well below estimates, driven by strong exports of civilian aircraft and weak imports of industrial supplies and capital goods. The unexpected narrowing in the deficit was partly due to a surge in exports of civilian aircraft. This trend, however, may not be sustainable especially after the grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes, according to experts. A $1.8 billion narrower trade deficit in February followed a surprise $8.8 billion tightening in January. And this trend is expected to provide a significant contribution to economic growth in the first quarter of 2019, according to Citi. The narrowing in the trade deficit in the past two months can be largely ascribed to a $7.6 billion tightening of the bilateral merchandise balance with China, Citi economist Andrew Hollenhurst wrote in a report. This U.S.-China narrowing is due to bounce-back from front-loading of imports ahead of expected tariff increases, as well as an uptick in U.S. exports of agricultural products. Many Chinese exporters front-loaded their shipments last year, due to uncertainty surrounding trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. However, that trend ran out of steam after both sides signaled optimism about the trade talks. Shipments of U.S. soybeans also jumped 16 percent to $1.4 billion, buoyed by purchases from China and the EU. China, the worlds largest soybean buyer, slapped 25 percent tariffs on U.S. soybeans as part of the trade conflict last year, causing a significant drop in soybean imports from the United States. However, Beijing recently resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans amid continued trade talks. There is a downside risk to soybean exports, Citi warns, as swine-flu has decreased the demand for soybean meal. This risk, however, could be partially offset by an uptick in the export of U.S. pork to China. The European Union also doubled its U.S. soybean imports since July as part of the new trade talks between Washington and Brussels. American soybeans now account for 69 percent of the EU market. The trade deficit with the EU fell further in February, reaching a three year low. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), net imports of crude oil and petroleum products in February were the lowest on record since February 1991. This data is further proof that the U.S. is becoming more energy independent, esp. when coupled with the fact that the U.S. is now the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world, stated CEA in a tweet on April 17. The United States and China are still in talks to strike a comprehensive trade deal, and the White House has postponed additional tariff hikes on Chinese imports for now. Trump has sought to take a tougher stance on Chinas decades-long protectionist and trade-distorting policies and launched a tariff campaign early last year. The trade tension between the United States and China escalated when Trump imposed tariffs on nearly $250 billion worth of Chinese goods. Beijing retaliated with levies on $110 billion worth of American products. Contrary to popular belief, Trumps tariffs have worked and have convinced Chinese leader Xi Jinping to sit down with Trump to address Washingtons concerns with respect to intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and cyber hacking, according to Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic adviser. The Chinese have acknowledged these problems for the first time. They were in denial, he told reporters on April 3. I think that has led to good negotiations, he said. This is the largest scale, deepest discussion of trade between the two countries in history. A United Airlines Boeing 737 is parked outside the new Boeing 737 Delivery Center in Seattle, Wash., on Oct. 19, 2015. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) United Airlines Cancels All Boeing 737 Max Flights Until July United Airlines revealed on April 16 it would extend a suspension on all flights using a controversial aircraft. The airline will cancel all routes that would normally be flown with the Boeing 737 Max until at least July to give the carrier time to address a variety of safety concerns that allegedly caused two planes to crash in Ethiopia and the Java Sea in Indonesia, killing 346 passengers and crew members in the process. Boeing rushed the 737 MAX 8 through certification in a race to keep up with its biggest rival, Airbus. Its had devastating consequences. pic.twitter.com/zSwkMDnnMc Vox (@voxdotcom) April 16, 2019 The airlines earlier ban on its 14 Max planes was originally intended to end on June 5. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have also recently grounded exactly the same model. Southwest Airlines plans for a summer without the 737 Max https://t.co/ferBlnmgMh pic.twitter.com/dpDd7SRJci CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) April 12, 2019 In its first quarter financial results, United confirmed it had already received delivery of four Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft (prior to the March 13, 2019 Federal Aviation Administration order grounding U.S.-registered 737 Max aircraft) and four Boeing 78710 aircraft. The company had hoped to use the spare aircraft to offer more seats for passengers ahead of the busy summer vacation period. Moving forward, well continue to monitor the regulatory process and nimbly make the necessary adjustments to our operation and our schedule to benefit our customers who are traveling this summer, a spokesman for United told CNBC. Despite the setback caused by the Maxes being grounded, United Airlines Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz is still upbeat about the rest of the year and thanked all United staff. We are more confident than ever that well reach our long-term adjusted earnings per share targets we unveiled last year, he said in a public statement. I want to thank all 93,000 of our employees for their incredible work as we overcame some unique challenges. United expects a $292 million net income for the first quarter of the year, which was off the back of a 7.1 percent jump in total passenger revenue compared to the same period in 2018. In addition, the companys benchmark passenger revenue per available seat mile for the same period rose 1.1 percent compared to the previous year. We made important progress on our customer investments while making strategic decisions to manage our costs and producing pre-tax margin growth that we expect will lead our peers, Munoz said. U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged the challenges the aviation industry has faced following the Max disasters, and encouraged the industry to take the opportunity to reinvent the brand. No product has suffered like this one, Trump said in a Twitter post dated April 15. If I were Boeing, I would fix the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features and rebrand the plane with a new name. What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name. No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019 If Boeing decides to follow Trumps advice, there would be additional costs involved with rebranding the aircraft that would be passed on to airlines and finally the customer. The money would be used to comprehensively retrain pilots, while the updated model would involve less intense additional training. Boeing is still finalizing its software upgrades for the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which will need to be submitted to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before the 737 Max grounding order can be lifted. Boeing 737 MAX software upgrade operationally suitable: FAA panel https://t.co/ZHHhfAbPjA pic.twitter.com/sKSxreyXtf Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 17, 2019 The FAA is holding talks with representatives from United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines about the next steps. More than 300 Maxes have been grounded across the world. The longer Boeings 737 MAX is grounded, the stronger the outlook for Airbus https://t.co/6MsjmZXikL The Economist (@TheEconomist) April 13, 2019 What Medieval Sources Reveal About the True Nature of the Vikings Weve seen it all in documentaries and dramas. The Viking Age begins as hordes of Vikings leap ashore from their longships, in a lightning raid against defenseless clerics and lay folk, only to depart as swiftly as they arrive, loaded up with slaves and booty. These hit-and-run raids are seen to have continued for decades before visitors from Scandinavia began to trade, negotiate, and found settlements on English soil. While it cant be denied that Viking raids were violent, the established narrative of first contact seems oversimplified in the light of contemporary evidence. The founding narrative for popular portrayals is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which survives in different versions. The core text, or common stock, was first composed in Wessex around A.D. 892 and reflects the interests of King Alfred the Great, whose career was dedicated to battling Vikings. It retrospectively reports the first atrocity by Northmen who arrived in three ships in Dorset one day between A.D. 786 and A.D. 802, and who slew a royal administrator of the kingdom of Wessex. The Northern Recension of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records heavenly portents before heathens descended on the monastery of Lindisfarne in A.D. 793. Alcuin, a contemporary, wrote a letter decrying the blood of priests being spilled across the altar of that famous Northumbrian church. The Northern Recension also records an attack the following year on a monastery at the mouth of the River Don. No further Viking activity is reported in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle until A.D. 835 when a series of raids began along the southern coasts of England. It is not until A.D. 851 that the chronicle records the foundation of a Viking base in England on the Isle of Sheppey. Supernatural Qualities In the chronicle, the first Vikings are shrouded in mystery, presented as agents of supernatural punishment more than flesh-and-blood human beings. Neglected evidence from non-chronicle sources casts more light on these events. The famous scholar Alcuin wrote many letters, but only one of these related to the start of the Viking Age (his response to the King of Northumbria about the sack of Lindisfarne mentioned above) tends to be quoted. In a letter to the Bishop of Lindisfarne, Alcuin says that he will seek help from the Emperor Charlemagne to recover the youths who had been seized in the attack. This suggests that the Viking group responsible could be identified and that diplomatic channels might have existed to secure the release of captives. A few years later, in A.D. 797, Alcuin writes to the clergy and nobles of Kent, urging them to be good Christians because a pagan people is becoming accustomed to laying waste our shores with piratical robbery. This dire view of events would have little currency if it did not reflect the experience of the Kentish elite. This suggests that more early Viking activity took place than the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports. Challenging the Popular Story Perhaps the greatest challenge to the chronicle comes in the form of a series of charters, administrative documents, which have survived from Kent relating to events from A.D. 792 to A.D. 822. It seems miraculous that so many of these fragile documents have survived intact for over 1,000 years to be consulted by todays scholars. The texts of some have only survived through later medieval copies, and more must have been lost. The charters that have survived from Kent refer to grants of land and privileges but place an obligation on the recipient to raise armies, build bridges, and construct fortifications against pagans. This suggests that Vikings were more active and better defended against than many historians have realized. Intriguingly, charters from A.D. 811 and A.D. 822 also refer to an obligation to destroy fortresses, so Vikings may have been occupying defensive sites in Kent in this period. One charter of A.D. 822 specifies military obligations against pagan enemies, which suggests that not all pagans were enemies, and some nonhostile contact may have developed. The evidence is complemented by continental accounts relating to the capture of an English papal envoy, Aldwulf. He was carried off while attempting to cross the English Channel, but was ransomed in A.D. 809 by an Englishman and eventually made his way back to Rome. Assuming that the pirates were Vikings (the term pirata was synonymous with Vikings in Frankish sources of the time), it indicates they had a base in Britain and could engage in high-level negotiations. English historiography has tended to romanticize the Vikings, either as demonic heathen barbarians or as brave empire-building ancestors. Both narratives have fixated on the violent clash between cultures and fed into dramatic accounts replete with heroes and villains. But reconsidered evidence shows that Vikings were not bolts from the blue; their activities were planned by their military leaders, and they were capable at an early stage of striking deals with communities and local leaders. The picture of early Viking contact is more complex, calculated, and pragmatic than our traditional narratives have allowed. Clare Downham is a senior lecturer in Irish studies at the University of Liverpool in the UK. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Woman Rushes to Rescue 1000lb Horse Stuck in Deep Ditch As High Tide Approaches The content is not available due to expiration. Write the Next Chapter of History With a Pen Inspired by a Legend Travel back to ancient China with a pen decorated with the weapon and legacy of one of Chinas most brilliant generals. 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With his foresight and wisdom, Han Xin helped unite China and led Liu Bang to become the first emperor of the newly minted Han Dynasty. One of Chinas largest and long-lasting empires, the Han Dynasty is often compared in glory to the contemporaneous Roman Empire in the West. His Greatest Weapon Han Xin was not only a renowned martial artist but was also famed for his unmatched moral character. One day in his youth, Han Xin was challenged by a local ruffian, who gave the future leader two options: either try to cut off his head or crawl between his legs. Han Xin had nothing to prove to the man, so he chose the latter. Witnesses laughed, but Han Xin was unbothered, showing great forbearance as he crawled through the mans legs. Years later, after Han Xin became the famous general who united all of China, he again saw that man, who begged for forgiveness. Han Xin kindly obliged, and appointed the man a position in a local government. His entire life, Han Xins strong moral fiber gave him an exceptional ability to think calmly and rationally, even in the face of life-threatening dangers. With our Scholar Ballpoint Pen, you can always carry Han Xins sword, strength, and honor with you. Continue Han Xins legacy with every word you write with the Scholar Pen. You yourself can be writing the next chapter in history. BUY IT NOW By James White, Contributing Writer Pune, India, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Cobalt Market size is expected to touch a size of USD 9,921.4 million by 2023, as per the latest report by Market Research Future (MRFR). It is primarily driven by the use of the mineral in automotive and electronic sectors. The market can expand at 8.25% CAGR over the forecast period (2018-2023) due to renewal of mining contracts of major mining companies. Market Outlook Cobalt is a mineral found in alloys of meteoric iron. The development of modern electronics which use lithium-ion batteries is causing a surge in the demand for the mineral. Subsidies provided by governments and reopening of mines can attract investors in droves. Rising inclination towards electric vehicles for reducing carbon emission levels is likely to propel the cobalt market demand. The market volume can touch 153.4 kilotons (KT) by the end of the forecast period. Recent price spikes of cobalt may impede the market growth. Furthermore, adoption of nickel batteries by the Chinese government was one of the main reasons for the decline in cobalt prices. Competition Analysis Well-known cobalt producers include Vale S.A., Jinchuan Group International Resources Co. Ltd, Eramet S.A., Sumitomo Corporation, Sherritt International Corporation, BHP, Freeport Cobalt, Votorantim Metals SA, Umicore, Glencore, and Huayou Cobalt Co. Ltd. Development of new downstream processes for increasing the production rate has been incorporated into main strategies of these players. In 2019, Independence Group, a mining company in Australia, has filed a patent for a new downstream process which can lower production costs while keeping a steady extraction rate. This patent adheres to new regulations pertaining to clean mining practices and bode well for the global market. Acquisitions are another major game-changing strategy adopted by players to gain the dominant position in the market. In February 2019, Chengtun Mining Group decided to acquire Nzuri Copper. The latters copper-cobalt project will be invaluable to the former, with the mines possessing close to 42,700 million tons. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6549 Industry News Resurgence of operations in old mines is expected to augur well for companies. Idled refineries are getting a new lease of life as contracts are being renewed by governments through public-private partnerships. Cobalt, a Canada-based company, is planning to invest close to USD 30 million for upgrading its existing refinery in 2019. The mine can provide a constant supply of cobalt sulphate to end-users in automotive and electronic sectors. In addition, opening of mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has widened the ambit within the market. In 2018, Pengxin International Mining decided to begin operations in its cobalt hydroxide plant. Sustainable mining practices have grabbed the headlines as mining companies are developing methods to minimize ecological damage. This is evident by the recent joining of Rio Tinto with the Climate-Smart Mining program initiated by the World Bank in 2019. Segmentation Analysis The global Cobalt Market is segmented by form and application. By form, the chemical compound segment accounted for 55% market share in 2017. The segment is purported to gain high dividends over the forecast period due to the use of the element in lithium-ion batteries. Its application as a colorant in enamel wear, tiles, glass pottery, and porcelain can augur well for the segment growth. Among applications, the battery chemicals segment is expected to exhibit a phenomenal 7.02% CAGR over the forecast period. this can be attributed to the increasing use of cobalt for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, a vital part of portable electronics. The uptick in sales of consumer electronic devices can continue to drive the segment growth and boost the revenue of the cobalt market. Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cobalt-market-6549 Regional Analysis Region-wise, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The APAC region is expected to be lucrative for the cobalt market over the forecast period. This can be credited to China, a major producer of cobalt which accounted for 44% global production in 2016. In March 2018, the country signed a three-year deal with Glencore for a continuous supply of the mineral. Presence of major leaders and the region acting as an industrial hub for developed economies are likely to bode well for the market. Europe was the second biggest region and can register 8.27% CAGR over the forecast period due to high mining activities in countries such as Italy, U.K., Russia, and Germany. North America is the third biggest producer in the cobalt market, with the U.S. at its forefront. It can exhibit 7.95% CAGR over the forecast period. This can be credited to the presence of major electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla. Browse Related Report: Cobalt Oxide Market Information by Type (Cobalt Monoxide and Cobalt(II,III) Oxide), Application (Lithium-ion Batteries, Paints & Ceramics, Catalyst, Additive, Magnetic Material, Oxidant, Porcelain Enamel), and Region - Forecast till 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cobalt-market-6549 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. WASHINGTON Their elevation to the majority, and to powerful subcommittee chairmanships, have not given Connecticuts Democratic lawmakers a boost in campaign fundraising at least not yet. According to the latest reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission, Reps. John Larson, D-1st District, Joe Courtney, D- 2nd District, Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, and Jim Himes, D-4th District have all started the new campaign cycle with healthy fundraising totals for the first quarter of this year. But the amount of money they have raised is not higher, and donations from political action committees are actually fewer, than the amount of campaign cash the lawmakers raised during the same period two years ago. Larson, who is the chairman of the Social Security subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, raised $104,000 from political action committees in the last quarter. In the first quarter of 2017, Larson raised nearly $117,000 from PACs. Still, Larson raised a total of about $170,000 in the first quarter and reported about $383,000 in cash-on-hand as of March 31. Both Larson and Courtney are spending part of a two-week break on a congressional delegation trip headed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Britain and Ireland. It was DeLauro who reported raising more money than any member of Connecticuts delegation to the U.S. House this year. She started the quarter with less than $17,000 in her campaign war chest, but raised $202, 587 in the first three months of the year, about $69,000 from PACs, and ended the quarter with nearly $140,000 in cash on hand. Like her Connecticut colleagues, DeLauro, who is now a cardinal or chairman of an Appropriations subcommittee, raised more money from PACs, nearly $86,000, during the same period two years ago. Courtney raised $82,167 in first quarter, $50,000 from PACs, and reported $779,055 in cash-on-hand at the end of the quarter. Joe is grateful for the strong support that has helped build one of the highest levels of cash on hand in the Connecticut House delegation, said Nick Boreen, finance director for Courtneys campaign. As we move into the next election cycle, we will continue to build on that record of support. Himes raised $107,338, nearly $50,000 from PACs, and had $2.4 million in his war chest at the end of the reporting period. Both Courtney, the chairman of a House Armed Services subcommittee, and Himes, the chairman of an Intelligence subcommittee, raised more money, from individuals and PACs, in the first quarter of 2017. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, who is starting her congressional career this year, raised $161,118. Although shes said shes been too busy to spend much time on fundraising, Hayes raised $70,000 from PACs, many of them from teachers unions and other labor groups. About half of the money that came from individuals, some $43,902, was donated by supporters who gave less than $50 and did not have to be identified individually under FEC rules. I could not be more pleased about our first quarter numbers, Hayes said in a statement. We raised over seventy-five percent of our contributions in just four days. Hayes received $27,000 in donations from fellow lawmakers, including Courtney, Himes and Sen. Chris Murphy. Hayes also received contributions from the top three Democrats in the U.S. House, Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., an indication the leadership seeks to foster good relations with this member of the freshman class. Hayes carried over more than $556,000 in campaign funds from last year and ended the quarter with more than $615,000 in cash on hand. Connecticut State Police NEWTOWN An intoxicated motorist was arrested by state police after driving the wrong way in a highway construction zone early Tuesday morning. Krzysztof Skowronski, 52, of Norwalk, was charged with operating under the influence, driving the wrong way, reckless driving and failure to maintain proper lane. All the offenses were committed within an active construction zone. SHELTON Victoria Diaz is one tough cookie. At the age of 5, she has had to battle and overcome cancer twice. She has braved the treatments, soaked up the attention she received, and is always ready for a photo. She loves the papparazzi, her mom said. Victoria will be the honorary chair at Circle of Cares 5K run to prevent childhood cancer on Sunday, May 5, at 8:30 a.m., in Wilton Center. This will be the fifth running of the 5K to benefit the organization that provides emotional, practical, and financial support to families facing their child being diagnosed with cancer. Participants may run as individuals, join a team, or form a team of their own. Team Victoria will be one of the teams running to honor the little girl who has twice had to face a diagnosis of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer in which malignant cells form in muscle tissue. In Victorias case the cancer was in her leg. She was only one year old when it was discovered. Our life changed within the blink of an eye, her mother, Emily Padilla, said. One day, we are celebrating her birthday, and a month later we are pumping chemo into her. Doctors at Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital told Emily and her fiance, Frank Diaz, Victoria had an inoperable tumor in her lower leg. As a result, she received chemotherapy treatments once a week for 10 months. In addition, she had radiation therapy Monday through Friday for six weeks. At the end of it, she was in remission for two and a-half years when a follow-up scan revealed the tumor had returned in the same place. Since she was now 4, and the tumor was small, doctors felt they could operate on Victoria to remove it. They removed her whole muscle and half her [tibia] bone, Padilla said. Doctors were able to replace the lost bone with new bone. She had a really hard recovery, she was bound to a wheelchair, then a cast, then a brace, Padilla said. Again, she received chemotherapy once a week for 10 months. We finished the last round two weeks ago, she said, and scans showed Victoria is cancer-free, although more scans are scheduled. Through it all, Victoria attended kindergarten at Elizabeth Shelton School in Shelton, where the family lives. She attended when she could and went back full time last week. From the beginning, Circle of Care was there to help the family. Circle of Care has been in our lives the past four years, helping financially and emotionally, Padilla said. Victoria has a big sister, 10-year-old Kiara, with whom she shares a room. Circle of Cares Art from the Heart team came in and did a room makeover for them. They made it into a beautiful rainbow palace, Padilla said, describing it as an incredible experience that brought my girls closer together. As difficult as Victorias ordeal was on her, it took a big toll on Kiara as well, especially hearing it is happening again, Padilla said. That burden was lessened by Circle of Care which invited the family to holiday parties and special events, all of which served as a great distraction, Padilla said. The financial support the organization provided lifted a little worry off our shoulders for a few months, helping us with rent, gas and groceries. Perhaps most meaningful of all, was the photographed family portrait they received through the Life Within the Journey program. That meant the world to me, Padilla said. Circle of Care Circle of Care has helped some 2,000 families face childhood cancer for 16 years. There are about 600 children in treatment in Connecticut at any one time. While more than 85 percent of children with cancer will survive five years or more, the number of cases diagnosed continues to climb with the incidence of pediatric cancer up 29 percent over the past 40 years. Circle of Care, which operates out of one of the historic barns at Lambert Corner on Route 7, works closely with social workers and child life specialists at Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital/Smilow Cancer Center and Connecticut Childrens Medical Center to deliver its programs. Those programs and services include: Art from the Heart which transforms a childs room at home into a dream room. Lifeline a resource for newly diagnosed families, which includes a telephone mentor program and a closed social media site for families. Lifeline Emergency Fund which helps alleviate some of the financial difficulties families face. The newest program is Bounce Back to Fitness for children coming off treatment to help them regain strength, stamina, agility and confidence. The six-week program began April 6 and is offered in partnership with Wilton-based CT Fitness Lab and Dynamic Edge Physical Therapy. Circle of Cares website says: We cant change the diagnosis, but we can bring a measure of relief along the journey. We can change moments. We can let these families know theyre not alone. Emily Padilla would agree. When asked what she would tell other families about Circle of Care, she said, I would tell them they are great resources, they connect you with other charities, theyre a great distraction for the kids and help the parents lift a worry off their shoulders, even if for a little while. Just hearing the word your child has cancer a second time, Im not sure what was more devastating, that time or the first, Padilla said. They were still there to help me the second time. Their motto is Until no family has to hear the words your child has cancer. I love it. WESTPORT Over $1 million has been spent on the last two phases of mold remediation efforts at Coleytown Middle School, according to the Westport Public Schools chief financial officer. In the 2016-17 period the district spent $710,211 on mold remediation and related professional services at Coleytown. While in the current 2018-19 remediation phase, the schools have shelled out $942,226 with another $21,664 projected to be spent soon, Elio Longo said. SIGN UP for breaking news alerts and daily emailed news updates from the Westport News Insurance proceeds covered $535,536 of the work in the 2016-17 period, leaving the district with a net cost of $174,675. The amount of insurance proceeds for this latest phase of remediation are still to be determined, Longo said. The costly expenditures for Coleytown, which closed last fall due to issues with mold, are not expected to end anytime soon, now that the Board of Education has established a Coleytown Middle School Building Committee to oversee the schools renovation. On Monday, the committee reviewed a list of 63 ideas for renovations at Coleytown recommended by the education board, Building Committee Chair Don ODay said. What the building committee needs to do is understand how many of those we can actually tackle and of those we can, which items will be done prior to the opening in August of 2020 versus those which will be spaced out over the next year or maybe two years, he added. The most important goal the committee must meet before reopening Coleytown is to make the school watertight and environmentally safe, ODay said. Any place where water has been coming in, we have to make sure that is fully sealed and repaired, ODay said. Among the repairs needed to make Coleytown watertight is a replacement of most, if not all, of the buildings windows in addition to repairs to the roof and renovations to waterproof the schools exterior. A new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is all needed to effectively control the environment within the school, ODay said. Once price estimates are finalized in June, the building committee will request funding from the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting, ODay said. svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1 TOKYO - Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un may finally be ready to meet for the first time, as Russia seeks to extend its influence and North Korea tries to hedge its bets after the failed summit with President Donald Trump. The potential of closer ties between Putin and Kim carries historical resonance dating back to the countries' Cold War bonds. But Moscow has bigger diplomatic priorities around the world, experts say, and is unlikely to disrupt U.S.-led efforts to pressure North North to unwind its nuclear program. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week that preparations were underway for a meeting, while Russian and South Korean newspapers said the pair may meet in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East next week, as Putin makes his way to a summit on China's Belt and Road initiative in Beijing. In a sign of Moscow's growing relevance, U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun is holding talks with Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," according to the State Department. For Kim, a summit with Putin would be another step in the international rehabilitation of the once-ostracized leader. It would also be Kim's chance to send a signal to both Washington and Beijing that he has other options. For Putin, a summit would mark another milestone in his effort to show Russians - and the world - that he has brought his country back as a global diplomatic power. "Russia wants to be the groom at every wedding and the dead man at every funeral," said Georgy Kunadze, a retired Russian diplomat in East Asia. But it wasn't clear, he said, what Russia could deliver since it "will never vote on North Korea at the U.N. Security Council differently from the way China votes." There has been a flurry of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries of late. North Korea's Vice Foreign minister Im Chon Il visited Moscow last month, and Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev was in Pyongyang in April. Two Russian parliamentary delegations visited Pyongyang last month and this week, while there have been daily contacts between officials from the two sides in recent weeks, one diplomat said. Andrei Lankov, a Russian North Korea expert at Seoul's Kookmin University, said Russia wanted to become an important regional player but lacked the influence in either Washington or Pyongyang to really insert itself into the Korean diplomatic process. "Russia can have some say in Pyongyang but only if it is going to pay," he said. "Your willingness to pay does not guarantee you will be taken seriously in Pyongyang, but if you don't pay you are never taken seriously." Lankov said Putin was unlikely to offer Kim a major aid package, simply because Russia has more pressing priorities in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Indeed, that's probably why such a summit, often rumored, has not yet happened. As Lankov put it: Kim knew it wasn't worth his time and effort until now. But the calculation in Pyongyang may have changed after the breakdown of February's summit with Trump in Hanoi. Last week, Kim gave the United States until the end of the year to fundamentally change its stance. In the meantime, Kim is likely to be looking to China and Russia for diplomatic support and covert sanctions relief. He may also have been disappointed that South Korean President Moon Jae-in failed to secure any sanctions relief for North Korea when he visited Trump last week in Washington, experts said. "Newly strengthened ties with Russia could be something Kim seeks to display for Moon and Trump to see," said Lee Jai-chun, a former South Korean ambassador to Russia who now heads the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights. "But it's unlikely that Washington would feel any pressure or threat from such a move." But if Kim is trying to tell Trump he has other friends, he may also be sending the same signal to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Relations with China have improved dramatically in the past year, but there is still plenty of deep-rooted distrust between Pyongyang and Beijing. "Kim doesn't want to put all his eggs in China's basket since there is heavy reliance on the country for North Korea's economic livelihood," said David Kim, a research analyst at the Stimson Center in Washington. "Being under the shadow of China gives all the more reason to hedge against it." North Korea's ties with Russia date back to its foundation as a member of the Soviet-led Communist bloc. Like Beijing, Moscow doesn't want regime change in Pyongyang, which could destabilize the region and potentially bring a U.S.-friendly unified Korea up to its border. But it doesn't want Pyongyang to become a nuclear-weapons state either. That's why Moscow voted alongside Beijing for relatively tight sanctions at the United Nations Security Council at the height of tensions in 2017. Since then, though, some Russian companies have covertly skirted the sanctions, principally through ship-to-ship oil transfers, experts say, and Moscow been pushing for sanctions to be eased. But experts said it was unlikely Russia would openly flout U.N. sanctions. Last year, Russian attempted to insert itself into nuclear negotiations by making a secret offer to North Korea to build a nuclear power plant if it dismantled its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, U.S. officials said. Last month, Russian Far East development minister Alexander Kozlov was quoted as saying Russia was seeking new ways to boost trade with North Korea without violating sanctions. But experts said trade has limited potential to expand, with Russia not interested in North Korea's mineral resources or seafood. Tens of thousands of North Korean workers are employed in Russia, providing an important source of foreign exchange for the regime, but under U.N. sanctions they are supposed to be sent home by the end of the year. There has been talk of Russian investment in ambitious railway and gas pipeline projects linking both Koreas with Russia, but even if sanctions are lifted Russian companies are unlikely to want to sink billions of dollars into projects that could easily fall prey to geopolitics, experts said. In short, Putin's meeting with Kim may be heavy on symbolism and fine words, but light on deliverables. "It's a useful and interesting sideshow, but it's not where the major policy is made," said Lankov, who is also a director at NK News, which closely follows North Korean affairs. "The major policy is now made only in Pyongyang and Washington. Even Beijing has been basically pushed aside." - - - Troianovski reported from Kiev, Ukraine. The Washington Post's Min Joo Kim in Seoul and Anna Fifield in Beijing contributed to this report. Pune, India, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global viscouspplementation market size can touch USD 5,243.19 million by 2023, expanding at 8.96% CAGR from 2018 to 2023 (forecast period), as per Market Research Future (MRFR). The ineffectiveness of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physical therapy have created the high market demand. Large prevalence of OAK is expected to be the major driver of the market. This can be attributed to high obesity rates and physical accidents which led to articular cartilage demand. According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), more than 30 million in the U.S. were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2015. Osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) is a disease becoming highly prevalent among young adults and elder ones as well. Viscosupplementation products combined with hyaluronic acid which can be an effective treatment for providing lubrication and restoring mobility. Launches of novel products are predicted to bode well for the market growth in the forthcoming years. In February 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave approval to Zimmer-Biomet for extending its efficacy claim of its product, Gel-One Cross-linked Hyaluronate for OAK. The new claim asserts a reduction in patient visits which can propel the sales of the product and boost growth in the viscosupplementation market. Industry News Development of new formulations for ensuring the lubrication in joints is expected to augur well for the viscosupplementation market. Studies have revealed that sub-micron particles with surface coatings possesses the potential to lubricate degenerate joints. To this regard, Anika Therapeutics has launched MONOVISC, a single-injection supplement, which provides pain relief for close to 6 months. The organic formulation has been recommended by European and U.S. federal regulatory agencies as a replacement for synovial fluid. Success of these drugs have led to its development for treatment of OA in hip, wrist, and shoulder. Medical reimbursement policies which cover patients with OAK can benefit the market. For instance, Bluecross Blue Shield has rolled out a new policy effective from 2019 which reimburses patients with OAK and those who failed to respond to physical therapy and other medications. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7255 Competition Analysis Well-known names in the viscosupplementation market include Sanofi, Hoffmann-La Roche, Smith & Nephew Plc, Anika Therapeutics Inc., Ferring B.V., Regen Lab SA, Allergan, Zimmer Biomet, Fidia Farmaceutici S.P.A., and Bioventus. Players are competing on the basis of differentiation, price, and availability. Segmentation Analysis The global viscosupplementation market is segmented by hyaluronic acid type, procedure type, application, and end-user. By hyaluronic acid type, the stabilized hyaluronic acid segment accounted for a large market share in 2017 thanks to high product quality and negligible impurities. By procedure type, the three-injection procedure is expected to lead the market over the forecast period due to its advantages over its counterparts. Its low pricing compared to single-injection and short duration of treatment with five-injection procedure is likely to bolster its demand significantly. It can touch a value of USD 2,602.58 million by 2023. On the other hand, the single-injection procedure segment can accrue significant revenue for the Viscosupplementation Market owing to its increased use in treating knee osteoarthritis. By application, the knee arthritis segment held the largest market share in 2017, followed by hip osteoarthritis. The hip arthritis segment can generate significant revenue for the market in the forthcoming years after successful clinical trials guaranteeing its efficacy. By end-user, hospitals & clinics held the lions share in the viscosupplementation market due to prevalence of osteoarthritis and the huge geriatric populace. This can be credited to the large patient pool catered by these institutions. In addition, the partnership with insurance companies for providing sufficient coverage for patients is likely to culminate in the segment generating maximum revenues for the market. Access Details of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/viscosupplementation-market-7255 Regional Analysis Region-wise, the market is segmented into Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The Americas held the numero uno position in the viscosupplementation market primarily driven by patient preference for minimally invasive procedures from major surgical procedures. Massive demand in viscosupplementation products, presence of various medical players, and enhanced healthcare infrastructure in regions of Canada and the U.S. are factors which can drive regional market demand. The APAC region is touted to generate close to USD 447.24 million by 2023, expanding at 10.48% CAGR over the forecast period. Patient awareness of single-injection treatment and inclination towards minimally invasive surgeries in Australia, China, and India are factors which can spur the regional market demand. Lax regulations in South Korea make it a viable choice for future investments for leading players. Make an Enquiry before Buying Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/7255 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. This is my kind of menu! Marsha exclaimed as she scanned the oversize broadsheet. There are at least twenty things here I want to eat. Billed as an oyster bar-bistro, the emphasis is on seafood at Dariens Ten Twenty Post, but theres plenty of bistro fare too. We dont seem to get to Darien very often, even though its right next door. A lecture by art historian and curator Robin Jaffee Frank at the Darien Historical Society the week before broke the ice. She gave a fascinating talk on art during World War I as part of the just-opened exhibit Over Here: Darien's WWI. We wanted to come back to have lunch and a closer look at the poster collection and local war memorabilia. At lunch, a selection of carefully chosen cheese and charcuterie ($16) along with a platter of chilled seafood demonstrated the quality of the ingredients at Ten Twenty and the kitchens flair for presentation. Of course, oysters are featured. We picked three east coast types: Bluepoint (2.50 ea), our local benchmark; briney Quonset (2.95) from Rhode Island; and tiny and aptly named Fancy Sweet (3), from PEI. As Marsha noted, the menu was extensive and inviting. Tempting apps and salads competed with bistro style mains, fresh seafood, mussels, pasta, and sandwiches. Like any authentic bistro, the same menu runs continuously, all day for both lunch and dinner. Drop in any time 11:30 to 9. The kitchen is always open. Fish tacos (20) featured halibut, the catch of the day, with a kicky Baja sauce and a heap of Southwest salad (black beans, greens, cherry tomatoes and corn on a bed of tortilla chips). Delicious and a little messy as these things should be. The salmon B.L.T. (18) came on thinly sliced flavorful black bread with crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a tasty remoulade sauce. Im sure the fries would have been excellent, but I opted for a nicely dressed tangle of mixed greens. The greens, I should note, are not the usual rip-open-a-box mixed greens but a carefully blended in-house mix of the best available market lettuces. You would think wed had enough, but who could resist the 1020 signature dessert Toll House cookie pie (7). Warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, it was worth the extra calories. The long-tenured service staff moves effortlessly among the tables easy going but very professional. Theyre happy to give the details on any menu item and help you pick once youve narrowed down your options. Youll be lucky to be served by either Sarah or Linda. The large wood-paneled restaurant has a traditional bistro mosaic tile floor, marble topped bar, and dark wood paneling. Red leather banquettes line the walls facing bentwood chairs. Theres an outdoor patio ready when the warm weather finally arrives. On the other side of the tracks, just past the Goodwives shopping center, the Darien Historical Society occupies the restored 1736 Bates-Scofield Home which is joined to the reconstructed 1827 Scofield barn. The home is filled with the furniture and household tools of everyday life back in the day. But we were headed for the barn, an open exhibit and event space, now filled with the World War I exhibit. The visual centerpiece of the show is the display of propaganda posters drawn from the museums large collection. America was papered with posters, which were designed to persuade people to enlist, buy war bonds, support the troops, and get women into the workforce. Hundreds of thousands of posters were printed, mostly by the government, to get the war effort organized. They were the social media of the day. Artists across the country were commissioned to create colorful, dramatic, attention-grabbing art. The most memorable of these was the I Want You poster of Uncle Sam created by James Montgomery Flagg as a magazine cover in 1916. The Darien collection reflects all the messages and a range of artistic styles. The exhibit also features WWI uniforms and artifacts from Darien families. The uniforms, in particular, are in remarkable condition for their 101 years. A roll of honor describes seven Darien residents who died in the war. No trip to Darien is complete without a stop at the Darien Cheese Shop. Here Ken and Tori Skovron have created a revered destination for cheese lovers. Decades have been invested in cultivating sources for the finest cheese around the world. Each cheese is presented at its peak of flavor and ripeness. Right next door is Aux Delices where Chef Debra Ponzak offers up delicious prepared foods, take out, and baked goods something for teatime or supper after the museum. Both stores are adjacent to the Bates-Scofield Home in the Goodwives Shopping Center. We left Darien well-educated and well- fed, with plans to return for more. Frank Whitman can be reached at NotBreadAloneFW@gmail.com. DUBLIN - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's warnings about Brexit, the Irish peace pact and implications for U.S. trade with Britain have triggered some tense talks in private meetings between a congressional delegation and British conservatives seeking an exit from the European Union. In an address to the Irish Parliament on Wednesday, Pelosi reiterated that Congress will block any U.S. trade pact if Britain's divorce from the European Union undermines the 1998 Northern Ireland accord that ended 30 years of deadly conflict. Pelosi, D-Calif., had delivered the same message to British leaders during meetings in London earlier this week. "We must ensure that nothing happens in Brexit discussions that imperils the Good Friday accord, including, but not limited to the seamless border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland," Pelosi said in a speech to mark the lower house's centenary. "Let me be clear: if the Brexit deal undermines the Good Friday Accords, there will be no chance of a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement." Pelosi's tough words led to a "frank exchange of views" Tuesday between the U.S. lawmakers and members of the European Research Group, the pro-Brexit members of the British Parliament, said U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa. "It's good to have discussions between people with honestly held opinions," Boyle told The Washington Post on Wednesday. "There might have been one or two in the ERG who were extremely passionate and there might have been a few strong disagreements. It was a good, honest exchange, but there was no yelling or screaming." A report in the Irish Times had characterized the encounter as "forceful and at times heated," prompting the ERG leader, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, to suggest there were a few "snowflakes" in the meeting. "It seemed to me courteous and amiable," Rees-Mogg said of the session in a statement to The Post. He added: "It is also wrong to say the ERG members were in any way displeased with the lunch. It was, in its way, flattering that American politicians should take such an interest in our affairs." Boyle laughed when asked about Rees-Mogg labeling members of the congressional delegation "snowflakes." "Look, Speaker Pelosi is one of the toughest people I know and nobody could accuse her of being a snowflake," Boyle said. During the trip, Pelosi also met Irish President Michael Higgins and the two discussed opportunities for "deepening the long and enduring friendships" between Ireland and the United States, the future of European integration, Brexit and the Good Friday accord, according to a spokesman for the president. In her speech to Parliament, Pelosi expressed support for Ireland's membership on the U.N. Security Council, which has five permanent members, including the United States and the United Kingdom, and 10 nonpermanent members elected for two-year terms. "You were an early pioneer on nuclear nonproliferation - sponsoring a vital resolution at the U.N. in 1961 to oppose the spread of nuclear arms. Early leaders, visionaries," Pelosi said. "You have continued to take the lead on peace, in the global peacekeeping and humanitarian missions that are filled with and led by Irish men and women." The Democrat said that during the congressional visit, the lawmakers have heard "excellent arguments" about Ireland being a member of the Security Council. "From the roots of heritage and history, a modern Ireland has blossomed," Pelosi said. Pelosi also praised the country for producing "some of the greatest writers of poetry and prose the English language has ever known," such as William Butler Yeats, James Joyce and Seamus Heaney. "And in modern times, another purveyors of the word from Ireland - Bono and U2 - one of Ireland's most beloved exports and whose music and mission," Pelosi said before realizing that Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, were in the visitors' gallery listening to her speech. "Oh, there you are," she said as she burst out in laughter. Pelosi said the rock band's "music and mission of advocacy stirs the spirit of the world while embracing the pride of [the] Irish." Pelosi said she has probably attended more U2 concerts than any other member of Congress. She blew a kiss to Bono. NORWALK East Norwalk residents got a glimpse Monday night of what to expect when work begins on three bridges in the neighborhood as a part of the Walk Bridge project. State Department of Transportation officials attended the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association meeting to provide residents with details regarding the expected duration of the projects, which could cause traffic and noise concerns in the area. John Hanifin, project manager of the Walk Bridge Program, said replacing the three aging rail bridges East Avenue, Osborne Avenue and Fort Point Street were packaged with the Walk Bridge project to minimize the amount of time spent in Norwalk on rail improvements. Hanifin estimates the work on these projects, along with improvements to Metro-Norths interlocking system, would take an additional two years if done separately. The three projects, along with a fourth, unrelated project to replace the Strawberry Avenue rail bridge scheduled to begin this month and end in fall 2020, has some East Norwalkers concerned about potential traffic jams along four adjacent routes stretching from a main road heading into Westport to South Norwalk. Hanifin tried to allay some of those concerns at the meeting. While the projects will be done at the same time, Hanifin said the DOT plans to close no more than one of the affected roads at once. Hanifin also said closures would be limited to off-peak hours, between about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Were not here to try and negatively affect you guys. Were doing the best that we can, Hanifin said. Chris Mojica, program manager from consultant WSP USA, said the work will also be scheduled to avoid road closures that conflict with scheduled events that would temporarily increase traffic in the area. Were not going to work during the Oyster Fest or the SoNo 5k. Were trying to reach a happy medium here, Mojica said. Hanifin acknowledged, however, that road closures in South Norwalk could occur at the same time as similar closures in East Norwalk. All three bridge projects are scheduled to begin about a year-and-a-half after the start of the Walk Bridge project, which is expected to start this fall. Each is expected to last about three years. The East Norwalk bridge replacement, which is estimated to cost $26 million, will include a lowering of the roadway to comply with federal clearance regulations, an extension of the East Norwalk train stations platforms and upgrades to its parking lot. Unlike the other two bridges, the East Norwalk structure will need to be built in place. Since the intersection also sees the most traffic of the three, Hanifin said, it will also be subject to the most restrictive of the construction time frames. Estimated at $20 million, the Fort Point bridge replacement will include a realignment of Washington Street, which will connect to South Smith Street, instead of Fort Point Street. Diane Cece, chairwoman of the ENNA, raised concerns that the road realignment which was a new addition to the project design could open the door for more land grabs by the state. There should be no additional easements. At least, thats the plan, Hanifin replied. The Osborne Avenue bridge is the least costly of the three projects at about $12 million, and it will include a superstructure replacement and rehabilitation to its substructure. There will also be a sidewalk added to the east side of the underpass. For ambitious Brits like me, America has always been a tempting-but-slightly-daunting market. When I founded my reputation-management consultancy two decades ago, I initially focused on growing the business in the U.K. A decade ago, like countless others before me, I decided to make a big effort to break into the American market -- you know, like The Beatles. I cleared my diary and booked a two-week trip to New York, deliberately resisting the urge to arrange too many meetings because I wanted to soak up the atmosphere and make some new contacts. By the end of my first week, Id taken in the sights, eaten way too much food and really started to feel optimistic about what lay ahead. Thanks to some referrals, I returned to the U.K. with two clients to my name and was feeling excited about the potential to grow my U.S. business. Fast forward to today, and a majority of my companys revenue comes from American clients; Im in America for business every other week, and Im actually writing this column from my New York office. When I look back at that first east-coast reconnaissance trip, I remember how it felt to first encounter Americas pioneering, can-do spirit, and I realize how much I have learned since then. Its taken a decade of ups and downs and a lot of hard work to get to this point. Here are the main lessons Ive learned since then. 1. Americans are generally far more positive in business (and in life). For example, think about how personal bankruptcy is viewed here. It happened to me in the U.K., where it still has a stigma. In America it can be seen as a positive thing -- a sign that a person has tried and failed, but also, crucially, learned and bounced back. In Silicon Valley, youre not even considered a proper CEO until youve got a couple of bankruptcies under your belt. Scars on your back, as they put it. Failure is a virtue if you learn from it. 2. U.S. business culture is typically more formal. One small example of this is the dress code. Suits, albeit not always with ties, are more common, although there are signs that this is changing, with investment bank Goldman Sachs recently relaxing the dress code for its employees. Communication in U.S. business is usually also more formal than in the U.K. The formality is also manifested in how (in my experience) it takes longer to win the trust of Americans in business relationships than it does in the UK. 3. Americans give far more direct feedback. This is something I found hard to adjust to initially, but soon came to view as refreshing. In my experience of business in America, if a client is unhappy with your service, the client will soon tell you without pulling any punches. Thats fine -- you know exactly why the client is unhappy and can plan how to fix the problem before it snowballs into something really serious. In the U.K., communication is often more coded. Its not unusual to lose a client, and the first time you hear about their displeasure is when you get a polite, brief email giving notice that theyre terminating your contract. 4. American culture is far more entrepreneurial than the U.K. More people own shares and aspire to be entrepreneurs. Americans watching U.K. news bulletins may be surprised to see politicians talking about creating a more entrepreneurial, business-friendly culture, because in America thats a given. There were 739,000 new businesses in the US in 2018 -- up from 560,000 in 2010. 5. Americans love Brits ... ... even though you like to tease us about our class system and the state of our teeth. I never fail to be thankful that most Americans I do business with seem genuinely interested in and curious about British culture, and my general Britishness. One taxi driver, after learning I was British, asked if I knew heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis. I explained that I didnt, because there are about 55 million people in Britain, but I loved his friendliness. (Incidentally, when I tweeted about this, Lennox Lewis replied back, suggesting that I should have pretended I did!) I dont pretend to be anywhere near a U.S. insider or an expert on your business culture -- humor can sometimes get lost in translation, for example -- but I feel like I have learned a lot during a decade of doing business here. Related: What This Brit Has Learned From 10 Years of Doing Business in the States A Post-Brexit Future for Entrepreneurs: How to Navigate an Uncertain Climate Ola All Set to Bring Autos in the Land of Royals Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved While there is a race among cannabis cultivators to have the largest greenhouse in the world, the race is on for medical cannabis biotechs to create a synthetic form of CBD, one that is not derived from the cannabis plant, but cooked up in a lab. Greenhouses packed with those verdant, pungent plants could become relics of the past, because if youre a medical cannabis patient, its not the plant that you need, its the cannabinoids -- and both THC and CBD can be synthesized. For medical marijuana pharmaceutical companies, synthetic cannabinoids could cut massive costs of growing the plant and quicken the FDA approval process. The first company to create and patent a CBD compound would command a serious edge in this fast-growing industry. Related: Move Aside, CBD: New Data Finds THC Is the Real Medicine in Medical Marijuana What is synthetic CBD? Were not talking about the so-called synthetic marijuana, a misnomer with the street names K2 and Spice which was turning New Yorkers into zombies a few years back. K2 is an illegal chemical sprayed on potpourri thats smoked like marijuana, but theres no marijuana involved. The manufacturers keep tweaking the compound to stay one step ahead of the law. Instead, we are talking about a purified analog of CBD, a naturally occurring compound that has a relatively simple molecular structure, making it easy to produce through organic chemistry in a pharmaceutical setting. It would be synthesized in a lab, not grown in a greenhouse. Its important to realize that we are still in the infancy of medical cannabis. In the future, nobody will be smoking weed to reduce epileptic seizures, just as nobody chews on the barks of willow trees to relieve pain - they take aspirin. People still smoke pot, but not children with epilepsy, who take Epidiolex in the form of an oral solution to reduce their seizures. Penicillin is another treatment that originates naturally, in mold, but was synthesized and mass produced during World War II. So it isnt much of a stretch to imagine pharmacists, chemists and chemical engineers taking CBD one step further, and combining it with other compounds to form a completely new pharmacopeia of treatments for a myriad of diseases. Related: This Entrepreneur Wants to Cure the Sick with High-Quality Cannabis Biotechs are in a race to synthesize CBD. Scientist at the University of California, Berkeley recently announced that they were the first to create cannabis compounds in a lab, out of yeast, through the process of biosynthesis. Companies like CannBioRex Pharmaceuticals are in race to be the first in the industry to design and develop pharmaceuticals that board-certified doctors will feel comfortable prescribing to their patients, potentially generating billions of dollars in sales. Last year, Ginkgo Bioworks signed a $122 million deal with the Canadian cannabis company Cronos to make cannabinoid compounds in a lab. CB Therapeutics plans to fashion cannabinoids out of sugar and Hyasynth plans to make them out of yeast. Why synthesize CBD, anyway? The advantage of synthetic CBD, versus the plant, is that its relatively low cost and easier to mass produce. Presumably, it will be easier to navigate regulatory hurdles, as well, since it wont originate in a plant with a tricky legal status. CBD is one of 80 compounds in the marijuana plant. Its the non-psychoactive cousin of THC, the famous compound that gets you high. CBD doesnt get you high, but it does reduce epileptic seizures, which is why the FDA approved it for that purpose, when the agency greenlighted Epidiolex last year from GW Pharmaceuticals. CBD has also been approved for state medical marijuana programs for the treatment of chronic pain and various other indications, but this is based on anecdotal evidence and has not been supported by clinical trials. Related: FDA Approves Its First Marijuana-Derived Drug The economics of CBD are too big to ignore. CBD is a fast-growing subcategory of the cannabis industry, with sales tripling to $367 million from 2014 to 2017, and projected to reach $1.3 billion by 2022, according to New Frontier Data. Sales have accelerated since Congress passed the Farm Bill last year, ostensibly removing hemp from federal prohibition but leaving CBD in a legal gray area. Now big publicly-traded retailers like CVS and Walgreens are planning to sell CBD. Within this medical space, the best way to make a profit from CBD is patent it, and the only way to patent this compound thats in the public domain is to combine CBD with newly discovered proprietary compounds that are proven to have medical benefit. The race to synthesize is underway. Thats easier said than done, which is why no ones done it yet. But the race is on! This is the drive behind biotechs like CannBioRex and Katexco Pharmaceuticals, which are seeking to harness the properties of CBD in conjunction with other compounds to create anti-inflammatory drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. The drugs would be put through clinical trials and eventually submitted to the FDA, just like any other traditional pharmaceutical thats synthetized in a lab from chemical compounds. Medical cannabis isnt just about smoking pot anymore. The so-called Second Generation of medical cannabis will come in the form of a patented pill, not from a plant firmly rooted in the public domain. Related: Why Synthetic CBD Is (Probably) the Future of Cannabis Pharma The Cannabis Industry Is Embracing John Boehner as Reluctantly as He Is Embracing Cannabis Why Former NBA Star Al Harrington is Betting On Cannabis Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved WILTON - Police have arrested a New York woman in connection with a $17,000 heist at Campus Jewelers in October 2017. On Wednesday, Wilton police detectives traveled to Bedford Hills Correctional Center in New York and took custody of Paula Hurtado, 38, of Astoria, N.Y. on an active arrest warrant. Hurtado was extradited to Connecticut to face felony larceny in the first-degree charges. It is the third arrest in the case in which four people conducted a distraction-type larceny at the 5 River Road jewelry store. The heist happened around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2017. Three women and one man staged the theft. Wilton police said the three women distracted two salespersons by having them show merchandise, while the man stole jewelry from behind the counter in another part of the store. Suveillance cameras showed the man sneaking behind the corner and stealing jewelry. The man put the stolen items in a brown paper shopping bag that he was carrying, police said. The suspects then purchased an item with cash and left the store with an estimated $17,000 in stolen jewelry. Hurtado posted a $100,000 bond and is due back in court on April 26. Previously arrested were Yolanda Santa, 56, of Ridgewood, N.Y. and her daughter Erika Santa, 32, of Jamaica, N.Y. Police said the fourth and final suspect in this case is currently incarcerated and will be extradited from New York when they complete the sentence. HAMPTON, Va., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. has donated more than 100,000 pounds of protein to Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. Smithfields contribution was part of the companys 2019 Helping Hungry Homes donation tour. Helping Hungry Homes is Smithfields signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 432,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across the Greater Peninsula. The mission of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is to distribute food effectively through collaborative efforts that minimize hunger, promote nutrition, and encourage self-reliance through education, said Karen Joyner, CEO of Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. Smithfields Helping Hungry Homes program continually goes above and beyond to support our mission and values, providing us with much-needed, nutrient-rich products, while raising awareness of food insecurity in our area. This is the 16th large-scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2019 Helping Hungry Homes donation tour. Since the programs inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided more than 120 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide. At Smithfield, we value the opportunity to uplift our companys social purpose efforts through donations supporting hunger relief, and the chance to give back to our home state of Virginia, said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. With many of our Smithfield Family residing in the area, providing this donation is a great honor as we seek to promote community vitality all across the country, especially in areas we call home. For more information about Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes initiative and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com . About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathans Famous, Farmland, Armour, Farmer John, Kretschmar, John Morrell, Cooks, Gwaltney, Carando, Margherita, Curlys, Healthy Ones, Morliny, Krakus, and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com , and connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Instagram . About Virginia Peninsula Foodbank Since 1986, the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank has been providing hunger relief to the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg, and the counties of James City, Gloucester, Mathews, Surry, and York. We are able to provide more nutritious meals to families through collaboration with over 200 partner agencies and programs, to include our child nutrition programs (Food for Kids BackPack, Kids Cafes, and Summer Food Service), our over 30 monthly mobile food pantries, and our emergency food boxes. The Foodbank has provided over 157 million meals in 32 years. We are a proud member of Feeding America, the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, and the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula. Our vision is to inspire hope by leading the effort for a hunger free and properly nourished community. For more information, visit us online at our website , on Facebook , and on Twitter . Media Contacts: The Canadian city of Nanaimo, in British Columbia, has been a scrappy outpost of the Hudsons Bay Co., a coal mining center and a timber town. But its place in history may be forever entwined with its culinary namesake, one of the worlds sweetest treats. The Nanaimo bar pronounced nuh-NYE-mo is a three-layer no-bake square that for the past seven decades or so has been a steadfast source of comfort to Canadians at weddings and funerals, birthdays and bar mitzvahs. Across the country, youll find the sugary bars for sale at small-town gas stations and supermarkets, where they compete with Nanaimo bar baking kits. In 2017, the Tim Hortons restaurant chain created a filled doughnut with the flavors of the Nanaimo bar for the nations sesquicentennial, a nod to its status. Even its name is proudly Canadian. I like to call it the Kardashian of Canadian desserts because really, if it had been named anything else, I dont think it would have lasted, said Lenore Newman, author of Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey. But its the Nanaimo bar, so of course people make it. The square looks something like a geological cross section. Its base is sedimentary: coconut and chopped walnuts bound together by a buttery silt of cocoa and crushed graham crackers. A middle layer of yellow buttercream teeters on the brink of liquefaction. And its top crust of chocolate, hard and brittle, thaws like the Arctic tundra the longer it lingers at room temperature. Its that balance of sweetness and texture that makes it just so appealing, and it looks pretty, said Anna Olson, a pastry chef and host of the Food Network Canada show Bake with Anna Olson. For the home cook, its an attractive dessert: It doesnt look sloppy; it doesnt look crafty. The Nanaimo bars story begins with the so-called dainty recipes of the mid-20th century, treats engineered to be whipped up for unexpected company from pantry staples. The base layer was one of these 1950s recipes that circulated among housewives in mill towns all around the British Empire, said Newman, a geography professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, in British Columbia, who also noted that a New Zealand dessert, the caramel slice, has a similar base. Newman believes that the women of Nanaimo added the middle and top layers. The first mention that she and a student, Shea Wind, could find was in a 1953 recipe in The Vancouver Sun for London smog bars, which stated that they also were called Nanaimo bars. The use of custard powder an instant custard mix that was a pantry staple of the empire, devised for those with egg allergies gave their new dainty its distinctive yellow belt. Around the same time, bakers in Canadas prairie provinces were serving up a similar creation, also called the smog bar, which Jean Pare, 91, learned how to make from her mother, Ruby Elford, in Irma, Alberta, a town of 250 about 110 miles southeast of Edmonton. I forget how many dos I went to before I finally found that they were called Nanaimo bars by other people, she said in a phone interview, using an old-fashioned term for a gathering. Pare is a well-known Canadian cookbook author whose Companys Coming books have sold by the millions. She included Nanaimo bars in her first book in the series, 150 Delicious Squares, in 1981. Before she wrote cookbooks, Pare catered events. Nanaimo bars were almost always on the dessert-square tray, which would make an appearance anytime a sweet snack was required, often at the midnight lunch served after the dinner and dancing at Albertan wedding receptions. I didnt have to bake them, and they froze so well, she said. Only once, she said, did she decide to sub out the Nanaimo bar, and people asked for them by name. So that was the last time I ever tried that, she said. Susan Mendelson was a university student in Vancouver, British Columbia, in the 1970s when she started making the bars and selling them at a local theater, using a recipe from a classmate. They were a hit, and she opened a catering company, the Lazy Gourmet, with a friend. She published the basic recipe in her first cookbook, Mama Never Cooked Like This, and variations in subsequent ones, including the official cookbook of the 1986 Worlds Fair in Vancouver, which Newman credits with helping to spread the bars fame. Mendelsons version of the bar was so good that novelist Margaret Atwood included it in her Canlit Foodbook, which compiled writing and recipes from Canadian authors. And the city of Nanaimo finally took notice of its well-traveled square. A mascot, Nanaimo Barney, turned up at public functions, and a contest was held in the 1980s to find the ultimate Nanaimo bar recipe. Joyce Hardcastle, a widow with two children, pulled a recipe, provenance unknown, from her recipe box and decided to enter Nanaimos contest. Allergic to walnuts, she swapped in almonds. And she made the bars with European-style unsalted butter, rather than the salted butter that often was used. I really think that the city didnt want peanut butter in them, or mint or liqueur, Hardcastle said. I think they just wanted something basic, and thats what I did the really basic Nanaimo bars and thats what won, to my surprise. She since has sold tea towels and aprons printed with her recipe, and has made so many bars that she can tilt her baking pan so the molten chocolate forms a topping as smooth as freshly Zambonied ice. Nanaimo, for its part, has designated local restaurants and cafes where people can try the bars, in the spirit of the food-tourism trails that two regions in Ontario have created for that other signature Canadian dessert: the butter tart. Despite all the variations on the Nanaimo bar versions exist made with peanut butter, mocha and cranberry there still are rules to be followed, said Olson, the pastry chef. Youre allowed to change it and alter it, but you still have to respect the crust, filling, chocolate topping, she said. You can still call it a Nanaimo bar by changing up the flavors. The buttercream takes well to flavorings, and you can experiment with the nuts in the base layer. (Though Atwood, a purist, prefers walnuts.) If you do change up the nuts, you want a tender choice, like almonds or pecans. A hazelnut might show its texture and be too crunchy, Olson said. Custard powder may be one reason the Nanaimo bar hasnt spread farther south. While it is available online and at some specialty stores in the United States, it remains a relatively obscure ingredient to Americans. Some recipes say instant vanilla pudding can be used as a substitute, but that makes the buttercream clumpy, and the finished bar lacks that essential yellow hue. I have a container of Birds Custard Powder that sits in my pantry because its only function is for Nanaimo bars, Olson said. I wouldnt use it for anything else. I make my own custard for any other situation. Nanaimo Bars Yield: 16 bars Total time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hours chilling For the base: cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces cup/50 grams granulated sugar 1 large egg 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups/235 grams graham cracker crumbs 1 cup/85 grams unsweetened shredded coconut cup/50 grams finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans (or a mixture) For the buttercream: cup/60 grams unsalted butter ( stick), at room temperature 3 Tablespoons heavy cream 2 Tablespoons custard powder, such as Birds 2 cups/245 grams powdered (icing) sugar For the chocolate topping: 4 ounces/115 grams semisweet chocolate, broken into -inch (1-centimeter) pieces 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional) Line an 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan with parchment, allowing parchment to overhang by about 2 inches on two sides. Prepare the base: In a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of boiling water, whisk butter with granulated sugar, egg, cocoa powder and vanilla until melted. Continue whisking until mixture thickens slightly, from 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts until the mixture is well-combined and resembles wet sand. Transfer mixture to the parchment-lined pan and use your fingers to press it into an even layer. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add heavy cream and custard powder and mix until combined, scraping sides and bottom of the work bowl as needed. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix on low until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed, then mix on medium-high speed until smooth, light and fluffy, from 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from refrigerator. Dollop the buttercream on top of the base layer then gently spread it evenly on top using an offset spatula. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to chill until buttercream is set, about 30 minutes. Prepare the topping: In a small, heavy saucepan or a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter over low, stirring often, until melted and evenly combined, from 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Take pan from refrigerator and pour chocolate on top of buttercream layer. Working quickly and carefully, spread the chocolate evenly over the buttercream using an offset spatula. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using. Return pan to refrigerator and chill until chocolate hardens, about 25 minutes. To serve the bars: Lift excess parchment to remove Nanaimo square from the pan. Cut into 16 2-inch squares. Store bars in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving. Store remaining bars in the refrigerator for a few days, or wrap well and freeze. Have fun remembering all of your passwords. With Disney+ slated to launch in November, the streaming landscape is set to become more comprehensive and complex. At $6.99/month relatively inexpensive by streaming standards the flashy service should give fellow heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu (in which Disney also has stakes) and Amazon Prime a run for their money. With such a concentrated and ever-evolving streaming landscape, it can be difficult to know which platform will be hosting your favorite shows and films. Heres a guide to help clear things up. Disney+ $6.99/month, available in the U.S. as of Nov. 12 Disney+ (or Disney Plus) is being touted as a treasure trove of long-lasting, valuable content for fans of the worlds most beloved talking mouse and the seemingly infinite (and beyond) characters and canons his legacy has since ushered in. Were talking classic Disney, new age Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and following last months acquisition that overtook a good chunk of Foxs properties, much, much more. In a heavily anticipated presentation, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger teased some of the incoming roster of content, much of it bearing a striking resemblance to the methods of Netflixs own madness. Year one will fire in several directions: 10 original movies, 25 original series, every episode of The Simpsons (all 30 seasons of it), the majority of the Star Wars flicks, every Pixar film to date, and classic Fox films like Titanic and TV like Malcolm in the Middle. HIGHLIGHTS: Disney Plus will be the exclusive home to a massive slate of content, both films and television alike. Available films will include those originally released in theaters like Captain Marvel (available day one) and Avengers: Endgame, along with The Lion King, and Toy Story 4.? Original films that will be housed include Stargirl, a live-action adaptation of Lady and the Tramp, and an animated Phineas and Ferb film. Original series will also get plenty of play, including Avengers spinoffs with familiar Marvel Comics Universe faces (an untitled Hawkeye-led show, WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki); Star Wars spinoffs such as The Mandalorian, which cost about as much to make as an early season of Game of Thrones, and a Rogue One prequel led by Diego Lunas character in the film; Monsters at Work, starring the original voices behind Monsters, Inc.; and National Geographic projects (The World According to Jeff Goldblum and Magic of the Animal Kingdom). Disney Channel original series like Hannah Montana will also join the party, though theres been no word yet on Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOM). All told, the library will span over 500 films and 7,500 television episodes. Netflix starting at $8 (soon to be $9)/month Netflix aimed for about 700 original series in 2018. The overwhelming number encompassed 80-some-odd shows from outside the U.S., as well as long-running U.S.-made favorites like Stranger Things, Grace and Frankie, and Orange is the New Black. Netflixs 2018 goals also included 80 original flicks, including Roma winner of three Oscars and the much-talked about Bird Box. Netflix currently offers Marvel hits (Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, and Thor: Ragnarok), relics of Disneys Golden Age (Pocahontas, Mulan, and Hercules) and Star Wars flicks (The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story), but the majority of Disney-owned content will leave Netflix by years end. Netflixs Marvel collaborations like the Marvel Defenders shows, meanwhile, fall into a bit of a gray area. With three of the five series canceled in 2018, the remaining two got the chop earlier this year, though Jessica Jones will see its third and final season on Netflix later this year. Its been said Disney Plus could someday resurrect the shows, but its up in the air, and reportedly unlikely. For now at least, it looks like these series will remain on Netflix. HIGHLIGHTS: Stranger Things The Crown Making a Murderer Roma The Office (U.S. and U.K.) Friends The Twilight Zone Monty Python and the Holy Grail Pulp Fiction Spotlight Hulu starting at $5.99/month Best known for its television offerings, most of which are not original content but are largely exclusively distributed to the service, Hulu has ventured into creative territory in recent years, with some rewarding results. HIGHLIGHTS: The Handmaids Tale Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Seinfeld The Act Alfred Hitchock Presents The Dark Knight Shrek Space Jam I Love Lucy The Mary Tyler Moore Show Amazon Prime Video $8.99/month Prime has nowhere near the slate that Netflix does, a bit at odds with its home site of Amazons reputation for selling everything under the sun, but sometimes less is more. And Primes work has already garnered plenty of critical acclaim, not least from the Emmy and Academy Awards. HIGHLIGHTS: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Hanna Homecoming Cold War Hereditary Manchester by the Sea Moonlight Top Gun Downton Abbey Suits HBO NOW/HBO GO $14.99/month w/out TV package; varies with TV package/digital subscription (Amazon, Hulu, etc.) HBO has long been lauded by critics and fans for its original programming and films, both documentary and otherwise. Several of HBOs widely-regarded classics are available, at least partially, on Prime, though its only through the actual network and its streaming services that youll find the full slate. As the non-original films are only available for a limited time, these highlights will only include HBO original programming. HIGHLIGHTS: Game of Thrones Veep Curb Your Enthusiasm Sex and the City The Sopranos Leaving Neverland The Case Against Adnan Syed Big Little Lies The Leftovers Last Week Tonight with John Oliver CBS All Access starts at $5.99/month New kid on the block CBS All Access is small but mighty, offering few but celebrated programs. HIGHLIGHTS: The Good Fight Star Trek: Discovery The Twilight Zone (2019) Survivor The Late Late Show with James Corden The Big Bang Theory Apple TV Plus cost and launch date TBD Also projected for a fall 2019 launch date is Apples own answer to Netflix, et al. Boasting plenty of big names, Apples been relatively tight-lipped when it comes to specifics such as the release date and the subscription cost. What we do know though are some of the faces (including Damien Chazelle and Chris Evans) set to work on and/or appear in the services original programming, here are the most notable. HIGHLIGHTS: Untitled morning show series (Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston) Amazing Stories reboot executive produced by Steven Spielberg Are You Sleeping? (Octavia Spencer) Untitled M. Night Shyamalan Thriller (Rupert Grint) Little America (written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon) Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) OTHER OPTIONS Non-subscription-based but similarly-minded services are also part of the vast streaming landscape. Sony Crackle offers shows like All in the Family, Bewitched, and Charlies Angels, alongside movies like Bugsy, Closer, and Foxcatcher. Relatively limited, the CW App offers original series Riverdale, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Whose Line Is It Anyway? Tubi, available as a Google Chrome extension, currently boasts True Grit (2010), Memento, Super Size Me, and shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun and Peep Show. EDWARDSVILLE Double-takes and curiosity happened at the Edwardsville Culvers restaurant located at 6724 Old Troy Road Tuesday during ButterBurgers and Badges, an event benefitting Special Olympics Illinois. Six members of the Edwardsville Police Department opened doors for customers and brought orders to dine-in and carry-out customers from 4-8 p.m. WASHINGTON, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 300 hospice and palliative care advocates are on Capitol Hill today as part of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations Leadership and Advocacy Conference held this week at the Marriott Wardman Park. Advocates met with congressional staff to reinforce the value of the Medicare Hospice Benefit to the over 1.4 million beneficiaries it serves annually. In addition to promoting NHPCOs legislative priorities for 2019, advocates provided information about legislation supported by NHPCO including: In the morning, advocates heard from administration and congressional officials before heading to Capitol Hill. Lance Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spoke during the conference closing plenary. At the close of the program, Senator Ben Cardin (MD) reinforced the importance of grassroots advocacy and sent well wishes to advocates as they departed for Capitol Hill. NHPCOs advocacy campaign My Hospice was a common theme throughout the entire conference and especially during the meetings on Capitol Hill. My Hospice, entering its second year, was designed to reinforce the value of the Medicare hospice benefit among policy and healthcare decision makers to foster a policy environment that will support patient access to high quality, comprehensive hospice and palliative care. As Medicares first coordinated care model, hospice is one of the few sectors that demonstrates how healthcare can and should work at its best for its patients, offering a successful model for expanding access to person-centered, integrated care to all patients with serious, advanced and life-limiting illness, and their caregivers. So far, the campaign has reached hundreds of thousands of people through traditional, digital, and social media. Hospice and palliative care providers have embraced the campaign and use it to highlight how critically important hospice and palliative care are to Americans across the country. To learn more about the My Hospice campaign, please visit MyHospiceCampaign.org . Media Contact: Jon Radulovic Vice President, Communications Ph: 703-837-3139 jradulovic@nhpco.org About NHPCO NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCOs mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life. SANTA ANA, Calif., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, southern California-based KPC Health announced that U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ernest M. Robles approved the Asset Purchase Agreement for KPCs Strategic Global Management to acquire Verity Holdings, LLC, St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles, St. Vincent Dialysis Center, Seton Medical Center in Daly City, and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach. No other proposed bids exceeded the KPC Groups original stalking horse bid of $610 million. Therefore, no auction was required for the Verity hospitals. KPCs bid was approved by Verity Health Systems Board of Directors on April 15, 2019. The court-approved bid will be submitted to the Attorney General for approval. Today marks an important milestone for KPC Heaths bid to acquire four Verity Health hospitals, said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Chairman of The KPC Group and KPC Health. We look forward to working with Verity Health on a successful acquisition and welcoming these important community hospitals into our integrated healthcare system. KPC remains very optimistic about the future of these hospitals, their employees, and the value they bring to delivering quality health care to many California communities, said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health and Managing Director of The KPC Group. KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities. KPC Healths current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California. Additionally, KPC Health is acquiring seven long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities located in Kansas, Utah, Mississippi, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas, which will bring its integrated healthcare system to 20 facilities nationally combined with the Verity Health acquisition. HARTSVILLE, S.C., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest global diversified packaging companies, has been named one of Americas Best Large Employers of 2019 by Forbes, ranking in the top 50 percent, and as the top ranked company in the packaging sector. We are honored to be included as one of Americas best employers, said Rob Tiede, Sonoco president and CEO. As we celebrate our 120th year in business, it is the principle of Better Packaging. Better Life. that guides our work, and it is our people who make it happen. At Sonoco, we work to create a collaborative culture and family-centered work environment. In collaboration with analytics firm Statista, Forbes selected Americas Best Large Employers based on an independent survey from a vast sample of more than 50,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations. Learn more at www.forbes.com/best-large-employers. About Sonoco Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.4 billion, the Company has 23,000 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 36 countries, serving some of the worlds best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies for 2019 as well as Barrons 100 Most Sustainable Companies. For more information, visit www.sonoco.com . MONACO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE: STNG ) ("Scorpio Tankers," or the "Company") announced today that on Thursday, May 2, 2019, the Company plans to issue its first quarter 2019 earnings in the morning (Eastern Daylight Time) and host a conference call at 8:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time and 2:30 PM Central European Summer Time. Conference Call Details Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019 Time: 8:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time and 2:30 PM Central European Summer Time US Dial-In Number: 1 (855) 861-2416 International Dial-In Number: +1 (703) 736-7422 Conference ID: 5249065 Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time. The information provided on the teleconference is only accurate at the time of the conference call, and the Company will take no responsibility for providing updated information. Slides and Audio Webcast: There will also be a simultaneous live webcast over the internet, through the Scorpio Tankers Inc. website www.scorpiotankers.com . Participants for the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast. Webcast URL: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/fuakrmuz About Scorpio Tankers Inc. Scorpio Tankers is a provider of marine transportation of petroleum products worldwide. The Company currently owns or finance leases 109 product tankers (38 LR2 tankers, 12 LR1 tankers, 45 MR tankers and 14 Handymax tankers) with an average age of 3.7 years and bareboat charters-in 10 product tankers (three MR tankers and seven Handymax tankers). Forward-Looking Statements Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forwardlooking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forwardlooking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forwardlooking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. Scorpio Tankers desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, plan, target, project, likely, may, will, would, could and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements. The forwardlooking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although management believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, there can be no assurance that Scorpio Tankers will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The Company undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, except as required by law, to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forwardlooking statements include, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, expansion and growth of the Companys operations, risks relating to the integration of assets or operations of entities that we have or may in the future acquire and the possibility that the anticipated synergies and other benefits of such acquisitions may not be realized within expected timeframes or at all, the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with the Company, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for tanker vessel capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of offhires, and other factors. Please see Scorpio Tankers filings with the SEC for a complete discussion of certain of these and other risks and uncertainties. Contact Information Scorpio Tankers Inc. (212) 542-1616 TORONTO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wayland Group (CSE:WAYL) (FRANKFURT: 75M) (OTCQB:MRRCF) (Wayland or the Company) would like to address recent reports in the media about the selection process in Germany for domestic medical cannabis cultivation. Earlier today, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) announced that 9 of the 13 cultivation licenses that were previously announced have been officially awarded. Wayland, through its joint venture with DEMECAN GmbH (DEMECAN), was originally selected by BfArM to receive three licenses to produce medical cannabis in Germany. Per the announcement, four licenses remain under review as they have been challenged by a third party. Waylands quality concept received 60 out of 60 points for quality and 40 out of 40 points for price. The Company believes that their concept is clearly superior to that of the parties challenging the award to DEMECAN and do not believe there is merit to their complaints. Wayland fully expects that the award of three lots to DEMECAN will be confirmed. More information will be provided once it becomes available. About Wayland Group Wayland is a vertically integrated cultivator and processor of cannabis. The Company was founded in 2013 and is based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada and Munich, Germany, with production facilities in Langton, Ontario where it operates a cannabis cultivation, extraction, formulation, and distribution business under federal licenses from the Government of Canada. The Company also has production operations in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, Regensdorf, Switzerland and, Allesandria, Piedmont, Italy. Wayland will continue to pursue new opportunities globally, including the consummation of its previously announced transactions in the United Kingdom, Australia, Colombia, and Argentina, in its effort to enhance lives through cannabis. Forward Looking Information This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. For more information about Wayland, please visit our website at www.waylandgroup.com Contact Information: Investor Relations Graham Farrell VP, Communications Graham.Farrell@waylandgroup.com 647-643-7665 Media Inquiries: media@waylandgroup.com Corporate Headquarters (Canada) Wayland Group Corp. (Toronto) 845 Harrington Court, Unit 3 Burlington Ontario L7N 3P3 Canada 289-288-6274 European Headquarters (Germany) Wayland (Deutschland) GmbH c/o Wayland Max Joseph Str. 7 80333 Munich CALGARY, Alberta, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Diamond Group Limited (Black Diamond or the "Company) (TSX: BDI), a leading provider of modular space solutions and workforce accommodations, today announced the timing of the Companys 2019 first quarter results and the date of its 2019 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders. First Quarter 2019 Results Black Diamond expects to release its 2019 first quarter results on Thursday, May 2, 2019 after market close. Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders Black Diamond also announced it will hold its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The details are as follows: Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019 Time: 3:00 pm MT (5:00 pm ET) Location: Calgary Petroleum Club Devonian Room 319-5th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta Information related to the Meeting, including the Management Information Circular, Proxy Form and the Letter to Shareholders, has been posted on the Companys website under the Annual Meeting Material section at https://www.blackdiamondgroup.com/investor-centre/annual-meeting-material/ . About Black Diamond Group Black Diamond Group rents and sells space rental solutions and modular workforce accommodations to business customers in Canada, the United States and Australia. The Company also provides specialized field rentals to the oil and gas industries of Canada and the United States. In addition, Black Diamond Group provides turnkey lodging services, as well as a host of related services that include transportation, installation, dismantling, repairs, maintenance and ancillary field equipment rentals. From twenty-two locations, the Company serves multiple sectors including oil and gas, mining, power, construction, engineering, military, government and education. Black Diamond Group has two core business units: Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. Learn more at www.blackdiamondgroup.com . For investor inquiries, please contact Jason Zhang at 403-206-4739 or investor@blackdiamondgroup.com To sign up for news alerts please go to https://www.blackdiamondgroup.com/investor-centre/news-alerts-subscription/. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. All information, other than information regarding historic fact that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future is forward-looking information. The words will, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intent, may, project, should, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Black Diamond does not have any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as expressly required by applicable securities laws. GM US HAS OVERNIGHT moved one step closer to bankruptcy following the rejection of a debt for equity offer by GM to its bondholders (the banks and institutions holding US$27.2 billion in GM debt securities). Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for GM is now all-but certain; perhaps as early as tomorrow. Of such a size and scale, it will be a history-making moment. How it is handled by the company, by the powerful United Auto Workers union (UAW), and the Obama Administration will likely define the future of the US as an auto-making powerhouse for decades to come. While restructuring may be easier under Chapter 11, whether GMs new majority owners - the US Government and the union (and better include taxpayers in there) - can work with the GM Board to make the hard decisions to return the company to profitability, is far from certain. Tellingly in these times, GM last Friday reached agreement with the UAW on payment terms for the $20 billion owed by GM to the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (a health care trust fund for GM retirees), as well as on redundancy packages (worker buyouts) for GMs overweight workforce. Among the terms, the union is reported to have agreed to take 17.5 percent of common stock in a restructured GM, plus $6.5 billion in preference shares and a $2.5 billion note to be paid out between 2013 and 2017. The automaker will also put $10 billion into the VEBA trust fund, half of the $20 billion reportedly owed. The worker buyouts are also a key part of the negotiated agreement. GM is aiming to cut its US workforce from 61,000 to 40,000. It hopes to speed things along with a cash and car-voucher inducement to encourage workers to retire. Under the agreed strategy, GM is offering up to US$115,000 plus a US$20,000 voucher toward a new GM car for workers with 20 years or more service, scaling down for those with less years of service. Agreement with the union on job-shedding is seen by the Obama Administration as an important step in restructuring GM for profitability. But the bondholders have been tougher nuts to crack. GM had offered them an equity for debt swap, offering them 10 percent equity in the restructured company a proposal that has been widely criticised as inadequate . The bondholders are holding out, an action that will likely force the hand of the US Government in tipping GM into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. With no agreement with bondholders, GM will likely seek bankruptcy protection before the June 1 Government deadline for restructure, just days away. We could get an announcement any time, perhaps as early as tomorrow Australian time. US component suppliers, who have been identified as needing US$8 billion in aid as a result of the collapse of the US market and the dire troubles of its big three, can do little but wait. So too can GMs subsidiary brands such as Holden, Vauxhall, Saab and Opel. News from Germany however is that GM is near to finalising the sale of Opel, with German Government support, and with Fiat emerging as the front-runner. The German Government of Chancellor Angela Merkel has an election approaching. The last thing it wants is the collapse of GM Opel and the loss of tens of thousands of production-line jobs. Government Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg met with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne in Berlin after which he told reporters that Fiats offer and its plan to create a transatlantic car empire that would also include Chrysler, looked serious . Fiat had also reportedly committed to retaining jobs and GM Opel plants. Others bidding for Opel are Magna, RHJ International and China's Beijing Automotive Industry Corp (BAIC). An announcement on GM Opel can also be expected before the June 1 deadline. That leaves just a day or two before the automotive world as weve known it for decades is about to be turned on its head. IN RECENT YEARS Subaru has made it clear that it favours the development of diesel powertrains over investing in hybrid technology. But with global buyer sentiment shifting (and more manufacturers getting on the hybrid train), Subaru has now declared its intent to also bring a hybrid model to market. Subaru's hybrid is slated for a 2012 debut. At this stage though it's unknown whether it will be an entirely new model or an addition to an existing product line. Subaru has dabbled in hybrids before, unveiling the petrol-electric B5 TPH concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005 (above), however this is the first solid indication from the Japanese company that it is committed to the technology. Toyota, which holds a 16 percent stake in Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), will provide technological assistance for the project - a coup for Subaru, considering Toyota's reluctance to spread its hybrid know-how beyond its own brands. Tougher environmental regulations planned for the United States are rumoured to be the primary motivators behind Subaru's decision, however the company won't be abandoning its diesel plans anytime soon. The Japanese automaker is still working on a diesel powerplant that will satisfy the incoming US legislation, and FHI CEO and President Ikuo Mori says the new engine should arrive on the scene in 2011 or 2012. The third prong in Subaru's eco-assault will be all-electric, with the company currently engaged in testing its Stella EV and R1-e battery-electric (above), with the Stella to go on sale in Japan later this year and the R1-e possibly heading Stateside in the near future. With hybrids, diesels and electric vehicles all in the works, could Subaru overtake Toyota as the most environmentally-friendly manufacturer? Watch this space. English French LONGUEUIL, Quebec, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX-SWY) (the Corporation or Stornoway) announces the appointment of Mr. Dino Rambidis as Chief Financial Officer of Stornoway, effective immediately, replacing Mr. Orin Baranowsky, who has decided to step down from his current role. Mr. Baranowsky will remain with the company up to the end of May 2019 to ensure an orderly transition and will provide support to Mr. Rambidis. In addition, Stornoway is pleased to also announce the promotion of Ms. Annie Torkia Lagace as Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Rambidis is a chartered professional accountant with more than 30 years of experience in senior financial management positions with public and private companies across multiple industries, notably in the financial sector. Prior to joining Stornoway, he served as Senior Vice-President, Corporate Finance at Fiera Capital, Vice President, Finance and Operations at PSP Investments, and Senior Director, Finance at TAL Global Asset Management. Ms. Torkia-Lagace has been Vice-President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel of Stornoway since 2014 and has several years of experience in business development, corporate finance and public company governance. She has played an important role in the governance of the Corporations projects since joining Stornoway. Patrick Godin, President and CEO of Stornoway, stated, We are pleased to welcome Dino, who is a seasoned leader with extensive financial experience, and is a valuable addition to our leadership team. I would also like to thank Orin Baranowsky for his commitment and significant contributions over the past six years. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Orin during this period and could always count on his loyalty and integrity, and I sincerely wish him continued success in the future. Annie has been a long-time loyal colleague, who successfully combines law and finance. She has distinguished herself through her hard work, her precision and her ability to develop effective business strategies. Her significant contribution to the organization is recognized by our partners and appreciated by her colleagues. Her promotion is an acknowledgment of her expanded responsibilities and her perseverance. ABOUT STORNOWAY DIAMOND CORPORATION Stornoway is a Canadian diamond exploration and production company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY and headquartered in Montreal. A growth-oriented company, Stornoway owns a 100% interest in the world-class Renard Mine, Quebecs first diamond mine. The head office of Stornoway is located at 1111 St. Charles Ouest, Bureau 400, Tour Ouest, Longueuil, Quebec, J4K 5G4. On behalf of the Board STORNOWAY DIAMOND CORPORATION /s/ Patrick Godin Patrick Godin President and Chief Executive Officer LOWELL, Mass., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3), a business-to-business collaborative that drives the commercial adoption of green chemistry, has announced the 10 semi-finalists for the GC3 Startup Networks 4 th Annual Technology Showcase , which will be held May 7, immediately preceding the annual GC3 Innovators Roundtable on May 8-9 in Cincinnati, OH. Through a competitive application process, the 10 startup companies earned the opportunity to pitch their chemicals, materials, products, and manufacturing technologies at the Technology Showcase. The audience will include chemical manufacturers, formulators, brands, retailers, and investors. Representing Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the 10 semi-finalist startups offer an array of technologies and chemistries for industries such as cosmetics and personal care products, building products, apparel and textiles, cleaning products, electronics, adhesives and coatings, bioplastics, pharmaceutical, and energy: The semi-finalists are: The event is organized by the GC3 Startup Network , a program that fosters green chemistry entrepreneurship and accelerates the development of and market pull for green chemistry technologies. GC3 members actively seek to offer products that are not only high-performing and cost-competitive, but also safe for people and the environment, said Julie Manley, Coordinator of the GC3 Startup Network. Nearly 20 GC3 members including Lowes, HP, Inc., Beiersdorf AG, Sherwin-Williams, and Eastman have contributed to a list of sustainable chemistry technology needs to help clarify priority areas. Visolis, Inc., one of the innovators chosen to present at the Technology Showcase, has created a cutting-edge biotechnology platform to manufacture biointermediates from a variety of biomass feedstocks. These unique biointermediates are then converted into a wide array of renewable chemicals for industries ranging from cosmetics and fragrances to solvents and polymers. As a startup company with a technology that has broad applications across diverse sectors, we are thrilled to have this valuable opportunity to present our technology to sustainable design experts in all of our targeted industries at one event, said Paul Petersen, Vice President, Visolis. Its an ideal method of introducing our company to an informed and receptive audience, said Petersen. The winners of the Tech Showcase pitch competition will then pitch their solutions to a panel of business and technology experts on the main stage during the GC3 Innovators Roundtable. The panelists include Stephen Crawford, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Eastman; Danny Haynes, Common Application Team Leader, Corporate RD&I, Nouryon; Al Iannuzzi, Vice President of Sustainability at Estee Lauder Companies; and Martin Mulvihill, General Partner with Safer Made. Eastmans vision is to become the worlds leading material innovation company for the markets that we serve, thereby enhancing the quality of life globally for generations to come, said Steve Crawford, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Eastman. The GC3 Annual Innovators Roundtable and Technology Showcase helps us reach our goals by creating an environment that fosters innovation and collaboration throughout the value chain to bring sustainable chemistry solutions to market. At Safer Made we are dedicated to financing innovative solutions that enable sustainable products in a variety of industries, said Mulvihill. The GC3 Technology Showcase is an ideal setting to find startups creating sustainable chemistry technologies, and to stimulate conversations about potential partnerships and investments, added Mulvihill. About the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) Started in 2005, the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) is a business-to-business collaborative that drives the commercial adoption of green chemistry by catalyzing and guiding action across all industries, sectors and supply chains. Over 125 organizations are members of the GC3. For more information, visit www.greenchemistryandcommerce.org . About Eastman Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The companys innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,500 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2018 revenues of approximately $10 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com . About Safer Made Safer Made is a venture capital fund that invests in safer products and technologies to enable brands and retailers to address their safer chemistry needs to bring products to market that resonate with consumers. For more information, visit www.safermade.net . About Visolis, Inc. Visolis combines advanced bioengineering with chemical processing to provide sustainable, carbon-negative materials. The company integrates innovations in synthetic biology, chemical catalysis and process scale-up to enable new bio-based manufacturing platforms. Its unique bio-based process enables true carbon negative chemical synthesis. Visolis is located in Hayward, CA with close collaborations with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the University of California at Berkeley and Davis. It has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To learn more, visit www.visolisbio.com . GC3 Media Contact: Joy Reo Communications Specialist Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) joy@joyreo.com 617-794-8619 (mobile) A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/2ccaaf50-f5ec-4f2c-aad7-ce2680a8bdb9 Day 6 of Seven Days road-safety campaign sees woman hospitalised in motorbike accident PHUKET: According to official statistics, Phuket suffered just one injury during Day 6 of the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the Songkran holidays, from midnight to midnight yesterday (Apr 16). By The Phuket News Wednesday 17 April 2019, 01:00PM Phuket suffered just one injury in an accident yesterday (Apr 16), according to official statistics. Photo: MK / 7 Days Line Group The one person injured was 23-year-old Panthira Tunsom, who fell from her motorbike after she clipped a car while overtaking in front of Dibuk Hospital on Chao Fa West Rd at 2:10pm yesterday (Apr 16), the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) reported this morning. Ms Panthira suffered cuts and abrasions, and a punctured lung. She was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment, the DDPM noted in its report. Ms Panthira was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, the report also noted. The official report this morning for Day 6 of the Seven Days campaign marked a total of three people killed and 33 others injured in 30 accidents on Phukets roads since the Seven Days campaign began on April 11. However, The Phuket News has been informed of another death, that of 68-year-old Rigoberto Ignacio, originally from the Philippines, who died after the motorbike he was riding was struck by a Mercedes-Benz being driven by Cambodian national Le Min Tai at the intersection of Kwang Rd and Chao Fa West Rd in Wichit at about 1:30am this morning (Apl 17). Le Min Tai was found to be drink driving and has been charged. The Phuket News has yet to confirm more details regarding the accident. Meanwhile, Phuket police reported issuing 2,048 fines for moving violations during the 24-hour period, as follows: 65 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle 145 fined for not wearing seatbelts 520 fined for driving without a licence 78 fined for speeding 60 fined for ignoring traffic signals 74 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow) 47 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic 50 fined for using mobile phones while driving. 52 people were arrested for drunk driving during the period. 957 people fined for not wearing helmets Across Thailand, a total of 71 people were killed and 2,340 injured yesterday (Apr 16), according to the website for the national road-safety agency ThaiRSC. The national Road Safety Centre this morning reported that so far 348 people had died and a further 3,176 people had been injured to the extent of requiring hospital treatment from injuries sustained in road accidents since the campaign began last Thursday (Apr 11). Manhunt launched for American over seastead fiasco PHUKET: Phuket officials this morning confirmed that they are now searching for American Chad Elwartowski, whose permit to stay in Thailand has been revoked and is now wanted on criminal charges filed by the Royal Thai Navy. immigrationmilitarycrimeconstructionmarine By Tanyaluk Sakoot Wednesday 17 April 2019, 01:56PM American Chad Elwartowski and his Thai partner Supranee Nadia Thepdet are now wanted by the Thai military and the police for threeatening national security over a seastead built 42 kilometres south of Phuket. Photo: Chad Elwartowski Facebook public profile photo The news came after an urgent meeting called this morning to discuss the issue of the seastead south of Phuket that the Royal Thai Navy has now filed a criminal complaint against, and is moving to have destroyed. Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana initially ejected reporters from the meeting, attended by Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai along with officers from the Phuket Provincial Police, Phuket Marine Office, Phuket Immigration Police, the Royal Thai Army, and the Phuket Public Prosecutors Office, among others. The meeting began with images showing the construction of the seastead in question. However, Phuket Governor Phakaphong soon interjected, saying, Today we will talk about the seastead with officials. "Please, all reporters must leave. This case concerns details at an international level. I order every official in the room that all questions and information must be passed through Vice Governor Supoj only because I want all information (to the public) to be accurate, with no misunderstandings. It is a sensitive case involving international people (sic), he said. The Royal Thai Navy last Friday (Apr 12) filed a criminal charge with the Wichit Police against Mr Elwartowski and his Thai partner Supranee Nadia Thepdet for breach of Section 119 of Criminal Code over the installation of a seastead some 42 kilometres south of Phuket. (See story here.) The section concerns any acts that cause the country or parts of it to fall under the sovereignty of a foreign state or deterioration of the states independence. It is punishable by death or life imprisonment. Mr Elwartowski and Ms Supranee have since gone into hiding, fearful for their safety. (See story here.) As of this morning, Mr Elwartowski is a fugitive of Thailand while Ms Supranee remains wanted by police. Mr Chads visa has now been revoked. His actions have impacted the nation. His name has been added to the immigration blacklist, he is banned from staying in or re-entering Thailand, Phuket Immigration Chief Lt Col Kathatorn Kumthien told The Phuket News. His right to stay at in the Kingdom of Thailand has ended, Col Kathatorn said. We believe he is still in Phuket. I am searching for him to talk with him and to enforce to law, Col Kathatorn added. Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Witoon Kongsudjai confirmed to The Phuket News, Right now we are preparing to get evidence against the entities responsible for building the seastead. Immigration have already been to the house where Mr Chad was registered as living but both he and Ms Supranee were not at home. We are continuing our search for the couple, he added. The move to hunt down the couple follows posts on the website for Ocean Builders, which operates the project to build the seastead, criticising Thailand and its current leaders for being a dictatorship and a tyranny. Chad and Nadia are safe for now but understand that Thailand is currently being run by a military dictator. There will be no trial if they are caught. They already demonstrated that by being judge jury and executioner of the historic very first seastead, a post uploaded to the website over the weekend says. It has been reported that the first seastead, XLII, has been or is in the process of being demolished by the Thai navy. It is also being reported that our first residents, Chad Elwartowski and Nadia Summergirl (SM Supranee) are being held responsible for building the seastead and putting it in its current location. Nothing could be further from the truth. Chad and Nadia were volunteers excited about the prospect of living free. They took pictures and videos of the whole process and posted it on social media. They spent a few weeks on the seastead and documented their adventure. They were in no way involved in the design, construction, decision on where it was located or any funding for the construction of the seastead. If you read the Reason article (see here) that describes the seastead accurately writes the facts: "The team surrounding the project were early adopters of bitcoin, and with wealth acquired that way it has spent around $150,000 on the project " Other news articles took this to mean that Chad Elwartowski funded the project because he was also an early adopter of bitcoin. Chad did not spend any of his own money on the project other than perhaps some sheets for the bed and he brought all of his own dishware when he moved in, the post notes. (See Ocean Builders website, click here.) STEINHAUSEN, Switzerland, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) today issued a quarterly Fleet Status Report that provides the current status of, and contract information for, the companys fleet of offshore drilling rigs. Since its last report Transocean added approximately $373 million in contract backlog, bringing total backlog to $12.1 billion. This quarters report includes the following new contracts: Development Driller III Customer exercised a six-month option offshore Equatorial Guinea; Leiv Eriksson Customer exercised a one-well option in the Norwegian North Sea; Ocean Rig Poseidon Customer exercised two one-well options offshore Angola; Transocean Leader Awarded a one-well contract offshore U.K. North Sea; Ocean Rig Mykonos Awarded a 550-day contract plus an option period of 815 days offshore Brazil; Ocean Rig Corcovado Awarded a 629-day contract plus an option period of 680 days offshore Brazil; Deepwater Nautilus Awarded a six-well contract offshore Malaysia; and Deepwater Asgard Awarded a two-well contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The report can be accessed on the companys website: www.deepwater.com . About Transocean Transocean is a leading international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The company specializes in technically demanding sectors of the global offshore drilling business with a particular focus on deepwater and harsh environment drilling services, and believes that it operates one of the most versatile offshore drilling fleets in the world. Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in, and operates a fleet of 48 mobile offshore drilling units consisting of 31 ultra-deepwater floaters, 13 harsh environment floaters, and four midwater floaters. In addition, Transocean is constructing four ultra-deepwater drillships; and one harsh environment semisubmersible in which the company has a 33.0% interest. Forward-Looking Statements The statements described in this press release that are not historical facts are 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. These statements contain words such as "possible," "intend," "will," "if," "expect," or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results could differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, estimated duration of customer contracts, contract dayrate amounts, future contract commencement dates and locations, planned shipyard projects and other out-of-service time, sales of drilling units, timing of the companys newbuild deliveries, operating hazards and delays, risks associated with international operations, actions by customers and other third parties, the future prices of oil and gas, the intention to scrap certain drilling rigs, the success of our business following the acquisitions of Songa Offshore SE and Ocean Rig UDW Inc., and other factors, including those and other risks discussed in the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and in the company's other filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on the SEC's website at: www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize (or the other consequences of such a development worsen), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or to persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur, or which we become aware of, after the date hereof, except as otherwise may be required by law. All non-GAAP financial measure reconciliations to the most comparative GAAP measure are displayed in quantitative schedules on the companys website at: www.deepwater.com. This press release, or referenced documents, do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and do not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of Transocean and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of Transocean. Analyst Contacts: Bradley Alexander +1 713-232-7515 Lexington May +1 832-587-6515 Media Contact: Pam Easton +1 713-232-7647 Watertown police chief debunks TikTok school violence threat There have been no threats identified in South Dakota and there's "no reason to believe these are credible in any way," Chief Tim Toomey said VALHALLA, N.Y., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USI Insurance Services (USI) has been named by Forbes as one of Americas Best Large Employers for 2019, ranking as the only insurance brokerage and consulting firm on this years list. We are excited to see the extraordinary work of our associates reflected in USIs culture and resulting recognition as a leading employer of choice for the second consecutive year, said Michael J. Sicard, USIs chairman and chief executive officer. Through our more than 6,000 industry-leading professionals, connecting as ONE to deliver the USI ONE Advantage, we are delivering on our vision to create a different and better experience for our clients, communities and team members. Kim Van Orman, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for USI, added: Our back-to-back recognition by Forbes as one of Americas Best Large Employers is a strong testament to the rewarding employee culture and work environment we are building. We invest heavily in developing our associates through our USI ONE platform, and by offering one-of-a-kind employee reward and recognition programs that truly distinguish USI as a leading employer within the risk management and consulting industry and beyond. The 2019 Forbes list of Americas Best Employers is developed in partnership with market research firm Statista. Americas Best Employers are chosen based on an independent survey of more than 30,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. Survey participants were asked to anonymously rate their employers on work-related topics such as working conditions, salary, potential for development, company image and willingness to recommend their employers to friends and family. The full report is available on Forbes.com at: https://www.forbes.com/best-large-employers/#6a8737eafb3e About USI USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects together over 6,000 industry-leading professionals across more than 150 offices to serve clients local, national and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage , an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities . For more information, visit usi.com or follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter . ### Contact: Timothy Denton USI Insurance Services 914-747-6339 timothy.denton@usi.com NORRISTOWN A woman who was driving drunk when her vehicle crashed into a tree in Whitemarsh Township potentially faces time in jail after she admitted to causing serious injuries to a passenger in the vehicle. Nancy Yorro, 40, of the 2800 block of North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to a felony charge of aggravated assault by a vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the July 2018 crash in Whitemarsh. Judge Risa Vetri Ferman deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Yorro, including drug and alcohol evaluations. Yorro was permitted to remain free on bail pending a sentencing hearing later this year. Yorro faces a possible maximum sentence of 5-to-10-years in prison on the charge. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence. The investigation began about 8 p.m. July 15, 2018, when Whitemarsh police responded to a report of a one-vehicle crash with injuries in the area of Ridge Pike and Spring Mill Road. Arriving officers observed a 2013 Toyota Corolla off the roadway and crashed into a large tree, Whitemarsh Police Officer Richard Stemple alleged in the arrest affidavit. The Toyota was traveling eastbound on Ridge Pike and drifted off the right side of the roadway. The Toyota hit a curb driving up on the sidewalk before traveling about 100 feet striking a tree, Stemple alleged in the criminal complaint. Police said Yorro and a front-seat passenger, a 54-year-old male, had to be extricated from the vehicle and they were flown by medical helicopter to Penn Presbyterian Hospital for treatment. The male passenger, who was bleeding from the nose and complained of pain in his chest and abdomen, suffered a closed abdominal injury and fractured ribs, police alleged. Yorro, who complained of pain in her legs and chest, suffered a broken right clavicle, an ankle fracture and a wound to the abdomen, police said. Rescue personnel said they detected an odor of alcohol on Yorros breath and they said she admitted to drinking alcohol prior to the crash. The male passenger also admitted to drinking alcohol and on his person police found a receipt from a Conshohocken restaurant that showed multiple alcohol purchases made less than two hours prior to the crash, police alleged. Blood tests subsequently determined Yorro had a blood-alcohol content of 0.165 percent, which is two times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, at the time of the crash, according to the arrest affidavit. Investigators also analyzed crash data information from the vehicle and determined that five seconds before the crash, Yorro was on the accelerator 100 percent and that the Toyota was traveling 60.9 mph two seconds before the crash, according to the arrest affidavit. The posted speed limit in the area of the crash is 35 mph, police said. The injuries sustained by (the male passenger) from the crash were severe enough in nature to cause serious bodily injury, which was a direct result of Yorro operating her vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding, Stemple alleged in court papers. There were no weather conditions or visibility conditions at the time that would have contributed to the crash. Yorros reckless driving in combination with alcohol are major contributors to this crash, Stemple alleged. TRURO, N.S. - Hundreds of workers will soon be without jobs following the closure of a Truro, N.S., carpet plant, one of the citys oldest operating manufacturers. The 240 employees of Tarkett North America were told Tuesday afternoon that their work will move to Dalton, Georgia, with the Truro plant scheduled to close on July 16. In a statement to employees, Tarkett North America said the decision is in no way reflective of the calibre of work done in Truro and is simply a business decision related to the sustainability of operations and the future of our company We will do everything we can to provide our employees with the care and support they require at this difficult time, the statement reads. We are proud of what we have accomplished together. Truro is home to many of us and, while we are closing a significant chapter, we look forward to seeing what lies ahead for the community. Tarkett said it is also closing a plant in Waterloo, Ont., where 70 people will be laid off, and is transferring that work to Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Truro Mayor Bill Mills says the company is a significant part of the communitys workforce and the closure will likely have quite an impact. Any announcement like that in an area our size is certainly going to be huge, Mills said in a phone interview Tuesday. The news spread like wildfire through the community today. Its not the kind of news you like to get. The Truro plant, originally known as Crossley Carpets, has been in operation since 1964. Lenore Zann, NDP MLA for Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River, is calling it a devastating loss for those who work at the factory, their loved ones, and the wider community. This factory has provided good jobs for residents of Truro for decades and having them pull up shop like this is extremely disappointing, Zann said in a statement Tuesday. My heart goes out to the employees and their families. Mills is trying to find the silver lining in an otherwise dismal situation, saying he intends to be in contact with the company to figure out plans for the facility and what it can be adapted to. Were going to hit this thing head-on, he said. Were going to obviously go through some sticker-shock on this, but again, Im looking at whats the opportunity here. I think thats the high road we have to take. Zann is calling on the Nova Scotia government to ensure employees are provided with transition support. But Mills may take things a step further. Even the federal government, to look at other uses for that facility, he stated. Im not going to stand here and weep about it. Im not happy about it by any extent but well bounce back. This is a project to be continued. (Global News, The Canadian Press) OTTAWA - Canada and the European Union vowed on Wednesday to protect their businesses from the Trump administrations new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign companies connected to properties seized from American firms during the Cuban revolution. The defiant response was tempered by warnings that the landmark tightening of the U.S. trade embargo on Cubas communist government would only generate uncertainty and chaos in North American boardrooms and courtrooms. The Trump administration followed through Wednesday on a lingering threat to allow legal action a move that places Canadian resource, tourism and financial services companies at risk in American courts. About one million Canadians annually vacation in Cuba and Toronto-based resource company Sherritt International is long established there, while countries such as Britain, France and Spain have companies active in rum, cigars and tourism. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is deeply disappointed and reviewing options with the EU. The EU and Canada consider the extraterritorial application of unilateral Cuba-related measures contrary to international law, Freeland, her European Union counterpart Federica Mogherini and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a joint statement. Our respective laws allow any U.S. claims to be followed by counter-claims in European and Canadian courts, so the U.S. decision to allow suits against foreign companies can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions. Freeland said the government has regularly met with U.S. officials since January when the issue first surfaced. That included a recent trip to Washington, when she pressed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to resurrect Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which allows Americans to sue foreign companies linked to Cuban properties confiscated after the 1959 revolution. The U.S. Justice Department has certified about 6,000 claims with an estimated value of $8 billion as having merit for legal action, and believes there could be as many as 200,000 uncertified claims worth tens of billions of dollars, said Kimberly Breier, the head of State Departments Americas branch. Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement, Pompeo said Wednesday. The Canadian company with the highest Cuban profile essentially shrugged in response. Implementation of Title III is not expected to have any material impact on Sherritt or our operations in Cuba, Joe Racanelli, Sherritts director of investor relations said in an emailed statement. He said it was business as usual for its drilling and exploration projects. The companys most recent annual information form also played down the potential risk because Sherritts minimal contacts with the United States would likely deprive any U.S. court of personal jurisdiction over Sherritt. But other observers warned of more dire consequences. A massive Pandoras Box has been opened up with this, said Mark Agnew, director of international policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Many Canadian firms with links in Cuba are privately expressing fears about being targeted by a policy they havent had to deal with for a generation, he said. Canadas Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act was amended in January 1997 to provide that any judgment under the Helms-Burton Act will not be recognized or enforceable in any manner in Canada. Other countries implemented similar blocking statutes at the time. Cyndee Todgham Cherniak, a Toronto-based international trade lawyer, urged the government to look at updating the law for the digital age, to allow Canadian companies to collect additional damages from eager American litigants who might bring unfounded claims. Your reputation can be damaged by online allegations of inappropriate expropriation of property, she said. We want to discourage U.S. persons from pursuing claims against Canadians. When the U.S. law went into force in 1996, then-president Bill Clinton postponed the implementation of Title III after lobbying by Canada, the EU and Mexico. Subsequent presidents followed suit and renewed the exemption every six months. President Donald Trump changed that practice. Last month, the U.S. State Department extended the Title III exemption by only 30 days. The rules allowing lawsuits take effect May 2. The U.S. Department of Justice may not be pleased with the prospect of a potential wave of lawsuits with dubious claims clogging up the already overburdened federal court system, said Mark Entwistle, a business consultant in Cuba who served as Canadian envoy to Havana in the 1990s. On Wednesday, Pompeo said the new action is rooted in Cubas ongoing support of Nicolas Maduros socialist government in Venezuela. Cubas behaviour in the Western Hemisphere undermines security and stability of countries throughout the region, which directly threatens United States national security interests, he said. Canada, its Lima Group allies and the U.S. have called for Maduros ouster and recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim leader of the beleaguered South American country, which has been engulfed in economic and political turmoil, sparking a refugee crisis. Wednesdays announcement coincided with the 58th anniversary of the failed U.S.-backed invasion at Cubas Bay of Pigs. The epic Cold War clash saw Fidel Castros forces repel about 1,500 Cuban exiles who had been trained and armed by the Central Intelligence Agency with the aim of overthrowing the communist government that had taken over a country just 135 kilometres off Floridas southern tip two years earlier. Josefina Vidal, Cubas ambassador to Canada, invoked the Bay of Pigs in a message on Twitter aimed at the Trump administration: You were defeated 58 years ago. You have been defeated many times afterwards. You will be defeated again this time. with files from Ian Bickis Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the decision would take effect May 3. CALGARYAfter a short four years, the orange wave that swept into Alberta in 2015 was replaced Tuesday night by a sea of United Conservative Party blue. UCP Leader Jason Kenney a former federal cabinet minister who entered provincial politics three years ago with a plan to reunite Albertas conservatives will be the provinces 18th premier. The fledgling party, created by a merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose in 2017, surged toward a majority government, toppling NDP seats in just about every corner of the province. Hope is on the horizon, Kenney told a crowd of cheering and whistling supporters in Calgary, adding that Alberta is open for business. There is a deep frustration in this province, a sense that we have contributed massively to the rest of Canada, but that everywhere we turn we are being blocked in and pinned down, he said. Today we begin to fight back. In his speech, Kenney lashed out against the federal government and other provinces that have made it harder for Alberta to get oil pipelines to tidewater. He vowed that his election would usher in a new era of perseverance and he would defy anyone preventing Albertas natural resources from reaching wider markets. He said the UCPs success showed that the silent majority has spoken, not the loud and angry voices on social media. Read more: Help is on the way, Jason Kenney tells Albertans after UCP scores election victory UCP faces discord if it forms government while under investigation, says professor Is a foreign-funded campaign the reason for Albertas pipeline woes? A huge cheer went up in the crowd as Kenney repeated a promise to scrap the carbon tax, which he called all economic pain, no environmental gain. He thanked several other Canadian premiers who have resisted a carbon tax, including Ontarios Doug Ford and Saskatchewans Scott Moe, saying he looks forward to working with them. But despite Kenneys oftentimes combative rhetoric, he also said he would be willing to listen to and work with his opponents. That includes pipeline-averse Quebec, which Kenney briefly addressed in French, and Albertans who didnt vote for the UCP. We will strive to be a government for all Albertans, not just those who voted for us, he said. Alberta election results Kenney also vowed to launch a public inquiry into a foreign-funded campaign against Albertas oilsands something that, while apparently real, is likely not the source of the provinces economic woes, the Star reported Tuesday. Though seat counts werent final Tuesday night a few ridings in Calgary and Edmonton, along with Banff-Kananaskis, were too close to call as midnight approached it appeared the UCP would pick up more than 60 seats and the NDP would hang on to more than 20. A smiling Rachel Notley walked onstage in Edmonton to deliver her concession speech just before 10 p.m., greeted by a huge crowd of supporters chanting her name. At points she became emotional, saying the world sometimes feels like two steps forward and one step back, but lauding the NDPs accomplishments on social issues like education, health care and child poverty. Tonights result is not the one we hoped for or worked so hard for, she said. Four years ago, Albertans hired us to do a very big job at a very difficult time, and we did that job with purpose. Notley pledged to push for ethics in the legislature in her new role as Opposition leader. Tuesday nights election ends what turned out to be a brief NDP era in Alberta. Many saw the partys surprise 2015 victory as an accident, a reaction to the entitlement and cronyism of the previous 44-year Progressive Conservative dynasty and the result of vote-splitting between two solid right-wing parties. The centre-right Alberta Party and Alberta Liberals seemed unlikely to take any seats Tuesday night, meaning the province will have just two parties in the legislature. Albertas past few provincial elections have been marked by last-minute twists. But the UCPs decisive victory shows that conservative Alberta is back and, perhaps, that it never really left. The UCP dominated rural Alberta as expected, taking even key northern ridings the NDP had hoped to hold. The conservatives also convincingly outpaced the NDP in most of Calgary, all but erasing the New Democrats hold on the city. To the south, the city of Lethbridge ended the night divided. The UCP took the citys eastern riding from the NDP, but former NDP environment minister Shannon Phillips won her race in the west by about 500 votes. In 2015, Phillips had a sweeping victory, with a nearly three-to-one ratio of votes. In total, 10 former NDP cabinet members held on to their seats: Phillips of environment and parks, Joe Ceci of finance, Irfan Sabir of social services, Kathleen Ganley of justice, Deron Bilous of economic development, Sarah Hoffman of health, Marlin Schmidt of advanced education, David Eggen of education, Lori Sigurdson of seniors and housing and Richard Feehan of Indigenous relations. Five other former NDP cabinet ministers failed to keep their seats: Danielle Larivee, who had handled childrens services and status of women; Shaye Anderson, who had been municipal affairs minister; Oneil Carlier, the former agriculture and forestry minister; former energy minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd; and Ricardo Miranda, who had served as culture and tourism minister. Tuesday nights outcome was widely predicted by polls ever since the UCPs creation. The weeks and months ahead will likely be a period of upheaval in Alberta as Kenney seeks to undo the NDPs legacy. Kenney has promised a dramatic backlash He wants to repeal much of what the NDP has done, repeal it very quickly, and he has his fight-back strategy, said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. This will be a very active government. Well see whether he goes ahead and does everything thats promised and whether it will be effective. After CTV called a majority government for the United Conservatives, the incumbent NDP MLA for Edmonton-City Centre, David Shepherd, told The Star he would wait to see some more numbers before he makes any bets. Im frankly ready and willing to serve wherever Albertans should choose that we do, Shepherd said. But at the UCP election watch party at Calgarys Big Four Roadhouse, a crowded room of supporters wearing party-branded hats and sweatshirts cheered as, one after the other, more broadcast outlets projected a UCP majority government. About 1,000 people filled the hall bathed in UCP-blue light to watch the results roll in, booing each time an NDP candidate was projected to win, including Notleys Edmonton-Strathcona riding. Although the Alberta Party put forward a full slate of 87 candidates, the progress it made in the 2015 election appeared to be destroyed. It was poised to take zero seats. Early poll results put Leader Stephen Mandel in a firm third-place position in his Edmonton riding. Though Mandel conceded it had been difficult for his party to make a mark, he said Tuesday that we have to be very proud. Even the partys sole, star MLA, Greg Clark of Calgary-Elbow, failed to hold his seat. His 8,707 votes in the 2015 provincial election totalled more than the Wildrose and PC votes combined. On Tuesday night, he said he has high hopes for the Alberta Partys future. I feel we put our best foot forward, Clark said. I just couldnt be more proud of our campaign team and my family. Meanwhile, Alberta Liberal Party candidates and supporters crowded into the partys headquarters on Tuesday night in Calgary-Mountain View, worried about the partys future in the province. The party was fighting in this years election to hold on to their one riding, an effort that appeared to fail as Leader David Khan lost his race in Calgary-Mountain View. Its the first time since 1982 that the party hasnt held a seat in the legislature. In his concession speech, Khan spoke directly to Kenney. With your victory comes great responsibility, he said. You will be the premier for all Albertans. This includes the vulnerable, those with special needs and the LGBTQ+ community. Dont abuse your authority; be fair and inclusive in your decisions. Some of your candidates have expressed views of intolerance and bigotry. Their fear-mongering was abusive and embarrassing. I hope you will root out and remove those values from your party. The upstart Freedom Conservative Party also failed to get any seats. Its leader, former UCP MLA Derek Fildebrandt, lost his riding to UCP star MLA Leela Aheer. Throughout the 2019 campaign, the vote was often framed as a choice between economic priorities and social values. Notley had tried to sell Albertans on her ethics, pointing to several festering scandals that dogged the UCP on the campaign trail and promising spending on health care, child care and education if her party was re-elected. Early on, several UCP candidates resigned over racist, Islamophobic or anti-LGBTQ comments. Kenney later continued to back one candidate, Mark Smith of Drayton Valley-Devon, who compared homosexuality to pedophilia in a 2013 sermon. Smith, who was re-elected Tuesday night, later apologized and said he never meant to equate the two. Kenney also refused to kick out candidates who questioned the science behind climate change. Kenneys own record of campaigning against LGBTQ rights during the 1980s AIDS crisis in San Francisco also came back to haunt him. In an interview with radio host Charles Adler, Kenney refused to apologize for supporting a push to deny spousal rights, which would prevent same-sex partners from seeing their dying loved ones in care facilities. At the time, Kenney was a post-secondary student; he has since said his views have evolved along with the rest of society. Anti-LGBTQ comments played a central role in the stunning downfall of the Wildrose Party in 2012. Not so this time. In the months leading up to the vote, Kenney and the UCP were also rocked by allegations related to Kenneys 2017 bid to become leader of the newly formed party. Internal emails, a secret recording and testimony from politicians all suggest his team orchestrated the campaign of candidate Jeff Callaway using him as a kamikaze to attack Kenneys main rival. Albertas election commissioner is also looking into allegations that Callaways campaign was funded by illegal donations. Callaway denies any wrongdoing, and Kenney has said the ties between their campaigns were normal. Several Callaway donors, meanwhile, have been fined for contributing money that wasnt theirs. Callaway, his wife and four other donors made a failed effort to get an emergency court order to pause the election commissioners investigation. Affidavits filed to support their case showed Callaway himself has been ordered to return $26,500 in allegedly illegal donations and that more findings are likely on the way. The RCMP also appear to be looking into allegations of voter fraud in the 2017 UCP leadership race. The UCP has said it is confident in the integrity of those results. The allegations first arose in February after a former UCP MLA who quit amid ballot-stuffing allegations wrote a letter to the RCMP, saying fake emails attached to party memberships were part of a fraudulent voting scheme. Last week, a CBC story suggested that at least one person on the partys membership list had been interviewed by the RCMP. The Star spoke to a number of people who said the emails attached to their names werent theirs but couldnt independently find any whod spoken with police. CBC also reported Monday that a recent RCMP search of Calgary-East UCP candidate Peter Singhs business was related to the voter fraud allegations, citing the candidates lawyer. (Singh won his riding Tuesday night.) Bratt said those issues wont be going away, and the bitter fight during this election is likely to have a lasting impact on Alberta politics. We often hear every election is the nastiest ever. And I always say, Whats your comparison? he said. But when I look at the items candidates having to withdraw, candidates having to apologize, defacing of signs, RCMP investigations it has been pretty brutal. Bratt said having a sizable official Opposition in the legislature with experienced politicians, including former government ministers, is something new for Alberta. The ongoing investigations will give the NDP, now moving into the role of official Opposition, much fodder for criticism in the legislature. With files from Rosa Saba, Claire Theobald, Andrew Jeffrey, Brennan Doherty, Nadine Yousif and Amy Tucker Emma McIntosh is an environment, justice and investigative reporter with Star Calgary. Follow her on Twitter at @EmmaMci Read more about: AURORA, Colo., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Community College of Aurora on Monday night received the American Association of Community Colleges Advancing Diversity Award a national recognition of the colleges effort to create an equitable and inclusive environment for students, staff, and faculty. CCA was announced as the winner at the AACCs annual convention in Orlando, Fla. The award recognizes colleges that have contributed significantly and over a sustained period of time to advancing diversity in community college leadership, the community and within higher education as a whole. This national recognition by our peers is both humbling and encouraging. It affirms the hard work of this entire college community as we strive to become a more equitable institution, improve outcomes for all of our students and close the achievement gap for our students of color, CCA President Betsy Oudenhoven said. Both individually and collectively we are imperfect in this work but we never stop trying. And that makes me proud. Colleges must meet several criteria to be eligible for the award, including sponsoring programs to promote diverse leaders and engage diverse student populations, modeling innovative and progressive practices to support institutional equity and maintaining and advocating policies that support diversity. The AACC the primary advocacy organization for the nations community colleges, representing nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 12 million students cited several reasons for honoring CCA with the award, including: The college developed a community-based Hispanic Advisory Committee to work with Latinx students and families CCA secured a Colorado Department of Higher Education Lumina Talent, Innovation and Equity Grant to provide equity training to its adjunct instructors An Equity in Instruction Leadership Academy is offered at CCA Those efforts to advance diversity in the past five years have resulted in CCA increasing its faculty of color by 3.4 percent (to 16.9 percent), instructors by 6.9 percent (to 22.1 percent) and staff by 10.1 percent (to 49.2 percent). Additionally, more than 200 CCA employees have participated in the equity academies provided by the college, college employees who serve on search committees are required to attend implicit bias training sessions and positions dedicated to Inclusive Excellence have been created and staffed. CCA applied for the award in November 2018 as part of its ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. The college has developed an Inclusive Excellence Council and a strategic plan that details numerous ongoing and future initiatives. CCA has focused on diversifying its workforce and embedding equity work throughout the college, with the goal of improving overall student success and closing the equity gap. We are extremely grateful for this esteemed award from AACC. We are even more grateful to the employees and students at CCA who have supported and contributed to the transformation of embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do at CCA, said Quill Phillips, Special Assistant to the President for Inclusive Excellence at the college. We continue to be committed to this work and are looking forward to the journey ahead as we continue to support students and strive to create an environment where they feel they belong, feel they matter and feel they are valued. About the Community College of Aurora (CCA) The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora and Denver, Colorado. The college offers courses on two campuses, online and through its high school concurrent-enrollment program, helping students prepare for employment or transfer to a four-year institution. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu. CRANBROOK, B.C.A four-day gap in the whereabouts of a 15-year-old girl is enough to dispute whether she was removed from Canada in 2004 to marry a member of a fundamentalist sect in the United States, a lawyer argued Tuesday at the trial of a former member of the church. Joe Doyle, who is serving as an amicus curiae or friend of the court to ensure a fair trial, said Crown prosecutors havent proven that the girl was in Canada when the leader of the sect called James Oler and allegedly ordered him to bring the child to the United States to get married. Oler is charged with removing the girl from Canada to marry a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which practises polygamy in Bountiful, B.C., and the United States. He was acquitted in 2017 by a judge who was not convinced Oler did anything within Canadas borders to arrange the girls transfer to the U.S. But the B.C. Court of Appeal agreed with the Crown that proof of wrongdoing in Canada was not necessary and ordered a new trial. Oler is self-represented and did not call any witnesses or make a case in his defence. In his closing argument, Doyle argued prosecutors hadnt accounted for the window when the girl was last seen in Bountiful but then identified by a witness four days later in northern Idaho at a highway rest stop on June 24, 2004. Doyle raised the possibility that the accused and the girl were potentially already in the United States visiting other communities associated with the fundamentalist sect when Warren Jeffs allegedly called Oler. Special prosecutor Peter Wilson questioned Doyles suggestion that Oler and the girl may have already been in the United States in the four-day window, describing his argument on their movements as fanciful. Maybe it did anything can happen, he added. Doyle also questioned the credibility of church records seized by U.S. law enforcement officials a decade ago at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas. The court has heard the girls marriage was documented by priesthood records kept by Jeffs, the churchs president and prophet. One priesthood record describes the phone call that Jeffs made to Oler. Some of the documentation was incomplete and uncertified, which is contrary to the churchs doctrine, Doyle said. What is not known about these records and is still not known is which person or persons prepared them, when were they prepared, what information led to their preparation and where that information came from, he said. In his closing arguments on Monday, Wilson contended that Oler should have known the girl would be subject to sexual activity following her marriage based on the nature of church doctrine and the role of women in the faith. Women do not have financial assets and need permission to travel or pursue post-secondary education, former church members told the trial. They were taught that their role within the religion was to be a celestial wife in polygamous marriages and to bear children. Justice Martha Devlin of the B.C. Supreme Court has reserved her decision and tentatively scheduled a ruling on June 24. Read more about: OTTAWAA new commemorative loonie is sparking concern among academics and advocates who fear it could perpetuate myths about Canadas treatment of lesbian, gay, transgender, queer and two-spirited persons. The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil the new one-dollar coin in Toronto next week as it joins government departments and agencies to mark 50 years of progress for LGBTQ2 Canadians. A spokeswoman said Tuesday the mint takes great pride in celebrating Canadas culture, history and values, adding that 50 years ago, Parliament passed an act that initiated the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. The mint is largely informed by the Department of Canadian Heritage and its anniversaries of significance, the spokeswoman said. However, York University historian Tom Hooper said Tuesday that legal reforms unveiled in 1969 did not amount to decriminalization and charges for consensual gay sex among adults went up in the ensuing decades. Normally, I would expect decriminalization means a reduction in arrests, he said. This is the opposite. Hooper, who is part of a network of activists and academics seeking to examine myths surrounding the 1969 Criminal Code reform, said he doesnt have the ability to counter the message of about three million coins expected to be produced. Ultimately this coin is stamped in metal and I cant change that, he said in an interview. He said he would prefer to see a celebration of the first national demonstration on gay and lesbian rights held on Parliament Hill in 1971. That protest was held on the second anniversary of the 1969 reforms coming into effect, Hooper said. Our community called for an actual decriminalization at that protest. So I would recommend that they would make a coin based on that protest. It would have been meaningful had the federal government indeed repealed gross indecency in 1969, he added, noting it may very well have prevented the historic Toronto bathhouse raids from happening by police on Feb. 5, 1981. Helen Kennedy, executive director for the advocacy group Egale Canada, said the commemorative coin should be taken with the spirit with which it is intended, which is to commemorate a significant moment in Canada history. I think it is really important of the discourse of Canadian history to mark this occasion and to have these conversations to know that we still have a lot of work to do for full inclusion in Canadian society of marginalized groups, she said. There is room in the conversation for academic historians to point out issues, Kennedy added. These are important issues and I dont want to (in) any way undermine the value that they bring to the conversation, Kennedy said. I also want to take a moment to commemorate the significance of the moment. MONTREALThe fire that swept through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday should serve as a reminder that having proper plans and documentation of valued Canadian buildings is crucial, heritage advocates say. The blaze, which destroyed the cathedrals roof and spire, has triggered an outpouring of unity and financial support as well as a promise from French President Emmanuel Macron to rebuild within five years. When they do, theyll have a wealth of information to rely on, said Martin Bressani, director of the Peter Fu School of Architecture at McGill University. Notre Dame is obviously the greatest historical monument in France, he said. Its completely documented, every square inch. Bressani said most major Canadian landmark buildings and structures likely have detailed plans and documentation. I would say yes, every major prestigious building in Canada, which is often not much older than 19th Century, is documented, he said. Jerry Dick, executive director of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, said the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in the provinces capital underwent a digital scan two years ago that would be of great value if the building were ever damaged. Such detailed plans are important for two reasons restoration and reproduction but also for a historical record if rebuilding is impossible. Read more: What was lost, what was saved from the Notre Dame fire? Archbishop of Toronto laments fire ravaging Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Editorial | Destruction of Notre-Dame is a blow to all the world Every square inch of that building, inside and outside, was scanned to a very high degree, so they have the type of documentation right now that, heaven forbid, should something like that happen, they would have the information to restore or reproduce elements, Dick said. Other properties, often in smaller communities, may slip through the cracks when it comes to having proper files, said Ali Piwowar of the National Trust of Canada, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for heritage sites. Obviously theres a benefit of having a record like that if you were to capture the exact condition of the building in order to reconstruct it, Piwowar said. But when youre looking at something in a small town ... its probably pretty unlikely theyve had recording done, so being able get a hold of the original construction drawings is always recommended for the owners to have something on file. In terms of protecting heritage, many properties have seen sprinkler and fire-safety systems installed in recent years, Piwowar added. Stephane Corriveau, operations chief for the Montreal fire department, noted that Montreals Notre-Dame Basilica was hit by fire in 1978 and reopened in 1983 with fire protection, alarms, interior sprinklers and a dry-pipe sprinkler system for the exterior of the building. From our perspective, we cant have any better than that, said Corriveau, calling it one of the safest churches in Canada. But for most churches, putting them up to code is very expensive. There are about 400 churches in Montreal, including St. Josephs Oratory, Canadas largest church, which is built from stone and is largely fireproof with the exception of its contents, Corriveau said. Meanwhile, Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in downtown Montreal, completed in 1894, never had a fire and was never outfitted with modern fire prevention measures. Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine, who conducted a special midday mass at the basilica Tuesday in honour of its Paris namesake, told reporters that Montreal churches are equipped with alarms connected to the fire service and some of the bigger venues have video surveillance. As for rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral, Bressani noted the spire that was felled by the flames was actually a more recent edition from the mid-19th century, the work of Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. When he created this in the mid-19th century, the spire had been destroyed for centuries and there was no documentation coming from the Middle Ages as to what the original spire looked like, Bressani noted. But current restoration officials will have access to Viollet-le-Ducs drawings in the archives as they rebuild. The questions will centre on design and materials. To do something like the spire is an incredible challenge, so that will be interesting to see, Bressani said. Read more about: REGINAA veteran Regina Police Service officer is facing new assault charges. Cpl. Colin Magee, 46, is charged with two counts of assault. The allegations involve a man and a youth last September in the services detention area. Chief Evan Bray said both people were in cells and the allegations came to light through a police review, not a victim complaint. Magee was previously charged with a December 2016 assault in 2017, which was referred to a restorative justice program. The charge was later stayed. Bray said Magee has been removed from detention area duties and has been doing administration work. He said Magees future will be determined once the new case is concluded in court. Theres no real prescription for how we handle officers that are charged, he said Tuesday. Bray said Magee was assigned back to the detention area after the first case was resolved. He said it was hoped moving Magee to work there would be positive not only for the service, but for him. Bray said Magees actions could be monitored in the area because it is under surveillance. If something came up, we could review it. And unfortunately something did, he said. I might make decisions differently, but I made that decision thinking that it was a good fit. Bray would not divulge any details of the recent allegations. He said he doesnt believe there were any injuries reported. He said Magees actions were captured on surveillance. Magee is due in court in May. His lawyer, Aaron Fox, declined comment. Tony Merchant, lawyer for the man allegedly assaulted by Magee back in 2016, questioned the Crowns initial decision to refer the matter to a restorative justice program. He believes it was never fully resolved. Merchant called it a failure of the Crown not to proceed with the charge in court. He said what happened to his client was also captured on surveillance video. ST. JOHNS, N.L.Premier Dwight Ball has called an early election in Newfoundland and Labrador for May 16, in whats shaping up as a close race between the ruling Liberals and opposition Tories. Ball made the announcement Wednesday evening in the lobby of the Confederation Building in St. Johns after visiting the lieutenant-governor. He said the province is turning the corner toward a brighter future. Our team is ready to build on our success, said Ball, surrounded by supporters. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are facing a stark choice in this upcoming election: its onward or backward, he said. Balls government tabled an optimistic budget Tuesday, with a lower deficit, nearly $600 million in infrastructure spending and no tax hikes. Recent polling suggests the Liberals are in for a tight race with the Progressive Conservatives trailing close behind and the NDP a distant third. The Liberals took power as frustrated voters booted the long-ruling Tories in 2015 but Balls government has had a rough ride facing down a dire financial situation. The government has struggled to get its finances back on track after years of heavy deficits and concern over health care costs, outmigration and a rapidly aging population. The provincial election had been slated for October but the premier narrowed the window down in late March, promising to send voters to the polls before the school year ends. The standings at the dissolution of the legislature were 27 Liberals, eight Tories, two NDP and three independent members. The early election date comes close on the heels of some hefty government announcements most notably, the updated Atlantic Accord. The federal-provincial agreement on offshore resource revenues will see Newfoundland and Labrador receive $2.5 billion from Ottawa over 38 years. The federal funding gave the yearly fiscal projections a slight facelift in Tuesdays budget though the election call means the budget will not be passed before voters go to the polls. Finance Minister Tom Osborne has said the Liberal government will present the same budget if re-elected. The May voting date also means voters will cast their ballots before Ball testifies at the inquiry into the over-budget, behind-schedule Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject. Since last fall, former PC cabinet ministers and premiers have taken the witness stand amid testimony on alleged mismanagement that led to excessive cost and schedule overruns. Ball is scheduled to testify in July. Opposition members criticized the Liberal government Wednesday for calling an election early. The NDP and PC house leaders issued a joint statement saying the election date will cut short important government work like the proposed harassment-free workplace policy tabled by a legislature committee that has not yet been put to a vote. This is in no way keeping with the repeated Liberal promise to govern differently and to reform and improve upon our democracy, NDP legislator Lorraine Michael said in the statement. Nevertheless, Balls rivals have been poised and ready as rumours of a writ drop swirled over the past week, with a Tory campaign bus rolling into the parking lot of Confederation Building on Tuesday. Tory Leader Ches Crosbie promised tough love on government spending if elected, including possible measures to curb health care spending. What were missing, in a word, is leadership. Its leadership that makes the tough decisions, youre not going to please everybody, Crosbie said Wednesday. While preserving the quality of (health care) you can root out a lot of waste. NDP Leader Alison Coffin said Wednesday her party is ready for the campaign, though only a handful of candidates have been officially nominated. She said shes confident nominations will be filled and shes been out meeting with voters in anticipation of the election call. Ive already started knocking on doors because of course, this is one of the worst kept secrets, really, Coffin said. Coffin said shes believes her party can be the change from the status quo that voters are looking for, despite their small presence in the latest legislative sitting. Ball spoke only for a few minutes Wednesday before exiting the Confederation Building with his Liberal caucus and nominees in tow. He touted his governments steady fiscal improvements while taking jabs at the Tories, criticizing their plans as unclear and insufficient to meet voters needs. Transit plans overshadowed by Premier Doug Fords own transit map. An opioid crisis made more challenging by provincial funding cuts. Uncertainty over the amalgamation of public health units. More than 100 days since a smaller Toronto city council took office a decision also of the Ford governments making the mayor and the citys 25 councillors were once again preoccupied Tuesday with top-down decisions from the province that would upturn their own long-term transit plans and go against their stated policy positions on public health. On Tuesday, as the sixth meeting of the council term unfolded, city staff were still scrambling to prepare an updated transit report. Councillors were unclear well into the afternoon on what they would be voting on this week. A debate on future transit expansion was pushed back to 4 p.m. to allow staff time to finalize their report and councillors a chance to at least briefly review their work. Thats because last week Ford announced his own transit vision for the city a map of mostly subway lines for Etobicoke, downtown, Scarborough, and extending into Richmond Hill with few details on costs, funding, potential ridership, technology, construction logistics or implementation timelines. The premiers announcement meant that recommendations city staff made as recently as last week to move forward with dedicating funding to councils own priorities and construction on some projects, like a one-stop Scarborough subway, were rendered irrelevant. Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York) was particularly blunt, saying if Ford wants to be the mayor of Toronto, he should run for that office. In the first nine months of this provincial government, they have cut council in half without notice, they have announced plans to significantly cut Toronto Public Health without notice and the have drawn a complete new transit map without notice, he said. As the largest city in this country and as the economic engine of this province, we cannot operate under these conditions. Since he was elected premier in June, after losing the mayoral race to Mayor John Tory in 2014, Ford himself has taken keen interest in the running of Torontos government. A number of his governments budgetary decisions will have significant consequences for the city. On Tuesday morning, council voted to request the provincial government reinstate funding to overdose prevention sites that found out suddenly late last month they were being forced to shut down. Two sites in Toronto were given emergency exemptions to legally operate by the federal government, but remain without government funding. A third site, run by Toronto Public Heath, remains in limbo. The move by Fords government prompted the citys medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, to say she expected the decision would lead to more deaths from opioid overdoes. On Monday, the board of health held an emergency meeting to consider another just-announced cut, this time a plan to reduce the number of public health units in the province. That decision, the board heard, is feared to lead to tens of millions of dollars in cuts annually to the Toronto unit, though the medical officer of health did not confirm any numbers. Council voted Tuesday to request the province maintain the current funding formula for Toronto Public Health and other provincial programs. City staff also updated council on the decision, buried in the recent provincial budget document, to claw back $1.1 billion Toronto expected to receive from the provincial gas tax over 10 years. Already, the TTC had committed $585 million of that money to state-of-good repair projects for the public transit system. Councillor Brad Bradford (Ward 19 Beaches-East York) said council has seen quite a disconnect between the province and the city, which makes doing the job of a councillor difficult. He spoke to the Star in his office during a break in the council proceedings as he and others were just learning of the updated staff recommendations addressing the provinces own transit plan. File after file we constantly seem to be responding to the province instead of leading on the things that Torontonians elected us to lead on and thats been challenging, he said. Its been very challenging when we continually just hear these announcements from the province via letters posted online or press conferences. That to me is not really the way you negotiate or bargain in good faith. After the size of council was cut from the planned 47 to 25 wards mid-election last year, a special committee to address the future governance of the city was created by the new, smaller council. Councillor Stephen Holyday (Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre), who chairs that committee, said there has been an increase in fighting with the province, which he believes is politically motivated in many ways by some of my colleagues. Is constantly fighting with the provincial government from a global perspective, is that for the betterment of the city? he asked. Sucking up resources, reports after reports on things that we really dont truly have control over and would maybe want to make a statement over, Im not sure is the best use of our time and resources. Considering how to move forward with transit is a separate issue, he said, but added its worth considering who is contributing what amount to determine the relative position any government has in that discussion. If the province is coming in with a whole pile of money, then rightfully or fairly so they should have a lot to say when it comes to this. At a meeting of the governance committee last week, Doug Earl, a member of the citizen group Charter City Toronto, said the committee must also look long term at council regaining power. The reason this committee exists is because the government of Ontario has taken the decision that the government of Toronto is not competent to manage its own affairs and so it has taken the decision to impose direct rule of the city from Queens Park, on governance, on transit, on who knows what else in the future, Earl said. I understand this committee has a responsibility to clean up the governance mess that was dumped on your doorstep by Doug Ford, but I think you have to go beyond that. The group, which includes former mayor John Sewell, proposes Toronto become a charter city, which would legally give Toronto full jurisdiction over local decision-making a status long granted cities like New York, Chicago and London. Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 12 TorontoSt. Pauls) successfully moved a motion at council last year to ask the federal government to provide a way to establish a city charter so that it would have authority over its own elections, governance structure and land planning issues. I think what Doug Ford has done has both exposed to most people now how powerless cities in Canada are due to the fact that they are considered constitutionally creatures of their respective province, he said. But hes also successfully engaged in a hostile takeover at Toronto City Hall. Read more about: A jury has found a 26-year-old Toronto mechanic guilty of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm for a high-speed, one-vehicle crash at Bloor and Parliament Sts. that killed one passenger and left another with severe injuries. The verdict means jurors concluded that Galeeb Abau-Jabeen was driving in a way that was a marked and substantial departure from the standard of care of a reasonable person in the circumstances when the crash occurred on Nov. 28, 2016. The tall, thin man showed no emotion when the jury foreman indicated Abau-Jabeen was guilty of both offences as charged. Jurors deliberated for less than five hours Tuesday. The jury heard the novice driver chugged rum before driving despite having a G2 licence that prohibits drinking alcohol, and ignored warnings from passengers to slow down as he sped up to 85 km/h twice the legal limit while weaving in and out of cars along Bloor St. E., before losing control at Parliament and crashing into a wall. His best friend, Mohammad Mohammad, 25, died and Elif Gozgoz, then 20, suffered head and spinal injuries. A third passenger testified during the two-week trial that Abau-Jabeen was driving as if he was playing bumper cars. Prosecutors Sean Doyle and Andrew Max asked that Abau-Jabeens bail conditions be changed so that he must remain in the city of Toronto, not be at the airports, and turn over his passport to police. His drivers licence is automatically suspended under the Highway Traffic Act. Sentencing was put over until Sept. 3. Anyone convicted of criminal negligence causing death faces the possibility of life imprisonment. Criminal negligence causing bodily harm carries a custodial sentence of up to 10 years. Abau-Jabeens lawyer, Chris Murphy, said his clients thoughts have always been with the families of the victims. It was clear from his testimony how remorseful he is and how much he regrets what happened, and the harm that he caused to his friends families, Murphy said. Abau-Jabeen admitted in court that he shouldnt have had anything to drink that evening, that he passed multiple cars and that Mohammad, who was sitting in the back seat, tapped him on the shoulder and told him to slow down because there were girls in the car. Murphy argued his clients bad driving only occurred on Bloor St. east of Sherbourne St. as he attempted to run a yellow light. However, the surviving passenger testified he was speeding and driving erratically before they got onto Bloor. During his closing address, Max told the jury that Abau-Jabeen had treated Bloor St. as his own personal speedway at around 9:30 p.m. that night, showing wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others. MALOGAM, INDIAIn the fading afternoon light, Gammar Bam glanced down nervously at a fast-flowing river in a corner of northeastern India. His team had already driven eight hours on one-lane mountainous roads and shaky bridges. Now they were trekking on a slippery path hugging a cliff. Bam looked at the narrow track and tried to gauge if he could clamber over an uprooted tree while carrying a voting machine. Somehow, he would have to make it work. The worlds largest electoral exercise began this month in India and will take place in seven phases over a 38-day period. Results will be announced on May 23. Nearly 900 million people are eligible to vote, and India is committed to reaching them all, no matter where they live. For Bam and his team of polling officers, that meant a four-day journey of over 482 kilometres to ensure a single voter in a remote border state could cast her vote. There is both excitement and nervousness, said Rupak Tamang, one of the team members, as he set up the voting machines. If the one voter turns up, there will be 100 per cent voting, but if she doesnt, then it will be zero per cent. Conducting elections in the worlds largest democracy is a Herculean task. Every five years, when national polls are held, the countrys Election Commission grapples with challenging terrain, inclement weather and poor infrastructure to ensure that no voter who wants to cast a ballot is left out. Read more: 4 killed in Indian election violence as voting kicks off Jobs, castes and other issues in Indias general elections Before Indias elections, voters feed on false information We want to make elections as participative as possible, said Ashok Lavasa, one of the three election commissioners. This is a manifestation of democracys deep roots in India. Rules mandate that no voter should have to travel more than 2 kilometres to vote. In the western state of Gujarat, a team will cross a lion-infested jungle to find a single voter. In the region of Ladakh, high in the Himalayan mountains, teams will be airlifted before trekking for one day with oxygen cylinders to reach voters. Far off the countrys east coast, on the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the teams braved crocodile swamps for nine voters. The lengths to which India goes to reach voters is a reflection of its commitment to universal franchise: Unlike in the United States, all adults in India have had the right to vote since the countrys first election. To conduct the poll, the Election Commission relies on more than 11 million government employees and security personnel who temporarily become election officials. Bam, a 35-year old engineer in Arunachal Pradesh, the countrys most sparsely populated state, was one of them. His task: to set up a polling booth in Malogam, a remote hamlet in forested mountains close to the border with China and more than 2,574 kilometres from the capital of New Delhi. According to the last census, conducted in 2011, Malogam had five residents but only one registered voter this time Sokela Tayang. The journey of Bams team began two days before the first phase of the election on April 11. They started in Hawaii, the district headquarters, a small town nestled high in the mountains at an altitude of 3,600 feet. They carried two sets of voting machines, a thick sheaf of paperwork and utility items, like a bucket and battery-operated lamp. They set out early the next morning, juddering over potholed roads overlooking a shimmering river valley. The drive was only the start. In the late afternoon, they began trekking on a narrow forest path barely wide enough for one person. Bam treaded lightly, deftly swatting wild overgrowth while keeping an eye out for snakes. During the hike, a problem emerged. Locals told them that Tayang, the voter they had come all this way to meet, had left the area. But Bam was not deterred: He decided to set up the polling booth closer to the road and try to get word to her through villagers. They zeroed in on a ragged tin shed at the edge of the forest and borrowed rickety plastic chairs and cobwebbed tables from a nearby villager. A local administrator came by to review and approve the preparations. By then, darkness had descended. The team walked to the nearest hutment with no toilet, no electricity, no cellphone signal to bunk down for the evening. They ate a simple meal of rice and lentils, then spent the night on a bamboo floor above a chicken pen. The next morning, the crowing of roosters woke them up at the crack of dawn: election day. Bams team first had to conduct a mock poll at 5 a.m., per commission rules. The exercise is done for the benefit of candidates or their representatives to show that machines are working properly and no votes are already recorded. Even for a single voter, the practice poll required 50 mock votes. There would be no cutting corners. The polling booth in the tin shed was open for business on time, at 7 a.m., the official start of voting across India. Tayang did not disappoint. Like Bam and his team, the 42-year-old farmer had also put in an effort to vote. Tending to her sick mother, 201 kilometres away, she returned to Malogam only to cast her ballot. She arrived just after 8:30 a.m. She was offered a yogurt drink and asked to wait under the shade while they dealt with a last-minute glitch with the voting machine. As an election official recorded video, Tayang walked into the shed, showed her identification card and had her finger dabbed with purple ink (all Indian voters receive such a mark to prevent anyone from voting twice). She stepped behind a piece of plywood to cast her vote. The machine beeped loudly. It was over in less than two minutes. She had some requests for her elected representatives. We want to ask for jobs and development through our vote, Tayang said. Looking around at the surrounding wilderness with disappointment, she said, Our area is still a jungle and needs to be developed. After a round of selfies, she thanked the team for the trouble they had taken. But while Tayangs work was over within minutes, Bams task was far from finished. The polling booth was required to stay open until the official close of voting at 5 p.m. There was tedious paperwork to complete, including a 67-item checklist. Then the voting machines needed to be sealed four times. Even a pencil has to be accounted for, Bam said with a laugh. After wrapping up the paperwork, they packed up the machines and set off once more down the winding road. It would still be another day before they reached home. But for now, their job was done. Read more about: MELBOURNE, Australia - A man was killed and his wife critically injured on Wednesday when they were attacked by their pet deer on a rural Australian property, police said. The 46-year-old man entered the stags enclosure in the morning at Moyhu in Victoria state, Police Sergeant Paul Pursell said. His wife and son heard the commotion and went out to see what was going on, Pursell told reporters. His wife entered the enclosure to assist her husband and she was also attacked. Police shot the deer before a paramedic treated the couple. The husband died at the scene and his wife was flown by helicopter to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where she condition was described as critical. The stag was a cross between a red deer and an elk, Pursell said. The family had kept the animal for about two years. Pursell warned that deer behaviour could be unpredictable. David Voss, president of the Australian Deer Association, a hunting and deer management organization, said farmed deer tend to be more aggressive than wild deer, but he had only heard of similar attacks very occasionally. Deer were introduced to Australia by British settlers in the 19th century and have established wild populations. LONDON - Keir Giles first thought was that the mans cheap-looking suit didnt seem right for a private equity executive. The man seated in front of him at the London hotel claimed to live in Hong Kong, but didnt seem overly familiar with the city. Then there was the awkward conversation, which kept returning to one topic in particular: the Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab. He also asked Giles to repeat himself or speak louder so persistently that Giles said he began wondering whether I should be speaking into his tie or his briefcase or wherever the microphone was. He was drilling down hard on whether there had been any ulterior motives behind negative media commentary on Kaspersky, said Giles, a Russia specialist with Londons Chatham House thinktank who often has urged caution about Kasperskys alleged Kremlin connections. The angle he wanted to push was that individuals like me who had been quoted in the media had been induced by or motivated to do so by Kasperskys competitors. The Associated Press has learned that the mysterious man, who said his name was Lucas Lambert, spent several months last year investigating critics of Kaspersky Lab, organizing at least four meetings with cybersecurity experts in London and New York. Giles said he met with Lambert twice last year, ostensibly to discuss Giles speaking at a cybersecurity conference that Lamberts company was organizing. But Lambert seemed far more interested in finding out whether anyone had been paid to publicly undermine Kaspersky. Kaspersky Lab declined to answer questions from the AP about whether it had any involvement with the meetings. The operation targeting Giles and others came at a sensitive time for the Moscow-based company, which boasts one of the worlds most popular consumer antivirus products and a research unit widely respected for routinely exposing elite hacking groups. U.S. officials had occasionally expressed wariness about the firm over the years, but criticism of the company intensified in the aftermath of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election. U.S. lawmakers began calling for restrictions on Kaspersky, contending that a Russian firm could not be trusted to keep American networks safe, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal agencies to remove the firms antivirus software from their computers. Congress later passed legislation banning the software from government networks. By the time Giles met with Lambert, Kaspersky was suing the U.S. government over its decision, arguing that it never helped hackers and was being considered guilty until proven innocent. U.S. judges have since dismissed the lawsuit. The AP learned that Lambert also targeted Michael Daniel, who served as former president Barack Obamas cybersecurity czar, though it is unclear whether he actually managed to meet with Daniel. In an email exchange with the AP, Lambert insisted that he and his company were genuine, but he did not reply to follow-up questions about the multiple discrepancies in his story or make himself available for an interview. The AP could find no evidence of the existence of the firm Lambert said he worked for, Tokyo- and Hong Kong-based NPH Investments. Research by Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group based at the University of Torontos Munk School, suggests the Lucas Lambert operation is linked to an almost identical one involving a man calling himself Michel Lambert. Michels bungled attempt in a Manhattan restaurant to entrap John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the lab, was caught on camera by AP reporters two months ago. The two Lamberts appear to be different individuals. A few days after the AP published Michel Lamberts photo, he was outed as former Israeli intelligence officer Aharon Almog-Assouline. In a Canadian court filing , a Toronto attorney said Assouline bears a striking similarity to a man he identified as an operative for Black Cube, an Israeli private intelligence firm. Black Cube has denied any connection to the operation targeting Citizen Lab or to Michel Lambert. Its Israeli law firm, Cassouto & Co., said in a letter that it had absolutely no link to Lucas Lambert either. Black Cube denies it ever worked directly or indirectly for or on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, the letter said. Black Cube also denies any involvement with an undercover operative going by the alias Lucas Lambert. Black Cube does not know who Lucas Lambert is and never heard this name. Giles said that Lucas Lambert first reached out to him in an April 30, 2018, email , saying he wanted to discuss a private investor conference being organized by his company. He said NPHs clients wanted to know more about the overlap between cybersecurity companies and governments, offering Giles who regularly gives lectures $10,000 to deliver a keynote speech. Giles said he agreed to meet on May 10 to discuss the idea. And while the pair did discuss the potential speaking engagement, Giles said Lambert also quizzed him on his attitude toward Kaspersky. Giles had given interviews suggesting Kasperskys claims to be a neutral player should be taken with a grain of salt, saying it wouldnt be unusual for the company to co-operate with Russian spies in the same way that U.S. companies have in the past been caught giving discreet assistance to the National Security Agency. Even if Kaspersky itself resisted such co-operation, Giles said, individual employees of the company in Russia can be subverted with great ease. At their meeting, Giles said, Lambert sounded him out on those criticisms, asking him whether doubts about Kaspersky were being sown by industry rivals jealous of the companys success. Lambert also asked if Giles and others were being induced by anyone to denigrate the company in the media. I told him repeatedly that that was not the reason, Giles said. Giles said he exited the meeting with mixed feelings: Lamberts backstory raised some flags, but he seemed knowledgeable about cybersecurity. So when Lambert asked if Giles could recommend anyone else for the conference, he put him in touch with an American cybersecurity expert he knew. In an email exchange with his U.S. colleague, Giles said the conference could be an opportunity for them both to earn money and enjoy some dim sum in Hong Kong. But he added an important caveat. I have no guarantees this is a legit operation, Giles wrote, explaining that he could find no one who had heard of NPH Investments. Im proceeding with mild caution, he said. An AP search of Japans National Tax Agency database found no record of NPH Investments. And while there is a company called NPH Investments Limited based in Hong Kong the company Lambert claimed to work for when challenged by the AP corporate records show that its registered at a different address than the one displayed on Lamberts business card and on NPHs website. The registered owner of NPH Investments Limited did not return a message from the AP. A receptionist at the Wharf T&T Centre in Hong Kong, the address Lambert claimed to work from, told an AP reporter that the company was not listed in the buildings directory. The management at Tokyos Nishi Shinjuku-Takagi Building, where Lambert also claimed to have an office, said they found no trace of the firm. The website of Lamberts NPH also is strikingly similar to a number of fake sites recently used to target cybersecurity researchers at Citizen Lab. Scott-Railton, one of the researchers, said the sites followed the same domain registration pattern, used off-the-shelf designs from an Israeli firm called Wix and were connected to a web of LinkedIn profiles featuring black-and-white or oddly angled photographs of men and women wearing sunglasses. Whoever created the NPH Investments identity was drawing from the same playbook, Scott-Railton said. Giles said his suspicions about NPH deepened after his second meeting with Lambert on June 6. Lambert asked the same questions all over again, he said, complete with the requests to repeat himself and talk loudly. The only variation was when Lambert falsely claimed that Giles had told him Kasperskys critics had been paid to slam the company in the media. That removed my remaining doubts that this was to hear and possibly record my comments on Kaspersky, Giles said. He was plainly hoping for an admission by me that either I or others had been working on behalf of other cybersecurity companies to reduce Kasperskys business. Meanwhile, the U.S. cybersecurity expert that Giles recommended had also met Lambert, sitting down at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York on May 31. There, and at a second meeting with the expert on July 10, Lambert also touched on criticisms of Kaspersky. He brought it up more than once, the cybersecurity expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity because his employer had asked him not to identify himself publicly. He asked whether economic competitors were trying to gin up the security threat. In his conversations with Giles and the U.S. expert, Lambert appeared particularly eager to meet with Michael Daniel, who was White House cybersecurity co-ordinator between 2012 and 2017, asking both men for Daniels contact details. Neither was able to provide an introduction, but Lambert claimed to have made contact. In an email obtained by AP, he said he met with Daniel last September and labeled the get-together a success. But the Cyber Threat Alliance , a mainly American organization that Daniel now leads and is devoted to sharing intelligence about digital threats, said the former White House official had no recollection of any suspicious meetings. The alliance added that Daniel has assumed he is a potential target for these kinds of operatives since he started in the White House seven years ago. A motive for targeting Daniel is unclear. In April 2017, Kaspersky had expressed an interest in joining Daniels Washington-based group, according to a former U.S. intelligence official briefed on the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The former official said the sporadic communications went nowhere, petering out in February 2018, two months before Giles received his first email from Lambert. The alliance said it did not comment on membership discussions. A few weeks after he claimed to have met Daniel, Lamberts operation appears to have wound down. He wrote Giles on Oct. 15 to tell him the conference would have to be postponed because a major client had an unplanned board meeting. Giles remembers feeling relieved that the surreal episode was over. This was a kind of go-through-the-mirror experience, he said, warning others in his position to be on their guard. Its really important for us to stay on the right side of the looking glass. ___ Kin Cheung in Hong Kong and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report. ___ Online: Documents linked to this story: https://www.documentcloud.org/search/projectid:42174-Citizen-Lab-Undercover-Op ___ Know anything more about these undercover operatives? Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com MALVERN, Pennsylvania, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rajant Corporation , the exclusive provider of Kinetic Mesh wireless networks, has promoted Michael Van Rassen to serve as Rajants President of Military and Government Markets. This is a newly created position in further support of the global inroads Rajant is making with its Kinetic Mesh network to enable mission-critical communications that enhance situational awareness, tactical strategies and convoy communications. This new position and increased responsibility are in recognition of Mikes value to Rajant, his reputation in the field, and his sixth sense ability to identify growth opportunities, said Mr. Bob Schena, Rajants Chief Executive Officer. He plays a critical role in driving our military and government business and is pivotal at delivering outstanding service and new business opportunities. Mr. Van Rassen has been serving as Rajants Executive Vice President of Business Development since August 2017. His promotion is effective April 16th, 2019. Im honored and would like to thank both Rajant co-founders, Bob Schena and Paul Hellhake, for this exciting and challenging opportunity, said Mr. Van Rassen. I look forward to working with a talented team and continuing to provide the unique Rajant technology to our military and government customers. Upon joining Rajant, Mr. Van Rassen brought with him 20 years of Acquisition experience in uniform and as an Army Civilian. Mr. Van Rassen started the C-RAM effort in the summer of 2004 and led that effort until his retirement from Federal Service in 2016. During this tenure, he led acquisition efforts in Command & Control, Missiles, Guns, Radars, and Communications. He is the past recipient of the Army Product Manager of the year, The Superior Civilian Service Award, and 2017 inductee to the Air, Space, Missile Defense Distinguished Civilians Wall of Honor. A graduate of the University of Toledo, Mr. Van Rassen was commissioned in the Ordnance Corps in 1985 and eventually went on to earn a masters degree in Business Administration from George Mason University in 1996. He is a combat veteran of Operation Just Cause and Desert Storm. Mr. Van Rassen can be reached at mvanrassen@rajant.com . You can also contact him via LinkedIn . About Rajant Corporation Rajant Corporation is the exclusive provider of private wireless networks powered by the patented Kinetic Mesh network, BreadCrumb wireless nodes, and InstaMesh networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajants Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 50 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, and agriculture, Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania with additional facilities and offices in Arizona, Kentucky, and Alabama. For more information, visit www.rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter . Contact: Alice DiSanto, AVP of Marketing for Rajant Corporation Telephone: 914-582-8464 Email: ADiSanto@rajant.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f0f67f0d-75de-4d4b-aa52-f5e2bf54efb6 LONDON - Keir Giles first thought was that the mans suit looked too cheap for a private equity executive. The man seated in front of him at the London hotel claimed to live in Hong Kong, but didnt seem overly familiar with the city. Then there was the awkward conversation, which kept returning to one topic in particular: the Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab. He also asked Giles to repeat himself or speak louder so persistently that Giles said he began wondering whether I should be speaking into his tie or his briefcase or wherever the microphone was. He was drilling down hard on whether there had been any ulterior motives behind negative media commentary on Kaspersky, said Giles, a Russia specialist with Londons Chatham House think-tank who often has urged caution about Kasperskys alleged Kremlin connections. The angle he wanted to push was that individuals like me who had been quoted in the media had been induced by or motivated to do so by Kasperskys competitors. The Associated Press has learned that the mysterious man who presented himself as a private equity partner named Lucas Lambert spent several months last year investigating critics of the Kaspersky Lab, organizing at least four meetings with cybersecurity experts in London and New York. Giles said he met with Lambert twice last year, ostensibly to discuss Giles speaking at a cybersecurity conference that Lamberts company was organizing. But he said Lambert seemed far more interested in asking whether anyone had been paid to publicly undermine Kaspersky. Kaspersky Lab declined to answer questions from the AP about whether it had any involvement with the meetings. The operation targeting Giles and others came at a sensitive time for the Moscow-based company, which boasts one of the worlds most popular consumer antivirus products and a research unit widely respected for routinely exposing elite hacking groups. U.S. officials had occasionally expressed wariness about the firm over the years, but criticism of the company intensified in the aftermath of Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election. U.S. lawmakers began calling for restrictions on Kaspersky, contending a Russian firm could not be trusted to keep American networks safe, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered federal agencies to remove the firms antivirus software from their computers. By the time Giles met with Lambert, Kaspersky was suing the U.S. government over its decision, arguing that it never helped hackers and was being considered guilty until proven innocent. U.S. judges later dismissed the lawsuit. The AP learned that Lambert also targeted Michael Daniel, who served as former president Barack Obamas cybersecurity czar, though it is unclear whether he actually managed to meet with Daniel. In an email exchange with the AP, Lambert insisted that he and his company were genuine, but he did not reply to follow-up questions about the discrepancies in his story or make himself available for an interview. The AP could find no evidence of the existence of the firm he said he worked for, Tokyo- and Hong Kong-based NPH Investments. Research by Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group based at the University of Torontos Munk School, suggests Lucas Lamberts operation is linked to an almost identical one involving a man calling himself Michel Lambert. His bungled attempt in a Manhattan restaurant to entrap John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the lab, was caught on camera by AP reporters two months ago. The two Lamberts appear to be different individuals. A few days after the AP published his photo, Michel was outed as former Israeli intelligence officer Aharon Almog-Assouline. In a Canadian court filing, a Toronto attorney said Assouline bears a striking similarity to a man he identified as an operative for Black Cube, an Israeli intelligence firm. Black Cube has denied any connection to the operation targeting Citizen Lab or to Michel Lambert. Its Israeli law firm, Cassouto & Co., said in a letter that it had absolutely no link to Lucas Lambert. Black Cube denies it ever worked directly or indirectly for or on behalf of Kaspersky Lab, the letter said. Giles said Lucas Lambert first reached out to him in April 2018, offering him $10,000 to deliver a keynote speech at an investor conference being organized by his company. But when they met the next month to discuss the idea, Giles said Lambert spent more time quizzing him on his attitude toward Kaspersky. Giles had given interviews suggesting Kasperskys claims to be neutral should be taken with a grain of salt, saying it wouldnt be unusual for the company to co-operate with Russian spies in the same way that U.S. companies have been caught giving discreet assistance to the National Security Agency. At their meeting, Giles said, Lambert asked him whether doubts about Kaspersky were being sown by jealous industry rivals and whether Giles and others were being induced by anyone to denigrate the company. I told him repeatedly that that was not the reason, Giles said. In his second meeting with Lambert a month later, he said Lambert asked the same questions and also claimed Giles had told him Kasperskys critics had been paid to slam the company in the media. That removed my remaining doubts that this was to hear and possibly record my comments on Kaspersky, Giles said. Lambert also met with an American cybersecurity expert in New York in late May and in July, again touching on criticisms of Kaspersky. He brought it up more than once, the expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity because his employer had asked him not to identify himself publicly. He asked whether economic competitors were trying to gin up the security threat. After Lambert wrote Giles on Oct. 15 to tell him the conference would be postponed indefinitely because a major client had an unplanned board meeting, Giles recalled feeling relieved. This was a kind of go-through-the-mirror experience, he said, warning others to be on their guard. Its really important for us to stay on the right side of the looking glass. ___ Kin Cheung in Hong Kong and Kaori Hitomi in Tokyo contributed to this report. ___ Online: Documents linked to this story: https://www.documentcloud.org/search/projectid:42174-Citizen-Lab-Undercover-Op ___ Know anything more about these undercover operatives? Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com ATHENS, Greece - A lightning bolt struck the Acropolis in Athens during a rainstorm Wednesday, lightly injuring two visitors and two guards but causing no damage to the countrys most famous ancient site, Greek officials said. A culture ministry statement said the citadels lightning conductor, which is set apart from the 2,500-year-old marble buildings, was hit. The impact shattered glass windows in two nearby guard booths, and the guards inside as well as two female visitors were taken to hospital with light cuts. The hilltop UNESCO World Heritage site is Greeces most popular archaeological site, attracting 3.15 million visitors last year. The ministry said none of the Acropolis monuments, which include the 5th Century B.C. Parthenon and Erechtheion temples, were damaged. The two visitors were discharged from hospital after receiving first aid while the guards remained for precautionary reasons. Much of Greece has been beset by unusually persistent rainfall over recent days, with a hailstorm carpeting central Athens in white on Monday. The Acropolis is one of the highest points in the city centre and has suffered severely from lightning strikes in the past. In 1645, during the Ottoman Turkish occupation of Greece when the Acropolis served as a fortress, a bolt hit the monumental entrance to the citadel, the Propylaea, which the garrison was using as a gunpowder store. The subsequent explosion extensively damaged the 5th Century B.C. building, which until then had remained largely intact since ancient times. The Parthenon suffered a similar fate when it was hit by a shell in 1687, during a siege by Venetian forces. BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia on Wednesday sought to secure a greater Russian role in European Union-mediated talks with the former province of Kosovo, which could further strain the Balkan countrys relations with the West. Serbias Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow that Serbia cannot defend its state interests without the assistance of the Russian Federation. Dacic also said Serbia would not do anything without consulting Russia, adding that Russia is our biggest friend. The EU-sponsored talks on normalizing ties have been stalled over the Kosovo governments 100% tariff on goods imported from Serbia, which Belgrade wants lifted before resuming negotiations. While Serbia and Russia dont recognize Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence, the U.S. and most of the West do. Serbia lost control over Kosovo after NATO intervened in 1999 to stop Belgrades bloody crackdown against Kosovo Albanian civilians and separatists. Although it formally seeks EU membership, Serbia has gradually been shifting toward Russia, which has lost most of its allies in the Balkans. Serbia has been seeking the partition of Kosovo, hoping to take over parts of the state which are inhabited by the Serb minority. That has been rejected by Pristina and many Western countries, which fear it could have a domino effect on other borders in the region that saw wars in the 1990s. Russia has repeatedly said it would accept any negotiated solution that is approved by Serbia, and indicated it would veto anything else at the U.N. Security Council. As for pressure on Serbia and demands to recognize Kosovos independence, the pressure will surely continue, primarily on the part of the U.S., because the current administration is obsessed with achieving as much foreign policy success as possible in the short time until the next election, Lavrov said Wednesday, according to the Russian TASS news agency. BARCELONA, Spain - Spain has reluctantly allowed humanitarian aid vessels to depart for the Greek islands where they want to deliver aid supplies to migrant camps, Spanish aid groups said Wednesday. But the groups face hefty fines if their boats venture without permission into official search and rescue areas in the Central Mediterranean. The Spanish government had blocked the rescue boats from sailing, fearing they would anger Mediterranean countries like Italy if they roam around the ocean looking for and picking up migrants. Italy and Malta have argued that they cannot open their ports to humanitarian rescue ships because their activities off the coast of lawless Libya have encouraged human traffickers. After nearly four months of legal back and forth, the Aita Mari received the green light to sail to the Aegean Sea on Tuesday. Daniel Rivas, a spokesman for the Humanitarian Rescue Service group, said the ship carries medical and sanitary supplies to the camps on the islands of Lesbos and Chios. A separate boat, Proactivas Open Arms, will depart from Barcelona later this week with blankets and other supplies, the groups founder Oscar Camps said Wednesday. Both have been told to stay away from off-coast search and rescue zones unless authorities ask them to participate in a specific operation to aid people in distress at sea. They face fines from 300,000 to 900,000 euros ($340,000 to one million dollars) if they break those conditions. Camps said his group would still conduct rescues if they find people in need. Its our legal obligation to rescue people in the sea, if we come across them, we will do it, he told Catalan television TV3. A total of 407 people have died so far this year while crossing the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to the IOM, the United Nations migration body. PARIS - The latest on the fire that tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local): 11:50 p.m. For the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade, the hardest thing about the blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral was cracking the security codes to rescue its most precious relic. Fire chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier is being hailed as a hero for his role in salvaging the crown of thorns during Mondays fire. Fournier told Catholic broadcaster KTO on Wednesday that the difficulty for us was to find the person holding the security codes to open the safe where the holy relic is kept. The chaplain was also celebrated for tending to the injured and praying for the dead in Paris Bataclan concert hall after the 2015 Islamic extremist attack there. He also spent time in Afghanistan with the French military. ___ 8:40 p.m. The Paris prosecutors office says the investigation into the Notre Dame Cathedral fire has not produced any indication so far of a criminal act. The probe is still in its early stages. The office on Wednesday said investigators had been able to access some parts of the building to begin their on-site work. Meanwhile, about 10 more people have been questioned by police, bringing the total to about 40. ___ 7:40 p.m. The bells of France have tolled, ringing out from the nations cathedrals and basilicas in commemoration of the Notre Dame fire. From Sacre Coeur in Paris Montmartre district to Strasbourg in the east and Rouen in the west, the architectural treasures of France solemnly marked the inferno Wednesday evening, two days after it ravaged Notre Dame of Paris. The Gothic cathedral is widely regarded as the soul of France. At Saint Sulpice church, the second largest house of worship in Paris, French first lady Brigitte Macron attended a special service, the yearly blessing of the oils during Holy Week ahead of Easter Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to have Notre Dame rebuilt in five years. ___ 7:25 p.m. The cultural heritage envoy for French President Emmanuel Macron says it is realistic to reopen Notre Dame Cathedral to the public in five years. Following a meeting at the presidential palace about the cathedrals reconstruction, Stephane Bern said Macrons goal is to allow visitors coming for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris to visit Notre Dame. No one around the table has protested saying this is unrealistic or utopian, Bern said. Bern was joined at the meeting by ministers, local elected officials, church representatives and top cultural heritage experts. Bern said Macron didnt express his views regarding the reconstruction of the roof and whether the frame should be in wood, metal or concrete. These questions, Bern said, will be answered later. Bern also said Macron told the meeting that the new spire will hinge on the results of an international architecture competition. Notre Dames spire collapsed soon after the cathedral caught fire Monday. ___ 6:45 p.m. The Walt Disney Co. has pledged to contribute $5 million to aid in the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral after Mondays fire. In a statement on Wednesday, Disney chairman and chief executive Bob Iger says the company stands with our friends and neighbours in the community. The cathedral was the setting for Disneys 1996 animated adaptation of Victor Hugos The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disney is also developing a live-action adaption. The theme park Disneyland Paris, originally named Euro Disney, is located about 20 miles (32 kilometres) outside of Paris. ___ 6:35 p.m. President Donald Trump says he had a wonderful conversation with Pope Francis on Wednesday, two days after a fire ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump says in a tweet that he offered condolences from the People of the United States for the horrible and destructive fire. And Trump says he offered the help of our great experts on renovation and construction and made the same offer to French President Emmanuel Macron in a call on Tuesday. Trump and the pope had clashed over Trumps campaign pledge to build a wall along the southern U.S. border, but they appeared to get along well when they met in person during the presidents trip to the Vatican in 2017. Trump says he also wished both the Pope and Macron a very Happy Easter! ___ 5:45 p.m. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plans to donate the proceeds of an upcoming concert in Berlin to the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. The Paris landmark was badly damaged in a fire on Monday. Berlin Cathedral, which is hosting the May 2 concert, said Wednesday that the event will take place under the theme Standing together! Solidarity for Notre Dame de Paris. The concert is being organized by the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, which promotes liturgical music and the restoration of church art. The Vienna Philharmonic had planned to stage a concert at Notre Dame in 2021. ___ 4:10 p.m. A Paris official says part of the support structure around Notre Dame Cathedrals rose windows is to be dismantled to prevent further damage following a massive fire. The Culture Ministrys fire expert, Jose Vaz de Matos, told reporters that part of the triangular structure above the central rose window is to be taken down to limit the movement of the stone. De Matos said the main risk to the cathedral is the gables above the rose windows, which provide crucial support to the stained glass masterpieces. He said the structure is particularly exposed to the wind, and the overall structure remains fragile. Police officials told The Associated Press that the triangular structure is leaning 20 centimetres forward toward the street since the fire. ___ 3:25 p.m. A Paris fire official says the towers of Notre Dame would have fallen if firefighters hadnt deployed massive equipment and acted swiftly. Philippe Demay denied there was any delay and said firefighters acted as fast as they could. Demay told reporters that the operation was extremely difficult and that the towers could have collapsed if we hadnt put heavy equipment in place. ___ 3:15 p.m. Paris firefighters say Notre Dame Cathedrals rose windows are in good shape after a devastating fire, but that their support structures are at risk. Fire fighter spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters that the rose windows are in good condition but that there is a risk for the gables that are no longer supported by the frame. He said firefighters took down statues inside the gables above the rose windows to protect them, and took care not to spray water too hard on the delicate stained glass. He said firefighters and experts are still closely monitoring the building to determine how much damage the structure suffered and what needs to be dismantled to avoid collapse. ___ 2:55 p.m. Hungarys deputy prime minister says the Notre Dame Cathedral fire is a tragic symbol of the apocalyptic loss of values we are witnessing in the western world. In an excerpt of an interview to be broadcast on news channel Hir TV this coming Easter Monday, Zsolt Semjen, said the French secularist, anti-church policy is also deeply responsible for the fire. The French Republic owns churches that were constructed before 1905. Semjen, who is head of the Christian Democratic Party, said Hungary would consider contributing to Notre Dames reconstruction, but added that the reality is that France is a rich country, so shouldnt Macron have announced that France will rebuild Notre Dame? Semjen said: May God allow this tragedy to be a sign which shakes up the French nation, not just regarding the reconstruction of the church but also in terms of their own national self-esteem, their own history, their own Frenchness and their own Christianity. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the countrys anti-immigrant policies and border fences, built in late 2015 to stop the migrant flow, have helped protect Europes Christian culture. ___ 2:15 p.m. Paris merchants whose livelihoods depend on Notre Dame tourism are worried about the cathedrals stability and their own futures. The island that houses the cathedral has been closed to the public since Mondays fire, and its residents evacuated. Its literally the nucleus of Paris all distances in France are measured from the esplanade in front of Notre Dame. Its also one of the most-visited spots in France, whose economy depends heavily on tourism. Patrick Lejeune, president of the Notre Dame neighbourhood merchants association, told The Associated Press that the groups 150 employees fear for the future. No one is talking about us, he said. Bustling streets are now totally closed. I dont have access to my office. He also expressed concern for the stability of the cathedral and its central rose window. Its spire collapsed and roof was destroyed in the fire. ___ 2:05 p.m. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says the government will take a series of measures to secure the financing and accelerate the renovation work of Notre Dame Cathedral. Speaking after a special Cabinet meeting dedicated to Notre Dame, Philippe said the government will present a bill next week to ensure transparency and good management during the reconstruction. He said one measure will aim at ensuring that all donations actually end up going to Notre Dame. The bill will also allow French ordinary citizens to get special tax cuts if they make a donation. Another measure will enable the French state to adapt legal procedures in order to ease the reconstruction. ___ 1:55 p.m. The organist who was playing at evening mass inside Notre Dame when flames began heading towards the iconic cathedrals roof says people didnt immediately react when the fire alarm rang as a priest was reading from the Bible. Johann Vexo says nobody knew exactly what it was because it was the first time that we heard it inside the cathedral. People then started to leave the building but some, including Vexo, later came back. The organist says he spent another 20 minutes inside the cathedral, chatting to colleagues, before finally leaving at about 6.45 p.m. local time on Monday night. Vexo says he didnt see fire or smoke and really thought that it was just something not working good or just a mistake, or whatever. Notre Dames spectacular and unique great organ seemingly escaped largely intact from the blaze that destroyed the roof and spire. Vincent Dubois, another Notre Dame organist who wasnt in the cathedral, says the organ must be completely dusted off, cleaned from the soot, the dust that is inside. ___ 1:20 p.m. Notre Dames rector says he will close the burned-out Paris cathedral for up to six years. Bishop Patrick Chauvet acknowledged that the famed monument would close down for five to six years as he spoke with local business owners Wednesday, two days after a blaze torched the roof of the cathedral and brought down its spire. Chauvet said a segment of the cathedral has been very weakened by the devastating fire. He did not elaborate which section he was talking about. He added it was unclear what the churchs 67 employees would be doing in the future. ___ 1 p.m. The French prime minister has announced an international competition for architects to see if the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral should be rebuilt and how it should be rebuilt. Edouard Philippe is speaking following a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday held by French President Emmanuel Macron, focusing on the reconstruction of the cathedral. Philippe said the competition will also assess whether the spire should be adapted to technologies and challenges of our times. He said authorities have no estimate yet of the total cost of the renovation work. Macron said Tuesday he wants the cathedral to be rebuilt in five years. Philippe said: This is obviously a huge challenge, a historic responsibility. ___ 12:45 p.m. The Paris prosecutors office says investigators looking into the causes of the Notre Dame fire have still not been able to look inside the cathedral, as it remains unsafe. Investigators will continue with interviews Wednesday, saying the inquiry will go on until prosecutors uncover the truth and identify the origin of the blaze. On Tuesday, investigators spoke with around 30 witnesses, including employees of companies involved in the churchs restoration and security personnel. ___ 12:35 p.m. The Czech Philharmonic and other major Czech orchestras will join forces to play a fundraising concert to help restore Notre Dame Cathedral, heavily damaged by a devastating fire. The Czech Philharmonic says the orchestras will perform Antonin Dvoraks Stabat Mater in St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, in Prague on Tuesday. The orchestras want to support France in renovating one of the most important religious buildings in Europe. Stabat Mater is a key religious piece by Dvorak. The oratorio was said to be inspired by the death of his three children. St Vitus is the biggest and most important Czech cathedral and the Concert for Notre Dame will be broadcast live by Czech public radio and television. ___ 10:40 a.m. Pope Francis has told his weekly audience at St. Peters Square of his sadness over the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, the seat of the Paris archdiocese. The pope said Wednesday that I take this opportunity to express to the Paris diocesan community, all Parisians and the entire French population my great affection and my closeness after the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral. Addressing those gathered, pope said, I was very sad and I feel very close to all of you. He expressed the gratitude of the whole church to those who did their utmost to save the Basilica, also risking their lives. The pope on Tuesday sent a telegram of condolences to Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetitand and phoned French President Emmanuel Macron to express his solidarity. ___ 9:20 a.m. Nearly $1 billion has already poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to restore Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a massive fire. Construction teams brought in a huge crane and a delivery of planks of wood to the site Wednesday morning. French President Emmanuel Macron ratcheted up the pressure by setting a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. Macron is holding a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday dedicated to the Notre Dame disaster. Presidential cultural heritage envoy Stephane Bern told broadcaster France-Info on Wednesday that 880 million euros ($995 million) has been raised so far. Contributors include Apple and magnates who own LOreal, Chanel and Dior, as well as Catholics and others from around France and the world. Authorities consider the fire an accident. ___ Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/NotreDameCathedral BERLIN - A 19-year-old male giant panda has arrived at Viennas Schoenbrunn zoo, more than two years after his predecessor died. Yuan Yuan, who arrived on Tuesday evening, was chosen as a partner for Yang Yang, the zoos 18-year-old female panda. The zoo said Wednesday that he will be introduced to the public at the end of May once he is out of quarantine. Schoenbrunn has been home to pandas since 2003, when Yang Yang and male Long Hui arrived. China lends the rare bears to other countries as a sign of goodwill in what is known as panda diplomacy. Long Hui died in December 2016 while undergoing an examination for a tumour, which zoo officials said was malignant and inoperable. He had fathered twins months earlier. JERUSALEM - The Israeli military has demolished the family home of a Palestinian suspected in a drive-by shooting against Israelis in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces bulldozed the home of Saleh Barghouti in the West Bank village of Kobar early Wednesday. Barghouti was killed in a raid earlier this year as part of a manhunt in which Israel arrested more than 100 Palestinians. He was accused, along with his brother Aasem, of carrying out a drive-by shooting last December that wounded seven people, including a pregnant woman whose baby later died after being delivered prematurely. Aasem Barghouti was arrested, and his home was demolished as well. Israel often demolishes homes of alleged Palestinian assailants or their families, saying it deters attacks. Rights groups say the demolitions amount to collective punishment. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Two Saudi sisters appealed for help Wednesday from the former Soviet republic of Georgia after fleeing their country, in the latest case of runaways from the ultra-conservative kingdom using social media to seek asylum. Using a newly created Twitter account called GeorgiaSisters, they identified themselves as Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25. Like other Saudi women who have fled and turned to social media, they posted copies of their passports to establish their identities. The sisters claim they are in danger and will be killed if they are forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia. They said their father and brothers have arrived in Georgia looking for them. Wafa said they fled oppression from our family without elaborating. Saudis can enter Georgia visa-free, making the country a transit point for numerous other Saudi women who have fled in recent years. Saudi women who run away are almost always fleeing abusive male relatives and claim there are few good choices for them to report the abuse in Saudi Arabia. Saudi women caught running away in the kingdom can be forced into restrictive shelters, pressured to reconcile with their abusers or detained on charges of disobedience. Regardless of their age, women in Saudi Arabia must have the consent of a male relative to obtain a passport, travel or marry under so-called male guardianship laws . The sisters first post to the Twitter account was Tuesday evening. It read: We are two Saudi sisters who fled from Saudi Arabia seeking asylum. Yet, the family and the Saudi government have suspended our passports and now we are trapped in Georgia country. We need your help please. In another post, the sisters appear with their faces showing and their hair uncovered a taboo for conservative families in Saudi Arabia. The post says they are showing their faces in order for the world to remember us in case something happens to them. In a later video posted on Twitter, Maha said: We want your protection. We want a country that welcomes us and protects our rights. Her sister posted another video calling for help from the U.N. refugee agency. We fled oppression from our family because the laws in Saudi Arabia (are) too weak to protect us. We are seeking the UNHCR protection in order to be taken to a safe country, Wafa said. The sisters did not give further details on why they have fled. The Associated Press could not immediately reach the sisters in Georgia. A Saudi activist who goes by the name Ms Saffaa told the AP that she and other activists have had direct contact with the sisters in Georgia. The UNHCR in Georgia said it does not comment on individual cases, but that they are closely monitoring the situation of the two sisters. Georgia is a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, meaning people requesting international protection in the country have access to the governments asylum procedures. UNHCR said in a statement to the AP that through its partners it provides legal representation throughout the entire asylum procedure. Georgias Interior Ministry said the sisters had not contacted security authorities regarding claims of request for asylum, nor any other issue concerning their safety. Their cases mirror that of 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who in January drew worldwide attention when she barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Bangkok after fleeing her Saudi family during a trip to Kuwait. Her social media pleas on Twitter prompted quick action by the UNHCR and she was granted asylum in Canada. There had been speculation that al-Qununs successful getaway would inspire others to copy her, but powerful deterrents remain in place. If caught, runaways face possible death at the hands of relatives for purportedly shaming the family. The issue of male guardianship is extremely sensitive in the kingdom, where conservative, tribal families view what they consider to be the protection of women as a mans duty. Around a dozen womens rights activists have been detained, many since May, after they campaigned against the guardianship system. Some had also wanted to create alternative shelters for women runaways, saying that current shelters in Saudi Arabia are run similar to detention centres. There is a government app that offers a range of government services, including allowing men the ability to grant or deny a woman permission to travel. Some young women who have fled Saudi Arabia managed to access their fathers phone and change the apps settings to grant themselves travel permission. The app is merely implementing existing laws, and removing it would not change or remove the guardianship rules in place. Still, the feature has sparked calls in past weeks for leading tech companies like Google and Apple to block access through their app stores. ___ Megrelidze contributed from Tbilisi, Georgia. NEW ORLEANS - A crowdfunding campaign for three African American churches in Louisiana recently gutted by arson was climbing Tuesday after social media posts urging the public not to forget the plight of the small houses of worship as the eyes of the world were on the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. As we hold Paris in our hearts today, lets also sent some love to our neighbours in Louisiana, a Tuesday tweet from Hillary Clinton read. Freelance journalist Yashar Ali, with 394,000 followers, struck a similar tone, tweeting that the Notre Dame restoration will be well funded and urging support for the Louisiana churches. Its a blessing, truly a blessing, the Rev. Freddie Jack, president of the Seventh District Missionary Baptist Association, said of the fundraising campaign in a telephone interview Tuesday night. The three churches are members of the association. Suspect Holden Matthews, 21, is in custody in connection with the Louisiana fires and faces charges that include hate crimes. The fires happened in and around Opelousas beginning in late March. Matthews was arrested a week ago. The campaign hit $500,000 Tuesday evening, with contributions ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars. Its all working out for the greater good, Jack said, when asked about the connection being made to the Notre Dame fire. The money raised is to be distributed equally among the three century-old churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, which burned on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas; and Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, which burned over the following 10 days. LANSING, Mich. - Michigans attorney general said Tuesday that she will not enforce a state abortion ban if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. Democrat Dana Nessel, speaking at a Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan conference, told the crowd of abortion rights supporters that it is likely the 1973 decision legalizing abortion will be struck down by the high courts conservative majority. Michigan is among 10 states that still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books. I will never prosecute a woman or her doctor for making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy, Nessel said to applause. She said if her Republican predecessor Bill Schuette could go eight years without enforcing a single environmental regulation, I think I can go four or maybe eight years without sending women to be butchered in back alleys. The state Republican Party tweeted at Nessel that her statements are further evidence that you have decided to only uphold the laws that you agree with. We will accept your resignation at any time. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also spoke at the event near the Capitol, pledging to block the GOP-led Legislature if it passes anti-abortion bills. She pointed to Ohio, which last week banned abortions at the first detectable heartbeat, and Georgia, whose governor is expected to sign a heartbeat bill soon. Youve got a powerful backstop in a veto from my office, Whitmer said. She said the goal, however, is not just to stop bad things from happening. Its to set an agenda that respects women and girls and family planning, set an agenda that elevates the conversation on real reproductive education for our youngest citizens. The 2018 victories of Whitmer and Nessel have heartened abortion rights backers following eight years of full Republican control. Former Gov. Rick Snyder was more moderate on abortion legislation than many GOP lawmakers, but he did sign into law some restrictions. The Legislature also sidestepped him by approving a voter-initiated law that requires residents or businesses wanting health insurance coverage for elective abortions to buy extra coverage. At the national level, the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood last month filed a lawsuit challenging a new Trump administration rule that would prohibit family planning clinics funded by the federal Title X program from making abortion referrals. Nessel in March joined Michigan with 20 other states in a separate suit against the rule. Michigan receives more than $7 million a year in Title X funds. ___ Follow Eggert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 SAN DIEGO, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nationally recognized securities attorney Andrew J. Brown, founder of The Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown, announces an investigation into legal claims against the officers and Board of Directors of Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR). More information can be found at www.thebrownlawfirm.com . On April 16, 2019, a class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court Southern District of Texas on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Whitestone REIT securities between May 9, 2018 and February 27, 2019 (the Class Period). The complaint alleges that Defendants made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose that (1) the Company lacked effective internal controls over financial reporting; (2) Whitestone was incorrectly recognizing assets and liabilities associated with its contribution to Pillarstone Capital REIT Operating Partnership LP; and (3) the Company's financial statements for the fiscal year 2018 overstated revenues. These alleged false and misleading statements made by Defendants caused investors to suffer as shares fell more than 8% in one day. Based upon the allegations in the filed class action complaint, the Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown is investigating legal claims involving violations of federal securities laws by the Companys Officers and Directors. The Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown is an investor and consumer-dedicated litigation firm with more than 20 years of experience in complex consumer and securities class action litigation. www.thebrownlawfirm.com If you are a Whitestone REIT shareholder and want to learn more about the investigation and pending lawsuit, contact Andrew J. Brown at info@thebrownlawfirm.com. There is no cost or fee to you. If you wish to be appointed lead plaintiff of the proposed class you must make the request no later than June 17, 2019. Andrew J. Brown Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown 501 W. Broadway, Ste. 1490 San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 501-6550 www.thebrownlawfirm.com Attorney Advertising: Prior results do not predict or guarantee a similar outcome. WASHINGTON - Ecuadors president on Tuesday accused Julian Assange of hosting numerous hackers at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to give them directions on how to propagate information on topics important to the WikiLeaks founder and his financiers. President Lenin Moreno said that Swedish programmer Ola Bini, who is in custody in Ecuador, was one of the hackers who visited Assange many times. Bini lives in Quito and was detained last week just hours after Moreno evicted Assange from the embassy, allowing him to be arrested by British authorities. Moreno said Bini hacked cellphones and online accounts belonging to both private citizens and Ecuadors government. In Quito earlier in the day, Binis parents made an anxious plea for authorities to release their son while expressing confidence he did nothing wrong. Ola is a friend of Julian Assange, nothing more, said his father, Dag Gustafsson. Meanwhile, demonstrators clashed with police in Ecuadors capital during a protest against Morenos action against Assange, his firing of state workers and the governments taking of a loan from the International Monetary Fund. Moreno made his allegations while at the Inter-American Dialogue during his five-day visit to Washington. He will not have meetings with officials from the Trump administration. Assange had enjoyed asylum since 2012 at the embassy in London but relations between the silver-haired Australian and Ecuadorian officials had grown increasingly tense. Morenos government has accused Assange of creating conflict by meddling in international affairs, harassing staff and even smearing feces on the embassys walls. Assange is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden as part of an investigation into a rape allegation. The U.S. is also seeking his extradition after charging him with conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer system. Ecuadors president suggested Assange was able to operate equipment and collaborate with embassy staffers for a long time thanks to the support of Morenos predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange. There are other answers that fit with someones else money, which (this person) kept taking away from Ecuador in order to keep power and in order to go back to power, Moreno said without referring specifically to Correa at first. But at a later point, Moreno said the president spends $3 million a month to propagate his ideas and has been receiving money from the socialist government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to perform economic studies. He did not specify an amount. Moreno said his government has not requested co-operation from the United States for the investigation of Assange and Bini. But, he added, if we need it, we will request. Lets not forget this is a country with very high technology. Ecuadorian Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo contends Bini travelled at least 12 times to meet with Assange at the London embassy. She says he was also in Venezuela earlier this year around the same time as a close aide to Correa. Prosecutors have said they intend to charge Bini with hacking-related crimes and had him ordered detained for up to 90 days while they compile evidence. Binis father said his son works as a software developer for a non-profit group and has a burning passion for freedom of speech and online personal integrity issues. He said he is convinced his son is innocent and will remain in Ecuador until he is released. For us, its surreal to think Ola is involved in these things, these accusations, Gustafasson said. ___ Luis Alonso Lugo on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/luisalonsolugo SAN FRANCISCO - Good Samaritans stopped the attempted kidnapping of a 2-year-old boy by an Australian disc jockey from a busy San Francisco street, police said Tuesday. Police arrested Roscoe Bradley Holyoake, 34, of Perth, Australia, on Friday. Australia media reports Holyoake is a popular disc jockey. The toddler was holding his mothers hand while they walked in the Castro neighbourhood when Holyoake snatched the boy, San Francisco police say. Holyoake ran for about half a block with the mother and several bystanders in pursuit before the bystanders grabbed and held him until police arrived. Holyoake appeared briefly in court Tuesday and was ordered to return Thursday to enter a plea. His attorney Steve Olmo told media outside court that Holyoake doesnt have a criminal record and was in San Francisco on business. Holyoake remained in San Francisco County Jail on $500,000 bail. ___ Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com SAN FRANCISCO - The Latest on an alleged attempted toddler kidnapping (all times local): 4:15 p.m. An Australian man accused of attempting to kidnap a 2-year-old boy from a busy San Francisco street appeared in court on the charge. Roscoe Bradley Holyoake did not enter a plea during his appearance Tuesday. His public defender, Steve Olmo, told reporters that Holyoake has no previous criminal record and was in San Francisco on business. Holyoake did not speak during the five-minute hearing and was ordered return to court Thursday to enter a plea. San Francisco police say good Samaritans stopped a man who tried to kidnap the boy last week in the citys Castro neighbourhood. Australian media have reported that the 34-year-old is a prominent disc jockey based in Perth. ___ 9:10 a.m. San Francisco police say good Samaritans stopped a man who tried to kidnap a 2-year-old boy last week in the citys Castro neighbourhood. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the man was identified by jail records as 34-year-old Roscoe Bradley Holyoake. Police say the child and his mother were walking down a street Friday afternoon when a Holyoake allegedly snatched the boy from her arms. They say Holyoake made it about half a block with the boy as the mother chased him when bystanders grabbed him and held him down until officers arrived. Holyoake was booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping and his bail was set at $500,000. ___ Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com WASHINGTON - The Latest on President Donald Trumps veto of a congressional resolution on U.S. involvement in war in Yemen: 8:40 p.m. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabias war in Yemen. The veto is just the second in Trumps presidency. It has been expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. Passing the never-before-used war powers resolution has been viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. In explaining his veto, Trump calls the resolution an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities. He also says it endangers the lives of American citizens and service members. Congress has grown uneasy with Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. ___ 7:40 p.m. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution passed to end U.S. military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict. Trump vetoed the measure Tuesday. Congress lacks the votes to override him. Congress has grown uneasy with Trumps close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom. NEW YORK - A burgeoning movement to outlaw fur is seeking to make its biggest statement yet in the fashion mecca of New York City. Lawmakers are pushing a measure that would ban the sale of all new fur products in the city where such garments were once common and style-setters including Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joe Namath and Sean Diddy Combs have all rocked furs over the years. A similar measure in the state capitol in Albany would impose a statewide ban on the sale of any items made with farmed fur and ban the manufacture of products made from trapped fur. Whether this is good or bad depends on which side of the pelt youre on. Members of the fur industry say such bans could put 1,100 people out of a job in the city alone. Supporters dismiss that and emphasize that the wearing of fur is barbaric and inhumane. Cruelty should not be confused with economic development, said state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, who is sponsoring the state legislation. Fur relies on violence to innocent animals. That should be no ones business. The fate of the proposals could be decided in the coming months, though supporters acknowledge New York Citys measure has a better chance of passage than the state legislation. This April 10, 2019, photo shows a sign by furnyc.org in the window of Victoria Stass Collection in New York's fur district. The fur trade is considered so important to New YorkAos development that two beavers adorn the cityAos official seal, a reference to early Dutch and English settlers who traded in beaver pelts. The fur trade is considered so important to New Yorks development that two beavers adorn the citys official seal, a reference to early Dutch and English settlers who traded in beaver pelts. At the height of the fur business in the last century, New York City manufactured 80% of the fur coats made in the U.S, according to FUR NYC, a group representing 130 retailers and manufacturers in the city. The group says New York City remains the largest market for fur products in the country, with real fur still frequently used as trim on coats, jackets and other items. If passed, New York would become the third major American city with such a ban, following San Francisco, where a ban takes effect this year, and Los Angeles, where a ban passed this year will take effect in 2021. Elsewhere, Sao Paulo, Brazil, began its ban on the import and sale of fur in 2015. Fur farming was banned in the United Kingdom nearly 20 years ago, and last year London fashion week became the first major fashion event to go entirely fur-free. Fur industry leaders warn that if the ban passes in New York, emboldened animal rights activists will want more. Everyone is watching this, said Nancy Daigneault, vice-president at the International Fur Federation, an industry group based in London. If it starts here with fur, its going to go to wool, to leather, to meat. When asked what a fur ban would mean for him, Nick Pologeorgis was blunt: Im out of business. Pologeorgis father, who emigrated from Greece, started the fur design and sales business in the citys Fur District nearly 60 years ago. My employees are nervous, he said. If youre 55 or 50 and all youve trained to do is be a fur worker, what are you going to do? Supporters of the ban contend those employees could find jobs that dont involve animal fur, noting that an increasing number of fashion designers and retailers now refuse to sell animal fur and that synthetic substitutes are every bit as convincing as the real thing. They also argue that fur retailers and manufacturers represent just a small fraction of an estimated 180,000 people who work in the citys fashion industry and that their skills can readily be transferred. There is a lot of room for job growth developing ethically and environmentally friendly materials, said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who introduced the city measure. New Yorkers asked about the ban this week came down on both sides, with some questioning if a law was really needed. It is a matter of personal choice. I dont think its something that needs to be legislated, said 44-year-old Janet Thompson. There are lots of people wearing leather and suede and other animal hides out there. To pick on fur seems a little one-sided. Joshua Katcher, a Manhattan designer and author who has taught at the Parsons School of Design, says he believes the proposed bans reflect an increased desire to know where our products come from and for them to be ethical and sustainable. Fur is a relic, he said. ___ Klepper reported from Albany, New York. DETROIT - A former Michigan state trooper was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in his second trial in the death of a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died when he was shot with a Taser. Mark Bessner, who had a history of misconduct allegations involving Taser use, fired the immobilizing device from the passenger seat of a patrol car while he and his partner chased 15-year-old Damon Grimes in August 2017. State police officials condemned his conduct and agreed that criminal charges were appropriate. Bessner said he believed the teen was reaching for a gun in his waistband. Grimes, however, didnt have a weapon. The prosecutors witnesses included a state police lieutenant who explained that a Taser can be considered a tool of deadly force in certain circumstances. Jurors also heard an audio clip of Bessner wishing he could have used a Taser in a different ATV incident. Mark Bessner knew that firing a Taser at Damon Grimes created a very high risk of him dying. ... Is he an adrenaline junkie? Got something against ATVs? Does he like the chase? I dont know, assistant prosecutor Matthew Penney told jurors. Bessner was charged with second-degree murder, but the jury opted for the lesser charge after deliberating for one day. He was immediately taken into custody to await his sentence on May 2. The maximum penalty is 15 years in prison. Nearly 20 sheriffs deputies were in the courtroom to respond to any disruptions while the verdict was announced. Bessners family loudly sobbed while awaiting an elevator. The Grimes family is somewhat satisfied, said spokesman Oliver Gantt. I know they had hoped for more. For the most part, I think they got a little bit of closure. I believe the family can rest with that. Three jurors approached by The Associated Press declined to comment. Bessner, who is white, quit the state police after Grimes death. It was his second trial: A different jury last fall couldnt reach a unanimous verdict on a murder charge after listening to him emotionally explain how he absolutely believed the black teenager had a gun. But Bessner didnt testify in his own defence during the latest trial. His attorney, Richard Convertino, urged jurors to put aside sympathy for Grimes family and place themselves in the troopers shoes in a high-crime neighbourhood. ATVs and guns that was the perception of those who patrolled those areas, Convertino said. Two months before Grimes death, an arbitrator had cleared Bessner of misconduct in how he used his Taser while chasing a crime suspect. State police wanted to suspend him for 10 days. The man was handcuffed during a traffic stop but suddenly sprinted away and was able to clear fences. Its generally against state policy to use a stun gun on a handcuffed person whos in custody. Bessner was also accused of misconduct and agreed to a brief suspension for firing a Taser at a handcuffed man in 2014, records show. Gantt said Bessners Taser habits were voracious. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap INDIO, Calif. - The trial of a man charged with killing two Southern California police officers in an ambush-style attack began with tears Wednesday, as jurors cried when the prosecutor in the case held up the AR-15 rifle used in the killings and described the fatal wounds. Prosecutor Manny Bustamante told jurors in opening statements that admitted gang member John Hernandez Felix targeted the officers simply because they were police. Some cried as he spoke of their wounds. Palm Springs Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose Gil Vega were killed while responding to a domestic violence call at Felixs mothers house on Oct. 8, 2016. Prosecutors say Felix was wearing body armour when he opened fire with the AR-15. This defendant intentionally took that sunset and any remaining sunsets they had in their lives, not only because they were Zerebny and Vega, but because they were Officer Vega and Officer Zerebney, Bustamante said, the Desert Sun reported . Six other officers were injured as police and Felix exchanged gunfire in the residential neighbourhood in Palm Springs, more than 100 miles (161 kilometres) east of Los Angeles. Felix was arrested after a lengthy standoff. Felixs attorney told jurors that his client has low intelligence and was on drugs at the time of the crime. The acts described by Mr. Bustamante were extremely violent and ultimately deadly, defence attorney John Dolan said. Were the acts the only thing to be considered by the jury, this case would be indefensible. He said its Felixs intent thats the controversy in this case. Felixs parents described him as lazy and later angry when on drugs, but never violent, Dolan said. The only time Felixs mother said she feared her son was the day of the attack. She said, That was not my son. He was acting very strangely, Dolan said. The Indio courtroom was packed for the first day of the trial, which continued with testimony in the afternoon. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Felixs attorneys had argued that he is too intellectually disabled to face capital punishment, but the judge in the case disagreed. Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year announced a moratorium on the death penalty in California. Newsoms reprieve lasts only so long as he is governor and does not prevent prosecutors from seeking nor judges and juries from imposing death sentences. Vega, a father of eight, was a 35-year veteran months away from retirement when he was killed. He wasnt scheduled to work the day he died but had volunteered to fill the shift. Zerebny was a rookie officer just back from maternity leave. ___ Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/ OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahomas attorney general is renewing his request that President Trump pardon for a former U.S. solider from Oklahoma convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner. Attorney General Mike Hunter supports a pardon for former Army Lt. Michael Behenna, first requesting one in February 2018. Behenna was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al-Qaida terrorist. He was paroled in 2014 and remains on parole until 2024. In letters dated Monday to Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Hunter says Department of Justice regulations that prohibit anyone on parole from applying for a pardon unduly restrict the presidents constitutional power to grant pardons. Hunter has said he believes Behennas conviction was unjustified because of erroneous jury instructions and the failure of prosecutors to turn over evidence supporting a self-defence claim. JACKSON, Miss. - Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor in Georgia, will deliver the Tougaloo College commencement address next month. The historically black college in Mississippi, where Abrams grew up, is also her parents alma mater. A Tougaloo spokeswoman on Wednesday confirmed her appearance at the May 5 ceremony. The college has an enrolment of nearly 800 undergraduates and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Abrams has become a national star in the Democratic Party since narrowly losing her historic bid last fall to become the countrys first black woman governor. The former Democratic leader of the Georgia House of Representatives is currently mulling a 2020 run for U.S. Senate or president, or another campaign for Georgia governor in 2022. Abrams will also be a commencement speaker at American University on May 11. GLENWOOD, Iowa - The Latest on a U.S. Senate hearing being held in Iowa in the wake of massive flooding in the region (all times local): 12:02 p.m. Getting disaster aid approved and making sure it gets to the people affected by this springs flooding is a priority for area senators. The bureaucratic rules that govern disaster aid spending require an analysis of the costs and benefits of repair projects. U.S. Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa says that means money approved for projects in rural areas may be diverted because the property values are lower than in cities. Ernst and other senators at a hearing about this springs flooding Wednesday said they will work to change that formula. Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst farms near the Missouri River, but his land wasnt flooded. Hurst said the lessons from this flooding should lead to changes about where levees are built and how the river is managed. ___ 10:37 a.m. Officials at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say flood control and protecting human life are their top priorities anytime flooding is imminent along the Missouri River. The Corps John Remus says the agency that manages the dams along the Missouri River could not have prevented the flooding along the river this spring because of the large amount of water that flowed into the river downstream of the dams. But critics of the agency say the other priorities for the river, such as protecting endangered species, seem to work against flood control. Farmer Leo Ettleman said the Corps should have made significant changes to its operating manual after the historic 2011 floods, but neither the Corps nor Congress took action. Ettlemen says the kind of flooding the area saw this spring will continue unless changes are made. ___ 9:20 a.m. The federal agency that manages dams along the Missouri River received stern criticism from several U.S. senators at the start of a hearing examining this years flooding. Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said during Wednesdays hearing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to do a better job of preventing flooding. Ernst says continuing the cycle of flooding and rebuilding over and over is unacceptable. Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the Corps is too slow and too bureaucratic, and that it doesnt have enough money to complete needed preventative projects. Gillibrand also said Congress needs to get past partisan fighting, especially when it comes to disaster aid. Gillibrand, who is running for president, took part in the hearing because she serves on the committee that oversees the Corps, and she was in Iowa touring flood damage. The Wednesday hearing is being held in Glenwood, Iowa, after spring flooding along the Missouri River caused more than $3 billion in damage in the region. ___ 12 a.m. This springs massive flooding along the Missouri River unearthed bitter criticism of the federal agency that manages the river while devastating communities and causing more than $3 billion in damage. The flooding and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers actions will be the focus of a U.S. Senate hearing in western Iowa on Wednesday and critics will demand the agency make flood control its top priority. But Congress would have to act to change the Corps priorities. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley says the current river management policy needs to be fixed. That sentiment is appealing in flood-damaged Midwestern states, but it may not be as popular with supporters of the Corps other priorities such as protecting endangered species. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Veritas Farms, Inc. (OTCQB: VFRM), a vertically-integrated agribusiness focused on the production of full spectrum hemp extracts with naturally occurring cannabinoids, is pleased to report it has filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) including audited financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2018. Selected 2018 Financial Highlights - Veritas Farms, Inc. Total Revenue: $2,079,981, an increase of 86.6% from $1,114,674 in 2017. Total Liabilities: $934,737, a decrease of 55.5% from $2,102,453 at year end 2017. Gross Profit: $876,314, an increase of 357.8% from $191,414 in 2017. Gross Profit Ratio: 42.1%, up from 17.2% in 2017. Total Inventory: $2,508,954, an increase of 75.6% from $1,428,758 at year end 2017. Total Assets: $7,014,086, an increase of 34.6% from $5,210,740 at year end 2017. Alexander M. Salgado, CEO and co-founder of Veritas Farms, commented, 2018 was truly a transformative year for Veritas Farms, when all of our teams strategy, hard work, and determination came together to make us one of the leading fully-integrated hemp companies and brands in the country. Fueled by increasing consumer interest in the benefits of hemp, our remarkable growth in 2018 was made possible by the significant capital investments at our Colorado farm and production facility, the launch of our Veritas Farms brand products, and the expansion of our targeted sales, marketing, and social media programs. Following the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill in December and moving forward into 2019, we found that a strong foundation for cultivation and manufacturing and our uncompromising commitment to quality enabled Veritas Farms to further expand production levels, build brand awareness with consumers and distributors, and successfully open new domestic and international sales channels, including to some of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States. Mr. Salgado concluded, We anticipate that this momentum and our expanding sales and marketing efforts have also resulted in record financial results for the first quarter of 2019 as more and more consumers, mainstream retailers, pharmacies, and health care providers take their first steps to incorporate pure hemp extracts into their daily health and wellness routine. Veritas Farms brand products can be found at several leading online and brick-and-mortar retailers across the United States, including select CVS Pharmacy stores. For additional information regarding Veritas Farms, Inc. and to purchase product online, visit www.theveritasfarms.com. About Veritas Farms, Inc. Veritas Farms, Inc. (OTCQB: VFRM) is a vertically integrated agribusiness focused on producing superior quality, whole plant, full spectrum hemp oils and extracts containing naturally occurring cannabinoids. The Company currently operates a 140-acre farm and production facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, and is registered with the Colorado Department of Agriculture to grow industrial hemp. The Company markets and sells products under its Veritas Farms brand and manufactures private label products for a number of leading distributors and retailers. Veritas Farms brand full spectrum hemp extract products include vegan capsules, tinctures, formulations for sublingual applications and infused edibles, lotions, salves, and oral syringes in a variety of size formats and flavors. All Veritas Farms brand products are third-party laboratory tested for strength and purity. The Company files periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be viewed at www.sec.gov. For additional information and online product purchase, visit www.theveritasfarms.com. Veritas Farms, Inc. - Investor Contact Toll-Free: (888) 549-7888 E-mail: ir@theveritasfarms.com Veritas Farms, Inc. - Social Media Instagram: www.instagram.com/veritasfarmsofficial/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/VeritasFarmsOfficial/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/veritasfarms/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/theveritasfarms Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including those with respect to the Companys mission statement and growth strategy, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company's management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Companys future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release. LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - The Latest on a Southern California towns decision on whether to keep flag graphic on police cars (all times local): 10:10 p.m. Laguna Beach is keeping the U.S. flag on its police cars after considering whether to tone down the red, white and blue design. The Laguna Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to retain a new logo for its 11 police vehicles that uses stars and stripes running through the word police on the doors. Some in the small, artsy coastal community thought the decal was garish while others were surprised that anyone would object to the American flag. The council considered whether to keep the new design or choose another. Virtually everyone in the crowded council chamber raised their hand when asked if they supported the design. ___ 7:45 p.m. The decision to include a brightly colored American flag graphic on the side of freshly painted police cars will be taken up again by leaders of a small coastal city in Southern California. The Laguna Beach City Council will decide at its Tuesday meeting whether to keep the logo or choose an alternative. Some residents feel the red, white and blue design is too aggressive while others are surprised that anyone would object to the American flag. The council agreed earlier this year to repaint its squad cars in black and white with the stars and stripes running through the word police on the doors. The city has 11 police vehicles. The proposed graphic that the council approved in February was a more muted version of the design that now appears on the cars. INDIO, Calif. - The Latest on the trial of a man charged with killing two Southern California police officers in an ambush-style attack in 2016 (all times local): 12:05 p.m. The attorney for a man charged with killing two Southern California police officers in an ambush-style attack says his client has low intelligence and was on drugs at the time. The Desert Sun reports that attorney John Dolan told jurors in opening statements Wednesday that they need to consider intent when deciding whether to find 28-year-old John Hernandez Felix guilty. Earlier when prosecutor Manny Bustamante addressed jurors, some cried as he held up the AR-15 rifle used to kill the officers and described the injuries they suffered. He says Felix, an admitted gang member, targeted the officers simply because they were police. Palm Springs Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose Gil Vega were killed while responding to a domestic violence call in 2016. Prosecutors say Felix was wearing body armour when he opened fire with the AR-15. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. ___ 11:15 a.m. Jurors cried during opening statements in the trial of a man charged with killing two Southern California police officers in an ambush-style attack. The Desert Sun reports that some jurors began crying Wednesday when prosecutor Manny Bustamante held up the AR-15 rifle used to kill the officers and described the injuries they suffered. Bustamante told jurors that admitted gang member John Hernandez Felix targeted the officers simply because they were police. The 28-year-old Felix has pleaded not guilty to murder. His defence attorney also is set to make an opening statement Wednesday. Palm Springs Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose Gil Vega were killed while responding to a domestic violence call in 2016. Prosecutors say Felix was wearing body armour when he opened fire with the AR-15. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. ___ 12:01 a.m. Trial is set to begin for a man accused of killing two Southern California police officers in an ambush-style attack more than two years ago. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for John Hernandez Felix, who has pleaded not guilty to murder. Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday. His attorneys contended the 28-year-old is too intellectually disabled to face capital punishment, but the judge disagreed. Palm Springs Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose Gil Vega were killed in 2016 while responding to a call about domestic violence. Prosecutors say Felix was wearing body armour when he opened fire on the officers with an AR-15 rifle. Vega was a 35-year veteran months away from retirement when he was killed. Zerebny was a rookie officer just back from maternity leave. HARTFORD, Conn. - The Latest on a lawsuit alleging Sandy Hook Elementary School officials failed to order a lockdown before 2012 mass shooting (all times local): 5:15 p.m. A Connecticut appeals court has heard arguments over whether Sandy Hook Elementary School officials were negligent in failing to order a lockdown before a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012. A lawyer for the parents of two children killed in the massacre told the state Appellate Court on Wednesday that school officials didnt follow protocols and order a lockdown that may have saved lives when they heard the gunman shoot his way through the schools locked entrance. The parents are appealing a lower court ruling that dismissed their lawsuit against the town and its schools. The towns lawyer argued officials werent certain what they heard was gunfire in the chaotic first seconds and ordering a lockdown was discretionary. Its not clear when the Appellate Court will rule. ___ 6 a.m. A Connecticut appeals court is set to hear arguments in a lawsuit alleging Sandy Hook Elementary School officials failed to order a lockdown that could have saved lives before a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012. The hearing before the state Appellate Court is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The parents of two children killed at the Newtown school are appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit by a trial court judge, who ruled school officials were immune from being sued and security protocols were discretionary. The parents are seeking undisclosed damages and hope the case results in safety procedures being followed in the future. A lawyer for the town and school district has said there is no evidence school officials did anything wrong. WASHINGTON - The Latest on the Trump administrations position on Cuba (all times local): 2:15 p.m. The U.S. says its imposing sanctions on the Central Bank of Venezuela. The Trump administration says the bank has been instrumental in propping up the government of Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trumps national security adviser John Bolton says the move is aimed at restricting U.S. transactions with the bank and cutting off the banks access to U.S. currency. Bolton says the action is meant to be a warning to others, including Russia, against deploying military assets to Venezuela to help Maduro stay in power. The Kremlin has rejected U.S. calls for Moscow to withdraw its military specialists from Venezuela. Russia says they are there to honour obligations under previous arms contracts. Bolton says Russia has conducted several military flights to Venezuela carrying 35 tons of unknown cargo and 100 military personnel. ___ 2:12 p.m. The United States says its levying more penalties against Bancorp. in Nicaragua claiming the bank is a slush fund for the countrys president, Daniel Ortega. The bank already has been sanctioned by the United States for its links to Venezuelas state-owned oil company. President Donald Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, says Trump issued an executive order in November targeting the Ortega government and its supporters for allegedly engaging in corruption, human rights abuses and exploiting citizens and public resources. One of those sanctioned was Vice-President Rosario Murillo. Bolton says the U.S. is now imposing additional sanctions now on Bancorp as well as Laureano Ortega, one of Daniel Ortegas son. Bolton says the younger Ortega is being groomed as a successor to the current president and Boltons is accusing the son of being involved in vast corruption under the guise of leading Nicaraguas investment agency. ___ 2:10 p.m. The Trump administration is stepping up its crackdown again Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. White House national security adviser John Bolton says theres a new cap on the amount of money that families in the United States can send to relatives in Cuba. Hes also announcing additional economic penalties that target Cuba, as well as outlining new moves against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. And hes calling those countries the three stooges of socialism. Bolton is giving a speech in Florida on the 58th anniversary of the United States failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, an attempt to overthrow the Havana government. ___ 2:05 p.m. The Trump administration is announcing new limits on the amount of money that families in the United States can send to relatives in Cuba. National security adviser John Bolton says the new limit is $1,000 a person, per quarter. The Obama administration had lifted all limits on such remittances. Cuba has an extensive social security system that provides free health care and education, but its economy is struggling. The Cuban economy is largely dependent on tourism, payments for Cuban doctors and other specialists who work in other countries and remittances from Cubans living abroad. The State Department reports that remittances to Cuba from the United States amounted to $3 billion in 2016. ___ 2 p.m. The United States says its restricting some travel to Cuba thats not related to family visits. The White House national security adviser, John Bolton, says that some nonfamily trips to Cuba are portrayed as tourism, but they arent really for sightseeing. He says the new measures will help steer U.S. dollars away from the Cuban government, its military or its security services. Bolton says the U.S. Treasury Department also is ending transactions that allow the Cuban government to circumvent sanctions and get access hard currency and the U.S. banking system. ___ 12:10 p.m. Spain is criticizing the Trump administrations decision to open the door for lawsuits against foreign companies operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. The Spanish government says Washingtons move damages relations between Europe and the United States and will lead to lawsuits and counterclaims. Spain contends that the U.S. action runs counter to international law, and says European Union countries are preparing to fight it. Spanish companies are among Cubas main foreign investors ___ 10:55 a.m. The European Union and Canada are joining forces to protect their companies after the U.S opened the door for lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (feh-deh-REE-kah moh-gehr-EE-nee) and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland say the U.S. move to renege on its longstanding commitment to avert such legal action is regrettable. Mogherini and Freeland say in a joint statement issued Wednesday theyre determined to work together to protect the interests of their companies. They warn that EU and Canadian laws allow counter-claims against any U.S. lawsuits so the U.S. decision to allow suits against foreign companies can only lead to an unnecessary spiral of legal actions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pahm-PAY-oh) says the U.S. wont renew a bar on litigation in place for two decades. The decision is a blow to Havanas efforts to draw foreign investment to the island. ___ 9:35 a.m. The Trump administration is opening the door for lawsuits against foreign firms operating on properties Cuba seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pahm-PAY-oh) said Wednesday he wont renew a bar on litigation in place for two decades. The decision is a blow to Havanas efforts to draw foreign investment to the island. President Donald Trump is stepping up pressure to isolate embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is holding power with help from other countries, including Cuba, China and Russia. Pompeos decision gives Americans the right to sue companies that operate out of hotels, tobacco factories, distilleries and other properties Cuba nationalized after Fidel Castro took power. It allows lawsuits by Cubans who became U.S. citizens years after their properties were taken. Pompeo says, Those citizens opportunities for justice have been put out of reach for two decades. Word of the move prompted stern responses from Canada and Europe, which have vowed to protect their businesses from lawsuits. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - The Latest on the Colorado River drought plan (all times local): 1 p.m. A powerful California water agency says its disappointed an irrigation district is suing to block a multi-state plan to preserve Colorado River water. The Imperial Irrigation District alleges the Metropolitan Water District violated an environmental law in pledging to contribute Californias share of water under the drought contingency plan. Imperial is asking the Los Angeles County Superior Court to force Metropolitan into compliance. Metropolitan general manager Jeff Kightlinger said Wednesday that water agencies in the seven Western states that rely on the river need to work together, not sue. He says the drought plan will have no impact on a massive, briny lake southeast of Los Angeles. The lack of funding to address environmental concerns over the Salton Sea kept Imperial from joining the drought plan. 11:55 a.m. A California irrigation district has filed a legal challenge to a plan designed to protect a water source that serves 40 million people in the U.S. West. The drought contingency plan seeks to keep two Colorado River reservoirs from dropping so low they cannot deliver water or produce hydropower. The Imperial Irrigation District didnt sign on to the multi-state plan over concerns about a massive, briny lake southeast of Los Angeles. Imperial is alleging another powerful California water agency, the Metropolitan Water District, violated environmental laws in pledging to contribute Californias share of water under the drought plan. Imperials petition filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday came the same day President Donald Trump approved the drought plan. MWD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. LITTLETON, Colo. - The Latest on the investigation of a woman believed to have posed a threat to schools in Colorado (all times local): 2:45 p.m. Authorities say a teenager who was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and may have been planning an attack raised suspicions after making unspecified comments to people at home in Florida and buying three one-way tickets to Denver. FBI agent in charge Dean Phillips in Denver said Wednesday that people who talked to 18-year-old Sol Pais contacted police in Florida, who in turn notified the FBI on Tuesday. Phillips said Pais flew to Denver on Monday, using the earliest ticket she purchased, then went straight to a gun shop to buy a shotgun. Phillips said her actions and comments led to the swift response by authorities, including shutting down schools in the Denver area. Pais was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday at a popular recreation area in the mountains west of Denver after investigators got a tip from a driver who took her there. ____ 12:10 p.m. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says that he and all of the states parents are hugging their children a little tighter after a young Florida woman obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School attack was found dead. Polis says that the potential threat is over after authorities announced Wednesday that 18-year-old Sol Pais had been found by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities say Pais flew to Colorado and bought a shotgun and ammunition ahead of Saturdays 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. They initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. Polis says in a statement: Today, parents across Colorado including me are hugging their children a little tighter. He adds: Together we thank law enforcement for their swift and diligent actions over the past 24 hours to keep Coloradans safe, and we will continue to be vigilant against threats to our community. ___ 12:05 p.m. The young woman whose alleged obsession with Columbine High School prompted the closure of schools in the Denver area purchased a gun from a store that is not far from the scene of the 1999 school shooting that killed 13 people. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais bought the pump-action shotgun at a gun shop in the Littleton area, not far from Columbine High School. Littleton is a community that is near Columbine High School. Shrader says the sale apparently followed the states legal process. Gun buyers in Colorado must provide fingerprints and pass criminal background checks. Colorado law allows someone who is not a state resident to purchase a long gun, but not a handgun, from dealers with federal firearms licenses. Buyers of long guns, such as shotguns, must be at least 18 years old. Handgun purchasers must be at least 21 years old. ____ 11:50 a.m. The police chief from the hometown of the woman allegedly obsessed with the Columbine shooting who was found dead in Colorado is asking the media to give her family privacy and a little time to grieve. Surfside, Florida Police Chief Julio Yero says the family of Sol Pais contributed tremendously to the investigation and provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life. Pais was found dead Wednesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mount Evans, Colorado. Yero held a press conference near the familys home. He said he had to notify the family that their daughter was dead and that they are grieving. ___ 11:35 a.m. Authorities say the young Florida woman who was allegedly obsessed with the Columbine shooting is dead. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader told reporters Wednesday that the FBI found Sol Pais dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The FBI had said that Sol Pais, flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. Authorities initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. ___ 10:55 a.m. The FBI has tweeted that there is no longer a possible threat to Colorado schools from a young Florida woman who was allegedly obsessed with the Columbine shooting who travelled to the state and bought a shotgun and ammunition, The FBI disclosed the information in a tweet without providing details about Sol Pais, the 18-year-old Miami Beach High School student who authorities had been searching for. Minutes earlier, the FBI confirmed there was investigative activity in the Colorado community of Mount Evans related to Pais. The FBI had said that Sol Pais, flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. Authorities initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. But the FBI later softened that description to say she made threats in the Denver metro area ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School that killed 13 people. ___ 10:40 a.m. The FBI is confirming there is investigative activity in the Colorado community of Mount Evans related to a young woman who authorities say is obsessed with the Columbine shooting and purchased a shotgun and ammunition after travelling to the state from Florida. Mount Evans is popular recreation area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. ___ 10:35 a.m. Students at the Florida high school attended by a young woman authorities allege is obsessed with the Columbine shooting have described her as quiet and intelligent. Seventeen-year-old junior Drew Burnstine says Sol Pais is in his math class at Miami Beach High School, attended by about 2,500 students. He described her as a very quiet, smart student who sat alone in class. The FBI has said that Sol Pais, flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. Authorities initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. But the FBI later softened that description to say she made threats in the Denver metro area ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School that killed 13 people. Burnstine says Pais never caused problems or indicated that she wanted to harm anyone. Students say that Pais mostly dressed in black. Burnstine says he once held the door open for Pais, and she said thank you. He recalls one time when Pais quickly closed her laptop as the teacher approached her in class. ___ 10:20 a.m. Students at Miami Beach High School spent much of the morning behind locked classroom doors after news emerged that authorities were searching in Colorado for a classmate allegedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine shootings. The FBI has said that Sol Pais, flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. Eduardo Filipo is a 17-year-old junior at the school and says that teachers locked classroom doors Wednesday as a precaution. He says he saw Pais frequently at school and that she mostly kept to herself. Police searched her home in the nearby city of Surfside. Authorities initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. But the FBI later softened that description to say she made threats in the Denver metro area ahead of Saturdays anniversary of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School that killed 13 people. ___ 10:10 a.m. Gov. Jared Polis is assuring Colorado residents that federal, state and local law enforcement are dedicating all of their resources to locate this dangerous individual. Polis is referring to Sol Pais. She is an 18-year-old Florida woman authorities say flew to Colorado and bought a shotgun and ammunition ahead of Saturdays 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. Authorities initially said she made threats to commit an act of violence in the Denver metropolitan area. But the FBI later softened that description to say she made threats in the Denver metro area The Democratic governor asked people to share information about Pais and report information to authorities. We know that there is a lot of anxiety right now in Colorado, Polis said in a statement Wednesday. He says Colorados biggest priority is keeping our children safe. ___ 9:10 a.m. The Miami Herald is reporting that Miami Beach law enforcement officials found deeply disturbed online postings by the young Florida woman who is allegedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine school shootings and notified the FBI. The newspaper cited a law enforcement source that it did not identify. The newspaper also reports that officers in the city of Surfside, Florida where the woman lives turned their investigation over to Miami Beach police. The woman has been identified as 18-year-old Sol Pais and officials have said she is a student at Miami Beach High School. Police are searching her home in the nearby city Surfside and have been seen removing papers from the home. Authorities have said Pais travelled from Miami to Colorado Monday night. They say she has not made a specific threat but say her fascination with the Columbine shooting and the gunmen and her recent actions raised suspicions. Denver area schools are closed Wednesday as authorities search for her. ___ 8:30 a.m. Police are searching the home of a young Florida woman who is allegedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine school massacre and the subject of a search in Colorado. Officers were seen removing the large stack of papers Wednesday morning from the single-family home of Sol Pais in Surfside, Florida, a city just north of Miami Beach. School officials say Pais is a student at Miami Beach High School. Neighbors watched as authorities searched the home. Authorities have said Pais is 18 and travelled from Miami to Colorado Monday night. They say she has not made a specific threat but say her fascination with the Columbine shooting and the gunmen and her recent actions raised suspicions. Denver area schools are closed Wednesday as authorities search for her. ___ 8:05 a.m. A spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Public Schools says the woman allegedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine school massacre who authorities are searching for in Colorado is a Miami Beach High School student. Spokeswoman Jackie Calzadilla says school officials are fully assisting the FBI in their investigation. Authorities have identified the woman as 18-year-old Sol Pais. They say travelled from Miami to Colorado on Monday night and was last seen in the foothills west of Denver. They say she has not made a specific threat but say her fascination with the Columbine shooting and the gunmen and her recent actions raised suspicions. Denver area schools are closed Wednesday as authorities search for her. ___ 7:45 a.m. Denver area schools are closed as authorities search for a young Florida woman allegedly obsessed with the 1999 Columbine school massacre who travelled to Colorado and bought a gun days before the 20th anniversary of the school shooting. About a half million students were forced to stay home Wednesday because authorities believe 18-year-old Sol Pais could pose a threat to a school. They say she has not made a specific threat but say her fascination with the Columbine shooting and the gunmen and her recent actions raised suspicions. She travelled from Miami to Colorado on Monday night and was last seen in the foothills west of Denver. Her presence led officials to lock the doors at Columbine and about 20 other schools to as classes were held Tuesday. ____ 11:15 p.m. Schools in the Denver area are on heightened alert after authorities say a woman who is infatuated with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. Authorities are looking for 18-year-old Sol Pais after undisclosed threats prompted Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver to lock their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon. All schools in the Denver area were urged to tighten security, and some cancelled evening activities or moved them inside. Investigators say Pais travelled to Colorado from Miami on Monday night and bought a shotgun and ammunition. Police who might come into contact with her were told to detain her and evaluate her mental health. SALT LAKE CITY - Backed by dramatic mountain peaks, Elizabeth Warren stopped in Utah on Wednesday to discuss her public-lands plan, including a promise to restore broader protections for two of the states high-profile national monuments if elected president. Its a move that would not endear her to the states GOP establishment but could appeal to voters across the West angered by President Donald Trumps decision to shrink the monuments. Warrens plan puts her among the few Democratic candidates so far talking about public lands, a hot topic in the region. Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, said shrinking the two expansive Southwestern monuments opens up more land to potentially damaging extraction projects. These national forests are our national treasure for everyone in this country, not here simply to be exploited by mining companies and drilling companies, she said. The Republican National Committee, on the other hand, panned her plan as a government takeover that would hurt the economy. GOP state and local leaders have long been deeply frustrated with federal management of the public lands that make up much of the state and cheered Trumps December 2017 decision to shrink the monuments, saying it would allow more land-use flexibility and local control. Utah voters, though, are divided on the move that shrunk Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 per cent and cut Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument nearly in half, said Jason Perry with the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. There are passionate feelings on both sides, he said. Warrens salvo could also signal a wider slice of the field taking up the issue in the run-up to 2020, he said. Any Democrat will face an uphill battle to make serious inroads in the reliably conservative state, though Utah Republican voters tend to be more wary of Trump than others elsewhere. Meanwhile, lawmakers decision to move the state primary several months earlier, to Super Tuesday in March, will likely bring more attention from candidates looking for a boost earlier in the election cycle. Warren also touted her proposals for broader systematic change, including a wealth tax, a large anti-corruption push and lobbying reform at a speech before about 2,000 people in Salt Lake City. The public lands issue could also resonate far outside the state: Utah leaders support for the monuments reduction sparked a major outdoor-industry trade show to leave the state for Colorado, and California-based Patagonia joined Native American tribes to sue over scaling back the monument designations meant to protect resources like ancient cliff dwellings. Elizabeth Warren is playing to a much larger audience than the state of Utah, Perry said. Other elements of Warrens plan, like a ban on new fossil fuel leasing on public lands and free entry to national parks, could also spark debate. There hasnt been any large-scale drilling or mining on the land cut from the Utah monuments yet, though some companies are in the early stages of the permitting process. Though it hasnt yet set off an extraction rush, the decision to scale back the monuments sparked anger from left-leaning voters who cheered the original boundaries as bringing more protection, visibility and funding to a unique area, said John Leshy, who served in the Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration and helped create the Grand Staircase National Monument. While public lands may not be a core issue like health care, many voters believe that wide-open spaces are a huge part of the quality of life in the in the region where Democrats have made inroads in recent years, he said. Im guessing shes sort of staking this out there as her issue, he said. Itll be interesting to see where this goes inside the party as well as the national race. After the last five years of two serious droughts, a spring and summer with twice the normal annual rainfall and this unprecedented winter with wild swings in temperature and weather virtually every week, Ive become a believer that climate change is largely man-made and very real. While some say that its just the vagaries of weather, I suggest that these past five years represent a serious shift in climate trend. I took up farming when I retired from a business career and the last five years have been completely uneconomic. In the farming community, there is an old saying: If it swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a safe assumption to say it is a duck! Why cant Conservatives see this? Which brings me to my point in this letter, as a lifelong fiscal conservative, I am gob struck by the Conservative party (Progressive in Ontario and God knows what federally) who simply spout anti everything when it comes to climate change. At the federal level, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer plays politics on the issue and still has not provided a single shred of a positive, credible climate change plan. Further, Scheer continues to endorse a party-sanctioned candidate right here in Ontario, Cheryl Gallant, who proudly insists that climate change is a hoax. I might add that Gallant was the only MP out of over 300 to vote against the Canadian Parliament sanctioning the Paris climate accord. Climate change is the issue of our generation and those of our children. Surely, some politicians have sufficient moral integrity to recognize the seriousness of the situation. There are real economic costs to climate change and a price on carbon is the least among these. Its past time for Conservatives to show some genuine leadership on climate change, otherwise Ill be supporting the only real agenda for climate change and voting Liberal for the first time in my life. J. Hugh Brownlee, White Lake, Ont. Read more about: Ontario is revamping its land ambulance system to consolidate the existing 52 services into 10 regional hubs and changing rules so paramedics will no longer have to take patients straight to hospital emergency departments, says Health Minister Christine Elliott. She defended the moves Tuesday as a plan to improve service and response times with better dispatch and communications equipment but opposition critics warned the regional hubs could be a recipe for disaster with the opposite effect. I dont really know what the governments cooking up behind closed doors around changes to our health-care system but what I can tell you is the alarm bells are ringing, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said of the consolidation revealed in a memo from Association of Municipalities of Ontario executive director Pat Vanini to some members on Monday night. Vanini wrote the lobby group is shocked ... and deeply concerned with the plan first mentioned as integrating emergency health services into Ontarios health care system in last Thursdays budget from Premier Doug Fords Progressive Conservatives. Theres no ready information on the governments plan to do this restructuring, how it was determined, let alone what happens to the cost sharing, added the memo, noting municipalities pay $720 million toward ambulance services while the province funds $580 million. Vanini issued a statement early Tuesday evening saying she had subsequently spoken to the province for clarification. The Ontario government has assured us that it will be working with and collaborating with AMO, municipal governments and stakeholders as it looks at ambulance services and public health services, she said. The people of Ontario are best served when both orders of government work together. Ford said Tuesday in Markham that he is looking to drive efficiencies in ambulance services. Nothing is carved in stone, but were going to look at everything, he said. Anything that we can increase the service, make it better and save the taxpayers money, were all in. Elliott, who announced major health system reforms in February, told reporters the ambulance system is a patchwork with too many players right now and could not say where the hubs will be. We want to make sure that the providers have the latest in technology, that they have all the tools that they need to do their jobs, because at the bottom line its about providing the best quality patient care, she added. Were continuing our consultations with local providers. I cant provide too many specifics right now because those are yet to be discussed and finalized. Green Leader Mike Schreiner said its apparent there has not been much in the way of consultations at all. First responders in my riding have told me that local knowledge is essential for quick response time, added the MPP for Guelph. The risk will only go up if we have non-local dispatchers trying to interpret frantic emergency calls with landmarks theyve never heard of. The Ontario Paramedics Association said its too early to pass judgment. We are patiently waiting to see a concrete plan. As such, it is impossible to comment on the unknown, OPA president Darryl Wilton wrote in an email to the Star. Elliott said changes to end the legal requirement that ambulance patients be taken to hospital emergency departments could reduce wait times as the government works to fulfil its promise to end hallway health care. Patients could be taken to mental health or addictions centres, for example, or other types of medical treatment in the community, she added. The previous Liberal government had been working on this concept, allowing on-scene treatment by paramedics and referrals to primary care doctors if appropriate. There will be better communication between the dispatchers and the ambulance services so they will know the situation theyre dealing with by the time they come to see the patient, Elliott said. They will then be able to connect that patient with the services that they need, whether its in hospital, whether its in the community. Elliot also maintained theres nothing for paramedics to be worried about, and suggested more paramedics will be hired for emergency work and non-emergency work treating patients in the community. We will need more of them than ever. The New Democrats are reviving a Progressive Conservative bill from the Tories opposition days in a bid to embarrass Premier Doug Fords government for its taxpayer-funded partisan advertising binge. NDP MPP Taras Natyshak tabled private members legislation identical to a bill introduced by Tory MPP Sylvia Jones two years ago that would revive the auditor generals powers to veto commercials deemed to be politically partisan. I assume the Conservatives will support this because they already did, Natyshak (Essex) told reporters Wednesday at Queens Park. Voting against this bill would be the height of hypocrisy, he said, noting Jones and much of Fords cabinet strongly endorsed the measures in 2017. Thats the kind of ugly, two-faced double-dealing that no one wants to see. In 2015, the Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne watered down legislation which had been implemented by her predecessor, Dalton McGuinty. Since then, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk has complained that her office is no longer empowered to look at taxpayer-funded ads for factual accuracy, context or tone to determine whether an item is partisan. We recommend that the previous version of the Government Advertising Act, 2004 as it appeared on June 3, 2015, be reinstated, Lysyk wrote in her annual report last December. Jones, who is now the solicitor general, implored the legislature in 2017 to restore the auditors power over government advertising. If the Liberal party wants to spend money promoting their policies, have at it. But this is taxpayers money that should be going to important issues, the Dufferin-Caledon MPP said at the time. While the Tories promised to reinstate the auditor generals veto during last Junes election campaign, they are now noncommittal. Were reviewing it, said Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy, defending the governments current advertising blitz. But right now we are focused on making sure the people of Ontario are aware of the impacts of the carbon tax, which was just initiated by the federal government. In response to the federal Liberals plan, the provincial Tories have launched a flurry of initiatives that might be deemed partisan, including mandatory gas-pump stickers and radio ads that hit airwaves Wednesday to attack the carbon-pricing scheme. As disclosed by the Star, the government will begin airing TV ads next month as part of the publicly funded ad campaign. While Bethlenfalvy couldnt say how much the advertising would cost, it is part the $30 million earmarked to combat the federal plan. About $1 million has been spent so far on a constitutional challenge in court. The government is also requiring gas stations to post Tory-blue stickers on their pumps to warn motorists of the cost of the carbon-pricing initiative. Scofflaws face fines of up to $10,000 a day if they fail to place the decals at their stations. Read more: Tories launch radio ads attacking federal Liberals carbon tax The auditor general has opposed advertising that prominently displays a political partys colours or that could be construed as having a partisan message. Lysyk publicly criticized the previous Liberal governments ads promoting Ontarios now-scrapped cap-and-trade environmental alliance with Quebec and California. She objected to a 2016 commercial that featured David Suzuki speaking to an auditorium of children, in which the environmentalist warned that if we dont act now, the damage could be irreversible. Who will have to live with the consequences? You, Suzuki intoned to the kids. Lysyk, who was powerless to stop the ad, concluded it was designed to create a positive impression of government. Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: CALGARY, Alberta, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pine Cliff Energy Ltd. (Pine Cliff or the Company) (TSX: PNE) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire oil and natural gas assets (the Assets) in the Ghost Pine area of Central Alberta for net cash consideration of $8.6 million, after estimated closing adjustments (the Acquisition). The Acquisition will have an effective date of October 1, 2018 and is expected to close on or around May 31, 2019 (the Closing Date). The purchase and sale agreement related to the Acquisition, although binding between the parties, is subject to various standard conditions, including rights of first refusal and regulatory approvals. No assurances can be given that the Acquisition will be completed as proposed or at all. Concurrently with the Acquisition, or shortly thereafter, Pine Cliff intends to close private placements of common shares (the "Common Shares") for gross proceeds of up to $3 million and "flow-through" common shares (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the "Flow-Through Shares") for gross proceeds of up to $4 million. The Acquisition is expected to be funded with working capital and the proceeds from the Common Share Private Placement, as defined below. Acquisition Highlights The Assets will add significant growth opportunities in the Pekisko oil play, where Pine Cliff drilled its first oil well (the Initial Well ) in late 2018. Based on Pine Cliffs internal estimates, the Assets will increase Pine Cliffs development inventory to an estimated 28 gross (27 net) Pekisko oil locations from its existing eight gross (six net) Pekisko locations. The Initial Well has produced an aggregate of 20,686 barrels of oil and liquids and 79,700 thousand cubic feet of gas since it started production in January 2019, for an average production rate of 362 boe/d during the first 90 days of production. The Assets also have prospective oil locations in the Duvernay, Basal Quartz and Glauconitic formations. ) in late 2018. Based on Pine Cliffs internal estimates, the Assets will increase Pine Cliffs development inventory to an estimated 28 gross (27 net) Pekisko oil locations from its existing eight gross (six net) Pekisko locations. The Initial Well has produced an aggregate of 20,686 barrels of oil and liquids and 79,700 thousand cubic feet of gas since it started production in January 2019, for an average production rate of 362 boe/d during the first 90 days of production. The Assets also have prospective oil locations in the Duvernay, Basal Quartz and Glauconitic formations. The Assets possess a predictable production profile with an approximate 7% historical decline rate and are geographically synergistic with Pine Cliffs other Ghost Pine area assets. The Assets currently produce approximately 1,575 Boe/d and are 75% weighted towards natural gas, 16% to natural gas liquids and 9% to oil. The Assets include ownership in key infrastructure including 99% ownership in a 30,000 Mcf/d gas plant, with significant excess capacity in close proximity to current Duvernay drilling activity. Other notable attributes of the Assets are as follows: Net Working Interest Acres 104,692 (66% working interest) Closing adjustments (1) $1.3 million Estimated 2019 adjusted funds flow from the Assets (June 1 December 31, 2019) (2) $0.9 million Estimated 2020 adjusted funds flow from the Assets (3) $2.0 million (1) Includes estimated net operating income from October 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019. (2) June 1, 2019 December 31, 2019 - Based on natural gas pricing of CDN$1.43/GJ AECO, crude oil pricing of US$60/bbl WTI, a 9% royalty rate (prior to gas cost allowance adjustments), $12.11 per Boe operating and transportation costs (including third party processing revenue). This is a non-GAAP measure, see Non-GAAP Measures for further information. (3) Based on natural gas pricing of CDN$1.55/GJ AECO, crude oil pricing of US$58/bbl WTI, a 9% royalty rate (prior to gas cost allowance adjustments), $12.88 per Boe operating and transportation costs (including third party processing revenue). This is a non-GAAP measure, see Non-GAAP Measures for further information. Acquisition Metrics Based on the $8.6 million net purchase price of the Asset, the acquisition metrics are as follows: Production $5,486 per flowing Boe Historical cash flow multiple (1) 3.5 times Forecast cash flow multiple (2) 4.1 times (1) Based on the estimated adjusted funds flow for the 12 months preceding the Closing Date. This is a non-GAAP measure, see Non-GAAP Measures for further information. (2) Based on the estimated adjusted funds flow for the 12 months following the Closing Date. This is a non-GAAP measure, see Non-GAAP Measures for further information. Strategic Rationale For over seven years Pine Cliff has grown by acquiring low decline and low operating cost assets in an ongoing effort to enhance shareholder value. The Acquisition is another one of those purchases, and has the added advantage of materially increasing Pine Cliffs liquid weighted drilling inventory that can deliver economic rates of return at current commodity prices. Pine Cliff has attempted to buy the Assets multiple times in the past as they are strategic due to the contiguous nature of the Assets to its core Ghost Pine area. The results of the Initial Well have only added to the recent motivation for Pine Cliff to complete this strategic purchase to build a deeper inventory of high working interest, operated Pekisko locations. Flow-Through and Common Share Equity Financings Pine Cliff is also pleased to announce that it intends to issue, by way of non-brokered private placement, up to 13,333,333 Flow-Through Shares on a flow-through basis in respect of Canadian development expenses ("CDE") at a price of $0.30 per Flow-Through Share, resulting in gross proceeds of up to $4.0 million (the Flow-Through Private Placement). Pine Cliff shall, pursuant to the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada), incur eligible CDE after the closing date of the Flow-Through Private Placement and prior to March 30, 2020 in the aggregate amount of not less than the gross proceeds of the Flow-Through Private Placement (the CDE Obligation). The net proceeds of the Flow-Through Private Placement are expected to be used to incur eligible CDE. Pine Cliff also intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 12,000,000 Common Shares (the "Common Share Private Placement"), at a price of $0.25 per Common Share, for gross proceeds of up to $3 million (collectively the Common Share Private Placement and the Flow-Through Private Placement are referred to as the Private Placements"). It is anticipated that certain insiders, including officers and directors of Pine Cliff, will participate in the Common Share Private Placement. The net proceeds of the Common Share Private Placement are expected to be used to partially finance the Acquisition. As a part of the Private Placements and subject to normal course closing provisions, the Alberta Investment Management Corporation has indicated that it intends to increase its shareholdings in the Company by approximately 15,000,000 Common Shares on behalf of certain of its clients. The Flow-Through Shares and Common Shares (collectively, the Offered Shares) will be offered in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan and such other provinces or territories of Canada as may be determined by Pine Cliff. The Offered Shares will be issued pursuant to applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities laws, and will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the closing date of the Private Placements. The completion of the Private Placements are subject to certain conditions including the closing of the Acquisition and customary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy the Offered Shares in the United States. The Offered Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under, or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of, the U.S. Securities Act. 2019 Guidance Increases Pine Cliffs Board of Directors has approved an increase of $1.1 million in the Pine Cliff 2019 capital budget to $11.1 million. Pine Cliff intends to spend approximately $1.9 million drilling four (0.4 net) wells in the liquids rich Edson area of Alberta, $2.8 million drilling one (1.0 net) oil well in Central Alberta, $3.9 million on facilities and major maintenance capital and $2.5 million on abandonments and reclamation. The revised 2019 capital budget is expected to meet Pine Cliffs CDE Obligation. After taking into account the Acquisition as of the Closing Date, Pine Cliff is budgeting its 2019 annual production volumes to increase to a range of 19,250 to 19,750 Boe per day, weighted 92% to natural gas. About Pine Cliff Pine Cliff is an oil and natural gas company with a long-term view of creating shareholder value. Further information relating to Pine Cliff may be found on www.sedar.com as well as on Pine Cliff's website at www.pinecliffenergy.com . For further information, please contact: Philip B. Hodge President and CEO Cheryne Lowe Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary Telephone: (403) 269-2289 Fax: (587) 393-1693 Email: info@pinecliffenergy.com NON-GAAP Measures This news release uses the terms adjusted funds flow, cash flow and operating netback which are not recognized under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These measures should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, IFRS measures including net income (loss), cash provided by operating activities, or total liabilities. The Company uses these measures to evaluate its performance, leverage and liquidity. Adjusted funds flow and cash flow is a non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (non-GAAP) measure that represents the total of funds provided by operating activities, before adjusting for changes in non-cash working capital, and decommissioning obligations settled. Operating netback is a non-GAAP measure calculated as the Companys total revenue, less operating expenses, divided by the Boe production of the Company. Please refer to Pine Cliffs 2018 annual report for additional details regarding non-GAAP measures and their calculation. Cautionary Statements Certain statements contained in this news release include statements which contain words such as anticipate, could, should, expect, seek, may, intend, likely, will, believe and similar expressions, statements relating to matters that are not historical facts, and such statements of our beliefs, intentions and expectations about development, results and events which will or may occur in the future, constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and are based on certain assumptions and analysis made by us derived from our experience and perceptions. In particular, this news release contains statements regarding the operational, economic and financial impacts of the Acquisition on Pine Cliff, ability to reduce operating costs on the Assets, the potential growth opportunities on the Assets, future consolidation opportunities around the Assets, including the timing and nature thereof, future capital spending, anticipated use of the net proceeds of the Private Placements, the anticipated closing date of the Acquisition and the Private Placements, the terms of the Private Placements, the participation by insiders in the Private Placement, the expected increase in the shareholding position of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation, Pine Cliff's ability to satisfy conditions to completion of the Private Placements, the manner in which the purchase price of the Acquisition will be financed by Pine Cliff, working capital changes, maintenance capital on the Assets, success of the drilling opportunities on the Assets and the timing and nature thereof, other anticipated benefits to Pine Cliff of the Acquisition, current and future production, the closing date of the Acquisition and information regarding Pine Cliff on a pro forma basis assuming completion of the Acquisition. The foregoing statements assume all the conditions to completion of the Acquisition will be satisfied, regulatory approvals will be received, that there will be no changes to the assets and liabilities of Pine Cliff following the Acquisition and that the anticipated benefits of and rationale for the Acquisition will be achieved. There is no assurance that all of the conditions to the Acquisition will be met and therefore there is a risk that the Acquisition will not be completed in the form described above or at all. In the event the Acquisition does not close as presently anticipated, Pine Cliff will not realize the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition. As such, many factors could cause the performance or achievement of Pine Cliff to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, this forward-looking information and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits will be derived there from. Except as required by law, Pine Cliff disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Natural gas liquids and oil volumes are recorded in barrels of oil (Bbl) and are converted to a thousand cubic feet equivalent (Mcfe) using a ratio of one (1) Bbl to six (6) thousand cubic feet. Natural gas volumes recorded in thousand cubic feet (Mcf) are converted to barrels of oil equivalent (Boe) using the ratio of six (6) thousand cubic feet to one (1) Bbl. This conversion ratio is based on energy equivalence primarily at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. The terms Boe or Mcfe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of oil, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The TSX does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of this release. PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/44234f35-f73b-46d3-997d-c4460a317773 VANCOUVERThe critically endangered southern resident killer whales may have more chinook salmon to eat this summer, as Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced stricter fishing quotas for British Columbias coast on Tuesday. Fisheries and Oceans Canada often called the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO already reduced harvesting quotas for B.C. chinook by a third last summer, but staff admitted Tuesday that those measures have not been as effective as they hoped. The DFO is now setting a new goal of reducing chinook salmon mortality to five per cent for 2019. The new restrictions are aimed specifically at protecting the Fraser chinook fisheries. Current mortality levels for chinook returning to the Fraser River before July are closer to 20 per cent, according to Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program co-ordinator at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. The southern resident orcas rely heavily on this specific cohort of fish, she said. MacDuffee applauded the DFOs new measures but said even more needs to be done if the department is to truly take a precautionary approach, as it claims. We have been looking for a plan like this for some time now, for at least three years. Its unfortunate that it has taken such a crisis to implement these measures, she said, referring both to declining chinook stocks and the weakening southern resident killer whale population. Read more: Scientists are split on whether a virus is killing B.C.s salmon, but an inside look shows Ottawa chose sides long ago Matriarch of well-known orca family is starving to death, B.C. researchers fear Skipping salmon on menus one small step toward saving B.C. orcas, experts say We will end up in the same place, with a real crisis, if we dont take stronger measures now. MacDuffee emphasized the DFO should also implement stronger protections for later timed runs of Fraser Chinook in other words, Chinook that spawn in the later part of the summer and fall months. B.C.s iconic resident orcas rely on chinook, also known as king salmon, as their main food source. Whale experts say the southern resident orcas are dangerously close to extinction due to starvation and other threats, such as vessel noise and pollution. The federal governments new fishing restrictions for spring and summer vary depending on region. Fraser River recreational fisheries will be completely closed for the summer. In the Johnstone Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, recreational fishers will have to abide by a catch-and-release policy for chinook until July 14 and 31, respectively. After that, daily quotas will increase to one per person. Traditionally, daily quotas have been two chinook per person. People on the west coast of Vancouver Island will face similar restrictions, with fishers having to release any chinook they catch in offshore waters until July 14. Commercial chinook fisheries are closed for the summer. But MacDuffee said she wants to see even stronger restrictions. She hopes the DFO will halt fishing activity for all salmon species in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia because even the catch and release of chinook can cause mortality. At this point, the ailing southern resident orcas need all the help they can get, said MacDuffee. She is also calling for a decrease in the number of hatcheries where juvenile salmon are raised by humans before being released into the wild because human-reared salmon weaken the genetic pool of wild fish, she said. In December, a panel of independent experts tasked with assessing the health of wildlife in Canada said some chinook salmon populations in southern B.C. could be wiped out in the next 15 to 20 years if no action is taken to help them recover. The panel found half of the 16 chinook populations assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada are endangered. There are 28 chinook populations in southern B.C. alone. There are 74 whales left in the southern resident orca population, which ply the waters off the Pacific Northwest. Aerial photos of the whales taken last fall showed three of them were dangerously thin. At least one of them appears to be recovering. Researchers at the Center for Whale Research in Washington state saw matriarch J17 last week in healthier condition. Three southern resident orcas died in 2018. Read more about: Flavio Briatore is not surprised that Ferrari is struggling to beat Mercedes in 2019. The Maranello team began the year with many believing it has the fastest car, but so far it is Mercedes with three consecutive one-twos. "What's wrong with Ferrari? It's nothing new," former Renault boss Briatore told Italian broadcaster La 7. "The car has been slow for eight years," the Italian said. Briatore said Ferrari has taken a risk by appointing Binotto, also the team's "excellent" technical director, as the new team principal for 2019. "With Binotto, they run the risk of not having a fully dedicated boss and also becoming lost in the technical area," he said. And in terms of speed, Briatore said: "Nothing has changed compared to last year. They have not reduced the gaps to Mercedes. "The usual repertoire of excuses already started in the first race. Mercedes will continue to dominate," he predicted. (GMM) The Church still stands: Remembering the promise of Easter Sunday after the Notre Dame Cathedral fire The Club: Johnson, Boswell and the Friends who Shaped an Age By Leo Damrosch Yale. 473 pp. $30 --- There are two classic questions beloved by both interviewers and readers: What 10 books would you choose to take along if marooned on a desert island? And what five people from history would you invite to an ideal dinner party? Many potential castaways would immediately grab James Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson," probably the most entertaining work of nonfiction in English literature. Interestingly enough, this greatest of all biographies also supplies a possible answer to the second question, but one that isn't in the least fantastical. For 20 years, starting in 1764, Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Edmund Burke, Edward Gibbon and Adam Smith met regularly at the Turk's Head tavern in London for conversation and conviviality. These are, as Leo Damrosch writes in "The Club," arguably "the greatest British critic, biographer, political philosopher, historian and economist of all time." Other members of this 18th-century dining society - nearly all self-made men - included the era's most famous painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and its most celebrated actor, David Garrick, as well as the multitalented Oliver Goldsmith, best known today for his immortal comedy, "She Stoops to Conquer, " and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the dramatist who gave us that equally imperishable masterpiece, "The School for Scandal." Such an A-list would be hard to match, except for one obvious deficiency: The Club - as it was simply called - excluded women. Damrosch, however, doesn't. As he composes his group portrait of the Club's intellectual and artistic superstars, he extends retroactive membership to several notable women, such as Johnson's benefactor Hester Thrale and the novelist and diarist Fanny Burney. He also periodically reminds us of the servants, prostitutes, mistresses and wives who catered to the whims and whines of these frequently randy, drunken hypochondriacs and depressives. Contemporary paintings and caricatures, all closely scrutinized by Damrosch, further enrich our feel for the age's high and low life. Because it tracks at least a dozen figures, "The Club" can't compare in scholarly depth with Damrosch's superb critical biographies of Rousseau and Swift. Nonetheless, the now retired Harvard professor of English has brought "the common reader"- Johnson's term - an exceptionally lively introduction to late 18th-century English thought and literature. No doubt the book grew out of what must have been a dazzling survey course on the age of Johnson. If you're already an aficionado of this period, you will recognize that Damrosch compresses a vast amount of detail into his narrative and relates many of the best anecdotes and verbal bonbons associated with Johnson or his friends. I did miss seeing one of my favorite Johnsonisms, though. Speaking of his edition of Shakespeare, the former Grub Street hack confessed, "Sir, I have two very cogent reasons for not printing any list of subscribers: one, that I have lost all the names; the other, that I have spent all the money." Unlike the critic George Saintsbury, who looked to 18th-century literature for "repose and refreshment," Damrosch never idealizes or whitewashes. His Johnson is ugly, palsied, blind in one eye, subject to obsessive-compulsive disorder, possibly sexually masochistic, mortally afraid of damnation and anti-American. Boswell is a feckless, vain alcoholic who lives on handouts from his sarcastic father and can't keep his pants buttoned: By the time he married at 29, he had enjoyed liaisons or brief encounters with over 70 different women. Both men, not surprisingly, suffered from profound depressions, but Johnson relied on reason, prayer and self-control to battle his demons while little Jamie sought temporary solace in the bottle, streetwalkers or his journal. Throughout "The Club," Damrosch seamlessly mixes learned exposition with striking factoids and observations. By the end of the 18th century you could receive the death penalty for at least 250 different crimes. Boswell knew 40 of Horace's odes by heart. In the Seven Years' War "for every man who died in battle, an incredible total of 88 died of disease." To show the elegant diction and perfect command of syntax that characterize Gibbon's prose, Damrosch reproduces the best known footnote from "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire": "Twenty two acknowledged concubines, and a library of sixty-two thousand volumes, attested the variety of his inclinations; and from the productions which he left behind him, it appears that the former as well as the latter were designed for use rather than for ostentation." He also quotes Adam Smith on the danger of allowing businessmen to become rulers. They are, warned the author of "The Wealth of Nations," "an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it." In the end, though, nobody rivals Johnson for generous-hearted compliments or devastating put-downs. He once said that you couldn't stand for five minutes with Burke "beneath a shed while it rained, but you must be convinced you had been standing with the greatest man you had ever yet seen." Abraham Cowley's love poems, however, are "such as might have been written for penance by a hermit, or for hire by a philosophical rhymer who had only heard of another sex." That's from "Lives of the Poets," a work-for-hire project that became Johnson's final masterpiece, one which he hoped would give its readers what he called "useful pleasure." If you put the emphasis on "pleasure" that could be the two-word takeaway for Leo Damrosch's "The Club." It's a magnificently entertaining book. In "Girls of the Sun," Emmanuelle Bercot plays Mathilde, a French foreign correspondent whose rakish eye patch is clearly meant to evoke the late Marie Colvin. As the film opens, Mathilde - whose eye was injured by shrapnel during a battle in Homs, Syria - is heading back to the front, this time in Northern Kurdistan. There, she falls in with a group of female Yazidi fighters, former captives of ISIS who have banded together to seek not just military victory but also moral retribution: According to the Islamic State's fundamentalist worldview, a jihadi who is killed by a woman doesn't get to paradise. Although viewers may be apprehensive at the thought of a movie about the Middle East translated through the gaze of a white European proxy, once Mathilde gets to the front she meets Bahar, a former attorney who has the heart of a natural warrior. Portrayed with a combination of mournful gravitas and ferocity by Golshifteh Farahani, Bahar soon takes over the story in "Girls of the Sun," becoming an avatar of both Kurdish self-determination and feminist catharsis. Written and directed by Eva Husson and inspired by real-life female fighters, "Girls of the Sun" is a film of admirable ambition but vexingly uneven execution. There's something infectiously bracing in the sight of Farahani leading a troop of determined women as they seek to conquer a movement that here is portrayed less as an expression of Islamic orthodoxy than pathological misogyny. As Bahar says during one of her motivational speeches to her charges, "The very act of refusing oppression is a victory." But Husson's script - created in collaboration with Jacques Akchoti - too often feels formulaic and didactic, with Bahar and Mathilde's inner and external conflicts finally giving way to forced and obvious melodrama (which comes to a head in the film's maudlin, self-aggrandizing epilogue). The battle scenes, which should have the taut realism and intensity of "The Hurt Locker," instead feel like an unconvincing series of poses cadged from earlier, better war movies. The overall bludgeoning effect isn't helped by Morgan Kibby's musical score, which constantly signals that this is Something Very Important. As a chronicle of the grievous effects of ISIS' tyrannical rein in Iraq, during which thousands of women and children were subjected to kidnapping, murder, rape, torture and sex trafficking, the subject matter of "Girls of the Sun" is important, indeed. And as an attempt to portray not just trauma but also resilience and resistance, its mission is beyond reproach. As a movie, though, "Girls of the Sun" is a swing-and-a-miss, faltering and ultimately buckling under its own noble intentions. --- One and one-half stars. Unrated. Contains scenes of graphic war violence. In French, Kurdish, Arabic and English with subtitles. 115 minutes. Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. Tina Fey played coy when asked in a recent interview if she was the force that led to former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's eventual political defeat. While chatting on "David Tennant Does a Podcast With ...," Fey shot down Tennant's claim that her portrayal of Palin on "Saturday Night Live" had a prominent impact on the outcome of the 2008 election. "I think she was the nail in her own coffin, ultimately," she said. "We went into it wanting to make sure that we were very fair, that we weren't just swinging, throwing punches." Fey also downplayed the comedy sketch show's general impact on political discourse. "I don't think that show can really sway people," she said. "I think you can shine a light. You can help them articulate something they're already feeling about a given person." Despite her convictions about the lack of substantial impact her role had on politics, one thing is undeniable: It left a mark on pop culture. Her impression is now generally regarded as one of the most famous portrayals in "SNL" history, and excited people before she had even accepted the gig. Fey, who left "SNL" in 2006, told Tennant the part was basically assigned to her by the masses. Show creator Lorne Michaels approached Fey with the proposal to take on the character after it seemed everyone, from Michaels' doorman to Robert De Niro, was floating Fey for the job, she said. Fey's husband even remarked on the similarities in their appearances. Even though Fey was no longer part of the cast, what the people want, the people get: Two days before the premiere of the show's 34 thseason, Fey officially signed on. "That's happened more and more since then, where the world has decided they want an outside person to play a political figure on 'SNL,'" she told Tennant. (Case in point: the Twittersphere's debate over whether Ben Stiller or Mario Cantone should have depicted Anthony Scaramucci, the then-incoming White House communications director. In the end, Bill Hader nabbed the short-lived role, though Stiller has made a few cameos as President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen.) Fey's depiction has had a much longer life span - she's revived the impression many times since her initial stint as the Alaskan governor, most recently in last year's "SNL" season finale. In the remote coastal villages of Russias Far East, where the nomadic Chukchi still hunt walrus with handcrafted ivory-headed harpoons, it is ritual to offer visitors freshly caught meat. You cannot refuse, said Barbara Muckermann, chief marketing officer of Silversea Cruises, whose ships dock in the region several times a year. Sharing food is important in their culture. Once, Americans abroad were suspicious of foreign delicacies, scurrying back to the safety of their hotels and ships for a bland simulacrum of dishes they could get back home. But for a growing number of leisure travelers those privileged enough to cross borders not out of necessity, but for pleasure food has become essential to an encounter with another culture, from olive oil in Slovenia to poi (pounded taro root) in Hawaii to kokoretsi (lamb-intestine sandwiches) in Turkey. Todays wanderers have been called to the gospel of Anthony Bourdain, the irreverent chef and writer whose ecumenical pursuit of food in all its incarnations (blood and guts included) was chronicled in TV series A Cooks Tour, No Reservations and Parts Unknown until his death in June. Attempts to follow in Bourdains footsteps typically are orchestrated by small, independent, sometimes eccentric tour operators. They have roots in a place, so they can point you toward the tofu counter hidden inside a flower shop, or the neighbor selling bowls of pho in her living room, down a skinny unlit alley and up three flights. Youll know youre there by the number of shoes kicked off in the hallway. But now international giants, historically deft at placating guests with stately buffets and fine, indeterminately European menus, are joining the fray. They, too, want to sate that special hunger, as M.F.K. Fisher described it, that pushes explorers beyond their known horizons, to subsist or not on locusts and baked phoenix-eggs. Among the highest-profile contenders is Silversea, headquartered in Monaco and valued at about $2 billion. (It recently forged a partnership with Royal Caribbean, the worlds second-largest cruise line.) A new 596-passenger ship expressly designed for culinary voyages, with a test kitchen that doubles as a clubhouse, is under construction and scheduled to launch in the summer of 2020. Building a ship is a commitment. A trickier challenge, for companies big and small, is how to design an orderly, comfortable and reasonably hygienic group eating experience that still feels genuine. Theres a risk of turning local foodways into just another commodity, particularly in the developing world, where tourist dollars count for more. Already the influx of gastro-pilgrims has upset some natural algorithms. Last year in Bangkok, after 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, Mexico, say, or riding a boat at dawn through a floating market in Kashmir. 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, 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. Sometimes, the lesson is knowing when not to eat. As Yukari Sakamoto of Food Sake Tokyo steers visitors through the bright sprawl of a depachika (department-store food hall), she delicately cautions against snacking while walking; in Japan, its considered impolite. Sociologist Krishnendu Ray, who heads the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University, sees hope in culinary travel. It allows you to engage with others on their terms, their vernacular tastes, he said. Still, he added, If you dont care about the lives and livelihoods of people involved in growing and making your food, attention to the food alone cannot take you far. More and more, tour operators are trying to give travelers a sense of the substance of those lives. In Mexico City, Rocio Vazquez Landeta of Eat Like a Local is conscious of the income differential between the visitors on her forays through the shambolic La Merced market and the vendors they meet. I dont want it to be pity tourism Look at the poor people, she said. So, while some guides in the area demand discounts, she makes a point to pay vendors not only full price for their goods, but also for the time they take to explain ingredients and dishes to her customers. And she has hired an English tutor for six of the vendors children who at 8 to 11 years old already are working alongside their parents and tips them to help lead tours on weekends. On her website, Vazquez Landeta encourages people to bring photographs of their home countries as gifts for the children. Im not Mother Teresa, she said. I just want to show them that the world is bigger. Mona Boyd, the Arkansas-born founder of Landtours in Accra, Ghana, started highlighting West African fare in her packages five years ago, arranging for small groups of travelers to dine in the homes of local families. But she felt that the experience was too much like going to a restaurant. It wasnt immersive enough. Now, instead of just showing up to eat, visitors arrive early to prepare dishes like nkatenkwan (groundnut stew) and red-red (black-eyed pea stew), and to learn something about their hosts along the way. These are kind people, not rich, but willing to open up their homes to you, Boyd said. When you eat their food and enjoy it, you show you like them, too. Such informal settings can foster a more candid cultural exchange. But they must be carefully vetted by tour operators, to make sure that customers dont get sick from ingredients washed in unpurified water or a chicken dropped on the floor before being thrown into the pot. Even the gutsiest customers may balk at a street stalls grimy patina or at the frank scent of a prized local delicacy. Reassurance is part of a guides job. In Vietnam, Van Cong Tu tells guests on his Hanoi Street Food Tours which go down alleys so tiny, Google Maps cant find them that the great fistfuls of raw herbs accompanying almost every dish are safe to eat. (They often wind up submerged in hot soup.) Without the herbs, youd miss half the flavor. Joe DiStefano, a New Yorker whose Worlds Fare Food Tours take visitors to chaat shops, smoky kebab stands and labyrinthine basement food courts in his home borough, Queens, respects that some of his customers have reservations about what they eat. At one stop, he said, we go look at the durian a thorny tropical fruit that smells of rotting socks dredged from the bottom of the sea. Then, if everyone is comfortable, he said, We eat it. The logistics of comfort are of particular concern to higher-end operators who specialize in trips of a week or longer. The kind of traveler they target may not want a luau on a manicured hotel lawn, but still expects a certain degree of ease. This doesnt have to mean a bowdlerized, at-arms-length experience, however. To Neil Coletta, brand and product manager of Intrepid Travels Real Food Adventures, the real luxury is direct access to local communities which would be really hard, if not impossible, to navigate on your own. One of the companys tours covers Israel and the Palestinian territories, with stops at the home of a Jewish family in the Negev Desert and at a cooking school in Nablus founded to empower impoverished women. Coletta works closely with local guides who have personal relationships with street vendors and home cooks willing to share their secrets. It feels like youre just visiting family with family, he said. Other companies cater to jet-setters more interested in the rarefied heights of a countrys cuisine than in the nitty-gritty of its inhabitants lives. Luxury shopping site VeryFirstTo.com, which since has shut down, once offered a six-month trip with seats at each of the worlds restaurants that had won three Michelin stars. It cost more than a quarter of a million dollars and required consuming a five- to 27-course tasting menu every other day an itinerary to imperil the body, if not the soul. Muckermann, of Silversea, didnt want to structure the companys new Sea and Land Taste program around celebrity chefs and hermetic fine-dining rooms. A younger generation of travelers is braver than that, she said Theyve seen more walls going down than going up, she said. Instead, she tapped Adam Sachs, a former editor-in-chief of Saveur, to take a reportorial approach and shape a narrative around the ingredients and cooking techniques found in each region. He has tracked down inside sources like Maya Kerthyasa, a member of the royal family of Ubud in Bali, who shared her 95-year-old grandmothers spice-paste recipes with passengers on a preview trip in Southeast Asia this month. Ideally, you come away with a better understanding of why people eat in a certain way, Sachs said. Not just, I tried everything. On board, one of the ships eight restaurants, which traditionally have focused on Western food, will shift cuisine depending on its place of berth, so more cautious passengers those along for the ride just to see the region still can get a taste. But the cautious may be dwindling in number. As Muckermann recalls, on Silverseas voyages to the Russian Far East, guests are gently warned that if they visit the Chukchi village, they may be presented with boiled walrus. If they feel unready for such an honor, they can forgo the expedition. Most people come, she said. They make the leap from the security of the ship to the uncertainty onshore, from one culture to another. They eat the walrus. A drink being poured at the (reopened) Cabin Down Below. Photo: Liz Clayman When word started to get around about a ten-year anniversary party at Cabin, or the Cabin, or the Cabin Down Below what you actually call the semi-secret East Village bar depends on when you started hanging out there there was a lot of speculation about how to get in. As in, how people would physically enter the space. Rumor was, you would go through the original entrance, at the top of the stairs at the back of the burger spot that used to have a different name, which of course replaced the Pizza Shop, which is where Cabins story really began in 2009. When it was opened by Johnny Yerington, Jesse Malin, and Matt Romano, the basement bar on the corner of 7th Street and Avenue A started as a sort of clubhouse for, Yerington says, the guys musician friends and their Hollywood girlfriends, with the added benefit of bringing some foot traffic through the pizza joint theyd opened. For a while, this worked: There was an extremely tight guest list that included Mark Ronson, members of the Strokes (Romano was the bands drum tech and backup drummer), the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, and other early-aughts rock bands. People who knew what was going on downstairs hung out in the Pizza Shop late on Friday and Saturday nights trying to see who was getting in to the Cabin. The original 60-person guest list grew, but the Pizza Shop didnt, and when it turned into a table-service burger joint called Black Market in 2010, the entrance to the tiny bar was moved around the corner, so the steady stream of leather-jacket-clad patrons, like Fabrizio Moretti and Drew Barrymore, started coming in through a patio entrance on 7th Street. I was 21 when Cabin opened and, yes, easily impressed but its hard to deny the magic of being in an intimate, windowless room with a couple of your friends and the bands you grew up listening to. On a Friday or Saturday night, you could show up after midnight and the people just ahead of your would be told there was a private party going on, but then if you managed to get inside, there were sometimes only three people there one of them might be Daniel Craig and another would be the bartender. (On nights when there were actual private parties, they started as the rest of us were leaving and the cast of SNL poured in.) The sign that let people know the entrance had moved, in 2009. Photo: Courtesy of EV Grieve It was a late-night place, and the mutual understanding was that everyone was just there to have a very good time, mind their own business, and not document any of it. When I asked the actor Sam Rockwell about it, he told me, Best thing about Cabin is you never talk about Cabin. Still things did happen there: a blonde actress getting kicked out for skipping songs on the iPod that shuffled the consistent dad-rock playlist, Lindsay Lohan ordering double Grey Goose vodkas and slipping her phone number into the sexy bartenders bra, the lesser stars of Gossip Girl just being around, Sean Penn posted up telling the kind of insane stories that of course Sean Penn tells. Back then I was doing a lot of ketamine, artist and musician Adam Green told me. I became convinced that, if I snorted a Super Mario Bros. Nintendo cartridge, I would enter the video game. He says he did the only logical thing: Matt Romano had a blender behind the bar and he stuck my Super Mario Bros. cartridge into the blender and pushed the button. He took the ground-up video-game dust and put it into to huge lines, which I eagerly snorted it totally worked and Im still in the video game now! The party started to slow down in 2014 or so. Bands broke up, people moved to Nashville or L.A. or Brooklyn, and Hollywood girlfriends got Hollywood boyfriends. It also turns out that cool and empty is a difficult door policy to maintain when you still have to pay rent. Black Market, the burger spot that replaced the Pizza Shop, was renovated and renamed Sister Midnight, and in 2017 so was Cabin. The restaurant portion eventually closed, and then became Tompkins Square Bar, another cocktail and burger joint. The door policy loosened, and the regulars moved on. It happens. So it was something of a surprise to everyone when the tenth-anniversary party turned out to also be a relaunch. The basement bar is Cabin again, and you do, in fact, get in through Tompkins Square Bar. Its still dark, and filled with people who dont want to take pictures, even if the cameras on new iPhones can probably handle the low-light conditions. For anyone whos lived in New York for any real amount of time, its practically a bonding experience to mourn long-gone bars and to gripe about how the new ones arent as good. But what happens when those old ones come back to life? Do we still want to go back? In this case, its great to know that you can show up on a Saturday and run into people you know, or at least know of. New people will be there, too, and things will evolve. After all, theres no going back to 2009, but I did hear a rumor theres a new Strokes record coming out soon. The vibe is still intimate. Photo: Liz Clayman Eat like the experts. Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter. 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. WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was growing increasingly impatient as he sparred with Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., in a recent hearing - and he did not hesitate to show his annoyance. In previous years, "they did not treat the secretary of the Treasury this way," Mnuchin said with more than a hint of indignation. "So if this is the way you want to treat me, then I'll rethink whether I voluntarily come back here to testify." Waters admonished him that past secretaries had not sought to limit their testimony and that "if you wish to leave, you may." Ultimately, Mnuchin decided to stay. But the contentious exchange in the House Financial Service Committee last week was the type of testimony that has become commonplace during Donald Trump's presidency - as Cabinet officials and other appointees upend normally staid congressional hearings with performances that, at times, appear to be designed for the viewer in chief. It's another way those around Trump - or those seeking to influence him - are speaking to the president through television, as some Cabinet officials use the power of the president's favorite medium to showcase their aggressive defense of the administration and their eagerness to challenge increasingly antagonistic Democratic lawmakers. "They are all putting on performances," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. "They all feel like they're more likely gonna get an 'attaboy' if they appear more combative." Nowhere was that dynamic more effective than with now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last fall, when Trump was famously impressed by his confrontational testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as he alternated between teary-eyed and furious during his defense against accusations of sexual assault. Though he had been disappointed by Kavanaugh's lackluster self-defense on Fox News earlier that week, Trump was "riveted" by his fiery performance on Sept. 27 - which at one point was so aggressive that the nominee later apologized to a Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who had questioned him about his drinking. In February, then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker took a page out of Kavanaugh's playbook, sparring repeatedly with Democratic lawmakers pressing him on the extent of his involvement with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. "Now, in your capacity as acting attorney general," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., pressed Whitaker, "have you ever been asked to approve any request or action to be taken by the special counsel?" Whitaker paused before answering. "Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up," he responded. "I am here voluntarily. I - we have agreed to five-minute rounds." Some in the room chortled. Others groaned. Nadler momentarily looked stunned, then couldn't help but laugh. White House officials were thrilled at the combative approach Whitaker took at the hearing, which occurred shortly before William Barr was confirmed as attorney general, according to a senior administration official, while Democrats said they were dismayed. "I can't come to any other conclusion than on many of these issues, they're addressing an audience of one," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. Several other Cabinet members have had tense exchanges while sitting in the congressional witness chair - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen have irritated lawmakers by declining to directly answer questions or saying they don't have the data at hand to answer specific inquiries. But as much as Trump may love his secretaries pushing back on Democrats, he also is quick to undercut Cabinet officials who have delivered subpar performances in public, particularly when it leads to negative media coverage. Last month, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos faced bipartisan backlash after she struggled to defend the Trump administration's decision to zero out funding for the Special Olympics in testimony on Capitol Hill. Questioning from Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., stirred the furor over the proposed $17.6 million in cuts to the popular program, which the administration had put forward in previous years but was repeatedly ignored by Congress. "Do you know how many kids are going to be affected by that cut, Madam Secretary?" Pocan asked DeVos. The secretary, smiling, promptly brushed off the question. "Mr. Pocan, let me just say again we had to make some different decisions with this budget," she responded. She admitted that she did not know how many children would be affected, and she praised the Special Olympics as an "awesome organization" that has ample private support. But the public damage was done; Pocan's office posted a clip of the exchange on Twitter that garnered more than 1.1 million views in less than 24 hours. Two days after DeVos' appearance before the House appropriations panel, Trump quickly reversed his own administration's cuts. "I have overridden my people," he told reporters. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, acknowledged that some Cabinet officials were more "combative" and that they reflected the sensibilities of the man who nominated them. But the senator also had another explanation for some of the more memorable congressional performances from Trump's Cabinet. "I think some of them are just not good at this," he said. But defenders of the administration say Cabinet officials have no choice to punch back when faced with increasingly hostile Democrats in Congress, particularly with some of the White House's most prominent adversaries holding the gavel. That appeared to be the case with the recent House Financial Services Committee hearing, a powerful panel helmed by Waters who faced off against the treasury secretary for more than four minutes in an increasingly uncomfortable tit-for-tat about how much longer Mnuchin would stay and answer questions from lawmakers. "Mnuchin was being, I thought, respectful," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a member of the Financial Services Committee who witnessed the exchange. Some Democrats, King said, "basically make Democratic partisan talking points in their questions . . . and the Cabinet member feels obligated to defend himself and defend the president." King added: "There's performing going on all around." Another way that members of Trump's Cabinet have defied Congress is simply by not showing up. Earlier this year, a handful of officials - including Mnuchin, Nielsen and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar - declined congressional invitations to testify, although Nielsen eventually did appear before a House committee in March. More recently, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross - currently embroiled in legal proceedings over the Trump administration's decision to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 Census - infuriated congressional Democrats when he declined to appear before the House and Senate appropriations panels to field questions about his department's budget request. "I presume it was because he didn't want to undermine the administration's legal position it relates to the Census," speculated Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations panel that would've grilled the Commerce secretary. "Because every time he goes to Congress, he lies and gets caught." Schatz then paused. "Did I just say that out loud?" - - - The Washington Post's Damian Paletta contributed to this report. As the first images of charred wreckage inside the Notre Dame cathedral appeared online Tuesday, engineers around the world said one observation was already clear: To return the ancient structure to its glorious past, builders will likely have turn to cutting-edge technology that many associate with the future. Even before engineers had been able to access the deepest corners of the still-smoldering structure, design experts, preservationists and engineers were contemplating which modern technologies might be brought to bear to restore one of Europe's most iconic structures to its fabled past. It's a speculative exercise, they admit, but one that is to be expected with the future of a UNESCO World Heritage Site at stake. The rebuilding effort will likely draw upon expertise gleaned from disasters like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan and the Brazilian National Museum fire, where experimental robots and new digital tools have been used to go places people cannot safely venture and replicate detailed artifacts lost to fire. RELATED: Billionaires raced to pledge money to rebuild Notre Dame. Then came the backlash. Throughout the rebuilding effort, experts say, engineers and preservationists will be forced to wrestle with an ever-present question. "How do they meld brand new 21st century technologies with ancient craftsmanship and building trades in ways that keep the cathedral preserved and alive?" said Katherine Malon-France, the interim chief preservation officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit based in Washington. "This is going to be a very interesting intersection of technology and craft, and the world will be closely watching how they pull it off." Some of the technology that will be used to restore Notre Dame has already been on display. As a wall of orange flames roared across the cathedral's roof Monday, and hundreds of firefighters mounted their counterattack, high-tech machines had already been brought to the fight. Hovering in the air above the cathedral, a pair of Chinese-manufactured commercial drones equipped with HD cameras - the Mavic Pro and Matrice M210, made by DJI - helped firefighters position their hoses to contain the blaze before it before it destroyed the cathedral's two, iconic belfries, according to the French newspaper Le Parisien. "It is thanks to these drones, to this new technique absolutely unavoidable today, that we could make tactical choices to stop this fire at a time when it was potentially occupying the two belfries," Paris firefighters spokesman Gabriel Plus said. On the ground, Colossus, a robotic fire extinguisher, blasted the nave with water, lowering the temperature of the glass-filled room, the paper reported. In the crucial months ahead, experts say, some of that same technology will likely be used to return the 13th-century cathedral to a place that last year drew 12 million visitors. One way to start, the experts said, will be to bring in other drones to survey locations inside the vast cathedral that are too dangerous or damaged for engineers to reach. Jerry Hajjar, a civil engineering professor at Northeastern University, said drones can be equipped with sensors - such as small cameras and laser scanners - that will allow engineers to document fire damage and create highly accurate three-dimensional visions of specific locations inside the church. Hajjar said other sensors may be able to peer inside the church's walls like an X-ray and estimate the mineralogical properties and the degree of stress the structure is under. But the documentation effort could prove more difficult than it sounds, Hajjar said, noting that the higher a drone must rise, the lower its the battery life and the amount of time it can stay in the air. That could prove especially challenging, he said, in a building that reaches 226 feet off the ground. Another method for testing the cathedral's integrity could involve robots, Hajjar said, pointing out that research is already underway for using climbing robots to inspect and repair steel bridges. "The value of using robots became very apparent after the Fukushima disaster," Hajjar said. "They didn't want to send people inside because it was too dangerous, but realized they could use crawling robots to go inside the site and get valuable images." It's possible that much of the 3D mapping work engineers will be called upon to consult already exists. In 2015, Andrew Tallon, an associate professor of art at Vassar College who died last year from brain cancer, told National Geographic that he'd completed a comprehensive laser scan of the entire cathedral. Experts said Tallon's digital techniques could provide crucial information for any rebuilding effort. There's only one problem: It's not entirely clear where Tallon's scans, which could be stored on a single hard drive, are currently located, according to The Atlantic. A popular video game also could provide another source of digital information about the Notre Dame. In a 2014 article in the Verge, Caroline Miousse - an artist who worked on the video game Assassin's Creed - said she devoted two years to creating a model of the church that captured the inside and outside of the building. Once engineers have a clearer sense of the church's structural integrity, experts said, they'll be able to design a suitable roof. They'll have to decide whether to rebuild the roof framing with timber. If they don't opt for a structurally engineered wood, which could reduce the roof's weight and offer artistic freedom, engineers could choose to work with steel. Though it would depart from the church's original wooden roof, steel would allow engineers to use less material and be even lighter than wood, according to Gary Howes, COO of The Durable Group, a consortium of historic restoration companies. Replacing what was lost may not be the biggest challenge, Howes said. Instead, he said, it will be marrying the old and the new, offering the building's worldwide admirers a window in the past that includes upgrades and meets modern building codes. "This project is going to be more about emotion than structure," he said. "Everybody wants that cathedral to look like it has always looked, the way they remember it." Fortunately, Howes added, France has an advantage over the rest of the world. "Some of the best craftsmen in the world are located in France," he said. "Whether it's restoration or even contemporary work, they haven't lost the historic trades like we did here in the U.S. Each year, we go there to learn from them." James Shepherd, director of preservation and facilities at Washington National Cathedral, where damage from a 2011 earthquake is still unrepaired, said the immediate days after an event like Monday's fire will be a critical time for the Notre Dame. "They'll need expertise there to make sure that they're sorting through the rubble and pulling out things that are salvageable or not," Shepherd said. "You're talking about things that might be 700 or 800 years old that they're trying to pull out that might be partially burned or partially damaged by water." In Brazil, where fire destroyed 90% of the national museum's collection last year, preservationists have used 3D data to re-create precious objects lost in the fire. Assuming they have access to similar data, experts said the same technique could be used in Paris. An alliance of Illinoisans from all walks of life gathered this week to call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to close loopholes that enable corporations to escape state taxes. The group Fair Economy Illinois demanded action in the state budget to stop corporations from hiding their profits in offshore tax havens. Anna Gaebler, a community organizer for the group, said at a time when Illinois has an $8 billion backlog of financial obligations, corporate tax loopholes are costing the state more than $1 billion in lost revenue each year. In our state, two-thirds of corporations pay no corporate income tax, Gaebler said. And meanwhile, we have a budgetary crisis. Weve seen cuts to funding for public education, social services, mental health clinics across the board. Gaebler said a proposed progressive income tax would help address inequities in the state budget. But, she noted, that revenue wouldnt be available until after 2021, if the measure was approved by voters. Opponents to changing the state income tax argue it could hurt middle-income families, and it wouldnt protect against any future tax increases. Gaebler contended closing corporate tax loopholes in this years budget would help shift the tax burden off of low- to middle-income earners. But, she said, the governors proposal includes raising revenue in other ways: Including taxing marijuana, she said. But it also includes some measures that really target consumers, especially middle-class and lower-income folks for example, a raise on the cigarette tax and a plastic bag tax across our state. The pressure is on state lawmakers, because the budget needs to be approved in the next six weeks. Companion bills filed this session, HB 2085 and SB 115, would help address loopholes in offshore tax havens. Supporters estimate that could bring $318 million into the state. CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. - There's no wall or checkpoint or regular guard at the end of Roxham Road, just a footpath to the border. In recent years, this trail has been the busiest unauthorized crossing into Canada, a well-known back door for tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in a country that projects itself as a haven for refugees. Canada has largely tolerated their arrival. But with an increasingly close election on the horizon, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - a global figure of welcome for refugees - is signaling plans to crack down. And they're asking the United States to help. The irony is not lost on those who track immigration: The Trudeau government wants the United States to help tighten enforcement on Canada's southern border, just as the Trump administration is pressing Mexico to tighten enforcement on the U.S. Southern border. It's not clear the United States will agree. The Trump administration has sharply reduced U.S. refugee admissions and has tried to keep asylum seekers from entering from Mexico. "I suspect that President [Donald] Trump will be inclined to make Trudeau sweat over this," said Christopher Sands, director of the Center for Canadian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. Canada has made a formal request to the United States to amend a 15-year-old border treaty between the countries. A spokeswoman for the State Department declined to provide details, saying the department does not "discuss internal and interagency deliberations." The idea behind the treaty, known as the Safe Third Country Agreement, is that Canada and the United States are equally open to refugees. Under the terms of the deal, which took effect in 2004, asylum seekers who try to enter Canada at an official border crossing are sent back to the United States. But there's a loophole: Those who cross the border at an unauthorized point of entry can proceed into Canada and file their claim. One Canadian proposal would close that loophole: An asylum seeker who entered at an unofficial crossing would be escorted to an official port of entry and bounced back to the United States. A spokeswoman for Bill Blair, Canada's minister of border security and organized crime reduction, said he hopes a renegotiated treaty will "encourage people to cross at regular points of entry to maintain the security and the integrity of our borders." Spokeswoman Marie-Emmanuelle Cadieux declined to outline what other proposals might be on the table. "It would not be appropriate to negotiate the terms of a bilateral treaty through the media," she said. Separately, the treaty is being challenged in Canadian federal court. Three immigrant rights groups argue the United States should not be considered a "safe" country for refugees. The Trudeau government, meanwhile, is proposing changes that would prevent individuals who have filed asylum claims in other countries from filing a claim in Canada. The United States and Canada share the world's longest undefended border. Most of its 5,500 miles run through rural farmland or forest. Advocates for asylum seekers say changing the policy won't stop them from walking across the long, mostly empty, frontier. It will simply encourage them to find more remote, more dangerous places to enter - possibly with the help of criminal networks. "The main beneficiaries would be the smugglers," said Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, one of the groups challenging the agreement. "We put our hope in the United States refusing to come to the table," she said. Trudeau has been an outspoken advocate for refugees. Shortly after his election in 2015, he went to Toronto Pearson International Airport to welcome the first of some 40,000 Syrian refugees admitted to Canada. "Irregular" entries, as Canada calls them, have also increased. About 40,000 people have entered at Roxham Road and other unauthorized crossings in the last two years. They are Haitians, Nigerians and, increasingly, Venezuelans and Colombians. Many enter the United States on tourist visas with plans to come to Roxham Road and cross into Canada. If stopped by a police officer, they need only say that they intend to claim asylum, and they are allowed to pass. Asylum seekers who enter at an unauthorized crossing aren't penalized for it. But there has been a backlash. Critics have taken to calling irregular crossers "illegal" - echoing language used by immigration critics in the United States and Europe. Opposition leader Andrew Scheer blames Trudeau for the increase in such crossings. The Conservative Party leader says those who enter at Roxham Road and similar crossings are hurting "legitimate refugees and immigrants." Canada holds its federal election in October. Trudeau and his Liberal Party, once considered favorites, have seen their approval ratings fall amid a leadership scandal. Naomi Alboim, a former Ontario deputy minister for immigration, sees asylum seekers becoming a wedge issue in Canada. "Immigration has become a highly politicized issue where it wasn't really a partisan issue at all," said Alboim, who teaches at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Advocates for immigrants have opposed renegotiating the treaty - especially now, while the Trump administration is tightening refugee rules, and the legal challenge remains undecided. In the lawsuit, a woman from El Salvador says she and her daughters received rape and extortion threats from gang members back home but were turned away from Canada under the terms of the Safe Third Country Agreement. Their lawyers argue that they would not, in fact, be safe in the United States. The case, which is still making its way through Canadian courts, includes filings from the Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches. Sean Rehaag, who teaches law at York University in Toronto, says the argument has merit. "The reality is that there are some people who meet the refugee definition . . . in Canada, who would not meet the refugee definition as it's understood in the United States," he said. Canada is much more likely than the United States to accept claims based on sexual and domestic violence or gang persecution, Rehaag said. Asylum seekers are aware of these differences and plan accordingly. Neighbors in this borderland say closing the trail won't keep asylum seekers out. Instead, some warned, it will send them to more dangerous crossings. Concern for their safety is largely why the Roxham Road crossing came to be in the first place. A Ghanaian woman died of hypothermia in 2017 attempting to cross the border from remote Noyes, Minnesota, to Emerson, Manitoba, and two men lost fingers to frostbite crossing into the same province. The incidents raised public awareness of the risks of crossing. Migrants used to take those risks in Upstate New York. Curtis Seymour, a taxi driver in Plattsburgh, said he would drop would-be migrants at small roads or along railway tracks, often under the cover of darkness, so they could move north undetected. "They knew there was railroad tracks up there that goes into Canada," he said. "They'd get off at one of the little bars there or restaurant or whatever, and wait until dark. "It's crazy, you know. Some of them are scared right to death." Then Roxham Road became known as a safe crossing, and migrants mostly stopped sneaking through fields or dense woods. "It seemed like the Canadians realized that they had to organize something to make there be a safe process," Janet McFetridge said. The American woman drives to Roxham Road most days to help out. If the unauthorized crossing is closed again, locals say, there are plenty of other places migrants could try - but they'd likely be more dangerous. Martin Bechard lives on a small road outside Champlain that's similar to Roxham Road: It nearly reaches the border, but there's no official checkpoint. Still, it's under heavy surveillance. To cross undetected, he said, people would have to venture off paths - in winter, through deep snow. Some of the land was recently clear-cut and is hard to navigate. "You'd have broken legs in there," he said. "It's very rough terrain." Erica stepped out of a taxi at the end of Roxham Road and glanced up the slushy trail. The Colombian woman, who declined to give her full name, said her 17-year-old daughter was raped in their home country, and they could not go back. She researched the refugee policies of different countries, and then journeyed north to the border. "I chose Canada," she said in Spanish. She brought her 17-year-old and 5-year-old daughters and a plastic folder full of the documents they hope to use to build their asylum case. She said people back home were looking for them. "We cannot go back to Colombia," she said. They dragged their suitcases north. MALOGAM, India - In the fading afternoon light, Gammar Bam glanced down nervously at a fast-flowing river in a corner of northeastern India. His team had already driven eight hours on one-lane mountainous roads and shaky bridges. Now they were trekking on a slippery path hugging a cliff. Bam looked at the narrow track and tried to gauge if he could clamber over an uprooted tree while carrying a voting machine. Somehow, he would have to make it work. The world's largest electoral exercise began this month in India and will take place in seven phases over a 38-day period. Results will be announced on May 23. Nearly 900 million people are eligible to vote, and India is committed to reaching them all, no matter where they live. For Bam and his team of polling officers, that meant a four-day journey of over 300 miles - to ensure a single voter in a remote border state could cast her vote. "There is both excitement and nervousness," said Rupak Tamang, one of the team members, as he set up the voting machines. "If the one voter turns up, there will be 100 percent voting, but if she doesn't, then it will be zero percent." Conducting elections in the world's largest democracy is a herculean task. Every five years, when national polls are held, the country's Election Commission grapples with challenging terrain, inclement weather and poor infrastructure to ensure that no voter who wants to cast a ballot is left out. "We want to make elections as participative as possible," said Ashok Lavasa, one of the three election commissioners. "This is a manifestation of democracy's deep roots in India." Rules mandate that no voter should have to travel more than 1.24 miles to vote. In the western state of Gujarat, a team will cross a lion-infested jungle to find a single voter. In the region of Ladakh, high in the Himalayan mountains, teams will be airlifted before trekking for one day with oxygen cylinders to reach voters. Far off the country's east coast, on the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the teams braved crocodile swamps for nine voters. The lengths to which India goes to reach voters is a reflection of its commitment to universal franchise: Unlike in the United States, all adults in India have had the right to vote since the country's first election. To conduct the poll, the Election Commission relies on more than 11 million government employees and security personnel who temporarily become election officials. Bam, a 35-year old engineer in Arunachal Pradesh, the country's most sparsely populated state, was one of them. His task: to set up a polling booth in Malogam, a remote hamlet in forested mountains close to the border with China and more than 1,600 miles from the capital of New Delhi. According to the last census, conducted in 2011, Malogam had five residents but only one registered voter this time - Sokela Tayang. The journey of Bam's team began two days before the first phase of the election on April 11. They started in Hawai, the district headquarters, a small town nestled high in the mountains at an altitude of 3,600 feet. They carried two sets of voting machines, a thick sheaf of paperwork and utility items, like a bucket and battery-operated lamp. They set out early the next morning, juddering over potholed roads overlooking a shimmering river valley. The drive was only the start. In the late afternoon, they began trekking on a narrow forest path barely wide enough for one person. Bam treaded lightly, deftly swatting wild overgrowth while keeping an eye out for snakes. During the hike, a problem emerged. Locals told them that Tayang, the voter they had come all this way to meet, had left the area. But Bam was not deterred: He decided to set up the polling booth closer to the road and try to get word to her through villagers. They zeroed in on a ragged tin shed at the edge of the forest and borrowed rickety plastic chairs and cobwebbed tables from a nearby villager. A local administrator came by to review and approve the preparations. By then, darkness had descended. The team walked to the nearest hutment - with no toilet, no electricity, no cellphone signal - to bunk down for the evening. They ate a simple meal of rice and lentils, then spent the night on a bamboo floor above a chicken pen. The next morning, the crowing of roosters woke them up at the crack of dawn: election day. Bam's team first had to conduct a mock poll at 5 a.m., per commission rules. The exercise is done for the benefit of candidates or their representatives to show that machines are working properly and no votes are already recorded. Even for a single voter, the practice poll required 50 mock votes. There would be no cutting corners. The polling booth in the tin shed was open for business on time, at 7 a.m., the official start of voting across India. Tayang did not disappoint. Like Bam and his team, the 42-year-old farmer had also put in an effort to vote. Tending to her sick mother, 125 miles away, she returned to Malogam only to cast her ballot. She arrived just after 8:30 a.m. She was offered a yogurt drink and asked to wait under the shade while they dealt with a last-minute glitch with the voting machine. As an election official recorded video, Tayang walked into the shed, showed her identification card and had her finger dabbed with purple ink (all Indian voters receive such a mark to prevent anyone from voting twice). She stepped behind a piece of plywood to cast her vote. The machine beeped loudly. It was over in less than two minutes. She had some requests for her elected representatives. "We want to ask for jobs and development through our vote," Tayang said. Looking around at the surrounding wilderness with disappointment, she said, "Our area is still a jungle and needs to be developed." After a round of selfies, she thanked the team for the trouble they had taken. But while Tayang's work was over within minutes, Bam's task was far from finished. The polling booth was required to stay open until the official close of voting at 5 p.m. There was tedious paperwork to complete, including a 67-item checklist. Then the voting machines needed to be sealed four times. "Even a pencil has to be accounted for," Bam said with a laugh. After wrapping up the paperwork, they packed up the machines and set off once more down the winding road. It would still be another day before they reached home. But for now, their job was done. 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About 20 people from throughout the county attended the session, sponsored by Madison County Community Development. Our goal is to come together and identify some things we can work on county-wide, said MCCD Director Trudy Bodenbach. I dont really have pre-conceived notions of what well come up with. Since Ive been here (as director), Ive had lots of conversations with these people individually, and a lot of them are saying there is more of a need to work together. There are all kinds of things and opportunities going on, moderator Mary Sue Love, an associate professor with SIUEs Managing and Marketing Department. What we want to do is explore questions that matter. The day started with plotting the strengths and weaknesses of the county. Location and transportation-related issues were among the strengths, along with the cost of living, the education system and healthcare. Discussion also included the impact of tourism and the proximity of Scott Air Force Base. The proximity of the St. Louis region was discussed as both a positive and negative. On the positive side, it provides jobs and cultural opportunities, but also creates issues by promoting a negative self-image in the Metro East. Another issue is that there are smaller groupings of communities in Madison County, including the Collinsville area, Granite City area, Riverbend and Highland. Thats a big swath of communities, Love said, adding there is a need for some shared goals. John Keller, president of the RiverBend Growth Association, said the meeting went a long way to establish commonalities, among the various communities. He also said it was not finished. This is part of a process, he said. It was a great beginning to it. The goal is to bring all of the communities together to brainstorm, so its not going to happen in one meeting. Were going to be meeting again. Further, Keller emphasized the issue of self-perception, something he often discusses. He said residents and officials have a perception of negative to neutral, but people looking at this area from the outside tend to be neutral to positive. We sometimes are our own worst enemy, Keller said. Part of the discussion was on the negative image Metro East residents have regarding taxes, but when you look at other states and different taxes, it brings your effective rates pretty darn close. What were hoping to do is find a couple of goals for the county so we can collaborate together, Love said after the first break. So far there are so many ideas, we just need to coalesce on the one or two that will help us move forward. She said part of the key is to look for opportunities. Where well really coalesce is taking those strengths and figuring out how to move them into opportunities, and looking at those weaknesses and seeing if we can convert them to opportunities as well, she said. Less than 24 hours after a blaze tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral, donors have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to aid in restoration efforts. The donations come in as Paris officials are working to quantify the costs of the damages after the massive, devastating fire Monday that incinerated portions of the cathedral. President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he hoped the symbolic landmark could be reconstructed within five years. International grassroots fundraisers immediately sprang up online to aid in the rebuilding effort, supplemented by private pledges topping $700 million. Some of the families behind the most notable companies in France have offered hundreds of millions of dollars toward the rebuilding effort. Among them is the family of Bernard Arnault, CEO of the LVMH luxury conglomerate and the richest man in Europe, who pledged $226 million. Before that, Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman of the french luxury group Kering, offered $133 million in aid. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which owns cosmetics company L'Oreal, said Tuesday that it would match its company's pledge of $113 million, totaling $226 million. In a tweet, L'Oreal called the rebuilding effort a "renaissance of a precious symbol of the French heritage and common history." Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wrote Tuesday morning on Twitter that he was "heartbroken" for the French people and promised that his company would also help in the rebuilding efforts. His tweet did not specify an amount, and Apple did not immediately return a request for comment from The Washington Post. Donations have also come from groups such as Total, the multinational oil and gas giant, which tweeted that it would also give $113 million to help with reconstruction of the cathedral, which Total called "an architectural jewel." The University of Notre Dame in Indiana pledged to donate $100,000 toward the renovations, writing in a statement that the cathedral's "exquisite Gothic architecture has for centuries raised hearts and minds to God." These larger donations have been supplemented by smaller fundraising efforts. Among the givers is Charles Gosse, a 23-year-old business school student who launched an online funding campaign that had raised over $43,000 by Tuesday afternoon. "I am not religious myself. I'm an atheist," he told The Washington Post. "But this is beyond religion. It is a national monument like the Eiffel Tower and the Arch of Triumph." According to Reuters, an estimate on the cost of the cathedral's restoration could take up to a year. "It is really going to be up to the French state and benefactors to help to restore and rebuild this," Robert Read, head of art and private client at Lloyd's of London insurer Hiscox told Reuters. The restoration itself could take up to 20 years, he added. WASHINGTON - Richard Schneider carefully spread the broken pieces of the glass photo negative on the light table at the National Archives and, wearing green rubber gloves, put them together like the parts of a puzzle. A ghostly image emerged that Schneider recognized. "The face, and the mustache, and those eyes," he said. It was Adolf Hitler, sitting stiffly in an upholstered arm chair, his German shepherd at his side. He wore pinstriped pants, a dark suit coat and a tiny swastika lapel pin. His hair was combed back, and he looked as if he was headed to the opera. A piano, suggesting refinement, sat in the background, and light illuminated one side of his blank face. It was an eerie likeness, apparently dating to 1923, when Hitler was 34, that could be one of the earliest ever published of the infamous Nazi dictator in public life. And it is one of 1,270 images that Schneider has just digitized from a trove of 41,000 glass negatives created by Hitler's personal photographer and key propagandist, Heinrich Hoffmann. Most have probably never been seen before with this clarity, he said. "What makes this digitization project special is that the ensuing image has been reproduced from the original negative, rather than it being a copy or copy of a copy," Schneider said in an email. "This results in unmatched quality." Plans are to make the photographs available online soon, according to Billy Wade, a supervisory archivist. Many of the fragile glass plates were broken and had to be reassembled. "There were more shattered plates of [Hitler] than perhaps any other subject," Schneider said. "I don't know if that was purposeful or coincidental." Putting them back together "was a little scary, as if I could hear him say, 'Danke [thank you] for making me whole again.' " he said. "Anytime I came across a picture of him looking at me, it sent shivers." "And remember, [Hitler] may not have been anything . . . if it weren't for the millions of people that rejoiced in his every word - thus, the foreboding rally shots," he said. Schneider, an Archives special projects preservationist, began studying and digitizing the glass negatives last summer and finished last month. Hoffmann, in whose Munich studio many of the portraits were made, took thousands of Nazi photographs, starting in the 1920s. His pictures helped craft the image of Hitler as the benevolent and heroic savior of Germany who was loved and admired by millions. Children, the working man, young people, dogs, all adored the fuhrer, according to Hoffmann's portrayal. "He single-handedly shaped the personal side of Hitler's 'Fuhrer Image,' " the German historian Heike B. Gortemaker wrote. It helped that he had exclusive access to the Nazi inner circle. In a group photo taken by a different photographer, Hoffmann is seen with Hitler and much of the Nazi political and military hierarchy. In crowded beer halls, concert halls, jammed auditoriums, inside offices, outside buildings, Nazis in all their livery assembled before Hoffmann's camera. Hitler posed, too. In a business suit. In uniform. In a trench coat. In lederhosen. In jack boots. Hoffmann was a seasoned photographer when he joined the Nazi party in 1920 - membership card #427 - and made most of his early pictures using the old-fashioned glass negatives. He had photographed German social, legal and religious figures, as well as actors, painters and musicians. After the war, his negatives were confiscated by the Army and went to the National Archives in 1962, according to Wade. The photographs are frightening examples of early Nazi propaganda - of carefully staged group pictures, portraits and scenes at political rallies as Hitler campaigned for election and the halls were hung with Nazi banners. "Germany Shall Live," the banners say, "Don't Buy from Jews," and "Jews are our Misfortune." Audiences look on, some giving the "heil Hitler" salute, while others do not. Almost always, the venues are full, often standing-room-only. Hoffmann and his assistants later photographed the 1936 Berlin Olympics, taking thousands of pictures, he wrote in his 1955 memoir, "Hitler Was My Friend." He went with Hitler to Poland when the Nazis invaded in 1939. And he chronicled the surrender of France near Compiegne in 1940, in the same railway car where Germany capitulated in 1918, ending World War I. "Now it's our turn," Hoffmann said an exultant Hitler told him. Hoffmann claimed in his memoir that Hitler eluded photographers in the early days and destroyed one of Hoffmann's negatives after the photographer staked him out. Later, Hoffmann, by then an intimate friend and part of Hitler's traveling retinue, agreed not to publish any pictures of him until he got Hitler's OK. But at an outdoor rally in September 1923, another German photographer, Georg Pahl, took a picture of Hitler and disappeared into the crowd. Hitler then summoned Hoffmann and agreed to come to Hoffmann's Munich studio. "The time has now come, and . . . you shall take your photographs," Hoffmann said Hitler told him. The 1923 negative that Schneider reassembled, as well as others featuring Hitler in the same clothes and in the same armchair could be one from that sit-down. (Pahl, meanwhile, reportedly was blacklisted by the Nazis.) Hoffmann took full advantage and made a fortune producing a stream of illustrated propaganda books: "With Hitler in Poland," "With Hitler in Italy," "Hitler Off Duty" and "The Hitler Nobody Knows." Hoffmann claimed in his book that he eventually ran afoul of Hitler's sinister gatekeeper, Martin Bormann, and was edged out of the inner circle around 1944. After the war, Hoffmann was arrested and convicted of war profiteering, and he spent five years in several German prisons. One of them was only 15 miles from his old haunts in Munich. It was the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. Dozens of second-grade students toured Passavant Area Hospital on Tuesday as part of the hospital auxiliarys spring Mini-Medical Days program. The goal of the long-time program is to give students exposure to the hospital to lessen their fears if they have to come to the hospital as a patient and so they can learn about health care, auxiliary President JoAnn Nelson said. Some students have been to a hospital before and others know it in the context of a family member who was sick or injured, but often its an unknown for kids, Nelson said. They try to put the parts of the hospital in a context kids can understand. Even just going into the rehab section, Nelson said. Say, Well, maybe your grandma fell and cant balance very well. And then that way they can kind of relate to real-life situations and see it, instead of thinking of it as an unknown. Auxiliary members led the students on a tour of the hospital and taught them about different hospital departments from rehabilitation and physical therapy to laboratories. Pediatric nurse Heather Leonard showed students a hospital bed and talked to them about the importance of making healthy choices to prevent illness. She showed them an IV and the needle used to start the IVs delivery of fluids, explaining how it worked and that it would hurt, but not for long. It was a good example of taking away the fear of the unknown for the kid, Nelson said. We dont want them to think that its fun and games there, but we want them to know that (the hospital staff are) there to help you and theyll take care of you and not to be afraid, she said. On Tuesday, 11 auxiliary members led students from Washington and Lincoln elementary schools. Students also will be touring the hospital today and Thursday. In the spring, students from Jacksonville School District 117s second-grade classes participate in the Mini-Medical Days. In the fall, students from other area schools, Jacksonville parochial schools, Illinois School for the Deaf and Illinois School for the Visually Impaired participate. Illinois manufacturers have seen both benefits and drawbacks from year-old tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imported into the U.S. were announced in March 2018. Since then, Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said the results have been a mixed bag. Were a manufacturing state, so we both produce steel here and import it, Denzler said. This is something seen as a benefit for some of our steel-producing companies and we have other manufacturers who see it as an impediment because of higher costs. Theres a large amount of uncertainty in the markets at the moment, Denzler said, pointing to ongoing Brexit discussions and ongoing trade negotiations as evidence. Members are looking for more long-term stability, he said. At the end of the day, theyre worried about costs, Denzler said. All manufacturers are looking at the bottom line, whether youre providing steel or using steel in another product. Our hope would be the president gets some of these trade deals done and provides certainty back to the marketplace, because international trade is critically important to the manufacturing sector. Illinois is the second-largest importer of steel among the 50 states, but Denzler said the impact of the tariffs has been lessened because of a carve-out for Canada and Mexico. Those two countries account for about one-third of the steel imports into the U.S. We do need to continue addressing some of the trade concerns with China, Denzler said. The dumping of steel and the theft of intellectual property remain significant concerns among the steel industry and those need to be addressed. The National Association of Manufactures conducts a quarterly study of the views of members across the country. Overall, most seem happy with the current policies of the Trump administration. More than 90 percent of manufacturers are optimistic about the future, Denzler said. Theyve seen record-high optimism for the past 10 quarters, largely due to regulatory and tax reform. Their optimism was in the mid-60s during the previous presidential administration. I think generally manufacturers are heartened by what theyre seeing coming out of Washington, D.C. Japan News-Yomiuri photo TATEYAMA, Toyama - With the opening of the entire length of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route that runs through the Northern Japan Alps in Toyama and Nagano prefectures, crowds of sightseers have begun visiting the Yukino Otani (great snow valley) to marvel at its towering snow walls. The well-known tourist spot is situated near Murodo, an area of Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture, that sits at an elevation of 2,450 meters. EDWARDSVILLE Kristen Woods, a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville junior majoring in corporate and organizational communications, unknowingly greeted Student Employee of the Year officials and well-wishers with the same politeness and efficiency she routinely displays as a general office clerk in the Kimmel Student Involvement Center. It was only after a bouquet of red and white balloons came through the door, that she began looking around for the intended recipient. Woods, of Red Bud, was surprised on Monday with the news that she is the 2019 Student Employee of the Year, an honor given by the Office of Student Financial Aid. Approximately 1,800 SIUE student workers were eligible for the award. The award recognizes Woods for her dependability, courtesy, professionalism and ability to exceed expectations. It came with a plaque and a $500 SIUE scholarship. The National Student Employment Association (NSEA) has declared April 14-20 as National Student Employee Week. This is a pinnacle award. Were here to celebrate the best of the best, said Denise Cobb, PhD, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. We want to congratulate Kristen for representing herself and the University so extraordinarily well. Having a gem like Kristen reflects on the success of the entire campus. Kristen is the perfect person to greet the students and staff who visit our office, and she always does so with a smile, said Vivian Rodgers, office support associate for the Kimmel Student Involvement Center, who nominated Woods. Kristen is always willing to help with projects and often takes the initiative to change practices that may be outdated or could be done more efficiently, Rodgers continued. Although she is a student, Kristen does not treat her position as just a student job. She approaches her role and responsibilities with great care, commitment and work ethic. Kristen far exceeds the expectations of her position. She has great autonomy and is an excellent self-starter. I am so excited. It shows that I do care about this job, said Woods, who has worked at the Kimmel Student Involvement Center for the past two years. For me, its more than just showing up for work. Sometimes my tasks can be tedious, but that doesnt mean they are not important. First runner-up for SIUE Student Employee of the Year was Cody Rettinghouse, of New Athens. Rettinghouse works for Learning Support Services. Corey Wachter, of Elizabeth, was the second runner-up. Wachter works for Campus Recreation. Rettinghouse and Wachter are both third-year School of Pharmacy students. IT IS SETTLED, the new album from the First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock (FPCNLR), is a sonically diverse and spiritually rich project that will bring Sunday morning worship directly to your listening device. The 100 voices of the First Pentecostal Church Mass Choir resplendently bring the 16 tracks to life with vocal harmonies that will please the ear and soothe the soul. Produced by Kurt Kanhai (Darius Paulk),IT IS SETTLED is an album for such a time as this, to remind listeners of the overall provenance of God - regardless of trial or test. The lead single "This Place" was written by Laura Nesterenko and co-written by Ryan Johns and Kurt Kanhai. The song came to life during a worship service one night and has been making its way around the globe. "This Place" has over 100,000 streams worldwide. The lush ballad that reminds listeners that a "miracle can happen in this place" was also recorded in Spanish, and both versions are available on the album. "This Place," along with the blues-infused, rollicking "Garment of Praise," are available immediately if the album is pre-ordered before April 19th. The rousing title track offers another album standout and is a definite staple that choirs will sing throughout the generations, while the foot-tapping "Celebration Medley" pays masterful tribute to songs of old that are beloved reminders of such Pentecostal patriarchs as GT Haywood and Bishop AO Holmes. IT IS SETTLED was recorded to commemorate the 70th Arkansas International Camp meeting that FPCNLR hosts every year. In 1946, Bishop AO Holmes and family moved to North Little Rock to assume the pastorate of First Pentecostal Church. Located on Interstate 40 in North Little Rock, FPCNLR is known for energetic services that honor the high-spirited tradition of the Oneness Pentecostal movement. It is comprised of a multicultural congregation and holds services in both English and Spanish, while offering multiple language translations and providing assisted listening options for the hearing impaired. Pastor Joel Holmes and his son, Pastor Nathan Holmes, who together lead the church, are both featured on IT IS SETTLED. Tags : First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock it is settled First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock new album The Puritans who ruled England and New England in the seventeenth century wanted no part of anything that wasnt specifically sanctioned in the Bible. Englands Puritan-dominated Parliament decreed in 1645 that there were to be no holy days except Sundays. Two tears later, Parliament confirmed the abolition of Christmas, Easter and Whitsunday, which is an English name for Pentecost. The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 returned these holy days to the English people, who had sorely missed celebrating them. Puritanisms dourness lingered in New England, however, whose inhabitants generally ignored Easter and Christmas until well into the nineteenth century. Puritans found the very word Easter repugnant. After all, it didnt appear in their Bibles. They wanted nothing to do with the Bible we call the King James Version, which was published in 1611. Puritans regarded the Stuart kings as their enemies, a belief they implemented by executing King Charles I, James son, in 1649. These theocrats preferred the Geneva Bible, which had been published in 1560. The Geneva Bible translated Acts 12:4 as And when he had caught him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaterions of soldiers to be kept, intending after the Passover (Greek word: Pascha) to bring him forth to the people. The King James Bible reads: .intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. The Puritans knew that the New Testament had been written in Greek. They also knew that the Greek language contained no such word as Easter. The King James Bible was contaminated by paganism, they believed. Bede, an English Benedictine monk, wrote in the eighth century that the pagan Anglo-Saxons had in the month of April held feasts to honor a goddess called Eostre or Ostara. Bede asserted that following the Anglo-Saxons conversion to Christianity, this custom had been supplanted by the celebration of Jesus resurrection. While copies of the King James Version published today still contain Easter in Acts 12:4, every other translation of the Bible Ive examined translates Pascha as Passover. Those long-dead Puritans would surely be pleased. The Puritans long-ago war against the celebration of Christmas and Easter ended centuries ago. Happily for all of us, the Puritans lost. Christmas today is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. Who doesnt want to participate in a festival that features decorative lights during the cold gloom of December? Easter, on the other hand, really doesnt require any decorating on our part. Nature has taken care of that for us. Our yards are alive with flowering trees. Tulips, daffodils and other perennials have broken through the soil to proclaim the earths rebirth. The apostle Paul believed that there was no Christianity without the risen Jesus. And if Christ be not risen, he wrote, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain (I Corinthians 15:14). While the Christian faith might be contingent upon Easter, the celebration of this spring holy day neednt be limited to Christians. The Easter Flower, a poem by Claude McKay, makes that quite apparent. McKay wrote about finding an Easter lily that had burst the tomb for freedom sweet and brief. For Christians, it symbolized the miracle that defines their religion. And many thought it was a sacred sign, And some called it the resurrection flower; And I, a pagan, worshiped at its shrine, Yielding my heart unto its perfumed power. Although a self-described pagan who had close ties with the Communist party for years, McKay nonetheless found his heart touched by the power of Easter. That simple lily had awakened from its earthen tomb and burst through soil that just a short time earlier had been shrouded beneath snow and ice. McKay described that lily, the traditional plant of this season, as The Easter Flower. Every tree, bush and bulb that blossoms each spring is an Easter flower. And one neednt be a Christian to appreciate this glorious resurrection that is all around us. John J. Dunphys latest book, Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials, includes interviews with men who served in the U.S. Army 7708 War Crimes Group. Oxfam is aninternational confederation of 17 affiliates networked together in more than 90countries committed to ridding the world of poverty and injustice. To achievethis, we support local projects in developing countries, we lobby governmentsand companies to take into account the interests of the poorest people and wecampaign to involve citizens in our work. We implement our programs by workingwith local NGO partners and civil society organizations and engaging withprivate sector and governments. Oxfam employs over 6,000 people worldwide inmore than 90 countries. In Uganda, our program is anchored on three broadthemes deliberately focused on Womens Rights: Resilient Livelihoods,Governance and Accountability and Humanitarian Preparedness and Response. TheProgramme Officer, Accountability and Gender Mainstreaming will be responsiblefor liaising with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), Ministry of GenderLabour and Social Development (MGLSD) Ministry of Finance Planning and EconomicDevelopment (MFPED) Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the NationalPlanning Authority (NPA) for effective and efficient management andimplementation of the UN Womens GEWE Programme. She/he will provide technicaland capacity building support on gender mainstreaming, womens empowerment andgender responsive budgeting with a holistic approach to development challengesfacing women and girls. The Programme Officer will facilitate the process ofdisseminating Gender Statistics for Evidence based Planning and Budgeting insectors and Local Governments. In addition, the officer will analyse the GEWErelated policy and legal frameworks to identify gaps for redress based on thepolitical, social and economic trends and inform programming and actions. TheProgramme Officer will also provide coordination and programme design supportto both the MGLSD and EOC for effective management, implementation andreporting on progress. While the officer will be based at the MoGLSD andsometimes the EOC, she/he will also from time to time be expected to makeregular visits to districts under the Programme being implemented. In a milestone victory for Money Mail, a major High Street bank has become the first to pledge to reunite innocent fraud victims with their money. We have long campaigned for banks to compensate people when they are tricked into handing over their savings, and have been ignored until now. For TSB this week said cheated customers will always get their cash back piling pressure on other banks to do the same. Victory: We have long campaigned for banks to compensate people when they are tricked into handing over their savings, and have been ignored until now Writing in Money Mail today, TSB executive chairman Richard Meddings admits: 'Fraud refund policies just haven't kept pace with the scammers. You don't have to be frail or foolish to fall victim.' Scammers dupe us out of about 1 million a day often by convincing victims they are bank employees, telling them their savings are in danger and must be moved. In all, 354 million was stolen last year in these scams, known as authorised push-payment frauds. But until now, banks had refused to pay compensation, claiming the victims should have been more careful. TSB will now only refuse to pay up if someone repeatedly ignores safety advice and is defrauded again and again. Other major lenders, have signed up to a voluntary code which will require them to refund scam victims from May 28. Yet funding for cases where neither the bank nor customer is to blame is only guaranteed until the end of the year. Richard Emery, fraud expert at consultancy 4Keys International, says: 'I am delighted a bank is taking the reimbursement of scam victims seriously. I trust other banks will follow suit. TSB has come forward in advance of the official reimbursement model which other banks could have done. Customers of other banks who fall victim to scams between now and May 28 would have a very good reason to be unhappy if they are not refunded.' But what does the landmark move mean for you? What are TSB's terms? TSB pledges to reimburse all customers who innocently fall victim to scams, with two exceptions. Those who commit the fraud themselves will not be refunded. Neither will customers who are repeatedly tricked after getting advice from the bank about how to stay safe. This does not apply to vulnerable customers and TSB says the rule is flexible. For example, it may refuse to refund customers who fall for the same type of scam twice unless they are targeted in different ways. Do all victims qualify? TSB's fraud refund guarantee is not retrospective those who fell victim to scams before April 14 will not be covered. Scammers dupe us out of about 1 million a day often by convincing victims they are bank employees, telling them their savings are in danger and must be moved Will other banks help? Customers of other banks currently have no right to a refund if tricked by a fraudster. Banks typically refuse in these instances on the grounds they authorised the payment or were negligent with their banking details even if they had no idea they were speaking to criminals. Banks recorded 84,624 cases of authorised push-payment fraud last year, almost double the number reported in 2017, according to banking trade body UK Finance. In total, victims lost 354.3 million, a 50 pc rise on 2017. However, RBS, Barclays, Santander, Lloyds Banking Group (which includes Halifax and Bank of Scotland), Nationwide, Metro Bank, and HSBC have all pledged to sign up to the voluntary code. Which scheme is best? Richard Emery says TSB seems to cover more situations in which customers can fall victim to scams. Banks which sign up to the new code can refuse to reimburse customers who ignore scam warnings, whereas TSB may not. The code also considers whether a customer has tried to protect themselves. The banks will decide this on a case-by-case basis. Also, as other banks have only agreed funding until the end of 2019, a longer-term solution is needed. One idea is to pass on a levy to customers. Only Nationwide and Lloyds have pledged to cover the charge themselves. Mr Emery says banks have known about the code since 2018, and TSB has just acted on it, but with minimum exclusions. How do I prove fraud? Keep hold of any emails and text messages. Print off a version for your records. Keep the fraudsters' account number and sort code in case the bank deletes them. If you believe you have become a fraud victim, call your bank immediately. Insist on speaking to the fraud team and tell them to contact the receiving bank at once. Report the crime to Action Fraud, the national cybercrime reporting service. Without a reference number your bank may question why you do not want to alert law enforcement. Action Fraud collects data which allows it to identify trends and criminals. If your bank decides not to refund you, make an official complaint. If it still refuses, go to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman has raised the bar on what it considers gross negligence due to ever more sophisticated frauds. This means if you are tricked into giving away information, such as a passcode used to confirm payments, it will ask the bank to prove you were careless. fraud@dailymail.co.uk Complain online at help. financial-ombudsman.org.uk/help, call 0800 023 4567, or write to Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange, London, E14 9SR. There has been no greater champion of the liberalisation of the energy market than Money Mail. For decades, we have campaigned to break the stranglehold of the Big Six suppliers and boost competition so customers can get a better deal. Time and again, we have reported how readers can save hundreds of pounds a year by giving lesser-known firms a chance. Money Mail has been the greatest champion of the liberalisation of the energy market Today, it may be time to concede that the race to compete on price is having some negative consequences. As we report today, many customers are at their wits' end after fighting for months to get their money back from small firms that have gone bust. This section has spent years trying to cajole households into shopping around, but now I fear customers will become so frustrated they'll give up on switching altogether. This would be a devastating outcome, as staying with the same supplier year after year means you could miss out on enormous savings. It would be unfair to tar all small suppliers with the same brush. Many do a brilliant job, and without them forcing behemoths such as British Gas to compete for your custom, bills could sky-rocket. So what should you do? Well, I switch energy provider every year and I admit that, up until now, I have been pretty cavalier when it comes to choosing supplier. My mantra was: 'Cheapest is best.' Now, I'll be paying far more attention to how a firm's customer service is ranked by Citizens Advice. Opting for the cheapest energy supplier is not always the best option according to rankings This is vital because high numbers of complaints and problems getting credit balances refunded are tell-tale signs that a supplier may be in trouble. Watchdog Ofgem has promised to push up service standards and force new firms to pass stricter checks before they are allowed to take on customers. But it needs to move swiftly, before nervous households are driven back to the pricey Big Six suppliers. Sharks tanked It is a relief to learn that a gang of cold-calling sharks who conned elderly victims out of 425,000 in just five months are now off the streets for a while, at least. The four scammers, who called themselves the 'Wolves of Wind Street', were jailed on Monday for conspiring to defraud, in their own, charming words, 'pension-rich suckers'. As Money Mail reported recently, the group had promised victims new boilers in return for an upfront fee of 299 or 399 under a government scheme that did not exist. The gang, who chose their nickname because they spent much of their ill-gotten gains wining and dining in the notorious Wind Street nightclub area of Swansea, South Wales, were stopped only after local trading standards intervened. The trio of company directors were each jailed for three years and nine months. A fourth member of staff was sentenced to 18 months. If it were up to me, I'd throw away the key. In praise of Axa Here at Money Mail, we regularly hear from readers who feel let down by insurers. So it makes a nice change to print a positive tale. Tony, from Dawlish, South Devon, says his travel insurer, AXA, went above and beyond the call of duty when his wife fell ill in India. Following a stay in Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, the couple came down with food poisoning. Tony recovered, but his wife had to spend six days in hospital. He writes: 'Axa covered all hospital and extra accommodation costs and took control of the situation, which was a relief. It also paid for first-class flights home and flew in caring Dr Singh Satvender to provide medical supervision on the journey home.' Well done AXA! v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk RBS investors have been urged to vote down chief executive Ross McEwan's 3.6m 'excessive pay packet' Royal Bank of Scotland investors have been urged to vote down chief executive Ross McEwan's 3.6million 'excessive pay packet'. Shareholder advisory firm Pirc said elements of the award are 'inappropriate', and said he was paid 46 times more than the average bank employee. Ahead of the bank's annual general meeting next week, it took issue with Mr McEwan's total variable pay at 211.1 per cent of salary describing it as 'excessive', as it is over the recommended limit of 200 per cent. Pirc recommends shareholders reject the 62.4 per cent-taxpayer-owned bank's remuneration report. The New Zealander's pay packet last year was a 1million basic salary, a 1million fixed share allowance and a 1.1m long-term incentive award. Pay awards are expected to come under close scrutiny over the coming months. Investor advisory groups Glass Lewis and ISS are recommending shareholders back RBS's remuneration report. McEwan has presided over a return to profit at RBS, which in February reported its second successive year in the black and announced a 1.6billion final dividend, resulting in a near 1billion windfall for the taxpayer. Online retailer Zalando expects profits of up to 8.5m for the first three months of the year Online retailer Zalando is set to bag an unexpected profit amid booming demand in Europe. The firm, which is Europe's biggest online-only fashion retailer, expects profits of up to 8.5million for the first three months of the year. Analysts had been expecting a loss of 8.5million. Shares in the Frankfurt-listed company jumped 10.6 per cent, or 3.98, to 41.56. Zalando normally makes a loss during the period due to it selling off stock at a lower price after Christmas. Adam Tomlinson, analyst at Liberum, said: 'This is a positive short-term development. It has built an infrastructure uniquely placed to fend off competition and has a logistics network that is looking increasingly superior to Amazon.' Zalando sells more than 1,900 brands including Nike, Ralph Lauren, Adidas and Levi's. It has struggled recently amid fierce competition and heavy discounting among online rivals. Meanwhile, profits have been under pressure as it piles investment into logistics and technology to improve its online delivery. Zalando is trying to grow profitability by charging brands a commission to sell through its website rather than buying and selling products itself. David Schroder, chief financial officer, said: 'We are pleased with our performance in the quarter.' The owner of Britain's third biggest airline, Jet2, has warned that the Brexit saga is creating signs of dampening consumer appetite for this summer's holiday season. Jet2's owner, Dart Group, said that while its travel arm is looking 'positive', its summer bookings levels 'reflect some consumer uncertainty', with prices for flights and package holidays becoming 'more competitive' as travel firms battle for customers. In a trading update today, Jet2's owner revealed it is now expecting its annual profit to come in 'slightly' higher than initially forecast. 'Uncertainty': Jet2's owner, Dart Group , said that while its travel arm was looking 'positive', its summer bookings levels 'reflect some consumer uncertainty' Earlier this year, Jet2 boss Steve Heapy warned of higher prices for holidaymakers in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He said: 'The worst thing that could happen is that we're not able to fly to Europe. I think the chance of that happening is extremely low. 'I think we'll end up with something in the middle whereby we're able to fly into Europe, but I think it may be more expensive and there might be more flight restrictions.' Mr Heapy previously said the business would consider adding more flights to locations such as Turkey if it was not allowed into Europe. The extension of the Brexit deadline to the end of October was viewed as positive for travel operators by the market, due to the greater certainty for travellers making trips during the summer. Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy from Oldham has helped steer the firm's rapid growth Mr Heapy has also been a staunch critic of the response to last year's drone sighting chaos at Gatwick airport. While Jet2 does not fly from Gatwick and was not directly impacted, Mr Heapy condemned the 'slow' response by officials and is concerned about the threat of a repeat performance. He said: 'I couldn't understand why an airport was completely disabled for the length of time it was. There seemed to be a huge hesitation in dealing with this/ 'If a drone over an airport brings it to a standstill, there is a temptation for other people that want make a protest, or whatever, at other airports. 'I just thought the response was pretty inadequate and pretty slow really. I don't know why we didn't shoot the bloody thing down.' In its latest update, owner Dart said its growing leisure travel business had helped bolster Jet2's results for the year to 31 March. As a result, group profit before foreign exchange revaluation and tax is set to be slightly ahead of market expectations. Dart said there was still time in the leisure travel booking cycle, meaning the board remains optimistic of meeting current market expectations for profit in the year to March 2020. Shares in Dart are down 0.37 per cent or 3.25p to 875p this morning. Meanwhile, shares in EasyJet and Tui are up 0.51 per cent and 1.19 per cent to 1,211p and 825p respectively. Oshkosh Corp. engages in the designing, manufacturing, and marketing of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies. It operates through the following segments: Access Equipment, Defense, Fire & Emergency, and Commercial. The Access Equipment segment consists of JerrDan and JLG, which manufactures aerial work platforms; and telehandlers that are used in construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications to position workers and materials at elevated heights. The Defense segment produces tactical wheeled vehicles; and supply parts and services for the United States military and other militaries around the world. The Fire and Emergency segment sells commercial and custom fire vehicles; simulators and emergency vehicles primarily for fire departments, airports and other governmental units; and broadcast vehicles for broadcasters and television stations. The Commercial segment includes McNeilus, CON-E-CO, London, Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Inc (IMT), and Oshkosh Commercial. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, WI. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Beechcraft Service Company UK Limited, Bell Helicopter GK, Bell Helicopter KK, Bell Textron Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron Miami Inc, Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc, Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS, Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA, Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Italia Srl, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems Ltd., PEINER Umformtechnik, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited, Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, Wuxi Textron Specialized Vehicles Co. Ltd., and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. Aphria, Inc. engages in the production and supply of medical cannabis. It operates through the following segments: Cannabis Operations, Distribution Operations, and Business Under Development. The Cannabis Operations segment produces, distributes, and sells both medical and adult-use cannabis. The Distribution Operations segment are carried out through its wholly owned subsidiaries ABP, FL Group, and CC Pharma. The Distribution Under Development segment includes operations in which the firm has not received final licensing or has not commenced commercial sales from operations. The company was founded by Cole Cacciavillani and John Cervini on June 22, 2011 and is headquartered in Leamington, Canada. Read More NORRISTOWN A judge convicted a Pottstown man of numerous drug-related charges after various drugs, including heroin and fentanyl, were seized by borough police during a search of the mans residence. Sharif Alil Grant, 26, of the 400 block of Jefferson Avenue, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of charges of possession with intent to deliver heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and synthetic marijuana, possession of those drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with a January 2018 incident at his residence. Judge Todd D. Eisenberg, who presided over a two-day, nonjury trial, acquitted Grant of charges of person not to possess a firearm, possession with intent to deliver marijuana and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the incident. Eisenberg deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Grant. Grant remains in the county jail without bail while awaiting a sentencing hearing later this year. Court documents indicate that members of the Pottstown Police Community Response Unit launched an investigation into alleged illegal drug trafficking from Grants residence in January 2018. Police obtained a warrant to search the residence and on Jan. 18 members of Montgomery County SWAT West showed up at Grants home at 6 a.m. to conduct the search. Grant was taken into custody in a front bedroom, according to a criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Police Officer Michael Breslin. During a search of the residence, police seized more than two dozen clear bags containing synthetic marijuana, a safe containing various amounts of heroin or fentanyl and a black box containing 19 clear bags of crack cocaine, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities also seized various drug packaging materials, police said. Breslin alleged that based on his training and experience, the amount of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids recovered was consistent with possession with intent to distribute and not for personal use. While police alleged they also seized a quantity of marijuana and a 9mm handgun containing rounds of ammunition and tried to link Grant to those items, the judge acquitted Grant of those charges. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Evan Correia. Defense lawyer Thomas C. Egan III represented Grant. NORRISTOWN A jury deliberated about two hours before convicting a Lower Providence man of having sexual and indecent contact with two underage girls while they were in his company at several locations, including Horsham Township. John Andrew Anzalone, 39, of the 700 block of Sunnyside Avenue, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of 31 separate charges including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact or communication with minors in connection with incidents that occurred between 2014 and 2018. At the time of the assaults, the girls were between the ages of 9 and 14, according to testimony. Anzalone knew the girls family members and the assaults occurred at times when Anzalone was alone with each of the girls. In addition to occurring in Horsham Township, some of the inappropriate contact occurred when the girls were in Anzalones company in other areas of Pennsylvania, including Waymart, Wayne County, and Forest City, Susquehanna County, according to court papers and testimony. The jury reached the verdict after hearing two days of testimony at the trial presided over by Judge William R. Carpenter. Both victims testified during the trial. Carpenter remanded Anzalone to the county jail without bail to await a sentencing hearing later this year. The judge said Anzalone will undergo a psychosexual evaluation prior to the sentencing hearing. Anzalone potentially faces decades in prison on the charges. That man is the embodiment of evil to (the victims), Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson argued to the jury during his closing statement, characterizing the girls as courageous for confronting their abuser in court. They had the courage to come in and do it. That is no small task for a person of their age. Beeson said one of the girls was disgusted to see Anzalone in the courtroom and attempted to avoid eye contact with him during her testimony. Anzalone did not testify during the trial. He denies it, defense lawyer Geoffrey Hood argued to jurors, pointing out that throughout the investigation and during interviews by detectives Anzalone denied being involved in any inappropriate conduct with the victims. Hood suggested the girls were not telling the truth and fabricated the allegations because they had animosity toward Anzalone. Hood argued the girls gave inconsistent statements during the investigation and that their trial testimony differed from those statements. When you look at the details, thats where things fall apart. They dont hold up under scrutiny, Hood argued during his closing statement to jurors. Credibility is going to be the key in this case. The investigation began in July 2017, when Horsham Police Officer Lawrence Bozzomo received a report that Anzalone had sexually assaulted two girls. The girls subsequently told detectives and child social workers that Anzalone touched them in an inappropriate manner and had various sexual or indecent contact with them. Forty-three locations throughout Montgomery County will be collecting unwanted, unneeded and expired medications as part of Drug Take Back Day. The event is organized by the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office and the Police Chiefs Association of Montgomery County. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, April 27. While most locations are police departments and municipal buildings, two Wegmans and two Giant Food Stores are also participating by serving as drop-off locations. All locations are staffed by police officers. This springs Take Back Day which coincides with the DEAs nationwide Take Back Day is a chance for Montgomery County residents to clean out their medicine cabinets of unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications and dispose of them easily in a safe, environmentally friendly way. Ridding medicine cabinets of these medications is an important step in combatting the opioid and heroin epidemic, which often begins with prescription medicines taken from a home medicine cabinet. It is also a way to make sure our water supply remains safe and healthy by keeping unwanted medicines from being flushed into the water supply or disposed of through trash collections. Last fall, we collected a record 9,056 pounds of prescriptions and over-the counter medications an amount that even surprises me, said District Attorney Kevin Steele. But it means that Montgomery County residents are getting the message: make your home safer by getting rid of unneeded medicines. Collecting unwanted medications is just one way the District Attorneys Office and the law enforcement community in Montgomery County are working together to combat drugs and decrease overdose deaths. The participating sites are: Abington Township Police Department, 1166 Old York Rd., Abington, PA 19001 Bridgeport Borough Police Department, 65 W. 4th St., Bridgeport, PA 19405 Cheltenham Township Police Department, 8230 Old York Rd., Elkins Park, PA 19027 Collegeville Police Department at the Municipal Building, 491 E. Main St., Collegeville, PA 19426 Douglass Township Police Department at the Giant Food Store, 173 Holly Rd., Gilbertsville, PA 19525 East Norriton Township Police Department, 2501 Stanbridge St., East Norriton, PA 19401 Franconia Township Police Department at Franconia Elementary School, 366 Harleysville Pike, Souderton, PA 18964 Hatboro Police Department, 120 E. Montgomery Ave., Hatboro, PA 19040 Hatfield Township Police Department at the Administration Building, 1950 School Rd., Hatfield, PA 19440 Horsham Township Police Department at the Giant Food Store, 314 Horsham Rd., Horsham, PA 19044 Jenkintown Borough Police Department, 700 Summit Ave., Jenkintown, PA 19046 Lansdale Police Department, 35 Vine St., Lansdale, PA 19446 Limerick Township Police Department, 646 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick, PA 19468 Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department, 1130 N. Bethlehem Pike, Spring House, PA 19477 Lower Merion Police Department, 71 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, PA 19003 Lower Moreland Township Police Department, 640 Red Lion Rd., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Lower Pottsgrove Township Police Department at Sanatoga Fire Company, 2222 E. High St., Pottstown, PA 19464 Lower Providence Township Police Department, 100 Parklane Dr., Eagleville, PA 19403 Marlborough Township Police Department, 6040 Upper Ridge Rd., Green Lane, PA 18054 Montgomery Township Police Department at Wegmans at the Montgomeryville Mall in North Wales Narberth Borough Police Department 100 Conway Ave., Narberth, PA 19072 New Hanover Township Police Department, 2943 N. Charlotte St., Gilbertsville, PA 19525 Norristown Municipal Police Department, 235 E. Airy St., Norristown, PA 19401 North Wales Borough Police Department, 300 School St., North Wales, PA 19454 Plymouth Township Police Department, 700 Belvoir Rd., Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 Pottstown Borough Police Department, 100 E. High St., Pottstown, PA 19464 Rockledge Borough Police Department, 1 Park Ave., Rockledge, PA 19046 Royersford Borough Police Department, 300 Main St., Royersford, PA 19468 Souderton Borough Police Department, 31 West Summit St., Souderton, PA 18964 Springfield Township Police Department, 1510 Paper Mill Rd., Wyndmoor, PA 19038 Towamencin Township Police Department, 1090 Troxel Rd., Lansdale, PA 19446 Upper Dublin Township Police Department, 801 Loch Alsh Ave., Fort Washington, PA 19034 Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department, 1 Parkside Place, West Point, PA 19486 Upper Merion Township Police Department, 175 West Valley Forge Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406 Upper Moreland Township Police Department, 117 Park Ave., Willow Grove, PA 19090 Upper Perk Police Department, 88 W. 6th St., Pennsburg, PA 18073 Upper Pottsgrove Police Department, 1420 Heather Place, Pottstown, PA 19464 Upper Providence Township Police Department at Wegmans in Providence Town Shopping Center, 600 Commerce Drive, Collegeville, PA West Conshohocken Police Department at the West Conshohocken Borough Hall, 112 Ford St., West Conshohocken, PA 19428 West Norriton Township Police Department, 1630 W. Marshall St., Norristown, PA 19403 West Pottsgrove Township Police Department, 980 Grosstown Rd., Stowe, PA 19464 Whitemarsh Police Department, 616 E. Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hills, PA 19444 Whitpain Township Police Department, 960 Wentz Rd., Blue Bell, PA 19422 Take Back Day locations will accept prescription and over-the-counter tablets and capsules, inhalers, creams and ointments, nasal sprays and pet medications. Not accepted are liquid medications, intravenous and injectable solutions and needles. Prescription medicines can be in their original prescription bottles with the label removed/blacked out or can be placed in zippered plastic bags. Since the Take Back program began in 2010, more than 60,000 pounds of medicines have been collected and safely disposed of. The last two Take Back Days have continued to set new records: On Oct. 27, more than 9,000 pounds (9,056) were collected and on April 28, 2018, nearly 8,000 pounds (7,981 pounds) were collected for a record total of 17,037 pounds in one year. Beyond Take Back Day, unwanted medications can be dropped off and disposed of throughout the year at more than 50 permanent prescription drug disposal boxes, some of which were sponsored by the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and some by Pennsylvania American Water in an effort to help keep our water supply safe. The complete list of participating locations for the upcoming Take Back Day as well as the permanent MedReturn box locations can be found on the District Attorneys Office website at www.montcopa.org/da. ALBANY Judith Clark, a former left-wing activist imprisoned for her role in a robbery that involved the killing of three men, including two police officers, was paroled on Wednesday after 37 years behind bars. Clark was originally sentenced to 75 years to life for participating in the 1981 robbery in downstate Rockland County. But after supporters lobbied and argued that she had turned her life around while in prison, Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016 commuted Clark's sentence to make her parole eligible. Many of those same supporters, noting that Clark has repeatedly expressed remorse and regret for her crimes, bombarded the State Parole Board with pleas for her release. But police groups and some conservative lawmakers argued just as vehemently that Clark, who is 69, should remain in prison for her role in the prominent crime. On Wednesday, Clark's lawyers, Michael Cardozo and Steve Ziedman, told reporters their client was emotional and "overwhelmed" by the parole board's decision. Clark is expected to be released before May 15, the attorneys said, and could be freed as soon as Thursday. She will live with a friend in New York City. State Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan, a Republican who has long opposed Clark's release, described the board's decision as "chilling" and symbolic of a mentality that favors criminals over victims. "Any person who kills another human being, and in particular law enforcement officers out to protect the public, does not deserve to enjoy the freedom they deliberately chose to end for their victims," Flanagan said. Clark was 31 when she drove the getaway car for the robbery, a scheme concocted by a leftist group with ties to the militant Weather Underground. Two police officers from Nyack, Sgt. Edward O'Grady and Officer Waverly Brown, along with Peter Paige, a Brink's security guard, were shot and killed. Clark was not directly involved in the shootings but was arrested after an ensuing car chase. Convicted in 1983 on second-degree murder and robbery charges, she has been serving her sentence at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County. When he granted clemency, Cuomo said Clark had made exceptional strides while serving her sentence, noting she had earned bachelor's and master's degrees, participated in significant charity work, and maintained a perfect disciplinary record. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "She's helped many, many people," Cuomo said at the time. "She'd done a lot of generous acts, so I believe she has the right to make her case." The board declined to release Clark when first given the chance in 2017, citing her role in a "terroristic crime" and perhaps responding to the more than 10,000 signatures from New Yorkers who believed she should remain in jail. The decision was unanimous. On Wednesday, Clark's lawyers said they had not yet seen the board's written summary explaining its decision. Asked to address the concerns of police officers and others who might be upset by the board's decision, Cardozo and Zeidman noted that Clark's release meets all the conditions of the law. Clark, they added, is fully rehabilitated. "I would hope that they agree that it's time for her to come home," Zeidman said. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill Lake George Bids set to be opened late Wednesday on the village's state-required new sewer plant will reveal whether the village has enough money to pay for it, said Mayor Robert Blais. The village has sufficient financing in place to handle a $22.5 million project, but if costs come in any higher than that, Blais will unable to sign contracts to start the work this construction season, he said. "The projected costs on this keep going up," Blais said. "When we started four years ago, it was estimated at $16 million. It later went to $19 million, and then to $22 million." Bid totals were not available in time for deadline for this story. Blais said 40 different construction companies had picked up bid documents from the village. Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer visited Lake George to vow to help the village find additional outside funding to support the project, which his press release described as potentially costing between $22 million and $25 million. Lake George is under state orders by the Department of Environmental Conservation to replace its aging, 1930s-era sewer plant by no later than 2021. The old plant has been sending high levels of nitrates into the lake at West Brook, which can fuel bloom of algae that foul its famously clear waters. Environmental groups have been pushing for an improved sewage system. The state has pledged about $6.7 million toward the sewer project, but Blais said extra help is still needed and warned if the 900-resident village has to bear remaining costs alone, it would cause taxes to skyrocket or bankrupt the village in "four to five years." Schumer said a potential funding source for the village is Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership for economic and community development within the most distressed counties of New York, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. Blais said the commission can provide up to $1 million in grants over two years, but added that the village might not be able to meet eligibility rules, since the sewer project has already gone out to bid. He said a $500 million addition to the state's 2019-20 budget for clean water projects might be the village's "last chance" to find funding this year to keep the project on schedule. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The new plant is expected to cut the amount of nitrogen hitting the lake by 90 percent. For years, partially treated sewage has been leaking through underground secondary treatment fields at the plant to get into nearby West Brook. That brook empties into the lake just north of the iconic Million Dollar Beach. In July 2014, the DEC fined the village after finding that nitrate discharges from September 2011 to April 2014 routinely violated state safety standards. That finding came after the village found that the official running the plant had been forging pollution reports dating back to 2007 to make it appear that standards were being met. The sewer problem apparently dates back decades. The Darrin Freshwater Institute, an affiliate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute based in Bolton, found high nitrate levels in West Brook as far back as the late 1960s. Saratoga Springs The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership released its new "manufacturing index" on Wednesday that shows the importance that manufacturing plays in the local economy, representing 21 percent of the county's gross domestic product. That number, which is nearly double the Capital Region as a whole, isn't by accident. Back in 2007, manufacturing represented just 16 percent of the county's GDP, which is the measure of products and services that a community creates. The next year, GlobalFoundries broke ground on its Fab 8 factory in Malta, where today it employs 3,000 people and makes computer chips that are exported all over the world. Fab 8 has driven a lot of Saratoga County's manufacturing growth since 2008, helping to boost the county's GDP by 5 percentage points and bringing exports up to $1.3 billion. "The Saratoga County Manufacturing Index paints a vivid picture of the importance of this industry to the county's economy, spearheaded by the presence of GlobalFoundries," said Marty Vanags, president of the SCPP. However, Vanags said that the region's workforce was holding the true potential of the local manufacturing sector back. "We need to double down on efforts to build a pipeline of skilled talent to enable that growth to continue," Vanags said. The partnership released the new index a collection of various local economic benchmarks at a luncheon event held at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs. A panel that included Jason Bram, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as well as executives from GlobalFoundries, Quad (the printing company) and Espey Mfg. & Electronics Corp., discussed their workforce development efforts. But the panel also expressed anxiety over the uncertainty of federal trade, monetary and immigration policy under the Trump administration, all key variables for manufacturers looking to export their products to the global marketplace. With President Trump using tariffs in a "buy American" trade policy, some local manufacturers are seeing their costs increase. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Peg Murphy, the director of human resources for Espey, said that Espey has always sourced its supplies from U.S. companies because it supplies the Department of Defense. But with other manufacturers being forced to seek out American goods due to tariffs on imports, Espey's suppliers are being pinched, prices are rising due to the increase in demand, and orders are coming in more slowly. "It's slowing the supply chain down," Murphy said. "It's definitely affecting us." Chad McKissick, plant director at Quad's Saratoga Springs printing plant where 800 people work, said that another example was the 20 percent tariff on Canadian newsprint that Trump's Commerce Department put in place in January 2018. The U.S. Trade Commission overturned the tariff last August, saying U.S. paper companies weren't hurt by Canadian imports. "That had a lot of impact (on Quad's business)," McKissick said. "So we were happy that went away." Mark Dougherty, the vice president of operations at Fab 8 for GlobalFoundries, said in a business like semiconductors, where not only labor, but also huge amounts of raw materials must be imported to the U.S., certainty on trade and immigration is essential. China, for instance, exports a huge amount of the raw silicon used to make silicon wafers that are used to make chips. "In order for us to have access to that, it's very important that trade remains open," Dougherty said. It was Goldie Hawn who so succinctly summed up the three options for actresses: They can play a babe, a district attorney or "Driving Miss Daisy." Local theater artist Anne Undeland was not happy facing those last two archetypes. "I'm an actress over 50 and I got so depressed by the relative dearth of good roles for women my age," says Undeland. "In the theatrical canon, we play mothers and grandmothers. Women my age are not allowed to have the full spectrum of romance and tragedy and adventure and sex and motherhood. I decided that I could keep complaining or do something about it." Undeland picked up her pen and became a playwright. Her first full-length work is "Lady Randy," a portrait of Winston Churchill's mother, who was known for much of her life as Lady Randolph. Undeland performs the lead in WAM Theatre's world premiere production, which opens Saturday and runs through May 5 at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass. "Researching her life, I thought my god, you can't make this stuff up," says Undeland. "I fell headlong in love with this woman, who's deeply flawed and vauntingly ambitious." Born in Brooklyn and raised in New York and Paris, the former Jennie Jerome was a talented pianist and prolific playwright who had works performed on London's West End. At age 20, she married Lord Randolph Churchill, son of the seventh Duke of Marlborough. The couple had two sons; the first, Winston, was born in 1874 just eight months after their marriage. After Lord Randolph died in 1895 at age 45, she went on to marry twice more, both times to men more than 20 years her junior. It's the marriages and love affairs that have dominated the historical picture of Lady Randolph. "Historians refer to her as loose or a harlot. Had she been a man, this behavior would have been admirable or not remarked on at all," says Undeland. "I was talking to a military historian, an older man who leaned in meaningfully and said, 'You know she was a grand horizontal.' That's a French term for an expensive prostitute. Really? A courtesan? They just can't stand it that she was as liberated as she was without fear or shame." Though Undeland's initial motivation was to take on a good meaty role, it's not as if she turned to the project with zero writing experience. In the past few years she's completed a handful of 10-minute plays, several of which premiered with the Berkshire Playwrights Lab. For her first full-length writing effort, she wanted to portray a well known historical figure from the 1800s who was a woman. That last part a woman became a problem. "What 19th-century women have universal name recognition? There's Queen Victoria, Mary Todd Lincoln and Susan B. Anthony. That's about it," she recalls. It didn't take long for Undeland to realize that she was going to have to focus on a woman associated with a famous man. At least the connection to Churchill made the project timely. The prime minister who led England through World War II is very much in the public's mind lately thanks to a series of onscreen depictions. To name just two, there is Gary Oldman's Oscar-winning portrayal in the 2017 feature "Darkest Hour" and also John Lithgow in the acclaimed Netflix series "The Crown." Lady Randolph also had a tangential connection to the Berkshires, where WAM Theatre is based. Her mother lived for a time in South Williamstown and she's said to have been schooled for a year or so in Lenox. But all that's secondary. Most important for Undeland is that she found in Lady Randolph a woman of substance and passion just what she was looking to sink her teeth into as an actress. In order for the play to include a full picture of Lady Randolph's life, Undeland structured it as a series of flashbacks, what she describes as "a fever dream," from late in life. Lady Randolph died in 1921 at age 67, after suffering a hemorrhage in her thigh. "I realized early on that I'm writing a play, not a lecture," says Undeland. "While I think it's accurate, certain elements are fictionalized. The piece itself is couched in the truth of her story." If Undeland is an ambitious actress, she's also a generous playwright. Her original concept had the piece as a one-woman show. After a colleague suggested that one actor could play a series of supportive roles, Undeland ran with the idea. Mark Zeisler will debut the busy and demanding part, which encompasses playing an array of historical and imaginary personages including a nanny, the mother-in-law, and Lord Randolph plus Winston Churchill at several ages. "It's a real tour de force and wonderful to see an actor go so far with a role," says Undeland of Zeisler's performance. More Information If you go "Lady Randy" When: Previews 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, opens 7:30 p.m. Saturday and continues for nine more performances through Sunday, May 5. Where: Shakespeare & Company's Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kemble St, Lenox, Mass. Tickets: $10-$30. Call 413-637-3353. More information at: wamtheatre.com. See More Collapse The actress/playwright believes that another unsung aspect of Lady Randolph's legacy is the tenacity of her son. "Never surrender he got that from his mother. She didn't give in or give up. She lived life in bigger broader colors than most people did," says Undeland. "I defy anyone not to fall in love with her." Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy. Colose leaves Wine Bar, planning own place Dominic Colose, a chef with a long resume and a rare willingness and ability, at least locally, to eloquently lay bare the personal and professional life of a chef in his blog, has again resigned as head chef of The Wine Bar in Saratoga Springs. He left earlier this month, finishing his third stint there running the kitchen, after about 15 months. Colose said he's in negotiations for a small space in Saratoga Springs to open his own place, which, if everything proceeds as planned, would open in a few months. Meanwhile, Colose and other alumni of the former Chez Sophie in Saratoga Springs have organized a fundraising dinner to benefit Paul Parker, who took over Chez Sophie from its founder, his eponymous mother, and who is battling cancer. Scheduled for Monday, April 29, at Dunning Street Station in Malta, which now occupies the silver diner building that was Chez Sophie's home in the 1990s and early years of this century, the dinner is sold out, but additional guests are still welcome during the reception, scheduled for 5 to 6:30 p.m. It will feature appetizers, cash bar and a silent auction that Colose says will include "original artwork from (Paul Parker's late father) Joseph Parker and Frankie Flores. There are many kinds of culinary experiences from gift cards to in-home catered dinners, and Wine!" Halal Grub, featuring Afghan food, opens on Wolf Road Halal Grub, a quick-serve spot offering Afghan cuisine, opened over the weekend at 133 Wolf Road in Colonie. The storefront, in Wolf Road Shoppers Park, was previously home to the sandwich places Which Wich and, before that, Maurice's, over the past few years. Halal Grub's menu largely consists of lamb, beef, ground beef, chicken and falafel, available as platters, kebabs, pitas/wraps and salads, with a few fried American sides, smoothies and Afghan desserts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Call 518-599-5142. Online ordering is said to be forthcoming. Druthers dinner benefits marching band trip Druthers Brewing's Albany location will host a six-course, six-beer beer dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, with 100 percent of proceeds going to a campaign to help send the Albany Marching Falcons, the marching band of the Albany city school district, to Normandy, France, in June. The band hopes to participate in the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France that marked the beginning of the end of World War II. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. If all goes as planned, and if enough money gets raised through a bottle drive, GoFundMe page and benefit events, including this one, the Falcons say they'll be the only American high school marching band to take part. The price is $60 per person, plus tax and tip, and reservations are mandatory; call 518-650-7996. A pre-meal tour of the brewery is available for the first 30 people who sign up when making dinner reservations. Druthers is at 1053 Broadway. Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be considered for publication must be submitted to sbarnes@timesunion.com. Visit his blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping. America has come a long way since Jim Folger started roasting coffee in 1850. According to the National Coffee Association, 64 percent of Americans age 18 or older drink coffee daily, making coffee the top caffeinated beverage in the U.S. today. For local coffee aficionados, getting a perfect cup is as easy as finding an area roaster to purchase beans from. Locally roasted coffee isn't necessarily a new phenomenon in the Capital Region. Mainstays like The Daily Grind (in Albany and Troy), Uncommon Grounds (in Albany and Saratoga) and Professor Java's (in Albany) have each been roasting green (or raw) beans for at least two decades. Chris' Coffee, which started 42 years ago in Albany, is now the largest espresso machine importer in the U.S. and one of the oldest continuously run, family-owned coffee roasters in the country, with 100,000 pounds of coffee roasted monthly, according to the company's website. Over the course of the last five years, however, local coffee roasting has blossomed with nearly a dozen new producers and roasteries in the Capital Region. "It's a natural progression. Three years ago we had a boom of specialty coffee," said Ron Greico of Stacks coffee in Albany and Troy, and now those specialty coffee shops are looking to advance their offerings to customers. "Roasting coffee has been on our radar since our second year [of business]. It is a logical extension of the brand," he said. Stacks began roasting its own coffee this year in a warehouse in Albany. Greico said the initial investment of roasting equipment is a major expense, but the long-term financial benefits are worth it. Roasting coffee in-house versus purchasing roasted coffee from producers or suppliers is less expensive in the long run, and the ability to control the final product is worth each cent spent. "Personally, I want to be in control of what's in my shop," said Stephen Pivonka, the owner and roaster of Brewtus Roasting in Delmar. Pivonka roasts coffee at least once a week in small batches, and will roast more often to keep up with demand for his beans. Being able to examine raw beans, understand the conditions they were grown and shipped in, and knowing what the point of origin was for each batch of coffee means Pivonka and other local roasters can home in on which roasting style and process will net the best results in the coffee. Roasting 101 What do the different roasts mean? Light: Under heat for less time; brighter, fruitier and more acidic Medium: Under heat for more time than the light blend; some acidity, but also nuttiness and depth Dark: Most of what mass-production coffees are roasted to; bitter, nutty What about blend? Some common types: Single-origin coffee: From only one growing region or country Espresso blend: A deeper roast used for making cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos and mochas Decaffeinated roast: Self-explanatory: Coffee without caffeine House blend: Combines coffees of different origins and roasting styles See More Collapse "When you roast coffee, you only reveal the qualities that are already there. You can't make a bad coffee good through roasting," said Greico, adding, "Starting with the best raw product gives you the best end product." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Most local roasters include single-origin beans (from only one growing region or country), an espresso blend (a deeper roast used for making cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos and mochas), a decaffeinated roast ("decaf coffee drinkers are the true coffee lovers, because they have no ulterior motives [except for taste]," said Greico) and a house blend that combines coffees of different origins and roasting styles into one. Greico said Stacks' house blend can take cream and sugar and still "taste like coffee." "We've been in business five years and we've tasted over 1,000 samples of coffee. We know what flavors we are looking for," he said. At Wired Coffee Roasters in Malta, owner and roaster Marty Michele said that educating people about flavors in specialty roasted coffee is often the first step for independent coffee roasters. "People are starting to realize Snickerdoodle doesn't grow on trees," he said, referring to the Wired coffee flavor. Michele roasts lighter to medium-bodied coffee to coax out the subtleties of the bean. Light roast coffee, he said, are under heat for less time and have more brightness, fruitiness and acidity. Medium roast coffees maintain good acidic top notes, but offer more depth and nutty qualities. Dark roast coffees, which is what most mass-production coffees are, tend to become bitter, and Michele finds that average coffee drinkers are starting to move away from heavy roasts (except in colder months) now that they realize how flavorful lighter roasts are and how nuanced coffee flavor profiles are based on the provenance of the bean and the roasting process employed by each roaster. Locally roasted coffee is often compared to the craft beer movement, especially as people start to seek out independent roasters at farmers markets, in food coops and grocery stores and in their travels. Pivonka said that coffee drinkers are not quite as "ravenous" as craft beer lovers, and Greico said, "it is not as fun to be overly caffeinated as it is to be drunk," but still people seek out quality local coffee roasting companies to brew their daily cup. Whether it's Iron Coffee Company, Spektor Coffee Roasters, Kru Coffee or Lucy Joe's in the northern part of the region, Capital City Coffee Roasters, Storied Coffee, and Electric City Coffee Roasters to the west, Spill'n the Bean or Touchy Coffee in Troy or Skyline Coffee right in Albany, there is plenty of locally roasted coffee to be found. Coffee is a creature comfort, said Michele, one that is becoming more and more honed and focused as our collective expectations of what a good cup of coffee should be grown. "Coffee has a story," he said, "and roasting it adds to the story." Deanna Fox is a food and agriculture journalist. @DeannaNFox, foxonfood.com ALBANY Asylum seekers held in local immigration detention and those who cross into New York from Canada illegally could be held indefinitely under a new federal ruling. Attorney General William Barr released a decision Tuesday that says asylum seekers who passed "credible fear" interviews with immigration officers the first step to prove they have fled persecution in their home countries after entering the U.S. illegally are ineligible to get bond while their asylum claims are being decided by an immigration judge. The Department of Homeland Security can still decide to grant "parole." Barr's policy will be effective in 90 days. "It's another huge obstacle put in the path of asylum seekers," said Albany Law Professor Sarah Rogerson, who coordinated legal representation for more than 300 detainees at Albany County Jail last summer. "They could be held indefinitely, far away from witnesses and people who can back up their claim." Rogerson said that after the detainees at Albany County Jail passed their credible fear interviews and were transferred to Batavia Federal Detention Facility near Buffalo, several dozen were released on bond. An estimated 60 more detainees are likely impacted by the recent decision, said Camille Mackler, director of immigration legal policy at the New York Immigration Coalition. Another local immigration attorney pointed out the irony: As New York implements bail reform recently passed by the state Legislature that makes it easier for people charged with crimes to be released from jail, asylum seekers in civil immigration proceedings will now remain behind bars. Barr's decision comes as part of President Donald J. Trump's push to curb illegal border crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol apprehended more than 92,500 people along the Southwest border in March - up from just over 51,000 in October, the agency reported. More than 960 people crossed the Canadian border into the U.S. in 2018, a 91 percent increase from the year before. In the Capital Region, Albany County Jail and Rensselaer County Jail have contracts to house federal detainees. Rensselaer received 11 Department of Homeland Security inmates from Clinton County last Friday, said Rensselaer County Undersheriff Edward Bly. They will be transported to Batavia on Thursday. It is not clear whether they were asylum-seekers who crossed the border illegally, but they were transferred from a county that borders with Canada. Asylum seekers jailed in Albany County last year came from 27 countries to seek asylum at the Mexican border, Mackler said. Some said they were fleeing sexual assault and gang violence in Central America, others cited gender-based "honor killings" in South Asia. Mackler said 85 percent of detainees passed their credible fear interviews higher than the national average. Karen Murtagh, executive director of Prisoners' Legal Services which represents approximately 50 asylum seekers who would have been or could be affected by the recent decision, said it "was not only cruel, but runs counter to the founding principles of our country." New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said her organization is representing asylum seekers detained in Batavia to establish their right to get released while their asylum cases are considered. "Asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution deserve compassion, not months or years of detention that will perpetuate more trauma," Lieberman said. "Our constitution guarantees asylum seekers the right to a hearing before an impartial judge on whether the government has a need to lock them up and we will continue to fight for that fundamental right in the courts." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. In Batavia, Rogerson said, there are set visiting hours and detainees' interactions may be limited to attorneys mailing in documents or phone calls that cost money. "Now asylum seekers who don't have means are going to be cut off from support networks indefinitely," Rogerson said. She said communication with the outside world is the biggest factor to maintaining mental health in detention: Albany County Jail administrators recognized this and opened up the phone lines free of cost for asylum seekers last summer. Immigration attorneys are not yet sure whether Barr's ruling will be retroactive, which could mean asylum-seekers like those held in Albany County Jail who have already been granted bond could be re-detained. Regardless, they said an asylum seeker's chance to be released on bond sometimes influences a decision to stay in the U.S. and wait out his or her case. In New York, where there are close to 115,000 cases backlogged in immigration court, the average case takes more than 500 days to complete. With no hope for bond, the recent ruling may have the intended effect: Asylum seekers will decide to return home, regardless of the potential peril. BALLSTON The height of the hoppers at the Dolomite hot asphalt plant, which residents were adamant about limiting, cannot be restricted. However, the business has until April 30 to comply with other obligations it has agreed to meet or the town may take action. Town attorney Debra Kaelin said in an April 12 press release that the decision to allow unlimited hopper heights was made by the building department and the town's former zoning and planning attorney, Peter Reilly, who "determined that the (portable) hoppers are equipment and therefore not subject to the maximum height requirements under code." Yet she also said that the requirements for Dolomite to create a turning lane to keep traffic from backing up on Route 67 into the Curtis Industrial Park must be met by the end of the month. If not, the town has the authority to shut the plant down. Construction on the turning lane has not begun. "We made it clear what they are obligated to do," Kaelin said. "We are trying to work with everyone." Kaelin made the announcement about the hoppers and other Dolomite conditions in response to the town's Citizens for a Clean Environment, which complained, through its lawyer, Claudia Braymer. The group contends that Dolomite violated town code and the planning board's SEQRA findings by allowing the hoppers to rise more than 40 feet. According the the SEQRA findings: "Components of the asphalt pavement plant as originally proposed would have, in the opinion of the Planning Board, exceeded local height limits, including equipment that could have extended to a height of approximately 70 feet. However, the modifications to the project included removing the tallest features from the structure, and utilizing a model that will comply with the 40-feet height limitation contained in the town code." Braymer notes that Dolomite ultimately did not limit the hopper heights. During the approval process, it seemed Dolomite understood residents concerns. Steve LeFevre, senior managing geologist with Barton and Loguidice, speaking on behalf of the plant, assured the planning board in September 2015 that "no elements of the portable drum mix plant ... will exceed the 40-foot tall height restrictions." But that changed with the building department's determination that the hoppers are equipment and not a structure, which Braymer calls "an end run around the planning board." Kaelin said the planning board's final approval never addressed the height issue. She also said the height of the hoppers or silos was also not part of the consent order issued by the Federal District Court of the Northern District of New York, which settled Dolomite's $4 million lawsuit against the town over the then-proposed plant at Curtis Industrial Park. However, Dolomite's agreement to drop the suit, which was aimed at collecting damages from the town for "willfully deterring its progress," did include other concessions. "With this settlement, Dolomite agreed to several terms," Kaelin said in the press release, "including limiting operations from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, constructing a turning lane into property by April 30, 2019, monitoring noise levels and installing a berm if necessary and installing two portable (removable) hoppers." Kaelin listed other items that residents expected to be completed or restricted before the plant opened on Oct. 6, 2018, and the progress of each where applicable. They are as follows: Weekend operation: Consecutive Saturdays within a two-week period are not allowed. Only one request per month can be made for "occasional additional hours." Route 67 improvements: The left turning lane must be installed by April 30. Otherwise, Dolomite cannot operate. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Secondary road access: C.T. Male Associates, the town's engineers, are satisfied with the secondary access road. Zim Smith Trail crossing signage and beacons: They shall be completed by April 30 or Dolomite cannot operate. Asphalt production records: Dolomite will provide the town with records on a monthly basis. Noise impact study: Dolomite is to complete both a noise and odor study. Vegetative buffers: Vegetation is being planted this spring. Sewer connection: The Saratoga County Sewer District approved the connection. Kaelin said residents who want to complain should call Dolomite's complaint line at 518-374-2222. All complaints, she said must be compiled and turned over to town officials. "The planning board did an extraordinary job with mitigation measures," Kaelin said. "When it comes to Dolomite going forward and doing business, we all know what the parameters are and we will abide by them. That message has been sent and made clear to Dolomite. We need to give them the opportunity." ALBANY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday that the state would administratively expand its Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute (MERIT) Scholarship, which provides financial aid for college to family members of veterans who died or became disabled in combat or training for combat. The announcement follows a public outcry over Assembly Democrats' decision to hold up a bill supplementing the state scholarship to include the families of veterans who died or were injured under different circumstances related to their official duties. After its decision to block the Gold Star bill sparked outrage from Republicans including President Donald J. Trump and veterans groups, the Assembly majority pointed to the conference's longtime support of the MERIT scholarship. Assembly Democrats say the media blitz over the bill was a political maneuver by the chamber's GOP to make it seem as though the majority conference opposed funding for veterans. They also took issue with the bill's immediate effective date, noting that funding had not been allocated for the expansion in the state budget approved April 1. On Monday, Senate Democrats introduced a modified version of the bill with semantic changes and an effective date of April 2020. At a press conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, Cuomo said the state had an obligation to address the needs of veterans immediately. "Military service is more than just the active military member I believe the entire family is in service, and we will honor that sacrifice and respect that service not just in words, not just with symbols, but with deeds," said Cuomo. "That is why New York is taking immediate action to extend benefits to all those lost or disabled while on active duty, period. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Cuomo who has been in office since 2011 estimated the cost of the change would be "in the range of several million dollars," but a figure that the state "can manage between now and April (2020)." Since minority conferences do not have the ability to advance legislation, they often deploy similar tactics, such as hostile amendments, to pressure the majority to take up their legislation. Assemblyman Steve Hawley, a Republican from Batavia who has introduced the bill in the chamber for 11 years running only to see it stalled in committee, commended the governor on his administrative action. "Gold Star Families and disabled veterans have been neglected for far too long, and today we are finally righting an injustice and fulfilling our obligation to them," Hawley said. "We will never be able to fully repay our veterans and service members for their role in protecting our nation, but I am proud to have led the statewide bipartisan effort to see that the MERIT Scholarship is expanded." ALBANY Three Hudson Valley communities have passed resolutions endorsing a pair of statewide measures to regulate rents and expand tenants' rights. Local governments in Hudson, Newburgh, and New Paltz have backed a statewide "Good Cause" eviction bill and an upstate expansion of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974 (ETPA), which regulates rents in buildings larger than six units that were constructed before 1974. Tenant advocates say they believe that at least six more municipalities, including the City of Albany, will soon follow suit. The state Assembly's majority Democrats have introduced nine of 10 proposals put forward by the Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance, also known as Housing Justice for All. Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said last week that the conference would support an upstate expansion of ETPA but not the Good Cause eviction bill as part of an ambitious rent reform package, prompting questions and concerns about the impact of rent regulations on upstate development from some upstate lawmakers. Advocates say the Speaker's announcement got ahead of their education campaign. "We feel confident that Good Cause will be back on the Assembly platform, and that the conversations in the communities, including Albany, in regards to housing will reach the ears of their elected officials," said Rebecca Garrard, upstate coordinator for Housing Justice For All coalition. "The problem lies in the fact that questions about housing legislation hadn't previously been asked in upstate areas, and that Good Cause is a new concept for most legislators this year." The Good Cause legislation, which has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Julia Salazar, guarantees lease renewal and prohibits eviction except in certain circumstances, such as non-payment of rent. It also prohibits landlords from using large rent increases to drive out a tenant. The measure would apply to any units across the state not covered by ETPA. The city councils of Ithaca and Rochester have indicated their support of both bills. Kingston has launched an series of public hearings for various stakeholders including tenants, advocates, landowners, and real estate developers according to Chad Radock, statewide coordinator for Local Progress NY, the state chapter of a national network of progressive city, town and village officials. Radock said he recently met with Hudson Valley officials who are feeling the pinch as gentrification moves up the Hudson River from New York City. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "The characters of these communities are changing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time, it's creating problems for the people that live there already," he said. Democratic Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy expressed concerns that the regulations would chill development in Albany, which is blighted by condemned properties. Fahy has reached out to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, a member of the Local Progress NY network. A spokesman for Sheehan said that the office is studying the proposals. Radock lives in Saratoga Springs. He noted that the city's large seasonal tourism industry has led to high rents that are pricing out low-income and working-class tenants in neighboring areas like Ballston Spa. "It's a question of whether you want all the people who work in your community to live there," he said. " ... Policemen, firefighters, school cafeteria workers can't afford to live in the area anymore, because the rent is too damn high." The Assembly has scheduled two public hearings on the issue in May, one in New York City and another in Albany. An area man accused of neglecting a dog is among the people State Police said they are searching for as part of their Warrant Wednesday initiative. Daniel W. Harrington, 44, is wanted by State Police in Sand Lake on a charge of torturing animals. Troopers said Harrington abandoned a dog in his care in 2017. Grady L. Mabry, 55, is wanted by State Police in Homer on a misdemeanor assault charge that accuses him of hitting another person in the face and choking the victim during an alleged attack in May 2017 at the Penguin Trailer Park in Cortlandville. Earl J. Allen, 27, is wanted by State Police in Brewster on stolen property and impaired driving charges that stem from arrests in 2017 and 2018. Samantha L. Wroblewski, 30, is wanted by State Police in Batavia on misdemeanor charges of drug possession and intoxicated driving that stem from a July 23, 2018 crash in the town of Stafford. Troopers said Wroblewski had a hypodermic needle in her arm when the crash occurred. Ann Accomando, 45, is wanted by State Police in Wurtsboro on a grand larceny charge that accuses her of stealing $3,200 worth of medication from a home she was cleaning. Gregory M. Smith, 34, is wanted by State Police in Hastings on a charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated, a charge that stems from a 2013 car crash. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Krystal Green, 33, is wanted by State Police in East Meadow on a charge of driving while intoxicated that stems from a June 4, 2014 arrest. Ezekiel A. Sanchez, 31, is wanted by State Police in Albany on a charge of driving while intoxicated that stems from a Feb. 20, 2010 traffic stop on the Thruway. If you see someone who resembles any of the subjects, troopers urge you to report the sighting to authorities. Dennis Fois to Leave Vonage for CEO Role at Private Tech Firm By Maurice Nagle , Web Editor Change is one of the few constants of the digital age. The fast paced cloud communications landscape is offering disruption across the board, from innovation and development to mergers and acquisitions, change is everywhere. Today, Vonage announced Vonage Applications Group President and former CEO of NewVoiceMedia Dennis Fois will be leaving the cloud communications firm to take on the role of CEO at a private technology company. Vonage CEO Alan Masarek explained, Dennis has been a great partner and helped lead a smooth integration of NewVoiceMedia into Vonage, including the creation of the Applications Group and its go-to-market strategy. We are grateful for the work hes done to help position Vonage for continued success. Vonages search is underway for a new Vonage Applications Group President with little time to waste. Fois intends to step down April 30th and until a successor is selected, Vonage CEO Alan Masarek will take on the additional duties. While I have decided to leave Vonage to pursue my passion to be a CEO, I am confident that Vonages talented team is well positioned to execute on its strategy for 2019 and beyond. I believe that Vonage is among the best in the rapidly evolving cloud communications industry, Dennis Fois, Vonages Applications Group President and former CEO of NewVoiceMedia noted. Vonage has wasted little time integrating NewVoiceMedia into its teams, and recently released the CX Cloud Express a mash-up of NewVoiceMedias contact center solution and the Vonage Business Cloud. Are your communications in the cloud, yet? Please enable JavaScript to view the Edited by Maurice Nagle [April 16, 2019] Americold Realty Trust Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Shares Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) (the "Company" or "Americold") announced today the pricing of its underwritten registered public offering of 43,750,000 common shares at a public offering price of $29.75 per share. Americold is issuing and selling 35,500,000 common shares directly to the underwriters at closing, and the underwriters are purchasing 8,250,000 common shares related to the forward sale agreement described below. The Company granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 6,562,500 common shares. The offering is expected to close on April 22, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions. BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan and RBC Capital Markets are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering. BB&T Capital Markets, BTIG, Citizens Capital Markets, Rabo Securities, Raymond James, Regions Securities LLC, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Baird are acting as the co-managers for the offering. The Company has entered into a forward sale agreement with Bank of America, N.A. (the "forward purchaser") with respect to 8,250,000 common shares. In connection with the forward sale agreement, the forward purchaser or its affiliate is expected to borrow and sell to the underwriters an aggregate of 8,250,000 common shares that will be delivered in the offering. Subject to its right to elect cash or net share settlement subject to certain conditions, the Company intends to deliver, upon full physical settlement of such forward sale agreement on one or more dates specified by the Company occurring no later than approximately 12 months following the completion of the offering, an aggregate of 8,250,000 common shares to the forward purchaser in exchange for cash proceeds per share equal to the applicable forward sale price, which will initially be the public offering price less the underwriting discount, and will be subject to certain adjustments as provided in the forward sale agreement. The Company will receive proceeds from its direct sale of 35,500,000 common shares in the offering, but it will not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of common shares by the forward purchaser or its affiliate. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from its direct sale of common shares in the offering, together with draws under the Company's senior unsecured revolving credit facility, which the Company expects to repay using the proceeds from its debt private placement, if completed, to fund the previously announced acquisition of Chiller Holdco, LLC (the "Cloverleaf Acquisition"). In the event the Cloverleaf Acquisition is not completed, the Company intends to use the net proceeds for general business purposes, including reayment of outstanding indebtedness and the funding of other development, expansion and acquisition opportunities. The Company expects to use any cash proceeds that it receives upon the future settlement of the forward sale agreement to fund the previously announced expansion in Atlanta, Georgia (the "Atlanta Expansion") and for general business purposes, including repayment of outstanding indebtedness and the funding of other development, expansion and acquisition opportunities. The offering of the common shares is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus and a related prospectus supplement, a copy of which may be obtained from: BofA Merrill Lynch Attn: Prospectus Department NC1-004-03-43 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor Charlotte, NC 28255-0001 Email: [email protected] Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC Attn: Prospectus Department 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Telephone: 866-471-2526 Facsimile: 212-902-9316 Email: [email protected] A copy of the prospectus and related prospectus supplement may also be obtained free of charge from the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at www.sec.gov. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements about future events and expectations that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future financial and operating performance and growth plans, taking into account the information currently available to the Company. These statements are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the expectations of future results the Company expresses or implies in any forward-looking statements, and the Company should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, risks related to the integration of Chiller Holdco, LLC into the Company's business, risks related to expansions of existing properties and developments of new properties such as the Atlanta Expansion and the three expansion opportunities related to the Cloverleaf Acquisition, including failure to meet budgeted costs, timeframes or stabilized returns in respect thereof and risks related to the method of settlement of the Company's forward sale agreements, and the form and amount of proceeds of such settlement. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "continues," "estimates," "expects," "goal," "objectives," "intends," "may," "opportunity," "plans," "potential," "near-term," "long-term," "projections," "assumptions," "projects," "guidance," "forecasts," "outlook," "target," "trends," "should," "could," "would," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company qualifies any forward-looking statements entirely by these cautionary factors. Other risks, uncertainties and factors, including those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements the Company makes. The Company assumes no obligation to 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. About Americold Realty Trust Americold is the world's largest publicly traded REIT focused on the ownership, operation and development of temperature-controlled warehouses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates 155 temperature-controlled warehouses, with approximately 918.7 million refrigerated cubic feet of storage, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Argentina. Americold's facilities are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors and retailers to consumers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006068/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Battelle Honors Top Scientist and Longtime National Lab Executive at Annual Celebration of Solvers Event Wesley Pirkle, a senior research scientist at Battelle, has been named Inventor of the Year for his significant contributions to several key security programs. Ron Townsend, executive vice president for laboratory operations, was given the CEO Award to honor his leadership of Battelle's business of managing national laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security for 10 years. He capped off 2018 by leading Battelle's successful win of the largest national lab contract award in its organization's history-Los Alamos National Lab. Pirkle holds three patents and has technical expertise in acoustics, ultrasonics, device physics and X-ray physics. At Battelle for 15 years, the physicist was instrumental in developing Battelle's SiteGuard Active Shooter Response system to mitigate mass shootings, and the LS10 bottle scanner, which is used to detect explosives in liquids so people can carry liquids, gels and aerosols through security checkpoints in places such as airports in Australia, the UK and Europe. These technologies have developed successfully from concept to commercialization. "Wes' inventions are strong examples of technologies that are deployed for the good of society and we applaud him for that," said Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer. "His work is a great example of the efforts that are put forth every day by scientists and researchers at Battelle." The CEO Award is intended to recognize an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to advancing Battelle's mission, comparable to a lifetime achievement award. Townsend oversees Battelle's national lab portfolio that includes more than 28,000 lab staff and total annual R&D budgets of more than $7 billion. Townsend's leadership on the fiercely competitive effort to win the contract to manage Los Alamos led to the award of a 10-year, $25 billion contract. Under Townsend's watch, Battelle has consistently achieved outstanding lab management evaluations which reflect Battelle's commitment to deliver mission outcomes and perform with distinction. "Ron's numerous accomplishments have resulted in significant and lasting impacts on Battelle as well as for our country," Von Thaer said. "His integrity shines through in both his leadership style and his personality and he genuinely cares about the success of all employees. He truly exemplifies the Battelle values of unity, creativity, collaboration, excellence and appreciation." About Battelle Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org. Media Contacts For more information contact Katy Delaney at (614) 424-7208 or at [email protected] or contact T.R. Massey at (614) 424-5544 or at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005146/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Centbee, SA Based Bitcoin Wallet and Merchant Payment Ecosystem Raises 1 million from Ayre Ventures JOHANNESBURG, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- South African-based Bitcoin company, Centbee, announced today that it has closed its Series A round with entrepreneur Calvin Ayre, founder of Antigua-based investment firm, Ayre Ventures and CoinGeek. Ayre, who has invested 1 million (R18.3 million), announced that, "Centbee has a track record of making Bitcoin easily usable and accessible to everyone including merchants and consumers. They support the original Bitcoin protocol in the form of Bitcoin SV, and have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to attract users and we're proud to support their further growth." The deal was facilitated by nChain, leading blockchain advisory, research and development firm, which previously took an equity stake in Centbee in January 2018. Jimmy Nguyen, Chair of nChain Group's Strategic Advisory Board and Founding President of the Bitcoin Association (which advances Bitcoin SV's global ecosystem) remarked: "Centbee has one of the most user-friendly Bitcoin wallets and merchant payment solutions we have seen. It is built using the original Bitcoin protocol, now alive only in the form of Bitcoin SV, which has a plan for massive blockchain scaling. This enables Centbee to offer low fees and fast transaction speeds. We will continue to work with Centbee as it sparks greater merchant and consumer adoption of Bitcoin BSV in Africa and worldwide." Ayre's investment is part of a broader collaboration to advance the Bitcoin SV ecosystem. nChain will also support Centbee with its technical consulting services and access to its vast intellectual property portfolio (which is aimed at benefiting growth of the BSV blockchain). Centbee is a Bitcoin wallet provider that makes it easy for consumers to acquire, store and spend Bitcoin with retailers and other merchants. Centbee supports Bitcoin SV because it is the only blockchain that fulfils the original Bitcoin design and protocol. Based in South Africa, Centbee was founded by co-CEOs, Lorien Gamaroff and Angus Brown. Gamaroff is a leading expert in blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. He has consulted and advised regulators and corporates internationally and is highly regarded globally as an educator and presenter. Brown has 20 years' experience in payments nd banking including the role of CEO of eBucks.com, a world-first bank-backed digital currency created in 2000. "Centbee has made it easy for customers to buy Bitcoin SV easily at over 50 000 till points in South Africa," says Brown. "Through this, we will help people move money simply and cheaply across borders to support family and friends. The investment will be used for product development, scaling and growth." Gamaroff is pleased with the progress made over the last few months at Centbee, "Our development roadmap is well defined with exciting payment and remittance products coming to market this year. We look forward to the next phase in our growth and development." Centbee is a gold member of AlphaCode , powered by Rand Merchant Investment Holdings , which identifies, partners and grows disruptive and scalable fintech businesses. Head of AlphaCode, Dominique Collett said: "We are delighted that Centbee has attracted the interest of two of the world's most prestigious investors in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. It certainly augurs well for the growth and development of Centbee and Bitcoin SV globally." The Centbee Wallet is available in the Apple and Google Play stores. About Ayre Group Founded by entrepreneur Calvin Ayre, the Ayre Group has investments and interests across the world. With a passion for content and publishing, fintech, real estate and property in seven countries around the world, Ayre Group supports and drives the world's most disruptive innovations. Website: ayre.ag About nChain Group The nChain Group is the global leader in advisory, research and development of blockchain technologies. Its mission is to enable massive growth and worldwide adoption of Bitcoin SV, the original Bitcoin protocol as represented in Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper - focusing on Bitcoin SV as the true Bitcoin. Website: nChain.com About Centbee Centbee is a fintech startup based in South Africa, that builds products and services that make it easy to send, store and spend Bitcoin. Their vision is to help users pay for real-world goods and services using Bitcoin payment processes. The Centbee wallet, available in the App Store and Google Play store, enables the purchase of Bitcoin SV at till-points in over 50 000 retailers across South Africa. Centbee Remit makes it easy to send money across borders in less than one minute. Website: centbee.com About Bitcoin SV Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) is the only Bitcoin implementation that follows the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper, and conforms to the original Bitcoin protocol and design. BSV is the only public blockchain that maintains the original vision for Bitcoin and will massively scale to become the world's new money and enterprise blockchain. Website: bitcoinsv.io About Bitcoin Association Bitcoin Association is the leading global organization for Bitcoin business. It brings together merchants, exchanges, application developers, enterprises, miners and others in the Bitcoin ecosystem to advance the growth of Bitcoin commerce. Bitcoin Association supports Bitcoin SV (BSV) as the original Bitcoin. As an inclusive organization, it welcomes companies and organizations who support or wish to learn about BSV and Satoshi Vision, even if you also support other cryptocurrency or blockchain projects. Website: https://bitcoinassociation.net/ Upcoming: Coingeek Toronto Conference May 29-30, Toronto, Canada Come learn more about what Bitcoin can do with "No Limits" and the latest on-chain scaling developments with Bitcoin SV at the CoinGeek Toronto conference May 29-30. It's easy to register. And pay with the world's new money and you'll receive a discount by using BSV via Coingate. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centbee-sa-based-bitcoin-wallet-and-merchant-payment-ecosystem-raises-1-million-from-ayre-ventures-300833729.html SOURCE Centbee [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] CTEK Employee Arrested in Connection with Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets from Cleveland-Based NOCO CLEVELAND, April 17, 2019 /CNW/ -- NOCO, a privately held company with global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, has initiated a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio alleging violations of the Defend Trade Secrets Act ("DTSA") and multiple state law claims. The lawsuit alleges that during the recent Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo in Melbourne, Australia, an employee of CTEK, a competitor in the battery charger and automotive accessory market, stole a notebook from NOCO's booth that contained NOCO's sales strategy, contacts and valuable trade secrets. The CTEK employee, whose name has not yet been released, was arrested by Australian authorities on April 6th in connection with the theft. Officials with the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association ("AAAA") recovered the video surveillance, which captured the event and led to the identification of the CTEK employee responsible for the theft. Security at the AAAA located the CTEK employee and detained him untillocal authorities arrived and arrested him. "We want to thank on-site security, members of the AAAA, and Melbourne Police for their efforts in arresting the individual," said Thomas Smith, Director of Public Relations. "Without their efforts, we would not be able to proceed with additional legal actions. Obviously, we are disappointed with CTEK's behavior, but it is further evidence of a possible systematic corporate mandate to attempt to curtail NOCO's growth in the marketplace. We are aggressively pursuing all of our legal rights and will not stop until justice is served." The lawsuit, which was filed on April 16th, 2019, includes federal claims for theft of trade secrets and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. Also included are several state law claims including misappropriation of trade secrets, conversion, and theft. In addition to seeking damages, NOCO hopes to obtain injunctive protection against the use or dissemination of its trade secrets by CTEK. About NOCO Established 1914, The NOCO Company is a world leading designer, marketer and manufacturer of premium consumer battery chargers, jump starters, and a wide range of portable power devices. NOCO effectively set the standard in design, performance and safety, introducing a new generation of products to the industry. NOCO proudly stands on a century-long history of designing and engineering all products in the USA. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ctek-employee-arrested-in-connection-with-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets-from-cleveland-based-noco-300833642.html SOURCE NOCO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Georgia's Life Science Industry Shows 14.7% Employment Growth over Past Decade "The life sciences sector in Georgia is resilient and growing." This according to a report previewed today by RTI International (RTI) for Georgia Bio. " From 2007 to 2017, employment in life sciences grew by 14.9%, compared to 7.7% nationally, and 8.7% growth in private employment across all industries in the state." The report identified 1,960 unique life science establishments that contributed 68,300 jobs and $10 billion to Georgia's Gross Domestic Product. Accounting for multiplier effects, the industry supports a total of approximately 194,000 jobs and contributes $21.8 billion to Georgia's GDP. This represents 3.7% of Georgia's total non-farm employment and 3.7% of Georgia's 2016 GDP. "The high potential for the life sciences industry to enhance both the economic and physical well being of all Georgians is a top reason Georgia Bio and the Georgia BioEd Institute work hard to ensure the state's educators and career development professionals can access the resources they need to ensure our workforce meets the needs of the fast growing, care-focused, high paying industry," said Georgia Bio President and CEO Maria Thacker-Goethe. The life sciences industry offers Georgians high-value jobs that are commensurate to education and experience. Of the 20 most common occupation types, 42% of jobs require a high school education or equivalent, while 32% require a bachelor's degree. Of the 10 occupations projected to grow over the next decade, seven require postsecondar education, ranging from technical and associate's degrees (4), bachelor's degrees (2), and doctoral or professional degrees (1). Thanks to a robust university research system and the presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), institutions based in Georgia received $549 million in NIH research funding in 2018. Moreover, annual NIH funding to those institutions has grown by 20% since 2010, more than double the national average of less than 8 percent. "Since 2010, the number of federal small business research innovation grants for life science startups has doubled in Georgia," said Russell Allen, President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. "With the ingenuity of our universities and the strong support from our government and industry we are seeing more life science inventions making their way from the lab to the marketplace and, most importantly, into the lives of Georgians." The full 2019 Georgia Life Sciences State of the Industry Report will be made fully public in the coming weeks. The state of the industry report is supported by funding from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Global Health Alliance, Georgia Research Alliance, Johnson & Johnson, PhRMA, UCB, Inc. and VWR, part of Avantor. About Georgia Bio Georgia Bio is the state's trade association committed to driving growth in Georgia's biosciences industry and its many sectors, including agri-biotech, food and nutrition, bio-based technologies and renewable chemicals, industrial and environmental biotech, medical devices and technologies, pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare, diagnostics and research products, testing and research services, and clinical research. Georgia Bio members include bioscience companies, academic and research institutions, bioscience service providers, digital health companies, and related organizations. For more information, visit www.gabio.org or follow us on Twitter @Georgia_Bio. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005207/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Government of Canada investment in solar cell technology at Simon Fraser University strengthens British Columbia's leadership in clean tech Simon Fraser University's Engineering Science lab receives funding to support clean technology projects BURNABY, BC, April 17, 2019 /CNW/ - Solar power is one of Canada's fastest growing sources of renewable energy. With proper infrastructure, solar cell technology can be used in applications like solar charging vehicles and solar roadways, which provide environmental and economic benefits for Canadians. Today, Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Burnaby North Seymour, announced $558,000 in funding towards specialized equipment for Simon Fraser University's (SFU) Engineering Science lab. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD). The new equipment will help British Columbia's solar industry partners to collaborate and develop modern and reliable infrastructure that promotes clean growth and innovation. The project will be led by a team of SFU and University of British Columbia Okanagan scientists, along with industry partners: Solar Earth Technologies, Cooledge Lighting, and Think Sensor Research. Through this investment, the project will create nine jobs in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The advanced manufacturing capability of the new machinery will also help develop solar cells used in solar roadways that can lead to new construction and manufacturing opportunities in Canada and abroad. By investing in research facilities like SFU's Engineering Science lab, the Government of Canada is supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy and taking action to meet emissions reduction targets, grow the economy, and build resilience to a changing climate. Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan aims to build an economy in which Canadians have acess to high-quality jobs and Canadian businesses are well-placed to participate in a rapidly evolving and competitive global marketplace. Quick Facts SFU's School of Engineering Science operates at the frontiers of technological development and has been recognized internationally for its research excellence. The Engineering Science faculty collaborates with industry partners involving Graphene and Graphene-like materials and quantum manufacturing, which have high potential to be disruptive technologies and may be considered a "material of the future". Quotes "Our government is laying the foundation for Canadians to become more competitive and succeed in the global economy. Today's investment in at Simon Fraser University builds on our competitive advantages and will result in building a clean economy, boosting economic growth and creating good, middle-class jobs for Canadians." The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development "To reduce our carbon footprint, we need to make smarter choices about our energy sources. Thanks to the team of scientists and researchers from SFU and UBC, along with their industry partners, we are ensuring that Canadians have access to cutting edge technology that will create less pollution and support a stronger, low-carbon Canadian economy." Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Burnaby North Seymour "Through support from Western Economic Diversification Canada, our team will have access to the high-tech tools necessary to develop new solar cell technologies and advanced manufacturing techniques, in collaboration with our industrial partners." Michael Adachi, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University "This investment in solar cell technology will further support SFU's innovative research and partnership strengths. As Canada's engaged university, SFU has government, industry and university collaborations at its heart. On behalf of the university, I would like to thank Western Economic Diversification Canada for this exciting opportunity for us to work together toward Canada's clean tech future." Joy Johnson, Vice-President, Research and International, Simon Fraser University "The research infrastructure and vast knowledge base of Simon Fraser University are crucial for the success of lean start-up economy-driving companies, like Solar Earth Technologies. I am excited to see support from Western Economic Diversification Canada that will enable access to state-of-the-art facilities. Success in innovative technologies will ensure that Canada remains prosperous while improving the day-to-day lives of its citizens and beyond." Michael Whitwick, Research Manager, Solar Earth Technologies Additional Links Western Economic Diversification Canada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Simon Fraser University School of Engineering Science Stay Connected Follow us on Twitter: @WD_Canada, @ISED_CA WD Homepage SOURCE Western Economic Diversification Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] Huawei Enterprise Business Group Leads New ICT: Intelligence, Connectivity and Digital Platform SHENZHEN, China, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei kicked off its 16th annual Global Analyst Summit (HAS) yesterday in Shenzhen, China. At the event, Huawei Enterprise Business Group (Huawei Enterprise) together with Vanke and the Shenzhen Big Data Research Institute of Smart City, as well as global analysts and opinion leaders, jointly discussed the importance of connectivity and intelligence as enterprises and governments look to speed their transition to digital. In his keynote speech titled "Leading New ICT Intelligence, Connectivity and Platform", Qiu Heng, President of Global Marketing, Huawei Enterprise Business Group, said: "Huawei Enterprise's new positioning is to provide ubiquitous connectivity and pervasive intelligence to government and enterprise customers, together with our partners. By creating a digital platform that integrates new ICT, we are committed to building a solid ICT foundation for the digital world, helping customers complete their digital transformation." In connectivity, a field in which Huawei leads, Qiu Heng highlighted AirEngine, the Wi-Fi 6 AP supported by Huawei's 5G technologies, and CloudEngine, the fastest data center network switch for the AI era. Qiu Heng explained that Huawei enables pervasive intelligence by incorporating AI into its products, cloud and industry solutions. He introduced the world's first Software-Defined AI Camera, demonstrating that Huawei's strength lies not only in mobile phone camera functions, but also in enterprise-level cameras. Qiu Heng also shared how Huawei's All-Flash OceanStor Dorado includes intelligent capabilities and is the world's fastest All-Flash storage solution. Huawei's digital platform accelerates the digital transformation of vertical industries Huawei's digital platform addresses the cre challenge of digital transformation, namely how to connect the physical and digital worlds to activate dormant data in the physical world. The industry enablement platform connects IT and OT data, aggregates the capabilities of various industries, and continuously accumulates industry knowledge based on industry requirements. It also seamlessly connects industry developers to accelerate innovation and facilitate the rapid development of vertical industries. Simon Li, Associate General Manager, Wanyi Technology, Vanke, shared how Huawei's digital platform has enabled Vanke to digitally transform. He stated: "The multi-business, multi-location and multi-service model placed new requirements on Vanke's digitization. Huawei provided a digital platform that integrates technologies such as Big Data, IoT and AI to help us develop various offline businesses and a unified online Vanke through a digital, intelligent campus. As a result, we achieved service-based functions, product-based services, platform-based products, and ecosystem-based platforms." Chen Dongping, President, Shenzhen Big Data Research Institute of Smart City, also attended the summit. He expressed his hopes for the future: "The difference between the digital platform of the digital era and the informatization platform of the industrial age lies in the fact that the digital platform supports an entire city, whereas an informatization platform only supports an industry. Without a unified city-level digital platform, there would be no true smart cities or digital governments." AirEngine, the Wi-Fi 6 AP supported by Huawei's 5G technologies, to drive connectivity and intelligence Huawei Enterprise's flagship products are leading the market in connectivity and intelligence. This is clear with Huawei's AirEngine, the world's first commercial Wi-Fi 6 AP, which leverages Huawei's 5G technologies to achieve the industry's highest throughput rate. According to a test report from Tolly, a leading independent test lab, Huawei's Wi-Fi 6 is 1 Gbps faster than the nearest competitive offering. Relying on 5G Smart Radio technology, Huawei's Wi-Fi 6 coverage area is 40% greater than that of the industry Wi-Fi 6 standards. Applying acceleration technology, Huawei's Wi-Fi 6 has a latency as low as 10ms, which is lower than the industry Wi-Fi 6 standard by 50%, and thus no jitters are experienced when using Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR). By applying 5G cellular mobile technology to Wi-Fi, Huawei's Wi-Fi 6 prevents Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV) from losing data packets during AP switches, and can roam around the campus with high performance. Huawei Enterprise's "Platform + AI + Ecosystem" strategy focuses on cooperation with partners to provide ubiquitous connectivity and pervasive intelligence for government and enterprise customers. In addition, Huawei delivers a digital platform that integrates various new ICT to help customers complete their digital transformation. Currently, more than 700 cities around the world, and 211 of the Fortune Global 500 companies, including 48 of the top 100, have selected Huawei Enterprise as their partner in digital transformation. The Huawei Global Analyst Summit 2019 runs from April 16 to 18, with multiple parallel sessions. Attendees include industry experts from around the world, all of whom provide unique insights into a variety of topics and trends. For more details, please visit: https://www.huawei.com/en/press-events/events/has2019 SOURCE Huawei [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] IBM Hosts First APAC MOBI Colloquium to Promote Standards and Accelerate Adoption of Blockchain in Human Mobility Major car makers and technology companies convene to discuss how to make human mobility safer and greener for better quality of life SHANGHAI, April 17, 2019 /CNW/ -- Today, members from the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI) and representatives from major technology companies and automakers convene at IBM's China Headquarters in Shanghai to discuss the way forward to accelerate the development of connected cars and autonomous mobility solutions. The first APAC MOBI Colloquium sets out to explore the current state of blockchain research and development, IoT solutions, and how these new technologies can make mobility greener, safer, and more accessible for China and the region. Today's vehicles are evolving from a mode of transport to moving data centers with onboard sensors and computers that capture information about the vehicle and its surroundings. Blockchains can unleash this data to power a new and more sustainable future. In China, blockchain is undergoing a period of rapid growth and experimentation. The People's Bank of China recently backed and piloted a new blockchain-based trade finance platform, the judiciary adopted rules making blockchain evidence admissible in court, and the Agricultural Bank of China made a blockchain mortgage. The development of blockchain technology itself is key to the nation's technological advancement. "Blockchain and decentralized ledger technology has great potential to make mobility greener, safer, and more accessible for cities around the world, especially for nations with rapid urbanization like China," said Chris Ballinger, CEO of MOBI. "MOBI is set up to promote the advancement of a future solution that combines smart cities and connected cars to make people's lives better. This is a big mission. It is not a task to be realized by a single company. By bringing together key stakeholders, experts, and partners, we believe MOBI is in the right position at the right time to advance this grand vision." China has more than 300 million registered vehicles almost the same number as people in the United States and the number continues to rise.1 10 out of the 25 most congested cities in the world are in mainland China.2 Motor vehicle emissions have become a major source of air pollution in China.3 A new mobility solution is needed to ensure a sustainable future. If this vision can be realized, the benefits it brings to our society are immense. Studies4 have shown that autonomous vehicles can optimize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by 60%. In the US alone, people in urban areas spend about 7 billion hours in traffic every year. That's 3.1 billion gallons of fuel wasted and $160 billion lost due to traffic congestion. Most importantly, by minimizing human error, autonomous vehicle solutions can reduce accidents by 90%. All this is great but we still have a fair way ahead of us. According to a Rand Corp study,5 1 trillion miles of self-driving data is needed in order for autonomous vehicle models to be accurate and safe. Waymo, the former Google autonomous car project, is driving 25,000 miles a day. At this rate, it would take close to 110,000 years to reach the Rand Corp mileage target. "The linchpin is data," said Trent McConaghy, founder of Ocean Protocol. "We are bringing to MOBI a blockchain-powered platform that enables data to be shared in a safe, privacy-preserving, borderless fashion. Algorithms can travel to data to get trained without exposing the data or taking a copy. This is ideal for MOBI's partners and community to retain data privacy and ownership. For the first ime we can unlock the value of data without unlocking data itself," McConaghy continues. The MOBI Colloquium Shanghai brings together a diverse network of industry leaders and startups, providing them with a platform to share knowledge and innovate. Widespread adoption of blockchain technology cannot be achieved without the creation and agreement upon standards to regulate the ecosystem. By encouraging communication between differing industries, MOBI helps drive forward blockchain scalability. China's robust mobility, blockchain, IoT, and AI ecosystem offers tremendous opportunities for MOBI community members to create a brighter and safer future. The first APAC MOBI Colloquium is hosted by IBM and co-organized by CPChain and Tribe Accelerator. About MOBI MOBI is a nonprofit foundation formed to accelerate adoption of and to promote standards in blockchain, distributed ledgers, and related technologies for the benefit of the mobility industry, consumers, and communities. MOBI and our partners are creating simple, standard and digital ways of identifying cars, people, and trips, of paying for mobility services, and securely exchanging and monetizing data in ways that preserve property rights and privacy. MOBI is working with most of the world's large automakers and many mobility ecosystem players, along with many start-ups, non-profits, governments, NGOs, transit agencies, and technology companies. We are convinced that by working together we can make mobility services more efficient, affordable, greener, safer and less congested. MOBI is an open, inclusive body that acts as a 'trusted convener' and partner to entities in the emerging ecosystem of pay for use, on demand, connected, and increasingly autonomous mobility services. MOBI itself is technology and ledger agnostic. About Ocean Protocol Ocean Protocol is a decentralized data exchange protocol to unlock data for AI. Through blockchain technology and smart contracts, Ocean Protocol connects data providers and consumers, allowing data to be shared while guaranteeing traceability, transparency, and trust for all stakeholders involved. It allows data owners to give value to and have control over their data assets without being locked-in to any single marketplace. By bringing together decentralized blockchain technology, a data sharing framework, and an ecosystem for data and related services, Ocean Protocol is committed to kick-starting a new Data Economy that touches every single person, company and device, giving power back to data owners, enabling people to reap value from data to better our world. Visit oceanprotocol.com to find out more. About CPChain Cyber Physical Chain (CPChain) is a new distributed infrastructure for next generation IoT. CPChain intends to build a fundamental data platform for IoT systems in combination with distributed storage, encryption computation and blockchain technologies, providing the whole process solution from data acquisition, storage, sharing to application. CPChain is a promising solution to a series of challenges of the current "chimney architecture" of IoT systems, reducing connectivity cost of devices, protecting data privacy and maximizing the value of IoT data. About Tribe Accelerator Tribe Accelerator , the first Singapore government supported blockchain accelerator, is championing to be a neutral platform in driving collaboration and growth of the blockchain ecosystem. Together, these organizations, as an integral part of the critical growth of the global blockchain community, aim to create a collaborative space to encourage the exchange of ideas on the modernization of the mobility space. Media Contact: Adria Stauber, Communications Manager [email protected] | www.dlt.mobi | @dltMOBI 1 http://english.gov.cn/state_council/ministries/2018/10/17/content_281476349681232.htm 2 https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/trafficindex/list?citySize=LARGE&continent=ALL&country=ALL 3 https://gbtimes.com/vehicle-emissions-become-major-source-of-air-pollution-in-china 4 https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/the-future-of-driving/ 5 https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1400/RR1478/RAND_RR1478.pdf View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-hosts-first-apac-mobi-colloquium-to-promote-standards-and-accelerate-adoption-of-blockchain-in-human-mobility-300833500.html SOURCE MOBI [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Local Voices Network Announces Long-Term Commitment in Madison and Planned Expansion in Wisconsin Today, Cortico, a nonprofit organization with the mission of fostering constructive public conversation in communities and the media, announced long-term plans for the Local Voices Network (LVN) to continue operating in Madison and to expand into other urban, suburban and rural areas of Wisconsin. Created in cooperation with the MIT (News - Alert) Media Lab, LVN is a listening system designed to foster constructive conversation in communities and the media to improve our understanding of one another and bring a community's under-heard voices into the public dialogue. Launched in February in partnership with the Madison Public Library, LVN-Madison to date has held dozens of conversations with hundreds of Madisonians, elevating local voices within the community and media that may otherwise have gone unheard. Led by Katherine Cramer, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and author of a landmark study of public opinion in rural Wisconsin entitled "The Politics of Resentment," LVN-Madison holds conversations guided by volunteer hosts from the community. While LVN has been piloted in other parts of the country, Madison is Cortico's first implementation of the full public conversation network. "Wisconsinites love to share their stories and opinions, but the political environment and social media has divided us into groups that can be hostile toward outside views," noted Cramer. "I'm thrilled that LVN is growing roots in Madison and creating new local spaces for constructive public conversation across boundaries. As LVN expands statewide, I feel confident that it will help connect people in all types of communities, give them a voice and help build trust between the public and the media." Each LVN conversation takes place around a "Digital Hearth," a device that records the discussion and enables hosts to play highlights from other groups in order to cross-pollinate voices and perspectives. The recordings are transcribed to make them machine-readable, then analyzed with AI-based tools that allow the community to tune into what's most relevant locally, and the media to tell stories that are more reflective of life on the ground. Twelve Digital Hearths are currently located in public libraries, community centers, and other locations across Madison. "Too many local voices in places like Madison go unheard, drowned out by noisy divisive dialogue within the community and the media," said Deb Roy, Co-Founder and Chairman of Cortico. "We are thrilled that Madison has embraced the Local Voices Network, and look foward to expanding LVN across the state in order to continue bringing the perspectives and concerns of ordinary citizens back into focus, re-connect members of a community to one another through boundary-crossing conversations, promote civic engagement, and importantly, encourage journalism that reflects and responds to local issues." Cortico news partner The Cap Times has already published one podcast and four reflective pieces to date based on LVN conversations, highlighting local voices and perspectives on affordable housing, public transportation, climate change and race. Other Madison media news organizations -- community-based and city-wide, including radio and television -- are expected to incorporate LVN content in their local reporting moving forward. "The Local Voices Network is an important tool that creates non-threatening ways to bring community members together to express their views, listen to one another, and find new opportunities for connection in a very complex and separated world," said The Honorable/Rev. Everett Mitchell, Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church and Dane County Circuit Court Judge, who has hosted two LVN conversations to date. "Just being able to listen to these stories in various ways gives community members a safe space to know that their voices are being heard and lifted into a conversation where others can listen to their views and hopefully use their ideas to better understand the issues as they are happening on the ground. Each conversation offers us a new bridge into different relationships, new opportunities for progress and new moments of connection and relationships." For those in the community interested in participating, visit lvn.org/madison to sign up. About Cortico Cortico is a nonprofit organization with the mission of fostering constructive public conversation in communities and the media that improves our understanding of one another. Working in cooperation with the Laboratory for Social Machines at the MIT Media Lab, Cortico builds listening systems designed to surface a community's under-heard voices and channel their perspectives and stories into the public dialogue. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005084/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Patrick Priestner and Canada One Auto Group File Statement of Defence in Response to AutoCanada's Statement of Claim Patrick Priestner, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canada One Auto Group ("COAG"), and COAG yesterday filed their statement of defence with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Commercial List (the "Court"), in response to the statement of claim filed by AutoCanada Inc. (TSX: ACQ) ("AutoCanada") on February 6, 2019. Mr. Priestner has denied AutoCanada's claim and asked that it be dismissed. "As the founder and largest shareholder of AutoCanada, my focus and financial interest were always to grow the company and create value for all of its shareholders. The record shows unequivocally that my team and I did so," Mr. Priestner said. "In contrast, unable to otherwise grow and create shareholder value, AutoCanada's current leadership team has resorted to a transparent attempt to misappropriate the dealerships I acquired with AutoCanada's express permission." Priestner continued, "It's absurd for the company's current leadership to now claim, well after the events in question took place, that I misrepresente some manufacturers' reluctance to work with public companies. In fact, AutoCanada's own public disclosure shows how we made tremendous progress working constructively with manufacturers to open the market for AutoCanada, and how the Board of AutoCanada was well aware of the positions of certain manufacturers. I will vigorously defend myself against these outrageous claims." As outlined in the statement of defence, Priestner was the founder of AutoCanada, where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2006 until the end of 2014, during which time the company achieved significant growth and generated total shareholder returns of over 700%. During his tenure, Mr. Priestner made significant progress acquiring dealerships on behalf of AutoCanada, despite the resistance of some manufacturers to ownership of Canadian dealerships by publicly listed companies, a risk that was widely reported and repeatedly disclosed by AutoCanada. In some instances where manufacturers continued to refuse to allow AutoCanada to acquire dealerships, the AutoCanada Board allowed Priestner to purchase dealerships directly. These purchases were specifically authorized by AutoCanada's Board of Directors, who publicly disclosed that they had determined that allowing Mr. Priestner to do so was in the best interest of AutoCanada, and who permitted him to do so under the express terms of his employment agreement. It was only in 2018, well after the events in question took place, that the new leadership of AutoCanada suddenly raised these allegations in an obvious strategy to unfairly obtain Mr. Priestner's dealerships below market value. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005210/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] Shop Danawa Achieved a 24% Increased Sales Year-On-Year in 1Q to 60,000 Assembled PCs SEOUL, South Korea, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 11th, Danawa Co., Ltd.("Danawa" or the "Company") announced that the total sales volume of assembled PCs in the first quarter through its specialty shop, Shop Danawa, was 60,000 units, which is a 24% increase from 48,200 units in the same period last year. Danawa stated, "The turnover also increased 13% from KRW 62.5 billion to KRW 70.8 billion. The demand for gaming PCs since last year has continued to the peak season of the market, the first quarter of the year. In particular, the demand for high-end PCs for 'PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS' is still high, and other masterwork games such as 'Lost Arc' and 'Tom Clancy's The Division 2' are promoting demand for assembled PCs." The Company analyzed that the increase in the number of new visitors, especially mobile web pages, influenced the increase in the turnover. To improve accessibiliy, the mobile service of Shop Danawa was reorganized last month; as a result, it became easier to make estimates by price range and specification. Danawa claimed, "Based on the mobile service, we will expand the usage of Shop Danawa and increase the information content related to PCs. Also, we plan to further reinforce information areas including game introductions, benchmarking, and video reviews that can help consumers." Meanwhile, Danawa is a company that provides price and information of products in Seoul, Korea. It was established in 2000 as a price comparison site for digital cameras. In 2002, it was converted into a corporation, and in 2011, it was listed on the Korea Stock Exchange. http://www.danawa.com For media enquiries: Danawa PR team [email protected] * About Danawa (www.danawa.com) Danawa(danawa Co., Ltd.) is Korea's best price comparison site established in 2002. Danawa provides members with the lowest prices of various products and services such as PC, home appliance, and travel. It provides integrated search service to find all products sold in Korea, and serves as a gateway to online shopping with excellent shopping contents and services. * About Shop Danawa (shop.danawa.com) Shop Danawa is a PC specialty shopping mall operated by Danawa. As a representative of assembled PC service in Korea, it sells gaming PCs, high-end PCs and even various PC parts. It produces various contents related to PC to provide useful information to its members. If you are purchasing an assembled PC in Korea, please check Shop Danawa PC unconditionally. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190416/2437191-1 SOURCE DANAWA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] SL Green Signs KPS Capital Partners at One Vanderbilt Avenue SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE:SLG), New York City's largest office landlord, today announced that KPS Capital Partners LP, a leading global private equity firm, has signed a 28,024 square foot, 15-year lease to occupy the entire 52nd floor at One Vanderbilt, the 1,401-foot office tower in East Midtown set to reshape the New York City skyline. In addition, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, a premier international law firm, has expanded its 20-year lease by an additional 14,276 square feet. McDermott Will & Emery will now lease 129,489 square feet on floors 44 through 47, in addition to the entire 67th floor. A sign of its successful leasing and construction progress, the building is now 56.9% leased ahead of its planned August 2020 opening, while the building super structure has now reached 1,088 feet, the height of the planned observatory, with steel construction scheduled to top out in the second half of this year. "We're proud to welcome KPS Capital Partners to One Vanderbilt Avenue," said Steven Durels, Executive Vice President and Director of Leasing and Real Property at SL Green. "Leasing momentum has continued at a brisk pace. One Vanderbilt has redefined what a best in class building should be and leading businesses like KPS Capital Partners and McDermott Will & Emery recognize that One Vanderbilt will provide a superior work environment for their employees, leading to enhanced employee recruitment and retention." "As the premier building in New York, One Vanderbilt is a worthy home for the firm and franchise we have built over three decades. We confidently look forward to continued success in a true world class location," said MichaelPsaros, a Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners. KPS Capital Partners joins a distinguished roster of top-tier financial, banking and legal firms that have committed to relocating to One Vanderbilt. Other tenants previously announced at the building include: TD Securities and TD Bank, a leading banking and investment firm that provides a wide range of capital markets products and services; one of the nation's largest law firms, Greenberg Traurig; global German financial firms DZ and DVB Banks; publicly traded real estate investment trust MFA (News - Alert) Financial Inc.; and SL Green Realty Corp. Additionally, award-winning chef Daniel Boulud has partnered with SL Green to create a signature restaurant experience in the building. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recognized One Vanderbilt and its architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) Associates, with the prestigious 2018 AIA NY Merit Award in Urban Design. Encompassing an entire city block, the building is bounded by Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues to the west and east, and East 43rd and East 42nd Streets to the north and south. Expected to achieve both LEED Gold under version 4.0 and WELL certification, the trophy tower will feature floor-to-ceiling slab heights ranging from 14'6" to 24', column-free floor plates, stunning 360-degree views through floor-to-ceiling windows and best-in-class infrastructure. Anchoring the modernization of East Midtown, One Vanderbilt will provide tenants with a combination of amenities unrivaled in New York City, including a 30,000-square-foot tenant-only amenity floor with large format meeting spaces, club style lounge and extraordinary outdoor terrace. Immediately adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, the building will create direct connections to the surrounding transit network. In addition, SL Green is investing an unprecedented $220 million in private funds to upgrade the transit system. Mark Weiss (News - Alert) and Alan Wildes of Cushman & Wakefield represented KPS Capital Partners. Moshe Sukenik and Noel Flagg of Newmark Knight Frank represented McDermott, Will & Emery. Robert Alexander, Ryan Alexander, Emily Jones and Alex D'Amario of CBRE represented the landlord on both transactions. About SL Green Realty Corp. SL Green Realty Corp., an S&P 500 company and New York City's largest office landlord, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is focused primarily on acquiring, managing and maximizing value of Manhattan commercial properties. As of December 31, 2018, SL Green held interests in 101 Manhattan buildings totaling 46.0 million square feet. This included ownership interests in 27.8 million square feet of Manhattan buildings and 18.2 million square feet of buildings securing debt and preferred equity investments. In addition, SL Green held ownership interests in 7 suburban properties comprised of 15 suburban buildings totaling 2.3 million square feet in Brooklyn, Westchester County, and Connecticut SLG-LEAS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005329/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Slingshot Aerospace Closes $5M in New Seed Funding to Accelerate Development of Geospatial Intelligence and Space Situational Awareness Platform Slingshot Aerospace, an advanced analytics company, today announced $5 million in new seed funding. The round was led by ATX Venture Partners with participation from new investor Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. The Rise of the Rest Seed Fund is part of Revolution, the Washington DC-based investment firm founded by former AOL (News - Alert) Co-founder Steve Case focused on high-growth companies scaling outside of coastal tech hubs. The investment had additional participation from previous investors Okapi Capital, Stage Venture Partners, Sway Ventures and Techstars Ventures. "Slingshot is on the cutting edge of applying AI, ML and big data analytics to geospatial and orbital exploration at a time when insights are more needed than ever," said Colin Greenspon, Partner at Revolution's (News - Alert) Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. "The company is another great example of a company finding advantages in scaling outside of Silicon Valley, and we look forward to supporting them as government and defense and other arenas apply their technologies." Slingshot Aerospace, which has raised $9.1M total to date, including this round of seed funding, will use the capital to accelerate the company's product development and hire key talent in finance, business development and software engineering/data sciences. The company's mission is to help government and commercial customers predict the unexpected and optimize their situational awareness by leveraging machine learning for geospatial intelligence and space situational awareness. Customers include BAE Systems (News - Alert), Boeing, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. "Together, we created Slingshot to bring decision makers more complete and timely awareness in the orbital and geospatial arenas," aid David Godwin, CEO and Co-Founder of Slingshot Aerospace. "The market opportunity for Slingshot is vast, as we have become a leader in AI-driven space tech products across multiple domains - closing the gap between data analysis and critical decision making." Slingshot Aerospace was co-founded in 2016 by serial entrepreneur David Godwin, CEO, and former Air Force Officers Melanie Stricklan, Chief Strategy Officer, and Thomas Ashman, Chief Product Officer. The company's product offerings include Orbital Atlas, a space situational awareness platform; Earth Portal, a geospatial visualization portal; and N2X, an edge-AI framework for drones and spacecraft. "In bringing together disparate signals and using deep learning to speed up time-sensitive detections, both terrestrial and in orbit, we are continually discovering new ways to predict the unexpected and empower our commercial and defense customers with advanced analytics," said Melanie Stricklan, CSO and Co-Founder of Slingshot. "It's extremely rewarding to know that we have started to fulfill our mission and attract the highest caliber talent who share this passion." The company recently hired a new Vice President of Finance, Tom Inman, and a new Vice President of Technology, Dean Teffer, among other software engineering and strategic business development hires. "As follow-on investors in Slingshot, we believe they will become the leaders in geospatial AI and edge technologies to make a true difference in our world," said Chris Shonk, Managing Partner at ATX Venture Partners. "There is no better combination of people than Slingshot's founders to commercialize this frontier technology. From leaders in the military with expertise on geospatial and orbital applications, to a proven serial entrepreneur and strategist on bringing products to market, this team is positioned to propel the company forward beyond our wildest imagination." About ATX Venture Partners ATX Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in Texas and the South-Central U.S. The firm's seed and Series A investments focus on software-as-a-service, IoT, e-commerce, AI, frontier commercial technologies, and mobile applications. ATX Venture Partners was created by expert entrepreneurs to serve emerging entrepreneurs. The firm was founded in 2014 and is based in Austin, Texas. Visit www.atxventurepartners.com, and follow them at @ATXVenture, Facebook and LinkedIn. About Rise of the Rest Rise of the Rest is a nationwide effort, powered by Washington DC-based investment firm Revolution, to invest in and work closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems. Since 2014, Steve Case and the Revolution team have logged more than 10,000 miles touring entrepreneurial communities by bus in 38 cities. In 2017, Case and JD Vance announced a $150 million Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, backed by a group of iconic entrepreneurs, executives and investors that believe the next great startup investments are located outside of coastal cities. Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund invests catalytic capital, often alongside regional investors, to the most promising early stage investments in Rise of the Rest cities. For more information, please visit: www.revolution.com/rotr or follow them on Twitter (News - Alert) @RiseOfRest. About Slingshot Aerospace Slingshot Aerospace, Inc. ("Slingshot") is an advanced analytics company that employs artificial intelligence to draw insights from a synthesis of satellite, aerial, drone and other contextual data streams for defense, disaster response, and commercial applications. Slingshot's user-centered geospatial and space domain products close the gap between data analysis and critical decision making. Founded in 2016 and based in Austin, TX, and El Segundo, CA (News - Alert), Slingshot aims to significantly improve the value of data customers consume, allowing them to gain competitive advantage, reduce risk and lower costs. Visit www.slingshotaerospace.com, follow Slingshot Aerospace at @sling_shot_aero, Facebook and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005031/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] TUV Rheinland Enjoys Sustainable Growth COLOGNE, Germany, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TUV Rheinland continued its ongoing healthy growth in fiscal year 2018. Revenues of the global testing service provider increased by EUR 26.2 million, or 1.3%, to EUR 1.998 billion. Earnings (EBIT) reached EUR 137.5 million (up EUR 6.9 million or 5.3% against 2017). The EBIT margin rose from 6.6% to 6.9%. On average, TUV Rheinland employed 20,450 people around the globe in 2018, exceeding the 20,000 mark for the first time. Investments again topped EUR 90 million. "Safety remains a basic need of humanity, even in today's digitalized world. Our employees apply their expertise and specialist knowledge to ensure quality and safety. We are continuing to grow, which shows that our business model is proving successful, especially now that we are experiencing increased political, economic and technology uncertainty around the world," said Dr. Michael Fubi, CEO of TUV Rheinland AG. "We expect demand for our independent tests and certifications to continue to pick up in the next few years. In light of increasing digitalization and networking, the question that always emerges is whether technology is safe and therefore trustworthy, no matter whether we are talking about simple household products, autonomous driving or networked industrial systems and infrastructure." TUV Rheinland is preparing specifically for this digital future. For example, the Group invested around EUR 32 million in the three areas of cyber security, wireless technologies and autonomous vehicles in 2018 alone. In the long-term, TUV Rheinland is also strategically gearing its business towards these upcoming developments. "Our aim is to support and ensure technical progress in the long run," said Michael Fubi. Significant Growth for Germany, China and Western Europe Business at TUV Rheinland performed well in 2018, especially in Germany. Revenue in Germany grew by EUR 32 million or 2.9% to currently EUR 1.1 billion, while revenue outside Germany saw a slight 0.6% decline to EUR 889 million, due primarily to exchange rate differences. On a constant currency basis, TUV Rheinland's revenue would have totaled EUR 2.037 billion in 2018, representing growth of 3.3%. TUV Rheinland generated 44.5% of its revenue outside Germany. Revenue of EUR 533 million was generated by TUV Rheinland in the Asia region in 2018 (includes Greater China, Asia-Pacific and India, Middle East, Africa), followed by the Europe region (excluding Germany) at EUR 205 million and North and South America at EUR 153 million. China and Western Europe boosted their revenue by an eight-digit figure year on year, making a major contribution to the upturn in revenue. Positive Development In Business Streams As previously, TUV Rheinland divided its global testing and certificate business into six business streams. The Industrial Services, Mobility and Product business streams each generate approximately 25% of total revenue, with Product Testing making the largest contribution to revenue in 2018 at EUR 541 million (previous year: EUR 524 million). Continued strong growth in China and the recent return to revenue growth in the solar business field, a sign of the global investment trend towards renewable energy, are both striking here. The second-largest business stream, Mobility, saw its revenue climb considerably, up 4.7% at EUR 532 million (previous year: EUR 508 million). Growth was particularly strong in business with vehicles inspections in Germany and Spain and services relating to vehicle approvals (homologation). The Industrial Services business stream also shored up its revenue again. In this area, TUV Rheinland provides services including global testing of industrial systems, power stations and elevators. All told, Industrial Services improved revenue by 2.1% to EUR 513 million (previous year: EUR 503 million). TUV Rheinland has combined the certification of management systems such as ISO 9001 and the certification in accordance with sector-specific standards in the Systems business stream. This saw revenue strengthen by 4.5% to EUR 212 million (previous year: EUR 203 million). The rise in revenue in the Academy & Life Care business stream was somewhat more restrained than in previous years. In this area, TUV Rheinland offers services for professional qualifications and corporate health management. Revenue in this business stream picked up slightly, up EUR 0.5 million at EUR 227 million. Seminar business in Germany also performed well. Nonetheless, finding skilled workers such as doctors and social education specialists is increasingly challenging and so the business stream did not grow as much as it would have done if sufficient specialists had been available. TUV Rheinland refocused its product range in the Digital Transformation & Cyber Security business stream (previously ICT & Business Solutions) in 2018. While cyber security business in Germany fared well, revenue in the United States fell. In total, the business stream saw revenue decline as planned to EUR 122 million due to internal restructuring (previous year: EUR 139 million). Global Competition for Best Employees Of a global staff headcount averaging 20,450 in 2018, 8,795 worked in Germany, up almost 300 on the previous year. The number of employees outside Germany rose by 235 to 11,655, representing 57% of all TUV Rheinland staff in 2018. "We would like to hire even more people. But we can see that competition for the best specialist staff has become tougher, both in Germany and in many other countries," said Ruth Werhahn, member of the Executive Board and Labor Relations Director of TUV Rheinland AG. TUV Rheinland currently has over 500 vacancies in Germany alone, with another 500 openings worldwide. "Anyone looking for technically challenging and varied work in international teams and who shares our passion for quality and safety would be a good fit at our company," added Ruth Werhahn. "I am confident that we can inspire many more people with this. After all, our vision already reaches over 400,000 followers on social media." Financial Position Continues to Strengthen TUV Rheinland further bolstered its good financial position in the 2018 fiscal year. Equity increased by EUR 53.3 million to EUR 412.2 million, with the equity ratio rising to 22.8% (previous year: 20.1%). Cash flow from operating activities climbed sharply to EUR 183 million, an upturn of EUR 21.2 million or 13.1%. "Our financial position remains very solid. This provides us with the means required to invest in our future under our own steam," said Michael Fubi. Investments and Digitalization TUV Rheinland has invested close to EUR 300 million in the last three years, EUR 91 million of which in 2018 alone. "Substantial investment helps us get our testing and certification business in shape for the years ahead," commented Michael Fubi. "Digitalization is continuing to pick up speed and has made its presence felt at all levels of our business." This can be seen both externally, in terms of the digitalization of existing services and new services created for the digital world, and internally, in terms of the digitalization of processes. TUV Rheinland has invested almost EUR 32 million in the three future-oriented digitalization areas of wireless technologies, cyber security and autonomous vehicles. In the Mobility business stream, TUV Rheinland has invested approximately EUR 7.8 million in expanding and improving facilities at the network of vehicle testing stations. Services in a Digital World Starting in 2018, TUV Rheinland shifted its focus to OT Security - the reliable and safe operation of plants and systems in industrial production. Operational technology (OT) refers to hardware and software that monitor and manage physical equipment and processes. Industrial companies have been employing operational technology in their production processes for decades. What is new is that entire industrial systems are now connected with each other and with the internet. This could create external access, which hackers could use to interfere in the production process. The most recent example of this is Norwegian aluminum manufacturer Norsk Hydro, which was forced to cut production to emergency operations for days following a massive cyber-attack. "More and more companies are linking their industrial systems to the global network because there are many advantages to doing so. But are they properly prepared for potential cyber-attacks? Many companies are unable to provide satisfying answers to this question and so companies across the world come to our experts looking for advice," said Michael Fubi. As well as in Germany, this special aspect of cyber security is also sought after in the US, the Middle East and in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2018, TUV Rheinland opened a competence center for cyber security in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in response to this demand. New Wireless Technologies Labs By investing in its wireless business, TUV Rheinland buoyed its position on the rapidly growing global market for devices on the internet of things (IoT). In 2018, TUV Rheinland opened new labs for testing wireless technologies in Lund (Sweden), Shenzhen (China) and Nuremberg (Germany). TUV Rheinland is a leader in this segment thanks to its global network of laboratories in Asia, Europe and North America, as well as its extensive services along the entire value chain, where experts test technology such as smart phones and smart-home devices on behalf of manufacturers. In 2018 and as part of an objective to make better use of digitalization opportunities, TUV Rheinland set up an area with experts in data analysis which would provide support to all business streams regarding their data usage. The company also continued to expand IT infrastructure, purchased highly-specialized testing software and technology and launched collaborations, for example with the start-up DeepL, an automated translation provider. Since the beginning of 2019, TUV Rheinland has also been working with the start-up accelerator "Plug and Play", which promotes contact between the world of start-ups and established companies. Strategy: Safety in the Future TUV Rheinland is currently working on its future strategy, which focuses on the dynamic change sparked by digitalization across the entire testing sector and its customers. "TUV Rheinland's ultimate goal is to support and ensure technical progress in the long run," said Michael Fubi. "We have built trust in our work and in our brand. Our predecessors began this almost 150 years ago, and we will continue to uphold this undertaking in the long term." The 2018 TUV Rheinland annual report can be found at www.tuv.com/corporatereport TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent testing services, founded almost 150 years ago. The group employs over 20,000 people around the globe. Annual revenue is EUR 2 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all industrial sectors and areas of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, and oversees projects, processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, the company operates a global network of approved labs and testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.com SOURCE TUV Rheinland [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] EY launches smart contract testing service for blockchain clients NEW YORK, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EY announced today the launch of EY Smart Contract Analyzer, a smart contract testing and security service for the public Ethereum blockchain. The service, now entering a private beta test, will allow users to monitor smart contracts and tokens for known security risks. As companies and investors increasingly turn to blockchain-based tokens and assets, it is becoming crucial to understand the risks involved. Investors in digital tokens face unique risks because both tokens and contracts are software designed to represent certain business and legal commitments. EY research has found that, in the past, digital tokens may not have accurately reflected claims made in prospectuses or white papers and may not be updated in ways that are agreed by investors. Built by the EY Blockchain Security Lab in Israel, the EY Smart Contract Analyzer is designed to test and monitor tokens and contracts both prior to their release and once available on public blockchains. EY has developed a list of more than 250 standard tests that cover aspects ranging from known malware and coding errors to standard tests that confirm for investors that tokens are behaving according to accepted industry standards. EY is developing and deploying these tests into the system in categories ranging from known security flaws to efficiency concerns. The EY service also allows for the development of customized token tests and continuous monitoring for changes. Paul Brody, EY Global Innovation Leader, Blockchain, says: "Our clients are increasingly entrusting key enterprise business processes and valuable investments to software code. We don't run enterprise computing systems without anti-virus tool and it only makes sense to run blockchain-based investment systems with smart contract and token testing tools." In addition to monitoring tokens and contracts for expected performance, EY has developed patent-pending simulation software that allows organizations to test token behavior against likely transaction scenarios using real data from the public Ethereum blockchain. Brody says: "It's not enough to test static code, we need to see how contracts and tokens perform under real transaction conditions. The simulator allows many different transaction scenarios to be tested using the full Ethereum blockchain, without changing its state. This includes all kinds of standard activities like code updates, lock-up rules and transfer restrictions." The EY Smart Contract testing service will be integrated into EY Blockchain Analyzer, the organization's blockchain analytics, tax and monitoring platform later in 2019 for general availability. In addition to EY Smart Contract Analyzer, EY has announced a suite of blockchain solutions and upgrades at the EY Global Blockchain Summit including the release of the first generation of EY Ops Chain Public Edition into the public domain, as well as the second generation of EY Ops Chain and EY Blockchain Analyzer. Notes to Editors About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients. Kailyn Smigelski EY Global Media Relations +1 973 715 3624 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ey-launches-smart-contract-testing-service-for-blockchain-clients-300833134.html SOURCE EY [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] ANA (All Nippon Airways) Selects OpenJaw Technologies as their NDC Platform of Choice DUBLIN, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenJaw and ANA (All Nippon Airways) collaborate to create a new state-of-the-art booking platform. All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan's largest and only 5-Star airline for seven consecutive years, has selected OpenJaw Technologies to provide its New Distribution Capability (NDC) platform. This advanced travel retailing platform will allow ANA to connect with multiple distribution partners, personalise fare offers, and provide consumers with a consistent retailing experience across all channels. The OpenJaw t-Retail NDC Platform will help ANA grow its global business by enabling the airline to use the platform to connect, distribute and consistently merchandise its award-winning products using IATA's NDC standard. The objective for the platform is to enable distribution partners to link directly to ANA's reservation system in the second half of fiscal year 2019. The airline has also selected the OpenJaw t-Data Platform for its analytics capability to give real-time insight. "OpenJaw is a perfect partner for ANA since both companies place an emphasis on setting the standard for excellence in their respective industries," said Akihiko Miura, Executive Vice President of ANA. "As we collaborate to streamline the booking process, ANA is proud to have a partner that shares its values." "ANA always strives to innovate and bring the latest technology to passengers to improve safety, convenience and efficiency," said Mitsuo Tomita, Senior Vice President of ANA. "NDC will enhance flexibility and have the potential to improve sales. We are planning to integrate the NDC platform in an intuitive way so that ANA will become Japan's NDC leader." "We are proud to have been chosen as ANA's preferred technology partner for NDC," said Kieron Branagan, CEO of OpenJaw Technologies. "The IATA Airline NDC standard will enable airlines to transform the way air products are retailed by addressing the industry's current distribution limitations. OpenJaw is an IATA NDC and IATA ONE Order Strategic Partner with Level 3 NDC Certification. We are committed to transforming irline retailing through the use of NDC standards to create a community of NDC enabled airlines. OpenJaw is looking forward to our collaboration with ANA to deliver a leading-edge airline NDC solution." The new ANA NDC platform will represent a shift in how ANA tickets will be purchased through distribution partners and will set the standard for convenience, while also delivering wider opportunities for consumers to purchase optional services such as lounge access. ANA will also provide the latest in-flight seat and service content, allowing passengers to make more informed choices. Once the ANA NDC platform has been launched, ANA will add further well-known airfare aggregators to expand access to more distribution partners, such as travel agents and service providers. About ANA Following the "Inspiration of Japan" high quality of service, ANA has been awarded the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from SKYTRAX. ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious designation six years in a row. Additionally, ANA has been recognized by Air Transport World as "Airline of the Year" three times in the past 10 years - 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few airlines to win this prestigious award for multiple times. ANA was founded in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 80 international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual-hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two airports in metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same-day connections between various North American, Asian and Chinese cities. ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Besides the full service and award winner carrier ANA, the ANA Group has two LCCs as consolidated subsidiaries, Vanilla Air Inc. and Peach Aviation Limited. The ANA Group carried 53.8 million passengers in FY2017 and has approximately 39,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Visit http://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/ About OpenJaw Technologies OpenJaw Technologies is reimagining the future of travel retailing with new platforms, new products and new partnerships. OpenJaw customers include the world's biggest travel brands: All Nippon Airways (ANA), British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Comair, Iberia, Aeroplan, Loyalty One, Asia Miles, Kulula.com, Shenzhen Airlines, Four Seasons, Avis, Color Line, Tibet Airlines, China United Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines. OpenJaw has three platforms designed to create and capture value right across the new customer journey: OpenJaw t-Retail, OpenJaw t-Data and OpenJaw t-Social, creating a unified platform ecosystem: OpenJaw t-Retail is the most powerful retailing platform in online travel. t-Retail delivers dynamic bundling of flights, seats, bags, hotels, car hire, lounge, attractions, insurance and transfers to create an unlimited combination of offers presented seamlessly across all distribution channels OpenJaw t-Data is a Big Data platform that delivers end-to-end personalised retailing, on demand and in the cloud, and empowers travel retailers to successfully create individualised experiences for customers wherever and whenever they engage OpenJaw t-Social fuses social messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger & WeChat with artificial intelligence (AI) to automate customer servicing at scale, capture additional revenue and reduce costs. OpenJaw is a subsidiary of TravelSky Technology Limited, the dominant provider of information technology solutions for China's aviation and travel industry. OpenJaw has its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in Galway (Ireland), Madrid (Spain), Krakow (Poland), Hong Kong and Dalian (Greater China). Visit www.openjawtech.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ana-all-nippon-airways-selects-openjaw-technologies-as-their-ndc-platform-of-choice-300833422.html SOURCE OpenJaw Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] Cloudflare Launches AMP Real URL to Give Publishers and Site Owners More Control Over Their Brands Cloudflare, the leading Internet performance and security company, today announced that it is launching AMP Real URL to give Accelerated (News - Alert) Mobile Pages (AMP) publishers the ability to display content under their own unique domains, rather than AMP-generated domains. With AMP Real URL, Cloudflare customers using AMP can get all the performance benefits of AMP without sending visitors to a domain they do not control. The AMP Project, founded by Google (News - Alert), is an open-source initiative aimed at optimizing mobile content and making it available anywhere, instantly. AMP is great at providing content quickly to users and is especially crucial for driving traffic to eCommerce sites and news publishers. Google Search directs Internet users to AMP-enabled results (identified by a lightning bolt). Historically, AMP required the Google URL to appear in a browser's address bar, meaning that publishers could not display their own domains and direct visitors to their own sites. AMP Real URL keeps traffic on publishers' sites, giving them control over their pages, analytics, and the way their content is displayed to users. To build this at scale, Cloudflare worked with Google to implement an emerging standard called Signed Exchanges. This technology, paired with Cloudflare's global network of 175 data centers in 75+ countries, allows Cloudflare to digitally sign each AMP page it delivers to Google's AMP Cache. Supported browsers will now show actual domains (example.com) instead of the Google AMP URL (google.com/amp/example.com) so that publishers can control their own cookies, analytics, and brand in their URL bar. Cloudflare is currently the only company with a CDN solution to implement AMP Signed Exchanges. Cloudflare customers can enable this feature with one-click on their dashboards, and it will roll out over the next few weeks. "The AMP Project has allowed site owners and publishers to deliver fast content globally and monetize their sites. We've enjoyed working with Cloudflare to develop solutions to make AMP the best it can be" said Malte Ubl, Technical Lead for the AMP Project at Google. "Cloudflare Workers made this seamless to develop and deploy, and will help scale better AMP URLs to the web community." Publishers and website owners using Cloudflare and AMP will experience: Brand Protection: Instead of featuring content on a Google domain, publishers will now be able to direct AMP traffic to their primary website domain. Instead of featuring content on a Google domain, publishers will now be able to direct AMP traffic to their primary website domain. Easier Analytics: AMP Real URL greatly simplifies web analytics for its users by ensuring all visitors, AMP or otherwise, can coexist on the same domain. AMP Real URL greatly simplifies web analytics for its users by ensuring all visitors, AMP or otherwise, can coexist on the same domain. Increased Screen Space: Publishers can enjoy more space to display their content on mobile screens. Previously, publishers using AMP had to make room for a "grey bar" at the top of their pages-space they could otherwise use for their own branding and monetization purposes. Publishers can enjoy more space to display their content on mobile screens. Previously, publishers using AMP had to make room for a "grey bar" at the top of their pages-space they could otherwise use for their own branding and monetization purposes. Reduced Bounce Rate: Website visitors may be more likely to stay on sites with publisher-branded domains. Website visitors may be more likely to stay on sites with publisher-branded domains. Content Signing: By relying on cryptographic techniques, AMP Real URL ensures that the content delivered to visitors has not been manipulated, protecting the sites and brands it is used on. "AMP has been a great solution to improve the performance of the Internet and we were eager to work with the AMP Project to help eliminate one of AMP's biggest issues-that it wasn't served from a publisher's perspective," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "As the only provider currently enabling this new solution, our global scale will allow publishers everywhere to benefit from a faster and more brand-aware mobile experience for their content." Media, eCommerce, and recruiting organizations are eager to use AMP Real URL to further take advantage of the benefits of AMP: "AMP has played a key role in helping us to more effectively reach our audience and develop our online community," said Andrew Warner, CTO of Genius (News - Alert). "We're keen to use AMP Real URL to better manage our online presence and keep our users engaged on the site." "AMP is a crucial part of helping our business to grow and reach consumers everywhere," said Sumantro Das, Senior Director, Product Innovations & Growth Brands GM, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "With AMP Real URL, we now have more control over our brand and can run analytics on our business site." "The performance benefits of AMP deliver value to our business and we are excited to see how AMP Real URL is able to take that even further," said Solomon Moskalenko, Director of Interactive, US Xpress Trucking, The Johnson Group. AMP Real URL is built on top of the same Cloudflare Workers infrastructure which thousands of developers use to deploy code on top of Cloudflare's global network. Today, Cloudflare customers can enable AMP Real URL, for free. To learn more about AMP Real URL, check out the resources below. AMP Real URL Product Page AMP Real URL Blog About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world's largest networks that powers more than 10 trillion requests per month, accounting for 10 percent of all Internet requests. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Company Cultures list, and ranked among the World's 10 Most Innovative Enterprise Companies by Fast Company. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA (News - Alert), Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Washington, D.C., London, Munich, Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006056/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] Tech for Good - Aruna Wins Alipay-NUS Enterprise Social Innovation Challenge for Using Digital Technology to Raise Incomes of Fishermen The Alipay-NUS Enterprise Social Innovation Challenge ("Challenge"), jointly launched by Alipay, the world's leading payment and lifestyle platform, operated by Ant Financial Services Group (Ant Financial), and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), today announced Indonesian start-up Aruna as the grand finals winner. Aruna was chosen based on its use of digital technology to help fishermen in Indonesia improve their livelihoods through better market access and fairer trading opportunities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006073/en/ Professor Wong Poh Kam, Senior Director, NUS Entrepreneurship Centre (1st from the left); Jing Huang, Senior Director, Head of 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion programme, Ant Financial (2nd from the left); and Mehmet Mumcuoglu, Regional Portfolio Manager, Financial Institutions Group in East Asia and the Pacific, IFC (5th from the left) presenting certificates of recognition to the finalists of the Alipay-NUS Enterprise Social Innovation Challenge.(Photo: Business Wire) Video: Recap of Alipay-NUS Enterprise Social Innovation Challenge Most of Indonesia's 2.7 million fishermen live under the poverty line and contributed 25 percent to the national poverty rate, the Antara news agency reported this month, citing data from the country's Marine and Fisheries Ministry. By connecting fishermen and potential customers through Aruna's online platform, the start-up is able to dramatically reduce transaction costs, helping the fishermen raise selling prices by as much as 20%, while buyers can pay up to 15% less. Aruna has served 1,701 fisherman groups in 16 provinces. "We are very excited. This is the first time we have won international recognition for our work. We will next work on further growing our team and help more fishermen out of poverty," said Farid Naufal Aslam, CEO of Aruna. Aruna will receive a total of S$60,000 as the grand finals winner, while the other eight finalists from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will walk away with S$10,000 each. These nine start-ups will also be given support from NUS Enterprise, Alipay, special partner International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other supporting partners of the Challenge, to further develop their ideas. <> "Southeast Asia's Internet economy is growing fast and is projected to exceed US$240 billion in gross merchandise value by 2025. Against the backdrop of this rapid digital transformation, there is great potential and immense opportunities to use technology to address issues in our local societies," said Professor Wong Poh Kam, Senior Director, NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, a division of NUS Enterprise. "To create a positive and sustainable impact on our society we need to encourage more tech entrepreneurs to apply their entrepreneurial talents to solve social problems with innovative technologies and business models. This is why we are collaborating with Alipay to build a supportive environment for nurturing such impact-driven tech entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia." In addition to the cash prize, the winner and all other finalists will benefit from the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion programme, jointly established by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and Special Partner of the Challenge, and Alipay. The comprehensive training programme supports the cultivation of 10,000 technology experts in emerging markets from both public and private sectors over the next 10 years. Since its launch in October 2018, the 10x1000 programme has conducted preliminary surveys to optimise its training modules and has hosted a number of training and exchange activities. "We believe technology is the greatest driver of social good in this era," said Geoff Jiang, Vice President, General Manager of Technology and Business Innovation Group at Ant Financial." Since the launch of the social innovation challenge, we have seen some of Southeast Asia's most innovative solutions to address pressing issues, such as alleviating the strain on societies that comes with a growing ageing population, increasing income for fishermen and farmers, and effectively and ethically managing waste. Building on the success of the Challenge, we look forward to further supporting the teams under the framework of the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion programme." The winner and all other finalists will also receive mentorship and incubation support from NUS Enterprise for a period of three months, as well as access to its BLOCK71, an ecosystem builder and global connector community with co-working spaces in Singapore, Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Suzhou and San Francisco. About Alipay Operated by Ant Financial Services Group, Alipay is the world's leading payment and lifestyle platform. Launched in 2004, Alipay currently serves over one billion users with its local e-wallets partners. Over the years, Alipay has evolved from a digital wallet to a lifestyle enabler. Users can hail a taxi, book a hotel, buy movie tickets, pay utility bills, make doctors appointments, or purchase wealth management products directly from the app. In addition to online payments, Alipay is expanding to in-store offline payments domestically in China and internationally. Alipay's in-store payment service covers over 50 markets around the world, and tax reimbursement via Alipay is supported in 35 markets. Alipay works with over 250 overseas financial institutions and payment solution providers to enable cross-border payments for Chinese overseas travellers and overseas customers who purchase products from Chinese e-commerce sites. Alipay currently supports 27 currencies. 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 www.nus.edu.sg. About NUS Enterprise NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), plays a pivotal role in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship at NUS and beyond. It actively promotes entrepreneurship and cultivates global mind-sets and talents through the synergies of experiential entrepreneurial education, active industry partnerships, holistic entrepreneurship support and catalytic entrepreneurship outreach. Its initiatives and global connections support a range of entrepreneurial journeys and foster ecosystem building in new markets. These initiatives augment and complement the University's academic programmes and act as a unique bridge to industry well beyond Singapore's shores. For more information, please visit www.enterprise.nus.edu.sg View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190416006073/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 16, 2019] Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hosts an Evening with Legislative Leadership BLAIR, Neb., April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Plains Communications, the largest independent telecommunications provider in the state of Nebraska, was proud to participate with the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry as they hosted "An Evening With Legislative Leadership" on Tuesday, April 9 at the Embassy Suites hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. During the event, Nebraska Chamber members were given the opportunity to interact with attending Nebraska Senators and hear from the Nebraska Legislatures leaders during the prime of their current session. The event format was a discussion panel that included Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer; Appropriations Committee Chair, John Stinner; Chair of the Revenue Committee, Lou Ann Linehan; Chair of the Education Committee, Mike Groene and Chair of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, Curt Friesen. The panel was moderated by Todd Foje, Acting Chairman of the Nebraska Chamber Board of Directors and CEO of Great Plains Communications. This event is a great opportunity for chamber members to address issues that are important to their businesses, industries and communities with their political leaders, said Foje. The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry is proud to be able to bring our leaders and our members together to make these discussions possible as we continue to advocate for economic developent, job creation, a friendlier tax climate, less burdensome regulation for business, and an adequate workforce offering qualified employees. During the discussion, panelists answered questions regarding workforce, business incentives, tax structure and the issues they found most pressing in front of their committees. About the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Nebraska Chamber is the only statewide, broad-based business association. The Nebraska Chamber represents the interests of businesses of all sizes and sectors in nearly every county in Nebraska. Members range from main street businesses to sole proprietorships, from leading industry associations to large corporations. They all share one thing in common they count on the State Chamber to promote and protect Nebraskas free enterprise system. The Nebraska Chamber is affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. They have proudly served as the voice of Nebraskas business community for more than a century. About Great Plains Communications Great Plains Communications is the largest privately-owned telecommunications provider in Nebraska. The company provides over 90 communities across the state with high-speed Internet, cable television, and voice services. Business solutions range from traditional and cloud-based voice and data products to installation and support of large business networks with scalable Internet and Ethernet solutions. At the core of its service offering is an extensive 9,500-mile regional fiber network including over 400 fiber miles in the Omaha Metro area. The network extends beyond Nebraska into Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wyoming offering community access rings, last-mile, and middle-mile solutions, all fully supported by their 24x7x365 Network Operations Center. The company is financially strong with over a century of experience providing reliable and innovative solutions. Great Plains Communications is privately owned by Grain Management, LLC: a leading private equity firm focused on investments in the Communications sector. For more information visit www.gpcom.com . Laura Kocher, [email protected], 4024566429 Great Plains Communications [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] REA Group announces strategic partnership with 58 Group on syndication of over 50,000 Australian residential property listings for Chinese buyers HONG KONG, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- REA Group, a multinational digital advertising business specialising in property, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership between its online platform Myfun and one of China's leading online real estate listing platforms under 58 Group, Anjuke. This partnership will allow Myfun to leverage Anjuke's presence in the market, which covers more than 600 cities and counties, to further expand its footprint in mainland China, while Anjuke further enriches its business by providing international properties to Chinese users. As part of the partnership, Myfun will syndicate Australian residential properties, including daily updates on over 50,000 residential listings on Anjuke's platform. Liaison services will also be provided by Myfun to help users throughout their property journey, while data points such as monthly median price, rental price and annual growth rate of listings in Australia will help Chinese buyers understand the Australian market. Nationally listed properties will be featured, as well as specific listings for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast localities. "As a leading online real estate listing platform in China, Anjuke has an edge over the market in terms of the coverage of cities, number of listings and wide variety of property agent brand and broker options," said 58 Group's Senior Vice President and Anjuke's Chief Operation Officer Jeff Ye. "The collaboration with REA Group will provide a broader range of information and data to our users. At the same time, Anjuke will provide further resources to show qualitative property listings and market updates to global users for properties in Australia and other markets through the syndication of data and supplementary sharing of resources and technology with REA Group." Regarding the future prospects of this partnership with REA Group, Jeff Ye also mentioned, "REA Group is equipped with mature management experience and competitive advantages in the industry, with their professionalism in providing property information, development of a property agent network, management of property listings and analysis of property-relaed data. In the near future, Anjuke and REA Group will continue to have deepened communication and collaboration on technological innovation by adoption of big data analytics, interactive property information display and optimisation of the online platform. We hope to be a role model in the online real estate platform industry in China." Mr. Kenneth Kent, General Manager -- REA Greater China commented: "Our partnership with Anjuke opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior property search experience to buyers in China. We are excited to announce this partnership as it marks an important step in connecting Chinese buyers with global property markets. It aligns with our core strategy on many fronts and will help provide Chinese investors with greater insight, enabling them to make more informed decisions across a broader suite of international property opportunities." "This partnership opens a new chapter for us, with further collaboration already under discussion. In the foreseeable future, we will be happy to extend the partnership in terms of rental and commercial listings syndication, and other B2B connection opportunities as well as expansion of other market listings beyond Australia." About REA Group REA Group Limited (www.rea-group.com): REA Group Limited ACN 068 349 066 (ASX:REA) ("REA Group") is a multinational digital advertising business specialising in property. REA Group operates Australia's leading residential, commercial and share property websites - realestate.com.au, realcommercial.com.au, Flatmates.com.au -- as well as Spacely, a short-term commercial and co-working property site. In Asia, REA Group owns leading portals in Malaysia (iproperty.com.my), Hong Kong (squarefoot.com.hk) and Indonesia (rumah123.com), and prominent portals in Singapore (iproperty.com.sg), Hong Kong (Gohome.com.hk) and China (myfun.com), and a leading property review site in Thailand (thinkofliving.com). REA Group owns Smartline Home Loans Pty Ltd, an Australian mortgage broking franchise group, and Hometrack Australia Pty Ltd, a leading provider of data property services. REA Group also holds a significant shareholding in property websites Move, Inc in the US and PropTiger in India. About Myfun: Myfun.com is designed for the Chinese market to make finding property overseas easy. Myfun connects Chinese property buyers to find home worldwide, provides Chinese buyers a better experience with property information by a team of Property Liaison Specialists to connect the overseas real estate agents, brokers, and property developers and provides professional advices. About 58.com Inc. 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) operates China's largest online marketplace for classifieds, as measured by monthly unique visitors on both its www.58.com website and mobile applications. The Company's online marketplace enables local merchants and consumers to connect, share information and conduct business. 58.com's broad, in-depth and high quality local information combined with its easy-to-use website and mobile applications has made it a trusted marketplace for consumers. 58.com's strong brand recognition, large and growing user base, merchant network and massive database of local information create a powerful network effect. The Company is comprised of 58.com and Ganji, the multi-content category online classifieds platform, Anjuke, a real estate listing platform, ChinaHR, an online recruitment platform that focuses on white-collar jobs, Jia Xiao Yi Dian Tong, an online platform for driver's license examination preparation and other related services, Zhuan Zhuan, an online used goods trading and service platform and 58 Town, a rural version of 58.com. About Anjuke Anjuke was launched in 2007 and acquired and consolidated by 58.com Inc. in March 2015. It is currently one of the leading real estate listing platforms and is focused mainly on real estate sales in both secondary and primary markets, whereas the housing categories on 58.com and Ganji platforms mainly focus on rental and secondary housing sales. SOURCE REA Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Global Technology Innovator Danny Manu Joins Quanta Networks Inc. Danny Manu, most famous for inventing Mymanu CLIK wireless earbuds, will join Canadian-based Quanta Networks Inc. as Global Technology Engineer. Quanta Networks has created the first fully decentralized Blockchain compliant communications system. Quanta enables "facility free" networks mobile devices form their own networks without the need for cell towers. TORONTO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Danny Manu, most famous for inventing Mymanu CLIK wireless earbuds, will join Canadian-based Quanta Networks Inc. as Global Technology Engineer. Quanta Networks has created the first fully decentralized Blockchain compliant communications system. Quanta enables "facility free" networks mobile devices form their own networks without the need for cell towers. "I'm impressed with such a revolutionary idea from Quanta Networks. As an innovator, I'm really excited to be part of such a project to develop a solution to improve people's lives," said Danny Manu. "Danny Manu is key to support our mission of a totally secure, global mobile solution" said Marc Hurst, President & Managing Director of Quanta Networks Inc. "He brings engineering and international product commercialization experience to our team." Manu is the company's first executive advisor engagement outside of North America and signals the support Quanta Networks has in the tech community for its ground-breaking solution. Rapid progress on roadmap milestones are expected in the coming months. Quanta Networks is a telecommunication company based in Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2017, the company's mission is to solve global telecom security and data issues affecting five billion mobile users worldwide. https://quantanetworks.io/ Danny Manu invented Mymanu CLIK, the world's first truly wireless earbuds and a live voice translation system. Prior, he worked for many years as a music producer with top global musicians producing hits reaching the top 10 charts. He then joined one of the world's leading aerospace engineering companies as an Aerospace Engineer and Product Developer. His international work combines his passion for music, programming, technology and innovation. Contact Name: Marc Hurst, President Business: Quanta Networks Inc. Phone: 001 905 769 0839 Email: [email protected] Website: quantanetworks.io Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/872210/QuantaNetworks_Logo.jpg [April 17, 2019] UENI - After Putting Thousands of Businesses of Europe Online, it is Now Eyeing India's Small Businesses VADODARA, India, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers, nowadays, go online to search for answers. Need a beautician, search online. Need a good salon, search online. Need a doctor, search online. Unfortunately, the answers to these questions for various small and micro businesses are not online. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/873182/UENI_Logo.jpg ) According to the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, there are more than 63 million MSMEs accounting for 45% of industrial production and 30.5% of the services sector. But, more than 68% of businesses are not online today. UENI aims at bringing the local businesses online by providing everything from design, hosting, content, and SEO for free. After developing more than 10,000 websites for small business owners of countries like the UK, Spain, USA, Germany, and France, India was the next logical step in UENI's expansion plans. Talking about why India is a great market for UENI, Christine Telan, Co-founder of UENI and a Harvard Business School graduate, says, "There are a few elements that make India a great fit for UENI's expansion. First, the sheer size of the market: there are 60 million microbusinesses in India, roughly twice the number of the United States. The concentration of microbusinesses as a percentage of total SME's is much higher in India (around 95%) than in other markets like the US and Canada (50%). Second, more than 68% of India's micro & small businesses are not online. Additionally, the Indian market is a world leader in mobile use: Indians now access the Internet through their mobiles nearly 80% of the time, proving the bigger need for a mobile-first solution like UENI offers." UENI's mission is simple: bring local businesses online. When asked, most small business owners recognise the importance of being online. So why isn't this already the case? The time, cost and complexity of creating and maintaining a relevant online presence are significant barriers for small businesses. Asked about UENI's benefits to Indian small businesses, Telyan says, "We help these smallest businesses get started with a professionally built and maintain an online presence, search engine optimisation, mobile-friendly design, hosting, domain and email, and essential online marketing. Micro businesses have little to lose as UENI's starter plan is free but a lot to gain as there are not many platforms offering businesses such a high-quality freemium product." UENI today delivers to the thousands of businesses every month a fully-built online presence and access to customers searching online. For more information, visit https://ueni.com/. About UENI UENI builds specifically for small business owners. Unlike website builders or digital agencies, UENI delivers a fully built website and listings on trusted, high traffic platforms with very little input from the business and for a very low cost. In fact, our starter product is free. Media Contact: Maulee Chainani [email protected] +91-9687029203 Digital Advertiser - India UENI Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Aerohive Achieves Record Q1 Revenue in EMEA Aerohive Networks (NYSE: HIVE), a leader in cloud-managed networking, today announced it has achieved record Q1 revenue across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). In 2019, Aerohive (News - Alert) experienced the best-ever Q1 revenue and brought on more than 600 new customers across all EMEA areas. Aerohive's EMEA record revenue was a reflection of increased demand for the company's cloud-managed networking architecture based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), along with an increased demand for 802.11ax products, and the adoption of its new Aerohive A3 cloud-managed NAC security solution. In fact, customers in central Europe who had previously resisted migrating to the Cloud, are now embracing it, leading to over 100 percent year-over-year growth in our cloud business in that region. "Aerohive is 100 percent committed to the channel and remains dedicated to our partners' success," said David Flynn, president and chief executive officer, Aerohive Networks (News - Alert). "Our partner-centric solutions, built on our continuous innovation around the Cloud, AI, and ML deliver the fastest path to increasing margins and opportunities for new services and reoccurring revenue - and our strategic EMEA partners continue to prove this quarter over quarter." "We focus on cloud-first solutions that secure or enable the cloud, or are managed or delivered by the cloud, hence the name of our company," said Greg Harris, co-founder and director, Cloud Distribution UK. "Our partnership with Aerohive has helped us and our partners grow rapidly and solve problems for our customers that were previously thought unsolvable." "Aerohive has benefited significantly in the Netherlands from several recent first-to-market innovations, growing their market share to 10.2 percent of the Wi-Fi installed base [SmartProfile, March 2019]," said Berry van Waayenburg, general manager, Netherlands, Exclusive Networks. "Aerohive's business model significantly changed over the last six months, which enabled us at Futura 100 percent increased growth compared to the same period a year ago," said Ed de Wilde, managing director, Netherlands, Futura B.V. "We have been a long-term partner of Aerohive and have seen a completely new Aerohive over the past six months, with an intense focus on loud and a high rate of innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning," said Andreas Bechtold, director, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria markets, Infinigate. About Aerohive Networks Aerohive uses Cloud Management, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence to radically simplify and secure the Access Network. Our Cloud-Managed Wireless, Switching, Routing, and Security technologies provide unrivalled flexibility in deployment, management, and licensing. Credited with pioneering Controller-less Wi-Fi and Cloud Management, Aerohive delivers continuous innovation at Cloud-speed that constantly challenges the industry norm, allowing customers to rethink what's possible. Our innovations and global cloud footprint radically simplify Access Network operation for 30,000+ customers and 10+ million daily users. See how at www.aerohive.com/customers. Aerohive was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Milpitas, CA (News - Alert). For more information, please visit www.aerohive.com, call us at 408-510-6100, follow us on Twitter @Aerohive, subscribe to our blog, or become a fan on our Facebook page. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Aerohive business opportunities in the EMEA region, new Aerohive product and service offerings and statements regarding their expected performance, market receptiveness and competitive advantage. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult or impossible to predict. The actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of these uncertainties, risk and changes in circumstances, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: general demand for wireless networking in the industry verticals targeted or demand for Aerohive products in particular, unpredictable and changing market conditions, risks associated with the deployment, performance and adoption of new products and services, risks associated with our growth, competitive pressures from existing and new companies, technological change, product development delays, our inability to protect Aerohive intellectual property or to predict or limit exposure to third party claims relating to its or Aerohive's intellectual property, and general market, political, regulatory, economic and business conditions in the United States and internationally. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect Aerohive's financial and operating results are included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in the Company's recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Aerohive's SEC (News - Alert) filings are available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://ir.aerohive.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and Aerohive Networks disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law. "Aerohive," "Aerohive Networks" and "HiveManager" are registered trademarks and "Aerohive A3" is a trademark of Aerohive Networks, Inc. All product and company names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005171/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Haven Tower Group Builds Out Digital Marketing And Brand Strategy Capabilities With Launch Of Marketing Data Services Platform LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Haven Tower Group, LLC ("Haven Tower"), a strategic public relations and marketing solutions agency focused on the retail wealth management space, today announced the build-out of its digital marketing and brand strategies group with the launch of its new marketing data services platform. As part of this launch, Haven Tower also named Craig Engelman as an Associate Principal, with responsibility for leading the platform. The new platform integrates seamlessly with the firm's existing services, and encompasses an array of solutions designed to enable Haven Tower's clients to best leverage data and technology to target, test, measure and optimize marketing communications programs. The platform's services also provide opportunities for Haven Tower clients to develop, implement and spotlight one-time and regularly recurring data-rich surveys and other forms of data-driven thought leadership, on a turnkey basis, for use across media relations and paid content. Joseph Kuo, Haven Tower's President & Managing Partner, said, "The launch of Haven Tower's marketing data services platform underscores our longstanding commitment to deliver an exceptionally high-touch service experience for our clients, while continuing to ladder everything we do up to our clients' strategic business goals. This new platform takes our passion for developing client stories in compelling new ways to an entirely new level, by delivering data that both validates the narratives we craft in partnership with our clients, and can be deployed to inform the creation and implementation of key growth marketing initiatives." Data services can be offered on an a la carte or annual ongoing basis, and include: Financial advisor and retail investor client segmentation Lead generation, lead nurturing and lead scoring, as well as response modeling One-time as well as recurring CRM and marketing audits Support in developing customized CRM and marketing automation partnershis One-time, monthly and quarterly data insights reporting Subject-specific surveys that can be seamlessly utilized for media and marketing campaigns st Global, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Engelman was Vice President, Marketing Insights at LPL Financial, the nation's largest independent broker-dealer and leading corporate RIA and custodian, where he consulted with sales, marketing and technology teams on lead generation strategies, marketing automation implementations, CRM integration and other enterprise-wide strategic initiatives. Mr. Kuo concluded, "Over the past eight years, Haven Tower has established its leadership as an agency partner for the retail wealth management space, by delivering a constant level of senior expertise, together with our firmwide bias for strategies that create tangible results, to the clients we're privileged to serve. By empowering our client companies with an enhanced level of marketing-relevant data, we are enhancing our ability to drive actionable insights that can further support the success of our clients." About Haven Tower Group, LLC Haven Tower Group, LLC is a strategic public relations and marketing solutions agency focused on the retail wealth management space. Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, with a satellite presence in San Diego and Seattle, Haven Tower encompasses 15 professionals who provide comprehensive PR, marketing and brand strategy services to businesses across the country. While the agency's clients range from some of the largest firms in the retail financial services space to smaller and mid-sized enterprises, they all share a recognition of the importance of effective reputation management, strategic communications and public visibility to business growth and success. Haven Tower's clients include independent broker-dealers, registered investment adviser (RIA) and other wealth management firms, as well as a wide spectrum of industry associations, asset managers, third-party consultancies, boutique investment banks, lenders, fintech enterprises and other businesses that rely on the retail wealth management space. For more information, please visit www.haventower.com. Media Contacts : Mitch Manning or Ryan McClune Haven Tower Group LLC New Office Line: 424 317 4850* [email protected] or [email protected] *Please note Haven Tower professionals' phone numbers have changed. Visit the Contact Us section of HavenTower.com for updated contact information. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/haven-tower-group-builds-out-digital-marketing-and-brand-strategy-capabilities-with-launch-of-marketing-data-services-platform-300833428.html SOURCE Haven Tower Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Ramsay Generale de Sante Deploys Elsevier's ClinicalKey PARIS, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ramsay Generale de Sante, a leader in its sector, is the first private hospital in France to deploy ClinicalKey, a clinical knowledge solution from Elsevier, the global information analytics business specializing in science and health. With its intelligent search engine and rich content including Haute Authorite de Sante (HAS) best practices recommendations, journals, books and EMC Treaties ClinicalKey will enable practitioners to quickly access the latest evidence-based medical and scientific information to support their clinical research and clinical decisions. "The implementation of ClinicalKey is further evidence of our commitment to our practitioners and staff in our institutions to integrate the tools that enable them to conduct research at the highest level and provide the best quality of care. More than 1,000 practitioners of the Ramsay Generale de Sante Group in France participate in research work and represent the first community of private sector researchers in France," said Dr. Stephane Locret, Research and Education Director of Ramsay Generale de Sante. The deployment of ClinicalKey at Ramsay Generale de Sante will provide researchers with a reliable, relevant and comprehensive resource to support and strengthen their publications. This confirms the Group's ambition to enhance the value of its physicians' dynamic clinical research activity, to facilitate its development and to be an officially recognized player in this field. "Across France, Ramsay Generale de Sante welcomes over two million patients every year and offers a full range of hospital care including medicine, surgery, obstetrics, follow-up care and rehabilitation, and mental health," said Tim Hawkins, Managing Director for Clinical Solutions, EMEALAAP, Elsevier. "The quality and breadth of knowledge ClinicalKey provides is an ideal solution to ensure all of their staff are supported with the latest clinical best-practice." About Ramsay Generale de Sante After the successful acquisition of Capio AB Group in 2018, Ramsay Generale de Sante is becoming one of te leaders of the hospitalisation and primary care in Europe with 36,000 employees and 8,600 practitioners serving 7 million patients in our 310 establishments in six countries: France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy. Ramsay Generale de Sante offers almost all medical and surgical care in three jobs: general hospitals (medicine surgery obstetric), follow-up care and rehabilitation clinics, mental health. In all its territories, the group develops missions of public service and contributes to the territorial sanitary disposal, as in Sweden with more than 100 proximity care units. The quality and security of care is the group's priority in all its countries. That's why our group is today a reference in terms of modern medicine, especially in outpatient care and rapid recovery. Each year, the group invests more than 200M in innovation whether it is in new surgical or imaging technologies, in building or modernising its facilities. The group also innovates with new digital tools to the benefit of its patients or in improving its organisations for more efficient care. www.ramsaygds.fr Facebook: www.facebook.com/RamsayGDS Twitter: www.twitter.com/RamsayGDS LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ramsaygds YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/RamsayGDSante About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com Media contact Christopher Capot, Global Communications Elsevier +1-917-704-5174 [email protected] Marie Grillet Ramsay Generale de Sante +33-6-45-42-91-00 +33-1-83-64-71-81 [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/754760/Elsevier_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ramsay-generale-de-sante-deploys-elseviers-clinicalkey-300833691.html SOURCE Elsevier [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] CorMedix Completes Sale of $5.4 Million of NOL Tax Benefits Through New Jersey Economic Development Authority Program BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CorMedix Inc. (NYSE American: CRMD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflammatory disease, today announced that it has completed the previously announced sale of $5.4 million of NOL tax benefits to two unrelated, profitable New Jersey corporations through the New Jersey Economic Development Authoritys New Jersey Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer program for State Fiscal Year 2018. As a result, the Company has received approximately $5.1 million in cash from the sale of these NOL tax benefits. We are pleased to have closed on this transaction, said Khoso Baluch, CorMedix CEO. The funding bolsters our cash runway as we continue to move the Neutrolin development program forward. The New Jersey Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer (NOL) program enables qualified, unprofitable NJ-based technology or biotechnology companies with fewer than 225 U.S. employees (including parent company and all subsidiaries) to sell a percentage of net operating losses and research and development (R&D) tax credits to unrelated profitable corporations. NOLs and R&D tax credits may be sold for at least 80 percent of their value, up to a maximum lifetime benefit of $15 million per business. This allows qualifying technology and biotechnology companies with NOLs to turn their tax losses and credits into cash proceeds to fund growth and operations, including research and development or other allowable expenditures. About CorMedix CorMedix Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of infectious and inflamatory diseases. The Company is focused on developing its lead product Neutrolin, a novel, non-antibiotic antimicrobial solution designed to prevent costly and dangerous bloodstream infections associated with the use of central venous catheters, currently in Phase 3 development for patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Such infections cost the U.S. healthcare system approximately $6 billion annually and contribute significantly to increased morbidity and mortality. Neutrolin has FDA Fast Track status and is designated as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product, which provides the potential for priority review of a marketing application by FDA and allows for 5 additional years of QIDP market exclusivity in the event of U.S. approval. Neutrolin is already marketed as a CE Marked product in Europe and other territories. In parallel, CorMedix is leveraging its taurolidine technology to develop a pipeline of antimicrobial medical devices, with active programs in surgical sutures and meshes, and topical hydrogels. The company is also working with top-tier researchers to develop taurolidine-based therapies for rare pediatric cancers. For more information, visit: www.cormedix.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding managements expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or CorMedixs prospects, future financial position, financing plans, future revenues and projected costs should be considered forward-looking. Readers are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from projections or estimates due to a variety of important factors, including: risks relating to the effect of the recently-effected reverse stock split on the Companys stock price and its overall market capitalization; the resources needed to terminate the Phase 3 trial and the costs and time needed to submit a new drug application to the FDA; the risks and uncertainties associated with CorMedixs ability to manage its limited cash resources and the impact on current, planned or future research, including the continued development of Neutrolin and research for additional uses for taurolidine; obtaining additional financing to support CorMedixs research and development and clinical activities and operations; risks related to obtaining FDA approval of the new drug application for Neutrolin; relying on preclinical results that may not be indicative of success in clinical trials and might not be replicated in any subsequent studies or trials; and the ability to retain and hire necessary personnel to staff our operations appropriately. These and other risks are described in greater detail in CorMedixs filings with the SEC, copies of which are available free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or upon request from CorMedix. CorMedix may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in its forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these statements. CorMedix assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Dan Ferry Managing Director LifeSci Advisors 617-535-7746 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Westchester Community College Uses Oracle Cloud to Modernize Education Experience REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Westchester Community College is implementing Oracle Student Cloud solutions to support its goal of providing accessible, high-quality and affordable education to its diverse community. The two-year public college is affiliated with the State University of New York, the nation's largest comprehensive public university system. To keep pace with fast-changing workforce requirements and student expectations, institutions such as Westchester Community College are evolving to improve student outcomes and operational efficiency. This change demands both a new model for teaching, learning and research, as well as better ways to recruit, engage and manage students throughout their lifelong learning experience. "We are committed to student success, academic excellence, and workforce and economic development. To deliver on those promises we needed to leverage the best technology to modernize our operations and how we engage with our students," said Dr. Belinda Miles, president of Westchester Community College, Valhalla, N.Y. "By expanding our Oracle footprint with Oracle Student Cloud we will be able to support a diverse array of academic programs and learning opportunities including continuing education, while delivering better eperiences to our students." Oracle Student Cloud solutions, including Student Management and Recruiting, will integrate seamlessly with Westchester's existing Oracle Campus student information system. With Oracle Student Management, the school will be able to better inform existing and prospective students about classes and services, and Oracle Student Recruiting will improve and simplify the student recruitment process. The college will also be using Oracle Student Engagement to better communicate with and engage current and prospective students. "Oracle Student Cloud enables organizations such as Westchester to promote an increasingly diverse array of academic programs for successful life-long learning," said Vivian Wong, GVP higher education development, Oracle. "We are delighted to partner with Westchester on their cloud transformation journey." Supporting the entire student life cycle, Oracle Student Cloud is a complete suite of higher education cloud solutions, including Student Management, Student Recruiting, Student Engagement, and Student Financial Planning. As a set of modules, designed to work as a suite, institutions are able to choose their own incremental path to the cloud. Additional Resources Oracle Cloud Oracle Higher Education Oracle Student Cloud 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 (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/westchester-community-college-uses-oracle-cloud-to-modernize-education-experience-300833425.html SOURCE Oracle [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Cloudian Launches Global Managed Services Provider Program SAN MATEO, Calif., April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cloudian today announced a new, global Managed Services Provider (MSP) program that makes it easier for MSPs to expand their businesses with high value-add services built on S3-compatible storage. Leveraging the companys limitlessly scalable, feature-rich HyperStore object storage platform and extensive technology partner ecosystem, MSPs can deliver profitable cloud storage solutions that better meet their customers evolving data protection and management needs. According to IDC, within the public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) market, cloud storage services revenues are expected to reach $20 billion in 2019 and more than double to $44 billion in the next three years. IDC also says that opportunities continue to exist for new entrants with targeted offerings.1 Cloudians new program enables MSPs to capitalize on this market growth opportunity with innovative solutions for a range of use cases. These use cases include: Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS). Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS). Archive-as-a-Service (AaaS). Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS). Big Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS). By partnering with Cloudian, MSPs get the benefit of not only limitless, modular scalability but also: Full S3 compatibility to ensure trouble-free application support. Proven compatibility with technology partner solutions in data protection, big data and data management. Integrated management tools such as billing and quality of service controls. Multi-tenancy to provide users with secure, self-managed storage within a shared platform. Geo-distribution for easily managing storage across multiple data centers. Support for SMB/NFS storage services. Choice of configurations, including software-defined storage and pre-configured appliances. Cloudian storage systems offer the compatibility, cost efficiency and application support needed to ensure a profitable business model. They can be deployed as software on industry-standard servers and on virtal machines, or as appliances. Cloudian also provides the flexibility of a consumption-based pricing model, allowing partners to pay only for the capacity they use each month. MSPs interested in joining the program can contact Cloudian at http://bit.ly/2uB6LOC_Contact . In addition, the company will be hosting a webinar to provide further program details on May 9, at 10 a.m. PDT (register at https://cloudian.com/lp/msp-business-growth/ ). Supporting Quotes HyperStores modular scalability, unmatched S3 compatibility and geo-distribution were key factors in our choosing Cloudian as the foundation of our enhanced ProtectCloud service, said Jeff Chaffin, director of cloud and sales operations at Hayes , a leading MSP in Florida. With Cloudian, we also have the flexibility to fully support our customers whether they want to keep all their data with us, retain some of it on-premises in a hybrid cloud model or have us integrate with another cloud service such as AWS Glacier. "Veristor has selected Cloudian as the next-generation object store platform for our managed services solutions because of its efficient appliance model, advanced capabilities and infinite scale, said Michael Stolarczyk, vice president, cloud managed services, at Veristor Systems, Inc. Cloudian is simple to implement, faster to activate and a seamless complement to our ever-evolving data resiliency solutions." More than 100 service providers around the world already rely on Cloudian-powered solutions to help their customers manage and protect their continually growing data volumes and maximize the value of these digital assets, said Jon Toor, chief marketing officer at Cloudian. We look forward to building partnerships with additional MSPs and enabling them to achieve greater growth and profitability by bringing the benefits of our solutions to more users. About Cloudian Cloudian is the most widely deployed independent provider of object storage systems, with the industrys most advanced S3 compatibility and an extensive partnership ecosystem. Its award-winning flagship solution, HyperStore, provides limitless scalability and cloud-like technology, flexibility and economics in the data center. Cloudians global data fabric architecture enables enterprises to store, find and protect object and file data seamlessly across sites, both on-premises and in public clouds, within a single, unified platform. Learn more at www.cloudian.com . Media Contact Jordan Tewell 10Fold Communications [email protected] +1 415-666-6066 1 IDC, Worldwide Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service Forecast, 20182022, doc # US44232218, August 2018 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] IOpipe launches serverless alerts upgrades with PagerDuty PHILADELPHIA, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IOpipe, the leader in serverless dev tooling for monitoring and observability, launched a new product release providing upgraded alerts features with PagerDuty to help developers and operations teams streamline their alerts processes for serverless applications. According to The New Stacks 2018 Survey , serverless adoption has grown by 75 percent since 2017, but developers continue to cite concerns about application performance, risk, and monitoring as drawbacks to building on a serverless architecture. Developers simply cant focus on building amazing applications if theyre stressed about whether theyve properly configured alerts to monitor the behavior of their code across hundreds of serverless functions, said IOpipe CTO Erica Windisch. It's important for alert configuration be both simple and powerful enough to enable teams to manage large complex applications." Through its integration with PagerDuty, a leader in digital operations management, IOpipes latest release is designed to help bridge the serverless alerts gap for enterprise engineering teams. New updates include: Streamlined creation process with built-in alert templates to help developers ship faster Visual indicator to set alert thresholds Alerts on invocation labels for custom filtering by invocation Percentage alerts on errors Ability to update functions on previously existing alerts Simple IOpipe integration through PagerDutys event API to provide advanced incident management functionality for serverless functions Integrating with IOpipes new functionality, PagerDuty allows developers moving to serverless to automate response workflows for issues that could affect their AWS Lambda infrastructure and ensure that the right teams are notified. The new integrations with IOpipes new serverless features aligns with PagerDutys focus on increased automation during service disruptions. As companies undergo digital transformation, developers are facing increased monitoring complexity. As a result, their teams need to filter through the noise to focus on critical issues that matter most to the end-user experience, said Steve Gross, Sr. Director Strategic Ecosystem Development, PagerDuty. Founded in 2016 and used by global brands like Matson, Rackspace, and APM Music, IOpipe offers real-time visibility into the most granular behaviors of todays serverless applications on AWS Lambda. IOpipe makes alerting and troubleshooting a breeze. We can identify problems in our serverless applications faster than ever before, said Paul Nelson, Senior Software Development Manager at Rackspace. To try out the latest IOpipe release, visit https://www.iopipe.com/ and sign up for a free trial. To learn more about automating response workflows for issues that could impact your AWS Lambda infrastructure, check out the IOpipe PagerDuty Integration Guide. About IOpipe As the leader in serverless dev tooling for monitoring and observability, IOpipe offers real-time visibility into the most granular behaviors of todays serverless applications on AWS Lambda. Founded in 2016 by Erica Windisch and Adam Johnson, IOpipe reduces debugging time from hours to seconds, delivers transparent insights into the behaviors and performance of your serverless functions, and reduces risk for enterprises shifting to serverless. Working with global brands like Matson, Rackspace, and APM Music, IOpipe empowers engineering teams to deliver with confidence, debug intelligently, and get busy building the impossible. In other words, IOpipe makes it a lot more fun to be a developer. Visit www.iopipe.com to learn more and try it for free. About PagerDuty PagerDuty is a leader in digital operations management. PagerDuty empowers organizations of all sizes with real-time and data-driven insights to drive better business results. DevOps, ITOps, and SecOps teams use PagerDutys award-winning platform for real-time operations to improve operations, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and accelerate innovation. Today, over 10,500 organizations across all industries have deployed PagerDuty. Notable customers include GE, Box, and American Eagle Outfitters. To learn more and try PagerDuty for free, visit www.pagerduty.com. Follow our blog and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook. Media Contact: John Kinmonth Head of Marketing 206-478-3356 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] New Research from Terbium Labs Shows How Criminals Use Fraud Guides to Exploit and Defraud Organizations for Less than Eight Dollars BALTIMORE, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terbium Labs , the premier dark web intelligence company, today announced the findings of new research examining the market for fraud guides for sale on the dark web and their impact on data security. The report titled, "Fraud Guides 101: Dark Web Lessons on How to Defraud Companies and Exploit Data," analyzed nearly 30,000 guides to determine what fraudsters are selling; what they're teaching; how these guides impact an organization's understanding of data security; and countermeasures that can be taken by organizations to minimize data theft and risk from data exposure. "Fraud guides illustrate the most popular, easy-to-use methods to commit cyber-enabled fraud," shared Emily Wilson, VP of Research at Terbium Labs. "The guides provide unique insights into how cybercriminals think, talk, and operate on the dark web. By evaluating the contents of these guides, we can better understand the dark web fraud trade and deploy effective strategies and technologies to protect our most critical data." The report found that the data most desired by fraudsters, and therefore most at risk, includes: Email Addresses . Terbium researchers found email addresses have the most intrinsic value to fraudsters based on an analysis of which mentions of data types appear in isolation most frequently. They provide fraudsters with a reliable and unique identi?er for phishing campaigns, account takeover, and other fraud-enabling attacks. . Terbium researchers found email addresses have the most intrinsic value to fraudsters based on an analysis of which mentions of data types appear in isolation most frequently. They provide fraudsters with a reliable and unique identi?er for phishing campaigns, account takeover, and other fraud-enabling attacks. Financial Data . Payment cards are the primary financial data type mentioned in fraud guides, referred to in 36% of the guides examined, followed by bank accounts and payment processor information. Fraudsters prefer credit cards to debit cards 85% of the time due to the host of limitations that make debit cards less popular for typical carding schemes. . Payment cards are the primary financial data type mentioned in fraud guides, referred to in 36% of the guides examined, followed by bank accounts and payment processor information. Fraudsters prefer credit cards to debit cards 85% of the time due to the host of limitations that make debit cards less popular for typical carding schemes. Personal Identification Information (PII) . While Social Security Numbers (SSN) are incredibly valuable to fraudsters, they appear less frequently than credentials including usernames, passwords and email addresses. This distribution illustrates a frad community focused on ease of monetization and reliant on the most commonly exposed data types in breaches, as well as the most ubiquitous data types for users operating online accounts. . While Social Security Numbers (SSN) are incredibly valuable to fraudsters, they appear less frequently than credentials including usernames, passwords and email addresses. This distribution illustrates a frad community focused on ease of monetization and reliant on the most commonly exposed data types in breaches, as well as the most ubiquitous data types for users operating online accounts. PII vs. Financial Information . On average, personal information keywords appeared more frequently (in 55.7% of guides) than ?nancial information keywords (44.3%). In most cases, the utility of personal information is its connection to existing ?nancial accounts or as a gateway for fraudsters to open new ?nancial accounts under an assumed identity. Age and Distribution . More guides appear from 2010 than from 2017 and 2018 combined, with 26% of the guides examined being more than a decade old. An overwhelming majority (75%) of materials are duplicates with fraudsters repackaging and reselling the same materials under their own names several times over. . More guides appear from 2010 than from 2017 and 2018 combined, with 26% of the guides examined being more than a decade old. An overwhelming majority (75%) of materials are duplicates with fraudsters repackaging and reselling the same materials under their own names several times over. Cost . Fraud guides are remarkably affordable. The average cost per single guide listing was $3.88 and $12.99 for a collection of guides sold under a single listing. The average price across all listings was $7.80. . Fraud guides are remarkably affordable. The average cost per single guide listing was $3.88 and $12.99 for a collection of guides sold under a single listing. The average price across all listings was $7.80. Materials . Fraud collections focused on identity theft or account creation offered the most supporting materials, including media assets like templates, vector images, official seals or stamps, and examples of legitimate documentation. The expanding threat landscape and new business innovation has organizations spending more than ever to deal with the cost and consequences of sophisticated attacks. In the Ninth Annual Cost of Cybercrime Study , Accenture and the Ponemon Institute found that the average number of security breaches in the last year grew by 11%, the average cost of cybercrime for an organization increased to $13 million (from $1.4), and the total value at risk globally to grow to $5.2 trillion over the next five years. At a time of heightened security risks and an ever-evolving digital landscape, fraud guides are particularly salient. Much like how the fraud guides offer would-be criminals steps for exploiting vulnerabilities and wreaking havoc on systems, in this research Terbium Labs provides a systematic approach that combines technical, legal, and procedural guidance to help organizations and security teams make informed decisions and combat existing threats. Organizations can use the knowledge gathered in this report to evaluate their existing controls and fraud detection services and keep tabs as new exploit techniques emerge. To obtain a copy of the Fraud Guides 101 report, visit: https://go.terbiumlabs.com/lp-wp-fraud-guides-101-ws About Terbium Labs Terbium Labs gives organizations unprecedented visibility into their exposure on the dark web. Leveraging Matchlight, the worlds most comprehensive, continuous and fully private dark-web data monitoring system, along with a team of on-demand analysts to assist with incident response and investigation, Terbium Labs provides the real-time intelligence, context, and scale needed to prevent fraud, mitigate risk, and ensure round-the-clock account protection. Featuring its patented data-fingerprinting technology that monitors for specific data without requiring it be shared with Terbium Labs or stored anywhere, and built on top of a state-of-the-art web crawler, Matchlight is available as a managed service for corporate data exposure or as a data source for payment card or other unstructured data. Learn more about Terbium Labs' approach to dark-web monitoring, breach detection, and fraud prevention by visiting www.terbiumlabs.com or on Twitter @TerbiumLabs. Media Contact: April H. Burghardt PR Consultant [email protected] 646-246-0484 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Bouygues Telecom Achieves Zero Downtime by Replacing Relational Database With DataStax DataStax, the leading provider of the active everywhere hybrid cloud database built on Apache Cassandra, today announced that Bouygues Telecom, a French mobile phone, internet service provider, and IPTV (News - Alert) company, is using DataStax Enterprise to improve the availability, scalability, and consistency of its network. Click to Tweet: After learning its relational #database couldn't keep its network running, @bouyguestelecom implemented @DataStax & now experiences zero #downtime and plans to scale to 1.5 billion transactions per day https://bit.ly/2OO7Xrj Bouygues Telecom has more than 16.4 million mobile phone customers and provides 4G service to more than 97% of the French population. The company was struggling with the data quality and availability of its provisioning system, which keeps its networks running, and needed to replace its relational database with something far more powerful and flexible. With DataStax, a globally distributed and scalable intelligent database, Bouygues Telecom avoided having to use obsolete or outdated data and was able to guarantee very high network availability without compromising data quality. "We were able to start working off clean and consistent data without having to worry about downtime," said Louis Le Compagnon, Head of the Development Center and Share Architecture within the Networks Department of Bouygues Telecom. "That is a huge advantage and step forward." "We're honored to be able to help a company of Bouygues Telecom's size and importance maintain a complicated network and improve service for its customers," said DataStax CMO Cate Lochead. "With our help, Bouygues Telecom is keeping millions of people consistently and seamlessly connected to their essential communications tools." DataStax allows querying of the database in several ways, making it possible to detect and correct inconsistencies. The solution is also easily scalable and Bouygues Telecom hopes to eventually use it to handle 1.5 billion transactions per day. Another advantage of DataStax: the high level of security within the cluster, which allows native encryption-an extremely valuable function in the context of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the sensitive customer data that telecom operators sometimes handle. "Today, we have an infrastructure that allows us to ensure continuous availability on our three websites," Le Compagnon continued. "If all the nodes integrate all the data, all are not systematically used and we adapt the level of transactional risk according to each case of use. If a site is lost, consistency can be maintained. For example, we lost four nodes in pre-production, but we did not suffer any loss of service." Click here to learn more about how Bouygues Telecom is using DataStax. Learn more: To learn more about DataStax and DataStax Enterprise, please join DataStax at DataStax Accelerate, the world's premier Apache Cassandra conference, May 21-23, 2019, in the Washington D.C. area. To register, please visit: www.datastax.com/accelerate About DataStax DataStax delivers the always-on, active everywhere distributed hybrid cloud database built on Apache Cassandra. The foundation for personalized, real-time applications at scale, DataStax Enterprise makes it easy for enterprises to exploit hybrid and multi-cloud environments via a seamless data layer that eliminates the issues that typically come with deploying applications across multiple on-premises data centers and/or multiple public clouds. Our product also gives businesses full data visibility, portability, and control, allowing them to retain strategic ownership of their most valuable asset in a hybrid/multi cloud world. We help many of the world's leading brands across industries transform their businesses through an enterprise data layer that eliminates data silos and cloud vendor lock-in while powering modern, mission-critical applications. For more information, visit www.DataStax.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @DataStax. 2019 DataStax, All Rights Reserved. DataStax, Titan, and TitanDB are registered trademarks of DataStax, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Tomcat, Tomcat, Apache Lucene, Lucene, Apache Solr, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Spark, Spark, Apache TinkerPop, TinkerPop, Apache Kafka, and Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation or its subsidiaries in Canada, the United States, and/or other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005208/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Sales Force Automation: Market Intelligence, Procurement Research, Supply Market Forecasts, Cost Drivers, Trends, Category Management Insights Now Available from SpendEdge SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Sales Force Automation Category - Procurement Market Intelligence Report. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005355/en/ Global Sales Force Automation Category - Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire) The growing necessity to gain real-time insights into the sale prospects and to streamline the entire sales process is driving the demand for sales force automation category across the end-user sectors like BFSI, consumer goods and retail, IT and telecom, pharmaceutical, and FMCG. The extensive adoption of cloud-based sales force automation solutions in addition to the integration of social media platforms into the sales force automation solutions is driving the category spend momentum to a significant extent. However, buyers might be challenged with excess procurement spend because of the increasing training costs borne by service providers owing to the frequent software upgrades of the automation solutions. Request a Free Sample of this sales force automation market intelligence report here! Automating sales processes are benefitting buyers in the US with sales data and information about leads from anywhere and from any device while also reducing the requirement for cold calls. Such category benefits are expected to drive the spend momentum in the US. The category value in APAC is expected to touch a figure of USD2.52 bn by 2023. This growth is chiefly credited to the necessity of automating the sales process in the region. Availability of service providers that can offer industry-specific and customized solutions is favoring a large-scale category adoption in North America as the region had claimed about 32.01% of the category revenue last year. Insights offered in this sales force automation procurement research report include supply market forecasts, major cost drivers, and category management insights. Such insights are relevant for both the buyers and the suppliers who seek a risk-free and a cost-effective procurement strategy. The category spend segmentation done in this sales force automation market intelligence report will guide the investors in identifying the best investment areas as well as help them in identifying cost-saving opportunities in the market. Get free customization of this sales force automation market intelligence report to get information tailored to your every requirement. "Before procuring the sales force automation tool, buyers must conduct a pilot test to assess the tool's functionalities that are core to the internal operations of the sales team," says SpendEdge procurement expert Tridib Bora. This sales force automation procurement research report has estimated the following cost drivers to influence the category growth in the coming years: Growing demand for cloud-based systems will drive the category growth Rise in employee salary is anticipated to increase the category price growth Purchase the full sales force automation market intelligence report here! SpendEdge is now offering limited-time discounts on report purchases. Buy two reports and get the third one for free. SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the information technology category provide detailed supply market forecasts and cost drivers that impact category growth. Such information will help procurement managers as well as the suppliers to determine the total cost of ownership and change their procurement strategies accordingly. Additionally, SpendEdge's reports provide category management insights and information on the procurement best practices for the category. Report scope snapshot: Sales force automation Category pricing insights Pricing outlook Total cost of ownership analysis Supplier cost structure Interested to know more about the scope of our market intelligence reports? Download a FREE sample Cost-Saving Opportunities Supplier-side levers Buyer-side levers Quantifying cost savings by negotiation strategies Want customized information from the sales force automation procurement research report? Get in touch Category ecosystem Competitiveness index for suppliers Buyer power Supplier power score To view the table of contents of this market intelligence report, Download a FREE sample Do you purchase multiple reports in a year? Our subscription platform, SpendEdge Insights, provides ready-to-use procurement research reports for numerous categories. Now access latest supplier news, innovation landscape, markets insights, supplier tracking, and much more at the click of a button. Start your 7-day FREE trial now. Related Reports: 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/20190417005355/en/ [April 17, 2019] Asian AV Integrators to Learn About Industry Transformation from Matrix to SDVoE Technology at First InfoComm Southeast Asia LITTLETON, Mass. and BANGKOK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AV Integrators attending the first InfoComm Southeast Asia next month will learn about the impact of Software Defined Video over Ethernet in a session entitled, 'SDVoE, The Matrix Switch Transformed' with ZeeVee CEO Bob Michaels as the presenter. The presentation will take place at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (BITEC) in room Amber 3 (Hall 98) on May 15 at 2:00pm. The one-hour course will provide attendees with an overview of SDVoE, an AVoIP technology (audio-video over internet protocol), and why it is rapidly gaining traction as a replacement for a matrix switch when distributing HD and 4K AV content. The key advantages of the SDVoE architecture that exceed the capabilities of hardware-defined systems will be explored, along with the specific benefits it offers to designers, installers and end-users. "SDVoE's software-based approach is key to the future of AV signal distribution as it is more adaptable than traditional hardware solutions and enables systems to be expanded and upgraded as business needs change without requiring components to be replaced," said Bob Michaels, CEO, ZeeVee "Another key is interoperability, which is achieved via defined protocols and a control API that are standard across all SDVoE vendors offering encoders, projectors, switches and other devices." The session is produced by the SDVoE Alliance, a nonprofit consortium of technology providers collaborating to standardize the adoption of Ethernet to transport AV signals in professional AV environments and create an ecosystem around SDVoE technology. A founding member of the SDVoE Alliance, ZeeVee was one of the first manufacturers to offer AVoIP products to the market, and has introduced award-winning HD to Ultra-HD/4K solutions for the pro AV and IT marketplace in the education, government, corporate, healthcare, broadcasting, hospitality, retail, housing and other sectors. About ZeeVee ZeeVee (www.zeevee.com) is a global pioneer and leader in the development and deployment of AV distribution systems for industrial, commercial and residential applications. As the only manufacturer that can deliver multimedia content over fiber, CATx and coax, ZeeVee has transformed the digital video industry with its award-winning HD to Ultra-HD/4K solutions for the pro AV and IT marketplace. The company offers a variety of innovative, cost-effective and easy to install AVoIP and RF distribution platforms. ZeeVee's technologies and products are installed in thousands of facilities worldwide where there is a need to transport HD/UHD content from multiple sources to multiple displays over long distances. ZeeVee is a founding member of the SDVoE Alliance and a Global Presence Alliance Technology Partner. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asian-av-integrators-to-learn-about-industry-transformation-from-matrix-to-sdvoe-technology-at-first-infocomm-southeast-asia-300833727.html SOURCE ZeeVee [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] AM BestTV: AM Best Shows How Technology Is Speeding the Pace of Insurance Innovation Against the backdrop of how innovation is transforming the insurance industry, this episode of AM BestTV takes a detailed look at some emerging technology-enabled tools available to insurance companies. Andrea Keenan, senior managing director-Industry Relations, travels to burgeoning startups and established companies across the United States and in Canada to learn more about their innovative efforts. Click on http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=innovators419 to view the entire program. In the episode, Keenan visits companies located in California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in Ontario, to learn about the motivation behind each company's initiative, as well as the executives' views on technology, disruption and the future of the insurance industry. "There have been cases where technologists have entered the sector and the result was an exercise in using technology to complicate and over-engineer the business of managing risk," said Keenan. "But it is easy to see that these are not rudderless technologists trying to throw complexity toward uncertain goals." The participants in this episode were featured at AM Best's recent Review & Preview conference. The platforms described include a risk management tool for building and property monitoring; more acurate predictive wildfire models with machine learning; a detection system to mitigate water-damage claims; a photo/video verification site that allows carriers to speed up the virtual inspection process; and a host of other new tools and initiatives employing emerging technologies. Executives appearing in this episode are as follows: Kevin G. May, chief executive officer, Amali Solutions Group; David Lyman, chief executive officer, and David Tobias, chief operating officer, Betterview; Blake Hill, vice president of insurance, dacadoo; Kevin Stein, chief executive officer, and Shanna McIntyre, chief data officer, Delos; Stephen Kane, chief executive officer, FairClaims; Gabe Halimi, chief executive officer, Flo Technologies; Jon Cooper, chief executive officer, and Jeffrey Wild, senior vice president, Life.io; Jim Schweitzer, chief operating officer, National Insurance Crime Bureau; Tim Attia, chief executive officer, Slice; Dustin Yoder, chief executive officer, sureify; Peter L. Miller, chief executive officer, The Institutes; and Jeffrey McGregor, chief executive officer, Truepic. AM BestTV covers exclusive AM Best and insurance industry information and reports, targeted topics and key developments in the insurance, reinsurance and related sectors daily. Sign up for alerts of episodes at http://www.ambest.com/multimedia/ambtvsignup.html. View AM BestTV episodes at http://www.ambest.tv. AM Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information. Copyright 2019 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005441/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] McGraw-Hill and OhioLINK Provide Savings on Course Materials for Ohio College Students COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OhioLINK, a consortium of academic libraries serving the state of Ohio, will continue working with McGraw-Hill to make course materials available at a reduced cost to OhioLINK's 89 member institutions in higher educationrepresenting more than 800,000 students in the state's higher education system. OhioLINK and McGraw-Hill began working together in 2018 to bring savings of as much as 80 percent to college students at participating institutions. OhioLINK will continue to provide its members with access to pre-negotiated pricing of McGraw-Hill digital materials in 2019, offering Ohio students affordable prices through an innovative and flexible delivery model called Inclusive Access. McGraw-Hill's Inclusive Access model ensures that each student can automatically have access to a digital version of their course materials on the very first day of class. This year, through programs like Inclusive Access, McGraw-Hill has continued to strengthen its commitment to students, educators and institutions to lower costs and increase student achievement. "OhioLINK is leading the way nationally through its dedication to establishing more affordable learning solutions for college students," said Jennifer Becker, Executive Director of Partnerships at McGraw-Hill. "We're excited that OhioLINK opened its door to us. More and more, libraries are playing a critical role in ensuring the affordability of course materials. We're committed to partnering with libraries nationwide to develop more affordable solutions for students." "With Inclusive Access, students aren't simply saving money on course materials," says Scott Virkler, Chief Product & Operating Officer for higher education at McGraw-Hill. "They are receiving access to their materials on the very first day of class, which has been shown to boost student success. It'scritically important that we think more broadly about ways we can help students succeed. While lowering costs is important, it's equally as important to drive better outcomes. Our partnership with OhioLINK allows institutions across the state of Ohio to achieve both of these goals." "Serving our students is always our primary motivation," said Gwen Evans, Executive Director at OhioLINK. "It's our goal to make affordable learning accessible and easier for our member institutions to implement. Pricing partnerships like these support our member institutions wherever they are in their textbook affordability journeyour pre-negotiated and established model either offers our members a lower price than they currently enjoy or it provides an excellent incentive to get started with Inclusive Access, should they choose to do so." McGraw-Hill currently has Inclusive Access agreements in place with more than 600 college campuses nationwide, and saved students more than $55 million in 2018. Virkler added, "We see librarians as a key part of the affordability solution across Higher Education. As the market leader of innovative but balanced, affordable and outcome-driven solutions, we see it as our responsibility to work even more closely with libraries and library consortia to solve these key issues." About McGraw-Hill McGraw-Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw-Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 75 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. Contact: Tyler Reed McGraw-Hill (646) 766-2951 [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcgraw-hill-and-ohiolink-provide-savings-on-course-materials-for-ohio-college-students-300833316.html SOURCE McGraw-Hill [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Qrons Announces Filing of PCT Patent -- Techniques for Promoting Neuronal Recovery NEW YORK, NY, April 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Qrons Inc. (OTC: QRON), an emerging biotechnology company developing advanced stem cell-synthetic hydrogel-based solutions to combat neuronal injuries with a laser focus on treating traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), both concussions and penetrating injuries, announced today that its PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patent application, Techniques for Promoting Neuronal Recovery, relating to the treatment of traumatic injury to the central nervous system, such as TBI was filed on April 7, 2019 (Application No. PCT/IB2019/052850). This PCT application, filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization, allows Qrons to file patent applications and seek protection in most major market countries throughout the world. These patent applications, if granted, have the potential to provide protection for Qrons technology for 20 years - until at least 2039. The PCT application relates in general to the treatment of pathological central nervous system conditions, such as traumatic injury or neurodegenerative disease. More specifically the application includes several hundred claims relating to the uses of hydrogels in the treatment of such conditions. Jonah Meer, Qrons Chief Executive Officer, commented, We believe that the filing of this PCT patent application is a significant step in being able to protect our innovative and novel TBI therapy for many years to come. It is particularly important as we get closer to preparing for clinical trials of our product candidates in patients suffering from TBIs. In addition to TBIs, our technology also gives us opportnities to develop unique therapies for other forms of neuronal injuries. The PCT patent application originated from a provisional patent application by the same title that was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on April 9, 2018 and a provisional patent application by the same title that was filed with the USPTO on January 22, 2019. Ido Merfeld, Qrons co-founder and Head of Product and inventor, stated, The filing protects our invention of implanting a synthetic hydrogel in order to promote neurogenesis and/or inhibit astrogliosis. We believe that the invention may have broad applications beyond TBIs to include many central nervous system conditions, including glioma, stroke, Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Huntingtons disease as well as other neurodegenerative disorders. About Qrons Inc. Headquartered in New York City, the Company is a publicly traded emerging biotechnology company developing advanced cell-based solutions to combat neuronal injuries with a laser focus on traumatic brain injuries and concussion. The Company has two product candidates for treating TBIs, both integrating proprietary, modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and smart synthetic material QS100 an injury specific, 3D printable, implantable MSCs-synthetic hydrogel, to treat penetrating brain injuries and QS200 an injectable MSCs-synthetic hydrogel for the treatment of diffused injuries commonly referred to as concussions. The Company entered into a license and research funding agreement ("License Agreement") and related service agreements with Ariel University R&D Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ariel University, based in Ariel, Israel. In consideration for payments under the License Agreement, the Company received an exclusive worldwide royalty-bearing license in Ariel patents and know-how to develop and commercialize products for neuronal tissue regeneration and/or repair, resulting from Ariel's research or technology or the Company's research funding. The Company entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with Dartmouth College funding further research with Professor Chenfeng Ke and his team at the Chemistry Department, aiming to develop innovative 3D printable, biocompatible advanced materials. The Company is negotiating, a worldwide, royalty-bearing, exclusive license with Dartmouth for Professor Ke's 3D printable materials in the field of human and animal health. Please visit http://www.qrons.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties impacting the Company's business including increased competition; the ability of the Company to expand its operations, to attract and retain qualified professionals, technological obsolescence; general economic conditions; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings. Contact: Qrons Inc. Jonah Meer Chief Executive Officer 212-945-2080 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Sandvik Acquires Digital Mining Technology Company Newtrax STOCKHOLM, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandvik acquires privately-owned Newtrax, a supplier of leading technology in wireless connectivity to monitor and provide insights on underground operations, including people, machines and the environment. "By including Newtrax into the Sandvik family we further strengthen our leading position in areas related to automation and digitalization," says Henrik Ager, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. Sandvik's leading suite of digital tools for analyzing and optimizing mining production and processes, coupled with Newtrax's leading technology in wireless IoT connectivity will create a powerful, stream-lined digital solution to improve safety and efficiency in underground mining operations. "By combining our current offering OptiMine with the Newtrax offering we can help customers achieve a more efficient use of their resources. The system is agnostic to network or brand of equipment, facilitating a flexible customer solution," says Patrick Murphy, President of Sandvik Rock Drills and Technologies Division. Newtrax is headquartered in Montreal, Canada and in 2018 the company generated revenues of about 26 million CAD with 120 employees. Newtrax will be run as an independent business unit within the division Rock Drills and Technologies in the business area Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter 2019. Parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The deal is initially slightly accretive to earnings per share. For further information, contact: Ann-Sofie Nordh, Vice President Investor Relations, phone: +46 8 456 14 94 or Martin Blomgren, Press and Media Relations Manager, phone: +46 70 577 0549. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/sandvik-acquires-digital-mining-technology-company-newtrax,c2791305 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/2791305/1027786.pdf Sandvik acquires digital mining technology company Newtrax View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sandvik-acquires-digital-mining-technology-company-newtrax-300833807.html SOURCE Sandvik [April 17, 2019] Voyager Digital Announces Listing on Frankfurt Exchange Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd. ("Voyager") (TSXV: VYGR; Pink Sheets: VYGVF), today announced that the Company's shares are trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol UCD2 (ISIN:CA92917M1005 WKN:A2PD6T) Voyager is now listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, the OTC Pink Sheets and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. With this additional listing on one of the world's largest stock exchanges by market capitalization, Voyager expands its investor base to European investors. This is an important aspect of Voyager's broader growth strategy to reach a global audience, both through its stock listing and its crypto trading platform, all to build value for its shareholders. Voyager CEO Stephen Ehrlich said, "This listing is our first step into the European markets and we are excited to spread Voyager's reach globally. In the future, we look forwad to bringing our fast and easy crypto trading platform to European retail and Institutional customers." About Voyager Digital Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd. through its US subsidiaries Voyager Digital Holdings Inc. ("VDH") and Voyager Digital, LLC is a crypto-asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. VDH offers customers best execution, data, wallet and custody services through its institutional-grade open architecture platform. Voyager was founded by established Wall Street and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who teamed to bring a better, more transparent and cost-efficient alternative for trading crypto-assets to the marketplace. Voyager is registered with FinCen. Please visit us at https://www.investvoyager.com. Disclaimer: 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 news release View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005342/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Purdy Motor Group Re-Brands Toyota Dealerships and Prepares for Growth DALLAS and BRYAN COLLEGE, Texas and HOUSTON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its new business strategy, Purdy Motor Group has re-branded itself under the umbrella of Purdy Mobility for all US operations. The re-branding is a demonstration of a new corporate vision that is being rolled out in each dealership and includes future growth. The re-branding supports the company's focus on innovation and mobility. The strategy behind the initiative is to build on the strong culture and 61-year history of the parent organization, headquartered in Costa Rica, intertwined with the energy and spirit of the future being built in the United States, specifically Texas. Purdy Mobility currently operates 3 stores including Bryan College Station Toyota, South Toyota (Dallas, TX), and Huntsville Toyota. Also under Purdy Mobility is the newly launched vehicle subscription business, YOURDRIVE, currently operating in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. For more information go to www.yourdrivetexas.com or download the YOURDRIVE App to your smartphone. Laura Ryan, CEO - Purdy Mobility, says the decision for the change was made in early 2018, shortly after she joined the organization, and is the bginning of a series of actions oriented at unifying the corporate philosophy and good practices for both markets. "The re-branding is part of a new corporate philosophy in the United States. This new vision will align with the best practices and culture of Purdy Motor Group in Costa Rica; and support our promise to consumers and associates. A promise of something different. We exhibit this promise through our actions - we enjoy making people smile and making work fun, we care for our guests and the communities we operate in, and we take responsibility for our actions. Simply putwe provide our guests with a unique experience built around their needs," says Ryan. An example of Purdy Mobility's commitment to innovation and customer service can be seen with their new Express Store option, currently available through their dealership websites. Purdy Motor Group Costa Rica offers a similar service as part of the digital transformation of the organization. Websites of the stores can be viewed at SouthToyotaPM.com, HuntsvilleToyotaPM.com and BCSToyota.com. About Purdy Motor Group (PMG) Purdy Motor is a business group dedicated to the automotive industry and the value-added services that complement them. Purdy Motor was founded on January 7, 1957 and is the fourth oldest distributor of Toyota in the world. In Costa Rica PMG sells the following brands: Toyota, Lexus and Hino. Since its inception, the organization has focused on implementing innovative and technological processes within its services. It is the only Costa Rican company with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD and is the only certified automotive company with the country branded Esencial Costa Rica. Additionally, it was the first Carbon Neutral certified car company in Latin America and the only Carbon Neutral company in Costa Rica with its own sump. For more information Pam LeJeune [email protected] (225)933-7428 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/purdy-motor-group-re-brands-toyota-dealerships-and-prepares-for-growth-300830848.html SOURCE Purdy Motor Group (PMG) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] ZAFUL ranked 23rd in BrandZ Top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders 2019 LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 29, Google released the BrandZ Top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders in 2019 at the "Think with Google" summit, and ZAFUL was ranked 23rd among all Chinese brands, climbing 11 places compared with 2018. ZAFUL's founder Leo Wang attended the conference held by Google in Beijing and shared his insights regarding the global e-commerce market and branding. ZAFUL's Precise Marketing in America In the overseas market, there are many differences in consumer habits due to cultural background. ZAFUL has been working on its American local identity for 5 years and has accumulated many market insights in finding its overseas opportunities. "We analyzed a huge number of swimwear consumers and found out that people don't necessarily buy swimwear simply because they are going to swim, but also because they would like to constantly change the swimwear for differentoccasions or good pictures on social media. Some may choose to go to the beach, and others may have a swimming pool party to have fun and enjoy the selfies," ZAFUL's founder Leo Wang said. When it comes to local adaptation, consumers are not the only challenge. Leo Wang also shared his other experiences when ZAFUL entered the American market. Now ZAFUL welcomes all American independent designers to collaborate with or even join ZAFUL, which shows ZAFUL's determination on local adaption. Google: Chinese Global brand builders are not just winners in scale Regarding the quality of these overseas brands, Google pointed out that Chinese brands in overseas market are not just winners in scale. On the contrary, high value-added trade accounts for 60% in total export output, and high-tech manufacturing output accounts for 25%, which is only second to America. According to Google, Chinese brands have now entered the second stage of development in overseas and are able to expand, capitalize market dividend, and even challenge many local giants. To keep up the development momentum, Google pointed out that global vision, local execution and brand communication are three major aspects Chinese brands still need to work on in the coming future. About ZAFUL Founded in 2014, ZAFUL is devoted to providing trendy and cost-efficient fashion-related products for the younger generation worldwide. In 2019, ZAFUL was ranked 23rd in Top 50 China Export Brands by BrandZ, the world's largest brand equity database. So far, ZAFUL has acquired 10 million online registered users online with 18 million monthly active users on average, covering consumers in over 180 countries. ZAFUL's vision is to become the leader in online fast fashion. Website: www.zaful.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zaful-ranked-23rd-in-brandz-top-50-chinese-global-brand-builders-2019-300833843.html SOURCE ZAFUL [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Capital Investment Companies Introduces the Financial Leadership Immersion Program Capital Investment Companies, one of the largest independent financial services and brokerage firms in the Southeastern United States, in collaboration with the NC State University Poole College of Management, is pleased to announce the formation of the Financial Leadership Immersion Program (FLIP). Through the FLIP program, Capital Investment Companies will offer two students each semester an opportunity to further develop world class knowledge gained at NC State along with a unique opportunity to help expand the Carolinas Index while building marketing and research intelligence on the Top 75 public companies in North and South Carolina. "We enjoyed great success with our beta program," said Ben Brooks, originator of the Carolinas Index. "Lizzie Mann and Austin Bell, our first two NC State students to participate in the FLIP program helped broaden our recognition and take the index to new heights. It has also enabled the students to "FLIP" the switch from academia to real world implementation," Brooks stated. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. for 35 years, Capital Investment Companies (www.cico.us) is one of the largest independent financial services firms in the Southeastern United States. With their affiliates and strategic partners, the firm offers a wide variety of financial services to individuals triving to serve the Carolinas and beyond. Capital is a four time winner (2015-2018) of the Best Employers in North Carolina by Business North Carolina and a two time winner (2017 and 2018) of the Best Places to Work in Money Management by Pension & Investment Magazine. Capital Investment Companies has over 200 Independent Professionals and has locations in 13 states. About the Carolinas Index Capital Investment Companies, in collaboration with the Nottingham Group, created the Carolinas Index in 2017. The Index is an equal-weighted index composed of the 75 largest companies in the Carolinas based on market capitalization. These companies generally have a market cap of $150 million or greater. Look for the Carolinas Index in the monthly edition of Business North Carolina. About Capital Investment Companies Capital Investment Companies is comprised of Capital Investment Brokerage, Inc. and Capital Investment Group, Inc., registered broker/dealers (Members FINRA/SIPC), Capital Investment Counsel, Inc. and Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC (two SEC (News - Alert) registered investment advisory firms) and their affiliates. Capital Investment Companies (www.cico.us) is one of the largest independent financial services and brokerage organizations in the Southeastern United States. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., the firm offers a wide variety of financial services including: traditional investment brokerage, money management, mutual fund management, insurance services, estate planning, retirement plans, trust services, mortgage services, and a community foundation. They offer their services to individuals, corporations, and the CPA and banking community. About NC State University Poole College of Management The NC State University Poole College of Management combines academic scholarship with real-world experience to foster learning, create knowledge, and engage with industry and academic partners in a data-rich, global marketplace. Poole is deeply rooted in NC State's history as a university that excels at science, technology, engineering and math -- taking an innovative approach to leadership and management education by emphasizing analytical problem solving and an entrepreneurial mindset. Poole offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting, business administration and economics, as well as non-degree executive programs through NC State Executive Programs, LLC. Poole's centers and initiatives provide focused research and engagement in the areas of enterprise risk, entrepreneurship, innovation, supply chain, and sustainability. The college is fully accredited by AACSB International. Learn more about the NC State Poole College of Management at www.poole.ncsu.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005540/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Government of Canada recruits world's best minds to push the boundaries of research and contribute to a better quality of life for all Canadians Canada Excellence Research Chairs help position Canada as a leader in science and innovation TORONTO, April 17, 2019 /CNW/ - To build a country that is stronger, more innovative and better connected, we must invest in top research talent. Canada is increasingly becoming the destination of choice for some of the world's leading researchers and scholars. They build on Canada's talent and bring new ideas that help create modern industries and jobs. That's why the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, today announced the Government of Canada will invest over $80 million to help establish eight new Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) and further Canada's reputation as a global centre of excellence in science, research and innovation. New requirements for the Canada Excellence Research Chairs were introduced by Minister Duncan to address a lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in the pool of research talent. As a result, about 60 per cent of these new chairs are being awarded to women who are global leaders in their fields. These efforts are part of the wholesale culture change we are seeing now in Canadian science and research, which includes a transformation of the research landscape so our labs and classrooms look more like the Canada we see today. Minister Duncan welcomed new Canada Excellence Research Chairs from as far away as Denmark, Italy, Germany and Finland. These research leaders specialize in areas such as human-centred robotics, precision design of cancer drugs, and Arctic ice and climate change. Quotes "Our government has a vision of an international research community in which all voices are heard and valued equally. Because we are all better off when the people at the forefront of global research are truly representative of the world that we see today. This talented and diverse group of research leaders is an excellent example of how when we bring together new points of view, we make science and research stronger." The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport "For over a decade, the CERC program has supported world-leading researchers whose work at Canadian institutions not only contributes to Canada's role as a global leader in innovation, but also whose mentorship helps train the new generation of Canadian researchers across all disciplines." Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Chair, CERC Steering Committee/p> Canada Marc Fortin "Congratulations to the world-leading researchers awarded support today. The CERC program has led to transformative advances in all areas of science over the last 10 years, and we are proud to continue supporting the work of our very best scientific minds. Their research in priority areas, such as climate change, human-centred robotics and cancer research will push the boundaries of scientific knowledge to the benefit of all Canadians." Michael Strong, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research "From high-tech laboratories and virtual networks to space for community engagement, the Canada Foundation for Innovation provides our leading researchers the foundation on which to build success and a bright future for our country." Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation Quick facts The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program supports Canadian universities in their efforts to build on Canada's growing reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. growing reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. Chairs are created for seven years and are not renewable. Each Chair is awarded $10 million over seven years. over seven years. The Canada Foundation for Innovation will provide additional investments of $2 million to support Canada Excellence Research Chairs among those announced today. to support Canada Excellence Research Chairs among those announced today. The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program is a tri-agency initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Associated links For Canadian Science news, follow @CDNScience on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Follow Canada's three granting agencies on Twitter: @CIHR_IRSC, @NSERC_CRSNG, @SSHRC_CRSH Follow the Canada Foundation for Innovation on Twitter: @InnovationCA SOURCE NSERC [April 17, 2019] GoodFirms Lists Down the Best Software Vendors from Varied Industry Sectors for Q1 2019 WASHINGTON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Presently, GoodFirms announces the best software providers for varied sectors of industries to help the businesses meet the best partners. In this press release, GoodFirms has highlighted the Hotel Management, Asset Tracking, HTML Editor, Shopping Cart, Quoting, Data Extraction, Banking, Freight, Game Development, Wealth Management and Political Campaign software vendors that are recognized for providing unique solutions to improve their daily activities and thus assist them growing in their business. Check out the Best Software Providers for the Following fields listed at GoodFirms: Best Hotel Management Software: eZee Ultimate, Abacre, Hotelogix, HotelDruid, Frontdesk Anywhere, QloApps, KWHotel Free, NOBEDS, ASI FrontDesk, innRoad https://www.goodfirms.co/hotel-management-software/ Best Asset Tracking Software: Asset panda, EZoffice Inventory, AssetCloud, ASAP Systems, AssetTiger, WiseTrack, AssetManage, RedBeam, Tenna, TrackAbout https://www.goodfirms.co/asset-tracking-software/ Best HTML Editor Software: Eclipse, Brackets, Bluefish, Netbeans, Coffeecup, HTML Kit, Evrsoft, Aptana, Arachnophilia, Bluegriffon https://www.goodfirms.co/html-editor-software/ Best Shopping Cart Software: Shopify, Get Me A Cart, Volusion, LemonStand, Fortune3, 3D Cart, X-Cart, ProductCart, ShopSite, 1AutomationWiz https://www.goodfirms.co/shopping-cart-software/ Best Quoting Software: PandaDoc, Socket, Quotient, iQuoteXpress, QuoteSoft, Quote Roller, Osmos Cloud, Quikflw, Qwilr, Cubit https://www.goodfirms.co/quoting-software/ Best Data Extraction Software: Octoparse, ScrapeStorm, WebHarvy, Phantombuster, datahut, Diggernaut, Grooper, Grepsr, Apify, Visual Web Ripper https://www.goodfirms.co/data-extraction-software/ Best Banking Software: T24 Transact, BankWare, Mambu, CorePlus, Finacle, Quicken, Moneydance, Moneyspire, Cyclos, Holvi https://www.goodfirms.co/banking-software/ Best Freight Software: SeaRates Tools, Transcount, Broker PRO, TMW Systems, Freightos, GoFreight, Quotiss, ComFreight, Efreightsolutions TMS, Avaal Express https://www.goodfirms.co/freight-software/ Best Game Development Software: Unity, GDevelop, Indie Game Maker, GameMaker, Construct 2, GameSalad, Buildbox, CRYENGINE, Godot Engine, Unreal Engine https://www.goodfirms.co/game-development-software/ Best Wealth Management software: Advisor Engine, Eze OMS, inStream, FinFolio, Personal Capital, NaviPlan, Black Diamond, Troika, Planview Enterprise One, Addepar https://www.goodfirms.co/wealth-management-software/ Best Political Campaign Software: ecanvasser, Outbrain Amplify, Filpac, CuBallot, Organizer, Campaign Partner, uCampaign, OnlineCandidate.com, PDI Online Campaign Center, CampaignSidekick https://www.goodfirms.co/political-campaign-software/ The above-stated softwares can perform tasks for a sort of businesses to make the companies and their staff more self-sufficient. Washington based GoodFirms is an internationally renowned B2B research, ratings and reviews platform. It plays the role of a bridge to connect the service seekers with the best partner that suits in their budget and project needs. The research team of GoodFirms performs a scrupulous assessment following several qualitative and quantitative tactics. The research process includes three main elements that are Quality, Reliability, and Ability. These criteria are further divided into numerous metrics such as verifying the past and present a portfolio to get a clear idea of every company's background, years of expertise in their domain area, solid online presence and taking a glimpse at the reviews received by their clients for the services they have offered. According to the above factors, all the agencies are compared to each other and considering that every firm is allotted with scores that are out of a total 60. Then they are indexed in the list top development companies, best software, and various firms from different categories as per their proficiency. Moreover, GoodFirms supports the service providers by asking them to engage in on-going research. Show their integrity and ability to deliver inventive and flawless solutions to their customers. Hence, get a chance to Get Listed in the catalog of top firms at GoodFirms. Get Listed at GoodFirms will eventually increase your visibility and helps you reach targeted customers globally. About GoodFirms: GoodFirms is a Washington, D.C. based research firm that aligns its efforts in identifying the most prominent and efficient various service providers that deliver results to their clients. GoodFirms research is a confluence of new age consumer reference processes and conventional industry-wide review & rankings that help service seekers leap further and multiply their industry-wide value and credibility. Rachael Ray (360) 326-2243 [email protected] Related Links https://www.goodfirms.co View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodfirms-lists-down-the-best-software-vendors-from-varied-industry-sectors-for-q1-2019-300833735.html SOURCE GoodFirms [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Global Market Report From IDTechEx Research on Digital Health 2019: Trends, Opportunities and Outlook BOSTON, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With investment in digital health reaching $8.1 billion in 2018, understanding how this complex field will impact the healthcare industry is paramount. The recently updated report from IDTechEx Research, 'Digital Health 2019: Trends, Opportunities and Outlook', acts as a primer to the digital health space. Digital health promises to change the face of healthcare. Reflecting this is growing interest in the digital health space, as evidenced by a substantial growth in investment over the 5 years. Digital health continues to take prominence at healthcare conferences such as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in January 2019, illustrating its growing importance - but it is not limited to strictly the healthcare space. Digital health is a convoluted and complex field, much of which is made up of technologies and services that enable healthcare outside of traditional clinical settings. It follows a global trend in the healthcare industry of decentralization to alleviate overburdened hospitals and clinics. Coupled with escalating healthcare costs, shrinking profit margins and ageing populations suffering with chronic conditions, digital health offers a solution to these problems for all players in the space including patients, providers and payers. In fact, it presents such an alluring and lucrative opportunity that companies not previously in the healthcare space are making significant investments and moves to do so. Big tech companies such as Amazon, Apple and Alphabet have made significant strides into the healthcare space since their announcements in January 2018. The time isripe for digital health due to the combination of a number of factors. These include changing population demographics, such as ageing populations with increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, as well as current and upcoming changes to regulations and reimbursements which mean that the route to market and take-up of digital health services and technologies is more likely in 2019 and beyond. By whichever name it comes under, whether that's digiceuticals, digital therapeutics or software-as-a-drug, this idea of software replacing drugs is a worry for large, established pharmaceutical companies. Coupled with the changing landscape of healthcare which is moving away from treating patients and towards a model of preventative care and a move from fee-based to value-based services, big pharma is being disrupted and digital health threatens to cause even more turbulence. Digital Health 2019: Trends, Opportunities and Outlook acts as a primer to the digital health space, providing a detailed overview of the ecosystem and offering insights into the key trends, opportunities and outlooks for all aspects of digital health, including: Telehealth and telemedicine Remote patient monitoring Digital therapeutics / digiceuticals / software-as-a-drug Consumer genetic testing Diabetes management Smart home as a carer To find out more about this report contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com/digitalhealth. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Events services, helping you profit from emerging technologies. Find out more at www.IDTechEx.com. Media Contact: Charlotte Martin Marketing & Research Co-ordinator [email protected] +44(0)1223 812300 Related Links Further IDTechEx Research Healthcare Sensor Innovations 2019 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-market-report-from-idtechex-research-on-digital-health-2019-trends-opportunities-and-outlook-300833671.html SOURCE IDTechEx [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] The Zephyr Project Announces Major Technical Milestone with New Long Term Support Code Release SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Zephyr Project, an open source project at the Linux Foundation that aims to build a secure and flexible real-time operating system (RTOS) for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced a technical milestone with the first Long Term Support (LTS) release. The Zephyr 1.14 LTS release, which has been developed by the diverse Zephyr community of almost 500 contributors, will offer vendors a customizable operating system that supports product longevity, security and interoperability. In today's technology landscape, developers have a plethora of choices for platforms, boards and other components. They are challenged to create secure products that integrate with other proprietary and legacy solutions. With the Zephyr LTS, developers aren't locked into a particular architecture, back-end platform or cloud provider and will have the freedom to choose from an ecosystem of hardware. "The Zephyr LTS release allows product developers to focus on innovation rather than the common and standard operating system layers," said Anas Nashif, the Zephyr Project Chair of the Technical Steering Committee (TSC). "Products based on the LTS release will benefit from a maintained code base throughout their development and deployment lifecycle. The LTS will serve as the baseline for the auditable version of Zephyr, which will benefit both the maintained LTS and development branches." The LTS code release represents a major milestone on the Zephyr technical roadmap . One of the goals of the LTS is to stabilize the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) so that a consistent foundation for applications is created for the operating system. Other key features for this release include: Support for more than 160 board configurations spanning 8 architectures A reimplemented Timing system that simplifies drivers and reduces typical kernel build size by hundreds of bytes A new experimental BLE split software controller for supporting multiple BLE radio hardware architectures Major updates to the logging and shell subsystem with support for multiple back-ends, integration of logging into the shell, and delayed log processing A new west tool for managing multiple repositories and enhanced support for flashing and debugging Added support for application user mode, application memory partitions, and hardware stack protection in ARMv8-m The Zephyr TSC is actively working towards safety certifications with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The projct plans to submit key parts of the Zephyr kernel and operating system services based on the LTS release for safety certification. These certifications are important as they indicate a product has undergone careful review and testing and is deemed trustworthy in safety-related systems. More information about the plans for functional safety can be found in this blog . Additionally, the Zephyr Project earned the Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII) Gold Best Practice Badge , which means it is following best practices and conformance in driving secure software development in open source. The Core Infrastructure Initiative is a collaborative, pre-emptive program and approach for strengthening cyber security that has been adopted by more than 2000 projects. The CII Best Practices Badge is a rigorous assessment of an open source project's processes and infrastructure. The Zephyr Project is one of three open source projects that has achieved the gold badge status. More than 160 Board Configurations Supported Hosted by the Linux Foundation , the Zephyr Project aims to establish a neutral community where silicon vendors, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Original Design Manufacturer (ODMs) and Independent Software Vendor (ISVs) can contribute technology to reduce the cost and accelerate time to market for developing the billions of IoT devices. Project member companies include Antmicro, Foundries.io, Intel, Linaro, Linino.org, Nordic Semiconductor, NXP, Oticon, SiFive, Synopsys and Texas Instruments among others. Zephyr offers the smallest memory footprint and a secure and flexible RTOS that extends functionality of IoT devices. It is a customizable, embedded open source platform that works with multiple hardware architectures. The dedication and talent of the growing Zephyr technical community has resulted in rapid expansion in board support as well as attracting an average of 20 new contributors each month. Currently, Zephyr supports more than 160 board configurations comprising of different architectures including: ARC, ARM, NIOS II, RISCV32, x86, x86_64 and XTENSA processor families. For the complete list of boards and details, visit the Zephyr Github page . "Community driven Zephyr development is creating an open source ecosystem that is fueling IoT innovation and seeing exciting new products emerging," said Kate Stewart, Senior Director of Strategic Programs at the Linux Foundation. "We're excited to see the flexibility and functionality of the Zephyr RTOS being used in award-winning products such as smart wearables from ProGlove and Intellinium, and new intelligent tagging systems like Adero." To learn more about the products that use Zephyr RTOS, visit the Zephyr website and blog . About the Zephyr Project The Zephyr Project is a small, scalable real-time operating system for use on resource-constrained systems supporting multiple architectures. To learn more, please visit www.zephyrproject.org . 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: Maemalynn Meanor (602) 541-0356 maem[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-zephyr-project-announces-major-technical-milestone-with-new-long-term-support-code-release-300833685.html SOURCE The Zephyr Project [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] CentralSquare to Provide Fully Interoperable Public Safety Software Suite to Allen, Texas CentralSquare, a leader in public sector software, announced today that it has signed an agreement with the Allen Police Department for CentralSquare Public Safety Suite Enterprise which includes Computer Aided Dispatch, Records Management and Mobile systems. The department's purchase represents an upgrade of its existing communication and records systems. "We're honored to welcome Allen PD to the CentralSquare community of public safety agencies," said CentralSquare Executive Vice President and General Manager of Public Safety Steve Seoane. "This partnership underscores the department's commitment to enhancing their service to residents and visitors. Their decision to implement CentralSquare's state-of-the-art technology - designed to power faster response, better connectivity and improved collaboration both within the agency and across the region - is testament to their leadership in keeping the public and their officers safe." With the Enterprise suite, Allen PD gains a fully integrated system that offers the fastest multi-agency, multi-discipline and multi-jurisdictional response among law enforcement, fire and EMS. As part of a public safety network within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, Allen joins more than 75 area agencies who currently rely on CentralSquare public safety solutions to serve a population of more than 5 million people. "From the time we pick up a 911 call through writing reports and every other public safety service we provide, we wanted one seamless system from start to finish," said Allen Police Department Deputy Chief Ken Myers. "In partnering with CentralSquare, we're working toward critical departmental goals: inrease the speed and accuracy of our reporting, improve collection of data and make better decisions with analytics and citizen service tools, ultimately so we can keep officers out in the community. We look forward to leveraging the system's flexibility, automation and citizen portal to make sure we enhance efficiency in all areas of our department." Offering the industry's most unified CAD, RMS and Mobile system, CentralSquare improves officer safety and gives them more time in the community. Tight integration between CAD and RMS cuts reporting time in half by providing a list of pending reports with prefilled CAD data that extends to all reporting modules, a feature unique to the industry. CAD Enterprise, built on an agile platform for interoperable (open API) and coordinated response, saves critical time for each dispatch: two minutes with unit swapping, 2-3 minutes with dispatch recommendation and up to 20 seconds with auto-dispatch function. The web-based RMS empowers agencies with a "enter once, share infinitely" capability in which data is entered once (or drag-and-dropped for fewer key strokes) and shared across all systems such as 911, CAD, Mobile and Jail. The completely reimagined UX in Mobile Enterprise - a result of hundreds of hours of direct one-on-one audits, field observations and usability studies - provides configurable templates, visual cues for areas needing attention and night-mode for clear viewing in dark surroundings, among other features. With today's largest cities on a common platform relying on Enterprise as their mission-critical engine for coordinated police, fire and EMS dispatch, CentralSquare offers the most compelling software suite for public safety agencies across North America. About CentralSquare Formed by the merger of Superion, TriTech along with Zuercher, and the public sector and healthcare business of Aptean, CentralSquare Technologies is an industry leader in public safety and public administration software, serving over 7,500 organizations from the largest metropolitan city to counties and towns of every size across North America. Its technology platform provides solutions for public safety, including 911, computer-aided dispatch, records management, mobile, citations, evidence management, and corrections. For public administration agencies, CentralSquare provides software for finance, human capital management, payroll, utility billing, citizen engagement, asset management, regulatory compliance, and community development. For hospitals and clinicians, it provides patient information, compliance, and analytics software. CentralSquare's broad, unified and agile software suite serves 3 in 4 citizens across North America. More information is available at www.CentralSquare.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005610/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] It's a National Pretzel Day Party! Pretzelmaker is Rewarding Members with a FREE Pretzel on National Pretzel Day (April 26) and is Celebrating with the Launch of New Catering Offerings ATLANTA, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a National Pretzel Day Party at Pretzelmaker! The national best in class handmade pretzel brand will be celebrating by offering its Rewards App members a FREE* original soft pretzel (salted or unsalted) on National Pretzel Day (Friday, April 26). Customers must either already be a Pretzelmaker Rewards member or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. For more information on the National Pretzel Day giveaway visit, https://pretzelmaker.com/national-pretzel-day-2019/. Additionally, the brand will be surprising lucky members with the gift of a pretzel party featuring Pretzelmaker's new catering offerings. 25 lucky rewards users will receive a free* Pretzel Bites tray, a 16 ounce container of sauce of their choice and a half gallon of fresh made lemonade. Pretzelmaker created its new catering program to encourage guests to bring their favorite pretzel products to parties, gatherings, office events and all of the occasions in life worth celebrating. The catering menu features piping hot trays of Pretzel Bites in a variety of flavors, Mini Pretzel Dogs, Stuffed Pretzel Bites (Mozzarella and Bacon & Mozzarella), pretzels by the dozen available in assorted flavors, sauces and all-natural Lemonade by the half gallon. The menu can be found here, htts://pretzelmaker.com/catering/. "National Pretzel Day is worthy of a party and with our annual free pretzel giveaway plus the launch of our new catering menu, we're helping people celebrate with the most delicious pretzels in the nation," said Steve Thomas, Executive Vice President of Pretzelmaker. "This year we have a new twist on the day with the inclusion of our new and improved Pretzelmaker Rewards App. It's now easier than ever to earn rewards for free pretzel items and we are looking forward to welcoming pretzel lovers to our stores on April 26 and celebrating with them throughout the year everyone needs a little pretzel in their party!" For more information and store locations, visit our website www.pretzelmaker.com or join us on social media: follow @pretzelmaker on Twitter; add @pretzelmakerpics on Instagram; follow "Pretzelmaker" on Snapchat; or become a fan of the brand on Facebook www.facebook.com/pretzelmaker. *Limit one offer per guest during the day of the promotion. No purchase necessary. Free Salted/Unsalted Pretzel (valued up to $4) redeemable on Friday, 4/26/19 for all members of the Pretzelmaker Rewards program during regular business hours. Customers need to download the "Pretzelmaker Rewards" App from the App Store or Google Play by 8 p.m. on 4/26/19 and sign up to join Pretzelmaker Rewards to receive offer. At participating Pretzelmaker locations only. Offer is not redeemable for cash. *Full official rules and regulations for the catering giveaway can be found here, http://mghapps.com/files/7215/5534/8919/PretzelMaker_Official_Natl_Pretzel_Day_Promotion_Rules_FINAL.pdf. About Pretzelmaker - www.pretzelmaker.com Since 1991, Pretzelmaker has specialized in serving fresh baked, hand-rolled soft pretzel products, dipping sauces and beverages. Long recognized as an innovator in their industry, the brand is credited with inventing the popular Pretzel Dog, Mini Pretzel Dogs, and the portable Pretzel Bites. Following integration in 2010, the Pretzelmaker brand now also includes Pretzel Time. Pretzelmaker is currently the second largest soft pretzel concept in the United States and is also rapidly expanding worldwide with locations in Canada, Guam, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Pretzelmaker has recently introduced a new twist to the brand, the Fresh Twist by Pretzelmaker concept. Fresh Twist by Pretzelmaker is perfect for colleges/universities, airports and transportation centers. The menu offers breakfast sandwiches on pretzel buns, Cinnamon Toast Pretzel Sticks, Pretzel Flatbread Pizzas and Pepperoni Pretzel Rolls in addition to its fresh hand-rolled Pretzels, Pretzel Bites, Pretzel Dogs and all-natural lemonades and smoothies. To learn more, visit https://www.pretzelmakerfranchise.com/fresh-twist/. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/its-a-national-pretzel-day-party-pretzelmaker-is-rewarding-members-with-a-free-pretzel-on-national-pretzel-day-april-26-and-is-celebrating-with-the-launch-of-new-catering-offerings-300833904.html SOURCE Pretzelmaker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Headline at Identiverse 2019 Identiverse, the Identity Industry Event, today announced the first group of keynote speakers for its 10th annual event to be held in Washington, D.C. from June 25-28, 2019. Over the course of four days, the conference anticipates more than 2,000 identity security leaders and professionals that represent the world's largest enterprises and government entities. Attendees will learn about the tools, technology and best practices required to realize the full potential of a digital economy. Legendary Innovator Steve Wozniak (News - Alert) to Share Personal Views on the Future of Technology Identiverse is pleased to announce that Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple (News - Alert), Inc., will be the featured guest of this year's 10th anniversary event. This inventor, electronics engineer, programmer and philanthropist will share his insights in a fireside chat on the future of technology and the role of identity. "Technology is evolving at an ever-increasing pace. Autonomous vehicles and AI-based services are right around the corner, while even more exciting innovations lie just over the horizon," said Steve Wozniak. "And underlying all of these technologies is digital identity. Every interaction in our online, connected world relies on our ability to give the right people access to the right things. Digital identity provides that critical capability, enabling convenience while also ensuring our security and privacy. I'm excited to contribute to the conversation at Identiverse 2019 and share my perspectives on the role that innovation and learning play in this exciting industry." Top Industry Influencers to Ignite Discussions about Identity, Security and Privacy Expecting more than 200 sessions, master classes and keynotes, Identiverse attracts thought leaders from around the world to tackle the topics of importance to those working in digital identity across a wide range of industries including financial services, privacy, healthcare, security, IoT and connected devices, mobile and many others. Some of the influencers taking the stage this year include: Andrew Nash , VP Consumer Identity at Capital One and enterprise, consumer and social identity expert , VP Consumer Identity at Capital One and enterprise, consumer and social identity expert Alex Simons , Corporate Vice President Progra Management for Microsoft's (News - Alert) Identity Division and recognized cloud service and software specialist , Corporate Vice President Progra Management for Microsoft's (News - Alert) Identity Division and recognized cloud service and software specialist Sarah Squire , board member of IDPro, as well as Principal Product Manager at AWS SSO and co-author of NIST 800-63-3 Digital Identity Guidelines , board member of IDPro, as well as Principal Product Manager at AWS SSO and co-author of NIST 800-63-3 Digital Identity Guidelines Heather Flanagan , Principal Editor, IDPro Body of Knowledge , Principal Editor, IDPro Body of Knowledge Andre Durand, Identiverse Founder and Conference Chair, and the CEO of Ping Identity Identiverse Gains the Support of Leading Identity Vendors Ping Identity is the host of this year's event. Additional sponsors of Identiverse 2019 include: Diamond: IDMWORKS, Microsoft, Optiv, Radiant Logic Platinum: Auth0, Google (News - Alert), KPMG, SecureAuth, Transmit Security Gold: Capital One, ForgeRock, Omada, ProofID, PlainID, SailPoint, Saviynt A few remaining sponsorships and expo opportunities are available. Learn more about the opportunities to engage with identity leaders and professionals in the Identiverse sponsor prospectus. Register here to attend Identiverse 2019. Identiverse Resources Visit the Identiverse site Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @Identiverse **Join the Twitter Tweet Jam on May 9 at 10am PT / 1pm ET: #identiverse Be part of the Identiverse LinkedIn Group Like the Identiverse Facebook page Subscribe to our YouTube page About Identiverse People, applications and devices are gravitating toward a digital world where they all recognize and interact with each other. This digital world is being built on a foundation of identity security designed by a community of people with a shared vision, from technologists and practitioners to thought leaders and end users. This is the Identiverse. It lives and breathes every day. And once a year it really shines. It summons the brightest minds in identity and security to gather and share the tools, technology and best practices that are built for today and the future. The Identiverse positions enterprises to realize the full potential of a digital economy-one where identity unlocks uncompromising digital experiences that are secure and seamless for everyone. Identiverse 2019 will be held June 25-28, 2019, in Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.identiverse.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005104/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] New Social Trust Index Measures Automotive Brand Trust in a #Fakenews Era NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Converseon, a leading consumer intelligence technology and consulting firm that leverages human-centered machine learning to generate insights from unstructured social data today released the Social Trust Index ("SoTI") for the automotive industry at the New York Automotive show. The index is the first to measure and rank expressed trust and distrust towards specific automotive brands in social media using advanced, accurate machine learning technology. The analysis, which ranked 18 brands on social data over the 18. Months found that in Q1 2019, Chevrolet (35.89 score) followed by Lexus (28.88). Mercedes (17.00), Ford (15.76) and Mazda (15.19) were the most trusted brands based on this social language analysis. "In this 'post-trust' environment of tribalism, polarization and socially-empowered movements, brand trust can be created or destroyed in minutes," said Rob Key, CEO of Converseon. "Today, there is a growing expectation for brands to not just sell specific products or services, but to become purpose-driven, with expectations to weigh in and take sides on important issues of the day. SoTI can now help brands better understand, measure and act on this data which is critical in a #fakenews era." Mehodology SoTI is built upon our proprietary advanced machine learning analysis of human conversation in public social data and provides the most accurate, meaningful and actionable analysis available. Using the Conversus.AI MLaas platform, the data was accurately classified for trust and distrust even when specific keywords were not present. The data was processed and annotated at the most granular "target" or aspect-level and included "intensity" scores to analyze the strength of opinion. Finally, the data was scored on leading and lagging scale utilizing Dynamic Dirichlet-Multinomial modeling. About Converseon Since 2008, Converseon has pioneered the use of advanced machine learning to generate insights and value from unstructured social and related voice of customer data. The firm has been ranked an industry "leader" by leading industry analysts and was named Dataweek's Top Innovator in Social Data Mining for providing technology that can analyze unstructured consumer text with "human level analysis at the speed and scale that only software can provide." The firm provides Conversus.AI, the leading MLaas platform that allows even non data scientists to rapidly build, validate, and deploy advanced modes for accelerated insights and impact and can be programmatically integrated with leading social listening, management and business intelligence platforms. Converseon works with a wide range of top brands around the world and will be releasing Social Trust Index data for additional industries on a rolling basis. For a demo of Social Trust Index, detail and root cause analysis of specific brand trust drivers and complimentary access to your trust score, please contact [email protected]. Media contact: Ian Abrahamsen [email protected] 732-278-8428 www.converseon.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-social-trust-index-measures-automotive-brand-trust-in-a-fakenews-era-300833962.html SOURCE Converseon, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Norway Animation, VFX & Games Markets, 2018-2019 & 2020 DUBLIN, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Norway Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Animation in Norway goes back to 1913, with Norwegian director Sverre Halvorsen's one-minute short animation, Roald Amundsen on the South Pole. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has been introducing animated films and animated TV series for children from the UK, Eastern Europe, Canada, Sweden and Denmark. Since 1990, the Norwegian animation industry has undergone rapid growth. It is now producing quality animation across techniques and formats including children's films to experimental animation. There are several professional studios that produce high-quality animation output. The total value of Norwegian games industry was US$ 328 million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 397 million by 2020. Mobile & hand held games is the fastest growing segment, followed by Console games. Key Topics Covered: European Animation Industry DEMAND FOR TV CONTENT Feature Film Industry in Europe MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING Trends in Europe COLLABORATION AMONG EUROPAN STUDIOS DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS ANIMATION COST STRUCTURES IN EUROPE Europe Strategies and Models for Animation financing in Europe ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES CENTRALISED ANIMATION FUNDING AGENCIES IN EUROPE Television Series Development in Europe PITCHING TELEVISION SERIES TO BROADCASTERS Copyright Chain in Europe Co-Production Strategies in Europe CONTRACTUAL ISSUES KEY RIGHTS IN CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS CO-PRODUCTIONS AND OUTSOURCING Distribution Strategies in Europe PRODUCER-DISTRIBUTOR CO-FINANCING PATTERNS 3D Market in Europe ADVANTAGES OF 3D DISADVANTAGES OF 3D Industry Constraints and Challenges Market size of European Animation, VFX & Games industry Animation Content demand by TV Channels in Europe European Animation & VFX industry Market Size European Games industry Market Size Animation, VFX & Games industry in Norway Recent Movie Trends in Norway Industry evolution and key Animation Productions KEY ANIMATION PRODUCTION COMPANIES IN NORWAY NORWAY'S FIRST 3D ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Animation Film market in Norway Industry Drivers, Challenges & Opportunities Animation Funding in Norway Value of Animation Industry in Norway Size of Animation Industry in Norway Key statistics about Animation industry in Norway Games Industry in Norway KEY TRENDS IN THE NORWEGIAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY VIDEO GAME BUSINESS MODELS IN NORWAY ONLINE VIDEO GAMING BUSINESS MODELS IN NORWAY Key Opportunities & Strategies for Norwegian Video Games Industry Video Games Market Segments MOBILE VIDEO GAMES SEGMENTS & GENRES Norwegian Video Games Market Size & Opportunity Companies Mentioned Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s0iyio 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/norway-animation-vfx--games-markets-2018-2019--2020-300833799.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Keysight Technologies' V2X Test Solution Earns OmniAir Certification Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that the company's vehicle-to-everything (V2X) test solution (E6953A DSRC V2X) has earned OmniAir Qualified Test Equipment (OQTE) status from the OmniAir Consortium, the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for intelligent transportation systems (ITS), tolling and connected vehicles. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005653/en/ Automotive manufacturers and their suppliers are actively investing in V2X technology to improve the safety and efficiency of automobiles and for connected car applications. Keysight's E6953A DSRC V2X Test Solution provides automotive OEM manufacturers and suppliers with confidence that their devices and software will pass global industry requirements for interoperability and compliance with current standards and regulations. OmniAir has certified Keysight's V2X Test Solution to validate physical layer (PHY) and protocol conformance in V2X based on OmniAir Consortium's DSRC test specifications. Keysight's E6953A DSRC V2X Test Solution enables full test automation of OmniAir Consortium WAVE (News - Alert)-DSRC test cases based upon standards SAE J2945/1, IEEE 802.11p, IEEE 1609.2, IEEE 1609.3, and IEEE 1609.4. "OmniAir is proud to partner with companies like Keysight Technologies, whose world-class capabilities and expertise will help to advance OmniAir's V2X testing nd certification programs," said Jason Conley, Executive Director at OmniAir. "As a long-time OmniAir member and contributor to the testing program, Keysight is pleased to be OmniAir qualified for DSRC," said Siegfried Gross, vice president and general manager of Keysight's Automotive and Energy Solutions business unit. "Keysight will continue to work with OmniAir, and other industry leaders, on similar solutions for the emerging V2X standard." Using Keysight's E6953A DSRC V2X Test Solution, Bureau Veritas Korea (BV Korea) earned OmniAir Authorized Test Laboratory status (OATL). This status enables BV Korea to offer OmniAir Certification services to the growing ecosystem of V2X designers and manufacturers. "We are confident that V2X technology in the automotive industry will become globally widespread complying to technical certification provided by companies such as Bureau Veritas (News - Alert) Korea," stated Todd Kwak, general lab manager, at Bureau Veritas Korea. "We look forward to a strong partnership between Bureau Veritas Korea and Keysight for OmniAir V2X certification." "We are proud that Bureau Veritas Korea selected Keysight's DSRC V2X Test System for their certification program," stated Jun Chie, vice president of Asia Pacific sales at Keysight Technologies. "Working together, Bureau Veritas Korea and Keysight will play a key part in the rollout of V2X services." About Keysight Technologies Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) is a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's solutions optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets. Keysight generated revenues of $3.9B in fiscal year 2018. More information is available at www.keysight.com. Additional information about Keysight Technologies is available in the newsroom at https://www.keysight.com/go/news and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005653/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] ATLAS Space Operations Awarded Project with Space and Missile Systems Center and Defense Innovation Unit ATLAS Space Operations, Inc., a leading innovator in ground communications for the space industry, today announced an agreement to develop its LINKS platform with the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The competitively awarded rapid prototyping program will run for 12 months, and will deliver a complete satellite communications platform tailored to the Air Force's Multi-Band Multi-Mission requirements, as outlined by the Space and Missile Systems Center's Range and Network Systems Division. The resulting platform will provide several key advantages that have proven challenging for traditional antenna equipment, including the ability to communicate with multiple satellites simultaneously, tracking of resident space objects (RSOs), and providing enhanced telemetry data to ascending launch vehicles. The man-portable LINKS platform will increase capacity, flexibility, interoperability, automation and resiliency of space operations and space lift. Upon completion of the program, ATLAS will hold demonstrations to highlight LINKS' innovative features, cutting edg design, and multi-mission capabilities to the DIU. The demonstrations will be held at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. "Working directly with the Air Force will ensure LINKS' capabilities precisely meet their requirements," ATLAS CEO Sean McDaniel said. "This development process and adherence to the Air Force's high standards will ultimately lead to a product that will easily meet or exceed the requirements of the commercial sector down the road." ATLAS Space Operations will be at SATELLITE 2019 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from May 6-9, at booth 2142. There, attendees can learn more about this development partnership. ATLAS industry experts will also be on hand to discuss the latest trends in ground communications, including technology, security and the new space economy. To book interviews, please use the contact information below. About ATLAS Space Operations ATLAS Space Operations, Inc., based in Traverse City, Michigan, empowers global access to space through FreedomTM, a simple solution for processing and analyzing data from space, through a global antenna network, powered by a revolutionary cloud-based software. ATLAS's forward-thinking communications solutions are transforming the space industry by making ground communications simple, affordable and scalable than ever before. For more information on ATLAS Space Operations, please visit https://www.atlasground.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005870/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Green Dot to Announce First Quarter 2019 Results on May 8th Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2019 financial results on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 5:00pm ET. A press release with first quarter 2019 financial results will be issued after the market closes that same day. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing (888) 348-8307, or for international callers (412) 902-4242. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921, or for international callers (412) 317-6671, and entering the conference ID 10130791. The replay will be available through Wednesday, May 15, 2019. The call will be webcast live from the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.greendot.com/. About Green Dot Green Dot Corporation, [NYSE:GDOT], is a financial technology leader and bank holding company with a mission to power the banking industry's branchless future. Enabled by proprietary technology and Green Dot's wholly-owned commercial bank charter, Green Dot's "Banking as a Service" platform is used by a growing list of America's most prominent consumer and technology companies to design and deploy their own bespoke banking solutions to their customers and partners, while Green Dot uses that same integrated technology and banking platform to design and deploy its own leading collection of banking and financial services products directly to consumers through one of the largest retail banking distribution platforms in America. Green Dot products are marketed under brand names such as Green Dot, GoBank, MoneyPak, AccountNow, RushCard and RapidPay, and can be acquired through more than 100,000 retailers nationwide, thousands of corporate paycard partners, several "direct-2-consumer" branded websites, thousands of tax return preparation offices and accounting firms, thousands of neighborhood check cashing locations and both of the leading app stores. Green Dot Corporation is headquartered in Pasadena, California, with additional facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005920/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Global computer aided dispatch market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 10.9% over the forecast period from 2019-2025 NEW YORK, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The report on the global computer aided dispatch market provides qualitative and quantitative analysis for the period from 2017 to 2025. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05765605/?utm_source=PRN The report predicts the global computer aided dispatch market to grow with a CAGR of 10.9% over the forecast period from 2019-2025. The study on computer aided dispatch market covers the analysis of the leading geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW for the period of 2017 to 2025. The report on computer aided dispatch market is a comprehensive study and presentation of drivers, restraints, opportunities, demand factors, market size, forecasts, and trends in the global computer aided dispatch market over the period of 2017 to 2025. Moreover, the report is a collective presentation of primary and secondary research findings. Porter's five forces model in the report provides insights into the competitive rivalry, supplier and buyer positions in the market and opportunities for the new entrants in the global computer aided dispatch market over the period of 2017 to 2025. Further, IGR- Growth Matrix gave in the report brings an insight into the investment areas that existing or new market players can consider. Report Findings 1) Drivers Emerging demand for connected devices globally. Increasing crime worldwide is the driving factor for the computer-aided dispatch for police to arrest criminals. 2) Restraints The budget for the computer-aided dispatch may hinder the market. 3) Opportunities Increasing advancement and demand for a surveillance system. Research Methodology A) Primary Research Our primary research involves extensive interviews and analysis of the opinions provided by the primary respondents. The primary research starts with identifying and approaching the primary respondents, the priary respondents are approached include 2. Internal and External subject matter experts 3. Professionals and participants from the industry Our primary research respondents typically include 1. Executives working with leading companies in the market under review 2. Product/brand/marketing managers 3. CXO level executives 4. Regional/zonal/ country managers 5. Vice President level executives. B) Secondary Research Secondary research involves extensive exploring through the secondary sources of information available in both the public domain and paid sources. At Infinium Global Research, each research study is based on over 500 hours of secondary research accompanied by primary research. The information obtained through the secondary sources is validated through the crosscheck on various data sources. The secondary sources of the data typically include 1. Company reports and publications 2. Government/institutional publications 3. Trade and associations journals 4. Databases such as WTO, OECD, World Bank, and among others. 5. Websites and publications by research agencies Segment Covered The global computer aided dispatch market is segmented on the basis of deployment, component, application, and end-user. The Global Computer Aided Dispatch Market by Deployment Cloud On-premise The Global Computer Aided Dispatch Market by Component Solutions Services The Global Computer Aided Dispatch Market by Application Dispatch Unit Management Call Management Reporting and Analysis Others The Global Computer Aided Dispatch Market by End-User Transportation Healthcare and Life Sciences Government Utilities Company Profiles Superion, LLC. Avtec Inc. Zetron, Inc. Priority Dispatch Corp. Constellation Software Inc.'s (Caliber Public Safety) Tyler Technologies Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure Southern Software, Inc. CODY Systems Traumasoft What does this report deliver? 1. Comprehensive analysis of the global as well as regional markets of the computer aided dispatch market. 2. Complete coverage of all the segments in the computer aided dispatch market to analyze the trends, developments in the global market and forecast of market size up to 2025. 3. Comprehensive analysis of the companies operating in the global computer aided dispatch market. The company profile includes analysis of product portfolio, revenue, SWOT analysis and latest developments of the company. 4. IGR- Growth Matrix presents an analysis of the product segments and geographies that market players should focus to invest, consolidate, expand and/or diversify. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05765605/?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/global-computer-aided-dispatch-market-is-expected-to-grow-with-a-cagr-of-10-9-over-the-forecast-period-from-2019-2025--300834155.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Horace Mann to announce first quarter 2019 financial results on April 30 Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) plans to release its first quarter 2019 results on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, after the market closes. At that time, the quarterly news release and investor supplement will be available on the company's website at investors.horacemann.com. Management will host a conference call to discuss the financial results on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. A webcast of the call will be available live on the Events page of the company's investor site. Please log on to the site 15 minutes in advance to register for access to the call and download any required audio software. On-demand replay will be available later that day. What: First Quarter 2019 Conference Call When: 9:30 a.m. ET on May 1, 2019 Access Live: Via webcast at investors.horacemann.com Via phone at 877-269-7756 About Horace Mann Horace Mann is the largest financial services company focused on providing America's educators and school employees with insurance and retirement solutions. Founded by Educators for Educators in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill. For more information, visit horacemann.com. Safe Harbor Statement Statements included in this news release that are not historical in nature are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Horace Mann is not under any obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Please refer to the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2018 and the company's past and future filings and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for information concerning the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005840/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Avalara to Announce First Quarter 2019 Financial Results on May 7, 2019 Avalara, Inc. (NYSE:AVLR), a leading provider of tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced that it will report financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019 on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 after market close. Avalara will host a conference call and webcast at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (or 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on the same day to discuss its financial results and business highlights. Avalara First Quarter 2019 Earnings Conference Call When: Tuesday, May 7, 2019 Time: 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) Conference Call: (844) 882-5970 from the United States and Canad, (647) 253-8697 International, with conference ID 3856977 Webcast: investor.avalara.com; replay will also be archived on this website Replay: (800) 585-8367 from the United States and Canada, (416) 621-4642 International, with conference ID 3856977; available until 8:59 p.m. PT (11:59 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 About Avalara, Inc. Avalara helps businesses of all sizes get tax compliance right. In partnership with leading ERP, accounting, ecommerce, and other financial management system providers, Avalara delivers cloud-based compliance solutions for various transaction taxes, including sales and use, VAT, excise, communications, and other indirect tax types. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in the U.K., Belgium, Brazil, and India. More information at avalara.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005903/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [April 17, 2019] Hagens Berman: Women File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Sharp Grossmont Hospital Alleging Use of Illegal Hidden Cameras Sharp (News - Alert) Grossmont Hospital is facing a class-action lawsuit for its alleged use of hidden cameras in the operating rooms of its Women's Health Center, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman representing a proposed class of thousands of female patients who were videotaped without their consent during surgical procedures. The same law firm represents a class of women against Harvey Weinstein, and also recently achieved a pending settlement on behalf of female students and alumnae of the University of Southern California who were sexually harassed and abused at USC Student Health Center by its former gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. According to recent investigations, Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, Calif. secretly videotaped more than 1,800 women, who were "unconscious, undressed on operating room tables, undergoing medical procedures" and captured in more than 6,966 video clips. The hidden cameras were installed on or about July 17, 2012 in all three operating rooms of the Women's Health Center. The cameras operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week until June 30, 2013. The lawsuit, filed Apr. 17, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California states the hospital did not obtain patients' consent to record any of the footage, which includes caesarean births, birth complications, dilatation and curettage to resolve miscarriages, hysterectomies, sterilizations and other medical procedures. If you underwent a surgical procedure in the Women's Health Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital between July 17, 2012 and June 30, 2013, find out more about the lawsuit and your rights. The suit's named plaintiff gave birth at the hospital by caesarean section during the timeframe he cameras were in the operating room at Women's Health Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. The suit states, "Plaintiff did not consent and would not have consented to being recorded during this procedure, has suffered severe emotional distress upon learning of this gross invasion of privacy, and has been damaged as a result of Defendants' actions." "In a further breach of trust and duty, after the recordings were completed, Sharp stored the files on computers accessible by multiple users, some without password protection," the suit states. "Sharp also allegedly destroyed some recordings, but has not confirmed when or how it deleted the files, whether anyone took the files, or whether the files are nonetheless recoverable." The lawsuit brings various charges against Sharp Grossmont Hospital including invasion of privacy; gross negligence; intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress; negligent failure to warn, train or educate; and violation of California penal codes related to videotaping and recording. "These patients suffered a severe breach of their basic rights to privacy and respect at a time when they were at their most vulnerable - seeking medical attention and likely unconscious during a serious surgical procedure. The hospital's use of cameras is a gross invasion of privacy and shameful behavior," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. "Physicians swear to an oath when they pursue a role as a trusted caretaker in our communities and hospitals: They promise to 'respect the privacy of my patients' and 'respect a patient's right to confidentiality,'" Berman added. "We believe this conduct falls well below the standard set by the Hippocratic Oath, and below basic core human tenets of respect and dignity. We intend to fight aggressively for the rights of women who were secretly filmed." An Investigation Reveals the Hidden Cameras According to the lawsuit, the hospital claims it installed the cameras to catch a suspected doctor stealing drugs from the operating rooms, but the hospital admitted that it knew the film would not be enough to confront the suspected doctor. The existence of the recordings only became known to a limited number of people when the Medical Board of California began an investigation of the suspected doctor in 2015. Shortly after installing the cameras, the hospital's then-Director of Security told its then-CEO the video evidence was not sufficient to confront the suspected doctor. However, the CEO instructed the Director of Security to continue taking the videos. "The hospital kept the hidden cameras running for several months after it concluded its investigation of the suspected doctor," Berman said. "Unquestionably, Sharp Grossmont must be held accountable." Recent news headlines have brought these heinous acts to the forefront, and many victims have bravely stepped forward to tell their stories. Hagens Berman continues this fight, working to help achieve justice for those who have been victim to sexual violation, and enforce systemic change. Tell us about your case. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with nine offices across the country. The firm's tenacious drive for plaintiffs' rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiff's Firm," and MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005979/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] AHF Praises Majority of House Democrats for Backing Rep. Doggett's Drug Pricing Bill AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) praised the 122 members of the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday who have signed on as co-sponsors for the most serious piece of legislation tackling drug prices in 2019. Over half of the majority party in the House have endorsed the Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act, H.R. 1046, introduced by Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). If passed, the bill would require the U.S. government to negotiate with drug manufacturers who sell to the Medicare Part D drug program. Medicare Part D is a $100 billion market, the largest drug market in the world. "The drug industry is doing all it can to stop the momentum behind this legislation, which enjoys the support from nine out of ten Americans and a majority of the Democrats in the House," said Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. H.R. 1046 and its companion in the U.S. Senate, S. 377 by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), would repeal the prohibition on the government using its bulk purchasing power for the $100 billion it spends each year on prescription drugs for Medicare Part D. Recentreports from Politico reveal that drug companies are pouring money into the campaigns of the legislators who will determine the fate of this legislation. "Big drug companies are pulling out all the stops with deceptive tactics claiming the bill would stop innovation," said John Hassell, AHF's National Director of Advocacy. In fact, the legislation would allow compensation based on costs of research and development and the health benefits of medicine establishing a reasonable royalty to ensure an adequate return and protect incentives for innovation. The development of new drugs is already heavily subsidized by the very taxpayers who are stuck with the drug industry's high drug prices. The industry relies on public funding, from the National Institutes of Health, for innovation with every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2010 to 2016. AHF calls on every voter who cares about high drug prices to take action now. Voters can contact their members of Congress in the House and Senate by calling 202-224-3121 and ask them to support H.R. 1046 and S. 377. AHF previous statements on US drug pricing legislation: AHF Endorses Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Bills By Rep. Lloyd Doggett AHF Supports Legislation, US Congress Will Fight High Cost Prescription Drugs AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1 million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190417005993/en/ (Image credit: Intel) Intel announced today that it is no longer competing in the 5G modem market for smartphones. The company says it will evaluate the options for the remainder of its 4G and 5G modems in PCs, IoT, and other devices outside of smartphones, but will refocus its 5G efforts on the cloudification of the network. This news comes as Apple, by far Intels largest modem customer, and Qualcomm settled their multi-year dispute over modem licensing. Intel's 4G discrete modem product line is unaffected. As a result of the decision, Intel stated it would no longer fulfill its previous commitments for 5G modems in the smartphone space that it had planned for 2020. In November, Intel had announced its intention to get 5G into commercial devices in early 2020 with its second-gen XMM 8160 5G modem. The announcement does not mean that Intel has completely abandoned the 5G modem business or modem development, as Intel specifically referred to the smartphone space. For the time being, Intel said it would assess opportunities to put its discrete modems in other devices. So, what this announcement means for the launch and timeline of the XMM 8160, and whether there will be any Intel 5G product launches in 2020, is unclear. Intel had previously hinted that Project Athena laptops could include 5G connectivity in the future. (Image credit: Intel) In the past, Intel prided itself as being the only company that can provide an end-to-end 5G solution. Instead, Intel will continue to focus on the cloudification of the network from the cloud to the network edge. This refers to using standard Xeon Scalable CPUs as the network continues the ongoing transition to network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Both terms basically refer to CPUs carrying out the network operations instead of ASICs or ASSPs. Using standard CPUs lowers the cost for communication service providers. The networking infrastructure market is worth about $20B, which is quite a bit larger than the discrete Apple modem business. Intel had zero market share in this market about half a decade ago, but the company saw significant growth in this market as communication service providers began preparing for 5G, ultimately reaching over 20% market share last year. At CES, Intel announced it was also entering the base station market. Intel expects to capture 40% of that market by 2023 with its 10nm Snow Ridge product. Summing up this decision, Intel CEO Bob Swan said: We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the cloudification of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns. 5G continues to be a strategic priority across Intel, and our team has developed a valuable portfolio of wireless products and intellectual property. We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world. Intel stated its 4G portfolio is unaffected by this decision. The company began shipping the XMM 7560 modem last year (its first gigabit LTE modem and also the first modem built on its own in-house 14nm process) that will likely make it into this years iPhones. Intel also stated it would provide more details during its earnings call for the first quarter of 2019 (scheduled for April 25). Apple And Qualcomm Intels announcement came off the back of Qualcomm and Apple settling their 4G licensing dispute, as we reported earlier today. (Image credit: Apple) That settlement included, among other things, an agreement to a multi-year Qualcomm chipset supply agreement with Apple. When that news came in, it become apparent that Intel would lose market share in the iPhone, since it had became the sole modem provider for Apples 2018 iPhones. While Qualcomm hadnt reported any specifics, the information the company provided suggested that it had taken the majority, if not all, of the iPhone modem supply back from Intel. With Intel losing its only major modem customer, it was only a matter of time before it exited that market. It's unknown if Apple and Qualcomm made this agreement because Intel decided to exit the modem business (in which case Intel will likely stop all 5G modem development), or if Intel was forced to this 'decision' because Apple and Qualcomm reached an agreement. Intels Road To 5G (Image credit: Intel) Intel announced its 5G XMM 8000-series multimode modem portfolio in late 2017, with the XMM 8060 being the first product in the family. At CES last year, Intel announced it would target mid-2019 availability, with both 5G laptops and smartphones launching in the second half of 2019. For the latter market, Intel announced a partnership with Unigroup Spreadtrum to bring 5G to the Chinese smartphone market, but reports emerged earlier this year that the partnership had ended. (Image credit: Intel) However, Intel changed those plans in November 2018. The company made the decision not to commercialize the XMM 8060 (it was rumored to have power consumption and heat issues), relegating it to a development platform. Instead, Intel announced its successor, the XMM 8160, would be available in the second half of 2019 with products in the market in early 2020, representing a pull-in of over half a year. At the time, Intel said those commercial devices would include smartphones, PCs, and broadband access gateways. As things stand, todays announcement removes only the smartphone category from the portfolio of 5G devices that Intel targets, and not all of its 5G modem efforts. Intel always faced a big hurdle in this market because virtually all players have their own modem IP and have integrated it into their SoCs, hence removing the need for discrete solutions such as Intel's. Apple was a major exception to that; as a result, Intel's modem business' revenue grew to somewhere in the neighborhood of $1B in the last quarter of 2018. We should learn to what extent Intel is planning to continue (or not) developing its 5G modem family when the company reports its first quarter results later this month. At a press event in New York City today, Microsoft debuted the Surface Hub 2S. Its the companys latest office collaboration platform with a 50.5-inch 4K touchscreen display, a 3:2 aspect ratio and a webcam. Its also battery-powered for when you want to wheel it away from a wall. According to Surface head Panos Panay, that last feature will makes work displays mobile in the same way that laptops made personal computing more portable. In fact, the entire demo was performed with a unit unplugged from the wall. Representatives couldn't confirm final battery time but said current testing is pointing to just under two hours, but said it charges in roughly 90 minutes. Surface Hub 2S will start shipping in June for $9,000. Users can upgrade with a computing cartridge that fits in the back of the Surface Hub 2S. Additionally, an 85-inch model will be available with similar features. An 85-incher is planned for later this year. The more advanced version, the Surface Hub 2X, is scheduled for 2020. Image 1 of 6 Image 2 of 6 Image 3 of 6 Image 4 of 6 Image 5 of 6 Image 6 of 6 The Surface Hub 2S uses a suite of Microsoft 365 apps and has Microsoft Teams on board. Theres a whiteboard app for sketching out ideas. Meanwhile, the 4K camera has a 90-degree field of view, and the speakers include tweeters and a subwoofer in the back. It comes with a stylus for whiteboarding, as well. The Whiteboard app allows for real-time co-editing from anywhere. The app is cross-platform, so users can contribute from the Hub, Windows PCs, Android and iOS. Additionally, pictures from old ink whiteboards can be brought into the Whiteboard app with Microsoft's AI. In a hands-on, I was able to use the app to make tables and convert my handwriting to more legible text (though there were some flubs). I also got to talk with four "co-workers" who could see what was on mu display. It was much more of a hands-on, collaborative feel than the video calling I do day-to-day, which at best has a shared screen. The Surface Hub 2S has a modular compute unit, which will enable an update to the 2X later this year. A hardware rep said it uses an 8th Gen quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU, but didn't elaborate on what kind. This removable computer is also designed to allow for easier servicing. It also uses 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 128 GB M.2 SSD. There are four USB Type-C ports around the sides of the unit (you'll plug the camera into one of them), as well as HDMI, USB Type-A and another USB Type-C on the compute unit. The 2S doesn't support rotation, and the modular unit keeps it from rotating. The 2X option, however, won't block it and will support it in the software. Image 1 of 4 Image 2 of 4 Image 3 of 4 Image 4 of 4 People are spending more time right now collaboration than they ever have before, Panay said. This is worldwide. People, he suggested, are the biggest asset. Hearing intonation, seeing facial expressions, no matter how a group is spread out, makes teamwork more effective. In a demonstration meeting, presenters invited the Hub to a meeting, just like a member. Each user showed up in 1080p on the display. Microsoft partnered with office design, collaboration and furniture company Steelcase, which held the event at its offices. James P. Keane, CEO of Steelcase, discussed the challenges of innovation and making people work differently with cultures focused on teamwork, as well as the technologies that enable it, like cloud computing. Space is a bit of an anchor, Keane said. He said Steelcase built new spaces, including in warehouses, that included less fixed furniture that could be moved around with people. But it also needed to focus on the needs of individuals within those teams. The exec said the one that worked most with Microsofts new Surface Hub 2 was the meeting room, allowing for active collaboration." Keane introduced Steelcases Flex Collection, furniture that moves on wheels, walls for privacy and whiteboards that can be dragged around, all pointing to an office with furniture that doesnt stay in one place. Among those is the Steelcase Roam, a stand designed for the Surface Hub. Among the other items in the collection are standing desks that can move and boundary devices for individuals, plus larger ones with sound-absorption to make makeshift rooms. Image credits: Tom's Hardware Vodafone's Gigafast Package Advertisement Under Fire Vodafone Has "Gigafast" Broadband Package Adverts Pulled After Virgin Media Calls Them Misleading The UK ISP Vodafone has had its Gigafast Broadband adverts banned after Virgin Media challenged them within the courts earlier this year. The issue arose after Virgin Media accused Vodafone of misrepresenting its broadband packages to consumers, as Vodafones website, clearly stated that you could achieve an average speed of 900 Mbps, not exactly 1 Gbps. This falls in line with new British legislation launched in May of 2018, stating that internet service providers must only advertise download speeds that are available to at least 50-percent of their account holders during the prime time hours between 8 and 10 pm. The Advertising Standards Authority, (a consumer watchdog within the UK), stated that most customers would assume the prefix giga to be a hyperbolic description of speed, with many being confused or even tricked into believing that their downloads speeds would exceed or be at that fabled 1 Gbps download speed. The watchdog did take into account that those speeds could be possible outside of those peak times, however it pulled Vodafone up on one other point within its advertising campaign, enjoy Vodafone Gigafast Broadband speeds for as little as 23 a month. Problem being that to get that top Gigafast package, youd need to be forking over 48 a month at a minimum, with the 23 package offering 1/10th the speed of its top rated package. So Maybe Gigafast for 900 Mbps isn't the best wording Vodafone reached out to the BBC and stated that the company had made improvements to our website several months before the ASA ruling to ensure that the cost and speed of each package is as clear as possible. Theres definitely an irony to all of this, as those who are typically going to be looking at these packages should be well aware of how networking works, and when youre most likely to achieve those speeds. An almost assumed knowledge if you will. Nevertheless calling the package Gigafast may have been a poor decision. Openreach (the company behind the fibre infrastructure within the UK), states that this fibre to the property technology is actually called Ultrafast, circumventing that Giga description, and bizarrely the company also has a Gfast technology in place currently as well, which can drive up to 330 Mbps download speeds across fibre to the cabinet, and copper to the house properties too (although again only in select areas). If youre curious what you can get, and youre not on Virgin cable check out Openreachs Ultrafast Broadband Checker Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) is the next-generation standard for random-access memory (RAM). The new specification promises to bring chips that have much higher performance than the existing DDR4 modules, as well as lower power consumption. But what does that mean for desktop PCs? Let's take a look at what we know so far. Why We Need DDR5 RAM With the launch of AMDs first-generation Ryzen processors, a new Core War began. AMD delivered quad-core/eight-thread processors at mid-range and eight-core/16-threads CPUs at the high-end for mainstream PC consumers, which was just about double what Intel had been offering for years in those ranges. With the third-generation Ryzen processors, AMD has increased the core count by another 50%, pushing six-core chips at mid-range and 12-cores at the high-end. Intel has also been forced to respond with an increase in the number of cores for its own processors, although Intel hasnt been nearly as aggressive as AMD. In less than three years we went from four cores being just about the highest number most gamers or regular PC users could expect in their computers to three times as many. What all of this means is that were going need to drastically increase our memory bandwidth per core, too, if our PCs are going to keep up with AMD and Intels core war. (Image credit: Micron) As we can see from Microns chart above, bandwidth per core has remained relatively stable since the early 2000s. However, bandwidth per core has started to decline since last year. DDR5 Performance DDR5 designs promise to arrive on the market with double the density as well as double the performance of the first-generation DDR4 modules. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 Image Credits: David Schor / WikiChip DDR5-3200 RAM will see an increase of 1.36x in bandwidth compared to DDR4-3200. However, DRAM chips are expected to ship with a bandwidth of 4800MT/s, or 1.87x that of DDR4-3200 RAM. The official upper limit for the DDR5 RAM standard is 6400MT/s, but some designs may be able to push that further through overclocking. Memory Type Release Year Bandwidth Pins per Ch Voltage (V) Prefetch SDR 1993 1.6 GB/s 168 3.3 1n DDR 2000 3.2 GB/s 184 2.5/2.6 2n DDR2 2003 8.5 GB/s 240 1.8 4n DDR3 2007 17 GB/s 240 1.35/1.5 8n DDR4 2014 25.6 GB/s 380 1.2 8n DDR5 2019 32GB/s 380 1.1 8/16n HBM2 2016 307 GB/s 2860 1.25/1.35 16n GDDR6 2016 72 GB/s 180 1.35 16n SK Hynix has been working on DDR5 modules that can deliver 16Gb (2GB) capacity per chip. The company lowered voltage from 1.2V to 1.1V, which combined with the usage of its 1Ynm process, reduced power consumption compared to the companys DDR4 modules. The module offers up to 6.4Gb/s of throughput for each pin. Other benefits of DDR5 RAM include two independent 40-bit channels per module, improved command bus efficiency, improved refresh schemes and an increased bank group for additional performance. Features Enabling High-Bandwidth DDR5 RAM According to Micron, DDR5 will use a completely overhauled architecture compared to DDR4, with a focus on increasing bandwidth. A number of key features enable this increase in bandwidth. The most important is that DDR5 can increase the data rates from 3,200 MTps to 6,400 MTps. This data rate increase alone should more than keep up with potential future processors with even more cores. (Image credit: Micron) The new DDR5 RAM standard also includes other new protocol features that are not related to the data rate transfers, but can still increase overall bandwidth. For instance, DDR5 DIMMs will support two 40-bit (32-bit + ECC) independent channels. The new default burst length of 16 (BL16) in DDR5 RAM allows a single burst to access 64B of data, which is the typical CPU cache line size, using only one of the two independent channels or half the DIMM. This feature should provide a significant improvement in concurrency and effectively move us from the 8-channel memory systems we know today to a 16-channel system. (Image credit: Micron) DDR5 also doubles the number of bank groups (BGs) compared to DDR4, while keeping the number of banks per BG the same. This means that the total number of banks will be double that of DDR4. This helps controllers avoid performance degradation associated with sequential memory accesses within the same bank. All of these features and more point to how significant of an upgrade DDR5 will be compared to DDR4. First DDR5 Products to Ship In 2019 In March 2017, JEDEC, the group developing the DDR standard as well as other memory and storage standards, announced that it would release the DDR5 specification in 2018. In November 2018, SK Hynix announced the worlds first DDR5-compliant RAM module, which the company initially said would arrive in 2020. (Image credit: TechInsights) However, since then SK Hynix has said that it will release a DDR5 module by the end of 2019. Samsung and Micron have also previously said they would release DDR5 memory modules, but those may not be fully standard-compliant. (Image credit: Micron) SK Hynix predicted that DDR5 module sales would represent 25% of the RAM market in 2020 and 44% in 2021. The adoption of DDR5 RAM may be even faster in the mobile and data center markets. Smartphone makers (including Samsung) will want to outclass the competition with faster DDR5 LPDRAM, while data center customers will be seeking to satisfy their ever-increasing bandwidth needs. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for word on a firm arrival date for DDR5 for desktop PC, but this will likely hinge on AMD and Intel offering support on mainstream motherboards. Unfortunately, there have been no signs of DDR5 enablement from either company yet. MORE: Best RAM The state audit that began in December continues in Clay County, in spite of what the Missouri Auditor calls continuous stalling. About 9,000 county residents signed a petition that was circulated by a group called Citizens for a Better Clay County. They are asking the state auditor's office to take a close look at financial records. The Kansas City Pitch Hipster Good Life Will Quickly Clog Arteries The Pitch's Bacon and Bourbon Festival is this Thursday at the Truman The Pitch's sixth-annual festival full of bacon and bourbon - fittingly named the Bacon & Bourbon Festival - is this Thursday, April 18, at the Truman. Last year's event sold out, so you will want to get your tickets soon. Do that here. JoCo Celebrates Functional Alcoholism Budweiser Clydesdales coming to Overland Park Friday Mark Owen/KMBC SOURCE: Mark Owen/KMBC The Budweiser Clydesdales are continuing their Kansas tour to celebrate the state's new liquor laws. After a stop at the Kansas Statehouse on Thursday, the Clydesdales will be at the Hen House Market at 6900 W. 135th St. in Overland Park between 2 p.m. Show-Me Tribute To Local Prez Kansas City Artist Tom Corbin Selected To Return Harry S. Truman To Washington Missouri lawmakers have talked about placing a statue of President Harry S. Truman in the United States Capitol for nearly two decades. Now, a Kansas City artist has won the commission to sculpt one. Sculptor Tom Corbin has been selected by a committee of Truman family members, along with current and former board members at the Truman Library Institute. Exhibit Redux 'Jurassic World Live!' coming to Sprint Center after Thanksgiving Welcome to "Jurassic World," Kansas City."Jurassic World" comes to life for the first time in a touring arena show called "Jurassic World Live!" at the Sprint Center from Nov. 29 through Dec. Kansas City Cook Winning The Prospect: 'Cutthroat Kitchen' winner on the move with chef-inspired workforce training Everyday consumers can elevate Kansas City through the simple of act of eating a meal, said Chef Shanita McAffee-Bryant. Her in-the-works non-profit urban eatery concept - The Prospect - caters to a marketplace hungry for culinary-oriented workforce development training: students looking for a window into entrepreneurship through cooking, said Bryant, 2014 winner of Food Network's TV cooking competition "Cutthroat Kitchen" and owner of local catering company Magnolias on the Move. Old School Hip-Hop Local Hip-Hop Mary J. Blige, Nas to perform at Starlight Theatre Tickets will go on sale Friday, April 19 at 10 a.m. Influencers Live On Freebies Instagram models using new app to exchange posts for free food, beauty treatments, yoga classes As if being hot wasn't already unfair for the rest of the population - now the beautiful people can trade their looks for free restaurant meals, concerts, fitness classes and beauty treatments. Billed as a "model's passport to everything," Neon Coat is an app that lets models leverage their social media followings with businesses willing to give away goods and swag for the exposure. Hottie Tessa seems to be quietly bowing out of the softcore game and I don't blame her . . . But for now we're focusing on the bright side, her body of work and a bevy of nicer news for the afternoon. Take a look:And this is thefor right now . . . Lawmakers threaten UMKC budget cuts over assault chancellor response | The Kansas City Star Missouri lawmakers, unhappy with the University of Missouri-Kansas City's response to a student's attack last week on a conservative speaker visiting campus, are looking to cut the school's budget. Despite multiple statements from Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal affirming the importance of free speech on campus, legislators remain dissatisfied. A Kansas City debate and the ensuing lavender oil attack continues to spike ire across the nation.and now the GOP in Jeff City is shaking their fist at the city college. Take a look: Local Work Life Training: NextGen Should Focus On Building Condos For The 1% Kansas City FAIL To Plan KCQ: Why does a bridge along I-70 go nowhere in Kansas City? | The Kansas City Star A bridge at the Benton curve along Interstate 70 in Kansas City seems to serve no purpose. Why is it there? J.P. Morgan of Olathe suspects most people haven't noticed the bridge that goes nowhere in Kansas City, even though thousands of drivers pass it on their daily commutes. Kansas City History Crumbles KC's Folly Theater seeking donations after costly repair Kansas City's Folly Theater is asking for donations to replenish its building fund after a costly repair for a burst pipe. Kansas City Morning Traffic Trouble I-435 westbound in Kansas closed before Lackman due to multiple injury crashes All lanes of westbound I-435 are closed in Kansas just before Lackman Road due to multiple crashes in the area involving multiple vehicles.This incident happened around 5:50 a.m. Officials with the Kansas Highway Patrol said there are at least three separate incidents in that area each involving at least two vehicles. Season Of Storm Spam Awaits Metro storm spotters, chasers prepare for possibility of severe weather OLATHE, Kan. - The chance for severe weather this week has storm spotters on standby if conditions turn violent. John Hale and Carl Hobi have been fascinated with the weather practically their entire lives. "We live to chase. That's what we love to do," Hale said. Local Immigration Teaching Moment Play Up Kansas City Hype Kansas City's Very Own Drumline, "Chiefs Rumble," is Holding Tryouts The squad will include 30 performers this season, providing an ample opportunity for Chiefs Kingdom's most musically-inclined fans to get involved. Initially modeled after collegiate drumlines, the Chiefs Rumble began as a way of igniting excitement amongst fans tailgating in the parking lot prior to games. Wednesday Weather Warning Damaging winds possible with thunderstorms Wednesday evening There is the threat of severe weather with thunderstorms Wednesday evening. Just a few news links that define our pop culture morning news cycle . . .Closer to home, these local news links offer a glimpse at what the MSM is reporting . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . Sacre Bleu!!! Kansas City Tech To The Rescue Of Notre Dame?!?! KC company could use 3D tech to help repair Notre Dame KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- No one will ever see Notre Dame as it was. "One of the best examples of gothic and medieval architecture," Rick Embers, principal at Pulse Design in Kansas City, said. Embers never got the chance to see it in person. Rising Tide Estimation Cleaver: Spring floods may not meet threshold for federal disaster relief The spring floods in northwest Missouri may not reach the federal threshold to qualify for disaster relief. Golden Ghetto Fears Crash Course In Rising Traffic Danger Crashes a concern on busy stretch of Switzer OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- Overland Park police are still trying to determine why a driver hit a 14-year-old girl on Friday. She died two days later. But that busy stretch of Switzer is a frequent scene of crashes and children are often at risk. Meth Town Hobo Redux?!?! Independence police finding new ways to tackle homelessness INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Usually, a police officer is not a welcome sight to a homeless person. But two Independence, Missouri, police officers are working to change that. Officer Jodi Grooms first met Mike when he was asleep in his car, staying in his Nissan Pathfinder in a parking lot next to the police station. Social Media Double Tap Lindsey Pelas Nearly Busts Out Of Tiniest Bikini Ever On Instagram Lindsey Pelas' fans have been loving her Instagram posts all week, and her newest one is no exception. The model posed in a super small leopard-print bikini, as she leaned against a tiled wall with her right elbow and took the selfie with her left hand. Paris Of The Plains Tribute Union Station pays tribute to France KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, lit up in blue, white and red Monday night; the colors of the French flag. The lights paid tribute to the people of France who are grieving after a fire tore through one of Paris' most popular landmarks: Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. Stormy Weather Awaits Warm Wednesday; evening storms possible Temperatures will slowly fall back to a mild 60 degrees Tuesday night. Clouds will be on the increase for your Wednesday. Temperatures will be a warm 77 degrees... A bit of inspiration for our social media denizens tonight . . .Closer to home here are some local and on-topic newsworthy considerations as well . . .And this is thefor tonight . . . Should KC's City Manager Troy Schulte be replaced? | The Kansas City Star Kansas City Manager Troy Schulte discusses the city's prospects for winning the Amazon headquarters with The Star's editorial board members Colleen McCain Nelson and Melinda Henneberger. The candidates for mayor and City Council in Kansas City have lots to talk about in the weeks before the June 18 election - crime, housing, economic incentives, transportation. Dead-Tree media tease and no real answer in this screed . . . But another reminder that the City Manager is likely on his way out and there's a movement to have former Council dude Scott Wagner take his job. Checkit: The Karma nameplate has a rather checkered past, first appearing on an ill-fated hybrid GT sedan from Fisker Automotive in the late 2000s. After Fisker Automotive went bankrupt in 2013, the China-based Wanxiang Group Corporation purchased the assets, renamed the company Karma Automotive, and set about fixing the vehicles many lingering issues. Now, five years later at Auto Shanghai, Karma Automotive is ready to reveal the fruits of its labor with three new models that springboard off the original Karmas impressive design. The Karma is reincarnated, but can it overcome the actions of its previous life? LISTEN 05:15 Familiar Face, New Guts While the Wanxiang Group Corporation is based out of China, Karma Automotive is actually headquartered in Moreno Valley, a city in Riverside County, Southern California. The idea was to infuse the new Karma model line with a little Golden State sun, which would no doubt make U.S. buyers more comfortable than a Made In China tag. Regardless, the updated Karma Automotive line made its big debut in China this week, and includes no less than three fresh models to ogle. The headliner is the new Karma Revero GT luxury, a hybrid luxury four-door GT slated to go on sale in the second half of 2019. In addition to extensive customization options for the exterior and interior, the new Revero comes with a TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder engine from BMW, which serves as a range extender for a dual electric motor powertrain. Peak output is rated at 535 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque, which is good enough for a run to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Engine 1.5-liter BMW engine + electric motors Horsepower 535 HP Torque 550 LB-FT 0 to 60 mph 4.5 seconds Thats not too shabby for a big, heavy luxury GT car, especially with 80 miles of all-electric range on deck. Its also a helluva lot more powerful than the original Karmas 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid, which produced a maximum 403 horsepower and propelled the four-door to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. Outside, the Revero GTluxury looks quite good as well, bringing the originals Henrik Fisker-styled exterior into 2019. So far, so good, but its worth mentioning that the new Revero still has a way to go before winning us over. 2011 Fisker Karma I drove the original Karma way back when it was still produced by Fisker Automotive, and while first impressions were positive - it looked great and had an awesome interior, both of which are carried over with this new model - it also felt extremely heavy and cumbersome, and it was pretty slow, too. The novel hybrid powertrain was interesting, but it also led to the Karmas eventual downfall. The setup was just too complex, and after several recalls, poor reliability, and, uh, fires, it ended up hitting the dust bin. But now that its back, weve gotta assume Wanxiang Group Corporation fixed those issues, especially after the release of the original Revero in 2016. Hybrid powertrain technology has come a long way in the last five years, so we remain hopeful. We have yet to hear anything official in terms of pricing, but considering the original Karma started deep in the six-figure range, its likely the new model will do the same. The Karmas Future In addition to the new Revero GT, Karma also revealed the Pininfarina GTcoupe, a collaborative effort with the legendary Pininfarina design house. This stylish reimagining brings the same underpinnings as the standard 2020 Revero GT, but tosses in a number of upgrades to the exterior styling and cabin design. 2020 Karma SC1 Vision Concept Finally, theres the Karma SC1 Vision Concept, which is framed as an all-electric roadster design study. The SC1 Vision not only previews Karmas futuristic design aspirations, but also give us a glimpse at possible up-and-coming customization options, such as humanized communication system that includes a number of interfaces, including touch, voice control, an eye-movement monitor, and a traditional graphics interface. All told, Karma hopes to bolster its offerings by bringing an open-platform model to collaborate on future vehicles and technology, such as-as it did with the Pininfarina GT. We will use partnerships with like-minded collaborators to accelerate out progress by acquiring and developing key technologies important to connectivity, performance, artificial intelligence, shared mobility platforms, and electrification, said Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. While thats something were seeing across the industry, its particularly important for a small boutique automaker like Karma, and with companies like Pininfarina pumping out all-electric hypercars like the Battista, you can bet Karma is eager to source its components wherever possible. In terms of sales, Karma first heads to the U.S. market, followed by the European and the Middle East markets, with a foray into Asia planned for 2021. By gradually expanding our presence this way I am confident our company - and our products - will be well prepared for the discerning Chinese luxury buyer of the future, Zhou said. Would you buy a new Revero GT? What about the concepts? Let us know in the comments section below. Further Reading Read our full review on the 2017 Karma Revero. Read our full driven review on the 2011 Fisker Karma. Read our full review on the 2019 Fisker EMotion. 2019 Kawasaki Ninja H2 R With Top-Flight Aerodynamics And A Supercharged Engine, The H2 R Is Far Too Awesome To Be Street Legal Passenger traffic up 6.6% YoY in Argentina and 7.3% in Ecuador, partially offset by declines in other countries of operations Corporacion America Airports S.A. (NYSE: CAAP) reported yesterday preliminary year-over-year passenger traffic growth of 2.6% in March 2019. Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Highlights Statistics Mar'19 Mar'18 % Var. YTD19 YTD18 % Var Domestic Passengers (thousands) 3,941 3,647 8.0% 11,531 10,573 9.1% International Passengers (thousands) 2,205 2,292 -3.8% 6,576 6,732 -2.3% Transit Passengers (thousands) 708 738 -4.1% 2,321 2,342 -0.9% Total Passengers (thousands) 6,854 6,677 2.6% 20,428 19,647 4.0% Cargo Volume (thousand tons) 38.2 36.6 4.4% 104.8 98.6 6.3% Total Aircraft Movements (thousands) 71.5 73.9 -3.2% 212.7 213.4 -0.3% Passenger Traffic Overview Total passenger traffic in March 2019 increased 2.6% YoY, primarily reflecting growth of 6.6% in Argentina and 7.3% in Ecuador, partially offset by declines across most other countries of operations. The Company faced more difficult comps in March as the Easter holidays this year fell in April, while in 2018 they fell in March. In Argentina, total passenger traffic increased 6.6% YoY, mainly driven by 14.8% growth in domestic passengers benefiting from the launch of several new routes and the addition of new airlines during 2018, together with a mix-shift to domestic from international travel by local passengers. This was partially offset by a decline of 7.4% in international passengers, reflecting continued challenging macro conditions. During March, Flybondi added a new domestic route connecting Iguazu with Rosario Airport, further increasing connectivity in the country, while Cordoba and Mendoza airports also reported a record-high traffic volume. In addition, during April low cost airline JetSmart begun domestic operations. Also that month the remaining regional flights were migrated from Aeroparque to Ezeiza Airport, with the exception of flights to/from Montevideo and Punta del Este. In Italy, passenger traffic declined 2.2%, reflecting more difficult comps as last year traffic in March benefited from the Easter school holidays, which are falling in April this year. In Brazil, passenger traffic declined 3.2%, impacted by a decline of approximately 20% in seat supply at Avianca Brasil, that also announced cancellation of certain routes at several Brazilian airports starting April 2019, and, to a lesser extent, a reduction in less profitable routes and frequencies by LATAM Airlines as it seeks to optimize operations at Brasilia Airport. In Ecuador, passenger traffic increased 7.3%, with international passenger traffic at Guayaquil Airport up 14.2%, mainly attributed to the continued good performance of the Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale, the addition of 3 weekly flights by COPA Airlines, and the start of operations of Jet Blue, that opened a route to Fort Lauderdale with seven weekly flights. Passenger traffic in Uruguay declined 10.3% YoY mainly impacted by macro conditions experienced in Argentina and more difficult comps from the Easter holidays effect as discussed above, together with the cancellation of Aviancas daily route to Bogota, Colombia. Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Cargo volume increased 4.4% in March 2019, mainly as a result a 69.4% increase in Brazil, offset by a decline of 9.3% in Argentina, related to the continued challenging macroeconomic conditions. Aircraft movements decreased 3.2% in March 2019, mainly as a result of a 13.3% decline in Brazil. Summary Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Mar'19 Mar'18 % Var. YTD19 YTD18 % Var Passenger Traffic (thousands) Argentina 3,689 3,462 6.6% 10,960 10,247 7.0% Italy 531 543 -2.2% 1,420 1,398 1.6% Brazil 1,582 1,634 -3.2% 4,968 4,966 0.1% Uruguay 185 206 -10.3% 643 685 -6.2% Ecuador 410 382 7.3% 1,105 1,028 7.5% Armenia 200 187 7.1% 579 524 10.4% Peru 258 264 -2.3% 753 799 -5.7% TOTAL 6,854 6,677 2.6% 20,428 19,647 4.0% Cargo Volume (tons) Argentina 20,145 22,219 -9.3% 56,057 60,392 -7.2% Italy 1,064 929 14.5% 3,081 2,657 16.0% Brazil 9,042 5,338 69.4% 23,524 14,083 67.0% Uruguay 2,249 2,792 -19.4% 6,095 6,756 -9.8% Ecuador 3,955 3,432 15.2% 11,313 10,045 12.6% Armenia 1,331 1,465 -9.1% 3,558 3,474 2.4% Peru 404 406 -0.7% 1,191 1,165 2.2% TOTAL 38,189 36,581 4.4% 104,818 98,571 6.3% Aircraft Movements Argentina 39,347 39,395 -0.1% 115,890 113,425 2.2% Italy 5,206 5,284 -1.5% 14,152 13,885 1.9% Brazil 13,371 15,421 -13.3% 40,751 44,750 -8.9% Uruguay 2,548 2,966 -14.1% 9,337 10,948 -14.7% Ecuador 6,937 6,480 7.1% 20,636 17,989 14.7% Armenia 1,826 1,751 4.3% 5,326 4,915 8.4% Peru 2,308 2,579 -10.5% 6,646 7,467 -11.0% TOTAL 71,543 73,876 -3.2% 212,738 213,379 -0.3% Corporacion America Airports acquires, develops and operates airport concessions. The Company is the largest private airport operator in the world by the number of airports and the tenth largest based on passenger traffic. Currently, the Company operates 52 airports in 7 countries across Latin America and Europe (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Armenia and Italy). In 2018, Corporacion America Airports served 81.3 million passengers. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange where it trades under the ticker CAAP. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Travel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Travel Industry Wire With the growing popularity of smart phones, Travoline.com customizes its web platform for mobile users to deliver comprehensive search for hotels, car rentals, airline tickets and vacation packages. (TRAVPR.COM) India - 17th April, 2019 - Travoline a leading online travel booking portal, today announced its mobile optimized version of the website. The website now delivers a comprehensive search functionality for customer to book their itinerary of hotels, rental cars, airline tickets and vacation packages securely using their mobile in just three steps. Travoline.com experienced approximately 56% increase in the mobile users for past six consecutive months. Based on this and other prevailing market, technology conditions, the company optimized its website for both online and mobile platform foreseeing the growing trend and popularity among its mobile users. There is dynamic change in the interface for web users and mobile users. The mobile users would be able to access all the functionality thats available in website but in an even more simpler, easy-to-navigate interface to book their travel itinerary. In addition to user design patterns, the site also features clean, highly intuitive navigation, easy to read text type, quick search and hotel booking in few steps. The web interface is also integrated with the location maps to show the hotel property location and the neighborhood locations to give clear demarcation. The hotel search displays the user rating, pricing, hotel rooms picture and a concise description. Any available discounts and offers are also highlight for the customers to choose their choice of hotels which would provide them great savings. Customers now can book the hotels on-the-go using their mobile, ipad or tablet. With the rapid growing community of mobile users, the website is designed to deliver a clean, intuitive and faster browsing experience providing a seamless booking option for all available travel services available in the portal. Said Nishanthi, Managing Director of Travoline. We would keep investing in the technology to provide a better user experience, look and feel, enhanced functionality for customer to enjoy the trip as well as the hotel, car rental booking experience using their mobile. She added. The user visiting the website has just type in the location they are looking for the hotel or car rentals, choose the dates and click on search. The results would display within few milli-seconds. Travelers specifically looking for spring sales, summer choice of hotels, holiday season sale can see the offer prices in the hotel search results included. The three steps check out process helps the customer to reserve the hotel in less than a minute. Travoline continues to focus on building strategies to make the online travel booking experience better, so users feel confident that they get the best deals while booking hotels, car rentals, airline tickets and vacation packages online be it web or mobile. To find the best deals on hotels, car rentals and cheap flights head to Travoline.com. To read about popular destinations visit our Travel Blog. About Travoline Travoline is one of the leading online travel websites providing easy and smart ways to book hotel rooms, car rentals, airline tickets and vacation packages. With over 900,000 properties listed directly and through a strong partner network, Travoline helps business and leisure travelers find their choice of accommodations whilst providing the Best Price Guarantee, free cancellation and pay-at-arrival options. For more information visit www.travoline.com ### Some of the best scientific discoveries were made by accident. Jess Adkins of Caltech reflects on what that feels like: "This is one of those rare moments in the arc of one's career where you just go, 'I just discovered something no one ever knew.'" Scientists have long known that carbon dioxide is naturally absorbed in the ocean's waters. In fact, the oceans hold approximately 50 times as much carbon dioxide as is in the atmosphere. As with most things in nature, the cycle of carbon dioxide requires a delicate balance. Carbon dioxide is absorbed into (or released from) the oceans as part of a natural buffer system. Once dissolved in seawater, the carbon dioxide acts like an acid (which is why coral reefs are threatened). After time, that acidic surface water circulates to deeper parts of the ocean, where calcium carbonate collects on the sea floor from the many plankton and other shelled organisms that have sunk to their watery grave. Here the calcium carbonate neutralizes the acid, forming bicarbonate ions. But this process can take tens of thousands of year. So scientists were asking themselves: how long does it take for the calcium carbonate of a coral reef to dissolve into the acidic seawater? It turns out that the tools for measuring this were relatively primitive and as a consequence, the answers were unsatisfying. The team decided to use a new method. They created calcium carbonate made entirely out of "tagged" atoms of carbon by using only a rare form of carbon known as C-13 (normal carbon has 6 protons + 6 neutrons = 12 atomic particles; but C-13 has an extra neutron for a total of 13 particles in its nucleus). They could dissolve this calcium carbonate and carefully measure how much C-13 levels increased in the water as the dissolution proceeded. The technique performed 200 times better than the older method of measuring pH (a way of measuring hydrogen ions as the acid balance of water changes). The added sensitivity of the method also helped them to detect the slow part of the process...something chemists like to call the "limiting step." It turns out that the slow step already has a very good solution. Because our bodies have to maintain our acid balance even more carefully than the oceans need to manage it, there is an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase that speeds up this slow reaction so that our body can respond quickly to keep the pH in our blood just right. When the team added the enzyme carbonic anhydrase the reaction sped up, confirming their suspicions. While this is still in the early stages of scientific discoveries, it is easy to imagine that this knowledge could help to solve problems with the slowness and inefficiencies that make carbon capture and sequestration such a challenging technical solution to the use of fossil fuels in a world with rising carbon dioxide levels changing our environment. Lead author Adam Subhas points out the potential: "While the new paper is about a basic chemical mechanism, the implication is that we might better mimic the natural process that stores carbon dioxide in the ocean."